Random post: crazy coupon-ing

I know I said I'd have part 2 of our recent week's activities up soon but I have to have to share this. (Plus the pictures for last week activities are on the camera and this is uploaded straight from my phone)

Any who....
Kroger had a sale. 56 count Huggies wipes were regular $2.19. With your Kroger card they were $1.99.
BUT when you buy 4 packs the price for each was only $0.99.
THEN I got a manufacturers coupon for $1.00 off. So yes.. I got them for free but technically I still paid tax. But since they owed me 4¢ because of my coupon I only paid $0.24 for 4 packs!!!
Holy Awesome deal
It was some work though because Kroger only accepts so many coupons at a time. So different days and a few different Krogers later... voila!! FORTY.. yes 4-0 packs.See below. I'm stocked for some time.

Last week Part 1

Tim's employer, Therma-tru, held its family picnic this year at the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo. So we got free tickets, along with free tokens, along with a free lunch! It was pretty awesome.

It's not a huge Zoo, but that makes it nice for the kids and easier to do in one day. They don't have bears, wolves, rhinos, elephants like a larger zoo would but they had enough to still be a lot of fun. Zebras, wildebeast, leopard, tigers, lions, alligators, peacocks, birds, monkeys, orangatans, tigers, giraffes, etc. 

Here are a few pictures and videos from our trip.

LEOPARD pacing back and forth. He looked SO fuzzy!

Levi and I (and part of Lila's foot) with the zebras and wildebeast

There were peacocks EVERYWHERE and the zoo just lets them roam the park. There was an all white one too but I missed getting its picture.

Levi and I used our free tokens to take the train ride!

THE GIRAFFES! They were so neat

We also spent $1 to get lettuce to feed the giraffes. Tim was able to get a resting giraffe (pic on left) up and over to us. It was nice because there were many people there and we were the only ones with lettuce at the time. You'll see how close they get in the videos.

We loved it so much, we went back later to feed the giraffes again and Tim wanted me to do it this time. This time was a lot harder because there were SO many people and kids screaming. Tim had to take the video from far away. You'll see (as I walk back to Tim) that I was slightly irritated with how rude some people were being.

It was a lot of fun and were done by 1:30. The only downside? Levi lost his shoe and didn't tell us until a lot later. I walked back pretty far along the trail but didn't find it. I was pretty sore about it because I had just bought them and they were really nice thong-style sandals. (Thinks men's thong-style, the straps were a soft material and the sole was like microfiber) Granted I bought them from a garage sale but still it was also his first time wearing them.
We brought the kids home and we all napped for like 3 hours.

Stay turned for our other (part 2) 'last weeks activities' post

Wine!

This is my first ever alcoholic purchase. I was carded and everything! It was a new experience much like everyone else who turns 21 and can legally buy and drink alcohol.
Anyway, one of my favorite restaurants here in Fort Wayne is Granite City. Super yummy food and only a tad bit pricier than say... Applebee's. Kids meals are totally worth it too because there is plenty of food, something we've always struggled with... getting enough food to feed Levi. My favorite meal there is chicken Marsala. Its a $16 plate but oh my it is soooo yummy. So I decided to make it myself.. for much cheaper. As you can see my purchase of a $7 wine was the most I spent.
It was so easy!! And Tim said mine was better than the restaurants which made me feel even better.

Father's Day Weekend (LONG)

We had so much fun this last weekend celebrating Father's Day.
Tim called off Friday morning so we started our celebrations early. This was actually the best idea ever because we avoided  the weekend/fathers day crowds.
We got the kids in the car and took them bowling!
This was Levi's first time ever. I apologize for the quality of the pictures, they were taken with my phone.

 Levi and Daddy! Can you believe they had shoes in his size?

Levi and Daddy again. They also had lightweight balls and a ramp to help little ones bowl. 

Lila just playing with toys and enjoying the fun lights. 

 Sarah (the reason you never see pictures of me is because Tim would have to take them, and unless I tell him to take them, he doesn't)

Check out our scores!! Levi did pretty good for his first time! 

We went out to eat for lunch, came home and put the kids down for nap, I did homework and Tim worked in the  backyard.

We also did gifts. Tim got some from me while the kids napped.
Last year for Father's Day I bought him a nice knife. He lost it a few months ago, so here's his new one.
Smith and Wesson's Military and Police Six. He loves it!

I also did the kids' pictures for Tim. We needed some updated ones anyway since Lila is growing. And Tim needed some cute ones for his desk.
I had seen a cute picture Idea on Pinterest where you put your little girl in your wedding dress that's obviously way too big for her. I did the same concept only instead of the wedding dress, Tim and I's hunting apparel. Tim dreams of the kids going hunting with him when they're older so I thought it was fitting.

(And yes, that's my 2 year old holding a .20 g shotgun)

OUR FAVORITE PICTURE OF LEVI

DUCK CALL!

