The Celebration

I'm only a couple weeks late posting about this...is life really that crazy busy? Now that Gary's not occupying the computer every evening I will try to do better at updating our blog.

Now

on to the celebration.

We didn't actually celebrate Gray's birthday until the Sunday after. That way Gary had time (Sunday morning) to make a cake (his tradition, in case you weren't aware).

And THIS is what he came up with this time:

Kyri insisted that Graysen have a puppy cake

and Daddy is not one to disappoint.

Pretty impressive, don't you think?

Kyri was not the only one pleased with the outcome

"More of that, please, daddy!"

Haha!!

We don't want our kids up all night from the sugar high, so we sneak benadryl into the frosting. She totally looks drugged!!

"You think I've had enough?"

"Not quite. More. Please."

"Mmmmmmmm"

"Presents are cool.

But they don't even compare to the boxes they come in!!!"

This was such a fun day! Kyri couldn't resist and just had to help open Graysen's presents. (In fact, she started opening them as soon as we walked in the door after church....she almost didn't even wait for her brother! YIKES!) But Gray didn't seem to mind, as long as he got to play with all the boxes after she got the wrapping paper off.

We can't believe our baby is already 1!! He is SO much fun! (hopefully many more posts to come on the cute things he's been up to). And while the first 4 months were trying and seemed to drag on for a real long time (probably not for Gary, but definitely for me), the last 8 have just flown by!!

Graysen is not yet walking, but he still thinks he's real big and climbs onto everything. A recent favorite is to climb onto his sister's little potty and play with whatever remnants of water might be left in the bathroom sink.

He has always loved to climb onto his sister's "big girl bed" and as soon as he's up he sits down and just grins! Yep, he knows he's big.

When asked what a cow says he will gladly say "Ooooooooo"....not sure how he missed the 'M', but since he doesn't say anything else we will take it as is!! Graysen definitely knows how to get pretty much anything he wants. All he has to do is give either his mommy or daddy a big enough grin to show his dimples and we're sold!!

What a blessing and joy he is in our lives!

Happy Birthday Baby!

He did it!

He made it through his first year of life without any major incidents.

Besides the time he had to be under the billy lights,

and the time he fell off our high bed,

and the time he fell into the water in the bath,

and the time his sister laid on him,

and the countless times (wait, all of the above have been "countless" times except the billy lights) his fingers have been smashed in drawers,

and I can't forget to mention the last 2 days when he fell off a kitchen chair (one time because he was snitching in some cookies that were on the table).

But,

he made it!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BUG!

Here's the birthday boy at his best!

So, here's a funny story about "ears":

One day we went to Target as a family.

Not sure how BOTH parents missed it, but at some point we looked up to see Graysen holding "bunny ears".

No idea where he snatched them up from.

Gary put them on G's head and that was the beginning of the obsession for "ears".

Graysen could not get the smile off his face. He thought he was THE coolest thing around. He LOVED those ears.

When Gary tried to take them off, he cried.

When I tried to take them off, he cried.

When Kyri tried to take them off, he cried. HARD!

It was hilarious.

So, we let him wear the bunny ears around the store. We did NOT give in and buy them. We somehow distracted him long enough to take the ears off and leave the store without them, but just thinking about it makes us all laugh.

Thankfully Kyri got these (pictured above) ears form her cousin's birthday party.

Graysen wore them for a good part of the day today.

Quite fitting for a birthday boy, I suppose.

Plus, he thinks he's pretty big to be able to climb into his sister's princess chair all by himself.

He IS one, after all!!

And THIS:

is how you turn a single stroller into a double one.

I could not be more grateful for my precious little boy! He smiles more than any baby I have ever seen, which brings so much joy into our hearts.

He makes me melt.

I love him.

Happy Birthday, Baby!

The Kids

I haven't been very good about updating our blog lately. So, here's a quick look at what the kids have been up to lately.

Pretty sure that life jacket would save her....if she didn't slip out of it first. That is, if she could even make it to any water without tripping on it first!

Our handsome bug sporting a cute mohawk

Just plain CUTE! Oh I could just squeeze him....and I do.

This is what the kids get away with when Daddy's in charge. Good thing she knows better than to try such a thing with her mama :)

Hope she doesn't fall off!!! But check out how long her hair is getting.

