Manic Monday

Technically, it's Tuesday right now, but for me, it's still Monday... It has been a LONG day! I was up late last night and got up early and had a full day today and am still going at quarter to 2. 2 a.m. that is! Sonny was gone all day plowing, bless his poor, cold soul. I can't remember a snow storm this bad for quite sometime. He's all cooped up in a truck for hours upon hours pushing snow that just keeps coming down! I felt so bad for him today. He just left about an hour ago and I haven't been able to fall asleep since I got him out the door - so - I am checking emails, Christmas shopping online, making lists and now, going through pics online.

This terribly cold day of 15 degree temperatures took my mind to a much warmer place. It was not too long ago, during my 6 weeks of being MIA, I was in Florida! We took our annual vacation to Florida and spent 10 days at my grandma's. It was a nice visit all around. Here's a snip it of cute pics...

I will be posting more vacation pics of fun stuff and super beautiful beaches so hang on. Off to bed! Stay warm, ya'll!

Anybody Miss Me?

Hi, it's me... Do you remember me? :)

"Wonderful chaos" is a good way to explain why I've been MIA for 6 weeks! Life in our little abode has been non-stop, tiring, crazy, trying, loving and just plain wonderful!

As the days went on, I would think to myself "This would be good to blog about" or "this would be funny..." but alas, the mom in me said "Do the dishes. Finish the laundry. Feed and bathe your children." Since those things are done this very minute, I am now blogging again!

Here's what's been going on in our family lately...

This itty bitty will be 6 months old in a matter of days... ugh.

This is his first time in a 'big boy' seat!

My older kiddos have now moved onto 'big boy' beds! Another ugh.

Zach now has Luke's toddler bed and is loving it. He stayed in it all night his first night with many prayers!



Luke loves his bed! Even with all the extra room, he still curls up in his same 'ol spot!

This itty bitty love is now in a crib (instead of a large bassinet)! Triple ugh.

A baby mug shot :)

And what does this all mean? MORE laundry! :) But it was fun putting up the new bed for Luke and rearranging some things in their room. The baby-ish-ness is leaving my big boys and it is sad for me. I have so many wonderful memories of these boys who are growing up too fast! Even Grayson is rolling over and trying to sit up. When does 'newborn' stop? He's already almost half-way to a year old! Quadruple, ugh!

Even with all the work and frustrations and boy, is there a lot of all that... I would trade my life for anything! It is wonderful chaos!

Perfect Pose

Now sit nice and smile, Gray!

Cross your feet... say "Maaa-mma"

(love that bib!)

Happy Humpday!

Enjoy that Sunshine!

For those of you in NE Ohio, enjoy that sunshine! We had a fab.u.lous. weekend and can't wait to share about it! Come back soon!

You know you're a Mom when...

you open your purse and find ___________________.



I saw this post on another mom's blog and I thought it was cute. I used to be an avid "purse changer" but now, after 3 kids, I go with what's big and easy to fill with diapers and coupons and etc. I no longer have time to change my purse to match my outfit anymore. I don't have nice outfits anymore either, now that I think of it :) I am lucky to remember to grab my purse these days, but I will stop complaining and start writing fun stuff.



I find:

my wallet open and unorganized from the last grocery shopping trip

coupons for diapers

hot wheels

smarties NOT in the packaging

a granola bar for when I forget to eat lunch

sometimes a crumpled grocery bag in the zippered pocket for dirty diaper storage

last month's to-do list with nothing checked off

spare little boys socks that are clean but look very dirty





So, what's in your purse?


Even if you're not a mom, you can share funny stuff that you find in your Mary Poppins bag!!

My Itty Bitty

I am VERY behind on posting about Gray's last 14 weeks of life, but I am working on it! I am enjoying blogging much more these days as I don't feel I have to but really want to! There are so many times I think of something funny or clever and then never get around to posting about it but I am working on writing things down so I don't forget. How time flies!

Here are a couple pictures I took recently. I always seem to hit 'click' right before or after the smiles!

He has changed so much in this short span of time. He is very alert and is already laughing and talking!

He can be very serious at times and then very silly at other times.

