zoo and touch a truck

Jason was off yesterday so we went to our local zoo.  We went to the National Zoo after Emmy was born and we weren't really impressed.  Our zoo had a few new exhibits that allowed us to get closer to the animals.  This baby orangutan was one of my favorites.

 

 

Jason loves to feed the animals.  I personally think he is crazy for even wanting to get his hand close to an animal with that terrifying look on its face!

 

Emmy was mesmerized by it all.  She had a great time!

 

There seemed to be a lot of baby animals on this visit.  How cute are the baby ostriches?

 

Bryce led the way with the map.....our little tour guide.

 

Feeding the giraffes is always the highlight (for Jason).  He still can't convince Bryce to feed them.

 

Emmy had to take one for the team and feed the giraffes since her brother wouldn't.  She didn't enjoy it.  I thought she was laughing at the giraffe's tongue tickling her hand, but she was actually crying, ha!

This is how Bryce felt about feeding the giraffe's.  He feels the same about Mickey Mouse!

 

 

He wouldn't feed the giraffes, but he would let a bird land on him to feed it.  He had a couple at one point and even pet them.

 

Bryce's favorite part of the whole trip was the goat standing on the donkey.  He didn't want to miss out on any of the food! 

 

Each time we go to the zoo we do a different attraction.  The first year we did the sky ride, the second year we did the carousel, and this year we rode the train.  Jason enjoyed being out in the open with all the animals running around the train.

 

I went to a baby shower luncheon this afternoon with some girlfriends so Jason and the dads met up and took the kids to Touch-a-Truck.   

 

The three amigos or should we say three stooges, ha.

Bryce, Aiden, Chase

 

We have been soaking up these beautiful days.  It's so fun to get out and do fun family things.

 

so stinkin' cute

 

I sure do love hand-me-downs....especially when I picked them out!  I got this cute little outfit from the Polo/Ralph Lauren outlet years ago when Jason's sister found out she was having a girl.  I'm so excited that I had my own little girl that got to wear it too!

 

not your next extreme couponer

As a new stay at home mom and a family on one salary, I've been trying to find ways to cut costs and spend less.  I have always been amazed at the deals and savings the ever so skilled couponers find.  I have never been one to use coupons because 1.) I'm not very brand specific, but there aren't usually coupons for things I buy 2.) I don't understand how buying 4 boxes of cereal to save 65 cents is a good deal 3.) if I cut coupons, I usually forget to use them and 4.)  Even though I despise Walmart, it still seems to be cheaper than all the other stores, even with coupons.

I decided this weekend that I would give the whole coupon thing another try.  I know that Kroger doubles coupons everyday so I decided this Monday was the perfect day to start.  With my coupons, I was going to have a savings of  over $15.  WOW!  So just like every Monday morning, I loaded up the kids and we headed to the grocery store.  It usually is a very pleasant experience.  However, this week, both kids were melting down by the time we left since we spent so much extra time searching the store for all the products (that I don't usually buy) because I had coupons.  It was fun picking out stuff and seeing the price and then realizing I was going to get things for free or next to nothing!  I quickly decided that maybe couponing was for me after all.  Until I checked out and NONE of my coupons doubled.  Turns out they don't double coupons over 50 cents.  There was no fine print on the coupons alerting me to this so I guess it is store policy.  After talking to the clerk and a customer service person, I tucked my tail and headed out in almost tears at the thought of blowing the whole month's grocery budget (on things I don't typically buy) because I got over zealous about my coupons.

Needless to say, it was a lesson learned and I will go back to shopping at Walmart and buying mostly off brand stuff (got to have my brands for some things, promise) and continue finding other ways to save a penny (like not going out to eat or watching cable tv). 

Anyone have any coupon tips that might convince me to give it a second try? 

monday

Each month I strive to be a better blogger (I started September off so strong and now it's been 4 days since I blogged), but I just can't find the time and energy to take the pictures, upload them to the computer, and then blog about them!  You would think I have all the time in the world now that I'm at home, but that's just not so!  As a matter of fact, Emmy is helping me bang away at the keys because she refuses to take a nap today! 

