My Blog Just Grew!

I decided today to import the posts from my old blog, Fun Finds For You, into this one!  I only had to delete a couple of posts that were inappropriate :)  You'll find the old posts in the 2007 section.  They were fun to go back and read.  I find it funny that I didn't even blog about getting pregnant or anything baby-related!

Let me know if you read my old posts!  I have some other plans for my Fun Finds blog...

2 Year Stats

I came across Cody's doctor visits booklet (honestly, I can't believe I haven't lost it yet) while cleaning so I thought I'd post his 2 year stats for you all.

Height - 33-1/2 inches
Weight - 28.6 pounds
Head Cir - 15-1/2 inches

In terms of percentiles, he's in the 25% for height, 50-75% for weight (how did that happen??!)  and 50-75% for head circumference.

We don't have to go back to the doctor until he's three. THREE?!!  Our doctor is sweet, she said she doesn't want to wait that long, but hopes it's for nothing serious, just a case of the sniffles.  Aww!

In a recent email from a mailing list I am on, it had a calculator to "predict" how tall your child would be at age 18.  Here's the results for Cody ~ interesting!

Height Predictor

Your boy will likely be 5 ft. 10 in. at age 18.

Learn More

Young men often continue to grow a little past 18 until they reach 21, but their height at age 18 is very close to their final adult height. This prediction is a "best guess" but it's still just that -- a guess. Based on the formula we used* there is a 50 percent chance that your boy's full-grown height will be within 0.8 inches (above or below) of this prediction, and a 90 percent chance that it will be within 2.1 inches.

Diapers.com

If you have a little one in diapers, then you'll want to pay attention to this post!

Diapers.com

Diapers.com delivers diapers, wipes, formula and other baby necessities at reasonable prices with fast and free shipping.  And when I say fast, I mean fast!  I recently ordered three large packages of Huggies Overnight Diapers that I am really having a hard time finding in any retail store (read: I cannot find them anywhere!!)  This website carries them and at a good price, too.  One of the things that I really like about this website is that you can mail in your manufacturer's coupons, and they will credit them to your account.  It took less than a week for the coupons to be credited to my account.  I scored a great deal with a good price, coupons & free shipping.  And all delivered right to your door, no hassle, no fuss!

Right now, if you enter my email address or Referral Code on the shopping cart screen, you'll get an extra $10 off your first order of diapers ($49 minimum total order. Cloth diapers excluded. Other restrictions may apply).   Wahoo!!

Contact Info is below ~

My Email Address: annette0876@gmail.com
Referral Code: FUNFINDS4U

Let me know if you try them out.  Keep in mind, if you use a shopping website like ShopAtHome or EBates, you can earn additional cash back!

I'm No Longer a Rainbow Foods Rookie!

Well, okay, I am...but at least I have experienced my first journey through Double Coupon Daze!  I actually took advantage of the Double-Double-Daze a few weeks ago.  Typically, Rainbow Foods allows you to double coupons on Wednesdays & Saturdays, and the limit is 5 doubled coupons.  OH - to have a store that doubled coupons all the time - I would be in heaven.  But, I digress.

So, the week that I tried out Rainbow for the first time (in couponing, anyway), they actually allowed you to double 10 coupons, instead of 5.  Wahoo!  And my favorite Coffeemate coffee creamer was on sale for 99 cents a bottle.  That's right, 99 cents a bottle!!  That's a great deal in itself, but you know me, I had coupons for it!

I also was able to get some other stuff for a great price, so here's how the transaction went.  I had to spend $25 before coupons were deducted, so that's why there are a few random things in there (goodies & birthday party food!):

Taco Sauce $2.19
Oreo Cakesters $2.69
Reese's Pieces bag of candy $3.19
Mini Corn Dogs - 2 boxes @ $2.50 each
Bananas - 3 pounds - $1.46
Grapes - nearly 3 pounds - $2.69
Coffeemate creamer - 10 bottles, yes, I said 10 - $0.99 each

After doubled coupons & a few other coupons, my total was $10.31 and I saved $41.66.  Wahoo!

For the items with coupons and double-coupons, it worked out to be:
Oreo Cakesters - $1.69/box
Corn Dogs - $1.50/package
Reese's Pieces - free (received coupon in the mail for buying a regular size candybar)
Coffeemate - 10 bottles for $1.10 or 11 cents each!!!


WAHOO!  Now I can finally throw my receipt away since I've bragged it up!

There are a couple of bloggers that post about Rainbow deals, that I would tell you about, but to be honest, I'm not a super fan of either one.  I just don't like the layout of their sites that well.  Like I know anything though...

Coborn's Deals

With all my spare time that I have (ha ha), I decided to create a new blog today.  I really want to get into the deal/coupon/mommy blogging world.  I don't know when I think I will have time to do this though.


At any rate, I noticed that no bloggers out there (that I know of) are covering the Coborn's grocery store deals.  True, there are not that many Coborn's stores (they are in Minnesota and South Dakota only) but I figured it was worth a shot.  I did read recently that Cub Foods in the St. Cloud area was bought out by Coborn's, but these stores are changing/changed to Cashwise, not Coborn's.  (Coborn's owns Cashwise stores also)


Introducing the new blog:
Coborn's Deals


We'll see if my plans go anywhere!

