To Coupon or Not to coupon....that is my question

I know, I know, I need to get a real problem. But Steven recently overhead someone (who will remain nameless) talk about all the money she saved with couponing so he has decided that I should try it. He has been very discontent with our Walmart bill as of late, and so I agreed to at least look at the websites and see. I know people save a lot of money doing this but I am just not convinced that it is for me....and here are my reasons....
1. I shop at Walmart and Food Lion, which I have heard that neither of these places double or triple coupons. The closest Harris Teeter is 20 minutes and I don't even know where to find Kroger and BiLo.
2. I don't buy very much of the food that is in the coupon fliers, the yogurt and diapers that I do buy I use coupons for. Everything else, for me, is cheaper to buy generic at Walmart.
3. I have 3 children that make a very simple grocery store run quite exhausting, I can't imagine spending even more time looking for the exact brand, size, and quantity of items that (I have heard) are often sold out of if it's a really good deal.
Ok, so those are my reasons, but....I will give it a good ole college try, for Steven's sake. Or maybe I should make him do it. Just reading the SouthernSavers website has made me tired. I will say, I am growing fond of Aldi's. I shopped there today with Eli and David and thought I was prepared. I had my quarter for the buggy and bags for the food (last trip there I was 8 months pregnant, carrying everything, with Sadie and Eli running around). I was feeling quite smug until I finished checking out and was reminded they take only debit or cash (who carries cash these days?), and I haven't used my debit card in so long I had forgotten my pin. It was quite embarrasing, but thankfully the lady at the bank was familiar with Aldi's and kindly reset my password right there so I could use my debit card. Lesson learned.
Eli is quite the handful these days. I think age 2 is the cutest but also the most trying age (I say that, but I don't currently have a 3 year old - so I might retract this statement next year). He constantly says things like "I a big boy" and "I wanna do it by mydelf" but just as quickly whines like a baby when he can't get his shoe on or spills syrup on his shirt. He has so many funny things he says, I'll try to list a few:  pee-cool (preschool), dunday cool (sunday school), yo-rick (yogurt), pampakes (pancakes), and tousins (cousins). Of course right now I can't think of anymore, how is that possible when he talks all day long? I'll ask him if I should coupon. I'm sure he'll have an answer for me. Comments are welcome, as well, on the issue. Goodnight!

Sibling Love

 I still can't believe I have 3 offspring, but I have to say it is starting to sink in. For the kids too, they are getting pretty attached to each other. Steven and I just spent a few days in California and just took the baby. It was a great weekend in Tiburon for my cousin's wedding, then we spent a couple days in San Fran with Steven's high school buddy and his wife. Lil D traveled pretty well but I have to say I am pretty ready to just be home for awhile now. The big kids stayed with my in-laws and were excited to see us, but especially David, when we got home. It was cute.

This picture doesn't really have anything to do with my post, I just thought it was too cute not to include. She was the flower girl in a wedding last month and this is her at the rehearsal dinner.

 And here is my little man, getting bigger all the time! He's the only one that's hit the 50th percentile on growth so far. Sadie is 4 years old and 32 pounds, which puts her just under the 3rd percentile - par for her course. Eli's about 27-28 pounds, so not far behind Sadie.

 As you can see, David is quite enamored with his big brother. The 100-200 "tisses" every day from Eli don't seem to bother him. Below is a kiss in action (Eli prefers to give fish kisses, if possible, and to me he says "I want to tiss you on da mouf!"). Yeah, I will definitely pull this picture out when they're all tough and playing high school baseball together.

Now these 2 are quite the pair these days. They have fun together and get in trouble together. Sadie is pretty bossy but Eli usually doesn't mind and for the most part they play well together. The other day Sadie was on a special trip with Daddy and Eli and I were having lunch together while David took a nap. I said a quick blessing for our food and time together and he immdiately shouted "Mommy you didn't pay fa Dadie!" (pray for Sadie, if you don't regularly interpret Eli).

 Sadie's first day of preschool was today! She was very excited and had a great day. She said she even climbed under the bathroom stall to "rescue" a little girl that couldn't unlock the door. The only reason I believe her is because that's a pretty elaborate story to make up if it's not true. She has several "old friends" in her class from last year but assured me she was going to make some new ones too. I get that Girl Scout song in my head every time we talk about that, you remember, "make new friends....but keep the o-ld....one is silver and the o-ther gold". At least it replaces the Fresh Beat Band songs, which are usually playing (in my head, embarrasingly).

