Happy Halloween

We have had such a great day! AnnaKate is a kitty cat this year. Her cat name is Precious and she even has it written on her collar. We definitely think she is precious!
AnnaKate's school had their annual Trunk or Treat this morning. As always, we had so much fun visiting with friends and seeing all of the neat displays.

AnnaKate and her friend Sarah. (AnnaKate looks a little upset!)




After school we went to visit AnnaKate's grandparents and great grandparents. She loved visiting with them.
We took some great pictures at my mom's house.


"Kenny", AnnaKate and "SweetCakes" (great grandparents)


We rushed home to get ready to trick or treat in the neighborhood with Taylor, Cassie and Dave. Unfortunately, AnnaKate got sick as soon as we got home! So we are in for the night and dreaming about what a fun day we had. (Keep your fingers crossed that this is a short stomach bug.)

Being alone

Yesterday I had a revelation about how important it is to have some time alone. My walking partner, Cassie, was unable to walk. I knew I better get out there and hit the pavement anyway...especially after my huge lasagna lunch. So, I headed out with my Ipod and spent close to an hour alone. Think about how often you are truly alone with yourself, I don't mean alone watching tv or alone in the car, but alone with your thoughts. It is really rare for me to be alone. I teach all day and come home to Billy and AnnaKate. I am grateful for the people in my life but time alone is really essential. I was able to do a little mental and emotional house cleaning. Sometimes things get swept to the corners of my mind and I don't deal with them like I should. It felt so good to listen to something other than Laurie Berkner and let my mind wander with the memories that the music holds.

I would never trade my walks with Cassie because our talks are just as therapeutic but I wonder where I can find that same time each day to really be alone. Where do you find the time?

Look mom...I can steer!

We have all been posting lately about the little steps our children make and how truly big they are. Tonight we had a "big little step". Out of the blue AnnaKate started to steer her push toy wagon. We could not believe our eyes!

AnnaKate loves her push wagon and does great walking with it but she could never steer. Billy has really been working with her each night on what he calls her "cardio". He walks her around the house, gets her to ride her scooter and push her wagon.

So tonight we heard her scurrying in the other room, then we heard the wagon click-click-clicking and then our precious little girl appeared around the corner! She was doing her "cardio" all by herself.

So watch out...here she comes!





*More later about her first field trip today!

Do you coupon?

**This blog may be boring to non-couponers...so just skip today's post if you are not interested! :)

In our house "couponing" is HOT! I have always love couponing but my friend, Cassie, really turned me on to the "new" couponing. The "new" couponing is matching sales with coupons and taking advantage of store rewards. In the past this was very time consuming but now it is pretty easy. There are tons of blogs to use to get you going. Here are some of my favorites...
The Thrifty Mama
Money Saving Mom
Fiddledeedee
Southern Savers

Grocery Deals
We shop on Sundays so I have to tell you about my deals today. I plan my trip out according to the BOGO (Buy One Get One Free) and the matching coupons. I use my websites to help me match up coupons and find online coupons. I only buy things that we need. I try not to get in the habit of buying because it is a good deal...we must use it! We only shop at Publix and Costco. I love Publix because of the Customer Service and I love Costco because they send out coupons.

Last week at Publix, we spent $92.28 and saved $49.30. (By the way, I was bummed that I did not reach $50.00)

This week we spent $75.86 and saved $47.79.

I try to only buy things when they are BOGO so we really stock up. Check out the stock pile in the basement.


I have also been doing the Walgreens and CVS "game". Buying items to get their rewards. Lots of the items are free. It is a little more involved than straight couponing. Thrify Mama is doing a month long CVS series on how to do it. Each week she tells you what to buy so you get the most Extra Care Bucks. It is a little against my plan of buying only what you need. You have to buy some things you don't use because they are free after coupons and extra care bucks-some are even money makers. Today I went to CVS armed with my print out from Thrifty Mama. I did two transactions and my OOP (lingo for "out of pocket") was only $5.09. I bought $51.22 worth of stuff!!! I received $27.74 in extra care bucks to use at CVS. The store manager checked me out and gave me a high-five! It was so much fun! I also have $9.99 in mail-in rebates as well. Here is my CVS purchase...



