Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Way Back When-esday: Cousins and Easter


April 13, 2007

Here is Dakota~way back when~with his cousin, Alexis. They are about 4 months difference in age. Dakota being the older one.

This picture is perfect for this week's way back When-esday. This weekend, Alexis is moving back to the area...well, her and her family...not just Lexi..lol
Instead of being 4 hours away...they will just be about 15 minutes away from us now.
Dakota is counting down the days until Alexis gets here...and she should be here just in time for Easter!!

And here are some Way Back When photos to go with the upcoming holiday.

Easter weekend 2009

Miss Lilyann...first Easter to participate in the egg hunt...2009

Playing along with Cheryl from Twinfatuation for Way Back When-esday

Monday, March 29, 2010

Springtime

See the bumble bee? I snapped this picture at the opportune time....not a second later, the bee had taken flight to the next flower.

Little Miss Lily picking flowers in our backyard...I think she will be sad when the lawn mower comes out and all the pretty flowers are gone.

Springtime is here....Flowers are blooming, Bees are buzzing, birds are chirping, and the sun is shining!!


Springtime makes for fabulous backdrops for picture taking.


And I saved the best for last...my Handsome Dakota.

Makes My Monday: Hot Water and Spontaneous Family Fun

Lily and Daddy


Modern conveniences

How much do they really affect our lives?

Oh! I could get by without a cell phone for a few days...no problem. Internet/ Computer---that is one that I use everyday..don't know how that would go without it but I think I could manage. The Microwave.....it would just take a bit longer to heat up the kids' corn dogs...but we would manage. Now....Hot Water...that's a whole other story. We were only without it for less than 36 hours....but wow!!! what a difference hot water makes. Friday night, after putting out everything for the yard sale, I came home looking forward to a hot bath. I started the water and went to get a change of clothes, pull out some towels, etc. I step into the tub only to be greeted by frigid water. Brrrrr!!! I had to wake up Jed to check on the water heater...He relit the pilot light and said it would warm up in a bit...No siree!! it was just that much colder. Anyways....I got my hair washed....and figured...It will be nice and warm tomorrow after the yard sale. Nope!! something was up with it. It looked like it needed a part replacement that would cost $140. It looked like we wouldn't have hot water until at least Monday night....okay...I could deal...baths at Grandma's for the kids and I could just shower at the gym after my workout. Well, Sunday afternoon/evening, Jed and Grandma went to Lowe's and Home Depot...pricing Hot Water Heaters...and they met a nice man at Home Depot...He asked Jed what was wrong with ours...Jed told him...and the man told him to take off a certain part, blow it out and put it back on.
Well.........................................Viola!!! it worked!!!
Never in my life have I appreciated a Hot Bath so much. That man that works at Home Depot deserves a raise...anyone to go out of their way to help you improve what you already have and not force you to spend more money is a hero in my book.

The kindness of others and the determination of my husband makes my Monday!!

My husband is certainly turning into quite the handyman. He has become quite the mechanic from working on our cars....he has a little carpentry in him as well...and he latest project is redoing the floor of his boat...he is almost finished with this project...and just in time for fishing on the lake. But I think his greatest accomplishments are Dakota and Lily. He is the best dad.

Today, he called us...just out of the blue...to meet up with him for lunch (since he was ahead of schedule). We went to McDonald's...the kids were so excited because we were actually eating inside by the play place...not just pulling through the drive-thru and taking it home. It was fun and definitely a change in schedule that we all needed. Spontaneous family time is always needed and enjoyed.

Lily with Daddy...chowing down on Chicken nuggets

Dakota...took a few minutes from playing to have some chocolate milk

really cool play place

Linking up this week with Cheryl from Twinfatuation for Makes My Monday

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Yard sale

Just some of our stuff...the kiddos are in the background

Today should have been our 2ND kite flying adventure (It was quite the windy day)...but we had a yard sale.

I stuck with it what my sister suggested and just ran with it. My sister (the same one who was here last week) helped me pull together all the kids' baby stuff...and get it together for a yard sale.

It was kinda bittersweet...letting go of the stuff they used when they were oh! so small. But I stuck with it....and put it out at my Mother-in-Law's yard sale. We (my MIL and I) have been putting together yard sales for the past few years....so we have accumulated a wide variety of items...mainly baby/toddler stuff...but still...we have a nice selection.

It was different with the sale today. We thought all the furniture items would go first...but the cribs never did sell. It seemed as if all the items that we have had from past yard sales were the items to go this time. Which was fine...money is money.

Lily and Dakota helped out, too...Dakota helped moving some things around (gotta get some use out of his strong muscles somehow). And Lily re-organized...she would pick up something from one area and put it in another area.
While sitting with Grandma, Lily fell asleep....Running a yard sale is tough work.


Our sale ended...and we made a good amount $$. Yard sales are fun.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Spring has Sprung


~A skinny robin~
usually the robins are a bit plumper...but this skinny one posed for the camera



Spring has definitely Sprung....the seasons have changed a bit in the last week...but the spring cleaning and organizing still commenced.

