WISCONSIN

I am here this week:

My BFF lives in Wisconsin so Kate and Ben and I headed north bright and early monday morning. Like before the crack of dawn, two hours of driving in the dark morning. The kids were absolute angels. After a lunch stop at McDonalds, Ben said, "Hey mom, I love this trip of yours. I get toys and soda and movies and everything!" Oh yeah, little buddy. Momma's on vacay....

P.S. Did I mention my kids were crammed into an 18 inch space in the van? See, my girlfriend is the owner/artist of  WHITE BUTTERFLY and she does some amazing stuff. And now she is working her magic on everything I stuffed in my car.....!

MEMO FROM MOM

This is by Joe Felix. Click pic to find him.

I love this. I saw it on a friends blog and had to borrow it. If there is anything I want my kids to know, it is this. Love you guys. Read this over and over when you are questioning my sanity. xoxoxo

COLLEGE

The following is a conversation Nick and I had tonight:

NICK: Mom, do I have to sleep at college?
ME: No.
NICK: Do I have to eat dinner there?
ME: No. Do you want to?
NICK: No.
ME: Then you can just come home. Go to school, take your classes, and then come home.
NICK: OH GOOD! I'm gonna be a man that never leaves his mom and dad. I'm gonna be all hairy and still sleeping in your bed!
ME: *smile.*
NICK: I have another question about college. What if we live like 4 miles away from there? How will I get home?
ME: Well, you can ride your bike or I can come pick you up.
NICK: My bike?! I think I'll let you pick me up.......

ANNOUNCING....

BANG

Today Ben was building guns and shooting stuff. He shot Charlie and got an appropriate reaction......

Then he got ticked when he shot me and I didn't drop to the floor. "C'mon, Mom," he said, "Bang Bang! Do it like Charlie!"

TEN

Sweet Livi had a birthday. A BIG one. She told me that this birthday was big because "I am adding another number to my age. The only time that will happen again is if I make it to 100." She also told me that, for her party, she wanted to have "You, know, a girls night like you have with your friends. Food out on the table, and a few friends sitting around talking." I do love this child.

The Friday before Liv's birthday was a day off from school so her best friend came over at the crack of dawn and the two of them did all the party prep. Decorations, music, food, you name it. I made the brownies but I think that was it! By the time the party was ready to start, Olivia was just a buzzing mess of excited nerves. When I told her everything was ready and it was going to be a great night, she gave me a tiny hug and said, "Oh, thanks mom. For everything." and dashed off to get the door. I melted.....

Those girls laughed and played games and sang at the top of their lungs all night long. There was only four of them, but one would have thought the entire school was in our basement. They had a great time.

At Olivia's request, the boys were kept upstairs and out of sight. They were perfectly happy watching a movie and cuddling Chris in our bedroom.

Sunday was Olivia's official birthday. She woke up to streamers all over her room and the birthday breakfast table set just for her. She opened all of her gifts right away this year, usually she spreads them out a little! We sent her on a scavenger hunt for her big present...a gorgeous pair of cowgirl boots she had been drooling over online!

After church we came home and had her very favorite dinner, roast beef with mashed potatoes and rolls. She alos requested a white cake with buttercream frosting but just couldn't decide how it should be decorated. I asked if she wanted to decorate it herself and she jumped at that idea, deciding right away to do a "midnight walk" theme.  So while she was outside playing basketball with Chris and the boys, I put the cake together and frosted it the "dusky blue" color she requested. She came in and worked diligently and this darling little scene. I was so proud of her! Check out the owl on the rock:

What a girl. I hope all your birthday wishes came true, sissy. I love you so much and have so much fun watching you get big. Somedays you are such a mature lady, reading novels and rockin on the piano and then the next day you want to cuddle or spend an hour searching for that stinky old "Lion" and I get to have my little Livi back again. You are the best. I love all the talks we have and the special relationship we share!  Our family wouldn't be the same without you. Happy Birthday, sweet pea. 

