Freebirds

Trey and I are proud to announce that our children have recognized that in order to stay in this family, one must love Freebirds. For the non-Texans that don't know, Freebirds is a burrito joint where you basically get to make your own burrito. If you're thinking, "oh, it sounds like Chipotle," well, you're absolutely right except that Freebirds is the Tiger Woods of burritos while Chipotle is more like Happy Gilmore. No comparison. It started at Texas A&M and has since opened eateries around the state. Anyways, we went there last weekend with our friends, Bonney and Greg. Bonney brought her phone and took these pics of the girls. Mmmmm....

Thumb Sucker

My only child that has found the built-in pacifier. Too bad you can't hear how loud she slurps when she's sucking on it!

And, Trey and I are happy to announce that we are not the ones going bald in this family right now.....it's Landry. She's shedding hair like Jake! Guess she didn't want Reese to feel bad as the only baldy!

One more thing, I think Landry might just be beyond brilliant. When I took this picture, I asked her how many months old she's going to be next week. Look at what she did....unbelievable!

Goggles

Hailey says that when she wears her goggles, "it makes everything big, like the stairs are really, really big."

My Little Fish

Hailey and Reese have been taking private swim lessons for the last two and a half weeks. They go everyday for a 10 minute lesson. When I heard the lessons were only 10 minutes long, I was skeptical. How can they really learn anything with just 10 minutes of swimming? However, I've seen so much progress with both of them in a short amount of time. Hailey is almost swimming now and Reese is well on her way. Hailey absolutely loves the water and has really taken to it. Reese....well, she's been a bit more stubborn. Hailey always goes first and this is what Reese looks like during Hailey's lesson, while anticipating her turn...

During the first week and a half she would scream the entire time she was floating on her back, "MAMA!!! MAMA!!! ALL DONE!!!! MAMAAAAAAA!!!" I think she may have caused some temporary hearing loss for her teacher. One thing is for sure, her lungs are in wonderful condition.

Reesie swimming.

Hailey floating on her back.

Sneak Peak

Lookie, lookie who has her dance recital this Saturday!!! I took some pictures and videos at her rehearsal the other day. I will post the video soon. It is priceless! Hailey likes the make-up as much as the dancing. The morning after her rehearsal I was trying to get her to hurry out the door for school when she announced she was just touching up her lip gloss. Oh dear....trouble ahead.

Wounded

See the dot above her second toe? I heard screaming the other night and Hailey came running to tell me that she was bleeding and desperately needed a band-aid for her toe injury. You would've thought that she had a toe chopped off, but this is what caused all the commotion. Don't worry, the Cinderella band-aid cured the problem immediately.

I'm So Lucky

That's what Hailey told me yesterday. Conversation goes like this:
Me: Really? Why do you think I'm lucky?
Hailey: Because you're so smart. (May she still believe this in 10 years)
Me: Thanks Hailey.
Hailey: And....because you're good at finding things.
Me: What do you mean?
Hailey: Like when my shoes are missing. You're always good at finding them for me mommy.

Smart and a good shoe hunter. I'm flattered.

Hi PaPa!

Reese now picks up the phone and pretends to talk to PaPa. She says hi and bye-bye to him in between some random conversational words that I can't quite make out, but they sound perfectly normal to her. I think she could be wise beyond her years. Then again, she also picks up the phone and does other things....like tries to bite the numbers on it.

Stripe Overkill?

She's way into making sure she matches. In her mind, this also includes wearing the same pattern multiple times in one outfit. It's too bad you can't see her multi-colored and stripe headband that she has on. Could it be that she's just fashion forward?

Wanna Be Jake's Best Friend?

Qualification:

1. Willing to share foodReese is leading the race right now. She finds much pleasure in feeding him behind my back as I try to keep him at a healthy, trim weight. He went to the vet for his annual shots yesterday and I was told he's now considered to be a "senior" dog. NOOOOOO! The Prince (as Trey sarcastically calls him) will never get old!

