The Young Family

Oh My...

2011-02-23T11:32:00.000-07:00

I need to update. I'll go into more detail later, but for now...

My children are beautiful, my husband is amazing and I am very happy. :)

From The Mouth of Oliver

2010-09-20T20:56:00.000-06:00

Oliver asked me the other day how the new baby was going to get here. I said, "Mama will go to the doctor and she will help me get the baby out of my belly." His response was, "Yes, but is she going to come in the door or what?" I guess he just wanted a really simple answer, haha.

Earlier this week I told Oliver, "It's bed time." His response was, "No thank you. I'm okay being awake."

I pointed to the wall and asked Oliver who drew on it. He answered, "A cute little boy." At least he's not a liar, right?

Friday, Friday...

2010-09-03T19:25:00.000-06:00

So, uh, that 5 on Friday thing didn't work out so well. I'll give it another shot.

1- I feel like a whale. I don't think this belly of mine could get any bigger.
2- Olie is obsessed with Max and Ruby. We have 12 episodes recorded right now. We watch like 6 of them daily. I can quote each episode in it's entirety.
3- Spencer's new job at Meadow Gold is awesome. Well, the paychecks are - he works a ton though!
4- My birthday was yesterday. It was a really really good day. =)
5- Only an hour until Olie's bedtime. I think I will go to bed very shortly after, I'm exhausted today.

Day 17: An Art Piece

2010-07-30T12:33:00.000-06:00

I'm not really a big "art" person. I do remember thinking Ansel Adams had some gorgeous pictures when I took a photography class in high school. Yeah, if you're interested, Google it. :)

Five on Friday

2010-07-30T12:24:00.002-06:00

A friend of mine does Ten on Tuesdays on her blog. I am going to start small and do Five on Fridays instead (four is more realistic, but five seems much less lazy). Basically, you write stuff. Sounds easy enough, I suppose.

1- Spencer's birthday was Wednesday. He's 24 - he says he's old. Whatever.

2- My birthday is in like 5 weeks, I'll be 24. I don't think it's that old.

3- 22 days until I get to see Something Corporate. Last time I went to a concert and was pregnant, it didn't end well for me. This one better be good!

4- I'm 28 weeks pregnant this week and I have an ear infection - life could get better.

5- Every day, I get more and more sick of living in this apartment. I'm really glad we moved out when we did, but I really don't like it here. And when we have 2 kiddos, we'll be stepping all over each other if we don't get to move.

Woo hoo! I did it! Hopefully I'll remember to do it again next week. :)

Funny Kid

2010-07-21T22:06:00.000-06:00

Here are some funny things Oliver has said in the past week or so:

-Olie was sitting on his potty in front of the TV wiggling. I asked him what he was doing and he said, "I wanted to dance, but I really had to pee." Hahaha! Where does he come up with this stuff?

-Me: "Olie, stop hitting the blinds or you'll go in time out."
Olie: "It wasn't me, it was my broom!"

-"Mama, when is baby Paisley coming? We have all of her stuff here."

-Oliver woke up at 2am and we had this conversation:
"Olie, it's night-night time. See how it's dark outside?"
"It's not THAT dark, mama. Let's watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse."

Oh, I love this kid. :)

Cousins

2010-06-27T15:47:00.002-06:00

Here is another picture from Whitney's wedding. Oliver and all his cousins (except Ethan) on Spencer's side. (L-R: Trevor, Kyle, Oliver, Lincoln, Whitney, Logan, Kyleigh and Jade) Yeah, I guess Whitney isn't his cousin though, lol.

Just In Case You Forgot...

2010-06-26T20:26:00.000-06:00

I swear, I have the cutest little boy ever. I can't imagine that he'll get any cuter, but he surprises me all the time. :) Here he is at my sister in law's wedding on Friday.

I'm still trying to figure out when he got so big. I think it must have been last week though.

Halfway...

2010-06-03T11:41:00.000-06:00

As of today, I'm halfway done with this pregnancy. I'm feeling much better! Oliver is always very excited to remind me that my belly is getting bigger, too. He's going to be such a GREAT big brother, I can't wait!

Day 16: A Song That Makes You Cry

2010-06-02T10:04:00.000-06:00

Wow, some of these are hard... I really can't think of a song that makes me cry. I'll come back to this one, too.

Day 15: A Song That Represents Something Significant

2010-05-15T11:55:00.000-06:00

Hmmm... I don't really have one in particular. I like Christmas songs for the most part though, they remind me of when I was little. Christmas and Christmas Eve were always fun days growing up. Seeing all my grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins. It was fun!

Day 14: A Non-Fictional Book

2010-05-15T11:52:00.000-06:00

The only non-fiction books I've read recently are pregnancy books and that isn't very exciting. If I think of anything good, I'll post it.

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice...

2010-05-05T17:06:00.001-06:00

The baby is a girl! We found out today...

So, let's hope she stays a girl.

Paisley Clarine Young will be here around October 20th! We're so freaking happy!

Day 13: A Fictional Book

2010-05-03T13:09:00.002-06:00

I'm assuming I'm supposed to write about a fictional book that I like, right? Not just pick a random one. Anyway, I haven't read a book for a long time that wasn't a children's book. Oh well. I really enjoy reading with Oliver and he loves it, too. This is one of our favorite books to read together. It's a really cute book.

