Sunday, October 26, 2008

Go Bucks!

Because the main numbers of the game were not exactly pleasing to Buckeye fans, I thought I would give you some other numbers from the big game! Nic and I had a blast at the game despite the 13-6 loss. We tailgated with some awesome friends and woke up sore in our ribs from laughing all evening! Here are some fun stats from our time together!

2 - free tickets in the student section(South stands) thanks to some great neighbors!

50+ - high fives(yes, some with random strangers)

8 - Tailgaters at our friend's Chevy Tahoe (Thanks Sam & Jen-we had an absolute blast!)




8 - The number of times Nic cornholed Sam! (Sorry Sam-Nic made me!)

5 - The amount of money that 2 of our tailgaters spent on one bag of peanut M&M's EACH (Nic and Luke really believe they were helping keep kids off drugs by handing over a five spot for a vending machine size bag of treats! Bless their hearts!)

1 - great pair of Buckeye tube socks (Sam revealed on the walk to the Stadium as he heckled every PSU fan he found)



9 - layers Luke had on including 2 hoodies (he texted Nic during the game saying "I'm hot") I can't even tell you a number for how many times he asked if any of us needed another layer!



2 - #1 fingers to go with

1 - SWEET HEADBAND



2 - the number of Costello's Nic submitted during an impromptu wrestling match (sorry guys-once agin Nic made me!)

1 - Awkward side hug that Nic shared with a stranger during Carmen Ohio (still laughing) As the stranger approached Nic for the awkward side hug I heard Nic say, "Oh Yeah buddy, get in here".

18 - number of times we booed PSU (now these were combined boos from Nic and myself but only 2 of those were mine!) I know it isn't nice but I got caught up in the moment!

13 - total dollars spent on the whole evening (not too shabby, huh?)

1 - Heck of a good time had by all!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

MY HUSBAND-THE HERO!

THIS ARTICLE BECAME AVAILABLE TO US TODAY AND I AM LITERALLY STILL ROLLING ABOUT IT! I FUGURED I WOULD JUST CUT AND PASTE RATHER THAN SEND YOU THE LINK!
London firemen’s rescue efforts are cat’s meow
(by Kristy Zurbrick, Madison Editor - October 11, 2008)

In this time of bank bailouts, job loss, and unpredictable gas prices, it’s nice to know there’s something—and someone—on which you can still rely.
On the afternoon of Oct. 6, Amber Collins went out to check her mailbox on Sheffield Boulevard in London. She heard the cry of a small animal coming from the yard of the unoccupied house next door.
“It sounded like a kitten and it was coming from a pipe sticking out of the ground,” Collins said.
The pipe measured six inches in diameter and went down five or six feet before making a turn. Collins retrieved a flashlight from her house to investigate further.
“I shined it down there and, sure enough, I saw two little eyes,” she said.
She attempted to rescue the kitten with a rope. When that didn’t work, she tried calling on a neighbor for help, but he wasn’t home. That’s when she decided to call the London Fire Department.
“I felt so stupid calling them about a kitten stuck in a hole, but they came right out,” Collins said.
Lt. Mark Foster said it isn’t unusual for the fire station to get calls about stranded animals.
“We go out as long as we’re not tied up on an emergency. We have helped several people with cats or dogs stuck in tough situations. We even got a pet parakeet out of a tree once,” he said.


London firefighter Nic Smith holds the kitten he rescued from a six-foot deep drain pipe.

While Collins’ call wasn’t unusual, the kitten’s particular predicament was.
“We wondered how we were going to get to it without digging up the yard,” Foster said. “At one point, Firefighter Nic Smith was on his stomach and had dropped one of our rescue ropes down in the pipe with a loop on one end.”
The kitten was stuck at the bottom of this cleanout pipe in a yard in London.






