The Smith Family

End of the Year Program for Preschool

2011-05-29T10:04:00.007-05:00

Look at my sweet babies! How in this world did they get this big??

Anderson, age 4 and Lydia, age 2

Anderson and Lydia with the wonderful directors of the Pre-school.

Mrs. Mindy and Mrs. Emily

Emily is stepping down this year and it makes me so sad! She is the one that gave us our first tour with Anderson when we were pregnant. It took two years to get him in, but when we did he ended up being in the same class as Emily's son Jack Glyien. Now they are best little buddies and have been on all the tee ball, and soccer teams together. JG will also be attending the private school we are sending the kids too, so I hope they will stay friends for a long time!

Lydia with her wonderful teachers Mrs. Heather and Miss Megan

Anderson with his teachers from the blue room, Miss Eileen and Mrs. Susan.

Our little family!

In life, there are followers of the rules and then the people that really aren't so big on rules. In our house we just so happen to have one of each.... Lydia, while fun and vibrant, is certainly a rule follower. If you have to correct her, she almost immediately will turn her behavior around. Anderson, on the other hand, not so much... Now don't get me wrong, he is a super sweet and often sensitive child....but he will try to negotiate you to DEATH to change your mind on a rule, or reason with you to the point that you start to wonder- "Why was that a rule anyway? Maybe he's right?".

The end of the year program was really a great display in the difference between their personalities. Every year at pre-school graduation the other classes perform a few songs in front of the parents. This has always been a scary prospect where Anderson is concerned. You see, he really does not like music or singing and like most 4 year olds he's not the best at acting like he is enjoying something if he really isn't. In the past he has sat down in the middle of the performance, pulled his short completely over his face and once even tried to torch our church by lighting a piece of hay with a votive candle during an advent service. Bottom line- we never know how he will behave in these situations.

Well this time he did better- maybe age is maturing him a little or maybe Jeff and I threatened him enough to make a real believer out of him! Ha! Ha! He did however get a little carried away with the sticks they use in the performance and accidentally bop the little girl in front of him. I watched it happen and truly know he didn't mean to, but she was not happy!

Here is Lydia walking into the sanctuary. They tell them to put a "bubble" in their mouth and hold it there because when you blow up your cheeks like that it is impossible to talk. Well that was just for when they were in the hallway waiting to come in. Lydia misunderstood and kept her "bubble" in until her sweet teacher, Miss Megan, finally had to tell her it was okay to smile.

Here is Lydia working with her little music sticks trying to stay right on the beat.

And here is Anderson, off to a good start!! He is doing what everyone else is doing! Yay- or so we thought!

...and here we go....he's bored, he's no longer interested and the silly faces are coming out!

...and now we have the incident with the music sticks and this poor little girl in front of him...check out her face.

And this is what he did when he came to sit with us afterwards and I asked to take his photo...silly, silly, silly!

Anderson with sweet Jack Glyien

Lydia with Mary Alice, whose Mommy is a life long friend of mine.

Lydia loving on Miss Heather. She is moving with her husband and children to Virginia and I broke into the UGLY cry at school when I went to say goodbye to her. She was Anderson's first teacher and I am so thankful that Lydia got to have her too before she left. She is a BLESSING to our family and has been so wonderful to my children.

A little Mommy time!

Lydia is officially into the "cheesy grin" when smiling for photos. She literally smile with her whole body!

Sandlot Tee Ball Spring 2011

2011-05-27T22:08:00.004-05:00

This is our second year to play tee ball through the Sandlot league. Sandlot is organized through the church where Anderson and Lydia attend school, so we always see a ton of friends. They have probably around 10-12 teams and they play on Saturday mornings in a super laid back, hands on environment. This year Anderson was on the Navy blue team, and the kids decided to name it The Blue Martians. Hilarious! Last year he was on the green team and they became the "Jolly Green Giants" at Anderson's suggestion.

We signed Anderson up last year, and he did okay. He was a little young though, and if I had it to do over again I'd probably have waited until this year to start. He kind of became bored with it easily, which was frustrating. Jeff or I were always on the field with him directing him (all of the parents do this) and then the other one was left trying to manage Lydia (not quite two at the time) who had zero interest in watching the game.

This year was MUCH better. He got off to a slow start, but by the end of the season he was really looking forward to games. We still had to be really specific about what to do and when to do it, but for the most part he enjoyed it a lot more than last year and seemed to pick up and retain more about the way the game worked. Here are some action shots from one of the games...

Running the Bases!

My Dad as first base coach

Poor Addison...he really wanted that ball!

Hitting off the tee

Love this sweet pic of him and Daddy!

A little post game refreshment!

...and I'm back

2011-05-27T08:01:00.006-05:00

...and this is where I've been! :-)

There is probably no one left to even read this, but after struggling to make time for posts I have recently decided to try again. I love looking back at my posts from when the kids were smaller and I don't want to miss documenting this time in their lives either. The last year and a half has been quite a whirlwind! But things are slowly settling into a manageable routine, so I'm going to attempt to make this a priority again!

In the Spring of 2010 I decided to turn my hobby and love of photography into a full time business. It was a bittersweet choice, because it involved putting Anderson and Lydia in full time daycare. However, since the business is mine, and I create my schedule it has been very flexible and a great compromise between working and staying at home. When the children are out for Spring Break, Christmas and the weeks between Spring and Summer and then Summer and Fall, I simply don't book any appointments. The same thing with their Christmas parties, Halloween fund days at school, etc... Now it isn't a perfect world and there are times when I can't help that things overlap, but for the most part it is working well for us. Ideally this will allow me to take them to school and pick them up at 3:00 on most days when they start "BIG" school and either bring them back to the studio to do homework or watch a movie while I edit or return calls. I can shoot during the day while they are at school. So that is the plan for now....

When I started photographing friends and then friends of friends in the Spring, Summer and Fall of 2009 I never dreamed that in a very short couple of years I would have a full blown studio with an actual employee besides myself or that I would ever be able to drum up enough people that would even PAY me to take their photos at a rate that would even be profitable. I still have to pinch myself on some days to believe that this is really my job and that it is doing so well. Now, having said that the first year in business was TOUGH! Lots and lots of 12-14 hour days, lots of learning and re-doing and making mistakes and figuring out what works and what doesn't work. Lots of trying to figure out what my style is and what it ISN'T! Lots of money spent on start up equipment and getting the space ready to be a studio. Basically looking back on that year now, I'm not really sure how I survived it. I guess it's because I loved the art of photography so much that it really just drove me to do what it took to make it work.

Last April (2010) after months of doing shoots in my living room, we leased a small space in a strip mall in Downtown, Tuscaloosa. I nearly had a full blown panic attack signing that document. Talk about pressure... What if no one called to book appointments? What in the world would I do if I couldn't make my rent payment one month?? Luckily my super awesome husband talked some sense into me and reassured me that I was good at this and that plenty of people had been calling and that they would continue to do so. So after making some structural changes to the space and painting and putting down hardwoods we opened the doors on June 1st, 2010.

That was a great little space and we did so well there, but my business took us both by surprise and really took off....like, whiplash took off. We quickly were out of room for backdrops and props and I was a little frustrated that the space didn't have a separate changing area. it basically was a lobby/ office wrap desk, a huge shooting room, a prop closet and a small bathroom. When we signed the lease I couldn't imagine needing more room, but we quickly ran out of space.

One day on my way back from the post office, I passed (for the zillionth time) an old studio where the photographer had gone out of business about 3 years prior. It had been vacant and for lease for at least two years, but we hadn't even considered looking at it when we leased the first building because it was HUGE and I thought would be way out of my price range. But on a fluke that morning, I called to see how much it was. I spoke to the landlord and he told me the price and shockingly it was totally doable. I called Jeff and said... "You are going to think I have totally lost me mind" I think he is always scared to get calls that begin with that statement. Ha!! We took a tour and boom one week later we signed the lease and began a few minor changes. We moved in at the end of April and it is finally now pretty much the way I want it. I'm going to save the pics of the new place for the next post...

A-Day Game! Roll Tide!

2011-04-25T08:24:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite things about Spring in Tuscaloosa is the A-Day game, Alabama's Spring Scrimmage. When I was growing up as a child, no one really went to A-day. There may been a few reporters and a couple of die-hard fans that went, but it wasn't a well attended event.

That all changed when the University hired Coach Saban. He was hired right after the first of the year in 2007. We had been under terrible coaching for years, and everyone was ecstatic to finally have a great coach with a National championship under his belt. That Spring game in April was CRAZY! A-day went from maybe a couple of thousand fans to a full-blown EVENT! It was just like going to a real game. EVERYONE was going. When we got there that day they actually closed the stadium right after we came in because it was at capacity! We are talking 90,000 fans- for a SPRING SCRIMMAGE! ESPN picked up the story and it was quite the buzz. Alabama was going to finally make something of itself for the first time since the early 90's.

Now it is even crazier with even more fans thanks to two stadium expansions since then and aNational Championship. People even tailgate like it is a real game. Needless to say- I.LOVE.IT! We are pretty serious about our football here in the Smith house, so we don't take the kids to games. I actually want to watch the game and that is nearly impossible to do with 2 very small children. When Anderson gets a couple of years older we may try to take him to some, but for the most part, game day is my little get away with Jeff to go and watch my favorite team play my favorite sport. However, A-day is the perfect way to take the kids and let them see the stadium all packed out and get a feel of the atmosphere. We have taken Anderson pretty much every year since he was born. This year was Lydia's first time to go.

Lydia's first time in Bryant Denny!

We were able to secure Zone tickets from a friend. The Zone is kind of like club level seating. You are able to go into a huge atrium and food is provided in buffets as well as drinks. You are even allowed to have liquor in The Zone. They have little pouring rooms with lockers where ticket holders can come and stock there cocktails the week of the game and then have access to them during the game. Anyway, it's almost like sitting in a sky box, but the seats are outside. The Zone is perfect for taking kids, because you can walk inside and mill around if they get bored, but you can still keep up with the game. We had a great time and the kids both really enjoyed it. I can't wait until they are old enough to go with us to games on Saturdays. God knows there is nothing better than a Tuscaloosa Saturday in the Fall!

Packing the house for the 5th straight year!

Cheering on the Tide!

I'm sleepy now!

For the last several years some friends of ours that live near campus have had a crawfish boil right after the A-day game. Everyone comes and brings their kids straight from the game. The have tons of yummy seafood and drinks and even a little band. The kids love going and playing with their little friends and we love going to see our friends and hang out!

Lydia and Libba on the swing set!

Cicatello Crawfish Boil

I'm not sure about this slide thing Mommy!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-02T18:43:00.005-06:00

I know it's May, but I had a draft of this stuck back so I thought I would post it..

If I get time I may go back and try to hit the high points missed during my blog sabbatical. :-

Reindeer food!

All of the loot!

The BIG stuff!

A love letter to my son....

2010-08-28T14:41:00.010-05:00

Dear Anderson-

This summer you have turned four...FOUR years old! How that is even possible is beyond me! I still remember the night that I took my pregnancy test like it happened yesterday! Sometimes it seems very natural that you have grown up so much, but then on some days I catch myself looking at you and listening to you and I simply can believe that my sweet baby boy is standing before me and talking to me like such a big boy! Didn't we just spend our days working on tummy time and watching Curious George like- oh, I don't know- 2 seconds ago! So here are a few things all about you...

