Updates w/o Photos!

I seemed to have misplaced the cord to download pictures and videos from our camera, so this update will be sans pictures. It's around here somewhere...

DAVID-

• He's almost 2!! We can't believe it and have loved every minute of it!

• He loves playing outside in the dirt with his tractors and trucks and finding sticks and rocks. If he looks up in the air and makes the helicopter sound, that's what he's looking for. That, and jets!

• He rarely spends time in the stroller anymore, as he would rather be out walking (running!). When we go to the store, he knows he gets to pick out a cookie ... then he'll sit in the stroller!

• He's starting to put together some more words. I think he said 'big jet' today! He tells us stories all the time and we catch a word here and there. Watching him process has made me realize how hard it is to learn language!

LIAM - Oh, where to begin with our growing and growing AND GROWING little big man!

• Liam just had his 4 month check-up and is doing just fine! He's 26 1/2 inches long (97th percentile) and 15 1/2 pounds (50th percentile) and is developing just fine! He's wearing 9 month clothes. The same ones David wore while cruising around our furniture. It looks so different on Liam who just lays there and plays!

• He was sleeping through the night (12-13 hours) just fine with very few wake-ups. Yes, I said he WAS... until last Wednesday. He started getting up every 3 hours ... then 2 1/2 hours, then 2, then sometimes every hour! He was eating like crazy and I couldn't keep up with him. He was also eating every 2-2 1/2 hours during the day. The problem was this crazy cycle: he'd wake up in the morning still tired, so he'd fall asleep eating and not get enough. So when I'd go to put him down for a nap, he was hungry and wouldn't go to sleep. So I fed him. Only to have him fall asleep eating and not take a very long nap. Thus repeating this cycle over and over again all day long. Made for a tired, hungry baby and a tired, not so happy mom! Until last night: We put Liam down at 7:30 and he woke up at 8:45. ugg. My wonderful, loving, VERY WISE husband decided to try to put him back to sleep. Bill held him, rocked him then put him back down. He cried for a bit, but then went back to sleep. Bill got up with him to repeat this process throughout the night. Eventually we just let Liam cry a bit and he went back to sleep. He slept until 9 this morning and woke up in such a GREAT mood! We may have turned a corner here. I can't even tell you how much this has changed our day! He's been happy, playful, laughing, smiling, and AWAKE!! He's also taken longer naps today! Hopefully, we've turned a corner!

• We started him on baby cereal yesterday. Reason? See above! He's doing well and getting the hang of it!

• He's playing in the exersaucer now! So fun to watch him pull at toys and be able to see everything going on!

OK...so one picture! I took this with my phone today while we were outside!

Wordless Wednesday

A Contagious Laugh

David was with his grandparents yesterday.

Liam and I had some fun bonding time!

(video)

Wordless Wednesday

Saving Money

A friend of mine presented a seminar on how to use coupons and sales to find GREAT deals!

I've only just begun, but have had some great successes!

I've learned so much from her and still have a ways to go!

The idea is to match a store sale on a product with a coupon. I learned also that grocery stores with club cards have online coupons that are uploaded to your card or cell phone (cellfire.com). So... if something is on sale PLUS you have a coupon (doubled at some stores) PLUS you have the coupon on your card = getting stuff you need for cheap, or sometimes FREE! You can also stack all of that with a printed coupon from the store! Sometimes, the store has owed me money on products! (they won't give money back, so I had to purchase other things!)

I used to shop only at Wal-Mart because I thought I was getting the best deals with their generic brand. Not anymore...I RARELY go there now!

Here are some examples:

Barillo pasta at Safeway:

Normally $1.25/box

On sale for $0.88

I had 4 coupons for $0.50 off each box (doubled to $1.00)

=4 boxes of pasta FREE with $0.88 to spend on something else.

Toothpaste at Safeway:

Colgate normally $2.35/tube

On sale for $1.75/tube, but if you bought 3+, they were $1 each

I had 3 coupons for $0.75 off each tube (doubled to $1.00)

= All 3 tubes were FREE!

