All for $10.61

Yes that is right, 6 packages of Ball Park hot dogs, (5) 12-packs of pop and 2 packages of Sara Lee hot dog buns all for $10.61. Whahooooo!!! Albertson's is the best, well, at least this week.

When you buy 1 package of hot dogs, you get 2 free. Next to the hot dog's there is a manufacturer coupon that says when you buy 1 package of hot dogs and 1 package of the Sara Lee hot dog buns, you get a 12 pack of Coke Zero for FREE, up to $4.99. Well, you buy 6 packages of hot dogs and get 2 of those coupons. Then next to the Sara Lee hot dog buns there is a coupon for when you buy 1 Ball Park hot dog, you get the package of buns for FREE, grab 2 of those. Then the store ad shows that when you buy (2) 12 packs of Coke products you get 3 for FREE. Well, not such a great deal because each pack costs $6. So you have to buy the 2 Coke Zeros but you are paying for those ones (with the coupon, it only takes off up to $4.99), so you pay $1 for each of those and get the other 3 for FREE.

Yes, it sounds confusing, I know and I was confused until my mom explained it to me 100 times but I did it and it worked. I know we don't really like the Coke Zeros but they were only a $1 each and the Dr. Pepper, Ruby Red Squirt and the Sprite were all FREE! Yeah. Now that I'm stocked up on pop, Stacie won't have to start twitching at my house when she comes over because she is going through pop withdrawls. Just thought I'd share the wealth!

Rabbit Trails

*This countdown pregnancy thing on the side of my blog is really depressing. Looking at how many more days I have to be pregnant, it really makes me feel like I am going to be pregnant for 10 years!

*I have decided that someone who CLEARLY doesn't have kids, makes Luvs' diapers. Yes, you heard me right, maybe even a man. I use Luvs diapers on Chloee and everyday we go through the fight of, "I want the green doggy". I think the Luvs company is actually trying to kill me. Why would you put multiple images on different diapers? Anyone else who has kids knows that your child will favor one more than the others. They are "Blue's Clues" diapers. There are blue, green and purple dogs and one pink cat. All she ever wants on is that stinking green dog. Obviously, eventually we run out of the "green doggy" and have to do the others. From then on out, it's a fight, fight, fight!

*I feel like there is TOO much that has to be done before this baby gets here. After I'm done having a panic attack, I realize I still have 6 more months to get it done. Why can't I just let it go? I'm driving myself crazy!! I need to change the office into the baby's room, paint it when I find out what sex it is, get Chloee potty-trained, get Chloee into a regular bed, etc. The list could go on and on and on...

*If I have to listen to the stupid jets from Hill Air Force Base go over my house one more time.... so help me. I have learned to block them out but they have been flying SO low lately that I swear it rattles the windows!

*I want to move. I don't like my neighbors. EVERY time I take Chloee outside to play they are inevitably smoking. Not just one, but like 6 of them. Pretty much anytime I try and go outside, someone is always smoking. I don't really care for the smell anyway but when I am pregnant, it makes me throw up. Also, I don't want Chloee to smell that, so we come inside!

*Chloee's personality is only getting stronger by the day, as if that is at all possible. All I have to say is, this baby better be a boy or I don't think it has a chance of making it with her as its older sibling. She doesn't like girls, she has NO girl friends, she ONLY plays with boys, she has named all of her dolls with BOY names and when she is in nursery, she refuses to even talk to the girls. She adores boy babies and talks to them and honestly wants NOTHING to do with girl babies. If this baby is a girl, it better have a personality just like her. NOW THAT'S A SCARY THOUGHT!

*Josh's work moved to 5-4-9's. He now works 9 hours everyday and gets every other Friday off. I have yet to decide if I like it. Obviously, on that Friday, I favor it but during the week, the hours and days seem to DRAG!

*Last Friday, I finished my 3rd and last wedding for a while. I decided a while ago that I just don't have it in me for weddings right now and to take a break. It was a really fun wedding. They had a live band, it was a tropical theme, just really laid back and fun. Thank you Amy for watching Chloee so that our hubbies could go on their bike ride! She can't stop talking about you and how "sweet" you are!

