Waking up

One of the sweetest part's of the day for me is going to get Hannah after she wakes up. She's usually bright eyed and bushy haired. A lot of times she sleeps so hard that she'll be a little sweaty on one side and rosy cheeked. I just love it. Here is a little clip of her after a nap.

Hannah waking up... from Lindsay Bledsoe on Vimeo.

Pool time video

hannah in the rubbermaid pool from Lindsay Bledsoe on Vimeo.

Yesterday I pulled Hannah around in this rubbermaid tub, without water, while I was weeding outside. She was playing with her toys and then after watching me pull weeds for a minute, she reached her little hands over the tub and started to pull blades of grass and drop it on her little dress and then she looked up with a big smile like she was really helping me. :) It was such a precious moment. Unfortunately my hands were dirty and I didn't have the camera but I will always remember that. So cute!

Pool time

This week Matt has worked second shift and that has made the afternoons more of a challenge for me to keep Hannah entertained. So it hit the 80 degree mark today and I thought it would be fun to let Hannah put on her bathing suit and have some fun in the sun :) We haven't purchased a baby pool yet so this is what I came up with. It worked! She had fun for about 15 minutes and then the wind started to blow so she got a little chilly. This will be great during the HOT HOT days of summer we have. We're planning on buying the Butterfly Beach baby pool thanks to mimi and poppy :) but this works for now. I've been reading about PVC in certain plastic household products and baby toy products and how bad it is. If you interested you can go here to find out more.

Strawberries!

I was on my way to the grocery store today and the local strawberry farm was setting up their booth! Yay!! They have a farm 15 minutes down the road to pick your own. I can't wait to take Hannah next year to pick them. :) I bit into one and it was sooo delicious. On the menu: strawberry smoothies (for me and Hannah) and strawberry shortcakes (for Matt and I). I may do a small batch of strawberry preserves later on. Mom and I made some last year and they were amazing.

Hannah's new do'

We're experimenting with pig tails! In this picture they're a little crooked, she kind of looks like a baby peacock. I can't decide whether to keep the bangs short or let them grow out with the rest of her hair. Let me know what you think.



Despite not crawling yet she can get into about anything in a matter of seconds. You should see this girl roll! She wants to play with anythings except her toys! She starting to get the belly off the ground so we might have a crawler soon, but she might just skip it. We'll see what happens.

1 down 31 to go

We have a first tooth! It only took 9 1/2 months. We saw a little pimple type bump on her gums last Saturday and on Tuesday I saw a jagged little eggshell poking through the gums. She had minimal fussing during the daytime, but I'm pretty sure that is what's contributed to her waking up in the early morning hours again. So far I can only feel it with my finger, but she won't let us see it or touch it (it's HER special tooth). We have to make her sing so that we can see it, which is fun. :) I've caught her feeling it with her little fingers a few times. I think she's wondering why something sharp is stuck in her mouth.

This morning I gave her a spoon to play around with and just practice holding correctly. I put a tiny bit of her apples and oatmeal on it, and she mostly got it on her platter but she did make it to her mouth once successfully! I'm sure this will take A LOT of practice but it's fun to watch her learn new things. I'd rather keep things neat and clean, but I know I'm going to have to let that fly out the window as she grows up. As long as she keeps things organized, color coded, and in alphabetical order I'm fine. (i'm kidding....maybe) ;)

Funny Little Bunny

I bought these little ears at the grocery store yesterday for .85 cents. I was going to save them for next year but I couldn't resist. :) I was laughing when I put them on her and she thought it was funny too.

Couponing

I decided to do a post on couponing because I have a new coupon organizer that I'm excited about. I bought it on Etsy a few weeks ago and just started using it. I love it! If you've read the money saving blogs you know all the details of how to save money on your grocery bill using coupons. The main idea is to use coupons strategically by waiting to use them when items go on sale. If it's an awesome deal stock up (meaning get enough for your family to use until the next sale, not fill up rubbermaid bins in your basement like some women do, seriously it was on Oprah). It takes a month or so to get into this groove of getting the best deals and acquiring a good coupon stash. I learned this first from Megan's aunt who spent nearly nothing on her grocery trips and was amazed!!

So I started to REALLY coupon about a year ago as a hobby and challenge for myself and now that I'm at home it really helps us stretch the budget and use the grocery money in other areas. I was saving $40-$60 per trip. At the time I was buying more prepackaged things since I was working. Unfortunately that's where most of the couponing saves money. Now, that I make more things from scratch and have been buying more organic items I've been saving around $20-30 per trip which is still good.

I shop at Kroger and Publix where shopping is a pleasure :) They may be a little more expensive but they double coupons and they load my groceries and I don't leave with a headache like I do when I go to Walmart. I get most of our toiletry items on sale at the grocery store or get great deals at Walgreens, CVS, or Rite Aid. Last year I had an all time great trip to Walgreens. I bought 56.00 worth of items I didn't necessarily need but I got it all for FREE....I had to buy a tube of Burt's Bees lip gloss at the end just so they wouldn't owe me! That is rare but it's possible if everything goes your way.

So if you don't already coupon I hope this inspires you to check into it. Money saving mom blog is what I like to use and I started with a free trial on the GROCERY GAME just to get me started on how everything works. Oh yeah and they are some CRAZY ladies out there that clear the shelves. I've heard the go on Sunday morning before church!! But they always get to the good deals on the diapers before I do... one day I will beat them. May the force be with you!! ;)



My baseball card method- I got some crazy looks from people with this, but who cares I'm Saving Money!




My new organizer


My best trip ever! I paid .96 for almost $60 worth of stuff

Opera singing and Gettin' the mail

Singing for the fam

Hannah singing Opera from Lindsay Bledsoe on Vimeo.

She did this the night before at Chipotle and drew some attention. Maybe she'll have a beautiful voice one day!? :)

Gettin' the mail

Hannah and Uncle Stef Getting the Mail. from Lindsay Bledsoe on Vimeo.

Apparently the thump on the head from the mail box didn't phase her...she's one tough cookie!

Easter!

Our Easter this year was different than in the years past. It was really low key and relaxing. We went to a late service at church, took naps and a walk, and was able to reflect on the day. Normally we spend Easter at Mamaw's house and have a big meal with everyone and then travel home, so I missed seeing everyone and having that family time. But it was nice not to be traveling and this was actually the first holiday we've spent in SC on our own.

Mom, Dad, and Stefan came to visit us Thursday through Saturday and we had a lot of fun playing, eating, and enjoying the nice weather. I have some cute little videos to upload later, but here are some pictures for now.







I literally grabbed the camera before we ran out the door to church to take a few quick shots, so none of them turned our perfectly.








Hannah is doing much better with the eating and sleeping, by the way. So I think we're getting back on track. :) I'm watching little Ella, from next door, today and tomorrow so I have my hands full!! They are both asleep so I'm ready to relax for a bit.