Hi! 🙂  I am Melissa Anderson.  Here is my family… Kevin, my husband, and my three 3 busy and (mostly) sweet kids … Jacob (10), Bella (8), Brady (4).  

And a photo of my 3 kiddos and I… For those who know my family, this pretty much describes us perfectly. They love mom snuggles.  While there are days I want to lock myself in my room and say Stop. Touching. Me… I am pretty sure when they actually stop, I am going to cry.  I will take the 10 hugs, 5 kisses, and the “I love you’s” as long as I can get them!

And my fabulous husband… isn’t he adorable 😉

Haha, YES! … Aside from my kids keeping me crazy busy with their activities, school work, and social life,  I teach part time as a 4th grade teacher.  As well, I run my own photography business.

[You can find her:

www.melissaandersonphotography.com

On Facebook 

On Instagram ]

Jacob (10)  is my oldest.. Typical first born and pretty much my husband’s twin in the way he looks and acts.  While he loves his friends, he is just as happy to hang out with mom or dad watching a movie, playing a game of cards, or watching sports.  He has the biggest most caring heart and wants more than anything to please others.  

Bella is our spitfire.  She is so spunky and full of life.  HUGE extrovert.  She loves being around people and always wants to be entertained. I always say she is my child who I worry the least about in a social settings because nobody is going to tell that girl what to do.  While this personality often comes with parenting challenges, she also has such compassion for others and will be the first to notice that girl or boy being made fun of… and prance over to tell the mean kids to stop. Haha!  

Brady.. He is probably my biggest parenting challenge right now. He is SO BUSY!  He wants more than anything to try to keep up with his big brother and sister.  And the potty words flow from his mouth more than I care to admit. I battle between ignoring and trying to stop the behavior.  However, this kid is FUNNY!  Definitely our family’s class clown.

As a mom with 2 jobs and a busy list of to do’s, the mom guilt is often pretty huge.  I am a teacher and photographer, but my most important job is a mom and wife.  However,  that doesn’t mean that I don’t sometimes have to tell my kids I can’t play right now because I have work to do.  I want  to live my life with no relational regrets with my family because investing in them and their hearts is my number one priority.  But I don’t always get it right.. the balance is so hard.  

I have been praying big time about this recently… asking Jesus to please give me his heart of love, patience, and selflessness when I am struggling to find it within me.   I want my kids to feel loved, that they can talk to me, and that their daily lives and events are important to me.   I am SO bad at saying… Oh wait, let me change the laundry, or hold on let me just respond to this email.  

I have been trying really hard to be intentional about finding time to connect with my kids one on one without distractions.  I have recently realized I do this best when I leave my house.  Having hot chocolate at Kid Coffee or ice cream at Menchies.. We will play our little game of “truth”, a board game, or a card game (both Menchies and Kidd Coffee have games). Even if it’s just for 45min-1 hour, it has really helped us connect and we’ve had some of the best conversations.  They leave feeling like their little 4, 8 and 10 year old worries and/or successes are heard and valued.  I hope that these little conversations will help them feel comfortable sharing as they grow older.   

Woot woot! We have a free night with no activities!  Those nights are rare and oh, so treasured at our house!  

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up” 1 Thessalonians 5:11  

I have been blessed with some of the best friends…  this mom thing would be so much harder without them.   There was a time when my kids were younger I felt guilty leaving my kids to make time for these precious people.  Girls, we need these people and they need us.  Find your tribe and invest in them.   Love them unconditionally, celebrate with them, laugh with them, cry with them, pray with them, encourage them, listen to them, and BE EXCITED for them in their life successes.   xoxo