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Some things in life are timeless.  Like children (even boys!) playing in their mom's heels.

Sam, Sept 2009

Yesterday at the kids' school it was "Dress for Success" today.  The children were encouraged to dress as their future career.  Caleb wanted SOOOO badly to dress as a police man.  But, alas, we have nothing "policey" around here and time dwindled.  So he went with a cut out badge, printed off the internet, pinned to his shirt.  It's better than nothing, I say.

When he came home I asked about his day and asked him to tell me some of the careers that kids came dressed as.  He told me a few and then got excited and said "Oh, and mom, you're gonna love this one."

Lily wore an apron, brought a baby doll and bottle and said she wanted to be a MOTHER.

My response to him was a big smile and a "You're right Caleb, I do like that one".

Then I took the moment to talk to him about why I think motherhood is so special and sacred and we talked about the God-given duties that women have as nurturers and first and foremost as mothers.  I quoted for him some of the beliefs we have about the family and its divine role as taught in The Family: A Proclamation to the World by our Church leaders.

And I was so tickled that this little girl wants to be a mother…and at the same time tickled because it must mean she has a pretty good mother.

is that I'm going to turn into one of those crazy dog owners who buys sweaters for her dog and talks baby talk to them, and buys them Christmas stockings, and let's them sleep in the bed, etc, etc. 

And when I look at this picture I become somewhat disturbed because this woman (me) has a strange twinkle in her eye that indicates "crazy dog owner". 

Only time will tell…

And did I mention that I never wanted to own a dog?

Note: Our "Maggie" has a pink ribbon around her neck to mark her as ours.  It may very well be the only time in my whole life I get to claim anything with a pink ribbon!

Dear Autumn:

Hooray!  You did it!!  You came on the most unexpected of days – on your first "official" day! 

Tuesday as I strapped Samuel in the stroller for our every-other-day walk/run, I noticed that we were unprepared for your welcome.  I ran back in to get a jacket for him to cover his bare short-panted legs.  But it did nothing for his short-shirted arms. 

You have a way of coming without warning.  90 degrees one day, and then bam! you ride in like the wind bringing 60-degree temperatures.  Please don't get me wrong – you can whisk in any time you like, I don't mind at all. 

And did you see the welcome the skies gave you?  A fireworks show to beat all Fourth of July evenings.  Don't be offended by the thunder – that's just his way.  He is just a little ornery and temperamental. 

Now - I know you can't stay long.  The depth of the heat here in TX has settled in over the summer and will rise up and once again take over.  But you've made your mark.  You've warned us that it is your time to shine.  Each time via cold front – pushing out the permeating heat to give us a respite.  It will take time – don't give up!  We need you so we can open our windows and chase the swine flu out the back door.  We need you to initiate pumpkin buying, pumpkin baking, and goblin treating.

You were our hope in the thick of August.  We welcome you with open arms.

Come again soon,

Meredith

This post was intended for yesterday – his birthday – but typepad was not cooperating.

10 years of handsome, wonderful Jacob.

Such a sweet kid, who loves life.  Has always been "big" for his age – mature beyond his years, and wanting to be older than he is (I remember being the exact same way as a kid).  Talented at so many things.  Smart as a whip.  Loves to be involved in adult conversation.  Loves to read (and I love that he loves to read).  Persistent, perceptive, playful.

Last week we learned some things about him that are important to know.  After undergoing many hours of testing and evaluation by a professional we now feel better able to help him with the things that he struggles with.  It certainly doesn't mean that we have all the answers…but it does mean that we can work toward solutions that in the long run will be a great blessing to him…and to us.

He is delightful.  And wonderful.  And we love being his parents.

Gourmet Club was once again a success!!  So glad to have it over (it's exhausting!).  But also thrilled with the results.  The whole point of Gourmet Club is to practice the art of cooking and entertaining.  To try something new…to stretch and grow in the kitchen.  The rules are that you have to serve at least 6-8 courses.  You have to make everything from scratch.  You have to try and perfect things before you serve them.  And I certainly did that this time..trying things I had never heard of or made before!  It was a great party!!  My partner/neighbor/friend/sister-from-another-mother Donna is a supreme cook and entertainer…she makes me look good at these things!

Our theme:  "Fresh from the Market" (and we really did buy lots of our produce at the farmer's market)

Our menu:

Peach Fuzzies (drink)
Stuffed Mushrooms
Crudites with White Bean Hummus (crudite is French for raw veggies served with dip – fancy, huh?)
Savory Pear, Goat Cheese and Onion Tart
Butternut Squash Soup with Corn Relish
Tomato and Watermelon Salad (this was more a piece of art!)
Strawberry Sorbet
Cornish Hens with Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce and Sauteed Spinach
Pavlova with Lemon Curd and Blueberries (pavlova is like a meringue)

The table: Each place had their own herb as their take-home gift, and we also adorned the table with those.  And we made "plant tags" with our guests pictures as place cards.  Each herb was just put into a paper bag that had been trimmed with ribbon. 

