money, money

Recently I've noticed a bit of a craze for clipping coupons. I did this some in college and to be honest, I didn't really notice a difference. I mean I would save $1 here and there, but overall I just didn't think it was worth it. Until now... Aaron and I both work full time, but our jobs are not the highest paying, at least in monetary value. We love our jobs, and wouldn't trade them for anything, but it does make our budget tight. So I've started actually shopping around and using coupons whenever I can and I honestly have noticed a small difference this time around. I read it takes time to really build up savings and find good deals, but from what I have done so far I am excited! Its somewhat time consuming, but there are lots of great deals out there, you just have to search.

We have some medical bills we are trying to pay off and some credit card debt, but I see us making progress and its encouraging. We took Dave Ramsey's financial peace course when we were engaged and even though I don't remember every detail it has helped tremendously. I can definitely be doing a a way better job than I am now with our money, but we are finally getting on the right path and looking forward. It will nice to be completely free of medical debt and be able to concentrate on our credit cards. (They really shouldn't let college students get credit cards!)

So its tough when your a minister and private school teacher, but we are getting there step by step!

Good luck!
Amy

why i love him

I have poison ivy...again....

I had it back in May when school was almost out and it was all over my arm and legs. Well this time school starts in less then a week and yet again the poison has returned! I will spare you pictures of what it looks like because basically its just disgusting. I have it on my arm, leg, and a little on my belly button (I have no idea why) and it REALLY HURTS! The first time I got it I was trying to help Aaron clear out the vines along our back fence so the dogs wouldn't get into them and eat them. Well we didn't know there was poison ivy in it and needless to say a week later I had it all over me. This time we think the dogs passed it to me. With the heat and no rain the vines and weeds have grown so big that it touches the ground and the dogs play with the neighbors dog along the back fence. Before we figured since it had been all summer and I never got poison ivy again that it was gone...until the beginning of this week when that all familiar red rash started to appear. Gross I know!

So Aaron has spent all evening in the backyard trimming the vines and branches to make the nasty stuff go away! There is nothing I can do to help him because I am so allergic to it. He however is not allergic. A husbands of one of the ladies at work has a home exterior business so we are going to have him come out on Saturday to give us an estimate on clearing out the roots and everything so it doesn't grow back. Thank God!

But for now I am thankful for my hubby who is by himself, wearing pants, a long sleeve shirt in the summer heat, cutting away so I don't itch anymore.

This is one of the many reasons why I love him!

growing up random thoughts

So i was making a birthday wish list in my head the other night, you know just thinking of a few things that I might want for my birthday and this is what I came up with...

1. A salad spinner

2. Serving spoons, the ones with the holes in them so juices can drain

3. Medium sized mixing bowl (Apollo ate part of our old one)

4. Clothes...a constant on any list of mine :)

5. jewelry from James Avery is always nice

6. Jason Mraz CD

7. Britney Spears concert tickets

When I look at the list is just reminders me that I am not in the "college" stage of my life anymore or the "fresh out of college doing my own thing" stage. I have officially entered into adulthood. I never in a million years would have thought I would ask for a salad spinner or serving spoons for my birthday! But here we are fixing to turn 27 this year! I can't believe how fast life has flown by. I feel like it was just yesterday that I was celebrating my birthdays on 6th street. Oh good memories! So much has changed over the past 10 years and its amazing to see how God has shaped my life.

Everything I said I wouldn't do, I ended up doing, and they are things that have changed my life for the better. Here are just 2 examples. First, I said I would never marry a minister. I thought I was too opinionated to be married to one, but God knew me better. Second, I swore I would never meet anyone over the Internet. I thought it was stupid and a waste of time. Now, I do still truly believe that Aaron and I would have meet at Mary-Hardin Baylor, but I was stubborn back then and didn't want to let God take over my life, I thought I knew it all and transferred out of the college the same semester Aaron transferred into it. Just a couple examples...

I guess all of this to say, its just amazing to me that I am going to be 27 this year and to see where I am. Just 3 years ago I had no idea where my life was headed and what was in store for me, but God is good and He knew it all.

Let go and let God, He knows what is best for you and He has perfect timing. :)

So yay for being 27 this year!!

And yes, I am VERY serious about wanting Britney Spears concert tickets too....

Amy

update

So apparently some people (all family members, but thats ok!) actually read our family blog. Just thought I would write a little about our summer! Summer has gone by so incredibly fast! Aaron and I have traveled to Clarendon to surprise our family for the 4th of July, to Lumberton, TX for junior high mission trip, and to College Station for our high school mission trip. It was all very exhausting, but so much fun. While we were in Clarendon I got to experience my first turtle race, and it is no small ordeal, its huge! I have never seen more people in my life gathered in one place to watch turtles cross a finish line. I loved it! The whole atmosphere of the 4th of July with my in-laws deepened our desires to have children so they too can experience a 4th of July in Clarendon. I can't wait to have our kids enter the children's parade with their cousins, race turtles, and eat homemade ice cream. Although they might have to stay clear from their dad when its comes to to the fireworks part... jk!

