Abigail is 4 months old

My beautiful sweet Abigail Brooke is 4 1/2 months old. These pix that Tamara took of her show her sweet smile and personality PERFECTLY!

She is SOOO good and happy natured! She smiles and is talking to us already. Yes, I am being bias and proud! She rarely makes a fuss. Thank you God for blessing me with a happy baby.

I know that you all know that I have 5 daughters, but every once in awhile I like to ravish and share my pride of their achievements and beauty. The outward shows daily and is obvious, but the inward is giving a run for the money lately. I am shocked and know that most days that I don't deserve it, but God has gifted me beyond my comprehension.

Ava's new word this week is Sass and Sassy. "Mama, Aydan be sass" "Mama Addy be sassy to meee" She is such a pickle. She was cleaning her baby's face with Windex this morning. I found the tv remote in my purse, after an hour of searchin. She drank half of the little bottle of Mylecon from the diaper bag. As I am writing this she thinks I'm not watching and is stuffing my drivers license and debit card in her pants and my money down her shirt. WHERE DID SHE COME FROM. Ahhhhhh!


Addyson is having so much fun at school. She is such a big girl now. The back pack is bigger than she is! hahaha.

Aydan and Addy have started dance class together. It's not your run-of-the-mill little girls ballet class. It's Hip Hop and Cheer. There is a lot of booty shaking, tasteful of course, but it's soooo adorable. They love it.



Friday night I took Belle and her friend Veronica down to the Razorback stadium. It was so wild and crazy. We had so much fun. 1000's of people and the most fun fans in the whole world. It was an exciting experience and memory.


This week is Aydan's 5th bday, so you'll be hearing all about the party and I've been cooking and baking up a storm since the weather is cooling down,so I'll be sharing some GREAT recipes too. I love the fall, it's my FAVORITE time of year. I will be decorating the house and yard this week. Yeah, a great ahead.

Company

First of all, my blog page got a face lift. It's fresh and new and has a pix of all my beautiful girls!

Friday was Jeff's day off and we had lots of fun. He helped with a gift that Aydan was making for three of her friends that are having birthdays.

I made four pies. Two Strawberry and two peach. We have friends that are adopting two babies from Etheopia and were having a garage sale to help fund the expense. I had my hands in several things and Jeff came to my aid and did the lattice work on the peach pies. I was very surprised and thankful AND he did a fabulous job, especially since it was his first attempt at it.


On Friday evening mom and dad came for a visit. We were soooo excited about it we were jumping up and down with enthusiasm.

We had a short, but very exciting visit.

If you know my mom then you know we HAD to go and do a bit of shopping. I will say in in her defense that she lives in KS in the middle of nowhere (everywhere in KS is the middle of nowhere) and she doesn't get much opportunity to get out.

Papa took the girls on a train ride. Aydan took Papa and the family out to dinner, where she KNEW Papa would enjoy some ribs. (one of his favorites) And my dad let me buy him ice cream, can you believe it? I was finally triumphant in treating him and picking up a tab. (small victory, big accomplishment)

Then they finally got to come to church with us. The two of them were in tears the entire time. They were so happy that we have found such a wonderful church. They loved Pastor Floyd's message. And you know what was funny, we all admitted and knew that he was talking to each one of us.

I also let Gramma and Papa take Ava home with them for the week. She was super excited, and this is the first time that she wanted and agreed to leave us. When I picked Addy up from Preschool this afternoon she said, "Mom, I am so sad that Ava is not wiff us anymore". (as if she's gone forever) We are going through withdrawl, but I picked up the house and do you know what, it stayed clean. Yeah, Gramma and Papa for giving me some time for myself.

Pastor talked about BIG Faith and I thought about all the times I've been faced with decisions that took BIG faith. Having a baby alone, getting married, running my own business, closing a business, moving away from family, and then moving even further away from family, putting my kids in a private Christian school when I doubted I could afford it, having five kids, and sheesh I could go on and on. I want to tell you that God is amazing and he has been sovereign and forgiving to me. He has healed and given us hope. He's provided when we didn't think that provisions were available. I have family and friends that are hurting right now and I want to reach out and say to you, PLEASE lay your burden's at our Father's feet. Let him shoulder your pain and hurt. Stop judging others and let forgiveness come easier. God doesn't want you to be stuck inside your comfort zone. He doesn't want you to be in pain. He wants you to serve him, and you serve him by serving others. He wants you to seek him.