These Boots Are Made For Walkin'!

Check out my new rain boots!  Aren't they fun?  They have froggies on them!

I just look SO EXCITED to start my day, don't you think??!

Amazon Deals

Excuse me while I post these Amazon deals of a personal nature!

Basement Progress Update #2

Why, hello again blog. I'm on a roll!

LOTS of progress has been made in the basement over the past week. Our carpenter, Jon, has been busy painting and cutting door framework and baseboards. We are thankful for the rain that allowed him to work at our house & not at his normal job.

So, okay, I have always, always, always (did I mention always?!) wanted white trim work and now ~ I ~ we finally have it! I absolutely ADORE how the bedroom turned out. I'll admit, it is blue, it is very darn BLUE. But, with the white woodwork, I completely love it. I will be moving down there shortly. (J/k.)

Our electrician and a helper were out today and worked hard along with Gordon to get all the recessed lights installed and working, and the rest of the electrical work completed. We think it just looks fabulous. All that's really left to do with the ceiling is cut the non-standard sized tiles (err, did I mention they are $5 tiles? I hope someone is good at math so we can use as much from one tile as possible!), install one CO detector, one b00b light in the stairway, and the ceiling/lighting/electrical will be complete! Yahoo!

Again, sorry for the dust and the camera glares... And I really do think it looks better in person, too!

Grandma & Cody

Awwwww!

Basement Progress Update

Oh, boy. It's been a long time (err, November?!) since I've updated you all about our basement finishing project. It is coming right along. I think the last time I posted about the basement, we had just got the drywall hung, taped, mudded and sanded. We have got quite a bit accomplished since then...and when I say we, I mean mostly people that we paid or suckered in to help us :)

When Gordon's folks were here over the Christmas holiday, they helped out a TON in the basement and did *all* the painting and got most of the ceiling grid up. Here's a quick photo of what the ceiling grid looked like before we started installing my (ahem) $5 a tile (ahem) ceiling tiles.

And here is a picture of said ceiling tile. Isn't it nice?! It'd better be, right?

And lastly for now, here are a few pictures after the initial paint job. Excuse the dusty walls and junk laying everywhere, but it is truly an in-process project!

Birthday Celebrations Continue, Continued

Alright, now where was I?!?

Oh yes...our first guests, The Andersons, were just arriving. Soon the rest of the guests all piled in our house and it got louder & louder. It was so much fun though.

We were thrilled to celebrate Cody's birthday with:~

~ 2nd cousin Amy & twin daughters, Elsa & Ava, and son, Aden (6 days older than Cody!)

~ great aunt & uncle, Nance & Kelly

~ aunt & uncle, Joann & Al

~ Grandma & Grandpa A.

~ daycare buddy, Anthony, and his mom, Mindi

~ honorary auntie, Careen

~ friend, Jordan, his baby sister, Sierra, and their parents, friends from birth class, Colleen & Ben

Gah, I hope I didn't forget anyone! I wish that I had pictures of all the guests, but truthfully, I was lucky to just snap a few photos period.

I thought the party went very well with four (yes, four!) little boys around the age of 2 and three babies around 4-6 months old. We socialized for a bit, then had lunch, opened some presents, and then had cake and ice cream.

Lunch consisted of pulled hot-beef sandwiches on rolls, veggie pizza, pistachio salad, fresh fruit, chips, crackers and cheese, and pickles. We got the birthday cake from Cub Foods and thought they did a decent job on the design, and a good job on the taste.

The little boys all helped Cody opened his presents, which was fast and fun, and I only wish I knew who gave him what. Oh well :) We appreciated everything and were so grateful to have everyone share Cody's special day with him.

Finally, one of the highlights was when the Andersons were heading out, Cody and Aden gave each other a heartfelt hug that actually looked real & sincere. It was soooo sweet. Sometimes I think it'd be nice to live closer so we could get these boys together for playdates since they're so close in age.

Sorry for the jarble of photos, I tried something different with this post and clearly, it did not work too well!!

I hope the next birthday for Cody doesn't come _quite_ so quick as this one did! Can't believe he is TWO....

The Birthday Celebrations Continue

It's early Sunday morning as I type this, and all is quiet in the Hart household. We're all partied out and sleeping soundly. Except for me...the events of the week keep running through my head and I know that I have to write them down before I forget. Man, it's tough to get older!

What a week it has been. It really has been the birthday celebration week for Mr. Cody! Where did I leave off....

After opening the presents he received in the mail from Brian & Natasha and G'pa & G'ma Hart, Cody was allowed to open a few more gifts from us, since it was his actual birthday after all! I got him a Doodle Pad thing and he seemed to love that. Gordon got him this awesome tunnel & tent. When we went to Aden's birthday party last weekend, he had one at his house and Cody just loved it. Gordon knew we "had" to have one! Cody was quite pleased when he saw what it was and I think he had a BALL playing with it...what do you think?

