Middle of the Day Bath

 After lunch today, I decided to give Gunnar a quick bath. He was due for one yesterday or maybe even the day before. Plus the wet wipes just couldn't cut it as I attempted to wipe weenies, catsup, chicken, carrots, and peach applesauce. So I stripped him down and took him to the tub.

 Finley decided to join in and was sticking her foot in the tub and swooshing the water around. When she would take her foot out and resting it on the edge, it was leaving dirt all over the side of the bathtub. I told her to just get in with him. Plus she had had dried yogurt in her hair for two days. She's a bit like a boy in the summer and never wants to bathe either. Then it became a middle of the day bath. Which is rare for us because S & F are night bathers. I usually beg Kyle to wash Gunnar or we just assembly line bathe them all and get it all over with at once.

The mid-day wash did throw them off a bit. After I took Gunnar out, he wanted his toothbrush and started saying "Barney Book", both being part of his nighttime ritual. I told him it was lunch and he just had to nap, not bedtime. Then Finley walks out with her towel and asks if she has to put her pajamas on! Dude, it's not bedtime!!! Although, maybe I should confuse them like this more often and put them to bed when it's still light-at lunch! Haha!!!

Gunnar at 21 Months

 Oh, man, my baby has grown this summer. Gunnar is 21 months and will be 22 month on August 27th! He talks and talks and talks!!! I guess his speech is the most changing thing about him. He is saying small sentences-I eat nack nack, thank you mama, no no mean daddy! Ha! And Kyle wasn't even doing anything! My heart still melts when I see his little curls-I might never cut them! So, no, he has not a haircut yet.

 Loves:  Barney(obsessed), Mickey Mouse, loading his trucks, rocks, pushing Finley's baby stroller, jumping on the trampoline, peeing in the yard(typical boy), choo choo trains, Milo the hamster, being read to, sliding, getting into markers, flashlights, chocolate, gummies, green beans, weenies, yogurt, chocolate milk, and juice-juice.

 Dislikes: Mom making him sleep, getting thrown up in the air-he just now let us swing him a little, he's not eating his veggies very well, riding in the carseat, mom brushing his teeth, his hair getting washed, stopping for anything while he's playing!

 He weighs 27 pounds, wears size 4 diapers, mostly 24 mo. clothing, and he's taller but wont' let me measure him!

 I love his sweet little voice. Some of his favorite words are juice-juice. He will say it to me at least 100 times till I get up in the morning and get it. Very persistant little guy. He says pease(please) and that thoo(thank you), everyone's names, nack nack (snack snack), inny (Finny), bubbie (Slade), Bar (Barney), I eat (for a sucker?!?), I tickle you, Me (and points to himself), and about 100 other words. Like I said, his speech has taken off! It just amazes me every day how much he learns. I love it when he does the horse sound, too. He loves to do all the animal and truck sounds.

 He still has some chunky feet and hands. I love them so much! He's not crying when we take him to the church nursery. He loves to play in Slade's room. He loves to go with Kyle. He gives everyone kisses at all times and will just walk up and hug me.

 Gunnar sleeps pretty well. He pretty much sleeps most nights till about 6 or 7. Sometimes I can put him in bed with me and he will sleep till 8, sometimes not (like this morning we've been up since 6:15). He usually takes from an hour to two hour nap. I am grateful for the 2 hour nap days!

There's just not much sweeter. I love this boy and refuse to let him grow up!!!

Strawberry Huller

I have to tell you that if you eat strawberries and you do not own one of these, you are REALLY missing out!!! It is a magnificent little tool that removes the strawberry stem without taking the whole top off. I got mine at Williams Sonoma last weekend in Dallas, and it's presently my favorite thing. We've eaten strawberries this week like they are going out of style. I'm not sure if fruit ever goes out of style, but you know what I mean. It's great. Get one soon!!!

My Favorite Child

I read a blog tonight that reminded me of something that I need to write down. She was saying that she was scared that when she was pregnant with her second daughter, she wasn't going to love another one as much as the first. Then when the baby arrived, she just made room in her heart. Then she told about her being offered some kind of blogger trip and that they asked her to bring her "favorite child". She was saying that people don't have a favorite child and that the trip planner probably didn't have children of their own. I started laughing reading this! I was thinking, yes, she is right. But then I got even more tickled about something that goes on at our house.........

Kyle works such long hours in the summer and the kids just pounce on him when he gets home at night. It's actually one of my favorite moments of the day because I love to watch all of them drop what they are doing and run out in the yard to meet him if they spot his truck. Gunnar's little legs run as fast as they can. Slade tells Finley and Finley tells Gunnar. Then they all run out like they haven't seen him in a month. Anyways, some days, I get flustered with my precious children and I feel like snapping. I always report who was nice and who did something crazy/bad/rude/weird. I guess this past spring, Kyle just started one day asking me who was my favorite of the day. I was like, what??? He said "who acted the best, who's number #1?" And so I named the child that had the best day that day. For instance, Slade might have watched Gunnar for me and didn't gripe about it. Or Finley didn't have a bad attitude breakdown. Or Gunnar walked around and gave everyone kisses all day. Sometimes it's everyone. Sometimes it's nobody.

