Oh, How I Love A Good Deal

I can't help it. I want the best for my kids. Maybe it comes from the fact that I was the last of eight, yes EIGHT, children. Lots of hand-me-downs. And after my dad died, mom wasn't able to afford to buy us name brand clothing. So I want all those things for my kids. Call me selfish, call me a snob, whatever, but I want my kids to look good! With that being said, we cannot afford to purchase these name brand items either! With everything that happened with Jackson's premature arrival, and with him not being able to go to daycare, and me having to stay home with him, we are on the biggest budget crunch of all time.

When I was pregnant with him, it was the complete opposite season of when I was pregnant with Dalton. I carried Jackson through the summer, and I just couldn't see buying an entire new maternity wardrobe for work, so I hit up a lot of resale shops, and borrowed a lot of stuff from friends. And now? Still hitting up those resale shops! It's very exciting to find a NICE pair of khaki pants, name brand, for only $3.00. Let's face it...children grow. And buying clothes is not something that is negotiable! They will attend church, they will go to a nice restaurant (as soon as we're free from Jackson's home arrest!!), they will need nice clothes.

So when Chris brought home an advertisement from work for a local consignment sale, I knew that I would find a sitter for a few hours and go shop til I dropped! And that's exactly what I did. I went the first day of the sale, bright and early when they opened at 9:00. Which is hard for me to get both boys ready, to the sitter, and then back across town to the convention center by 9:00!! (I was about 30 minutes late, but that's not too bad.)

The first day I spent $144.00. You may think that sounds like a lot for kids' clothes, but this is what I got for only $144.00.

For Dalton:

2 long sleeve button down shirts

1 short sleeve button down shirt

2 pairs of khaki pants

2 pairs of khaki shorts

2 long sleeve polo shirts

swim trunks

wind suit (you know, because he jogs so much!!)

3 pairs of pajamas

4 short sleeve polo shirts

2 tshirts

backpack

And, seriously, how freakin' cute is this outfit?!?

For Jackson, he was born at the opposite season as Dalton. At first, I thought the clothes situation would be okay, because he was so little when he was born. But he's growing so big, and the seasons are not overlapping as well as I thought they would. BTW, we went to the doctor today for his LAST synagis vaccine, and he was 14lbs, 3oz. So I got the following:

swim trunks
1 pair of shorts

1 tshirt

1 shirt/shorts set

1 shirt/pants/hat set

1 shirt/pants/socks set

3 sleepers

So, that was that. Tons of stuff, really, for $144.00. But it gets even better!! After the first two days of the sale, everything goes to half price!! So I went back for that too!! And I secured the following for only $70.00...

For Dalton:

A Nike jogging suit (I know, the jogging, again, but it was $3.00!!!!)

2 long sleeve polo shirts

4 short sleeve polo shirts

1 pair of shorts

1 hoodie jacket

1 long sleeve button down shirt

1 tshirt

1 Sponge Bob Square Pants DVD (he is in love with Sponge Bob right now!!)

The only thing I wish I could have found for him were Jeans, but this is the age when boys are really playing hard and apparently, jeans are hard to come by in good shape.

For Jackson, I got the following:

6 polo style onesies

1 hat

1 pair of Nike shoes (mainly just because they were so freaking cute)

1 tshirt

1 polo shirt

1 onesie/pant set

1 pair pants

AND, I got a new diaper bag! I must have six diaper bags in the attic, plus the new one I got as a gift for Jackson, but until you use them, you don't realize that they aren't right. Either too small, or too hard to open when you are balancing a poopy screaming baby on one arm, or whatever. And now that I've had this bag for the last week or so, I can honestly say that I love it. I can fit a change of clothes for J, diapers, wipes, bottles, bibs, an extra blanket, binkies, a change of underwear and pants for D (let's face it, he's 3, sometimes you just can't get to the bathroom quick enough), PLUS throw my wallet in there and books to entertain Dalton (perfect for pediatrician visits!!).

All of that, for just over $200 total!! And yes, they are all name brand. Old Navy, Gap, Gymboree, Children's Place, Calvin Klein, Nike, Polo, Tommy Hilfiger, Eddie Bauer. AND, if you look really closely, you will notice that some of my purchases still had the original tags, they've never been worn!! All of that without going to twelve different stores and scouring the clearance racks, and for better prices!! I ROCK AT FINDING A GOOD DEAL!!

So, hopefully, my shopping is done for the year for the boys. Well, except for socks and underwear and diapers. :)

We're Back On Line!

Our computer crashed about a week and a half ago, and we just got back up and running! We don't yet have all of our programs reloaded, such as the software I use to edit my pictures, so for now, I'll just give you some of my favorite Dalton quotes for the last two weeks...

