The Smith Girls

30 Weeks Pregnant and Tired.....

2009-05-25T22:24:00.003-05:00

It has been a while since we I have posted, so I thought I would fill everyone in on what the we have been up to. No pictures this time because, frankly, I'm too tired. We have sold our house and are moving this Friday. Somehow I have managed to pack up the whole house. The last two times we have moved I have been pregnant. Anyone that has been pregnant while moving knows just how frustrating it can be. Not being physically able to do things drives me nuts. I should give Jason a little credit on the packing situation, he did get everything out of the attic and pack up the girls books. I think it might have been 4 boxes. In his defense, I'm a little obsessive about things and want the packing done a certain way.

The girls are doing good. Jaylie has been a little more crazier than usual. I think it might have something to do with all of her stuff getting packed up and knowing a baby is coming soon. If you can think of any more big changes to lay on a three year old let me know! Oh, and while Jason was away in Nashville last weekend both the girls came down with strep throat. I thought for sure I would get it, but something tells me that God knew that was more than I could handle at the moment.

Skyler gets out of school next Wednesday and can you believe that she will be in the 5th grade? She just finished up basketball. She has been playing/practicing since September, so I think she was ready for a break. I LOVE watching her play. She has three basketball camps this summer, so don't worry about her missing it.

She has started softball practice and is playing in two leagues this summer, so we will be spending lots of time at the ball field. Both girls are doing VBS at our church as well. We have no vacations planned because...well...buying a house and having a baby are not exactly cheap.

Once we get moved in I promise to post pics of the new house and the girls. Both girls are getting so big.

IT'S A. . . .

2009-03-04T08:41:00.002-06:00

GIRL!! Surprise! Actually to be honest we weren't that surprised. The odds were that it would be another girl. Jaylie is so excited. Skyler was hoping for a little brother, but is also excited about another sister. Jason will definitely be out numbered at our house.

Everything looked good and healthy on the ultrasound, which is really all that matters. I'm sure like any mother, there is a relief and a peace that comes over you after the ultrasound knowing that all the major organs have been accounted for. I will say that this one is a wild one. The ultrasound tech couldn't get her to hold still for anything. I promised her that I hadn't had any caffeine(for the day). In fact, she was bouncing around so much that they couldn't even get a good shoot of her face. This is very different compared to Skyler's ultrasound. She absolutely refused to move an inch. It literally took four different visit to the ultrasound tech to find out she was a girl. Isn't it amazing how they already have personalities in the womb? We thank God for giving us the opportunity to raise these precious little girls and we can't wait to meet Ms. number 3!

Announcing Baby Number 3!

2009-01-02T19:58:00.005-06:00

If you notice, we have a new gadget added to our blog. We are expecting! The baby is due July 31st. The girls are so excited. I'm just so tired!!! Hopefully that will pass soon.

We went to an ultrasound today and it was amazing. The baby was waving its little arms at us. Jaylie was not impressed with the picture we brought home from the ultrasound. She asked me why we couldn't see it's eyes. She said she was worried because it was so dark in my tummy and she was afraid the baby was scared. She already asks about 500 questions a day anyway and now I get to answer about another 300 more (about the baby) that is very hard to explain to a 3 year old. Skyler is a pro at this by now. She will be 10 when the baby gets here. She is such a big help already.

Christmas Time!

2008-12-31T10:14:00.005-06:00

This picture of Jaylie is one of my favorites. This was the last place(my parent's house) that we opened presents and she was done!

We had such a wonderful Christmas. I combined pictures from Jason's parents, my parents, and our house. We love getting to spend time with all the family. Our problem now is finding a place to put all the new toys.

Some of Skyler's favorite things: Diamond earrings(from Grammy and Papa), the Wii(from Nana and Papa), and the trip to Mexico.

Some of Jay's favorite toys: Dora's Talking House(from Grammy and Papa), Coconut the dog (from Nana and Papa), lots of pet shops, and the trip to Mexico.

Jason's favorite presents: As always $$$$ and the trip to Mexico!

Niki favorite presents: New purse, Wii Fit, $$$, and my watch. Of course, the trip to Mexico was great too! On Christmas day, at my parents, they get us each 5 Scratchers. We all sit around and scratch to see who wins the most money. Every year, Jason and I always get lucky. We win $20-$30. This year, I was the BIG winner. My last Scratcher was $100! Merry Christmas to me!! And no I am not sharing, so quite asking(you know who you are)!

Trip to Mexico

2008-12-28T12:28:00.011-06:00

We decided to take the girls to Mexico as part of their Christmas this year. It was so nice getting away from this cold weather. We all had a great time. We stayed at an all inclusive resort that was designed for kids. It had water slides and everything else that you can think of. It was perfect for them. I would highly recommend the place we stayed to anyone thinking of taking their kids on a trip to Cancun. The place we stayed was called Crown Club Paradise. I couldn't resist putting this picture up. Jason left our table(I thought to go to the bathroom) next thing I know I hear them saying his name. I look over the balcony that we were eating on and he is sitting on this mechanical bull. The girls thought it was hilarious. I was more impressed with his time of 12 seconds. Who knew?

