ANNOUNCING!!!

We had the ultrasound done yesterday.
NO problems with baby modesty this time around.
Almost as soon as she put the wand on my belly we knew!
So without any further ado.... it's a
BOY! We are so excited!
Everything looks great so far.
The ultrasound confirmed what I already knew: that this baby is very energetic and wiggly.
(Sorry for the delay in posting, yesterday our house turned into the sick house and there were doctors to see, medications to stay at the store for hours to pick up, carpet to be shampoo-ed after the evidence of the said sickness was spewed upon it-lovely).

A few more days!

We should be finding out on
Tuesday what flavor we are having.
Of course Miss N would not let us see the first time,
barely the second time (they were nice enough to let us come back)
and they still weren't really too sure,
so finally the third time she let us take a peak.
So hopefully this baby will be more cooperative...
I know Eddie really would like a boy,
N is convinced it is a boy and
I am THINKING boy (that's what my dreams have told me, even though i think i want another girl!)... so it's probably a GIRL! yay!
so what's your guess?
do you think it's a boy this time around or a girl?
Let's see who's psychic abilities are honed in...

Wah haha Happy Halloween!

Here's some pictures from our Halloween. We went to Fred Meyer and our little witch got to decorate some cupcakes, then we went to visit all the friends and family (Aunt Jenn painted her finger nails to match her costume while we were at their house) and went to our tri-ward trunk-or-treat with Bella Swan and Taylor Swift (yeah, we have some pretty famous relatives--please don't ask for any free tickets). Oh, and of course we carved some sweet lookin' pumpkins!

voting to victory

So E's brother entered a picture that E took in a photo contest. He's in the final round, but is currently sitting in last place. So go here to vote for E's picture. It's the one of a dirt biker. You can vote for as many as you like. He probably won't win first place, but he's currently in last place, so we've got to remedy that. But you can only vote for one picture once. Does that make sense? So get out there and vote!

Making an announcement

Yes. We are pregnant (way to pick up on that, Mrs. Smith!). We are currently 14 weeks and 1 day. So as my sister would say: round up! So, 5 months sounds about right. :) no really 14 weeks. Everything has gone well so far. We had an ultrasound at 8 weeks and could still hear a heartbeat at 12 weeks. I was sick, but not too sick and now i'm into the second trimester and feeling great (until i overdo it and then i feel not so great, but ya know, that's life). So we are due April 14, or 10, or 15, i've been told all of those days by different members of the staff at my dr.'s office. I say April 14th. So we will have a Christmas baby and an Easter baby. Lots of fun.

All a misunderstanding

So E and I have been toying with the idea of moving N out of her toddler princess bed to a twin bed so we can use the mattress from the toddler bed for the crib again. So we decided to get the canopy bed that I had when I was younger (okay I was totally a teenager when I got it, but it was the fulfillment of a life dream) and use it for N. Well the other night N told Mr.E that she didn't want her princess bed anymore, she wanted a "queen" bed. Great! What better bed for a "queen" bed than a canopy bed? "This transition will be a snap," we thought. Arrangements were made for the canopy to be brought here. Then I started talking to N about the new "queen" bed. She was sooo excited and then she started talking about the bed's eyes, and the red and how she could drive it...huh??? Oh, no. She doesn't want a "queen" bed she wants a "Mcqueen" bed. Like Lightning Mcqueen from cars. Geesh. I just can't win!

autumn mix medley

"Heigh Ride"

let's go for a hay ride, let's go for a hay ride (musical interlude)

outside the leaves are falling and pumpkins calling you, too.

the day was lovely(?) weather for a hay ride together with you!

chugga vroom, chugga vroom, chugga vroom let's go, let's look at things grow

we're riding along in the chill of a blustery autumn-land.

"To Grandmother's House"

up the canal banks and through the mud to grandmother's house we go,

grandpa knows the way to drive all the hay before it starts to snow! oh!

"Autumn Wonderland"

Leaves rustling, are you listening?

in the yard, pumpkins glistening

a beautiful sight, we're happy to ride,

smiling in an autumn wonderland

what if it was my family? what if it was yours?

this story breaks my heart. there's some info. about an upcoming fundraiser and on the first link and then more about the story on the second. i don't personally know this family, but it hits close to home. take a look and decide if there is anything you can do. even if you just post these links on your blog then that would help. www.miraclefortegan.blogspot.com
www.teganlyn.blogspot.com
(sorry, for some reason i can't get the direct link to work, you'll have to copy and paste.)

5 years, really?