You know that scene in "Titanic" where Leonardo DiCaprio is standing on the front of the boat and says "I'm king of the world!!!"...well Dalton's version is "I'm the whole kid in the world!"

"I tripped because my legs don't have eyes."

"This is my boy make-up!" Talking about lip balm.

Daddy: "Hey, Dalton, say Everybody wang chung tonight..."
Dalton: "Thanks, Daddy, you're the best!"
I'm not sure what it was that Dalton thought he was getting, but at least it made him happy!

"Mom, I'm so boring."

Me: "Dalton, you're so smart. How'd you get so smart? From mommy?"
Dalton: "Nope. I got it from Daddy."

"Mommy, I'm out of gas and my batteries are dead." As he collapses on the floor.

While on a walk: "Mommy, my eyes are cold. I think I need some boy make-up."

"I have something in my eye." Then he proceeds to look down at the floor and slap himself on the back of the head!

We're in Wal-Mart (which, by the way, we spend roughly half our income at) and I say:
"Okay, Dalton, I think we're done. We just need to go pick up Turbo Tax, and we're out of here."
Dalton: "Yay! Turtle Tax!!"

Dalton: "I want on the counter."
Me: "Why? What are you going to do up there?"
Dalton: "Nothing."
Me: "If you're not going to do anything, there's no reason for you to get on the counter."
Dalton: "Okay, then I'm going to do something."
Me: "Like what?"
Dalton: "Nothing."
And so on and so forth.

Holding his hands behind his back, Dalton says, "Mommy, guess what I have for you!" Very sing-songy.
Me: "What do you have for me?"
He lifts his shirt up. "I have pecs! And you have boobies!!"

The End of Babydom

Let me begin by addressing "The Undomesticated Wife"...thank you for saying that my kids are "so cute". I think so, but then again, I am biased! If I am ever in the Dallas area, I'd love to meet you. I always enjoy meeting another fellow animal rescuer!

Jackson got his first real food yesterday! He's been eating baby rice cereal for about a month, and since we just passed our four month check up, we have started him on real food. I am excited to do this because we are bypassing the store bought baby food this time around and will be making our own baby food. I never realized how simple it is. The main reason though is that since I am staying home with the kids now, we are really trying to find ways to save money, and I never realized how expensive baby food is! So here we are...Jackson's first food was....drum roll...avocado!! He seemed to really like it.

Of course he got it absolutely everywhere, but what can I say, he takes after me! He also rolled from his back to his tummy today for the first time. Now, once he gets to his tummy he can't go anywhere so he gets all frustrated and then starts to fuss, and I flip him over, and then he does it all over again.

Jackson also wore his first shoes today! We went to Robyn's for a play date today. I had purchased some tennis shoes for Jackson when I was pregnant with him...I think I got them for $1.00 at a resale shop just because they were so tiny and cute. I put them on him today thinking that he might outgrow them soon, but he would barely tap his foot on something and they would pop right off because they're still too big. :) I told Dalton "Look at Jackson's new tennis shoes!" and Dalton responded by saying "They're so little...and so cute!" I've always said that the right shoes make the outfit...

On another note...I have blogged in the past about Jackson in the Jumperoo. Well, several times in the last few days, he'll be jumping away and laughing and giggling, and then BAM! he's asleep at the drop of a hat. It's very cute....

And then I remembered that Dalton used to do the exact same thing...jump jump laugh jump snooze. So I searched through old pictures and found one of Dalton doing the same thing...

Which has led me to realize that I really need to label all the photos now...Jackson is four months old right now, and Dalton was four months old in the photo above. Don't they look exactly the same?!? Jackson's hair is just a bit darker, but in photos you really can't tell...

So this little creation was all Dalton...well, he did have a little help, but not too much! I would say "Find the D" and he would hand it over, and so on and so forth for all the letters of his name.


Daddy had fun taking pictures of all of us. He complains that it is hard to get all three of us to smile all at one time.

And of course, I was laughing in this next picture because Chris had just said "Dalton, you have to look at me...and quit picking your nose!"

Jackson has been sitting up pretty well in his Jumperoo...it fits pretty snug to him and is nice and cozy, so we decided to bring out the excersaucer and see how he sat in that. It isn't as snug to him as the Jumperoo, so he wobbles a bit in it. But he is super cute, isn't he?

My Funny Valentine

Ah, Valentine's Day. :) I must say it was very laid back this year, not a lot of frills. Which was kind of nice, really. I did get a lovely bouquet of flowers the day before Valentine's. And I went out for a while on Saturday evening to Petsmart (had to take advantage of the one day cat supply sale to get cat litter), and when I arrived back home, Dalton and Jackson (with a little help from Daddy) made me heart shaped jello!!

Here I am with two of my three favorite boys on Valentine's Day.

