Coupon Queen (in training)

I feel an obsession coming on, a coupon obsession! I'm definitely taking baby steps (teehee, get it, baby steps...ok sorry) but I'm really excited about it. Above is the result of my first outing specifically for the purpose of using all of a certain coupon to get a good deal. It's no Extreme Couponing feat of savings but I did get $23.16 worth of baby food and baby cereal for $14.06! Sweetness! I was so disappointed that two of my coupons didn't scan for an unknown reason, those would have gotten me $24 in formula for $14. Still learning the rules and regs! In the pic below are some batteries from Office Depot that I will get 100% back in gift cards just by using my free rewards card when purchasing them, that made me happy!

You know the saying it takes money to make money? That would be my binder below. Not that it was hugely expensive but it was sort of hard to spend money when you're going into this thing to save. My binder makes me too happy, I'm sure it's a sickness. I keep telling my husband "everything in life should be like this binder, everything neatly in it's place, labelled, clean and tidy. Mmmmm."

My first grocery shopping trip with my binder felt like a disaster. Between store card, coupons and digital coupons I saved about $30, fine except that my total bill was about 2x's the usual, wowza! For a family of 5 with three pets you can imagine that would be a large amount. I felt a little better about it later when I took a good look at it. Turns out attention to detail equals big grocery bill...but hopefully no small trips in addition to the big one, tricking me into thinking I spend less on groceries. Ok, off to hunt some bargains and try to keep the reigns on this potential addiction, moderation in all things right?

Christmas Junkie

I love Christmas, there are no two ways about it. I love everything about it and this year is turning out to be the best in awhile. Mostly because I decided this year to take a big giant chill pill before the start of the season, to know that it's supposed to be fun for all involved not stressful, and to be intentionally friendly and kind to those I run into in my daily goings about who may be dealing with extra rudeness during this season (aka any poor soul working retail and cash registers).

I also have 3 of the sweetest little boys and having kids puts a new excitement into Christmas, every year is more exciting, and filled with more interesting comments. The Little Mister is going to be 9 months old in a few days, he's loving the lights and music. He's getting new skills at the speed of light. Sitting up and pulling up all in one day, signing for food and drink, knowing that he wants to have and do things that he can't.

 The big boys are starting to say fun things. Lets see, what stories do I have...

The other day someone gifted us the most gorgeous Christmas train. I was more excited than the boys, I mean really embarrassingly giddy, like a little kid. To the boys I said "You know I love Christmas but I love Christmas trains even more!!!" and Mr. Golden Curls, my little lover of trains since before he could say "Thomas" mind you, says "Mama, I think I like Christmas even more than trains because I get to celebrate Jesus' birthday." Wow, now if that's not convicting!

 Hilarious things get said when you have a Fisher-Price Nativity set and several boys running around, awesomely hilarious things. Poor baby Jesus, eaten, slobbered on, trapped in little boys' stinky pits, made to converse with the likes of Lightening McQueen and Lego Harry Potter. One night on our way home from the boys' school musical we stopped to buy eggnog and ginger snaps to take home. On the way into the house Spitfire is swinging the bag of ginger snaps, trash talking "You better watch it or I will smash all your ginger snaps and turn you into a giiiirl!!!" Clearly at 5 years old he did not know the implication of his threat but I thought I'd hurt myself with laughter.

So I carry on into the season belting out Dolly Parton Christmas songs to myself, being overjoyed that it snowed the tiniest bit while I was doing some Christmas shopping and keeping a constant stock of eggnog, candy canes and peppermint ice cream and being way too excited about the little things. Then in the New Year I think I'll make it a resolution to try and keep that happiness all year. I'm too much of a sarcastic 'ole grump, it's time to spread out that Christmas spirit!

Trick-or-Treat?...I'd say Trick!

 Well, we have our first broken bone. In a house full of boys I suspect it will not be our last. Sunday at the church's Fall Festival, on the very last ride down the bouncy slide, Spitfire broke his skinny, 'lil, knobby kneed chicken leg. All five of us headed to the ER in Halloween garb. Spitfire was a werewolf, Golden Curls was Dracula, and the Little Mister was a skeleton. I'm hoping to make him a mummy for Halloween trick-or-treating but I hear my time being sucked out the window!

Wereman before. After they gave him a shot for pain he made this face and then immediately relaxed back into his chair like a little stoner to talk about how he was no longer a tearful smiley on the pain chart but "more like a 2...no 1...no zero, I'm a zero."

 Spookiest waiting room in town! I have such good boys that the wait was painless, we all just hung out doing our thing.

 Spitfire was a little upset that they ended up needed to cut the leg off his werewolf pants but I reassured him we could put them back together for Halloween.

 Pappa and Golden Curls pretending to be bored.

This is our whole clan pre-broken leg.

Cutest monsters I know!

