Easter with Grammy and Pawpop!This is the ever coveted "Chocolate Bunny!" She saw them in the stores (how can you miss the entire row of bunnies). Seriously, marketing sometimes drives me crazy. Well, to head off the plea while in the grocery cart, I explained simply that chocolate bunnies were for easter baskets. So, when she found out she was getting a basket at Grammy's, she talked about the chocolate bunny non-stop for about two days. I tried my best to find the smallest bunny possible!
Small as it was, she ate the entire thing, ever so slowly, until completion. Of course, that is ALL she ate that day and we paid for a few days with the sugar high, but it was so fun to see the excitement that something so small can bring to one adorable little girl.
PawPop made a great Easter Bunny and Suzy had a wonderful time collecting the eggs.
It was a little chilly that day, so Grammy let Suzy borrow a poncho that her Aunt Barbara used to wear as a little girl. I'm hoping to get some good pictures of Barabara's little girls wearing it as well when they come for a visit this summer.

I just love the curls and the beautiful colors of the poncho in this photo.
She liked the stickers and M&Ms, but was not as impressed this round with the Cheerios. When we hosted the egg hunt at our house, there was quite a bit of scatter left out in the yard after the mass of toddlers had eaten their fill. I explained to Suzy that we didn't need to pick up the discarded puffs and Cheerios because the birds would get them. So, she would clap and get excited when she found "candy!" but simply dumped out the snacks and said, "This is birdie food!"

Splashing around in my ladybug raincoat.

This little piggy was a photo op....

So sorry to publish to the world, sweet Suzy. I just couldn't resist! You are so much fun!

We had our annual New Parents Church Easter Egg Hunt this past weekend at our house and I think everyone had an absolute blast. Just like last year, the eggs stuffed with the "Puffs" were the biggest hit. It was funny to see the maturity from last year and watch two year olds actually pick up and shake the eggs to identify which ones had food. The stickers were often simply tossed back! I remember my grandparents hiding money with little candies. As a kid, I wanted the eggs that DIDN'T shake! :) Here's Suzy helping hang the backdrops for our little photo sessions. Unfortunately, I missed on the lighting for most of the photos. I guess I need to review the classes Vickie has been sending me!

Suzy had a better idea of how the hunt should work this year and it was so fun to see her scurry around to find the eggs with the goodies inside. This is, indeed, such a magical time for her.

Sorry I still can't figure out why some of these photos are sideways, but Suzy's friend, Brynna, brought her bunny ears and the kids really had fun trying them on.
Here's my attempt at Suzy's Easter portrait in an antique chair from my Aunt Mary. I need to ask her again just how far back in the family it goes. She refinished it beautifully and the children really enjoyed it. It's just so difficult now to get a good shot of Suzy. She's so "busy" all the time!

You think I should break down and buy this poor girl some new shoes? ;)

Platinum Gymnastics with Miss Jenny and AddyWe went to an open gym today with my friend, Addy. She's a daughter of Miss Jenny, a friend from Mommy's work. We had a great time and I really liked the trampoline.

I also really liked the parallel bars. I even put the chalk on my hands and lifted my feet up a few times. It sure was a ton of fun! Thanks for inviting us Miss Jenny!


Future gymnast... if I could just figure out the whole, "following directions" part....

After we finished gymnastics, we headed over to Mommy's clinic for a few minutes and Miss Cindy helped me learn to drive. Daddy, I'm gonna be a convertible girl - just like my Mommy!

Rub a dub dub, there's a Suzy in my tub!Bubbles, anyone?

Sloppy Puppy kisses!
Katie gave me a kiss the other day and her nose was very wet and cold. Well, we've had a bit of that around here with Mommy's allergies and my teething, so I knew exactly what needed to be done.
Blow, Katie! I'm not sure she "gets it" just yet. But, I'm gonna be a good big sister and am already practicing how to teach new skills!

Grammy and Paw Pop came for dinner and I really enjoyed putting beads on Grammy. She reads me stories and has been babysitting me some lately while Mommy does some extra work. I think she's also starting to gear up for more time with me when my new brother comes this summer. :)

Goldilocks Tresses and Hand me down dresses

After reading my Intelligender post about loving blue and yellow daisies, my friend Caroline's Mommy sent me this dress that used to be Caroline's. We both absolutely love it! I was quite the doll when I wore it and got many "Shirley Temple" comments. Thanks Caroline and Miss Shannon!

Gardening and "Run, Run, Run"

My little neighbor friend, Grace, came over to help Mommy and me plant some flowers. I absolutely adore Grace and we had a lot of fun that day.
I am such a great little helper. I love to "Help Mommy" with whatever the chores of the day hold. If I'm not "busy" I tend to fuss more. So, Mommy tries to help me keep busy with all sorts of fun little activities throughout the day. One of my favorite requests is to "Go shopping" and when you ask me where, I usually say, "Lowes!" I really like their garden center.

It is getting increasingly difficult to capture good photos of me. I run constantly and rarely sit still. If I'm not running towards the camera, I'm running away from it. So, we tend to have a few months of either very blurry photos, or the back of my adorable little head.
Mommy just loves this picture. I'm almost in the same pose as her favorite little statuette that she has had for a very long time.

