Friday, November 30, 2012

Christmas Craft ~

My son has a play-group every Friday. Myself and three other friends rotate watching the kids for a few hours in the morning so the other moms can get a little break in the week! This worked out PERFECTLY for me because Friday is my CLEAN DAY!! I have a routine down now!
~ I wake up and Start Laundry
~ I get Hailey and Landon "ready for the day"
~ I switch over the Laundry before we drop Hailey off for school
~ We come home and finish getting Landon ready for his play-group and hopefully switch the Laundry over again...
~ Drop little man off (except when it is my turn for Play-Group... then my house does not get clean)
~ CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN...
~ I hit the bathrooms, then sweep, then hand mop all while working the Laundry...
~ If I have time before I get Landon I vacuum the house...
I have a FOCUS room every Friday that I just switch around. The kids rooms, the kitchen, my room, the bathrooms, and the family room. I make sure to do a DEEP clean of at least one room! My house is not PERFECT, but it is mostly clean!
ANYWAYS...
this post is about a Christmas Craft that I did TODAY when it was MY turn for Play-Group!!
(see how easily I get sidetracked these days...)

I asked Landon what he wanted to make and he said a Christmas Tree. I knew one of the others mothers was planning on doing something with Santa, another was going to make Gingerbread Houses (we missed out on that one because of Vacation) so I thought that a Christmas Tree was the PERFECT thing to start off with!!
Then I remembered something I had made in Kindergarten. These kids are only THREE years old, they are beginning to learn to count... so WE are going to make Christmas Tree Countdown!
This craft was SUPER EASY and I had everything on hand!
Green Paper... CHECK!
Red Paper... CHECK!
Yellow Paper... CHECK!
I had originally planned for the kids to color the Christmas Tree however they would like... THEN I remembered something REALLY COOL...
What is THAT you ask... hit the hyperlink to see... 
or prepare for me to AMAZE you with this new product description...
Have you ever wished that the Puffy Paint you have would just STAY exactly HOW and WHERE you put it? Beads in a bottle is made to kinda do JUST THAT! It is a unique formula that somehow when you put it on your project that it makes self-rounding beads. Like it does not fall flat or run... it takes form and is SO fun for embellishing stuff!!
This is really made for Fabric or Jewelry  but I figured HEY... those would make PERFECT Christmas Lights on our little Christmas Tree Countdown Things!!
So easy even a group of THREE year old's can do it!
These bottles are easier to squeeze for little hands, and they made PERFECT ornaments!!
Landon LOVED making His! He went a little Beads in a Bottle Crazy, but it was a FUN easy craft!!
We put 25 chain links under the Christmas Tree so the kids could tear one down every night in December!
That was fun helping the kids tape and link those suckers... I tried having them write numbers on the links, then we just decided getting it in a pattern was going to be work enough!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!! and Happy Crafting!!

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Thanksgiving ~

We had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving!!
We were able to have FAMILY come over!! John & Ally Jensen, and a "special guest"
I will be referring to the "special guest" as S.G. He is a little foster boy John & Ally have the pleasure of being able to help right now.
 We divided the CHORE of cooking all the meal and it was
 SO nice to relax most of the day...
Doing HALF duty for Thanksgiving is my kind of Thanksgiving!! 
We had EVERYTHING you would ever want, and these pictures do not even show the desserts!!
 Hailey was in charge of setting the table. She picked out the RED table cloth and put all the things out (with help from Daddy of course) We had contemplated getting out our nice China we got for our wedding that has NEVER BEEN USED... but with kids I was too worried to let them be the first ones to TRY OUT my $80.00 a place setting Wedding China... so we just had the REGULAR old stuff we use everyday!
And I must have put down the camera in a "Landon Friendly Area" because he turned the sucker on and got a few pictures of his own. He has become quite the photographer!! The pictures above are courtesy of Landon Bird Photography. You will notice Hailey is helping to feed "S.G." The kids sure loved having a little baby around. It makes me think that this little one will be LOVED when SHE gets here... :)
It was a nice relaxing day! The boys did a little "Black Friday" shopping Thanksgiving night while the girls just relaxed the night away!
SO THANKFUL for my little blessings!!

Monday, November 19, 2012

GUESS WHAT!~?

For those of you who are NOT on Facebook...

