Mr & Mrs Smith

I almost forget love day isn't just for sugar cookies & heart shaped breakfastes. But that's what makes this little girl glow. A craft party with friends that lets her get out the glitter glue makes her go woohoo! I tried something different with the cookies this year & it's my new tradition - baking the cookie bars first and then cutting them out. These were delicious thanks to the foodnanny! I believe our actual valentine's day will be a little low key. Lexi is just looking forward to Gammi's package. It's so hard for her to make enough good choices to earn it. I praised her for listening so well yesterday morning & she admitted it was so she could get Gammi's package, haha! For Dallin's treat, he is back to telling me when he has to go pee since he went on a 2-day hiatus that made me really stress out.  And they've also been staying in their bedroom through the night. I'm h...

It was definitely a great visit when we got to see this wiggly little baby & find out Lexi is going to have a SISTER! Mr Smith was wishing for a boy mostly because Lexi & I were really hoping for a GIRL! I'm so excited to go back through all the little girl things again; I was not ready to go back through little boy stuff so quickly. Dallin will do well to be smooshed between all this estrogen. They also confirmed that I was measuring 2 weeks behind when based off the last period date, but since I told them I'm not average & that I KNEW I was two weeks later, then all is well. April 22 is the due date for this bundle of joy! In all honestly, April is a really great month to have a baby even if the girls hate sharing it later on. And our deductible resets April 1st so I'm glad it's after that! Outside of some mental exhaustion, indigestion, weight gain in the booty (I'm already 15lbs heavier, yikes!), gas, some acne & typical aches & pains, a...

I think I might have a slight love affair with this little guy. He is just so chill! I know the 3 month growth spurt made Alexis hard to handle, so I'm sure the time is only coming where I can't say that, but I have a feeling he is going to be a great little kid. If he slept the 3-4 hour stretches at night consistently, I'd have to say he was perfect. I'm honestly grateful he doesn't need a pacifier while he sleeps. It still lulls him to sleep but he always spits it out once he hits snooze. If I try to put it in when he wakes though, no lulling. He just wants to be nursed. He does this head banging thing on my chest. Which sometimes means he needs to burp as well. But really it's just a guess. His nose could itch for all I know. And he also starting biting on his hands a lot. Another hunger cue I suppose. I coughed it up to teething when Lexi started that. My favorite things are still when he holds onto my shirt or scratches my back when nursing. I...

My Mother's Day photo. An extra kid just makes story time extra squishy. I love it when he just falls asleep in my lap and Ms Lexi insists on story after story. The way they lay their head on your shoulder or fall asleep in your arms. The way they grab your hand or kiss your cheek. I want to remember those touches forever, even in the moments when they waller and climb and step and pinch. I want to remember the babbles and the coos. They are so little now, but I know it'll only be a matter of time before they are memories. I'm certainly a struggling mother who wants to do right by her kids and husband. I want them to know how loved every inch of their being is. Every day I have to work on being more patient and kind, temperate and loving. Taking the calm breath isn't easy especially by the end of the day. But they are only so little for so long. They are learning. And it is SO fun to see how much they learn. Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers wh...

It's one of those stories that doesn't have to be drawn out, but I did it any way. Besides Mr Smith buying up his emergency prep wish list end of year, we, and I mean I, decided we should do $20 "surprise" Christmas gifts for each other. $20 spent how we want since we normally might question the dollar spent, this would be just a "fun" way to think about each other. I suggested another measuring cup and then the shelves came up again and when a friend told me you could get some affordable IKEA ones, I jumped with excitement (2, 45in ones for $20 exact!). I told him his Christmas present would be just getting and installing them - instead of having to build them too. He said he had thought about that (obviously building them since IKEA isn't his go-to); I thought it was a win. You like that "surprise" suggestion? That's basically how it goes since Mr Smith doesn't appreciate the responsibility of finding a gift for someone. I get i...

I've been really anxious to know if this round will be with another girl or a new experience of a little boy.  We really wanted a boy with Lexi, but of course fell in love with having a girl, even if she is a tough one. We wanted the next child to keep up with her and so we were really hoping a boy was on the radar, plus less anxiety down the road once you have one of each! And it spices things up in the family. Gender is such an interesting concept, yet I know it is divine as well as our place within the family.  God knows best. And I guess I'm just excited by what God thinks is best for our little family. I was anxious enough to do a gender ultrasound at 16-17 weeks instead of waiting until 20 weeks, especially since I never did a 12 week ultrasound so I really want to "see" him so that it became more real. Let me tell you it is always SO cool to see them. I'm so excited to see more at week 20 and make sure that heart is functioning like it should and that ...

