So much to say this week. Not sure where to start, but forgive me and skip to the end if you get bored.

First of all, I got a surprise in my mailbox this week.

I suppose it's my fault for buying the cheap plastic mailbox when I moved into the country. 

Lesson learned.

To the person who lit the glittering fountain in my mailbox:

One day, when you are grown, and mature (hopefully), I pray that a child just like you comes and puts a glittering fountain in your mailbox leaving it burnt and scarred, just like mine. 

Until then, enjoy yourself and watch that you don't lose your hand.

I took Trevor to the circus a few days ago.  Shane was supposed to take him, but he has injured his back pretty bad and wasn't up to the hard narrow splintered seats.  Don't tell, but secretly I was thrilled that I was the one that had to take Trevor.  I get excited like a schoolgirl over the idea of lions, elephants, clowns, and sequins. 

It was small, perfect for a small town, but entertaining and well done.  Trevor loved it, but I missed most of it messing with the settings on my camera trying to make the perfect shots.  It was frustrating, but worth it. 

Trevor rode the elephant.  Being scared of most everything I wasn't sure he would do it.  He marched up there with the biggest grin on his face, let the gentleman lift him onto the front seat on the elephant, and then the fear set into his eyes.

I could hear him saying "Get me down, I don't want to do this.  I'm scared."  With encouragement from me, and a quick prayer that they would hurry up and get the gentle giant moving, he rode like a champ.  After dismounting the beast, leaving the stairway he stated "That was so much fun!" 

Mission accomplished. 

He now tells everything that he was never afraid and it was something that he will remember for a long time.  When did he get so big?

I finally talked Becca into letting me help her organize her baby clothes.  Having babies is the best thing I've ever done, but it's also work.  The easier you can make your life, the more time you have to enjoy the small things.  Like the way her little toes will curl in when she sleeps.  Having clothes organized makes it so you won't have to take that extra half hour to pull out the next size up from a jungle of baby clothes.  Not to mention finding the matching pants or diaper cover. 

Ryder has been sleeping in bed with me recently.  The logical part of me screams bad idea.  The mom in me loves the way he cuddles into me in his sleep.  He's so needy recently.  He gets upset at the smallest things and wants to be held or cuddled.  I'm loving the cuddles, but hating that he's always upset.  What can I do to help?

The woman from Early On comes back tuesday.  I'm thrilled.  I pray that she has genius ways to help my little boy communicate.  I'm running out of ideas.

Wyatt is four months old.  I always remember back the Ryder's milestones when Wyatt hits them.  It seems like Wyatt is ahead of him at most things.   Ryder will be the bookworm and Wyatt will be the football star. 

The doctor says I can start cereal with him anytime now.  Ryder wasn't interested in it until around 7 months.  I just don't feel like a four month old baby would have much interest in a spoon full of mush anyway.  So we wait.  I'm in no rush to push him to get older anyway. 

Shane's new toys, that's a phrase I use a lot.  Four-wheelers this time.  I'm sure he will have a great time riding with our boys.  So I'm glad, glad that our boys will have that kind of experience.  Glad that I'm able to provide that kind of fun for them.  Things that I wasn't able to have, but would have loved when I was growing up.  Glad that they can be boys... including the silly accidents, broken arms and bloody noses that I'm sure will come with being boys.  Glad for the chance for them to wrench on something with their dad, glad for more time spent in the garage.  Glad for my husband, and the way he loves them.

18 Months

My little man turned 18 months old last week.  It's amazing the changes in him since he turned a year.  I was reading Bringing Up Bumble a few months ago where she was talking about how different each month is in the first few years of a childs life.  How right she is.  I'm going to steal this idea from her because I really loved it. Here is a list of 18 of my favorite things that my little man is doing at age 18 months.

