Christmas 2009 ~ PART THREE

After all the fun we had with my family, we packed up the car, said our goodbyes and headed to Stockton for the Bird Family Festivities! All the Bird Family was able to come home for "Christmas" so it was a real treat.

We went Saturday evening for "Christmas Eve" Dinner, and just hung out with whoever was around. We wanted to stop by Grandpa and Grandma Birds (Matt's Grandparents) house to see the FINAL product since we left before it was finished at Thanksgiving time. It was nice to visit with them. They really love our kids, and they are so sweet to us. The kids went to be shortly after we got home and Matt and I watched a movie together.

The next day Matt's Parents were up early to head to Oakland to pick up Nathan and Melissa Imel from the airport. We just hung out with Kevin, and played with the kids in the morning. We decided we better get ready for church, and about half an hour before we had to leave everyone showed up. We all went to church together, and I know that made Mom and Dad Bird happy. We came home and got ready to head to UOP for Family Pictures. Whenever we can get all the family together we make sure to take Family Pictures. A family friend took the pictures, and they turned out great!

We went home to enjoy our "Christmas Morning" and had fun watching everyone open presents! Hailey loved her Princess Castle she got. It included a Prince and Princess that were able to dance! It was a HIT! She also got another outfit for her Snap n' Style Doll, and lots of fun things in her stocking! Landon got his first FP Boat, and Bristle Blocks from Grandma and Grandpa, but was too tired to enjoy them! Matt got part of his Lift Ticket from the Tahoe trip covered, and garments and I got a gift card from Marshall's. I KNOW LUCKY GIRL RIGHT?? Now all I need is the time to go alone to shop!!

We had a great Ham Dinner, and enjoyed hanging out with everyone. It would have been better if the kids had gotten their naps because Hailey was NOT a happy camper for dinner. We were not able to squeeze any naps into the busy day! It was a LONG night needless to say! And we are not sure how or why, but we ended up getting sick that night. We were up a few times with the kids, and I was up sick myself too!

Matt was not too sick and went golfing with the boys while I relaxed with the sick kids at home. I had good company, and had a nice time just talking with Melissa and Mom about life. Matt and I headed home that night, and we were thankful to get home... just not thankful to come home to a POWERLESS house! OHHHH The joys of LIFE! Right??

We are SO Thankful to be a part of such GREAT Families! We feel very blessed to have so much love around us. Matt and I have talked alot about when we want to break off and have our own Christmas with our little family, and we are proud to announce that NEXT YEAR... Christmas will be in Fresno! We look forward to starting our own Christmas Traditions with our kids!! We hope you all have a VERY Merry Christmas like we did! ~

Christmas 2009 ~ PART TWO

So after we got home from Tahoe, we returned to the Andersen House. It was Christmas Eve Day, and we were SO ready for Christmas Morning. Every year we read the Story of Jesus Birth, and talk about why that is important for us. As kids we used to act it out, and we ALL wanted to be Mary. It is a good reminder of what this Holiday Season is all about. Also, at the Andersen House we have a family tradition that we get to open one present on Christmas Eve. We put all our names into a hat, and pull names for who we buy one present for around Thanksgiving time. That present is the one we open early on Christmas Eve. This year we put the adults in one hat, and the kids in another. It works out well for our family! We really like this tradition, it makes for less shopping and spending money! Christmas Eve is also when we negotiate what time we will be waking up in the morning. We used to get up at like 5:00 a.m. but I think we negotiated 7:00 a.m. this year. We got the kids to sleep, and watched a little more TV and headed to bed. We awoke to Preston telling us it was time to get up!! HA HA. Here is Sharon holding Hailey right before we all head out to see what SANTA has brought our way!

Matt and Landon look REALLY awake huh?

Hailey headed straight for the Tree. She has been wanting to open presents for a while, and when we told her she was able to get them out, she was SO excited!

This lucky girl got an Orange in her stocking! That is another Andersen Tradition. My parents have an Orange Tree, and we ALWAYS got an orange in our stocking! We also got Diet A&W Root Beer in there too!!

Here is one of the presents Landon got from Grandma and Grandpa Andersen. Hailey and Landon enjoyed playing with it together!! The kids always score with Grandma and Grandpa's! Landon got a little FP Baseball Tee with ball and bat, church clothes, Christmas pj's, a puzzle, a Disney Cars little chair and other little items. Hailey got the Princess Tales DVD, Princess pj's, a church outfit, a magnetic ballerina doll, and Mrs. Potato head accessories. (Santa aka Matt and I got her Mrs. Potato Head) We would have pictures of these items being played with, but our camera has seen better days, and was not performing for us very well!

Matt scored too! My parents got him garments, lots of socks, Reef Sandals with matching Board shorts and money for his Soda Card for our cruise. I got Twilight books, two Cd's I wanted, garments and a gift card to Marshall's. It was a GREAT Christmas. We also got the kids and ourselves a few things... but not too much. Matt got a Fresno State Polo, and a basketball. I got a plain white shirt I wanted and cute Reef sandals.