Jason and Skyler went on a zip lining adventure. I was not there. This is one of the downfalls of having kids spread out in age, someone has to stay back with the little one. I was so jealous. They both said it was the best time - except for the hour long drive to get there on some bus with a driver going 100mph.

Aren't they cute?

The many faces of Jaylie!

Jaylie was so excited. At night they did shows for the kids. This night, there were so many characters she didn't know what to think. The pics just show a few of the friends.

The girls love the beach and the ocean. However, in case you don't know, sand ruins cameras. Our camera got ruined while we were at the beach. So...one of our Christmas presents was a new camera. We had to buy a disposable for the rest of our trip after this day on the beach.

Your really can't tell where they are in the picture, but this is Skyler and Jason playing water basketball.

Skyler and Jaylie enjoying their evening cocktails!

Skyler standing in a street in Mexico.

Skyler zip lining at the resort.

Jason and the girls in the pool that overlooked the ocean.

We went and looked at the Mayan Ruins and I was walking along and this is what was in front of me. It scared me to death. There were so many that we compared them to seeing squirrels in Missouri. I'm sure the locals thought we were crazy taking a bunch of pics of these things. But, hey, you don't see an iguana everyday around here.

Skyler and I at the top of one of the ruins.

The girls on some crazy thing that looked like a statue, but was really a man dressed up to look like a statue and scare people. Skyler and I were some of those people. At least we gave the people sitting outside of the Starbucks some entertainment. Jaylie is really not sure what is going on here.

The trip was a great time. Like I said, some of our pictures are on a disposable. Our favorite part of the trip was taking the fairy over to the island Isla Mujeres. We rented a golf cart and drove around the whole island. It was absolutely beautiful. The island is not overly commercialized, which is nice. We got to sit on the ocean and eat some authentic seafood and Skyler and I went snorkeling, which was amazing.

Skyler's Girls on the Run

2008-12-28T12:03:00.002-06:00

Skyler and I did a 5K together in November. Skyler has been training for the last 12 weeks with some friends. It was so much fun! The girls did great! Skyler's time was 35 minutes. Her are some pics of the big day. Oh, yeah did I mention that it was freezing that day.

Fall Festivities

2008-11-07T17:32:00.007-06:00

Jaylie this year for Halloween. If you look at last Halloween's post you will see that she was this dog last year too! We are all about saving money(or should I say Jason).

Skyler was Nastia Liukin. She came up with this idea all on her own. I was very proud of her.

We went to a Halloween party and this is Jaylie with some of her friends. I couldn't get Skyler and her friends to stay still long enough to get a picture.

Jaylie and Bella at their school parade.

Jaylie and her friend Autumn at the library. Autumn was Gabriella from High School Musical. Her wig was hilarious.

This is a picture of Skyler and her friend Kaelyn. I took it because they were both wearing Barbie and Dora PJS. They thought this was so funny. They freaked out when I told them that I was going to save this picture and put it in their yearbook this year. They were so embarassed.

Jaylie trying to get the pony's attention at the Pumpkin Patch.

The Pumpkin Patch

Random Pictures

2008-11-07T17:07:00.007-06:00

Skyler and some of her friends before their game.
Kennedy and Skyler

Jason went with Skyler and her girl scout troop to ride horses. Skyler really enjoyed it. Next time I am going. That is the one bad thing about having your kids so spread out in ages. One of us has to stay back with the little one.

Skyler and her horse

Just wait until your kids get older, this is what a Friday night looks like at our house. Skyler and her friends putting on karaoke shows at our house.

This is Owen as a boy!

And this Owen as a girl. Tricia(his mom)and I got really bored when the kids were playing and decided to dress him up. I will say he was a willing participant. I've always said he would make a pretty girl and now we know. Jaylie also enjoyed getting having a little girl friend to play with that day.

We took Jaylie to Chuckie Cheese on her actual birthday. For those of you that live around here, there is nobody there on a week night. This would be the reason that Chuckie is laying in the floor with my daughter. He also rode some of the rides with her, but I don't have pictures of that. Jaylie's was thrilled and it was a great birthday for her.

Jaylie playing putt putt. I think her favorite part was getting a hot pink ball and playing on the decorations.

Jaylie on her "little" pony.

Jaylie's Three!!

2008-11-07T16:39:00.005-06:00

Jaylie riding around her new Dora scooter

Jaylie and Autumn at Gymnastics.

Jaylie making sure everybody understand that this present is hers.

Well, it has been a while since we have posted any new pics. The girls keep me so busy. Skyler has started basketball. She loves basketball (this makes her daddy very happy). I'm so proud of her. Last week was their first game and she did awesome. She scored sixteen of the 24 points . She also is getting ready to run a 5K. It is so much fun. She has been running with me in the evenings. I really enjoy having a new running partner.

Jaylie is now three!! She had a great birthday party with all her friends and cousins at Jump Mania. We have also finally gotten her away from the binkies. She has started gymnastics again and loves it. She goes with her friend Autumn(see pic). She is also now going to preschool two mornings a week and loves it too. It is so cute, at night when Skyler is doing her homework Jaylie will get up at the table and pretend that she has homework. She takes her homework VERY seriously, believe me.

