A Fun Filled Day

We packed a lot of action into today. Chris left early to run his first Azalea Trail Run in over 20 years. I made Raisin Bran muffins (with the sale Raisin Bran I bought!!) and got the boys dressed. PopPop headed over to help me push this...

While we did this...

Chris did this...

Chris, we are so proud of you! Although you didn't win like the boys had hoped, you did great on your first race! It was fun watching you get excited...reminded me of my racing days many years ago. I look forward to joining you on an ATR in the future.

Afterward, we joined Uncle Cameron and Aunt Heather for lunch at the Original Oyster House. The boys were well behaved, and we had a great lunch. Cameron and Heather are so fun to be around...remind me of Chris and I many years ago!

In the afternoon, I took Mom and the three boys to my cousin, Christina's, little boy's first birthday party. We had a great time at the carnival themed party.

Philip and Daniel tasted cotton candy for the first time. Right as we walked in, Anna offered Philip some. He politely said, "no thank you." Daniel took it without hesitation and then Philip quickly changed his mind.

The boys were not the only ones to enjoy the treat...

We played games...

exchanged tickets for prizes...

visited with family...

had our hands painted...

and enjoyed cupcakes...

It was a fun party and a great day to celebrate with family we do not see very often. I hope Davison has a great second year!!

Couponing

Why, oh why, am I blogging right now? There's so much sewing to be done...but oh well. I have to share the exciting couponing trip I had this week.

I spent an hour this morning (while the big boys were at school and William was napping...should have been sewing, but I digress...) organizing my trip to Winn-Dixie. Yes, it took me that long!

I went...bought an overflowing buggy full of groceries and spent $98. According to the receipt, I saved $70! I was quite proud!!

I did make two rookie mistakes. One, I used http://www.southernsavers.com/ to search out Winn-Dixie match-ups. I'm not sure where this blog writer is from, but she had two things on sale that were not on sale at my local Winn-Dixie. I will remember to double check this next time. Also, I missed a "peelie" coupon off of an item that would have increased my savings.

I have learned the trick of matching up coupons with B1G1 and/or sale items. The best deal I got was: 2 boxes of Ziploc gallon storage bags and 2 bottles of Windex for a total of $1!!!! I matched an SC Johnson company rebate, a Winn-Dixie sale, and 2 coupons to get over $9 off.

So on the "cook what's on sale" track of mind, Daniel and I made these for dessert tonight.

The cake mix and frosting were both half off at WD and I had a coupon for both too. I generally make my own frosting, but couldn't resist the sale and ease for tonight. Dee and PawPaw were having us all over for a carb heaving dinner the night before Chris and Cameron run the Azalea Trail Run. Philip and I ended up staying home due to the most painful ear infection I have seen one of my boys suffer through. Hope those antibiotics kick in soon!!

I will leave you with what William did while Daniel and I baked...

Happy Saving!!

A Few, Quick Sayings and Thoughts....

One man's trash is another's treasure...


On Tuesday, I spent the day trying to work on my lenten practice of ridding the house of 40 bags of stuff. If you remember, I had done about 9 bags in late February. I had done nothing since then. So the boys and I filled up a bag with trash and a box with books that we do not read. Philip has become such a packrat recently...asking for anything that Chris or I are about to put in the trashcan. I thought it was a good idea to involve them in the process.

When William woke from his nap, we headed to GranGran and PopPop's for lunch. The boys were out on their porch when they discovered GranGran's "junk drawer." GranGran was cleaning out herself and put her junk outside. The boys were thrilled. They both came home with what they called their "treasure!"

What was in the bag....candles, old kitchen cabinet knobs, velcro, shoelaces, clothespins, a compass, parts to an old gas grill, and so much more!!

Rub a dub dub, three men in a tub...


At 11 months, William has finally progressed to taking a bath in the big bathtub. I have to admit that I was a little nervous because his older brothers are a little rambunctious in the bathtub, but he's held his own. He loves the water...even tries to crawl in the tub!

Patience is a virtue...

Believe it or not, this one does not relate to the kids. Here's three books I'm dying to read. The Dan Brown is a borrow from sister Susan, but the others I ordered from amazon.com. I don't generally order books anymore because I don't have much time to read, they are expensive, and I am running out of room.

Balancing Acts is a first novel by my high school friend, Zoe Fishman. I ordered it to support her, and I am dying to get started on it! I think it's quite cool to read a book by someone I know well!

The Gift of an Ordinary Day was an impulse purchase. The night I planned to order Zoe's book, I got an e-mail from my aunt Meme with a link to this author reading an excerpt. I sat crying as I listened to her read. She expressed my thoughts so well. I feel such a constant battle between "please boys don't ever grow up...I love the stage we are in...love the time we get to spend together, etc." and "when will you ever learn to care for yourself...I need a moment of alone time...etc." I haven't started it, but I did read the introduction one night while feeding William. I was hooked and look forward to starting it too.

