Taylor went on a date....

...with her Daddy!  Taylor got all dressed up and went on a date with her Daddy.  They went to the father - daughter dance at church and then went to Dewars for Ice Cream afterwards.  She had a blast!  I told her when she was leaving to make sure her Daddy treated her like gold.  When she got home she told me that Daddy didn't just treat her like gold, he treated her like shinny gold.  Even at a young age girls love shiny things!!!  She looked SOOOO beautiful!!  She sures makes her Daddy and I proud!!!

My BIG goof balls!!  (One of my FAVORITE pictures!!)

All Smiles!

Sissy and her proud baby brother!!

My princess is growing up!

She LOVES her Daddy, she didn't want to get lip gloss on his check :)

Daddy giving Taylor her 1st corsage!

Getting her douse of hair spray to get that do to hold with all that dancing!

Getting her nails did!!

Red glitter nails.

Being pampered from head to toe!

Getting all dawled up is hard work!

Getting her hair done.

All smiles.  

Way too cute!!

My Family from WiddlyTinks.com

It's So So LIGHT!!

Can't talk but just had to post a quick picture! I chopped off my hair. Got it cut on my lunch. LOVE it!!! We'll see what Dustin says when I get home :/ (He likes it LONG)

Save money, I'm game

So I get an email daily from mommasource.com. It's a network of Mom's where you can submit your questions and get help from other moms in your area. It really is a great resource! You can ask anything from how to get a toddler to take a better nap, to tips for dealing with a moody teenage daughter, to suggestions/reviews for anything from a doctor to a stroller.

Recently another mom asked for suggestions for coupon sites and boy let me tell you this network of moms did not disappoint!! Below are a list of suggested coupon sites. I have not yet had a chance to check them all out but didn't want to hesitate to pass on the information to all of you. Every penny helps, especially in this economy.

One mom pointed out NEVER to use a site you have to pay for, there are too many good ones that are free. Some of the sites update weekly with the store add and show you where to get the most bang for you buck on a weekly basis.

The first three were mentioned multiple times. The top one being suggested the most.

www.couponmom.com
www.thegrocerygame.com
www.coupons.com

www.mygrocerydeals.com
www.redplum.com
www.freebies4mom.com
www.couponsurfer.com
www.couponbug.com
www.abundantfoodsavings.com
www.frugalisfab.blogspot.com
www.couponcabin.com
www.clevermoms.com
www.cleverbabies.com

Again, I have not yet checked out these site but am sure you will find some useful sites out of this wonder list from MommaSource moms. I hope I didn't mis-type any of the sites in my hurry to finish this blog before my lunch is over.

Happy Saving!!!
Candi

Already???

So some days your kids remind you just how much times have changed and THAT THEY ARE NOT BABIES ANYMORE. In stark contrast to the blog below where Jayden showed that he is still a child by telling his Daddy that he needed to plant seeds to grow the hair back on his face. Only days later he makes my heart skip a beat by acting "all grown up". Taylor has been computer savvy for a few years now but her little brother is right on her heals. Taylor LOVES WebKinz - definition below for those of you who are not familiar with what a Webkinz is ;) (she has 7 thanks to Christmas) but we didn't even think to get Jayden one before then. So for Christmas he asked for one and he got a monkey he named Sammy. He caught on so so quick and now even has his log in and password memorized and can get on the computer, bring up the site, log in, and navigate through the site with ease. It just amazes me how bright my kids are (and I'm not partial at all!). They are very different in how they learn but boy do their little minds just eagerly soak up any knowledge they can get. Here is a picture of my little guy (not so little but he will always be my little guy) playing away on the computer.

We did not even have a computer at home until I was in high school (my Daddy was a little reluctant) it boggles my mind how times have changed. Makes me feel old :)

Webkinz are little stuffed animals that come with a code for the website www.webkinz.com once you enter your password it knows what type of animal you have. You choose a name and whether your animal is a boy or a girl. You have money to spend for your animal. You buy everything your animal could need, furniture, food, etc. Your animal earns more money for these things when you play games, work a job, mine for jewels, and all kinds of other fun (mostly educational) things. WARNING: Webkinz are highly addictive for all ages (I am guilty of having two myself)

Did Denny's really say a free Breakfast?

Did Denny's really say a free Breakfast? Yes they did and

we were some of the 2 million that braved the crowds

for a free meal! We woke the kids up early

(like 5:30 AM early) and took off to Denny's before

school and work to have breakfast. We got there about

5-10 minutes after six and all of the tables were

already full! (it started at 6 AM) We waited for

about 40 minutes or so and were seated.

We had a great time!

I spluged and let the kids get the fancy cups since

I wasn't paying for the meal. So for 5 of us we all had

breakfast and a drink for $11 (even

with the cool take home cups!)

We were making memories as Nana said.

Trip to Grandma & Grandpa Smith's

We made a trip down to visit Grandma and Grandpa Smith and got to see Aunt Debbie too, since she was visiting from Oregon.  We had a very nice relaxing trip.  Played cards and ate pizza.  Even got to see Uncle David and Aunt Kathay.  Grandpa took a nap while we were playing cards, he had a day FULL of visitors and really needed some rest!!  It was so nice to see everyone.  

Here are a couple pictures of us playing cards.  Yes, your eyes do not deceive you....that is Dustin playing cards!!

Sissy La La and Aunt Debbie

Sissy La La and her Great Grandma Smith

Sissy La La and her Daddy (she loves taking pictures!)

Daddy and his babies!

Proof that we got Dustin to play Skip-Bo!!!!!!!!!

Just hanging around

Just some pictures from a couple of weeks ago when I first got my iPhone and had to get pictures of my kiddos on it.

Always willing to pose!

Putting together a puzzle at Sunday school!

The day after he shaved his whole face for the first time in nearly 7 years!  Taylor told him he looked funny and Jayden looked a him for awhile before saying "Hey you're my Daddy!"  Jayden later told him that if he needed help he would help him plant the seeds and water them so he could get his hair back. Needless to say it didn't last long and he hasn't shaved at all since.  So he is back to being my hairy lumberjack! 

MIA

So I know I have been MIA again!!  So I thought I would sit and blog for a bit while I have a few moments.  And I really only have a few.  Dinner is on the stove.  So nothing much has been going on lately, just more life as usual.  I did get a new phone, and I LOVE it.  I got an iPhone.  I am beginning to wonder how I even lived without out it!  Dustin says I pay more attention to it than I do to him.  But if you know me you know me and I will not be able to keep this phone for 11 years and that is how long I have kept Dustin around so far.  We are quickly coming up on our 9 year wedding anniversary.  It was 10 years ago that he proposed to me this past Christmas, man how time FLIES!!  

So I have started to get off of work at 4 PM (because things are a little slow there, just like everywhere).  It is AMAZING how much difference an hour can make.  I get home nearly 2 hours earlier!  The first week I was home that early we finished up dinner I had one kid bathed and the other kid in the bath, I looked at the clock and just started laughing (I mean a good hearty laugh) because just the week before I would have only been walking in the door, and probably wouldn't even know what I was cooking for dinner yet.  

So that is about it.  Life as usual but with a new usual.  I am really loving spending more time with my family.  I will get back to blogging more regularly but I still don't have a camera so you won't get may pictures.  But I will try to figure how to download them from my iPhone later tonight after I get the kids in bed.  

Yipee!!

I have a temporary cell phone until I can replace mine. Only thing is I don't have any phone numbers. So you can call me but I can't call you. Hope to be talking away again soon. Love,
Candi