Little Man's first haircut

This weekend we took Little Man to get his first haircut!  It had become rather long over his ears and eyes.  We joked that it looked very similar to Donald Trump's hair :) 

 

Hudson enjoyed sitting in the red sports car but wasn't so sure what was going on!

And just like that we had made it to the last first hair cut for the Smith kiddos!

 

Before & after photos to show the difference.  He looks so much older now - and the sweet curls are gone :(

 

First day of School 2016

We enjoyed Summer 2016 and kept the kiddos very busy!  We are sad to see it come to an end but look forward to what the new school year has to bring.  Both kids return to Woodway Elementary this year.  This summer we actually bought a house a stone's throw away and the kids are thrilled about walking everyday! 

 

Emma is in fourth grade.  She is a big kid on campus as this is her final year of elementary {I simply can't believe it}!  She is excited that her BFFs are in her homeroom class.  Mrs Grygar seems wonderful and I know it's going to be a great year :)  

   

 

Owen is in first grade.  He is such a great kid and enjoys making new friends!  Mrs Echols is a sweet friend of mine and will be his teacher this year.  I know he will learn and grow a lot!

 

 

Owen at Meet the Teacher

 

 

Little brother will miss those two but we plan to keep busy!  Our prayer for this school year is that E & O are kind and accepting to their peers, helpful and respectful to their teachers and that they learn so much about themselves, their world and their studies.  We pray that they share the love of Jesus with everyone they interact with and that they stay safe, healthy and excited about school days :) 

 



The Wild 2016

Both big kids went to camp the first week of August!  This was Emma's 4th time and Owen's 1st!  This year Emma was in the tiger cabin again and Owen was in the zebra cabin, just as Emma was her first year.  They really enjoyed being there together and loved having cousin Anaiah there too.

Drop off:

Patriotic Monday

Tie die Tuesday

 

Wild animal Wednesday

Jersey Thursday

Florescent Friday

Practicing their mighty tiger roar:

Testing his skills on the putt-putt golf course

 

Splish splashing with sweet friends at The Ocean water park :)

One last upstairs zebra group prayer before departure

Both kiddos zip lined!

At cabin awards Owen received the "friendly" award.  His Bible verse was Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  -Luke 6:31.  Emma received the "I am Third" award.  Her verse was Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.  Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.  -Philippians 2:3-4

 

What a fun week!!  We were so glad to pick them up and are so thankful for the adventures and experiences that only a camp like CCCC can offer!  Owen enjoyed his first time and had dozens of stories to share.  It was Emma's favorite week of the year as usual :)  See ya next summer, CCCC!

Hudson at 17 months

Hudson is 17 months!  He now weighs 21.5 pounds and measures 27" long.  His head circumference is 18.8".  He is wearing all size 18 outfits and just started wearing size 5 diapers.  He has a mouth full of teeth ~ a dozen with a couple more coming in.  He is as cute as can be! :)

 

This month has been full of medical appointments but he has been quite the trooper (as always!)  First, he saw Dr Brindley for a post surgical follow up.  The right tube looked great but the left one was clogged and therefore not doing its job.  Dr B was able to unclog it and wants to follow up again in 3 months.  Next, he visited Dr Recko for an opthamology follow up.  He was able to determine with his prisms that H's eyes haven't worsened so we will follow up again in 4 months.  Last week we made the long trek down to Texas Children's for two full days of appointments.  He had sedated MRIs of both the brain and spine, two routine urological tests and met with five different specialists {developmental pedi, neurology, urology, dietician and orthotist}.  These days are utterly exhausting for everyone involved.

 

Hudson is such a hearty eater!  Recently he tried shrimp, salmon, Craisins and red beans & rice.  He has enjoyed lots of fresh fruit this summer {mango, watermelon, cantaloupe, blueberries...}.  He eats very quickly and isn't a happy camper when his supply runs out.  He also loves turkey or chicken bites, cheese squares, avocado pieces and macaroni & cheese.  The only thing he occasionally turns his nose up at is apple sauce.  He is still doing well with the sippy cup and drinks approx. 4 cups full of whole milk and 1 cup full of juice per day {apple or cranberry}.

 

 
We snagged this pre owned Squiggles stander from another local SB family.  Their kiddo is right at a year older than H so it fits very well.  Right now we want him to spend an hour in it twice a day.  Eventually that time duration will increase.  The next one will have wheels but this one will certainly get him used to being upright.  This position is especially great for his bones, digestive system and weight bearing.  He loves being hands free but tends to get antsy after being in it awhile!  :)  In PT we are focusing on weight bearing in his legs, army crawling and sitting without arm support.  He works hard but gets angry after awhile.  We also got him a balance ball.

