Andersen Family Christmas List ~

It is time to get your Chirstmas Wish List Together (at least for our family) because we have officially drawn names...

THE BIG KIDS
Dad ~ Tiffany
Mom ~ Sharon
Tiffany ~ Matthew
Steven ~ Crystal
Melissa ~ Preston
Matthew ~ Steven
Nicole ~ Mom
Brian ~ Melissa
Crystal ~ Dad
Shaorn ~ Nicole
Preston ~ Brian

THE LITTLE KIDS
Kimberely ~ Landon
Logan ~ Hailey
Owen ~ Katelyn
Hailey ~ Kimberley
Landon ~ Owen
Katelyn ~ Logan

So PRESTON, STEVEN, KIMBERLEY and OWEN What do you want???

P.S. Brian... I would like a Pink Pony Blow Up that I can ride on behind the boat ~ haha

The Best BROWNIES Ever Recipe ~

Mom and Sharon... here it is! I got this recipe off of another blog, but I wrote it down off the blog so I am not able to find it again to post the link... anyways... If you like OWWY GOOEY FUDGY BROWNIES you are in for a treat with this recipe ~

1 Stick of Butter

1 c. White Sugar

1/2 c. Brown Sugar

2 eggs

3/4 c. Flour

1/2 c. Cocoa

Pinch of Salt

1 TAB Vanilla

Melt the Butter in a 8x8 pan. Swirl the pan to get the butter on the sides. Dump all the rest of the ingredients into the pan and stir until combined. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Take the brownies out... they will look like they are not done... take them out anyway. Then let brownies cool for 1 hour. THIS IS THE HARDEST PART! You have to let them cool for the whole hour. They are the perfect mix of fudgy insides and chewy crust!

I have made these brownies three times. I think I might try spraying Pam on the pan before using butter. It is hard to clean the pan. Also, after you stir the mix in the pan ( I love it, only one bowl to clean) wipe any brownie batter off the sides before cooking it. And I think I might try just turning off the oven and letting the brownies cool for the hour in the oven, because one time I made it, it was a little bit too fudgy... anyways! ~ Happy Cooking! Hope you enjoy! ~

BUSY BUSY BUSY! ~

We have had a BUSY week so far! I am not doing well on keeping up on the blog... maybe once my house is back to normal with just TWO kids, I will get better...

So yeah, I am still Babysitting my girlfriends little boy. His name is Richard and he is a sweetie! He is just 4 months younger than Hailey, and for them being at the WONDERFUL age they are... they actually play quite well! ~ I am starting to think I could do the whole THREE kid thing... then I realize just because I can... does not mean I want to OR should... haha! ~

So on Monday Night we had F.H.E. (Family Home Evening for those who do not know) We had Lasagna for dinner, and a quick lesson. We got the kids to bed later than usual, but I made THE BEST BROWNIES EVER for dessert, so I did not care. It's funny to me that my day can be full of dirty diapers, tears, fighting, and just KIDS... and yet I can STILL look forward to the extra Brownies at the end of the night!

On Tuesday Night we went to the Last Fresno Grizzlies Home Game of the Season, and had a GREAT time with friends. Amber Cluff called me up and told me we better not have any plans, and we were invited to the game. Luckily it was yet another crazy day at home and I had not started dinner, so we got the kids ready and headed to KFC for dinner. They have a Tuesday Two piece Dinner for $2.99 and it was SO good! I love chicken! (And they were so nice to pick out some of the softer pieces of chicken for my sad little mouth) We got to the game a little late... Hailey had a little accident, and we got stuck behind a train going by, but we made it! It was alot of fun! Our group got on the Jumbo Tron like 10 times for doing crazy stuff. I guess it helps to have a bunch of cute kids that we can use... we had 5 cute kids willing to do whatever it took to get seen and become famous! One of my favorites was the "Air Guitar" and Matt held up Landon and started playing him like a guitar!! Travis says there was a guy who pulled off his prosthetic leg and played it as a guitar at the end of the song... but I am not sure if he is just making that up or not... anyone want to back him up?? Megan or Amber...??? The Grizzlies lost after 12 innings, but the Fireworks show at the end made up for the LONG game! ~ Landon was so tired, he even slept through the Fireworks. THANKS CLUFF'S for the INVITE!

