buffaloes and butterflies

the end. ish.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 16:53:00 +0000

I'm not entirely sure the title to this blog post is fitting for what I'm about to do, but this is the end.

The end of this blog.

I was going to do a post concluding our 2015 and introducing 2016, but there are sssooo many things that happened in 2015. I would never have enough time!

With the new year comes new ideas. One of these ideas, a combined blog with my sista. I won't lie, this is mostly her idea. She thinks I'm cooler than her and so by combining our blogs, we'll ~~get more traffic~~ ~~relate to more people~~ ~~help more people~~... you know, I'm not *entirely* sure the reasoning behind the combining of the blogs, buttt I do think it's a neat idea. maybe I can blog even less then ;)

She's a way better blogger than I am so I'm not sure whyyy she would want to combine with mine, but I'm down with the combo!

in conclusion, thanks for all you loyal readers. mostly my mom. and that one stalker woman I can't seem to get rid of. you know who you areeee ;) we're friends, it's okay if I say that :)

and come along for the ride ova heaaayyyyaaa!!!

2 smiths. 1 blog.

with love,
the Smith clan :)

Christmas traditions

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 22:14:00 +0000

our Christmas traditions are some of my favorite. this year almost all of us were sick the weeks surrounding Christmas so we weren't able to add more traditions like I had hoped. nonetheless, we enjoyed our time spent with family. it's my most favorite! instead of rambling, here are wayyy too many photos ;)

Meg was fascinated with Santa

we have quite the group. and this wasn't even everyone!

classic Mal

Chris (Mal's husband) * Jake (Casey's husband) * Peyton

John (Mal and Chris's youngest)

Rowdy loved her gift, obviously

Casey loved her gift, obviously...

let the games begin!

Casey said it better, but it was very bittersweet to have grandpa at our Christmas celebration this year. We love having him with us!

kids + butter + faces + cherrios = endless laughter!

played a little game of Newlyweds. pretty hilarious!

(3 photos above c/o my cousin)

my dad's amazing spelling abilities

kids playing the left right game

then the kids took the camera...

Christmas Eve night:

Christmas Day with my family:
Casey, Mallory, and myself were very excited for matching pjs this year. why we didn't think of this last year is beyond me. it was adorable. except when we wanted to take a photo. apparently, Will had other plans. so unlike him. grr.

Christmas Day night with Dave's family:

about all the cuteness you can handle

super bummed we didn't get all three of the little ones together :(

wishing you all a healthy and happy new year!

Rowdy's first concert!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 00:17:00 +0000

another post to finish the year, and then some exciting news... soon!

first concerts might be my favorite thing. Drew had her 4K program and was completely adorable!

Drew and her teachers

Drew showing off her gift from her teacher

(no, I'm not pregnant. silly!)

front row parents

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 29 Dec 2015 03:20:00 +0000

I'm certain I've mentioned it before, but we're lucky to have a small private school for the kids to attend in our small community. I love all the activities they're provided, and I think the kids do as well. I sure miss the Christmas concert in the beautifully renovated church, but they do a really nice job in the gym as well, just a packed house! Lucky for us, our good friends saved us a seat right.up.front! we have great friends :)

Lia - sitting, closest to the camera

Nash - ringing the blue bell

Tayt - back row in the plaid, big smiles for the camera

Austyn - front, dead center

Austyn has always loved to sing and it's always a joy listening to her. Excuse the proud mom moment and terrible recording skills, but she really did amazing. Best of the night if you ask me ;)

Austyn - on the left

Lia - middle row with the scarf

the entire group, focusing on Nash, hiding in the middle :)

kudos to the schools music teacher for doing another great job. keep up the good work!

missing November

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 17 Dec 2015 18:44:00 +0000

playing a little catch up. and missing the unseasonably warm weather we had in November. and now it snows! reminiscing... and sharing some photos :)

sibling love

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 16 Dec 2015 04:29:00 +0000

It's been nothing but quiet around the blog. I wish I could say the same about our house. So much happening, I'm not sure where to start! baby cousin was born. lice. Thanksgiving. my grandma passed away after a 10 year battle with Alzheimer's. photo sessions here and there. and now we're just getting over a quick flu bug. all while preparing for Christmas! thankfully, the illness missed the little ones. so far...

