The Blog of ThemSmedleys

2012-01-28T12:30:00.000-08:00

Greetings everyone! There isn't much to report on our end. We have been enjoying the overall mild weather and have been taking advantage of having a little more free time on our weekends this month. We had Ben's birthday party a few weeks ago at an indoor play place. He also, in full Ben fashion, decided to cut his hair one night after going to bed. When I finally noticed that his hair didn't look like and asked him if he cut it, he just very matter of factly said, "Yes." Like, doesn't everyone cut their hair after bedtime???
Jake and Jimmy have been busy working on their cars for the scout Pinewood Derby. Jake actually won first place for speed so he is going to the District race next week. Yes, he's in the big leagues now! Other scout events this month included a visit to our local ABC station where the tiger cubs got to be present for the six o'clock news. They got to see all the behind the scenes action. Today they are going to a Duke ice hockey game and Ben is happy he gets to tag along.
Kelly went up to Delaware for a weekend to wedding dress shop for Laura's wedding. Laura is going to make a beautiful bride!
Other than that, we just remain busy with work and the day to day chaos of homework, making dinner, and keeping up with everything. Leah is perfecting her climbing skills....making mommy very nervous in the process.
Some new pics and videos posted. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T10:12:00.000-08:00

We've had a very busy month of December! Both Jake and Ben had Christmas programs at their school (unfortunately I couldn't get good shots of either from my camera), we celebrated Ben's 4th birthday with cupcakes and Pinata at his school (the "real" party is in a few weeks), and Jimmy went hunting and shot his first deer! We did the usual Christmas preparations of getting a tree and decorating it and the house. "Blinky" joined our family this year...our new Elf on the Shelf. Mommy is very happy Blinky is now gone for another 12 months...he turned into a chore to move every night! We also drove around to see local Christmas lights and Jake sang in the children's choir for Christmas Eve mass yesterday. Jimmy made another great "Dinner of the Year" of prime rib and yorkshire pudding. The boys were SO excited about Santa arriving and were up before sunrise (5:41 a.m. but who is keeping track?) and were very spoiled by Santa.
We hope all of our family and friends have a Merry Christmas! Some pics and a few videos posted!

Turkey

2011-11-28T18:34:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! We hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving! We hosted a crew this year. Jimmy's parents, grandparents, sister Rachel and her family as well as his Aunt Jeanne (also Leah's godmother). Everyone got in the Tuesday before TG and we spent the next several days cooking, eating, playing in the backyard, going out to breakfast with Pop Pop, hiking, and just hanging out. It was fun having the cousins together and Jake and Ben really took to Aiden. Leah wasn't so sure sometimes who this guy thought he was coming in and playing with her toys! Aiden even learned how to say Ben Ben before the visit was over. :)
In other news, we completed the soccer season earlier in the month and topped it off with a team pizza party for Ben (and Jimmy's) team. We also had a cub scout hike and birthday parties to attend.
We are gearing up for the busy month of December and hope you are too! Some photos and videos are in our web album...stay tuned for some possible additional photos over the next few days.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-29T18:55:00.000-07:00

Greetings! It's hard to believe it's almost November! Our October was an action packed month from start to finish. The boys continue to have soccer practice and games. Jake has really blossomed as a player this season and just loves playing! Jimmy spent several days at Hatteras Island for his annual surf fishing trip. He ended up having to take two ferries to get there due to the aftermath of Hurricane Irene shutting down Rt. 12. The kids and Kelly went to Nags Head for a few nights to visit with Grandma and Grandpa, who were staying at the beach for a week. The kids had a great time and we lucked out and had nice weather...the boys had no qualms about getting in the water despite it being COLD.
The day we got back from the beach Jimmy took the boys for the bi-annual cub scout camping trip. This was Jake and Ben's first tent camping experience and they had so much fun. The trip was busy with tie-dyeing tee shirts, making arts and crafts, making donuts, singing campfire songs, etc. They can't wait for the next one! Mommy enjoyed some alone time with Leah while the boys were camping (it was practically a vacation with only one kid at home!). The weekend was topped off with running the Ramblin' Rose half marathon. We were lucky that our sitter was willing to come to our house at 6 am so Kelly could get to the race in time. It was a fun race in and around the Duke campus and with about 1800 other women. Very inspiring!
The following weekend Jimmy and Kelly went to the Immaculata fall fundraiser gala with some other parents. It was a fun night topped off with a "flash mob" that Kelly participated in. After practicing for a month it was nice to have it all come together. Hopefully some video will surface soon from some of the onlookers!
As if that wasn't being busy enough, we also had the Immaculata Halloween carnival. Jake was a vampire, Ben was spiderman, and Leah was a puppy. We'll be going trick or treating with friends and the kids can't wait!
We hope all of our friends and family are doing well! New pics posted in our web album!

Back in the swing of things!

2011-09-11T18:21:00.001-07:00

Hi all. We are back in the full swing of fall activities! Jake started first grade a few weeks ago and Ben moved up to a new room at school. Jake has also started in the next age group in soccer (bigger field and official referees!). Jimmy is coaching Ben's team this fall (Go Alligator's!). Also, Jake has begun Cub Scouts. Since the Tiger Den is so large, Jimmy offered to be one of the leaders so he had a few busy weeks of doing all the required Scout trainings, etc. Jake has many classmates in his den and seems to love it. They have their first camping trip next month and lots of other fun activities to look forward to this year.
In other news, Leah has officially started walking. She is just taking her time and teased us a few months ago with a single step. She is now up to about 5-7 steps but still prefers crawling on her hands and feet like a little monkey. She is also starting to show her stubborn side at times in typical "I'm one now and I have an opinion!" fashion.
That's about all that's new. Just been dealing with the whole earthquake, hurricane, and tornadoes thing in the past few weeks! Some pics and videos posted. Have a great week!

Leah is One!

2011-08-19T18:00:00.000-07:00

Hi all! Well, it had to happen. Our little princess has turned one already. Hard to believe isn't it? She has been such a wonderful addition to our family and this past year has flown by. We celebrated her actual birthday at home with the boys and Mommy baking her a "cake". Initially it started as cupcakes but then the plan turned into a "cake". (I'm using this term loosely). The final product actually tasted just fine but wasn't exactly the most beautifully presented. Leah must have expected more because she wasn't too thrilled when presented with this masterpiece. (Video to prove it). We had a birthday party for her in Delaware with family and friends. We are so blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives and Leah was delighted to be with everyone!
Also on our trip to Delaware last weekend, we managed to find time to hang with friends, Jimmy played golf, and Kelly went to look at a wedding venue with Laura and her mom. As usual it was a busy but fun weekend.
Other than that, we have just been busy with the usual summer stuff. Both of our jobs have been pretty busy lately and we are looking forward to getting into the school routine again next week. Jake found out who his first grade teacher is and is excited to be a "grader". Soccer and scouts are also starting up soon. Jake is very excited about starting cub scouts (gee...wonder where he got that gene from?). So, this fall we will be busy with activities. I can only imagine life getting even crazier when Leah is involved in her own stuff!
We hope everyone is doing well. Some pics and videos will be posted soon!

It's Hot, Hot, Hot!

2011-07-17T10:55:00.000-07:00

Hi all! Just a quick check in here. We have had a busy July so far, with visits from Grammy and Pop Pop as well as Grandma and Grandpa. Jake has been at camp and the rest of us are doing our usual work/daycare routine. We've been trying to stay cool despite the heat and humidity and have been taking advantage of going to the pool as much as we can.
Leah is getting closer and closer to walking...hard to believe!
We also got a new shed built last week to help ease some of our storage woes and give Jimmy a bit of a "man cave". :)
A few milestone pics of Leah are posted as well as some random pics from July.
Stay cool!

OBX 2011

2011-06-19T10:36:00.000-07:00

Hi all! We returned yesterday from our trip to Avon, NC. We had an amazing time and had near perfect weather too! Every day was a beach day with only one windy day and a few clouds here and there. We can't complain!

Rachel, Dean and Aiden flew in from Colorado and Laura came down from Nags Head at the end of the week for a few days. The highlights of the week were many:
- Howie literally wiping out and then body surfing a wave
- Howie being lost for over an hour before we realized he was missing (he decided he liked our neighbors better than us!)
- Aiden carrying the biggest shovel around for hours on the beach
- Jake losing his tooth right on the beach
- Ben doing funny dances while jumping in the pool
- The showerhead from hell in the upstairs bathroom
- Ghost crab hunting with the boys (and the ensuing murder by Jake and Howie of a few caught crabs)
- Hot tubbing to fireworks, a nearly full moon, and a heat lightening storm in the distance
- Jimmy got up early to fish and see the sunrise nearly every day
- Rachel and Kelly stole a few hours here and there sans kids to sit, read, and RELAX.
- We celebrated Ben's half birthday while we were there with a few gifts and cake. (The poor child is the middle child and totally gets glossed over due to his December 16th birthday so we are starting an annual tradition).
- The oven smoking up the whole house from rib drippings
- Eating WAY too much ice cream
- Eating WAY too much in general
- Ben messily eating an ice cream cone
- Aiden dancing to an old Raffi VHS
- Leah eating a fistful of sand
- Leah cooing every single time we crossed over the dune and she saw the ocean.
- Leah saying her favorite word at meals..."Dewey"...prounounced "Doo-Weee". Saying it repeatedly and LOUDLY when she wanted more food.
- Finding buried "treasure" on the beach. The boys are convinced it is real pirate treasure when in actuality some girl probably lost a bag of bedazzled glue-on jewels. :)

I think that covers it! We had a WONDERFUL time. It was a lot of work, planning, hauling, etc. but worth every second. Can't wait for next year! Pics and videos posted!

Happy Memorial Day!

2011-05-30T08:25:00.001-07:00

Hi all! We've been action packed as usual the past few weeks. We had Jake's birthday party, a visit from Kelly's parents, soccer games, bbq's and parties of friends to attend, and we started going to the pool! We joined a swim club located about 5 minutes from our house and have already been several times. It has great accommodations for kids and families and we plan to get a lot of use out of it this summer!

In other news, Jake got an award at school for "Producing Quality Work". Mommy and Daddy are very proud and were able to go to the recognition ceremony. Jake also had field day last week and enjoyed the various games and events with his 4B (fourth grade) buddy Finley. It's hard to believe in a week and a half he'll be done with Kindergarten!

Ben continues to be our little rascal but has been doing a bit better with his listening skills lately. :) We've tried lowering the dose of his inhaler to see if that will help him focus a little better and it seems to be helping. Either that or he is just maturing!

Leah is crawling all over the place and starting to try to pull up on things. She is loving the pool and gets such a kick out of splashing around.

That's about it! Be prepared for video overload on our May web album!

What happened to April?

2011-05-08T03:22:00.000-07:00

Wow. April came and went didn't it? I can't believe it's been over a month since our last post. Since we never got around to posting an update I guess you can imagine that April was pretty busy! Let's bring you up to date in the goings-on with ThemSmedleys.

In early April, our good friends Derek and Beth came down from Maryland for a visit. Jimmy and I hired a sitter for one night when they were here so we could enjoy a dinner out sans kids (heaven!). We also had a visit from Jimmy's parents. The boys went fishing with Jimmy and Pop and the kids also had a fun Easter egg hunt in the backyard. That was the weekend that a bunch of tornadoes came through our area. Luckily they hit slightly north and east of us but the wind and rain was pretty intense!

Easter weekend was a quiet weekend at home. Jake was on spring break and got to spend a few extra days at home as well as go to camp. At the end of April, Kelly got a night away to attend a wedding in Alexandria, VA. Her parents and sister Laura also were there as well as several old high school friends. It was nice to get a day away although toting the breast pump along took a little bit of the fun out of it (3 more months to go!).

As far as the kids go....Jake just turned six on May 2nd. We had his birthday party yesterday at our local Pump It Up (a bounce house place complete with huge slides and several bouncing activities) with most of his classmates. He continues to enjoy playing soccer and would like everyone to know that he now has two loose teeth. His class also hosted a Mother's Day tea last week which was absolutely adorable. They sang songs, recited poetry, and served all the moms cookies and juice. It was too adorable.
Ben has been our challenge lately. He continues to be FULL of energy and combined with his strong will makes for some challenging times. He is trying to exert his independence and has had difficulty following directions both at home and lately at school. He and Jake also just love to bicker back and forth and he knows just how to push Jake's buttons. We continue to remain consistent and enforce discipline in hopes that these Terrible 3's pass soon. Ben has been hot and cold on the soccer field...he loves to play sometimes and other times would rather sit or climb on the goal net. Sigh. Yet, he continues to make us laugh and gives the best bear hugs.
Leah has also had a couple firsts in the past month. She is now crawling and is enjoying her newly found mobility. She also had her first ear infection a few weeks ago. :( But overall she has been doing just great and has been enjoying eating some small finger foods and making all sorts of adorable baby noises.
Jimmy has spent time staining our decks and continues to be busy coaching Jake's soccer team. We also got a new sliding glass door installed (going from our family room to our deck). It really opens up the room and it's so nice you can't feel the wind from any gaps! (Like our old door).
Kelly has been working on a new research study at work and has recently gotten into couponing. She's tired of spending an arm and a leg on groceries so is trying to save some money by watching sales, clipping coupons, etc. It's more time and planning but in these early stages seems to be helping!

I think that covers it on what's been going on with us the past month or so. May is proving to be another crazy month. We did find out we got into our local pool club so we are excited to be able to swim a lot this summer.
Pictures and video posted soon.

Plugging along

2011-03-26T04:17:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. Not much to post except there are a couple new videos of Leah added to our March album. She is doing just great...enjoying baby food and is trying to make sense of the little Gerber puffs we give her too. She is also starting to get her knees under her so crawling shouldn't be too much longer. We also think a tooth will make its appearance soon.
Speaking of teeth...we think Jake has his first loose tooth. He claims it feels funny and we *think* we can detect a little wiggling. The tooth fairy better get ready! (BTW...what is the going rate for tooth fairies these days?).
We had our first soccer practices last week. Surprisingly Ben was a bit timid the first few practices. It probably doesn't help that mommy is there because most likely he'd be fine without my presence. We know it will just take time for him to warm up and get used to the new friends and game. His team name is "Flamingos". Jake's team is the "Blue Jets". First games are today...should be fun!
Other than that, Jimmy has been working on refinishing our deck since it was not looking so great. We are also hoping to replace our back door with a new slider.
Oh, one event was a couple days ago we discovered we had no water. Turns out our well pump got fried after a lightning strike (bad storms overnight). Luckily we got a plumber to come replace it pronto although we can't drink from our tap for a week or so. But that's a minor inconvenience...at least we can shower and flush toilets!
Check out the two sweet videos of Leah. She is our little doll baby. :)
And a big SHOUT OUT to our nephew Aiden Macko who turns ONE on March 31st! He is a beast and has already been walking for about 3 months and is all boy! We love you Aiden!!!

Spring is in the air!

2011-03-06T04:27:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! We are so happy that the warmer weather is upon us and spring is around the corner! Of course that doesn't necessarily mean that we have been able to avoid getting sick. Luckily so far we haven't had any major illnesses this year but it seems we all have been recycling the same cold/fever combo for the past couple months! It could always be worse and it's to be expected when kids are in school and daycare.

Jake has finished his basketball season. His team won the tournament for his age group. We were happy to see Jake develop his skills and have some fun learning a new game. And who knew that the $5 nerf basketball hoop that "Santa" brought him would be the most used Christmas gift? He will shoot baskets with it for hours. I guess it's the next best thing to having an actual basketball hoop...we have a gravel driveway so our poor kids are deprived of being able to bounce balls and ride their bikes freely. :( Jake is excited for soccer to start in about a week. Kindergarten is also moving right along. I chaperoned a little field trip the class took to watch a little play. Jake is working on listening during school and not getting side tracked by fun, talkative friends during class. But we get reports that he is a joy to have in class and is doing well both academically and socially.

