Time is ticking....

...and it will be 2010 tomorrow! Time to establish those New Year's resolutions! Popular ones include weight loss, to quit smoking/drinking and to get organized. Studies show that almost 80% of resolutions fail as early as mid January and reaches 95% by April! Wow!


One article suggests applying SMART goals when setting your resolution this year. Your goal must be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time bound.

After much thought and realistic consideration, I hope to have a clean kitchen every night before I go to bed. It's just so much nicer to wake up and start the day without having to worry about catching up on cleaning dishes or wiping down cabinets.

Of course, I am also on the "get fit" bandwagon as I am every year. I hope to eat less and exercise more and hopefully lose about 15 lbs to return to my pre baby weight.

What is YOUR new year's resolution??

Swing set

When football season ended (early Nov) Jarrod needed to find something else to keep him occupied. So, he decided to build a swing set for the kids! He is quite the carpenter and it looks great! After many trips to and from Lowe's, lots of cutting, drilling, measuring, leveling and sanding it looks GREAT! What a project! Below are a few photos taken of the progress.

Our backyard offers plenty of space so the enormous masterpiece fits nicely. He still needs to paint it and add swings (and eventually monkey bars) but it is now able to use. Emma loves the big yellow slide and can't wait for the swings! Now we just need little people to come over and have fun!!

Growing Owen!

There is no extra special reason for this post, just wanted to share some cute new photos of my favorite son :) Tomorrow he will already be 10 weeks old. He is going through a growth spurt this week and I am trying my best to keep up feeding-wise! He is getting very close to growing out of his 0-3 months outfits but size 1 diapers are still roomy. He still has very little hair and it is very light. We are eager to see whether or not his blue eyes will remain blue. Emma's were darker blue but eventually turned brown like her daddy's. Here are some pictures of Owen enjoying some of his Christmas loot. He is just barely big enough to sit upright in his Bumbo chair. He has excellent control of his head and neck muscles and this will help them become even stronger! He also has a new activity gym and has had little "conversations" with the critters hanging from above!

Christmas morning

Christmas morning is something Jarrod and I look forward to every year! We always do our little family thing in the morning and then make the rounds that afternoon. Jarrod & I always make a sneak trip to Toys R Us and enjoy picking out things for the kiddos.

Emma is at such a fun age for the holidays. She loves the lights, TV movies and even learned a new song (Jingle Bells). She finally grasped the concept of the big jolly man leaving presents. On Christmas Eve she told me several times that Santa was definitely bringing her FIVE Barbies. I was pretty certain he was only bring ONE and felt absoutely sure that he wasn't running back to Target ;) It seemed like Emma unwrapped gifts ALL month long with a birthday just two short weeks before Christmas. Our house is overloaded with toys...and we are very blessed! Emma cheerfully volunteered to open Owen's gift this year but was a sweet big sister and told him everything he got!

Christmas Cards Idea

If you are like us, you receive an abundance of Christmas cards from friends and family near and afar. I always enjoy reading the newsletters and seeing photos! I hate to just throw them away at the end of the season and came across a great use for them and wanted to share! Keep the cards and use them as prayer cards. The photos help little ones see exactly who is being lifted up in prayer. You can even create a mini binder and jot down specific prayer requests that pertain to different people. If you sent us a card this year, know that we are praying for you!!

Check ups

Owen - one month

Tummy time

Yesterday we had 3 year and 2 month check ups. Emma was such a big girl and cooperated fully with the nurses. She weighed 34 lbs and is 36 in tall. She is in the 50th percentile and Dr Flippin says she looks great! Owen weighed 11 lbs 2 oz and measured 22.5 in long. He is in the 30th percentile so he is a petite guy right now :) Dr Flippin said he is doing an excellent job holding his head up and said that we can start "tummy time"! He is smiling and mimicking us a lot more now! Emma was happy not to be the one getting shots yesterday. Owen did get four immunizations. Those shots don't get any easier for me to handle, and I was relieved to have Daddy on duty for that! We are so thankful for such healthy smart kiddos!!

Santa's Wonderland

We are really enjoying Jarrod being home with us! Last night we enjoyed Santa's Wonderland, just six miles south of College Station. This was our second time and we had so much fun! If you haven't been before, I highly recommend it! We hope to make it an annual family trip. From the moment you arrive you feel as though you have stepped into the North Pole! One main highlight is the Christmas light display. There are over one million lights and many amazing displays such as the nativity scene, Santa's workshop and an Aggie football game. We took a hayride through the lights and Emma loved it! Christmas lights are a big hit with her this year :) Other attractions include Santa's Town with live music, fake (cold) snow, big screen holiday movies, a petting zoo, cute shops and so much more!! For the second year in a row we enjoyed some dutch oven peach cobbler. YUM!

Random

Yesterday was our annual Parmer Christmas gathering. We ate Mexican food and Jarrod & I attempted our first yummy layer dip! Below is a photo of the cousins in attendance (L to R: Stephanie, Bethany, Chassati, Amanda and Hannah). We missed the other half of our cousins!

