For My Great Aunt Judy

This post is for Judy. Technically she is my great aunt, but we are a lot closer than that. She is an amazing, strong, beautiful woman who I adore. I am proud to call her family. So this post is just to say thank you for always being so good to us. She gave Keith this really cute outfit. But since Keith is little for his size it just barely fits. Thank you Judy.





Also, thank you for the adorable little clothes for Lacey. Hopefully she will be here soon to wear them.

My Little Chef

Cooking. I have a love/hate relationship with cooking. I hate planning out what to cook, and I can never stick to a menu because what you are supposed to have for dinner never sounds good on the night you are supposed to have it. But I love to cook, especially when it turns out really good. I love when you get compliments from your cooking, they seem to be better than a lot of other compliments. Maybe because of all the effort you put into cooking it. Plus, I like when I feel like I am succeeding at being a homemaker. So anyway, a love/hate relationship.
But the part I love most about cooking it doing it with Keith. He always wants to help, no matter what I am making. He is getting really good at adding everything into the bowl and not spilling anything. And he always says, "Mmmmmm." So he is constantly giving compliments, who could ask for more? The best part is that he even says, "Mmmmmm" when it is just flour in the bowl, it is easy to make him happy. He is such a sweetheart, and he is going to be quite the baker one day.
Since he is constantly trying everything that we put into the bowl I have now starting putting aprons on both of us. So here is my sweet little boy in the apron that actually fits really well.



So here is to my little chef who hopefully will never stop wanting to cook, especially when he learns how to make dinner all by himself. :)

I want to be just like Daddy

As many of you probably know, Benji could survive solely on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I have never actually had one of these. One, because they seem disgusting. And two, I only eat sandwiches on hoagie buns or that are toasted. So I have not experienced this apparent joy of the sandwich.
Anyway, I think the doctor says that you should wait till your child is two till they try peanut butter. (Since peanut allergies are really bad.) Well, Keith got into the Reese's when he was like 8 months old, thanks to Halloween. So he has been enjoying this sandwich pretty much since then. Which, by the way, he loves to just eat the peanut butter and jelly not the bread.
So now to these pictures. Benji had left the peanut butter and strawberry jam out with the butter knife, after he made his sandwich. I walk into the kitchen and this is what I see:



Apparently I do not even have to help him get his food. Keith knows how to survive with the best of them. So as you can see Keith is already trying to be just like his daddy.

Say Cheese!

Keith is a very smart kid. A long time ago he learned that when someone says, "Say Cheese" he needs to give a cheesy smile. The best part is that he actually says, "Cheese" when he smiles. This is just a small collection of his Cheeses.

Say Cheese for Making Cookies:


Like Father, like son:


Say Cheese for Powdered Donuts:


Say Cheese for Dirty Faces:


Say Cheese for Christmas:


Say Cheese for Crazy Hair:


Say Cheese for Clean Rooms:


Say Cheese for Mommy:


Say Cheese:

Story of a Little Boy

I want to tell you a story of a little boy and his dreams. There once was a little boy who dreamed about one day falling in love. He went through everyday thinking about the woman that would one day be his. He tried everyday to become the man that this woman would want him to be. He would wake up and go to school learning what he could to be smart enough for her. Every Sunday he would go to church and learn all he could about things that he could use to raise a family unto the Lord. He would work hard around the house to be prepared to ease the workload around the house so that the wife could get more rest. He would babysit his family and other peoples families so that he could learn to change diapers and take care of babies and children so that his future wife could take time for herself when needed and not have to worry.

Every night it seemed that he would dream of her. He would toss and turn because he would only catch little glimpses of what she looked like and what she acted like. He would try and compile the little bit of information that he could remember form these dreams. This happened for years and years. At points in his life he wondered if she was real or if this woman was even around still. He worried that maybe he had done something wrong and she just walked right by him not knowing what he missed out on. Eventually he thought that all was lost and that he would have to find a girl that would take him.

One day, many years later he was sitting in the foyer of the church waiting for his friends to be done. Sitting across from him was the most beautiful girl that he had ever seen. He wanted to talk to her but he could tell that she was a wanted woman. Suddenly she started talking to him telling him about herself and getting to know him as well. She told him where she worked. After that conversation she walked out of the church with another man. He was crushed inside but created a plan to run into her at work and to get her more familiar with him. Every time he went to her work she wasn't there. He would walk up and down the aisles of the store spending way too much time trying to find her but never seeing her. He just gave up.

Many months later he went to an activity and she was by herself. His mind went racing to the point that he didn't know what to say or do around her. He found out through others that she was no longer with the other man that he saw her with. He was lost and didn't know what to do. The next day his friends invited her to come over and play games with a group of people. She accepted. She was very sneaky and she found out a way to get his number.

The two started to hang out and talk almost everyday. About a week after they started spending time together he knew that she was the one. He began to lose his emotions. He couldn't control himself. She was the girl that he had prepared himself for and dreamed about for so many years, but there was one twist, she was better than he could have ever imagined. The two married and raised a family together. The boy was so in love and so was the girl. She was so happy for the things that he did to be prepared for her and the two lived happily ever after. Forever.

This was my Valentine's Day present, it is more than I ever hoped for.

Our Baby Girl

So the great news is that she is doing very well. She is right on track for growth with no foreseen problems. It is amazing what medical technology can tell. We are slowly getting ready for her. I am trying to pace myself on getting things for her, I mean we still have till the end of May. Keith is doing good, I am not sure he grasps the concept yet. When I ask him where the baby is he always points to himself. So I have been trying to pull out her little shoes so that he can see that it is someone other than himself. But I guess it will just all take time. But I am very hopeful that he will help out with the baby. Which brings me to the exciting news. We have finally decided on a name.

Lacey Nicole Smith

I think it is really cute and it seems to just say girly girly. Which is what she will be, I will not be having a girl that wants to watch the Jazz all the time with her Dad. :)

If It Weren't For Him...

...I would be throwing up all day because I am too sick to get my medicine.

...cereal, peanut butter and jelly, sandwiches, pasta with cheese, spaghetti, soup, ramen, pancakes, mashed potatoes, rice, popcorn, pizza; would not be the list I hear every time I complain that I am starving and that there is nothing in the house to eat.

...I would not get the texts saying, "Just wanted you to know I love you."

...Keith would not have a rough and tumble parent to tackle at all hours of the day.

...I would not have my own personal masseur.

...the bath would never get started because I am just too tired and sore to get up and do it.

...I would not have anyone to guess jingle bells when I play name that tune.

...D-Will, Millie, Memy, The Sink, AK, Cisco, and Dingy would be just a jumble of words with no meaning.

...all the shoes would be in the mud room where they belong. :)

...I would not have someone who understood me so completely that I don't even need to say what I am thinking, he just knows.

...I would be lost and lonely.

...I would never feel so loved and complete.