Mark Lake Ray Roberts off the list

Two weekends ago we camped at Lake Ray Roberts with the Ellisons and the McClures and had a blast.  Our campsite wasn't that great because of the lack of trees, but the park was very nice and we've already scoped out our ideal site for our next trip.  It's so much more fun to camp with friends, and it was really nice reconnecting with friends we haven't been able to spend time with in quite a while.


Playing in the lake


Flying a kite


Waking up Saturday morning


Just about as white trash as it gets


6 kids ages 5 and under


Another great trip for our family

I think we've taken 7 camping trips in the past year, and we're hoping to do even more this year.  Next stop:  Dinosaur Valley in May.

You know it's going to be a bad day...

...when you have to put 9 of the 10 kids in your preschool class in time out...and when you lock BOTH sets of keys in your car while it's in the garage.

Wordless Wednesday

Good old outdoor fun

I know I won't really appreciate the joy of spring break until my kids are in school, but we're living it up here.  I can't remember the last time we've had so many beautiful days in a row.  Monday I took the kids to the Botanic Garden and I wish we could have stayed longer.  These photos were taken just before Rachel kicked my flip-flopped foot and broke my toenail in half:



After Rachel's nap playing in her bed and opening all of her blinds time, we went to a little park at the lake.  The kids weren't that interested in the playground, but we sat on the fishing pier for about an hour watching the boats and fishermen.  After this experience Ethan has added a canoe to his growing wish list.



We had a picnic on the porch that night when Clay got home.  Rachel is pantless because she was helping crack the eggs and splatted one right in her lap.  And just so that I always remember, this photo was taken just before a call to poison control because Clay and I were practicing our communication skills and both gave Ethan his allergy medicine after he had just had some Benadryl.  Good times.


Yesterday afternoon Nicole and I took our kids to a new park and packed a picnic dinner so Clay and Brent could meet us there when they left work.  When I got home I realized that a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is no longer acceptable to me for dinner, but we did have a great time letting the kids run around and ride their bikes.




And then today the kids and I met some friends from church at another park for a picnic lunch.  The photo of Rachel and Lane was taken just before she wet her pants on the slide.  Ever wonder what all is on a public park slide?  Well, now you know.  Gross.



Not sure what tomorrow holds in store, but I have a feeling it will include being at a park - apparently my spring break creativity ends there!

Family, Friends, Fairies, and Fire Trucks

Last week was a whirlwind of activity.  Monday night we got to meet up with Cara and co. and Kat and co. at Chick-fil-A since Kat was passing through on her way "home."  The kids had a blast and it didn't hurt that it was on free kids meal night. 



On Tuesday we were able to spend a little more time with Meme - my grandmother.  She was still here from going to Levi's birthday party with us over the weekend.  I hope my kids know how blessed they are to have an 80 year old great-grandmother who not only drives here to see them, but also lays on the floor with them to work puzzles and play Sequence.  My life is blessed beyond measure through this woman.


Wednesday was a lot of fun because my cousin's wife - Jess (one of the generous souls who keeps my daughter clothed) - and her daughter flew in from Illinois and stopped by our house on their way "home."  My aunt picked her up at the airport, so those 3 girls plus my mom and grandmother all gathered here for lunch.  We were also able to celebrate Makenzie's 3rd and my aunt Nancy's ... um, 29th ... birthday! 





Thursday was community helper day at school and Ethan was beside himself with excitement over the firemen being there.  It was about 39 degrees outside and drizzling, but that didn't stop the kids from wanting to see the fire trucks.



Thursday night Clay mom and niece were able to come over for dinner and hang out for a while since it was Lanee's spring break.  We also celebrated Mimi's ... um, 29th ... birthday while she was here.  Rachel couldn't take her eyes off of those cupcakes!



Friday quickly rolled around and Ethan had a friend from school over all day and I kept one of Rachel's friends all day as well.  The kids certainly were not bored last week! 

Wordless Wednesday

Super buy details

For those who asked, here's how this shopping trip worked out:

Bought 4 packages of Huggies wipes that were on sale for $6 each, and used 4 coupons that were $5 off each (go here for coupon).  You can only print 2 coupons per computer, so I went to my mom's for the other 2.  So, I basically got the wipes for $1 a package.

Bought 2 boxes of Kotex tampons that were on sale 2/$6, and used 2 coupons that were $0.75 off from a Sunday paper.  Got the tampons for $2.25/box.

