Are you ready for football season?

Chesson turned 1!!

I could write pages about our sweet boy. I mean, I just adore him. He is good natured, easy going, quick to laugh, and slow to become frustrated. Oh, and he's super chunky and perfectly squeezable! But, instead of sharing all he is doing, I want to share a bit of my heart. Because this week I have been reminded of how far our family has come in such a short time. (Of course, I can't resist adding in a few pics of our weekend!)

This has been a unique year in so many ways. It has been filled with new challenges that have made me a stronger, and hopefully a better, woman. I can honestly say I have seen God at work!

As most of you know, Chesson has an eye condition called Nystagmus. He was diagnosed at 5 months, and at that point he couldn't see more than 2 or 3 feet. He saw quite a few doctors, and we were just plain scared. We prayed, we had our friends praying, and their friends praying. Sweet Dana, our vision therapist, (who we now call our friend) came to work with him every week. Now, 7 months later, Chesson can see across the room!! He continues to steadily meet his goals, and Dana is going to come see us less and less (this is a bit sad...but, ultimately great news for Chesson). Corbin and I know this is nothing short of a miracle, and we are thankful!

I know we will continue to face challenges as Chesson gets older, but we will face those challenges with our hope in the Lord. He is good and faithful.

Thank you so much to all our dear family and friends who encouraged us this year....we needed you!

Here's to many more birthdays shared with our precious Little Man!

We Love You Chesson!!

My addiction....an update

Okay, so I know I've said this before, but it's worth mentioning again. I really can't believe all the money we are saving using coupons. Last week Harris Teeter was tripling coupons, and I was able to buy all of this for less than $5 (the pencils came from Rite Aid, but they were free, so I put them in the pic).

My new goal is to spend $40 a week on groceries. This includes our veggies, meat, Chesson's food, and diapers. I have succeeded the past two weeks, and we have eaten some delicious meals. This week I blew it, but we're having a b'day party for Chesson Sat., and I'm not quite good enough to feed 15 people on $40. (Although, I plan to be good enough one day.)

Some of you have asked how it works, so I'll try to give a brief explanation. I buy things when they are on sale, and I have a coupon (I use the coupons from the Sunday paper and a few from the Internet). This makes them free to nearly free. I stock up when an item is cheap, then I have it later when I need it. For example, I didn't need any dressing,but it was free. So, I picked up a few free bottles to put in our pantry. Later, when we run out, I won't have to buy it full price at the store. Corbin likes to make jokes when I come home from the store...."So this week we're eating cornbread and peanut butter, huh?" haha! It does seem a little funny to look at it, but we just stock up each week on the good deals. Now our pantry & freezer are full of just about anything we need to make a meal (rice, pasta, sauce, dressing, crackers, chips, salsa, meat, spices, muffins, etc). My biggest problem is that my freezer is too small to store everything. I also have a box that I fill to take to the nearby food pantry. Items that I get for free, but we don't need I put in the box (we have rice, toothpaste and shampoo coming out of our ears).

I wish I could say I figured all this out on my own - but, I definitely did not!! I took a class from a woman here in Raleigh - this is her website: www.theintentionalhome.blogspot.com.

For Dana....

...and anyone else who might be interested in Chesson's stacking skills.

Playgroup

Today playgroup was at our house. The kiddos pulled out every toy in the living room, only to realize those toys just weren't very exciting.

The most fun place was the tupperware drawer in the kitchen!! Chesson always perfers a spoon to a toy that lights up and sings to him. (Hmmm, maybe that has to do with his love of eating?) Today, I learned that it's not just Chesson. The whole gang relocated to the kitchen.

Again I say, why do we even bother to buy toys?

our unbalanced walker...

Finally, a little documentation that Chesson is taking a few steps here and there. He is becoming sturdier by the day.