GUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We packed our car and headed to Salem yesterday to meet up with my good friend Paula! She is on spring break from teaching and we have had meeting up over spring break planned for like 2 months!!! We had so much fun!! We played at Chucky Cheese and fed some ducks and geese(hence the GUCK in my title..peyton and logan LOVED it). Peyton ran around saying, "GUCK...GUCK." It was 70 degrees, Super Sunny, and just a perfect way to spend our day. We've had such a fun week, I feel like we've been on spring break too:)

Can we say BUSY little beauty!!!?!?!?!?!??!

"Busy" is an understament for my little princess. She goes 24/7 non-stop! I tried to capture a picture of her yesterday out in the beautiful sunshine and extremely green grass. I followed her around for like 15 minutes and these are the ones I captured! Completely capture how my little Peyton is! She just never stops:)

(she did stop to watch the boys for like 2 seconds)

Thank you for stepping into Peyton's world with me....few...doesn't it just tire you out trying to keep up with her?:)

Not your Typical Love Story

This is a picture of my Beautiful Jen yesterday on her wedding day. And the Hopeless Romantic that I am, I must share their story with u.

I remember the day I met Jen DeMoney. God had been tugging at my heart to work at Cheyenne Berean Church. I was 20 years old...a sophamore at Frontier School of the Bible. They were in need of Jr High youth workers and I needed the Christian Service Credits for my degree. I loved Cheyenne and a few of my friends attended the church. Jen was this adoreable blonde hair 12 year old girl. The first time I talked to her, she just had this light of beauty inside her soul. She was one of those kids that was way mature for her age and just a precious gem from the moment I had a chance to spend anytime with her. The same day, I met her amazing mother Lonna. Lonna was one of those women who doesn't hold anything back. From the beginning she wanted me to know her story...to know her mistakes...to know where she had come from and what she had come out of.

Lonna had 4 beautiful kids. Sarah was 14, Jen 12, Steve around 10, and Tori 8ish. Lonna had gotten pregnant in highschool, married the babies daddy and started LIFE young. Eventually they had 4 kids together. Lonna finds out one day that her husband has been a liar about EVERYTHING....from loving her beautiful family, to being faithful to her, wanting anything with the Lord, and so on. This just CRUSHED Lonna's world. As any of you can even imagine. Lonna was now...not even 30...a single mom with 4 kids. She had to get a full time job that would support them and allow them to pull through. Can I just stop the story and say, I have never met a woman as strong as Lonna. NEVER. God was amazing through those years and placed many Godly people in Lonna's life. But her life was always rough and her ex husband really became more and more of a loser and lazy jerk everyday and wasn't a part of the kids life at all. Not a dad at all to her beautiful kids.

I had the joy of living with them the summer I started dating Jason. Jen and I became so close, she felt more like my little sister then anything else. We laid out in the sun, jumped on the trampoline, went on missions trips together, and enjoyed Maranatha Bible Camp together. Then....God placed Jason in my life...I moved on from Cheyenne and really moved on with my life.

Jen continued to grow closer and closer to the Lord. I loved hearing from her and seeing what she was doing with her life. A few months after Jason and I got married...Jen's mom Lonna married a man that she had been friends with for a few years and a romance had blossomed. Lonna got pregnant very fast and had a sweet little boy named Jacob. Jacob is about 5 months older then my Logan. I got a myspace message about 3 years ago from my friend Clarissa. She asked me to call her as soon as possible and she left me her cell number. I did call right away....Clarissa let me know that Lonna's husband Jason had commited suiside that morning. My heart just SUNK to my stomach. Lonna then finds out that Jason had been leading this double life...was heaving into gambling, drugs, porn, etc. Just horrible things that Lonna had no idea of. His lying and dark secrets ended up killing him.

Can u even imagine living through any of those things? Jen through all of this grew closer and closer to the Lord and PRAISE God he placed an amazing youth pastor and youth pastor's wife in her life.

Now for my story on Aaron.

Aaron is the man my precious Jen married yesterday. I didn't know this story til Friday and I don't know all of the details but what I do know I will share.

Aaron is a 29 year old youth pastor in Thorton Colorado. about 1 1/2 hours from Cheyenne. He is a lover of Jesus Christ. He has tasted and seen God's Grace more then any of us can even imagine. A few years back, Aaron got married. He married a wonderful young woman named Tami. Tami was tragically killed in a car accident a year after they got married. Through this horrible time...Aaron continued serving the Lord....Loving the Lord and leaning upon him for his grace to get through this horrible time. Many times in the last few years, Aaron was confident that he was never going to marry again....he was going to stay single.....then he met my beautiful Jen.

Aaron and Jen met in a Lock In youth group get together. Jen was working with Cheyenne Berean's Youth Group and Aaron was the youth pastor at Harvest Bible Church. He met Jen, and his life changed forever. A few months later, they were engaged and a few month later they got married. I have never been so proud, my eyes never so full of tears of joy in my life as I watch Jen's brother Steve walk her down the isle yesterday. That boy had SUCH pride as he walked his amazing sister down the isle to marry the man of her dreams!!!

This story is a story of Hope...at story of inspiration...especially for those of us who have had heart ache...termonal. What I love about this story is that is shows God's Grace. And I really can't stop smiling today as I think of those two heading off for their Honeymoon. I can't stop thinking about what a lucky guy Aaron is for snatching up my precious Jen. And from what I have seen...Jen is just as lucky. Thank you Lord...for your Grace and for your Faithfulness for those that Love and Honor you.

