Frosty the Snowman

Check out this fine piece of work. He's a snowman. I think he's pretty cool...haha. Did you get my joke? Allie, Kyle, and I really enjoyed visiting the snowman in Grandma's and Papa's yard. I especially liked his nose. Did you know he has a carrot for a nose? "He's a silly boy." And he takes naps just like me! At night he goes down to the ground. Mommy says he was going night night. Then, in the mornings Ashey and I would go and wake him up! What fun it was!

My Christmas Attire for Grandma and Papa's House

Mommy dressed me in this sweater vest, khakis, and button up shirt for Christmas at Grandma's and Papa's. I heard people refer to my ensemble as preppy, nerdy, and Zack Morris-like (whoever he is...something about a bell or what not). Mommy said I was a little stud in this get up. I liked it. I felt like a real stud.

Cousins!

Here's an updated picture with our cousins. The last time we all took a picture together Grant (which I know pronounce Grrr-ant...kind of like the Frosted Flakes tiger, Tony I think his name is, when he says "They're Grrr-eatt!) was in Mommy's tummy. Grrr-ant and I weren't the most photogenic here but that's okay. I enjoy keeping my fingers in my mouth these days and I'd rather do that than look good for a picture. Allie just loves Grrr-ant and was a good little mother to him while he was there. He liked it.

New Blog!

Mommy has a new blog...I told her to quit posting those funny deals and CVS trips on our blog. She's cramping our style. So, it's a work in progress, but check out her new blog, http://themoneymagician.blogspot.com to find some deals and ways to earn money. Now, for funny stories with cute pictures stay with us! We'll be sure to make you smile!

Free Pamper Points and Free Potty Training Kit

Hi friends,

Today I stumbled upon a GREAT blog...Money Saving Methods: http://www.moneysavingmethods.blogspot.com/ For those of you who use Pampers Gifts to Grow rewards she has 14 points to enter! Also, while you're at Pampers Village you can sign up for a free Potty Training Kit. Hannah will be starting that SOON so I thought I would get her one. But check out her site...she has a lot of useful tools on saving/earning money.

Jess

I Ain't No Baby Allie..and a Shopping Update

Well, Allie seems to think I'm still a baby. While we were eating our popsicles she kept saying things like, "Hannah, can you say Da-Da?" To which I replied, "Daddy is at work." Come on, Allie, you know I'm smarter than a 1 year old! Here is a taste of that conversation we had. I don't think Allie ever got the point that I have moved on from two syllable words to more complex sentences. I can now say things like, "Mommy, whatchu like to gink?" or "Mommy, I'm sad," or "Mommy, I'm all done night night," or even "Mommy, I go see Daddy. I'll be right back in just a minute." Maybe next time I see Allie, she'll treat me like the big girl I am. But I do love my Allie.

On a different note, today was Monday Madness. That means a trip to CVS and Walmart. Saturday Mommy and I went to "Pudix" together while the boys stayed at home. I like it that way because I get to ride in the car cart and get a free cookie. Pudix was our best place for deals this week. Mommy spent $20 and saved $30! We loaded up on Chex Mix for snacks for home and to have on hand when it's our turn to bring snacks for Community Group. We loaded up on juice, yogurt, Knorr sides, and salsa. Mommy had coupons for all the deals...most were B1G1.

CVS wasn't bringing out too many good deals this week but we did manage to get two deoderants and 2 hair sprays for $7 total. We saved $10 total.

