Crazy Weekend!

(I took out the personal information... but this is Nate's birthday invitation)

My weekend was innnnnsaaaaaaane. (insane. insane. insane.) It was full of wonderful things, not-so-wonderful things, and a really great thing: my first-born turned 6. Can someone explain to me when exactly I became an old lady? I mean, when Nate turned 5, I was all like "Yes, my oldest is 5, but that just means I'm well-seasoned...more mature...more experienced." But this year, my only thought is: "Holy macaroni, I am so flippin' old." It doesn't feel good, people. Life is moving too fast, and I feel as though I ought to be comparing and contrasting retirement plans, adult diapers, and timeshares in Boca, you know, for the not-too-distant future.

Okay, where was I before I launched into that narcissistic diatribe?
*see, even my memory is slipping away*

Oh, yes, Nate's birthday.

What a sweetheart. I took very few pictures of my own family this weekend, but hundreds of other people's families. You'll just have to use your imagination as I recount the festivities. Friday was Nate's actual birthday. He woke up in the morning to a bedroom full of blue balloons (his favorite color for the moment) and a breakfast of favorites (pancakes and bacon). I even made the pancakes in the shape of a number 6. How domestic!I joined him at school for lunch and we passed out Birthday Cookies to his classmates. The school has a policy that nothing home-made can be distributed at school (no home-made goodies) so I had to settle for what Albertson's had readily available. And they had M&M cookies by the dozens, so that was what we did. For the record, I would have preferred to hand out home-made cupcakes, my absolute favorite. But anyway.

The next day was Nate's birthday party. We had a boys-only party, a Wii party, in which we did no actual playing of the Wii. Instead, we played games about the Wii, including Wii Fit challenge, to see who could hold the yoga pose the longest. The boys lasted for exactly one round and then became uninterested. Next game was Hot Potato with the Wii Remote, which became a weapon as they threw it to each other. They lasted for two rounds of that one. After that, we played our own version of Mario Kart with those Shake and Go cars. I'd put butcher paper down and drawn a "start" and "finish" line to make a track. We raced in heats, until there was a three-way final race. It was a fun idea, but in real life was less exciting than I'd hoped.

I learned one thing from that party. Well, really, I learned many things, but one most important thing: Trying to have a well-mannered, boys only party in my home is ridiculous. Next year I have two options: Host the party somewhere else, or host a less-organized party with the preferred games of 'Wrestling' and 'Throwing Objects at Each Other.' Stay tuned to find out which option I choose.

And here are some pics from the party. Like I said, there aren't many, just a couple. I forgot the ice cream, so the boys are having popsicles instead. They didn't seem to mind. :)

I mis-spoke, they did play the Wii at the end of the party as we were waiting for some of the parents to arrive. Nate really wanted to show his friends his mad skills at the Wii. His current favorite game is Super Smash Brothers Brawl. Sounds wholesome, huh?!


We are planning to take Nate's Six Birthday Portraits this week sometime, so stay on pins and needles for those. (ha) My lack of good pictures lately is a whole other blog post, I'm just feeling so uninspired right now. I'm working on it, though! I could go on and on, but I'll spare you...for now.

Whew!

The other day, I purchased a used, double jogging stroller with the intention of picking up Nate from school a few times a week without having to use the car. Today was a beautiful 65 degrees, sunshine, and seemed like the perfect day for her maiden voyage. Well, I learned a lot, and I thought I'd share the life lessons learned on the road.

Life Lessons Learned On The Road
a.k.a. Don't Make Stupid Mistakes

*Four miles seems a lot shorter when you're driving a vehicle.
*It's best to take a maiden voyage with your double jogging stroller when you don't have to actually be somewhere at a certain time.
*It's also best to make sure that the alignment of said double jogging stroller is, well, aligned. And not leaning severely to the right, causing you to spend your energy continually straightening her out. (hello...why was she for sale, do ya think?)
*If you are going to be walking while pushing a jogging stroller, you might want to map out your planned route, and make sure that the busiest roads have sidewalks, not ravines.
*Check the tire pressure of your jogging stroller's three tires, to be sure they are not low, very low, or riding entirely on the ground.

