Just a few nuggets about two year olds...(in particular ones named Zoe Smith)

1. Don't feed them grits


2. Don't take them out in public unless you have loaded up on juice, snacks, and Xanax.

3. Always have chocolate ice cream on hand so you can run to the freezer and chow down as soon as their naptime begins.

4. Know that there is nothing more adorable than a two year old when she sings...

My Famous Friend...

Well, she's not famous yet, but she should be and she will be. Just wanted to tell all you folks in blogland about my good friend Margot Starbuck. What a cool name, by the way. It just makes me want to curl up with a mocha frapp and read a good book. And now I can do that and read HER book.

I just finished reading The Girl in the Orange Dress (Searching for a Father Who Does Not Fail). Well, it was more like devouring than reading. I blew threw that puppy and it's a really good book. I've never had a close friend write a book before. It was so fun to read, knowing the time and heart she put into it. There are some nuggets in there that I know I will chew on for a long time. And that's high praise coming from a woman who can barely communicate a complete thought these days.

What I love the most is that I feel like she could have been sitting in my living room and sharing her story with me. Her sense of humor comes to life on the pages and the way she tells her story is really real. I can't wait for you all to read it. Here's the link to her site...

www.margotstarbuck.com

Have any of you read Junie B. Jones books? You know, the ones about the little girl in kindergarten that is quite a character. I LOVE those books - Maggie and I read them all the time. Little Junie B. has a way of saying things that are just right, and super funny. I felt like I was reading a grown up Junie B. when I read Margot's book. It's filled with truths that will make you laugh and remind you of the real Truth. Get it! Read it! Yeaaaaaa Margot!!

Happy Birthday/Father's Day/Birthday...

It's a busy few days around the Smith household. Saturday was Ian's 35th birthday, Sunday was of course Father's Day, and today is the big 37 for me. The twins are so confused - they have sung the Happy (insert holiday here) song a million times lately so now they just sing it all the time. Pretty cute.

Thanks everyone for your emails, calls and comments about my hard day last week. I really appreciate it - your support helps me more than you know. I sometimes feel alone with this whole chromosome disorder thing and knowing you are with me makes me feel like, well, you're with me.


We have had such a fun summer so far. The day Maggie got out of school we piled in the van and headed to SC for fun with the Sloan fam. The cousins had a blast (we missed you, Asher and Lucy!), and then we went to the lake for a couple days. It was really relaxing and I wasn't ready to come back! There's just something about being there - it feels so remote, yet you know you're only 20 minutes from a Wal-Mart...well, who isn't these days. It's so great to sit around at night and swing on the porch while Dad plays guitar and the kids run around. And I always am ready for bed around 9 because it gets so blissfully dark and quiet.

Our last morning we went out on the pontoon for a while and it was a blast! Maggie is a little daredevil and she would ride on that thing all day. Zoe decided she wanted to try it so we rode together and she was happy as a lark. Then I decided to give T a try and she got right in there with me. I couldn't believe it! She liked it too, which was so fun. I was so proud of all of them, especially Tori because she usually doesn't like to be bombarded with water and noise and all that. She did so great! It was so fun and I want to go back. I wish we still did things in the summer like go "away" for three months to the beach or lake or wherever. It's just good for family. Ian wasn't able to be with us this time, but hopefully we can get back up there and spend some time with the kids before school starts again. I think those summers at the lake growing up are my favorite memories and I so want that for my kids.

Needless to say, my waistline has not enjoyed all this vacationing/celebrating. I gotta get back on the wagon here this week and stay off the (chocolate) sauce. Mmmm, it's been so fun to splurge, though!

Weight Watchers here I come. (BTW, I don't even think I've mentioned that on the blog. I am doing WW with a good friend and it's been so great. Lost 11 lbs so far, but gotta get back on that counting train tomorrow!).

A Hard Day...

