The Smith Corner ♥

Christmas in Utah 2011

2012-01-09T21:47:00.001-08:00

We had an awesome time in Utah this year for Christmas. I hardly took any pictures while I was out there (of course). Most of these are my Mom's pictures, so at least we have some of our family and extended family!

It was a super short trip this year, unfortunately. Shaun had to be back for work, so we didn't get to see a whole lot of friends, just mostly family. Sometimes it's nice to just spend more quality time with the family though :)

On Christmas Eve, we all gathered together over at Grandma DeeAnn's house, and had our traditional Brick Oven Pizza for dinner. Then, we each opened our cousin gifts to each other. Carter thought it was pretty fun to buy a gift for someone else this year. He finally is starting to understand the excitement that comes with giving, not just getting. He helped me pick out a license plate frame for Avery, which was especially made for her ;) Then, we opened up our Sister gifts & Brother-in-law gifts, and gave Grandma DeeAnn her gifts as well.

Later that night, after everyone went home, we were all downstairs talking, and Carter was wiggling his tooth, so I reached in and felt it and pulled it out!

Carter lost his first tooth on Christmas Eve!

So, he was super lucky, because he got a visit from Santa AND the Tooth Fairy on the same night!!

The next morning, Christmas Day, we woke up, and went downstairs and Santa had come all the way out to Grandma DeeAnn's house! It was really fun. Carter got a Gold Piggy bank, a Ninjago game, and a Finn McMissile car, which was exactly what he asked Santa for this year! He also got a scooter, some Beyblades, a basketball hoop, a Batman Wii game, and some Leapster games. Lukey got a car rug to zoom cars on, some baby-friendly legos, a barking dog that has a remote leash, a car track that goes around and around, and a temporal forehead thermometer. :) Santa is soooo nice!

After we opened up presents at Grandma's house, we went over to Becky's house to watch the rest of the family open presents. Santa was even nicer, because he brought our stockings and some other presents over to Becky's house for us to open up there! So cool! It was a lot of fun to watch the whole family open presents together.

After Becky's house, we went to church with Jenny's family. Their cousin was giving his homecoming talk, so we went to their ward with them. It was a beautiful Sacrament meeting - the music from the choir and from their other cousin was absolutely beautiful and the spirit from that music was so strong.

Later that evening, all of the family came over to Grandma DeeAnn's for Christmas dinner. It was so yummy, and again, so nice to spend quality time with the family.

This is Christmas Eve. Luke was having tons of fun jumping off Grandma's fireplace. He thought he was super cool!

Carter's first lost tooth!

Christmas morning 2011 at Grandma DeeAnn's

Christmas morning at Becky's house with the family

The End.

For anyone that uses Google Reader...

2011-12-29T11:22:00.000-08:00

You may have already seen this at Eighteen25, but if not, check it out. I love it, because I am able to see everyone's blog while still using Google Reader!

For the record, it DOES work with Macs too. :)

From our family to yours...

2011-12-25T11:01:00.000-08:00

I'm _______ because...

2011-12-21T22:00:00.000-08:00

I'm weird because...

I have a shoes and cheap sunglasses addiction.

I'm pretty sure I was a dog in my last life.

I'm a picker.

I have to smell EVERYTHING that I eat. Even if I already know what it smells like.

I love to craft, but rarely do.

I love to decorate, but lack the funds.

I stick my tongue out when I concentrate. Not a good idea when you cut hair...

I was a back-up singer way back when... (Julia Davis Allen band)

I try to make my bed every day. It doesn't always work.

I could survive on chips and salsa.

I make pumpkin cookies at least once a week in the Fall-time.

I love to have dance parties with my 5 year old and baby.

I'm going to run a Ragnar race in April... Better start running, huh?

I smell my son's smushy neck dozens of times a day.

I love to eat his fat legs too. :)

I have Dr. Pepper stashes hidden in my house, so my hubby won't drink them all, and I always have one in a time of need...

I kiss the clock any time it’s 11:11.

I love styling other people's hair, but would rather shoot myself in the foot than style my own.

I have shoes on - almost always.

I prefer to NOT cuddle when I sleep.
I would rather pick up dog poo than do laundry.
I could eat at Costa Vida every day of my life. And I did in college. Freshman 15, what??
I love TV.
I do a happy dance when I get a package in the mail.

I’m a bad friend because…
I sometimes take days to check my voice mails.
I am terrible at returning phone calls and emails.
I am spontaneous, and want to do something right when I'm thinking of it instead of planning in advance.
I almost always say what I’m thinking. However, I'm about a thousand times better at this than I used to be.

I'm excited because...

I'm going to see my family this week!

Christmas!

Carter's tooth is loose.

My nephew Cole got his mission call! London England, departs April 26! Yay, Coley!!

Why does my nose always look so huge on FaceTime?

I’m a good friend because…

I want to see those I love succeed.
I LOOOVE my friends. I love to have fun. I'm a total loser and well aware of it.
I almost always say what I’m thinking.

I'm sad because...

I wish all my family lived closer.

Photo organization on our iMac is really ticking me off.

My hip hurts like &%$!

Disneyland 2011 is over :(

I turn 30 next year.

The Elmer's Annual Ugly Sweater Party

2011-12-20T17:46:00.000-08:00

The Ugly Sweater Party this year was a BLAST!! The Elmer's did such a great job planning and hosting it. They had tons of yummy food and hot cocoa. There was a donut-eating contest, a Balloon stomping competition (I won - WHAT??), and a game where you have to stretch to pick up a box with your teeth. It was surprising how many people were pretty flexible (especially the boys)... They had a photo booth set up with a remote to take your own pictures. Hence, the fun and crazy pictures below. Nothing sets the season off right like an ugly sweater party!

Thanks, Brad & Katie!!

Ho Ho Ho!

2011-12-20T10:35:00.000-08:00

Why do I love these crying Santa pictures so much?? I don't know why, but I think they are the funniest things ever :) This is exactly what Carter's picture looked like when he was 2ish...

I also love that Carter isn't even remotely fazed by Luke's hysteria. Ah, good old Christmas!

We're so excited!

2011-12-18T18:55:00.000-08:00

Carter has a loose tooth!

He was eating something and came in to tell me that his tooth felt funny. And sure enough, it's wiggling all over! I'm sure it will be out sometime this week. I feel old having a child that's old enough to lose teeth! Ha!

When he came in and showed me, I told him his tooth was loose, and it would probably come out soon.

He got a little choked up and said,

"But I don't WANT my tooth to fall out!"

After he was refreshed on the Tooth Fairy, he cheered up a bit though :)

Disneyland!!

2011-11-18T11:39:00.000-08:00

Disneyland. Wow. Where to even begin??

It was the trip of a lifetime. For reals. I don't know if my family will EVER be able to do something like that all together again, and it was so AMAZING!

There were about 23 of us altogether - 3 of my sisters, their husbands and children, and Momma.

We all met in Anaheim, and Momma bought us all 3 day Park Hopper tickets to Disneyland and California Adventure, and paid for our hotel, and gave everyone some spending money (Disney bucks) as well. She is so awesome, isn't that the nicest thing ever??

I know there are about a million pictures here, but I just COULDN'T leave any out! I love them all! I have the BEST family EVER!!!

Thank you so much for these wonderful memories, Momma! Love you!

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-01T12:41:00.000-07:00

Halloween is the BEST! It's for sure my favorite holiday! Everything about it is just fun, festive, funny, yummy, and... I just love it! This year was no different, it was a lot of fun, and even more enjoyable now that Luke is old enough to enjoy it as well. Luke had a smile on his face the ENTIRE night!

We had a Trunk or Treat last week, and then last night, we went to Nana & Papa's house to eat and go Trick or Treating with the cousins. It was mass chaos with all the cousins, so we decided to split off into the older kids and the babies. The babies totally loved it! It's weird how they get the concept of it so young.

Carter is way into Star Wars, so this year we had a mini Star Wars theme. Carter was the super cool Darth Vader with the scary breathing apparatus included, and Luke was the cutest little Yoda that you have ever seen!

We now have more candy then we will ever know what to do with...

Carter's first dentist visit.

2011-10-28T05:32:00.000-07:00

I suck. I haven't taken Carter to the dentist yet.

What is wrong with me??

I'm lazy, that's what.

And, it's been a big dental insurance run-around.

And, we've missed appointments that have been made.

And, the only office that our insurance covers is clear out in Fair Oaks (BFE)

And, I've been dreading a huge melt-down from Carter's sensory integration disorder.

But, excuses, excuses...

We finally made it there.

Here's proof. Don't call CPS on me.

Luke waited patiently in the toy room

Feeling pretty awesome!

Carter did a great job. I don't know why I was nervous about it. He's almost completely gotten over his sensory issues. I'm lucky!

He had a few areas in-between the back of his teeth that he needs to pay extra attention to, but they're not cavities (yet), and he needs to floss more often, especially in those areas. But, overall, we're clear! Yay!

Stuff we've been doing.

2011-10-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

I feel like I never blog anymore because we haven't really done anything too spectacular.

But we got a new Mac computer a while back, and I've been trying to figure it all out and also to find a good way to organize the pictures ever since. Going through them this week, I've realized that there are SO MANY things that we've done that I haven't blogged about, so here is a random post of stuff we've been doing. I apologize if I've already posted one or two of these, or if you've seen a bunch of them on Facebook or Instagram already :)

As you can see, we've been doing a lot. A lot of randomness.
Here's a little update on each of us:
Shaun - He is excited for cooler (but not too cool) weather. He's got 3-4 guys working with him every week, and has business coming out of his EARS! Which is amazing considering how hard Northern California's economy is. Customers love him because he is very detailed and is a perfectionist. Which is nice, but a pain in the rear to live with. Just kidding, babe! Love ya!
He became a Scout leader for the 10-11 year olds about 4 months ago, so he's also been busy doing that. It's a lot of time and work, but I think he really enjoys a new scene and being able to act like the inner dorky little boy that he really is. ;)

Laura - I've just been busy running around after Luke and trying to give him what he wants before he screams at me. Running Carter to and from school and taekwondo, and working at the salon in-between all that madness. I help out in Carter's kindergarten class on Fridays, and it is really fun to see Carter in his element and getting to help him and his friends learn. I was nervous at first that Carter would not want me to be in his class or something, but it's totally opposite. He gets really excited when he sees me there and always waves and winks at me from across the room, and when he's close enough, says, "I wuv you, Mom!" I love my kiddos!

Carter - He is a busy little man. And one of the sweetest, happiest kids that anyone could ask for. Really.
He is loving Kindergarten and is learning a lot. He loves to read books, and it is crazy to me that in just a few months, he'll be reading! He loves Taekwondo, and thinks he is the cat's pajamas if he ever gets a green star (given to the student that is doing their absolute best). Sometimes he doesn't want to go to it, but once we get there, he is in love all over again. He loves Mario Kart and would play it every day if I let him. He is really into Star Wars right now, and is also a great helper to me at home.

