Back to School

It's that time of year again....the time when we are all getting ready to head back to school/work and get our lives back into a good routine so that things can run smoothly around the Smith household. Myah and Maysen are starting Preschool this fall, and they couldn't be more excited. We are very lucky that the Ames Schools offer their Preschool right at the center that M&M attend so we don't have to worry about bussing. They went back to Formative Years yesterday so that we could have a few days to practice getting up early again and getting out the door by 7:30 (at the latest!!--with 3 kids and two drop offs!!). They were SOOOOO excited to go back to school and see their friends, which makes it easier on this mama when I have to drop them off. I LOVE having them home with me in the summer and we love going to the pool, park, library, and, of course, OKOBOJI! But there comes a time when summer has to wind down and we have to go back to work/school, and it just makes it easier to take them when they love their center, their teachers, and their friends!
Here are the girls getting ready to head out the door on their first day back to school (Preschool doesn't officially start until the 29th):



And with a new school year, comes new tennis shoes!! Some year, they will get to have different shoes, but there is such a limited number of velcro shoes that they got the same ones this year....it's very important with our time crunch and rushing around in the morning that they are able to put on their own shoes.


I've been a bit of a copycat lately in the cooking and crafts department. A few weeks ago, my sister and her husband posted this recipe for chicken spaghetti. I made it and LOVED it....as did my whole family. It will surely be making it's way into our routine meals. They aren't kidding when they say that 1 pan served 8 people. We had it for dinner and each reheated some for lunches multiple times during the next few days. It's a definite must-try if you are looking for something new. I would definitely classify this as a go-to comfort food!!

I saw this craft on Pinterest and knew that my girls would love making them. They are clothespin butterflies and super easy to make!!


Here are a few fun pictures to leave you with today. A few years ago, we took this picture of Myah:


M&M remembered seeing that picture in an album, so they wanted to give Mylie a turn.


My three girls hanging out in the living room.


And stylish Mylie....I can only imagine what her older sisters will dress her up in as she gets older.


Have a wonderful weekend everyone! We are off to Lake Mills this weekend to wish my brother farewell as he moves to Washington DC at the end of this month.

The Cutting Edge: What NOT to do with scissors!!

We moms know that when our kids reach about the 2 year mark, everything becomes 'me do it.' It was no different at our house. Then around 3 to 3 1/2, they really do become pretty independent....they can get themselves to the restroom (usually), dress and undress themselves, follow directions (usually). I have given my girls a lot of responsibility especially since Mylie has been born. They get themselves up in the morning, making their own beds, dressed, sometimes even making their own waffles. However, I have never given them the responsibility of cutting their own hair. Maysen, though, took it upon herself to get a new 'do.

We've been on vacation, you know, to 'Boji. We had a great time, stayed up too late many nights, ate junk food and candy all week, and skipped naps on days we know we shouldn't have....but we were on vacation. (I will have pictures and more details towards the end of this post). Now we're home, and tired. I've done the laundry, unpacked, and got groceries to make us feel settled back in at home. Yesterday, I knew we all needed a nap. I'm in the process of sleep training Mylie. She's doing great, almost making it too easy for me (yes, mom, I know I shouldn't say that out loud and I should definitely knock on wood for doing so). Miraculously, I got all three girls down for a nap AT THE SAME TIME!!! This NEVER happens. Of course, like any mom would do, I laid down myself.....I probably needed a nap more than any of them :) After about 45 minutes, they asked if they could get up. I knew they hadn't slept yet so I asked them to continue laying down a little longer. A bit later, I heard someone in the bathroom, but didn't think anything of it. The light went back off, and things got quiet again. I know, I know, that should have tipped me off. Then I heard someone in the kitchen so I got up to check things out. The first thing I saw was a lock of hair on the kitchen floor and the next 5 minutes are pretty blurry. I got pretty mad, and she knew it. She cried. She got a time out. Then I settled down and we talked. I mean, I know it's just hair....it really is just hair, and it could have been so much worse. My main point in getting mad (besides that I still didn't get that nap I desperately needed) was that I never want this to happen again. It wasn't until about an hour later, I really knew how much she cut off. She cut some in the kitchen, some in the bathroom, and some in her bed so the hair was literally all over the house. She cut a big chunk off near each ear leaving it long (and mullet-like) in the back. I assume simply because she couldn't reach it.



Today, I took her to get it cleaned up. It's short. It's cute. And it's what she wanted. On the way home, I said...'Do we all understand that we don't cut our own hair? If you want it short or cut differently, all you have to do is ask mommy? Ok?' Maysen's response: 'OK! Geez, Mommy, we've been hearing you for a lot of days now.' She has told me (in a nicer voice) about a dozen times now 'I won't do that again, mommy, I promise.'



As for 'Boji, it was great as I said. There was a lot of time spent on the boat and swimming in the lake. Myah and Maysen could have spent all day every day in the lake (and they pretty much did). Mylie even got a few rides. Not rides, really.....more like floating time. I only took her on the boat if we were going to be floating and swimming straight out from the dock near our lake house.




