4 year old birthday festivities

busy week::Mommy has sore throat::high probability of rain for the next few days::warmer weather means break out the shorts::St. Patrick's Day parade on Saturday if it's not raining::Dad's off this weekend::LSU baseball game on Friday night for Mom, if it's not raining::less blogging this week::date night Saturday night; MIL keeping the boys overnight::Buck-a-roo's birthday was great; need to post pics::American Idol is good this season::Dancing With The Stars new season began this week::we got two new fish (Pillow & Timer)::both boys are sleeping better in their own beds ALL night::no time for sitting, there's work to be done::several friends' birthday parties coming up; need to buy gifts::need to go to grocery store and SOON::still haven't clipped coupons from last Sunday::daylight savings time is great for playing outdoors, but not so great for getting the boys to be at a decent hour::less sleep at night means grumpy children in the morning::overwhelmed::why is LSU baseball team losing::Daddy Buck's dealership is finally beginning to sell cars again is wonderful!; does this mean our economy is making a turn for the better::need to send in my deposit for the MckCrusise::planning trip for work in June to PA; first trip away from the boys and during Frank-o's birthday, nonetheless::Spring school pictures in two weeks::can't eat meat on Friday::sinkhole almost completely repaired; next phase....sodding:: is couponing really getting me anywhere::I LOVE Spring::taking on new responsibilities at work::really need to make a trip to Alexandria to see the grandparents and my brother::Easter is April 12::Mother's Day is coming up::the boys have wet the bed many times this week::laundry is mounting up::what should I cook for dinner tonight?::housekeeper comes today; also, getting first pedicure of the season today and taking my friends' mother out for lunch {aaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh}

that was me putting all the various random thoughts that are racing through my head this morning into words....

on Buck-a-roo's actual birthday, we took him to Chuck E Cheese...

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his birthday party was 2 days later at a local farm....

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"Not Me!" Monday

If my "Not Me"s would have actually happened IRL this past week, the law could have gotten involved...thank goodness the following things didn't actually occur within our chaotic lives over the past week.

One evening last week as we played outdoors with our neighbors, we decided, as a group, to move from the front yard to the backyard chasing the sun for better play. With four adults, five children, and ridiculous mounds of toys...this was quite a feat. I DID NOT, five minutes later, enter the house and hear a low, muffled cry coming from the general vicinity of the garage door that leads to the front yard. I DID NOT then open that door to find my 2 year old sobbing and saying, "You lef me...You lock me out!". In other words, what I am trying to convey is that I DID NOT temporarily lose my two year old child as he was locked out of the house and in the front yard unsupervised with complete access to the street all alone. In all seriousness, I was horrified after this incident had occurred and must have held him for ten solid minutes, hugging and kissing his poor crying self.

I DID NOT completely ignore the bells and whistles of my car, for exactly 46 miles, alerting me to the fact that I was running low on gas. And, I most certainly DID NOT allow my gas gauge to read this......

After coming to the realization that I was running out of gas, I DID NOT panic because I had my children in the car and I felt the car begin to spittter/spatter/sputter as we coasted into the nearest gas station (E**ON) where I paid $0.10 more per gallon than I should have and I DID NOT even care. Thank goodness, it appears, that the computer on my vehicle is well calibrated.

I am certain that none of these ridiculous antics have ever happened to any of you....

For fun, check out MckMama's blog for more "Not Me!" Monday happenings...

i heart faces ~ Week 9 w/ a bonus CONTEST

Monday morning is here following a busy weekend of house guests, birthday festivities and a time change. Whew!! Have I got some pickin up to do around this house?!? I couldn't miss my weekly participation in the i Y faces contest...

This week's theme....creative crop

This is Buck-a-roo and Frank-o's new favorite pasttime...watching videos on my iPhone.

For my first-ever blog contest......I will send a special treat and recognize on this blog the first person to comment with the correct guess as to what cartoon show are they watching on the telephone?

