Matt and Jess Andersen's Blog

2010-11-25T12:58:00.005-05:00

On a day in which we are to reflect, be grateful, and give praise to the Almighty God, we thought it would be appropriate to finally post the testimony of how we have come to be homeowners. So for those of you who have been waiting to read this, sorry it took so long. We wanted to wait until we closed on the house to do this, and then time has just slipped away as it always does with a newborn in the house.

The fact that we have this home to live in is a miracle in itself, and we can take no credit whatsoever for the way that the Lord has provided. In July, we had no idea what the Lord had planned for us regarding our living situation. We had no money. We could no longer live in the place we were in. And we had not found anything affordable at all to move into...all of this while Jess is dealing with being pregnant, taking care of 2 little ones, and seemingly constant sickness.

We got to the point where we were so broken and discouraged we were on our knees and quite emotional. We had reached a breaking point and knew only a miracle could get us where we needed to be before the baby was born in September. One day at work, Matt just happened to ask a guy if he knew of a place to rent, and he offered to sell his home to us which wasn't even on the market! Matt told him we didn't have the money to do such a thing but that we'd keep it in mind. About a week later, for some unknown reason, (aka the leading of the Holy Spirit) we looked at the home without having any money...and loved it. We had no idea where any money would come from. Then, 4 days later, The Lord miraculously provided a significant amount for a down payment. While this was a huge blessing, and we started shopping for mortgages, we were still hoping and praying that we would be able to get 20% to avoid paying expensive mortgage insurance. By the time any mortgage guys were able to give us any answers, our situation had changed dramatically, and we amazingly had 20% plus even more to help with closing costs. Seriously, it seemed as if money was falling from the sky. We went from no downpayment to more than 20% in a matter of three weeks!

Then there was this whole thing with moving...we needed to be out of our apartment immediately, and the thought of the baby coming was looming on the horizon, but we could not close on the house for several months. The Lord provided once again. A prospective first floor tenant fell through in the house we were buying, and we were able to rent the apartment until we closed on the house. It provided us the opportunity to get out of our place right away, and also have to move only once.

On top of that, since we were renting temporarily, we were unable to keep our two dogs with us. Once again the Lord took care of us, and our dogs. A wonderful family from church took our dogs in and have become quite attached and enjoyed them so much so that they still have them! This is a huge blessing because it allows Jess to handle three little ones without the added responsibility of 2 dogs...such a blessing!

Throughout all of this, we tried to encourage each other with the fact that if the Lord created the universe in a week, He is more than able to find us a home in a week. And that's pretty much what He did! We went from no money one week, to 10% the next week, to 20% the next, to moved in the week after. God is amazing! We were able to finally close on the house on October 22nd.

Please understand that we are not subscribing to some sort of prosperity teaching that says this is the norm, or that we were entitled this blessing because we were such great people...in fact, we weren't. Our hearts were often filled with plenty of discouragement and doubt along the way. We write all of this to remind you that God is amazingly faithful...don't ever forget it...even when we are faithless, He is faithful. While the deed for the house may have our name on it, we absolutely cannot take any credit for it. It is not because of anything that we have said or done. It is the Lord's house that He chose to provide for us to live in. I pray that we are good stewards of what He has provided for us.

I pray that the Lord blesses and encourages whoever may read this, and that you all have a blessed Thanksgiving! We have much to be thankful for!

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!"

NYC with our students.

2010-03-26T14:22:00.000-04:00

Mara and Martha, two students of ourse from OCSI came to visit NYC for their spring break and we were able to take them around NYC for a day. We did upper Manhattan and ended up at Lombardi's, the first registered pizza place in NYC. My brother Joey and his girlfriend Julie came to chow down with us.

2010-03-26T11:17:00.000-04:00

Paterson Falls

2010-03-26T11:14:00.000-04:00

Who knew we had such beautiful waterfalls only 10 minutes from our house! The massive amount of rain made the level of water rise and added to the beauty. The kids loved getting soaked with mist as we walked over the falls.

