Happy Halloween

I hope everyone had a great Halloween.  I know we did!  We had costumes planned for us, and then the last week of October we had to change them...so I had to think quick.  The next few days were spent making a couple trips to the fabric store, desinging patterns for the costumes, and sewing all night long.  My sewing machine even broke half way through and had to call my sister in law at 10:00 at night to borrow hers.  I was so exhausted when I finally went to bed at 3:30 in the morning.

On Friday we went to Allen's work party which is always a treat.  We all wore our costumes and went trick or treating around the school and then had a cafe rio party.  Always delicious.  Then, since Halloween is on a Sunday this year, Utah makes Halloween on Saturday.  Pretty convenient! :)  So on Saturday I worked until 2:30 then came home and had pizza.  We then went trick or treating for 2 hours.  Riley was so cute!  He was such a trooper and didn't cry once.  We were so proud of him.

Riley is obsessed right now with Dr. Seuss...so I felt it only appropriate to dress up as Thing 1, Thing 2, and the Cat in the Hat.  He was so excited when he saw what he was dressed as.  I brought him into the bathroom and he got the biggest smile on his face when he saw himself in the mirror.  Gosh he is so cute!  I had a lot of fun making our three costumes this year, and even happier that I didn't even spend $20.  So proud!  I am already so excited for next year.

Talking child

Holy cow!!! Riley is starting to talk so much. I am just shocked at all the words he learns almost daily. He is so fun, and so cute. I just love this kid. A few days ago he started something new, which I think is so funny. When he goes to the bathroom, he points to his diapers and exclaims, "Poo Poo!!!!" It is just the funniest thing ever. I just love how much he talks.

I started training in Orem last week for custom framing. I am really enjoying it a lot! It seriously beats being a cashier. My favorite thing to do it cutting the glass, and stretching canvas. I seriously love gallery wrap canvas's and now I know how to make them! So fun!

I really have nothing to write about and am just rambling...so I am just going to stop now...okay...

I love life

Life has been crazy busy every since I started working again.  I feel like I never see Allen anymore.  We get about 30 minutes a day together now and it is just sad.  He gets home from work at 2:15 and I leave for work at 2:45.  In between that time, we spend it eating dinner together....yes, I know, it is WAY too early.  But that is our only time to eat dinner, so we do what we need to.  I feel like my days consist of waking up, getting ready, getting Riley ready, playing with him for a little bit, and then making dinner.  That is all I have time for anymore.  Then I go to work and am there until 10ish.  By the time I get home, Allen is ready to go to bed.  It is really hard, but we make it work.  We never see our friends anymore, which is really sad.  We are just busy working and Allen going to school.  Life can be so crazy sometimes.

No matter how busy life is, I am really enjoying it.  I am having fun spending the time I have with Riley.  He just makes me smile all day...I love that kid!  Heavenly Father knows how hard we are trying to make life work, and he has really blessed us so much.  I am grateful to have already been promoted at work and gotten a raise.  That makes me so happy.  I am so grateful for everything around me.

I love my family.  I love the weather.  I love life!

Well overdue

It is pretty sad how long it has been since I have blogged. Sorry! I don't even know if anybody even checks this anymore. What is new with us? Well, let me tell you!

Allen started classes again. He is working his way to the fire academy right now. He is taking the EMT course right now and working really hard to get back into shape. After he finishes that class, he has a couple more of his generals to take, and then he is headed to the fire academy. Even though I would never choose this career choice for him, I am proud of him for finding something I know he loves and would be good at. He is really enjoying his class right now and that makes me really happy.

Allen is also working still, but much less than he used to. I started working again about a month and a half ago. I am so happy that I did. I feel much happier than I used to. It is nice to get out, stay busy, feel valuable, and also meet new people. I have seriously had a blast! I have already been promoted to do custom framing. I am still waiting to hear if I will also be a department manager or not. My manager really likes me and wants me to do both positions, but he is also nervous to give me two positions when there are other workers who also applied to the position. So we will see. I start training next week for custom framing. I am so excited to learn how to make really nice frames, cut glass and mats...and just learn something new. I have just recently started knitting and crocheting again. I forgot how much I loved doing it before. My sister was in town awhile ago and wanted to crochet a baby beanie, and since then I can't stop. :) I sure am having fun, and I feel like Riley and I have more patience with each other now. I just love this kid of mine!

Riley is super adorable, but also a major pill. He has recently become very active and can not sit still. He is getting into things much more and loves to make messes on purpose. He climbs up everything and is now also climbing out of his crib. Riley is really talking a lot more and I feel so bad for him. I can tell how hard he is trying to communicate and gets frustrated that we don't understand. He says a lot of words now so it is nice knowing what he wants. My favorite thing he says is thank you. He says it so cute, I just love it. He still adores our dog and asks for him all the time. Riley has just recently started to sit down and watch cartoons. He wanted NOTHING to do with the TV before, but now he loves it. When he hears music, he dances. When he hears clapping, he claps. It is so cute the little things he does. He used to eat everything we gave him, and now he only wants to eat bread. He wont eat anything else. He is still having reactions to milk and is now drinking goats milk...gross!

I think that's about all we are up to. I am just enjoying the stage we are in and wouldn't trade it in for the world. I just adore my family!

The value of a dollar

I have learned so much since I have been married.  Having a husband in school and having a young child, money is tight.  I used to spend money like you can't believe.  I thought it grew on trees.  I was terribly mistaken!  I decided to get into couponing awhile ago.  I would have never known that everything I needed and more, that I could get for free.  The first month, I was buying a ton because I thought getting body wash for $2 was a good deal.  Wow, I was wrong.  I only look for free stuff now.  Everything I get, I either get for free...or I make money off of.  Like, for example...my coupon trip from this Monday to Rite Aid.  Here it is:

I got all of this for free, but I actually made $0.28...so Rite Aid paid me to take all this product.  There are 3 boxes of laundry detergent in that picture by the way.  Later that day I went to Walgreens and got 21 packs of gum for free...and can go back on Friday to get 15 more packs.  

I am just shocked at the value of a dollar.  I used to think you couldn't buy anything for a dollar...I was so wrong.  I am so happy to learn how to be so frugal.  I have a hard time spending money now.  It is hard for me to go pay for anything now....I just think about everything I could be getting for that money.  I am just grateful for everything I have learned.

I am grateful for the opportunities that couponing has given me.  I now feel like I have done my part as a mother and wife to provide for my family.  My husband brings home the money, and I do everything I can to prepare our family for the tough times we may have ahead of us.  I have been so overstocked on so much, I have felt a little overwhelmed.  I decided to call my Relief Society president and ask her if she knew of some people in our ward that was struggling and could use a gift basket of goodies to help them out a little bit.  She said there were 2 families in our ward who were really having a hard time right now.  So I have put together 2 baskets full of everything from all beauty supplies, to dish soap, cleaning supplies, medicine, air fresheners, etc.  I am just so happy that not only have I been able to help out my family, but help out others as well.