So Thursday afternoon while driving back from bobcat territory i talked on the phone with my husband who was rushing from job to job to campus and round and round. again changing our plans for next 72 hours with the new influx of situations and what not. in the midst of all this chaos my husband says to me, "Well, i was planning on taking you out to dinner tomorrow night."
To which i replied with a dumbfounded, "What?... er, i mean, really?... Why?" Not that i wasn't completely gushing inside, but (taking the phone away from my face to check the number on the screen) was this my husband i was talking to?
"For our anniversary. " He says.
We got married in February, he's way off, should i tell him the truth or go along with it to get a "free dinner"?
"anniversary?... for wha-- oh, when we got engaged!" What a sweetheart. So we went out to dinner and i thought for posterity's sake i better get our engagement story written down.
Aaand it goes a little somethin' like this--hit it!
Place: San Diego, CA
Date: August 21, 2004
Who: Mr. E and the lovely Miss L
We took a trip to So Cal with E's parents for his dad's high school reunion. we dropped them off at the reunion and then our plan was to go to San Diego, walk around the temple and then the beach (i had never watched to sunset on the beach). the catch was that we had to make it there and back before the reunion got over. So as we are heading down to San Diego we are hitting major traffic. Dang. no biggie, i thought. but as the sun got closer to the horizon and we weren't get much closer to our destination E got more and more upset. wow. does this guy have some anger issues that are now just surfacing? what's the big deal? i was more excited about walking around that castle-like temple, the looks of it had always made it my favorite. it wouldn't be a big deal to me if we didn't go to the beach. we got to the temple and we only had a few moments before we would have to turn back around and go pick up the parents. we got out and walked around the temple. it is sooo beautiful. i was there with the man i was in love with. i was almost crying i was so happy. then we sat down and i told him how happy i was. "really?" he asked. "really, really happy?" he asked again. "yes." i choked out, almost crying. then he got down on his knee and asked me to marry him. so of course then i did start crying. how perfect for us. it all made sense now. he had gotten so upset because he wanted to propose at sunset on the beach. well, i guess since that mystery was solved i could in good conscience say "yes."

Essay: What i did this summer in 20 posts or less continued

so i had all of this on one gigantic post, almost finished after nearly 1.5 hrs of blood, sweat, and tears and then lost all but the first part! (which you see as part I) GRRRRRRR! but that's okay, i've slept it off, and have committed to not let this foreign language of blogging get the best of me. i shall prevail!

so after our 2 weeks of swim lessons were over i would have loved to sign up dear N for another session, but the entire next week i would be gone to: GIRLS' CAMP!
So okay, that's not me on that buckin' bronc'. i did it the day before when there weren't any cameras, or helmets or pads. needless to say, i got a little bruised up, but i got a lot of respect...? Mr. E designed the logo for our shirts, by the way. coolest girls' camp shirts ever, right?

We have gone swimming here and here .

Last weekend we also went here for grandpa d's work party. here's some pictures of the "wild life."


The other night at my house 5 teenage girls came to watch "wipe-out" but it wasn't on until later, so we watched this instead. and cried and cried.

i signed N up for some dance lessons. so we promptly (even though we still have several weeks before class starts, but who can wait?) went to get these (and of course i got them bogo 50% plus used a coupon for an extra 20% off!):


I have to say that these dance shoes have been the source of many proud mommy moments! (notice how in the second picture her knee is turned out to the side instead of forward? and her toe is pointed? she has been doing it without holding onto anything, she just was holding the chair in this picture, and notice the nicely rounded arm and relaxed hand, and...) she wears her slippers ALL the time now. I ...i mean, WE are so excited for dance to start!

Oh, and in case you couldn't tell in the pictures- aunt j cut N's hair for us. way cute, huh?

Essay: What i did this summer in 20 blogs or less

the parade at the 4th of july. of which N would not take part. until eventually...she did, after everyone else was about done... what matters is that she looked dang cute on her hand-me-down bike with the new princess basket and "jing-jing" bell to dress it up.

The day was full of patriotic activities: chatting, raising the flag, saying the pledge, shedding a tear or two out of appreciation, eating, decorating cupcakes, watching the kiddie parade and then pelting them all with candy, making up our own sound track to the city fireworks display with j.timms, participating in and watching the family ..."variety show?" and watching my daughter for the first time grasp the concept of the sparkler.

My favorite part of the 4th of july: the next night when the sistas stayed up until 4 in the morning hashing out the details of the past, crying from laughing, laughing from crying. and relishing in the memories of the wonderful mississippi mud fudge brownies that big sis made not once, but twice. i always knew i liked her...

