Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Puppy Love


We have a puppy for sale!






 



A female German Shorthaired Pointer. And she's a cute one, too!







No, no...not the kiddos...the puppy's for sale. Please stay focused.


But they do help with the advertising, don't they?



If you or someone you know is interested in a female GSP, shoot me an email. She will be ready to go toward the beginning of December.

:)


Wednesday, October 16, 2013

{eight}




 She's eight years old today.


A beauty inside and out. A smarty-pants with maturity beyond her eight years. She's our only girl...an absolute Daddy's Girl.

 (telling me to wait until SHE is ready)



Today, we celebrate our first-born and say goodbye to the booster seat in the car. (Seriously?? How did we get this old??)



We love you, Nae!!!


Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Preschool


It's now his turn...

He's off to his first preschool class this morning, so excited, a slightly hesitant look on his face when leaving him at the classroom door. I kept it cool, leaving before he saw me tear up.




His big sister showed him how to get in line to enter the room, nervously moving him to another spot, instructing him on what to say and do. Such a mother...a controlling, bossy-ish type of mother,  ;o), but definitely loving and a bit worried about Caedon.




I know the boy will be fine. He's the social one, excited about preschool because he wants to "meet new friends." And my prayer is exactly that - that he will meet new children and continue to be who he is, letting love shine through!







Monday, August 26, 2013

2nd Grade


And she's off...


New teacher, new adventures, new friends, catching up with old ones...so much in store for my Danae today.




Lord, protect my little girl as this school year begins, and help her to reflect You.





And prepare me for the start of my third part-time job: the onslaught of paperwork and "parent homework" that will surely meet me at 4:05pm today and occupy most of the evening.



Amen.


Saturday, August 24, 2013

Summer Goals and Milestones



It's hard to believe that in less than two days, my first-born starts 2nd grade. Then, the day after that, my second-born has his first day of preschool. Seriously, folks, where did this summer go??


When school ended in June, I noticed an uptick of Facebook posts about "surviving" summer with children home, and feeling "crazy" with children in the house, and parents counting down the days until school began again in August. I was on the other end - I had a hard time sending my girl off all day to first grade, trusting in others to care for her all.day.long without me, and I was grateful to have her home all day again, planning out trips to the library and some mini "field trips" in-between me being at the office and working from home. No, our summer days weren't all "Father Knows Best" Anderson family-ish. We had our fair share of sibling fights, meltdowns, claims of boredom, and irritation. But overall, it was a full, adventurous, purposeful summer, chock-full of swimming, playing, swinging, and growth.


Each of our kiddos accomplished a lot this summer, and the biggest goals for the older two were exciting to see. First, for Caedon - our laid-back (dare I say lazy) boy. ;o) He has a mind of his own and has always done things in his own time. We really wanted him to learn how to swim without arm swimmies/floaties, and we were (somewhat) working on it last summer. So, sometime in June, he announced that he didn't need his swimmies/floaties, proceeded to get in our neighbor's pool without them, and swam his heart out, arm floaty-free! He continually improved since that day and is officially an independent swimmer. :)




Next up: Danae riding a bike. This was a goal from last summer as well, but her fear got in the way and it never happened. She rides well...as long as the training wheels are still attached. After the recommendation of my friend Sarah to create our own Strider bike by removing the pedals and training wheels from her current bike (which is too small for her), Danae practiced balancing on our homemade Strider for most of the summer. Just this week we made a Craigslist find of the right bike size for her (sans training wheels) and picked it up. Wouldn't you know - within five minutes of having the bike at home, the girl hopped on and rode around the driveway and backyard like a pro. Whaaaat?? Goal #2 - checked off the list, just in time.




And Mr. Jude - well, he's a rolling, baby food-eating, babbling, maneuvering himself around the room boy these days. He just proved his "sitting on my own" skills and the beginning of "army crawling" today. Such a doll, such a little love.





Now we will go and enjoy what is, essentially, the last weekend of the summer, and start a new chapter next week!




Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Five.


Today my first-born son turned five. Talk about feeling old(ish)!


He told me this morning that he still felt like he was four. Please, my boy, stay that way!


I often tell Caedon to stop growing up and getting bigger and older. He lovingly responds with "I can't, Mom...that's the way God made us!" Oh, my heart. When did he stop calling me Mama or Mommy??



