Our Elephant Memories

When we visit the zoo, our kids, by far, enjoy the elephants the most. ‘lil Miss A’s first real word (at 2 months old, and I can’t make this stuff up) was “Ellie”. (Granted, she didn’t speak a peep again for a LONG time.) ‘lil Man was captivated on this last trip, staring for minutes on end and waving (as if the elephants could see him). One of the best things that the Zoo offers is an opportunity for a photo with one of the elephants. We’ve taken the chance twice now, and will probably continue to share a “progression” as the kids get older.

Here we are in 2010, the summer I was pregnant with ‘lil Man:

And here we are last Friday:

Wordless Wednesday: Our Easter Slideshow

(In addition to the photos below, check out our Easter album on Flickr!)

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We Love the Birds

…and that’s why we became members of the National Aviary for Valentine’s Day, and went back to visit for Mr. Burgher’s birthday. Unfortunately, ‘lil Man was not himself, so most of the trip was enjoyed by A. I was able to test out some photos, and would rather share them with you than write much about the trip. Enjoy!

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A 2 and an 8 Make for a Great 28

Mr. Burgher,

Here it is! Your 28th birthday. (Sorry to put that number on blast, but babe, you sure are “aging” well, so who cares.) Your first gift is this post. I am so blessed to have you in my life, not just for the love and companionship you provide, but for the way you treat me, the kids, and even my family.

This is our fourth celebration together, and I look forward to many, many more. Each one is different and unique.

Our first one, I came back to SC to see you, and you proved to me how much you really had my back. It was your weekend, but yet you stood up for me and showed me heroes do exist.

In 2010, we celebrated in our first place (and little did we know that it was the last time we’d be a family of three for your day).

Last year, we shared a red velvet milkshake as we watched the Bellagio fountains in Las Vegas.

And this year? Well, you’ll just have to see what is up my sleeve as I’ve been planning your day. Get to thinking, because you have to make a decision about where we are going to eat tonight. It’s your day, we can go anywhere except our old favorite Pan Am (because that’s just too far away) or that expensive place we went on our honeymoon at Niagara Falls (I might be eating healthy, but one little sliver of chicken, three green beans, and 2 tiny red potatoes won’t feed this lady). I know it’s “just an ordinary Monday”, but enjoy it with the kids (wasn’t it nice of A’s school to take off in honor of you, ha!).

Alright, my guy, my one and only. We might just be the same age for another two weeks, so cherish it before I get old on you. Love you lots, to the moon and back.

Hearts,
Mrs. Burgher

First Haircut

Today was the day. A day 3 years and almost 5 months in the making. ‘lil Miss A got her first haircut. Nothing major in style, just a nice trim up to help tame the hot mess that her hair becomes most days.

(The cape is perfect for our ‘lil miss, isn’t it?) We went to our local MasterCuts in the mall just to see prices. One of my friends in Myrtle Beach worked at a MasterCuts, so I knew that if there was only 2 people on the list ahead of us, it was going to be a short wait. They’re just that kind of good. I signed us up and in the time it took Mr. Burgher to get A to the bathroom and back, they were ready for us.

I was quite happy we got the stylist we did–she wasn’t the youngest or oldest in the salon AND she had a nice haircut, so I knew we could trust her. She’d be cutting my hair, too, after all. ‘lil Miss A let me lift her into the seat with boosters, then it was time to get to work.

Although she wasn’t near as chatty as I was with the stylist, she sure did sit well for her (unlike that one time I tried to cut her hair.) Before we knew it, the first snips were done.

She even let the stylist use the blow-dryer on her when she was done–something she never lets me even get near her. When the haircut and style were done, A got sparkles sprayed in her golden locks and then was given a lollipop and tattoo. She was one happy camper, and very happy to show off her “new look”. She quickly became a Diva and just might have threw her weight around throughout the evening because of her new status.

After one haircut, she’s an expert on hair. She even suggested I keep the clips and foils in my hair because they made me “beautifuler”.

While we were there, Mr. Burgher got a small trim up (he’s growing out his curls) and they let ‘lil Man don a cape and sit on his lap to see how it worked. I set out for a trim and got a good bit of style and color in my hair (well overdue) plus an eyebrow wax. It was a treatment that was very much needed and made this Mama feel happy.

(By the way–MasterCuts has a great special right now on cut, color, and eyebrow wax–you even get a bottle of nail polish! You should stop in and get this great treatment, too. This isn’t in any way a sponsored post, just a neighborly service to tell you what a great deal you can get. Send me a note if you’d like our stylist’s name, too!)

