MONEY SAVING MANIA!!

Well I haven't done very well with documenting my money savings. A while ago I began a challenge to myself and sharing with all of you my money saving adventures. 2010 is going GREAT!! We are still enjoying our Financial Peace University class at church and we are learning more ways everyday on how to save money. My fun is in couponing!! Don't get me wrong there is a lot to it, but it is worth every moment! Here is my fun for today:

CVS (My new favorite store):

TOTAL SPENT: $12.98
TOTAL SAVED: $32.44
**Plus, I still have $5 in Rewards yet to use...Whoo Hoo!! By the way all of the shampoo & conditioner in this pictures was FREE, that is 4 bottles of shampoo & 3 bottles of conditioner.

WALGREENSSPENT: $11.68
SAVED: $24.54

*The best thing about this purchase is I will be getting an additiona $5 back due to a rebate for the ziploc bags. So, technically I will have spent only $5.68.

TARGET:SPENT: $8.42 - SAVED: $13.79

*Yes you are seeing this picture correctly there is a NEW pillow and two beach towels, with the other goodies! Whoo Hoo!!

So, overall for the whole day, which does not include the rebate or rewards dollars not spent I only spent $33.08 & saved a total of $70.77 for 39 items. Now this is just one day! Alot of these are stock items because I already cooked ahead and stocked the cupboards earlier in the month to prepare for baby! By the way I am at a 65% savings for the month of March!!!

I am still learning, but having fun doing it! It is fun to get good deals and even more fun to get FREE stuff!!

Drew just being DREW!!

Drew is definitely a ham, those of you who know him would back me up I am sure. Here is how he entertained us the other night... I love this kid! Shy is not in his vocabulary!! I hope you get a kick out of this!

Oh, and surprisingly enough this was egged on by his father...

38 1/2 WEEKS... NOT MUCH LONGER!

Time is fading fast, but I think we are pretty well ready for little Evan's arrival. I had a doctor's appt yesterday, which came with my first check. The good news is I am dilated to "ONE" and 50% effaced. For those of you who don't know this is GOOD news. This makes me a prime subject for induction if needed.

I am blessed as I am not feeling the pressure I did with Drew, but I can tell this little guy is LOW. Other than that I still feel great and I am so thankful! I do get tired quickly, but I steal a nap whenever possible.

Enjoy a couple pics from my attempt at a maternity photo shoot! It was a chilly day and I was trying to snap fast. I still got a couple of good ones!

DREW UPDATES...2 Years, 3 1/2 Months

David got a wild hair this morning and decided to see how much Drew has grown because we know he is taller as he is reaching more and more...

The result is...36"

We tried to do his weight, but our scale just isn't great for accuracy. Based on what it says he hasn't gained any weight since his 2 year appointment...so it is saying 30lbs.

Drew is such a funny kid and as I have said numerous times he keeps us on our toes with what he says and knows. Here are some recent Drew phrases/conversations:

Me: "Drew look there is a front loader"
Drew: "No Mommy it is a Backhoe"

"Hey my daddy...or my Mommy"

One morning (whispering): "Is everybody sleeping..psst psst... is everybody sleeping"

Me: "You are a nut case," Drew: "No, I am a fruit cake"

Drew: "Mommy, what does a garbage truck say?" Me: I make a lifting, dumping, and chomping sound to let him know it eats the garbage, Drew: "Ewwwwe Yucky

"Daddy fly safe"

"Emma lives in Texas"

"Daddy lay down.." he wants him to pretend he is sleeping.. Then he gets really close and says "BOO" really loud

"Whatcha doing?" He asks everyone this even perfect strangers

He likes to tell us what he has had to eat

He requests Chicken with Ranch Dip

He tattles on himself... you always know exactly what he did

He puts toys in timeout

He trades his toys... we taught him he has to trade one toy for another

He continually impresses us with knowing the names of many vehicles: Backhoe, Excavator, Front Loader, Fire Truck, Police Car, Pick-up Truck, Jeep, tractor, Cherry Picker, Fork Lift, Motorcycle, Van, Money Truck, Garbage Truck, Cement Mixer, Dump Truck, Semi, Car Transporter, Trailer, Monster Truck, Helicopter "ride", Airplane, bus (big & little)...etc I am sure there are more)

He is singing the alphabet pretty well & can count to 6. The most impressive thing is he knows the sound of the letters.

Okay I think that is enough info for now..

DREW the POSER!!

When I was outside taking my 36 Week pictures, Drew decided he wanted to get his picture taken as well.. so here is my little poser being cute!

I put him in his Easter outfit (thanks Jamie) just in case I was in the hospital during that time... gotta have pics you know!! I know I am a little biast, but he is so darn cute!!

36 WEEKS...LESS THAN A MONTH!!

WOW, I am now getting super excited about little Evan's arrival! Don't get me wrong, I don't want to rush the pregnancy, but to see our little angel's face is priceless! I can't wait to see who he looks like and hold his little hands.

