A day in the life of the Smith's

Lately Part 2

2011-09-23T21:15:00.002-05:00

Alyssa got a big girl hair cut. It is so cute! It makes her look so much older!

The girls started school! Alyssa started kindergarten and Mallory started Pre-K. They both go all day every day! They are both loving it. Noah missed Mallory at first but has gotten used to her not being there all of the time!

On the first day of school Trey took pictures of the girls at home before we left. I told him I wanted to go with him for their first day. (Trey takes the girls to school every morning on his way to work) Anyway, I get to A's school right as the teacher is walking her in and Trey had forgotten the camera!!!! SO I don't have any of A at school but took a few of Mal with my phone. This is a picture of Mal sitting at her desk the first day. I can't believe my girls are so big!!! Time is FLYING by!!!

Lately Part 1

2011-09-23T20:14:00.004-05:00

Since I haven't posted since Noah's 1st birthday I guess I should do some updating!! Since June we have had a lot go on! We moved into a new house...which I don't have any pictures of right now!

Noah started Mother's Day Out twice a week. He is having a great time!

Here is a picture of Noah's favorite spot in our new house...he loves to hide under my desk!

We took the girls to Tyler over Labor Day weekend. There is an indoor waterpark and a great zoo. This is a picture of Alyssa at the zoo..of course she loved all of the animals that lived in the water!!!

Noah has decided that he will only eat with a fork or spoon...and he has to feed himself! He does a great job for a 15 month old!! He loves chick fil a ice cream!!

We are going to lots of Tech football games. Trey is taking pictures on the field the whole game so I am only taking Mallory with me. We sit with a group of friends so we have a good time! After each game the kids get to go out on the field and run around. Mal loves this part!

Noah is 1

2011-07-15T15:49:00.004-05:00

I can't believe my baby is ONE! Noah - you are such a joy to us! You are constantly making us laugh...and run all over the place! You will not sit still!! Here are some of the things you have been doing lately:
- You eat EVERYTHING in sight. If we are eating anything you are asking us for more. You wake up asking for more!
-You weight 22 lbs and are 31 inches long.
-You are still a great sleeper...at least 12 hours a night and still taking 2 naps a day.
-You will drink out of a certain sippy cup but prefer your bottle. You took to milk really well! This week, you have started drinking through a straw!
-You have 9 teeth completely in and your molars are starting to come in.
-You will walk holding on but still not confidant enough to let go!! You are the fastest crawler ever! We entered you in the Peach festival diaper derby and you got to the last leg of the race and sped to the finish line then sat there and wouldn't cross it!
-You are saying mama, dada, mal mal, sissy, bye bye and hi. You are constantly talking so I know you are saying other words we just can't understand them yet!
-You will sit through a book or two at night now. You are really starting to get the idea of reading a book (instead of chewing on it).
-You are growing a head full of blond curly hair!! Oh - how I LOVE it!!! You look just like your daddy did when he was your age!!!
-You love to get into everything!! You have discovered your cabinet in the kitchen and that is the first place you go when I put you down after breakfast!

We had two little family birthday parties for you. One while we were at the beach and one the day after we got home. You loved all of the attention and eating cake of course!! We are in the process of moving so everything is really crazy around here! Pretty soon you will have lots of space to run around and play!!!

Destin 2011

2011-06-20T20:52:00.001-05:00

Last week we spent the week in Destin with the Smith family. We had a GREAT time! It was so relaxing and fun! The kids all had a blast. Alyssa didn't really like the beach but she was in the pool from breakfast to dinner! We ate good and had great fellowship! We can't wait to do it again!!! Noah turned ONE the day we left. We had a small party then headed home. We turned his car seat around so he experienced a whole new world on the way home!!! I will post more birthday pictures later.

Mallory's First Dance Recital & Noah's First Day of MDO

2011-06-10T08:53:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday night was Mal's first dance recital. It was so much fun!!! The program was amazing!!! The theme was The Little Mermaid. Mallory was a sea horse for her ballet routine and a hula girl for her tap routine. I must say the hula routine was my favorite of the whole show and not just because my child was in it! I was a little concerned because Thursday night at rehearsal Mal fell out of her folding chair and hit her eye. It was borderline needing stitches!!! It was swollen and blue. By Sat night the swelling had pretty much gone down and I just put dark eyeshadow on the other eye to match. She loved getting makeup put on!!! She really did great during her performances. She did most all of the dance moves! I wasn't sure if we were going to do dance again next year because she also does gymnastics and is very good at it but she quickly let us know she wanted to do dance again! While it was crazy it was so much fun and I can't wait to do it again!!!
Saturday morning was Parker's 2nd birthday at Gymboree in Shreveport. The kids had a blast!
Tuesday was Noah's first day at MDO. He did great! He didn't sleep very long but I didn't expect it. He will not sleep at church so I didn't think he would there either. He did however get sick!!!!! He woke up yesterday with a runny nose!!!:( This is lovely since we are leaving tomorrow morning to go to the beach for a week!!! He doesn't seem to feel bad just has a runny nose so hopefully it will clear up quickly. I should have known going somewhere he has never been picking up new germs would make him sick but it didn't even cross my mind!!!! I CAN"T BELIEVE MY BABY WILL BE ONE NEXT SATURDAY!!!!! Did you hear that??? Yes, I was yelling!!!! We will celebrate with a party with the Smith clan before we leave from the beach, travel back on his birthday, then the next day have a party with my family! He had his first taste of cake last weekend at Parker's birthday party so he is ready!!! He has decided that since he has tasted real food he no longer wants anything to do with baby food!!! This dude can eat!!! As soon as he finishes a bite he is asking for more!!! Well, I better go start packing for 4 of us!! I am DREADING this part!!!

Noah is 11 Months Old!!!

2011-05-25T21:06:00.002-05:00

Where have the last 11 months gone?!? I can't believe we are just one month away from you being ONE!!! You are so much fun!! We just eat up every minute with you!! It is very hard to do the monthly pictures now because you will not be still! You were just wanting to play patty cake during this picture! Here are some of the things you have been doing this past month:
-You are growing lots of hair! I just LOVE it! It is blond and curly (just like your daddy's was when he was your age).
-You will drink from a sippy cup. You will drink your formula...still not too crazy about juice.
-You are signing more, milk, and all done.
-You LOVE to eat! As soon as you finish your milk you are signing more. We have slowly been introducing solid foods...your favorite so far is watermelon!
-You will walk holding onto something or someone.
-You love for us to sing "If your happy and you know it". You have learned the song and know when to clap when you are supposed to!
-You are still a great sleeper!
-You are a super fast speed crawler....we can't keep up with you. Your favorite game right now and playing chase. I love to hear your sweet giggles!!!
-You are finding things funny. Just about anything Mallory does makes you laugh!
-You are not too crazy about us reading to you...when I start reading you start turning the page!
-You have moved to a convertible seat. You probably could have fit in the infant carrier another month but you figured out a way to pull the foam out from under the car seat!!! We can't have you eating foam!!!
-You love us...it just melts my heart to walk into your room and see your huge smile and you reaching your hands out for me to pick you up. Now as soon as I pick you up from your crib you give me the biggest hug! :)
-You went to your first of many t-ball games this month...you really enjoy it. You love watching everyone and clapping when we all clap.
-Mrs. Glover from the church nursery told us you brought such joy to her. That made me feel so good to hear her say that because that is exactly how we feel. You definitely keep them on their toes!!!

There is so much more but it is hard to keep track of everything! We love you so much and are enjoying every minute with you!!! You are starting MDO one day a week in June. I hope you do well being away from me for that long. You love people so much I am sure you will do great!

Easter/Beach 2011

2011-05-09T13:28:00.002-05:00

Trey, Mallory & I spent Easter weekend in Orange Beach, AL. We had a blast!! Trey & I were going to go by ourselves but our friends we were going with were bringing their little boy so we decided last minute to bring Mal. I am glad we did because they had a blast playing together. They kept each other busy. Mallory was not too crazy about the ocean but she liked the sand and the pool. We went to the pool (water park) at the wharf one afternoon and had a blast. We even went to an egg hunt at The Hangout in Gulf Shores on Easter. The weather was perfect! There are also pictures of Mallory's egg hunt at school. We also went to and egg hunt in the park the weekend before but forgot to bring the camera!!! We are going to Destin with the whole Smith family in June so A & N will get their chance to play in the sand & ocean then. Life is so busy right now. School is winding down and summer activities are beginning. T-ball games, swimming lessons, dance recitals, gymnastics...busy,busy,busy!

Noah is 10 months old!

2011-04-19T10:17:00.003-05:00

This was the first time you pulled up...it was on the gate. We caught you before it fell.

I can't believe 10 months have already gone by!!! You are growing so fast! Here is what you have been up to this month:
- You are crawling EVERYWHERE! I can't keep up with you!
- You are pulling up and cruising. You pull up on everything. When you pull up on the couch sometimes you will cruise down the side of it to get to something you want.
- You are clapping. I love watching you do this. You get the biggest grin on your face when you are clapping!
- You love to roll a ball. If I roll you a ball you immediately roll it back to me.
- You talk NON STOP!!! In fact, you are sometimes moved up to the older class in the nursery at church because you are talking so much that the babies can't sleep!!
You say mama, dada, baba, no no, and bye bye. You shake your head when you say no no and you wave your hand to say hi and bye.
- You had your first surgery this month. Last week you had tubes put in your ears. You did great!!!
- Still sleeping great! You take 2 good naps a day then sleep from 7-7:30 or 8:00 every day.
- You are such a people person! You LOVE being around people.
- Your 12 month rompers are starting to get a little tight on you...I have a feeling by the time summer comes you will be in 18 month clothes.
- You are a thumb sucker! I think it is the most precious thing...you only do it when you are tired or when you get really upset(which is usually because you are tired).

There are many more things you have done but I can't keep track!!! We are loving every minute with you. You are so easy going!

Spring Break 2011

2011-04-07T22:06:00.001-05:00

We had a great spring break! It was pretty relaxed and low key. Tuesday we went and had lunch with my Mom and visited my Dad at work. Wednesday we went to Monroe and ate at the new chick fil a and the kids got to play on the playground. Of course I had to go up in the play area to get A down! Then we headed over to the Childrens Museum. The kids really liked all of the fun things to do there. There was a police car that they really liked playing in. Let's hope this is the last time we ever see Mallory in the back of a cop car!! :) Thursday we went to Shreveport and had lunch at Superior :) then headed to Chuck E Cheese. Why oh why did we do this???? It was Caddo & Bossier Parish's spring break too so you can imagine the crowd!! It was hot and stinky and I could not wait to get out of there!!! Friday, a friend and I headed to Tyler to go to a MOPS conference. We spent a couple of hours in Shreveport...shopping of course! The conference was great! We got home Saturday evening. The girls played out in the sprinkler most of the afternoon on Saturday and had a blast! It sure was nice to sleep in every day!!! Come on summer!!!

