Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas to all of our friends and family! It has been a great morning and the girls have had a ton of fun so far! We have a White Christmas this year and it looks so pretty with all the snow outside.

Yesterday we went to Solider Hollow for tubing! It was great and I did a video when we were going down the hill the last time. It's 1200 feet long and you go so fast down it!! It was so much fun!



The slide show is from yesterday and this morning!! Merry Christmas from Steve, Alicia and the KiwiGirls

Hannah's christmas program

Remember to go to the music that I have on the bottom of the page and pause it so that you can hear Hannah sing!!







Hannah has had a great first half of preschool this year. This is a little bit from her Christmas Performance at school on Monday. She is getting so big!! School has done her wonders and I look forward to each day when she comes home to share with me the new things that she has learned. They really do grow up super fast!!

7 years of Marriage

Hummmm........How to sum up the last year of being married which brings me to 7 years of Marital bliss (ups and downs, tears and laughter, loud days and sleepless nights). We have had 1 cat and about a dozen other cats that we gave to the pound, 4 kids, 12 moves (3 across the country), 5 cars, and countless sleepless nights all in a rounded number of 7!!!

So this year we decided that we needed to FINALLY buy a house!! After all of these years the stars are finally in line for us to take the plunge and sign our names a million times and get a house that is new to us but was built in 1905!!



It's a really cute house and one that is perfect for all of the little Smith Girls that we have running around. It has 4 bedrooms which is really great since it will be nice for all the girls to have their own room. Hannah really needs one and we are not really sure what Ruby is going to want. Katy still is in our room, so the extra room is going to be a HUGE playroom!! I am so excited that there will be NO more toys in my living room.



We will actually have a yard, so we are going to have to learn how to mow a yard!! This is going to be quite the challenge since I am allergic to grass and Steve hasn't had to mow a yard ever since we have been married. What's a lawn mower is what the both of us say all the time.



So starting this 8th year of marriage we have a new adventure!!! No more kids, but we will be adding a house and two beagle puppies next fall!! So our adventure continues....

Family Pictures 2007

Katy Has Teeth!!

It has been a fun last week of no sleep, cranky babies, sick kids, and holiday madness! Through it all it was kind of a blur but we ended up with Katy cutting her first two teeth!! I am so sad because I have become a huge fan of baby gummy smiles and now those days are over. **sniff, sniff** I now have a pre-toddler. That's what I am calling Katy these days. Other than the teeth that have made their apperance, I have the joy of watching her roll over like mad all over the living room floor, attempting to sit up by herself (if you sit her there), watching her try and do sit ups (which she is getting great at. her head and shoulders are off the floor now!), oh yes and those great push-ups on her tummy.

She is doing so much these days that it is hard to keep up with. I can't believe that at the end of the week it is already December!! Thank goodness that I am DONE with Christmas shopping. Been done since October!!! I had to be done early this year!!

We are getting family pictures done tomorrow, so there will be new pictures of us ALL tomorrow.

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to ALL!!

Alphabet Crown

It was a BIG day for Hannah on Friday. She received her Alphabet Crown from school. Now this is a HUGE deal because that means she knows all of her letters (upper and lower case) and what each letter says (both sounds short and long for the vowels). Of course it was the only day that I didn't pick her up but it was probably cool since my mom picked her up from school in the favorite yellow bug of hers. Garrett was along for the ride too since Mom had just picked him up from school also.

Hannah had a great day in the afternoon. While we were down putting another offer in on the house we want and talking to the mortgage guy, Hannah was spending the afternoon with Garrett. Doing what else than riding horses, helping feed, and muck stalls. It was a great time for her.

I can't believe that my baby is so big! I am really proud and excited that she has come so far just since the start of school in September!! Now she is working on her blending badge. She will get that when she knows the common two letter combinations for sounds.

Great Job Hannah! We are so Proud of You!

Katy Anne is 5 Months Old

Wow! I have made it to 5 months old. The time has gone by so fast and I'm sure the rest of the time to get her to a year old will go by even faster. Katy still hasn't gotten the memo that we were disconnected 5 months ago. She is my mini-me and always connected. Heck Steve gets on me because I hold her too much!! She likes me and doesn't like it when other people hold her. Do you blame her?? We are always together day and night. I don't think that I have even left her for a few minutes yet, but oh well Katy is the last and I am taking advantage of every moment that I have with her and the rest of the girls being little.




We started out fast and haven't slowed down. I still think that it is so crazy that we had her 41 minutes after we got to the hospital! Now we are to rolling over, trying to sit up, grabbing and reaching for things, and of course talking (loudly thanks to Ruby!!). I can't wait for the next new thing with her.

I am so excited that it has been a great 5 months and I can't wait for the rest of the first year with her!!!

Pleasant Grove House and my Crazy Family!

I got TAGGED!!!

My friend Mikelle tagged me for this little game so I thought I would give it a try.

Here’s the rules:
A. Each player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves.
B. At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog, for these rules.

1. I love to shop for my girls! Once I get hooked on a line I go CRAZY! Right now it's Gymboree and have in fact sold just about every other piece of clothing that is not from there.