**No one in our house uses Just For Men hair color or Pert but these items were money makers. I think I will donate them to church for their Interfaith mission.

I have really enjoyed getting into this couponing. It is a little time consuming but a lot of fun. You should try it!

Oh yeah...here is a cute picture of AnnaKate from this weekend! That is probably why you came to the blog anyway.

Ch-Ch-Changes...

Anyone who knows me well, knows I hate change! But the changes taking place at our house are wonderful. I am actually embracing these changes!!

Everyday I see something new in AnnaKate. This morning we were all eating breakfast together which we normally don't get to do. Billy cut AnnaKate's Nutrigrain bar and gave her all of the pieces. She used to cram all of them in her mouth or play with them until they were mush. Today she sat in her highchair and ate her breakfast piece by piece. She really took her time and played with a few books between bites. This is such great progress for her. In so many areas we are seeing such growth. I think the tonsillectomy is really starting to pay off. She is sleeping so much better so she is able to really make some great developmental changes.

I guess my sweet little girl is teaching me a little bit about change. Embrace it, learn to deal with it because it is usually going to bring something good. (Mom & Cathy, are you proud of me?)

When did this happen...

Well...I guess it has been over seven days since I posted. Pretty bad when your friends are emailing you to see if you are ok?!? HA We have been really busy lately, as everyone seems to be in the fall. Lots of appointments and juggling.

This morning when I was leaving the house I had a moment of, "When did this happen?" I said good-bye to AnnaKate and she waved good-bye to me. Usually her good-byes must be prompted with a wave or by asking her to wave, but this morning she waved just because I said good-bye. She did is just like she has been doing it for years, when did this happen? Then I noticed that her sippy cup was empty so I asked her to give it to me and she did. When did this happen? We have worked for what seems endless hours practicing signs, waving, talking, singing, eating, playing and walking. It all seems to be coming to together for AnnaKate. She is understanding so much more and it is all really clicking. We always say that we have had a baby for much longer than most people because AnnaKate is so small and still crawling but I do think my baby is no longer a baby!

Enjoy this video of her favorite dare devil game..."Stand up-Fall Down"

Sleep Strikes Again!

So this falling asleep just about anywhere is starting to become a trend. Around 5:00pm today AnnaKate was playing and all of a sudden she laid down on the floor, let out a big sigh and fell asleep. She slept on the floor for a good 20 minutes and then woke refreshed! Wonder where sleep will strike next?

Delightful Day

For some reason October is a really busy month for us. Lots of appointments, parties and stuff to do. Yesterday was a busy day but just delightful! I took a half day off of work because we had AnnaKate's IEP meeting. Billy and I went to, Two Chefs, one of our favorite spots for lunch. Just being able to go out to lunch and not eat in the school cafeteria was a treat.

Then we had the IEP meeting. AnnaKate's school and therapists are wonderful and the meeting was very positive. I have moved into a new stage with AnnaKate's development. I used to wish and wait for the next thing to happen....sitting, crawling, etc. I have really let go of that mentality. There is always something she is going to be working towards and it will always be in her own time...so I need to "cool my heels", sit back, wait and enjoy it all!

After the IEP meeting we took AnnaKate to spend the night with her "Lou-Lou" and grandaddy. What a treat for her and us! It is so nice to have 24 hours off of parenting duty. It is so rejuvenating.

Last night we celebrated Katie and Brad's 10th wedding anniversary with them. So many of my friend's from college got married around the same time as us so this is a big year to celebrate. We had such a fun time!

The happy couple!

Here's to 10 years!

Fall is such a great season. I get so excited for all of the sights and smells. Yesterday I had my first Pumpkin Spice latte of the year...that just capped off my delightful day!