XOXO, Mommy

NURSERY

The nursery is finally finished! I am so glad I decided to do mostly pink. It is girlie girl, just like I wanted it to be. Hope baby loves it, too.

BEFORE:

Double pocket doors allow access to nursery from Master Bedroom....these will disappear
someday but for now, they are really convienent!

AFTER:

The curtains are my favorite thing in the whole room!
My friend and I made them together.

This little chair was mine...

Pink paisley with a tiny bit of cheetah

These ties are my second favorite thing!

The trusty rocker and the boys cowboy shelf revamped

Photo of my mom and the tutu we opened after baby's ultrasound

Made by me in ten minutes flat

The only thing not pictured is the top secret wall art that is hung above the crib. I'll post that once baby has arrived.....!

I have to say that I am not the only one who has been busy getting ready for baby...Olivia is learning to sew and made a special fleece blanket to bring to the hospital for  little sis!

BEN AND DADDY

Ben is absolutely, 100%, daddy's boy. They cuddle and giggle and love each other all the time. I think it is so cute that Ben runs stragiht to his dad anytime he needs something. And that boys face just lights up the minute Chris walks in the door in the evenings. Last Saturday they were talking on the couch and Ben said "Take some pictures of us, Mom!" So he picked the poses and I worked the camera....

This is my favorite....look at his little hands wrapped around Chris'

FAVORITES

We have a few favorite things in our house right now....

1. Momma's belly. Baby girl is a mover and a shaker and we all have been totally entertained. Chris asks her questions like, "Kick once if you love me more than your mom" and  of course she kicks right on que. The boys like to sit with me while we are reading scriptures to feel her squirming around and then try to figure out what she is trying to "tell" them. The other day in the car they were all rockin out to Ozzy and baby girl was going crazy.... she is obviously a Smith....! Nick hugs her good-bye in the mornings before school and Ben gave her a big kiss today while we were in the freezer section of the grocery store....

Baby belly, 38 weeks

2. These blocks have brought hours and hours of creative playtime in the last couple of months. Every kid needs them, I am sure of it. Very few things can capture the attention of all three kids like these blocks do on a regular basis! Thanks to Nick, we have pictures of some of their cute creations!

3. Stephen R. Covey's Book "The Seven Habits of Happy Kids." A friend suggested it and we are in love. Every Sunday we read a cute little story that illustrates an important life skill or principle. The website has coloring pages to accompany each story so the kids color them and then we stick them on the fridge as reminders for the week. So far we've learned about "First things First" (Work before play), "Make A Plan" (How to save/spend wisely), and "You're in Charge (Making good choices for yourself.) The kids beg to read more than one story a week and Chris and I love the talks that we are able to have with them! 

4. Sub sandwiches. I know, not some new invention by any means. But the kids had been asking and asking to have subs for dinner so one night we finally did. Prep time was about 3.5 minutes and I could not believe how well it went over! One would have thought they hadn't eaten in days. I think it's the big, puffy *white* french bread that they really love. Or maybe the fact that I just lay out all kinds of stuff and they create their own sandwich masterpiece. Since that first dinner, "Sub night" has almost become a weekly tradition. And friends are starting to come around on Sub night, too. Maybe we are onto something.....

Nick with his "double decker" and a tiny pickle

HAVE YOU SEEN THIS CHILD?

Chris, age 8

Nick, age 7 and a half

VALENTINE'S DAY

The boys attacking sissy with kisses on Valentine's Day

Oh, how I do love a good Valentines Day. Just a reason to celebrate maybe? I don't know, but it's fun. I ask my kids "Who's your Valentine this year?" for weeks and weeks befroe hand or until they finally say, "You are, mom." This year I was pleasantly surprised when Nick came home from school a few days before the big day and said,"Mom, a girl at school asked if she could be my valentine but I told her I already had one. You." Melt my heart, boy, melt my heart.....

