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I got this e-mail from Steve (my mom’s husband/the kids’ Pops):

"Oh, my dear girl, you should be PROUD that your son is a Lugnut.  This is the name of perhaps the most exciting, fun, minor league team in the country, for the Toronto Blue Jays:

http://www.lansinglugnuts.com/

I especially recommend the lugnuts song:

CLICK HERE

Of course, they play at Oldsmobile Park  .  .  .  a car that is no longer made.

Just say that LUGNUTS KEEP THE WHEELS ON!!"

The song is awesome!!  You have to click on the site and tell me if you can sit still in your chair and not dance.  Go Nuts, Go Nuts, sing it again…!!  You can GUARANTEE that I’ll be teaching Caleb that song.  Thanks Steve!

WARNING: FULL WEEKEND = LONG POST (pull up a seat, popcorn and drinks sold separately).

Thursday:  I made it to my book club, and finished the book in my car before heading in to the house.  We read The Chosen by Chaim Potok.  It’s heavy, but good.  It’s about American Jewish life during World War II.  It’s also about an unlikely friendship between two Jewish boys…one who wants to become a rabbi, and the other who is supposed to be the next "tzaddik", but wants to choose a different path. 

Friday:  We had our quarterly women’s night at church.  We had an outstanding dinner (one of our women is a chef!), a program, and a game.  I was asked to share some thoughts about "standing for truth and righteousness", and organize/orchestrate a game.  The ladies rotated to different tables answering questions about themselves.  It was a great evening with a really nice camaraderie among us.

Saturday:  Derek went out on a team ride (more to come on this subject) but got a migraine and headed home for an Imitrex.  I took the kids to our ward Easter Egg Hunt at a park.  This particular park is up on a hill and it was freezing!  But fun, of course, for the kiddos.  Caleb was all about quantity this year.  Jacob was concentrating on finding the "golden" egg which had as its prize a basket full of candy (thank goodness he didn’t find it).  And Samuel was so pleased when a woman handed him a single pink egg.  He gave her a big grin and held on to it for almost an hour.

Bucket Heads 

Then we headed over to some friends’ who were making homemade cotton candy as a way to socialize with their neighbors, and we were privileged to get invited!  We discovered that Caleb is not a fan of cotton candy, but Samuel IS.

  (notice Caleb’s face in the background)

That afternoon we worked in the yard and cleaned the house.  That night our friends/neighbors, the Kovach’s and Brooke’s, came over for pizza, salad, cake/ice cream and a game.  If you have older kids, like strategy games, or think you’d like Monopoly-1800s style, you’ve gotta get this game:  The Settlers of Catan.  When they were first explaining the game (after 30 minutes of setting it up), my eyes glazed over and I was tempted to bow out.  It sounded way too complicated.  But after some coaching and assistance, Derek and I got the hang of it and were hooked!  So fun.  Here’s Donna gloating in her victory.

Sunday: Samuel is now 14 and 1/2 months, and still not walking.  And technically not really that interested in trying it by himself!  So we’ve decided as a family to make this our Spring Break project…teach Sameleh how to walk. 🙂  He holds on to the boys, and they walk him all over the house.  And wouldn’t you know it…he got his "first steps" in yesterday…from Derek to Caleb, and then Jacob.  We steady him (usually by holding on to his overalls or pants), he launches himself forward with a big grin, gets a step or two in, and falls forward.  And we clap and cheer and he looks at us like we’re crazy, but is so pleased with himself!  Happy times at the Smith house…the looks on Derek and Caleb’s faces say it all.

 

And now we begin Spring Break…yippee.  I’m excited to have some fun with the kids.  Derek’s taking a few days off at the end of the week, and we have a list of things we’re hoping to do/get done, most of which are just pure fun (including seeing THIS movie and visiting THIS zoo).  I’m hoping to squeeze a massage and pedicure in to the schedule too, if at all possible. 

Wear your green today!  Happy Monday.

I can’t say I do this for exercise, but I feel like I am always running!  Today I was feeling especially cute as I "ran" everywhere in my brown Steve Madden pumps and animal print scarf.  Yesterday I ran everywhere and didn’t buy a thing…very bad shopping karma yesterday.  Today…just the opposite!  I bought two antique chairs that were listed on Craig’s List.  Got the boys Easter presents (new swings for the backyard playground), and some art work for the piano room (which is 4 platters with flowers on them that I’m going to hang by the window).  Love it!  So productive. 

