7 pm.

dear 7 pm sunlight.

i love you and the light you provide.

i love how you shine your goodness on my sprouts' yummy toes.

yup, such a scrumptious light.

if i could take pictures in you all the time, i would.

sweet spring.

so, i think i say this at every season change...but, this is my favorite time of the year.

it's warm outside, but not too warm.

the evenings are still crisp.

flowers and all things pretty are blooming.

and best of all...my kids can now sit outside on our sun porch and eat lunchtime meals.

which means less crumbs on my kitchen floor.

who doesn't love a crumb-less kitchen floor?

amen.

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can you believe this little hobbit is on his way to being 6 months old?

where did the last 6 months go?

and while we're on the subject...where did all his hair go too?

i did manage to cut the 8 hairs that were hanging in his eyes.

it was painful.

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i took this in the mirror.

that is how i get good lighting in most of his photos...i use a mirror for a reflector to bring more light in.

he loves to look at himself in the mirror, which is way cute.

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my girls weekend was a success.

i managed to eat more cookie dough in one weekend, than in my whole life.

score.

you can read my BFF's blog for more goodness about the weekend.

3 things that are making me smile.

1. i've finally gotten around to getting some pictures printed and put up around the house...
exhibit A: our family canvas.

exhibit B: our kiddos up above the kitchen.


2. i'm leaving today for a much needed, girls weekend! i'll be with my 3 other best friends...friends since high school.
we seriously laugh for hours and eat loads and loads of cookie dough.
what could be better?
oh, and did i mention i'll be kid free?
yah, mr. anderson is a super dad...go ahead and tell him.

3. i can't share the third thing that's making me smile just yet...but it's bringing me great joy and in due time, i shall tell.
but please, no assumptions that i'm prego.
remember how being prego makes me sick? yah, that would not be bringing me great joy.

have a lovely weekend!

crafty friday.

over the last few years, my scrapbooking obsession (i mean, hobby) has led me to collect quite a few embellishments.

exhibit A:

i put those embellies to good use today and made these:

those pretties sit right on my window sill...now i don't have to look at the nasty little neighbor doggies pooping (sometimes in MY yard, people) while i wash dishes.

random side note---when milo saw those today he said "lola and paco (the nasty little neighbor dogs) can see your pretty crafts too".

see, i'm not lying...they really are my entertainment while i wash dishes---i mean, load dishes into my dishwasher.

who washes dishes by hand these days anyways?

oh wait.

i did.

for 4 long years we didn't have a dishwasher.

wow, was that a tangent, or what?

anywho.

here are the supplies (give or take a few) you may or may not need for this crafty craft.

and that's the extent of my tutorial.

i really suck at tutorials.

but here's some more pretty pictures of my pretty craft.

that spring moss makes me really feel like springtime is here.

you're probably thinking "springtime is there, emily. you live in florida."

well, let me just state that this winter has been the coldest we've had since 1948.

1948, people.

yah, it's been cold.

but for reals.

if ya'll have a question about how i made these, leave them in the comments and i'll help ya out.

enjoy and happy friday.

crafty with paper.

it's now official that my newest son (who is now almost 5 months old) will have at least 1 page in his scrapbook.

that page only took me a week to complete.
at this rate, i'll be finished when he's 48 years old.
and just because i never showed ya'll...
here was his birth announcement.

that photo collage was made with super easy picasa.
and then printed with winkflash.
then i just stuck it on some cardstock...attached a ribbon...and voila.
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and last but not least.
one for the grandparents.

let the drooling stage begin.
fun times.
and if you notice he's lost so much of his hair...the pointy part, which he sported for the first 4 months of his life, has now gotten too long and falls almost into his eyes.
i really should cut it, as it's only about 8 hairs.
ha.

velour jogging suits and such.

one of the benefits of being a photographer, is having photographer friends.

and what's a bunch of photographer friends supposed to do when they get together?

why, take pictures of each other...of course.

{photo taken by sarah bray}

i am by no means, comfortable in front of the camera...but it's good to have photos of yourself.

if not for you, then for your kids.

i would love to have more photos of my mom and dad...back in their early years.

the ones i do have are few and far between, but i do treasure those.

they are fun to look at.

and i could definitely blackmail my dad with those heinous moustache photos.

{photo taken by sarah bray}

having photos of myself is also a good reminder that i do know how to rock more than just my velour jogging suits and slippers.

i mean, don't get me wrong...i can rock those great and all, but i do own more than that.

{photo taken by jessica regan}

a simple reminder now and then, is always nice.

my 6 year old, a hay-bale and my camera.

i have been dreaming of shooting a photo session with some hay bales, for years now. i finally found some! woot.

i used them to my advantage to take caedmon's 6 year old photos...

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love.

let's be honest here...

...i finally took a shower today, after going 4 long, smelly days without one.

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...i've used bribery on my 2 year old more than a few times this week.

eh, what's a little high fructose corn syrup, in exchange for 5 minutes of good behavior?

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...i'm counting down the hours, minutes and seconds until mr. anderson and i go on an overnight date.

i have a feeling we are excited for completely different reasons though.

can someone say sleep? holla.

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...i laugh everytime i sit down to eat lunch with my little people and this is what i see across the table...

funny...he reminds me so much of the chipmunk that's sitting right next to his plate.

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...i taught this little one how to use my dyson.

this was a big step for me, as nobody touches my dyson.

nobody.

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anything you'd like to be honest about?

caedmon is 6 (a belated birthday wish).

yesterday, our firstborn turned 6 years old.

what?

how is that possible?

we had a busy day filled with donuts, church and disney.

the kid amazes us every day, with all the things he is learning.

the kid is smart.

and i know what you're thinking...it's because he's got the asian in him.

well, i beg to differ.

i read somewhere that kids get their "smarts" from their mom.

i am totally to blame for the kids high IQ.

i will definitely take ownership of that, thankyouverymuch.

in all seriousness, we love the kid, and not just cause he's smart.

we love him cause he's funny.

we love him cause he's cute.

we love him cause he's a good helper.

we love him because he's handled being a big brother 3 times now, quite gracefully.

we love him cause he really cares about others.

we love him cause he loves jesus.

we love him cause he is stubborn (okay, we don't always love this).

we love him cause he's always willing to sit in our lap and cuddle.

we love him cause he builds some creative things with his legos.

we love him cause he's proud of the things he does.

we love him cause he is exactly who God made him to be.

I love him cause he always lets me take pictures of him. ha.

so, we love you caedmon josiah.

we're thankful for you and your 6 years that you've been with us thus far.

looking forward to many more!

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now, it's YOUR turn.

caedmon is an avid little reader, and i thought it would be fun for ya'll to wish him "happy birthday" in the comments section, so he can read them later!

but, just for fun (and because caedmon loves all things related to states/countries, etc.) say your name and where you're from!

example:

happy birthday caedmon!

emily, from Florida (ha, i almost put kansas)

he will get a huge kick out of seeing where in the world people are wishing him a happy birthday from!

take 2 minutes out of your day, lovely readers and do this for me!

thanks :)