Sleepless in Jacksonville

Isn't that Special

2011-10-11T20:50:00.002-04:00

So I think I'm officially The Church Lady. I love my church and our friends/community there. It's really a great place to be. Lots of cool, fun people who are all a mess and know it. Our pastors are great, the kids programs are really awesome, and they serve Krispy Kremes between services. Lately I have found myself up there more than I care to admit, though. You see, Ian and I live about 30 minutes from MPC and there are days when I make that trip back and forth three times. If you're following along at home, that's 3 hours in the mini listening to a Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious. The twins are in preschool there (which is the best preschool evah), and I'm on both the session and another committee that meets once a week. I am also doing the moms group, Maggie has kids choir on Mondays, and now Ian has become a middle school small group leader so he's there every Wednesday night. We are the Church People. One thing Ian and I started going to at church recently is a Dave Ramsey Class called Financial Peace University. It's basically a majorly intense video series that kicks your booty into shape financially. So we're living on cash, paying out of envelopes, and trying to wrap our minds around the fact that we can't go to Don Juans for Chicken Flautas whenever we feel like it.

Speaking of flautas, apparantly I've had one too many so I decided I should start Weight Watchers again. So last week I took the plunge and made myself go to one of those dreaded meetings. I hate those things, but the new leader was really good and funny so it was do-able. The first time I started WW I was pretty excited to do it. This time, not so much. Even though it's a new plan, I know what it means, which is basically stop inhaling fries and Blue Bell ice cream on a daily basis.. And that's just no fun, people. So, needless to say, I've been a little bit cranky this week. Lack of sugar will do that to you.

And so will cutting back on your crazy pills. That's right...the third tier of the triple threat...Zoloft. I decided (along with my doc of course cause you just can't adjust that stuff yourself or you will be WHACK!) to try to cut back just a little bit on the big Z to see if that could help me lose some weight. I thought it was going fine and giving me more energy and will power, but it was also making me Angry Mommy. No fun...for them or for me. I could tell such a difference in my temperment, as well as my anxiety. The triple threat was complete...no excessive spending, no excessive chocolate eating, and hey let's try to cut back on the meds while I do all this. Brilliant!

The problem with all this is that they all happened at the same time. I want to be a grown up, people, I really do. But I just can't do it all at once. I'm left with no vices.. I mean how can I give up Target trips for Dave Ramsey, yet not break my WW vows by drowning my consumer habit in Hershey's syrup? Something's gotta give. So, it was the crazy pills. Back up to my normal dosage so Mama can deal with life in a way that won't make her or her family lose their minds.

So incredibly thankful that this is the Truth that is sung over me:

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness.
2 Corinthians 12:9

Pinkarilla and Purparilla

2011-10-07T18:24:00.000-04:00

This one's for all the faithful Sleepless in Jacksonville followers who know the ups and downs of my journey with the twins. This ACTUALLY happened today. Do not try this at home. As a matter of fact, don't try it at all. You CAN NOT, I repeat, CAN NOT make this happen. It just happens in one of those magical mothering moments. If this doesn't seem like a big deal to you, well, then, you've completely forgotten what it's like to have littles. Enjoy...

TMI, but I can't resist...

2011-09-01T22:29:00.002-04:00

Zoe (my sweet Zo Zo who is too young to have an inner monologue, but I don't think age is going to help her much on that front), walked in my bathroom today before I was completely clothed. She was remarking about by ta-tas and then she asked me, "Did you buy those Mommy?".

No,no I did not. Though I do know people that have...

New Every Morning...

2011-08-27T09:45:00.001-04:00

What a week. First day of school was on Monday and the girls did great. Mama did great too. I spent literally two hours cleaning and organizing my LAUNDRY ROOM. Yeah, believe that. Trying to get a little organized for when the kiddos come home and drop their backpacks, lunchboxes, shoes, socks, folders and papers right there on the floor. We do not raise Type A children in this house. It sure would be nice if we had a touch of it, though.

Monday night Maggie came in my room with a headache. The next morning she had a fever, followed by a positive strep test, followed by a full week of bad sickness. I really felt for her...this is the kid who has been through so much over the past 6 months - strep followed by flu followed by bad tummy issues. Bless her heart. Bless my heart. Whew, it's been a doozy.

It's Saturday and she is still puny, though finally eating some and starting to bug her sisters - which as any mama knows is always a good sign. Praying, though, that she will continue to be positive and realize that the Lord's got her as we nurse her belly back to health. Yogurt, probiotics, reflux meds, staying calm. The phrase I kept repeating to her (and myself) this week was, "God's mercies are new every morning." It's amazing how simple your faith gets when you are going through some kind of suffering. I found myself clinging to short phrases of truth, repeating them like a mantra so that I would believe them both for myself and my little girl.

Another big deal this week is that our really fun, really crazy, really dear friend - the Kibbeys - are moving to Singapore (and yeah, you read that right). Last Sunday we had them over for Ian's barbeque, onion rings, potato salad and peach cobbler...followed by a mean game of Michael Jackson Wii. For those of you who are wondering, my hip is fine. It was a bittersweet time but as usual we had a blast.

Thankfully Mindy and I had a chance to visit yesterday and pray for a while. What a sweet friend. She is a total stud and if you're ever in Singapore you would be remiss not to look up this chick and get some time with her!

Here are some pics of sweet memories with this family:

BTW, they have a daughter that we LOVE named Chelsea, but she graduated from high school this year and was not there when we did these shindigs!

Blame it on the Boogie

2011-08-21T08:19:00.000-04:00

I'm feeling my age. I know that sounds crazy because compared to other people, like old people, I'm not that old. But this June I turned 39 and for the first time my body is starting to feel different, though my mind refuses to follow.

Case in point: this Mother's Day I asked for one thing...The Michael Jackson Wii Experience. After all, isn't that what we all want in life? I played it a few times this spring, but it wasn't until a late night dance party with my sister and her husband that I really got the full effect of the MJ experience. I had caught the boogie bug in a bad way, so when I got back home the next week I decided to try it again...by myself...in my den...work it, own it, work it. It was fun, it was a workout, and I was awesome.

Until the next morning. I wasn't all that sore, like I thought I might be. Instead, I had this awful pain in my hip. I mean like pain that makes you limp, pain that makes you stretch all day, pain that reverberates all through your legs...then back...then neck. Ouch. I thought taking advil and stretching it out would help. It didn't. I thought wearing my tennis shoes instead of my trusty (i.e. only other pair of shoes I wear) flip flops would do the trick. It didn't. I thought sitting around and eating ice cream would help. It did...a little...but then it didn't.

What is happening to me? I am not bouncing back with the same spring I used to. I've spent quite a bit of time thinking through this over the past two weeks and it just doesn't make sense. You mean to tell me I can't "leave that 9-5 up on the shelf and just enjoy myself" like I used to? Annoying. Really annoying.

And I'm sure it can't be attributed to the fact that I NEVAH exercise and I'm carrying around 20 extra pounds, can it?

I've gotta pull myself together. Everyone says your metabolism slows down when you turn 40 and if that's so then my turtle trot pace will quickly become a snail. What can I do about this, you ask yourself? Two words... Bertha Kelley.

Prepare yourself...I am about to introduce you to a woman that defies all explanation...but I'll try anyway. This woman is on youtube and she makes a video or two almost every day...in her house...dancing...singing...with her karaoke machine...and the two fake deer on her coffee table.

It gets better.

Bertha Kelley lives in the house where my brother in law, Kelly, grew up. Kelly's pastor sent him this link when he found out about the sensation that is Mrs. Kelley. When I first saw it I couldn't contain myself and I watched it for about an hour straight. What an inspiration. I'll just let you be the judge:

Hot Stuff by Bertha Kelley

2011-08-21T08:11:00.003-04:00

Yes, that is for real. Yes, that is her real hair. And yes, Kelly definitely had Christmas morning on that very same floor.

You're welcome.

My Birthday - written by The Magster

2011-02-07T20:17:00.002-05:00

My birthday is coming up soon! I'm going to get a lot of presents! My birthday is on Valentine's Day. We are going to Charleston for a sleepover with my friend, Emma, and then when we are done and all up and dressed we are going to go from Charleston to my grandparents' beach house. And it'll be cold, but they have an indoor pool where we can swim.

I'm going to be 8 years old and I've had a stuffed animal named Num Num ever since I was born. My great aunt Judy gave her to me. She is kinda pink, has a heart that is kinda ripped on the top, and two ears that I like to move my fingers up and down on. That's called numming. My Dad made up the name "Num Num" because when I was little and I would get hungry I would make that sound with my mouth and they would know I wanted a bottle. Ok...back to the birthday...

This past weekend I made a cake with my grandma, Nonnie. It was red velvet with chocolate icing and white chocolate dribbles. It tasted DEEELICIOUS. My mom's been eating it ever since. Some things that I want for my birthday are jazz shoes, a fushigi ball, and Mad Libs.
Those are just some of the things I want. I can't list all of them because I gotta go to bed.

The best thing about being 7 was: "First and second grade"
The thing I'm most looking forward to about being 8: "Being 5 years older than Zoe and Tori, until they are 4"

Aloha!

-Maggie

Potty training and other frustrations...

2011-01-13T10:49:00.006-05:00

Life with a child with special needs is a little weird. It's especially wierd when your child's needs aren't very pronounced. Tori, for instance, is a tiny person, but she can do pretty much everything that other kids can do. So I guess what's wierd about it is that I feel wierd even saying she has special needs because there are so many parents with kids who have "special-er" needs. Whatever.

Anyway, the tough thing about it for me is that it's hard to know when to push her and when to cut her some slack. After all, she is missing some genetic material so who knows how that affects her? But she does things so well that I never know if she's just being a stubborn three year old or if her body and mind just don't work the same as mine. I'm not complaining here, just stating the facts. In the world of parenting, where game time discipline, potty training, sleeping and eating decisions are made every second on a regular basis, it's tough to rattle through all the normal uncertainty of parenting with the extra "what if she just doesn't do this the same way" factor. Plus, then if I get frustrated with her I feel extra guilty because she's so little and so darn cute. I'm a sucker.

Why am I venting all this? Well, because last week I got SO frustrated with her potty training. She does great while she's at school, but then she comes home and really fights me every time I try to get her to go to the potty. So then I end up manhandling her and carrying her to the bathroom, threatening trouble if she doesn't listen and sit down to pee. Fun. She always sits down, and she always pees. But then literally five minutes later she will just pee in her pants. And don't try to tell me it's out of defiance because it might be and I just don't want to hear it. Also, she will poop in her panties and then tell me she needs to go potty. I'll run in the bathroom after her only to find that she's pulled down her pants and the poop has rolled all over the bathroom floor. Fun. Totally frustrating for me. I was literally about to put her back in diapers because I was so ticked. I didn't know what to do - do I start all over with the potty training? Is she ever going to get this? Will she be in pull ups forever? Some kids with chromosome disorders never get out of diapers...not the ones who have her particular disorder, but you know how your mind goes from one extreme to the other. It was not a fun time for me. Or for her, I imagine.

Aaaaaanyway, I picked up my little "Jesus Calling" devotional on Monday when I was losing it and here's what it said:

I AM WITH YOU AND FOR YOU. When you decide on a course of action that is in line with My will, nothing in heaven or on earth can stop you. You may encounter many obstacles as you move toward your goal, but don't be discouraged - never give up! With My help, you can overcome any obstacle. Do not expect an easy path as you journey hand in hand with Me, but do remember that I, your very-present Helper, am omnipotent.
Much, much stress results from your wanting to make things happen before their times have come. One of the main ways I assert My sovereignty is in the timing of events. If you want to stay close to Me and do things My way, ask Me to show you the path forward moment by moment. Instead of dashing headlong toward your goal, let Me set the pace. Slow down, and enjoy the journey in My Presence.

Ok, so I'm not sure about enjoying the potty training, poop rolling on the floor part of the journey. What I am reminded of, though, is that God really cares about these little things that seem like big things in my little girl's life. Seriously, that was the devotion for that particular day in my little life? Yes. Seriously, He knows my innermost thoughts and concerns about the possibility of pull ups taking over my house and life forever? Yes. And Wow.

Thank you Lord, for the frustration that bothered me enough to seek you in your Word, and for being sweet enough to meet this Mama right where she is....which at this stage in life just happens to be on my bathroom floor, beside a little person on a little potty.

I can't believe I haven't done this before now...

2011-01-05T10:27:00.003-05:00

Broken my toe, that is. Ouch and ouch. I was training for a marathon and I was running so fast and furiously that I tripped over a patch in the sidewalk and broke my toe. Yeah, right. Actually, I was getting into the shower and decided to kick the dirty clothes from the bathroom to the bedroom floor. Forgot about the little raised up tile thingy and whamo. So smart, so graceful, way to go Ace.

Thankfully my real marathon running friends told me that yes, in fact, I did break it, so they let me borrow athletic tape since, let's be honest, the only thing I have in my house that can hold my toes together is Barbie band-aids. Thanks Krista! It pays to have friends that actually DO workout.

Time to make the donuts...

2011-01-02T19:47:00.003-05:00

Can't believe school/work starts again tomorrow. We had such a restful break and I'm sad to see everyone go back tomorrow. It's been great having Ian home and getting the chance to just hang out together with the girls. We are going to have to detox a bit - been watching a lot of movies, playing lots of wii, computer games, DS games. Thankfully the past few days have been so warm that we've been able to get outside and play. We actually spent New Year's Eve cooking out and roasting marshmallows on Ian's new Tarheel Fire Pit...yeah, you read that right. I'll have to get some pics on here. It's so fun and we've had more than our fair share of s'mores since he got it at Christmas.

