The Swaringens

Jacob is 9 months old!!

2008-08-26T19:43:00.000-07:00

Today marks 9 months for our sweet adorable baby, Jacob. This past month has been a whirlwind of milestones. Jacob started eating "lumpy" foods (stage 3, which I mushed a little bit). He seemed to do everything all at one time. From rolling to sitting up position, then he started crawling...combat style, which Uncle Ryan and Aunt B would be proud of. He can also pull himself up to a standing position and walk holding on to furniture. I am telling you we are going to be in trouble in another month or two...walking, yikes!

He has been fussy this month. I thought possibly another ear infection (which still could be the case). But I was holding him up above my head and he has FOUR teeth coming in up top. OUCH! He says Ma-ma for me to get him out of the crib and Ba-ba when he sees it. It is sooo cute. He melts my heart. He got his first haircut today. (Jared didn't get hair til he was like 1 year.) He had sections of hair that were longer than the rest. He looks so handsome. I think he looks a lot like me as a baby.

I hope to post pics soon...

Another rainy day in Monroe, North Carolina

2008-08-26T19:34:00.000-07:00

The sound of rain is such a wonderful thing with the dry year we have had thus far. There were tornado warnings for the western parts of Union County in Waxhaw and Weddington. Jared enjoyed playing outside despite the heavy downpours we had at times. Since it is still warm the rain wasn’t too cold to be concerned about causing him to get sick. He was a mess when he came in though. Boys love dirt and puddles!

By dinnertime I was antsy to get out of the house instead of cooking. I am tired of looking at boxes! I have been packing up our stuff for about 5 days. (I ran out of boxes, so I am on a break.) We all went out to dinner at Chic-Fil-A which is Mack’s favorite fastfood restaurant. We got up to the counter and I asked Jared, “Do you want chicken or chicken?”. Being silly of course, he thought for a moment and said “Brownie”! (They were sitting on the counter, which actually worked as a sale since I went up and ordered a brownie a la mode for hubby and I to split while Jared played at the playground).

After eating our dinner, Jared played on the indoor playground with the other children. The fun was shortlived though when one of the little girls peed on the stairs. All the kids cleared out. Oh well…

A quick plug for CFA…Labor day (September 1) if you go in with any football logo you get free chicken strips. Wahoo!! Chic-Fil-A always has excellent service. I love how they say, “My pleasure” when you say Thank you.

Mack's 32nd Birthday

2008-08-17T14:39:00.000-07:00

My amazing husband, Mack, also known as SuperDad celebrated his 32nd birthday. Boy, he is soo much older than me (a whopping 16 days)! We didn't do anything too exciting. We all went to the mall to find a present for Daddy. We didn't find anything that day. After walking the Monroe Mall for a little while we decided to go home and have dinner. We picked up a pepperoni pizza from Pizza Hut.

Here are some pics from his special day...

I am very excited to tell you about the great deal I got on these Nikes. I picked them out all by myself and Mack liked them! The Monroe Mall gave out 10.00 gift cards to promote business for Back-To-School shopping, plus Hibbett Sports sent me a 10.00 off your 20.00 purchase coupon. So back I went to the Mall yesterday. These running shoes (orig. 85.00) were on sale for 49.99. Minus the 20.00 in free money, I spent 29.99 plus tax. Dinomite! It would have been nice to have found this deal before his birthday, but hey, Beggars can't be choosey!

Bath Time

2008-08-17T14:19:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics of my kiddos after bath time. Trust me when I tell you they needed it.

Jared LOVES to dig. NC red clay is very messy!

Jacob sticks his hand in his mouth after every scoopful of food or tries to wrestle the spoon from my hand when it is filled with food like peas or carrots!

Anthony is here!

2008-07-30T19:22:00.000-07:00

This morning my little sister Stephanie became a mom for the first time. Mom and Baby are doing great. Anthony was born around 10:20 this morning weighing in at 7 lbs. 2 oz. and 20 1/2 inches long.

Congratulations to Kevin and Stephanie!! We can't wait to come see him and hold him and give him lots of kisses.

Thanks to Aunt Patricia for the pics.

