Sweet Valentines.

Ah, young love!

What do you do when you want to see your girlfriend on valentines day, but you are only 2 years old?

A family/group date! :-)

Tyler and Allie spent their valentines afternoon with their families, picnicking in the gorgeous cool sunny weather {I would not want to live on the east coast if you paid me to! Picnicking in the park in the middle of winter?! That's right!!} and spending time together.

They took a romantic ride on the train....

Played a friendly game of soccer.....

And strolled hand in hand through the park {until Ty got too antsy, and decided to run away}

But that didn't bother Allie, she decided she wanted to walk with Uncle John anyway :-)

All in all, it was a great morning for the two little love birds. Ty even brought her a balloon and heart-shaped box of chocolates, like any true gentleman should.

Thanks Abram family, we love you guys!

Go Get Em' Uncle O'Neal!

Hopefully you watched this weeks' episode of The Biggest Loser

{you better! }

Because this week Sunny and O'Neal kicked butt.

They both won individual challenges, and proved that they are a force to be reckoned with on that ranch!! John and I look forward to Tuesday nights so much...we eagerly wait to put the kids to bed, then we watch the show intently - savoring and soaking up every moment.

This week we were so excited to watch the challenge where the contestants had to race laps and use laser guns to shoot each others target, because you may not know this- but Uncle O'Neal is an EXPERT marksman. If there is anyone on earth that I would trust with a firearm in an emergency situation, it would be O'Neal. He was a paratrooper in the Army, and even wore the distinction of a green beret during his time. He has seen some scary stuff....probably more than he ever wants to talk about, but he came out of it a better man- and an amazing marksman. As a certified sniper for the US government, you do not want to mess with O'Neal! Oh, the poor boys that want to date SunShine! :-)

When we visited Minnesota a few summers ago, John and Uncle O'Neal convinced me to come along with them to the shooting range to try shooting for my first time. I am not a big gun fan- and I am very uncomfortable around them...but I couldn't have picked a better person to go and learn from, than O'Neal. He took his time to carefully teach us about proper handling and the proper way to stand and hold our arms. And he kept me calm and taught me how to focus and keep myself in the perfect stance when I shoot for the first time. My heart was pounding out of my chest, but I felt safe knowing that I trusted O'Neal completely, and that he would keep me safe.

We had so much fun that day- and in a weird way, it was a very cool bonding experience.

In fact, I actually enjoyed it so much that we went back the following year with Arece {O'Neal's son} , and this time, our group grew! Everyone in the family wanted to learn!

So when we saw that shooting was a challenge on this weeks' episode, we knew that O'Neal was in his comfort zone :-)
And in my usual fashion, I couldn't keep the tears from running down my face as I watched him win and celebrate his victory. Sunny and O'Neal got their moment to shine, and I can't imagine two more deserving people.

We love you guys!

Go Team Yellow!!!!!

The Outtakes.

Something I am learning more and more about as I play with photography, is sometimes the "outtakes", the pictures that I usually think are pointless, end up being the best.

Sure you may not frame them or use them in a future wedding montage {actually, some people might!} but they are the ones that make you laugh the most. They bring out the honesty and the true personality of the person. In most cases, kids look their most authentic selves in those goofy pictures that we erase too quickly off the camera.

Someone once made a comment to me that I am so lucky to have kids who love the camera. After all, all the pictures I post of them and frame in our home, are gorgeous pictures of the kids in perfect lighting, perfect smiles and perfect composition. But boy do I have you all fooled!! Like any 4 and 2 year olds, my kids would much rather twirl, run, make silly faces and ignore the camera altogether. But there are those rare moments when I see their little faces soften and hold still just long enough to snap a picture. And trust me, my shutter speed is fast. It has to be.

And especially when we have photographers take pictures of our family, the kids morph into these little tasmanian devils that usually go out of their way to make the poor photographers job especially hard!

So here are a few "outtakes" that I have found that just crack me up:

Ah yes- classic Bella.

I'm trying to smile, John is trying to keep Ty from running, and Bella has decided to flash the camera. Perfect family portrait.

Here's another classic: Trying to get the cousins to pose for a picture. Lexi is bawling and wants nothing to do with it, Nolan is off in his own world smiling, and Marley and Bella can't stop looking at each other and talking.

And yet another way to show the grown-ups that you are done with pictures : pick your nose with both fingers.

And this is what I call "The Over-Smile"

....because sometimes a simple smile just isn't enough.