I've been attempting to clean out and organize photos and videos on my computer and ran across this one today. these kids... they're honestly our own little hilarious tv sitcom! enjoy... and yes, I had to stop recording to explain to her the fine line of abuse and play. I still giggled quite a bit ;)

also, feel free to donate to our Walk to End Alzheimer's team!

road ready

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 10 Nov 2015 03:07:00 +0000

Today was a first for me. There are many firsts in life. Many more when you have children. Today's first may have topped the charts for me so far.

Peyton, our baby... kidding, he's the eldest :( has his temporary permit for driving. I made up that title. I don't even care! He can drive! Legally! Not alone. Thank you, Jesus, not alone! Even Jesus has rules, and for that, I am thankful!

Nonetheless, he is right.this.minute. on his way with Dave's brother to a city not within walking distance to our home to get Casey some ice cream. Because for reasons I do not ask a woman on her due date the ice cream was again, not within walking distance to our home!

Where am I going with this blog post? I'm not entirely sure. Oh yes...

do NOT allow your children to leave the house. ever. ever again.

The End.

okay, okay. I'm kidding... a little.

today was so good. Peyton is *so* excited to be driving. and I'm excited (no, that's not the word... but a word will come to me... someday) for him!

first he passed his vision test. darn it.

then he went ahead and passed the "written" test. darn it!
confused him because they now do it on the computer ;)

and then they took his photo for a license some day, and there was this awkward woman taking photos and crying in the waiting line. she was weird.

congratulations, Peyton! you're one step closer to being an adult. and me kicking you out to live on your own. I'm kidding. I'll never kick you out, Peyton! We can cosleep until you're 33... wait...

also, I'm tracking you ;)

brothers

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 06 Nov 2015 03:40:00 +0000

nothing warms my heart more than watching my kids get along. this week has been beautiful November weather, unreal really. Tayt and Will walked around the yard for about an hour and ended under the pine trees, likely throwing pinecones. I can only imagine the conversation happening :)

baby talks

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 03 Nov 2015 21:20:00 +0000

currently: cleaning out my iPhoto on my computer and reminiscing.
time, you're a jerk! he's killin my ovaries!

the usual

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 27 Oct 2015 21:07:00 +0000

as usual, I'm struggling at keeping up with this blogging thing. recently we had family photos take, and I'm in LOVE!

things are slowing down a bit. less photos. less school activities. less illness. but I'm sure all of that is about to pick up as soon as I post this. such is life. never slowing down.

hope you're all enjoying the autumn season!

rowdy rocks 4K

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 26 Sep 2015 14:58:00 +0000

Drew has successfully completed four classes (2 weeks) of her 4yo kindergarten program. Her classes are 2 days a week for 2-1/2 hours. I had absolutely *no* doubt she was going to love school. She is the most outgoing of all the children. Loves everyone. Friends with everyone. She's quite the lover, this one :)

every morning I drop her off and she beats me to the door. she has her folder out, backpack hung, and is in the door before I can throw out a quick hi to any other mothers dropping kids off. she gives her teacher her folder, grabs her name off the table, and never looks back. kisses and hugs and goodbyes never happen cause she's gone before I know it! this is probably easier for me :)

day 4 * just as excited as day 1

Duke patiently waits for the kids to get off the bus almost every afternoon.

makes sure they do actually get off the bus

and then we repeat it all over again the following day :)

bright smiles and mean mugs

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 06 Sep 2015 11:00:00 +0000

occasionally all three of them take naps. at the same time. and it's like Heaven. but even better is when they wake and are in the best of moods. I'll let these videos speak for themselves.

uncharted territory

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 05 Sep 2015 13:52:00 +0000

other titles considered for this post:
if you need anything, check the office
The Office: The Point of No Return
the place that makes me cry every time I see it
company is here. quick! shut the door!
mom! I can't find my... okay, I'll quit now ;)

where to begin. where to begin! I feel as though I've done this post before. Oh yes, I have... my office was clean in 2011 and then again 6 months later, still 2011. I'm quite convinced it hasn't been clean SINCE. don't judge.