He Makes Our Days

Mr. Burgher is…

* A loving father

* An amazing Stay at Home Dad

* An incredible husband

* The world’s biggest sweetheart

* An extreme couponer

* Amazing at motivation

* The best

Love you, Mr. Burgher!

You Found Me

Dear Mr. Burgher,

You, and only you, forever, for always. Three years ago, you found me. We finally saw each other in the light that God wanted us to. We took a chance on love, and look at where it has taken us. While I am sure you never imagined you’d be a couponing stay at home Dad, you sure are good at it. And you are good at reining me in, but letting me fly for us. I really and truly couldn’t ask for more in a partner and friend.

Thank you for finding me and for loving me like you do.

XOXO,
Mrs. Burgher

Why it Works for Us

Mr. Burgher is an incredible Stay at Home Dad, and we are so lucky for that. Take today for example. Work has been a marathon for me, and working on photos, the blog, and ‘lil Miss A’s school folder have really taken a back burner. It was a book fair day, but I figured I’d just order her some books via the book fair’s website; however, the school called Mr. Burgher and asked him if he wanted to run money up to the school. He was able to turn right around and take some cash to her. He then executed getting brakes on the truck and healing his not feeling so well self. What a day.

While I hate that I am missing a lot of the day to day moments with the kids, I am so glad he’s getting to experience this life with them. He does the laundry and will even help me pack my lunch. We’re working on a “savings spreadsheet” to show him just how much his work couponing is doing for us, plus, there’s the fact that we don’t have to shell out about $1200 a month on day care. What’s not to love?

This article from Yahoo speaks perfectly to why having Mr. Burgher as a SAHD works for us. Sure, it might not work for every family, but we’re lucky we can. Mr. Burgher, I can’t say it enough, but thank you!

Why I Write

There are days when I feel like this ‘lil blog gets more attention from me than others, some posts that are more meaty than others. Some days that I log in to check the stats/comments and see if you readers are here and interested in the things that are being posted. Some days, I just don’t care.

The reason why I write this blog is not to be popular, liked, or give you stuff (although I really love to do it, and you really seem to like the chance to get goodies). The reason why I blog is to have a memory of the things that are important to our daily lives. There may be stories of the kids, reviews of things we’ve tried, notes about our adulthood. This is a great place to jot it all down.

Kids, one day you may not want me to write (and admittedly, I will respect that), but I do hope that one day you will look back at this blog and see some of the fun we’ve had and memories we’ve made. I am glad that you are the real reason why I write.

Tonight’s post was prompted by the Bloggy Moms Blog Dare for today, “I Write For”…

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Speaking of “Why I Write”, it’s evident that you all really like Mr. Burgher’s couponing skills and his posts about couponing. He promised to start posting some deals here on the blog, but as a team, we decided that the deals would be best to be discovered in other ways. We blog to journal our family thoughts, so we trust you’ll understand. Let’s just say, a ‘lil Birdie told us you should head over to the Pittsburgh Tote Bag Project‘s page and check out posts from BurghSaver!

Happy Now?

‘lil Miss A has a keen sense of when I am not myself. When she sees me smiling again, she quickly asks, “Mama, are you happy now?”. Usually I get to reply, “Sure am!”, but she’ll call me on it if I can’t say that. I am glad that we have kids that can keep us happy…always making us smile.

***

And now, it is time to offer all of you a big, huge thank you. Thank you for putting up with us all the times we had to turn down a night out. Thank you for understanding why our idea of fun was staying in and playing games, or why we asked for practical gifts for our kids. Thank you for understanding when we couldn’t go on vacations or had to bum a ride somewhere. Thank you for not (outwardly) judging when all I ate was a pack of crackers. Thank you for putting up with our cheapskate ways. Why? Well…

Guys? Mr. Burgher and I pulled off a HUGE task. I began this journey alone in late 2007, and now, just over 4 years later, I can say we are free! I’ve blogged about this before, but we are finally here. Ok, so here still involves a mortgage, car payments, and student loans, but we are free to the tune of a complete second mortgage payment PLUS some. Thank you all for understanding and being there for us.

Tonight, we did what we’ve been wanting to do, go out to dinner to celebrate (with a coupon, of course) this and another piece of good news in our world (I signed an internal job offer today). This sure makes up for a bad day yesterday, huh?