Worst Mommy-Blogger EVER!

Two birthday's have come and gone in this house with no reference in this blog...  Time to rectify the situation.  We now have a 3 year old and a 1 year old!  They are so darn cute and getting cuter and bigger every day!

Bedtime conversations...

Bedtime is rough lately.  It is quite the process that seems to take forrrrrrevvvvvver!  The conversations that take place around that time are so priceless though.  There are frequent professions of love and silly attempts to not be sleeping.  Sawyer situates everything so perfectly and the blankets that total up to 6 some nights must be spread just right.  The Buzz Lightyear toys must be in their places and his lion and doggy continue to have important positions in Sawyer's bed.  For sleeping time, it sure is exhausting.  Occasionally I get glimpses into my future that cause me to pause a bit.  One night I was talking with him about putting his toy cell phone away or I would need to put it up where he couldn't play with it.  I startled myself as the words left my mouth and I realized their future applications.  I love it when I leave the room and I hear Sawyer giving the bedtime speech to his toys that insist on continuing to play after bedtime has begun.  It goes something like this.  "You need to sleep so you can heal up your owies and so you won't get sick."  I usually have to coach him with the reminder that they also need to sleep so they can get big and strong.

Sawyer has been reduced to bringing Veda into prolonging his bedtime, reminding me that she needs to brush HER teeth and needs another story before bed.  So sweet.  I know that these are the moments that seem so inconvenient right now and there will be a time in the not-so-distant future when I would do anything to have them back.  :)

Let's take a look back a couple of weeks!

There is snow on the ground :/  So... I decided to post some pics from Veda's first experience with grass.  Let's just say, she isn't afraid to get dirty.  Sawyer totally freaked out the first few times we introduced him to grass.  He preferred not to be near it not to mention putting his bare feet in it.  I sat Veda down in the grass on a 78 degree day without any socks on, anticipating the same reaction.  Surprise!  She started pulling out grass, trying to shove it in her mouth and in mine.  Soon she took off, crawling all over the yard and I mean ALL OVER!  It was fun to watch.  That is just her personality.  She is fearless which makes this momma a little nervous.  This little girl is going to teach me some things for sure!

Oops... Sawyer was a little sorry he shared that toy!

Bath Night at the Smith House!!

Ugh... Work

This may not be the appropriate outlet for this discussion but I am using it anyway!  Today was such a sucky day at work.  We were desperately short of staff and I was so in over my head with the group I had today.  I held a discussion with a student I have worked with off and on over the last 5 years.  The first time I had him in my class he was a 7th grader.  He is not a little boy anymore and towers over me.  I like him, my heart aches for him, he has been dealt a tough hand.  He has come a long way since I first met him and he has experienced things in his life that I am so grateful I didn't as a young person.  Today he made my life harder.  He does this many days but today just about broke me.  I almost stopped caring.  I pulled him aside after many times of trying to redirect and encourage him.  I asked, "Do you know why I am upset with you right now?"  He responded, "Because I am not doing my work today."  I let him know that I didn't feel that really affected me, he was the one who needed to graduate.  I already have earned my diploma.  What I was concerned about was the fact that I felt I deserved more respect than what he has been showing me.  He had nothing but sarcastic responses to everything I pointed out to him.  I asked, "Have I made an effort to take care of every reasonable request you have made of me?  Did I stick my neck out to help you get classes at your home school?  Do I show you every day that I care about you and your future?  Do you think I deserve more respect than what you have showed me today?" Nothing but sarcasm.  I am doing my best to not take this personally and I hope someday he will wish he had showed me more respect.  Or better yet, I hope he will show others more respect in the future.  It is things like this that wear me down though.  I wish I didn't care.

The Dreaded Hump

Sawyer has invented something to be afraid of.  He calls this monster "The Hump."  Said monster spends a lot of time menacing Sawyer from outside his window.  Mysteriously, he shows up whenever the furnace kicks on. Mom and Dad have told Sawyer the hum is just the furnace warming our house.  Without it we would be very cold...  As it turns out, with it, we are sleepy.

Veda 10 Months

She is officially on the move.  She should have some incredible upper body strength judging by her method of movement.  She pulls her self across the floor with her arms and lands with a thud with each push.  It is pretty adorable.  :)