this post is all over the place.

truth be told, i couldn't get little man to stop being so curious about his, ahem, parts...during our photo shoot.

 

any mom of boys (okay, let's face it, anyone who KNOWS a boy) knows that this is a common occurrence. 

typical boy.

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speaking of boys...could my 6 year old look any more like mr. anderson?

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and speaking of mr. anderson, i love this shot that milo took of us...he loves to take pictures with mommy's camera, but the dang thing is a little too heavy for him, so i always have to help him out, by holding it up a bit.

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and speaking of milo...here is a funny one of him, that i took during the {embrace the camera} challenge last week.

see?

i told you this post was all over the place.

looky what i got.

a gussy bag!

i've been eyeing maggies' laptop bags for quite some time now...

so stoked to finally be an owner of one.

hadley loves it too...

**********************************************************

and just because he's cute...

day 5.

recipe for this shot:

1 determined mama {i've wanted a shot with milo all week}

1 crazy uncle milo.

1 funny face.

1 kindergartner who likes to play with the camera.

= success.

well moms, we made it!

this has been such a fun challenge for myself, that i'm not going to let it end here.

for myself {and you, if you'd like to join} i'm going to make every thursday an {embrace the camera} day.

will you join me?

i'll give you a gentle reminder {and nudge} each week, to encourage you!

link up your final day below, and i'll see you next week!

enjoy your weekend...

day 4.

recipe for this shot:

1 happy and snuggly baby.

1 willing mama.

1 outstretched arm to capture the shot.

1 thing of drool to complete the shot.

= success.

and a few more...we had a lot of fun taking pics.

now it's your turn...link up below!

1 more day mommas...you can do it :)

day 3.

recipe for this shot:

1 little mr. anderson look-a-like.

1 happy mama.

1 4 year old sister who likes to play with mommy's camera.

1 "nap time" which apparently didn't really mean naps today.

= success.

love seeing every ones photos!  keep linking up your days :)

in fact, let's try mrlinky today---just click on enter here and follow the super easy directions.

{read about the challenge here}

day 2.

recipe for this shot:

1 little bean who got up waaaaaay too early.

1 deliriously tired {and crusty} mama.

1 stretched out arm to capture the shot.

1 snuggle moment.

= success.

and just because she's cute...

loved looking at all of your entries yesterday!

link up again if you participate---

{read about the challenge here}

and p.s. my post tomorrow will not come till way late in the day...just a heads up!

day 1.

recipe for this shot:

1 dirty mirror.

1 cute baby.

1 willing mama.

1 disgustingly 80's pull out sofa.

= success.

now, it's your turn---link up if you take a photo today!

{read about the challenge here, if you have no idea what we are talking about}

embrace the camera.

do you have pictures of yourself, with your little people?

in this day and age of the "momarazzi", many of us are always behind the lens...rather in front of it.

some of you feel much more comfy behind the lens, and i get that.

look, you think i want pictures of myself in the same velour jogging suit for the 3rd day in a row {i slept in that jogging suit each night too---i know, gross, right?}

well, i don't really want those pictures...but my kids do---or, at least they will one day.

how many of you LOVE looking at pictures of your parents, when they were young{er}?

i'm raising my hand!

sadly, i don't have a lot of pictures with me and my mom from when i was younger.

i am off to change this for my kids.

i want them to have an abundance of pictures...to remind them of these days that we spent at home together.

the days may seem to drag...but honestly, the years fly.

is my son really about to graduate...from kindergarten?

wasn't it yesterday that i was wiping his diapered bottom?  and now i am wiping his pee up from all around the toilet.  embrace the pee.

and embrace the camera.

all next week (monday thru friday) i am going to take a picture of me with my kids.  maybe with 1 kid...maybe all of them.  more than likely with whomever wants to cooperate.

will you join me?

we will call it the {embrace the camera} challenge.

get out your self-timer camera.

give your $1,000 camera to your 3 year old {yikes!} to capture the shot.

hit the button and run and jump into the photo.

hold the camera out in front of you and your munchkin.

take a shot in the mirror.

whatever you need to do, to capture yourself with the little people.

