My most recent grocery trip

My latest trip to the grocery store I have decided is "worthy of the blog". Eric chuckled (and I swear he rolled his eyes) when I got home and started setting up the groceries to take a picture, but I was excited... so here it is.

Total at checkout: $169.99
Total I paid: $88.69
Total after a mail-in-rebate: $73.69! (That's over a 50% savings!)
*Plus I earned a 15 cent fuel reward!

Here's a list of everything I got:
5 California Pizza Kitchen frozen pizza's
4 bags of Rold Gold pretzels
6 boxes of Post Fruity Pebbles cereal
1 bag of Ruffles potato chips
2 bags of flour
10 cans of frozen juice
2 gallons of milk
2 boxes of Yoplait Gogurts
2 loaves of bread
2 cans of French's French Fried Onions, and
4 cans of Enfamil baby formula.

My average price per item was $1.85. The only things I paid full price for were the 2 bags of flour (at $1.66 each), and the 2 loaves of bread (at $1.50 each).

The guy behind me in line was staring at the screen and finally said "Man, I just keep watching the price go down."

I just smiled!

Sweet "P"

Sweet "P". This has become Paisley's new nickname. Eric called her this a couple of weeks ago and we thought it was perfect. It fits her! But anyways... I had my uber talented friend, Marcie, come and take some pictures of her the other day. (I would definitely recommend her for anyone needing pictures. To see her website click here.) She did a great job! And of course Paisley was the perfect model!











Thanks for the great pictures Marcie! And thank you to everyone who has helped out...we SO appreciate everyone who provided dinners and time to help us those first few weeks while we adjusted! We are so blessed to have the friends and family we do.

Sawyer-ism

After returning home from running some errands:

Grandma Mitton: "C'mon darlin, let's go inside."
Sawyer: " No I NOT darlin, I Sawyer!"

This made me laugh! :)

Family Pictures 2010

We were lucky enough to have some great weather so we took advantage and went out and snapped a few family pictures. We think they turned out pretty good! Here are some of our favorites.











I LOVE MY FAMILY! We are not perfect and we make mistakes, but I wouldn't want to be with anybody else. I am so blessed to have an amazing husband and he has given me two kids that are (in my eyes) perfect. I love spending time with them; laughing with them, crying with them, kissing owies, and creating all sorts of memories. Each one of them brings something all their own to our family. Something unique. Something special. And it is so much fun to see what adventures we will have each new day.

A little more

Here are a few more pictures of little Paisley. I forget how tiny they are. And now I look at Sawyer and he just looks so big! He has adjusted so well... the poor guy, his whole world changed in a few days. But he's taking it like a champ. He loves Paisley... loves to give her kisses, tickle her feet, and check on her when she is sleeping. As for her- she eats, sleeps, and poops! But what else can you expect from a newborn? She is absolutely beautiful and we can't get enough of her.

below: one of the rare moments when she is awake.


Sawyer giving her a kiss. (She is the only one that he will GIVE kisses to. Everyone else is allowed to kiss him but he won't ever give kisses to anyone else!)


This one's a little blurry (darn my picture taking skills), but it's one of my favorites.


Just another cute one!

Introducing...

PAISLEY ELLE MITTON!
Born: April 28, 2010 at 4:21 PM.
6 lbs 7 oz
18 inches long


(more pictures forthcoming)

Warm Weather and "Green-nics"