I am selfishly sad that our friends the Blackwell's are leaving NWA and going to San Francisco, but I am so excited for the people of the area and the current fellowship of that church. Watch out San Fran, God has a plan and you have been blessed with a phenonmenal family of his! We LOVE you Ryan, Rachel, and Brady. We look forward to watching what God does with you and through you. I will pray for many blessings for you being obedient and faithful. I pray that your family has great peace.

Confessions of an addict

Okay, I have to make a confession. I have a serious addiction and I think I need rehab to kick the habit!

A couple of months ago I was making fun of a friend of mine, Courtney Palfreeman, and she wasn't the only one either. I was at Loving Choices, where I serve as a crisis counselor, and every time she walked in she had a Sonic cup in her hand. Me never being a pop drinker and a penny pincher, I had a hard time understanding why EVERYONE EVERYWHERE I went had a sonic cup in their hand.

I would go to school, Sonic cups in hand driving through the pick up line. I would go to church, Sonic cups in choir practice, and once every person on the praise team had one by their chair, no kidding. I would go to Loving Choices, Sonic cups with shakes,pop, and limeades. (Courtney drinks a strawberry limeade)

Anyway, she told me wait until you move into your new house and you'll see. Of course it was obvious why she said that, because I live within walking distance (one block) away from a Sonic Drive in. BUT there was NO way that just by living near a Sonic I was going to become a junky!!!

Well, the craziest thing happened. During my last trimester of pregnancy I started craving pop. I don't drink pop so I didn't know which one I wanted to drink. I drank a little bit of Mt. Dew in high school and didn't want that much caffeine in my body, especially being pregnant. So I started "experimenting"

I tried Coke and my mother-in-law drinks it so I thought it would be okay. Needless to say 3 months later I am hooked and I can't stop. It doesn't stop there though. I drove to the Sonic to get my first Coke and it was at "Happy Hour" and for a large Coke it was only $1.00, tax included! It was so easy to get!!!

I am a stick to a budget kinda gal, and this definately didn't fall into any of my spending categories. So that my husband wouldn't find out I started robbing the change jar in the kitchen. Who is going to notice a dollar a day gone?

When I get that Coke I slurpe down a huge swig and then ahhhhhh, total quenching happiness. I have been a "sharer" my whole life. My big brothers were bullies to me and even when they picked on me I was known to STILL share with them. My mom and dad always tried to toughen me up, but it never worked. When we go out to eat I always sacfice and order something "kid friendly" so that I can share with the kids and that way everyone is happy and we save money. BUT when it comes to my COKE from SONIC you couldn't pry it out of my hands and NO I won't even share a sip with my kids. Do you know why, it's bad for them. It has too much sugar and too much caffeine. So why am I drinking it???

Well, if that's not bad enough, I stopped drinking it when I delivered and started nursing Abigail, but when she was in the NICU I started have these excruciating headaches. I went to my Dr. and she said that I needed to drink at least one Coke and it would help. So it was at this point that I knew I had become and addict and my body was expecting and NEEDING that high and that I couldn't quit. Since my Dr. told me that I should drink one a day, I thought well there you go, my Dr. advised it and I can keep drinking it.

I lost 30 some pounds right away and was so excited and hopeful about a bright new future. Well now I've plateaued and someone brought to my attention that maybe I should stop drinking Coke AND on shopping day Jeff asked me if I need a 2 liter of Coke and I was taken back. WHAT do you mean, I said? He too had noticed that I had been drinking Coke. I said, I only drink ice water at home and ice tea when we go out to eat, and he told me that I had not hid it as well as I had thought. It was such a bad feeling, but at least my dirty little secret was out. Then one night it was just he and I awake and I asked him at 10pm to run to, yes you guessed it, Sonic to get me one, and of course he did.

So now you see my dilemma. I have not only done this to myself, but I've drug my family into it too. I never thought I would be "One of those people" BUT I have to admit that YES, yes I am.

