Jon and Kim Andersen

Nursery pics...

2009-09-22T07:20:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd post some pics of the nursery since many of you were asking. Our bags are packed and we're ready to go! Any day now...

Tile and primer complete!

2009-09-19T13:39:00.000-07:00

It actually looks like a room!

Ready for tile!

2009-09-09T07:40:00.000-07:00

The tile is being installed TODAY!!! HOOOORAY!

ALMOST DONE!!!

2009-08-19T14:01:00.000-07:00

First wall complete! 1/2 of second wall done...just a bit more to go!!!

AGAIN!

2009-08-19T09:33:00.000-07:00

As if we didn't have enough going on right now...this happens. AGAIN. FOR THE SECOND TIME!!!

Needless to say, we were not happy. The stupid thing is rotted! They will be removing the stump ASAP...unless they would like to deal with an angry pregnant lady. Uh...hello...it's called a chainsaw.

More pics of the stone wall...

2009-08-19T09:28:00.000-07:00

Making progress...

2009-08-16T10:53:00.000-07:00

Here are some recent pics of the basement. It's actually starting to look like a room!!! The electrical work is done, dry wall is almost finished, and the stone wall is being worked on this week...what you actually see on the far walls now is not stone, but cement.

MORE STORAGE!!!

2009-07-19T16:47:00.000-07:00

BIG NEWS PEEPS! The basement cabinets are installed and they look AWESOME! The best part is that they were FREE...thanks to old tenants in Dad O's building who left them! Many thanks to Mom and Dad A. for busting their butts helping us install the cabinets and clean yesterday!

We now have more cabinet storage in the basement laundry area than we have in our kitchen!

Recessed lighting and pendant lights are purchased and the electrician is coming tomorrow! HOORAY FOR PROGRESS!!!

Now, don't ask about the baby's room...hasn't been touched. The bedding is backordered until early August and the furniture is in a "holding area" ready to be delivered when we give them the word...

In other baby news, we've attended our Newborn Care class and Jon gets an A++ for his swaddling skills. We've also taken a tour of the hospital. This week we start a 5-week series called "The Ultimate Birthing Experience" I will probably be scared out of my mind and I'm sure Jon will turn white and feel sick to his stomach.

Stay tuned...

MINI MAN-CATION...

2009-06-13T20:08:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, Jon and Drew went on a 4-day camping/canoeing trip down the Delaware River. They figured out that they canoed a total of 45 miles!!! I was pretty impressed to hear that! I regret not taking a pic of their canoe before they headed out on the water - it was packed full of stuff sacks, camping and fishing gear, and water jugs! They had an awesome time, but man, did they REEK when they arrived home. Oh, and I had the privilege of driving them up to their starting point (way passed Port Jervis) at 6AM AND drove Jon's Jeep home ALL. BY. MYSELF. I survived the 1.5 hour drive back in a stick-shift car during rush hour traffic on a somewhat one-lane highway...and the Jeep survived as well. No scratches, dings or burnt-out clutches :)

The Middle Wife

2009-06-13T20:02:00.000-07:00

A friend forwarded me the following story and I just had to pass it along!

THE "MIDDLE WIFE"

I've been teaching now for about fifteen years. I have two kids myself, but the best birth story I know is the one I saw in my own second grade classroom a few years back.

When I was a kid, I loved show-and-tell. So I always have a few sessions with my students. It helps them get over shyness and usually show-and-tell is pretty tame. Kids bring in pet turtles, model airplanes, pictures of fish they catch, stuff like that. And I never, ever place any boundaries or limitations on them. If they want to lug it in to school and talk about it, they're welcome.

Well, one day this little girl, Erica, a very bright, very outgoing kid, takes her turn and waddles up to the front of the class with a pillow stuffed under her sweater.

She holds up a snapshot of an infant: "This is Luke, my baby brother, and I'm going to tell you about his birthday."

"First, Mom and Dad made him as a symbol of their love, and then Dad put a seed in my Mom's stomach, and Luke grew in there. He ate for nine months through an umbrella cord."

She's standing there with her hands on the pillow, and I'm trying not to laugh and wishing I had my camcorder with me. The kids are watching her in amazement.

"Then, about two Saturdays ago, my mom starts saying and going, 'Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh!'" Erica puts a hand behind her back and groans. "She walked around the house for, like an hour, 'Oh, oh, oh!'" (Now this kid is doing a hysterical duck walk and groaning.)