And Walmart....well...we stocked up on 1/2 off wrapping paper, gift tags, an ornament for Gant next year, and ribbon. But the deals weren't the highlight from the trip. No, the highlight would be shopping with a regular cart with a toddler, that's me, in the big basket, and an ever curious sitting infant, that's Gant, in the front. You see, we no longer have use for the special carts. Papa and Gandma got Gant a car seat for Christmas (thanks!). So the infant carrier is gone. And, in our beloved special carts there is not a place for a sitting baby. We have entered into a new phase of shopping that will require some fine tweeking. Gant tries to eat Mommy's list as well as whatever else he can get his hands on while I, well, I like to try to open or play with the things that Mommy surrounds me with, such as eggs, baby food, yogurt. Today, I managed to get the spool of ribbon Mommy was buying stuck on my finger TWICE. The second time was a doosy. I screamed as Mommy pulled and tugged my finger. We thought I just may go home with this attached to my body. I just couldn't figure out how I would eat with it on my hand or take a bath. But thankfully, Mommy got it off. And a few minutes later I stopped crying. Those ever present eyes we were so familiar with from Gant's first grocery journeys did return. This time because of me. I'm sure they were wondering why Mommy had me piled in the basket with a bunch of groceries scattered about. But that's Walmart's fault. They never put us into consideration when planning their carts. What we need is a special car WITH a place for Gant to sit. So, until Gant reaches 2 years old then we'll be trying to perfect this new shopping situation. Let's just hope for my sake we never have a BIG shopping day at Walmart. Is it possible to drown under groceries?

Ashey and Me

I love my Aunt Ashey. She always plays with me and keeps me busy! Mommy appreciated the break during that week. Here I am posing how I like to pose best these days, with two fingers in my mouth.

Maggie and Me

Some of you have heard of Marley and Me....well this is all about Maggie and Me. After Hannah got her lovin' from Maggie, I had my chance to do the same. She's such a good pal. I love to touch her fur and especially her soft ears. Every time I see her, she takes my breath away...literally. Maggie, you're a dear friend.

The Soothing Effect of a Popsicle

Grandma knew my throat was hurting so she bought me some popsicles to help. Oh boy! These were tasty. And it felt so great on my hurt throat.

Lovin' "My Maggie."

Since I wasn't feeling too well during the first few days in Birmingham, I had to get some extra lovin' from my dear friend Maggie. She sure knows how to make a girl feel better. I miss "my Maggie."

Simon Says

Ashey and I are playing Simon Says in Papa's chair. Simon says, close your eyes...I'm pretty good aren't I? (Okay, so we aren't really playing Simon Says, it just so happens when Mommy flashed the camera, this is what happened...but Mommy thought it was cute).

The Beginning of Our Sick Christmas Journey

Like Gant said in a previous post, two Sundays ago I woke up with a bad cough and fever. Little did we know that this would turn into a major ordeal. You see, that following Monday we were to hop in the car with Aunt Ashey and Maggie to spend a week with Gandma and Papa in Birmingham. Monday came and I was a lot sicker. My fever was high and my cough was worse. Ashey was to arrive at 12:00ish. From 7:00-12:00 we had to get ready, finish packing, go to the doctor, and pick up a few items at CVS and Walmart for Daddy since he would be on his own til Saturday. And I was one sick little puppy as Mommy put it. The morning was rough as Gant screamed and I whimpered through Mommy getting ready. Luckily the nurse said we could come on up at 9:30. Upon arriving, Gant was fussy (no nap yet) and I was pitiful. They listened to my chest and took my temp. Oh and they weighed me in at a whopping 22 pounds still. I had no infections...good, yes...but that meant there was no medicine to help me. I had to work it out on my own...with the aide of Mommy of course. But Mommy decided we would still head to Bham with Aunt Ashey. Ashey arrived and brought me Zaxby's...I loved it. Then, after eating Ashey and Mommy spent over an HOUR (at least) putting mine and Gant's seats in her car. I whimpered as I was handed back and forth between Ashey and Mommy. Gant got to nap. My eyes were pouring water, my nose was pouring snot, and my face was burning hot. My voice was practically gone. Finally, the car seats were in. Gant was up. We loaded into the car: me, Mommy, Ashey, Gant, Maggie, two suitcases, lots of presents, Maggie's paraphanela, a Wii, and Ashey's computer. These pictures explain it best. Gant got a kick out of Maggie staring him in the face. They became good friends. So, finally, we were on our way, and what a sight we were. I must say, that was the worst trip of my short little life. I coughed, then cried for at least fifteen minutes after each cough. Then, Gant had a meltdown halfway there. It was a troublesome ride. Mommy has never seen me so sick. Thankfully, a few days later things started looking up and my cold began to ease up, although I still have a bit of a cough and a yucky nose. Unfortunately, I passed it on to Gant who's still battling it, but we'll get to his pitiful pictures later. First, we have a week's worth of Bham photos to post. Those will be coming shortly.