He loves his big brother's attention and tries to play along with them sometimes.

His hair is coming in but is still a mystery as to what color it might change to. Another blondie? Maybe darker? Will SOMEONE look like me already??? :)
He's a "Tucker", that's for sure!


Thank you, Jesus, for my itty bitty!


I so love this itty bitty with every bitty of my heart!

Death. Remembrance. Love.

A few weeks ago, I attended the wake of a very dear, sweet man who passed away from a battle with cancer. He is the grandfather and step-father to two of the most dearest people to me. My husband had some fun memories of going golfing with him, which was one of his favorite things to do and I too have fond memories of chatting with him and his dear wife at different events and parties that we were at together. There was just something about these two. They were just so cute together. The kind of older couple that were so in love and that stuck in your mind.



Death. It's hard. There's no easy thing about grief. The only assurance is knowing Jesus as your Saviour and knowing we'll see loved ones again some day. Whenever I go to a wake or funeral, or even hearing that some I knew had passed, it always seems to stay with me for a while. I think of that person often. I think about death. I think about 'what if I die' and 'how will people remember me'?



Remembrance. In the past five years, my life has changed dramatically. My name changed. My address changed. My church changed. My status changed. I am now a wife and mother though still a daughter, sister niece and friend. I have more family members now, I have more friends and a bigger church family. If I die, how will they all remember me?



Will I be remembered for not writing, not calling or emailing or staying in touch? Or will they say I was friendly and caring? Will they say I was quiet and kept to myself? Or will they say I'm hospitable and love having fun with family and friends?



Will they say I was a Christian? Will that come to mind automatically? Will they say I loved and cared and prayed for them? Will they say I tried to be like Jesus? Will they say I knew my Bible and loved to serve in church? Will they say I was a giver? Will they say I was happy?



Death makes me think of these things. Do you ever think about these things?



Love. Love is a many splendor thing. Love is so precious, and needed and wanted by many. I love my husband so much. I love my boys. I love my big family. I love my church family. But do I love those who hate me? Do I love those who I don't really like? Do I love and try to share Jesus with anyone or everyone I meet? I think about these things.



Love is more than vows to my husband on our wedding day. Love is more than that first kiss I gave to my baby boys on their arrival into this world. Love is more than just saying "I love you". Love is Jesus. Everyone needs love. Everyone needs Jesus.



Remembering makes me love. Remembering certain events or emotions can bring on more feelings of love for someone. Just today, I was sitting in my chair going through coupons (man, do I do anything else??) and Luke came up to me with lips pooched out. He came barrelling into my face and gave me a big kiss and said "I love you" all on his own. I could have passed out with overwhelming love. There is nothing like it. You know what I mean...



But when you think of Love, do you think of Jesus? Does His dying on the cross for us just become an old memory? We know He died, but do we remember it often and love Him more for it? Do we thank God for giving away His only son? I can't imagine losing a child, but to give one away intentionally... are you crazy?? Do you ever think of this? Even if you don't have children, imagine something so precious to you. Could you live without it?



Death makes me remember. Remembering reminds me to love. Love makes me think of Jesus.



Jesus loves me, this I know. For the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong. They are weak but He is strong!



This song brings many emotions to me when I hear it. Not only from remembering when I sang it often as a child but now hearing my own child singing it, ugh, I could cry a river.



Please let this post encourage you to stay in touch, be a friend, be a listener, pray for others, be a help, be a giver with no intent on being a receiver, be hospitable, give time to others, enjoy others company, serve in church, go on dates with your husband, play with your kids, make a meal for someone, visit someone in the hospital, send a card in the mail, love, love, love... you get what I'm saying.



Please let this post encourage you to be more in love with Jesus. This is a goal of mine. A goal with really no intention of ever being met. How can you stop falling in love with Him?





Yes, Jesus loves YOU.

Yes, Jesus loves YOU.

Yes, Jesus loves YOU

The Bible tells YOU so!





And I love you too!

::Mary::

::Mama Drama::

Hello, ladies who follow me... and Dad... (love you, dad!)