Just as with Collins’ attempted rope trick, Smith’s didn’t appear to be working either. Foster was so sure Smith’s approach was doomed to fail that he promised to buy his fellow firefighter dinner if he managed to rescue the feline.
While Smith toiled with the rope, Foster started making calls to the Madison County Sheriff’s Office with the idea of gaining access to the house, which is in foreclosure and up for auction. Foster’s idea was to see what could be done from the other end of the pipe which serves as the house’s cleanout for the sewer drain.
“As I came around the corner of the house on the phone, Nic was saying, ‘Never mind, never mind. We got him.’ And there was Nic holding this kitten. It was so little it was barely past the stage of having its eyes open.”
As luck would have it, the kitten had climbed up a stick stuck in the pipe, then tried to climb the rescue rope. Smith pulled on the rope, and the kitten wrapped its front arms around it, Foster said.
“The odds of that happening are slim to none. That little kitten acted like he knew what he was doing... I guess I owe Nic dinner,” he said, adding that after the rescue, the fire department sealed off the open end of the pipe.
Collins was thrilled with the happy ending.
“The moral of the story for me was that they were kind to me and so gentle with the kitten. It was just a good community feeling. It warms your heart,” she said.
The gray and black tiger-striped kitten has a new home. Named after the firefighter who rescued him, “Nic” now lives on a farm in London with Collins’ best friend. The friend’s two young daughters have already become quite attached to their new pet.
So, yes, while the big world is in turmoil, you can still count on the little things in your hometown—like firemen rescuing cats out of trees... or drain pipes.


EVERYDAY HERO NIC-YOU HAVE A DANG CAT NAMED AFTER YOU!

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Some fun from Round Town

This past weekend brought the annual Circleville Pumpkin Show. We try and go down every year-it is some of the best people watching fun ever! Good greasy fair food, crazy expensive little carnival rides, and some of the biggest pumpkins on the planet. Sounds like a recipe for fun to me! We went with a couple new friends and really had a great time. Gracie wanted to ride every big ride in the place. She doesn't quite understand that she is only 3! I did let her get on one that was really cool and she was just barely big enough to ride. I thought she might get terrified but I didn't want to hold her back. She got on and loved it. The only one crying was Shiloh because she wasn't big enough!

You never know what you are going to see and do when you get to these small town festivals-here is a little photo journal of our day!






Where can you go to see a 1375 and 1/2 pound pun-kin? Round Town Babies!(get it-circle-ville)




Nic can smell this Bourbon Chicken from miles away. It is the one and only reason he allows me to schedule these festival days! He loves that stuff-and I do too! HE knows exactly where the stand is located and we honestly make a direct path from the car to the stand(not allowing the children to stop for any fun sights on the way). We return to the fun later but I guess you gotta make daddy happy!



Paying $4 for the girls to ride the merry go round-well worth it to see this smile!


Gracie had to ride this motorcycle like daddy-she came around one time singing "I'm a Crindall-set to swipe and steal" How does she learn that stuff? Oh I know-Daddy turns that song on the ipod constantly. Crindall is not really crindall-it is criminal. Yeah I know the girls sing and dance to "I'm a criminal-set to swipe and steal. I think it is the song they played on that Dr. Pepper commercial when the guy was sip stealing. Please don't think we are bad parents. They know so many more worship songs!!


Gracie is all the way to the left-you can barely see her over the harness. She screamed and laughed the whole time!



Okay-I probably shouldn't chuckle and God may not want me to find humor with this but I just couldn't help taking a snapshot of this one. This sweet little old man was just walking around by himself and stood by us for a little bit when we were watching the parade. He was talking with Gracie and told her she looked like she belonged on Charlie Brown-we all didn't get it but we chuckled anyway! We just made some small talk with him and then I saw it-the hat was priceless! It was like a homemade hat and when I made mention of it he was so proud of himself. He told me about some of the others he has also. I had to take a picture-it was part of our journey for the day. He posed with pride!




