Confucious Says...

For those of you who follow Chris's blog, you've already heard the story of Aiden's finger (for those just catching up click here). Why, you ask, has it taken me this long to catch up with my blog? The short answer is - it took ME that long to recover from the whole incident.

For all of the moms out there that have gotten "that call", you know what I mean. The second my phone rang at work from school I knew something was wrong. I can't describe anything other than shock that hit me like a brick when our after school care program director told me about what happened...but all I really remember from that conversation was the part where she told me part of Aiden's finger was missing. I can tell you, for the many speeding tickets I got in high school, none would compare to that which I would have gotten if I was pulled over that afternoon. I couldn't seem to get to school fast enough.

Without documenting all of the crazy details from the incident, I can tell you, as a mom, I learned several things from this experience:

1 - Your children can often teach you more than you are able to teach them if you let them.

Before this happened, I could have told you Aiden was a tough kid. He's always picked himself back up quickly and doesn't come to tears often. But, throughout everything that happened, I just keep replaying how all of the doctors and nurses kept saying how brave he was and how well he was handling everything that happened. Today - Aiden is drawing pictures of his finger so that everyone knows what it looks like (it's still wrapped up in bandages). It didn't slow him down a beat - he jumped right back into things, playing outside with his friends and playing basketball at school. He recalls the incident as "the time that he chopped his finger off". He doesn't wince or worry that it might permanently look different, like his mother does. In fact, I'm pretty certain that throughout his lifetime he will carry this as one of his "battle wounds" to be proud of. All I can say is that the strength and resilience of that kid amazes me. I was always proud to be his mom, but even more so after watching him persevere through hardship.

2 - C Smith is about as good as it gets.

I am a tough girl myself...that is until I had kids. I figured that out quickly the first time Aiden clipped his chin on our wooden stairs and there was blood everywhere. All I could think was blood, BLOOD! I couldn't even think a rationale thought. The same panic overcame me when picking Aiden up from school that afternoon. Silence was about all I could do to keep it together...and lots and lots of hugs. I figured the best thing I could do for Aiden was try to hide my fear and sadness - if I was strong he would be strong. However, my boy scout husband met us at the hospital with stories ready to roll. He talked a lot with Aiden and put him at ease. Later when the docs were cleaning the wound, Chris thought to get out his phone to play Star Wars clips...I'm pretty sure Aiden wasn't thinking anything but lightsaber battles at this point! Then Chris was the trooper and took Aiden downtown for surgery (more on that below) and was out until 2:00 that morning, putting up with a very hungry and tired son...no dinner since they knew they would have to give Aiden local anesthesia to fix his finger. Even since then, Chris is more tolerable of cleaning the wound than I and fixing up Aiden's bandages. I mean I always knew that I was married to a good man, but I'm not sure I can actually put into words what it meant to realize the deep levels of compassion I saw in this man. I can only hope that my two boys grow into as good of a father as he is some day.

3 - Good friends and family are what life boils down to.

When all of this happened, it was right at the end of a work day. Kieran was still at daycare. We called upon our good friend Stef to pick up Kieran so that we both could be with Aiden at the hospital. Stef, with three kids of her own (including a 9 mth old), picked up Kieran and took all four kids to gymnastics and dinner all by herself. What can I say - she is the woman! Her husband then tucked her kids into bed while she went to my house to tuck in Kieran that night. I finally left the hospital around 9:30 when the two boys were headed downtown for Aiden's surgery. While I have some of the best friends in the world, I also didn't want to make her to have to settle in at my house for the night! So, I went home and waited anxiously for the phone call that would eventually tell me everything went just fine.

The day after the accident I was at home with Aiden when he had a basket of fruit sent by the people at my office...Aiden LOVES fruit. When Aiden saw the basket, his actual words were "Mom, this is the best day EVER!". Oh, to be able to see the world through the eyes of a kid again! Given the night before, Aiden spent much of that day sleeping. However, I tried to keep him on his normal schedule, so at 8 o'clock off to bed we went. As we were saying our nighttime prayers, Aiden asked me how I was able to fall asleep every night. My response was that I like to think about all of the happy things that happened to me during the day, so Aiden said "ok, I'm going to think about my fruit!" The things that 5 yr olds say...

Throughout the next week, our family stepped up helping to take care of Aiden while we kept him out of school. I'm pretty sure by the end of it he was plenty spoiled by all of his relatives!

Although we didn't do the greatest job of reaching out to people...the love and prayers we got from all of our friends and family reminded me that this is the important stuff in life. We were all put on earth to create relationships and experience life fully. To me - that is time spent slowing down and really making the most of the time I have with all of the wonderful people in my life.

Here is a quote by Confucious that I found that summarizes it best:
By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.

On my Thanksgiving this year, I was much more thankful of the beautiful family I have been blessed with and the honor of friendship I have received from all of the good people that surround me. My hope for you is that we don't have to experience these moments to realize the best in those around us.

All Hallow's Eve and Then Some!

Does anyone else feel like certain holidays get celebrated ad nauseam? We certainly celebrated and celebrated and CELEBRATED Halloween this year!

It all began with the boys' school parties. On Wednesday, all the kids from Aiden's school had a parade behind the school with all the parents capturing photo ops. They followed up in their classroom with games and a craft, and food of course! Aiden was dressed as Boba Fett - a bounty hunter from Clone Wars (a cartoon spin-off from Star Wars). You can see from the pic that it's all about Star Wars in his classroom!

