The Smiths

Portrait of the Artist As A Three Year Old

2012-02-16T14:23:00.001-08:00

Carson's self portrait

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Big Girl

2012-02-12T16:18:00.001-08:00

Sam has a new big girl bed! She loves it. She's also in the middle of boot camp style potty training and she's doing great. Just a few accidents but she is quickly figuring out how to use the potty. What a big girl!

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hair cuts!

2012-02-08T12:52:00.001-08:00

Sam has had three haircuts now. She looks so spunky with her little pixie cut. And she has bangs, too. Her hair is so now!

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A Date

2012-01-27T14:04:00.001-08:00

Carson and his two pals, Cassidy and Ella on the way to Toy Story on Ice.

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Menchie's

2012-01-27T13:38:00.001-08:00

Menchie's is a frozen yogurt place that we usually go to twice a week on average. Sam and Carson love the flavors and the big chalkboard inside the store. Here's Carson with one of his BFFs, Cassidy, downing Menchie's.

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start them young!

2012-01-27T13:36:00.001-08:00

Carson likes to help mommy clean. This is no surprise considering genetics....he comes from a long bloodline of overly clean people. He loves to spray the windex and wipe it up. I like it!

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January 2012

2012-01-27T13:34:00.001-08:00

We are enjoying the start of 2012. For one, we are having picnics outside without coats. Yes please!

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the 80's

2012-01-16T16:22:00.001-08:00

When we are trying to think of something to do, we try Bozo buckets. Brings mommy back to her childhood. And its an hour of pure fun for Mr. Carson.

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one year ago...

2012-01-03T21:27:00.001-08:00

Our Sam looked like this! What a little babycakes she was. Time flies!

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Santa 2011

2012-01-03T21:24:00.001-08:00

The kids loved Santa this year. Carson's refusal to sit with Santa last year was replaced by love. Sam loved Santa so much that it was just a little bit weird. What two year old loves Santa anyway? This one!

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A very Vegas Christmas

2012-01-03T21:22:00.001-08:00

Vegas does Christmas big. We loved every minute of it.

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And more fall...

2011-12-09T14:29:00.003-08:00

Sam studies leaf science.

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Fall

2011-12-09T14:29:00.001-08:00

To those of you that think we don't have seasons in Vegas...here's proof!
Carson, Sam, and I stopped at the park after school today to play in the fall leaves. It's a beautiful day.

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Gondolas

2011-12-03T15:51:00.001-08:00

Carson came to The Venetian with me to pick up my race packet for the half marathon. He was really into the gondolas. Think we might have to take a ride on one soon.

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First pony ride...

2011-12-03T11:45:00.001-08:00

Sam took her first pony ride this morning at her buddy Ella's birthday party. Parties just keep getting better and better!!

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A face only a mother could love...

2011-11-27T19:15:00.001-08:00

This week Carson said "sayonara" to his nap. Good bye nap. It was nice knowing you. Around 7 o'clock at night, we get a lot of faces like this one.

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Buddies

2011-11-27T19:08:00.001-08:00

Carson enjoying an Eskimo kiss with Baba.

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Our Carson at 3 1/2

2011-11-16T14:23:00.000-08:00

Carson, you are 3 1/2 now.

I wouldn't be surprised if you pulled up to the computer one day

and read this whole darn blog yourself.

Your smarts and memory are beyond your years. It's almost a little scary at times.

You love being a "Lion" in school and you got rave reviews from your teachers at your recent parent conferences. You can already write your name and you can read several words by sight.

You are a leader according to your teachers. They said that you might be a politician someday.

(Maybe like Daddy was the Mayor of Iowa City for several years.)

You love meeting new friends. When you meet someone on the playground,

you say "What's your name? How old are you?"

You love to talk about anything and everything.

You study life like a scientist. Nothing gets by you.

Samantha is your best friend even though according to you she is "just a baby"....

And you are "a big boy".

We love you, special boy.

If we put together all the neon in our great city,

your future would shine even brighter.

Our Sam turns 2...

2011-11-16T14:12:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since I've blogged about our family happenings.

I thought I would start with the fact that our special Sam turned "2" on 11/3/11.

I want to make sure I write down some of these things so that she can look back when she's older.

So, older Sam, let me tell you a little bit about two-year-old Sam...

You are spunky and bright with a constant glimmer in your eye.

You are extremely coordinated in your movements.

You love "Ghost Bunny" and the iPad. You are so good at puzzles, it's scary.

We have conversations that I didn't think we would be having for years to come.

Your vocabulary is very sophisticated for such a little girl.

You ask for Daddy immediately every morning, and if I can't deliver him, then it's "Where's Carsy?"

You are Daddy's girl and brother's veryclose follower.

