The Berry Family

Ryan McKay Berry was born on August 1st at 10:31am.  He was 7lbs 5oz and 19.5 inches long.  He is such a sweet little guy and we love having him here!!  More to come later!

Those who are Facebook friends with me know I am have been obsessed with potty training Cohen. This may be  a weird thing to blog about but it is a huge thing in my life right now. He turned 3 last month and I could not get him to want to potty train. I tried treat bribes, fun underwear, showing him that most of his friends are potty trained, ect. Nothing seemed to work. Finally last week when Tyler got home from a business trip he knew I was really frustrated since we have a baby coming and I wanted Cohen to go to preschool.  So he decided to take matters into his own hands. He sat with Cohen in the bathroom for almost 2 hours until he finally went!  And we haven’t looked back.  He has done so great!  He tells me when he has to go and has started going on his own and even can stay dry outside the house.

I told Tyler that making him stay in the bathroom for all that time would either backfire or work and luckily it worked!  I am so excited not to have 2 in diapers and for him to go to preschool in a few weeks!

Not that I want my blog to turn into a couponing blog I got another great deal at Target that I had to share:

8 Sobe Waters (like I really need more)=Free

2 packs BIC pens: Free

Kids Aquafresh Toothpaste: $.12

32 Juicy Juice Boxes (just in time for school!): just over $2

Total: $2.49

I really just went for the juice boxes since I am trying to get Hailee and Cohen’s school stuff stocked, but when I was organizing I realized the other deals and since they were free I couldn’t pass them up.  Plus this is the cheapest I have ever got out of Target! Love that store.

I have been couponing and deal hunting more and more.  I have a couple good blogs I read that give breakdowns and good ideas. There are some I really don’t like because they make you feel bad if you ever go out to eat or buy non-used clothes.( I think you can just as good deals on new clothes for kids if you are willing to look)   Anyway that is not what this post is about.  Tyler and I have been paying bills off now for a couple years. I won’t even tell you how much credit card debit we paid off but the important thing is that it is gone!  So because of this and still paying of cars  we really try to live on a grocery  and household budget.  While I can make it work without couponing, the less I spend on food and things the more I have to put toward things the kids will need and other things that come up without having to pull it from other places.  Plus it is fun to have money left at the end of a budget period.  Well this month is a different story. Getting ready for a baby is not cheap!!

My latest deals have included getting 40 Sobe waters for $1.60.  This is something I would not normally buy, but since I could pay for it with the change in my purse, why not?  My best deal this week was at Safeway. Here is what I was able to get:

2 cans of tuna

8 ears of corn

3.5lbs of peaches

2lbs of plums

2 lbs of grapes

8 Sobe Waters

2 Pasta Sauces

Hostess Snack Pack

2  big bottles of Clean and Clear Water

Total: $8.75

What I love is these are things we will eat and need(minus the hostess).  Especially the fruit.  My kids love fruit. I really try not to buy a bunch of things that I don’t need just because they are on sale.  But I have learned to shop the ads for snacks, produce, meat(but I am picky where I but it), and cereal. I cannot stomach paying over a $1 a box for cereal.  Cereal is something I stock.  I think we have like 13 boxes of different kinds of Cherrios from last weeks Safeway deal and I think I paid $10 for it all.

I have learned to stock on diapers when the drugstores have their deals and Huggies has coupons and that Costco does not have the best prices when you do this.I have been buying less and less at Costco since I know I can get things cheaper if I wait for deals and just stock up. I think the bottom line is it takes sometime to organize it all which I do while I watch TV in the evenings and maybe a few extra stops (but I find my main deals come from 2 stores) but I have been able to stretch my budget further and further the more I learn. Plus it turns into a fun game and I love the high of saving money!!

