Cutie Patootie

I haven't had five minutes to spare to post anything of interest, but I thought I'd put up some pictures so all my blogging friends don't totally give up on me. These pictures are all courtesy of my adorable SIL (Jaymie Leinenbach) who is a really great photographer. Lucky me to be related to someone of such talent! :) Oh, and Levi was at school the day we took pictures, just in case you are worried that we love the other kids more...

Finances

In our house, I am in charge of the finances. This is a double edge sword, so to speak. I don't ever have to ask permission to make purchases and I can also "hide" unnecessary ones. However, those benefits are VERY short lived. I often wish my husband would just hand me my weekly allowance and I wouldn't have to fret over every penny spent or saved. The whole equal ownership in the money does nothing for me. I'd love it if I had no idea where we stood financially.

Every morning, I balance the books, check and enter it into our budget, rearrange where money can and should go. I also spend several hours a month researching investments, finding better ways to spend, save, earn. Every afternoon when I walk to the mailbox I am filled with a loathing disdain for what awaits me...more bills. Will it ever end? The supposed benefit of "hiding" unnecessary purchases is a myth, b/c I see the bottom line every day and I know that we can't or shouldn't make that purchase, so I rarely do. I think it would be better if I just didn't know.

I am working on an emergency fund these days and I finally transferred money from our savings into a money market account where I am making a whopping 3.5% interest...which is about 3.48 more than I was making at my savings account! I also opened up 529's for my kids. Now I need to research some mutual funds and an IRA b/c I have heard those are good to have too. It just never ends. It is always haunting me that we won't have enough to pay for college, missions, retirement...never mind all the things I want to spend my money on right now!! My goal is to be so on top of our finances that I don't have to go to work to make money, but b/c I invest, save, and spend so well it will be almost as good as me bringing in an income. If only I didn't love to spend money so much, my goals would be much more easily attained!! :)

I am on a bit of a kick right now...this is Emma in her pillow case dress. They are super easy and way fun to make. I am in a constant look out for cute pillowcases to make dresses out of for my girls. This one came in a set of two for $4 at Ross. Since I have two girls, it makes for perfect matching sister dresses...Love it! Then, my SIL taught me how to make adorable headbands and bows and so now the girls have a matching hair thing to go with each and everyone of their outfits. Since I can never find five minutes to do anything big (like quilt or scrapbook like I used to), I am enjoying small scale projects I can finish in a short period of time despite a million and one interruptions.

Thumbs

My fourth child, and I have my first thumb sucker. It is the most adorable thing, as if he could be any easier than he already is! Now when he gets the least bit uncomfortable he just pops his thumb in! Of course, when he is 12 and headed to highschool that won't be as cute, but for now I am enjoying it.

Sunriver

Spring break this year we hit Sunriver. After spending hours online researching the perfect cabin for a week of biking, hiking and swimming we arrived to the perfect cabin to find several inches of snow. Living in Portland, one gets a wee bit sick of the constant drizzle and my immediate response was dread...we didn't escape wet weather for SPRING BREAK...for the LOVE! I wanted sunshine and outdoor play! But in the end, we had a fabulous time. Come to find out, outdoor activity in the snow is about as fun as it gets. We went sledding, ice skating, built snow men, had snowball fights and best of all went hot tubbing in a near blizzard. The kids had so much fun that when we drove past the Sunriver elementary school, they begged for us to stop and check it out so we could someday potentially move there. Though we didn't investigate in SR real estate or anything, I will definitely not be disappointed if we end up in a blizzard over spring break again.

Nicknames

It is somewhat ridiculous the number of nicknames I have for my kids. They are going to grow up not knowing their own first name. Hunny bumperkins, Lover Dovey, Scrunchy Munchy, Mr. Magoo, Leby Jones (Levi), Keekaroo (Kiara) Emma Lou or Emma Sue, Caders (Caden), budders, the list really could go on and on, it is kind of embarrassing. It helps though with my new inability to say any of my children's names right...particularly when I am yelling (yes, I do that) at them. "Levi, I mean Kiara, I mean Emma QUIT squeezing Levi, I mean Caden". It has gotten out of hand. I honestly NEVER get their names right. Is it a sign I have too many children? Or is it because I am now 30 (rapidly approaching 31)???