*Lately, both Josh and I have just wanted to stay home and not travel ANYWHERE, just relax at home and do nothing. It feels like our lives have been so crazy and we have hardly been home. We are looking forward to Labor Day and just staying home and doing something... only if we want to!

For Amy & Micheal

Yes, this one is supposed to look like a sketch, I didn't mess it up!

Today my sweet brother-in-law, Micheal, leaves to go back to Alaska for one week and then leaves for Iraq the first part of September. I wanted to put a post up for both of them to know how much I love them!

Amy, you truly are amazing in so many aspects of your life. You are incredibly strong, which is why you can even do this, I would crumble at the thought of it all. You are a wonderful mother to your 2 kids and hopefully many more to come. Your positive outlook on everything absolutely amazes me. The way you see the silver lining, the way you look at every glass as half full. I look up to you in so many ways. You are tough and that is why I have no doubt that you will make it through the storms of life, as you already have. You are an incredible wife, who supports her husband in all avenues of his life. You love him unconditionally and are the best support for him during this time in his life. He is truly blessed to have you! Not once, have I ever heard you complain about your situation, EVER! Has it been hard? Yes, but have you complained, never. I have seen you grow so much over these last 10 months or so. You have turned it over to The Lord and relied upon him and you have grown so much spiritually. I know that I personally have benefited from that, with your soft, comforting words that He will never leave us or let us be alone! I love you and am always here for you!

Micheal, what a great and courageous thing you are doing for OUR COUNTRY and OUR FREEDOM. Many sacrifices have been made on you and your families part. You listened to the spirit and made a big decision in your life. You went from Elementary school teacher to Full-Time Army Specialist in a short amount of time. You are such a strength to Amy and your boys. You are doing something beyond measure and your sacrifices do not go unnoticed by anyone that knows you, your character, your personality or your devoted love for this COUNTRY. I couldn't be more proud of you! You will be terribly missed as you are gone. It almost broke my heart to say good-bye to you. It was so hard to let go of you and as you know I couldn't hold back my tears! I truly love you like my own brother and you, Amy and the boys, are and will always be in our prayers. God Bless, As He Always Does!

The Things She Says...

Here are just a few of the crazy things that Chloee says that makes me laugh... or cry! Her personality keeps me on my toes all day and night!

*We were coming home from Lagoon and Chloee wanted Josh to sit in the back with her. He explained to her, "I can't sit by you, I have to drive, Mommy can't drive, it will make her sick because of the baby." Chloee's response, "I don't like that baby!". Oh Joy, and so it already begins.

*Today she had put some donuts in a little tupperware in the fridge. She pulled them out and said, "Look Mom, they're fridging." I said, "They're what?" and she said (in a totally duh voice), "I put them in the fridge, now they're fridging." I don't know, I'm assuming it is like if you put something in the freezer, it's freezing. Beats me!

*Her new movie love is, Monsters, Inc. She loves to see the little girl in it named, Boo. Although, she doesn't call her Boo, she calls her Boob. Well, it has now mutated into Boobie and today it is Boobies. This sentence came out of her mouth. "Oh Mom, I love my Boobies." She was referring to Boo and she calls her "my" as though she owns her. It was funny, let's just hope it doesn't happen in public.

*Die hard gymnastics fan here. We watched gymnastics anytime it was on and eventually, totally on her own, she just started doing her own gymnastics on the floor, or as she calls it, GYM-MAGICS! She does somersaults and even tucks her body in perfectly and keeps her toes pointed. We had a blow up mattress upstairs one night and she jumped off the couch onto the mattress doing what she called a flip. It was just a somersault off the couch but she was pretty proud of herself. I will have to post a video about that!

*Last week I told her that I loved her the mostest and her reply was, "I love myselfie the mostest!" Yes, she's vain, we know!

