Staying cool with the water table!

Water is a must have in the summer and everyone in Arizona has a pool, except us. When we moved in we looked into it but the closer we got to summer the more I'd hear about drowning. This year was one of the highest for children water accidents and fatalities. As a mother that already worries about everything I didn't want the added stress of a pool in the backyard. If you know my child you know he would be the first one to open the door and jet outside. Need less to say, I opted out of the pool and looked for different ways to keep cool outside.
So, for Romans birthday he asked for (and got) a new water table! We were so excited we opened it a week early and it's not only Roman that likes it, Ethan and I love playing with it too. We all get drenched every time, without fail!

The Scenic View..both times!

Roman's first trip was when he was 3 months old, we went to Blacksburg to see Kelli and Will. Traveling with a baby is haaaard, it took us about 6 1/2 hours to make a 4 hour trip. We spent a beautiful weekend in Blacksburg visiting Virginia Tech and checking out the chapel where they would marry later in the year (see post 'best wedding EVER'). On the way back to our apartment we stopped at the 'Scenic View' off of 64 and took pictures. Fast forward 8 months later, as we were coming back their wedding we stopped off again, and of course, took pictures!

Here are the pictures from the first and second trip..3 months old then 11 months old!

Not so EXTREME couponing

If you haven't seen TLC's 'Extreme Couponing' take some time to check it out. These women are good! Some have 100 boxes cat nip, 6 dozen boxes of tissues, 400 bottles of hot sauce, and the list goes on..it's insane. I think some of these women will end up on 'Hoarders' before long.

I'm not so extreme but it's definitely helped! I've been able to cut 10-20% off our grocery bill every 2 weeks. I started couponing about 7 weeks ago and over time I've saved about $90. I knew I was doing it right when Ethan and I went grocery shopping for Roman's birthday..
We had a budget of $115 and we really couldn't afford to go over. We got all of the food for his birthday and some stuff for the house and headed to the front to check out. As the cashier was ringing us up we were really leery that we went over our budget. The total came up..$130.47. Grrr! I took out my coupons and as the cashier rang them through and the total got lower and lower until..115.97! HALLELUJAH!
Actual photo of my receipt..(like my matte nude nails?!)

My 5 steps to coupon..
1) Get the Sunday paper and clip the coupons out of the Red Plum and Smart Saver. Also, look for CVS, Target, Walgreen's, local grocery stores, etc. for deals that will match up with your coupons for more savings.
2) If you know anyone who gets the Sunday paper and doesn't coupon, ask for theirs.
3) coupondivas.com ..a great site where you can print off more coupons.
4) Price matching. Some stores will price match another stores advertisements, this will help you not have to go to more than one store.
5) In store coupons. As you're grocery shopping look for coupons on products to get immediate savings.

..HAPPY COUPONING!!

Best Wedding EVER:)

I was privileged to be invited and asked to take on a very important roll in my best friends' wedding, I wish I could have done more for her but it's hard being across the country. I was SO sad when I couldn't make it to her bachorlette party so Vicki(Kelli's mom) and I decided that when I came for the wedding we would fly in a few days early and surprise her. Well surprise her we did, she freaked! I've never seen anyone so excited to see me, as I was her. True friendship is something that not everyone has but that I hold very close to me.
Well back to the wedding...Kelli did her wedding like I do birthdays, not just one day, a whole week. It was the best wedding week I've ever been a part of!!We arrived in Blacksburg, VA on Thursday and didn't leave until Sunday and everyday was jam packed. I was skeptical about how Roman would do with all of the madness but I was pleasantly surprised when he out partied his daddy and me! And of course, he was the center of attention and Kelli and Will wouldn't have it any other way. That's why they're Romans Aunt Kelli and Uncle Will:)

I got to play 'boss lady' and thier wedding! Being the Master of Ceremony(or Mistress) means bossing people around, which I do ever well at! That was a HUGE responsibility because if anything went wrong it was on me, I was stressing for sure. Thank the Lord, everything went perfectly!

Finally, wedding day was upon us. I woke up with butterflies in my stomach and feeling like I was gonna throw up. I ran down the Kelli's room to see how she was doing, surely she was nervous too. I asked her how she was feeling.."I'm really tired, I kinda want to take a nap". There I was feeling like I was going to throw up and she was sleepy! She was the most relaxed bride I'd ever seen. She knew she had nothing to worry about, she had the man of her dreams and even if she tripped and rolled down the isle he would still love her til death do them part! You don't see true love everyday<3

 The reception followed..with a special guest! HOKIE BIRD!

Will & Kelli,
I will remember this wedding week for the rest of my life, I am so happy I was able to be a part of it. I cried more that week than I ever have, I cannot even put into words how special you guys are to us. I'm so excited for the both of you!!
Ethan, Roman and I love you both so much!!

