Happy Halloween!

Its been a busy, busy week here. Hailey got to dress up for school and her class had a great party! She always wants to take pictures, but I wonder if she realizes she resembles a growling Cinderella?

Then, the girls and I went to get a Hailey a well-needed haircut. She absolutely loves to go. In fact, she requests to go all the time. The reason, they paint her nails there too as part of the cut. Today's color choice...hot pink with sparkles. My personal favorite part of watching her is how grown up she feels. She crosses her legs and sits and chats with whomever is working with her...hilarious.

Now, what's our poor, bald Reese to do while waiting on her sister? Well, that's easy, climb on things and find every feather boa in the place and blow on them of course!

The finished product.

Arkalalah!!!

WHAT A MAGNIFICENT WEEKEND!!! I have so much I could report on, so I'll try not to get too long winded here. We had a long, extended weekend in my hometown of Arkansas City, Kansas.

It started off great because we were planning on going to AC on Thursday night after Trey got home from work. He called on Wednesday and said his big Thurs. meeting got moved, so we took off with the girls a day early. YEA! I was really ready for a break from the apartment and all the building-a-house stuff we've been dealing with over the past few weeks. The first wonderful surprise when we got home was that my parent's latest remodel project is completed on the inside and will be finished off with landscaping on the outside real soon. It looks marvellous. They now have a master bedroom downstairs with a great big new bathroom and walk-in closets, plus there's a new half bath, exercise/safe room, and a roomy garage. This addition is so nice for them because they don't have to use stairs anymore and it's also nice for the kids and grandkids because we now have an extra bedroom and bathroom upstairs! Here's a pic of the outside of the house.

Now, onto the reason we went home. In my hometown, the last full weekend of October is called Arkalalah. I believe if you look it up in a dictionary, Arkalalah is defined as "the most fun weekend one can have in a small town." It's the annual fall festival and it's filled with events (including the crowning of Queen Alalah), competitions, games, a carnival, parades and a multitude of food booths....I believe the Arkalalah food officially kicks off the start of the holiday eating season.....aka get ready to gain weight season. Plus, we got to hang out with oodles of family which is always great since my brothers and I not only grew up with our parents, but with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

On Friday, the grandkids got dressed up in their Halloween costumes for the Kiddie Parade. Here they are pre-parade and during. Introducing Cinderella, her pumpkin, a witch, Sharpay (from High School Musical), and a skeleton....well, a cute little boy who will be a skeleton on Halloween.

By the way, the big green gloves on Reese were an impulse buy made by PaPa (my dad). The kids (and let's not lie...my dad) took turns chasing each other around the house with talking, Incredible Hulk gloves. It is official....my dad will never grow up. He knows toys, even at 61.

On Saturday, we ate lots of food. Reese had her first porkburger and you can see Connor, Abby and Keely splitting homemade chicken and noodles and a funnel cake. What you can't see is the consumed jeffy pups, pretzels, cinnamon rolls, sausages on a stick, indian tacos, GrinderMan sandwiches and cookies and hot chocolate.

There are also Street Games on Saturday morning. One of the games is the Egg Toss. Check out how many people participate in it. I think that the line of participants stretches almost one city block. Trey took a pic right before our first toss.

And I don't want to brag or anything, BUT, Trey and I MAY have just picked up our THIRD egg toss title in THREE years. Apparently, we have mastered having girls and being able to catch unhatched poultry. Our reward....free carnival tickets! Let me also say, that my Uncle David is one of the MC's of the street games. So, during the competition, not only were we trying to out toss all of the other competitors, but we had to listen to comments over a loud microphone like, "I don't know that Katie is actually pregnant....I think she's just put on a lot of weight this year." Thanks, appreciate that :).

The kids favorite part....the carnival! Hailey and Connor got up the courage to ride their first roller coaster together this year. I think it was called "Go Gator." Look at them smiling before they left and then just holding on once they realized that Mr. Gator went forwards and backwards.

And finally, it was so nice to have some good ole' family time. My cousin Allie helped chase our kids around, PaPa watched Sleeping Beauty and Hannah Montana (in 3D) with the grandkids, Reese loved climbing up on my mom's lap to see her Grandma and we all enjoyed each other's company. God bless family and God bless ARKALALAH!

