Thought I could do dishes in the kitchen for 5 minutes without something happening...I was very wrong!

This message has been sent using the picture and Video service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Note: To play video messages sent to email, Quicktime@ 6.5 or higher is required.

Pinch These Pennies!!

Not sure if the title makes much sense but it made me laugh! I was going through my wallet and pulled out the last three receipts from Publix. I thought my savings were pretty impressive.

Receipt #1 was a 94% savings...not too shabby! This shopping excursion included dishwasher detergent, pull ups and face wash...all of which aren't cheap items originally. Spent $14 and saved $13!

Receipt #2 was a 87% savings! Spent $31 and saved $27!

Receipt #3 is Andy's favorite and he was so proud of me this past Saturday. His reasoning for being so proud is because I had the kids with me too. And as most of us know it's not easy being a frugal shopper with two toddlers in the cart! My secret weapon this trip was a FREE Publix sugar cookie and planning Friday night. I had the Publix ad, Publix shopping list (publix.com) paired with the coupons all ready to go. I swear to you this ginormous sugar cookie lasted each kid the entire shopping trip. They didn't even make a peep!! The store manager (also a friend of ours) made a comment how quiet and nicely they were behaving. (He has seen them at their finest evidently!)

Drum roll please....

And even though this shopping trip was only a 68% savings you wouldn't believe how many things I got for $79. I loaded up on the BOGO items and we are fully stocked for weeks of pasta, frozen pizzas, instant macaroni, olive oil, etc. I even had to buy expensive items like Iron Out for our water conditioner, laundry detergents, cleaning supplies, etc. Our kitchen pantry is so full we had to purge some items.

The great buys, the deals, the $54 savings was all spent at Toys R Us that day. I promised Devin a Spike Jr. Dinosaur for his birthday and the kid does not forget a promise! Everyday he checked my purse when I would get home and would ask me if I bought him his dinosaur. He made me feel so incredibly guilty every single day. Two weeks later I took him to get his beloved and promised dinosaur. And because Lexi was with us at the toy store it was only fair to buy her something too. So she picked out a little Graco stroller that she pushes her Elmo doll around in.

So cute...

At least my penny pinching goes to a great cause...Devin and Lexi!! :-)

Devin's 3rd Birthday Extravaganza!

On August 9th our baby boy turned THREE!! Andy and I could not believe it...it seems like just yesterday we brought Devin home for the first time. We can't believe what a big boy he is already. We can carry conversations with him and he says the darnedest things that make us laugh and laugh. (He thinks he's a comedian just like his father!) At his second birthday he was barely putting two words together. Now we can't shut him up! LOL (wonder where he gets that from?!) We also couldn't be prouder of him for being such a great big brother to his little Fafee Boppers. Yes they sometimes (well a lot of the times) bicker and argue and occasionally throw punches (or golf clubs...don't ask!) at each other but he is so freaking sweet to her sometimes it makes your heart melt. He loves to invite Lexi to play in his room or play with his train set (although there is only ONE train she's allowed to play with) and I absolutely melt when he tells her, "It's okay Wexi, it's okay. You're alright" when she is crying. He's a very sweet boy and LOVES his family more than I could imagine. He talks about his uncles, grandparents and great-grandparents non-stop; HE LOVES THEM! So what better way to spend his birthday then with his closest friends and family members.

We invited friends (although last minute...sorry) to the water park on Sunday morning to play and run around. As we pulled up to the water park their lightning horns/alarms were going off. You have to realize how unusual it is to have a nasty thunderstorm at 10 a.m. here. We usually get these kinds of thunderstorms late in the afternoon. But of course because we promised all these toddlers that we were going to the water park to play...the park had to be closed!!! So we made a last minute change to go to The Vineyard's Fountains to play. The kids were already in bathing suites, swimmy diapers and sunscreen so we couldn't go back home. We pulled into the parking lot and the sun was shining directly over us and only over us. We walked in and there weren't any other children playing there. It was like it was meant to be. We had our own little party at the fountains.

The fountains never get old for our kids...they love it!

Tesa and Blake aiming water at someone!

How many people does it take to cover one water hole? If you
look above TWO babies are doing it by themselves!!! LOL


Still fascinated with covering the hole. (Notice its now FIVE
people interested in covering ONE water hole!)

