Cheetah Girls

Today we want to wish Cousin Maren a very Happy Fourth Birthday! Maren is the big sister Audrey and Fletcher never had and is great at helping feed Audrey her bottle, singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to both kids, and also makes for a great sous chef when I am scrambling eggs for Fletcher in the morning ("my grandma always lets me stir the eggs in the skillet when it is on the stove," um, sure she does).

A couple of days ago I may have casually mentioned to Aunt Angie, who was on the way to the mall, that Audrey was rapidly growing out of all of her clothes (wink, wink). Well, Aunt Angie, being an excellent personal shopper for all of her nieces and nephew, couldn't let that continue, and showed up at lunch with a bag full of outfits, including this cute cheetah print ensemble.


Apparently Maren must have took special notice because the next day my mom had stopped by a resale shop to look for puzzles and Maren ran straight over to the dresses, found one with a cheetah print, and insisted that my mom buy it so she could match Baby Audrey. Then, as soon as they got home, she called me and asked if I could bring Audrey over so they could both wear their cheetah dresses.

Of course I came right over. Who could resist a photo shoot with such cute models?

Succumbing to Apple's Siren Song?

I've never been a techie, or a gadget person, or a computer geek, or any other term that may be used for someone up on the latest technological trends. In college and law school, while many of my *cool* friends complained about the PCs in the computer labs (yes, I went to school before everyone owned laptops and there were designated rooms here and there containing a couple of rows of PCs) and insisted on using their own Macs, I couldn't have cared less. Yes, I did have a blackberry for years, through work, but as soon as I stopped working I immediately got a plain phone, no email, no Internet access, in fact, I don't even text.

I am not anti-technology, and I guess by even having a blog I have embraced the technology trend a bit, but I have never had the slightest impulse to get the "latest and greatest" gadget. Which, lately, at least to this layman, seems to revolve around Apple. Nope, no iPhone for me, and no iPod or iTunes for that matter, either.

But, times might be a changing, and I am finding that I may not be able to resist Apple's newest product. I can hardly believe it, particularly as we have been majorly pinching pennies around here, but I am seriously considering getting an iPad... for my three year old.

Before you think I have totally lost my mind, check out this post discussing the impact the iPad may have on the special-needs community. It is so rare to have a mass-marketed device that can also work as a tool for someone with special needs. So exciting!

Wordless Wednesday: Less than Zero

Twas the Season

Seems like the Christmas Season came and went in record time this year. Like many others we kicked things off late-November by putting up the tree. Trevor had to catch an early flight out the next morning, so he went to bed early with the kids and I invited my nieces over to watch the Grinch Who Stole Christmas and decorate the tree.

As always, Alexa was a big help.

But I guess I waited too long to start the movie as Maren had crashed on the couch by the time I got done assembling the tree.

The First of December is all about Fletcher's birthday, but by mid-month we got back into the spirit by joining my sister and brother and their families for Santa at T-Rex (yes, the same place we had Fletcher's party). For any in-town readers, I highly recommend it. They had a pretty good "knee-high" buffet which was set up so kids could fill their own plates, and was by reservation only, so while full, it didn't seem too packed. I guess it helped that our party was big enough to fill an entire banquette, giving us our own private nook.

They had raffle prizes and carollers, and the dig-zone was free, but one of my favorite parts had to be Scuba-Santa.


They also had a dry Saint Nick who was not only one of the most authentic-looking Santas I have seen, but he was also very sweet to Fletcher, taking extra time, despite the long line, to tell him he was special and that Santa loved him very much.

Although the sentiment may have been lost on Fletcher as daddy had turned away and Fletch thought he was leaving.

We went to Candlelight Christmas Eve Service in the afternoon, because a blizzard was forecast to hit in the evening, so we spent the night cuddled on the couch with the kids in their traditional Christmas Eve jammies made by Grandma Adams.


Fletcher and I both came down with head colds, which means little sleep for him and even less for me, so Trevor gave me the gift of sleeping in on Christmas morning (which I realize I can only do with little ones who don't quite yet know how exciting Christmas morning can be).

The kids loved opening their gifts, mostly because they both love ripping paper. But the toys were left untouched as Dad wanted to go outside and enjoy the benefits of the White Christmas.

At the starting line (which you may recall from years past, is the top of our driveway).

I think Trevor only took them down together once or twice. The sledding part is fun, but trying to maneuver two kids and a sled up an icy hill/driveway can get pretty dangerous (of course I was there to assist when not playing camera-man).

After sledding and naps, we headed over to Angie's house for dinner with the extended family. Any guesses what Trey wanted for Christmas?

We do have one more extended family party this Saturday, but otherwise that just about sums up Christmas 2009 for the Smykays, except I left the best for last. Fletcher gave me the best belated Christmas gift a couple of days after Christmas. We tried to recreate it tonight after dinner (Chinese, thus the rice grains all over his neck and shirt), and although he had the hiccups and wasn't quite as "on" as he has been the last couple of days, and his accomplishment is kind of overshadowed in this clip by my loud, congested giggling, I think you'll get the gist.

Merry Christmas

"Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."

Luke 2:11

Off The Charts

Seems like just yesterday I was typing this post. Oh, how fast babies grow. Especially full-term babies. Especially my full-term six-month-old baby girl who just happens to be, oh, the size of an average one-year-old boy.

Yes, it is true, my little girl weighed a whopping 21lbs 1.8oz and measured 27 7/8 inches at her six month well-baby appointment last week. Fletcher's three year well-baby appointment was at the same time and he weighed 24 pounds and measured 33 inches. So, for those of you who haven't memorized the infant growth chart, this means that both my kids are off the charts... in opposite directions.

Our ped office gives us handouts at each well-baby appointment which contains general developmental information and the like, and they have a space for the weight and height of the child at that particular appointment, and it was kind of funny to see two "greater than 97%" on one handout and two "less than 3%" on the other.

Fletcher has been at 24 pounds for a long time now, and when Audrey was born I used to joke that she would reach 25 pounds before he did... doesn't seem like much of a joke now. Luckily, they are both following their own growth curves, and while I would love to see a bit more weight on Fletcher, he eats well, is healthy, and is actually in the 50-60th percentiles on the CP growth chart. And Audrey, well, she is proportionate, and will no doubt slim down a little as she grows more mobile. Neither the ped nor I see any real cause for concern with either kid's growth at this point. I guess it is just another way my kids are polar opposites.

But they definitely have cuteness in common!

Wordless Wednesday: Santa