10 Weeks!

I'm afraid to write this for fear of jinxing myself, but the past four nights, my Landry has slept 10-11 hours. AHHHHH YES!!!! She's 10 weeks today, full of smiles, loves to be held and Trey is predicting she's going to be a Mama's girl. I may be a bit biased, but she's just precious!

Cooped up with Croup

If you find a lung somewhere, chances are it belongs to Reesie. Poor girl is on the tail end of croup. She's lots better, but she sounds awful. So bad, in fact, that Trey has slept in her room with her the last two nights to make sure she's ok. However, it has not slowed her down, she's still climbing walls and asking for "tanty"...aka....candy. A girl after my own heart.

You Win Some and You Lose Some

I really wanted to get a cute picture with all the girls on Sunday in their Easter dresses together. One that I could frame. The first one with all three of them together that would just scream, ADORABLE, when people saw it. Not this Easter my friends. This one picture basically sums up the rest of the 30 I took... Go ahead and laugh....Trey and I sure did. I recommend clicking on the picture to see the full size effect.

Here's cute Landry in her dress though. Edu and Marcia gave it to her. This girl\ smiles all the time now...if I could just get a picture of it...

Here's the closest I got of a potentially "cute" picture. The reality...Reese was trying to tackle Hailey.

Easter 2009

We had a great Easter on Sunday! The Easter bunny came and hid eggs all throughout our house since it was raining outside!

Hailey even made cookies for the Easter bunny, in case he was hungry when hiding eggs. We thought we had bought some that came with Easter cut-outs, so when we discovered that they didnt, we improvised. Instead, we used what we had and made PRINCESS themed cookies for the rabbit! Here's the horse (that went with the carriage that carried the princess) Hailey decorated just for the Easter bunny. YUMMY!

After hunting eggs, we were off to church and then to Easter brunch at the club. Now, let's talk about brunch for a bit. Being the youngest child in the family, I have fond memories of brunch at our club growing up. Our entire family was together. There was lots of food to choose from and I got to pick whatever I wanted. It was just a nice meal together. Obviously, the reality of my life now vs. my memory as the youngest child is totally different.

When we arrived to brunch, we discovered our table was very far from the buffet lines, NOT GOOD. So, Trey stayed with the girls while I went to go and fill up plates for the girls. Got that done. Then, off to fill up plates for me and Trey. Got that done. Sat down to enjoy our meal together to realize one minute into it that Reese was now done eating. Reese stood up in her highchair and wanted to run around. So, held Reese while trying to take bites of my food. Hailey then wanted more of something. Reese started drinking my coke and I let her in order to take three bites of food. Trey was up to get something. Hailey needed something. Reese was now dancing near our table (and under it). Repeat the last sentences over a few times and there's our meal. Basically, Trey and I were EXHAUSTED by the end of eating from running around and trying to keep Reese from ruining the meals for people sitting within a 2 mile radius of us. My point being this....as the youngest in the family, I don't have a memory of the years where my parents ran around like chickens with their heads cut off. So next year, we'll either convince others to join in for the meal to help wrangle the wild animals or....we'll plan a nice meal at home!

Overall, it was a nice day together as a family. I feel so blessed to have the family that I do. My brother, Chris, celebrated his birthday on Easter in Kansas and my dad joined him and his family for the weekend. I think Chris somehow schemed to have his birthday on Easter this year just to get my dad to go there rather than down here....nice trick Chris. :)

Honestly, I sure missed seeing all of them. Easter is such a joyous day and on such a happy day, being with family just feels right. I, especially, missed my mom on Sunday. I know that I will see her again someday. I know that she's been set free and is at complete peace. My heart stings though when I think of how long it has been since I've heard her voice. I know my longing to want to see and talk to her will never go away. And so, rather than dwell on what I cannot control, I will continue to trust in the Lord and be thankful for all the blessings He has given me....including His Son, who IS ALIVE!