Owen loves bath time. Emma loves to help clean him! We have a cute picture of Emma in her towel around the same age and they look almost identical:

Here is a kiddo pajama pic:

Happy Bday X 3!

December 18th is a big day for birthdays in our family! My dad, Aunt Donna and cousin Rayley all share a special day. Last night we celebrated my dad's bday with a surprise party at one of his favorite restaurants, Jody's. Hope they all had an extra wonderful day!!!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Last night was Jarrod's work Christmas party. Here are some photos:

Here is Owen's first time on Santa's lap. I think Santa wanted to keep Owen and take him back to the North Pole :) Emma is not a Santa fan this year! She will wave from a distance but that's about it.

Eight weeks old!

Believe it or not, Owen is eight weeks old! Time flies when you're having fun. He is now fitting into both NB & size 1 diapers and is fitting perfectly into size 0-3 month outfits. He is making eye contact and smiling just a little. This past week he napped in his big boy crib a couple of times. He attended church for the first time. He still wakes up every couple of hours during the night. His two month check up is next week so we will have more stats to share then. Here are some photos:

Look how grown up I am in my blue jeans!

Hanging out with daddy

My sister thinks I'm pretty great!

Three generations

Roxie loves me!

Happy Birthday Emma!

She's cute and sweet and filled with glee, our little princess just turned THREE!

We celebrated with just the four of last night. Emma opened our gifts and enjoyed a cupcake. Today was her royal princess party and we were blessed with the presence of many close friends and family members. We were so thankful for those who traveled from as far as Waco and Houston. Emma definitely got some nice things so it's time to make room for Christmas goodies!

I can't believe I've been a mom for three years already! I am forever grateful to Emma for making me a mother. We are so proud of the sweet little lady Emma is. She is smart, beautiful, funny, caring and determined :)

"A baby girl...one of the most beautiful miracles in life, one of the greatest joys we can ever know, and one of the reasons why there is a little extra sunshine, laughter and happiness in your world today." -Author Unknown

Scatter brained

"I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength." -Philippians 4:13

I love being a stay at home mom. I always knew this is what I wanted to do. Yes, someday I might do something else, but right now I'm trying to soak up every minute of being with my kids on a daily basis. Every parent will agree that kids grow up way too fast and it will seem like tomorrow that they are all grown up. Some days certainly seem longer than others. I have had a few of those days just this week! On Wednesday I (accidentely) locked the kids in the car - with the keys. It wasn't funny at the time, but looking back it makes me realize how scatter brained I have become with the addition of another human being! Yesterday both kiddos had simultaneous noisy melt downs at Target. I was half way through my shopping list and ended up parking my cart in a miscellaneous aisle and walking directly toward the exit sign! It was quite a sight to see the faces of other friendly shoppers. Some expressions said "learn how to control your kids, lady" - and it was easy to detect that they had never been in my shoes. It was also very comforting to have a few seasoned mamas offer a comforting smile that said "been there, done that." One even told Emma she needed to be a big girl and help her mommy - I agree! Some days I wonder if Emma knows who is in charge! Sometimes I amaze myself at how good of a multitasker I am. Other times I amaze myself at how forgetful I am. Both happen every day :)

Six weeks old

Owen turned six weeks old on Tuesday! He is definitely a growing boy and weighs 10 lbs 3 oz. He is definitely becoming more alert and interested in the world around him! Just over the past few days he has started "cooing". Last week we discovered that he had thrush but he seems to be feeling much better now. He already adores his big sister and enjoys when she reads books to him. The other day I heard her say "Oh bubby, don't cy, dats otay, my got you".

I am incredibly fortunate to have a kind lactation nurse named Angela just a phone call away. She works at Hillcrest and has answered numerous questions along this bumpy road of breastfeeding. On Tues I actually got to meet her in person and visited for over an hour. I am bound and determined to make nursing work this time. It didn't work out with Emma, so I have made it my personal challenge with Owen. Although it is the most natural, healthy and cost effective thing for a baby, it has honestly tuned out to be extremely time consuming and difficult (especially with bouts of mastitis and thrush). I feel like I am constantly pushing Emma off to the side saying "I can't do that, I'm feeding Owen right now", there is absolutely nothing Jarrod can do to help at night (so I'm awfully sleep deprived) and I am totally clueless on what to do in public! Angela offered some helpful ideas and I am going to see what Fenugreek and Mother's Milk Tea can do for me! Any ideas/suggestions that you all have are certainly welcome :)

Here are two photos of Owen with Roxie. The first one was taken his first week and the second one was taken this week. Enjoy:

My cute kids

Hooray for the cooler weather! I thought Summer would last forever. Here are the kiddos bundled up before an outing yesterday:

To view some recent family pics go to www.lisayoungblood.com, select client proofing and use smith as the password. The first ones of Owen were taken on his one month birthday. My friend Lisa needed to borrow a newborn to take pictures with some of her new props. The family photos were taken in Salado and we are using one for our Christmas card.

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!!