My Special Mothers' Day

My two men made sure that Mother's Day was extra special for me. "Henry" completely surprised me with the most thoughtful gift...a book of our blog. It was absolutely beautiful and I was so blown away by the effort "Henry" had put into it. :-)

"Here Mom let me help you. You are going way to slow!"



"Look at what I made for you!"



To top it all off, we left Mothers' Day afternoon for a fantastic beach getaway! Pictures to follow soon!

"Henry", thank you so much for making me feel so incredibly special on Mothers' Day and every other day. I love you so very much and feel so very, very lucky to be your Mommy! :-)

Extreme Couponing

For a while now I have been trying to figure out ways to cut back expenses each month so that we are able to send Henry to a wonderful preschool in the fall, possibly purchase a car, and also still do some of the fun, extra things we love to do. So my friend Jennifer recently introduced me to the world of couponing. Now I have always cut coupons and it was normal for me to save a few dollars a week but this "extreme couponing" saves her a significant amount each week.

I attended two different couponing workshops and felt confident enough to start it last week. Last week with coupons, I saved 28% off of my total grocery bill for the week. Grocery store savings saved me another 33% off of my total bill. So with both combined I saved a total of 61% off of my total grocery bill!! And I was told at both workshops that it would take 6-8 weeks to see the really large savings. Trey actually commented that it looks like I come home with more food than I ever did shopping at Walmart and I had saved 61%! I will keep you updated on our progress!

"So does this mean that I won't have to pick my own food anymore?" :-)

Sweet Buddies

Henry LOVES his friend AJ!

Kentucky Derby 2010

Our friends Beth, Gene, and Garett invited us to their annual Kentucky Derby party! Like every year, they hosted a beautiful, fun-filled party!

How could we not have fun?! We got to eat chicken fingers and pretend to be jockeys...



...ice our own horse cookies and eat as many as we would like...



...but the best part was that we got to hang out with some of our most favorite people!

Henry and AJ...

Thank you Beth, Gene, and Garett for including us in this annual event! You all are such fantastic hosts and we appreciate everything you do to make it a special day for everyone! :-)

Rosewood Crawfish Festival 2010

One of our favorite annual festivals here in Columbia is the Rosewood Crawfish Festival. We were really excited to be in town and able to go!

We did lots of people watchin' and walking (in Henry's case, running) around...



...and of course eating lots of crawfish...YUM!



Unlike last year Henry was not interested in eating the crawfish but just playing with them! :-)



He was so worn out he fell asleep in the stroller before we even left the festival which he never does anymore!



Thanks boys for another fun family outing! I love spending time with both of you! :-)

*WARNING...Gross!*

After a "rough" morning playing at the park, Henry fell asleep in the car on the way home with an animal cracker in his mouth. No one would ever believe the pure grossness I saw when I turned around...

...so I had to get a picture as proof! ;-)

Weekend Visit with Wonderful Friends

We were thrilled to have our friends Mark and Erica spend a weekend with us! It was a rainy, gloomy weekend so we were not able to get out and do much but we had a wonderful time just spending time together. We did spend Sunday morning at the zoo but shockingly I forgot my camera so no proof of that! ;-)

Henry loved every minute of being with them too especially when he and Mark were "rocking out" together! :-)



Thank you both so much for making the trip to see us! We always enjoy being together and this weekend was no different! :-)

On a sad side note, shortly after their visit, Nashville received massive amounts of rain and flooded major portions of the city. Mark and Erica's beautiful new home did not have any of the water (although other homes in their neighborhood did) but Mark's parents' home was completely flooded. We are so very sorry for the devastation and we are praying for you all as you begin the rebuilding process!

"Happy Birthday Memere!"

"Happy Birthday Memere! I hope you have had a "dinosaur-ific" day! I cannot wait to spend a whole week with you very soon! I love you!"



"And p.s...Momma and Dadda say DITTO!" :-)

Picnic Time!