A huge thanks to Gram who came and spent the day with Aiden while he was out of school on Thursday and Friday. She also got bonus party duty for Kieran's school Halloween party where it's all about the FOOD!! Even Aiden got to enjoy some of the treats, and Kieran enjoyed having his big brother to play with during school time!

Then on Saturday our neighborhood hosted it's annual Haunted Hayride. We got on the earliest shift (the event gets progressively scarier as the night goes on), and rode on hay-filled trailer throughout our neighborhood. We ended at one house where the kids cooked smores over the fire followed up by a "scary" tale told by JoHo, the professional storyteller, about the Runaway Pumpkin. It had the kids laughing and interacting - and was a great time as usual.


And, THEN, we finally got to Halloween. All day Aiden was anxiously awaiting getting into his costume - the wait was almost unbearable! Following the very exciting Chiefs game, Gram and Papa made their way to the Smith house with the tradition of pizza prior to trick-or-treating. As soon as it was barely dusk you could hear the bustle of kids anxiously outside ready to start the mass collection of candy! We got the boys dressed in their attire, which Kieran actually complied (for a short while) to wear his full monkey costume. He was quick to join in the fun once he got a look at all the kids outside in costumes running around. We still couldn't get him to say "trick-or-treat", but with his charming personality he still got the goods and filled his bag full of candy regardless. The boys made their way around the neighborhood, pulling Kieran in the wagon, and hitting as many houses as they could before AB finally decided it was TOO cold!

I think someone's either got a little too much candy or he's seen a ghost!...

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

Last weekend was a first for our family - and a first for me, in particular. The Smith family carved pumpkins!

I quickly learned why my parents likely did not embark on this tradition during my childhood days. Simply put - carving pumpkins is gross! I required latex gloves to protect my hands to do the dirty work. But looking inside of a pumpkin - seriously, how is there ever anything worth making pumpkin pies out of...there is nothing inside of there except a ton of seeds and pumpkin mush - yuck! AND...Chris and I quickly learned that this "family activity" is really the parents carving the pumpkins while the kids run around outside and play to their hearts content!

I took the easy way out and used the drill to put different sized holes throughout my pumpkin (very Pottery-Barn"esque"). It was interesting once the candles were burning inside (and definitely less labor intensive!) Chris, however, got the super dad award as he agreed to carve Aiden's choice of Boba Fett (the Clone Wars character Aiden was dressing up for Halloween). I'm not sure he was still enjoying it two nights later while he was STILL putting the finishing touches on Aiden's pumpkin! However, all the pumpkins turned out great! Now we'll just see if this was a one-time occurrence or a tradition to be continued as the years go on...



We couldn't leave the littlest Smith out, so we decorated his pumpkin with Halloween stickers!


And, finally, the GREAT PUMPKIN...


On the night of Halloween we checked for toys left from the Great Pumpkin, but all we got was a bowl full of overflowing Halloween candy! Maybe next year...

Just another day?

A cute Aidenism...yesterday Mrs. Cline's classroom got to wear pajamas to school because they had been rewarded for exhibiting the schools virtues. Aiden was SO excited...of course picked out his favorite Star Wars pajamas to wear to school.

At the end of the day I asked him how his day went and if he thought it was cool that he got to wear his pjs all day long. His response, "It was ok, but it wasn't so cool because we still had to do work and stuff."

Bye Bye Binkies!!

The Smith household has been full of change over the past several weeks! The weekend of Kieran's birthday - our little man decided he was to become an escape artist and pole vaulted himself out of his crib. Of course this would happen...with Aiden, we moved to our new house and I remember wanting to get him settled into his own room, so we set up a with a big boy bed at 18 mos. and never looked back. Aiden was such a sleepy boy...you would just tell him to get to bed, in he would crawl, and with a book and a snuggle he was off to lala land!

Wild man Kieran, on the other hand, I think both Chris & I could've been satisfied not moving him out of his crib until he was like - FIVE! But, as our little man has often proven to us just how quickly he likes to keep up with his older brother, he found his way to freedom much earlier than his parents would have liked. So...we made the decision to forge ahead and move Kieran into his toddler bed.

This transition has not been without its bumps. On most nights Kieran finds himself out of his room 2-3 times before settling in. Moreso, it's the random four a.m. visits that are much less appreciated - especially when Kieran is convinced that since he has awoken and is feeling full of energy it MUST be morning!! At least we have gotten him back to sleep on most of these nights, but the best way to describe is...we are surviving!

And...because Chris & I are gluttons for punishment, we made the discovery shortly thereafter that Kieran had bitten through 1/2 of each of his binkies. With the fear of him biting them off completely and choking on them in the middle of the night - we had two choices: (1) replace the binkies or (2) endure a visit from the binkie fairy. Again, we decided to jump feet first and removed all binkies from the house. Honestly, it was not as bad as I had feared. Kieran really didn't cry for his binkies - and anytime he asked for them we simply replied "all gone". In fact, I haven't even heard the word binkie for several days until we were going through pictures this past weekend and a picture of Kieran with a binkie appeared. All of a sudden he was on a quest for binkies again, but it quickly subsided.