Dad's Christmas Present Fishing Trip

2011-03-19T08:57:00.001-05:00

Daybreak at Toledo Bend--3/17/11

Dad patiently awaiting the next bite.

We saw several eagles soaring throughout the day.

Bro. Joe fighting one of our 12 keepers.

Toledo is about 7 ft below normal now.

Our guide....Joe Joslin

Bro. Joe fighting a 5 pounder.

Our largest of the day jumping at the boat.

Today's lunker....4-5 pounder.

It was goose mating season on the Texas Islands.

My best attempt at capturing the eagle while on a boat in 20 mph winds.

This is an eagle's nest...about 6 ft in diameter...they use the same nest year after year.

Dad's final fish of the day

Get the Net!

This was fish 21 of the 22 we caught today. Overall a great time of fishing and fellowship.

Noah is 9 months old!

2011-03-18T12:52:00.003-05:00

Noah, you are growing so fast! I can't believe you are 9 months already! Here are some of your stats for this month:

-You weigh 19lbs and I am not sure how long you are...you have been sick several times over the last month so that is why I know your weight! Your check up is next week!
-You are wearing 12 month sleepers and 6-12 month clothes.
-You are sleeping 12 hours at night.
-You are napping two good naps a day.
-You are still not crawling...buy you are SO close!!! You do however roll everywhere you want to go. You get frustrated starting to crawl so you just throw your head over and roll.
-You will give kisses pretty freely!
-You are into everything!
-You will eat any fruit baby food. You do not prefer the veges!!
-You are jabbering and making lots of sounds. You will repeat some of the sounds we make. You do say mama & dada.
-You are still loving your big sisters. If they are in the room you are following every move they make.
-I LOVE your new smile!!! It covers your entire face! You wrinkle your nose and show your teeth!
-You are very friendly...if anyone we see smile are talks to you, you smile and talk right back!
-You LOVE being outside!! We set up your baby swing on the swingset and you can swing with your big sisters. You also enjoy just sitting in your exersaucer on the back porch.
-Unfortunately, you have also had 3 ear infections in the last 6 weeks so we are going to see the ENT in a couple of weeks to discuss getting tubes put in your ears. Both of your sisters have had them so we know once you get them it will make this problem go away!!

We are just loving every minute with you!!! Happy 9 months my little man!!!

Alyssa is FIVE YEARS OLD!!

2011-03-15T21:49:00.002-05:00

Alyssa turned 5 today!! My how time flies!!! We had her birthday party Saturday. We had it at the church playground and it was perfect! Her favorite thing is to be outside. The weather was wonderful and I think everyone had a good time. I can't believe she will be starting Kindergarten in the fall!!!

I LOVE Kool Kids!!

2011-02-21T10:10:00.005-06:00

For those of you who don't know what Kool Kids is it is a huge consignment sale we have in Ruston twice a year. Everyone in the community can put kids items in the sale. It is 3 sisters who put it on and they rely on volunteers to help work it. If you volunteer for 4 hours you get to shop before the public. We all line up at the civic center and anxiously wait for the doors to open. It is SO much fun!!!! It is like waiting to open presents on Christmas morning!!! Anyway, I thought I would share some of the fabulous finds I purchased. As you can see I mainly bought for Noah. EVERYONE runs straight for the girls clothes so if you do not go there first there is nothing left. I prefer not to be trampled so I go to the boys section first then later see what everyone else has discarded for the girls (or have a wonderful friend who will look through it with the crowd and pick out some cute stuff)!

Here is a wooden rocking airplane I just HAD to have for Noah!!!

Here is an airplane lamp that matches perfectly with his room!

Here are all of the clothes I found for him!

This was probably my most favorite thing! I LOVE these shoes!!! If you notice to the left I found his 1st birthday outfit!!

Here is what I found for the girls. All of the dresses are for Alyssa and the sandals are for Mallory. Mallory really didn't need anything since she has all of A's hand me downs and she can wear a lot of her stuff from last year!

Noah is 8 months old!!!!

2011-02-19T09:07:00.003-06:00

It is hard to see how much you have grown because you wouldn't stretch your legs out!

Getting ready to crawl!

Your first bath in your big boy tub. You LOVED it!!! You just kept grabbing the bubbles.

I can't believe you are already 8 months old!!! Time needs to slow down!!! You are such a joy! You are the happiest baby I have ever seen! All we have to do is smile at you and you give us the biggest grin! Here are some of the things you are doing this month:

-You can say mama, dada, and baba - you are always talking. You wake up talking and go to sleep talking!
-You can wave bye-bye. You are not consistent but you do it some of the time.
-You recognize when we leave the room. You usually cry if I leave the room.
-You LOVE to eat! You take four 8oz bottles a day the last one has cereal in it. You eat baby food twice a day. You LOVE puffs!!!
-You are constantly moving. I can barely hold you still to change your diaper!
-You are wearing 9-12 month clothes and size 3 diapers.
-You have EIGHT teeth!!!!
-You are getting up on all fours and rocking but not crawling yet....it won't be long!
-You sit up without help and can stand up briefly holding onto something. You are trying to pull up on the exersaucer. (This is where your sisters starting pulling up.) We had to lower your mattress because you were pulling up in your crib!
-You sleep 12-13 hours a night and take two 2 hour naps a day.
-You follow every move your sisters make!!!

We are loving every moment with you!! I am currently writing this post from the bed because I have the flu!!! Daddy has taken over and I have been quarantined to the bedroom! I am praying no one else gets it!!!

Mallory's 4th Birthday

2011-02-05T21:21:00.002-06:00

We had Mallory's 4th birthday party last Saturday at CC's Gymnastics. She had a blast!!! There were lots of kids and lots of fun!!! She wanted a snow white theme. Do you know how hard it is to find snow white stuff?? The only thing I could find were the snow white cupcake toppers so that is why we had cupcakes! I found a cute design for a cupcake stand so I make it! It was really cute - not extremely sturdy - but cute!! I make candy apples for party favors to go with the theme. Her actual birthday was Tuesday. We bought her a hopscotch princess rug for her room so I laid it out while she was sleeping. She was excited when she woke up and saw it. She came in our room saying "I am not 3 anymore, I am 4 now". She had a birthday heart shaped donut on our "special day" plate then went to school to celebrate. I picked her up from school and she got to have a date with Mommy & Daddy. We went to build a bear, ate at chick fil a, rode the carousel, and ended the night with a cookie. It was all about her!!! I think she is most excited that she is in a booster seat like Alyssa now. She asked me every day for a month when she would get to switch!!!

Noah is 7 months old!

2011-01-20T08:54:00.003-06:00

I can't believe you are 7 months old!! Here are some of the things you are doing now:
-You are sleeping from 7 or 7:30-8 or 8:30 every night and are taking two 2-3 hour naps a day.
-You eat four 8oz bottles of formula a day and eat baby food twice a day. You REALLY like fruit. You wouldn't eat any of it until here recently now you eat the entire jar!
-You are busting out of your 6 month clothes but 9-12 month are still a litte big.
-Sitting up with confidence. I can leave you sitting there by yourself with a toy or something to keep your attention and you are fine.
-You jabber & squeal with delight all of the time!!!
-You are very grabby....will grab anything in sight!!
-You are cutting your next 2 teeth. Your top front two are at the edge of the skin..we can see them but not feel them quite yet. We are checking every day because it will be soon!!!
-You love for us to sing to you. Mallory especially!! If you are upset for any reason all we have to do is sing to you and you calm down.
-We went to the doctor 2 weeks ago for your 6 month check up and your stats were 16lb 8ozs and 27.5 inches long.
What a happy seven months we have had!!!!

You loves his baby food so much he licks every single spot on your mouth to get it!!!

Christmas Part 2

2011-01-17T13:33:00.002-06:00

Christmas 2010 Part 1

2011-01-05T13:09:00.002-06:00

We spent Christmas with Trey's family this year. Everyone was there and it was so much fun! I got to meet Tucker for the first time and the boys did great! Noah was sick a day or two but other than that it was great! We went to Carthage on Sunday to have Christmas with the Schieffers & Bales.

Noah is 6 Months Old!!!

2010-12-20T09:15:00.005-06:00

I can't believe this little man is 6 months old!!! Here are some things your are doing this month:
-I am not sure what you weigh but you definately weigh more and have gotten taller!
-You are taking four 8 oz bottles a day.
-You are taking two 2-3 hour naps a day. If your afternoon nap is short you sometimes take a short 3rd nap.
-You sleep from 7:30pm until 8:00am.
-You have said mama, dada, and baba. You have only said our names a few times but you say baba all the time! You really like to talk!
-You give GREAT kisses!!!! If we ask for kisses most of the time you will give them!
-You are still not liking solid foods...we will keep working on this!
-You can sit up for short periods by yourself.
-You scoot all over your crib.
-You are very grabby! You will reach out for anything to put in your mouth!!
-You are so happy! If you are the least bit fussy (and not hungry )then all we have to do is smile at you and you smile right back!
We love you so much and are enjoying every moment with you!!!

I bought the kids these matching PJ's and really wanted to get a picture of them in them! If I am going to spend that much on PJ's then I need to at least get a picuture! Anyway, we took these and they turned out pretty good! After that we went out and delivered some goody baskets to some of Trey's elderly patients! Oh how they loved it! They could have cared less about the goodies! They were just so happy to see the kids!!! I think we made their days!! :)

I never post pictures of Trey & I so we took this picture Saturday night before my company Christmas party. We went over to Shreveport to Superior Steakhouse...it was wonderful!!! We are headed to D town tomorrow until after Christmas...so excited to meet Tucker!!! Anyway, we hope you have a very merry Christmas!!!!

Christmas Parties

2010-12-17T14:01:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was both girls Christmas parties. We went to Mal's at 11 and A's at 11:30. Luckily, my mom came over to watch Noah so he could get in his morning nap. Mallory's class sang away in a manger, we wish you a merry christmas, and jingle bells. They were so cute! For the past couple of weeks they have been working on being kind to others. We had to write down every time they did a nice deed and give it to the teacher. For every nice deed they got to put a piece of straw around baby Jesus. They LOVED that! Then we headed over to Alyssa's party. They were eating pizza (which she can't have) so we brought her french fries and turkey. There is another autistic kid in her class and he kept sneaking her french fries! The speech therapist came in and showed us a new machine she got. It looks like a laptop and there are pictures on the touch screen for A to touch to make a command. She was asking for candy, juice, milk, and toys! It was amazing!!! We are going to try to get one of those machines for home!!!!! We had a CRAZY busy week! Christmas parties almost every day (which I had to cook something for), I am the co-chair for our JA Christmas clearinghouse this year (we provide gifts to about 300 kids in lincoln parish), and it was the last week of school for the girls so I had to get gifts together for teachers & friends! Today we are going to take goody baskets to some of Trey's patients and sing a couple of song for them and then tonight we have our last Christmas party. We are headed to DeRidder Tuesday to spend the week with all of Trey's family! I am so excited to finally meet Tucker!!! It will be fun to see him & Noah interact! Anyway, I need to get back to my baking! Merry Christmas!!!

