Patterson Family

2 Year Pictures

2012-02-09T19:41:00.000-06:00

We had Drake's 2 year pictures taken on Saturday, and I already got the disc! Thank you, Barbie, for capturing some great pics of a toddler who does not sit still! Here are my favorites:

24 weeks!

2012-02-06T18:10:00.031-06:00

I love this point in pregnancy...viability!! This pregnancy seems to have gone so much quicker than Drake's (of course, I reserve the right to change my mind as we get further along ;-)). I started feeling movement much sooner, too. It's so nice to know that we've made it to this point and chances are that we'll deliver a healthy baby boy come May.

I'm still feeling great and feeling baby move more and more. In fact, so much that I loaned out the doppler to another girl in my neighborhood. (Thanks for letting me share, Betsy!) She's about six weeks behind me and has a boy just a little older than Drake. I feel baby move at least once a day, if not more, and Jason even felt it for the first time this morning.

Now that Drake's birthday is over, I need to get focused on this little guy's room - planning out what we'll do to decorate, moving the current furniture out, and getting the new furniture up once it gets here. We had a friend recommend a robot theme and I have found some cute stuff on Etsy so I think we may go with it. (Drake's room is sports themed so I didn't want to do that again.)

My next appointment is next Tuesday, and I'll have my Glucose Tolerance Test.

The Great Grocery Challenge

2012-02-05T21:36:00.020-06:00

CVS: OOP $6.05, Saved $16.66!

Can I just say how excited I was to see another CVS gift card deal this week? If you haven't done this before, it is SO worth it if you're going to be shopping there anyway. Check out Living Social's deal here. Hopefully it is still available, but I can't guarantee it. (Now, if I would just remember to print it out and take it to the store! ;-) Totally forgot before my 2nd trip this week.)

Walgreens: OOP $7.04, Saved $10.48!

Meijer: OOP $74.90, Saved $42.86!

Weekly Totals: OOP $87.99, Saved $70.00! (44% Savings!)

Another week over budget, but I had a good excuse...we celebrated a special little guy's birthday this weekend!

Drake's 2nd Birthday Party!

2012-02-05T14:10:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, we celebrated two years of Drake with family and friends!!

It was a Dr. Suess theme with a "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" invite and "Green Eggs and Ham" on the menu. Thank you pinterest! :-)

He had such a great time, and I was totally impressed that he was able to blow out the candles! Thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating this special boy!

You can go here to see what his invite looked like, and I got his shirt here. Our friend, Kate, made his cupcakes...aren't they the cutest?!

Drake's 2nd Birthday

2012-02-04T07:14:00.001-06:00

We've had a very busy but great day celebrating the birth of Drake yesterday!

The morning started off with chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast!

After breakfast, we had Drake's 2 year appointment.

The nurse practitioner was very impressed with how well Drake talked and that he knew his colors. (proud mom moment!) He weighed in at 27 pounds (30th percentile) and is 34.5 inches tall (50th percentile)! He gained almost four pounds and grew 3 1/4 inches since his 18 month appointment - no wonder his pants are getting too short. Since we didn't get the flu shot this fall, he ended up with two shots today which were not fun at all. Thankfully, we don't have to go back until next year and there are no shots at that appointment!

After his appointment, we headed to Dollar Tree to get items for his party, CVS, and then to lunch at Arby's.

After his nap, we went to the park! (Yep...who can believe that we were at the park in Central Illinois on February 3rd!?)

It got a little chilly, so we headed to the new soft play area at our mall.

We went out for dinner at TGIFridays, had bathtime and then off to bed for Drake so we could get some things done to prepare for his party today!!

2 years old!!

2012-02-03T11:40:00.123-06:00

Dear Drake,

Where has the time gone? I cannot believe the amazing day of your birth was two years ago! That tiny 7lb 13oz baby has turned into a wonderful 27 pound toddler! Here are some things you should know about yourself at two years old:

Your favorite toys are hotwheels cars, Mega Blocks, the jack in the box, books (especially Go Dog Go, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, Goodnight Moon), puzzles and your new train set.

You love to play hide-and-seek and have learned to stay in your hiding spot until we find you (although you aren't always quiet). :-)

You like to put on mommy and daddy's shoes and can even put on and take off some of your own shoes!

Your verbal language has exploded since 18 months! You repeat just about everything we say and are putting three to four words together on a regular basis. You respond to questions with the correct answer (most of the time) and when we ask how old you are going to be, you say "2"! You will "count" 1, 2, 3 and say parts of the alphabet - A, B, C and L, M, N, O, P. It is SO cute!

You know practically every body part now - ears, eyes, head, hair, mouth, tongue, teeth, cheeks, chin, neck, knees, feet, elbows and shoulders.

You know all of the main colors - red, orange, yellow, blue, red, purple, black, silver, brown. You recognize a lot of shapes (star, circle, oval, square, rectangle, crescent) and we're also working on letter recognition. You pointed out the letter "R" to me last night.

You love to help feed Kahlua and are even tall and strong enough to open and close the sliding door to let her in and out. You are a great helper. I know that will continue when your baby brother arrives in May.

You have taken an interest in zippers. When we put on your footie pj's at night, you have to zip them up all by yourself.

Since your 18 month post, all four eye teeth came in (October)! The only ones left are your two year molars. We are working on brushing your teeth. If daddy or I sing the ABC's, you usually let us do it.

You are going potty on the toilet more and more, but we still aren't pushing it! We know that you will do it when you are ready.

You are wearing size 4 diaper.

You are in size 18 month tops and we just moved you to all size 18 month pants because your 12 month pants are just too short.

You wear size 6.5 shoes.

Drake, we are so blessed to call you our son and thank God for the privilege of raising you! Your daddy and I can't wait to see how much you grow and change over the next year - especially as you become a big brother!

Love,

Momma

The Great Grocery Challenge

2012-01-29T18:09:00.022-06:00

Target: OOP $0, Saved $2.88!

Our Target is a complete mess right now. They are adding produce and moving things all around. This week, I ran in looking for a few things and ended up with a hat and gloves at 70% off and free macaroni and cheese!

Walgreens: OOP $5.45, Saved $4.80

CVS: OOP $2.91, Saved $8.78!

Meijer: OOP $49.83, Saved $52.94!

Weekly Totals: OOP $58.19, Saved $69.40! (54% savings!)

It's been a while since I hit all four of the stores I like to shop at! There weren't too great of deals at Walgreens and CVS. But, we were getting low on Kleenex (Walgreens) and it's always great when you can get milk on sale (CVS). I also had to pick up dog food this week which usually throws my grocery budget over, and it did this week, too. (Too bad she couldn't wait until the nice Iams coupon came out today.)

Nursery Furniture

2012-01-26T20:21:00.001-06:00

We are getting things checked off the list here at chez Patterson! Today, we ordered baby boy #2's nursery furniture. This time we bought it from a different store hoping we aren't going to run into the same problems as we did with Drake's furniture. We narrowed the selection down to three brands - Pali, Bonavita, and Baby's Dream - and after looking at all of them, we went with this one by Pali:

We're actually getting it in Mocacchino (another dark wood), but this one shows the dresser, too. We ordered the crib, 5-drawer dresser, nightstand, and conversion kit. In case you are wondering, the reason we are purchasing another full set of furniture is that I really want each child to have their own stuff, and I (seriously) plan for them to take this off to college with them! No, we're not spending a fortune on it, but it has a nice little price tag so I expect it to last.

As for the decor of the room, I'll be deciding on that after we get through Drake's birthday party (gasp!) next weekend.

New Wheels!

2012-01-24T20:35:00.011-06:00

We've been talking about getting a new vehicle for a while now. I kept putting it off just because it's a lot of money. I've been driving a Pontiac G6 since the summer of 2008. It's been a great car and worked fine for one kid including times when my little sister was with us. Now that we'll have two carseats and want to take my little sister places, it just won't work so we've been searching. We decided that we wanted an SUV with captain's chairs and a third row but still decent gas mileage. Once we saw some Acadias online, I was sold. We've been checking out dealerships online with them and finally test drove a few last week.

Yesterday, we picked up this beauty!! I think this will be perfect when baby boy #2 arrives in May and for our upcoming vacation to Florida.

22 weeks!

2012-01-23T19:49:00.049-06:00

In case you missed it, we had our ultrasound two weeks ago as well as a gender reveal party to let our friends and family know that we are expecting another baby BOY! Since finding out we're having a boy, I've been doing lots of searching for just the right name, ideas for room decor, and furniture.

As far as names are concerned, we're looking for a 5-letter name that's not super common or super unique. ;-) We have a list going but haven't really talked about it too much.

I'm considering robot decor after one of our friends mentioned it. I found quite a few ideas on Pinterest so we'll see.

We went to a baby store about an hour away after the ultrasound to check out furniture, and I think we have it narrowed down. Now, we just need to make a decision and get it ordered.

I had an OB appointment last week and baby boy's heartbeat was in the 140s. I've been feeling more and more movement - still not consistent, but definitely a lot more which I love! The weight gain at this appointment was quite a bit more than I was hoping for, but I'm giving myself a break since Thanksgiving and Christmas were in there. Either way, it's less than I gained with Drake at this point so that's good.

The Great Grocery Challenge

2012-01-22T20:36:00.022-06:00

Walgreens: OOP $0.23, Saved $5.07!
Meijer: OOP $59.74, Saved $65.62!
CVS: OOP $0, Saved $3.20!

Weekly Totals: OOP $59.97, Saved $73.89! (55% savings!)

