embrace the camera: sept. 30

                                               

embrace the camera, bathroom mirror style.

it's been a while since i've tried to capture a picture in the mirror, with a little one...i need some practice.

   

kohen just wanted the camera.

nothing else, but the camera.

now it's your turn!
here are the official rules:
1. take photo with you and your child or your spouse and child.
2. blog about it and include the button to embrace the camera (found on sidebar).
3. link up your post to mr. linky below.
4. visit others and share the love.

i really try my hardest to get to every one's blogs to visit. it's one of my favorite things about embrace the camera day! please know that if i don't make it to your post, i still am so thankful that you've joined us. it's getting harder and harder to keep up each week, as more and more people are joining us. it's really a great problem to have though :)
thank you friends! i hope embrace the camera has blessed you and your munchkins!

now go, get your embrace on.

sigh.

my littlest baby is turning 1, in less than a month.

seriously, where does the time go?

wasn't he just a teeny, tiny baby yesterday?

somebody please tell me that the yearning to always have a baby goes away...

cause watching him grow up feels like my heart is being pulled out.

it's exciting to know that we are entering another "phase" of life...but i love babies.

i love my babies.

will i always remember what they looked like as a teeny tiny newborn?

will i remember what they smelled like, fresh from the bath?

will i remember that first time they smiled at me?

or said mama?

i tend to forget all the bad things (hello, puking for 6 months straight with each child...not getting a full nights sleep for the last 6 years)...so, i'm hoping i don't forget the good moments too...

...cause those have been some of the best moments of my life.

a little bit o' gardening.

mr. andersons' work has established a "community garden".

we've wanted to start our own veggie garden for sometime, but didn't feel confident in our gardening skillz...so this is perfect for us because there is somebody in charge, who tells you what you can do to produce better veggies.

so, we went out on saturday to plant our veggies.

we are planting pumpkin, squash, zucchini, spinach and carrots.

here's a few pics from planting day...

lovebugs are out and swarming our neighborhoods these days, so this was actually quite miserable...the bugs don't bite, but they definitely fly up your nose.

it's fun.

there's a lovebug...

you can see here that hadley's tude was beginning to show.

she loves bugs...but not lovebugs.

so, she sat in the stroller and protected kohen from the bugs for the rest of the time.

i swear...they are making the same face here...

here is a small glimpse of what we deal with, when the lovebugs are out.

imagine that stick being your face...yes, it's amazing.

share the love.

this is what my mailbox has been full of for the past few days...

packages and packages of goodalicious goodies.

it's like christmas time up in these parts.

only, these goodies aren't for me.

these goodies will be for a few of YOU, my amazing readers.

yes, goodies for you.

i am gearing up to host a big ol' fundraiser, to help take the chunk out of our adoption fund.

we're calling it share the love week:

i'm not gonna give all the details away now, but if you have an etsy shop or business (or if you're just plain crafty) and would like to donate an item or 2 to this fund, then please email me at

emilymaeanderson(@)gmail(dot)com so i can fill you in on all the details.

not only will you be helping out a great cause, but you will be getting some great exposure/advertisement for your blog/business.

thanks to amy, for helping me get this together (really, it was all her idea to begin with).

she's a fab friend.

here are a few other ways you can help us as well:

1.

do you fly, like, a lot?  do you have frequent flier miles that are just "flying" around?  do you want to donate those to us?  we will be traveling to africa, TWICE...so, yah...that's a lot of moula right there.  we'll take all the miles we can get :)

2.

did you know i'm a photographer?  if you're located in the central florida region and would like to book a session with me this fall, ALL proceeds go straight to our fund.

you can view my site here, or email me at olliewrenphoto(@)gmail(dot)com

3.

another thing for locals...we will be having a garage sale, nov. 6th---do you have any good items you'd like to donate to our garage sale?  we'll take them!  (and when i say good items, i mean anything that YOU would buy at a garage sale.  i'm not going to take any used undies...i don't care if they fit you or not anymore.  really, i've been to garage sales where peoples delicates were hanging there, ready to sell...that's slightly disgusting.)

sorry, that was a tangent.

again, email me for details.