Breakfast with the Easter Bunny

Hailey, Reese and I went and had Breakfast with the Easter Bunny on Saturday morning and it was fun. As you can see, Reese loves the bunny. She talked and talked and talked about the "buuuuuuunnnnniee." She and Hailey sat on his lap for a picture, but Reese refused to turn and smile for the camera for me, when instead, she was just able to stare at him up close.
Besides taking a picture with him, we also ate a yummy breakfast together, decorated cookies, Hailey made a picture frame, they both got tattoos and they went on an egg hunt! Hailey did awesome and really went for some eggs this year....YAY Hailes!

We're Working On It

Praying, that is. Hailey and Reese have a bedtime routine which consists of baths, reading a book, reading a devotional and saying a prayer before lights-out. We have a prayer that Hailey has said for a long-time which consists of thanking God for our family, etc. Last night I talked to Hailey about how we can also pray for other things that aren't in our prayer.....for people that might be especially happy or sad or for basically anything that we are thinking about. So tonight, the conversation went like this:
Me: Hailes, do you have anything you'd like to pray about tonight?
Hailey: Yep!
Me: You do! What?
Hailey: I'd like to pray about a t-shirt.
Me: What do you mean?
Hailey: I'd like to pray that God will bring me a t-shirt. A t-shirt that has LOTS of princesses on it! Does that sound good Mom?
Me: Well, we normally don't pray for God to bring us princess t-shirts.
Hailey: Oh. Well, I'll pray for Abby and Keely. (note: Abby and Keely are my nieces whom Hailey ADORES. They live in Kansas, but Hailey talks and thinks about them daily.)
Me: That's great Hailey, we'll pray for them and thank God that you get to have them as cousins.
And so we pray....and right at the end of the prayer....before the Amen...
Hailey: AND I'D REALLY LIKE A PRINCESS T-SHIRT, OK?!

Persistent little thing :).

My Kind of Hunting

Hailey's Easter party at school. Go Hailey Go!

Here's Hailey with her friend Clayton. In case you're wondering, she isn't shy in the picture....she thinks she sees bugs. Yes, the bug fear continues to grow and grow.

I just love this girl.

Why Does this Picture Make Me Laugh?

More importantly, why have I ever wondered who has been dripping water all over my kitchen floor?

Introducing: The dog that is determined to try to get out of my garage every time I'm in the midst of loading or unloading three little girls. And yes, this is him in the front seat of the car on his way to my friend, Jody's house. Not only does she have two dogs that he likes to see, she has a pool....aka....Jake's dream home. He swims circles in it all by himself while the other dogs watch.

Feeling Spiffy!

I mean, my blog is feeling spiffy that is! Since I'm not getting a make-over any time soon, I might as well update the blog, right? If any of you are in need of a good old blog makeover, you should check out Custom Blog Designs. Diana was easy to work with and did a great job of listening to what I wanted and applying it. Now when I blog at least I'll have a pretty page to view!

In other Smith news, I've lost my husband for the weekend. It happens every year. It's called, The Masters. In this family, we say, Go Tiger!

One Year Ago...

We were at the Final Four in San Antonio watching KU win the championship. It was a weekend to never forget. Watching the semi-final round against UNC from 3 rows up from the floor, getting those tickets by being at the right place at the exact right time some disgruntled fans were leaving, watching Trey, my dad and uncle look at the seats in amazement because they were so close, riding to the finals in a bus with all of the NBA Hall of Fame inductees through the special entrance with no security or lines of people that Trey's dad somehow managed to get us on, watching the finals from a suite with all of the Hall of Famers that Trey's dad once again, got us into, and watching KU win in such a dramatic way. Can you tell I'm getting lost traveling down Memory Lane??

