X-O-X-O

Total funny today brought to you by Dakota--> Leia is wearing an outfit with "XOXO" on it. Kota asks, "what does 'X-O-X-O' spell, Mom?" I reply, "It means hugs and kisses." Kota: "Is that in Chinese?!?!?!?!"

Bahahahahaha!! I know you are so smiling now :)

EnJoy!

Fun at Christmas

Leia's 1st Christmas..she enjoyed just snuggling ♥

It's almost the end of the year...If I get some time before the end of the year, I'll try to do a recap of all that has happened with the Smiths in 2011. The biggest change was our gaining an addition...sweet Leia Marie ♥ .

Christmas was great...lots of time spent with family...From our house to Jed's sister's house and then on to Boo's house after our Sunday morning Christmas church service. It was a long 2 days, but fun had by all.

Though I missed celebrating the holidays with my family, I did enjoy celebrating with Jed's side of the family. One year, we'll spend Christmas with my family in Florida. We'll wear shorts and flip flops for Christmas :) Doesn't that sound divine?

Here are some pictures of our Christmas time for your enJoyment :)

Dakota with his new BLUE light saber from Santa

Lily asked for Princess (girl) Legos from Santa

Sitting with Daddy playing her new DS game

Connect 4 fun with the family

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from our family to yours.

It's quite the busy time of year for us right now...but just wanted to stop and share from yuletide cheer :)

Pajamas and Lights

The last day of school before Christmas break was Pajama Day. So, of course, we needed a fabulous before school picture...Lily was still in her pajamas from the night before and was sporting quite the fabulous bed head :)

Saturday evening was spent walking a neighboring town and viewing their Christmas lights display. It was such a cold night..but we had fun.

Tummy time action and Classroom fun

Leia is really starting to enjoy Tummy time...especially when her big brother is there to cheer her on. She gets all excited and we captured a fabulous action shot of her getting into the "airplane" pose. Dakota thinks this picture of her is hilarious.

It's officially Christmas break...The girls and I went to Dakota's school and enjoyed his Classroom party. It was neat seeing him having fun and learning with his friends.

Pretzel Hugs!

You will need:
2 bags of Hershey’s Hugs
1 “Pounder” bag of Pretzel Snaps
Big baking sheet
Waxed paper – for easy removal.

Preheat oven to 300
1. Unwrap Hugs

2. Line baking sheet with waxed paper – if you don’t have waxed, use parchment, but I strongly suggest you use paper just for ease. If you don’t have either, just use a non-stick
baking sheet.
3. Lay one pretzel down for every Hug and top each pretzel with a Hug.
4. Pop in the oven for 2 min, just until they are glossy and softish.

5. Remove from oven and let sit for 1 more minute, to continue the softening process.
**This is the only step you can make a mistake on – by laving them in the oven too long they will completely melt and run through the pretzel and all over your sheet and you won’t have a sandwich, just a mess.

6. Now top each hug with another pretzel pushing down gently, so it sticks together.

7. I pop the baking sheet in the fridge for 20-30 min. to cool them off.

I stole this quick recipe from Cookies & Cups...Enjoy!

If you just Believe...

We went to see Santa this weekend. The kids did okay. I'll just say that Leia took to Santa faster than the older kids....we had to bribe and coax Dakota and Lily to sit or even stand by Santa. These are our quick snapshots...we should get the prints from the photographer soon.

Early morning Leia

And here she is....Leia Marie almost 10 weeks old.
It's truly unbelievable how fast she has grown.

O Christmas Tree!

Our tree is up!
I did have another tree up, but Dakota has fallen into the tree at least 3 times in the last week...the 2nd fall started the tree to leaning. We figured it was the stand, so we replaced it...nope, now leaning more..then he fell into it again (no! he doesn't play hard..he was just trying to redecorate the tree by standing on the armrest of the couch and down he went!)
Thanks to Grandma...she found another tree for us..and it's GORGEOUS!! nice and full. This tree had to be fluffed (which in my opinion is the HARDEST job EVER!)

But the fluffing is done...definitely worth it now that the tree is standing pretty. It gives the living room a cozy feel.

This year, we've added the Fisher Price Little People Nativity set. This is our 1st nativity set EVER and the great part is the kids can play with it :) Definitely recommend this for families with small children. I find you learn and remember more when it's hands on.

Another tip I wanted to share is Scent Sticks...you can find them at Walmart. They will make your artificial tree smell like a real tree :)

9 weeks/2 months old

yes! I'm getting stronger

Big stretches

I love her expressions :)

Princess Leia is growing so fast...I wish I had a scale at the house so I could see how much she is weighing now. Leia is officially 9 weeks old...time is flying by.

She is getting stronger and gaining more neck control. She is also staying awake for longer periods of time. And as long as Leia is content (and no tummy issues), she's the cutest little cuddler.

Way Back When-esday: through the years

playing along with Cheryl from Twinfatuation for Way Back When-esday...and it couldn't have fallen on a perfect day. Today is Lilyann's 4th birthday. I can't believe my little girl is 4 years old already..time is definitely flying.

Lilyann Jade born November 30, 2007

Happy 1st Birthday, Lilyann

Happy 2nd Birthday, Lilyann

Happy 3rd Birthday, Lilyann

And now, Happy 4th Birthday, Lilyann...Mommy and Daddy love you so very much!

