I am SOOOO addicted!!!

So, a lot of you know that I have been "couponing" but most don't know how bad it's gotten....I went to Target TWICE this week! (yeah, I used to never go) Anyway, this is the first trip I made and I got all this stuff for just .56 cents!! No joke! I do my research on line and print up all the coupons that can make it happen, cut the ones from the newspaper and Viola!!! Free stuff for me! If anyone wants to come over, I am MORE then happy to go through it with you and take you on one of my trips (my second trip cost me .33 cents, and I have a witness) just let me know! I work two jobs and raise two boys AND take care of the household so if I have time to do it, you do too!!

New hair!

Sitting here, kids are finally snuggled in and the house is ready for Sunday-NOW I have time to show off my new look! Ahhh! Isn't it AWESOME?? Sherry (my sis-in-law) cut and colored it and did an amazing job--honestly, I don't think I've had a cuter hair cut/color...really. Sherry, you are gonna rack up the clients and have a great career...you really do a great job, thank you so much!!!

A perfect day...

I don't have any pictures, but Matt and I finally had a day off TOGETHER and were able to just hang out and enjoy our family. We took the boys to Tempe Beach Park--this is really sad, but I'm going to admit that Hewson has been there ONCE, when he was 2!! Yeah, so, needless to say, it was time to go again....they had a blast and it absolutely wore them out (we are going again tomorrow). That night we had KC and Sherry over for a movie, popcorn and rootbeer sundae's (made the rootbeer sauce ourselves). It was tons of fun, especially since we had not seen them in such a long time....unfortunately I had to work all day the next day, and Matt had to work that night so I took the oppurtunity to take the boys on a "date" to thier favorite place--Cracker Barrel. They ate tons (it's always nice when I don't have to cook), got a treat and looked at all the fun toys! That was a first for me, I had never taken the boys out by myself and I must say, it was a LOT of fun...the things these kids say and think about absolutely amaze and amuse me....like I always say, I can't see myself with another infant, but can't NOT see myself without another 2 year old! Crazy, I know, because most mom's enjoy the infant stage the most...I never said I was sane though....

Happy Birthday to ME

I am officially 28...wierd. 28 just seems too MATURE for how I feel...like in High School when you are a Freshman and the Seniors seem so cool and old, then you become a Senior and nothing is really different...ANYWAY, this is my biological dad who I have not seen since High School graduation and he has never met the boys (he goes by K-Pa). He took my family and I to Las Vegas for a weekend. We had a blast just hanging out together and site seeing--there is NEVER a slow or boring moment in Vegas--and the pools are AMAZING.

We were running low on moolah and needed dinner so we figured it would be cheaper to order pizza...look at the size of this thing!! 24" !! It was so good, and such a good deal...we had it for dinner, midnight snack, AND breakfast!

Here is the Nascar stationed on the 4th floor of M&M World--as you can imagine, the children enjoyed that place :) And for those who don't know, Hewson is a HUGE Nascar fan so this was such a treat! I don't know HOW I managed walking out of there spending only $20!

We went to the Bellagio the first night and actually got to see the infamous fountian dance! This is my third time to Vegas and my first to catch the fountian....it was so much fun, and absolutely beautiful...and they pick some really good songs that it "dances" to :)

We got there and needed food right away...so we checked in, dropped off our stuff, went out and went to the first place we saw...it happened to be ESPN Zone...go figure. It was actually REALLY nice, the food was good and the boys sat still the whole time! They had 2 wall floor to ceiling TV's where we watched Travis Pastrana do a "sick trick" as Hewson calls it....a great way to start the weekend!

Although we were not yet tall enough to actually ride the SpongeBob ride (yeah, I know...whatever) they did have a whole huge arcade on the lower floor of the hotel, so we were there quite a bit. It was a great little getaway, and it was nice to see my dad and let him hang out with the boys...they had play time the whole weekend!! Now it's back to the good 'ol backyard :)