- You are an absolute joy to your Dad and myself! We consider you and your sister our greatest accomplishment and thank God for you all the time. I seriously think you gave us both a purpose to life that was missing before you arrived.

- You are a very serious, observant little guy. You really always have been! You tend to be quiet and take things in...then before we know it you are talking about things we had no idea you could comprehend!

- You love to figure things out. Curious George has always been your favorite show, and I think it is because it is math and science based. You love tinkering (a true Smith trait) and putting things together...figuring things out. Transformers toys are huge for you right now. Your Dad and I can never "transform" them as good as you can! I can totally see you becoming an engineer or something along those lines.

- The down side of your "tinkering" personality is that you can become hyper-focused on something and have trouble letting go of it if you can't figure it out or get it to do what you want it to do. Your temper sometimes gets you in trouble in this area, but you are getting better the older that you get.

- You LOVE animals!! Seriously- if I had a second guess on careers for you it would be a vet or some other type of animal-type career! You are so tenderhearted when it come to them that it often breaks my heart. When our cat Mable wandered away over a year ago you were devastated and prayed for her EVERY night. Just last week on the way to school you told me that you had a "big" idea. You wanted to write a note and leave it on our door to tell Mable that this was her house in case she happened to walk by that day while we were gone. It makes me sad to see how much you miss her, but it makes me happy to know that you have such a love for animals. Your Gigi is like that too, and I see that part of her in you.

You also just love to watch discovery channel and read books about animals. You aren't satisfied with just a general "That's a monkey" . In fact, you corrected me at the age of three by saying "that is not a monkey, mommy- that is a Pygmy Marmoset". You want to know their diet, their habitat, if they are nocturnal, etc... It's crazy how much you know about different species, etc.

-You are smart. I know this is my blog and that everyone thinks their child is smart, but you are really smart. Your teachers always comment on how crazy expansive your vocabulary is for your age. You spoke in full sentences at 15 months old- at the time we didn't know that was abnormal, but now comparing Lydia's verbal skills we realize you were different from most kids very early on. You talk about concepts that a lot of four year olds don't understand- things like toxins, plasma, electricity...all sorts of crazy stuff. You never know what is going to come out of your mouth, but it almost always surprises us or crack us completely up!

- Along with your smarts, you have some struggles- in the last year we have really worried about your attention span. We watched you in group interactions and school situations and it just seemed that you sort of zoned out quite a bit and sometimes could be a little difficult to engage in a group setting. We couldn't really tell if it was the start of a bigger problem or if you just needed time to grow up a little. As a former teacher I certainly had ADD in the back of my head, but after talking with your teachers and really watching you and waiting for you to mature and develop we think that this is just really more to do with your personality. You just aren't a cheesy, all grins, front row, all up in the activity, kind of kid. You are more serious and pensive and tend to be a bit more independent. We are keeping an eye on it, but we know that we will deal with it if it comes...lucky for you you have two parents who love you more than anything on this earth and will move mountains to make sure you succeed in whatever you try!

- You are getting into that "boy" stage of thinking anything to do the word "potty" or "tee-tee" or "poopie" is funny. It.is.driving.me.crazy! I came from a family of three girls, so this whole potty-humor thing is new to me. You get corrected for it a lot, but hopefully we will grow out of this fun stage soon!

-You have a love/hate relationship with Lydia. You love her 90% of the time, but every once in a while she gets a toy you wanted and WWII ensues...we are officially to the stage of having to buy two of everything the exact same! I had to ask for two boy happy meals the other day so that you two would have the same exact toy! Lol! You do love on her an awful lot though. You always ask to wake her up or argue with us about putting her to sleep before you. You can't imagine not being with her all the time, and I love that. I hope you are always close and supportive of each other.

-You have had a tough time adjusting to Mommy going back to work. Although my work at the studio is still flexible, I have been working a lot of overtime this past year to get everything up and running. I feel like I am on the cusp of being able to work less and possibly take a morning or two off to spend with you and Lydia soon, but this time of getting the business up and running has been a tough adjustment for us all. You ask why you have to go to school everyday now and it just about kills me every time the words come out of your mouth. Talk about Mommy guilt! You are so used to being home with me that going to school full time is a big change, but you are LOVING school and I am so thankful for that and your wonderful and loving teachers. That gives me piece of mind when I am working long hours!

- You LOVE church. It is the best blessing to your Dad and I to see you soaking up the word! You ask to go all the time and rarely let us play hookie without asking - "Hey when do we go to church at night time again?" I have a feeling you will be keeping us straight on this issue!

- You require VERY little sleep. Even though we put you in your room at 8:00 or 8:30 at the latest, you are often still awake at 10:00 when we go to bed. You just talk to yourself and get up and ask us for EVERYTHING under the sun and just refuse to close your eyes in general! It is challenging to say the least because I would like to just be able to watch a movie with your dad or talk to him/hang out...but we are too busy putting you to bed for three hours! Lol!

-You are a really good eater. We don't struggle with this part, and I am so thankful because your sister is another story entirely!! You love crazy things like sushi- a sign you are your mother's child! You enjoy salad and lots of other vegetables and generally clean your plate for most meals. You have started a unit at school on healthy foods. Your commentary on your Dad and my diets is sometimes comical!

-You say things that crack us up all the time, but you can be very sensitive about us laughing. You feel like we are making fun of you and it makes you M-A-D!!

-You love to play outside and particularly in your sandbox and you love digging in the dirt and playing with Hotwheels!

- You still love Curious George, but are more into Diego and Superfriends. You love the movies Pete the Magic Dragon, Bolt, and Cars. We have been really trying to limit your TV, so you aren't watching as much as you used too. We've replaced that time with playing CandyLand, Memory, Go Fish and making crafts that have to do with your letter homework from school.

-On the day of your actual birthday. You played hookie from school and we went on a just Mommy and you date! I drove you to Birmingham and we went to Build-a-bear where you created a Jaguar dressed as Batman (named Batcat). We then ate lunch at chick-fil-a and then caught an afternoon showing of Toy Story 3 in 3d. I loved every second of our alone time together.

Happy Birthday Anderson! I love you so much and can't wait to see the awesome young man you are going to turn into!

Love- Mommy

Back to school!!

2010-08-07T16:48:00.003-05:00

The Fall semester started on Thursday at our preschool. The kids have been out for almost two weeks between summer and fall, so they were starting to get bored at home!

Anderson is in PK-1 with Miss Eileen and Mrs. Susan and Lydia is headed to the red room with Mrs. Heather and Miss Megan. I do not tell a lie when I say how grateful we are for our wonderful school! The children LOVE it. It is always clean and bright and filled with adults who really enjoy their job. I have no doubt that we will have an excellent year!

This is a big year for Anderson since his class will really be starting to focus on school readiness. He will have homework and more responsibility in the classroom! He thrives off of structure though, so I think he will love the new challenge. When I told him we had a project to complete for Open House he was so excited! Basically we had to color in a sheet that looked like him and fill out a questionnaire about hi likes, dislikes, etc... They are hanging them on the wall this week. He colored his clothes without too much passion, but when we got to the shoes he stopped and dramatically gasped- "Mom! I have to have cool shoes! They have to be Sketchers!!" I nearly died laughing...who says advertising isn't powerful- even for a four year old!

Here he is signing in for the day. Everyday they come in to a question like "Are you wearing green today?" and then have to find their name magnet and put it under the answer.

Here is Lydia attempting to sign in on her first day! She is in a great classroom with the beloved Mrs. Heather who was Anderson's first teacher at that school. I can't wait to watch Lydia do all of the fun activities that Anderson got to do in that class just two short years ago. Heather told Jeff that Lydia sat in her lap and brushed her (Heather's) hair with a baby doll hairbrush and told her she was "pity" aka... "pretty". That's my sweet girly girl!

Birthday Bash!

2010-07-24T13:33:00.009-05:00

With Anderson and Lydia's birthday being less than a month apart I decided to try to combine their party this year. It was a tough decision because it really limited me on theme...no tea party party for Lydia or super-hero party for Anderson. It had to be unisex. After a few weeks of mulling it over I decided that a carnival theme would be a great way to compromise!

I love the way all of the little details turned out, and most importantly the kids had a BLAST! We had lots of carnival themed fare to munch on and a face painter. Jeff was in charge of the inflatables and went a little overboard by renting a 28 foot slide. Seriously.....28 feet! But the children stayed in a constant line to go on it all morning long! Even our little dare-devil Lydia was going down by herself by the end of the party!

Ready to blow out our candles!!

Our fabulous cake came from Sarah at "It takes the Cake". She is so talented! I also ordered these cutie cupcake wrappers online to match our carnival theme and we created these yummy "popcorn" cupcakes! They were a hit!

I do love a good party favor!

I decided to do carnival themed candy as centerpieces for all of the tables.

We were so blessed by all of the friends and family that came out to celebrate our big day!

And last, but certainly not least...my favorite image of the day...Auntie M going down the slide with my precious babies. Looks like fun to me!!

Resurrection of a nearly dead blog...I'm Back!!

2010-07-22T11:28:00.003-05:00

Is there anyone still out there?? Anyone?? HA! I apologize for being such a BAD blogger, but getting my photography business off the ground took every ounce of spare time and energy I had. Now that it is up and running I am trying to get back to recording the daily ins and outs of our life at the Smith Casa! I have kept a journal full of things I want to go back and record and post-date, but for now I'm just going to start fresh....

Lydi-bug has a birthday coming up Sunday ya'll. She's TWO! Can you believe such a thing...TWO??? How is it possible that she is such a big girl?? For fun I have posted for your amusement a picture of me on my 2nd birthday and a pic from last weekend's BLOWOUT joint birthday party for her and Anderson. Another post on that soon- I promise! Meanwhile feast your eyes on my mini-me!

Valentine's Day!

2010-02-17T13:53:00.004-06:00

Sunday morning was Valentine's Day and with so much craziness and sickness going on - I hate to say I feel like I dropped the ball a little. I did get the kids two small gifts each, but that was it. I usually like to make heart shaped pancakes and make a card, but it has been a rough stretch lately. I still think Anderson enjoyed his Spiderman coloring book...Spiderman and Batman are his newest obsession. It's all we see, talk about, hear about and watch around here these days. I absolutely love having a boy! He is so cute walking around pretending to "save" me and Lydia! I also got him a set of Walkie talkies, which he LOVED! He has been having trouble coordinating when to push the button and when to let go and when to talk, but I think he finally "got it" yesterday!

Lydia got a sweet little play tutu and a new princess crown. She loves anything girly and frilly, so she really enjoyed her gifts and spent most of the morning twirling! Ha!

We went to church and when I picked her up from the nursery she had a fever. She had been fighting a cough for a couple of days, but never ran a fever, so I didn't worry too much about it. Well when we got home and put her down for her nap, I thought I heard a tiny rattle in her chest. Sure enough when she woke up her fever was even higher, even with a dose of Motrin. Jeff decided to take her to MedCenter, and I stayed home with Anderson. By the time they got to Medcenter and got checked in, her fever was 105.3. Four hours later they had ordered a complete CBC which resulted in 4 nurses and 7 sticks trying to get enough blood for a blood culture, Three swabs-one for strep and two for the flu- They also suspected Pneumonia and ordered a chest x-ray. She was stuck, poked and prodded to the point of tears and complete exhaustion! Jeff- who used to be a combat medic in the Army said watching his baby girl go through all of that was one of the hardest nights of his life. The final diagnosis was Pneumonia in her left lung. We started Antibiotics and she is feeling much better with everyday that passes! Maybe next Valentine's Day will be a little more fun!