I am so grateful!  So grateful for everyone who has helped me and supported me through my crazy shopping trips.  I just love how something as little as couponing has taught me so much.

I just love it.

Life

Today has been great.  It is Allen and my 2 year anniversary.  It is crazy how in those two years, we have lived in three places, had a son, and bought a dog.  It has been an eventful, and crazy two years.  I love my husband so much.  I am so happy with the choices I made.  I know that everything I have been through has brought me to where I am today.  I am so grateful for my little family and am so excited to see what's ahead of us!

I love you babe!

Mission bound

My little brother Brandon went into the MTC this morning.  It was such a great experience.  My brother is such a stud.  He just loves the gospel so much.  I am so proud of him, you have no idea.  What a wonderful missionary he will be.

He is in the Provo MTC for the next 9 weeks and then is off to the Paraguay Asuncion Mission.  He is speaking Spanish.

I can't even explain the love I have for this kid.  He is one of my very best friends.  I enjoyed our last few minutes together sitting in the back seat of the car.  I will miss him so much, but am so excited for this new chapter in his life.  It is so hard to know he is back here in Provo, just down the street...but this time I cannot see or talk to him.

I love you so much Brandon!  See you in two years!

We got a dog!

I have never had a dog before.  We went to the animal shelter on Saturday and adopted a dog.  We named him Koda, and he is a pure bred, short hair, black and brown dachshund.  He is just the cutest thing ever and for sure the best dog in the world.  He just lays on the floor next to me all day long and keeps me company.  He never barks, and he is SOOO friendly.  Riley just adores him already.  All morning he would walk around following the dog.  Riley loves to pet him and say "hi" to him.  We just love our new dog so much!  

Car rides

Since Riley is forward facing now, he is just so much fun in the car.  He loves to talk to me while I drive.  He also looks in the rearview mirror and makes funny faces at me.  This morning I was out doing my typical Monday morning (couponing) and we were driving back.  I had some music going, and he just started rocking out to it.  He was head banging to the beat of the music.  Oh my gosh, it was the funniest thing I may have ever seen.  I just love that kid of mine.  He is so much fun.  And, in case you are curious what goods I got this week, here you go!

Even AFTER all the sale prices, all of this would have cost $59.16 + tax.  I only paid $0.47 + tax.  Woohoo!  I just love couponing.  So fun! 

The dreaded chicken pox

Riley woke up this morning with the chicken pox.  I feel so terrible for him.  He is covered on his stomach, back, neck, and face.  His fever still hasn't broke.  He is miserable.  It is hard as a mother to sit back and watch him like this.  I just wish I could make it all better!  We were supposed to go camping with our ward this weekend, and now we cant.  We were also supposed to speak in Sacrament this Sunday...and now we can't.  Bummer about the camping...but not bummer about the talks :)

On a happier note I went shopping at Rite Aid yesterday morning.  I walked out with all of this beauty for free!

Oh, and I made $3.17 too!  I love when the store pays me to take their product.  Thanks Rite Aid...you rock!

A good day

Today has been a good day!  Great morning couponing...then taking care of a sick child and hubby.  Now I am going to go make some cookies and figure out what to make for dinner.  Then later tonight I am getting together with some friends to watch the Bachelorette and help them organize their coupons.  Fun day!

My baby is so sick

Poor little Riley. I feel so horrible for him. He wasn't eating well all today and I thought nothing of it. We had to go to Winco tonight to get him some more milk and stuff, and he was totally fine. Normally when he is in a shopping cart, he just gets so excited and happy. Not this time. He just sat there still and so quiet. We put him in the car and the whole drive he just sat there and wouldn't move. He was a little whiny at first and then just went quiet. When we got home, I went to get him out of his car seat. He was covered in thick green throw up. He just sat there starring at me. I felt so horrible for him. He was burning up. His skin was so hot is was unbelievable. We took him inside, cleaned him up, and then he sat on daddy's lap on the couch. I just can't believe how sick he is. He is completely lethargic. I hope he feels better soon. I just love this little boy of mine!

Balancing

Riley is a crack up. For the past 20 minutes, he has been walking around the house balancing clothes on his head. When they fall off, he hurries and puts them back on his head and continues to walk around. I just love this kid so much.

I love my family

Today, I am just so grateful for my family. I just love Riley and Allen so much. They mean the world to me. Yesterday, one of my best friends had a baby. All last night I was just so excited for her. I remembered exactly what it was like in the hospital with my new baby. Children change our lives. I couldn't help but sit here and think about how our lives have changed since we had Riley. Riley is the happiest little boy who just loves life. I absolutely love him. He is only just over a year old, but he has taught Allen and I so much. I love Riley's laugh. I love his smile. I love his kisses. I love his personality. I love his cute little face. I love everything about him.

I am so grateful for Allen. I am grateful for his love and kindness. He works so hard for our family, and I am so grateful. Last night we just laid there cuddling and talking. I could lay in his arms forever. He makes me feel so safe in his arms. We sat there talking about fun times when we were dating. We laughed about fun little things we could go do now. I am so grateful to have Allen in my life. I love him so much. I can't even imagine what my life would be like without marrying him. He has given me the most adorable little boy. I am forever grateful.

Big boy carseat

So on Monday we switched Riley to a big boy carseat. Boy does that kid love it. We didn't have money for a really nice one so we had to get like the cheapest one from Walmart. It was either that or take money out of our savings, so we went cheap. Allen had bought my a food processor from there for my birthday in March and the motor went out after one time of using it. So we returned the broken food processor and got Riley a big boy carseat instead.

When we put him in it he was so excited. He couldn't stop smiling and kicking his legs. He kept making noises for us to turn around and when we did, he would freak out. It may have been the cutest thing I have ever seen. I just love that kid more than I could ever say.

I didn't know how much he weighed so I never switched him to a new carseat. Well last Friday my sister in law Maria took him and stood him on her scale and he was 21 pounds...which means he could now go forward facing. He just stood there on the scale smiling so big. It was just so cute.

A fresh start

I was inspired today by Shelli. She wrote a blog post about how she has become embarrassed by what her blog has become (I absolutely loved it by the way)...she felt like she went from talking about her family to talking about all the stories when she was angry or hurt. She said that she wants to use her blog for what it used to be.

I have too done this with my blog. I used to use my blogs for a diary. I used to talk about what was going on in our lives and post pictures. I now only blog every once in awhile and only about coupons, designs, give-aways, etc. This is not what our blog is for. From here on out, I will try and be better. I want to track our lives of what they are. I haven't taken a picture of Riley for MONTHS. I haven't written down all the funny things he does. I will be better.

