Christmas Fun

Well, after my black friday shopping experience, I needed something to get me in a jolly Christmas mood. Mike and I met up with his boss Teri, her boyfriend Alan and their kids at the Festival of Trees. We had a great time. The boys LOVED the Big Bird tree!

They got to sit with Santa and tell him what they wanted for Christmas. Cooper was super excited to see Santa until I tried to put him on his lap! He sat next to him as long as Noah was there too. :)

On Saturday, Noah and I went to decorate gingerbread houses with Kimberly at her moms house. I was so happy she invited us again this year. Noah had a blast! He ate lots of candy!! He did a great job on the house. He designed it almost all himself!

Kim and her sister Beki made super cute houses too. Beki's was a log cabin complete with sledding hill! Adorable! Thanks Kim for inviting us again! Now I am in the Christmas spirit and ready to put up the tree!!!

Black Friday

So, for the 1st time ever, I started my Black Friday shopping as soon as it technically became Black Friday! Toys R Us opened at midnight and I was there! She's crazy, is probably what you're thinking right now...you are soooooooo correct! NEVER AGAIN will I shop Toys R Us on Black Friday. This was the 1st time I had ever shopped Toys R Us on BF...it will for sure be the last. It was horrific! They had the main aisles spit in two with stacks of toys down the middle. The major issue with that logic was once you were on a side, you couldn't get to the other side. Plus, you couldn't actually move at all! I found almost everything I wanted right in the main area when you 1st come in the door. As I headed back into the store I got stuck - literally! I couldn't move. It SUCKED! I was sweating in my "waiting-in-line" clothes, but didn't have enough room to take my coat off. I managed to move about 3 feet into what I thought was the check-out line....wrong. I stood in that line (with a bunch of other sweating parents) for 45 minutes when a (super crabby) employee announced that we were NOT in the check-out line. I was so ticked! I had to go to the end of the actual check-out line, thus negating the 45 minutes I was just hanging out! Thankfully, the WONDERFUL couple in front of me let me add my items to their cart. I didn't have one & my arms were literally about to fall off. My hands were going numb and my arms were shaking from holding everything. I am so thankful that I got in line behind them. They saved me! So by this time it is about 1 a.m. (So, if you are paying attention, you will notice that it only took me 15 minutes to find what I wanted. I spent the next 45 in the wrong line.) So now it's 1 am and I am FINALLY in the correct line. So what happened next? I waited and waited and moved 2 feet at a time for the next 2 hours...yes that is TWO hours. I finally checked out at 3:15 a.m.! I was in pain (my back, feet and arms were killing me), hot and STARVING! I may have neglected to mention that I had been up since 7:20 a.m. and was running on fumes that this point. So those of you who know me best will know what I did next...I loaded up my purchases, downed a DDP and headed to the next store! :)
It was a Black Friday full of firsts for me. I had also never been to Walmart on BF. There were a couple of items in the ad that I really wanted so I decided to head over. The best part was the store was already open so I didn't have to freeze my butt off! I got there at 3:30 a.m. and the sale didn't start until 5. I wandered around a bit to find out where the items I wanted were...in opposite corners of the store - of course! I decided to wait by the bike I wanted (I mean Santa wanted) to get for Noah. Holy crap. The second it hit 5 a.m. the store became total chaos! It was way crazier than Target & Shopko put together (my usual BF spots)! I managed to get the items I wanted and make it to a line...where, again, I waited and waited and waited! Not as long as Toys R Us, but only by a smidge! I finally checked out at 6:30 a.m. By this time, I am beyond exhausted and totally starving. I still have to stop at Walgreens to pick up some milk and Comet (an odd combo I know!). When I finally got home I downed a bowl of cereal and crashed on the sofa for about an hour until Coop woke up. Thankfully, my hubby was SUPER awesome and wrangled the boys so I could nap. I got in a good 2 hours before Cooper decided I should get up. ;)
I wasn't able to do all my shopping today like I normally try to do on Black Friday, but I did make a pretty good dent. You can be sure that I will head out again next year - just not to Toys R Us! :)

Road Trip!

Yesterday was the Boise State v. Utah State football game. Some of my co-workers thought we should take a road trip to Logan to watch the game. We headed out yesterday afternoon. It was super fun to see all the other Bronco fans heading down! Every time we stopped we ran into other fans. We chatted like old friends!

We had GREAT seats at the game! The weather was great too - no wind! Of course, we were dressed in LOTS of layers and had hand and toe warmers!

Mike, me, Kim, Jami and Jason getting ready to head to the game.

Mike and I at the game.

Kim, Kim and I at the game.

We have already planned our next road trip! We are heading to Reno next year!!

Silver Dragons

Noah played soccer for the 1st time this year. He was super excited to play soccer like his cousin. Well, that excitement was short lived. This was a roller coaster season. When he wanted to play he did awesome! When he didn't want to play...well, he was a total brat! His coach was awesome. (I went to high school with he & his wife! Boise is so small!) He was patient beyond measure. He kept trying to get Noah involved even when he was being ornery.