Why patience?? All free time right now is consumed by my three Easter outfits! William's is done, hanging in his closet. Philip's shirt needs buttons and shorts need a hem. I began Daniel's last night. Less than a week and a half to go and lots of work to do! I know that it will get done though!

A Penny saved is a penny earned...

I have begun couponing! After close examination of where our money is spent, I was appalled at how much money we spend on groceries. I've always thought it is worth it to spend money on groceries regardless of the cost. I still think feeding my family is money well spent. However, I am going to try to be conscientious of the cost!

I have been following two blogs of women who are doing the same thing. The first, http://www.bargainbuggyblog.com/ is run by my friend, Shannon. She's a couponer and deal finder. I've learned a lot from her. From her site, I found: http://www.fairhopefoodie.com/. I like this site because she plans her families menu based on items on sale! Novel idea, huh??

It takes a lot of planning, but I've done good so far. I've noticed savings on the grocery bill and have even worked some deals on other things as well. For example, I picked up Connect Four at Target yesterday for $3. It generally sells for $14. It is a little advanced for my troops, but I put it in the closet for a six year olds birthday party coming up!

Busy weekend ahead...Chris is running the Azalea Trail Run on Saturday for the first time since he was a kid. The boys and I will head out to watch. We also have sweet cousin Davison's first birthday party. Will be back with more...

Oh to be a little boy...

Here's the excitement at my house yesterday...

The boys stood at the window for quite sometime watching the trash truck. It loaded trash, they covered the trailer with a tarp, unhooked the trailer, and another truck arrived with a fresh trailer. My little men watched for quite awhile!

I mentioned in the last post that we have had it all...fever, diarrea, vomitting, ear infections, etc. Well, I lied. After being up in the middle of the night with a very fussy William, I discovered this...

a rash all over his sweet little body. I promptly called the PopPop who came over with the diagnosis...roseola. Good news...the bad part is over. He isn't even contagious anymore. One of the textbook symptoms is extreme fussiness...

Check.

In other news, Chris took the big boys to the hunting camp this past weekend. I was supposed to be doing some Easter sewing. Well, I did do some Easter sewing...just not on their church outfits. Here's two outfits that I made for Daniel and William. Because they are green, they are doubling as St. Patrick's Day outfits too! Here's Daniel's...see William's above.

Hopefully, we are on the road to recovery now!

Philip thoughts...

Philip woke up at 5:45 this morning...make it 6:45 new time. Sweet boy came in our room, saw that Mommy and Daddy were still asleep, and went back to his room to play. I popped out of bed and took Philip downstairs. We hurriedly made the batter for Banana Sour Cream Pancakes...a recipe that I have been dying to try and given that the bananas and sour cream were going bad today was the day!!

Chris went for a jog and came back to cook. I went upstairs to get ready for church and prepare for Sunday School. We were pulling out the Cenacle lesson and to be honest, I hadn't even given it a look yet. I was multi-tasking...drying my hair and reading God's word, Luke 22. Off to the side (the Bible I was using has devotions in it), I read Max Lucado's devotion for the reading. It asked, "Why do you go to church?"

That single phrase stopped me in my tracks. Is it out of obligation? Is it because of the free childcare? Is it to show off my latest sewing projects?? Is it an opportunity for me to get dressed up and be around adults?? Is it because it is what I have been doing since I was an infant?

Maybe I don't always go for the right reasons. However, there is one reason that does draw me there every Sunday...introducing my children to Jesus.

I thought about this as Philip and I prepared the atrium. He immediately saw the new work and asked for a lesson. When the time was right, I did give he and Mary the Cenacle lesson. It is my favorite. The materials include: 12 figurines representing the disciples, Jesus figurine, a small paten and chalice, a crucifix, candleholders and candles, a tablecloth, and a table.

I read the words from Luke 22 to them and acted out the words with the figures. I then relayed the events following the Last Supper. I closed by reminding them that Jesus is with us in the bread and wine. It is such a powerful lesson.

I asked Philip and Mary afterwards if they had heard those words "Take eat, this is my body. Take drink, this is my blood," before the lesson today. Philip quickly said, "Yes, Father Matthew says them in church." Ta-da...he gets it. It was such an awesome moment for me.

All of this came together even more so in church. Because Daniel had stayed home with Dad and William, Philip chose to come into the church with me. His first time to sit through a whole service. He did great...he's totally up to the challenge. Anyways, Chris was scheduled to be an oblation bearer. I was going to fill in, but Philip asked to walk with me. I asked if he would like to carry the bread. He did....sweet little boy carried the footed paten from the back of the church to the altar and handed it to Father Matthew. Couldn't have been a more fitting day for him to do so!

Philip is growing up so much these days. Chris and I were commenting just last night about how adventurous he's become. He's climbing trees, climbing all over his swingset, etc. He is such a coordinated little kid. He's a great example to his younger brothers...a true joy to parent.