I am starting over with my blog. I gave it a new look, and now I will be better about my posts. Here we go!

Crappy butter

So Allen's family is coming into town today. We are all going to his sister's house for dinner tonight. I am in charge of dessert. I decided on chocolate dipped eclairs. Here is my story:

Just over a month ago, I purchased this butter. I tried making cookies with it. They sank. I was so confused. Again about a week later, I tried baking a different kind of cookies. I used the same butter. They sank. What the heck is up with that butter. It sucks. I forgot about the butter...until today. I made my eclairs. They were in the oven and they looked soooo yummy. They were all puffy and golden brown. I went to check on them again. I opened the door and they had sank. Ahhhh. I looked at the wrapper from the butter that I used....it was the same piece of crap butter. Now my eclairs are flat and are pieces of crap. They do taste yummy, they just look nasty. Dinner is in an hour and a half. I don't know what I am going to do for dessert now. Oh no. What to do....the clock is a tickin'....

Today

Today is May 24th. It is snowing outside. Yes, you read that right. It is nasty out there. Where is my sun?

Last night LOST ended. It was a devastating time in my life. Not really. But I miss it already. I was disappointed in the ending. Even though it makes sense, it still doesn't. I still have questions. I am not happy to see the best show gone. I loved it. Oh well.

The Bachelorette starts tonight. I don't know if I will like this season, but I will still watch.

Riley is cute as can be. I love my child with all my heart.

I miss Allen. I wish he was home playing with Riley and I since I am locked inside this house because of the weather.

Lauren is having her baby soon and I am sick of waiting. :)

I am trying to figure out what to do for dinner so I can defrost whatever I need to. I'm thinking maybe Mongolian Beef....I don't know.

Allen got me a gift card to a salon for mother's day. I am getting my hair cut and eye brows waxed...but I can't seem to find a babysitter. Hopefully I can for sometime this week.

I heart my boy

Can I just tell you that I love being a mommy. I love it so much. I love checking on Riley right before I go to bed each night. I feel like my heart sings every time I look at him sleeping. I love his huge smiles when he sees me in the morning. I love that he gives me huge kisses. I love his huge personality. I love his face when he sees his toys go off making the noises they make. I love when one of his toys (who speaks) says "Bye" and Riley turns to it and waves and says "BYE!" I love that when I take off his diaper he gets up and runs away real quick before I can put the new diaper on him. I love how happy he gets when his daddy gets home. I love how he watches us in his "window spot" each time we go outside and he waves at us until we get back inside. I love how every morning he picks his "spot" to drink his bottle for the rest of the day. I love everything about him. He is just the cutest kid and brings Allen and I so much joy. Thanks little bug! I love him so much.

Here's a funny...

So yesterday morning, we were all laying in bed and Riley just stuck out his tongue and stuck in it Allen's mouth. True story! Yeah, I know...kinda gross...but oh so funny! We had a nice laugh.

Want free coupon inserts?

My friend Sarah has an awesome coupon blog. She is currently doing a giveaway right now for a bunch of free coupon inserts. Yes, you heard that right...FREE! And they are good ones too. Head on over to her blog and enter to win your free inserts! Click HERE to get to her blog!

Weeding

Yes, I am weeding right now and let me tell you...it will be the death of me. I totally thought that it wouldn't take so long. I was so unbelievably wrong. I weeded for an hour or so and I feel like I barely made a dent. I am so grossed out by all the nasty spiders and bugs that I saw and touched. So gross. My body hurts and my hands are dry now. I just don't want to go back out there. Ahhh.

On the other hand, I am so excited for my garden this year. I went and bought little plants of what I am planting. This year we are planting:

-Green Onions

-White Onions

-Cilantro

-Basil

-Parsley

-Strawberries

-Jalapeños

-Peppers

-Lettuce

-Garlic

-Squash

-Zucchini

-Cucumbers

I am just so darn excited. I just wish you could snap your fingers and have them right now. This is my first gardening experience and I am sure I will fail at some of them. But I am so excited for the experience and seeing my success. So exciting!

Motherhood

"I’m just grateful that I’m here on this earth and that I have the opportunity to be a mother and do the things that I love and enjoy. I view my role now as more divine… not just a mother who wakes up and makes her kids food. It’s a mother who enriches and teaches about the gospel of Jesus Christ. I see it more as a privilege than anything. To me, beauty and motherhood are one. They’re the same thing." -Stephanie Nielson

Beautiful story.

This is my favorite woman alive. She is such an inspiration. If you have never heard of Stephanie Nielson, I am truly sorry. She is amazing. I read her blog daily. Please watch this video. Such an amazing woman!

This is it!

So we are all moved into our new place and we LOVE it here. I could stay here for many years and be happy. It is a little older, but it is a cute place and so spacious. Riley loves wandering around the place and checking things out. There are so many windows and we get so much light. We seriously never have to turn a light on until like 8 at night. It is so nice. Riley loves to stand next to the windows and look outside. He goes right to the same window if we go outside. He just watches us and waves. I love when Allen leaves for work. Riley will go to the window and watch him drive away and he will keep waving and saying "bye...bye...bye" over and over again...even well after he left. It is one of the cutest things ever. This little boy brings so much joy in our lives. He has been so unbelievably cute the last couple days and we just sit here and laugh with him. I love watching him walk around...it's just so cute.

We have been super sick over here. It's not going away. Allen had to take 3 days off of work because of how sick he has been. The weather is nasty here. It's been raining and snowing for days. I am ready for the sun...but probably wont see it for awhile.

I am looking forward to tomorrow's paper...3 coupon inserts inside...WOOHOO!!!!

Guest Blogger

I have been asked to be a guest blogger on a coupon blog every Wednesday. How exciting. I will be talking about something new every Wednesday about how to be frugal and stretch your money. There will be all sorts stuff from couponing, food storage, freezing tips, etc. Come check it out every Wednesday and support me! :) I just made my first post. Check it out by clicking the button below. I LOVE this blog, so it is such an honor.

Getting ready

We are moving on Saturday. Very excited about our new place. I have been packing up little by little for about a week now. It is so exciting to actually be ALMOST in our new place. Super excited! 3/4 of the house is already packed. WooHOO!!!!

Talk about WOW!

Subtotal Before Coupons: $126.52

After Coupons: $12.48 + tax

AFTER REBATES & GIFT CARDS:

Final Price: +5.28 Money Maker!!

SAVED: $131.80!!!!

Okay, I did go to 3 different stores, but so worth it. Here is my breakdown of what I did this morning!