Ben is also doing well (although at the moment is the latest fever/cold victim). He is about to move up a class at his preschool and is excited about the new toys and "older" friends he'll be with. He is going to start soccer too this spring. Jimmy and I will be juggling having 2 kids on 2 teams (and Jimmy will be coaching Jake's team). Ben is thrilled that he got a brand new soccer ball just for him (he is so used to getting Jake's hand-me-downs). Ben is also becoming more independent and becoming more of a force to be reckoned with with his bossy older brother. Ben's favorite phrase when Jake gets on his nerves: "I'm not talking to you Jake" or "You aren't my best friend Jake." Ahh..brotherly love.

Leah continues to be our princess. She is now sitting up on her own and will be seven months tomorrow! She loves to say "bah bah bah" and make a funny "elephant" noise with her mouth. She is also enjoying her daily taste of baby food but her tummy is having a slower time handling the adjustment so we are taking it slowly. Still waiting on teeth although with the amount of drool she has it should be anytime! Leah is also in the whole "Let's scream my head off when Mommy is out of sight" stage. Not fun when Mommy has 2 other kids to take care of and stuff to do around the house! Soon enough she'll be crawling...she is working so hard trying to figure it all out and has a little rock-n-roll thing she does to get where she wants to go. Smart cookie!

In other news, Jimmy has been busy working on our lawn and planting grass. He has been going squirrel hunting for the past month and got a squirrel last weekend (which he cooked and ate for dinner...EWWW). At least we know we can survive off the land if needed! I've been keeping busy with work and the kids. I ran a 5K yesterday which was fun. Hard to believe at one point I had the time and energy to train for and run a marathon. Maybe again someday....

I'm working on getting some pics and videos posted but my computer isn't cooperating so keep checking back!

Master bath renovation

2011-02-12T11:17:00.000-08:00

Hi all. Just a quick fyi to let you know I've finally posted pics of the renovation of our master bathroom. Jimmy began working on it about a year ago and it was held up due to his torn achilles tendon and ensuing surgery/crutches. But it is officially done. He did it all by himself and did a wonderful job!

Finding a rhythm

2011-02-01T18:40:00.000-08:00

I think once you have kids you are forced to learn to be flexible, whether you like it or not. When you add more kids into the mix I find we are tested even more and more. It is so hard to find the balance between family time, work, kids' activities, husband/wife time (get your mind out of the gutter!), exercise, fun, and time with friends. Let alone household chores, cooking, shopping, etc. That is a LOT to cram into every week or even day.

Throw in illness, bad weather, work stress, unexpected life happenings, and even the most well-oiled household can get out of whack.

Jimmy and I are frequently fine-tuning the balance in our house. We try to recognize each other's need for time alone. I am trying to find time to run 3 days/week, even if it means getting up an hour earlier than usual because that's the only time to fit it in. For me, running is a huge stress reliever and I feel better when I'm consistent with it. We are also both making an effort to make time with friends by tag-teaming time with the kids so the other can occasionally go out with a friend. And I am in the process of interviewing babysitters so we can go out on actual dates on a regular basis.

Will the scale ever be fully balanced? Doubtful. But we are going to try to get it as close as possible. And if some days the weight is a little heavy on one side, we'll re-adjust. Adapt and overcome is a motto we use. And it's so true.

Keep an eye out for some February pics/videos coming soon!

Yes, we are still here!!

2011-01-05T18:22:00.000-08:00

Hi all you faithful readers. Sorry for the delay in posts but life with 3 kids around the holidays can get kind of hectic. December was action packed for us. We had a total of 4 snowfalls here in Durham...the highest totaling about 5 inches. The snow made us delay us getting our Christmas tree by a weekend unfortunately. Once we did make it out the boys had a great time searching for the perfect tree. We found a nice big one to cut down. Jake and Ben had a blast decorating (Ben concentrated ALL of his decorations on one specific branch) and getting excited for Santa. Jake was in his annual Christmas show at school and practiced his class's song religiously. The show was adorable...it's always fun watching 4-8 year old kids remember lines and act and sing.

Ben also had his big 3 year old birthday smack dab in the middle of December. He will proudly tell everyone he is "free". Still working on pronouncing the "th" sound. :) We had a small celebration at home complete with presents, candles, and cake.

Jimmy' s parents visited the weekend prior to Christmas and Kelly's parents visited a few days after Christmas. The kids were spoiled rotten and have lots of new toys from them as well as Santa to play with. Leah was the quiet observer of all the action over the past few weeks. She is content just having something to constantly chew and drool on.

About 4 days before Christmas our brand new camera broke. Hence the reason we haven't posted pictures yet. Thankfully Matt, (Kelly's sister Laura's new fiance!!!!) volunteered to ship us one of his cameras so we could capture all the Christmas fun. We are working on getting pics up so keep checking back.

And yes, a big congrats to Laura and Matt who are now engaged! Matt proposed a week or so before Christmas and we are just thrilled for them!

We are now back to our routine after a couple weeks off of school/daycare/and some extra time off work. Combine that with the snow and the usual of having a sick kid in the house and everyone was ready for January to begin.

We hope you had a great Christmas and a Happy New Year!! Pics to come soon!

Thanksgiving

2010-11-28T11:51:00.001-08:00

We hope all of our family and friends had a nice Thanksgiving. It's hard to believe it has already come and gone. We headed up to Delaware on Wednesday and spent the weekend enjoying time with Grammy and Pop and Grandma and Grandpa. It was a relaxing trip without much on the agenda other than a lot of eating! Jake, Ben, and Leah all had a terrific time and surprisingly everyone managed to stay healthy!

Some pics from November and our trip are posted in our web album. Now time to get ready for Santa!

All good things must come to an end

2010-11-02T18:17:00.000-07:00

And so it goes...unbelievably Leah is 12 weeks old and maternity leave is officially over. The return to work was yesterday and overall the transition back into a routine went smoothly. Leah is being cared for by a lady who runs an in-home daycare near our house. I also was fortunate enough to cut down to working 30 hours/week which allows me to get Jake when school lets out and get Leah and Ben and get home at a reasonable hour.

Other than that, we had a very busy Halloween weekend. Jake was sick for most of it but managed to get out trick or treating. We also went to a little party with my North Durham Triangle Mommies group. It was a great time. Pics and a few videos will be posted soon...added to our October web album.

Growing up too fast

2010-10-23T04:43:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone. Things have been pretty status quo the past couple of weeks. Jimmy went on his annual surf fishing trip to the Outer Banks a couple weeks ago. And we all survived! Laura came on her way back from a work conference to visit for a couple days which was very nice...not only for a visit but to have an extra set of hands to help with the kids. Being by myself with the 3 kids for 3 days after that was quite busy...I have much admiration for single moms of young kids who do that every single day.

We've also been having some firsts in our house lately. Ben is in the midst of potty training and has been in "big boy" underwear all week with only a handful of accidents. Although we are thrilled to get him out of diapers it is also bittersweet because it seems his toddler stage has gone by way too quickly. He is turning into a little boy and it's hard to believe he will be 3 in two short months. Ben continues to be such a charmer and spends about 95% of the time with a big smile on his face.

Leah has also had a couple of firsts. She chuckled for Daddy this past week (hasn't since!) and she has rolled over a couple times from her tummy to back. She continues to be Ms. Serious and is just interested in taking everything in. We've also started transitioning her to daycare. She will be at an in-home provider near our house and she seems to have hit it off with Miss Tara. Only one more week til Mommy returns to work. :(

Jake also is growing up before our eyes. He is growing like a weed and we think just had a growth spurt because all of a sudden he seems taller! It is neat to see him learn and really think about things and how they work. He has said he loves his science class so we'll see if he follows in Daddy's footsteps to be a scientist.

Some pics and a couple videos are added to our October web album. Have a great weekend everyone!

Leah's Baptism Weekend

2010-10-05T18:27:00.000-07:00

Greetings! We just got back from a great weekend in Delaware. It was a busy one with lots to do but we also got to spend time with many of our family members and friends. We drove in last Friday and stayed at Kelly's parents. Saturday we prepared for Leah's baptism luncheon. Then we headed over to Jimmy's parents to help set up his dad's surprise 60th birthday party. It was a fun evening and he was definitely surprised! On Sunday we had Leah baptized at St. John's in Newark which is where we got married and had both Jake and Ben baptized. Her godmother is Jimmy's aunt Jeanne and her godfather is Kelly's uncle Chris. We were so fortunate that so many of our family and friends could join us on such a special day for our family. Leah was an angel in church and barely even woke up when the priest poured the water over her head. We then enjoyed a nice luncheon at Kelly's parents' where we all got to relax and catch up with everyone. Later that day we were able to slow down and take a breath and watched some football. We then headed back over to Jimmy's parents for a quick visit with our nephew Aiden as well as Jimmy's sister Rachel. And on Monday we hit the road back to NC.

A few observations from our trip:
1. Diarrhea isn't any fun. Ben had it from Friday night until Sunday afternoon. The child got about 10 baths in the course of 2 days.
2. In the chaos of traveling with 3 kids, one of which is sick, and a crazy dog who is a maniac when traveling, we forgot to give Jake a bath the entire weekend.
3. Since we were remiss in cleaning our child, we also forgot to have him change his underwear. So Jake wore the same underwear for 4 days in a row. Oops.
4. Traveling in the rain with 3 kids, one of which is a nursing baby, and the aforementioned crazy dog (who managed to be sneaky and eat one of our dunkin' donuts) is tiring.
5. Thank goodness for whoever invented the minivan.

When we got home late Monday afternoon both Jimmy and Jake basically went straight to bed. They both got whatever bug Ben had. I got it a bit too but luckily was still functional. Leah so far has been okay.
On another note, Leah had her 2 month appointment today. She weighs 11 pounds, 3 ounces and is 23 inches long. 50th percentile for weight and 75th percentile for height. Her pediatrician is pleased with how well she is doing and so are we!

Some pics from the weekend are posted in our web album. Enjoy!

A house divided

2010-09-13T18:43:00.000-07:00

Now that football season is upon us, the smack talk in the house has begun. Jake is also at an age where he is really starting to learn about football...the rules, the players, etc. He also is a prideful Eagles fan and has taken it upon himself to rag on the Steelers. Jimmy and Jake are the household Eagles fans (poor guys) and Ben, Leah, and myself are the Steeler fans. At least for the moment while Mommy still has some control and they aren't being brainwashed by their father. :)
Needless to say, we will have many weekends to come to brag about our teams and spend Sundays watching the games. Gotta love football.

Other than that, things are status quo. Leah is growing like a weed, has started smiling occasionally, and has just been a sweet baby. Jake and Ben are as rambunctious as usual. Ben doesn't stop talking from the moment he wakes up and Jake has been learning a lot already in kindergarten. (Ask him about patterns and he'll tell you all about it!).

Some pics are posted in our September web album. Enjoy!

Big Week

2010-08-30T09:33:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. Life has been pretty hectic lately and we had an especially busy week last week. On Monday the 23rd, Ben started at his new preschool, Mt. Sylvan. It is a methodist church based preschool that is highly sought after around here. He's been on the waiting list for about 9 months and thankfully got a spot. We are going to miss his previous daycare but we already feel at home at his new one. On his first day when I dropped him off he went running off to play and I had to call him back to me to say goodbye. Needless to say, he has transitioned very well. And mommy and daddy are LOVING the 3 minute drive from our house (yes, seriously!). In other Ben news, he has been pretty consistently peeing on the potty before bath time and sometimes in the morning. Looks like we will be taking the potty training plunge very soon!

The other big event last week is that Jake started Kindergarten at Immaculata Catholic School. He was SO excited to wear his uniform (we'll see how long that lasts!) and see his friends. He has a male teacher who is fresh out of college so we are excited for his new ideas and also for Jake to have a male teacher for the first time. Jake did just fine and Mommy didn't even shed any tears (just got a little choked up). I walked him in the first two days so be sure he knew where his class was and Jimmy dropped him off in the car pool line on the third day. Our baby is a "big" kid now! Jake's only worry about walking in by himself was not being able to open the main door to the school, something that I never would have thought of. Luckily 99% of the time someone holds the door and we told him otherwise just wait til a bigger kid comes along to open it. Jake was so proud and told us all about how he walked to his class all by himself when he came home that day. He thinks he is Mr. Cool.

And finally, the week ended with a bang as Jimmy and I went and traded in our CRV for a 2010 Honda Odyssey minivan. I am in love with it...the space is awesome! After cramming 3 kids into the CRV for the past 3 weeks I am really enjoying the room as well as having separation between the kids. No more fighting between Jake and Ben and Mommy isn't playing referee while driving. Although neither Jimmy or I are real thrilled to have taken the plunge to be minivan owners, we couldn't resist the practicality of it. So, be on the lookout for our new wheels!

In Leah news, she is doing just great. She is already showing signs she is like her mommy and has put herself into a bedtime routine. She usually only gets up once or twice per night and usually goes back down easily. Evenings are her fussy time as she would love to just nurse for 3 hours straight if she had the choice. She is starting to become more aware of her surroundings and has enjoyed the songs and dances Jake and Ben have shown her. It's hard to believe she is already 3 weeks old and has already outgrown some of her newborn clothes!!

Some pics and videos are posted in the August album as well as a new album of Leah's milestone pictures. Enjoy and have a great week!

First Few Days

2010-08-12T11:39:00.000-07:00

Our first few days at home are going well overall. Leah spoiled us the first few nights as she only needed to be fed twice and went right back to sleep. She is getting the hang of nursing which makes life much easier as we don't have to deal with supplementing, pumping as often, or feeding her formula through a syringe during nursing. (Pain in the butt!).

Last night was more of a typical newborn night...up several times, not wanting to sleep. Comes with the territory and Jimmy and I are learning how to manage on little sleep.

Other than that, we just wanted to thank everyone for the well wishes we've received. We are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends!

Some new pics are up on our web album.

Leah has arrived!

2010-08-09T11:02:00.001-07:00

We are excited to announce that our newest addition to our family has arrived! Leah Alexandra Smedley arrived on 8/7/10 at 5:22 am. She weighed in at 7lbs, 4 oz and is 20.5 inches long. She is absolutely precious and just fits right in with our family.
The birth story basics:
On Friday, 8/6 around 7 am I started having contractions every 5-10 minutes. They were consistent the entire day. My sister Laura had planned to come for a brief visit that day as she had a work training in Asheville and wanted to visit us on her way home. Well, timing was great for that as she ended up watching the boys for us and we didn't have to use our neighbors or friends. Once she got here I told her we were going for a walk (wanted to get things going), so we did. Shortly after my contractions came every 5 min. and were getting more intense. Jimmy got home with the boys, we had dinner then headed to the hospital, since the contractions were 5 min. for 3 hours straight and getting more painful (and I'm no fan of pain).
Get to the hospital, go to Labor and Delivery Triage. They didn't think I was in true labor yet. We walked for an hour trying to get things going and my contractions went to every 3 min. Still not enough for the doc to say I was in labor! (Uhh..I've done this twice before..not sure what else you can call it!). So, instead of sending me home, they decided to admit me to the antepartum unit so my pain could be managed with morphine overnight. I figured it was better than being sent home so agreed, although was told the only way I'd go back to L&D is if I needed to push or my water broke. LOL. No L&D doc would be checking me apparently.
So, get to the antepartum unit (mind you by now it's like 12:30 am and I'm in PAIN every 2-3 minutes). Immediately the nurse says, "Girl, you are in labor!" So a battle ensues with the antepartum nurses and the L&D nurses about me. As a nurse myself I know the drama having an inappropriate patient on your unit can cause and it can become a power struggle. I did get the morphine (which did next to nothing to help my pain). The nurses convinced the L&D doc to come back down and check me and luckily I had dilated more. So, back to L&D I go, get the epidural, all is well.
A little later I was checked again after I told them I felt pressure and had gone from 6-10 in an hour. I needed to push but they said it would be awhile since the baby hadn't moved far enough down the birth canal. Well, that's not exactly something I can control so right away I pushed and 12 min. later she was out!. The nurse delivered her b/c there was no time to get the doc!
Anyway, it went pretty well overall besides the drama of changing units. Didn't get a wink of sleep so I guess I'll catch up in about 4-5 months once Leah starts (hopefully!) sleeping through the night.
Jake and Ben visited for a few hours on Saturday as did my parents and sister. Both boys have taken well to her and love to show her stuffed animals. Her Daddy is totally smitten and in love with his precious baby girl.
We only stayed for 24 hours at the hospital since I had her so early and we were both doing so well. Plus as a third timer they know I know what I'm doing. So, we came home yesterday afternoon. We are working on the breastfeeding and survived the first night home. Thanks to Laura and Kelly's parents for their help watching the kids, cooking, shopping, and holding down the fort for the weekend.
Some pictures are posted on our web album. Enjoy!