And this picture is just plain hilarious.

Judging by the look on Tyler's face, he is totally embarrassed by his sisters' hair.

You see?

Family-of-perfect-pictures we are not.

But we sure do have a ton of good embarrassing pictures to use during their teenage years!

You just won't see any of these framed as 8x10's :-)

Another On The Way......

Yep. Another little one will be gracing our group of girlfriends!

No, it's not Jessica. {That would give you a heart attack right about now, right Jess?! :-) }

It's AMANDA!

Her and her sweet hubby are letting people in on the secret, so I'm allowed to tell people, and I pretty much want to scream it from the rooftops. For some reason, I am sooooo excited for them to have a little baby. She's just one of those women that I can't wait to see be a new mom!

She's hilarious, honest, bubbly....and completely new to the world of pregnancy and babies- which will make this a very fun experience for all of us :-)

Man, between us 6 girlfriends, we have 9 kids.

Nine.

And the oldest is my sweet Bella who is only 4 years old!

Talk about a crazy brood of kiddos!

Like I said before, there is something seriously contagious in whatever we are drinking at our usual Starbucks on Tuesday nights.

We may need to find a new coffee shop :-).

Still Exploring....

I've noticed that I see everything differently now. I used to pass by things without a second thought- but now I view everything through the lens of camera...and judge it on whether or not that would make a good picture spot.I just recently discovered a new overgrown field that I love {I blogged about it on the photography site} and then I found another fun little place!

The other night we were out running errands as a family, and we passed an area that I had never given a second glance before. But this time, I noticed the perfect rolling land, and the view of mountains in the background. So last night we took the kids out to the park to play and we stopped by this new discovery of mine. Trust me, I would have walked by this place a hundred times before and not even thought twice. But last night- I saw it's potential.

So we set the kids free, and I tried to capture this new place.

{Tyler had his own agenda, and did not like me following him around with my camera...as usual. But Bella humored me for a few minutes :-) }

And thank you to everyone who has been so supportive of me trying out photography! I have booked quite a few sessions for this month, and I'm so excited about it!

***And on another note- don't forget to watch Biggest Loser tonight!!! The yellow team makes their comeback....and we can't wait to see it!........***

My Budding Artist

I have a little cupboard in our office where I keep a stash of all the cute things the kids make. I'm on the hunt for a cute, vintage treasure chest for each of them, so that I can store up all their childhood "creations", but for now, it's just in a cupboard.

Ever since Bella started going to preschool, I have been able to add volumes to my little collection. Sometimes John and I laugh at the cute explanations she has for all her drawings- and sometimes we are amazed to see what she sees through her eyes.

Lately, she's been on a big kick of drawing our family. One of the most recent drawings just melted my heart, so I had to share it.

Bella's on the far left, then myself, then John and then Tyler.

Notice how she made me have long curly hair, and she gave herself short curly hair, just like mine. Bella also pointed out to me that her and I are holding hands, and she is holding a flower in her other hand that she picked for daddy. I was cracking up when I saw how she drew John and Tyler to look just like each other. She used the same colors and everything, but John is just much bigger :-) Then, with her adorable writing- she wrote, mom loves Bella {with a heart for "loves"} and Ty & Dad with a heart up at the top.

Ugh! How adorable is that?!!!!

I just love being their mom! A day never goes by where I don't laugh :-)

And for the record- that's a butterfly in the center of the picture. I made the mistake of asking if it was an airplane. Oops.

Soooooo.....I'm actually putting it out there.

I remember when I was in high school, I really loved to write.

I actually didn't mind essays and reflective papers....I dare say I even enjoyed them.

One day, a certain English teacher pulled me aside and told me I had a great talent, and that my writing was actually good. I walked away with this feeling of immense pride, but almost felt embarrassed because I suddenly realized that I was quite shy when it came to actually discussing my writing.

Fast forward to now, and that is exactly where I sit with my enjoyment for photography. It was intriguing when we got our first "fancy" camera, and even more fascinating to me as the years went by and I starting learning more and enjoying it more. Then, I ventured outside of taking pictures of my own family, to taking pictures of our friends' families, and so on. However, I still remained to have the same hesitation with photography as I did with writing...secretly loving it, but hesitant to share it with others.

I started thinking- what would I say to Bella or Tyler if they came to me and told me about some hobby or sport or talent that they were really excited about? I would encourage it of course! I would tell them to pursue it and see where it went!

