Max's 4th Birthday

My nephew, Max, turned 4 this past weekend!  He was the middle of the 3 boys on my side that were born in 2010.  He has the sweetest little personality, and we had a blast at his party.  Here are some of the highlights... enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 P.S. - Happy 3rd birthday to my blog!

Weekly Life Update

Time for a little update on the Smithsons!

• As I mentioned earlier this week, the boys have finally taken to swimming!  It's been so much easier the past couple of times we've gone, and actually enjoyable since they both love playing in the water. 
• Cooper's Southern accent has gotten so thick this week that I'm having a hard time deciphering some of the things he says.  He's started adding multiple syllables to one syllable words, making it much harder on himself than it should be.  I don't know where he gets it from (sarcasm)!
• Every day that passes I can tell Clark is getting closer to 2.  His attitude is out of this world, but I still find it funny a lot of the time.  When he's not trying to sass us all around, he's being really sweet.  He's really taken to cuddling with me this summer, and I love every minute of it!
• I'm down 27.5 pounds!  Here recently I've been going for a couple of weeks at a time without losing any weight, just staying the same, and then all of the sudden a couple of pounds will come off.  Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy I'm still losing, it's just odd how the body works sometimes.
• Wimbledon is in full swing, and thanks to the boys' early mornings, I'm up to catch most matches I want to see.  Of course, I'm rooting for Nadal 110%, so I'm very hopeful he can win it all.
• We have two nephews who share the same birthday on June 29th (one on my side and one on Andy's, one year apart), so we'll be spending our weekend partying away. 
• I'm taking the boys to their first real movie today, at the cheap theater... we'll see how long we'll make it!
• I've been reading a lot lately, mostly when the boys are asleep.  Even if it's just a Kindle free book, I really enjoy summertime reading.  I read on my iPad, so those free books are always nice to have.  A lot of times they're cheesy, but they're quick and easy reads that always have a good ending!
• My walking partner hasn't been able to walk much this week, and I've left the boys with Andy several nights while I walk.  I forgot how nice it is sometimes to walk by yourself.  I've had my music cranked up, and have been able to go at a much faster pace without a double stroller killing me.  I even walked farther and ran some this week!  It's been a nice change of pace, but I'm ready to have my walking buddies back!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!  Hopefully I'll have some good pictures or share next week after our busy weekend!

One Fish, Two Fish

We reserve every Tuesday and Thursday to go swimming.  Sometimes it's so much trouble to get the boys ready, fight them at the pool, and keep the meltdowns at bay that it's just not worth it.  We turned a MAJOR corner today though! 

 

As I mentioned last week, Clark has really warmed up to the pool this past week and loves jumping in.  Cooper hated it though, and wouldn't even get in with me holding him.  He was content to play on the steps, but if I came anywhere near him he ran off crying.  Well, today he didn't go crazy when I pulled him in with me, and even told me he wanted to "swim" once we got in.  I let him go, and he never looked back!  Now, he's in swimmies, but actually playing in the pool, where he can't touch, is a huge deal for him!  I'm so proud of that little monkey, and I made sure to let him know!  Everyone else at the pool made a big deal about it, and we even called Andy to tell him the good news!  Clark hated that I was paying attention to Cooper, but every soon Coop didn't need me... he was even jumping in off the side completely by himself and swimming from the deep end to the shallow end by the time we left! 

 

As silly as it sounds, I feel like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders when it comes to vacation.  I knew we were going to be in trouble if Cooper hated the pool for two weeks.  Now that he's acting like a little fish, I'm really looking forward to all the time he'll get to spend at the beach and pool!

 

 

 

 

New Front Door Decor

When I painted the front door last week I also made a new welcome sign for it.  I had seen a ton of these this style on Etsy, but didn't want to pay $45 for one.  So, I used a little bit of creativity and made one myself!  I got on Etsy to find an unfinished, wooden cut out of the state of Georgia.  I found a shop that specialized in wooden cut outs, ordered a 15 inch one, and got busy.  I think the cut out itself was $5.50, and the shipping cost more than that.  