It's 11:21pm. I should be sleeping. Or at least in bed. I just ate dinner actually. Not good for trying to lose weight, I know. Do I get a treat for clearing my plate too? :) Being a mom was tough today. I'm happy to say I made it through though. Sometimes I sit back and think, "Am I really a mom already? I can't believe I have three kids already! I can't believe I have THREE BOYS!" (insert a deep breath in and out)

Baby boy decided to wake up a little early today which threw my day off to start. Middle boy decided to wake up with a cold, cough and runny nose of a certain color. First boy decided to wake up with more energy than he knew what to do with, which made his mommy a little frazzled. And it was only 7:30am.

Think positive, Mary. It could be worse.

It got worse.

First boy decides he is "really hungry" (he is into the word "really" as of this week). As I am getting pancakes ready, middle boy wakes up calling me with that sick, nasily voice while baby boy is letting me know he is hungry too. Really hungry. So as big boys are eating, I decide to feed baby boy. No sooner did I start feeding, than first boy needs to go to the bathroom and needs my assistance. Way to go, that potty-training. (see yesterdays post) Okay. While first boy is 'going', baby boy is crying and middle boy is sneezing something horrendous. I came out to view a stream of ooziness. I am smart though and grab TWO tissue boxes and put them in very accessible places for this day. Okay. Breakfast is done.

Playtime. Playtime goes well other than excessive sneezing, bringing out excessive nose junk, and me bringing out the clorox wipes. No problem, got it covered.

My parents came over today after being out of state for 2+ weeks which was a welcomed visit. Baby boy is automatically content with the attention and big boys enjoy their treats and sea shells from the beach. The visit was nice and everyone enjoyed it until it was time to leave. Me included. No one to talk to, well to talk to about something other than trains and playing and where is daddy and m&m's. Well, I do like to talk about m&m's sometimes.

In the meantime, I get a call from some man I can't understand saying I was 'picked' to get a $10,000 grant from the government, no payback and no tax. All mine. Yeah, right. He has my name and address but called me on my cell phone which sparked my scammy mind. I asked how he got it. He said 'they' did a demographic survey and I was picked. Who is 'they'? He sounded like a man from a tribe in Nigeria somewhere. I said "Did you say democratic? I am not a democrat". After going back and forth a couple times, I finally figured out what he was saying. Okay. So I say, I don't understand why I got picked and how you got my cell number. He proceeds to then repeat his whole schpeel word for word. He then verifies my address again, which was correct, and then asks for my date of birth. I said "You have my cell number, address and name. How do you not have my date of birth?" I felt like saying "Would you like my social security number?". He then says they need it for verification so they can send a check in the mail. I am starting to get a little frazzled. He then says "OR we can deposit directly into your checking account if I provided the number..." Okay. Are you serious? Come on. I ended it by saying if he wanted to send something in the mail, send it. No more info. He proceeded to say he'd call back in the evening. Okay, whatever. How do these things happen to me? Am I going to have a $50 charge on my cell phone bill for this call from who knows where?

Okay. So, nap time comes around. Another welcomed time. First baby boy goes down. Not a peep. Amen. Then big boys go down. After a few tissues and hugs and kisses, all is quiet on the mommy front. Oh my. What an enjoyment. I jumped online and checked out a few blogs about fall decorating. I bugged my sister through email to help me with a few projects if she had time and I bugged my sister-in-law for fall decorating ideas and such and then I bugged my mom via phone about helping me with fall decorating ideas as well. You can see whats on my mind. And why does this time go so fast. Before I knew it, it was almost 3pm and I hadn't eaten lunch yet. Okay. Lunch eaten.

Now it's almost 4pm. First boy walks out of his bedroom, still half asleep with his hair all bedhead-y and can you guess what the first thing that came out of his mouth was?? Yep. He has to go to the bathroom. "Really go, Mom". I guess I should be happy. We went from "no potty" to "constant potty". But, it's a good thing. I keep telling myself that. Okay. Middle boy still sleeping. That's good. Baby boy wakes up. I feed him. Okay, that's done. Now I think of what to make for dinner. Leftovers it is! :) In the meantime, I'm running back and forth from room to room, putting away laundry and this and that from my never-disappearing to-put-away pile. Okay. Done. It's 5pm. It's 5:30pm. It's 6pm. No hubby. No call. Okay. Don't worry.

