Balloons Ablazen!

Tired man!

Last Friday was the first real outing adventure Joel and I have had here in Boise.  We've been in the area since February and yes it's almost September.  With winter, being pregnant, Joel working most weekends, and then just being tired and or lazy we haven't gotten out much.  We've found a lot of cool parks.  We've walked the greenbelt.  Fed the ducks. Found the local YMCA and enjoy working out there, but nothing really social or community wise.  A friend told us about Alive at Five.  A community get-together of small name bands that play and people just chill.  I asked him to come check it out with me.  We enjoyed it for a few minutes but realized we needed to bring our own lawn chairs.  We haven't been back yet... 

Joel found out about the Spirit of Boise Balloon Festival and told me about it.  I almost forgot but my dreams reminded me.  Seriously.  I woke up one morning having had the strangest dream about chasing hot air balloons.  I then remembered that the festival was going on.  I looked up the events and days and saw Nite Glow.  I googled the images and decided I wanted to see this in person!  It was Friday night and events started around 6 and really got going around 8 and then the balloons would be lit up simultaneously once it got dark.  My plan was to get there early, find a place to picnic, meet Joel once he got off work, and the rest would be an enjoyable night... well, with Hailey... things didn't quite work that way.  She was cranky the whole day and didn't get a single nap in that was longer than a cat nap.  Cranky and fussy and still eating by the time Joel got home I wondered if we should even go...

We decided that if she was going to be cranky and not go down for bed we might as well put her in the carseat and try to at least enjoy the evening while she slept in her seat.  She did end up falling asleep in her carseat for a little while and we did have a fun time walking around and then sitting on the blanket eating our dinner.  Cabbage rolls and watermelon.  Joel was in heaven... he just wished there were more.  It started getting dark and we were walking around.  Hailey was awake and "needing" attention.  We held her till she eventually fell asleep in my arms, but only after she had left an awesome drool tattoo on Joel's shirt.  Teething is coming soon... da da daaaa!!!

The balloons were all laid out on the ground and when the signal was given they started to blow them up.  Then after the fans had blown enough air into them the fire thrusters were turned on and the balloons were filled completely.  Then after advertising and mumbo jumbo the announcer did a countdown and all of the balloons  pulled their fire thrusters at the same time.  Thus lighting up all the balloons all at once.  He did it multiple times.  Hours of waiting for a few minutes of lights.  It was worth it.  We enjoyed being out of the house, having a picnic, playing with Hailey way past her bedtime, walking around, people watching, dog watching, balloon watching.  It was a good night! 

Can you say "Yes!" ?

Perfect aim!

This was not a bird!

So often people ask me, "What do you do all day?"  I'm a stay at home mom and was previously a stay at home pregnant person.  When people would ask me that, I'd think about it and say, "I don't know.  I know I did something!"  We don't have tv so I couldn't have sat around and watched hours upon hours of useless programming.  At one point in time I'd play online games against my sister but then Hailey was born and that disappeared to.  So now what do I do with my time? Well, lots of laundry since we use cloth diapers (gDiapers).  Make bread.  Fold laundry (see picture for further explanation). Think about what to make for dinner.  Clean the kitchen, do dishes.  Stop and play bejeweled.  Edit photos from my wedding, even though that was almost a year ago!  No I'm still not done... So much little stuff.  The kicker though?  It is all done inbetween Hailey napping and waking and feeding.  The life of a mom.  I'm sure it's only going to get crazier.

So with all the chores, what do I do to stay sane or happy?  Well, this afternoon after feeding Hailey I just sat there for a few minutes and tried to get her to smile! Remember the pictures from the previous blog, we're talking about getting a serious baby to smile.  Its not impossible.  She's actually smiling more these days, especially right after she's woken up from a nap, eaten and has a full belly.

Next, we experimented with the new (old/borrowed) jumper since she's strong enough to hold her head up and she's been standing with assistance for the last week.  She enjoyed it and smiled in it.  Then she started getting tired.  Back to the sit and swing until she got drowsy then into her crib for nap 2 of the day.  So, what do I do with my time, I take care of a 2.5 month old.  Then I squeeze in time to take care of the house and Joel.  Then I take time to do absolutely nothing.  That's usually around ten at night though.  I've learned that if I want me time I have to take it at the gym and that has to be right after Hailey wakes up and eats in the morning.  I've really enjoyed having cheap daycare at the gym for up to 2 hrs a day.  I can go, drop Hailey off, work out, pick her up and head home. 