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-28T22:17:00.003-06:00

We had a great Thanksgiving! Mal had her Thanksgiving party at MDO the thursday before Thanksgiving. Allie is her best friend from school and church. Last weekend we celebrated Thanksgiving with Mr. Bubba, Babs, Bryan, & Christine. Mr. Bubba made a huge pot of gumbo on Saturday that was yummy! Bryan & Christine were able to stay until Tuesday. We had a great time visiting with them!!! We spent Thanksgiving day with my family. Friday Mom & I were up bright and early to hit the black friday deals!! We pretty much finished the kids and I got several other people marked off of the list! We shopped ALL day!! Saturday we put up our Christmas decorations. It has been a great week of no scheduled activities!!!! Now back to our regularly scheduled week!!! :)

Noah is 5 Months Old!

2010-11-19T13:10:00.003-06:00

I can't believe you are already 5 months old! You are getting to be such a big boy!!! Here is some of the things you have been doing this month:

-You weigh a little over 15 pounds (I wasn't in the room when they weighed you and this is the answer I got from Daddy) and are 27 inches long!
-You are taking at least two 8 oz bottles of formula a day and three 6 oz bottles. In fact, you have started to squeal like a little pig after you finish a 6 oz bottle!
-You are sleeping 12 hours at night and taking 2 long naps during the day then one shorter one in the evening.
-LOVE, LOVE, LOVES your sisters!!! I think you could just sit and watch them all day and be happy!
-You love your exersaucer....and Mickey Mouse. You talk back to the tv when Mickey Mouse it on!!!
-You have said Mama several times! (Jenna and the ladies in the church nursery have heard it too)!
-You are now wearing 6/9 month sleepers because you are so long!!!
-We have tried to feed you rice cereal with at spoon but you were not too happy about it....Mama has already started making some baby food and freezing it for you when you are ready!
-You cut your first 2 teeth Monday!!! (see picture below)
-You reach out and grab for anything you want and then put it in your mouth.

I could go on all day but will stop there! We are gearing up for the holidays!! I am excited to celebrate your first Thanksgiving & Christmas!!!

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T22:09:00.002-05:00

We went to Temple's fall festival last night and FBC's fall festival tonight. We had a great time. Mallory was a bee, Alyssa was a ladybug, and Noah was a monkey. They were all precious! Unfortunately, Noah's was a little too hot so he only wore it for the first 30 minutes!!

I have to share this story! So a few weeks ago Jena(my babysitter) told me that Mallory had an imaginary friend named Jessibala. I thought that was interesting so I paid close attention to her playing over the last few weeks. Sure enough she was constantly talking about Jessibala. When I would ask her who Jessibala was she would get very frustrated and say NO JESSIBALA. She was trying to correct me because I wasn't saying it right. Last night at Temple's fall festival she started talking to and about Jessibala. I was getting a little worried because I didn't want everyone to think she was this weird kid who went around talking to herself all of the time! So, she is saying "come on Jessibala follow me" and I go around to see what she is doing and she is actually talking to someone! It is a little boy in her MDO class named Joshua Robbins!!!!!! I am SO glad "Jessibala" is an actual person! :)

Noah is 4 Months Old!

2010-10-19T21:05:00.002-05:00

I can't believe you are 4 months old! I will probably start every post this way! Time is flying by!!! In fact, Marcie had Kendall 2 weeks ago and I can't remember you being that small...and you were smaller!!! Anyway, here are some updates for this month:

-You weigh 14 lbs 4 ozs and are 25.75 inches long...you are 50th percentile in weight and 80th percentile in height.
-You are very laid back.
-You sleep about 12 hours each night and take 3 naps a day.
-You can hold your head up.
-You can stand up when we hold you.
-You LOVE your sisters!!! You just watch them and coo and smile!!!
-You are now a thumb sucker!!!
-About a week ago you discovered you like sleeping on your stomach so there is no keeping you on your back!!!
-You love playing patty cake.
-You love your baby einstein video.
-You are taking 6ozs of formula every 3-4 hours.
-You are wearing size 6 month clothes.
-Daddy can get you to laugh by tickling you....I can only get you to laugh by singing Lady Gaga's Poker Face! :)

You are such a joy! It is hard to believe that at your next check up you will have had your first Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas!!!! You got to experience your first Tech game (actually tailgate) last weekend. I will post pictures of that soon! You will also be making your first trip to Daddy's hometown this weekend so everyone can meet you!

Noah is 3 Months Old!

2010-09-20T22:05:00.003-05:00

I can't believe my little man is already 3 months old!! We are enjoying you so much! You are pretty easy going!! This is the best picture I could get of you because you never stop moving! Our lives have started to get in a routine over this last month. Both girls have started back to school/mother's day out, dance, gymnastics, and we have all gotten back into our various church activities. We seem to stay on the go during the week! Here are some of the things you are doing now:

- You are sleeping more during the night and less during the day. We are on a schedule during the night, mostly in the morning, and are still working on the afternoons!
- You stopped nursing about 2 weeks ago so you are strictly on formula now. You are a little piggy! Sometimes when you finish your 6 ounces you are still wanting more!!!
- You love to be talked to and to talk back. That is when we get your best smiles!!!
- You like sitting in your bumbo chair. You can sit in it for a good 10 minutes before your head starts to bobble.
- You are in 3-6 month size sleepers and clothes now.
- You prefer to sleep on your side.
- You are growing like a weed! We don't go back to the doctor until next month so I don't have any stats but you are longer and heavier!

I am sure there is much more but it is past my bedtime so my brain is shutting down and I started boot camp today so my arms are about to fall off!!! We are soaking up every moment with you and fall more in love with you every day!!!

Go Dawgs!!

2010-09-11T18:09:00.000-05:00

Dallas Trip

2010-09-03T16:50:00.002-05:00

A couple of weekends ago we went to Dallas to visit Bryan & Christine and to take the kids to the Fort Worth Zoo. We had a great time! All of the kids traveled well! When we got there on Friday we met B & C at The Rainforest Cafe. The girls were pretty scared at first. They sat us right under this huge gorilla that totally freaked them out! They eventually warmed up to it. Christine & I did some power shopping then went to met the guys & kids for dinner. Saturday we got up and went to the zoo. It was HOT!!!! We got there at 11 and left around 2. Noah was a trooper! He slept for the first 2 hours then ate and either rode in the stroller or we passed him around. After we left the zoo we went to Christine's parents house to swim. When we got there I went to the back to nurse Noah and we fell asleep for 2 hours!!!! We were both hot & tired. When we woke up the girls were having a blast!! Mallory did not like the pool last year but loved it with them. Uncie even convinced her to jump off of the side of the pool to him! Alyssa LOVES the water...whether it is the bath, pool, or a puddle in the yard! When Noah & I woke up we put N in his swim trunks and put him in the pool. He seemed to enjoy it. He was constantly kicking his feet like he was trying to swim!! The next day we went to church which was interesting. We were running late so by the time we got there the child care was full so we had to take all of the kids to church. Uncie & Auntie ended up taking them all out in the foyer until we sang at the end of the service. they were sitting fine...they just weren't very quiet! We had a great trip! The next week Mal & Trey went to Indy for the birth of Tucker...I will post pics soon!!!

First Day of School

2010-08-27T10:52:00.002-05:00

Alyssa started preschool today. They built a new school so everything will be new to her! The boys started yesterday and the girls started today. There are only 2 girls in her class and the other girl had a dr appt so Alyssa will be the only one there all day. Hopefully, that will help her get used to the new environment before the other kids get there! More posts to come!!!!

Noah is 2 Months Old!

2010-08-23T21:17:00.002-05:00

Noah is 2 months old! My how time is flying by!!! We have had many firsts this past month and I have more pictures to post but those will come later. Here is what you are doing now:

-You are smiling more. When you are awake and not hungry or dirty you are smiling. I LOVE your sweet smile!!!
-You are cooing. Most of the time when we talk to you, you will talk back!
-You are eating ALOT more! So much more that you are taking a bottle every other feeding. In fact, sometimes I have to give you a bottle after you nurse because you are still hungry!
-You weigh 11 lbs 3 ozs and are 24 inches long. You are 50th percentile in weight and 90th in height.
-You went to the nursery for the first time this week during church. You were actually 9 weeks old.
-You had your first road trip last weekend. We went to Dallas to see Auntie & Uncie and also had your first trip to the zoo!!!
-You are sleeping through the night! You started sleeping from about 9-7 when you were 8 weeks old.
-You LOVE your bath. You take a bath every night right before bed and you absolutely love it!

That is all I can think of right now but I am sure there is so much more!!! We love you so much and are enjoying every moment with you!

Noah is 1 Month Old!

2010-07-19T11:57:00.003-05:00

I can't believe Noah is 1 month old already! I have decided to document what he is doing every month because I didn't with Mallory and when it came time to do her scrapbook I couldn't remember when she did certain things! Oh, and I will be writing these posts to him because I will probably print these out to put in his scrapbook since I now have 3 kids and am not sure I will ever have time to scrapbook again! :) Anyway, here is what you are doing now:

-Sleeping good - usually at least a 5 hour stretch at night then 3-4 hours during the day. You sleep great during the day and night but are awake in the evenings.
-Eating VERY good! Your 1 month check up is next week but we are pretty sure you have gained at least 4 or 5 pounds since you were born!
-Love to be rocked or walked around.
-Sleep in your car seat (in your crib). You spit up a good bit when we first brought you home so we put you in it and now you will not sleep laying in your crib!
-Can roll over front to back and back to front.
-When you are awake you are constantly moving.
-You are starting to give us smiles! :)
-You outgrew newborn clothes & diapers at 2 weeks old. You are now in 0-3 month.

I am sure there is more but everyone (including you) are ready to eat lunch now! We love you very much and are enjoying every moment with you!!!!

Noah David Smith

2010-06-27T11:24:00.003-05:00

Noah was born June 18, 2010 at 12:05pm. He weighed 7lb 8oz and was 21 1/2 inches long. He looks EXACTLY like Mallory! He is doing great! He was a bit Jaundice so we had to go back to the doctor just about every day last week to have blood work done but he is great now! He is eating, sleeping, and pooping. Mallory LOVES him and Alyssa doesn't really pay him much attention. It is very different having a boy! We have been tee teed on many times! The day we went in to be induced we decided to put an offer on a house and list ours to sell. I know - we have LOST OUR MINDS! In Ruston, if you find something you like you have to jump on it because it will be gone quick! So, when we came home from the hospital it was time to do some major cleaning & organizing so our house would be ready to show Tuesday. We got everything done and hoping that it sells quickly!!!