Okay. It's 7pm. Hubby calls. Coming home soon. Okay. He's home. Dinner is served. Time to clean up. No, time to get baby boy ready for bed. Big boys playing, daddy resting, baby eating, mommy frazzled. 8pm. Baby boy should be sleeping. He's not. Fussy-ness comes. Baby sleepy. 8:30pm. He's out. Okay, a little off schedule but not too bad. Time for big boys to go to bed. Songs, hugs and kisses and am I forgetting something? Okay. Lights out.

Nigerian man didn't call back. No surprise.

Missed church tonight for middle boy being sick and daddy coming home very late. Realized earlier in the day that I was out of very important food items for our family. Milk, bread. Had a great coupon for baby formula that I keep on-hand. Decided to run out after everyone was in bed for a quick 30 min. trip. 9pm. Leave. Run through the bank atm to deposit a check I've had forever since I can hardly get out anymore. Get to the store. Go in and look in my purse for my list and coupons. No list. No coupons. What? Are you kidding me? Okay. Drive home to get the coupons. Thankfully, I only live 7 minutes away. I get a call while turning onto my street. It's hubby. The boys are crying. They need you. ME? Ugh. Okay. I come in and go straight to their room. Oh, I DID forget something. The medicine. So, middle boy decides he doesn't want cherry-tasting medicine. I play a little Mary Poppins trick and in it goes. I did a "Mary". Get it? My name is Mary too? Okay... Well, a little medicine comes out but most goes in. Great job, middle one! First boy tells me he's 'really' sick. Okay with the 'reallys' already, first one. So, I do a little jig and sing a little tune and off to sleep they go with smiles. Check in with the hubs. He's half sleeping from a LONG days work. Tell him, I'm off the store. Again. With list and coupons in hand.

Still thinking of fall decorations.

Get to the store and start over. Okay. Got everything off my list with a couple freebies and deals I found while looking in their clearance. Go to pay. Only one cashier and 4 in line. Okay. My turn. All goes well until pay time. I paid and walked away thinking, what did I buy? Check my receipt. Clearance item rings up for $5 instead of .99 cents. Okay. Walk back in and check with cashier. Customer service is closed at 10pm. Its 10:15pm. Wonderful. Okay, what do I do? Come back another time? Customer service lady comes out of room with double mirror (I always laugh at that room) and opens a new register to do the return/credit. Okay. That's done. Walk out and load up car. While driving home, I call my mom since I forgot to call her earlier. Talk about fall decorations. Having nice conversation when 'chirp, chirp, chirp'... Cell battery is going. Talk fast, mom. Get home. Unload and put away. Realize, I didn't eat dinner. Sister calls. We chat and laugh together at the news anchors outfit on tv. Okay. Talk to you, tomorrow, sis. I eat something and decide to check email again since I'm not so tired from my rondevous to the store. My email then makes me think to check my blog which BUGS me because I cannot, for the life of me, center the boys picture in the title. Anyone who can help, please do. I am all about centering.

I'm centering. Get it?

Now, it's 12:11am. Hello, Thursday.

Goodnight, Mary. Get ready for another exciting day tomorrow!

Dirty Talk

This is clean, don't worry! :)

I believe I can officially share with the world that Luke is toilet-trained!!! Picture me crying and smiling while I'm typing this! If a 3 year old comes in your bedroom at 1am and tells you he has to use the restroom, I call that being trained!!!

It seems I have waited an eternity for this time and I'm just so thankful that it has arrived. That means I'm down to only 2 in diapers, which is a blessing in so many ways. I have recently started training with Zach but having one under my belt has given me much confidence that I can train again!

Funny story...

