Christmas survey

Have you ben naughty or nice this year: mostly nice

What do you want most for Christmas? a steam vacuum and a gift card to the spa

What is your favorite food at Christmas? fudge

Have you started Christmas shopping yet? Yes, and I'm about half way finished!!

What is your favorite Christmas song? Silver bells

What is your favorite Christmas movie? Lampoons Christmas Vacation

What is your best memory of Christmas? Gatherings with my extended family including my 16 first cousins!

What do you look forward to most at Christmas? spending extra time with family

Who do you want to kiss under the mistle toe? my hubby!!!

What kind of Christmas tree do you have? We have a 6ft fake one that I bought at Target for $2 after Christmas last year. It is a bit skinny so next year we may go for the real one :)

How many Christmas cards do you normally send out? 75

Do you still get a stocking? Of course!

Deck the Halls!

In the coaching world the year is often broken up into sporting seasons (such as football, baseball, etc.) Well, today starts a new season called SOCCER! This is Coach Smith's second year to coach it and it is also Cameron's second year to be UIL. There are even enough guys signed up this year to have a JV team. Most 3A schools do not have a soccer program which means that Cameron plays mostly bigger schools. Last year they played several 4A opponents and this year have a couple of 5A schools on the schedule. Soccer season goes through mid March and there are typically two varsity games and one JV game per week. The first game is actually a tournament and is Jan 7th. Thankfully it isn't near as time consuming as football season. We are looking forward to hosting some of the Thursday night team meals at our home.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

Santa Emma

Owen in his holiday pjs - 6 wks old

We decorated the house this weekend and plan to put lights outside this week. Emma had the best time putting the ornaments on the tree. Of course, they all ended up around the very bottom and we had to offer some assistance in spreading them out! When she was little bitty I worried about her grabbing ornaments and breaking/eating them. To my surprise, it was never an issue. Well, this year might be a different story!

Turkey Day

This year we hosted lunch at our house. It was nice not having to travel. We gobbled til we wobbled :) We delegated food and here is our yummy feast:

Jarrod was in charge of the turkey and ham. He did an excellent job!!!

Here is our family of four:

Here is a turkey fruit/cheese display we made for today. Thanks to my friend Sandra for the cute idea!!!

Here is Mr Owen enjoying his first Turkey day:

Fabulous fondant

As some of you may recall, I took a beginners cake class earlier this Fall. I learned all of the basics, but what I really wanted to figure out was fondant! I watched several instructional videos online and found a homemade marshmallow fondant recipe. I tried it out this week and here is my first attempt:

I am really hoping to master the skill and to create the perfect princess cake for Emma's upcoming 3rd birthday party. I only have 2 weeks so I better get started.....

I am thankful

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever." -Psalm 107:1

In honor of Thanksgiving week, I thought I would post about what I am thankful for. Of the countless things and people that I am truly thankful for, my family tops the list. In particular, I am sooo thankful for my children. My life totally changed for the better the day Emma was born. Our family's blessings werw even more enriched when Owen joined us last month. Emma's giggle (and dimples) can turn any bad day into the best. Owen's baby smell and handsome eyes remind me of why I was put on earth! Some days I take them both for granted and I know too well that these years will pass all too quickly.

Here is a sweet list of things that change when babies come along. Hope you enjoy!

1. You finally stop to smell the roses, because your baby is in your arms.

2. Where you once believed you were fearless, you now find yourself afraid.

3. The sacrifices you thought you made to have a child no longer seem like sacrifices.

4. You respect your body....finally.

5. You respect your parents and love them in a new way.

6. You find that your baby's pain feels much worse than your own.

7. You believe once again in the things you believed in as a child.

8. You lose touch with the people in your life whom you should have banished years ago.

9. Your heart breaks much more easily.

10. You think of someone else 234,456,234,678 times a day.

11. Every day is a surprise.

12. Bodily functions are no longer repulsive. In fact, they please you (hooray for poop!)

13. You look at your baby in the mirror instead of yourself.

14. You become a morning person.

15. Your love becomes limitless, a superhuman power.

I hope that each of you will take a moment to reflect on the blessings God pours down on you. Happy Turkey day!!!

Just an update

Hopefully everyone had a great weekend! I'm sure everyone is thankful for the upcoming short week! We are looking forward to hosting Thanksgiving lunch at our house on Thursday. We are looking forward to all of the food and to not having to travel (sometimes loading the kids up can be half the battle!)

We spent Saturday afternoon in Aggieland. We always look forward to the "Battle of the Brazos", the annual football game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Baylor Bears. It is definitely a friendly family rivalry in the Smith household! This year Jarrod and Emma attended the game while Owen and I took care of some much needed Christmas shopping. The score did not turn out in my team's favor....but there's always next year, right?!

Emma & Owen hanging out

Owen ~ 4.5 wks old

Jarrod is building Emma a swing set for her upcoming 3rd birthday. She is so excited!!

One month old

Happy one month birthday to Owen! These past four weeks have flown by (although some of the nights have not). We are finally settling into a routine and I'm happy to report that on most days I am able to get both kids to nap at the same time (just long enough for me to unload the dishwasher and catch my breath)! Now that the weather has finally gotten cooler (and he has gotten a little bigger) Owen is able to wear these cute fleece outfits....too bad they don't make them in adult sizes! This afternoon my photographer friend Lisa is borrowing Owen to take photos in some of her new props. I'll be sure to share when they are ready. For now, here are some photos taken over the past week:

"Before you were conceived I wanted you.

