Our big trip this week!!

So, it is FINALLY here!! My baby brother is graduating from college!! Not just any college, the United States Military Academy at West Point!! His degree is Strategic Planning with a minor in engineering. Basically, he will be the one planning and laying out the best strategy's on how to carry out attacks on our enemies!! He graduates as a Second Lieutenant in the Unites States Army. He has been stationed in Fort Hood, Texas but will train at Fort Benning, Georgia for the first year and then move to Texas.
Here is the graduate in his Senior portrait (sorry for the quality, I had to scan it from my wallet)

Isn't he handsome!!
I can not tell you how proud I am of him and what he has been through on his journey. Words can not express how grateful and proud I am of him to have decided to become one of our nation's ELITE groups of servicemen and women. I am sure you all know what a huge honor it is for anyone to be accepted to West Point and to graduate!!

Just to let you know, in case you don't (and so I can brag a little bit more :) West Point doesn't just accept anyone. Some of the great notables who have graduated before Michael include President Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, President Ulysses S. Grant, Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, George Pickett, George Custer, George S. Patton, President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, just to name a few. You have to meet many, many strict requirements to get in. Michael had to have a certain GPA, meet certain test scores, do many physical tests as well as have numerous Letters of Recommendation, including from the Alabama Congressman and one from an Alabama House of Representative Members. He accomplished a great deal just getting in to the Academy. Going through this journey, he has come so far and done so many great feats I could never have imagined! Some of the training he has accomplished include parachuting out of a Black Hawk, leading a platoon of tankers (I don't know all the technical terms), meeting President (at the time) George W. Bush, being chosen as one of 8 cadets out of his class to be selected to visit the Pentagon and meet with General Petrious and the list goes on and on! He has not only went through and made good grades, he has been selected (by his commanding officers) for so many other leadership opportunities throughout his studies. He has just EXCELLED at West Point and his journey there has been AMAZING to say the least!

I could go on and on about how proud I am of his accomplishments, but I am a little teary eyed already thinking about it! It is just hard to imagine what a great, GREAT man my little brother has become and I love him so much and wish him all the best in his forthcoming career in the United States Army!

With that said, Emmie and I wil be flying to New York Wednesday morning and returning Monday to participate in all the activities!! Paul has to work, so isn't able to go, but ALL my other family will be there. My mom and grandmother are flying in, my Uncle from Las Vegas, my cousins from Ft. Walton, my dad and stepmom, and my sister, brother-in-law and Ellie, Abram and Eli!! It is going to be sooooo fun and I am so excited to see everybody!! We have many, many activities and events to go to at West Point, including the General's Dinner which I get to go to and am super excited about because I get to wear a formal and get all dressed up!! And as all you girls know, after highschool, you get limited opportunities to do!! LOL But, we also have a couple of nights we are going to go into the city (New York City is only about 45 minutes from West Point, guess where Michael has spent many, many weekends... LOL :) We have FRONT row tickets to go see the Broadway musical Phantom of the Opera!! Michael has also decided he wants to take Nikki and I "out on the town" in NYC one night just as his last "HOO-RAH" with his sisters before becoming a "real" adult!! LOL THAT will be interesting, probably more so to see if Nikki and I can still stay up past 10 o'clock!! LOL

So, we have so many exciting things to do and I am just super, super excited to go. With all that being said, please say prayers for all my family and Emmie and I for safe travels there and back and a safe trip while we are there. I will post TONS of pictures as soon as we get back next week!!

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!!

Oh and I haven't posted any recent pictures of my beautiful neice, Ellie and my handsome nephews, Abram and Eli. Here is their latest portrait Nikki had done (again, sorry for the scanned quality :)

Aren't they just precious!!

8 Months Old!!

Emmie turned 8 Month's old on Saturday and is growing so fast and is right on schedule with all her developments. The doctor has continually told us not to forget her "adjusted" age is 2 months behind her "birthday" age and to give her up to a year old to "catch up" to other babies her age. But, the last time we went to the doctor, he said she seemed to be right at her birthday age and was doing way better than he expected. Developmentally, she is actually right on track and is just like any other full-term 8 month old baby (only a little bit smaller :)
So I thought I would share some of her accomplishments thus far...

She is sitting up very well by herself.
She is babbling ALL the time now.
She is holding her own bottle.
She is drinking out of a sippy cup.
She is on the VERGE of crawling (literally at any moment!)
She is learning to play with all her toys, and LOVES books!
She turns the pages of the books when we read.
She weighs just at 15 pounds (I haven't measured her yet, so not sure about that)
And, last but most exciting, she started pulling up and standing all by herself!!

She actually did this for the FIRST time this morning! She was in her crib while I was getting ready for work and all of a sudden Madison said "LOOK!" and sure enough, there she was, grinning and smiling like she had conquered the world! So, it is all hands on deck to get the house baby-proofed before any damage is done!! LOL

This weekend I took some pictures of Emmie and Madison. Emmie just LOVES when her big sister is home and gets so spoiled by Madison. Every Monday when Emmie goes to daycare, after Madison has been home, Emmie's babysitter tells me how she was "rotten" that day because all she wanted to do was be held! And this is because that's all Madison does while she is home. She plays with Emmie and/or holds her literally 24/7. And, of course, Emmie LOVES every single minute of it!! Here are the two sisters...






