Job description

PARENT - Job Description

(This is hysterical. If it had been presented this way, I don't believe any of us would have done it!!!! )

POSITION : Mom, Mommy, Mama, Ma, Dad, Daddy, Dada, Pa, Pop

JOB DESCRIPTION :
Long term, team players needed, for challenging, permanent work in an often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities! Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES :
The rest of your life. Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs $5. Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf. Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers. Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects. Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks. Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next. Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices. Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product. Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION :
None. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE :
None required unfortunately.On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION :
Get this! You pay them! Offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS :
While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth, unconditional love, and free hugs and kisses for life if you play your cards right.

** AND A FOOTNOTE - THERE IS NO RETIREMENT -- EVER!!! **

My job

It is amazing to be a mom. It is rewarding, challenging and life altering. It is my job and I love it! It is overwhelming yet humbling to think that I comfort Emma and provide her security that no one or nothing else can. When she gets hurt or can't fall asleep at night she calls for me. Recently Emma has become rather attached to me at bedtime. She wants to me to read a half dozen books, lay down beside her, rub her back, and rock and/or sing to her. Some nights I can't help but think that in twelve years she won't want me to tuck her in. In fifteen years she will be preparing to move away to college and will be a whole phone call away :(

I can remember viewing my mom as that provider of reassurance and refuge. It is a great responsibility to bring a baby into the world and to nourish, guide and teach it to eventually become a productive member of society. Sometimes I wonder how I will be able to physically and emotionally provide this for two (or more) children at the same time. I truly believe that God will provide the strength and ability to do so.

I looked up synonyms for the word "mother" and here are some examples of what I found: administrator, architect, author, builder, creater, dean, elder, encourager, generator, initiator, introducer, leader, maker, matriarch, motor, prime mover, organizer, originator, sponsor and supporter. It is awesome that as soon as we become mothers we are all of these things and more! Talk about some major multi tasking!!

"Two" cute!!

Yesterday we went over to a friend's house here in Cameron. Maggie has two little girls, Ava and Anna. Ava and Emma were actually born on the exact same day (12/11/06)! Anna is just over a year old. They are moving to Houston this weekend.

There is nothing quite as cute as two 2 yr olds in a splash pool :) The girls had such a fun time together! Enjoy the photos.

Our little dancing star

Emma did a great job at her first recital on Sat night! We were so proud of her. Here are some photos and the video is soon to follow! We are taking a break from dance classes this summer but look forward to starting pre ballet in the Fall :)

Austin trip

Jarrod was asked to accompany three students to the state history fair in Austin over the past couple of days. Emma and I met them down there last night and had a fun time! Emma got to swim in the hotel pool with her daddy as soon as we arrived! She loved it! She jumps in with no fear.....and it worries me to no end! She even woke up at 2am and asked if we could go swimming. Unfortunately I had forgotten the bag with our swim suits, sun block, swim ring, and camera!!!! I was so mad at myself :( I guess I learned my lesson in packing numerous small bags. Oh well. I had planned to stop by Old Navy in Round Rock because they have a maternity section. Well, it was a joke. They had next to nothing....and what they did have was the wrong size. They didn't have any swim suits, so I was just out of luck! I did find Emma a (third) swim suit for half price!

After swimming, we went to the Bob Bullock museum to browse the students' projects. They were each required to create a biography project over someone of their choosing. There were some really neat ones there! Following that we enjoyed dinner at Texas Land & Cattle. One of the students made Emma an origami bird and she absolutely loved it :) Upon returning to the hotel there was a horse and carriage outside. The three of us decided to take a ride. It was a first for me and I was so sad that I didn't have my camera :( Our horse was named "Rowdy" and we rode around downtown Austin for about twenty minutes. We were hoping to catch a glimpse of the bats but apparently they flew early last night. The weather was nice at sunset so we walked the three blocks back to our hotel. All three of us slept together in a king size bed and it was qute cramped. Emma doesn't sleep so well away from her bed. Who can blame her?!

This morning we went to the capitol and met state representative Dan Gattis. I took this photo from his facebook page! It will also be in the Cameron Herald next week :) We then took a tour. We had our own personal tour guide and his name was Jarrod Smith. He has been to the capital numerous times before and is such a history buff! After the tour we drove North and stopped for lunch and shopping at the Round Rock outlet malls. In Carter's I commented on how sweet and pretty a little girl was. Her mother had her in a sling and she was just nine weeks old! I asked if it was her first and she said that it was actually her fifth! Her older four are all BOYS!!! I told her that I am four months pregnant and she said that I don't look it at all. I told her that I have been pretty sick and she said that she had been horribly sick with the girl but never with any of the boys. Isn't that wild?!

My next blog will probably be a video of Emma's dance recital this weekend. I'm counting on my smart hubby to figure that out :)

Update

Here are some photos I have taken over the past couple of days. I don't fight much with Emma about nap time anymore, so she fell asleep in the middle of Barney early yesterday evening. It was so cute!

The other photos are from this afternoon. We set up her frog pool again and she splahsed around for a few minutes. We are looking forward to trying the Cameron city pool out for the first time next week. It actually looks like a mini toddler water park. There is a frog slide and other neat things! The other photo is of what I found when I returned home from the grocery store. Jarrod had used a bungy cord to pull Emma on her pink tractor. She loved it!

The Desperate Housewives two hour finale was great last night! As always, it left me in total suspense. I cannot wait until September to pick up on the juicy drama :) Tonight is the two hour premiere to The Bachelorette. The only other reality show I watch is Big Brother (when it is on). I don't want to sound like a total TV watchin' fool. I think that The Bachelor/Bachelorette is a totally un natural way to meet someone who may end up as a spouse. However, it is totally entertaining, and therfore I watch. It's pretty halairous to watch some of the 'contestants'. Does anyone else watch???

Yesterday Emma had a dress rehearsal for her upcoming dance recital. It went REALLY well. It was a huge stage, the audience was full of people and she did great! I decided to hide on the side of the stage. She actually participated much better than she would have if I had stayed beside her. She was only one of a few who did the moves. I was so proud I could have cried! We're really looking forward to her debut this Saturday evening!

There are only nine total days of left of school for Coach Smith. He is also teaching summer school but that is only four hours in the mornings. We have lots of fun things planned for the summer time. In June we are going to the beach with my family, a marriage retreat and two weddings. In July we find out the gender of baby Smith #2 and are going to the Texas FFA State Convention in Dallas where Jarrod will have his ten year officer reunion!

Yummy!

I have been craving a salad like this one so I finally created my own! It has lettuce, strawberries, madarin oranges and crumbled feta cheese topped with raspberry vinaigrette dressing. It was so good (and healthy)! Jarrod is not a fan so I have it all to myself :)