Spring Has Sprung!

Parker and I spent the day at Swan Lake enjoying the nice weather and beautiful sunshine. I can't wait to go back and take some more pictures. It's hard work to get him to look toward the camera and smile all by myself. Next time we're taking daddy.

Finally, some success!

After 2 months of very little interest in solid food, I was beginning to think that Parker would want to be solely breastfed for the rest of his life. However, after today, there is hope. For the first time, I didn't have to combat flailing arms and a scrunched face, or putting the spoon up to a closed mouth. (When I did get him to eat some bites, he would just kinda suck it in without opening wide.) Finally, Parker enjoyed his supper of pears and rice cereal, which I might add that I have given to him before. When he would see that the spoon was ready to go, he got his mouth ready. It is so much easier to feed a baby that opens his mouth wide, go figure!

Breaking Free

I put Parker down for his evening nap today awake but tired. After hearing silence for a few minutes, I peeped in to make sure he was asleep and found this.....

Here's an even funnier view.

I thought about just leaving him that way until he woke up, but then I worried that his circulation would be cutoff (he does have chubby legs). As I carefully freed him, he awoke. After a little consoling, I put him back down, awake but drowsy. After a few minutes there was silence again. I peeped in, and this time I found this...

I think it is so cute that he sleeps with his butt in the air.

6 Month Recap

• Parker's six month has come to an end. I can't believe he's 7 months old! Here's the recap of February.
• Parker continues to roll and army crawl his way around. He can get to his favorite toy very quicly.
• He has begun to do baby pushups in preparation for crawling. You can tell he is thinking really hard about how to get his body moving.
• His trunk has gotten a lot stronger and he can sit up well on his own to play with his toys.

• He is very curious and of course everything goes into his mouth.
• When he gets tired, he wants his Mama.
• If we are out when its his naptime, he fights sleep like crazy. He goes to sleep much better on his own and in his own bed.

He got to see/experience his first snow! (He was ready for his nap when this picture was taken.)

• He has gained a little interest in solids. Sometimes I can get him to eat a half of a jar.
• He learned how to clap his hands together.
• He loves to watch other children.

• He continues to be the most precious baby boy ever!

Locked Up

Recently, the door handle on our bathroom window has been acting up. By that, I mean that it would sometimes get stuck and not open. Around 8:30 this morning I entered the bathroom to get ready for church while Paul left to go prepare for church. Around 9, I tried to get out of the bathroom. And by tried, I mean that I couldn't because I was locked in. No matter how hard I twisted the handle it wouldn't budge. Then, to make matters worse all my jiggling of the handle must have woken Parker who was taking a nap. I felt so helpless. I could hear my baby crying and I couldn't get to him. By then I was starting to panic. There is no window in this bathroom so the door was my only way out. I looked around for anything that I could use to loosen the screws to take the door handle off. I tried pulling out the pins. I knew around 10 o'clock Paul would come looking for me since he would expect me to be at church by then. I just kept waiting to hear those church bells ring. I was very close to trying to break down the door. Then suddenly, I thought about how some criminals use credit cards to break into places. I looked around for something thin but strong. I had some beauty scissors (that's what I call them at least) and I tried to pry back the little tongue thingy part (not sure the technical name). Finally, I got it back far enough to free myself. At least I had a good excuse for why I was late this morning.

How'd He Do That?

I left Parker in the middle of the living room floor with his toys for him to play. When I returned I found him like this. Someone please tell me how he managed to get that book on his back?

Saving with The Grocery Game!

I recently started using The Grocery Game to help save money on groceries. After doing some grocery shopping today, I am excited to share about my savings. I got $108.80 worth of groceries and other things for $41.36 (not including tax), plus I earned $0.05 off per gallon at Shell and $2 in Extra Care Bucks plus a Extra Care Coupon for $5 off a $15 purchase at CVS. Here's how I did it. I joined thegrocerygame.com with a FREE four week trial. Every week they send me a list from the stores I selected (Bi-lo, Food Lion, and CVS). The list gives you all the sales, not just the advertised sales, coordinated with the coupons. It color coordinates: green-free items, blue-items to stockpile because they are at rock bottom prices, and black-items that are a good deal but only buy if you need them. I go through the list and print off only the things I'm going to get that week. Then, I go through my coupon binder and pull out the coupons that I need that week. (Yes, I organized a coupon binder.) Then, Monday or Tuesday, I go shopping. The list helps me go through the store quickly, which is such a help with a 6 month old in tow. I love The Grocery Game for so many reasons. Of course because it saves me money, but not only that, it saves me time. They (the people behind the website) do all the dirty work. They find out all the sales, they study the sales trends and know when the item is at its lowest cost, and they coordinate the items with the coupons for extra savings. After my free trial, I will be paying $15 every 8 weeks for 2 store lists (I'm going to get Bi-lo and CVS). That isn't alot of money considering all I will be saving, both time and money. Also, Bi-lo has Fuel Perks which gives you 5 cents off per gallon at any Shell station for every $50 you spend , and that just keeps adding up. The other day I was able to get 15 cents off per gallon. If you use reuseable grocery bags, you get an extra 5 cents off your grocery bill per bag. At CVS, you can earn Extra Care Bucks which you can use toward purchases. I will continue to shop at Aldi once a month because there are some items you just can't beat their price on. I've included a picture of my purchases from this week. It's hard to see what is in the picture so I'll tell you what I got. For $41.36, I got Pine Sol, 3 boxes of Puffs tissues, Crest Pro Health mouthwash, Almay Intense I-Color trio, 6 5 oz cans of Bumble Bee Tuna, 4 cans of Progresso soup, 12 pack Angel Soft double rolls, 2 packs of Pampers Cruisers, Marcal tissues, Smart Balance Sour Cream, dozen eggs, value pack of split chicken breasts, Land O'Lakes sandwich meat, cucumber, 2 Uncle Ben's rice mixes, 2 lbs of grapes, and 6 reusable shopping bags. If this excites you and you want to try or you just want more information, go to thegrocerygame.com or you can email me at kelliepcamp@yahoo.com. If you decide to join, please use me as a referral by entering my email address. This helps me earn free weeks of The Grocery Game. Then, share with your friends and have them use you as a referral.