if you are thinking "no thanks...i don't want my crusty self in the photograph, thankyouverymuch" then you are going to get a swift kick in the shins for that.  {and trust my bruised shins...that hurts}

do you honestly look at a picture of your mom from back in the day and think "man, she was {insert your horrible adjective that you use to describe yourself}"

no.

we don't think that.

and neither do your kids!

so, pick up the camera and get shooting.

link up everyday {in the comment section} so i can see who is participating!

and just so you know, even if you don't have little people, you can still embrace this challenge!

who doesn't need a little help getting comfy in front of the camera?

get out there with yo' crusty self and smile!

see ya monday!

banana bread and fat babies.

bean and i spent the morning baking away.

not gonna lie here...baking with children stresses.me.out. 

i don't like crumbs.

i don't like crumbs on my floor.

baking makes lots of crumbs on my floor.

baking with children makes LOTS of crumbs on my floor.

especially when they are stirring and accidentally do a little flick of the wrist and flour goes flying.

yes, it's messy.

but, it's also important to me, to teach my kids how to bake/cook.

i want them to be totally self-sufficient when they get older.

like at age 8.

is that possible?

please excuse 3 things in the following picture:

1.  the smoothie crusted to bean's face.

2.  my bed head.

3.  the empty beer bottle in the background.

what?  i was thirsty.

totally kidding, that is mr. andersons.

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another fun thing we like to do in this house is play
"push the fat baby around in a toy dumpster truck."

please disregard the facial expression.
i swear, he loves it.

did you win?

so...i had too many comments to just throw in a bowl, so i had the random number generator thingy pick for me:

out of 177 comments, it picked #31 which is..........

house-of-boys said...

I'd love a laptop bag!

5/11/10 4:07 PM

so, house-of-boys...you know who you are, and i know who you are, so email me and i'll get you directed to gussy gus.
and if you'd like to share the wealth with me, i'll gladly accept.
i was secretly hoping that someone who "tweeted" would have won, so i could say the magical word "tweet"...it's kind of fun saying.  and no, i will never tweet.

thanks to all of you for commenting...no need to come out of the wood works when there is a giveaway...we like nice comments any ol' day.  :)

cinnamon grasshoppers.

mr. anderson asked caedmon to write out a menu for me, for mothers day.  this is what i got:

it all sounded so tempting...especially that cinnamon grasshopper.

but in the end, i chose my fave...french toast.  apparently not on the menu.

{side note---i swear this kid loves me---this menu, however, may seem like he doesn't---end side note}

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i'm really not believing that my little hobbit is about to be 7 months old.

i mean, 7 months??  that's almost 8 months...and then soon he'll be a year old.

denial.  that's what i'm in.

he is oh so cute at 6 1/2 months though...

he loves to show off his sitting skills...

and we like to smile and laugh at each other.

{and yes, those are those huge muscles that intimidated mr. anderson on our first date}

who knew it was possible to love your 4th child...just as much as you love your 1st...and 2nd...and 3rd...

it's gussy time.

get excited folks, cause today the lovely gussy is in the house, with a fantastic giveaway!

can i get a holla?

if you don't know who gussy is, i'll let you crawl out from under that rock you've been living in, and go check her out.

then come back.

{waiting...waiting...waiting}

glad to have you back!

...let's move on.

here is a little diddy about gussy:

Gussy is a line of ruffled accessories. Each ruffle is machine sewn free-hand style, making each ruffle unique. About 18 months ago I sat down at my kitchen table -- I wanted to learn how to sew. And here I am now, offering wallets, zipped pouches of all sizes, laptop bags, and note cards (all with my signature ruffle) to those that love a little flair. And starting May 14, I'll be sewing exclusively on Gussy products. No more day job! : ]

here is a peek at some of her goodies...

okay, wipe the drool away before it lands on your computer keyboard.

are you ready to win some gussy?

she's generously offered a $30 gift certificate to the winning reader!

here's how you can get in on the goods--you can have multiple entries, so listen up!

1. head on over to her shop (www.shopgussy.com) and then come back here, leave me a comment telling me what you would spend your $30 on {those precious baby blankets are not included in this giveaway}.