Oh how I love this girl. She will NOT take off her pull-up unless SHE wants to (candy is a GREAT incentive) and she will NOT put her shoes on the right feet if she doesn't HAVE to.

I'm not sure who's enjoying themselves more....

but I do have to add that G LOVES the swing and laughs himself silly when he gets in. It is worth every minute of pushing him even in the cold.

We have a kazoo, a toy flute, and a couple of these whistles. G is VERY good at making noise with them and VERY proud of his accomplishments.

I walked into the bathroom to see this:

And then she rubbed her hair with a dirty, wet sock:

REALLY hilarious!

Nighty night

G somehow managed to get some cereal on his head while eating breakfast. And it stayed there while he played. I'm not really sure at what point it fell off, but I think it had something to do with hiding in the "Dora bag" (aka sleeping bag)

Ok, so I wasn't going to post anything about my coupon shopping, but I just couldn't resist. We have gone to KMart EVERY day this week to participate in their double coupon days. (You can only use 5 coupons a day, thats why I had to go back so many times) But look at the kind of deals I got! Everything in this picture was free except the Clean and Clear face wash. It was $.49 So, with tax I paid $.96 for ALL of this!!!

And I didn't take a picture, but on another trip I got a movie for $1. And I didn't even have to join a movie club!!

And I have decided there are a few things I will NOT buy for the next 6 months or so (unless I can get them for FREE) because I have SO many that I got for less than a dollar or free. Things like deodorant (for both Gary and me), razors (again, for the both of us), body wash, face wash, dryer sheets, chocolate chips.....just to name a few.

YEA for couponing!

OH! And Gary and I? We're doing just fine. He works all day and studies all night. I coupon. We are such a FUN couple!! And if Gary decides to take classes this summer? Well, I will just plan on seeing him in a few years when he's all done with school. But until then I will coupon away.

Coupon Crazy

Yes, that's me....I have gone CRAZY over couponing!!!

Now let me tell you how it all began.

A couple months ago I started thinking about when Gary goes back to school full time and will only be working part time. I started worry about finances. Then I decided I better start thinking about ways to help our family make a bit of money. I started thinking about possible part time jobs: going back to teaching, working retail, etc. Then I started thinking about "side jobs": selling Pampered Chef, or jewelry, etc. Then I had a true epiphany! Why not figure out how to help our family SAVE money rather than MAKE money?

That's when I started looking into coupons.

Boy, am I glad I did.

And though I may seem a bit obsessed with it at times, I think that Gary is actually glad I've gotten into it too!

Here's a look at just a few of my recent purchases:

Fresh Market

Total Out of Pocket (OOP) Expense: $.71

Mac and Cheese = Get 1 FREE coupon

Salad Dressing = Get 1 FREE coupon

Vienna Sausage = $.69

Fresh Market wasn't having any good deals and I didn't want to go up to the cash register with only FREE items, so I bought some vienna sausages, knowing full well that my kids would eat them up! Not a bad deal

Walgreens

OOP = $1.16

No, I'm not kidding. With my coupons I got ALL this stuff for $1.16....and $.96 of that was tax! Pretty awesome, right?

Without coupons it would be $19.76 = 94.13% savings, PLUS I earned $7 in Register Rewards to use on my next purchase. Basically, I got paid to shop.

Walmart

OOP = 11.78

I didn't buy anything on this trip without a coupon!

That toy truck was $9.96....I had a $10 off coupon!!

Hungry Hungry Hippos and Connect 4 were $5.24 each and I had a $4 off coupon for each!

And so you see, as crazy as I am about it, this couponing thing is really, totally worth it.

Smith's

OOP = $.16

Are you kidding me?!?! 16 cents?! No joke. I had $14 from my rewards certificate, but even without that I would have saved over 80% on this trip.

Without coupons and discounts it would have been $73.78

I saved 99.78%

And so the story goes.

If you are interested in this coupon business I would be happy to help. However, I would NOT recommend it to anyone who does NOT have a bit of time to spend. This is quite time consuming. Thankfully my kids go to bed at 7pm and Gary just studies. So, I coupon!! And my kids take a nap at the same time in the afternoon (like right now) so, I coupon!!