2. I love to watch my TV shows! (Monday-Journey Man, Tuesday-The Unit and Cane, Wednesday- Bionic Woman, Thursday- Survivor, ER, and CSI, Friday-Numbers, Saturday-Football of course!! and Sunday- The Amazing Race!!) Thanks for the DVR b/c I don't watch them while they are on!

3. I LOVE to talk on the phone!! I think this is why Ruby uses anything that could closely resemble a phone to talk on.

4. I still love to listen to Rick and Bubba on the internet in the morning. I am proud of the fact that Hannah has started to learn the Rick and Bubba Song. "Rick and bubba, Rick and Bubba. Pass the Gravy please. Rick and Bubba. We all know how it goes. :-)

5. I am very addicted to the Twilight Book series by Stephenie Meyer. I can't wait to get my books back from my mom so I can read them again.

6. I am not a very patient person. Waiting to see if our offer is accepted on the house we like is killing me!!

So now I tag Nina, Angela, Ginnie, Mary, and well I don't know any one else that has a blog. :-(

A WHOLE Nights Worth of Sleep!!!

I love my baby Katy! Little did I know last night when I went to sleep at 10:30 that I would be sleeping until 5:30 this morning!! I guess that's probably why a few hours before then that my boobs started hurting, but wanting sleep like any other mom with a baby. I did my best to just ignore that little fact. I was so wanting to hear that cry from Katy by 5:30 this morning. Let's just say that those breast pads couldn't hold everything that they needed too for that long.

SEVEN whole hours of sleep is what I needed!! Yippie!! The Lord really does send little blessings to me every now and then. I am very grateful today for the sleep that I got.

I love my baby Katy!!

Trunk or Treat 2007

The Weigh In

It's been a blast since the last time that I took a moment to write. It seems like depending on the day it's winter or summer. We are never really sure what to expect....SNOW or SUN?? Your guess is as good as mine, but that's Utah in the fall.

Last week was our appointments for the GI doctor for Hannah and Ruby. I'll just say that it didn't go all that well. Hannah was not feeling all that well and was having a sick day. Heck on the way there she said she needed to throw up, so I had to stop at the gas station on the way and get her to a bathroom!!! Thank goodness it was a little cool out that morning, so I could leave the other two in the car for just a minute. That was over and we were back on our way up to Primary.

We get up there and me with three kids is a normal sight these days and I didn't think that it would be a big deal since we were going to a hospital for kids right?!?!?! WRONG :-( The GI wait wasn't all that bad since there were toys for the kids to play with. The NP finally got in there and tried to do an appointment with my kids, but it was cut short because Ruby was being 'too loud' and 'it hurt her ears.'

**side note** For all of you that know Ruby we all know that she can be loud. Yes, let's vibrate your ear drums loud. Now this was not a super loud day at all. I would call it a low to medium day.

I guess that it didn't matter since I just wanted to get Hannah down to the ER anyway, but man I have never been told that I had to end an appointment early because my kid was too loud!!! I was still a little mad because you wait like 4 months to get into those guys and then you get shooed out the door!!! In any case we were on our way to the ER. We get checked in and wait of course. I think we went through 4 or 5 Popsicles between Hannah and Ruby. That visit went well with no real break downs from any of my kids, but what kills me is what happened when we were getting checked out from the ER. The lady comes in and says "So are you the day care lady for all of these kids?" My jaw dropped. What do you say to that?!?!? There was no Hi or Hello from that lady. She probably meant well and I know that my kids don't have my colors, but where is the tact??? I guess now that the joke is that I am the day care lady for my kids!!! Whoever left all of them has a HUGE bill to pay when they get around to picking them up!!! Yes Hannah is fine now.

That was my last week's big adventure.

Yesterday was fun. It was check up day for Katy and Ruby. Both girls are doing fine. Ruby cracks the scales at 23 1/2 pounds and is 33 inches long. Katy is 13 1/2 pounds and 26 inches long. That means she has grown 7 inches since she has been born!! I guess that I have miracle grow in my milk or something.

The girls are getting so big!! Well it's time to take care of the crying war in my house right now. Until our next big adventure.......

Early October 2007

WOW!! It's already October. It's getting a little late but I will do the quick update for now.

Last week was a busy one for us. I think that my van is in the shop once a week. At least last week they finally figured out that there was no correlation between the van's computer and my ABS system. Finally an answer and so it's back in the shop late this week to finally get fixed for good!!

Katy decided that she can roll over all by herself this week!! She is mobile and I'm never quite sure where I am going to find her any more. No more of staying on the couch for just a sec either. She decided that she could roll off of that too. Katy, Katy. I know it won't be too long and she will get the sitting up thing down and then be on to crawling. The fun is just beginning!!

Ruby has decided that she can talk talk talk this week!! There are new words that come out of that girl's mouth every day. I swear I don't know where she gets all of them but she does. I had to take Hannah into the doctor's and she blurts out "turtle!". Didn't know that she knew what a turtle was, but what do I know?!?!?

Hannah had a first this last week too!! She had her first case of strep throat. Totally blew me out of the water. No cough or sore throat. Only a fever that lasted less than a day with a headache and not sleeping at night. Crazy but that's what she had.

