Cake, Photoshoot and cheerios

First cheerios...I feel bad for not trying it out sooner, but I've had too many episodes with the previous 2 children with gagging on these things...but he ate them quite well and enjoyed them too.

Ah chocolate cake...:) with a wee star in the middle (I got bored :D)

And photoshoot first attempt...

Hahaha one of my favourites for Owen's expression

Pretty close!

*sigh*

Photoshoot attempt 2... One of the oldest (this was actually last due to Owen wanting down)

Some success?

I give up.

Or not?

Not this one...

So...thats all for now...and now I go to fold clothes yippie!

Breakfast Burritos

I don't usually post these kinds of posts but I was in the mood of being "out of the ordinary"...so, this is our breakfast on weekends and on days I want to surprise Jett.

What you need:

• 2 eggs (for one person)
• salt, pepper, garlic powder, & onion powder
• Tortillas
• Sour cream
• Salsa (or Picante sauce if your in the South US)
• cheese :D
• Chopped cooked potato (optional)
• fried chopped onion (optional)

So just like you would make scrambled eggs, do the same thing adding the spices, and onion and potato (if your including those). And fry in a pan...

Layer on a warmed up tortilla...cheese, salsa/picante and sour cream...mmm something mexican for breakfast yummy!!

Once eggs are done layer the eggs on top and fold...

and voila, a delicious breakfast burrito... :)

I'll post again later D.V. with a small photo shoot I did of the kids...some are okay, but none of them turned out just right... :S But for not I need to do Amy's hair. :)

I remember now

I was going to say that we've had to increase Amelia's medication for her seizures. We were noticing probably around the beginning of this year funny things. Then these "funny things" got more frequent, nothing drastic mind you, but still odd...anyways, that's all to say about her condition. We are STILL waiting for her DNA results...and its been a year now?! :)

a little clip of our Psalm singing Saturday

And then I forgot to video more!! :(

we believe in...

...Child Labour :D

But seriously she likes doing this!

Ah yes, I wanted to update this days ago, but for some reason time seems to be in fast paced mode…well at times. J It has been a Springy week in the sense it is raining again. But we needed it, for no sooner had it started then the flowers (well some of them) began to grow and some are blooming too. The birds are singing their beautiful songs…but it is still cold, infact colder than last week I think. But Spring is here, and what follows but Summer all being well?

So Ev what have you been up to?

• - Sewing quilt tops, and using a skirt to make an apron (a neat idea I came up with this morning)
• - Recording Sabbath Day stories for the children, and doing some secular stories as well
• - Being extremely tired. I can’t help but worry if I have mono again, but then again I always fear I have it if I’m slightly overtired. Perhaps I’m fighting a bug or something.
• - Getting excited about my mom’s possible (ok very possible) trip to Scotland.
• - The usual house hold duties
• - Teaching Aaron his numbers, shapes and colours. He can’t say their names but he can point to most of the items if you ask him to (numbers are still a difficult one for him)
• - Getting hopeless over Owen’s eczema. Today he again tore at his cheek and now it is left with bloody scratch marks… :’(
• - Baby wearing again lol! Only for walks, or when Owen’s been fussy and refuses to go to sleep oh I did this for Aaron one night too, for some reason it tends to calm them. Thank you Steph!
• - Get excited over Jett’s classes…only 2 weeks of actual class, then one to study and then his exams unbelievable really.
• - ooh I forgot my last thing that I was going to mention!

When I got the sleepy wrap Owen was sleeping and I was too excited to wait for him so I used Aaron as the test subject.

Even Daddies can wear these... isn't this one cute?

Two handome boys...

Ah ha! a peek at what I've been sewing...

A bird caught out of the kitchen window therefore glare I think!

Went for a walk last week...

Hi Jett! :)

A chocolate beard (sort of)...he gets a white one when he eats tuna lol, and probably a reddish one when he eats something with spaghetti sauce.