 

 

We headed to a local park the other day and Emmy loved the swing.  I thought it was so cute how she rested her arms on the swing.  Such a big girl.

 

Bryce loves a rock wall. 

 

Emmy loves joining in on all of the fun.

 

Bryce and his friend Aiden at church yesterday.  Aiden wore this shirt to church last week and Bryce got excited because he has the same shirt.  He insisted on wearing his in case Aiden had his on again.  Things worked in his favor!  This picture cracks me up.  Bryce is a couple months older than Aiden, but Aiden is a whole head taller than him!

 

We met Jason for lunch today since the weather was perfect for a picnic and a stroll around the pond.  Bryce loves to feed the ducks and geese when we go.  Too bad I didn't take any pictures!

7 months

Emmy girl is 7 months old today!

 

 

This month I'm really thinking, "wow, what a difference a month makes"! Last month Emmy had just started sitting up unassisted for short periods of time. In the last month, she has become very stable while sitting, can gracefully lean over to her belly and sit back up, and crawl.  Bryce did an army crawl before he mastered hands and knees, but Emmy started right out crawling on her hands and knees.

 

Bryce didn't get on a good schedule until he stayed with a friend of mine (he was 8 months) while Kelly took some time when Taylor was born. I wasn't with him enough during a day to figure him out and work out a schedule. I'm so excited that I think I have gotten Emmy on a schedule all by myself (well with her help, ha).

She gets up around 7 and nurses then plays for a while and eats fruit for breakfast (she refuses rice cereal and oatmeal even with fruit in it). She goes down for a morning nap around 9. She sleeps until 10 or 10:30 and then has a 4oz bottle of formula. At this point of the day, Bryce is ready to get out and do something! Emmy will occasionally get a cat nap while we're out. She enjoys eating a baby mum-mum while we eat lunch. She has another 4oz bottle of formula at 1 and then she and Bryce go down for a nap. She isn't going to win any awards for best napper. Her naps range anywhere from 45 min to 2+ hours. Usually they are short and then she is cranky by bedtime. I will usually rock her to sleep at some point in the evening for a short nap when she hasn't napped well. She gets a 6oz bottle of formula at 4 and then she eats a vegetable for dinner when we eat. She nurses around 7:45-8 and then goes to bed!

 

After her 6 month appointment, the doctor was not concerned with her weight (she's only in the 10th percentile) and said she did not need to eat during the night. She had been sleeping through the night since 2 months and then from 4-6 months she played games with me, ha! She must have heard the doctor because she has been sleeping through the night since! Hopefully I didn't just jinx myself!

 

I really do think Emmy is the happiest baby ever. She seems to only fuss when she is sleepy.

 

I decided it was time to move her crib down a notch since she was able to sit up. Now she can pull up on the crib (and on anything sturdy or when holding our hands). Guess we'll be moving it down the last notch tonight!  Picture taking this month was a bit harder because she was on the move and wanted to eat her sticker!

 

Her hair is finally growing and she has started to notice the bows in her hair.  She pulled them out a couple of times the other day.  She is learning to wave and has done it a few times, but not on command yet.  She hasn't said any words and she doesn't have any teeth yet.  She is wearing size 2 diapers and 6 month clothes (some 6-9 month).

 

 

Bryce at 7 months



 



first day of preschool

Today was the day!  We had a little photo shoot at home this morning before leaving for school.

(scroll to the bottom for an update about his day)

 

 

I loved the idea of using a chalkboard to write the "first day", but I didn't really feel like spending the money!  I would have printed a neater more colorful sign, but our printer wasn't working.  So, the hand made sign did the trick!

 

Bryce had not been looking forward to preschool until this weekend.  It was like something clicked over night.  He was excited about going this morning.