The big day was over too soon and bathtime and bedtime was here. But, not to fret, more birthday celebrations were in store over the next two days!

The next day (Thursday), Cody and all his daycare friends celebrated the big 2! We brought the cupcakes that Cody & Gordon made and I was even able to attend the party as I got off work early. Boy, was he surprised to have me there!! They passed out cupcakes, made birthday crowns, sang happy birthday, and all the kids sat down and relatively still for about 3 minutes!! I am so thankful to have the wonderful childcare that we have. I know Cody loves it there and how I wish I could be at home with Cody, oh-so-many days, I know he is doing well there and just soaking up tons of social skills and learning.

(One of the funniest pictures, EVER! Doesn't he look completely thrilled?!!?)

(I love this one! His partner-in-crime, Anthony, is to his left, and baby Riley is in the back.)

On Friday, I had the day off of work and Cody decided to bless us by waking up at 5:15am. Joy!! We somehow got him back to bed and he slept in until 8:15! We got ready & had a quick breakfast and then headed to the doc-tor (thank you, 5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed!) for Cody's 2 year checkup. Everything went well, no shots, and just a finger prick & Sponge-Bob bandaid that he hated. (What a weird kid! :)) He's healthy & happy, but we knew that already! I think he is up to 28 some pounds and bumped up to the 50-75% percentile in weight...we know he is a good eater! He'd been at 10-25% forever so that was kind of surprising. Cody went to daycare for a few hours while I did some errands. Picked him up after lunch and took him home for a nap, and was he surprised to see Grandma & Grandpa Anderson here when he woke up! We all had a good time playing and he showed off like any toddler would.

That brings us to Saturday -- party day! Wahooo!!

I was slightly crazy when I invited three little boys around the age of 2, three babies from 4-6 months, and 13 adults to Cody's party. It was a crazy & chaotic time...and even though this big house suddenly seemed verrrrry small...it sure was a lot of fun. We ate some lunch, opened some presents, and had some cake. And then a lot of us had naps!!

Here's a few pictures from Cody's par-tay! I wish you could have all been here!! (Well, in theory, yes. In practicality, not so much.)

(Waving to our first party guests - The Andersons. All 6 of them! We missed ya, Casey!)

(Are ya comin' or what??)

More to come!!

Thank You, G'ma & G'pa Hart

I just love my new Drillin' Action Tool Set!! I figured out to use it *immediately* and Dad says I am a natural! I'm sure to wear out the batteries in no time! :) Thank you so much! I had nothing like this in my toybox, so thank you very much! Here is a few pictures of me opening it up and playing with it. Mom took a video too but it's too long to put on here. Maybe we'll put it on a DVD sometime and send it to you.

Love,

Cody

Thank You, Brian & Natasha!

Thank you very much for the big coloring book & just-my-size crayons!! It was so fun to get a package in the mail and I wanted to help Daddy open it with scissors! I didn't have a coloring book (what mean parents I have huh?) and all I had were those wimpy-size crayons. So, this is perfect! Thanks so much for thinking of me!

Love,

Cody

Happy 2nd Birthday, Cody!!!

I can't believe our baby boy is TWO today!!! We all had such a wonderful day. Gordon took the day off from work to spend it with our little man. Cody got to sleep in until almost 8:00 and then he and Gordon went out for breakfast -- just the two of them! They had the place all to themselves and Cody got to order his favorite breakfast food ~ chocolate chip pancakes!! YUM!! :)

After breakfast, Cody and Gordon headed back to the house where they proceeded to whip up a batch of delicious cupcakes for all of Cody's friends at daycare. Cody even got to help mix the tasty treats!

Once all the hard work in the kitchen was done, Cody and Gordon headed into the big city (suburb) to go out to lunch and show Cody off to my work. Cody enjoyed the fascinating clear-top tables at the office and entertained by hiding in the corner and underneath the table. Cody enjoyed telling us the name of the restaurant we were at - APPLEbeeeeeez! Lunch went by entirely too quickly and soon it was time for me to get back to work for the rest of the day, while Gordon and Cody headed home to both take naps.

This evening, we had more birthday fun by having a homemade dinner cooked by Gordon, followed by opening a few presents to continue the birthday festivities. Cody opened gifts from Grandma & Grandpa Hart, Godparents Brian & Natasha, and a couple gifts from us. More about the loot soon! We took some pictures and they will be posted later along with more updates.

Today I found myself thinking back to two years ago on this date...all the events leading up to it, being pregnant, getting the house ready for a baby, being SO sick the night before, and mostly how we just didn't know just how much our lives would change forever! I'll admit it, I didn't know one darn thing about babies or children. Alright, I still don't, really, but I have to say that I think we've got a darling little boy who is very well behaved, extremely bright, super smart and oh-so-sweet, so we must be doing something right. I guess God is due a little credit also. Okay...a lot of credit!! :)

Here's some of the images that were going through my head today...

(About a week before giving birth)

(Seeing Cody for the first time)

(3 Days Old)

(Going home from the hospital)

HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY, CODY!!!!!