Sharon got the New Moon Game (from the Twilight Series) Game, and we played that until LATE that night! We played other games as well, but mainly enjoyed playing with our new toys, and watching the kids be excited about the Christmas Season! We had homemade Clam Chowder for dinner....YUMMMMMMMOOOOOO!

Christmas 2009 ~ PART ONE

This Year Christmas was a little different for our family. We were able to Celebrate with both families only on different days. We Celebrated the real Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with my family in Sacramento, and then we got to "Celebrate Christmas" on Sunday with the Bird Family in Stockton. It was nice to not have to RUN back and forth like we have done in the past on the actual day.

We actually headed up to Sacramento the weekend before Christmas to spend time with my family before we went to Tahoe with the Bird Family. We were able to relax, and get all our Christmas shopping done, and enjoy my family's company. My family likes to play Card games, or Board games, and we did alot of that while we were there. My sisters and I are what you might call "home bodies" and we just like to hang out at home and enjoy TIME with each other. We watched a few movies, and as always my mom taught us how to make some more dinners! She is amazing at what she can do! (She is one of those people who does not need to measure out everything when she makes something)... I hope one day I will be able to cook like she does! I would have less dishes to do, and less mess!!

So Tuesday Afternoon snook up on us quick! We had planned to head to Tahoe for a Snowboarding Trip with the Birds earlier in the year. Mom and Dad Bird have a timeshare cabin in Tahoe that we got to stay at. We got to stay there the year before, and we were excited to enjoy the place again. The original plan was for everyone to go Snowboarding and the Grandparents were going to watch the kids. Somehow only the boys ended up hitting the slopes, and the girls stayed back with the kids. We were able to get away for a little while and shop and watch a movie. THANKS Grandma and Grandpa for watching the kids for us to get a little break! It was nice because we got a room to ourselves, and I got to hang out in the snow with the kids too!! Grandpa got a sled for the kids, and they stayed out in the snow ALOT longer that any of us expected!! This is Landon before we went out to the snow... he tired himself out just trying to walk around in his outfit!!

Here is Hailey and her Cousin Rylie Bird all ready for the cold...

Hailey loved playing in the snow. Here she is walking up and down a little hill by the timeshare.
Grandma started making a Snowman, but it did not turn out to be the kind of snow that was going to hold it's shape. Hailey and I put a pine cone on top and covered that with snow to make it a little bit taller. Hailey called it her "Princess Snowman"
We forgot to bring my parents Snow Toys, so Grandpa went to find something for the kids while we made the snowman. The kids LOVED the sled!! We even made a little run near the timeshare that the kids went on (with Grandpa holding the rope) all by themselves! Hailey and Rylie had more fun, Landon was not sure what all the fuss was about!

We had great food while we were there, and we got to relax in the spa there too! The drive up and down was easy, and we are thankful we went!!

Tahoe is SO beautiful in the snow! ~

POWER OUTAGE!!

I have SOOO much to tell you all... and so little time to tell you in!! Long Story short, we had a great trip with our family this Christmas, and we were SOOOO excited to get home because I was sick and Landon and Hailey were sick, and we pull up to the house and try to open the Garage Door... nothing... then Matt goes inside and there is no electricity... We call PG&E and the guy tells us he has NEVER seen anything like this, so luckily he hooked us up to our neighbors for the night. He was suprised the house did not burn down... (thank goodness for that not happening) We have to get a hold of our Landlords (thank goodness we are renting) and let them know, and to have them get an electrician out. We might be out of power for a while. I came home and had to clean out my freezer of food we had just bought when we moved into the house. GOOD TIMES! ~ Anyways... we will be back on here HOPEFULLY soon to let you see ALL THE FUN we had! :) Hope you all had a GREAT Christmas and you have a SAFE New Years! ~

Pump It Up AGAIN ~

We REALLY enjoy Pump It Up! It is a GREAT place to go and have fun with the kids. As I have posted in the past about the deal... on Mon. Wed. and Fri. they have a "Open Jump" slot for kids ages 2-7. The usual cost is $7.00. We found out this last time we went that we could get a Super Saver Pass for $50.00 and it allowed you to attend 10 times. We are SOOO going to get that next time we go!! (kids under two are free, and adults get in with paid admission for a child)
I think the favorite attraction this time was AGAIN the big slide. We had to force Hailey to go down it at first, but by the end of the playtime she was dragging me up it to go again and again!! We also decided Landon should try it out. The picture below was just after I let Landon go down by himself. He liked it so much, he was trying to climb back up the slide! What a cutie! Here he is in the Basketball Bounce House. He was being fussy when we first got to the place. But after he figured out it was more fun for him to jump that it was for Matt or I to hold him, he was having a BALL!

This is our little group just hanging out talking and laughing at the kids. Landon was walking all over the place, and loving the attention!! It was a FUN time. Here is Mommy Amber with little TreTre and Mommy Amy with her Haley. We were a little tired of all the jumping and bouncing, so we were just hanging out and gossiping! Good times!

This place has got to rank one of the TOP for Hailey! She is such an independent little girl, and she played on all the Bounce Structures! We had a lot of fun, and today was the first time we had to get the Announcement that Play Time was over. They usually let us go over a little bit without any problem.

