More Holiday Fun!

This actually happened a few days before Thanksgiving, as the Phoenix Zoo hosted a preview night of their annual ZooLights attraction for zoo members. My parents graced us with a zoo membership a few months ago, so we decided to take advantage of this special night. Although the girls were a little confused about why they couldn’t see the “real” animals, they definitely enjoyed looking at all of the lights.
We’ve gone the past few years to the Wild Winter Nights hosted by the MUCH closer Wildlife World Zoo – it was a treat to be able to experience new displays and places to explore this year. My sis and her hubby are coming down for Christmas this year – maybe we’ll have to go back with them to experience ZooLights again!

 

 

 

 

Thanksgiving Pics - 2

Our family hanging out in front of a fireplace - lit with an actual fire!! Hee,hee....sorry..we just don't see many fireplaces down in Phoenix.

 

Getting ready for Thanksgiving dinner. Notice the pink sippy cup and the bowl of mac and cheese for Miss Lorelin.. :)

 

A shot of Bison Ranch's main lodge - this picture doesn't really do it justice though. It's really a very beautiful place. The main lodge has a wood-burning fireplace, with beautiful stone-work that takes up almost all of one wall.

 

Girlies being silly! (on the front porch of our cabin!)

 

Thanksgiving Pics 1

Thanksgiving was FABULOUS this year!! For the first time ever, we went away for Thanksgiving. My very generous parents rented a cabin at the Bison Ranch Retreat Center up in Heber/Overgaard and invited us up to spend three nights with them. :) My Mom and I pre-packaged (and froze) most of our Thanksgiving sides, and took up turkey/ham to cook in the kitchen in the cabin. The cabin was very nice - two bedrooms, two baths, full kitchen/dining room and a living room with leather couches and a gas fireplace that flipped on and off with just a switch. :) AMAZING!! The weather was cold, which was a nice change of pace from all of the warmth we've had here in Phoenix lately. The days were still sunny though, and we took advantage of all of the great space and let the girlies run and play to their hearts content. When we weren't outside, we took adavantage of the fireplace (and hot chocolate) inside, while playing LOTS of rounds of Candyland with K-Bug and coloring in colorbooks with Lorelin. My dear hubby and I got LOTS of reading time in, as well as a late night conversation or two on the back porch, where we sat (wrapped in blankets) watching a full moon rise over open forestland. I'm going to post the pictures here in two sets -

Here's Lorelin and her Daddy relaxing on the back porch...so cozy!

 

Hanging out outside (with coats and mittens..) - what fun!

 

The pond in front of the Bison Ranch Retreat Center lodge...pretty!

 

My pine branch is bigger than yours!!

 

We're Going On A Trip...

"In our favorite rocket ship..." My daughter Lorelin LOVES the Little Einsteins and will walk around singing this song. The other night we took a little bit of our own trip...to the Good Night Pediatrics.

The night after our return from our Thanksgiving trip (which was AWESOME, by the way...pictures to come) Miss Lorelin started to run a fever.

I watched her all the next day...and that night the ear tugging began.

My Mom offered to come over and stay with K-Bug, so my dear hubby and I opted to take Lorelin in to the pediatric urgent care (called Good Night Pediatrics). By both of us taking Lorelin together, we were able to help juggle the responsibilites of check-in and entertaining a sick child in the waiting room (we actually didn't wait inside...too many coughing kiddos...my hubby waited inside while I walked around outside with Lorelin).

Lorelin has never actually had to have antibiotics for anything up to this point, and really has not had many trips to the doctor at all, so she was a little cautious about having the doctor looks in her ears and listen to her heart.

We had taken one of her favorite books, called "How Does A Dinosaur Get Well Soon?" to read to her in the waiting room, so we kept reminding about how she could be a "good little dinosaur, just like in the story".

I'm sure she thought her parents were a little goonie, but she was Ok as long as one of us was holding her.

A quick examination of the left ear found a bulgy, infected eardrum, and after some eardrops, Tylenol, and a presciption we were on our way! :)

Oh, and one pink lollipop....can't forget that! Thanks Doc!

24 hours on the antibiotics and I'm happy to repor that she is back to her bouncy, Tigger-like self..able to help set-up the Christmas tree, and running around outside. :)

Monday Moments

 
The other day we got a Sharper Image catalog in the mail (couldn't tell you how we got on THAT mailing list) Anyway, I was looking at all of the gadgets and gizmos and this clock caught my eye. You'll see from the picturet that ahem...."Clocky" (you really shouldn't name your alarm clock, by the way)comes fully equipped with wheels. Here is the description of Clocky from the magazine and website...

Clocky® is the alarm clock that runs away and hides to make sure there is no chance you won't wake up!
After you hit the snooze button, Clocky rolls off your nightstand and wheels randomly around the bedroom, looking for a hiding place.
After one to 9 minutes (your choice), Clocky's alarm goes off again — and it won't turn off until you get out of bed and find him!