side note: I'm reading this book currently, and I'm happy to report I'm sorta kinda almost thinking about cleaning the.entire.house.

back to the point. my office. I dread going in there. what was supposed to be the 'organization of our home' has quickly turned into the place we put everything that doesn't have a place. in this home, that's about everything you can imagine. beads. scissors. old folders. old bills. broken anything that I thought I'd fix but never will. you name it, it's in there. the worst part about it, I have a beautiful desk that I absolutely love and never use. some would question how much I actually love it then if I don't actually use it. I know, I know. I'm working on it. okay, I'm not really working on it. I'm living and thinking about working on it.

again. back to the point. my dream office space. I'm SO indecisive. I like so many things. I guess you could say I like the vintage look. I like color. I would love to be organized. and lastly, I'd love to have.less.crap.

someday when we build, I would *love* this room in our home. absolutely the best!

Traditional Kids by Dallas Home Builders Ellen Grasso & Sons, LLC

these vintage storage thingies are unique and colorful and everything I want but have no idea how to make work :|

this seems like a no brainer for our home. I might actually need to do this in the kitchen. keep the kids busy while I'm cooking. or any time really!

bright. clean! those chairs. sold! I currently have a desk similar to the one in this photo. you can't see it. it's buried. but I know it's there ;)

our office space has a huge closet with no doors. I think something like this would be perfect for this spot!

mostly, I want my office space to be inviting. and relaxing. and clean! that'd be really cool. we're fortunate enough to have an office space solely for that purpose. we really should be taking advantage of it. and by we, I mean me.

someday office goodies (click on photo to take you source):

I could browse all things office supplies forever. Pens. Notebooks. Journals. Pencils. Paper clips. Neat, old chairs. Neat, new chairs. Shelving. You name it. It's my beef...as my teenagers would say ;)

for those few of you not fortunate enough to have a designated space just for working, I was informed of these really neat shared office spaces via wework! let us go to Portland. bee-E-you-tee-full!!! Sarah, we're comin for ya!

ten. seven. five. three. one. all the tears.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 18:12:00 +0000

unfortunately, I *still* haven't found a way to stop time. I'd even settle for time to ssslllooowww down! but alas, another school year has begun.

in summers past, I haven't been ready for the kids to go back to school. this year... they were driving me bonkers the last ~~couple~~ ~~few weeks~~ month. goodness! I haddd to pack them up and head to our best neighbor evers pool a few times in the last few weeks in hopes of not locking them all in a room together and leaving!

and now as I sit here in the middle of the day. Will napping. girls snacking and watching Sophia. I miss them. it's quiet. too quiet. this is most likely preparation for the day when they're out of the house, but I don't like it one bit.

enough rambling. photos!

first, the 'school age kids.'

from left to right:

Tayt (7) - 3rd grade

Lia (12) - 7th grade

Austyn (10) - 5th grade

Peyton (15) - 10th grade

Nash (6) - 1st grade

and now I'll cry myself to sleep for a nap instead of anything else that needs to be done around here :(

shockingly, I only took a total of 14 photos. and of course Dave drives by in the butcher truck just a honkin' at the kids. had to laugh at this one :)

get serious kids!

and then we added em all in :)

a couple things about this photo... Will may or may not have just nose dived into the gravel. finished drive way, yay!!! and Peyton may or may not be patting Tayt on the shoulder. nice and gentle. looks can be deceiving people. ;)

this one on the other hand, they are, in fact, being nice.

Drew (Rowdy) starts a 3yo preK program this year, twice a week, and she is *beyond* ready and excited to go. imagine the sheer terror.disappointment.sadness when I told her she was not riding the bus yesterday. or ever actually. glad I caught this photo before I broke the news to her. :|

and this one just because. come on! none of my kids had curls like this!

we cleaned. we ate lunch. we did laundry. we played outside. we went to the park. we napped. we watched them get off the bus! not a bad first day at all :)

and I'm still sad today that they're all back to school :( wishing all of you and your kiddos a happy first week of school. if you have little ones at home, enjoy it! before you know it, they'll be gone!

for the record, Drew and Meg dressed themselves. a nice break from tutus, pjs, and yesterdays dirty clothes :)

junior varsity. junior peewee. repeat.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 19:26:00 +0000

Football season has begun!

