Gotta Love a Bargain!!

So, I went to Publix during my lunch break today and I got some great deals!! Yes, most people say that I'm cheap, but really, why spend more money when you can use coupons and get great deals like this!

Here's what I got:

• 2 Bags of Dog Food
• 2 Bags of Chocolate Chip Cookies
• 2 Taco Bell Dinner Kits
• 8 Boxes of Mac & Cheese
• 4 things of French Mustard
• 3 things of Kens Buffalo sauce
• 1 Del Monte Fruit Chiller
• 4 Large Containers of Crystal Light
• 4 Boxes of Crystal Light

And I only paid ........... $11.58 + tax (I saved over $69.22!!!!!)

Happy Birthday Chris!!

Happy Birthday to the best husband and father in the world!! Colton and I love you so much and we are so proud of you! You are the best!!!!

13 Months Old

Colton at 13 Months

I can't believe Colton is 13 months old! The past year went by so fast and it looks like this year is going to go by fast as well. Chris and I are really enjoying spending time with our little bundle of joy these days. He is such a happy little boy who LOVES attention! He loves to play in his playroom, go outside for walks, spend time with his grandparents and chase Millie and Bella around the house. He is learning so much and he is exploring every room in our house these days. Yes, he is a complete handful but we wouldn't want it any other way! He is a precious gift from God and we absolutely love him with all of our hearts! I didn't think I could ever love him more than when I first saw him on April 26, 2008, but I fall more and more in love with him everyday!

Highlights from the past month:

• His favorite toys this past month: Fire Truck, Books, Musical Star Stacker and cars
• He can now stand up in the middle of the room without holding onto anything.
• He walks all the time, well he pretty much runs!! I haven’t seen him crawl any the past month.
• He loves to play chase with daddy.
• He can give you a kiss when you ask him for sugar. (He leans toward you with his mouth wide open -- It's precious!!)
• He loves for mommy to sing to him.
• His favorite songs include: One Little Two Little Three Little Indians, The Ant’s Go Marching, How Much is that Doggy in the Window, Old Mac Donald, Jesus Loves Me
• His favorite foods this month: French Fries, Ice Cream, Banana Puffs and Enchiladas (from Taco Casa)
• He has moved up into the 2 year old class at church since he is walking so good.
• He is completely off of formula. We switched him from formula to milk this month and he is doing great! He is currently drinking about 18 oz. of 2% milk a day plus juice.
• He still loves to go outside!! He loves to go for rides in his car and he loves to swing. He now cries when we have to go inside after playing outside.
• He is baby talking all the time, however he is only saying “mama” right now but I have noticed that he is starting to saw a few other sounds as well.
• He wears size 4 diapers, is in 12-24 month clothing and wears a size 5 shoe.
• He weighs 27 lbs and is 31 inches long.
• He still sleeps from about 8:00pm till about 6:30am. He does however, like to get up about 6am to get in the bed with mommy and daddy. As soon as I put him in our bed, he goes right back to sleep.
  

Bye Bye Bottles??

Okay, so I'm getting ready to take Colton's morning and nighttime bottle away from him. During the day he is already taking his juice and milk out of a sippy cup, but we are still needing our bottle in the morning and at nighttime. So, next week I'm packing all of his bottles up! Chris will be gone pretty much all week singing, so I think it's the perfect time to pack them up. Wish me luck! I'll keep you all posted every night on how it's going! After the bottle is taken care of, I will probably move to the pacifier, which is going to be our biggest problem!

My Day with Daddy...

Since Chris has gone back to singing full time, he now gets to stay home with Colton during the week. Yes, it has been very hard leaving the two of them in the morning, especially when they are both sound asleep in the bed! But, I love coming home during lunch to see both of them!! Here are a few pictures that Chris took with his phone. They both are having so much fun spending so much time with each other!!

Race for Missions 5K

On Saturday May 16th, Colton and I participated in a 5K at our church for some summer missionaries that will be traveling over seas this summer. My cousin, Jessica will be going to Budapest, Hungary so we wanted to support her and we entered into the race.

We got up bright and early that Saturday morning and put on our walking shoes! Once we arrived, we registered for the Fun Run (1 mile) race. However, Colton and I really only walked about 1/2 mile. The roads were a little rough, making his little car very noisy, so we turned around. Plus, it was getting time for breakfast and Colton was starting to get fussy. We did however, have a wonderful time with friends and family that day!

Mommy and Colton before the race. We tried to get a picture of him facing the camera but he had other plans!

Good friends Trish and Calvin... Trish braved the 5K Race and Calvin cheered her on!

