Bijou Market

I may have to make a trip to Provo. The last time I was there I was dropping my brother off at the MTC almost two years ago...this time around would be for this...

Really a nurse...

Back in April, my little sister graduated from Weber State and got her RN Nursing degree! My little brother always teased her that her LPN didn't make her a real nurse, just practically a nurse. But now she has her RN degree and is really a nurse. 

And as you can tell, I was huge and pregnant and totally uncomfortable. 

Final Day..

Our last day in Disneyland was as fun as the rest, minus the fact we were all exhausted. Here are some of the things we learned on the way for those who haven't been before. I certainly am no expert, but hope these tips will help you if you visit Disneyland!

• Buckle down and pay the money to park at Disneyland, unless your hotel has a shuttle service that runs often. We found our shuttle only ran three times in the morning and twice at night. None of the times were convenient for our plans, so we just parked at Disneyland. Totally worth it. 
• Bring snacks and a water bottle.
• Layer clothing. We went in April and some of the days were a little chilly in the morning and evening and a light sweat shirt was perfect. 
• Go to the World of Color and get a fast pass for it, but don't stand on the very front row or you will get wet. You can get a fast pass buy purchasing a picnic dinner to go. Totally worth it, unless you can get to the park early enough to get on from the machine. We knew we wouldn't. 
• Go watch the parade, and find a seat early...in the shade. 
• We went for three days (one at Disneyland, two at California Adventure Park) and that was enough. We could have done more days, but if you can break them up, do it. We didn't have the time, but it would have been perfect to go for two days, take a day to relax, go to a beach then to Disneyland again for a day or two more. 
• There is plenty of space to park your stroller everywhere, so if you need one, bring it. 
• Goofy's Breakfast at the Disneyland Hotel lets you meet a bunch of characters and park for free for five hours. We chanced it, and stayed parked there the whole day hoping we wouldn't have to pay, and we didn't! We were there probably 10 hours and the nice guy at the parking gate let us out without paying for any parking that day. Score. 

Disneyland Day Two...

The second day we went to California Adventure Park and had a blast. The boys loved it and once again we had great weather. The highlight for Chubbs was the Bugs Life land area. He loved the lady bugs that spun really fast and probably would have ridden that twenty times in a row if we had let him.  

We made the second day our long day. We got there pretty early and left after World of Color which ended around 10pm. The parade was awesome and we were super impressed. We took a nice break for an early dinner and saved a spot in the shade for the parade. 

The World of Color was awesome. It's a water show that you don't want to miss. I thought it might be lame (I was thinking of the Vegas water shows), but it wasn't like that at all. They spray water up and then project images from different Disney movies on the water and it's seriously amazing. Totally worth it. 

Next post...things we learned from our trip to Disneyland. 

our adventure to Disneyland...

We started off Disneyland with breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen. It was a little expensive, but included parking, the food was good and the boys got to meet a handful of characters and get their picture taken. Overall it was worth it and they had a good time. I thought Chubbs would be terrified, but he warmed up pretty quick and I only had to hold him for a few of the pictures so he would smile and not cry. 

The temperature was also awesome. Not too hot (especially having just come from Las Vegas) and the lines weren't too long. I think the longest we waited in a line was about a half an hour. We went during our spring break, and all those in California had their spring break a week earlier. We also went on a Monday-Wednesday, so we had slower days in general as well. 

The boys had a blast. Chubbs was so excited to meet Mickey, and you get to walk through his house before you meet him. It was great. We went to Disneyland the first day, then to California Adventure Park on the second and third day. I would certainly suggest this as California Adventure Park was newer and the rides were more exciting and had a more than Disneyland, but go to both parks if you can. Also, big plus is you don't have to pay for kids until they turn three, so we got Chubbs in for free!

...more to come!

the happiest place on earth...

This is one of my very favorite picture of my boys. 

Ever. 

More to come this week on our trip to Disneyland!!

Happy Birthday Munchkin Man!

And they grow up....

This handsome kid turned seven in March...seven! When I married Jesse he was only two and half. It is crazy to think how fast time has flown. Every year I make something for the birthday boy to wear with the number of his birthday. He loves this and had been thinking about what he wanted well in advance of his birthday. His request this year was obviously a shirt. (Freezer paper stencil and shirt from Target)

FLASHBACK: Years three (iron ons that I made on our computer, shirt from Walmart), four (crown made from felt), five (freezer paper stencil of Porter's silhouette holding up five fingers) and six (a hat custom made from Lids). 

Dinner request: Pizza...so we went to the Pizza Factory. 