Yesterday Ian and I went to Starbucks for what I hope has now become a tradition...we did it last year too so I guess that counts. Anyway, we got Caitlyn to babysit (and she rocks!) so that he and I could go sit and spend some time looking back over the past year. Then we tried to think about 2011 and what we would like to see happen. We are both so resistant to setting goals or resolutions because neither one of us are good at keeping them, so instead we titled our list "2011 stuff" and went from there.

I think this tradition might be one of my favorites. It gives us a chance to actually take stock in things...how are we doing as a couple, as parents, as friends and members of our church? Are we spending our money wisely? What do we want to do with the house this year? How's our time with the Lord, relationships with family, our health? I love doing that kind of stuff because it makes me love Ian even more. He is just very gracious and, well, he's just my best friend.

In December we celebrated our ten year anniversary so we've done quite a bit of looking back lately. We have really been through a lot in ten years; more than I care to name here. Some times have been really tough, and some very very sweet. We still fight about pretty much the same things we fought about when we were dating, but we laugh a lot harder together than we ever have. I'm just so glad he's my man:).

OK, sorry if I'm grossing you out (mainly Sandy and Mom since you two are the only ones reading this probably). I guess these past couple weeks having him home have really reminded me of all the things I love about him. I'm hoping and praying for many more decades with him, and also hoping and praying that our girls find men who love them as well as Ian has loved me!

P.S. This post was not simply a suck up for the iPad he bought me:)

Mag's Christmas Performance...

2010-12-26T23:02:00.003-05:00

Here's a video of Maggie's first Orff performance at church. She is in this music/choir class every Monday at church and she is learning so much! The teachers are amazing...can you imagine teaching all these 2-5 graders how to play something from scratch! I'm really proud of them and so glad she loves it so much...
And here's a sweet sweet video of me, Mom and Zoe surprising Tori at her school on Pajama/Polar Express/Happy Meal day. So cute how she takes off running when she spots her Gammy!

Christmas Programs...

2010-12-26T17:29:00.002-05:00

Here's Zo Zo singing "Go Tell it on the Mountain." They sang aout 7 other songs too but this is the one she sang over and over and over all Fall. Cute!

Um yeah...

2010-12-25T11:25:00.001-05:00

I'm typing this post on my new iPad! Yes, I have the best husband ever. And yes, we will be eating peanut butter sandwiches for the next few weeks, but hey, it's Christmas. More blogging to come!! Merry Christmas!

Just Dance 2

2010-12-20T10:13:00.005-05:00

So we got a Wii from my parentals for Christmas and it is a BLAST! Literally every single one of us loves it and it's so fun. My sis in law, Leslie, posted a clip of her dancing to a song from Just Dance 2 and I'm not trying to say anything except that my 3 1/2 year old kicks her booty. Here's Little T dancing to "I Could Be Your Girlfriend"...

And here's ZoZo...she only wants to dance to Brittany Spears' "Toxic". I'm not sure how I feel about that. Actually I'm pretty sure I don't feel great about it, but it makes me laugh so here goes...

Maggie's ghostwriting...

2010-11-14T07:50:00.012-05:00

This Halloween we all dressed up as something different. Amelia was a vampire, Elizabeth was a deviled egg, Tori was Dorothy, Zoe was Tinkerbell, I was Raggedy Ann, and JP was a cricket player. Ethan and Alex were football players, and Camille was a Goth Fairy.

We all went Trick or Treating after dinner. We went all the way down to the cul-de-sac and back. We went a little farther from my house to go Trick or Treating. Something cool that I saw was on one house there were spider webs on two posts and you had to crawl under them to get the treats.

My Dad dressed up as my friends' Dad, and he dressed up as my Dad. But Mr. Jasi didn't know that Dad was going to dress like him. Mr. Jasi is from India so Mrs. Marty snuck over some of his clothes. Then my mom snuck over a Tarheel hat and a bowtie. My mom was a hippie for Halloween.

The air outside was cold. It was dark but there were lanterns out. Last Halloween there was a dog that I saw that was dressed like a pirate. His name is Chewy and he has a sister now named Ewok. This year they were both dressed as pirates.

I got a LOT of candy! I got a BIG Milky Way. I think I got over 100 pieces of candy. I ate two candies that night. My mom or dad didn't go Trick Or Treating.

It was a spooktacular night!

I'm back...for now

2010-11-06T07:18:00.003-04:00

I figured out what gets me blogging...lack of sleep. It's probably the frustration caused by repeated interruptions throughout the night that get my creative juices flowing. And they say to journal your frustrations, right? (Spoken like the good phychologist's daughter that I am)

Let me see...where to start. About five weeks ago we determined that it was time to get the twins' tonsils and adnoids out. Along with ear tubes for Tori and a tongue tie snip for Zoe. So the week before surgery I had to keep them home from everything so they wouldn't get sick. Fun for mom? Um, not really. They weren't sleeping well, fought a lot, and were pretty much super cranky because I had to start them on their breathing treatments before the surgery.

Let's just stop right here before I go any further to acknowledge the fact that I love my kids. I truly love them...every inch (no matter how many or how few) of their little selves.

That said, sometimes I really wonder if I was cut out for the small children stage of life. Not that I have any say in the matter, but I just like it so much better when they are over the age of four. I know there are challenges with any age, and I haven't had a teenager yet (unless a seven year old diva counts), but I am just not good at this maintenance stage of life. I get so frustrated with them, with myself, and then I feel guilty and then I feel sad and then I feel hungry and then fat and then like a slobby housewife. That's a little dramatic, but on bad days it can snowball like that. I come from a long line of snowballers and we are really good at it.

Stop the maddness! Ok, so they had the surgery, the recovery was HELL, but once again Gammy and Nonnie to the rescue. Thank the Lord. You may be saying to yourself, "You had their surgeries on the same day?", and the answer is "Yes, but the grandmas told me to." (I also come from a long line of "pass the buck-ers"...thanks Eve).

Aaaaanyway, so recovery was AWFUL, and I really am not being a dramatic snowball pass the bucker here. Up every 3 hourse giving meds, screaming every time they woke up, trying to force liquids down a three year olds' throats, and the pain. It's really bad to see your kids in pain and so droopy. They were pitiful, but about day 10 they got better. And I know what you're thinking..."10 days, that's all! Buffy, you had TWINS for goodness sake! You didn't sleep a full night for TWO YEARS!". And I would say that yes, that's true and that's what I kept telling myself through it all. But sleep doesn't work like that. It's not like you can flip a sleep memory switch and all of a sudden be used to getting woken up to the sound of a fire alarm 5-9 times a night. (Waaaaa, waaaaa - I know! And I"m not even the one who was in pain!)

Now we're four weeks post surgery and I am so glad we did it. At least in Zoe's case. She is a new child, and I'm not exaggerating a BIT! She is so easy going, loveable, snuggly, helpful. Seriously???? Yes. I think she hasn't slept a full night's sleep n two years - maybe sleep apnea and we never knew! I can't stress this enough...she really is a different girl. More like herself. I saw glimpses of it before, but they were always masked by fits, screaming, anger, and overall crankiness.

Tori, on the other hand, has had another switch flipped. She is just acting like she's three, which she is, and that's fine. I can handle that. What I can't handle is the fact that she is STILL waking up numerous times a night, coming out of her room, crying, saying she has to go potty, needing her paci, whatever. Ugh. It's REEEEEALLLY getting old. And there's the extra fun of trying to figure out whether she's just being three or if she has something going on in her little genetic material that makes her body and mind unable to remain at rest. So we are off to find another solution to the Smith Sleep Debacle. She wakes up everyone every night. And to top it off, it was really cold here last night so I turned on the heat at around 4 AM and it set off the smoke detectors. Fun.

Pray for us - for our little T to sleep, for her parents' sanity, for their marriage, and for their patience! It's hard to be filled with the fruit of the Spirit at 4 AM. Full of other things, yes, but not the Spirit.

Sidenote...today is our neighborhood garage sale so I gotta hit the streets. Later, blogland. Hopefully it won't take me so long to post next time. And if my crankiness is any indication of my blogging frequency, then I'll probably be back on here after these messages...

The Potty Book

2010-06-26T14:20:00.004-04:00

Hello, my name is Hannah. I have lots of fun each day.

But first I need my diaper changed so I can go and play

I can eat my breakfast by myself, I can brush my teeth at the sink.

I can choose the clothes I want to wear - I really love hot pink.

Mommy has a big big box, she says it's just for me.

Daddy helps me open in, whatever can it be?

Is it a new rocking chair? Is it a bed for Teddy?

Mom says it's my very own potty to use when I am ready.

I look down at my diaper, it seems to fit just right.

My diaper's where I pee and poop morning, noon, and night.

I sit on my very own potty, my Teddy sits with me.

Off goes my diaper when I want to poop or pee.

Sometimes I hurry to the potty...whoops! I am too late!

Sometime I sit and sing a song, or read a book as I wait.

Uh-oh I had an accident! My pants are very wet.

Mom and Dad say, "That's ok, Hannah! Don't you give up yet!"

Then one morning I wake up and whisper to my Teddy,

"I'm off to the potty. I think this time I'm ready!".

I sit on my very own potty, Teddy sits on my lap,

I wait a bit...I look inside...then I laugh and clap.

"Hooray!" I say, "I did it!". I"m really glad I tried.

Mom and Dad are happy and I feel great inside.

"Bye bye, pee! Bye bye poop!", I say with a wave and a cheer.

Dad says, "Let's call Grandma, this is news she'll want to hear."

Mommy takes me to the store to buy new underwear.

Can you guess who gets to choose that very special pair?

Wanna know a secret? You can do it too!

Just march off to the potty like me and Teddy do.

I'm a big girl now. I can run and jump and play.

I don't want a wet diaper to get in my way.

I'm off to the potty, no more diapers for me!

And I feel great, I am proud of me.

In case you're wondering, Tori is potty training (semi) and since she is my third child undergoing this endeavor we have read this book about a million times.

And I just quoted it to you completely from memory. Thank you very much. Mom and Dad, aren't you glad you spent gazillions of dollars sending me to college?!

Happy Father's Day/Bday

2010-06-21T09:30:00.000-04:00

So yesterday was Ian's birthday and, as you know, Father's Day. We had a great day - church, which was awesome, then cooking all day, then cookout with Sandy and the Kibbe fam. I gotta say, my Nana had to be smiling down on our meal last night. I made fried squash (Papa's Favorite), onion rings, cucumbers in vinegar, corn on the cob, and we grilled burgers. Then Maggie and I made Nana's chocolate cake for dessert. Yumm! You know how you try to make recipes like your grandmother and they just never turn out right? Well, somehow the Nana-feelins were with me yesterday because it was good...I mean Yummarific. The chocolate icing was thick and really chocolatey. I think the secret is in excessive amounts of cocoa, and an awesome pink Kitchen-Aid mixer. Not to toot my own horn, but...toot toot toot!!

So the awesome sermon yesterday was about doing good and not needing recognition...I think I may need to listen to that again after all my gluttonous gloating.

Happy Birthday Honey!! What a great Daddy/Man/Hubby you are. Love you so much.

And another one.

2010-06-18T09:00:00.002-04:00

This video is from our trip to Disney a couple weeks ago. Someone gave them this high school musical microphone key chain that plays a song from the movie. Tori really really loved it...

Hope this works...

2010-06-16T08:15:00.000-04:00

M-I-C...See ya real soon...K-E-Y...Why, because we like you...

2010-03-15T22:50:00.003-04:00

Z and T slurping Mickey Mouse Ice Cream...yummmm

Cinderella's evil stepmother. Please look at her face. Then look at Zoe's.

I absolutely love Disney. We all had a blast, but the best time of the whole trip for me is watching the kids watch the parade. Please look at their little faces! So sweet. I especially love that Maggie, who is seven, is still yelling at all the characters and trying to get them to wave to her. So sweet. Take a look...

Dress up, Disney, and Dad

2010-03-06T08:18:00.006-05:00

So February is always a hoppin month around the Smith household because it's not only Valentine's Day on February 14th, it's Princess Pearl's Birthday. In case you're wondering, we found out that Maggie's real name (Sarah Margaret) means Princess Pearl. This news thrilled her, and her Aunt Mary Lane, to no end. This year for Maggie's birthday we decided to go to Disney. The twins have never been and, well, they get in free until they trun 3 in May, so we decided to hit the road. Before that, though, we celebrated at home with my Mom and Dad, Sandy, and a couple of family friends. But before even that, I had the privilege of escorting Princess Pearl and her two best buddies, Amelia and Elizabeth, to a High School Musical play at a dinner theater in town. And get this, I actually WON the tickets! Seriously, I thought no one really won those contests...but I did! So, the four of us got all gussied up and went to see Pseudo-Troy and Gabriella do their thing at the Alhambra Dinner Theater in Jacksonville. The girls were THRILLED! They kept saying, "This is SO FANCY! Thank you Miss Buffy! This is the best thing EVER!". So cute. Here are a few pics:

The next day we had Maggie's little family party and the pics are just too cute. She wanted to wear the Princess and The Frog crown and shoes she go from her Grandparents, and I guess she thought my program outfit would look best with her accessories...

Seriously, this is too much to post about, so I'll skip to the most important, which is what's going on with my Dad. Last week he called and told me that they found some cancer cells when he had his colonoscopy. He went into the hospital to have some of his colon taken out on Wednesday. He came through the surgery well and the results look really good. We are waiting to see if he will need to have any chemo or anything. It's been really scary for all of us, but we are so grateful that it was caught so early. Dad, of course, has been his typical jovial self. He asked me if I had seen Katie Couric's colonoscopy on the Today Show and that he had been able to see the inside of his colon during his colonoscopy. Then he told me that he looks a lot like Katie Couric on the inside. Classic Mark.