It's A GIRL!!~

Yeah! Baby Bird #3 will be a
 BOW-WEARING,
 DRESS-Swirling, 
PINK and PURPLE ray of light to this household!!

Most of you know I wanted Baby Boy Vibes sent my way, but the thought of being able to dress up another little princess has me ALL giddy!! Once it was confirmed that she was going to be in our family I thought of ALL THE BOXES of baby girl clothes that would go to GOOD use again...
Ahhh... I don't think I really realized how much I missed it!

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Y.W. in Excellence

Our Y.W. Presidency has been PLANNING for this event for MONTHS!
Young Women's in Excellence is a yearly celebration we have to showcase the girls working on Personal Progress. And it is a celebration of the girls that received their Personal Progress Medallions that year as well. My main thought was
 "How can I show these girls how important Personal Progress is to their Daily Lives?" 
We decided our Theme was going to be "Becoming YOU through Personal Progress"
We also decided on a black and white color scheme.
(It quickly turned into Black and White Polka Dots after I went shopping for the decorations!)
We made a special gift for each girl to remember the night with. I saw this wording "Be-YOU-tiful" on Pinterest and I REALLY wanted to make something to give the girls with that. Those signs are HOMEMADE! We cut, sanded, painted, stuck on the vinyl, and put ribbon on each one ourselves. (ok, i have to admit our husbands cut them down, but we did everything else!) We also had AMAZING treats thanks to our Secretary Kimmy Sorensen. She is co-owner of a local cupcake business All Things Frosted. I LOVE her cupcakes! And she and my second counselor Katrina Reider made sure we had plenty to drink!!
 The girls were asked to pick a value and then present and display something they did (either an experience or the project) for that value. I think at first the girls were a little worried about what we were asking them to do. I had prepped them for 2 months. They were to go on stage and talk for 1-2 minutes about that value, what they did, and how personal progress has helped their lives...
 It was SO fun to see these girls LIGHT up on the stage. We had a few girls that were sick or had prior engagements that were not able to attend. However, I have to say EACH and EVERY girl that go up to share with us about personal progress touched my heart! These girls are SO amazing and it is nice to know we have young women in the world choosing the right path
 We have had one girl receive her Young Womanhood Medallion since we were put in as leaders. We had her display her own table and she got a special Willow Tree statue for her hard work! She had made a decision when she became a YW that she would complete the Personal Progress Program while she was a Beehive. She kept that promise with herself and finished a little bit before her 14th birthday.
We also had some special Musical Numbers. Two of our girls did a Piano and Oboe duet that was BEAUTIFUL! And all our YW and Leaders sang a song His Image in your Countenance. Our Bishop ended the night and we were able to eat and mingle. I am SO thankful for these girls in my life! I LOVE being YW President and I know they are changing lives of others around them just by being amazing!

I would like to thank ALL the people who helped plan, set up, take down, and help have the evening run smoothly! We would not be able to do this without support from our ward! GREAT JOB CLOVIS 3rd YW! You are THE BEST!!

Friday, November 16, 2012

Breaking Dawn PART 2

SPOILER ALERT!!
Yes I am a "Twilight Fan". No there is nothing you could tell me that would make me feel bad about it!! Ha ha!
I was able to see the new movie "Breaking Dawn: Part 2" last night with a group of girls from church. (yes a group... a BIG group) It is kind of a tradition that we go in a group to go and see the movie. Ever since I moved into the ward I have gone to see the movie with them. The other part of the tradition is that we have a movie MARATHON. The movie theater sets this up for us and we LOVE it! There are always TONS of people waiting out for the midnight (or in this case the 10 P.M.) showing ALL DAY LONG... and we get in get our seats... get to relax... and watch all the movies to prepare us for the NEWEST!
This year I was really looking forward to it, I sent Matt all the info and planned on getting a ticket... however about a week before the showing he told me that was the SAME night he had a meeting in Madera for school. So I was just waiting around to see when the meeting was and when he would be back crossing my fingers. So LUCKILY I did not buy a ticket... because I missed EVERY MOVIE but the last one! AND I ended up able to take someone else's ticket that was not able to make it... SCORE!!~
I made it to the theater 15 minutes before the showing... I was SO ready to let this part of my life be full filled!! I started reading the books because of my sister SHARON (the one on a mission SHOUT OUT FLORIDA) before I was pregnant with Landon. He is almost FOUR... so this is a LONG time coming to see the movies played out.
YES... I know the first movie was BAD. But I still loved it and watched all the other movies. OF COURSE these things are not possible... this is not real life... but I have to admit I got sucked in and I love it!! SO... I have to say THIS LAST movie was the BEST of the whole Twilight Saga!! I was watching Taylor Lautner on a talk show and he mentioned that there was a "TWIST"... MAN the twist was good!!
I wish I would have re-read the book before going to the movie because I almost needed a reminder. It was nice watching the movie not sure what was going to happen next... I laughed... I almost cried... and I almost had a heart attack! I know I said spoiler alert at the top, but I do not want to ruin it for anyone who has not seen the movie yet!
My recommendation if you are a TWILIGHT FAN... GO SEE IT! MIND BLOWN!!
LOVED the ENDING! Perfect way to finish off the series! Looking forward to possible spin offs with all the new characters introduced in the last book! I love me some Stephanie Meyer!!
In case you did not know... I am STILL TEAM JACOB!!

