making memories... and a mess

It's not often when all four of us Smith kids are able to coordinate our schedules to get together, but every now and then our worlds align and Jayme gets a mega-dose of aunties and uncle attention. Last weekend I had a long over-due lunch with my childhood girlfriend and only planned to be gone an hour, so Bebba or Taycie had planned to watch the Nugget for a bit. Lunch was a much needed and wonderful catchup session crammed into an hour. When we pulled back into the driveway, the clean pig-tailed, princess I left behind with both sisters greeted me with open arms, her uncle Alex (an unexpected surprise) and a full body of warpaint! Turns out that she wanted to help her Aunt Taycie paint her dresser, and rather than keep telling Nugget "No"... the aunties improvised with a box of paint and a canvas just for Jayme to experience painting "a la aunties free-spirit style"

(from top left) "well this is fun!"- "uh oh. Bebba..."- "hmmmmm what else should I paint???"- "I know! my nose!"- "May as well cover my belly while I'm at it..."- "annnnnnd Taycie needs a little warpaint"- "back to work before mommy gets back"- "Look Mommy!!! Hugggg????"

too much silliness in one hour (memories that will last a lifetime)

Annnnnd because I'm such an awesome mom... I left this sugared up mess with the aunties and uncle  (and grampa) on her first official Grampa's house overnight!

 Meanwhile... Ryan and I took care of business... it was a bittersweet afternoon as we unloaded the truck in lieu of becoming a single car family, but our hopes for a first house outweigh the need to have an expensive vehicle (that we no longer need thanks to prayers answered and a career with Edison- complete with work truck!) Doing the math in our heads we figure we will save roughly $700-$800/month for this sacrifice! To counterbalance the initial sadness of departing with the truck that in two short years contributed to many memories (road trips, camping, work, and more) we decided to take in some In n' Out (doesn't that make anyone feel better?!) and The Campaign before a late night of couch potato sitting and mind-numbing Olympic watching (side note- isn't it ironic that these hundreds of athletes spend their lives training to be the best in their sport and the most fit, only to create idle couch potatoes in the millions billions of TV viewers around the world for 2 solid weeks?!)

Back at Grampa's house, Nugget finally learned to let go and swim on her own (literally- she would cling for dear life to anyone in the pool)! Granted, we have a ways to go before she is an official mermaid, but apparently Bebba and Uncle Alex encourage the right bit of confidence she needs to become independent in the pool (so glad we have spent $$$ on swim lessons :-/ )

July wrap up...

I can't believe we are already going into August! I swear July 4th was just last weekend right?! July has been quite the eventful month for our little family.

Our little Booger has continued blossoming into a little girl right before our eyes... we have been working diligently and our prayers for patience have started paying off as she is learning each day who the head of our household is (shocker its not her!) and we have had less spankings in the past couple weeks(yes we spank, and no I'm not sorry... it works for us and it appears to be working for our lil' sassy pants too).
*She has developed a love for rock collecting (so fun to see what naturally intrigues their little minds- even if it is a lifeless rock).
*Her shoe fetish has only grown (I literally can't take her down the shoe aisle at Target without a diva tantrum).
*She loves to learn (much like her mama) and has most of her letter sounds pretty much down (thank you Letter Factory!), as well as all of her colors (and corresponding signs), and counting to 10 or from 12-20.
*She love love loves her coloring time with her daddy (mommy is not allowed near her easel when daddy is home).
*We are officially done with the "bink" (seriously took 2 weeks to get her to soothe herself to sleep....annnnnnd now we have to give her extra hugs and cuddles before bed- not a bad trade off since we only get this sweet cuddle bug stage for so long)
*She started swim lessons with a private instructor at her grampa's pool and seems to be enjoying it.
*Whether or not she realizes how her only-child world will change in a matter of months, she loves to give sweet kisses or hugs to her baby "seester" or baby "bru-der"

In other news, Ryan officially starts as a full-time Edison employee in 2 weeks! He has been a contractor for Edison since October, and we are so blessed and excited for this new position that seemed to come at the perfect time (coincidence? I think not!) as Edison is scaling back and contractors are going to be the first to be cut pretty soon. The initial pay-cut will be a small change to get used to, but the long term career and benefits far outweigh the monthly income! And the best part is that his job will allow me to continue my role at home raising the lil' ones and making our house a home (prayerfully we will be in our actual first home before this baby comes!)

