Saturday, May 31, 2008

***MY BLOG IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION SO PLEASE BE PATIENT!!!***

Friday, May 30, 2008

My mind is running a little blank right now...but I promised some people I'd post some pics by tonight so I'll also try to think of things to write about too!! Well today was the last day of school. It was a very emotional day for Shaylee as she said goodbye to all her friends. There's also a very SLIGHT possiblity we might get into a bigger rental house in the next couple of day so she was really emotional about having to move to a new school next year, as well as have to change wards again. They only have 2 wards here, and we've been in each ward twice!! Yes we have moved around a lot in this city/town! Cayden finished Joy School last week. Right this minute, Shaylee and Cayden are playing with the baby monitor, making scary/weird noises through it!! Addisyn is in her bouncy seat next to me...but doesn't look like she's going to stay happily occupied for too much longer!! She is still very bald...poor baby girl! She is also a pretty big, heavy girl! She is in the 93 percentile for her size!! I have been making Addy another dress, well actually I'm working on two right now. One is made out of a thicker thread and it is red, and the other dress has a crocheted top (which I've already made), and I have to sew the skirt part, then connect the two pieces. I saw that the Gap sells these type of dresses, and then I ran across a pattern for it on the internet...so cute. I'll post pics when I'm done with them. Well here are some recent pics of our family!! The first three pics would have been a little easier to take if I had a tripod...I'll invest in one eventually!










Here are the sisters just hanging out!

Addisyn LOVES to laugh and smile for you if you give her your attention!

Our Joy School Group (all of us moms took turns teaching)...this is "Graduation"! You can go to http://www.valuesparenting.com/ if you are interested in trying out their curriculum! Yes I know I look like a proud cheezy doofus...I was making that face because everyone was trying to take pics and Cayden kept dropping his hat...on purpose!!




Since Addy's not growing enough of her own hair fast enough...we decided to help her out!! (Shaylee got this at the dollar store and wore it to school one day in her ponytail!)


My little Superhero


Addy must have a lot on her mind by the way she's staring off into space

Friday, May 16, 2008

EBATES

Hello my family & friends!! So...a few years ago I signed up on Ebates.com and never really used it because I kind of forgot about it. Well I do the occasional online shopping so I started going through my ebates account. Ebates.com has pretty much every store that you normally would shop at online. Just find the link to the store, click on it, and a percentage of your total purchase will automatically be recorded on your Ebates account. Quarterly you will get a check...or it can be automatically sent to your paypal account if you have one for that amount (there is a minimum amount though, it's like $10 I think, before they can send the check out)! Anyway, yesterday I got my "Big Fat Check" (that's what they call it) for $13.79 sent to my paypal account! Ya it's a small amount...but it's nice to get a little money back right? That's as good as using a coupon! (And yes you can go through ebates and still use any coupon codes you have for the stores)

The point of me bringing this up...is that now through June 30th you will get $10 just for signing up on your account (I only got $5 back when I signed up). You also get $10 for every person you refer. If you refer 2 people though, you get $20 on your account PLUS a $10 Target Gift Card!! Now I only get the referal bonus after you actually make a PURCHASE...but if any of you do online shopping, this is nice to use and it will benefit you AND me :-)

Go to this link for the bonus $10. By the way, Ebates doesn't cost you anything and you don't get spam from it or anything...it's just a website/program made to save you money!

http://www.ebates.com/referral/0508bonusosu.htm?referrerid=OPbD%2Fxp%2BlvGUfW3wXJviYA%3D%3D

And PLEASE put me as the person who referred you!!
MICHELLE CAUDLE
BINGOBLUE@HOTMAIL.COM

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In other news...I've been teaching Shaylee to play the piano since I finally got a piano...AND the Alfred books I wanted to teach her out of. Well while teaching Shaylee, it's inspired Tyler to teach himself!! He's like Shaylee, SLIGHTLY impatient & A BIT stubborn...so he asks me for occasional help, but he's actually doing a really good job on his own!!! He's been teaching himself how to play "Called to Serve" in the Simplified Hymn book. Just a minute ago while practicing, he made the comment "I don't have a 7th finger!! This is CRAP!" HAHAHAHA...he keeps making funny comments like that to himself. Just now he said "Someday I'm going to BLAST through this song...no-handed even...I'll play it with my NOSE!!" Too funny. I love my husband. There's not a day that goes by that he doesn't make me laugh...HARD!!!