Everything he does, you do. And quite well I might add.

You love stuffed animals, reading "your magazine", and climbing.

You are fearless.

You stuck play-doh up your nose on your second birthday, making me run you to the pediatrician and the ENT, all in one morning before work.

It was like you were making a statement...

saying "Don't blink, Mom....you might miss something big!"

You are destined for greatness, my Sam.

We are proud of you in every way.

Halloween preview

2011-10-22T16:00:00.001-07:00

Sam as a cat, on her perch. Here comes the cat!

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So fresh, so clean

2011-10-10T14:24:00.001-07:00

Mr. Carson got a new 'do today. So handsome!

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My big boy bike rocks!

2011-10-09T16:40:00.001-07:00

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A Morning Cuddle

2011-10-02T07:13:00.001-07:00

Heading back to Vegas today. All good vacations must come to an end! But we will be back.

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Good Night San Diego!!

2011-10-01T18:32:00.001-07:00

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balboa park

2011-10-01T10:36:00.001-07:00

They are loving it.

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Del Mar

2011-10-01T08:33:00.001-07:00

Went to Del Mar beach last night. It was stunning! Last night we had a fun visit with fam and friends at our house. Today we have a relaxing day planned...perhaps a park or museum, then the La Jolla food and wine fest tonight.

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Got in a fight with the beach....

2011-10-01T08:29:00.001-07:00

And the beach won.

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Sand Castle Architect

2011-09-30T17:15:00.001-07:00

One bucket at a time.

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beach baby!

2011-09-30T17:00:00.001-07:00

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toes in the sand

2011-09-30T16:55:00.001-07:00

An action shot from Del Mar Beach!

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Solana Sweetheart

2011-09-29T17:40:00.001-07:00

See ya!

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Two boys and a beach

2011-09-29T17:39:00.001-07:00

Carson loves the sand and water. Sam...not so much. She hated the sand and was scared of the water! But she will be a beach bum in no time...

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Sandy Eggo

2011-09-29T17:37:00.001-07:00

We made it to the beach! More to come...

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Sam and Mom

2011-09-26T15:55:00.001-07:00

Self portrait.

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Summerlin Sam

2011-09-26T15:53:00.001-07:00

From the Summerlin Art Fest this weekend!

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He was born this way.....

2011-09-14T16:50:00.001-07:00

Carson is into dressing up right now. He loves my wellies the most!

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Nadia, Mary Lou, Carly, Shawn, Nastia....Sam!

2011-09-03T10:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Sam's very first gymnastics class.

She is in the Kittens class at Desert Gymcats.

There was no better feeling than taking my daughter to a gym for the first time.

Seeing her enjoy a sport that brought me so much joy over the years made me so happy and proud!

I can only hope that she might love gymnastics....or something....as much as I did.

As for her first class, let's just say she was a star.

She tried the vault...

We tried rhythmic gymnastics - probably don't have the genes for this since Mommy was terrible at flexibility - but we tried anyway!

She loved the pit and the trampoline!

A fun, proud day for Mommy and daughter.

First Day of School!

2011-09-03T09:56:00.000-07:00

Carson just finished his first week of school.

He's back at TBS for another round of fun.

He is a Lion this year with Mr. West and Mrs. Price.

Here's our boy, ready to go!

Walking into school with Daddy

Posing by his new room...

This is Mr. West. Him and Carson are already buddies.
Mr. West plays the saxophone and loves music, making him and Carson instant friends.

Carson is enjoying making new friends and learning new concepts.

He has a fantastic class this year. We are so proud of our big boy!

Happy Hawkeye Football Day!

2011-09-03T09:55:00.000-07:00

The Hawks started their season today.

We cheered them on in our Hawkeye outfits, ate egg casserole, and Dee's donuts.

Not a bad day, if I do say so.

This week we....

2011-08-22T15:34:00.000-07:00

Missed this guy on the 2 year anniversary of his passing....

Missing you every day, Papa Dennis.

Played with our friends!

Kicked it in the baby pool with the Bickler boys...

Samantha discovered my wallet.
Now she says "My credit cards!"
Oh no.

Sat half nude on the couch wearing our "Backpack, Backpack"
Just because she can.

Mommy and Daddy made it out on the town to see Adele at the Cosmopolitan.

It was amazing!

Next up? Mommy turns 33 on Friday!

A Rainy Day

2011-07-31T16:48:00.000-07:00

When it rains in Las Vegas

It's a really big deal

So we wake up late and put on our shoes

And head outside with our umbrellas

(which are amazing, by the way.)

We march down the street

And we get all wet

And then we have a popsicle!

My favorite picture is above.

Popsicle juice dripping off the chin and everything!