When I first had Hailey, I felt like I had so much to do and no time to do it.  The dishes piled up, the laundry never got done.  Joel rarely had his lunch made or packed.  The house was a mess.  I was a mess.  None of us were sleeping.  It seemed as if our lives were over and never going to be the same again.  Well, the darkness of the first 6 weeks is long since past and as you can see we are regaining our normal lives with a few alterations... alterations for the better that is.  I'm not an emotional person but it does melt my heart a little bit when Hailey smiles.

So where did my time go?  It went to a worthy cause.  So many people today don't stop to smell the flowers, or eat them... have you tried it?  We are too busy being busy with we don't even know what to realize that the precious smiles are fading away.  I am blessed that Joel works as hard as he does to provide the life that we have.  No we don't have the big HD TV that he wants.  We just barely got our own internet.  We have two old cars that function but aren't fancy.  We don't have lots of things.  Joel even is settling right now for enjoying Hailey for about an hour once he gets home before she goes to bed.  Granted she's usually already half past cranky so he doesn't get those smiles.  But they are there.  Linda Pyrah gave me advice at the baby shower.  "She said stop.  Stop and listen."  Kids these days are growing up with parents who are too busy doing ???  Is it really more important?  Is the extra money or the fancy things that take up more of our time worth it?  Usually not.  As I have put away my wants and given my time to Hailey I have found that when people ask me, "Do you enjoy being a mom/parent?"  I can finally say, "Yes."

Hailey's Oddities

I just put Hailey down for her afternoon nap a few minutes ago.  I find it funny that she's milk drunk and practically asleep when she's lying in my arms with a full belly.  YET! the minute that I pick her up from her drunken states she wakes up completely.  I know she's still tired so I put her in her crib.  Still awake yet obviously tired she fights and fights, twists and turns--sometimes to the bottom or top or side of her crib.  Eventually her little body gives in and she falls asleep.  Hailey is a stomach sleeper.  I know pediatricians say, back only, but she hates being on her back and won't sleep well.  Some parents say just throw a pacifier in her mouth and she'll be good.  Right... Hailey, unlike so many, won't take a pacifier.  No big deal, it means I don't have to wean her later.  But what do we do when she's crying and won't be settled?  We use the human pacifier... no, not me, but our thumb.  Joel found that Hailey loves being in the football hold, and what makes it better is that his thumb is in the perfect position to just pop it in her mouth.  It's funny to watch and will be a sad day when she grows out of that hold.

Speaking of growing, Hailey is growing like a weed.  She's already outgrown some three month pants and she's just barely 2 months.  Not because she cute and chubby with fat rolls overflowing but because she's long!  Her arms and legs outgrow the outfit before her body.  Good thing it's summer.  I can just claim that the pants are supposed to be capris.    With Joel being 6.4 I guess it makes sense.

Many people say Hailey looks like Joel.   I personally don't see it but I din't see myself in her either.  She does however act like Joel.  I realized this in the first couple days.  How so? In her actions.  She will cover her face with her hand when she sleeps.  Joel does exactly the same thing.  It's hilarious the poses you can catch either of them in.

Squirrel! There is a mirror above the changing table.  Hailey can be super fussy but put her down to change her diaper and she calms right down.  Then the funny part is that she gets distracted by this mirror and will coo at it for some time before she realizes that no ones holding her.

More things to coo at.  Hailey was getting fussy today after church.  She'd eaten and seemed like she was tired so I laid her in her crib.  Instead of the usual belly position, I laid her on her back.  She seemed fine with it so I left her there.  Did she go to sleep?  Of course not!  She started cooing at something and getting all happy.  What was it that was capturing her attention?  It was the hanging attraction above her crib.  Now most baby cribs might have bears or planes or some other cute toy for the kids to look at.  Hailey... she's enjoying looking at the hanging ivy plant.  Strange girl.  Maybe she's grow up with a love for the outdoors and we're just starting young.

The carseat... The dreaded carseat.  Hailey has hated it from day one. The picture says enough.

Such a Serious Hailey...what are you looking at! Put that camera away...

This one was just for fun.  I have to find things in life to laugh at since Hailey is such a serious one. When I was dressing her this morning and the onesie got stuck right there I just left it there and turned around to find the camera.

Adventures in Idaho, Murphy Style

White Water Rafting... Who stayed in the Boat, who didn't.

Tow please!

Hailey's Blessing dress.