Mondays or Tuesdays we watch Peyton (our oldest - #20). Saturdays we watch Tayt (number four - #3). Peyton is on JV. Tayt is Jr Peewee. I'm very glad these games don't land on the same day(s). I'm not looking forward to divide and conquer!

We did the math and calculated Tayt is aboutttt 20 pounds heavier than Peyton was at this age. Game changer, folks.

Tayt is doing a great job. He's not so sure. Proud mom. :)

and of course, his biggest fans keeping busy during his first game.

half of our tribe. well, except that little one on the right. he belongs to Casey. they're cute. and catching a genuine smile from Dave. love it!

Dave's pretty serious at these games. We don't talk much while watching ;)

again, serious.

that look!

he's really the best.

I know nothing about football, but I do feel as though my yelling during games will make them win. for sure. I'm quite certain Peyton agrees.

he's about to do something super important here. block... tackle... something maybe ;)

looking forward to lots and lotsss more football!

#9months9tips

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 12:54:00 +0000

I was asked to write a blog post regarding 9 months of pregnancy. Don't laugh, but I don't feel as though I'm experienced enough to write on this topic. I know, I know... I have eight children. I probably know something... still, I'm not one to claim to know it all. My pregnancies, for the most part, have been relatively uneventful - just the way I like it. Nonetheless, I'm going to do my best to give some advice, maybe help a first time mom out there. Take this with a grain of salt... I'm feeling salty today ;)

disclaimer: all or none of these apply to my pregnancies.

and here goes nothin. 9 tips for 9 months... I apologize in advance if this was a waste of your time ;)

one.
rest.
okay, don't laugh. I know with one or more children, rest is unheard of. quite honestly, I haven't slept peacefully in ohhh, 15+ years! I don't expect to sleep peacefully in a very long time. regardless, during pregnancy it is wise to attempt rest. as often as possible really. if I were to do it again, I would nap more often. and sleep in. and then nap some more.

point: nap.

two.
exercise.
I realize 'exercise' immediately follows 'rest' in this sequence. Intentionally? Absolutely! Know your priorities, folks ;) there are lots of great activities to do while pregnant. a few:

walk hard. sorta like this.

I did a couple of these... once... maybe... again, see disclaimer above.

pregnancy pilates

prenatal yoga

three.
eat.
okay, anddd healthy. again, see disclaimer above. while this isn't something I regularly did during pregnancy, I hear it's a good thing. ha! I've been known to go on salad binges. and mintbonbon binges. and chocolate anything binges. mostly mintbonbon binges. ;) I've also been known to gain between 50 and 60 pounds during pregnancy. don't judge. again, I may not be equipped to give advice. regardless, I do feel better (pregnant or not) when I eat better. early in all of my pregnancies I was very nauseous. food was not my friend. food is almost always my friend so the first few months were hangry days! I have a handy-dandy safe medications list that I refer to occasionally if I need to, just to make sure what I'm taking is safe. I don't recall needing to take anything for nausea while pregnant, but I know there are a few meds listed on my safe sheet. I cut soda out of my "diet" a long time ago, with the exception of an ~~occasional~~ ~~monthly~~ weekly accident. okay, so I didn't entirely cut soda out. mostly caffeinated beverages. honest! I do feel better without the caffeine. (this does not include the exclusion of coffee morning) ;) try it. you won't be sorry! currently hooked on this. and the kids dig it too.

four.
this is hard. uhhh...
research. be prepared.
each pregnancy is different for each woman. no surprise there. be aware of your choices from everything to naming baby to sleepers to pain medications or no pain medications during childbirth to butt creams to obstetrician or midwife. so many choices, so little time. be sure you feel comfortable with all your choices. know what you're going into. any time I've run into something unusual or new to me during pregnancy (and life for that matter), I've tried to do some research. ask some people around me. and then make an informed decision. try to do the same with any concerns or problems you encounter during pregnancy. okay, this all seems like common sense. do *not* rely solely on the internet. guilty! occasionally we all believe we are most likely dying because of what we read on the internet. it happens. I've been near death numerous times. pulled myself back around ;) also, do *not* rely solely on the advice of your obstetrician and/or midwife! while he/she is a great source for lots of information, it's important to research any prescribed medications, exercises, etc on your own. often, women are given drugs to treat morning sickness which are not safe for their baby!

