Pst! Over here!

Yes, I blog.  Just not here any more.  

Go over here for more recent stuff.

mrs.smith.smithfam.us

Chink chink chink chink…

Guess what!

School starts tomorrow.

Huh?!

Yes, you read correctly.  School in Hawaii starts August 1st.  Most of my brain is still reeling from that revelation.
“WHAT?!! August first?! So… since it always feels like summer here they figure they don’t actually need to have a summer break?”
Hmph.

School starts tomorrow.

My fellow mothers and neighbors have been looking forward to this eagerly.  Except for the ones who are homeschooling, too.  I don’t know how they’ve been feeling, but…

I’ve spent the last week feeling like I’m at the beginning of a roller coaster. You know, that part where it’s going very slowly, very steeply uphill. The sun is in your eyes, you can’t quite see what’s coming next.  You’re listening to the track underneath you go, “Chink! Chink! Chink! Chink!” and you’re thinking, “I’m not so sure about this.”

Yesterday I crested the top, saw the track ahead of me, felt the momentum about to begin, and I agreed with those former thoughts.  “Stop the train, I wanna get off!”

Great.  Now I’ve got to go find pictures, don’t I?  Good thing I love you or I’d never take the time to do that.

This is the part right before you go flying down the hill, faster than fast, and with your hair flying and your stomach flip-flopping you scream, “I WANT MY MOMMY!!!!!”

That post will be coming next week, I’m sure, because –

School starts

tomorrow.

mrs.smith.smithfam.us

Anyone wanting a smithfam.us blog, send a note over there.  That way wordpress  and/or  blogger won’t own your pictures/blog/life.  😉

Changing *again*

Okay.  So, here’s the deal.

WordPress is anti-8 too now.

JUST KIDDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Actually, John has decided it’s his civic duty to enter the blog world, too, and he wants to host his blog on our… um… whatever it is you host blogs off of. 

Seeing how he’s able to create things computer-wise, and being the supportive wifey I am, I’m henceforth going to be posting here.  (mrs.smith.smithfam.us)

I know, I know.  Changing my blog again.  And you just updated my address on your blogroll…

So sorry.  If it’s any consolation, the blog doesn’t actually look any different.

PS:  And if you’d like to have a smithfam.us blog, too, so that your blog won’t get deleted out from under you when blogger finds out you supported prop8, just send John a line.  🙂

New Funny Moment

(see Funny Moments tab above)

All worth it

Okay, so I may be sleep deprived, it’s true.

And that gets annoying from time to time… and sometimes, it seems like all the time.

But man, am I one lucky (read: blessed) person, to be the mother of such cute kids, and to get to spend time with them all day like I do.  (Thankfully, I am also blessed with a helpful and understanding husband, who steps in when I don’t feel quite as “lucky” about the set up.)

Today was one of those good days for me, and a gorgeous, sunny fall day (nice and warm too!  yay!)… which was great timing because…

It was Doodle’s 3rd Birthday!  YAY!!!!!!!!!

This many fingers

Or as he says it,
“I’m ThWEE!!!!”

I was going to upload *just* pictures from his birthday… but… well, there are too many in this folder too cute to pass up.  First, bday pictures, than the other adventures from earlier this month.

While the files load, I shall explain a few things; when they’re done loading, I’ll be done jabbering.  Maybe.

 Doodle wanted a BOYS ONLY party this year.  I think it stemmed from Cinderella getting to go to a few “girls only” events (like Ruth’s baby shower – fun!).  The poor little guy gets bossed around morning ‘til night – I can’t blame him at all for wanting his own “piwate pahyty with no goyls.”  That included me and sister, and my mom & grandma… “Only BOYS.”  So John took half the day off to man the party, with help from my dad, his dad, and my brother A. 

In all its glory.

Go beat off that shark infestation, boys!

Doodle, G, B, and P, who was clearly having a great time.

He loved the ritual singing of the birthday song.

Me and him afterward

En-garde!

But I just can’t smile any bigger, Mom!

