Conversation of the Day...

Scene: I walk upstairs after lunch to find Hailey taking a full-on swing at her sister who is standing next to her.

Me: HAILEY BETH- WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
Hailey: I'm just hitting Reese.
Me: Why would you think it's ok to hit Reese EVER?
Hailey: Because she tried to hit me first.
Me: Hailey, you are the big sister and you know better than to hit her. We need to work on being nice to each other.
Hailey: Yea Mom, somebody better teach Reese that it's never ok to hit.

Ummm....is learning to deflect responsibility built into the 4 year old system or what?

I'm Back!

Well, I dropped off my blogging for a few weeks. I feel like we've been running around like chickens with our heads chopped off. I'm sure that'll all change once the baby arrives though (YEA RIGHT!).

So here's a little update from our world. Reese finished up her sessions of The Little Gym. She absolutely loved it and Trey got to come for the last week to watch her in action. Funny thing, once she realized her daddy was there, she just wanted to play with him.

We've also had family in town visiting! Granny and Dan came for a weekend and swept the girls off to Chucky Cheese among other kid friendly places. I don't have any pictures of them because they were nice enough to give Trey and I the weekend off, so we got to escape by ourselves. Trey played golf and I.....well, I napped a lot, which may sound boring, but it was fabulous! And, Trey and I came home to find that Granny had put together a beauty salon for Hailey. This may not sound like much, but Trey and I are AWFUL at putting things together and have been avoiding doing it for so long. I think we were as happy as Hailey was :).

Then, Opa and Mimi (Rick and Judy) came to town the next weekend and took the girls for a day while I went shopping alone.....so, so, so nice. They hit up the mall and the carousel. We even got to celebrate Opa's birthday a few days early. We cooked up an entire buffet and stuffed ourselves silly. The girls LOVED having their grandparents here.

And besides that, we've just been busy getting ready for the baby! Some of my friends threw a baby shower for me last weekend and we had a blast. Opening all the new small clothes is a big reminder of how tiny a newborn is. It also made me stop and realize how FAST they grow up because Reese will only be 19 months old, but she's talking away and huge compared to those 0-3 month clothes. I am scheduled to be induced one week from TODAY! We can't wait to meet her. I know that she's got two legs and two arms because she uses all of them to let me know she's there constantly. She's going to have an interesting crew to come home to!

Reese in her new favorite hat. It looks like she's a pink Teletubbie in it!

What IS this?

That's the question that my friend, Alicia's little boy, Mark, asked when he saw the Barbie today. Alicia's in town visiting her family from Georgia. Her husband is in the Navy and is currently out on a submarine somewhere.... Personally, I don't know why the Navy can't relocate them to Dallas. I mean, it's a big city, surely we could find somewhere for an ocean and submarines. Anyways, maybe it's a good thing Mark's daddy is out to sea because Mark was introduced today to not only Barbies, but princess tea cups, a very girly playroom and he did spend some quality time on a Tinkerbell bike. Let me just say this, I learned that there IS a big difference between raising little boys and little girls and it is fun to watch them both.

Other than that, Hailes is home from school and we're all headed outside to enjoy the warm, January day! Hailey even replaced the tiara with a headband for the afternoon, we're getting crazy!

Evening Family Activity

Any guesses of what Hailes and Daddy are doing together this evening? Why....isn't it obvious, they're working together on a little project called, "Learning to Draw Disney Princesses" DVD. Let's be honest though, does the drawing really matter when you've already mastered wearing your own tiara?

We are OFF duty tonight!

You see these two, cute faces? Well, they're staying home with a babysitter this evening to play together. Why? Because it's our 8th anniversary and we're going to dinner!!! There will be no crayons, kids menus or wrestling matches with keeping Reese in a highchair.

So, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TREY! Marrying him has been the biggest blessing and best decision I've ever made. He's my absolute best friend, an unbelievable dad and just really fun to be around all the time. Even though he may have a slight obsession with golf, I've got one with dogs.....so it all works out :). He is my favorite person.

On another note, thank you for all the kind words, e-mails, phone calls and cards I've received over the past week or two with the passing of my mom. It has been tough. I still feel like there's a heavy weight and hole in my heart, but getting back into a routine is starting to help. My mom was an incredibly gifted and loving person and I don't expect to feel healed anytime soon, but God bless my kids and husband....they keep me focused on what's important and well, the kids are a good distraction because I'm always being called on to help. A great, big thank you to Trey's aunt and uncle, Brett and Becky, because they took the girls on a moment's notice for five nights while we went to Kansas without hesitation. They are a huge blessing to us. The girls once again had a great time and since they've been back have been getting along REALLY well together, have been eating and have been super sweet. I still don't know what they do to them to make this happen, but I'm trying desperately to find out.