But the boys loved it! Especially for the 15 seconds where I ran, pushing them into the wind. Nate said over and over, "This is the funnest ride home from school ever."

PS I won't do it again, at least not the same way. Half way between our home and the school is where the sidewalks begin, so I'll likely park the car there, and then start and end there. Knowledge brings power, no?

Guess Who

...lost his first tooth at school today??? I'll give you a hint.....

...and he couldn't be more excited about it!!!

Just For Fun

This little guy cracks me up. He figured out that if he made a face on the glass, it made his face feel funny (and made his mom and his brother laugh) so he kept doing it all afternoon.

Why?

Why Not?
Look at this face!
Someday soon, I'll post about what a little stinker he's being lately. But dang it, I can't get upset when he is so cute. Like when he climbs on top of the kitchen table, stands up, and laughs triumphantly.
And he's only fifteen months old, people. I see prematurely graying hair in my future....

Nate and I took some pictures today, for his Valentine's day cards. I am thinking about doing some pictures of him with a little Valentine's greeting, rather than buying those dumb character Valentine's Day cards. Does that make me a bad mom, that I'm not letting him pick out his own? Maybe we should do both...?

Also, he's figured out what he wants to do for his birthday party (other than take all his friends to Disneyland). It's going to seriously rock, and it's an idea that I'm actually excited about, and can be done relatively inexpensively. Thank heavens.

Anyway, I just love this little man. Every day, he is growing up more and more, and slipping away, a tiny piece at a time. Well, okay, that is a little dramatic. But I do know how quickly time passes, and before we know it, he will be all grown up. He tells me all the time that he doesn't want to grow up and get married "because I want to live with you forever." It melts my heart, and I tell him that he is welcome to live with us as long as he wants. But then I quickly tell him that someday, he'll meet someone special that he will want to marry, and he'll want to start a family and live with his own wife and children. The first time I told him this, he got a worried look and asked "Can I never see you again if I get married?" We talked about my parents, and Adam's parents, and how we can see them whenever we want to. We just visit. He seemed to be calmed by that. I also said that, if we're super lucky, we can live in the same city and see each other all the time. Nate really does have a tender side to him, and I walk that line of nurturing it and squashing it. It's a delicate balance, because I know the end-result of doing one or the other too much. I want to maintain a balance of letting him have a compassionate, sensitive side (his wife will thank me later, I hope) and a manly, independent side, too (she'll thank me for that, too). Do any of you other Boy Mommas understand what I'm talking about? Anyway, it's something that is on my mind constantly. I guess I'm a little over the top, huh!

He's got his first wiggly tooth. It's not yet "hanging on by a thread," but it doesn't bother him and it doesn't bother me that it's been loose for awhile now. I don't think it will be able to hang on too much longer, but we'll see.....

(In this picture you can also see his bling, which cost just about the same as the down payment we placed on our first home. Thank heavens for modern dentistry....blech)

Dr. Murd

Can I just brag for a minute?

Adam recently took the Board Exam for Family Medicine Residents. He always rocks on these kinds of tests, but this one was head-and-shoulders-above-the-rest-good.

He scored in the 93rd percentile nationally among the residents who took the test.

Paging Doctor Murd, there is a message for you.
YOU ARE AWESOME AND WE ARE PROUD OF YOU!

P.S. It is likely that he will be accepting patients in a private practice in less than 18 months. Since he is going to be the best doctor ever, I would advise you to get on the waiting list, pronto. :) To be added to the list, send a check for $10,000 and/or a gift card to Anthropologie.

Well, Here I Am. Nice to Meet You.

Adam worked on Saturday, and the boys and I had a rather good Saturday: in the early AM we cleaned the church building, and then headed to McDonald's with some friends to play in the Playplace. We came home at about lunchtime, had a group nap, and then had a couple hours of doing absolutely nothing productive. I had a shower in the late afternoon, and then Adam called to see if we wanted to join him for dinner somewhere. Well, actually, the conversation went like this:

Adam: "Hey, I'll be home in about an hour. What's for dinner?"
Me: "I am not cooking tonight. So whatever you choose to fix for us, is what's for dinner."
Adam: "Isn't there a Chili's near our house?"