I don't know what I expected from a broken bone, I've never had one so I guess I just thought it would hurt until they had it stable. No such luck! But by yesterday afternoon he had had a visit from some sweet friends, Pappa had brought his reading basket home from school and things were looking up. Last night he didn't wake up in pain and today he's seeming much more like himself...a little spitfire...hummm, I better watch my back! It's going to be a little tricky around here for a few months. He keeps the straight leg splint and stays home with Mamma until Monday then he gets a bent leg, non-walking cast for 6-8 weeks when we'll discover if a 5 year old can work crutches or has to be wheeled around in a chair. Just another of life's little adventures!

Thank You For Making Me, Me

Every night before we go to bed we say prayers with the boys. Usually my husband and I will lead it and the boys will repeat. The other night Spitfire got sent to play in his bedroom after being too distracting during stories. When it came time to get ready for bed we found he had already put himself to bed and was dead asleep (see below:).

Since it was just me and the big one I asked if he would like to lead the prayer that night and this is the beautifully simple prayer he said: "Thank you God for this day and that we got to play all day. Thank you for giving us food and hope. Thank you for making me, me. The end."

Why isn't that my genuine prayer at the end of each day? I'm so full of grumbling and discontent about what I don't have, what I "need". So full of insecurities and my own worst bully. But in reality I have this day and that alone is an incredible gift not everyone has to enjoy. I get to stay home all day with my babies in these first most awesome years of their lives. I even get to fit in a little graphic design work and crafting here and there;  my own play all day. I certainly have food and hope. But the last part got me the most. "Thank you for making me, me. The end." I think it's time I start trying to reform my 'ole pessimistic, negative self into an optimist so I can start being happy that God made me, me too.

Baby In Motion...Constant Motion

Today the Little Mister is 6 months old. I can not believe he is already halfway through his first year! It all goes by especially fast when there are older siblings to keep mamma busy and distracted. I've had a little trouble adjusting to having both big kids in school and only a baby home. It's so quiet, sometimes deafeningly. I'm getting into the swing of things though and starting to get excited at the prospect of keeping up and maybe adding a little scrapbooking back into my regular routine.

So, what's new in this baby's life? Motion, motion, motion! He's not crawling yet but he might as well be because he can get wherever he wants by rolling, army crawling and inch worming his way around. His personality is still mellow as ever, he'll chill out in his car seat for hours while we run around town but as soon as he hits the floor he's a tiny, wild beast! Picture taking is getting to be near impossible for me.

He absolutely loves to wrestle his giant bunny...poor slobber covered bunny.

Back To School

Lil' Spitfire, can it be you're already old enough to be going to school in the big big world? You are so incredibly excited, you've been waiting patiently the whole, long two years since your big brother started.

Summer has flown by and I can't believe today is already the first day of school, and the first day ever of school for Spitfire. Last night I asked him "What is Mamma going to do without her big helper?" and he said "The baby will help you." "He doesn't know how to help yet, not like you." "Don't worry Mamma, you'll figure it out." So sweet! While getting ready this morning he kept saying "I wonder what it will be like." in the dreamy voice.

Before bed I asked the boys what they were excited about and if they were nervous about anything. When Spitfire realized he wouldn't have recess with Big Brother he had a moment but Golden Curls stepped up and was so encouraging, "It's ok, you'll have so many new friends to meet and play with." Melt a Mamma's heart!

Mr. Golden Curls was far more reserved and harder to read. Very calm about it all. He's in 2nd grade this year and was very proud to be moving to the upstairs hallway but I think he's also big enough to get a little nervous at the start of the year.

This has become his picture taking face. It makes him look mad but I think it's what he puts on when he wants to look like a big kid. I can't wait to pick them up and hear all the reports. It's awfully quiet in the house today. My Little Mister is napping and all I hear are house noises and Pug snores!

Vegas, Baby!: The Wedding Garb

Here we are, in our living room, trying on our wedding attire for my honey's parents. Tomorrow morning we'll be hopping that long awaited plane and, by the end of the week, strolling down that aisle to turn my plain 'ole husband into my Vegas husband!

Vegas, Baby!: The Venue

This is the entire reason we are going to Vegas next week. If we couldn't do the Elvis wedding there would be no reason for us to go. This is the spot we chose, Graceland Chapel. I was thrilled to death to find it, it's adorable! We got the "Can't Help Falling In Love" package. I crack up just reading what it comes with.

Use of chapel
Elvis will escort the bride down the aisle and give her away
Elvis will sing 3 songs
6 rose bouquet and boutonniere
Professional photography
DVD of ceremony
Certificate holder
Copy of Elvis and Priscilla's marriage certificate

So stinkin' funny! Oh, and since we're having our vows renewed Elvis will also be officiating. As the lady on the phone so perfectly stated "Elvis will take care of everything!" I squeal with excitement inside every time I think of it all. I know it's so corny but it is also just too perfectly my husband and I's kind of thing. I mean really, our honeymoon was a road trip where we made pit stops in places like Roswell, NM and random abandoned churches in the middle of the desert. Of course we want the Vegas Elvis wedding!