Is anyone else here in the Utah Valley loving this amazing weather? We sure are... we've been BBQ-ing and going to the park and pretty much just playing outside whenever we get the chance! I can't wait for summer to finally be here. And neither can Sawyer!
I need to be better at documenting all of the funny things that he does and the good times that we have. I am lousy and blogging and lousy at keeping a journal. But today I am going to share a few of the things that he loves, and hopefully that will be good enough until I can come up with some sort of system.
Today after church we decided that we should have a picnic in our backyard. The weather was great and we thought it would be fun to just be together as a family. So we asked Sawyer if he wanted to have dinner outside and have a pic-nic. Since we haven't had a pic-nic since last year, Sawyer has no idea what a pic-nic is and so he thought we had said a "pink-nic". He looked at us for a second and then informed us that he didn't want to have a pink one, he wanted to have a "green-nic". It was so funny! We tried to explain that is was a pic-nic and not a pink-nic but he was insistent on having a "green-nic" so we had one. Although when we threw down our big red quilt to eat on he told us we were having a "red-nic". I love how this made so much sense to him, and he was so sure what he was talking about! I'm sure that we will now have a summer full of "green-nics".
With only a couple of weeks until the baby gets here, I'm realizing that I'm running out of time with just my little boy. This makes me a little sad but he's going to be a great big brother- and we're going to have so many fun times with another little person! At 2 1/2 years old... here is Sawyer in a nutshell:
Favorite food: Pizza and lasagna.
Favorite movie: Toy story and Toy story 2.
Favorite color: green.
Favorite song: Jesus Wants me for a Sunbeam, Moon Song, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and the ABC's.
Favorite things to do with Dad: watch BYU sports, take showers, sing cowboy songs, shoot hoops, wrestle, hide, jump on the bed, and cuddle on the couch.
Favorite things to do with Mom: cook, help "fold" laundry, read books, and play time-tunnel under her legs.
He loves talking to grandma's and grandpa's, and aunts and uncles on the phone, playing with other little kids, going to nursery, and take car rides. He loves being outside and he loves all animals.
He loves to help do the dishes and put the soap in the dishwasher, and he loves to help vacuum.
He learns so fast and is always excited to try new things. At the park his favorite thing to do is swing. He would be happy to swing for an hour straight and not do anything else.
He is just starting to be more picky about what he wears. He likes to pick out his own pajamas and his own socks. He always wants to brush his teeth by himself.
He is definitely getting more independent. He wants to do everything by himself, from climbing in and out of the car, to buckling his car seat, to closing doors. He gets very upset if you try to do anything for him.
He is such a great kid- and we love him so much! We are so lucky to have him as part of our family. I'm anxious to see how he adapts to a sibling. I think he'll do great! He is so easy-going and brings so much happiness to our home. What else can I say but WE LOVE HIM!!

I swore I would never do this...

If you know me really well then you know that my new big thing in couponing. I have really gotten into it! And I swore to myself that I was never going to dedicate a blog post to the deals I'm getting. But today as I was dancing out of the store (that's right... dancing!) I knew I had to blog about this trip. I have to tell SOMEONE about the awesome deals I'm getting- and Eric just doesn't quite get into it like I do. So I'm going to tell whoever is reading this right now.

It's taken me some time to see results, but I am definitely seeing them. And I'm not like some couponers out there who buy something just because it is a good deal. I don't buy something unless it's something that I will ACTUALLY use. I guess I figure that if you buy something you don't normally use, chances are you're going to end up not using it- and even if it was a really really good deal- it's still a waste of money. But maybe that's just me. Eric always says that his grandpa used to say something along the lines of "If you don't NEED it, it's a waste of money- no matter how good of a deal it was." So I ONLY buy things that we use. And with couponing I buy ALOT of it now, so I guess you could argue that it's a waste to buy 5 boxes of crackers when you only go through 1 box of crackers a month, but this way I buy 5 boxes of crackers for pennies and then when I would normally have to go back to the store to buy another box for regular price- I just skip down to my storage room and pull out another box-- I'm mean, it's not like their going to go bad (unless a mouse gets into them or something)! I get things like pasta sauces, pastas, canned goods, jarred goods, dishwasher and laundry detergents, etc- and none of those things are going to go bad before I can use them. By the way, my food storage is AWESOME for a little family of 4! So this is my justification: if I can buy 4 times as much stuff for the same exact price- I'm going to do it!

So today I was able to get some AWESOME deals. Smith's has some major sales going on. So here's what I got



Total at checkout: $67.35
Total I paid: $17.44

I saved $49.91 on groceries today (which, by the way, is a 75% savings!) So how did I do it? By combining coupons with sales. Let's break it down! (oh my gosh I am so nerdy!)