But I have come to realize that I am NOT spending any more time on this than I would a part time or side job, plus, I can do it while my kids sleep! AND I'm helping us save money while building up storage at the same time!

On occasion I'll clip coupons while the kids are awake. Kyri says, "You're couponing, Mama?! And then they both love shopping with me...especially if something good is in it for them! :)

Next on my list of purchases? Toy Story 1 AND 2 in the Blu-Ray and DVD combo. ToysRus had a sale to get each movie for $16.99 each if you bought both. Well, yesterday when the movie came out I got to the store 10 minutes after they opened and they were already out of Toy Story 2, so now I will go to Walmart to price match! What makes this deal even better? I have a $10 off coupon for EACH movie, making them only $6.99 each. And what makes it even better? I don't have a blu-ray player, so my sister will pay half of each and will take the blu-ray and I'll keep the DVD....now how's that for a GREAT deal?!?

For a look at someones budget for the month of February go here: http://callingallsupersavers.com/?p=1296

This is for a family of 4. She still has 1 in diapers and this budget includes EVERYTHING! Diapers, cleaning supplies, food, etc.

If you can't tell, I am totally excited about my new obsession!!!

PS - I DO realize "couponing" is NOT a real word found in the dictionary. However, it is definitely a real word in the world of coupon-ers!

THE END

A Few Photos

In absolutely no particular order (because I don't want to take the time to rearrange and organize these) here are some pictures of what we've been up to lately.

On occasion I'm able to get Kyri to sit still long enough to do her hair in more than just one pony tail.

The hard part this day was getting her to hold still for the picture!

I can't resist a sleeping baby.

And I was just happy he was actually sleeping in his own bed, after a few days of being sick and not sleeping unless he was being held.

LOVE this little man!

Walks...even on cold days.

The fastest we've been able to walk around the block (just one block) is 30 minutes.

I love the leisurely stroll of a child....nothing to worry about except talking to the puppy.

I am so glad my Kyri girl makes me take the time to appreciate the small things....that matter most.

Best Friends!

This picture makes me smile.

hehe

LOVE her!!

Where's G?

Peek-A-Boo!!

(a favorite game of his)

Sleeping sound....just like his sister.

Some people have told us "they're twins" and often times I totally agree.

They are SO alike in SO many ways!

Yep, G's even wearing Kyri's old pink sleeper blanket.

This looks like trouble....

...but someone loves trouble...

...is it in your nose G?...

...there and everywhere else...

...Innocent? or Instigator?...

I was making dinner and I heard Kyri say, "I'll feed G!"

Perfect.

Some times I just LOVE being a Mom!

Meet Sissa

In case you're wondering where the picture is, we don't have one. Why? Because I'm writing about a girl who is not actually real. Well, I've never actually seen her, but she is as real as could be in Kyri's eyes. Let me introduce you. Here is a look at Sissa.

Yesterday when we were driving to the store we saw a train. This is the conversation that took place:

Kyri: "Sissa drives a train."

Me: "Sissa drives a train or rides on one?"

Kyri: "Sissa drives a train. She has trains at her house!"

Me: "She has trains at her house?"

Kyri: "Yes! 2 trains!"

Me: "Wow! Does she ever let you ride on her trains?"

Kyri: "Yes, she let me ride on her trains. Her mommy holds me when I ride the train."

Me: "That sure is nice of her to let you ride her trains! And her mom holds you? What a nice mom!!"

Kyri: "Yep!"

Later in the day Kyri told me that Sissa "lives in Kaysbill with her mommy and daddy." And she has "blonde hair", just like Kyri! And her mom does it in "ponies".

Sounds like a real cute girl!!

Then when we were playing in the kids bedroom this is what took place:

Kyri: "Here you go, Sissa, here's a toy for you. (Then to me) I gave a toy to Sissa!"

Me: "Sissa's at our house?"

Kyri: "Yes. Right there. She's playing with that toy."

Clearly.

Kyri: "Her mommy and daddy are at our house."

Me: "Her mom and dad are at our house right now?!"

Kyri: "Yes. (Mumble Mumble)......chatting with them!"

Me: (not wanting to be rude to our guests) "I'm chatting with Sissa's mommy and daddy?!"