All right, have to clean up the above man after his lunch which was NOT "chocolate toast". :)

for Julia

I had recorded this a while back when a letter came in the mail for Amy...soo I'm finally getting it up here for Julia to see ;) Will post later...uhm, hopefully!

an update finally -sorry this is long

A proper update from the Smith family is long overdue...so here I go endeavouring to fill you in on some details of life here!

Jett has gone through a couple of very busy weeks, but things have calmed down somewhat. He has to go to Larne next weekend I think, but at least after that he has a week off (sort of) . He'll fill that with studying and preparing for sermons to be sure!

But he has made two walks with me in a weeks time and that is great! I can't walk with all 3 in the double stroller anymore because Owen has grown soo much...this just means less walks, if any now. :( Amy needs to learn how to walk instead of always riding but it is hard to train a 3 yr old while still managing the other two in the stroller...very difficult. Ah well.

So this is how we did it today :)

I feel like everyday is just a wake-up-and-drag-my-feet-around kind of day...oh, I do go to bed early, at least by 10pm...but Master Owen likes to awake at about 2, or 3, or 4am for a bottle!! Aaron did something similar I think when he was this age. And then comes his crankiness and protest of being put back in cot, so we give up and let him in our bed but still he is fussy...and wow he is loud!! Well, last night Jett burped him properly (I've been too tired to do so previous nights and figure ahh he is older so maybe he doesn't need it anymore...oh dear) and guess what he did! The little screamer settled much better, though still not in his cot, but at least I got a better restful sleep! Yes, I feel dumb...if this is the cause of all those distressful nights!! I guess we'll be burping him properly from now on.

Owen is no longer allowed to do this unless supervised.

Why? Because today he did this to a chair and after he shook the chair it finally gave way and fell on him!! Yes, a cut just above his lip and just below his nose and a big bruise inside his mouth...poor kid!

And speaking of him he has been quite the trouble lately, and I feel very bad for him! His eczema is just as bad as ever, and nothing is *really* helping him. I have been giving him a bath every day now, because I do notice that afterwards his skin looks less irritated and he doesn't scratch as he normally does (I'm using a soap substitute and then aveeno bath oil - I really like that stuff! and then aveeno cream after his bath). I suppose if he is just as bad or worse by monday I'll have to take him in...it is hard to see blood on the babes sheets or blankets because of scratching himself in the night!

Speaking of trouble, isn't this a good way to keep babies "out" when your trying to read a book?? I had such a laugh at this!!

My sweet Aaron is becoming our placid child I think. I at first thought he was a little Jeremy in disguise, but he isn't like that anymore, he is sooo calm! Owen I think is like Jay, hyperactive and ready to move! He even tackles his older brother if he has the chance!

Oh, and they swapped highchairs...lol, Aaron liked Owen's laidback highchair (hahaha fits his personality), and I rather liked Aaron's for Owen because it kept him nice and straight for his feeds.

Oooh I love my boys...oh did you notice I cut his hair? I thought he would look awful with short hair but he is actually even cuter!!

Oh...thats the end of my photos. aww :( I was actually having fun putting captions on them, not that they were much good anyways!

So, in other news, we are planning on hosting an informal Psalm singing afternoon at the Perth manse Sat, March 20th. I'm looking forward to this. It's nice to visit but it's also nice to have something to do while you visit...not every time but for once in awhile I think.

Aaron can recognize the letters, A,B,C,D,E,M,O,P,T,U,V there may be others I just haven't tested him on all of them yet...great for just learning these thanks to a Brainy Baby dvd! I wonder if the ones on colours and shapes are any good...hmm! Oh and he won't stop singing this song...it used to be very annoying especially if he woke up in the middle of the night and started singing it!! He is now moved in Amy's bedroom...:D

And I can't think of anything else...oh, only 5 weeks of classes left (not including his one week off, and his study week for the exams)! Can you believe it?! He has been telling me what he has been studying, such as the cults (i.e. Russellites, Mormons etc) and the RC church...very interesting. I was shocked when he told me that the people in the RC church pay for their mass!! Perhaps I heard it before, but it really clued in this time. Ah, what a blessing and priviledge to be in the church that is filled with the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

And so, I must really get ready for the Sabbath tomorrow. Till next time D.V.

