Who needs expensive toys

Who needs expensive toys when you have a macaroni box, an old cell phone, a Tupperware bowl, and a bubble wand?

Levi has been playing with this macaroni box all week. He will put the cell phone in the box and then dump it out. Or he will stick his hand in the box and run around the house.

Also, this week Levi has been attached to this bubble wand and bowl. He just puts the wand in the bowl and runs around outside with it. Who knows what he is thinking it is but it is really cute!

Last weekend, Matt made Levi a sand box. Levi is still getting used to playing in it. Grandma Cindy bought him some new sand box toys yesterday. I'm thinking he likes them. I figure we will have sand everywhere before too long.

The latest happenings

Our little boy is growing so fast. He will be going into nursery very soon. We are super excited about that. Usually we end up leaving church early b/c Levi just runs in the halls and wants to play in the water fountain. Levi knows how to push open all of the doors so he can very easily escape to the parking lot. Matt took him in nursery for the first time last week just to see how he would do. He actually did very well. We thought we would take him in a few times before he officially starts in June just to get used to it. Maybe in June we can start to feel spiritual again. Levi's nose has healed very well. If you saw my previous post you know that Levi broke his nose in our backyard. He does have a little scar on the right side of his nostril but it will get lighter over time. You can see where the brick he hit took off a chunk of skin (I know that is gross) but it is much better. Having a broken nose did not slow him down at all. We are so proud of him for handling everything so well.

Last week Matt took the CHES exam. That means Certified Health Education Specialist. He studied hard for this 150 question test. On the practice exam he scored very well. We have to wait 8 weeks for the scores to come back. I am sure that Matt passed with flying colors. If he did pass he can put a few more letters behind his name. Out of 12 people taking the test last week, Matt was the only guy. This test is very difficult and very expensive. So we are keeping our fingers crossed for good news.

We hope all of our family and friends are doing well. I think that is just about enough of an update for now. Here are a few random pictures from Easter and playing outside in the nice weather.

If you are thirsty, get a drink!

1st turn on the faucet

2nd drink the water.

3rd get upset b/c I am all wet.

Happy Easter!

Every penny counts

Since January I have been trying so hard to lower our monthly grocery bill. When I was working it was so simple and easy to just go to Walmart and buy everything in just one shot. I never really felt like cooking meals after working all day. It was always usually something frozen and I could just pop it in the oven. You don't realize how much you are spending on all of that "convenience" food. On top of the fact that it is just not healthy.

I decided that I would start cooking more meals. I looked for new ideas and combinations of food. I'm no chef but I'm pretty darn close to Paula Dean or Rachel Ray. Yeah right! I started putting together a menu plan. I planned out our meals 2 weeks at at time. I asked Matt for ideas on what he wanted to try or things that maybe his mom made that he liked. Once I had my 2 week plan I started looking in the weekly grocery ads for deals. I always had the notion that Walmart was the best place and had the best prices. And I have discovered that while Walmart does have good prices on some things, they are not always the best deal. I now shop at Brookshires, Albertsons, Walmart, CVS, and Walgreens. Don't count out CVS and Walgreens b/c you can find good deals on cereal, pizza, and toiletries.

I have been doing this now for several months. The first month I lowered our bill by about $20-$30. I was bummed b/c I thought I could do better but I kept going. The second month I lowered our bill by about $50-$70. Much better. This last month I lowered our bill by $150! Can you believe it? Let me just clarify too that when I use the word "groceries" that includes diapers, wipes, jar food for Levi (which now he is finally getting his molars so he can eat more normal food), toiletries, and of course food for us. What a difference it makes to save money. I wish I had only done this sooner.

On our blog you will see the links to some of my favorite blogs to look at and follow. You may think that it takes so much time to clip coupons and look at blogs. But it really doesn't once you have a system down. Now, I am still learning all the tricks and rules but if you ever want to know how you can save please feel free to ask me. Every penny counts!

Levi has a broken nose

Today was supposed to be a good day. It was a good day up until about 4:15 this afternoon. Levi, Macey and I were playing outside in our backyard. Usually, Levi just runs around looking for rocks or playing in the dog's water bowl. Grandma Cindy bought Levi some Gerber baby cheese puffs so I was giving those to him while we were playing. Levi went to our patio door and tripped on one of our patio stones and landed nose first on bricks. There is a little brick step right outside our sliding glass door before you get on the concrete. That is what Levi hit. I heard him scream, then saw blood, then I screamed! I couldn't get to him fast enough. Grandma Cindy is a retired nurse thankfully. She came right over to help me. I don't know what I would have done without her here. We took Levi to Richardson Regional on Renner. The nice new hospital that just opened. Luckily, the ER was empty and we got right in. They took a CT scan of his brain and face. Sure enough his nose is broken with no other fractures or injuries to his brain. Matt left work instantly and made it from North Richland Hills to the hospital in 30 minutes. Levi is resting ok and he will be fine. It just breaks our hearts to see him in such pain. Matt gave him a blessing tonight as well. We love him dearly and he will now be wearing a football helmet until he is 19!

Our trip back home

We survived our trip to Wyoming and Montana. We left on Thursday and flew into Billings, MT. Then we drove 2 hours to Sheridan, WY. We spent the night in Sheridan. On Friday we drove back 2 hours to Billings and spent the night there. Saturday was the wedding at the Billings Temple and it was beautiful. The feeling inside the temple is so breath taking. We are so happy for Alex and Carlee. The reception was back in Sheridan so we drove another 2 hours back there and spent the night. Sunday we drove 1 1/2 hrs to Gillette, WY to go to church. This is Matt's home town. Matt has wanted to take me there for 4 years and show me around. We went to Matt high school and visited his choir teacher. That was great until Levi peed down my leg. We didn't realize how full his diaper was! I was able to see Matt's house where he grew up. We spent the night in Gillette and Monday we drove 4 hours back to Billings. We spent the night in Billings and left for home on Tuesday morning. We did A LOT of driving!!

Now let me tell you this. I am born and raised here in Texas. I have been to Canada and all over the western US. I have never experienced a cold like this before. We did not see any snow until Monday morning in Gillette. It was -16 degrees with wind chill! I felt like someone was poking me with 1000 needles. On Tuesday morning it was -3 degrees. How do you function or live in that? I was so glad to get back to Texas.

Levi was able to play in the snow for the first time. He really didn't care for it too much. It was cute though. Also, Levi learned how to drink out of a straw. Yippee! We enjoyed being with Matt's family even if it was only for a short time. We loved spending time with Grandma and Grandpa. We love them so much and miss them already.

Are these people related? I'm not sure.

Billings Temple

Matt in his tux. He was a groomsman.

The happy couple after the wedding.

Levi in the snow for the first time.

Matt's house in Gillette, WY. You can't see the whole back part of this house. Huge!

Grandma with Levi. We love you Grandma.

This is what we had to drive 4 hrs in on Monday. It was beautiful!