Near the end of our trip our friends bought their little boy and the girls a big pumpkin cookie. It was a bit of bribery on our part to get through a few more things. They were all pooped. Do you other moms bribe out there? I sure do. I always keep a sucker in my bag for the girls. You never know when you need 20 minutes at the store!
Okay-the funny part about this picture is that I still don't exactly know where this cookie went to. I distinctly remember Shiloh eating a little bit and then handing it to me. I think I wrapped it up and tucked it somewhere but I really don't know. Now I know what my friend Kristen S. would suggest-and yes girl I did check the washing machine. Thankfully it wasn't there but I just know I am going to find that nasty cookie somewhere I really don't want to find it! We will see! I will keep you posted!

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Little Girls in Leotards

Well Gracie has been in gymnastics for the past couple months now and she has been having a blast! I managed to talk my way out of my first purchase for Shiloh to be in that parent tot class (that was a whole other blog issue from way back when!) Anyways-they credited my account so I signed Gracie up for the next session! Wednesdays at 1:30 have been the best for Gracie! I decided after the first couple classes that Gracie needed to have a little leotard. All the other little girls were jumping around in their suits and I knew it was just a matter of time for Gracie to ask in her super sweet little voice, "mama, do you think I could wear one of those next time I come?" Of course I melted-I mean I guess we both just kind of fell into the peer pressure of having to have a leotard for gymnastics. Why? They can do the same thing in little t-shirts and shorts! I went into the little store at the gym and pulled a couple out to look at the sizes and prices and quickly realized that if we were going to purchase a leotard-it was not going to be there!

$35-40 for a 2T/3T leotard just doesn't seem right. Here I am analyzing what I can do with $40 the whole way home. You guys know what I mean-just having that conversation in my head! For a leotard!! $40 is probably not that much money but that is just the way I am built! You remember my blog a while back about me picking up a $10 shirt and analyzing the heck out of it. Should I buy or not? Of course I should buy it!! CRAZY!
Well, the quest was on. I went to our local thrifty nifty stores, went to red dot boutique(target), meijer(where the largest Smith family I know shops for everything-really everything!), and finally landed at once upon a child. I found a sweet little purple leotard that I am sure is like a ballerina suit or something because it has little short sleeves, but who cares? It was $3! I can really live with $3! Didn't analyze that one once!
Gracie loved the suit. Wears it faithfully every Wednesday! She puts it on and becomes super gymnast in her little mind. She strokes her little stomach feeling the material and in an instant performs a forward roll-I think to test if it is working properly!! She looks so cute-there is something about little girls in leotards. We are all shapes and sizes from day 1-some fill the little rear ends out, some hang baggy. I love it!
Well now I know I need to get used to the idea of paying for a new leotard. She sure loves gymnastics and is going to keep doing it for the next 10 weeks. The time is coming-I know I will break-a new leotard is in our future! Here is how goofy I am-on the way home today I was thinking about how a new little leotard is really just like $4 a class session. I was seriously breaking down the cost of the leotard per session. I think it is time I stop listening to the woes of the economy. I mean price per session for a leotard-
Just a little Crazy!!
And what is up with Gracie the pirate? All of the shots I got of this day were one eyed!(3rd pic)



Thursday, October 9, 2008

Pumpkin Patch





A few days ago my sister and I took the girls to Circle S Farms to pick some pumpkins right off the vine! It was a beautiful day and the kids had an awesome time. Nic was on his way home from an extra shift and got to stop in to play for a bit and that made it especially nice for the mama!

Through all of these fun and games I have learned something. SECOND BORN children are CRAZY! I really mean this in a great way-I am a second born! I honestly thought that Gracie was quite adventurous and dare devilish but she is not even close, really not even close to Shiloh in this arena! Last year when we went to the farm Shiloh was strapped nicely into a little front carrier and Gracie ran around and played and attempted things but never fully engaged in the haybarn like I saw from Shiloh this year. Shiloh was going down these pretty big slides and fussy for us all to leave her alone. There was one time when the child hit both her feet on the side of the slide and she literally tumbled over sideways staright into the hay. Did she cry? Oh No! The chick was laughing it up with hay coming out all over her head! I love it! I love their little differences! To Gracie's credit-she talked way more and way earlier this miss Shiloh! Shiloh says forget words, who needs them? Give me the action!