Now that summer is coming to an end I am getting ready to head back into my classroom. I thought at the end of this past school year, that i would dread going back after such a long break, but I am actually excited! I am doing a teamwork themed classroom for the kids and I am having a lot of fun decorating and planning. It has been a great summer, but I'm ready for a routine again. Any ideas for my classroom are very welcome! :)

Puppies are good. Well i guess they aren't puppies anymore, but they are to me. Apollo is going for his annual check-up in a couple weeks and I can't wait to see how much he weighs. Yes, I know we can weigh him ourselves, but every time we do it is never accurate. I estimate around 70lbs. I just know he is huge and i swear he thinks that he's a little Chihuahua or something. I don't think its possible for me to go one week without getting a bruise on my leg from him, but we are working on it. He's just a little slow at learning. I wonder if they have special dog obedience classes for "slow" learners like him...hmmm....

Aaron is wonderful. He constantly working away and finding new things to get into. This past week it has been a BB gun. He somehow managed to tear apart my air soft gun and turn his BB gun into some supped up type of thing that now has a laser to help aim with an extra trigger that does something...I don't really know. I DO know we now have a shelf in our garage with a rug on it as a background with tons of targets attached to it. I also heard him say that we need to get small plastic men to set up as targets on the shelf? I guess its better then back in the day when we would shoot each other with nerf guns. I love being married!

Here's some pictures of the puppies that I love....

And soon I will have a video of the man that I love, it hilarious and definitely worth the wait! Stay tuned!

Love you all!

lazy days of summer

Aaron got home early yesterday and it has been so nice to spend the time together. Yesterday we became addicted to this Farm Town game on facebook, that I swore I would never do. Aaron thinks he can tell who has farmed before and who hasn't based on this game and apparently I never have. Obviously this is true, but I have learned a lot from marrying into the Kidd family and I think my farm will beat his! I recommend Farm Town if you are looking for something silly and addicting to waste your time. But really its fun!

We heard back from the owners of the house we are currently renting and I do not know if we are going to be able to afford to buy this house. I really like this house and DO NOT want to move again. Hopefully we can work something out...

Next week is vacation bible school at our church, which means I have to get back into a routine of waking up early instead of sleeping in until 1pm. I am very excited about playing with the 3 and 4 year olds! This will be a definite change from teaching 10 and 11 year olds all year.

Since its Friday evening and Aaron just left to go play golf, I am going to continue my addiction to Farm Town and try to get some animals and a fence on my farm.

Happy Farming!

one year

So its been a year since we were married. A whole year!! I can't believe how fast time has flown by. It honestly seems that just yesterday that I kept looking down at my ring finger thinking I can't wait to add the wedding band to my beautiful engagement ring. And now it has been on my finger for a whole year. It just makes me smile. Not just the ring, but the fact that God blessed me with a wonderful man to call my husband. He makes me the happiest, most loved, and luckiest girl ever! I love you Aaron!

I also just finished my first year of teaching and loved it. I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to work with kids everyday and see them learn and grow as followers of Christ. I am very grateful for summers off though! I have spent everyday sleeping in till at least noon and actually being able to stay up late and watch movies with Aaron. This week on my schedule is a movie date with my hubby, swimming tomorrow night with the youth group, lunch with my dear friend Tiffany, and that's it...aww the joys of summer!

In a couple weeks we are heading to Austin to visit our niece and nephew. Apparently there is a zoo in Austin that after living there for 4+ years I never knew existed until now. Anyway~I am very excited to see them. Last time we saw our niece she wasn't even crawling and now she is talking and starting to walk. They grow up so fast!

And just to mention my niece Alexia, is now going into High School! Wow it makes me feel old! I love her to death, but still see her as a little girl running around in her jeans because she refused to wear a dress. Love you Lexie!

Lastly, still no baby, but we are trying!

Hopefully my next post won't be so random as they always seem to be. I don't have much to do this summer so I don't have any excuses.

Ames

back to work

Spring break was wonderful! The in-laws were here and we had a lot of fun. They brought their dog (Aaron still claims Tyson is his dog, but whatever) and they stayed Friday through Tuesday morning. Belle fell in love with Tyson and wouldn't stop kissing him. Apollo just wanted to play with him and Tyson just wanted to be left alone. We went to to the Rodeo on Monday and saw Darius Rucker, he put on a great show! The rest of Spring Break I slept in and cleaned house and tried to cook dinner for Aaron every night. Cooking is definitely not my thing, but he never got sick so I guess I did ok! I really needed the time to rest up and get myself back together so it was a much needed and great break. I dreaded going to work on Monday, but it was nice to be on a schedule again.