And so Chili's it was. We met Adam in the parking lot, and as he was getting the kids out of the car, I said, "Hang on just a minute, I want to put on some makeup." Adam was all like, "You look fine. We're at Chili's. It's not like we're going to see anyone we know."

So I got out of the car with my fresh-from-the-shower face.

Then I heard Nate exclaim with great glee: "AILYNN!!"
Turns out his friend and her family had just finished dinner and were leaving. So I had a little conversation with them, thinking, Yeah, right, Adam. We'll see no one we know.

After a little polite conversation with them (we don't know them well, but I wish I did! They are super nice), I heard Adam audibly gasp. (I guess that for me to hear it, it had to be audible. But whatever)
And then he said:

"Dr. Tingle! What a coincidence!"

Dr. Tingle, as in his boss. Dr. Tingle, as in his boss that I have never met. Oh, and his darling family as well; his wife, son, daughter-in-law, and grandbaby. Whom I have never met.
So tonight would be the night I could meet them. With no make-up on. Which isn't a big deal, I guess, but I'm not as cute without makeup as most people. You all know me, and you know this. I look a little worn-down and tired without it. So, I may be making too big of a deal about it, but I had to laugh and say to Adam: "Yeah, babe, we won't see anyone we know."

Sunday's Piece of Heaven

A beautiful day and time outside with my sweethearts.
Aidan's kissable cheeks.

Soft, cuddly fleece outfits from Carter's.

New Photoshop Actions from The Pioneer Woman.

It's been a good day.

Saturday's Piece of Heaven

A trip to the grocery store and fresh Diet Coke
I'm easy to please...

Thursday's Piece of Heaven

Meds for both boys...who spent the last week siiiiiick. Saturday, Sunday, and Monday nights, we got a total of like three hours' sleep. It was awful. But antibiotics are gonna make everything better! (Let's hope so, anyway) The sad part was that this is Adam's vacation week and all we've done is take care of sick kids. Really sad.

If you've received our Christmas card, this picture looks a little familiar.

Personally, I cannot get enough of it.

It currently is displayed in four of our home's rooms. It is precisely the way that I want to remember this little slice of my life, two little boys who love each other very much and for whom I would do absolutely anything.

I'm starting a new photo-a-day thingy. A lot of people do it at the beginning of the year, especially photographers that want a challenge to take a picture every day. I'm going to try to do it, wish me LUCK!
I'm not doing it totally traditionally, though. I've got a little name for it. Each day I'm going to complete this sentence with a picture:
"Today's piece of heaven is......"

Well, today's piece of heaven is the picture above. Check back tomorrow, *hopefully* I'll have another one for you. I'm also going to switch up my blog, make it more purdy for ya. And my terribly neglected photography blog is getting a makeover too... soon, soon.

NO WAY This Can Be True!

A Christmas Story for a New Generation

Hello 2009!

Happy New Year To You!


OK get ready for a photo dump of our Christmas break. This is mostly for our family who weren't able to be with us, but the rest of y'all are invited to wade through the photos, too! :)



Christmas Day

My sister Ali and her *new* husband Jed (they were married in the summer!)
They got to spend their first Christmas amid the craziness of our home, what a treat! ha ha

My brother Jeff, thrilled that he got a tie. :P

My not-so-little sister Angela. In a few short weeks she'll be driving and dating.
Aggghhh!! Where did the time go?

Jeff again, sorry for the blurry photo, but you get the idea

Nate says: "Thanks, cousin Eli! I can't wait to put this Lego City together!"

Santa brought Aidan his favorite toy of the day: a truck with two little cars to transport
(very close second was the 18-wheeler with a billion hot wheels cars from Nana and Grandpa...can you tell what he's "into" right now???)

Aidan with the mounds of Christmas behind him :)

Jeff and Angela :)

Playing Mexican Train with our new dominoes. I won both games, but don't worry, I didn't rub it in too much ;)



San Antonio Trip
The weekend after Christmas, we packed up and headed south to see our beloved San Antonio!

Nate at our classic stop on the Riverwalk...the ice cream store.
I can remember going here a lot, on dates and after dances and with some of my best friends. It was fun to take him there to see it.