Fun with Family and Friends - Part 1

2008-07-29T16:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday...Jared, Jacob and I went to Concord Mills Mall in Concord, NC. We met Grandma Swaringen, Aunt Bette Anne, her son, Eli, Aunt Renee, her kiddos, Haylee and Wade and Aunt B's friend Sam. It was a great day spent shopping and talking with family. Aunt Bette Anne got some great deals at The Children's Place for Eli. We were later getting there then they were, so I missed out on spending any time there, but I made up for it at The Gap. I got 4 shirts and a pair of pants for Jacob for only $15.95. Babies grow so fast especially when they weigh in at 10.5 at birth! Jacob is in 12-18 months right now.

Three of the shirts are for next summer.

I forgot to bring our camera to take pictures of all the fun we had. After a few stores we all went to the Food Court to refuel. Jared could not wait to get to ride the carousel. I told him we needed to wait until Haylee finished her lunch. Finally the three of us got to ride. I of course got dizzy while standing in between Haylee and Jared. Haylee was so sweet to say, "Aunt Jen, you can sit down on that bench!" I told her I would if I could. Too dizzy to move. They also pretended to ride the little arcade-type of cars. It was very cute. Gma said they had to leave because there were other children waiting who were actually paying customers! We did some more browsing and shopping. Good ole' Sam took care of sleeping Jacob, reclining the umbrella stroller everywhere we went. Jared and Haylee are 8 months apart, so close to be the best of buddies yet fight like brother and sister. It is hilarious. Haylee is a very sweet girl who is going into Kindergarten this fall. She may look like her daddy but definitely got her smarts from her mommy! Just kidding, Chris ; ) .

Concord Mills is a really nice, clean mall. I have only been there one other time when it first opened quite a few years ago when we were just visiting. It still looks the same in my opinion as it did when it first opened. There were lots of places to spend money. The only sad thing was I wasn't able to use my BOGO free Auntie Anne's pretzel coupon :(

More Grocery Deals - Part 2

2008-07-25T13:16:00.000-07:00

I love shopping especially grocery shopping. What?! Did I actually just write that? Up until I started couponing and saving big, big bucks, I HATED grocery shopping. Just ask Mack. I would beg and plead for him to go/come along with me. Or I would simply order To Go meals.

I wanted to share my deals from last week even though I don't have any pics. I am not writing to brag but to give a testimonial of what the http://www.grocerygame.com/ has done for our shopping budget. I buy 2 papers a week, plus have a subscription to the weekend delivery for 1.33 per week. Walmart sells the Sunday paper for .99 which is normally 1.50. You can try the grocery game for 1.00 for all the stores in your area for 4 whole weeks. After that it is 1.25 for the 1st store then .63 for each additional store per week which you pay every 8 weeks. Plus for every 3 friends that you refer you get 12 weeks FREE! Please try it out and use my email jrswaringen@hotmail.com as to who referred you. Thanks!!

I am saving all this money by having GG and buying coupons. The more weeks you do it the more you save because your coupon file expands.

My savings last week...
Walmart - spent 3.06 saved w/coupons 21.00
                   10 packs of flushable wipes (Huggies) 1.64 ea
                    6 bars of kiddie soap (Johnsons) .94 ea
                    Small bag of jelly beans .50

Bi-Lo - spent 18.11 saved 24.65
             (2) 12 count boxes of Poptarts
              1 gallon of milk
              1 car freshener
              2 airwick refills
              4 glade refills
              2 glade aerosols
              1 glade candle set
              (I am addicted to smelly stuff. I have an OCD, this clearance sale with coupons really satisfied my needs for a long time.)

Harris Teeter - spent 1.35 saved 20.41
              6 Kraft BBQ sauces
              4 Spray n Wash

CVS - spent 6.34 Total before sale and coupons and tax was 34.72 (got 6.00 back in ECB)
             3 glade candle refills
             2 Lysol neutra air
             2 oust air sprays
            8 packs of Trident (which were totally free b/c CVS sale was BOGO free and they accept manu. coupons BOGO free as well)

Baby Food Maker - An Answer to Prayer

2008-07-25T13:00:00.000-07:00

I have been praying for sometime for a way to make baby food. I have done research and read about making your own. The cost for the jars and containers is a little high in my opinion. I have been stocking up when the grocery store would have them on sale along with my coupons of course! It was costing around 3.oo a day for the stage 2 which is not enough for him anymore, which doesn't figure in the cost for formula and baby cereal.