The weekend of Aug 2-6, was Hailey's baby blessing combined with the Smith Family Reunion. As much fun as it was, things were pretty rough at times. I've posted many of the good things, now time for Murphy's blunders. The reunion was a blast. The blessing was great. The people were wonderful. We enjoyed the reunion and reuniting with family Joel hadn't seen in a while. It was all the stuff around that that fell apart...literally.  Events starting backwards:

Tuesday, a white water rafting trip ended up with Joel getting tipped over the edge of the raft, dragged under the boat and floating downstream a ways... maybe floating isn't the right word. They were rapids after all. It took half an hour to rescue him. We climbed the lava rock upstream to where he was because he wasn't coming to us and we could tell he was in pain. Once we got to him, we discussed how to get him back. Walking was out of the question. We decided our only choice was to float him down the river to the raft. He couldn't walk on his foot and we didn't know if it was broken. My dad eventually came over and asked if we needed his belt. Genius! We used my dad's belt and Joel's belt and tied them together. Then we tied Joel to Chad, my cousin's husband. Chad was in back and led Joel downstream. Realize that this was frigged water. We all didn't worry about the cold though and honestly the cold water was probably the best thing for Joel's foot. We made it back to the raft soon enough, but the kicker... when Joel fell out three oars fell out as well. We now had 5 people left to row but only 3 oars. Two rowers in front and one in back steering. We eventually found all the other oars but getting them was just as eventful as getting Joel. We got Joel back to Boise soon enough and went to the ER just in case his foot was broken and we needed to get it set. We also needed to make sure he didn't have a lasting concussion from hitting his head. Expensive trip. This was my first trip white water rafting. It was a blast. My whole body hurts though. It won't be soon forgotten.

Hailey making the best of the wait in the ER

Sunday night... we got to the last family event only to find that the van my parents had brought up was dying out. We had no idea why because it had just been overhauled. We waited a little bit, enjoyed the last family dinner and when we came back it eventually kicked over. We were hopeful. Unfortunately, it died a couple miles after we took off. The alternator was dead and thus drained the battery. Joel towed us the 15 miles back into Rexburg. Monday we got the alternator fixed at a local shop and thought we were good to head out. After coming home from the shop the gas peddle was jammed and wouldn't disengaged. We wanted to go and hoped it was just a little stuck and would loosen up as we drove. Nope! The car revved all the way back to Boise because the gas peddle was still constantly being "pressed". Thus, in order to stop, we had to press the brake knowing full well we were working against the gas peddle. Gotta love the smell of hot brake pads. On the up side, Joel pretty much had cruise control the whole way home!

Saturday night. Hailey's Blessing... This is one murphy event that I really was sad about but I didn't find out until Sunday after church. Hailey's blessing was wonderful and many people commented that they felt Joel's dad and my Grandma were there, both of whom have passed away. Hailey had been fussy most of the night and to top it off the banquet room was getting hot. To help cool her down I took her out of her blessing dress and put the dress on my mom's chair. Tables were getting cleared up to make ready of the dance so my mom took the dress out to the car so it wouldn't get lost. Sunday I asked where her dress was because I couldn't find it in the car. She came out to check and realized there were some minor differences in the car vs the car she put the dress in. Come to find out, my mom put the dress in the wrong Red Chevy Blazer. Someone, somewhere in Idaho Falls has Hailey's blessing dress in the back seat of their car... My mom wanted to break down and cry because of the mistake she had made. She felt horrible. I said it's okay, it's only a dress, it was an honest mistake. Joel was bummed and upset because "he would never make a mistake like that." I asked him to be kind because my mom was already beating herself up about the whole thing. I sat there sad but saying, it's just a dress... But it somehow is more than just a dress. I realized I don't have pictures of Hailey in her blessing dress... just her. There are pictures where people are holding her, but i wasn't the formal photos. And she never got to wear it to church. My first thought after the drama cleared was, well maybe someone needed that dress more than Hailey. When I told Paula Burgess, the one who has made it, I'm sure she was more saddened then she let on, but she too responded that maybe someone else needed it and Hailey was just sharing.