 I have to mention a little cousin love, mainly because I couldn't not put this picture up. We actually saw a little pee-pee out of this experience, but in general potty training is pretty much at a standstill. I'm not worried about it, he wont wear diapers to kindergarten.....right?

This has been a very random post but my brain is working sub-par these days, so forgive me please. My camera is again in my posession so I am trying to take more pictures these days (it was left at a church for about 3&1/2 weeks in August, and hiding in my pocketbook for a couple weeks in July). Until next time!!

Enough Sweets!

August is birthday month, there are 5 people in our family that have birthdays (1 neice, 2 nephews, and both of my parents). My dad's birthday was a big one, the big 6-0. A great tennis score and hopefully a great age, thankfully he still plays great tennis at his age. We had a party for him the night before his birthday and it was full of surprises, which is pretty different for him (usually his Christmas present is something he picked out himself, oftentimes even bought himself). But this year Mom really outdid herself and planned a surprise trip to the US Open in New York City, booking the hotel, flights, and tennis match tickets in secret. She had a great scavenger hunt that led back into the kitchen where we had set up the adorable tennis court cake my sister-in-law made, surrounded by the "stadium" made of styrofoam and pictures of crowds. She had cut out a picture of the two of them, glued it to a toothpick, and stuck it in the top of the "stands". The tickets were rolled up next to the cake. He also received, in his scavenger hunt with 6 little helpers, a book that I put together with input from everybody else "60 Reasons Why We Love Papa". I think he felt the love, so the night was a success.

My Mom's birthday was this past Thursday, and Mandy and I managed to surprise her a little as well. We took a train ride downtown to Imaginon (this great public library in Charlotte), listened to Storytime, had lunch at Fuel's Pizza, then after some nap/rest time at her house had a picnic dinner at a neighborhood park. Since spending time her family kinda tops the chart for her I think it was a great birthday, as well. Giving gifts is NOT my specialty and it has gotten even worse now that shopping is near impossible. Mandy, however, is the world's best at giving gifts and her children have not hindered her at all....with each child she has I think she actually improves the thoughtfulness of the gifts. I basically gave Mom an "IOU" for her birthday (which I did make good on the following day), but Mandy had several presents throughout the day. She is amazing!

All of these parties coupled with my pregnant mentality of eating whatever I want has led to some self discovery. I am addicted to dessert. I like to have people over to socialize, yes, but also because it's a good excuse to make a pan of brownies. Isn't that awful? I started working out again a few weeks ago and the scale has been stubbornly not moving at all. I finally came to realize the cold hard truth - I cannot eat dessert with 1-2 meals a day and expect to lose weight. I am not 16 anymore. So, Mom and I made a pact to eat no dessert until our trip to San Francisco, starting yesterday. (We couldn't start on her birthday because Mandy brought these awesome cakepops...). We leave for San Francisco next Friday in 6 days, but don't laugh. Giving up sweets is pretty serious for me so I am taking baby steps. Today was my first true temptation (I actually felt like I was on The Biggest Loser!), take a look at the picture below from our MOPS planning meeting. I will confess that I popped 1 M&M before remembering my sweets fast but that was my only indiscretion. I feel very proud of myself for this dieting accomplishment. Hopefully I wont eat my weight in cake next weekend.......

The New Normal

I was talking to my good friend the other day that just recently had her 3rd baby, as well, and I asked her how she was adjusting. She said it well, that she was getting used to the new normal, slowly but surely. My new normal consists of a few differences that I have noticed so far. My hair is always air-dried and rarely brushed. Sometimes my makeup can last for 2 days. My pocketbook is the same thing as the diaper bag. Most of my shirts smell like spit up for a good part of the day. So does David. An afternoon or evening swim = bath. And so the list goes on.

 Here is a picture of David from our trip to camp. Steven was the speaker for Junior Boys this year so we went up with him on Sunday. Eli lasted until Tuesday night and went home with my in-laws; Sadie, David and I came home Wednesday night. It was refreshing to be up there, around so many godly young people that are on staff and a bunch of excited little boys, but it is just not the easiest place to be with toddlers. Plus I got Mastitis.....again.

 A couple nights before camp we dressed up like cows (don't make fun, these are what you call "home-made" outfits) in order to get free Chick-fil-a food. We really didn't feel that stupid as most of the people in the restaurant looked nearly as silly as we did. The only stupid people in there were the ones that had to pay for their food. This will most definitely be an annual event.

 The last night Steven was at camp we met my dear friend and her little ones for dinner and Cook-Out milkshakes...a fun evening. Here are our boys (minus David) and the girls below. Sweet friends.