4th of July at Grampa's (Captain Dave and company's annual dinnertime hangout before a busy night of calls)

Enjoying her future babysitters and some Grampa BBQ with Aunt Tay

Impromptu dinner date with Grampa and Gramps (great-grampa)

Enjoying goofball time with her Aunties

Impromptu lunch date at Nana's work... she loves airplanes!

Late night finishing touches for Katie's vintage sports themed shower (my 5th shower/party in 6 months!)

Bebba and Nugget keeping cool and busy watching Calliou during the shower

A month full of blooming personality

Hopefully August goes by a little slower than July... especially since it will be our last month to enjoy Auntie Bebba before she embarks on her indefinite journey out of the country!

El Cap Camping

Our first family camping trip (legit roughing it- tents, no showers, and campfire cooked meals) was a success! I was as nervous as I was excited to see how Jayme would do sleeping in a tent AND still potty training (3 day method has turned into just over a week... possibly I started too soon, but we can't go back now!)... God answered some prayers and other than the chilly factor the first night (which we reconfigured the tent to be less chilly the second night) and a couple poo-in-the-panties accidents later- Jayme did so well and LOVED it! It only took us 3 hours (including time to stop for some Del Taco) to get from our house to El Capitan (and we left at 5pm on a Friday!!)... Grampa and Bebba weren't so lucky... they had close to a 5 hour drive each (Ryan did some course mapping and we took a scenic back route to bypass most of LA traffic, and I would take that route again even if LA was traffic free!) It was almost as if we were no longer in Southern California once you get off the main freeways! I could almost live up there in beautiful nowhere land, California! Anyway- back to the actual camping trip... we arrived as the sun was just about down for the night, and we quickly devised a plan to set up our new circus tent (note, if we had any prior practice assembling it, we might have had it up within 10-15 minutes... not an hour and 30 minutes later!). Once all of our crap camping essentials were unloaded and semi-situated in the tent, we put the Nugget to bed, and enjoyed the clean air and campfire annnnnd some fancy pink wine in fancy plastic wine cups... highlight of night one- for me personally it was the gorgeous drive to a beautiful destination with little to no traffic on a Friday... for everyone else the highlight was probably laughing hysterically at my attempt to use Jayme's princess potty chair because I am too girly to squat and too lazy/chicken to walk to the dark bathrooms at 11:30 at night (note- 2 liters of water and 3 glasses of wine is too much liquid for one little bladder!)
annnnyway... the next morning we woke up around 6:30 (for some reason it doesn't seem that early when your camping). Operation coffee and cocktails commenced (anything goes when you're roughing it!) and we soon had bellies full of eggs and bacon and banana nut muffins... While Ryan enjoyed some solitary shore fishing (the fish had other plans), the rest of us enjoyed watching Jayme make friends with neighboring campers and exploring the campgrounds... after a lazy afternoon of attempting to nap in the heat, we headed to the shore shop for some ice cream before embarking on a most awesome walk around El Capitan's rocky point and the trails that surround the campground... truly one of the most beautiful places I've ever been in California! Night two included campfire cones (can't go camping without a little something from pinterest!), ribs and tri tip on the campfire grill and quality fam time... we missed having Stace there though... next time!
Sad as we were to leave on Sunday, it was nice to be home (within 2 hours!) and have the day to unpack, SHOWER, and unwind before the week started back up. Things we learned from this trip: don't drink alot of liquid after 8 or you'll be forced to use a toddler potty chair or squat, sleeping bags are a must for all three of us, leave 2/3 of the clothing at home, invest in a french press for the next time, skuuzi's are incredible, bring more underwear for potty training toddler, and invest in decent chairs to sit around camp...

toddler size headlamp = legit little camper

Grampa gettin his jam on at breakfast

Bebba & Nugget time (gotta soak it up before Bebba leaves us all for Australia ;-)

"Peee-Pa" time (not sure how she went from "gampa" to "peee-pa")

enjoying her uncle Alex visit

Nugget being Nugget...

Ryan getting his morning fish on... grampa going in the ocean (had to get this on camera to prove it actually happened)... and a pretty butterfly along our walk (i chose not to stop long enough to capture a photo of the skunk on that same trail)

camp cookin'

campfire cones in lieu of s'mores... totally worth the change-up!

camp breakfast... banana pancakes, fried eggs, bacon, and fresh strawberries- complete with Ryan's "MacGyver Coffee"

February & March wrap up...