Here is a list of everything I bought and what I paid for it:
* 4 boxes of saltine crackers: .69 cents a box!
* 4 bags of Quakes rice snacks: FREE- I paid nothing for these!
* 4 tubs of "I can't believe it's not butter"- .49 cents a tub!
* 5 boxes of Krusteaz cookie mixes: .49 cents a box!
* 3 pkgs of Solo plastic cups (which will be great for our baby blessing coming up
this summer): .49 cents a pkg!
* 2 Edge shaving creams: $1.25 each!
* Eggs (18 count): $1.89
* Milk: $2.00
* Bananas (not pictured): $1.50
* Tic-tacs: (which were for Sawyer for being such a "good boy while shopping"): .79
cents. (not exactly a great deal but worth it!)

Throw in some tax and I paid $17.44! An average of .67 cents per item! Isn't that CRAZY!!! I love it. Like I said I was dancing out of the store! They were even out of a few items that I need to go back for on Friday (stocking day) that will bring my average even lower!

Now not every shopping trip is like this. But I have noticed enough of a difference that I am going to keep on doing it. Maybe I'll keep doing little updates like this- just so you can see how great it really is- even though I swore I wouldn't. It makes me happy!

Catching Up

After a few months of silence I guess it's time to do a quick update. Here is what's going on with us...

* Lindsay is now working in the billing department at Alpine Pediatrics and loving it. (same company, new department).

* Eric just finished his first semester of his master's program and his grades are amazing!

* Sawyer celebrated his 2nd birthday last week! It was so much fun to watch how excited he was! We took him to Cabella's to see the "animals" (the fish are his favorite), and we had a birthday dinner/party with some family and close friends. We ate tacos-- which are Sawyer's favorite right now, and had cake with the greenest frosting you have ever seen!

* Our "bun in the oven" now has 4 outfits to call all her own. That's right.... IT'S A GIRL!!! Due May 2nd, 2009.

* Christmas is in full swing at our house. We got a Christmas tree for the first time in 3 years, put up our Christmas lights, got all the shopping done and the presents wrapped, and made our annual trip to SLC to see the lights at Temple Square.


I guess that's pretty much it. Incredibly lame I know, but none the less, it's there!
Here are a few pictures just because.


Happy birthday to my little bug.


Helping dad water the Christmas tree!


The beautiful lights at Temple Square!


Another one from Temple Square (sorry it didn't turn out very good)


Another one of Sawyer just because he is so stinkin cute!

Ready or not here we go.....again.

For all those of you who think this is a pregnancy announcement, well....you're right! Eric and I are expanding our little family of 3 to 4. Baby Mitton #2 is due the first week in May and we are so excited!!! It has been so long since I've posted anything and I'm going to blame it all on morning sickness (which is actually worse in the evenings, but whatever). If you have any foolproof remedies let me know. I wasn't sick with Sawyer so this is all new to me, and it is not fun at all! So here's to the next 7 1/2 months of heartburn, indigestion, swollen feet, back aches, nausea, throwing up, going to the bathroom every 10 minutes, sleepless nights, wierd cravings, crying for no reason, and hormones way out of wack....but in the end it's all worth it for that little piece of heaven! Wish us luck.

Bitter-sweet Moments

You know.... those times when something great happens but there are some not so great things that go along with it. I know that everyone has had these moments. Graduating from high school, getting married, pretty much any life-changing event has it's ups and downs. For us, here are just a few.

About a week ago we found a new apartment and decided for sure that we are going to move. We love the new place, love the area, love that we won't have to commute to work anymore, and just LOVE it! So what's wrong with this picture. Well for one, we are going to have to leave our little apartment that we have been in for the past 4 years. And you would think that after 4 years in a small 2 bedroom apartment we would be ready for an upgrade, but we've still loved this place too. We've had great neighbors, an awesome ward, and granted we do live in the "ghetto" of Provo, but the ghetto's been good to us. This place had seen us through Christmas's, birthdays, births, new furniture, new cars, lots of fun home decor, and a ton of other things that aren't so physical. So many good times were had, freinds were made, and memories were created. So yes, we are so excited about a change, but we are also sad to leave a part of the past 4 years behind us.

I was also released from Young Women's yesterday. I have been working with these girls for almost 3 years now. And when I first found out that I was going to be released, it was like a huge burden was lifted from my shoulders. No more mutual activities every week, no more stressing if I offended this girl or that, no more having to deal with young hormonal/attitudal teenagers. But I love them. I love laughing with them, crying with them, seeing them show up every week to be with us. I love that their testimonies have grown so immensely that they aren't even the same girls they were a year ago. And I think my favorite thing is watching as they finally grasp a concept that they didn't get before. It's like a light turns on and they think "Oh wow, I get it now!" I am going to miss that. And I am especially going to miss the other women who I've served with. They are truly amazing!

