Elizabeth's first haircut

Earlier in the week we headed out to chick-fil-a for lunch and then over to the mall to play on the indoor playground and burn off some energy.  After Elizabeth played for over an hour! I decided it would be a great time for her to get her very first haircut.

That's right, Elizabeth turned three last week and has never, ever had a haircut.  Not even a trim. 
(This is because I don't know how to cut hair and because no place around here cut kids hair)

So... we walked to the *new* kid haircut place in the mall to test the waters and venture into kid haircuts.

 Getting buckled in

 First snip!

 She took about 1/2"-1"off

 Elizabeth got to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse...

 So naturally, she didn't budge

 All done with the cutting

 Elizabeth got these cute green clips

 "Uh Mom, Can I finish watching Mickey Mouse?"

 They even gave us this cute certificate at the end of the appointment.

There are tiny clippings from her first haircut and all the details.

*Notes on Cartoon Cuts:

1) We walked right in, but it was the middle of the day during the middle of the week

2) The lady that did Elizabeth's hair was very good with kids and helped keep her calm

3) The hair cut was a bit pricey I thought- $18.99

4) They sell hair bows

 After her first haircut, it was time for a Starbucks run for a cake pop.

Chocolate of course!

Happy Friday!

Five months old

Dear Caroline,

You are five months old today!

Your Dad and I cannot believe you are five. months. old!  I think we have gotten to the point that we don't remember what life was like before you were born and we could not be happier that you have completed our family.

You are such a happy baby and also so easy.  You have a go-with-the-flow attitude that must come from being second born and having to tag along with the family.  You easily adjust to changes in your schedule and enjoy going anywhere with your sister.

This month we stayed at home (a lot) because my ankle is still healing.  We did do a lot of celebrating in the last month and we have had several snow days.  We celebrated Valentine's Day, Mardi Gras, and Elizabeth's 3rd birthday.

You have enjoyed being inside the warm house all day and watching your sister.  I think the thing you enjoy most in the world (besides eating) is watching your sister. You light up every time you see her and you can't wipe the smile off of your face when she is talking to you.  To say you adore Elizabeth would be the understatement of the year.

You switched from size 2 to size 3 diapers this month.   I think you weigh somewhere between 16.5-17 pounds.  You are about 26 inches long.  You are now wearing 6-9 month clothes and 9 month clothes.

You still suck on your fingers or hand all the time.  You have no interest in a pacifier and we are thrilled about that! 

You sleep schedule has changed a little bit (at your doing).  You now nap 1-2 hours in the morning and about 1.5-2 hours in the afternoon.  You have started sleeping longer at night, so your naps have gotten shorter.  This past week or so you have gone to sleep between 5-6pm and slept until 6:30-7am.

We love you so much our sweet, bubbly girl.  Happy 5 months!

All our love,

Mommy and Daddy

 Hanging out at the end of January

 Made a get-well note for Pap Pap.

 Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

(Took this at the beginning of February to send out)

 Valentine's day morning

 Fat Tuesday

 Elizabeth's 3rd birthday

And... some pictures from my cell phone:

You love kisses from Elizabeth

Huh?

You are letting me hold her?

Let's Go PITT!

Valentine's Day

You love to stick out your tongue

Selfie with Mommy

 You are 5 months old today!

Elizabeth and Caroline at 5 months

Ankle Injury Update: Part Five

On Monday, I had my follow-up to my follow-up appointment with the orthopedic department.  After another examination of my ankle and a conference between the nurse practitioner and the orthopedic physician we all agreed on several things.

1. I would move from the boot to an ankle brace (they started worrying about me getting blood clots)
2. I need to start physical therapy
3. I need to get an MRI (to rule out a high ankle sprain and/or damage to my Achilles)
4. I need to follow-up with the podiatry department

So...

I was given an ankle brace:

I started physical therapy on Monday (after my orthopedic appointment) and I am going twice a week.  The physical therapist applied the tape to provide additional support after my session.  I had to wear it for 24 hours.

My MRI is scheduled for Friday.

I meet with podiatry next Friday.

I am hoping for 6-8 weeks of physical therapy and then I am hoping to get into the pool to start running therapy after that.  We shall see how it goes and just keep hoping and praying for the best.