Kyri: "NO. I'M chatting with Sissa's mommy and daddy!"

Phew.

A few minutes later:

Me: "Kyri if you [don't listen] (I don't really remember what happened) then Sissa is going to have to go home!"

Yes! Sissa is going to help me discipline! Perfect!!

Kyri: "OK. Sissa's going to go home now!"

Really?

Darn.

Nice to meet you, Sissa.

See ya tomorrow.

A Walk Around The Block

Yesterday was such a nice day we decided to go for a little walk. It started out with Kyri pushing her baby in her stroller, but this (see picture) is how it ended and both kids were SO good and happy the whole time! On our walk we saw a dog (fenced in its yard). We stopped for a few minutes so Kyri could talk to the dog. When we finally continued on with our walk Kyri said, "We're going to keep walking. Don't worry bout us, puppy! Don't worry bout us!" She found that stick along the way and was determined to figure out how to push her stroller and hold the stick at the same time. At one point she was not holding her stick and we had to turn around and look for it. I really can't wait for more nice days...and more fun walks!

Kyri's been saying some pretty funny things lately. She likes to abbreviate, if you will. And just so you know, she has been coming up with these all by herself. Gary and I definitely do not shorten words as such. Here's a look into what we've been hearing:

I need to go "stinks" on the "pot"

I need a "tish"...for my nose

I'm gonna put my "jams" on!

(if we correct her on any of these, she gets real mad!)

And lately she's been talking about "someone" named "Sissa". I have yet to meet this person, but it sounds like Kyri is having a real good time at "Sissa's house"!

She keeps us laughing and we are grateful she at least has an imagination!

Kyri loves to get into G's crib and they will play together for a long time in there. Lately, though, Kyri has been jumping in the crib. The other day we told her "no jumping on the bed!" and she said, "I'm not jumping, I'm just bouncing!"

Oh. OK, then.

This empty box was our entertainment for a good hour the other day. After I was too tired to push both kids around in it, Kyri decided she wanted to push Graysen around. As you can see by the look on his face, she did not disappoint.

Kyri's names for Graysen lately: Baby or Babes

Oh Happy Day

Gary and I have a tradition for Valentine's Day. Every year we attend Jazz Night on the USU campus. This was our 5th year in a row!! It is always around Valentine's Day and so it gets Gary out of trying to come up with something romantical, which we all know (and if you didn't you do now) is a very hard thing for him to do. :)

Jazz Night consists of live Jazz music, a delicious dinner, and dancing. We are anything but good dancers, but we dance to nearly every song and pretend we are the best swing dancers in the room! This is our annual date, so we look forward to it for a whole year and always find it worth our time and money!

Well, isn't this the perfect couple?

Ann Marie and Joe (and I will feel really bad if I remembered his name incorrectly)

Ann Marie started Jazz Night and is in charge of it every year. And what a success it has been! It benefits the Larry Smith Jazz Scholarship (aka it helps those students who are there performing the awesome music)

Although I have been friends with Ann Marie for several years it seems like now-a-days this is practically the only time we ever see each other. It makes for some good catching up!

It was such a fun night! Thank you for the perfect Valentine's gift, Gary. I love you!!

To find out more about Jazz Night go to: http://music.usu.edu/jazznight.aspx

1 - 2 - 3

When Kyri gets in trouble this is often what you hear:

Me: "Kyri Ruth!"

Kyri: "Awen.......Kyri Rufe Awen!"

It's really quite cute. But today this is the conversation that took place:

Me: "Kyri if you don't come [do this] you're not going to get any books before your nap!"

Kyri: "Kyri Rufe Awen!! One.....Two......Three!"

She clearly knew what was coming next, so she just helped me out.

So, now how do I discipline?

And when we ask Kyri what Graysen's full name is her response is usually: "Graysen Daddy Rufe Awen." At least she knows that Daddy's name is in there...somehow.