Adam and Emily on the Riverwalk

What is a trip to San Antonio without pretending to be a tough cowboy? (And yes, Jeff bought that hat downtown. He makes a good cowboy, no?)

I thought that this Vintage action in Photoshop fit the mood perfectly. Angela and Jeff.....

Jed and Ali....aren't they a darling couple? We just love them.


Playing with Christmas Toys





Saying Good-bye to Nana

Chuck E. Cheese's

I'd told Ali that I'd won on this game before...hit the jackpot of 200 tickets...and then told her I was going to do it again. Well, I did! I won the jackpot again! Must be luck or incredible skill ;)

Aidan's favorite ride at Chuck E. Cheese. He'll ride this over and over again and loves it! It takes your picture and they always turn out so funny. Best 10 cents we ever spend!


Northpark Center "Trains"

Each year one of the malls in Dallas puts together a train exhibit, to benefit the Ronald McDonald house. You walk in, and are surrounded by model trains that run past so many fun scenes. I hadn't been to this exhibit since I worked at the Williams-Sonoma in the mall (which was about six and a half years ago) and it has changed and developed and grown so much since then. It even has its own store space now. So cool, and a lot of fun, even though Nate wanted to continually remind us that "Trains are NOT my favorite thing." Point taken. But still an awesome thing to do.

Traditional Christmas tree pictures

Christmas Joy

Okay, I hate to admit that I have a favorite gift (everything I received was fabulous, really) but every time I look at this Willow Tree statue that my sister Ali gave to me, I get teary-eyed. I've never seen this one before, and I love everything about it. I love how the little baby is reaching up to its mother, and how they are all turned toward each other. It reminds me of what is most important in my life, and what a significant role a mother plays in shaping her children into productive and contributing and loving adults. It is just so sweet, and exactly how I would want to remember this time in my life, with my amazing two little boys who bring me so much joy. I am so thankful to be a mother.

One Week

=Seven Days.

And, also....

One. Flooded home. Not mine (thankfully) but I've cried real tears nevertheless.
Two. Sons of mine who had a beauti-ful and meaning-ful and present-ful Christmas.
Three. Mexican restaurants visited with family, who live in the land of Bland Food.
Four. Little feet running through our hotel room in San Antonio. They were in heaven with the new scenery, and I fell in love with the king-sized bed!
Five. Pounds of chocolate and other junk consumed. Oh dear, Lifetime Fitness has it coming on Monday!
Six. Houseguests crammed into my average-sized home. There is very little floor that is not covered, but I can't think of any other reason I'd rather have for the lack of walking space.

Un-quantifiable. How much fun we have been having this past week. What joy it is to be with family for the holidays. We are seriously so blessed. ;)

I do have pictures to show you (I have over 200, of course) and they are coming. But tonight I have to tend to my invalid husband, he has a serious case of the flu. Yuck. And also, I have to read some bedtime stories to the sweetest 5-year-old I know. My favorite 5-year-old who now has a rockin' mohawk, as requested tonight at his *cough* semi-yearly haircut.

Hope you and yours had a magical Christmas. See you soon.

Is it Christmas yet?

My holiday decorations have needed adjustment this year, due largely in part to our just-learned-to-walk-curious-about-everything little boy. Only the top half of our Christmas tree is decorated, and I haven't attempted to bring out my breakables. He just loves to throw everything, and while it was cute for a couple days, now I'm just exhausted by his passion for baseball. This is proof that he is a totally different kid than Nate, because Nate really didn't get into things that he wasn't supposed to, and if you told him "No" he usually listened. Aidan is a much more wild little man. (And don't tell him, but I love his spice. He's a lot of fun to have around!) Anyway, I have to laugh because I bought these tiny Nutcrackers for the boys to play with. Nate Looooooves to play with them, and re-arrange them, and put them in odd spots. A few days ago, I found them facing each other, nearly nose-to-nose, as though they were staring each other down. Nate said they were "getting ready to fight." I thought that was so stinkin' funny.
I may post tomorrow with pictures, although I'm not one of those people that posts pictures of my decorations because I think they look particularly wonderful (um, hello, there are people that kind of make me laugh. Decorations on a D.I. budget? Not really anything to brag about, Sister Smith!) It's more for me to remember this house and the way it looked during the holidays. And okay, also to show you that I'm destined to be the next Martha. (see how I only called her 'Martha?' That shows my level of closeness with the domestic diva...)

