The BIG 3 0

What a fun birthday!!! Jill and Brett decided to surprise me for the big day and get me a cake!
We had doll cakes when we turned 2,3 or 4 can't remember and I just loved them! So Jill and Brett thought we needed to have the same cakes again! Darla Lee made the cakes for us and I think she had a fun time making them. If you don't know who Darla is, I use to work with her. I told her how much I liked the cakes and when Jill called I'm sure she laugh!

Jill can't wait to eat this cake!! Neither can her kids.
Zekke and Titus had a lot of fun keeping it from me and Jill was happy they didn't let the cat out of the bag!!
I was surprised and still laugh that Jill knew how much I liked our doll cake's growing up.

Big Boy!

Josh loves food!!

If you even look like you have something he could eat he will open his mouth. We now eat 2 big boy meals a day. We eat green bean, carrots and prunes! He has also tried bananas and made a funny face. Aunt Jill loves to give him things to try because he will do just about anything, so she gave him a sippy cup the other day and he drank out of it like a pro!

Josh and his mom would also like to say hello to all the Parkview gals we miss you!!!

WE'RE DEBT FREE!!!!!

I wired the final payoff to the credit union today and that finishes off all our debt except our house! We've been working on the Dave Ramsey plan for several years, but only really got serious about it when we moved to KS. Since January 2007, we have paid off $44,473.79 in vehicles, credit cards, and student loans. I used to say that I would always have a car payment. Never say never. That's back when I was planting a lot of stupid. The last time I was without a car payment, I was 14 and it was 1990. Good ridence. The next step is to save our 3-6 month emergency fund and fully fund our investments. At that point, we're going to spend some money remodeling our house and then work hard to pay it off. My new goal, which is more attainable now than ever, is to say "I don' t owe anyone a dime". Some of the new things that I've learned over the last 24 months:

It feels good to tell the credit card company to "stick it".
I can survive with only a debit card, my ID, and my insurance cards in my wallet (been doing that for over 6 months now).
Sallie Mae has been taking her monthy cut for nearly 10 years. ADIOS, old lady!!!
Paid off vehicles get better gas mileage.
What's happening in the economy doesn't worry me as much.
I'm working more for the love of the work and less for the need for money.
The idea of a big, fat emergency fund brings me a great deal of security.
The last 24 months flew by, and we're getting rich slow!! And it's great.
I didn't always have the patience to get through it and wanted things to go faster, but we made it.

6 months old

Christmas day Josh was 6 months old, this was a very fast 6 months! We have so much fun with this little man and can't wait for the next 6 months. I would really like to make him a day old again and keep him a baby for a lot longer but I guess that can't happen.
Josh is now eating baby food and is a lot more vocal. He still is a very calm kid and will not make too much noise. Loud anything still gets him upset but he is doing so so much better. Large crowds seem to be the big thing but he did do really well over the holidays!
His first Christmas was a lot of fun and it was more fun to get to have one with each set of grandparents! My mom had fun getting all the babies outfits that looked like. While Matt's parents had fun with a new grand baby and his first Christmas. What a spoiled boy we had by New Years!!
Joshy had a Santa outfit I put him in Christmas Eve and the older kid thought it was funny. He did stay up a little late Christmas Eve and tried to see Santa but we told him he can't come if your awake! All in all it was a blast for the first six months!

Merry Christmas

Please help me she has me dressed up again!


Merry Christmas everyone!

Joshy looks like he really likes his outfit.
He is more interested in the box than what
we are trying to do. He would not help us
out and get a good picture for the big day!

The Flu!!!

We have had another long week of the flu. We started getting the flu two weeks before Thanksgiving with Joshua and we still have it. This time lot’s of throwing up. I didn’t know a baby could throw up so much! He is on the mends, we took him to the Doctor and he has swelled up tonsils and ear infection. We can’t seem to kick it I guess he just has to get exposed to all of that stuff sometime in his life. I thought I was doing a good job with the germs but I guess I’m going to go in over drive now. My new thing at Walmart is to not even uncover him so people do not touch him. I know he is cute but just keep your hands off of him. I know this is our biggest problem people LOVE to touch him on his chubby cheeks then touch his clean little hands. Well if they thought about it at all they should know he will put his hands right into his mouth! That’s after they have touch every dirty cart and item in Walmart. I could go off on germs all day long and that people don’t even think when it comes to babies and what a small germ can do, I think you get my drift! So he are a few pictures of Joshy in the shower trying to get a little steam in the nose!

Santa

Josh and Maddix see Santa for the first time!! Josh didn't make it thru the line before he fell asleep. Both boys had fun and didn't ask for a single thing.