Sunday Sermon

Yesterday we had the privilege of attending a "special" Stake Conference. You see, we just had Stake Conference 2 months ago. But yesterday we had one simply because Elder Holland was in town and we were the lucky stake that got to hear from him. Elder Holland has always been a favorite of mine to listen to. He is so down to earth and has such a powerful, inspiring testimony. And while much of his talk was geared toward the youth, he had much to say that applied to all of us. One of my favorite parts was at the end. With the authority that he holds he gave us all (including those that weren't there) and Apostolic blessing. One of true power, hope and happiness. He also mentioned that "this is a gospel with a happy ending". And in times when life is not always happy that surely is a great comfort! I am so grateful for my membership in this church and for the faith that keeps me going. What a blessing it was to hear from an Apostle of the Lord! And while our kids are still too young to remember this day, I hope that they are learning of the truth and Spirit that accompanied us.

Silly Sister

Lately I've had to tell Graysen things such as, "Don't pull your sister's hair." Or, "No, you can't play with that, it's your sister's." So, Kyri, being the little mom that she is, has started telling him, "No, G! That's my sister's!!"

but what a good sister she is!

The other day we were dancing to Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy". Both my kids love dancing to this song. (If you're not familiar with it you can listen to it here on our blog, just scroll to the bottom and find it on our playlist) Well, since I'm all about cheap entertainment for my children and since I love playing and having fun with them I started dancing. You could say it was a little "crazy". Both kids were highly entertained and then Kyri said to me, in all seriousness, "Oooh! Good job Mamma!! Nice dancing!" Yep, it was that good!

Then Kyri was dancing in circles and said, "I'm gettin' busy!" (dizzy)

Here's a couple things her parents taught her:

She learned from her daddy what pirates say, "Arrrrgh, maybe!" Well, that's how it started, but she soon learned it was "matey" and occasionally calls Graysen that. Pretty cute.

And from her Mom, "Hey girlfriend!" Finger snap and all.

Yesterday Kyri covered her baby doll in stickers and said, "You're so beaufitul!"

The other day when the kids were in the tub Graysen got onto his hands and knees and started rocking back and forth, putting his bum in Kyri's space. She started pinching his bum and said, "Bum cheek. Bum cheek. TWO bum cheeks! G, move your bum cheeks, I'm here!!"

Every day we look forward to what Kyri's going to say because we know she always comes up with something funny. And she has such an imagination! The other day she was in a bit of a panic and asked me to hold her. I told her no and she started crying and told me that the puppy was going to get her. I asked what puppy and she said, through her tears, "That puppy! He nopened door! He came in the house. He's going to get me!" Now I will just wait for her imaginary friend to show up....

9 Months...Already

Today was Graysen's 9 month check-up. Can you even believe he's already 9 months?!?! I can't. At his next visit, only 3 months from now, he will be one!! How did my little baby get so big so fast? How big? Well, today he weighed in at 18 lbs 15 oz! (about 30%) And he was 28 in long (about 60%). So, he dropped from being in the 75th percentile. Don't worry, it's not because we don't feed him, believe me, this boy can EAT!! But ever since he started crawling he goes as fast as he can to keep up with his big sister who's constantly running! We are so grateful to have this happy baby in our home!

Don't you think those eyes say "trouble"? Well, that is what he's constantly getting into!

Graysen now has 2 bottom teeth and 2 top. Of course, there's still more coming through, but now that his big buck teeth (his top ones really seem big) finally cut through we are hoping for less fussing and less drooling.

He still loves to smile at most people most of the time.

However, he has started this new yell thing. He yells at most things and some people (mostly me when he wants my attention). So I hear a lot of "Aaah!" from Graysen and a lot of "stop screaming in the house G!" from Kyri.

Graysen finally learned how to pull himself up to a standing postion. The sad thing was the few days it took him to figure out how to get back down. Every day there was at least one new bruise because he would fall on his head every time. Now he starts spreading his legs, like he's going to do the splits, and then finds his way to either his bum or his knees...it's much less painful...and really cute, actually.

I have decided that Graysen doesn't really like being a baby. Especially when it comes to baby food. He wants everything except that!! So he sure eats a lot of crackers in a day! The Dr said it's ok as long as he's still getting a little bit of iron (from baby food), so now I don't feel like such a bad mom when I give up on baby veggies and resort to crackers. He is still eating baby cereal in the mornings and usually eats his fruits. So, now on to table food...won't G be happy?!

I am sad that our little man is growing so fast, but so happy for all the new stages of learning and growing...

I can't wait to see what he will do next!