I am getting bigger!

"I am getting bigger!" is what Madelyn says every morning after she has her bowl of her new favorite cereal...


She loves the crunchy granola and honey flavored flakes! She has asked for it every morning this week and also asks if it is going to make her bigger and I reply in my most enthusiastic voice "Yes! It will make you bigger and stronger!" She wants to grow up and be bigger so bad!

Fruit, fruit and more fruit

This last Wednesday for an Enrichment Night we learned how to make fancy fruit trays and how to do it fast. Last night I was invited to go to a party and asked to bring a fruit tray so I put my newly learned skills to the test. Here is what came of it...
The Instructor really emphasized the importance of wearing rubber gloves when cutting. After my two battle wounds next time I will be taking her advice.

One of my Favorite Things!

One of my favorite blogs is beingfrugalisfabulous.com!!! The lady who runs this blog is sooo good at finding really good deals, coupons, and free things and then posting them for the rest of us to reap the savings!! Here are my last two purchases.

This purchase was originally $5.00 and something and I got all of this for $1.00

This is my purchase from today (5 boxes of cereal, 2 boxes of granola bars, 2 gummy fruit snack bags, hand sanitizer, clorox wipes). All of this was originally $35.49 and I got it for $8.74. That is a savings of 76% (disclaimer: One of the gummy snacks not pictured. We ate it in the car on the way home)

Here is Madelyn reaction (actually she just wanted her picture taken)

Joy School Here We Come!

Today was Maddy's first day of Joy School. She had a wonderful time! She will be going to class two days a week with five other kids her age and the mothers will be trading off with the teaching responsibilities.
I am really excited to have one on one time with Kaelyn before this next baby comes in January. Kaelyn and I went to the library today for toddler story time and without her sister she was so different. She was doing so many of the movements to the songs and standing right at the librarians feet while she was reading them stories. This is hopefully going to be our little outting on Tuesdays when Maddy is away. She did miss her sister. She kept asking "Where's Sista?" and didn't understand when I told her school so she would ask the question again.
I am glad we joined this joy school group! Maddy is playing and learning with friends her age and Kaelyn and I are spending one on one time together. We love Joy School!

Our Craigslist Treasure

This morning I just happened to be browsing craigslist and happened upon a listing for 4T - 5T girl clothing for $25.00. Madelyn is just starting to grow out of her 3T clothing so I couldn't pass this deal up.
Look what Madelyn and I found for only $25.00 (excuse the model's hair. She just had gotten up from a nap). Several of the clothes still had tags on them. I was surprised at how cute they all were for the price. Madelyn was in heaven with all these new clothes. She would point to one shirt and say that it was her favorite until she saw another one and then that would become her favorite and so on (you get the picture).
This mismatched purple skirt and flowered shirt is what Madelyn finally decided she wanted to wear. This was her favorite!The black pants that are really supposed to go with the shirt. What a cutie! Have you found any great deals in your neighborhood on craigslist? If so please share!

Kaelyn Blowing Bubbles

A month ago Kaelyn showed us one of her new developments while her sister was taking a nap. She is so cute and smart! Here are some things about Kaelyn:
1. She is usually the first person to wake up in the mornings and has a set routine. I get her a bottle of milk and then she asks Where's Dada? Where's Sista? about ten times.
2. Almost every time we sit down as a family to just relax she always names everyone- Mama, Dada, Sista, Dada, Mama, Papa (papa used to live with us and she still hasn't adjusted to the fact he isn't here anymore).
3. When she eats she gets food EVERYWHERE! Let's compare and look at a picture of Madelyn eating yogurt at 18 mo. and then Kaelyn at 18 mo. (and this is a typical morning).
4. She loves her sister! If she had it her way she would just hug Madelyn all day long, but since Maddy isn't big on hugs she endures them for a few seconds and then continues on with her own things leaving Kaelyn wanting more.
5. When she plays Peek-a-boo I love it when she tries to say her own name "Where's Nanen?"
6. She is such an easy going kid and we love having her in the family!

Trip to Idaho

For the past three years around my birthday we seem to manage an escape from parenthood by grabbing few days of vacation without kids. This year a good friend of ours happened to be getting married in Twin Falls, Idaho on the weekend of my birthday so Grandma and Grandpa Dougherty stayed with the girls while Jay and I attended the wedding. It was so fun to see a good friend get married to a great person, but it was REALLY fun to spend a total of 17 hours driving time and two days alone with Jay. It was my first time in Idaho and Jay hadn't been there since he was a baby and although Twin Falls is a small town with not a lot to offer it was still fun. Here are some pics.Just on one of the edges of Twin Falls is a beautiful canyon and river. It was breathtaking!

Us in front of the temple in Twin Falls the day of the wedding.

This is the bridge that crosses over the canyon and my hubby!

Here's me looking preggo standing by the bridge. What a fun trip!