Beautifully Blessed!

Beautifully Blessed is the best way I can describe yesterday while I witnessed the power of the priesthood. My 3rd beauty, Leah, was blessed by her daddy yesterday. I feel so very blessed to be the chosen parent to take care of another one of our Heavenly Father's children. We love her sooo much and had a wonderful day yesterday. Thanks to everyone who came and helped to make it possible.

Kindergarten and Preschool

There has been some big changes in out home lately. Between kindergarten, preschool, soccer, dance and a new baby, our home is still trying to adjust to the new happenings.

Haley started kindergarten on the 31st of August and her teachers name is Mrs. Arroyo. She is in the Spanish immersion class, which means that she is learning Spanish along with the regular required requirements for kindergarten. She comes home with homework and reading assignments nightly which keep us very busy playing matching with capital and lowercase letters and putting numbers in order. Fun stuff. It is a good opportunity for mom and dad to give her the attention she needs. She also started soccer the same week. She loves to go but is not that excited to kick the ball and when she does, she thinks that should be enough for the whole game. We still enjoy watching her and supporting her in everything. I told her that if she scores a goal, dad would give her a pack of gum. It hasn't seemed to have helped, especially for as much as she loves gum. Oh well. She does however enjoy dance and has started that back up as well. We are looking forward to December when we can see her shine on the dance stage again.

Maya started school just 4 days after Leah was born. A little nervous as to how she would do, she ran in so fast she tripped on her way down the steps. She loved putting her back pack on and has loved every minute of Mrs. Farr. The first day she told me that she thinks she'll go back tomorrow. Too bad it's only 2 days a week. She is so independent anymore that she doesn't even know her sisters name. She loves to watch movies, do puzzles, play with her mother's hands (little odd) and ride her bike. We love our red head.

It's sad to see the Summer come to an end but we are also pretty excited for new beginnings. Both girls learned how to ride bikes this Summer. Haley without training wheels. Both had a good time in swimming lessons with their teacher Arielle. We boasted sales at the snow cone shack and have loved every minute of each other as we have prepared for baby Leah to join us.

Introducing Leah Louise

She's here! The all through the Summer pregnancy has come to an end and miracle #3 arrived a week ago today. I feel truly blessed and can't thank my Heavenly Father enough for such a cute baby girl! Weighing in at 8 lbs. 2 oz. and 20 1/2 inches long, Leah was born at 4:32 p.m. on Friday the 3rd of September. Other then being under billi lights for 3 days, she has been a very healthy and good baby. (fingers crossed) The 2nd night letting her mother sleep 7 hours in between feedings. We love her already so much as she has made and incredible addition into the Andersen home. We love you Leah!

Some of My Latest Pet Peeves

Yards that go to waste- It's bad enough when it costed us over 5 grand to put in our very plain yard, but to see one that costs anywhere near that turn into a weed garden is so sad.

Mall Shopping- As a kid, I loved to grab my lady friends and spend hours at the mall but I can't stand going there now. I hate the ever so popular, "Can I help you find something," right as I walk into an overpriced store. If I had a question, I am capable to ask someone....errrrrkkkk

Shampoo on partially dry hair- just when I think I have the girl's hair wet, I start to lather the shampoo in to find strands that are dry. Oh, it's like screeching nails on the chalk board.

Turning on the garbage disposal when the water isn't running- I don't know where I learned that you don't do that but every so often I have the water turned off before I flip the switch to the garbage disposal and it does something strange to me that I can't explain.

Pregnancy comments- There really isn't an appropriate comment to give so just don't give them unless you know the person. It seems as though people really want to open up and talk heart to heart about pregnancy when they don't even know the person. The other day I got asked if this was an oops? What store clerk asks that when they don't even know you.....ANNOYING! I almost want to wear a shirt that says,"Yes I am pregnant and unless you know me, please don't ask your question."

Living off Food Stamps and WIC- I believe this program is designed to help people when in need and to make them self reliant to get off of it as quickly as possible. It seems as though I hear of too many families around here that are living off of it and hiding income. Or that they are living in ways that show that they are spending their income in unreasonable ways while my husband and I are out working to accommidate that great life for them. Seriously, get a job...hey sometimes it takes getting two.

Lil of This and That

This post is to recap the forever it has been since my last visit to my blog:

I love to be called a naughty boy by my 2 year old.

Potty training is my least favorite thing about raising kids

Growing a baby inside of me at age 31 is harder then at 25

Keeping my house clean is way too hard with two mess makers

Signing my 4 year old for Kindergarten was harder then expected...Spanish immersion or not?

Disneyland is not my favorite place during Spring Break.

Owning my own business means tax time is a little more stressful.

Friends and Family are the glue that keep us Andersen's happy.

Spring and Fall are my favorite times to be in Utah...now just hurry up and get here Spring.

When your child is sick at school and you go to pick them up and ask what's wrong and they say, "I think a little piece of my brain got stuck on my side," it's okay to laugh.

Dealing with dumb, ignorant people is my least favorite part about selling on ebay.

Family vacations are well needed but a lot of work to go and to come home.

