Life lately...

I am terrible about taking pictures of the newest little Zuniga. Here are a few. He is filling out quickly, as all our babies seem to do. He has a check up on Monday so we will see how much he weighs. He will be just shy of 8 weeks. My guess is 14lbs.

Here we have the brood, minus two cute pups. The kids always refer to the dogs as if they are their brothers. According to Sydney I have 6 children, she thinks it is just great!

We had to capture this cute little grin.

Jaclynn's birthday this month was stretched for about a two week period. She didn't mind celebrating with all of the different family members though. Here she is enjoying part of her new baby doll set. She has on her baby carrier, just like mommy's. Oh, and I can't for get the new hairband. That was part of her gifts from Nana and Papa. We all try so hard to help the poor little thing with her lack of hair, but nothing seems to cut it!

Sydney with one of her favorite animal friends.

Calvin and mama

Dogs enjoying a nap inside on a rainy day.

A very proud big sister.

Since they are considered "kids" I had to put some cute dog pics in too.

Last mega rain fall, Steven and the kids worked on a building project. They made the dogs their own little dog pen inside the garage. It has worked out perfectly for their house. Big kudos to Steven who successfully built an awesome space for the dogs all the while actually letting the kids help. I am proud of my man, what can I say!?!

Ballet practice with instructor Sydney and student Jaclynn.

February has been a great month so far, full of birthday celebrations with family. We have at least 10 (But I think there's more)birthdays in the month of February.

I celebrated my 29th yesterday and it was wonderful! Lunch with friends, a walk to the park, gorgeous flowers from my hubby and a special dinner date just he and I (thanks to my dear friend Bethany who braved 6 kids 6 and under and is pregnant too!). It was a great way to start my new year. Thank you to everyone for all the special birthday wishes!

Feeding Fifteen

Since August, every Monday night we have the privilege of hosting our home group from church for a bible study. After about a month of our group meeting we realized we had no problem getting together each week, we all enjoyed each others company and we sure could spend hours upon upon hours talking and encouraging each other. So, back in September Steven and I decided to commit to feeding everyone before our bible study to extend our time of fellowship and build even deeper relationships. Now we all know I LOVE to save money and most of you know I have a big heart for serving and entertaining just about anyone. ( ok, I admit it, it's actually anyone!) The problem is, feeding lots of people, lots of food, lots of times is difficult to do when on a tight budget. But alas, the Lord does provide. And each week He provides again. We have taken a huge leap of faith as far as incorporating a meal for many every Monday night without increasing our grocery budget. It has been a fun journey for me to trust that somehow God will use me to provide a delicious dinner for usually 15 but anywhere from 12 to 20 people. Sometimes it is a challenge and I have to dig deep, literally in my freezer and pantry, to come up with something but so far I haven't heard any complaints(thank you for not complaining directly to me!) and no one has gotten sick! Each week I am going to try and post about what is being served up and how God has faithfully met our need once again.
This week we are having BBQ chicken salad with some sort of bread I pulled out of the freezer. I score bread for usually about $0.75 - $1.49 a loaf in the clearance section at Ralphs and Sprouts. I NEVER pay full price for bread( unless I see sourdough on sale and it is not in the clearance basket, I am completely addicted). I bet since all the grocery stores I have been to have a clearance basket or shelf, yours does too. Look for it and see what you can find.

Babies

This photo is heart wrenching. These precious little ones are napping on a tarp void of a mothers care and even basic necessities. They are housed outside, on the grass near the collapsed orphanage they once called home in Haiti. How in the world can groups like UNICEF and The Red Cross say that closing all adoptions in Haiti right now is the best option? Please pray for the children in Haiti, and throughout the world, that the right doors would open so that they would be placed in the homes of loving families.


CLICK ON PHOTO FOR FULL VIEW

Today...

Jaclynn was looking at a book about the ocean and I asked her what her favorite kind of fish was. Her response, " A peanut butter fish!" I paused for a moment and thought about it. Then said, " Oh, a jelly fish?" "Yes" she said. It made me laugh.

Jaclynn Grace

Celebrating her birthday this morning with a special birthday breakfast

Napping with her big brother. She loves this guy a ton!

Practicing ballet with Sydney.

Being goofy as usual!
Today Jaclynn turned two. Steven and I still don't know how it has been two years since she was born. Time really does fly doesn't it?
Jaclynn is the sweetest and silliest little thing. She has got a sassy personality and quiet the sense of humor. It's fun to watch your baby go from exactly that , a baby, to a talkative curious two year old. At the same time, it is sobering because it reminds me that she is growing out of this sweet little age and into a young lady. The time passes so quickly. My prayer is that I will guide her lovingly, as the Lord wills it, and that my efforts will bring glory to Him through her little life.
I love you #3!

The Real World

As I sit in my home sipping coffee this morning and browsing the internet for truth about the horrors of the disaster in Haiti I am humbled. Humbled because as I do this my children sit inside their warm, intact home playing with play dough and just enjoying a carefree morning. In the real world there is heart break and devastation, hopelessness and death. I mourn for those experiencing such extreme loss and continuously thank God for His amazing grace.

A few days ago I received an e-mail from an organization called Vision Forum. The president of Vision Forum, Doug Phillips, went out on a mission to Haiti to bring hope to the people devastated by this disaster. His mission is noble and his efforts seem to be more effective than what the mainstream media is saying. He is determined to share the love of Christ with the people there and to pair orphaned children with loving christian families. Here are links to his video field reports and to his facebook page. Become a fan of Rescue Haiti's Children and see how God uses this team to impact the lives of the Haitian people.

This week at Walgreens

So I am getting back into coupon mode. I am trying to build up my register rewards at Walgreens and my Extra Care Bucks at CVS. I am starting from nothing again so we will see how long it takes me to gather up a nice stash of coupons and "free money" for all the drug stores. Gregory and I headed out yesterday for his first coupon shopping experience while Steven took the kids to Disneyland. I saw there were some pretty good deals on toothpaste and oatmeal, two things we use/need so I thought I would work a deal with that. Here is how it worked.
Transaction#1
Bought one thermacare neck wrap travel size at $2.49 with $2.49 Register Rewards
used $1.00 coupon here
paid $1.71 oop
received 2.49 in register rewards

Transaction #2
colgate $2.99 with $2 register rewards
used $0.75 coupon here
Quaker oats $3.00 each
used two $1.00 coupons here
stack with walgreens quaker oats coupon from their add to get them for 2 for $3
buy one walgreens household gloves at $0.39 with the in ad coupon as a filler
used $2.49 RR from previous transaction
paid $1.43 oop
got back $2.00 in RR

Transaction#3
thermacare neck wrap at $2.49
use $1.00 thermacare coupon
hallmark ornament as a filler $1.00
use $2.00 RR from previous transaction
paid $0.80 oop
got back $2.49 in RR

Transaction#4
colgate use $0.75 coupon
household gloves at $0.39 as a filler
use $2.49 RR
paid .43oop
got back $2.00 RR to use on my next visit

So total oop $4.37
total saved after coupons register rewards and sales $32.30

The reason for the order of the transactions is you can't use a RR for the same product you received it for. I couldn't keep buying toothpaste with my Manufactures coupons and the stores RR for the same product. That is why you have to swap back and forth so that the RR will print out to use for the next transaction. The filler items are so you have the same number of coupons as you do products. The computers at walgreens won't allow the transaction through unless the number of products equals or exceeds the number of manufacturer's coupons and RR. The in ad coupons don't count for this. I know it can be confusing but once you figure it out it is so worth it! Good luck!