Memorial Day

Thank you to all who have served, who are serving, and who will serve this nation in the armed forces and especially thank you to the families of the ones who have given their life so that we could freely live ours. Your committment for our freedom will not be forgotten.

I was reading an email the other day from a friend of ours and under his signature was this quote......“IF YOU DON'T STAND BEHIND OUR TROOPS, PLEASE, FEEL FREE TO STAND IN FRONT OF THEM. ” Author Unknown

Pretty much sums it up for me.

Happy Memorial Day

Some new landscaping

With the nice weather this week we have been spending quit a bit of time outside getting the yard and flower beds in ship shape. I have already laid 15 bags of mulch and probably need 10 more. I also have planted vinca, gladiola, lillies, petunias, impatients, geraniums, and some other flowers that I just bought because they were pretty and were recommended for full sun. Now all I want is three white rockers for my front porch. Maybe next year.

When we moved in two years ago everything was crowded and overgrown. So last year we pulled out many plants, shrubs, weeds and planted some hosta and mums. We must of got it right because they are back this year, plus the grass we planted is coming in and we are getting rid of our bare spots.....it is starting to look like we want it too....clean and symetrical. This year we are working on the back yard.

This area was also overgrown and just a varied combination of bushes and shrubbs. We cleared it out last fall and I went and got some plants and flowers with the money the church gave me for mothers day. Thank you saints of Apostolic Revival Tabernacle.

Our peonies are in bloom and boy are they beautiful. Too bad they won't last all summer long. Our last area of attack is this section in the back yard. We are thinking of clearing it out closing it off with a fence from the pool and putting up a small swingset for the kiddos. But again....next year. I believe all that is going to get done this year is for me to pull out the grass and weeds that are overtaking the area.

A little kitchen help

After dinner the other night I started to wash some dishes before I cleared the table. When I came over to get the plates Millie bug had brought over her food and was shaking all the items over my plate and then mixing it up. It didn't matter to her that she was adding Mac and Cheese, pancake batter, and cupcake mix to my spaghetti. :)

Here she is in action. Moving the kitchen has certainly help keep her entertained upstairs now.

Levi's first swim.

Every since we opened the pool Levi has wanted to get in, but the weather hasn't cooperated. It has either rained or been too cold (global warming and all). Finally on Friday it was sunny and hot (80s) and Levi braved the cold water to take a dip.

Testing the temperature with his toes.

Oh forget baby steps in, it is just easier to jump in and take it all at once.

A Day Trip To Michigan....almost

We left out this morning around 8 am and headed north. I couldn't wait any longer I just had to go see my new neice Anna Grace. We dropped Levi off in Marion at Jacobs house, picked up mom and dad and headed up for the second leg of the drive. In all it was 8 hours. I was a little uneasy about Millie Bug, but she did fabulous. Four hours up, two hours at the hospital, no major events, two hours to Marion, and then two more hours home. Not once did she really get fussy or did she cry. We were very thankful for Pap who entertained her for part of the trip.

Does this baby look like her daddy or what?!?!

Usually Millie is a little afraid of Uncle Gabriel, but today she went to him and even sat on his lap. Only for a minute, but we are making progress.

Momma Susan is doing well, we are praying that she heals up quickly from the c-section.

Baby Anna under the light, if you look closely you will see that she has her thumb in the pacifier. Maybe another thumb sucker!!!
I got to give Anna her bottle and hold her for a little while. You forget how tiny babies are. Millie was two whole pounds smaller than Anna Grace....and look at her now.

Because little Anna Grace is jaundiced she has to lay under the lamp and can only come out for feedings so we didn't get to see/hold her for long, but long enough to know and see that she is beautiful and ever so precious.

Uncle Scott is sad that he didn't get to hold her....so maybe another trip up north is in our future.

Welcome Anna Grace

Anna Grace Smith
May 21, 2009

8lb 9oz - 20 in

Tell me this baby doesn't look like her daddy! Right down to the nose and eyebrow furrow. I can't wait to meet her!!!

Millie's kitchen

Today we moved Millie's kitchen up to the kitchen from the playroom. She loves to play with it, but we spend most of our time upstairs. This way she can "cook" while I am working in the kitchen and hopefully stay out from under my feet. As soon as she noticed it she got very excited and kept saying over and over again, "I cook, I cook."