For the past 7 days, my sister, Tammie, has been in town. She came for a mini vacation and guess what she ended up doing??!!?? Organizing and cleaning. She helped me go through the kids' closets and room, clean up the bathroom and it's closet and the kitchen. Lots of organizing. Now, let's just see if I can stick with it and keep it that way. We are 1 hour into her being gone and things are looking good.

The kids enjoyed having Aunt Tammie here...we made lots of park trips. I am so glad that the sun finally came out. The first day my sister gets here...we play outside in shorts....the next day, the rain comes and the temperature drops 20 degrees...and the next morning, we wake up to snow on the ground and still falling...can you believe it?! It's as if we saw Winter, Spring, and a bit of Summer in the last 7 days...all I can say is "Only in Texas".


Making numerous park visits has helped Dakota sharpen his bike riding skills...he's definitely not a pro..but he is riding alot more.

Park pictures...you can click on this and view them on another page a bit larger.


My niece, Samantha

Cash and Samantha...at their house playing on the merry-go-round

Dakota and Cash....I love the looks that they are giving me!

Miss Lilyann

I hope you enjoyed the pictures from the last 7 days....we had a wonderful time with Aunt Tammie and can't wait to go see her in July in Florida!!

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

H-E-L-L-O

Hello to all...just wanted to drop a line and let you all know that we are still alive...just busy.
My oldest sister is in town for a little vacation and we have been having fun. Taking advantage of the sunny days....and spending time together. My sister has been helping me organize my house...wowzers!! she rarely lets me sit...lol

Pictures will come soon. And guess what?! we had snow on Sunday morning...how crazy is that?!?!?

Happy Spring and snow!! go figure!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Look at her go!

Lily seems to have grown up overnight....She is starting to have quite the personality...and not just the poochie lip personality that she is known for. She is quite active...always into something. She loves to be outside...jumping on the trampoline and climbing into the "castle". She likes to hang around...like you see in the picture below.

Makes me wonder if I should look into some tumbling classes for her.
Seeing pictures from a year ago...makes her look like such a grown up little girl. The pictures below were taken last March. She had just started walking...and was still sporting peach fuzz for hair.


Sunday, March 14, 2010

Makes My Monday: Kites and Bunk Bed Surprise!!


Wanna know what makes my Monday???!!!

Dakota mastering the art of kite flying!!
and.....
The kids sleeping in their new beds..their new bunk beds!! That's right...the bunk beds came in yesterday...we weren't even expecting them until Wednesday...so we were surprised!


Saturday morning was spent going out to the lake and flying kites....On the side of the lake near the dam, there is a clearing...that is where we flew the kites while Jed dropped a few lines. No fish caught...but we still had fun. Kota seemed to get really good at flying his kite. And we found out that Lily really likes to "reel in" the fishing line.

Lily

Dakota...intent on flying his kite!

He got it up there....he loved flying his kite

The rest of the afternoon was spent putting the bunk beds together. Can you believe that almost every screw required an Allen wrench? I have seen baby cribs put together using an Allen wrench, but never a bunk bed set.

It was slow going..but we got it all put together

All finished
I was so excited to get the bunk beds...that while Jed was putting them together, I was taking down Lily's crib. Never did I think about Time Change (Daylight Savings Time...the whole spring forward an hour)....I was just excited about the new beds. And never did I think about this being Lily's 1st night in a big girl bed with no confinements. I seriously thought that Lily would crawl into her bed (after our day outside) tired from playing and go right to sleep. Never did I think that she would climb up and down the steps to see what her brother was doing..or that she would pull out all the toys...just to play...because she could. She exercised her new freedom...It was right after midnight before she finally closed her eyes. I guess the excitement of FREEDOM was a bit too much for her to handle.

Bedtime tonight went a bit smoother. The kids still played around...crawling up and down the stairs to see who was doing what...and played around for a bit. Numerous times we would walk back in their room and remind them to "get back in bed!" This time, their little eye lids shut around 10:30pm....woohoo!! I am hoping that by the time their Aunt Tammie comes for her visit...that they will be back to their usually bedtime! I can hope, can't I?!

Linking up with Cheryl from Twinfatuation for Makes My Monday.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Smith briefing

Lilyann with Tooter (my sister's dog)

so...as I was sitting here wondering why the antihistamines aren't kicking in...I realized that it's a been a few days since I posted anything on the blog.
Life is going pretty good right now...the kids are being kids...sibling fights seem to be a regular occurrence in our house. But they do tend to say their sorry and offer hugs without our prompting.

I have started potty training with Lily...nothing fierce. I have her in just panties for a few hours throughout the day. She knows what the potty is...where pee pee and poo poo go...and that there are rewards for going on the potty. Today was funny...she was in a diaper (since we were out running errands before) and she had made a stinky (or as we call it...a yuck yuck). And I asked her if she was "yuck yuck"...she runs to the potty chair in the hallway and sits down. So...she is getting the concept down...hip hip hurray!!

Dakota is doing good...getting more independent each day. He is starting to try and mix up his own chocolate milk these days. He did okay...but he spilled the Nesquik. We only found out when he came outside on the front porch to ask for help. He couldn't get the broom to work to sweep it all up. But hey! he's trying!