Camp Nana

2011-07-27T14:56:00.000-07:00

Carson and Sam have been at "Camp Nana" for the last couple of weeks.

This free summer camp led by an experienced Chicago educator

is the creme de la creme of summer camps in Las Vegas.

24/7 fun, learning, and reading....summer highlight after summer highlight!

Here are our pics from the Lied Chidren's Museum on Monday.

Pretty cute check-out guy at the grocery store - should we ask for his number?

Playing the touch-sensor harp

Smiles and hugs in the science area.

The love of his life....

2011-07-27T14:06:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows Carson knows that he is in love with Dora and always will be.

Last weekend he was invited to a Dora-themed birthday party at this sweet new place called Kidville. The guest of honor was his friend Emma from preschool.

Needless to say, it was a big hit.

A happy ride in the backseat with Nana.

No better way to wrap up a Dora-filled day!

Mt. Charleston

2011-07-27T13:51:00.000-07:00

We had a great trip up to Mt. Charleston with Nana last week.

Here's the evidence!

Not bad at all.

2011-07-05T20:50:00.000-07:00

We played in our PJs in the yard this morning.

Carson hit a few balls and then Samantha walked up and hit this little drive.

Anything brother does....she says "Hmmm. I think I can do it better."

These are the days....

2011-07-05T20:43:00.000-07:00

It's summer in Las Vegas.

And as Natalie Merchant said in 1993...

These are days.

To goof off in our diaper all morning long if we so please...

To ride our neighbor's mini hummer all over the cul-de-sac.

WHILE EATING A FUDGESICLE.

By the way, it's a good thing Carson is a good 13 years from getting his license.

He needs all the practice he can get.
Thankfully he won't be getting our keys anytime soon.

To hug "baby girl" as Carson now calls her.

To paint, and paint, and paint some more.

To go to BBQs at our friend's house as a family.

Summer in Las Vegas = FUN

Chicago

2011-07-01T15:27:00.000-07:00

In Chicago we...

Remembered someone beautiful that we loved and lost.

My wonderful Grandma in her wedding portrait...

We went to every children's museum on the south side...

Ate a lot of popsicles.

Made new friends, like Mya.

Hung with our treasured Aunties...

We did a lot of clowning around with these two...

Nana and Uncle Mike are always non-stop FUN.

Went to farms.

Played with some very special people.

Aunt Marge is one of those to us.

Read thousands upon thousands of books with Nana.

Basically, we had an awesome time!

Iowa City

2011-07-01T15:22:00.000-07:00

When we were in Iowa, Jason and I had a chance to go back to where it all began.

We met here when we were 17 years old.

Fell in love when we were 21.

Kind of disgusting, isn't it?

15 years since we first met.

Iowa

2011-07-01T15:17:00.000-07:00

In Iowa, we....

posed with four generations.

played at the pool...

captivated Grandma after Grandma....

Saw old, good friends.

Walked down the aisle together again...

like it wasn't even 7 years ago.

The RB and the FG

2011-07-01T15:11:00.000-07:00

Carson and Sam did a great job as members of the wedding party for Aunt Jenny and Uncle Ian on 5.28.2011.

They were the "RB" and the "FG", respectively.

There are a lot of great pictures from the day.

Here are just a couple favorites.

Back at it.

2011-07-01T14:16:00.000-07:00

We got home from the Midwest on June 10th and it's been non-stop ever since!

It was a fun trip filled with many emotions.

I have bunches of pics to load and put on the blog.

Right now it's time to get back to blogging since I've been out for so long.

Here's a sample of summer with the Smiths...

Last night, Samantha ate red jello with her hands and ended up looking like this...

Samantha continues to surprise us every day.

She stomps her foot and says "No" with a cross look on her face.

It makes us laugh every time.

She looks just like Carson when she does it and it is hilarious.

When the sun goes down, the party in the backyard starts up.

This guy can't get enough of it.

He's really into tennis, baseball, and soccer right now.

He is focused on hitting and kicking a ball whenever possible.

His moves appear pretty good.

He gets them from his Daddy, I think.

Or does he?

Carson went to summer camp at his school for two weeks.

His last day was today.

He made a rocket ship in school this week during mad science.

Rockets were blasting off all over the house all week.

We've had friends over this week to play with us.

Our backyard is a party place.

Here, Jackson Bickler and Sam get their pool on.

It's the best thing to do when it's summer in Las Vegas!

Cheers to summer in fabulous Las Vegas!

Time to Say Goodbye

2011-05-23T14:46:00.000-07:00

My wonderful Gram passed away on Saturday, May 21st.

She was 83 years old.

A fiesty little Polish Grandma, she was known for her piercing blue eyes, her incredible independence as a widow for 26 years, and all of the little "Grandma-isms" that she gave us over the years that made us all laugh over and over again.

