SAVINGS, SAVINGS, SAVINGS

Okay - since Kaison has started formula I have been trying to save money any where I can. I have even resorted to cutting coupons, which I grow to hate real quickly!! I came across a website from someone else's blog called Baby Cheapskate (www.babycheapskate.com). Each day or so the lady posts bargains that you can find at well known stores, such as Old Navy, Baby Center, Amazon.com, etc. She does all the dirty work for you and will post when Target and Wal-Mart have sales on their diapers or formula. It is nice to have someone else do the leg work for you!!

I also found a website wwww.afullcup.com. It is a discussion board type page where people post deals that they have found or links to coupons. It also has a Target and CVS coupon generator that will pring their store coupons that they have out at that time. I have found the CVS coupons to be great for us!! I know I have told some of you my savings story from CVS, so if you have heard it already I am sorry!!

On A Full Cup you can print a coupon to CVS that if you fill a new or transferred prescription you can get a $25 gift card free. They also had several other coupons that you could print like $5 off a purchase of $20 and $5 off Energizer batteries. It just happens that I had two prescriptions that I needed have filled. I took them in on two separate days and on both days got a $25 gift card. Also, last week their Energizer batteries were on sale for $5.29. So with my $5 off coupon I got an 8 pack of batteries for $0.29. What a deal!! I didn't buy too much other stuff that night, but the next time I went I was able to get 3 cans of Nestle GooNowdstart Natural Cultures formula for free. I also got a couple of gift bags, cough syrup, more batteries, cough drops, and Kleenex. I left the store with $12 left on my gift card!! I could have gotten another free can of formula, but I was in a hurry and did not go back to get it. Did I mention that both prescriptions together only cost $10. That is all I paid out of pocket for EVERYTHING!! You can't beat that!!

So, all you frugal people out there who want to save money but don't want to keep up with what each store has on sale that week, check out A Full Cup. I guarantee you will find great deals on the things that you need to buy. And it is not only baby stuff. They post all kinds of coupon codes or links to coupons that you can print.

Now each of you have to go check out these sites and come back and tell me the great deal that you found!! I hope you are able to save as much money as I was!!

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!!

This is what happens when you leave your toys out in an ice storm...

Playing in the Leaves

Yesterday Corban and Landice came over to play. I raked a few leaves for them to play in. Kadence wasn't quite as excited as Corban and Landice. She had more fun riding in the wagon!! Here are a few pictures.

Merry Christmas from our family to Yours!!

I hope everyone enjoys our new family Christmas pictures!! I can't get the link to work, so you have to copy and paste the URL into Internet Explorer.

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9361678993

Merry Christmas,
Tara

We're On a Roll

Well, Kaison has officially joined the ranks of all the kids that can roll from his back to his tummy and then to his back again. He tackled both of them in one day. We knew it was coming soon because sometimes he would wake up in his bed on his stomach. We finally got to witness it for ourselves. It takes him a little while sometimes, but Kadence is very proud of his new accomplishment. She really has trouble letting him do it by himself though. Here is the video to prove our new feat!!

Race for the Cure

This last Sunday my family and I took part in the Austin, TX Race for the Cure against Breast Cancer. My grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer a little over a year ago and is now cancer free!! Her strength and ability to see the good in her situation inspired me so much!! She truly is a survivor. Here are a few pictures from our weekend.

Happy Halloween!!

This year for Halloween Kadence was a black cat and Kaison was a giraffe. I wanted Kadence to be a Zebra, but she was scared of it. Oh well. She made a very cute cat as well!! She started off kind of nervous about the whole trick-or-treating thing, but as soon as she learned that she got candy from the people she had no problems. She didn't have time to say "trick-or-treat". She just walked up to the person with the candy and grabbed a handful. At least most people thought she was cute doing it. She just performed and entertained everyone! Here are a few of our best pictures!


Her bag was getting too heavy for her to carry. Eventually she just started dragging it on the ground.

Kadence's Newest Praying Routine

Kadence has started a new routine when we ask her what she wants to pray for each night. She performed perfectly tonight for us to get it on video!!

New Photos!

Pumpkin Patch

Weekend with Uncle Trent

Lyin' Around

Kadence also decided to get in my purse and put on lipstick today.