So, I went a little over budget this week, but I've been under the last few and there were some good deals to be had!

Gender Reveal Party!

2012-01-15T19:49:00.019-06:00

Last night, our good friend, Kate hosted a gender reveal party at our house. How much fun to tell all of our friends and family at the same time?! She did an amazing job as usual...particularly on the cake. Isn't is gorgeous? It had a little shimmer to it and was SO pretty.

The guests who either thought it was or wanted a girl:

Those who thought it was or wanted another boy:

Our family of three (and a half):

(Please ignore my cheesy grin. I was trying to get Drake to look at the camera and obviously straining my smile!)

A piece of the cake (again, an awful look on my face!):

Thank you to everyone who came and to all who have contributed name suggestions. We are so blessed to be welcoming another healthy, baby boy into our home in about 4 months!

Now on to the fun stuff - buying nursery furniture, moving rooms around, decorating his room, and getting all of the things a baby needs together.

The Great Grocery Challenge

2012-01-15T15:27:00.017-06:00

CVS: OOP $3.91, Saved $40.04!

Target: OOP $1.03, Saved $18.53!

*I was shocked that they still had the tubes of Desitin that ended up with a money maker!

Meijer: OOP $24.39, Saved $17.34!

Weekly Totals: $29.33, Saved $75.91!! (72% savings!)

20 Week Ultrasound

2012-01-14T21:38:00.012-06:00

On Wednesday morning, we had our 20-week ultrasound. We got there a little early and were called right back. Baby was completely curled up in a ball, and the tech wasn't sure she would be able to tell the sex. Thankfully, after I emptied my bladder baby moved around. But, he/she was moving so much that the tech just needed the baby to hold still so she could get a look! I haven't had any feeling one way or another, but Jason kept saying it was a girl. (He actually had Drake saying sister when pointing to our 8 week ultrasound picture.)

Baby was measuring 20 weeks 3 days (one day ahead) and weighing in at 12.8 ounces. Everything looked good and the heartbeat was 156.

We had the tech do the same thing that we did for Drake's ultrasound and put the gender in an envelope...then, Jason and I went shopping!

After we were done, we picked up Drake and went to Avanti's for lunch where he opened the outfit.

We are having another baby BOY!!

(Our gender reveal party is tonight. I'll post about that tomorrow!)

Children's Discovery Museum

2012-01-10T15:27:00.001-06:00

Last week I had an event on campus that brings in over 4,000 high school students and their teachers in addition to a number of workshop leaders and exhibitors. Needless to say, with that many people on campus, I was working some extremely long days. The upside to that is that I took this week off!

This morning, we met our friends at the Children's Discovery Museum. I think we were one of about 5 people in the whole place which was awesome! We were last there about a year ago and what a difference. Drake could do so much more stuff and definitely wasn't ready to leave!

He made pizzas...

put the yarn balls and fabric pieces into this "wind tube" and watched them fly around...

"drove" the tractor...

worked the box office...

and had a screaming fit when it was time to go! :-)

Now that we'll have to pay for him to get in (once his birthday gets here), we might have to really look into their membership.

I think this morning wore him out since he's going past a 2.5 hour nap! Time for this momma to get a few things done around the house.

20 weeks!

2012-01-09T20:00:00.026-06:00

Woo hoo!! We're halfway through this pregnancy, and we get to find out if this little one is a boy or a girl this week! I'm still feeling great and sleep is going okay. I am usually up once a night and do flip back and forth between my sides. I'm feeling baby move, but it's still very inconsistent. I had my first true craving...it was about 10:30pm last Friday, and I wanted Papa John's cheese breadsticks with their garlic butter sauce. Since it was so late, I settled for some cheesy texas toast that we had in the house. :-)

Any guesses on the gender??

We're having a reveal party on Saturday night (provided that this little one cooperates), so I will post after that.

The Great Grocery Challenge

2012-01-08T19:47:00.012-06:00

Walgreens: OOP $7.15, Saved $7.42!

CVS: OOP $2.42, Saved $38.57!

Meijer: OOP $44.77, Saved $12.67!

Weekly Totals: OOP $54.34, Saved $58.66!
(52% savings)

The Great Grocery Challenge

2012-01-01T11:15:00.013-06:00

Target: OOP $5.62, Saved $15.26!

Meijer: OOP $20.52, Saved $24.22!

Weekly Totals: OOP $26.14, Saved $39.48! (61% savings!)

Rewind 2011

2011-12-31T19:44:00.001-06:00

Kathy at Four of a Kind... posted this yesterday, and I loved it so thought I would share, too. Feel free to join in!

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before? Got pregnant without medical assistance!

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I'm not sure I made a New Year's resolution for 2011 (at least I didn't find a post with it on my blog :-)). I probably won't make one for this year either.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Two of Jason's cousins, a neighbor/friend, and a high school friend

4. Did anyone close to you die? Not real close to me, but Jason's friend's dad (who is also my college friend's FIL) passed away unexpectedly this year.

5. What places did you visit? Bahamas, Grand Turk, Miami

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011? a finished basement, new vehicle, a baby!

7. What date(s) from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? February 3, 2011 (and the two days before) - Drake's first birthday and the big snow storm that closed work for 2 days and left us snowed in!

8. What was your biggest achievement(s) of the year? Managing our family finances more wisely (still have room for improvement, of course), moving to a little more flexible schedule at work, becoming a Nursery Coordinator at our church

9. What was your biggest failure? Not being able to negotiate the option to work from home

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Nothing major...just a cold.

11. What was the best thing you bought? Nothing comes to mind, but I'm guessing Jason would say his new 5-piece nailer kit (since it's been very helpful with our basement project)

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Good question. We all have room for improvement, but I have loved watching Drake grow this year! We are doing our best to teach him good manners and it's been so cute to hear him say "Thank you" and how it has changed over the year. He's even said it unprompted once or twice. :-)

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Lots of people surprise me all of the time, but I don't get depressed about it. I can't think of anyone close to me, thank goodness.

14. Where did most of your money go? towards the house (between the mortgage and basement)

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Finding out we were pregnant, seeing the baby on the first ultrasound, hearing the heartbeat for the first time

16. What song will always remind you of 2011? I'm not sure. I pretty much only listen to Christian radio and there are a lot of songs I love but nothing that comes to mind right now.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) happier or sadder? About the same but maybe happier since we're expecting #2!

b) thinner or fatter? Fatter (but I have an excuse)

c) richer or poorer? Richer

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Pinterest recipes/projects

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Eating out - even though I enjoy it and it's easy, it's such a waste of money!

20. How did you spend Christmas in 2011? With Jason's family and at church on Christmas Eve, with our family of 3 on Christmas morning and then with my family on Christmas night

21. Did you fall in love in 2011? Not fall in love but I would say my love has grow

22. What was your favorite TV program? Just one? :-) I love Survivor, Biggest Loser, Amazing Race, Big Brother

23. What did you do for your birthday in 2011? nothing that I can recall (must not have been too exciting as I didn't even have a post in the blog!)

24. What was the best book you read? Too Small to Ignore by Wess Stafford

25. What did you want and get? more flexible schedule at work

26. What did you want and not get? to go part-time at work/flexibility to work from home

27. What was your favorite film of this year? I don't think I watched a movie all year!

28. Did you make some new friends this year? I don't think so, but I did meet Jamie in person!

29.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? I think 2011 was pretty satisfying.

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011? lol! I wear a lot of what I would call staple items - things that will still be "in style" for years to come. I'm not big on spending a lot of money on clothes that I may only like for a season.

31. What kept you sane? my faith, Jason

32. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? none, really.

33. What political issue stirred you the most? I try not to get too crazy over any of them. Sure, I have my opinions, but honestly, I don't pay a lot of attention.

34. Who did you miss? Jason's mom and my grandparents...I wish Drake would have had the chance to meet them.

35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011. I still have a lot to learn - especially when it comes to holding my tongue and taking a step back in situations before saying anything. I would like to say that it's getting better, but I'm not so sure. Guess I'll keep working on it.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful New Year's Eve! As for our house, we've had a pajama day. I did a little cleaning, scrapbooking, and made dinner while Jason worked on the basement more, and we all played a little.

18 weeks!

2011-12-27T19:53:00.000-06:00

We are 18 weeks along with this little one! Just a little while longer until we find out if this baby is a he or a she. :-) Jason swears it's a girl, but I was thinking boy earlier this week. This pregnancy seems very similar to Drake's although I haven't gained as much weight (probably a good thing - maybe I'll stay within the "normal" weight range). There are times when I don't even "feel" pregnant which seems strange to me. I am almost exclusively in maternity clothes although it seems like everything I have from Drake is too big. I'm trying to make due since I'm sure I'll be buying clothes come spring.

I'm still listening to the heartbeat every night and loving every second of it. I'm even starting to feel some random movement - definitely looking forward to the time when it is consistent.

Christmas Day!

2011-12-27T10:39:00.000-06:00

It is my goal for Drake (and future children) to wake up in his own bed on Christmas morning...unless, of course, we're on a beach somewhere! This year, we had our Christmas when he woke up - he got a Mr. Potato Head, a train set, slippers, and stocking stuffers. We didn't do much again because I new he would be getting more than enough and his birthday is less than two months away. He did a great job opening the gifts and had to make sure every piece of paper was off.

Jason got Best Buy gift cards for new speakers in his truck.

I got a new cupcake tin and a KitchenAid mixer! Totally excited about that with all the recipes I want to try from Pinterest.