Day 12: Something You Find Interesting

2010-04-29T13:48:00.004-06:00

The Starchild (and for all you old people, I don't mean Paul Stanley... And if you're not old or a KISS fan, you won't get that anyway...) Skull is so weird! If you've never heard of it, but have any interest in aliens/UFOs/etc., you'll find this weird.

That totally makes me seem like a weirdo, doesn't it? It's Spencer's fault. He got me addicted to watching UFO Hunters on TV. But, I've always though the idea of aliens was pretty cool.

Day 11: A Photo That Makes You Angry or Sad

2010-04-29T13:47:00.001-06:00

Hmm. That's a hard one. I can't think of one right off. Let me go look and I'll come back to it.

Slacking...

2010-04-19T20:55:00.002-06:00

I haven't been feeling that well, so I've been slacking. I'll pick up soon. Hopefully tomorrow. :D

Day 10: A Photo of You Taken Recently

2010-04-15T11:23:00.003-06:00

Wow, I really have no pictures of me recently... This is the most recent one I could find.

We plan on taking family pictures this summer though... That will be good. :)

Day 5 Update

2010-04-14T15:42:00.002-06:00

I finally found a quote I loved. I was looking through my photos (after Michelle's blog reminded me that I found this because she posted a quote from the same website) and remembered I saved this one:
I posted it here too in case you don't want to scroll down to find the other one.

Day 9: A Photo of You Taken Over Ten Years Ago

2010-04-14T09:19:00.004-06:00

I was going to post a much cooler picture of me when I was little where I was only wearing an orange beanie, blue snow boots and a diaper... But I couldn't find it - it must be on the other computer. So, this one will have to do. Think Olie might look a little like his mom? :)

Day 8: A Photo You Took

2010-04-13T09:35:00.002-06:00

This picture makes me giggle. Oliver insisted on wearing my toe socks that day because they had M&Ms on them. And his onesie was on backwards because he wouldn't keep his diaper on and he couldn't unsnap the shirt if it was on that way. The hat goes with his "Ho jammas" as he calls them. They have Santa Claus on them, lol.

Day 7: A Photo That Makes You Happy

2010-04-12T10:43:00.004-06:00

I know I've posted this picture a few times before, but it really is my favorite picture of Oliver. Best. Day. Ever.

Day 6: Your Favorite Food

2010-04-12T10:41:00.002-06:00

Oh man, thanks for asking. I am seriously in love with Hunan Village in Tooele. One of the few things I do miss about Tooele. I could eat Chinese food every day and not get sick of it. Wait, I take that back. Both time since I've gotten pregnant that I ate there, I got really sick. But, I'm willing to try again. Maybe next week?

Avon Calling!

2010-04-10T09:42:00.002-06:00

Well, in an effort to get some "extra" money to start saving for a vacation, I've signed up to start selling Avon. I'm placing my first order on Wednesday, so that's exciting! If you have any Avon products you need, let me know. Or, if you'd like a catalog, I'll get one to you. Starting Monday, you'll be able to shop at my online store. Until then, you can browse online and email me if you'd like to order (RachelYoungAvon@gmail.com). If you'd like to be added to my mailing list to receive special offers (new products, special offers, sales, etc.), send me your email address and I'll add you! Thanks!

Day 5: Your Favorite Quote

2010-04-10T09:41:00.002-06:00

There, done.

Day 4: Your Favorite TV Show

2010-04-09T14:27:00.004-06:00

Spencer makes fun of me for liking this show, but I can't help it. I'm addicted.

I also really am enjoying this new show on NBC:

Maybe I just don't have enough drama in my own life? Haha, just kidding. I don't really know why I like those shows, I just do.

Oops!

2010-04-08T17:09:00.004-06:00

See how bad I am at this? I already missed a day. I'll fix it now.

30 Days: Day 2 Your Favorite Movie:

I've always always loved The Wizard of Oz for as long as I can remember.

30 Days: Day 3 Your Favorite Book:

This maybe isn't my all time favorite book, but it's one that I could read a thousand times without getting sick of it. It's WAY better than the movie!

30 Days: Day 1

2010-04-06T11:13:00.004-06:00

I got a list of things from a friend of mine to blog 30 things for 30 days. Let's see how I do.

Day 1: Your Favorite Song

Okay, nice way to start off really freaking hard. I don't have a favorite song. I have a billion of them. But, this is ONE of my favorite songs that I always enjoy listening to, no matter what kind of mood I'm in. But, it has to be the acoustic version, like this:

I'm also really liking this song right now. Not because it's a great song or anything, but because I really enjoy listening to Oliver sing along. And it has to be the Chipmunk version, like this:

Smarty Pants

2010-04-06T10:58:00.005-06:00

So, as you know, my child is a genius. :) Just kidding, kind of. He really is a little smarty pants though. He can pick up a song and start singing it after he hears it like twice. I love it! I'm going to brag a little and make a small list of the awesome things he can do:

count to 15 all by himself. Yes, 13, 14 and 15 sound very similar, but he's still counting.
knows almost all of the Alphabet Song. He starts getting mixed up at around "Q"
knows a few shapes: triangle, circle and square
knows a few colors: blue, green, red, pink and yellow
knows a billion words, seriously. He is starting to speak complete sentences now. The other day, I was eating a sandwich and I couldn't finish the rest, so I asked Spencer if he wanted it. He ate it and Oliver looks at him and says, "Dad, you eat it all gone! Want more?" Cute kid!
We're starting potty training this week, he's doing really well so far. I'll update about the "journey" when we have a few more successes

I have my second OB appointment tomorrow, should be uneventful - which is good. And my due date is October 28th. I got it right this time. Now, I'm going to make another post because I got a good idea from a friend...

