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

More thoughts for the New Year

as borrowed from Taylor's schools Friday Flash....

Life is a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air: work, family, health, friends, and your spirit.  Work is like a rubber ball.  If you drop it, it will bounce back.  But the other four balls are made out of glass, so if you drop them, they will be damaged, or even shattered, and will never be the same.

Don't take for granted those things that are closest to your heart.  Cling to them as you would to life, for without them life is meaningless.

Don't let life slip through your fingers by living in the past or in the future.  By living life only one day at a time you live all the days of your life.

Don't forget that a person's greatest need is to be appreciated.

Don't be afraid to encounter risks.  It is by taking chances that we learn to be brave.

The will of God will never take you where the grace of God will not protect you.

When God takes something from your grasp, He is not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better.

To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.

Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way.

Again, Happy New Year.

The Real Thing

I get daily devotions sent to me in emails. They are called the Harvest Daily Devotions. I really enjoy them. Some I forward on to a select few and some I forward to a bunch, but this one I felt compelled to re-post on my blog. Read and enjoy. May your day be blessed and again may 2009 be a year of really really getting to know your savior. Love, Candi

The Real Thing

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
— Colossians 3:16

"You must spend a lot of time handling counterfeit money to know what it looks like," said Ruth Bell Graham to a man from Scotland Yard, who was in charge of identifying counterfeit money.

"No," he replied. "We never touch the stuff. All day long, we just handle the real thing: genuine currency. And when a counterfeit bill comes our way—we can quickly detect it."

As a Christian, you could go nuts trying to keep up with the latest heresies and counterfeit teachings people spread in this world. But if you familiarize yourself with the Word of God and become conversant with it, you will immediately recognize counterfeit teachings.

You will hear someone say something and think, This isn't right. You will know what God's Word truly says and what it doesn't say, because God will give you spiritual discernment.

Spend time today studying the real thing. If ever there was a time we needed spiritual discernment, the time is now.

In the words of the Apostle Paul, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord" (Colossians 3:16).

Happy 2009

So I know I have let you all down by not blogging at all; for that I am very very sorry.  I do not have a camera and it kinda takes the fun out of blogging.  Those of you who know me know that it is killing me not to have a camera.  But I lent it to a friend in need and have yet to hear from her again.  It has been months now, and I have lost all hope of ever seeing my beloved camera again.  

It was no Cannon Rebel (which I have wanted for years) but it was my camera and it was a very nice one too.  Which I still have several, now useless, accessories for too.  I do not know when I will be able to even replace my camera especially since I now have a phone that will most likely need replaced.  It was washed last night and was not discovered in the washing machine until this morning.  It is currently in a bag of rice trying to be revived of life and while I am still holding out hope I am not overly optimistic.  And since the back up cell phone we have is beyond dead and the charger is still in Oregon I am currently without phone and camera.  I feel like I am missing limbs :)

Now that I have shared all of my electronic woes.  On to other things.  Our holidays were absolutely wonderful we started out by spending Thanksgiving in Oregon and also had our "Oregon Christmas" while we were there.  We had a wonderful, relaxing, and blessed Christmas and home and ended the year at Jeff & Mary's house with a Wii Bowling tournament.   We truley have the most wonderful family.  We were very luckly to get to spend so much time with everyone this holiday season.

The 2008 year as a whole was not such a great year for us.  We experienced a lot of loss and in a lot of ways we are glad for it to be over.  We are looking forward to a new year and fresh beginnings.  We are excited to see what 2009 brings.  

Even through much loss and sadness this last year though God has shown that he is sovereign and he is in control and though we continue to have trials I take peace in knowing that I have God by my side through it all.  I pray that I seek Him thorough everything and that 2009 will be a year of growth for me in my relationship with the Lord.  I pray the same for my friends and family as well.  

Happy 2009! Love,

Candi