Smile or I'll tickle you...tickle it is!

Well not in this one, she just does this for the camera.

Yep blogger put these all out of order!

Tickling...

not tickling...another photogenic baby. :)

Mmm farley biscuit

Back in the tub...

And a video! :)

aaron's birthday videos

Blowing the candles out...

And opening the present... (if this works!)

bits and bobs

Seems like everything is out of order here on blogger...they really need to fix these issues someday. Anyways, we went to Glasgow wednesday and of course Amy loved being at the Macleods. Fiona nad her Catherine, Janneke and her Joel, and Jenny and her three children were there...it was fun. Heres a picture of the three babies that are quite close in age (by a couple of months or so).

Birthday Cards for me...oh and the flowers I bought...I got in trouble for that because Jett was planning on getting me some! Oh dear...!

Aaron


A video of...Owen?

Aaron is 2!

Quick post of a few pictures of Aaron's birthday... I do have a video clip I hope to get up soon of him attempting to blow the candles out. Here is the cake without the candles obviously.

The birthday boy after a bath...and then I give him cake, wow, that is not very practical is it?!

I'm not big on decorations but they did like balloons sooo I blew these up with the help of my birth ball airblower thing a ma jig.

I like this one... :D

And the outcome was...a very quiet night for us parents! :)

Till next time!

of flu, colds, Banner of Truth, standing, cloth diapering, baby wearing and laptop issues

Sounds bizarre doesn't? Yep, basically in so many words that is what life has been like in the past week or two! I haven't been blogging due to being bored (lol I mean I felt I had nothing to report and therefore it would be very boring to read). Far from it I have NOT been bored...just busy.

First to note I had a bout of some kind of flu or food poisoning not sure what it was but it made me feel low for a day, but not real ill like the flu normally does. Thankfully I was the only one who got it if it was the flu. Now I'm battling a head cold :( and I fear that some of the kids have a touch of it too.

I have been cloth diapering again. But it isn't full time, I just can't do it. So Aaron and Owen are toddling around with big bottoms during the day and having disposables at night and weekends. I must admit this is not good for my hands (eczema). :(

Jett got 200 pounds worth of books from the Banner so it was cute watching him go through his
new books (like a little kid getting new toys). I wonder where he is going to put them...!

Baby wearing...well, not really. I can't baby wear - I try occasionally, but it just really really hurts the back. I've been working hard at getting my stomach muscles back in order as this is good for the lower back (my weakest spot!). But I have a pic of Owen in the sling with me...I've wanted a moby wrap for ages, but if I don't like wearing my babies then why should I spend the money?

And my laptop...oh bother! I wonder if will ever start again now. I was trying to upload pictures into it when as turning on the camera all of a sudden the com went completely off. It would start up a while later but I was dumb and redid my attempts to uploading only for it to completely go off and now after a nights rest it doesn't want to listen anymore at all. :( Anybody have some helpful tips for this??!

Owen cut his second tooth half a week ago...and has been doing this! AHHH at 8 months my son is trying to stand while holding onto something. And it isn't a little while, he wants to keep doing it. Oh dear.

Amy looking at the letter she got from Julia (she really liked it especially all the animals).

He doesn't look like he is enjoying this does he?

Ooh such a cute smile! This outfit my mom bought him sized 12months, a bit big, but still looks nice on him I think.

Smiley Amy

His new found hobby.

Aw, I don't think I have one of Aaron! Sorry bout that. I got him some overalls and they are so cute on him. But haven't snapped a picture of him yet. Must run and take care of my little tikes...ahh Aaron's birthday is next week! I suppose that will be the theme next post abw.

Similarities?

most people say she looks like me...but I think otherwise...

Preschool, car troubles, and renovations

Ah, it has been a busy week as usual. I caught up on the laundry aspect plus ironing, which left this thurday to be a more kid focused day. Sooo, I got brave and let the kids do their first "cut and pasting" thing, although I did the cutting since we don't have safety scissors yet, they enjoyed it. They pasted tissue paper to construction paper, and then I got even more brave and let them paint it! They had fun of course.

