Funny Words

After tasting some spicy salsa and drinking a whole glass of water, with watery eyes S said "I am DEFINITELY NEVER eating that stuff again EVER!!" We tried to tell him it was spicy but he insisted on trying it.

Getting out of the bath after an hour long bike ride, L said "My legs hurt like DEATH!" Yes L - I would guess death would hurt.

Grandparent's Day

Today was Grandparent's Day. We went to my mother's house for a brunch. It was okay. I was able to get a good pic of the kids last night for her. Although like everything else, the picture wasn't right. It needed to be horizontal instead of vertical...nothing is ever good enough for her. The kids enjoyed themselves and it was so wonderful to see my sister for an hour or two.

J is walking much more now. He'll take 10 steps or so at a time now. I guess running isn't too far behind.

(As I am typing this, L is snuggled up right next to me - love that girl so so much!)

Cinnamon Rolls

I have read about Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls for the past couple of years. I read all the comments and it seemed most people thought they were pretty easy. I attempted them tonight. I had such a mess in the kitchen, flour and later melted butter EVERYWHERE!!! It didn't turn out like I had hoped to begin with. I have never used yeast in a recipe before and was extremely intimidated. When I took the first batch out to roll, they were horribly runny and wouldn't roll up right. Those 3 pans went into the trash. I got so frustrated not having them turn out right. Daddy Piper took control of bath time so I could continue working on them. My idea was to let the dough sit and and try again in the morning, hoping they would bake up right so I could take them to my mother's for brunch. Daddy Piper had the wild idea at 11:00 at night to try them again. So together we rolled out the second half and they turned out much, much better. It was fun to bake them together. And they tasted yummy when they were done!!!!

Soccer

S had his first game today. The morning went nothing like I had hoped. Everyone was in a bad mood by the time we got to the game. Daddy Piper started not feeling again earlier in the morning and that set the tone for the day. Lots of yelling and snippy comments. UGH - not anything I really want to remember, truly. Parking was horrible with the new league, horribly disorganized - they didn't even have their shirts by the time the game started and there's no ref, only the coaches to act as coach and ref for the game. We'll go back to the other one next season for sure. S did a great job though playing! He got nailed by the ball on the kickoff and was crying. He kept playing though - crying up and down the field but he stayed in there. He is the type if you let him come out, he would never go back in. After 5 minutes of the dramatic crying episode, all was fine and it was grins and giggles the rest of the time. He is such a joy to watch run around on that field. Sitting on the sidelines cheering him on is such fun!!

Damn Computer!

We bought a new HP in March due to a motherboard crash. Well I woke up today to another HP crash. My 6 month old computer died on me. I will never buy another HP again - EVER! I had to spend 3 hours from leaving the house to going to the store to drop it off for service and then the drive back home. It was such a crappy thing to have to do on today of all days. We had a birthday party at 5 tonight. And we were late : -( S fell asleep on the way to the party. I parked the van right by our table (it was outside at a park) and he slept through most of the party. He woke up and was hysterically crying for me. It had been at most 5 minutes since I checked on him. I felt soooo bad for him waking up so upset. He was able to get some cake and ice cream and play with the kids and cars for a bit before it was time to head home.

Canning Peaches

We spent 3 hours this morning canning 32 pounds of Utah Peaches. Daddy Piper joined in the fun and it made the work just that, FUN! The kids were entertained with extra TV and computer time so they enjoyed the canning time. J devoured a ton of peaches while we were canning. He just kept eating and eating and eating : -)

Hot Date

Tonight S rode with me get dinner (we splurged - angry Mommy came around today so it was a take out dinner kind of night). Anyway while riding he said "Uh I don't even know what day it is." I told him it was Monday and asked if he had a hot date. He said "Yes - it is a very hot day to today!" while resting his face upon his hand and gazing out the window. I am loving these little times with him - times when I see the baby he was, the boy he is and the man he's going to be.

We planned J's first birthday party coming up in the 3 weeks. It will be a simple BBQ with friends, just like we held for the other 2. Complete with a cake just for smooshing : -)

I did have a very angry explosion this morning. I vow here and now to get help. That will be the first call tomorrow morning - scheduling me with someone who can help with this raging anger I feel. Maybe this is a reason Daddy Piper's work has been slow - to force me to get the help I truly need to overcome this demon inside........