Well I guess that I had better get. I gotta long day tomorrow. Another fun day up at Primary Children's GI clinic. So much fun!!! NOT!

Baby Benjamin Alexander

Baby Ben Part 5

Okay.....part 5. Here we go. This is probably going to be the hardest installment for me to write about. I told a good friend that I am probably just going to sum it all up in a few paragraphs. Not because I don't want to write it all out for the world to see, but because the last few minutes with my baby are of a very scared time for me. I do not tell many people of my last few minutes and I'm not going to yet anyway. If I know you well enough, you will hear the story first hand from me. Now with that disclaimer, I will get to part 5. Our two very short hours with our baby Benjamin.

Baby Ben was my hero! He made a journey on this earth all by himself to Atlanta and back home to Birmingham. He was so strong for Steve and I and clung to life to see us again. I think it was easier for him to pass through to the other side knowing that he had come home to Mom and Dad.

The transport team had done their job on getting him home to us and now it was time for the tricky part of getting him from the incubator to the warmer without him crashing on us again. All went well and he was very stable. I would love a warm bed too!! Who doesn't?!?!? We as parents had a few minutes with him before we had our family come in two at a time to see him. I honestly don't remember who came in first or what order that everyone got visiting time. Now a lot of you don't know that my little brother has a brain tumor (that's in remission right now) and it was a few years after he found out. Garrett was so sweet with my baby. The understanding of him and Ben was something that I will never forget. That little moment in time of one who was so close to passing and the other who stood looking at the door of anytime we could get bad news again. He was so sweet as he held my baby's hand and cried.

While everyone was into visit, we were getting ready to take Ben off of all his machines that had kept him alive for us. By this time everyone had had a chance to come and say hi and finally it was my turn to hold my baby. Now I had not been able to hold him but for that brief moment right after he was born and it was time for me. He was so little and seemed at peace in my arms. Finally after 19 hours of being alive I got to hold my baby boy!!! I knew that time would not be long before we had to say good-bye, so very unwillingly I let his Daddy hold him for the first time. Poor Steve was a true first time Dad and wasn't really sure how to hold him. What new Dad really knows how to hold a newborn??

The hardest part of that was looking at my husband with all of the promises of a first born boy melt away for a time. No baseball games, Scouts, first game of catch, camping, or any of those things that Dad's do with their sons. It would be on hold for my husband and that was so hard to see. Father's are not supposed to cry, but mine did and my heart still hurts when I remember.

I know that all of our parents got the chance to hold Benjamin for a few minutes and then Steve got him for another few minutes and then it was back to me, the Mom. A few brief moments in time would be mine to hold him and say good-bye. By this time we had given him some medicine to help calm him down and not feel any pain. My Mom bless her heart gave me some good advice. To count his little toes and fingers just to make sure that I knew that he was so perfect. To take my time and look him up and down and let my heart take a picture. A memory that would last a life time until I saw him again.

My son Benjamin left this mortal world around 8 pm on Friday, September 21, 2001 in my arms. I felt my heart break in half knowing that he was here for so brief a moment and I still miss him today. But each day I try to make him smile in the things that I do in my life. I KNOW that I WILL see my son again and that we ARE an eternal family. Yes, time does heal some of the hurt and pain, but the lives his story has touched is wonderful. He taught me that being a Mother is the most important job in the world and that the most important thing in the whole world is LOVE. Christ gave his life for us because of love. After this experience, I could feel a little of what Christ's mother Mary felt when her son gave his life for each of us. I would not go back and change what I have been through for anything. I have learned so much and continue to learn from this experience. Please do not feel sad or sorry for my loss, but rejoice with me in knowing that I will see him again and the sorrow and tears will be replaced with joy and happiness when I see my baby Benjamin again.

Thanks for bearing with me for a five part story and cleaning out another box of kleenex tissues. Give your kids a Hug and tell them that you love them. That's all I ask.

Alicia, Benjamin's Mom

Baby Ben Part 4

WOW!! I didn't think that I would write this much to warrant a part 4, but it looks like I might even get a part 5 if the girls don't work with me here this morning. And sorry to all of you who have been left on a cliff hanger from part 3 and it's taken me a week to get back to my computer to write.

I last left off with us waiting for Benjamin to come back home. Those few hours were so long. We got a call that he had left Georgia and was into Alabama. I think they were around the Heflin exit (it's the first big exit once you get back into Alabama on I-20). We then were told that they would call when they were twenty minutes out from the hospital. During that time, I got so nervous and got butterflies in my stomach. Why I'm not sure. Probably because I really wanted to see my son but at the same time I knew that it would be good-bye for a season. The minutes seemed to go even slower while we all waited for that phone call. I think that I jumped when the phone rang telling us that he would be home in twenty short minutes. I was glad to have something to do because by this point everyone was just sitting around with nothing to say. What do you say when your child is going to die and everyone knows it??