Painted Nails

2010-06-13T16:36:00.002-05:00

About a week ago I went and got a pedicure. I always get a french manicure but decided this time to get them painted pink because I knew it would be a while before I would be able to get another one. Well, when I got home Mallory was SO excited that I had paint on my toes! She has pointed them out to EVERYONE we see!!! At church, school, the store, anybody she could tell! She had to call Mimi and tell her all about it so Mimi told her she was going to paint her nails next time she saw her. Last night Trey & I decided to go ahead and celebrate our anniversary (that is on the 30th) since we will be pretty busy on our anniversary! :) Mimi & Popi came over to watch the girls so Mimi painted her nails. She was so excited she had to stay awake to show me she looked just like Mommy! They really do look so cute on her! This morning she had to show everyone at church her painted "nigers and toes"!!!

We took these pictures today. I am 38 weeks. I am scheduled to be induced this Friday but my doctor doesn't think I will make it until then. So, by the end of the week we will be meeting Mr. Noah!!! We are SO excited and can't wait! I will post pictures after he arrives!

Shower

2010-04-26T10:29:00.002-05:00

I had my shower yesterday and got lots of great stuff!!! There was LOTS of blue!!! We are so blessed to have such a wonderful church family and group of friends in Ruston! Noah will be a well dressed little boy!!!!!

We are set to close on our house in Shreveport tomorrow so PLEASE PRAY that everything goes as planned!!!! We are SO ready to only own ONE house!!!!!

Jumping, Planting, & Fishing

2010-04-20T20:55:00.003-05:00

We had a pretty busy weekend. Trey finally got the trampoline set up Easter weekend so the girls have been spending their days jumping away! Friday we pulled out the girls pool that Uncie bought them 2 years ago! Alyssa LOVES it! She loves it so much that the minute she walks outside she runs for it - even with her clothes on! The picture of her jumping on the trampoline was after she ran & jumped in the pool fully clothed & with a diaper on! The diaper weighed about 45 pounds!!!!! Saturday Trey decided to plant some flowers in our flower beds. While we were at Lowe's I decided it would be fun to get a few vegetables to plant so the girls could watch them grow. He planted squash, zucchini, cucumbers, & tomatoes. This is our first garden so we will see how it goes. I also had him plant me a few herbs that I constantly pay way too much for at the grocery store!!! He decided to be clever with the flower bed and make an "S". Mallory LOVED helping him plant. She got SO dirty....in fact I am still trying to get the dirt from under her toe nails! Sunday Trey & Jenna took the girls fishing at Lincoln Parish park. Jenna is our sitter that comes every day of the week for a couple of hours to help me with the girls. Since the surgery I haven't been able to lift more than 30 pounds and A weighs 50! She is still pretty much completely dependant on me so I needed some help. We love Jenna & she loves the girls. Trey asked Jenna to help in because of how my Alyssa loves the water. He knew it would take a person just to keep her from jumping in! Anyway, the girls caught 3 fish each & Jenna caught her first fish ever. I have the cutest video of the girls both reeling in a fish but it takes up too much memory so I can't upload them. That is why I always use slide shows to show my pictures. I can never upload more than 2 pictures. So that has been our life lately. I am almost 31 weeks and counting down the days! I am so ready to meet this little man! He is SO active in my belly I can't imagine what he will be like in person!!! My sweet Sunday School class is throwing me a shower this Sunday and I am SO excited to get some blue stuff!!! I guess that is all for now.

Easter 2010

2010-04-10T15:59:00.002-05:00

We had a fun Easter. We went to 3 Easter Egg hunts. We had one at each of the girls schools. We were able to take some pictures at Alyssa's hunt but Mallory's started early so we got there right when they finished! We did get pictures of her after the hunt. We have some friend's parents who put on a big egg hunt every year. They had a cupcake decorating station and a jumpy thing. The girls had fun hunting eggs there too. We didn't get many pictures because we were both busy helping the girls find eggs. We decided to stay in Ruston for Easter so my Dad & EC came over and had lunch with us. Trey put the girls trampoline together that weekend so the girls have had a blast jumping and playing outside every afternoon!

I am 29 weeks now so not much longer! Hopefully only 9 or 10 weeks to go!!! Noah is VERY active! I have started getting pretty bad heartburn but other than that I am feeling good.

Oh, and we are SO excited to finally have a contract on our house in Shreveport!!! Please PRAY that everything works out and we close at the end of the month as scheduled!!!!! That will be such a huge burden to get rid of!!!!!!

P-A-R-T-Y

2010-03-06T10:33:00.002-06:00

We had a joint party for the girls last weekend. I decided that since their birthday's were so close it would just be easier! We had it at a new place in Ruston called Party Galaxy. They have one HUGE jumper that has about 5 different activities in it and then one smaller one for smaller kids. The kids had a blast! We played music and they jumped. Mallory was totally cutting a rug at one point (I think she learned her moves from Sid the Science Kid)!!!

The girls had their well visits this week and both are growing like weeds! Alyssa is still in the 98th percentile and is off the charts in height. Mallory is in the 50th percentile now....big improvement from the 10th she has always been!!! Noah is growing just as fast. He moves ALL of the time! I can't believe I will be in my 3rd trimeter at my next doctor's appointment! Time is FLYING by!!!

Last weekend was also Kool Kids. Kool Kids is a children's consignment sale we have twice a year here in Ruston. I totally racked up! I was able to find bedding for Noah and a TON of outfits! We found a twin bed for Alyssa (since we moved her to the playroom) and matresses. That was the only thing I found for the girls. They really didn't need much. I also made some money!!! I sold all of the girls summer 0-24month clothes, Mal's bedding, and the stroller & carseat we bought when we first got Alyssa. I really did well!!! We changed the girls rooms all around while we had Bryan here to help too! Mallory now has a big girl bed & Alyssa's old dresser and we moved all of her furniture into Alyssa's room for Noah. Alyssa is now in the playroom. We decided to do that since she spends most of her time in there anyway! I will have to post pics when we get everything finished. I really like the bedding I found for Noah. It has airplanes on it. Trey has always been fascinated with airplanes so I thought it would be perfect. We tried to find golf bedding but just couldn't! That was the only sports theme I would agree to! I mean, I know he is a boy but he is also a baby! Hopefully my LAST baby so I still want it to look like a nursery. He can have sports theme when he gets older!!! Anyway, I will post pics when we have everything put together.

Baby Noah

2010-02-23T19:24:00.004-06:00

Mallory pointing to the screen that had Noah on it.

Sweet baby Noah

Not so sweet baby Noah!!!

We had our big ultrasound a couple of weeks ago and took the girls with us so they could see Noah! Mallory LOVED it! I thought I would share a few pics from that day.

SNOW

2010-02-12T13:28:00.002-06:00

We woke up this morning to white everywhere! I promised Mallory last night when she went to bed that if there was enough snow we would build a snowman. Even though we all have runny noses I decided that since it NEVER snows like this we had to play in it for just a little while. We had fun. We ran in it and Alyssa ate it and we built a snowman. It was fun while it lasted.

Lady Techsters Game

2010-02-01T22:26:00.003-06:00

We took the girls to a Lady Techsters game Saturday night and they had a blast! I thought I would share a few pictures. Mallory is obsessed with "the dog" AKA Champ. Alyssa just loved the band and watching the ball get thrown all around the court. Tomorrow is Mallory's 3rd birthday! I can't believe my baby is 3!!!!! We are having a small family party for her tomorrow but are doing a combined party for both girls at the end of the month. I am sure I will have some birthday pictures to share later in the week!!

OUCH PART 2

2010-01-21T18:52:00.002-06:00

So, I went home from having my appendectomy Sunday evening still in a lot of pain. I have never had surgery or a urinary tract infection before so I just assumed the pain was normal. Well, I had no appetite and what I did eat came right back up. I had to go to the bathroom every 15 minutes and could hardly go. By Tuesday I was running a fever and in SEVERE pain! Trey called the surgeon and she had me come back to the hospital to have blood work done. Well, my white blood count had gone from 13 when I left the hospital to 19. Then I went to the OB to get examined because I hadn't felt the baby move. Let me just say I was so bloated that I had to wear a maternity shirt I was wearing at 9 months with Mallory!!! The surgeon came down to examine me in the OB office. She felt around and said something was definitely wrong. The OB tried to listen to the heartbeat with the doppler but couldn't find it. He then pulled out the portable ultrasound machine to try to see the baby but couldn't find it! Talk about FREAKING OUT! He then tried to check my cervix but couldn't get to it because my bladder was so enlarged. He had to drain my bladder and got 2300 ml of fluid. That is equivalent to 2.5 liters of coke!!! That is about 800ml more than he has ever seen in anyone! Let me tell you - I felt SO MUCH better after he drained my bladder. I could actually walk by myself again! We then went to have a regular ultrasound and he found the baby and everything was great! My bladder was so distended that they think the baby had moved behind my bladder! We actually found out we are having a BOY!!!!! We are SO excited! The bad news was I had to go in the hospital to get a catheter. I also needed some antibiotics. Well, my white blood count went down but I am still having some bladder issues. I was released from the hospital today with the catheter and will go back Saturday to have it removed. PLEASE PRAY that I can go to the bathroom on my own!!!!! The urologist came to see me and said that because my bladder was so distended that it stretched it and will take several days to get back down to the normal size. We are just praying that everything will heal and work properly soon!

OUCH!

2010-01-18T15:54:00.002-06:00

So Friday afternoon my right side, back, and front of leg started hurting. I called Trey and he said to just monitor it. Well, it got ALOT worse. We called my OB and he said it was probably round ligament pain but if it got worse to go to the ER. Which at that time it did seem like it. It wasn't unbearable pain until about and hour later. It was EXCRUCIATING!!! We went to the ER and they ran some blood work, tested my urine, and gave me some pain meds. After 2 doses of pain meds I was still in severe pain. They said it was round ligament pain and sent me home with some meds. Well, I was miserable the entire night. I was vomiting and the pain meds were not working at all! The next day we called my OB again and he met us at his office to examine me. BTW - I have an awesome OB!!!! Anyway, he examined me and said there was no way it was round ligament pain that it had to be either my appendix or kidney stones. So he made sure I wasn't dilated and checked the baby and sent me to the ER. He called them and told them exactly what tests he wanted ran. After being there for 5 hours they told us I was going to have and emergency appendectomy. So, the surgeon came in to tell us what she was going to do and I went into surgery about 10:30pm. The surgery went good. She said my appendix hadn't ruptured but was inflamed. She had to do an incision instead of laproscopically because I am 17 weeks pregnant. They also decided to do an epidural instead of general anesthesia because of the baby. So I spent the night in the hospital and woke up the next morning with a urinary tract infection!!!! UGH!!!! I have never had one before so this is new to me! I didn't know what was going on. In fact, I have never had surgery (except for a DNC) or even been to the ER before this!!! My OB came by to see me at the hospital yesterday and treated me for the UTI. Right now that is what is hurting me most. I am sore from the surgery but the pain from the UTI is worse! I went home from the hospital yesterday afternoon. I can't drive for 2 weeks and can't hold the girls for at least 1 month! That is going to be HORRIBLE! I will have to have someone here with me when they are here because they don't understand that Mommy can't hold them. Trey is bringing a doppler home from work so we can check the heartbeat everyday until I am completely healed. Anyway, if you think about it please say a prayer for quick healing!!!