Last week, I took Luke and Zachary outside to play. They are very good at staying close to the house so I don't watch them every second of their playing. I took a basket of coupons outside to cut and was sitting at our patio table. We have a little Hot Wheels Jeep that they drive around the house so they were doing laps and enjoying their time together. I got really into my coupon organizing and realized they hadn't made a lap around in a few minutes. I called out Luke's name as I started moving toward the front of the house. As I was walking, I asked what he/they were doing. I heard "playing with blueberries". Still walking to the front, I was thinking... "blueberries? Did he mean the little plastic golf balls or the little outside blocks we have?" As I reached the front of the house, I saw them a short distance away under a little tree between our house and our neighbors. My heart sank as I realized what Luke meant. His "blueberries' were in reference to a pile of deer droppings under the tree. Here are my two angels, throwing deer do-do in the air like confetti at a New Years Eve party... (insert 'sigh')

I ran over to them, grabbed their arms and dragged them in the house so fast they were kind of in shock as to what was happening. As I feverishly washed their fingers, hands and arms, I explained that 'those things' weren't 'blueberries' and they were never to touch them again! Needless to say, I will keep a better eye on them for a while yet! :)

This quote appropriately explains my life -
"Mothers of boys work from son up to son down"

We got a puppy!

Isn't he a cutie?

He even smiles!

His name is Gray!

We just LOVE holding and cuddling with our new puppy!

Our puppy is silly and makes us laugh! This puppy doesn't like to sit still and even drools!

But, we're so glad we have this puppy! We love him!

:: Cute ::

Grayson has been doing great at sleeping, my best sleeper yet! He takes 3 sometimes 4 naps a day and is sleeping between 9-10 hours a night. I'm doing my best at keeping him on a schedule even with all the business we have but I have to praise the Lord and thank my grandma for praying for a good sleeper!

I went in to check on him during one of his naps on my bed and found this...

I can relate to this most days :)

OWW

Welcome to the beginning of my "One Word Wednesdays"!

Please enjoy little snipits of our lives! :)

Sleepy

Mischievious

Protector

Loving

Wordless Thursday... My Boys

I know, I'm late again. Maybe "Wordless Thursday" will catch on with others too! :)

But isn't this picture worth the wait!?!

Wordless Thursday

Hey, I can be a day late, right?

Happy Thursday! Have a great day!

Love, Mary & Gray

(and the other two blondies)

Boo Hoo!

I know, I know... You're all mad at me for not posting in weeks but I am working on it! Promise!

Life with 3 under 3 1/2 is definitely more of a challenge than anticipated but I am doing my best to adjust to this little addition! "Adjusting" means NO time for blogging! I can hardly write out bills and cut coupons anymore. Crazy how something so small takes up so much time! Anyways, enough for boo hoo-ing. Wouldn't trade the world for this little peanut!

I'm not going to say 'come back soon' for more posts anymore seeing as I never keep my word... unless 'soon' to you means weeks, maybe months :) I'm doing my best! Hope to be back soon! :)

love to all

My New Favorite Color

Gray

Grayson / Old English

meaning: "son of the gray-haired man"

I guess the name is a sign of things to come... :) I heard this name while in high school and it always stuck with me but I never thought I would actually name one of my sons this name. Since we didn't know the gender of this pregnancy, it was hard for us to choose just one name for each gender, so we kept a few in mind. Once he was born, we struggled over the names we liked and finally decided at 11:45pm on the first day of his life. I told Sonny we couldn't let him go a whole day with no name. "Baby" wasn't cutting it for me :)

The fun thing I like about this name for this child is that he was born the day before Father's Day and the 'son' in Grayson reminds me of Sonny. It is kinda fitting for Sonny to have a 'son' close to Father's Day and maybe we'll call Grayson "Sonny" as a nickname in the future. We'll see about that, but for now, he's "Baby Gray". Zach just calls him "Baby". Luke on occasion will call him by his full name and sometimes add "Landscaping" to the end of it, seeing as he thinks the word 'landscaping' should be said after "Tucker" every time (that's Daddy's business' name for those who don't know). The boys are enjoying every day with Gray, giving him tons of kisses and letting me know when he's crying and hungry or wants a chocolate muffin. Well, that last one is when Luke wants a chocolate muffin but he thinks he can use Grayson's crying to get one for himself. Funny, their little minds.

The infamous "Tucker Toe" as we call it. Each one of our boys has a slanty pinky toe just like Sonny and many of the Tucker aunts and uncles. After the birth of Luke, it's a funny thing that we looked for immediately after the birth of Zach and now Gray.