We made another visit to Arnold's Park with the season passes and they got to go on the trampoline again.


There's a family of wild turkeys that cross our property a few times each day. They are pretty fun to watch.


Now that we are home again, I'm sleep training Mylie, and she got her first 1/2 tablespoon of cereal. She enjoyed it, and I know she'll have the spoon thing figured out in no time.


I'm sure something exciting will be happening around here soon. What's going on in your neck of the woods??

Rolling Along

Mylie is officially a roller! She rolls from her back to her tummy in both directions (to the right and to the left). Now that she has a new trick, she doesn't like to just lie on her back on the blanket. Once she gets to her stomach, she'll look around a little bit, she's getting better at holding up her head, but she doesn't like to be there too long.





At her 4 month appointment last week, she was 19 lbs 10 oz and 26 inches long. She's topping the charts. It will be amazing what the next 4 months will bring and what she will accomplish. Stay posted!

Checking In

Were you getting worried about me? My wonderful friend, Meg, gave me the nudge I needed to get something up on the blog after a 2 week hiatus! We've been busy (aren't we always), though I didn't have a ton of pictures for any one specific outing.
Since I last posted....

*The girls finished up swimming lessons--the Preschool 2 level. They learned to front and back float by themselves. They did so well in fact, that the teachers recommended that they skil Preschool Level 3 and just go to Learn to Swim Level 1 next summer!! That kind of news excites this swimmin' momma!! We continue to get to the pool every chance we get....the girls LOVE going down the waterslide.



*We went to 'Boji over the 4th (and are preparing to head up again the end of next week!). We went to Arnold's Park twice (remember they got season passes for their birthday) and they tried the trampoline and loved it. We're pretty sure that it used to cost extra for that ride, but this year it's included in the admission.


*We went to Lake Mills' town celebration-July Jubilee-where I ran my first post-baby 5K (in about 34 minutes....not spectacular, but not too bad) and Mylie enjoyed her first parade!


*M&M have been begging for haircuts because their hair gets quite tangly with all the swimming and playing outside. It doesn't really look any different in pictures, but is more noticable in person. They each got about 3-4 inches taken off.


*Before the most recent heat wave, we were able to spend an afternoon at the park. In the summer, it's too hot to go to the park a lot of times so it is a special treat. Something we do more of in the spring and fall. Mylie even got her first ride on the slide :)





*We made a family trip to Hyvee for supper (Chinese, of course) and grocery buying. Believe me when I say it's no small feat for a family of 5 to go to the grocery store. We did have a good time, though!!


*My friend, Anne, welcomed us over to her pool the other afternoon so that M&M could play with her daughters E&L. It was a fun change of pace!


*On the rare occasion that Mylie gets a bottle (still of breastmilk, of course) M&M have had fun getting to feed her.


*We have more playdates and outings scheduled so hopefully I'll do a better job of posting. We hope you are having a wonderful and safe summer! Thanks for checking in on us!!

What's Cookin' Wednesday

If you’re anything like me, you enjoy a good beer bread. There’s just something about it at a gathering with friends and I just can’t leave it alone. We dip it in cheese dips, sour cream dips with different seasonings, and it’s even good plain (and just a tad bit still warm.) I was first introduced to beer bread at a Tastefully Simple party and I’ve ordered it regularly ever since. As good as it is, it can get expensive, and I don’t always have it on hand. A few years ago, I was given a recipe for a homemade beer bread. I was a little skeptical at first, but it turned out to be just as good if not better, and you only need three ingredients!

Homemade Beer Bread

What you’ll need:
2 ½-3 cups of Self Rising Flour
2/3 cup Sugar
1 12 oz Beer (or other carbonated beverage)

What you’ll do:
1. Mix the three ingredients in a bowl.
2. Put mixture in greased loaf pan.
3. Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes. Enjoy!!

My Tastefully Simple rep brought an altered beer bread to a party. I figure it would work with the homemade version as well! Here it is: instead of the beer, use a 12 oz can of Coca Cola and mix in a bag of butterscotch chips. It’s delicious!! Since it’s pretty sweet and no one really needs to eat it by the slice, I cut it into chunks…it’s crumbly anwyway!


**We’re heading to ‘Boji on Friday for a few days, and I’ve already started packing. My heart melted the other day when I saw this:


It probably doesn’t look like much to you, but the Dora and black and white flowered backpacks were suddenly sitting amongst the things I have already packed. When I asked the girls what they were doing there, they told me that they had packed their things so I didn’t need to worry about it. So thoughtful! In the bags? Maysen’s contained a blanket, a stuffed kitty, three books, and a few small toys. Myah’s had a few books, a Buzz Lightyear toy, a twirl ribbon, and a pucci pup. When I asked about jammies, clothes, and underwear, their eyes got a little big and said, they could just wear what they had on the whole time we’re gone ☺

Happy 4th everyone!!