4.

our blog has lots of ad space available----->over on the sidebar.

if you have a blog, etsy shop or business and want to advertise over in these parts, then let us know.

it's $35 for 1 month, and your ad needs to be sized 125H x 260W (no blinking ads, please).

5.

and last but certainly not least, you can pray for us.

pray that God will provide.

and pray for our daughter, that she would be kept safe while she waits.

we are so thankful and amazed by all of the support that has been lavished on us. 

we are so thankful for you.

happy monday, ya'll!

we've got our hands full.

okay, so let's start things off with a cute baby, shall we?

i know.

his cuteness is re-donk.

i can't even handle it.

moving on.

in case you didn't know, we have a lot of little kids.

well, that's what people tell us anyways.

when we go out as a family, we get stared at.

keith and i do look like we're both 17 years old---and then when you add 4 kids to the mix, well, let's just say sometimes i want to wear a shirt that says "whatchu lookin' at?"

i'm pretty sure the stares we get now, will not compare to the stares we will get when we bring our little girl home from ethiopia.

not only will we have 5 kids under the age of 6, but one of them will look drastically different than us (although, when i look at her pictures, she has the same nose and eyes as my kids--she's meant to be a part of our family).

i often lay in bed at night and come up with things to say to people, for when they share their oh so wonderful opinions with us.

i only hope that i can be gracious and loving towards people, even when they aren't towards us and our family.

my new favorite quote is one that i found on ashley ann's blog: 

 "i have 5 kids.  one of them is adopted and i don't remember which one."

i hope that i will be that way too, with all 5 of my kids.  there is always going to be the obvious skin color differences, but i hope that on the inside, i couldn't tell you which one was adopted. 

i love this little girl already. 

my heart hurts and jumps for joy at the same time, when i look at her pictures.

a little piece of my heart is waiting in africa.  ethiopia, to be exact.

we can't wait for her to come home.

and i know what i'll tell people when they say "you've got your hands full".

i'll say "yes, yes i do...but so is my heart.  and i wouldn't trade it for anything."

we are not amazing people/parents/christians/etc.

we are just 2, very ordinary and sinful people.  obeying a calling from God.

i have to tell myself to believe everyday...believe that this is the right path for our life.

He doesn't always pick the easy way, but if we follow His way, it will be very rewarding.

and on that note...have a great weekend, ya'll.

embrace the camera: sept. 23

we are embracing the camera this week, family style.

i set up the self timer and we went at it.

the family was way over it after about 5 pictures...these are the best i got.

milo got cut out of this photo :( 

the anderson crew...party of 6---soon to be 7!

now it's your turn!

here are the official rules:

1. take photo with you and your child or your spouse and child.

2. blog about it and include the button to embrace the camera (found on sidebar).

3. link up your post to mr. linky below.

4. visit others and share the love.

a little note i wrote last week:

i really try my hardest to get to every one's blogs to visit. it's one of my favorite things about embrace the camera day! please know that if i don't make it to your post, i still am so thankful that you've joined us. it's getting harder and harder to keep up each week, as more and more people are joining us. it's really a great problem to have though :)

thank you friends! i hope embrace the camera has blessed you and your munchkins!

embrace it, people.

it's beginning to look a lot like...

...fall around these parts.

i don't care if it's 90+ degrees outside.

i'm going to put my pumpkin decor up and love it.

sweating and all.

love these owls from hobby lobby...orlando finally got a clue and opened up a hobby lobby.

my favorite store.

PTL it's 30 minutes away, otherwise i'd be there everyday.

my fall rug and my cute bean.

of course, as i'm admiring my work later, i notice that a certain little person has added his own decor.

i wonder which little person would add matchbox cars?

he's so proud.

i want to see your fall decor!

link up in the comments :)

well hello there.

mr. pucky face...

you're cute.

*for you new folks, pucky = pacifier*

i know, we have a very odd name for the pacifier.  but say it just once...then you'll find yourself calling the pacifier a pucky for the rest of your life.  it's contagious.

