{yay!}

its so fun for me to decorate a new (and bigger-than-a-farmhouse) house. my sister camille and i have an affinity for apothecary jars and i finally found some more today at Marshall's. can you say, GOOD DEAL? i would've bought 20, but i have to work sabe into it gently :)
here are my fun jars and a half-pic of the cool dining room table and chairs i got for just $235!! i have yet to paint my living/dining room but here is a quick snapshot. the canvas is from PB--love it. i just need to find a buffet to put under it and get some matching lamps, and more jars :)

{easter}

we had the awesome privilege of having the LAKES
come for Easter weekend. even though we aren't completely moved in and i have half-painted walls and a really messy garage, i REALLY wanted them to come. i know we would have a great time and the kids would all be very happy, especially since we have 5x the bathroom space :)
we spent the first day hanging out, letting the kids play outside, taking pics of cute, little Brielle, and then had some yummy soup for din-din that night.
unfortunately, the Lake's plan to visit DC the next day was pretty much an obstacle course only to come to our house. just so you know for the future, DON'T COME TO DC DURING SPRING BREAK! it is crazy and the busiest weekend of the year. i felt sooo bad it didn't work out for them, but they will just have to come again in the summer so we can spend some time downtown. the pizza and strawberry shortcake later that night all made us feel better. we had a pretty mean game of bump out and i kicked every one's butt, especially Brian's :)
we had two easter bunnies this year: their name were McKenna and Olivia. they spent about 5 hours filling eggs and actually took/wasted time color-coordinating the candy that went with the matching egg. ridiculous. and then, Easter morning, they both went out and hid them in the yard.
now let me say, we did not get all dressed up in our Easter finest and went to church. that is completely the Lakes' fault because we had to stay behind and give them a proper farewell. maybe next year we will be more religious :)
can you tell they just woke up?

so Izzy discovered her chocolate bunny....

close-up shot of the bunny....

i kid you not....5 minutes lates....

cute little Brielle, and yes, that is Brian's hiney in the background :)

i feel so sorry for the man that marries Olivia...

{miracle}

we are so happy to announce that Avery Grace arrived on April 11 as a little bundle of joy to Jacob and Ashley!
This was a long awaited miracle for them, and thanks to medical miracles and lots of hope and prayer, these two wonderful people get to be parents to a very sweet and beautiful baby girl.
i am so lucky i got to photograph Avery at just 6 days old. even though i have 3 children myself, i am always in awe when i see a newborn baby and all the little details that are so perfect. man! it makes me soooo baby hungry i can hardly stand it. watch out, sabe!!!

{partner in crime}

There is something so sweet about having a little companion with you all day. Isabella is my sidekick and I feel so lucky to have her next to me. I love her so much. I love her squishy cheeks, her sassiness, and the way she loves me.
I always like making lists of my kids' favorites, so here goes Izzy's...
Elmo....still
Dora, Dora, Dora the Explorer
her Nana (yellow blankie)
other Nana (Grandma Joyce)
big brother Jay-J
Olivia's Juicy jewelry (just the other day, Iz asked me if my wedding ring was Juicy!)
riding her bike
dipping strawberries in sugar
Slurpees
going with Dad--wherever he is going
helping mom cook
her aunt Jenni
her new cousin, baby Avery
Target
Chuck-E-Cheese
Coco, our kitty
bike rides with mom
leaving the daycare at the gym
tubbies with bubbles
mowing the lawn with Dad

I could go on and on--I just love spending my days with Izzy.

{sk8er dudes}

Ace bandage, dirty hands, and cute boys...that is all I have to say.

{we moved}

Can you believe it? We moved from our beloved farmhouse of 8 years. For so long, we all thought we would live on Featherbed Lane for the rest of our lives. I will never forget visiting that house for the first time and seeing all of the work that needed to be done. That was the closest I have ever come to a nervous breakdown. I just didn't see how it could be done. I loved the idea of living in a 125 year old house with cool windows and heart-pine wood floors, but I also wasn't married to a carpenter/electrician/painter. In fact, Sabe can hardly handle installing a simple light fixture.
But that same day, I came outside and stood back next to the barn to take in the "whole picture" of that place and there it was...a perfect rainbow that held that house and the big trees under its colorful arch. It was amazing, and it was then, that I knew it was going to be our home now. Olivia and Jaxon would play on the porch, ride on the mower with dad, catch fireflies, find treasures in the creek, skateboard in the barn, see baby horses come into the world--and leave, make Slurpee trips to 7-11, both start Kindergarten and get on the bus by the mailbox, have parties with pinatas in the backyard, and just being kids. We went thru some really hard times in that house, but we also brought Isabella Jule home to that house and the for the first time, we had a baby in that house. It felt so warm and good.
We made some really great memories there and we will never forget what is was like living on Featherbed Lane.
It was just time to move on. It was time to have a garage, a driveway for the b-ball hoop, some neighbors to play, a basement for sleepovers, and a throne-just-for-Sabe :) (We didn't like just having 2 toilets in the farmhouse)
We found a beautiful house just about 5 miles away, still in Lovettsville cuz we LOVE-it.
Jaxon had to leave Waterford Elementary and Mrs. Verdin who granted him with an hour of homework each night and one-too-many projects. He has made some really cool friends at Lovettsville and doesn't have homework on the weekends. PARTY!!
Olivia has found herself with her own bathroom and large walk-in closet so she is extremely happy. Great age for all that indepenence! *side note: she now shaves her legs and wears mascara :(
Izzy is thriving in this new house. She can actually run around in the house, and as simple as that sounds, it is big for her. She has room to run and grow and scream. She has a darling room and she is very proud of her own sink next to Jaxon's in their bathroom. Her two favorite things are 1) taking tubbies in mom's big tub, and 2) riding her bike. She is a happy girl.

Thank you to everyone for showing us so much support thru this process, and most of all for being SO HAPPY for us! It feels amazing.

{total slacker}

This is a true confession...I wish I didn't have to admit to everyone, but instead do it in a booth with a young clergyman on the other side :)
I have been such a personal blog slacker, next to slacker-of-many-things lately.
I promise to be better, to share more of the Andersons with you all. I am going to make a much bigger effort in recording our daily lives. I have to start capturing the little things instead of making everything a formal photo session!!!!
Dang it!