I had such a bad day today and I really won't go into it right now. Appointment at the Orthopedic Surgeon to discuss possibly casting Tori's legs again. Then another appointment with the Occupational Therapist this afternoon. Lots of comments today from random people about Tori..."oh she's so LITTLE!", "look, she's so TINY...and bow-legged" (which she's not, thank you very much), "oh my goodness look at that TINY little girl", "she's TWO years old? She's smaller than my son and he's just turned one!". Nothing terrible, just annoying. Some days I don't care and some days it just really gets under my skin. Just feeling whipped today.

Well, every night when we put Maggie to bed we do our "highs and lows" for the day, and then we pray and tell God one person we're thankful for. I shared that my low was going to the doctor with Tori this morning because I just didn't want go. When it was time to pray, Maggie said, "Dear God, I am thankful today for Mommy. She took Tori to her OT (occupational therapist)appointment. She does so much to take care of us."

Seriously, I am crying just typing that. Thank you Lord for Your words to me through my sweet little girl.

I am in Columbia for a few days visiting my family and am so happy to be here! Today we just played with cousins all day - except for Emmaline who is really too little to play yet, but I know she'll be joining in soon. It's really fun and crazy having six kids six and under all in the same place. They have a total blast and we, the parents and grands, have a blast watching them. We also are exhausted. Today I put all six kids in my Honda minivan, buckled in the ones that would crawl out, and turned on Cinderella for them all to watch while Jeannie and I loaded the cars to get ready to leave. It was blazing hot outside so I had the AC pumping. The Odyssey was getting a workout, I must admit. Dangit, though, if there weren't three new warning lights lit up on the dash when we drove off. My first thought was that one of the kids had gotten up there and pushed some buttons but Maggie, my little Sherlock Holmes, told me that no one had been in the front.

Soooo...long story longer...I have to go to the dealership and pay out the wazoo to have them figure out the lights. Ugh.

My little superstar...

So yesterday was the end of the year gala extravaganza deal at Maggie's school. Basically it consisted of 6 kindergarten classes running from room to room (in orderly fashion, of course) to play carnival-ish games while eating hot dogs and cupcakes. Then at the end of the day her little class sang a song for us and her teacher handed out awards. Maggie's class voted about a month ago on which award should be given to which student, like so and so is the friendliest or most likely to be president. Well, Maggie's classmates must know her well because her award was...

Most Likely to Become a Superstar!

Hilarious. My little Hannah Montana. It was cute.

Here are some pics of HM and her dad at the Daddy Daughter Dance (or the "DDD" as she calls it).





By the way, yesterday when I was sending her off to school she asked me, "Mom are you going to be wearing THAT to school?". Ummm, yes, you little fashionista. I asked her what was wrong with it and if it was ok for me to wear and she said, "Yeah, sure!". I'm thinking she was wanting to know what I was wearing so she could look out for me when I got there. I don't know. Maybe she just thought I looked like crap. I'm hoping it's the former.

Oh yes it's Maggie night and the feelin's right...

Oh what a night.

Last Wednesday was the Liberty Pines Dance recital so we went to see Maggie perform her acrobatics routine with her class. And by "we" I mean me, Ian, Zoe, Tori, Sandy, Melyssa Eilers and her four boys, Beth Hammond and her two girls, and Marty Kondal and her three kids. We took up half of the seats in the cafegymnatoriumarama.

There were only three dances, which is the PERFECT lenght for a recital, if you ask me. And I even LOVE those things, but there's only so many times you can watch and smile at little kids dancing that aren't your own little kids. Now if there were a Maggie show that lasted longer than three dances, I'd be all about it. I'm just sayin, everyone really just wants to see their kid and you can really never get enough. I mean, could you get enough of this cuteness?....








I'll post more later, but check back soon because I have cutie pics from the Daddy Daughter Dance that was this past weekend...you know, before the tummy illness hit. BTW, Ian's been home from work for three days and had to cancel a business trip because of the schloobs (that's Sloan for "tummy problems").

Just in case you were asking yourself...

"I wonder if Buffy spent a total of three hours at the pediatrician's office today because Zoe is still sick and Tori and Maggie needed well check-ups?"

The answer is yes.

And if you're asking yourself that then you need something more fun to think about.

p.s. thank you Sandy for "entertaining" one while I had the other in the office. I know how you just love to hear children screaming. Fun fun!!!