The first time I painted it, it looked awful... the boys would've done a better job.  I tried to paint the words freehand with a paint brush, and it wasn't pretty!  After that I went and bought some paint pens and spray paint and started over.  We're not Georgia fans at all, so I tried to avoid making it look like that.  I painted it pink, then added the phrase (with a paint pen) "Hey Y'all!"  I also added "Welcome!" and our names, plus a heart over where we live.  Andy found the center of gravity for me, drilled a hole, then I put some burlap ribbon through there so I could hang it up.

All in all I'm pretty happy with it.  I wish the cut out was a little bigger and a little heavier, but it doesn't bang the glass on the door when the wind blows, so that's a plus!  I think it's a good fit for summertime, and it'll be easy to paint over if I want to redo it in the future.

Weekly Life Update

Hello all!  I hope everyone had a good week!  We've been busy, but good busy.  Here's a little update on the Smithsons.

• Clark has turned into a little fish this week!  He loves jumping into the pool, even when I'm not catching him!  Cooper is still a bit more timid around the pool, but we're working on it!  
• Today is the last day of Clark's antibiotics, thank goodness!  He's not a happy baby when on them, so I'm ready for the daily doses or be over.
• Cooper finally gave in and took some naps this week.  He desperately needs on every day, but he fights them like you wouldn't believe.
• I went and saw my new classroom and met my content partner on Monday.  I love my room and partner, so I'm really excited about this upcoming year.  I'm nervous about teaching language arts, but my content partner is a pro with all things ELA, so I'm very thankful for that!  I still get sick at my stomach when I think about leaving the boys every day, but at least I'll be closer to them.
• I got my hair cut today, and I love it!  I went to a new place, to a girl I went to high school with, and am really happy with it!  It's basically only a trim, but I let more come off than normal, and it looks great.  I've been super anxious about getting it cut since the "cut heard 'round the world" back in 2012, so I'm very pleased!
• I got an iPad Mini last weekend, and I love it!  The boys had all but taken over the other iPad, so I got this one just for me to use (and Andy if he wants).  I wanted one I could use for school, fit in my purse, and that wasn't so hard to hold in bed when I read... this one is perfect for all of those things!
• I had two girls' nights this week (one was my weekly standing Bachelorette date)... both were much overdue!  
• Andy and I are going on a date tonight!  He's still been working long hours, 6 days a week, so this is way overdue as well!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!  Saturday is the longest day of the year, so I'm hoping we can do something that night!

Front Door Makeover

Ever since we moved into our house almost 3 years ago, I've found our front door very plain and boring.  I wanted to replace it, but we never seemed to get around to it.  Finally I had had enough, so I decided to paint it.  Now, I'm not the best painter on the block, so Andy was understandably a bit apprenhsive about my plan.  Also, when I told him the color I wanted to paint it I got a few nervous faces thrown my way.

The door was originally white, the epitome of boring, and I knew I wanted to go with something bright and cheerful!  Our siding is brick & off-white (looks white until you put something stark white up next to it), and I painted our shutters black when we moved in, so I knew pretty much anything would match with our "neutral" canvas.  Brightly colored doors aren't quite all the rage yet in Flintstone like they are in a lot of the Southern beach towns, so I went to my faithful Pinterst account for some inspiration.  If you search for "painted front door" on there, you'll find an endless amount of photos and DIYs.

Now, Tiffany Blue, sea foam, robin's egg blue, light turquoise, whatever you want to call it, is usually my go to color for any project (or clothing, pillows, etc.), so I really had to fight the urge to paint the door that color.  The few doors I've seen painted around here are that color, so I wanted to go with something different.  I settled on a light, apple green color and got busy.

I got all of my supplies, including the paint, and the Ace Hardware down the road.  The paint I got was the brand Clark Kinsington, and it was a paint and primer in one.  All I did the prepare the door (it's metal) was wipe it down and lightly sand it.  I then taped off around the window, knob and deadbolt, and around the edges.

I painted it with small roller and a paint brush.  The hardest part was keeping two busy toddlers out of paint and keeping bugs out of the house while the edges dried.  I ended up putting three coats on.  I got a quart of paint, not a gallon, and didn't even use a fraction of it.  I also got a semigloss, so it doesn't have much shine to it at all.