1. He walks up and gives me a kiss on the lips for no reason at all
2. He puts on everyones shoes and walks around the house in them, whether they be dada's shoes, or Wyatt's shoes.
3. He says 'Momma' when he's sad.
4. He will sit and play by himself chattering away like he has the most important things to say, even though only he knows what he's saying.
5. When I put him to bed, he looks up from his crib at me, rubs his eyes, and smiles.
6. His hair grows faster than I know what to do with.
7. He knows what he wants to eat, and won't eat anything besides that.
8. He has to use the fork at mealtime, if I do it for him he won't eat.
9. He loves his dada and will spend hours in his arms.
10. Dada takes him for rides on the lawn mower and he will point around the yard to everything that he thinks is interesting.
11. He knows where his belly, ears, nose, mouth, hair, and toes are.
12. He does everything he can to help me with Wyatt, including bring his bottle when he cries, attempt to feed him, throw away diapers, help burp him, and tries to hold him. 
13. He loves being outside and going places.
14. He knows what the tv remote does and will steal it just to push buttons and see what happens.
15. If he sees you do something once he can almost always repeat it.
16. He would rather drink out of a water bottle than from his cup, and is able to remove and replace the cap when he takes a drink.
17. He loves animals, and will chase the cat all over the house.
18. He loves books and will go get one when you mention reading to him.

You never realize how fast time goes... even after two hundred people tell you.

I suppose I should also mention though, that with the 18 month age comes the beginning signs that soon he will be two. 

The combination of his lack of ability to communicate and this strange stage that all babies must go through on their path to boyhood sometimes makes for very long and tough days.  It also marks the very first time that I have actually been truely stumped as to how to help my poor little man. 

What does a mother do about things like not knowing whether your child wants strawberries or a cup of milk, and the tantrum that comes with the fact that he can't tell me?  I've gotten a lot of advice from a lot of people, and for that I am thankful, but its a lot easier to talk about it than it is to put it into action.

I just pray that his words will come soon.  He seems to struggle so much sometimes, I just want to do everything that I can to help him.  Including pushing aside the envy when I see another 18 month old child in the grocery store talking about the baby and saying buh-bye to everyone that walks by. 

Shouldn't my little boy be the one getting the smiles from his chatter? 

He is not a quiet child, not even close.  He yells and "chatters" and makes noises all day long, so much so that some days I enjoy the peace of naptime.  Just no words.  He just points and whines when he wants something. 

Trevor is finally with us for the summer.  I am so thrilled to have him here!  Although he is a little bit rough with Ryder, he also keeps him busy and more calm.  And the longer he is with us, the better he will get.  I know its hard on him adjusting to different households. 

Dada is taking Trevor to the circus tomorrow.  I would love to go with them and take Ryder, but I just know that he isn't quite old enough to be able to sit for that long.  And although it is less than a mile from our house, it seems like too much to take him, pay to get in, and then to leave soon after when he starts to get antsy. 

Next year.

I am planning a trip to the zoo soon though.  Ryder loves animals so much that I cannot wait to get him and Trevor over to the little zoo in the woods.  I think I love it there just as much as the kids will.  It's so beautiful and relaxing to see all the animals.  I can't wait.  We took Trevor when he was around three.  He didn't enjoy it because at the time, I wasn't really a mom yet.  I didn't realize that little boys cannot spend a day out in the heat like that without a stroller and "Momma's Goodie Bag" overflowing with momma tools of the trade. 

This time I will be prepared.  Over packed, over sunblocked, and ready for anything.

Couponing really has become a huge part of my life now.  I even dream about them.  It's addicting, and I want to share my knowledge of it with everyone I meet.  How can you not enjoy getting more than half off your grocery bill?? 

I went to the local walmart the other day.  I walked out with over $9.00 worth of items including:

• 4 Travel Sized Dial Body Washes
• 3 Travel Sized Huggies Wipes
• 2 Bottles of Store Brand Hand Soap

My total was $1.06.  How can you not want to do that?

Also, with my $0.50 off huggies baby wipes coupons, I was able to purchase four 64 count plastic tote baby wipes for $0.50 each.  And the soft packs were free! (But sold out of course)

I also feel like it's a huge part of the new organized me.  I've fallen neatly into the role of wife, mother, and homemaker.  I've found a use for couponing in taking care of my family, and that makes it even more worth it.  If I can save money on items that I have to buy anyway, then there will be more money there to buy diapers, and maybe start that college fund for each of the boys that I dream about. 