My least favorite part of the 4th of july: waking up at 6 after going to bed at 4 so the hubs could get back home to get to work. probably even less favorable for him, but what a great guy for understanding that i need time with my girls.

Also on the 4th uncle Gary passed away. God bless that man for the trials he endured on this earth. i'm not sure there are many who could deal with those difficulties and still smile at all. Let's remember him the way he was before it all.
I went to his funeral that following week and am almost positive it was exactly what he would want. fun, light-hearted and respectful.

Then there was the Bingham Reunion. From which my most vivid memory is of sweet Laura asking, "WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO UPDATE YOUR BLOG?!!!" the guilt has been tormenting me. the pressure has been so intense... so i must dedicate this essay to Laura... and ask in return, "WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO START A BLOG?!!! AND LET ME IN ON IT?!!!"

Following that N started swim lessons. i don't have any digital photos to share, so i'll paint a picture for you. N in her purple little mermaid swimsuit, sitting on the side of the pool, yelling at the other kids to stop splashing between moments of sucking her fingers and telling the lifeguard she has to go the bathroom...again...and again. but we made it through! and by the last two days of the 8 days of lesson, she was smiling and laughing. all it took was a green (not the yellow!) water noodle. who would have thought. i'll never let my kid quit...especially when i've already paid. way to stick it out mom, i knew she'd come through.
to be continued...

Beautiful Blooms

I knew this yellow house of ours had a lot of rose bushes. i did not anticipate the beauty of it all. true, we have lived across the street for four years but i had never seen the back yard in full rosey bloom except for from, well, you know... across the street. so of course i can't keep this to myself. i have to share with you all my beautiful blooms. feel free to come cut some fresh roses if you like, but you can't have the purple ones. those are for me from eddie only.

fame!

http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/5/bizplaces09_Pocatello-ID_100075.html
check out this web address from forbes magazine. so apparently pocatello is ranked #62 (right behind st. george) for places to start a business and they used a great picture of our yellow house, taken from standing near our other house. we aren't sure how old the picture is, but there isn't a tree in the front yard at all now. but we thinks it's pretty cool!

an unexpected answer to a prayer

A few sundays ago i was sitting in sacrament meeting nervous about playing my cello for the musical number. i kept praying to be able to calm down and do well, i was so worried about embarrassing myself and distracting from the spirit.
well, during the sacrament my sweet young 'un would not put her empty cup back in the tray. so i started to squeeze her hand so she would let go of it. it popped out of her hand and landed on the floor. the deacon picked up the cup and put it in the tray and walked off. N immediately whirled around to look at me and in her "outside voice" asked, "ARE YOU CALLING ME A LIAR!?"
undoubtedly she had no idea what that meant. i whispered, "shhhh, no, i didn't."
but she was adamate and persisted, "ARE YOU CALLING ME A LIAR?"
"no," i whispered," please be quiet!"
"ARE YOU" she began again, this time i covered her mouth while trying to convince her that i had not called her a liar. but she would not be muzzled, escaped my grasped and yelled, "I'M NOT A LIAR! MOMMY, YOU'RE A LIAR!"
this continued for a few more rounds before she finally relented.
now, of course i have a sense of humor and thought the whole thing was quite funny, but couldn't help but also be embarrassed. i hung my head, afraid to look up and expose my red face and see all the giggling faces looking at me. it was at that moment i realized that God answers our prayers in mysterious ways. for i could not possibly embarrass myself any more. i felt much more calm about playing my cello. (which by the way went just fine)

More about couponing

So i've just started my couponing adventures and am still figuring things out myself. But i like to go to this website: pinchingyourpennies.com i click on state forums and then on my state, i also check out UT because sometimes they are faster at posting things. every tues. morning they have the albertson's preview which shows you all the great deals that will be happening for the next week starting on wednesday. they also have some utube videos about organizing a coupon binder. i also heard of another website called couponcents or something like that. sounds pretty good, but it costs.
i cut coupons from the newspaper and put them in my binder. recently i've had some huge success just looking at the ads to see what's already on a good sale. then if i don't have a coupon for it but i want it, i go to the website for the product and see if i can get a coupon for it. for example freddy's had an "in-store" coupon for 2 for $3 on kellogg's cereal. which is a decent deal already. but then i went to kelloggs.com found a coupon for a dollar off each box. wal -lah! fifty cents a box. now mind you, i only printed off for the ones that were specifically stated on the in-store coupon.
that's another thing. you can mix coupons. an "in-store" with a "manufacturer's" for example, but you can't use two of the same on the same item. so you can't use two manufacturer's coupons on the same item. but you can do a store coupon and a manufacturer's coupon. and you can use coupons on the "free" item in buy one get one free.
so if you have two manufacturer's coupons. and you are buying one and getting one free, you still can use both coupons, even though technically it's a "free" item. you're taking it home and off the shelf, that's all they care about. and don't feel bad like you're ripping them off. the manufacturer puts out the coupon to get you to buy their product so the store's will order more of their product and the store is getting money from the manufacturer when you use your coupon. it's a win for everyone! so ladies, start your coupon engines!