Drake had a little time to play with his train set while we packed and got ready to head to my parent's house. That evening we celebrated with my family.

Drake and Reid were Santa's helpers passing out presents to everyone.

He got a cot, sleeping bag, blanket and a pre-recorded book from Grandma & Grandpa. He slept on the cot that night and really well. He loved the blanket! Drake also got a bunch of puzzles, cars, and the LeapFrog Fridge Phonics.

We stayed through yesterday, and I was able to get some much needed scrapbooking done. Our ride home was pretty uneventful. We did have another deer run in front of us on the interstate but luckily we didn't hit this one.

I'm hoping to get more scrapbooking done this week and get all the Christmas decorations put away...sounds exciting, huh?

We hope all of your had a wonderful Christmas holiday spending time with loved ones!

The Great Grocery Challenge

2011-12-25T14:16:00.013-06:00

CVS: OOP $1.10, Saved $14.23!

Walgreens: OOP $2.56, Saved $19.82!

Meijer: OOP $35.63, Saved $27.51!

Weekly Totals: OOP $39.29, Saved $61.56! (61% savings)

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T21:06:00.000-06:00

We have had a wonderful Christmas Eve! We celebrated with Jason's family this morning. Again, Drake totally impressed me with opening presents. He knew exactly what to do.

He got a nice Nike outfit that will be great for next spring and a floor puzzle.

After celebrating, we came home to take a nap and then went to church. Drake is in bed now, and I'm sure we won't be far behind. Tomorrow is another busy day! Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas Eve!

"Project"

2011-12-23T13:41:00.000-06:00

This morning, I asked Drake if he wanted to help me with a "project". I wasn't sure how much he could actually do, but he impressed me!

He took the wrapping off of the kisses...

put the kisses on the pretzels...

and then he put on the M & M's.

I was quite impressed with how well he did, and he loved helping mom with a "project".

The Great Grocery Challenge

2011-12-18T20:22:00.008-06:00

Meijer: OOP $73.96, Saved $54.52

I was over budget this week...guess I was making up for some of the past weeks when I was under. :-)

Saturday

2011-12-18T19:40:00.000-06:00

A Bass Pro Shops store recently opened about 40 minutes from our house, and I have been wanting to go there for a few weeks now. They are doing free pictures with santa, and I heard that kids love the place because there are so many animals and even a bowling alley! We just hadn't made it there yet so when my dad called saying they wanted to go there on Saturday, I wondered if we might be able to work out going, too. They came down on Friday night with my nephew so we headed over first thing in the morning. I thought for sure that it would be packed, but it was perfect. We got there about 9:45am, Santa started pictures at 10am, and we were 3rd in line. You can see for yourself how this went. :-)

After the picture, we walked around checking out all of the animals and then went to lunch before we had to head back home. We picked up my little sister, did a little shopping and then headed home to finish up our appetizers for a Christmas party at Jason's aunt's house. Drake got his first Christmas present...a Tonka tow truck!

Leta even got Aireol a neat Christmas ornament.

We got to meet Jason's cousin's daughter, Hadassah, for the first time. Drake loved her. It was too cute when he was trying to give her hugs. Good thing they were low to the ground - Drake knocked her over a few times. Hadassah's first birthday is on Monday...Happy Birthday, Hadassah!!

It was fun filled day for sure! Thankfully all we had today was church.

Christmas Card

2011-12-16T10:19:00.006-06:00

Since our family and friends should have received their card from us, I thought I would share it here as well:

We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas season celebrating the birth of our Savior!

16 weeks!

2011-12-12T21:31:00.018-06:00

We are 4 months along! I cannot believe how quickly time is going with this pregnancy. Ever since my last appointment, time is flying...probably helps that work is super busy right now. I'm still only right around seven pounds gained and some work people just found out about the pregnancy last week. Guess I was doing a pretty good job at hiding it. The clothing choices are getting really limited, especially pants, but I just got a bunch of maternity clothes that I am borrowing from friends - THANK YOU!

I haven't felt any distinct movement yet - hopefully soon, although with Drake I was almost 24 weeks. At least I have the doppler and get to hear the heartbeat every night. It seems to be in the 150s most of the time.

This little guy wanted his picture taken tonight, too. :-)

The Great Grocery Challenge

2011-12-11T21:29:00.011-06:00

Walgreens: OOP $18.98, Saved $23.78

Meijer: OOP $20.29, Saved $18.34

*I should also point out that my Meijer trip only used one digital and one paper coupon! "Couponing" can be done even without coupons. You just have to watch for the deals.

Target: OOP $1.44, Saved $4.32

Weekly Totals: OOP $40.71, Saved $46.44 (53% savings!)

O Christmas Tree!

2011-12-05T09:53:00.016-06:00

As I mentioned yesterday, last week was crazy! I was signed up to volunteer at our church on Saturday which also meant I had a training to go to on Friday night. My co-worker, who I was volunteering with, suggested that I stay home and rest. It was hard to give in to that because I really wanted to be there, but I figured she was probably right. All the stress isn't good for baby, and I obviously needed the break. I slept for over 9 hours on Friday night and took a 2-hour nap on Saturday, but not before we got our Christmas tree up!

Jason brought the tubs upstairs and took out a few of the decorations. Drake knocked one of the ceramic painted santa's on the floor and it broke. Then, he went over and pulled our Chicago Bears ornament out and dropped it on the floor - broken! Not the best way to start decorating, but definitely nothing to get upset over. Needless to say, we don't have too many ornaments on our tree...just in case.

"Helping" daddy fix the lights.

The Great Grocery Challenge

2011-12-04T22:18:00.008-06:00

This week has been absolutely crazy! Work has been super busy and our evenings have been busy, too, which meant I got no shopping in. We stopped at Meijer for milk on Friday night and that was it.

Meijer: OOP $5.05, Saved $.98

Thanksgiving

2011-11-29T19:03:00.000-06:00

I know. I'm a little behind, but things have been crazy at our house for the past five days. My parents got here on Wednesday night and watched Drake while we went to small group.

On Thursday, my mom and I went shopping in the morning then got food ready the rest of the day. My sister and her family came down as well as Jason's sister and her boyfriend and Jason's dad. There were 13 of us for dinner. We managed to sit all the adults around our dining room table and then a card table for Drake and his cousin, Reid. The kids didn't eat too well at their own table so we'll see how this works next time. I was horrible about taking pictures but did get a couple of the two kiddos.

A HUGE thanks to my mom for all her help with the laundry and dishes!

My sister, mom and I even did a little shopping on Thanksgiving night. I wanted to hit Babies R Us as we were running low on diapers and they had a great deal at $10 for a big box of them. Of course, by the time we got over there - a little after 9pm - the line was wrapped around the back of the store and it just wasn't worth. We also went to Meijer (awesome cereal deal like I mentioned in my weekly grocery post - I just had to get two more boxes. :-)), Walmart (that was RIDICULOUS!) and CVS.

Unfortunately, I had to work on Friday and Saturday - a planning meeting for an event in January. We went to church on Sunday morning and then hung out around the house.

This week is going to be just a crazy between small group, a going away party, IMAGINE at our church, and a birthday party on Saturday. My tree might get up one of these days. :-)

Good-bye 1st Trimester, Hello 2nd Trimester!

2011-11-28T19:11:00.000-06:00

Woo hoo!! I'm so glad to be in the 2nd trimester! Overall, I've been feeling great. There were about two weeks where I felt nauseous but never got sick. And, of course, I have had the usual hungry and tired all the time symptoms although that is getting much better. At our first official appointment, the nurse practitioner asked how much weight I gained with Drake and when I told her, she just said, "Let's try to keep it at 25-35 pounds." I'm right at 7 pounds so far which I'm pretty happy with especially since we just had awesome Thanksgiving food.

With Drake, I always wanted a doppler but never got one. I was able to borrow one from a friend this time. I found the heartbeat on the doppler at 12 weeks 4 days and the doctor found it right away at my appointment last week. Now, I can, too. I love hearing it every night...especially until I start feeling movement.

10 weeks

12 weeks

14 weeks

The Great Grocery Challenge

2011-11-27T15:05:00.000-06:00

Meijer: OOP $45.94, Saved $41.26!

Meijer had an AWESOME deal on cereal this week. I got 10 boxes for about $1.30!!

CVS: OOP $.59, Saved $20.74!

Weekly Totals: OOP $46.53, Saved $62.00! (57% savings!)

OB Appointment

2011-11-23T17:30:00.018-06:00

The day finally came to have my OB appointment where we could hear this baby's heartbeat!

I actually heard it on the doppler for the first time on Friday night at 12 weeks 4 days! I couldn't believe it. I was so much further along when we heard Drake's. Of course, when Jason got in the room after putting Drake down, I couldn't find it again. I did find it again on Sunday night, and this time Jason heard it! At home, it's been in the 160s.

My appointment went well. I forgot how quick they are. She found the heartbeat right away - 150s. I go back in four weeks and we scheduled our ultrasound!! (January 11th)

The Great Grocery Challenge

2011-11-20T14:06:00.012-06:00

Walgreens: OOP $7.71, Saved $7.96!

(Not bad considering I had no RRs.)

CVB: OOP $.03, Saved $8.76!

Meijer: OOP $42.08, Saved $42.00!
***I think 3 trips to Meijer in 3 days is my record. :-) No, I didn't plan it, but it just sort of worked out that I was there that many times...oops. I'll probably be there twice this week, too, since they have an awesome cereal deal on Thanksgiving day.

