my boys

the weather this past weekend was beautiful and we spent most of the weekend playing outside and going to the park. the mister and i soaked up the joy that comes from our boys - the uninhibited laughs and silly things they say and the crazy things they do. 

they are fearless and constantly test their boundaries. the problem with this is that, in their minds, there are no boundaries.

they can put out any fire with their quick wit and charm.

they (and their daddy) make my heart feel so full and happy. 

they are curious wanderers and adventurers who are unafraid to try new things or go to new places. 

they care for each other, protect each other and value the meaning of brotherhood.

they aren't afraid to defy gravity or go against the norm.

they can defend the decisions and choices they make and, whether those choices are right or wrong, it makes me proud.

they make me proud.

spending my days with my kids is a joy. yes, it can get crazy and busy and stressful and i have anxiety attacks (often) and also find myself searching for jobs every now and then (because i do miss working in a laboratory). but when asked to make that choice between working and being a homemaker, the choice comes easily - i want to spend my days with my kids. and i am thankful every single day that i am fortunate enough to have been given that choice.

couponing high

you know how i'm all about stretching our dollars, right? another way i do this is by couponing. and no, it's nothing like extreme couponing and no, i'm not hoarding stockpiles of canned soup and yogurt in my garage. anyway, the coupon rules in california are so different from other parts of the country, there's really no way to coupon aroudn here like the hoarders you see on tv. i just coupon to buy the things that my family needs for the cheapest price possible. 

every week, i get a pretty good "couponing high" from some nice purchase i got at some store for next to nothing. today's coupon high was courtesy of every woman's happiest place on earth, target.

all of that stuff above cost me $2.38. i did a little jig in the parking as i walk back to my car.

here's how:
MFR Q = manufacturer's coupon
TQ = target coupon

welch's 4-pack fruit fizz drinks $2.99 - $2.00 MFR Q - $1.00 TQ = FREE
activia 4-pack yogurt $2.19 x 2 = $4.38 - $2.00 MFR Q - $2.00 TQ = $0.38 for both
yes to carrots body butter $1.99 - $2.00 MFR Q = FREE
up and up foam scrubbers $0.99 x 2 = $1.98 - $1.98 TQ = FREE
mio beverage enhancer $3.84 - $1.00 MFR Q - $1.00 TQ = $1.84

$1.84 + $0.38 + $0.16 tax  = $2.38. WIN!

the most "expensive" thing i bought was the beverage enhancer. it's this tiny package of super concentrated liquid and you add a few drops to bottled water to make a sports drink like gatorade. the boys can use that during sports practice and i can even use it when i go to the gym. $1.84 for 24 servings of gatorade? yes, please!

believe it or not, this trip to target was inspired because i needed dish scrubbers/sponges. the one i used this morning was all raggedy (and smelled) and i didn't have anymore stashed away. if i went into target and bought just those two packs of sponges without using coupons, i would have paid $2.14. but because i invested a few minutes of coupon research right before i left the house, i paid $2.38 and got a bunch of other stuff, too. i basically just stretched my $2.38 into $15.34. the mister is very proud. ;)

it pays to be diligent and resourceful, my friends. it really does.

squishy cheeks

I just cannot get enough of this cutie pie.

wowza

oh my goodness. where have i been? besides the post about our sweet angie girl, i haven't written anything since jan 16! oh and did you notice that my photo-a-day in january was complete FAIL. le sigh.

i blame it on these four ankle biters. they always need, want, ask me to do things for them or drive them places. geez. what do i look like? their mother? isn't isaiah old enough for a driver's license yet? and come on, wyatt. i know you can change unload and reload the dishwasher. help your mommy out, for goodness sake.

if you read my posts from last century ago, you'd know that liam started school in the beginning of january. well, his hours were slowly increasing one hour each week for the entire month. sounds simple enough, right? wrong. i have four different schedules for four different kids, not to mention my own and the mister's. every. single. week. of january was an adjustment. and, well, i live by a schedule, so changes and deviations are not welcome around here and do not happen easily. 

i am happy and proud to say that liam is now completely transitioned into full-time preschool. he attends monday thru friday from 9am-4pm and is absolutely loving it. 

spelling with his cheez-its

because we are all about challenging our children and thought that the transition to preschool wasn't enough of a change for him, we decided to potty train. yes. we are insane. thanks for asking. 

liam had five straight days off from school and that's what we did - visit his royal throne every fifteen minutes. it sucked. bad. but totally worth it. just like a training a puppy. put the work in early on and you'll be happy you did. and guess what, friends. he's mostly potty trained now. i guess we can say he is pee-pee trained. he has not had a pee-pee accident in 6 days. not even at night. in order to preserve my sanity in the morning, liam still wears a pull-up to bed at night. it wouldn't be a safe situation for my children if the first thing i find when i wake up in the morning is a pee-peed on bed. i think liam caught on to this minute detail and is now saving his poops for the night time when he is wearing a pull-up. brilliant. but annoying to his potty trainers (aka mom), nonetheless. it's ok. i'll take what i can get. he's probably still just a little poo-poo shy. totally understandable. i'm sure it will all work itself out given time. 

i hope you enjoyed my little update on liam and his bowel issues. if it helped waste even two minutes of your time, then it has served it's purpose.

party time! i'm officially back to blogging, my friends. through the month of march, i'll be participating in a photo-a-day challenge hosted by my dear friend aurora. she's the brilliance behind the camera that took our family photos on my sidebar. www.lensdaisy.com <---go see her and tell her i sent ya! :) 

the challenge will also be a good way to start using my camera again! i did a little cleaning of my digital clutter and i only have 8 pictures for the entire month of february. EIGHT. EIGHT?? isn't that sad? my poor children won't have any memories to cherish from february 2012. (that was sarcasm - in case you couldn't tell.)

happy happy thursday!

angie girl

we got devastating news yesterday that our sweet old dog, angie (angelica), only has a couple more weeks with our family. she has swelling in her face and neck that developed overnight. we brought her in to the vet who said the swelling is edema, which results from her body no longer metabolizing properly. her abdomen is distended and her face is so swollen it makes her look like a completely different dog. the doctor diagnosed it as multiple organ failure, most likely the liver and kidneys, and possibly lymphoma. we opted out of (and the doctor actually discouraged) further testing to determine the cause because whether we find out or not, as much as it pains us, we won't be able to help her.

she was shawn's loyal best friend long before we even met - a chesapeake bay retriever about 12-13 years old. she's lived a long life and we take comfort in knowing that in her last days, she was surrounded in love with our boys and family and had little cooper as a faithful playmate. 

we are all thankful for angie and for the place she took in our family. she is teaching us all a beautiful lesson about life, love, family and death - a lesson that is a difficult one, no matter how old we are. it's a difficult reminder that tomorrow is never certain, so always, always love wholeheartedly.

we are going to spend these last few days with her and she will be put to sleep next week. we will have her cremated and her remains will be spread across shawn's property in san luis obispo - the only place where she was able to run freely and live the hunting life that is meant for her.

it will take time for our hearts to heal, but one thing is for sure - our family will never, ever be the same. 

we love you, angie girl.