"My dad called the middle wife. She delivers babies, but she doesn't have a sign on the car like the Domino's man. They got my mom to lie down in bed like this." (Then Erica lies down with her back against the wall.)

"And then, pop! My Mom had this bag of water she kept in there in case he got thirsty, and it just blew up and spilled all over the bed, like psshhheew!" (This kid has her legs spread with her little hands miming water flowing away. It was too much!)

"Then the middle wife starts saying 'Push, push" and "Breathe, breathe. They started counting, but never even got past ten. Then, all of a sudden, out comes my brother. He was covered in yucky stuff that they all said it was from Mom's play-center (placenta) so there must be a lot of toys inside there. When he got out, the middle wife spanked him for crawling up in there."

Then Erica stood up, took a big theatrical bow and returned to her seat. I'm sure I applauded the loudest. Ever since then, when it's show-and-tell day, I bring my camcorder, just in case another "Middle Wife" comes along.

With Child...

2009-04-15T15:24:00.001-07:00

Okay, Okay...I am waaayyyy behind on an update. It's been very busy 2009 in the Andersen household so far. Jon (along with his crew) has finished the sump pump and trench installation. Boy, was that the dirtiest, messiest job on the earth! Glad to be done with that, especially since I wasn't able to live at my house for 2 long weekends.

Which brings me to my next point. I am currently 16.5 weeks pregnant! We are very excited to meet our little peanut in September and are in the process of researching all the baby paraphernalia! Jon is currently waiting for the 2009 edition of Consumer Reports Baby Products to ship in order decide on which carseat, stroller, etc... we're going to look into. I am SOOO excited, I've been dreaming about this for as long as I can remember and can't wait to take long walks down the streets of Bay Head in the summer months with the baby!

This is ultrasound pic of Baby Andersen at 12.5 weeks.

Oh I forgot to mention that everybody and their sister is pregnant, as well! Three of my cousins, 2 friends, and 1 coworker all due within a month of each other. There must be something in the water...

A couple weeks ago, it randomly started hailing outside. Jon was freaking out because it was hitting his Jeep (God forbid!) but there was nothing we could do about it. It was the scariest hail I've ever seen and so late in the season - we're talkin' March 29. It lasted an hour and I swear Jon was pacing THE. WHOLE. TIME. I have to admit, I was humored by it all, it's like we switched roles because I'm usually the high-strung one! Here's a pic of the monster-sized hail:

Stay tuned we have our big ultrasound on May 14th and we'll find out if we'll be buying pink or blue! The countdown is on - less than a month. Yippee!

I am not a barber...we already discussed this...

2009-02-17T16:52:00.000-08:00

So, I've had a pretty traumatic experience with cutting muffin's hair. It just might have resulted in yelling and screaming and "Never again..." and I'm totally okay with that. Today, after numerous reminders to go get a haircut, Muffin BEGS me to help him buzz his hair. I said no. I explained my fear...reminded him of our last experience...still begged for help.

He then explains that he's too cheap to shell out $20. I finally agreed after thinking about all the money that we're shelling out to Home Depot at the moment.

We start...I'm feeling pretty good - confident, not cocky....slow and steady...listening to directions...using the correct blades...and then...DOOM. "Okay, now do the hairs just above my ears. Hold it on an angle (he then demonstrates by holding the blade horizontally). Be careful - my mom ALWAYS used to cut me." No pressure, right? Just cake.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!?!" That is when I exited the bathroom and refused to go any further. I told you so.

Gettin' this show on the road...

2009-02-13T14:10:00.000-08:00

Installing a sump pump is definitely on my top 10 list of back-breaking labor. Here is a sneak peek at the very long, very dirty process:

FYI - Jon was the photographer, so that's why he's not in any of the pics. I was out gallivanting the whole weekend, practically forbidden to step foot inside the house. Oh, my life is so rough...

,

Christmas Tree Hunt 2008

2008-12-03T17:18:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I understand this isn't an exciting event for most people, but I've been waiting for November 30th for 3 months! I've had it on the calendar since September and reminded Jon every week since then. We were pretty disappointed when we listened to the weather report the night before - pouring rain. all. day. long. BOO. Fortunately, the weather did NOT stop us.

We were determined to get our tree and enjoy it for the WHOLE month of December. Last year, because we moved into our house, we bought a Charlie Brown tree at Home Depot and had it up for...maybe 2 weeks. Disappointing. We've decided to make this a tradition! We'll post a final pic of the tree when we finish decorating it.