Quick Post

2010-03-29T16:17:00.001-06:00

I know it's been a bit since I posted an update. I have pictures from Oliver's birthday party that I wanted to share... But, I have to find my camera. And as soon as I do, I'll get a few things posted.

Happy Birthday Oliver!

2010-03-18T20:18:00.004-06:00

I seriously cannot believe that my baby is 2! And what a great birthday he had! I had a whole day of fun planned, so we had to wake up early to take Spencer to work so we could have the car for the day. We woke Oliver up (singing Happy Birthday, of course) and buckled him into his car seat. He wasn't very happy to be awake let alone in the cold car, but I came prepared. I gave him a present! We bought him a new Blue's Clue's DVD to play in the car (yes, we have a DVD player in the car to save our sanity, otherwise, it would be constant screaming every time we got it). I really think he was more excited to open it than to watch it though.We got home, had breakfast and lounged around for a few hours. Deanna and her boys and Jessica came over at lunch time with chicken nuggets and fries for lunch - Oliver's favorite! Then, we got into the car and headed to Thanksgiving Point to the Museum of Ancient Life. It is such an awesome museum! Mostly dinosaur fossil and such. Oliver loved it from the second we walked in the door, saying "dinos!"

He was really excited until I said that one was going to get him. Oops! He got over it as soon as we moved away though...

Then, I gave Oliver the camera. Most of the photos turned out like this.

There were a couple of good ones in there though.

After the museum, we went to the Ice Cream Shop at TP. I asked Oliver if he wanted some ice cream (what's a birthday without ice cream?) and he said, "No, cake."

Luckily, there was a bakery and deli right next to the ice cream shop. We got the biggest piece of chocolate cake they had!

He definitely enjoyed that cake. He ate almost half of that giant piece!

He fell asleep in the car on the way home and stayed napping for over an hour when we got home. That's saying a lot. He never naps, so he must have been worn out - I know I was! Oliver's birthday party is going to be on Saturday and Grandma and Papa's house. I'll post pictures sometime after that. It's going to be another fun day!

Halloween Baby

2010-03-11T18:33:00.002-07:00

Well, I had my first doctor appointment yesterday. It looks like I was wrong, haha. I'm about 8 weeks pregnant, so the baby will be here toward the end of October. I think they said my due date was the 21st. I don't remember, I already have "pregnancy brain". All is well and we got to see the little baby "bean" on the ultrasound. Oliver thought it was pretty cool. He's definitely beginning to understand that mama has a baby in her belly. He's a smart little boy, that's for sure!

I'll keep you updated!

Guess Where We Went Again...

2010-03-08T09:59:00.003-07:00

That's right! The zoo! I see our summer full of going to the zoo! It was a little different this time though - we got to see the elephants! Or, as Oliver says, "the ediots". Haha.

Oliver kept saying, "Mama! Baby! Mama! Baby!" as he pointed at the elephants.

It started to snow as we were leaving, Olie kept licking the snow flakes off his coat.

Once again, we tried going on the carousal because Olie threw a fit when I told him we weren't going to. And once again, he hated it. At least he's not scared of it and wants to keep trying it, right?

Bad Week

2010-03-08T09:17:00.004-07:00

I wish I could say last week was uneventful, but it was far from...

Earlier this month, Oliver was having breathing problems and we had to take him to the Emergency Room at Primary Children's Medical Center. They have him a breathing treatment and sent us home because he was doing very well. His tests for RSV and other respiratory viruses all came back negative, but since he was doing so well, we weren't concerned.

Then, on Monday last week, it started again. Oliver was breathing very quickly and very hard. We knew something was wrong, so we took him to the InstaCare in Murray to get him another breathing treatment. When we got there, his oxygen saturation levels were low. They gave him a breathing treatment, but his levels still fell. It was at about 82% by this point. Not good. An ambulance was called and it seems like it took hours for it to get there, but it finally did and we were on our way to PCMC, with Spencer following in our car behind us. Olie slept the whole time, which I'm told isn't necessarily a good thing, but at least he didn't fight having the oxygen on him.

They immediately assessed him when we arrived and decided Oliver needed oxygen and another breathing treatment. He didn't fight the hour long treatment because he was very sleepy. His oxygen levels went back up to over 90% after that, but it was still low enough to admit him to stay overnight. They again tested him for RSV and other respiratory viruses, they all came back negative. He received breathing treatments throughout the night, but he didn't have to be on oxygen, which was a very good sign. By morning, his oxygen levels were up to the mid-90s. He was getting back to him normal self and wanting to play and run around. By lunch time, the levels were in the high-90s, the normal range. They told us we'd be going home that day.

Oliver was diagnosed with asthma. Not the best diagnosis, but at least we know what's going on now. They gave us an anti-inflammatory inhaler to give him every day to prevent another "attack" from happening. We are also going to set up an appointment with an asthma specialist and an allergist to see what is triggering the attacks. He's doing very well now and is back to his normal self. I never, ever want to see my baby that sick again though. It was so awful. Oliver is the little kid that never gets sick other than just a cold, so this was really hard for all of us. I'm SO glad he's okay!