Rite Aid
Transaction #1:

1 U Kotex Tampons $3.49 SALE
Use $1/1 MF coupon 4/18 SS
Subtotal: $2.49

5 Hersheys dark chocolate candy bars 4.5 oz $0.99 SALE
Use 5 $1/1 MF coupon 4/18 SS
Subtotal: FREE

4 TGIF snacks $0.99 SALE
Use 4 $1.50/1 IP coupon found HERE
Subtotal: FREE + $2.00 overage!

1 CoverGirl Foundation $6.99
1 CoverGirl TRUblend Pressed Powder $8.49
Instant B1G1 50% sale
Use B1G1 Free MF coupon 4/11 RP
Use $1/1 MF coupon 4/4 PG
Use the $2/1 Rite Aid Wellness coupon HERE
Subtotal: $5.49

Subtotal for entire transaction:
$24.38 Before coupons
$5.89 After coupons
Use $5/$20 purchase from RiteAid Video coupon

Final Price: $0.89 + tax
+ send in for $3.49 SCR online = $2.60 MONEY MAKER!



Walgreens
Transaction #1:
2 Bayer Low Dose $2.99 SALE
Use 1 $3/1 In Ad Coupon
Final Price: Free
+ get $3 Register Rewards


Transaction #2:
2 Bayer Low Dose $2.99 SALE
Use 1 $3/1 In Ad Coupon
Final Price: Free
+ get $3 Register Rewards


Transaction #3:
1 Kotex U Feminine Care $3.49 SALE
Use $1/1 MF coupon 4/18 SS

2 Reusable Bags $0.99
Use 3/$1 In Ad Coupon

Subtotal: $3.15
Use $3 Register Rewards from Transaction #1

Final Price: $0.16 + tax
+ get $2.50 Register Rewards = $2.34 MONEY MAKER!


Transaction #4:
1 Kotex U Feminine Care $3.49 SALE
Use $1/1 MF coupon 4/18 SS

2 Reusable Bags $0.99
Use 3/$1 In Ad Coupon

Subtotal: $3.15
Use $3 Register Rewards from Transaction #2
Final Price: $0.16 + tax
+ get $2.50 Register Rewards = $2.34 MONEY MAKER!



Target
Transaction #1:
2 Scrubbing Bubbles Power Sprayer Starter $7.99 SALE
2 Scrubbing Bubbles Power Sprayer Refill $3.94 SALE
Use 2 $5/1 MF coupons 4/11 SS
Use 2 Free Scrubbing Bubbles Extend-a-clean refill, when you buy starter IP coupons HERE

Use 1 Target Coupon: FREE Target $5 Giftcard wyb 3 Scrubbing Bubbles products
Subtotal: $5.98
+ get $5 Target Gift Card

2 Tide Travel Size $0.97
Use 2 $1/1 Tide, any 4/4 PG
Subtotal: FREE + $0.06 MONEY MAKER

2 AirWick Freshmatic Ultra Starter Kits $13.49
Use Rain Check from previous sale $6.00 each
Use 2 $4/1 IP coupon HERE
Use 2 $2/1 Target Printable Coupon HERE
Subtotal: FREE + $2.00 MONEY MAKER

3 packs 1lb Ground Beef $3.49
On sale $1.50 each
Subtotal: $4.50

1 pack Sirlon Steaks $7.99
On sale $3.18
Use $1.50 off peelie
Subtotal: $1.68

1 pack Sirlon Steaks $7.99
On sale $4.52
Use $2 off peelie
Subtotal: $2.52

Subtotal for entire transaction:
$79.23 Before coupons & sales
$12.10 After coupons
-$0.10 for using my own reusable bag
+ got 1 FREE target bag

Final Price: $12.00 + tax
+ got $5.00 Target GC

+ send in for $5 rebate from J&J

I am lovin' this!

If you haven't read the previous post, please do! I just cashed in my swagbucks today for 2 $5 gift cards to amazon. Woohoo! $10 free towards Christmas. :)

Swagbucks

I have not bothered looking into swagbucks until recently, and I am sure glad I did. Have you ever heard of it? I have a link on the right hand side, do you see it? Under my "Favorite Clicks" section, yes, the very top one! Click it and create an account with them. Then just download their toolbar. Why? Let me tell you!

So we all search the web. Right? If you say no, then I know you are lying. Basically, instead of searching on like the google search engine or which ever one you use, you just use the swagbucks one. Every once in awhile you WIN...and when you win, you win swagbucks. You win but simply just searching on their toolbar. You don't win everytime...but will generally win a few times a day. You then can purchase gift cards with your swagbucks for places like amazon and target and stuff. I have been reading from a lot of people who are using swagbucks, and people are saving up their swagbucks to pay for Christmas. After 10 weeks, one of the blogs I follow already has $115 in amazon gift cards. Wouldn't that be so cool to pay for Christmas, just by searching the web like you all already do? Okay, go click that button and download the toolbar. You will get swagbucks JUST for doing that. Have fun with it, and hopefully I get enough for a free Christmas this year!

Free date night & sponges

Allen and I are going to have a free date night coming up! I am so excited. Right now at Smith's they have this great deal where if you buy 10 Participating items, you get a free movie ticket. Well I scored on some great deals and got us 2 free movie tickets. I just ordered some more of a certain coupon so I can get 2 more free movie tickets. They have a brand of sour cream on sale right now for $1.10, and I have some coupons for $1 off of it (I just ordered 20 more of the coupons!). So basically each one is $0.10 and when I buy 10 of them, I get a free movie ticket. So when those coupons come on Tuesday, I will head to Smith's again and buy 20 sour creams, spend $2, and get 2 free movie tickets. Talk about a deal! :)

I already got 2 of the movie tickets this morning. We still have a gift card also to Cold Stone that Allen's grandparents gave us for Christmas. So, we are going to the movies and to dessert for free. I am excited! :)

WANT FREE SPONGES? Go HERE and print however many sponges you want for free. It is for $1 off and at Walmart, they have singles for $0.84, so you get them for free. Don't you worry, I already got 50 sponges for free. Okay, we are moving, we need sponges for cleaning....and we use them for dishes, so I am not THAT crazy...hahaha.

Yet another move

So since we are starting to move next weekend, I need to start packing. Is it weird that I love packing up stuff? I find it strange. However, I am dreading the cleaning. Today is the day. I am going to start deep cleaning and packing. Now I just need to find some boxes. Hmmm...

Whoever it concerns

Dear cranky Rite Aid cashier,

You really upset me today. You were determined to not let me get good deals. You thought you knew how coupons worked. You obviously dont. Why wouldn't you take my $5 off coupon? You are not cool. Whatever, I took my business elsewhere and still got amazing deals.

Dear Sunday/Walgreen.Target shoppers,

Yesterday, I compiled a list of everything I was going to get. I was sad to hear that you all got there on Sunday and broke the Sabbath to get good deals. You left all of us without those good deals that observed the Sabbath. Don't you worry, I will just call back the stores everyday at open to see if they restocked their shelves.