Caedon continues to be a fun-loving, physical, wrestle around, loud-talking, imaginative, curious, and friendly little boy. He makes friends with other children no matter where we go, often asking for playdates and inviting others over (sometimes we know about it, other times we don't). :o)




Pre-school is waiting for him in four short weeks. I'm sure I'll cry when I drop him off that morning...more growth, more change.

For today, we celebrate five years with our Caedon! We love you deeply!

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Jude Benjamin


Pardon the interruption. I've been nursing, snuggling, loving on the newest love in our house - on top of adjusting, working, and a lot more!



About four months ago we welcomed Jude into the world. What a joy he has been!





He weighed in at 11 pounds even and measured 22.5 inches long. My biggest baby, yet my fastest birth. I felt fantastic and wanted to go home that afternoon! Seriously, God worked miracles that day in so many ways...it blows my mind even thinking about it today.


Jude is loved on from sun up to sun down by his big brother and sister. They usually can't get enough of him!








While the transition from man-to-man to zone has been going well so far, I'm still learning how to juggle home, work, and personal time. These days the third area is getting the shaft in many ways (no time for hobbies, blogging, reading, etc.). But, as all mamas know, that's usually how it is for a little while! These days are few and will fly by before I know it...so I'm soaking in as much of these kiddos as I can get. :o)







Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Nesting Projects


Well, the due date came...and went by two days ago! Since only about 5% of women actually have their babies on their due dates, I guess none of us should be that shocked. In reality, I was wishing that this large one would come a wee bit early, but I know he/she will come when he/she is ready!


In the meantime, we have been getting several projects done in our house. Not just the deep cleaning of baseboards and walls (yup, I checked that off the list)...it's the things we talk about doing for oh so long, but just never got around to completing. I tell ya, this "nesting" thing really helps get those pesky projects that are at the tail end of the list done!


Project #1: Reupholster the glider
A couple of years ago, when Caedon was around two-ish years old, the poor boy got a nasty stomach virus and was sick in the night. I happened to be rocking him in the glider during one of his throw-up sessions, and the chair required de-cushioning and a washing. The cushions were never the same again. They turned into a mangled mess, especially the arm cushions, that could not easily be put back on the glider. In my laziness (and lack of sewing skills), I let it go and never fixed it.Until a few weeks ago. Our glider went from a cream-colored lump to one that I actually like.



Many thanks to the Jo-Ann's Fabric lady who talked me through the whole hot mess and gave me some confidence!) It's not perfect (I didn't measure anything...just lined it up and cut), but it fits and it works!



Project #2: Floor painting and area rug
We live in a house that was built in 1852. Yes, it's ooooold. So, the floors that haven't been touched over the years are a soft pine, splintery and in need of some help. Our bedroom floor is one that we talked about painting and putting a darker-colored area rug or bound carpet down. A few weekends ago, we realized we didn't have anything planned for an entire Saturday afternoon and evening, so we ran to Lowe's/Home Depot and got to work.

Before:





Room emptied:





A coat of B-I-N primer down:




After:

(Yes, that's clean laundry on the bed. A dose of reality for you.)







Thanks to my dear and talented friend Aimee, who recommended B-I-N and text-coached me while we picked things out at the store. She rocks!





Sunday, January 27, 2013

Three.



My, oh my...how time flies by.



He would have been 3 years old today. Even after three years and lots of healing, there's still (and probably always will be) a small hole in our hearts that can't be filled. Even having another baby so close to Josiah's birthday doesn't change it. And that's okay.



He will always be missed, always be loved, and always be celebrated.








Happy birthday, my boy.



Wednesday, January 9, 2013

37 weeks. Game on.



With a little less than three weeks to go until the Due Date, I finally feel (somewhat) like I'm in the home stretch. Despite my feeling that I'd never get here, December flew right on by (hence, the lack of posts!).


Here - I'll provide you with some entertainment. Me, eight months pregnant, taken at the end of December:




Yes, eight months, not 9+. I excited many a stranger at Christmastime, who wrongly assumed I'd have a Christmas baby. Even today, I was asked how much longer I had to go. My response: a little less than three weeks. Her response? A disappointed "oh...I thought maybe you'd say a couple of days." I'm carrying a rather heavy turkey, who probably weighs in at 8+ pounds this week. So, since 37 weeks is considered full-term, I say bring it, child! The bassinet is in place (thanks, Janelle!), gender neutral clothing is washed, and we're close (somewhat) to finalizing names (yeah...you can pray about that one). Soon to be go time!