On a side note.... Oliver will be 2 in ten days! Where does the time go?!

Grandma's Boys

2010-02-26T12:28:00.007-07:00

My cousin, Alicia, took photos of Olie and Carter - my mom's dream. We haven't been able to get a single successful picture of the two of them together, until now. She did such a great job! I will just post a bunch of the cutest ones, they speak for themselves.

The Zoo

2010-02-18T10:26:00.009-07:00

We've taken two trips to the zoo already this year. One in January (with Deanna and Trevor) and one in February (with Shannon, Craig and Carter). The zoo is so much fun when it's not crowded or hot!

January Trip

Oliver and Trevor are so funny together! They were both saying "Cheese!"

Oliver was amazed at how tall the "raffes" were.

And the carousal is by far my favorite part - I get to watch Olie make these faces!

February Trip

They almost were both smiling at the same time. For being almost a year apart, Oliver are Carter are good little buddies!

Once again, we had to see the tall "raffes", as Olie calls them.

I don't remember what this animal is really called, but Olie only cared that it was a kitty and wouldn't leave it alone.

The giant tortoises were inside. You'd think will that huge shell, they'd be able to stay warm on their own. Oliver fed these guys Goldfish crackers when I wasn't looking - oops!

This is Carter in the ape building. I don't remember what animal was behind him, but his expression in this picture made me laugh!

We are planning on getting a Zoo Pass this year so we can go to the zoo all the time. It's a good way to kill a few hours with Oliver and he's always really good when we're there. Next Wednesday is "Free Zoo Day" and you can get we'll be there once again!

Update!

2010-02-15T08:46:00.001-07:00

I'm really horrible at updating this thing. I'll try to get better, but I say that every time. :D I'm updating now because I have something super exciting to share. We're going to have another baby! We just found out last week and of course, we suck at keeping a secret, so now you know. The baby should be here sometime in September or maybe October. I will know for sure when I get my butt to the doctor - which should be soon. Hopefully I'll be able to update you soon. I have lots and lots of pictures to share, so I should get on that, too. Now, I think Oliver needs his diaper changed, haha. Love you all!

Here Goes...

2009-07-22T20:46:00.012-06:00

Time for an update... I'm almost 4 months without an update. Oops! Oliver is such a funny little guy. Here are some funny little videos of him.

Grandma was trying to take a picture of him and told him to smile. He was anticipating the flash.

Forget about child locks on the oven with this kid... At least he knows they're supposed to be shut and will say "uh-oh" and lock it back up.

And the little monkey can climb into his high chair - scares the crap out of me!

One Year Pictures

2009-04-09T23:25:00.010-06:00

My mom and I drove up to Layton and my cousin Alicia (check out her blog, here) took Olie's pictures. He was so good and cooperated a lot more than I thought he would. Alicia did an amazing job! Here are a few photos I wanted to share.

The Big One...

2009-03-31T18:51:00.002-06:00

We took Oliver to his one year check up last week. They let him stand on the big scale instead of sit in the baby scale. He wasn't too sure what to think because it was all wobbly and I couldn't hold on to him. It was kind of funny. Well, he's still long and skinny. He's at 31 inches (90th percentile) and 21 pounds (25th percentile). At this point, he's past walking. He's a runner. I'm still no closer to getting pictures than I was before, so sorry about that. Maybe tonight.

Sorry...

2009-03-29T17:38:00.002-06:00

I'm such a bad blogger. I have lots of updates from March and as soon as I get my pictures from my mom's camera, I'll update.

My Wedding Day Survey...

2009-02-22T21:04:00.003-07:00

1) When was your wedding day? February 2, 2007

2) What day of the week was it? Friday

3) Did you get married in a church? Nope

4) How many in your wedding party? Zero

5.) Where was your reception? Almost two months later, we had one at the church by our house.

6) How many guests were invited to your wedding? 3 plus ourselves, so 5

7) How long did you wait to Tie The Knot after your proposal? I think I got my ring in January, so less than a month.

8) Who did you hire as your photographer & videographer? Nobody - we have no wedding photos, that kinda sucks.

9) Did you have a DJ or a band? Nope.

10) Did your father walk you down the aisle? There was no walking down the aisle, haha.

11) What color were the bridesmaid dresses & groomsmen vests? There weren't any

12) Who was your Maid Of Honor/Best Man? I guess I'll have to say Nathan and Kris. They were there. Haha.

13) Did you have a Bridal Shower? Yep, it was a couple of weeks after I got married. That was weird.

14) What type of limo did you get? I think we drove the Jeep Liberty that day.

15) Where did you go for your Bachelorette/Bachelor Party? We didn't do that

16) What type of wedding gown/tux did you two wear? I wore jeans and a red sweater and Spencer wore jeans and a red button up shirt. But for our reception I had a really pretty dress my awesome aunt Leah made me and Spencer wore a pink button up and I don't remember what pants.

17) How was the weather? It was surprisingly nice and warm that day.

18) Where did you go on your Honeymoon? First we went to Applebee's because we were all hungry (yeah, all 5 of us), then Spencer and I went to the Marriot in downtown SLC. Good times.

19) What was your favorite part of your wedding day? Telling people that we got married. Our parents were surprisingly not as mad as I thought they'd be.