Before you were born I loved you.

Before you were here an hour I would die for you.

This is the miracle of love."

~Maureen Hawkins

"Always kiss your children goodnight ~ even if they're aleady asleep."

~H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Rub a dub dub Owen in a tub!

"What are little boys made of?

Snips and snails,

And puppy dog tails,

That's what little boys are made of."

TAG

I have been tagged by my friend, Gara. We met approximately a decade ago through our husbands. Jarrod and Brandon were Texas FFA state officers together and traveled for a year speaking. Gara and I were pregnant with our boys (Travis & Owen) at the same time and they are now exactly two months apart! They haven't met yet but I'm sure will be good friends :)

Here's the deal with the TAG ~ share five things you are obsessed with and then pass the award on to five of the most fabulous blogs you know!

My husband - Jarrod and I have been married for 5 and a half years. We dated for 7 years before that. I can hardly remember life without him by my side :) We have experienced a lot together, including five moves and two babies!

My daughter - It's hard to believe that Emma will be 3 yrs old next month! She made me a mother and life is so much more worth living with her here! She already has such a cute sense of humor and a fun personality. She is the sweetest big sister and the most wonderful daughter.

My son - Although Owen has only been here for 3 weeks, he already has me wrapped around his finger :) He has proven to me that I can handle two kids! He reminds me of God's never ending love.

Target - This is where I go for EVERYthing!! This place can make the worst day turn in to a great day! The dollar aisle is one of my favs :) Anyone who knows me well knows that a Target gift card is the perfect gift for my bday or Christmas.

The holidays - I love everything about this time of year. I love decorating the front porch/yard/house, dressing up the kids and I would put up our Christmas tree now if Jarrod would let me! I love when the weather finally gets cold enough for hot chocolate. I enjoy baking/decorating cookies, gift shopping (usually at Target), Christmas music, church programs, Chrismas parades and lights.

Here are the five gals I am tagging. Each one is a fabulous mama of at least two kiddos. I enjoy reading their blogs and definitely look to them for support!

Sandra (met through Stroller Strides)
Jenica (met through Stroller Strides)
Marie (met through Stoller Strides)
Lindsey (my cousin in law)
Michal (my cousin)

Happy 30th!

On Friday we celebrated Jarrod's 30th birthday!! Since game days are incredibly busy for him I put candles in his cinnamon rolls at 6am then he opened gifts during his quick 20 minute lunch break....and he didn't seem to mind that all I could find was Christmas wrapping paper ;)

Three weeks old!

Owen is three weeks old today! Can you believe it?! He is becoming more alert and aware of his surroundings. He doesn't sleep as much during the day anymore and is doing okay at night time. He is still hungry all the time! His two week check up went very well last week. Dr. Flippin is so sweet and gentle. She said that he looks wonderful. Luckily he had gained all of his birth weight back. He was exactly 7 lbs 12 oz again!

Owen experienced his first football game on Friday night. It was the Yoemen's last game and it was his daddy's birthday. He stayed in the sling and slept most of the time. I went grocery shopping yesterday for the first time with two kids....boy is that an adventure! Enjoy this week's photos:

Happy Owen on his 3 wk bday!

Owen's game day attire

Sweet cheeks!

Future President

After bath time

Two weeks old!

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. Before you were born I set you apart... -Jeremiah 1:5

Today Owen is two weeks old! He brings us more happiness each new day. Tomorrow is his check up and I'm eager to see what he weighs! We still haven't gotten out and about very much, just as precaution to cold/flu season. We have been blessed beyond measure with the meals and goodies friends and family have brought by. It's so nice to have one less thing to worry about!

Owen already has more control of his head/neck muscles. He has started to exercise his lungs but is still not as loud as his sister was ;) He would eat all day long if we let him. He fits perfectly into the sweet teeny preemie outfits that Aunt Linda sent him! It looks like he will be in size NB diapers for awhile so we better find some more soon! His umbilical cord fell off last week (on his 1 week bday). Emma keeps reminding us that his tummy fell off!

He has gotten much better at sleeping during the night. We double swaddle him and make certain that his tummy is full. He usually only wakes up 2-3 times (woo hoo)! Emma is still a great big sister and is slowly but surely getting the hang of being gentle and quiet when he sleeps! Here are some photos taken during his second week:

Snoozing on his 2 week bday

Hugs!

Meeting Uncle Joseph & Aunt Natalie

Sweet baby!

My two favorite guys

Trick or Treat!

Emma had patiently waited all week for Halloween! She kept asking if it was time to go trick-or-treating yet! Yesterday she was super excited to finally be able to put on her bumble bee costume :) I took her to a friend's church carnival for a few minutes yesterday afternoon and then it was time to walk the neighborhood. Owen was a pumpkin but spent most of the time in the carry pouch. He slept almost the entire time! Here are some pictures:

Owen napping

On her way to find some candy with Daddy!

Mommy & our grumpy pumpkin

A pumpkin & a bumble bee

Bzzzzzzz!