I'm a Proud Big Sister

For those of you who don't know, I'm a big sister. And here is my 6 foot tall little sister on her 27th birthday.

Isn't she adorable?

I love her.
And I am so proud of her. She got accepted to ASU's nursing school and she starts in January. Even though school has been a long road for Tacy, she remains focused on her goals and thinks of creative ways to get there. She will make a great nurse in 22 months!

Tacy is a smart and intuitive woman who overcomes obstacles in her life. She's got quite the resume, massage therapist and esthetician, sales person, and waitress. She also has great talents. She writes poetry and has an amazing voice for singing, especially jazz.

Even though we're only 22 months apart, sometimes we pretty far apart because of our personalities and life experiences. Despite this, I really love and appreciate my sister and know that even when she's gone/going through difficult challenges, she'll find a way to make peace and love herself.

Happy Birthday, sister!
These pics are from her birthday party. We ate at Pita Jungle, right on the lake, and then went cosmic bowling!

Butterbraids

This is Jaxon's school fundraiser: braided pastries.
Let me know if you want some. No pressure.
10 bucks each.
(they're really good_)

Jaxonisms

At the park on Saturday, we were feeding the ducks (Cheerios, b/c bread makes them sick, FYI) and I asked Jaxon if the ducks said, "Thank you."
"Yes", he said. "One of them did."

Tonight he cleaned his room (to delay bedtime, but what can I say, "Stop cleaning your room?")
He was so proud of his job that he asked us to come look at it.
"Fascinating, isn't it?", he said.
Hmm, what does that mean, Jaxon?
"Fascinating means 'good job' in French."
Ah.

Jaxon was telling me that his friend Vincent has a girlfriend (in Kindergarten?). In order to figure out how much he understood, I asked Jaxon, "A girlfriend, what does that mean?"
"No mom, she's not mean. She's nice!"

Photos:
1. Feeding the ducks, listening for their "Thank yous"
2. At his school carnival on Friday, Jaxon is with his friend Vincent in the zebra sweatshirt.
3. Jaxon, his hot dog, and friend Zander on the train.

Las Vegas Road Trip!

My sister Cami and I went on a road trip last weekend to attend Mark's sister's baby shower. Katie's having her second baby and first boy. I called ahead to talk to Justin, Katie's husband, about coming as a surprise. Anticipating Katie's response when we arrived added to my excitement about the trip.

It's kinda funny that we keep hugging and looking at each other, then hugging again.

Here's the video.



After the shower, we went to the strip and watched some shows at Circus, Circus. Cami and I got a sweet deal on Priceline at a nice Courtyard Marriott that was close to Katie's house.

It was so fun to see Katie, Justin, Adlen, and Justin's mom Julie. I also got to meet Jake, Justin's brother, and his wife Ashely and their two kids.
Pretty cool.
Katie's scheduled to have the baby before Christmas, so I wish her luck getting ready for the holidays while being very pregnant.
But, doesn't she look great?

Generations

On Sunday, we ate dinner at my parents house, and my paternal grandparents came from Glendale to join us.

Although they come to visit relatively frequently, I wanted to get a picture of our four generations. My dad is the fourth of four boys and I joke with my grandma about me following in her footsteps. She told me Sunday that her mother-in-law had told her that she would have a girl after the three boys.
When my dad was born, she said she cried. I know I would, too.

Still, without that fourth son, I wouldn't be here, nor either of my two sisters, so I guess there's balance in the universe somewhere.

Seeing my grandma and grandpa is a nice treat for me, and a good memory for my children. While I joke with grandma about her living another 20 years, she, as an octagenarian says, "Bite your tongue!"
I don't blame her. Who wants to be really old? She looks great, though, doesn't she? I want to look as good as she does when I'm 85.