Crowning Moment

i was excited today to get all of this (3 boxes of graham crackers, 3 bags of marshmallows, 3 6-packs of full size hershey bars, 2 shave gels, 1 box zipper freezer bags and 6 bottles of bbq sauce) for only....(drum roll please).... $5.33 (and that includes tax). that's 18 items. for less than 6 bucks. i got each of those items for approximately 30 cents a piece with tax. 24 cents before tax.

We had our last mommy 'n' me tumbling class this week. we had lots of fun. and some grief. but it was great to have our special activity each week. i'm not so sure N is really interested in it (no matter how much i want her to be) but maybe some day she'll come around and learn how to do the round-off double back hand spring that i've always wanted to be able to do.

today's pillaging

should i really call it pillaging? i just looked up the definition on line, and maybe it's not quite right to use in this case, but i like the word and it sounds strong. so i'm gonna use it. anyways, i just have to share my finds today.
i wanted to take a picture, because i was impressed by the site, but the camera is in the jeep, which is not within walking distance at the moment. maybe i'll post a picture when E gets home. anyways.
store number one: winco: where i get the cheapest essentials (milk, eggs, etc.), but lately have been finding some STEALS with my coupons!
here's the items i got deals on today:
ritz crackers 2.28, coupon for dollar off each, 1.28 a box!
triscuits, wheat thins, 1.78, coupon for dollar off each, .78 a box!
kraft cool whip, 1.00, dollar off two, .50 each (i'm sure sometime soon they'll be cheaper, though)
crystal light mix-ins (the closest my hubby gets to drinking water), 1.97, dollar off one, .97 each
kraft cream cheese, 1.18, dollar off two, .59 each (will be .50 at albertsons this week)

store number two: fred meyer, i usually don't pay attention to freddy's but lately have noticed some fabulous finds in their ads combined with my coupons:
today i bought:
2 bags of salad (.50 each)
10 large cans of spaghetti sauce (.69 each)
3 bags of chips for E's lunches (3 for 5, what's that 1.66 each?i didn't buy very many cause i think they'll get lower soon)
8 boxes of kellogg's cereal (.50 a box)
4 64 oz bottles of tree top apple juice (1 dollar each)
1 3 musketeers bar for the wee one (.50)
total: 21.4 before tax.

My new son-in-law

i should have seen it coming.
she had been talking about him for weeks.
but then she dropped the bomb on me.
she told me they had gotten married.
this is my new son-in-law, his name is fella.
he comes from a good family.
he's great to help me pick up around the house.
i've caught them kissing several times.
with that cloak around his shoulders he does look an awful lot like prince charming, doesn't he?

dinner prayer

Mom (helping natalie say the prayer at dinner): say, "we are thankful for this day."
N: Thank you for today.
Mom: say, "we're thankful for this food."
N: thank you for the food.
Mom: "bless the food."
N (looking up at me and in a completely defensive tone): i am blessing the food!

ode to the tax return

ode to the tax return

i check for you every day.
anxiously awaiting my pay.
are you there yet? how bout now?
no, not yet. one more time i'll check, how bout now?
i love the direct deposit
sitting here in my computer closet
checking the account
what does it matter the amount?
are you there, yet? are you there?
all this waiting just isn't fair!
are you there yet?...how about....now!
nope, not yet...what about...now?
a new slipcover, some more cups,
tomato plant topsy-turvy-ing it up.
are you there yet? how bout now?
no, not yet. one more time i'll check, how bout now?
more garments, some fun,
a vacation to play in the sun.
a dirty clothes hamper,
repairs on the camper.
are you there yet?...what about...now?!

what are you doing with your tax return?

well, we went to idaho falls last week to pick up our prize tv. (it's a very nice one, by the way) so we decided to make it a family affair and take N to go walk around the IF temple while we were there. as soon as we told her we were going to the temple she ran to her room and got a dress so she could be a princess at the temple. we had great time.