My dear internets, I laid my head down on the table and laughed so hard I cried. I suddenly had thoughts of my husband running around in the morning chasing dear-ol-clocky with a baseball bat. Let's just say that a gift such as this would not be considered a gift of love in the Smith family - we are NOT exactly morning people (except for Lorelin...a trait she obviously got from my Mom, the orginal perky morning person)

I hope you get a kick of this alarm clock as much as I did (speaking of kicking, I wonder how far Clocky would fly when my foot finally found the alarm hiding under the bed..hypothetically speaking, of course...)

Marvelous Monday to you all!!!!

P.S. Who thinks of this stuff like this??

Bring Back Thanksgiving!

 

I love Thanksgiving! I think next to Valentine’s Day, which is hands down my favorite holiday ever, it is a close second. I love the fall season (although if it is still 90 degrees outside, does that qualify as fall??? ) , the fall colors, and the wonderful fall decorations (which I have to say, by they way, my friend Andrea has the cutest Turkey decoration on her mantle that I just noticed this past week at Bible Study...didn't tell you how much I loved it then, but that little gobbler was wooden cuteness....:)

And yes, I love turkey dinners, and I really DO love football!

But,most of all, I love a day that is set aside simply to be thankful. No presents expected, no big glitz and glam, just a step back to notice all of our blessings....

So, imagine my surprise when I went into Michael's a week or so ago to find some Thanksgiving crafts for the girlies and I to put together to send to relative, and I found nary a turkey or pilgrim ANYWHERE IN THE STORE!!!!

Gone, I tell you. Flown the coop (Ha..I crack myself up!!). The ship had sailed (the Mayflower ship, get it??? O-K, not quite at funny)

Anyway.....

Even all of their clearnance items (which I'm all for paying 75% off, believe YOU me) was eitheir general fall stuff or Halloween leftovers. Of course, they had every nook and cranny stuffed with ornaments and garland and snowmen and large metallic trees (come one, people, what does one REALLY do with a pink metallic Christmas tree?)

I finally found a bag of feathers in fall colors that the girls and I glued to pictures of turkeys I downloaded off the internet.

Now, I know that I'm not alone in my rant of the Christmas season seemingly coming earlier and earlier and every year. And for budget reasons, I started my Christmas shopping a few months ago, and I understand that people might want to buy Christmas decorations early too.

HOW-E-VER

I don't want to forget about this amazing holiday season called Thanksgiving. You can look up and read online Lincoln's Thanksgiving proclocmation, and there are many wonderful children's books out there that you can get for your kiddos too (my Mom found a great board book for the girlies at a used book store that tells the story of the first Thanksgiving in age-appropriate pictures and language)

Most of all, you can stop and be thankful, and encourage everyone around you to do the same! So, go ahead, what are you thankful for? In the days ahead, I will take up the wonderful example of my friend Tracy, and end each blog, with a short list of my "thankful-fors"

1. My amazing God - He loves me endlessly, has saved me from my sins, and fuels my life with purpose!
2. My countr - This truly is the land of the free and home of the brave!
3. My family - my husband, my girls, and all of my extended family too!
4. My house - backyard or no backyard (I really do want a backyard0, I am thankful for my beautiful house and neighborhood!

Happy Fall Ya'll!

From me and my pumpkin sized belly....in this pic, my belly is bigger than the pumpkin!

 

I had my twenty-two week (well 22 1/2 week) appointment today, and everything looks good. I have one more four week appointment, where they will do the ever so fun glucose test, and then I'll start scheduling appointments every two weeks after that. Wow! Where has the time gone??

Tuesday Tales (a.k.a. Monday Moments on Tuesday)

So I thought of this story the other night because my husband got pulled over the other night for a crack in his windshield. As it so happens, he ALSO forgot his wallet, so he was driving without his license too (although he didn’t realize it until he went to try to find it to give to the officer). The officer, however, was amazingly graceful and kind, and only gave my hubby a warning and work order to get the windshield fixed. Whew!

We were thanking the Lord for His grace in this situation. It made me think of another time I received grace instead of a ticket…

“That Poor Lady”

In the days before our 2+ kids and minivan, my dear hubby and I carted our one Miss K-Bug around in what we affectionately call our “Grandma-mobile” – our 96 Oldsmobile Ciera. I will admit it’s nothing too pretty to look at, but it’s paid for and runs well. And at the time, it was the “family” car.

This story takes place when K-Bug was around 9-10 months old, and I was around eight months BIG with Lorelin.

Our nephews and niece (hubby’s sister’s kids) had spent the night at our house while their Mom and Dad went out on a super-late date, and the next morning, we all woke up early so I could drop the kids back off at Jen’s house on my way to a play-date.

Now, here’s the scene – Me in the drivers seat, Alison (our niece) in the front seat with me, and then our two nephews in the back on either side of K-Bug’s car seat. A totally full car. Thankfully, I like to be a legal-eagle, so everyone was safely and securely buckled.

However, that did not apparently stop me from speeding a few miles above the limit, or that motorcycle officer from pulling behind me with flashing red and blue lights.

As all of the little eyes in the car watched, I gently pulled over, got out my license and registration, and waited for what I was sure was going to be my very first ticket.