In short...our little man has made some BIG strides over the past few weeks in this phase of him growing up. He is still my little boy, and in some ways, I hate watching him grow up so fast as there is a small part of me that would love to keep him as my little baby forever. However, it is fun to hear his conversations develop...and to watch his understanding of the world grow. We think he is so much fun and he brings a lot of laughter into our household. Now...if we could just find a way to tame that wild instinct in him, we would be golden!

The Little Engine That Could

September 12, 2010 - We celebrated the smallest little Smith turning a BIG TWO YEARS OLD!! Where did the time go? Given that Kieran is completely crazy for anything cars, we decided to host a party with all of our immediate family at a local restaurant, Fritz's Railroad Restaurant. It was such a great venue, plus it went along with the super cute invitations that I found online...
Fritz's is great...the first restaurant was opened in KCK back in the 1960's. We went to a new location out in Shawnee. The restaurant has a railroad track built around the top exterior of the restaurant. You dial up your order at a phone that is at each table...then a train actually comes out of the kitchen and "drops" your order onto a lift that lowers it to your table. It is SO cool. Kieran was in complete amazement as that was his first experience at Fritz's.

The presents were ok too :)...although I think big brother, Aiden, did most of the unwrapping. Kieran got into it closer to the end. He got lots of choo choo trains as presents, which he is still fascinated with. The cutest part of it all - I ended up making a train birthday cake for him. Even now when he sees pictures of his cake, he starts singing "Happy Birthday to you"...

Thanks to everyone that helped us to celebrate Kieran's big day! What a memorable event. Check out the pics to see the fun that we had.

What Part of NO Don't You Understand?

So while Aiden is getting accustomed to life as a kindergartner, Kieran is blazing fire into the terrible twos. Don't get me wrong - he is CUTE, and he knows it, which makes it a deadly combination. He can often get away with many antics at the Smith household just by flashing those pearly whites. Perfect example...here is Kieran's idea of keeping busy while at the ball fields this summer...(mommy sigh, at least his shirt appropriately said Mud Monster!)



However, the latest development is his discovery of the word NO. Pretty much from morning to night, any question asked of him is responded to in this soft quiet almost shy...no.

"Kieran - are you cute?" "NO!"
"Kieran - do you love mommy?" "NO!"
"Kieran - are you excited to play with your friends at school?" "NO!"
"Kieran - do you love your binkies?" "NO!" (now we know THAT isn't true!)

He mostly is sweet and almost funny when he says it, though as time has gone on the NO's are getting louder and more firm - like, "I may be the littlest person in this house, but let's not get confused who is the boss here!"

Here is a quick video of Kieran on his latest NO rant:

From movies

Ready, Set, GO...

As if the little people in my household aren't just growing up in leaps and bounds, or so it seems. Life as a kindergartner is great - as I'm told. Aiden is making lots of new friends in his new classroom. He has girls on both sides of him at his table - Celia and Katie. I asked him last night if he thought the girls were pretty...and then there was silence with a hidden smile on Aiden's face. So, this is how it is going to be for the next 15+ yrs?

Aiden also made an astounding record this week (although still behind his daddy)...he managed to find himself in the principal's office on day 5 of kindergarten. Yes - you read that right - DAY 5. Apparently him and another little boy were "too busy playing" and ended up dropping their shorts peeing on the mulch on the playground! Remember back to my story at t-ball? I knew that was going to come back and haunt me one day - I just didn't think it was going to be quite so soon!! Let's just hope this visit was not the first of many.

Aiden has made his daddy very proud as he has conquered his bicycle. It took lots of convincing - I'm afraid that Aiden is not a big fan of things that don't come easily (reminds me of his daddy!). So, there were many tears as we tried for many weeks to get him to try to ride his bike. Finally we took him up to his school where there is a huge flat field of grass. It was amazing - without the fear of falling, the kid was off and running on his own on his first try! From that point on he has been obsessed, I mean OBSESSED about riding his bike - every single day. Which is great - until he crashed! Sunday night, with all the pomp and circumstance of having the neighbors watching and cheering, Aiden didn't quite turn his bike quick enough around the cul-de-sac and plowed into storm sewer. He flew over his handlebars putting a nice strawberry on his knee. Our fabulous neighbor, Colonel Waldron, put on his marine corp voice and made a man of my boy right in front of my eyes! It took him a few minutes, but he dried the tears and then got up to ride again - and he's been riding like crazy ever since!

Here is a quick clip of Aiden on the move!

From movies

Go Aiden GO!

And so it begins...

At 8:35 a.m., "A.B." Smith officially became a kindergartener.

Yesterday, following our return from a great weekend at the lake with the Smith family, we got the e-mail notifying us that Aiden would soon join the classroom of Mrs. Cline. Aiden knew a few kids in his classroom, both that live on our cul-de-sac and a few through playing soccer & t-ball this past year. He was quite excited.

We celebrated at the Ice Cream Social last night at school. The kids picked up their massive box of school supplies (we pre-order through school and avoid the store chaos), and then went back to check out their classrooms. Mrs. Cline was there to greet the students. Aiden checked out his cubby (#17) and his assigned seat at his circle table. Mrs. Cline seems like she will be a great teacher - we are very excited to see what this year has in store for us! Aiden was a little shy introducing himself to Mrs. Cline, but quickly warmed up with other boys in the classroom upon the discovery of all the new toys he will get to play with.