Eagle gives us his best pirate scowl

A good look at one of his new teeth

She’s an angel…

We built a “temple” at the “I am a Child of God” exhibit downtown.

Nov.1 — We love the Halloween Fairy!

Doodle surveys his Halloween Witchie spoils.

Our homemadefromscratch pumpkin pie.

Happy Eagle, after the big kids went to bed this evening.

This many fingers

And by the way, I can’t believe I didn’t get any pictures of the extended family that came today.  (BUMMER!!!!  Man, I hate when I do that.  The regret lives on forever.) 

Since I didn’t, I shall have to write down the scenes I should’ve snapped.

I can see it all quite clearly in my mind now — Dad (aka “Opa”) with his pirate bandana and patch, Uncle A with bandana and hook, and tiny dog “Akera” perched on his shoulder, under the pavillion, waiting for us to get there… John’s and my dad talking up a storm sitting on top of the picnic benches, sticking tape on the backs of the “flags” for the “stick the flag on the ship” game… Lots of things.  Cousin Adam (also 3 now) with chocolate frosting all over his face…  Little Noah, wearing his pirate vest, eating ice cream in his sad, sleepy, just-up-from-a-nap stupor…  His baby brother Daniel (Eagle’s age) wearing a pirate bandana, too… My sweet sisters-in-law who were able to make it here with kids in tow, one of whom is moving to California this week but drove 40 minutes to get here anyway… Grandma Lee getting her birthday-boy-hug… Cinderella and her 6 year old cousin Audrey, (both “not invited” but joining in for cake and ice cream anyway) playing together and dealing with severe can’t-be-the-center-of-attention issues.  (They are SOOOO much alike, it’s funny.)  Grams (mom’s mom) holding Eagle when he woke up (Eagle LOVES her — it’s so cute.)… Zannie (my mom) taking her turn, too, when Grams’ arms were done, and that satisfied look on her face, seeing her “creativity gene” obviously carrying through in its own way into my little family…

It was a wonderful, beautiful, busy time, and I loved every minute.

Not exaggerating

See?  It’s 3am, and since I finished that last post around midnight, I’ve been up with the little screamer at least 3 times.  He has a built in radar that tells him when I’m on the bridge between sleep and awake — the state you only remember if something pulls you out of it.  I HATE it when he starts screaming right then.  And he does, almost every single night, regardless of when I get to bed.

So I fed him at 12:15, fell asleep in the process (duh), and had to deal with him screaming at me 3 other times between then and now.

That’s not even an hour straight.

And this is typical.

Less typical that it makes me angry enough that I deal with whatever issues I can figure out in my tired stuppor (hungry? no.  wet?  I change his screaming, wiggly little self.  burp?  not that I can get out)… and am still SO angry I just have to leave him screaming bloody murder and go cool off (quite literally – it’s cold out here).

And I think, again, I need (seriously, need) to do some sleep training with this almost-9-month-old baby.  But at the moment I can’t remember anything I did with the other two, and I haven’t made it to the library in weeks now to find any of the great recommendations from my friends.

Anyone care to recap the __basic__ get-your-baby-to-sleep-through-the-night plan from any reliable source (including just your experience)?  Be kind and use small words, short sentences.  This is rediculous and must stop.  Thank Heavens the older two are usually making it through the night now that they’re in the same room.

Hm.  I wonder if John saved the day for the poor kid.  He doesn’t usually calm down on his own.  At any rate, he’s done acting like someone is sticking him with a hot poker.

I shall again try to go and get some sleep.

This does not bode well for my getting through church w/o loosing sanity.  Wish me luck.

Blond moment.

Oops.  Another one.  I think this makes about 10 this week.

We spent the whole afternoon/evening with John’s bro’s family.  It’s been so long since we’ve done that, their three year old was noticably taller than when last we saw him.  Sheesh.  AND — they’re moving to CA this upcoming week, which is quite a big deal for them and all those who will love & miss ’em.   (Allow me to mention here that I am beyond-thankful for their generosity in parting with lots and lots of amazing kids’ clothes they don’t need any more.  And other stuff, too.  You guys rock!!!!!)  Our kids all had a blast playing together today – and they did great about not picking fights with each other this time.  Yay! Dress ups, play food, running around outside, etc…

And did I bring my camera to capture the last play session in their lovely home here in UT that has been the place for so many great family gatherings?