Summer Vacation 2009

I kinda feel like a dork because I can't figure out how to put pictures in with text in between them....probably really simple BUT since I'm not sure how to do it, I will write a bit about our fun trip, then post some random pictures that are my favorites...We started almost a month ago on our journey to the other side of the world (Georgia) and made the DRIVE there in two long days. The boys were FANTASTIC and had a blast with thier various small toys and movies. We had to eat at the Cracker Barrell of course, don't ask me why but my children (like I have said before) BEG me to take them there! We arrived in GA a few days earlier then we originally planned (which was nice) and so had time to relax and enjoy the family before the 6 hour drive to FL for a week on the beach! During these few days we went to the GA Aquarium which is supposed to be the biggest in the states...and it was a ton of fun, the boys thoroughly enjoyed it, about as much as Matt, Teej, Elora, and I did! The drive to FL was one filled with anticipation for us adults and Hewson who know what the beach is and what it means to relax on it for a week, and Tillman was just, well, sick of being in the car!! He did great though and before we knew it, we were there. The first day was AWESOME, both the boys just sat and played in the "giant sandbox" while we sun bathed....Hewson got to jump a few waves and Tillman was still frightened of the ocean at this point. By the third day Hewson was body surfing, and you couldn't keep Tillman OUT of the ocean!! Elora and I got to go parasailing, which was AMAZING!! We were both a bit nervous but really enjoyed it, it was a breathtaking experience...they don't look so high when you see them from the beach, but get on one and it's scary! Needless to say, the week flew by WAY too fast and before we knew it we were back in GA packing and loading up a Penske truck to drive back LOADED with furniture and goodies from my late Mommom. The drive home took 3 days because at this point the boys knew what they were in for and weren't going to agree to it :) We are so grateful to have been able to make the trip, to be able to spend time with the family, and to make such a long journey without injury...it was a wonderful vacation that I hope to take again soon!!

Update....

Well, for some reason my computer is not allowing me to put pictures on to post them so I will just give a little update...and a little story...first, the story:
Matt was home with the boys when Hewson asked him if it was still Mother's Day (he asked this two weeks AFTER Mother's Day). Matt said "Heck no, dude, but Father's Day is coming up real soon." He just kinda looked at his dad then walked off....A few hours later Hewson returned to his dad and said, "After Father's Day it's Kid's Day and you have to buy me lots of presents..." I love how it "clicked" that these days were days of appreciation for the said person, and maybe he's right, maybe we do need a Kid's Day....but like his dad replied, "Dude, EVERYDAY is Kid's Day!"

And now for a teeny, tiny update...I am working way too hard with two jobs, and so is Matt with one (three income household here and STILL barely making ends meet!!) We are tag teaming the boys and I must say how proud I am of these monsters just going with the flow and being happy as usual...well, when they aren't fighting each other :) We are at the stage of the game where we have to have the exact same THING and they have to be the exact same COLOR and even then they still choose to fight over everything....it's such a test on patience teaching children how to react properly to new frustrating situations to them. BUT I must say it gets quite funny...they come crying to me after a scrap and all I can do is laugh just hearing the things they say to each other....Tillman is currently putting his finger to his lips, or head, or face and saying "Dink, Dink" (translation: "Think, Think") And he does it at the most appropriate times....like when he is looking for his blanket, or any other numerous thing! It's the best...Hewson is just cracking us up the his translation of the world, and money and trying to learn and understand all these new things....LIKE Mother's Day and Father's Day :) He LOVES Nascar--we were getting in the car one day and an old man was riding slowly by on his bike when Hewson said "Hi, we're Nascar fans..." What!?!? He had a great first season of T-Ball where of course he was the champion (they still fight over that trophy to this day) and they both BEG me EVERY day to go to Cracker Barrell....I know, strange little children....Anyway, I tell them they will be sick of it before the summer is over because we are preparing for a cross country drive to GA in about three weeks, and we usually eat at Cracker Barrell's all the way across :) So, a vacation is well overdue (for all of us) and SO close coming that we can't stand it!!!