point: research and prepare yourself for any and all things pregnancy related. get comfortable with all of it. don't be afraid to ask questions. it's a lot to take in, but don't get overwhelmed. you.can.do.it!

five.
drink.
...water. drink water. yeah. ha. kidding. we've all heard it, but I'll repeat it. drink lots of water. it helps with lots of good stuff. I think.

six.
photograph.
I take a lot of photos. mostly of our children. I enjoy being behind the camera, not in front of it. that being said, I wish I had better photos of alllll my bellies. would have been fun to look back at. look how big I was with Tayt or Nash. look how tiny I was... never. ;) so as much as you may not like the idea, do your future self a favor and get some maternity photos done. locals, I'll hook a sista up :) random coincidental shout out to muhhhself.

seven.
document.
babies one through three (and a half) have a scrapbook-ish type thing. babies four through eight have all info written in a notebook I keep. I started writing in a notebook for each individual child for them to look at when I'm dead. every little thing that makes me smile or warms my heart, I write in their book. I'm certain they're reading these notebooks behind my back, buttt I'll continue to write in them. each of their pregnancies is documented in a notebook, which now that I think about it... I didn't put their pregnancy details in each of their individual books... add it to my list. my long, lllooonnnggg list of things to do.

eight.
ignore.
this is probably the worst list you have ever read. my apologies. I'm a terrible writer. and I give even worse advice. buttt, ignore the naysayers. everyone has advice and opinions, no getting around that. but take some and leave some. just the other day, someone told me, "you need to be done!" if I listened to everyone's opinion on the size of my family and what I should be doing for sleeping routine and what I should give them when they're sick or how I should discipline, life would be downright boring for Dave and I. and I wouldn't laugh as much. yes, we're laughing at you with large mouths and obnoxious opinions. so take all advice and opinions with a grain of salt. most people aren't intending to be rude or hurtful. and the others... ignore.

nine.
enjoy it.
all too often in life we rush. rush through the grocery store (why this is my first example, I have no idea. although, often times I find myself rushing through the grocery store because come on... toddlers and infants in the grocery store is reason enough to rush). rush to Friday. rush through the dishes. rush during conversations. rush. rush. rush. I'm begging you, don't rush through pregnancy. Our pregnancies are numbered. Our days are numbered. enjoy them. I understand this is coming from someone who enjoyed pregnancy immensely. I understand there are many discomforts and things that may not go as planned during pregnancy. But I also understand there are only so many days, weeks, months, years of pregnancy and I'm going to thoroughly miss those days, weeks, months, years :)

with that... a little flash back :)

all Will belly. and I miss it.

27 to 31ish/52

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 07 Aug 2015 20:20:00 +0000

"a portrait of my children, once a week(ish), every week(ish), in 2015"

Peyton: the best big brother.
Lia: lounging.
Austyn: very enthused.
Tayt: helping cut down trees. found some huge grubs. I gagged.
Nash: strange boy.
Drew: fashionista.
Meg: never a dull moment with her.
Will: testing Lia's popsicles.
Duke: he walked with us for the first time the other morning. he's a slow old man.

as usual on this blog, I'm behind. these photos are from the last 5 weeks, one here, one there. I thought summer would make it easier to take photos and post them. it's proving not to be. while we're trying to pack as much fun into the last few weeks of summer vacation as possible, we're also extremely busy with other things as well. work. weddings. photo shoots. school shopping. cleaning. gardening. editing. family reunion. so much to do, so little time. I'm honestly not sure how we fit it all in. one of these weekends will be for relaxing... I hope!

hope all of you are enjoying the last days of summer vacation!

pizza. chicken fights. antiques. and all the chocolate you can handle.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 03 Aug 2015 18:37:00 +0000

Dave's sister, Renee, and her boyfriend recently purchased their first home. We've been wanting to go visit, but coordinating a time to go is nearly impossible. Schedule and being adults is difficult ;) we finally settled on two weekends ago. and the following Monday and Tuesday.