More pictures from the wedding, reception and parties..

summer fun.

As we all know, it's hot as mess in the summer here but there is a misconception about exactly HOW hot it is. It's easy to say this is the hottest place ever if you've never spent a summer anywhere else. I would like Arizonians to spend a hot, sticky, humid, smelly summer in Virginia then come back and talk about it. Yes, 115 is hot, but nothing is worse than stepping out of your house and being able to cut the air with a knife. It's the number of days that it's hot, that's the hard part. There have been weeks that have gone by when I haven't had a cold chill, at all. That's not normal!!

With that being said, there's one surefire way to get cooled off when living on the surface of the sun..SWIMMING! That is until August when all the pools turn into bath water. Water is definitely Roman's favorite thing as this time..we are getting him a water table for his birthday, don't tell him:)

Roman's CarCar PJ's

Roman loves his Car's Pajamas! We originally got him 18 months, even though he was only 10 months and they didn't fit!! We had to go back and get him 2T! He's gonna be a BIG BOY!

He used to sleep in just his diaper but then he realized what was in his diaper and became fascinated. I would go get him up from a nap and the diaper would be on the floor beside the crib. Oh how boys start their obsessions early.

CARshow

If you know Ethan you know he is beyond obsessed with all things car. I can't drive 3 minutes down the road without hearing "look at that beauty" no, not girls, CARS.
Thankfully when we moved here we met some amazing friends that just so happen to have the same interests as us! For me it was shopping and for Ethan it was cars.

Every Saturday night there is a car/motorcycle show and the girlfriends go too because we support our men. Or because they take us to dinner before:)

Scottsdale Park.

Every Sunday in the summer at the McCormick Railroad park in Scottsdale, AZ there is a 'Concert in the Park'. Live music played by cover bands anywhere from Country to Rock.
Being in the park reminds me of a small hometown cookout, even though it's held in one the the biggest, busiest cities in the west. It's very family friendly, you don't have to worry about your kids running around at night or being asked to buy drugs from an 8 year old, you have to think about these things. A place like this is very hard to find now a days!

Every time we go it's like taking a step back in time, very refreshing!

HAPPY EASTER!

Easter hunts, food and candy..what's a baby not to love about Easter?! We also got Roman some "prayer seeds" also known as candy corn but I don't think he understood the meaning just yet.

Roman picked out Easter eggs at our neighborhood's 2nd annul Easter egg hunt, actually a girl a little older than him was helping him find them, SO cute! And of course we had to dress him up in an argyle sweater for the occasion!

Easter morning Roman and all of his big belly glory opened up candy and chowed down!

Phoenix ZOO

April2001
The Phoenix Zoo is in the top 5 best Zoo's in the nation and everyone in the state knows it, it was PACKED! Even the walk getting into the zoo is amazing. There are fishing ponds surrounding the Zoo where we spent most of our time playing in the water.
We bought Roman an animal hat on the way in to show our pride:)

Ethan & I had as much fun seeing the animals as Roman did!







We knew when it was time to leave..

Mommy's22ndBirthday

April 19th, 2011

Birthdays are a big deal to me, ever since I was little I've loved all things birthday. I believe in 'Birthday Months' and that everyone is entitled to one!
I had a great birthday this year, I spent it with my friends and family here in Arizona.
We had a huge birthday lunch the day before at Olive Garden with my loved ones<3











On my birthday Ethan took me out to my favorite steak house called "Stockyards" in Phoenix. We ate there right when we moved here for a work occasion, I fell in love with it. When I showed up their was flowers waiting for me on the table, what a sweet guy! Later, we had cake at the house with all the family.

We went camping, sort of.

So, camping isn't really my thing..sleeping outside just isn't my cup of tea. Once bedtime came around I packed up my stuff and Roman and I went back to the house and slept in our own beds. I'm not really sure why people like to freeze while they sleep but all the power to them! It was February, even nighttime in Arizona get really cold. Not to mention the coyotes that are just chillin' outside your tent. No thanks!

With that being said, camping during the day is SO fun!! Quading(or 4 wheeling, whatever you want to call it), listening to music and cooking out. Ethan and I took a romantic ride through the desert at sunset, it was breathtaking. Now that's what I call camping!
















And in the morning I was the savior that brought Starbucks!

Our 1st Christmas!

It definitely wasn't a white Christmas for us this year, it was in the 80's on Christmas day, but don't let the weather fool you, people really do decorate their cactus's in the Christmas spirit!

Roman loved Christmas! We made Santa cookies and then ate them:)

We got to visit Santa in Virginia a few days before we left for Arizona. Roman didn't cry, he tried to pull Santa's beard off. Yeah, that was my 5 month old.