And then LAST night we ate dinner, I made a wonderful Broccoli Chicken Casserole. It was very easy for me to eat this time. It was the first thing I made after the surgery and it was not so easy then, so I think I am healing... anyways after dinner Matt was checking to see if the movie I have been wanting to see was at Redbox... it was not, so he checked the $3.00 Movies. They were playing UP, and we SO wanted to see it! ~ We had 30 minutes until the show started and we were FAR from being ready to get out of the house with two kids! We got up and going QUICK, and go everything together, and only missed the previews! We made it just in time for the movie! It was SO cute! I loved it because it kept Hailey's Attention, and made Matt and I laugh too! I love the movies that can entertain Children and Parents! ~ Not only was it funny, but it had a wonderful message! I cried in the first 10 minutes, and loved the WHOLE thing! If you have not seen it, I think you are missing out! GREAT movie! ~

So my post is mostly about how busy we have been, but also about how being busy makes me STRESS! ~ I hate the feeling that I am not able to rest and relax, but I am SO thankful for a husband who is willing to drop everything and take the kids out for some fun! Tonight we will not be going anywhere... In fact I am babysitting Late for my girlfriend, and will be at home ALL DAY LONG! ~ I hope the kids nap so I can get a little break during the day! ~

I hope everyone is able to get out and enjoy the little fun things in life.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY OWEN RAY ~

HAPPY BIRTHDAY OWEN!

This little cutie turns ONE today! ~


Uncle Matt took the cell phone to work... sorry we did not call! Hope you had a great day! ~


(P.S. I promise to get you your present SOMEDAY... its sitting here in front of me... how about a late birthday present for when you come to visit in November... LOVIES ~)

BEST WEEKEND EVER ~

So, many of you know that I had some Oral Surgery a little bit ago, and many of you also know that I am STILL recovering from it! I feel OK, but not great! I just need to be able to relax and get my feet up for more than a few hours... so what did Matt do...


Well at first he was trying to convince me that this weekend was going to be a perfect one to go boating! I was QUITE annoyed because I had already previously told him (on numerous occasions throughout the week) that I just needed to rest this weekend. Yet he continued to "push the envelope" (what is the original meaning of this quote) and try to convince me that we needed to go. After I tried to nicely deny him, I had to RUDELY tell him NO! I was not going! Not only am I not feeling good, I don't think we need to be out there every time the day looks great! And I did not feel good about taking the kids out because we were not going to be able to get babysitters at the last moment, (our normal babysitters sister was getting married that day) not to mention my "mothers intuition" was telling me this was not a good idea.

After I thought I had gotten my point across, Matt comes to me wanting to take the kids to see their Grandparents in Stockton for the day. He offered to take both the kids, and I liked the idea. Then I quickly realized that the Grandparents in Stockton also have a boat, and I am sure they did not want to waste this perfect day, and told Matt it was not going to work and to quit being so pushy. Because at that point I was not thinking I would be able to let Landon go, and what rest would I really get if I had the baby?? I was worried because he does not take a bottle very well any longer, and I don't like having to pump all day. I said "Sometimes we don't get to do the things we want to do, and I don't think Mom and Dad want to go boating with both Grand kids." and Matt's reply was "Melissa, you need to learn to be more flexible... I thought you wanted to keep Landon, so we probably will be able to go boating." OHHHH... SO THIS IS THE GAME... OK... and this was my reply...

"Ok, I can be flexible... take both kids and have a GREAT weekend." I could tell by Matt's face that was not the "flexibility" he was looking for, but he asked for it, and he was not going to back off now. (we both have too much pride to back off from what we said we will do)

I then told him he better start packing if he was going to get off early in the morning, and left the room. I was SO proud of myself... I am going to let my baby go, and just deal with being alone. (this will be the first night away from mommy since Landon was born) Yes Matt was doing this to be able to possibly go out boating, but he was also partly doing this to get me the MUCH needed time away to relax. I secretly went to bed that night hoping he was not going to change his mind about going on the trip...