She loved her family, her friends, her beautiful condo in Dyer, Indiana, and particularly her great-grandbabies, Carson and Samantha. She played killer bingo and just won Carson and Sam some new stuffed animals in April as apart of her winnings.

It would take me forever to put down the exact number of things I will miss about her.

There are too many.

I enjoyed having her in my life.

She will live on in us for all of time.

Pierogis and fuzzy navels are flowing in heaven today.

Godspeed, my beloved Gram.

MozART

2011-05-13T16:09:00.000-07:00

This morning, we painted and listened to Mozart. I thought my mom might like this one.

Nana, this painting was for you!

Boo Baa...

2011-05-13T16:06:00.000-07:00

Here's Samantha from today.

Wearing her swim suit and drinking a "boo baa".

That is how she used to say "juice box" when she was smaller.

I thought it was so cute that we all call juice boxes "boo baas" now.

Sam continues to explode with words.

Yesterday in the car she said
"I see something in this car that's pink."

It's her longest sentence so far.

Obsessed with Art...

2011-05-13T16:02:00.000-07:00

Carson loves art.

He has been really into painting.

He asks to paint....oh, I don't know.....100 times a day?

His preschool teachers told me that this week, he cried when art was over.

He didn't want to stop.

I love this about our boy because my Dad was an incredible artist.

I am hoping Carson inherited some of his artistic genes.

(I certainly didn't!)

It is fun to see some of my Dad in Carson in this way.

Also, monkey see, monkey do.

When Carson paints, so does another little someone.

It's a big mess, but what the heck!

Messes mean fun.

Happy kids happen when...

2011-05-13T16:00:00.000-07:00

The ice cream man comes to your house, right after dinner!

It was Tweety bird ice cream for her....

And Dora for him!

We love summer.

Girls Gone Wild...

2011-05-09T14:24:00.000-07:00

In honor of my sister-in-law's upcoming wedding, we all threw her a bachelorette party.

It was a weekend I am sure she will never forget.

Cheers to Jen and Ian and all of the fun ahead of them.

I was lucky to be apart of this fun weekend and can't wait for the next one!

A Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T21:05:00.000-07:00

Today I spent the afternoon with these two....

Daddy was in Iowa today so we were celebrating Mother's Day this afternoon.

It was just us three

We laughed and danced and the giggles of our two beautiful babies filled our house.

I thought about how lucky I am to be a mother.

Especially to these two.

Life is good.

2011-05-05T21:36:00.000-07:00

Every day is fun with our special babies.

This week, the kids have been enjoying their new water table that Carson got for his birthday.

They love to be out there, transfering water from one place to another.

It's amazing how much fun this can be!

Sam has been bruisin' it up in her tutu this week.

She has been enjoying climbing up onto Daddy's back and learning how to jump off of him.

Samantha had her 18 month visit to the doctor this week.

We discovered that she is off the height chart for girls.

Literally, she is not on the graph.

She is 24.75 pounds and 34.625 inches. She is slightly taller than Carson was at this age.

WNBA, here we come!

This week, Carson celebrated his birthday....over...and over....and over.

I can't blame him. No birthday should ever last only one day!

We are loving every minute of celebrating his life.

And Sam gets the perks - extra cupcakes!

This is a great picture of my amazing husband and our daughter.

They have a special bond.

They are two peas in a pod.

May 2nd

2011-05-02T16:21:00.000-07:00

Carson had a fun third birthday today.

We hung out at the Springs Preserve per his request. We ate at the cafe, saw some animals, and saw Carson's favorite thing, the "bubbling brook". He loves to watch water rush down a hill over there.

He even had his magnifying glass with him today, so he could get an extra special view of things.

A marvelous day so far! And it's not over yet.

Soon, Daddy will be home and we will be having more cake.

Sam inspects a turtle.

Samantha kissing Papa.

Birthday boy and Baba.

We've been together three years, but we've known each other our whole lives. :)

Little man, as you turn three, let us make sure you know

Just how proud we are of you.

You are smart and distinguished.

You know artists and composers better than we do.

You are strong minded and kind.

Not to mention handsome.

You are the most brilliant son

We could have imagined.

And the fun is just beginning.

We can only imagine how many successes of yours we will be celebrating

In the years to come.

You have gone from a little stinky fish

To a brilliant, handsome boy with a bright future ahead.

And now that we are done with the terrible 2's

I am going to pour myself a big glass of wine.

Cheers!

Birthday Boys

2011-05-02T16:15:00.000-07:00

We had two birthday boys in the house this weekend!

Jason - 33.

Carson - 3.

Let the games begin!

