I really need to get better at this

Okay so it came to my attention that I have not updated my blog in a really long time I am going to try and be better about this. So we will start fresh today.
Things have been a bit crazy with the Smith family. My schedule has changed yet again and I am now part time with the hospital and part time with the business. GMS has over 200 clients now and it keeps getting busier and busier. I am so excited to participate in the growth of our business. I love going to court and seeing how the business works. I look forward to doing more. I found out that I can possibly get my SSW by taking 2-3 classes. The crappy thing is I have to go back to school but the good thing is its only 2-3 classes which I can do in one semester. I will hopefully be doing this in the summer we will have to see.
The twins are doing fantastic they are now in Pre-School and loving every minute of it. I have to say sending them to school has been a big change more for me than them. I can't believe that my babies are old enough for school.
Maddi is still tall and skinny. She is such a happy and loving little girl. She loves animals and has all ready convinced me to keep a stray cat she found. This is the newest edition to the family and her name is Princess Kitty Lynn Lynn Smith. I have finally talked Maddi into just calling her Princess for short. Maddi loves to write and play with barbies. She is so much fun!

Gaige gets bigger and bigger every day! He loves superheros and dinosaurs he probably knows more about dinosaurs than I do including the correct names for them. He has just taken a interest in word search puzzles. He is a very smart and sweet boy! Gaige is quite the little ham and continually makes me laugh.

Mike is doing great he is still at Sherwin Williams. He just got another mini bike for his birthday this is number 3 It will be a good summer project for him, and hopefully we will be able to take it to the salt this year.

Lets see what else has gone on....Oh yeah I turned the big 30 in January I do have to say it was kind of depressing but I am over it now and embracing my age, after all its only a number. looking back 30 seemed so old until now and I am thinking my life has just begun. I look forward to the many adventures I will have in the future.
well that is all for now. Hope everyone is well. I will post some new pictures soon.

Yep its been a while

So its been quite a while since I last posted something. I have really struggled to blog lately I am not sure why but it has been really hard to keep up with such a busy schedule and find time to blog. Things here have been quite crazy lately. We have all most finished up the house we now have painted the whole house except our bedroom, we re did the bathroom, put new hardwood floors in the den, patched up some things with the kids room and now if it ever stops raining we will try to start on the outside. We have some work to do on our patio, we are attempting a garden this year hopefully we can get it tilled up soon! That is just the house stuff, I am working about 20-25 hours a week with the business (GMS) and it is really starting to grow fast! I love that job and look forward to eventually starting graduate school. I am currently going to court for the business and teaching the Love and Logic parenting class. I am finding I really enjoy the teaching part which I was a little skeptial about at first but it has turned out to be quite enjoyable! Besides work we have been busy with the

Twins who just turned 4 on May 9th I still can't wrap my mind around how fast time has gone wasn't it just yesterday that I was stuck on bed rest in the hospital??????? They have grown up to be some pretty amazing kids! I am so blessed to have them in my life! Not a day goes by that they don't put a smile on my face!
Gaige is now a giant yes I truly mean this he measured in at 43.5 inches (off the charts) and 47 lbs (100th percentile) our pediatrician basically told me that he would be taller then me by the time he was 8 at the rate he is growing ( not that it takes much to get taller than me) he loves superheros, playing out side on the swing set, riding his bike or skateboard and any other thing that boys do. He is so happy and carefree I just love his little personality.
Maddi Lynn Lynn is now measuring 40 inches (98 percentile) and she has finally made it to a whole whopping 33 lbs (10 percentile) she is just a little string bean. She is such a girly girl she loves the color pink and if she had her way that would be the only color she wears yet at the same time she loves to play in the dirt. Maddi is now really into barbies, zoo zoo pets, riding her bike/skateboard, and playing on her swing set. She is such a feisty little thing I just can't believe some of the things that comes out of her mouth ( she sounds just like me) Yet at the same time she is such a shy little thing and very sensitive. I have to admit it is so fun having a little girl that likes to go shopping with her mama and get her nails done etc...
I truly am so luck to have a boy and a girl it really is the best of both worlds!
Well I guess I will end for now until next time.......