The weather has been crazy here. Beautiful, then cold, then beautiful again. So, we get out any time we can to enjoy the parks. I am growing up so fast! I am still always on the move, but I'm getting a lot more language now. It's so fun for Mommy and Daddy to finally know what's on my mind. Mostly bunnies, potty, relatives, friends, and various little songs I make up. "No want that." "Mommy hold you.", "More (tunnel, blankie, bubbles, art, run run run, friends, etc.)" and "Mommy/Daddy fix it" are some favorite phrases of the day.

Happy Birthday Rebekah!



My good friend, Rebekah, turned three last month and we had a great time celebrating her birthday at a local park.

Cents AND Sensibility



Well, it looks like everyone wins! Although this ultrasound picture isn't as nice as the previous one, it was a good session and we found out three very important things. The baby looks wonderful. (Praise God!) The baby is weighing in the 97%. The baby is a BOY!!!! I was especially glad to hear about the 97% when Andy Cavanagh starting saying Nate Dog needed a wresting partner. :) Mike Werle's comment was, "Looks like the coin was right." My comment was (among other proud Mommy things) Yeah! The Intellitest wasn't a complete fraud, at least for us. I still don't know the actual science behind it. But, again, the entertainment value was well worth it.

So, there you have it. Rob no longer has to worry about the "Smith family name" dying off with him. Something about that "Y" Chromosome.....

Thank you everyone for your prayers and warm wishes. God is good. It looks like we are well on our way to having a very healthy baby brother for our little sweet Suzy. Oh, and a golf buddy for Paw Pop. :)

Dollars vs. Sense, Boy vs. Girl

For some reason, I'm more interested in the gender of baby number two. I want to be able to tell Suzy she is having a "brother" or "sister". I just think "sibling" is too big of a word at the two year old stage. :) I will be thrilled for either, as I believe we are so blessed to be able to have another child all together. I'd love for Suzy to have a sister, since I am so close with my own sisters. However, she does have some great girlfriends already. As for a boy, who wouldn't want one of each? Plus, then Rob's fear of the "Smith family name" ending with him is resolved. I mean, really, like "Smith" is on the endangered list..... However, I have all of the clothes for a little girl and find myself enjoying the familiar territory. So you see, either way is a big blessed win!

So, last night, I had some fun. Now, I have been called on many occasions a "Marketer's Dream". If it has daisies or is blue, chances are I will want to buy it. If it has a silver bow in addition, I'm helpless. So, when I happened upon this little jewel, the "IntelliGender", I couldn't possibly resist. Keep in mind that one of the few benefits of being "high risk" is that I will have a confirming ultrasound in approximately four weeks. I am just that impatient. It was on the edge of pricey at $30. So, when I came home, I asked Rob if I could keep it (like a puppy or something) or if I needed to return it. He didn't bat an eye and said "return". So, I started to make some arguments and try out some "Marti Math". OK, so I don't drink wine, it's like a bottle of wine? No, it's like three bottles of wine, and we don't budget for your wine drinking. Hmmmm... another angle, What if I only get one pair of Maternity jeans? Again, "No". After much good natured teasing on both ends, he realized that the entertainment value of this scheme was adding up. Yes, indeed, this will provide $30 worth of conversation and entertainment.

The box says it has a 90% rate of accuracy to which Rob responded, a coin toss has a 50% chance. The odds CAN'T be bad on a product like this. So, he hypothesized that I just toss a coin and get my results to which I guess I was convincing enough that this test would be much more fun. So,... for my entertainment value of the month and hopefully a chuckle for you as well....



Here's what the coin toss says......
(boy)



This is what the "IntelliGender" says.

I guess we will have to wait until March to find out what this really means....

I am tending, however, to side with the entertainment test. After all, I am carrying totally different, I am eating like a horse and not gaining as much weight, I am not completely nauseous, Rob and I have BOTH had dreams it was a boy, and well,... everyone else thinks I'm having a boy as well. :) Let's just say it will be a fun surprise either way. Besides, even the coin toss gives me a boy..... I wonder what the added odds are.... hmmmm......

For those of you who check the blog..... Here's the breaking news. We are expecting in July. It's been a bumpy road, so we decided to wait to announce until we passed the critical 12 week mark. You are among the privileged! Most of our non-blogger friends and family won't even know until we send out an announcement in a few weeks. :) This is also one reason many of you didn't get Christmas cards this year. It's hard to write an annual letter when you are A. Violently ill and B. Can't announce your biggest news!

I had my first swim lessons at Emler school. I had a great time and learned how to hold my breath and do big splashy kicks. I think I've got a long way to go before I join the swim team, but I sure did learn some great new skills and really enjoyed all the singing and playtime.

After our final lesson, my friend, Katie, and I got our graduate T-shirts. We had so much fun!

We went skiing in Colorado with my Mommy's family for New Years. We had so much fun and I loved my new boots from my Mamaw. My favorite part of the trip was riding "Mo bus" with my cousin, Andrew.

Here's a picture of my "crazy hair" It was a little less humid "up on the Mountain" and my hair didn't exactly have the same ringlet effect...