Dalton did some posing for us that night. We asked him to do different emotions for us, which of course he did, because he likes to ham it up for the camera. A lot of his different emotions look very much like the previous, but here are some of my favorites. This one is his "thinking" face.

And this one is his "strong" face.

And then we asked him to be scared, but I think this looks more like he's getting ready to do something really really really naughty and devious...

Jackson has recently begun to hold onto and grasp objects. Now, if I give him a rattle, usually he just chucks it at my head, with surprising accuracy, but he will hold on to his favorite lovey. Half of the time he holds onto it and cuddles it, and the other half of the time he shoves one of the ears into his mouth.

We also took in a new foster this week (temporarily). A local vet called early last week and told me that they had an elderly client who was moving into a nursing home and he didn't know what to do with his dog. They said it was a male, 11 year old, full blooded dachshund. The dog had just had vaccinations, a dental, and blood work and there was nothing wrong with him other than being a little over weight. So of course we took him in.

Some friends of ours will be fostering him when they return from Vegas, but for this week, he's our new house mate. This is Cricket!! BTW-does he look like a dachshund to you? I didn't think so...

Cricket really is a very good dog, for the most part. He spent his entire 11 years with his master, and was never exposed to other dogs, cats, or children. With that being said, he has adjusted pretty well to the hustle and bustle of our home. He does well with our dogs (pretty much just ignores them), and he is afraid of the cats (can't blame him there), and he follows Dalton around, well, like a puppy! He is 100% house trained. His only draw back is that he wants to be with you 24/7, which I guess makes sense since he lived with a retired man his entire life. I tried to crate him the first night he stayed with us as I didn't know how he would do, but he chewed on the wire crate until his mouth bled. If I have him in the house and shut the baby gate while we are eating, with Cricket on the opposite side, he chews on the gate. If I put him outside to go potty, he goes quickly, then chews on the door trim to get back in. Chris says that I am expected to fix this last item on my own. But, let's face the truth here, I'm sure that he will fix it himself because he's afraid that I will mess it up (and to be truthful, I probably would...) Now, I have not heard a bark or whine or anything for the week that we've had him, he's quiet as a mouse. But he sure does think he needs to be with you at all times.

When he is in the house, he spends the majority of his time hiding. He will curl up in the corner by the computer (which is where he is now, under my feet), or he will squeeze under the table by the sofa, or he will hide behind Jackson's jumperoo. Which I don't understand at all because he'll even lay under that while Jackson is in the jumperoo moving around. I don't understand what the difference is between hiding, and being in the crate, but he sure doesn't like to be confined.

I think he'll make a wonderful companion for an older, retired couple, and hope that he is adopted soon. He has been very depressed and missing his owner, so I hope that he doesn't have to stay with us for too long before he is adopted. I would hate for him to get attached to our family just to be uprooted again.

It has been brought to my attention that I have not posted updated photos of the boys recently ("recently" meaning, pictures taken within the last twenty seconds or so), and this was brought to my attention by a certain set of grandparents, who shall remain nameless (*cough*Dennis & Jil*cough*cough*) so here we go!!

Dalton's favorite place to be right now just has to be in his toy bin. He will go in his room, empty all the toys out, and curl up in the bin. Sometimes he gathers his pillow under him (for extra comfort, of course) and then covers up with a blanket and pretends to sleep. He did actually fall asleep like this once, and was very mad when I pulled him out to put him in bed.

Now, themost recent night he did this, I had already put him in bed, and then went in shortly after midnight to make sure he stayed in bed. Of course, he hadn't, but he was laying on the floor, wide awake. He looks up at me and says "Look what I made for Daddy..." and then he does the sweeping hand Vanna White style and shows me this:

Well, that's fantastic and all, very creative (I especially love how the mustache is under the eyes and above the nose, and that his arms are on backwards!), but it's midnight!! Then of course, the next morning I get up, and find the entire potato head family set up on the coffee table in the living room.

He proceeds to tell me that the big potato head, of course, is Daddy. The small potato head is himself, the corn head is Jackson, and the carrot head is Mommy. One, because of the big painted lips. Two, because of the painted eyes. And three, because she "looks crazy", just like me!! Gee, I've always wanted to be compared to a crazy looking carrot head.

Jackson, during all of Dalton's antics, remains the happiest and goofiest baby on the planet! He now has his fist in his mouth roughly twenty three hours a day.

Yesterday, he got the entire fist actually stuck in his mouth, and was quite upset until I forcefully removed it for him. Once it came out, he was back to smiles and giggles, as usual.

Now, take a look at this belly...the boy just eats and eats and eats, all the time. Two weeks ago, he was up to twelve pounds. We go to the doctor this week for his four month shots, which means that he gets to start eating vegetables and fruits now!! YAY! I'm interested to see how much he weighs. I know, twelve pounds isn't that big seeing as how he is already four months old, but he sure doesn't look like a preemie anymore, does he?? Look at that gut!!