The guests:

Christi, Heidi, Phoebe, Anne, Callie, Misti, Michelle, Katie, Angela, Tiffany (a great bunch of ladies!)

p.s.  Julie – we missed you! 🙂

Once upon a time I dreamed of being a mother.  And when I found out I was pregnant after only 6 months of blissful marriage, I was ecstatic.  We immediately ran to Barnes and Noble to get "What to Expect When You're Expecting" and I read it cover to cover that night.  I don't recommend doing that.  Reading about labor right after you find out your pregnant can be kind of scary.

Nine long months passed – some of them spent on the couch (or over the toilet).  And one night I watched a show on Dateline about hypnotherapy for labor.  They had one woman who used it, and was calm.  The other didn't, and screamed her head off.  I don't respect screamers – it's downright silly – get a hold of yourself!  Anyway – I don't recommend that either.  I cried all night, scared out of my right mind.

Then the next day I went to the doctor who said the babies head had fallen very low, but my cervix was still not dilated.  "I have some concerns about your uterus and the possibility of it falling out". 

What?  A-hem.  Umm?  Huh??

That was NOT in the "What to Expect…" book.  

Anyway. 

That's the story of how I was admitted to the hospital on September 21st, 1999.  Spent a long uncomfortable night with some medicine that would make my cervix open.  And then spent some scary hours trying to get you here the next day.

But in the end – you made me a MOTHER.

You made my dreams come true.

Today I dragged cute Samuel to three different grocery type venues – all in the name of food. 

Glorious.

Food.

Central Market – produce galor.  lots of organic-ness.  lots of organic people. 

Farmer's Market – produce galor.  lots of fruit flies.  but it feels more organic – it's fresh from the farmer.  right?

Costco – produce GALOR.  like you can only buy their produce if you have a family GALOR to eat it.  i filled my cart to the brim and then proceeded to try to become a magician and fill it some more.  samuel had to get out of his cart so i had room for bottled water.  i made him help push.

Luckily, two of the venues had lots of nice sample people who fed my toddler.  baked ziti, fresh squeezed orange juice, chicken nuggets, chocolate cake.  balanced meal, i'd say.  And when he tried to reach for a strawberry at the farmer's market (isn't everything a sample?), the nice man gave him (and me) a grumpy look that said "get your hands off my produce", which he did (I actually had to remove his hand).  But the nice/grumpy man made up for it when he sold me on the benefits of bee pollen (which I bought).  Anytime anyone says "it gives you more energy", I buy it.  It's a problem.

But that's how I spent the last 4 hours of my day.

All in the name of food.

(We host Gourmet Club tomorrow night – pics to come!)

My kids love to bike, like their dad.  And they love to swim.  And they like to run.

For a while now we've been interested in signing them up for junior triathlons, because we just had a feeling that they would enjoy it.  The problem is many triathlons (if not most) are held on Sundays, and we don't participate in sporting events on Sundays in an effort to make it a holy day devoted to worship and family.

So we were thrilled to learn about the Blackland Tri in Plano on Labor Day.  And the boys were excited too.

We woke up at 5:20 a.m. to get there by 6:00 so they could set up their "transition" areas (they had to do this all by themselves without us), receive their ankle chip timers (very official!) and attend the required meeting.  The swim started at 7 am (100 meters – which sure looked long in person!), followed by a 3-mile bike, and a .6 mile run. 

We were SO proud of these little big boys.  WOW!  Watching them swim their hearts out!  Jacob passed several people with his beautiful stroke.  Caleb swam like a champ (having to rest on the ropes several times because he was so winded).  Bless his heart – that's a long swim for a little body!  But as soon as he was done he jumped out of the water and sprinted towards the biking area. 

Here's Jacob on the swim:

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=6608490&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1

Jacob – SWIM from Meredith Smith on Vimeo.

Derek followed to see them bike and Caleb apparently gave him a "look" that said "I don't know if I can do this". :)  But he never quit – he rode hard and then ran hard.  And Jacob was concerned about his brother enough to ask about him as he finished on his bike.

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=6608502&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1

Caleb – BIKE from Meredith Smith on Vimeo.

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=6608515&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1

Jacob – BIKE from Meredith Smith on Vimeo.

After the swim, me and Samuel waited for them close to the finish line as they sprinted to the ballooned arch. 

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=6608481&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1

Caleb – RUN from Meredith Smith on Vimeo.

There's NOTHING like cheering your kids on – in whatever requires it – academics, sports, whatever.  Tears welled up and my chest tightened.  I LOVE these kids.  And to see them work hard and do well gives me the most satisfaction in the world.

Way to go, Jacob and Caleb!!  We love you!

 

Here they are wearing their t-shirts to school the next day…

Just for the record (but who's bragging!): 

Jacob finished in 27:33 and placed 25th out of 66 kids in his division (9-10).  Awesome – particularly because many of these kids train for tri's all year long and he barely trained at all (other than hanging out in the pool all summer).

Caleb finished in 35:59 and placed 25th (no kidding – both were 25th!) in 32 kids in his division (7-8).  Caleb was one of the youngest participants there, having just turned 7 in July.

My boys have been walking around the house quoting this entire commercial all weekend.  They think it's SO funny.  And it IS funny…when they say it!  Imagine them in their best imitation manly voices saying "Just kidding – I'm not a woman – I'm a MAN!"

Personally, I don't think the commercial is very funny at all.  But my boys do.  And the impersonations of it have brought lots of laughs to our house.