This picture was taken shortly after his bath. He is being held by Aunt Dee Dee. My sister is the awesomest sister when it comes to being there for me in the hospital. For each of the boys births, she came to the hospital beforehand to sit and talk with me and take pictures of the 'before' and then also stayed with me a while after to get pictures of the baby for me so I could just relax, assured I would get cute pics of my baby! Gray was born at 1:49 a.m. on Saturday 6/19. My sister stayed until 5am making sure all was okay before leaving. Sonny was sick that weekend and left a little while after Gray was born to go home and rest. Thanks, Dee, for being there for me and for being my photographer!

All's well that ends well! Third time was a charm!


Thanks to everyone who sent cards and emails! God is so good, having blessed us with a third baby and our third boy. I remember in the past, saying I wouldn't mind having all boys. Be careful what you wish for!



Come back soon for more pictures and info on our latest addition!

Cheesy

Here are two fun pics

of my two cheeseballs.

Especially funny is this chunky cheeseball who always has to have two balls in his hands when playing outside.

Even when riding his little bike!

(I gotta get a pic of him doing that!)

Ramblings

Why? Why am I still up at 11pm? Why do I have energy now and not in the morning when I need it? Why did gas go from $2.83 to $2.56 the next day right after I used all my get go points? Why does this baby growing inside of me want to be a soccer player? I have had a quite a week with life, though I'm thankful I have it, life that is, it sure was a LONG week!

Mums. Mother's Day weekend did not go how I expected. Terrible nauseousness and pain were the order of the day but all in all, it went well and I enjoyed my time with my boys and family. I got one decent pic with my boys though I haven't posted it yet and forgot to get a picture with my Mom (sorry, Momma!). I'll get pics on here sometime soon but tonight is going to be a pain-free blog with no pics that I have to download and resize and upload, and etc...

Coupons. I got a lot of coupons cut this week and had some great deals I may post in the next few days. The Lord has been really good to me to help me find such a great deals on items we use a lot of or use often enough. For example, I walked out of Giant Eagle on Wednesday with 17 packs of toilet paper (4 rolls each) for $9.52. I looked like a hillbilly with a 'problem' but I was smiling at that deal!

Homeschooling. I went to a meeting on Tuesday that was all about getting started in homeschooling. It was so informational and fun and got me really excited about homeschooling. I do 'school' with Luke a few times a week where we do abc's, numbers, flash cards and reading. He shows a real interest in reading and learning and I'm so thankful for that. This is going to be a BIG thing for me but I pray the Lord will guide me/us in the right directions. There is nothing like seeing your child learning right in front of you, from you!

Fun. Thursday was a fun day I spent with my parents at their house, just relaxing and visiting with them. I ran to Target (alone - THANK YOU MOM!) and got some more great deals on other things and then had a fabulous dinner with them in the evening. I was thankful to not be nauseous that day and could enjoy such a great dinner! Thanks, parents!

Potty training. Not. fun. Any suggestions people-out-there? I am trying many different things and he seems to be getting it but it's sure a slow-go. FYI candy is not working :) It helps though!

Birthdays. I feel so old today. My birthday is next week. I will be - gulp - 29! Where did the time go? And does anyone else have white hairs popping through? Ugh!

The hubs. I got a good one. He is working two side-jobs plus his normal full time job these last two weeks and will continue to for probably several more. I don't see him much but I'm so thankful he's such a hard worker. God was good to me when he gave me Sonny! Sometimes you take your spouse's help for granted cause when they are gone, you really miss them. Such as bath time. I don't especially like being as wet as the boys are. Dinner. More dishes and crumbs for me to clean by myself. Bed time. Reading books not quite as 'funny' as daddy. I try.

Old friends. Walked into my dr.'s office today for a baby appt. Heard my name spoken and turned to see a dear old friend. God was good to let us meet up today! She is 23 or 24 weeks along and had an appt. today as well. We chatted as fast as we could until my name was called. Smiles and hugs all around. Love moments like these. (love ya a.z.!)