Happy Birthday Mimi!

2010-02-17T13:24:00.003-06:00

We had my grandparents, Dad, my step mom Martha, and my stepsister Erin and her family over last Saturday night for a little birthday celebration for Martha! In true dysfunctional style- we celebrated Martha's 43rd birthday- yes you read that correctly- she is quite a bit younger than my Dad and happens to be the SAME age as my husband who is quite a bit older than me! Ha!! We have a running joke about Martha who is 43 and a grandmother and Jeff who is 43 and has an 18 month old! It reminds me of that new ABC show Modern Family. If you aren't watching it- you NEED to be. We laugh to the point of tears every time we sit down to watch it!!

Pop and Mimi with all their Grands...
The birthday girl!

Martha and her daughter Erin
Of course my children enjoyed some cake- and as a side note- Thank you Auntie M for teaching Anderson how to cross his eyes on his last visit to Birmingham! Just remember one day you too will have a child payback is just around the corner!

Happy Birthday Mimi- Thanks for all you do to help us out!

2010-02-12T14:33:00.005-06:00

Well Tuscaloosa shut down the town for a whopping 2-3 inches of snow today. All of the schools closed including the kids pre-schools and forgive me while I have a pity party here- but this Momma is T.I.R.E.D! Between fever viruses, stomach bugs, colds, sinus infections and a 22 day stretch in January where someone in this house had a a 102 degree fever or higher every day- a consistent school schedule has not been in the cards! For the entire month of January the kids only actually attended school on the same day two times for THE. ENTIRE. MONTH!

My photography business, which I thought would be dead for at least a couple of months before Spring portrait season rolled around has inexplicably taken off. I am busier than ever and it is the dead of winter! I am not complaining, but it has been a little challenging without consistent childcare!

Throw in a hours and hours of Mardi Gras Skit practices and a husband who is desperately working late as much as possible to try to catch up on work he missed when we were all sick and you have me- nestled firmly at the end of my rope! HA! I need a trip to somewhere warm- Key West perhaps? So without further delay- enjoy the pictures from my slightly bitterly embraced snow day!

The kids loved watching the snow fall in the trees of our backyard.
Then we decided to venture out! Luckily I just purchased Lydia's Hello Kitty rain/snow boots this week at Target!

Anderson was anticipating snow so deep that he would need a walking stick! HA!

A view of our backyard complete with a tiny little pansy hanging on for dear life! It reminds me of me and my mental state! Ha!

Happy Love Day!!

2010-02-10T10:39:00.001-06:00

Christmas Eve with my Dad's side of the family

2009-12-29T19:32:00.000-06:00

For Christmas Eve lunch we all met at my Dad's house in Moundville for lots of yummy food and lots of fun presents!

My aunt DeLane, her son Walt, My step-sister's step daughter- Ana-leise, Shelly- my other step-sister and that is my grandfather in the background.
Lydia with her great grandparents

My cousin John giving my nephew Cayden a piggy back ride

Martha- my step-mom holding Lydia

Our little family

Me and Lydi-bug

My grandmother bought her a Cabbage Patch doll- very fitting since she bought those same dolls for me when I was growing up! All of the 1980's toys seem to be back!

Bow-head

Anderson with his new scooter

Check out Anderson's choke-hold on Cayden!

Pop and Mimi with all their grands

Don't know what we were so tickled about...

Anderson with his weirdly interactive Panda Bear. He loves it- it kinda creeps me out though!

After an afternoon with family we loaded up to attend the early candle light service and then headed home to throw out our reindeer food and prepare for Ho, Ho, Ho!

Christmas Morning!

2009-12-28T15:59:00.000-06:00

Santa did not disappoint for Christmas 2009 at the Smith House! For Anderson- this has been a very "Batman" year, and his presents from Santa and pretty much everyone else reflected that. His most coveted gift that he asked for over and over again was the Batman Cave or as he sometimes called it the Batman Cave. Even when he sat on Santa's lap this year he asked very specifically for that one item. When I prompted him to ask Santa for something for Lydia (since she was crying too hard to actually sit in Santa's lap) he told Santa that sister also wanted a "girl" batman castle. I guess he was going to make doubly sure that a batman castle did indeed arrive at our house that night! He also got a great Alabama big boy bike that he loves to ride!

As for Lydia- The only thing she is really into is Barney. Leave it to my daughter to become attached to a 20 year old television show/character. Barney was EVERYWHERE back in the day, but it is hard to find Barney stuff now. He obsession started with a stay at my Aunt and Uncles house while we traveled to Atlanta for the UA vs Virginia Tech season opener. Barney was the cartoon of the time period when their boys were preschool-aged, so Uncle Chris looked up some old episodes on You Tube and Lydia was mesmerized! To this day- it is the only show I can count on her watching all the way through. She just loves the music and dancing! She also got a nice little kitchen set to play with. It has been a huge hit!

Love the bed head!

Here are a few pics from our morning...enjoy!

Love her gasping! This is a great pic of her reaction!

I heart tippy toes!!

How in the world is my baby big enough to ride a real bike! It has training wheels, but I am still in shock every time I see him riding it. Where does the time go?

One of Jeff's presents!

A few of mine!

Playing on Anderson's new video game system

Settling in for a long winter's nap!

Christmas Night with Gigi

2009-12-26T13:26:00.000-06:00

We spent Christmas night in Birmingham with my Mom (Gigi) and that side of the family. We all had a great time having a wonderful dinner and then opening presents! Although- I think I have decided that next year I am going to ask that everyone take whatever toys they bought for my children and assemble them completely and the put them in a gift bag! Lol! I feel like I spent the entire night putting together toys...don't even get me started on what it takes to even get them out of the packages these days! Ha!

This is my all time favorite picture of the season. I love how hugged up they are and how happy those little faces are!

Mom with Lydia

Jeff and I after opening the ornament that Anderson made for us at school. It's his sweet little hand print!

Pop with his grands- Lydia and Bastian

Jeff with his favorite gift of the night! Just kidding- my mom wrapped it up for him as a joke. He has a serious addiction to Diet Dew!

Lydia's favorite gift was her baby stroller. She is all into baby dolls right now!

Anderson has a "Santa's Shoppe" at school every year. We send him with a list of people to buy for (usually immediate family) and some money. He gets to "shop" for what he wants for each person. It is a great way to gently remind him that it is important to give- not just get, get, get! He gave me the sweetest heart shaped necklace. I love it and will keep it forever!

Christmas Dinner

Lots of presents under Gigi's tree!

Lydia is sooo into accessories right now. She will make anything she can fit on her hand a bracelet! She loves hats, scarves, coats and most importantly shoes! By the night's end she had taken a real liking to Aunt Marcie's scarf and Aunt Susan's bracelets!

My step-brother Todd with his little one- Bastian

The closest we came to a family portrait!

My sweet boy!

Merry Christmas from our home to yours...

2009-12-22T15:05:00.017-06:00

...and no I am not dead, and I am not going to quit blogging, even though I am certain it appears that way since my last post involves Halloween! My photography business really picked up this fall, and I just couldn't quite keep all the balls in the air! However after 40 sessions in the last six to eight weeks...yes, you read that correctly...FORTY- I am finally all caught up and life is getting back to normal. That many session plus two children who are not in full time daycare was almost the death of me, but I survived and was thankful for the business! I will be postdating events from the last two months and I'm not sure how that works with google reader- so you might want to actually click to see the blog every once in a while to see if it is not showing updates since the dates aren't in order. It's good to e back- I hope there are more than two of you out there still reading this! Feel free to comment-maybe it will motivate me to get on this long list of things I need to blog about! HA!

So now without further delay please enjoy our Christmas decorations...

I even managed to get a shot of "Jingles" our elf on the shelf. He visits us every night from the North Pole. Anderson loves searching for him every morning. Sometimes he is naughty and makes messes, but sometimes he brings Krispy Kreme for breakfast! Yum!

I love getting Christmas cards from all of our wonderful friends and families! You can see them in the doorways here. We've received about 60 so far. I could just browse and look at them all the time, but as you know, pictures are kinda my thing after all! This year since I did several of the cards myself it was quite a treat to see how parents put my images together on their family card. Some of them are too creative!! I may have to make that another post!

Jeff's grandmother made this nativity scene of hand pured porcelain, fired it herself and then hand painted it when she was well in to her seventies. She passed away about 10 years ago, so this is a special family heirloom for us.

I love this tea towel that Anderson made on his very first Christmas...look at those tiny fingers and toes!

I have finally framed Lydia's one year portrait in our dining room to match Anderson's. It only took me nearly six months! Oh well better late than never!

I also framed some shots from the session in other spots around the house...

Lydia in Lights....

2009-12-20T20:12:00.001-06:00

After finishing up a studio session with a client- I decided to try to get this shot and I was really happy with how it turned out! Lydia is all lit up!

Anderson's Christmas Party

2009-12-15T21:12:00.001-06:00

I continue to feel totally blessed by Anderson's ability to attend his school. He has been there for almost two years now and we could not be happier. The teachers are so creative and patient with all of the children, and they always have some fun planned event going on- pony rides, visits from Big Al, Water days, pancake and PJ's days, etc...I swear I don't think I ever had this much fun in school! He is such a little sponge and is really soaking up every little lesson. I love that they learn by experience and are never made to "sit and do a worksheet".

For the Christmas party this year the teachers decided to work it into their regular "centers" time. Each center was a different activity that concerned cooking, counting, textures, etc...and they found a way to make each activity center around something fun and Christmas-related. Here are some photos from his Christmas Party:

Having calendar time

Reading "T'was the Night Before Christmas"

Making "reindeer food" with glitter and oatmeal

Holding up their reindeer food!

Playing Rudolph Golf

Sweet boy!!

Decorating his cupcake for dessert after lunch

Sprinkles, anyone??

Playing Snowman bingo with marshmallows

Playing Musical Chairs with friends

All of the boys brought a boy gift and all of the girls brought a girl gift. Anderson got this adorable book! He loves books and Dinosaurs- so he was super excited!!

Can you even stand that "cheese" grin! Ughhhh... we have hit the age of no fun for photography!

While we partied it up, Miss Lydia crashed the baby room and ate nearly an entire pizza herself! Ha!

Anderson's class in the commons are eating lunch

Anderson and Will

Some of the cute artwork they have been working on.

His favorite spot- "The book Nook"

Christmas with Nana and Pop

2009-12-10T20:01:00.000-06:00

A few weeks before Christmas we headed up to Tennessee to visit with Jeff's family and celebrate Christmas. The ride up was NOT fun! Anderson was great and so was Lydia- right up until the last hour that is. She screamed the entire last hour of the car ride. It was rough. She actually cried so hard that she made herself throw- up. It was not pretty! I will be so glad when traveling (to the beach, to Jeff's parents, etc) isn't such an ordeal! This is just a hard age because you just can't reason with them and tell them- "Hey, we are almost there!"

Once we did get there though, Nana and Pop were there ready to spoil both kids for the weekend!

We had a great visit with Jeff's brother Scott and his wife Andrea and their children, Ethan and Anna.

Opening presents!