2010-01-01T12:20:00.000-05:00

Please pray for us as we are starting a Bible Study in Fair Lawn, N.J. on Sunday January 10th. Below is a picture of the front of the flyer that we are handing out at our church, and in the surrounding neighborhoods in Fair Lawn.

The Gang

2009-11-24T21:25:00.000-05:00

Hangin with the wise guys.

Reverence.

An early Merry Christmas

2009-11-24T21:23:00.001-05:00

Loved the cross shaped by light on the tip of the angel's wing. Perfect! Ella cradled baby Jesus as she has never cradled a baby before. She just stared into his eyes, took care of him, and just loved him. I had to walk away because I was getting teary eyed watching it take place. What a beautiful gift we have in Christ.

Emma Jane

2009-11-20T08:33:00.000-05:00

Emma Jane--our new lil niece

2009-11-20T08:32:00.000-05:00

Costume Cuties

2009-11-08T20:11:00.001-05:00

Thanks Jenn for the cow costume!

Yankee Daddy-Daughter Date

2009-10-05T20:55:00.001-04:00

Our friend Gina from church blessed us with a pair of tickets and so Matt and Ella went on their first Yankees date. Ella loved throwing peanuts shells on the floor as she munched away at the peanuts and her favorite part of the game was the "clapping". (I can so see the resemblance between the two of them in the pix on the top right--very cute).

A Taste of Japan

2009-10-05T20:51:00.000-04:00

In Edgewater, NJ there is a Japanese market so we headed up there to pick up some rice and other tasty treats. It was so refreshing to eat sushi and drink Georgia coffee!!!

Edgewater and Palisades Interstate Park

2009-10-05T20:49:00.000-04:00

Asleep after a busy day.

33 years and many more to come! Happy Birthday, Babe.

2009-10-05T19:48:00.000-04:00

Hayrides with "Nani"

2009-10-05T19:46:00.000-04:00

Bathtime Fun

2009-10-05T19:35:00.000-04:00

Park Continued

2009-09-03T21:01:00.000-04:00

Davis Johnson Memorial Park

2009-09-03T20:58:00.000-04:00

Happy First Birthday Jennie Bean!

2009-08-28T11:14:00.000-04:00

We had a great celebration with the Andersen crew to celebrate the first birthday or our Beanie Baby.

cuteness

2009-08-18T22:26:00.000-04:00

Summer

2009-08-18T22:22:00.000-04:00

Bridge Fest '09 Preview...

2009-07-22T08:11:00.003-04:00

We are so excited to be going to Ocean Grove N.J. this weekend for BridgeFest '09, a festival put on by CC Old Bridge. We are blessed that the Langley's are coming up from Virginia to join us as well. Ella is very excited too...below is her preview of the coming weekend...enjoy!

Check out this link for more info about BridgeFest: http://www.bridgefm.org/bridgefest.asp

Six Flags for Seven Years

2009-07-07T13:28:00.000-04:00

We celebrated the "Great Adventure" of 7 years, by going just there...to the amusement park and safari. Matt surprised me with a day for just the two of us. I have been asking to go for probably 5 years now, and we finally made it there...and without any kids!! Its been a wonderful journey, Love!

Sisters

2009-06-05T21:30:00.000-04:00

Just a fun comparison of the two. They resemble each other while they are asleep, and both loved the Baby Bjorn. Jennie still does. Go Yanks!

Daddy Date Night

2009-06-03T21:29:00.000-04:00

Ella and Daddy go on dates periodically and for this night Ella decided to wear a dress. The minute I suggested the dress, she got so excited, wanted to have her hair done, put on tights and look all fancy for her special date. I had a pink silk flower barrette that she HAD to have in her hair. They went to Friendly's for ice cream. :)

Summer fun

2009-06-03T21:25:00.000-04:00

Bike riding in the rain.

Jess had some family come into town and this is us all hanging out at the hotel. Jess, Jennie, Aunt Jeanne, Ella, Julie, Mom, Grandma

Grandma, or great-grandma is 91 and takes lots of naps.