Since being home, life is getting back to normal. Jake's best friend is Reese....especially when she gives him Fruit Loops, Hailey still loves fudgesicles and I think we may actually have to brush Reese's hair someday soon....it's growing! And in one month....baby girl #3 is set to arrive and we are very excited. So, here's to a happy, healthy 2009!

Information on my Mom

Here is the obituary for my mom, Janet English.
http://obit.rindt-erdman.com/obitlist.html?task=All&listing=Current

Merry Christmas Everyone!

We've had an unforgetable Chrismas today in the Smith family. It is the first time we've stayed home since having kids for the holiday. As much as we missed seeing our families, it was so relaxing and comfortable to wake up at our home with the girls. Trey's brother, Kyle, drove up and joined us too, which was so nice because our girls (along with us) love Uncle Kyle. We also had some good friends over for a Christmas feast, which meant I got to cook my first turkey, and make gravy, along with all the yummy sides. I think I'm an official grown up now....in my 31 years, I've always had my mom, aunts and a grandmother who cooked it up for the holiday, so I hounded my Aunt Rhonda for family recipes and started our own tradition here. Here are some pics and video clips from today, after attending our Christmas Eve service at church, and at Hailey's Christmas pageant last week at school.

Hailey leaving cookies and a note for Santa before bed.

Santa made it! He left presents in the stockings my mom has handmade for us over the years!

Uncle Kyle and Reese eating cinnamon rolls and drinking hot chocolate.

Hailey loving her Barbie and princess gifts!

What does an 8 month pregnant mother do after a full day of Christmasing? Well, she gets sucked into trying to play Guitar Hero of course!

On another note, I'm sorry that none of our friends and family received Christmas cards from us this year. I actually love doing them and we took a picture of the girls for one, but it never got sent in the hustle and bustle of the season. However, we have loved receiving them from you all. Along with the normal holiday business we all face, I must admit it has been a tough month around here. Many of you know that my mom has been battling metastatic breast cancer for well over a year now. I haven't blogged about it because to be perfectly honest, I am often at a loss of words to type in a blog. Nothing seems meaningful enough or gives her the love, respect and honor that I want to display. Plus, I am just plain heartbroken for her, myself, my dad and brothers, and my girls. She is now under hospice care and is receiving the best care from my dad. They've been married for 38 years. I have appreciated the support, calls, cards, and e-mails throughout this time. I have been reminded on this day that we have received a gift that lasts so much longer than the excitement of opening a present...it lasts an eternity. So on this Christmas, I am filled with joy and sadness, but also with strong hope, faith and the knowledge that our God is the One of love who surpasses all of our earthly understandings and has great plans in store for us. He loved us so much, He sent us his Son.

...and we all fall down.

That's right. We're a household full of the flu right now. Hailey went down first on Thursday night, Reese followed on Saturday night (starting at midnight...you can imagine what a fun night that was), I continued the trend on Sunday and Trey went down EARLY this morning. So, if you haven't heard from us or don't for a few days, trust me, you don't want to!!!

SHE ATE BROCCOLI???

So, the girls have spent a few days with Trey's aunt and uncle, Brett and Becky. They are WONDERFUL and kept our kids on a moment's notice so that we could make a trip to Kansas. The girls both love being with them and with their kids. The running joke is that APPARENTLY Hailey eats like a horse for them and APPARENTLY the girls get along beautifully when they're with them also. Hailey even came home today wearing pants and a sweater that she kicks and screams to put on when I pick it out for her....she only wants to wear skirts and dresses with me. When I left, I joked that I'd come back and my kids would be eating green beans (they aren't big fans of green veggies). While in Kansas, I received the pictures below...they have proven their superpower childcaring abilities. I am in shock. Yes, that's Reese EATING broccoli and there's another cute pic of Reesie hanging out with Brett at his office just passing the time away.

Now, moving on to the second half of the blog. Here's my parenting abilities. Trey brought the girls home, we had dinner and then we all went out for ice cream (once again, it was for the baby, not for me). When I turned to look at my children in the back seat, this is what I found. My Reese decided to pull her arms out of her carseat, take her shirt off (the temp is in the 20's), and smear her cone all over her face. All I can say is that at least the girls were happy AND the ice cream was strawberry, so they had fruit. Would anyone like me to watch their kids anytime soon?