Sunday also marked 1 year since we closed on the house! We cannot believe that we've been here for a whole year, it seems like only a few months!

2008-11-29T14:13:00.000-08:00

Just in time for Jon's Birthday...

2008-11-17T16:54:00.000-08:00

I just received my first check from Shaklee! It is so exciting to see the last two months of hard work starting to pay off! Jon and I are both anxious to see what the future holds....

best commercial of the week

2008-10-27T16:31:00.000-07:00

Holiday Inn Express Commercial

Your new Shaklee distributor

2008-09-30T03:42:00.000-07:00

Hello Hello! Just wanted to let everyone in the blogworld know that I have joined Shaklee as an independent distributor. Shaklee is a 50+ year-old company providing vitamins, weight management products, skincare and makeup lines, and cleaning products. ALL Shaklee products are safe, effective, and green and have a 100% money-back guarantee - so there's no risk!

I have tried many of the products and I can personally vouch for their effectiveness.

Check out my website:

www.shaklee.net/keandersen

Members receive 15% discount (It costs $20 to join as a member).

4 MONTHS 4 MONTHS 4 MONTHS!!!

2008-09-07T14:34:00.000-07:00

TODAY marks 4 MONTHS until we hop on a plane and fly to HAWAII!!!

FINISHING THE BASEMENT: STEP 1

2008-09-07T13:57:00.000-07:00

DEMOLITION!!!

Here are a few pics of the boys tearing up the asbestos tile:

Welcome to the world Jennie Lucile Andersen!

2008-08-26T19:09:00.000-07:00

Born Monday, August 25th 6:12PM
20'' long 8 lbs 9 oz.

Kudos to Jess for a 4 hour labor and drug-free delivery!!! She looks AMAZING!

Conquering fear...

2008-08-18T16:49:00.000-07:00

We had lunch at Mom and Dad O's on Sunday afternoon and had the delight of watching Jake and Luke swim IN THE POOL! People - this NEVER happens! They LOVE the lake and the ocean down in Bay Head...they can never seem to get enough of it! It seems that the dogs are terrified of the steps leading into the pool. Andrew had to push Luke in from the steps and then he LOVED it! Jake, on the other hand, had to be carried in and was still terrified!

Here are some fun shots of Luke's graceful doggy paddle/fetching skills and Jake's sloppy doggy paddle...

Ahhh, the lovely scent of wet dog...

Yummy...

2008-08-05T18:48:00.001-07:00

Jon and I tried a new recipe for dinner tonight and it was a SUCCESS!

Greek Grilled Cheese

We even used our handy-dandy panini maker!

Here's the recipe if you'd like to try it:

1 1/2 teaspoons butter, softened 
2 slices whole wheat bread, or your favorite bread
2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
 2 slices Cheddar cheese
 1 tablespoon chopped red onion
 1/4 tomato, thinly sliced

Butter your bread, heat a skillet over medium heat. Lay buttered side down in skillet, then layer the feta cheese, Cheddar cheese, red onion and tomato. Top with the other slice of bread with the butter side out. Fry the sandwich until golden brown on each side, about 2 minutes per side.

It's August?! Already???

2008-08-05T17:42:00.001-07:00

I simply can't believe it, peeps! The summer is coming to a close. It's August. Let's recap the last few weeks...

We had the privilege of having dinner at Bonnie and Chris' new house in Long Valley. They own a beautiful home on 4.5 acres right on the Raritan River.

Ella showing us her "be-bo"

The guys debating who's taller...again.

Ella being her cute self.

Jon finished installing Sirius in my car.

We also had a chance to have dinner at Mom and Dad A's when Jenn, Paul, and Chloe were around before their Maine vaca. We had an AWESOME dinner (Thanks, Mom!) and had a fun time watching Ella wig-out after overloading on M&Ms. Dad A. decided to pull the "Give me a kiss and I'll give you an M&M" trick. He couldn't resist her kisses!

WHO'S THE MAN?!?!

2008-07-23T16:46:00.000-07:00

...KIM'S THE MAN!!!

I just installed AND activated Sirius radio in our house. If anyone knows how I am with electronics and wires you know that it is no easy feat! I understand electronics, but when you add in A TON of wiring...I get very confused. Add in the fact that the Sirius website was having technical difficulties with activating online and you have a big mess! Oh yes, the rep that I spoke with also had a THICK hispanic accent. LOTS OF FUN!!! "Escuse me, can you repeat that?" Again and again and again...

Oh, and temporary antenna has a somewhat choppy signal. boo!

