Wordless Wednesday.

It's a hard knock life...

Finley received this outdoor oasis for her birthday so we decided to give it a spin the other day because it was so pretty outside. It came complete with a slide, a water fountain and a swaying palm tree. I don't remember having inflatable pools like this when I was little. I think we swam in a creek or a hole in the ground or something ;)

Stuff My Daughter Says (2 years old)

Just a quick update while we're waiting out the storms :)



It’s Mama’s/It’s Dada’s (when she picks up something that belongs to one of us.)
Again
Sing songs (She uses this as a command)
Oh la gosh (Oh my gosh!)
Sorry sir (from National Lampoon’s Vacation. “Sorry sir, moose out front should have told you.” Joey and I say this to each other when one of us wants something that we can’t have, like if we want Chick Fil A on Sunday)
Please, thank you, excuse me
Bye! See you soom!
Hungreen (hungry)
What’s wrong, baby? (she asks her baby dolls this question)
Who’s calling (when she hears the phone ring)
Kiss it (when she hurts herself. It immediately fixes whatever happened.)
Go bye bye (she says this whenever we get somewhere and she decides she doesn’t want to be there anymore)
Baby’s crying (when another child cries)
Joey (she yells this through the house. I wonder where she gets it?)
Dada’s at work
Dada’s playing golf
Dada's truck (every truck is Dada's truck)
Shoes off (if she wants her shoes off)
Come on, let’s go see
Fill-in-the-blank fall down (when she pushes her toys down the slide or sees someone fall on tv)
Knock knock
You scared me!
Oder dere (over there)
You reach (pick me up so I can reach whatever it is I want to touch)
We're home (when we pull into our driveway)
Hold you (pick me up)

Some random stuff...

She is still repeating everything so Joey and I have been on our best behavior. Being in the car with her is my biggest challenge. People cannot drive and it makes me feel better to voice my frustration. I've been using sarcasm instead of bad words. Genius, smart guy, stuff like that. "Idiot" has been my biggest hurdle. I just can't give it up :)

Finley points to almost every man we pass that has a beard and calls him "Dada" out loud. Of course, the men always smile and chuckle, but it's embarrassing! I feel like they're wondering if I even know who her dad is or if she even knows. I try to make sure they can see my wedding ring.

Yesterday was the first time I've ever left Finley in the gym nursery that she wasn't still red-faced from crying an hour later. She's makin' progress.

She is becoming really rambunctious. She loves to climb on you, jump on you, run at you, etc. She likes to pretend she's asleep and she watches Finding Nemo every single day. She calls her pink and green blankie, "nankie" and she calls her plain green one, "other nankie"

Sorry this is so random, but I had to get it down before if left my brain. Stay safe in the storms today!!!

Easter 2011: The Year of M&M's.

We had a great Easter this year! The Easter Bunny came to visit and we went to Birmingham to spend time with our families. Finley ate a LOT of M&M's which are her favorite. Our Easter activities included...


Blowing bubbles with our new bubble wand.


Sidewalk chalk art


Receiving gifts


and receiving more gifts...The Easter Bunny left her candy, books, a movie, a pair of shoes, a ball that lights up, a magnetic drawing board, sidewalk chalk, Little People toys and BIG GIRL PANTIES! I'm one of those people who wakes up one morning and says, "I think I'll do (fill-in-the-blank) today." I know one day soon I'll wake up and say, "I think I'll start potty training today." Wish us luck!


I think next year we'll try to explain the REAL reason for Easter, but for now, we'll just spoil her ;)

I hope everyone had a blessed and happy Easter!!!

Family Date Night!

Saturday night was Family Date Night. We were feeling brave and decided to see how Finley would do at a movie. We picked Rio because she loves Finding Nemo so we thought a Pixar movie with animals might hold her attention. We are still undecided on whether or not it was a success. We got her all set up in her own seat with popcorn and we even let her have Sprite. Joey and I had an over/under of 30 minutes, but she lasted almost an hour. I'd say the last 5-7 minutes of that hour, she was out of her seat walking in our aisle and talking to us. She wasn't unhappy though. We decided to leave while things were still going good. We walked around Bridge Street, let her ride the carousel and ate at Tommmy's Pizza. Then, we headed to Barnes and Noble for a bit. All in all it was a great night and I'd definitely say yes to another date ;)





If you ever visit Huntsville, you should definitely check out Bridge Street. It's an outdoor shopping mall, but it has much more. It has a carousel, gondola and paddle boat rides and a place to feed the fish and ducks. On the weekends they have musical entertainment and balloon artists and they have awesome kid-friendly restaurants with outdoor seating. It's really clean and the area itself it so pretty. We probably go once a week to eat at Tommy's Pizza and Finley likes to go to Barnes and Noble.