These are just a few of the things that Murphy decided to play with on our weekend adventure. I asked Joel if it was because Hailey was given such a wonderful blessing that "the black dog" decided to step in and make life miserable just because he could. He just shrugged his shoulders.  I don't know if things could have gotten worse. I didn't know why everything fell apart. Joel didn't understand how I could be so calm with everything when he was frustrated to the point of irritation. I shrugged my shoulders. What can really be done about any of it? I know that things can get worse but it's honestly how we look at the situation that matters. I could have gotten made or frustrated, angry or bitter... I've done that before and it didn't turn out well. So this time I just cried when I got home and let it go saying we'll figure things out. Things will turn out, no matter how bad things have been in the past, it usually gets better. We've had the three bad things, now time for three good things!

Books and Advice for Hailey

This past weekend, August 2-6, we traveled to Idaho Falls for the Smith Family Reunion.  The weekend turned out to be more of adventure than we could have expected.  We combined the reunion with Hailey's baby blessing because all of Joel's family could be there and Idaho Falls was a central location for my family to come up. We had Hailey's baby shower at the Friday night BBQ and it turned out better than I could have ever expected.  I didn't have a bridal shower and I haven't been to many baby showers.  It was getting late when we started and I had hoped to get Hailey to bed by 9... yeah it wasn't happening since we started at 8 and I was having a great time.  Selfish I know, but ???  The shower was perfect.  There wasn't a lot of hoopla, fancy, frilly, games.  There were lots of people that I didn't know.  For introductions each person said their name and gave one piece of advice for parenting or having a new baby.  Feel free to comment and add your two cents.

Brandee: Enjoy them while they're little.
Abby: Get them a real Zebra.
Crazy Aunt Donna (according to Stacia): Have a sense of humor.
Laura: 20 bucks and hour for babysitting... okay $5.  (Side comment from Stacia, I'll do it for free!) 
Heidi: keep an old recipe box and write down the cute things your kids do so you don't forget and have proof when they try to argue with you about how it really happened.  Also, "Never let a problem to be solved be more important than a person to be loved." President Thomas S. Monson.
Sarah: It's okay to make mistakes.
Tess:  You only have 18 summers with your kids, enjoy them.
Stacia:  Babysitting, I'm your gal.
Janice: love them unconditionally.  Be careful what you imprint on your child in what you say every day.
Carina: Have patience.
Denise: Don't ever pray for patience.  Let them dress themselves if they are girls.
Tana: Read the book, "Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy child."
Stacie: Grumpy, not sleeping? It's teething!
Sherri: Start with three, then have the first.  You can't parent each child the same.
Bobbie Rae: Love em, Squeeze em, Feed em, Belch em.
Mary Alice: Red to them and they will be a genius.
Robyn: Love em, spoil em.
Whitney:  Give them a pony.
Mckenna: Cuddle with them.
Dondee: Call me when you have a problem.  Don't be afraid to ask for help.  Don't shake the baby!
Erin: Always have socks on your baby no matter what or else the old people will tell you their feet will freeze.
Sharon and Talli: walk and hold your baby because they grow up so fast.
Mallory: Have extra clothes for both of you.
Britnay: Adopt them after they sleep through the night!
Kyra: Sign them up for cool stuff early in life.
Carin: Have an extra set of kids clothes in a ziplock bag in the back of the car for emergencies during road trips.  Also the boom spoon is a must!
Jan: Have a sense of humor.  Don't hurt their feelings.
Connie: Love the teenagers.  They are fun times.
Jenni: I want the baby.
Nancy: Pictures.  Take lots of pictures.  Then have one album for you and one album for them to play with and look through.
Diana: Love them for who they are.  They are all different.
Lynda: Listen! Stop and Listen.  Most of the time problematic kids are because we simply didn't take the time to listen to what they wanted or needed because we were too busy.

After everyone went around and shared their piece of advice I opened gifts.  Jaime was brilliant and suggested that instead of a card--which I never know what to do with after the fact--each person should bring a book.  That way Hailey could start building up her reading collections.  She got lots and lots of books.  There are books in there that I read when I was young but also lots that I've never read.  It will make things entertaining for both of us.  Some even had textures or pop out things to make the read more interesting.  Thank you all!!!  

Enjoyments, Appreciations, Good times

Many of you followed me on my mission and looked forward to the weekly email updates about life and the mission. It's been a year since I've come home and much has happened but I haven't shared any of it. That is about to change. I've created a blog. Scary, I know. Follow our little family as we go through the ups, downs, and twists and turns of life. Insights, moments, and things to laugh and cry about are guaranteed! Monday will be the first official post. Preview: smith reunion enjoyments, Hailey's blessing and travel blunders, white water rafting catastrophes, and maybe a little more.