(still wearing it the next day!!)

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Being a mommy SUCKS sometimes...

Suck it! I know I have become "one of those people" who "HAS a blog" but never posts anything new on it... WELL...
I guess I better catch up!
I have TONS of excuses but today I am going to tell you a story that will make you feel sorry for me so I won't have to go through my list of excuses...
Today yesterday was a normal day... get the kids up, fed, dressed, teeth and hair brushed... you know. Story of my life. But today I was motivated to WORK OUT! I have not been motivated because of sickness lately (yes pregnancy sickness and kids being sick and ME being sick) HOWEVER... I has been 2 weeks since I worked out. So I started my day off right!
So I am working out on the elliptical machine.  A few minutes after I start two guys (possibly a little older than me) start working out next to me. One on each side. There are PLENTY of other elliptical machines but they choose to be RIGHT BY ME. I feel them looking at me... it was a little awkward to say the least. So I finish my 30 minute workout... (2.54 miles 245 calories burned... not bad for this prego right?) So I walk over to the wall to get the spray and paper towels to wipe down my equipment. As I am wiping it down one of the boys asks me if he can ask me a question. I kinda try to act like I did not hear him, but he asks again so I look at him and smile. He says "My buddy here and I can't figure something out... are you pregnant or just fat?" My mouth drops open and I look down at my belly wondering HOW COULD I JUST LOOK FAT AT THIS POINT... I answer... "Thank you for asking... I am pregnant." So the other boy gets off and says "See I told you pregnant people can still work out... she was not fat." SO they had this DEBATE and decided to some work out next to me to try to figure it out... THEN the guy who thinks I am Fat is determined to know because OBVIOUSLY I must look fat... thanks... no complex here at all...
So I move onto the stairs machine in utter dismay and try to move on with my life... about 5 minutes into that workout I hear over the intercom "Can Melissa Bird please come to the day care center..." AHHHHHHH
REALLY LANDON?
So Landon did not want to share so he hit a kid and I had to put him on time out and SUCH IS MY LIFE..." I hit up the showers and get Landon and GO HOME..
I plan my Y.W. activity for the night... make dinner... make cookies for the girls... do the activity... go home... SLEEP.
THE NEXT DAY started off normal too... (that would be today)
However just after lunch I get a call from the School Nurse. "Hailey had an accident... can you please bring her a change of clothes to school."
Pack little man up... grab change of clothes... head to school... hit up nurses office and run into her Teacher's Aid... she tells me the story. They were playing at recess and Hailey was in line to play wall ball or something and all of the sudden she runs for the bathroom... only not to make it in time... AND it was numba 2... watery numba 2... she wont come out so her friends get the Teachers Aid and LUCKILY none of her friends have ANY idea what was wrong...
So I take Landon in the bathroom with me and I am thankful I am past the first trimester of pregnancy because I was gagging the WHOLE time. Hailey was gagging... Landon was gagging... they were BOTH saying things REALLY loud in the bathroom and I KNEW the people outside we just LAUGHING at the conversation going on... Poor Girl said "Mommy I am so sorry... don't be mad at me... it came too fast and I am not a fast enough runner!" I decided this was embarrassing enough for the poor girl that I was not going to make her feel bad about it... Like someone WANTS to have an accident at school...
After about 30 minutes of cleaning her off... down the leg... ugh... GLAD I BROUGHT SOCKS TOO... I take her back to class.
There is only 45 minutes until I have to pick her up at this point so I take Landon to the local playground where he picks up my spirits and makes me laugh. I text my brother about the incident and he gets a good laugh then I call my mom and tell her about my HORRIBLE day...
Sometimes it SUCKS being a mommy!! AM I RIGHT??
So now I sit here telling you my story because I am PRAYING my husband gets home soon... he had to work until about 3 then left at 5 for a school meeting not to be back until AFTER 9... the new Twilight movie is out tonight and I would LOVE to go... but who knows if I will make it...
I think two bad days in a row is calls for a good movie with friends right?? I will have to let you know... :)