Thanks to my mom for babysitting and the Langleys for providing an evening out for us, we got to go on a date!! We went to Maggianos for din din and then walked around the mall. It was so nice!

Last of em.

2009-05-19T22:58:00.000-04:00

"Why do I always have to sit next to Grandpa. Don't you people know how he smells after he preaches!"

"You're never fully dressed without a smile"...and a baby carrier...and a nursing cover to hide your sleeping baby.

The happy couple.

These two OWNED the dance floor.

Wedding Pix

2009-05-19T22:50:00.000-04:00

Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Markham.

Leading the pack.

Andersen/Markham Wedding

2009-05-19T22:46:00.000-04:00

Ella, our little princess.

Chloe sportin her cool shades on a cloudy day...

This picture represents the 3 minutes of fun on the dance floor that I was able to have. ;)

LOVE THIS PIX! Its perfect with the cross in the background...could be a bit clearer, but what are ya gonna do.

Bonnie and Chris' Wedding

2009-05-19T22:43:00.000-04:00

What a beautiful flower girl!!

We took a hayride to get out to the orchard where the wedding was. Ella loved it.

The reception was at a firehall and they actually had an ice cream bar for dessert! Too bad we had to get the kiddos home and to bed b/c I heard it was delicious.

Mom and Dad A. with the new Markham couple.

Tribute to the girls

2009-04-19T13:35:00.000-04:00

Surprise 30th

2009-04-19T13:25:00.000-04:00

The Sunday after my birthday Mom and Dad Andersen and Matt had planned a surprise 30th birthday party for me. It was so much fun! I had somewhat of an idea that it might happen, but I wasn't sure. They did a fabulous job! I am so blessed to have such a wonderful crew in my life. Thanks Andersens, for all the hard work.

Visit with Heckers: At the zoo, home, and on the boat

2009-04-19T13:21:00.001-04:00

Visit with Gma and Papa Hecker

2009-04-19T13:16:00.001-04:00

Children's Museum with Grandma and Papa Hecker

Uncle Jon and Aunt Sarah...we love you!

2009-04-17T21:21:00.000-04:00

Some of their finer moments...

Kraemer, anyone???

A night out!

2009-03-23T21:28:00.000-04:00

Isn't my man studly? Majik and I had an opportunity to go on a date this past weekend because Uncle Jon and Aunt Kim watched the kiddos. We went hiking and then grabbed a bite to eat. It was beautiful and the weather was awesome! We even saw a "flock of deer". (I actually said that once so I couldn't resist writing it--hysterical!)

Ella's second makeover...

2009-03-23T21:24:00.000-04:00

Ella loves to play with my makeup and twice now I have given her my cheapie stuff and let her paint my face. This time we had found the camera (was lost for a while) and made sure to take pictures. She kept saying to me, "You look like a beautiful princess." Then she wanted to paint her own face and have me paint it. She obviously used lipstick for most of her work. Unique. Maybe she's a cosmetology genius!

The finished product still in her jammies.

Playing in the sun!

From the farm to the hood...

2009-03-16T21:43:00.000-04:00

Prairie-girl Jennie

Don't be fooled by the rocks that I got, I'm just Jennie from the block...

Princess Keturah, Princess Ella, Princess Abby

Sister love

Family Snuggles

2009-03-16T21:39:00.000-04:00

Ella and Matt look like they've had a hard night.

little luvs

2009-02-10T21:40:00.000-05:00

5 Months Old

2009-02-02T16:33:00.000-05:00

I turned 5 months on January 25th. I am rolling one way, trying to sit up, I love to take baths with my sister (makes me giggle), and I love to sleep and eat (what baby doesn't?). But most of all...I am adorable!!!

Yay! My cousin from miles away!

2009-02-02T16:25:00.000-05:00

Chloe and ella finally got to hang out in person instead of just on
i-chat. It was a great visit. I guess this growing relationship is only going to inspire her to want to watch more Chloe videos. Great.

Around the house...

2009-02-02T16:21:00.000-05:00

Our Devotion to Coco's

2009-02-02T16:14:00.001-05:00

Over a year and a half since we've left Okinawa and we're still eating Coco's Curry. We bought a few cases before we left and every few months we treat ourselves to a taste of the past. We miss you Cocos!!!