Jennifer and LeAnn... They braved the 5K as well! Way to go girls!!

Girls from our Sunday School Class... Trish, Jennifer, LeAnn, Lauren and Tara

Heath and LeAnn

Colton loves Uncle Heath!

Aunt Melinda and Jess (picture borrowed from Jess' facebook page)

To keep up with Jessica's summer trip to Budapest follow her blog at Hope for Hungary.

Remember to keep all of the missionaries and their families in your prayers over the summer!

Gone.. Cheese Puffs and Colton!

Yes, the cheese puffs are all gone, but Colton is too! He was eating a snack last weekend and before long, I looked over and he was shoving the cheese puffs in his mouth and his eyes were completely shut. He didn't want to waste one cheese puff!! Moments like these always seem to brighten my day!

Almost gone.. He was trying to finish that last cheese puff.

Almost...

Completely Gone!

Don't you just love a cheese puff mess!

Millie and the Wind

Millie loves to hang outside the window while we are driving down the road. Here she is excited to be going over to Nana's house!

Kentucky Derby Birthday Party

Here are a few pictures from Charity's Birthday Party a few weeks ago. We all had such a good time and we are looking forward to next years Kentucky Derby Party!!

LeAnn, Charity, Jane, Tara, Leah and Lauren

Colton playing at Charity's house

He wasn't too sure about the grass

Mommy and Colton

He loves to swing round and round...

101 in 1001

Okay, so I saw this on another blog and I thought it was a great idea. It's a list of 101 things that I want to do within 1001 days. (My deadline is Approximately Feb. 15, 2012). Once I complete one of the items off the list, I will make sure to blog about it.

For Me

1. Back up all of my pictures onto an external hard drive.
2. Start and keep a binder with future vacation plans.
3. Spend a day at the spa with friends. -- 6/5/10
4. Try 4 new restaurants (4/4) -- Fire+Ice (7/2/09), Colbalt (8/21/09), Jacks BBQ (2/26/10), Aqarium Restaurant (12/28/09)
5. Enjoy a weekend trip with all my girlfriends -- 6/5/10 to 6/6/10
6. Transfer all of my childhood movies to DVD.
7. Go shopping in B’Ham with my mom -- 1/2/2010
8. Go to my High School Class Reunion
9. Treat myself to a manicure and pedicure
10. Go eat at Fire and Ice in B’Ham -- 7/2/2009
11. Win at Bunco -- 8/11/2009
12. Go see a Broadway Play
13. Paint another picture at Sips N Strokes
14. Go to All Fired Up
15. Make Homemade Ice Cream

    For My Marriage

16. Go on monthly “date nights” (3/33)
17. Daily pray for our marriage
18. Leave an encouraging note for Chris once a week
19. Take dance lessons with Chris
20. Prepare a candle light dinner for Chris
21. Go on at least one trip every year just the two of us (1/4) -- Nashville (Feb. 2010)
22. Take Chris white water rafting -- Youth Trip with Gordo (6/25/10)
23. Go to a drive in
24. Prepare a home cooked meal for Chris every night for an entire week
25. Go to a Bed and Breakfast
26. Go on a couples retreat
27. Go to NYC with Chris
28. Support and Encourage Chris daily
29. Have a daily Bible study and prayer time with each other
30. Buy a small gift for Chris once a month (0/33)
31. Go hear Chris sing -- 6/21/2009

    For My Family

32. Enjoy a trip to the beach with the family -- August 15th - 23rd 2009
33. Go on a family picnic
34. Buy another home (or build)
35. Camp out in the house with Chris and Colton
36. Spend a day watching movies with Chris and Colton in our PJ’s
37. Go to a Pumpkin Patch as a family
38. Make a Gingerbread House for Christmas
39. Go to Disney World
40. Have another Baby
41. Go to the movies as a family -- July 5th 2010 (Toy Story 3)

    For My Mind

42. Learn more about photography
43. Read 5 good books (5/5) -- My Sister's Keeper, Denise Jackson's It's All About Him, Last Song, Dear John, Twilight
44. Watch ten new movies (10/10) -- The Proposal (New Favorite Movie!!), The Time Travelers Wife, The Blind Side, Night at the Museum, UP, Couples Retreat, Dear John, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Letter's to God, Date Night
45. Read the Twilight series books -- Twilight (5/2010), New Moon (7/2010)