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

The LITTLE things in LIFE...

I woke up the morning of my birthday to this...
 The YW in my ward "heart attacked" me for my birthday! They think they are sneeky... but I know the girls handwriting and EXACTLY who was leading the charge! This makes all the work I put into these sweet girls SO worth it!! THANKS GIRLS!!
And this just makes my heart Happy. When I was a little girl; one of my favorite things to do was rake the leaves in the yard with my dad then JUMP into them! We were able to visit my family this last weekend and my kids got to enjoy this with my dad. He is the BEST! Always willing to play and do things with the kids! Thanks Grandpa for be AMAZING!

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Happy Halloween

Just a few days before Halloween the kids got a GREAT surprise in the Mail ~
 A card from BOTH grandparents! G & G Andersen sent Zombie Cards for the kids in the card. Hailey's favorite Zombie was the Pink Bunny Girl. Landon's favorite card was what he likes to call "The Party Rock Boys" haha! The kids play with these cards all the time!! 
G&G Bird sent each kid a card and a $5.00 gift card to McDonald's to share! The kids made sure we hit up McDonald's that week to take advantage of the goodness!!
We let the kids trick or treat at the Sierra Vista Mall before we had dinner and then went around the neighborhood... Our little ROCKET man and our Princess Tiana had a GREAT Halloween!!

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

PROCRASTINATION??

Some might think that me waiting a month and a half to post another story onto my blog is HORRIBLE...
I say SUCK IT!
Lots of things have changed here around the Bird House...
Hailey started school; which leaves only one child at home... easier you think? NO... every weekday morning I have to get up, actually get out of bed at a normal time, wake up two kids, and get two kids and myself ready for the day. That includes; eating, getting dressed, brushing teeth, getting hair done... packing one lunch, making sure backpack and Homework is ready, and THEN make it to school on time! Not to mention being on time to pick her up during the middle of my day... it is NOT easier!!
Then to top it off... Little man hates me! I guess hate is a strong word. More like he does not like being the only one at home with mommy. He tells me that I am boring and that he does not want to play with me...

Another change MOST of you should know by now is that i am SICK and TIRED...
only because I am PREGNANT! 
Yep... Baby Bird #3 is on the way! We announced it officially when I got through my first Trimester. The due date has changed a little bit; My Dr. says April 14th. We hope this child continues to be as wonderful as the first two and come early... I am shooting for an April Fools Baby... Yeah that would be fun on SO many levels! I can just imagine the call to Matt... NO REALLY I AM IN LABOR, this is not an April Fools Joke. Then when the kid grows up "Its your birthday... ha ha... just kidding... no really it is... ha ha"
 Judge me all you want.
So I have just not FELT like blogging or doing ANYTHING for that matter... sorry i guess...

ALSO my siblings have done some pretty amazing things that have kept me busy... my little brother Preston left for BYU-I! He was dropped off by family in early September. I think he is getting the hang of "college life" for sure! I get to keep in touch with him with skype and texting so it feels like he is still home with my parents at times. I know he is having a BLAST, but when I actually go to my parents to visit I realize REAL quickly that I am missing him for sure!