Lipstick Looks Good on Asher (not so good on my bathroom)

This week has had it's share of ups and downs.
One afternoon, I saw Finn with something brown in his mouth, and I said, "Please, let that be chocolate." Although it was not chocolate (and thankfully not poop), it was the inside of a brown marker. There were spots of marker all over my carpet, again, recently shampooed.

So, as I began the task of finding, spraying, and scrubbing all of those spots.

In my bedroom I heard Asher hollering for me to let him out. Perhaps he's locked himself in my bedroom, I worried, and ran to check on him.
Nope, instead, his hands were so slick from lipstick mixed with liquid soap that he couldn't open the door.

Yes, from one mess to the next, I went that day. Except this time I grabbed my camera to get the details. This is the kind of thing that needs remembering.

Despite protests, I did get Asher to clean off the door, and wipe up his handprints from the floor. I cleaned the rest, but it was a fair trade.

In the video, you can even see the red bottle of Resolve carpet cleaner I put on the counter while lecturing Asher on his mess.

In case you can't translate, he says nonsense words, then he says he's not in trouble.
I also like the look on his face when he sees himself. Yep, he looks like quite the little princess with lipstick everywhere. Geez.

A Non-Election Post

For those of you who don't have cable (I think maybe one person out there . . .), in February, you can't use your rabbit ears anymore. Nope, the government is converting everything to digital.
I hope this is helpful to someone . . .

Here is the link to order your converter box coupon. I did a lot of searching to find reviews for the boxes, and I finally found a good one here, at Consumer reports.
When I picked a box (the Tivax STB-T9), I found it at this place, for the best price.

May my searching save you some time.

Election Eve, My Prediction

For years, Mark and I have loved watching the West Wing, a TV series starring Martin Sheen that portrays a bleeding-heart liberal President (also a Nobel-prize winning economist) with a staff of brilliant and pithy political masterminds. (This is where I admit to my only Hollywood crush on the character of Josh Lyman, not so much the actor, Bradley Whitford, though he's okay, too.)

Even though the show ended a few years ago, Mark and I will still check out the DVDs from the library and watch season after season of the best political drama of the century. And really, it was the best, I mean, they won awards all the time, I swear. (Am I sounding so pathetic now? I can't tell)

Anyway, although the last season was less than stellar (the good writers had quit), there was an election for a new president, and that election eerily mimicks the 2008 presidential election.

Go watch this clip, called, "Did the West Wing predict the 2008 election?" and return and comment.

I can't wait. (My anticipation is just reflected from the real election to this blog conversation)

Halloween 2008

This Halloween was quite a treat (pun intended) and we had a lot of fun.
First, I took Asher (our little tourist) and Finn (a protesting dragon) to the library to do crafts, watch a puppet show, then parade around the inside of the library to show off their costumes to the bored adults lounging and reading books.

In the afternoon we headed out in the heat (and boy was it hot, I told Mark that next year, if it's this hot again, I'm wearing a bikini and going as Malibu Barbie) to Jaxon's school for the parade of characters. All of the kindergartners were dalmatians with a black nose and spotted tail. It was adorable. They walked around the school with Disney music blasting in the background while Asher and I danced and cheered them on.

Later we got dressed for trick-or-treating. Jaxon went as a Fantastic Four superhero (I bought the costume for a few bucks at a clearance a few years ago but Jaxon recently discovered the movie and was thrilled to be a superhero. I was thrilled that he didn't want to be the devil, which was his first choice.) Asher didn't like any of the costumes we already had, so he wore loafers with no socks, a Hawaiian shirt, and carried around a camera as a tourist. If I had thought harder, I would have let him wear his normal costume, a colander on his head. He could have been a martian, maybe.

Finn wore the dragon costume, because that's what we had, and he's our third son. Nothing special for him.

I put on my black dress, a ton of makeup (you can't really tell, though) and made my hair crazy, (again, not so obvious in the pictures) then balanced my broom on the stroller as I pushed it around the neighborhood. I make a great witch, costume or no.

