Five is Fantastic

Kadyn turned five on Monday. To celebrate we went to the zoo on Saturday and returned once again (she celebrated her 4th birthday here as well) on Monday to the "Incredible Pizza Place". She was tall enough this visit to be a passenger in the go-karts and we are happy to announce that with Mom at the wheel we were able to take first place in the race. Those ten year olds didn't stand a chance. We returned home for cake, ice cream, and presents. It was a great celebration. You know the birthday girl must have had a great time as well when she exclaims as we exit the pizza place, "Wow, this was my best birthday yet - and I haven't even opened presents".

On a personal note. I am still in awe that our little Kadyn is growing up so quickly. Her smile and tender spirit have blessed our family immensely. It has been a wonderful experience to see her individual personality develop over these past few years, bringing with it individual strengths of her very own. We admire Kadyn's tender side and the kindness she shows to all around her. Surprisingly enough, her tenderness has an added combination of determination. When Kadyn sets her mind on accomplishing something - it will, without a doubt, be accomplished!

I'm really not sure what I'll do this Fall when my little Kadyn heads off to school. I'm excited for her to experience new things, but for me, it will be a bitter sweet day that I'm hoping will take forever to come. We are so grateful for the joy she brings to our lives each and everyday. Happy Birthday Kadyn. We love you!


(This is Kadyn's face deciding whether or not to hold that tarantula. Guess what? She decided yes. It scared me so much to watch, I missed the picture.)

Snow Day Yea!

Ryley received a free day from school on Friday due to the inch of snow on the ground! I'm certain the cancellations for the greater Memphis area were focused mainly on ice issues. The girls therefore had a friend over for the day and enjoyed playing outside for as long as their little bodies could handle it. On Saturday we attempted Red Lobster with the entire clan. It went really well too. We were somewhat nervous it wouldn't run smoothly, especially upon hearing of the 45 minute wait. Our fears were quickly put to rest when individuals leaving the restaurant would stop at our table to tell us what well behaved kids we have. It was nice to hear and made me recognize the importance of not worrying so much when heading out. We had a great Sunday. Steven and Kadyn made the most delicious apple dessert I have ever tasted and we relaxed with games and stories. We even attempted a family picture, which didn't end up to bad, but my favorite by far was this one taken of little Thatch.

Facebook Vs. Blog

My blogging abilities lately have not been quite what they used to be. Some individuals introduced Steven and I to a new site called "Facebook". We've had a great time reconnecting with friends from our past, including families from Steven's mission, and thus have slacked off a bit in updating the blog. Blend that in with how fast time flies and I don't even realize how long I've gone without posting until I recieve a call or two from family members asking for a blog update. January for us also seems to be a very random month of posting. It's often so cold outside that our means of entertainment come down to board games, reading, or running around at the mall playground. I wasn't quite sure if that was "blog worthy" material. Therefore, we don't have many big happenings to share, just a lot of little random happenings scattered throughout.

Last weekend we got a sitter for Thatch and Haley while the girls accompanied Steven and I on a date. We went to the movies and enjoyed a quiet dinner at Red Robin. It was a lot of fun. I'll admit though, when half way through dinner the girls mentioned how much they missed brother and sister my heart swelled. (I'm sure the the greasy onion rings had something to do with that as well.)
We had one day where snow appeared in the sky and even accumulated a little on the grass. Kadyn and Thatcher were daring enough to go outside for a picture, but that's about it. The next day as the weather reached into the 60's we immediately headed outside for some fresh air. I don't know about your kids but there is nothing our girls want more than a dog. We have explained that perhaps one day an outside dog may very well fit into the family, but for now we are excited that the neighbors dogs seem to fill that void in their lives. They play with "King" as often as possible, get him food and water, and have been given a jar of doggie treats to offer whenever they'd like.

On Friday we headed for the park as temperatures hit near 70. We love to play tag and during this particular game I received a new compliment. "Wow Mom. You're a lot faster and can actually catch us when you don't have a big baby belly". Saturday Steven took all the girls to a baptism. Issac is their very good friend and the first in Ryley's class to be baptized. They had a great experience - as this was the first time they had seen a close friend being baptized.
Thatcher and I ran errands, which included a great couponing run totaling $3. (This will be my last post on this - promise) The remainder of our weekend was well spent just relaxing.

A Bit Of Everything!

We had a great weekend. Lots to accomplish, mixed in with a little R and R. Friday we were blessed with 70 degree weather so we spent the day (literally until dark) running around outside. Saturday was filled with shopping needs, cooking fun, birthday parties, and running the kids ragged around the church gym (seeing as the weather took a dramatic dip in temperature) while Daddy practiced the organ for Sunday. Sunday was great as usual and ended with Steven and I once again shaking our heads at life's little surprises. We found ourselves sitting with Ryley at her "Eight is Great Fireside". They did a wonderful job with the eight kids who will be baptized this year and even ended the night by letting them all go down into the baptismal font. Although the "big day" is not until November, as is the case with six of the eight children, I cannot believe our "little girl" is growing up so quickly. How fast time flies!

We love cheesecake and I love making them.

My latest couponing buys. Guess how much? $10! The cereal was $1 a box and the rest came to $7. Crazy. 

I promise I won't keep posting these. It's just fun while it's new.

Haley J. We're sure enjoying her. The kids adore her - until she has a poopie diaper that is.

They gave all the children an "8" cookie. Cute idea.

Warning: The Following Can Be Addicting

Blogging has taken a backseat these past few weeks. I have found a new hobby that has turned into an exciting game.