We are going to miss our whole ward in general. There aren't many families that have been there longer than us, and being here has been a great experience. I hope I can always remember the feel of the Freedom 2nd ward. You know, its easy to have faith and realize your material blessings when you are well off (not that being financially well off doesn't have it's hardships), but since we have been here I have seen people who have no material blessings. They have nothing. They cut their own hair, wear donated clothes, and have stop by the food bank to feed their families. I've seen so many single mothers, struggling to get by and not complaining about it. But they still come to church every week, and they still are so sincerely grateful for everything that they have. They are the examples for me. And to be honest, I'm a little bit scared to leave this place and go somewhere more financially stable. I'm scared that I will forget to always be grateful for the blessings that I have, even if they aren't the blessings I WANT. This ward has provided us the opportunity to serve in ways that we never thought we would. And we've been blessed for it. I'm a little bit nervous to give that up. But I am excited to see where I'm needed next...it'll be an adventure I'm sure!

I guess every good thing has to have it's opposite. And when we make decisions, we have to take the bad as well as the good. And just maybe, if the bad wasn't there, the good wouldn't seem so good. So I'm going to try and take the "bitter" part of the sweet moments and be grateful for it, because I think THAT is what makes it so sweet.

Anyone need a photographer?

In case anyone is wondering, the pictures of Sawyer that are on my header were done by my amazing friend, Marci. She did such a good job...especially considering what she had to work with! If anyone is interested in getting some done, her prices are amazing and (as you can tell) she does an AWESOME job!
For more information check out her web site.....you'll be amazed! (And yes, I did just use the word amazing/amazed 3 times in one tiny paragraph-- there's just no other word!)

www.jesseephotography.com

(I'd post a link, but I'm not that smart!)

Just Another Day in Paradise...

Eric and I have this song that we LOVE!! And I'm sure most of you know it! It's called "Just Another Day in Paradise". Written and sung by
Phil Vassar(who is an amazing musician!).We love it because it depicts real life perfectly and still makes it something that you want to have. Here are the lyrics.

The kids screaming, phone ringing
Dog barking at the mailman bringing
That stack of bills - overdue
Good morning baby, how are you?
Got a half hour, quick shower
Take a drink of milk but the milk's gone sour
My funny face makes you laugh
Twist the top on and I put it back
There goes the washing machine
Baby, don't kick it.
I promise I'll fix it
Long about a million other things

Well, it's ok. It's so nice
It's just another day in paradise
Well, there's no place that
I'd rather be
Well, it's two hearts
And one dream
I wouldn't trade it for anything
And I ask the Lord every night
For just another day in paradise

Friday, you're late
Guess we'll never make our dinner date
At the restaurant you start to cry
Baby, we'll just improvise
Well, plan B looks like
Dominoes' pizza in the candle light
Then we'll tippy toe to our room
Make a little love that's overdue
But somebody had a bad dream
Mama and daddy
Can me and my teddy
Come in to sleep in between?

Yeah it's ok. It's so nice.
It's just another day in paradise.
Well, there's no place that
I'd rather be
Well, it's two hearts
And one dream
I wouldn't trade it for anything
And I ask the Lord every night
For just another day in paradise

I am so glad that I get to wake up in "Paradise" everyday. Not the paradise that one pictures with miles of white beach, crystal blue water, palm trees, and an incredible sunset, but the paradise that I have right here. My family and all of the things that we go through. What an amazing gift I have been given!

Easter 2009

We hope everyone enjoyed their holiday... we sure did! We started off by going to church (well, half of church). Even though we have every Sunday to stop and consciously THINK about our Savior, it's nice to have a specific day that we FOCUS on Him and all He's done for us. I'm so grateful for the blessings I have in my life because of Him. In young women's we had an amazing lesson on the blessings of the priesthood, and I know that alot of women have issues with the fact that we don't get to have it, but I'm honestly so glad that I don't have to worry about the responsibility that comes with it. I just get the blessings without having to really do anything (granted I have to live worthy to recieve those blessings), but I kind of like to think of it as recieving a paycheck without doing any of the work. In some weird way that works for me!