I got the manager at the local grocery store to write me a raincheck for Sobe Energy Drinks.  They are running a deal where if you buy 10 drinks, you get 5 free, which makes them only $0.67 each.  Normal retail price on them being $1.59.  Having a raincheck for them makes it so I can go back, whenever I want to, and buy as many as I want to (not having to worry about intervals of 15, or a limit of 45) and still pay $0.67 each.  Jackpot.

I finally went and bought some of the totes I need to organize my baby clothes.  I want to go through and get rid of all the stained ones (thanks to my wonderful spit up boy).  I plan on giving them away free to whoever might use them.  I hate the idea of throwing them away when there are so many woman out there that are pregnant and trying to figure out how there are going to clothe the child inside of them.  I also want to organize them all by size (newborn, 0-3, 3-6, 6-9, 12, etc.) so that it's easier to get to them when I need to pull new clothes out for Wyatt, and easier to put them away as well.  Concidering I now have two large totes and a box completely pack full and overflowing of all sizes of boys clothes, I need to do this as soon as possible. 

On a different note, I'd like to wish Happy Father's Day to my dad, my father-in-law, and my wonderful husband.  Shane has been there for me through so much.  He has blessed me in so many ways, including making me a mother.  He is there for our boys, loves them, prays for them, cares for them, plays with them, worries about them, and truely loves them with all of his heart.  The fact that he does those things is the biggest blessing he could give me.  How did I get so lucky? 

I love you darling, Happy Father's Day.

Coupon Deals of the Week

$.75/1 Single Pack Tic-Tac.  Doubled at local grocery store.  Should be about a $.49 cent profit on each.

$2.00/1 Dial Lotion or Body Wash.  Get the Trial size.  Should be around $1.03 profit on each.

Wy

Wyatt is getting so big.  It's funny how even though I went through all of this with Ryder 14 months ago, it all seems like the first time all over again with Wy. 

He won't stay on his back anymore, which is good.  We don't want a cone head baby.  When he is on his tummy he lifts his head like a pro.  Before I know it he will be crawling... and then I will be chasing after two.  Double the calorie burning at least. 

He was born completely bald on top.  He looked just like an old man!  Now his hair is grown in thick on top, but he is losing all the rest of it on the sides.  I haven't decided yet whether he will follow in his brother's footsteps and have light hair, or if he will take after dada's side and have dark.  I hope dark, but anything God gives him will be fine with me.

He's starting smiling non-stop.  If you sit and talk to him, he will laugh away at you.  He is such a happy baby.  I am so blessed to have happy babies. 

Wyatt will be four months next week.  I cannot believe how the time flies.  As much as I want it to slow down and enjoy every second of it, I know that before I know it, they will be leaving for college.  Or at least they had better!  I want doctors and lawyers out of these boys.  Or maybe dentists. 

Organic is Awesome

We've successfully switched Ryder over to mostly organic.  There are things he still gets that are not organic, but I'm finding more and more things to switch every time I go to the grocery store.

• Horizon Organic Milk (sometimes in chocolate if I'm feeling generous)
• Annie's Homegrown Bunnies in chocolate and cheddar
• Earth's Best Sesame Street Snacks
• Organic fruits and veggies

The list goes on.  I will post links to those items when I get more time.

Update

I used to be a very unorganized person.  Important dates were kept jumbled up in my brain, if kept at all.  I never wrote anything down, and I really didn't care if I was a few minutes late here or there.  I was young and naive in that way. 

With the fairly new attached title of "momma", and two little men counting on me for their everything, I've become the complete opposite and I'm loving every minute of it. 

My calender is my best friend, I even keep a smaller second copy in my wallet. 

I make lists before I go shopping.

I start getting the boys into the car an hour before I have to be somewhere, even if it only takes me twenty minutes to get there.  Just in case.

Organization is key for everything.  With a toddler running around, the more organzied you are, they better.  And the less time something takes to find or put away, the more time I get to play with my boys. 