Skyler's Canoe Trip, Silver Dollar City, and the Olympics

2008-09-15T22:38:00.003-05:00

We recently went to Silver Dollar City with the girls. Jaylie was really excited because she is now 36 inches and can ride a lot of rides. In fact, there were a couple that I wouldn't let her ride because I don't think they are safe for a 2 year old. Seriously, if you have been to SDC do you really think a two year old needs to ride those little pirate ships that go close to a 100mph? I think not!

Skyler, Jason, and I usually take a canoe trip every year. However, since Jaylie has been home I have stayed home with her. I really don't know if she would like it or not, but it is not one of those things that I'm willing to go and find out about either. I'm sure other moms can relate. Jason and Skyler went this year and had a great time. We might try with Jaylie next year.

We love watching the Olympics. Skyler is a huge Nastia fan. Can you tell? I like Shawn Johnson. How can you not? She is so adorable!!

First Day of School

2008-09-15T22:10:00.003-05:00

Can you believe Skyler is in the fourth grade? It is so crazy because I can remember being in the 4th grade. I've always heard that 4th grade is a huge change from previous years, but the girl has homework every night. The kids switch classes, so she can have homework from different teachers every night. A normal night of homework is an hour to an hour and a half. Oh, and for those of you that don't have kids in school yet, just wait. They have changed all the rules in math, etc. Not only is she learning, but so are Jason and I. I will say that I do like some of the new rules they are using to teach multiplication and division. Math was never my favorite subject, but I think had I learned things the way they are teaching them now that it would have been helpful.

So...not only do we have school and homework, but lets not forget the extracurricular activities. Skyler does girl scouts on Tuesdays, basketball practice on Wednesdays, and this great program called "Girls on the Run" on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Girls on the Run is for girls age 3rd-4th grade and the girls train twice a week for an hour and a half. In twelve weeks they will run a 5k. I'm so excited because when she gets done she can run with me!! Skyler is doing great, last week she ran a mile. I remember trying to run a mile in grade school for gym and I about died. I think it took me an hour. I remember thinking that a mile might of well as been forever. Another great thing about this program is that they teach the girls about healthy body images and healthy eating habits. I should probably take some notes for myself on the healthy eating habits.:)

I don't want to forget Jaylie. She started preschool this year. I know she is a little young, but she wanted to go so bad. I am so glad that I sent her. She LOVES it!! Her teachers are wonderful. I got her a preschool teaching book and now when Skyler does her homework Jaylie will run and get her book and do hers as well. It is so adorable.

End of Summer Pictures

2008-09-15T22:02:00.004-05:00

We have spent a lot of time at the lake this summer(thanks to the Farias). The girls both absolutely love the water and Jaylie was almost swimming on her own by the end of it. On this day the girls enjoyed tubing and Skyler tried skiing. Notice Jaylie's goggles that she is wearing on her head. She thinks they make her look cool.

More Vacation Pics(read post below first)

2008-08-22T14:11:00.005-05:00

I love this picture of Jaylie
I love this one of Skyler
Jaylie is such a drama queen

Here is a picture of my friend Stacey and our girls
Skyler and Kennedy before the Superman

Oh, did I mention that Jaylie taught herself how to swim underwater. She LOVES the water.

Unplanned Vacation

2008-08-22T13:44:00.005-05:00

As the summer was coming to an end Jason and I decided that we needed to get out of Springfield. We decided to take the girls to Destin, Florida. We literally decided this one week before we left.

We have never taken a road trip with Jaylie so we thought we would give it a shot. Jaylie did great on the 14 hour ride home. It was getting there that wasn't so great. About three hours into the trip she asked us when we were going to get on the plan. I was thinking the same thing. Jason will only drive when we travel, so that means I get to handle the girls the entire time. Does anyone else have a husband that does this?

Our vacation also overlapped with one of Skyler's friends(Kennedy). So, in case you are wondering that is the other family in all the pics.

This was the car that Jason and Skyler rented. Skyler thought it was so much fun.

This was Jaylie's
"prison" that Skyler sent her too.

Isn't our view from our balcony great?
I could wake up every morning to it.

Notice that Jaylie's Minnie and Mickey followed us to the beach.

Our Fourth of July Weekend

2008-07-23T23:25:00.007-05:00

We had a great 4th of July. We spent Thursday night at our friends the Heeren's that live in our neighborhood. Skyler and Kennedy are great friends. We claim her as our third child. We spent Friday and Saturday at our friends the Faria's lake house on Table Rock. We spent the day swimming in their pool, tubing on the lake, and grilling out for dinner. We watched the fireworks from their boat. The girls loved it.

This is Jaylie's friend Bella. They were so exhausted. Can't you tell they look like rug rats from swimming all day?
Jaylie on the boat on the way to watch fireworks. Did I mention that the fireworks didn't start until 9:30? Jaylie and Bella again!
My friend Stacey(Kennedy's mom).
Kennedy and Jaylie.
Jaylie and Kennedy's brother, Tanner. She really likes him. He is wearing her glasses(which I believe are Skyler's) and she traded them for his hat.
Kaelyn, Skyler, and Janelle on their way to see the fireworks.

Kaelyn and Skyler feeding the geese.

Skyler shooting of the fireworks(with dad close by).
Skyler and mommy!
Daddy and Jaylie!

Jaylie and Skyler. Jaylie was getting a little sick of the noise by the end of the night.

