Thanksgiving

Baylor has been couting down the days until Thanksgiving because it meant cousin time. And it did not disappoint with almost all of the Smith side gathered together for a couple of days.

We started Thanskgiving day off with some time at Kent Bowl because on Thanksgiving you bowl for free. We had so much fun though we did have quite a few per lane so it took a bit longer than expected.

McCall kept busy the majority of the time "driving" with different cousins.

Paige was great at helping Baylor out and at the end when Baylor was done, she even helped McCall out. They all had lots of fun.

I'm so grateful that I married into such an amazing family!

Then the girls spent the afternoon with cousins while I made pies and deviled eggs at our house. We went a couple of hours before dinner was ready and it was so fun just to visit with everyone. There were lots of laughs and one of my favorite things with my little girls is that her tall boy cousins try to make them laugh and play with them especically McCall. At one point I looked over at her, and there for 3 or 4 of her older boy cousins sitting around her and playing with her. It is the sweetest! Then it was time for the feast!

I love the little girl table! It brought back lots of fond memories for me.

After more time and visiting and letting all the food settle, then we enjoyed some delcious pies! Paige made her cookies and cream ice cream pie and it was by far the favorite and was gone first. We had pumpkin pie, pumpkin roll, dutch apple pie (my favorite), Edward's chocolate cream pie, blackberry pie, and lemon meringue pie. It was such a wonderful day and meal spent with family!

The next day Baylor and McCall got to play with Myla for a bit before they left for home. Then we spent the majority of the day decorating for Christmas.

Paige got a hold of the camera for a bit and McCall was in such a goofy mood with her poses and faces.

All the girls loved helping decorate the Christmas tree especially Baylor.

All three of them had to put the star on top.

We ended the day back and Nona and Pop's for anothe family dinner and get together to celebrate Carly's birthday. There was more visiting and playing charades. I left early because McCall was pretty clingy and tired most of the evening. I got her to bed and about an hour later, I heard the horrible sound that no parents enjoys hearing, her throwing up. She threw up multiple times leading up to her falling asleep for the night. I slept on the couch with her last night and she woke up three times during the night to throw up more. Around 1 is when she finally fell asleep for the rest of the night. She napped on me today which was sweet but it's so sad to see her sick and she often complains and says "tummy hurt." Hopefully she is the only one that gets it. Not the best way to end our Thanksgiving break but we enjoyed all the time with family and we are so grateful that we have each other.

November Doings

Another month has flown by! November was busy with gymnastics, young women activities, school, and just life. Now that it is cold, we don't go on as many outings but we still find moments that we find joy in.

I had to get a cavity filled and I took McCall to Nate's work so she got to have fun with dad at work while I was having "fun" at the dentist. Nate said she was very busy and loud and had so much fun working on her own computer, drawing, and playing with cars.

At least once a week, if it wasn't rainy, then I would go walk at the park with McCall and a few times we fed the ducks which she loved.

The last two weeks, McCall has officially made it to the stage of no naps which of course leads to finding her in random places sound asleep while her little body still adjusts. 

Paige loves to do her sister's hair. So on the weekends McCall and Baylor have the cutest hair. It is something Paige enjoys and she does such a good job.

We had a big wind storm on a Tuesday night and it was pretty intense. It was scary as I was waiting to pick up Paige from practice as I watched the trees across from her school sway back and forth knowing at any minute, one of them could fall down towards me. With all the trees that fell, SO many people lost power and I'm extrememly grateful that we weren't one of them. The girls ended up not having school Wednesday to Friday because so many schools didn't have power and it took time to get roads cleared with trees falling on power lines and branches and debri everywhere. Nate worked overtime and was using a chainsaw for three to four days straight. 

Paige and I were able to go support some of her friends/young women from our ward and watch them perform in the Nutcracker. They did a wonderful job and it was fun to have a little Paige and mom time.

We are so excited for the Christmas season!

7 Years Old

Here's a post dedicated to our favorite 7 year old and all about her big day! She is pretty amazing and so funny. Happy birthday Baylor! 