 And on the days that we spend at home, we do a lot of this. Feeding babies. It's been a great summer so far, and I think I'm going to like the new normal.

The rest of June....

 2 weeks and 5 days after having David, we loaded up the rented Mazda 5 (it's a long story and not blog-worthy) and left before 8am for Skyland Bible Conference in Dayton, Tennessee. It was a great week of family time, good Bible teaching, and way too much ice cream. Sadie was her normal social self and it was near impossible to keep her at our table at mealtimes, she was off talking to people before we knew it (and often talking them into getting her some dessert). I was very thankful for my mother-in-law and sister-in-law who helped me a lot, especially with my big kids, so I could get some much needed rest. Despite the rest I did get Mastitis again but, thankfully, had come prepared with a 3rd round of antibiotics. Here is a picture of the Harrell grandkids, all 7 of them. They have such a good time together and it is great to watch them make these memories.

 Steven was worn out from the trip so he and David snuck in a quick nap after we got there. Do they look alike or what?

 We decided not to go home after the Conference but go visit some great friends that recently moved to Statesboro, GA. We had a great night with them and a yummy breakfast the next morning before heading to Hilton Head. Sadie and Lily were very happy to see each other.

 Most of Hilton Head was spent in the pool, especially the kids. We vacationed with most of my Mom's side of the family, everyone was there except one aunt and 2 cousins. We've been doing this for like 30 years now and had almost as many people in the house for dinner most nights. I celebrated my 32nd birthday while down there, which Sadie decided to bust her chin open for. Mom and I were putting the finishing touches on my birthday dinner when Jesse (my cousin's wonderful husband) came walking in from the pool with a bleeding Sadie. She apparently said "hey guys, watch this", then proceeded to jump in backwards, catching her chin on the side of the pool. Thankfully, Jesse is an ER Pediatrician who deals with this all the time and he was able to "glue" it back together, avoiding stitches. Which was great for the wallet but especially for Sadie. We avoided the water for 24 hours then covered it up with waterproof bandages after that. My Mom kept trying to tell her she was brave but she refuted it, saying "No I wasn't Nana, I cried." 

Sadie and Eli had 3 other second cousins to play with, and the girls did quite well together (Lucy is 5 and Sophia is almost 3). Eli and Benjamin, however, showed their 2 year old-ness and had a weeklong competition with who could say "mine" the most. Benjamin even took it to a new level when his Mom was changing his diaper and Eli came in the room he yelled "My poop!" As if Eli wanted it, but, you never know with these guys. Eli can be quite the drama queen but he keeps us laughing. He got up early every morning and had breakfast with Papa, even developing a taste for Daddy's OatBran cereal. It was a great week and the picture below really says it better than I can. 

 It's getting harder to get a good picture of everyone, and this one isn't the best but it shows how much Sadie and David look alike. David's changed so much even since this picture so I will blog again soon with a more recent one. And some tales of our July days, which have been just as busy as June!

Adjusting

I can't believe our new little man is almost 2 weeks old! We are slowly getting used to having another person in the house, although he is such a good baby that when chaos is erupting around us we tend to forget he is even there. Unfortunately, as par for my course, I developed Mastitis last Saturday (I also got this about 5 days post-partum after Sadie and Eli). I woke up chilled and feverish in the middle of the night, shaking like after the baby was born. My Mom was a huge help as Steven was out of town for a family wedding (he was the officiant!), my Dad also came back up for the weekend. For those of you who don't like for someone to stay with you after you have a baby YOU ARE CRAZY, especially with other kids in the house. Physically and emotionally, I couldn't have managed that first week and a half without my Mom! Many tears were shed on Thursday when she left, everyone but Steven and David I believe (although Steven was definitely in favor of her staying, as long as she was willing). I was beginning to gain some confidence that I could handle mothering 3 until today, when my fever shot back up with a recurrence of Mastitis (hello, new antibiotics). Thankfully my in-laws are in town and were planning on having the big kids spend the night tonight and taking them to church tomorrow, and Steven is here to take care of me. David's my little bed-buddy, he's happy as a lark to lounge around in the bed with me all day, snoozing and nursing.
The big kids are doing well the baby, minus a few mishaps in behavior. They both seem to really love him, especially Sadie, who has spent a lot of time holding and singing songs to David, usually about her being his sister and how much she loves him, etc.. Eli leans over and gives him kisses about 25 times a day, and seems to have gentle intentions, at least. He's had a little bit of a hard time with nursing, (does he remember?) and has appeared very interested in trying it himself. He asked me soon after we were home "what doin' Mommy?" and I said "nursing the baby, but he doesn't seem very hungry right now," Eli quickly responded "I hungry!" I've also made sure to trade out holding the baby, when possible, for some good snuggles with Eli. One day I was by myself with the boys and he was walking around singing "Hol' me, hol' me, hol' me" to the tune of "Holy, Holy, Holy". Too cute. I've felt especially sorry for him at times, though, as he seems to have changed from the apple of Sadie's eye to the bad guy. She has some displaced anger, I think, and has been quite mean to him at times. Her way of adjusting, I'm sure, but we are still attempting to nip in the bud. For the most part she has been quite the little helper, and for that I am glad. Today when I was feeling my worst I think they were feeling the effects of some mild neglect. They both climbed into the bottom of new co-sleeper and zipped themselves inside, unable to get out. If I wasn't worried they were going to break it I would have left them in there a while, to teach them a lesson. But I didn't.
We are blessed to have grandparents near and far to help in times like this, but I am ready to feel better, get my house in order, and have my big babies sleeping in their own beds again. For now I will snuggle with my sweet bundle and concentrate on fighting off the Mastitis once and for all, or, until next time.