Now, the lists are being made, the house is getting cleaned, the bags are packed, everything is sanitized, etc... I have been nesting for awhile, but it is really kicking into gear!! I have also been selling non-stop on Craig's List and Ebay to raise the money for the baby stuff we need. God has truly blessed those efforts.

I am still feeling great, just starting to feel some minor pressure from time to time, but that is about it. Little Evan is still very active and is a hard roller. He LOVES music and is most active when I am listening to it or singing to him.

Now onto BIG brother! We gave him a baby doll (one of my old Cabbage Patch Kids), so he could get use to having a baby around. Well, let's just say he was very excited about it at first and carried him everywhere AND threw him everywhere... hmmmm... I tried to get him to name the baby, but he would not budge from the name Baby Brother... oh well!!

The baby does sleep in his bed, but he is back to is best friend TEDDY! Sorry baby brother, Teddy is hard to compete with!!

COUNT-DREW-ULA!!

I think I have shared with you before how much Drew LOVES letters, well he is now picking up on numbers and counting. David and I were impressed with his counting the other day. I know it is only to 6, but I don't think that is to bad for only being TWO!! What can I say our kids always impress atleast us, right?! Enjoy the video!!

34 WEEKS...only 6 TO GO!!

WOW... time is flying with this pregnancy! I know I have said that tons of time, but 34 weeks already, CRAZY!! I still feel great with this pregnancy as I tell people, I feel normal just a little bigger. I am just starting to feel a little pressure, but nothing to slow me down. I think it has helped that I really try to nap whenever possible. My ankles have also surprisingly not swollen much and NO Stretch marks yet.. YEAH!! Thanks to my Mama for good preggo genes. I think a lot of things in life are also mind over matter, and I am determined to enjoy this process as it is over WAY TO SOON!

I plan on teaching until this baby comes because I see no reason to stay home. I am also still leading MOPS and believe it or not stamping MORE!! Nesting plays a big part. I am just so excited to meet little Evan!!

We gave Drew a baby doll today (one of my old cabbage patch kids) and he LOVES it. I will take some pics this week! Enjoy my 34 week pics!!

DREW-ISMS

Drew is the king of one liners and tons of moments where you stop and say "WHAT?" I just have to capture some of his phrases so I don't forget and I thought you would enjoy these along the way. Keep in mind he is only TWO!

"That's not gonna happen" (when we put him in his room to go to sleep, this is all you can hear through the monitor).

"Oh Dear"

"Oh My Gosh" (we are trying to get him to say Oh my Goodness)

"Brownie Poop" (this is totally my fault, I said it one time when I was changing a diaper, and well it stuck... good grief)

"Apple Suck" (another one we are not proud of, I will also take the blame for this because he said this in the car after a haircut and forgot to finish the work sucker, it caught me totally off guard and I started laughing, so now this is what he calls a sucker... GREAT).

"I am a Dude"

"Mommy, truck needs a bath its dirty"

"What does ________ say?" (He asks this about everything whether it talks or not)

"What happened?"

"Hey...wait a minute."

"I don't want to" or "No I not"

"Why?...Because"

When a friend of ours printed something off her computer, Drew ran over to her and said "COUPONS!" I am so proud!!

Singing... I love watching Drew in the video monitor because before he goes to sleep you can always see him in there singing either Happy Birthday or Jesus Loves Me... Melts my heart.

Drew is definitely at that stage where he repeats just about everything, so we are on guard!

He LOVES letters and thanks to "The Letter Factory" he recognizes and says just about every letter and can tell you what sound they make.

I will put a video up soon of his counting.. right now he counts to 6, not bad!!

I know I am forgetting so many... I will post more as I remember them or as he reminds me!! LOL!!

LOVE my PRESCHOOLERS!!

I just had to share this picture with you! We did our Valentine's party at MDO (Mother's Day Out) this past Friday. Here is an adorable pic of my kiddos!!

HAPPY VALENTINE's DAY!!

Just a quick "HAPPY VALENTINE'S" Day from our house to yours!! I took these pics really quick last week so we could make a couple quick Valentine's..

32 Weeks and Counting..

Okay so this is a week late because tomorrow I am actually 33 weeks. Anyhow, we have only 7 weeks to go and the excitement is building! I am trying to get all the little stuff done and make big checks off my list from packing the hospital bags, making sure all the clothes are organized and put away, washing the equipment covers, and purchasing those items we need...WHEW!! Oh, and how can I forget get all the rest I can now!

Drew loves squeezing my belly to wake up little Evan as well as giving my belly hugs & kisses. We will just have to see if that carries on once his little brother is actually here.

We are still on schedule for a due date of April 4th, Easter Sunday. Anyhow, here are some updated pictures we took last week. I promise my 34 week pictures will NOT be in front of a Christmas tree.. LOL!!

MONEY SAVING FUN...

