January 2010

I guess we should start the year off by announcing, in case you didn't already know, that we are expecting BABY #3 in August. As both Aja and Maelee came 9 days late, i am hesitant to say the due date is August 14th...as i am thinking it may just be Aug. 23...if my math is correct?! We are very excited and also a little nervous that we will soon be outnumbered! IF, and that's a big IF, we find out the gender, it will be March 26th...so we'll keep you posted! Now, that our news has been told, we can now get back to the original title of this entry...January 2010. As my other two "first trimesters" had been complete blurs with A LOT of "getting sick"...this one proved to be just the same...lucky me, I know?! I am now officially in week 16 (march 2) and I am getting better every single day!! Thank goodness for that! When I was pregnant w/ Aja, I was teaching and coaching, so it was very tiring to say the least. When I was pregnant w/ Maelee, I had Aja to keep up with and now...well let's just say Maelee has JUST AS MUCH energy as Aja...so you can imagine it's been just as tiring this time around! So...January, a blur...what did we do besides hang out around the house while i tried to "not" get sick...mind you January was absolutely FREEZING here! The very last day of December, my dear sweet Grandmother passed away. She was 90 years old. It was a long good-bye, but also a sweet one. She was very loved and I am glad to say that she was the very first person I told that we were pregnant! She definitely kept my secret and I know that she is watching out for me and our unborn little one! I love you Grambo! The funeral was at the beginning of January and I held it together pretty well to say the readings at the mass...part of me thinks I held it together because i was feeling so sick with "morning" sickness that I didn't have enough energy to fully cry like I would have...don't get me wrong, i did cry, just felt more numb than anything. I miss you still Grambo and will never forget you! What else in January? Basically, with the weather being sooo cold, we stayed inside most days that Aja didn't have school. We kept busy doing art projects, coloring, reading books and playing dress-up. Aja is now totally into all the princesses, which has been a nice little change from Dorothy Gale of Kansas! We celebrated Grammy's birthday at the end of the month and Aja even got to go to the dentist, which she LOVES! Oh...how could I forget? On Aaron's birthday, which is January 3rd (which everyone seems to forget b/c it comes so quick after all the holidays), baby Sam was born to my best friend Kim and her husband John. He is now 8 weeks old and oh so cute! Happy birthday to Sam AND Aaron!

Been a LONG time...yes, AGAIN!!

So, I am really NOT good about keeping up with our blog, obviously, huh?! Trying to figure out the easiest way to keep up with it? Any suggestions? I thought of just doing 12 entries or so per year....one at the end of each month to update on what we did that month...easy enough, right? well, it is already march and i haven't quite done january or february! already not off to a very good start. that's why i end up writing nothing! however, these are just excuses...i should just start a new entry today...for january...and then another for february...then i'd be all caught up b/c really, i am not due to write march's until the end of the month...(which is when we'll find out boy or girl...so that'll be exciting!) ok, enough of this entry...i better move on to JANUARY and get this blog rolling!! and...i DO appreciate all of my blogger friends that keep up to date entries...i truly am jealous!! i'll do better...i know i said it before, but you guys do motivate me!

daddy dollars!!

Just thought i'd share this image of our new "Daddy Dollars"!! We will be using these to hand out to Aja for being good and eventually, she'll be able to "buy" rewards! had to share! go to festisite.com/money

October of 2008- to July of '09, what did i miss?? Hmmm...the birth of Maelee Christine!! :)

Happy 30th Birthday to Aaron!! It was very low-key w/ a one month old...we were all still trying to get used to balancing 2 kiddos!! We love you Aaron/Daddy!



Feliz Navidad!! From our family to yours 2008!!! Wasn't that a fun picture to try to get for the christmas card?!! :) With a new baby, it sure was a crazy busy holiday season!



INSTANT Sisterly Love!!!



The Birth of Maelee Christime Smith to our family on December 6, 2008 at 11:04 in the morning! 7lbs 1oz/ 20 inches long! She is now 9 months old today and that day seems like yesterday!! Although I can't really imagine how life was without her!! Big Sister Aja is very excited!! Maelee arrived 9 days after her "due date"...same as Aja!!