And as I began to pursue this hobby of mine, I have discovered that I love using that creative side of my brain. I love that I can be a good wife and mom to my family, a good nurse at work, and a good friend- but also have a creative and outlet that is just for me.

And I'm excited to use my hobby to bless others!

So, I've started my own photography blog to help me in "putting it out there". I still feel like that young girl in high school who would rather keep this to myself out of fear that I won't be good enough, or that a compliment might just embarrass me. Not to mention the fact that I loooove the work of some local photographers around here...I've even been a client of such rock-star photographers....heaven forbid they see my humble little blog! It's like I'm a freshman walking into Varsity tryouts.

So here I go. I'm trying out.

Even if I do just get stuck on the freshman team.

Wish me luck!

www.briandersonphotos.com

I'm Back!

Sorry for the time between posts- it's been a busy time around the Anderson household. We recently went to visit my parents in San Diego {our home away from home it seems}, and had such a good time relaxing and spoiling the kids with fun things to do. We were pretty shut in from the bad weather the first day, so we had to be creative with our activities.

Grandma and Bella spent some time making delicious cookies for everyone...but I think Bella had more fun just rubbing her hands in the piles of flour :-)

Isn't this the cutest picture of Bella with Grandma and Papa? Such genuine laughter, it cracks me up.

Finally it cleared, and we decided to head out for some fun activities-

We spent some time in La Jolla, and took the kids to see Seal Beach and the aquarium.

Yes, those are seals laying around- Bella thought it was cool, but Ty was less enthused. Go figure.

The best part about hanging around Grandma and Papa's house is getting to see the kids wrestle, snuggle and play with them. It just warms my heart!!

One of the highlights of the trip was getting to see my adorably pregnant cousin Lindsay, and take her out for some fun maternity shopping! It's a tradition among the women in our family, that whoever is pregnant- we spoil them by taking them out for a maternity shopping spree followed by going out for food! Lindsay looked gorgeous in everything she tried on, and it was so fun for me to share this moment with her because we have been so extremely close since the time we were little toddlers running around together. I can't wait to do your maternity pictures Linds!! :-)

Is that a little baby bump I see?! :-)

And lastly, I'll leave you with a pretty picture I took of my parents one evening.

Thanks mom and dad for everything! We love you so much.

A Date With My Daughter

Every now and then, it's good for Bella and I to get away for some "girl time".

She is quickly becoming this little girl who is growing up too fast. I still see her as my baby...my first-born.....my sweet tiny Bella. But with each day, she is changing.

So we left the boys at home, got dressed up in a beautiful princess dress {not me- mind you. Just her} and went out for an evening together to see Disney on Ice.

Since John and I have taken Bella to these types of shows before, I knew what was about to happen. She would see all the bags of cotton candy, tall Disney cups of snow cones, see the sparkly wands and featured trinkets, and beg for all of them. Whoever puts together these events know exactly what they are doing. What parent wouldn't feel terrible saying 'no'? So this time, I was prepared. I packed us a bag of candy at home and we ate a big dinner so that she would {hopefully} be full. As we left, John reminded me to "stay strong" when Bella sees all the souvenirs.

But I'm weak.

We headed to our seats, and Bella spotted a sparkly Ariel wand that lit up and played music. She jumped and begged....what could I do? A girl has to have a sparkly wand, right?!

So now she does :-)

We enjoyed watching performances by Ariel, Tinkerbell, The Lion King and Cars, while munching on our candy and playing with her new wand.

Despite having her own seat, she spent most of the performance on my lap, snuggling with me and gasping and smiling at me when a new character came out onto the ice.

But I wouldn't have it any other way.

I Have Inspiring Friends :-)

This morning I was able to help enjoy and celebrate the talents of two inspiring women.

I started the morning by attending church at Scottsdale Bible North, where my close friend Amanda attends. I've mentioned her before on this blog- but to brag even further, she is a multi-taleneted, multi-faceted woman in so many ways. One of her passions {and greatest talents!} is for singing. The last time she performed a solo at her church, I had to go out of town. So this time I didn't want to miss it! Well, she was fabulous. She has heart and passion in her voice, and she led a beautiful worship song for everyone to enjoy. I could never get up on stage and sing {plus, you wouldn't want me to. Trust me} So thank you Amanda for inviting me to come this morning, and I was so proud of how beautifully you did!