Okay so we are one month into our 2010 Money Saving Adventure. I am loving the Dave Ramsey class and we are SOOOOO motivated to change our lives and our future. I wanted to share with you some money saving fun. My friend Courtney is such an inspiration to me in this area because well, she just rocks at money saving. So, I have to give her props to what I know so far. Let's just say in the month of January we are at around 70% savings, which is CRAZY! I am also loving the stock process and I get really excited when I see our stock increase. I will take a picture of it and post it soon.

Here are some of my favorite money saving sites. I am sure this is overwhelming to some of you and I completely understand, I was there. These sites do all the work for you when it comes to coupons..

Money Saving Mom

STL MOMMY

My Dallas Mommy

The Frugal Girls

Just click on the name and it will take you to their sites. I would highly recommend becoming part of their email list. My Dallas Mommy is special because Courtney is part of the team, so check out her site and support her!! Every time you print a coupon through her site she benefits from it!! Happy Shopping!

TA-DA....Our Circus Clown!!

I had to take pictures of this because it is sooooo funny! Well, atleast it is to us! As we are working through our Dave Ramsey class we just have to add a budget line for The Little Gym because Drew loves to balance on David's back or my legs. I was actually surprised at how well he does with it. Enjoy a couple of pics and a fun video!!

30 WEEKS

I thought I had posted this, but guess not! I tell you what my brain is running a mile a minute trying to think of everything to get done and ready for this new little boy. I have huge goals between money saving, organizing, downsizing, etc.. Anyhow, while my mind is going crazy I thought you would enjoy the pictures I took last weekend... I am actually 31 weeks now and I am going to try to take pictures every 2 weeks from here on out.. Single Digits... CRAZY!!

By the way, some of you have asked if I need anything we did register at Target, Babys R Us, & Amazon. We really did it for the AWESOME coupons and discounts you get plus to give me a checklist. I am not putting this on here for any of you to feel pressured, it is just to help those who have asked and well my forgetful brain. We love you all!!

WINTER WONDERLAND!

We have gotten a little snow here and there, and we did get the opportunity to play in it a little before it got WAY to cold out (okay so this was suppose to be posted at the end of December). Drew continued to ask to go outside and I hate to admit this, but I was a wimp...it was TOOOOO COLD! I was able to get some fun pics when we played outside, ENJOY!

Hair Post Snow... LOVE IT!!!

Our Family Campout!

After Christmas we bought Drew a Lighting McQueen blow up bed (on clearance) because we knew the next time we took a trip our BIG boy would not fit in the pack-n-play anymore. Well, we had the bright idea to do a family campout in the living room, so he could get use to the new bed. Overall the night went well, but it did take awhile for him to fall asleep not to mention he did not like it when we turned the lights off. David braved the floor with him along with Bella, me I took the recliner.

Enjoy a couple pics of our first campout!

Our Little "Gangster"

Hello All!!

I just had to post this picture I took today of Drew. Recently he has really been into this red striped hat and wears it ALL the time. Now let me share with you I tried to get him to wear this for Christmas and he was not having it...

Now, just like always, "HE" wants to do it, so here you go! He just cracks me up!!! Is it just me, or does he look so much older in this picture????

Below you will see some pics from earlier in the month playing with this same hat. ENJOY!

28 WEEKS- THIRD TRIMESTER!!

Hello ALL! First, some of you know we have been dealing with internet issues, so I am WAY behind with posting on my blogs. I somehow got a virus on my laptop and it took lots of work on David's part to remove it. I am praying and hoping it is good to go!

Now, onto my pregnancy update! We just passed the 28 week mark which means we are officially in the third trimester, which is crazy. I know this last trimester will fly by, which means for me NESTING begins. I am ready to wash all the Newborn clothes and begin packing hospital bags. I know I am crazy, but I like to be prepared.

This little boy is very active just like Drew was. He likes to dance on my bladder, so I guess I am carrying him lower. Drew played in my ribs alot and I am undecided as to which is worse the ribs or bladder???

Anyhow, I am enjoying every moment because I know it will be over way to quickly and there is nothing like feeling those kicks and rolls.

We are still deciding on a name for this munchkin, but we are leaning towards Evan Michael... who knows if that will change in the next 12 weeks, but for now that name is in the lead.

Now for some pictures.. here are my belly shots:

OUR 2010 JOURNEY BEGINS!!

Hello Family and Friends! This is a bit of an unusual post! David and I have been praying for quite some time on how to effect change in our lives to better serve and honor God. Well, first and foremost is finances! So, please join us in prayer and support over the next 3 years as we begin the journey of becoming debt free. I have been recently inspired by a blog... moneysavingmom who set a goal to pay cash for a house, which she & her family achieved by the end of 2009. I knew if they could accomplish that HUGE goal, then we could surely become debt free by 2012.

So, I will update you on our journey over the next several months. We are committed and encouraged by each other, many of you, and most importantly our Lord! We ask that you pray us through this as we know there will be tough times and sacrifices we will have to make along the way.

THANK YOU!! Christie & David