Noah scored a total of 5 goals this season...the 1st one was for the other team - oops! ;) He was super excited to get his trophy at the end of the season. He has it sitting on his dresser where he can see it from his bed! :) He loves that it has his name on it!

I am so glad the season is over, but happy Noah had the experience. It remains to be seen if there will be a next season yet!

Hairy Situation...

Mike played in a softball tournament today that added a Halloween twist. They all had to dress like athletes of the opposite sex! Mike dressed as a female softball player. He had a wig with long pigtails and some boobies. I can't wait to see the team pics! He wore the wig into the house to see how the boys would react. Noah cracked up!! I was able to snap pics with my phone of both boys wearing the wig. If I had girls I guess this is what they would look like!! Cooper actually reminds me of my sister when she would play dress up! :)

Monkey Bizness...

Today was my niece Mya's birthday party at Monkey Bizness. My boys LOVE Monkey Bizness. They get to run and jump and generally be crazy...like all boys should! The giant slide is always a big draw for Noah...he's such an adrenaline junkie!

Cooper is too small to hit the slide by himself, but lucky for him he has an awesome Uncle! My brother Jerad agreed to take him down the slide...

...then he passed the buck to me! I hate this slide - from the top it feels like a straight drop...I am not an adrenaline junkie! Somehow my Mom got talked into going down the slide. She took Noah down on her lap...they were laughing the whole way down! They both ended up with rug burns on their elbows. Noah refered to them as his "sideburns" the rest of the day!

Next Saturday will be Noah's 3rd B-day party in a row at Monkey Bizness...hope the excitement lasts!

Busy day!

Yesterday was Mike's b-day....I'll leave out the year...;) We got up and went out to breakfast at IHop...the boys love going out to breakfast! I'm not sure that the whipped cream 1st thing in the morning was a good idea...the boys were wired!
It was my turn to be snack Mom at Noah's soccer game, so we headed to Target after breakfast. Noah has had a loose tooth for about a week or so. It has been hanging by a thread for the last couple of days. While we were in the checkout aisle, Cooper bonked Noah in the head and out came the tooth! Noah was VERY excited! There was a little blood so I was worried that Noah would flip out, but he didn't! What a big boy!
Since Noah's game was at 1 and that is nap time, Mike stayed home (where it was warm!) so Coop could Nap. Noah, my Mom & I braved the cold and headed to Heroes Park. It was freezing! I'm pretty sure that it dropped at least 10 degrees during the course of the game! We only had 4 players this game so the boys played a lot! Noah almost scored twice...both times a player on the other team finished the goal for him! Oops! I'm pretty sure that Noah is still counting those as his goals! As soon as the game was over we bolted to Moxie Java for some hot chocolate!
We decided to go get some lunch at Smokey Mtn...we should have gone somewhere else! There was only 1 waitress working! It took forever! The table next to us had 5 kids who were blowing up ballooms and letting the air squeal out. Needless to say, I had a pounding headache when we left!
After a cat nap and lots of advil, we were ready to watch the Bronco's take on the Aggies. It was an ugly game but we got a win! Whew!
What a busy day!

Cooper's 2nd Birthday Party

With Janele getting hitched the day before his birthday, there was no way Cooper was getting a party on his actual birthday. That drove Noah nuts! He asked me almost every day "When are we going to have a party for Cooper? Are we at least going to have a family party for him??" Cooper may not have had a clue that he didn't have a party on his birthday, but Noah sure did! So, we decided to have a casual family party on Sunday for the little man. It was wonderful! The weather was perfect! Noah & Cooper had a great time playing with their cousins Dylan & Mya.

Cooper loved opening his presents. The first one he opened was a talking Cookie Monster from Grammy & Grampy. He didn't want to put it down to open the rest of his stuff!!

He loved the fireman set from Uncle Jerad, Aunt Sharra, Dylan & Mya...he could care less about the super cute outfit they gave him too! I loved it though! He used the axe from the fireman set to whack just about everything!

The car garage from Aunt Tammie & Kaite was a big hit too! He really loved the giant Mr. Potato Head stuffed with a family of potato heads...Mike & I were less thrilled with the over 40 pieces! Thanks Aunt Jenny & Uncle Josh! (I can't wait for them to have kids...paybacks.....

I can't believe my baby is 2 already! Time sure flies!

Getting the hang of it!

So I am finally starting to get the hang of this whole couponing thing! Friday I bought $226.39 worth of groceries for $79.57! Sadly, I have to re-do my coupon binder. My super nice cashier at Albies accidentally knocked it off the cart and it opened & scattered everywhere!! I was pretty sad...
On Saturday I scored 6 boxes of finish dishwasher gel packs (20 count) for $1.09 each - I saved $15!!! I still hate grocery shopping, but I love the money I am saving!!!

My baby sister is married!