Luke - He is just growing up so much. He does so many new things every week and is so perceptive. I love this stage! Although, it's definitely starting to get harder too. He's a handful, just like any one year old. He's got his likes and dislikes and will VERY CLEARLY let you know which one of them it is. He says a few words, Dada, Mama, Carter, dog, nonono, etc. He loves patty-cake, finding his belly-button, touching people's noses, playing peek-a-boo, and watching Baby Einstein. He's such a little hunny, he makes me laugh every day!

Things are going well with our family. We're bummed that summer is finally over, but excited about all the things that this fall is going to bring. We can't wait for Halloween, Disneyland, Thanksgiving, and just Fall in general!

Bishop's Pumpkin Patch 2011

2011-10-24T15:13:00.000-07:00

Wow, I can't believe it's been a month since I blogged! Time sure flies by fast! We've been doing a lot of stuff, but I haven't had a chance to blog any of it.
We went to Bishop's Pumpkin Patch last week. It's such a great little pumpkin patch, and they have really done the place up in the last couple years. There is a lot more to do every single year. This year, they had a Sunflower farm, where you can go and pick your own sunflowers, they had a mining area, where we got to mine for marbles, and they had some huge new slides that Carter and Luke were loving! We didn't get to see the pig races, but Carter saw them when he went with his Kindergarten class on a fieldtrip to Bishop's the first week in October.

Luke LOVES animals, but when they're close up and bigger than him, he's a little unsure of them. He loved petting them all, and he loved the llama, but when it would get near him, he would get a little weary of it. Carter had a lot of fun feeding the goats. I think he went back for more food about 3 times!

Luke loved exploring and eating our ice cream cones

This is what telling Luke "No more" looks like...

Carter thought mining for marbles was about the coolest thing ever! He would have stayed all day if we had let him! The slides were also a big hit. As you can see, Luke was making his way up the steps all by himself he wanted to go on them so badly!

First steps

2011-09-20T17:27:00.000-07:00

The week after Luke's first birthday, he took his first steps. He took them one evening when Shaun had taken Carter out, and Luke and I were hanging out at home. He had been moving around furniture pretty well, and then he was standing by the fridge, playing with the magnetic toys, and all of a sudden, he turned around and took like 10 steps! I had never even seen him attempt to take ONE step, let alone a bunch of them! He tried it a few more times that night, and has continually gotten better each day. That was about a month ago that he started, and he is straight up RUNNING to catch up to his brother now! He is dang fast!

It's exciting when they start walking, but it makes me sad, knowing that my baby is all done crawling. As cliche as it sounds, they grow up WAY too fast!

Are those chubby little legs the best things ever??

Instagram

2011-09-20T14:31:00.001-07:00

I'm sitting here in front of school, waiting to pick up Carter, and thought I would blog since it's been years since I did last... I just need a computer in my car, since it feels like that's where most of my day is spent these days. Maybe then, I would get around to blogging more often!
I love Instagram... It's one of my favorite phone apps. I love what it does to photos. And I just saw a website called Stickygram, that makes magnets out of your favorite Instagram pics! Two of my favorite things -pictures and magnets! ;) I can't wait to order them!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Kindergarten!

2011-08-29T13:41:00.000-07:00

I can't believe this day is already here!! Carter started Kindergarten today!! Aghhhh!
When I had Carter, I kinda thought that this day would NEVER come. I've loved every minute of being with Carter, and even though Kindergarten is ONLY 3 hours long - the same as preschool was, I feel very empty inside right now... I don't know if he's more nervous or if I'm more nervous for him... probably the latter!
This is the REAL start of his educational career, and that is HUGE!
I can't believe it!

We had a nice long morning together, since he has afternoon kindergarten. Then an early lunch and some first day pictures, and we were off to school!

Here's a little about Carter at age 5...

He can't just have a normal face... He has to sneak a bunch of silly faces in EVERY time!

He's such a babe!

Giving brother a hug, giving Mom and Dad hugs goodbye, and showing off his SUPERCOOL backpack with his name on it!

Gosh, I just LOVE HIM, LOVE HIM, LOVE HIM!

We found some friends that we knew at school, and a few of them were even in his class! Yay!

This is his new Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Fleshman.

Checking out the new place, and new friends.

Alright. I'm off to go cry now...

I heart Pinterest!

2011-08-19T15:57:00.000-07:00

I have a ~~minor~~ MAJOR obsession with Pinterest.

At the end of the day, when the kiddos are in bed, and Shaun and I are watching TV and putting our feet up from the long day, I find myself on my iPhone, PINNING on Pinterest for ages...
I don't know exactly WHAT is so addicting about it, but I love to see all the creative, funny, and beautiful things that are on there.

Last week, my friend Brittany over at Love Stitched did a post on Pinterest 101. All the ins and outs and basics of it all, and I learned even more about it :)

Here's some of my favorites from my boards...

Bucket List

2011-08-19T15:19:00.000-07:00

The Urban Dictionary defines a Bucket List as:

A list of things to do before you die. Comes from the term "kicked the bucket".

Here's mine.... so far....

~~Have a family of my own~~
Go skydiving
Hike Timpanogos
~~Buy a DSLR~~ and learn to use it on manual
Run a Ragnar race
~~Buy a house~~
Go scuba diving
Hike to the Y
Finish mine and my children's scrapbooks and blog books
Travel Europe
Spend a week in New York
See Wicked
Run in Central Park
Watch my sons go on missions
Watch my sons get married
~~Have a garden~~
Stop drinking Dr. Pepper
Serve a church mission with my hubster
Learn Spanish

Pee in every ocean
Take a cooking class
Decorate my bedroom
Win a contest
Graduate from college
Learn to embroider, make an embroidery ring wall
Do my family history

Have a birthday party in Las Vegas
Go to the Ellen Degeneres show
Buy the person behind me’s food at a drive-thru
Learn to shoot a handgun well
Teach my children to be confident and kind
Shake hands with the Prophet
Learn to ride a horse
Take my hubby to Hawaii
~~Own a sports car~~
Go on a shopping spree in San Francisco
~~Hang out with Adam Levine~~
Take a road trip across the United States
Meet Oprah
Go camping in Yosemite

~~Have an AMAZING New Year's Eve kiss~~
Tip someone $100
Participate in a giant food fight

Give Christmas to an entire family in need

Get a white ink tattoo

Kiss someone special on top of the Eiffel Tower
~~Make a font~~
Pay off all debt
~~Start a blog~~
~~Participate in Relay for Life~~
~~Get a tattoo~~
~~Donate blood~~
Swim with dolphins

Kiss my love on a big screen at a game
~~Own my own business~~
Ride an elephant
Learn to paint
See the northern lights
Be a great parent
Get hypnotized
~~Go on a cruise~~
Ride in a helicopter
Visit all the beaches in California
See the Mona Lisa
Have my own personal stylist
Have lunch with B. Spears
Take a girl’s trip somewhere really cool

Ward Talent Show

2011-08-17T17:41:00.000-07:00

This year, Carter was in the ward talent show. There are 4 other kids in our ward besides Carter that are in Taekwondo as well, so we put together a little demonstration for everyone.

First, they started off saying the 6 tenets of Taekwondo:

-Courtesy
-Integrity
-Perseverence
-Self Control
-Indomitable Spirit
-Victory

I'm fairly certain that nobody understood what they were saying except us :)

Then, they did their form:

-Attention
-Bow
-Kihap guarding stance
-Back fist
-Knife hand strike
-Front kick
-Side kick
-On my knee
-Inward Chop

Lastly, they did a board breaking demonstration. Carter chose to break the board with his fists because it is harder to do. He's super strong :)

They all did such a great job!

Carter also recently passed his second belt test, and is now a yellow-black belt. He is SERIOUS business now.

Bullard's Bar 2011

2011-08-17T16:01:00.000-07:00

Many moons ago, our family used to have an annual houseboat trip to Bullard's Bar. A lot has changed since those days, (mainly a surplus of children), so we haven't gone on our houseboat trip for quite some time. We decided to take a little camping trip up there for the weekend with the family (away from the water's edge), since we missed it so much. It was sooo nice and relaxing, and definitely long overdue... I already can't wait to go back!

Luke's first birthday party(s)

2011-08-17T14:01:00.000-07:00

Lukey turned 1 last weekend and was able to have 2 little birthday parties. Lucky duck! We had a mini- friends party for him on his actual birthday, Friday night, with the Elmer and McKinty families, and then on Monday, after the family Bullard's Bar trip, we had a family birthday party at our house. He got spoiled!

Our family at birthday party #1

Loving himself some cake...

Don't you just want to eat him?...

Opening birthday presents...

Some of the family members...

One year old!

2011-08-12T12:34:00.000-07:00

I truly can't believe that I am writing this 12 month update!

Luke!! You're one year old today!

How has this happened?? Time flew quickly with Carter's first year, but I feel like I've blinked and you're already one! You are so much fun, so full of life and energy, I don't know what we did before you were around!

When I think about that day a year ago, it truly was one of the best days of my life. I felt calm and at peace, and knew that you were going to come with ease and we couldn't be in better hands than Dr. Murphy's. And life has been so wonderful meaningful since you've been here. I count my blessings EVERY DAY.

Now, a whole year later, you're everywhere. You are busy, busy, busy! You zoom around furniture, crawl as fast as you can to keep up with your brother, you jibber jabber all the time and say Mama, you cluck at me when you want food, and you love to play keep away with Roxy's toys. You love to clap your hands, play patty-cake, and shake your head. You have 10 teeth, 2 of those are molars that are still not all the way through and are just driving you insane, but you're still a sweetie, even when you're in pain. You have the funniest facial expressions just like your Daddy, and you love to eat, even though you're kindof a teeny thing - - cheese, crackers, watermelon, and yogurt are some of your favorites. You're kindof a Mama's boy, you love being held and giving squeezes, but you LOVE your silly Daddy too. It's always fun when he's around! You're a true iPhone addict, your favorite things are videos of the family, or the Animatch game. I'm fairly certain you're a genius - you get matches all the time :)
You and Carter have so much fun together. Sometimes you both laugh hysterically for like a half an hour! Those are my favorite moments in the world.
Happy Birthday, booger. We feel so lucky to hang out with you everyday.
We love you to the moon and back... Thanks for choosing us!

The world is yours.

Love, Mom.

12 Month Stats:

Head Circ: 45 cm (11%)

Height: 29 1/4 inches (23%)

Weight: 21 lbs. 0.5 oz. (18%)

Summer in Utah

2011-07-22T18:25:00.000-07:00

Oh, Utah..... I don't even know where to begin...

