Days of Diapering

My Girls....Aren't they adorable!!!!

I was sitting with Scott the other night and we figured out how many diapers I had changed since becoming a mother. It was one of those days were it didn't seem to stop. Kayt and Ella, Ella then Kayt. It caused me to stop and count. We concluded that I had changed roughly 5,000 diapers in 2.5 years. That is a lot of diapers I tell you what. I don't even want to calculate the cost on those. I wish I could be one of those really eco-friendly people that use the cloth diapers but I think my days of changing those as a child traumatized me enough that the convenience of disposable far out weighs the cost.

But...enough about diapers. How about something a little more exciting...we got a new sprinkler and mini shop vac so I can clean out my car. I know you are all amazed at the excitement in the Smith house but this was major. My life was just made ten hundred times easier and that is definitely worth making note of.

Other big news, we found a place to live in Columbus!!! I am very excited about it. It is right by a park and a walking/jogging/biking path. It is in a very good neighborhood and is not costing us a fortune. It makes me a little more excited to be heading out there. WE still haven't nailed down the logistics of actually getting out there but we have a few months.

The biggest news however was that we blessed Ella. It was very crazy once again to think that I was responsible for doing the whole family dinner after the baby blessing thing but there I was. I got really creative and did the same thing I did for Kayt's. I know I know. I did however throw in a different kind of filling for the stuffed french toast. (if you have never had stuffed french toast with homemade butter pecan dressing you are missing out on the finer things in life and should consider attending the blessing of the next Smith baby!!) I have to give props to my Aunt Traci for turning us onto the stuffed french toast. I really can't take any credit for it. Anyway, Ella was very lucky to be able to have all grandpas and great grandpas there for her blessing. I guess that is one of the perks to being an older child in a family. Your children get to know their great grandparents. There are so many things they can teach them, even when they are still little. Scott and I felt so loved on Ella's special day. We so appreciated the support of our families. That is what it's all about.

Kayt and Ella are getting cuter and cuter everyday. Kayt is such a little mommy. She comes running whenever Ella cries, gets her blankets and binkies and picks out stories to read to her. The other day she found a picture of Jesus and started telling Ella all that she knew about him. It was so precious. It was fun to be a fly on the wall and hear the truth about Jesus from a two year old. It is all just so simple for her. I learn from her every day.

I love being a mom. It's not the easiest thing but definitely the most worthwhile for me.

It's been awhile

Alright- I am back. I realized just how pathetic my updating has been when my grandma called me out. Grandparents are always so kind and understanding but I guess one blog every 10 months is not exceptable even to them. So here it goes. The update on the Smith family.

Life has been one big whirlwind. Scott was so crazy busy with school his last two semesters I was lucky to be coherent enough to give him a grunt when he came to bed in the early hours of the morning. He was usually up and out the door before I was up. It was nuts. All the while I was busy being pregnant and raising a two year old. For 9 long months we looked forward to April. I have to admit the birth of our daughter this month was not the complete reason for excitement. April meant the end of Scotts school at BYU-Idaho. He graduated Cum Laude with two bachelors degrees, one in Accounting and one in Business Management. We started our marraige with 12 credits and he graduated with 167. It has been a busy four years but if anyone could do it, Scott is the one.

April also meant acceptance and scholarship offers to graduate schools. We finally found out where we are going to be the next year of our lives. For those who don't know, we are moving to Columbus, Ohio. Scott was offered a fellowship there for the Masters of Accounting program. As hard as it will be to move almost completely across the country, we know it is the right decision and are excited for our adventure. (As I try to keep this more updated, I may have to read that last sentence to remind myself why we are so far away?!)

April also meant The END OF TAX SEASON!!!!!!! If I could shoot off fireworks with this sentence I would. Kayt and I did what we could to keep ourselves occupied. And looking back, it was probably good Scott wasn't home so much. I had nesting instincts like I never had before...Scott described it best, "you couldn't even finish dinner before she was cleaning up your plate."

Which brings us to the last of our big events, Ella K. Smith. Our beautiful baby girl. What would we do without her. Ella was due on the 25th of April but mad her appearance on the 18th. After she was here and health I just kept saying to everybody in the room, "its' over, it's done, our baby is here. That's it. I'm finished." I know that sounds crazy but with how crazy everything was, the baby growing in my belly was really an afterthought. I don't think I ever really had time to process that reality of the event and then she was here. Thank goodness though. Ella has truly been a blessing in our home.

I was afraid, like most moms I think, that I wouldn't have the bond with her like I did with Kayt. But that was not the case. From the minute I held her I wondered what we ever did without her. She was a missing peice to a puzzle. We have spent the last two months getting to know each other and readjusting our family dynamics.

Being a mother of two is definately harder than I imagined but more worth it than I imagined as well. As the end of the day I evaluate the ups and downs of the day and commit to doing better the next. It is a constant challenge to be the mom that I feel like my girls deserve. But, nothing worthwhile is easy.

Kayt and Ella are the greatest joy. I laugh outloud all the time as Kayt becomes easier to converse with. She is such a smart little girl and has the best timing. She picks up on everything, good and bad. THe other day she was helping Scott with the dishes and saw the stuff for my pump. She started lifting up her shirt and Scott quickly asked what she was doing. Kayt anounced that she needed to "milk her elbows" There is never a dull moment! Ella began smiling the other day and there is nothing better. She coos and smiles all the time. Her whole face lights up. I am one lucky mamma.