Finding a husband like Matt has been one of the biggest blessing in my lives.

I have loved that Haley has loved being involved in gymnastics and dance this year.

Learning how to ride a bike without training wheels is hard work for both mom and kid.

When eating ice cream on Main Street in Huntington Beach, all the weird people and nice cars makes it a great parade for Haley. "Mom are we watching a parade"- Haley

So excited to share the simple gospel truths with Haley and talk about what she has learned is been a big joy in my life.

A Little Bit of This and That

I feel like the days of my little girls are passing by too quickly and some of the funniest things that they do aren't getting documented so here are a few pictures of my little red head's purses that get drug from home to Walmart and all around the bathroom floor at the mall. Love bug even sleeps with the purse right next to her. I thought that some of the things in these purses were things that I can't figure out why I don't have them in my purse because they are things you can't live without, right? hahaha....I love my Maya!

I'm back....

Okay. Wow it has been since...oops March since my last post. Oh sorry. I found facebook and ebay to take up a lot of my online time. No excuses though, right?

Matt, the kids and I just got back from a trip to my parents place in AZ. They have 41 acres of ranch property there. I call it a bed and breakfast because we go and my mom plans and cooks 3 amazing meals everyday we are there. It's like being on a cruise but better food. The kids just played in the dirt, sand and we rode them around on the 4 wheelers. It was fun but there is no place like home. I LOVE MY OWN BED!!!

On our way home, we were driving and could hear a little scratching noise in the dash board but didn't think much of it until a freaking squirrel, pop gut, whatever the crap they are called took a nibble at my toes. Oh crap!!! You haven't seen me fly to the back seat quicker then I did when I saw that little critter at my feet. To top it all off...we were in a construction zone with no way to pull over so the dumb gut popper, whatever he's called, ran up on the dash and I haven't found him yet. I haven't smelt any dead animals yet coming from the old pathfinder, but still trying to figure out how he got in my freaking car. Any suggestions???

As Easy as 1-2-3 Chocolate Chip Cookies

It seems as though everyone else has better tasting chocolate chip cookies then me. Mine always turn out like pancakes with little lumps of chocolate chips here and there. I hate it. So for years now, every time I see a chocolate chip cookie I like, I ask how they make it. Here are my 3 tips that I have gathered from many different domestic bakers that have helped me to perfect the old fashioned chocolate chip cookie recipe.

1. Use real butter, not margarine - margarine melts at a lower temperature. This is why my little boogers would flatten like pancakes.

2. Use more white sugar then brown - not too sure why on this one!

3. Add more flour then the recipe calls for - This is cause the chocolate chips cookies to keep a round and raised look.

California in February!

I thought we would have a warm trip to California...well warmer then what I was getting here in Utah and that wasn't the case. Besides the cold weather, sick kids and a little soreness from the dodge ball game the Friday night we got there, we still had a great time.

158 Years Ago...

My dad sent this to me and I thought since I am a Californian that moved to Utah 10 years ago, it was worth posting on my blog.

158 years ago...

Do you know what happened this week back in 1850,

158 years ago?

California became a state.
The State had no electricity.
The State had no money.
Almost everyone spoke Spanish.
There were gunfights in the streets.
So basically, it was just like California today; except the
women had real breasts and the men didn't hold hands.

What is the Grossest Thing your Kids Have Tried?

When I was little, my family would call my sister and I the "Queens of Gross." We thought everything was gross and now that we have kids of our own, I have kids that test my ever so popular "Queen of Gross" name.

Yesterday, I went with a friend to the local jumping place with the kids. Of course the trampolines get old after a bit and the kids tend to wander into places they shouldn't go. Maya decided to try the bathroom out. I followed her in there not seconds after to find she had just taken the lovely green tampon applicator out of the nasty toilet trash. Yes..in the mouth it went. GROSS. Okay, so I made this big scream and pretty much barfed in my mouth and am still barfing right now, flicked the NASTY green lollipop tampon applicator on the floor and washed her mouth out until she squirmed out of my arms screaming.

I guess things are working as normal today with her but that image is not leaving my mind. What was the GROSSEST thing that your kids have sampled?

Christmas Morn

More pathetic picture taking. Here are some action shots of our fun Christmas morning. The kids didn't roll out until 8 and Matt and I didn't know what to do with ourselves until they woke up. Matt's parents came for breakfast and to finish up the last of our presents. Fun had by all.

This year was the first time we had not been with families on Christmas eve. Christmas eve was spent with the Snows. We had yummy cordon blue, cesear salad, dip, rolls, jello and sparkling cider. We did a picture nativity with the kids participating. We had pictures strung from here to there and none of the pictures were going in the order the nativity was supposed to go. It was fun getting in the Christmas spirit.

Some Recent Pics

I'm trying to take more pics but my camera or the operator of the camera is retarded and I'm never happy with the pictures it takes. So here goes the December haps around the Andersen home...

really intense sugar cookie making

sugar cookie decorating with Mac, Taft and Bryce...what a mess

2nd attempt with Santa

1st attempt with Santa

Glamour shots at the mall with BFF Sadie and Maddie

At the mall

Fun Christmas Tag

Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends. Fill out your answers then tag 5 people you want to learn more about!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping please. There is more fun in ripping off the paper then opening the bag.