25 Grocery Challenge

Here's what I got...
(3 lbs.) bananas
(1) cantaloupe
(1) box Pampers Cruisers (11.99)
(3) boxes Texas Toast garlic bread
(4) bottles Juicy Juice
(4) bags Tyson chicken nuggets (you might assume Finley is our chicken nugget monster, but you're wrong...it's Joey. She won't even eat chicken nuggets.)
(1) bottle Shout stain remover
(1) 1/2 gallon Publix milk
(1) box Glad trash bags
(1) dozen Eggland's Best eggs
(1) bag Pepperidge Farm cookies
(1) jar pace Picante sauce
(2) jars Pace chunky salsa
(6) packages of Bic disposable razors (By far one of the best deals I've ever gotten (excluding FREE items). I paid .44 total for 6 packs!)

Total before sales and coupons: $139.75
Total after sales and coupons: $51.56

Remember I was only going to spend $100 this month? Well, I went over. I actually spent $107.91 this month on groceries, but who can complain about that?? For the next month, I'm going to try to only buy milk, fresh produce and eggs. I have a feeling a good deal will tempt me and I won't stick to it, but I'm going to try.

This week we're having...
We have a busy week so we'll only be eating at home a couple days. Yay! I'll improvise :)

Happy Couponing!!!

Crentist.

Finley had her first dental appointment on Tuesday. She did exactly what I thought she'd do. She freaked out when the dentist laid her back and looked in her mouth and she refused to even look at the hygienist. So predictable :) I don't blame her though. The dentist is my least favorite of all the "ists". She did enjoy playing with the toys in the lobby, picking out stickers and toys afterwards and getting a new toothbrush. The dentist said her teeth look good and we should expect more molars soon. In the grand tradition of rewarding kids for doing things they should do regardless, we headed to McDonald's for "foo fies".

My autofocus wasn't working so all the pictures are blurry, but I got it fixed today.

In the chair


Picking out her toy from the toy wall

3-0!

The Good Tryers are 3-0!!! The team won their double-header last night!!!

Happy Birthday, Ryan!


Studs...


Cheering on the team from the stands

The Zoo

Last week, we decided to go to the zoo with some friends. Finley loved it!!! We all had a great time. She enjoyed seeing the animals, but her favorite parts were riding the train, the carousel and running around screaming with her friends. We were there for 4 hours, people!!! Needless to say, Finley was asleep before we pulled out of the entrance and she slept the whole way home. I need a zoo membership NOW! Anything that keeps Finley happy for 4 hours and then puts her to sleep is something I want in my life ;)

Girls Beach Trip 2011

Maybe if I give it a name, it will happen every year ;) The theme of this past weekend was "uninterrupted". Uninterrupted meals, showers and conversation. It was awesome!!! Amy, Amanda, Jennie and I headed down to Rosemary Beach on Friday for a girls beach trip. It was so relaxing. We went out to eat, laid out on the beach, shopped and ,best of all, talked for hours and laughed until we cried. Here's a breakdown of what we did each day. Do you see a pattern?

Day 1:
Ate dinner at George's
Got in our pajamas and talked

Day 2:
Laid out on the beach
Had lunch at Cowgirl Kitchen
Laid out at the pool
Shopped in Seaside
Ate dinner at Red Bar
Got in our pajamas and talked

Day 3:
Sat around in our pajamas talking until lunch
Had lunch at Wild Olive
Laid out on the beach
Dinner at Margaritaville
Got in our pajamas and talked

Day 4:
Reluctantly packed our things :(
Ate breakfast at the Donut Hole
Hugs and then we headed home.