Grandma DeeAnn.Cousins.Aunts.Uncles.Friends.July 4th.fireworks.BBQ.Emma's birthday.camping.Carly&Tim.Granite Flats.monsoon.thunder.broken camera.lightning.50 ft mudslides.mountainbiking.no paddleboats.skipping rocks.Luke getting close to walking.shopping.eating out.Hokulia snowcones.Fries make you fat.fastfood vs slowfood.Josh's boyfriends.Playing on the BIG phone.BYU bookstore.BYU bowling.Bean museum.more shopping.Emily=best babysitter ever.Leslie&Brittany.lunch at Molly's.Peterson's.eye ulcers.Cherry Hill.Lazy River. Pirate boats.Sabrina's birthday.She's getting my cheeseball.late night talks.shellac.Cheer dinner.Erin's house.yucky blog.Chelsea.Stella.Oliver.SYTYCD.Bachelorette.Luke climbing stairs.more shopping.Bajio's.Wii.Donkey Kong.dirty trees.Malawi's.construction.Horrible Bosses.Scera Pool.Drawing Darth Vader.Church.more shopping.Nelly&Bonnie.McDonald's.BigD driving home with me.iPhone addictions.iPad addictions.family dinners.loudness.

It was awesome.

Tahoe or BUST!!

2011-07-22T18:23:00.001-07:00

Last month, we went camping up in Tahoe with the Elmer's, Hage's, and Fear's. It was such a fun little weekend getaway with friends! The kids were absolutely loving getting dirty and riding their bikes and making gardens out of snow and sticks, the guys were busy having bocce ball tournaments and being gross boys, and the girls just hung out, cooked, took care of the kiddos, had fun, and kept everything working! We hung out at the beach a little bit and we had some yummy breakfasts, dinners, and of course, SMORES too! It was some great old fashioned nature-loving fun!

Unfortunately for us, our kids decided some yucky colds would be perfect timing for this trip. With that, it was like 30 degrees at night, and on top of THAT, there's bears in the area, so none of us slept well. Luke was literally awake the ENTIRE night crying and kept everyone in the whole campground awake all night! Poor little guy, and poor everyone that had to listen to him all night! It seriously was the LONGEST NIGHT EVER! Needless to say, our family ended up only staying one day, one night and then leaving after dinner and smores the second evening. Luckily though, Luke felt better during the day and loved bouncing in his bouncer that we hooked to a tree!

Can't WAIT to do it all again next year!!

Pre-K graduation

2011-06-13T22:35:00.001-07:00

Our big man on campus has graduated from Pre-K! The last day of school was on Wednesday, then, on Thursday, we had our Pre-K picnic, and then, Friday was graduation. Carter's cousin, Andrew also graduated (but from another class), so Nana & Uncle Kyle came to watch.

When Miss Misty handed out graduation certificates, she also told everyone a little bit about each student and what she thought they would go on to do in life. She said that her favorite thing about Carter was that every day he races to class just like it's the very first day - always excited to get there and gives her a huge hug! So, she said that he is a future race-car driver!

I can't believe this year is already over. It seriously feels like it just started. Time flies by way too quickly. We loved every single second at The Little Schoolhouse, and even though we are excited for kindergarten and what the future holds, we are really sad to go.

We love you, Misty, Kyla, Ellen, & Cassie!

Belt test

2011-06-13T22:12:00.000-07:00

Carter started Taekwondo last October. He has made a ton of improvement since he started there. His balance, coordination, & attitude all have significant differences since we started. Last week, Carter participated in his first belt test. He could have tested about 5 other times since we started, but Carter has a lazy mother who has not made it around to getting him tested yet.

Not surprisingly, he passed with flying colors and is now a white belt with a black stripe.

First haircut

2011-06-13T21:16:00.000-07:00

My sweet little Luke has always had a little old man face. Ever since the day he was born. As Uncle Chad puts it, "He looks like he's going to sell me a piece of real estate."

The comb-over really wasn't helping the situation at all, but I just couldn't bear to cut his hair! He's my BABY!!!

And cutting his hair means that he is getting too old.

So... I put it off, and I put it off, and I put it off. But, it really was starting to get out of control. So, I bucked up and we gave him his first haircut.

*sigh*

Even though I miss his old man hair, he definitely looks like a stud!

Memorial Day

2011-06-13T21:09:00.001-07:00

This year, it was pretty chilly on Memorial Day. We usually all go swimming and have a BBQ, but since it was so cold this year, the adults decided to stay dressed, while the kids hung out in the hot tub. The kids had squirt guns and squirted Papa so much that he decided to just hop in - clothes, shoes, and all! They were glad he did though, because he was a ton of fun in there. He even got the bright idea to put some dish soap in the hot tub (see below).

Papa even taught Carter how to snorkel. Now we're ready for a cruise... Or Hawaii... Anyone??

This little hunny...

2011-06-13T19:55:00.000-07:00

is puny!!
Head circumference: 44 cm (11%)
Height: 27 3/4 inches (22%)
Weight: 18 lbs. (8%)

9 months old

People of Walmart

2011-05-31T22:51:00.000-07:00

My father-in-law introduced me to this video, and I thought it was just WAYYYYY too funny not to share. This is right up my alley...
You have to listen to the words carefully.

My favorite parts?

Danger-zone

Pedicure

Back boobs

Oops, I took a poop

and

Healthcare.

Father & Sons

2011-05-27T13:35:00.001-07:00

Shaun & Carter went to their first Father & Sons camping trip with the ward last week. They drove with Brad & Jameson up to Rollins Lake in the Grass Valley area to meet the rest of the ward, and basically had the time of their lives! Carter & Jameson were BFF for the whole trip and got along great! I wish I could have been a fly on the wall to just watch them and see how much fun they all had together! Is it weird that I'm jealous?? ;)

Relay for Life 2011

2011-05-27T13:06:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was the Relay for Life. Ever since Papa was diagnosed with Leukemia a few years ago, we have all been very active in the Relay for Life, and even more-so this year, since Miss Misty was in charge of the whole thing.
We made luminaries for Papa, and they, among the others, lit up the whole track where the survivors do their laps, and then everyone joins in after. It is such an awesome and emotional day for all of us.
We are SO GLAD that Papa is in remission and is a cancer survivor. We truly don't know what we would do without him around.

We also have a new cousin! Briley Jane Lowe also decided that Saturday would be a great day to make her debut into the world at a whopping 8lbs. 10 oz!
Congratulations, Brittany!

iPhone dump part deux

2011-05-13T22:17:00.000-07:00

What have we been up to lately?
Well... a whole lotta nothing, even though we've been super busy doing it.

Case in point:

"I just don't love you anymore."

2011-05-13T15:15:00.000-07:00

Well....

It happened....

It was probably inevitable, but it has finally happened.

Today, I got the
I just don't love you anymore, Mom!"

I assume that most kids say something similar at some point, but I don't think I was quite prepared for it.

Carter had a playdate with his friend Robert this morning, and after we came home, the house was a DISASTER from the previous evening's adventures. So, I told Carter that he needed to clean up his toy room. He begged me to help him, but at this point, he is definitely old enough to be doing it himself. Plus, if I help out, I end up doing about 95% of it, while Carter gets distracted and winds up playing with his toys instead.

So, today, I told him to do it all by himself. I told him that I needed to clean the kitchen, living room, Luke's room and the office, and he needed to clean up the toys that he had taken out of his bins in the toy room. He got frustrated, and went in there and pretty much just played with his toys instead. I kept telling him a few different times to keep cleaning up, threatened to not have any more play-dates, bribed him with a popsicle, threatened him with a time-out, and he just wasn't doing it.

Finally, after getting really frustrated, I told him if he didn't clean up his toys RIGHT NOW, that I was going to throw them away!

and then...

he said it.

He started crying, ran to his room, and yelled,

"I JUST DON'T LOVE YOU ANYMORE, MOM!!"

It was very dramatic.

I didn't know what to do! I truly was not prepared for it! Carter is a very sweet little boy, but he's definitely growing up and wanting to do his own thing and testing some boundaries. I sat there in shock for a moment, not knowing if I should go after him and tell him not to ever say that again and that it was mean, or if I should just let him sit there and stew for a little while.
I let him cool off for a bit, kept cleaning, and then decided that I needed to not coddle him. So, I went in his room with a trash bag to let him know that I was serious about throwing his toys away (I don't know how serious I was, but don't tell him that!). He started crying again, screaming, "Don't throw my toys away!", and then he ran to his toy room and immediately started cleaning up for real this time.
I sat the trash bag down so he would remember to keep cleaning, and when I came back a few minutes later, the whole toy room was clean! Yay!
I sat him down and asked him about what he said, and we talked about it and he said sorry.

I'm not sure why I'm writing this all down.
I think it's because I had no idea what to do in that instance.
I have a major shortage of patience, and as much as I try to do better with it, it's definitely always going to be there. I know that Carter is definitely not the first child to say that, but I am still just baffled. Did I handle that situation well? What could I have done better?

I think that it worries me because I am sure that Carter and I will clash when he's older, especially if he's anything like I was as a teenager! I want to be able to talk to him without losing my patience, and I want him to always love me and know how much he is loved, and never have to question that.

Thoughts?

T-Ball

2011-05-01T12:56:00.001-07:00

This spring, we put Carter in a T-ball class to learn the basics of T-ball. I think that little boys playing baseball is about the cutest thing ever, and Carter learned a ton from Coach Celeste! It was really fun to watch, because:

-They don't know where to run

-They don't stop running when they get to a base

-Everytime they are supposed to catch a ball, they tackle each other to get it

-They all try to tag the runner, regardless whether they have the ball or not

They had a lot of fun running around and trying to figure it all out!

Classic Carter quote on day 1: "Why is my coach a girl?"

Folsom Zoo Fieldtrip

2011-05-01T11:30:00.000-07:00

The Little Schoolhouse took a fieldtrip to the Folsom Zoo on Friday. Carter was a little bummed because his friend, Jonah, and Miss Misty were not there. But, his friend Kiara and her mom, Brooke, rode with us there, and then he got to hang out with his cousins and his friend Robert, so they had a blast anyway!

The Folsom zoo is not much to brag about - - it's really really small, but the kids didn't seem to mind too much. The tiger was Carter's favorite animal there, and he had fun chasing the random chickens and peacocks that were wandering around too.

We love Little Schoolhouse! We sure will miss them next year!

Carter and Robert busting some moves!

Those poor chickens were seriously tormented from all the kids chasing them!

The Little Schoolhouse cousins!

Carson, Carter, Andrew, & Ava

Beale Airshow

2011-05-01T11:17:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, we went to Beale Airforce base to see the airshow. We were pleasantly surprised, it was a lot of fun and very entertaining! Carter LOVED seeing all the jets and getting his picture taken with them! His favorite one, was, of course, the Jelly Belly jet (Why the airforce needs one of those is beyond me)! He also really liked pretending to shoot the big guns, and seeing the inside of the Airforce Hummers.

The Thunderbirds show was definitely the best part! They did stunts and tricks for about 30 minutes, and it was absolutely amazing! I can't even imagine what it must feel like to be inside one of those! It was a great day, I'm glad we went!

