Does it get any better?

We had a very exciting weekend! Friday night we went downtown for the annual "Boogie on Broadway" to hear some good music and dance on the street! This was our SECOND year attending this event with Pea. I love being able to say that! Pea had loads of fun dancing and running wild. And...Pea and Jason made the newspaper! Well, we are all actually in the picture, but all you can see are my hands clapping and my fuzzy hair. This isn't the first time pea has made the news. While we were waiting for pea to come home, we were interviewed by a TV news station about our adoption process and they showed pictures of pea we took on our first visit trip. So, we have a little celebrity in the making! Unfortunately, our newspaper did not post the picture on their website, so this is the best I could get.
The next day, we got to see our town's NEW ladder fire truck parked right beside our house! Talk about excitement. Hehe. They actually raised the ladder all the way and it was pretty cool! I must admit, I really enjoy living by the fire station!
Then, Jason and pea discovered a nest of baby bunnies in our yard.
Pea checking out the bunnies.
Covering them back up to keep them warm. I didn't realize Jason and pea were having such adventures in the yard until dinner time. Jason asked pea to tell me what they discovered in the yard and he said "baby bunnies!" He was so excited!
And, my little heart breaker.

Savings Roundup

So, I have always thought of myself as a good bargain hunter. I rarely ever pay full price for anything. For several years, I have taken advantage of all the great rebate freebies through Rite Aid and Walgreens. I don't think I have paid for shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, or toothbrushes for probably three years! I get excited when something is on sale AND I have a coupon! Garage sale bargains get me jazzed and I love shopping at thrift stores. But, I have recently discovered that this is all child's play for some. There is a whole world of couponing that I never even knew about. How did this happen? :)

I admit that I have become a bit lazy in my bargain hunting over the last few months and our budget has been hemorrhaging a bit. So, with a tip from my friend Sally, I decided to venture more into this very serious world of couponing to get back on track and to revive my love for finding the best bargains! So, I spent this weekend getting all of my coupons organized because I have learned through my couponing research that you need to acquire a large stash of coupons in order to take advantage of the best deals. I then scoured over all of the ads and came up with my plan of attack. Check it out:

ALL of this together was FREE. In fact, I actually EARNED money. $1.52, to be exact! The toothpaste (both Aquafresh and children's orajel), razor, and contact solution was all free after rebate. I had two $2.00 coupons for each of the contact solutions, which meant I earned $4.00. The deodorant deal was buy 5 and receive a $10.00 from Rite Aid. Each deodorant was regularly priced $3.48. Well, right beside the deodorant were coupons for $1.00. So, I grabbed 5 of those coupons for an additional $5.00 in savings! All of this would have cost me $49.35 if I had paid full price. Woohoo! Everything came from Rite Aid, except for the Razor (CVS).
Here are my best deals in this picture:
Aunt Millie's bread $0.30
4 boxes of cereal at $0.75 each
2 boxes of cereal at $1.45 each
2 salad dressings at $0.50 each
2 boxes of playtex at $2.00 each
5lbs of ground turkey at $0.90/lb
2 bags of organic carrots at $0.90 each
Total for everything pictured: $25.97
CVS had an incredible deal on Pampers. They were on sale for $8.99 with an additional $5.00 in extra care bucks (basically a gift card for CVS). I also had three $1.00 off coupons, which made these $2.99 each. Unbelievable! I also purchased these lithium batteries for $10.00 after extra care bucks. The batteries regularly cost $8.99.
So, how did I do? Granted, I did purchase some other items at the grocery store, but I saved so much money overall! The key, I am learning, is to stock up on on these deals. I also never really paid much attention to the rebate program at CVS, but there is a system! They offer several products every week in which you can earn "extra care bucks." Once you earn a few, then you use those to make the extra care bucks purchases the next week, virtually paying nothing out of pocket. Stack the extra care bucks with coupons and you can find some serious deals!

I would love to hear how you all save money. Any other couponing junkies out there? What else should I know?

Wild Child

Pea has a little wild side and he has been particularly wild as of late. We often get comments like, "wow, he is a very busy boy!" Most days it is cute and endearing...other days, well, not so cute and endearing!

