Mr & Mrs Smith

I also keep forgetting to mention that Lexi started biting her nails this last month. I never even really did that when she was a baby! Maybe I do it occasionally to my own?! I always clip then and then it dawned on me the other day when they were so short, yet I hadn't cut them (and I know Mr Smith would never) and then I see her BITING them. What? Really? Let's draw attention to it and she'll never stop. Sigh. Here are three other events that happened in the month of September as we bid it farewell (how is it already over???) I couldn't miss the chance to meet up with these fine ladies that potty training weekend. From Left to Right, Lexi and I, Emily F & her two girls who were just in from Iowa doing school, Emily S and her baby O who just moved back to Park City for the year, Katie who has a daughter Lexi's age and lives near us in Provo doing the school thing, Hilarie who has two kids & Amy who has 3. We are missing two freshman roommates:...

More than just a flutter or maybe just a flutter , but either way it's such a fun feeling! To know they're alive and kicking! I don't know if I've been paying enough attention until recently or if the babe is just finally big enough for me to notice that it's something more than gas bubbles.  It has been really hard for me to accept that I'm pregnant this time around and I don't know why! Because it's not like I haven't wanted to be. Maybe I'm still in shock that I'm almost half way there to adding another human monkey to my life! Pregnancy, delivery, newborn, toddlerhood . . . the phases that last forever, yet leave in a flash once they come. It's getting more real now that I can't hide the belly and now that I feel him (heard him again at my 16 week apt). I see other people that are ahead of me with multiple kids and I just stop and realize we're on the timeframe perfect for our family.  We talk to Lexi almost every evening...

Fooled ya still!  I'm 16 weeks now and believe it or not I STILL do NOT have a belly photo. I'm not sure why a picture seems like agony these days, but I do have a story to go along with it this time. We went to the temple on Saturday to do baptisms (which I haven't done since I've been endowed) and boy did we pick the wrong time! (although we didn't pick it, it's just the time that worked out). We got stuck right in the middle of a group of young women. That part is essential to the story because when it was FINALLY my turn to sit in the room with the font (when one leaves, another enters; there are like 7 seated spots for the women), the temple worker told me the young women were squishing on the bench and so I could wait a couple turns because older women like us need a little more space especially with a baby on the way. I'M BARELY SHOWING PEOPLE. Any way, I glared at Mr Smith stating she was bold. We hear of people making such comments, but I swea...

I hear "mommy what you doing?" or "I do it myself" about 40xs a day now.  And what's funny is that she can and will. She knows her limits and will still ask for my help if she feels it is too hard (sometimes she just gets lazy), but most of the time she just goes for it if it means she's just as competent as mommy. We beg to differ on what her limits should be, but she still impresses us. She climbs the toilet and maneuvers over to the sink and opens up the medicine cabinet. My limitation would be before she even touches the dirty toilet. Her limit is getting her daily vitamin container (and she always makes sure to ask for two vitamins, 1 for each hand). She scoots the chair up to the counter when she needs to wash her hands, get her own banana or snack, the knives etc (eye roll). She gets her own silverware from the drawer.  She has to be the one that opens the car door, turns on the tv, gets something out of the fridge, etc... maybe our laziness ...

I wanted to provide a summary on Lexi's potty training experience (ok the long story for future reference), or should I say the first-time experience of her parents as well - who doesn't like hearing Mr Smith get excited over poop or say the word panties? :). We are very impressed with Lexi and although we were confident she was ready, it's always nice when things go as well as hoped. I think I've mentioned before that half the time (for the last month+) she would bring us her diaper and wipes when she pooped; she was that ready even though we knew her diapers were still a crutch for her and would be if we didn't go cold turkey. That's why I liked the idea of the 3-day method (plus I did NOT want to draw this out for weeks of trial & error; I liked that there was a tried and true method out there in an e-book). There are lots of opinions and even her pediatrician suggested we give pee or poo no attention, we just get her going to the potty regularly. (For ...

