Feeling better!

Just thought you might want to know.....

Our little guy is feeling so much better!! 

And we are SO glad :)

Thanks so much for all of the thoughts and prayers!

O Christmas tree...

Christmas cards are sent, 14 gifts are wrapped and as of last night the Smith family Christmas tree is officially up and decorated!  We really wanted Jarrod to be a part of putting it up but he doesn't have many spare moments these days!  As you can see, most of the ornaments are placed higher because our littlest has found great interest in the branches, lights AND ornaments!! 

Roxie Louise is really getting into the spirit :)

Each ornament has a story.  One of my favorite things about preparing our home for Christmas is unwrapping each one and telling Emma where we got it.  Here are a few I wanted to share:

A wise coach once said that if you are still playing high school football in December you are doing pretty good!  Well, for the first time we are playing football in December!

Here is Emma's first Christmas ornament.  It's hard to believe this is her fifth Christmas!

And here is Owen's first Christmas ornament.  He is going to be a lot of fun this year :)

And lastly, he is the first ornament Jarrod and I ever got together (in 1997).  This will be our 14th Christmas together.  Time flies when you are having fun :)

We hope that you all enjoy this holiday season.  Amongst the hustle and bustle we hope that you will always reflect on the real reason for the seaon: Jesus' birth. 

Round 4!!

We are so proud of the Yoemen!  They beat East Chambers 45-29 on Fri and look forward to round 4 this weekend.  Coach Smith promises that "it will be a game for the ages".  If you are in the DFW area (or want to take a road trip) we hope you can make it :) 

So thankful

We are so thankful for our two little turkeys :)  The kids did a fun Thanksgiving craft at our friends' house last week!  I traced their sweet feet and hands.  These will be especially special in years to come!

Poor baby

For approximately ten days Owen had light congestion.  His appetite slowly decreased and nothing could make him happy.  I assumed perhaps he had his first ear infection or something of that nature.  The kids already had flu shots scheduled for this past Wednesday morning so I called ahead to be sure the doctor could examine him.  Dr F listened to him, peeked in his ears/mouth/nose and said that he looked fine but that the congestion could be related to a viral infection such as RSV.  I always cringe when I hear the word "viral" as a possible diagnosis because it basically means that there is nothing to treat and that the illness must run its course.  His breathing sounded fine and she said that he was moving air well so she didn't seem too concerned.  He got his flu shot and we were out the door.

 He seemed worse on Thanksgiving day.  His appetite had become almost non exsistent.  He had a low grade fever and was extra cranky.  We alternated Tylenol and Ibufrofen but neither seemed to do anything at all.  He just wanted to be held but couldn't get comfortable.  He was so sad to miss another one of daddy's playoff games.  For the next couple of days his fever remained high but his congestion never seemed to worsen.


On Saturday I finally decided to have him seen again.  I took him to the pedi clinic and I'm so glad I did!  After the initial examination Dr. B suggested he could have roseola or pneumonia.  He thought he sounded and looked okay but the high fever, lethargic state and no appetite really concerned him.  He wanted to have x rays done.  This was certainly no easy task with a sick 13 month old.  I had to hold him still with his arms held over his head in two different angles.  Owen was not happy about that.  It is a bit overwhelming to see your child's body in an x ray.  The tech kindly pointed out his perfect ribs and sweet heart.  Dr. B even studied the photo on the screen in front of me and walked me through his perspective.  He said that it looked like he had fluid in both lungs, especially in a certain cloudy spot on his right one.  Evidently this was the second baby of the day diagnosed with pneumonia :(  Owen's oxygen level was at 100% which meant that he did not have to be admitted to the hospital.  He ordered a Rocephin shot and then an oral antibiotic.  Within a couple of hours of the shot he was feeling/acting so much better!  Dr B also recommended offering him Pediasure and Active yogurt for a few days.  We took him in for a follow up appointment on Sunday morning and the dr was pleased with his progress.  We are happy to report that he is definitely on the road to recovery :)



After Emma's bout with pneumonia in Feb and now poor Owen, we hope to stay free from pneumonia for a long, long time!!!

Tis the season!

With only 28 shopping days left til Christmas I thought it was appropriate to "decorate" my blog! 

Have you been naughty or nice this year: definitely nice :)

What do you want most for Christmas? gift certificates

What is your favorite food at Christmas? tamales & divinity

Have you started Christmas shopping yet?  Yes....and I have even wrapped 5 gifts!