Husband Tag

Different Tag game - Husband Tag!

1. Who is your man? Micah
2. How long have you been together? 6 years
3. How long did you date? 11 months
4. How old is your man? 28
5. Who eats more? That is debatable when I am nursing, but usually him.
6. Who said "I love you" first? Micah
7. Who is taller? Definetly Micah
8. Who sings better? Hmmm...we both struggle to carry a good tune.
9. Who is smarter? I would say me, but he definetly knows more Bible facts than I do.
10. Whose temper is worse? ME - Micah very seldom loses his temper.
11. Who does the laundry? Mostly me, but sometimes he helps
12. Who takes out the garbage? Only Micah, unless it stinks really bad and he is not coming home for a couple of hours.
13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Micah
14. Who pays the bills? I do - Micah would be lost without me on this one.
15. Who is better with the computer? Me
16. Who mows the lawn? Micah, except when I was 9 months pregnant and wanting the baby to come. Don't tell my doctor.
17. Who cooks dinner? Me
18. Who drives when you are together? Micah
19. Who pays when you go out? Micah
20. Who is most stubborn? Hum, that's a hard one...we both are pretty stubborn. But I probably get my way more.
21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Micah
22. Whose parents do you see the most? Both about equally, we always try to keep touch with my parents so they can watch Kadence & Kaison grow up. They haven't gone longer than a month without seeing either one since Kadence was born.
23. Who kissed who first? Depends on what kind of kiss! :-) I guess technically I kissed him first.
24. Who asked who out? I asked him out. I had a crush on him and he had no idea. So I invited him to go swimming with me and my friends. It was definetly love at first site, or third, or hundreth.
25. Who proposed? Micah
26. Who is more sensitive? Hands down, me
27. Who has more friends? Micah could sit and talk with anyone if they just nod every once in a while.
28. Who has more siblings? I do
29. Who wears the pants in the family? Hum....Micah, but I would answer differently if I knew he wasn't gonna read this! : ) (Britney I liked your answer!)
I tag Summer, Elizabeth & Katie

Kaison Laughing

Kaison is really getting a personality. It is so much fun when he sits and talks to you!!

Please Help!!!!!!!

Okay - so Micah, being the great husband and father that he is, decided he would get the kids ready on Saturday while I splet in a while. We were going to his parent's house to watch the OU game that afternoon so he got the kids in the OU attire and then "attempted" to fix Kadence's hair. Now...he has gotten her ready for Sonshine School many times without me, but never has he been brave enough to attempt pigtails. I think the picture says everything!! I am so glad that I came to her rescue before she was taken out into public and embarrassed. (I was probably more worried about my own embarrassment.)

Bible Class

Where is Kaison?
Where is Kaison?
Did he come?
Did he come?
Come to Bible class,
Come to Bible class.
He's right here,
Peekaboo!

Yes, Kaison has joined the ranks in his Bible class for newborns. I was trying to convince myself that they had to 8-10 weeks old before going, for safety reasons. Well, I finally (after some convincing from Micah) broke down and took him to class. This was not actually his first time, but the first time I finally remembered my camera. And he didn't even get to sit on the table. The poor guy had to be down on the floor. Well, according to his teachers, they say that he loves Bible class. He is usually awake when we take him in and then after the first song or two he is out! Maybe he is taking it all in by osmosis!!

Have a Seat

I walked in to Kaison's room only to find his big sister sitting in his lap. Who knows what she was thinking, but she actually thought it was fun!! His face is priceless. Brothers always seem to just put up with their sisters crazy ideas.

Watch Out Dancing with the Stars

I promise she does not get her dance moves from me!! I think my sister taught her some of her moves!! Sorry about the choppy music - it is off my cell phone. She gets a little shy towards the end and stops dancing.