Easter 2011

2011-04-25T19:14:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful Easter this year! We woke up on Easter morning and checked out our Easter baskets. Carter was very excited about his Easter basket! The Easter bunny had hid the eggs that we had dyed on Saturday night. So, Carter very generously found them all for us. It was a difficult process. The Easter bunny didn't think that she hid them in very hard places, but apparently, she did. But, then again, Carter can't ever find his shoes when they are right in front of him either, so maybe it's not all the Easter bunny's fault...

After our Easter morning, we went to Church and learned all about Jesus and what Easter is really all about. Carter told us all about the resurrection when we got in the car to go home! Then, we ate dinner over at the Smith's house and had an Easter egg hunt afterwards. It was really fun and all of the kids got a TON of candy. I don't know what we're going to do with it all - I've still got Halloween candy left over!

Sweet little girl

2011-04-22T23:54:00.001-07:00

I came home the other night from a girl's night out. Shaun had taken the kids to his niece's birthday party, and Luke thought it would be a perfect time to soil his outfit. His ~~overly~~ under-prepared mother didn't have an extra outfit in the diaper bag, so improvisions were made. Luke got to borrow one of Lily's pajamas. When I went to get him in the morning, I found a cute little baby girl instead! Needless to say, I was a little tripped out!

All About Carter

2011-04-20T18:07:00.000-07:00

Carter has been pretty funny lately. He says some of the most random things!

Here's some of our recent favorites...

EVERYTHING is a race to Carter. So, everytime he eats, gets in the car, puts on his pajamas, or buckles his seatbelt, he says, "Don't beat me, Mom!" and if you are actually ahead of him (which we always are when we're eating), he screams and cries, "Pleeeease don't beat me, Mom, pleeeease!" It's really funny! The neighbors are going to call Child Protective Services on us.

The other day we went on a walk to go see the sheep and goats by our house. There were some men of the "latin persuasion" putting up some fences around the animals. So, we went to look at them and when we were leaving, Carter yelled at them, "ADIOS, MUCHACHOS!!!"

Shaun and I were driving in the car with the kids one day, and we were just listening to the music, and suddenly, out of the blue, Carter says, "Mom, Dad, I'm not very happy with you because we're not going to Disneyland."

I handed him a French Fry the other day, and he said, "No, thank you. That will make me fat." Apparently he's manorexic.

We have pancakes and eggs for dinner at least once every other week, so one Sunday morning, I got up early and made them for breakfast before church, and Carter said, "Why are we eating dinner?"

Carter was at T-ball practice the other day, and he had his hand down his pants (This drives me absolutely insane, but from what I hear, it's pretty common with boys!). I asked him what he was doing, and he said, "Oh nothin', I'm just playing with my wee-man."

He's such a ham!

Some things for us to remember:

1. What is your favorite TV show? Jake and the Neverland Pirates

2.What is one thing you like about yourself? I'm 5 years old

3. What is your favorite thing to eat for dinner? Pizza with Olives and Breakfast (pancakes and eggs)

4.What is your favorite color? Blue

5. What is the best part about going to church? Folding arms

6. What makes you happy? When you hug me

7. Who do you like to be with? Carson, Ava, & Luke

8. Favorite thing to do with mom? Go to Target

9. With dad? Playing Black Ops and driving the truck

10. What makes you scared? Monsters & spiders

11. What is your favorite song? The Sunbeam song and the Pirate Song

12. What do you like best about mommy? Taking care of me and Luke & loves me

13. Daddy? Playing with him

14. What is your favorite thing about school? Miss Misty

15. What is your favorite game on the computer? Jake and the Neverland Pirates game

16. What do you like best about your teacher? That she wuvs me

17. What is your favorite movie? Despicable Me & Tangled

18. When do you think your bed time should be? 11

19. What do you like to do in your free time? Play with Luke and play outside with Rylee & Jack (new neighbors)

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? A policeman, a fireman, and a doctor

21. What makes mommy happy? Getting hugs and kisses. And cleaning my toy room.

22. If you had lots of money, what would you do with it? Buy pirate legos

Taekwondo

2011-04-12T16:26:00.000-07:00

Everyone be very scared!!

Look at that face! That is serious business right there!!

I can't believe I haven't already done a blog post about this! I'm such a slacker!

Carter ended his physical therapy through the school district in October, and so in order to try to help keep some of his muscle tone up, they recommended that we enroll him in an activity that uses a lot of core muscles. So, we ended up taking him to Taekwondo. He absolutely loves it, and I love that he always answers me with a, "YES, MOM!" (Or at least most of the time).

In the short months that he has been there, he has made HUGE progress! I watched a couple of videos that I took of some of his first times there, and it is awesome to see the changes that have taken place.

Mama came to town...

2011-04-04T18:36:00.001-07:00

Grandma DeeAnn came into town at the end of March and stayed for 16 whole days!

It was the BEST!

She retired from the hospital in January, and now has much more time to come spend with us. We didn't have a huge agenda to fill, we just enjoyed each other's company and did whatever we wanted! She got to come to watch Carter at Taekwondo and T-ball, we made some very yummy dinners - - that's one of my favorite parts of her coming into town - - I get to learn to cook new recipes! We also went on a lot of walks, visited our cousins in Folsom, shopped at the burned-down mall, went out to eat at all of Roseville's yummy restaurants, had a second birthday party for Carter, and just enjoyed playing with the kids.

This is where he gets his beautiful blue eyes from!

I put an art cable up in Carter's room because he has so many things that he makes from preschool and I was running out of room to hang them in my kitchen. He loves it, because he is able to see all of his work, so Grandma took a picture!

Silly guy

Carter started T-ball while she was here and he was practicing throwing with Grandma. Isn't that a cool picture of him throwing?? He's got good form already, just like his Mom! Ha! He is also an iPhone addict. Grandma brought along a bunch of fresh new games with her and Carter was obsessed! We went and ate at La-Bou, and Luke was LOVING the Butternut Squash soup!

Mom LOOOOOVES taking pictures. She's pretty dang good at it, I think... I guess you're bound to be good when you take 5,000 pictures of the same thing :) Here's a picture of my sweet little guy!

And guess who is ~~crawling~~ scootching??

We loved every second with her and were so sad to see her go!!

Birthday Boy!

2011-03-24T16:33:00.000-07:00

Carter turned 5 earlier this month, so we decided since it was a "BIG" birthday year that we would have a huge party with some of his friends. We invited 18 of Carter's closest friends, plus some little ones too, and went to Bounce-U in Roseville. They all had tons of fun. By the end of the evening, every one of them had red faces and were all completely pooped out! He got completely spoiled with all of his birthday presents and loves them all!

His birthday actually fell on a Sunday, so we had the party on Saturday night, which was a good thing, because the next morning he woke up with the flu. Poor guy!

I love my "big" five year old!

Carter and all his buddies!

They really had a blast at Bounce-U! We have actually never been there before, and the kids loved the huge slides, the shooting games, the boxing arena, the spiderwebs, and the baseball and basketball areas. It was so much fun, and I was so happy that I didn't have to clean up afterwards! :)

2011-03-23T09:36:00.001-07:00

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

March 6, 2011

2011-03-06T02:25:00.001-08:00

To my Carter boy:

Wow. That's all I have to say about that. Five years has absolutely FLOWN by, and I cannot believe I'm now the proud mother of a FIVE YEAR OLD BOY! The day you entered this world, my entire life started. Nothing in my life has ever been as fulfilling as spending the last five with you, learning and growing with you, watching you discover new things, and loving it all.

Life has not always been the easiest for you. From the very first moment, I've watched you fight to overcome obstacles that you shouldn't have had to fight. You've been such a strong little boy, and the progress that you have made is absolutely astounding to me. You are so smart and observant too. You see things that I would never see, and catch things that I would never catch. You are so diligent about things also. Your teachers comment to me about how you get so frustrated if your letters aren't absolutely perfect in your mind!

Speaking of which, you remind me a lot of your Daddy! You are a perfectionist, and you are pretty organized too. All of your toys have specific places in your toy room, and you are pretty careful not to put things in the wrong toy bin. You love to be outside, just like Dad, and you're very interested in the world around you and seem to already have a great love of nature. When you grow up, you want to be a landscaper just like your Dad is. Hmmm. We'll see... You are also very crazy, just like your Dad is. You have SO MUCH ENERGY and you love to play with him! Sometimes I get jealous of how much fun you two have together, but it truly is just adorable the way that you idolize him. Truth be told, I think you've got a pretty good role model though.

You are a lover of toys. It's always been nice, because you have been very self-entertaining. You will go in your toy room or in the back yard and play with your toys for hours on end. One of my favorite sounds in the world is the sound of you talking with your toys. I love to hear the conversations that you are imagining up in your head! Some of your current favorite toys are pirates & swords, monster trucks, and legos.

You are without a doubt the sweetest and happiest kid that I have ever met! Sure, there are plenty of moments that we butt heads, but 99% of the day, you have a smile on your face and are just happy to be playing or doing whatever it is that you are doing. You have got SUCH a sweet heart. It truly just melts me. You can't stand it when someone is sad, and you are always very concerned and thoughtful towards others. You are constantly giving me big hugs and kisses, and I will demand them even when they are no longer "cool"! Your favorite is to give really tight squeezes on the count of three. One day, you drew me a picture of a heart and handed it to me and said, "Here is your heart, Mom. You make my heart happy."

Gosh, I just love you!

I think you have been waiting for a brother all of your life. You are so sweet with Luke. I have never, not once, seen you be mean to him, or be annoyed by him (that may all change when he starts being able to "share" your toys!). From the day you met him, you have been his #1 fan, and I know you will always be such a great big brother to him. You think it is about the coolest thing ever when you guys wear matching shirts, or when you get to wear a big brother shirt to show the world. I can't wait for Luke to be old enough to play with you. I have no doubt that he will always look up to you so much.

I thank my Heavenly Father every day for trusting me enough to be your Mom. Even though it's been a rough road, I wouldn't change one bit of it. Not one of the hundreds of hours of therapy with you, not one moment of driving to and from schools, not one moment of chasing you down the halls at the mall or fighting with you to eat your dinner. Nothing. I have literally LOVED every moment with you. I say it all the time, but I don't want you to get any older. I try my hardest to seize the moments with you. I don't want to forget any of them.

Thank you for changing my life and making it a million times better. Thanks for being my little buddy. Thanks for being you.

Love, Mom.

Mi Cocina

2011-03-01T18:46:00.000-08:00

I'm still not totally sure how this whole thing works, but I'm playing, so here goes!

My super cute little hair school friend, Brittany of Love Stitched is doing a kitchen link party just for fun, so here is mine:

(The paint looks super barn-red in this picture, but it's not that bad in real life. At least I certainly hope not.) I probably should have waited until the daytime to take the picture, but what can I say? I'm impatient.

Also, Signs of Vintage is giving away their super cute EAT sign on her blog, so go enter to win!

iPhone dump

2011-02-25T16:46:00.001-08:00

"Making a decision to have a child -- it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body."
-Elizabeth Stone

-ain't that the truth.

Various reasons I haven't been blogging...