 Cake request: Ninja turtles. Yes, I made one in each color. 

Playing Catch Up

Once again I have abandoned by blog for far longer than I have intended. I am so sorry, and am vowing to do better. 
Over the next few weeks I am going to be playing catch up since March was the last time I posted! So much has happened and I am excited to share with you guys!

Rolling back to March...

My little man grew up and got a haircut. This was only his second haircut and I couldn't believe how much older it made my little baby seem! 

This kid has some great curls, but trying to pin him down in the mornings to let me fix it was like trying to shove a cat into a bucket of water. It was super long, but man was it cute when he let me fix it. 

He managed to go through about half a box of Mike & Ikes (I heard they were getting back together?) while I cut his hair. But it did the trick and he held pretty still. 

After I fixed it and let it go a day or two, I realized it needed to be cut a little more, so I went shorter on the sides and gave him steps. Why not right?

Get a Battery...

I asked my husband to snap a few pictures of me for the blog...well, let's be honest here. He is really not that great. I love him and he has so many amazing qualities, but for the most part, taking pictures is certainly not one of them. 
On my to do list this week...go to the store and get a battery for my camera remote so I have no one to blame but me for not so great pictures. 

 Sweater Dress: Cynthia Rowley via TJ MAXX ($7). Leggings (old). Belt: Borrowed from sister. Boots: BCBG via TJ MAXX (old).

As for the shopping ban, it hasn't been too bad so far. I bought this sweater a few days before it started for a whopping $7! I didn't try it on, so luckily it fit my ever expanding belly. I haven't really had any time to actually go shopping, so the temptation hasn't been there. I have noticed that I catch myself thinking when I can run to a store real quick and just look at some stuff on my way home, or during other errands, but then I remember in the next thought that I can't buy anything, so why go? 

Here is to three weeks down and 49 more to go!

The Shopping Ban...

DUN, DUN, DUN....

I have thought about doing a shopping ban for quite some time, but never took the initiative to tell anyone about it, let alone do it! However, I knew if I told people, wrote it down, and made my goals public it then made me completely accountable, right?

Why would I do this? Well, basically I need to save some money, and this will force me to save a big portion of my income, plus force me to dig deep and become creative with the wardrobe I have now.

So, feel free to call me out, ask me questions and go on this journey (or trial, whatever you want to call it. I'm going with the latter) with me. I am not a hard core shopper, but I truly cannot pass up a good deal. I need to save some moolah and shopping tends to be my Achilles heel. Ready or not...

Let's get down to the details...

This Shopping Ban will start March 1st, 2013 and end one year later...dun-dun-dun.

Rules*:
 - No purchasing any items of clothing for myself (I can buy for the boys as needed).

- No purchasing any shoes, jewelry, purses, makeup, or accessories for myself. Only items that are replacing a product that is gone or ruined that I currently own is allowed.

- Needed clothing items can be purchased, on sale or with a coupon if possible (e.g. bridal party dress, required clothing for an event, socks, underwear, etc.)

- Gifts can be accepted, but no asking for a specific gift from anyone. If gift needs to be exchanged, no more than $5 can be spent to cover the difference. Gift cards can be accepted and used, but money received as a gift cannot be used for anything under the first two rules.

- Anything already owned can be altered by myself, and items needed to alter can be purchased as needed only.

- My Sanity Stash: This is a one time amount of $200 that I can use anytime throughout the whole year on any items, but once I hit $200, it's gone. So I can use it all at once, or break it up however I want, but it is for the entire year!

- I can make clothing, but only with materials I already have, or use money for materials from my Sanity Stash.

- Selling items: I can sell clothes, bags, etc. and the money from the sale can be added to my Sanity Stash.

- Donating items: I can donate any banned items and add $2 per item I donate to my Sanity Stash.

- Buying gifts for others is allowed. Handmade gifts are to be given whenever possible. Buying materials for handmade gifts are allowed and I don't have to use my Sanity Stash.

- Borrowing/swapping items is allowed.

- Emergency purchases are allowed (ripped tights while on a trip, throw up on a shirt while traveling, etc.)

*Rules will be revisited in six months and any adjustments will be made as needed.

Winter Attire

Baby it's cold outside! Especially when I go to church on Sundays and wear a dress. I don't think my legs have or will see the light of day until May. 

 This is me around 24 weeks with baby boy #2.

Dress: H&M ($15). Sweater: NY&Co (old). Tights (old). Shoes: BCBG via TJ Maxx (old). Belt: H&M ($5). Earrings: Aldo ($5).