Andy is just one of the kids!

Lexi's karate moves on the water fountain!

M.J. showing us her balancing act.

After a couple hours of fun in the sun everyone headed home for naps and to re-group. Then around 4 we had family and friends over for a Birthday BBQ. Devin was so excited about his birthday this year he couldn't even hide it. Smiles all day and he kept saying, "Its my birthday!". He also would tell everyone how he was getting presents too; spoiled cutie pie! He was in heaven with his favorite friends and family members by his side.

This is the 1st thing he saw when he woke from his nap and he started

getting very excited for his party!

The Birthday Boy!

The Birthday Boy and his Daddy!

Miah James (aka Miah Jane) and her favorite World Champion

Devin was SO excited as we were singing Happy Birthday to him!
Click HERE to see the video.

How cute is this? He loved the attention!

Uncle Lar bought him his first baseball glove.

Uncle Nate bought him the yellow robot he was asking for...Can you '

say SPOILED?!?!

Uncle Nate helping Devin with his new robot.

Devin playing with WALL-E

Thanks to our friends and family that could make Devin's last minute birthday extravaganza. As you can see he had a FABULOUS time and was a rock star! (or thought he was anyway) We are so lucky to be able to share these big events with our closest friends and family. It makes them even more special. Thank you!!!!!!

The Original Florida Brown Dog

Cheyenne was the cutest, bulliest little puppy ever. This picture was taken in November of '98 the first day Andy brought her home from Immokalee Middle School. I can't believe how much older she looks in the picture below, 12 years later. When people would ask Andy what type of dog she was he had no clue. Until one day someone he worked with in Immokalee told him she was a Florida Brown Dog! It's what they call the farm-town dogs that are blond/brown with the black markings. So that's what we tell people today...she's a Florida Brown Dog...the OG!!

Our Baby's 12th Birthday!

Our first baby was not Devin; in fact Devin was our fourth 'child'. LOL Cheyenne McGee Schaps was actually our first Fur Baby. Andy brought her home from Immokalee Middle School in 1998. I still had one year left at UF but he always brought her up for visits and usually ended in at least $100 damage to the inside of the car or the inside of my apartment! She wasn't the best puppy. But that being said...she's the best dog anyone could ask for. She is great with our family; especially the kids. She is so bully and so 'mastiffy' (I think we coined that adjective!) that you would never know she was 12. She thinks she is top dog and thinks she can beat up any other dog that comes along. Its that mentality that'll probably keep her alive a few more years. She may not be the pretty lil' puppy she once was (I think all of the black markings have now disappeared and are gray) and she may have one back leg three times bigger than other (thanks to fatty tissue) but she is still our baby and the only dog allowed to sleep on the bed with us at night.

Here is a picture from her birthday party last night. We had the only other dogs that can stand her over for dinner; Santana and Calypso. It took about five minutes and a handful of pasta (look to the upper right of the picture) to get all five dogs in one shot and looking at the camera!
Kudos to the photographer...oh that was me! :-)

WE LOVE YOU CHEY-DOG!

HAPPY 12TH BIRTHDAY!!

Putting the FUN in Sun-n-Fun Waterpark!

Our Visit with Grammy & Pop Pop

We spent 3 days in Orlando visiting with Grammy and Pop Pop. The last time I took the kids Pop Pop was in the hospital and he didn't get to spend as much time with the kids that he would have liked to. So we decided we should go visit while everyone is feeling good and at home. Andy and I loaded up the van and tried to get out of Naples early in the morning. It's tough I tell you; trying to get the dogs situated and set (Cheyenne stayed with Andy's parents) and getting the kids packed, etc. I ended up putting the kids in the car to watch a dvd so I could finish packing. They wouldn't leave us alone in the house and on top of it all, the dogs were getting nervous seeing the suitcases. So, after sneaking out of the house with the suitcases and after dropping Cheyenne off at Grandma and Grandpa Schaps' house we were finally on the road...it was around 11:30. So much for getting out first thing in the morning...can't say we didn't try.