Addisyn had to have 3 shots in the leg today...and also an oral vaccine...so she has been extremely fussy (her cry really sounds like she is in pain...I just gave her baby tylenol a little while ago) this evening so I better end this post. Have a great night!

Friday, May 9, 2008

Addy's Blessing



I COMPLETELY forgot that I didn't tell ANYONE that Addisyn was blessed last Sunday (May 4), until I pulled up the pictures!?! I haven't taken any really good shots of her in the blessing dress (the one I wore when I was blessed!) in the beautiful blanket my mom made for her...I better do that soon because she BARELY fit into the blessing dress!!! She was beautiful in it though...and everyone at church made sure I knew it! I was so happy my mom saved my dress and that Addisyn fit in it! I also need to seal it in a bag in hopes that it will be in good condition for her to use for her baby someday if she wants. This was Tyler's first time getting to bless one of his babies, so he was very nervous but he did a great job. His dad was in the circle, along with our home teacher, the bishopric, and a couple other men in the ward. I have to say that the best thing about blessing your baby on fast Sunday, is that then you can share your testimony, which is what I did. Several people mentioned in their testimonies how extra wonderful and Spiritual it is on Sundays when a baby is blessed. I felt that myself, but I guess I didn't really realize how wonderful it was to other people to get to witness my baby being blessed. I was very happy to share that day with our ward family!! Tyler's mom was there also, along with his sister Stacey. It's hard being SOOOO far away from the rest of our family...especially because Tyler's family and my family produce the CUTEST nieces and nephews and we don't get to be a part of their lives nearly enough. :-( Here are some of the photos we took to remember Addy's big day:



All I can say about this picture is What a BEAUTIFUL Sight!!!


The kids helping out with Addy before church


The kids with their Grandma Caudle. Don't ask what Shaylee is wearing...I had to break it to her that the outfit didn't match & that she needed to change! (This was AFTER church)


Tyler, Addy, and her Grandpa Caudle. Unfortunately we forgot to get pics at the church before they left, but atleast we got some at the house before I got Addy out of her dress.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Was this the biggest mistake I ever made!!

The kids love playing the piano...a little too much...and they fight over it. Isn't it funny how a child doesn't want something until the other kid has it? Then it's fight to the death. I obviously need to stock up on Advil now because I'm getting a headache. It doesn't help that we have a small house right now so you can't ESCAPE!! AHHH!! Shaylee is already practicing what I've taught her (we worked on sitting up straight, how to hold your hands (like there is a ball in them) and fingering to play cords, oh and what names of the keys are. Anyway, I'm still glad I got the piano...but sheesh!! :-)

A Spa Treatment and a Piano

So last year for Mother's Day, Tyler bought me a gift card for a 50 minute, full body massage at a fancy Spa here. I had never been to a spa before, and truthfully the thought of going to one really intimidated me....so it didn't get used til yesterday...a whole year later (I HAD to use it this week or it was going to expire). The gift card was transferrable, so I opted for the 50 minute facial instead, that was to include the facial, and a neck, shoulder, and arm massage. I will come out of the closet and say that I am a Homophobe. What does that have to do with anything?? Well that's why I transferred the services to a facial, rather than do the full body massage. That may sound funny to some people, but that's just the way it is. Maybe someday I won't be so paranoid and will try out the body massage!


