Super Moms Unite!

My friend Stacey posted this the other day. I wanted to spread the word about it. I think it's kinda fun! If you want to contribute drop me a message and I will let her know!

"After reading my friend Jenny's blog about how she is doing her grocery shopping and able to save a lot of money I got thinking. There should be a blog where we can all share ideas and recipes with each other. So I started one.

http://todayssupermoms.blogspot.com/

I really want all of you to comtribute, it won't be good if it is just me doing it. So my question is who's in? Give me your email address and I will put you on so you can contribute as much as you want. If you have friends that have great ideas that would like to contribute as well that would be awesome! The more people we can get to contribute to this the better the blog it will be. Come people I know you all have great ideas lets start sharing. "

My poor Daddy!!!

Today I was on the phone with my mom just having a little chat when I hear this loud crash, followed by a really loud yell. Then all I heard was everyone screaming and the dog barking a lot, then I got disconnected. I was scared to death!!!!! My dad was up on his ladder painting in their entry way that is two stories high. He was at the very top of the ladder all the way up the two stories when he fell. He was still talking and mentally OK but my Sister in Law said his leg looked pretty bad. He really jacked up his leg and is in a lot of pain. They called 911 and they gave him some morphine and checked him all out. He got x-rays and he broke his femur way up high by his hip. He was covered in paint and so was everything else in the house. So, he had paint in his eyes etc. Anyway, they have to do surgery tomorrow and put a pin in his leg. So, he'll be out for a while. I'm glad he's OK and didn't fall on his head or anything. I just feel so bad for him!! That's gotta hurt! I was so glad that my brother, Sam and his wife were there to help! They got the paint cleaned up at the house with some ward members. I was supposed to go to Utah next week during Brad's exams but I'm thinking about leaving earlier to help out. My mom doesn't drive right now so I think they could use it. We'll see how tomorrow goes.

HOW did I save that much??

Well...here in Nevada they send a mailer with grocery store ads. I USED to throw them away but I started looking at them and marking down what I thought were good deals and saving the coupons (even though I only used one). Watch closely with coupons because sometimes the generic is cheaper than using the coupon. After I wrote down what I thought were good deals on things I usually get I decided which store had the best deals. Albertsons just happened to have the most stuff that week. They had a coupon for if you spent over $25 you got free paper towels and if you bought two stouffers lasagnas at $5.99 each you got a free bag of candy. I happen to like Stouffers lasagna and they are normally like $10 each. I made sure I made a list of things so I didn't forget what was on sale. I checked the normal price to make sure I was getting a good deal as well. Really, I just studied the ads and it really added up! It was so fun and rewarding to see the money come off after they had rung everything up!! Watch closely for the ones that you HAVE to buy the amount they want you to buy to get the good savings. Sometimes they make you buy 4/$5 to get the discount. I got Prego sauce 4/$5 which IS a good deal so I bought 4. Anyway, I saw this lady on Oprah that inspired me to try this. She claims you can cut your grocery bill in half if you do what she does. Go here to read her free online book that really helped me, although I didn't do everything that she does.

Grocery shopping

So, I've been complaining a lot about grocery shopping and how expensive food is. It seems like I go to the store and spend all this money and it's gone so fast. Well...I spent hours clipping coupons, scouring the ads and planning my route. I tried to plan my meals around what was on sale and use coupons that really were useful and not just because I had a coupon. I don't think coupons really are that great of a deal when generic is usually cheaper even with the coupon savings. Anyway, I ended up going to TWO grocery stores because they had different sales that I thought were pretty good. I got most of my groceries at Smiths and then ventured to Albertsons where I got 4/$5 Prego, 1.99/lb ground beef (really good deal!!) 20/$8 yoplait yogurts, Stouffers Lasagna for $5.99 (anyone who buys this would agree that's a steal!). Then I got a free bag of candy and a free roll of Bounty Paper Towels. My total savings was $43.69!!!!!!! That's not including what I saved at Smiths!! I guess it pays to research and plan before you go to the store.