35. The end is nearing. Baby #3 is due to arrive sometime within the next 5 weeks. This has by far been the fastest pregnancy for me. It helps we didn't tell anyone until I was 5 months along but these last 5 f.l.e.w.! Some days I'm super excited and some days I'm a bit nervous. I have greatly enjoyed sleeping through the night the past almost two years. Sonny bought me a book that helps moms get their babies sleep schedule adjusted so they sleep up to 12 hours a night. But I've been so busy and tired, I haven't read it yet... It's on my to-do list for this coming week!

Excitement. I better go and get to bed. Tomorrow, I am hitting some garage sales with my Mom and Sisters-in-law. Praying to find a Simplicity vacuum for around $5. Only in my dreams! :) I've been praying though. "Ye have not, because he ask not"!! God can do anything! I'll let you know what I find!

Good night to all my followers! All five of you! And those who have yet to join :)
Love ya

Luke's Special Find

Last Friday, I had an errand to run for Sonny on the west side of town. It was a beautiful, sunshiney day and I enjoyed making the trip to the store with them, windows down and singing all our favorite Patch-the-Pirate songs!

On the way home, I spotted some garage sale signs and decided to attempt to go to a few with them without any other adult help! :) The first few garage sales were very close to the street so I left the boys in the car with a snack and ran to browse quickly. Luke's a fast eater but Zach is slow, so on the last stop, I decided to take Luke with me and leave Zach in the car (which was 10 ft. away in the driveway).

Luke was infatuated with this object below. A chair. A very dusty, old, rickety chair with one of the legs underneath glued several times, you could tell. He would look around with me and then look back at the chair and then we'd move on again, and he'd ask how the chair was and would tell me that it was still on the first table we looked at. At the end of my looking, he walked me over to the table and with 'those eyes' asked if he could have it. I, at first, thought we had no need for this chair. But then I remembered a few garage sales my mom took me to when I was little and let me pick out something that I really treasured, some of which I still have today - so - I allowed him to buy the chair. Fifty cents was the price and it was worth it for the smile it brought to him!

So here is a picture of the beloved chair. I wondered what Luke had in mind when he wanted it...

Here is what he had in mind - a nice wooden rocking chair for Woody!

We recently watched the movie "Toy Story" for the first time with Luke and he simply adores the character Woody. My dad found this Woody doll years ago and I believe he just had it kept in the garage, but once he realized how much Luke liked him, he gave it to him one day and what a great day that was for Luke! I thought it was cute how he thought of his toy and had in mind to get a chair for him! What their little minds think up!

So, sit back and relax, Woody, and welcome to the family!

I :: Heart :: Coupons!!!

I've been going back and forth about posting deals I find using coupons. I thought no one would care but I had two really good trips today and thought maybe if I post, I could encourage someone to use coupons to save money and get great items! The Lord wants us to be stewards of our money and I believe using coupons is being wise and also a blessing as I buy brands I would not normally buy and sometimes get more for less and some things for free!

CVS trip

2 Tresemme shampoos - total $1.77 (with tax)

---------- *** ----------

Target trip

Everything you see here cost $4.65 with tax, with a savings of $21.79 and the receipt below just to prove it!

I really love talking about, looking for and sharing coupon ideas and tips! If I could ever be of any help, please ask! I am currently 'teaching' my hair stylist how to get started with coupons and make the most of them! It is just so wise, and fun, and I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I did! :)

Live rich with coupons!

Look what I found!

Look what I found while taking a bike ride the other day... Isn't he a cutie!

Luke asked if we could keep him and I said sure! :)

The mullet is gone!

This will be old news for my bloggy friends and family but for those we don't see often, the mullet is officially gone! Back on Feb. 20th, we took Zach for his first haircut! His hair was horribly long but we were holding onto the 'baby' for as long as we could!

Here is before:

Here is during the cut:

It started off pretty well. He sat in a chair that looked like a tractor and really liked that. I was also armed with some gummy fruits and an oatmeal creme pie just in case things got bad!

Then things got bad!!! We had to get Sonny involved to hold him down. Zach wanted nothing to do with someone he didn't know touching him or his hair!

The one thing that got us through - his bottle! SO glad I packed that too!

