Our little reading prodigy

I posted the following video of ZuZu on facebook today, and was actually a little overwhelmed with the response. I mean, you always think that your own kids are cute and special, but it really makes a mommy feel good when others agree!

Watching this makes me just want to go pull her out of her crib and smother her with snuggles and kisses!

Moses' Home on the Range

About five years ago (i.e., before Moses was born), Bombay Kids went out of business. At the time, my mom and I bought everything they had in cowboy bedding- from quilt to sheets to valances to rug to... well, you get the picture! I've had it tucked away ever since that time... until this week!


We started out by surprising him after lunch with this wall decal (courtesy of an excellent etsy seller):




Then his MaMa and PaPa brought a new full size bed for him, and K brought down the headboard (converted from his old crib)


Moses referred to it as "baby jail." :)

Here he is, trying out the new bed and bedding:

Both the duvet cover and quilt are SO soft!

Moses and ZuZu got cowboy (and cowgirl) hats:

So Moses had to show us "how cowboys sleep":

But he does have a really cool hook on the wall to hang his hat:

He's pretty excited!

So excited that he just had to sing:

Celebrating Small Victories

Moses DOES. NOT. EAT.

Well, nothing normal, anyway. He would be happy with a plate of raw vegetables every night.

So I was really excited when he ate this much pizza the other night:

We celebrated with something he had never had before: s'mores! It wasn't that we had never offered them before, but he had never wanted to try one. Seriously, we have come a long way. It wasn't even until a few months ago that he would eat peanut butter sandwiches!

He was delighted!

He just kept saying, "It's messy, but it's YUMMY!"

I hope he remembers that sometimes Mommy and Daddy want him to try things that really ARE good!

Best Friends

There's nothing like a lazy afternoon in your diaper/underwear! :)

Is anyone else ready for Monday?

Wow. What a weekend.


It all started Friday morning, with ZuZu falling off of our bed, slamming her head against the wall, and subsequently becoming rather lethargic. She had the strangest cry after falling, would just lie around, and didn't act normal. So we went to the pediatrician first thing that morning. Fortunately, her shoulder took the brunt of the fall, and the doctor wasn't too concerned about anything.


Work was really strange that afternoon (but I won't get into that); we left to pick up Moses (he had spent the night with my parents while we did some work around the house) in the middle of a storm with 70 mph winds; and we hit a bird on the way there and even had a pelican fly in front of our car (about 30 miles from any large body of water). Fortunately, we missed the pelican. He probably would have gone through the windshield...


We met my parents at Hy-Vee for dinner, and after sitting down, Moses got a little fussy. A man next to our table made a smacking gesture at him. At that point, I had had it with the day, so I asked, "Did you just make a smacking gesture at my son?" and he said yes. So I started to let him have it that it wasn't any of his business, when the man next to him said that he wasn't making a smacking gesture at my son. Uh-huh.


We left and I was just telling K how how ready I was for the day to be over, to go to bed, and just start a new day... when CRUNCH. We were rear-ended sitting at a stop light. The van was okay (she was in a little car, and our van just popped her right off) and the kids were okay, but I was pretty light-headed. And, having practiced in personal injury in the past, I knew we needed an accident report. We called the police, who also sent a firetruck and paramedics because I am pregnant.


Everything was fine, but they wanted me to call my doctor- who then wanted me to go into the hospital to be monitored for a couple hours. We were an hour from the hospital, so Kurt took me there, dropped me off, took the kids home, got a babysitter, and came back- just in time for me to be walking out of my room. We got home about 12:30 am. After almost nailing a few deer on the way home, that is.


The good thing about the day was that I got to listen to Hosanna's heartbeat (and activity- WOW, is she active!) for about 2 hours. Of course, she was so active that the nurse actually had to turn down the volume so that we could hear each other talk, but that was pretty cute.


On Saturday, K started a project with Moses: painting his room! He has been asking to paint his room for a long time, so he and Daddy did it "together" this weekend.







Moses helped with the first coat, but K really needed to do the second coat my himself (without Moses knowing). SO, Moses and I had a "slumber party" in the living room last night, watching movies until he fell asleep. That allowed K to be in Moses' room without him ever knowing... we are such honest parents...


And TODAY, we are 34 weeks! I can't believe how fast it has gone!