I'll write about Disney later. The twins are in here literally screaming at me right now...

This is so adorable and amazing...

2010-02-23T18:24:00.001-05:00

Don 't know if you've seen this, but it's a clip from the Bonnie Hunt show about a sweet little girl who calls 911 for her dad. It's classic and so so sweet.

http://www.wimp.com/calmcall/

It's a rainy Friday night in Jacksonville...

2010-02-05T17:30:00.002-05:00

and the bewitching hour is upon me. For once I have dinner in the oven and the girls "set the table." I've instigated the "get out of the kitchen until dinnertime" rule, but it's kinda lost on the fact that every house in Florida (including mine) has an uber-open floor plan. Man, would I love a bonus room.

Today I had these wonderful ladies come and deep clean my house. You know, stuff you (I hope, like me!) never get to do like baseboards, windowsills, floors, bathrooms, and changing bed sheets. (Did I just say that out loud?). Just joking - I do all those except the baseboards and windowsills. The others are on an "I can't stand the filth anymore" basis. Ian's mom and his Aunt Susan really have their work cut out for them in getting me up to speed on house cleaning and care. It's just not in my genes (no offense, Mom and Dad). My mom always says that we may not be good cleaners or pet owners, but we can people alive really well. First things first, right?!

Anyway, I was totally worried about offending the cleaning ladies by the state of my house. It's ridiculous. And every time someone comes to clean (like twice a year) I find myself apologizing profusely and giving them the rundown of how hard it is to keep a house with little kids. Blah blah blah. Really I just want them to tell me, "Oh gosh, your house doesn't look bad! Believe me, I've seen WAAAAAAY worse." Then they would go on to tell me that all the other houses they've cleaned in the neighborhood are rat holes.

Comparison may be the thief of joy, but just once I think it might make me feel a lot better.

No use crying over spilled milk

2010-01-29T13:32:00.002-05:00

I always thought that was something grown ups said to kids who spill their milk. Now I know the truth. That saying if for the mommies who have to clean up the spilled milk. I was just repeating that line to myself yesterday after Zoe spilled her milk on the floor of our virus-infested casa. Then two minutes later Tori did the same thing. Tears just sprung to my eyes. I mean, milk really does go everywhere when it spills. And if someone has to take care of three young kids while they are screaming, strep-throating, puking, and fevering then she by golly has every right to cry over spilled milk...or for any other reason she wants.

Waaaaa-waaaaa. I know.

Feeling much better...

2010-01-28T13:28:00.007-05:00

...as is evidenced by these questions of the day:

1. When is the last time you made toast on white bread with a lot of butter? That junk is slammin. It takes me back to my days when my Nana and Papa would take me for my "special turn" to their favorite restaurant called "Cogburn's". Holy white bread, Batman, it was good. They had the best buttery toast that would rotate through that toaster machine. Anyway, I found myself with a loaf of Sunbeam this week and made some "for the kids" this morning. Slammin. Ladies get off your whole wheat horse long enough to give it a whirl this week. It will make your mornin.

2. When is last time you sat down with a bag of Double Stuf Oreos after a week of the strep throat/stomach bug ravaging your household? It's a good time. Yesterday half of my daily Weight Watchers points were oreos.

Update... 4 out of 5 Smiths are on antibiotic for strep throat (or what we thought was strep). I am better, Ian is better, Z and T seem ok. Maggie got a fever last night, threw up today in the car line at preschool, and is sleeping in my (oh so sweet smelling) bedroom. Zoe and Tori are the only two who could possibly get this virus now. We're more than halfway through the family so I got that going for me!

Maggie, post-car line, sleeping with my sunglasses on.
Hey, at least she looks good, right?

p.s. Tori cracks me up in the background. Nice bang-cutting job by me. Poor kid
p.p.s. MAJOR shout outs and thank yous to the sweet ladies in the pick up line who helped me today. Maria, you are a saint! Thank you for staying with the twins at the throw up van while I went inside to clean Maggie up! Only a fellow mommy would do that!

Just one stomach flu away from my goal weight...

2010-01-25T18:12:00.002-05:00

Possibly my favorite line from a movie ever. Stomach bugs and sickness are really no fun. Especially for moms. I really don't think it's right for moms to get sick because not only do we get feel terrible physically, but we also pile on a good dose of guilt about all the things we can't do when we're up and at-em. Ian was in Boston from Saturday night until (allegedly) Sunday night. Sunday morning I woke up feeling really rough...then rougher and rougher as the day progressed. It would have been a miracle if I didn't get sick because all three girls had strep throat this week and I wipe and clean every possible bodily excrement on a daily basis. Have you ever had to get a urine sample from your toddler in one of those urine bags that you put on them and they wear in their diaper? Let's just say that some of it made it into the cup, while the rest made it onto my toddler, my hands, and my bathroom floor. Fun.

Sooooo...Sandy came over to save me on Sunday and ended up spending the whole day here because I had to go to the CVS minute clinic and get some antibiotics, which I promptly threw up a couple hours later. Fever, chills, anxiety, pooping...not a good combination. Sandy took care of the kids (and the laundry and the dishes) while I tried not to lose my mind. She is so great to jump in like that. What a blessing to have her living here!

Enter my mom and my sister. When you're sick like that you just want your mom. It's just the way it is. So, I was on the phone with her and with Jeannie a good bit yesterday. Mainly for mental support. You see, when I get sick I need someone to continually reassure me that I am not going to be like that forever. I will get well. It's just strep throat. I am not a bad mother. Maggie will survive if I have to miss her Drama performance on Monday. Mom and Jeannie did that from miles away yesterday - and they didn't even make fun of me. I feel like such a weenie that I'm like that, but I am. Thanks you two!

The village continued to be in full effect, though, because Sandy had to go home last night around 9:00 and Keri Pound came over. What a sweet friend to come and sleep at my house, wake up with the three crazies, fix them breakfast and help get them out the door. I'm pretty sure she'll be getting her tubes tied sometime soon. At 8:00 a.m. my sweet friend Marty came to pick up Mag for school. She also took Z and T with her and let them play at her house for a couple hours.

Marty...she lives five houses up the street from me and it's glorious. It's like having my sister down the street. Do you know those friends who just KNOW when you're going to lose it and you need some help? That's Marty. Not just today, but last week she walked outside, saw Zoe lying flat on the sidewalk throwing a fit, and proceeded to take her for the rest of the afternoon. Marty has three kids of her own - Amelia and Elizabeth (6 y.o. twins and BFFs with Maggie), and JP (totally cute as a button one year old who we are hoping will continue his love affair with Tori for years to come). I tell you all that because not only did Marty and Jasi bought a house in our neighborhood and are moving this week. Yep, moving. So there's stuff everywhere between her old and new houses. She is running trips back and forth like a mad woman, filling up her SUV numerous times so she can get started with unpacking. Her husband is out of town this week on business, her uncle is visiting so that he can help, and she takes my two girls for the morning. Seriously? AND, when I called her to tell her that the girls could come home I heard her talking to Tyler, another little boy that she was watching for a couple ours while his mom was in school. What a saint. I mean it.

So where was Ian this whole time? Well, Sunday he was in Boston on business and spent most of that time feeling pretty sick himself. Because of the weather, he and his coworkers got stuck in Boston and didn't get out and back to Atlanta until 1 a.m. He called me at 3:45 a.m. when he finally got to the hotel. He was back at the airport a couple hours later in order to fly home and be here by 10:30. Ugh. He slept all day and is trying to force down some food. It ain't lookin good for my man.

So here's to you all you sweet sweet women in my life who help me out so much. I really don't know what I would do without you...when I'm sick and when I'm well. I love you all so much!

I am feeling much better. I was able to get to Maggie's drama performance, which was a trip. I'll post some of it soon. She is quite the enunciator.

OK, I'm off to eat some saltines...

Spanking...

2010-01-21T18:16:00.002-05:00

I don't really want to hear how bad of a parent I am so if you're inclined to comment with alternative methods of discipline, please don't. I have tried them all. And I'm not necessarily a "spankin machine"...I can threaten, revoke privileges, and send to time out with the best of them. As a matter of fact, this week, for the first time in my children's lives, I used the phrase, "if you do that again I am going to bring you back into this bathroom and wear your bottom out." Stellar moment for me.

Not as stellar as last night's mother-of-the-year performance.

Tori has been kinda struggling all week. She threw up once on Monday, but I thought it was from some meds I gave her that upset her stomach. She has seemed out of sorts, but no fever at all. Just cranky and not too much of an appetite. Still, she was playing and running and being her adorable self yesterday. So when she woke up crying last night we thought it was her bi-weekly "I think I can get out of here and sit with mom and dad for a while because they'll feel sorry for me because I'm small" trick she pulls. She woke up over and over and after many attempts to calm her and give her milk I finally started the threatening..."Tori, if you don't stop crying you are going to get a spanking."

I mean, I gotta follow through.

So, I did. I have to add here that I my spankings are a measly excuse for a spanking. Still, Tori is a lot like me and it really doesn't take much for her to get the message. I spanked her. She kept crying. I went in and told her that if she didn't stop and go to sleep that I was sending in the big guns (aka Daddy). Daddy came and went. She would be quiet long enough for us to fall asleep and then start again.

We gave in. She came and slept with me and Ian got kicked to the red couch curb.

Tori slept pretty well the rest of the night. She woke up fussy, though, so in my infinite wisdom I decided to take her to the doctor. (I need to add here that I was NOT super excited about it because the twins were scheduled to be at Mother's Morning Out this morning and I needed an eyebrow wax something fierce). The long and short of it is...Tori has strep throat.

Awesome.

How'm I doing? Spanking a child who has strep throat. I'm feeling pretty good about myself .

Tori's had two lollipops and numerous cookies today. Not necessarily great for her health, but definitely good for my peace of mind.

Almost Heaven...

2010-01-09T08:09:00.006-05:00

Zoe and Tori dancing around Ian's Christmas present - the Smokey Mountain Cooker

Ian's newfound love affair with smoking meats

My girlies on Christmas morning, wearing their "Santas"

Christmas was a blast. Aside from the fact that my sweet Papa was in the hospital, which caused him (and us) much pain, it was a great Christmas. I don't think I've shared this on here, but Papa fell a few weeks ago and broke his neck. Once he got to the hospital they found out that he also had pneumonia. It's been quite a road for him and for my parents, aunts and uncles as they all try to determine what's next for Papa. He is such an amazing man and he's sharp as a tack. He's definitely a guy's guy with a tender heart...especially for his three girls and slew of grandkids. Ian and I went and sat with him for a few hours one morning while we were home. He was in a LOT of pain and was not excited for me to see him hurting, but as soon as he felt good enough to catch his breath he started talking smack with Ian. He LOVES to talk smack with the guys in the family. They talked about the two Carolinas, job stuff, and always always money. Papa loves to talk/joke about money - how much he doesn't have and how much his sons-in-law have and need to give him. My whole life I don't think I've ever spent time with Papa where he didn't grab the butt/wallet of the men in the family and talk trash to them about how much they make. It's a trip. So, at the hospital that morning, while he was in major pain, we spent a good bit of the time looking up and calculating what he made in 1974 and (with interests) what that would be today. Hilarious. Papa was trying to say Ian made so much more than he did, when in reality Papa was raking it in. Hand over fist. He was a salesman and he was really really good. I wish you could know him. He's incredible.

Now for the rest of Christmas. It can probably be summed up in two words: bouncy house. My parents rented one for about four days and the kids had a blast. It was pretty darn freezing outside, but they all just shed their shoes and hopped right in. There are nine grandkids in our family now, ranging in age from 1 to 7. It's like a big party. My parents had a blast too. They just were beaming with pride the entire time...well, when they weren't flipping exhausted from filling sippie cups and wiping hineys. We all went to church on Chrismas Eve and it just so happened that my parents were singing a duet (Von Trapp-esque). They have never done that before and they were really good. Anyway, it was sooooo funny sitting there, taking up the first three rows with our huge clan dressed in Gammy-given outfits. After church we closed it down by trying in vain to get a good picture of the kids and Gammy and Doc.

That night we went back to Mom and Dad's and all the kids opened new Christmas jammies and bounced around the Christmas tree. My Dad pulled out his guitar and we sang carols, interwoven by a couple performances by Nate and Maggie of their Christmas songs they performed at school and church.

As I type this I need to say that I fully and completely realize how amazing this is. It was a slice of heaven, really. I almost feel guilty for loving my family so much and enjoying being with them. It's not always perfect, but it just feels like a great picture of the way the Lord loves me and all of us. Fully and completely, warts and all, knowing the good and the bad. I am so grateful and only hope to love my own kids and husband as well so that one day we will be singing around our tree too...only we'll probably be singing around the Smokey Mountain Cooker.

Sorry if I scared you...

2009-12-18T07:22:00.005-05:00

I got quite a few phone calls and emails after that last post. Sorry. I really am ok. Just a stressful week and sometimes I take it out on my blog.

This week has been a trip. Thankfully Tori is finally feeling better, though all of us are barking around the house with colds. Aunt Miranda has been visiting this week and the kids have had such a blast! I will post a video of what they were doing the other night while I was making dinner. They all were laughing so hard that they were rolling on the ground.

Then yesterday the twins had their program at school. HI-larious. Classic Smith twins. They know all the words to all the songs - and the motions - but they didn't sing a lick. Watch and see...

Incredible camera work by me, as usual.

Here's how things ended up...

