1st Ever Childless Weekend

For the 1st time since Noah was born, almost 4 years ago, Jared and I went away for the weekend. We had a great time. My parents and grandmother came down to watch the kids for us while we enjoyed a weekend in Chattanooga, TN. While I did miss them very much, it was great to get away for a couple of days. We woke up when we wanted to, did what we wanted to, ate what we wanted to, it was fantastic. We hit the hot spots, such as Rock City, Ruby Falls, the Incline Railway, and Lookout Mountain, and then spent the rest of the time downtown. We walked for miles and did not have to push a stroller or carry anyone for 2 entire days.

I'm happy to say that we are back now and I have more patience and energy now that I have had a couple of days off. I don't want to do that very often, but a couple of times a year will be a great way to recharge and appreciate my kids all the more. It is also a great time for Jared and myself to reconnect and to have conversations that are not all centered around the kids, it was great to spend some quality uninterrupted time with my best friend.


I'll post some pictures once Jared downloads them from his camera.

Harris Teeter

Last Thursday night after working at the Y, I ventured to my first Harris Teeter triple coupon event. It was fantastic. While some of the items were sold out already, I did get some great deals. When my shopping trip was done, I had managed to save a little bit more than I spent. All told I got $90 worth of groceries for $42.54, a pretty good savings if you ask me. This also helps in groceries for the weeks to come, since several of the items were stock-up items for later use.

I can't wait for the next triple coupon event. Hopefully, I will know at least a couple of weeks ahead and can plan to be there when it starts with even more coupons ready to go.

Mary,Mary...How does your garden grow?

We have planted the garden for this year, and assuming the rabbits don't eat the tomato plants before they bloom, we will be overflowing with some vegetables. Jared and his planting helpers got a bit enthusiastic about their tomatoes and planted 20 plants. I will be giving away tomatoes for anyone who is interested. Along with tomatoes we also have squash, zucchini, corn, peppers, and watermelon. The watermelon was especially for Noah, if you know his love of watermelon you will understand why.

Noah and Seth started out helping Jared, but soon abandoned the garden for more fun activities, such as "driving" the lawnmower. As you can see, Riley stuck with him to the end and enjoyed helping Daddy dig.

Mother's Day

I had a great Mother's Day this year. We went to Ft. Thomas to spend some time with my mother and grandmother, since they have been gone for a month. While it did take us longer than usual to get there on Friday afternoon due to several wrecks and delayed traffic, the rest of the weekend was fun.

On Saturday, we ventured over to Eden Park in Cincinnati to spend some time at the Conservatory. The kids loved the waterfall and the goldfish in the ponds. After lunch the rest of the day was spent taking a nap and riding "bicycles" in the driveway.

Sunday dawned cold and rainy and two kids with a fever. Riley slept until 10am and had to be woken up to make it to church on time, she then proceeded to sleep through church. Seth also acted like he did not feel good and he also slept through church. All in all, the weekend was fun and we enjoyed spending time with everyone and we can't wait to see them again very soon.

Mother's Day is a special day, at least to us mothers. I look forward to the day when I get all of those "unusual" kid gifts, because at least they will have picked them out themselves. I love being a mother, and while it is without a doubt the hardest most mentally and physically draining job I have ever had, I would not change it for the world. After marrying Jared, having our 3 kids was the best decisions I ever made and life would not be as bright,or loud, without those 3 angels.