Our Efforts Not in Vain

Micah and I have been praying with Kadence almost every day since she was born. She usually hears 2 or 3 prayers every day thanking God for the same things each time. We always try to mention each family member by name, our blessings, friends (i.e. Corban is ALWAYS the first friend Kadence mentions), and prayer requests. Every once in a while we will try to get her to say the prayer, but she always gets shy and says, "Noooooooo." (This one is in a sweet voice, rather than the usual mean "NO!"). Well, yesterday on our way to Wal-Mart I kept hearing her repeat "Nana, Papa, Trent, Tori, and Boryan (Corban)." She kept saying it over and over so finally I looked back and she had her hands folded and her head bowed. So, Nana, Papa, Trent, Tori, and Boryan - know you were prayed for yesterday by Kadence!! It was the sweetest, most rewarding things to know that she is picking up on what we are teaching her!! I pray that she will alwasys have a wonderful relationship with her Father and know that she can ALWAYS go to Him in prayer!!

Sick of being sick!

Well, Kadence, Kaison and I were all sick yesterday. The kids both were running a fever and Kadence complained that her stomach hurt all day. She never got sick, but she would not eat anything and wanted to be in my lap ALL day. I think Kaison's fever was from getting shots on Thursday. And I came down with a sinus infection on Tuesday. I lost my voice on Wednesday and it is finally starting to come back. I am just ready for all of us to get to feeling better. I hate to say that I am kind of tired of cuddling on the couch watching Cinderella over and over.
Here are a few pictures of the kids just laying around yesterday and from the past week!

I've Got the Joy

You Tube Videos I Like!

Everyone has probably seen these a million times now, but I just laugh everytime I watch them!! Enjoy.





This last one I can't put on here, but you can view it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fVDGu82FeQ.

Pictures of Kadence, Corban, Landice, & Kaison

"I'm In The Lord's Army"

Sorry that it is sideways, but here is Kadence singing "I'm In the Lord's Army." Also, I know I can't carry a tune in a bucket. :-) Enjoy!!

OU Football

We'll here they are!! All decked out in their OU gear for the game. Luckily I had to work so I was not subjected to the torture of watching to whole game. I just listened to the yelling and screaming from the other room. I can just imagine Kadence in the next few weeks yelling, "Come on Ref!! Are you blind?"

Also, here is a picture comparison of Kadence and Kaison. She wore the same little OU outfit during her first OU game in 2005.


Kaison 6 weeks

Kadence 8 weeks

It Was Bound to Happen

Well, I have heard this happen to other people, but I never in my wildest dreams thought it would happen to me. Boy was I wrong!!
Today when I went to pick up Kadence from Sonshine school I was running really late. I was feeding Kaison and kind of lost track of time. I quickly drove to the church and first went to Micah's office because I could use his help with the kids. He wasn't in his office and so I started down the hallway to Kadence's room. Down the hallway I could see both Summer and Andrea with their strollers. I thought to myself, "boy, i should have put Kaison in his stroller, then I wouldn't have to be lugging him around everywhere." "Kaison???" "Where is Kaison?" I scratched my head for a second and thought, "Did I set him down in the office somewhere?" No, he was no where to be found except safely fastened in his car seat - IN THE CAR! I almost started crying when I got to the car and saw him sound asleep in his car seat. I just prayed that no one in the parking lot saw me leaving the building empty handed and then grabbing a newborn out of the car. I can't believe I did that, but I guess with all the interrupted sleep I have been gettting something like that was bound to happen sooner or later!!
Good luck to all you new mothers!! I pray that your babies sleep lots and that you don't lose your sanity like I am.

First Day of Sonshine School

Well, today Kadence finally started Sonshine school!! She was really excited this morning while we were getting ready. I was a little worried about having to wake up at 6:00 in the morning just to be able to get all three of us ready in time. So last night I got her back pack packed and her lunch made. So this morning went really smoothly. She ate all her breakfast and even let me brush her teeth and hair without screaming. She even posed with Kaison for a quick picture before we left for school. (See above)

Once we got to her class most of her classmates were already there, most of which were screaming. I figured she would be attached to my neck and never let go, but she actually walked over to the coloring table and sat down. As you can see by her expression, she was a little uncertain as to why everyone else was crying. Her and Mac hooked up right away and did their own thing. I hope for their teacher's sake that the rest of the kids calmed down.

Kadence brought home a lovely picture that she had colored, put stickers on, and even glued a cotton ball on it. She is getting so big. Her teachers were really surprised at how much she loves to clean up!! They said that the other kids kept dragging out all the blocks and she would follow behind them singing, "Clean up, clean up." I guess I have taught her well!