On the drive back from Idaho Falls, Joel and I decided to pass the time by listing the things that we enjoyed about the weekend.  We went back and forth and set a rule that we couldn't duplicate each others answers.  Check out what we came up with!  I was hoping for 50 but we got distracted and only made it to 42.

J- Meeting Ma Moo and family.  Aka Paula, Chris and Alan Burgess.  
A-Meeting Roland Smith.  I'm very grateful for what you did to help us out.  He has a great vibe/heart/spirit.
J- Appreciate the time I got to spend with Sheri at the cabin bbq.  It let me know she cared but also that she was willing to listen and not be judgmental.
A- The Smith Family made sure to make me feel welcomed.  I never felt left out if I didn't want to be.  There was always someone to talk to me and include me.
J- Ben, Randy, and Roland all came up for the blessing.
A- Sherbet with frozen fruit!
J- The second Sloppy Joe at the Friday night dinner.  I was hungry. Thank you!
A- I was surprised and liked that Faith Pyrah came up to me after the baby shower and gave me a big hug.
J- Pleasantly surprised that McKay and Levi asked to be in the blessing.  It meant a lot to me to have them both there.
A- I had fun watching Tana's 2 kids play in the dirt and pour it all over each other and themselves.
J- Watching Omar.  He's the coolest little kid.  Nice, respectful, waits patiently for things, and has a very calm countenance.
A- Playing at the pool/slide wit Kenna Luna
J- Spending time with Wizard and Marcia talking and making breakfast.
A- Enjoyed that Wizard would take Hailey and eagerly wanted to.  "I love Babies!"
J- Thankful Wizard would hold Hailey but was also willing to give others a chance as well.
A- Picking apples with Jaime Luna at the Prices.  It made the girls, Bobby Rae, Robyn, everyone happy.
J- Sitting in the lukewarm, 93*, hot tub at the end of the night talking.
A- Watching Ryan and Hailey both sleep through sacrament meeting and then Ryan offering to take Hailey and change her diaper.  I didn't know he knew how... Maybe he winged it.  Either way it turned out just fine.
J- Visiting with everyone I hadn't seen in a long time.
J- The Friday night Get-to-Know you game.  Everyone got me meet me or Andrea because we were newly wed.
A- Baby Shower, books, name introduction with a parenting tip/advice.
J- Rough housing with Mckay while in the pool attempting to shoot hoops.
A- Making it harder for Joel to shoot hoops in the pool by jumping on hi back and hanging on.  It was a blast trying to get me off.
J- Rough housing with my wife in the pool.  She's not prego anymore!
A- Hailey slept for 7 hours! I enjoyed the sleep, even though I woke up twice to make sure she was still breathing.
J- I enjoyed that we turned off the radio on the drive to Idaho Falls and talked like old times.
A- I enjoyed making a list of things that we enjoyed over the weekend.  It helps us remember and realize all the good things.
J- Sunday afternoon, spending time with my immediate family at wizards.  I'm glad BR got to hold Hailey as long as she wanted.
A- Thankful Jaime took pictures at the house, the blessing, and the baby shower.  Now I have something to remember it all.
J- Hailey screaming when Jaime was trying to take pictures with all of the girls.
A- Staying at Wizards house.  It was nice to be able to have some place to go at the end of the night to wind down and have our own space... not a fan of the full size bed, but we'll make sacrifices.
J- Playing with Abby and having her come with us Sunday afternoon.  I even enjoyed her jumping on my belly after we played pick up sticks.
A- Enjoyed that Abby wanted to hold Hailey and be super helpful.
J- Enjoyed that I was the one to offer to let Abby stay the afternoon with us.
J- Being able to cuddle with my wife because there was awesome AC in the basement.
A- Eating Raspberries, lots of raspberries. 
J- Being able to take time outside of the reunion at Wizard and Sevys.
A- Going through the shower gifts with Joel the morning after.
J- Red making me stop and watch the sunset with her at the elk cabin.
A- Looking at pictures of Hailey in a foofy, pink, girly dress.
J- Sharing tidbits of knowledge on the drive home about trucks, farming, etc.

Back by popular demand. The life of no ordinary family of Smiths

Life recently has been crazy and worth capturing and remembering but it's also been so busy that I've procrastinated and let many adventures, stories, and moments pass unrecorded.  I decided that after the weekend adventure our little family just had, I couldn't not share it with the world.  I hope to post each Monday so you all can read and enjoy and so that I have someone to be responsible to.  

Please read, comment, and enjoy!