I did make Jared's food in a blender, but don't have one on hand anymore. Plus, the blender was so big and had to be cleaned constantly. I had read to make large amounts in the blender then freeze individual servings in ice cube trays. Well, there is not room in our freezer to do that, so...

I went to Walmart to see what I could find whether it be a mini-food processor or store brand baby food. Well, I found something I love...

It blends, mixes and even purees! The wand part twists off for easy cleaning. Fruit, of course, is easy to puree. Veggies and meat I add a little apple juice or water. I just wanted to share my little answer to prayer.

Harris Teeter Triple Coupon Day

2008-07-25T12:15:00.000-07:00

I have been waiting with much anticipation for the next Triple Coupon Event at Harris Teeter. Well it finally came! When we put Jared to bed he always asked, "Mommy, where are we going tomorrow?" Last night I told him we were going to Harris Teeter.

Well this morning came early here with Jared getting up at 6:20 turning on his bedroom light waking Jacob and me up. Mack? Oh, don't worry he was still asleep. "Mommy, it's wake up time. Can we go to Harris Teeter?".

After breakfast and showering we headed out to Harris Teeter. See, Jared loves HT because thay have racecar shopping carts, which are the best things for 2 boys in which to ride.

Hey Boys, are you ready to shop for deals?

Yippee! Let's go Mommy!!

(what I actually said to get Jared to smile was I would let him ride the "Harry the Happy Dragon" if he was a good boy!)

So...he got his reward. Although, he was disappointed a little, because he thought it went up and down like a carousel ride.

Jacob was not feeling well today-slight fever from either teething or ear infection which he is on antibiotic. When we got home I noticed he felt warm so gave him some Tylenol.

These are the deals I was able to find...

Deal List

5 bottles of Windex glass cleaner

1 bottle of Shout stain remover

1 Soft n Dri deodorant

5 bags of Utz snacks

2 small tins of potato sticks

(2) 2 packs of toddler toothbrushes

2 containers Hillshire Farm deli meat

1 loaf of Sara Lee bread

1 med. sz bag of M&Ms

1 pack of Kraft cheese

2 boxes of Luigi's water ice

Large bottle of spray starch

Suave conditioner

2 boxes of Uncle Ben's long grain rice

(not pictured-Nesquick ready to drink choc. milk)

(which Jared and I split on the way home!!)

DRUM ROLL PLEASE!!!!!!!!

I paid $5.05. I saved $75.80.

Happy 30th Birthday Patricia

2008-07-16T06:15:00.000-07:00

Thirty years ago I became a big sister to Patricia Rose. So many memories come flooding back of us growing up. I was almost 2 years old when she was born. We were inseperable, the best of buds. My friends were her friends. Where I went she went. Of course, as we got older we didn't always get along. It wasn't until I went to college that I really learned to appreciate her as a person more than just a sister. There is a special bond between sisters. We may not always see eye to eye but we would always have each others' back. Patricia is one of the most beautiful, smart, and strong women I know. I love and admire her so much for all that she has become. I'd like to think I had a part in making her the woman she is today. Of course it was our godly parents and strong faith in GOD that has made us who we are today.

Happy birthday Patricia. I love you.

I love all my sisters. This was taken at Mom and Dad's Christmas 2006. I was sick in bed with the flu.

Aunt Patricia with Jared

March 2004

(Stephen and Marcie's wedding)

Diaper Cake

2008-07-14T05:37:00.000-07:00

Our friends from church, Ryan and Katie, had a baby girl Friday named Lucy. I got a great deal on diapers from Food Lion. The newborn size was on closeout for 4.99 (half price). I received in the mail 2 coupons - 5.00 and 1.00. So instead of giving them two packs of diapers I decided to make a Diaper Cake. Thanks to YouTube I was able to watch a demo on how to make it. It was sooo much fun to do.