Our Branson Trip

2008-07-23T23:11:00.005-05:00

We have season passes to all the parks in Branson so we have spent a lot of time at White Water and Celebration City. We just went to Branson with my family for the weekend. Here's some pics.

Skyer at the Hard Luck Diner in Branson. The waiters and waitresses sing as you eat. This guy made it to the top 44 on American Idol, he said it was the year Carrie Underwood won. Also, for those of you American Idol fans Jason Yeager works there.
Only in Branson can you get a picture of your kids in front of a Christmas tree in July! Jaylie was very confused with seeing a Christmas tree, I guess she is old enough to realize at two that it's a little out of place.
Jaylie hiding in the fort that daddy made for her.

Jaylie riding the swings at Celebration City.

Skyler and Jaylie with their cousin Quinn.

Our Summer So Far...

2008-07-23T22:33:00.007-05:00

Jaylie doing a little Karaoke
Jaylie making her scary face.

Jaylie had to get a Dora softball since Skyler plays softball.
We have kept busy with Skyler's ball games. Her team was 5-4 this year. This was impressive since her team played up this year in age. Next year they go to player pitch. Did I mention I'm the dugout coach? Anyone that know me at all is probably laughing, but after two year I think I have most of the rules down.

Jaylie's amazing life jacket!
Having a little afternoon tea party.
Crazy Jaylie!
This isn't a great picture, but it was taken on Skyler's last day of school. We were very proud of her. At the awards assembly that day Skyler received the student of the year award for her class. I think she gets that from me.:)
Well, I haven't posted in a while so I thought I'd post some pictures of what we have been doing so far this summer. We swim a lot! When I say a lot I mean like 4 hours a day. The girls are both little fish. Jaylie got this great thing that she uses this year as a life jacket and she can swim in the deep end with Skyler and everywhere else in the pool by herself. We have loved this life jacket type thing because it doesn't let her flip on her back, etc. like some do. She has really learned how to kick her legs to stay above water. Of course, I think her determination to swim has something to do with keeping up with her big sis and her friends. Other than swimming the girls love playing in the backyard on the swing set and on their trampoline that they got this summer. Jaylie also loves riding her little 4-wheeler.

So Maybe Skyler Shouldn't Babysit

2008-04-26T23:48:00.004-05:00

First I should say that Skyler usually does a great job of helping take care of Jaylie. She is very responsible. However, on this day this was not one of those times. I was finishing up mopping my bathroom floors so I thought it would be a good idea for Skyler to take Jaylie outside and play in the backyard. Jaylie loves to play outside. She loves it so much that when she has to pee she doesn't want to tell you because she hates to have to go inside. On this day, she decided to just pee in her pants. I decided to teach her a lesson and make her stay outside in pee pants(hoping that this would bother her enough that she wouldn't do it again.) Then, Skyler decided that they needed to dig up flowers and put them in cups. I didn't know about this great idea. According to Skyler, all was well until Jaylie decided to eat the dirt. The pictures do not do justice to how dirty my daughter was.

It all worked out though. Jason got home just as I was about to start cleaning her up. I decided he could deal with it while I made dinner. His first question, "why is her butt wet?" My reply, "I don't know, she must have set in water." :)

This is my beautiful princess. Jaylie has discovered lip gloss or how she says it liss gloss. Skyler and her are so different. The lip gloss that she is finding is stuff from when Skyler was little that has never been used because Skyler could have cared less about dress up and lip gloss. Jaylie has on a princess gown that was also Skyler's. I don't know if she ever even wore it. It was pretty long so we had to tie it up around Jaylie's waist. I wish you could see Jaylie's lips better. She had two colors of lip gloss on her lips. Obviously, I was not around when she got into these lip glosses. Maybe the title of this blog should be "I should watch my two year old better".

A Few Random Pictures of the Girls

2008-04-26T23:38:00.003-05:00

Here is a picture of Jaylie and her Dora and Boots loofahs that the Easter Bunny got her.
Skyler and her American Girl Doll, Lilly. They got matching PJ's for her birthday.
Jaylie decided one morning that she needed to do some painting. Amazingly, it all stayed on the paper. These are the coolest mess free brushes. The paint just comes out when you squeeze it. Maybe they have been around for awhile and I'm just out of the loop.

My Baby is Nine!!!

2008-04-26T22:49:00.004-05:00

I can't believe that she is NINE!!! For her birthday she had a swim party and invited 21 girls. It was a little crazy, but they had fun.

I'm so proud of her and the young lady that she is becoming. She likes to read, craft, act, and sing obnoxiously loud songs with me in the car(we are currently rocking out to Jeremy Camp and Taylor Swift). It is so fun enjoying these things together as she gets older. We now can enjoy music, movies, books, and (my favorite) shopping together. However, there is so many things I miss about her being little. I think the book by Karen Kingsbury "Let Me Hold You Longer" sums up how I feel about her growing up. The book is about holding on to your kids lasts. I can't remember the last time that I lifted her and held her on my hip still small enough for me to hold or the last time that she crawled up in my lap and needed to be rocked to sleep. It is those things that I truly miss. I think the second child lucks out because you realize that they grow up so fast and you hold on longer to these special moments. By the way, this is why I still lay down and sleep with Jaylie every night and why she still has her binkie. I have been told by family that Jaylie gets away with soooo much more than we ever let Skyler. Well, see I'm just holding on to my baby. I have a perfectly good excuse.

