Geggie Night Live!

Tonight Maisy and Ninah danced at the school talent show, which was a 2.5 hour packed show. They picked their song (Baby-Bieber) and practiced with our Jr. High neighbor girl. It was really cute...completely age appropriate. I was super proud of them for getting up in front of such a huge audience. Maisy took the whole process very seriously. The music even skipped and messed up their choreography, but they pulled off perfectly! Just watching their littleness up there made me so sad. All that sweet innocence will be replaced with sassy shakes before I know it. I wish I could keep her like this forever.

Mario!

When Knox rides his bike, he calls himself Mario, because he is so fast. He was riding down our driveway hill without using his feet, but a bad crash ended that dare devil stunt. He busted his little chin up and now wears a helmet. It is amazing how your parenting skills diminish between the first and the third. I wouldn't have let Carson anywhere near a bike like that at 2. With Knox I encourage him to ride full speed ahead down the driveway while I get the camera. Bad Mom!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day to all our special friends! We miss you! We hope this lovey-dovey day brings you closer to all the things you love. I will be giving my little bundles of sweetness extra hugs and kisses today.

The videos did not post in the order I had hoped. The first two are completely age appropriate humor and I apologize, but they thought they were really funny. Me, not so much. Please keep in mind, Maisy thought of both the heartfelt rhymes. Oh, my sweet girl!

Naked Knox

He will do anything Bubby does.

While my back was turned he colored his hands instead of the paper.

Now that Knox is mostly potty-trained he refuses to wear pants. He is very aware of his "body parts" and wants "lulu out". He removes his pants as soon as you get them on and throws huge fits when he has to leave the house in them. Luckily he likes being outside enough that I can usually bribe him into them to play outside. But, other than that he has managed to give our 3 neighbor girls quite a lesson in the male anatomy.

To complicate things, Jeremy was in charge of buying the last package of pull-ups for bedtime and he bought pink Dora ones. With Knox being the third kid, Jeremy being a miser and me wanting to avoid another errand I don't have time for, neither one of us have any issues with his pink pull-ups. Again, the last kid is treated different. So, at home Knox is either naked or in a pink pull-up sleeping. Do you think any of this will come back to haunt us?

Mr. Knox is talking all the time. You can understand most of it. He is a copy cat with a great sense of what is funny or naughty. He gets way too many laughs for his "mean-ness" and is sure to be a complete maniac in any structured setting. Right now we are all just loving every minute with those naked buns!

SURPRISE!

After some very guilt ridden "stories" and 3 weekends of previous celebrations, we finally pulled off Maisy's surprise party!

She requested a surprise party this year, along with a gymnastics membership for her birthday gift. "Your wish is my command, Your Highness" should be tattooed on my forehead. Pathetic, I know. But she got what she wanted...by the look on her face during and after the surprise you wouldn't know it though. She was like a deer in the headlights...confused, scared, completely unaware of what was happening. It was a priceless conversation afterwards though. She asked me if she was sleeping because she was so happy she thought she was dreaming. Sweet. I don't think she has enough worldly experience to understand the "pinch me" expression, but she was verbalizing it in her own way.

What I learned from this experience was that kids don't always need all the extravagance that we shower upon them. Not that we are living the high life on Legends Bluffs Court, but luckily our kids don't want for much. Since her party was late and in her mind not going to exist, after the initial conversation and tear I never heard another word about it. She was fine without a party. She wasn't emotionally scarred or rejected at school. She was absolutely completely fine. After further research I realized Carson didn't even remember his pool party I stressed over for his last birthday, so new official Smith rule...birthday parties on the even years only.

Sorry Knox! The baby does get the shaft sometimes, but you will be a better person because of it. (Or at least that is what we will tell you.)

Most importantly, my baby girl is getting older, wiser, and bigger by the day. There is nothing baby about her anymore. She is long and skinny with dimples that can melt your heart. She is officially six and trying out her sass whenever she can. She is thoughtful, loving, smart, creative, and funny. She is happy and terribly honest. She will confess her own mistakes so candidly you can't even get mad at her. She will also criticize your outfit choice, hair or belly fat openly too. While I love every ounce of that crazy kid, the thing I want to honor most about her right now is her ability to constantly surprise. So in that respect, the party was totally fitting. She continues to be a walking contradiction and surprises me all the time with her reactions, thoughts, and actions. She is a true individual. I love that strength I see in her. I pray it stays in her heart and mind forever. She is my Sister Belle and I cannot imagine this world without her.