Now it’s 2:00.  Jacob gets home in an hour.  We have a piano lesson, a b’day party that Caleb is going to (and a gift still to buy), Open House at the school, and I have a Book Club Meeting this evening.  And I haven’t finished the book yet (only 3/4 of the way through)!!  I better get readin’…

When I was in college, I remember going to the closest gas station to campus and paying $.97/gallon.  Which was perfect, because I usually would only fill up a few dollars at a time.

Today, I filled the Suburban only 3/4 of the way full (because for some reason they won’t let you charge more than $75.00 at a time at the pump) and it cost $3.13/gallon.  Yikes…painful.

In 1999, I wrote in Jacob’s baby book that a gallon of milk cost between $1.39 and $1.69.  Last week I bought 3 gallons and each cost $3.99.

In 1994, when I graduated from high school, we were paying 29 cents for a stamp.  Now its 41 cents (unless it’s changed in the last week, which is highly possible).

I’m no economist, but the term "inflation" certainly comes to mind when looking at these numbers.  I hope one day my grandkids will read this and say "wow, I can’t believe how expensive things were" instead of "gee, things were so cheap!".

We are excited that Caleb will be playing t-ball this spring.  And after some minor snafoos with practices being on Sundays, we are now actively participating on a great team, coached by a nice guy who happens to be a local police officer.  Caleb got his new jersey and hat, which happens to be very cute…but his team name is "The Lugnuts". 

The WHAT?!

My baby is playing on a team named after a "heavy, rounded nut that fits over a bolt, used especially to attach an automotive vehicle’s wheel to its axle"?!?

This cannot be a good sign.

Jacob tactfully asked in his sarcastic 8-year-old-going-on-14 way, "A lugnut?!  What’s that?!"

I had to think quick.  Make it sound competitive.  Mean.  Like it somehow fit perfectly for the best t-ball team in the league…

"You know..

Screw ’em to the ground! 

Beat ’em til their down!"  I said, with a growl.

(And then I pretended to spit like a baseball player).

It seemed to appease the boys.

But I got a very disapproving look from Derek.  The kind that said, "I think you’ll live to regret that one."  But what was I to do?  No kid of mine is going to play on a team of lugnut pansies! 

So…last night we were playing a very competitive game of Uno.  I happened to win the first round, with Caleb coming in at a close second.  Derek opted for a round 2.  I, once again, came in first, with Caleb as second.  Let me tell you now that there is no "let the kid win" attitude around here.  I firmly believe that every one has to win fair and square in our house.  With the only exception being the "I’ll-help-you-beat-dad-now-that-I’ve-won" clause.

So while me and Caleb were doing our "we beat you" victory dances (literal dances) Caleb shouts, "WE REALLY SCREWED THEM, MOM!"

(*insert the same disapproving look from Derek).

I better figure out a new "lugnut" slogan.

This is one of the hardest mornings of the year.  After turning those clocks forward an hour, it is so tough for us Smiths to get up.  As we were rushing the boys thru breakfast, Caleb cried, "Why do we have to go to school so early?".  Good question, son.  And you can blame William Willett (fascinating to read about, by the way…click the link)!

So we’re off to a slow start, but it’s a busy week, so I better get in gear.  Here’s a sweet picture taken before bedtime a few weeks back:

And here’s another of the snow…Caleb became the master snow ball roller.  And he’s also the master "whistler" these days.  I’ve never heard a 5-year old whistle like this kid does.  He whistles all day long…LOUD!  He can do full songs.  It’s so cute, and he loves it.

Again.  Two times in one week!  Hard to believe.  And this time there was a lot more of it.  But it still only lasted about 24 hours.  The boys spent HOURS out in it, all afternoon and evening on Thursday.  And first thing on Fri morning, our neighbor and Jacob’s good friend, Daylen, was calling at 8 to see if he could come work more on the “snow cave” that he and Jacob were building.  There was a 2-hour delay for school on Friday, so they played up until 9:30 a.m. before putting dry clothes on and riding their bikes to school.  Fun times.