Anyway, if you have not read this book and her other book "Let's Go On a Mommy Date"(this is Jaylie's favorite) you have to get them. I cry almost every time I read them. If you don't know anything about Karen Kingsbury she is a Christian author who mainly writes adult Christian fiction. However, she has these two kids books that are amazing. They are not only great for kids, but they really help me to keep my focus on my kids and not to care so much about the laundry piling up or whatever because your kids are only little once. Skyler, Jaylie, and I have read them almost daily since we got them and they are such a reminder to me about what is important.

When Skyler was born I wrote her a letter about the things that I wished for her. Here are a few of them:

1. I hope that she develops a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and accepts Him as her Lord and Savior.]

2. I hope she knows that as she gets older that her mommy and daddy love her no matter what mistakes she makes.

3. I hope she knows that I'm always here to talk to her and that she can tell me anything and that whatever it is we will get through it together.

4. I hope that she gets a college education.

5. I hope that she follows her heart and finds a profession that makes HER happy(right now she wants to be a teacher).

6. I hope that she finds a Christian man that shares in her beliefs to marry.

7. I hope she give me grandchildren(ok, so this one is a little selfish).

8. I hope that when she has those children she fully understand how much I love her.

Trip to St. Louis

2008-04-26T22:19:00.004-05:00

We recently took a trip to St. Louis, just the four of us. It is so rare for us to have a weekend with nothing going on. Once your kids hit school age say goodbye to all those weekends. It is either sports, birthday parties, or some kind of school event.

While we were in St. Louis we got to visit some of our "old friends". I call them old friends because when we first meet them Skyler was the only kid and now their is like 8 of them. When we first meet them they were all just happy married couples (with no kids) that were sweet enough to include us and Skyler. I have a feeling that if Skyler would have been anything like Jaylie they probably would not have kept on inviting us.:) Anyway, I'm happy to report that they are still "happy married couples" just with children. We had a great time. Thanks Nicole for having us all over.

This is Bennett. The kids decided to have an American Idol show for us. It was so cute. Nicole's two boys could be back up for Chris Daughtry.
Here is a picture of all the kids, minus Lucy and Jack Henry. Jack Henry was already asleep and Lucy hates getting her picture taken. You will see below that we ended up making her get in the picture. Mike and Melissa's son Ryder would have also been in the picture, but Melissa and Ryder didn't get to come because Ryder was sick. (We really missed seeing you guys.) Also...notice Jaylie's dog in her lap. I'm not kidding no matter where we are that girl can find a dog.

Here is another future American Idol star.
Oh, here is the picture with Lucy. Isn't she happy that we threw her in the picture?
Ok, so here is a good picture ofLucy. She is so adorable. I had to get one without her crying.
Here is Norah playing a little guitar.
This is Luke and Bennett. They are brothers and they were wrestling. It took Jaylie about 2 seconds to get in on that action.

Our Trip to St. Louis to the Magic House

2008-04-26T22:00:00.004-05:00

When we lived in St. Louis we loved taking Skyler to the Magic House. It is so much fun! The Magic House and the City Museum are our favorites. We were really excited to take Jaylie to the Magic House for the first time. She, of course, loved every minute of it. It was so nice getting a weekend away. The girls loved swimming in the hotel pool and we loved getting to eat at some of our favorite restaurants that for some reason have not made it to Springfield.

Notice Jaylie found a puppy. Puppies are like baby dolls to her. She was cooking with a puppy on her hip. What is wrong with my child?
My daugther the chef! She does not get that from me. It must come from her Grammy Smith. I'm actually not bad at heating up a pizza.

My Birthday!!

2008-03-25T21:01:00.003-05:00

My Bunko friends and I went to J Bucks for my birthday. They decided to bring me "regifted" presents. Lets just say that they were interesting. I had some explaining to do to Jason when I showed him the baby outfit. I will say that some of the presents were not THAT bad. They just might get "regifted" to one of them.:)

Easter Fun!!

2008-03-25T20:44:00.004-05:00

Skyler and Jaylie had a great Easter. They loved decorating and hunting the eggs and, of course, eating the candy. I had to have Jason take the Easter candy to his work because WE didn't needit.

A Day at the Zoo

2008-03-25T20:29:00.003-05:00

I need to first say that the day at the zoo was only 8 days after the Winter Day post below. Go figure!!

Jaylie has a little friend named Owen. They are absolutely adorable together. People always think that they are twins because they look so much a like. Owen is such a gentleman. He holds Jaylie's hand and he waits for her and opens doors for her. I really think he is a keeper. Jaylie on the other hand really does not appreciate Owen...yet. I will have to work with her. They had a great day at the zoo and Jaylie loved getting to feed the animals.

Winter Days!!

2008-03-25T18:31:00.003-05:00

Here are some pictures of the girls playing in the snow. We were were outside for close to two hours. Instead of playing in the snow Jaylie just eats it. She informed me that we don't eat grass. I didn't know where that was coming from until she later said "we eat snow." Hey, at least my kid is smart enough to know the difference. She ate so much snow that she peed in her snowsuit. Once I took her inside and got her all unbundled I decide that she was done playing in the snow. She wasn't very happy, so instead she got to make a fort inside. Notice that her bag of Minnie and Mickeys are always close by.