This week at Walgreens if you buy $25 or more (before coupons) of Kimberly Clark products you get $10 in register rewards when you checkout (just a $10 off coupon).  So, Walgreens basically paid me $1.50 to buy those things!

Bought the Starburst candies for Easter baskets and they were on sale 2/$1.00.

The Gillette Fusion razor was on sale for $8.99.  I had a $4 coupon from a Sunday paper, and then got another $4 register rewards certificate on this item so I got it for $0.99.  Since Clay's razor blades are around $14 for a package of 4, I think this is an amazing deal on 2 razor blades and a new razor.

The Sambucol cold and flu medicine was $11.99.  This month's EasySaver catalog (free at the front of the store or go here) had a $10 off coupon for this.  Then, I went to Sambucol's web site (here) and printed a $4 coupon to stack with the other one and basically got paid $2 to buy it.  Sweet.

The shampoo was on sale for $2.99, and the EasySaver catalog has a $2 off coupon.  I stacked it with a $1 off coupon from a Sunday paper and got it for free.

And of course the frappuccino was just my reward for a job well done!

I used a $4 register reward that I had from doing the razor deal earlier in the week and it all worked out (with the $14 register rewards I earned on this trip) to be $0.63 in my favor.  Love it!

On a coupon high

What kind of sad life do I lead when I seriously can't go to sleep at night thinking of the great bargains I got at Walgreens.  I really do need to spice it up a little around here.  But, whatever.  I still can't really believe it, but I got all of this ($70 worth) for negative $1:


I was going to write this long post about everything, but I'm going to sum it up into one long word:  Moneysavingmom.  If you're ever needing a good tip on freebies, coupons, etc., just go to www.moneysavingmom.com and enjoy.  The next time I need a new pair of shoes, I'm going to remind myself of this glorious shopping trip.

Where we've been

I can't believe it's been so long since I posted last.  Life has been happening and we've been busy.  Most of you know, but our friend Brad was called Home on Monday.  Clay and I weren't able to attend the funeral yesterday, but thankfully we were able to make the visitation Thursday night so that we could see Jenny.  I'll never forget what she said to me - "I just can't be sad yet - not right now.  I'm so happy for him that he's not in pain anymore and that he's rejoicing in heaven."  I only hope that I have this kind of faith and gratitude.  Please continue to pray for this family as their life has drastically changed and they cope with the loss of a wonderful husband, father, son and and friend.

The kids have been having a lot of fun in the warmer weather.  Last Sunday night Ethan was invited to go to church with a friend from school and he had a blast.  We're hoping Zachary can come to church with us soon.  Rachel is constantly cracking us up with things like, "Oh, that's cool" and "hmmm...that's weird" and "Oatmeal first - then potty."  Clay and Ethan went on a campout this weekend for Jack's 5th birthday and had fun roasting marshmallows and telling scary stories around the campfire.  Happy birthday Jack - we love you!  And yesterday we were so excited to help our nephew, Levi, celebrate his 1st birthday.  Hard to believe it's already been a year.  We love you so much and we're so glad you live close to us!  We're looking forward to spring break - not sure yet what we're going to do, but it's always nice to have a break from the norm.


On an afternoon bike ride


Playing the role of Chef Jeff for Ethan's Bible class


At the park



Having fun at McDonalds with the Davis trio


My little helper


If I remember correctly, Lauryn was Mary with Baby Rabbit...I mean, Jesus...and Ethan was a mean Star Wars character coming to get Baby Jesus




The birthday boy

Starr Wars

Ethan's absolute favorite time of day is the 30 minutes after Rachel goes to bed because he gets to play the Lego Star Wars video game with Clay (hence last week's photo).  So everything around here now revolves around Star Wars.  This morning I was instructed to be the Emperor while I fixed evil milk for Grievous.  Ethan replied with, "You fixed me a lot of milk, you did" in his best Yoda voice.  Nice.  Saturday night was a dream night for E (and probably Clay, too).  His friend Cale invited him over for a Star Wars party - not for a birthday or any special occasion, but just to have a party for Star Wars loving boys.  Apparently they had lightsaber fights and played Star Wars games.  I believe the highlight of the evening for Ethan was getting a Greivous tattoo which he lovingly refers to as "Grievey."  Hard to believe that he's old enough for all of this stuff.  Clay certainly did not like the idea of taking the camera to the party, so I snapped one of them before they left (you may have to click on it to get the full effect of the SW paraphernalia).