I HEART ALDI... LOL!!

So... until about two weeks ago I had never heard of Aldi (it's a grocery store). It just came here. I saw in the newspaper how cheap things are there ---- like a gallon of milk for $1.99. Oh my heck!!

Anyways, I went today for my normal bi-monthly grocery trip. We are a family of four and I normally spend $100-150 on one of these trips. I know... I'm trying to figure out how to bring it down and I just might have. I got to the store and had to put a quarter in a little attachment on the cart to get it out (I got it back when I returned it) and I thought, "Oh my... why am I here if they charge you to get a buggy?" Anyways... I got inside and went crazy. The prices were so good I bought things I never do. I got all kinds of snacks for dh and the kids; cookies, chips. I even got yogurt in the small containers instead of one big one and I got the kids a generic brand like go-gurts --- which they've NEVER had before. I bought fresh fruits to snack on instead of frozen. I got the nice skinny, yummy sandwich meat that is always so expensive and then all my normal stuff. I went through the checkout isle and..... $78!!!!! WHAT!!!!?????????? I LOVE THAT PLACE!!! I can't wait to tell dh tonight when he gets home. YAY!!!!

Just thought I'd share my wonderful grocery shopping experience. ;)

Our March Afternoon

We played in the sprinklers. A little girl, Gwyn, lives down the street from us and the bus drops her off from kindergarden right in front of our house. She always plays and the last couple of days the heat has been unbearable and it's only March!!! Ronni's little face turned bright red yesterday and she sprawled her little body out over my chest and Collin and Gwyn just sat in the shade. Both of them are very busy so that was pretty odd. It's only been in the mid-80s so I don't know what they're going to do when we get to July. Anyways... today we decided to hook up the sprinkler and it was sooooo much fun!

Here's Collin and Gwyn posing for the camera.
Ronni -- she was tired of the sprinklers. She thought the water was too cold ;) hehe

Here she is in her cute little swimming suit. She's leaving all of us on our own. She doesn't need water to have fun. hehe!

Collin and Gwyn posing for the camera... again. They did this a couple of times.

Here are the big kids pushing Ronni through the sprinklers on her little riding toy.

Collin's first talk

Collin gave his first talk in primary today!! YAY!! He did pretty well. He told the story of Jonah and the Whale. I had to help him out some. I asked him questions to get him going like... who is this? What did God as him to do? Where did he go? What happened next?... etc. He did well. He got a few laughs too. He was a goob and was soooo excited to give his first talk. LOL!! Silly kid. I just wish we had been given more notice. I got a phone call from the primary secretary yesterday afternoon asking if Collin could do it. Last week was conference so things got weird. ;)

March of Dimes March for Babies '09

Well everyone, it's that time of year again. We need help raising money to save babies. This is our fourth year walking in memory of our oldest son, David, who was born too soon. He passed away in our arms when he was five months old from complications. He never was able to come home with us.

Did you know that premature birth is the leading cause of newborn death in the first month of life? It affects half a million babies a year in the United States. Those who survive may have lifelong health problems. And premature births are on the rise -- up to 30% since 1981.That is why I am asking you to support me in March of Dimes WalkAmerica. Because premature birth can happen to any pregnant woman. In nearly half the cases, the causes are unknown.

The March of Dimes is leading the way to find answers by supporting research into the causes of premature birth. I am joining the fight, and so can you.Your support helps fund:-Research into stress and other factors that may trigger preterm labor.-Programs to educate pregnant women to recognize the warning signs of preterm labor.-Tools to help health care providers find better ways to detect women who may be at risk for preterm labor.Please join in and help fight prematurity. Visit my webpage and sponsor me in the Walk that saves babies!

Thank You!

My personal web page for donations is (or click on the link to the right) http://www.marchforbabies.org/smithlinda (you can also join my team there too if any of you would be interested in walking with me). Would you like to see what March for Babies is and why I’m walking?Click hereto see the video. I've also included a picture of David when he was four days old right after his heart surgery. He was only weighing about a pound in the picture and it's my hand with him.The March of Dimes mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.

I'm starting school in July!!!

Yeap... you guys saw that right. Hooray!! As most of you remember I dropped out of college after David died. Our savings was totally shot from 5 mos in the NICU and working very little b/c I spent a lot of time at the hospital (but I wouldn't change any of this). Anyways!! Paul and I feel it is time for me to start school again. He should graduate in May 2010 so he's almost done. We'll only be overlapping a little bit in school and mine will be online. I've done a lot of research and in the end it was between two schools but the cost of tuition made my decision for me. Well, there were other factors as well. I'm going to take classes from Western Governor's University that is based in Salt Lake City, UT. If you're interested in checking it out here's the link.

They use the competency based approach. I really like that. Instead of having to take a certain number of credits you must prove that you are compentent in that subject through tests, projects, or papers. You are given a test at the beginning of the classes and if you already know the info then you don't need to take the class. I thought it was a very cool concept. The tuition is really reasonable too!! Woo-hoo!! I am going to be majoring in elementary education. YAY!! I'm just soooooo excited!!!

It grew legs!

No, wait... it's just Ronni in the cat "house". LOL!! I noticed Ronni had gotten really quiet in the dining room and wondered what she was getting into. I walked in there and found this... =D

I took this picture from above. I thought I was helping her out but as soon as I got her out she climbed back in so she was wondering around the house like this. I had to stay close though b/c she kept running into walls. LOL!! Silly girl!

HAIR CUT

Too many curls!! But I do love it! I feel more stylish. hehe! It's also easier to handle and cheaper to take care of... not as much shampoo and gel needed to control it. ;) I do straighten my bangs but everything else is natural for those of you who are wondering.