Jason and Niki's trip to Mexico

2008-02-24T15:46:00.008-06:00

Jason and I just got back from Puerto Aventuras, Mexico. It was beautiful and relaxing. It makes me wonder why we are living in Missouri when there are places like that with beautiful weather year round. Ok, so I don't want to live in Mexico necessarily, but you get my point.

See the little hut by the water? That is where Jason and I got our massages by the ocean. I thought it was great. I always love to get a good massage or a good facial. However, anyone that knows Jason knows that this is REALLY not his thing. So I was shocked when he agreed to go with me. His reaction when it was over, "I can't believe people actually spend money for that." Not really what I was hoping for, but at least he tried.
This day people were actually surfing, but you really can't see them.

Don't you love how the guys shirt behind me makes me look like I'm wearing a nurse's hat?
Jason at Playa Del Carmen
At our resort, on the shore of Puerto Aventuras
This was my friend that I made, Paola. She was part of the entertainment staff. She spoke very little English, but we managed to communicate. In case you ever want to go work in Mexico, she makes $23 a day and works 12 hours. Can you believe that? At the beginning of our stay she had a little crush on Jason. She was shocked when I had to tell her he was my husband and not my boyfriend. I guess in Mexico a wedding ring doesn't mean a whole lot. Anyway, by the end of the week we were BFFs.
Jason and I love to look at boats. You should have seen some of the yachts in the marina. Again, we are definitey missing out in Missouri.

Jaylie is no Picaso

2008-02-16T20:52:00.003-06:00

The girls and I decided to do a craf this afternoon. They were supposed to be coloring on paper bags to make them into fish. However, when I was busy cutting out the eyes for the fish I looked up and saw this...

Jaylie had decided to color her face. She thought she was beautiful until she saw herself in the mirror. Then, she wanted it off NOW!!!
I had to include these pictures I took of Jason and Skyler later on that night. I thought they looked so cute. I do want to state that Skyler's hair does not normally look like this. Friday was crazy hair day at school. She reminded me last minute(or else I'm sure it would have been something really great), so I put the sides in pigtails and put one big pony on the top of her head. Beautiful!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T22:55:00.008-06:00

Here are some pictures of the girls and I on Valentine's Day. Skyler likes to take her own pictures. Notice how good this first one turned out.

I got Jaylie to wear her new t-shirt(see previous post). These pictures were not taken on the same day as the previous post. Jaylie just really likes running around in her panties. I'm so used to it, I don't even think about it when were taking pictures. Sorry!
My favorite girls!!
Jason was at work when these pictures were taken. I thought I would include this one since Skyler really resembles him in it. :)
Skyler took this picture and it turned out a little better than the first. It's at least centered.

My "Little" Rockstar

2008-02-14T22:29:00.006-06:00

I was so excited when I found Jaylie a Hannah Montana t-shirt in her size. She always wants to be like Skyler and her friends. Everytime we are in Walmart she begs me for a Hannah Montana t-shirt and I tell her they are not her size. Again, I was REALLY excited when I found one in her size. I brought it home and couldn't wait to show it to her. However, I made a big mistake. When I gave it to her I said, "look mommy found a "little" shirt in your size!" She took one look at it and told me to take it back. She needed a big one, not a "little one". After some convincing (by Jason, Skyer, and myself) we got her to at least try it on. She ran and got Skyler's "rockstar" hat. She loves putting this hat on and running around telling everyone that she is a rockstar. I'm pretty sure that this is one of those things that big sis and her friends have taught her to say.

Side note: Also notice that she is wearing panties. Jaylie is fully potty trained(even at night). I'm so excited to be free of diapers. I don't know if anyone else has this problem, but Jaylie loves to change her panties (like, I don't know, four times a day). It drives me crazy!! If you can't tell, she is much more high maintence than Skyler was at this age.

To Anyone Concerned

2008-02-04T15:55:00.001-06:00

We found the Mickey Mouse that was left out in the snow. Jaylie couldn't be happier.

A Day in the Snow

2008-02-01T11:10:00.001-06:00

Today was Jaylie's first time playing in the snow. She loved it! I think her favorite parts were eating the snow and letting her sister pull her around in the sled. Notice that she is matching from head to toe. Jason asked me where I find this kind of stuff. My mom, of course. Nana and Grammy do a great job of coordinating the girl's outfits, even for a snowsuit. Jaylie looked like she was ready to go to Colorado skiing...maybe next year.

Anyone that knows Jaylie knows that she carries around a Dora lunch box full of little figurines(Mickey Mouse, Dora, etc) Well, guess what? She threw a fit because she needed to take them outside with her. Jason let her take Mickey Mouse. Unfortunately, Mickey did not make it back inside and she is very worried. I told her maybe we would find him once the snow melted. She is not happy with this answer. Anybody willing to come and dig for Mickey Mouse in the snow?