We partied at Hanks at Green Valley Ranch on Friday evening to celebrate Jason's big day.

On Sunday, we had some good friends over to eat, drink, and bounce in our backyard in Carson's honor.

It was a beautiful weekend of celebrating the lives of my two favorite boys.

Bounce House!

A Very Smith Easter

2011-04-24T16:39:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter everyone!

We had a fun morning filled with Easter baskets, egg casserole, and cinnamon rolls.

Easter egg hunt champion Samantha Smith won by a hair over a tenacious foe, Carson himself.

Daddy supervised the egg hunt closely to ensure there was no cheating.

Samantha cuddled up with her cozy frog after a scrappy win.

Carson and Mommy headed to church for afternoon mass.

When we entered the church he looked around and then yelled (while pointing)

"Look Mommy! I SEE JESUS!!!!"

Happy Easter to all of our beloved friends and fam!

Practice makes perfect...

2011-04-22T20:34:00.000-07:00

Carson and Samantha are standing up to their Auntie Jen's wedding in about a month.

We have been busy practicing the walk down the aisle.

Here is some footage of our practice. We're getting there, Auntie Nee!

NANA

2011-04-22T14:31:00.000-07:00

We are just coming off of a full week of 100% Nana time.

We had a blast.

My mom swooped into town last Saturday.

In spite of Carson having a cough the entire week, we managed to have a ton of fun.

We colored eggs....

Carson told long, drawn out stories to Nana about pentagons.

We played in the backyard in the beautiful spring weather.

We got all dressed up and went to the Red Rock brunch.

We had an amazing time. Thanks Mom for all the fun we had together!

Now it's time to MOVE TO LAS VEGAS!!!!! :)

We have some work to do.

2011-04-22T14:29:00.000-07:00

My mom was here this week and she was sweet enough to bring Samantha a beautiful new Easter dress that she bought in Chicago.

It's a lovely little dress....except the reaction we got from Samantha when we put it on her was.....

SHE HATES DRESSES.

Is this precious baby girl related to me???

We have some work to do.

Our upcoming flower girl gig cannot go down like this.

If you need us, we will be practicing wearing dresses!

Rockin' April

2011-04-22T14:25:00.000-07:00

We broke out the hippo baby pool - it's summer in Vegas, baby!

Below - Samantha eats a cupcake.

That curious expression says it all....."YUM!"

Quote of the Week

2011-04-14T13:58:00.000-07:00

Carson's quote of the week came at the dinner table the other night.

He looked at Jason very seriously and said...

"Daddy.....are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

We couldn't stop laughing.

A Carson classic - through and through!

Buddies

2011-04-09T16:37:00.000-07:00

Samantha calls Carson "Buddy".

The feeling isn't always mutual.

They play a game called "mine", where she looks at him and says "Mine!" and then he looks at her and says "Mine!!!!", she responds with "MINE!"

You get the idea.

The game is best played at the breakfast table or in the back seat of the car.

You lose when Carson gets really mad and tries to hit.

Which makes Samantha laugh.

Oh brother!

A Poochie's Life...

2011-04-09T16:32:00.000-07:00

Our little Poochie-Lagoo Samantha is enjoying life as a busy, active toddler, leaving her mom and dad behind to eat her dust just about everywhere she goes.

Just about three weeks ago, at 16 months, Samantha jumped out of her crib for the first time.

It was also the last time, because we quickly purchased a crib tent on the advice of our friends with babies who also resorted to Houdini-like escape tactics at a young age.

Now Poochie is trapped, and her first words in the morning are usually "Tent! Get OUT!"

Samantha's best friends are Daddy and Carson. Hands down.

She is speaking in paragraphs.

My favorites are "I know!", "Hmmmm....let's see!", "door is open", and "here's your stuff!"

She has a lot more moxie than hair.

It's great to be a 17 month old Samantha. Rockin' and rollin' with no end in sight.

Scenes from a cook's life...

2011-03-19T14:01:00.000-07:00

We made brownies today.

Here are some scenes of the fun we had cooking them...

Happy camper

2011-03-19T13:59:00.000-07:00

Here's our little Missy.

With her big ol' smiley face.

She still has her dinner on her face...

but her smile just can't get any bigger.

We love you Sammy Sam!

I see a resemblance.....

2011-03-19T13:54:00.000-07:00

Two words...

Tee time!!

Best Day Ever

2011-03-19T13:51:00.000-07:00

The ice cream man in our area has impeccable timing.

On this day, earlier this week, we were playing in the front yard at about 5:15 PM.

Right before dinner, mind you.

We started hearing the music.

It got louder and louder.

Soon the ice cream man was on our street, and there was no turning back.