I asked for a love letter and then love note (less intensity) for my birthday (trying to think of all the things I'd love that don't cost any money), but it's hard for him to express feelings in words. He hates feelings almost as much as I love them. Back in our dating days it wasn't so tough, but that's why it's important to write things down and save little things like that - later on - they become big things. And just like all the back massages, you have to make the last one last… So touché Mr Smith.  Any way, this is exactly opposite of what he would like for his birthday, but I'm going to do it any way in memory of mine. He loves it when I make those decisions. These aren't the pictures that I wanted to go along with it; you know, that picture in my head that met failed hopes, but they're still cute and remind me of what matters most. Dear Mr Smith You matter most to me. Well, you combined with Lexi make up my little world he...

Can I tell you why women need other women? Why, when you get married you may THINK you only need your wonderful best friend of a husband? But even if you were that kind of newly wed, there will be a day that comes, for your own mental and emotional sanity (and his), where you realize why you need a friend. More than your child who can barely piece together a coherent sentence. And not just any friend. A best friend that doesn't call child services when you threaten your child's life. Where you can say things like I'm running away today and they just laugh and say "where are we going?" These are friends that leave voicemails you actually listen to. These are friends that don't require makeup. They get waaaay too many texts along with everything TMI. You actually answer the "how are you doing" question truthfully or you skip it all together. Most everything is brutally honest. Most things are up for grabs because you know at the end of the da...

I've written the story about how we met before. He has shared part of the story as well. But I'm worried I'm forgetting the little details; I'm not sure how good at journal writing I was back then. I just blogged a lot ( remember ), but because my blog isn't private, I don't share everything. You know how you watch movies and when someone passes away, they show clips of memories with that person as if they were right there. I'm not sure my memory is that great, but sometimes I try and go back and play the videos in my mind. It is always hard to see faces, but I smile at thinking about those moments. I'm scared I will lose those images. Some people might think that is silly; enjoy the present.  But I think I enjoy the present more when I think about how far I've come, we've come. Those moments seem like ages ago already. The night of the Halloween party. "twins" was about as good as we got. I remember seeing him at that Ha...

"This Christmas, as the spirit of the season permeates our hearts, let us do something that expresses our feelings in an outward way, showing that we understand that the babe born in Bethlehem is the real Redeemer. President Howard W. Hunter (1907–95) gave some practical advice that helps us do that: “This Christmas, mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a letter. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Apologize. Try to understand. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little more. Express your  gratitude . Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love and then speak it again.” Without Christ, there would be no Christmas. Without Christ, there can be no fulness of joy. Without His birth and His Atoneme...

I wrote this quote in my scriptures by Mosiah 2:17 from Elder Robert Whetten of the Seventy: "Every unselfish act of kindness and service increases your spirituality. God would use you to bless others. Your continued spiritual growth and eternal progress are very much wrapped up in your relationships--in how you treat others. Do you indeed love others and become a blessing in their lives? Isn't the measure of the level of your conversion how you treat others? The person who does only those things in the Church that concern himself alone will never reach the goal of perfection. Service to others is what the gospel and exalted life are all about." I posted a link to an article on Facebook this past week. Every word made sense to me. And not just about marriage, but all relationships we experience in this life.  "Of all the people who get married, only three in ten remain in a healthy, happy marriage" That isn't saying 7 end in divorce, but to me, you ...

Yes, three years still sounds like nothing, but at the same time it definitely feels like I remember every day of those three years - sort of like when I remembered every day of Lexi's first year (not because it's bad, just because a whole lot has happened and I feel like a new women because of it, although most likely I haven't changed much). I'm a nostalgic person when it comes to photos - the memories - places, people, things that were said and done (I'm not super sentimental when it comes to physical things). Our one year anniversary  was spent newly pregnant. I was crawling out of a nauseous, coma inducing black hole. Well, it wasn't that bad, but it was the anniversary before the minion. We recently moved to Winston-Salem, NC where Mr Smith started his fellowship. I recently started a new job, the job that would allow us to have 2 incomes for 9 months. It was such a blessing. We were ready for a family if it was part of God's plan, but I wasn...

I said the official goodbye to this little lady today. We had our farewell dinner last week since I had a quick trip to SC and they have a quick trip this weekend. It's really hard to say goodbye to her and what keeps me from going insane is knowing airplanes & social media exist. We just had so many plans I can't even explain, and it's just hard knowing we will both be forced into pin-pal land. Girls nights, date nights, random photoshoots and visiting teaching just won't be the same without you friend! And deep down I know good friendships like these don't come easy, so they don't say goodbye easy either. Best friends for life isn't just a coined term on friendship bracelets. It turns out, you can still have best friends even when you're old like us (of course she is older). It's a relief really, to know that. She might be the reason I don't hate Mr Smith for moving to Hickory. The world is a happier and more beautiful place with a face ...