We hope you can join us next time we go! ~ And just so you know... Hailey has been napping ever since we got home!! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!

This T- Shirt ROCKS! ~

This is what I want for Christmas...

Desperation Leads To....

Me applying for a job at BANK OF AMERICA.
When I told one of my "Wells Fargo Friends" she laughed and told me "That is soooo NOT ok!"

I know you are thinking I am silly for thinking this is a big deal, but really I think I hate Bank of America! Mainly because I worked for Wells Fargo for 8 years, but also because I have been programed to think they are an arch nemesis of some sort... It is a little silly when I think about it because if they hire me over Wells Fargo I should love them... I guess we will see!

Food and Basketball . . .

This last weekend was a BLAST! My dad and little brother Preston came to Fresno for a nice visit, and to see the Fresno State vs. Brigham Young Basketball Game. We have been excited about this game for WEEKS! It was originally going to be at a more "neutral" location, when that ended up falling out, they decided to play here. Once we got news of this "Reunion Game" we called friends and family to see who would want to attend with us!

We decided that we needed to start the night off right, and went to BJ's Brewery for some GREAT food and fun times!! They were having a $20.00 special, two salads, one Med. Pizza and a Pizookie for two to share. In case you are UNAWARE for some reason what a Pizookie is; THIS is a PIZOOKIE! It is a Pizza-Cookie, and there is almost NOTHING better... MAN was that GOOD!! We went with Brent and Amalia Cutts, Spencer and Lauren Baker, and my Dad and Brother. Almost everyone wanted the $20.00 special. It was a GREAT deal, and we got to share it with a GREAT group of people!!

After we left BJ's we headed to the Save Mart Arena for the Big Game. We sat in the Upper Deck seats, and originally thought we might move closer to the floor. After half time we all decided that we liked these seats because we could see the whole floor!! I was mainly trying to see some good plays while watching the kids. This was Landon's First time to the Save Mart Center, and he was just a HAM! He was yelling and dancing and just enjoying the game. Both he and Hailey were all over the place. Luckily it was not a SOLD OUT game, so we were able to let them roam around our area. I sat most of the time behind the group with my girlfriend Amalia gossiping and just enjoying the game. It was an interesting View for me. BYU had made a good play, and I saw my Dad clapping on one end of the group, on the other end was Matt and Brent upset about a call "That should have been a foul!" I could not help but laugh when I heard Matt yell that. Good Times! ~ BYU won, and it was a close game almost the whole time. I enjoy seeing games where I don't care who wins. It makes the whole experience more enjoyable for me! After the end of the game we all went to see the BIG BULLDOG, and Hailey was SO scared of it. We found that interesting because she LOVES dogs!!
We got home, and got settled in. Hailey LOVES her Uncle Preston, and this is what happened while we were watching Glory Road...

We are SO thankful for the Family and Friends we have. It is a blessing to know we are loved by such great people, and to know that we love them too! They make the hard times just easier. We are also thankful for Pizookies... they can make almost anything better!! I hope you had a great weekend too!!

Dear Resume,

This is Melissa A. Bird. Yeah, I know you have NOOOOO idea who I am because I have NEVER had to use you before. I was wondering if you might be able to write yourself. I am NOT interested in spending THREE hours of my life trying to figure out what I need to say. I now know what a "job" it is to try to get a job...

And Resume, don't you think it is a little strange that we have never meet before?? I do. I guess going to work for a major corporation right after High School, and transferring jobs within was a good idea after all.
Just one question for you, and you can go on your way. How do I explain to potential employers the lack of "real work experience" the last two years? You might think it is funny I ask that, but my reason for this question is that I think the last two years of experience have been the MOST educational for me. How do I nicely put that I stayed at home to raise children? Most people that read you are going to think I am nuts for "taking time off". In fact, I did not put that information on you when I sent you out, and people are responding wondering if I fell off the planet for two years...

Thank You for your concern. I hope we will become good friends, and be able to help each other out in the VERY near future! ~

Sincerely,

Melissa A. Bird

P.S. Do you need anything else from me? I could give you my left arm . . .

So....

Yeah...

Matt got laid off again...

We JUST moved into a new house in Clovis, CA. And two days later he was let go.

What is EVEN better is that the house we put an offer in on... YEAH they accepted the offer, and the day before Matt was let go, we signed the official papers for the Bank's Counter Offer... Thank goodness we were able to retract it!!

So, HERE are the blessings... (because I NEED to look for some right about now)
~ We moved into a beautiful house, and we are together!!
~ We found out about Matt being let go before we put any money into the house we were going to buy. (we were about to start the inspection process)
~ We will be able to spend a lot of time together as a family for the Holidays.
~ This time I am not 8 months pregnant, and I will be able to go back to work.

Prayers our way would be very WELCOME.
We are doing fine, PLEASE don't feel like this post is as "Debbie Downer" as it sounds...
We are FIRM believers that Everything Happens for a Reason, and we are going to get through it. I keep going back to what our father in heaven has told us...

"I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it!"

My little Family is SOOO worth all this "Hard Stuff"
Wells Fargo Bank... HERE I COME! ~