Dear Target meat dude,

Whoever you are, thank you for marking down your sirlon steaks for really cheap this morning. You are letting my husband and I have a nice dinner tonight for hardly anything. You rock! I hope you mark down more meat next time I am there.

Dear Lauren,

Thank you for texting me and asking to go to lunch with you today. In n Out tasted amazing and I had a lot of fun with you.

Dear Monday April 12th,

Thank you for a wonderful day. You started out iffy with the cranky Rite Aid lady but I still ended up getting about $100 worth of stuff for about $13. Thank you. And now I am going to end today eating Sirlon with Allen and Lauren and watching trauma. Let's see what tomorrow brings!

Are you sick of it yet?

I know I keep posting about all of my coupon shopping trips...but I am just so excited. Here is my one from this morning!


All of this would have cost me $92.60 + tax. I got it all for

$9.63 + tax

Half of that was just for the meat. Here is the break down of what I got:

2.5 pounds Flank Steak (normally $14.98)
4 AirWick i-motion starter kits (normally $13.49/each)
5 Dove Men+Care Body/Face Wash (normally $3.99/each)
2 Floss (normally $0.97/each)
1 (40 count) Band Aid (normally $1.77/each)

Sweet. Talk about some great savings!

I am sorry if you are sick about hearing about my shopping trips. I just am having so much fun and wanting to share them with you all! :) My house is starting to look like a grocery store. Hahahaha....

Does it get any better?

All of this would have cost me $54.67 + tax. I spent

$1.25 + tax

on this all. Hahaha. Does it get any better than this? The cashier told me today that I am going to put them out of business. I am loving this!

Here is the breakdown of what I got:

5 (16-count) packs of Stayfree Ultra Thin pads (normally $3.59/each)
4 St.Ives Facial Scrub/Wash (normally $3.32/each)
3 (14 count) bags Mens Disposable Razors (normally $3.49/each)
1 Dove Shampoo (normally $4.49)
1 Dove Conditioner (normally $4.49)
1 Herbal Essences Conditioner (normally $3.99)

A total of 15 items for $1.25 equals about $0.08/each. Talk about AMAZING!

Called to serve

My brother Brandon has been called to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He has been assigned to labor in the...Paraguay Asuncion Mission!! :) Reporting June 23 and will speak Spanish. Love ya bro!

The call

My brother Brandon just called me. He just picked up his mission call, and is holding it in his hands. I was so happy that he called me right after picking it up. We talked for a while and asked him how he feels. He said that it feels so weird to be holding it. He is opening it at 8 tonight. After we got off the phone, I just lost it. I just sat here and cried. I am just so proud of my little brother. I am so anxious/nervous for tonight. I hope I don't turn into a crying mess in front of all of his friends...

One year ago today...

One year ago, I brought my beautiful baby boy into this world. I loved him from the moment I saw him!

I remember the tough time I had in the hospital after he was born. I remember the pain I felt when they told me I could not hold him. I remember the joy I felt when I was finally able to hold him the following day. I struggled with that fact that Riley wasn't healthy. I really struggled. I remember every emotion I felt as I walked through the door of my house, without him. I was a mess. The first step I took into our home, I just broke down. I thought that we would deliver our baby and come home with him 2 days later. I had not prepared myself for what was happening. I remember the tears I shed as I laid in my bed that night, thinking about how my baby was in the hospital, and I couldn't be. The joy I felt one week later, when I finally brought him to our home was just unbelievable. We did it! We brought our precious baby home!

Riley stood by me everyday this past year as I learned how to be a mother and care for him. This past year has been filled with happiness, tears, joy, breakdowns, laughs, and smiles. Having a child, is not just all fun and games. It is hard. It is a lot of work...but so worth it. As I struggled through really bad post-partum depression, my husband and son stood my me. They loved me. Everyday, Riley still loved me. He didn't know that I couldn't handle life, all he knew is that he loved me so much. He would hug me and give me kisses and smiles all day long.

I love Riley with all my heart. Everyday, this love grows. He brings constant joy into my life. Every night as he sleeps, I miss him. I miss when he is not next to me. He has so much love to give. We love watching him grow everyday, and seeing his personality shine through. He has such a big personality and just loves life.

We love you so much Riley! You will always be my little baby!

I love free stuff!

Do you see all of that stuff? It would have cost me $71 buying it all without sales and coupons. I got ALL of it for

FREE

Yes, you did read that right! Well, I had to pay the tax, but that was it. And, after I send in my rebate, I will actually make $2.50...so I got all of that, and made $2.50 while at it!

SWEET!

Sold you yet?

Have I sold you on couponing yet? If not, check this out!


This was my shopping today. Check out all of this! If I bought this all in the store without sales and coupons, it would have cost me, $125.40 + tax. I only spent

$27.65 + tax

What a deal. Most of that was just on the soup too. If I hadn't bought the soup, all the rest was only $13.49. Hahaha. Isn't that amazing? Here is a break down of what I got:

24 cans Chicken Broth (normally $1.19/each)
4 Soft Scrub Total Care (normally $2.99/each)
5 Fabric Softener (normally $3.75/each)
5 Dawn Dish Soap (normally $1.10/each)
1 Gillette Fusion Razor (normally $8.99)
1 Clean & Clear Face Scrub (normally $4.99)
1 (18 count) Tampons (normally $4.99)
2 Deodorants (normally $3.79/each)
1 Crest toothpaste (normally $3.69)
2 Cover Girl Mascara (normally $8.99/each)
3 Toothbrushes (normally $4.41/each)

I got 49 items for $27.64, which equals out to about $0.56/item. Who doesn't love that?

I love coupons! WooHoo!!!!

My amazing baby

My little Riley is the best. He loves to say hi to people. Every time we pass someone, he waves and says hi. He will keep saying hi to them until they say hi back. He smiles back at them. I love that I get to listen to him saying hi all day long. He now waves and says bye when people leave too! He is just the best baby ever, I love him so much.

What would my life be like without him? I love him!

Release the anger...

Breathe.



Breathe.



Breathe.



SCREAM!!!!!!!!


Breathe...

To Coupon?

If you are all wondering whether you should coupon or not, my answer is hands down,

YES!!!!!

Do you really understand how much you save? Last night and this morning I went out to get some great deals. This is what I came home with!

Many people think that couponers go out and end up spending more money than they would JUST because something was a good deal. Some may, but a lot of them dont. All of these items were things I would have bought anyways. All of this stuff that you see in the picture was $71.64 before tax.

I only spent $13.31.