*She has this new obsession with "Moneys" as she calls it. She loves to get pennies and put them in her piggy bank. Well, she refers to pennies as "orange moneys" and one day we were at Maren and Nate's house and Nate had a nickel, which she proceeded to call "white moneys". Well, Maren being such a better teacher than I, taught her that it was a nickel. We come home later and she found a quarter and came to me and said, "Look at this nickel, it is so pretty". I said, "That is actually a quarter, not a nickel". She proceeds to tell me it's white, therefore it's a nickel and we fight about it a little bit and then she stops, thinks for a few seconds and says, "Mom, Mar lies". Yes that is right, Maren you are such a liar. It was hilarious!

*A couple of days ago, Chloee sneezed and said, "Bless you, Chloee". I know that neither Josh or I say bless you, so I asked her, "Who taught you that?" She answered by saying, "Grandma! I sneezed at her house and Grandma said, "Bless you, Chloee", that Grandma, she's so sweet." It was so cute. After, I pretended to sneeze and she said, "Bless you, Chloee". Evidently, she thinks it's always with Chloee at the end. I had to call my mom immediately after and tell her, I knew she'd get a big kick out of that!

Disgusting

Josh took this picture. He thought it was hilarious that he came home from work one day and there was a dish towel covering something up in the fridge. I admit, I went through a bad stage where even looking at something in the fridge that didn't look appetizing, made me throw up. This was some pork spaghetti that Josh made and normally I LOVE IT! Well, just so happens that I had ate it the night before and had inevitably thrown it up, so even looking at it made me sick. Yes, I used to just cover things up with towels so that I wouldn't have to look at them. One time I actually think there were 4 things covered up in the fridge. Josh got the biggest kick out of it!

How We Told...

We told Josh's family with this cute little shirt that I bought online. We went down for Sunday dinner and we put it on Chloee to see who would notice first. I had dibs on Amanda but Josh's brother, Shaun, noticed first. It was a fun way to tell them and they were all excited!

We celebrated my Mom's 50th birthday in mid July. We did a DVD for her of her life and interviews of people saying things to her. This is how we told my side of the family. I said on my interview that her present was "grandbaby number 6 on its way"! It was fun to see everyone's faces. I will post something later about her party, there is SO much I need to catch up on!

Did I mention that Chloee was stuck to my Mom like glue the entire time? She was telling everyone there that she was, "My Grandma" as she snuggled up on her lap.

New Beginnings

I have decided to start 3 new things with this pregnancy. I purchased these 3 items today while I was at Seagull Book and I am going to start these new goals.

#1: THE BOOK OF MORMON: While I was pregnant with Chloee it was in 2005 when President Hinckley put out that challenge to read the Book of Mormon before the end of the year. I had bought a little book that was JUST the Book of Mormon so that it was easier to take places. Well, needless to say, after how sick I was with her, I didn't get it read before the end of 2005. I did have a goal to finish it before she was born though. Ok, that didn't work either BUT I did get it done about a month after she was born. I remember this feeling of total and utter satisfaction and enjoyment. I had marked scriptures that I don't think I would have even cared about at a different time in my life. I have some of my favorite things written in that Book of Mormon. So, I decided to go buy one for this pregnancy and read it during this very long gestational time. I'm sure that very different things will be marked as I'm at a very different time in my life than I was 3 years ago. I want to do this with all of my pregnancies and look back and see the different things that touched me at different times in my life along with the struggles and trials I may be going through!

#2: THE JOURNAL: Yes, I do use my blog as a lot of my journal but there are some things that I just can't write on here due to things that are very private and some readers. I tried to keep a journal when I was pregnant with Choee but I ended up ripping up the pages and throwing them out. I was going through some very ugly times then with some things I really don't care to remember or EVER relive those emotions or memories so it is gone, and NO, I don't regret getting rid of it!

#3: THE BOOK: After I got done reading, "Look What Love Has Done", I found that I felt empty not having a light read to just pick up once in a while to make me laugh or cry. So, I found this incredible book, "Mom, you make it all better". It looks like a small book but it really isn't, it is actually quite thick. Here is the description on the back of the book:

Being a mom is a roller-coaster journey, bringing laughter, tears and everything in between. You're there to kiss each owie (real or imagined), hug away the tears and go to bat for your child. The challenges of motherhood may push you to your limit.

