First Birthday

Saturday was Zoey's 1st Birthday and her party! The weekend kicked off with Grandpa Downey getting in to town Friday afternoon and we went out to dinner to Colton's and they brought Zoey an ice cream dessert and she LOVED it! She acted like she had ice cream before and knew just what to do. On Saturday she woke up at 5:30am. It was either she gets just as excited for her birthday as her Mommy or her stuffy nose was just bothering her. Either way she was so happy to wake up and find that her Aunt Cammie was at her house!! She loves her Aunt Cammie like nothing I've ever seen before. I enjoy so much seeing the two of them together! Cammie is such a great aunt to Zoey and takes great care of her every time she gets to see her! Now on to her party details! I told myself that I wasn't going to go all out for her first birthday because she won't remember it, but as you can see, I went over board! Don't judge,it's the first party I've gotten to throw as a Mom!

                                                                    Food table set up

                                                                    Funfetti Cupcakes

                                                                       Oreo Truffles

                                            Cupcake shaped Cakepops, these were amazing!

                                                                             Drinks

                                                                       Pinterest Idea

                                                           The Birthday Girl's Throne

                                Playing with the new baby doll she got from her Great Grandpa

                                                   Not so sure about the whole cake thing

                                                                     Enjoying her cake

                                                                        Birthday Girl

                                                             This is all is did to her cake

                                                                       Such a cutie

                                                     Playing with her new toys that she got

                                                     She did NOT want her picture taken!

                             Family pulling together to put one of Zoey's birthday presents together

                                                               Playing with her new toys

                                                           She enjoyed her balloons
         Mommy, Zoey, Daddy, and Grandpa Downey

Zoey wanted nothing to do with opening her presents until they were unwrapped, then she wanted to play with them. I was surprised, but with so many people and things going on she was so overwhelmed! Her cake well, I don't know if she liked it or not. She played in it a little bit and then she was done. Overall, her 1st birthday party was a complete success!

I've had so many people ask me lately, "How do you get such great deals couponing and what are the "secrets"? LOL "The Secrets" really aren't secrets at all! They are tons of ways to save and get stuff for cheap or even FREE out there just wait for you to go and get them! It is an awesome feeling to walk into a store, get the items you have coupons for, check out, see a number you don't wanna pay and then hand over your coupons and walk out with a great deal! Walgreens is probably the best place to coupon. I never have any problems with any of my coupons there. I've learned that the best time to go though is early on Saturday or Sunday Morning so that I don't have a line behind me when taking the extra time to use all of my coupons.   I even had a cashier there surprised on how I went from a $33 dollar total to less than $10 dollars on one of my transactions. I actually had to explain to a cashier the best deals in her store on how to save money! That's crazy! Here re a couple of my best deals that I've gotten the last week. (Walmart was actually a better deal for once this week.)

 Fructis Conditioner and Shampoo on Close- Out for $1.99, normally $5.99. I had 2 coupons for a $1.00 off, which made them each $0.99!  Lady Speed Stick Deordorant was on sale for B1G1 Free. I had 2 $1.00 off coupons so that made each $0.75! Trident Gum was $0.99 each with my rewards card, then I had the store coupon for 3/$2 and I also had a manufacturer coupon for $1.00 off 3. So that made each one $0.33 each! Advil PM was $1.00 each and I had 3 $1.00 off coupons, which made them FREE!!!
Everything above came out to be under a total of $3.00!!!!

They was my best Walmart deal so far! Dawn soap were $0.97 each and I had 2 $0.50 off coupons making them  $0.47 each. 2 Axe deordorant were $1.00 and I had 2 $1.00 off Axe Products making them FREE!!!! 4 Nivea shave gels and shave foams were $2.24 each and I had 4 $2.00 off coupons making them only $0.24 each!!! Halls Cough Drops were $1.18 each and I had a coupon for $1.00 off of 2 making them $0.68 a piece. 4 Schick 4 pack razors were $6.34 each. I had 2 B1G1 Free coupons and 2 $6.00 off coupons making 2 FREE and 2 $0.34 each! 2 Schick Razor Disposables were $1.97 a piece and I had 1 $3.00 off of 2 coupon making them $0.47 each! 6 Glade Plug-Ins $1.00 a piece and I had 6 $1.00 off coupons making them FREE!~ Making everything seen in this picture under $5.00
P.S. I did end up getting 4 packages of dog treats for FREE also, but they didn't make it in the photo!