Tucking him into bed last night, it took a little arm twisting to read him The Kissing Hand. It is a great story about sending Chester the Raccoon off for his first day of school - mom gives him a kiss on his hand that he can keep there and remember how much she loves him all day long and likewise, Chester kisses his mom's hand so she can remember how much he loves her. At the end of the story, Aiden took one of the heart stickers and gave it to me to wear...oh, how I eat up these moments as they are becoming few and far between as my little boy is growing up and becoming ever so independent.

This morning went smoothly - Aiden was proudly carrying his new backpack showing it off to all of his friends. He also sported his new shoes, which he kept claiming said "nerf" on the back (was really nike). Oh well - as long as he thinks it is cool we are good! Here are a few of the kiddos from our cul-de-sac as we were preparing to leave:





We had a walking school bus to school, which was about 5 kindergartners and their parents that walked up to drop kids off. Aiden went to his classroom - no big deal - and quickly found two other boys that he played with building legos on the floor. I did get a quick hug AND KISS! before I left him...I will say - things got just slightly teary (mom only) at this point!

Parents of kindergartners went down to the BooHoo WooHoo coffee hour in the gym following drop off. The new principal, Mr. Sanders, was there to welcome all of the parents. He is new to Sunrise Point, but seemed like he will be a good role model for the kids and a great resource for the parents.

Overall - things went great today. I walked Aiden back home after school - and he reported how much he liked his new class AND the strawberry milk they served in the cafeteria! We are also busy looking for a gingerbread man that Chef Tony cooked and lost at school...not sure exactly where he is going to turn up! Check out the pics from Aiden's first school lunch:



I am really looking forward to this year ahead. I am SO proud of the little man that Aiden is becoming - I have lots of faith that he will be successful in his new school, and it will be a wonderful experience for him.

Go Sunrise Point Elementary Patriots!

Notes to a Kindergarten Teacher on the First Day of School

This is a poem a friend sent to me that was written by Anne Ridilla Troy, which I thought was lovely, and was modified by me for my Aiden:

This is the child who was in my thoughts
Long before he was in my womb.
He was named before he was conceived.

This is the child on whose birthday I wept
Because I realized that babies don't keep
And that someday he would begin his journey of growing up
Which to me starts through the entry of kindergarten.

Well, now that day has come.

I've changed his diapers and changed his sheets.
I’ve read him goodnight stories and sung lullabies.

I've been his teacher, his disciplinarian,
His buddy, his confidant and his albatross.

I've seen his first attempts at rolling over.
I've seen him waddle clumsily when learning to walk.
I've waited anxiously for his first word.
And now he uses his logic to outreason and correct me.

I've watched him gaze at the world in amazement.
I've watched him lasso that world in his play.
I've watched him create forts.
Invent his own lightsabers,
and dress up like his favorite superheros.

I've watched him embrace his boyhood in this world.

Now you'll be part-time watcher
Part-time keeper.

Please watch him carefully.
Please keep him well
And please, please help keep that
Sense of wonder in his gaze,
That creativeness and inventiveness in his work.

I know to you he is just one of many
And you don't know him very well.

But I know that he calls hamburgers "hamgebers"
And that he easily frustrates, but often perseveres,
And that he acts tough,
But is really very soft and sensitive on the inside.

And to me, he is one of not so many.

He is my firstborn.
he is the answer to our prayers
And he was in my heart even before he was in my womb.

Aiden's Mom

Oh boy, changes are a coming...

Is it August already? The summer has flown by, and now the times of change are upon the Smith household.

At the beginning of this month, we moved Kieran to a new daycare facility - Small Beginnings. The change was for many reasons, but ultimately we think that this change will be a good one for him. So far so good!

During the same time, Aiden went to go stay with Gram & Papa for the week. He had a blast watching movies, playing Wii...and also heading down to Stockton lake with the extended Lindemann family. He played with some of my other cousins, jumping off the boat 100+ times, AND even had his first tubing experience (probably a good thing I wasn't there to immediately gray out my hair from the stress!).

This week I am playing taxi as Aiden is enjoying his first sports camp. He's got a few friends in his group...and is having tons of fun learning new things. I can't wait to see him out on the soccer fields again this fall. If you thought he had talent before, you better watch out now for AB Smith!!! (btw...AB is Aiden's self-chosen official sports nickname - though if you ask him what the B stands for, he shrugs his shoulders, to which Chris responds - BIG knucklehead!!! It will be interesting to see what he chooses to go by in kindergarten in the next few weeks.)

As we wrap up the summer, we are preparing for the send-off to kindergarten beginning next Wednesday. Wow...here I am celebrating my 32nd birthday, and all I can think about is Aiden heading to school in less than a week...I think I am going back to that place where my hair is graying out!! :) I think Aiden is ready, excited, and looking forward to this journey we are about to embark on...much unlike his mother who is dragging behind kicking and screaming!!

A Walk To Remember

As a parent, you really get to sit back and watch as your kids change and grow right before your eyes. Anyone who has had kids, I know, has experienced those moments where you think to yourself you never want to forget little things your kids have done. But, certainly, as life passes us all by, new memories are created and sometimes the old ones become more and more difficult to remember.

My point to this is, there have been a few moments like this lately that I just wanted to document in an attempt to preserve them and the little people my boys are becoming.

