not sure if i'm proud of this

Most of you know that Phil and I have lost some weight in the past year but I thought you might like to see a comparison. So here is a picture of us in August of 2006, I would have been about 5 months pregnant here.

Here is us a couple of weeks ago.. and again, I'm almost 5 months pregnant. (the sun was in our eyes for this picture so I'm a bit squinty; and you might want to note that Phil has the same hat on in both pictures)

So can you tell a difference in 2 years?

Anyways, I'll take a side shot soon so you can see just how my belly is starting to look rolly polly. If you know I'm pregnant then you can tell otherwise you might just think I'm "thick" around the waist. As of this past Sunday I am 20 weeks pregnant so I'm officially half way through!

On another note, we had Phil's parents up two weekends ago and had a nice 3 day visit with them. One of the things we did was go for a walk around a lake. Here are some fun pictures of that.

One last thing, we bought a dresser for Wendell and have priced beds so we're in the beginning stages of getting rooms decorated/moved around. Wendell's room will probably stay were it is but get mostly different furniture, like bed and dresser. Harley/ie/ee will probably be in the other room and will eventually get the crib and dresser that's in Wendell's room now. We found some sticker clings at Walmart and Menards that look pretty cute so we might be using those to decorate. The first step is clearing out the double bed upstairs which will be quite the task. I think Phil is planning to do that this coming weekend. Then change some furniture around, paint, and get some bedding. Now that we have a plan, I think we're both excited to get to work on the task.

Okay, one more thing. We're actually considering putting Wendell in a twin bed sooner than later but not sure I'm convinced yet that I'm ready for that. He still stays in his crib but it's getting harder for me to get him in and out. We've also starting discussing attempting to potty train.. I just read an aricle that has a three day plan of potty training. If Phil is around to help command then I think Wendell will at least sit on the potty, and once he learns what we want then maybe some success?? I think if we do that, we will probably fail but it's kind of nice to try. The article I read said it's best to do it (this plan) before they reach 28 months which is right where Wendell is. Here is the aticle if you are interested. I'll keep you updated on any attempts. http://www.babycenter.com/0_potty-training-in-three-days-or-less_10310078.bc

Sorry about the randomness of this long blog, hopefully you've enjoyed something out of it.

The big ULTRASOUND appointment

Well, today we had our big ultrasound appointment and we found out that we're having a GIRL! Yes, I can't really believe it yet but we're all very excited. Wendell called it from the beginning. We'd ask if he was going to have a brother or sister and he always said "sis" so I guess we should listen to him more often. We've already bought a few onesies that were just too adorable to pass up. Above is a picture of her face but it's not real clear. Apparently, she was moving around A LOT even though I couldn't really feel it that much. I'm guessing in the next few weeks I'll be feeling more prods and kicks. Well, we know what her name will be but are not sure how we'll spell it so I thought I'd get some of your opinions. Her name will be Harley Rene`, but there are a few ways to spell it. Harley, Harlie, or Harlee. Every time I see them I change my mind on my favorite. Just curious if there are any opinions out there?? And if there is any rhyme or reason to what you pick. Now we just have to wait for her to arrive!

Is it worth it?

Phil and I decided to try to save some money so we started shopping at the store Aldi. We quickly found that we could get most but not ALL groceries at Aldi so if we continued to shop there then we'd have to go to two stores. So the question is: is it worth it to go to two grocery stores instead of just one? Well, to answer this we needed to determine: How much money do we save? And we also needed to determine, does Aldi meet quality expectations? Our final question is, does Aldi meet our "health" expecations. Thus, the experiment begins... Phil and I agreed to try Aldi's at least three times before making a final decision and on this (third) trip we did some price comparing.

And, the results are in. Phil and I tag teamed the price comparing of Aldi vs Walmart last Friday night. Aldi definitely passed with the cheaper prices. Only a few things were cheaper at Walmart and that's because they were on sale. I will * the things that cost more at Walmart. All listed below is generic brand/the cheapest option available except for beef and bread.

Aldi (Walmart) difference?
Salmon 1 lb 3.99 (4.48) .49
milk 1 gallon 2.09 (2.13) .04
*eggs 1.09 (1.00 - on sale at Walmart) +.09
*beef 1 lb 93% 3.49 (2.90 - if you buy in 3lb amounts) + .59
shr. cheese 1lb 3.29 (3.94) .65
sliced cheese 8oz. 1.69 (2.14) .45
* 3lb b.s. chix bst. 6.49 (6.00 -on sale at Walmart) + .49
flour 5lb 1.55 (1.88) .33
sugar 5lb 2.39 (2.68) .29
can of tuna .62 (.67) .05
100% wh. wh.bread 1.67 (1.88) .11
* peanut butter 1.39 (1.36) +.03
raisin bran 1.79 (20 oz) (3.34 (32 oz)) .29
* cottage cheese 2.29 (1.97) +.32
carrots 32 oz bag .99 (1.58) .59
frozen broccoli .99 (.98) +.01

SAVED= .97 (as items are listed)

* this amount doesn't calculate for items that we buy in multiplies like bread, milk, cheese, tuna, and frozen veggies; and there are a few other items not listed like t.p. and o.j. that we save money on

We roughly estimated that we probably saved $5-10 by shopping at Aldi. But we also limit our overall time spent at the big Walmart (one of my biggest pet peeves), there are less options at Aldi so it's easier to make choices, Aldi is much smaller so we don't feel like we've walked a mile when we're done, the lights at Aldi aren't as bright as at Walmart, and Phil and I have cut down on our search time for each other when one of us strays from the other. So shopping at Aldi also saves on time, energy, and unnecessary headaches.