Vegas, Baby! vs. Baby Baby

Oh, this just cracks myself up! I've always enjoyed a good photo cut and paste, I don't know why but it just makes me laugh.

Ok, enough of that. I'm so excited I don't even know where to start! It's hard to believe I have waited for our re-wedding trip for 10 years and now we're only a week away from hopping a plane to Vegas! The moment my honey and I said "I do" I decided that on our 5 year anniversary I wanted to have our vows renewed in a classic Vegas style wedding ala The King. 5 years came and went and with kids in the mix and our occupations being youth director and full time mamma/sometimes graphic designer our budget just wouldn't have it. Now the 10 year mark is upon us. In spite of our hard work and responsible use of money and credit cards we're still the broke youth director/mamma/almost never designer/parents of three so we decided for once in our life we're going to be completely irresponsible, it's now or never baby! What better way to spend money irresponsibly than on an all-out trip to Vegas? It did help that my dad offered up his hotel points and airline miles!

When you plan a trip as newly weds there is no concept of what it will be like getting ready for it when you have a 7 year old, 5 year old and a baby. It has been a hilarious mix up of two polar opposite worlds. Like when my wedding dress arrived (that really is it in the pic) and I had to try it on right away. I was home alone with the boys and the Little Mister waited until I was completely decked out before starting in on a screaming mimi fit. I was like that guy in Three Men and a Baby, picking him up and holding him out like a poisonous snake, a poisonous snake who spits up like a volcano without notice. He's also a nursing baby, and I'd like to keep him that way for awhile, which means I've spent the last few months taking on a roll similar to that of dairy cattle, filling the freezer space that used to hold ice cream with endless baggies of breast milk. The big boys however oohed and aahed at me in my dress, called me a princess, asked me to twirl over and over again and squealed every time I did. Probably more a sign of how seldom they see me in skirts and dresses!

My honey and I haven't really been on a trip alone and solely for our own fun since our honeymoon road trip. That was the absolute most fun I've ever had and it has been too long. He's my best friend and I'm ready for a little adventure with him! Now I'm glad the trip didn't happen until now. It will be a good way to mark the end of Phase I of our marriage as baby makers and caretakers of small children, and start looking forward to the adventures of phase II, whatever that may be.

Leaps and Bounds

I know all I blog about is the Little Mister these days, he's just changing so fast and I know how quickly this first year goes. He's acquiring new skills at lightening speed, reaching for things, rolling over, even gave us a full on belly laugh that surprised even him. Of course he's absolute perfection and a perfect doll, and here is photographic evidence.

Giving You The Crazy Eyes

So much fun can happen before even the first cup of coffee is drained.

The Adams Family Swim Lessons

The color might be a teensy bit off on this photo but my children are not too far from being that white. You'd think we were vampires that never go out into daylight! But we're about to remedy that, at 5 and 7 years old my boys are finally getting their first swim lessons. They were so incredibly excited, and I have to say I was too. They're getting to the age where I remember doing all the wonderful things they are and it's so much fun!

All three of us loved the coach, he was awesome. Spitfire told him "you look cool" and Golden Curls kept saying "he's a cool dude."


The Little Mister and I soaked up the glorious shade, I wasn't quite this relaxed but it was good.

Grammy and Grandpapa's Amazing Memorial Weekend Extravaganza

I'm going back in time, it bugs me that I'm blogging this out of order, I'm a very timeline oriented person. Ok I'll just say it, I'm a nit picky perfectionist and it doesn't make sense to me to post out of order. And yet, here I am, posting things from Memorial weekend because, well, because it was so much fun and I want to share pictures! Above are my parents (aka Grammy and Grandpapa) and the brothers three.

The three most gorgeous, sweet, and highly advanced children in all the land.

Yippee for Grammy getting up with the Little Mister! He is growing fast too. Here he was almost 10 weeks old and quickly growing from his little newborn lump self into a smiling, cooing, looking, grabbing baby. And he had the best seat in the house to do all those things.

There's so much more awake time in the Little Mister's day, and even more in the few weeks since.

The boys were incredibly excited to make homemade ice cream. It was a gorgeous day to be outside. We didn't exactly get ice cream but we got some tasty milkshakes!

This is Spitfire's favorite thing at Grammy's. I think this love affair started years ago when he learned big brother was incredibly frightened by it. Big brother no longer has that fear but the love is still there.

Such a good baby!

We made a trip to Branson while we were there and did all sorts of cool things. The boys got the royal spoilin' and in the process came into possession of two of the coolest bubble makers ever. Seriously, they love bubbles and these guns make tons, use any bubble solution, and they don't spill!

Bubble war!