Weekly Totals: OOP $49.82, Saved $58.72! (54% savings!)

Still here...

2011-11-17T14:59:00.000-06:00

I haven't posted much lately, and I guess it's just because there hasn't been a lot to say.

Drake is feeling MUCH better thank goodness. He continues to amaze us every day at the new things he learns. He is talking up a storm...one of the ladies in the nursery even commented on it last weekend. I'm trying to start planning his birthday party. Since his birthday is so early in Feburary, I always need the invitations done by Christmas so they can go out in early January. It was a big debate for me, but I think I'm going with Dr. Suess. Last year just seemed so much easier because I knew I wanted to do monkeys. This year I was debating between Hot Wheels, Mega Bloks, Elmo, etc. I think Dr. Suess won out because I just found so many cute ideas!!

This weekend is our last quiet one for a while. We have no plans which is AWESOME!

My next doctor's appointment is almost here! I go on Wednesday afternoon and can't wait. I got a doppler a few weeks ago but still haven't been able to find this little one's heartbeat. We didn't hear Drake's on the doppler until 16 weeks so I'm not really worried, but I sure want to know that he/she is growing right on schedule. I've just gained about 5 pounds which I think is pretty good. I gained 45 with Drake so hopefully this pregnancy will be a little less since I'm sure it won't come off as easily.

We're talking about what to do after the new baby is here at the end of May. Will I go back to work? Will I stay home? Try to find something part-time that fits with our schedule? I am just struggling with this right now. I know we've got some time and either way, it's going to be tough.

We're having Thanksgiving at our house this year. I have to work on Friday and Saturday so we didn't want to travel...it's just too much for one day. It should be a nice time with some of my family coming and Jason's immediate family coming over as well.

I'll update after our appointment next week!

The Great Grocery Challenge

2011-11-13T13:39:00.018-06:00

Kroger: OOP $14.30, Saved $26.34

Walgreens: OOP $0.69, Saved $18.78

Walmart: OOP $3.19, Saved $8.89

Meijer: OOP $32.18, Saved $46.24

Aldi: OOP $1.50

Weekly Totals: OOP $51.86, Saved $100.25! (66% savings)

The Great Grocery Challenge

2011-11-06T13:40:00.009-06:00

Meijer: OOP $35.47, Saved $31.11!

CVS: OOP $4.66, Saved $21.14!

Dollar General: OOP $2.04, Saved $4.80

Weekly Totals: OOP $42.17, Saved $57.05! (57% savings)

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T19:23:00.013-05:00

Drake's 2nd Halloween didn't go quite like I planned.

On Friday, when we went to pick Drake up from daycare Alicia was taking his temperature. Then, I heard him cough. It sounded just like croup. We went to get a desperately needed haircut and then went to the doctor for their walk-in time. Diagnosis - croup! Thank goodness it just started, and he didn't have stridor. We went straight home, and he hasn't left since.

The cough is finally sounding better and the fever finally broke today, but he still isn't sleeping great. We've been running the humidifier in his room and giving him Tylenol 24/7 hoping it will go away SOON!

We had Papa Murphy's Jack-o-Lantern pizza for dinner...

And then, Drake got in his costume and we walked outside for a little while (doctor said the cool air is good for croup).

Hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween!!

The Great Grocery Challenge

2011-10-30T21:10:00.013-05:00

Walgreens: OOP $13.44, Saved $11.20!

Target: OOP $7.37, Saved $10.76!

Meijer: OOP $31.65, Saved $29.48!

Weekly Totals: OOP $52.46, Saved $51.44! (50% savings!)

Fall Birthdays

2011-10-24T18:35:00.000-05:00

This weekend we celebrated the birthdays of my brother, sister-in-law, nephew, and brother-in-law. It was a nice to get together and also a beautiful weekend for my nephew's football game!

His team finished their season 6-1! Way to go, Mitch!!

Happy 12th birthday!

We also celebrated my parent's 35th wedding anniversary!!

Then, we attempted to get a picture of all four grandkids together...let's just say it was quite a challenge. It might have been a little better if Drake had a nap, but I doubt it. ;-) (And, yes, he needs a haircut...desperately.)

The Great Grocery Challenge

2011-10-23T21:12:00.010-05:00

Meijer: OOP $80.96, Saved $39.58!

I also used a $35 rebate card so my OOP was actually $45.96. :-) And, I had to pick up some big ticket items - dog food, beer for the hubby, fiber supplements (thank you pregnancy), and batteries.

Ultrasound

2011-10-18T20:12:00.026-05:00

Today was the day I had been waiting for!! I was doing pretty well until about an hour before my appointment when I just got so nervous. My heart was practically beating out of my chest...so much so that the girl who took my blood pressure said she could hear my heart beating!

My doctor didn't waste any time getting to the ultrasound.

We saw baby right away and then saw the little heart beating away!

The heartrate was 167bpm and baby measured 8 weeks 1 day (closer to my original thought compared to 2 weeks ago when we were at the ER). The official due date is May 28, 2012!

8 weeks

This shirt is just like the one I wore for my belly pictures with Drake except in black. :-)

Can you tell they are pretty happy, too?

The Great Grocery Challenge

2011-10-16T09:20:00.014-05:00

Target: OOP $4.77, Saved $8.00!

Walgreens: OOP $7.28, Saved $3.50!

Meijer: OOP $32.12, Saved $39.88!

Weekly Totals: OOP $44.17, Saved $51.38! (54% savings!)

The Great Grocery Challenge

2011-10-09T19:58:00.005-05:00

Meijer: OOP $49.58, Saved $19.87

Not a great week, but hey...I did some shopping and still saved some money. :-)

ER Visit

2011-10-05T11:26:00.013-05:00

I will start this off by saying that I have never been to the ER (well, except when I was ready to deliver Drake), and I have a pretty high pain tolerance. But, about 2am on Monday morning, I woke up with the most severe abdominal pain. It was so bad that I crawled down the stairs when we decided we were heading to the hospital. We got to the emergency room about 2:30am and they took some vitals, bloodwork, did a pelvic exam and finally an ultrasound. Then, we waited...and waited...and waited. They finally came in about 6:30 with the results. My hcg level was 15,009 (doubling time of 51 hours from our draw last Monday) and the ultrasound showed a gestational sac measuring 5 weeks 2 days. Based on my LMP, I was 6 weeks 2 days, but I know this is pretty common.

I went home with instructions for bedrest until I could follow up with my doctor. At my follow up visit to my doctor yesterday afternoon, we just talked about what happened. I was hoping she would schedule an ultrasound for next week, but she wanted to wait two more weeks when I already have an appointment scheduled. So, wait I will... and try to be patient and think positive. :-)

Bloodwork

2011-10-04T08:50:00.007-05:00

So, after getting a positive home pregnancy test, I called my doctor's office first thing on Tuesday (9/20) morning. I went in for a blood test and my hcg was at 74.5 and progesterone was 19.9! We are definitely pregnant!!

I had a second beta on Thursday (9/22) and my hcg more than doubled to 246 (doubling time of 25 hours)! However, my progesterone dipped to 17.7 so I started taking prometrium twice a day until 10-12 weeks. They wanted to watch me a little more closely with our history so they scheduled two more betas.

My third beta was on Saturday, the 24th (officially 5 weeks!). My hcg was 703.9 (doubling time of 32 hours) and progesterone was 24.6!

Our final beta was on Monday (the 26th). My hcg was 1692 (doubling time of 39 hours) and progesterone was 23.8!

Even though my levels started off on the low side, I feel really good. The fact that it more than doubled each time makes me think pretty positive, but we don't have an ultrasound until October18th. I'm going to try to keep busy so that time goes by quickly. lol!!

We're just over 6 weeks along and my ultrasound is two weeks away.We are so excited, but I am definitely cautious. With everything that we have been through, I won't believe it until I see this little one's heart beating on the monitor.

The Great Grocery Challenge

2011-10-02T14:50:00.003-05:00

Walgreen's: OOP $1.05, Saved $6.00!

I haven't been very impressed with Walgreen's deals the last couple of weeks, but I had some RRs to burn...so I bought ice cream! :-)

Meijer: OOP $19.92, Saved $11.48!

CVS: OOP $34.37, Saved $35.53!

This was a pretty unusual CVS trip, but I had some ECBs to use. I picked up diapers and left with more ECBs.

Weekly Totals: OOP $55.34, Saved $53.01! (49% savings)

A Sibling for Drake? Part Two

2011-09-29T07:07:00.035-05:00

Since we couldn't do Clomid in my last cycle, I was patiently waiting for mid-September to come when we could try again. AF was due to arrive on September 17th. Saturday came and went...

I had a meeting in Chicago on Sunday...still no sign of AF.

I was home with Drake on Monday...still nothing! On my run to the grocery store, I picked up a pregnancy test, just in case. When Jason got home from work, he asked me if I took it yet...my typical response came..."no".

I hate pregnancy tests. I always felt like taking them and seeing a negative was such a waste and so disheartening. When Jason left for football practice, I just felt God telling me to take the test. This is exactly how I felt when I found out I was pregnant with Drake. So, I did.

And, the result was

POSITIVE!

To say I was shocked would be an understatement! This has NEVER happened...in all the years of trying for Drake and months of trying to have another baby, I have never seen this on a non-medicated cycle.