Holidays

This is going to be a long one since I have not posted a thing since Halloween. Lets see where to begin I guess I will start with Mikes birthday This year he turned 33 we decided to have pizza and cake at our house with my dad, the Hayfords, and the Wymans. Mike's cake was in the shape of a Tabasco bottle. This was Gaiges idea since his daddy loves and I mean loves hot sauce. After cake we took all of the kids (and adults) and went bowling. It was so fun watching the kids bowl they would get so dang excited! I was awful at bowling and will have to admit that Gaige beat me and Maddi tied with me Yep my 3 year olds are better at bowling than I am. I will say I am pretty dang good at wii bowling but in the real world not so much. The next day we went to baby Taylor's first birthday party and then out to dinner with Mike's parents. This year I let the kids pick out what they wanted to get him and they chose these really cool lego race cars I thought they did pretty good.

Moving right along the following week was Thanksgiving we celebrated the actual Thanksgiving with Mikes family at his parents house and that evening I went to work. Then the following Saturday I made Thanksgiving for my family and friends. All in all it was a wonderful weekend. This was the kick start of the Holiday season and so far so good. I do have to say I love cooking for family and friends and I love to entertain shockingly we fit 12 people and a few stragglers in my house. The food was fabulous and so was the company.

So I am tired and will have to post more next is the Christmas Season and that one will take forever! Until next time.

wow its been a long time...

Wow it has been a long time since I last posted something. When I get my crap together I will update on the Holidays and Birthdays...

Halloween

Well Halloween for my family was about 3 days long. We started off by dressing up and going to my moms office and then to luch. The kids had a blast and it was so good to visit with my mom and actually spend some time with her. The next day the kids went Trick or Treating at Uncle Jakes office it was a blast and they made out like bandits! Then on Saturday we headed down to our usual spot Buna and Papa's and had dinner and snacks then went Trick or Treating with Lily and Kaylee of course it was raining so we only went to a few house but the kids had a good time after that we went back to Buna's and watched movies and ate some more! Over all Halloween was a blast! I am so glad our traditions have continued with my children. (when I was little I always went trick or treating with Melissa my best friend and now our kids are doing the same)

its not terrible 2's it ferocious 3's

So Yesterday I had to take my son to the doctor because as we were finishing up our Haloween craft day he decided to stick a bat window decal up his nose. He then panicked and told me that a bat was stuck in his nose I had no idea what he was talking about until he showed me the window decal and said that one of those is stuck in his nose. We ended up having to go into the doctor because I was unable to see or reach the item and his nose was bleeding worse than it should have. So in a panic I rushed him to the doctor ( i was worried if he sniffed too hard he would swallow that plastic and aspirate it or something.) Yes this is the way I always think Thanks to all of my years of working in the ER and now in a Pediatric ICU. We arrived at the doctor and they brought us back and the doctor safely removed the bat out of my son's nose. The reason it bled so much is because the plastic cut up the inside of Gaige's nose. This incident was not the first time he has stuck something up his nose.

Now on to ferocious 3's I love my kids don't get me wrong but whoever said it was terrible two's forgot to warn people about the ferocious 3's My kids weren't too bad at age 2 but now they give me a run for my money every day. Not only is this the age of great discovery it is the age of testing every boundary known to man. Between fights and curiosity i am constantly saying "no" . So parents be warned.

Gaige and Maddi are doing great they are learning tons and continue to surprise me everyday. They are very Happy busy kids. Gaige is now 41 inches tall and 43 lbs and Maddi is now 37 inches tall and 29lbs. They are now riding their big kid bikes and are continuing to learn their alphabet and numbers. they can count and sing the ABC's but are learning how to recognize them on paper.

We are now spending time at the library too. The kids love books and I am excited to feed their passion for reading. They obviously take after their mama in that department. My grandma Thornhill would have been proud. Well hope everyone is well I will post more after Halloween.

Where did September go????