-Kelly

The waiting game

2010-07-28T17:15:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone...it's been awhile since our last update. Not much new to report...we are just waiting for our baby girl to arrive. Could be any day now. July has been very hot here in NC...not exactly fun when you are 9 months pregnant but staying in the a/c as much as possible has helped. Jimmy flew to Pittsburgh for a weekend as his friend Justin (who was in his same lab at Pitt) defended his thesis dissertation. Jimmy was lucky to go experience da 'burgh again and see some old friends and eat a Primanti's sandwich again.

Jake and Ben are doing well. Jake has all his school supplies, uniform, new bookbag and lunch box and is set to begin Kindergarten at the end of the month. This week he is finishing up camp at Immaculata (which happened to be with his PreK teacher) and for the following 3 weeks will attend wilderness camp (which means dirt, mud, bugs, animals, and lots of fun!). He went back during Easter break and had a great time. You know when your kid is filthy dirty and falls asleep in the car on the way home you are getting your money's worth.

Ben has shown some interest in potty training but we are kind of holding back until things settle down a bit when the baby arrives. His parents are not willing to put forth the effort just to have it completely un-done due to a new sibling and starting a new school in a few weeks. Speaking of school, some pics from Ben and his current class are posted. We will be sad to leave them in a few weeks but are also looking forward to a shorter commute, cheaper tuition, and the ability to say the words "God" and "Jesus" (it's a church-run preschool). Check out our web album for cute pics of Ben.

Our next blog entry will be when Baby Girl arrives! Say prayers for a smooth delivery and healthy baby!

Blessings

2010-07-04T09:36:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone. It's been quite an eventful few weeks. Jimmy got the good news that he is being promoted to Group Leader at KBI Biopharma. After a mere year of working there he was handpicked for the position (sorry, bragging wife!). The position will entail management of several staff and projects for the company. Kelly also was asked by the chair of the Department of Psychiatry to oversee the outpatient psychiatry clinic and help design new ideas for the several programs in the clinic. The bulk of this responsibility will begin after maternity leave.

In other news, we also were called and told that Ben got a spot at Mt. Sylvan Preschool. He has been on the waiting list for awhile and will begin in late August. Although we absolutely LOVE our current daycare, with Jimmy working in N. Durham and Kelly at UNC in Chapel Hill, the location is very out of the way and adds a half hour to each of our commutes. We aren't quite sure what we will do with baby girl...she is on a few waiting lists so we just have to have faith it will work out.

Other than that, Jimmy has been really busy working on our master bathroom. This weekend he is tiling the shower. We are making progress!

Some pics of baby girl's nursery are posted in our web album. All that is missing is her!

Happy 4th and have a great week!

"Babymoon"

2010-06-20T12:37:00.000-07:00

Jimmy and I decided a couple of months ago that we needed a little getaway before Baby Girl arrives. It's been a rough several months due to Jimmy's surgery, household projects, and being busy with Jake's soccer team and our other activities. So we booked a weekend at the Blockade Runner Resort in Wrightsville Beach, NC (near Wilmington). Kelly's parents watched the boys so we could go.
I must say that having just two days away to ourselves makes a world of difference. We thoroughly enjoyed the peace and quiet and eating our meals by ourselves. It was so nice to sleep without having to get up due to the kids, no baths to give, no whining to listen to. On Friday afternoon when we got there we just took a dip in the pool and a walk on the beach. We drove into Wilmington to go to dinner at The Pilot House which was very nice (got a table on the water). Saturday we spent a luxurious day of doing absolutely nothing! Sitting on the beach, reading, fishing, napping. It was great. That night we had a delicious 5 course meal in the hotel's restaurant (part of our package) and it was surprisingly delicious. We were very happy with the hotel...they upgraded us to oceanfront (who can argue with that?), their breakfast was delicious, and it was quiet. We had a wonderful time. The boys apparently did have a great time with Grandma and Grandpa too as they are both zonked out napping as I'm writing this. :)
We definitely missed Jake and Ben a ton while we were gone but also really enjoyed ourselves and a break from the daily grind. We definitely need to make a point to do a small trip every 6-12 months to recharge.
A few pics from our trip are posted on our June web album as well as a few randoms and a video.
Have a great week!
P.S. 7 weeks to go til Baby Girl arrives (but who is counting?) :)

Baby Girl

2010-05-31T10:11:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd give a quick update on baby girl. She is growing well and all appears healthy! Tomorrow marks 30 weeks...so about 10 more weeks to go before she arrives. At our last ultrasound two weeks ago her head was measuring 2 weeks ahead which makes her mommy a little nervous that she will be a repeat performance of Jake. Jake had a 95th percentile head at birth and only came out after almost 4 hours of pushing and help with the vacuum! Baby girl should know that mommy would not like to do that again.

Some belly shots and ultrasound pics posted on our web album.

Trip to California

2010-05-28T12:47:00.000-07:00

We recently got back from a week long trip to California. The original purpose for the trip was to meet our new nephew Aiden James (AJ) and also be his sponsors for his baptism. However, Jimmy and I decided that since we will be out there we should take advantage of the proximity to Disneyland as well as the San Diego Zoo and visit them also. So, sit back and relax as I describe our eventful trip.

We flew out on a Wed. and left Raleigh late in the afternoon. The timing wasn't ideal given the 3 hour time difference between here and CA but the price was right (Yay Southwest!). We got to our hotel about midnight Pacific time (3 am our time). The boys actually held up great. They slept a bit on our second flight and allowed us to sleep in until 9am Pacific time that first day. So we ventured from our hotel to Irvine which is where Rachel and Dean live. That day we discovered that not all supermarkets in the area are the same...one we stopped out was completely Hispanic, another completely Asian. Finally we found one that catered to those of us who only understand English. After getting a few necessities we headed over to Rachel and Dean's apartment and met our adorable new nephew AJ (who is as sweet as can be). Jimmy's parents as well as Dean's parents, sister, uncle, and cousin all met up at their place and we spent the afternoon by one of the complex's pools. That night Rach and Dean treated us all to a delicious Italian dinner at a local restaurant.

On Friday, Dean grilled burgers and dogs and we spent the afternoon relaxing again by the pool. The weather was actually a little chilly for swimming but the boys didn't seem to mind. And the hot tub was useful for the swimmers to warm up. That evening we headed to the Newport Beach area and went out on a boat for a tour of the sound. Jake and Ben thought it was so cool and we even saw a seal (?I think?) who wanted to swim along side our boat. After our boat ride we went to the beach so we could officially say we saw and were on the Pacific Coast.

Saturday was our big day at Disneyland. Jimmy's parents joined us for the day also. It started out interesting because as we were leaving the parking deck to enter the park a fist fight broke out between some adults who were also heading into the park. (Nice to see people can control themselves in a place filled with kids). After calling the police we hightailed it out of there and then started our Disney adventure. Jake and Ben were wide eyed the entire day and we all had a wonderful time. We weren't sure how it would be with me being 7 months pregnant and Jimmy in his walking boot but we actually managed very well (although we were totally wiped out by the end of the day). The highlights for the boys included a Star Wars show (and of course the necessary purchase of light sabers afterwards), the Pirates of the Caribbean, It's a Small World, and the Disney parade. We also got a photo op with Goofy which they thought was pretty cool.

Sunday was another big day for AJ's baptism. The service was beautiful and he didn't mind too much getting his head wet. He even seemed to enjoy being the center of attention! We all enjoyed a delicious luncheon at the pastor's house and got to meet some of Dean and Rachel's friends. Jake and Ben were also thrilled to play with other kids and "new" toys!

We headed down the coast to the San Diego Zoo on Monday with Rachel. As recommended by the locals, we went on the bus tour first and then we walked to the exhibits we wanted to see up close. Jake and Ben enjoyed one of the orangutan's showing off his tumbling skills. The zoo was very impressive...unfortunately by then my pregnant body and Jimmy's leg had had enough activity and we couldn't see everything. That evening we hung out at Rachel and Dean's and said our good byes to little AJ. :(

Tuesday was our travel day home. As is inevitable when we are traveling by plane, one of our kids must have a poop explosion. This time it was Ben's turn while we were checking in. Thankfully it didn't occur on the plane and we have learned our lesson previously with Jake to always have an extra set of clothes (and socks!) on hand on an airplane. Our first flight was delayed about 45 minutes which meant we just made our connection (luckily they held the plane for us). However, we flew Southwest which means you choose your own seats. Well, on a full flight there weren't 4 seats together, let alone 2 and 2. So, the flight attendants spent about 15 minutes holding up the plane and figuring it out for us and luckily people were kind enough to move and we actually were able to sit 4 across (which was great since it's was about a 4 hour flight). Shortly into the flight a passenger fainted so nurse Kelly jumped into action to help. Luckily she turned out to be ok and the flight was able to continue without problems. We got home at 1am Wed. (our time) and I had to wake the boys up at a decent hour to help them get back on schedule with the time change.

Another cute tidbit...the first real night we were home, as I went to check on the kids before we went to sleep, Ben wasn't in his bed (he sleeps on the bottom bunk). He had climbed up to Jake's bunk and both were snoozing away next to each other. They had slept the whole week together on a pull out couch in our hotel room that I guess Ben missed his older brother! Made my heart melt!

So, we are now back to our routine. It was a big trip for us going across the country with 2 young kids, being pregnant, and having a husband recovering from surgery but we did it and enjoyed it! TONS of pics and a few videos are posted on our web album. Enjoy!

Jake's party and Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T07:09:00.000-07:00

We had Jake's birthday party yesterday. This year we decided to host it again at our house even though last year I swore I wouldn't do that again! The amount of work that goes into a party can be tiring but we are trying to save some money for our bathroom renovation as well as maternity leave, etc. so we decided to bite the bullet. It helped that this year we had a cleaning lady so I had her come a few days beforehand. However, I don't think we took into account the fact that I'm about 7 months pregnant and Jimmy is still limping around in his boot. The set up was quite an ordeal and we were both so tired after the party. However, the party was a success...we only invited about half the kids from Jake's class so we could comfortable accommodate everyone. We set up the blow up wading pool and a new sprinkler Jake got for his birthday. The kids had a blast! We again lucked out with the weather this year. It's so hard to believe our oldest baby is 5!

In other news, our friends Rick and Natalia had their second child on 5/7. Matthew John Beley joins big brother Ryan in the Beley family. Congrats to them!

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there. As I type this my wonderful boys and husband are making me eggs, bacon, and banana pancakes. Yum!

Some new pics in our May web album!

OBX and Jake's birthday

2010-05-03T18:29:00.001-07:00

We managed to get away for a few days to Nags Head, NC. Laura and her boyfriend Matt graciously hosted us for a couple nights and Kelly's parents visited also. We had absolutely perfect beach weather. Jake and Ben had a blast on the beach and Jake even played a bit in the water despite it's frigid temperature. Jimmy, Matt, and Kelly's dad went on a day trip fishing and managed to catch some stingrays and small sharks. We had a great dinner out at Pamlico Jack's where the boys were enthralled with the pirate who walked around and talked to them. On Saturday Laura and Matt made a yummy BBQ feast and Sunday morning Matt made a scrumptious breakfast before we hit the road.
This trip was slightly more challenging than most due to Jimmy being limited with his leg post-surgery and Kelly being 6 months pregnant. Although it was tiring for both of us it was rejuvenating to get away for a few days and just be near the water. It was nice to wrap that in with a visit with the fam too. Poor Howie got the shaft this time and was at his doggie hotel but it was actually a nice break for us not having to worry about him for a few days.

We also celebrated Jake's birthday this weekend. He is very proud of the fact that he is now 5 and keeps telling us that he doesn't need our help with certain things because he is now 5.

Some pics posted in our May web album.

April has come and gone (well, almost)

2010-04-25T13:16:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that we are almost into the month of May. April flew by. We have been busy with Jake's soccer games on Saturday mornings as well as his practices once/week. Our friends Derek and Beth drove down from the D.C. area to spend the weekend with us in mid-April. We enjoyed a low key time of catching up, relaxing on the deck, and going out for some yummy Italian food. Jimmy also turned 33 and Howie turns 6 in a couple of days.

Jimmy continues to recuperate from his surgery. He has made quite the impression at work on his scooter/knee walker and gets looks everywhere he goes. He had a small setback last week when he aggravated the area around where he had the surgery but luckily his surgeon isn't too concerned...hopefully it's just a couple week setback. We both were panicked that he re-tore his tendon and would have to do this all over again but thankfully that isn't the case.

Other than that, life has been status quo...very busy with the kids. Baby girl kicks her mommy pretty frequently and the pregnancy is going well so far. A little over 3 months to go!! Hopefully the NC summer treats baby girl's pregnant mommy well!

We hope everyone has a great week! Some pics added to our April web album.

More pics

2010-04-04T11:07:00.000-07:00

Some more pics are posted of Easter, etc. Enjoy!

Baby Macko!

2010-04-02T10:43:00.001-07:00

We are thrilled to share the news that Jimmy's sister Rachel and her husband Dean welcomed their first child into the world! Aiden James ("AJ") Macko was born on 3/31/10, one day before his due date. We are excited to meet the little guy and will be heading out to CA for his christening in May. The new family is doing well!

In other news...it has been a bit hectic and stressful here lately. Jimmy had his surgery to repair his achilles tendon almost 2 weeks ago. He has adapted to life on crutches and has impressed everyone at his job with the contraptions he's put on them to make working easier (a cup holder to carry things, binder clips to carry paperwork). We have ordered him a knee walker which will help him get around a bit easier and free his hands up a bit at work. Despite being on crutches, Jimmy still managed to coach Jake's soccer team and plans to do so for the rest of the season. We are blessed to have helpful parents on the team who are willing to pitch in where needed.

In addition to dealing with his surgery and recovery we've also had sick kids thrown into the mix. When it rains it pours! Luckily everyone is healthy at the moment. We are using the opportunity of having a 3 day weekend to transition Ben into his "big boy" bed AND to sharing a room with Jake. Yes, we are a glutten for punishment but figured it's kind of like taking off a band aid..just do it all at once. The first night went well, but as I type this (while Ben is supposed to be napping) I hear singing and banging on the walls. :)

That's about all that's new with us. We are hoping to have a relaxing Easter weekend and enjoy this beautiful weather. Some pics are posted of a little Easter Egg hunt we had for some friends in Kelly's Triangle Mommies group.

Happy Easter to all our family and friends!

A lot going on!

2010-03-13T11:24:00.000-08:00

Whew! We've had a hectic few weeks around here. Things are changing in the Smedley house in order to prepare for our new addition. After doing some shopping online, at local furniture stores, and on craigslist, we found a bedroom set for the boys to have. (We got it off of craigslist and it's in great shape!). Ben will be moving into Jake's room in a few weeks and will also be transitioning to the bottom bunk of their new bunk beds. Jake is thrilled to be super cool and sleep on the top bunk. And he was happy to help his daddy put them together!

The master bath renovation has been continuing. We are now into the priming and painting the ceiling stage. Our master bedroom is a complete mess but we know the final product will be worth it!

Jake began his spring soccer season this past week. Jimmy is coaching again and we have many returning members from last year's team. Since the kids are a little older they also get a bigger field to play on...they are growing up! Later that same night of Jake's first practice Jimmy had his own indoor soccer game. However, that will unfortunately be his last game of the season because he got injured by tearing his achilles tendon. Surgery is necessary to repair it followed by 3 months on crutches! He will "go under the knife" in a few weeks and is looking forward to getting this all behind him and being mobile again.