Now maybe she can make her own breakfast. Since every morning for the past week she has had a meltdown because she I won't give her a "coo-coo" aka a poptart. Let me tell you she is a mess, but a cute mess.

Overheard

As I was leaving to go do a First Steps visit I walked outside and gave Levi a hug goodbye. As Levi and his friend were walking away the neighbor boy asked where I was going. Levi's reply, "Shes going to work. My mom works in the morning, and at night......and she works in the afternoon too." Here lately it seems that way. I work at CMO during the day and since my caseload with First Steps is building up I am working evenings also. It is for a cause though. One of these days it will pay off. I told Scott the other day, when we were both exhausted, I said, "don't worry honey, we can take a nap when we are 70."

Literacy Festival

One of the great things about living in Columbus is all of the family friendly festivals our city hosts. Today we ventured out to the literacy festival. All kinds of characters were there including The Cat in the Hat and Clifford the Big Red Dog. We got to tour the Colts Moving Museum and Levi got to sit in a police car. Millie was happy in her stroller with her Elmo book she picked out. Despite the rain it was a good day.

Happy Mothers Day

Happy Mothers Day to all of you mothers day. It was a good day. Got up this morning and Levi gave me a card and a book that he made and wrote. The book was three pages. Page 1. I woke up and it was Mothers day. Page 2 I went and woke mom and told her happy mothers day. Page 3 It is a Huladay. The card read "Happy Moth Day" I loved it. Millie did a little drawing of her own too.
After church this morning we went out to dinner with scott's mom we really wanted to treat her to something special so we went to Snappy Tomato for a pizza buffet. We both agreed that we wanted to get home and not spend hours at a restaurant. In any manner I know I am loved and I love my children more than they will ever know.

Little Darlins

The kiddos have been practicing for a month to get three songs down to sing for Mother's Day. Finally tonight all our little darlins got up on the platform to perform for their mothers. It was going pretty well until Millie Bug pulled the cord to the mic. and it fell out of the stand. I went and put it back up and then she did it again. Papaw went up and took it and handed it to David. Well Millie didn't much care for that so she decided to throw a little fit right then and there. Well the song ended and there was one more to go. I was playing the piano and Millie was screaming for the mic so daddy picked her up and tried to play the drums so that they could finish singing "surely you know - know what? surely you have heard - heard what? That the Lord is the God who lies forever." All I can say is that there were a lot of laughs, just not too many from me. :)

Levi had a solo, and I must say that he did really well. The boy is a natural when it comes to music. I was very proud...of Levi that is, with Millie I just shook my head.

But afterwards Millie was as cute as could be in her little cubby hole. Pretty soon she will not be able to fit as fast as she is growing.

Good Day

Here lately I have been so busy that I haven't been able to spend much time with the kiddos. With CMO and First Steps it seems that I am at work more than I am at home, but Millie does go with me to CMO. Then with the past two weekend ladies activities even my Saturdays have been away from home. So today, my day off, I kept millie home with me to play, and clean. :) After Levi got home from school I let him decide our dinner, since Scott stayed in Indy for his basketball game.

Levi choose the culinary delight of McDonalds. We ate and then went and bought flowers for me to plant. I allowed Levi to push the green flower cart while I picked out the flowers. He was very responsible and stayed right with me and kept the flowers on the cart. Millie stayed in the cart I was pushing and picked flowers off all the while saying "fower" over and over again.

When we got home the kids wanted to help, but that lasted a whole 2 minutes until they discoverd the sidewalk chalk. Millie kept drawing lines and then coming and getting me, pointing to her lines and said, "fower" she was drawing flowers. Levi on the other hand drew a very ornate star wars ship. Pretty good for sidewalk chalk, I think.

The best part of the day was when the guitar store called and cancelled Levi's lesson allowing me to finish planting my flowers. All in all it was a good day.

Levi did talk me into going and getting a snowcone, that is the bad thing about living within walking distance to Tropical Snow and Dippin Dots.

I think that Millie is thinking "maybe if it sit here and smile at bubby he will give me a bite" Levi on the other hand is probably thinking "yeah right I'm not sharing my ice with anyone"

What's in a name

According to the radio station that Andrea was listening to yesterday, the womens name that people associate inteligence with is.........any guesses..........Leah, thats right folks, Leah. Who would have thunk it?

Thanks for the boost of confidence Andrea...Hope to see you soon.

Leah