NO!  ACKK!!!!!!!!!!  REPLAY!  REPLAY!!!!

Fortunately we’ll be seeing them again tomorrow (at a different sibling’s home), so I shall attempt to rectify the situation.  Don’t you hate it later when you don’t have any tangible, look-back-on-it pictures to help you document something important?  It’s often those things which don’t seem like such a big deal at the time, that are the biggest deal when they’re gone.  Sigh.

Like I said.  Get-together tomorrow.  Will take pictures, even if I feel stupid about it because no one on that side takes pictures unless there’s a birthday cake involved.  And even if my brother in law who HATES cameras and photos in general is there.  (Found that one out the hard way.  I still remember the death-glare I got when I, as a newly-married in-law, snapped a super-cute picture of him and his wife hugging and laughing together at a Christmas get-together.  OOPS!!!!!!!!!!!!)  (Fortunately, he forgave me, and he’s actually one of my favorite people.)  (But no wonder I’m a little slow to (a) remember to bring a camera if he’s going to be there, (b) take said camera out of its bag, and (c) get brave enough to use it.  LOL!)

And then I will (a) download and (b) post said pictures.

Hm…. Not like anyone other than family reading this is even going to care.  Good point, Anita. 

Yes!  Eagle is finally asleep!  Good grief, that kid has major sleep issues.  (groan.)  Most kids don’t sleep through the night until they’re the age at which he *stopped* doing the 7-8hr stretch.  I don’t mean to be ungrateful.  It was awesome to sleep through the night with a newborn to 3 or 4 month old baby.  Still.  I would appreciate if he’d remember those sleeping skills and let me sleep more than an hour or two straight.  It’s all about the consecutive hours for me.  I’d rather have 5 straight than 10 interrupted….

Whew!  Look at me ramble.  As noted, he is asleep, and I shall stop jabbering into my fingers.

G’NIGHT BLOG WORLD!

Date Night!

Woot! 

We love date night.  Tonight we did something unusually adventurous… by our standards anyway.  Something I’ve been wanting to do for a long, long time.  ICE SKATING!  Yay!!!!!!!!!  We haven’t ever gone together, and John hasn’t gone since he was 18.  Aaaaaaaand…

We royally stunk.  (Hey, I never said I couldn’t insult us on my blog.) You won’t be seeing us in the next winter olympics, that’s for sure.  We did vastly improve (I like to think) as we continued to skate over that first hour, and it was lots of fun.  Not as easy as I remember it being when I was younger, but hey.  That’s growing up for you.  😛  Timid me, I even got to where I would spin around, skate backwards, and was (trying to) skate fast.  (Not all at once.)

Then, attempting my fastest run around the rink ever, I fell. 

“Wight on my pumkin head,” as Doodle would say.

I’m still not sure how it happened.  One moment I’m thinking, “Ooooh!  Look at me go!!!” and the next minute I’m slip-smack-CRACK, flat on my back.

It hurt.

Lots.

Way to end our date prematurely, and with such a bang.

Next time -and there will be a next time- I’m wearing one of those dorky helmets they have for the kids.  Ice is hard.

A new policy, fwiw.

Just want to make a note here for the benefit of a few recent would-be commentators.

Those who immediately jump into name-calling and (what I percieve as) personal attacks on myself or family, do not get those comments published here.  I respect your right to your opinion, and I will defend your right to express it — but I feel no inclination to let you do so on *my* blog. 

Again, let me be clear that I am happy to hear your opposing ideas/ideals/beliefs/opinions, and will gladly publish your RESPECTFUL comments.  If you insist on insulting us you can do it freely on your own blog, as has happened and will probably continue to happen so long as we’re vocal about religion & politics.

I love you anyway, but don’t expect me to be unreasonable.