Happy Wednesday!

Harris Teeter, Freebies, and Our Weekly Menu

As I blogged yesterday, Ben hit up Harris Teeter for us...

What he got:

(1) bag of carrots
(1) bunch of broccoli
(3) bananas
(1) bag of salad
(1) bag of potatoes
(4) packages of wipes
(4) bags of shredded cheese
(1) dozen eggs
(1) 1/2 gallon lactose free milk
(1) package of wipes
(8) yogurts
(1) box of tampons
(1) bag of goldfish
(1) bottle of kids toothpaste
(4) containers of clorox wipes
(1) pound of ground chicken

Total spent: $48.49
Total saved: $39.65
Saved: 45%

I hit up the mall today to pick up a few freebies:

Perfume from Victoria Secret (Store price $14, with my coupon = FREE)

Body Wash from Bath and Body Works (Store price $5, with my coupon = FREE)

All About Eyes (eye cream) from Clinique (Store price $31, with my coupon = FREE)

That's $50 in FREE products!

*If you are not on e-mail lists for stores, you are missing out!

Our Weekly Menu:

Breakfasts:

Cereal, banana muffins, orange juice, special k bars, and oatmeal - all of this is from our "stockpile"
(Ben made a dozen banana muffins last weekend and froze them, so we heat them up whenever we want one for breakfast)

Lunches:

Sandwiches: turkey, grilled cheese, or salami
Granola bars
Yogurts
Snack packs
Fruit: apples, bananas, or strawberries
Goldfish or pringles
*leftovers

Dinners:

Sunday- pizza (ingredients from stockpile)
Monday- Ranch pork chops, mashed potatoes, green beans (all from stockpile)
Tuesday- Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans or broccoli (meatloaf is from stockpile, veggies are leftovers from Monday)
Wednesday- Turkey Chicken tacos (Ground chicken bought this week, taco kit from stockpile)
Thursday- Pasta and meatballs, garlic bread, salad (Salad bought this week, pasta, meatballs, and garlic bread from stockpile)
Friday- Breakfast: pancakes and scrambled eggs (eggs bought this week, pancakes from stockpile)


I use the term "stockpile" very loosely because I feel like that throws me into the category of the extreme couponers that have rooms and rooms full of stuff.  All of our food is in our pantry, our frig/freeze, and our chest freezer in the garage.  We buy groceries when they are on sale (with our coupons) and that helps us plan our menus further out.

Dinner tonight: Ranch pork chop, mash potatoes, and green beans

 And...

I was getting dressed for my doctor's appointment today, when I looked over to see this:

Happy Monday!

Weekend Review

We have had a nice weekend around here.  

We stayed home all weekend and enjoyed being snowed in.

I got up with the girls on Saturday morning and let Ben sleep in.  We enjoyed playing in the living room before Dad got up to join us. 

 Me and my smiley baby

 Elizabeth was pretending to do something with my nails.

I have no idea what she was doing...

 Ben put together Elizabeth's pop up castle

 I want everyone who bought us the castle and tunnel to remember...

 what comes around, goes around :)

 Our view around 3pm on Saturday

 

 Caroline playing with her favorite toy before bed time

 Once the girls were in bed, Ben and I played Hand and Foot.

The game is not over, but I am winning.  :)

 Sunday, I slept in while Ben got up with the girls.

When I get up, I try to always make the bed.

I just love having the bed made up.  

It helps me feel like I've already accomplished something for the day.

 Once I came downstairs, Ben went outside to shovel.

Before Caroline's afternoon nap, the girls played together on a blanket.

 This 6-9 month outfit is about done.

(She will be 5 months old in 4 days!)

I loved this!

Elizabeth resting her hand on Caroline's back and talking to her.

This afternoon Ben went to the grocery store because it was too icy for me.

(All the ice has now melted)

Ben saved 45% today!

He spent $48.49 and saved $39.65 with coupons.

I will be blogging tomorrow about his shopping trip and our weekly dinner menu.

Tonight I went out to dinner and a movie with some girlfriends.  

Hope you had a great weekend.

Happy Sunday!