Yummy Cereal!

2009-02-02T15:57:00.000-05:00

Jennie's first time eating rice cereal was a great experience for Big Sister! She did a super job helping mommy feed her!

Uncle Jeremy's Visit

2009-02-02T15:53:00.000-05:00

Uncle Jeremy was in town for work and we drove to his hotel for some dinner and a little play time. Ella had fun doing his hair with barrettes and they brushed each others teeth. It was great entertainment, even for Matt and I. :)

Matt in Cali

2009-01-18T15:54:00.000-05:00

Justin and Mary! We miss you guys!

Damian and Sandra after their vow renewal. You guys look like you're 25!

The boys!

My hot hubby. ;) Wish I could've been there to see you all dressed up, Babe!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-18T15:51:00.000-05:00

Iliana and Jess looking their best...well, playing dress up with the kiddos.

Even Jennie couldn't resist the fun!

Iliana, Areana and Sienna.

Time of prayer and worship.

Connecticut Trip

2009-01-18T15:47:00.000-05:00

Double click on grid to enlarge it.

Christmas/Post Christmas

2009-01-18T15:41:00.000-05:00

Trip to Ct. to see the Peronace, Hicks and Hinchey crew.

NYC on Dec. 23

2009-01-18T15:38:00.000-05:00

Me putting my girls through camera torture

2008-12-22T22:58:00.000-05:00

I am out of creativity for these dumb titles.

2008-12-22T22:56:00.000-05:00

Giggles

2008-12-17T18:54:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving and Ella's Birthday

2008-12-01T16:52:00.000-05:00

More of our lil blessings

2008-12-01T16:49:00.000-05:00

I'm only three months and I already have a zit!!

Everyday things...

2008-11-26T21:05:00.000-05:00

Girls

2008-11-20T15:18:00.003-05:00

Hmm...wonder where she gets it from?

Our kids are already face down in prayer. :0)

Jennie and the Bets

2008-11-20T15:11:00.000-05:00

Ja, Ja, Ja Jennie! Jennie!

Backyard Beauty

2008-11-11T20:37:00.000-05:00

Apples!

2008-11-11T20:34:00.000-05:00

Fun at the farm

2008-11-11T20:30:00.000-05:00

Jennie got a present from Mike and Angie Carrell, but it seems that big sister has already taken it over!

Alstede farms with Aunt Bonnie.

Who says animals never smile? (This one is even winking at me!)

2008-11-11T20:27:00.000-05:00

Jennie in her bumbo seat.

Ella decided to unroll most of the TP roll and mommy had to roll it all back up again. What you didn't see is that the TP was spread out all over the floor originally!

Jennie Lu

2008-10-19T20:30:00.000-04:00

More camera fun

2008-10-19T20:29:00.000-04:00

Too much time on my hands??

2008-10-19T20:28:00.000-04:00

I've been having little 'photo shoots' with my girls lately...guess its a new hobby. Not that I have time for one but it is something I can do in a short period of time and there's no clean up! Every mom's dream!

Apple Pickin Fun

2008-10-19T20:25:00.000-04:00

Jon and Kim figured the best way to get the good apples at the top was to play chicken with the branches. They were somewhat successful.

2008-10-19T20:22:00.000-04:00

We went apple picking with Jon and Kim (Matt's bro and his wife and had the most gorgeous day for it. We also came across this tree that had a heart in the side of its trunk...I couldn't resist the photo op.

Beauties

2008-09-21T20:28:00.000-04:00

A few more...

2008-09-12T20:29:00.000-04:00

More Pix of Jennie

2008-09-12T20:27:00.000-04:00

Ella had professional pictures done around this time, and since that is not happening this time around, I figured I'd spend a little time making them look a little professional.

Copycat

2008-09-12T20:11:00.000-04:00

Ella nursing Elmo...equpped with a burp cloth and all (well, really a washcloth).

Jennie Lucile

2008-09-12T18:01:00.002-04:00

Baby Jennie 2 weeks and 4 days.