2011-02-25T16:24:00.000-08:00

I've been eating.
I've been watching TV.
I've been pretending to run 3-4 times a week.
I've been having deep, meaningful conversations with my dog.
I've been nursing and shoving food down my baby.
I've been cursing at the weatherman.
I've been not scrubbing my toilets.
I've been up 2-3 times a night (STILL) with this crazy bebe.
I've been ordering things online.
I've been checking the mailbox to see if they're here yet.
I've been playing with my iPhone wayyy too much.
I've been texting.
I've been shellacing my nails.
I've been suing Kaiser.
I've been searching for a house to buy.
I've been dreaming of going to warm places.
I've been contemplating the meaning of life.
I've been drinking lots of Dr. Pepper.
I've been running Carter to preschools, IEPs, and doctor appointments.
I've been working. Kinda.
I've been wishing Disneyland tickets would rain from the sky.
I've been wondering why my maid sucks.
I've been spending too much time looking at blogs. And Etsy.

So, as you can see, I've been very busyyyyy. Doing a whole lotta nothing.

Six months

2011-02-12T15:04:00.000-08:00

To my baby Luke,

Happy half birthday, little cheeseball! I cannot believe how fast this time with you has gone by! I swear it was just yesterday that I was giving my Mom a Christmas tree ornament announcing that we were pregnant with you, and now here you are, just a little man, full of energy and life. Watching how fast your brother has grown, I definitely believe it when people say that you'll be in kindergarten, high school, mission, and married in the blink of an eye!

You are a grabbing fool these days. You reach for everything and anything, and roll around until you get it! You have turned our entire house into baby-mania. You have toys, bouncers, pacifiers, seats, bottles, saucers, swings, and playmats spilling out of our already up-to-our-necks-in-toys home, with no signs of slowing down.

Your brother, Carter, is just so in love with you. Every morning when you wake, he comes in and lays by you the entire time you eat and talks to you, shows your his toys and what they do, and just wants to love and cuddle you. For Valentine's week in preschool, he was asked, "Who do you love?" and his answer was, "My brother, Luke."

We started feeding you Oatmeal this last month, and to say you love it would be an understatement. You start grunting and flapping your arms every time you see me start preparing it. Then, when I spoon it into your mouth, you have minor spazz-outs when I don't get in your mouth fast enough. You watch every single bite like a hawk, and grab at everything within reaching distance to you on the table.

There are so many moments I wish I could take a still frame and keep it forever. Your gaping smiles, and your gummy drooling grin that rarely leaves your face. How you reach up while you're nursing and touch my face, as if trying to memorize it. Your incescant giggling as your Daddy buries his bearded face in your armpits, or watching you try to eat Roxy.

We love you so much, Luke, and we can't even remember what life was like before you.

The world is yours, Luke.

Love, Mom

Six Month Stats

2011-02-12T13:08:00.000-08:00

Head circumference: 43 cm. (20%)
Height: 26 3/4 inches (47%)
Weight: 16 lbs. 10 oz. (22%)

Monster Trucks!

2011-02-02T20:31:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, Shaun, Chad, and I took the boys, Carter & Carson, to Monster Jams at Arco Arena. The boys had SO.MUCH.FUN!! The best parts of the night were the half-time show where they had little RC cars jumping off the jumps. They were crazy! The other best part is when Shaun took Carter to the bathroom and Chad and I drank his Red Bull! He looked like he was going to cry! Haha! It was great!

These are all the Monster Trucks that - performed? It was loud.

Carter's favorite was the Grave Digger, or as he likes to call it, "Green Digger".

Proof that I was there.

They absolutely HAD to have these Monster Truck hats that came free with the $15 bag of Cotton candy.

If you've ever been to a Monster Jam in your life, chances are, you've seen this guy. He's the car-eating dinosaur that is actually from the Jurassic period.

These guys had a BLAST! If you run into Carter anytime, there is a good chance he is talking about Monster Trucks now. He's borderline-obsessed!

The end.

Snow Day!

2011-02-02T20:09:00.001-08:00

Last month, we went up to the Tahoe area and went sledding with all of the Smith cousins at Cisco Grove. It was kindof a crazy day. We left a little bit late, and then Shaun HAD to buy a sled, because he didn't like the tubes and little disc sleds that we had. But, everywhere we went was sold out!! So, finally he found some at Sports Chalet and off we all went up the mountain. Tahoe was soooo busy that weekend, so we decided to go to Cisco Grove, even though it was $10 for parking. (We wanted to just find a hill and go sledding!) So, we parked and got ready and got everyone up the mountain. The guys hiked the kids all the way up the mountain, and the girls set up chairs to hang out with the babies and watch. Well, when they finally got up to the top, it turns out it cost and extra $20 per person to go down their runs! So, we ended up finding some big hills off to the side to go down instead.

By this time, Carter was really cold, because we didn't have any snow boots for him, so Shaun put on his socks and rainboots and duck-taped them to his snow pants! Haha! He was super ghetto-fabulous! But, his sensory issues were really flaring up because of how cold he was, so the rest of the day was pretty shot. He had a pretty rough time up there, and didn't have much fun, which is really weird for him. He loves the snow and loves sledding usually! All in all, it was a fun experience though ~ at least we know what to do and where not to go next time!

Time out #1 ... :)

Carter and Uncle Kyle. Can you just see how cold and miserable he is?? Poor guy!

Miss Ava

Tyler

Gracie

Andrew

I think this is the most fun that Carter had the entire time we were there. Shaun pulled him and Carson around for a good 45 minutes. They were loving it!

At least Shaun enjoyed himself!

Jammies

2011-01-27T18:54:00.000-08:00

A while back, I found a pair of pajamas that looked like a pirate outfit, and since Carter is straight-up obsessed with pirates, I thought I would get him some.

Needless to say, they were a huge hit with him!!

So, recently I found cowboy pajamas and robot pajamas, so I picked them up too, and now he is pretty sure that he is the coolest thing since sliced bread!

Oatmeal

2011-01-10T10:55:00.000-08:00

Little Lukey-Duke had his first go at Oatmeal last night.

Needless to say, he loved it!

He has been watching us eat in envy lately, so we decided to give him a taste of the good stuff. It doesn't look like he likes it a ton in these pictures, but he was actually so excited, that he couldn't stop flapping long enough for me to get some smiles out of him!

He also got his

FIRST TOOTH

this week! We're so happy it finally broke through and isn't bugging him anymore!

Christmas cards

2011-01-04T20:50:00.001-08:00

I love getting Christmas cards every year. It's one of my favorite parts of Christmas!
I hate taking them down...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

2011 Resolutions

2011-01-01T11:10:00.000-08:00

I figure if I write some of these down on the www, I might somehow be more accountable for actually doing them...?

So, here's my 2011 resolutions:

In 2011, I want to spend more quality time with my family. Be more patient with my kids, and cherish every moment while they're still little. Go on more walks and bike rides. Take more pictures.

In 2011, I will learn to budget better. Spend less money on stupid things (like Target), and save up money instead.

In 2011, I'd like to have a bedtime of 10:30, instead of my usual 12-1 AM bedtime. Reduce distractions in life. Turn the TV off more and enjoy each others company.

In 2011, I want to take a trip somewhere, just Shaun and I.

In 2011, I will try at least 1 new dinner recipe every month.

In 2011, I want to lose 15 lbs., run 3x/week, and run a 5K. Stay active and eat better.

In 2011, I want to read the Book of Mormon. And to pray every night.

In 2011, I also would like to do some volunteer work. Somewhere. I don't know where yet. But that's what I want to do.

In 2011, I will seek to laugh more, worry less, and understand that options for good health and happiness are endless, I just have to be willing to seek them out.

Christmas 2010

2011-01-01T01:38:00.000-08:00

I realize that Christmas has come and gone, and everyone is already over it, but I'm a little late to the game here these days, so here we go.

Also, please excuse the very lame quality of most of these photos, my camera was on a weird ISO setting for most of these pictures, and I didn't realize it until picture time was way past over.

We had a great Christmas in California this year. We weren't able to eat our traditional Italian Raviolis from the Bay area on Christmas Eve, because the place where they're made went out of business :(

So, this year, we had BJ's spaghetti, which is one of my favorite meals ever. There's no spaghetti sauce in the world that is as yummy! As you can see from Carter, who hardly eats anything these days, but was obviously loving the spaghetti!

These three little hams just love each other!

Carter doesn't look super stoked in this picture, but he actually really was thrilled to get a remote control car from Nana & Papa!

All the cute cousins (minus Ashlynn - it was her naptime)

Grandma Fanara and my chubba bubba
Don't you just want to eat those thighs up??

Dog pile on Papa!
Funny story... Everyone opened up Christmas pajamas on Christmas Eve. Well, I dropped the ball this year and didn't get Carter any (he's got a million pairs of pjs, I didn't see the need to buy another pair!), but we didn't want him to feel left out when everyone else was opening them, so we hurried and wrapped the pajamas that we had brought over for him to wear. We didn't know how he'd react when he opened them. So, he opened them up, and he was SO EXCITED!! He knew that they were his regular pajamas, but he did not even care one bit! He was wayyyy excited!

We got super lucky, and Santa dropped by out of his very busy schedule to make a visit to us on Christmas eve. Carter loved Santa. He asked for Pirate Legos this year.

My favorite Carter quote of the night was this...
Santa- "I hear you've had a new addition to the family this year, Carter."
Carter- "Yeah, this is my brother. His name is Luke. He cries a lot."
:)

____________________________________________________________

Christmas morning was great. It was the first year that we've been able to just have it as our family at our house. In years past, we've either slept at Nana & Papa's and opened gifts with all our cousins, or we've been in Utah with the other cousins and family. This year, with 4 new babies, it is just too crowded, so we all stayed home and opened up Christmas as a family.
We loved it.

Carter opening up his stocking. Yep, he's excited about the toothbrush.

He got Pirates and Knights Playmobils from Santa. He was wayyy excited about them!

And a leapster from Mom & Dad

Santa brought me my favorite present ever - the iPhone 4
Oh, and let's pretend I don't look homeless in these pictures, mmmmkay?

Luke was excited about a rattle. We really could have gotten away with getting him just that.

Shaun got some cologne

Luke got some alcoholic gripe water. Don't judge.

Colic is going dooowwwwwn!

And Roxy got an ugly chicken toy.

We had a very merry Christmas and were so blessed this year. It was a beautiful day to spend with our loved ones, and to remember Jesus' birth. Hope you all had a great holiday season!

4 months

2010-12-29T14:35:00.000-08:00

Luke is 4 months old.
i could eat him up,
i love him so.

height:
25 3/4 inches (67th %)

weight:
15 lbs. 3.5 oz. (43rd%)

likes:
Carter's jumping jacks, living on Mommy's hip, the exersaucer, giving kisses, drooling, talking, toys, taking a bath, getting kisses from Roxy.

dislikes:
being put down, sleeping through the night, getting out of the bath, gas.

quirks:
loves to eat his feet.

the past month's milestones:
rolling over

a favorite memory:
seeing him crack up at Carter doing jumping jacks! Nobody can make him laugh as hard as his brother!