I wake up to Matt getting the kids stuff together and him asking me where things were. I roll out of bed and help him pack (the sooner the packing is done, the sooner they are gone right?) and he seams very excited for the day away. I remember making a comment to him that he better not push going on the boat because when he called his Mother earlier to tell her both kids were coming she said that they will not be able to go boating with both kids. Matt packed his wakeboard anyways, and when I again told him not to be pushy he said (and girls...get this one) "A Boy Scout is always prepared!" He cracks me up! He gets all the things they need, get the kids in the car, and drive away... as I waved good-bye to them I started to get a little sad, then I got into the house and realized I was FREEEEEEEE!!!!!

I cleaned the house in 2 hours... YES 2 hours!!! It usually takes me ALL DAY Friday to clean, but without kids I am able to get SO MUCH MORE DONE! He calls to let me know they made the drive OK, and I was glad because I was sitting there folding the last load of laundry and SO close to being DONE! Matt had called my girlfriends on his drive up to let them know I was a Free Woman, and left messages for them to give me a call. (now that was really sweet)

While I was cleaning my Girlfriend Julia calls me and says we need to do lunch. She is my friend from Wells Fargo. I trained her to take over my job when I went on Maternity Leave with Hailey and we hit it off SO well we are STILL friends to this day. I love her, she is my gossip friend and I always have fun when I am with her! She tells me Matt called her and she was worried because he said " I am taking the kids to my parents, Melissa is alone, call her if you can." After I calmed her down that nothing was wrong, and that Matt was just giving me a break, we make plans to do lunch. Another reason she is my best friend is that when we go to lunch we go to Red Robin! No one loves this place as much as we do! We used to go all the time when I was training her, and it soon became our ritual! Needless to say we had a GREAT gossip session! I hear all the drama about Wells Fargo, and she gets all my drama from the kids being at home and we both feel at peace! She is my friend I call when I need to talk, so we have great conversations! THANKS JULIA! ~ So after lunch I go shopping...

If you have kids that a rowdy like mine, you know how much NON FUN it is to take them shopping. (actually I guess if you have kids at all you know how not fun shopping with them can be) So yeah, I hit up my favorite stores in Riverpark, then I head home to rest and get a little snack. After resting I head back out to go shopping near home! I got some GREAT deals, and I got a little something for everyone! The best part was that I got to look at WHATEVER I wanted to without tantrums and having to leave the store because the kids were acting up! ~ OH this is like HEAVEN on earth! ~

I get home eat dinner, and give Matt a call to see how their day went. Not so good I guess for Matt. They were able to go wakeboarding because Matt's parents invited another couple to go out to help with the kids and that went well. They went out to eat at McDonald's for dinner, and got to visit and play at home. But, while wakeboarding, Matt hurt his knee pretty good. I guess he was feeling pretty comfortable, and was landing a few jumps so he decided to try something (i forget what it is called) and he left too early and did not get enough air or rotation, and fell REALLY bad on his knee. He said it was REALLY painful, and he was not having an easy time getting around on it. At this point I realized... maybe THIS is why I got the "mommy's intuition" that we do not need to go wakeboarding... I held my tongue and told him I hope it gets better and I will see them in the morning and to get the kids to bed and get himself some rest.

To make a VERY LONG story a little bit shorter, I'll cut to the chase...

They made it home, and we made it to church on time (almost) with Matt limping around pretty good all day... I guess he realized the same thing I did with the "mother's intuition" because on our drive home from church Matt tells me that while he was teaching the lesson in Elders Quorum, it was about Learning Lessons from our Past. He told them the story about this past weekend and how he hates when his wife is right and he is hurting...

So yeah, a good weekend had by all!

P.S.
Thanks Matt for the opportunity to get my rest, and time alone!! I hope your appointment with the Knee Dr. goes well today!

I love this ~

Hailey has been VERY helpful when it comes to Landon and things that need to get done.

After I change his diaper (or her diaper as well) I will ask her where it goes, and she runs to the bathroom and tosses it into the DiaperChamp.