I just ran out of shampoo, conditioner, and deodorant. So this month I would have been going out and getting those three things and spending about $15.00. Well, instead, I got those three things AND 27 other items as well. Talk about AMAZING! Here is a break down of what I got:

2 Snuggle Dryer Sheets
3 Snuggle Fabric Softener
1 Dove Shampoo
1 Dove Conditioner
6 Dove Deodorants
4 Velveeta Shells & Cheese
3 Candy bars
5 Clean & Clear facial scrub
5 Halls Drops

So I got 30 items for less than what I would have been spending. Instead of getting 1 deodorant, I got 6. This all breaks down to about $0.44/item

Can you believe it? Please everyone, start couponing! You will save so much money and really stock up and get your food storage. Who doesn't want to save money?

Another question people have is where to get coupons? I got a newspaper subscription here in Utah County with the Daily Herald. I get 5 copies of the Sunday paper each week for just $18.75 a month. Just these 2 trips to the store, more than paid for my entire month of the subscription. Call around and see what deals you can get in your area. If you only get 1 sunday paper, you will only be able to get 1 item for the good price, so make sure to get multiple sunday papers. I recommend 2 papers per adult and 1 paper per child in your house.

I follow coupon blogs and hear about all the great deals. Don't get me wrong, it does take a good amount of time to organize your coupons and go shopping, but to me, it is TOTALLY worth it.

Enjoy!

Senior Health Care Solution

So you're a senior citizen and the government says no health care for you, what do you do? Our plan gives anyone 65 years or older a gun and 4 bullets. You are allowed to shoot 2 senators and 2 representatives. Of course, this means you will be sent to prison where you will get 3 meals a day, a roof over your head, and all the health care you need! New teeth, no problem. Need glasses, great. New hip, knees, kidney, lungs, heart? All covered. (And your kids can come and visit you as often as they do now). And who will be paying for all of this? The same government that just told you that you are too old for health care. Plus, because you are a prisoner, you don't have to pay any income taxes anymore.

IS THIS A GREAT COUNTRY OR WHAT?

Free coupon Inserts

Hey everyone. My friend has this AMAZING blog. It is a coupon blog and she gets the most amazing deals ever. Please start reading her blog. It will really help you learn how to coupon and save TONS of money. She is so amazing.

She is having a give-away right now for free coupon inserts from the sunday paper. Go HERE and enter!

Dear Package,

You arrived today. Oh how I have been waiting for you. I fell in love with you the moment I first saw you. The mail man thought I was crazy because of how excited I was. Thank you for your safe arrival my dear Ravioli rolling pin!

I am going to use you right now. We will have a blast together!

If you want to fall in love too, please watch!

Ouch!

So tonight I was trying to be a good wife and make Allen empanadas. (I posted the recipe tonight by the way) He loves them. However, when I was placing them in the oil I wasn't paying attention. I ended up putting my fingers in 375 degree oil. This was hours ago...and they are still burning bad. AHHH! I am so stupid. Who puts their hand in hot oil? Who does that?!?!?! Ahhhh....

I'm not smart...

Exciting news everybody!

Allen and I live in this apartment that I just love. It is just over a year old and just REALLY nice. A nice apartment in Provo is hard to come by. Well, the complex was in foreclosure and the bank owned it. A couple months ago, someone finally bought the complex. Well we just recently found out all the changes they are making here. We ALL have to fill out an application to live here. Is that insane? I think it is stupid that I have to apply to live here, when I already do and have for 6 months. There are all these income restrictions and qualifications. We also would have to pay a new deposit and sign a year contract. Sounds stupid! Allen and I were frustrated. Then we invited some friends over to hang out.

So Aubrye was my roommate and really good friend. We just love her and her husband Grant so much. They are moving in just over a month to southern California (I may or may not be kinda jealous!) and their place is going to be empty. They live in a townhouse. It is really nice. I mean, its not brand new with granite countertops like it is here, but its not junky either. It is 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths, formal dinning room, TONS of storage, BACKYARD (especially like this so Riley can run around in the yard and play in the summertime). It is really nice...and is less than we pay here. So it is going to SAVE us money. Happy, happy. So they called their landlord and told him they had some friends who would love to move in when they move out and he said, "Okay let's do it!" So happy! We are moving into a townhouse. I am just so excited that we can paint there and everything and just feel like we are living in a home. I am so excited you can't wipe this smile off my face. However, I am dreading moving again. It was a lot of work and I feel like we JUST moved, and really dont want to take apart the furniture again and stuff. Bummer. We have less junk now though, so hopefully it will be better this time. So yay!

We are moving in the last week of april! WOOHOO!!!

I love my husband!

Like I said in the previous post, my birthday started out terrible. After the car breaking down, finding out it was the alternator, and it was going to cost over $300, Allen turned that bad day around. When he came home from work he walked in with a pretty bouquet of flowers and some presents. It was so sweet of him. He gave me a food processor (that I have been REALLY wanting), the movie The Proposal (my favorite movie ever), a card, and the flowers. He took me and Riley out to dinner at the Texas Roadhouse. OMG MY FAVORITE PLACE EVER. We had never been before and it was the best food I ever ate. The steak was just delicious....everything was delicious. And since Allen knows how much I love Ikea, he asked me if I wanted to go and look around. So we went to Ikea and had a blast. It was so fun to walk around and look at things and talk. I had such a good night, and it was so fun celebrating with Riley. Thank you for a great birthday babe! I love you so much!

My 23rd Birthday

Yes, I am now 23. Seems so crazy to me. I bet you are wondering how my birthday has been going today. Well, today Allen woke me up before he left for work. He crawled back into bed and layed right next to me and sweetly woke me up and said, "Good morning birthday girl!" He gave me a kiss and said he was leaving for work. Great morning!

Well, then an hour and a half later he comes storming into the house. Come to find out his car broke down on the way to work, and he literally called me EVERY minute for an hour and a half. Well, since my phone was still in my purse from last night (and still on vibrate) I didn't hear it. He called his sister and asked her to drive him back home. So here he is finding my phone and putting it on the loudest sound setting. We hurry out the door and drive to where his car was parked. It completely died at an intersection and luckily a nice girl helped Allen push it through the intersection and park it on the side of the road. When Allen and I got to the car, we tried jumping it. It wouldn't work. We called our mechanic and were going to have to pay $50 to tow it to them. We scheduled the towing and then all of a sudden the car started. GREAT! So I hurry and call to cancel the towing. Riley, in the meantime is crying in the back seat because he is starving. I get in the broken honda and try to drive it to the mechanic. It was completely shutting down. Nothing was working. The car would only go about 5 miles per hour. It kept stopping and we would have to try and get it going again. Finally, we make it to the mechanic and dropped it off. Hopefully it isn't going to be much money. We are sick and tired of constantly putting tons of money into a car that is 20 years old. I love the car though, so we keep fixing it. So we will see how much that will cost us.