My little brother Jared got engaged a couple weeks ago. We are super excited for him. The wedding is August and then we head out.

We are now planning out the rest of our summer, hoping that the weather cooperates. What a crazy summer so far?! I will keep you posted.

Harvest Time

Wow, it has been awhile. I don't know who all reads this but I like doing it. So Scott is back in school - it is midterms actually- the leaves are all falling off of the trees and we are trying to figure out what to be for Halloween. Time flies!! It just seems like we were doing this. I finally purchased a ladybug costume for Kayt and Broulim's grocery store. Nothing like the homemade costumes my mom worked on tirelessly, but kayt likes it.



I am enjoying being a stay at home mom again after following a wild thought I had to drive truck in potato harvest. It is a lot different as a mom and wife than a high school kid. Somehow it is more tiring and you feel a lot more responsible for anything that goes wrong. Even when it isn't your fault!! But it is over and I will probably never do it again and that is okay.



Scott is doing well in school. He loves that internship he is in right now. He likes it so much he sometimes forget about his classes he still has to pass to graduate but I kindly remind him as do his teachers. He has had a couple of job interviews and been in contact with a few graduate school people and will be flying out for further interviews in the next week or two. It is kindof crazy but very exciting. It is hard knowing that we will be somewhere else come August of next year and at this point have no idea where. We'll get it figured out I guess. Scott is way more stressed about the situation than I am which probably isn't good but I can't say what he should do for the next 10 years of his life so I just sit back and give me support. It is an exciting time though.



Kayt is lounging in her babies stroller right now watching Monsters Inc., her new favorite show. I hadn't seen it until three weeks ago and now I have it memorized. It's kindof how things go around here. Luckily, we don't have cable so she only gets to watch the movies I let in the house. No obnoxious nick-toons random stuff. Kayt is getting so big and so smart and I just can't believe she will be two in 1 month!!! I took her to the park with my mom yesterday and she just played on the toys all by herself. Climbed the stairs, went down the slide ect ect. It was great but kindof sad. She needs me less and less everyday. Of course with all of her new skills comes new management techniques. It takes more and more to keep her entertained and stimulate her but it is so much fun. The other day she started singing the ABC song with me. she only know ABCPMS but hey it's a start. She is so fun!! I love it.

Getting back to normal

Well, our summer adventures have come to a close. We have one extended family reunion to attend in September but other than that it is over. I can't believe it. August was a month we have been looking forward to since January and it seemed like it would never come and here it is the 19th!!!

Jared returned home from his mission to the Phillippines and it have been crazy to hear about life on a poor island. But he had a fabulous experience and has grown up so much. It is hard to adjust to the "new and improved" Jared that has come home. He's not the same so you can't treat him like you did but is the same old crazy goofy kid with his "unique mind". If has been so fun having him around again.

I have found that adjusting to real life after three weeks of vacation is a little hard. I can't procrstinate the housework anymore because I am not leaving it behind anymore and the dishes just don't disapear like thay do at the restaurants. But at the same time it feels good to be back home. Kayt is especially enjoying being back in her element, her own little domian. She couldn't stop smiling the day we were finally home for good. She is not so sure she like being home alone with me all day verses being with her dad all day, but she'll adjust!!

Life is good. We are so blessed. What a crazy summer!

ALOHA!!

Hello Hello

This is my first attempt at this whole blogging thing but I have been very impressed with the ones my friends have done and have loved reading them so here I go....The Smith Family blog.

I am also on vacation in Hawaii right now with Scott's fam and thought it might be a good time to get it rolling.

THe vacation has been fabulous, just what we all needed. It is the calm before the storm (the last year of undergrad) and so we are enjoying it to the fullest. Kayt loves the water and playing in the sand and going down the slide and all the juice she gets to drink and junk food and... she is having a great time. Scott loves the water as much if not more than Kayt. It is a chore to get him to come in at the end of the day. Good thing he has his brother Jeff to endulge all of his crazy ideas and contests in the water. I still don't understand the fun in body surfing and getting slammed into the sand (which goes into crevices you didn't know existed) but he loves it and how often to you get to Hawaii?! I am having a great time as well. It is so chill and there is a lot of family around to help with Kayt and I love seeing Scott and Kayt so happy and I will admit, the waves can be fun too. I am not so good at the whole body surfing thing however and usualy end up getting churned over and over again until I can hardly breath and Scott realizing my potenital drowning and comes to my aide. I keep telling him it's the hight difference but really I am just not that good at playing in the ocean.

We went surfing today and my theory was reaffirmed. I did get up and actually surf in Hawaii but I am not a natural!!!! Our surf guy was the craziest/coolest 50 year old beach bum, surfer dude I have ever met. But he was fabulous he taught all kinds of things about surfing not just how to get up but how to push people out of your way, how not to get on a board, how to paddle properly ect. The fact that he demonstrated it all made it hilarious. Our instructor is the skinny one on the picture!! The bigger one is the surf school owner George Opelo who is a "God" in the surfing world. It was great.

Anyway, we are doing fabulous. Jared comes home from his mission is exactly one week and we can hardly wait!!! We found out Emily is having a baby boy and life is just GOOOD!!!