Let me introduce you!

To these two amazing people...

This is my sister Jessa and her husband Erik! I have much that I could say about these two but let me break it down for you with some highlights.

JESSA:

1. She is one of the most creative people I know!

2. She is hilarious

3. She cares deeply for others

4. She puts others before herself

5. She is down right amazing

ERIK: 

1. He is passionate

2. He is enthusiastic

3. He is a hard worker

4. He knows how to make you laugh

5. He has more heart then anyone else I know

These qualities/characteristics only scratch the surface of this amazing couple!! I can't even begin to tell you how much I learn, grow, change, laugh, cry, desire and am challenged by Erik and Jessa. 

So why am I telling you all of this? Because these two are about the embark on a life changing journey of their own...One that will be filled with many ups, downs, tears, laughter, joy, and pain. This is one of my ways of supporting them and spreading the word about their journey!!

If you want to know more check it out...

http://theandersonwayoflife.blogspot.com/p/adoption.html

The big 1

I know! Its been forever since I have posted ANYTHING! But what better way to start off the new year then by sharing a few photos from Taft's first birthday! I can hardly believe my little boy is 1 year old. This past year has been such a blessing, struggle, filled with new discoveries, growing, learning experience as I figure out what it means to be a mom. I love you Taft William Ericksen!! You have already taught me so much!

"Happy Birthday to you!" We had to blow out the candle fast because he wanted to touch the flame...such a boy!

Such a careful eater...didn't smash it just took little bites.

Delicious cake made by Grammy! He loved it.

Taft learned "SO BIG" at Christmas time. 

Birthday boy! 

Taft and Uncle Zach share the same special day so Zach came over to celebrate : )

7 months

Taft turned 7 months at the end of July. July 31st to be exact. I feel like time is flying! Everyone tells you that you blink and your kids are all grown up and I am starting to believe them. I feel like I don't always notice how much Taft is changing till I take these pictures and look at them. He is getting so big! At his 6.5 month appointment he weighed 19.3 lbs and was 27 in long...WHAT?!?
So here is the little man...growing up fast. It never fails that the sign does not last long. Maybe thats why he is 19 lbs...he puts EVERYTHING in his mouth.

Look at that stinker! I hardly had time to snap the picture before...

Lets try something different...

Busted!

One more try...

Are you kidding me mom!

Ah-Ha! I'll show you

Ok...mommy will stop. Lets just play...

Can't believe another month has passed.

Chair Project

So, I have been dying to re-paint my dinning room chairs for awhile now but sometimes its hard to find the time or extra hands to do it. Well having Grammy here for a week was very beneficial not only for Taft but for myself as well. She is such a GO GETTER and she helps motivate me to do things while Taft is asleep instead of taking a nap myself...sometimes she let me rest though : ) My dad was also a huge help when it came to sanding everything down...what wonderful parents I have!!!
I have also been wanting to get two "head" chairs for my table with arms. Thanks to Craigslist I found these guys for $5 a piece! Can't go wrong there.

After driving 30 min to pick them up and having the lady tell me her entire life story (thank you Taft for crying and rescuing us from a very awkward situation) these ugly, but have potential chairs, were mine!
So while my parents were here we knocked these chairs out and got to recovering and painting them.

Took off the faux leather and added some more padding

Stappled the new fabric over the cushion

New cusion for my craigslist chairs!

We even had a little helper : )

Mom starting to paint the chairs

Two done! 6 more to go. This is one of the new chairs and one of the chairs I already had. It was a process with all those spindles. The good news is the color was awesome and my mom took the rest of it home to repaint the guest bathroom!

The end look.

So I have two of these chairs on either end of the table and my existing chairs on either side.

Here is a picture of the table now

I am so happy that we got this done. It just gives the room a little more cheer!! Thanks Mom and Dad for all your help!!

Tafter Pants

Grandpa and Grammy time

Last week my mom flew up to spend the week here and then my dad drove up on the weekend. It was SOOOO wonderful to have them both here and have the extra help. My mom and I did a lot of running around and she was also a huge help watching Taft so that I could get some things done. I think I got more erronds run while she was here then I have in the last month! It was fantastic. Of course our visits and time together are always short. I hate that Taft changes so much between when they get to see him. Someone needs to move...*hint hint*
Its so fun to see my parents with Taft. I love the time they share together. We were also able to sneak in a project that I have been wanting to tackle (more on that later!) thanks to some great helpers : ) Here are some pics form the weekend...

I LOVE this one of Taft and my dad. Look at there sweet faces!

Fun with Grandpas glasses. Everything goes streight to the mouth.

Grammy also spoiled T with some new toys...daddy was testing them out with him. Mick standing gaurd to make sure nothing goes wrong : )

Love you Grandpa and Grandma! Come back soon. We miss you already.

6 months

Im a little late on this post but Taft turned 6 months at the end of June. I can't believe we are half way to a year! I have to say that this last month has been one of my favorite times with him. I can really see his personality coming through and he is really fun to hang out with. We have his 6 month appointment on July 21st so I will know more about how he is growing then but from what I can tell he is getting BIG. This boy loves to eat! I don't think there has been anything that I have given him that he doesn't like. He loves sweet potatoes and avacadoes the best but is also a huge fan of pears! I just started giving him oatmeal in place or rice cereal and he seems to love it. He definitly eats like his dad.
He has also discovered that his hand is now a part of him. I will catch him just staring at it, turning it around and opening and closing it. He uses his other hand to guide the one he is looking at to his mouth...its pretty cute. Some other things he does...

• Shrieks when he is excited
• Shakes his head back and forth
• Gets up on his hands and knees and rocks
• Loves when Mick is around him
• Has 2 front bottom teeth
• Drools constantly
• Loves to be outside
• Loves the books Yummy Yucky, The Big Red Barn, and Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother Too? ( I could probably quote all three of these books by memory!

Here are some 6 month pics. I can't believe how big our little boy is getting!

 This was the best shot I could get before he noticed the sign...

 ...then this happened : )

 This is mid happiness shriek...I think he was enjoying eating the paper.