Our CRAZY 4th!

Wow! Did we have a crazy fourth of July of what? Its started off like any other fourth... We always go to Inkom as a tradition (my very favorite one). We have breakfast at the park, attend the Inkom "Candy" Parade, and have a BBQ at Scotts grandparents. We had an awesome morning. I only had to remind Scott to quite fighting with the little kids twice. You see, he has some what of an obsession with candy and nobody stands in the way of his parade day. Not even the little ones. I'm just glad I didn't see any elbow throwing this year! Just kidding, he is not that bad...but is always upfront with the little ones grabbing as much as he can. Man, I love him. :) As for Tayden enjoying his first parade, he just slept right through it with Grandpa Packard.

Since this was Taydens first Fourth, we decided to take some pictures. First, let me tell you one exciting thing that happened! Tayden got his first tooth!!!! I was so happy to see it after Aunt Ashley pointed it out. He has been kind of cranky the past week or two and the tooth gave him a little bit of justice. He is doing much better since it has finally broke the surface. I just hope it stays that way. Anyway, that explains the tongue in most of this pictures.

Just loving the grass. Cute little guy.

Just mom laughing at her baby boy and his tongue. Notice the new hair! I love it. I probably would have spent a little more time on it had I know we were taking loads of pictures!

Love these guys!

Posing in the Tree!

My Handsome Family!

After the BBQ, it started raining. No big deal...or so we thought. Then the hail came. It was so big and strong it punched holes into my in-laws fiber glass covered porch. Yikes! After it was over, we were sitting at Scotts parents house when the phone rang. It was Scotts Grandma telling us the river was flooding and to get over there quick. This is what we found... (thanks for letting me copy the pics of facebook Sharlee!)

Scotts dad and a neighbor checking out the flood.

It got pretty close to the house, but lucky not too close. Some water came in the basement...it could have been a lot worse.

The neighbors trucks.

The start of the hail storm.

The size of the hail. The one on the far right is next to a quarter! Crazy!

Scott spent the rest of the day engaging in cleanup and sandbagging. I was so proud seeing him work so hard for people in need. He really stepped up to the plate. So needless to say this was one memorable day! As crazy as it was, it was amazing seeing how family can be stronger than the raging water tearing everything else apart. It touched my heart to see everyone working so diligently to help those around them! I am so grateful for the freedoms of this country, and even more grateful for the people in it!

My Husband, My Hero

Tayden, Tanner (the dog) and I went to Utah with my mom this past week to visit my grandma and grandpa. Scott was at Scout Camp so I figured there was no need to stay home. I learned a very important lesson while I was gone. My husband is awesome and I depend on him more than anyone. I always knew he was amazing, but I don't think I realized what a huge part he played in the rearing of Tayden. I ALWAYS give him a hard time about helping with the baby more. Well, I owe him my deepest apologies. He is an enormous help. Don't get me wrong, my mom and grandma were wonderful and helped me with Tayden. However, his Daddy is #1! He plays with Tayden when I need 5 minutes to regain my sanity. He changes dirty diapers so I get a break. He makes me dinner when he gets home so I can sit down. He calls and checks on us while he is at work. He makes Tayden laugh when all I can do is make him cry. He raises our son with love and compassion. He pushes the stroller like the proud father he is. He listens to me to complain after a rough day, even when his day is rougher. He is willing to help whenever necessary. He carries the heavy baby and the even heavier car seat. He doesn't get upset when the house is dirty. He goes to work so I can stay home. He watches over our home both physically and spiritually. And more than anything, he loves us. I am so blessed to be married to such a wonderful man.

My Photography Project

My cousin is having a baby girl in about 2 weeks and naming her Afton, so cute right? For her shower gift, I have been working on a display of her name. I couldn't figure out how to post it better, so you might have to use your imagination. I took pictures of letters that spelled her name. Then, I printed in black and white and framed them. It turned out pretty cute. Here is what I came up with:


Like I said, you have to use your imagination. However, I am proud of the finished project. I am working on another photography project that I love. I will post when I am finished.

Another Couponing Experience

I promise one day I will blog about something else besides Tayden and couponing. Give me three weeks though; I am going to Dallas, TX to see my favorite people in the world! I am so excited. I'll definitely blog about that. Anyways, I decided to only post my great couponing deals. I feel proud of this one and would like to share. On this trip I got:


3 1.5 Quarts Dryers Ice Cream
1 Box Nestle Lil' Drums Ice Cream Bars
10 Boxes Kraft Mac and Cheese
2 Boxes Capri Suns
2 Cans Manwich
3 Boxes Orville R. Popcorn
4 Snack Packs of Hunts Pudding
3 Bottles Ketchup
5 Healthy Choice Entrees
3 Packages Hillshire Lunch Meat
2 Loafs Sara Lee Bread
4 Lipton Pasta Sides
3 Boxes Crunch and Munch

A total of 45 items for a Grand Total of....$41.78. But that is not the best part! A total savings of (Drum Roll Please.....) $77.67. I bought a few more things than anticipated, but the sales were good. I'm still not a professional or anything. Some of my friends are amazing and get twice the stuff for half the price. They say it takes a few weeks to start to build a good coupon base and really see the savings. Hopefully, I get that skilled! However, I think I can count this trip successful.

