THE BEST GIFT

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He's Here!!

Hello all, this is Jill's sister posting. Smith baby boy #2 (can you tell he doesn't have a name yet?) was born today at 2:28pm. He was 8 lbs 10 oz and is healthy as a horse. He's got a ton of dark hair and, I think, looks a lot like Regan. Jill is doing well and was super high when I saw her, thank goodness for modern medicine! Her c-section went as well as it possibly could have. We are thankful that it is all over with and that all went well. Enjoy the pictures of this sweet little angel who came fresh from heaven. More to follow soon.

Here we go!

I'm off to the hospital right now to deliver our new baby boy! Really nervous but as my mom says it is the only surgery in the world that has such a magnificent prize at the end. I will be VERY HAPPY 4 hours from now!

Thanks so much to my dear friend Cheri who has changed my blog background to such a merry scene. And keep your eyes peeled, she has also consented to doing a montage for little guy today or tomorrow!

Stay tuned!!!!!

Happy Birthday to PHYLLIS! THE BIG 60!!!!!

For the very few of you who don't know....Phyllis is my beloved mother! Yes, ever since high school I got in the bad habit of calling her Phyllis. To some it is repulsively disrespectful, to me, I don't know...to me it is my term of endearment to her.

True story, every time she comes to visit me, or I go home to visit her, I spend many nights laying awake shedding some tears, wondering what my life would have been like, or would be like without her. (dysfunctional I know...but if you saw what she did in a day for me and my family you would too!)

Her life has not been very spectacular to say the least. She has overcome many hardships, become very strong in areas she never imagined possible, and through it all is my greatest example of positive thinking and perseverance. If I had to choose one quality I loved most about her it would be her ability to make everyone around her (especially her kids and grand kids) feel like they were the best humans ever born to planet earth. I truly remember never ever worrying about bringing home a report card, because no matter what the grade, I was still the smartest individual breathing. I never worried about gaining weight or looking weird in any given outfit because she really believed I was a raging beauty no matter what I looked like. Because of her, I did believe that anything was possible.

Thank you mom for your unconditional love, your priceless example of strength through opposition, love of simple pleasures, open mindedness, humility, feistiness, encouragement to think outside the box and not let the opinion of others sway you for anything. Thank you for singing U2, Counting Crows, or Pearl Jam 'church style' while folding laundry, for not giving a rat's butt about what anyone thinks of you, for letting your grand kids come and all but ruin your house with a smile the size of Texas that says you are loving every minute of it, and mostly for giving us the security of knowing that no matter what you'd always follow through with your word, and love us no matter what.

Happy birthday and I hope I can live up to your example...frankly I wish you could raise my kids for me. I mean I'd help and everything.....

I LOVE YOU MOM!!!!! My only wish is that you could bless our lives with 60 more years:)

(Phyllis gave me & Suzy the CD with this song 'In my Daughter's Eyes' a while back and ofcourse I love it because it reminds me of her!)

Thumbody Loveth Thumthing!

Look out world, here comes Ava the ballerina! This is honestly been a long time coming...she has been waiting since she was 2 to do this. And she would tell you in a heartbeat it was worth the wait. SHE LOVES IT!

I swear I put off lessons as much as possible. Call me lazy! Harrison has tried everything because he was my only child for so long. Now that I have to cart around a baby and toddler, the thought is more exhausting than fun as it once was. I applaud my mom who always had us in something. Here the whole time I thought she was torturing us and now I find out what torture really is...being the taxi!

But seeing her twirl around laced in pink from head to toe made my heart melt. I guess its now my turn to be the taxi and I'll love doing it to see this kind of stuff!

Don't hate me because my husband ROCKS!!!

Every Saturday morning while I'm still lazily attempting to wake up, Scott gathers all the children and thoroughly cleans and organizes the playroom. (Trust me after one week the place looks like it has been hit by a tornado) And as if that is not enough, he then proceeds to have them do their individual little chores like making their beds, vacuuming, etc. I wake up to a spotless home:)

You'll find this hard to believe but I swear I've almost needed therapy in years past because of the pressure I put on myself to have the place clean because he is so type A. But now after 13 years of marriage I've let that go and just let him go right ahead and do his thing without feeling like I was supposed to have had it done already. And here's the crazy thing....I now realize that he wasn't kidding when he would tell me 'I'm not cleaning because I'm trying to teach you a lesson, I'm just trying to help.' He really could care less that I'm still in bed he just for his own sanity wants to get the job done. BRING IT ON!

Thank you honey...for being my wonderful "Type A" hubby...I love ya for it:)

It's a........DRUMROLL PLEASE.......

BOY! So I just got back from the Doctor's office and needless to say we're back into blue! Scott said that just bought him 18 more years of camping, and when I picked Harry up from school he ran to me asking if it was a boy or girl. When I gave him the news, his answer honestly made my heart leap. His body was uncontrolled and he yelled...YES! Ava was literally devastated but she has already come around.

I'll be honest, I'm still processing the info. This is the honest truth. Aside from the fact that I have every bow and legwarmer ever made, as well as every shade of pink in every item of clothing and accesories...so equipt for another girl, I'm bummed that this little guy and Harry will be almost a decade apart. I feel as though with my boys I'll never be able to just throw them in a room and let them go nuts with bob the builder toys, as I do princess tea party stuff with the girls.

Other than that, words cannot express how grateful I am that the most important things are in place. The baby thus far looks completely healthy and who could ask for more than that?

But if any of you have any words of encouragement, personal stories of having a good relationship with a sibling of the same sex a decade apart from you with siblings of the opposite sex in the middle of you, I welcome any stories. WOW I sound negative. I'm thinking of not even posting this.....but I will. Because it just wouldn't be me not saying everything unholy on my mind now would it?