One Dora ice cream (for Carson) and one powerpuff girl ice cream (for Sam),

and dinner was spoiled....but we had never had more fun.

Halloween Revisited

2011-03-19T13:41:00.000-07:00

Carson's school had a Purim festival on Friday.

I am not sure of the exact meaning of this holiday, but apparently it is all about dressing up.

He got to wear his Halloween costume again, which he was thrilled about.

He marched in a parade and they had a carnival at his school,

complete with a bounce house (his favorite).

Here he is with his class - SuperWhy!

Marching in the parade....

Posing with sis before the parade...

Sam the ballerina gives a cheesy cheese!

PUSH!

2011-03-04T14:11:00.000-08:00

Watch Samantha try to get Carson off of the basketball chair.

She's tough as nails and she never gives up. They love to play rough and tough - it's a way of life around here these days!

Go get 'em girl....take what's yours!

This week at the Smiths...

2011-03-04T14:05:00.000-08:00

We kept on climbing....

Carson had "Pajama Day" at school on Thursday.

He proudly sported his doggie PJs.

Carson got a cool new basketball chair from Baba and Papa for his new big boy room.

Thanks Baba and Papa!

Daddy bought Sam some new shades.

She looks so diva-licious in them.

We bought a huge box of Skinny Cows at Costco.
We will have no trouble working our way through it.
See below!

Shabbat Shalom!

2011-03-04T13:56:00.000-08:00

Carson was the "Abba" at school today.

Every Friday, Jews celebrate Shabbat which, in my understanding, means it's time to throw a party for the end of the week.

Every Friday at his school, they have a big blow out lunch and all the kids sing a Hebrew song, eat bread, drink juice, and then party in the temple with their families afterwards.

They have an Abba and an Ima to lead the celebration.

(Abba means Father in Hebrew and Ima means Mother).

So Carson was the Abba today and he did a great job.

Plus he was the cutest Abba around. :)

Also, check out how much taller Carson is than this cute little girl in his class.

Granted she is the shortest child in the class, but still!!

Carson is doing great in school. He loves his teachers and all of his friends.

He has mastered cutting with scissors and has learned all kinds of movements in his music and movement class. He is such a little multi-lingual, ultra-cultured rock star.

He is having some very unique, specialized experiences there and he is really enjoying himself.

Learning as we go!

2011-02-24T14:33:00.000-08:00

Time is marching foward.

Carson turns three in two months and Sam is almost 16 months.

Where the time has gone, I am not sure!

But one thing is for sure.....we are having a blast this month.

The kids got sick shortly after my last post, hence my lack of blogging.

We had coughs and colds for a couple of weeks but now we are all well and ready to take on the world again.

Carson is busy loving school, playing, and hitting tee balls.

He loves to hit the tee ball in our backyard. He is really good and hits home-run style fly balls off the tee almost every single time. I am excited if he's interested in baseball because it's a nice, warm weather, "safe" sport.

He's doing really good in school and the teachers have good things to say about him pretty consistently. He is still the only boy in his class of six kids but he is holding his own with the ladies. I have stopped bothering him about the potty - he is getting there slowly but surely. I am trying not to pressure him, knowing that the more mom wants him to do something, the less likely he is to do it. I figure one of these days things will click and we will be 100%.

Samantha is talking my ear off.

We took the kids to the Shark Reef last weekend, and she ran through the place, saying "SHARK! Right there!! Shark! Right there!" until she saw another big fish and said "WHALE!!!!"

She says "thank you" whenever she's given something and when she falls she says "Sorry!"

We are enjoying watching her personality emerge day by day.

She is definitely a bruiser, which is good since most of her friends are boys.

She is rough and tumble, a major climber, not afraid of much, and a big reader.

She loves Dora and SuperWhy. When you say "cuatro" she says "cinco".

She is silly and always a step ahead of mom and dad.

We love our two babies that are growing so fast and teaching us about life.

Cheers to another great month of being parents to Carson and Sam!

Miss Big Girl

2011-02-11T21:26:00.000-08:00

Our not-so-little Samantha had her 15 month appointment yesterday.

She is 33 inches (98 percentile for height) and 24 lbs. 14 oz (83 percentile for weight).

She is 10th percentile for hair. (kidding, but I think she really is).

She is the exact same height that Carson was at this age.

In other Samantha news, she is learning new words at lightening speed.

She also...drum roll please...

went pee pee on the potty tonight!

At least my potty training efforts for the last nine months are being absorbed by someone.

My methods seem to be a failure for the intended target (Carson) as he still isn't fully trained after nine months of practice. But it seems that Samantha having spent half of her life in a bathroom with Carson and I has paid off. I brought Carson's Elmo potty upstairs tonight and sat her on it before her bath, and she proceeded to pee perfectly and then say "Yay pee pee!!"