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Firefighters




So Nic is the king of firefighting stories, he loves telling of all of those crazy cat rescues and everyone seems to enjoy listening!(or so they act like they enjoy because they are all too kind) He has been working a bunch lately and had to drive to and from London almost everyday last week. He spotted this great sign at one of the local churches in London and I made him take my camera to snapshot it the next day. We loved it! Nic says that even Jesus needs a right hand man!! Well Nic, I am sure if he really did need a right hand man you would be on that list somewhere! He is truly a legend in his own mind!!!
I also have to share this video that someone shot from across the street when the Rax in London recently burnt down-yes, I know, I didn't even know that the Rax chain was still around! You can kind of see the firefighters across the way and you can definitely see the fire. The people shooting it are quite entertaining. I love it when the girl says that she thinks they should turn the car off because she doesn't know if they have enough gas for this!! They are just chatting it up while they watch this place go down in flames. The very best part is pretty much right near the end when the girl asks her man how these firefighters are going to put the flames out! (Enjoy but go down and pause the playlist before you start this up) (This is Nic's unit fighting the fire but I don't beleive you can see Nic hard at work-it is kind of far away) have fun-it's just a short clip but has now become the phrase of our household!
They gonna do what they do!
**I think you may have to turn it way up to hear them talking!

Friday, October 3, 2008

I smell something...

Okay, so I am really feeling a little self conscious lately because of my 3 year old. Gracie's favorite thing to say lately is "I think I smell something", and it always seems to be when she in close proximity to me. You know it is bad when you are just pushing your babies in the cart at Target and your three year old says "Momma I think I smell something" and the people in the aisle over start snickering. I quietly tell Gracie that I am sure it is nothing and she should really save those thoughts for a more private time. She then decides to say in an exaggerated quiet voice(you know when they are whispering it out but somehow it is like they are straining so hard that they are really louder than they were before)"momma-really I smell something and I think it might be you!"
The children in the aisle next to us were not snickering anymore-they were laughing and their parents were doing their best quiet hushing! Now I know I did not stink and I wanted to get closer to the people to prove I didn't stink but then I thought, why do I really care? I mean, really, she is just 3! She is just like wonder woman of the smells. Nic loves it because I am always the one all over him about the whole onion thing(wrote about it a few posts ago). He is adamant that she is a direct reflection of me with the smell thing and he loves that I am the target and not him. I have tried to really use these smelly times as teachable moments with her and teach her about restraint but I am failing miserably. She doesn't get the whole privacy thing yet at all!!
She has been lately saying her very familiar "momma, I think I smell something" and then she catches herself and looks right at me. I give her the ever popular mom look and she quickly says, "momma, it's not you this time-you smell good!"
Great Gracie-it's not me THIS TIME!
I don't stink!!
Crazy kids!

Thursday, October 2, 2008

700 billion dollars

We have sure heard that amount a bunch lately but I heard something interesting yesterday that helped me reference 700 billion dollars. I don't know about all of you but I am horrible at estimating. Walk into a building with a bunch of people and try and guess how many there are-not even close. Try and guess a certain amount of money-no way. I am just not good at it at all!! Anyways-backt to the 700 billion dollars.
700 billion is like giving 33 million people(which is still hard to imagine but closer) $21,000.00.
Do you know that according to the last census-there are 33 million current mortgage holders. Hmmmm-that would be interesting wouldn't it? Give 33 million people $21,000 to pay down or finish their mortgages rather than give all that money back to the poeple that squandered it in the first place. Wouldn't that stimulate the economy?
Now I am not political nor do I know jack squat about the economy but I heard this point today and I thought that it seemed very interesting to me and maybe all of you as well!!