Later, we went to our friends Amy and Darryl's and hung out, turning away sad trick-or-treaters when we ran out of candy.

The best part of the evening was watching Asher trick-or-treat.
He'd head up to someone, and as they were putting candy in his pumpkin, he'd help himself to more from their bowl. I guess he thought it was "self-serve." He ended up with almost twice as much as Jaxon, and almost more than he could carry. Mark pointed out that watching Asher lugging the pumpkin was just like watching Mark carry the big 5 gallon water barrels.

Priceless.

And, because we were gone the entire night, and only put a little candy on our table at our front door, we have all the stuff we bought but never gave out.

Sweet! That means an extra 5 pounds for me before Thanksgiving. I couldn't ask for more than that from Halloween.

Also, today we went to a Pumpkin Patch Carnival at Schnepf Farms. Here are the pics on our webalbum.

My Laugh Yesterday

Jaxon was so excited for his brother's birthday that he asked to call his friend, Lyda, to tell her about it.
After a minute on the phone talking to Lyda, I hear Jaxon saying, "Hello? Lyda, are you there? Hello?"
Uncertainly, he looks up at me and shrugs,

"I guess she logged off."

Oh (Birthday) Boy!

Lucky me. Today was Finley's first birthday.
He started out with smiles first thing in the morning. (After I decided to rescue him from crying in his crib just because it was his birthday. Nice, I know.)

A check-up at the doctors (no shots, because who wants shots on their birthday?), then a party at the park, then naps, a quick photo shoot (difficult with two babies and one adult), and a party at home.

Finn wasn't quite sure about the cake. He did end up throwing a piece of cake at my mom. It landed on her cleavage. Awesome.

He loved the book, magnets, shopping cart, bull dozer, and swing he got for his birthday. And he liked the 10 dollar bill Aunt Amy shoved in his sticky little fist. :)

It was fun to see the friends and family who came by to visit. Our love and well wishes go to George who got hurt after falling out of the high chair. Ouch! We hope you feel better soon, George!

A little sad to say goodnight while the party was still rockin', our little Twinkie was pretty tired, so he waved to the crowd.

Overall, a pretty fun birthday for Fin-Fin. Both mommy and Asher got a little carried away with the camera, though.

Oh well, what can you expect from two budding photographers on a really fantastic occasion?

Photography Blog

As if I don't have enough blogs: Sheesh.

But, I've been looking for a photographer, and thinking about how much I love photography, so my new blog is just for my pics.

Shoot the Waves

Our Soccer Star

Number 50 on the Giants Soccer team is our very own little Jaxon.
He's had two games now, and he's had a chance to play goalee at both of them. It's his favorite position, although he's a fast runner, too.

The first two pictures are of Jaxon running down the field, and the last two are when he was goalee. He stopped the ball a few times, and let it through a few times, but that's why they don't keep score :)

Mark and I love going to the games and practices, but it was a little embarassing last week because we didn't know it was our turn to bring the snack and so the kids left empty-handed. Oops.

Maybe we should bring the snack to this weeks practice? What do you think?

So, I guess I'm a soccer mom, complete with the mini-van. But, the only thing I'm yelling at my son during the game is, "Wrong way! Turn around and go the other way!"

The best part of the game was when a ilttle guy with an orange jersey (obviously not on either team) ran into the field and started playing. His dad was yelling and running after him, but he had no clue. His dad had to pick him up and haul him away.

Hillarious.

Motherhood Summed up in a Morning

*Warning. Potentially Disturbing Images Below.*
This morning was a bit of a rollercoaster, the exact kind that motherhood is every day, week, and month.

The kids were cuter than usual, snuggling in my bed and sharing toys (gasp!).

Mark cuddled with Finley, breathing in his soft hair and drinking in his sweet babyness. While holding Finn, Mark says, "This is like recharing a battery, my battery."
Indeed. Baby love is the best recharger I know.