And LAST but not least my little sister is officially OFF on her mission!!
She reported to the MTC TODAY! And the reason for my blog today is because I started a little family blog for her. I will be posting her letters home on the blog so we are not having to send TONS of emails to people and if they want to read up on what is going on they know where to go! :)
 My parents are OFFICIALLY Empty Nester's!!
 Lets see how long they enjoy this! It only took 32 years!!
So here I hope I start feeling better so I can get caught up and enjoy my blog again! ~ :)

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Ann Romney


I LOVE this woman... Her speech was AMAZING and life changing... here it is if you missed it! ~
I want to talk to you tonight not about politics and not about party.
And while there are many important issues we'll hear discussed in this convention and throughout this campaign, tonight I want to talk to you from my heart about our hearts.
I want to talk not about what divides us, but what holds us together as an American family. I want to talk to you tonight about that one great thing that unites us, that one thing that brings us our greatest joy when times are good, and the deepest solace in our dark hours.
Tonight I want to talk to you about love.
I want to talk to you about the deep and abiding love I have for a man I met at a dance many years ago. And the profound love I have, and I know we share, for this country.
I want to talk to you about that love so deep only a mother can fathom it -- the love we have for our children and our children's children.
And I want us to think tonight about the love we all share for those Americans, our brothers and sisters, who are going through difficult times, whose days are never easy, nights are always long, and whose work never seems done.
They are here among us tonight in this hall; they are here in neighborhoods across Tampa and all across America. The parents who lie awake at night side by side, wondering how they'll be able to pay the mortgage or make the rent; the single dad who's working extra hours tonight, so that his kids can buy some new clothes to go back to school, can take a school trip or play a sport, so his kids can feel… like the other kids.
And the working moms who love their jobs but would like to work just a little less to spend more time with the kids, but that's just out of the question with this economy. Or that couple who would like to have another child, but wonder how will they afford it.
I've been all across this country for the past year and a half and heard these stories of how hard it is to get ahead now. I've heard your voices: “I'm running in place,” “we just can't get ahead.”
Sometimes I think that late at night, if we were all silent for just a few moments and listened carefully, we could hear a great collective sigh from the moms and dads across America who made it through another day, and know that they'll make it through another one tomorrow. But in that end of the day moment, they just aren't sure how.
And if you listen carefully, you'll hear the women sighing a little bit more than the men. It's how it is, isn't it?
It's the moms who always have to work a little harder, to make everything right.
It's the moms of this nation -- single, married, widowed -- who really hold this country together. We're the mothers, we're the wives, we're the grandmothers, we're the big sisters, we're the little sisters, we're the daughters.
You know it's true, don't you?
You're the ones who always have to do a little more.
You know what it's like to work a little harder during the day to earn the respect you deserve at work and then come home to help with that book report which just has to be done.
You know what those late night phone calls with an elderly parent are like and the long weekend drives just to see how they're doing.
You know the fastest route to the local emergency room and which doctors actually answer the phone when you call at night.
You know what it’s like to sit in that graduation ceremony and wonder how it was that so many long days turned into years that went by so quickly.
You are the best of America.
You are the hope of America.
There would not be an America without you.
Tonight, we salute you and sing your praises.
I'm not sure if men really understand this, but I don't think there's a woman in America who really expects her life to be easy. In our own ways, we all know better!
And that's fine. We don't want easy. But these last few years have been harder than they needed to be. It's all the little things -- that price at the pump you just can't believe, the grocery bills that just get bigger; all those things that used to be free, like school sports, are now one more bill to pay. It's all the little things that pile up to become big things. And the big things -- the good jobs, the chance at college, that home you want to buy, just get harder. Everything has become harder.
We're too smart to know there aren't easy answers. But we're not dumb enough to accept that there aren't better answers.
And that is where this boy I met at a high school dance comes in.
His name is Mitt Romney and you really should get to know him.
I could tell you why I fell in love with him -- he was tall, laughed a lot, was nervous -- girls like that, it shows the guy's a little intimidated -- and he was nice to my parents but he was really glad when my parents weren't around.
That's a good thing. And he made me laugh.
I am the granddaughter of a Welsh coal miner who was determined that his kids get out of the mines. My dad got his first job when he was six years old, in a little village in Wales called Nantyffyllon, cleaning bottles at the Colliers Arms.

