I was thinking

So, I was thinking that I have no idea if anyone reads my blog. I would keep on taking the same amount of pictures and send them to family through email, but should I keep the blog? Should I just make it a photo book and move on? So, if you read my blog just email me with a keep it and that will let me know if I should keep typing and uploading pics. I do love doing it, but if no one but my mom and a few others read it then, well.......who knows:) email me ssmithlee@gmail.com

Birthday's & Life

We have had one hectic week! Well, it all started with Derek's dad in the hospital. With 5 children and 3 daughters-in-law he was covered on visits from everyone (well, from his kids), prayers were many, and questions about his health were answered. Then with him going home we had to head over to Michelle's to help her get the house ready for the Oregon guests that were coming down. Throw in the mix a family birthday party for Derek, Dwayne Sr, and Kels, basketball, ballet, doctors appointments, mom's group meeting, Pre-k open house, dinners with family almost every night, planning Lillian's baptism, and cleaning my own house (btw does anyone want to come and do laundry for me:)).....no wonder I am sick!! I would not change it for the world and I am so happy I can be there to help with Derek's dad, but the stress does get to me. I am trying to do it all and I told myself I would not do that to myself again since having Lilly, but ya know what.....that is who I am and as long as I keep boundaries and still say "no" I think I will be okay. So, mom do not freak out about me doing too much:)

oh goodness!

Just to let everyone that reads this blog know....Em just told me that at 12:50am she did not want to go to bed! OH, I do not think so, then again I think we will be back down here in a few minutes because both of us can not breathe!! Oh wait, she just went to the couch and put her monkey blanket over her...once again...too bad she is going to go upstairs. No more Shrek for her, well maybe I will wait a few minutes until Shrek ends. She just told me that she loves to sleep on the couch and that she feels much better now! Apparently I have given in to not letting her go to sleep because it has been seven minutes and still I am typing. Oh well, it is always nice to watch cartoon's fall in-love in an hour:) Off I go now to have my face kicked and to listen to Derek snore!!! WAIT! Shrek just ended and she told me she did not have to take a NAP!!! hahaha

update** We got no sleep last night! Em only kicked me three times in the face, which was great. However, the coughing in my face was the worse!!

Meg has a BLOG!

I am always so excited to read new blogs and always so sad when some go private!!!!! So here is my cousin Tony's wife's Meg blog (really how do I do the ' in that sentence)!! http://theadventurecalledparenthood.blogspot.com/ I love the name of the bog and if I had to do it over again I would so name our blog differently!

Lillian's 4 months and that means FOOD!

She really did not like it:(


It just got all over her face


She did smile when Daddy fed her though:)


Derek and I can not believe that our little Lil's is already 4 months! She weighs 13.4lbs and is 25inchs long. She is in perfect health and right on target with her growth. I love how we make cute babies!!

Drew wants to help:)

Drew was too cute tonight! He wanted to help me fold the laundry and when it was time to hang up some clothes he wanted me to teach him how. So, I did, and of course he wanted to call Grandma...his friend! However, as much as I would love to say that Drew wanted to hang out with his momma, he really just did not want to go to sleep and I am a sucker! Hell, if he was willing to watch the O'Reilly Factor then he really did not want to go to bed!!! haha

Anissa turned 16!

Last weekend Jo came and watched the babies while Derek and I went out and PARTIED! Well, for 4 hours at least and at a 16 year olds birthday, but it was like a wedding! I can not tell people how much fun we had and how happy we are to have made and stayed friends with the Ayala's...even though we moved:) Nissa looked so pretty at her Mardi Gras theme party and I even got out to dance a bit with some of her fellow 16 year olds. I felt really old, but nothing that 3 glasses of wine can't handle! Derek and I got into the theme with our Mardi Gras masks (I would have done better, but realized at the last minute). The food was great and even though I felt a little old being around so many young people, listening to their type of music, it was a blast! The family did a great job! Oh, and the kids even played a few songs for us!

Hannah Banana Here!

We had the pleasure of having Hannah spend the night last week and even better...it was her first time spending the night away!!:) I went down to Suzie's to pick up Hannah and drop off Drew and from then on it was girl time!!! Poor Derek...haha! of course I could not just sit around at home while I had cutie pie Hannah, so we went to Costco, Target, got lunch and dinner, walked around the neighborhood, played dress up, took a bath, and hung out. They were in bed at 8ish and woke up the next day at 10:30! I think they had too much fun together:) I was a little worried that she would cry for her mom, but nope, she just hung out and kept playing with Emma. We were so happy to have the sweet girl!

Just hanging out!

Madi is getting so big

Aw man, just one sec later and I could have gotten a shot of Sara 2's belly!

her house!



messing around

Disney On Ice

Last Sunday we decided last minute to take the kids to Disney On Ice in Long Beach. It was a ton of fun to watch the kids sit with their light spinners (I really have no idea what those things are really called, but they cost 20 bucks each!), clap to the music, and SMILE so big! It was so different than when we took them to see Elmo Live...what a few months can do! Lillian even had a good time and watched some of it.
The show contained acts from the movies, Cars, Lion King, Tinkerbell, and Little Mermaid. Of course Derek loved the Lion King, I loved Ariel, Drew and Em loved Cars. Drew has told me everyday, "remember that Mater drove backwards mommy?" So cute that boy is.

Drew Loves him some Basketball! Hoping Em will wear her outfit!

Monday Drew started basketball! It is just through the city, but they have coaches, picture day, receive t-shirts, and even play a GAME! The week before he started I asked him if he wanted to play basketball and his response was, "what's basketball?" That really does say it all...we are so not a basketball family! He is to young for anything else right now:) I do have to say this....man was it hilarious to watch 11 or so 3 1/2 to 4 year old learn how to play defense, dribble, and shoot balls. Drew actually hit his head a few times when it bounced back to him.