Other than planning to bring food and drinks and when we would leave (kinda), we didn't plan to do anything while we were there but relax. And that's just what we did. Minus the 4-1/2 potty breaks to get there. Not one but twooo window shades in the house we need to replace. (still no confession on that one) aaand two wet accidents in the middle of the night. We may never be invited back...

Dave worked Saturday. I packed the van. Got everyone ready to go swimming to kill some time. Dave surprised me that we were leaving Saturday instead of Sunday. Scrambled to finish packing the van and be ready when he finished work. Success! the "quick" run into Target for... I can't remember what now. I'm sure it was extremely important... the run into Target, yes...didn't go so "quick." We weren't friends for a few miles. Oops. Meg was cool with it.

witnessed this amazing sunset on the way. I'm addicted to sunsets. and sunrises.

Will giving the tour.

We met the neighbors. Quickly stole all their toys. And then didn't see them again for the weekend. I'm sure they were busy working or something...

We didn't do much Sunday. Breakfast. Lunch. Park. Relax. Perfect day really.

I told him he was too big for the teeter totter, but he insisted.

rough life.

Dave has quite an imagination. He and Tayt are playing his new game. Chicken Fighting. on a balance beam. Imagine how that would end for a 4yo. She needs to work on her balance. ;)

of course, the adults had to try. Dave vs L (Renee's boyfriend). 1 to 1. I don't think either one of them wanted to demand a tie breaker for fear of hurting each other. fun to watch, regardless.

this is real life, folks.

before bed snack. one family package of oreos and a community glass of milk.

Monday we toured the city. Family walk. Antiques. Pottery shop. Pizza.

no, this is not staged. yes, he's in a time out. his fingers touched everything in the store.

no, not staged. no, not in a time out. strangely enough.

walk. walk. walk.

hot. hot. hot. water. it was hot outside. and the water was hot. until they ran it for awhile.

matching scowls.

pottery!

pizza!

beach!

Nash and mini Nash.

worst selfie ever. shield your eyes from my awkward neck.

holding hands.

baby feet in the sand. my heart!

Dave's sister, Renee, and her boyfriend. probably laughing at my ridiculous kids.

a baby in the sand again!

Will's most recent favorite game: chase me. Fun for all ages...

toddlers in the sand... okay, I'll quit ;)

Renee has only a couple inches on Lia.

Tayt had some pretty awesome hair.

I thinkkk someone was over Will's game.

Monday night manicures in the front yard. Courtesy of Drew.

We ended the weekend by having a couple drinks on the town. I could probably count on one hand how often this happens in a year. Another terrible selfie opportunity ;) #myeverything

wait, we finished the weekend with this... our morning walk. alone. with chai from an adorable coffee shop downtown. loved!

I am seriously *in love* with all the old buildings in Lake Mills! so much character. and the photos don't do them justice.

we walked along the lake for a bit. glorious!

this building looked like it ate our entire house. this photo... just trust me when I say it was huge. gigantic. I'm not exaggerating.

oh brother, I was wrong. thisss was the last of our trip. and probably the most delicious. okay, second most delicious. because, honestly, baby feet in the sand. yeah.

so many options. so little time. we had pb melts, mint melts, coconut balls... and a milk chocolate truffle. Lia and I "shared." ;)

this took me a week to write. and post. goodness. but so, so fun! thanks again, Renee and L, for the wonderful weekend! looking forward to another visit :) IF you'll have us :|

the threee best friends

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 09 Jul 2015 11:00:00 +0000

reminiscing a bit here while going through some recent photos... bear with me... it's a long one!

these babies are only 3 days apart, and we started taking photos of them together almost immediately after Will was born. obviously, that's what coffee mornings should be all about. photos of baby cousins. together. daily.

seven weeks after they were born, a third cousin was born. and then he was added to the mix as well.

they're the threeee best friends that anyone.could.have ;)

Theo 9 days * Will 6 days

and he was already smarter. weird.

Theo 7 weeks 3 days * Johnathan 6 hours * Will 7 weeks

I think Will had his ABCs mastered when we took this photo...

fast forward 15 months. insert Casey crying. and they're old. and dirty. and sassy.