HOORAY FOR MARGARITAVILLE!!!! AND NEW COUNTRY!!! AND COFFEE HOUSE!!!

Yes, the plastic is still on. I'm a little OCD. Give me a brake - it's BRAND NEW!!!

The 'organized mess' of wires.

The temporary antenna hangin' out in the window.

A very proud installer/activator.

It's not as easy as it seems. There are a ton of codes and passwords along with it and fiddling with the stupid antenna to aquire a signal...

BUT, I DID IT! ALL. BY. MYSELF. :)

We decided to make this our anniversay gift. A very expensive, but very worth it gift!!!

Now, it's Jon's turn to do the car installations!!! Stay tuned...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JORDAN!!!

2008-06-27T08:30:00.000-07:00

HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT DAY :) WE LOVE YOU!!!

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!!!

2008-06-18T18:03:00.000-07:00

After 11 months of marriage we have a lot of catching up to do. Today Mom and Dad celebrate their 43rd! We could definitely learn a lot from watching the two of them. Thank you for your example of a Christ-centered marriage.

WE LOVE YOU!!!

Gettin' Older...

2008-06-16T04:25:00.001-07:00

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY CHLOE!!!

Awwwww...

2008-06-08T18:52:00.002-07:00

Jon holding Baby Hunter

He likes babies!!!!!

P.S. - He is now available for babysitting...

Presenting...(drum roll please)

2008-06-08T18:29:00.000-07:00

OUR PATIO!!!!!!!!

We'll post more pics when the grass grows in and we get some plants...

excitement...and empty wallets

2008-05-21T19:30:00.000-07:00

This evening we purchased one of these:

Weber Genesis with a SIDE BURNER. YAY!!!

and one of these:

to go with this:

...which is being currently being installed in our backyard (!!!)

celebrating

2008-05-18T17:18:00.000-07:00

This weekend, I was able to join 18 other women to celebrate my Aunt's 50th Birthday Bash up in South Deerfield, Massachusetts. It was a wonderful time of love, laughter, and of course, tears. We were able to visit an 8,000 square foot butterfly conservatory that was absolutely AMAZING! It felt as if you were in a rain forest with bright, beautiful butterflies fluttering all around. We also visited the Yankee Candle FLAGSHIP STORE!!! I was in heaven and did quite the damage but we're stocked with candles for the next year!

WET DOGS AND BLACK NINJAS

2008-05-10T15:29:00.000-07:00

OUR TOWN WAS ON THE NEWS!!!

2008-05-07T19:11:00.000-07:00

287 North was closed at the exit before ours from 5AM this morning and they say it will be until about 10PM tonight because of an overturned HAZMAT truck. I saw the truck and the miles upon miles of idling vehicles with my own eyes at 7:30 this morning. It was a commuters nightmare...the evening rush hour traffic had a 10-mile backup on 287 with every back road tied up. Ouch.

You can catch the story at this link:

http://news12.com/NJ/topstories/article?id=211222

We're alive...

2008-05-07T18:07:00.000-07:00

I promise! Sorry for the lack of posts - it has been a busy 3 months!

We FINALLY got our wedding album, painted/redecorated the bathroom (before and after pics to come), Jon got his wisdom teeth removed and also 16 stitches on his shin...

We're spending Mother's Day down the shore.. so stay tuned for more pics :)

FEELING GREEN...

2008-02-06T08:08:00.000-08:00

WARNING TO THE PEEPS WITH WEAK STOMACHS...this post could possibly be TMI for you...

So...I'm sitting here on the couch (which has been my home since Sunday) feeling totally stir-crazy and disconnected from the outside world. It seems like a stomach virus has hit the East Coast...everyone I talk to either has it or is just getting over it. Nausea, indigestion, upset stomach, chills...no it's not the Pepto-Bismol commercial...it's the virus going through Kim's body! No, I'm not pregnant...already checked. After a trip to the doc, then a trip to the ER the following day...I am back on the couch with Reglan (anti-nausea medication). But the strange thing is...I am not vomiting...

Mind you, the nauseousness started on Tuesday, January 29th...

I've turned into quite the junkie the last few days...all due to BOREDOM! I've read books and magazines, watched about every thing on tv, and surfed the internet. Our house is screaming "Clean me...I'm dirty and disgusting..." I'm itching to attack my house...craving to do big time SPRING CLEANING..but, alas, poor Kim has no energy...zip...zero...nada.

Oh, did I mention that Jon is on a 'men-only' vaca in Smuggler's Notch, VT this week?