The world is yours, Luke.
Love, Mom

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-29T14:30:00.001-08:00

Poor baby...

2010-12-23T23:18:00.001-08:00

Poor little Roxy got her girly parts removed today :(
I've never seen her so chill...

The good news is... I can now blog from my phone :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Christmas 2006

2010-12-23T23:00:00.000-08:00

Carter and Roxy with serial killer Santa. Haha!

'Nuff said...

2010-12-17T16:33:00.001-08:00

Preschool Christmas Program

2010-12-17T16:15:00.001-08:00

Carter had his pre-school Christmas program this week. It was super-duper cute! We sat with our extended family, because Carter's cousins, Ava, Carson, and Andrew were also in the program. We were all busting up laughing - - the kiddos were hilarious!

Carter did really well, a lot better than I thought he was going to (aren't I nice?)! He knew most of the actions and actually sang along, which is really great for him! He loves preschool and loves going each day and learning, and hanging out with Miss Misty. I'm pretty sure she is his first crush!

So cute! They were elves!

What we've been up to lately...

2010-12-07T18:38:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I last blogged, time has flown by wayyy too fast! Life is just so busy, but I'm loving every second of it!

I wish I could just freeze time.

Right now.

I love the age these little boys are at, and I want them to just stay little FOREVER! Is that too much to ask?

This little toad does not enjoy sleeping through the night. We had some nights where we thought we were getting past all that, but he has decided it's much more fun to wake Mom and Dad up in the night and get some cuddlin' time in. He doesn't wake up because he's hungry, he wakes up because his pacifier falls out, and he wants something to suck, and then can't fall back asleep without it. Then I can't go back to sleep. It's a vicious cycle.

Luke is a Bumbo man. He just thinks he's such a big guy when he sits in it and watches Mom clean!

Carter is obsessed with Toy Story 3 and watched it about 30 times while we were in Utah, including the driving time. He also thinks he's a big guy in the Bumbo.

Carter thinks it's pretty fun to have Luke play toys with him. He can't really play with them yet, so Carter just makes him one of the characters instead.

Hangin' out with Adds.

This is the only picture I took when we went to Thanksgiving for Utah. Pretty pathetic, huh?? Maybe if I had an SLR camera for Christmas (hint, hint, Santa!), I would take more pictures.... Just sayin'....

We had an AMAZING trip though. We went a little early and had an early Thanksgiving on Sunday with my family, because my Mom, niece, and nephew were flying out to Boston for Thanksgiving to see my nephew, Josh, get baptized! Then, we went up to Kaysville on Thanksgiving Day to spend the day with Shaun's Dad's family. It was so great. I'm telling ya - - 2 Thanksgivings is the way to do it! Yummmm!

Grandma DeeAnn loving on Luke!

The boys got colds while they were in Utah. It did not make for very fun nights with Luke. He literally would only sleep for 20 minutes at a time and was up the rest of the time screaming. He couldn't eat very well either because he just couldn't breathe. It was so sad!

But it made for some fun pictures too! He had a second bubble right before I took this one, but it popped right when I clicked! Silly guy!

Roxy has found a new perch. She doesn't like to sit on the cement when it's wet, which it is a lot lately, so she's decided the flower pot is better.

Carter had his very first sleep-over with his cousin Carson! We went over to Chad & Brittany's house, ate pizza, and then the boys set up a tent and watched Toy Story 3 and went to sleep. Carter had so much fun, he loves Carson and pretty much asks me about 10 times a day if they can play together!

Well that's about it! If anyone wants a Christmas card, leave me your address!

Halloween twenty-ten

2010-11-05T10:40:00.000-07:00

Carter and Luke had a great Halloween this year!

Our Halloween checklist:
✓Decorated House
✓Lots of Halloween crafts
✓Pumpkin Cookies
✓Bishop's Pumpkin Patch
✓Halloween Stories
✓Trunk or Treat #1 with our ward
✓Trunk or Treat #2 with our cousins
✓Haunted House
✓Taco Soup and yummy food at Nana & Papa's House
✓Trick or Treating

Unfortunately we didn't quite get around to carving pumpkins, or making it over to our aunts, uncles, & Grandma's houses this year, but the kids still had a great time. Carter just thinks Halloween is the coolest thing ever, and was so excited about wearing his "Zoch Spawwow" costume! Luke, however, could have done without Halloween. He pretty much hated the dark, all the loud sounds, his hot monkey costume, and everything else that went along with it!

Carter definitely made out like a bandit this year with all his candy between the 2 Trunk or Treats, and then Trick or Treating as well. I ended up throwing about 1/3 of Carter's candy out, then donating another 1/3, and we are still up to our neck in the other 1/3 of candy, which Carter barely even touches...

Captain Jack Sparrow

Carter and Carson

Carter and Luke

Our family photo this year... not the greatest

I didn't get a picture with the other cousins, because apparently they were all in a huge hurry and couldn't wait for me to get my camera. :(

But here's Carter, Carson, and Ava trick or treating.

Knocking at the door...

Yelling "Trick-or-Treat!!"

Sweetest little monkey in the world!

My little Pirate with all his loot!

For Grandma DeeAnn...

2010-11-04T11:42:00.000-07:00

Luke at 2 months

A name and a blessing

2010-10-27T09:12:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, October 10th, 2010, Luke Hudson was given an official name and a blessing by his Daddy. It was such a sweet blessing.

Shaun blessed Luke with:

Strength and power to grow to a strong adult
Being able to recognize and feel the Holy Ghost
The ability to choose goodness and righteousness
Being a light to his peers and friends
Being an example of Jesus Christ
To feel the love his Heavenly Father has for him
To be good friends with his brother
To serve a mission
One day to marry a righteous daughter of Heavenly Father's in the temple for time and all Eternity
All other blessings Heavenly Father has in store for him.

Luke's cousin, Ashlynn, who was born 2 weeks after him, was also blessed the same day

4 Generations

My sweet little boys!

It was such a beautiful day. I'm so grateful for all the friends and family that love us and for the Gospel that we have in our lives. I'm so grateful that Heavenly Father chose me and trusted me to be a Mommy to these sweet little boys, and for my awesome hubby who loves us and always goes above and beyond for us.

Our new pet

2010-10-14T13:30:00.000-07:00

Shaun was doing some work in our backyard on Tuesday and a toad jumped out at him! He is HUGE! So we took him out and played with him for a little while. We were going to name him Elmer, but Carter decided he liked the name Chunk better, so Chunk it is...

For a while we couldn't figure out why Roxy kept digging and barking at the back of the fence, but we realized that Chunk has a little home back there behind our Jasmine bushes, and she actually discovered him a long time ago, but apparently wasn't able to get to him! He loves it back there, because it gets watered every morning, and then the drip system comes on later, so it's usually a pretty nice and moist home for him. We've been keeping an eye on him and he takes off to go hunting every night and then comes right back and buries himself back in his little hole.

Chunk is so cute!

Seeing if I could turn Chunk into a prince...

Carter just thinks Chunk is the coolest thing ever!

He had to use gloves at first because he was a little nervous about holding him, but now he wants to hold him all the time!

Baby

2010-10-12T14:18:00.000-07:00

The most amazing Katie at Katie Elmer Photography took some pictures of my sweet little Luke the first week we brought him home. Katie is an INCREDIBLE photographer. She has such a great eye, and was so sweet to come and spend her morning capturing some of Luke's first days with us. Thank you so much, Katie! I can't even begin to tell you how much I love them and will cherish them forever and ever!

"A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for."
~Anonymous

2 months

2010-10-12T13:48:00.001-07:00

Wow, where has the time gone? I can't believe that this little man is already 2 months old! I love how much fun he is, but hate how quickly he is getting so big. It just goes by way too fast, it makes me want to cry!
Luke is just too sweet for words. There is something so special and spiritual about having a new baby in the house, and we are loving it - we can't get enough!

Some fun baby Luke facts:

Luke loves to EAT and is turning into a champion nurser. However, he is easily distracted already, his brother's voice always makes him pull away and search for him.
He still loves his binky and is content the moment it is in his mouth, but he is starting to suck on his hands a lot too? Hmmm... will we have another thumb sucker?
He is quite the little gabber... he loves to chat and hear himself coo. He also loves to screech with joy. Sometimes he squawks so loud he startles himself!
He is always happiest in the mornings. He is one big cheeseball from the hours of 8-11 AM.
He is always fussiest in the evenings. He gets very gassy and uncomfortable in the evening hours.
He HATES the carseat, and the car even more. He screams every time we're in the car from point A to point B, no matter if we pull over and stick that binky in or not!
Bubble-blower extraordinaire. 'Nuff said.
He is SUPER DUPER ticklish, just like his big brother! It is so cute to watch him giggle and squirm when he's being tickled!
He absolutely loves his swing, and his mobile above his changing table is a definite best friend. He gets a huge smile every time we change his diaper because of that mobile!
He is so strong. He loves to use those strong little legs to stand up and for doing squats.
He is very alert, and is awake about half of the day now.
He sleeps from about 9PM - 5AM most nights now (Yayyyyyy!)
He had different cries for hungry, sleepy, gassy, and for just needing some Mommy-love.
He has the cutest cry in the world - a little raspy and a definite Mmmm-aaaah!!
In the words of Aunt Renee, he is an old soul. His eyes say so much, and he seems to know so much more than any of us.

We love you Lukey! So excited to spend this next month watching you learn and grow!

Birthday Weekend

2010-10-06T18:42:00.000-07:00

This weekend was Shaun's birthday. It's an awesome time of year to have a birthday, because the weather changes, it's nice and cool, and Shaun's birthday almost always falls right on Conference weekend. That was the case this year, so Shaun got a 3 day birthday! We watched Conference, and were able to hang out all weekend, bought a TV for his birthday present, celebrated with family on Sunday, and then on Monday, we went to Claim Jumper and had dinner with some friends. It was a lot of fun! Thanks everyone for coming to celebrate!

The birthday boy, and me with my new RED hair!

Cam & Lissa

Chad & Jess

Erin, Justin, & Bailey, who was born the day before Luke. Look at all her HAIR!!

Heidi & Bryan

Thanks Nana & Papa for babysitting the kiddos!

32.

2010-10-04T22:45:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to the love of my life.

the best husband

the best daddy

the best guy

Thanks for making life so much fun! xoxo

I heart Conference weekend!

2010-10-03T16:37:00.001-07:00

What we've been up to....