Christmas 2009

2010-01-11T09:20:00.002-06:00

We had a wonderful Christmas! The girls were much more into it this year. We really emphasized this year that Christmas is Jesus' birthday and that was the reason for the season! Mallory would run around the house singing happy birthday to baby Jesus! It was really sweet!!! We drove around and looked at Christmas lights and she kept asking to see baby Jesus. She LOVED looking at the lights! Anytime we would come to a house with lights she would yell "STOP"! She LOVED opening presents (a little too much)!!! Alyssa enjoyed the presents too! We had Christmas 4 times this year so they were overwhelmed with gifts! We all loved spending time with all of our family!

Next year at Christmas we will have a 6 month old to add to the mix!!!!! We are really excited and are hoping to find out what we are having in a few weeks when we go to visit Dylan & Mary in Hot Springs. My doctor will not do the ultrasound until I am at least 21 weeks (and I can't wait that long)!!!!!! So far everything is going well. This pregnancy is very different than the first. I am growing MUCH faster this time than I did with Mallory! I was VERY sick during the first trimester so I lived on Zofran. All I can say is MIRACLE DRUG!!!!!!

Anyway, we are back into the swing of things. Everybody is back at school and doing great! Next up will be the girls birthdays! We decided to do a joint birthday party this year since their birthday's are so close and we invite pretty much the same people! Well, I think you are pretty much up to date for now.

Papa Simpson's Farm & Playhouse Disney Live

2009-11-03T09:23:00.002-06:00

Yesterday Alyssa's school took a field trip to Papa Simpson's Farm. We had so much fun! She took part in everything! The only thing she didn't want to do was pet the stinky pig (I didn't blame her).
Friday we went to Playhouse Disney Live. We had a great time. Our power was out all that morning from the storms so the girls & I camped out at the Ramsey's because they had power. The girls really liked watching Mickey, Little Einsteins, Winnie the Pooh, and Handy Manny.
We took the girls to Giant Candyland at our church Wed night but I forgot my camera. They had fun. They don't really understand the game yet but we would hand the cards to Mallory and she would find the color we were supposed to go to. When they finished they got to jump in the bouncer then have some pizza. My girls LOVE pizza!!!
Saturday we went to the fall festival at Temple and had a great time. Unfortunately when I went to take the first picture my batteries were dead and I didn't have a spare set! Mallory was Minnie Mouse and Alyssa was a princess. We were a little disappointed because there were no ponies this year. I dressed Mallory up as a cheerleader for her school party Thursday. Anyway, other than that we are just trying to stay well. It seems like every week for the last month someone has been sick!!!

Day with Daddy

2009-09-28T15:08:00.002-05:00

Mallory spent the day Saturday with Daddy. My mom came over and we went shopping with Alyssa. I knew we would be gone all day and even though one of Mallory's favorite phrases is "I want to go shopping" I knew she would not make it through the day! Trey decided to take Mallory to Lincoln Parish Park. They packed a picnic lunch and picked up some bread to feed the ducks. Mallory had a blast! They had fun eating and the ducks actually ate out of her hand! Trey said they were walking by a birthday party and Mal through a HUGE fit because she wanted one of the balloons!!!! Trey said as they were walking away a little boy ran up to them and gave her one of the balloons. After that they met up with the Rhodes' and flew a kite. Then they went and fed the fish. She had a great time! She told me ALL about it when I got home! Alyssa was the perfect shopper. She did not cry or complain once!

Go Dawgs!!

2009-09-20T15:20:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was the first Tech home game. Since it rained most of the morning I decided not to go with the girls but we went out for lunch so I put the girls in their cheerleading uniforms. Life is busy here! Both girls are in school which is nice. They surprise me daily with the things they are learning!!!

Gymnastics

2009-09-03T08:03:00.003-05:00

Mallory started gymnastic Tuesday. She did GREAT! She wanted me to hold her at first but she soon warmed up to the teacher and followed instructions pretty well! The month of August was really busy so that it why I didn't have any posts. We started off the month by going to San Antonio with the Ramsey's. We shopped, golfed, ate, and went to Schlitterbahn. We had a blast! We got home on Monday then I left Thursday to go to the beach with some friends. All girls and no kids - it was great! We stayed on the beach (or at the pool) ALL day! I downloaded pictures this morning and saw that Trey taught Mallory how to play the wii while I was at the beach. I had to include a picture of that! Then the last few weeks we have been getting everybody ready to start school. Alyssa has been back in school for a couple of weeks and Mallory starts next week. We are looking forward to the weekend because Bryan, Christine, and Mr. B are coming to visit. We decided to go and buy a bed for the playroom so visitors actually had somewhere to sleep! I guess that is all for now - I will try to be better at posting!

Bryan & Christine's Wedding

2009-07-24T09:45:00.004-05:00

Last weekend was the big wedding! It was SO much fun! We arrived in Dallas Wednesday evening and got to stay at B&C's new apartment. Thursday the guy's played golf then that evening played whirlyball(I have no idea what that is) and went bowling. The ladies went to eat dinner then went to Christine's lingerie shower. I had so much fun hanging out with all of Christine's friends! She has SO many close friends!!! Friday all of the ladies went to get mani & pedi's then had lunch at Breadwinner's cafe (YUMMY). Friday night was the rehearsal and dinner. They had the dinner at Maggiano's. The food was wonderful and all of the stories shared about them were even better! Mom & Mike came to Dallas Friday to keep the girls for me during all of the festivities. That was SO much help!!! Even before the wedding while we were waiting for the wedding to start there would have been NO WAY I would have been able to hold both of them still and quite for 20 minutes!!! The wedding was perfect. The reception was AMAZING! It was by far the nicest reception I have ever been to! It seriously looked like something off of TLC's Platinum Weddings!!!! When they arrived at the reception they immediately started their first dance. It started off slow but then the music changed and they danced to several different songs. It was hilarious!!! If you have ever seen TLC's Rock the Reception that was what it was like! We spent the rest of the evening eating (yummy food), dancing & visiting with friends and family. They had a candy bar for party favors. You got to fill a bag with whatever candy you wanted then they had stickers with a picture of them holding up a sign that said thank you to seal it with. Everything was wonderful!!!! I did not take one picture the entire weekend so I stole pictures that other people have posted!!!

Future American Idol???

2009-07-21T17:15:00.002-05:00

New York

2009-07-16T10:57:00.002-05:00

So I was finally able to post pictures from New York. I am at Bryan's waiting on the guys so I had some time to spare. The first day we got there we went to a Yankee's game. It was great - a little cold but great! The second day it POURED all day! We had to quickly find some rain gear. We went to the today show and were on TV! We then walked around town and scoped everything out. The third day Trey went to the US Open all day and I was at the spa from 10:30am to 4:00pm. It was WONDERFUL!!!! I then shopped on my way back to the hotel. The fourth day we went to the statue of liberty and went to The Lion King that night. We also ate at AJ Maxwells for dinner (they are ranked the 6th best steak in the US). The Lion King was by far my most favorite part! It was amazing! The fifth day we went to eat the beast blueberry pancakes ever! We had to wait a while and it was about 45 minutes away from our hotel so then we went to the Empire State Building. That night we ate at Kittichai which is a Thai restaurant. That was our first time to eat that kind of food but we both loved it. It was a very swanky place! The last day we had to search around for a suitcase for Trey since his broke then we ate at Bubba Gumps while watching the end of the US Open. The trip was wonderful! The travel was not so good because the Atlanta airport was closed because of bad weather so we were stuck on the runway for 3 hours. When we finally made it to Atlanta we had to stay there overnight because we missed our flight. We finally made it home a day late around noon.

4th of July

2009-07-11T11:15:00.002-05:00

Our SS class had a 4th of July party at Ruston Brick (which is now across the interstate from Temple). Temple always has a huge 4th of July program with fireworks. We were in the perfect spot! The kids played in the kiddie pools the entire time. It was wonderful! Trey & I actually got to visit with our friends while the kids played.

First Haircut

2009-07-02T20:33:00.002-05:00

We took the girls to have their first haircut today. They both did GREAT! I had her cut Alyssa's first because I knew if Mallory saw her sit there then she would do the same thing. I was right! They just got a little trim. I don't know why I was dreading it so much - it was nothing!

Popsicles

2009-06-30T14:09:00.004-05:00

Well, we finally made it back from NYC. We had a great time! The traveling was not fun but the city was wonderful! I will post pictures as soon as I have time to go through them. The week before we left we went to my Dad's for my Grandmother's 81st birthday. He decided to give them popsicles for the first time. They LOVED them! Alyssa wasn't quite sure what to do with them at first but quickly caught on.

Trey & I have been married for 8 years today. On one hand I think time flies but on the other hand I look at everything that has happened in our lives over the past 8 years and feel like it should be more like 18 years!!! I am tremendously blessed to have a wonderful husband who loves me unconditionally. I know that can be VERY hard sometimes but he is always there for me!

My BIG girl!

2009-06-15T20:08:00.005-05:00

Alyssa is officially in a big girl bed now. We went from the crib to a double size bed! She started climbing out of the crib and I was so scared she would fall on her head. When she finally goes to sleep she is sleeping GREAT in the bed - just when she goes to sleep! She plays for at least an hour and pulls everything out of her drawers on her dresser and then climbs on top of her dresser! I have got to figure something out about that!!! A couple of days ago the girls were really quiet so Trey went to check on them and they were in Alyssa's room on the floor putting ALL of the ponytail holders on their TOES! It was hilarious!!!!!

We are leaving Wednesday for New York!!!! I am SO excited! Trey woke up yesterday with an upset stomach so pray that it will GO AWAY!!!! I don't want him to be sick while we are on vacation because it is jam packed full. Wednesday night we are going to a Yankees game, Thursday morning we are going to the Today show then that afternoon we are going to the Dave Letterman Show. Friday is Trey's US Open day while I spend the day at the spa. Saturday will be our tour day and that night we are going to The Lion King. Sunday we are going to the Brooklyn Tabernacle then Monday afternoon we come home! Whew - we are going to be SO busy! So if you think about us please pray for safe travel (because I DO NOT fly well) and for my Mom while she is with the girls for 5 nights! I will post pictures when we return!

Bryan & Christine's Shower

2009-06-11T17:58:00.001-05:00

Visit with Friends and the Zoo

2009-06-01T19:20:00.002-05:00

Last week we went to the Monroe Zoo with our MOPS group. It was fun. The kids got to feed the giraffe. Mallory loved it! She just stuck her hand up there and let that HUGE tongue grab the carrot out of her hand! They got to pet a couple of animals and we went on a boat ride too! The week before that Megan and Jolie came over with their kiddo to visit. We had a great time catching up. A couple of posts ago I put some pictures up of Alyssa getting under her sheet. Well, I the other day she started screaming during her nap so I went to check on her and she was INSIDE her matress. She pulled up the binding on the side and climbed inside!

