I'm in LOVE!

With couponing!

This was my first time and I had a blast! Can't wait to get even better at it! Saved $20 with coupons I loaded onto my card and $22 with MCs.

The tally:

The loot:

The face:

RV=$111

OOP=$69

$42 saved

3 bags of dog food, shampoo, conditioner, 2 toothpastes, 6 individual frozen pizzas, 8cans of veggies, 4 tubs of wipes, 2 12packs of dishwashing tabbies, break and make cookies, cinnamon rolls, biscuits, crystal light, 3 boxes cereal, detergent, popcorn, yogurt, and a cake mix. Can't wait to organize it all and start my stockpile :)

was I really gone for 3 1/2 months?

Sorry for the temporary hiatus. It's because (drum roll)...

I returned to work last Friday...

 and it's like I never left...

First class back, a kid lost his first tooth.

Yesterday I had 3 kids throw up during lunch duty... stay away from the mystery meat.

Today I was doused in applesauce (it even got in my shoe).

sigh. 

I don't hate working but MAN am I rush home to my sweet Gray... no more staying late for me.

Speaking of....

Gray is officially 3 months old (and some change)!

Love!

him!

SO!

much!

resolution

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions."

This is the motto to my 2011. 

So many times we intend to do something

...send a thank you letter

...send a sympathy card

...go visit that relative more often

...remember birthdays in enough advance to get something, even if it's just a card

...actually sit down for family dinners (not in front of the tv)

...volunteer for community service hours

...meet the neighbors

...get involved in that bible study

...give that person a call just to let them know you care

...get together with that old friend you're always meaning to arrange a date with

and so many of these and many more things NEVER get done.

So this year my goal is to actually do them!

Enough with the lame excuses. Even with working and a baby, none of that is impossible. It might not be the most convenient thing to do a the time but it might be the best thing to do.

In doing these things I think it will lead to loving the people around me even more, better use of my time, and feeling more like the person I want to be.

Win, win, win.

Here's enjoying a few minutes with Dad.

And here's to more moments like this. :)

itza happy birth-aday

Happy Birthday Adelaide and Jim!!!

Thanks for letting me join in the fun!

Although I couldn't share in eating Adelaide's Smarties/'farties', I feel as though I not only celebrated Jim's stand-alone but mastered it!

Love you guys! 

Happy 3rd and 53rd to the birthday twins! 

Guy Talk

Gray and Uncle Ross having a "guy talk" conversation.

My first day with Aunt Amanda

Everyone, guess who is now guest blogging for me?!? My Aunt Amanda!

Today was the first day that she came to hang out with me and we had SUCH an eventful day!

FIRST, Aunt Amanda was stuck in the cold and had to wake up mom to be let in to the house.

THEN everyone woke up and I ate some breakfast but for some reason I didn't have any poops! So I played and napped and ate and played and napped and still no poop! Yikes! I was a fussy boy by this time.

FINALLY as I was eating I EXPLODED! Aunt Amanda and mom cheered for me, changed my diaper and we got to go on a walk with Sawyer!

WHILE we were on our walk Aunt Amanda was looking down at me and accidentally let go of Sawyer's leash, luckily he didn't run away and we all came back inside.

OBVIOUSLY after getting rid of all that poop and going on a tiring walk, I needed some more food so Aunt Amanda was giving me a bottle and she squeezed the bag....a little too hard and the bag exploded all over me and my boppy and my aunt. So we had to change clothes...for like the 1 millionth time!

LASTLY, after watching Aunt Amanda fail at the Wii Fit and mom fold cloths, I was EXHAUSTED...

I'm so glad I got to spend the day with two of my favorite ladies...I can tell Aunt Amanda and I are going to have a lot of fun adventures in the future.

Stay tuned!

Love,

Gray (and Aunt Amanda)

save a buck or two (hundred)...

So I know I have told several of y'all about this wonderful thing called Amazon Mom and Amazon's Subscribe and Save Store but here are the details all spelled out for you. Individually they are awesome  but when their powers combine... (I am Captain Planet?)... Anywhoo, it's awesome.

So go to Amazon and sign in or create an account if you don't have one.