Jason took Skyler and her friends sledding on a hill that about killed me last year. I am NOT KIDDING! It was when we got the ice storm and I flew down the hill and went airborn at the end. That's when I realized I might be getting to old for this stuff. Jaylie has her own sled, but I refuse to let her go down the hill that I will never go down again. So, she settled for sledding in our back yard.

Jaylie's many sleeping comforts

2008-01-19T20:27:00.002-06:00

I'm not sure if Jaylie is going to like basketball as much as her daddy and Skyler, but one thing is for sure, she really likes her basketball binkie. Notice that I made sure it had some bling! Also, notice the other binkie in her hand(just in case she needs a back up). You can't forget her bebe(blanket). I took a picture of the dog she has to sleep with. The thing is huge(thanks Nana and Papa). The big dog also has a little dog that sleeps with them, but unfortunately we forgot that one at Nana and Papa's house. You can't really see them in the picture, but Jaylie had to sleep with her big girl Dora panties tonight. She threw a fit when I put on her night time pull-up. So...we came up with the solution that she could sleep with them and put them on first thing in the morning. I can't believe she went for that.

Jason's Glory Days!!

2008-01-19T19:43:00.001-06:00

First of all, I must say that these pictures are not the best, but I had to post them. If nothing else, to embarrass my husband. Anyone that lives around Springfield knows that in high school, Bolivar competes in a tournament called the Blue and Gold. Teams from all over the area come and play in the tournament. Well...ten years ago my husband(then boyfriend) was the leading scorer out of all the teams. I must also add that Bolivar won the tournament that year. Anyway, he was recognized this year for being the leading scorer. Every year,they recognize all the past leading scorers every ten years to that year. So, we will be back in 2017. It was one of those moments(you know what I'm talking about) that you really feel old. When Jason saw I brought the camera to the game, he made sure to tell me the pictures better not show up on my blog. He really shouldn't have told me that. :)

Skyler's Christmas Parties

2007-12-29T17:03:00.001-06:00

This is a picture of Skyler at her 3rd grade class party. My best friend from high school(Bethany) and I are the homeroom moms. Anyone that knew us in high school would of really gotten a kick out of seeing us up until midnight the night before hot glueing snowmen together. Bethany and I met in the 4th grade. It is really crazy to see our two kids now in the same classroom so close to the ages we were.

Skyler, Ally, and Allison
Anyone that knows Skyler knows that she is quite the planner. So...she decided she needed to have her own Christmas party with some of her friends. It was so cute. Skyler made the invitations and told them to bring or wear there favorite Christmas present and to bring a gift that was $5 for a gift exchange. Above is a picture of Skyler with her best friend Kennedy. Oh, I don't want to forget their American Girl dolls-Amber and Lilly.
Skyler with her friends after they opened their presents.
Skyler and her friends playing Hannah Montana game Truth or Dare. They were a little crazy.

Christmas at our house

2007-12-29T16:41:00.002-06:00

The kids had a wonderful Christmas. We decided to do ours different this year. We went to a candlelight service at our church on Christmas Eve and then let the kids open their presents when we got home. This way they got to play with their presents a little more. Usually, after we open presents on Christmas morning we rush off to go to my parents house. This year we did stockings and Santa presents on Christmas morning. I really enjoyed it because there was a lot less mess for me to clean up in the morning and we were able to get around much quicker. Jason made an executive decision and decided that next year our family's present to each other would be a trip. Jason hates the cold, so we will probably be going to Mexico. Jason informed the girls that Santa goes to Mexico. I'm all for not buying a bunch of extra stuff that we really don't need, but I hate to tell him that the grandparents might have a bit of a problem with this plan.:) Oh, by the way, Jason says this every year!!

Jaylie waiting patiently to open her presents.
Skyler loves playing school(I did too at her age). She was sooo excited to get school supplies for teaching.
Jaylie modeling her new robe.
Skyler got an American girl doll from Santa.
Skyler holding the present that she bought for Jaylie.

Christmas with the Griggs

2007-12-29T16:33:00.001-06:00

Jaylie before opening presents
Quinn(Christy's son), Skyler and Jaylie
Jaylie is always picking her nose...I am not kidding!!
Jaylie, Papa Dean and her BIG puppy(it matches her little one). Jaylie wasn't sure if she liked the big puppy. In fact, she told my mom to take it back, give it away to Quinn, and throw it out in the trash. It wasn't until I brought in her matching little puppy(normal size) and told her it was the mommy puppy that she decided it might be ok to keep.

Christmas with the Grinch

2007-12-29T16:21:00.000-06:00

Jason's mom's work always does Christmas for the Home Court boys in Bolivar. It is a great opportunity to buy presents for kids and to let my kids go and see how fortunate we are at Christmas time. This year, not only was Santa Claus at the party, but also the Grinch. The kids thought it was great. Everyone, except for Jaylie. She wasn't sure what to make of him.

Skyler with her cousins, Jenna and Justin.(and the Grinch!)
Wendy(my sister-in-law) and I
Jaylie with Grammy and Papa Smith. Notice that Jaylie is preoccupied looking to see if the Grinch is coming to get her.
Grammy and the Grinch

Christmas with the Smiths

2007-12-29T16:05:00.002-06:00

Jason and his brother Doug playing Scrabble. This is pretty much all they do when they are together. They love having a battle of the minds.
Jaylie playing the the fort that the big kids made.
Here is all the Smith grandkids being funny. Justin, Jenna, Haley, Hannah, Lauren, Skyler, and Jaylie. They have a blast at Grammy and Papa Smith's house.