I love how random these pictures with the kids have been!


BUT, Hosanna has really been pushing down today- it feels like she is trying to burrow her way out. It literally takes my breath away like a contraction. SO, I have been sitting with my feet up most of the day, to ward off another trip to the hospital. I'd like to make it to tomorrow so that I can just go into the doctor's office instead... so far, so good!

Just another average night in the Smith Household

Moses is constantly making up little songs and putting them to "music." This was just his latest. If you couldn't tell, some of the lyrics included:

"This is Eric Carle"

"My name is Sue, how do you do?"

"I got two straps on my guitar"

And he ended with the spoken word: "ZuZu, you're Eric Carle."

If you are reading this, Eric Carle, I think he deserves an autographed book for this one.

I can't come up with a catchy title

Maybe because it has been quite a weekend, and at 33 weeks pregnant, my mind is just not that creative right now.

We started out with the dance party on Friday night.

Then on Saturday, Moses had his end-of-summer library party. He read 209 (!!!!!!!!) books this summer. I am so proud of him!

There was a little petting zoo at the library party, and I was proud of Moses for getting so close to the animals. Usually he is pretty cautious.

ZuZu, on the other hand, is pretty brave for her 17 months.

However, she did NOT like being kissed by by goat. But it sure seemed to like her!

Also on Saturday, my parents were here to help us move around four different rooms to make room for Hosanna. What a relief! I am so thankful for all of their help!

ZuZu was still in our room, so now she has a room all to herself-- and seems to be enjoying it!

She and Moses ran in and out and in and out all evening...

She slept well last night, but it had been a big day. I am hoping she quickly gets accustomed to not having Mommy and Daddy in the room!

So that means for the first time in 17+ months, K and I have a room to ourselves again. For about the next 4-6 weeks, that is! :)

K has literally been at the church for all but a couple hours today, so once again it was just the kids and me for dinner tonight. I have to record the following dinner conversation for posterity:

Moses: You're a baboon! Daddy's not. Daddy's a recordious.

Me: Daddy's "ridiculous"?

Moses: He's a recordion. A real one...

Me: What is a recordion?

Moses: Daddy is.

Me: Oh. Okay...

WHO KNOWS where he comes up with this stuff...

It's a happenin' Friday night

It doesn't get any better than this on a Friday night, right?




And yes, Kurt is playing a tiny toy guitar...


And yes, ZuZu only has half of her pajamas on. Because she is so messy at dinner time...


And Moses does have a goatee ("like Mac Powell"). Made of Cars stickers, of course.




We're all about class here.


Speaking of which, I think we have been living in hunting territory for too long... I read a story tonight about how a new line of Dodge Rams have built-in gun cases, and I actually thought that was pretty cool. You know, for all those guns we own (insert sarcasm here).


On the agenda for tomorrow: Switching around FOUR rooms in order to make room for baby! Everything is a mess right now, because I am incapable of organizing without tearing everything out first. Hopefully by this time tomorrow night, ZuZu will have her own room, and Hosanna will actually have a place for her crib!

32 weeks!!!

Here we are at 32 weeks!

ZuZu CRACKS ME UP in this picture. WHAT is she doing?! And look at that face!

I can't believe how close it is getting-- at this point with ZuZu, the doctor was just five weeks away from wanting to induce her. We have A LOT to get done in the next 5 weeks!!!

But it didn't happen this weekend-- this weekend was the annual Threshers festival outside of town. Lots of tractors, animals, and--the best part--FOOD. I didn't last very long, even though the heat wasn't so bad on Saturday. I do now know where every shady bench is located on the grounds!

Seeing the animals always has to come first. Moses LOVED this little pig- he thought it was Babe. SO cute!

ZuZu's favorite were the chickens. Not the bunnies, not the sheep or baby pigs. The chickens. That is SO like her. And she loved it when the horses made mad whinnying noises. That's like her, too.

Moses jumped in the bounce house after that. I had trouble capturing the look of sheer joy on his face while he was in action...

But this just about does it:


Then SOMEONE just had to ride the train:

Okay, so it wasn't K, but I think it is hilarious that you can only see him and not ZuZu in that picture!

Here they were all together:

I think with swimming lessons, VBS at multiple churches, festivals, and van-buying out of the way now, we might actually get to focus now on getting ready for this baby!