AMAZON MOM

Search Amazon Mom:

Click the link Save with Amazon Mom:

Sign up and start saving! It's automatically applied then when you're signed into your account... no codes or anything. Free 2-Day shipping and Amazon Prime benefit for FREE! Just the free Prime is already $79 a year in savings! If you're already a Prime member, they will give you the option to cancel your membership and give you a prorated refund. You will receive FREE Two-Day Shipping with Amazon Prime for the first 3 months of your membership. For each $25 you spend within a single order in the Baby store, they’ll grant you an additional month of Amazon Prime shipping benefits. You can earn up to one year from the date you joined Amazon Mom. 

$25... That's less than one months supply of diapers, so free benefits for a year! Also, it's not just for moms; Dads, grandmas, aunts, etc.

Alrighty, you're halfway there... Now for subscribe and save!

SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE

Search Subscribe and Save on the Amazon website.

Now this is NOT JUST baby stuff. It's anything from printer ink to coffee to diapers to pet food... anything that you have to buy regularly. It's an extra 15% off and free 2 day shipping. You also automatically receive a new shipment of the item in intervals you select--every one, two, three, or six months. At my house we have diapers every month, wipes every 2 months and toilet paper every 6 months. It's great. And, if your supply is too low or too high you can add a shipment or skip a shipment. 

I know it sounds complicated but it's really not. In your account, you can always manage and change (diaper size) and cancel subscriptions (see pic below). Super easy.

So for all of you out there with the need to buy diapers... 

This is the one I get but there are tons more brands and sizes of course.

So, $41.99 for 228 diapers ($.18/diaper)

minus 15% for Amazon Mom 

minus 15% for Subscribe and Save 

$29.39 for 228 diapers ($.13/diaper)

(Disclaimer: I am not a math person but another great feature is that they do all the math for you and put it next to the total cost. Ex: per diaper, per ounce of coffee, per roll of toilet paper, per cup of dog food, etc. It's nice to know how much you're actually spending on each wipe, diaper or roll.)

That's a huge savings considering the average baby goes through at least 2000 diapers a year... HUGE savings! So let's say you use one pack a month.. that's almost $12 in savings a month x 12 months... $144 dollars a year and it's sent straight to your door... perfect!

So there it is for all you money savers... a virtual Sam's/Costco delivered to your door.

(The Subscribe and Save Store on Amazon is in Beta (meaning they're just getting it up and running) so if your shampoo brand or toilet paper brand isn't on there yet try again in a few weeks because they are constantly adding things)

BONUS: Who the heck doesn't LOVE getting packages delivered to you?!?... Gray and I love it! 

BONUS BONUS: I'm now friends with my UPS guy ;)

finding that dang thumb!

Can't quite get it yet but working hard at it!

bon voyage aunt carrie!

Today my Aunt Carrie leaves on a mission trip for 11 months! Man, am I going to miss her! Mom and Dad say she's going to help lots of people and tell them how much Jesus loves them. I am so excited for her and can't wait to hear all the stories she has to tell when she comes back. I'll probably have a lot of stories too! 

Love you Aunt Carrie and I know this year will bring great things for you! Thanks for being my Aunt and for loving Jesus.
Love,
Gray

 Chris and I are also so excited for Carrie! We love you girl and you will be in our thoughts and prayers all year!

i love youuuuuuuuu!

My days could not be better spent than with this kid :)

Mom

It's still weird to me... Chris and I say all the time how crazy it is that we're parents. Five years ago we had just started dating and now we are happily a family of three.

One thing that still catches me off guard all the time is seeing or hearing the word 'mom'. To me that word has always meant Marlene Gilbert. It's strange that the word 'mom' will always mean me to my sweet little Gray. I'm getting more and more used to it though and holding on to all the coos that sound like 'mom'. Can't wait to hear him call me that. In the mean time though....

Gray's mom,
Leslie

Grandbud Jr.

So in case you haven't had the viewing pleasure of the back of our little guy's head...

We call him our little old man with his cute horseshoe. 

When I took him to the doctor for his 2 month check up, Dr. Lange said "Oh and REALLY don't worry about his hair loss. I promise it will grow to look normal. It really will. It won't stay that way. It's normal. You just have to laugh at it when they're this young." 

And so we do.

Happy New Year!