This past weekend Aiden was quite proud that he captured a roly poly. He brought him over to show both Chris and I and was ever so gently holding him in his hands. Well...I think in his attempt to care for the roly poly, he accidentally squished it. I know that boys will be boys and they do these kinds of things, but I actually do think Aiden didn't mean to, because in his softest voice he looked down at the roly poly and said "I'm sorry". It was just so sincere - I hope someone special appreciates his sensitivity someday.

Now onto the funnies...right around 4th of July weekend, we were at Gram & Papa's house and Gram asked Aiden if he wanted to bowl on the Wii. Aiden's response, "No Gram, first I'm going to play this game and then I'm going to go out to play baseball and then it will be time for lunch." Gram's response, "You are just like your mother...always a planner." To further show how much Aiden is becoming like me, we were busy cleaning out the garage this past weekend and Aiden was helping me to put away the juice boxes into the fridge. There were 4 varieties of juice...and before putting them away Aiden looks to me and asks "what kind of pattern should we put these away in Mom?" Oh boy...:)

Kieran is quite the opposite, although I think he has embraced my more crazy side. He will often do anything for a laugh - and I think his mere presence has caused our serious Aiden to erupt in more laughter since his arrival. He's also busy learning new words every day. One of my recent favorites is when I reach for him and ask "Mommy hold you?" he nods and says "Achoo".

And, finally, some of you may have already read this on Chris's blog, but I just wanted to include on here for memories sake. Chris asked Aiden a series of questions inspired by our friend Francie's blog, which went as follows:

1. What is your favorite book?
A: Ironman

2. What is your favorite movie?
A: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

3. What is your favorite food?
A: Grilled Cheese and grapes.

4. What is your favorite TV show?
A: Ben Ten.

5. How do you like being five years old?
A: Kinda good. Depends on if I have big boys beat me up.

6. What is your favorite color?
A: Blue.

7. Who is your favorite superhero?
A: Batman.

8. What is your favorite song?
A: The Imperial March from Star Wars (Darth Vader's theme)

9. What do you want to be when you grow up?
A: Tall MU Player (at this point he runs across the room, stands there for a second and runs back. I ask him what was wrong and he told me he needed a "fart break".)

10. What is your least favorite food?
A: Chicken

11. What do you want to do when you're five? (What are your goals for the year?)
A: Skateboard (Now he runs to the bathroom, poop break)

12. What is your favorite thing to do with Mommy?
A: Go downstairs and watch a movie.

13. What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy?
A: Go to the pool.

14. What is your favorite thing to do with your buddies?
A: Run around and play.

15. What is something Mommy always says to you?
A: Go upstairs and get to bed.

16. What is something Daddy always says to you?
A: Eat your breakfast. (Apparently we don't deal well with his pokiness)

17. Where is your favorite place to go?
A: Florida

18. What makes you laugh?
A: Funny jokes. Sometimes when people do funny things that I laugh so hard and fall down on the floor.

19. What is your nickname?
A: AB.

20. What is your favorite toy?
A: Nerf blaster guns.

21. What makes you sad?
A: When somebody hurts my feelings and pushes me. And when people say "I'm not your friend".

22. If Spider-Man and The Hulk fought each other, who would win?
A: Probably Hulk because he's stronger and tougher. *pause* Probably Spiderman cuz he shoots a web. If Ironman and Wolverine fought, Ironman would win because he has more powerful weapons.

My little Firecrackers

Our 4th of July celebrations (yes, with an "s") turned out to be quite good this year. We began the long weekend at Megan's house with all of the Kammert family. Aiden discovered Uncle Charlie's play station in the basement, which was near impossible to get him away from when it was time for the fireworks display. Kieran actually stayed up well past his bedtime and didn't even flinch at the loud booms and lights up in the sky (no surprise there!). It was probably a good thing that everyone slept in until about 8:30 the next morning!

On Sunday, we had our annual block party. We are truly spoiled...this party is literally in our backyard, and the boys get to enjoy a bounce house. Another neighbor is a local deejay (Marc O'Leary - great job!) and he passes out candy to the kids and has lots of entertainment that he coordinates with them - water balloon toss, chicken dance, etc. Every year our family has a blast and good eats. Unfortunately the weather wrapped things up around 8:30. However, we actually got a few fireworks this year and even let Aiden light a few (with supervision of course!). He had a blast (literally) and thought he was such a big kid.

Here are a few pictures that captured the fun of this weekend:

Future Predictions

At Aiden's preschool graduation, his teachers had voted him to grow up to be the future's tallest NBA basketball player. This got a little conversation started at home. I think Mom and Dad would call it like this:

Aiden - Future movie critic (specializing in Sci-Fi and Action films)

Kieran - Future roller coaster engineer (be prepared to bounce, go upside down, the more crazy the better!)

A little Pomp and Circumstance

What a weekend celebration, albeit a soggy celebration at that! Aiden had his Pre-K graduation at his preschool, Canterbury Preparatory School. What a great time. We started with a party on Friday evening at Aiden's friend's house, Lincoln, where a few of the Pre-K'ers in Aiden's classroom celebrated with their families at an outdoor BBQ. The kids had a blast at the outdoor fort at Lincoln's house (they have 3 boys, which makes their backyard a haven for fun times!). We followed up dinner with an official graduation cake, and then Aussie tattoos in honor of their classroom, Australia. As if all the kiddos weren't on a sugar or adrenaline high, we ended the evening roasting marshmallows and making smores in the firepit.