And Then There Were Three

A quick disclaimer to this birth story is that I have some help remembering the details. My mom is a birth doula and keeps a notebook of her client's births, jotting down notes as she can during the labor process. So, her notebook is by my side as I recount the details of May 30th, 2011, one of the best days of my life! Truly, the story starts early Saturday morning as I woke up with contractions and began to worry I was going to have to cancel Sadie's birthday party. We had a huge day planned with lots of guests and a new (used) swingset being brought up and put together by my Dad. I worried through several contractions then finally, an hour or two later, went back to sleep. I continued to cramp on and off throughout the day as well as have other "labor signs" but we enjoyed a great birthday party with 14 kids and 12 adults and a very happy Sadie. Steven was preaching the next day in Winston Salem and again, in the middle of the night, I woke up with contractions and just knew we were going to have to make other arrangements. Much to my disappointment, the labor slowed. My parents came anyways that afternoon and we just sat around and waited. That night I lost some more sleep due to contractions so I decided enough was enough, he was ready to come out my body just must be oxytocin-deficient. I had an induction scheduled for Friday the 3rd and knew my doctor was on call that Monday. I called her first thing that morning and begged her to let me come in to get checked. She agreed and Mom and I were off, in the truck, to the hospital. 

I got checked in to MAU and thankfully was at least having contractions, however it was definitely early labor. Dr. R. wasn't overly optimistic but agreed to let me stay and start Pitocin to see what I would do. I was so excited, even though I knew what was in store I was ready to have my baby. We started the Pitocin about 1:30 (oh and I was only 1cm and 50% effaced in MAU), I did some walking and began to have some good contractions. They continued to turn the Pitocin up every 30 minutes and at 3pm Dr. R. came in and broke my water...there was no turning back now! I was only 2cm. The labor intensified and I called Steven (who was at home taking a nap) and told him it was time to come in. He is a great husband but sort of shuts down during all this labor stuff, he hates to see me in pain. My Mom is a great doula, however, and doesn't leave my side. I stayed 2cm for most of the afternoon and did progressively worse with my contractions. Steven and Dad went to get some dinner about 6:15 and before my daytime nurse left I decided to get an epidural. By the time I got it, a little after 7:30, I was shaking constantly and unable to relax even between the contractions. 15 minutes after the epidural I had already progressed to 3.5cm (I am convinced I don't dilate well until I get the epidural). At 8:45 I was still 4cm so I tried to rest for awhile, which is hard to do mentally. We turned on the tv and watched the last few minutes of The Bachelorette, then Steven started watching The Office at 10. Dr. R. checked me again at 10:20 and I was 6-7, and with the next few contractions I was about to jump off the bed with pressure. The nurse checked me and calmly paged the doc that I was ready to push. Steven was at the moment laughing hysterically at a scene from The Office, but he did turn off the tv to watch the birth of his son. A couple pushes later and David was born at 10:41pm! They put him skin to skin, then did a quick weight/assessment, and brought him back to me. He nursed like a champ and was sweet from the word go. I am thankful that things worked out well, that he came out healty as my little May baby. He does look just like his Daddy, so watch out ladies in a few years! He is a blessing from the Lord and we are so thankful for another healthy baby.