Happy Birthday Cameron!

Cameron is ONE! That means party time! The entire family went to Cameron's "Gaga's" house for the party Saturday night. It was a blast! A lot of Moses' play group friends were there so kids of all sizes has a great time. It was nice for all of the husbands to meet as well. Cameron, we are so lucky that you and Moses are friends. We don't know how we could have made this past year with out you and your mommy!

Here are some of Moses' friends from left to right Grant, Cameron, Kinsley, Maloy, Anna Grace and Moses. I cannot even believe they stayed still for this picture. It is a miracle!

Meet the Pack Day!

On Saturday afternoon we took Moses to Meet the Pack day at Carter Finley. He was such a good sport! It was a very hot day, but Brett kept him entertained while I waited in line (for an hour and a half!) to get two special autographs for Moses' football. Apparently the cheerleaders found a new mascot. Sorry Mr. Wolf!

NC State is very lucky to have two awesome quarterbacks this year. Our starting QB this year is Russel Wilson. Of course I was impressed with the way he played ball last year, but this past Spring he asked the blessing at a Wolfpack Club event. He also spoke to the crowd. I was VERY impressed. A lot of people do not realize Russel is a two sport athlete as well as an amazing person. I am really proud of the individuals that Coach O'Brien is not only recruiting but helping develop. He stresses time and again that champions are not just made on the field but in the classroom and in the community. That is something I definitely want Moses to learn!

Feel Better Papa!

Believe it or not I do not blog about EVERY single personal detail of our lives. I have omitted this one thing due to some privacy. But after today, I think it is pretty much common knowledge that my dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Results came back positive in May and today dad had surgery. I was at the hospital with my mom and it was a long day for all of us. The surgery went well and we should have the results in a little over a week.

I got to see him after he was waking up and he was being a bad patient which is a really good sign! I talked to mom just a few minutes ago and they were going to get him some food. Please pray for his strength to return and for him to have patience with healing. Please also pray for my mom and her patience with him! And of course please pray for the results to come back favorable. We have a good feeling that this was caught very early. Thank you for my friends who have known about this and who have been supportive. We feel very lucky that Moses has such a great Papa and hope that he can be on the floor playing with him soon!

Overheard in the Hospital

I know it takes all kinds in this world. It truly does. If you need proof all you have to do is go to a shopping mall, the state fair, and your local hospital waiting room. On that note I present to you things I overheard (honestly) today at the hospital.

- "You get you a box turtle cut it out and throw it on a frying pan and it will keep right on beating!"

- Regarding the seafood buffet at Shoney's "They pile that stuff clear to the sky and it keeps going for miles."

- "My son graduated from high school at 14 and college at 17. No, he wasn't smart I knew what to do."

- "WHAT I CAN'T HEAR YOU. Naw, we're fine we're sitting here in the quiet room!"

A Different View

Hey guys, it's Moses! Here is the thing I like best about turning one (besides the cake), my new car seat Nana gave me! I can see mommy driving and where we are going. It is so neat. Daddy put it in this weekend and I have been loving it. I even sit up nice and high so I can see out the window. There sure is a lot going by when we run errands. Thanks to everybody who wised me a happy birthday. I sure hope I have lots more!

One year well check

Today was Moses' well child check up. It was so funny to hold his hand while he walked back to the examining room. You know you have cute kid when the nurses stop to ooh and ahh over him. I mean they see tons of kids everyday! (I know, I'm partial.) He now weighs 21lbs 7oz (45th percentile) and is 30.5 inches (75 percentile).

The doctor was very impressed with his talking and mobility. He actually said "thank you" to the nurse after she weighed him (I thanked her and he repeated). She looked stunned! He did fine with they pricked his finger, but when they made him be still to get the blood he was very unhappy and wiggly. Then it was shot time. YUCK! He actually had five. They wanted to go ahead and do the flu shot. Since he has almost quit nursing I agreed. He cried during the shots, but afterwards I picked him up and he was fine. He had some Tylenol when we got home and took a great nap. Since Nana was in town, we were treated to Moses' first Japanese hibachi experience. He was not too sure at first but got into it as soon as he was served some food. Thanks Nana!

Happy Birthday Moses J!

Moses, today is your first birthday. You are such a joy to everyone who knows you. You even bring smiles to strangers who get the pleasure of seeing you! What are you up to? Well...