Milk, It Does a Body Good

After Mommy and Daddy eat all of their cereal, they drink the milk out of their bowls. . .just like I'm doing here. To some, this may not be the best etiquette, but it's how we roll at our house. We like to make sure we utilize every drop of milk for our growing bodies. Like they say, "Milk, It Does a Body Good."

All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go

You see, two Sundays ago, Mommy got me all studded up for church. . .only to decide not to go after Hannah woke up with a fever and bad cough (and folks that's just the beginning of our sickness marathon...more to that later). So, Mommy had me take a few shots in my big boy shirt. I was pleased to do so because, I have to admit, I thought I looked pretty studly myself. So, even if my church friends couldn't see me, at least all of my blog friends can! Oh, and notice the moose? I think he's awesome.

Tasty

We got it documented. . .my first cup of hot cocoa. It was "tasty" as I like to say. When Mommy eats something I sometimes ask, "Mommy, is it tasty?" while nodding my head as it's cocked to the side. And this, this was definitely tasty. Mmmm. I even got to drink out of a big girl cup. Well actually it was Gant's big boy cup but he can't use it for awhile so I can use it for now. My favorite part of the hot chocolate, other than drinking from a big boy cup, was the marshmallows. They were definitely tasty. I can't wait for another cup of this tasty drink!

Role Play

I do a lot of role playing these days with my "peoples." I enjoy making them talk and play. I have given three of my peoples names. The latino gal, well, her name is Anabelle, after my sweet cousin Anabelle. Mommy and Daddy laugh at Anabelle...the doll. I don't know why. This tan looking fella, well, he's Kyle, after my cousin, Kyle. I also have a blonde gal named Ashey, after my aunt Ashey. However, she is not pictured. She was MIA when we took this photo shoot. Ashey, when we find her, we'll snap a shot. So far, those are the only peoples who got names. Mommy wonders why I gave them the names I did. But, there's a reason to it all. I'm just not gonna share it.

"My Sheepy"

We're back! And while we have a ton of great pictures from Bham, we have to finish the shots taken at home BEFORE we left for Bham. That's just the way we are...pretty particular about order. This Christmas season Mommy and I have been working on creating a manger scene, full of. . .uh....well....sheep, a shepherd, and a star....but Mommy tells me there's more. She hasn't really been on top of her game and so our scene so far only has those three things on it. She mentions Jesus a lot but he's not on there. I keep mistaking the shepherd for Jesus. But Mommy tells me he's just a shepherd. Hopefully we'll finish the scene before Christmas. Most of you are intelligent people so I'm sure you realize we were talking about the sheep when I created this masterpiece. Grandmama gave us the pieces. After we read the part about sheep in my Christmas book, we created our own sheep ornament to hang on the tree. However, this whole process wasn't as magical as Mommy had anticipated. You see, I didn't want my "sheepy" glued together...so much so that I often ripped his head off after taking him down several times from the tree. I didn't want to color his face either. But Mommy made me....for the photos. So people, on the outside all looks well. However, on the inside I was one grumpy puppy. We don't really know where the sheepy is now. After gluing his head back on about ten times, I think Mommy finally decided to give up and let him go in peace. Sorry sheepy.

Until Next Week. . .