And, earlier this week we had our 18 week ultrasound of the baby. Turns out we will be adding a baby girl to our family! She certainly wasn't shy (or very ladylike as Jimmy said) on the ultrasound so we are 99.9% sure it's a girl! And she looked very healthy and was measuring right on target too. We are excited to add a new dynamic to the family and mommy is super thrilled to get some girly things into this house!

So that's what's new with us! We hope all of our family and friends are doing well! Some pics are up of the boys' new room.

A sick household

2010-02-23T10:40:00.000-08:00

Well, we have been overdue for an illness and we got hit last week. It started with Ben on Wednesday evening with vomiting and then diarrhea. Jimmy stayed home with him on Thursday and I stayed with him on Friday. Well, I got hit with it on Friday and once Jimmy got home I basically went up to bed. Jimmy then got a touch of it on Saturday afternoon. On Sunday we were all feeling pretty good and were able to get outside and out of the house running some errands. I was hoping Jake somehow escaped the wrath of the stomach bug but at 3pm on Monday I get "the call" from school that he had gotten sick. So, we are hunkered down at home today although aside from a mild fever and no appetite, he is doing pretty well.
We were lucky in that Jimmy and I didn't get hit with it right at the same time because there is nothing worse than having to care for sick kids when you are super sick yourself. So, I'm hoping we've paid our dues for the year and remain healthy from here on out.

In other news, we find out in a couple weeks what we are having. The baby has been moving like crazy. A few pics are posted as well as a video. Ben has been very interested in the baby and frequently wants to touch my belly. It's cute because Jake wasn't that interested when we were expecting Ben. We'll see if it lasts once the baby is actually here and taking attention away from Ben. :)

News, showers, and snow!

2010-02-02T12:28:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! Wow, it's been awhile since our last update. Let's start off with the big news (for those of you who may not know yet)...we are expecting another baby! Yes, another Smedley will be gracing the planet around August. Jake and Ben are excited. At first, Jake adamantly told us he didn't want a sister, however he now says he wouldn't mind one. Ben at times thinks he has a baby in his belly or he'll point to mommy's and say "baby belly." Yesterday we all went to mommy's check up (courtesy of a snow day from school) and the boys got to hear their new sibling's heartbeat!

As for the rest of January...Jimmy has begun the huge project of completely gutting and remodeling our master bathroom. We have picked out a new vanity and think we have narrowed down the tile we want for the floor and the shower. Our goal is to have it done before baby gets here!

Kelly flew to Delaware a few weeks ago for Jimmy's sister Rachel's baby shower (her baby boy is due April 1st). It was very nice to have a weekend away without the kids and to be able to fly to Delaware as opposed to the long drive. Rachel's shower was a success and her baby is on his way to being a prince! :)

In other news, we got about 5 inches of snow here 4 days ago. It snowed Friday night into Saturday. As this post is being written, it is Tuesday and schools have been closed for the second day in a row (for a snowfall that occurred on Friday night!). We are baffled by how the road crews have managed the roads this time. The main roads are pretty good but the side streets are a mess. We had a little sleet which we knew was going to happen yet they neglected to put salt down so it has become an icy mess. The kids have done every indoor activity imaginable (baked cookies, play-doh, painting, coloring, playing with all of their toys, as well as watching entirely too much tv and movies). We are hoping tomorrow will be a return to normalcy but who knows!

Pics are posted from Rachel's shower as well as from playing in the snow. Enjoy!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-29T11:05:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas this year and hope our family and friends did as well. Since Jake is in new school this year, he has 2 weeks off for Christmas break (great for him but also forces his parents to use up precious vacation time). Anyway, Jake and I did some last minute preparations and errands before Christmas Eve. Our church had a 3:30 mass this year which was awesome...allowed us time to get home and have dinner at a decent hour. Jimmy again made our "Dinner of the Year"...prime rib and yorkshire pudding and it was delicious as usual. Jake had a little bit of trouble settling down to sleep on Christmas Eve but eventually drifted off around 10:00.

On Christmas morning he was up at 6:30 and so thrilled that there were gifts under the tree and that Santa actually came! This truly was the best year so far for him to really have fun with Santa and the whole gifts, stockings, and leaving cookies thing. Ben even said "Santa Cauz" when he saw the gifts, although he was more interested in the candy in his stocking than the gifts themselves. Christmas day we spent time lounging around, watching A Christmas Story and National Lampoon's Christmas vacation as well as playing Jimmy's new Wii. None of us got out of our pajamas all day...sheer bliss!

Grandma and Grandpa arrived the day after Christmas and we opened gifts with them that night. Jake and Ben were totally spoiled by everyone this year and we are trying to figure out our toy storage options! They enjoyed spending time with Grandma and Grandpa (who left this morning). The rest of this week Jake will spend some time at home and Ben will go to school for a couple days to keep him in some sort of a routine. We are looking forward to a relaxing New Year's weekend.

Pictures and video posted in our web album.

Pre-Christmas and Ben's Birthday

2009-12-18T11:36:00.000-08:00

December sure has been a hectic month! Today the boys got out of school early due to snow. Snow is a huge deal here in NC....it is quite comical sometimes all the hype and mild panic that ensues. But, at the moment we are home relaxing and starting our Christmas vacation a few hours earlier than expected.
Anyway, last weekend we had our "pre-Christmas" with Grammy and Pop. The boys were thrilled to open some gifts early and to have new toys to play with. It was a nice, low key weekend just hanging out and enjoying the Christmas spirit. Jimmy made a meatloaf including some deer meat from a deer his dad had hunted and it was great!
Our baby boy celebrated his second birthday on the 16th. It is so hard to believe he is already two! We kept it low key and just had some cake at home and opened his gifts. We gave him a new art easel but silly mommy didn't get the supplies needed to go with it (markers, chalk, etc). One would think that if it's on the picture on the box it's included but obviously that's not always the case!
Now we are just in the final countdown to Christmas. Jake is off school for the next two weeks which means some time off for Mommy too. We plan to get some things done around the house and maybe do a few fun things too with Ben.
Pics from Grammy and Pop's visit as well as Ben's birthday posted in the December web album. Have a good weekend everyone!
-Kelly

Thanksgiving and more

2009-12-06T04:32:00.000-08:00

Well the holiday season is certainly upon us as life has kicked it up a notch and the days are getting busier and busier (hence the lack of a blog post lately). To back up, I'll tell you about Thanksgiving. Unfortunately we weren't able to get any pictures because our batteries died and since our battery charger is on the fritz it was a lost cause. Perhaps we can post some from family members at some point.

Our Thanksgiving trip to Delaware was a lot of fun and busy as usual. We hit the road at 5:30 am the day before Thanksgiving and spent time that day with Grandma and Grandpa and then Grammy and Pop. Turkey day was whirlwind with bouncing between houses and eating way too much food. We had dinner at Jimmy's grandmother's house (Grandmom Foose) with some of his aunts and uncle as well as cousin. It was a delicious meal...at the end of which when Aunt Barb asked everyone if we wanted to eat pie right away or wait a bit for our stomachs to digest, Ben chimed in and shouted, "PIE!". So that settled that!

We then scooted over to Kelly's Uncle Chris's house for dessert. Again, a plethera of aunts, uncles, and cousins were there and Jake and Ben enjoyed the attention (and also admiring Connor and Owen's guinea pigs).

Friday was spent relaxing and then we went to our friends Rick and Natalia's house for awhile. We met up with some college friends while there and met our friend EV and Melissa's baby Jared for the first time. We had a wonderful time just catching up with everyone and Jake and Ben had fun exploring (and making a mess of) all of Ryan's toys.

Saturday morning we hit the road and were back in NC by mid-afternoon. It was a great holiday!

Now...fast forward to this weekend. Yesterday we went and got our Christmas tree. Christmas tree day is always an adventure in our house. We typically "discuss" what type of tree we want and sometimes it may take awhile to agree on it. Then, once we are home, we usually have some sort of fiasco. One year we couldn't get the tree in the door (in Pittsburgh) and when we finally did we had a huge mess of needles everywhere. Another year, we had difficulty getting the tree level in the stand, so I had to hold the darn thing for over 2 hours while Jimmy fixed it. A few years prior we had a tree fall down, fully decorated. And when Jake was 7 months old, (although this was when we took down the tree), he came down with croup and had to go to the ER that evening.

Anyway, this year went fairly smoothly. We braved the rain yesterday and went to a place where you can cut your own tree. Maybe the weather had something to do with it, but we were able to decide on a tree without too much disagreement. Once we got it home and up we were faced with this year's challenge. Our lights were not working correctly. Half of an entire string would be out, some would go on for awhile, then go off, some just wouldn't work at all. This was particularly frustrating because the lights are only a few years old, and one strand was brand new! After some problem solving Jimmy managed to get some working and so far, they are still on. Let's hope they work at least til Christmas! But, regardless of the headaches, the boys had fun running through the mud finding a tree and Jake had fun decorating. Mommy had to rearrange the ornaments he hung as he hung about 20 of them all in one same area of the tree. :)

A few pictures are posted on our web album of our Christmas tree day. Have a great week everyone!

Busy few weeks!

2009-10-31T18:18:00.000-07:00

Hi all! We've been pretty busy here lately. We took the boys to the NC State Fair a few weekends ago. It had been two years since we'd been there (Ben wasn't even born yet) and although it was chilly and damp the day we went, we still had a lot of fun. Jake enjoyed riding some rides (Ben rode a few too) and we did some games this year too. Daddy beat out a bunch of kids in one of those water gun target games and won Jake a big stuffed dinosaur. The boys loved seeing the big tractors and trucks as well as all the farm animals too.

The following weekend we went to Delaware for a quick visit to celebrate Jimmy's grandfather's 80th birthday. Family from across the U.S. came in for the special day and we had a great luncheon celebrating Pop Pop.

The past two days were full of Halloween festivities. First was a party with Ben's class. Unfortunately, Mommy didn't plan ahead accordingly and didn't try on his costume until Friday morning. Come to find out that it was a tad tight. So, to make it easier he just wore a fireman costume the teachers had on hand that day. After Ben's party we headed to the Halloween carnival at Jake's school. It was pure chaotic fun as kids of all ages ran throughout the school playing games and getting hyped up on sugar. It was a really nice event though and a great fundraiser for the school.

Today, Mommy took the boys to a Trunk or Treat at a local church as well as going door to door for trick or treating. We ventured into another neighborhood because our neighborhood is quite dark and almost no houses hand out candy. So we went to a more family friendly neighborhood and the boys scored plenty of candy to last til next Halloween!

Although October was a lot of fun, it was very hectic so we are hoping November is a tad calmer for us.

Pics posted in our web album!

Splitting attention

2009-10-18T17:04:00.000-07:00

Last week Jimmy went on a surf fishing trip, which meant Mommy and the boys got to spend some Mommy/Son time together. Jimmy has gone away before on several trips...usually for work related conferences, etc, so I'm used to it. We decided to go visit a local farm which has a variety of fun fall-related activities to do....a hayride, corn maze, feeding the goats, picking pumpkins...you name it. Well, I have taken the boys several places by myself before and am used to it. But as Ben is getting older and more active, it can be more difficult since he's no longer an infant and just sleeps the whole time in the stroller.

So, last Sunday we went to the farm and Jake was thrilled that they had this huge hay bale pile which had a slide incorporated in it. It was quite tall and had different levels that he could climb on. Adjacent to it was a small little hay bale maze perfect for Ben. Of course, the hay pile is too big for Ben and the hay maze is too small for Jake so I manage to let them both have their fun while I'm standing in between the two activities supervising both kids. All was going well until I look over to Jake (you know, after I took my eyes off him for a split second), and he is sitting there screaming and bleeding from his mouth. Ben, of course is in the middle of a maze at that very moment so I can't easily get to him. So I run over to Jake and am thankful that some other father jumped up to get him down (he was high up there), so I grab him and am trying to assess the bleeding and calm him down while trying to track down Ben. Well, of course Ben had taken off towards this huge slide which had an equally huge ladder that he decides to scale by the time I can get to him (with a bleeding, screaming Jake in tow). Luckily another father was right there and helped Ben so I didn't have another injured child on my hands.

In the end, Jake had just slipped and bit his lip pretty good. And I could feel the stares of other parents as they look at this crazy woman who appeared to not have it together. Yeah, Mom of the Year award won't be coming to me anytime soon. I give credit to those single moms out there, especially those with young kids. It can be very difficult to split your attention and just when you think you are doing a good job at it, it all gets turned upside down.

Needless to say, I was happy when Jimmy returned. He did manage to catch some fish too, some of which we ate tonight!

We have been slacking with the picture taking lately...hopefully will start taking more soon.

Have a great week!

Outer Banks Vacation

2009-09-20T05:05:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! We just returned from our annual vacation to the Outer Banks. The boys, Howie, and us drove out last Saturday and met Laura and her boyfriend Matt at the house (this year right in Nags Head). Rachel and Dean flew in from CA that evening. We had a great house with a pool and hot tub and its own walkway to the beach (which is essential with 2 little kids). The weather during the week was almost perfect...it didn't rain once and, aside from a little wind on a few days, was ideal.

Jake and Ben had so much fun playing in the sand and at the edge of the water. Jake even tried to "surf" on his boogie board and took advantage of the wind and flew his kite a couple times. Howie joined in on the fun and made friends with other dogs on the beach as well as chased his ball into the waves. Poor little guy was pooped though and at times would just collapse on the beach in exhaustion. Jimmy went surf fishing and also caught some bait for himself...the boys loved watching the fish swim around in the bucket. Matt also caught a huge fish one morning...ask Jimmy for the details!

Aside from the fun on the beach, we spent time in the pool and hot tub (Jake thought he was so cool hanging in the hot tub), playing Mario Kart, Tetris, and Guitar Hero, and just relaxing. Aunt Laura and Kelly took the kids to the local aquarium one morning and of course had to stop by the Coach outlet on the way back (a little taste of heaven on earth!).

The only drawback to the week was when most of us were effected by food poisoning. It knocked us out for most of a day and hit a few of us again at the end of the week. We finally pinpointed the culprit as sliced cheese. Weird, huh?

Our break from reality is now over...we now start the countdown to next year!

Pics will be posted soon on our web album...check it out!

Jake's New School

2009-08-21T12:36:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Jake began his first day of pre-K at Immaculata yesterday. Immaculata is a Catholic School (pre-K through 8th) that is located near downtown Durham and around the corner from Duke University. We decided to send Jake there for pre-K to ensure he gets a spot for Kindergarten. He was very excited and most thrilled about having "bag lunch". At his First Environments (his previous school), "bag lunch" was a special day once a month when parents pack their kids' lunches and parents who are able come and eat with their kids. We explained to Jake that every day is going to be bag lunch day (minus the parent eating lunch too part) at Immaculata since we most likely aren't getting the meal plan. Apparently this is fine by Jake since he gets to eat from his spiderman lunch box.

Anyway, the first day went off without a hitch. This morning on his second day he got a little teary but held it together and once he started playing he was fine. It must be overwhelming for a 4 year old..new teachers, new building, big kids roaming around, new classmates, new routine, etc.

On another note, dropping him off at school yesterday certainly brought back lots of memories from my days at Catholic school. The car pool line, uniforms, warm teachers...seems like just yesterday.

So as a family we are adjusting to having the kids in two different schools, having two drop offs and two pick ups every day and a longer commute. Hard to believe we are already at this stage, isn't it? Time flies!

A few videos of Ben and Jake's first day of school pics posted in our web album.

-Kelly

Beachin' it

2009-07-19T11:45:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to Carolina beach for the day. It's about a 2 1/2 hour drive from our house, so to make it worth it, we were in the car driving before 7am and on the beach by 10am. $7 to park for the day and packing our lunches and snacks made it a very cheap trip! The boys had a blast...Ben was nervous about the ocean at first but eventually realized how much fun it is. He sat at the edge and had fun as the water went over his chubby legs. Jake was very into running back and forth as the waves chased him. He and Jimmy also went out a little bit and did some boogie boarding. We then rinsed off after we left the beach and grabbed a quick dinner before we hit the road back home. Definitely well worth the exhaustion the next day and it peaked our excitement for our OBX trip in September!