The officer came to my window, and as he peered inside, his eyes grew larger and larger. The site of this very large pregnant woman driving with four other children seemed to completely throw him off…

“In a hurry to get the kids to school, maam?” the officer asked me

“Yes-sir, I guess I was.” (our nephews/niece are home-schooled, but I didn’t tell the officer so)

“Well, just remember to please slow down with all of your children in the car. I’m just giving you a warning. Have a good morning.”

And with that, he smiled, waved, and was gone. I sat there for a minute while it sunk in that the officer thought that everyone in the car was MY child! Then, I started to laugh.

And, as the days went on, I laughed some more. I’m sure that the officer felt that the least he could do for this poor harried mother of four (soon to-be-five) was to let her off easy.

Thank you officer. I am now the sometimes harried mother of two (soon-to-be three) children. Your act of kindess and grace hasn’t been forgotten.

May your day be full of laughter (and no speeding tickets)!

Dry..

 

Ok, so it’s not that I don’t want to post about deeper things, but I will be honest and tell all of you that most of my times of deep reflection lately seem to end in sleep.

Being pregnant this time around has taken a great deal of my energy, and I find myself using most of my spare moments of actual “alone time” to nap. I fall into my bed at night to read only to end up asleep a few minutes later. 

So, that being said….when I do get those moments

Ten Things I Forgot...

About Being Pregnant Until I Got Pregnant Again
1.That total strangers will ask me how many months I am only to respond with a surprised “Wow, you’re really big!” And I will smile and say, “Thanks, I know” (what else can I say?? Ok, that's nice...:)
2.That getting into a comfortable position on the couch or in bed will *definitely* mean that I have to get up and go potty – over and over again
3.That I will miss not being able to see my feet when in a standing position- As a matter of fact, I'd like to take a moment to say "Hi!" to my feet right now - "Hi feet!"- they probably deserve a pedicure for all the extra weight they carry right now!
4.That I will crave Mexican food every day for nine months straight....mmmm.....salsa....(especially Pastor Trev's homemade stuff!!)
5.That pregnancy hormones will make me weep because my kitchen floor is dirty. Then my husband will ask me why I'm crying and lift his eyebrows into that "That's REALLY why you're crying?" pose..and then he'll sweetly clean it for me
6.That the thought of bending and lifting will seem like a monumental task – and that I will end up kicking the shirt from one side of the room to the other and then picking it up with my toes so that I don’t have to bend and lift anymore
7.That “being tired” when you’re pregnant is can’t–move-a-muscle-will-you-carry-me-to-bed tired. Thank you Lord for the magic that is my body pillow!
8.That a baby’s foot stuck in your rib-cage really hurts!!
9.That feeling that baby move inside is still one of the most amazing feelings in the world
10.That you can love your unborn child (in this case, my son) so instantly and intensely before you ever see them face to face

Please continue to place your hand over me and this little one Lord. Thank you for this life growing in me! :)

Chili Party - Part 1

This was our third year to attend the Chili Party that my friend Christy's parents always host at their house every October 31st. It's actually a block party - the police barricade off the block, and almost every house in the neighborhood participates. Most homes host individual parties similar to Christy's parents. Her parents live in a lovely neighborhood in central Phoenix, and they have a beautiful home and HUGE backyard packed with toys for the kids to play with. It's the same little group of families that come each year - it's so fun to see how our kids have all grown, and to watch them have such a good time!
Here are our two little princesses - all dressed up and ready to go. They were both SO excited to finally wear their costumes. Their wands were the light-up kind, and as the evening grew darker, there were flashes of green and red all over that backyard. :)

 

We've taken a group shot of the kids every year on this couch in the livng room. Of course, we can never get them to all look at the camera at the same time, but we get some fun shots. :)

 

As the evening draws to a close, we always change our girlies into their PJs before we head home. Here they are reading with "Grandma" (Christy's Grandma who lives with her parents) She was SO sweet to all of the children..even though she kept giving them candy even after we had brushed their teeth...:) She tends to be VERY forgetful..:)Our girls adore her though, and so do we!

 

Chili Party - Part 2

Here are just a few more shots from the Chili Party. I hope that YOUR own October celebration was memorable, safe, and fun!

There is always a "craft" table where the kids can decorate their own trick or treat bags. The girls were actually SO busy playing that I had to pull them over one by one to sit down long enough to decorate their bags.

 

Lorelin wanted to use ALL of the stickers, but we had to limit it to just a few. She was especially excited about the "happy punkin" stickers! :)

 

After we have dined on chili, cheese dip, and cookies, our little band of families heads out to trick or treat up and down the street. Everyone on the block has big parties just like Christy's parents, and there are big groups of people sitting outside with tubs of candy. My Mom bought the girls some cute little buckets to use to gather candy in - K-Bug's was a lion and Lorelin's was a turtle.

 

Lorelin stopped long enough to take this shot with Daddy. My dear hubby was so wonderful. He juggled the girls, wands, flashlights, and treat bags while I waddled along beside them. :)

 

Monday Moments...on Thursday

Let me just say up front that I have always had wonderful baby showers, but this video (it's actually an advertisement for Enfamil) made me laugh out loud. So here is is - a Monday Moment on Thursday..www.badbabyshower.com