The second week of life outside the womb...

2008-09-08T17:41:00.006-04:00

Snuggle time with Daddy.

I couldn't help but put her in Ella's baby doll stroller. It was a perfect fit.

Ella likes to "hewd" her little sister. (She can't quite get the "L" sound down).

2008-08-29T08:43:00.000-04:00

More pictures of Jennie's arrival. Jess' parents came up to visit and they had a blast with Ella and were a great help to us! Ella seems to be loving her little sister and is very concerned about "baby". It is really cute. (For those of you non-computer savvy people...you can double click on this picture grid and it will open it up in a new window with a much bigger size so that you can see the pictures better).

Book Worms and Visits

2008-08-29T08:38:00.001-04:00

Our little book worm in training reading from Plato to Nietzsche...wearing Daddy's glasses.

My brothers were both in town so two Sundays before Jennie arrived we met for breakfast. It was great to see them!

Big News!!!!

2008-08-26T07:32:00.000-04:00

We're happy to announce the arrival of Jennie Lucile Andersen
on Monday August 25th at 6:12 PM
She is 20" long and weighs 8 lbs 9 oz.

Once again, mom was great and did the whole thing without any drugs!!

Proud Daddy for the second time!

We were blessed again to be a part of Pastor Dave's (Grandpa's)
regular hospital rounds...it was great timing, and he even bought dinner for us afterwards!

Surprise 40th

2008-08-10T21:43:00.000-04:00

Matt, Ella, Jess' Mom, Roxy and Jess all went to Massachusetts this past weekend to visit family for Aunt Jeanne and Uncle Randy's surprise 40th anniversary party. People came from all over and stayed in hotels in order to enjoy this precious event. It was fun seeing everyone, even if it was only for a short time. Ella had a blast with her second cousins and Roxy got her fill of handouts. Aunt Jeanne and Uncle Randy were shocked and delighted by such a party. Great job planning this, cousins!

Misc. crazy pix

2008-08-10T21:38:00.000-04:00

Lots happenin here...Ella was overfed some m&m's (okay maybe 10 total) and a sugar high is an understatement. She danced, sent the crazometer off the charts and probably scared her cousin Chloe, but had a blast. Roxy is getting a bath b/c she was sprayed by a skunk..she actually was washed 3-4 times-poor thing. Ella spills a huge bag of peas all over the floor. Aunt Jenn and Ella having deep conversations about Elmo. Ella's first haircut and a visit from Jess' good friend Stacey!

37 weeks!

2008-08-10T21:32:00.001-04:00

37 weeks and counting!! This is for all of you leaving comments about my preggo pix... You know that am vain enough to make sure that these shots are taken from a good angle and then I play with the pix in order to make them look good. So don't be decieved!! ;)

34 weeks along!

2008-07-21T16:32:00.003-04:00

Garage Sale for Myanmar Relief

2008-07-21T16:29:00.004-04:00

On July 12th Matt and I, along with a few others from church held a fundraising yardsale for Gospel for Asia. The sale was to benefit victims of the cyclone in Myanmar and 100% of the profits go directly to that country. The first few pix are of us all at the sale (we had a ton of stuff and had to turn things away). The last few pictures are after the sale pix. Poor Ella was stuffed in the back with all of the leftovers. We took a dumptruck load and my van full of leftover goods to World Impact Mission in Newark, who holds monthly garage sales to support their efforts. Thankfully Nana and Grandpa took Ella for the day and Sparky and Roxy were troopers at the sale. As you can see they were exhausted and zonked out the minute they got into the car. We started our day bright and early and after the sale we started heading to Newark and were stuck in dead stop traffic on the highway for at least a half an hour. Our day ended around 11 or 11:30pm. Needless to say it was tiring, but at the same time, what a blessing it was to be a part of this experience. We were able to raise $1,225 dollars!!! Glory goes to the Lord because that surpassed all of our expectations!

Girly girl!

2008-07-21T16:21:00.003-04:00

So at 20 months, Ella's got a thing for heels and purses.

