Thirty, Thrifty, and Thriving

What a busy month this has been, and its still winding down! The big event of September is (as it is every year) my birthday! It was a milestone birthday though, since I turned 30. Honestly, I don't feel any differently, but it was fun to finally hit the big 3-0 and have an excuse to celebrate a little more. Jon took me out to an amazing birthday dinner at Mastro's Steakhouse---sooooo good. Steak, Prime Rib, Mashed Potatoes, Mac & Cheese, Salad, Wine....We ate until we couldn't eat any more...and then they brought me this...

So then we ate more. :) Could you resist this? Me neither. (And it came with a bowl of fresh whipped cream that I pretty much could have eaten by itself. De-lici-ous. That same weekend we threw a little party for friends and family at my in laws house. We had a taco catering company come, who cooked fresh tacos for everyone, and had a little margarita machine. It was yummy and a fun time to have everyone together. I didn't get any pictures since we were busy trying to hang with everyone and the kids too! But it was a fun night, topped off by my parents taking our kids for the night. Jon and I enjoyed a restful night that night, then went out to brunch the next morning at Marmalade Cafe. (I took the morning off work--I LOVE weekends off!)
In other, not so fun events, this month has also been the month of home repair. A few thousand dollars to repair the air conditioning, dryer and ice machine broken (repairs and/or replacement happening today so we will see how that goes)...home ownership has its downsides. As a result, I am now challenged to have to be even more thrifty to "make up" for these home repairs. Always a challenge when things that I tend to spend more money on are often out of convenience or for the kids. With a pretty much full time job and 2 kids, I seem to buy things when I can and out of need, as opposed to having the time to shop around etc. So I am trying to focus on really what we need, and not what I want. Always a struggle in the bigger and better culture we live in. For instance, we have been talking for a long time about wanting a new coffee table before Tessa starts walking. The one we have has some hard edges and corners that weren't (and still aren't) so kind to Caden. So we plan on getting an ottoman that is soft and can function as both. I was really thinking if we need a coffee table at all or not...and truly, we do since we have no dining room table due to our lack of space in our house, and this piece functions as our "dining room" in our house. So I've been looking around at ottomans...and of course, the ones I love are the Ballard Designs, Ashley Furniture type ones. But I think we are going to go for a good old Walmart one instead. What's the difference? Well, probably quality--but mostly price. And that's ok. Cuz honestly, this new piece of furniture will probably end up with drool, crayons and Thomas the Train indentations in it anyways. And at the rate my kids take down food and diapers these days, its the best choice for us financially.
Finally, here are some pictures of the kids as they grow bigger every day. Tessa had her 6 month appointment and is 15 pounds, 6 oz. and 27 1/4 inches (92% in height)! Caden is getting more and more intrested in potty training but isn't quite there yet. Well, to be quite honest, he very much rebels at the thought of sitting still on the toilet, BUT he wants his diaper changed when its dirty and can talk about when he has to go some of the time. Its still not quite time, but baby steps...in the mean time, his vocab has expanded like crazy! He repeats everything we say (makes us watch our words even more!) and loves calling me "Mom! Mom! Mom!" (yes that many times or more) or "Jen!". Yep, I am working on that last one. They both head back to Mops childcare once a week (while I work) next week, which I think will be great for both of them. Caden LOVES church and class, so he's good to go. Tessa is finally at a better place where not only is she just more into a routine, even keeled and fun, but she feels more independent in playing in an exersaucer or on the ground with toys. A far cry (no pun intended) from my little girl from 0-3 months. So it will be good for both of us to have her more consistently in a class. She hasn't gone to church as much as Caden did by this age but when she has gone lately has done very well.
That's all for now--I leave you with some latest pics of the kiddos!

Caden playing Uncle Chewie's guitar (he says "my play! my sing!")

Going swimming for the first time! (Daddy wasn't a fan of the 2 piece, but I think its adorable!)