This time of the year is the perfect time here in Columbia to get out with the kids and picnic in the park before the sweltering heat sets in! :-)

"You wanna trade lunches Nolan? I have no idea what this stuff is that Momma packed for me!" :-)



Reed, Garett, AJ, and Henry getting a "ballgame" in before lunch...



I have no idea how I got a picture with all of the moms (especially sitting down) considering one of us was always up chasing after one of our crazy kiddos! :-)



I think picnicking suits Henry, don't you?! (And yes, Henry's sunglasses are again turned upside down!) ;-)

My Car "Reader"

Get it? My car "reader" and not "rider"? Okay, I probably need to get out more! :-)

Anyway, Henry used to love to read any time but especially Dr. Seuss books, or the books that had different materials you could touch, or any alphabet or number books. Now, it is really hard to get him to sit still for any length of time especially long enough for a book. He definitely still has his favorites. We have "Digger Man", "Chugga Chugga Choo Choo", and "Tip, Tip, Dig, Dig" memorized. ;-)

The only exception to the rule is in the car. He will sit and "read" books the whole car trip. It is great!

"Of course I can sit still and read...you have me strapped in!" ;-)



(And yes, he does have his sunglasses upside down in the above picture. Don't try to fix them though...much screaming involved!)

Marionette Puppet Show

Henry and I, along with our friends Melissa and AJ enjoyed a puppet show at the Columbia Marionette Theatre. This show was called "A Dinosaur's Tale". It was the first time that Henry sat through the whole 45-minute show although I give the dinosaurs all of the credit. He was captivated! :-)

After the show the children could play with some of the marionettes. Here Henry is "walking the dog"! ;-)

My Sweet Boy

I thought I was just taking a picture of Henry and his truck...



...but Henry had something else to show me. What was actually driving Henry's truck? A WORM!

Henry had actually put the worm and some mulch inside his truck. Poor worm! ;-)

Touch-A-Truck

The Junior League here in Columbia recently had a fundraising event called "Touch-A-Truck". There were probably at least 20 different types of trucks - crane, garbage truck, dump truck, ambulance, fire engine, police car, and many more. The cool thing was that the kids were able to get in the vehicles and touch them, pretend to drive, turn on the lights, and even honk the horns and turn on the sirens. Unfortunately, Henry was completely overwhelmed by all of the sights and sounds. He was very antsy because he never knew when a horn or a siren would go off.

The only truck he stepped foot in was a moving van but was then pretty skiddish when the "moving van" was trying to give him a high five! ;-)



The one thing he did enjoy thoroughly (and Momma too) was the bouncy slide! Fun!

This is how...

...we mow the lawn in South Carolina! Just kidding...sort of! ;-)

Members' Night at the Zoo

I know I have talked a lot about our zoo in this blog but we really do have a great zoo here in Columbia. Once a month, they offer a Members' Night where they have discounted refreshments, free rides, magicians and other fun guests, and let the members get access to animals "behind the scenes".

This particular evening the members were able to get up close and personal with the elephants and the bears. And when I say we were up close and personal...

...we were UP CLOSE and PERSONAL people! Below is a picture with no zoom on how close we were to the elephants. Now I tried to get a picture that close with the bears but I was too busy concentrating on getting to the exit as quickly as possible. The guests were made to stay single file behind a yellow line just a couple of feet in front of the animals' cages. One of the bears started growling at us and was trying to get its paw out of the cage. Needless to say, I was DONE at this point. But then a child in front of us almost ran up to the cage when his mom wasn't paying attention. You should have seen the panic on the zookeepers' faces! They were yelling at him to stay back! I was REALLY done then! I kept hitting Trey's ankles with the stroller to try and get him to move faster! :-) Of course, Henry was completely oblivious to the "danger" and seemed to really enjoy the experience. However, the elephants and bears were not his favorite part of the evening.



And neither were the ostriches.



And feeding the goats was not his favorite part either.



And not even the free carousel ride!



So what was his favorite part you ask?

The ice cream! :-) Every time we have been back to the zoo since, Henry asks for ice cream! Silly boy!

