Happy Birthday Natalie and Liv!

I have 2 nieces turning 3 this weekend. They were actually born hours apart!

Liv(Kendra & Jer's little girl) was born on August 29th late into the night and Natalie (Jackie & Josh) was born in the wee hours on the 30th!

Happy birthday sweet little beauties!!

MERCY?

Is there a magic age when you are all of the sudden aloud to spank? Is it like 18 months or something? You parents know what I am talking about!! Nic would say and argue validly that the age should be birth but I wonder!! Shiloh is really at that age. I am a firm believer in disciplining my children but I do like to use different methods and make sure the punishment fits the crime. There are just times when a spank is necessary. We are there with Shiloh. She is a climber like no other right now. The funny,well not really funny to me, thing is she is a really smart climber. She scoots chairs, step stools, toy baskets, and toys over to the table and desk and other pieces of furniture to climb on top. She is really working me! The other day I had just had it and I said Shiloh Jean I am really feeling like a spank is coming on. "Put your feet down!" Gracie then pops her head up out of nowhere and says, "I think she does need one mommy, do it now!"
I then tried to use this as a teachable moment about mercy. I went on in to this long lesson about what mercy is and how our Heavenly Father shows mercy to us. He doesn't always do or give for us what we deserve. She sat there listening, or so I thought, and when I finished she said, "mommy, are you going to give her that spank now? I think she still needs it!"

No, I didn't give her the spank grandparents. And I did manage to walk away without laughing!
Mercy didn't matter just yet, she wanted to see her little sis get it!!

He's already in there!

Kids are so cool-especially mine! Whenever Gracie and Shiloh get hurt or are sick-we pray. We ask God to help them, heal them, take the pain away. It is so cool when they start doing something on their own that you have been working hard to teach them. I mean just really cool when you are in Target and Gracie stubs her little toe on one of the aisle endcaps and starts screaming and crying being overly dramatic and proceeds to scream that she needs me right away to pray. I know it is still cool but somebody probably would have needed to tell me how cool it was as it was happening. Slightly embarrassing to pray for a stubbed toe but I do want them to know that God does care about the little things too. So I prayed for the stubbed toe in Target! Anyways, the other day I caught something in my throat and was coughing and choking a bit, nothing too serious-kind of like the stubbed toe, but still sounding like I was hacking up a lung. Gracie was sitting there with me and she calls out loud to me like I can't hear her just because I am hacking or something. She screams out "Mommy, Do YOU NEED JESUS?" Of course I told her yes so she came over closer put her little hand on me and prayed for me. She asked Jesus to help her mommy feel better. YES! I loved every minute of it. She then went on to ask me again if I needed Jesus. I said yes I do still need Jesus. She then told me, as if she was done with the whole transaction,
"Mommy, He's already in THERE!"
Yes, baby, He is already in there. It is so simple, isn't it?
Why do we adults complicate everything so much.
Of course Jesus is already living in there. Why don't we just accept that he is working and moving in our lives constantly. I need Him when I am hacking a lung-BAM-He's already in there!

Gymnastics

Well, Beijing came and went and the Smith household was awed by all of the fabulous athletes in the Olympics. I am sure Michael Phelps is now a household name for everyone but my girls, including my sweet little niece Natalie can not stop talking about him. I mean-I came home the other day and my mom had taken the girls on a walk down to the pond and they saw a bunch of ducks swimming around and Gracie told me all about the ducks flipping the feet like good old Michael Phelps. Natalie learned to swim and got over this crazy fear of the water with the help of Michael Phelps and his gold medal swimming!! Anyways-back to gymnastics. The girls were in awe of those little gymnasts flipping around and mama decided it was time to fork over the cash and sign Gracie up. I went over to Midwest gymnastics by the Sports Ohio Complex because we are familiar with the owner there and proceded to sign Gracie up for a 10 week class. I figured that if the Chinese can start their girls at 3 in the gym, why can't we? Well as you can see in the pictures below-I am going to one up the Chinese because I have been suckered into signing little 16 month old Shiloh up. Aren't those shirts great? Lets hope so! 250 bucks later! We are all smiles!! I will post some pictures of their lessons later. Somebody should take my picture running around that gym with Shiloh. Sweaty back definitely (SWACK)! If you haven't heard that-a great friend just recently taught me about combining sweaty terms. You know like sweaty back is swack, sweaty legs=swegs, sweaty pits = swits. You get it right? I am sure you will all use that soon. So silly I know!! I definitely deserve a gold medal for my efforts in this arena!!

First Week Back to School and Already Missing Summer!

Although we absolutely, positively have needed this rain for the past 2 days-I am still struggling about it. I think it is the fact that it has come on the first week back to school and I am ALREADY MISSING MY SUMMER! It has been so dreary! I know, I know I only work 180 half days a year but I tell you those other 180 half days are where it is at!!! This is obviously new for me-this whole bloggin' thing but I thought I would start by adding some summer fun memories as I pout my way into fall!!