Feeding her new baby doll!

She LOVES this turtle from Jeff's parents!

Uncle Scotty getting some assistance from Miss Lydia!

Jeff's Parents

Anna got a new puppy and of course Anderson was in LOVE! That poor dog didn't get a seconds rest.

Hanging of the Greens...

2009-12-06T20:16:00.000-06:00

Our church had a "Hanging of the Greens" Ceremony to kick- off the Advent season. The Wednesday night children's classes were asked to sing and her a story during the ceremony. Of course Jeff and I were nervous as a wreck- let's just say Anderson's track record for public performance is not stellar!

Well- he didn't disappoint! Someone thought it would be nice to light tiny little votive candles all along the banister- you know- right about eye level for a three year old. Then they decided to give them all a piece of hay while talking about Jesus in the manger. Now I don't know about you house, but at our house- Hay and fire are not a good combination...watch and learn!

I love how he slowly isolates himself and gets as close to the banister as he can before looking up right at us as if to think- "hmmm...can I do this before they can physically get to me?" I am pretty sure you can hear me in the background quietly saying- "no-no-no....." Luckily the teacher swoops in a blows out the candle before he had the chance to torch the place!

Neighborhood Party

2009-12-04T20:52:00.000-06:00

Every year our neighborhood has a little Christmas party. They hire out a train that takes everyone for rides around the neighborhood and of course Santa makes an appearance. This year it was FREEZING outside, so we didn't stay out for too long, but both kids really enjoyed it!

Afterwards we came back home and enjoyed all of the outdoor decorations Jeff had put out that afternoon. I just love Christmas decorations!

Heelstretch anyone? Ha!!

Probably my all time favorite pick of her!

All lit up for the Holidays!

Just because I like their outfits! :-)

2009-12-04T20:30:00.001-06:00

Breakfast with Santa

2009-12-01T21:48:00.000-06:00

I was asked by the Junior League to donate my services this year for the photography for the "Breakfast with Santa" fundraiser. I've been in the League for several years now, so I was glad to do it and really had a great time getting to photograph so many friend's little ones! Just about every other shot I took that day involved a screaming child- some of them are just priceless shots...including this one-

Perhaps I am biased, but has there ever been a funnier Santa picture taken? I think not! The look on Anderson's face says "I am only doing this because they are making me!" The look on Lydia's face says "Why have you dropped me in the lap of the Exorcist?" I think I laughed for a solid 20 minutes afterwards!!

Jeff and I had to get into the shot to get one where Lydia didn't scream her head off!

Anderson with a couple of his best buds- John William and Hartley

Hartley and Libba- poor baby girl!

Davis and Piper
Kennedy and John William

The perks of having a photographer as your neighbor!

2009-11-08T22:04:00.007-06:00

I set up a little mini- photo session at my studio for our friends and neighbors that we trick or treated with. It was so fun to get some cute pics of everyone all dressed up!

My precious peacock and muscled up Batman!

Henry the fisherman!

Hannah Faith as Scooby Doo complete with her daddy as Shaggy!

Farmer Jack and a precious little Lilly as Dorthy

Paul Phillip all snuggled up

All our sweet friends from our hood!

Amy snapped this quick shot of me. I didn't take my camera trick or treating since I had the kids by myself. I knew I wouldn't have time to snap away! Jeff was still in the bed with the stomach bug! That night after we got home I got it!

Halloween!!

2009-11-08T21:19:00.007-06:00

Our Halloween festivities started on Thursday night with trick or treat on Sorority Row. This is a little tradition that we have done since Anderson was born, but I have to say this may have been our last year! It was just wayyy too crowded! We had to wait in huge lines for just a few tiny pieces of candy and unfortunately there were too many older, unsupervised kids jumping in line and just being annoying to really enjoy it. To top it off that night around 2:00am Anderson woke up throwing up. At first we thought maybe he just ate too much candy, but we quickly realized it was a nasty little stomach bug...Jeff had it Friday night, which resulted in me having to take the kids trick or treating on Halloween without him...and then that night I got it. My Dad and step-mother cam and got the kids to help us out. What was their reward you ask? oh yeah- they got it too! It was awful and left us ALL exhausted and feeling just plain bedridden for about 3 days! So I guess these pictures are of the calm before the storm! Ha!
I bought Lydia's Peacock costume online months ago. I saw a little girl in one in a picture last year and immediately searched for it online. I just had it in the back of the mind the whole time I was pregnant waiting to find out the sex of the baby. I just loved it on her and I can't tell you haow many people stopped and gasped at the serious cuteness!

Anderson was determined to be Batman this year! I was not too excited about it. I felt like he'll have years to be a super hero, but he is only this young once...can't we just do a little more of a baby type costume- a dragon, a pony, a giraffe, anything?? He was adamant about it, and I quickly came to the realization that not allowing him to wear what HE wanted would be robbing him of his joy. So I gave in and thoroughly enjoyed watching him "fly" about with his cape and flex his HUGE muscles! A big thanks to my mom who basically took apart his costume and re-made it. The smallest "muscle" batman was a size 4 which completely swallowed my lil guy! She altered it so he could wear it without tripping!

Anderson with all the ladies!

Have you ever seen tailfeathers so cute??

...and then after all of the chaos I got to stay up to make over 30 of these! I am the world's worst at over-scheduling and thinking I can do more than I really have time for. This was yet another time that my "project" eyes were bigger than the time frame I had to complete it. However- they were adorable little treats for the kids preschool classmates.

Homecoming at The Capstone

2009-10-20T14:09:00.012-05:00

Last Saturday was Homecoming for our beloved University of Alabama! We continued what has become a bit of a tradition by taking the kids out to the campus (this is the only time we take them out with us and don't get a babysitter or leave them with a grandparent) and skipping the game so we can play with them and enjoy our time on the quad. We had a great time, but it was freezing!! Plus- after chasing these two all day we were more than happy to watch the game from our bed that night!!

We started off our morning at the Hamner Real Estate Parade Party to hang out with friends and watch the parade.

Lydia was a hit with her cutie houndstooth pants and precious red swing coat! I looked down several times and thanked God for giving me a girl to dress up so cute and frilly!
Meanwhile, Anderson found a tree and several boys to climb with and spent the bulk of the morning happily being a B-O-Y!

We were able to meet up with my best friend Ashley and her husband Greg. Lily Kate and Will got to visit for a brief second before we headed to the Quad.

Check out the adorable cookie! You know around here we have a thing about The Bear's houndstooth hat- well Saban wears a Straw Hat to all the practices with a red band and an Alabama script "A". So people have started wearing the straw hats now and apparently, making cookies to match!

Then we trucked it over to the Quad to our tailgating spot. By now the weather had really surprised us all. It was FREEZING. The high was supposed to be 56, but I can assure you it never got to 56 that afternoon!

the girls snuggling with our girls

(L to R) Jamey, Kennedy, Nikki, Libba, Lydia, and me

How sweet is Libba snuggling on Lydia??

We also ran into Ms. Bethany

Check out all of the fun activities for the kiddos on the Quad

Anderson never met a slide he didn't like!!
Lydia finally crashed and decided to go to sleep. I'm a bit of a nap nazi, we really try to stick to a schedule for the kids--but it was a special occasion and I figured when she gets tired enough she'll lay down in the stroller and go to sleep. It probably also helped that I bought her a blanket from a vendor on the quad so she could get nice and warm.

After about an hours or so she woke up and we decided it was time to head home and thaw out! So we rode the shuttle to our lot (Anderson LOVED riding the big Alabama bus) back to our car!

Look- alike??

2009-10-19T20:44:00.002-05:00

I have been meaning to scan this in for a while now... This is a pic of me at around 2 years old. The pic I posted of Lydia isn't the best one, but I think that those of you who have seen her recently will agree that I FINALLY have someone in this house that looks like ME! ;-)

The Fair

2009-10-15T15:18:00.007-05:00

So a couple of weeks ago- can you tell I'm behind?- we took the kids out to the fair! I was a little worried about how much they would have for Anderson's age group, but several friends said there was a lot to do even for the little ones. I think I can safely say that little man had a blast! If you don't believe me- check out this first pic of him. That would be his very first roller coaster ride and he was on the FRONT ROW! He loved it!

Walking the midway...

Ahhh- SUGAR!!

"Why can't I ride anything??" ;-(

Winning his sister a prize penguin!

Mommy even got into the action by riding down this very high yellow slide.

It was a great family night. I love that they are getting old enough to do stuff like this!

Happy Birthday Daddy!!!

2009-10-09T11:23:00.006-05:00

We celebrated Jeff's 43rd Birthday yesterday! (He'll kill me later for putting his age on here!) Anderson and I baked him a cake. Anderson has gotten really in to helping me in the kitchen lately. They do all sorts of baking at school, so he loves being able to help at home! Of course, it totally helps to bribe him with getting to lick the beaters!! :-)

Lydia supervised! Ha! HA!

And I got this cute shot of the kids playing in the "cave" in our kitchen. It's actually the desk area with the chair pulled out, but for a three year old with an imagination it can be a great adventure!!

Jeff and I celebrated by having a sitter come and watch the kids while we ate a very yummy dinner at Surin and kicked back with a drink at Innisfree afterwards! It was wild and crazy- we were home by 9:30! Ha!!

Jeff- You are such a blessing to our family and everyone who knows you. Thank you for being the wonderful person that you are. Our children are so lucky to have such a loving, hands-on Dad...and I am lucky to have a man who leads a life of integrity and works hard for, but plays hard with his family! We love you so very much!

Some randoms....

2009-10-05T18:54:00.003-05:00

These are a few random pictures taken last weekend. We went to a little friend's birthday party and Anderson had a "Hair-raising" time!

These were taken before church Sunday morning.

Mamma's Don't let your babies grow up to be

2009-09-30T13:16:00.009-05:00

COWBOYS!

Ladybug Farms came to Anderson's preschool earlier this week, and what a fun time we had!! He loves any kind of animal, but I wasn't sure he would actually ride the horse! He got on with no problem, but after the first turn got a little scared and decided he wanted off! I did my best not to push him and we went to feed the lamb and the goats for a while. A few minutes later he said "Mommy- I'm ready to do it again. I'm BRAVE!" So we headed back over and he got on and rode two full circles! He grinned and laughed much more the second time and even gave me a hearty Yee-Haw!

Then he decided that the lady needed some help. He is fascinated with ropes! Seriously- I can't tell you the last time my robe tie was actually attached to my robe. He calls them "tie ropes" and uses them as lassos all around the house. So after he warmed up to the horse he took to slinging the rope like a lasso! He loved it.

The sweet lady that worked on the farm said he could be her special helper and help lead with the rope as the other children rode. He was beaming! So around, around and around again we went while holding his "tie-rope"

I also put in this pic b/c it is so sweet and funny to me. I asked Anderson and his little friend Jack Glein to get together for a pic and they automatically got all hugged up like a couple of girls getting their "Zap" taken at a sorority swap! Ha!

At the end he got one more ride and a handshake for being such a good helper! Now I just have to convince him that he can't be a cowboy for Halloween since we have already purchased another outfit!!

The best of friends...

2009-09-13T12:54:00.005-05:00

These two are inseparable!