We all got our stuff together and walked down to the NICU. It's funny the little things that I remember during this time. Like while we were walking down there the hospital had colored lines on the floor (i guess so people don't get lost to different departments) and the one to NICU was green. Steve's little brother Paul says "Man I feel like we are walking the Green Mile." I think that movie had come out a little before everything happened. So I had a little laugh on my walk to the NICU. Another thing that I remember is right before we got to the NICU is looking outside. The day was so pretty. The sun was about to set, so there were beautiful colors in the sky. Yellows, oranges, and even a little bit of pink mixed with the blue sky. It was beautiful and my heart took a picture. As the nurse escorted us to the waiting room for the NICU, I noticed on the door that the NICU was closed to all visitor's. It never clicked for me that it was closed because of my baby boy.

Well we get to the waiting room and that's where the pictures started. I remember my mom taking pictures and for us to Smile. We tried our best and if you have seen the scrapbook you know what I mean. Then we got to leave the rest of our family behind and Steve and I were called into the NICU to see our son. They wanted us to come in while he was still in his transport incubator because they said he might crash while they were moving him to his warmer and wanted us to be there. All the transport people were doing their stuff and we got to go say hi to our baby. One of the guys opened his incubator and told us that we could talk to him. My baby made it and he was home!!! He looked so peaceful while he was laying there. I think that it was Steve who said "Hi Ben" and this little boy of mine did something that they told us he would not do. He turned his head and opened his eyes!! He had the darkest brown eyes with a look of "Oh there you are. I am in so much pain can't you help?" My heart broke right then and there. That was the last time that he would open his eyes. He knew that he had made it home to Mom and Dad.

Sorry to leave everyone hanging again, but the girls are up and going crazy. I'll just edit this post and add some more in a little while. I hope today :-)

Baby Ben Part 3

It seemed like a few minutes before the doctors called me to update me on Ben in Atlanta. The phone call started out like this: "Mrs. Smith you have a very sick little boy." Right then and there I knew that my little boy would not be with us very long. As the doctor updated me on his status we learned that on the life flight Ben had gone into liver and kidney failure which made him unable to have the procedure. The doctor explained that if we wanted they could try to do it but he would most likely die on the table or we could have him come home to us to die with us back in Birmingham. The most that I could get out was that he needed to talk to my husband and we decided that we needed a few minutes.

All during this we could not find our parents anywhere. Half had taken off to Atlanta and some had come to see us back in Birmingham. I do remember that when I handed Steve the phone that I needed to go to the bathroom, so there I was with no parents, a baby that was going to die all while I was sitting on the pot!!! My Mom and Garrett made it to the hospital while I was still in there crying so hard. What a decision to make for your first child.

I think the decision was made rather easy to just bring him home. I wanted to see my baby again and I was not going to let him leave this world without being with his Mom and Dad. I think it was my Mom who talked to the doctor when he called back and told him that we needed to make arrangements for Benjamin to get home ASAP.

This was the start of what seemed like a forever wait for all of us. The doctor said that they would get a life flight for him and call us back when he was in the air. Great he should be home in just under two hours. We finally got a hold of our parents that had gone to Atlanta to be with Ben. All of them were at the door of the hospital or turning into the hospital when we told them to get back because you would probably beat them bring Benjamin home. Little did we know that in two hours that Benjamin would still be there in Atlanta.

Why?? Because the FAA did not consider Benjamin a life flight caniadate now since he was just coming home to his family. So now we were on to plan B. Could we get him on a Life Fight Helicoptor to bring him home?? Two more hours passed and still he was there in Atlanta all by himself. All because of September 11th my baby could not get home.

Now during all of this time I was not on Labor and Delivery any more. Where did they decide that I needed to go?? Mother Baby of course. Who the cruel heart was to put me there I will never know, but it was not a fun time in that room of mine. At the hospital in Birmingham they would put these huge ribbons and bows on the doors to all the rooms for the Mom's. Needless to say mine didn't ever get one and that broke my heart. Such a happy floor and here I was in the middle of a whole life changing event. I remember waiting in that room with all of our family around and it got really quiet. No one really had anything to say and I heard a baby cry from the room next to me. I thought that I was going to loose it. Thank goodness for a loving father who promptly walked to the nurses station and raised some Hell to get me off of the floor. I'm not sure what was said out there, but all I know was that in the next few minutes I was sitting in a wheel chair and getting moved off of the floor. My Mom whispered in my ear "Sweet heart just close your eyes and put your head down. It will all be over in a minute." It was the fastest ride I have ever taken in a wheel chair. I honestly think that my nurse ran me off of the floor. Literally.

It was in the next hour or so that I when I was in my new room, that we found out that the hospital in Atlanta was going to try it's last effort to get Benjamin home. We were going to send him home on an ambulance. He would receive a full police escort from Atlanta to the Georgia state line and then Alabama Highway Patrol would take him from there into Birmingham. They would go as fast as they could which was about 80 mph and pray that his little body could take the stress of the drive. All that I prayed for during those hours that it would take him to drive home was that he would make it to see us again. And so the journey started around 4 pm on September 21st, 2001. My baby was coming home to his mom and dad.

Baby Ben part 2

Ben was taken to the NICU at 12:25 am. Only 25 minutes after he was born into this world. Time seemed to slow down for me once my baby was gone. I so wanted to cry and ask why and spend time alone with my husband, but the stupid nurse that kept saying "You go girl" would not leave. The minutes just passed so slow and no one had heard anything as they went by. We told our parents to go home after a little while because we both had the feeling that the next morning and day would be long. They needed their rest even though us parents would not be getting any sleep that night.