Saturday my baby sister officially became Mrs. Janele Lake. She and Josh were married at the Idaho Botanical Gardens Saturday morning. It was beautiful. The weather was perfect and the bride was beautiful. I couldn't help but cry as I saw my Dad walking my baby sister down the aisle. She was radiating happiness! I almost had to miss the moment because Cooper started crying and wanting momma as soon as he saw me. I didn't want my mom to miss it (Coop was on her lap). Thank goodness for my sister-in-law Sharra. She jumped up and took care of Cooper. There ceremony was short but wonderful. Josh & Janele were married by our Uncle Tim. He married Mike & I as well.

The reception was held later that night at the Broadway Dance & Event Center. Their black & white theme looked awesome. My Aunt Marie made a stunning wedding cake. (It tasted awesome too!) My Mom and I spent the 3 days prior to the wedding prepping and cooking all the food. It turned out pretty good if I do say so myself! It was a TON of work, but it all came together in the end. I am so happy that I was able to be a part of this special day for my sister!

Here are some pictures of this wonderful day...

Soooo tired.....

Cooper (and my mom!) had a rough Saturday night. He spent the night at Grammy & Grampy's and woke up at 1:30 AM and wouldn't go back to sleep. He dozed off & on, but by 5:30 Grammy gave up and they got up. Needless to say he was REALLY tired. Noah & I headed to Hannah's b-day party & left Mike & Cooper home. Cooper was so tired he couldn't even make it though lunch. Mike realized that Cooper was being super quiet and when he looked this is what he saw...

He is sound asleep at the kitchen table!! :)

4th of July

We had such a fun 4th of July weekend! We go to the Tierney's 4th of July Extravaganza every year. Mike was in a softball tournament in Cascade, so it was just the boys and I. Noah couldn't wait for the water slide! Uncle Robert has one every year and this year was the biggest yet! The second we arrived Noah changed into his swim trunks and headed straight to the slide!

There was also a bounce house for the little guys - Cooper couldn't get enough!!

I did get them to sit still just long enough to snap this cute photo

...only because I was holding their cupcakes hostage!!

When it was time for fireworks we headed out front and got our front row seats...it was short lived. Cooper HATED the fireworks! He clung to me like a spider monkey and covered his ears with my hands! He cried and cried! Needless to say, Noah had a great time watching the fireworks with Aunt Kendall and Cooper and I played in the house! Maybe next year...

Thank You Krazy Coupon Lady!

I was home sick the other day and saw "The Krazy Coupon Lady" on KTVB. She was showing how she purchased a bunch of groceries for like $7 using coupons. So, I decided that with the economy the way it is & Mike having to take a pay cut, I would start couponing. (Couponing: [koo-pon-ing, Kyoo-] (v.) the practice of redeeming discount coupons in order to save money.) It is c.r.a.z.y. how much of a learning curve there is if you really want to coupon. I have been reading tons of blogs and trying to nail down the lingo. Today I checked the Kraxy Coupon Lady blog http://krazycouponlady.blogspot.com and saw a post for this hula umbrella at Rite-Aid and how to get it FREE! Well almost free... I jetted to Rite-Aid and lunch and scored my 1st crazy coupon deal. I paid...are you ready for this....29 cents!!! Basically, I paid tax!!! I was SUPER excited!! The theme for Janele & Josh's combo bachelor/bachelorette party is a luau, so this umbrella is going to be perfect!!

I am so excited! I can't wait to get the hang of this whole couponing thing and get my pantry & freezer stocked! Thanks Krazy Coupon Lady!!!

Bridal Shower

Saturday was my sister Janele's bridal shower.

I wanted her to have a wonderful experience, so I took two days off work to prep. The original plan was to have the party in my backyard...mother nature did not cooperate, so due to rain we moved the party inside. (Thank goodness we have a big family room!)

The party was wonderful! We had lots of yummy food, good drinks and good friends! A big thank you to those wonderful helpers who came early to help me get set-up! I could not have pulled it all together without you! Chelsea did a fantastic job on the cakes...they were so pretty I didn't want to cut them! I did of course because I do so love cake!! :-)

We played some fun games and and the weather even cleared up enough later for an outside photo!

I hope Janele had a wonderful time. Next up, the bachelorette luau! :)

So close..

the end of the semester is so close! Just one last paper to write! UGH! Why didn't I write the 1st one so I could drop this one?? Procrastination should be my middle name!

Weekend Fun!

We had a great weekend! Saturday we took the boys to Planet Kid. The boys had a blast! Noah went non-stop the entire time we were there. Cooper loved the ball pit...he thought it was hilarious to "swim" in them!

Happy Easter! We had a big family dinner at our house today. The boys were super excited to play with their cousin Mya.

Of course, the Easter bunny paying a visit was pretty high on their list too!

Noah was very excited by all the Spiderman items the Easter bunny left, but I think the Mr. Potato Head dressed as the Easter bunny he received from Aunt Jenny was the hit of the day!!