Both girls sitting on the edge of the stage on Nonnie's lap. Not sure they are going to have Maggie's stage presence, which may be a good thing. I don't know if we could handle three divas in the family.

This past week or two

2009-12-14T07:47:00.002-05:00

Things I have been doing:

*Wiping noses
*Giving breathing treatments
*Carrying around Tori like an extra appendage
*Craving chocolate
*Satisfying my craving for chocolate
*Buying medicine
*Administering medicine
*Yelling a lot
*Feeling guilty at lot
*Overall losing it at least a couple times a day

Things I have not been doing:

*Exercising
*Reading my Bible
*Praying - except for the occasional "God Bless America" out of sheer frustration and a desire not to teach my kids words they shouldn't know yet
*Blogging

I am pretty sure that the things I have not been doing are directly affecting the things I have been doing. OK, not the sickness part, but the yelling/guilt/losing it parts. I know myself well enough to know that I cannot change out of sheer will, but I really need the Lord's strength to change my heart so that I'll take better care of myself, and in turn I'll take better care of my family. So, Lord, hook a sister up!

Just Breathe...

2009-11-19T10:01:00.003-05:00

Ah, Faith Hill, you couldn't have said it better.

As many of you may have noticed, I haven't been blogging much lately. This Fall I found myself involved in quite a few weekends and activities that required a lot of time and preparation. At first I was a bit concerned that I had gotten myself in over my head. Once I realized that was quite true I threw my hands up in the air and asked the Lord to take my commitments and use my however He could. As is often the case when we give, we end up getting so much more. What a blessing these past few months have been.

In September I got the chance to spend a wonderful weekend with my little family at our church's first annual Family Camp. It was a blast. Ian and I got to speak on the weekend and as much as I loved preparing and giving that talk, I loved listening to Ian even more. There's really nothing better (or more attractive to me) than getting the chance to hear Ian speak from his heart. I love it...and I love him.

The kids had a blast too. We all took a family canoe ride, went swimming in the lake, ran around the camp, and had a chance to sing worship songs together. So much fun to see my kids learning to praise the Lord. And so great to have older kids in the church loving on my three girls. At one point in the weekend I looked around for Maggie and found her sitting on a high school girl's lap, just enjoying being with her. That high school girl (Emily) is also our Jesus-loving, super fun, really cute and kind babysitter - Maggie thinks she hung the moon. What a gift to me to see Maggie in total admiration of sweet Emily. It was an answer to a prayer I've had (and continue to have) for a long time; that my girls will have people in their lives who love them and point them to Christ. And Zoe just loved running around "free" and eating S'mores, while the middle and elementary school girls passed Tori around all weekend. There's not much better than seeing other people really loving your kids.

Over the next week or so I'll try to post about the other things I've seen and experienced this Fall. I am so grateful. I am so tired. I'm going to lie down for an hour before I have to pick up the twins! Mother's Morning Out is from Heaven.

Quote for the morning...

2009-11-18T07:29:00.000-05:00

"Mom...Zoe's eating her cereal in the den...and she's naked."

Big Girl Bed

2009-11-06T16:09:00.002-05:00

So we have had quite a big change in the Smith household. It's a long story, and you know how I love a long story, but I'll spare you this one. I'll just sum it up by saying that Tori is sleeping in her own room and we've moved Zoe into the room with Maggie. Not only is she in the room with Maggie, but she's in a big girl bed! It is so crazy weird that she is that old, but she was really ready. Since we've made this change literally every person in our house is sleeping longer and more soundly. Tori (after a return to the sleep training book) is not waking up every night; Zoe is thrilled with herself that she gets to sleep in Maggie's room, and Maggie has been gracious enough to agree to share. (I think she secretly loves having someone to sleep with!). It's been really cute and fun. My girls are getting big!

Fall pics

2009-11-01T13:31:00.005-05:00

Question of the Day: How long has it been since you bit into a Snicker's bar?

Answer: Five minutes. Yummmm I love Halloween in all it's glory. By the way, if you haven't tried the Reese's Fast Break you must, well, make a fast break from your computer straight to your kids' candy stash and rummage around until you unearth one. They are really really good. Dare I say better than a normal Reese's? Yes, I dare say.

I know I haven't been blogging. I've been doing so much other stuff this fall that I have really let this slide. I'm sorry, for the four or five of you who read my blog. I'll try to be better!

Here are some pics from the fall. Some from our fall festival in the neighborhood and some from halloween. I know it's a lot, but you asked for it, Mom!

Twins Eating Limes

2009-11-01T06:44:00.004-05:00

This one doesn't touch the lemon video, but it's still pretty darn cute. Especially Tori's face at the end.

Happy Birthday Yesterday Maggie

2009-10-15T18:48:00.001-04:00

This is a classic and I can't believe I've never put it on my blog. Maggie was almost three and she was being babysat by Julie Sessoms and David Kernodle. Obviously you are not going to want to call them to sit for your kids! Kidding.

Bridget, Gidget, and Widget

2009-10-07T10:36:00.002-04:00

Maggie and Tori do program

2009-10-07T09:35:00.002-04:00

Ok, here goes...

2009-09-19T12:30:00.001-04:00

This past weekend my friend Martha and I did program for Women's Weekend at Windy Gap. It's a weekend that my best buds and I put on every year and it's so fun. You gotta come if you're over 18 and, well, a woman.

Annnnnyway, I can't believe I'm doing this, but here are the videos from the weekend. The first two are ladies called "The Jans" who sang at meals. After all, "A meal without music is like a girl without her pearls." The second two videos are of "Bridget and Gidget" and they are basically just two single ladies from somewhere not in the South (their accents change like the wind). These gals were just trying to teach everyone how to get a man.

Enjoy...

Two Jans Are Up and Gone to Target (In their Minds)

2009-09-19T12:29:00.003-04:00

Two Jans are Cougarlicious

2009-09-19T12:29:00.001-04:00

Bridget and Gidget are Single Ladies

2009-09-19T12:27:00.003-04:00

Bridget and Gidget Ribbon Dancing

2009-09-19T12:27:00.001-04:00

Busy much?

2009-09-04T16:57:00.001-04:00

Lest you think I've been sitting around eating bon bons and watching Oprah, I thought I'd update you.

It all started in full effect this week. Maggie and the twins in school, my moms' Bible study on Monday mornings, PT and OT on Wednesdays and Fridays. Oh, and let's throw in a little outpatient surgery shall we? Tori got tubes in her ears this morning. We've been up since 5 am (Nonnie's been up since 4:30 and got to our house at 6!). Tori did great. She is such a trooper. The Lord knew what He was doing when he gave her such a sweet and easygoing disposition because if either Maggie or Zoe were going through these procedures we'd be up a creek.

So we're home tonight and then off to Family Camp for the weekend. (If you're reading this and you're a crook, please don't rob my house...unless you want a Little Tikes playhouse that's sitting on my back porch. Ian HATES that thing and refuses to put it up in the yard). Anyway, we are heading out tomorrow morning on a retreat with families from our church. Ian and I have the privilege of speaking on Sunday, which should be fun. I always love to hear him speak and I don't get the opportunity that much. Then we're back on Monday and leave again on Thursday for my Women's Retreat at Windy Gap. Woo hoo! I am doing program (skits) with my HI-larious friend, Martha, and I can't wait. It's also the only time during the year that I get to see my closest friends who plan this retreat with me. What a blessing to be a part of these two weekends!

If you're up for it, please pray for us as we go. Pray for good health mainly, and that our family will flourish in this time together. I am really excited!

Pics to come...

Things I did today that were exciting...

2009-08-25T15:44:00.009-04:00

*Went to a preschool meeting without my preschoolers
*Sat in the parking lot of McDonald's drinking my $1 coke and filled out medical forms...all while listening to the radio station of MY choice
*Had an uninterrupted meeting at the church where I was actually able to have more than one thought on any topic we chose
*Looked at two catalogs and wished I could buy lots of clothes
*Dropped of ALL of my girls at "school"

I loved doing all of those things. Today was really a celebration of sorts for me. I feel like it's another way that we've "made it" through another hurdle of parenting multiples.

I have to admit, though, that what I loved even more than doing those things was picking all three of them up today. Zoe and Tori told me all about their day (who was in their class, that they played and ate grapes...though I'm not sure about the grapes). And even though Maggie is a big time first grader she still runs off the bus and straight to me to give me a hug. I just love it.

Sweet Nonnie called me from Toys R' Us yesterday and said that she read my blog about small backpacks for the twins. She said that she walked in the store and prayed, asking the Lord to help her find tiny backpacks (especially for Tori), and if they could have Dora on them then that would just be icing on the cake. Well, as you can see, she found the last two tiny Dora backpacks...in pink, nonetheless. I just love it when the Big Guy is in the details. It's these little things that keep me encouraged, knowing that He is looking out for my "Little Thing".

Let's go, GNO...

2009-08-23T20:21:00.002-04:00

Well, more like a GWO. Maggie and I spent the weekend here in Columbia together while Ian and his mom took the twins to Columbia. Ian had a guys weekend planned at my parents' lake place so Sandy and my parents watched the twins for the weekend. Maggie had "meet the teacher" day on Friday so we needed to stay here for that. And let me tell you that we had a blast. It was soo good and so fun to get to spend time with just Maggie. I mean, we get to spend a good amount of time together and do a lot of special things, but this was just really fun. I don't know that I'll ever get that kind of time with the twins individually, but this weekend with Maggie made me want to make one on one time a priority.

We still had all our normal arguments and drama ("Mom, why can't I have an ICEE", "Mom, WHEN is my supper going to be ready?", "Mom, I don't WANT to go to bed"). The attitude is in full effect and requires constant attention and whip cracking. But other than that, our time together was a blast. We went shoe shopping, painted pottery, went to the pool, played puzzles, ate popcorn for dinner and watched the Hannah Montana movie and "Princess Protection Program" ad nauseam. Getting ready for church was such a breeze, too. Took me back to the old days.

But I have to say that I really miss Z and T and CANNOT wait for them to waddle in the door here in a few minutes. I have really loved watching the two of them lately; the way they interact with each other and with Maggie. In so many ways I am ready for school to start tomorrow, but I have also really enjoyed watching my girls bond. They play like sisters and get each other giggling so hard they can't stop. I still believe it's the sweetest sound there is.

All that being said, school does start tomorrow for Maggie and then Zoe and Tori start Mother's Morning Out on Tuesday. As hard as it is to believe that Maggie is starting first grade, it is equally as hard to believe that I will be dropping the twins off at "school" twice a week, lunchboxes in hand. I think they're ready - they talk about it all the time. And I know I'm ready for them to go, but is it really time?! I mean, please picture those two getting out of my van THEMSELVES, walking into a church preschool with their teacher, and me just waving goodbye and driving off. Now picture a 15 pound child dragging a lunch box to class. I did a google search today for "tiny backpacks" but nothing is really tiny enough. Little T. Once again I can see the Lord's hand in giving her a twin sister to help her out and spur her on. I am so glad they're a team. It makes it easier for me to let them go, too.

Bottom line of this post is watch out Starbucks...Buffy's got 6 hours a week to herself!!!

Waaaah, waaaah

2009-08-17T08:38:00.003-04:00

I have been thinking about my last post and feeling pretty guilty. Yes, it's been a rough weekend (well, couple years) in the health category of our lives, but we just have so many things to be thankful for.

This morning I checked my inbox to find my daily email from the Chromosome Disorder group we joined. The email each morning is basically a chat between parents or family of kids with different disorders. They post questions, fears, proud moments and problems. I am not able to go into detail here about the comments included in the emails because of a privacy clause, but I have to say that I stared at the screen stunned and amazed at what some parents deal with every day. Ian and I just sat here together and breathed deep.

I know pain and problems are all relative, but it is good to get things in perspective sometimes.

Thank you Lord for my sweet girls, for my husband who loves me, and for the doctors who take care of us on a weekly (and sometimes daily) basis. I am grateful today for health insurance, for Nonnie living a few miles away and being able to pop in, for Mom and Dad who support me and adore the girls, for Granny Franny who showers my kids with love. Thank you for my family - brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, cousins. Sometimes it feels like trying to take a sip from a fire hydrant...You have blessed me with so much family and they all pour out Your love on us. And my sweet friends who support me, pray for me, keep my children, and bring me dinners (no pressure here, ladies).

And thank You, Lord for my house. For my neighborhood, for air conditioning, for toys to play with. Thank you for food on our table, for chocolate ice cream, and really good coffee.

Thank You, Lord, for You. Thank You for promising that You will never leave me...

Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again...
Rejoice!
Let you gentleness be evident to all,
The Lord is NEAR

Phil. 4

Not the inspiration I was hoping for...

2009-08-16T12:20:00.007-04:00

They say that adversity is the springboard of creativity (I don't know who "they" are and I don't think that's a saying...maybe I am "they" and I just made up a slammin quote). Either way, I think I could have done without this burst of drama that is catapulting me toward my computer.

We have the flu.

"Type A" flu.

What does that mean? Normal flu? Plain old run of the mill flu? Or...wait for it...

The dreaded Swine?

No clue. All they said was that we have the flu and we need to stay home for a few days. So, all of us are on Tamiflu, all of us are cranky, and all of us are moping around, bumping into each other, refereeing fights and eating chicken soup.

And if I see "Hotel for Dogs" one more time I'm going to have to take a jackhammer to the side of the Redbox video up the street.

It's really not that bad. We don't feel terrible. Just kinda puny. Oh and then there's the fact that Zoe is cutting two molars, which makes her act more like a frantic rabid screeching owl than a sweet and cuddly Zo-Zo. But it could be worse. I know that full well. Just wanted to vent a little.