After church we cooked up a delicious meal and headed over to enjoy it with some friends. And after that we put on an easter egg hunt for the kids. This was the first year we've done that (since Sawyer was only 4 months old last year). They loved it! We didn't really hide the eggs, we just set them out all over the grass for them to pick up. And the weather was AWESOME! It was so good to get outside after being cooped up all winter in our little apartment! I hope it keeps up! The "Easter Bunny" brought Sawyer a few fun little gifts. He recieved the movie Oliver and Company (it has dogs), Crazy 8's, some alphabet fridge magnets (which he likes to knock of the fridge and then laugh), and some candy! It was great...my 15 month old has smarties and chocolate for breakfast! And of course, once he had the candy he didn't want anything else! But he had a really fun day. It was full of yummy food, candy, new toys, playing with Emma, jumping in his crib, shooting basketball, playing outside, and wearing himself out! Definitely one of his top 10. Here are a few pictures to sum it all up.

Sawyer and Eric ready for dinner...


This was our Easter egg hunt!


This one turned out blurry, but of course, it's my favorite one!


Sawyer and Emma just picking up eggs.


After they had picked up all the eggs, they got distracted by a bunch of birds. And needless to say they forgot all about the festivities, all they wanted were those darn birds!


All three of us.


Sawyer and Emma doing their favorite activity....jumping in the crib (it's really quite funny, they jump and jump and jump until they just can't jump anymore!)


Emma giving Sawyer a hug. He wasn't quite sure what to think of it... but it was cute!


And Sawyer has finally figured out how to shoot at his basketball hoop from the floor. We used to have to stick it up against the couch and then put him on the couch so he could make it, but NO MORE!! What do you think....a future NBA star in the making? (Sorry- I am incredibly computer dumb and i couldn't figure out how to flip it it!)

Another thankful list...

I have a couple of friends who try everyday to post something that they are thankful for. I love reading their posts because it makes me realize how much I really have that I take for granted. Now I'm not going to commit to posting sonething everyday for an entire year (they are truly amazing), but I will take a post here and there to reflect on the things that I feel inspired to share.

I am so thankful that my child is VERY low key. I like to think he got that from me, but honestly, who am I trying to kid? He is Eric in every way...and I love that about him.

The past 3 weeks I have been trying to pre-plan a weekly menu, go grocery shopping specifically for it, and then stick to it. Surprisingly it has gone really well, and I am thankful that I have found a way to help me be more organized (it's budget friendly too)!

I officially finished my second online class a few weeks ago. I got a 98% on the final! I am so thankful for an instructor who very LENIENTLY graded my work. But I am really struggling with my last class. I am having a hard time staying focused and motivated, and as much as I don't WANT to do it, I'm thankful that I have the opportunity to expand my knowledge and learn something that WILL benefit me in the future. I'm trying not to stress that I only have 3 months left to finish it--where have the last 9 months gone--(even though regular students finish multiple classes in 3 months time). KUDOS to all the students out there!

I am so thankful to have friends that are willing to help out when needed. And along the same note, I am so thankful when people ask me for help when they need it. It's so nice to feel like I can contribute a small something to make someone else's life easier.

And lastly, tonight I am especially thankful for an amazing bed that I can crawl into, curl up in, and sleep in until Sawyer gets me up for another day.

Take a few minutes and think about the things that you are thankful for. You might be surprised at what you come up with!