20) How long have you been married? 2 years. Spencer says it feels more like 5 - what's that supposed to mean? =]

The New Nephew

2009-01-17T20:45:00.004-07:00

Carter was born on January 15, 2008 at 12:40am. He weighed 7lbs 4ozs and was 20 1/2 inches. Congrats to Shannon and Craig!

Updates...

2009-01-17T20:40:00.004-07:00

Well, I did it. I updated the blog. I've been adding stuff all day. It's still not everything I wanted to put, but I got a lot. It's not in order at all, but it's an update, haha. I'll try not to go another two months before I update again...

9 Month Check Up

2009-01-17T20:30:00.003-07:00

Oliver had his 9 month check up at the end of December. He did great, as usual. He weighed 18 lbs 10 ozs and is 30 inches tall. He's at the 90% for height and about 30% for weight. Still tall and skinny.

He's got such a funny personality. It's pretty obvious he belongs to me and Spencer. At home, he's wild and loud. He screams and yells all day and is all over the house. But, if somebody he doesn't know come over or we take him to somebody's house, he gets all quiet and shy. It's so funny. I know I was like that when I was little, and I think Spencer was too. It's crazy how much your kid can be like you even this early. My mom used to always tell him she hopes I get a kid that acts just like me. Lucky me =]

Playing In The Cupboards

2009-01-17T20:26:00.006-07:00

Oliver's favorite thing to do had been playing in the cupboards and drawers, ripping out everything possible. Then, one day when I wasn't watching him closely enough (yes, I know, bad idea), he ripped out a glass pan and it broke all over the kitchen floor and scared the crap out of the poor little dude. Now, there's cabinet lock things on all the cupboards and drawers that he can reach. He was not happy about that at all. He still tries to stick his hand into the inch and a half space that the drawers pull open and get whatever he can out. He's too curious...

Christmas

2009-01-17T20:02:00.005-07:00

Oliver's first Christmas was lots of fun. I took him to see Santa. As you can see, he didn't have very much fun with that. Haha.

We had a box wrapped in Christmas paper that he had been "driving" around the house for a couple of days. I stuck him in it and put him under the tree. Amazingly, he smiled and I got a pretty cute picture out of it.

Diane bought Trevor and Oliver matching Santa outfits (which we never did get their pictures together in...)

We got up early on Christmas morning and headed to Steve and Diane's house to open presents there with everybody. We came home and Oliver took a well needed nap before finally opening his presents from Santa Claus. He got so much stuff! Santa may have gone a little overboard. But I'm really glad he has new things to entertain him and keep him busy for longer than two minutes.

Keep Those Babies Rear Facing...

2009-01-17T18:11:00.001-07:00

Since the little man is in a convertable car seat now, I've done a lot of research on rear facing vs forward facing car seats. The car seat I have can rear face up to 35 lbs and I fully intend to do keep it rear facing that long. I found this video that compares front facing and rear facing head on collisions and it has a lot of information in it, too. Definitely worth watching....

More Coupons...

2009-01-17T17:33:00.001-07:00

The last two weeks at Albertson's, they've had great sales. Last week was General Mills/Proctor & Gamble and this week was the Big Breakfast Sale.

Here's the damage done last week (original non-sale price in parenthesis):

6 boxes Total Whole Grain cereal ($4.49 ea.)
3 boxes Multi Grain Cheerios ($4.29 ea.)
3 boxes Kellog's Raisin Bran ($3.49 ea.)
3 boxes Fiber One Toaster Pastries ($2.99 ea.)
10 (4-packs) of Yoplait Yogurt ($2.99 ea.)
18 boxes of Tuna/Chicken/Hamburger Helper ($2.69 ea.)
4 boxes Toaster Strudel ($3.39 ea.)
5 boxes Jolly Time Popcorn ($2.99 ea.)
2 40oz boxes Bisquick baking mix ($4.19 ea.)
3 jars Jif Peanut Butter ($3.29 ea.)
3 jars Smuckers Grape Jelly ($2.99 ea.)
3 loaves Sara Lee bread ($2.99 ea.)
4 bags Malt O Meal Cereal ($3.59 ea.)
2 gallons of milk ($2.19 ea.)
2 tubes of L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara ($8.19 ea.)

After 4 separate transactions and 2 hours at the store....
GRAND TOTAL = $25.68!

I was lucky that last week you could double your coupons (which I had tons of) and combined that with an awesome sale.

This week didn't take nearly as much planning, but I got great stuff:

10 boxes Quaker Oatmeal ($4.59 ea.)
3 boxes Fiber One Shredded Wheat ($5.29 ea.)
1 box Banana Nut Cheerios ($4.99 ea.)
2 boxes Cinnamon Life Cereal ($4.29 ea.)
1 loaf French Bread ($1.69 ea.)
8 cans Progresso Soup ($2.79 ea.)
9 cans Campbell's Tomato Soup ($0.99 ea.)
4 cans Campbell's Spaghettio's ($1.49 ea.)
4 packs Dannon Yogurt ($3.49 ea.)
2 gallons of milk ($2.19 ea.)
1 box Jolly Time Popcorn ($2.99 ea.)
3 Gerber Graduates Pasta Dinners ($1.39 ea.)
2 Gerber Graduates Veggie Puffs ($2.25 ea.)
2 Hershey's Dark Chocolate bars ($0.79 ea.)

After 2 separate transactions and less than an hour....
GRAND TOTAL = $13.18!

