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)

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!

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!

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!

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!!

Clinging to our Guns & Religion

We had a blast this weekend! So many things to blog about but I couldn't help but put this one on first! We went to the Prairie Peddler Festival this weekend and the girls had an absolute blast! They took pony rides, made candles and homemade soaps, saw some really cool little bluegrass bands, and watched some woodcarving. So Cool! We were in this awesome little small town close to Mansfield and there were tons of people out supporting these hometownn artists. A tradition we have started and will continue for sure!
The girls had to have these pop guns from the festival. They saw some kids with them and heard them all thoroughout the booths so we hunted to track them down! By far the favorite possession brought home from our little trip! Gracie and Shiloh were running all around popping these guns tonight after we returned and I just couldn't help but think about that whole Clinging to their Guns and Religion thing! Clinging for SURE! Just not bitterly!! Gracie's face is priceless-she was feeling it definitely!
I thought you all might enjoy that-all you other clingers out there!!

REUNITED!

Reunited and it feels so good! Do I have you all singing right now??
Today is dedicated to Gracie and Jake! They are reunited and they are feeling good!
Last night after dinner Gracie, Shiloh, myself, and Jake(Gracie's favorite stuffed dalmation dog) went to the Library to exchange our movies and books! We went through the doors of the Gorve City Library with backpacks on ready to look for some great new reading material! I glance over at Gracie and specifically make this comment. "Gracie, I wish you wouldn't bring Jake in places because I am really feeling like he is going to get lost one of these times." Gracie then replies that she won't lose him mommy-she would never lose Jake! I then proceed to the counter to explain that we have abused one of the books we had checked out. Lets just say it was well loved by Shiloh and the cover seemed to have gotten ripped. The ladies at the desk were wonderful! They let me slide even though I offered to pay! Maybe it was the fact that Gracie was doing her latest gymnastics move with Jakey in the middle of the floor and Shiloh was trying to stick her head down the book return! Maybe they could see I was in a strugglefest and showed a little mercy!! Well we get passed that part of our time and head on back to the kids section. I remember it very clearly-Gracie had pulled Shiloh over to the puzzle table while I was hunting for some good finds and I heard her manipulating her little sister. Gracie-"Here Shiloh, you can hold my Jakey. He loves it when you hold him!"
I knew this was a bad idea but it happened. That was the last we saw Jakey!
Before Gracie went to bed we started looking for Jake. We looked everywhere. 20 minutes later it hit me that Jake was at the Library. Boy the tears started flowing and it took some major strategic talking to get her through it! She was desperate for that dog. That bottom lip could not have stuck out any farther and I thought I was going to start crying. I felt every problem solving strategy I possess well up inside of me! You all know what I am talking about, it was hurting me that I could not just jump in the car and race over there. I am just as attached to Jake as she is-SERIOUSLY! I then went on to tell Gracie that Jake was having a sleepover with all those other stuffed animals we saw sitting on those shelves. She started calming down-I had her with the sleepover thing! Yeah Gracie he was probably popping some popcorn, chilling with that crazy lion we saw. I really got her with this next one-Gracie-Jake is so lucky, he gets to read every book in the library tonight and use that scanner all by his bigself. She was still upset but loving all of Jake's options!
We made it through the night only on the promise of being at the Library first thing this morning to rescue Jake. This was daddy's task-he was there waiting at the door at 9:30 with the girls! He said Gracie's face was priceless when the lady behind the counter held him up. You see that is kind of a whole other blog because I asked Nic to take my camera and document their search efforts. Of course-he forgot! I can't fault him too much-I mean he did rescue the family pet. Probably the only family pet we will ever have and momma is just fine with that!!
Here is Gracie with her sweet Jake cuddled up in my bed! These picture still pretty much tell the story of Gracie and Jake reunited and feeling good!