I may also show you a few of my treasures. 'Cause I gots lots to show ya.

OK see y'all tomorrow. (PS My parents arrive tomorrow.......yay!)

Yesterday

So, Thursday was the Fifth Day of Christmas and yesterday was the Sixth. I'm not doing so hot on this whole "post every day" thing.

I had Nate's class party yesterday. We made snowman frames, marshmallow snowmen, played Heads Up Seven Up, and read a book about a dog named Snowflake.
Can you spot the trend? I guess my ideas for building a nativity and acting out the story of Christ's birth didn't go with the non-denominational theme... (just kidding...but really, I hate that I am made to feel uncomfortable if I say Merry Christmas to someone!!! And they wouldn't allow us to do anything with trees, stars, or angels. I think it's insane!)

Anyway, here are some pics of Nate and his snowman:
Nate only had a half day at school yesterday, so we met some friends at the park and enjoyed the 75-degree weather. It was actually a tad warm for me. I was afraid we were going to get sunburned! Crazy December. Today is going to be warm again and then tomorrow is going to get frigid. Winter in Texas is totally unpredictable.
We also had a birthday party to go to last night at McDonald's. It was a loud, crazy, fun time. Nate was exhausted by the end of the day, and so was I. After the kids went to bed I watched Baby Mama and wrapped presents.
On the list for today: making and wrapping presents for the young women in the ward, cleaning and preparing for my family's arrival on Monday, trying to stay awake. OH and mailing Christmas cards, which have been addressed, stamped, and stuffed for several days. HELLO! Mail the dang cards already!

Have I mentioned yet that we're going to San Antonio for a couple days while my family is here?!?! I can't wait! I LOOOOOOOOOOVE San Antonio. I am so excited to go downtown and see the lights on the Riverwalk. That is, hands down, my favorite thing about the holidays in SA!

Oops, the Fourth Day of Christmas

I missed yesterday. I had a busy day, what can I say.

We took the youth of our Church caroling to some of the single sisters in our ward. The kids were so funny, at first they didn't want to sing, but after two houses we couldn't get them to stop singing in the car. Even the boys really wanted to keep singing (although they wanted to sing the same song over and over--Rudolph the Red-nosed reindeer)
It was so fun to reminisce about my own growing-up years and the tradition of caroling. My own family does it every year, usually on Christmas eve or on the Monday before Christmas, for Family Night. I love the different reactions that people give when finding someone on their porch, singing holiday songs. Some yell to the family to "Come see the carolers," others seem to be patiently enduring your song, and some don't even open the door (last night we could hear the TV and see the lights on, but one family wouldn't open the door. I think it's a growing trend...)
Anyway, what a fun tradition! I'm hoping that when my family gets here next week, that we might be able to go caroling.

I was going to post a picture, but I've realized that pretty much every picture I have on my computer from the last two months is of someone other than my family. Work has been busy (which is great!) and so I think I was a little burned out with taking pictures of my kiddos. So, maybe this week I'll have to take care of that. :)

Today I'm Missing....

Canada.


I'm missing the snow. I know, that's crazy.

I'm missing Tim Horton's donut holes.

I'm missing Superstore, HomeSense, Mac's, and Canadian Tire.

I'm missing leaving a soda in the car and having it be cold or even icy when I get back.

I'm missing using my back porch as an extra fridge/freezer.

I'm missing dear friends like this one and this one and this one (and more and more and more)

I'm missing having family close and Sunday dinners with four generations.

I'm missing the adventure of Christmas shopping amidst a snowstorm and un-plowed roads.

I'm missing pine trees.

I'm missing Banff and the Canadian Rockies.

I even miss Bowness (did I say that out loud???)

I'm just missing a place I didn't know I'd miss! But really, everywhere you live keeps a little piece of your heart and there is always so much good everywhere you go! (After all these moves, it's a miracle I have any heart left! I've so much LOVED everywhere we've lived. We've been blessed with amazing experiences and wonderful friends in every city we've lived!)



I suppose my only solace is that tomorrow we start a warming-up trend here that will take us into the 70's.