And check out this pic! Anderson went barreling in her room one morning saying- "I heard her she is awake". He often is mad if she sleeps past him and wants to go wake her up to play- anyway, you can see by the sleepy eyes she has that she wasn't really awake, but welcomed this visitor into her crib anyway! Ha! Also- notice the tag on the front of Anderson's PJ bottoms. He is having a hard time with pulling on his pants after going to the potty- not sure how he managed to get them inside out AND backwards. :-)

Studio "Smashcake" Pictures

2009-09-09T10:02:00.005-05:00

These are the smashcake images I took of Lydia for her birthday. I am offering a special on smashcake sessions for only $45.00. So if you know someone who has a "little" someone who is about to be O-N-E...call me!

Lydia's One Year Portraits

2009-09-08T19:31:00.010-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I headed to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens with the kids to capture Lydia's one year portraits. It was a lot of fun to shoot them myself! I managed to really translate her sweet little happy personality into images I know we will enjoy looking at for years to come! My all time favorites ended up being the ones I captured of them together. Enjoy looking at the pictures! There are lots of them!

...and I managed to capture these sweet images of Anderson as well. This first one is my favorite- who can resist those big brown eyes?

A bit of news...

2009-09-06T21:27:00.003-05:00

and NO- I'm NOT pregnant!

I have, however, just launched my very own new business "Lindsey Smith Photography", so it feels a bit like I have given birth!

Many of you know that for the last year nearly I have been pursuing photography as more than a hobby. After endless workshops, classes, and shadowing some very talented photographers, I am pleased to announce that Lindsey Smith Photography is now up and running complete with a website and a facebook fan page. I love my "new" job, especially the flexibility it gives me to stay home with Anderson and Lydia.

Please check out the website and become a "fan" on facebook, but more importantly, please forward the sites along to anyone you might know that would need my services. I am available to travel, especially to Birmingham. I'm specializing in children and families, but once you view the website galleries, you will notice I have done a couple of very small weddings along with some engagements and bridal sessions.

Also- if I have photographed you or your children recently they are most likely on the website, so keep an eye out for their images!!

LSP Website:
www.lindseyrsmith.com

LSP Facebook Page:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/wwwlindseysmithphotographyblogspotcom/Lindsey-Smith-Photography/259584010163?ref=ts

LSP Blog:
www.lindseysmithphotography.blogspot.com

A very hearty thank you to those of you that encouraged me and allowed me to "practice" on your children. An even bigger thanks to my husband who has been beyond supportive of me while I have pursued this dream. I love him so much and am incredibly lucky to have him in my life!

An updated video-

2009-09-03T11:49:00.003-05:00

Well Sister is really going to town with her walking now. At 13 months she is EVERYWHERE! Here is a new video to show you her progress.

Please turn your volume down...my voice is soooo loud over that cam-corder microphone. You can hear her little squeaky shoes too. Anderson had these as he learned to walk and loved them. It really helps reinforce them to take steps. They just love hearing the squeaks! Thankfully you can remove them and where them as quiet shoes as well! You can see at the end of the video that she loves to sit in Anderson's booster seat. She sits in it and slams her feet against the ground just to hear the "squeak". :-)

A Random Anderson Post

2009-08-28T20:47:00.007-05:00

Can I tell you how much I love this little boy who is growing up so fast before our very eyes! Now don't get me wrong- he has become very challenging and we are battling whining and being a bit too demanding, but for the most part he responds well to our "reminders" to drop those nasty habits...having said all of that- his little personality has just blossomed. There isn't a day that goes by where he doesn't crack us up with some comment!

Aunt Susan and Uncle Todd gave Anderson this adorable little "shaving set" for his birthday. He loves "playing Daddy" in the bathtub now!!

The other day Jeff brought him home from school at lunch and they passed the garbage debris truck, which was headed to our street. Anderson ran in to tell me it was coming, and I set up a little snack for him in front of the front door so he could watch them work. A few weeks ago I purchased a box set of DVDs from Target called "Mighty Machines" He LOVES it! If you have a boy- you need these DVD's! There is one on diggers/bulldozers, rescue cars, boats, and airplanes I think...anyway- he loves them!

Anderson has been waiting to turn "fwee" (three) so he can get his own library card in his name. We took care of that last week- and for those of you who think I am crazy to take pictures of that- just remember I was an English teacher for eight years prior to having children. His love of reading is something I will gladly celebrate any day! ;-)

Lydia Walks!

2009-08-25T21:59:00.002-05:00

I meant to post this a couple of weeks ago. I took it on August 10th when Lydia began taking her first "for real" steps. She is now walking a lot more steadily, so I'll have to post a new video soon. I love this one though because in the background you can hear Anderson cheering her on!! So cute!

Nana and Pop

2009-08-19T20:50:00.007-05:00

Last weekend we packed up the car and braved a 4 hour car ride to see Nana and Pop (Jeff's Parents). We had a great weekend that included Anderson's first fish!! Jeff took him fishing once before, but they didn't catch anything. This time though he lucked up and got his first fish!! I know it meant a lot to Pop to see him catch it!
We also spent lots of time loving on and letting Nana love on the kids. She played with Lydia and read Anderson lots of his favorite books!

We even ventured out Saturday morning to a nearby town that has a children's science museum. Both kids loved exploring a new place. Enjoy the pictures!

School Days...

2009-08-14T08:16:00.005-05:00

Guess who had her VERY first day of school on Thursday?? This precious little sweet cheeks pictured below- that's who!

On our first morning- we are ready and even have our lunchbox packed!

Lydia with her fabulous teachers- Mrs. Lassiter and Mrs. Johnson

Storytime!!

Snacktime!

I just love when you can actually see God working all things for the good in your life in a practical everyday way. I think it serves as a constant reminder that even though he is a BIG God, he cares about all the little details in our lives. This past couple of weeks have been a great example of that for our household.

For those of you that may read this and don't know me-I'm not the most laid back mom. I recognize this about myself and try not to be uptight all the time, but I generally tend to be pretty involved and over the top where my children are concerned- anyone else out there?? :-)

ANYWAY- When Anderson got ready to go to school I researched every possible option in our city. I visited many of these places when I was pregnant because the waiting lists for the really good schools are notoriously long. To make a long story short I made my choice and it took him two years to get in part-time. In the meantime I sent him for a year to another school that I also loved and knew would be a great fit for us. Well, Lydia wasn't able to get into Anderson's school until she turns two- so I was left with the same predicament- where will I put her for the year prior??

Several friends of mine recommended a small school for their Mom's Morning Out Program and last winter I went to take a tour and meet the director. I was impressed with the facility and the director was incredible. She was a perfect balance of warm, but also very organized and a visible leader. Well, fast forward to last month and we find out she has left and there is a new director along with a few new teachers. I had a knot in my stomach. I just knew bad things were coming, but I tried to think positive.

Well, 2 weeks ago Jeff and I attended the Open House and it was a DISASTER! The director was not there and neither were lots of the teachers- a miscommunication had apparently occurred, but it left us feeling like we were boarding a sinking ship. I could have vomited right then and there! We are so used to Anderson being at such a wonderful school- this was new territory! I didn't sleep for two days. This was Thursday and she was supposed to start on Monday. There was no way to get her in anywhere else- she would have had to be on those waiting lists months ago. I leaned towards just skipping the whole thing and keeping her home with me another year. However- I know she needs to interact with other children and have a more structured schedule. I can't offer that at home! So we decided to go on Monday, but not leave her. Just take her to play for an hour or so while I filled out some paperwork (I had asked four times that it be mailed to me- again with the disorganization). Monday as I drive up I notice the "Ones", Lydia's class sitting under a tree in the front of the school. There was no gated area to keep the kids from wondering and it was about 10:30 and 100 degrees outside. There were also no blankets...these kids were literally sitting in the dirt. I knew right then and there this was not going to happen...

So, long story short- We made some calls and begged for some mercy and were able to get her in at a wonderful school downtown. It is a super small program, so they couldn't take her on the same days as Anderson. She will go on opposing days. Not ideal-since it means I will have ZERO time without at least one child with me, but compared to our alternatives it was the best option.

I attended their Open House and could have cried tears of joy by the time I left. It was an incredible school! Her teachers were a woman who retired in May from teaching kindergarten and a woman that had been teaching the ones at this school for 10 years! How great is that! These ladies were not there for a paycheck- they really want to be there with these sweet kiddos! The former teacher cracks me up- I call her Mrs. Claus! She has one of those southern drawls from South Alabama or Georgia. I could listen to her talk FOREVER! She had Lydia in a fit of giggles in about 2.5 seconds and this momma felt MUCH better!

And...to top it off I get to spend lots of time alone with this wild man! And on a side note (this entry is turning out to be WAY longer than I intended!)- he flipped out the morning we took her to school. I was so concerned about her being upset that it never crossed my mind that he may miss his sister terribly. As I was getting her lunch packed he told me over and over that they didn't have highchairs at her school and that she would get hungry so we should just let her stay home with us! How sweet is that? When I dropped her off and got her settled we went back to the car and he cried for about 10 minutes asking me to turn around and go get her. Throughout the morning he asked several times if it was time to pick her up yet- what a sweet boy! I hope he always loves his sister this much. I know they will bicker and fight, but I want them to be close. Yesterday gave me hope that we are doing a good job of instilling that in him!

So lesson learned- even though I was mad and bitter about having to find a school under such pressured and last minute circumstances God worked it for our good and she is in a wonderful environment where I won't worry. And while I was lamenting that they were on opposing days God showed me that a little one on one time may be exactly what my children need from me right now. :-)

12 months...a little late

2009-08-12T14:24:00.008-05:00

12 Month Stats:

22 lbs 8 oz. (75th percentile) and 28 1/2 inches tall (25th percentile)

What Lydia is up to lately:

**** You are taking lots of steps and really enjoy walking. However, crawling is still your preferred method of getting around if you really want something. You took those first few important steps at your birthday party (just like your brother did at his). You walked to your Pop (Jeff's Dad).

****You are saying very plainly "Atticus" (our dog's name). You say it with a long and dramatic A like this: AAAAHHHH- cus. You are also saying "an-son" for your brother's name. You have lots of other little words that you spit out left and right, but we aren't sure what they mean yet!

****You are very vocal when you want something. I guess you will inherit my verbal skills (in other words you are going to be loud like your Momma) :-)

****You love food! You eat like a crazy person and cry when you are all done! You also don't want us cutting things into small pieces anymore. You always grab for the big piece that we are cutting off from. Your favorites are bananas and blueberry nutragrain bars!

****We turned your car seat around to face forward. You love being able to see out and watch movies with your brother on longer rides!

****You started Mom's Morning Out this week. You are going on two days a week and love it! You didn't even cry on the first day! Mommy was so proud of you!

We love you so much Baby Sister!!

Andersonisms

2009-08-08T20:36:00.002-05:00

Below is a little clip of my sweet, perfect little angel trying to manipulate Mommy and Daddy to get his way! Ha! He has started this whole scheme to delay bedtime by acting like he is starving and needs "A wittle snack". Lately he has started faking illness...a cold or in this case a fever...who knew a cheese sandwich could cure a fever?? :-)

Another little funny: Today we were at the Galleria in Birmingham doing a little back to school shopping and Jeff had gotten up to get something. A woman walked by and asked if we needed the extra chair at our table. I replied that my husband was sitting there and would be back in a minute. Anderson looked at me and said- "I didn't know you had one of those Mommy- what's his name". The lady and I both laughed as I explained that my husband was his Daddy! :-)

The McWane Center

2009-08-04T22:08:00.010-05:00

Last Saturday we loaded up the kids and took a mini-trip to Birmingham to the McWane Science Center. We have been once before with my best friend Ashley and her two kiddos and I just never got around to posting the pics! so here is one...