Now, I had to figure out how to tell Jason...and quick. He would be home in about 45 minutes. It was bath night for Drake so I ran upstairs and put "Big Brother" on the tub wall with Drake's letters. (It was the only thing I could think of that we had enough letters for...well, kind of.) When Jason came up during Drake's bath, he saw me with the camera and didn't want me to take his picture (totally normal), but I just told him to look at the tub wall. The first thing out of his mouth was, "Are you serious?" with a huge grin on his face. Then, I showed him the test.

The Great Grocery Challenge

2011-09-25T16:16:00.009-05:00

Meijer: OOP $37.42, Saved $17.33! (32% savings)

Rader Family Farms

2011-09-25T15:54:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, my college roommates came to town with their kids. On Saturday morning, we headed to Rader Farms and had so much fun.

Hudson and Drake ready to go in!

Aireol and Drake jumping on the "pillow."

An attempt to get a picture of three toddlers! lol!

Drake and Hudson loved the corn bin!! I wouldn't be surprised if they played in there for 30 minutes, seriously.

Addison, Drake and Aireol looking at the goats.

I wasn't sure if Drake would go down the slide. It was pretty dark in there, but he loved it!

Drake, Hudson and Addison

Look how much Drake has grown! He did so good...walked right up there and didn't want to get down. :-)

Click here to see last year's trip.

A Sibling for Drake? Part One

2011-09-24T16:53:00.000-05:00

After you had your first (and/or only) baby, how long did it take for the comments about number two to come along? I was actually pretty surprised. We didn't get too many questions, but maybe it's because people are aware of what it took to get Drake here. I have always wanted more than one child. I actually would love to have three. Jason thinks we should stop at two. I say it depends on what it takes to get two. :-) lol!

You know you've heard the stories about people getting pregnant right after delivering a baby that was conceived with infertility treatments. So, after Drake was born, I knew another baby so soon just wouldn't work for me. I went back on the pill. After a few months on the pill, I came to my senses and realized that this was crazy. It took me 5 years of being off the pill, 3 Clomid cycles, 3 IUIs, and 2 IVF cycles to get my little man Drake....so, I ditched it! We officially started trying for #2 in January.

I had my annual in March and talked to my doctor about the option of "starting over" with Clomid come the fall and she was totally fine with that. In April, we found out that we might be losing our amazing insurance, and I was more than a little nervous. I would get to keep my ob/gyn, but I would have to drive three hours for every appointment with my RE if that were necessary. Thankfully, the contract was extended until the end of September and then we found out that we are actually set until June 2012...yeah!

In July, Jason had another semen analysis since it had been so long since his last one. Everything came back normal, and we did Clomid for my August cycle.That cycle was kind of a mess because they believe I ovulated over a weekend when I didn't have an appointment. AF arrived a day early...August 20th.

We were planning to do another round of Clomid in August, but I had a cyst when I went in for my ultrasound. That never happened before.

To be continued...

Apple Orchard & Shopping

2011-09-19T08:35:00.000-05:00

My parents came for a visit this weekend so we headed over to one of the apple orchards nearby. The weather was absolutely perfect - upper 60s and sunny!

Drake even got his first pony ride.

(Sorry for the crooked picture - I couldn't fix it.)

After the apple orchard, we drove to the outlet mall to find Drake a pair of shoes! He had a few pairs of 5s and 5.5s that I thought would fit him this fall, but we have been squeezing his feet into them. When they measured his foot at Stride Rite, he was right at a 5 which means they suggest buying a 6.5! No wonder the shoes weren't fitting. I found a cute pair of brown shoes, but we still need a pair of tennis shoes for him.

We did a little more shopping and had to get a caramel apple for a snack. :-)

The Great Grocery Challenge

2011-09-18T20:37:00.001-05:00

Walgreens: OOP $20.93, Saved $25.50!

Not my best Walgreens trip, but I got some pretty cheap diapers and wipes which we needed.

Target: OOP $20.64, Saved $18.01!

Pretty nice trip even if I had to pick up a couple things without coupons.

Jewel: OOP $22.10, Saved $41.00!

I don't typically shop at Jewel, but they had a great deal on Jack's pizza. I also ended up getting a coupon for $2/$25 in my email so I picked up quite a few canned vegetables and some sand toys for Drake's first trip to the beach next spring!

Meijer: OOP $40.62, Saved $21.28!

The hubs made a trip to Meijer to pick up a few things for his "boys weekend". :-)

Weekly Totals: OOP $104.29, Saved $105.79!

So, I went quite a bit over my budget this week, but my last few weeks were under.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-14T09:40:00.000-05:00

Drake loves being pulled around the house on this blanket. What a fun ride!

The Great Grocery Challenge

2011-09-11T20:30:00.029-05:00

Target: OOP $4.58, saved $6.05

Love some super cheap Kleenex - 16 boxes...$.29 each! One thing I have realized is that Target's receipts aren't a true representation of the savings. It doesn't take into account how much the store has already marked down the item. For example, the Kleenex boxes were originally $3.29, but they were clearanced down to $2.54.

Meijer: OOP $19.00, saved $29.75!

Aldi: OOP $15.65
This was my first time shopping at Aldi's. There some things I needed to make a dessert this week and I didn't have coupons so I thought I would try them out. I was suprised at how many name brand items they had in the store. You definitely have to watch the prices...milk was $.18 more than Meijer when on sale, but eggs were $.30 cheaper. I don't like not knowing how much I saved, but I know I got some deals. :-)

Weekly Total: OOP $39.28, Saved $38.50+!

2011-09-08T19:41:00.000-05:00

Pinterest...have you heard of it? Are you on it already?

If you aren't sure about it, here's a little bit about it from their website:

Pinterest is a Virtual Pinboard.
Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.

Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.

So, to say I'm hooked would be an understatement! I LOVE it!

I am not a big cook and I don't like to spend a lot of time searching around for new recipes and Pinterest has helped me with that. Here are the recipes we have tried so far:

Crockpot BBQ Chicken

Glazed Doughnut Muffins

Slow Cooker Beef Dip Sandwiches

Crockpot BBQ Beef

Chicken Roll Ups

Garlic Herb Potato Wedges

Lemon & Garlic Grilled Chicken

We have loved everything except the Chicken Roll Ups.

There are lots of other things on there, too, from fashion ideas to saying and verses to photo ideas to diy projects.

Here's something so simple that I never thought of but did recently - http://pinterest.com/pin/85405222/!

And, this is my next project - http://pinterest.com/pin/79312865/!

If you want to check it out, let me know, and I'll send you an invite.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-07T08:16:00.000-05:00

We got this "tricycle" from our neighbors shortly after Drake was born. Jason brought it up from the basement last week and Drake can't get enough of it! He LOVES it!

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-06T20:30:00.000-05:00

We have had a GREAT weekend! It was the perfect blend of busy and calmness. Unfortunately, I wasn't so good at taking pictures. :-)

Friday: I took off work and Drake and I had a playdate with my friend, Mel, and her daughter, Ayla. Since it was in the upper 90s, instead of going to the zoo, we decided to go swimming instead. I think they had fun except that Drake bit Ayla! I cannot wait until he grows out of this. He's done it twice at daycare now and then this time. I know it's because he gets frustrated, but I feel awful. In the afternoon, Jason went to a work gathering and I cleaned while Drake napped.Then, we had a new dinner that I found on Pinterest!

Saturday: We went to the zoo in the morning and then while Drake napped, I finished up cleaning. It was as in the upper 90s again so we had friends over to swim in the afternoon. We swam for about 2 hours and then a storm/cold front came through and the temperature dropped quickly.

Sunday: It was in the low 70s when we woke up...can I just say, beautiful?!?! We went to church and then after nap, we went to Target and out for dinner. It was so nice that we were able to play outside until bedtime. Drake loves playing outside which is like a double-edged sword because he doesn't want to come in when it's time.

Monday: We had another beautiful day in the 70s! We watched 1.5 hours of the Labor Day Parade in Bloomington (It lasted 2.5 hours!). After Drake's nap we went to a cookout at our friend's house.

The Clutts Family

Reggie Redbird

(Like I said, I didn't do too well taking pictures...didn't even get one of our family at the parade.)

The Great Grocery Challenge

2011-09-04T18:30:00.031-05:00

Walgreens: OOP $2.44, Saved $30.42!

The only negative is that I didn't walk out with any Register Rewards. :-(

Target: OOP $3.51, Saved $11.02!
More free Cascade!

Meijer: OOP $37.07, Saved $49.74!

And, I'm submitting for the $10 P&G rebate! yeah!!

CVS: OOP $1.44, Saved $5.20!

Another good deal on milk!

Weekly Total: OOP $44.46, Saved $96.38! (68% savings!)

Happy Birthday, Carter!

2011-08-29T06:18:00.000-05:00

This weekend, we headed north to celebrate my high school friend's son's birthday! We had perfect weather for the party, and I was really glad Jason was able to join us this year.

Check out Carter's cake! Pretty cool, huh?

The family - Jonathan, Jackie, Carter & Luc\

All the kids at the party!

Waiting patiently for his cake. :-) (Such a big boy sitting at the picnic table.)

There was a small play area right next to the pavilion that the kids loved! Drake loved going down the slides, climbing and this "piano".

Present time.

I just loved this picture!

Lucy is 15 months old, Clara is 14 months old, and Drake is 18 months old

Hope you had a wonderful birthday party weekend, Carter!

The Great Grocery Challenge

2011-08-28T11:24:00.025-05:00

Walgreens: OOP $1.55, Saved $16.44!!

I was shocked when these Lean Pockets rang up at $.75 each! I didn't even have to use my manufacturers coupon. This is the price after using just the coupon in the monthly coupon book. What a deal!