Our Travels

It all started a few weeks ago. For my birthday, Eric got me a trip to Las Vegas! We decided to let Sawyer stay behind with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and dogs, and go child-free! Eric's parents decided to meet me halfway so I wouldn't have to drive all the way to drop him off. I stopped to see a friend along the way, and we ate Little Ceasar's pizza just like old times! Our boys played for a little while and then Sawyer and I left to battle the snowy roads. We finally got there and, since this was the first time I've ever left Sawyer for a prolonged period of time, I lost it (K- so I'm a baby anyways, but this was just too much, wondering if I would ever see my little boy again). Major dramatic! I sat there and cried for a few minutes, got it together, and headed back home. And everyond knows that when you are leaving on vacation, anything that goes wrong--WILL! I forgot to fill up the car with gas for the drive home (I blame it on my sob session!) and I ran out of gas on the freeway. Bone dry- out of gas! The car locked up, shut off, and I was just coasting as I hit the off ramp. Luckily, someone was watching out for me and help came. But this little problem ended up in a major car repair (a new fuel pump, a very large chunch of pocket change, and some more tears on my end. I just wanted to get the heck to Las Vegas! We stayed the first few nights at the Excalibur, went to the knights/jousting dinner and show that they do, got massages, shopped, swam, ate a LOT of food, saw a movie, hit the casinos, went to Hoover Dam, and had a ton of fun!


The state border at Hoover Dam


Looking straight down from the top of the dam


After we got back I headed to Burley to pick up Sawyer (he just looked at me for a while when he saw me, like he didn't believe I was really there). Luckily he's forgiven me for leaving him. And then we spent the rest of the week in Burley. For the weekend, we went to Pocatello and Idaho Falls to see more family. We had a lot of fun but it's so nice to be home after two weeks of constantly going. Now he's taking a nap, and I actually had a few minutes to update! Back to my once-a-month regularity.
Eric has been accepted to Colorado State for his Master's program! He will start in the fall, but he has opted to take his courses online so we're not sure where we are moving yet. We'll let you know when we decide.


My new haircut. It's also a little darker than before--I've never gone darker before, but it's growing on me!

Here is a little video of Sawyer playing with his new favorite toy. He is obsessed with basketball-- he LOVES it! Eric got him this basketball hoop to play with. But we've created a monster... he throws a fit when we make him stop (like to eat or something) it's unbelievable! But at least he likes it right?

Fruity-Pebble Goodness!

What more do I need to say?

Learn from my mistakes...

So I'm sure that all the women out there who are BETTER mothers than me know that you do NOT give a pen to a one year old. Even if you put the lid on so tight that there is no conceivable way that your child could get it off. I'm saying this because I have discovered that even if they can't get the lid off-- they will do other things with it, like throw it into your laundry basket (full of whites) to be discovered as your pulling your freshly laundered, ink-speckled clothes out of the dryer.
If this has ever happened to you...I'm sure you are laughing at me! But I do have a bit of useful information to share. Even though the clothes are beyond helping, the dryer still has to be cleaned so that future loads don't share the same fate. The best thing to use on this is rubbing alcohol. It takes it right off! I hope this isn't already common knowledge and I'm just the slow one barely figuring it out....but it really does work! Just make sure to wipe it down afterward so the alcohol doesn't affect the next load.

It's so unfortunate that we have to learn things the hard way, but I did learn two things today:
1. Don't let you child play with a pen and
2. Rubbing alcohol is essential for cleaning up after a child who does get a hold of a pen.

January Post!

WOW! It has been a really long time since I have posted...but, let's be honest--are any of you surprised?

We had a great holiday! We went to Burley for two WHOLE weeks. Of course, I didn't get ANY pictures. Poor Sawyer isn't going to have any photos of Christmas this year. I've really got to be more on the ball! We played with family, stopped at all the good food joints, and enjoyed being done with school for a while....YAY! That's right- Eric is finished with his bachelor's! We never thought we would get here, but here we are!

Eric (by a miracle) found a job for the next few months until he can start up at the caves again. He was able to get one class waived that he had completed (but never signed up for) for his internship (which meant that we didn't have to pay tuition for it!). And we've realized that the Lord is definitely watching over us more closely than we thought. It seems like everything has just been handed to us. I am so grateful that He is mindful of our wants and needs. And I'm so grateful for the answers to our prayers!

Sawyer turned one in December! I DID get pictures of that, but I haven't transferred them to the computer yet so unfortunately there won't be any on this post. But he a had a ton of fun! And he LOVED the cake! He's walking now. He never stops...and he's figured out that his new favorite word is NO, (maybe I've been saying it a little too much?) and he is getting a lot more independent! But we love him more than anything.

We hope everyone had a fun holiday! Maybe next month I'll finally get this Christmas background switched out for a new one...but no promises!