So, some may think...."what is up with that pic?" Well, being on the wonderful streak that I am with not bringing my camera to any 'firsts' meant my dumb ass forgot it again. Derek took his on his camera...kind of sucks for a blackberry.


So how long do you think it will take me to get Em dressed for ballet? On Wednesday she had her second class at the academy and received all of her gear:) However, she will not even look at the clothes! Oh well, when I do finally get them on her next week I think she will love looking like the other girls and will be so excited to show Ms. Brenda! I just love the pink dance sweater!

Saigey Sings!

I am really slacking! No camera again for me!! This three kid thing is making my brain mushy! Last night we went to Saige's choir preview show at her high school. We had a great time with all three kids sitting in the front row! This was the kids first high school performance (mine too, I was too cool to go to them in high school...or at least I thought I was:)) and they did such a a great job just sitting there and looking at Saige dance and sing. The theme was Moulin Rouge hits choir (or something like that). They had bright colors, a few costume changes, and to the dismay of little Lillian's ears....a few dozen 14-18 year old SCREAMING GIRLS! The songs were full of life and even though Saige did not have a solo she was very animated! The best part of me was that since we were sitting in the front I could actually hear her beautiful voice.

Take a peek

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=662R2awSwPQ

So my M-I-L sent me this link. I have to say that I am not a fanatic (yet a conservative thinker), but I really liked this because I think that it shows how sick Americans are of CERTAIN aspects of the government. It is a piece of propaganda and that is just fine because every party does it to get it's points across. So just look and think:) xo

No Camera.......

I absolutely can not believe that I had no camera for EMMA'S FIRST BALLET CLASS! I am so sad I missed out on documenting her crying and screaming for an hour while Ms. Brenda taught her some ballet moves! Even though she did cry the ENTIRE time Em did learn three moves and showed me after the class.
Then we went to see the trains at the Richard Nixon Library with my mom's group, but got no pictures because I had no CAMERA! It drove me crazy not having it! We had such a great day yesterday, yet no camera! Oh well!!

Jerry Carpenter

Today Michelle was nice enough to watch the kids for a few hours while I went to Emilee's best friend, Catherine's dad funeral. Catherine has been a part of our family's life for about 7 years, we go to concerts together, go to kids birthday parties, spend holiday's together, and hang out when we head down to Oceanside. So, the least I could do was go and pay respects to her family and father. I wish I could post the insert that was given to everyone, but for some reason my scanner will not let me (who knows why).
So I will just write a few things. His name was Jerry Carpenter and he died on December 25th at the age of 68. I know what most are thinking as they read this, "he died on Christmas!" However, the family is very strong in their beliefs and I can tell you that they had a wonderful time with their father/grandfather/husband the night before and they knew the day would come. It is very sad, but I think the family chose what is posted below because of the love and memories they shared with him.
"I'd like the memory of me to be a happy one
I'd like to leave an afterglow of smiles when life is done
I'd like to leave an echo whispering softly down the ways of happy times and laughing times and bright and sunny days
I'd like the tears of those who grieve to dry before the sun of happy memories that I leave when life is done.

Catherine, the service was wonderful and the kids did a great job!

New Years!

Where I wanted to be...


Where I was...


These did not help!


This was my New Years!!! How was yours????? I hope everyone had a better New Year's than Derek and I. Even though Auntie Patty was here and we should have been having a great time counting down the time to the end of the first decade of 21st century, we did not:(
It was really such a sad week! On Monday night Derek was headed up to bed when Emma went, "Daddy!" From that moment it was all downhill. She was up all night throwing up, watching Sherk and laying with me on the couch. Finally, for what seemed like forever to come, Tuesday morning, she stopped and we thought it was done. Patty headed down to Emilee's that morning to see the kids before she left. Then BAMMMMM, 12:30 am I got SICK!!!! Six hours in the bathroom, Derek had to stay home from work on Wednesday to take care of the kids while I slept for about 24 hours. However, on Wednesday Patty came back, then BAMMMM she was sick! She went to the ER after a few hours in the bathroom. I thought I was done on Thursday, NOPE I was not! Thursday night it was another 6 hours in the bathroom! Derek did not even give me a kiss because we had no idea what I had caught! IT SUCKED!! So, by Friday morning I was still feeling like crap and nothing stayed down, I was dehydrated, so I went, "screw it, off to the ER." I was thinking it was going to be so packed but I got in and out of there in 2 hours exactly! Of course I knew there was nothing they could really do for me, but I just needed to be hydrated. They filled me with 3 bags of fluids and took some blood and off I went. After that I was able to keep things down, the toilet was no longer my second home and now that it is Saturday I am feeling golden. I really hope that everyone had a better New Year's than we did, but I do have to say, "good job Derek, you were a champ!"

Christmas 2009

Christmas came and went! Drew got his buzz wings that he asked for from Santa (and way more) and Em got her new hip baby doll (and way more) and Lilly...well, she got some stuff too. I got a bunch or stuff too, but my two new settings of our wedding china was my favorite. Derek got stuff too, but of course I think the Wii was his fav:)
We went to the Farnes' for Christmas Eve Swedish meatballs and gift exchange. On Christmas morning we opened presents with Auntie Patty, then breakfast, then set up for Christmas dinner here with the family. I made salmon (thank you Becky for the recipe a few years back, it was great) and ham. It was really yummy and after everyone left Derek, Drew and I played Wii and I drank too much wine (of course what is new, especially with wine) and went to bed:)
We did have such a great Christmas and even though it does get hectic and there are always family differences, we love each other and I would never have holidays any other way!