2010-09-17T09:50:00.001-07:00

Well, it's been a little over a month that Luke has been with us, and we're getting used to our new schedule of no sleep now... :) I feel like all I do is nurse Luke and run Carter to and from preschools and try to time them correctly! But really, it has been such a fun month.
Luke is just growing like a weed! He is getting so big, he's already got chubby little thighs! I don't know how much he weighs, but I would guess he's pushing the 11 lb. range already.
Carter LOVES Luke -- his preschool teacher said Carter talks about Luke like he's 10 years old, just gushes over him! Carter started his second preschool last week, the speech and therapy based preschool that he was in last year, so he does that twice a week and then his Pre-K is four times a week. I thought he was going to be so exhausted and not do well at the later school, but he is doing great, he loves going to school!

The Smith Family has had 5 babies born this year. We're on a quest to take over Northern California. This is Luke with Ashlynn, born just 14 days after Luke. Isn't she sweet?
Cameron and Shaun with their babies! Cameron and Melissa's baby is Addison, and she was born June 2nd.
Addison and Luke. Why is he as big as she is??? And apparently he is very happy about that.
Carter and Luke taking a bath. These boys LOVE water!

Sooooo happy!
Last week we went up to Apple Hill in the South Lake Tahoe area. Even though the pumpkins weren't out yet, we had a fun time! We're going to have to go back next month for sure!

Carter put this hat on Luke so they could be pirates together! He's such a ham! He can't wait for Luke to grow up and be able to play with him!

September 2010

2010-09-14T08:58:00.000-07:00

To my little Luke,

Happy 1 month birthday! I can't believe it has already been a whole month! It's hard to describe what you've done to me; stretched my heart so wide, it feels on the brink of bursting at any moment. We love you so much! You've grown a lot in 30 short days and I can't wait to see what you learn next month.

You look so much like your Daddy. Your body is strong and healthy. You can hold your head up, and you kick your legs around like you're running a marathon. You have the sweetest little smile in the world and you smile CONSTANTLY when you're content. I am amazed by how attentive and alert and aware of us you are.

You're very cuddly, you love to be tickled & rubbed & somehow you don't mind daddy's beard when he kisses you. My lips have found a perfect spot in the corner of your cheek and neck. You're finding your voice right now and trying to talk back to us, but right now, it's more of a cluck, coo, or a "na". You love your binky, and you LOVE to eat. You're getting too big too fast!

Your perfect spirit has turned our world upside down & we wouldn't have it any other way.

The world is yours, Luke.

Love, Mom.

Remember...

2010-09-07T09:06:00.001-07:00

that time when I changed my blog layout and blogger erased a bunch of my contacts??

If you could all be gems and leave a comment with your blog addresses, that would be much appreciated...

Thanks,
The Management

Smiley boy

2010-08-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

Either I have the gassiest baby in the world, or the smiley-est! :) Either way, he's happy about it...

When he's content - full, clean, and burped, he is so super sweet and smiley! We love it!

His newborn stats were:

7 lbs. 14 oz.

20 1/4 inches

His 1 week stats were:

8 lbs. 2 oz.

21 inches

and his 2 week stats were:

8 lbs. 10 oz.

22 inches

His pediatrician was very impressed with his massive weight gain... He's gonna be a chubber, just like his big bro was!

Striking a pose during bathtime!

Carter has been such a great helper with him. No meltdowns and no regressions so far (knock on wood). He loves helping me out with him, holding him, and playing with him!

Hee-hee!

Life is good :)

Preschool

2010-08-23T10:12:00.000-07:00

Last Monday, was a big day for Carter, he started preschool! He was VERY excited to go to school, and to meet his new teacher, but once we got there, he was definitely a little overwhelmed with all of the people, kids, and the new atmosphere. But, he ended up loving it, and now he asks me every day when it is time to go to school and see his teacher! He is OBSESSED with her! She is the ULTIMATE preschool teacher - happy, perky, super-sweet, and we LOVE LOVE LOVE her!
This is all definitely very bitter-sweet. I love that Carter loves preschool, but it is so sad to see him growing up so fast! I love little Luke right to death, but I also miss it being just be and Bubba, and all the time that we used to spend together - just us.

I love you, Carter, and I'm looking forward to many first days of school with you!

Showing off his super-cool Buzz & Woody backpack...
Just being a ham

Holding Baby Luke

Grandma DeeAnn helped us get ready for school

Me & my boys!

Carter and his teacher!

P.S. I think it might be about time to go PRIVATE, so I need your E-MAILS!!!

Introducing...

2010-08-21T08:37:00.000-07:00

Luke Hudson Smith

born

Thursday, August 12, 2010

2:21 PM

7lbs. 14 oz.

20 1/4 inches

After nearly 42 weeks of patiently and impatiently waiting, our little baby Luke has finally arrived! We are so thrilled to have him here, and we already can't imagine life without him!

My Labor Story

Just a warning, this is going to be a really long, personal, & graphic post! This blog is for my own journaling purposes, so consider yourself fore-warned, and read ahead at your own discretion. :)

Luke's due date was August 1st, 2010. I knew that I was not going to deliver early, and I was pretty sure I was going to be late with him, but I was definitely not expecting to be 12 days overdue! I had a lot of people ask why I wasn't induced, but here in California, doctors generally don't induce you before 40 weeks, and my insurance combined with Sutter Healthcare made it so that they wouldn't induce me before 42 weeks unless there was a medical necessity. I was actually fine with this, I don't really personally believe in inducing before the baby is ready to be born anyway, but by about day 5, I was seriously re-thinking that! I had a couple of days where I was getting really depressed, nervous, and ornery (go figure!), so the Friday before he arrived, I called my Mom and asked her to fly out earlier than expected (she was planning on coming when I called to tell her I was in labor), because I was getting scared that Luke was going to be huge and I would have many of the same delivery problems that I had with Carter. I think things would have gone very differently if my Mom had been there for Carter's birth, so I asked her to come out and be here early, just incase. So, she flew out the next day. It was really nice to have her here early, I was able to get a lot of things done that I wouldn't have been able to otherwise, and we were able to just enjoy each other's company.
Well, that following Tuesday, my doctor had me come in to do a non-stress test and just hook me up to the monitors and see how Luke's heart rate was doing. Apparently he was still just comfy-cozy in there, because his heart rate was perfect! My doctor said I was dialated to a 2 or 3, which was exciting, since I had been at a 1 for about 3 weeks before that! He mentioned that he would be on-call on Thursday morning, and if I "happened" to be having contractions, to definitely come in. Well, Thursday morning rolled around, and I was having NO CONTRACTIONS, no anything, but I decided to go into the hospital anyway, and hope that they would possibly take pity on me!

So, my Mom and I went into the hospital and I said I thought my water might be leaking (Shaun decided to stay back with Carter and wait to see if they would admit me or not), and they sent me to the triage room and hooked me up to the monitors. They checked and said that my water was not leaking, I was still having very few contractions, but I was dialated to a 5, and would definitely be staying! Yay!!

We called Shaun, and he and his Mom took Carter to his sister's house, and then headed to the hospital. They got there right after I was moved into the labor room. From there, my wonderful doctor, Dr. Murphy, came in and broke my water and started me on Pitocin around 11 AM. I wanted to go as long as I could without an epidural, so around 1230 or so, they came back in and checked on me and I was around an 8 and my contractions were consistent at 1-2 minutes apart and getting more and more intense, and I was ready for my epidural. My anesthesiologist was so awesome - - I was able to lift my legs the entire time, still feel my contractions, but not pain. It was perfect! They became a little concerned because everytime I would have a contraction, Luke's heart rate would drop into the 80-90 range, so they kept a close eye on is heartrate.

A little after 1:oo, my doctor came in and said I was finally dialated to a 10 and it was time to have a baby!

So, they got everything prepared, and we started pushing. I pushed sooooo hard, but was not making progress. I was very frustrated - this is exactly what happened with Carter's birth. I knew that the same thing wouldn't happen with this delivery, that if this baby was not going to come, they would absolutely take me in for a C-section before any complications could occur for little Luke. But, nontheless, I didn't want a C-section if at all possible. At this point, Dr. Murphy applied a vacuum to Luke's head to try to help with the delivery. It came off 2 seperate times. By then, I had been pushing for about 1/2 hour and Dr. Murphy said that we would give it a couple more tries, and then it was time for Plan B (C-section). I was really nervous and scared, so we pushed again, as hard as absolutely possible, and Dr. Murphy could see his head coming out! I was so relieved! But, the ambilical cord was wrapped around Luke's head TWICE, so we didn't rest and kept pushing, and at 2:21 PM, Luke made his long-awaited, wonderful debut! It was the most amazing, spiritual moment - definitely one of the best moments of my life.

They laid him on me for a moment, and then whisked him away to check him. He weighed in at 7 lbs. 14 oz., just one ounce smaller than Carter was! I was certain that I was going to be having a 9 pounder from being so overdue! His apgar score was a 9, and he looked very healthy and pink, which was sooooo relieving! While they were checking on Luke, my doctor was fixing me up and massaging the fundus. He was really working it for a very long time, which I thought was a little odd, since usually it is the nurse that massages the fundus. But, my doctor was the one doing all the work and I could see a little stress in his face. Come to find out, it was because I was hemmorhaging and losing a good amount of blood. They kept my epidural in for quite a while after my delivery, because there was a chance that I would have to go in for surgery. It was a little scary, but it ended up being ok.

Luke is here now and he's absolutely perfect and healthy and I couldn't be happier with how everything turned out. It was such a beautiful experience, and we love our little Luke so much!

Here's some pictures of our first days together:

I think he looks exactly like his Daddy, especially in this picture!

Carter meeting his little brother for the first time

I was worried there might be some jealousy, but Carter LOVES baby Luke, and always wants to hold him and help out with him. My sweet little boys!
We set up the swing yesterday, and he's already a big fan of it. He looks so tiny in there!

As hard as the first weeks are, they are so sweet and I don't want to take even one minute of him being this tiny for granted

Grandma DeeAnn and Luke. She was so helpful to have around during his first week. We were very sad to see her go!

Shaun Jr.

Maternity Pictures

2010-08-10T16:53:00.000-07:00

Soooooo.... since I'm still here and still pregnant, I thought I would at least update my blog for the time being. My amazing friend Keri took some maternity pictures for me a couple weeks ago, and I loved how they turned out! It will be really fun to look back on these pictures and remember when I was actually this huge! Thanks so much, Keri! I really LOVE them!
I am currently about 10 days overdue, and will probably be induced on Thursday if he doesn't make his grand entrance before then! Yay!

I love this one with him standing on my belly! Such a goose!

40 weeks

2010-08-02T19:12:00.000-07:00

Well, we've made it to 40 weeks! I can't believe this little man could be here anytime now, I couldn't be more excited! They kept going back and forth on my due date between August 1st and 3rd, so apparently the 3rd worked into his agenda a little better. I am definitely ready to be done - I feel like a boat - but, I have a feeling he's going to take his dear sweet time getting here. I've got a doctor's appointment on Wed, so we'll see if there's any progress, but I personally think I've got another week at least... Hopefully I am wrong!
This pregnancy has actually been really nice - all in all - it was so much better than my pregnancy with Carter, so I would feel guilty complaining about it at all. It has been fun to experience this again in a nicer way, and can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I will actually miss it a little!
We're so excited for you, little brother!