And then Sylvi and Valley (our 2 dogs) had to get in on the fun of playing with Emmie, too! I have done my best so far to keep them "at bay" with Emmie and haven't let her really touch or play with them to much. The reason is because Sylvi, my Jack Russell, has some sort of OCD with HAVING to lick everything she can! It seriously is an OCD problem! Anyway, I haven't cared too much to have her licking all over Emmie. But, I think that is about to be over. Emmie has decided they are her best friends and she Loves, Loves, Loves for them to come "see" her and play. When she sees them, she just cracks up giggling and laughing and is starting to try and follow them around! I am constantly following her with a wipe and Germ X after she plays with them!! LOL
Anyway, here they are...

Here's my Publix trip from last night

And here's the break down of what all I got:

2-Digiorno Pizzas = $2.75 Each
6-Eggo Bake Shoppe muffin tops, pastries and waffles = $0.24 Each
2-Danimals Smoothie Drinks = $0.24 Each
2-Daisy Sour Cream = FREE
4-Puperoni Dog Treats = MADE $1.30 off these
5-Chinet Lunch Plates = FREE ($2-$2Q)
2-Tostitos Chips = $2.50 Each
1-Keebler Pecan Sandies = $0.99
6-T. Marzetti's Salad Dreesings = $0.79 Each
4-Pace Chunky Salsa = $0.33 Each
4-Nabisco 100 Calorie Snack Paks = $0.49 Each
4-Bags Mahatma Rice = $0.19
4-Johnson & Johnson Bandages = MADE $0.50 EACH one
21-Jars Gerber Baby Food = $0.16 EACH
1-J&J Bedtime Wash = $0.20
4-Ears Yellow Corn = $0.75
1-Pound Vine-Ripened Tomatoes = $0.69
1-Tub of Fresh Strawberries = $1.90
1-Pound Deli Turkey Meat = $2.49
1-Bag Fuji Apples = $1.25
1-Dozen Red Roses = $4.99 (My treat :)

Total Before Coupons = $173.95
Total After Coupons = $29.01 (Not including tax)
Savings = $144.94
That's over 83% Savings!!

I am LOVING all my savings, I have seriously racked up some cash from all my coupon shopping and now have more savings for other things coming up very soon (You will see it in the next few weeks and I am SOOOO excited) YAY!

And as I was taking all my pictures, I HAD to show you what Miss Emmie was doing. As she watched Mommy proudly display her "goodys", she sat quietly off to the side in her highchair and ate...her cheese curls, which she now absolutely LOVES! She will eat what is sticking out of her hand of the cheese curl and is still working on figuring out just how in the world to get the rest of it out of her closed hand!! LOL And she makes a HUGE mess, all in her hair, all over her face, arms, highchair (even the back of it!), but I love watching her and she just has so much fun! She is getting so fun now and I ADORE watching her grow and learn every SINGLE day!

My Publix Trip This Week

Okay, so I haven't been updating as often as normal, but I have been very busy at work and with Emmie and at the house. Spring cleaning has gotten to me and I am trying my best to get my house organized!! YIKES! I didn't realize how much stuff we have accumulated over the years. I am thinking it is yard sale time soon :)

Anyway, I went to my (now) new favorite grocery store, Publix, Monday to get my shopping done for the week. I actually did a lot of "stockpile" items this week with frozen meals (we use for "back-ups" if we just don't want to cook anything), snacks and things Emmie is starting to be able to "eat" like cheese curls and teddy grahams (if you call it eating...more like "gumming" LOL). She loves to eat the teddy grahams with her milk (formula)! And after assessing all the things, I have come to realize I can never go back, to being a "non-coupon" shopper, that is!! It astounds me what people pay for groceries now and how much I DON'T pay! Coupons are out there for a reason...USE THEM!!



Here's what all I got:
5-boxes Teddy Grahams = $0.07 each
2-Boxes Ritz Bits - $0.07 Each
2- Stouffers Family Meals = $1.99 Each
3-Rice A Roni Pasta sides = $0.23 Each
1-2 Liter Coke = $0.50
2-Family Size Bags Cheese Doodles = $0.99 Each
15-Gerber Baby Foods = $0.16 Each
1-Smucker's UnCrustables = $1.45
1-Fresh Express Salad = $0.99
1 pound Deli Turkey Meat = $2.50
1- Sargento Sliced cheese = $1.25
2 cans Blue Diamond Natural Almonds = $0.50 Each
6-Skippy Peanut Butter = $0.42 Each (favorite stockpile item of the week,GREAT price!!)
4-Family Size Easy Mac & Cheese = $1.49 Each
2-jars Natural Peaches = $0.99 Each
6-Vegetable Steamers = $0.49 Each
2-Pasta Al Dente Meals = $0.39 Each

Total Before Coupons = $147.78
Total After Coupons = $40.36
Savings = $107.42
Over 72% Savings!!

And I have done a TON of CVS and Walgreen's things this week that I have made money on, I will try to gather it all together this weekend and post next week on that!!
Hope you all have a great weekend and don't forget to get the Sunday paper!!