Festive Flashback Friday

We have come leaps and bounds (no pun intended) from these feeble feet....

to this frequent footwear....

And, have come a far cry (once again no pun intended) from this fragile FOUR pounds FOUR ounces....

to this fabulous FOUR year old....

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Buck-a-roo, Happy Birthday to you!!!!

Dear Buck-a-roo,

Your dad and I remember the day like it was yesterday. It was a Sunday and we had just put a frozen pizza in the oven for lunch. I went to the bathroom and my water broke, only minutes after Maw-Maw had just left our house headed home following her visit for the weekend to attend my baby shower. You were due on April 30 and despite a long 10+ week battle in and out of the hospital, 45+ visits to the OB emergency room, 2 amniocentesis, constant contractions for 8+ weeks and numerous medications to halt my preterm labor....today would be the big day!!!!

We arrived at the hospital around 1:00 pm and you were born in the OR shortly after 8:00 pm and our world would forever be changed in the most magnificent way. Following 14 days in the NICU to allow you time to learn how to feed and continue to grow....you came home with us weighing 3 pounds 9 ounces and haven't stopped bringing joy to our lives ever since.

Today you are an excellent big brother and a super well-mannered boy. You weigh 38 pounds and are 44 inches tall. You consume more chocolate milk than you probably should and are the ultimate picky eater. You color in the lines beautifully and have just begun to ride your bicycle without the assistance of training wheels. You adore music, musical instruments, and dancing. You know how to snap your fingers, wink on command, and try your darndest to whistle all the time. You prefer to dress like a "little man" on a daily basis, button-down shirts, collared polo shirts, blue jeans, or "striped" pants (corduroy). You choose to wear boots for footwear daily, work boots, rain boots, cowboy boots; you have 'em all. You can count to 30, spell Z-O-O, write your name, and recite your weekly Bible verses with ease. You are definitely a people-pleaser, enjoy affection and still, four years later, make us smile until our face hurts every single day!!!!

We love you and I mean it....no more birthdays after FOUR!!!!

Love,

Daddy and Mommy

CVS-ing today!

Today I went to CVS with a mission in mind!!

I will spare you the complete rundown of my purchases, rather I will highlight some of the best deals of what is quickly becoming my new obsession.


Kotex Lightdays...reg $3.89, coupon $1/1, earn $2 (ECB), final pay $0.89

Mentos gum (2)...reg $1.69, on sale $1.29, coupon $1/1 (2), final pay $0.29 each

Dawn dish soap...reg $1.99, on sale $0.97, coupon $0.50/1, final pay $0.47

Febreze air freshener...reg $3.29, coupon $1/1, coupon B1G1Free, final pay $1.14 each

----------------------------------------------

Total OOP today $89.64

Total saved today $53.66 plus voucher earned for Dustbuster wet/dry vac ($30 value)
(that's roughly 37% not taking into account the free dustbuster)

Hypothetically, if we added the $30 value of the dustbuster and brought the total benefit value to {$83.66} then we could say that I spent {$6.02 } on {$140+} worth of common household items (mostly P&G) that we consume on a daily basis.


Mission accomplished!!

Bring it on!!

Yesterday, Buck-a-roo said bring it on to the idea of riding his bicycle without training wheels. He gave it several excellent attempts and ran his dad up and down the sidewalk for all he was worth. Maybe he will have it mastered by Friday when he turns FOUR!!

Today, I said bring it on to Spring by decorating our house with touches of bright colors, spring decor, and Easter what-nots. And, yesterday....Daddy Buck planted many bulbs in our flowerbeds, daylily, amarylis, and iris that should be blooming just in time for Spring.

i heart faces ~ Week 8

This week's theme..... Messy

This picture is several months old; but seeing as it was taken after Buck-a-roo had played for hours in the large mound of sand that was in our front yard at the time, I definitely felt it qualified for the theme of messy. His clothes and my bathtub were laden with sand for days!

To enter this week's competition, visit i Y faces here