Hailey's New Thing

She attempts to wear these green St. Patty's Day socks every day, with every outfit. Why might you (and I) ask? "Because they have leaves on them and I like leaves."-Hailey Smith

Note to Self- Part 2

And the hairs got cut on Hailey and Reese! Reese even sat still to have her nails painted too, just like Hailey. She was so proud.

Is this the end of the hair cut story? Nooooooo. 90% of the trip was great...until....the lady behind the counter asked the age old question that can meltdown my children in an instant. She obviously didn't like me much and wanted to watch drama unfold in her store. As we're leaving....about to get into the car where I cannot control objects in children's hands, especially objects that are sticky and end up in hair, on each other, the windows, and an object that I cannot stop a certain one year old from biting off the stick and trying to choke herself. The lady said, "Girls, would you like a sucker?" I thought, "NOOOOOOOO!!!! DON'T ASK THEM THAT!?!" They both said yes and I said no thanks! Hailey immediately crossed her arms and began stomping while yelling that she wanted a sucker. Reese hit the deck and started saying, "uuuuuckaaaaa!!" Landry was in her carseat which I'm carrying on one arm. Lovely. Just lovely. And, of course, the store was full of moms who were sitting quietly with their children and just staring at me wondering what in the world was wrong with me and my parenting abilities. So, I immediately gave Hailey "the look"....the one that mom's reserve for times like this where your eyeballs pop out, your lips purse together and nostrils flare and I quietly told her to get out of the store. She obeyed. I grabbed Reese's arm and drug her across the floor with my other arm still holding Landry and her carseat and then I lifted Reese by the arm and carried her out of the store. Well....the incident quickly answered the question as to whether or not I was going to go to Target with the girls right after haircuts :). Life with children, not so glamorous sometimes.

Note to Self

Sooooo....this morning I told Hailey that this afternoon we are going to go and get her hair cut and Reese will also be getting her first official snip-snip (I'm trying to grow it out, but we've hit the awkward phase where the hair is almost mullet-like because the top and middle back are on a growth spurt, so we've got to even it out). Now, if you know Hailey, you know that she loves to get her hair cut BECAUSE...she also gets her nails painted at this place and that is just beyond fun for her. She asked when we were going and I told her that we would go after lunch and after naptime. Why....oh why....hadn't I thought of that clever line years earlier? Guess who actually ate her lunch and then ASKED to go and take a nap today....leading the charge up the stairs? I was confused for a moment as she eagerly went up to her room and then realized that she's trying to get to the haircut place asap. Pictures to follow.

On another note, I must admit, I love shopping with Hailey. She and I were nothing alike at age 4 because she loves to try on oodles of shoes and dresses, while I....well, I just wanted a soccer team jersey that had writing on the back of it (for some reason, I thought having writing on the back of a shirt was the best ever...so weird!). Anyways, with Easter coming up we went and got Hailey and Reese their dresses. SO FUN, it's the first time I've coordinated their outfits....yep, I did it, I am now the mom that is going to dress the children just alike. I narrowed it down to two dresses and Hailey got to pick the winner for the both of them....of course, Hailey also wanted a coordinating bracelet to go with the dress (does anyone see TROUBLE ahead for years to come with shopping and my girls?) Hailey, Reese and I will be attending "Breakfast with the Easter Bunny" on Saturday where they will debut their new spring outfits. Can't wait!

All Smiles, No Foolin'!

Today was a good day. Hailey took her spring school pictures, Reesie was happy and her usual full-of-energy self, and Landry decided to actually sleep a little bit longer last night!!! Plus, I got to go running/walking in this 75 degree weather....HEAVEN! Hailey and Reese want to share a room and climbed in bed together for a bit tonight after book time and I caught a picture of it. Of course, they didn't make it too long together before they needed to be separated, but it's the moments that count, right?!

On another note, Trey and I would like to "thank" the classmate in Hailey's school who informed her today that mosquitos are not only bugs that fly around, but they like to (and I quote) "suck your blood." This should help us clear up the bug fear :). Happy Spring!