Anyway...Anderson LOVED it. So I knew he would enjoy seeing it all over again with Daddy and Baby Sister this time. It is a 3 floor Children's Interactive Museum. Everything is Hands-On and Anderson's little mechanical brain goes into overdrive when we are there! He asks a million questions, and I love seeing his little brain absorbing all of that new information!

Of course we had to check out the brand new Shark/Stingray Exhibit.

Leaning in for a closer look! LOL!

Sister also loved the water floor. She was so animated when pointing at the fish that I am pretty sure if let in that tank she would have caught one with her own two hands!

Then we headed over to the water table...another of Anderson's favorite spots.

Lydia, meanwhile was playing in a "baby" area and decided to clap for herself after climbing this little block!

Here are a few shots of Anderson playing with the giant Lite Brite!

This thing was so cool. You stand still and the "butterflies" land on you and stay put.

Checking out the gigantic turtle fossil

My little Paleontologist getting ready to dig for Dinosaur bones. He insisted on putting the goggles on himself!

Touching the "touchable tornado" in the weather center

Daddy's face! Ha!

And Anderson's face when we told him it was time to go home! :-(

The Wedding...

2009-08-02T21:58:00.009-05:00

I am a little late in posting this, but the bride is still on her honeymoon in Hawaii- so I'm not THAT late! HA! My youngest sister Marcie was married on Sat. July 25th in Birmingham. It was a fun weekend once we got up there, but a lot of work on the front and back end (packing for a family of four to stay in a hotel room for 2 nights). The whole weekend was perfect and everything went off without a hitch!

Well, unless you count the ring bearer (Anderson) RUNNING down the aisle while he giggled loudly. He actually passed me about 3/4 of the way down; he then somehow managed to bypass the babysitter and run up on the stage. He was supposed to be lead into an adjacent room right after his walk as not to be a distraction during the actual ceremony. He obviously had other plans. After some coaxing, a death look and strong grip from me he went willingly just before Auntie M walked down the aisle. Thank God! I'm not sure Auntie "M" even knows that happened, but she will when she reads this. :-)

Me, Sister Jennifer, Sister Marcie, Mom and my step-dad Mike
Three Sisters

At my mom's that morning for brunch. Aren't the roes Marcie gave us adorable??

My precious daughter, who turned one right about the time this picture was taken right before the ceremony.

She was an "honorary" flower girl since she couldn't walk yet.

Can you tell the silly mood Anderson was in?

How cool is this cake? They are mountain climbers...like real mountains- as in they usually need oxygen. I thought this groom's cake was so funny!

The yummy cake!

My personal fave- the Macaroni and Cheese station!

Marcie has always been notoriously picky about food. We have often joked that she can sustain life on chicken fingers, macaroni and cheese and Diet Mtn. Dew. The only person more picky than her is Justin! So for their reception they had sort of Americana cuisine...mini hamburgers, fried, rice, chips and salsa, etc...it was so them!

Appetizers

Several of Marcie's friends have gotten married recently and they have performed what they call "The girlfriend dance" at the receptions...even the mom's have learned the dance...it was so cute!

Marcie also had a special Birthday song played for Lydia since it was actually her birthday!

Daddy with his baby girl

What a cute shot!

Getting ready to leave...

...and they lived Happily Ever After!

2009-08-01T22:16:00.002-05:00

This is a short little slideshow that Jeff made for Lydia's Birthday Party. It is filled with lots of great memories from her first year! I especially love the music it is set to- "Little Miss Magic" by Jimmy Buffett. He wrote it for his daughter when she was born. It is hands down the best Daddy/Daughter song I've ever heard! Enjoy!

Lydia's Birthday Party!

2009-07-23T10:21:00.019-05:00

We celebrated Lydia's first birthday this past Sunday with a small party at our home. We had it a weekend early because my sister is actually getting married on Lydia's real birthday, which is this Saturday the 25th. We went with a summer, girly theme: Pink and green with lots of flamingos! I bought her dress when she was about 5 months old and planned the whole party based on it. I worked really hard to make it special for her, sometimes much to the frustration of my husband- who thinks I tend to go "overboard" with planning events. Who me?? ;-)

Her cakes were so cute!!
I made these from Pinatas!

As you regular blog followers know I take a pic of Lydia on her "month" day in the same chair with the same stuffed elephant. I displayed the photos for everyone to see how much she has changed and grown in this magical first year!

These pics are from the foyer, where I put several black and whites that were taken just seconds before and after her birth. I love the way it turned out.

We even hung photos of her from the chandelier! Ya'll know I LOVE some pictures!

I made this canvas for the front door.

My dear friend Mrs. Dawn, who is the music therapist at the Rise School came to do music class just like she did for Anderson's First Birthday.

Love this photo!
Itsy bitsy Spider...

Shaking her maraca!

Playing with scarves!

Strummin' Mrs. Dawn's guitar!

Jeff made a gorgeous slide show with photos from her first year. It was a tear jerker...set to Jimmy Buffett's "Little Miss Magic" if you have a little girl- you need to hear this song!

We were blessed with glorious weather! It was mid-July and 85 degrees with very little humidity! Can you believe that?? Everyone stayed outside for this most part!

Anderson with Cousin Avery

My mom with Lydia

My Grandmother and Aunt

Jeff's parents made the trip from Tennessee! It was great to see them even if it was a quick trip!

Everyone on the deck enjoying the weather!

Pop (Jeff's Dad) with Lydia

Anderson and my best friend's little girl, Lily Kate

My cousin Quinn with her youngest little one!

Lydia with Henry. They are just 5 days apart and live three doors down from us...the best part is- if she should marry him she wouldn't have to change her last name! He's a Smith too!

Getting ready for her smash cake! And not too sure about that hat! BTW- it came from Itsybitsybunny.com They have the cutest custom bday hats!

Sugar, hmm- this stuff is pretty good!

Later that night we opened her gifts!

This little purse was a HIT! She loves the zipper and ptting things in only to take them right back out again!

My Aunt gave her a big "first". Here she is opening her first pair of pearl earrings...for a few ears down the road (or when she turns 25 if you ask Jeff!)
Happy Birthday Sweet Girl! We love you more than you can possibly know!

Peek- a- Boo

2009-07-10T10:44:00.006-05:00

Lydia has been playing this for a while, but I just now caught it on film! Enjoy!

And these photos were taken by an "up and coming" photographer last week. I hear her website will be up in the next few weeks. I'll be SURE to let you know when it goes live! She thought Lydia was the most beautiful little girl she had ever photographed...hmmm....wonder why she is so biased? ;-)

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-07T19:48:00.008-05:00

Anderson as The Statue of Liberty!

He made this at school and when Jeff brought him home today I saw it on the counter. I put it on his face- not even seeing the torch- and asked him if he was a flower. I got the biggest eye roll to date and he said "No MOM (I'm never Mommy in these instances)- I'm the stautute of wibity!"

Our very own little Lady Liberty

We had a good weekend/holiday, but not a great one! I'm totally jealous of everyone's beach/lake/pool pics! Jeff's firm moved into their brand new office building over the long holiday weekend, and he was in charge of overseeing the actual move so he had to work late a couple of nights and didn't get a long weekend.

On the 4th we had a family wedding to attend. We tried to go to the pool that morning, but Lydia was not having it. She wanted her morning nap and after less than an hour we packed everything up and went home to put her down. My step-sister had a small wedding at my Dad's house that night, and Anderson served as a ring bearer. At the wedding I managed to get this photograph of my grandfather and Lydia that I know I will treasure! The older she gets the more she looks like him to me- especially her mouth/chin.

So here are a few pics of our little firecrackers!!

11 months

2009-07-06T10:03:00.005-05:00

11 months old!

We are counting down to the big ONE!!

*** We didn't have a Doctor's appointment this month, but you weigh about 21 lbs.

*** You have learned all sorts of new skills this month! You love to point to things now and talk...we can't understand you, but your eyes and facial expressions are so animated that we know you must be trying to tell us something! You have also learned to clap, which you do ALL the time, especially when music comes on! You clap and dance (bounce up and down on your knees) and smile the biggest little grin! It is so cute! You also have started to put together waving and saying bye-bye in context.

***You will now finally actually sit through a baby Einstein or other baby DVD. Yay for mommy getting to take a shower!

*** Your sleep schedule- or lack thereof- has been horrendous this month! Other than when you were a newborn this has been the hardest stretch of time for your Dad and me. And when you were a newborn at least we knew we wouldn't be sleeping...this month it was quite the surprise! It started out with you fighting naps to the point that it was taking 2 or three hours to get you to lay down and take one. We tried everything...rocking, not rocking, noise machine, black-out curtain, etc... you were one tough cookie! Then on top of fighting you at every nap and bedtime you would wake up two or three times a night. By day three mommy was a crazy person and was having to call Daddy to come home from work to help with you. The constant screaming was a nightmare. At one point we became convinced you must be sick or teething...maybe an ear infection. We took you to the pediatrician who checked you head to toe only to inform us that you were one stubborn little lady. Thankfully after a week and a half you got easier to put down, but you still woke up in the middle of the night. Then after two weeks you stopped doing that and as a bonus went back to taking your morning nap that we thought you had completely given up!

*** Attachment to Mommy has started to rear it's ugly head this month too! You want me ALL the time. I actually swept the kitchen the other day with you literally hanging from my leg. You aren't as willing to go to anyone that wants to hold you anymore either. I am grateful that in about a month you will start a Mom's Morning Out program a few days a week. I think it will be good for you and for me!

*** You have decided that you are D-O-N-E with baby food. Once you got your little fingers on table foods you haven't looked back! You can eat just about anything that is cut into super small pieces. You love bananas, corn and pasta pick ups! You do not like strawberries! Odd since your brother ate about a pound of them a day at this point!

Here is a little video...

A is for Anderson

2009-07-03T11:42:00.007-05:00

Just a few thoughts on what Anderson is up to at

AGE 3!

Favorite Activities: Reading books still tops this list! He will "one more" you to death at bedtime and sleeps with his books instead of stuffed animals. He loves going to school with his friends, playing with Play Doh and making "worms", playing outside and swinging on his swing set especially when Atticus will stay outside with him, playing with Lydia and swimming. He is a little fish! He loves to just dive in on his belly and hold his head down under water. He also still loves anything to do with animals, particularly elephants, tigers, monkeys, etc.

Favorite TV Shows: We went through a "Diego" phase, but he doesn't request it as much anymore. Curious George is still his absolute favorite, which is no surprise since it is all about math and science and figuring things out. He watches it like there is going to be a test! I think we have a future engineer on our hands! He also loves Calliou, Martha Speaks and Wow Wow Wubzy. He is just know starting to get into Batman and Superman, but we limit it because he still gets a little scared of the "bad guy" music. He is not into Mickey Mouse...I guess we should expose him to that before we do Disney World, huh?

Favorite Places: He loves to play at CHOM (Children's Hands on Museum) and recognizes when we drive into downtown asking to go there. A new favorite is the library. Of course he loves the pool too! Attending birthday parties is another favorite thing particularly when there is a bouncy house/slide involved. He also loves going to a good playground. We have been frequenting a newly remodeled playground at a nearby school in the late afternoons.