Wow I can't believe we are allready into the month of October! Time is really getting away from me. The kids have started swimming lessons again and are quite the little swimmers! They love their teacher and have so much fun in the water. Gaige I think has a little crush on the teacher he always has to be by her and you can actually see him flirting with her. Its way cute! Since the last post we haven't done too much minus working on the house. We did celebrate Lily's 4th Birthday the other weekend and the kids had a blast trying to break the pinata. We also took the kids to see the "big planes" at hill air force base. I don't know who had more fun MIke or the kids! As summer is leaving us and Fall is moving in I am getting really excited for the Holidays! I look forward to doing our traditional Haloween activities like going to Black Island Farm and picking our Pumpkins and many other things. The only thing I don't like about this time of year is it is going to start getting cold and I am definatly a fair weathered person.
The business is picking up and we are at 60+ clients. Daddy is really excited. I am very proud of him and all of his hard work that has gone into this business. He really wants to help people.
Well that is all I can think of for right now. I will post pictures later. Hope everyone is doing well.

time got away from me

Wow things have been truly crazy this summer! I can't believe how fast time got away from me. Well I guess I will just give a quick over view of our summer. After the twins birthday we did a camping trip with Jake, Adriane, Elaine, and Justin it was fun and the kids absolutely loved it! They even tried to fish but due to their small attention spans it didn't last long but it was fun any ways. We also managed to go to the Dinosaur Park a few times, the zoo, lots of visits to the park and a few other things! We spent the 4th of July weekend with friends and family! This year we did a little swim party and had Melissa, Jerm, Lilly, and Kaylee over then did fireworks at home ( just like when i was a kid) The next day we had the family over for a BBQ, we had a wonderful time and ended up getting into a water fight. I am so glad that we were able to spend the time we did with friends and family it doesn't happen nearly enough. The 24th was kind of lame I had to work that weekend so Mike and the Kids stayed home and had movie night and who knows what else. I am sure they had fun though. We spent the month of August doing the kids first set of swim lessons and they loved them! They are just the cutest little fishes I have ever seen! Mike and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary by taking a long weekend and spending it with the kids. We spent our first day by going to lunch then to the Museum of Natural History. The kids loved the Dinosaur bone exhibit. The next day was spent at swimming lessons then to lunch then to the Aquarium where the kids got to pet sting rays and many other fun things. We dropped the kids off at my parents and enjoyed an amazing dinner at the Mandarin. The last day was spent goofing around and just being together. Mike and I have had an amazing 5 years of marriage and 10 years of actually being together! Since having our 2 wonderful kids our relationship has only become stronger and full of love. Now that September is here we are starting to slow down (only a little) and are getting ready for winter. The kids are starting swim lessons again in 2 weeks and then in about a month will be starting tumbling. This weekend was spent fixing the house and on Sunday we went with Grandpa Great and rode the Heber Creeper. It was an amazing day and brought back some childhood memories. I am so grateful that my twins are able to experience activities like this with their great grandpa. Not many kids get to know their great grandparents, and mine are fortunate enough to get to spend quite a bit of time with Grandpa Great Thornhill and Grandma Great Vicki. Well that is all for now, I will post pictures soon and give a business update. Hope everybody has had a wonderful summer.

Birthdays, Graduation, Camping Oh My.....

Okay I am so far behind it is not even funny there has been a lot going on lately and I have not had enough time to blog about it so be prepared its going to be a long one!

Moms' Graduation: My mom Graduated with her Masters Degree in Social Work on May 6th. I just want to say that I am very proud of her for accomplishing this long deserved goal! My daddy, jake, Adrian, Grandpa Great, Grandma Great, Mike, Me, and the twins celebrated this accomplishment by watching her walk then we all went to Dee's in bountiful for a late night snack that turned into all of us getting breakfast or dinner. We had a blast just hanging out and celebrating. Its not very often we can all get together. Congratulations Mom!

