The Coupon Queen saves 97% on her groceries!

In a word... WOW!



That's alot of work and planning. I wish I had that much discipline.

Some cute picts...

Check out Betsy's blog for some cute pictures of Austin and Alex.

We blessed Austin yesterday and had a great day. Mike's parents came to San Antonio for the occasion and the Brunners came down from Pfluggerville.

Betsy loves to take pictures, and I was more than happy for her to use Austin as a subject. Of course Alex didn't want to be left out so he kept inserting himself into the pictures, so Betsy took some of him too. Now I have some great pictures. Thanks Bets!

Some more pics of Austin!

I took these this afternoon while we were watching Food Network®:

99 Boxes of Mac & Cheese in the Pantry...

... actually 84 boxes of Mac & Cheese!


Costco had a sale and a coupon.

Limit 4.

We had already bought two cases last week.

Oh well.

We have enough for awhile!

More pics of Austin (Close-up Edition)

If only this were on a t-shirt...

... I would totally wear it!

EDIT TO ADD: I FOUND IT!!! OVER AT THREADLESS!!!!!

Our Little Trip to Dallas...

... I had a conference in Dallas, TX, last weekend and Mindy wasn't too excited about me being 5 hours away with 5 kids at home... so I took them with me (and was 5 minutes away).

So I got a reservation for 3-nights at a Residence Inn near the conference.

Here are some of the random pics that were taken.

In this pic, Andee gave Min the camera and started to pose. Funny little chick.


Min and Austin slept alot (from what I understand). Just kidding.


The suite had two rooms with double beds and a sofa bed in the living area. The kids liked to watch TV on the sofa-bed.


Aimee hated the "hard" bed in the other room and she slept on the floor. The next night, she traded Aaron and slept with Alex on the sofa-bed. Aimee wants one in her room now.

Chillin' with his Pops!

A few more pics of Austin

At 11-days old with Alex and Andee...

At 13-days old with Aimee...

And at 2-weeks old...

This is what Alex and Andee do while I am feeding the baby...

This happened after Grandma left while I was taking a nap and feeding the baby. ( No wonder they were so quiet that day)

The door to the game/toy closet has a keyed lock that has been broken for some time and also another lock at the top of the door. Between the two of them they got this top lock open and started to pull almost everything off the shelves.

I've been meaning to clean out that closet and de-junk. I guess now is the time. I have started to put things back together, and Aaron and Aimee helped to bag up pieces so that they don't get broken or lost. Eventually I will feel up to tackling this mess and cleaning it up completely.

BTW, the room did get messier after these pictures were taken. All the pieces were dumped out of the game boxes that are on the floor in the pictures. Such a headache. I tried the "if I ignore it, it will go away" stance, but that didn't work.

Aaron's Arrow of Light (3/26)

On Thursday, March 26th, Aaron - along with two of his friends Josh and Jonathon - received his "Arrow of Light", the highest award in Cub Scouts.

Here's a pic of Aaron shooting a arrow to symbolize his award.


... and here is the graduating class of Webelos (l-r: Josh, Jonathon, Aaron):


Good job son... now it's time to climb the summit to the Eagle!

Grandma's Visit (3/18-3/26)

The Wednesday after Austin was born, Mindy's mother Debi came for a visit. She only stayed for a week... but she was a big help around the house as we began to adjust to the idea of managing 5 kids.

Here's Debi at the hospital within minutes of landing:


Grandma with Andee and Austin:


The perks of being a grandma... a smiling baby... even if it is involuntary!


Thanks for coming Debi... it was a huge help!

Happy Birthday Mindy!

Instead of counting candles,
Or tallying the years,
Contemplate your blessings,
As your birthday nears.

Consider special people
Who love you, and who care,
And others who’ve enriched your life
Just by being there.

Think about the memories
Passing years can never mar,
Experiences great and small
That have made you who you are.

Another year is a happy gift,
So cut your cake, and say,
"Instead of counting birthdays,
I count blessings every day!"

- Joanna Fuchs

Big update tomorrow...

We just got back from our trip to Dallas. We need our rest.

We'll have a big update tomorrow.