When he was 15, dad came to America. In our country, he saw hope and an opportunity to escape from poverty. He moved to a small town in the great state of Michigan. There, he started a business -- one he built himself, by the way.
He raised a family. And he became mayor of our town.
My dad would often remind my brothers and me how fortunate we were to grow up in a place like America. He wanted us to have every opportunity that came with life in this country -- and so he pushed us to be our best and give our all.
Inside the houses that lined the streets of our town, there were a lot of good fathers teaching their sons and daughters those same values. I didn't know it at the time, but one of those dads was my future father-in-law, George Romney.
Mitt's dad never graduated from college. Instead, he became a carpenter.
He worked hard, and he became the head of a car company, and then the governor of Michigan.
When Mitt and I met and fell in love, we were determined not to let anything stand in the way of our life together. I was an Episcopalian. He was a Mormon.
We were very young. Both still in college. There were many reasons to delay marriage, and you know? We just didn't care. We got married and moved into a basement apartment. We walked to class together, shared the housekeeping, and ate a lot of pasta and tuna fish. Our desk was a door propped up on sawhorses. Our dining room table was a fold down ironing board in the kitchen. Those were very special days.
Then our first son came along. All at once I'm 22 years old, with a baby and a husband who's going to business school and law school at the same time, and I can tell you, probably like every other girl who finds herself in a new life far from family and friends, with a new baby and a new husband, that it dawned on me that I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into.
That was 42 years ago. Now we have five sons and 18 grandchildren and I'm still in love with that boy I met at a high school dance.
I read somewhere that Mitt and I have a “storybook marriage.” Well, in the storybooks I read, there were never long, long, rainy winter afternoons in a house with five boys screaming at once. And those storybooks never seemed to have chapters called MS or Breast Cancer.
A storybook marriage? No, not at all. What Mitt Romney and I have is a real marriage.
I know this good and decent man for what he is -- warm and loving and patient.
He has tried to live his life with a set of values centered on family, faith, and love of one's fellow man. From the time we were first married, I've seen him spend countless hours helping others. I've seen him drop everything to help a friend in trouble, and been there when late-night calls of panic came from a member of our church whose child had been taken to the hospital.
You may not agree with Mitt's positions on issues or his politics. Massachusetts is only 13% Republican, so it's not like that's a shock.
But let me say this to every American who is thinking about who should be our next President:
No one will work harder.
No one will care more.
No one will move heaven and earth like Mitt Romney to make this country a better place to live!
It's true that Mitt has been successful at each new challenge he has taken on. It amazes me to see his history of success actually being attacked. Are those really the values that made our country great? As a mom of five boys, do we want to raise our children to be afraid of success?
Do we send our children out in the world with the advice, “Try to do... okay?”
And let's be honest. If the last four years had been more successful, do we really think there would be this attack on Mitt Romney's success?
Of course not.
Mitt will be the first to tell you that he is the most fortunate man in the world. He had two loving parents who gave him strong values and taught him the value of work. He had the chance to get the education his father never had.
But as his partner on this amazing journey, I can tell you Mitt Romney was not handed success.
He built it.
He stayed in Massachusetts after graduate school and got a job. I saw the long hours that started with that first job. I was there when he and a small group of friends talked about starting a new company. I was there when they struggled and wondered if the whole idea just wasn't going to work. Mitt's reaction was to work harder and press on.
Today that company has become another great American success story.
Has it made those who started the company successful beyond their dreams?
Yes, it has.
It allowed us to give our sons the chance at good educations and made all those long hours of book reports and homework worth every minute. It's given us the deep satisfaction of being able to help others in ways that we could never have imagined. Mitt doesn't like to talk about how he has helped others because he sees it as a privilege, not a political talking point. And we're no different than the millions of Americans who quietly help their neighbors, their churches and their communities. They don't do it so that others will think more of them.
They do it because there IS no greater joy.
“Give and it shall be given unto you.”
But because this is America, that small company which grew has helped so many others lead better lives. The jobs that grew from the risks they took have become college educations, first homes. That success has helped fund scholarships, pensions, and retirement funds. This is the genius of America: dreams fulfilled help others launch new dreams.
At every turn in his life, this man I met at a high school dance, has helped lift up others. He did it with the Olympics, when many wanted to give up.
He did it in Massachusetts, where he guided a state from economic crisis to unemployment of just 4.7%.
Under Mitt, Massachusetts's schools were the best in the nation. The best. He started the John and Abigail Adams scholarships, which give the top 25% of high school graduates a four-year tuition-free scholarship.
This is the man America needs.
This is the man who will wake up every day with the determination to solve the problems that others say can't be solved, to fix what others say is beyond repair. This is the man who will work harder than anyone so that we can work a little less hard.
I can't tell you what will happen over the next four years. But I can only stand here tonight, as a wife, a mother, a grandmother, an American, and make you this solemn commitment:
This man will not fail.
This man will not let us down.
This man will lift up America!
It has been 47 years since that tall, kind of charming young man brought me home from our first dance. Not every day since has been easy.
But he still makes me laugh. And never once did I have a single reason to doubt that I was the luckiest woman in the world.
I said tonight I wanted to talk to you about love. Look into your hearts.
This is our country.
This is our future.
These are our children and grandchildren.
You can trust Mitt.
He loves America.
He will take us to a better place, just as he took me home safely from that dance.
Give him that chance.
Give America that chance.
God bless each of you and God Bless the United States of America.