I think it was around 4 am when we finally heard something. I was given a crash course on the heart. I knew that I should have taken anatomy in high school or college. It was the whole course in a matter of a few minutes of how a newborn's heart should be and what was wrong with my baby. In lame mans terms, Benjamin's heart could get blood into it but could not get it back out to his little body. With him being intabated at this point we were buying time. We were told that the doctor at UAB that would normally do the procedure was on vacation and the other doctor on-call did not feel comfortable doing the procedure that would save his life. We were left with the decision of where to send our son. They gave us 3 choices in the early hours of Sept. 21st. We could send him to Atlanta, Nashville, or up to Boston. (If I knew what we do now, Ben and both of us would have been on a flight to Philadelphia for the doctor who created the procedure that Ben needed.) We chose Atlanta only because it was the closest choice. Then the wheels started turning to get our baby to Atlanta.

Now we all have to take a moment and remember what life was like after September 11th. The whole country was in a state of shock and mourning. There were no flights or anyone allowed in the air. It took countless phone calls and okays from hospitals, airports, and the FAA to have my son on a private life flight jet from Birmingham to Atlanta. I am so greatful for all those people who allowed my son to get the best shot for life.

By this time we had called our Bishop to tell him the news. He quickly came with the first counselor up to the hospital to see us and to see Ben. We talked for a few minutes and then went to the NICU to say good-bye to Benjamin. He was getting ready for his flight to save his life. I remember looking at this little baby who was hooked up to all those tubes and feeling so much love for "MY Little Man." Steve knew that he couldn't get through a blessing for Ben, so our Bishop gave him one. I don't remember what was said because I could not hear with all the machines. Before I knew it they were transporting Ben out of the NICU to a waiting ambulance. I so did not want him to go, but that's what we had to do as parents. I so wanted to go and was screaming inside to myself that he should not be going alone. He needs his Mom to be there with him!!!

So by 5 am my baby was gone. In the care of all the transport teams that would take him to Sibley Heart Center in Atlanta.

I don't remember if we had gotten any sleep before we got the call that Benjamin had made it to Atlanta or not. The time has blurred together and the details are fuzzy. I guess my mind went into protection mode by this time.

Pod Trip to the Zoo

This is where we were all day yesterday. At the zoo having some fun. 5 adults and 9 kids. It was a blast.

Benjamin Alexander

Six years ago today my life changed forever. My little boy Benjamin Alexander was born on September 20th at 5 minutes to midnight and his life was but a short 20 hours. My little boy forever changed my life with the few precious hours that we had with him here on earth. He made me a Mom and understand what love is all about. I am so greatful for the understanding that I have and know to be true: That I WILL see my son again and that Families are forever. That was the only two things that got me through this life changing experience.

Benjamin's pregnancy was awesome. Yes I was sick at the start, but overall it was great. Steve and I were happy first time parents and were looking forward to having our little boy. Looking back there were so many things that prepared us both for not having our baby with us too long on this earth. We never did the nesting thing (cribs, clothes, diapers) all those 'normal' things that parents do to get ready. Although I think I have made it up with the girls. :-)

My story really started yesterday but I didn't have time to write. My appointment was in the afternoon and I went by myself. I was a little crampy that whole day but nothing that wasn't too bad. So I go and find out that I had lost 5 pounds and my BP was still good. I get checked again because the week before I had progressed to a 3 and this week I find myself at a 5!! Hello half way there and my doctor is gonna send me home. This really is okay with me because I still need to take a shower and shave my legs of course.

I remember walking out to the car and calling Steve to tell him the news. The girls at work with him kick him out of work and tell him to go home, but I don't want him home yet. I don't need him yet, so he goes back to work to await my call to come home. I remember calling my mom, but I got my dad instead and telling him the news. I remember the shock in his voice when I told him how far along I was already.

I go home to our little apartment to take my shower and shave my legs. I'm still not in much pain but I am getting more contractions. I think it was about 5 when I told Steve to come home from work. Our apartment was so nice because I could pace around in circles in the apartment. I never really wanted to go to the hospital but after me pacing around the apartment for a few hours, Steve got a little impatient and called my doctor himself. She said that it was time to come in, so he had to convince me that it was time to go and not the other way around. Looking back I think that I wanted a few more minutes with my baby alone and not at the hospital. Just the calm of home with him still inside alive and warm.

So we get to the hospital after a ride that I was so glad was over. Contrax just seem worse when you are sitting in a car and have no control as to how fast it moves. We do get there though and I sure don't seem like a woman in labor. I get all checked in and answer all of those questions again. I decided to get my epidural since now I am a 7 almost 8 only because they are like you can't get it later. So I sacrifice my back for the first time. I can say it was nice, but I honestly think I was given a 'heavenly' one already.

So it's about 10 pm by now and all the parents are there and waiting in the waiting room. It's the first grandchild on both sides, so everyone is biting at the bit for this baby of mine to get here. I don't remember when I needed to start pushing because I never got that feeling like with the other girls, but there we go. I am so numb I can't feel a thing. My Hubby, mom and the nurse are in there helping me push. It was a fun hour and a half of pushing. My mom called me Cody once. "Push Cody, Push!" Needless to say that push didn't make much progress. The nurse wouldn't stop saying "You go girl!" Ben was playing a yo-yo because every time I made some progress he would go back up. Can I blame him?? Heck no.