I've only been doing this for a month now and I've already built up a great stockpile! It's is so exciting to be getting great deals on things we use everyday! Now, if I could just figure out a way to get great deals on diapers and toilet paper, I'd be doing really good! Like I said before things go in 3 month cycles and since I've only been doing this for a month I've still got some time to get some great deals on those items! Any questions, just ask! I'd love to help you be able to save money too!

Extreme Couponing

So, a few weeks ago I watched the show, Extreme Couponing on Netflix. It was crazy the things that they bought, money that was saved and just how big their stockpiles were. While it was very interesting to watch, it also made me kinda skeptical, because usually when something seems too good to to be true, it usually is! After watching the first season, I deciding I wanted to see if this whole couponing thing was really worth it or not. In the show they talk about how some of these people spend like 30-40 hrs a week couponing! Now that's just crazy to me!! It was like a full time job. I was logical and knew I wouldn't be able to right off have a $0 shopping trip and that I wasn't going to spend 30+ hours doing it, but I wanted to try to save some money every week.
 I started off by buying 2 weekend papers so I could get the coupons out of them. I also did some research on the internet and found a few websites where I could print off coupons. I also went to the local recycling center and found more coupon inserts that were in the newspaper recycling bins. I wasn't sure where to start so I just tried to get as many coupons as possible. Now I don't believe in buying things that my family won't use. I don't have a cat, so if I can get cat food for FREE, I'm not going to just because its free.
 This is what I have found in the 2 weeks that I have started couponing:
1) You have to be flexible on brands and buy what you have a coupon for, which may not be the brand your use to.
2) It really doesn't take 30+ hours to coupon and save your family money
3) You want to match up coupons with ads from the store to get your best deal.
                     * A 30 cents off coupon may not seem like a good deal, but if the store has an item on sale for $1.00 that week and you save 50 cents with an in store coupon and 30 cents with a manufacturing coupon, you just got your item for 20 cents!!!!!!

   You can use an instore coupon with a coupon that you printed or cut from a newspaper together. Each store has different policies so your best bet is to request each stores coupon policy to know exactly what you can do. In Mountain Home I have found Walmart and Walgreens to be the best places to coupon. Occasionally I find some name brands at the Dollar Tree and then I get REALLY good deals on the item. Walgreens is probably the best overall and my favorite place to coupon now that they have their new rewards card program! It's FREE to sign up and well worth the savings for having the card. Certain things that you buy, it get points for and those points add up quick and you can get dollar amounts off your next purchase. They have a weekly add and let you know when you get points for buying an item and if there is a coupon in the paper that week for the item. They do Buy 1 Get 1 promotions all of the time, which means you can use more coupons and get a better deal.
  I have found a great website that has tons of printable coupons and is updated daily and they tell you if they come across a great deal and where the item is at and what coupon makes it so great! They also list tons of FREE items that you can get with certain coupons! I've been able to get things FREE, just by the item being $1 and I have a $1 off coupon! It really is so exciting to go in a store and leave getting an item or items for FREE!!! Now, let me warn you that couponing can  be REALLY addicting!!!! I've only been doing it for 2 weeks now and I already have changed the way I buy groceries and now plan my meals around what the sales in the store are and what coupons I have for that week. I having already told my husband many times I cant buy something because I don't have a coupon for it. While, No I havent' been able to get a $0 grocery bill, I have been able to save at least $20 in my grocery bill the last 2 weeks on coupons. Also, the items I do buy tend to be multiples so I can stock up and don't have to pay full price when I do need that item again. The whole goal is to buy things that you usually need when its at a right price, so that when you do need it, you aren't paying full price. I may not need dish soap right now, but I got a super deal on it last week and when I do run out in a couple of weeks, I already have that item!!! I will try to keep updating on my coupon finds and helpful hints as I go along. It should be that the big of stockpile that I do have the less money I have to spend on groceries each week and can eventually just buy what I need to replenish it.
Here are just a few of the great deals that I've gotten in the last 2 weeks:

 Here I got dish soap, hand soap, bar soap, tissues, soft scrub cleaner, toilet paper, air freshener, toothpaste, shampoo, mouthwash, toilet bowl cleaner and muiltivitamins on that were great deals my first week!