Saturday morning was the graduation ceremony. It was supposed to be outdoors at the school; however, the rainy weather ruined any plans of that. All 5 classrooms had all onlookers crammed into one of the classrooms inside. Each student was called to the front to receive their "diploma". Aiden was voted by his teachers to be the tallest NBA basketball player when he grows up!! At almost 4 ft. tall (46 1/2 inches to be exact), he's got a great start! Aiden's best buddy, Blake, was voted to be the next Donald Trump - I told him he should stay good friends with him throughout the years!

We followed up the ceremony with a quick lunch and then off to a soccer game - in the pouring rain!! What a mess, but I think the boys had a blast. Aiden continued his domination of the soccer field scoring five points at this week's game! Thankfully the rain canceled t-ball practice, so we ended the day with a family movie night cuddled up snugly and warm in the basement.

Here are a few of the pics to show the fun of this event!

Mother's Day

What a great Mother's Day I had! My boys ran out to get a special breakfast, including my very favorite drink from Starbucks, to start the morning right! The boys gave me two sweet cards, including one of which there was a little boy & a monkey sitting in a crib, which I opened to read "Happy Mother's Day from me and my brother". I think the vote is still out as to who is the monkey in our family!

We then headed out to Gram & Papa's house for lunch, which us "Lindemann's" ate as much peel & eat shrimp that we could possibly consume, and the "Smith's" ate a variety of steak & chicken fingers!! Needless to say, I made a happy plate - as Aiden likes to call it (for all of those Yo Gabba Gabba fans out there).

We followed up the afternoon visiting the Kammerts, which the boys had a great time. On the way home, the most funniest conversation ensued. A perfect example of how Aiden is turning into my Type A personality, as he is such a planner (among other Type A traits).

Aiden: Happy Mother's Day mom. Hey Dad, you know what I'm going to get you for Father's Day?

Chris: No Aiden, today is Mother's Day and Father's Day is more than a month away...AND, it should be a surprise.

Aiden: No, but it's this really cool toy that you and I can play together.

Chris: But, I don't want a cool toy Aiden. I think you should buy me that phone I've been wanting.

Aiden: Well dad, we don't always get what we want...

Penny: (in the background snickering)...I guess we should be proud that some of our parenting moments are sticking...although, makes you think twice when the kids use them against the parents!

Kieran LOVES cars

Ok, so I'm pretty sure that everyone that has met Kieran know how much of an infatuation this kid has with cars. Aiden was all about the ball - ball this - ball that. However, Kieran literally lights up like Christmas morning when he spots his favorite car - a clunky orange model car Nissan Z.

The following pictures will probably put this into perspective for you. Kieran's newest favorite hobby is to climb himself up to our kitchen table and "rum" the cars back and forth, or, to line them up on our window sills and drive them from one side to another. Wonder if his future will entail NASCAR or Formula 1 racing...we know what kind of influence daddy will instill on that one!

Finished product!

Survival of the Fittest?

This past weekend was certainly one of the first. Chris went to St. Louis to go biking with friends, while I stayed back managing (aka running) the boys to the weekends activities.

Aiden is back in spring soccer where his true competitive nature shines through, which earned him a whopping THREE goals in Saturday's game! He has always had natural athletic ability (not that I am biased or anything), but you can tell this season that he is getting the hang of dribbling the ball and doing more to keep control up and down the field. What a thrill!

Aiden has also joined a t-ball team for the summer, and Saturday was the first practice for 15 pre-K boys. They did quite well, splitting them up into small groups among 4 different coaches - mostly working on grounders and throwing the ball. Aiden got to break in his new big boy baseball glove. Also, halfway through practice Aiden experienced being one with nature - i.e. peeing into the woods since there were no bathrooms to be found! While I think (& hope) this is a first, just hope I don't catch him over at the neighbors house trying this again, as he was quite amused with himself. Must be a boy thing...

Sunday, we headed up to Ironwoods Park with my parents for their 'Party in the Park'. Aiden did a few fun activities, the most unique of which he got to pet his very first snake. Being the cautious boy that he is, it took much coaxing. He wasn't too impressed but was more focused on the fact that he REALLY wanted the VERY BIGGEST snake to come out of its aquarium, because Aiden only likes things that are BIG...the BIGGER the BETTER!! I'm glad that didn't work out for him though, as I would have gone running for the hills!

So, needless to say I survived a weekend on my lonesome. While I thought surely all of my half marathons would put me into great shape, I'm not sure I've quite got the stamina to keep up with these boys and their activities over the next 20+ years; but for now I'm going to say...GAME ON!

Hippity Hoppity Easter's on it's Way!

Oh what fun we had celebrating Easter this year. Kieran really started to figure out what this holiday was all about...with a little help from big brother! The boys woke up and did a quick search for eggs throughout the house. There was chocolate to be had by all! Oddly, a new word quickly emerged from Kieran once the hunting was over..."mine". This has continued - particularly when it comes to treats. Although with three boys in the house, it is understandable why the littlest of them all has to be protective of his food!