When In Doubt....Hide It In Your Mouth

Reese=obsessed with toothbrushes. Why she loves them, we aren't sure, but Trey, Hailey and I have all been victims of her enthusiasm for the cleaning stick. She steals them whenever she can. So, I decided to take a video of what happens when you take one away from her. She found the top to a disposable one in it.

Tiny Dancer

At Hailey's dance class today, parents were invited to watch the girls during their practice. It is pure joy I tell you. Our girl unquestionably delights in going to class each week. She always wants me to stay and watch, so when I told her that her teacher asked parents to come this time, she was over the moon. One of my favorite things about Hailey is that when she's excited and happy, she tries NOT to smile.....you can see her trying to cover up a smile in the video.

On the other hand, there's Reese. When she's happy, she cracks up. When she's mad, she screams, using 100% of her lungs. And when she wants something, she will point and stare at it, eyes bulging, until you understand her. I caught her laughing today.

Pumpkin Patch Outting

So, we decided to get out of the apartment today and take advantage of the beautiful Texas fall weather. Off to the pumpkin patch we went and it was such an enjoyable time together. The girls got to feed cows and goats.....and well, I actually had my camera ready to take pictures when I looked over and saw Reese leaning in to kiss a goat. She liked them so much she was just trying to show her affection....luckily, their lips never met up :). We also went on a hayride, had a picnic and the girls (and Trey) played in bounce houses. Chalk up another great day for the Smiths!

Good News Updates

We have some nothing-out-of-the-ordinary, yet great news to report! I went to the doctor today and had to have another ultrasound done. On my last sonogram it was noted that I had partial placenta previa. Basically, I was going to have to have a C-section if my placenta didn't move up because it was too low and it could have caused me to go on bedrest and all kinds of not fun stuff. Anyways, it moved up, so all is well! Whew! Plus, I got to see the baby again and that's always exciting. And the baby is definitely still a girl. The sonographer and I decided that her profile looks a lot like Reese....so we'll see if that turns out to be true.

We both were able to look at Reese to compare profiles while watching the screen because Reese was eating a snack in her stroller and half way through the sonogram, she scared herself to death (and me) by choking on a pretzel stick. So, she wanted to be held. Next thing you know, I've got a 21 lb toddler sitting on my gut (and bouncing up and down while trying to feed me pretzel sticks) and a baby having a sonogram done on my lower belly. The next few years are going to be really, really interesting...

And, in Hailey news. We went costume shopping last night and she decided that she absolutely, totally and completely wants to be Cinderella for Halloween. Reese's costume is still up in the air. Personally, I think she'll just want candy :).

It's never good when....

...You are at home on a seemingly normal Friday and the phone rings and you notice it's the veterinarian. I was about to start fixing lunch for the girls, when I picked up to talk to their office. Let me add a note at this point: After this year, with all the surgeries, boarding and the death of a dog, I know our vet AND his staff quite well and by name, so receiving a call from them didn't seem weird at all. In fact, I think the Smith family has kept our vet quite profitable during these tough economic times. Now, back to the story... SO, I answer and Kristy, the front desk assistant says, "Mrs. Smith, how's Jake?" I let her know that he's doing pretty well assuming that this was related to his healing after losing Rocky....WRONG. She continues, "So, is he there with you right now?" I say, "Well, not right now because I dropped him off at my friend Jody's house this morning, so he could play with her dogs in the backyard....." Then comes the connection...."DID HE GET OUT AND IS HE MISSING?" She said he was, along with my good friend's dog and they were spotted running around, but someone was trying to catch them both. THANK GOODNESS that he can't run very fast anymore due to the knee issues and that he had his collar on, so they were able to call the vet.

Basically, the two had gotten out a side fence and had the time of their lives. There is no doubt in my mind that my Jake caused the great escape either....note the previous posting where I said he can be a devil still at six. I rushed to pick them both up at the vet after some wonderful wonderful person took the time to round them up and drove them there. On the way, Hailey asked if he was ok and I told her yes, but that I was worried because I didn't want him running loose without me or getting lost. And her reply, "Yea, we don't want Jake lost. But Mom, if he does get lost, can we just get a cat?"

"No Hailey, Mommy wants to keep Jake. Sorry, you'll have to wait on the cat." I wonder what she'd say if I got lost....

My Interpretation

Even though she was cracking up when she discovered she could smush her face into a dirty screen while still being able to breathe, I believe she was really saying, "ARE WE EVER GOING TO HAVE A BACKYARD AGAIN OR AM I GOING TO HAVE TO LIVE ON THIS PORCH FOREVER?"