Eviction notice

2010-07-27T18:41:00.000-07:00

Dear baby-

Get out. You have 4 days; However, it would be greatly appreciated if you would vacate the premises much sooner.

Love you.

Mom

T.G.I.S.

2010-07-18T14:43:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness for this much needed day of rest! Church at 8:30 makes the rest of the day so looooong, peaceful, and relaxing! My boys totally agree...

Today's to-do list?

Church.

Food.

Nap.

Food.

Movie.

Food.

Dessert.

Bed.

I Love Sundays.

Pirate Party!!

2010-07-11T16:59:00.000-07:00

Carter's cousin, Carson, turned 3 last week, so Aunt Brittany threw him a Pirate birthday party! It was Carter's dream come true! Brit did such a great job, it turned out so fun, and all the kids had a blast!

Here's all the Pirate treasure that Carter got

Dressed up in all his pirate gear

Carson loved all his presents

Carter was especially excited to give Carson the Playmobile Pirate set. I'm kinda surprised he understood the concept of giving it to Carson and not keeping it for himself...
I was pretty sure he was going to try to klepto that one for himself!

Cutest cousins ever!

Weekend in Utah

2010-07-07T16:36:00.000-07:00

I convinced Shaun to make a super quick drive to Utah this weekend for the 4th of July. It was a long drive, but worth it, even for the short amount of time that we were there.

I had my 10 year reunion and, of course, this is the only picture I took! It was great to see everyone though, especially people I haven't seen for YEARS!

Josh, Aunt Jenny, & Bubba
We went to the parade. It was lame. Total bust. Never again.

At one point, my 5 year old niece Hannah said, "I thought we were going to a fun parade..."

We went to Aunt Janeal's awesome BBQ later that day too. It was tons of fun, and great to see all our cousins.

Grace & Carter

I know what you're thinking, and the answer is NO. We don't believe in swimsuits in the Smith household...

Josh & Carter: total BFFs

We love Utah on the 4th!

It's a Love/Hate thing

2010-06-21T10:50:00.001-07:00

Love: Having a clean house.
Hate: Cleaning it. Why does every day feel like the movie Groundhog's Day, where I do the exact same thing all over again? Every morning it's a complete disaster again...

Love: Caffeine free Dr. Pepper.
Hate: That I'm running out and I can't buy it in California!

Love: Carter Boy
Hate: How old he's getting so fast!

Love: (semi-love) Being pregnant, feeling the bebe move around
Hate: Feeling like a whale, swift kicks to the ribs, trying to pick a name, trying to sleep, being tired, having no room to eat, hips hurting, that I still have 6 weeks to go!

Love: That I get to see my family and friends soon!
Hate: The 10 hour drive while 36 weeks pregnant. Ugh, kill me now!

Love: Seeing my husband's business that he's worked so hard on, get bigger and more successful, and feeling a little more financially relaxed.
Hate: Not having him home until 9 or 10 PM a lot of times, and how tired he gets.

Love: Fixing my house up, painting, moving rooms around, putting the nursery together.
Hate: How long it takes, how much WORK it takes!

Love: Being an adult. Staying up late, eating junk food if I want, being my own boss.
Hate: Being an adult. Responsibility. Finances. Exhaustion. Slower metabolism. Stress. STRESS. STRESS. STRESS.

Love: How much Carter is talking and progressing
Hate: When he WON'T stop talking and talking and talking and talking and talking and talking and talking and talking and talking and talking and talking...
:)

Love: Money
Hate: That there is never enough!

Love: Blogging.
Hate: Being too busy for it, or not having anything fluffy or worthwhile to say.

Love: Entertaining TV shows.
Hate: having so few of them during the summer. (Thank you Burn Notice, The Good Guys, SYTYCD, Bachelorette)

Love: Summer
Hate: Being pregnant in the summer.

Love: Eating.
Hate: Gaining weight. Doing dishes.

Love: Chocolate.
Hate: Running out of it.

Love: That Carter is potty trained throughout the night.
Hate: Nothing about this.

Swim Lessons

2010-06-14T19:56:00.001-07:00

Miss Kathy, a family friend, came over to Nana's and gave Carter, Carson, and Ava swimming lessons today. I was sure that Carter was going to flip out and have nothing to do with it, but he did awesome and he loved it! He's doing so great with handling his Sensory Integration Disorder lately. He surprises me every day by doing things that he normally can't/won't do, and it makes me so happy! He's getting so big!

Kicking!!

Putting hands together like a boat...

He was very excited when he was telling me about it!

We have a recurring theme going on...

2010-05-27T17:36:00.000-07:00

Apparently he can fall sleep anywhere.

Pooped out

2010-05-26T18:32:00.000-07:00

Little man was soooooo tired today after his physical therapy that he fell asleep in the cart at Target...

Mom:

2010-05-09T14:29:00.000-07:00

Thank you for your
~love
~time
~life
~sacrifice
~support
~friendship
~humor
~recipes
~strength
~mom quotes
~quirks
~lessons learned
~happiness
~loving my child as much as I do
~forgiveness
~everything.

i love

2010-05-09T14:26:00.000-07:00

singing songs
while brushing little teeth,
or driving in the car
or sitting in the rocking chair.

i love
reading books with voices,
taking slow walks on sundays
and cooking dinner together.

i love
when i get complimented on his
achievements, manners,
or something funny he did or said.

i love
being gifted with rocks,
wildflowers,
branches,
bugs and
eskimo kisses.

i love
cuddling on the couch
or listening to a story
complete with stutters and stops
and distractions.

i love
hearing about a dream
from the night before,
conversations at mealtime
and when we play together.

i love
the bold realization that comes
when i watch my son.
the realization that
i truly know what joy is.

happy mother's day!

Dizzywand!

2010-04-22T13:36:00.000-07:00

We finally made it down to Disneyland last week! We've been trying to get down there for a while, but just haven't been able to. But, we decided to make it happen now, while it is still cool enough, and I'm not SUPER DUPER HUGELY pregnant yet, and Shaun had someone that could take over for him at work. We're glad we waited til now, because it was a perfect time to go!
Carter LOVED it! He's been talking about it for about 2 months non-stop! He's totally obsessed with pirates right now too, so he loved all the boat rides they had there, and of course the pirates too!

Here he is running to Cinderella's castle! So EXCITED!

The first ride we went on was Peter Pan. He was a little tripped out at first, but he ended up loving it, and we went on it about 5 more times while we were there.

The Buzz Lightyear ride was another winner in his book. He loved shooting with Daddy.

He was trying REEEALLY hard to get that dang sword out of that stone.

This is the storybook ride. This made me laugh, because it was one of Carter's favorites because there is a boat, and a whale, and it was one of Shaun's favorites because of all the little trees and landscaping... Such a weirdo.

All of the Storybook landscape pictures!

Watching fireworks. He was so pooped out the first night, that he fell asleep DURING them!

On our way to California Adventure!

Carter loves the letter C, and was very excited to see a big one!

The Bug's area was a lot of fun for him, he loved all the little rides, especially the bumper cars!

We had a blast!

The End

Huntington Beach

2010-04-22T13:24:00.000-07:00

The last day in Southern California, we went to Huntington Beach to visit Shaun's best buddy, Kent, and of course to go to the beach too. Shaun hadn't been surfing for a while, so he took Kent's board out for a little bit.

Carter LOVED the beach! He loved running away from the tides that were coming in!

This is our poor attempt at a sand castle. It's more like a sand volcano. But, that's what you get when you don't bring buckets!

Carter trying to surf, just like his Dad.

We took some cool seashells home to put in our bathroom!

Burying his feet in the sand!

Baby Bump: 24 weeks

2010-04-16T10:03:00.000-07:00

107 days
1 Disneyland Trip
8 walls to paint
15.2 weeks
2 hair appointments
1 Glucose Screening Test (Boo!)
3 rooms to move around
1 Nursery to put together
25 more pounds to gain
1 trip to Utah
1 10 year reunion?

until D-date.

When Mom gets bored...

2010-04-06T17:00:00.000-07:00

Dandelions

2010-03-31T15:00:00.000-07:00

I love these weeds.

They remind me of my Dad.

Every spring, he would pay out to the person who found the first Dandelion of the year.

I always won.

Even if he was just humoring me.

Sac Zoo

2010-03-30T09:59:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, we took these three little monsters to the Sac zoo. It's a pretty lame zoo, but they don't know that. They had fun seeing all the animals, and it was PERFECT weather!

We took them on the Merry-Go-Round, and of course, MY son wanted to ride the ladybug. Not the tiger or the lion.... The ladybug.

Birthday Party!

2010-03-09T16:09:00.000-08:00

{Carter had a very fun birthday this year! His birthday was on Saturday, and Daddy had to work, so we went to Chuck E Cheese during the day with his friends and cousins.}

{That night when Daddy got home, we went to Strikes Bowling Alley. Carter had never been bowling before, but he LOVED it!}

{Bestest Buddies}

{Playing at the arcade while waiting for our lane}

{Daddy showing Carter how to bowl}

{Then, on Sunday night, we had a little family party at our house. Carter had been talking about it for the last 3 weeks or so! He was very excited!

See?}

{We had a Thomas the Train Party with yummy Coconut Cupcakes!}

{The kids ran around aimlessly}

{Carter was very excited to see Nana!}

{Then we got to open presents. Carter got SPOILED ROTTEN! He's got a lot of people that love him!}

{He got a super cool Pirate Island....}

{....and Pirate Ship that he's also been talking about for weeks.}

{Then we blew out the candles! I think this is the first year that the Birthday Song hasn't just thrown him over the edge...}

{Cute little Ava}

{There are 5 of us due with babies this year in my family.... Tiffany in Sept, Me in August, Melissa in June, Mandi (had Lily today), and Brittany had Aubree in January! Lots of babies! Unfortunately for my little guy, I'm thinking he might be the only boy - we'll have to see if Tiff has a boy too!}

{This is what our family pictures always look like. Carter has zero interest in the camera!}

{He's obsessed with this pirate ship now}

{The boys all thought it was pretty cool}

{Happy Birthday, big guy!}

IT'S A.........................

2010-03-08T10:14:00.001-08:00

BOY!!!!!!!!

I COMPLETELY thought this one was going to be a girl!

But as you can see, our little peanut is NOT bashful, and is clearly a little boy!

We're so thrilled to be having another boy, and Carter is going to have so much fun with a little brother!!!

Happy Birthday little man!

2010-03-06T10:25:00.000-08:00

My little man turned 4 today! I can't believe it! Sometimes it feels like it was just yesterday that he came to us and sometimes it feels like he's been with us forever. Nobody in the world makes me happier than this little guy!

Happy Birthday, Bubba!

FFFFF-POUR!

2010-03-03T13:48:00.000-08:00

Carter is turning four this Saturday. We're preparing him to say that he's four, instead of three. He can't quite say his F's yet, but he's working on it.
Case in point: