Wishful Wednesday...

So alot of people in the blog world are doing these 'Wishful Wednesday' posts....so I thought I would join the band wagon and add 'Wishful Wednesdays' along with my 'Thankful Thursdays' to my blog....

Wishful Wednesdays are supposed to be something to get us through those lovely hump days.  It may be a wish, a hope, a dream, or an aspiration.  Some topics may be fun and playful and others more insightful. Either way, it will be something that I can share with all of you. And hopefully you all can share your wish with me as well.

Today, I wish...

that cancer did not exist. that the people in my life and people that I know were not affected by this disease. my father-in-law had prostate cancer, and he beat it. my grandmother had breast cancer, and she beat it. but, sadly not everyone beats cancer. and because of that, today I wish that people I know and love did not feel hurt, and pain, and such overwhelming sadness when they lose someone they love.

yesterday, a great woman passed. she battled cancer, with such grace. this woman was dan's boss's (big dave) mom. but she wasn't just big dave's mom, she was a part of the Greenly family. Dan has been a part of the Greenly family for so long, and we truely consider them a part of our family. while we didn't know Meme as well as others and weren't around her as much as them, we were still touched by her and by her courage and strength. what a strong woman to battle such a nasty thing as cancer is.  I can only hope to have that type of strength and grace in my lifetime. it was an honor to know Meme. we are truely blessed to be a part of her family, to know them and to have them all in our lives. in this time of sadness and grief, we can only hope to be there for you and to support and love you all.  In memory of Meme

Thankful Thursday

I know today is Friday, but I was super busy yesterday and forgot to post this....so here it is :-)

Today, I am thankful...

for my daughters unconditional and constant love. she always loves me, no matter what. and that feels soooo good.

for someone to listen to you when you need to just vent and work things out. knowing that you can say whatever to that person and they won't judge you and just listen to you is a weight off your shoulders in and of its self. Thank you to that person, you know who you are.

that it's Friday! which means a relaxing night with my two loves and then the weekend ahead.

that spring is fast approaching..to be honest I'm kinda over this cold weather and so ready to see the sun more often and get going with planting my garden

and finally...

I am thankful for this life. It may be a crazy one...but it's my life. And I love it. :-)

Randoms...

A few random pics of my silly baby girl!! Isn't she just the cutest!?!? I sure think so. :-)

Here are a few pics of the cupcakes I made for Addi's Valentine's Day party at daycare.  I also got these cute little boxes to put them in so that Daddy wouldn't have cupcake sprinkles all over his car for a week, tee heehee. They were quite adoreable and functional. Don't these look yummy?? YES, they most certainly were. I know because I made extras and had "a few" ;-)

Happy Valentine's Day!!

TGIF!! It's FRIDAY, FRIDAY!! Yahhhooo! I love fridays. I think because it's the end of the 40 hr-work week and even though I work weekends and don't truly get weekends off...I love being able to do whatever I want on Friday nights. Stay up late or go to bed early. Go out on the town or just sit at home and vege. We tend to usually do dinner and to just hang at home...tonight we're heading to dinner with my Dad. Haven't seen him in almost 2 weeks!!! We love hanging with him, always a relaxing time with good conversation. So tonight we'll do dinner and probaly come back to the house and watch movies. Sounds lame for a Friday night right? Well i'm exhausted so it's sounds pretty fabulous to me. Work this week has been soooooo busy so I've been working FULL 8 hours days plus a little. Good for business, but wears me out. So a nice relaxing dinner and hang time with my two loves is just what I need.

As for the weekend, well, I have to work Saturday night AND Sunday during the day...which is totally lame. Part of working in the restaurant business right!?!? Boo. Anywho, Sunday night we'll be celebrating Valentine's Day with our little, tiny family. Most likely PF Changs or Cheesecake Factory. *Those are our going out, getting dressed up, restaurants we don't normally go to but LOVE* And I say most likely cause we didn't really plan anything so we have no reservations. Which is actually ok. We're just gonna kinda wing it and see what happens.
. . . . . .
Soooo I just realized that I totally rambled on and on about nothing that I was really going to talk about in my post today. LOL The purpose of this post was really just to say Happy Valentine's Day to everyone and wish everyone a fabulous weekend. 

Now to the point of my post today, I would like to wish my Husband a very special Happy Valentine's Day and to say this...

Babe:

I know you never read this blog, BUT, I am going to write this to you anyways....

Valentine's Day comes around every year and each year stores are filled with roses, Hallmark cards, and people stressing out trying to use materials "things" to show the people that they love, just how much they love them. We have never been ones to buy each other extravagant gifts or to stress on this holiday, as if it was more special than any other holiday or day that we might celebrate together. Not to say that it isn't a special holiday, because in it's own right it is, just by nature. it's a day where love is in the air and our hearts feel a little extra full. But what I want you to know, not just on this holiday of love, but EVERY day of the year is this....

I love you. I love you more than I ever thought I could love someone. I love you with all of my being and so much sometimes that it hurts. You came into my life almost 9 years ago at a time where I wasn't looking for love. I didn't need it or want it. Not that I was closed off to it, but I just wasnt't looking for it. But, then to my surprise, one day...sitting in class at Sac City, there you were. You were dressed to a "T" in your Abercrombie clothes, with your bleach blonde tips and with a smile that I will never forget. You have a warmth about you that attracts people to you and instantly makes people like you.

I remember that day like it was yesterday. I knew at that moment, as strange as it may sound, but I knew at that moment that you were the one. I didn't know then how our life would be in 5, 10, or even 20 years. And I still don't know. But what I do know is that that day changed my life forever.

You came into my life and have given me so much joy. So much love that I never thought I could feel. You put a ring on my finger and promised to love me no matter what. And you have kept that promise. You gave me a gift that I can never repay you for or even say thank you enough for, our daughter. She is my everything. And in her, I see so much of you. All the good that makes you so wonderful. She has your kind and loving heart, your fun and quirky personality, and of course your stunning good looks ;-) But what I love most about her is that she is ours. She is a part of both of us and always will be.

So, this year, another year, on Valentine's Day...while we may not have expensive jewelry, a fancy 5 star restaurant, or a romantic trip planned...we WILL have each other and our love bug. And to me, that's worth more than any piece of shiny jewelry or a fancy meal that costs to much or even a trip to somewhere exotic. Where I want to be, and what I want, is to simply just be with you. And to know that we have a one-of-a-kind love that will last a lifetime. Knowing that our love is pure and honest and knowing that you love me with all your heart is worth it's weight in gold to me.

Thank you babe for loving me, not just on this Valentine's Day, but every Valentine's Day and everyday of the year. It means more to me than you'll ever know. Happy Valentine's Day babe, I love you!!

XOXOXOXO

 

Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday is a new thing I'm starting....actually, I got the idea from a few fellow bloggers, but it's new to me....and it's a day where it's been a long week but the weeks not just over, a day where even though the weeks not over yet it is almost the weekend, and a day where we can remember what we are truely thankful for in our lives. Sometimes, in the midst of all that is going on around us, we feel overwhelmed and stressed or happy and excited, but we sometimes we forget to be TRUELY GRATEFUL for the things in our lives. I do it, we all do it.  Soooo....starting today, I am going to start reminding myself and take the time to say what I am truely thankful for....

I am thankful for my husband. who loves and supports me in any and everything that I do, no matter what.

I am thankful for my little love bug who brings me new joy every single day.

I am thankful for a roof over my head, even though its a small one, I am still VERY lucky.

I am thankful for my Dad and Cheryl. Because they love my little family so whole heartedly, 100% of the time.

I am thankful that I have such an amazing relationship and close bond with my sister-in-law, Beth, and brother-in-law, Todd. I absolutely love spending time my with them.

I am thankful for my new little nephew that isn't even here yet. I already love him soooo much.

I am thankful for my mother and father-in law, Bob and Michelle. Words really cannot express how much I truely love them...

I am thankful that I have a job, 2 jobs at that! While at times I might not love them, I AM thankful that I have them.

I am thankful for my other in-laws, Bruce and Lori. they treat us like gold. they love us and truely enjoy our company and are always thinking of us. 

and finally, I am truely thankful for the life that I have been given. it might not be a perfect life. and I may want to improve a few parts of my life from time to time, because that's just how I am, but I am truely blessed and thankful that I have this life. I have a happy, healthly, beautiful family and really, what more can a girl ask for...

Updated Pics

A few pics from the last couple of weeks...

Where does the time go!?!?!

Wow! Where has the time gone!! Well here it is another month later and I'm just now getting to my blog. I must admit that i've been having some computer issues which is why I haven't been on here in quite some time. Excuses, excuses. Actually I've had a lot to blog about lately...just haven't found the time. So here I am sitting at my computer, and where do I begin???...

Well, first off, let's just ponder this...Addi girl is 16 months old!!! Holy cow!! Saturday she turned 16 months old and I honestly cannot believe how fast the time is flying by. This is really a fun time for me with her because she is such a Mama's girl and so fun to be around. She is such a ham and just so full of life that it makes you want to spend every second with her.  And with working two jobs, STILL, i've been trying to find new things to do with her so that we can really enjoy some quality time together. So, we tried LittleGym for the first time last weekend...LOVE LOVE LOVED IT!! She loved it, I loved it...and it was actually really fun. I had heard about it through friends and family but never actually tried it for whatever reasons. So we just decided one day to do it....i guess it's part of my new year, new changes philosophy :-) It was really fun because it was just total silly time where her and I could just be silly and do whatever...run around, play with balls, dance. Her class is called the Little Birds, cute right?? They focus on listening, following directions, learning new skills, ect. It was funny because at first she stayed completely glued to me and kept looking at the other kids, then back at me, then at them like, what the heck is going on here?!?!?  AND she even wanted me to carry her from time to time. But once she got used to it all, she just took off!! Running and bouncing from play mat to play mat and throwing the balls around the room. It was pretty funny to watch. Its a great experience as a mom too because you learn new ways to try things with the little ones. For instance, we learned how to start the kids with learning how to do a sumersault. Seems easy right? Well I had no clue how to go about it in a safe way but so that she would learn how to do it. It was alittle tricky at first, probaly because her and I both were looking at each other like, um ok...let's give it a try. But once we got it down, oh my!! Addi wouldn't let me stop!! When we got home and showed Daddy what we had learned I think I literally helped her to do 50 sumersaults!!! Too funny! (Video to follow) So all in all it was def a success.   

Another new thing we're trying is joining a mommy group. We joined a group of Mommies that live in Roseville and are in the same age range as me, in their 20's. I thought it would be a good way to meet some new mommies that have the same interests as me and like to hang with their kids. Give us a new thing to try. We just joined so we haven't met anyone yet but we're def looking forward to it. Seems weird to try and meet new friends when you've had the same group of friends for so long, but I figure it can't hurt to meet some people that like to do what I do. You can never have too many friends right!?!? :-) So anyways, we're meeting up at Folsom Zoo the first of March and hopefully something before that so we'll see how it goes!!

As for new things with Addi girl, here are a few things she's be saying, doing, ect ect....

* Addi has 8 teeth now!!

* Addi can say Diaper, Bella, Mya, Thank You, Olive (sort of-sounds more like lala lala), Yellow, Blue...just to name a few new ones

* Addi is in early stages of potty training!! She tells us (most imes) when she goes potty.

* We're down to only 2 naps a day

* She loves walks, drawing, and cheese ;-)

* She'll be getting her 18 month shots soon so we'll have an update on all her stats then

As for other news....well there isn't really much. The holidays, superbowl, and most our birthdays have passed and now that my sister-in-law's baby shower has come and gone, well there's really not much going on in our house. Not that i'm complaining...it's just weird to not have something to do everyday and every weekend.  Although, I do think that this will be the calm before the storm. If you've read my last couple of posts you'll remember that we have quite the summer coming up! Lots of events and weddings and things to go to, in addition to just the normal busy summer activities that we'll have. Plus Baby Tyler's arrival in a short few weeks!! Can't wait!! It's def going to be one busy year!  But for now, we're just working away and enjoying our down time with each other.

And coming up:

Addi's Valentine's Day party on Friday....which I am making treats for and very excited to break out my mixer!! Crab feed with Dad and Lori on Saturday night (assumming i'm not called into work)...which is always a fun time!! And Valentine's Day on Sunday...which I will be working during the day, but will be spending the rest of the evening with my 2 LOVES!! Dinner/Date night is just what I need!!

So until next time.....xoxo The Smith Family

Ok so here are some pics (a small collection since there were a bazillion pics) from Dec. They are from the many Xmas's we had with family and friends, Beth's family baby shower, and other misc ones taken. They are in no particular order. Enjoy! :-)

Our family, Chrismas Day 2009

Whoa!! Cool present from Santa!!

Such a cutie pie!

Yeah!! I love presents!!

Opening gifts with Gma and Gpa Smith...a new shopping cart!!

Kisses and snuggles with Gma Bailey!

Girls Bake Day 2009...Addi actually got to help out this year!!

Ohhh Snow!!

We actually got a pretty good amount of snow...

Our little drummer girl!

Addi riding her new Choo-Choo train she got from Santa

Our house for Xmas...just call us the Griswalds!!

Dan and I walked into her room and yelled, "Merry Christmas!!!" I don't think she was quite awake yet. HEHE

In her pretty Xmas dress for Xmas at Grammy's

Uncle Todd and Addi girl playing on Xmas...

Such a silly girl!!

Our new little nephew, Baby Tyler...ETA: March 5th

Happy 2010!!

Well, it's finally 2010! A new year is upon us. Out with the old, in with the new. Gone is the bad, and here is hopefully a new year full of all good. Well that's the plan anyways. :-)

I really love this time of year. It's a time where I feel cleansed or at least the need to cleanse my life. Not sure exactly why now, as opposed to any other time of the year, except that every year around this time I feel the need to completely go through our closet and get rid of old stuff, organize and clean each room to a "T", start new projects and finish old ones, and of course start...or should I say...get back on a mini-diet and start working out again. Some of these are of course more fun than others LOL. But either way, they all kind of come about around this time of year. I guess most people think that way. We think of a new year as a new start in a way. Like we erased the chalkboard and get to start all over, fresh. Not really, but we all have that mind set. I know I do. Our family had a lot happen last year, both good and not so good. So starting a new year, with as crazy as a year as we have coming up, is kinda refreshing. Looking forward to new things and new changes and trying to not look back on some things that weren't so great is part of what makes the new year...just that, a new year.

Part One of my new year, new changes attitude is to, blog more. I never really liked writing papers or writing in general but as I've gotten older I've actually surprised myself and enjoy it. I know alot of people only check out my blog from time to time and of course it's mostly family, but even if no one read it, I think just being able to "talk" about my life happenings is some sort of release for me. So Part One is def off to a great start, more blogging. :-)

Part Two of my new year, new changes attitude is to get my house in order. I've been working two jobs for the last 6 months or so and it's really taken a toll on me physically and mentally...which makes sense because the more time I spend working, the less time I have for everything else. Which def would include my house. For instance. I have wanted to paint our bedroom since we moved into our house, which was about a year and a half ago, but just haven't because of time, money, or just will. Whatever it was, it just hadn't gotten done. But then last week in the midst of all the holiday madness, between work and family and everything else...I was sitting in our room staring at my completely plain tan walls and thought to myself, shoot I'm just gonna do it! So, I told Dan...Babe, were painting our room this weekend. No excuses, it's getting done. I've been wanting to do it and now that it's a new year it's time for a new room. He said alright, let's do it. So, Sunday while Addi was down for a nap, we did it. And let me tell you...it's looks awesome!! What a difference. What a difference such a small adjustment can make. And that's part of why I have this new attitude this year. I have let things slide and it makes a difference in how you feel and the overall flow of your life. So, a few more tweaks to our room and that part is done. Next is organizing the hall closet and cupboards, like organizing my scrap booking stuff for one, and then organizing the garage and getting all the "Crap" in there in order, and then finally the backyard. Which is quite a task because we need money to do what we want back there...but I think the few ideas we have for now will make a big difference for now until we're able to make major changes. So even though part two is an ongoing project for the whole year, it def feels good to have a goal to work towards and get my house back to normal.

Part three of my new year, new changes attitude is to (which I'm sure this won't surprise you...) start eating healthier and working out. I say this every year of course and usually I do pretty good, but eventually, after boat season winds down I slack off and get way out of shape. So this year, my goal is to lose the extra flab and to keep it off, for good. Also to have a healthier lifestyle. Eating better foods, like fruits and veggies, and cutting out the fast food and....the hardest part for me...the candy. I know, I'm like a 5 year old when it comes to candy. I love it and can never get enough of it. Sad, but so true. Dan makes fun of me all the time cause I can never just have one piece...I'll eat the whole bag. And because we have so many weddings this year and events that I would like to look slim and trim for, I figure now is as good a time as any to get with the program. Not that it'll be easy by any means, cause I will be the first to admit that I really don't like working out...but Dan and I are both on the same page and are willing to sweat it out, literally, to get in shape and get healthy. So with that, I'm hitting the treadmill tomorrow!! One last day to vege out and eat my fave, pizza. :-)

And the final part of my new year, new change attitude is just that...a new attitude. I'm the kinda person that stresses when there's not enough money, or my outfit isn't just right, or things don't go according to plan. I've def gotten better over the years, because we all know that with a baby you kinda just have to. But I've realized looking back on 2009 that I stressed ALOT about stuff that honestly, didn't really matter. Looking back I have realized that things have a way of working out somehow and in the end all will be OK.

So I guess my new year's resolution this year (if you want to call it that...) is to take things as I go and try to stress less, not just with money, but with everything in my life. This year...and from now on...I'm going to try to stress less, try to go with the flow, and try to not sweat the small stuff. And to go for what I want, without hesitation. My first order of business, start school! This year is going to be a year full of changes and new things, school being one of them. I know I'm def looking forward to starting a new career and starting this new year with a new attitude!! I'm hoping in the end it'll all pay off!

So with that, Happy 2010 everyone! And good luck with all of your "new years resolutions", whatever they may be....

PS...LOTS of pics to follow. My camera battery was dead, and then I couldn't find the battery charger. But now I've found it so I'll be posting pics from the end of 2009 shortly. :-) Thanks!