As far as quality goes; some of the fresh produce hasn't been good as we had expected but some other things have been a higher quality so we think it balanced out. It seems to be hit and miss on the produce.

Our final question is about health. Phil and I often try to choose healthy foods and can be picky about what we buy. Aldi did not carry all the healthy foods that I want like baked chips and low fat/low sodium soups but they do carry some healthy items like whole wheat noodles (I just saw them this last time I was there), skim milk, whole wheat bread, and tuna in water. They also have a 'brand' called Fit and Active which is their way of telling us it's their "healthy" food. So when carousing the isles and I see something with the "fit and active" label then I know it's a healthier choice.

I think for now "it's worth it" so we're planning to keep going to Aldi, and then Walmart for a few other things, as our groceries seem to have cost a lot less and it has been a fun alternative.

One last note, I also plan to double check the prices of beef and cottage cheese to see what the "norm" is for prices and then chose the better option accordingly.

** Note: if you have never been to Aldi and plan to check it out then I leave you with two tips: 1. take a quarter with for the grocery cart and 2. take your own grocery bags



*********** On a side note, I went to Goodwill the other day to look for maternity clothes. They have one little rack clear in the back as their maternity section and I found a pair of shorts and capri's for $3.95 each. You can't beat that price for something I'll only wear a few months.

Hope you enjoyed this experiment and let me know if you have any questions!

Is spring really here?

Today we had the joy of watching some birds eat at the bird feeder out our front window and watching two squirrels playing in the yard. It's so fun to watch little 2 year old faces light up at times like these. The birds come and go at the feeder so it's amazing to see Wendell wait and watch for the next bird.









One of Wendell's new things is to sit on the steps and point beside him indicating that I'm suppose to sit next to him. The first time he was sitting on the larger spot (on the right) and expected me to sit on the small triangle part (on the left), it looks like the step above us. It's so funny to see what they are thinking, like that I could actually sit on this tiny part of the stair, while he comfortably sat on the larger part.







And this last one is him goofing off because, no, we are not attempting to actually potty train him yet. Sometimes, he likes to sit on his potty with his clothes on so every once in awhile I ask if we can pull down his pants and sometimes he lets me. Sometimes he flat out refuses to even sit on the potty. Of course he doesn't actually "go" in the potty but we're taking baby steps. As you can see, he likes to "read" while sitting on the potty but usually he takes the potty into the spare bed room to sit while he's watching tv.

boring old life...

I feel like I've been leading a boring old life with nothing to post. I do have a video I want to share but that requires work and also some help from Phil. Even Wendell hasn't really done anything new and exciting that I can think of right off hand. We have some exciting things coming up soon like an ultrasound, decorating the spare room, a couple of road trips, family get togethers, getting the garden going and in a few months adding a new member to our household. I guess for now I should just enjoy the "boring old life" since in August I'll remember these days and miss them. I guess the only other excitement in my life right now is that I'm reading an interesting book about "living in the presence of God", but it's not exactly a fiction novel that keeps me on my toes. For now, I'll just be happy that I have a good life and that there aren't any major issues or problems. Maybe I'll try a new recipe soon to spice things up (hah, hah)... am I old or what? I will say, I'm really look forward to some nice weather here soon. I'm ready for some sunshine on my face and going for walks and to the park with Wendell! Well, enough of this boring old life. I'll keep you posted and try and get the video out to you soon.

Who is that?

Well, I thought I'd show just a few random pictures of Wendell of when he was a baby. Phil and I were looking at some of Wendell's baby pictures the other day and almost didn't recognize him in some of them because he has changed so much since then.

In this first one, I have to laugh at the stroller picture because now his legs hang down the sides. In this picture, it almost looks like he doesn't have legs because they're all bundled up.


















The next picture is when he was 2 or 3 months old and would just lay on the couch looking around. (sometimes, I miss those days : )






















The next one is when he was first born... right after his first bath at the hospital. He had the funniest hair for the longest time. It was all peach fuzz until about a year ago.

















The last picture is in July of 2007. Phil and I both agree that he looks kind of chubby but we don't remember his face being so round.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the picture show. It makes us excited for baby #2 to arrive looking at all these fun pictures and memories of Wendell was a baby.