The only part that sucks about doing this whole couponing thing is that it takes a lot of time, planning and patience. But it's worth it. The only two "tricks" I really have are that I buy multiple copies of the local newspaper (it has the same coupons as Sunday papers, but is only 50 cents) and use PinchingYourPennies.com. And I try to have fun with it.

Now, on to more important things...

Tagged Again - 4th and 4th

2009-01-17T16:30:00.002-07:00

TAG!!!

4th and 4th

1. Go to your picture files on your computer

2. Go to the 4th folder

3. Go to the 4th picture in the 4th folder

4. Post it and tell what you remember about that picture.

Here's mine:

This was my first ultrasound. Little Olie and his chubby cheeks waving to mom and dad. We didn't know he was a boy yet for sure(it says 22W1D, but that's WAY off, I was more like 12 weeks), but we knew it was a boy. In a weird way, I miss being pregnant. It was fun for the most part being pregnant at the same time as everybody and their dog =] The only part that wasn't fun was the one weekend where Spencer says I had the worst "crazy pregnant lady" day ever. Haha.

Coupons, Coupons, Coupons

2008-11-12T09:32:00.006-07:00

With money getting tighter and the economy falling more each day, I've been paying more attention to what we're spending as a family and trying to save where we can. So, I started clipping coupons and shopping more carefully. I've started shopping mostly at Albertson's now - usually they have the highest grocery prices out of any store, but when they have a sale, it's awesome. Especially when you combine it with coupons.

This is what I bought last week.

6 Bottles Shampoo/Conditioner ($2.79 ea)
4 Jars Skippy Peanut Butter ($3.29 ea)
10 Bottles All Small & Might Laundry Detergent ($6.49 ea)
6 Betty Crocker Cake Mixes ($2.19 ea)
6 Betty Crocker Frosting Tubs ($2.29 ea)

I spent just over $60 on all that - between sales a coupons, I saved over $60. When I bought all of that stuff (it's stuff I'd have normally bought anyway, just in bigger quantities), I got 6 $5.00 off Catalina coupons. I used them this morning and got all of this:

1 Bag Malt O Meal Cereal ($3.59 ea)
2 Gallons of Milk ($2.50 ea)
14 Lean Pockets ($2.99 ea)
2 quarts Breyer's Ice Cream ($6.39 ea)
2 Sara Lee Frozen Pies ($6.39 ea)
1 Bottle of Johnson's Lotion ($3.99 ea)

GRAND TOTAL = $0.15 plus tax! ($1.17 total)

Sure, it's not stuff I'd usually buy (except the Lean Pockets, I love those things for lunch when Oliver doesn't give me three seconds to eat), I shopped the ads to see what I could get for as cheap as possible with sales and coupons. I think I did a pretty good job.

Car Seat

2008-11-11T14:43:00.004-07:00

I have to rant about something... I hate when parents put their babies in infant carseats that they are too big for. I see it all the time, especially at the store. Babies are only supposed to be in infant carriers/car seats if they are 5-22 lbs AND less than 29" tall. This applies to nearly every infant car seat. Oliver grew out of his infant car seat already. Yes, he's only barely 17 lbs, but he's at least 29" tall and that's too tall for it. Besides, he loves his new car seat anyway. We just got the Cosco Scenera from Walmart for like $45 and it's awesome! No need to spend a ton of money, it got awesome safety reviews. And you can't beat the price.

That's all... I'm just grouchy today.

Halloween

2008-11-11T14:13:00.007-07:00

Oliver was a dragon for his very first Halloween - he was so cute! He didn't mind his costume at all, except that it got a little too warm because it was like 70 degrees outside!

Oliver and his Elmo pumpkin Great Grandma Pettley made for him.

"Look at me, mom! No hands!"

He's such a pain to get him to take a good picture. I have no idea where he gets it from.

The Sunday after Halloween, Deanna and I dressed the boys up again because we didn't get a chance to take their pictures on Halloween. They were so cute!

Oliver and Trevor kept looking at eachother and laughing, they are funny little babies.

"I'm gonna kiss your face off, Trevor!"

New Pictures

2008-09-23T09:26:00.004-06:00

We took Oliver to get his picture taken last Friday. It was pretty funny. He wouldn't smile for anything and just kept giving the photographer looks like he thought she was crazy. Here's a few pictures, we only got one of him smiling and it was only a half smile.

Half Way To One...

2008-09-22T16:20:00.014-06:00

Oliver had his 6 month check up this morning. For the first time, he's gained more pounds than he's grown inches between visits. He's now a giant at 28 1/2 inches (that's above the 95 percentile for height) and 16 lbs 4 ozs (that's right at the 25 percentile for weight). He got more shots and only cried for a total of 5 seconds. He's such a good baby. Here's some of the fun things he can do now:

He's been able to crawl for almost 2 weeks now. His crawl is so funny - one knee and one foot:

Pulling himself up to everything:

Standing in his crib every morning when I go get him:

And he just started doing pull ups on the kitchen chairs:

Okay, just kidding about the pull ups. He just scooted under there and got stuck. Funny kid. He's getting so big, so fast. He loves to eat everything with his two little chompers, though you wouldn't know it by his lack of chubbiness. He also likes to cruise around in his walker (or as Spencer calls it, his "runner" because he doesn't ever just walk). He keeps us all laughing every day. Now, I just have the challenge of teaching him what "no" means since he thinks he has to crawl and climb on everything. This boy is seriously growing up way too fast.