We all needed it and we all agreed it would have to happen again soon. Of course we missed our husbands and babies terribly, but I think we all could have stayed one more day ;)

25 Grocery Challenge

Having to go grocery shopping after being at the beach for 4 days was hard...back to reality :(

Here's what I got...
(1) container of Mentos gum
(2) packages of Kraft shredded cheese
(1) bag Lay's potato chips
(1) bag Alexia frozen ciabatta bread
(1) gallon Publix sweet tea
(1) 4pk. Yo Plus yogurt
(2.55) lbs. bananas
(2) boxes Kraft Velveeta shells and cheese
(2) boxes Quaker chewy granola bars
(4) ears of corn
(1) 48 oz. Wesson vegetable oil
(4) cans of Campbell's "Cream of" soup
(2) boxes Quaker Instant grits
(1) box Wheat Thins (FREE plus profit)
(1) Airwick double refill pack
(3) boxes Ritz Crackerfuls crackers
(1) box Scottie's facial tissue (FREE)
(2) boxes Special K cereal
(1) package Kraft cheese singles
(1) Airwick twin pack warmer
(1) Airwick candle

Total before sales and coupons: $96.70
Total after sales and coupons: $31.82

I went over my $25 this week, but that shouldn't surprise you. I'll make it up next week :)

This week we're having...
Grilled chicken sliders with corn on the cob
Cheesy rotel chicken and rolls(I never made this last week because Joey ended up going to dinner with a vendor)
Spaghetti a la Philly with garlic bread
Leftovers

Happy Couponing!

Mom's Life

I'm sure you've all seen the "Dad's Life" video. Well, here is my submission for "Mom's Life"

See that little bit of orange sticking out of my ear? It's an ear plug. Draw your own conclusions.

Wordless Wednesday.

25 Grocery Challenge

No picture today :( We're meeting friends in Bham today to go to the zoo so I'm pressed for time.

Here's what I got...
(1) Dial liquid soap
(1) 1/2 gallon Publix milk
(2.47) lbs. bananas
(1) Kraft velveeta block cheese
(2) 8 pks. Juicy Juice
(2) Publix paper towels
(1) loaf Arnold bread
(1) package Publix American cheese singles
(1) package Toufayan pita bread
(1) Pillsbury refrigerated biscuits
(1) Pillsbury refrigerated crescent rolls
(2) Wishbone salad dressings (FREE + profit)
(1) bag Sunchips
(1) box Quaker instant grits

Total before sales and coupons: $45.15
Total after sales and coupons: $24.53 (Yay! I spent under $25)

I didn't need much this week, but I did have to get grits, paper towels and cheese singles which were not on sale nor did I have a coupon. I still hit the $25 mark so I'm happy!

This week we're having...
Cheesy rotel chicken and rolls
Leftovers
Breakfast for supper

Joey and Finley are on their own the other nights because I am off on a girls beach trip on Friday!!! I am so freakin' excited!!! Uninterrupted dinners, uninterrupted sleep, uninterrupted conversation...you get the picture :) This trip is coming at a great time. Mama needs a break...and a margarita ;)

Happy Couponing!

Finley turns 2!

Finley had a great birthday!

She looked super cute...



There were cupcakes...



Her family was there...



Her friends were there...



And she got some great gifts...



HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY FINLEY!!!!!

Happy Strepday :(

Poor buggy, sick on her birthday :( Finley has been really fussy lately and then a couple days ago she started running a fever. It was between 101 and 103 each time I checked it. I gave her Tylenol and we went about our business because she had no other symptoms. On Day 3 of her fever (today), I took her to the doc because I noticed she had a runny nose. It's was also the day before her birthday and her party, so I didn't want to have a bunch of kids at our house if she was sick. She tested positive for strep :( It was kind of good news though because I was afraid it was one of those fever viruses I've heard about where you just have to let it run its course and be miserable in the meantime. She got an antibiotic and we are using Motrin as needed. I'm hoping she will wake up tomorrow and feel at least a little better for her birthday party. I can't believe my baby will be 2!!! On the bright side, Finley made it almost 2 years without ever setting foot in the "sick" waiting room :)

Feeling pretty good this morning...


and not so good this afternoon.