What is your favorite Christmas song? Hark the Herald Angels Sing

What is your favorite Christmas movie? Christmas Vacation

What is your best memory of Christmas?  My parents (I mean Santa) always had a "big" gift unwrapped and near the tree waiting for us on Christmas morning.  One year I got a  bike and another year a Nintendo set!

What do you look forward to most at Christmas? decorating the house and baking goodies for friends

Who do you want to kiss under the mistle toe?  my handsome husand :)

What kind of Christmas tree do you have?  We have an older fake one....and hopefully one day we can upgrade!

How many Christmas cards do you normally send out?  Just sent 75 today

Do you still get a stocking?  My parents have one for me at their house......but I have a slight dilema about ours.  Each year I intend to sew some but its not likely!  I have my eye on a couple at Pottery Barn for the kids.  I may go cheap this year then hopefully buy them on sale at PB after the holidays!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from the Smiths!  We have so much to be thankful for and trust that you do too.  We look forward to several different family feasts over the next few days as well as a playoff road trip.  This is our first holiday season to still be attending football games and it is wonderfully busy :) 

11 down, 4 to go!

Cameron dominated the Newton Eages on Friday night and won 70-26!!  Unfortunately the kids and I had to miss as our family dealt with a nasty stomach bug all weekend :(  Hopefully all of us will stay healthy this week so that we can attend the upcoming game.  Cameron plays East Chambers on Friday.  Hope you can come!

13 months old

I must start this post by admitting that I have been slacking in my photography duties lately.  These photos are all from my phone.  I promise to take more photos over the upcoming holidays :)

Happy 13 months to Owen!  He is approximately 22 lbs, wears size 4 diapers and fits comfortably in size 12 month outfits. 

Owen finally became interested in walking the week of Halloween.  He took 11 steps in a row on 11/11 (go figure!)  He still bathes with Emma and loves to splash and giggle!

Owen still fights sleep.  His nap times have been re arranged but luckily he still takes two each day.  His late morning nap lasts approximately an hour while his afternoon nap lasts anywhere from 1-2 hours.  He is very light sleeper.  We finally pushed bedtime back by a couple of hours.  The time change definitely effected him and we figured it would be easier getting him to stay awake at football games.

Owen's newest favorite snack is Gerber fruit snacks.  They keep him well occupied but he devours them very quicky!  He eats a lot....usually more than his big sister!  He laughs whenever he finds the opportunity to pounce on someone from the back.  What a silly boy!  He is a little man of few words but is definitely trying to talk.

Owen is celebrating his 13 month bday with some sinus congestion but hopefully he will be better soon!

Disney on Ice

On Thursday evening we took Emma to watch Disney on Ice "Princess Wishes".  We met her sweet friend Adelaide (and her parents) there.  The Blanchards live in Waco and we don't see them enough.  We all met when the girls were itty bitty and its hard to believe that they both now have one year old brothers!

The show was great!  Here are a few photos I took:

The costumes and props were amazing.  Go if you ever get the chance!  I think we are all ready to travel to Disney World one day :)

Letter to Santa

Emma has never been wild about Santa.  In fact, as soon as Christmas decor and merchandise showed up in the stores she told me that she will not be sitting his lap this year.  Instead, she will just call him to relay her wish list.  She really hopes that she is on the "nice" list rather than the "naughty" one.

While shopping at Macy's today Emma had the fun opportunity to write a letter to Santa!  Actually, she told me some things she wants and after I wrote them down she drew a mailbox and wrote her name:

She was so proud of this letter!!  Her list included a pillow pet (horse/cow/frog), pony (yep, a real one), a new pencil, a Disney Belle with a Yoemen shirt, a Chistmas book and last but certainly not least, a toy mailbox!  Good luck with that Santa ;)

Sending it to the North Pole :)



At every Macy's across the country there is a shiny red mailbox to collect letters.  For each letter received, Macy's donates $1 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, up to $1,000,000!  See more here and take your kiddos to Macy's soon!

Marvelous masterpieces

Look how beautiful our 'fridge is.......