- You are walking very well. You still trip over things in your path but you are getting the hang of it!

- Everything is "dada." You can say other words sometimes like dog, duck, water, all done, bye, hey and up.

- You love to eat. You eat lots of chicken, grilled cheese, pineapple, grapes, oranges, and melons. You really love cheeseburgers, and grilled sandwiches. You also like the casseroles and pasta dishes I make. We hide veggies in all of these and you eat them up.

- You LOVE to drink water. You drink a ton of it all day. You tend not to like your "real milk" right now.

- You have weaned yourself to about one maybe two feedings a day.

- Playing in our bathroom is your favorite thing to do. You like to get all the hair brushes out of the drawers.

- You also like to play in the drawers in my dresser.

- You have lots of friends. You love to play with them. Sometimes you have to be reminded not too love your friends so much it hurts!

- You get very excited when someone comes in the door, especially daddy. You also get really happy when the doors of the car unlock and you get to get out of the car.

- Dance party after dinner is something we all look forward to. Daddy and I laugh at your bopping. You are trying to snap your fingers.

- Everything you play with gets turned upside down to see how it works.

- You are learning how to throw. Mommy is NOT enjoying this phase.

- You are the biggest blessing in our lives and we love you so much!

Moses' First Birthday Party

Our little family is so lucky. We have the greatest friends and family. That was proof positive today at Moses' Party! Joelle and my parents came in last night to help me get everything ready and thank goodness they did. They absolutely saved us by helping get the food and house together.

Moses did pretty well today considering he took a fifteen minute nap! He was definitely a little cranky and in overdrive with all the people so I am glad no blood was shed. To celebrate, we invited friends and family over for hotdogs and hamburgers and other goodies. I decided to just do cup cakes and get little man his own little cake. He LOVED his cake, especially the icing. He was so fortunate to get some great presents (lots of toys!) that I am sure we will be enjoying for a long time.

Thank you to everyone who came. It really meant so much to us to have you with us. All of you have been so special to Brett and I and especially Moses this year. It has gone by quickly and happily. We are so blessed to have you in our lives.

P.S. My parents put away all the food and did the dishes while we were visiting with guests and saying good bye. How awesome is that!

It's the most wonderful time of the year....

Last Friday I came home from play group to find a very special package on my table. Our football tickets had arrived!! I am SO excited. I only got to attend one game last year and that was with Moses so I didn't even get to see most of it. Before then I had not missed a home game in five years. I can't believe there are eight home games this year. That's a lot of tailgates to plan! I won't get into our parking pass. We were due for an upgrade and as of right now it is a severe downgrade. Brett is trying to get it fixed. So right now I will focus on the positive...the butt kickin we are going to give USC on Sept 2!

Wonderful Wednesday

How could it not be with that face!

More on Couponing

I had some emails and comments about couponing so I will do some answering. Not too long after I had Moses, I began reading a blog written by News and Observer reporter, Sue Stock. She writes about good deals in the area with an emphasis on couponing. I began collecting my coupons and started deal searching in January. This past spring I started a "coupon club" with three other friends. We swap coupons to maximize our savings and stock piles. We also took a class with Su Soutter (The Intentional Home blog).

I mostly stick with Harris Teeter when it comes to groceries. They ALWAYS double coupons under $.99 and you can use twenty coupons a day. What I learned from the blogs and the class was invaluable. I usually only buy on sale and WITH a coupon. I do break this rule when I really need something (ex. I used a coupon w/o a sale for wipes when I ran out last week). But usually I have an awesome stock pile and I tend not to run out of staple products. (ex. I had gone about three months without buying wipes because I had 8 boxes stock piled from past couponing trips)

These ladies helped me organize my coupons into a system that works for me. I have definitely tweaked couponing over the past few months. I prioritize what I need before I go, especially when they are having triples. It takes some time and dedication and some trial and error shopping trips, but you can get the hang of it.

If you are thinking about getting into it, I would start clipping coupons and not using them. Create a nice stock pile. I really recommend taking Su's coupon class if you can. She teaches tons of things and even goes into drug store programs like CVS extra care bucks. Also, get a diversified group together and start your own club. Our joke in our coupon club is we need someone with a cat because we always discard cat products! I always benefit (for now!) from diaper, wipes, and toothpaste coupons. It is also awesome to have people supporting you in what you are doing. Believe me, your husband and family members will laugh at you when you start but the first time you come home and save significantly more than you spend...the laughing stops!