Allen drops Riley and I off at home and he takes the only working car to go to work. I am sad because I was excited for today. I wanted to get out of the house and go walk around the mall and go get In n Out. Who wants to be stuck at home on their birthday? Not me. So I get in the house and hurry and make Riley a bottle. He sees his bottle while I am filling it with water and he starts screaming because "HE WANTS IT NOW!" So I hurry and pour the formula in, shake it up, lay him down, and give it to him. We he is drinking his milk in the middle of the front room. In the middle of drinking his milk, he just rolls over and falls asleep. Hahaha. So here he is in the middle of the front room, on the floor, asleep. NICE!

It isn't even 11 in the afternoon. I wonder what else is going to happen today.

Happy Birthday to me! hahaha....

I need your help!

Okay, so Riley outgrew his car seat MONTHS ago. He is very under in weight, but with his height, we should have gotten a new car seat months ago. He is just too tall for it and doesn't fit comfortably. Allen and I are looking into getting a big boy car seat, but we don't know what to get. Do you have any suggestions on any good ones (or warning about bad ones)? Please let me know! We just need him to fit comfortably in his chair.

The Man Fort

Yesterday, Riley and Allen built a fort together. Okay, they just draped our comforter over the couch and chairs...but they had a lot of fun. I just love my two boys, and they have so much fun together. See for yourself!

I love WinCo!

We have a new grocery store opening up in Orem here really soon. It is by far the BEST store, ever. You can buy everything there....and a huge selection of everything! They have one open already in Midvale. Allen found that out, so he told me that today he was going to take me there. So, this morning we woke up, and drove all the way to Midvale just to go grocery shopping. It was SO worth it. I was in heaven in the store. Everything is so cheap and it's just so much fun. So I put together a grocery list for the whole month and we got it all on this trip. Of course we will still have to go get a little produce in a couple weeks, but we have all of our groceries now.

So, if you live here in Utah, make sure to go to the store when it opens (or drive all the way to Midvale!) Hehehe. Or check their website here: http://www.wincofoods.com/ and see if they have a store by you. You wont regret it! I think Allen wants to go grocery shopping with me everytime now! They have the biggest meat section with ALL kinds of meat. Every cut you can think of...they have it. The best part is their bulk section. You can buy anything from candy, spices, baking ingredients, pasta, ect...anything in bulk. You choose however much you want and get it (as little or as much). For example: their flour is like $0.17/pound...and you get as much as you want. Isn't it so cheap? It's amazing.

So that was our fabulous morning. Now I will sit here and enjoy myself and not worry about grocery shopping until next month...when I drive down to Midvale again! hehehe.

My sick little baby

It's so sad when your little baby is sick. I just hate it. This morning, he just wanted to curl up in my arms. I sure enjoyed holding my sweet little boy...he is the best! Last night he wouldn't drink his bottle, and same with this morning. I called my mom because it started to worry me that he wasn't eating, and she said he probably had an ear infection and it hurt him to swallow. Poor guy. I gave him some Tylenol and tried giving him his milk through a syringe...that didn't help. He was choking on the milk because he wouldn't swallow it. We went and saw the doctor and he said it looks like the start of an ear infection, but we just need to wait and see. He still hasn't drank milk since dinner time yesterday, so I am sad for him. Hopefully he gets better soon.

Oh, and I am still sick too. This sure isn't fun!

A babies life

Riley is so funny! We have this huge wedding picture in our hallway. When we carry Riley to his room, he sees it...and when he does he reaches his arms out to us in the picture and gets so excited. Isn't that so cute? He just started doing that recently. He is a stud!

I can't believe that Riley is almost 11 months old. Where did the time go? We have officially baby-proofed our house. All of the kitchen cabinets are locked with the baby locks and we gated off our open pantry. Also, we removed all the DVD's and games from under the TV (since he was ruining them) and put his toys there instead. I LOVE that his toys can just be tucked away under the TV. It's so nice. We put some of his larger toys in his room...and now he goes into his room to play sometimes. I LOVE IT!

Riley loves eating the food we eat. He is starting to eat our meals with us more and has snacks all day long. He is growing up too quick. It makes me sad. He absolutely loves bread. The only thing I have found that he doesn't like are corn dogs. What kid doesn't like corn dogs? Oh well...I'm sure he'll like them eventually. He just eats whatever we give him and he loves it!

He isn't really into the whole walking thing. He knows how to and will walk a good distance and then just get on the floor and crawl the rest of the way. He knows that he can get somewhere quicker by crawling, so he would just rather do that. So we'll see when he decides to walk. He does so good...just gives up.

I am so excited that the sun is coming up here. It is so refreshing and happy. I am so excited! Here's to Monday nights at the park...WOOHOO!!!

Baking issues no more!

Remember back when I used to complain about my baking skills? How I could cook, but could NOT bake for the life of me? Well I am so excited to say that I can actually bake! GO ME! Hahaha. I can bake cakes, and cookies perfectly now. That is huge for me. I came to you guys about my baking issues and you guys fixed it. Now I am coming to you about pies. Do any of you have any great pie recipes and/or tricks? I only attempted making a pie once in my life time and it was a disaster. I am scared to make another one...but I really want to. Anything you guys have will be great! Thanks so much!

**Allen really LOVES dutch apple pies...so if you have a good recipe for one, let me know...but any pie will do!

If you haven't realized, I have been posting recipes again on my recipe blog. I have been posting constantly for a couple weeks now. If you want a good cookie recipe, I would recommend either of these two:


You can click on the picture for those recipes. Those are the best 2 cookies EVER! A couple more recent recipes that I posted that are my favorites are:


You can click on the picture for those recipes

YUMMY! I want them all right now. So yeah, if you have some good pie recipes, please share! :) Also, if you haven't left your email address, please do now because I am going private on Wednesday! I will delete your email address on here after I write it down!

Recipes are back!

If you haven't seen, I have been posting recipes again on my recipe blog. There are many more new ones. I took a break from uploading recipes on there, but I am back now. Make sure to head on over to kickoffthoseheelsncook.blogspot.com and check them out! Enjoy!

First Haircut

Anyone who has seen Riley lately knows that he had a mullet. His hair hasn't really grown since he was born except for the very bottom back of his head. It started curling from the top of his shirt and just looked soooo bad. We finally just cut his hair this morning. Goodbye mullet! :)








What a funny kid...

Oh.My.Gosh!

So I was in the kitchen getting dinner ready. I knew Riley was in the pantry (that is his favorite place to play) but he stopped talking and making noise. So I decided to look in there and see what he was up to. This is what I found:

And I think during that last one he realized that after I finished taking pictures that he was going to get into trouble.

Yes, that is a loaf of bread in his hand that I made. I had left half of the loaf out on accident last night and it dried out...so I threw it away. I didn't know Riley was going to get it out of the trash can to eat.

It looks like we need to start putting up a gate in the kitchen.

Silly Riley!