My supplies:

2 packs of diapers (spent 4.00)

2 8 oz bottles (spent 3.00)

small rubberbands (spent 1.00 for a pack of 500)

large rubberbands (already had on hand)

2 rolls of ribbon (spent 2.00)

silver tray (spent 1.00)

bag of candy (spent 1.00)

2 packs of floral pins (spent 2.00)

2 bouquets of flowers (spent 2.00)

double-sided tape (already had on hand)

So I spent about 16.00, less than I would have spent on the diapers if they were regular price!! If I would have remembered about my Gerber coupons for FL I could have gotten the bottles for free. Grrr! Oh well. It took me 45 mins. to assemble including the 5 minute tutorial.

Jared and Jacob

2008-07-07T18:53:00.000-07:00

Here's some pics from our visit to Grandma and Grandpa Swaringen's house on 7/5/08...

They're not professionals yet - here's Jared smiling, Jacob looking away...

...and Jacob smiling and Jared looking away,

so here's a Photoshopped combination of the two.

July 4th Parade

2008-07-07T18:41:00.000-07:00

Jen, Jared, Jacob, Grandad, and Grandmom enjoyed the B-I-G July 4th parade in Lattimore.

Mayor Alton Beal in a Mercedes convertible.

Jared scored more candy without getting run over.

Ambassador's "float" with Mr. Lockhart at the helm.

Fireworks

2008-07-07T18:28:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed fireworks over Cleveland Mall in Shelby. Granddad & Grandmom Blondo & Joanna came from Lattimore, and Grandma & Grandpa Swaringen came from a mile down the road. Jared held his ears almost the whole time, even though they weren't really loud.

Jared & Joanna

Grandad & Jacob

Nap Time

2008-07-03T13:18:00.000-07:00

Jared and Jacob sometimes take an afternoon nap together, esp. Thursdays since we get home late from church the night before. Here are some sweet pics...

Even Superheroes need a nap!!

Today, He was Batman and would not answer to anything else, so being the good playmate that moms can be, I humored him. Jared, I love playing with you, but next time ...can I be Batman?

If Jared is Batman, I guess Jacob is Robin... He was hiding since he was not in costume! He didn't want everyone to see his real identity.

I love this baby pose. He is such a sweet baby!

I was busy scurrying around the house cleaning and doing laundry, getting ready for our little weekend getaway to my parents' house for the 4th of July. I love this holiday and cherish our freedom. Happy Fourth everyone!!!

Walmart Rollback Deals

2008-07-02T10:14:00.000-07:00

We went this morning to get some deals on groceries, came home with some pretty flowers, too.

These are Angelines - 1.00 per carton. There were 6 plants per carton. I bought 9.

These are impatiens for 2.00. There are 18 plants per flat.

Impatiens spread so I felt that was all I needed for the flower bed we have.

Both of these flowers are annuals. The Angelines will bloom through the fall. The impatiens, I believe, just bloom through the summer. I have Zinnia seeds planted to fill the rest of the bed when they grow. My mom brought me back some packets from Erin's wedding. They were the wedding favors.

Here are the grocery deals...

5 Blue Bunny RW&B Bomb pops - 1.50 minus 1.00 off each w/Qs

Blue Bunny 1.75 qt - 2.50 minus 1.00 off w/Q

2 Stayfree Maxis were 2.84 - had a BOGO free coupon

3 Bertolli pasta sauce - 1.88 minus 1.00 off each w/Qs

2 OM hot dogs - 2/3.00 minus 1.00/2 off w/Q

The lunchmeat was free w/Qs which I had 4

It was a good day. I went first thing this morning at 8:30. Jared wanted to bring his "baby monkey" and push it in the umbrella stroller. I thought it would give him something to do so not to be bored. It was just more work for me. He kept telling me he had to keep moving "baby monkey is sleeping!" It was a perfect time to go, not too many people and ALL the associates were so nice. When we got home I put Jacob down for his nap then put the groceries away. Jared and I planted all the flowers, then played baseball then went for a short swim. The water in the pool was very cold.

Yard Sale

2008-06-30T09:24:00.000-07:00

Saturdays are yard sale days for Mommy and Jared. Jacob takes a nap for Daddy while he gives a voice lesson at our home. If we don't go to them we are usually hosting one! This past Saturday was a lot of fun. There were several close to home which was nice. Here are things we got...