Imagine that.

Girlfriend, you got it!

Mr. Big Boy

2011-02-11T21:23:00.000-08:00

It's official.

Carson is a big boy in a big boy bed, as of tonight!

He had been consistently jumping out at naptime and it was becoming a hazard.

So I politely asked Jason to get one for us tonight after work.

And he did! We converted his crib, got him a full mattress, he put it all together,

and now......we wait....to see how long it will be before he is out.

Cross your fingers!!

Entertainment

2011-02-04T12:19:00.000-08:00

Here Carson plays the piano at Neiman Marcus at Fashion Show Mall.

There isn't entertainment like that anywhere else on the Strip!!

Our loves

2011-02-04T12:17:00.000-08:00

Our little boy and baby girl love each other so much.

These pictures will make you smile, no matter what!

Group Hug

2011-01-21T21:24:00.000-08:00

Samantha and Carson have been getting along really well.

They are playing together all the time now and it's so fun to watch.

Here they give their giant rubber ducky a group hug in the bath tonight.

Bubbles

2011-01-21T21:21:00.000-08:00

This girl loves bubbles.

She was introduced yesterday and it's love!

She can't get enough bubbles....

If you need me, I'll be outside, blowing bubbles to Samantha.

The look on her face when she sees them is worth another trip to the dollar store to buy every container of bubbles they have.

A Day in the Life of Sam....

2011-01-21T21:16:00.000-08:00

Our beautiful girl

On the go 24/7...

Everything goes in the mouth...

Addicted to climbing...

On everything....

Our perfect and amazing little dickens...
Beautiful eyes and no hair....
Lighting up our world with joy minute after minute!!

Life is an adventure with you baby Samantha!

Antics

2011-01-18T20:58:00.000-08:00

When you leave Carson alone for a few minutes....and he's being really quiet.

I used to think....Wow, he's being so good! Playing by himself so nice! What a good boy!

Several months of being a mother to a little boy have taught me....

silence means trouble!

Like last night....he was in our bedroom for a few minutes...

Trying on my boots!

Putting baby lotion in his hair in front of the mirror!

Here's Sam in the midst of her hives drama....

Sitting in Carson's booster seat.

She loves to sit in it while he's at school.

She's like "It's MINE! ALL MINE!"

I love the look on her face in this picture.

New trick

2011-01-18T20:51:00.000-08:00

Samantha's new trick this week....If you sing "Old McDonald" to her, she says "EIEIEIEIEIEyoooooooooo" at the right time.

Excuse the hair. Daddy had just made it into a mohawk before her bath. Silly Daddy.

Sam is talking so much this week... This week she said "See ya!", "Tico" (for a character on Dora), "How bout......", and "Hey!" She is a talking machine. Our baby Sam is growing up so fast!

Gettin' there!

2011-01-15T12:02:00.000-08:00

Carson is getting better at smiling for pictures.

We are practicing.

He is standing up to his Aunt Jenny's wedding in May, so we are really practicing posing for pictures in hopes that, by then, we will have a big "cheese" for the photos.

Here's our big boy and his best buddy, Daddy, giving a cheese!

Hitch

2011-01-15T11:55:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, Sam developed these weird spots on her body.

They were red and scattered on her abdomen and legs and under her arms.

On Thursday they were EVERYWHERE and a trip to the doctor confirmed that she has "Urticaria", or hives. To go along with the hives, on Thursday her ear, lip, and eyes swelled up so she looked like Will Smith in the movie "Hitch" when he has the allergic reaction.

The hives are from an unknown origin. It could be a virus in her body or an allergic reaction to something. She hasn't had anything different this week so we can't pinpoint the reaction to something specific. Poor Sam is looking pretty scary these days, with red welts all over her body that come and go. They've been better in the last day or so, so I think we are turning the corner.

It's been an interesting week.

Luckily it hasn't stopped her from acting normal...for the most part she is pretty happy and doing all the things she loves to do, like run on the couch and wrestle with big brother.

(See below)

Here's a pic of the hives before her bath the other night.

Poor baby!

Here's hoping our beautiful Samantha will be back to her cover girl self sooner than later!!

First day of school!

2011-01-11T21:15:00.000-08:00

Carson started school one week ago.

He looks forward to going and stands by the door with his backpack and shoes and coat on, waiting for me to get myself together on school days...All the while saying "Mommy, I want to go to schoooooooooooolllllll!!!!"

His class only has 6 kids and we've already learned several surprising revelations about our boy, including that he likes to clean up after he eats (i.e. throws all of his dishes away and cleans his area...this is nice...why doesn't he do this at home???), he uses the potty perfectly and hasn't had a single accident at school, and he was a little reserved in music and movement class the first day (but today was dancing the funky chicken just like his usual self).