CVS: OOP $1.23, Saved $24.08!

Target: OOP $11.79, Saved $10.80!

Perfect timing on the Swiffer refills, and you can't beat free dishwasher detergent!

Meijer: OOP $16.43, Saved $21.96!

Weekly Totals: OOP $31.00, Saved $73.28! (70% savings!)

Update

2011-08-25T15:06:00.000-05:00

I am feeling the need for an update here on the blog, but it seems like every time I sit down to type something up, my mind goes blank. So, I'll do my best (in number form). :-)

1. I have this nasty cold that everyone seems to be getting at the end of summer. It all started with a sore throat on Friday night and then turned into the sinus mess. I'm really hoping it will be gone tomorrow, but for now I'm loving Ny.quil and Day.quil.

2. My cousin, Andy, suffered a stroke earlier this week at the young age of 23. He's stationed in Korea with the US Air Force and is there with no family around. His dad is supposed to fly over this weekend, but he could really use your prayers.

3. For the past year or so, Jason has wanted a sprinkler system instead of running the hoses out every time the grass needed watering. I agreed about a month ago, and they are coming next week to put it in. Yea for green grass!

4. Work is getting extremely busy. It's good because I need to be there even though I want to be home more. More on this topic to come in a future post...

5. This little guy you see here is getting SO big! I cannot even believe he is already 18 months old. I love him so much.

6. I'm so ready for #2! Again...more on this to come in a future blog post.

Happy Thursday!

(Pictures taken by Studio Barbie)

The Great Grocery Challenge

2011-08-21T10:24:00.021-05:00

Walgreens: OOP $12.26, Saved $44.56!

Meijer: OOP $32.73, Saved $24.05!
Not a bad trip since I picked up a few things that weren't on sale (sugar, cinnamon, batteries).

CVS: OOP $0.39, Saved $5.03!
I was really hoping to get the great deal on the Huggies Slip-On diapers this week, but out of my four stores...none of them had them by Tuesday! This is when I wished shopping worked for me on Sundays. Instead, I just went in for their free items (which you can see really aren't free when you have to pay sales tax...still a good deal).

Sam's Club: OOP $2.99, Saved $0!
I needed to stop somewhere for milk and I thought they would be the same price or cheaper on milk than running into Meijer. Boy was I wrong! Meijer had milk on sale for $2.50 this week. oops!

Weekly Totals: OOP $48.37, Saved $73.64 (60% savings)

Half Marathon Finisher!

2011-08-15T08:06:00.000-05:00

I am SO proud of my hubby! Jason ran the Rock 'N Roll Half Marathon with his friend, Matt, in Chicago yesterday. They had some pretty hot and humid days to train in, but the weather on race day was perfect! It was in the upper 60s/lower 70s and there was even a slight sprinkle during the race.

Ready to head out -- 5:30am!

Poor kiddo...had to wake him up early after a late night including dinner at Dick's Last Resort (what a fun place!).

Waiting for the race to start...

There they are! Jason is on the left and his friend, Matt, is on the right (both white shirts).

Just started - 6:36am!

2 miles down!

6.5 miles! (He's high-fiving some of our cheering section.)

Almost there!! (Just before the finish line)

Matt & Jason

Our cheering section

Us! :-)

Four years ago, Jason trained with the Leukemia & Lymphoma to run the half and finished in 02:13:38. He ran a couple 5K races since and then nothing until he started training for this year's half in April.

This year his time was 02:07:43!

Excellent job, Jason and Matt!!

The Great Grocery Challenge

2011-08-14T10:59:00.036-05:00

Meijer: OOP $36.53, Saved $35.45!

I know this looks like just okay savings, but I have two great things to note from my trips to Meijer this week. The first is that I love when the catalina machine prints out a $5 off $50 or more in Meijer gift cards. I always purchase a $50 gift card for $45....$5 savings off the top and I know I'm going to be shopping there. The 2nd item is that my 2nd trip to Meijer was done with NO coupons. So, just know that you can save money without even using coupons. (During this trip, I spent $23.12 and saved $23.77.)

Walgreens: OOP $6.44, Saved $26.55!

Target: OOP $7.01, Saved $14.52!

Weekly Total: OOP $49.98, Saved $76.52!

Wordless Wednesday: 18 Month Pictures

2011-08-10T12:16:00.003-05:00

Thanks to Barbie for taking Drake's 18 month pictures on Saturday. He did pretty well and the weather was perfect. Here's a link to a bigger picture!

Birthday Weekend

2011-08-08T10:57:00.000-05:00

This past weekend was my family's birthday celebration for the summer at our house!

My brother and sister-in-law

My niece, Nicole

My sister and her son, Reid

My nephew, Mitchell

All four grandkids - Nicole, Mitchell, Drake, and Reid

The Great Grocery Challenge

2011-08-07T19:50:00.000-05:00

Walgreens: OOP $7.20, Saved $21.20!

CVS: OOP $4.52, Saved $26.14!

Meijer: OOP $13.23, Saved 9.79!

Weekly Total: OOP $24.95, Saved $57.13! (70% savings!)

18 Month Dr. Appointment

2011-08-05T16:18:00.000-05:00

Today was Drake's 18 month doctor appointment. I don't remember if I mentioned this a while back, but our insurance coverage was up in the air for a while a couple months ago. The contract got extended until the end of September, and I'm so glad it did! This meant that Drake got to see Dr. Rosa again today. We just love her. You can see that she genuinely likes kids and wants to take care of them.

Weight - 22lbs 14oz (13th percentile)- gained 1 pound

Length - 31.25inches (22nd percentile) - grew 1 inch

Playing cars with dad while waiting.

Coloring on the paper.

And, someone found a calculator! :-)

It's getting harder and harder to get pictures of him at the appointments. I'm thinking his 2 year appointment will be it. Dr. Rosa was very pleased with where Drake is at developmentally. Again, the biggest concern is safety. You might be able to see that nice scratch below his left eye. I guess he fell against the sandbox at daycare this week. Perfect timing for his 18-month pictures tomorrow, huh? And, yes, he probably should have had a haircut before them, but I was nervous that the barber would cut it too short. Needless to say, these could be some interesting pictures tomorrow.

County Fair

2011-08-05T07:15:00.000-05:00

In high school, I was at our county fair every night with my friends. Since leaving home, I haven't been. I'm sure some of you are thinking..."Yeah, so what?", but to me the fair was a lot of fun. Jason's employer used to have a lunch at the fair each year, but we were usually out of town or had other plans. They don't do this anymore. This year, we bought the discount tickets through his work so we could take Drake. We weren't there very long since we both had to work yesterday and Drake goes to bed at 7:30pm, but we had a good time.

In the Ergo, ready to go in! (This was much better than trying to push a stroller and get it all dirty.)

Feeding the goats. Drake wasn't too sure about it. He liked to look at them, but this was the only time he let the goat get the food out of his hand.

Walking with daddy - trying to decide what fair food we were going to eat.

Corn dog!

We walked through all of the animals, a little bit of the 4-H exhibits and through the rides. Drake was so worn out, he almost fell asleep on my back. We skipped the funnel cake, but it's definitely on the list for next year! I'm sure he'll be up for some of the rides and maybe even a pony ride next year, too!

18 months!

2011-08-03T10:04:00.001-05:00

Dear Drake,

Your daddy and I simply cannot believe you have already been here on this earth for 18 months! Where has the time gone? You are getting so big and learning new things every day. We are so blessed to have you here and call you our son.

In the past three months, you:

got SIX new teeth! In just a four week period, you got all four of your one-year molars as well as two more bottom incisors. It seems that this is how you will teethe - a bunch at one time and then nothing. Thankfully, you do pretty well. This makes for a total of 12 teeth!

moved your bedtime to 7:30pm and dropped your morning nap (16 months).You now nap from 12-3pm.

learned a few body parts! The first one was your belly button! When we ask you where your belly button is, you lift up your shirt and point to it. Now, you can point to your toes and nose as well as your little boy part. Of course daddy doesn't use the proper term, but your momma does. :-)

learned lots of words! You have about 25 words right now including momma, dadda, woah, wow, uh oh, go, dog, shoo (shoes), no, mo (more), sigh (outside), nack (snack), cacker (cracker), car, blue, cocoa (you spilled it on the floor and repeated daddy), door, ball, duck, bubble, baby (there is a new baby at daycare), truck, nigh nigh, papa, gamma (grandma), peass (please), and buh bye. You can sign for more and wave bye bye, too!

discovered dips! We gave you ketchup once and now you love to dip your food in ketchup or barbeque sauce.

still love to play in water or outside, but you like doing puzzles, building with your mega blocks, and reading books, too!

learned how to open the doors! We have the lever handles, and you are just tall enough to reach the handle and open the door. You are also tall enough to reach the buttons on the washing machine and dishwasher.And, you've burst in the restroom on momma already, too. You have also figured out how to flush the toilet. This makes me a little nervous because I am afraid you'll start putting things in there that don't belong.;-)

Miss Alicia started putting you on the potty chair and you have gone a couple times! We don't think you're ready to completely potty train, but we'll start working with you.

You wear mostly size 18 month clothes although your swim trunks and lots of shorts that are size 12 months still fit.

You wear size 4 diapers and size 5 shoe.

You are getting so independent and just a blast to be around

Love,
Momma

Happy Monday!

2011-08-01T09:46:00.001-05:00

I saw this on another blog and thought it was just perfect! And...oh so true!

Happy Monday!