And that one time of asking who is #1 turned into every single night. Kyle gets home and asks every single night-"Who won favorite today?" If someone really pulled a good one, they cringe and usually hide there face. They know dad will know they weren't the favorite. Sometimes I have to think about it because they all were all good. But the funniest thing about the whole story is that the older two know exactly who won. Most days before I can answer, one shouts out "Not me" or "Slade is" or "I won". And we never discuss it till Kyle gets home. They just know. They totally know. How funny is that?

So when I read that bloggers story, you can imagine why I found this pretty funny. Yep, in the Smart house, we seem to have a favorite child! The good thing is that the favorite is spread pretty evenly across the board. Statistically speaking, if you aren't favorite today, you have a 33.3333% chance to win the next day. Well, that, and depending on if you woke up on the right side of the bed.

                   And just so you know, today was a tie.

Summer Stuff

The Smart family has kept pretty busy this summer. Kyle has been working like a maniac and the kids & I just always seem to have somewhere to be! There's always somewhere to be with three kids, right?!? The kids went to church school this summer on Tuesday and Thursday for six weeks, which basically gave me two days to run errands. It was over the 12th of July. Here are a few other things that have been going on.........

 Flag Football-seems like it's become a summer regular around here.

 Slade has fun and it's good exercise. He practices T/Th and has games on Saturdays. It will end the last week of July.

 Gunnar usually walks around eating snacks during the games.

 Slade got the chance to go stay with his friend that moved to Midland and Finley went to VBS at our church this week. She LOVED it! She loved her two sweet teachers, too!

 He's getting so big. Can I say that he's really into kissing now. He walks around and gives us all kisses through out the day. It is the sweetest thing. 

 The kids have gone a few times with Brandi to the Tech pool. It's a pretty neat place.

 It has a lazy river and this little part is perfect for Gunnar to run around on.

 I will have to ask Aunt Mimi to make sure but I'm pretty sure this little suitcase is Kyle's moms. Gunnar and Finley play with it all the time.

 NEWSFLASH: No more bottles.

I actually forgot them one weekend when we went to the ranch, and there's no Dr. Brown's wide mouth bottles to be found in a 120 mile radius. Plus I would have felt ridiculous driving two hours to buy a bottle for my 19 month old. Sooooooo, we really had no choice. It wasn't too bad and when we got back home, I just didn't give them to him again. I was a little sad because we will never have bottles here again. I know, that's so silly, but it means they are growing up. And I don't like that one little bit!!! Every stage that Gunnar passes makes me sentimental bc he's the last baby Smart.

Farewell, Dr. Brown's bottles. You've served us well for many years. I will not, on the other hand, miss washing you and all your parts!

Finley's Dance Recital 2012

 The first weekend in June, Finley performed in her third dance recital! It was so much fun! It was a circus theme the first half and a state fair the second half.

 She danced in the second half to Barnyard Boogie! She was the cutest cow I've ever laid eyes on!

 These are pics from dress rehearsal. Rehearsal is Friday night, then she performed twice on Saturday. It's a lot work, but we had a blast this year. The whole recital was awesome!

 Finley's teacher performed a solo that we loved and another group performed Footloose dressed as scarecrows. It was our favorite-Finley and I watched it three times!!!

Kariden & Finley

 Kariden, Sophia, & Finley

 Grace & Finley

 Finley and our babysitter, Miss Lauren. Miss Lauren danced for 15 years where Finley does. She brought Fin flowers!

 We were very proud of Finny!

 Slade, Finley, Kennedi, & Jackson

 The girls

 Fin & Mom backstage

 Beautiful flowers

 Fin & Campbell

 Finley & our other favorite sitter, Miss Tiffanie. She came to see Finley at the night performance and brought pretty flowers!!!

 Just getting beautiful

It was a long weekend, but she had a great time!!!

Hanging Out

Last Thursday, the kids and I went to the ranch and stayed till Monday.

 We played in the creek.

 Played in the yard with chalk, sand, toys, etc.

 Made this egg salad recipe. I had never made my own egg salad and it was yum.

 And caught a frog. We also did some fireworks, drove the Ranger, swam, made cookies, played, ate homemade ice cream, read books, played Scrabble, worked goats (I didn't), helped cook, & visited!

 On another note, the other day I walked in the living room and found Gunnar sitting on top of the shelf

 Evidently he's half monkey-climbed up all alone.

 Now it's the cool place to hang out.

But not as cool as your sister giving you a mohawk.