I had a genius idea this last week.  I'm really not sure why I haven't thought of it before, and I'm possitive that many others already have.  I have three HUGE totes full of boys clothes ranging in size.  Every time I move up a size I have to dump every one of them (Ryder helps with this part) and go through looking at all the tags to figure out which I need next.  Pretty time consuming and ridiculous if you ask me.

I purchased enough sweater sized totes to have each size organized. Now all that I have to do is go in and pull out the appropriate sized tote, and I'm finished.  I'm thrilled with my accomplishment, but feel embarressed that it took me 18 months to figure it out. 

I hope to be able to pass on the skills that I've learned from being a mother to all of those willing to listen.  Please believe me, the easier you can make things when you are a mom, the more time you get to enjoy spending with your babies.

With Ryder delayed so much with his speach, we are struggling with the bridge of communication.  He does his best to tell me what he wants, but sometimes I just can't figure it out.  So I'm pulling out the baby sign language. Last week I started teach Ryder the symbol for more.  When he's eating, instead of screaming or getting upset, he will be able to sign more if he wants more food.  Every time he wants more food, I look at him, say "more" and sign the word at the same time.

We were eating strawberries the other day, (his new favorite) and he started yelling so he could have more.  I looked at him with my hands full (I wasn't doing the symbol for more like I had been), and said "more?".  He looked right into my eyes and did the sign for more.  My heart definatly dropped. 

While researching I had read that it takes babies up to three months to learn one symbol.  I never would have imagined that he would do it in three days!  Now, don't get me wrong, he doesn't do it every time, and he still needs a lot of practice, but he did it.  He actually did a sign.  This gives me hope and encouragment to move on and teach him as much as possible.  I'm so proud of him.

I've noticed that I speak more of my Ryder than I do about Wyatt.  I'm going to do a post soon all about Wy.  We can all look forward to that, there isn't as much to say, but he is getting so big!

All the cute little pink baby outfits floating around our house gives me a bad case of baby fever.  I'm almost wishing that I was pregnant again.  Almost.  We're going to give it a little bit longer than 14 months between the next two.  Not that I don't want more babies... right now... but physically I think I might collapse! 

I've been playing tag with the gentleman from the insurance company about my car.  He needs a verbal statement about the pothole that blew up my strut, but he never answers when I call, and I always am elbow deep in poopy diapers, or running to get a screaming baby.  I can't wait until its fixed.  I do love driving the truck, but with the amount of appointments I have, and the miles I go, I want my gas mileage back.

Little Boy

As I sit on the floor in tears from a difficult day, my baby, who has turned into a little boy without my permission, stands in front of me.  He has a sad, curious look on his face.  He takes his slightly pudgy little boy finger and touches my wet eyelashes, first the right, then the left.  And then he gives me a kiss.  How is it that this little man, who has only been on this earth for a short time and cannot even really talk yet, knows the exact thing to do to make me feel better?  

Thank you God for my amazing little boys. 

Extreme Couponing Update

I'm in love with coupons.  Sorry dearest wonderful husband, but move over!  I need more room for my coupons. 

My local grocery store was having a 10 for $10 sale last week, BBQ sauce on sale for $1.00.  I just happened to have 5 $1.00 off coupons just sitting around on that same brand.  Yay me!  I walked out paying nothing.  Zilch.  Zip.  Nada.  My reciept says $0.00 at the bottom.  How fun, right?

I just found out that if I drive a little bit further, they double $1 coupons to $2, whereas my local store only doubles $.50 up to $1.  Laundry soap is on sale for $2.99.  I just picked some up for $1.99 with my $1 off coupon yesterday.  I recieved 4 more $1 off coupons in the local paper today, so I plan on taking a little drive to get my $.99 cent laundry soap tonight.  Also, the Gillette is on sale again, and more coupons in todays paper... so my darling husband will be thrilled to have more soap.  You can never have enough, right?  And at these prices, how can you resist? 

I've discovered that if I throw my love of shopping into coupon deal finding, that I get to shop, stock up, and save money all the while spending less than I would have without the coupons.  And that gives this momma some extra dough for something pretty... or a pack of diapers.