Well after about 90 minutes worth of pushing (11:55 pm)I am so proud to meet my little Benjamin. Such a perfect baby strait from the Lord himself. He never really cried but when they put him on my chest he got so quiet and said so much with that one look between us. It was one of thank you Mom for getting me here and I love you so much. My brief moment was over as they took him to the warmer to get him cleaned off and that's where my world changed forever.

Benjamin never started to cry or turn that beautiful pink that babies do. He looked like a limp rag doll as the nurse was still trying to get him to cry. He still got weighed and the first pictures taken all while he was still turning purple. About 20 minutes after Ben is born, my mom leaves the room. She comes right back with my dad. He walks to the warmer and gives my mom this look. In one split second I know that something is wrong. I remember thinking in that instant that "Lord I will give my life for my son." My Dad starts yelling at the nurse for an oxygen tube and for her to call the NICU. I honestly believe that Ben would have died in my room if not for my dad.

A short 25 minutes after Ben was born he was run to the NICU by his grandpa.

The girls are getting up, so I will add part two while they take naps today.

Middle of September Report

Well the middle of the month is here already which just means that the end of the year is quickly approaching. Here is a scary thought....Christmas is only a little more than three months away. Have you started your Christmas shopping yet?!?!?!



The last week has been filled with exciting fun! Last Friday, Steve went under the knife and let's just say there will be NO more little Smith girls running around. We have been through all of the jokes from deflated balls to the sailors can't get to the boat. All courtesy of Steve himself!! Ice packs and just keeping the girls away from him was my life last weekend. I guess in that instance you just have to make a huge joke about it!!

The week seemed somewhat normal for us. Hannah had another appointment at the GI doctor to see how she was doing and she is doing okay, but the real story was when we got to the part of let's get Hannah weighed and height done Katy decided that she needed some attention too. I smell this sweet smell (BF babies have this sweet smelling poop!!) and didn't think anything of it. Just a nice smell in the office right.....NOPE!! Katy had poop literally dripping out of her pant leg and onto the floor. My only comeback was that "We were in the GI clinic right?" Thank goodness I had packed the extra change of clothes in the small diaper bag that day. I learned my lesson and this is why I normally don't get my kids all dressed up in nice outfits that match from head to toe because it usually means one of them will spill a drink on them or have a blowout. Katy chose number 2 this week!!!

This last Friday was my birthday! Another year older and more fun to follow. My small party was on Thursday over at Mom and Dad's house. I got an Old Navy gift card that is much needed. I have one pair of jeans that have holes in both knees. Now I know that somewhere that would be considered Cool, but not when you are a Mom running around all day long. Mom also got me my little BeMine from Ju-Ju-Be in Purple Paisley!! More for my collection of the best diaper bags in the world!!! Poor Steve who now has to put up with me and my diaper bags. He always tells me that I need to collect something and I found it, but now he doesn't like that I want more!! **Shaking my head** I just don't get him sometimes.....

Friday was my actual birthday, so what do I decide to do?!?! I torture myself by taking all three of the kids for a ride to a lady who makes cloth diapers. Yes, I am going to try this whole cloth diaper thing. Told you that I am torturing myself this year. Must after 27 years I have finally lost all sense. This poor lady had to listen to not one of my kids scream but all three!! So we will see how it goes in the next few weeks after the diapers are made.

The best present was that Hannah got to go to school on Friday. Must be when it's one day for mom to really enjoy the kids go crazy. Hannah's life was spared because she went to school. It was one of those days that the money we fork out for school was well worth it.

Saturday was our yard sale at the house that ended up an okay sale. That is how we ended up adopting a black widow spider for the weekend. Yes you read that right a black widow spider. It was climbing up the wall when we were cleaning out the garage and looking for more stuff to sell. Garrett (my baby bro) is gathering insects for his biology project, so we thought it would be good for extra credit, so it went into the cup to save. My mom says that we must be really desperate for a new pet!! Hannah thought it was so "Cool" since she is learning about spiders at school this month. It was just last week that she brought me home her drawing of a black widow. Needless to say it was shown to all the friends and neighbors in our little pod. We found a brown recluse in our garage later that night and Steve thought that it would be cool to throw it into the cup with the black widow!! (Boys.....) Well the little lady won!! Steve couldn't stop talking about the little lady and her fangs and how fast she wrapped that other spider up!! Once again Hannah thought that it was the coolest thing in the world!! This weekend the kids started bringing us dead flies to feed to the black widow. It became a popular little pet. She did get passed on Sunday evening to Garrett, so we will have to see what he did with her and his whole school project. So that's why we have a picture of a black widow in our slide show this week!!!

That's about if for the last week. Until the next great story......

Bye-Bye to the Crib

**Sniff, Sniff** My Ruby is officially done with her crib. One more baby to go and it's all over with. Thank goodness we have awhile to go with Katy. I always thought that it would be hard to get Ruby transitioned over to the toddler bed, but she has taken right too it!!! I think it's because she doesn't realize yet that she can get out of her bed. But in any case Ruby is officially a BIG Girl in her new bed.