Time Flies

Funny girl!

Brothers and Buddies!

He loves his dragon towel!

Carson crashed bath time! This won't happen again. They are getting too big, but I had to get a picture to remember how happy they were in there together.

Knox is beginning to color...still working on putting it in the right places.

We are so busy right now that days, weeks, and months are flying by. Carson is playing football and basketball, with baseball practices weekly too. Maisy is playing soccer and doing gymnastics. Jeremy refs 2-3 nights a week. Knox is just along for the ride, and I am trying to keep my head above water and the laundry clean. We have something every night of the week, but Tuesdays. On Saturdays we have 2-3 ball games of some sort. CRAZY!

As I struggle through the hectic schedule that rules our lives, I try to still find the wonder in each day. It is super hard some times, but when I take 2 minutes to look at my beautiful babies I just fell so blessed. Carson is a wonderful brother to Knox. He helps with him and loves to play with him. In fact they are "playing" Wii right now. Probably Knox is pretending to play while Carson really does. Carson just finished chasing him all around and convincing him to play karate. Maisy is the most lively, spontaneous creature I have ever seen, but right now she is nestled up beside me watching television quietly. She just read beautifully to me and is very happy just chillin' with me. Knox is so funny right now. He is a total nudist. He loves to snack on treats, and he loves me so much right now, which I covet. He reminds us to pray at dinner every night and ends with a big "Amen". They are all so precious, as any child is. I just hate how quickly time is flying by. I hope I can look back on this crazy time and remember how wonderfully challenging and fun this adventure is with my family.

Christmas at Our House

This was a crazy busy pre-Christmas, followed by a the most relaxing, lazy Christmas day ever. First of all, the kids and I had school through Thursday, Dec. 23rd. It was a long week! Then Friday we prepared for a Christmas party out our house. We had the cleaning lady, mattress delivery guys, furniture delivery guys, van trade guy from KC, and my parents arrived all that day, in addition to 3 over excited children running wild. It was a nuthouse! Jeremy and I were exhausted by 2:00, but had a good 12 hours of cleaning, cooking, and entertaining to go. We survived the party and had a great time with our friends. Our first night in our new, giant king bed was the best night's sleep! Merry Christmas to us!

We scraped ourselves out of bed early the next day still foggy from the party, but ready to have Christmas with my parents. We had breakfast and opened gifts with them, so they could head home. It was a very generous celebration, and honestly gifts could have stopped there. But, a mountain remained for Christmas Day. We had all the Smith gifts under our tree, in addition to our gifts. Santa still had to contribute the big ticket items later. We are a very fortunate family.

Christmas Eve was really peaceful. We cooked together, went to church, and settled in for a family movie. I was so tired. I kept dozing during the movie. Knox would yell, "Mommy, ake up!" I couldn't keep my eyes open. The kids had enough energy for all of us, but somehow managed to go to sleep. Jeremy and I took care of all the last minute details, and settled in for a long winter's nap. So tired again!

The kids made it until 7:00. Then Maisy came screaming into our room that she got her chair. They waited so patiently for us to get up and get downstairs for pictures and coffee. Santa brought Maisy the pampasan chair she wanted. Carson got a work bench, toolbox, and a miniature golf building set. Knox got a giant racetrack and play-doh set. He decided that he liked "Tanta Caus" after all that. We opened gifts for a long time, and the kids got so much I don't even think they really know who it all came from. Lucky, lucky kids. So fun!

While every holiday season brings a mixture of feelings and memories, it is a special time. A time to reflect, to hope, to love, and to appreciate all you have been given. This holiday was about family, traditions, and togetherness. Without the rest of our families around to take charge, we acted like the adults we really are and gave our kids a great Christmas...our way. Hopefully it will be one they remember with fondness. I know I will.