We went to DeRidder this past weekend for Bryan & Christine's shower. We had a great time! I will post pictures later!

Silly Girls

2009-05-19T14:39:00.003-05:00

I had to take a picture of the girls last night when I walked in and saw what Trey had done to their hair. They look like coneheads!!!! The other picture is what we found when Mallory woke up this morning. It was HILARIOUS!!! She was in bed with socks and shoes on her feet and socks on her hands!!! That child.....something new everyday!!!!

I LOVE MY GIRLS!!!

2009-05-18T09:37:00.002-05:00

I love my girls!!! It is so much fun watching their personalities develop! Mallory finished MDO last week. She will be out until the beginning of June then she will go to the summer session for 6 weeks. Alyssa finishes this week. She will go to MDO with Mallory this summer. I think it is funny how when you are a child you can't wait for summer and when you are an adult it really doesn't matter. In fact, in some aspects I really don't like it. There is nothing on TV and it is SO HOT! There are a few things I am looking forward to this summer though! I can't wait to go to NYC next month, Bryan & Christine's wedding is in July, and I am hoping to go on a girls beach trip in July or August!!!! Now I just need to figure out what to do with Mallory all week. We will both go stir crazy sitting inside all day everyday!!!!!

Happy Mother's Day to Me!!!!

2009-05-12T08:32:00.002-05:00

I had a great Mother's Day weekend! I was worried because Thursday night Alyssa threw up and was running a high fever. I just knew she had a stomach bug!! Well, Friday she was just SO sick. I have never seen her so pitiful! She could not lift her head up. I took her to the doctor to find out she had a urinary trac infection. She was so out of it that she slept on the exam table pretty much the whole time we were there. They gave her an antibiotic shot and she was back to her normal self Saturday!!!

I met my Mom in Shreveport for our annual Mother's Day lunch at the Tea Room! It was wonderful! I took Mallory with me and left Alyssa with Trey so she could rest. Mallory was SO good! We did not have any meltdowns (well, not until we came home)! We had lunch them shopped all afternoon. I came home to a bouquet of flowers and a card waiting for me on the table. He wanted me to open it then. So, I opened the card and it said my gifts were hidden. If you know me then you know I DO NOT like games like this! I get aggravated and frustrated VERY easily. So I looked for about 15 minutes then made him give me some detailed clues! I decided to go back and look in the card and found a gift certificate for a spa day hidden inside the card. He said there was one more gift. So as I was staring at the flowers trying to think where he could have hidden something else I noticed something in the flowers. I went to look and it was a BIG apple! I asked him what that was for and he wouldn't answer. After a few minutes I figured it out - he was taking me to NYC!!!! I only figured it out because my friend Elaine's husband did pretty much the same thing for her for Christmas and they are leaving next week! I have always wanted to go but Trey has been before and was not really interested in going back. Well, the US OPEN just happens to be in NYC the weekend we are going to be there!:) So, If anyone has any suggestions of what to do or where to eat I would love to hear them! Don't I have the most wonderful husband?????

School today

2009-04-30T16:57:00.003-05:00

Apparently Mallory did not have a nap today at school. I should have known since she has been fussy and clingy since I picked her up. I went to the playroom to check on the girls because it had gotten very quiet and I found her passed out in the chair. Alyssa looks like she rolled around in the dirt at school. I don't think I have ever seen her that dirty! The picture doesn't do her shirt justice!

HOW IN THE WORLD???

2009-04-27T22:09:00.003-05:00

So I went in to check on the girls before I was going to bed tonight and this is what I found. Alyssa was completely under her fitted sheet and the sheet was unmoved! She loves to burrow herself in blankets but this was hilarious!!! I seriously had to do a double check to make sure she was still there!!!! We are still trying to figure out how in the world she did it!!!!!

Weekend in Dallas

2009-04-20T10:34:00.002-05:00

We spent the weekend in Dallas with 2 other couples. We had a GREAT time! We left the kids in Ruston with my Mom & Mike. We left Friday morning and ate some good Mexican food, went bowling, then went to the Rangers game. We were worried about the weather but it was great during the game! The Rangers got killed though!! Saturday the guys played golf while us girls went shopping. For dinner we went to Texas de Brazil for Brandon's birthday. Mr. Bubba was in town visiting Bryan & Christine so they joined us too! We had a great time! We headed home yesterday and stopped in Shreveport to eat at Superior for a late lunch! It was a wonderful weekend!!!!!

Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-08T08:49:00.001-05:00

Anna's Birthday at the Park

2009-03-22T22:09:00.002-05:00

We went to Anna Bowling's birthday at Cook Park this Saturday. It was a beautiful day and the girls had a blast. I was sick all week with the flu. It was not fun! Friday night was JA Dinner and a Movie. JA is a service organization just like junior service league. Since I am a member I had to work the event. It was really busy so the time went by pretty quick. It was in Railroad Park in downtown Ruston. There was all kinds of entertainment and booths for the kids and at dusk we played the movie Babe on a big blow up screen. Saturday morning was the Women's R&R conference at Temple. That lasted from 8-12. It was good. The speaker was great! We were at church most of the day today. So I guess that sums up our weekend. We don't have a very eventful week so maybe I can get my house picked up!

First day of school

2009-03-20T09:12:00.002-05:00

Alyssa started preschool at the Lincoln Center today. This is the public preschool but they have a special class for children with learning disabilities. She walked right in and started playing with the toys in the room. I am very excited about her being there. I think it is really going to help her! She was supposed to start Monday but she has been running fever all week. She finally started feeling better yesterday so I took her today. The only think I don't like about it is that she has to wear uniforms! I know that will be nice later but right now I still want to dress her cute!!! Oh well, I guess I will have to accessorize with bows!

Alyssa's 3rd Birthday!

2009-03-18T11:26:00.000-05:00

The Beauty of Holland

2009-03-03T23:35:00.002-06:00

I just had to share this post that a friend of mine from college posted on her blog.

The Beauty of Holland by Emily Pearl Kingsley
I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability -- to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this...
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip to Italy. You buy a bunch of guidebooks and make your wonderful vacation plans. The coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very, very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The flight attendant comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."
"Holland?!?", you say." What do you mean, Holland? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy. "
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They landed in Holland and there you must stay, forever.
The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine, and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guidebooks. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for awhile and you catch your breath, you look around, and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills. Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy, and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say, 'Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned.'
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever go away, because the loss of that dream is a very significant loss.
But if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things about Holland.
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There are so many days that I feel like I am living in Holland but I would not change it for a minute! I know EVERYTHING happens for a reason and as long as I keep my eyes fixed on the Lord then he will be my tour guide through Holland!

These boots were made for SLEEPING????

2009-03-01T20:54:00.004-06:00

So today I got home from a Kelly's Kids party and went into Mallory's room to get some wipes for Alyssa and this is what I found. Apparently Mallory put them on then got in the bed to take a nap. She LOVES these frog rain boots Papaw got her for Christmas. When she sees them they are immediately put on her feet!!! I was laughing hysterically!!! The next 2 pictures are just some random pictures we took during the week. Also, Alyssa said MOMMY yesterday!!!!! For those of you who know her situation you understand this is HUGE!!!!! We put her on a special diet about a month ago and it has really seemed to help! Oh, we took the girls to have their birthday pictures made yesterday at Sears and it was a disaster! Mallory screamed for the first 20 minutes then by the time she was ready to take pictures Alyssa was done! Oh well, I think we got a few descent ones! Hopefully they will be better when we take them again in April with Kevin!!!! I guess that is all for now.

Bathtime Fun!

2009-02-22T20:54:00.002-06:00

I realized that I NEVER take pictures of the girls in the bath. I guess we are so busy trying to get everything done and put them in bed that we don't even think about it. Well, tonight they were having so much fun that I just had to capture it on camera! Alyssa always LOVES the bath. Mallory is not a big fan unless Alyssa is in there with her. You can tell by Alyssa's picure how much fun she is having!!!

Happy Valentines Day!

2009-02-14T22:04:00.002-06:00

We had a pretty good day. We spent the morning playing with the girls. The weather was so nice we played outside for a while. Then my Mom & Mike came over tonight and kept the girls and Kamryn so we could go out to eat with the Rhodes without kids! We surprised our friend Richie last night at Superior in Shreveport for his birthday. We dropped the girls off at my Dad's while we ate. So we have had 2 dinners in a row without kids. In other exciting news Alyssa tee-teed on the potty this week. She only did it once but hopefully it is a step in the right direction!

Mallory's 2nd Birthday Party!

2009-02-02T18:06:00.005-06:00

We had Mallory's 2nd birthday party Saturday. We had so much fun. The party was at Trinity United Methodist Church Gym. They had everything you could imagine to keep the kids busy. It was perfect! Today is her actual birthday. She is a groundhogs baby! I also thought I would share some pictures from her last 2 birthdays to see how much see is growing up!

My Big Girl

2009-01-21T20:21:00.003-06:00

So yesterday morning I woke up to Mallory crying. Most of the time she wakes up talking and playing so Trey quickly ran in to check on her. When he opened the door she was pushing her baby doll stroller around he room. She FELL out of her crib. She kept pointing to her knees so I am assuming she fell on them instead of her head. Of course you would know that we decided to wait to order the conversion kit until we needed it. Well, we need it and it takes 4-6 weeks to come in! So, we took the front off of her crib and bought a cheap bed rail from Wal-mart. It is not the sturdiest but it will work for now. I put her to bed last night thinking it was going to be an ordeal but she went straight to sleep. She didn't wake up once during the night and as soon as she woke up she started reading a book. So now my baby is sleeping in a big girl bed!!!! Now to potty training!!! Another thing she has been doing lately is putting herself in time out. Today she was in my office opening drawers she wasn't supposed to be opening. After the first time I put her in time out every time she did it after then she would put herself in the corner! What do you do with that???? She KNOWS she is doing wrong but continues to do it AND punish herself!!!!! UGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lately

2009-01-19T21:34:00.002-06:00

Lately we have been stacking blocks then kicking them down. Jumping on our jumpy the girls got for Christmas. Check out the static in Alyssa's hair!!!! Speaking of her hair I am SERIOUSLY considering cutting bangs on her because I can't keep it out of her face. Any input???? The thought of taking her to get a haircut makes me really sad because that makes her a big girl!!!! :( The last picture is what I found yesterday when I went to check on Mallory. She had been really clingy with me lately so I have let her run around the house so I could get some stuff done. Well, I was in my office working and realized I hadn't heard her for a little while and decided to check on her. She had pulled brand new box of wipes down off of her dresser and pulled EVERY single one out! Today we decided to try peanut butter with Mallory. I wanted to wait until Trey was home just in case she had a reaction he would be here to help me. Well.....she had an allergic reaction. She broke out all over her face and she started swelling around her eyes. I was at Occupational Therapy with Alyssa so Trey rushed her to the doctors office. We just gave her benadryl and no more peanut butter for at least a year. I have been busy planning Mallory's 2nd birthday. I can't believe she will be 2 in a couple of weeks! Well, I have 3 baskets of clothes to fold so ta-ta for now!