The kids at their new table...I finally put it together instead of waiting to put it together once the bunk beds arrived. They LOVE it!!

The kids' room makeover will soon be complete...we are just awaiting the arrival of their bunk beds. It seems as if everyone is spending their tax refund on furniture this year...because the furniture store we ordered them from is having a hard time getting them in. **fingers crossed** that they arrive before my sister gets here. Oh! wait...I didn't tell y'all about that...did I?

My sister, Tammie, (yes, the one who came for Christmas) is coming to Texas to stay with us for a week. Her co-worker is making a trip out this way to see her mother who has Stage 4 cancer (please pray for the co-worker's mother) and Tammie is going to be her ride along. That means....sometime, next week, Aunt Tammie will be here. Dakota is excited for her to see his new room...and he hopes she gets to see his new bunk beds (if they ever arrive).

Coloring before bedtime...Lily really LOVES this table

Jed is working...and sleeping. It seems lately that either one person is off or another...so it means that Jed has to dump and load his truck for the next day....adding a few more hours to his daily work. So, it has him coming home tired...and usually just in time for dinner. I Love him...he is such a hard worker. And I am so happy that the weekend is here...he's off!! woohoo!!

Me...I'm here....keeping house. It's fun...I have my bad days and good days.....lately, the bad days tend to be winning...but I'm working on it. The seasons are changing..which has my allergies in swift rebuttal. The pressure is intense...I seem to always have a Puffs tissue close by. And at night time, Thank God for Chloratabs...they help me sleep...at least, they usually do...tonight, they are keeping me up (that is why you have this lovely post!! ♥ antihistamines!!)

That's life at the Smith house...what's happening with all my fellow bloggers?!

Oh! and don't forget about Time Change...we get to lose an hour of sleep...Spring Forward!

I had more pictures from this week...but they are on the camera and it is half way across the room...maybe I will load some of them tomorrow for Saturday Snapshots.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Our Beautiful almost-Spring Day

Today was absolutely gorgeous. I think we all have a bit of rosiness to our cheeks. This is the first day in a long time that we have spent the majority of it...outside! The sun was so warm...the cool breeze...outside is turning green again...the new spring buds are popping out.

Today felt like Spring.

So...we will call this our beautiful almost-Spring day.

I have been playing around with our new camera...taking pictures on different settings...just having some fun. Since we had all the sunshine, I took the kids to our local convention and activity center. Their grounds are always landscaped so beautifully. This is where most of today's pictures were taken. Enjoy!

Miss Lily with her puppy

Dakota...being goofy!

Running around

Some of the new blooms in our backyard

Monday, March 8, 2010

Makes My Monday: Project Room Makeover

Fun times with paint

We painted the kids' room this weekend. It was kinda an all day project...we cleared out the room (except for the beds) and then taped and wiped down walls...and then the painting started. Kota helped a little bit...Lily just watched..until I let the kids out in the backyard. So, Jed and I painted while the kids played. We went from a tan to blue. Kota loves the blue room...he says it's a boy room now. As soon as the kids' bunk beds arrive, then the room project should be completed. Both kids will have quilts like what is on Kota's bed in the after picture. And they will have room for table and chairs in their room. A place to color, put together puzzles...whatever activities they want to do.


It is different walking in and seeing Blue...almost our whole house is painted tan...so it is a nice change.

In between waiting on the coats of paint to dry...we went to Grandma's and helped with yard work. Kota mainly played with D.O.G (grandma's cat) and then helped pick up sticks. Lily helped pick up sticks and bag up the leaves. I guess I am more out of shape than I thought (even with going to the gym on a regular basis)...because all of Saturday's activities had me sore on Sunday. Each task using different muscles is all I can gather.

Lilyann..not too fond of the noisy lawnmower

Lilyann...picking up sticks...she was carrying this over her head

Kota riding his bike on Grandma's driveway

Lilyann and Daddy...having fun on the trampoline. This was after the 2ND coat

We had a fun, eventful weekend....Working together.

Linking up with Cheryl from Twinfatuation for Makes My Monday.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Week of Pictures


Lily...and her shocking personality
~she was on the trampoline..which caused her hair to have static~


It's been a crazy...I think more a week of testing our wills. Dakota has been doing just that. He tests until the very end. But..I am so thankful that with this "testing" week, we have had sunshine. If it had been cold and rainy this week, I don't think that I would have any hair left.

Being outside seems to calm us all. Thank God.

Here are some pictures from our week.

Dakota playing at the park with his cousin, Cash

Miss Lilyann

Dakota jumping around

Lilyann hanging around

Look at all those birds...I had to zoom in on this so you could really see it. The trampoline is somewhat in the way..but still...This is just a smidgen of what is usually in our backyard. Craziness...and as soon as I stepped out...they all took flight. I couldn't snap that picture fast enough. And the squawking...need I say more.

It's blurry...but you get the picture.

Have a wonderful weekend, Readers and Fellow Bloggers. We are painting the kids' room this weekend...So..there will definitely be pictures coming Monday from our weekend.