I really enjoyed my one on one time with Kaison today. It was kind of limited because I had some major catching up to do with work. Elizabeth and I went to lunch to console each other about our babies being old enough to go to school. It is hard to believe that they are already two years old. They sure do grow up fast!!

Speaking of growing up fast and needing consoling - Kaison is about to the age that he can be left in the nursery during Bible class. I am not sure that I am quite ready for this, but I know he will enjoy having some one sing Bible songs to him rather than sitting in his carrier with Micah and I. So, if you see me crying in Bible class the next couple of weeks you will know why!

Blessings from God

I have two of the most precious kids in the entire world. Kadence absolutely loves her little brother and he seems to tolerate her really well, too. He puts up with her poking and pulling and kissing and patting. I know she thinks she is being such a big girl, but sometimes I am worried she is going to try to bring him to me by one of his legs. :-)

She is helping with diaper changes, baths, and even feedings. She loves to sit with the boppy and try to feed her own baby dolls while I am feeding Kaison. She has even gone and gotten her own nursing pads and tried to put them in her shirt. It is adorable seeing her be "mommy" to her babies. For every wet wipe that we use on Kaison she has to use one on her baby dolls. It is too cute.

Kadence has also been very protective of her little brother. She is really not fond of other people holding him, especially other kids. But luckily she has adjusted well to having a little on around the house! Every morning she wants to give him hugs and say "Morning bruver." Then every night she will not get in bed until she says her prayer while holding Kaison's hand. He is not always so cooperative, but she just squeezes harder so he will not let go. I am glad that she is learning to importance of praying together as a family and will only pray if all four of us are together.

My Bathing Beauty

Kadence absolutely loves to play outside in the pool. Yesterday the weather was so nice that we all went out to play. Micah actually mowed the yard and trimmed the trees while the rest of us played outside. Kaison even got to relax in his bouncy seat.


MY BATHING BEAUTY!


KAISON RELAXING IN THE SUN!

Also, here lately we have been having problems with a mole ruining our landscaping and grass in our front and back yard. While I was relaxing in my lawn chair (right over a mole hill) I all of the sudden felt something popping up under my foot. I of course freaked out and started screaming and jumping around. The mole never actually came completely out from under the ground, but you could see it pushing up on the dirt. It was really quite entertaining. I probably watched it for 20 minutes. Micah came and stomped on the spot, but it did not seem to bother him.

If anyone has any ideas on how to get rid of the moles, please let us know. I am tired of my flower beds being invaded.

New Roof...And Just in Time

We have known for some time now that our house was going to need a new roof. We have been putting it off for the last year, I guess in hopes that the need would just go away. We really did not like the idea of spending that much money at one time. Well, this last week we finally bit the bullett and had it replaced. They showed up yesterday morning at about 7:00. Needless to say we WERE NOT awake. We were awake at every other hour of the night, but had all finally gone to sleep to only be awaken by the sound of gunfire. Or what sounded like gunfire. It really felt like we were in the middle of a war zone as they started ripping off all the old shingles. So, we loaded up the kids and spent the morning at the zoo. It was a surprisingly cool morning, which made it very nice to be walking around the zoo. Kadence had a blast and I think Kaison did too!! He already knows what a monkey says..."Ahhh, ahhh, oohhh, aahhh." He is learning to do that really well. After we got some lunch at Chic-fil-A we were all ready for a nap. Reluctantly we went home to try to get some rest. Kadence was so warn out that she actually slept for 2 hours despite the nail guns going off above her. Micah and I on the other hand had headaches after 2 hours and so we decided to head back out to kill some more time. The guys finally decided to call it a night around 8:00, just to wake us up again this morning at 7:30. We are so glad that they finally got it done. About an hour after they got everything cleaned up and moved out a HUGE storm below throught Edmond. I think we had winds up to 70 mph. It probably only rained for 30 minutes or so, but with the old roof we would have standing water in our living room right now. Lucky for us everything is dry. I just hope we don't already have wind damage up there. Wow - this is getting long. That kind of sums up the last few days for us!! We are gearing up for a busy weekend and then looking forward to going to Texas for a few days next weekend!!

Here are the pictures from the zoo!