Friday I was at the school for the big kids' Valentine parties and then Chris and I went out over the weekend for a little dinner and shopping. It was so great. Funny thing though, we end up at Outback Steakhouse more often than not for Valentine's Day. I have no idea why since we never go there. But we love it in February and it was as relaxing and yummy as ever. Then we went to the nearby outdoor shopping center and hit the bookstore and Bath and Body Works. Chris was a trip. I have always known the guy likes good smelling bath products, especially the fruity stuff. I told him I had to grab a couple of things and we would just be in and out....45 minutes later, he had sniffed every item in the store and sampled a wide variety of hand scrubs, lotions, chapsticks and body sprays. And he bought himself some shower gel. He LOVED it. And I was so entertained! I love this guy because he is so not boring....

Monday was the real Valentine's Day so we had a valentine breakfast before school and then Ben's pre-school had their party in the afternoon. It is such a big deal to have me come to his class. I love it. He tells me everything that is going on and is very good about filling me in on who everyone is and where they sit and what is next on the schedule, etc. etc.

For dinner that night, Olivia and I whipped up a fancy italian candle light dinner for the boys while they were all at karate. The chocolate fondue dessert was probably the biggest hit. I made everyone their own rice hot pack with a little card that said, "Valentine, You warm my heart." They were in heaven. They have been used every single night since. And we no longer have to take reservations for the one I received as a gift from a friend at Christmas!

I love this family. I love every single second I spend with them and there is no place I would rather be than at home, all of us hanging out together.  XOXOXOXOX
 

FOUR

Baby Ben is four. FOUR. I can't believe it. He is such a fun kid. His official birthday was really yesterday, but he's been waiting and waiting for his birthday this year so we kept it hush hush that we were actually celebrating a day late so Chris could be home for the party! At bedtime last night, I told him that when he woke up, it would be his birthday and he was SO excited. He had tons of questions, wanting to know who would be staying up to make him a cake and if there would be balloons and if the breakfast table would be ready for him, etc. etc. etc. I reassured him everything would be ready to go when he woke up.

At 5:13am, he bounced into our room and over to my side of the bed and said, "Oh, thank you Mom for decorating my room! Let's go downstairs!!!!!" I tried everything I could think of to get him to go back to sleep but nothing worked. He was dressed and ready to party.

 In our house, the birthday boy/girl gets whatever they want all. day. long. Ben started his day with all of his favorite things for breakfast.....Lucky Charms, Monkey bread, gum, and rootbeer. He followed that up with an early morning sword fight with his dad and then some dino building with his new blocks....

Sick.

Building a very complicated Teredactyl...

 After the big kids and Chris left for the day, Ben and I spent the morning together. We played Bendaroos and looked at the sweetest pictures of him as a newborn! I remember thinking he was so big back then, now he looks like a tiny little thing. This is one of my most favorite pictures ever....

four weeks old

He took Rice Krispie treats to pre-school for his classmates. It was cute watching him get his crown ready to pass out the treats!

Writing his name on the birthday crown

Passing out treats

 Once everyone was home, it was pizza and cake time. Ben really, really wanted a monkey cake, but wasn't too sure that I had made one. His face lit up when he saw it:

Working on his second piece of cake...

Bennie-boy, I love everything about you! You are so sweet and gentle yet so so sassy and tough when you need to be. You are smart and never forget a single thing. ever. Watching you do a puzzle is amazing...you actually see the pieces you need and very rarely pick up the wrong one! You are my buddy every day and I love all the little talks we have and the things you do and say. I love it when you tell me "That's what I was thinking!" or "Mom, you freegot (forgot)" or when you show me how to get someplace just using your hands. I love that I can't ever convince you to wear underwear and that you prefer to be sockless, even on the coldest snowy days. I love that you can eat more than both your brother and sister combined. I love that you can sit and color for hours (three hours is your record) but Primary is absolute torture and you just want to go back to nursery. I love how devoted you are to Charlie dog, always the first to come to his rescue when he is in trouble. I love the messes you make and the millions of times you have blamed it on Nick. I love your little smile and the way you say, "I was just trickin' ya" when you think you have really fooled me. Thanks, buddy, for so many sweet moments with you. I love you more than you will ever know. Happy Birthday, sweet pea! XOXO Mommy