Until we can get back to you next week, enjoy this picture of me! I'm having a great time with Granmda, Papa, the Sandersons, Ashey, and my new friend, Maggie...and of course Mommy and Hannah. I can't wait until Daddy comes tomorrow! We all miss him! We'll fill you in on all our adventures when we return. Until then, we hope you have a great weekend!

Out Of Town

Sorry everybody, we are out of town at Grandma and Papa's house. We will return next week with more pictures and fun! Have a good weekend!

Oh Dear CVS

Jessica speaking. . .

Today I was THRILLED. The contact solution I have been keeping my eye on for two weeks finally arrived on CVS' shelf! It's a deal. You pay $8.99 and then get $8.99 back which I can put towards another bottle of solution. And I had 2 $2 off coupons...so it was a money maker however, in my excitement, I didn't do the transaction as best I could and I lost my $2 overage! I will be better prepared next time. BUT that's not the big news. My big news is that I received in addition to my $8.99 in extra bucks after getting my second bottle, a $5 off $15 purchase. This is like GOLD! They expire in 3 days but Mondays are our regular CVS days. This Monday if I buy $20 worth of General Mills cereal, I get $10 back. So...listen to this...

I will pick up 6 cereal boxes (3 for $10)
I'll use my 8.99 bucks earned today.
Then I'll use my $5 off $15 I got today.
Then I'll use my $3.50ish worth of coupons.

After all that is said and done, I will have paid $2 and some change for 6 cereal boxes...it averages to .43 a box!

And to top it off, I will earn $10 in ECBs!

I love CVS!

Patty Cake

I like to be the star of the show, so when Mommy tried to join in, I made it clear that this was my time to shine. So, here I am, proud to bring to you my very own rendition (with a bit of help from Mommy) of Patty Cake.

Who's Messier?

"Look at Gant. He's a messy booooyy." Me messy? Just look at yourself Hannah. I may dare to say Hannah that you are messier than I am. I mean, come on Hanny, you're older than me and you still get THAT messy? I can't control the way my food comes in or the rate at which it does or the amount; therefore, it's fair to say that I am not the only one responsible for my mess. If I were, my face would look much neater. But you, you on the other hand are. You can control the rate, the amount, and the frequency of your bites. Therefore, I think you should be crowned the messiest.

My Special Red Hat

This is my special red hat. I wear it almost every time we go outside. I like it. It keeps my head warm and my ears tucked in. I'm snug as a bug in a rug. Sometimes I wear it inside just for fun. Well, that is if Mommy wants a picture of me. Or if she and Hannah just want a good laugh. I don't mind. I like making people laugh. Sometimes Hannah says, "Gant, you a funny b-oooyyy." Yes I am Hannah. Yes I am.

Formula DEAL!

For those of you who are stretched each week by buying formula...do I have a deal for you! Publix has their Enfamil 32 oz. cans on sale this week 2/$10! I am THRILLED! SO THRILLED! I am waiting for my babies to wake up from their naps so we can take advantage of this amazing deal. My fingers are crossed that they still have some in stock! It runs until next Wednesday! On top of that...thanks to you JENNY...I have TWO $2 off coupons for Enfamil. So I will be getting two cans of formula for $6!

Okay, so not as big of a deal as I thought. Come to find out...it's for the READY TO USE formula. And, after doing the math, buying the powder is actually cheaper. So, sorry! I tend to get a little excited too fast! Maybe some of you can still benefit from this deal though!

Finally, My Turn

I finally got my turn in front of the tree. It seems that because I'm little I don't get to join in the decorating fun. Hopefully next year. But Mommy did allow me to sit in front of the tree for some memorable moments. And yes, I'm wearing a snowman sweater. Sheesh, a little embarrasing. Where's my camo? Where are my sport shirts? Oh well. I most admit, I do find the snowman quite charming...just don't share that with anyone. I enjoyed my special tree time. The lights are amazing. The tree feels a little funny. And the ornaments, oh boy, I can't wait til I can get my hands on those. I see LOTS of balls. Wow, just think what I could do with those. If only I could get to them on my own. I'm already mapping out my plan for next year.