2.Real tree or artificial? Artificial this year but real all the years before now.

3.When do you put up the tree? Usually Thanksgiving day or the day after.

4.When do you take the tree down? Christmas day or the day after. I hate Christmas after Christmas.

5.Do you like Eggnog? Gross. Just the sound of it makes me barff.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Talking Cabbage Patch Kid

7. Hardest person to buy for? My mother and my inlaws. My mother who has a cheese grater on her list this year and 5 of us to buy for her.

8. Easiest person to buy for? Probably me! Is that bad?

9. Do you have a nativity scene? No, I need one...I'm just afraid baby Jesus would be found in a purse somewhere around the house in May or something.

10.Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail them hopefully this year!

11.Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings so ask me in person on that one!

12. Favorite Christmas movie? Christmas Story, National Lampoons Christmas Vacation

13.When do you start shopping for Christmas? I shop all year.

14.Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? no, not Christmas but others yes!

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? My mom's homemade cinnamon rolls!

16. White or colored lights on the tree? white...I'm kinda blah like that!

17 .Favorite Christmas song? O Holy Night, I'm Dreaming of a White Chirstmas, and Believe!

18 .Travel at Christmas or stay home? I love to travel but it's getting harder with weather conditions, getting work off and you know having kids.

19.Can you name all Santa's reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and Rudolph.

20. Angel on the tree top or Star? Star

21.Open presents Christmas Eve or morning? All on Christmas morning!

22.Most annoying thing about this time of year? The bank account depletes and you spend all year trying to build it back up!

23. Favorite ornament? Should I have one?

24. Favorite Christmas dinner? Probably honey baked ham and funeral potatoes

25. Favorite Christmas cocktail? okay...milk or 7-up

26.What do you want for Christmas this year? wii, cruise money, website money, clothes, purse

27.What don't you want for Christmas this year? lump of coal

28. What is something you have never done that you want to do for Christmas? have a really snowy Christmas morning!

29.Who is the most likely to respond to this?

30.Who is least likely to respond?

I tag everyone!

Christmas Poem & Sugar Cookie Recipe

I picked Haley up from preschool and she handed me yet another art project. This time a poem right in the center of the hand printed wreath from those cute 3 year old hands. It seems as though I get really frustrated these days with her and her 3 year old attitude but this poem actually made me cry:

Sometimes you get discouraged because I am so small,
And always leave my fingerprints on the furniture and walls.
But every day I'm growing up and soon I'll be so tall.
That all the little fingerprints will be hard to see at all.
So parents dear I give you my hand as it was this December(2008)
Then when I grow up big and strong, you'll have this to remember.

Best Sugar Cookie Recipe Ever

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla

mix and chill dough
place on ungreased cookie sheet
Bake 375 for 6-9 minutes. Cookies will puff in the oven.

Never A Dull Moment on Ebay

Here is a good message I got after someone had purchased something from me. It was left as a comment at check out:

thank you! also, if you happen to have one that is red/or burgundy and has a fluffy flower or maribou I am interested! thank you for these adorable headbands!

What is a fluffy flower?

You have to worry about where you are sending some of these items when you get a confirmed ebay address that is like this (the name and street address blocked out by me):

XXXXX XXXXXX

XXXXXXXX

do not leave at door please

Brooklyn NY 11225

I'm glad I'm not the mail lady in that neighborhood!

Straight From the Garbage...Instant Bed for the Baby

Who needs Santa to come when we already have a great bed for our baby?

Friday Fill In on Saturday

1.The last band I saw live was wow I can't even think of their name. It's been like 7 years ago.
2. What I look forward to most on Thanksgiving is mashed potatoes with lots of gravy and looking through Black Friday ads.
3. My Christmas/holiday shopping is going to be severely less this year.
4. Thoughts of attacking Maya's snotty nose fill my head. She's getting too quick.
5. I wish I could wear sandals year round.
6. Bagpipes are depressing.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a night with nothing on the agenda, tomorrow my plans include work, a early visit to santa at the mall and an afternoon of go BYU football with a visit to see some old friends in SLC and Sunday, I want to go to church and chase the kids around the building...did I say want???

Calling All Pepsi Drinkers

Okay so my husband is obsessed with making sure no yellow pepsi cap gets thrown away. So if you have one or see someone at work with one, make sure you get the code inside the cap. After all, I'm not going to Hawaii with all the points but Matt gets to fill his itunes library with more tunes. So if you want to help Matt get more music, email him at andersen.matt@gmail.com or leave me a comment with the code inside the pepsi cap or on a 12 pack.

Grandma's Been Sewing

I love anyone that can sew because I can't sew worth crap. More times then not I get the bobbin thread all balled up and a few choice words come out and well it is best if I don't sew. I am really good at getting Matt's mom to stitch some things up for me. She made these cute skirts for the girls. Of course matching. That's why I have 2 girls...so they will match all the time like I did. Only I had to match with my twin brother. Here is the best picture I could get of these beauties!