2. do you follow my blog?  thank you if so and leave me another comment letting me know that.

3. blog or "tweet"---whatever that is---about this giveaway and then leave another comment letting me know you did that.

sweet---3 chances.

fabulous.

one of the lovely, mini andersons will pick a winner friday morning!

-good luck-

me and my offspring.

so many that i can't hug 'em all at one time!

there's always room for more though...right?

(not making an announcement here---just stating the obvious.)

oh, and my fabulous, red pumps?  they are from mr. anderson---my mothers day gift.

what?  he is fab.

sweet.

{image found here}

as i wake up on this fine mothers day, i know i'll be showered with love and kisses...

i'll be told to sleep in cause it's "mom's day"...

we'll spend the day going to church, having lunch together, probably going swimming...

it will be a good day.

but for many of you, mothers day is a day where sadness tends to creep in.

for whatever reason, it is not what it should be.

i pray that the peace that only our Lord can give would comfort you on this day.

...and days to come...

you are thought of today.

be still, my heart.

this picture makes my heart jump!

i just love it...and those boys.

pinwheels.

so, hello.

 i've got a fun, quick and easy craft-ola for yo'self.

while visiting kansas (did you know i was just there for almost 2 weeks---surprise!) i got to be part of a sweet shower for a sweet friend :)

i made some pinwheels to add to the room, as some decor.  here is a tutorial on how to make these babies...

step 1---cut an even square with your paper and fold it corner to corner (both ways).

step 2---unfold and cut halfway up the crease lines (on all 4 creases).

step 3---(this is where i get really technical with my tutorial)  fold every other flappy part into the center.

step 4---secure with a brad.

step 5---hot glue a wooden stick to the back.

now, these pinwheels are for the eyes only---only prettiness, not functionality.  these do not spin.  they do serve as a good poking stick though.  and let a kiddo get a hold of them and they immediately become a sword.  instant entertainment.

here's how we placed them at the shower...in random flower pots...

and i made mini ones to stick on some of the cupcakes...

and yes.  those cupcakes were delish.  i ate enough for me and 4 of my friends.