This weekend our friends Rick and Natalia and their son Ryan came for a visit. They were in NC last week in the OBX so decided to "swing by" (a 5 hour drive) since they were in NC to visit. We went to the Museum of Life and Science and checked out the new dinosaur trail. Jake was thrilled to have a playmate for the weekend and Ben was excited to be playing with the "big" boys. Last night Jimmy made some delicious steaks and afterwards we made s'mores in our backyard. It was a nice visit and we even got some authentic NC barbeque for our northerner friends to try. :)

This weekend Grandma and Grandpa are coming for a visit. Hard to believe it's already hitting the end of July isn't it? Why do summers have to go by so fast?

Hope everyone has a great week! Some pics added to our July album.

-Kelly

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-05T10:47:00.000-07:00

We hope all of our friends and family had a nice holiday weekend. Ours was very relaxing and low key. We spent Friday at the NC Zoo in Asheboro (approximately 90 miles away). Luckily it wasn't too hot and the zoo itself was very shaded which made walking to and from all the animals very enjoyable. Jake especially liked the big gorilla who was right up against the glass eating and making faces. Ben was a little uncertain of the elephants at first but I think he realized quickly that they wouldn't hurt him. On Saturday I took the boys to the Durham Kid's Parade for the first time (meeting up with some moms from Triangle Mommies too). This was a free event where kids bring their bikes, scooters, or wagons and decorate them with items from a store called the Scrap Exchange. A couple of firetrucks are there for the kids to explore and then we went on a "parade" which essentially was just walking around the block. Then everyone enjoyed free water ice and the firemen turned the hose on their trucks for everyone to cool off. It was a very nice event and Jake got such a kick out of decorating his bike and of course getting a red balloon.

After resting up from the parade the boys spent some time playing in their pool (thanks Daddy for blowing it up!). And on Saturday night we let Jake stay up til it got dark (not til about 9pm here!) and we played with some sparklers. We contemplated fighting the crowds at some local fireworks shows but decided we'd rather just chill at home.

We hope everyone had an enjoyable weekend! Some pics are posted in the "July" photo album.

Ben is 18 months

2009-06-21T12:31:00.001-07:00

Ben turned 18 months old this past week. We can hardly believe it. He is certainly turning into a little boy very fast. His vocabulary is starting to really take off as well as his toddler personality. He frequently uses the terms "no" and "mine" in classic toddler fashion. He also has been working on perfecting the art of throwing his body when he doesn't get his way. But seriously, he is adorable and sweet and just loves his older brother.

A new milestone pic is posted as well as a couple of pictures and a video added to our June album.

Have a great week everyone and Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there!

Delaware Trip

2009-06-07T12:06:00.000-07:00

Last week was a busy one. Jimmy had a conference in Philly from Fri-Wed so he flew from RDU up north. I decided it would be nice to have a trip to Delaware that was a little longer than usual so our visit wouldn't be so rushed. So I drove up with the boys and Howie last Saturday. We spent the first part of the week at Grandma and Grandpa's house then the second part was at Grammy and Pop's. We had lots of fun all week long and managed to stay very busy!

On Sat. night after we drove in, I went to a BBQ at my Uncle Bill's new condo and enjoyed a few childless hours while the boys were being babysat by my cousins Andy and Danny. Jimmy spent Sat. night in Philly hanging out with our friend Chris (best man in our wedding if you remember). On Sunday, Jake and I went bowling with Aunt Laura and Matt and then had a visit with my cousin Luke later in the day. (Luke is about 5 months older than Ben). Then, on Monday I drove to lower Delaware to visit my friend Laurie and her 4 kids (yes, she has 4 kids ages 5 and under). We spent the day at her house playing in their yard and catching up. Jake fell in love with their motorized trucks and I could barely get him out in time to get home.

Then on Tuesday we went with Grandma and Grandpa to the Delaware Museum of Natural History and enjoyed a delicious lunch afterwards. I then went up to Philly (again kid free...gotta love all the available babysitters!) and had a nice dinner with Jimmy and hanging out later with all his coworkers. The next day Jimmy and I enjoyed another kid free meal at breakfast then headed back down to Delaware. We then made the switch over to Jimmy's parents' house. On Thursday we just hung out and relaxed most of the day. Jimmy and the boys even attempted the pool despite the cool temps (Ben wasn't too happy with that arrangement). And then that evening Jimmy and I met up with our friends Rick and Natalia at Klondike Kate's in Newark for some yummy nachos and beer. (Again, yay for free babysitters!).

On Friday Jimmy and his dad went fishing in the cold and rain while Natalia and I took Jake and her son Ryan to the Camden Aquarium. Our original plan was to go to Dutch Wonderland but the sixty degree weather and constant rain deterred that idea. The boys had a great time at the aquarium (as did the other 1,578,356 kids there...it was PACKED!) and Jake especially got a kick out of the hippos and the sharks. He did not enjoy the 4D movie we saw however...he was in tears the entire time while sitting on my lap. It was very loud and water sprayed on us and the things jumping off the screen apparently didn't impress him. I enjoyed it though!

Finally, on Saturday we headed back home to NC. It was a very busy week as you can tell but it was great to be able to see lots of our friends and family all in one trip! Pics posted in our web album.
-Kelly

Memorial Weekend

2009-05-25T14:44:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone...it's been awhile since our last post but it's been a very hectic few weeks. Jimmy has the wonderful news that he accepted a new position with KBI Biopharma. He got a call for an interview and had very little notice that he would need to give a 45 minute presentation so after a few late nights of preparing, he must have wowed them because he quickly got an offer! He will be saying goodbye to NIEHS in a few weeks and be entering his first official job after all his schooling and training. Let him explain to you what he'll be doing as it includes a bunch of science jargon I can't wrap my brain around. :) The job is in North Durham...so it looks like we are definitely making North Carolina home for the foreseeable future. That was our goal with moving down here for his post-doc as the Research Triangle Park has a lot of opportunities. But, with the economy and job market as it is, we are thankful he landed a great position in the area which will allow us to stay put. We are very proud of him and all he has accomplished and know he will take KBI by storm. :)

In other news, Dean and Rachel visited from Irvine, CA this weekend. Rachel flew in on Friday and Dean drove down from Virginia on Sunday after he visited one of his friends for a couple days. We had a pretty eventful weekend, but relaxing at the same time. Jake showed off his soccer skills to Aunt Rachel on Saturday morning and then we headed to the strawberry patch to pick fresh strawberries. Unfortunately my camera died so we didn't get any pictures. Later on that day we hit the park and came home for a yummy dinner and some s'mores we made by our firepit. Delicious! Strawberry daiquiris topped off the night (you gotta get rid of the strawberries somehow right?).

Sunday we went to church and then went to the mall for a bit. Uncle Dean then joined us and we had a nice dinner on our deck. The weather was very nice overall the whole weekend. Today we went to the museum of life and science and saw the lemurs, bears, and the wolves. Uncle Dean also managed to catch a butterfly in the butterfly house which Jake got a kick out of.

It was very nice to have a relaxed weekend without home repairs or major errands to do. It was also great visiting with Rachel and Dean and just spending time hanging out.

Some pictures posted of the weekend in our web album. Have a great (short!) week!

-Kelly

Jake's 4th Birthday

2009-05-03T18:39:00.000-07:00

We had a whirlwind weekend and much of the focus was on Jake and his 4th birthday. On Friday I brought in cupcakes for his classmates. Jake thoroughly enjoyed getting to sit in the big "teacher's chair" and be the center of attention with his friends. Saturday morning (Jake's actual birthday) we had a soccer game then ran a bunch of errands. That night we sung happy birthday and ate more cupcakes and then opened his presents. He is truly loved as evidenced by the gifts he received from family. Today was a busy morning of church then frantically getting the house ready for his birthday party. Luckily it wasn't too hot and the rain held off. Jake and his friends enjoyed a game of Pin the Spider on Spiderman and the bounce house we borrowed from our friends was a huge hit with the kids.

It was a great weekend and we are still kind of in shock that our baby is 4!! Some pics and a few videos are posted.

-Kelly

Bathroom/Kitchen Floor Renovation

2009-04-28T05:39:00.000-07:00

After several long weekends of hard work (on Jimmy's part), our new kitchen floor is in and the new powder room is complete. It was quite a process and had it's aggravating moments but we are very happy with the end result. Pictures of the entire process are posted in our web album. Let us know what you think!

Trip to Delaware

2009-04-26T04:57:00.000-07:00

We traveled up to Delaware this past week for my grandfather's funeral services. Although it was an emotional time, it was also wonderful to reunite with family that we don't normally see. My mom's cousins came in from Ohio and Pennsylvania, my aunt and cousins were in from New York, and my uncle was in from California. A bunch of us went to the Deer Park after the viewing on Tues. night and had some food and "beverage". And Wed. evening (after the funeral services) we all hung out at my uncle Jack's house. We also experienced a "first" at the funeral. My grandfather had told his nephews a long time ago that he wanted them to do a shot of good whiskey at his grave. So, in honor of his wishes, my mom's cousin brought a bottle of Bush Mills Irish Whiskey and some cups so we all could do a shot honoring my grandfather after the burial service. It was something Jimmy and I will never forget and a touching tribute to my grandfather.

So, it's been an exhausting week and an exhausting month. Luckily the kitchen floor and powder room renovations are almost complete (stay tuned for pictures) and our weekends won't be quite so hectic. Some pictures and a video of Jake playing soccer are posted as well as some new pics of him and Ben.

We hope you have a great week!

-Kelly

Goodbye Grandpa

2009-04-17T17:41:00.000-07:00

It is with a heavy heart that I report that my grandfather passed away this morning. He had a stroke a few days ago and his 90 year old body was ready to leave this earth and go join his wife in heaven. He is up there no longer suffering and is happily reunited with my Grandma, my Uncle Paul and my Uncle Mike. We'll miss you Grandpa.

The sweet things they do

2009-04-03T10:54:00.000-07:00

So, as most of have experienced yourself with your own children, you realize how quickly they grow. As busy parents, Jimmy and I try to cherish the sweet little moments that happen and try to burn them into our memory. Jake is turning 4 next month and it makes me realize how easy it is to forget when he was a baby and a toddler. The little things he did or said that were so adorable yet are forgotten due to the craziness of life.
The boys both have done a few things lately that are just sweet little childhood things that we want to remember. For example, Jake asked me what I was doing a few weeks ago as I was putting my contacts in my eyes. I told him and later he said, "Well you need to make sure you put in your conflacts." Too cute. As we all know Jake just loves music and singing songs and a few days ago he was singing, "Put another dime in the juice box baby!" When I tried to tell him it was "juke" box he firmly corrected me and said, "No mommy, it's JUICE box." And lately he has been giving Ben lots of hugs and kisses and trying to (gently) wrestle with him which Ben just loves.
As for Ben, he is fascinated by the horses in the field behind our house. At dinner he gets very excited and points and smiles at them. He also likes to torture Howie by dangling food over his highchair at dinner time. And then there is when he passes gas and points to his butt and says "dat!" with a silly grin. Ah boys! Ben also has a fascination with "beanie" type toys with the little beads in the stuffing and is very particular with getting the right spot on his stuffed animals (a paw on one, a tail on another) in his hand.
Anyway, in the hectic rush-rush of working and daycare and chores and projects, we try to take mental notes of the adorable things our boys do or say. It's so important to appreciate the little moments as they are what make parenting so worth it.

Trip to D.C.

2009-03-29T16:27:00.001-07:00

This weekend we enjoyed a weekend sans kids to Rockville, MD to visit our friends Derek and Beth. We met Derek and Beth while in Pittsburgh (Derek was also a PhD candidate in Jimmy's lab) and decided it would be nice to get away for a weekend to visit them. We spent Friday night relaxing and enjoying a nice dinner at their apartment along with a fun game of Catch Phrase. Saturday we spent wandering D.C.'s mall as well as driving a bit around Bethesda, and then enjoyed a nice dinner out and watched the Pitt basketball game (so sorry they lost!). We left this morning to come home and relieve Grammy and Pop of their babysitting duties.

It was very nice to get away for a couple nights and just enjoy the peace. We of course missed our little guys and were also very happy to return home.

We posted some pictures in our March album. There are also some updated pics of the bathroom/kitchen remodel that Jimmy is working on. It's coming along!

We hope you all have a terrific week!

Who knew? Blink 182

2009-03-16T19:01:00.000-07:00

So this past weekend we spent indoors as it was cold and rainy all.weekend.long. Mommy tried to keep the boys busy with some art and play-doh and had Jake help bake some brownies. Jimmy was very busy with the bathroom/kitchen work and it became even more evident that we desperately need a garage. Sawing wood in the middle of the kitchen just isn't fun. That was the one drawback of this house (well there are a few others but I digress) which we knew would be a sacrifice. If we decide that we will stay here for several years we plan to hopefully build one. It would be detached, which wouldn't be ideal, but it at least would allow for storage for tools and Jimmy could have a bit of a "man cave".

Anyway...during our rainy day entertainment, Jake surprised Mommy by giving a concert of various rock songs that Daddy has been playing while on the way to daycare and work in the morning. Jake has pretty much mastered the lyrics to "All the Small Things" by Blink 182, "My own worst enemy" by Lit, and various others. We also ventured to the library for the first time just as an excuse to get out of the house. Jake was happy to come home with a few different Curious George books as well as some new Dr. Suess.

Ben also learned to say the word "ball". He has proven that he will talk when he wants to as he says it here and there but of course not usually when we ask him to! He turned 15 months today too...can you believe it?! His milestone pic is in Ben's milestone pics album and a few cute ones of him and Jake are added to the March album.

-Kelly

Visit from Laura

2009-03-09T18:44:00.000-07:00

Jake and Ben enjoyed a visit from Aunt Laura this weekend. We had a delicous dinner of fish sticks on Friday night (ya know, Lent), Sat. we went to the museum for awhile then Laura helped Kelly figure out her new ipod shuffle. Then we had some friends over for dinner along with their kids. Sunday was church and then Jake and Jimmy went fishing while Kelly and Laura watched Bridezillas. :)

Some pics are in the "March" picture album.

In other news...Kelly just started her own blog...kellysbellyaches.blogspot.com. Check it out!

Soggy weekend

2009-03-02T07:24:00.000-08:00

We had a very rainy weekend here. Downpours practically all weekend which then turned to snow last night so we are enjoying a snow day today. Jimmy has begun our powder room remodel...it was extremely outdated and an eyesore so we are taking the plunge. Jimmy already tore down the wallpaper and has started to paint. We also will be putting on wainscoting, getting a new sink (probably pedestal), and eventually new flooring throughout the kitchen and powder room. Plus new lighting/fixtures/etc.
A few pics are in our web album of the before shots and some of the progress.

Other than that, life is status quo. We hope everyone has a great week!

And the sickness saga continues...

2009-02-21T10:20:00.000-08:00

Well, we thought February might bring a healthier month for us however it just brought on more colds, stomach bugs, ear infections, and a bout of Hand, foot, and mouth disease! Maybe March will be better? We can only hope!

Aside from the constant sickness in our household, we've spent time at Jake's swim lessons. He had some difficulty in the beginning but after he was moved into the higher age group (who also had a guy teacher) he enjoyed it much more. He still doesn't like to get his face wet but his confidence is improving in the water. We also became members of the NC Museum of Life and Science. For an annual membership we can go as much as we want to. It has so much to do and is less than 15 minutes from our house that we felt it was worth it. They have so much to do inside and outside with lots of bugs, animals, music, science, space, butterfly, train, and sound displays. Plus tons more! It's perfect for the boys' ages as they both get enjoyment out of it.
In other news, Ben has also improved his confidence and has taken off walking. He had taken a few steps here and there but usually only with our coaxing. Last weekend he decided that he wanted to join the ranks of those of us who are upright and decided to start really walking. Check out our picasa album for some pics and videos. He is just too proud of himself.

That's about all that's new in our house...we hope everyone is doing well!

Carolina Snow

2009-01-23T06:44:00.000-08:00

We experienced our first real Carolina snow earlier this week. Yes, we got all of one inch of snow and one would think that it was 3 feet the way everyone reacted. Hours before even one snowflake hit the ground, announcements about closings were made on tv. When we woke up about a half inch was on the ground and schools, daycares, and businesses all closed for the day. Jimmy (the dedicated employee he is) decided to go into work and was amazed at how bad the roads were as he saw several accidents on his way in. The next day, even though the roads were perfectly clear, schools were closed again and most businesses were on a delayed start.

Having lived in Pittsburgh for 8 years we found it quite comical the hoopla over an inch or two of snow here. A newscaster on a local tv station was trying his best to make it look so dramatic and show how it was accumulating by scraping his shoe on the ground. He barely did anything since there was only a slight dusting...it was amusing!

We realize that Carolina isn't as equipped as Pittsburgh to deal with snow but still think that what was an almost daily occurrence in the wintertime in Pittsburgh is enough to shut down a state for a few days. Two different worlds!

Some pics are on our web album. As you can see, the snow wasn't that deep as you can still see the grass through it. :)
-Kelly

Sick start to the New Year

2009-01-15T12:30:00.000-08:00

2009 has already had its share of challenges. Last week Ben got a bad stomach bug from school and then developed an ear infection on top of it. So, for the better part of a week, Jimmy and I have been juggling taking off from work, cleaning up vomit and diarrhea, and carting Ben to the doctor. Unfortunately both of us also got the dreaded bug but luckily Jake somehow managed to escape it. As a result of all this illness, I discovered that I have a hernia and will need surgery next week (which means even more time off work this month!). So, it's been a hectic start to the new year but in the grand scheme of things, it could be a lot worse.
We did get the good news that Ben's cyst that was removed in mid-December is benign and nothing to worry about. He is sporting a cool scar on his chest now.
On a rare day without illness last week, Ben got his first haircut. Pics are on our web album. Some pictures from the end of December are also on there (in the Christmas 2008 album).
Jake has begun swim lessons again. This is the first time without a parent and he is loving it!
We hope everyone is having a healthier start to the new year than we are!
-Kelly

Christmas 2008

2008-12-28T10:50:00.000-08:00

We hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas this year. We began our holiday by attending Christmas Eve services at our church and then enjoyed a delicious meal of prime rib and yorkshire pudding (courtesy of Chef Jimmy). Jake was very excited about the pending arrival of Santa and helped set out cookies as well as milk for the big guy. Jake woke up around 6:40 on Christmas morning (not too shabby) and he though Santa was still in the house (he is still trying to grasp this whole "down the chimney/sleigh/reindeer" thing) but when he went downstairs and I showed him how the milk and cookies were gone his eyes got huge and he got very excited. We proceeded to open up all of the gifts and Jake was quite pleased with his Spiderman bike as well as Spiderman action figures. Ben was content to crawl around our family room pushing boxes and playing with the paper. We spent the rest of the day calling family and then had a yummy ham dinner. Grammy and Pop visited the day after Christmas and Grandma and Grandpa will be visiting New Year's weekend.
Some pictures are posted on our web album...keep checking back because I plan to add more from the visits with the grandparents.

Also, a new album has been added that includes pictures Laura's boyfriend Matt took while we were at the Outer Banks in September. They turned out awesome!

We hope you all had a peaceful Christmas and that 2009 proves to be a year filled with health and happiness!

-Kelly

One year already?!

2008-12-17T12:08:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone...life has been hectic this month so we haven't had much time to write on our blog. I was out of town in Arizona for a few days for a work related meeting. We managed to get our Christmas decorations up once I got home then last weekend we hosted my work Christmas party which was lots of fun. The Steelers won that day too which made it even more fun! :)
Ben turned 1 yesterday....it's so hard to believe. This past year went by so quickly and he has grown so much. I remember clearly last year at this time having the most wonderful time as our family of four over the holidays. It was the most peaceful few weeks when Jimmy, Jake, Ben, and I were all home, enjoying Christmas and spending lots of quality time together as a family. I think Ben will enjoy Christmas a bit more this year because last year he pretty much slept through it in his bouncy seat! Ben turning one is bittersweet...although I am excited about him reaching his milestones, I also will truly miss him being a baby.
Today Ben had outpatient surgery to remove a fluid filled cyst from his chest as well as correct his tongue-tie. He was a super trooper and is recovering this afternoon. While we were waiting, we saw a child and his mom walking down the hall with the kid's brother. The brother was wearing a sweatshirt that said "Cancer Sucks". I also watched Jon & Kate Plus 8 last night in which they went to St. Jude's Children's hospital and gave gifts to all the sick kids. These are just reminders to Jimmy and me how blessed we are and how so many parents have a tremendous amount to deal with. It breaks my heart to hear about and see sick children, especially at this time of year. It definitely puts things in perspective.
On another note...there is a new milestone pic of Ben posted as well as some pics from December.
Well, I hope you all get your Christmas shopping done soon! Can you believe it's almost 2009?!

-Kelly

Thanksgiving and Ben's Birthday Party

2008-12-02T10:31:00.000-08:00

We traveled home to Delaware for Thanksgiving. Last year I was two weeks away from having Ben so we had to stay put then. We drove to Delaware on Wednesday and made it in about 7.5 hours. It normally takes us 6.5 so we thought that wasn't too bad considering the holiday traffic. We stayed with my parents but spent much of our time going back and forth between Jimmy's parents' and mine. Rachel and Dean were visiting from California and Dean's parents were in from Canada so it was nice to see them too.
On the actual Turkey day we went to my Aunt Maureen's for a nice, relaxing meal. It was a smaller crowd than usual since many of my mom's siblings were elsewhere (more food for us!). Then we headed over to Jimmy's parents' for dessert.
We also decided to have Ben's first birthday party a couple of weeks early so all the grandparents and family could take part. He thoroughly enjoyed his cake as expected!
On Sunday we headed home and were quite disappointed that it took us 10 LONG hours to get there. The rainy weather and the post-holiday traffic, as well as lane closures and a few accidents really held us up. Poor Ben got sick too and was running a decent fever when we got home. Luckily he seems to be on the mend now.
We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! It's hard to believe that it's almost time for Christmas! Some pics are on our web album (I was remiss in my picture taking this year and most are from my Aunt Maureen's camera). I also posted a cute video in our November album of Ben waking up in the morning. Too cute!

Election PTSD

2008-11-17T17:45:00.000-08:00

So, the election is over thank goodness. I think this election was a traumatic experience for all, no matter who you supported politically. Between the endless analysis on the news stations and the annoying attack ads on tv and radio, as well as the hype about the debates...we are all sure to suffer from a little post-election traumatic stress disorder (PETSD). For the conservatives (including myself), the symptoms of PETSD are more severe as they have to face the reality that there are 4 years of Obama ahead. I'm hopeful that this election was a lesson to the Republican party that they have to get their act together, need to get back to basics, and start sticking to their core conservative values. I think one reason (among many) why the election was lost to Obama is that the Republican Party is losing its identity. It's become more centrist and isn't focusing on the values its foundation is grounded in. I am hopeful Obama can do good things for this country and that he will succeed. Just because I don't agree with him politically doesn't mean I want my president to fail. I'm hopeful he does a good job however I have my reservations. We shall see how the next 4 years pan out.

On another, semi-related topic...the bailout craziness. It really blows my mind that the failing car companies expect a government bailout. Now, I do feel badly for those workers who may lose their jobs, but if the government steps in to help, it is opening the door to a huge slippery slope of socialism where it's expected the government will give to all (and as as result will dictate to all). And, as the previous bailout (or "Rescue Plan" as it was spun) worked oh so wonderfully, how am I to have any confidence that the government stepping in will do any good? Why should MY taxes go to help Joe Schmoe CEO who can't run a business? The slippery slope is scary...where is the line drawn? Will the government bail out the Mom and Pop store who can't make it? Will it bail out other failing businesses? I sure hope not. Let the free market be the free market. The less the government intervenes, the better off we all are. I even read an article one of my friends sent me recently about the proposition that the government takes over our 401K's because it can handle our money better than us average Americans can. Yeah right. We've surely seen how wonderfully the government manages its finances, haven't we?

Okay, stepping off my political soap box. In other news...pictures are posted on our web album (a few from early November and Ben's 11 month milestone picture). Also, Ben will be having surgery to remove a cyst-like bump from his chest (it's located internally). The doctors think it's just an odd tissue growth and aren't concerned but they want to get it out. So, poor little Ben will have to undergo anesthesia. Since we've been through this type of thing before with Jake's lung surgery, we at least know what to expect. His surgery will be in mid-December. And now both of our boys will have cool scars to show the ladies when they are older (much, much, MUCH older). So, please keep little Benjamin in your prayers.

Hope everyone has a great week and is working through their PETSD!

-Kelly

Halloween

2008-11-01T10:44:00.000-07:00

We had a nice Halloween. Jake was really into it this year and very excited to wear his pirate costume. At school, his class went trick-or-treating at the EPA (located on the same campus) and parents were able to attend (and get a parent hour for helping out...bonus!). Afterwards the kids enjoyed a snack with some Halloween goodies. We also went trick or treating in our neighborhood however it was kind of disappointing. Approximately 2/3 of the houses had their lights out. Our neighborhood is also very dark and the houses are spread out with long driveways so it was a lot of walking. We only saw two other people out! Jake had fun though which is what's important and we got to meet some neighbors too that we wouldn't normally talk to. Daddy and Howie stayed home to hand out candy however we have tons leftover. I'm thinking next year we may travel to another neighborhood where there are tons of kids and the houses are closer. Part of the fun is seeing other kids in costume. Ben enjoyed the walk in the stroller and everyone just thought he was too cute in his puppy costume. Both costumes I got at the second hand store this year, b/c I couldn't see spending $25/kid for one night and they could care less. Since I don't have a creative bone in my body, making costumes is out of the question.
Anyway...Halloween pics and a video are posted, as well as Ben's 10 month milestone picture (in his Milestone Pics album), as well as a video of Ben dancing. Enjoy!

OBX Surf Fishing Pics

2008-10-22T08:31:00.001-07:00

For anyone interested, more pictures of Jimmy's OBX fishing trip can be found here. These were taken by some of the others on the trip from NIEHS. There are some really awesome shots of wildlife, lighthouses, and sunrises and sunsets. What an incredible place it is down there.

Lots of pictures!

2008-10-17T18:22:00.000-07:00

Hi..just a quick note that pictures of Jimmy's OBX fishing trip are posted as well as some pics of the Baltimore Marathon. Also, we received a nice surprise from one of the moms at Jake's daycare. She gave us a cd with tons of pictures of Jake's time in the Jungle Monkey room (2-3 year olds). He left there to move onto the Bear Den a couple of months ago but these pics are great to see of him and the year he spent in that room.

Baltimore Running Festival

2008-10-13T11:30:00.000-07:00

ThemSmedleys are currently apart for a few days. Jimmy is on a surf fishing trip in the Outer Banks, NC with his dad as well as some people from NIEHS. He will be back home on Wednesday. Currently I'm writing this post from Delaware. I had decided a few months ago to run a race on Saturday (more on that in a minute) so I planned to make a visit to my parents out of it. So, on Friday I drove the 360 miles with the two boys and the dog. You might be thinking....Kelly are you crazy? It actually wasn't too bad. The best invention ever is the portable DVD player. We only use this for long trips (I don't believe in using it as a crutch for daily car rides around town) as I think it helps kids stay entertained and behave better which in turn makes for a much more peaceful ride. Anyway, the only drawback (aside from having Jimmy's help unloading the car and also having his company on the trip) was the rest stops. I had mentally prepared for them to take longer than usual since it was all up to me. So, my routine was to park somewhere near grass, let out the dog while I was right next to the car, then unload the boys. I had to use the stroller as I had to have somewhere to put Ben while I used the bathroom. After Jake and I finished, I would change Ben then we would head back out to the car so I could nurse him. Then we'd be off again. Unfortunately I learned that the McDonalds at Exit 150 does not have a changing table in their bathroom. Tsk, tsk McDonalds...you aren't making it easy on me!
We arrived in about 7 hours (due to traffic on 95 about 30 miles from DE...grrr). Not too shabby when it normally takes Jimmy and I 6.5 together. After my race on Saturday I went out to dinner with my sister Laura and cousins Mary Kate and Stephen who were also in DE this weekend visiting. On Sunday the boys and I went to the park with Aunt Laura and Grandma and then we headed over to my Uncle Jack and Aunt Val's for a pizza party. Got to see my Aunt Kerry from New York as well as the rest of the fam. Today we went to the Brandywine Zoo. Jake enjoyed petting the goats and Ben was in awe of the monkeys.
So, my race on Saturday:
My friend Natalia had asked me to be the fourth runner on a relay team with her friends for the Baltimore Marathon. The Baltimore Running Festival includes a full marathon (26.2 miles for those of you who don't know), a half marathon, a 5k, and a Team Relay where 4 people each run a leg of the marathon. We drew out of a hat who would run what and I was the 3rd leg...6.1 miles (the last 3 of which were mostly up hill). There were about 17,000 runners total...with 4 different types of events it was quite chaotic. I ran my leg in about 56:30...not too shabby given the shape my almost 31 year old body is in (sigh...it's not high school anymore!). I also got to see about 2 miles of the ghetto of Baltimore too. :) My only suggestion for the organizers of this huge event is that there needs to be more toilet paper in the porta-potties! Most were out and when you have 17,000 people who need to pee before their race, there should be adequate toilet paper! Pictures will be forthcoming once I get them from Natalia's husband Rick. The weather was beautiful...sunny and about 70....it was a fun day and I'm glad I did it!
Tomorrow is the drive back to NC...then life will return to complete normalcy once Jimmy gets home on Wednesday. I just looked at the weather for Durham to see what I'm heading home too....mid-80's! God, I love NC. :)
-Kelly

Carolina Autumn

2008-10-05T13:16:00.000-07:00

What a gorgeous weekend we had here! High 70's, low 80's and sunshine! Brisk evenings and cool nights but warm enough so we can keep the windows open. We spent much of the weekend doing some much needed yardwork. Jimmy aerated the lawn while Kelly weeded and weeded, and weeded. We trimmed branches, got rid of some crazy azalea bushes and enjoyed being outside in the wonderful weather. Jake helped pick up sticks and twigs and helped "mow" the lawn while Ben monitored the action from his stroller.

We are also happy to announce that Jimmy's cousin Tom and his wife Terri welcomed their third child into the world last week. Lillian Celeste Hunsinger greeted older brother Josh and older sister Abby. Tom and his family are currently living in Singapore for a few years. Here is a link for the baby's news: http://hunsingerexpats.com/2008/09/30/and-then-there-were-five.aspx?ref=rss.

Also, our friends Amanda and Jeff Reuter welcomed their first child, Syndney Rose, a couple of weeks ago. Amanda's twin sister Melissa is due with her baby boy in a few short weeks!

Lots of well wishes to our friends and family welcoming their little miracles into the world!

Some pics of random October shots are posted as well as some pics from a pot luck Kelly and her coworkers had on Friday night. Have a great week everyone!

Outer Banks Vacation

2008-09-21T04:09:00.000-07:00

We just returned from our vacation to South Nags Head which is in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. For us, it was an easy 4 hour drive (piece of cake compared to the 12 hours we used to drive from Pittsburgh!). Laura and her boyfriend Matt drove down from Delaware and Rachel and Dean flew in from California. We got a big house this year which also had a pool and hot tub and awesome views from almost every room. The house was not kept as clean as we had hoped and was a little older and run down than we anticipated...plus they didn't have any beach chairs?! Who rents a beach house that doesn't have at least a few beach chairs? Poor Rachel and Dean had to improvise a bit on that one since they couldn't exactly fly beach chairs in from CA.

The weather could have been better however it could have been much worse. We had about 1.5 days of rain and the latter part of the week was extremely windy...25-35mph sustained winds for about 3 days. So, combine that with temps in the low 70's and inconsistent sunshine and it was a bit chilly. We made the best of it though and rotated our time between the beach, the hot tub, and the pool. Ben was not a huge fan of the ocean but he loved playing in the sand (and trying to eat it too!). Jake loved playing in the waves with Howie and also making us "soup" with his bucket, some water, and sand. He also found tons of seashells and made a seashell necklace (with the help of Aunt Rachel). Matt had the great idea of getting Jake a kite, so Jake got to fly his first kite, and since it was so windy it got a ton of use.

We also spent plenty of time playing Mario Kart, Guitar Hero, and Tennis on the Wii that Dean and Rachel brought. Jimmy and Dean hit a few golf courses and Laura, Matt, Rachel and Dean went to check out the lighthouse and the house that is in the upcoming movie "Nights in Rodanthe". Balderdash was a hit of course and made for some great jokes and laughs.

All in all, we had a wonderful week despite the cooler temps and wind. We are already looking ahead to next year! Pictures are located on our web album. Also, check out Rachel's web album for additional pics and video: http://picasaweb.google.com/rsmeds79/OBX08#

Pictures and video posted

2008-09-07T12:15:00.000-07:00

Hi all...just an fyi that some pics of Grandma and Grandpa's visit as well as some random shots of the boys and a Jake video are posted.
Have a great week!

Busy with visitors!

2008-08-27T07:02:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone....it's been a few weeks since our last post...we have been busy hosting visitors the past few weekends. First we had our friends Derek and Beth out for a weekend. They live in Maryland, outside of D.C., and made their second trek to N.C. to visit us. This was their first time meeting Benjamin too. We spent the weekend relaxing and catching up, and eating and drinking Jimmy's yummy margharitas. Poor Derek was recovering from knee surgery but he and Jimmy still managed to go fishing and catch a few fish. We also showed Derek and Beth where Jimmy works...he and Derek were in their glory talking their science language.
This past weekend, Kelly's parents visited. We were able to go out for our anniversary dinner at "Second Empire", a very swanky, romantic restaurant in Raleigh. It was delicious! The boys enjoyed their visit with Grandma and Grandpa...Jake showed off his "swimming" skills in his pool that Aunt Laura had given him.
In other news...Jake started soccer practice a couple of weeks ago. His team, "Happy Feet" will probably have their first game in a few weeks. Should be interesting watching three year olds in a soccer game! We will definitely be sure to post pictures of that!
Also, an fyi that www.themsmedleys.com will probably be put to rest soon. Since we mostly use our blog and our Picasa web album for pictures, our website has really no purpose. And since we are so busy with the boys, work, and our house, there is no time to put in the effort to update it like we used to (before kids!). So, be sure to bookmark our blog to keep updated on what's new in our lives! Maybe someday we will resurrect our web page, but for now, we just don't have the time to devote to it.
Ben's 8 month milestone picture is posted in milestone pics album. Check out how big he is getting! He has 5 teeth now, is an army crawling machine, and is enjoying feeding himself finger foods. Mr. Grown-up, isn't he?

Hope everyone is well...have a great rest of your week!

Ears are in the clear!

2008-08-10T18:16:00.000-07:00

Hi all...just wanted to share the good news that (knock on wood), Jake got a clean bill of health from his ear doctor. Many of you may remember that he had about a six month period where he had about 7 ear infections (or one never-ending infection, depending on how you look at it). We got tubes put in in May of 2007 right after we moved to NC. They both have fallen out within the past couple of months (which is normal as they usually only last about a year). The ear doctor says all looks good and we don't need to follow up unless needed with him. So, keep your fingers crossed that Jake's ears stay in the clear!

Other than that, we celebrated our six year anniversary today. Can you believe it?! We've officially been together almost 14 years total...we are feeling old! We had a low key day just the four of us and we plan to go out for a romantic dinner in a couple of weeks to celebrate.

Stay tuned to our web album for some new pictures of the boys. Have a great week!

August has arrived already!

2008-08-03T12:42:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone...hard to believe it's already August. This year has gone by very quickly so far! These past few weeks have been busy for us. Kelly went on a trip to Atlanta for a couple days for a training for a new research study she will be coordinating. Jake just moved into the preschool room at school and is adjusting to the new activities, the older kids, and new teachers. It's also a bigger classroom...he was a bit overwhelmed the first couple of days but seems to be settling in well. Ben is on the move...he can army crawl or roll pretty much wherever he wants to go and is working on the crawling thing. Instead of getting on his knees, he gets on his toes with his butt in the air but can't go anywhere! Jimmy continues to master all of the handiwork around the house...this weekend it was a broken faucet in our bathroom. Other than that, things are status quo!
Check out the July album for a couple more pictures that have been added.

More pictures

2008-07-19T04:25:00.000-07:00

Hi all...just an fyi that a new milestone picture of Ben has been added. He just turned 7 months...weighing in around 18.8 pounds (smaller than Jake was at that age). Also, some additional pictures from our trip to Delaware have been added of our time at Jimmy's parents' house.

Trip to Delaware

2008-07-15T13:41:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been so long since our last update but things have been hectic! We got back yesterday from a fun trip to Delaware. Last year we had started an annual tradition of reuniting with our college friends for a weekend in the summer. As usual, we had an action packed weekend. On Friday night Kelly went horseback riding and out to dinner with Natalia while Jimmy went to the Phillies game with the rest of the crowd. The guys golfed on Saturday morning and then we had a fun and relaxing BBQ at Rick and Natalia's house (thanks guys!). On Sunday, we headed over to Kelly's parents for her grandfather's 90th birthday party. And on Monday we headed home. Jake got some swimming time in Grammy and Pop's pool and Ben was as pleasant as can be with all the activity. His top two teeth popped through over the weekend so hopefully the poor little guy will finally have some relief! Pictures are posted in our web album.
Enjoy your week!

A Quick Hello

2008-06-22T04:23:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Not much is going on on our end...Jimmy is busy painting our kitchen. It was a dingy white and now is a pretty bright yellow! It has not been a fun task due to all the edging and trimming around the cabinets and windows (we have a lot in our kitchen), plus he hurt his ankle playing soccer last week so that has been something to deal with too. We think the final product will really improve the look of the kitchen....however, now we really want a new floor (I can't stand our kitchen floor!). A new floor will have to wait awhile though....unless we win the lottery or something. Wait...can you win the lottery if you never play it? :)
A picture and video have been added to the June photo album as well as a new 6 month milestone picture of Ben being added to his album. He has two new teeth and is really trying to move now. He can spin around 360 degrees on his belly but can't quite push himself up into the crawling position yet. He also is almost sitting up on his own and is absolutely loving the baby food he recently started trying out!
Jake is enjoying water play days at school. His best friend Miguel recently moved into the preschool class so Jake is missing him a bit. His good friend Matthew is still in his class so Jake spends a lot of time playing with him. Jake's friend Mena also joins the fun and we've heard she likes to call Jake on her toy phone at night. Is this a glimpse as to what we will experience during the teenage years?! Jake will probably move into the preschool class by the end of the summer...we will be so sad to leave his current teachers Erica and Kari as they have been incredible.
We hope all is well with everyone! Enjoy your week!

Respect for Single Parents

2008-06-08T04:32:00.001-07:00

This past week Jimmy was away at a conference in Denver, Colorado, so I was on my own with the boys. I've done this before (although only with Jake) as Jimmy usually travels a couple times per year. Usually it's for about 4-7 days but the longest was 10 days a couple years ago. Anyway, this past week kept me very busy...I had to get up earlier so we could get out the door at a reasonable hour so I could attempt to get to work on time. I had a half hour (each way) added to my commute to drop them off and pick them up at daycare. It seemed no matter how hard I tried, something would get in the way of me staying on schedule...Jake throwing a tantrum or taking his sweet old time getting his shoes on, Ben having a poop at the most inopportune time, or me spilling coffee on myself. The evenings were just as busy...getting home at 6, letting out the dog, getting dinner on the table, nursing Ben, cleaning up, baths, stories, nursing Ben again. Then after the boys are in bed, it's time for making bottles for the next day, cleaning up the kitchen, and getting ready for the next day. Although working full time, this is an example of a typical day for us, it's much easier when you have an extra set of hands to help. So, as usual, Jimmy's trips away give me a great appreciation for those parents who do this without a break on a regular basis. And, it also reminded me of what a great help Jimmy is with the day-to-day parenting duties. With two of us, the routine runs more smoothly and there is actually a little more time to breathe at the end of the day!

On another note, there is a video of Ben eating added to the web album of his first solids. Enjoy and have a great week!

Amazing People

2008-06-01T11:23:00.000-07:00

This past week, I met a couple who really made me think about my life and count my blessings. These two people used to be foster parents to special needs children and they decided to adopt a special needs child when he was three weeks old. This boy is now five years old, is blind and non-verbal, has several problems with his brain, is wheelchair bound, and only just learned to sit up on his own. He can't even eat regular food but must eat out of a bottle. I saw this child with my own eyes and this family touched my heart. Firstly, that this poor thing, through no fault of his own, must live a life with so many difficulties. Secondly, that two people, who have little means and a daughter of their own, decided to sacrifice for the sake of caring for a child who needs so much time and attention. While driving home that day, I reflected on how good I have it. I have two adorable and healthy children, a wonderful husband, a house, a car, a good job, family, and friends. We definitely have stress in our lives and there are times when I worry about the future or complain about whatever it is I'm dealing with. But this couple was a wonderful example to me of the goodness there is in the world. To make such a huge sacrifice for this little boy...I really think that there are two places waiting for them in heaven.
So, I guess my message is...the next time you are tired or stressed, think of this family. Think of those who have it worse. It will make your problems seem like small potatoes and help you not sweat the small stuff.

On another note...some new pics in our web album. Have a great week and do me a favor...do something nice for someone this week. The world needs a little more unselfishness and goodness in it.

- Kelly

Trip to Lake Gaston

2008-05-27T05:39:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a family reunion of sorts at Lake Gaston (about 90 miles from where we live). Jimmy's grandparents came from Florida, his Aunt Jeanne, Uncle John, and Cousin Tori drove from Illinois, his sister Rachel and her husband Dean came from California, and Jimmy's Uncle Ralph came from Pennsylvania, and his parents came from Delaware. We rented a house right on the lake and spent time relaxing, fishing, riding on the boat and tubing, golfing, and eating yummy food. The board game Balderdash was a big hit with Uncle Ralph coming from behind for the big win. Jenga was another favorite with Dean winning the tournament. Dean and Rachel brought their Wii which proved to be great entertainment.
It was a nice trip and tons of pictures are posted in our web album.

Pictures posted

2008-05-25T05:58:00.000-07:00

Hi all..just a quick hello to let you know some pictures from around the house have been posted. Also, a new milestone pic of Ben in his milestone pictures album. Stay tuned for pictures from our trip to Lake Gaston.

Keep on keeping on....

2008-05-18T05:00:00.000-07:00

Hi all. I just thought I'd check in since it's been awhile since our last post. As usual life has been keeping us busy lately. After Jake's birthday weekend he spiked a fever and I took him in to get his ears looked at. Luckily no infection this time and the ENT took his other tube out so he is ear tube free now! So it's just a waiting game to see if he gets any infections without the ear tubes. Keep your fingers crossed!

We also had a visit from Grandma and Grandpa. Grandpa helped Jimmy build a new picnic table for our yard while Grandma watched the boys while I attended a baby shower. (On the baby shower note...my friend is having a girl...I must say that there are SO many adorable things for baby girls. The little outfits are just precious!). Jimmy and I also were able to get away and have a great date at this local Asian restaurant in Durham's Brightleaf District. It was delicious! Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for holding down the fort so we could escape for a few hours!

This past week has been one thing after another. Poor Jimmy has been really sick with a fever and stomach issues and had to miss 3 days of work. Then I got called from the daycare to pick up Ben on Thursday because they said he had diarrhea. (I'm thinking that this will be a terrific weekend! Sick kids and husband!). Due to their rule on bodily fluids, Ben wasn't permitted back to school on Friday so we all had to stay home since Jimmy was still too sick to watch the kids. Luckily Ben has been fine...we feel that the daycare totally overreacted and he just had his usual explosive poop (which he has every couple of days). We shall have a little chat with them since it's not the easiest thing to take a day and a half off of work at the drop of a hat. But, I did manage to get the house organized with my extra day off so I won't complain too much!

In other news...I have reached my goal weight with Weight Watchers! For those of you who don't know, I started doing Weight Watchers online on Jan. 2nd. I had never lost the last 15 or so pounds of baby weight from my pregnancy with Jake plus now I had the Ben weight on top of that! So I took the plunge and have lost 36 pounds since Jan. 2nd and have reached my goal weight (close to my pre-pregnancy Jake weight). It took a lot of discipline but I'm glad I did it. I've also been running about 3 days/week which of course helps. Although I'm at my goal weight, I'm definitely softer around the middle than I ever used to be so my next crusade may be some ab exercises! Now the hard part begins...keeping the weight off. As most of you know it's hard...there's always treats at work and temptations but I'm learning that moderation is key. Hopefully I'll be successful!
I hope you all have a great week!
-Kelly

We have a 3 year old!

2008-05-02T05:47:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to Jake! It's so hard to believe he's already three years old. In the past year he has definitely made a transformation from toddler to little boy. He now sleeps in a real bed with no safety rail, wears real underwear, and converses with us like a little adult. In three short years Jake has been through a lot. He has been hospitalized twice (once for dehydration/jaundice and the other for his lung surgery). He's had an ER visit for croup and he's had several ear infections which eventually required ear tubes. He's also adjusted to three daycares and a big move from Pittsburgh to Durham. We are amazed at how he just goes with the flow with all the changes! Shortly he will be moving into the official preschool at daycare which we think will be wonderful for him as he might be getting a little bored being one of the oldest in his current class. We are so proud of Jake and who he is...he is sensitive and loving yet is independent and funny. Jimmy and I have been truly blessed to have him as our son and we thank God every day for giving Jake to us.
Look soon for pictures from his birthday weekend!

Ear infections resurface

2008-04-21T17:49:00.000-07:00

So Jake has his first ear infection in the past year. Some of you may remember that from about December 2006-May 2007 he had about 7 ear infections. He got ear tubes about one month after we moved to North Carolina and since then hasn't had any infections at all! Well at our last visit to the ear doctor his right tube had fallen out and the left was on its way. Fast forward about 6 weeks and lo and behold his right ear is infected! It is actually oozing which hasn't happened before (yuck!). So back on an antibiotic he goes and if there is one more infection then we will revisit getting another set of ear tubes (which I see as most likely inevitable). Poor kid (and poor mommy and daddy for having to take so much time off work to deal with these annoying infections!).
4 month pics of Ben are posted. He is starting to look more like Jake. And this poor child is struggling with eczema on top of his reflux. Luckily the reflux is much better now that he's on Prevacid but we are trying to stay on top of his eczema. Jake had eczema too but it isn't so bad. Sorry for the short post but life is busy!
Hope everyone is doing well!

Back to Work

2008-04-12T11:08:00.000-07:00

Well the time has come that my maternity leave is over. I was very fortunate that I could take 16 weeks off with Ben (that's two more than I got with Jake and a lot more than other women can get). I really enjoyed this maternity leave, probably even more so than Jake's. Being a second time mother I found myself to be more relaxed, more "go-with-the-flow", and cherishing each moment instead of anticipating the next "thing" Ben will do (smile, coo, roll over, etc.). Also, with Jake I had a much harder labor, his unexpected hospitalization, and breastfeeding was extremely challenging and took 8 weeks of determination to finally master. I think that was a major factor in having a more enjoyable maternity leave with Ben...I wasn't so stressed out about feeding him because he nursed like a champ from the beginning!
So it's back to the grind and getting back into a regular routine. Jimmy and I are trying to plan our meals better so we aren't spending much time cooking in the evenings. We also try to fit in running twice/week (me) and soccer once/week (Jimmy) so we can stay in some sort of shape! It's hard juggling the needs of two little ones in the mornings and evenings but not impossible! Ben is at the same school as Jake and so far we feel very happy with his teachers and the care he is getting. They say he is a very pleasant baby and he is eating and sleeping well there. He is starting to laugh more and is almost (knock on wood) consistently sleeping through the night. We also suspect he will roll over soon...he is trying!
Also, should I dare say (knock on more wood!)...Jake is officially potty trained! He hasn't had an accident in several weeks and goes to the bathroom on his own. YAY!!!
Some new pics and videos will be posted in our web album shortly.

Ben's Baptism

2008-04-01T05:12:00.000-07:00

We had a nice trip back home to Delaware this past weekend for Benjamin's baptism. We spent Friday with Kelly's parents and had dinner with Kelly's grandfather and then we were able to get away for a couple hours on an actual date! Yay for free babysitters! Saturday morning was spent visiting with Kelly's parents and we managed to get in a nice run together too (again yay for free babysitters!). Saturday afternoon was spent visiting with Jimmy's parents and also his Uncle Mike (who is in the process of moving from Colorado to Delaware and is currently staying with Jimmy's parents during the transition).
On Baptism day things started out great...we got settled into church, saw some family and friends, got our instructions from the priest, and enjoyed the first part of mass. Well, as Kelly is holding Ben she felt some "rumblings" coming from him and a few moments later felt something dripping down her dress. In horror, she looks down and Ben had decided to have an explosive poop which went all up his back, down his mommy's dress, on his mommy's legs and onto the floor. The priest was in the middle of the gospel and we knew after the homily was the baptism ceremony. So Kelly hands Ben to Jimmy, grabs the diaper bag, and we book it to the back of the church (and Jimmy is trying desperately not to get any poop on himself). We got several sympathy looks and some gasps as we jetted down the aisle. Of course this church doesn't even have an accessible bathroom, so we plop Ben down on the floor on our changing pad and go to work as quickly as possible. Luckily Kelly learned from Jake's baptism (when he threw up 4 times prior to the mass all over himself) to pack lots of extra clothes. So we get Ben cleaned up and made it back to the front of the church in time. Ben also set off a domino effect of crying babies as the priest cracked jokes during his homily about all the crying kids. (Sorry father!). The baptism itself went smoothly...Jake shed some tears as he felt left out when we went up with the priest so Jake ended up joining us. And Kelly is just glad her dress was black so the poop wasn't too noticeable! We are wondering when we have child #3 what will happen as we've dealt with vomiting and diarrhea at our boys' baptisms. We are thinking allergic reaction and will take wagers whenever it's child #3's turn.
After the mass we quickly headed back to Kelly's parents so Kelly could get a quick shower and get changed out of the poop dress and then we headed to the luncheon at Jimmy's parents' house. A great time was had by all...it was wonderful to see family and friends we don't get to see often due to living far away. We are appreciative of everyone supporting us and celebrating Ben's baptism.
Sunday night we were able to enjoy another date at Bennigan's and then we headed home on Monday. Traveling with two little ones wasn't too bad...we made it both ways in about 6.5 hours with 3 stops and two nursing sessions included. Not too shabby!
Pictures are posted on our web album however they are out of order. Also a sweet video of Jake and Kelly's grandfather is included.

Easter Weekend 2008

2008-03-24T05:49:00.000-07:00

We hope all of our friends and family had a wonderful Easter holiday. We had a nice weekend at home. Jimmy took Jake fishing on Good Friday (a tradition he used to do with his dad on Good Friday). They managed to catch one fish so Jake was able to understand what the purpose of putting that line in the water really meant. Pictures are posted in a web album. Kelly also hosted a playgroup through her mom's group TriangleMommies. This group has been an excellent way to meet local moms, learn about the area, and network. After the playgroup, Jake dyed some eggs for the Easter bunny to hide on Easter morning. The Easter bunny was very good to him and he had a great time looking around the house for the eggs and his Easter basket. Ben got a new toy from the Easter bunny too. The rest of Easter Sunday was spent at church, relaxing, and making a delicious ham dinner. Our web album has pictures of the weekend. Enjoy!

Here we go again...

2008-03-19T14:07:00.000-07:00

You may remember our gripe with Jake's daycare about their overly multicultural efforts around Christmas time which had the effect of marginalizing Christianity (Santa and Reindeer stories, but [God] forbid no stories of the Nativity). We should have guessed that this would be next.

We received an email about a "Spring Egg Hunt" that the daycare is doing for the kids. This one seems even worse. Common sense says that Egg Hunts are traditionally association with ONE holiday, Easter. To make it even more mind-numbing, unlike "Christmas", the word "Easter" is said to have pagan roots, and has no etiological association with Christianity. Which way do you want it, secular progressives? You can't call it "Easter Egg Hunt" because the Easter is a Christian holiday, but the word "Easter" isn't even a Christian word! Pick your paradox!

This whole thing is a disgrace. Its ridiculous that we can't call things what they are, because someone may be offended or some group will feel excluded. There are no constitutional rights assigned to protect feelings, so these whiny liberals need to just knock it off. Bill O' Reilly is right...their really is a cultural war going on out there between traditionalists and secular progressives. It is subtle at times, but it is there.

Secular Progressives: Please enjoy your springtime equinox festival or other celebration of your choice.

Everyone else: Happy Easter!

Easter Egg Hunt

2008-03-15T11:48:00.000-07:00

Today we went to North Durham's annual easter egg hunt. This was Jake's first hunt and he found a whopping two eggs (one of which another mother took out of her kid's basket out of pity and put on the ground in front of Jake so he could "find" it). He had fun though and was just happy he had eggs no matter how many. Jake is doing well with the potty...he is fully pee-trained but we are still working on the poops as he prefers to poop in his pull up at nighttime. His stubborn nature is evident as he uses this as a power struggle, both with us at home and with his teachers at daycare. We are confident that he will change his mind sooner than later and will be fully potty trained soon.
Ben is doing great...getting chunkier by the day and is very interested in the world around him. He also has a stubborn streak and will let you know when he isn't happy. His mommy is hoping and praying he starts sleeping through the night soon as he continues to get up at least twice/night. He will begin "school" in a few weeks (same school as Jake)...where did the time go?
Check our web album for some recent pictures and some videos.

Also, on a more sad note. The recent murder of the UNC student body president is a very sad situation. For such an innocent young woman to lose her life is a tragedy. What angers us is that one of the murderers has been arrested something like at least 5 times since December, many of which were on felony charges. And he was free to walk the streets?! Turns out he had also murdered a Duke grad student in January. Perhaps if our legal system would have done their job and kept this violent criminal who had no respect for the law locked up, we would have one, if not two, less murder victims. Very frustrating.

Babies, babies, and more babies!

2008-03-05T07:48:00.000-08:00

It seems like everyone we know is pregnant! Congrats are in order to our friends Melissa and Jeremy Okrasinski who are expecting their first child in September. We also just found out that our friends Amanda and Jeff Reuter are expecting their first due in October. And our local friends Alison and Derek and Lily and Suraj are both expecting their second children. Plus two of Kelly's coworkers are pregnant and another just had her baby yesterday. Wow! Lots of babies to look forward to! We hope that all have happy, healthy pregnancies!
And speaking of babies, a new video of Ben is posted.

Pictures posted

2008-03-03T11:09:00.000-08:00

A few pictures of the boys hanging out at home are posted on our web album. Enjoy!

Squirrel update

2008-02-28T11:57:00.000-08:00

So, it appears our furry friend has returned despite Jimmy fixing the gutters and sealing the hole to the attic. Well, Mr. Squirrel has found another way in. Now onto Plan B since Plan A obviously didn't work. We now have a trap on our roof. Well the other day I heard a loud noise up there and I look outside to see a very dazed squirrel on our deck. The little rodent somehow managed to eat the peanut butter without getting trapped! He is one determined and quick creature! We are going to try the trap again and keep our fingers crossed that we don't have to go to more drastic measures.
I just realized I never posted Ben's stats from his 2 month appointment. He was 12 lbs, 9 oz (3 oz. more than Jake was at this age), and 24 inches long. However I took him and Jake to the doctor yesterday since they are both running fevers and he weighed 13 lbs, 11 oz! Chunky monkey! Being home with two sick children and being sick yourself is no picnic. Hopefully we are on the road to recovery soon!
Jake continues to have potty success. Only a few minor accidents and we've had one successful poop on the potty! We are so proud! :)
That's all for now!

More pictures

2008-02-19T10:55:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone. Some more pictures and a couple videos are added to the February album on our web album. Check them out! Some of Aunt Laura's visit and Jake jamming on the drums.

Valentine's Day Party

2008-02-15T05:53:00.000-08:00

To celebrate Valentine's day, Jake's school had a little party. First the kids decorated cookies for snack time. Then they joined the other two year old classes in the multipurpose room while the parents socialized. Jake had a blast bouncing on the balls. Some pictures are posted on our web album.
Potty training update: No accidents for a couple of days and Jake is going to the potty on his own for the most part! No poops on the potty yet but seems he has mastered the peeing part! He's come a long way in less than a week.
Ben sleep update: We are also making progress. He has slept as late as 6:45! Today we made it until 5:30. But it seems that fully sleeping through the night is on the horizon! His mommy is very grateful for this! Today is his two month check up so stay posted for stats!
We hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day! Can you believe it was the 13th Valentine's Day Jimmy and I have celebrated together?!

Potty training

2008-02-11T12:48:00.000-08:00

So potty training has officially begun in the Smedley household. Jake is doing okay so far. He had two successful pees on the potty over the weekend and does not enjoy the feeling of being wet in his big boy underwear. We shall see how it goes and keep all of our devoted readers posted on the progress.

Other than that we had a low key weekend and managed to get a few things done around the house. We have been having an unwanted guest in our gutter and attic (a squirrel) that Jimmy spent time trying to scare out of our gutter on Saturday. Well he resorted to getting on a ladder and using our hose to force him out. I was down on the ground on the end of the house to make sure we saw the squirrel leave. Well this squirrel took a flying leap from the gutter to the ground once the hose was on him. It was the most hysterical thing we've seen in awhile and wish we had it on video. We don't think he'll be visiting us again anytime soon! He can't get in anyway now that all the ports of entry are sealed up.

A few new pictures and a video are posted on our web album.

That's all for now!

Warming up

2008-02-04T05:43:00.000-08:00

The NC weather was great this past weekend. Upper 50's, low 60's. Rumor has it we even may hit the low 70's tomorrow. We took advantage of the nice weather and went to visit Falls Lake for a picnic lunch. Jimmy's sister Rachel was visiting for the weekend from Irvine, CA. We enjoyed time at the lake, which is very low due to the current drought. Howie had a blast as did Jake and Ben just enjoyed looking around. The rest of our weekend was spent catching up with Rachel and going to Spice Street for a wonderful dinner. Some pictures of Rachel's visit are in our web album.
Sleep update for Ben...he has managed to sleep as late as 6 am! Although last night he was up at 2:00 again but we are making progress! :)

Update

2008-01-24T06:35:00.000-08:00

Hi all. Things have been quiet the past few weeks. Benjamin is doing well...he is growing and starting to smile and has even given the occasional "coo". We are working on the whole sleeping through the night thing...he usually gets up twice and around 5:30 expects to be up and awake which Mommy and Daddy are having no part of. Overall though we can't complain as he seems to be doing better with the night sleeping than Jake was at this age.
We donated our Honda civic this past week to a pro-life organization. We are sad to see that car go as it has truly been such a money saver the past several years. I got that car when I was 17 and I think my parents paid about $5000 for it. What a great buy! Jimmy is very glad he no longer has to drive it back and forth to work and is enjoying the comforts of driving the Blazer. He also is glad that we won't have another summer of no air conditioning while driving it either. He truly sacrificed last summer on those very hot days! I'm excited about my new car...it "fits" me very well...not too big, not too small.
Other than that, we are in the midst of having lots of visitors. My parents visited this past weekend and we got a chance to show them around the area a bit (Duke and UNC campuses). Jimmy's parents are coming this weekend, then Jimmy's sister Rachel, then shortly after that, my sister Laura. Busy busy!
I'm enjoying my maternity leave immensely! I could get used to this! I'm trying to expand my horizons and cook some new recipes, I'm catching up on reading, and overall just enjoying my time with the baby. I even got a chance to go to Jake's school yesterday for a nature walk which is something I wouldn't be able to attend if I was working.
That's all for now! I hope you are all doing well! Oh, some new pictures are on our web album and I'm going to work to get some videos there soon too.

-Kelly

Car woes

2008-01-13T12:23:00.000-08:00

So it's been an interesting few weeks. In early January as Jimmy was driving to work in our 1988 Honda Civic, the hood decided to fly up and proceeded to crack the windshield. This happened while Jimmy was doing about 65 mph on the highway. Luckily he managed to pull over safely (all the while not able to see anything), tie the hood down and get to work. We decided that this was God giving us a sign that it was time to send the Honda to car heaven. We have put some work into it over the years to prolong its life but as Jimmy has said, it has been "talking to him him" and he's had the feeling it's on its last legs.

We then proceeded to begin the car shopping process. It is quite an experience doing that with a toddler and a newborn to say the least. After a few trips to several car dealerships and some negotiating, we bought a 2006 Honda CRV. This will be my primary car and Jimmy will now drive our Chevy Blazer.

Yesterday we had to pick up the Civic from Jimmy's work and on the way home the brakes decided to fail. We crawled home with both of us having our hazard lights on. It looks like we made the right decision to cut our losses and say our goodbyes to our civic. Since the thing is rusted, the interior is shot, the brake line is leaking, the hood is unable to be opened, and the windshield is cracked in about 8 places, we feel it isn't even worth trying to sell so we are going to donate it. May it R.I.P. I'll miss that car...can anyone believe that was my very first car? I got it when I was 17. It barely made it to its 20th year but it did! We definitely got our money's worth with it!

In other news, Ben and Jake are doing well. Ben is getting bigger by the day and has given us some random smiles in the past few days. Jake is very loving towards his younger brother and tries to comfort him when Ben cries. Howie has also adjusted very well...he has barely noticed our new addition. There are some new pictures on our web album. Enjoy!

-Kelly

Our disgust with the USPS

2008-01-04T08:14:00.000-08:00

So, I've had a bit of an issue with the U.S. postal service lately. A couple months ago I tried to ship something I sold on Craigslist and it never got to the recipient. Stupid me didn't buy insurance so I was out the earnings I could have had on what I sold. Fast forward a couple of months and I send some Christmas gifts to my sister-in-law and brother-in-law in California via the USPS. This time I bought the delivery confirmation and insurance. Well, what are the chances that that package also didn't show up?! Although the USPS "confirmed" delivery on 12/13?! So, now I have to file a claim which from what I've read sounds like a fiasco plus I'm annoyed they never got their gifts! Jimmy and I also have an issue with the fact that in order to verify that the package gets to where it needs to be that you must buy insurance and delivery confirmation is ridiculous. Isn't that why we pay for shipping costs?! Isn't that supposed to be for the service of sending something from one place to another with confidence that the postal service will do it's job and get it there? Obviously not and obviously even with purchasing delivery confirmation there still is no guarantee they can track down the lost package. My response to both lost packages from the post office was that they had no way of knowing where the packages went. Ineptitude at it's finest.
Next time I'm going with FedEx or UPS.
-Kelly

2007 in review

2008-01-02T13:50:00.000-08:00

2007 was quite a year for ThemSmedleys. Other than defending a PhD thesis, moving out of state, selling a house, buying a house, changing jobs, and having a baby, it was a pretty ho-hum year.

February - Jimmy was offered a postdoc postition at NIEHS in RTP, North Carolina.

March - Kelly was offered a research coordinator position at UNC Chapel Hill

March - After years of battling the beast of Science, Jimmy finally earned his PhD!

April - Ben was conceived.

April - Moved out of Pittsburgh and down to our apartment in Carolina. Jimmy started postdoc on his 30th Birthday, Kelly started her new job. Jake starts new daycare.

May - Put offer on Dello house. Jake turns 2 and starts in next new daycare.

May - Jimmy to Indianapolis for conference

June - Closed on Dello

July - Moved from apartment to Dello

August - Still unpacking from move

September - Still unpacking from move

October - Kel turns 30

November - We host Thanksgiving for both sets of parents

December - Ben is born, First Christmas morning ever at our house.

Here's hoping 2008 gives us a break!