Future Doctor?

2009-01-06T16:56:00.002-06:00

So everyone is finally well. Alyssa had a cold the week of Christmas. Mallory got sick Sunday after Christmas so we assumed it was the same cold because I had it too. Well, we took her to the doctor to find out it was RSV then Alyssa got it Thursday. Mallory mainly ran a high fever and it affected Alyssa's breathing. We had a close call to the hospital but were able to control it from home. I guess Mallory went to the doctor too much because today while they were having their snack I looked over and Mallory had found Trey's stethoscope and was putting it up against Alyssa's back. It was SO cute!!!! I also posted a picture of Alyssa staring at my new dryer. She LOVES to look at herself through the door. Well, back to work. My next post will be products of my new obsession. All I will say is that Mom got me a monogramming machine for Christmas and I LOVE IT!!!!!!!

Christmas 2008

2008-12-29T10:54:00.002-06:00

We had a wonderful Christmas with all of our family! We had Christmas with my Dad last Sunday, then headed to DeRidder Wednesday, then to Carthage on Friday, and then finally back to Ruston to have Christmas with my Mom. We all had a very good Christmas and feel extremely blessed to have such a wonderful family!

Look what I got for Christmas!!!!!

2008-12-25T20:43:00.003-06:00

So today I opened a present from Trey and the girls and it was a box of Bounce. Upon further inspection I realized that the side was opened so I peeked in and there was a picture of my new washer & dryer!!! I was so surprised I cried!! They will be delivered Monday. We had a great Christmas here in DeRidder with Trey's family! We are headed to Carthage tomorrow then we will have Christmas with my Mom in Ruston on Saturday. I love it when Christmas lasts a week!!!! Anyway, I was so excited I had to share!!!!

Christmas at Dad's

2008-12-22T10:21:00.002-06:00

We had Christmas with my Dad last night. We had a great time! Dad got them a Barbie jeep and super cute rain boots and a jumpy thing! They also got a baby doll and stroller. They had fun playing with it all! Mallory pushed her baby all around in the stroller and Alyssa tried to get in it! They both got in the Barbie jeep but haven't quite figured it out. It is too cold to go outside and play with it today so they will have to wait! When we got home last night Andy & Kelly were pulling into town! We are heading to DeRidder on Christmas Eve. Have a Merry Christmas!!!!

I've Been Tagged

2008-12-18T22:50:00.003-06:00

Suzanne tagged me! The way the game works is you have to post the 4th picture from the 4th picture file on your computer. So, here is ours. This picture is from October 2006. Alyssa was about 6 1/2 months old and we had custody of her for about 2 weeks. This was her first trip to Carthage to meet Trey's Grandparents. Actually, I think this was the first time Trey's Dad met her too! This is Trey's Dad holding Alyssa. My how time flies!!!!!!

Now I tag Megan, Marcie, Elaine and Ashley.

UH-OH

2008-12-18T15:50:00.002-06:00

So today I dropped Mallory off at MDO and EVERYONE was handing out presents! I was doing good to get the teachers a gift! So I decided to run to the store and figure something out. I lucked up and found a few things at The Dollar Tree, put some ribbon around it, and used my new CM tag maker to make some cute tags. Fortunately, the parents don't really do that at Temple so I only had to make 6! I took cupcakes for each of the girls Christmas parties and so the girls had the leftovers for snacks after school. I don't know if you can tell but Alyssa has green all over her mouth from them! Mimi & Poppi sent the girls a musical Christmas card with scooby doo singing jingle bells. Mallory LOVES it! She threw a fit when I took it away! Anyway, I thought I would share a picture of the gift I made and of course a few of the girls!

Christmas with the Critters

2008-12-15T09:36:00.004-06:00

We took the kids to Papa Simpson's Farm this weekend. We have never been but they were having Christmas with the Critters so we decided to go. It was fun! We weren't too excited about paying $8 per person but we really enjoyed it! We went on a hay ride that took us to the back of the farm. Mama Simpson was there and read a Christmas Story to the children. There were 7 boxes out on the hay bales where we were sitting and the child that was sitting closest to it brought it up front. Boxes 1-6 were different pieces of a nativity scene and the last box was the gift God wanted and it had a mirror in it. Then all of the kids got a Christmas book and we got to roast marshmallows. The girls enjoyed the marshmallows! We then rode back on the hay ride to where all of the other activities were. We looked at chickens and roosters, petted goats and baby cows, found baby Jesus, looked at Santa, and dug through snow. They had horse rides and you could take your picture with Santa but it was $5 and they wouldn't let you use your personal camera. It wasn't too cold. We will probably make that a Christmas tradition!

The Tyler's Birthday Party

2008-12-12T17:40:00.002-06:00

We went to a birthday party last weekend for Jake and Landry Tyler at Gymboree in Shreveport. The girls had so much fun! They went wild playing on everything. Mallory was not too fond of their little mascot clown. In fact, she was down right terrified of it. Of course, she was also scared of making cookies with me yesterday too - but that is another post. Anyway, I thought I would share a few pictures from the party.

It's THAT Good!!!

2008-12-07T21:45:00.003-06:00

Trey has been begging me to make some baked potato soup. It takes a good hour of constant stirring to make so I don't like to make it very often. Well, I made it last week and Mallory loved it! She likes anything with potatoes in it but she REALLY liked this! We had the leftovers for lunch Friday and she had two bowls. I was eating mine and looked up at her to see her licking the bowl! I had to get a picture! I guess I need to make it more often!!!!

My Big Girls

2008-12-03T22:30:00.004-06:00

Just wanted to share some pictures of my big girls. They are growing so fast. I have been going through some old pictures lately and have really noticed how much they have grown over the last 6 months.

So I have a new addiction! Yes - my name is Tara and I am a digiscrapaholic! Last week I got Storybook Creator (creative memories digital scrapbooking software) and LOVE it! I haven't even gotten to an actual book yet. I have been working on some Christmas presents and our Christmas cards. The banner at the top of my page is one of the Christmas cards I made. It is so easy to use and it can do anything you want it to. I HIGHLY recommend it to everyone! After I complete the current traditional scrapbooks I have been working on (for 2 years) I will only do digital!

Here is another interesting fact about Christmas I learned from my Bible study:

Xmas. The Greek name for Christ is Christos. It begins with the Greek letter chi which resembles a small x. During the 16th century, Europeans began using the first initial of Christ's name, "x," as a shorthand version of Christ. One of the many words they abbreviated in this way was Christmas, making it xmas. Although early Christians understood who the x stood for, later Christians did not and mistook it as a sign of disrespect, "taking Christ out of Christmas."

WOW! I am one of those later Christians!

Our Future Gymnast

2008-12-01T11:00:00.002-06:00

We have decided that Mallory is going to be a gymnast. She LOVES doing flips and jumping off of things. Trey caught her in action last week. I thought I would share some of those pictures. You will have to look at them from bottom to top to see them in order. For some reason when I download pictures it does that. It took too long to download to redo it!

We had a great Thanksgiving. We ate lots of food, put up our Christmas tree and decorations, and shopped on Black Friday. I even have all of my presents wrapped! I know the next few weeks are going to be busy so I tried to get everything done while I could. I love looking at my Christmas tree! I am in a 4 week study on Christmas and a the end of each day of homework she adds an interest tidbit about Christmas so I thought I could share the one about the Christmas Tree.

Martin Luther as walking home late one Christmas Eve and looked up to the heavens. he saw the stars shining through the branches of a fir tree near his home. Inspired by its beauty, Luther brought the tree inside his house, and using the candles, replicated what he saw.

"The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary...." Isaiah 60:13

Today the Christmas tree has become a symbol of Christ, the evergreen Tree of Life.

FINALLY!!!!!!!

2008-11-23T20:50:00.002-06:00

After much anticipation, planning, and prayer my youngest brother in law is engaged!! Bryan and Christine got engaged Friday night. We are SO excited for them! We LOVE Christine and knew from the moment we met her that she would be Bryan's wife one day. I have to tell you how he proposed! He picked her up Friday evening for a nice quiet evening together. He told her to close her eyes and they headed to the chapel that they will be getting married. While they were on their way Trey was already there setting the chairs up and finding a hiding spot so he could catch it all on camera. They arrived and Bryan led her to the front of the church where there were 2 chairs set up. He sat her down then set a portable dvd player on her lap to watch a video he put together. The video consisted of several of her friends and family saying why they loved Christine. It ended with Bryan telling her why he loved her then proposed! He also bought her a Bible and inside the bible was a wedding invitation that Bryan typed telling her the date, time, and place they will be getting married. The place that she wanted to get married is obviously a very popular place so he had to book it several months ago. So, they then headed to her parents house to tell them the news. Little did Christine know that Bryan had planned a surprise engagement party for her there! There were probably 25-30 family and friends there waiting to congratulate them. She thought they were coming to Ruston Saturday so it was a total surprise to her that we were there. Then her final surprise for the night was waiting for her in her bedroom. When she opened the door her Sister (who lives in England) was there! She was SO surprised!!! Bryan flew her in Thursday! Christine hasn't seen her since last Christmas. Isn't that unbelievable! He did SO good! She was totally surprised. He did a wonderful job of keeping everything to himself. I have been helping him since the beginning but I just offered suggestions - He did it all himself! I am just so happy for them. Bryan and I have a special relationship - I couldn't love him more if he were my own Brother! Trey and I have been together since he was like 12 so I have seen him grow from a child to a wonderful Godly man! I am so excited to see what God has in store for this stage of his life! Anyway, I just had to share that great news with everyone.

First School Project

2008-11-11T20:31:00.003-06:00

Alyssa had her first school project today. The teacher sent home this turkey and we had to disguise him. We decided to disguise him as Mickey Mouse since that is what Alyssa likes. We were really proud of our project! When I picked Alyssa up from school today they had all of them posted on the bulletin board and apparently Mickey Mouse is 3 other students favorite character!!! I still think ours was the best!!! I cut out the ears and Trey cut out the rest. It was fun.

The Jungle Gym

2008-11-09T18:53:00.003-06:00

We took the girls to The Jungle Gym in West Monroe yesterday. They had a BLAST!!! We did too! It was so much fun watching them take off and explore. We started in the jumpy thing but after about 5 minutes a boy came in and jumped right on Mallory's head and she screamed! Needless to say she wouldn't have anything else to do with that. She took off climbing up the rope ladder, through the tunnel, and down the slide. We let Alyssa jump for a while then she joined Mallory on the slide. They both loved the ball pit too! We had to get the bigger kids to gather the clothes they were shedding. One would take off her socks then the other would take out her bow. We stayed about 2 hours. At the end Alyssa decided she didn't want to slide down so after about 10 minutes of her just sitting at the top of the slide we got one of the workers to go up and slide down with her. I would have done it but she was standing right beside us!! We will DEFINITELY go back! I am thinking play dates would be great there. I could actually talk to the other Mom's and not chase after kids!!!