I still think it is so funny that Ruby will sit on her bed until you come and get her. Naps are great (with Hannah they were so hard to accomplish!) and no bedtime problems yet! As long as she has her blanket she is good to go.




The pictures are more for the wall behind her bed! Do you see the stripes on the wall?? No that is not some fancy paint job of mine or the shade from the blinds, but Ruby's dirty feet!!! Over the last 6 months she has planted those cute little feet on the wall and that's what we are left with!! Nice beautiful stripes on the wall! I am so glad that we have the paint left over from painting the house, so we can repaint before we go!!

September is HERE!!!

WOW!! Since September is here, the year will be over before I can blink. Hannah started school last Monday and is having a blast. She is in a class with her friend from church, o that makes it even better. Ruby is now our 'Official' Escape Artist!! Katy is 12 weeks tomorrow!!

The summer has been so much fun but I am ready for cooler weather, fall holidays, and good eatin'. Football has started!! Yippie!! It really is fall now. I know that I can't get too much of Football. What a fun time of year with football, NASCAR, and drag racing going all at the same time. A little piece of heaven is this time of year. :-)

I always start the updates with the oldest, so today I will start with Ruby and why she is the escape artist. On Friday I was upstairs getting ready, feeding Katy, and the whole time thinking that my kids were fine downstairs just like always. I get done and head downstairs to only find Hannah watching tv and finishing up breakfast. Where was Ruby?? Hannah promptly told me after I asked "She is upstairs taking her nap." Ummm....NO!!! So I make a quick sweep of the main floor and NO Ruby. I put Katy upstairs in her crib so I don't loose another baby. There is no Ruby upstairs anywhere. Not on the main floor, or even in the basement. By this time I am freaking out and getting ready to call 911. I run outside to go to my neighbors house to make her come out and help me look for Ruby. Then a lady yells to me from across the street and up a ways asking me if I had lost a baby. Um YES!!! And there this lady has my missing Ruby. She gives me the dirty look and tells me that Ruby was found in the middle of the STREET and up a block!! I so knew that she wanted to give me the lecture about watching my kids or maybe this would be the best time for her to think that I was the 'nanny'!!! I just gratefully took her really quick and got back into my house. You can't punish a 16 month old whose first thing to tell mommy is "stinky diaper". I just gave her lots of love, changed her diaper, and then finally put her down for her morning nap!!! My only guess is that she got out the back sliding door and never looked back. Ruby, Ruby, Ruby.



All while I have been thinking that I am this bad mom Steve got the same thing on Sunday when she got out again!!! At least it's not just me right?!?!?

Hannah had a great day and week at school. I so need that little bit of a break in the afternoon 3 days a week. I don't know if my kids is abnormal, but she went to class just fine and never looked back. At school, uniforms are optional, but not for my Hannah. She wants to wear it every time she goes to class. She will even go up in her room and get dressed all by herself and ask when it's time to get going. I think she needs the time out from her younger sisters too. I guess we will see how long it is before she knows all of her letters and starts to read. We are all having fun with Hannah in school.

Katy is doing great!!! I can't believe that today she is 12 weeks old. I guess Summer really is over. Katy loves to eat, chat with you, and sit up. She loves to look around and her idea of a good time is sitting up while you hold her, so she can get a great look around. Katy is sleeping great at night. Some nights she only wakes up around 3 am to get a little snack and falls back asleep until around 8 am. That's when the rest of us wake up, so it works for me. I am so glad that I made the little investment of buying a pump because some of those nights I really need it!! ;-)

I guess that's about it for all of us this week. Maybe something else will happen this week and we will get another great story to write about. I know it will happen with my kids. It's just a matter of time.

My Attempt at a Video on our Blog

Here is Ruby doing the Baby Spits

Countdown to Preschool.....

Is Monday almost here?!?! It's been a long week already with the girls and I can't wait to get my moneys worth for a break!! It's called Preschool.

Hannah has a new nickname of "JAWS" since she bit her friend on Sunday evening. I was mortified!! She has never done anything like that before. Needless to say that punishment soon followed and she is grounded for a week (which I have learned that I am punished too since she can't go play outside at night). I wonder if "JAWS" is gonna stick?!?!?



Ruby is being Ruby these days. She is getting louder by the day!! All of her teeth have broke though, so now that phase of her life is finally over. Yippie!! She is really turning into a little girl. Her favorite things to do now are to run around in circles all over the house. She hasn't gotten fast enough to get herself dizzy yet but I know that is coming soon enough. Ruby also does this thing of putting her hands up as high as they will go and just standing there. I guess that it is like a finish in gymnastics. She sure does smile big when she does it though!!



Katy is getting so big!! I so forgot how fast this whole baby stage goes!! She is doing great at eating. She has got those nursing cheeks that Hannah never had. This girl loves to eat. Since last time, Katy had her 2 month check up. She knocked over the scales at 10 pounds even and was 23 1/2 inches long!! That means in a short 2 months she has gained 3 pounds and grew 4 inches!!! She did great with her shots that day too. I felt bad because she started crying as soon as they put the alcohol pad on her leg. It's like she knew what was coming already. What a smart girl!!



