Mr & Mrs Smith

I wanted to write a little bit about us wrapping up year 4 with Lexi in case it takes me a little bit longer to catch up once the baby comes... Lexi had her 5 year doc apt already so that she could finalize her shots for school. We submitted the registration paperwork and now just wait for orientation mid-April. She will do great; I know she'll thrive and it's really only 3 hours so I think it'll be perfect. She is doing great with sight words and trying to sound things out to read. There are still some struggle sounds like "r" that she says the "w" sound for, but I know she'll get there quick enough. The rules of English are horrible but she is great with repetition. Although when it comes to her online pre-k program, she really just gets through the reading & math so that she can play the games. Learning through play is a good thing.  I'm excited to see her learn & grow even more. I'm mostly excited for her to be around mor...

I guess I wanted to make January monumental & slowly recover from PTSD for the rest of my life. I decided to potty train Dallin at 22 months. Gammi already got us the cars underwear & potty seat. "Guys potty training is so draining! BUT after I talked to several close friends about their success at a younger age following Lexi, it stayed on my mind. Even the 3-day training that was such a success with Lexi said 22 months was ideal. But he is a BOY & everyone likes to say they are harder. I dread this more than nursing! Due to my feelings about Dallin who SEEMed ready according to all those who say "what really matters" (interested, randomly taking off diapers, hardly wet at night, able to communicate) & the timing of a new baby, I thought I'd give it a shot. I keep telling myself it'll be nice to avoid 2 in diapers or training while I'm nursing &or doing school drop-offs. It's now or 6 months from now. What could possible go wr...

I guess it's still fall, but it feels like the freakin winter. The one where your bones freeze. And it hasn't even snowed yet. But I love Idaho! Everyone says this, so I even accepted it and made the sign that says Idaho is home. It's "resting" in my home in Idaho (because we haven't hung a single thing on the walls). I've accepted this. I'm embracing it. Because Mr Smith tells me NOW that he got a very clear answer that "this is home". I guess I just need to work on being inspired in the same way. Or maybe it'll come to me differently. We are different people after all. But I'm also still the biggest skeptic in life sometimes. I just feel like I can't be immune from anything. Maybe that's humility, I'm not sure. But it would be nice to find a place that feels like home #lifegoals I haven't had much photo inspiration as of late. There was a beautiful three week period of orange and yellow leaves that I complet...

Another pumpkin joining this crazy patch in 6 months! Another April baby! (and I hope it's another girl too; only Dad wants the boy). I feel a little overwhelmed already, but it's always exciting to picture snuggling a baby. I just pray this one is either chill or at least likes sleep!  I feel like this has been my best 1st trimester. Although I've felt nauseous & exhausted, the straight nausea only lasted a few weeks and then I'd just get highs & lows. I only threw up some cheese grits. And I think Mr Smith has cleaned more pots these last few weeks than the last 6 years combined... Now, the nausea is basically gone. I just have some food aversions to the smell of peanut butter & Little Caesars pizza. I haven't done much these last 6 weeks outside of move (we found out we were pregnant the weekend before). Hopefully we'll start to get out a little more now! We started enjoying some October festivities at Farmfest, a nearby pumpkin patc...

I've been trying to follow the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and then Irma. We've watched smoke fill the skies here in Idaho from all the west coast fires. It's costly to "fix" or "control" these situations, but surprisingly few have died from them. Perhaps it's still just a period of warning. A period of preparation. I do believe our carbon footprint plays a role. I do believe this world wasn't built to sustain our waste eternally. I do believe at some point, things will get much worse. But as the natural comforts of man get worse, I do believe our souls can still thrive and find hope in these last days. It's easy to see that when you watch neighbors work together, fight for each other & cry with strangers. I think the world needs a little more of this empathy & we can turn to it instead of fear.  It's also the day of the 9/11 memory. N Korea wants to fight for their right to claim victory over America now. Unfortunatel...

Don't get ahead of yourself, it wasn't a relaxation vacation, but it WAS a distraction vacation. I got to see the kids experience new things & people and that's what my life is about these days. I also got to rest from the balance of working from home and taming two kids on my own. And the biggest thing for me I realized is getting my mind off the job hunt.  Mr Smith "enjoyed" scout camp & interviews while we were gone. But at least he did get a break from the whines & demands of tiny tyrants. He took care of the house while we were away as well. It was spotless coming home! & the todo list was accomplished. You'd think we were ready to move yesterday. Coming home just didn't feel like home. I've been grateful for this apartment (even if I didn't always say so), but 2+ years is enough. Mr Smith missed us terribly, but I think he forgot too about some of the things to-be missed,  tears of laughter .  But lets start in the be...