Will is still light years ahead academically. you can see it in his eyes... wait...

Will... the blinking... come on!

both of them looking. easy enough. ha. don't be fooled. twenty-eightttt photos were taken.

Meg passing out kisses. Theo denying.

no, thank you.

stiff arm. Theo: siblings. shakes her head.

at least he's not biting her...

this is boring Theo.

she's outta here.

and then there were threeeee. Will looking brilliant. as usual.
Theo 13 months * Will 3 days shy of 13 months * John 7 weeks less than Will... oh, whatever... you do the math ;)

best of 16 taken.

Theo nailed it. John's confused. which camera again...

nope. this camera. right here, guys. guys?

Will's confused. Theo's most definitely perfecting her pig squeal.

Will thinks this whole situation is dumb.

They're all over it.

here's where it gets ugly.

John's the naughty one. and the weakest link.

he may have been kicked out of the village.

26/52

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 13:48:00 +0000

"a portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2015"

Peyton: all arms and legs. all electronics too.
Lia: still hates having her photo taken. still growing up.
Austyn: playing peekaboo with Will.
Tayt: chillin.
Nash: transplanting trees with Grandpa Z.
Drew: dddeeee.va.
Meg: love it when her face lights up.
Will: finds all the puddles.

it's easier to take photos during the summer than the winter months. but for whatever reason, I post less during the summer. probably because I rarely sit down to get them off the camera. I'm working on it... a little ;)

first+last

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 00:40:00 +0000

I'm in denial that July has started. where is the summer going!?! we had a wonderful weekend. we ran so much I barely took my camera out of my bag. probably an indication we were enjoying ourselves :)

playing a little catch up. because I love a good comparison, here are a few photos from the kids first day of school. Nash did not attend a 4k program so he was *beyond* excited to go to kindergarten with the big kids. I wish I could tell you his first few days went as well as his face would suggest. there was screaming. and crying. and it was downright ugly from what I hear. the kids attend a small Catholic school here in town so the teachers and staff know the kids pretty well. he spent a couple days real close to one of the teachers and after that was right at home :)

Nash in front of Tayt. Austyn. Lia holding Meg. Drew. Peyton holding Will.

just the school kids

Rowdy's hair! Willlll!!!!

{all the tears}

and now the 'current' photos... the whole crew on the last day of school :)

Meg. Drew. Nash in front of Tayt. Lia. Austyn. Peyton holding Will.

well, this just isn't fair.

and then we added in my nephew, Luke, because why not ;)

and of course, a comparison to make me cry myself to sleep :(

threw you off with Peyton's choice of hoodie. his favorite I guess.

grades entering:
Peyton: sophomore
Lia: 7th
Austyn: 5th
Tayt: 3rd
Nash: 1st

andddd Drew is entering a private 4k program here in town. while I didn't send Nash because I didn't think he was ready, Rowdy... she's beyond ready to go. that girl has nnnooo problems leaving me :(

I will never wish these years away. I only wish time would slow down. My once baby is now a sophomore. Signed up for drivers ed this summer. DIS.BE.LEAF! They're sure quite the bunch. And I wouldn't change a thing. My only prayer is we continue to live a long, happy, healthy life together!

okay, that got a little deep... no apologies. they're worth it!

24/52

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 17 Jun 2015 21:36:00 +0000

"a portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2015"

I'm a *smidge* behind in the 52 of 2015 posts. Don't be fooled, I'm taking photos every day. I just don't sit down to put them on the computer and then post them. tsk.tsk. so here goes for 24/52!

Peyton: the teenage struggle is real. must.find.a.balance with these games!

Lia: she's taken to reading and won't stop. things could be worse ;)

Austyn: she recently told me she has a boyfriend. she's locked up.

Tayt: boy. through and through.

Nash: teenage wolf... he wants his hair long...

Drew: always proper. until she's not. then she's a wild one.

Meg: working hard on pedaling that bike. her patience is short with this. with everything actually.