Cookies and Licorice

2008-09-16T12:10:00.004-06:00

I think it's so funny to let Oliver eat stuff that makes him all messy. He ends up with WAY more on his face and clothes than goes in his mouth, haha.

Growing Up...

2008-09-09T20:49:00.004-06:00

I haven't posted any new pictures lately (I know that's all you're really here for, haha), so here's Mr. I Think I Can Crawl:

and here's Oliver all dressed up in his tux from Grandma Diane:

Oliver has one tooth now (on the bottom) that came in a few weeks ago and the one next to it is just about ready to cut through, too. I can't wait until his next doctor appointment to see how much he's grown! He's getting so big and so smart. I can't even begin to imagine life without the little guy. We all love him so much!

Babies on TV!

2008-09-09T15:04:00.004-06:00

Last Thursday, I was watching Studio 5 on KSL. They had a question of the day that I just HAD to answer. They asked whether or not children's clothing with skull and crossbones was inappropriate, or just a trend. So, before they were even done talking about the poll, I was already online sending them an email. So, hopefully this will work so you can see. I have no idea how to get it from TiVo onto the computer, so my mom just recorded it with the camera, haha.

I love how Darin emphasizes the word Grandma, like she's 80 or something, haha. Yeah, she's not even close to 80.

Remember When...?

2008-08-15T16:26:00.002-06:00

This is on a few blogs around here, so I took it and I hope you'll do it too! Have fun!

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I have together. It doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember....

2. Next repost these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty cool (and funny) to see the responses. If you leave a memory I'll hope you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave a memory for you.

Sitting Up...

2008-08-14T09:41:00.003-06:00

Oliver can sit up all by himself now! He lasts a few minutes before he tries to grab something a little too far away and falls over. So cute! I'll try to get a few newer pictures of him up later. Also, I'll try to get some pictures from our trip to Yellowstone.

My Tall & Skinny Little Man!

2008-07-23T15:59:00.009-06:00

So, my little man went to his 4 month check up yesterday. He's a wopping 14 pounds! Haha. Skinny butt. He's really tall though, 27 1/2 inches. Oliver loves his doctor, but seems to have caught on that the nurses are the mean ones - they give him his shots. =] He's really good about getting them though, he only cries until I pick him up, then he's fine.

Here's Oliver today after eating his oatmeal - he loves cereal!

He must have been still hungry though because he wanted to eat the camera...

Oliver has changed and grown up SO much in the last four months. He rolls all over the living room, loves to give hugs and kisses (and by kisses I mean he like to growl and slobber all over my face) and loves to pull hair and anything else he can get his giant baby hands on. In no time at all, he's going to be sitting up, crawling and finally walking. Oh man, time flies!

Cousins!

2008-07-06T17:58:00.003-06:00

Oliver has a first cousin now! Deanna gave birth to Trevor on July 4th. I don't remember his exact measurements, but he's little and SO adorable! Here's a few pictures of Oliver and Trevor.

Oliver isn't a big baby or anthing, but he looks like a giant compared to Trevor!

By the end of the day, both Oliver and Grandpa Steve were tired!

I know the two of them are going to be great friends growing up. It'll be so much fun when they are running around playing and beating each other up, haha. But trust me, I'm in no hurry for them to grow up, they're too sweet as little babies!

Congratulations Matt & Deanna!

Oliver The Pirate

2008-06-15T17:45:00.007-06:00

Yesterday was the annual Barney Family Reunion (that's my mom's side of the family) down in Provo. It was pirate themed and my grandma made some matching pirate onesies for the babies. I can't believe I forgot my camera! These are just from my phone, but hopefully I can get some good pictures from everybody that was there.

He makes such a cute little pirate!

He also makes a pretty cute little girl, haha. It's those long eye lashes!

This one is actually from today, he was pulling some funny faces and made me laugh! Such a cute baby! I love him to death!

Spencer finally made it to Texas safely for work. He left Salt Lake at about 11:00am on Friday and got to his final destination today (Sunday) at about 5:00pm. They had to drive straight there - that sucks! But I'm glad he's safe and not driving anymore. Hopefully he'll get some good sleep, he's got a long week and half ahead of him!

Elfie, The Silky Terrier

2008-06-13T23:25:00.002-06:00

Holy crap! I was looking at a blog and decided to hit the button at the top that says "Next Blog" to see what came up. I've been laughing for like 10 minutes because this is a dog's blog. But I want to steal the dog, haha.

http://elfiethesilkyterrier.blogspot.com/

Funny, funny times.

***In less exciting news, Spencer is leaving in the morning for Texas. He has to go there for work. It's a place called Brownsville - it's literally as far south in Texas as you can go before you hit Mexico. He'll be there for almost two weeks and I am not thrilled about it in the least bit. Oh well, I think I'll live.

12 Weeks

2008-06-09T12:39:00.020-06:00

Oliver will be 12 weeks old tomorrow, but it seems like just yesterday that he was born. He's changed SO much since he was born.

Just minutes after he was born, March 18, 2008 at 6:46 pm. He weighed 8 lbs 10 ozs and was 19 1/2 inches long.

This is Oliver a few days old, right before we left to go home from the hospital.

This is the little guy after one week... Already changed SO much!

At two weeks, Oliver grew out of his newborn sized clothes. He weighed 8 lbs 15 ozs and was 21 inches long.