I wrapped a nice square box and cut out a square at the top so I can stick cards of letters, numbers or anything really into it. We used it today for a few new sight words and some letters for Aaron he doesn't know very many...infact he is quite different from Amy. But he likes the letter "p" and I think he knows what "a" is.

I went through a few pages of Amy's learning to read book, she is starting to blend, but we are going slow (I mean purposely slow, I don't want to rush this on her since she is only 3 and 1/2).

And then I brought out the well...the video explains what it is! :)

The video of our fun day!

Oh yes car trouble...our car decided not to start or it started and died 3 secs later. The mechanic said it was some malfunction of the key? Something to do with a chip in it and it had to be reset...? Didn't make sense to me but here is what was attached to Jett's key...heehee, I think someone won't be forgetting us very quickly. :)

The front porch of the manse was leaking, and the window frame was rotting away very badly, so the joiners are just now replacing it all and are getting quite far with only two days of work done on it.

And now diaper duty calls. :)

Grace Gems

I've known about this part of Sermon Audio for awhile and thought I would share this less than 5 minute devotional by Thomas Brooks...

you can find this to my left here -------->

It's 2010!!

Happy New Year!

Yes, I’m late, but better late then never…or so they say. I think it is time I get things organized around here! I have about 500 or so pictures that need to be printed (most are uploaded to photobox) and put in albums, I do need to go through them though and make sure they really are all worth keeping. Yes 500 pictures in a years time. :S I still have Amy’s scrapbook that I’m working on…but I’ve been procrastinating very badly. There is toys to go through, books to go through, clothes (and lots of clothes) to go through. BTW, what do you do with old cards that people have given you? I’ve used some of the embellishments and things to make other cards with but what about the plainer ones? Anyways, these are just a few of the things that need to be done.

So…where am I going with this post? Oh yes. I was wondering lately, what should I post about? I already post bits of our daily life, but that gets monotonous and really most people know that basics of what a mother does anyways (though it is nice to write it once and awhile especially if there is encouraging feedback!). So, may I ask what you would like to hear (I mean read) about? Are there any questions for those of you who don’t know me extremely well? Or for those of you who do, is there anything you wish to know about this odd family living in a foreign country?

In other news, Jett is very busy and has hardly had much time to spend with us (but he has had some thankfully!), Samuel Rutherford is currently living with us till about February time, there is SNOW on the ground and has been here since we left almost two weeks ago (yeah!!), I am petrified of driving in the snow (yes, I am still a Canadian…), Owen is crawling, babbling, drooling (info not really needed) and has one tooth (ok, he has had it for a month if not more now). Aaron is just a little Jeremy! And Amy is still the sensitive little princess (no pea’s in her bed tonight though).

Now, after reading all that, I wish you a hearty goodnight! Till the next post D.V.

Home!

We are finally home after a long, tiresome, treacherous, trek! We left Skye yesterday and ended up going through snow squalls starting about Invergarry area and it was on and off for the rest of our way (we didn't make it to Perth). We usually go through Dalwhinnie but one guy couldn't make it up the hill (kept slipping) and another car was attempting it when I told Jett that NO we were not going to go through Dalwhinnie...sooo, we took a LOOONG alternative route which when we finally ended up at the Dalwhinnie road we were turned back because the A9 was closed from there to Pitlochry! :S So...we ended up going back up 13 miles to Newtonmore and found a hotel there...it was extremely nice to settle down safe!! Even though I have lived in Canada and have seen bad storms...it doesn't compare to now. Why? Because I have three small children in the car, the tires are NOT winter tires, the UK snow plows (although I am thankful for them) need to go to Canada to get some proper gear to clear the roads...lol, sorry, but I was surprised at how little snow they actually removed! They must have worked all night because by morning when we did head back to Perth it was very clear, and the best roads I have seen since we left Skye!! Anyways, as you can imagine my nerves are kind of shot as they say...I think I'll be wishing for less snow, or...better snow plows... :D