Gaige and Maddi's Friend Birthday Party: Next we celebrated Gaige and Maddi's 3rd Birthday. Let me start by saying I can't believe how big they are and how grown up they can act. This year they wanted to plan their party. I decided to go with it and see what they could do, let me tell you they truly amaze me. They started by picking the park as the place they would have their friend party then they decided who they would invite by naming their friends and then saying their parents could come too if they wanted. Next Maddi chose a Princess theme for the girls and Gaige chose a Lightning McQueen theme for the boys. I took them to Zurchers and they picked out decorations, party bags, and balloons. We then decided to make cupcakes for the park. Then Gaige informed me " mom...we need to give the grown up's a snack" I asked him what he wanted to feed them and this was his reply " Chips and Salsa and Strawberries with dip" So needless to say I went and got "grown up" snacks. On Saturday May 8th we went to the park and set up the pavilion for their party. The kids had so much fun playing with their friends! I have to say it was nice visiting with the adults. After the kids played for a while we sang Happy Birthday and ate cupcakes. Then the kids got to open presents. I just want to thank everybody for coming and for the wonderful presents you gave the twins!

Gaige and Maddi's Family Party/ Mothers Day: Gaige and Maddison actually turned 3 on Sunday May 9th which also happened to be Mothers day. We celebrated mothers day the night before and the kids gave me flowers and each picked out a pearl bracelet for me. I loved the fact they actually picked out the present it made it very special. I wear my bracelets everyday, and when I look at them I am reminded how lucky I am to be their mother! In the afternoon we went up to Grandma Vicki's to set up for the family party. The kids decided that they wanted Hamburgers and Hot dogs for their dinner. We decorated the back patio and instead of cupcakes the kids each had their own cakes. We had a wonderful BBQ with Grandma Vicki, Grandpa Great, Buna, PaPa, Jake, Adrian, Tyson, Chelsie, Sean, Aunt Michelle, Uncle Paul, Great Uncle Jeff, and Great Aunt Gwen. The kids and adults had a blast! We played and visited then opened presents and had cake. It was a wonderful night and I know the twins had a wonderful Birthday!

During the month of May we did a couple of fun things. We started off with the kids first trip of the summer to the Zoo. I think this is actually the first year they remember it. Mike had a Monday off so we packed up the kids, went and picked Grandpa Great up and headed to the zoo. First we had to stop and eat at Grandpa and Gaige's favorite place Chuck a Grama (this is what Gaige calls it) after lunch we headed to the zoo and the kids had a blast! I can't believe how much walking they did. I rented a stroller and it mainly carried all of our stuff. We had a good time looking at all of the animals and at the end Grandpa Great suggested that we take the kids on the Train so we did and they loved it! For some reason the train seemed so much longer when I was little but all in all it is still so much fun to visit the zoo.

We have also taken a few trips to the dinosaur park. The kids new favorite thing is dinosaurs and they can't get enough of that park. I have to say it is a fun place and a great place to walk around and enjoy the outdoors! This last time we went with Grandpa Great and he bought the kids a book on the different kind of dinosaurs and we have been reading it every night before bed.

Well this is it for now stay tuned for part 2: camping, fathers day......and more

Then and Now (forgot to post pictures)

Maddi

Gaige

Twins

3 Years ago on May 9th 2007 I was in the hospital waiting to deliver what would soon be the two most amazing kids in the whole world. Little did I know that these two little beings that had been growing inside me for 8 months would soon rule my life and that I would be okay with it. At 3 pm that wonderful sunny day I was wheeled into the c-section room where I would deliver my babies. I was so nervous and my doctor said that this was the easy part and to wait until they were actually born that was when the work would begin. I gave birth to a 5lb 8 oz , 17 inches long Little girl at 3:33pm we decided to name her Maddison Lynn Smith she was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen! She came out with tons of dark curly hair. I was not able to hold her right away since I had to start pushing again soon after I gave birth to a 5lb 7oz, 18 inches long baby boy at 3:39 pm we decided to name him Gaige Michael Smith he was so handsome and did not have much hair....

after giving birth to the two most beautiful babies I had ever seen I had asked my doctor if that was it.... He laughed and replied now the work begins... I didn't realize what he meant until I was home with the twins.