My Nolan

Hannah has her friend, Ellie. Now, I have my friend, Nolan. Boy, it's good to have a guy around here. This was my first interaction with Nolan. Don't worry. I wasn't crying at Nolan. I was crying because, well, that's just what I do at that time of night. I'm tired and ready to hit the hay. I'm not so much in the mood for conversatin'. Nolan, I think you're a swell guy. I can't wait to have fun running around chasing frogs, building forts, and knocking over things with you. It'll sure beat playing with dolls or being dressed up by our sisters!

Decorating the Tree

The day after Thanksgiving we put up our tree. This is my first official year of joining in the fun! When I got up from my nap, Mommy and Daddy had the tree up! It was amazing! I'm glad Mommy waited for me to put the ornaments on. And I got my new ornament for the year! Each year Mommy and Daddy get us a new ornament. Grandma started that tradition when Mommy was little. Now, we do it! This year I got an icecream cone! Grant got little blue baby shoes. Because he's still a little guy though, he didn't get to participate in putting it on. Mommy did it for him. I did a great job in placing all the ornaments together near the bottom. I didn't want them to get lonely. However, it seemed that every time I turned back around they weren't together. I guess they were loners and didn't enjoy togetherness. I would. But, oh well. Now that the tree is up and decorated, my special job is to turn it on and off. I just step on a button and PRESTO! the lights turn on! I love it!

Gettin' Some Love

I love being held. Yes, if Mommy could hold me every minute of the day, I would be so happy. But, that just can't happen. However, it can happen if we're around a lot of family and friends and if I'm in the mood to be held by someone other than Mommy (which is becoming more rare these days). I did get me some lovin' from Grandmama at Thanksgiving. I gave her a hard time for a bit but there were moments of sweetness as well. There's just something about my Mommy these days that makes me want to ALWAYS be by her side. I heard Hannah went through this as well. But there's hope. Now, when we go see our grandparents Hannah wants nothing to do with Mommy. Give me several more months...then I'll be brave enough to breakaway from Mommy. For now though, I'm perfectly content to get most of my lovin' from Mommy.

Aunt Bethany and Grandmama

Here I am enjoying time with Grandmama and Aunt Bethany. I sure do like going up to Grandmama and Grandaddy's house because I get a lot of attention from everyone there! I love you guys!

My Very First Thanksgiving

Well, it was my first Thanksgiving and all in all, I think it was a hit. I got to hang out with Grandmama and Grandaddy and Maw-Maw. I also got to see Aunt Bethany and Uncle Tim. Aunt Bethany's family came too. It was a full house! I did some nappin' while I was there but I was able to join the table for a bit of Thanksgiving fun. I really enjoyed playing with the toys on the floor. Hannah kept taking those balls from me. I don't think she realized just how much I love those balls. I made sure I kept my eyes on them. I wanted to be the first one to them if she dropped them.

On another note. . . today was our Monday Madness (that's what I call it because madness it is. I mean, I barely get in a morning nap on these days due to the grocery shopping). Mommy wanted me to point out a few of our deals that she was so pleased to have found. At CVS we took advantage of the Huggies deal. We bought two packs of diapers and three containers of wipes for about $22. Not too bad. But, better than that, we got Similac formula for $12!! That was a steal!

Three highlights from our trip to Walmart: We got TWO bags of Green Valley Steamers frozen veggies for .25 each! Hannah got her own special Dora the Explorer yogurt 6 pack (something she NEVER gets) for .77! Finally, we got two boxes of Betty Crocker instant potatoes for about .17 each! Mommy found these deals thanks to a few of the blogs she visits.

Those were our best deals of the day. And we managed to stay under our $100 budget..with two packages of diapers and formula!