One month old... So sweet!

Oliver at six weeks - I love this picture!

Oliver looked so cute in his blessing outfit, but he HATED it.

At his two month check-up, Oliver weighed 11 lbs 9 ozs and was 24 inches! Definitely a long and skinny baby!

Oliver smiles and laughs all day long, but the second you get out the camera, he won't smile for anything, this is as close as I could get. =]

Just last week, I put Oliver in his 3-6 month clothes... The shirts fit him lengthwise, but they are pretty baggy on the sides. And the pants are huge on him! He looks SO much like a little boy and not at all like a baby.

Being a mom is a hard job, but Oliver makes it a little easier. He's such a sweet baby, is always happy and loves everybody. The only time he ever cries is when he's hungry or wet. He doesn't scream at the top of his lungs too much anymore, which is good. But the second he's hungry or has a wet diaper, he's crying. He skips the fussy stage and goes straight to the all out crying - with tears! I have to be the one with patience because he doesn't have any at all.

My favorite things about Oliver:
*He WILL NOT drink a warm bottle, room temperature or cold bottles only.
*Getting him to take a nap longer than 20 minutes during the day is a challenge, he's a cat napper.
*But, he sleeps GREAT at night. He goes to bed by 9:30 every night, no problem and we don't even get out of bed until at least 10:00 the next morning. And I usually only have to get up at 4:00 and 7:00 to feed him. I think I'm pretty lucky to get to sleep in!
*He will mimic stuff I do: smiling, sticking out my tongue, and yelling (That one is funny, haha)
*If I put him on my lap to read a book to him, he holds it and looks like he's reading.
*He's learning to give hugs. Every once in a while, he'll actually hug me back, it's really sweet!

And that's my update on Oliver. I'll try to do it again before he's a year old. =D

Hubby Tag

2008-05-29T21:13:00.004-06:00

So I guess if you read this you have to do it too. Have FUN! *Thanks Bry! Haha*

What is his name? Spencer Steven Young

How long have you been together? Since December of 2005

How long did you date? A year and few months

How old is he? 21

Who eats more? Spencer by a long shot

Who said "I love you" first? I did. And Spence didn't believe me. Took him two months to say it back. Jerk. Haha.

Who's taller? Spencer

Who can sing better? I think he can, when he's serious. And singing in the shower isn't him being serious.

Who is smarter? I'm more book smart. He's got more common sense I think.

Who does the laundry? Me. Spencer doesn't even know how to use the washer and dryer.

Who pays the bills? Spencer makes the money, but I actually pay the bills.

Who sleeps on the right side? Depends. Spencer has to sleep against the wall, so I get the other side.

Who mows the lawn? My dad, haha.

Who cooks dinner? Wendys does. Haha.

Who drives? We trade. But mostly I do.

Who is more stubborn? We both are VERY stubborn.

Who kissed who first? Spencer kissed me first.

Who asked who out first? Spencer asked me out for our first "real" date.

Who proposed? Spencer

Who has more friends? Spencer does, but at least I like them all.

Who is more sensitive? I'll say me

Who has more siblings? Spencer does

Who wears the pants? We both do... (Okay, I do. Shhh.. Don't tell him that.)

Bad Blogger...

2008-05-20T22:01:00.002-06:00

Since my mom told me I was a bad blogger and needed to update this, I will. Oliver had his two month check-up yesterday. He's grown three inches in the last six weeks, but only gained a little over 2 1/2 pounds. He now weighs 11 lbs 9 ozs and is 24 inches long. He's a skinny little boy. He's getting stronger and smarter everyday and his smile lights up the whole room! I hope to have some new pictures on here soon. (I might be good at other technical stuff, but when it comes to digital cameras, I don't have a clue, haha!)

Spencer told me I need to change the name of our blog from "The Young Family" to something interesting... I agree, but I'll have to come up with something creative.

Oh yes, and in other HUGE news: Craig and Shannon are having a baby in January! I'm SO excited for them. And I'm also excited for Oliver to have another cousin. I was so afraid he wouldn't have any, but now he'll have two first cousins that he'll grow up with. As well as lots of other cousins (my first cousins) that he'll get to play with all the time. He's a lucky little boy!

Babies!

2008-05-05T16:26:00.006-06:00

Yesterday, we had Oliver blessed in the Lake Point church. It was really nice and I'm very glad everybody came to share the special day with us. (I'll write more about that later.)

Afterwards, we had lunch/dinner at our house. There were a lot of people, but it was fun! Finally all the babies were together! Saebryn, Hunter, Addison and Oliver were all born within 4 months of each other. Saebryn in December and Hunter, Addison and Oliver all between the middle of March and first week of April! They are all very sweet, adorable babies. Oliver is lucky to grow up with so many cousins his age - and he'll get a new cousin, Trevor, in July.

Here's the best picture of them all together. So precious!

And here is Saebryn "holding" Oliver. She just wanted to kiss his face!

What cute babies!

Jumpin' On The Bandwagon

2008-05-02T05:29:00.002-06:00

SO, I've also decided to get a blog on here. I usually post EVERYTHING on MySpace, but I thought it'd be nice if I made a blog that everybody could see. My grandmas and grandpas don't use MySpace and I know they'd love to see pictures of Oliver and see what's going on in our lives. Hopefully I'll actually keep this thing updated....