I'm happy with the result.  It turned out more lime than I wanted, but it definitely got rid of the boring factor our door had.  Also, you don't drive by and think "Wow, that's a bright green door!"  It sits back under the porch a good ways, so it's not the first thing that pops out at you.

Since it was such an easy project I foresee myself doing this more in the future.  I'm sure it'll end up a pretty Tiffany Blue color before too long.  Here are the before and after shots via the ole iPhone.

Sorry for the dated picture... for some reason all the pictures I took during the remodel are gone from my phone.

 

Yes, the hardware on our door is two different colors... it was like that when we moved in.  I have no idea why someone would do that, and I have no idea why we haven't replaced it yet.



Summer Break Update

We're barely halfway into June, not even officially summer yet, and I'm already feeling panicky and slightly depressed because our summer is going by so quickly!  Also, we've only hit a few things on our bucket list, even though I feel like we've hardly had time to catch our breath!  We'll hit a lot of these items on vacation and during the month of July, so I'm not concerned (I'm not OCD about it either, it just a list of fun things to do- not a "must do" type thing).  Here is our updated bucket list!

• Go to an outdoor movie
• Go to a water park
• Family vacation
• Watch fireworks
• Have a picnic
• Make a summer hand print craft with the boys
• Play putt-putt
• Catch lightning bugs
• Take family beach pictures
• Visit Andy while he's working
• Have a summer bonfire and make s'mores
• Family hike
• Build a sandcastle
• Star gaze
• Go to the local farmer's market
• Have an all outdoor date with Andy
• Find seashells
• Make bible story crafts
• Take a full moon walk
• Go to a "new to us" park
• Try a new restaurant in Chattanooga
• Go to the library's story time
• Have more playdates
• Take the boys to the movie theator
• Buy ice cream from an ice cream truck
• Make more crafts
• Take more pictures

Weekly Life Update

It's time for my weekly life update!  I know I've said it before, but I really love the style of these posts... super easy!  Here we go!

• The weather here recently has been putting a real damper on our daily plans!  It's been cloudy and rainy every day, and we're all ready for some sunshine!
• The boys and I went to Aldi last week for the first time in almost a year, and I forgot how much I like it!  We've been doing Costco for groceries, and it was nice to go in and get a good amount of stuff for $100.
• I'm really looking forward to our 2 weeks of beach vacation now that I've secured a job!  Don't get me wrong, I was looking forward to it anyways, but I was afraid of missing out on interview time.  The first week it's the four of us, then my parent's are coming down, and that Saturday we're heading over to Daytona with them.  Andy's staying until that Monday of the second week, and then he's heading back home for work.  Boo!
• Andy's been working really long hours the last few weeks and it stinks!  I feel like we haven't seen him at all!  When he gets home we're doing stuff with the boys, and once they go to bed we both crash.
• I painted the front door... I think it looks good!  I'll have a post on it soon!
• I just got the book Gone Girl from the library.  I've heard the story is great, but the language is awful.  So, we'll see how far I get.
• Clark has had an ear infection this week.  I took him to the after hours clinic at TC Thompson Children's Hospital the other night, and it took FOREVER, but he finally seems to be feeling better now.
• I'm anxiously awaiting the opening of the new Dollar General Plus in Flintstone.  I'm very disappointed in its size, but Andy says I'll be surprised at how big it is once it's open... we'll see!  I'm just desperately hoping they sell baby food!
• In true Smithson fashion, the boys and I gave Andy his Father's Day present early!  We got him some Adirondack chairs for the yard, and I love them!

I hope everyone has a good weekend and a great time celebrating your fathers!  I know Andy and Dad are playing golf Sunday... I'm sure the boys will keep me busy while they're away!

Moving on to the Next Chapter...

I have some very exciting news to share- I've officially accepted an offer to be Lafayette Middle School's newest 6th grade language arts teacher!  I couldn't be more excited!  This school is back in the state and county where I live, and I know a lot of great people who work there.  It's the county and community I've wanted to teach in since I graduated college, and it's the county that we want the boys to go to school in.  With all of this being said, it's also a bitter sweet time now that I'll say goodbye to Brown Middle School.