Then, I changed Finn's diaper to discover a terrible diaper rash. After rinsing him in the tub, I let him play naked for a while, so it could air-out.

I did the boys' infusions, then started to get Jaxon ready for school when I walked by the train table and saw . . .
Finley standing in his own POOP!

Seriously, so disturbing. I went into poop emergency 911 mode. I stuck him in the shower, then the bath again, the dressed him and put him in his crib so I could clean up the mess.

In the midst of this, I let Jaxon head to school without knowing if he had shoes on or had even brushed his teeth. I'm sure his hair was not styled. Asher, meanwhile kept screaming for me to put a movie on, so I pushed play with my knuckle in between scrubbing the carpet.

Anyway, it was totally disgusting. I haven't had to do this in quite a while, and it seems rather ironic that I shampooed the carpet 2 weeks ago.

Oh well. This is the life of motherhood. Cuteness, love, and poop.
And it all happened before 8:15 AM.

A Rose by Any Other Name . . .

When we named Finley, almost a year ago, we knew that it was rare, but ranked higher for boys than for girls. (If you haven't checked out Name Voyager, you should, it tracks the popularity of names back to the 1800's).

So, we went with the fun name, Finley, because it makes us smile, and so does our little Twinkie.

However, since his birth, we keep hearing about people naming their little GIRLS Finley. First, a girl in the newspaper, then a girl at the gym childcare. Now, Lisa Marie Presley makes it famous by naming her daughter Finley.

For us, we're starting to call him Finn sometimes. It's a cute nickname, not unlike Brad for Bradley or Stan for Stanley. But Finn is a little tricky because it's so short, people don't understand it the first time I say it.

It seems to me that Finley is going the way of Whitney, Courtney, and Leslie: and probably many others. These were boy names that later became girl names so that now only the nickname is masculine. For example, our HS student body president was named Whitney, but he went by "Whit."

Finley's other choice is his middle name, I guess, Cannon. That's a nice name, too.

As a feminist, I'm trying to kick the idea that boys doing "girly" things is somehow bad. It's a misogyny that runs deep in our culture, and it's hard to break. That's why I'm a little conflicted about changing the way we refer to our child based solely on the fact that girls share his name.

What do you think about gendered names?
What do you think this little guy looks like? Finley? Finn? Cannon? Something else?

On to Savings! Tips from the Queen of Thrift

Here is my brother, David, pulling the boys in a wagon from a garage sale.

Our ward's Enrichment meeting last night was about being frugal.
We had women model outfits they had purchased at a thrift store (D.I. or Goodwill) or at a comparable price somewhere else.
Then, the women went around the room giving their tips on saving money.

I was excited to learn new tips, but from 30+ women, I only learned _one_ new thing.
The rest of them I already knew (and mostly practice). Thus, I am the self-appointed Thrift Queen.

So, for those of you who missed it, or want the details, here is some advice for money saving. If you are a Thrift Queen (or King, of course), feel free to add your ideas. I'll update this as people add items or as I remember more from the discussion.

Overall
-Don't Go Shopping, "The heart cannot covet what the eye hath not seen"
-Live simply, only buy things you really need. Get out of the consuming craze.

Clothes-Houseware-Furniture
-Ross often has clothes on sale that are comparable or less than many thrift stores.

- Department stores: Macy's, Dillards, Kohl's, JC Penney, Meryn's (going out of business soon), have great end of season clearance. In AZ, we wear summer clothes for 3/4 of the year, so August and September are good times to look for summer clothes. For any kind of clothing purchase, shop the clearance rack first.
However, don't buy something just because it's a good deal. Wise advice from a fashion book, "If you wouldn't buy it at full price, don't think of buying it on clearance."

Also, buy online, some stores (Gap, Children's Place, Old Navy, and many others have sales online before they do in the stores, and offer greater selection and you can sometimes get free shipping, depending on how much you order.) Overstock has great prices on everything from electronics to jewelry and bedding.