All in all, it was a fun day and full of good (and frustrating) memories! Our baby now looks like a little boy which is both cute and sad for me. Just another thing to show he is growing up!

Below is a picture of both boys now. They almost look like twins sometimes! Love you boys!

A first with lots of waiting...

Good Afternoon to you! This is my first ever post away from home! I am currently at Marymount Hospital, waiting on some bloodwork and tests that I need to have for the baby. I have been here for over two hours already and am still waiting on a shot I need to have. The nurse just came to me and said she JUST called the 'bloodbank' and the shot I need is going to take another half an hour to make it up to this lovely 6th floor. Wonderful! I'm just wondering why this place wasn't called sooner since I've been sitting in her view for a half hour already. Oh well. What can ya do?

This hospital is the one we plan on delivering at, instead of Hillcrest. The distance from our house is only about 10 minutes, compared to 30 plus traffic to Hillcrest, so that is a plus. This hospital is very Catholic, which gives me the heebie geebies but God is in control and will take care of me. I will bring my Bible and laptop with me to pass the time. But, as for now, I'm just sitting here, thinking of things I could be doing, thinking of my mom home with my boys and my hubby at work, emailing my sisters too much since I have the time...

And, I've also been thinking about the many people I've seen pass me in these hallways and waiting rooms. I wonder to myself how many know Jesus and if any are saved. I've prayed for some I could tell where nervous, talked to a few of them and have smiled till my cheeks hurt. So many nurses and staff here are just 'doing their jobs' but so many people come in scared and nervous - a nice smile and friendly 'hello' can make all the difference to them.

Today must be 'Marymount Day' because there are at least one bazillion people here today and the parking lot was jam packed. But the Lord knew this already and had a blessing waiting just for me. I drove around the parking lot two or three times and just decided to take the first one I saw, which was about a mile away from the door. Oh well. If I didn't have a baby sitting on my bladder at all times, this wouldn't be a problem, but that distance wasn't so appealing to me. So, I parked and got out with my bags and here comes a shuttle bus directly to my spot and the gentleman asks if I needed a ride. Of course, I say 'sure' and he drove me all the way to steps away from the door I needed to go in. I was so happy! He knew it too! Thank you, Lord! That lessened my burden of carrying the baby and my purse and bag. It may seem small but it was a big blessing to me!

Well, I'm going to sign off for now in hopes that they will be calling me soon for this shot I need. Then I need to hoof it back downstairs to have my blood taken again for the last of my bloodwork/tests. It has not really been a 'fun' day but just anticipating the arrival of this baby has me smiling inside and out.

Have a great day!

Updates

Hello, ya'll! I'm back from a nice email/blog break. Life for me has been so busy and long these last few weeks but also chock-full of great events and memories that I soon hope to post!

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Now that Luke's birthday month is over, we say goodbye to trains and hello to cute, little spring birds for the blog decor. I needed something springy and pink. This last word - 'pink' - may be a shock to some since I really don't like the color pink and never really have. BUT, I am expecting my third baby and since we're not finding out the gender, I am thinking it could be a girl and now pink has suddenly become a likeable color for me. :)

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Our Easter weekend was so much fun. We spent time with our families on Saturday and Sunday and had such great food and fellowship! I know Easter is over but I think we should celebrate it all year long to remind us of His resurrection! In my header is our Easter family picture and here are some others we took:

Here are our honeys on the way to church! We had such a nice, sunny weekend to celebrate Jesus!

Here are the not-so-smiley cousins after a long day of Sunday school and 'big' church!

(Zach is 21 months, Rose is days away from turning 3 and Luke is 3)

Here is Daddy who said "I need a picture with my boys"! Well, one boy had his fill of pictures and didn't want to cooperate and the other was bribed with smarties! Such precious memories! :)

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Well, I finally downloaded my pictures from the last 5-6 weeks of our lives so I hope to post some fun memories in the coming days. Isn't it amazing how it is already halfway through April? And, I will officially be 30 weeks in a matter of days. That is scary! I am starting to make my lists and get my hospital bags packed just in case I go early. Pray for me!!!

See you soon!