My new Hobby! Thank u new years resolution.

Finished book #4 for the year! Nicholas Sparks, "The Last Song." A very good read. I recommend it:):)

Last week I had a fun couponing week. I was able to get in on some amazing deals at Safeway, but is sounds as if I was a little lucky. I was able to go three times last week save tons of money!

All together I spent $40 dollars out of pocket for these big grocery trips.

My first trip I got over $100 dollars worth of groceries for $10 and I was printed out 2 $10 off my next shopping trip coupons-I felt like i made money on that one.

My second trip, I got another $100 dollars worth of groceries for $20 cash and had 2 more $10 off my next shopping trips printed out. (this one felt like I got my stuff for free)

Today I went in and got $120 of groceries for $15 cash and I got 1 $10 off my next shopping trip coupon printed out! So really, I got $320 worth of groceries for $5 dollars once I minus all of my Catalina Coupons! HOW FUN is that?

Then Friday, Jason and I went out to get our new dishwasher!!! Ours kicked the bucket back in Dec. SO I have been hand washing dishes for 2 months...YUCK!!! Anyways, I looked up an Albertsons and went go get a couple of good deals. My favorite was: 20 Betty Crocker Fruit Snack Boxes for a total of $2!!! So 10 cents a box!!:) Well worth the address look up:)

BUT...I believe my FAVORITE of the week was 24 rolls of Charmin' Toilet Paper and 12 rolls of BOUNTY paper towels for the grand total of....drum roll please..............$2.75! Making them $1.38 a piece!!! This is such a fun HOBBY!!!!!!!!

A wonderful-FULL-weekend

HAPPY 30th Birthday to my older brother MJ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so in love with this picture! My two cuties were best friends at an annivesary party we went to the Saturday night. So precious.

I just think Peyton is the cutest little thing;)

Peyton all excited for Papa 2, Blue Papa, and MJ's Birthday Party!!

Logan helping Papa 2 open his presents! Happy 78th Grandpa Jack

Playing some Candyland. Logan is so good at it. I love that he understands games now....he loves Candyland, Memory, Go Fish, etc!

Playing some games with Papa 2

Peyton and Gram 2....enjoying each other:)

Happy Birthday Bus Papa! Have a safe trip to Cali!!!

More present opening!

I just felt so blessed to get to spend so much time with my Grandparents this weekend!! I am one lucky gal.

Heart to Heart

So...February 24th came around and guess what we finally did??? We finally made our Valentine's day heart cookies;) Logan and I had planned on making these the weekend of V-day but we were soooo busy!!! It never happened! So.....TEN days later we finally had an evening to do it!!!:) Logan picked out his cookie cutters and was ready to go. He told me, "mommy, u can only use the heart cookie cutters if u are in love." I said to him, "ok...who are u in love with?" He said, "I am in love with Peyton!" Such a sweetie pie.
A few nights later, we were talking about him getting married someday. Usually he tells me he is going to marry Peyton but this night , he informed me that he was going to marry Gracie. He said, " Mommy, do you think we can live with you when we get married? Maybe Gracie can sleep in a sleeping bag on my floor. We will have to ask Aunt Sarah, if thats ok?" :):)

A few things I have been learning.........

To continue with what I have been writting about on my blog or if you follow me on Facebook- u know that i have been keeping up really well with my new years resolution with Couponing! I am meeting my goal of learning the ART of couponing. I am loving it and have become a little, *cough* shall we say, obsessed?! I am sure Jason would say that is an understatement. But MAN...when u can get TONS of free stuff and GREAT deals on other things, how can you pass them up?!?!?!
I have learned a few things about shopping with coupons and being KRISTA.(which lets face, really can be a scary combination)

* Don't go shopping with 2 little kids if you have another alternative(which I REALLY have no choice but if I could shop at midnight everytime, I TOTALLY WOULD!)

*Don't try and coupon shop when you have very little time to do so(like 10 minutes before Logan's swim lessons, heehee)

*It isn't a good thing when U don't have your coupons and list out and organized before you go through the checkout stand......and that ONE coupon u miss, may mess up your WHOLE money saving deal. (Happened twice now, eck)

*I love the fact that all of the COUPON Blogs out there do all the work for me and all I have to do is check their sites and print and cut coupons.

*Wonders sometimes if her husband is right about the fact that ink for my printer costs 20 dollars and if it is really worth it in the end. THANKFULLY this week, I paid off one by getting a bunch of free Laundry detergent, deodorant, etc. few, I am safe or a while.

*I am worried at times I will be one day on that show that goes into the lives of Hoarders. And really, I can see how people can get there-NOT the garbage part...but with FREE products. Prayerfully, my obsession won't become THAT bad. Though, Jason may think I am already there.

* There is a POINT where I just have to TURN MY COMPUTER Off and not worry about finding the BEST deals and spend time with my beautiful precious kids and amazing husband. They are the most important thing to me. But really, when it all comes down to it, I am doing all of this for them.

*Couponing really is a GAME....I love the hunt and the challenge. It is a TON of fun!!!

*********Side note.....I did go to the store last week and had to buy some icecream WITHOUT a coupon because I didn't plan a head for it for a B-day party...I seriously had the worst feeling in the pit of my stomach going through the check out and not saving even a penny! I think that means I am officially a coupon freak*sigh* I finally understood a little why Kate Gosselin was so upset about her husband at the time forgetting to pay with a coupon-on one of their episodes- though I don't agree with her freaking out of him. ********