Yep....it happened....on Easter :)

So, before I tell my story of our wonderful Easter Sunday, I just want everyone reading this to go and buy a fire extinguisher NOW if you do not have one currently.....with that said, here is my story: Easter morning was a beautiful one...Hewson was the first to wake (as always) and came in my bedroom with a little easter treat sack (with nothing in it) SO excited that the easter bunny came!! At that point I thought to myself, 'With everything out there, the only thing he liked was the empty sack?' Huh...so a few min. go by and he comes in with the string that holds the empty sack together and is so excited, he wants to hang it on the wall in his bedroom! Wondering what is wrong with my child I ask "Did the Easter Bunny come?" He replies, sadly "yeah, but there aren't any eggs...." Ok....."Did you look on the table, babe?" Thinking for a second he says "I can try that..." Whattyaknow!?!? The easter bunny came!! Running in he says..."The easter bunny really did come!!" Poor guy thought he got an empty easter sack from the easter bunny! :)

Now it's time for breakfast...I made a scrumptuous french toast casserole and Hewson took one bite, then ran to the bathroom and threw up....oh man....so the rest of the day involved a fever, throwing up, breathing treatments and coughing so much he could barely talk....poor guy. SO, to the fun part....while heating the oven to make some fish sticks for the boys I notice a little tiny fire in the corner of my oven....I quickly turn the oven off, open the oven door, and grab a tupperware full of water....I then think to myself, we have a fire extinguisher....I will get that and stand here while that little fire burns off whatever food is on fire, then go on with my day....I grab the extinguisher, read the directions ( I had never used one before) and make sure it is ready to go....I stand there for a min, my little fire still buring, holding the extinguisher and think....this is going to take all day, that is quite a bit of food or whatever that it is trying to burn off, I am going to throw some water on it, let it sizzle and then go on with my day....WARNING....YOU CAN HAVE A GREASE FIRE IN YOUR OVEN AS WELL AS ON YOUR STOVE!!!! Oh yeah, that little bit of water caused an explosion....I grabbed my extinguisher and used it....the dust was too thick at that point to know if I had even put it out so I grabbed my boys (my youngest naked at the time) grabbed my cell phone and ran outside....my children were FREAKING out (understandably) and I had to explain that I had taken care of the fire, I just needed 'back-up'. The fire department arrived very quickly, checked it out and said that I had put the fire out successfully!! Yeah!! They said usually they put a huge fan in the house to blow out the extinguisher chemical dust but I would have to mop it up because they saw the SVN machine and medicine and didn't want to cause more breathing problems for the kids....mop?!? WHO has a mop these days?? Uh, swiffer? That work? Nope....had to get a mop, and it surprisingly it came up rather easily....I still have yet to clean the oven...ugh.

BUT my story is not over yet...the cool part...Matt was at work at Sports Authority that afternoon when he saw a bunch of firemen come in....he asked them where they were located, and then if they had happened to respond to an oven fire that day....whattyaknow....they had!! He said that was HIS family and they were VERY impressed with me, said I had done a great job, did everything right (especially getting out of the house, I guess not a lot of people run as soon as they can....). They talked a little bit longer and as it turns out, they were at the Fireman Picnic with us the other night!!! It is SO great to know that I live somewhere where I know they will respond quickly, AND that they know my family!!! So, we ended up ordering easter pizza instead of easter ham, but were so happy to be safe and now we have an easter to remember!!

Journaling...again....

I have gone back and read my blog back to myself and am so glad I blogged about Hewson's comments because I really had forgotten, and I really don't want to forget these moments....so here again I have two moments that struck me as precious that I never want to forget (and always want to be able to bribe him with as he gets girlfriends).
The other night after getting in trouble a few times for not staying in bed and closing his eyes to sleep, I am in the kitchen doing dishes and hear little footsteps...as I am about to turn and punish my child he whispers to me "Mom, I have some great news...the Easter Bunny is going to uh, Walgreens to get easter eggs!!!" Now let me explain...my children fall asleep listening to the radio...they both love it and can't fall asleep without it and at first it was Christmas CD's and then started listening to christmas music on 99.9 since the CD player broke....well, after christmas we continued listening to 99.9 and he must have heard a commercial concerning the Easter Bunny going to Walgreens :) I told him that was great news and he just might get some of those eggs on Easter if he obeys his mother and goes to bed like he is supposed to!! I am so glad he is at the age to use this leverage :)

Another thing just a MOMENT ago, as he is painting Easter pictures in between Conference sessions he says out of the blue "Mom, girls do ballet, huh?" I responded the best way I know how with "Yes, babe, they do...but some boys do ballet as well". His response "But that doesn't make any sense cause boys aren't girls and girls aren't boys" So...where do I go from here?!?! I tried this one..."Well, some boys have a hard time playing t-ball and so they go do ballet..." Before I could even finish trying to explain, he goes "But THAT doesn't make any sense either cause t-ball isn't that hard, is it mom?" Ok, I'm done....I have nothing else to say....maybe we will try this conversation again some other time...is every four year old surprised to find out that not all other kids are just like them???