Last Thursday night was BYU Football preview down on campus, so you know the Smith's we were there to cheer on our Cougars! All the kids were dressed in Cougar blue and ready to go!! It was a fun night meeting countless football players, cheerleaders, the soccer team, and volleyball teams. It was so nice out too. We all got to stand in line for Cougar ice cream. Which was really good by the way!!

The girls got their pictures with Cosmo again. The first of the new sports year!! Ruby was having a blast with Cosmo. She practically ran into his arms!!! It was an easy picture opportunity for us!

Hannah was a big hit with the cheerleaders too!! She was wearing her cheerleading outfit that I made her last year. The skirt is finally getting small, so I do need to make her a new one, but she got to meet the whole squad and get a picture with all of them!!!





Oh and we have a YouTube account now too!!! Check us all out at www.youtube.com/3kiwigirls !! I am putting up new videos all the time of the girls!! Come laugh with us with Ruby in her newest clip or watch Hannah in her gymnastics festival.

until next time.......

it's friday again!!!

So where does the week go? It seems like I am sitting in Church on Sunday and I blink and I am right back getting ready for church to start. Oh well I guess that life really does speed up as you get older.

It's really been one of those uneventful weeks around our house. I have been selling stuff on eBay again to make a little bit of extra money. It still amazes me that people really want to by my junk and used at that, but they do!! So I've got an extra $150 in my pocket this week. I always tell Steve when I sell stuff like that that "I have earned my keep for the week!" I have to do something since I am a SAHM right?!?!?

I did do something out of the ordinary this week! I applied for a new game show. It's so new that they don't even want a video. Just a picture will do. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Anything to pay off those student loans!!! Every game show needs a SAHM on it just once!!

Hannah finished Summer school this week. I am kinda sad! That went way too fast and school doesn't start again until the last monday of the month. :-( Although she will keep me really busy b/c with school and gym, Hannah will be doing something every day of the week. WOW!! Hannah really is getting big!



Ruby has had quite the week. All I have done for her is change some nasty diarrhea diapers!! All day every day for 6 days strait!! I can say that her blanket is really clean since I have has to wash it 5 times this week alone. It's kinda frustrating b/c with no other symptoms the docs say it will just run its course. Great for them but not me who is changing all these smelly things!! Maybe one day I will find out what's wrong with her.

Ruby has had such a hard time when her blanket is thrown into the washer. She sits and cries the whole time. She has gotten so mad that she turns bright red and tenses up every muscle that she has. Thos is for most of the time her blanket is in the wash. You would think that I would get the hint and make her another blanket that is just like it or cut the one she has in half!!



And onto Katy.....She hit 7 weeks on Tuesday!! I really can't believe that. She is not a little newborn any more at all. I got her on tape this week cooing while I was talking to her. She smiles all the time and loves all the attention that she can get. Katy is our grunter though. I swear that I have never heard a child grunt more than her. She does it so loud that she will wake Steve up from a deep sleep. She has finally outgrew Preemie clothes and newborn diapers! So onto size 1 diapers and 0-3 month clothes!!!



I guess that I had better get!! Gotta take care of my kids today!!

A few Pictures that I forgot to add!!

Our first post!

Well we are going to try this whole blogging thing since we see that our friends have it too!! So we decided to break down and see what our little family can do.

Life seems to be in fast forward with it being summer. The days last forever but it seems like before we can blink it's Sunday again! We are all staying really busy right now. Steve is very busy at work and loves every minute of it! It's so nice to see him come home and actually be happy about his job. What a change after 2 very long years with a company that we loved some days and wished that we could quit from on others. It's so great that he is getting hire after hire and I think that the company totally loves him for the work that he does!

Hannah is staying busy with pre-school and gymnastics. She has me busy because I run her to something everyday of the week it seems like. Summer is filled with days of swimming and playing outside with the many girls that live in our little court.

Ruby is Ruby!! She loves attention and knows how to get it. Almost all of her teeth are in now. Only two more to go!! I can't wait for it to be over. Ruby has decided that she has her own little language of her own. We just answer the best that we can. I know that I would love to have a little translating box so that I could actually understand what she was saying all of the time.

Katy is getting way too big too fast! She is already over a month old. Where did that time go?!?!? Seems like just yesterday that we were rushing into the hospital to have her. Her eyes are still blue as ever so maybe I will get lucky and have my dark haired blue eyed baby!! I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

And that leaves me.....The mom.....summer means summer reading!!! (after all my other chores are done?!?!) I am so glad that there are books out this summer. I got hooked on the Twilight books by Stephenie Meyer thanks to the Mom's at the gym and Book Club for church. I can't put them down!! Thank goodness it's something new since the last Harry Potter book comes out this week and then what will I have to look forward too?!?!? It's taken some getting used to with three girls around the house but I have accomplished something big (now that I am telling the world it won't happen tomorrow) but I have gotten the girls to ALL sleep at the SAME TIME in the afternoon!! A small break for me to read or take a nap myself!! Life does have little miracles.

Well that's about all for now. We will see how this goes tomorrow!