*good news---mr. pucky face himself took 5 or 6 steps today!  we're so proud*

DIY: snack baggie

well school is in full swing mode over here, which means i am making school lunches almost daily (well, actually nightly cause i make lunches the night before, so i'm not running around all crazy the morning of).

after about a week, i got really tired of using and throwing away the plastic baggies. 

thus, my DIY snack baggie...which really isn't all that fabulous, but it's easy.

let me preface the tute by saying this:

1. there are 100 million DIY tutorials for snack baggies like this.  if you don't like mine, then find another.

2.  i can sew (i use that word very loosely) but i'm no gussy.

moving on.

step 1.

cut 2 fabric pieces the same size (1 will be the liner of your baggie, 1 will be the outside).

i used just good ol' fashion cotton fabric for these...i only put crackers/grapes/chips etc. in them.  for sandwich's, i actually use reusable containers.

my fabric pieces were 4 x 11 inches.

step 2.

sew them together, but first make sure the outside of your fabric is inside---make sense?

you will be flipping the fabric around when you're done, so you want to make sure the right side of your fabric will be showing.

only sew 3 sides.  leave the top open, so you can flip the fabric.

here's a picture of me, pretending to sew.

i'm not talented enough to sew and snap a picture at the same time.

i would more than likely lose a finger doing such a thing.

step 3.

turn the fabric right side out, and iron it.

step 4.

well, this picture shows me folding up the bottom, sewn edge, but i honestly don't remember this part of the process.

i think i folded it up and then sewed straight across.

you might be able to skip it...or you might not.

seriously...my tutorials are fabulous, tell me about it!

(somebody should pay me to do this)

step 5.

fold up the bottom, a little over halfway up.

iron and then sew those edges together.

what step am i on?

it feels like 82, but i think it's 6.

oh, and well this isn't really a step, it just shows you that you'll have a little opening in your fabric.

boooo-ya.

step 7.

fold the top half, down (but fold it down on the other side).

what i mean by that is:  when you folded the first fabric up, you folded it on the front.

when you fold this fabric down, fold it to the back.

then sew that bad boy.

see what i mean about the folding and how it needs to be on the back?

final product.

a cute little sandwich bag---you will fold this just like you do those plastic baggies.

and yes, i'm finding it very funny that the sock monkey is touching himself inappropriately.

who makes fabric like that?

now, i only have 15 more of these to make!

good times!

my motto.

less clothes = less laundry.

that's my motto for me when it comes to my kids life.

if you happen to drop by, you can expect them to be wearing this:

some would call it white trash.

i call it, conserving energy. (by not using the washing machine and dryer so often).

don't worry.

mr. anderson and i do not use this motto for our lives as well.

well, i don't at least.

happy weekend ya'll!

embrace the camera: sept. 16th

so, i'm starting this weeks embrace the camera post off, a little bit differently.

here i was, this time last year...embracing the camera with a baby in my belly...

i was 35 weeks (give or take) in these photos.

this next one is fierce.  (as my hip sister has told me--also, i'm pretty sure tyra banks says that).

what? 

i'm just standing in my zebra print leggins', blue boots and holding an umbrella...waiting for the rain.  oh, it's sunny outside?  i didn't know that.

and here's where i am now:

that baby in my belly, is now on my belly.

complete with a crazy look on his face, and drool dripping into my mouth.

good times.

now it's your turn!

here are the official rules:

1. take photo with you and your child or your spouse and child.

2. blog about it and include the button to embrace the camera (found on sidebar).

3. link up your post to mr. linky below.

4. visit others and share the love.

and p.s. i really try my hardest to get to every one's blogs to visit.  it's one of my favorite things about embrace the camera day!  please know that if i don't make it to your post, i still am so thankful that you've joined us.  it's getting harder and harder to keep up each week, as more and more people are joining us.  it's really a great problem to have though :)

thank you friends!  i hope embrace the camera has blessed you and your munchkins!

now go, get your embrace on.

don't judge.

i know you're probably thinking "gawl, is her baby really watching a movie?"

well yes, yes he is.

and, he is usually deeply intrigued by the thing.

before you judge, know that he is not the worlds easiest baby.

some days i have to do things like, oh you know, go to the bathroom, and this is the only way i can get it done.

seriously.

at least he still loves me.

even when i make him watch a movie. 

i'm not too worried though...his oldest brother loved these movies too and he's like, a genius.

ha.