    For My Soul

46. Start a prayer journal
47. Watch a sunrise
48. Read the entire Bible
49. Join a Bible Study -- Started going to a women's Bible study at Gordo on 1/5/2010
50. Help with Vacation Bible School at church -- Week of 6/9/09
51. See The Nutcracker during Christmas.
52. Visit friends we haven’t seen in a few months
53. Find at least one ministry to serve in and be actively involved.
54. Go on a Mission Trip
55. Attend a women’s conference
56. Complete 5 Bible Studies (1/5)

    For Others

57. Make a meal for a family that has had a loss or had a baby. (9/8/09)
58. Pay for the person behind me in the drive-thru (8/23/09)
59. Sponsor an Angel Tree child at Christmas
60. Send a care package to a soldier
61. Participate in Operation Christmas Child
62. Donate to an organization (time, money, items, etc.)
63. Write a letter to Nessa (child we sponsor through Compassion International)
64. Send someone a gift that they are not expecting
65. Donate 10,000 grains of rice through FreeRice.com. 2,920/10,000)
66. Teach a coupon class (3/6/10)
67. Have friends over for dinner

    For My Health

68. Drink at least 2 bottles of water a day
69. Walk/work out at least 2 times per week.
70. Go without caffeine for an entire week
71. Participate in a 5K

    For My Wallet

72. Start a Savings Blog -- 6/17/09
73. Go one week without spending any money
74. Establish a savings account with at least 6 months of income
75. Go garage sale shopping – 5/30/09

    For Our Home

76. Make a chalkboard picture frame for the house
77. Spend one day making meals to store in the freezer -- Monthly Meal Swaps
78. Plant flowers in the front yard. -- 4/10/10 (Chris and I worked outside all day long!)
79. Clean out the closets in our house (Front, Bedroom, Colton's and Coat Closet)
80. Cook a turkey

    For My Child

81. Take Colton to the Zoo -- 6/19/2009
82. Take Colton to swimming lessons -- 5/31/2010 to 6/4/2010
83. Start on Colton’s Scrapbook
84. Finish Colton’s 1 year Scrapbook
85. Pray daily for Colton
86. Go to the library with Colton
87. Say bedtime prayers with Colton
88. Play with sidewalk chalk -- 4/10/2010
89. Go to the Circus
90. Play on a slip and slide
91. Make Colton Root Beer Floats at home
92. Buy at least 5 Disney DVD’s for Colton that I loved as a kid (0/5)
93. Enroll Colton in preschool -- 7/14/2009 @ Northport Baptist Mom's Morning Out
94. Take Colton to get his first haircut -- 8/3/2010
95. Go see Disney on Ice as a Family -- 11/6/2009
96. Move Colton into a big boy bed
97. Play outside in the sprinkler with Colton
98. Go to Chuck E Cheese
99. Take Colton to CHOM
100. Keep a journal of letters to Colton
101. Take his pacifier away from him -- 8/1/2009
     
     Italics = in progress
Colored and Dates = Completed

Fun Filled Weekend!!

This past weekend was busy at the Whitaker household! Friday night, I had to go to a friend's wedding, so Heath and LeAnn kept Colton for me, so that I could go with Mom and Dad to the wedding. Colton loves Heath and LeAnn, but he especially loved their kitty cats! Poor Willow probably spent most of the night running away from Colton. Thanks Heath and LeAnn for keeping our sweet little boy!!! Saturday morning, Colton and I participated in a 5K at our church for Jess and a few other missionaries. Well, we didn't quite complete the 5K, we actually only completed about 1/2 mile, but we still had a lot of fun! We then headed home for a quick nap and shower before going shopping with Nana. Mom kept Colton entertained all afternoon so that I could do some shopping. Thanks Mom!!! Then on Sunday morning we headed to church and then we went to Logans for lunch and to Sams with Big Daddy and Nana. It was a nice busy weekend but we are sooooo glad that Chris got back home this morning. We love Monday through Fridays because he is home with us then!!

Update on Doctor's Appointment

I just talked to Chris and he said that Colton hated getting his shots!! Poor little guy! He now weighs 27 lbs and is 31 inches long!

Doctor's Appointment

Colton has a doctor's appointment this morning at 10am for his 1 year checkup. Chris is having to take him today because I'm working at the office. Pray that everything goes okay!! Updates will be posted soon!

Mother's Day

I had a wonderful Mothers Day yesterday with my sweet little boy!!! Chris was out of town singing in WV, but he surprised me with roses and a card Sunday morning, when I got home from mom and dad's house. Colton and I went to church and then we went to NaTasha's and Russell's house for lunch with Mom's family. We had a wonderful lunch (steak, chicken, salad, baked beans, baked potatoes, and ice cream pie!) and it was great to spend time with all of them since we don't get to see them that much during the year. Mom surprise me with a frame of Colton on his birthday and then on the other side of the frame was his footprint and handprint. I loved it! Thank you Mom!! You're the best!! Chris, Colton and I are so lucky to have you in our lives!