It was a hard transition since Gaige was in the NICU for 10 days and Maddi came home with me after 2 nights in the hospital. Once Gaige came home I was so thrilled to have my babies together again I didn't realize how hard taking care of two at the same time would be. They cried at the same time ate at the same time pooped at the same time This is when I realized carrying them was the easy part and now raising them was going to be a lot of work. I was okay with this realization because there has never been two little things that i loved more. Now I am a mother of the two most amazing 3 year olds in the world! Maddi is now 28lbs and37 inches tall and Gaige is 42 lbs and 39.5 inches tall They love to laugh and play and have completed my life! Happy Birthday to my two sweet angels

Coming Soon

I really need to update the blog I promise after the kids birthday I will update April and the first couple of weeks in may. Stay Tuned.........

business update

Wahoo!!!! We found out Friday that we got a Domestic Violence contract for Davis County!!!!! This is way exciting. On top of that we are up to about 35 clients and growing fast!

March and a few other things

March was a pretty slow month for us. We had Grandpa Greats birthday party and that was it as far as big things. We were able to take the kids to the Planetarium one weekend and they really enjoyed that. We also were able to have dinner with our friends Megan and Josh and the kids Liv and Jorja it was fun to spend some time together it doesn't happen often enough. We also got together with our friends Jon and Kiersten we played a way fun Game I think it was called Last Words or something like that. We came up with some pretty interesting things! The kids are growing bigger and bigger every day! I can't believe how much they talk! I remember when I wished they could talk and tell me what was going on, now there are days that I wish it were quiet again :) Its funny how that happens! Gaige is about 38 inches tall and 41 lbs , he loves to play with his tools and dinosaurs. He is full of energy and has told me that he can't wait to play football! Maddi is about 36 inches tall and she finally has made it to 27 lbs! She loves to play with her "friends" which include about 50 babies and stuffed animals. She also likes to read books and color. She is turning into quite the little spit fire, I think she has to in order to keep up with Gaige! Things with me are fine I love my job and the fact I get to say home with the kids all day. Not much has changed. Mike is doing fantastic he is in school and has also made a huge life change, He finally quit smoking! I am so proud of him for doing this not only does it benefit him put it benefits our family too! He is an amazing husband and father and I look forward to growing old with him.

The next thing we celebrated was Easter it was fun this year even though it was a little cold outside. We started the weekend off with coloring easter eggs with Uncle Jakey thenWe had my dad, Jake, Grandpa Great, and Grandma Great over for a Easter Breakfast I made Waffels, eggs, sausage and strawberries. We had a wonderful Breakfast and the kids opened their Easter Baskets! After Breakfast the kids went outside and hunted for eggs! It was so fun watching them they were so excited about all the eggs they found. They kept handing them to my brother and when they wern't looking he would throw more around the yard this went on for quite a while and then it got too cold so we went back in the house. Over all it was a fun filled holiday!

Last but not least We took advantage of the good weather over the weekend and took the kids to the Dinosaur Park this is one of my favorite places to visit I have gone every year since it opened. My grandma and grandpa Thornhill used to take me. The kids had a blast and loved looking at all of the Dinosaurs! It was also Mikes first time there and he thought it was pretty cool. Well I will end for now.

Business Open House

So the open house went pretty well. The food was wonderful and there were a fair amount of people that showed up to see what our new business was about! I was very proud of my daddy and he seemed pleased that everything went so well. I also want to say Thanks to everyone that helped with out you we couldn't have pulled it off!
We all ready have had 6 referrals for the month of April and are hoping for more! So far the business is doing great and I figure once our name gets out there more it will do even better!

House update..wishes and wants

We have spent the last little while getting things done in the house. So far we have completed the kids room, part of the living room and thats about it. I have decided that when you own a house the work never ends especially if you are trying to get it ready to sell. We still have a lot to do when it comes to painting and repairing things and on top of it we still have to maintain the usual house hold things. I can't wait for this to be done and hopefully we can sell the house and get a bigger one! I am really looking forward to having some more space. Even though I love our little house and always will since it was the first house we ever bought as a married couple but I do have to say I am not so attached that I wouldn't want to move into something bigger that will fit our family and continue to fit it as the kids grow. Right now the two bedroom is working but Maddi is all ready saying that she wants her own room. I think Gaige would be happy sharing for awhile longer. I would love to have a second bathroom and more than anything a dining room that would fit my big table so that when we entertain (which is often) we can fit everybody at a real table not fold out ones in my living room. I have decided that when we start looking a second bathroom and dining room are two things I have to have! Paint etc... can be changed I just want to focus on the layout. Well enough said for now I am hoping we can finish this house stuff and put it up for sell by May 1st. We will see how the cards play out.....