Random thoughts

I haven't posted in a while...thought it was time to get caught up. I was looking through pictures the other day and I came across Preston's picture of the day he came home from the hospital. What a little peanut. Then, I wanted to compare the pic to Hannah in her carseat! So cute. They were so tiny and now they're getting so big! It's fun to watch them grow up though. Hannah is such a little cutie. She smiles all the time now and I love it. She gets excited and kicks her little legs and smiles.
Brad has some more time off for some other jewish holiday. He'll go back to school on Thursday. Always love this time to spend as a family. He still studies a lot, of course, but we get to see him a little more. Preston is feeling so much better now. He's had so much energy. He's been a lot of fun to play with. He certainly got his appetite back. He loves to go into the pantry and bring me a box of cereal, crackers or whatever he can find to eat. Last night we had 3 boxes of cereal and a box of graham crackers sitting around because he kept bringing stuff to us. We had FHE last night. We sang primary songs, read from the kids Book of Mormon Stories Book and played a game Brad made up for Preston. He put Cheerios under one of three cups and Preston had to find which one had the Cheerios. Kinda dumb but he thought it was fun. We've been trying really hard to have a little FHE every Monday. We've done pretty good. We know Preston doesn't understand just yet but it's important to have that time, so we do!


My cute little smiley girl.

Daddy reading a bedtime story.

Long day for Daddy, I guess!!!

Just one of those days

Today is one of those days I just looooooove being a Mom! It all began this morning when Preston WOKE UP fussy. Which is always the sign of a good day! He just didn't know what he wanted to eat or what he wanted to do. So, I took them for a walk. That is always good for everyone involved. Then Hannah was fussy. I was trying to calm her down and I looked over and Preston had something in his hand, squishing it...yea it was poo. I washed his hands and changed him and looked over to see that he had rubbed it into the carpet! Ya, fun! So, I got him down for a nap and FINALLY got Hannah to take a nap. She needs some assistance getting to sleep most of the time. Hopped in the shower. On my way out of the shower I pulled the curtain back and the whole rod and curtain fell on me and the rod had broken, so I need to get a new one. My peace and quiet didn't last long enough. I was on the phone with my Mom telling her all the fun things that were happening today and I noticed Preston had a rash. So, I kind of panicked because I thought he might be allergic to the anitbiotic that he had gotten for his ear infection. So, I called the doctor and they said to bring him in right away. Preston was so tired and crabby that I decided to leave Hannah with a neighbor so I could give him all my attention. I took him in and the doctor checked him over (we saw the nurse practitioner last time who told us he had an ear infection) and told me she didn't think it was an ear infection because his ears looked fine. She said it was Roseola, which is a virus that causes a high fever and then a couple days later a rash. She said he would be irritable because he won't feel good. But, the fever has broken so he's on the downslide....thank goodness! The poor guy has been pretty sad. ANYWAY...it was Brad's first day back at school, of course it would be a crazy day at home...why wouldn't it? HA HA HA HA! Gotta laugh at these things. I hope Preston is back to his normal self again soon.
This is the first time our Doctor had seen Preston. She's seen Hannah before and I told her about Preston. She is AMAZED at how well he's doing for being so early. She said she's never seen a 24 weeker doing so well at this age. She loved Preston and his glasses...who wouldn't? I do love my kids but sometimes I could do without days like today!!! :)