29 came and went way. too. fast! i can't believe its already going on mid-April and i STILL haven't written a post about turning 30... (not that anything is drastically different) I think there is this notion that we will wake up a different or radically changed person on these milestone birthdays... but alas, I am officially 30 (and then some) and nothing has changed other than my mindset to live this decade out with a greater appreciation for life and a passion to live it to my fullest potential (check back often as I am sure there will be days I will need to remind myself of this "new-and-improved mindset")
I took the month of March to do some major spring cleaning purging and limit my crafting until I have created a sense of order and necessity within our home (and weirdest thing- cleaning house has made me feel rejuvenated as well! I'm kinda addicted to this feeling and March has now carried into April)... Other than being a homebody (with occasional play-dates and tutoring for mine and Jayme's sanity sake), we really didn't do a whole lot this past month. Rather than write a novel on what's been happening (or not happening) within the past 2 months, I'm just gonna go the picture route (enter the phrase- "picture worth a thousand words" )

keeping me distracted from surprise party shenanigans (food being prepped, jayme resting up on nana's rug, random walk, mission inn date night)

late night preparations for the big day

she had as much fun as i did!

surprise!

 30th Brithday Video Montage (made by Stacey)

B.F.F.'s

Easter (egg hunt, drama queen, precious moments....and jelly beans)

 more to come....

Super Bowl Sunday

After being cooped up for most of the month of January, it felt great to have a reason to get out of the house... and the incentive of family, friends, football and food was a great excuse to get out. Unfortunately, our little congested nugget couldn't handle Grampa's BBQ for very long (I think this sinus infection of hers has taken up permanent residence in our little girl's nose). I have to say that for being one of the smoggiest cities in California, Riverside has sure surprised us with gorgeous weather every party/BBQ we have had this year!

food, friends, fun, and a full parking lot (driveway and street! annnnd this is the first party that everyone parked accordingly- no one got blocked in, drove over the edge of the driveway, and no fender benders!)

a little congestion didn't keep this snotty-bug down :-)

simple advice...

"accept it... change it... or move on"

My Nonnie reminded me of this simple piece of advice that my Papa used to give (if you knew the man, you wouldn't be surprised at these blunt words... he didn't beat around the bush... he was a take it or leave it straight-forward kinda guy). These words, although simple, were the prefect way to sum up our past week. While it has been an incredibly difficult and sad week, it has also been a reality check to embrace the life we have been given and be ready for any change-ups that will surely be along the way (I'm beginning to look at life as a marathon of hurdles... its how we pace ourselves in between those hurdles that will help us succeed in this life race- corny... I know, but it's what came to mind.... okay- really corny). After the initial shock wore off, sadness and acceptance that this is a "non-changeable" situation kicked in... and I have to say that having an incredibly supportive family and beautiful little girl really helped Ryan and I with the "move on" phase... While we will always remember the child we won't get to meet here on earth, our focus is on our beautiful little girl that we have already been blessed with and whats in store for our little White Family future.

I haven't really been in a blogging mood... so here is a quick look back at where we've been and where we're headed after this life-changing week. (ps... the picture quality is lame because I used my phone for quick snap shots throughout the week)

I can help make dinner mommy... does bear soup work for you? (she seriously was the best medicine for this mommy's heart)

Mom is on a "get-her-body-back-in-shape-and-healthy-before-getting-pregnant-again" kick... so I'll have a kale and spinach breakfast smoothie each day... mmmmm green goodness :)

this darn sinus infection refuses to leave me alone... Doctor's office twice in one week for this sick lil' bug (second round of antibiotics seem to be doing the trick)

PERFECT way to cap off our week. (the rainbow... not the rain)

a hiccup in my party planning... but I finally got all 40 handmade shower invites out on time! The show must go on :)

picture worth a thousand words. <3 her

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us this week.... I cannot tell you enough how touched I was (and Ryan as well) to know that so many people responded with messages, phone calls, texts, etc... honestly I figured just our immediate family and friends would read and know what was going on, but the outpouring of love and support have been incredible in the healing process. Thank you :)

joy to the small world...