Carson loves school! Here are a few pics from his first day.

We are so proud of our boy that he can join a class full of people he's never met and enjoy it right from the get-go at such a young age.

What a good boy!

The cuties

2011-01-11T21:08:00.000-08:00

Here's one of my favorite pictures of our cuties -

Baba took this picture of them one day while I was at work.

We have a big one hanging in my office now.

My patients totally love it!

Snow in Las Vegas!

2011-01-03T15:42:00.000-08:00

We woke up to a big treat this morning....

Las Vegas got a beautiful dusting of snow today and the kids thought it was most exciting.

Carson said "Look, Mommy! SNOW! But where is my snow suit??"

I had to break the bad news that he didn't own a snow suit, but we still went out and played.

He played for ten minutes and then said "Mommy, I'm cold."

That's a desert kid for you.

Sam was more excited about the sidewalk chalk but we did throw snowballs at her.

Lied Children's Museum

2011-01-03T15:38:00.000-08:00

We took the kids to the children's museum last week.

They had a blast!

Sam in the baby pit....She just wanted to crawl in and out 500 times.

A little hopscotch in the Berestein Bears section...

Painting a masterpiece....

Playing with a campfire....

Our babies had so much fun running around and exploring the place.

We will definitely be back...soon!

Miss Gigglesworth

2010-12-28T20:57:00.000-08:00

Here's some footage of Samantha laughing at her Hippo on the iPad.

If this doesn't make you smile, nothing will!

She is getting so verbal...new words this week are "Nie Nie" (night night), "Sure!", and if I say "What does Mommy say?", she says "No!" Our poochie is talking so much all of a sudden - what a big girl!

Look out world, here comes Carson...

2010-12-28T20:42:00.000-08:00

We've signed Carson up for preschool beginning on January 4th.

He will be going on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 AM - 12:00 PM.

He is going to the Mallin Center for Early Childhood at the Temple Beth Shalom, which is down the street from our house. It is a non-denominational preschool at the Temple that gets rave reviews from parents around here.

He will be doing music and movement, a little Hebrew, a little Spanish, lots of art projects, gardening, cooking, singing, and getting very dirty every day.

He's ready.

Look out preschool, here comes the Stinky Fish!

Magical Forest

2010-12-28T20:35:00.000-08:00

The six of us took on the Magical Forest on Christmas Eve night.

The kids loved all the lights and the scenery.

Carson is starting to learn how to smile for the camera.

See below.

We are at about 1 smile for every 5 pictures but we are getting there.

Carson rings the bell at the Christmas firehouse.
He also got to meet a real fire chief.

Now when you ask him what he wants to be when he grows up,

he says "A fireman!"

Carson rode the merry-go-round with myself and Baba.

Somehow he got the cool horse and I ended up riding a rooster.

Life's not fair!

It was a fun adventure with the kids. We will definitely go back next year!

Christmas Eve

2010-12-28T20:27:00.000-08:00

We had a great time on Christmas Eve.

It was sunny and beautiful. A great day for the park.

We ate lunch at Sweet Tomatoes, or as Carson calls it, "Sweet Potatoes"

We played at the Paseos Park in the afternoon.

The kids got a lot of fresh air.

Daddy and Papa shot some hoops.

After all these years....they still got game!

Monkey see, monkey do.

Everything that Carson tries, Samantha is not far behind.

More Christmas Fun....

2010-12-28T20:20:00.000-08:00

Carson got a chef's hat and apron to enhance his cooking....

Everything should taste better from a chef this cute!

Carson on Christmas Day, practicing on his new bicycle with Daddy...

We are several months from being able to reliably ride the bicycle but it was fun to try!

Samantha laughs at the iPad...She loves "Talking Hippo" amongst other things...

Christmas Rocks

2010-12-28T20:14:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas celebrating with our two sweet babies.

We counted our blessings all day long.

Having two smart, perfect, healthy little babies on Christmas Day is about the best present a parent could ever ask for....What could be better?

The only gift that's better is watching those two perfect kids open presents galore, spoiled rotten and loving every second of it.

Sam and Carson, opening presents....

Our tree, Christmas morning....

We had a very Merry Christmas!

This week

2010-12-19T14:52:00.000-08:00

This week at the Smith house....

Jason golfed Shadow Creek with his Dad in the 48 degrees...He said it was cold but worth it!

It's one of the most exclusive courses in Vegas.

Samantha rocked soccer class with big brother...

We partied at Sushi Roku for Baba's birthday - complete with flaming candles!

Samantha models Jason's Tiger Woods' Halloween costume.

Halloween costumes are still being worn around here.