Some Birthday Pictures

Here are a few pictures from Barbie's birthday. Here are our beautiful children posing for pic in front of the dozen lavender roses that were delivered to the academy on Barbie's birthday. There is also a very pretty pink rose that AJ got for Barbie. I love how Jarod and Dianna are holding hands in this picture. So cute!!!! Here Jarod is scoping out Mom's other roses. These roses were delivered to the restaurant that Barbie and I went to the day after for her birthday and Valentine's Day. These four roses were from the children for their Mom - two orange roses from Jarod and two green roses from Dianna. The green roses were so neat; I was not aware that there was such a rose.

Here is Barbie holding her roses that she received at The Melting Pot: A Fondue Restaurant. It was a complete surprise for her when we got to our table and found her roses waiting for her.

Here is a close-up of one of the lavender roses from the dozen in the vase. Pretty!!

Here is a closer look at the bouquet and single rose on the shelf in the entry way of the house.

I was so glad that I was able to surprise her with the roses. Going out to dinner was a little surprise as well. I was able to secure a babysitter for the date night without her knowing. And was able to get both sets of roses delivered without her knowledge. I am so lucky to have her as my wife. The LORD has a truly blessed me with the best help meet possible. I love her so much and cannot imagine my life without her, and I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with her.

A Short Story, Same Story, Different Blog

This was on my parent's blog and my sister Lika suggested that I copy it to my blog for others to read. I hope you all enjoy it.
It was a long journey for the winding column of soldiers and retainers that were attached to Barbie-sama's entourage. The column stretched for at least two miles. Returning home from a diplomatic mission to the neighboring kingdom of Arkanssippi. The mission was a success-effectively establishing an amiable trade agreement. As the day wore on, it became evident to General Talani that the column would have to stop and rest for the night, but where? The general sent out his best Anbu squad led by Kuresa-sensei to scout the nearby countryside for a place to set up camp. After a time, Kuresa-sensei and his wards (Dianna-chan and Jarod-kun) return with a report. The Anbu leader reported that they had found the ruins of a small settlement just to the north of the road. The general, after being reassured that it was a defensible position, gave the order to head north from the road toward the settlement.
Upon arrival at the ruins of the settlement, the column was greeted by the sight of a large mill or barn on the bank of a small lake. Dianna-chan was surveying the landscape as the column arrived. The settlement was surrounded by the remains of a seven foot high rock wall on three sides. If the settlement were to be attacked, the attack could only come from the water, and that, not very likely.
As the head of the military contingent attached to the entourage, the general felt it his duty to personally see to the security of the building that would serve as Barbie-sama's sleeping quarters for the night. The general took Dianna-chan along with his personal security team on the sweep of the large building. The first floor yielded no surprises; as the security team moved to the second floor everything seemed clear. Dianna-chan thought she saw something moving on the hill beside the house......
.....but when she looked back, there was no one there. The general dispatched some men to search the surrounding area, but found no one, or any trace of anyone.
The rest of the night passed without incident. In the morning the army broke camp and made its was back to the road. As the column moved its was down the road, one the scouts reported finding a piece of signage that may have the name of the now defunct settlement.

Just a Day in the Life

Here is Dianna with her necklace and shirt that came in Jarod's package. So cute. She takes such goofy pictures sometimes. I know that when she is older she is going to ask me why we took such silly pictures of her and I will say, "You were the one who was making the face in the picture, not me."
Here is Jarod hidng behind his birthday from Grandma Ella and Grandpa David. He was very excited about getting a package for his birthday. Thank you so much, Mom and Dad.

Getting ready to go out and play in the winter cold. "I'm gonna get you!"

Look at me. I can reach the ceiling...with a foam noodle.

Here are my cutie children. Mom, do you remember the dress Dianna is wearing? You sent it to her when she turned two. She is finally tall enough to wear it. She is so cute. Here we are off to church this morning. The shirt is one that Mom Bailey made for Jarod with material from Mom.

Sorry about the lack of postings. We are all well and are eagerly awaiting the time of vacation to spend time with Mom and Dad. We will talk at you all later. Love you all.

Barbie's Blog

I started a new blog just about my couponing and smart shopping attempts. You can find it here.

The picture has nothing to do with the new blog, I know, but it's a happy reminder of Disney and our coming vacation. :)

"Helen Kellers Ours!!"