I tell you, though, it may not get much worse for my sweet friends who have been over here the past couple days with their kids. Beth and the girls were over on Friday swimming in the red neck pool and slippin' slide in the yard. Then my friend Stephanie was here Thursday night with her three kiddos and we were all holed up in the house because of the rain. And Jen came by with her two girls to drop off a birthday invitation and they came in for a while. I can't decide who has it worse so I'll just let you vote...

Beth and her family are going on vacation today and they are taking their 13 y.o. to a Jonas Brothers concert. I can only imagine the dissapointment/despair that will run rampant through Caitlyn's veins if they get sick and can't go.

Stephanie and her family are also going on vacation this week. On a Disney Cruise. So I'm sure that will be fun if we've given them the flu and they are not only sick on a boat hundreds of miles off shore, but they infect the entire ship with Smith disease. It's a Magical Day at Disney.

Or Jen and her kiddos who don't have any major plans this week, but just got back from a family vacation in Hawaii...wait a minute, they shouldn't be in the running for this. Hawaii?! No fair. Still, I hope they don't get sick.

It is only fitting that we get this dreaded flu. After all, we have literally had every sickness known to preschoolers in the past 12 months. Need I list them again?

*Hand/foot/mouth virus (Not hoof and mouth, people)
*Numerous ear infections (Tori may have to get tubes)
*Violent throw up virus that ran through the house
*Zoe to the E.R. with Viral Meningitis...yeah, that really happened
*Strep throat for Maggie
*Zoe cracked her head open on the concrete when she was throwing a fit
*Swimmer's ear
*Goopie eye (that required drops)
*RSV (breathing treatments and steroids)
*Various diarrhea viruses that seemed to come and go all spring
*Oh my geez, the teething. Seriously, this might be the worst.
*And, lest we all forget, casts on both Tori's legs for three straight weeks

I'm pretty sure there's more, but that's all I can stand right now.

So don't I win some kind of award for surviving all these illnesses with my kids? Some kind of flexible spending account lottery or something?

Or maybe I just thank my lucky stars (and my sweet Lord) that we have made it this far without anyone keeling over and my marriage still in tact. Yeah, I'll take it.

Slacker...again

2009-08-14T07:23:00.002-04:00

Hey. I know I haven't written in a while. It's not that I don't want to...it's just that I haven't been inspired. And I have quite a few things on my plate coming up for fall that require all of my "free time". And by "free" I mean trying to think while tuning out Playhouse Disney on TV, or sitting down during naptime to think only to wake up an hour later having not moved a muscle. Sorry guys. I'll get inspired soon.

Knock Knock

2009-08-06T17:46:00.003-04:00

My nephew, Sam, is just about the sweetest thing on earth right now. Especially because he loves his "Aunt Buff" and he tells everyone just this by incorporating me into each and every knock knock joke he tells. It's hysterical. Keep in mind that he's not even two years old, yet he talks like a three year old.

So before you watch this video, let me interpret for you. This is how the jokes go...

*Knock Knock

*Who's there?

*Aunt Buffy

*Aunt Buffy Who?

*Tori! (Or Zoe or Maggie, but usually Tori)

We don't know why, but he always tells knock knock jokes, and he tells them the same way every time! Enjoy...

Country roads, take me home...

2009-08-04T14:22:00.006-04:00

Last week the kids and I were in Columbia, as I've already shared with you, and we had such a blast. I have so much to post about it, but I'll start with this video from our visit to Papa's house. My kids LOVE going over there because they get these little snack packs that Papa fixes for them. Nana used to do it, but now Papa fills them up with sugar wafers (really is there any better cookie? have you had one lately?) and M&M's. The big kids get Mike & Ike's too.

Aaaaaanyway, my kids run in the door at Papa's house and then straight into the kitchen. Then they just stand there awaiting their treats. It's really cute. I caught the snack time on video and I have to tell you three things I love about it...

1. Papa's laugh toward the beginning of the video. It's just a classic laugh that we all try to mimic but we can't...it's just HIS laugh and it's awesome.

2. The way that my voice and my mom's voice turn ultra-Southern as soon as we walk into that house. Like when my mom says, "Oh Daddy, it's deeliiishous. Where'd you get that watermelon? At the market?".

3. The way Maggie interprets Tori's unintelligible sentence toward the end of the video. Thanks Mag. And watch how Maggie rolls her eyes and shakes her head at all of us. That's straight from me. Awesome.

In the back yard of Papa's there's an ANCIENT playset that the kids just love. I'm talking a "man I hope my kids are up to date on their tetanus shots" kind of playset. It's a blast, though, and Zoe and Tori were cackling while they played on it with Maggie. It's so fun to watch them all really become sisters. Enjoy the pics! Oh, and by the way, the last pic is of Zoe holding a picture of her real twin, my mom!

Riddle me this...

2009-07-28T21:35:00.002-04:00

Why does a 37 year old woman who is babysitting her sister's children raid the pantry like she did when she would babysit as a 16 year old?

Ummmm, can you say popcorn, pretzels, beer and ice cream?

Straight chillin' in Columbia

2009-07-28T20:10:00.003-04:00

The kids and I are in Columbia for the week and we're having a great time. Missing Ian a TON, but having fun nonetheless. Last weekend he was here with us and we spent the weekend at Jeannie and Kelly's house with just the younger kids. The older kids were at the lake with my parents at Camp Gammy and Doc. They had such a blast. Maggie called me every night and it went something like this...

"Mom, guess what?! I've got a surprise for you....I found PIRATE TREASURE!"

"Mom, guess what?! I've got ANOTHER surprise for you...I skied!! Gammy said I went almost as far as a football field!"

"Mom, guess what?! I've got one more surprise for you...I went FISHING with Doc. And.....I caught a fish! The biggest one out of the whole group!"

I can't tell you how happy it made me to hear about all her surprises. She was so excited and it just made me smile because I know she was able to relax, have a blast, and just be a six year old girl. They just played. And played. And played.

The reason I love it so much for her is because my sweetest memories from growing up are from time spent at Nana and Papa's lake house at Lake Murray. We went there almost every Sunday afternoon when the weather was warm, and often stayed a few days if we could talk Nana into keeping us for longer. Every time I am on the water riding in the pontoon or sitting in the porch swing at my parents' house I get this "little girl" feeling again. My memories of being at the lake growing up are just so peaceful and so relaxing. And so full of fun and laughter...and food. But I digress...we've already covered the Sloans' obsession with all things Southern and fried.

On Sunday we all met up at my parents' lake house to pick up the "big kids" and watch them do all their tricks they learned at camp. We also gathered because it's my parents' 40th wedding anniversary. Yep, I said 40. Wow. Don't see that too much anymore.

When Nana and Papa had their 40th we all went to the lake and had our picture taken. That was probably 1987 and let me just say that for a picture taken in the 80's it's really not too terrible. My hair, though sprayed within an inch of it's life, is still relatively normal looking. Anyway, that shot hangs in all it's glory at every Hair/Sloan/Stanton/Meyer household in the southeast. Sooooo, Jeannie got the idea that we should do the same thing for Mom and Dad. We did and let me just say that it turned out ok. Granted, there are a couple kids in the pic who are either not looking or are making faces like serial killers, but overall I think it turned out pretty good. To see the pic, just go to my sister-in-law's site because she has it posted from the weekend. http://www.ashevillesloan.blogspot.com/

Poor Ian, though. He was only going to be at the lake for a few hours on Sunday before he drove back to Jacksonville. And that time got shortened considerably because our van battery decided to die so he and my Dad spent the afternoon driving to and from Wal-Mart to find and replace the battery. I have to say that I love my husband for so many reasons, but when he takes care of things like that for me I just want to give him a big wet kiss on the mouth. I was single for a long time (at least it felt like a long time) and I had to take care of a lot of things on my own. I remember what it's like to have to haul things by myself, to call tow trucks, to pump gas when I'm all dressed up for a wedding or something. I know those are little things, but they sure do spell out love to me. I'm just grateful for this hunka hunka burnin love that God gave me.

Gotta run. I'm at Jeannie's tonight with her kids while she's at Bible study and Watts and Nate are upstairs going ape in their bunk beds. It's time for me to regulate. I so love that I am here...I never get to do these normal everyday life things with them, like threaten them within an inch of their lives.

A great summer day...

2009-07-24T13:13:00.002-04:00

The last day of Jeannie's visit was spent basically at the pool and outside. The kids had a blast and were wiped out (which was the plan all along). I love the pics of the kids snarfing McDonald's...is there anything better after swimming for four hours than some yummy nuggets and chocolate milk? Seriously, I used to HOUSE some Mickey D's after swim meets when we were growing up. That's where my affinity for Big Mac's started - and continued with voracity during my pregnancy with the twins. Hmmm, maybe THAT'S why I'm having to do Weight Watchers...ya think?

Burn it, swim team.

Our summer...

2009-07-24T08:15:00.003-04:00

We like to start em out early
(Thanks Uncle Kelly)

Maggie, Amelia and Elizabeth putting on a show

Mom and Tori on the train at the mall

Jeannie's oldest boys, Watts and Nate

Here are some random pics from the summer. Some are from our last trip to Columbia - that's me and Watts, my nephew, making faces. The others are of the girls in our "outdoor shower" (aka nasty roof runoff water).

Things have been going pretty well around here. Last week my mom was visiting and we had a really great time. We took the kids everywhere, but we didn't have an agenda, so it was really nice. We even got a sitter so we could have some girl time (without the girls). We went to the mall twice ( 'cause "Women Be Shoppin") and they have a new train there that takes you all over the bottom level of the mall. It's a trip and really fun...unless your child decided she wants to ride in the front "coal carrying" car that is not covered and is out in the open so everyone can see you as you ride by each store. It was fun, though.

This week the fun continued as Jeannie came to visit with her boys. Man, there were a lot of kids in my house. They were so good, though, and really ilarious. The older three just stuck together and swam until they turned into prunes. The younger three were content to just run around in circles and crack each other up. I loved every minute of it (except when I would lose my cool). I would so love to live in the same place as my sister and her kids, and my brothers and their kids. It's something that will always be a dream of mine, though I know it's unrealistic...but hey, a girl can dream.

My little Hannahs...

2009-07-18T15:53:00.002-04:00

I'm a Slacker

2009-07-18T15:36:00.005-04:00

Hey you guys. Sorry I haven't blogged in a while. No excuse, really. Just kinda enjoying a laid back summer.

I do want to thank you for voting for Miss Nancy! She won the voting and is waiting to hear if she won the whole contest. (At a closer look we realized that, amazingly, the Ouidad people could finagle it so that they choose the winner. Vague. We're still holding out hope that she wins since she totally killed everyone in the votes and she's got a great story). I took some pics of Tori and Nancy when we were there last week. Maggie went too because it's basically like kid paradise at that place. There are tons of cool toys and gadgets, tiny workout machines and gym mats. The pics of us wearing crazy glasses is a game that somehow helps your eye coordination or something like that. No clue really, but it looked funny and it was fun.

Stay tuned for some funny videos. I have been trying to get the girls singing Hannah Montana and I think I finally got one.

I know, I know...2 year olds singing Hannah Montana. It could be worse people. At least it's not Flo-Rida.

Numero Uno!!!

2009-07-13T12:08:00.002-04:00

You all are amazing! Nancy is in first place. Yesterday at 3:30pm she had 13,492 votes...now she has over 20,000!!! I am sure this is directly related to all you folks checking my blog! Just kidding. I do think we've really helped a ton, though! Ian put it on IC (inside Carolina message boards) yesterday and that, along with some emial and facebook pleas, has launched her to the top! Woo Hoo!

Thank you so much for doing this. Remember you can vote once a day and tomorrow is the last day. Can't wait to let you know how she did!

Nancy's #2!

2009-07-11T08:45:00.001-04:00

Holy cow. I really can't believe this! Please scroll down and vote for Nancy as much as you can. Only four more days.

She has moved from #14 to #2 (and I'm sure it's because of all the "Sleepless" blogettes). Thanks for supporting Tori by voting for Nancy!

Nancy's up from #14 to #7!

2009-07-08T08:24:00.002-04:00

And I attribute that completely to all my peeps in blogland! Don't forget to vote for my little curly headed friend/OT! Scroll down and click the link...you'll see it.

All about "being healthy"

2009-07-06T20:44:00.002-04:00

I don't like talking about my weight on here. And don't worry, I won't do it a lot. I just have to say, though, that it is just way too easy to slip back into old habits all too quickly. Like tonight after I got the kids to bed...are you ready for this...I turned on my gas stove and roasted marshmallows so that I could eat not one but TWO s'mores. Somehow I don't think that's going to get me to my goal. I know now why they have weight watchers meetings every week. It really is like an addiction sometimes. I am not comparing my plight with Hershey's to the struggle of alcoholism, but I do see that the 12 steps guy was onto something. There is just something important about being in it together with other people who share your struggle and are going to urge you on.

Once again, Troy and Gabriella of the High School Musical trilogy had it right when they proclaimed the universal truth, "We're all in this together."

Where would I be without HSM? It leads me and guides me - it plays over and over in my head and on my van DVD player each and every day.

Anyway, long story longer...I need to get back on the WW wagon. For my own sake!

Miss Nancy

2009-07-04T07:36:00.010-04:00

So Tori has just the best Occupational Therapist ever here in Jacksonville. She is kind and generous, and she's exceptionally good at her work. She really cares for Tori and for our whole family. She's not just concerned with "her portion" of Tori's care, which is such a blessing for me, but she really involves herself in the whole self of Sweet T.

Oh yeah, and she has really beautiful curly hair. Which brings me to my point...