Holding my dear ones a little tighter

So it ends up Preston did have an ear infection. We took him to the doctor yesterday and they prescribed an antibiotic for the poor little guy and told us to give him Tylenol and Motrin. He was so grumpy yesterday and I got so frustrated...I just didn't know what to do with him to make him happy. I told Brad just to put him to bed. He had put him in some warm jammies and I told him just before he put him down to just put him in a onesie because he had been running a fever, so he did. A few hours later Brad and I were getting ready for bed and I heard him start to cry. I jumped up to go get him and give him some medicine because he was overdue for some, I just didn't want to wake him. When I got in there he was seizing. I yelled for Brad and Brad picked him up and held him and I called 911. I was so upset I don't even know what I was saying on the phone. It just didn't seem real! She was asking me so many questions and I was getting frustrated and just wanted someone to come help. It seemed like the seizure lasted forever! He finally stopped and the paramedics were here so quickly. They checked him all out and he was OK, besides being really agitated and tired. His fever had gotten too high which is what caused the seizure. I have honestly never been so scared in my life! All I could think about was that I was going to lose my poor baby!!! Brad remained calm and just kept talking to Preston. I was running around like a crazy lady. This all happend around 12:30 a.m. and I am so glad we were still awake to even hear him. I don't think I would've heard him had we been in bed. He is OK today. He is still really tired. I didn't sleep a wink. I would start to dose and jump up thinking it was happening again. I had Brad give Preston and I a blessing. It was the only thing I thought would calm me. I felt a lot better but didn't sleep until this morning. After the blessing all I could think about was Preston's little 1 pound body and I knew he's supposed to be here for a reason and that everything was going to be OK.

A couple more Memory Mixer Samples

Internet party!!!

OK, so do you all remember the ABC Book I made for Preston that I posted on here? Well...I've had a lot of you inquire about it and how I did it etc. I made it on a program called Memory Mixer. It has become a favorite! I used to make all my wedding albums for my clients on Photoshop. Although I still love to retouch my pictures in Photoshop every now and again, I have absolutely grown to LOVE Memory Mixer. I was contacted by someone at Memory Mixer who saw Preston's ABC Book order come through. They loved his book and have now given me the opportunity to make Memory Mixer available to all of you who are interested!! I'm posting a few things that I have done on the program. Really, the possibilities are endless! It's a scrapbooking program that allows you to design your own scrapbooks and print them as bound photobook. SOO cute! OR you can pick which pictures you want and the program will mix an album for you! COOL RIGHT? Well, if you want to know more about the program just leave a comment and I'll get with you about it. It makes a great Christmas present!! That's how I got mine! Let me know!

little missionary

Most people say they love to dress girls up in their cute clothes and YES! I do love to dress Hannah up but I love to dress Preston up just as much! Isn't he a handsome devil? I feel so sad for him today. He's had a fever. I hate when he gets sick but I love the cuddles. He laid in bed with me and watched TV for a few hours and I loved it. I think he might have another ear infection. I'll take him to the doctor tomorrow. Brad got out his doctor kit and tried to check out Preston's ears but didn't have much luck. He hasn't really gotten that far yet but it was fun to try!! Ha ha. I love Sundays. I don't clean or anything. I just love to take it easy, read scriptures and play with my family. The dishes will always be there tomorrow!

Early Halloween

Our ward had a very early Trunk or Treat. I may not have gone if I wasn't on the activities committee. I made cupcakes for the cupcake walk. They are Yummy Mummy cupcakes. I think they turned out pretty cute!
I dressed the kids as Peter Pan and Tinkerbell. I made the costumes. I'm not a seamtress by any means but I'm pretty proud of the way they turned out! I'll have to take more on Halloween. I didn't get very good pictures this time around. They were both grumpy.


Preston hated the hat. He kept getting mad about it.
Brad took him around Trunk or Treating...we've enjoyed his candy!! Ha ha.

The best zoo EVER!

So, it was a beautiful day today. High 70's...perfect weather to go to the zoo. We packed up the kids, packed a lunch and ventured out. We had no idea what we were in for! What a fun day!! Well...our first clue should've been this sign...a 3 acre zoo??!?!?

Then you walk in and see this sign...which is ALL the animals that they have there.
BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPING!!!
There were chickens and roosters roaming around everywhere so the sidewalks all look like this.
The friendly zookeeper, let's call him Bob. He showed us "Coti", not sure what kind of animal it was but he said the trick to getting him out was jiggling your keys. So, he did.
Then Brad asked where the chimp was. "Bob" proceeded to say "He's not out? Let me go get his butt up" and walks over. He was inside in the air conditioning.
Evidentally, Mr. Chimp "Terri" was his name likes to watch TV?? This was in the back of his cage.
Can you tell we're having fun here??
Pretty much this was the only real photo op.
Interesting sign?!
The coolest animal there. It was kinda fun to see him up close and out of his cave!!
THE bathroom. You know it's small when this is the only one!!
This was Preston's favorite part...the STUFFED animals!
My beautiful baby girl!
Interesting sign on the way out.