 I have such beautiful children and I'm so grateful for them and the man that is their father. I love them so much.
Tim loved the pictures, the knife, and the time spent with the kids. The kids gift is usually the same until they're old enough to make him things.He got a new tie for church. It was pink and purple striped. Only fitting that he have a pink tie now that he has a little girl!

We also had cupcakes Saturday night, of which I'm pretty sure I ate 6 or 7.


In other news, we've started redoing our backyard. We're putting up a shed with a dog kennel. Building (and maybe planting this year?) a garden, and taking down the fence. The year will be SO MUCH BIGGER. We're pretty excited. We're taking progress pictures, but we'll wait until we're done and put it all together for before and after effect.

Levi is doing great, knows numbers, letters, animals, foods, etc. He also colors really well, picks out different colors and colors a specific thing. Its obviously not within the lines, but it's a concentrated area. I'm surprised because I've never really colored too much with him since we've moved to Indiana.

I also have a new found love for garage sales. When I find something I really want and like, I get really excited. Just recently a friend of mine from church had her yard sale and I went. I told Tim I wouldn't be long, maybe a few things for Lila. (my friend has a daughter about 3 months ahead of Lila)

I spent $25 and came home with the following:

• A Thomas the Train Mountain set, an Island of Sodor Wash station, and it included 2 separate sets of tracks to go with them. 2 extra trains as well.
• I also picked up about 5 or 6 shirts for Levi, as well as 2 pairs of tennis shoes and a pair of sandals. Tennis shoes are K-swiss and a pair of navy blue Chuck Taylor All Stars (hightops) I was ecstatic to find those in his size. 
• As for Lila, I picked up 4 new dresses. A cute Calvin Klein satin brown dress with polka dots, a blue cotton sundress, a white play dress with multi-color polka dots, and a really cute white dress with hot pink and light pink butterflies. (Which happened to match the color's of Tim's new tie- needless to say she wore it to church on Sunday)
  I also picked up a cute white blanket with multi-colored polka dots on it. 
• A great find that I made was a MOBY WRAP. I have a SlingPea and a Baby Bjorn carrier already, but I couldn't pass up a MOBY WRAP. And it was a chocolate brown, so gender neutral! Might I add.... those things sell for anywhere between $45 and $60
• Last but not least, I bought myself some super cute clothes. Probably 12 shirts, 2 skirts, a dress, a sweater, and a belt. And I'd comfortably say it was well worth it because they were American Eagle, Abercrombie and Fitch, Hollister, etc.
  
  I'm pretty sure the only sour thing that happened this weekend (besides the fit Levi threw when we left the bowling alley) was when I went to feed the dogs Sunday morning and they shook muddy water all over me. So I ended up going to Church with a brown polka dot look on my maxi skirt that day. No biggie.
  
  Happy Father's Day to all the dads I know! Hope your weekend was as grand as ours!

BUSY, BED, and BUFFALO

BUSY

I've been super busy lately. My days run together and are so jam-packed.
I usually wake up with the kids by 8 o'clock. (Yes, they love me so much that they sleep in that late) and we eat breakfast. We usually play or do whatever in the morning. Lila takes a morning nap and that when I work on letters, numbers, shapes, colors, animals, and other things with Levi. We have lunch around 12:30 or 1 and then both kids go down for a nap, usually from 2-3 hours long. That's when I get homework done, clean the house, and prepare supper (what  I can).  After nap, sometimes I let Levi watch a movie or PBS show, it helps me get supper completed without him between my legs, in front of the stove, or wanting to "help".  Tim is home usually around 5, sometimes earlier. We eat, relax, Tim plays with the kids. Baths and bedtimes are around 7:30-8:00. I head to the gym for a workout at 9 pm til usually 10:00 or 10:30. Home and to bed to start over again.
In between my "normal" schedule, I'm taking pictures for friends, trying to eat and manage our meals better,  manage the bills and finances, finish painting the house, work on the garden, shop for a car, and don't forget about my little Lila who needs attention too!
Lately, the kids nap time has also been MY nap time.

BED
We finally took Levi out of the crib because Lila was outgrowing her pack 'n play. I found a twin bed frame (which also extends to a full)  headboard  and box spring at a garage sale and bought a new mattress.
Levi has been in his BIG BOY bed for just over a week now. He's doing great. We can't lock him in his room and he knows how to open doors. We put a baby gate on the outside of the doorway so if he opens his door he can't get out. When he opens his door, we just go tell him that's not OK and put him back into bed. It doesn't help that bedtime is when it's still light outside. He usually doesn't throw a fit. In fact, I checked on him and he had all of his books in bed with him once. LOVE that he LOVES books. 

BUFFALO

Tim's boss at work, Jay, only lives 10 or so minutes from us and he lives out in the country with lots of land. They were the people that actually housed our dogs while we looked for a place to live but were still in an apartment.  Jay got buffalo about a week before I had Lila, we were actually planning to go see these baby buffalo for my birthday, Oct 20, but Lila decided she wanted to come into the world the night before. They aren't so baby anymore, but they're not huge yet either. Tim and I sliced some apples and took Levi to go see and feed the buffalo. It was pretty neat.