Will: yes, I do indeed feed my kids sugar. by the spoonful actually. what of it.

beads, bags, and bug bites... oh my!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 03:00:00 +0000

just when things are too mundane and quiet around here, God throws me a patience test. I never think I really know it all, but I must have thought for a second I might have some things under control. ha!

here are some photos from the weekend. this one is a long one folks!

stole this one from Austyn's iPod. practicing fish lips and perfecting their selfies apparently.

here's where the patience part fits in.

it's fun.

that's sarcastic.

Thursday night shortly after supper Nash and Drew informed me "Drew put a beeeeead in her nooooose." Five children ago, this would have worried me... scratch that, we did the same.exact.scenario five children ago. I won't mention any names, but our third child had to undergo general anesthesia to have a bead of almost the same caliber removed from what might possibly have been the same nostril. Right handed, right nostril. Only makes sense... to a 3 and 4 year old.

back to the point...

bead. in the nose. alrighty then.

I inspected the sit-chee-ation. You know, just to be sure I couldn't remove it myself. Nope. In fact, she got upset and sucked that thing right back as far as she could.

For the next few hours we went back and forth debating whether or not the situation was emergent. My youngest sister, who is also an EMT, suggested an ambulance was probably a must. Sick sense of humor we have. In the end, Dave and I decided an early morning trip to the pediatrician would be best. Having gone through this ~~several~~ fiveee times before, we felt pretty confident it wasn't 1) obstructing an airway or 2) causing any pain. Although, seriously... it had to cause some pain going in. why? why push it in more, Drew!?!

Friday morning: hi, pediatrician. yes. a bead. yes, it's wayyy in there. no, blowing her nose while obstructing the other nostril does not, in any way, dislodge it. ENT. cool. he knows us by first name. kidding. kind of.

she didn't like what they attempted to do to try to dislodge the bead. hey, I don't blame her. well... I do. buttt, metal hook/rod loopy thing... I'm just thankful she didn't lose it when he came at her with that thing.

then she colored and drew "humans" while we waited for ambulatory surgery scheduling. ENT physician decided general anesthesia would be best.

three hours later, a trip to the grocery store, and some coloring activities from Target anddd we're ready to start.

imagine your toddler drunk.

now imagine if your toddler asks the Child Life Specialist to smell her foot and then tell her she's a loser.

imagine your face color...

all hypothetical, of course.

what felt like a lifetime but was probably less than 2 hours, and she's ready for snuggles with mom! oh, and the bead is freeeeeee!

she demanded mac n' cheese half way home (thus the deli container) and warm NOT HOT chocolate milk when we got home.

and then passed out.

I hope she learned her lesson.

doubtful.

while all I wanted to do was go to bed at 3:38pm Friday night, ladies wine night was in the agenda. so I went and filled my face. goodness, it was delicious! also, shame on us for not getting a group photo. although, the food may be more fun to look at ;)

Satttturday:
Instagram repeat, but look.at.those.cheeks!

look-a-like brothers

Saturday night we attended a graduation party and then had a fire with friends (Peyton's girlfriends family). Nice relaxing time!

Austyn

Drew

Peyton and Isabelle (they were all mmmoooommm) ;)

late night home = quick bed time!

Sunday fun day! insert bags and all the Smiths and good food you can handle :)

Peyton and Isabelle. so young. so adorable. stop it!

Austyn and Hilary. BFFs. (Hilary is also Isabelle's sister) We like em.

I noticed Will got a bug bite over the weekend, but I was still surprised to see him like this when he woke up this morning. We had a good laugh. Joked that he looked like the hunchback. It looks much better tonight. No worries!

We love relaxing weekends and will continue to soak them up this summer. Hope everyone is enjoying their summer as well!

running man

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 02 Jun 2015 20:29:00 +0000

We do a lot of "dancing" round these parts. Not sure any of us are any good at it, butttt we do it just the same. Caught these two doing some sort of move together. Running man maybe...

(ignore the arguing and messy entryway) eek! :|

21/52

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 02 Jun 2015 20:27:00 +0000

"a portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2015"

Peyton: got himself some new shades. rockin it.
Lia: asked her for a photo of her outfit. nailed it.
Austyn: goofball.
Tayt: very serious.
Nash: goofball.
Drew: someone wash this girls face!
Meg: goofball.
Will: blondie.

THERE, I'm caught up. Now to get the garden planted!