couponing

I've pretty much always used coupons in my grocery shopping, but only recently got serious about it. It's easier than ever now because there are so many blogs that let you know the best deals going for the week and if there are any coupons to go with them. A couple I read are: http://www.nickels-n-dimes.blogspot.com/ and http://mommysnacks.blogspot.com/ .

Below are a couple recent couponing trips.

Target total: 7.80

King Soopers (Kroger) total: 39.41

soft pretzels

Yesterday we made a recipe I've been meaning to try for soft pretzels. I got it from this blog: http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/blog/making-homemade-soft-pretzels. She has great pictures up, too. Ours did not come out looking nearly as pretty but they do taste good! Next time we'll make sure to roll them out thinner.

3 months

These past 3 months have gone so fast! Declan is such a great baby. He has slept through the night since he was 2 weeks old. After the last two boys who didn't want to sleep, I'm extremely grateful for that! During the day he loves to be talked to, and he talks right back. We feel so blessed to have him in our lives.

He is grabbing everything he can and pulling it to his mouth.

This is a good example of why we call him "Cheeks".

I'm still around

WHY am I finding it so hard to keep up with blogging lately?

Maybe because we're trying some new things in homeschooling. Or because nursing really takes up a good part of my day. Or I don't seem to have much new to blog about. Or I'm just lazy. LOL

Anyway, since this blog was intended to be a sort of scrapbook for our family, I guess I need to do better. Or we'll all wonder years from now what in the world did we do in '09? =)

My mil found out at the beginning of the month that she has breast cancer. The good news is that it's since been determined that it's in the first stage and pretty small. She goes in for surgery on the 22nd so prayers are very much appreciated that it is successful. She is getting closer to God during this time and it's been amazing to watch.

We had an inspector come out Wednesday to see where we could be conserving energy better. It turns out we need a new furnace. Not a surprise, really. So that is on the agenda very soon.

Conner felt like making a change. Here is before and after:

The kids have been taking turns helping me cook dinner. This was Brenna's night:

Friday night we enjoyed the rare treat of getting out with other adults. We went to a comedy show at Madcap theater. I really enjoy their shows as they make it a point to keep them clean and family-friendly. We met friends there for the 9:30 show. We got home at midnight, which is late for us these days. =)

Yesterday I went to MOPS which is always uplifting. We had a speaker talk about birth order. It was interesting, and apparently Scott and I aren't an ideal match. They say it works better for a first-born to married to a middle or youngest child. But Scott is a first-born and I'm an only, which is considered a super first-born. We aren't supposed to be compatible. That strikes me as funny for some reason. We've always enjoyed the fact that we're so much alike.

Tonight Brenna and I are attending the first of eight classes called Secret Keeper Girl. I think it will be a great mother-daughter time for us.

I will try hard to update more often. In the meantime, here's a smile from Declan:

cheap noodles

So last night Old Spaghetti Factory was running an anniversary promotion where they rolled back their prices. We thought it would be a great time to get a cheap dinner.

Apparently, so did approximately 1000 other Colorado residents. We arrived around 6:30 and thankfully our friends had gotten there at 6:00 and put their name down. Table for 14. We thought there couldn't be too many parties that large so our wait might not be too bad. However, there were at least 2 other parties of 14 called before us.

The wait...2 hours. However the kids were all great. They kept each other occupied and were well-behaved.

The food was delicious. And get this...a full dinner for our family of 7, complete with bread, salad, entree and dessert....

$20. Can't beat that! And worth the wait since we got to spend it with friends.

Old Spaghetti Factory is having another promotion every Monday and Tuesday in January, with meals being 40% off.

Happy New Year

We had our traditional takeout Chinese food on New Years Eve,
then we watched "Space Chimps". We finished the night with sparkling grape juice and a viewing of our home videos. It was a nice night.

Welcome 2009!!

woodwork

My dad has been spending the cold winter days in his heated garage, doing woodwork. He made a great table for the kids to build their Legos on.



He also made this table as he knows Brenna loves to draw.



Zane enjoyed pushing this around





While we were visiting, he was working on a plant stand for my mom, so he enlisted the kids' help. They enjoy making things with him and I know he enjoys teaching all the kids. I am thankful he is willing and able to pass some of his many skills along.