Favorite Foods: Sadly, anything I DIDN'T cook! He has started asking to "go in the car" to go eat somewhere. If we do happen to go through a drive-through he always wants to go inside to eat! He calls McDonald's "Old MacDonalds", which is pretty funny! He loves hot dogs, pizza, chicken, corn, P&B and Jellies cut in the shape of Dinosaurs. LOTS of milk. Go-gurts (Yogurt push-ups), suckers and the all important gummies...George, Batman, Diego any character will do!

Dislikes: Brushing his teeth, being told it is time for bed. Not getting his way. Being made to stop talking because he is interrupting someone ( we need to work on this one big time). I try to give him warnings for these...in five minutes we are going to bed, etc...to avoid the meltdown.

Personality: He loves to study things quietly and figure them out. He generally wants to do everything "hisself", but does like to ask LOTS of questions. Lately if you say "I don't Know" he starts insisting..."Answer Me!!" I think he doesn't know what I don't know means...he thinks we just aren't telling him something and it infuriates him!

He spends an hour at a time with one of Jeff's bungee cords from the garage wrapping it around whatever he can find. He calls it his "tight Rope"...a version of tie rope, I think. Anyway, I spend at least another hour trying to get it away from him before bedtime so he doesn't choke himself. It doesn't seem to matter where I hide those things....every few days he just comes up with one!

He is really smart. I hesitated putting this on here because it sounds like bragging, but then I remembered it is MY blog, after all! ;-) His vocabulary is expansive and everyone that meets him for the first time can not believe he is only three. With that smart little brain has come some mischief on his part! He tries to manipulate us from time to time. I'll tell him no he can't have a sucker. He'll ask 15 more times and then sulk off to the living room for a while. Then magically he comes back in saying he wants a "snack". On to him, I offer a banana or apple to which he says..."um- no thanks"...then..."How 'bout a...." long pause with index finger to the chin as if to look deep in thought, complete with an eye roll as to appear to really be mulling it over..."Mom- I Know- How 'Bout a ....Sucker?" with a gleeful expression on his face. Nice try buddy!

He also has a sweet little spirit which I hope he keeps! Don't get me wrong- he is ALL boy, but he isn't as much of a rough houser as most boys I know that are his age. He has a genuine sense of people's feelings- especially when they are hurt! He LOVES Lydia and it is easy to see! I often catch him (unaware of me peeking around a corner) smiling at her as she stands up, laughing at her as she laughs or claps, or reading her a book. I hope he stays kind-hearted like his Dad.

Discipline: We try to follow the book 1-2-3 Magic very closely and it works well for him. He thrives on Praise and hates to be in trouble, so usually I only get to two before he decided to do the right thing, but we have had lots of time-outs and several pops over this trying year as he tries to assert himself and we continue to reign him in and teach him right from wrong. The more consistent we are the better behaved he is. Some weeks are more of a challenge than others, but for the most part for his age he is very well-behaved.

Anderson's 3rd Birthday

2009-07-02T10:49:00.012-05:00

Here are some photos for the party! Sorry for the overload!! Anderson had so much fun at his party this year! We talked about it for a week or two leading up to the big day and he told anyone who would listen all about his Pirate Party! He had a blast that day. It is so fun to know you have made your child so completely happy! We don't want to spoil him, but on this day we decided he deserved the best little party a boy could ask for. I think we succeeded. He was super pumped and had a fabulous time!

So much to be thankful for!!

My Birthday Boy!

The Cake!!!
The over the top Pirate Ship Bouncy house/slide that Jeff arranged for. When he told me how much it cost I nearly fainted. It was a little more than I planned to budget for a three year old's birthday party! Of course he thinks nothing is too over the top for Anderson! Ha! I told him I didn't want to hear another word about any clothes or shoes I buy from now on!!

The goody treats...

Lydia wants an eye patch!

John and James Walker

Pop trying to contain Lydia

Doesn't Will look all thugged out! HA!

Hannah Faith chowing down!

Thomas Elliott and Cooper enjoying some cake!

Anna Kate Clark with Anderson

Cooper and Anderson "huggin' it out"
Lydia trying to take off at the party!

Playing with Cousin John...

Opening Presents at home later that afternoon...

One...Two...THREE! Happy Birthday Anderson!!

2009-06-22T09:28:00.006-05:00

ONE...

TWO...

THREE!!!

...and I brought these out of the archives!!

This was the morning of your birth...you were only about 5 hours old or so. We were still in complete shock that you arrived so early.

This is both your Dad and my favorite picture of you ever! You were a day old and snuggled in the crook of my arm all swaddled up and comfy enough to give us your first grin!

My Sweet "baby" boy turns three today! We love you so much Anderson!!

Summertime fun

2009-06-15T11:04:00.001-05:00

What could be more fun than running around Nak#$ through the sprinkler system in the backyard?? Not much according to this lil guy!

He is ALL Boy!

10 months

2009-06-11T11:28:00.004-05:00

This post is a bit late, but the picture was actually taken on her 10 month day! These pictures are getting harder and harder to take because she won't sit still!! She's so active now!

So sweet baby girl- you are getting so big and learning more and more everyday! People always joke about how time flies with babies...and it is so true. I think particularly with the 2nd one. I try to force myself to slow down and really take it all in because I know you will be talking, walking and all sorts of other big girl things very soon! I try to look forward to all the things we will share in the future, but it is so hard not to think "where did my infant go?". I miss the days of being able to cradle you and snuggle you up to my face. Now you just want down so you can go explore your little world- which is exactly what you should and need to do at this age....but momma is having a hard time letting go. Daddy is even worse if that is possible!

Lydia at 10 months:

**You can now crawl up on your knees, but still do the army crawl a good bit.

** You are starting to pull up and take pride in your ability to stand.

**You won't watch TV, not even Baby Einstein holds your attention. About the only thing that captivates you for any length of time is "Nursery Rhymes" from the ON DEMAND selection from our cable. It has small children singing and dancing to nursery rhymes. You still love music!

**You have loved every second of pool time that we have given you! You are also occasionally taking a bath with Anderson now.

**You love your brother and watch him intently whenever he is in the room. He sometimes snatches a toy from you and when you cry- he cries even harder. He feels so bad afterwards for "hurtin Wydia's fewlins". I hope you always love each other and are good to each other despite all of the childhood arguments you are bound to have!!

**You are fighting sleep again and we are having to institute nap "boot camp" because you were trying to give up your morning nap already!

**You spent your first night away from us with your Gigi this month. Gigi loved it- Daddy and I were lost without you and your brother here...it was so strange for the house to be that quiet!

** Your personality is still cheerful and happy. You truly are a happy little free spirit compared to your uber serious and pensive brother. The two of you could not have more differing personalities!

We love you so much Lydia!!

Beach Part 2!

2009-06-10T08:29:00.011-05:00

We had a great 2 Br condo on Market Street, which was needed for all the stuff we had to pack to get two kids to the beach!! Ha! It was a lot of trouble to pack up and get down there with two wee ones, but once we got there and got set-up it was really not too bad. Here are a few pics of our room and views of Baytowne and the pool.

Of course we spent lots of time in the pool! It was really Lydia's first time in a pool or at the beach. She LOVED the water! Anderson, who was our little fish last summer, became very shy near the water this trip. He just wanted to sit on the steps and as he said "think about it". He would hardly even get in with us for the first day or so. Since then we have been back to swim lessons and he is back to being our little fishy...I guess he just forgot about how much fun it is to get in the water!

We also were steps away form this huge playground. We spent most of our mornings here. It just so happened to be located right next to the ice cream parlor...yum!!

Our Summer Beach Trip Part 1...

2009-06-01T09:41:00.009-05:00

This post is late, but it has taken a while to get all of the photos edited and things (as always) have been super busy around here! Last month we headed down to our favorite beach spot. San Destin. It is on the Florida Panhandle and we have been staying in this resort for the last 4 beach trips. We declare it to be heaven on Earth! It is a huge resort that spans both sides of scenic beach road 98. We like staying on the Bay side b/c we can walk right out to the pool and shops and food!! Plus with little bitty babies the beach is a once a day for two hours trip- not an all day hang-out! We stay right above Baytowne Wharf which has about 15 restaurants, 20 or so shops and several bars. It also has a lovely amphitheater where they play live music for children on the green and show kids movies under the stars on weeknights. It is totally geared for families! We love it!! We stayed for 5 days, which wasn't enough- but it was enjoyable! Our babysitter, Chandler, cam and stayed with us part of the time. That was awesome! We were able to sneak off for dinner dates with just the two of us for 3 nights! Enjoy these photos...I promise to post the rest soon!

My 33rd Birthday!

2009-06-01T07:00:00.004-05:00

As I get older I keep thinking that Birthdays are going to be more of a bad thing than a good thing, but not this year! On Friday I turned 33, and had one of the best birthdays to date!

Jeff started my day off with breakfast in bed- an omelet, toast and some very yummy fresh strawberries. Then I had a glorious morning massage and pedicure at a local spa while a sitter stayed home with the babies. Afterwards I did a little shopping for some running shoes and treated myself to lunch at Panera...alone. It was great! No ones food to cut up or noses to wipe...now that's my kind of lunch! Ha!

That night we went to dinner with a handful of sweet friends to celebrate. Jeff told me about it because a surprise is almost impossible logistically with two small children, but it was a very sweet thought! We headed to Chuck's Fish downtown. Jeff had some appetizers waiting on us and everything was so scrumptious! He even had flowers delivered and waiting on me at the table!

Stacie, me and Ashley

Stacie, me, Ashley and Greg (who somehow thought he was going to get out of a picture!)

Our friends and neighbors the Parkers

Matthew and Kelly Clark. Kelly was responsible for the cake, which was adorable and yummy!

When we got to the table Jeff had already arranged these to be delivered to the table! Isn't that so sweet? These are the same flowers used throughout our wedding and reception. Such a thoughtful husband!

The eyes are a window to the soul...

2009-05-28T16:13:00.002-05:00

End of the Year Program

2009-05-27T20:07:00.009-05:00

Yes- I know I am WAYYY behind on posting. I promise to get the beach pics up soon, but this was a shorter post I could get in pretty quickly...

On the Sunday that we returned from 5 fabulous days in SanDestin we basically had to come in on two wheels to get back in time for Anderson's school's end of the year program. He and his classmates had been practicing their song "God Loves Me" and their memory verse Deuteronomy 6:5 (love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.) for over a month. They recited their verse and sang their song. Anderson even decided he had done well enough to take a big ol' bow at the end as you can see in the video above!

Younger and older toddlers

Lydia

Anna Kate, Anderson and Thomas Elliott taking center stage!

These women love my child almost as much as I do. They have been incredible teachers and such a blessing to our sweet boy! They each have their own little way with him. It makes me a little teary to think about moving to a new room next fall!

Enjoying the reception (and most importantly CAKE, ahem, I meant icing) with our friend Hannah Faith

Mother's Day

2009-05-18T15:26:00.006-05:00

We spent Mother's Day weekend at my Mom's house in Birmingham. This year Mother's Day also fell on her birthday, so she certainly thought she was the Princess that day! Ha! Anyway- here are a few snapshots from our weekend. Jeff and the babies gave me a new mailbox and 4 new lighting fixtures for our house that have been needing to be updates. I know it sounds awfully glamorous, huh? Sadly- that was what I asked for. I love getting stuff for the house anytime! :-)

Anderson made me a few things that I, of course, teared up over. He is getting to be such a big boy now. I just want to savor every second of time with him!