On Saturday we headed to a nursery that we like in Prosper.  We are expanding our flower beds in the front just a little and planting a little gem magnolia.  And we also got a peach tree for the backyard…and are looking for a plum tree.  We had a peach tree in one of our houses growing up, and I’m anxious and excited to try this out.  We’ll see how it goes.
Then we headed to old downtown Celina to a place called Lucy’s Grill.  It came recommended and we fell in love with the place.  It’s a hole-in-the-wall, but has the best food.  They brought us a plate of fresh, steamed green beans for Samuel that tasted like they had been grown out back.  And I had a grilled cheese with tomato and bacon that was HEAV-EN.  And Caleb had catfish (but kept calling it “salmon”).  So yummy…pies, burgers, etc.  Try it, if you’re in the area.
And then right on the same strip of Main St. was an antique shop.  The boys all indulged my need to go look…and we had the best time in there.  Owned by a cute old couple…I have about 6 things on a list of “have to haves” from there including a tin Annie lunchbox, that I swear I had in 1st grade.  I was crazy about Annie!
So it was a fun weekend…now, back to the grind!

One of the things we are encouraged to do in our Church is pray together as families and study the scriptures together, daily.  Praying has been a natural and routine part of our family for a long time.  But scripture study seems to come and go, ebb and flow and never be as consistent as we would like.  And at times not be happening at all.  It’s been hard for us to find a set-time, create a habit of it and stick to it.  But we were tired of feeling like we had failed in this area…there are no excuses when something is important.  You either do it or you don’t.  And we were not doing it…  But we believe in it…we believe that there is power in the words of God.  That they testify of Jesus Christ and teach principles and doctrines that will help anchor us in a shaky and sometimes scary world.  We believe that they bring peace and comfort and that they invite the Holy Ghost.  And that Spirit will help us in raising our children.  So it was time that we stop wishing for it and just do it.

I’ve read that it takes 28 days to create a habit…one month.  So in February we started our Smith Family devotionals.  Every morning at 7:00 (the kids have an alarm) the big boys meet us in our bed.  We sing a hymn.  I choose a hymn for the week.  And every morning we sing it.  This way we are learning the hymn well and it sets a nice tone for our time together.  Then we read from the scriptures.  This year we are reading from the Book of Mormon.  But we hope to someday start the Old Testament, New Testament and Doctrine and Covenants.  Then we end with our family prayer.

We were very successful in February.  And I can honestly say that it feels like habit now.  And it’s been a blessing to us and to our children.  Let’s hope we can keep it up.

This little man turned 14 months over the weekend.  He…

– is still not walking

– but getting around, for sure.

– adores his brothers (you should see the smiles when they get home).

– is down to one nap a day…and it’s lasting 2-3 hours (thank you!)

– took his last bottle of formula last week, and is now on whole milk only

– still takes a bottle, because he’s my third and I don’t have to follow any rules

– will eat ANYTHING we put on his highchair.  All my babies were good eaters, but this child is amazing.

– eats faster than anyone we know.  And we have to hold his hands from taking more food to shove in his mouth.

– loves to have soft blankets by his face at night

– and dances like no one is watching…all the time!

– is loved immensely.

This picture is not very good technically speaking…blurry, bad light, but I love it…totally captures his little personality.

I’ve got this lovely lady on my mind…

Her name is Frances.  She is so dear to me.  She was the best friend of my great-grandmother, Momo (as we called her).  But also great friends with my grandmother, a cousin, my great uncle, my aunt, and now me.  Four generations of a family…she’s been friends with all of us.  I have pictures of her holding me as a baby.  And now holding my children as babies.  She moved to Dallas from Houston about 5 years ago and we have been able to form a lasting and sweet relationship with her.

She’s the one that has told me that my great grandmother and great grandfather were so in love.  She tells me how much she admired and respected their marriage.  She tells me about her and Momo taking me to the movies when I was only two and letting me stand on the seat.  She is the only one that I know of who pronounces my name with all 3 of its syllables…Mer-e-dith.

She is the epitome of class and sophistication.  She has impeccable manners and grace.  She is kind and gracious.  She adores my children, as if they were her own grandchildren. 

I went to see her in the hospital yesterday.  She’s 91 years old and last week had a heart attack.  And now she has pneumonia.  As I sat with her, she would fall in and out of sleep, but then wake up to ask me a question about a family member or my boys.   I held her hand and kissed her cheek and told her of my love.  She knows I love her, and I know she loves me.  And I’m grateful for the time I’ve spent with her over the years.