Back for Part 2

First time I remember meeting my Cinderella was friday morning at the office. First thought that crossed my mind, “Who is this short girl that thinks Business Casual equals Reef flip flops?”
I remember the cordial introduction, something like:
“Hi, I’m Emily”
“Hey, I’m Mr Anderson, where are you from?”
“Emporia State in Kansas”
My thoughts, Do they even sell Reef sandals in Kansas? and where exactly is Kansas?
You see us Californians are not big geography buffs as Emily found out when she visited, when you don’t leave the state all your life you don’t really care to know what’s past Nevada.
Note: I take interest. She is in the acceptable height range, about 6 inches shorter than myself. Got a glimpse of the toes, which exceeded my requirements and are by far some of the best feet I have seen in my lifetime. Teeth linear and straight without ever having braces(which she is super-proud of). And the kicker was as she was laughing at one of my funny one-liners, which I’m sure there were plenty, she captivated me with her perfect smile, the kind on television where the starry glimmer gleans off it. Those of you that have been around her long enough can concur that when she unleashes that smile, the world slows down a little bit, people take notice and….she gets what she wants. She’s been working it on her dad all her life. I never fall for it though. Remember folks she is the one eyeing/stalking me. So the headquarters was nice, but who’s looking at cubicles when there is an angel amongst us.
Then I remind myself I’m here for the opportunities, career that is not relationship. I can’t get distracted by this charming Midwest gal. Plus she was already pretty friendly with this other guy she had been in San Diego with for the summer. If anything was going to come out of this, it was going to have to be a miracle.
So….. I start praying for miracles.
Pretty sure that night we head to Downtown Disney area and check out the sights, we part our ways with different groups, however, encountering each other waiting for the boat and when we’re getting ready to leave. So I throw in some charm ever opportunity I can. Back to the hotel a few of us stay in the lobby and get to know each other. Not my sort of thing but if Emily’s in then I’m in. She says she’s staying so I put on my strategic hat and make sure to get proper seating position or it’s a lost cause. She sits on the end of one couch and I sit on the end of the other couch that makes the corner of the U-shaped arrangement. Are you visualizing this, with this positioning we can sit and talk to each other one on one and totally disregard everything else that was going on. Which we proceeded to do. Sidenote: Emily was sucking down coffee at this point of her life. Which I take note of, being the anti-coffee drinker that I am. Can a coffee-lover and a coffee-hater get along long term? Could it just be another house divided license plate holder they make?
Night one of good conversation ends and we hit the sack. Prayer is upped to all new levels as I try to filter through what’s going on here. Could it be that the Lord has delivered the woman I’ll be with for the rest of my life right now? The math would make for a marriage at the ripe age of 23, my ultimate desire. Tough sleep that night as I grapple with the questions invading my thoughts and simultaneously working out the hotel bed and pillows.
Saturday was more talks and stuff, casual encounters, the don’t make it so obvious mentality inhibiting my actions. More miracles are needed Lord. That evening, I’m delighted to hear that we’re eating dinner in the same group. We probably all were in the same group as before but I would have never known because all the others did not have this Midwestern charm. So we grab food, sit down next to each other, talk, laugh, listen. I’ve had my fair share of this delicious lasagna but I noticed that she still had a good 2 bites or so left on her plate.(Which I have come to later understand is the leftovers after her appestat has signaled her brain to stop eating, which always seems to be at 2 bites remaining) So I don’t remember if it was because I was still hungry or because I hate to see food wasted but I ask her to scoot that lasagna over on to my plate. Either way, apparently my motivation didn’t matter because it was a divine act that warmed this little ladies heart.
After dinner we head back and I think we head on a little walk around the circle to gain a little insight on each other’s lives while we wait for the other group of students to return from the other house. So we park on a bench and get to the nitty gritty. Students come back and barge on our moment and we head back to take a van ride to the landing area near the airport. We head to the roof for some more moonlight talking, didn’t notice everyone else that was on the roof had gotten down and had left us to have our moment. It’s on! I’m not sleeping tonight and somehow, someway we are going to be able to finish out our conversation. At this point there was probably a group of 5 or 6 of us that head to TGIF’s to get a dessert and hang out. Others had also committed to staying up because there flights were early as well. How am I going to shake these relationship Inhibitors and focus on this beautiful Kansas girl that I’m falling for without saying scram people and looking like a raging madman. Not exactly the vibe I was wanting to send to the future Mrs. Anderson. Again divinity prevails and the committed sleep deprivators all succumb to the bed. Excellent! So we proceed to the scenic pond back behind the hotels, find our spots on the grass and let the Magic happen! All night long! Sounds provocative, but I’m talking good conversation people. There is nothing like good conversation that makes the time fly by. So there we were a California-Kansas connection, maybe the first ever, riding the night out, developing the relational foundation. What? The suns coming up already? Better head back, pack our bags and get on the shuttle to part our ways. Would they be parted forever? Would we see each other again someday? Where do we go from here? Better check the map to see exactly where Kansas is.

teething sucks.

we have a teething baby in the house.

remember what that's like?

teething babies = lots of drool, lots of tears and lots of gnawing on everything in sight.

how fabulous that i have great blog friends that want to help me and my teething baby out!

ashlee from tweetbabydesigns (no stranger to this blog--she's done give-a-ways for me, numerous times!) sent me an amber teething necklace for my little muncher to wear.

here's what she says about amber teething necklaces:

In Europe, amber is commonly worn by babies and young children to help with the discomfort of teething. The amber is said to reduce inflammation caused by teething when worn close to the skin. There is a natural oil that is released when the amber is warmed by the skin. This oil is said to be a natural anti-inflammatory and analgesic. That is what makes this stone perfect for teething as well as carpel tunnel, arthritis, and any other inflammatory issues.

holla.

no medicine for my baby makes for a happy mommy.  and a happy baby and happy mommy make for a happy house.

see, everybody wins.

and i'm not lying when i say this necklace is magical...it really works.

if you have a baby, know a person with a baby, or just want to try this magical piece of folklore out for yourself, head on over to her site and pick one up!