Sickies

We have some sickies running around here. J started out last Thursday sick, then Daddy Piper and I got it on Friday, S on Saturday and L on Sunday. J is feeling better as are Daddy Piper and I. It is a yucky cold. No one has slept well for the past 5 days so I am hoping this thing runs it's course and gets out of our house! The great thing is the kids have been so happy, even not feeling so well. J is full of smiles with his nose running like a sieve : -) L had a bad fever last night. So far she seems to be the one hit the hardest with this cold. She did sleep in some and is now lounging on the couch, eating a banana and watching cartoons. There has been an unbelievable amount of cartoon watching around here the last few days. Perhaps that's why they are happy when sick - they get extra amounts of cartoon time : -)

J is the worst at finding little toys to shove in his mouth. Just while I wrote this 5 minute post, he's had 2 different Geotrax guys in his mouth.

Daddy's work is still slow - rather it's been dead since the beginning of August. This recession has hit us hard. I sometimes wonder how we keep managing but we do. Bills are paid and I have been slowly getting a few Christmas gifts here and there for quite cheap so the kids will have a nice Christmas, whatever the next months bring. We keep hearing of work on the horizon and that keeps our hopes up. I have learned though through this leaner time of what truly matters - our family and spending quality time together.

Savings, Savings, Savings

I did some killer deals today. For only .94 OOP I got the following:

14 Bounty Paper towels
8 Charmin Toilet Papers
10 Reach Floss
8 Sally Hansen Nail Color
9 French's Mustard
9 French's Specialty Mustard
2 Hunts Ketchup
2 Revlon Emery Boards
10 Boxes Luzianne Tea
2 Wonder Bread
1 Hamburger Buns
1 Pack Cheese
6 Lawry's Taco Seasonings


All for the grand total of $0.94. I couldn't believe it. Couponing has become a way of life for me and I am loving these fun deals! I did get a picture of the first trip but forgot to take a picture after my late night run.

No Speakers

Tonight L & S had graham crackers for bedtime snack. They were using them like cell phones, that is until S held his to his ear and said "Uh can't hear you L - there's no speakers!!".

Coupon Shopping

In an attempt to keep us afloat during this horrible, unstable economy, I have taken to being a real coupon guru. We have cut our grocery budget by 75% or more, including all cleaning and diaper products. Today while coupon shopping with my sis, S said "We don't buy anything if we don't have a coupon for it." Guess he's picked up on the changes in our household this year : -)

Soccer Season Starts

Tonight was S's first soccer practice of the season. He is playing on a team coached by our neighbor so at least practice is nice and close, like 50 feet from our back door. He was disappointed to learn his Daddy wouldn't be coaching this time. Turns out Daddy will be assisting coaching due to S's major disappointment. Practice went well. S is playing up a level this time. He is so good at anything athletic. It is such fun to watch him out there trying his best and achieving little successes here and there. It is very heartwarming to watch father and son out there too - I fall a bit more in love with Daddy Piper each time I watch him interact with our babies.

L enjoyed the practice because she got to play with their other daughter. Her time with other little girls is so limited. Most of the kids we know are boys. So she had tons of fun. J and I hung out and tried not to melt in the heat.

J is 11 months old!

J is now officially one month from his first birthday. Oh my GOSH! He can now:

• Clap
• Take 5-6 steps
• Stand alone
• Drive me crazy (while I remove the fifth thing from his mouth)
• Say Mama, Baba, Nana, Dada
• Bite
• Hit me while nursing. He LOVES to smack my breast while nursing.
  
• He's allergic to bananas. My first baby to show an allergy to anything.
• He's now sleeping better. He'll sleep for 5-6 hours, wake and nurse and then back down until morning.
• Make me swoon when I see his gorgeous brown eyes : -)

Having J completed our family. Daddy Piper has said once more "NO MORE BABIES". I can now be okay with that (although if one accidentally came about, I wouldn't be the least bit sad!).

Tuesday Talk

School seems to be going well. L paid me the highest compliment yesterday by saying how much she loves me to be her teacher!

L started art and music lessons today with a local studio that is offering a homeschool program. She thoroughly enjoyed this. I am hesitant to keep her in dance and this class though since they are within a few hours of each other. She has chosen art over dance so we'll see. She was just whipped tonight.

Daisy's starts on Thursdays along with S's soccer for this season.

Work is still slooooowwwww but things are hopefully looking up.....