I think he greatly enjoyed hanging out in his diaper. It's been nothing but cold since he came home, and this weekend it got to roughly 70 degrees, so after his bath, he got to chill out naked for a bit. :) I do believe that he will be an exhibitionist like his big brother.

After the Storm

Well, we survived the storm!! But no matter how much preparation you do, it's just never enough! We lost power Tuesday morning, before the boys even woke up. Of course Dalton wanted to watch cartoons, and explaining electricity to a three year old is impossible.

"Can I watch cartoons?"

Insert explanation here--"So that's why you can't watch TV."

"Is the TV broken?"

"No, we just went over this. There's no electricity, so there's no lights, no TV..."

"Oh. Hey, I know! I'll go see if the TV in your room works..."

Okay, well, whatever.

So the power came back on after about an hour or so. The ice and freezing rain continued to fall all day long. Everything outside was just covered. We lost power again around 4:00pm on Tuesday. Since it would be dark soon, I gathered our "supplies". My lantern worked for all of about two minutes before the bulbs burnt out. :) We got wood from the neighbor and started a fire. We cooked chicken on the grill, and boiled water for some oh so yummy instant mashed potatoes (although I added some cheese and ranch dressing to them so they weren't too bad, after all). We set up the mattress in the living room, and Dalton set up his little tent. We went to bed about 10:00. Chris and I took turns through the night getting up about every two hours or so to add wood to the fire and keep it going.

But even so, when we got up on Wednesday morning, the thermostat registered at a whopping 52 degrees in the house! So we made some calls...finally found some friends (shout out to Robert and Lindsey!!) in nearby Centerton that still had power. Their power lines are underground so it was unlikely they would lose power. We took a key to the neighbor so they could check on our animals and let the dogs out to potty regularly. So we packed it all up and headed to R&L's place. Man, alive, you forget how much you have to pack for an infant! Of course we also tried to pack some of the food that would go bad...milk, meat, etc...plus we didn't want to eat all of R&L's food while we were there.

After we got to R&L's house, Chris took the both of them back into town and dropped them off at work and then he worked, too. R&L's satellite was frozen, so I had my choice of three channels that the rabbit ears picked up...one that played infomercials all day, one that played fuzzy stuff, and one that played the news all day. Which would have been fine, except they kept running the same 20 minute clip over and over and over!! But, we had heat and lights and food, so it was okay.

Once Daddy and R&L all came home, we sure did have fun! Robert is really a child in a grown man's body who refuses to grow up, so Dalton had wooden trains to play with, and Lincoln Logs, and all sorts of little odds and ends of toys. The whole time we were there, Dalton didn't play with his own toys one time! We also listened to Robert play actual real songs on his harmonica, and also watched him do some juggling (I know, right?!?), and Dalton helped to throw him some balls into the mix. Dalton had a blast, and I cannot even begin to appropriately show how grateful we are to R&L for putting up with us.

Our neighbor called about 10:30pm that night to let us know the power was back on. Since the kids were already in bed, we stayed the night and headed home Thursday morning. The normally ten minute trip home took over an hour. But we made it! And now the clean up begins. :)

Luckily we trimmed our trees way back just a couple years ago, so we didn't lose anything big. But the neighbor on our other side lost several huge branches, one of which fell over our fence and bounced off our swing set. No damage though.

The neighbor a couple houses down lost about a thousand limbs in the front yard, many of which blocked the road for a long time.

Another neighbor across the street and one house down had a transformer blow in his back yard, which caught fire and burned for quite a while. And a tree fell in our neighborhood and took out a power pole. But we did not have any major damage, except for a few water leaks in the roof. We have some minor water spots that have shown up in the ceiling since the ice started melting. One in the dining room, and two in the living room. We have someone coming to do an estimate this week and will file an insurance claim soon. We're very lucky that's all the trouble we've had.

So Dalton has not been outside all week long, and the dogs of course refuse to go outside, and then when I do get them out, they just stand on the covered porch and try to pee off it. :) Which I guess I can't blame them. Reggie and Toby both went bounding outside the first day...Reggie fell and Toby slid across the entire yard and crashed into the fence. :) Both are okay...and, well, Bravo? He's smart enough (and stubborn) that he only went within about two feet of the ice.

These trees, I think, is one of my favorite pictures. I took it from the car on our way back home on Thursday morning.

A full seven days later and a couple of my sisters still don't have power. Both are running on generators. Several schools don't have power back. And a lady that Chris works with was told that it may be March before she gets her power back! Yikes! A lot of these people that are far out in the county are on well water, so when the power is out, the well can't pump, so they don't even have water. Arkansas has been declared a disaster state...