Our Big Basketball Player

2007-12-15T16:52:00.001-06:00

Kennedy, Madison, Skyler and Laura(waiting for the game to start)
Skyler getting ready to pass the ball in to Madison
Kennedy, Skyler, and Kaelyn taking a breather
Jaylie enjoying all of Grammy's attention at the game
Jaylie and her friend Bella

Skyler has started another year of basketball, if you know Jason you know that this sport is not an option. :) Thankfully, Skyler really enjoys it. She actually enjoys her daddy coaching. That probably won't last much longer. The team is all girls from her school and it's really cool to see each of their basketball skills develop over the last couple of years. Here are a few pictures-the score 28 to 8. Of course, the girls won! Way to go Wildcats!!!

Jaylie's has a Job!!

2007-12-12T21:56:00.002-06:00

Jaylie has decided that she loves McDonalds so much she needs to work there. I must say that she does a good job at bringing us our orders. Her daddy thinks she might want to consider another profession. :)

Skyler's Christmas Program

2007-12-12T21:49:00.002-06:00

Skyler recently performed in our church Christmas Program "Bows of Holly". She had a lead part and did a wonderful job. We were very proud of her.

Jaylie Loves Stickers

2007-11-16T11:28:00.001-06:00

Jaylie loves stickers. When she goes potty we reward her with ONE sticker. However, today the phone rang after she went potty and she decided she would reward herself. I guess she thought she did an extra special job.

Halloween!!

2007-10-31T21:50:00.001-05:00

Skyler, also known as Hannah Montana
Daddy and Jaylie
Dani, Kennedy, Skyler, Rylie, Bailey, Josie, Jenelle, and Kaelyn
Hannah Montana and the 102nd Dalmation

Tonight we started off celebrating Halloween at our church. The church did a "trunk or treat"All the car's trunks had a theme. It was really cute. After the church festivities, we headed over to our friend's, Stacey and Brad, house for dinner. Her mom made us some delicious chili. Counting adults, I bet we had 30-40 people there. After we ate, we all went trick or treating around the neighborhood. Skyler was happy to get to trick or treat with her friends. Jaylie wasn't sure what to think. She liked getting the candy, but she couldn't quite figure out why everybody looked so strange. She especially did not like houses that had scary decorations. Anyway, Jaylie was a Dalmatian(she loves dogs) and Skyler, of course, was Hannah Montana. Anyone that knows Jaylie, knows that she is obsessed with anything dogs. I'm not quite sure how this came about considering I'm not a big (in the house type) animal fan. Ok, I'm not an animal fan at all. People think were mean for not getting her a dog. But, I think it is a big step letting her be a dog for Halloween. I must say she was quite adorable! Happy Halloween!!!

Carving the Pumpkin

2007-10-27T14:47:00.001-05:00

Jason is gone hunting this weekend with his dad and brother. We have been so busy lately that we haven't had a chance to carve our pumpkin. So...the girls and I decided that today was the day. Skyler picked out the perfect design on the computer(one her mother could actually do). Jaylie started gagging when she reached in to pull out the inside of the pumpkin (Skyler and I call it-the guts). That was enough for her, she ended up playing on the swing set the entire time. She would occasionally come over and put her hat on the pumpkin saying "the pumpkie needs a hat". Skyler helped pull out "the guts" and then I was on my own for carving. While I carved, Skyler took a knife and dug up worms and planted pumpkin seeds in the ground so that we could have our own pumpkin patch next year. :) All in all, it was a good time. The picture shows the finished product, along with the girls "baby pumpkins".

September Vacation to Clearwater Florida

2007-10-25T09:44:00.001-05:00

The second half of our vacation was to Clearwater Florida. It was very relaxing. We stayed right on the ocean. We went to the ocean everyday, parasailed, and walked the pier at night. We were very tempted to stay and take up residence there:)

September Vacation to Orlando Florida

2007-10-25T09:28:00.002-05:00

Lunch at Chef Mickey's with Minnie, Donald, Mickey, Goofy, and Pluto.

We spent the first half of our week in Orlando. We went to Magic Kingdom, Sea World, and Blizzard Beach. The girls had a blast. Jaylie is so deprived, this was her second trip to Disney World before she is even two. It was so fun to see her face when she saw Mickey and Minnie.

A Day at the Pumpkin Patch

2007-10-25T08:53:00.001-05:00

As soon as we got to the pumpkin patch, Jaylie found her pumpkin(that she could pick up by herself). Too bad it was green and yellow.
Skyler going through the corn maze.

Jaylie and Skyler each got their own "little" pumpkins. Skyler painted hers at the farm, but we decided Jaylie would be better off coloring hers with markers at home.

We took a hayride to the pumpkin patch. It took us a while to find the perfect pumpkin. Jaylie thought we needed to take all the pumpkins home.

Hannah Montana Concert

2007-10-24T22:42:00.002-05:00

Skyler and I recently went to the much anticipated Hannah Montana concert in St. Louis. Skyler and her friends looked like little rock stars. It was adorable!!! We all had a blast.