The Great Grocery Challenge

2011-07-31T13:59:00.040-05:00

CVS: OOP $12.55, Saved $59.98!

This was actually done in two trips since I didn't have the softsoap coupons on my first trip. My oop was a little (ok, a lot) more than usual at CVS, but it was still a pretty good week there. And, I'm sad to say that my gift card I purchased a couple months ago is gone. :-(

Walgreens: OOP $2.19, Saved $17.38!

Kroger: OOP $2.70, Saved $1.31!

Meijer: OOP $43.71, Saved $26.95!

Definitely not my best week at Meijer. I bought quite a few things without coupons since I want to try a few new recipes next week (from Pinterest!)

Weekly Totals: OOP $61.15, Saved $105.62! (63% savings)

Seven Random Facts

2011-07-29T09:29:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Jamie at Sticky Feet Part Deux for the Blog Award! You might remember that Jamie is the blog friend I met in person a few weeks ago. We live about 45 minutes away from each other and went to the same RE. :-) The rules of this award are simple: list 7 things about yourself and pass the award on to 7 other bloggers. Easy enough!

1. I love my job and working at the university, but I really want to work part-time. This is weighing on me pretty heavily. I just feel that I need more time with Drake. He's growing so quickly. So, the first thing I'm doing is starting to use my vacation days even when we don't have something planned and not feeling guilty about taking a sick day if I need to. Last week, our sitter's son had a fever so I was home with Drake for two days...it was wonderful!

2. We've been so blessed with Drake, yet I can't imagine not giving him a sibling. Here's hoping to a little brother or sister for him in 2012. I'm sure I'll be posting more about this soon.

3. I'm a saver, but there are times when I like to spend, too, which makes Number 1 that much more difficult. It's pretty obvious about my saving side, so why does it seem like the things we spend money on are SO expensive. Jason had been wanting an iPad and a sprinkler system for a long time...those are both pretty expensive items! BUt, since we've been doing so well saving, we splurged. :-)

4. We don't have cable tv, and I don't miss it one bit! We have an antenna so we can still get the basic channels, and we have Netflix streaming.

5. Speaking of Netflix streaming...I am loving Army Wives! It was a show that I liked when I could catch it on tv, but I never watched it regularly. Now that it's available on Netflix, I'm hooked. I bet I could tear up during every episode. Jason was actually making fun of me last night when I had to watch one more episode before bed (it was already 10pm!) to see if Denise and Frank went through with the divorce.

6. I love summer and just about everything that goes along with it, but I hate shorts/capris. Okay, maybe it's not that I hate them, but I hate shopping for them. Why can I never find some that I like? I have one pair of jean capris that are probably 10 years old...no joke. If anyone has suggestions for good shorts or capris, let me know!

7. I have a major sweet tooth! I love cake, ice cream, brownies, cookies, candies, you name it! Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream is my favorite...love Cold Stone Creamery. yummy!! I've also got a new addiction to Pinterest which isn't helping - too many awesome recipes I want to try on there.

I tag Kate, Elaine, Twinside Out, Tammy, Erin, Exploring Chaos, and Tonya!

Worldless Wednesday: Car Wash

2011-07-27T09:30:00.010-05:00

(ugh...sorry for the sideways picture!)

What we've been up to...

2011-07-24T21:05:00.001-05:00

Jason was in Chicago last week for a training class and Drake couldn't go to the sitter's on Monday so we decided to drive up on Sunday. We spent the afternoon at IKEA and Woodfield Mall and had dinner at Cheesecake Factory. I've been looking for a table or something for our entryway as well as a new table and chairs for our kitchen. No purchases, here, but we did see a few things we liked. Our waitress at the restaurant was wonderful. After all this media about restaurants and airlines wanting to ban children, it's nice to know that there are still places that are accommodating. We're at the stage with Drake where I almost hate to order him a kid's meal because most of it gets wasted, but I don't always want to get something I'm sure he'll eat. Our waitress ended up bringing us some cut up banana, their homemade applesauce and some cooked carrots a little softer than they normally do. And, these were her suggestions! We will definitely go back there.

On Monday, Drake and I visited my friend from college, her sister, and her sister's new daughter, Demi. I got to snuggle her for a bit and feed her a bottle...such a cutie and a what a reminder of how quickly time passes. It seems like I was just holding Drake like that. We had lunch and headed home.

Tuesday and Wednesday were pretty normal and then I was able to stay home with Drake on Thursday and Friday because our sitter's son had a fever. We went to the splash park and had a picnic lunch with my friend, Melissa, and her girls on Thursday morning and Friday we went grocery shopping. It was SO nice spending that extra time with Drake. Jason got home Friday afternoon and Drake was so excited to see him.

We left early on Saturday morning for Drake's first camping experience! My brother and his family have a camper and go regularly with some other family and their friends so we were excited to meet up with them for one night. Drake slept about an hour of the trip there and skipped his afternoon nap (I know...bad mommy!), but he did great! It was rainy when we got there but then it got hot and sunny. We swam in the pool and played in the afternoon until bedtime. We managed to get him to bed at a fairly normal time since my aunt's camper had a rocking chair (Thanks, Kelly!). He usually goes to bed on his own in his crib, but this was a different location, and we were attempting to just put him down on my brother's bed. He did wake up once but I think it was a night terror or something because he ended up going back to sleep without a problem...thankfully no one else was sleeping yet so he didn't wake anyone up. (sorry about the rotated pictures...I dropped my camera a while back and I think that's the problem...oops!)

Enjoying a drink during a break from swimming!

Dancing poolside!

Swimming with Aunt Kelly!

Me and my sister-in-law Kelly

me and Jason (goofy!)

me with my niece, Nicole

Eating breakfast before we headed home.

I can see many more trips like this in our future. We all had a great time!

The Great Grocery Challenge

2011-07-24T11:12:00.024-05:00

Not a great week, but I guess you'll have some of those...

Walgreens: OOP $20.28, Saved 54.08!

So, The $5/5 Kellogg's coupon that was only available for a short time last week came into good use this week. Kellogg's cereals were on sale for $2 so each box was only $1 and with 4 codes, I'll send in for a $5 gas card. The bad was the wipes...I thought they were on sale for $2.49 with a $1/1 Walgreens coupon and my $.50/1 coupon which would have made them $.99 (what I typically like to pay), but they were actually $3.49! oops...

Meijer: OOP $40.80, Saved $8.39!

Weekly Total: OOP $61.08, Saved $62.47! (51% savings)

The Great Grocery Challenge

2011-07-17T20:42:00.018-05:00

Walgreens: OOP $3.25, Saved $13.32!

CVS: OOP $0, Saved $3.19!
Got my free milk after buying 5 gallons.

Meijer: OOP $32.22, Saved $47.35!

We had a cookout with a bunch of neighbors at our house on Friday so I had to get some things I normally wouldn't. Still not a bad trip!

Weekly Total: OOP $35.47, Saved $63.86! (64% savings)

Wordless Wednesday: Sprinkler

2011-07-13T10:08:00.003-05:00

Jason was watering the lawn, and Drake thought it was the perfect time to try out the sprinkler. As you can see, he LOVED it!!

Happy 4th Birthday, Caden!

2011-07-11T20:36:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, we celebrated Caden's 4th birthday! I cannot believe he is already four. I still remember the day he was born like yesterday - Jason was out of town working and I had a conference in town. It was a Sunday morning and Caleb (Caden's dad) called me pretty early to say that Karen's water broke, and they were at the hospital. We knew she was having a c-section because Caden was breach so I got ready for the day and headed to the hospital. He spent a week in the NICU because shortly after he was born, they realized that he had a whole in his lung. After he was home, I was at Karen's at least once a week to hold and love on this little boy. Now, look at him!

Candy necklace! It was so funny watching him and his friends take bites off of this!!

Drake had a great time playing with the kids, too. We weren't prepared for playing in the pool, but thankfully Karen had a swim diaper and shorts Drake could wear.

Happy 4th Birthday, Caden!

The Great Grocery Challenge

2011-07-10T21:54:00.020-05:00

CVS: OOP $2.98, Saved $55.39!

I had a 2nd trip to CVS for milk and more skittles. :-)

Meijer: OOP $18.54, Saved $20.77!

Target: OOP $30.94, Saved $18.25!

Not such a great trip, but I had to pick up some last minute items for Jason's canoe trip weekend.

Weekly Total: OOP $52.46, Saved $94.41! (64% savings!)

Wordless Wednesday: Books

2011-07-06T09:44:00.000-05:00

Don't you read your books upside down? ;-)

Staycation!

2011-07-05T07:45:00.000-05:00

Yep...I had a little staycation this week thanks to some comp time and vacation days to use up by the end of the fiscal year! I could certainly get used to this. :-) Here's a little snippet of our week:

On Monday, Drake and I had lunch with two ladies who used to work in my office and then he took a 3.5 hour nap when we got home!

On Tuesday, we headed about an hour north to meet my blog friend, Jamie! I wasn't nervous at all, but I'm not sure I can say the same for Jason. lol! I've been following her blog for a few years now and feel like I know her already. All of our kiddos are here thanks for Dr. J. She was just what I pictured in real life. :-) Drake had a great time playing with the trio while Jamie and I chatted and then we went out for lunch. I didn't do so well in the area of pictures, but here are a few:

Ready to hit the road!

Coloring with the girls!

Bo & Drake at lunch

An attempt at getting a pic of all four kiddos - Bo, Drake, Anna, Clara

And, an attempt at getting all of us in a picture. lol!