When we got to Orlando the first thing we did was go swimming. Grammy and Pop Pop got their pool in tip top shape for us and we couldn't resist. (While he was in the hospital for over a month the pool looked like a pond!) We swam each and every morning after breakfast which helped tremendously come nap time. Devin loves to swim underwater now. If you give him a pushing start, he will go to the bottom to pick up his diving sticks and come back up. He has really come a long way and is improving his swimming each time he gets in the pool. Lexi is just happy to be launched in the air or dragged on top of the water as she skims the top of the water and drinks it. We still have a long way to go with her! LOL

Daddy and his water babies!

Grammy was ready for our visit and even stocked up on art supplies. She bought them markers, dry erase boards, paper, etc. As you can see, Lexi was in heaven!

Looks like war paint!

The first night we were there the kids (and mommy) were very unsettled. The kids did not nap on the way up as I had hoped and then we went swimming too. We were wiped and the kids were very whiny and unhappy. So for whatever reason we decided to go to Chuck E. Cheese. This Chuck E. Cheese was on International Drive and was packed and was very dirty. It ended up being the perfect place to let my 1 1/2 year old throw a fit and whine and cry and no one could hear her! It was actually perfect. You'll notice in the pictures Lexi was all over the place and ended up shoeless at one point!

Devin LOVED this horse...can't wait to see him ride a real one!

Yes we allowed our kids to walk on the skeeball lane...whatcha gonna do about it?!

Devin thought this was a really easy and fun game.

Shoeless Lexi riding the crazy bicycle.

Not sure if I would have taken them there if I was given a second chance but for $20 we played a ton of games, had pizza and drinks and got the kids out of the house and wore them out so they could sleep! It wasn't so bad...

While sitting down adding pictures and typing this blog post I realized I didn't get any pictures of my grandparents with the kids or any pictures of our friends Kyra and Ryan and their son Vedder. We finally got to meet Vedder (5 months old) and see Ryan and Kyra's beautiful new house (which isn't so new anymore...we just haven't visited them in a few years). Vedder is a very happy baby and was so nice to let Devin and Lexi play with his toys and run his house for a few hours. We had such a nice night visiting with them (and Ross too!), catching up, and playing with Vedder. I can't believe I didn't take more pictures. We'll have to go back to Orlando soon again.

While we were at Ryan and Kyra's house our kids were sitting together on the lazy boy chair and hamming it up for our hosts. I ran into the living room with my cell phone to snap this unusual but sweet behavior. Moments like these don't happen a lot but stay in my heart and memory forever!

We hope to visit Orlando again soon and maybe even visit a fun park or two the next time. We don't vacation enough...(sigh)!

Singing Happy Birthday to our Big Guy!

Devin had a wonderful birthday weekend and I have a ton of pictures to post. We went to Orlando to visit with Grammy and Pop Pop and then celebrated his birthday a day early with family and friends on Sunday. Lets just say he got everything he wanted...even the yellow robot! Pictures to come soon; until then this video shows you how excited he was. Too cute!

Ace of Cakes

I got a picture message with this picture and the message; "3 is a magic number!", from Joanne today. She made this for Devin's birthday tomorrow. I'm getting so excited; can't believe my little man is turning three!!!!! Thank you Joanne for creating an awesome masterpiece for my baby's 3rd Birthday. Can't wait to taste it!

Making Bird Houses with Grandma

Last week Grandma Diane had the pleasure of watching the kids twice while Andy and I were at work. She decided she needed to treat these two visits like she was in the classroom with her students, and rightfully so! She came prepared with an art project in hand. The kids painted bird houses with her. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall during this project. To see how out of control Lexi probably was and how proud of his birdhouse Devin probably was; would have been hilarious to watch! Best part is when I got home both kids had already had baths because Lexi was covered head to toe in paint. Lexi just loves paint and loves putting her fingers in it and really loves smearing it all over her body. As Devin says, "Lexi's a hot mess!".

The first bird house is Devin's masterpiece.

This is Lexi's cute birdhouse.

They also finger painted on paper; they had so much fun!

Lexi's green work of art.

Thank you Grandma Diane for taking on the daring task of an art project with a one and two year old. They had so much fun they did it again the next day with her! These are the things that kids remember forever; the fun times and fun projects they did/do with loved ones. Even if the 'loved one' wants to pull their hair out midway through the project...I know the end result is seeing two happy kids proud of their work and priceless, irreplaceable, time spent with loved ones.