As we have moved from state to state over the past eight years I have had the opportunity to meet amazing individuals and friends. They teach me more than I could ever imagine and share their talents freely. My current circle of friends at church are no exception. They have basically converted the entire ward on the fine art of "couponing". I know to some it may sound crazy but until now I never knew how much you could accomplish with your family budget when incorporating coupons.

To be honest, we are blessed to have access to all military benefits which include the commissary (grocery store with fabulous prices) and all medicines/prescriptions free. Due to these blessings I never even thought about utilizing coupons, let alone utilizing them to benefit needs in regards to building up food storage.

I am still what they call in the couponing world a "newbie", but I'm more than willing to share any current knowledge I have with this topic and can hopefully add more and more effective knowledge as time goes on. The tips I have learned thus far are these:

1. Rule of thumb is you buy a Sunday paper for each individual in the household. If you are an individual who doesn't shop on Sunday, get $10 worth of quarters at some point during your week then find a machine and start pumping them in. Hint: Some Sunday papers don't have adds with coupons (i.e. on holidays - Feb 15th). Also, you can always buy one paper, glance quickly through the coupons, and decide if that's a good coupon week for the needs of your family.

2. Be patient. Sometimes deals take a few weeks. Don't run out and buy things that you don't use and don't run and immediately use a coupon that will only save you .75 cents. Wait and watch. Inevitably the right "deal" will show. If you wait and no deal shows, but you still need that toilet paper, then you can go and at least save the .75 cents. Trust me though - if you wait and watch - a deal will show.

3. Be organized. (See picture of binder below)

4. There are tons of ladies out their who are more than willing to do a good amount of the leg work and then turn around and share their "finds". Make a list of different coupon blogs (some of my favorites below) and join up with friends who will help keep a look out for local deals in your area.

wecutcorners.blogspot.com
moneysavingmom.com
hotcouponworld.com
stretchingabuckblog.com

The picture below is my first couponing purchase. Our family uses all these products. Guess how much I paid for all this? Nothing. This was all free. In fact, I actually made $3, at Walgreens you cannot have a balance that they owe you, so I had to throw on the six packs of gum in order to erase the $3. Crazy! I know, my head is still spinning and I'm still learning how to piece all the deals together but I assure you it works. The girls in my ward are even on a first name basis with the managers and workers. They all gather around when one of them checks out just to watch how much they save. It's hilarious.

Warning: Beware of "Projects"

Crafts in our home are a daily part of life. The girls therefore are very comfortable with stamps, paints, scissors, markers, glue sticks etc..., so when Ryley or Kadyn ask me to hand them one of these items I don't have a second thought about it. Like any mother I keep these items in a safe place so that children who are not yet ready to handle these added responsibilities don't find themselves in a mess. Basically that translates into " I highly fear Thatcher destroying a wall or carpet area".

Like any other morning Kadyn approached and asked to see the scissors. She was excited to work on a "cut and paste" project in her room and wanted to surprise me. Boy, was I surprised!

She came out of her room and walked over to where Haley and I were sitting on the floor and this is how the conversation then proceeded.

Kadyn: "Mom, how do I look?"

Mom: (assuming that she is refereing to the pretend make-up she has put on her lips - a gift from Santa - I answer) "You look beautiful sweetheart."

Kadyn: "No Mom, how do I look?"

Mom: "Really beautiful!"

Kadyn: (in a mumble) "I cut my hair."

Mom: (not grasping her words) "What was that."

Kadyn: "I cut my hair."

Mom: "What was that."

Kadyn: "Look Mommy, I cut my hair. Doesn't it look pretty" (Kadyn turns around)

I didn't say a word. I just sat and stared. She had a pony tail in and I hadn't noticed until then that all her hair from the left and right side of her face was cut down as short as her bangs.

I must interject two things here. First, I decided long ago to work each day on having "perfect patience". Although I fall short and occasionally have to retreat to my closet only to burst into tears, I can say that our children are pretty accustomed to their mother being calm no matter what. Secondly, Kadyn is by far our most tender child, so my reaction alone of silence (accompanied with my mouth dropping wide open) was apparently more than she could handle because immediately the tears began to flow.

I told her it was alright even though my mind was already spinning with dozens of ways to resolve the problem. In the end I called my brilliant sister/hair stylist and together we agreed not to jump to any immediate haircuts. I took her in the bathroom and we curled all the hair possible and then pinned her remaining side hair up with clips. It turned out better than I had hoped, so for now, and over the next few months we will continually be using this same hairstyle while we wait for future growth.

Kind of funny too. An hour later we were playing dodge ball and as I took a closer look at little Thatch I noticed the top of his head looked a bit "off". I turned to Kadyn and asked if she had cut Thatchers hair as well. Her answer. "Of course Mom. I tried to cut his first, but when he would only let me cut off a few bunches, I started on mine".

Wow, I think I need a nap.

Christmas Break 2008

Happy Holidays everyone! We hope you and your families had a wonderful Christmas season. Having Steven home for an entire week with no hospital responsibilities was definitely the best present I received. We are also loving the two week break that the public school system offers each year and have enjoyed that extra time with Ryley.

The weather outside this year was definitely frightful up until Christmas Day. We therefore enjoyed many indoor activities together which included numerous games, "Bolt" in 3D, and The Children's Museum, (the last activity of course being their favorite). Since that time we have been given the gift of 70 degree weather and have taken every opportunity available to enjoy the sun and fresh air. Our favorite game lately has been "hide n seek with walkie talkies", and while checking out various parks in the area we were also lucky enough to stumbled across a yummy surprise.












Each with their favorite gift this Christmas





Steven and I hung these Christmas Eve and looked at one another shaking our heads laughing. Laughing that we have enough children to fill a mantel, but mostly in complete awe of the many gifts we have been given throughout our lives. Four of which are hanging right here beside us.