So after being in denial, and then finally admitting it I've decided that I am going to exercise regularly and go back to NOT drinking Coke, except for a special occasion. Don't think for a second, that driving down that road, especially on my way to pick up the girls at 3pm right in the middle of Happy Hour it's not torturous! But I have faith that I can beat it. Pray for me and embrace my entire family.

First Day of School

Well, first things first. My blog is getting a facelift. This week I will be overhauling it! For some strange reason there is a HUGE gap at the bottom and I don't know why. I've tried to fix and figure it out and if you know PLEASE TELL ME!!!

Ammorae started school on Friday. I ALWAYS take a pix infront of the school on the first day. I hope she doesn't mind cause I'm gonna keep doing it.


Aydan will be going to prek five days a week this year. She has Mrs. Kirkendall at Shiloh Christian. She is such a big girl and is so smart. I have no worries for her, and her teacher has already told me that she has a loving heart. Awwww!


Addy is probably the most excited!!! She has been waiting for a year to go to school. All summer long she asked and asked and asked ,"When does school start" When we took Ammorae on Friday she had to wear her new backpack, she was SO excited. She only goes Mon. and Tues. and when I told her that Tues. after school she was SO put out and did not understand why I would do that to her! She has Mrs. Russel and she seems to be very sweet.



She got in the car when I picked her up and she asked me, "did you know that you are not bigger than God" and I said, "Yes, I do know that" she then asked if I knew that her and Aydan were not bigger than God. Then when she started saying more peoples names, I cut her off and said, "No one is bigger than God" She quickly said, "Dad is bigger than God." I laughed and said, "No, he isn't, No one is" She of course argued with me and lastly stated, "He is bigger, because he growed that way, mom" I quit arguing and then debated whether or not to tell Jeff, his head is BIG enough the way it is. No wonder he loves having all these girls. He feels like a king.

The fun thing is that we did several craft projects leading up to the first day of school. We made personalized pillow cases for the girls for nap time.

All of Ammorae's friends decided to decorate the inside of their lockers a few days ahead of time. We made a clipboard that has fancy scrapbook paper on it and then we put a pix (that Tamara took) on it. We also put a magnet on the back so it could hang in her locker. We took zebra paper and taped to the inside of the door and then used fluzzy boas to outline it. On the back wall we put school color and taped up pix of her in her cheer uniform. We also took letters that spelled out her name and put magnets on the back of them.

The FUNNY thing is that after all that work (and it's totally over the top, just like Ammorae) the boa got stuck in the lock and she couldn't get into it after first hour. She asked Mrs. Sabatini to help her. She came prepared with heavy dute screwdrivers to fix it. The handle completely busted and she couldn't use her locker for two days! Maintenance had to replace it all. Hahahahahahha! So the first two days have truly been an adventure. If this is any indication of the rest of the year, this is going to be an adventure. She is so much like Tamara it's not even funny!!! ahhhhhh, help!!!



Then on top of all that, Ava has followed me around all day and asked 1,000 questions. She doesn't know what to do with herself now that those sisters are gone. She wouldn't watch cartoons, read a book, or play with any toys. She is a card for sure! heheheh!

Abigail is 11 1/2 weeks old and is getting used to Ava "helping" her all day! eye yi yi!!

What a crazy and fun week! Memories that we will have forever!

Coupon King

I think we've created a MONSTER!!!


In our continual search to save money we've found many websites that assist and advise to use coupons, newspaper savings ads, and store promotions together to get the best for your money.

I am in charge of the shopping in our house, obviously. I am a GREAT bargain shopper. I can stick to a budget like no other and I can feed a family of 7 most weeks for under $150.

Now, my husband on the other hand...well, I think we've created a MONSTER!

It was a game at first, but now it's out of control CRAZY! Every morning it's a race to see what "good bargains" he can find in the paper and then he cross references it with the helpful websites and then each stores circulars and coupon books. WOW, he's a math wiz and on FiRe to save us money!!!