 

Here he is with his teachers Ms. Tammy and Ms. Leslie.

 

I gave him a hug and kiss and walked away.  He called me back for a hug and kiss from Emmy.  After that I turned and left.  I could tell he was nervous because he put his fingers in his mouth and stood there looking like a lost puppy.  He didn't cry and he didn't look for me, but I think he wanted to.  I wished there were a window I could have watched him for a bit to see what he did, but I knew I just had to leave.  It was a weird feeling, but it had to be done.  I know each day will get easier for us both!

 

**Update**  Bryce was all smiles when I picked him up from preschool and he can't wait to go back.  It took me all day to get any information out of him, but by bedtime he had told me he got to be the line leader, he played legos, he went outside, he talked about the day of the week and month, he told the class about his sister, the "big girl" handed out lunch boxes (snack), and one of the twins ran out of the room.  Kids don't miss a thing, ha!  I'm sure there were tons more things that he learned and experienced today, but I was happy for a little re-cap.

 

weekend projects

We have been busy around here this weekend!  Unfortunately, I didn't take any before pictures so my after pictures won't really mean anything to anyone but me, ha!

 

 

We have talked about doing a little landscaping in our front yard since we moved to our new house two years ago.  We FINALLY did something about it this weekend.  The grass used to come all the way up to the bushes and Jason never had a clear path to do the weed eater.  Jason got some landscaping bricks (thanks Kelly and Dave) and made a defined bed around the bushes.  We had some liriope, but I didn't like how the previous owners had it spaced so I pulled it up.  The bushes have not grown to be the same size so I didn't want to plant anything because I didn't think it would look uniform.  We're going to wait until next year and trim the bushes way back and then I'm going to replant the liriope where I want it and add some flowers.

 

Our play room has been out of control for the majority of the summer.  We have not spent much time in there and when we do, I get so overwhelmed by the mess that I just leave it!  I finally got the energy to tackle the mess this weekend!  Bryce's train table used to be in front of the sofa and it seemed like it took up all the space in the room.  I decided to move it to the nook of the dormer window to open up some space.  The room is huge now!

 

 

We got rid of our old out of date tv since we cancelled our cable and can't watch anything on it.  This freed up a space in the corner where I set up a learning center for Bryce.  I brought a few things home from school that I knew I could use with him.  Hopefully on the days that he doesn't go to school, I can convince him to do calendar time and some word work to help reinforce what he's learning at school.  (I have to make July and August signs since I didn't need them when I was teaching!).

 

I made another pinterest inspired creation today (peanut butter pretzel balls).

 

Source: tastykitchen.com via Grace on Pinterest

 I thought it would be fun for Bryce to take his teachers a little something on the first day of school tomorrow.   I know I always enjoyed getting treats from my students.

 

Hope your labor day weekend has been as relaxing and productive as ours.  I'm excited that I'm not going back to school tomorrow.  I'm not going to miss the stress that consumed me from September to June when I was teaching.  Now my only care in the world is how I'm going to watch the Hokies beat Georgia Tech tonight since we got rid of cable and don't have ESPN anymore!

 

pretty girl

Emmy looked so cute for church today.  Of course by the time I was able to take pictures of her, she had spit up all over her dress and she wasn't really interested in picture taking.  The pictures just don't do it justice, but she was just adorable today!

 

 

This is a sign of what's to come for our monthly photo session on Thursday!

 

At least I was able to snap a few pictures before she was hunched over ready to take off crawling.

opening day

So today marks the opening day of dove and September goose season.  You can bet it was like Christmas for Jason.  Unfortunately, the corn around here hasn't been cut so Jason didn't have a good place to go goose hunting today.  However, he was able to go dove hunting and Bryce tagged along for his first ever "hunt".  Jason has dreamed of this day since our first ultrasound revealed Bryce would be a boy!