 

His most recent word is "light".  He wakes up saying it and loves to pull the string on the fan.  He also constantly says "bup" but we haven't yet determined what that means!  He babbles a lot so hopefully he will start talking more soon.



Barrett-Smith beach bash 2016

Last month we made the looong trek to South Padre Island.  It was about 9+ hours with kiddos and frequent stops.  We met Big Daddy & Lita there.  We were so relieved when we finally saw the welcome sign that we had to pull over and take a family photo!! :) 

 

The water was very clear blue and beautiful.  The kids enjoyed it very much!  Owen's favorite activity was boogie boarding.  He did a great job and stayed at it for hours.
 

Hudson enjoyed playing and being with the big kids.  He was extremely determined to eat the sand and continued to shovel it into his mouth on purpose (yikes!)

He even snoozed in a beach chair :)

Emma made a gorgeous sand mermaid!

We built sand castles and other creations....

 

 

We visited Sea Turtle Inc which is a local conservation.  Their mission is to rescue, rehabilitate and release injured sea turtles.  The kids love turtles and enjoyed the up close experience.  It was very educational and enlightening.  There was even a 38 year old turtle named Gerry who once appeared on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson!

 

We had a wonderful trip!!  We enjoyed eating seafood, playing board games late at night and spending time together.



Hudson at 16 months

Hudson is 16 months old!  He now weighs approximately 21 pounds.  He is wearing more size 18 month clothes and size 4 diapers.  He now has 11 pearly whites and his hair is getting super long!

 

He loves the view riding this way through Target.  He thinks it is pretty neat sitting beside Owen and doesn't fuss at all :)

He enjoyed his first beach trip of the summer!
 

 

I'm happy to report that he now only drinks from a sippy cup!  After a few attempts to slowly introduce it we had to go cold turkey because he was pretty much attached to the bottle.  He is doing a great job!  He still LOVES meal time.  He is such a great eater and eats ANYthing he is offered.  I always cut everything into small bites but he often stuffs several into his mouth one right after another!  This month he tried tomato and corn on the cob.  New snacks include freeze dried fruit and teensy organic fruit gummies.  He often needs an immediate bath right after dinner :)

He outgrew his infant bath sling so we ordered a new fun bath chair!  This offers him just the right support but allows him to play and see what's going on.  He especially loves putting his hands underneath faucet to feel the water.

He usually sleeps well at night and prefers to be on his tummy.  He starts babbling around 7:00am and is usually ready for bed by 7:00pm.  He doesn't like being put down for naps and only cat naps during the day.  He often falls asleep playing with a stuffed animal and listening to lullabies.

Jaylon encouraged us to have him "stand" assisted to bear weight in his legs.  He loves having Emma at PT sessions over the summer!  She suggested having him measured for a stander.  This piece of equipment will essentially hold him in a standing position for long periods of time - which is great for his body and will offer him a brand new perspective of his world!  Unfortunately it is a lengthy claim process.  The new set of AFO braces he received were huge and unaccommodating so they were recently reconstructed.   They are solid blue because there weren't near as many pattern options this time!

 

Last month Dr Brindley inserted tubes in Hudson's ears.  For several consecutive months prior a tympanogram detected that his eardrums weren't moving as they should.  Our hope is that this drains the fluid and allows him to hear much better.  Our prayer is that this will improve his speech.

 

 
He has mastered the straw!  We now order him a kids water at restaurants and he loves it!  He is growing fast and has developed such a sweet personality :)



Happy Birthday America!

On the 4th of July the kiddos were excited to participate in the first annual Stone Creek Ranch parade in Big Daddy & Lita's neighborhood.  The day before was spent decorating a bike and wagon! 

 

 

At the end of the parade we enjoyed fellowship and met lots of nice neighbors.  We were thankful for a morning breeze!  They had refreshments, face painting and more.  We even honored our country by reciting the pledge of allegiance together.   

 

Emma won the "best decorated wagon" award!  She also had the most precious passenger, too!  :)

 

 

Cool shades

Hanging out with Uncle Sam :)

We enjoyed lunch with cousins and loved our visit as always!

The menu included red, white & blue deviled eggs and M&M flag sugar cookies!  The big kids and I enjoyed a little midnight baking :)

 

 

My three firecrackers :)

 

"The secret strength of a nation is found in the FAITH that abides in the hears and homes of the country."  -Billy Graham