* This sale doesn't require many coupons. In fact, I only used 2. Its all in the order of transaction. So, if you are interested in an order similar to this, let me know. I would love to go with you and help. It doesn't have the be the exact same as mine...there are alot of different options to get the same kind of deal!

A Learning Process

I went couponing again this morning. I didn't do as well as last week, but still not too terribly bad. This week was definitely an interesting experience, but we don't need to go into any details. Trust me, they aren't pretty. HaHa. I got a lot of cleaning products for cheap though, which was good. In fact, I was impressed with myself when I bought them . The nice cashier lady actually called it phenomenal. Yeah me! I purchased the following:

2 boxes Resses P.B Puffs
1 Bertolli Dinner
1 box Capri Sun
2 packages of Hot Dogs
4 SoBe Life Waters
2 EZ-Macs
5 boxes of Kraft Mac and Cheese
1 Philadelphia Cream Cheese
3 Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaners
2 Lysol Kitchen Cleaners
2 Lysol Bathroom Cleaners
1 Lysol Disinfectant Spray
1 Lysol Disinfectant Wipes

For a grand total of $33.57 and a total savings of $47.29! Like I said, not as good as last week, but you have to keep in mind the cleaning stuff. I made a few little mistakes that would have shaved off a few dollars, but all in all I think I learned valuable lessons that are priceless:

• Just because you got up 6:30 to go shopping when your baby should be sleeping, doesn't always mean he will. In fact, chances are pretty good he will cry most the time.
  
• 6:30 isn't even necessarily the best time to go. The shelves are still being stocked and workers are everywhere. Plus, not all grocery store employees are 'morning people.'
  
• Pick out the nice cashiers...not mean cranky ones. If he looks like he straight from the movie "Grumpy Old Men", steer clear.
  
• Read the fine print on all the coupons. Then, read the super fine print.
  
• Just because they have a name tag doesn't always mean they know what they are talking about. Enough said.
  
• Don't forget your in-store coupons. The clerks will not remind you. Boo!
  
• Double check the cashier while you are checking out, not 10 minutes later in the car. If something is wrong on a coupon order, the whole thing has to be redone. Not good, not good at all. Especially with a grumpy old man at 6:30 am.

I have made a 'note to self' of all my lessons learned and hopefully won't make the same mistakes again. I love this couponing business, I think its my new favorite hobby. Hopefully as I learn more, I will get better. As with anything else, practice makes perfect. I can't wait to see what next week has in store. (Get it? In Store? haha...a little coupon humor! :)

Beginners Luck?! No Such Thing!

So apparently couponing in Pocatello is an ultra competitive sport. I have heard so many great things about it, and decided to give it a try. (Thanks to my friend Zoey, who walked me through the whole process the past few weeks and answering all my ridiculous questions.) Well, I got all my stuff together, clipped all my coupons, mapped out my plans and summoned the courage to go couponing for the first time. As I got to the store, I started doing my shopping. Turns out, you aren't supposed to go at night. Out of the 10 deals I went to get, only 4 were left! Everything was gone! There was an awesome deal on LIFE cereal, (which Scott loves) but do you think I could find even a box of it? Not a chance! Same luck with cheese, capri suns, and water to name a few. But here is what I did get:

10 Box Kraft Pasta Sides
2 Boxes of Kraft Bagel-fuls
1 Digiorno Flatbread Melts (Last box)
1 Kraft BBQ Sauce
1 Orange Juice

For a Grand Total of...$8.73! I saved about $40.00! Not super great, but not bad for my first time either. Next week, I will definitely be making a morning trip! Stay tuned to see my deals next week.

Tayden is now able to eat Rice Cereal. He loves it. Although, I'm not sure if he likes the spoon or the cereal better. Either way...cute kid!

Shots and Real LIfe

We took Tayden in for his 4 month check up yesterday. We only had to listen to about 1200 'big baby' comments. That's okay though, I love our little Michelin Baby! I actually like to hear how big he is, it is reassuring. The doctor said he is perfect. He is 17 lbs 12 oz. and 26 1/4 inches tall. So 90th percentile in height and weight. And, good news...his head finally caught up to his body. Last check up his head was in the 30th percentile, now its in the 75th! A little bit more proportionate. It is crazy how fast they grow. It seems like just yesterday we brought him home and now he is ready for rice cereal! The immunizations went better than last time. He barely even cried and got over it very quickly. I was super proud of him. However, when I got him home it was a different story. He was cranky and needy all day long. I don't blame him though, shots suck. One of him legs kept flaring up and looked super painful. I tried to get happy picture of him, but it wasn't happening. I thought to myself, "This is real life, might as well have a picture of it to share with everyone." So, here is a picture of not so happy baby Tayden.

Haha. I had to laugh at the poor little guy. And when I did....

He laughed back. I grabbed the camera, and tried to get a good smile, this is all I got...but it's pretty cute.

Scott and I are getting into the grove of being parents. He amazes me how good of a dad he is. Tayden absolutely loves his daddy, and daddy adores his little man. I love to watch them interact. You can see how much they love each other. Its awesome. I am so blessed to have a beautiful family.