Jared's Loot

He got a SuperFriends Cartoon VHS for 1.00, which he has watched like 20 times so far!

He also got a watergun (.50) and car (.25) that runs by itself (I think it is a Spiderman toy).

Jen's Stuff

I got a large basket that I will use for cleaning up toys for 1.00, a medium-sized basket with a liner for 2.00 that I will use to give a care package for a friend.

Also pictured: Holly Hobbie plate - Christmas 1974 1.00

Floppy hat from Talbots - .25

Pink hat for Mom - 2.00

4 kitchen gadgets for .25 ea.

Curling iron 3.00

Star nightlight for Joanna 1.00

Purse picture frame 1.00

8 Christmas placemats which are reversible for 1.00.

Yard Saling is soo worth it to me. For example, I got a replacement pitcher for an Iced Tea Maker for $0.50 that we got as a wedding gift in 1999. The old pitcher had cracked and eventually broke, so I used a gift card to buy a whole new unit from Target after Christmas. Well, that new pitcher melted from the dishwasher. I had checked online for a replacement but it would have cost the same with shipping as it would have to buy a new one. I came home with the pitcher and said to Mack,"This is why I yard sale!!" waving it in the air. He was happy because he loves Sweet Tea when the soda runs out!

Jared & Jacob in the pool

2008-06-27T18:59:00.001-07:00

Jared

Jacob

Eli's 1st Birthday

2008-06-18T00:57:00.000-07:00

Jen, Jared, and Jacob went to Eli's 1st birthday party on Tuesday. These pictures are from Renee's Facebook album, and though they were there for Eli's party, he isn't in any of these pics...

When I first glanced at this picture, I thought it was one of Renee and me from about 30 years ago. The carpet may have had something to do with it.

Jared & Wade

Haylee, Wade, & Jared

Jared at Challenger 3

Wade & Jacob

Jacob

2008-06-17T01:06:00.000-07:00

Jacob at 6 months old, taken with Joanna's cell phone.

A few pics from vacation

2008-06-11T19:27:00.000-07:00

We didn't take many pictures on our trip to VA/NY/CT, but here are a few...

Jared & Haylee

Jared at Grandma Bunts' house

Jared & Mark (2nd cousins)

Jared & Grandad Blondo

2008-05-17T20:04:00.000-07:00

Jared & Grandad Blondo playing baseball...

Darlington Race

2008-05-10T22:58:00.000-07:00

I (Mack) went to the Nationwide Series Nascar race at Darlington with several men from church. We grilled burgers, hot dogs, and chicken wings both before and after the race.

This was on our walk in from the car. We sat on the top row in the bleachers on the right. I had made fun of the guy (who was part of our group) in the blue shirt because he was wearing that headphone radio. It wasn't long before I was eating crow and used one of the headsets that someone else brought because the sound of the cars going by was literally deafening.

This was during qualifying for the Sprint Cup (the main drivers). Our tickets were for the lower level right on the track, but the view is much better from above so we all gave the "evil eye" to anyone who looked like they were coming in our direction to claim their seats. We made it until just before the race started until a 8-10 member family showed up for those seats, so we moved down one row.

Flyover at the end of the National Anthem.

Carl Edwards (60) and Clint Bowyer (2) started on the front row, with Tony Stewart (20) lurking behind them.

I've never heard anything louder than the sound of the cars going by at full speed when we went down to the lower level for the second half of the race. I took off the headset once as they went by just to see what it was like for those in the picture below without one.

The noise is L-O-U-D on the video below. If your speakers are turned up, you may want to turn them down...

Jacob

2008-04-28T00:17:00.000-07:00

Jacob at 5 months old...

Jared & Jacob

2008-04-22T00:09:00.000-07:00

Jared & Noah

2008-03-23T00:13:00.000-07:00

Jared and Noah after church Sunday night...

Jared at school

2008-03-14T23:55:00.000-07:00

Jared with his class on their way for their Easter Egg Hunt.

Jacob

2008-03-04T00:05:00.000-08:00

Jacob at 4 months old...