We did a countdown at school and its officially 11 1/2 days until Easter break and 45 days until Summer!! woohoo! I really do love my job, but I understand why we get summers off. :)

Update: My first round of medicine worked and on Thursday I will start taking Chlomid. Then I will go in around the middle of April to have my blood tested again. Hopefully my hormone levels will be fine and we won't have to go any further then just the chlomid. Keeping our fingers crossed!

Now that it is really baby "trying" time I need to work on getting my body as healthy as can be and the ramon noodles and Dr.Pepper I had for dinner is far from healthy! So starting tomorrow I am going to watch my diet and start working out again. I have loved being the pajama and lay on the couch girl, but I need to start taking better care of myself. I think I'll start easy and use the Wii fit Aaron got me for Christmas and work up to the actual running outside part. :)

Love you and praying for you!
Aaron, Amy, Rocky, Belle and Apollo

spring break!

Tomorrow is half a day with my kiddos...I mean I love them, but what teacher doesn't look forward to Spring Break?!

My in-laws will be in town starting late Friday night through Tuesday morning. We are having a barbecue on Sunday with our parents and then Monday we are taking the in-laws to the rodeo! I am very excited. I can truly say that I do love my in-laws and look forward to seeing them. Hopefully they will love Apollo as well...he's the one they haven't meet yet and he can definitely be a handful!

A lot of you have been asking about our Doctors visit and it went good. We did some preliminary blood work and they started me on chlomid so I guess we will just have to wait and see. I know that in Gods timing His plan will show itself...its the Patience and worrying that I am not so good at! Everything else we know will work itself out. Thank you for your prayers!

Off to finish the laundry and cuddle up on the couch...its freezing outside!!

Ames

just a little of me

Instead of giving the normal Kidd family update I am going to write about whats been on my heart lately. A few of our family memebers already know and those are pretty much the only ones who read this so it won't be anything new.
Aaron and I have been talking a lot lately about having children. I have felt very stongly from a young age that I am called not only to be a teacher, wife, and Christian, but also to be a mommy. I know babies don't stay small forever and that they are expensive and blah blah blah.....but truly I feel God has always been calling me to be a parent. Having children should be an easy thing for most people, but for me it won't be. I already know I will have a hard time having kids and these past few months have proved that. For the past few months we have been thinking "if it happens it happens if it doesnt then well it doesnt" but even more so lately I feel that I need to go a step further and see the doctor about it. So on March 10th we head to to the doctor to see if I am just a worrier as I tend to be or if my concerns are a reality.
I write this only to ask for prayer as we lead into our first official doctors visit. I am not writing to expose our lives or anyhting of the sorts, but for those couple of you who actually read this to please pray for us. Pray for me that I can give it ALL to God and not worry about it. Please pray for me that I can stay strong and know that in God's timing everything is made perfect for His glory. In reality any child that I may be blessed to be a mommy to is God's child and just a gift to me while we are here.
Please also pray for Aaron who is such a wonderful husband. He is patient with me and the sweetest man I could have ever been blessed with. Please pray that through whatever it is the road we go down that Aaron will sense God's direction upon our family and I follow his lead.

Thank you and we love you,
Aaron and Amy

We're back!

3 months since we last posted? SORRY!!

Life has been a little crazy. So for now I will give you a little update with many promises to keep this blog rolling along in the future. We don't get to see those we love and care about as much as we would like and I apologize for not doing a better job with this thing.

First I will start with Aaron. He is still hot as ever and the love of my life. I am the luckiest girl in the world to see my best friend everyday and be able to kiss him goodbye every morning before work. His job is going great and we love the kids and their families dearly. Aaron has started drawing again and drew a very cute picture of our puppies last night.

My job is rolling along great as well. I have a couple more tests to take for my certification so please keep praying for me about those. They are very difficult and I can't wait to have them behind me!

Belle is just a doll. She is the sweetest puppy and very loving. She loves to play and run in our backyard and every once in a while dig! I think she heard a while back you could get to China by digging to other side...she is convinced she can do it!

Apollo is a constant blur of a dog running around the house. We have resorted to using a shock collar to train him now that he has learned to climb over the fence. He definitely keeps us on our toes. He is starting to calm down and thank goodness is finally potty trained!

We have also started to finally decorate our house and try to make it into a home..as much is allowed without painting. I can't wait to own a house one day and be able to decorate how we want, but for now we know we are blessed to finally be in a house even though we are renting.

I promise to write more later...really I promise! But i hear Nascar on the TV and I have more papers to grade for my kiddos.

Love you all,
Aaron, Amy, Rocky, Belle, and Apollo.