My Girl's Weekend Away.

For my 30th Birthday, and Mother's Day this year, Gabe gifted me with a weekend away to visit my wonderful friend Heather in Eagle, ID. She is the friend who got married last August and Macy and I road-tripped to ID for the wedding. I looked forward to this trip for MONTH! This trip was to spend some quality time with Heather and see the house she has lived in almost a year already! I was in the phase of just feeling worn out, on repeat mode and needed a couple days off! I also had thrown my back out and it was taking eons to recover since I am pregnant and can't take anything stronger than a Tylonel. This trip was EXACTLY what I needed!

Heather picked me up from the airport on Thursday, May 26 and we went out to lunch and out to dinner, the next day we hit the spa and did everything they offered!!! Body scrubs, facials, massages, manicures, pedicures...the works! It was such a blast being off Mommy duty and spending such quality time with my friend. Heather is pregnant with their first, due exactly one month after me!!!! I realized on this trip how incredibly fun it is while pregnant to eat out for nearly every meal and have a menu of options!
Oh yes, and this is Rich and Heather's house. Aka Bed & Breakfast straight out of a Pottery Barn magazine. :) This house is unbelievable! SO big and beautiful, I had my own wing! The first picture shows what it looks like standing in the kitchen, the one above is when you turn around.
This picture is the other side of the kitchen.
This is the MOVIE THEATER downstairs!!!! We watched the American Idol finale in this room, and I have to tell you, it was the best tv experience of my life!

Stadium seating!!!

This was MY bathroom. I had a shower that had two heads, and was at least 10 feet tall.

Funny part of the house tour was when I told Heather my favorite room. She was expecting the theater, the wine room, the morning room, the kitchen. Nope. It was the laundry room! She said I'm the first person to ever say that!

I mean, LOOK at the ROOM!
It includes two "stations." A wrapping paper station stocked with all kinds of paper, bags, ribbons, tools... and another craft station to store anything creative. The storage is incredible. My couponing heart was thumping away!
It was a wonderful mini vacation! I missed Macy and Gabe terribly and after two nights away felt completely rejuvenated and my back was almost 100%. Helps to not lift a finger and only eat, laugh and get pampered for three days straight! Thank you Heather and Rich for your hospitality, I love the house!

A play-day in the sun!

We spent most of yesterday afternoon with Jamie and Mason. :) I've missed my friend, and Macy missed hers! Mason's Grandma stopped by shortly after we got there and unloaded a whole car full of presents. :) Mason calls his Grandma "Bawk Bawk" because her neighbors have chickens. I think soon he's going to call her "Santa."
She gave him this Black & Decker tool bench decked out with every tool you can imagine! So darling! Macy thought it was awesome, and Mason showed her how to "fix" stuff using his new cool tools. :)
Mason has been observing his Dad mow the lawn a lot lately, and promptly turned his lawn mower over, laid down on the ground next to it and started banging it with his new hammer. Macy watched, and acted as assistant.
Next, Laurie got out some serious bubbles. Mason tends to do everything a little "fierce" and took that blower and banged it right onto Macy's head. She had some rockin' hair after that episode. Sadly, she now thinks bubbles are hair-gel. :)


See the girls duck? Mason was an animal with those bubbles!!!


Here they are watching how you are supposed to do it.
Macy just kept fixing her hair. :)
The best was saved for last. Laurie pulled this little number out of the trunk and Macy LOVED it! It was a hot wheels with buttons that sang songs and said, "Turn left!" Mason was a little nervous, and liked to push it, rather than sit on it. Macy? Jumped right on that bad boy. She had the hair, now she had the RIDE!
Teamwork.

I think it's funny how many outside toys Mason has. He is so tan already, he's outside every day, almost all day long. Macy LOVES playing at his house. It's like a park with all new stuff that she can try out! I love that he has such boy things...it's good for her to have some variety.

Thanks for the fun day McConkeys!

Best shopping trip yet.

Disclaimer:For those of you who don't care about couponing, this isn't a post for you!