I don’t really have to worry about this though since I can just tell everyone that the baby will be here on August 1st. While I really don’t want another C-Section this planning thing is nice.  While it is kind of sad not to have that anticipation of wondering if every pain is the real thing and no real birth story, it fits my planning personality.  I have been frantically getting my house organized, cleaning, making sure Hailee is ready for school and soccer (she starts school August 9th!!). My to-do list seems to get bigger by the day.  While I have tons to do the days are dragging at this point.  But I have a feeling next week will fly by with all the last minute things I need to do.  We are getting excited to meet this baby boy and I think Hailee is the most excited. I am ready to start getting my body and sanity back.  But that may be a ways out!

The Rockies

Tyler has always wanted to move to Colorado. He loves the mountains, fresh air, and the snow.  He had some business out there and I tagged along to check it out. Tyler’s parents took the kids for a couple days and we enjoyed relaxing and exploring. I must say that I really loved it.  It is very green, clean, and had tons to offer.  We loved a smaller town called Castle Rock.   Plus it is so much cheaper than here. But for now we are happy in Folsom but if that opportunity came up in Tyler’s job (which is a possibility in a couple years) I know he would go in a heartbeat. I still need some convincing but this trip might have made that an easier job for him!

When we were in SF we decided to take the kids to the Oakland Temple where we got married. Hailee loves to hear about our wedding and doesn’t remember being there a few years ago. She thought it looked like a castle and they loved all the pretty grounds.  It was good timing too since our 8th anniversary was just 2 days later….

Then....

Now...Man have I gained weight!

Hailee had her birthday on July 10th. She had the birthday that lasted a week! We had a big family party at my parent’s house, a small friend party, and we went to San Francisco with my family and did fun stuff on the Pier. Hailee is full of personality. She is that child that keeps us on our toes. But we cannot imagine our house without her. Lately she has become our little daredevil. She will go on any ride at Six Flags, loved all the water slides, riding horses, and has become a very good swimmer this year. Here are some pictures from her birthday celebrations!!

Her "Rainbow" Cake!!

Hailee loved the inside of her cake!

I took a few of her friends to Big Spoon Yogurt and the pool. Kept it simple since I was 36 weeks pregnant at the time. Hailee was happy and that is all that matters anyway!

Getting sung to at Bubba Gumps in San Francisco.

Waiting for the pinata. A family tradition....

Here are some fun things about Hailee at age 6:

*Loves barbies, pet shops, ponies, art projects, playing hangman and Sorry, riding her bike, Ramona Quimby books, music, and her friends.

*Is starting to get the hang of reading as long as I don’t force it too much.

*Has really nice handwriting

*Loves to have her stuff organized and clean but likes Mom and Dad to do it.

*Can start the dishwasher and knows how to do a load of laundry. We learned this one afternoon while the rest of us were taking a Sunday nap.

*Has a great memory.  Can remember things from when she was 2 vividly.

*Is a great helper with her brother

*Is starting to really enjoy sleeping in this summer. School might be an adjustment!

My Dad's birthday party.

Carlee and Hailee on the "Cyclone

Just about every summer we spend a week in Redding when my sister comes to visit with her 3 kids. Our kids have so much fun together.  The 4 older kids play so well together and there is hardly ever a fight if any at all. They had a great time swimming for hours everyday, going to Waterworks Park,playing with my brother’s daughter Hannah, having birthday parties for Hailee and my Dad, making up random games that they would play for hours, watching movies, eating, and playing in the sandbox. The best part is we hardly went anywhere!!  Carlee and I were able to relax by the pool and enjoy having our kids entertained.  I am so happy my parents put their pool in a few years ago.

Jack eating a cupcake.

Hailee getting thrown into the pool. She has become an awesome swimmer this year. She has a killer backstroke!

Cohen and Cami

Cohen loved the waterslides. He was mad he couldn't go on the Big ones like Hailee.

Hannah

Once I get onto my blog from my computer I will post on the following things. This is mainly to remind me! I did post about Cohen turning 3 so feel free to read on below.

Tyler’s 30th bday

Our Trip to Colorado

R-Ranch camping

Swim Lessons

Kindergarten Ending

Six Flags

Baby Coming on August 1st!! 32 more days!!

And I am sure much much more once I look through all my pictures!!