My beautiful family

Photo courtsey of Shawn Adair, local photographer

On Saturday we all woke up early to go do a (last-minute) maternity photo shoot at the park.  It dawned on me that this would be our last big outing as a family of 3.  It's kind of sad, but kind of exciting.  Rickybear had a great time running wild and free.  I have only seen 4 of the pictures so far and I love them already.  Granted, I spent hours on my hair and used 4 different styling products... only for it to still frizz out and blow up within minutes of our walking outside.  *sigh*  The meaning of the pictures is still there.

Just a little about the photographer- His name is Shawn Adair.  His wife and I were competitive gymnasts together about 10 years ago.  He loves photography, but mainly takes nature and landscape pictures.  I believe we were his first portrait session.  He was easy-going and easy to communicate with.  His price was also very reasonable.  I can't wait to see the rest of the pics and share some with yall!!  If you are local and in need of a photographer, please let me know and I can get you in touch with him.

The Money Saving Mom's Budget book is now available for presale!

I am sure that a lot of yall follow her blog at http://moneysavingmom.com/ ... but Crystal's long-anticipated book is finally complete and you can now order it over at Amazon.com.  It's official release date is January 10, 2012.  As of today, you can purchase it for $11.09 and it is eligible for free shipping with Amazon Prime.

Here is a brief description:

FROM ONE OF NIELSEN’S TOP 50 POWER MOMS COMES ADVICE YOU CAN TAKE TO THE BANK—LITERALY !  Crystal Paine, who has helped busy women everywhere take control of their finances, presents her most effective strategies designed for families of all sizes and income levels.  With hundreds of inspiring “why didn’t I think of that?” TIPS, plus WORKSHEETS, Paine breaks down your goals into easy, manageable steps so you can • Achieve a complete financial makeover • Set up a realistic budget • Never pay retail • Slash your grocery bill • Organize your time & your home• Us e coupons wisely • Pay with cash only • Live simply • Become debt free • Choose contentment • Make every dollar count

 

About the author:

 

Crystal Paine is a wife and homeschooling mom to three young children who has been writing on topics related to frugality for the last five years -- and living a frugal, simple and debt-free life since she was born. Her blog, MoneySavingMom.com, averages 80,000 to 100,000 visitors per day and over three million pageviews per month. Crystal was named one of Neilsen's 2009 Top 50 Power Moms and is widely known in the blogosphere as an money-saving expert. In addition to blogging, Crystal writes a weekly column for AOL's ParentDish.com. This column is featured on the homepage of AOL each Monday afternoon. Crystal has contributed to articles in Woman's Day magazine and All You magazine, as well as being mentioned on National Public Radio and CNN.com, in USA Weekend and Real Simple magazine and numerous other local newspapers and radio and television stations. MoneySavingMom.com has been featured in a number of published books, including: Typepad for Dummies, Point, Click and Save and Organized Simplicity.

 

Go support this great mom and see what her advice can do for your family!!

 

 

Wordless Wednesday

Pregnancy Update- Week 36

My office threw me a surprise baby shower on Thursday of last week.  It was very sweet and we received a lot of useful gifts and gift cards.  They wanted to have it early in case I delivered early.  When I was pregnant with Rickybear, I had to go in to Labor & Delivery and spend the night for observation, so I missed work the following day, thereby missing my baby shower!  Oops!

I have 4 weeks to go and am still feeling pretty good.  I am feeling a lot of pressure so I think that perhaps the baby has dropped a little bit.  He/she hangs out under my left ribcage all day, so I hope that it's a tushie I feel and not a head- this baby had better not be breech!  I haven't had too much swelling yet and I still haven't gained any weight.  I am getting up at least 6 times a night to go to the bathroom, even if I stopped drinking water by 7pm!  My heels are cracked from the weather, so having to walk delicately just enhances my waddle.  Heartburn is a daily occurrence.

We had a 3 day weekend from work due to Veterans Day.  On Friday I headed over to my mom's and spent the entire day freezer cooking with her for when I am out on maternity leave.  I really hope that everything I cooked doesn't get terrible freezer burn, but I did my best to wrap it all up.  We are going to eat it anyway!!  I finished 6 meals and I hope to make at least that many this weekend, if possible.  We also made a lot of progress on getting the guest room ready and moving furniture for the baby's arrival.  I still need to pull out all of the newborn clothes, sterilize my pumps and bottles, pack a hospital bag, and write thank you cards!  There is a lot that I want to accomplish, but time is running out!  We have maternity pics scheduled for this weekend.

I normally have my OB appointments on Tuesday, but it's on a Wednesday this week, so I am super impatient!  I have an ultrasound and then my regular checkup.  I think I will get my L&D paperwork and have to pay the hospital copay this week.  That makes it seem so real!  I also need to drop off my FMLA paperwork for the doctor to complete.  I have a lot of questions for this upcoming appointment.  The ultrasound will tell us how big the baby is and give us a better idea of a game plan.  I am getting nervous!!

Don't mess with my Saints

Cheering for our undefeated Tigers!!

Rickybear stayed up late to watch the LSU vs Alabama game. 

He must have been our lucky charm!!

And here he is yesterday sporting the new LSU onesie that his Maw Maw got him. 
It was the LSU vs W Kentucky game.  Drinking milk and training hard...

Random Halloween pictures

Pics from Boo at the Zoo, the Corn Maze, and Ricky's 1st Trick-or-Treat!