Then after watching Amanda, I rushed back to the house so John and I could pack up the kids and head out to the Rock N' Roll Marathon to cheer on our friend Christy! Christy and John have known each other since grade school, and her husband was one of John's best friends' growing up. I met Christy in college, and she is just the sweetest thing :-) Her and I were pregnant together {delivered only a few weeks apart} with our boys Tyler and Oliver...and then Christy welcomed another son just 18 months later, Wesley.

YES- that's right...she has a 7 month old, and she ran a half-marathon today! Puts me to shame, let me tell you. So John helped me plot out the marathon map, and we timed it perfectly because we were able to stop and see her at two viewing points during the race.

That arm you see above is me trying to point out Christy for the camera. She is the one in long black pants and a light pink tank top. It is so crowded there, and hard to take a picture of a moving target- but we did our best.

Yay! Thumbs up for Christy!! You looked great out there and we were so excited to cheer you on!!

There is something about seeing runners nearing the finish line that actually gets me choked up. It's such an amazing accomplishment- and I was truly inspired to see her out there doing something so awesome.

Congrats girls! I am so proud of you both!!

Robin Hood?

I am so confused.

Last night I took Bella out for a special mother/daughter date to see Disney On Ice {I'll post about that later}, and when I reached into my wallet to pay for parking at the arena, I noticed some cash in my wallet. Figuring it was my wonderful husband who must have put some extra cash in my wallet- I didn't think anything of it.

When I got home later in the evening, I thanked him for putting cash in there- but he said he hadn't! "What the heck?" I thought.

So I opened my wallet, and counted what was in there......and I KNOW I did not put that there myself. I can count the number of times I have gotten cash out of the ATM in the past few months, on one hand. I rarely ever carry cash....unless we are on vacation, or I'm going somewhere where I know I'll need it. Without disclosing the amount that I found in there....I can say that I definitely did not take out any cash in that amount recently.

I racked my brain thinking about where I had been this past week....but everywhere I went, I've left my purse in the car because I didn't need it. And really, I've barely left the house this week because I have been so busy with the kids and editing photos. I thought maybe it was Emily {since she still owes me money....*ahem*}, but she swears it wasn't her. And I believe her, because if it was her, she would definitely take the credit :-)

So where did this come from? Am I losing my mind?

What's next? Will I find jewels under my pillow or a new car in my garage??

I just had to share this story because I'm totally perplexed, and I'm getting quite the kick out of the thought of some modern-day Robin Hood secretly handing out money to people.

Thoughts???!!

Full Plate.

You know how sometimes you are really hungry, and you go somewhere to eat and fill up your plate? I mean really fill up your plate. Everything at the buffet or on the menu looks so good when you are starving. About halfway through your meal, you realize that your eyes were bigger than your stomach, and your plate was WAY too full.

That's how I have been feeling lately. Not full of food....but full of things to do. Chores, tasks, projects, ideas, work, commitments, blah blah blah....

There are so many things I am excited about, my problem is taking one step at a time. I need to be better bout setting boundaries with my time so that I'm not spending too much time doing one thing- and not enough on the other. Anyhow- that's the reason I have been slacking in the blogging department lately. I have so much to document to remember, but every time I sit down at the computer, I get sidetracked by other ideas and chores to be done!

My Goal: Baby Steps.

Tomorrow, I will spend more time outside with the kids, and enjoy the beautiful weather in January here in Scottsdale :-) Have friends over, watch some football, relax.

Come Monday, a fresh new week is given to me- and I plan to conquer it!!

Lots more to come, so stay tuned. Have a great weekend!

And what's a post without a picture? Cousins {and apparently twins today} Bella & Marley enjoy their Saturday together. Love it!

Our Own Team Yellow!

We proudly supported Uncle O'Neal and SunShine last night- and we represented them well! We love you guys!

Wait....What? ...WHAT??!

I know what you're thinking.

You should have seen the faces in our house when we saw SunShine and O'Neal "leave".

As their family, we thought we had some idea......but did we?

Will they be able to lose more weight than the blue team and stay in the house??

Just keep watching, and keep cheering for Team Yellow!!

Tonight Is The Night!

Tune in tonight on NBC for the season premiere of the Biggest Loser Season 9!

SunShine {Sunny} and O'Neal will be the fabulous people you see in bright yellow, and trust me- they are amazing. Since tonight is the premiere and all of the couples will be featured- they may not get a whole lot of screen time right away...but you will easily still fall in love with them.

We love you guys and we are SO proud of you! Go Uncle O'Neal and Sunny!!....