For example, we attended a graduation party the other night and pea just ran wild! He and his older cousin were running around all of the tables, playing in the water fountain, and nearly crashing into the very expensive audio/visual equipment. We thought it would be a good idea to take pea outside to run around and burn off some of his energy. Well, he quickly discovered the little pond. It wasn't long before he ran right into the water almost up to his knees...in tennis shoes and jeans. That was a little cute and endearing.

Fast forward to today. Jason took pea to the library to browse around. According to Jason..Pea. ran. wild. He was pulling things off the wall, taking books and videos off the shelf, and then managed to crawl under the computer table and turned off the power strip. Yep, turned off all of the computers in the area. And, yes, they were being used. Not so cute and endearing.

Jason lured him out of the library with a firetruck DVD. On the way home, pea opened the DVD case, pulled out the DVD, and started chewing on it. Needless to say, they were unable to watch firetrucks. We now own a chew up firetruck DVD that we cannot watch. Really not so cute and endearing!.

It doesn't help that he has some molars coming in right now and he puts EVERYTHING in his mouth!

Just another typical day in the peapod!


Here are some pics from our attempt to let pea burn off some energy at the park last Sunday.

Blogger's Bloc

We're still here! But, I have been in a bit of a blogger rut for awhile and tonight is not any better...just some cutie pics. I recently splurged on a new camera and have been trying to figure it out! I definitely need some more advanced instruction than the 1000 page manual that came with the camera! ;) Any photography book suggestions? Preferably one for "dummies?" Okay, seriously, I need a book that says "if you want to take a picture that looks like this...here is what you do." Nothing too techy at this point. Of course, I have the most adorable subject (though, not always a very willing subject!) on which to practice my up and coming photography skills!

Rock Kisser

Pea LOVES being outside, which is where we spend most of our evenings since the weather has been warming up. He loves pushing his bubble lawn mower around the yard, smelling the flowers, picking up sticks, throwing rocks, digging in dirt, squashing ants, watching for the firetruck, etc, etc. Most of all...pea loves going on walks, which makes me very happy! I love walks, too.

Pea definitely has his favorite spots along the various routes we take and he often takes charge on which way we go. "dis way, dis way"

One of his favorite stops is this big rock along our neighbors yard. For some reason, every time we pass the rock he has to stop and give it a big kiss! I think he is simply our budding environmentalist. Perhaps "rock kisser" should be the new "tree hugger." ;0)

A Taste of Summer

Year in Review

We marked a very important milestone this week. One that is significant for many adoptive families for a variety of reasons. We have been together as a family of three LONGER than pea was with his foster family. Obviously, pea's time with his very loving foster family is an essential part of his story and they will always be considered family. But, that time was only temporary. During that time, they provided so much love and care until he could come home where he belonged where we all belonged, together.

Our first year home was amazing, challenging, and, at times, overwhelming in many ways. I certainly still remember the stress and heartache of waiting for pea to come home, but it also feels like he has always been here. And, the memories of waiting definitely make me appreciate the life we have today. Life is good and I am one lucky momma.

Here are some pics from our first year home as a family. It is amazing how much pea has changed!

May 2008 - A couple days after arriving home.
June 2008 - Look at that little chub! He was definitely a "husky" boy when he came home! ;)

July 2008 - This is a terrible picture, but I love it! Pea hangin' off the monkey bars.

August 2008

September 2008

October 2008

November 2008

December 2008

January 2009 - Fashion icon...he still LOVES to wear his snowboots.

February 2009 - note the boots, again.

March 2009

April 2009

May 2009 - My handsome boy!

Embassy Day

One year ago on May 9th was our embassy day!! The final step in our adoption process, which turned out to be quite uneventful. My friend Lynn described it as waiting at the driver's license bureau! But, it was great! We were so happy to finally be there!