The season has begun...

Well, T-ball season has started and I have to say, it's as much fun as I always imagined it would be...our oldest is FINALLY old enough to join a sports team and go to school...it's SO much fun to be part of a team and to be able to go watch games...we are laughing the whole time these boys are playing because, well, it's t-ball! For his first game Hewson had to be taken to the out, out field with his coach every time the other team was up to bat because he was ALWAYS the first to get the ball, and in his mind, that made him the best....I guess if he were older, he'd be right, but for now we have to share the ball with everyone :) It's a busy time of year, but it's the best time of year....the boys have something to look forward to, they get to run around and play with friends and we could not ask for better weather right now...and we have the cutest t-ball player around...life is good, really good.

WARNING....MAY CONTAIN GRAPHIC CONTEXT

So...we were at Aunt Emily's yesterday making strawberry jam (so easy and fun) while the kids were playing outside and jumping on the trampolines...she has two tramps outside set side by side and the springs of the tramps are uncovered...I step outside to see how they are doing and hear my Hewson SCREAMING and CRYING and WHINING like I have never heard him before...I look over and he is stuck in the springs in between both tramps (he was trying to jump from one to the other). I thought for sure he had just broken his ankle by the way he looked tangled up in there and I just went into "get my child to the hospital" mode...I jump on, lift him up and all he can muster is "Ahhhh...I broke my penis!!" (the ahhhh is crying and the other part is whining/crying). You would think that with two boys we would have gone through this earlier (one of them crunching thier things) but we have not....I asked if his tummy hurt and he screamed out a yes...I felt so bad and had NO idea what to do to make it better...I can make a fever/head bump/cut/broken bone/sore throat/head ache/etc. feel better but I couldn't help him with THAT....Matt was at work but I tried to call him anyway to no avail so I went second best and called KC....he talked us through it, and before we were off the phone Hewson was walking around and laughing...I don't think he realized how badly he could hurt himself, and I realized I can't fix everything...it's sad but true.

Just Journaling...

Hewson is so funny...he gets to play T-ball this year with his cousin Kyler so we went to dad's work and bought him his first pair of cleats ever...he was really excited. Of course as soon as we got home he wanted to put them on and try them out in the back yard...he put his socks and cleats on, and had nothing else on except a pair of sweat shorts....he checked the cleats out on his feet for a few seconds then put his hands in his pockets then asked me "Mom, how do I look?" I told him he looked great and that he looked like the best T-ball player I had ever seen...he loved that one...grinning he happily said "Yeah, cause I am." I have heard stories of how it goes in T-ball games and during practice, but it was the funniest thing to see for the first time!! Hewson quickly began bossing people around, telling them to get the ball, go hit, etc. (I have NO idea where he got that from...) He took it pretty seriously and didn't understand why Kyler wasn't too interested...but they all had a blast and it was so much fun to see all those boys run around, bumping into each other...I have a couple pictures...I will have to post them later.

My wonderful boy...

Hewson is always the first to wake up in the morning, and always ready for breakfast as soon as he opens his eyes....mom, not so much ready....so he will snack on some dry cereal for a bit until his brother wakes up. Well, this morning was the same routine and as we went to get Tillman out of the crib together (that is the signal to Hewson that the day has officially started) he said out of no where "Mom, today is the perfect day!" That was such a great reminder after a long week of working and cleaning that yes, today is the perfect day....every day is perfect.

Fun!!

As I have blogged before, as a mother I feel like I have really great ideas for my kids but never actually DO them...well, in fully realizing this I have decided to make a goal to become what I like to call a "more creative mother." So this simple project that I did for my kids makes me very proud of myself!! I mixed and made up a whole batch of home made playdough!! I know many of you who read this will think, uh, yeah, I do that all the time...well, this was my first time actually DOING it, and I have to say, it was easy AND fun. I made four colors for the boys and it quickly went from just playdough to practically every kitchen item I own...it has to be so fun using mom's "real" stuff! It kept them happy for quite some time and Matt actually told me today that they set up a "hotdog stand" here in the playroom and were yelling "GET YOUR HOTDOG!" I don't know where they got that from, but I'm sure it was really cute...Ahhh...it's so nice when I have HAPPY boys!