                               Here is a few of the food deals that I got with my coupons and sale ads!
I've only done that for 2 weeks so I haven't got everything down yet, but I have learned a whole alot in that short amount of time. If you have any questions or want to get started on your own couponing, just let me know and I will help set you up for saving money success!

Growing too big too fast.

Zoey is growing way too fast and it's crazy to think that in 6 weeks it will be her 1st Birthday!!! This Mommy is SO not ready for her to be that big yet! Zoey officially gets into everything now! She crawls everywhere now and can walk if she is holding on to something or someone's hands. She has learned to get what she wants and it's usually something she isn't suppose to have. If you gave her a choice of one of her toys or an electrical cord. She'd choose the cord. She is always exploring the house to see what she can get herself into next.

This is what I found after I walked back into our bathroom from changing the laundry over. I was out of the room for maybe 2 mins. She's giving me this "I'm not doing anything wrong Mom?" Look. This morning I looked over at her while we where in the living room and she had crawled her way to the front door and found a mini American Flag that was in the plant and she had the flag above her head just waving it.  It was too cute to really yell at her about. We have that problem a lot, she's just too cute but likes to get into everything. You would think that the girl has no toys, but our living room and her room would tell you different! She FINALLY has some teeth. They were just taking their time coming in, but 4 of them came in all at once. We had a rough couple of days about 3 weeks ago with them hurting her at night a lot, but with teething tablets, oragel, and extra Mommy and Daddy loving, we made it through.

You can see her 2 top teeth in this picture. Mommy was cleaning her room I put her and all her stuffed animals in her bed  to play. See, you can tell by the amount of stuffed animals that she has toys. Here are a few other pics of what she's been up to lately.

 This picture is an example of why you should listen to your Mommy and that she knows best. Zoey thought she didn't need to take her 2nd nap of the day and this was what happen because of it. She had already finished her dinner and was waiting for us to get done eating and she fell asleep. It was too cute not to take a picture of!!

 Learning to move and get where she wants all by herself. She will crawl to where she wants and then pull herself up. Hold on to what she wants and then bend down and crawl down to the next place she wants to go.

                                             Showing her KU Jayhawk Spirit!!! Rockchalk!!!

 Snuggles with Daddy are the best! Daddy will say, "You're just my little baby." And she will repeat ba-by back to him. They also rub noses and he has got her saying mmmmm.... and shaking her head back and forth giving Daddy eskimo kisses.

                                                                     Mommy and Zoey

 She loves to stand up in the tub and play with her toys like that. Her favorite is throwing the soap bottle into the tub and playing with the Duck faucet.

She had a purple bow on to complete her outfit, but she noticed it was there and took it off. We got her these super cute Baby Nike's on Clearance a couple of weeks ago and I could not resist! I could not get her to smile for anything. I think she thought that she looked too much like a K-State fan and didn't want to smile about that! LOL She looked super cute though.

Crazy Summer

This has been a crazy couple of months. It's been so long since I've posted an update on my blog. Life has just been crazy. We are still in the process of getting situated into our house and getting it the way we want. We have Zoey's room, our bedroom and our bathroom completed so far. It's been a slow process, but we are getting there and it's starting to feel more like home. Zoey's been growing like a weed! She has gone from looking like a baby to looking like a toddler in no time. She thinks she is SO big and has started pulling herself up on EVERYTHING. Which means there has been alot of bumps and bruises for Zoey. She wants to stand all day long and sometimes when you try to put her on the floor to sit, so arches her back letting you know she just wants to stand. She is way too independent already.

                                                     Standing up in her new big girl crib

                                                            So big in her rocking chair

                                                                    Getting into trouble

                                                                   Look, how big I am!

