The Backwater Way

OK, so after a LONG wait, I’m finally getting around to getting these shot up!  We really did have a great time in Charleston – however, going on vacation with two kids under the age of 3 wasn’t much of a ‘vacation’ – by the popular sense of the word.  We like to say, rather, that it was quality family time.

It's amazing how much you have to pack to take two little ones with you on vacation - next time, we'll leave the girls at home to make more room for their stuff!

Chloe was determined that she was a pirate and that there was a treasure somewhere in that hole!

We spent our first dinner (and our second, now that I think about it!) eating in the hallway of our hotel while the girls were sleeping in the room we paid all that money for!!

Chloe loved looking out the rooftop terrace of our hotel at the nearby river. I actually spent an afternoon scrapbooking up here - that, my lady friends, is ultimate relaxation.

We spent quite a bit of time at the Children's Museum with Chloe - here she was catching fish!

This was in the 'water room' - there were so many cool water things to do in this room, and they provided these cool little aprons to wear so the kids wouldn't get their clothes wet. A mother's dream . . . aaaaaaaahhhhhh.

Here’s a great idea for getting cheap professional prints from Picture People at the mall. Several of you have signed up for their special offers which include usually a free 8×10 or 10×13 free portrait, especially around holidays. If you haven’t done that yet, you can sign up to get those coupons here.  They also will frequently have the current special on their homepage for you to print if you’d rather check that then get another email of coupons!  

I’ve always had really nice sales people who were fine with my just getting the free print, but we all know that it is SO HARD to turn down those beautiful prints of your adorable kiddos!  I struggled with this when I went in a few weeks ago to get the first pictures of my two girls together.

Me and my girls!

I went in intending to get only the free picture, but, alas, they were all so cute, I ended up buying a few more than I had originally intended.  However, my mom just informed me of this great deal!  (Actually, I think my friend Kristen also alluded to it as well!)  Once you get your pictures taken (whether or not you are a portrait club member), give them your email address – because 24 hours after your portrait session you will get an email showing you all your pictures online.  From this link you can order reprints or other gifts.  One of the gifts is a 4×6 postcard!  All it is is a 4×6 print on a heavier piece of paper!  The neat thing is that it is only $0.95!!  And you can order any quantity . . . of any pose! 

So, think with me here (can you tell I really want more of my pictures  printed!) . . . you can order a sheet of 4×6 prints in the store – it comes with 5 of one pose and it will cost you $16+tax (unless you have a coupon for a certain % off).  OR, you could come home and order 1 of your 5 favorite prints, and have all five different pictures for just $4.75+shipping.  Now, shipping is $1.99, but there isn’t any tax.

So, I ordered 5 4×6 prints, and my total came to $6.74 – for 5 pictures, one in each pose and they would be shipped to my house.  If I ordered one sheet of each pose, I would have paid $84.80 to get a printed sheet of each of those poses (with a lot more pictures than I needed or wanted). 

There is hope for all of us hopeless mothers who can’t turn down those portraits and the cute poses. . .now, we can’t all go in and tell the salespeople that we’re planning to order cheap postcards at home – they might get rid of this awesome deal, BUT, that’s what I’m doing from now on!

PS - Did I mention that size is perfect for scrapbooking, too?

Sunday was our first day together at church, and I just had to dress the girls up to match . . . or at least coordinate!  It’s not too hard – especially if they wear pink – that color makes up 85 % of both of their wardrobes! 

We ended up having all boys in our class Sunday, so they played some fun games together, and ate ALL the food without any problems. . . and they weren’t bad singers either!  There’s a few pictures of them in here too.

As in the second time we tried video taping it.   She’s getting a lot better at pronouncing her words, but just in case you need a little deciphering. . . here they are. . . .

Have you seen a wiggle worm?

Smaller than a tiny germ!

He has got a great big appetite!

Though he isn’t very big,

He eats more than any pig!

Always looking for someone to bite.

Never wiggle, wiggle, wiggle,

Never giggle, giggle, giggle.

Better squash the wiggle worm, when you feel the urge to squirm.

In your church on Sunday,

In your school on Monday,

Fight off the wiggle worm!

I was in my Sunday seat, Sittin’ still and bein’ sweet.

When I saw him crawlin’ on my shoe!  I said, “Wiggle worm! Don’t bother me!  We’ll have a catastrophe!

Then I kicked him out of Sunday School!

Enjoy this little video clip of Chloe singing her favorite Patch the Pirate Song.

Here’s the words in case you can’t decipher Chloe’s first language – ‘english-ish’.

I’m special to Jesus,
There’s noone else like me.
I wouldn’t trade places with anyone else,
I’m special, you see.
God has prepared a task
He wants me to do.
I’m special. I’m special to my Lord.
I’m special. I’m special to my Lord.

And despite all the middle of the night feedings, I feel SO much better than I have while I was pregnant!  It’s so much fun to sleep on my tummy, and let Chloe jump all over me again, and to sit on the floor – and be able to get up by myself.   So, enough about me – here’s some pictures of the baby – and the labor story is to come!

Kamryn “Kami” Alexis Rackley

Born 3/26/2009 at 7:05 AM

10 pounds, 4 ounces, 21.1 inches long!

Click here to get a free coupon booklet mailed to you from Pillsbury - it includes $10 in coupons!

I love it when the weather begins to get cooler – and for all of you people here in Greenville who think today was hot, if we ignore the amazingly cool weather we had last week, it can feel a little cooler than 3 weeks ago! It makes me think of fall colors (the colors I painted my house!), baking (there’s chocolate chip cookies waiting for my husband tonight when he gets home from taking his first test this semester), and buying Christmas gifts. However, this year, I’ve decided to try to MAKE a lot of Christmas gifts in an attempt to keep up with our goal of paying of all our debts by 01/01/2009 and just to give my family something with a lot more thought into it than a gift I found on sale somewhere that I hope they like!

Thus, the one of the reasons I started my blog in the first place! I couldn’t wait for this time of the year to post Christmas ideas, scrapbooking ideas, and card-making ideas. I hope you can all benefit a little from it all!

First off, here’s a few freebies I found:

• Christmas Countdown Calendar!

It begins the last week of October and is set to get you completely ready for Christmas (including some baking and all your decorating!) by the first week of December – and you’ll not have to stress about it! Go here to get your free printable calendar – and happy planning for Christmas!

• Free (and super easy!) Homemade Christmas Card Ideas!
  

Yes, if you start now, it won’t be all that overwhelming – and besides, once you make one, you can whip up a ton of ‘em super easily! Here’s some great ideas along with some printable ones as well!

• Easy with kids Homemade Christmas Gifts!

There’s even a few teacher gift ideas. Have fun browsing!