This was our 3rd annual Halloween Party!! It's becoming quite the event...i LOVE it though!! Aja was an infamous bunny rabbit...from "the christmas story". Her friends showed up as Mario, a ladybug, candy vending machine (which i made and let her borrow), an angel, buzz lightyear, a little penguin and a rockstar! It's always a lot of fun!!



Well, i feel terrible that i missed so much blogging. It was a lifetime ago that Aja had a binky and that was the last entry had posted until july 17th of '09!!! Here were a few highlights....ONE HUGE ONE being the birth of our second daughter...so bare with me as I try to go back and catch up to the present!! So, so, so, so sorry!! This may seem silly to do, but it'll make me feel better about filling that missing gap so that i can move forward!! :)

Oops...August came and went...and i forgot to blog! Here are some August happenings!

Aja's VERY first soccer game!!


Thanks to all the family & friends who made it out to Aja's first game!! So, i actually caught myself saying out loud, "well, she definitely won't be playing defense"...whoops, hope noone heard me! She had FUN and that's the most important part!! I told her all week to LISTEN to her coach and OH, SHE DID!! He told her to go stand over there and well, that's JUST what she did!! her second game she did MUCH better!! it's so fun to just watch and i am so happy that she enjoys it!!


Tiny Town Village with friends!!


Tiny town in a GREAT place for the kiddos to have their own pretend, well, town! Doesn't Maelee look thrilled to be there??!! Ha! They have little houses, fire truck, school bus, choo choo train, dance barn, mazes, splashground, sand boxes and so much more!! Aja loves it and it's not too far away! We went w/ the Reisbig clan and The Giles kids!!





Fun at PE 101 (or 011 as Aja says!)


This is a place that Aja LOVES!! We hadn't been there all summer b/c we just never found an open playtime that fit into our schedule! It's a great place, especially in the wintertime, to run around, lift some weights, bounce on the trampoline, fly down a zipcord, wave a parachute, ride a scooter and just have a blast! Maelee is learning quick the fun places we take "big sister" to are also a lot of fun for her too!!


Aaron is building our family a fence!!


It's the 6th of Sept...and aaron is putting the finishing touches on the fence!! It is sooooo wonderful to be able to let sophie out and not have to worry!! Aja can now run around without trying to explain to her where the "invisible line" is to keep her in!! Maelee will love it too when she starts to walk...which, i believe is right around the corner! Aja walked by 13 months and today maelee is 9 months, but on friday she balanced for 30 whole seconds w/o holding onto anything!! My guess is that she'll be walking by 10 1/2 months! I'll let ya know! we have a bet...aaron says before 10 months! he gets a tv if he wins, i get to paint the living room (although aaron felt the need to buy a tv on friday and came home w/ another one!) oooooh football season! oh, and also, the first couple days of the new fence, sophie LOVED it, but we think the neighbor cat got her one night and now she's afraid to be out there by herself!! boo!


Outdoor fun- made our own FOAM-er-ators!!!


if you ever need a special outdoor project for your kiddos, i got this one from familyfun magazine, but it's so simple! cut the bottom of a water bottle, put a small towel around the bottom w/ a rubberband, get it wet, then dip it into a small container of dishsoap/water and blow the bottle and out comes a giant bubble snake thingy!! super fun!

Aja playing Dorothy ALL MONTH LONG!


uh, we can't get this costume away from her! unless we are GOING somewhere, she pretty much has it on!! sometimes i have to wash it, so we get a break from it then!! oh, and it's become quite the allie for us if we want to make sure aja listens!! the mention of the dorothy costume being put up works wonders!!

1st annual SmithDAY- August 2nd!


so, we decided to create our own annual family holiday and when i say "we", i mean "me"...what a wonderful husband to play along w/ all my "fun" ideas!! :) anyways, for this day, we started by going to brunch at Le Peep, then we headed to the Air & Space Museum to see all the planes!! We took a picnic to a nearby Gretna park later that afternoon and then headed home. The girls were exhausted! Aaron and i grilled steaks later that evening! each year, once the kids are older, they will all take turns planning smithday for that year!! so, august 2nd, we'll be busy from now on! sorry jon and jami that it landed on your anniversary!!


Oklahoma cousins come to visit!


we had so much fun getting to hang out w/ the johnson fam from OK!! too bad we moved away one month before you guys moved there!! what fun w/ all had a Great-Gram's!! hope to see you all soon!