She's getting too big, too fast for Mommy! She will be a year old before we know it! I love her to death and she is seriously the best thing that has ever happen to me! I've learned alot through being a Mom and think she has made me a better person.

Catch up of the Last Month

I can't believe that it's almost been a month since I've blogged. We've been busy over the last month with, getting the news that in July we are moving houses, packing, helping Ryan's parents new house ready for them to move into, lake visits, family visits and Zoey changing so much. First off was Memorial Day Weekend. Ryan and I met up with some friends and borrowed a friend's pontoon boat and enjoyed a day at the lake. Zoey stayed with Ryan's parents since it was a holiday weekend and didn't want her out on the lake with all of the crazies that holiday weekends bring. She doesn't get to see them as much as she use to since Mommy became a stay at home Mom, so I know she had more fun with them. It was a nice and relaxing day and made us decide that we want a pontoon boat now.

I feel like every month is just flying by when it comes to Zoey. I feel like I was just saying she was 6 months old and come Sunday, (Father's Day) she will be 7 months old. She has decided that she is just too big for bottles and that she is done with them. I had bought a couple of different sippy cups and I found one that has handles on it and a multi stage cup and she took right to it. I had originally bought them to start giving her water and apple juice since I knew it would be hot this summer and wanted to keep her hydrated. One night she just refused her bottle so I put her formula in the sippy cup and she took it. Later at her middle of the night feeding she again refused to take the bottle and wanted the sippy cup. So we have gotten rid of the bottles and gone straight to only sippy cups. If only we could be this lucky for her to start potty training when were ready. I know that I'm not that lucky!!!!
 She has also been rolling over like crazy. She has started rolling over to her tummy in bed and wakes up in a completely different spot then where I put her to sleep in. Yesterday she has refused to nap after a busy weekend and put her legs over her play yard. I think she is telling me that she is ready for her new bed! We are getting her a big girl convertible crib when we move. We will have more room than we do now and she will have a bigger room, also she is outgrowing her current bed. Here's a few recent pictures of  Zoey.

                     First Big Girl Birthday Party and jumping in the Bouncy House with Mommy

                                She LOVED the sugar free Popsicles that Mommy made for her!

                                                                 Sippy Cups only now

                                 Daddy had fun after we finished presents for Zoey's Grandpas

                 Mommy's Big Girl. I think she looks alot like me in this picture when I was a baby.

                                                      Pillow Fight with Mommy and Zoey!

 We found out at the end of May that Ryan's Parents found a new house and we will be moving in to their current house. They have been wanting to downsize and we need more room now that we have added kids to our lives! I told Ryan that I'm packing us up ONE more time and this it! I'm done packing and moving us! We have moved 5 different times since we have been together and I'm ready to stay somewhere for a while. This move is a work in progress so we have alot to do. We have been helping Ryan's parents clean out their current place and help getting the new place move in ready. I have trying to pack our place a little at a time, because I know that the end of the month is getting closer and closer. We are excited and know that all of the hard work will be worth it.
Last but not least, this last weekend Zoey's Grandpa and Nana were in town to spend the weekend with us. It was a nice break from a busy last month. We went to a Japanese steakhouse on Friday night where they cook in front of you and Zoey loved watching the guy cook in front of us. Her eyes got all big when he lit the big fire to start cooking and she was hooked watching him. She decided to start reaching for my plate for the first time and Mommy got soup all down her jeans! Ryan and I knew this day was coming soon, just didn't know how soon she would start reaching for our plates. On Saturday we woke up and got stuff ready to go the lake on the pontoon boat we had borrowed before. It was Zoey's first time on the boat and she seemed to enjoy it. The water was a little cold and when we tried to put Zoey in, she didn't like it so much. After the boat ride we went back to my Dad's hotel and went to the indoor pool. Zoey loved that! It again was her first time in a pool and kicked and giggled and had a ball. I'm sure she was wondering why Mommy and Daddy were in the big bath tub with her, but she enjoyed it. We all grilled steaks for dinner and then played games on the Wii. On Sunday morning we were celebrating Father's Day early with a Brunch at Gaston's. There was so much good food and each were stuffed to the brim by the time we left. It was a great weekend and we took tons of pictures!