TRIPLES!!!

Yes, I am one of the crazy coupon ladies. I started earlier this year and now I am addicted. I have saved a TON of money. I no longer pay for pasta, rice, mustard, salad dressing, marinades and lots of other things. The most I pay for diaper wipes? Just a dollar. It takes a lot of work and practice, but I definitely feel it is worth it. I mean if someone told you that if you spent about three hours a week (usually done while watching tv) that you could get things for free or at a reduced rate, would you do it? Of course! Anyways, I went this morning and got the above (not pictured, a 1/2 gallon of milk). Cost? I spent $28 and saved $50. So, I paid $28 for nearly $80 of groceries.

If you look on the list of the blogs I read you will find the Intentional Home written by Su "the coupon lady." She is the one who has helped me SO much with all this. Her class was super helpful! Happy Triples fellow couponers!

Can I just say....

So far I am loving my MAC....Ahem, I mean OUR MAC. I am still figuring out a lot of things, but what I love is the ability to edit photos and videos. It's just great!

Anyways, we did enjoy our weekend with our soon to be toddler. We got to spend some time with our friends Shannon and Elizabeth. On Saturday evening, we traveled to Kinston to celebrate both of my cousins' graduations. Russell just finished up at MOC and Samantha graduated from high school and is leaving very soon to attend LR in Hickory. I am so proud of them both. We had a pig picking. Moses showed off his walking skills and said duck. He's good with the d-words (dada, dog, etc).

Afternoon Dance Party

Nothing much out of the ordinary this week. We've been trucking along with our usual schedule with some lunch dates thrown in for fun. We have started a new routine when Brett gets home. Moses loves to dance so we will usually put on some music and let him go to town. It is so funny to watch him stop and bounce to the music. He has also started to "sing" along. He usually hums his own little tune, but we have had one or two instances where he'll repeat a "oohh" or something else EXACTLY how the song was sung. It is hysterical!

Hopefully this weekend I can upload all the videos I've been talking about because...we are getting a MAC Powerbook!!! We are taking advantage of tax free weekend and Brett's Cisco discount (a total of about 14%!) to make this big purchase. I am really excited/nervous about it. I know I will be able to do so much more with pictures and videos but they work so differently than a PC. Wish me luck!

Growing up

It feels like overnight that Moses has just....well, grown into a big boy. He is just so aware of things. When we are running errands and arrive back home, he hears the doors of the car unlock and starts kicking and laughing because he knows we are home. He does the same thing after I turn out the lights when I finish changing his diaper because he knows it's time to play. When he hears the door open he starts squealing and making his way to the door to greet(usually daddy) with all his enthusiasm.

Moses is also starting to learn new things. He has always been fascinated with my belly button. Whenever he see it he will take his index finger and point at it. I look at him and say "belly button, mommy's belly button." Last week I looked at him and said, "Where's mommy's belly button?" He immediately took his finger and pointed right at it! I was so proud and so was he! That evening Brett taught Moses how to put his toys in a basket. Of course he immediately wants to dump them out on the floor, but hey, it's progress!

I think the big kicker for me is all the walking and the laughing. He is getting better by the second. If he trips and falls, he just gets back up and keeps on going. Moses is definitely a resilient kid. He doesn't get upset if he falls. What a big boy! He is also starting to laugh socially. If someone says something and we laugh he'll join in. Which makes us laugh more...which makes him laugh more! We are having a ball!

T-minus two weeks until he is ONE!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Wednesday was Brett's 30th Birthday. Moses and I are so glad that he decided to take the day off and spend his special day with us! I got up and made the birthday boy bacon and eggs. While Brett played with Moses, I made him some birthday cupcakes! Since Brett had planned to play the new Lonnie Poole golf course, we decided to go to the State Club for lunch. We love eating there! They were so nice and made Brett a little cake.

That night Brett and I decided to go to Kanki for dinner. So Amy came to play with Moses. I have to stop and tell you that Brett's cousin Amy is SO good with kids. I feel so good when I leave him with her. We really enjoyed our dinner and it was great to have an adult night! Happy Birthday Brett. You are an amazing father and husband. Moses and I are so glad that you stick around! We love you!