Here's what Baylor is like at 7 years old:

• She went to the doctor today and is 43 pounds (14 percentile) and 3 feet 10.65 inches (29th percentile). She is so brave with shots and really always has been. She doesn't even flinch or cry. I also really appreciated today that when the doctor was asking her questions, she answered clearly and was so good with conversation.
• She is the perfect middle child and adds flair and sass to whatever she is doing.
• She says the funniest thing, has sacrasm down, and picks up on things so quick. She will often say something and I'll have to ask her where she learned that. Some funny things recently were me telling her not to say yucky when I tell her what is for dinner because it is rude and then she uses air quote with her fingers and says that it's "yummy". Then today on the radio a song said something about a cowboy and she says they should be called horseboys because they ride horses and not cows. :)
• She has the eye roll down but also does it with a twinkle in her eye and a little smirk. When she smiles, her entire being lights up. She has the most stunning brown eyes and the cutest little freckles.
• She is always quick to do what I ask of her. She will be the first to get up and go when I say it's time to do chores or go to bed. There may be a question of why but she is always quick to mind. She is also super helpful and always wants to help especially if I'm baking. She loves being my taste tester.
• She loves her accessories when getting dressed- headbands, necklaces, bracelets and anything sparkly. Though she hates her hair being brushed and is very dramatic every morning when I'm trying to do her hair for the day.
• She is my pickiest eater but will always try something and would never admit that she liked it but when she likes something she sure can eat. Her favorite dinner right now is chicken noodle soup in bread bowls.
• She is my snacker and loves sweets.
• She is my best sleeper. She falls asleep within about 5 minutes. She is also my earliest riser but knows how to turn the TV on and get to her own shows which is great for me. She is a morning person like her mama, ready to go as soon as she is up.
• She hardly ever cries but when she does it is the saddest thing in the world and she has the saddest puppy eyes.
• She loves to play games with anyone who is willing and loves to have stories read to her.
• She loves to be with friends and play with other kids. She doesn't like to be alone and whether at home or at school wants to have someone around. If she doesn't know a kid, she is shy but once she is comfortable or gets introduced then it's her best friend and she wants to have them over for a play date.
• She is excelling at school and loves math. She practices math problems at home on her own for fun. I have also been amazed at how much she has improved in her reading skills this school year.
• She is often the one pushing buttons or when her buttons get pushed, she is the loudest. She is SO loud all the time and really doesn't know the meaning of quiet unless she is at church then she is as quiet as a mouse and doens't show any expression besides serious.
• She loves to dance, twirl, or run everywhere around the house.
• She loves to build with legos, imagine while playing with dolls or babies, draw, or watch shows (favorites right now are Paw Patrol, Number Blocks and Gabby's Dollhouse).
• She loves the outdoors and is always up for an adventure. My favorite thing about hiking with her is she gets so excited for stairs. She's loves to find treasures when we go on adventures and she always wants me to keep that special shell or special rock safe for her.
• Bad or cold weather doesn't affect her. All the rest of us will be cold, and she's out in a swimsuit playing in the water. :) She hates wearing coats and it is a constant battle to get her to wear more than a jacket on rainy days. She is often hot and usually takes a small ice pack to bed with her because she is a hot sleeper.
• She is the perfect tease to a lot of her extended family and it's funny to watch her banter and tease with her older cousin, aunts & uncles, and esepcially Pops.
• She truly is the perfect middle child and I can't imagine our family without her!

A little trip down memory lane. As I looked through all these pictures, all I could think of is how Baylor's smile lights up her entire being and just makes me smile. She is full of fun, light, and joy.

She has always loved bubbles and running and dancing through them!

Look at that little miracle baby! Why does time fly when you have kids, but then it's this constant pull in your heart of wanting this little baby back in your arms and reflecting back on the past with such joy but also loving the stages of life your kids are going through in the moment. Of course, each stage has it hardships and rough patches, but it is such a joy to watch your kids grow, learn, and become. I love getting a front row seat in their lives.

Baylor wanted a Squishmallow birthday this year because first, she loves Squishmallows, but more importantly to her was that if she had a Squishmallow party then she would get more Squishmallows. Smart girl!

The party started and our house was filled with family and friends. I was planning on doing presents at the end, but Baylor was too excited so she wanted to do that first. She got Squishmallows and more and is so loved.

I loved watching her open presents! She gives the best facial expressions and shows so much joy and excitment for each gift.