Oklahoma City Zoo

Spoiled Rotten

Well, Micah and I have been spoiled rotten these last couple of weeks. We have been blessed to have somebody cook dinner for us almost every night for the last 3 weeks. On the nights that we didn't have left overs we would find ourselves at Jason's Deli or Chili's or at a friends house. Lucky for me I had to cook our first meal in 3 weeks last night. I made chicken spaghetti and I have to say it was pretty good! I cut up a fresh salad with strawberries and almonds (which is now a requirement for Micah now since we had a lot of salads with strawberries and almonds over the last 3 weeks). I usually just make generic salads with maybe a green pepper, tomato, carrots, and broccoli. Micah never knew how yummy it was to have strawberries and almonds in your salad. He was also introduced to homemade strawberry dressing. It looks like I am in for it. I am going to have to broaden my cooking skills after all of these great meals. Thanks to everyone who volunteered to cook us dinner!! It defintely makes having babies worth it. :-) Just kidding. Our kids are such a blessing and I am so grateful to have 2 wonderful, good tempered kids.

More Pictures of Kaison

Kaison Micah Hobbs

The Big Day

Here are the pictures as promised. Sorry, I know that there are a lot of them! We kind of get carried away when babies are born. And not to mention that there were 5 different cameras taking pictures from every angle. We were very blessed to have such a smooth labor and delivery. We barely stayed in the hospital a whole day. Kaison had to at least stay 24 hours to make sure he was doing okay, othewise we might have left sooner.

Everyone seems to be adjusting well to the new change. Kadence really does not seem to mind her new brother, but then again she is still being spoiled by Nana and Papa. Hopefully after they leave I will be able to fill in (maybe not so much spoiling), but have enough energy and patience to give them both the attention that they need!

Be sure the check back often. I am sure there will be plently more pictures to come in the next few weeks to months.

Kaison Has Arrived!

Well, if you haven't already heard Kaison was born yesterday, July 29th at 11:37 am. He weighed 8 lbs 1 oz and was 20 inches long. He has a tiny bit of blonde hair and looks a lot like his sister. We are all doing well and just came home from the hospital this afternoon. I will get the pictures off my camera hopefully this evening and post them soon. Thanks for your prayers during this time.

Random...Absurd News Headline

Okay - so I was watching the 12:00 news this afternoon and I guess they were really stretching for stories today. I hope no one else had to suffer through the news story titled "President's Routine Colonoscopy Tomorrow." That poor guy. Who in the world cares when the President gets his routine colonoscopies. That is one of the most private things I can think of and here they news is telling the world. I don't even want to know which of his next yearly exams will be on the news next month.
I know this was random, but I was really disturbed by it this afternoon.

Kadence's 2nd Birthday Pictures!!

Kadence's 2nd Birthday

Okay so I said I would come back and tell how wonderful Kadence's 2nd Birthday was. You can look at all kinds of pictures at the link above.

We just invited all of her church and Sonshine school friends out to Hafer Park for a Luau birthday party. We all wore leis and had wonderful "beach" cupcakes. I have to say I thought they looked pretty cute, but we had issues with the icing melting because of the humidity. Oh well. Kadence had lots of fun opening presents and playing with all her friends on the big slides.

It seems hard to believe that my baby is now 2 years old. Where has the time gone? She is growing up so fast and in a few weeks will not be my baby any more. :-(

Kaison's Bedroom

Well a couple of months ago I was stressing over what bedding I wanted to get for the new baby's room. Oh yeah...and if you didn't notice, his name is officially Kaison. We have the letters for his wall already, so there is no going back now.

Anyways, we had thought a lot about using an old vintage truck theme for his room, but just could not find what we were looking for. My grandpa owns an old Chevy pickup, AKA "Blue Baby" and we wanted to really use that as our inspiration. Then Pottery Barn came out with a line with red, blue, and green trucks. It really went perfect for what we were looking for. The bumper that we went with didn't actually go along with the trucks, but it was only $20 so it was a must!!

His room is coming together finally. We spent all day yesterday cleaning out the guest bedroom and putting things into the attic. As we were rearranging furniture unfortunately we noticed that his room needs a new coat of paint. There are scuffs and scratches everywhere. That is why nothing is on the walls yet. As you can see we still have a lot to do and get to complete his room, but I am sure that it will be ready before he comes!!