Nancy has been entered in this curly hair contest and she'll win a trip to NYC, a makeover, tickets to a show, some moolah, and a bunch of other stuff if we vote her in. I normally don't do stuff like this, but I am asking all you in blogland to just click on the link and vote for Nancy. She, like all of you, has been such a part of Tori's growth and development and I would LOVE for her to have this treat! Here's the link so you can see her cuteness and vote.

If These Curls Could Talk!

Sponsored by Ouidad

Right now she's number 14 out of 551 so maybe we can put her over the top!

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

2009-06-30T12:57:00.005-04:00

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...

2009-06-24T17:56:00.005-04:00

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...

2009-06-22T16:39:00.004-04:00

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...

2009-06-18T20:43:00.003-04:00

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.

2009-06-11T21:22:00.002-04:00

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...

2009-06-05T13:34:00.004-04:00

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...

2009-06-03T14:22:00.005-04:00

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...

2009-06-01T21:02:00.001-04:00

"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!!!

Just in case you were asking yourself...

2009-05-29T16:27:00.002-04:00

"I wonder if Buffy has had to clean up poop and vomit on her hardwoods today?"

The answer is a resounding YES.

Well, actually my friends Melyssa and Marty cleaned up the puke - I had the pleasure of poop duty earlier this morning.

Awesome.

I'm way too into the Gosselins

2009-05-25T22:51:00.003-04:00

It's almost 11:00 at night and I am currently trying to rid my mind of Jon and Kate marriage troubles. As if I don't have enough going on in my own little world to worry over, now I am taking on the marital strife of two people I have never met but feel like I know pretty well. I don't want to write too much about this because, well, it's embarrassing that I care so much. I do have to say, though, that after watching the season premiere tonight and just seeing the pain and hurt in their voices it was just about all I could take. They are so sad. Ugh. I feel like I got kicked in the gut.

What has my world come to that I am troubled by things that happen to the Nick and Jessicas and Jon and Kates of the world? I think I need to step away from the People magazine.

Rain, rain go away...

2009-05-24T18:41:00.003-04:00

Or stay for a while because that's obviously what you're doing. I have seriously never seen this much rain in my life. We were talking to a native Floridian the other day who said the rainstorms we've had this past week have been worse than any tropical storm or hurricane he's seen. Needless to say, we're all pretty pruney around here.

The one MAYJA (major) bright spot this weekend, though, was Friday night. Let me set the scene for you...I am at home with my kids and my friend Marty is here with her three kids. Her husband stops by after work and we're all just kinda hanging out, biding time until bedtime for the kids. The "big girls" are all exhausted from their week at school so they are kinda picking at each other and acting whiny. The twins are just running all over the place whining and squealing, and JP (the baby) is straight chillin. Bless him, he always has to put up with all the ladies.

Anyway, around 6:15 there's a knock on the door and it's Sandy/Nonnie. She comes in and says she just wanted to drop by and see Maggie's lost tooth. We all sit down and I'm kinda thinking, "could this house get any crazier?" when all of a sudden Sandy hands me a card. I open it up and inside there's a wad of cash and a note saying that she is sending me and Ian away to St. Augustine for the night...THAT night!!! She had all her stuff in her car, she had been to the store to get goodies for the kids and she was sending us away.

I really and truly don't think there's a better surprise she could have given me. I just needed Calgon big time.

So, my sweetie and I put the twins down for the night, packed our bags and headed out the door. We got to eat at our favorite Mexican Restaurant, Don Juan's, and it was soooo fun. Then we went to our hotel in St. Augustine, checked in, and absolutely collapsed into the big cushy bed at the Hilton. Hahhh-lahhh-lahhh. (That's "Sloan" for jijit, which is "Sloan" for awesome).

I slept until 10:30 the next day. 10:30 people. Did you get that?! Then we went to IHOP and I housed some blueberry pancakes like it was my job. So yummy and so fun.

So here's to you, sweet Nonnie - A Real American Hero - Ms. "My daughter-in-law is going to kill my grandkids if I don't get her out of there" woman. You know me too well! What a blast. What a treat. I love you and I love that you thought of us and planned for us to have a great night away. Three cheers for Nonnie!!!

LIVE...this is Dancing With the Stars

2009-05-20T19:41:00.002-04:00

I have to confess that I am in love with this show. We are avid DVRers around here and I rarely, if ever, watch things while they are actually on TV. Well, last night I was forced to demean myself and watch commercials with the rest of America because I couldn't wait to find out who would win season eight. Plus it's been raining here for literally three days and nights straight and the satellite signal was sketchy at best.

Why have I never posted about this before? Well, I think I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I'm so into it. I mean, to love a show that Tom Burgeron hosts...that's like telling a first date that you were a Drum Major in high school - it just doesn't really win you any cool points. Not that I would know (DHS 1990!). But I do love the show. I want to be famous - not so that I can do anything remarkable or so that I can live a life in the tabloids, but simply because I want to wear sequins, get my hair did and learn to do the Salsa with Maksim...is that so wrong?

So I was thrilled when little Shawn Johnson won last night. She's just cuteness all wrapped up in a little bouncy package. Seriously, though, I think her partner is loving her but she's only 17 so we'll see how that plays. I liked Melissa too, but she was a little too peppy. Her winning would have been great for her since she got screwed in front of the entire world on the Bachelor. I had to kinda hate her, though, because she looks great in those outfits...she really needs a cheeseburger.

And now for Gilles. I just couldn't take him. He and Cheryl were great dancers, but they started giving off the cheese vibe a few weeks ago and that was pretty much it for me. There's another reason I didn't want him to win but it requires a little backstory...

Ian and I did not have HBO when "Sex and the City" ran a few years ago. We did, however, start watching the reruns on TBS - it was still kinda steamy, but not disgusto. And, let's face it, they wore crazy clothes and ate at fabulous restaurants - it was an escape for me to watch. Anyway, Ian took me to the movie when it came out because he knew I liked the show. Man, we were not ready for the full frontal, non-cable version of SATC. It's not like we left the theatre or anything (please!) but it was a little much for the Smitties. It took me a couple weeks into DWTS season 8 to realize that Gilles was the guy in the movie. Why did it take me a couple weeks, you ask? Probably because all I remember of him in that movie is, well, his hoo-ha.

So, all season long as I've been watching him dance and trying to learn how to say his name correctly. I've just found it easier to refer to him as "hoo-ha guy" (except I used the correct anatomical term that I just can't bring myself to type on my blog).

Long story longer, I'm glad that "Jilted Cheeseburger Needer" and "Hoo-ha Guy" didn't win so that sweet little innocent Shawn Johnson could take the mirror ball.

I'm just sayin.

Two years ago at this moment...

2009-05-18T12:34:00.004-04:00

I was lying in a delivery room with a blue sheet up to my face and tremendous pressure gone from my belly. I had just given birth to twins. At 12:30 pm on May 18th Zoe DuPre came into the world, followed (but not to be outdone) by Victoria Jean at 12:31. Oh the magic of C-sections. It was only fitting that Zoe clear the way for Tori - she came out as full of personality and life as a little one could, living up to her name which means "life". And victorious Victoria, who I'm sure if she could have would have grabbed her sister's heel so she could come out with her...she hasn't missed a minute of life since.

I just put the little peanuts to bed and realized that they are turning into little girls right before my eyes. They were playing a game with each other - making each other laugh like only sisters can. I know there is a love greater even than a mother's, but sometimes I wonder how any love could be more intense, more passionate, or more life draining/giving than a mother's love for her children.

So here's to you, Tori and Zoe...with all the sleepless nights, doctor's appointments, ER visits, syndrome revelations, PT/OT/ST appointments, RSV, stomach bugs, bouts with mastitis, acid reflux, kidney reflux, meningitis, chocolate binges, sleepless nights, lack of waistline weight loss, bottle feedings, diaper changes, poop on the hardwoods, baths in your clothes, casts on your legs...I wouldn't change it even if I could. OK, maybe I would take some of that stuff away, but not if it would change one ounce of who you are or who Ian, Maggie and I have become from loving you.

Happy Birthday Girls!!

PARTAY

2009-05-17T19:52:00.008-04:00

Cinderella cakes that Marty made and we iced...soooo fun and sweet!

"Lyssa" and Zo-Zo

Harper, our next door neighbor, came in her ballet costume...so cute!!

Melyssa holding JP, and Logan making him smile

Birthday Girls suck down some juice

Tori in her "Rella" Bed - seriously, this is just too much

Granny Franny reading to the girls before the party

Zoe in her new Cinderella bedding

Zoe lay down on this blanket for a straight ten minutes today when she got it. Amazing. It was so sweet and cute!

So we had the twins' birthday party this afternoon. It was the craziest hour and a half I've had in a while - and that's saying a lot. It was fun, though. We just had a few neighborhood folks over and the kids swam in the pool and ate watermelon. Then we came inside for Cinderella Cakes that Marty made and they were pretty much the cutest things you've ever seen. Last night when she brought them over I just kept opening the fridge so I could look at them. They just made me smile.

Have I mentioned that my children watch Cinderella in it's entirety at least twice a day? It just stays on in my van and they watch it non stop while I'm driving them all over town.

Have I also mentioned that I think I could recite every word of every scene of Cinderella and Sound of Music without ever looking at the screen? It's just a talent I've picked up over the past few months that I am sure will come in quite handy someday...or never.

So here are the pics and a little video. Adorable. I can't believe my girls are two. I really can't. And then I can believe it. I guess that's just being a parent. Time crawls and time flies. Happy Birthday Tori and Zoe!

Can you say "R E D?"

2009-05-14T14:33:00.005-04:00

Last weekend Nonnie gave the twins their early birthday present - a big blow up pool. Awesome! The girls love it and I must say it's a lot easier than trapsing them up to the neighborhood pool.

I also must say, though, that we are now looking like the Clampets of the neighborhood (right Marty?!). Here are pics of us last weekend as we filled up the pool and put it in our garage/driveway so we could be out of the sun and swim in peace. As you can also see, we are starting to potty train and Tori thought she would just sit right on down in the driveway and try to go.

Our neighborhood has lots of rules and covenants, but I've never seen one that said you couldn't strip down your kids in the front yard and teach them to use the potty in plain view of passersby...you think that one's just an "understood"?

The Amazing Victoria!

2009-05-05T13:08:00.001-04:00

Here's little T walking in her full leg (Tarheel) casts. She really is amazing. And just so you know, this video is classic Maggie and Zoe too. Maggie doing tricks for the camera and Zoe dunking her meatballs in milk. Just another typical afternoon at the Smith house!

Milestones

2009-05-04T13:26:00.003-04:00

Lots of excitement around the Smith household this weekend. On Saturday Maggie's best buds, Amelia and Elizabeth, had their birthday party so we pretty much hung out there all day. They had a big pirate ship jumpy thing with a slide. The kids had a blast. Zoe and Tori came after naptime and spun their tornadic magic on the house. Zoe, as you can see, was busy feeding JP (or Rock-A-Baby, as she calls him), while Tori sat crunching on ice and funneling Capri Sun like it was her job. When Zoe wasn't playing mommy she was walking around the lanai (that's Floridian for screened porch) drinking every single water bottle and juice box she could get her little hands on.

As you can see from the pic, Maggie lost a tooth and she is totally snaggle-icious. It's super cute. We just had a fun time. It was nice to be in town and to have a chance to enjoy our kids, our neighborhood and our friends. Happy Birthday Amelia and Elizabeth!!!

I LOVE Disney!

2009-05-01T10:03:00.003-04:00

Mag and I got a chance to go to Disney - BY OURSELVES last Sunday and it was glorious! Mom was in town and she and Sandy kept the twins. I cannot tell you how much fun it was - not just to be with Maggie by myself, but to even drive down for two hours listening to the music I wanted to listen to and not having to throw snacks constantly to the backseat. I love my twins more than anything, but it was a great break. No diapers, no sippie cups, no poopy diapers, no strollers or pack and plays. It just makes a difference on a trip. I did feel a slight bit guilty, though, because the twins are really into Cinderella these days and I know they would love to see her. But frankly, I don't think they're ready for Disney yet. We took Maggie down for the day when she was two and a half and I seriously think we could have gone home after just the monorail ride. The littlest things are exciting to a two year old.

So thank you thank you thank you Gammy and Nonnie! While I was there I just tried to drink in every minute, knowing that I may never get the chance to take a Mommy/Maggie trip again. It was great.

We ended up spending the night at one of Disney's value resorts, which is a real value if you live in Florida. Little did I know, though, that the National Cheerleading Championships were being held at Disney that weekend so, needless to say, all the teams were staying at the cheapo hotel too. It made me feel old, and a bit large, but I mean who looks like that anyway? And plus, I'm just not 16 anymore - nor would I ever go back there for a gazillion bucks. Although it would be nice to snarf a cheeseburger, fries and a milkshake without giving it a thought.

Anyway, we were walking to our room in the afternoon and passed all these cheerleaders with their outfits (or lack thereof) on, their makeup and glitter on, and their hair plastered back and perfectly curled and Maggie said the funniest thing. I don't know if you're a fan of High School Musical (the first is the best, by the way)...well there's a line in the first movie where Gabriella and Taylor (who are super smart girls) are describing the cheerleaders. As we walked by these girls at Disney Maggie quoted them by saying, "Mom, those girls talk about Nail Beds." I said, "What? Mag that is hilarious!". Then she said, "What? They DO!".

1. Funny that Maggie pulled a random quote from HSM and used it in conversation
2. Funnier that she now thinks that all cheerleaders in the world talk about their nail beds
3. Funnier still that Maggie knows what nail beds are!