After an almost 2 month hiatus from shopping during my nauseous period of this pregnancy, then having one good week, and throwing my back out, my coupon trips have been few and far between. This week I've tried to get back in it since there were so many deals going on, and today I SCORED!

My friend Tanya gave me a head's up that pasta was on sale at Albertsons for $1/box this week (that sale is still going until Tuesday). I had 4 coupons for $1 off 1 box, and thought at that price, I'd better get some more! I ordered 20 coupons off e-bay, then another 20 after talking with a friend who said she would split with me. Then, I realized facebook had all kinds of coupons printing and Twice the Value coupons that would make even more boxes free! I've been going to Albertsons like a stalker the past couple days trying to score Twice the Values.

This morning Macy woke up with a temperature so we missed church and while Gabe stayed home with her during her morning nap, I skipped to Albertsons to cash in. The picture above is my haul. $124.10 worth of groceries and I paid $13.01. Total. That's an 89.52% savings! What a rush! The funny part is, I still have 40 coupons coming. Anyone out there who still isn't a believer, stay tuned, sounds like another class is in the works!

Macy got an invitation.

I couldn't wipe the smile off my face when I read an invitation for Macy, from her friend Ellie at church asking her to come to her birthday party! It was such a fun idea, Ellie's parents rented out The Jungle Playland in Mt. Vernon for a joint party for their son, Dan, and daughter Ellie. Because this place is enormous, they were able to invite every family they know with kids and let them all run wild for two hours!
Not only did it have (VERY fast) slides and ropes and swings and mazes for the older kids, there was an entire area for 3 and under with mini-everything. Macy started out there and played in the little ball pit...
She tried out the mini-slides...

and gathered several loose balls, of course!

This was the big kid's ball pit- there was a spot to feed balls into the wall and a vacuum sucked them overhead into a huge cylinder and at the end of the party, a Dad flipped the switch and the kids were all showered with balls that re-filled the pit. It was super fun!
They even had a room next door with a giant maze. It was kind of dark in there with weird lights and I carried Macy in, but she saw the other kids take off and wanted DOWN! She had such a great time at this place! What an awesome birthday party, thanks for inviting us, Ellie!

Sun is FINALLY out...which means a new wardrobe!

I heard today that this winter/non-spring has been the rainiest and grayest in 40 years. I believe it. The last 3 days have been beautiful, though, which means I was FINALLY able to let Macy wear some short sleeve clothes. She has such cute summer stuff, I think we were both excited to get her dressed the last couple days!






Macy really likes dressing up. She loves to try on her hats and pretend to put on shoes. Her latest thing every morning is to find a couple shoes, bring them to me and say, "Go? Go? Go?" How can you resist that cute-ness?

Another play-day

We spent part of Friday at the Burtons, after visiting with Bryce and Heidi when they got in and had dinner there. Heather (and my) friend Rachel came up from Stanwood with her 4 month old doll baby named Lucas. He was so cute! Every time Lucas was getting attention, though, Macy had to do something to make us laugh. This time it was to find Steve's hat and try it on and walk around like a scarecrow.
Look at these two! Macy is 16 months, Lucas is 4 months. Lucas is 20 lbs, Macy is 25 lbs. They wear the same size diaper (4), he's in 12 month clothes and she can still fit in 12 months! Hilarious!
It was very fun to remember having a baby that isn't mobile, smiles with only gums just at your voice or a funny face, and doesn't mind snuggling. I'm starting to get excited about doing the "baby thing" again...although I really love how funny Macy is these days too.
Macy loved the baby!
Again, needing some attention. Notice her shoes? :)

A new friend.

My friend Heather came into town for a visit this week and we got to spend the day together! It was a weekend of Heidi's, actually, since Heather brought this adorable new puppy over, named Heidi, the next day both my cousin Heidi and soon-to-be-sister-in-law Heidi and my brother Bryce arrived for a weekend of wedding showers! Macy almost can say, "Heidi" now, with all of that practice!
It was a crummy day for weather and when it stopped raining for a little bit, we went to our neighborhood parks and took both Macy and the puppy for a walk.