Jess at almost 32 weeks

2008-07-04T06:53:00.003-04:00

8 more to go!

Mommy and smiley pants.

Jess' trip to Washington D.C.

2008-07-04T06:52:00.001-04:00

Recently Jess went down to DC to visit a few friends. Julie and Bettina are friends from growing up and we laughed because we all wore white sandals with our pink painted toes to church on Sunday and we hadn't planned it. Kelly Brickl (on right with baby Charlie) are friends from our Okinawa days. Charlie is 11 months and is in a size 2T or sometimes 3T!! He's going to make the Brickls rich someday when he becomes a pro football player. He was such a doll.

2008-06-29T17:41:00.001-04:00

Ella Svea ABC's

She's a genius...she's not even 2 yet, but she already knows her ABC's
She's really cute too!!!

2008-06-17T20:29:00.000-04:00

This past weekend Ella and I went down to Philly for the day to visit a few friends. Our first visit was at Janine's house where we also met up with Christianne. We're all friends from Okinawa Christian School. Christianne is due August 20th and I am due August 31st. We got a kick out of our bulging bellies.

2008-06-17T20:27:00.000-04:00

Ella's friend Katya came over last week to join her in the pool. We're at the beginning stages of learning how to share toys, so it was quite interesting.

2008-06-17T20:25:00.000-04:00

Ella at 19 months. She's talking a lot now and occasionally trying to sing. She loves Sparky (and most "doggies") and playing in the "wawa".

2008-06-04T20:48:00.000-04:00

Jess' growing belly at 28 weeks!

2008-06-04T20:46:00.004-04:00

Memorial Day at Mom and Dad Andersen's

2008-06-04T20:46:00.000-04:00

We spent Memorial Day Monday at two picnics. The second one was at Mom and Dad Andersens house. We also celebrate Dad's birthday. Jon and Kim and newly engaged (yay!) Bonnie and Chris were there as well.

2008-06-04T20:41:00.000-04:00

We spent Memorial Day weekend with the Langleys down in Virginia. We toured the town, had some good ice cream and a cook out on Sunday afternoon. The weather was awesome and Mike of course loving his Ella time. The Langleys were the first babysitters for Ella and so they grew attached to our little peanut!

2008-05-26T12:50:00.000-04:00

One of Ella's favorite things to do is to empty my tupperware cupboard and spread it all over the floor. As soon as it is empty she is done playing with it. We're still working on the 'picking up after yourself' thing..probably will be for the next 17 years. The pic on the bottom left is from God's Little Singers, a group at Hawthorne that I take Ella to weekly. We sing silly songs, we praise the Lord and use lots of props and instruments. The last picture is actually of her hanging upside down, but it looks funnier upright.

2008-05-26T12:45:00.000-04:00

Cute as a button.

2008-05-05T22:25:00.000-04:00

After a nice long weekend in beautiful, clean Bay Head, we returned to Haledon to find our front yard looking like this... :(

2008-05-05T22:24:00.000-04:00

Just precious!!

2008-05-05T22:23:00.000-04:00

We were blessed with a weekend away at the Jersey Shore this past weekend. We even saw dolphins during our first beach visit! It was so beautiful and clean and very relaxing. We didn't want to return to reality, but isn't that how it always goes after a little vacation?

2008-05-05T22:21:00.000-04:00

We had our first trip to the ER with Ella this past Monday. She stepped into the doggie bed and tripped into our dresser. The handle in the dresser gouged a nice opening in her forehead that left her with four stitches. She cried for about 3 or 4 minutes and then was fine, despite the blood that kept coming out of her head for the next 3 hours!!! What a trooper!

2008-05-05T22:18:00.001-04:00

Maddie and Cindy Langley stopped by for an overnight on their way up to Connecticut. We only got a few hours together, but it was soo good to see them.

Ella is is currently attending Aveda beauty school and is practicing her skills on Maddie.

We discovered that we both still sleep with "blankies" (and I'm 29!!) and that we both have the exact same ones...only a different color, obviously.

Wish you were here, Mike and Tyler!