My hyperactive child

Riley is so funny. He is turning into the biggest pill. He totally knows how to walk but he doesn't want to walk...he wants to run. So he gets so excited on his feet that he just start running. After a couple steps he falls over...and he does it over and over again. If he is walking...he can get about 10 steps in before falling over...but most of the time he just tries running. He is so funny! Also, he loves to tackle us. I especially love it when Allen is sitting it on the ground against the couch and riley is on the couch. He dives onto allen and starts freaking out. It is so funny! He is such a funny kid...but sometimes it's a little much.

It's crazy how quickly they grow. I feel like every week he is a brand new person. He is totally not a baby anymore!

I knew it, but I wasnt ready...

When I was pregnant we bought Riley a BEAUTIFUL, huge, cherry wood crib. It was expensive. It was gorgeous. It was to last for all of our kids. Everyone kept saying: "Riley is going to chew on the crib, he is going to ruin it". I knew this was bound to happen...it's okay if there were teeth marks on the crib. He is a baby, that's what babies do. I was prepared for that, however he has NEVER chewed on the crib. But what I wasn't prepared for was this: SCRATCHES. He has a habbit of scratching things. We woke him up the other morning to find all the finish scratched off on part of his crib. NOOOOOO!!! How could he? AHHHHH!! This is just so sad. I am not a happy momma!

And we're walking...

Riley is just the cutest. He walks so great with his walker, but he just didn't want to do it on his own. He got to the point to where he would stand up on his own for over a minute and just stand there. He wouldn't dare take a step. Well this morning he has been trying to walk. He keeps taking so many steps. Right now he can take 4 steps on his own before falling over. He is so cute and so proud of himself. He will be walking fully on his own any day now. Yay Riley! I love my little man!

My little Niece!

Paige Marie Perry
8.5 lb, 20.5 in

I love you guys! So excited for you!

It's baby time!

My sister is in labor right now and I am just so excited. My mom just called and said she is already at an 8...so that means my little niece is coming so soon. I am just soooo excited to see what she looks like, and am so excited for Carli and Kevin! We love you!

Missing my friends

Today I am just really missing my old friends. I am just having one of those days where I am thinking about fun times with friends when I was younger. I can't help but smile. I just wish that I could get together with all of them right now! I think about all the fun times I had growing up in Seattle and being with my two best friends. I think about Michelle and Jessica and just get sad. Why can't we be back in High School and just hang out and do stupid stuff? We used to have so much fun, and you could always count on finding us three together and just laughing our brains out. I miss you guys!

After I moved to Utah, I haven't really seen them. Michelle drove down from school to go to my bridal shower in Seattle and it was so fun to see her. The last time I saw Jessica was when Allen and I were in Seattle when we were just dating. We went out to dinner with her and her husband. I just miss the old times.

I had so much fun here in Utah. I loved (some) of my roommates! :) Hehehe. I miss the midnight runs to Wendy's with Dani and all of our fun times we had. I just miss so many of my roommates and friends.

I got married to my best friend. I love him so much. Together we had a beautiful little boy. He is our best friend. We love him so much. I LOVE my family so much. Why is it that when you get married, you just lose touch with some people who have made such an impact in our life? I just want to have my friends to hang out with. I get so lonely everyday just being at my house and changing diapers. I want to get out and get fresh air. I want to go out to lunch with friends and catch up.

I love having my two best friends with me always. Allen and Riley are the best! I just need some more fun girl times. I have a hard time trying to get out of the house with a baby. I feel locked up. Is this normal?

Let the countdown begin!

It is now 14 days until Valentines Day! Allen and I are doing this fun little advent calendar. I used THIS great idea over at one of my favorite blogs ever. Every day we read what's inside the envelope for the day. Each one contains a fun little thing for us for that day. It's kinda fun to do something for each other every day!

Love ya babe!

A lot of nothing

Not much has been going on here in the Bennett house. Riley is getting sooo big! He just doesn't look like a baby at all anymore! He is almost 10 months old now. He has 8 teeth and a HUGE personality. He loves being the center of attention, and will do anything to get it. He is standing up on his own without holding onto stuff. He has attempted walking, but itsn't doing so great. He loves walking with his walker though, just can't figure out how to on his own. This little boy is just so much fun. We absolutely love him and wouldn't trade him in for anything.

As you can see, I re-designed my blog again. I got super bored with it, and I wanted to add my family pictures that Maria took FOREVER ago. These pictures were taken back 4 months ago...so Riley looks so little. I just love them though. I especially love all the funny faces Riley made for the photos. I have so many fun ones, but only showed you a few.

Allen went back to work at UVU. How pathetic is my life that I have nothing to blog about. Absolutely nothing. I need to get a life so I can have some fun stuff for you all to read. I probably don't even have readers anymore since you all have given up on me. I will try and be better!

Missing in Action

I know I have gone MIA the past few months. Life has been insane and crazy. Just getting through one day at a time.

What is new here? I will tell you.

Riley

-Nine months old now

-Spunkiest kid I have ever met

-Crawling machine

-Loves being on his feet

-So interested in the door stoppers. He crawls around the whole house going from stopper to stopper and playing with them.

-He follows us everywhere. He even followed me into the shower...funniest thing ever. We have a walk in shower and I am just standing there shampooing my hair and the next thing I knew he crawled under the shower curtain and started crawling in. I freaked out. Hehehe.

-Loves hearing his voice...especially in the parking garage. Allen showed him that his voice echos in there, so now whenever we get to the garage Riley starts screaming and when he hears his voice he smiles so big.

-Loves Cheerios more than life itself. He goes through a whole box by himself in about 5 days.

-Makes the funniest noises EVER.

-Flirts with everyone around him

-Smiles at everyone he sees. Seriously, every single person who sees him just freaks out with how he knows how to flirt and smile. Everyone loves him and he knows it. It makes him blush.

-Still has a super flat head

-Loves to bite and we are trying to break that habit.

-Sings along with the songs in the car. It's the cutest thing ever.

-Makes the funniest faces I have ever seen.

-Talks like crazy.

-Loves playing in his bed. When I put him to bed, I spy on him for a few minutes. When I leave the room he starts crawling around his bed. He also loves to stand himself up and the let go of the crib and fall backwards. He does that over and over again and it makes him laugh.

-Loves books, and loves when we read to him.

-We love him more than ever.

Allen

-Started a new day job

-Still also working at the Pizza Factory at night.

-Started a new semester at school today.

-Works so hard for our family

-Loves his son so much. Allen always misses him when he isn't with him. They are best friends!

-Still a huge goob and can always count on him to make you smile and laugh.

Whitney

-Stopped taking blog design orders. It caused too much stress in my life and I stopped enjoying it. I hope to start taking orders again, I just need a break so I can enjoy it again.

-Started sewing again. I LOVE it. I don't know why I stopped sewing.

Yeah thats about it. There is not much going on in my life, but Riley keeps on growing and turning into a little boy. We just love him sooooo much!