Brown was the school where I had my first fulltime teaching position, first classroom, and first group of students who showed me just how much I love teaching.  When I took my job at Brown last summer, I knew that it was a temporary one year position due to the Title 1 budget, but I was hoping it would turn into something for this next year as well.  Well, due to budget cuts my position got cut, but my principal had offered me a long term sub position for the first half of the year next year.  I was very thankful that she offered me that, and had every intention of taking it if I couldn't find another job.  I knew all of this back in January, so I started looking for a fulltime job right after we returned from Christmas break.  If you read this blog at all you know I'm a worrier, so to say I had been a little anxious would be the understatement of the year.


I'm a little embarrassed to say this, but my interview at Lafayette was my 11th one since January.  Yes, you read that right... 11th.  Needless to say, I was feeling extremely discouraged, paranoid that something was wrong with me, and was about ready to give up on finding another job.  I had several interviews that I felt confident in, expecting to get a job offer, and several that I knew I would've hated.  Just last week I had an interview for a job that I thought I was an absolute shoe in for - I was even told that I "had a leg up" on all of the competition during my interview.  Well, it obviously didn't work out, and it left me feeling so hurt, mad, and upset that I had pretty much given up any hope on finding a job.  That brings me to this past Monday.


I had my interview scheduled for Monday at Lafayette, and since it was an ELA (English/language arts) position, I didn't think I'd be taken very seriously since I had taught science.  I wasn't nervous at all when I got there, who would be after 11 tries, and answered all the questions very honestly, openly, and without holding back.  I felt like it went well (but I always think that), but was told they still had a week's worth of interviews to conduct.  So, Tuesday morning when I was called and offered the job, I was shocked!  I immediately accepted, and I was approved by the Board of Education last night!  I'm officially a Rambler!  God truly does answer prayers!


Brown Middle School will always hold a special place in my heart.  I made several great, lifelong friends while teaching there, and had several students that made a huge impact on my life.  Switching from science to ELA, and from 8th grade to 6th will be a huge adjustment for me, but thanks to my time at Brown I know I'll be able to handle it.

Cooper's Latest Obsession

 

Cooper is OBSESSED with the movie Frozen.  I know that comes as no surprise to anyone out there, as it seems most children are obsessed with this movie, but this is the first movie Coop has ever paid attention to.  He's always liked TV shows, but I had never found a movie, until Frozen, that would hold his attention for more than 15 minutes or so.  We watched it at home (we haven't braved the theater yet), and he absolutely loved it!  He talked about the "reindeer and snowman" forever, and made me download the songs to my phone, until I finally broke down and bought him the movie.  I feel like it's been on a steady rotation now in our day now that we own it.  Luckily I like it too, but the songs are starting to wear on me a little bit.

 

He still doesn't understand the concept of the movie as he thinks Anna and Christophe are Sven's and Olaf's mom and dad, but he's been talking about going to "coronation day" since yesterday.  It amazes me that he pays attention that well to spit out that phrase!  Oh well, I'm sure we'll move on to a new movie obsession sometime, but for the time being I think this one is pretty cute!

A Bit Out of My Comfort Zone

Ever since I got my Nikon last Christmas and started using it exclusively in the manual setting, everyone who knows anything about photography has been telling to shoot my photos in the RAW setting instead of JPEG.  I was a bit nervous about doing that because there's a lot more file conversion going on, and when it comes to editing and all the technicalities that can happen in post photography production, I get pretty lost.  I'm a lot better at the picture taking side of photography than the editing, so it's been a real stretch for me taking pictures in the RAW setting.  I had a great friend sit down and walk me through all the ins and outs of Lightroom, which helped me a ton, but it's easy to forget it all when he's not with me!  Not all if these photos are edited, probably not even half of them (remember, I prefer a good picture right off the bat instead of a good picture post editing, but I know that's not always possible).  Anyways, here are some of my latest photos! 

Oh, on a side note,  the pictures have slowed way down this summer because most things we do where I want to take pictures, it's just the boys and me while Andy's at work... their safety kind of trumps a ton of pictures.  Clark is a runner, so it's a lot easier to take pictures of them when Andy's with me.