He's now enlisted the help of our eldest child, Ammorae. I was so happy that he was taking this opportunity to start teaching her one of the most important life lessons, budgeting and spending. I'm pretty sure they are obsessed and having too much fun. He is showing her how to combine all the opportunities so that she can get things FREE. She is getting lip gloss, hair things, snacks, and so many others things FREE or with pennies by making smart decisions.

Lastnight, they took advantage of Walgreen's 15% everything day, with a special coupon. They researched, clipped, and plotted out their big plan and this is what they came home with.


With no savings of any kind this would have cost $248.00. But they only paid $73.00. Which is a savings of $175.00. And also from that we have $26.00 worth of register rewards, which is like cash in your pocket, to spend the next time we go in.

The pantry and linen closets are getting full and there is talk of donating a lot of these goods to Mama Dean's or a shelter.

Just another FUN chapter in the Bryan family story!

Getting back into the groove!

I'm Baaaack! It's been something like five weeks that I've taken off. This is the first time in my life that I've felt comfortable just taking it easy and flying by the seat of my pants.

We had company here to help out for at least four weeks!!! Then we took one week to ourselves. The girls and I swam in our pool, did a little shopping, took in a movie, got our hair done, and just had fun.


It took us one whole day to pack and prepare, then we headed to South Dakota for a family reunion. I had not seen this side of my family for 10 years. We drove five hours and stopped for a short layover in Kansas at mom and dad's. We finally introduced Abigail to Great Grandma and Grandpa and our favorite not blood related sister, Katie.

We then bravely headed to SD. Five little girls and me in a minivan, WOW - many of you said. We drove for 8 hours the first day and 4 to 5 the next day. It was a great time and we are so happy we went. I made two sets of tshirts that had each girls name on it so that everyone would know which one was which. Ammorae learned how to play poker and bochy ball. We all karaoked and enjoyed the BEST food. We pretty much had the same drive back, but stayed in Kiowa a bit longer.


We visited in Kiowa for 4 days and when we got there Leo and Brent were eagerly awaiting us. The kids had so much fun playing with their cousins. We also got to see one of our favorite friends Lois, who ended up in the hospital for several days and we stayed just to visit with her.

On Friday mom loaded up with us and the whole crew went to OKC to stay the weekend. We had a small birthday party for Ava before coming home to see a daddy whole was going through MAJOR withdrawl.


The trip home from OKC was the most eventfull ever. We drove directly behind the worst double semi accident I ever saw. After that we stumbled upon a large family walking in over 100 degree heat on hwy 44. We stopped and offered to help and insisted that they allow us to give them a ride somewhere to get them out of the heat. They had been stranded on this busy highway for over an hour and a half and NO ONE bothered to stop and aid them. They were dehydrated and sunburnt. There was a mom and a dad and six children, they had blown their transmission. We insisted driving them to a cool spot where they could await help. We PACKED 14 people in my minivan!!! Can you even imagine. It was a miracle for sure! I paid the same toll three times trying to get them where they needed to be, but it was well worth it. All I could think of, was what if that was me and my girls!

Anyway, we are home, after two weeks! HOME SWEET HOME! Home to a daddy who missed us SOOO much! Back to laundry and dishes and friends coming to stay the night.

By the way, I MUST mention that I feel like a new woman!!! I have lost over 30 lbs and have a great desire to keep improving. The new hair do has helped too. With the help of my mom and sisters I shopped in the "normal peoples" section and things fit and I feel so much better!

We did ALL of our school shopping and are ready to go, and to be able to relax the the remainder of the summer. I'm back and ready to get back to blogging, I've got so much to share with you, I hope you're ready. Recipes, crafts, decorating, and so much more!

Coming home!

I just got a call from the nursery, and if Abigail does good tonight SHE GETS TO COME HOME TOMORROW!!!!

I have been there three times today feeding her and am going back in half an hour to do it again and again at 8pm. Whew! What a day, but it's definately all worth it.

Landon and Sonya headed home and Cindy (Jeff's mom) is somewhere on the road coming here. Tamara is supposed to be coming again soon too! I will have the BEST baby and family pix!!!

I imagine that the girls and I will be busy re-doing the baby bag and picking out her "coming home" clothes. Aydan thinks we need to have a party, and she's probably right.