Yogurt at King Soopers (Kroger)

Yoplait Trix yogurt normally $2.50/6 pack

On sale for $2

Online coupon for $0.40 off

Printed coupon for $0.40 off doubled to $0.80

= 6 yogurt cups for $.80!

Old Spice Deodorant and Body Wash

3 sticks of deodorant and 1 body wash normally $ 11.00 (about)

Deodorant on sale for $1.88/stick

Coupon for $0.50 off (doubled to $1.00)

Coupon for buy one deodorant get one free

Coupon for buy one deodorant get a body wash free

= $1.76 for 3 sticks of deodorant and 1 body wash

OH... and if you use a Buy One Get One Free coupon on something that is on sale for Buy One Get One Free ... YOU GET BOTH FOR FREE!! I recently got 2 rolls of sausage for free!

I don't need 4 boxes of pasta or 3 tubes of toothpaste or 3 deodorants right now, but when I need it, I won't spend $1-$2.50 for each!

I've also been watching when meat goes on sale and stocking up on that!

I have learned I have to change my way of thinking when I go through the coupons. I can't be brand picky! I had never bought Barillo pasta before because I always bought the generic stuff, but you can't beat cheaper than FREE!

Bill and I started getting the paper delivered Thursday-Sunday so I can clip coupons and see the ads for drug stores and grocery stores. I've also registered with a lot of online sites to print coupons and load them to my shopper club cards (create an email address just for this, you'll get a lot of junk!)

I'll keep you posted on more great deals!

If you are in the Denver area, check out Savvy Shopper (on the right) for more deals. I learned from her and she's been doing it for over a year now!

Fun at the Park = Loving Spring!

These are from last week. We walked to a park about 1/2 mile away. And yes, WE walked! David walked most of the way there (except when we crossed a major intersection!) and then rode in the stroller on the way home.

I wish this picture had turned out better!

He loved climbing up the ladder

and going down the slide.

David did really well on the swing!

He fell off once when he turned around to look at

a dog coming toward us.

But he got right back on!

You can't tell by this picture,

but Liam really is having a fun time!

And he wasn't so slouched most of the time!

I know the sweatshirts and pants don't make it look like nice weather, but after the LONG, COLD winter we had... we'll take sunshine any day! Even if it means an extra layer!

Wordless Wednesday

David's Favorite Part of Our Arizona Trip!

Some friends of my parents breed Labradors and invited us over to see their newest two litters! The puppies were 3 and 5 weeks old when we visited. The pictures and video are of the 5 week old ones!

David had a BLAST with the pup-pups! He was super gentle with them and loved getting down on all fours, burying his head and letting them play with him! Seeing him with the puppies made us want to get one even more! When we get a house with a yard, a puppy will be our first purchase!

They have an indoor room for the puppies with a doggy door that goes to an outside, fenced-in area.

Their backyard is fenced in for the older dogs.

The dogs have an air conditioned 'house'

and even a swimming pool!

We didn't go into their yard

but were able to see them through the fence!

Liam had fun hanging with Grandma Joy!

Here's the video of David and the pup-pups.

Remember, you have to go the blog site to view the video. It won't work through the email!

Spring Break in Arizona

A week late, but hopefully worth the wait!

Just hanging out at Grandma and Dandad's house!

David loved just running around in their house

and playing in the back yard!

He was, of course, wiped out and taking a PRECIOUS nap with daddy!

And then there was the park...

Liam snuggling with Grandma!

This was David's first time on a backless swing!

He loved it and only almost fell off once!

And the zoo...

His first carousel ride!

Austin!

We had a FANTASTIC time and can't wait to visit again! We will see Grandma and Dandad again at the end of June for vacation in Breckenridge!

Here's a quick video of some of the highlights!

One more AZ post to come!

Wordless Wednesday

Home!

We are home from Arizona.

We had an AMAZING time with my parents.

The boys LOVED hanging out with Grandma and Dandad.

Back to normal tomorrow!

Pictures to come!