Answer: 30 days until move-in, but who's counting?

My Main Man

Isn't he a handsome devil? And even though he's 6 (and supposed to be an "adult"), he can absolutely still be a devil.

I just love Jake. I mean, I really love this dog. He makes me happy on a tough day. He knows when to just lay next to me when I'm sick and I swear he knows it when I'm pregnant by the way he'll act when he's around my belly. I love it when I can take him on car rides or to the park or to Sonic for a quick drive thru runs. We've had him since he was 8 weeks old and he truly was the first thing that has ever depended on me. He's taught me so much about patience, responsibility and just loving life. I sent him to doggie daycare when I was working (the days before children...so long ago) and he's torn both of his ACL's in his knees and yes, he's had surgies to repair each. And I don't regret it one bit. Some thought that when we started having kids, the dogs would be the first to go....nope.....I still love 'em! I think you're either a dog person or your not. Some tolerate dogs well and think they're fine....they aren't dog people. Dog people know when they're dog people.

We sufferred through the death of our other golden a month ago, Rocky. Now, he was nothing like Jake. We rescued him when he was six months old and we were told when we got him that he was an "extremely intelligent" dog. Ummmmm....if you knew Rocky, you are laughing at that statement right now. Rocky was unbelievably sweet, full of unconditional love, completely in love with his mama, and a total freak. He fit right in to our family. He always would snarf down his food in 15 seconds, run to sit next to Trey when he was on the couch, and would let out the stinkiest burp in his face. Every time he gulped water, he ran to Trey licked his pants or just his leg and water would fly up in his face. If someone looked at him in an odd way, got out a fly swatter or made any type of weird noise, he would fly under our bed....and that was no easy task because he was a tall boy. And when he died a month ago, I was absolutely heartbroken and devastated. It has been an adjustment to not have two dog bowls out in the morning or to not have two dogs jumping all over each other. Jake took it hard too....and that made it even worse because it is one thing for me to miss a dog, it's another to watch a dog lose his best friend and playmate. We're all doing better now and can talk about Rocky. As for Jake, he's gotten to go on many more car rides, eaten too many treats lately and has adjusted to being invited back up on the bed to snuggle in the morning once Trey leaves for work, so life isn't so bad. I love having dogs. I hate losing them, but they're totally worth it in the end.

Question of the Day

From Hailey, "Hey Daddy, why do you watch THIS on TV EVERY day?" To clarify, "THIS" was said as she was pointing at the TV referring to football. Laughing ensued from me and Trey.

Good question Hailey, very good question.

The Keys to a Good Day

1. Nice weather---check.

2. Sonic milkshake--check.

3. Fun park---check.

In their own words....

I took some short video clips of the girls today. It is so hard for me to believe that Reese is already saying so many words (even though she didn't want to say very many in the clip because when the camera is out, she wants to touch it!) and that Hailey converses back and forth with us now. If you look closely in Hailey's video clip, Reese is really busy picking up as many Osage-orange fruits as she can that have recently fallen from the trees. If it looks like a ball, our Reese is all over it!

Favorites

Here's some current favorites of the Smith girlies:


1.Foods-pudding, yogurt, spaghettios, "desserts" as she says, mac and cheese, ravioli, and queso.
2. Activity- dance class, swimming, and cooking with Mom
3. Color- Pink
4. TV show- Max and Ruby
5. Movie- Sleeping Beauty
6. Hair-do- in a braid, but NOT a french braid
7. Pick for Halloween costume- Tinkerbell...we'll see if it sticks.
8. People- Her cousins Abby and Keely (and Connor)- we talk about them EVERY day, ALL day
9. Clothes- dresses
10. Thing to Shop for- Shoes...she'll try on many, many, many pair

Reese's Favorite:


1. Foods- bananas and grapes. I've learned to not let her see me buying them at the store because she spends the rest of the time diving for them in the cart and yelling.
2. Activity- brushing her teeth, stealing Hailey's toothbrush, and going to The Little Gym
3. People- Hailey, Mom and Dad and Jake...she hugs him multiple times a day
4. Item- binkie and the blankie
5. Word- Currently...BOO!!
6. Place to Visit- the park
7. Place to Hide- inside all cabinets, baskets and laundry baskets
8. Chore- emptying the dishwasher....all over the floor
9. Kitchen item- tupperware
10. Nighttime event- bathtime with sister