Every moment counts ♥

Caught a precious moment this weekend.
We were putting a few ornaments on the tree and I was telling Dakota about this or that ornament. It was just a fun time for us. I leave the room to get something and I come back to Dakota holding Leia all by himself and showing her the tree and all the ornaments we just put up. It was so sweet. He is such an awesome big brother. ♥

EnJoying every moment ♥

I'm trying my dead level best to keep the blog updated...Time just seems to run away from me. And it's not that I have a gazillion things to do. But dealing with a kindergartener, an almost 4 yr old who is vying for my attention at every single opportunity, and then throw an infant into the mix...well, I'm hoping you get the picture.

Leia is 6 weeks old now...which means she had her 6 week check up. Leia is now 10 lbs 5 oz and 21.5 inches long. She's a growing girl! And the best part about her getting older, she is starting to smile at us (and not the gas smile) and coo!

We are getting a few things together for Lily's upcoming 4th birthday party. She has decided on Hello Kitty.

Dakota is getting antsy...He knows that the holidays are coming which means he's out of school. And that is one thing that he is SUPER EXCITED about....well, that and Christmas presents!!

The weather is cool here again...which is lovely. It helps to get into the holiday spirit....and that is just what we did this past weekend. We went and took Christmas pictures at a local park. Here's a few for y'all to EnJoy!

The Guys

Mr. Dakota

A fun picture of the kiddos

The Girls

3 of a kind

Here's my crazy kiddos....See the 2 sporting no front teeth?! It couldn't have happened at a better time :)
I've been trying to take group shots more lately in hopes of snapping the perfect Christmas card photo. It can be done...well, it will have to be done or this is the one that I will be using.

All is good in the Smith household. Leia is finally sleeping better at night. We changed to Dr. Brown's bottles and it's like night and day with Miss Leia....for which this mommy is EXTREMELY thankful!

Leia's 6 week check up is on Tuesday..I can't wait to find out how much she has grown.

One month...Toothless (x2)

Leia is just as shocked as we are...but it's true! she is 1 month old today!! Can you believe how fast the first month has gone by? I can't. But it's all a blur to me...long nights, bottles, diapers, laundry...it all seems to run together. At 2 wks old, Leia was weighing 7 lbs 7 oz. I'm eager to find out what she weighs now...she seems to ALWAYS be hungry and of course, never turns away a warm bottle. Leia is now formula fed...she's content and growing..and that's all that matters.

Dakota has reached some milestones this week...He lost 1 front tooth on Sunday and the other front tooth came out last night. He says that now he looks like Lily without his front teeth. You see, Lily knocked her 2 front teeth out back in April and she will be sporting the toothless grin for a good bit longer than Kota. The tooth fairy has been busy at our house.

And here's my Lily...she is adjusting to not being the baby anymore, but being a big sister and a little sister now. Quite a big adjustment for the little lady. But she is handling it well. At the end of this month, Lily is turning 4 years old. She has finally decided on having a Hello Kitty birthday...now, just to figure out what to get Lily for her birthday. She's a hard one to purchase for...as she likes everything her brother has. So, if y'all have any ideas on gifts for a 4 year old...let me know!

3 weeks and counting

Things I've learned in the last 3 weeks.....

• Sleep is Essential, but not always necessary
• Every single thing I eat effects Leia's tummy
• Sometimes just handing the baby off to someone else magically makes the crying stop
• Each baby is different
• Water is essential AND necessary
• Crying Babies tend to scratch their faces during their fits
• Older siblings MUST HAVE your undivided attention
• Crock pots are one of my favorite inventions....next to the breast pump and DVR :)
• Facebook helps me to still have somewhat of a social life...for now.
• Diapers are not all created equal
• The animators of Tom and Jerry are my heroes right now and my sanity savers!

Makes My Monday: Morning Nap time

Leia

The kiddos


The kiddos are growing up..and oh so FAST!

This momma is tired from just trying to keep up with them all.

I do have a 2nd string coming in to help. My mom and oldest sister, Tammie, arrive tomorrow from Florida. I'm so excited to see them...and to have some extra sets of arms to hold Leia, hug Lily, and help Dakota! not to mention, I'm eager to have my super organized sister, Tammie, coming...maybe she can help me get everything organized again! With 5 people living in a 2 bedroom house (til we get this garage finished...yes! we are still working on it. The overbearing Texas heat put everything on hold for a bit) can be somewhat cluttering.

Right now, I'm so happy that Leia--who partied ALL night--is taking her long morning nap. Mommy has lots to do to get ready for tomorrow's guests and today's schedule is quite busy. Parent Teacher Conference after lunch, Kota has early release today, Leia's 2 wk checkup at 3pm...and the list goes on!

So, my Monday maker....long morning naps..gives me time to put my head on straight! :)

Linking up with Cheryl from Twinfatuation for Makes My Monday

Way Back When-esday: Who's Who??

Dakota Wyatt... 6 lbs 2 oz

Lilyann Jade...7 lbs 1 oz

Leia Marie.... 6 lbs 9 oz

Ever since Leia was born...we have been trying to figure out who Leia favors more....and We are thinking that she looks like her brother.

What do you think?

linking up with Cheryl from Twinfatuation for Way Back When-esday