sunday will come

We Live!!!

In order to appease my huge number of blog fans (I think the total may be up to 2 now), I thought I would return to the blogging world. Rather than bore you with an extremely long post describing the crazy summer that flew by, the morning sickness filled last several months, or the monotonous yet fun life of a SAHM, I will simply start fresh.

I recently celebrated my birthday (please do not ask how old, let's just say I am OLD) and my DH offered to buy me a new camera for my birthday (interpreted, that means that I would do the looking, shopping and purchasing of the camera and thank him later for getting it for me.) Thanks honey!!

After looking at several different options, I decided to take the plunge and enter the world of digital SLR photography. When my Canon Rebel T1i arrived, let's just say I was slightly overwhelmed. It had about a hundred or so more buttons/functions than my little point and shoot camera had. But, I am not known for giving up.....well, diet and exercise don't count....so I stuck my nose right in that owner's manual and started studying. Here are the results:

Ahhh, my sassy little gal.

Not bad for a beginner. However, there are SOOOOOO many things about my camera that I still want to learn about. If you have any tips, tricks, instructions, websites, etc. - ANYTHING that will help me move on from beginner to novice, I would love the advice!!

And as for all my blogger fans (I hope you two are still awake), I will try to do better and update at least once a month. :)

A Little More....

This is just a quick post, because I don't want to forget this moment. The other night we were all in the living room watching a movie and Kyle suddenly says, "I love all my family. I love Dad and Mom and Mason and Hadley." Then, he leans in to me and quietly says,
"But Mom, I love you a little more."
I still smile and get teary-eyed when I think about it. That made my day and I don't want to forget it!!

One Decade Gone!!

Like we all say...."Where does the time go?" My baby is ten years old now! I guess he's not A baby anymore, but he'll always be mine.

It seems like just yesterday....

And now.....
He was so excited to find this present on the morning of his birthday! He's been collecting aluminum cans for over a year to save up for his very own motorcycle. Mason had saved over $300 (just from cans!). We decided to pitch in the rest and surprise him with it for his birthday.

Happy Birthday Mason! We love you!!

Spring Break Trip

With Lynn's job it is really difficult for us to leave for Spring Break, but I twisted his arm and convinced him that we needed to take the kids somewhere, anywhere, for a couple of days so that we wouldn't be totally bored the whole week. While going south to somewhere warm was really tempting, I thought it would be nice to go to Salt Lake, see some sites there and visit my mom. Here's a few pics:

(Maya, Hadley, Kyle and Mason)

Tuesday night we arrived in Salt Lake and my mom and my aunt were so kind to watch the kids while Lynn and I went to the Jordan River Temple. We wanted to go to the Draper temple but were running late and found out that you needed to get appointments ahead of time because they are so busy. That was fine because a temple is a temple, right? It is always wonderful to be in the temple.

My mom took the kids to Chuck E Cheese and they had a blast. Nina and her family came down and played too. Thanks so much Mom and Aunt Carmen!

The next day we enjoyed a ride on Trax (exciting for small town kids!) and went on a tour of the Conference Center. Kyle and Hadley have never been there, but it was fun for the rest of us to go again.

(On top of the Conference Center. Windy and cold....)
We were lucky enough to see an apostle during our trip. Elder D. Todd Christofferson was wandering the halls and we also rode in the elevator with him. It's always an awesome feeling to be in the presence of a prophet of the Lord.

Afterwards, we visited the observatory of the church office building - if you have never done this, you need to! It's amazing!
(See the capitol in the background?)
It is the very top floor of the building, 26th floor I think. And the elevator is the fastest elevator in Utah - you travel a floor a second, maybe even a little faster. We want to come back again on a clear day - they say you can see the whole valley from up there.

(How cute is this?)

(I told you....the view is amazing!)

(Ahhh.....another cute pic)



(Like I said, it was windy that day....)

After lunch, we spent the rest of the afternoon at Discovery Gateway. A very fun place for kids, but a little pricey if you don't have a membership there. I guess all that matters is the kids had fun, right?

That night the kids enjoyed another night of swimming at the hotel (thank heavens for Marriott rewards - free hotel stays!!). For small town families, an indoor swimming pool and a stay at a hotel is sometimes all the vacation we need!

After some minor car problems (thanks to a full gallon of watered down gas - don't buy gas from the Chevron in Orem that is southwest across from University Mall!!), we made it home safe and sound Thursday night. It was a fun trip, but it's always great to be home!

The Answer is....

Ok, so I'm trying not to be depressed after all of your really low guesses.....:) Here's the scoop:


I watched as my total started at about $177 and then plummeted down to $54 and some change - it was awesome! As you can see, my savings was over $120!! And, I still have a coupon for free milk and two 10% coupons for next time, plus I will be sending in for a $20 rebate. Granted, I didn't pay as little as some have done in the past, but I was still super excited with the savings! Hopefully, as I gain experience, I can someday post an even better savings total! Thanks to everyone for playing.

Name That Total.....

As a coupon virgin (so to speak...), I have been anxiously awaiting the day that I could unashamedly display a picture of my great savings. The day has arrived! Without further ado (much to the embarassment of my husband and son), here it is!

How much did I save? Nope....not so fast.....I'd like you to guess. Comment with your guess of the total cost for all 46 items. Please take note that there are two packages of country style ribs, two gallons of milk, a new release movie "Bedtime Stories", seven boxes of cereal, ten betty crocker icings, eight bbq sauces, and more! I'll post the total in a couple of days. I can't wait to see the guesses!