Monday, August 27, 2012

Before I forget...

Hailey said the most AMAZING prayer last night...
It went a little something like this...

"Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this day. Thank you for daddy. Thank you for mommy. Thank you for Landon. Thank you for Hailey. Thank you for Landon's dead fish. Thank you for my good fish. Oh, and thank you for the food. We say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

I know it is inappropriate to laugh in the middle of a prayer, but Matt and I both looked up at each other; giggled and then said "Amen!"

Lovin' that she can say her own prayers...
And Lovin' it even more that she adds her own little spice to liven this party up!
LOVE YOU HAILEY!!

Monday, August 20, 2012

KINDERGARTEN!!

Today is my oldest child's FIRST day of Kindergarten!!
We have been preparing Hailey Bird for this day for a few months now.
 She picked out her Backpack... and helped me write her name on it... (she spelled her name for me)
 She also picked out her new outfit for the BIG DAY ~ Converse All Stars and all!!
 And of course we had to get her picture in front of the door at home...
 We drove half way to the school then walked from the neighborhood. Mrs. Gunner told the parents at the open house that we could bring the kids to the Kindergarten Playground and let them play. Hailey did not want to play, she just wanted to ask a ton of questions and tell me "Don't leave me alone" ~heartbreaking right? We got her special name tag and wrote her name on the board for what she was eating for lunch. Then Mrs. Gunner had the kids get in line. Kids Tears REALLY started at this point. There was a sweet little girl in front of us that was almost hysterical... Hailey took her hand; and told her she could walk with her.
The little girl kept looking back for her parents, and her dad went to walk her after she dropped Hailey's hand. But to my TOTAL SURPRISE Hailey did not throw a fit at all!! No tears from Hailey... Daddy... Landon... OR MOMMY! She walked in line all the way to the classroom and went inside. Matt and I looked at each other... HUGE smiles on our faces and decided it was a success!! I have to admit when I saw her helping that little girl; my eyes got a little watery; but I held myself together!
Landon was sad to leave his sister at the big school; well see how our quiet day at home goes...
YEAH!
My Little Girl is starting her "growing up" journey and I am LOVING it!!

Thursday, August 16, 2012

HAIR CUT!!

Hailey is getting prepared for her FIRST day of Kindergarten...
So we went to JCPenny Salon for her first Official PROFESSIONAL hair cut... 
(mommy has been cutting her hair all these years... thank you thank you!)
"Auntie Carissa" the AMAZING friend I have that does my hair called to let me know that her salon was giving FREE haircuts to kids K-6!! We took advantage for sure!!
 Hailey LOVED it!
 Carissa asked how short she wanted it, and of course I had to say just a few inches because Hailey pointed to just above her ear... daddy would NOT be happy if I let her cut it that short...
Just a few inches and cute bangs! 
This little girl is READY!!
Thanks Carissa!! You are the BEST!!