This post is dedicated to Resa for being such a fabulous host to us whilst we visited the Jacksonville, Arkansas area. The first night we were there he helped us settle in and then had frozen pizza for us. The next day, we were treated to a wondrous feast of specially prepared Boston Butt. He deboned the meat and then cubed it and then, I don't know if he waved a magic wand over it, but when it was all done in the roaster - It Was Fantastic!!! Before it was ready to be served he topped the meat with Soy Vay for added flavor and it was good. So good in fact that this Sunday we are deviating from our traditional roast in the crock pot for Kuresa's recipe. He was gracious enough to also take us around to let us see some of the sights. He really made the children's day when he took us to the Sherwood Festival of Lights to see the beautiful Christmas lights. (Incidentally, Sherwood is pronounced "Sharewood" by the locals). He also directed us to a delightful little doughnut bakery called Daylight Donuts. Awesome baked goods. He drove us up to this area nicknamed "The Heights", nice houses and a wonderful drive up the mountain. On the drive up you could almost imagine Frodo and his band of travellers winding their way to find Elrond in the Elven city. All the while singing the song "Bilbo Baggins", as performed by the great folk singer Leonard Nimoy (oh yes, I said Captain Spock, thanks, Res). Hey, Res, I don't care what you think. We had such a good time, so much so that the children refer to our trip to AR as "going to Uncle Resa's house." Boy will they be confused when we come back and Lika and Jason are there. We just wanted to say thanks for everything. Here are some pictures of Res with the kids. Love you all.

Just Randomness...This IS the Post You are Looking For.

Here are just some more pictures of our time here in Jacksonville. We see Jarod and his new toy from Mom and Dad. He simply adores his new friend - he has named him, Tiger the Lion. Thank you Mom and Dad.
Here is just a good picture of Dianna and Res. This was taken Christmas morning. Cute!
Here is Jarod and Res spelling Jarod's name in silly deep voices. Adorable!
This is us exploring the nearby Civil War battle site. This is where the Battle of Reed's Bridge was fought (the south defeated the north at this battle, preventing the north from entering Jacksonville....until a few days later when the Union went around and came at them from the other side).
Resa took us to this awesome Chinese restaurant. This is when we couldn't get out of Jacksonville because of the flooding.
Meet our newest ninja recruits, taking a break from training to take a picture with ninja master Kuresa.
Here are Dianna and Res at the New China restaurant. Good, good food! Did I mention it was a buffet?
More ninja training at the local park...I mean secret training facility.
Dianna found a little frog to ride while at the park/training facility.
We love you all so much and cannot wait to see entries on your blogs about your time in American Samoa. We have had a blast here all week with Res; he has taken such good care of us. The children will miss their Uncle; Jarod has already asked if he can come with us. We head out tomorrow no later than 5:30am. Please pray for us as drive. We will post once we get home. We love you all so so much. I leave you with this last picture of me and my Snuggie...I mean Jedi robe.

Saturday Savings 12/26

Got a few bargains today - mostly related to after-Christmas sales at Wal-Mart.

Following is a summary:

2 packs of Disney-themed mini-notebooks, 4 or 6 in a pack. Were $2.00 each, marked down to $1.00 each.

3 packs of Disney-themed pencils, 12 in a pack. Some Mickey and Friends and some Princess. $1.00 each.

32 cups for making Christmas gifts for my students next year. $3.00 total.

Set of 12 (I think) gift bags. $2.50

A gift for Dianna to use in the PCA Christmas gift exchange next year. $2.50 (Couldn't find one for Jarod's exchange gift, since all the boy gifts were G.I. Joe or Transformers. Just not suitable for a 3 year old at PCC/PCA. ;) )

3 boxes of candy canes $1.32

A few other items, including pain reliever for Dianna (her left ear has been hurting) and Pepto for Jarod (he seemed to have an upset tummy today). Triaminic cold and cough strips were on roll-back for $4.50, and I used a $3.00 coupon to get them for $1.50.

Over all, I spent $27 at Wal-Mart for at least $40 of product. I love after-Christmas sales!

Looking forward to payday this coming week and the chance to bargain shop some more. I'd love to know what you all do to cut costs and to be a smart shopper.

PS - Did you know that Publix and Winn-Dixie both double the value of manufacturer's coupons? EXCEPT in the state of Florida. grr.