The first game was pin the crown on the Squishmallow.

I helped Baylor know how to trace the Squishmallow on the poster so she did that all on her own and then she painted the red all on her own. I did the black lines and it turned out so cute. To start off her birthday, she woke up this morning to a big, new Squishmallow that looked just like this fox so of course that's the one she wanted to create for this game. Nona even got her gifts that were this fox and she was SO excited about it. 

Then we did Squishmallow Bingo. I created this one based off an idea found online. It turned out really cute and was a lot cheaper than buying one.

Paige made the most amazing Squishmallows out of clay for cake toppers. Baylor wanted Oreo fluff mostly but wanted something to put the cake toppers on. So I bought a small cake roll from Fred Meyer for the cake toppers and had cups filled the Oreo fluff with Squishmallows that I printed off and taped on toothpicks. So it was the perfect dessert to celebrate Baylor and Squishmallows.

Happy birthday sweet girl! It took her a little bit to get all her candles blown out but she did it and was so happy with how everything turned out.

She was spoiled and got so many amazing gifts.

These two tried out some of her new face masks before going to bed. They are so cute and love doing things together.

Happy birthday Baylor! Onto another great year of loving you!

Halloween

To start off our Halloween festivities, we had a ward trunk or treat. This year the theme was, "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!" I was asked to help with deocorations and so for the last month I have slowly been painting and creating scenes from the book. I started with getting the book from the library to kick off my inspiration and then I just took little segments to focus on for the different areas in the church.

First was the trick-or-treating scene. Then second was the pumpkin scene where Linus and Sally "see" the Great Pumpkin. (This scene was my favorite with how it turned out.)

Then for the back half of the gym, I focused on the Halloween party scene. I truly love doing decorations for a party and having this vision in my head and seeing it come to life. I really love how it turned out and it was a fun theme to work with.

There were a few other Charlie Brown touches that I did and then the main person in charge did more pumpkin and fall decorations along with the cute standing Charlie Brown inspired ghosts. I also painted Charlie Brown pumpkins to go on each table as a centerpiece. 

There was a pumpkin patch in the middle. Not a lot of people brought pumpkins but it was fun for our little family to bring and show our jack-o-lanterns that we created.

I did my costume with a few of the young women. I was Sadness and Paige was Joy. Then McCall was Cinderella and Baylor was her fairy godmother.

We had a chili cook off and there was plenty of food for everyone. It is always well attended and everyone seemed to be having a good time.

The two young women I had there were willing to do a little face painting station which was fun to watch. They did a great job and I loved seeing the kid's faces light up when I would show them a picture of the masterpiece.

Anna and Scott always go all out and do such amazing things for their trunk!

My girls walked around together with Paige leading the way. They got lots of great candy and had so much fun. Now onto Halloween and trick or treating!

McCall and I started our fun Halloween while the other two were at school. At the library, they had a Trick or Tales. The kids got to dress up and there were some songs and some Halloween stories. Then all the kids got to go trick or treating throughout the library. We joined Matilda for this fun event.

Then McCall and I did a little photo shoot of her costume. She was into all sorts of poses and she loves her princess dress. She is just the cutest and I am loving this stage with her.

I mean look at that sweet face! I just want to kiss her cheeks all day every day!

Just out here living her best life!

The smile melts me every time!

This was one of my favorite moments of our little photo shoot. She got so excited to find this little guy. Her big "ooh" and "so cute" and then going into her own imaginary world as this little guy was her friend and she was feeding it and making it walk around. Her chubby little toddler fingers are so cute! I always want to remember her cute little voice and the way she sees the world and takes it all in.

Then it was Baylor's turn once she got home from school. One very cute pink M&M!

I wasn't able to get a photo shoot of Paige since she got home from gymnastic practice just in time to eat and get going. Paige, Baylor, Emily, and Natalie were all M&Ms and they looked so cute together. Too bad it was raining the entire time we were trick or treating so not everyone got to see their costumes except maybe their skirts. We were joined by Eliza, Matilda, and Jonah. We had a big group and it was so fun walking around together. It was very wet and cold, but the girls were still so happy to get lots of candy and enjoy the evening together.

The candy haul from a successful night of trick or treating!

Happy Halloween!