We ended up hosting the family for Easter dinner. It went great - there was tons of great food, which inevitably comes out during the holidays. Kieran has been spitting out new words right and left these days. During dinner, we were going around the table trying to get him to say everyone's name. When it came to Aunt Megan he repeated something along the lines of "muh-pa", which we interpreted to be Mudpie. Therefore, Aunt Megan is now officially Aunt Mudpie!

The best part was the impromptu football playing in the backyard after dinner was over. Aiden is getting quite good at catching and throwing. Kieran even tried to get in on the action too!

5 years and counting

So, today we officially celebrated Aiden's 5th birthday. It's hard to believe where the time has gone. I actually overhead him talking to Kieran saying "when you are grown up you can climb just like me!" I think in Aiden's world he has officially grown up!

Aiden picked a pirate theme for his swim party this year, which we held at Lifetime Fitness. We had lots of friends that came to celebrate the day with us along with Gram & Papa & Memaw & Grandpa John. The kids had a blast in the pool playing around and standing under the mushroom waterfall. They took us to a party room following swimming where the kids dug into pizza & some yummy cupcakes. Aiden's favorite toys this year were the nerf sword he got from his friend Lincoln & another from mommy & daddy. He also received a few nerf blaster guns from Gram & Papa, his friend Ava and from a surprise visit from our favorite birthday girl - Kaila Grace! I have found many a bullets all throughout the house; however, I will say that this has been hours of entertainment for even Chris & myself! What fun!

Sunday we spent the day at Grandpa D & GJ's house celebrating with them & spending time with Ma while she was in town.

On the morning of the BIG DAY - we took Aiden to Starbucks for breakfast. Again - I realize I am only encouraging this bad habit, but Aiden loves his Starbucks chocolate milk and blueberry muffin. We took cupcakes to school that he shared with friends. I also picked him up early from school that day and brought him back to my office. My boss, Mr. Troy, has a huge affection for Aiden. Even to my surprise, Mr. Troy had brought in balloons and a cookie cake for Aiden's birthday that we all got to enjoy. I had made dinner to Aiden's request - homeade macaroni & cheese & fruit cups. Needless to say - Aiden took a few bites and said his belly hurt...I think he had more sugar than he could take, but hey - what are birthdays for, right?

Here are a few pictures that captured the memories of the fun day(s):

Luck o' the Irish

While the boys have 100% German heritage from my side of the family, and a lot of everything else from Chris's side of the family, for whatever reason we chose to name both of our boys very Irish names...which is why it is so appropriate that we have to dress them appropriately on this Irish holiday. Check out their attire:

...here is our Irish superhero!

and our McCutie!...

Hope that you celebrate appropriately!

Like everyone else, the boys have been very tired holed up inside in this very cold winter. We have now officially started a countdown to spring...and Aiden's birthday...and did I mention Halloween and Christmas?

Aiden has caught a recent case of "the wants". Ever since Christmas, he is very aware that there are times that he gets lots and lots of toys. And somehow there is always just something a little bit better that he doesn't already have. However, I would say the endless stream of Star Wars figures that are in the play room, in his room, in my bathtub, and YES, even in my bed that would prove otherwise. And did I also mention the stream of toys that pile up on the floor to/from school each day. How to deal with the never ending dilemma...

On another note, I have to say how incredibly proud I am of Aiden's recent accomplishments in the pool. At the beginning of the year, Aiden started a swim class, which the teacher moved him up quickly to the next level of class. For starters, this is the 2ND swim class that Aiden has ever taken. That is why is was much to my surprise that the class he moved up to only swims in the deep end of the pool - and without assistance! For weeks on end we had many many tears, and I believe that Aiden was truly scared of swimming in the pool. As his mother, I will have to say that it is incredibly hard to push your child through something they don't enjoy because you know that it is good for them. I nearly left in tears myself after that first lesson. However, we worked with him on the weekends and practiced - and for the first time last night Aiden was very brave and conquered the pool without any tears at all! To make it even better, he is like a fish! My little boy can swim all the way from the deep end to the shallow completely unassisted. It is such a cool thing to watch him make this great transformation.

As for Kieran, he has recently been the crux of the household, waking Chris and I up at endless hours of the evening. True to toddler form, we have not been able to figure out exactly why this is happening, but when Kieran wakes up he is up and ready to play...not tired - it's full tilt boogy time. So, we are hoping this phase ends quickly as we walk around with bags under our eyes. Kieran, on the other hand, has not missed a beat. He is learning how to play as a little boy - using the barstools as his "garage" for his construction trucks just last night. He is also spitting out many words these days - "car", "truck", "more". He also loves to point to the different parts of his body, and his favorite is to show off his "bee" (belly-button). He's also filled with many faces, and often will do whatever he can to get a laugh - especially at the dinner table. I predict he is going to be the funny man of this family.

Check out what we have been up to:

Kindergarten already?

So Chris and I embarked on the beginning of a journey last night that is about ready to fast forward the next 18 years. In our school district, they pull all parents together for a preview of the school year to come in an evening called Kindergarten Roundup. Oddly, this year they just had the parents attend this first session - they must know from past experience that it takes parents MUCH longer to prepare for this day than it does the kids. So, we got a babysitter and sat with 100 some parents in the library of our soon to be elementary school learning about the different types of programs they offer, meeting the administrative staff and teachers, ways to get involved in the school, etc.

