What's new???

no...this isn't Martin, it's Elizabeth's friend Tyler.

This one is my cute little boy

It's been so long since I've posted anything. I used to think I was good at keeping up with this blogging, and now I know that I'm not good with it at all...lol.

Well...a couple of months ago...right around Martin's birthday I got referred to see a urologist....I couldn't believe it either. It was a bit of a scare cause we didn't really know what was going on. Turns out I had a couple of very large kidney stones. I had one in my ureter...sp??? that was stuck and now allowing my kidney to drain, so I had a pretty huge kidney due to the fluid retention. Well, my doctor scheduled me for a surgery to have a stent put in. I went in and was out an hour later. I was able to get it taken out a week later. I do have to go back next month to get an x-ray just to make sure they are all taken care of. So that's that.

We went to Arizona a couple of weeks ago for Lea Ann's 1st birthday party. It was really nice to see family and get to hang out, even if it was for a short time.

I registered to take a couple of classes this summer through Southern Oregon University. I guess in order to renew my teaching certificate next year I need to take 9 credit hours of graduate level classes. Thankfully I thought about it and looked it over before it was too late to do anything. I've heard it's very hard to renew a certificate if you let it lapse, so here I go...ready to spend thousands of dollars just to keep my teaching certificate around. It's so frustrating. Thankfully I only have to do this once.

Also, I registered Elizabeth in a playschool for next year. It looks like it will be very fun. I took the last opening, and Martin is 1st on the waiting list. It would be nice for him to get into it also. It's once a week for an hour and a half of play time with other kids. The teachers do arts and crafts with them as well as a little instruction time. Also, parents are required to attend with also so that there is plenty of help with the little ones. I'm really excited about it and I'm happy that it's super cheap too.

An Act of Kindness

I can't even begin to tell you how amazed and shocked I feel at this moment. I was doing my daily shopping at Kmart, since they are doubling coupons this week I have gone in every day. I had in my cart a few items, and of course since I had coupons, it was taking the checker some time to get things rung up. My kids were good, well-behaved at this moment. I was chatting with the lady behind me and she was asking me if I worked outside the home and if I felt organized. My answer to both of those was no. She told me how she raised 5 kids and that it was tough but how fortunate she was to have done that. Well...the checker finished my coupons and of course told me my total and as I was swiping my credit card, the lady said, "I want to pay for your items." I told her no, but that was kind of her to offer. She then handed the cashier $20 and said, "I am paying for your items." She continued with, "When I was your age and raising my kids I had wished someone would have handed me $20 to help pay for my groceries. I want to do that for you." I thanked her and said okay. I grabbed my bag and began walking away when she stopped me and said, "here is your change." She didn't have it in her hand, the cashier was still holding it. I again told her she didn't need to do that and she had done more than enough. She again said," $20...and this is your change." My items were only a little over $13, so she was handing me $6 and change. I thanked her again and told her I would someday pass her kindness on to someone else.
I can't believe that it happened. I am grateful and feel blessed. She didn't know me or know my lot in life. She wanted to do a kind thing and I feel that being on the receiving end, I need to keep my eyes open and provide little act of kindness toward others.

Couch Potatoes

One of our favorite shows is the Backyardigans. I actually really like it too. It's educational, and there are is a lot of singing. Whenever it comes on, my kids turn into couch potatoes. They like to lounge and get comfortable. I always find it amusing.

A snack on a nice day

I thought I would post what a 16 month age difference is like in terms of eating. Today is a really nice day out. The sun is shining and the weather...well...it's warm for Oregon. I kicked the kids outside to spend some of the afternoon. Here they are enjoying thier pudding snacks. Notice how clean Elizabeth is. Martin...he's a bit of a mess. I did realize that I could save myself some extra laundry if I would have stripped him down, but that was after-the-fact. Elizabeth is not impressed with how messy Martin is. She keeps telling me, "Martin messy." "Martin need a wipey." I love this age...even if there is extra laundry!

Couponing

So, as some of you know...I've really gotten into couponing lately. Thanks to my friends Gayle and Aliza!!! Marty thinks I'm a little nuts and seriously probably thinks I go overboard, but I honestly feel really good when I get great bargains...even if I won't be using these products in the near future. I chalk it up to "expanding our food storage." This is my newest purchase.

I got all of this for $8.64. That comes out to be just a little over a dollar for each one of these products. I did have to do quite a bit of research and clipping coupons, but I feel rewarded! Because I'm fortuante to stay at home with my little ones, I feel like this is a small contribution to our household. Ok...that's a bit corny, but I really do feel that way. For those of you who are interested, I use the site www.the krazycouponlady.com to check out where the best deals are. I am hooked, and I am even using Marty's computer at work to help print off those extra coupons that I want. :)

Martin's Birthday

Martin is 1 year old. That makes me so sad. Where did this past year go??? Saturday we had a small birthday party for him. We had my parents, Marty's parents, my brother, and some friends come to celebrate with us.

Martin's zoo cake. Thanks Fred Meyer. They did a great job!

Martin getting ready for his party. He looks excited, huh.

Cailee, Elizabeth, and Chloe at the water table.

The water table was a such a great idea! It was hard to think about what to do for a 1 year olds party and this was a hit, with the older kids too!

Martin getting messy is his cake. He didn't really like it.

We had a great time. There would be more pictures, but I'm used to grandma and grandpa taking those for us and just sending us a CD with all of them on there.

It seems as if life has been kind of crazy lately. I thought for sure with the holidays behind us that we could take it slow for a while. I guess that with kids, it doesn't really ever happen. About a week ago, Martin took his first steps. Marty and I were guessing that he'd be walking in his 10th month; we were wrong. Even though I'm so happy that he's getting to that point, I'm also sad.

Elizabeth is doing so well with potty-training. I would say now that she is 90% there. We are now working on night training, so we are limiting her fluid intake. It's been a bit of a battle at night, because she is used to a water cup and now we have taken that away. It has been really nice only having one child in diapers. She is getting more comfortable going potty by herself too. That is a big step for her.

We are headed once more to Phoenix this coming weekend. It will just be the kids and myself. I'm a bit nervous about the plane ride. I hope that the kids will be well behaved. Since we do fly alot, I'm hoping all will be well. We are only going to be there for a couple of days, but I'm really looking forward to seeing my friend Melissa. It has been forever since I've seen her and I can't wait to see her new little baby.

Martin's birthday is also right around the corner. We decided this year to just do a family thing for his birthday, so my parents and Marty's parents will be coming in for that. I'm sad that my little boy will be turning 1. It is true that time flys by. I sure wish it would slow down.