AND last but not least...the parking lot. Yep, it's the street.This concludes are fun outing to the zoo. In the words of Elder Worthlin "There is an antidote for times such as these: learn to laugh."

playing in the backyard/rock garden

First of all, I just have to say...why is it so dang expensive to eat healthy? I wish I had money to eat like we're supposed to, but, I just don't!!
Anyway, I was just in the mood to take some bw pics! So, here's what a got! My little guy loves to play in the rocks in our backyard.

A happy fun-filled day!

My mom was here visiting for all of last week. I always love having her come. She is always so helpful with the kids and is great company. I got to go buy some new clothes which I haven't done for a while and it was fun to go with her. Thanks to Brad for babysitting for a little while so I could go "kid free".
We had such a busy day yesterday. First of all, our beautiful baby girl was blessed. We had a lot of Brad's family here and all but one of my brothers from my side. It was so fun to have them all here to witness the occassion and participate in the blessing. I thought it was so neat to have such a beautiful Priesthood ordinance performed in my home. Hannah cried through the blessing and everyone said she kept tooting, but I didn't hear that part!! All I heard were the wonderful words spoken by Brad. She was dressed in the most gorgeous dress made by her Grandma Clark. I will have to take more pictures to really show you how pretty it was!!



Then Brad received his white coat yesterday! My little student doctor hubby looked so handsome!! I thought it was cool that Brad got his WHITE coat and Hannah was in her first WHITE dress.

This is him getting his coat at the ceremony.

I'm so proud of him and all the hard work he does.

THANK YOU to all the family that participated and drove so far to support us and spend time with us! It is much much appreciated! We love you all!!!

Missing taking pictures

I posted some random shots on my photography blog. I was just looking through some of the pictures I took in the past and I'm really missing photography!! Check them out if you want.

Laugh your abs away!

http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-US&tab=q4a0r7b9d1s0y4f7a6d1q2x5s8k4o2x3&playlist=videoByUuids:uuids:fd0c714a-0527-4059-a96b-ccceb8d6f67b&showPlaylist=true&from=im_default&fg=rss
I saw this video and thought it was so funny. What a concept! You have to laugh just like her though! Ha ha ha ha. Check it out.

KIDS

We thought this picture was funny because Hannah is soooo gonna catch up to Preston's size. Preston weighs about 18 lbs and Hannah weighs 12.5 lbs. It's incredible to see Hannah grow. Preston was so small for so long!

Wrestling already!!

So cute. We can't really get Preston close to Hannah, he just doesn't want to so Brad tried to hang him upside down close to her.

My mom is here visiting again and on Friday we will have lots more family here. A lot of Brad's family and most of my family are coming to see Hannah blessed on Sunday. Brad also has his white coat ceremony for school on Sunday. We're so excited to entertain them and have them here.
Brad had the last few days off of school. It's a jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah, I believe. Next week he has wed-fri off and the week after that he's got mon-wed off for Yom Kippur! He'll have a whole week off! I'm so excited!
Hannah is getting cuter all the time. Her hair just cracks us up...it's so crazy all the time. She's getting little fat rolls on her legs...Preston NEVER had an ounce of fat on him really. He's always been pretty little.
Preston is saying new words like cee-o (cereal), joo (juice) and of course "cheeeeese" and "pleeeaase" which both sound the same.
Hannah is sleeping pretty good. I feed her before I go to bed and she gets up around 3 a.m. and then again around the time we wake up, 7 or so. So, that's not too bad. She's really good at going back to sleep at night too.
I got my fall decorations out today, although it feels like July. It's still in the high 90's here. Kinda wish it would cool off a bit. Anyway, it's fun to get out some decorations...can't wait for Christmas!!!