My step-brother's wife Susan and their new baby boy, Bastian

All three of Gigi and Pop's grandkids

My favorite people

One of Gigi's gifts from Lydia and Anderson

Gigi and Lydia

A few good causes...

2009-05-11T20:39:00.011-05:00

We've been part of two great causes for children in the last few weeks. Two weeks ago we attended "Fuller's Festival" here in Tuscaloosa. It was a benefit for a local boy who is around 5 that has been battling leukemia for the last two years. Tons of people offered help to the family, and they decided they wanted to hold a fundraiser for Children's Hospital in Fuller's name. So close to 80 friends started planning the festival over a year ago. They raised a ton of money, and it was great fun for all the kids. Anderson had a blast!

He especially loved the Pirate Ship ride. At first I thought it was a bit too old for him, but after listening to him insist on riding it I decided I would let him. I want to encourage his brave little spirit when it comes to things like that. As soon as we got on it, he told the boy to his left- "This is gonna be SOOOOO much fun!" Little Fuller is sitting directly behind us with his name on his shirt.

Our friends the Mentels. Jaime has been attending the Esther Bible study I recently led. Her husband Charlesis an OB in my Dr.'s group and we honestly believe he could have saved Anderson's life when I was pregnant with him. I was on bedrest and admitted a couple of times for pre-term labor. Charles pulled the trigger on giving me stereroid shots for Anderson's lungs due to my complications. Sure enough he was 5 weeks early. We think those shots meant the difference between a healthy baby and a long stay in the NICU. Aren't their two little girls adorable?

Part Two: The following Friday Anderson's school held a Trike-a-thon to benefit St. Jude's Hospital. All the kids had to raise money and ride laps on their bikes. The parents decorate the bikes according to the theme- "It's all about Love", and all the kids got prizes. It was so fun for him! Even if he did REFUSE to use his pedals...

Mrs. Emily starting off the race

Anderson getting set

My sweet lil man

How cute is little Naia's bike?

This was princess Ella Gray- How girly!

I plopped Lydia in the baby buggy so she could ride too!

Scootin' along

9 Months

2009-05-05T14:51:00.006-05:00

On your 9 month "birthday" we went to the Doctor

Weight: 20 lbs 2 oz (75th %)

Height: 27 inches (25th %)

*Perhaps those percentiles are the reason for your chunky monkey legs!!

***At 9 months old you are a sheer delight! Your happy little personality is still very much in tact! You smile ALL the time. We often are told you are the happiest baby someone has ever seen.

***You are very mobile. You still won't get up on your knees to crawl, but can do a mean imitation of the army crawl. It gets you where you want to go and I honestly don't see you crawling the "traditional" way. You haven't really expressed an interest in pulling up, although you have done it a couple of times. You are too busy going, going, going, to slow down long enough to grab something to pull up on.

*** You have finally gotten a little easier to put down for naps and bed. You did wonderfully with this for so long, but then about two months ago you started realizing that you were missing something. You wanted to stay up and play, so you fought us hard at bedtimes. Thank goodness that seems to have almost disappeared now.

***You still won't really take a passy, but you love to grip one tightly and hold on to the handle for an occasional gnawing! You love your Raz. It's been awesome for teething! Speaking of which- you still only have the bottom two. Your brother had 4 or 5 by now!

***You are cutting back on bottles and really increasing solid foods in your diet now. You love all food. You don't seem to have any dislikes. You love yogurt melts, and are now enjoying real cheerios instead of just Gerber puffs.

***You LOVE music and can clap to the beat. You love to roll on one side prop yourself up on an elbow and pat your leg. It is hilarious!!

***You have said- "dada", "mama", "bruder" (brother), "ball" and "Rrrrr tiiii" (Roll Tide)...and no I am not kidding about that last one! Your Daddy taught you to say it last week and it is your new fave thing to say!!

***You continue to love watching Anderson and laugh, shriek, and squeal at him all the time.

***You still suck your thumb. It is incredibly sweet! You are totally a self- soother. I love it!!

***Your skin is WAY more olive than Anderson's. We got you out last Sat. and even with 50 SPF sunblock you tanned a bit! It was so cute! Your hair is a golden blond color. It looks like it is almost highlighted. You have your aunt Jenn's slate gray colored eyes. The are beautiful and very unique.

Your basic schedule is something like this-

7:00 am- up and at em! Although if we aren't awake quite yet you don't scream to be picked up out of your crib. You are content to just babble and sometimes if we are super lucky, you even go back to sleep for about 30 minutes or so.

7:30- 7 oz bottle

8:00- 9:15- most weekdays we walk with our neighbor Amy and her little one- Henry. He and Lydia are 5 days apart. Both babies love being outside and around each other. It gives Amy and I some girl chatting time and exercise- PLUS t gets us out of the house for a little while. A must for stay-at-home Moms. :-)

9:30- 1 stage 3 baby food

10:00- 11:45/12:00- Morning Nap

12:00 7 oz bottle

12:15- 1:00- Go get your brother from school and return home.

1:45- 1 stage 3 baby food

2:00- 3:00 Playtime

3:00- Down for afternoon nap (your brother used to take a nap around this same time. He's not doing that anymore though)

4:30 up from nap and small snack

4:30- 5:30 playtime

6:00 - Daddy's home! Dinner time- 1 stage 3 baby food with a side of rice cereal for you!

7:00- Bath and last 7 oz bottle

7:30 Bedtime

I am really enjoying having a little girl so much for reasons just like the pic below. Just check out one of your new bows...how cute is that? A sweet little butterfly! Is it a bad thing that you have over 35 bows?

A special message...for Auntie M

2009-04-28T17:59:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday!!

What we've been up to...

2009-04-28T11:24:00.004-05:00

We've been OUTSIDE! The weather is warming up so nicely and we have been taking advantage of it. Lydia and I walk almost every morning with Amy and Baby Henry. In the afternoons our cul-de-sac is starting to look like this...

Our neighborhood posse

Lydia, Lily, Hannah Faith, Anderson and Jack

Jack wants a ride and Anderson is too busy reading his book. I swear the child is worse than me when it comes to loving to read!

He is also loving mommy's new computer. Watch the video for a little funny...

Bloggy Award

2009-04-23T08:05:00.003-05:00

So my friend Leigh thinks I am creative...

This is what you do to share the award:

1. Post the award on your blog, and link to the person who gave you the award.

2. List seven things you love.

3. List seven blogs you love.

4. E-mail or comment on those blogs to let the people know you've given them the award.

So my 7 loves are: (I'm going out of the box here and assuming you know I love God, Jeff and my babies)
1) Sushi- I could eat three meals a day, seven days a week!
2) Anything creative and artistic. photography, painting, etc...

3) Reading a good book...really good- no Nicholas Sparks, etc... I like to read things that challenge me and teach me something new (think-KiteRunner, Memoirs of a Geisha)

4) Alabama Football and college football in general.
5) Blogging, of course. And reading other blogs. I get such good ideas from them. Parenting tips, etc.
6) Fall. It's my favoite season! I love the crisp air, the changing colors and the holidays on the horizon.

7) Feeling productive. I am a huge type "A" personality. I love lists and more importantly crossing things off the list!!

8) Contemporary Christian Music. I love Chris Thomlin, Hillsong, Big Daddy Weave and mostly our Church's worship team.

7 Blogs I Love:
1) Marcie
2) Julie

3) Brittani
4) Kelly's Korner
5) Elizabeth

6) Tesney

7) Kellie

A-Day Fun!

2009-04-20T16:48:00.005-05:00

Well it was A-day again in Tuscaloosa. The Spring scrimage was covered on ESPN this year, and we still managed to pack the srands with 85, 000 fans! We wanted to take Anderson, who up until now has been to the quad and tailgated, but had never actually seen the inside of Bryant- Denny Stadium. It was a big day indeed!

We started off at my Aunt's house where we left Lydia for the afternoon.

Then we headed to the Quad where there was lots of fun stuff for the kiddos to do!

Anderson loves anything inflatible...the bigger the better!

And then he saw this gigantic slide and simply HAD to do it. As his father pointed out- he gets that adrenaline junkie-ness from me! I love a good challenge, rollar coaster, etc... Jeff- well, not so much! Ha!
Climbing

Don't you just love that shot of his face...pure glee!

He had so much fun that he decided he need to up the fear factor by going head first!

Then we headed over to the Ezell's stadium house to tailgate and see some friends.

AND THEN....

our sweet son got his first glimpse of the field where champions play!!
Here I am showing him the lay of the land.

Checking it out!

Love that sweet little hand on Daddy's back!

Roll Tide!

The MAN!!

The crowning glory to our wonderful day...Dippin Dots!!

And this was what my children looked like at the end of a VERY long day!

Easter

2009-04-20T15:39:00.000-05:00

We had a great Easter weekend! Saturday morning while I hosted a baby shower Jeff took the kids to the NorthRiver Yacht Club for the annual Bunny Breakfast and Egg Hunt. I enlisted my Dad and Martha to go along as well, so he would have some extra hands in my absence. Anderson wasn't too sure about the Easter bunny, but did let Jeff hold him near the bunny for a quick picture...and by the way...NRYC- seriously, the bunny costume is a little scary/worn out...can we not afford a new costume...PLEASE!

Climbing statues and looking for eggs!

Melissa and sweet Vivian

Hartley and Anderson found a big moth.

Boys will be boys...forget the eggs!

On the hunt

Pop helps out!

Mimi and Lydia

Then on Easter morning it was just our little family of four! Here a few pics from the Easter Bunny's visit!

2009-04-15T15:44:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday Anderson's class had their Easter Party. First of all can I just say that I love that he goes to a church based program where they can actually have an Easter party and call it an "Easter Party" instead of a generic..."Spring Celebration". I am also thankful that he has chapel everyday and is allowed, encouraged and taught how to pray...EVERYDAY! I love his school so much. We have been very pleased with it since we switched last summer. The teachers love him and he loves them. It is always clean, organized and the activities that they have planned everyday keep him inquisitive and anxious to learn. We really do just love it there. I am not posting the name for paranoia, errr...i mean security issues, but if I know you, and you live in town and want to know where we send him- just comment and I will e-mail you the name. Here is a precious video of their pre-lunch prayer!

I also love that I am able to stay home with Anderson and Lydia. It is so nice to be able to go to his parties without a huge ordeal. He just lights up when I come to "his" school! :-) Miss Heather asked if I could photograph the Easter party/egg hunt, so here are a few of the pics I was able to get of these ACTIVE little ones. Bless you Ms. Heather, Ms. Kellen and Ms. Meagan...I am not sure HOW you manage them all everyday!

A few of Anderson's classmates

Enjoying some yummy cupcakes....check out this ADORABLE Easter concoction compliments of Ella Gray's Mommy. Those are little bunny feet as the dive down (brownie) holes! How cute!!

Cute Will!

Miss Heather

Clayton

Miss Meagan swinging Lydia...check out the bunny bow...could you just die at the cuteness?

Anderson and Allie taking a rest break during the hunt.

Ella Gray

Found one!

All the kiddos getting ready with their baskets!