His new obsession is with the "olden days". It started when Meme passed down an old Social Studies 1st Grade textbook. He loves for me to read it to him. He's made masks, Indian hats, etc. from the pictures in the book. I subsequently picked up Laura Ingalls Wilder's The Little House on the Pairie book at the library. We read it everyday. He loves the stories and now loves to draw pictures of wagons. Go figure??

In other news, we have been through it all in the last week. Diarrea, vomitting, fevers, ear infections. I feel as if I haven't left the house in days! Hopefully we are all getting better.

We also lost a friend. Our dear friend, Frank, unexpectantly lost his mother last week. I think I have written about Norval before. She was a character...one both Chris and I enjoyed being around. We spent a few days with her and the rest of her clan at the lake in January. She was the ultimate host...served appetizers for breakfast...when I was up with a baby, she was up with the dog at 4:30 am, she politely asked if she could get me anything. Jesus got a good one...she will certainly be missed here.

Busy weeks ahead...lots of sewing going on! Say a prayer that the Easter outfits get done!!

A Walk in the Park

I love these sayings...."it's a walk in the park" or "he sleeps like a baby". Taking three boys to the park is not always an easy feat. Somebody needs help swinging, needs to be caught at the bottom of the slide, falls and needs a little loving, etc.

Today is Thursday...library day for us. However, some friends of the boys called and asked us to join them at the park. I gave the boys the option...the playground it is!

We had a blast with six boys and two baby girls between us it was a little crazy!

We did a lot of investigating...

We swang...

We went down the slide...

We rode the planes, police cars, and fire trucks...

We had a picnic...

The boys loved the break of the routine and the opportunity to play with some friends from school that we don't generally get together with otherwise. The sunshine did us all some good...even got this one to fall asleep...a rarity these days!

PS - You may have noticed the new pups in the pictures. Sweet Meme sent each of the boys a new stuffed dog. Philip has Tracker, Daniel has Rufus, and William has Wrinkles. They love their new dogs and have yet put them down! Thanks, Meme! This one needed a new friend to love!

Bumps in the Road

Or maybe I should say "Bumps in the Night." That's how last night went...

2:30 am - Daniel is awake...slams his door shut and heads down the hall, thumb in mouth (a rarity these days). I pick him up and crawl in bed with him. I hate to admit it, but I didn't mind snuggling one bit. Sometimes I feel like I don't get one on one time with him, so the middle of the night is as good a time as any. Plus, he's going through a rough patch right now and could use a little extra comforting. More on that later...

3:45 am - William, who never wakes in the middle of the night, is screaming. Chris gets to him first, but I quickly relieve him. Sweet William lays in my arms, motionless and wide-eyed. I rock him for a half an hour...again, trying to enjoy this one on one time...even if it is the middle of the night. Finally, I give in at 4:15 am and nurse him. He falls asleep in my arms in the bed. We snuggle and sleep like that until 6:30! Needless to say, I did not keep my lenten pledge this morning!

Back to "Bumps in the Road"...

First, Daniel. Losing Baba has been so hard on the little guy. He does not nap anymore...if he does it is because he is well past sleep deprived. There are a lot more fits, lot more whining, a lot more general misbehaving. I hate getting on to him when I know it is mostly sleep deprivation. Yesterday, I spent over an hour with him forcing him to pick up the sunporch. He apparently walked in, emptied out containers of toys onto the rug, and walked out. I made him pick up every bit of it himself. It was a definite test of wills...one I was not going to lose. I wish I could make it better...wish I could tell him that it will be okay...wish I could make him sleep! We'll get through it...have to remember that it is just another "bump in the road."

Next, Philip...well not really Philip...but Philip's education. Chris and I spent a weekend pondering where he would go next year...big private school or another small church preschool. Such a hard decision. In the end, we decided on the church preschool. I hope it is the right one. The jump will be hard for me...physically and mentally. Physically, in that next year, I will have to get two boys to two different schools at the same time. I'll have to be at two different Halloween, Christmas, etc. parties. Mentally, in that I have no connection to this new school. I know little about it. I'm used to being involved...serving on the board, hiring the teachers, etc. I am not in control here and will have to get used to it!!

The good news is we had a great weekend. Friday afternoon was spent with Caroline and her kids playing in the backyard. I like to call Caroline on random days (when she is in B'ham) and joke that she and kids should come over and play...and so we can sew. Well it was fun to actually get to do it last Friday. Have to say that I didn't get much sewing done, though!

Saturday, C and the family came over again for dinner. Our children had such a good time running around and playing together. It was a great evening...wish we lived closer and could do it more often!

In other news, we are planning a trip to Cincinnati in April. I can't wait to see all of the Watsons...especially my "new" nephew, Russell. Chris has been asked to be his godfather and we are so excited about celebrating his baptism with him and his family.

The boys and I are off to the Exploreum with Mary and Annie! Be back with more later...