Sunglasses...

...don't make the man.



The man...



...makes the sunglasses. :-)

Henry's First Visit to the Dentist

Henry recently had his first trip to the dentist! This pediatric dentist office was unlike anything I have ever seen!

There were wild animals...



...and video games! (You can tell Trey is DYING to take over control of the Star Wars video game!)

Henry did fantastic! We had been really practicing opening his mouth for the dentist. He was so good that the dentist could not get Henry to close his mouth when he needed to check his bite! :-) He got a new toothbrush, toothpaste, and several little prizes...way to go Henry!

Fun in the Park :-)

On a beautiful Sunday afternoon, Trey, Henry, and I decided to spend some time at our local state park.

Henry is always willing to try a new challenge at the playground like climbing these stools!



Henry stopped chasing the geese long enough to take a picture with me! ;-)



Henry absolutely adores his Dadda!

Happy Mothers' Day!

Happy Mothers' Day to all of the wonderful mothers that are such a huge part of our lives! We are so lucky to be surrounded by so many beautiful women who are inspirations - sisters, aunts, grandmothers, friends...

...and our own mothers...we love you!




And to the little boy that made ME a mother, you inspire me to be a better woman, friend, wife, and mother because you deserve nothing but the absolute best! I love you forever and always!

Yardwork :-(

As research year is drawing to a close, we are trying to finish up some projects around the house. One of those projects...landscaping the backyard. Booo! I don't mind watering plants or weeding gardens and I love the look of a flowering garden but I am definitely not a landscaper! Trey definitely took one for the team and tackled this one on his own. He did have Henry as his helper though!

There was one problem. Just like with housework Henry likes to undo what you just did. For instance, I sweep the kitchen and he comes along with his brush and sweeps the dirt back all over the floor. And with yardwork Trey digs dirt out of a hole and Henry comes along with his shovel and puts the dirt back in the hole! Henry just absolutely loves to help and is so sweet about it so we just let him work alongside us and finish up the project when he is asleep! ;-)

Spring Break 2010

My mom and grandmother decided to spend a few days with us over my mom's Spring Break and we were so glad they did!

Unfortunately, Henry was battling a stomach bug the first half of their visit so Henry did a lot of...

...reading with his Memere...



...and cuddling with his Mimi!



Luckily Henry made a full recovery quickly and soon he was...

...climbing on the swing set with his Memere...



...and playing in the tent with his Mimi! :-)



Mom and Memere, thank you so much for visiting us here in Columbia! You both spoiled us all and we are so grateful! But we are especially thankful for being spoiled with all of the attention and great company!

Please feel welcome to come visit us and this silly guy any time you want! We love you! :-)

Guilty As Charged ;-)

In a not-very-smart Mommy moment I left a canister of Vaseline on Henry's dresser. Wow, what a very messy mistake that was! This picture just does not it justice either. He had GLOBS and GLOBS of greasy Vaseline all over his face, arms, legs, in his hair, on his shirt, and all over his crib. We are extremely fortunate that we caught him before he had gotten any on the carpet, walls, or other furniture.

"Vaseline? Me? I don't know what you are talking about!"

Happy Easter!

Henry was confused about what he should be doing with his basket during our Easter egg hunt! ;-)



"Found one!"



Trey and I filled two dozen eggs with one piece of candy each (Thanks Lauren and Wes!). We thought he would just stick the eggs in the basket and then we could ration the candy out later. Wrong! Henry stopped at each egg, opened it up, and then ate the piece of candy. We realized that Henry eating 24 pieces of candy would not be a good idea for any us so we quickly picked up half of the eggs before Henry could get at them.

Look at the drool!



Showing us his find...a gummy worm!



Funny Henry story - That night Trey grilled out some delicious steak. Henry was not touching any of the steak so Trey thought it would be funny to stick small pieces of the steak inside of the Easter eggs and hide them for Henry. Henry opened up the first egg, saw the piece of steak, and asked...

"Where's the worm?!" :-)