This Christmas was special in its own way... bittersweet really. This was our first Christmas without Ryan's mom, and without seeing any of his family... this season made us realize even more than ever how she was the glue that held the family together, and how dearly missed she is. All of us kids spent Christmas Eve with my mom, then after church we all went to my dad's to spend the night and wake up to a traditional Christmas morning breakfast. I think we are all growing accustomed to Jayme being the only one who gets presents... and this year was nothing short of being spoiled and loved on by her aunts/uncle, grampa, and nana! With plenty of surprises under the tree, Jayme had a surprise of her own to share on Christmas...

helping nana grate eat the cheese for chicken tortilla casserole

exploring a nice neighbor-lady's tree house (so awesome... i took enough pictures so ryan can one day recreate this!)

Christmas morning breakfast preparations

sock-monkey jack-in-the-box... smelling her new authentic cowgirl boots from taycie... trying out her new trike from uncle alex... stylin' with her new threads, boots, and finger in the nose (not pretty)... playing with grampa

 

 Jayme shares with Tacyie

 

Jayme's present to grampa Christmas morning

96 years and still a character...

 We all got together on Sunday to celebrate our Gramps' 96th birthday... only 4 more years until triple digits and a massive party (and Lord willing I believe we will get to have a big 100th bash to celebrate)! How many 96 year-olds do you know that still bowl (in a league and WELL... better than me), drive (although this is up for debate if driving past 85-90 should even be permitted... but he still does and has a clean accident/ticket record), and use a cell phone?! After taking care of Grams for several years as she became bed-ridden (which is daunting enough for anyone of any age, let alone a 90 year old)... he still has a spring in his step (a clumsy step sometimes- apparently where I get my klutziness from), a standard Smith family goof-ball sense of humor, and a sharp as a tack noggin to boot! I can only hope I have his genes :-) 

from the top: love the faces on all three (left to right-anticipation, concern, and pure joy)... spoiled with ice cream... aunt tay feeding her split pea soup... the birthday boy in becca's hat... bebba having a bad influence on my child

the table next to us decided to sing happy birthday after the entire restaurant sang their version

post lunch family time

time for more birthday celebration (note the same blue candle from the restaurant... we forgot our own candles)

San Francisco Road Trip Weekend

The weekend I have been training for semi-training for finally arrived! Our morning was supposed to start @ 4am with breakfast and loading the car so we could be on the road before traffic and daylight... Jayme had other plans... we started our morning @ 1am, Bebba joined us by 3:30... and yet somehow we still didn't get on the road until 5:10! Our plan was for Jayme to sleep most of the way, and since she was up @ 1am we figured a long nap would be guaranteed.... turns out nothing is guaranteed with a 1 1/2 yr old... she slept from 6-6:45 and a half hour before we arrived at our final destination, which made for an exhausting first day in San Francisco... BUT despite the lack of sleep we had a weekend full of memories made!

breakfast @ 3:45am, cartoons with Bebba, car loaded and on the road by 5:10am... Sunrise pit stop

overly tired nugget who must have a tapeworm... she never stopped eating! Oakland bridge and camera crew shooting along side us... and wouldn't be California without traffic!

experiencing the sights and streets of SF with her aunties... ice cream @ Pier 39, Powell street for pizza, sea lions, and walking 10 blocks through the ghetto to get back to the house in Alamo Square (using Bebba's phone to talk to her "friend")

The Austin Gals

Carb-loading dinner for 20 the night before the big race

Jayme's new friend she discovered in SF (video courtesy of Auntie Bebba)

her "friend" came with us to the hotel... she spent more time entertaining herself @ the mirror than with her toys

NWM race morning... sisters @ the start line... along with 22,500 others.... 2 hours 33 minutes later I actually was able to run across the finish line (I assumed I might be crawling towards my finisher necklace)

enjoying the scenery and people wanting to take her picture (kinda creepy- yet flattering???)

loooooonnnng road trip home... Jayme's first Happy Meal, Bebba's blown knee being iced courtesy McD's emptied out ice machine, "Happy Meals" for the grown ups, footsies with Bebba's post-marathon feet, monkey neck support for a 2 hour nap (finally!)

Assuming I'm not pregnant or a new mom of 2 by this time next year... I would like to stay in Union square (convenience well worth the cost), leave the lil' gal with a sitter, and actually train for next years race...