I was doing alright until the school counselor read off a poem that in short told us parents not to push our kids too quickly because the road ahead is long and steady and how they are still just little people with little hearts that have so much learning to do. At that time it was like it all hit me at once - that my little Aiden was going to start school learning how to read and write, make new friends and go through all of the stages of growing up. And, while he still has so much learning to do, how little he still seems to me and how it feels just like yesterday that he came home from the hospital and learning how to walk and talk. Surely we can't be ready for all of this just yet? It took everything in that moment that I could do to pull myself back together, but I can only imagine what it is going to be like this fall when I drop him off for his first day of kindergarten.

I guess that is why they must give us parents so much time to prepare...

Sports & Girls

OK, so I'll be the first one to admit that growing up in the Smith household is difficult. Namely - we are the ONLY Jayhawk fans in our family (minus Gram & Papa who sway on occasion, primarily when the Hawks are on a winning streak!). However, since birth we have done everything possible to brainwash our boys to sport their crimson and blue. Aiden has already been to a KU football and basketball game (and did I mention that he just so happened to spill his sprite all over the K-State fan sitting in front of us...still laughing about that one!). We also deck them out in KU gear - particularly after a big win! And, Aiden also has a KU blanket he sleeps under each night and a KU sign hanging above his bed to give him sweet "hawkish" dreams. Which is why it is only that I can call on my ornery Lindemann roots that I do not understand that anytime a KU game is on tv, Aiden ALWAYS cheers for the other team! Now Aiden does have some very bad Tiger influences from many of his grandparents and aunts, who along the years have tried to teach Aiden that Jayhawks resemble rubber chickens and the like, so you can understand why he is not quite sure where to put his allegiance (I guess he's not old enough to figure out where his college fund is coming from!).

That is where my boss comes into play. My child is SO spoiled that at 4 years old he knows exactly what Starbucks is. To all mothers - do not introduce your children to chocolate milk, and do not let your children know that Starbucks SERVES chocolate milk. I realize that I could simply just say "no", but seriously, how can I feel good about myself while I am sipping my delicious skinny vanilla latte with a drooling thirsty pre-k'er in the back seat! And not to make things worse, but my boss further encourages the spoiling by bringing back the occasional Starbucks chocolate milk for me to take home to Aiden. Needless to say, Mr. Troy is far FAR up on Aiden's list of favorite people. So last week after the KU/K-State stompage, Mr. Troy was asking if Aiden enjoyed the game, which I had to sheepishly respond that Aiden was cheering for none other than the Wildcats. Upon hearing such blasphemy, Mr. Troy said that unless Aiden would change his ways and become a true Jayhawker, the chocolate milk supply was going to get cut off! Needless to say, Aiden was LOUDLY cheering for the Jayhawks against Nebraska this past Saturday and is now saying "Tigers, who?" I guess it is true that a way to a man's heart is through his stomach!

Speaking of sports, what a great Superbowl that we got to share with many of our high school friends last night. Aiden & Kieran had a fantastic time munching on all of the treats they normally do not get to eat - Aiden taking fist fulls of M&Ms. However, I think the highlight of his evening was when he asked our friend Jeff to play Star Wars with him. In surprise, Jeff's 7 yr old daughter eagerly said - "I LOVE Star Wars, can I be Princess Leia?" I seriously thought Aiden was going to get down and propose right there...

Welcome to my blog!

I feel so nervous as I type this...I am joining the world of blogging, which I equate to the time that I took a leap off a cliff into the water below at the Lake of the Ozarks back in my high school days. At least Chris was there to hold my hand, which I will admit that sometimes I do need a little hand holding - particularly when it comes to things that I consider technological in nature.

Anyways, the reason for this blog is not that I want to be as cool as all of my friends who are already bloggers (which btw you all ROCK and I love following your posts!). Rather, I often try to channel the blogs that I secretly wish Chris to post on his blog at http://swiii.blogspot.com, but since boys are from mars and girls are from venus our telepathic communication REALLY stinks!

So instead I have opted to start my own blog. Thus, while I don't want to take any viewers away from my dear husband, because I can already promise you that I do not have near the humor he has on various (and more random) aspects of life, I do want to lure you in if you want to follow the ramblings of a mom who is constantly surrounded and amazed by the goings on of the boys in my life. While I have NEVER considered myself a girly girl - I think living in a house of testosterone has definitely made me embrace my more feminine side. So, I hope to post the funny stories and pictures that are proof of the life (aka adventure) that I never expected it to be.

A perfect example of this would be this very morning. As I was getting the boys ready for school, Kieran decided he was not feeling too patient. In my efforts of changing his diaper - off he runs to enjoy some nakie time. While having experience raising my boys, I know this is a bad idea (and you can already see where this blog is going), but I ignored my better judgment and went back to drying my hair. Seconds later Aiden calls from his room - MOM!! Come in here - NOW!! Immediate panic sets in, as I have now come to understand that you cannot predict what trouble two little boys have caused. As I get to Aiden's room, it appears as if a small rabbit has visited as there are small Kieran droppings on top of Aiden's favorite book that lay on the floor. Kieran, without a beat, is off and running again with me chasing behind. Then I look to Chris and say - we really signed up for this? Seriously...but how can you not forgive faces like these?



Hope you enjoy my posts!