My little girl is growing up and I feel so blessed to be able to walk through life with her. She's a mess - and she's mine. I love that she's old enough to have conversations with me and still young enough to crawl on my lap when Ursula or Malefacent float by us at the parade. It was happy/sad. I know she's growing up and it's so fun, but it's also crazy to me that my little one will soon know that Cinderella really lives in a condo and not in the castle.

Or maybe she'll be like her mother and fully suspend her disbelief when she's in the Magic Kingdom. So for all you Mouseketeers out there "Have a Magical Day!".

Every girl's crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man...

2009-04-24T09:52:00.002-04:00

All you six year old ladies at Liberty Pines better step off because I am claiming Evan for my Mag!

This is Evan - one of the triplet boys of my friend Melyssa (who also has an older son - don't want to leave him out!). Evan is so sweet, so smart, and so adorable. Evan is Ian as a little boy. When Ian was little he talked a friend's mom into buying him a sport jacket, shirt and tie from the consignment shop. He was about 8 years old, so the story goes. When Ian went to UNC he upped his game even more and started sporting bow ties. I love them. It takes a real man to sport a bow tie, I think!

Anyway, little Evan likes to wear a shirt and tie to work - he wants to look dapper like his dad when he goes to work. Evan decided that he wanted to wear a bow tie so Ian told him he would teach him how. Long story longer, here are the pics. It's tough to teach a kid who doesn't fully know how to tie his shoes how to tie a bow tie, but Evan is no ordinary six year old! He came over one evening this week with his little pressed dress shirt and got Mr. Ian to teach him.

It was adorable. Of course princess Maggie wanted to dress up too so I picked out a few things for her to put on. Instead, though, she went to her room and put on her bikini and her swimming float and pranced herself right into the bathroom where the lesson was taking place. I think Maggie knows that a real little man was in the house and she had to work it too!

Just kidding...sort of.

Oh, and the other pic is of Zo Zo dressing up in The Incredibles outfit. She is really into dress up these days.

And little T has her second round of casts but I don't have a picture yet of the purple princess. I'll get back to you...

Chapel Hill pics

2009-04-20T20:18:00.004-04:00

Sweet T

2009-04-17T15:01:00.003-04:00

So here's my little one with her full leg casts. We got them yesterday and she'll wear them for about a month, changing them out each week. We are hoping this will straighten out her little feet.

She was an angel while they were putting on the casts. Then when we got home and I put her down on the ground she was TICKED. She's fine until she realizes that she can't get up and go any more. She has learned to sit up on her own and army crawl, but there's no way she's gonna walk with those suckers on.

Good news is that she now weighs 15 lbs! And even more with those honkin casts on her legs. She cracked Zoe in the head with one of them yesterday and I think I'm definitely going to have bruises from her kicking me while I'm changing her diaper. Fun.

Anyway, I was a little frazzled yesterday, needless to say, so my sweet friends Melyssa and Marty decided we could use some park time. The kids all had a blast and Tori just sat there and laughed and chatted while everyone played. Of course she gets whatever she wants for the next few weeks, so Melyssa gave her an entire bag of ruffles that she ate while she sat. So cute! She may not look at all like me, but that kid can eat like a Sloan...nothing's too bad that a bag of chips can't fix.

Though I was pretty upset about it yesterday (because frankly it really changes things for me...what about MY needs?!) I realized today that it's actually going to help me out a bit. For instance, when I need to get the twins out of a room I don't have to grab one and take her out only to have her run back in while I am frantically trying to get the other one out. As a matter of fact, I am thinking of asking if they'll go ahead and cast Zoe's legs too. That way I can just get them up, plop them on the floor in the den, and turn on Elmo all day long. Sounds like a plan to me!

Part 3

2009-04-16T20:36:00.005-04:00

This is like the Godfather Trilogy, only part three is really the best. Here are the pics from Nana Feast. It was so fun! As you can see from the video the food was scrump-dilly-icious. Especially the mustard based bar-b-que. That junk is slammin! Thanks Mom for hooking me up.

Basically the afternoon consisted of cooking, eating, frying, snarfing it down, chasing children, hunting Easter eggs, drinking mimosas and topping it all off with sugar shock from 5 lemon pound cake, chocolate cake, coconut cake, and lemon pie. The frying was done by my Aunt Suzy and Aunt Judy. Suzy is sporting one of Nana's cooking aprons, which I love and wish I had! So fun.

BTW, the pics are a little heavy on the Smiths. Sorry guys. Enjoy...

Part Deux

2009-04-14T22:35:00.005-04:00

So I am writing tonight under duress because my Mom told me that she keeps getting angry when she opens my blog and finds no new posts. Sorry Mom...this one's for you.

I have been putting it off a bit because I have some great pics on the camera that I want to share from Nana Feast and Chapel Hill. Tonight I was all ready to share them with you when I realized that all the camera gear is in the twins' room and there's no way in the world I'm going to risk baby drama - even for the sake of my Mama.

Let me just say, though, that it was really sweet to get to see friends last week. It was crazy and there were many times that I wondered why we even tried this adventure with a six year old and not-even-two year old twins. Nevertheless it was just good for my heart to see those folks. The McSwains were gracious enough to open their home to us and I slept in sweet Emily's room surrounded by smiling faces in high school photos and Bible verses posted all over the walls. It truly was like being covered by angels. What made it even sweeter is that Emily was in a group I had the privilege of co-leading that we affectionately called "The Freshmores" (because the girls were freshmen and sophomores when we started).

I have to say that I love McSwain-land. It's a crazy house with people always coming and going, phones ringing, people laughing, and some type of yummy carbs baking in the oven. I had a chance to spend about an hour with Susan the last night we were there and it was so sweet. We were both about to fall flat on our faces from exhaustion so we decided to sit on the couch and talk and laugh for a while. So fun.

We had a cookout thrown for us at the Holahans' and it was great. The girls and I jumped with friends on the trampoline and reminisced about that fateful day in NC when Maggie broke her leg jumping on one at a Business School picnic. Ahhh, those were the days. Inevitably the girls would meltdown around 4:30 or so and it would usually last quite a while. Of course we were never at home base when that happened. Mostly it happened when we would sit down together at a friend's house to eat dinner. I try very hard to make my kids sit at the table and eat, and they do pretty well. When they're "Ahh Dun, Ahh Dun" though, they are truly all done and ready to get up and outta there. So we would let them out, which always meant we were no longer seated either because we were chasing them to make sure they didn't drink dog-water or decorate the walls with Sharpies. Fun.

It was fun, though, because all these people either have small kids themselves or know what it's like. And I think they really truly love us, which is good because when you are traveling with small children there's really very little you can do to mask your frustration/exhaustion. I am so grateful for those friends who took us in and just jumped right in to wipe noses, give baths, and unearth kid toys so my girls could have fun and we could steal a few minutes to visit.

I'll write more later with pics, but I just wanted to say thanks to all my sweet friends who loved on us last week. Can't wait until next time...and by next time I either mean when you come to Florida or when my children are old enough to feed, bathe and clothe themselves!

Nana Feast, Tarheels, and False Peaks (Part 1)

2009-04-07T20:20:00.003-04:00

What a whirlwind. First of all Sandy and I caravaned (is that a word? I'm thinking not) from Jacksonville to Columbia last Friday. It was a trip - especially considering the fact that all three of my children were on antibiotics and running various degrees of fevers. Awesome.

Once in Columbia we were joined by Ian who drove down from Charlotte where he had been working all week. It was great to see him and to see my parents. And it takes me about that long too. So on Saturday I went to Target with Sandy and Zoe and as I was romping through the dollar bins I got a phone call from Ian. Tori had just thrown up twice and he needed me to come home. So we did. I called the doc and we figured out that she had just puked up her motrin because she hadn't eaten much of anything that day. All became right again with the world after the vomiting incident and we were having a nice day playing outside with the kids. Then we got a phone call from my sister, Jeannie, who was in tears because her one year old son, Sam, had fallen off the wagon (literally) and cracked his head. I went over to her house and stayed with her oldest son, Watts, who was quarantined because he had 104 fever. Thankfully all was well with Sam, though when I called over to Mom's house to see how things were going with my own children I realized that, well, I just needed to be there so that my kids would make it through the evening. Not a banner night for Ian, though I have those all the time and you all know what I mean. I told him to come stay with Watts and watch basketball while I came back and took care of our own kids. I didn't want to do it, but I did. I mean one child with 104 fever is far more relaxing than taking care of three semi-healthy, hungry, sleepy girls. But I did it and it worked out for the best.

Thankfully to end up the day the Tarheels won and all was once again right with the world.

I haven't really posted much about the Tarheels and the passions they induce in my household. I didn't go to UNC, but married into the madness and was borderline maniacal when we lived in Chapel Hill. Ian, on the other hand, is seriously in a whole other category of fanhood. Being a fan doesn't even really describe it. For those of you who know my husband you know he is SUPER chill. He doesn't really talk about "feelins" a lot and believe me when I say that I have enough for the both of us. But when the Heels come on it's really just a remarkable thing to behold. I don't even know how to describe it except to say this: I know he loves me and our girls so much. I know he is passionate about being my husband and their father. But the raw emotion that comes out of that man when Roy's boys hit the court can only be described as unbridled passion. For example, one of our friends who went to Duke gave us a nice set of Duke glasses for a wedding gift knowing full well Ian would hate them or use them as spit cups if he ever took up dipping. Instead of dipping, though, Ian decided to save the glasses and then break them one by one when Carolina either lost miserably or beat the pants off the Blue Devils. One shining moment in our early married life occurred when the Tarheels lost to Duke. Ian promptly got up from the couch, grabbed a glass from the cabinet, opened the screen door onto our second story apartment porch and shattered that thing onto the pavement below. Wow.

So here we are in Durham now, visiting for the week. We got her yesterday and were able to watch the Heels win the National Championship. We were at Tillet's house, which is basically a house that is a bachelor pad/shrine to the Tarheels. I hope I'm not giving away any ancient Chinese secrets when I say that all the guys sit in the same place each game and wear the same shirts they wore when the Heels won in 2005. The funniest, and I'm sure most effective pre-game tactic though, is when all the guys head out to the garage before tip off and they lift weights...you know, just to get pumped and ready for the game. There are a few other traditions that I will keep underwraps because we don't want to give away all the secrets, but let's just say that it only fed the madness that runs rampant through my husband's blood.

Today we took the girls to the Dean Dome to welcome the team back. It was great to be there with them, though I think it will be a better memory than an actual experience.

Which leads me to the "False Peaks" portion of the post. I'll have to give you part two tomorrow because I'm really uncomfortable sitting here right now and typing. More to follow...

This one's for Martha

2009-04-02T20:53:00.001-04:00

Where'd you get those Baby Shoes?

Gotta start em off right with the Target Lady. If you don't know what I'm talking about then just google YouTube Target Lady. My kids crack me up!

Slacker

2009-03-29T19:14:00.004-04:00

Sorry I haven't blogged much. I just haven't felt like it! How's that for an excuse.

Last weekend I had the opportunity to get away for a weekend. It was anything but a retreat - I came home more physically tired than when I left. It was a great experience, though, and I am so thankful for the opportunity to attend. The weekend is called the Great Banquet and it was held at my church in Jacksonville. Honestly it's not my type of retreat because, well, it's not a retreat. There are a LOT of speakers and it's pretty intense. But it was just so so good for me. I think I am the only one who left feeling rested in ways that I truly needed.

For example, we had to give up our watches and cell phones which was so difficult for some, but glorious for me. The team made our meals, and they were beyond delicious and abundant. I was told when to be where I needed to be, when to settle in for bed, and when to wake up. I think I loved this so much because I didn't have to make a single decision. That and the fact that no one was saying, "Watta, watta, milk-a-me, milk-a-me, waffle, waffle, nakin-me, nakin-me" all weekend long. (For those of you who don't speak "Zoe" that's "water, water, milk for me, milk for me, waffle, waffle, and napkin me, napkin me - aka give me a napkin". No one woke up in the middle of the night screaming because their molars are coming in (i.e. Tori). And no one was saying, "So what are we going to do today, Mom" (the Mag).

We had a time to be silent and I LOVED it. I think I could have done that the whole three days.

I was so ready to come home, though. I just really missed Ian and the girls. Even though I make light of their driving me crazy, and they do drive me crazy at times, I just missed them a bunch. When I saw Maggie at the church on Sunday after it was over I seriously thought I might leap out of the car I was in so that I could go and squeeze her neck. That's a great feeling.

So I guess I just wanted to share that the Lord was good to me last weekend. I know He is good all the time, but last weekend was a real gift. I know that a lot of people prayed hard and worked hard so that I could make some space to hear from the Lord and to hear myself think. It was glorious and I am so grateful!

Ice Cream at Marty's

2009-03-18T08:32:00.002-04:00

I'm not sure I've posted about how excited I am to have my friend Marty living 5 houses up from us. They moved in about a month ago and it's been so fun. She has twin girls who are 6 years old, in Maggie's class, and of course are Maggie's best buds. Then she has a little bundle of lovin' named JP, aka "Rock-a-Baby, Rock-a-Baby" to Zoe, who is 2 months old. Every day after school either Marty or I (or both) will walk up to the bus stop to get the big girls. Then about 3 out of 5 afternoons we all have snack together and it's basically a free for all daycare for an hour or two.

Yesterday we went to Marty's because she has this awesome lanai (that's a screened porch for you non-Floridians) and we just let the kids run around and eat little ice cream cones. By the way, if you haven't found the little mini ice creams at the grocery store you're missing out. It's perfect for kids - and you can eat like 5 of them and still talk yourself into believing it was less than a regular sized ice cream. Anyway, here are the adorable pictures Marty took. I could seriously eat Tori with a spoon when her hair is in pigtails.