Sorry for the pity party. I hope and pray that the rest of you are untouched by this horrible virus.

Here's a YouTube video that I find hysterical:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OBlgSz8sSM

strong winds...and the resulting damage...

2008-01-30T18:11:00.000-08:00

I finally got my canoe out of Mom and Dad's garage. Less than 24 hours later our neighbor's tree crushed the canoe...and our fence...

...and our shed...

...but worst of all the canoe.

...OUCH...

Kim's Barber Shop...

2008-01-29T18:25:00.000-08:00

HAIR TODAY...

GONE TOMORROW!

How could you not want to kiss this gorgeous stud?!?!?!?!

OUR LITTLE VISITOR...

2008-01-20T20:34:00.000-08:00

Here's a super cute pic of Sparky loungin'. He stayed with us for 2 weeks while Matt & Jess were in Chicago and Cali and was spoiled rotten! We discovered that he likes to sleep 20 hours a day and doesn't care to play 'fetch'. Kim calls him a rag doll because he sprawls out on the couch house and his whole body goes limp, so you can move him in any direction you want!

REMEMBER US???

2008-01-20T10:52:00.001-08:00

Hi, we're baaaaaaaaaaaack!!! It's been quite a while...but a very busy, exciting time for us! So, since the last time we posted, we closed on our house, painted for about a week, then moved in.

We also dog-sat Sparky and Roxy (also known as Devil Dog) which was a difficult weekend. Sparky was an absolute doll...Roxy, on the other hand, was not. She would not stop barking, growling or howling at Jon. Finally, when Jon lost his patience and walked toward her yelling, she peed on the floor. I don't blame her...Jon is quite frightening! Don't worry, Roxy, I still love you!!!

Then came the Christmas. All the family traveled to Mom and Dad A's house and all 19 of us stayed at the house. There were 19 stockings hung from the mantle!!! It was wonderful to have the family together again, considering Jon and I didn't get to spend a lot of time with everyone during the wedding.

Stay tuned for pics of the inside of our house :)

Birthday Stud

2007-11-28T17:45:00.000-08:00

It's this hott stud's birthday today!

Future Pup

2007-11-26T18:52:00.000-08:00

Many people have been asking us what breed of dog we're looking to get, so I thought I'd post a picture of one:

A Chesapeake Bay Retriever Puppy!

Thanksgiving

2007-11-24T17:52:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving Day was absolutely beautful, so we decided to take a ride to the beach.

It was extremely windy out!!!

We played numerous rounds of Bingo. I won $12 playing the border!!! There was lots of fun and laughs all around.

Jon rocked the house playing Wii golf. He is so awesome!!! I was a big fan of Wii bowling...

This was Jon's first helping of Thanksgiving dinner... and yes, it was pretty horrible sleeping next to him that night....

The gang

Thanksgiving Eve

2007-11-23T15:11:00.000-08:00

We traveled down to Bay Head for Thanksgiving...Wednesday night we did not hit a smitch of traffic...it was excellent! Here are some highlights from Thanksgiving Eve:

Chef Studmuffin preparing the Raspberry Tiramisu...what a studly smile...

Mom O. very proud of her newfound texting ability...

Dad O. chopping up the ingredients for Texas Cavier...

Luke learned how to wink!!!

...check....

2007-11-06T18:44:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we FINALLY picked all the photos for our wedding album and the 2 parent albums. What a task! We had to pick 80 out of 1600+ photographs for our wedding album and 24 for each of our parent albums...it took us a little over 2 months but we did it! These are among some of our favorites:

Hiking

2007-11-04T11:03:00.001-08:00

It was so beautiful out today that we decided to go hiking. We went to a state park by our new house and just HAD to drive by the house not once but twice!!! We just couldn't help ourselves! Only 23 more days 'til the fun begins! Here are some pics of our hike...

SOON-TO-BE HOMEOWNERS!!!

2007-10-30T17:47:00.001-07:00

So Kim was bored while waiting for the wash to get done, and now we have a blog. The funny thing is that I have to make the first posting. Oh well, all in a days work as the world's greatest husband. Anyways, check back in now and again to get updates on our fascinating lives. The newest news is that we just signed a contract to buy a house. We are both looking forward to all the joys of homeownership. It was just this week that Kim went out and bought a snow shovel. She is always so prepared.

We've arrived!

2007-09-28T15:16:00.000-07:00

So, we decided to join in on the blog thing to update everyone on our lives...