Emma has created lots of fun artwork at preschool this Fall.  Some are tracing or matching and some correspond with the different units their class does.  As you can see, one week last month they learned all about fire safety and even got to tour a real fire truck!!  This week they are learning about Thankgiving and will even enjoy a feast on Thursday.  I have started a portfolio to keep her special masterpieces forever and ever :)

Diva

So the other day I tried to get a good photo of Emma in her Disney Belle ensemble.  I thought it would be an easy task but it didn't turn out that way.  I took over 30 photos, hoping to capture just ONE to include with her 4th birthday invitation.  As some of you will soon discover, I never got an appropriate one and actually ended up using a totally different photo.  Take a look at my little diva.......

So proud to be a Cameron Yoemen!!

Let the playoff adventures begin.  You are invited to game #1 of 5!!  Hope to see you there.  GO YOE!!

Not much to write about....

Outside my window... cars fly by

I am thinking... I am sooo behind on work this week :(

I am thankful for... healthy children

From the kitchen... I just put away groceries and made a cheese ball for Bible study tonight

I am wearing... jeans & a short sleeved brown shirt (short sleeves....ughhhh, it's mid Nov, c'mon!!)

I am creating... a Christmas card list (& checking it twice!)

I am going... to Bible study in a few minutes

I am reading... 'Tune In' by Jen Hatmaker (for Bible study, not a leisure reader otherwise!)

I am hoping... to go on a real date with my husband after football season :)

I am hearing... the Disney channel

Around the house... untidy as always (will I ever be fully caught up?!)

One of my favorite things...pedicures

A few plans for the rest of the week: BU vs A&M game on Sat pm (yes, our house is divided and one child will wear maroon and the other green & gold!)

Photo shoot

Our good friend Gara is an amazing photographer!  You can check out her work here!  Last month she took Owen's one year photos and was also gracious enough to snap some of Emma & the fam.  Here are some of my favorites, but you will just have to wait on our Christmas card to see more :)

31-derful

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR JARROD/DADDY/COACH SMITH,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!!

We love you so much and think that you are 31-derful!!!!



Undefeated

10-0, TO PLAYOFFS WE GO!!!

This was truly the most challenging game of the season.  No, not on the field, but in the stands!  For whatever reason, both kids were up at 5am on Fri and Emma doesn't nap.  She fell asleep during half time.  Owen took an extra long afternoon nap but put up a noteworthy fight during the first half.  I finally decided to get the stroller out of my car to push him around (I did this many times when Emma was his age).  He fell asleep for about twenty minutes but then woke up kicking and screaming.  Nothing would make him happy.  I was determined to stay until the end....so we did!  My parents took the kids straight to my car while I met Coach Smith on the field as usual.  I am so proud of Jarrod & all of the Yoemen!  Their hard work, dedication and abundance of talent has certainly paid off!!!! 

Survey

What I was doing 10 years ago...

I was enjoying my first semester at Baylor (November 2000)

Five things on my to-do list today...

Take Emma to dance class

Work

Bible study

Pep rally

Laundry

Snacks I enjoy...

candy, cookies, crackers & fruit

Things I would do if I was a billionaire...

Put away enough money for the kids’ college funds, give to those in need, get a new vehicle, build a bigger house and invest the rest and live on the interest :)

Places I've lived...

Temple, TX

Waco, TX

Stillwater, OK

Riesel, TX

Cameron, TX

Jobs I've had...

High School:

Baskin Robbins (Temple)

Bath & Body Works

College:

Baskin Robbins (Waco)

Old Navy

Victoria’s Secret

Post College:

Enterprise

Lakeside Lending

Reynolds & Reynolds

Smith family CEO

 

Some things I am looking forward to:

Disney Princesses on Ice w/Emma later this month

Thanksgiving (time w.family & a short break from work!)

Decorating for Christmas (after all, it is the most wonderful time of the year!)

Yoemen football playoffs (& then seeing a lot more of Coach Smith!!)

Our 10 yr wedding anniversary, we are going back to our honeymoon spot in Jamaica, only 3.5 yrs to wait!!

Okay, YOU are tagged!  It is YOUR turn to complete this survey!  Ready, set GO!

Deal alert!

I have another fabulous deal to share with you!  Have I mentioned that I love CVS?!  Between now and Sat (Nov 6th) when you purchase at least $25+ worth of P&G products you can pick up the new Disney Toy Story 3 dvd for just $3.99!!  You must have a member card to take advantage of these savings!  You should also clip and use coupons (today I used Pampers, Bounty, Charmin, Tide, Dawn & more!)  Not only are we stocked up and I can now do some laundry, but I have something fun to put under the Christmas tree for E (and it won't be long before our tree is UP)!!