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Family Trip ~ Part FOUR

Here we are in PRESTON IDAHO!!
They had a sidewalk sale going on because of the rodeo; the kids got some money from Grandma Andersen and Great Grandma Smith to buy something special... cotton candy was the treat they picked!
Landon loves trying on shoes! Here he is in some awesome cowboy boots!
And I just LOVED these chairs! Top picture is our little family! Bottom pictures are Hailey with two of her favorite people! Her momma and her Auntie Sharon!
Hailey just LOVED the giant glasses that Grandma bought! HA HA! Can't you tell!? And Matt loved seeing a charity that made tie-dye stuff. He wanted to remember it! OH and he also wanted to remember the person in the bottom right hand corner too... he swears that was a woman... I myself DO NOT KNOW! LOL!
That same day we headed to the Parade!! We like to sit near Preston High School in the shade trees... We all jumped in the back of Great Grandpa Smith's truck for the short ride over there!
And while we were waiting for the parade to start we decided we should get a picture of Grandma with ALL her ADORABLE grand kids! As you can tell it is not easy getting all 8 kids to look at once! :)
These kids sure are lucky!! LOVE THEM!!
Here we are all getting closer to the street to see the parade!!
Horses, Tractors, Phi-Del Cheerleaders... OH MY! We are in Preston, ID for sure!
Cousins READY To head home after the parade!
We had little time to get ready for the Rodeo that night after the parade... Here the kids are waiting in line with us to see the FAMOUS PRESTON RODEO!!
It was GREAT seeing all the horses and tricks and cowboys! They even had some little kids riding the sheep... i forget what that was called! LOL! The kids fell asleep by the end, but we KNOW they enjoyed it for sure!!

Friday, August 3, 2012

Family Trip ~ Part THREE

On Tuesday we went to Grandma and Grandpa Andersen's House.
We meet up with my sister Nicole, hubby Brian and kiddies.
Hailey loves her cousin Katelyn. They are about 10 months apart, but they look about the same age.
Landon and Johnathon tried to play together; but they both had a hard time sharing toys. Totally typical for their age; they are exactly one year apart.
At the Homestead (that is what we called the Andersen Grandparents House growing up) they have all kinds of fun stuff for kids. Above you can see the Zipline and the Flying Airplane. The kids had to take turns on both these things. They played for HOURS outside on the toys...
Over by the barn is the swing. I remember swinging on this as a kid... as you can see Sharon and I made sure to get our ride in on the swing!
A new addition to the barn is the slide. I have heard about this side from other cousins' but never was able to see it until this trip. The kids had a ball playing on the slide. Running up the side and going down. It sure was fun! These kids are SO lucky!
After all this fun the kids got to enjoy picking raspberries, and watching great grandpa dig potatoes out of the ground! They sure LOVED that!

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Family Trip ~ Part TWO

WELCOME TO IDAHO!!
Preston Idaho that is. Our first stop was at Grandma & Grandpa Smith's house. 
While I settled in; Great Grandpa and Matt took the kids on a little tour.
We meet up with my mother and sister Sharon here.
They went to see the Elk; but were not able to get a good view; so they hit up the Rodeo Grounds. 
The kids LOVED that!
They even caught a little wakeboarding action! Talk about a GREAT tour!
One of Grandpa's Friends stopped by after they returned. He was driving the four wheeler above and offered for the kids to get a ride with Great Grandpa. They went around the block and loved it!!
When the kids got back; they wanted to play so Sharon and I walked them to the park while the others went shopping.
Both kids loved the slides and the swing at the park. It was a beautiful day!
The kids learned real soon that they LOVED going to Great Grandma Smiths! Not only is she a nice Grandma; she has soda and cookies!
We don't let the kids have much soda at home so this was a REAL treat. I have told Matt stories about when I was a kid and we came to visit and Grandma and Grandpa Smiths; they made sure we had plenty of soda, cookies and treats when we came. It is nice to see she is going to spoil the great grand kids the same way! She is the PERFECT grandma!!
Landon's favorite part of the park was the water fountain. (hehe don't you like his underoo shot...)
He sat up on that water fountain station and played with the water half of the time we were there. He got a little wet; but he got us wet for sure! One of them shot water really high. 
Landon would turn it on whenever anyone came near him! What a crack up!
Hailey taught us the importance of Yoga... she got in her special yoga pose while she was swinging and demanded that everyone else follow... and we all did! Even Landon as you can see above!! 
It was fun sitting back enjoying the day with my little sister and playing with the kids.
On the way home Landon was lucky enough to get a ride on Sharon's shoulders! These kids are not going to know what hits them when Auntie Sharon is gone on her mission come October!! We are trying to cherish all the moments we can get before she goes.
We got home, relaxed, watched olympics on TV, ate, and got the kids ready for bed. 
It was a fun day!!