And if Landon is crying she usually beats me to putting the paci back in his mouth (because she tells me she wants to do it) before I can even get to him...

And Today was no different... I was getting breakfast ready, and this is what I caught. Hailey was giving her little brother his "puffs"...She was so sweet about it too... she would say " Here you go Broder!" And he would just smile after every one... it's times like these that make it all worth it!
Now Let me see if I can get her to CHANGE his diaper... that would be GREAT!

Recently I have been wondering....

Is there something wrong with a 27 year old person eating the same consistency of food as her 7 month old baby??

I know you are laughing, but I am not kidding. I am making the same things for dinner that I have always made, and when I am not able to chew it up, I throw it in the Magic Bullet and mix it all up until it is like baby food. HA HA! I am laughing because I eat this stuff, and it tastes REALLY good! Like it almost tastes better because there is an even mixture of everything.

I have been eating a lot of Baked Potatoes because it feels good on my teeth and gums. So I have been searching for good foods that are nice and smooth for my recovering mouth. I have had a milkshake EVERY night since my Oral Surgery, and I am pretty sure I will be gaining all the weight back that I lost when I had Landon! ( THANKS to my Hubby for supplying me with the Milkshakes that are OUT OF THIS WORLD)

One of my recent realizations is that I CAN HAVE BROWNIES!! YEP! It took me 5 days to realize this... I know, I know... WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME??

I am not sure how everyone else cuts up brownies, but I am a "realist"

I cut my Brownies into 6 pieces, I mean after all I am going to eat 5 (if not all) of the pieces myself, WHY waste the energy cutting them, and then having to get up and get more to put on my plate to eat later?

I am trying to make the best of a crazy situation... :) (total side note... don't you love my blue Pyrex Pan?)

Deceptively Delicious ~ Donuts

Have you heard of this book?

More Importantly... Do you OWN this book??You can borrow mine if not because this book is AMAZING! ~ I bought this book because I was having a hard time getting Hailey to eat her veggies. She will eat ANY fruit, but veggies are not her favorite. Corn and Green Beans were the ONLY things she would eat, so I got this book because Jessica Seinfield teaches us all to SNEAK veggies or fruits into everyday foods...

Today Sharon my little sister and I made Donuts.... that is right DONUTS people! The donuts have a pumpkin and sweet potato puree in the mix...

Yeah, they taste BETTER than they look!!

Just ask Little Boy Landon... He was VERY interested in getting this Yummy Goodness into his tummy...
But don't take it away from him... he might get upset...

Just a heads up...

I am STILL pretty "out of it" and when I say that I mean MORE than usual... and REALLY doped up on Vicodin (don't judge me... I have had children, and I know when I need to wen myself off it) BUT I wanted to share with you a few of my favorite things... This is little Landon my chubbers... (the picture does not do him justice)... but he has food ALL over his face and arms and well.... everywhere. After this picture we HAD to strip him down and gave him a bath. I think he does this on purpose when he eats to get a bath!

And here are my little Bulldog Fans! Matt went to a Fresno Grizzlies Ballgame with our next door neighbors, so we pulled out the Fresno State Hats. I have a hat too, but mine is pink so I am not in the cool club! ( on a side note I am SO excited for the FSU Football Games)

This picture makes me laugh! Hailey is picking her nose and watching TV while Landon is all smiles for the camera! And the person holding these two sweeties is my baby sister Sharon. (She will kill me for putting this picture up) I am SO thankful for her coming to help us out while I get work done on my teeth! She is going to be a GREAT mommy! ~

And here is Landon on Grandpa Andersen's Birthday drinking some Apple Juice. 7 months and 1 week old! LOVIN' him some Juice! He is not a fan of bottles, so we went straight to the sippy cups!

And here is my little Princess Hailey taking a nap in her Big girl bed. Not sure if you can tell; so let me explain something for you... she has regular PJ's on, and she put TWO additional Princess Dress PJ's on top of that. Then to add to the outfit, she has her Light Up Princess Boots on. Yes I let her dress herself, and she can wear whatever she wants as long as she is napping in my book! ~ LOVE IT! ~

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDPA ANDERSEN

Some of you may not know that I am a "Daddy's Girl"... well, now you know. Let me introduce you to the FIRST man in my life... Bryan Kay Andersen. Today we are celebrating HIM! ~ I am SO thankful for the Unconditional Love and Support he has given me throughout my life! He is the most wonderful Example of Christ Like Love that I have ever seen!