Friday night was First Friday night out. First Baptist provides childcare the first Friday of the month for members from 6-10:30!!! I was thinking there is no way I can leave my kids there until 10:30 because they go to bed at 8:00. Well, we got there about 9:30 (because it took us forever to eat at Olive Garden) and they were just sitting down to watch Veggie Tales and DID NOT want to leave!!! I couldn't believe it. I figured they would be fussy and tired. I have to say both Elaine and Marcie told me that would be the case but I had to see it for myself! We decided next month they may stay the whole time. I guess it will depend on their naps that day. :) We did have fun eating out with the Ramsey's (without kids) and getting to know them better!

Costume Party & Tech Homecoming

2008-11-04T13:39:00.002-06:00

We had a blast Friday night at the costume party. There were some funny characters!!! I worked ALL afternoon Friday spray painting our boxes to make dice then cutting out the dots. We went to homecoming on Saturday. We tailgated with the "BSU old timers" before the game with the girls then dropped the kids off with Mom and went to the game. I only stayed until half time because I was MELTING in the sun. We bought tickets on the student side and the sun was brutal! We were still tired from Friday night and all went to bed early that night. The girls did okay with daylight savings time on Sunday but yesterday & today woke up at 7:00am. They usually sleep until 8 or 8:30. Luckily Trey doesn't leave for work until about 7:30 or 8 so he has been getting them up so I can sleep a little longer. I am hoping they get adjusted SOON!

Fall Festival

2008-10-31T10:47:00.003-05:00

Last night was the fall festival at Temple. The girls had a great time. Alyssa LOVED the pony ride!!!! Our battery was dying so most of the pictures from that are shaky. We managed to salvage one of her! I LOVE the last picture of the girls looking at each other! The little golfer is Jake Tyler. I had to post that! It is the cutest thing I have ever seen!!! Trey & I are going to a costume party tonight. Hopefully I will remember to take my pictures so I can post some pictures. Well, I better get busy making our costumes! :)

My Princess

2008-10-30T16:07:00.003-05:00

Alyssa got to wear a costume to school today so she was a princess. Thanks to Mimi who bought both of the girls princess costumes. I had already bought Alyssa a different costume so she was a princess at school and will be Minnie Mouse for the fall festival. Mallory couldn't wear a costume to school so it is a good thing she only has one!!!

Giant Candyland

2008-10-30T15:45:00.002-05:00

We went to the giant candyland at FBC last night. It was fun. The girls really didn't understand the game but did understand the candy & jumpy thing. Afterwards, we went out to eat with the Tyler's - they just moved to Ruston and are fabulous!!! They are in the same boat as us trying to find a church home. Well, tonight we are going to the Temple fall festival. I will have more pictures to post soon!!

Pumpkin Patch 2008

2008-10-27T12:03:00.001-05:00

Fall Pictures

2008-10-23T12:12:00.003-05:00

We had some fall pictures made of the girls yesterday. It took all of 20 minutes and was not quite as painful as I was expecting. It is REALLY hard to get Alyssa to smile or even look at the camera but I think she got a few good shots. Mallory is a ham! Although, she kept saying "ball" and picking up the pumpkins that were supposed to be the backdrop for the pictures. If you want to look at the rest of them you can go to www.sherryowensphotography.com click on proofs then scroll down until you see smith girls. You have to put in your e-mail address and the password is pumpkin. We are taking them to the pumpkin patch this weekend so I am sure I will have more pictures to post!!!

On another note tomorrow is Trey's last day at his current job. He has decided to do home health full time. It really is a good move because he will be able to be home more and a little more accessible to help me go to doctors appointments or just pick up the girls from MDO if I need it. He is sad to leave the people he works with but we are looking forward to the change.

Corn Dogs and Ketchup

2008-10-20T16:19:00.003-05:00

I introduced corn dogs to the girls last night. Mallory loved it. Alyssa didn't. Alyssa does love ketchup. She likes to stick her fingers in it and lick them. I thought maybe if we dipped the corn dog in it she would like it but I was wrong. Oh, well. I'll try something else! Mallory liked dipping her corn dog in the ketchup and eating it. It was so cute we took pictures. The bottom picture is from Saturday. Tech had a game so I put the girls t-shirts on to show some support! The last one is showing how excited Alyssa gets when I sing the veggie tales theme song!

Alyssa's Fetish

2008-10-15T16:39:00.003-05:00

As promised, here is a picture of Alyssa's fetish. She LOVES to wash her hands. About a month ago I dropped her off at MDO and she immediately went to the bathroom, climbed up on the stool, turned on the water, and washed her hands. It was AMAZING! So, the potty I bought for them (that hasn't even attempted to be used) doubles as a step stool so I put it up to the sink. If I ever need to find her I can listen for the water running. Last night she couldn't get in the bathroom with the stool, so she decided to go to the bathtub. She turned on the water and was trying to get in when I ran in there. It is crazy how quick they can get into stuff!!!!

Shoe Fetish

2008-10-13T14:16:00.004-05:00

I have decided that Mallory has a shoe fetish. She LOVES shoes. If she ever leaves the room we always know where to find her. Luckily, after she drags all of the shoes out she usually puts them back. Today I decided to catch her in action. She also has a thing about pulling out clothes from the dresser either trying to put them on or throwing them in the trash. I have to be careful to look in Alyssa's trashcan every time I throw something away to make sure there are no clothes in there. Alyssa is also obsessed with something but I haven't been able to catch her in action. I will post about it as soon as I have a picture.

Trey went to Kansas City this weekend to visit his friend Dylan. He had a great time! My mom came to stay with me for the weekend. We had our second MOPS meeting Friday which went great! Friday afternoon we went to Monroe to do a little shopping and eat. I got so sick while we were shopping. I have had a little sore throat all week but Friday it was bad! Every time I swallowed I was overcome with nausea from the pain. My mom had to drive us home Friday night because I didn't think I could make it! I felt better Saturday morning but went to Quick care to make sure I didn't have anything contagious. The doctor said it was allergies so then I went to croptoberfest to scrapbook for the rest of the day. The only problem was the doctor gave me a decongestant to take and I felt drunk all day. I hate that I can't take any medicine. It ALL makes me feel that way - and I don't like that way that feels!! So, I will just have to suck it up and deal with it. Luckily my Mom was here to help take care of me and the girls. She made me my favorite soup which made me feel SO much better. I did get 14 pages done in Alyssa's baby book! Trey came home yesterday. He was supposed to fly into Monroe but because his flight was delayed out of KC he missed his flight in Dallas so he flew into Shreveport instead. The girls and I were SO glad to see him!

MOPS & Petting Zoo

2008-10-06T09:58:00.006-05:00

This weekend was our girls weekend at the MOPS convention. And when I say girls I mean girls - 5,000 to be exact! We had fun and got some great ideas. They had live performances by Go Fish (they sing children's songs), Jaci Velasquez and her husband (who is in Salvador), Plumb, and Avalon. They were all really good. My favorite was Jaci Velasquez. It was just her, her husband, and his guitar. Kim Hill was the worship leader. She was good just REALLY loud! We went to workshops to learn about different areas of mothering and being a leader of MOPS. We heard many testimonies that were unbelievable. We were staying at The Gaylord Texan which was really nice. Luckily we checked in in time to get a room with 2 queen beds. Many groups of 4 or 5 had to share a king bed. We were able to get some shopping done. Who can go to Dallas without shopping? I think my favorite part of the weekend was getting to know some of the ladies in my group better and on a more personal level. It was a good weekend but I was ready to see my kids! I couldn't wait to get home and hold them (even though it was 11:30pm).

While I was in Dallas Trey took the girls to DeRidder to visit his dad. Oh, I forgot to tell a story. We left Thursday morning at 9:30am right after we dropped the kids off at MDO. As we were leaving I just had a sick feeling in my stomach. I knew I would get over it but it was there. Well, about an hour on the road Trey called to tell me MDO called because Alyssa fell on the playground and hit her head. Trey quickly went up to the church to check her out. She fell and had a goose egg right in between her eyes. It looked HORRIBLE!!!!! It is much better now - she just mainly has a black eye. But of course that would happen the one day I am not there! Trey and the girls had fun in DeRidder. They did go the the fair and they had a petting zoo. Mallory LOVED it! She even got to feed a camel a carrot! Alyssa finally warmed up to it. Here are some pictures.

Sweet Sisters

2008-09-24T20:29:00.002-05:00

So I was walking by the playroom this evening and I couldn't believe my eyes. ALYSSA was kissing Mallory. It is ALWAYS the other way around. I just had to share the sweet pictures.

Marlon & Lindsey's Wedding

2008-09-22T14:42:00.001-05:00

We went to Dallas this weekend for Marlon & Lindsey's wedding. Marlon and Trey grew up across the street from each other in DeRidder. Marlon is the last of the DeRidder friends to get married. Trey, Cody, and Daniel were all best men. The wedding was beautiful! Trey got to spend the weekend doing guy things while the girls and I shopped. I took them to the Rainforest Cafe for lunch on Friday and they loved it. Mallory kept pointing to the monkeys! The rehearsal dinner was at a Brazilian steakhouse. It was WONDERFUL! It was hands down the best rehearsal dinner I have ever been to! The wedding was in the atrium of an office building and it was beautiful. We brought the girls but they watched outside with Mr. Bubba. They had the most interesting food I have ever seen at the reception - it was mostly chinese type foods. It was really good. After we ate Mr. Bubba took the girls back to the hotel and put them to bed. We were able to dance and just enjoy the reception. Marlon's family was HILARIOUS to watch dancing. Especially his nieces and nephews. They took over the dance floor to some new superman song. They new every step! Bryan caught the garter (because Marlon turned around and threw it straight to him)! The next morning we went to church with Bryan and Christine. It was a great service! We had lunch at Maggiano's then hit the road home. The girls didn't sleep great in the hotel so we were glad to be home in all of our own beds. Now I have to get all of the laundry done!!

Post #2

2008-09-13T11:17:00.001-05:00

Okay, I just had to share this picture!

Still Here

2008-09-13T10:35:00.003-05:00

We are still here. I have been SUPER busy this week. Trey has been taking care of the girls most of the nights this week. He took these pictures one night this week while they were playing outside on their new swing set. They LOVE it! It is not totally set up yet but they can still play on it.

We started a MOPS (mother's of preschoolers) group here in Ruston this year. Our first meeting was Friday. It went great. I think we had 27 people and about 10 others that signed up but couldn't make the first meeting. All of these people just heard by word of mouth too! This is going to be an awesome ministry for the mothers in our community. I am so excited to see what God has in store for us!!! If any of you readers attend a MOPS group I would love to hear some of your ideas.

The girls are doing great. They have both started Mother's Day out and are both loving it. They both have great teachers. Mallory started a week before Alyssa and of course got sick and gave it to Alyssa. Because she was sick this was Alyssa's first week. I am glad to get back in a routine.