Business Update

So here is the Business update since I have not done one recently. Right now GMS Counseling has 24 clients! March has been very good to us so far, we received 12 clients so far for the month of march and we still have this week and next before it is over. Duane got our website up and running and we are also on facebook. (Thanks Duane) If you are interested our website is www.gmscounseling.com We are also having an open house for the business on March 25th starting at 4 pm feel free to stop by and say Hi. My dad is continuing to work hard on writing a proposal for a contract that comes up soon so hopefully we will get one of the contracts and that will give us even more clients. Well that is about all for now I will update again later.

Grandpa Great

Well March started off with a bang! It was my Grandpa Thornhill's 83rd birthday on March 4th and we decided to celebrate it on march 5th so most of the family could be there. I decided to host a Birthday Dinner at my house and the kids decided that their Grandpa Great needed a real birthday party with cake and decorations and of course presents! I let the twins pick the cake and decorations and they decided Thomas the Train would be good (this worked great since grandpa retired from the railroad). I ordered grandpa a cupcake cake in the shape of a train and when I went to pick it up on Friday it was a disaster! The cake looked like something the twins colored! I threw a huge fit and told the people I would not pay for that piece of crap and they gave me the cake for free and then said the only thing they could do was give me one of the pre decorated cakes but I would have to pay full price for that one I told them where to stick it and went to Bowmans and told their bakery my dilemma and they told me that if I would use a pre baked cake they all ready had they would decorate it and give me 5 dollars off. I went with that and the cake turned out great! The lady that helped us also gave the twins a tour of the bakery and a free cookie they were so excited! I decided that Bowmans has now won my business! We ended up with a Thomas the Train Cake and I was delicious! After the cake drama we went home and I started cooking and I basically cooked all day! I made deviled eggs and stuffed mushrooms for an appetizer and then a Ham dinner with potatoes, green bean casserole, and candied carrots and of course can't forget the rolls! Everybody showed up to the house about 530pm and enjoyed visiting. The twins were so excited that they wouldn't take a nap and by 630 they both conked out and slept through the whole dinner. The did wake up in time to sing Happy Birthday to Grandpa Great and help him eat his cake! Over all it was a wonderful evening and I think My Grandpa enjoyed his day!

He is a wonderful man and I love him dearly! Not only is he an amazing father and grandfather but he is a wonderful Great Grandfather and I am so grateful that my children are able to get to know him and spend time with him! As I watch the way my Grandpa plays with the twins it brings back great memories from my childhood and the times I spent playing with him. 28 years later he still gets down on the ground and plays with the kids the same way I remember him playing with me!

Valentines Day

Valentines this year was probably my most favorite one so far! I took the kids on Friday before Valentines Day to pick out thier Daddy's present and Gaige decided that his daddy need some type of tool. This worked out perfect because Mike had been eying a specific level for quite some time so we bought it for him. I explained to the kids that it was a surprise and not to tell Daddy but that was short lived. Gaige woke up from his nap and asked Mike if he could have his old level Mike said no because that was the only one he had and Gaige told him that we got him a new one. Oh well. On valentines day we spent the day as a family and then went to dinner with Mom Daddy Grandma Vicki Jake and Adriane it was a blast and the kids loved getting a few presents. It was nice to see my family since our schedule are usually so crazy we don't get together like that very often. When we got home we played the new game the kids got and just relaxed. Holidays are so much fun now that the kids are getting old enough to be excited about them. I can't wait for Easter they will be a blast when we show them how to hunt for Eggs!

new start

So I didn't really make a new years resolution because I don't ever keep them but I have decided that since I have a new job and other things are changing I am going to make a new start and get healthier. I want to lose weight but more than anything I want to get in shape and be healthier in general. I have started eating better and exercising. I am hoping this motivates me to keep going. Change is in the air and I decided that this is the perfect time to make some personal changes. I want to set a good example for my kids and show them that you need to eat right and exercise. So here I go!