Two of a Kind

So, I've had a few requests for a picture of the baby bump....here she is! I'm almost 31 weeks now, but when I went to the dr. a few days back, she was measuring 2 weeks ahead of schedule. This is new for me since Reese and Hailey tended to measure 1-2 weeks behind. It looks like this baby may decide to outgrow both of her sisters!

By the way, we laughed at this picture for a good while because Trey told Hailey to put her hands on her hips and lean back (funny advise from someone who has never had to carry a baby!). Anyways, is anyone surprised that Hailes is wearing her favorite nightgown (she asks almost everyday around 3:30-4:00pm if she can put it on because it looks like it might get dark soon) and tiara?

Reese eating a Reese's. Needless to say, she loves them.

And, LOOK CLOSE....A CURL!! Our girl might just get a full head of hair someday! Right now, she loves to brush her.....scalp.

Daddy and Reese hanging out. One of the few moments that Reesie actually sits still. She had just exhausted herself from her new game of "let's hide under the covers and laugh hysterically"

Who's In for Dinner?

Trey is gone tonight for a business dinner. December is a crazy month for him and entertaining. So, it's me and the girlies for dinner. I decided to let Hailey choose the menu tonight (darn well knowing that I was going to reheat the homemade chicken and noodles from earlier in the week). The dinner of choice.....pancakes with syrup, apple juice, and a cheese roll-up (that is a tortilla with melted colby jack cheese). Doesn't it just appeal to the palate?

Double Doozy

We've lost two children to pink eye and Reese also has a double ear infection. But the point is this, no matter how sick Hailey may be (her quote of the day, "my nose is not working right now")....she always remembers to wear her tiara. A true princess never loses sight of the big picture.

Thanksgiving

And we're back from a great trip to Kansas for Thanksgiving! I tend to forget to take pictures when I'm there, but I got a few this time that helps capture the overall picture of my family. I should've taken a picture of the amount of food made and consumed. My Aunt Rhonda can flat out cook....and I mean everything....turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, pies, sweet potato casserole, corn casserole....that is not even the end of the list, but I've made my point. Needless to say, I'm not looking forward to my next doctor visit weigh-in.

However, the excitement began before Thanksgiving Day. My dad decided to take all 5 grandkids to Wal-Mart on Weds. to buy a little something special. The kids went crazy. My 8 year old niece Abby has recently become fond of hip-hop music, so PaPa turned it on when they left the house and they were all dancing. If you've ever wanted to know the true personality of my dad, here you go.

The kids also put on a talent show for the adults.
Here's Keely signing and singing Silent Night, Abby and Hailey putting on a puppet show, Trey and Reese hanging out (note the loyalty to the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day), Marcia and Marina watching the entertainment and my Uncle David calling up the birthday boy, Mitch, so we could all sing a loud Happy Birthday for him. I also loved the picture I got of my sister-in-law Tracey and my nephew Connor. Somehow I missed a picture of the other star of the show, Naomi, who was visiting and playing with all the girls and should not be left off the list due to her major role in the production.

Trey also snapped a few pictures of my mom and Reese together, but I haven't gotten to download them yet. Reese loves to crawl into my mom's lap and cuddle (and steal her food) with her. It's just the cutest thing to see. The weekend also included a gopher hunt (I will not elaborate), competitive games of Mexican Train and a KU football victory that shook the walls. Hope everyone else had a wonderful Thanksgiving too!

It's Not for Me

It's for the baby. She really likes them. Banana Fudge Sundae's from Sonic.....the things I do for my children.

Ahhhh....Bummer

That's what Hailey said today when she got in the car after school. I said, "What's a bummer?" Hailey replied, "Mom, that's what you say whenever you run out of stuff that you need." Oh, I should have known!

Also, here's a few pics of the outside of our house, back porch and backyard. Plus, I've added two more of a really handsome dog and our child who absolutely LOVES the outdoors, cold or hot. She plays on the playset on a daily basis whether her sister wants to join her or not.

And finally, good news from the doctor's office for me. I failed the initial glucose test last week to see if I could possibly have gestational diabetes, so today I went back for the three hour test where you get pricked even more. I left with four bandaids (got a flu shot while I was at it) and no diabetes. YEA!