We are going to start the 3-day potty training technique tomorrow. Wish us luck!! I have heard about this for awhile and mentally blocked it out for as long as possible. You're right, I could have kept on going, but I much prefer returning the giant Target pack of diapers and getting this over with while I can. We are well stocked with sugar treats, stickers and a couple prize toys, 20 pairs of underwear, flushable wipes...what else? I'm most concerned that I'm going to die of boredom and exhaustion from following a 2 year old around every second she is awake. And of course I'm worried about having time to get enough snacks in since I'm not supposed to take my eyes off her. I really hope this is one of those things that comes easier than my worst nightmare. My goal is not to take weeks and months just to end up in nightly pull ups. So this will be worth it, right? Oh crap. I just realized I forgot about the carpet cleaner!! (I'll send Mr Smith since he did ...

I have all these amazing friends and Pinterest pictures telling me how easy it is to eat vegetables, but I let myself get to the brink of starvation and eat an oatmeal creme pie to tie me over until the macncheese is done. A problem? Yes, mom I need you pronto. But ugh everything else just sounds awful right now (if I have to make it). I really want someone to make me a chicken pot pie. It's got veggies in there. Top symptoms: fatigue, increased appetite yet a hate/love relationship with food, a billion bathroom breaks, heavy stomach, stuffy/dry nose causing morning gag reflexes and lack of needed oxygen, and then there is acne which hasn't been a problem since I was nursing Lexi. At least the indigestion has died down some. And I'm all talk about how different it seems this time around, but then I read this post when I was 12 weeks with Lexi and I'm all = nothing has changed, I'm so glad I blogged. I was much more entertaining back then.  My husband alwa...

There is a talk by President Spencer W Kimball of the church back in 1976 on Family Preparedness .  He covers just about every aspect including the year supply of food. His emphasis leans toward developing a strong work ethic. Sometimes I feel like I'm ready to give up this part-time work to focus on my family more - so that I can do more fun things with Lexi and work on home projects. And while I think there is time to make quality time with the family, society today has distorted what quality time should be. I fell for it. When I do stay home full-time with the second child, I have to move past the elaborate craft projects and museum trips, when in reality those aren't the necessary norms in order for my children to grow and develop into hard working, intelligent adults. I think it is great that we put forth all this effort in accomplishing all these pre-school and home school goals. I think it's good to stay busy, but sometimes a nd now I dare think most days , we c...

I had just talked to Mr Smith a few nights before that Lexi would love to ride a horse and asked if he knew anyone that could give her a chance to ride. Little did we realize, one of his physicians had a neighbor with horses. We went to their summer party expecting goats and pigs, but got surprised with a horse ride! I was so excited she got her chance. She was doing her usual non-listening run around exploration in a new, over-stimulated environment, but when we asked if she wanted to follow us to ride a horse, she lit up.  I could have seen her all talk until she sat on the horse by herself, but she did it! She was just soaking it all in. She had a chance to walk around on two horses and she was completely calm both times.  She was so filthy from that night, even laid down in the dirt to be next to the family dog. But it was a good night for making dreams come true. Even the goats liked her.   

I made it to 13 weeks and still don't have a belly photo. I'm not the one who married a photographer. But that means I'm over the first trimester hump! I'm still in the crawling around, can't handle activities that last longer than an hour, funk. I might have felt the baby? But I mean my intestines also move around like crazy. So we're also still in the it's-not-really-real part of pregnancy although there was that heartbeat! I've been most nervous my pregnancy because I feel like my body has been out of whack and I worry it will have consequences on the baby. I was told thyroid issues can prevent you getting pregnant in the first place, but it's also a little risky once pregnant when my levels aren't in a normal range. What's weird is that my T4 hormone levels are normal, so I'm not so sure why TSH levels are off the chart.  I first went in end of last year to get some routine blood work to check my hormone levels after the ear...