I can't wait to get together again and can't believe it's taken us so long to plan this trip! (Click here for her post about the trip.)

On Wednesday, Aireol spent the day with us! Drake actually went to daycare in the morning while we had our annual evaluation and then he took a great nap while Aireol and I hung out by the pool.

On Thursday, we went to State Farm pool with my friend, Melissa, and her girls. We went once last year, but the water was so cold that Drake didn't even get in. Today was perfect. He splashed around in the kiddie pool for about an hour before we had lunch and headed home for his nap.

On Friday, daddy was home with us! We spent most of the day at home, and then took dessert to some friends before my parents came to visit.

I think I could really get used to being home with Drake all the time! :-)

Happy 4th of July!!!

2011-07-04T21:30:00.000-05:00

Waiting for the parade to start...

Drake and Momma

The Tin Lizzies!! (Drake loved watching them.)

We watched the parade with our friends - the Herren boys!

Our friends - Emily, Nic, and Toni!

Jason's Aunt Sandy and Uncle Otto drove their car in the parade. (They were in the Memorial Day parade, too, but we were expecting to see them. Needless to say, we were prepared this time!)

Freedom is not free and I am thankful to the One who paid for my eternal freedom and to the soliders who are paying for my freedom here on earth. Happy 4th of July!!! (Thanks, Elaine!)

The Great Grocery Challenge

2011-07-03T20:01:00.025-05:00

Walgreens: OOP $3.30, Saved $20.03!

Meijer: OOP $51.86, Saved $59.32!

CVS: OOP $.97, Saved $23.21!

Weekly Total: OOP $56.13, Saved $102.56!! (65% savings!)

Wordless Wednesday: Drake & Momma

2011-06-29T07:57:00.000-05:00

I love this little guy!!

Our Weekend

2011-06-27T07:27:00.000-05:00

Last week was absolutely insane for me at work. I had three groups in at the same time as well as a two-day meeting before they all arrived. Now, I am looking forward to having this week off (well, except for this morning when I have to run in for about an hour). Anyway, after my last group left on Saturday, we met a friend and his two kiddos at the zoo in the morning and Jason and I were able to have a date on Saturday night! A big thanks to Jason's niece, Kali, for watching Drake after spending her entire week at CIY. Our date night consisted of going to dinner, Lowe's and getting ice cream. Pretty exciting, I know. Why did we go to Lowe's, you ask?

About five years ago, we painted our kitchen a bright yellow. Ever since painting it, I haven't been able to figure out what to do in our living room (the walls touch). After having my free sample (;-)) of Valspar paint here for over a month, I finally slapped some on the wall in our kitchen to see how it would look. I loved it! It matched our countertop really well and made the white baseboards and trim "pop" so we were on a paint run to Lowe's during our date!

So, this is what we spent pretty much all day Sunday doing:

Kitchen - BEFORE

Kitchen - AFTER

Hallway - BEFORE

Hallway - AFTER

Living Room - BEFORE

Living Room - AFTER

I considered doing our entryway this same color, but I think it would be a little too dark. Right now, those walls are the lighter color that was on the living room walls. I think we'll keep it this color, but we definitely need to re-paint. It hasn't been touched since the builder painted in 2004.

The Great Grocery Challenge

2011-06-26T21:58:00.000-05:00

Walgreens: OOP $4.06, Saved $29.96!

Meijer: OOP $18.23, Saved $29.65!

Target: OOP $3.02, Saved $11.05!

CVS: OOP $.94, Saved $10.59!

I was able to use my Zyrtec raincheck and make it a $5 money maker! I'm pretty glad my sister called saying she would take it off my hands, too!

Weekly Total: OOP $26.25, Saved $81.25! (76% Savings!)

Wordless Wednesday: Bike Trailer

2011-06-22T15:11:00.001-05:00

We found this at my neighbor's garage sale last weekend. I was so excited to try it out and Drake loved it, too! It looks practically brand new and seems very lightweight. I'm looking forward to many more bike rides.

The Great Grocery Challenge

2011-06-19T21:52:00.021-05:00

CVS: OOP $2.42, Saved $12.72! (Still working on that gift card. :-))

(*One gallon milk not pictured)

Walgreens: OOP $7.53, Saved $35.66!

Meijer: OOP $30.39, Saved $60.77!

Target: OOP $.78 (plus tax), Saved $6.00!

I just picked up a couple shave creams at Target along with some cards this week.

WEEKLY TOTAL: OOP $41.12, Saved $115.15 (74% savings!)

Friends

2011-06-18T15:11:00.000-05:00

My dear friend's dad was in a serious motorcycle accident last week so I've watched her girls a couple times when she and her husband needed to be there. This past Tuesday, I brought the girls to my house so I could be with Drake while Jason was helping build a playset for one of our neighbors. My friend has a six year old (E) and a 15 month old (A). Yep! Her youngest is only 6 weeks younger than Drake.

E was such a good helper with dinner and playing with the kids and even with bath time.

Granted it was only one night, but I imagine this is what it would be like if I had a 6 year old and twin 1 year olds. :-)

We are so thankful that my friend's dad is doing well and improving every day. There have been some scary moments, but he is out of ICU and into a regular room now! All we can do is praise God for answering the many, many prayers over him, the family and the doctors/nurses at the hospital.

Wordless Wednesday: New Toy!

2011-06-15T08:00:00.000-05:00

I've been looking for something like this the past couple months and finally found one at a garage sale! We also bought a Little Tykes turtle sandbox last weekend that is currently being used as a mini pool/water toy. The next item on my list is a plastic kid's picnic table or table and chairs for outside. :)

The Great Grocery Challenge

2011-06-12T19:52:00.036-05:00

Walgreens: OOP $22.61, saved $59.47!

CVS: OOP $5.82, saved $37.93!

*These were my 4th and 5th transactions (milk isn't pictured) on a $25 gift card and there is still some left...not too bad!

Meijer: OOP $31.31, saved $35.26!

Weekly Total: OOP $59.74, saved $132.66! (69% savings)

Oops...a little over budget this week, but I have great Register Rewards and Extra Care Bucks to roll, so hopefully there will be some great deals to be had coming up!

Coupons and Stockpiling

2011-06-10T20:41:00.000-05:00

Last night, I met with some ladies in my neighborhood and a few of their friends to talk about couponing. It felt great to help others realize how much they could save, and I think they were pretty impressed, too.

Since they found it helpful, I figured I would share a few tips here for those that are interested.

1. If you are already shopping at a store where you use a "savers" card, you can load coupons to it! Visit cellfire.com, register your card and begin selecting coupons.

If you shop at Target, visit Target.com for coupons to print.
If you shop at CVS, make sure you have their card as well as the green bag tag and scan both on every visit!
If you shop at Meijer, visit Meijermealbox.com for coupons and sign up and load coupons at www2.meijer.com/mperks
Stores that have their own coupons typically allow you to use a manufacturer coupon and a store coupon on the same item!

2. Take advantage of websites that already provide sale matchups with coupons.

hip2save.com (CVS & Walgreens)
totallytarget.com (Target)
spectacularsavings.net (Meijer)

If you are interested in couponing, focus on one store to begin with (the store you shop at most often). Learn all you can and get some great deals!

I have a nice small stockpile...NOTHING like those on Extreme Couponing, but one of my favorite parts of couponing is that I have so much more to donate to those who need it! And, it's not costing me any more. It's actually costing me less than I used to spend on groceries alone.

If you're reading this and have a question you want to ask, leave me a comment. I'll answer all of your questions in a post later this month.

Wordless Wednesday: Porch

2011-06-08T14:29:00.000-05:00

We have lived in the house for seven years and never had anything on the front porch. I know...sad, right? Jason remembered that some friends left the two flower pots when they moved (that was three years ago) so he painted them black for me, and we bought some flowers. Then, I found those chairs at Meijer (only $12.99 each). The flowers aren't doing great, but they look really cute when they are flowering and the doormat ties it all together perfectly. I just love the bright green chairs, and I'm so glad to have something on my porch.

Pool Party...take 2!

2011-06-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

We attempted a pool party Memorial Day weekend only to find out that the motor for our pool cover wasn't working. It has since started working again, but we now have a back up motor just in case. :-) Anyway, we invited friends over on Saturday to swim. The day started off hot and steamy - perfect for the pool!

It was nice to able to let Drake float and play in the ring this year. He could barely sit in this last year.

Aren't these the most adorable footprints you've seen?

Drake with daddy in the pool.

Our buddy, Harken, enjoying a little time outside.

Beckett had lots of fun in the pool!

The guys - Brandon, Jason, and Matt

And, the ladies - Mande, Kate, me

It sprinkled off and on and then got pretty cloudy and cool. I'm looking forward to many more days in the pool this summer.

The Great Grocery Challenge - Week 32

2011-06-05T14:34:00.026-05:00

Cub Foods: OOP $0, saved $17.32!

Purina Beggin' Strips were on sale B1G1 Free (I picked up four.), and I used my coupon for FREE Uncle Ben's rice.

Sams Club: OOP $20.94, saved $0!

We purchased burgers, hot dog buns and hamburger buns for our memorial day party. At least the hot dogs were from my stockpile. ;-)

Meijer: OOP $23.42, saved $34.92!

Target : OOP $7.87, saved $10.28!

Weekly Total: OOP $52.23, saved $62.52!

Wordless Wednesday: Stock Pot

2011-06-01T10:30:00.000-05:00

This pot is in the one cabinet Drake can get into in the kitchen. He pulls it out just about every night. On Thursday, he was got inside of it!