Mom, You Make It All Better brings the well-deserved rest and inspiration you need. From sticky kisses to KISS (keep it simple, sister!), this book contains creative and concise messages that lift your spirit and fit into your busy schedule.

A Little Something...

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Inevitable

I know that many people have written me to make sure I'm not dead, because my blog has lacked a new post for almost an entire month. Everyone that knows me knows I don't usually like to go more than a couple of days. Well, it will and HAS inevitably come out that we are expecting a baby! This is SO MUCH SOONER than I ever like extended people to know but everything I could and want to blog about would spill the beans about baby number 2.

The main and most important reason I haven't blogged is that I have been sick pretty much since conception... NO I AM NOT JOKING. So it has been a LONG 9 weeks for me. For those of you that were around when I was pregnant with Chloee KNOW how sick I was and that I was in the hospital multiple times and that I did infusion therapy too. Well, if it is at ALL possible, I have been WORSE with this one and way, way sooner. I didn't start getting sick with Chloee until about 8 weeks but this one had an 8 week lead on her. It has been terrible. My mom, Josh and my co-workers then probably remember it most and how BAD it was.

I have been in getting IV's all the time, one time I went into the Insta-care 3 times in one week to have IV's and in just one week, I lost 10 lbs. I remember with Chloee I was 4 months pregnant and only weighed 90 lbs.

Tuesday, July 29th was our 5 year anniversary. I spent it in Infusion Therapy in Logan Hospital with 6 chemo patients for 5 hours and Josh was out of the country in Canada for business. What a way to spend your anniversary, right? Well, my dr wanted to see me afterwards to check for twins because I have been sick so early. I bawled as the guy did the ultrasound and I was so relieved that it is only 1. I know that plenty of you would love 2, but I was so relieved! I go in for infusion therapy once a week with all my wonderful chemo friends up there in Logan. I actually became very close to one of them as we talked.

Well, to sum it up, I'm not far along, I can't stop throwing up, a baby can actually live through violent thrashes to its home and it has been the longest 9 weeks of my life. I started losing my hair, chunks and chunks of it. My dr said where I throw up so much, I have NO nutrients in me so the baby is taking it from anywhere it can, my hair, cuticles, teeth, you name it. Reluctantly, I went to get my hair cut. I have been growing it out for 2 years!!! When I went into the gal that used to cut my hair in Logan she had to take off 3 1/2" just to level up my broken, dry, disgusting hair. I cried in the chair as I watched it fall to the floor. I know, it wasn't healthy anyway but still it was hard to watch. You know, me and those chemo patients have more in common than you think. We are both throwing up in there and losing our hair, the only difference is, my infusion therapy is in an IV and most of them have PortaCaths.

Well, there it is. There is so much more that goes into this time, emotions and feelings, things I don't think I can share at this time, if maybe ever. But know that at this time, I feel peace and that is something I have been searching for for a long time! I have experienced things in the last 9 weeks spiritually, emotionally, mentally and physically that I never want to experience again and some that I have waited my life to experience and wouldn't trade that for anything! I will leave it at that, only a few of you know what I am talking about but I must say that right now, I feel content, peace, comfort and love.

I would feel terribly ungrateful if I didn't thank my mom who has been a saint in taking care of me for OVER a week and for taking care of my daughter 24-7. She has done more that I could ever possibly ask for. Maren who has watched Chloee on countless occasions as I went to the hospital and has let us stay at her house for hours on end and takes care of Chloee as I throw up and make her laugh. My wonderful sister who went with me to take bridal photos for 8 hours and watched me puke all over her mother-in-laws lawn amongst other things. My sweet mother-in-law who has listened to me bawl and has bawled with me and loved me. Also, for taking care of Chloee so that I could sleep and for being so easy going about everything this weekend. I am sure I have missed someone in here that has helped me through this time..... Awh, yes, my sweet husband, how he puts up with me and the awful things I say, I don't know. He's been a saint and even painted the house for me last weekend. I love you all, THANK YOU!