No More Formula!!

This weekend we switched Colton from formula to regular milk and we didn't have any problems! I don't even think that he noticed any difference and he is drinking it great! He now takes about 2-4 bottles (6 ounces) every day. Most days he will only have his morning and nighttime bottle and then there are times when he wants those other two bottles as well. Since he did okay switching to milk, I'm going to try to get him completely off the bottle by the end of the month. He does fine drinking his milk out of a sippy cup during the day, but he LOVES that bottle at nighttime. Cross your fingers for us! If you have any tips, let me know!

Any Bloggers Out There??

So, I love to know what is going on with all of my friends and their families. A few of my friends have blogs that I read every week. I love all the updates on their families, thanks so much for sharing!!! But, I was wondering if any of my other friends have blogs... If so, I would love to add them to my blog list. And if you don't have one, it's never too late to start!! I'm so glad that I started my blog a year ago, because it's wonderful to look back and see how much Colton has changed over the past year. It's much easier to keep up to date than scrapbooking and you can now even get your blog turned into books!! How neat is that!! I wished I would have started one when Chris and I first got married, but oh well. If you're interested in starting one and you need help let me know. Hopefully more of you will start blogging soon!! When you do, you better watch out because you will get addicted!!

Pasta Night

Colton, Big Daddy, Nana and I went last night to Mr. G's for dinner. I ordered the lasagna (my favorite) and let Colton have a few bites. Much to my surprise, he LOVED it!!! I could barely eat dinner because he was wanting more noodles off of my plate. He is getting better at trying new foods now and we are going to attempt to switch his formula to milk this weekend. Cross your fingers for us! Chris will be home tonight and tomorrow before heading out late tomorrow night for a singing in WV Sunday night. We're looking forward to having dinner with Heath and LeAnn tonight at Outback!! YUMMY!! And then Chris and I are going to the movies. (A first in a very long time for us). Colton is spending the night with Big Daddy and Nana and I'm sure they will spoil him the whole time he is over there!!

Kentucky Derby Birthday Party

Saturday night, Colton and I headed over to Adam and Charity's house for a Kentucky Derby Birthday Party for Charity. We had sooo much fun hanging out with friends and eating some yummy food!! Some of food included: Stuffed Mushrooms, Fried Green Tomatoes, Sausage and Cheese Dip, Deer Poppers, Redneck Caviar, and Shrimp and Grits... YUMMY!!! We all placed our bets on our favorite horses. We each had $100 to bet (fake money), unfortunately my horse didn't pull through... Maybe next year!!

The girls all ready for the Derby! Leah, Charity, Jane, Tara, LeAnn, and Lauren

Mommy and Colton .... Colton's First Derby Party!

He had so much fun playing with everyone!! He was the only baby there this year, but next year he will have 2 friends to play with if not more... (Jane and Lauren are both expecting in the fall!!)

Tannehill Pictures

Check out the new pictures of Colton at Tannehill. Go to http://www.hishandsphotographs.com/. Click on Portraits, Go to Proofing. Our password is Whitaker. Let me know what you think!

Here are a few of my favorites:

Pictures at Tannehill Park

Chris, Colton and I had pictures at Tannehill State Park Monday afternoon with Samantha with His Hands Photographs. Here are a few pictures that I snapped of Colton before we walked out the door. Doesn't he look like a big boy?? Soooo handsome in his big boy outfit!

We should be getting some proofs back soon from the photo shoot. I'll post some ASAP!

A Day at the Park!!

We took Colton to the park the day after his birthday for a picnic and to play on the swing set and slides. Chris and I grabbed some sandwiches at Publix and then we all headed over to Airport Park. It was such a pretty day with wonderful weather and we had the whole park to ourselves. After our little picnic, we let Colton slide down the slides and swing on the swings before we headed back home for an afternoon nap.

Colton eating Cheese Puffs (his favorite snack). Luckily I had a bottle full of water and a box of extra juice in the car, because I forgot to pack his sippy cup for lunch.

Sliding down the slide with the help of daddy

He loves the slides!!

About to head down!

Mommy and Colton!

Swinging with daddy! He loved the swings as well.

I love this picture of my little man!

Mommy and Colton swinging

Cool Dude in the car on the way home!

He fell sound asleep in his crib when we got home! He was sooo tired!!

Love this picture of his little behind sticking up in the air!