Anyway, so yesterday my heart was racing as I left my kids with their Grandma Caudle, and headed over to the spa. When I walked in, it was pretty much what I expected...it smelled of many different "soothing" smells and was filled with upscale women in their 40's and 50's who wore just a little too much makeup. One woman stared at my flip flops while I walked in. "Dang it, why couldn't I have worn my nicer sandals??" I was thinking as she stared. (My husband thought the same thing about himself one evening when we went to the Olive Garden for dinner and he thought someone was staring at his flip flops...wow we sound like paranoid people, haha!) After the lady at the counter got my name, she took me downstairs to wait. This large hallway-type of area was painted with a dark chocolate brown, and the doors and entryways were a dark silver color. There was some weird music playing that was supposed to be more relaxing, but really it just made me more nervous. Honestly at that moment I wouldn't have minded leaving. I felt like I was in a fancy haunted house and that any minute someone was going to fly at me with a knife. I know this all sounds SOOOO crazy, it does to me too while I write it!! Finally I met the woman who was going to be doing my facial. She left while I put on my little button on towel and layed on this bed that had LOTS of padding and had beautiful dark, silky blankets that I was to get under. She came in and told me what she would be doing since it was my very first facial. I closed my eyes and tried to relax. All the different creams, gels, and masks that she would put on my face and then wipe off, smelled SO good. She mentioned she'd do some extractions since my skin isn't great, but I had no idea what that meant. I had my eyes closed when all of a sudden it felt like she was shoving a giant needle deep into my skin!! She did it in several spots where I had some small blemishes. It took everything I had not to cry!! (TMI I know, too bad) Also the music...still on the creepy side. After massaging my arms with a gel (and my neck and shoulders) she wrapped them in what felt like a gauze material (I had a hardening mask on at this point, with round things over my eyes (no I don't think they were cucumbers) and then a hot washcloth on top of those so I couldn't see exactly what material it was!) and then she put my wrapped arms in some long rubber-type of gloves that were heated. Before she left the room, she turned the bed on...it vibrated up and down my back for about 20 more minutes. By the time she came in and my 50 minutes had flown by, I was glad I had gone in that day. Even though it took me the whole 50 minutes to really feel comfortable there, I would definitely go again! My face felt so clean that I didn't want to put on makeup. The experience really made me wish I was rich and could afford that treatment monthly!!!





So that was my first spa experience. Now about the piano...


I'm a member of freecycle.org. On that website you can get emails of what people in your town are trying to give away for free, and you can also post things you would like to give away. I've given away many clothes, old books and picture frames, etc on that website. There is rarely anything that someone is offering that I'm dying to have, but the other day someone listed "an old oak piano that just needs tuning". HOLY COW!! I emailed the person back and by the next day I was at the woman's house with my hubby, someone's big truck, and 3 other guys to lift it!! (One of the guys was Tyler's boss, and the other two were his coworkers...all of which were on the clock except Tyler since it was his day off!!) It is a cute, shorter paino, and EXTREMELY heavy. Even with 4 guys they could barely lift it (it is oak afterall!!) and one of the guys was hurting a little afterwards, I felt so bad but hopefully Tyler will find out if he's okay today!! It is now sitting in my large dining room area. It has one missing wheel, the wood is chipped and scratched in places, and some of the keys are a little chipped on the ends. There is also one key that sticks, and another that the sound carries even after you let go of the key. It is also missing a knob on the cover...and the cover is incredibly hard to shut so it's better just to leave it open and let the kitty play on it at night!!?! (Actually she only played it a few times last night before I fell asleep) Despite the imperfections of the piano....IT WAS FREE and the sound the piano gives off is so deep and loud! I've been walking on air since before we even went and picked it up! I'm so excited to be able to practice again...even though I never liked to when I was younger! I'm glad that my mom made us girls take piano lessons though. I'm excited (and Shaylee's even more excited) to teach Shaylee to play the piano now. She's the age I was when I started...7. Right now I'm trying to bid on some Alfred piano books on Ebay which are the kind I was taught from.

Tyler is happy because I'm happy (about the piano) and I'M happy that I'm happy, so yes life is still good, haha!