 

Bryce went back and forth all day as to whether or not he was going to go, but he pulled through and had a good time.  I personally couldn't believe, being Jason's child, Bryce didn't have any camo attire for the event.  They put together an acceptable outfit and Bryce wore his headphones, safety glasses, and took his toy gun with him.  Jason let Bryce do the calling.  Bryce even "shot" at one when it flew by.  He was so proud of himself!

 

I'm glad my boys will have something fun to share an interest in.  I'm even more glad I have a little girl who will hopefully share my interests!  Be my luck, Emmy will want to hunt too!

thursday thoughts...........lots of them

This post is brought to you courtesy of iphone pictures from mine and Jason's phones since I have not turned any of our cameras on since we got back from the beach!
 
1. I've been in a bit of a funk lately but I think I'm finally getting over it.  I'm a creature of habit and don't deal well with change.  I have enjoyed summer vacation, but as teachers went back to work on Monday, my new role as stay at home mom officially started.  I found myself missing my teacher friends and the structure a new school year brings.  I decided to stop sleeping in (which is only until about 6:45) and waiting to get ready for the day once the kids were up.  I have started getting up at 5:45 and I alternate lifting weights and doing cardio in the mornings.  Once I'm done exercising, I shower and get ready for the day before Jason leaves for work.  That way I'm ready for the day once the kids wake up and I'm ready for anything that comes our way.
 
2. Because I'm not ready to "let go" of my friendships and school involvement, I have committed to helping my team run copies each week.  I went into school on Tuesday to help a little and then went to lunch with the girls.  I went back today and did the same and it was so nice to interact with adults and do some "work".
 
3. Bryce starts preschool on Tuesday so I took him to get a back-to-school haircut.  Kelly usually cuts his hair, but since they have moved and Bryce isn't over there while I work, I have been attempting to cut his hair myself.  I don't do so well on the trim so I decided it was time for a "real" haircut!  I took him to Sport Clips because I had a coupon for a $5 cut. 
 

 
I think it turned out great.  He's such a handsome boy!
 

 
4. With the start of fall and preschool, our schedule is filling up and I love it.  I just love structure and a bit of controlled chaos.  I feel more productive when I have things to do and list to cross off.  I bought a new planner tonight because my small calendar was overflowing.  I just love filling out a new calendar!

 

5. I have been working on getting Emmy and Bryce to nap at the same time in the afternoons. Bryce takes a 3 hour nap each day which would allow me to get a lot done if Emmy would sleep at the same time. She usually takes some sort of nap while Bryce naps. I bought some books tonight to read when I have a little down time during naps. I have heard so much about each of these books through other blogs so I indulged tonight at Barnes and Noble and spent a little of my birthday money. 

 

6. We went to a local baseball game on Monday night.  They have a promotion on Mondays that if you bring a McDonald's receipt, tickets are buy one get one free.  We actually ended up getting free tickets from someone at the gate so it was an even better deal.

 

7. My mom took the kids shopping today and Emmy came home with this bib.  I.LOVE.IT!  And I LOVE that smile.

 

8. Emmy has outgrown the bouncy seat.  It no longer contains her.  I'm so worried she is going to topple out.  She has also started pulling herself up, she crawled about two paces tonight, and she managed to get herself back up to a sitting position from her belly the other day ( I didn't see it happen, but she was on her belly and when I looked back, she was sitting up).  You can STOP growing up so fast now!

 

9. Bryce's legs are finally long enough to pedal his bike and he really enjoys riding it now.  He told us he wanted a horn for it.  Jason just happened to have one in the garage (because he NEVER gets rid of anything).  Bryce loves it!

 

10. It's safe to say that Bryce LOVES his sister.  Emmy likes him too!

 

11. I was very slow to join the Pinterest bandwagon, but I finally get it and it is safe to say that I am OBSESSED.  Monday's dinner was Pinterest inspired.  I made meatloaf in muffin tins the other night and "frosted" them with mashed potatoes.  Thank you Pinterest for adding some variety to our dinner selection!