Here we are at 5:15am just before our ride arrived to take us to Guatemala City. We were clapping in an effort to get pea to look at the camera and smile. As you can see, he wasn't really impressed. Oh well!!
We went back to Antigua after our appointment and ate lunch at the Bagel Barn. After a much needed nap, we headed out to explore Las Capuchinas, an old convent. It is so beautiful and one of my favorite places in Antigua. Perfect for exploring, relaxing, or having a picnic on the lawn area. Oh, it also appeared to be a hot spot for young love. Lots of secret hiding spaces for making out. Though, they weren't so secret because we interrupted one or two couples! hehe




We were pretty hungry after exploring Capuchinas so we tried out a pizza place and it was delicious! But, I cannot remember the name of the restaurant! I do remember it was next to a coffee shop on a street right off of 1st Avenida Norte (I think!). Anyone know where I am talking about?

Pea and daddy after dinner. I am pretty sure we also treated ourselves to ice cream, too! It was such a perfect day.

Conked out after a long day. This used to be the only way we could get pea to sleep! Oh wow. That seems like so long ago! We did many laps around our apartment in Antigua and the little courtyard right outside our door.

Please pay attention to me

Pea and I ran to the store for about 30 minutes and came back to this. There was dog bed stuffing everywhere! Porter has not done anything like this for a LONG time and usually only when he is feeling anxious. Poor dog. I think he has been a little lonely lately. He just doesn't get as much attention anymore. This picture makes me feel really guilty! He looks so sad and OLD! When Pea saw the scene, he said "Porter mess!" He then grabbed a dish towel and tried to "clean up Porter mess." The dog bed cover was in the wash...guess we don't need that anymore!

Lake Atitlan

Not only did we have the opportunity to explore Antigua during our pick-up trip, but also Lake Atitlan. We spent a weekend in Panajachel and took a boat tour of some of the small villages surrounding the lake. This was my second trip to the lake (visited in college) and it was just as beautiful this time and even more special because I was able to share it with my family. The rainy season was just beginning so the lake was very hazy and it was rainy most of the time we were there. Luckily, the rain and haze lifted during our boat tour! We had such a grea time and the staff at our hotel were incredible!! They were so nice and they adored Eli! Not to mention the coffee at the hotel was THE BEST!! Oh, I am definitely ready to go back! Here are a few pics. Again...enjoy!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The Beauty of Antigua

During our pick-up trip, we stayed in an apartment in Antigua since we had no idea when we would be returning home. So, we had lots of opportunities to explore the beauty of Antigua. It is impossible not to fall instantly in love with this very special place. The sounds, sights, smells, and people are etched in my heart. Here are a few photos from our explorations. These are a mix of photos taken by us, my parents, and Jason's parents. Who's ready to book the next flight out? Enjoy!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

First Family Day!

One year ago, our sweet boy was placed in our arms forever. There really are no adequate words to describe the emotions of that day! Such joy! We were so incredibly happy to finally be together as a family, yet there was also a deep sadness watching Eli's foster family say goodbye knowing Eli was losing everything that was familiar to him and they were losing a son, a brother. At the same time, our hearts were also with Eli's birth mother. The finality of our adoption process was a whirlwind of deep joy and sadness. To say it was overwhelming is an understatement! One year ago marked the beginning of our life as a family of three, but with that beginning also came loss. That is just the reality of adoption and, as adoptive parents, it is so essential that we acknowledge and honor all of its complexities. In that sense, this day for us is not only a huge celebration of our life together as a family, but also an honor to the journey that brought us together, Eli's birth mother, and his foster family.

With that said, we had a lowkey celebration this evening. We spent time playing outside and watched our video from this day last year. Pea was very intrigued by the video and actually sat on my lap watching it for quite awhile. (He rarely sits still for anything!) It's so hard to know if he recognized his foster family, but he certainly was interested! We were so lucky and blessed to share that day with our parents, who joined us for the first week of our trip. They took lots of pictures for us and my dad was the videographer. The pictures and videos are priceless and something our family will treasure always.

We also left for Guatemala not knowing when we would return. We had not received our pink slip, yet, but we just couldn't be away from our pea any longer. We expected to be down there for a month, but it only ended up being 2.5 weeks. We had such a wonderful trip! I am sure this post will be part I over the next few days as I pour over the photos from our trip!

Family Picture April 27, 2008

Family Picture April 27, 2009
My favorite silly fellas!

Daddy attack!!

Me & my pea
My sweet, sweet boy