- Goodwill, Deseret Industries, Savers and other thrift stores and be good places to find clothes. I wait until the 50% off days to get the best deal.

-Resale/consignment stores: Once Upon a Child, Plato's Closet, Name Brand Exchange, and Buffalo Exchange are good places to find higher quality/label apparel.
Last Chance, in Phoenix, is not resale, but it is usually returned items from Nordstroms or other high-end retailers. Great deals there, especially on shoes.

-Garage sales, I cruise garage sales most Saturday mornings especially for holiday decorations, housewares, and toys. Sometimes I will find such amazing deals that I can resell them on Craigslist (a Potterybarn girl's crib bumper $1 at a garage sale, I sold when I found out I was having a boy. I made $25)

-Craigslist, I like to look for a long time before I buy, to make sure I know what reasonable prices are. I always try to bargain down and see if we can meet somewhere to buy it. We got our Wii on Craigslist and a cabinet in our office. I also got Jaxon's boot for Halloween last year that he ended up wearing every day.
There's also a free section.
You can buy or sell items on craigslist, it's a great site.

-freecycle is a yahoo group that you can subscribe to and post things you'd like to get rid of to see if anyone needs them. You can also request things (Looking for a scout uniform) or offer your own items (offered: baby bath tub).

-Swap or hand-me-down. The girls in our ward are going to have a clothing swap, to get trade out clothes that we're a little tired of for something that is new, to us!

Food
-Bread: Alpine Valley Bakery on Southern just east of Extension
They sells day-old bread, rolls, buns, breadsticks, granola, pastries, for a very low price.
Their bread is very good, I prefer the organic multigrain or oat because sometimes the honey whole wheat is too sticky. The prices range from 3 loaves for $1 to $.99 a loaf. It can be hit or miss with variety or quantity on sale. I usually buy 8 loaves or so and freeze them so I don't have to go back very often.

-Bulk food: American Discount Food: on Extension north of Broadway.
They sell restaurant quality/size food and a low price. They have frozen meat, #10 cans of sauces, mandarin oranges, pumpkin, etc. Other products include: produce, dry mixes, dairy, and cleaning personal.
The most EXCITING discovery for me at this store was a generic brand of butter flavored Crisco in a #10 can with a HARD METAL TOP. I wouldn't be excited about this except Crisco only comes with foil lids now and they don't last very long. So, grab them while you can, they are great for food storage.

-Produce: Superstition Ranch Market on Main between Greenfield and Higley
This place is amazing. It's been around forever, I remember going their with my mom as a child. They have the most variety of everything and the best prices. Today pears were $.25/lb and a pint of raspberries $.50. You can also buy cases for wholesale prices. I usually get boxes of peaches and raspberries to make jam.

-Fresh and Easy
Use their $5 off $20 coupons multiple times, just split up your orders! (The staff there will give you more coupons). They also have food at half price that expires the next day, if you want to use or freeze it soon.

-Fry's is accepting competitor coupons and always honors the Fresh and Easy $5 off coupons (I've heard this but never tried it).
Fry's Marketplace also has killer sales on toys, sometimes 75% off or more. I buy toys that are my kids age and gender and have them ready for when my kids get invited to parties.

-Wal-Mart does ad-matching which means you shop all the ads at one store then tell the clerk which items are advertised for how much as he scans them in. It takes a while, but it saves a lot of money. Using the ads to plan your menu can also help you save money.

-Clipless Coupons: THE NEW SAVINGS TIP!
In addition to using paper coupons, Kate told us about a new paper-less coupons system. I couldn't find it last night when I googled for it, but apparently you can go to website, enter your Fry's (Kroger) card number and load coupons onto your account which will be deducted automatically when you use your card at the register. SO COOL!
The online clip-less coupons I have "loaded" onto my Fry's card can be found at:
www.pgesaver.com
and
www.shortcuts.com

-Couponsense is great if you are organized and willing to go to many stores.