**Yes, Tillman is actually smiling--what a cootie patootie!!**

I feel like such a good mom...

On the monday before Valentine's Day on my way home from work I stopped to get a few little things to make Valentine's cards...I am so proud of myself because I feel like I have all these great ideas for the kids, but never actually DO them....so we set everything up and went at it. It was really sweet because as I was helping the boys, I look over and see Matt making a card...I assumed it was for me, so I sat down and made one for him :) It was so much fun to be creative and it kept the boys busy until bedtime!! I need to do fun things with them more often!

Mom--these are actually for you, but I am slow to send them...they are still on my counter as I type this but I promise they will be in the mail next week...I translated a letter from Hewson on the back of his...it's so sweet...enjoy!

Sad Sunday

We threw a SuperBowl party at our house....I will post only this picture and leave a short message since I am VERY late posting and I don't want to bring up those feelings again right when the sting is slowly subsiding...I just wanted to thank everyone that came and helped and brought yummy finger foods...despite the outcome of the night, I was so happy to have everyone over again and feel it together!

Mesa Arts Center

Every year Kent and Dottie purchase a table for a night called Art on the Move-which benefits the Mesa Arts Center (Kent had his hand in making sure this was built in downtown Mesa). The Arts Center is actually pretty amazing with numurous stages and plays going on, as well as classes and galleries of different artwork. So, each year they have this night to raise money and usually consists of a silent auction and dinner. THIS year there was a silent auction, a LIVE auction, dinner and live music!! We got drawn to attend with KC/Sherry, Ben/Em,Alex/Stephanie,Kent/Dottie....it was such a blast! The dinner was AMAZING, and the music was fun at the end of the night. Needless to say it was an awesome date night....

Family

This is my cousin and her family, my aunt and uncle all from my real father's side of the family. My cousin actually moved here from Boise, ID not too long ago so her husband could keep his job. It was really fun to get together with them because I have not seen any of them since I was about 9 years old!! It's awesome because Heidi is so easy to get along with, and my husband and her husband hit it off too!

Mom-I tried getting a picture of everyone up here for you...they all look good, huh?

m-i-c k-e-y m-o-u-s-e!!

Can't forget to post the picture with Mickey Mouse himself!!

I feel like this is way too many pictures then needed, but my mom is probably the only one who reads this so...these pictures are for you mom!! If you can't already tell where we have been, we went to DISNEYLAND!! Not only was it the best two days ever...it was the very first time that Hewson, Tillman and I have ever been there!! All I can say is that it truely is the happiest place on earth :) Hewson quickly caught on to how awesome roller coasters were, and went on all the really fast ones he was tall enough for! Tillman was happy with all the rides too, until we got stuck on Mr. Toad's ride...it just stopped in the middle of the ride!! The lights turned on and they came on the speaker and told us to stay put that someone would come get us, and we had to walk the rest of the way out of the ride...it freaked Hewson out a little bit too, but he got over it fast enough. It was a hard two days...all the walking and running and skipping and jumping...but it was SO fun! It was even better because we had a "family reunion" where all 59 of us showed up!! We actually became a scavenger hunt...we had our names on the back of our shirts which were numbered and as soon as a gentleman found out our story and why we were wearing those shirts, he started this whole thing and would find us throughout the park, see what our number was, and cross us off his list! Yep, he had a list....it was awesome. We had the best time, and are already planning on going down again for Hewson's birthday in October...it should be a fun surprise!!

GO CARDINALS!!!!

I just have to say KC Layton is the best party planner ever! He put this whole idea of having a Cardinals party together to help support our team and it turned out to be a blast! I had my wisdom teeth out the day before so I was a little out of it, but it was not an issue at all because KC and Matt took over and set the whole house up and BBQed for everyone...I just had to make a couple dips :) It was so fun having everyone over and getting to watch the game with everyone...these three boys were great and watched the whole game getting all excited screaming and hugging when we had a touchdown! Thanks to everyone for coming and pitching in....GO CARDINALS!!!