Maggie's birthday party

2009-03-14T17:28:00.005-04:00

I can't believe I haven't put these pics up yet. They are just so fun and cute so I thought I'd include them. The last one pretty much encapsulates what her party was all about...jumping. Or as Zoe calls it, "Jumpin-n-n, Jumpin-n-n". For some reason she adds "n-n" on everything.

Like a few weeks ago when we were driving to church and she saw a McDonald's and thought were turning in there. She started yelling "YEA!!! YEA!!! Chicken-n-n, Chicken-n-n!!! YEA!!!".

My 22 month old knows all about Happy Meals. What a proud Mommy moment.

But I digress... enjoy the birthday pics.

Nice Send Off

2009-03-06T12:01:00.003-05:00

This is the way I find Zoe almost every time I get her up from sleeping...totally naked.

My sweet friend Harriet and her family are moving back to Durham, NC tomorrow. I am so sad! We have tried to get our crazy children together a lot this week so we can have coffee and hang out. Today I dropped by her house with Starbucks as a sort of final farewell. In classic Smith style our time ended with my leaving Tori there with her while I rushed Zoe to the doctor. She (Zoe) started throwing a fit in my arms and I put her down on the ground so she could go at it. She threw her head back and smacked it on the concrete. Of course it started bleeding everywhere, Harriet pulled out a bag of frozen okra (I love my Southern friends!), slapped it on her head and sent me out the door.

When I walked into the doctor's office the nurse just rolled her eyes with me. They know Zoe's a nut. I swear I have been keeping those people in business this past year. I've been in there three times since last Friday.

What a way to send off my friend. It really is perfect, though. She has seen me at my worst and for some reason still likes to be around me. I'm going to miss her for so many reasons. First of all, her boys are the most precious little things ever and her oldest, Will, has a smile that could literally light up a room. Secondly, she somehow knows me and knows when I need a break. She talked Ian into letting her take me away for the night last May. It was heavenly! We sat by the pool, read gossip magazines, got our toes done, ate yummy food and were asleep by like 9:30. I love that she is from Durham and we have that connection. I love that she will be eating NC barbeque, strolling Duke Forest and breathing in the beautiful spring in just 24 short hours.

The thing I think I will miss the most, though, is that she totally cracks me up. I think it takes a LONG time to start to really gut laugh with someone. I do that with my siblings pretty easily and with Ian, but even though I've only known her a couple years I really laugh when I'm with Harriet. Though we really don't get to see each other all the time, we call each other a bunch just to share something funny. I hope that won't change, though she won't be able to crack on people in our neighborhood any more. (Just kidding St. John's Golf - sort of). So sad.

Harriet, I love you and your family to pieces. Can't wait to visit soon and see you settled in NC. I know it's truly home for you both and we are excited/jealous (did I just type that?) for all that's ahead for you.

One thing we won't miss - watching the Duke/UNC game with you. I can't believe we tried to do that a couple years ago. Amazing our friendship made it through!

It's all over now

2009-03-01T15:57:00.002-05:00

The twins were in their cribs "napping" and I thought I heard a door close. I went down the hall and their door was still closed so I didn't think much about it. A few minutes later Zoe was really crying so I went in. She was standing in the middle of the room clutching her "Baa Baa". There were baby wipes emptied out all over the floor and the closet door was open with clothes strewn everywhere.

She got out of her crib.

I don't know what to do. If she does it again tonight she's getting spanked. It's tough, though, because I'm kind of proud of her for figuring it out and she's so thrilled with herself. I just can't have her getting out of her crib, though, and I just can't bring myself to buy one of those mosquito nets that cages her into the crib.

On another note, Tori fell and hit her head on the dryer today while she was helping me. She has a big bump beside her eye, which looks great with the scratch she has across her chin from yesterday (no clue about that one). Then a few minutes ago I sat her in the chair at the table and gave her a granola bar. I left the room thinking, "she's old enough to sit there for a minute". Umm, no. She started screaming and Maggie was yelling for me. I ran back inthere and Tori was lying on the tile floor. Mag told me that Tori stood up in her chair and then fell off onto her head on the floor.

So, I guess I'll be checking her pupils every time I walk into their room to spank Zoe tonight for getting out of the crib.

Awesome.

Ham Bone...Where Have You Been...

2009-02-25T09:46:00.002-05:00

Around the world...And back again...hambone!

This is more than just a little ditty that my grandfather would sing to us while he played this hilarious rhythm on his knee. (I know, I know, more of the South Carolina Sloan craziness).

Well never was this ditty more true than last week. First of all, Maggie's birthday was on Valentine's Day and lots of family came in to celebrate. While they were here my dad decided he should go to the store and get ham, string beans, and hot dogs so we could make it through the weekend. After all, "there are so many things you can do with ham to feed a large family," he said. So funny. And so true.

I felt like Bubba Gump with the ham. We had ham by itself, green beans cooked with ham, vegetable soup with ham, black eyed peas with ham, ham biscuits, and ham sandwiches.

And the funny thing is, I felt like such a woman that week cooking up all that ham stuff. Sometimes I just picture my grandmothers smiling down at me from heaven while I make these Southern goodies. I put my apron on, let my kids run wild (like always), and get to cookin.

It's funny the things that make me feel like a woman. Not going shopping or wearing sexy lingerie. For me it's cookin it up for my family and bringing food to my friends.

All this cooking made me start thinking about the good cooking Nana did for our family over the years. It's almost been a year since she died and so I decided we should celebrate her life by, what else, cooking! So on Palm Sunday we're going to have a Nana Feast in Columbia at my mom's house for all Nana's kids, grands and great grands. I seriously can't think of anything more fun. Everyone is going to come and bring something that Nana made. Here's a sampling:

Fried chicken
Fried squash (aka "Papa's Favorite")
Mushroom rice
Butter beans (that's lima to you)
Green beans
Rice and gravy
(Extremely) Sweet Tea
Vanilla cake with chocolate frosting and pecans on top
Pound Cake
Trash (aka homemade chex mix)
Easter Eggs to dye and hunt (We always did this at the lake every year)
And let's don't forget the ever popular, ever present hi-ball (screwdriver) and mimosas

So take out stock in Tums. Wanna come?

2009-02-20T13:36:00.002-05:00

People ask me how I find time to blog. I always tell them that I do it so that I'll stay sane, which is partially true. Today it is totally true. I'm having one of those days. It's 1:30 and both girls are awake from their naps already FOR THE DAY. Tori has a tooth poking through and is such a bear when that happens. She is usually a real angel, but this kid screams nonstop when she's getting a tooth. Zoe, on the other hand, just seems to choose days to scream and whine. Really it seems like every day and it's really really hard.

I am breaking one of our family rules because we try not to speak negatively about another member of the family to others. But I gotta tell ya, I'm going nuts. I don't really know what to do. I tried to take them to a friend's house today for a playdate and it's just so difficult to reign them in, keep them out of trouble and off the stairs when we're somewhere else. Then I just end up feeling more frustrated because I can't finish an entire sentence, let alone a thought, with the friend I'm visiting.

I know this is going to pass. I know it goes quickly. I just can't help but think that I would be so much more fun if I had them in some sort of daycare or mother's morning out. One that I could count on. I have a sitter or two who come occasionally, but I am usually using that time to run errands or go tot he doctor or something. Which, don't get me wrong, is better than trying to do those things with the twins.

I realize I'm committing Mommy Sins by wishing this away and I want to say that's not what I'm doing, but I guess today I am. Sorry. I know that's not good. That's just where I am.

I promise I'll write about more encouraging things next time!

A trip to the Sheriff's Office

2009-02-09T20:24:00.003-05:00

Last Friday I had the pleasure of accompanying Maggie's class on a field trip to the Sheriff's Office in downtown Jacksonville. Despite the really really late bus arrival and eating my knees in the tiny school bus seats it was actually a really fun trip. We got to learn about K-9 Cops and their dogs, talk to the Bomb Squad, see the fancy helicopter, and pet the horses that the horsey cops ride. It was pretty cool.

The night before we left for the field trip Maggie, Ian and I were sitting at the dinner table discussing what we might do and see. All of a sudden Ian lays a bribe out there for Maggie. He said that he would take her to FIVE movies if she would stand up when the sheriff asked for questions and yell out, "Don't Tase Me, Bro!".

Seriously. This is the lunatic I married.

And the lunatic I birthed actually did it. Well, it wasn't in front of the whole class and the officer didn't exactly hear her, but she still did it. I heard her and I laughed my head off.

So Saturday he took Maggie to "Hotel for Dogs" - the first installment in the five movie bet.

What am I supposed to do with him? And with her?

Thank goodness for tiny miracles...

2009-02-07T07:49:00.001-05:00

It's 7:45 a.m. and I JUST got out of bed. Walked out into the hall to get what I thought would be screaming twins out of bed. Instead I hear laughter. I look on the breakfast table and sippy cups and cereal are already set out for the babies. Who did all this...

Maggie.

She's in the twins' room right now reading them books and making them laugh, all so Ian and I can sleep a little longer.

Seriously, I have the best five almost six year old ever!

Feeling old

2009-02-04T11:51:00.002-05:00

For the past few nights we've been watching a lot of TV...well, we do that pretty much every night. But this week we've been paying special attention to the commercials, of course. I gotta tell ya, I am starting to feel a little old. Like remember when your grandparents first saw a VCR and wouldn't even go NEAR it because it was too complicated? (Of course, Nana got over that quick because she wanted to learn how to tape her "stories"!). Or how your parents get that far away look in their eyes when they hear you talking about facebook or IM? Well, these are the looks I'm giving Ian every night when we watch some of these ads. And I really thought I was kinda with it. Apparantly not.

For instance, what is up with the Geico ads? I have been ready for them to move on from the caveman spots for a while now, but why did they choose to go to a stack of money with eyeballs? I just don't get that. Ian says that I'm not the target (Mr. Fancy Marketing Man telling me how it is). He's obviously right because I don't understnad a bit of that spot where the couple is in the Chinese restaurant and the woman is flirting with the Geico stack of money. Wha?

I do have to say, though, that the HULA spot with Alec Baldwin was hysterical. And I KNOW my parents didn't get a bit of it. I find that I am quickly approaching those days, though, when I stare at the newest tv spots and shows and think, "Is that supposed to be funny? I just don't get it." Maggie is going to be rolling her eyes and thinking that I'm so last week. It's coming quick, people.

What's making you feel old these days?

WWJD

2009-01-29T20:30:00.002-05:00

Yesterday we had the pleasure of having my aunt and uncle over for dinner. They live in Colorado so we rarely get to see them, but they were in Orlando for the week and decided to drive up and see our little family. It was so fun. I kept thinking last night that I am so glad to live in Florida because people are always coming to Florida and can stop by. I also thought how much I love having family in our house. It just makes me smile to see extended family playing with our kids because I grew up with so much family around.

I was in a bit of a quandary, however, because they invited us to dinner. I quickly told them that the experience of having dinner with my children at a restaurant is one that is not so pleasant. We decided to stay at home but Dendy, my uncle, insisted in bringing in food so that I wouldn't have to cook. Here's where the WWJD comes in...and I ain't talkin about Jesus. My WWJD in these situations is "What would Jeannie Do". For those of you who don't know, Jeannie is my younger sister and my best friend. We know each other backwards and forwards, ups and downs, highs and lows. One of Jeannie's biggest strengths/weaknesses is that she goes above and beyond the call of duty at ALL times to make people feel welcome and cared for. She has a huge heart and would literally bring you a homemade meal the day after she gave birth herself if she weren't still in the hospital. She's a great cook and a wonderful friend. I say this is a strength and a weakness because she is so loved by so many, but she really wears herself out sometimes.

Back to the quandary...what do I do? Do I let Dendy and Margie order in food when I've been at home all day and could have made some delicious feast? What would Jeannie do? No question...she would have whipped up some chicken enchiladas with homemade salsa or standing rib roast with potatoes and salad. And it would have been delicious. And she would have wanted to do it - every bit of it. I wanted to do it too, but not enough to actually do it. I did pull out the crock pot, got out my ingredients, realized I didn't have everything, then packed it back up under the cabinet.

Instead, I made a pound cake. I think pound cake is my new thing. I get to use my new mixer while reminiscing about Nana's pound cakes and the fact that mine will never taste quite as good. I love making it, love serving it, and love eating it. As a matter of fact, the last two times friends have had babies I haven't brought dinner...just a really yummy buttery pound cake. I figure once I get to the point where I'm acutally making real dinners for my own family then I can go back to bringing people meals. For now, though, I'll bring the eggs to room temperature and soften the butter because that I can handle.

Last night we had a great visit with Dendy and Margie. We ordered pizza that Dendy picked up, and I made a salad and, well, pound cake. It was fun and I didn't feel like pulling my hair out trying to get dinner on the table. It was just right for me.

So Jeannie, aprons off to you, sister. You're my hero. Really. I love the way you love people by making food for them. I hope to be able to do that someday. Until then, I'll just keep my WWJD bracelet wrapped around my wrist and dream of the days to come...by the way, I'm kind of having a rough week. I know you have three kids and Watts has strep throat, but do you think you could ship down some pot roast? Mmmm, and sour cream biscuits, and your chocolate chip cookies, and Kelly could whip up a latte....

gooddog?

2009-01-28T12:15:00.002-05:00

Hey - love your comments, but don't know who you are! I know you're an NC friend and you have kids, but you didn't sign your name and I can't find it on your profile. I'm racking my brain! Fill me in.