This is my father and I on quite possibly the BEST day of my life. It is with the support of him and my mother that I was able to meet and marry a wonderful supportive man of my own.
And here are some pictures of him holding my children. He is the BEST Grandpa EVER! He always has time for his grandchildren, and that makes me smile!

There is this saying that I love...

"The only thing better than having you for a Father is my kids having you as a Grandpa"

and it is SO true in our case!!

Thanks Dad and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

We love you SOOOOOO Much! ~(More than you can EVER know)

THANKS AMBER ~

Thank you for stopping by and HOOKING me up with this YUMMY goodness... You are AMAZING!! And thank you Arby's for making this Yummy Goodness for me to consume! ~

Vicodin and Arby's Shakes are a good mix... I can explain later if you need me to...

Uuuuuggggghhhhhhhh.....

I am getting my teeth pulled today...
Now you really won't hear from me for a while...
Thanks for the prayers in Advance!
Vicodin will be my best friend for the next couple of days! ~

FLIP OUT ~

So I promised to get a picture up of my hair " flipped out" on my blog for those asking so .... here it is. This picture was taken last night before I headed out the door for my cousins Jewelry Party. It is not often that I get to dress up anymore, so I had fun last night. I was able to feed Landon just before I left so I could get out of the house without him attached to me. (I mean that literally... if you know what I mean) I usually have to take him wherever I go, so this was nice. Daddy loves having the kids, but really looks forward to me getting home.

After I got home from the party I had to run to return our Redbox movies. After I did that little task I realized that I was in the car ALONE! No Kids... are you kidding me... So I took the opportunity to look at some fabrics and price them out for the future Relief Society Project we are doing. (We are making covers for our Relief Society Manuals... If you Gettysburg Ladies are at all interested in this let me know... I think it will be fun! I can get you in contact with people for all the info... It will be Wed. Night Aug. 12th at the Dehmel house) Anywho...

So I was on my quest for some cute fabric... I was looking for something black and white and maybe a little red or pink. I was totally in my own world because I was not having to constantly look at my cart to see if Hailey was still there, or if Landon was ok (oh how I love shopping alone...) and out of the blue this very nice mother asked me " Which Fabrics do you think go better together?" So I asked her what she was making, and she let me know that she was making PJ's for her little girls that were there at the store with her. She was worried that one of the fabrics looked "too old" for her daughter, and I gave her my opinion. I then let the girls know they were very lucky they had a mom who let them pick out fabrics and make things for them. When I was younger my mom would do the same thing with us girls. I loved it! After our short conversation, I walked away in search of the PERFECT fabric. I has just rounded the corner when I heard one of the little girls say to her mother " That lady is very pretty." to which her mother responded "Yes she was, and she was nice too." The little girl agreed, and I have to tell you it REALLY made my day. Not because I am VAIN and I want everyone to think I am pretty, but because I think we all need these reminders...

Reminders from friends, family, even strangers that we are "pretty" or "nice" because really, WE ALL ARE! When people can say nice things about another person, it makes BOTH the parties involved feel good. The person saying the nice thing obviously has a benefit because they are helping another along the way, and the person on the receiving end may have just needed that comment because they have been working out like crazy to get into those pants, and it sure is nice that someone noticed...

I recently realized that I DO NOT have the time, patience, or stain remover to wear my nice clothes everyday. I do dress up for church, but that is limited to my skirts and dresses. In my previous life I was a banker at Wells Fargo, and I have LOTS of nice business attire that has since retired... I now realize that I need to take time and look nice when I go out. No, I am not going to wear my business suits for Playdates at the Park, (hehe that might actually be fun) but I am not going to let those pretty clothes be in retirement anymore. Thank you little girl for being so sweet to someone who needed that comment! You really made my day!