Christmas Miracles

The first Christmas miracle is that I'm posting in my blog:) It's been 7 months but we've been super busy. Raising a strong willed 2 year old and growing a very active baby boy is hard work for this momma but I wouldn't have it any other way. I can't wait until next Christmas when I have both boys in my arms. Oh the memories we will make.

Derek and I have spent much time discussing and praying about how we want Christmas to look in our home and for our family. Last year I was determined that we wouldn't go overboard and we would ask our families not to go overboard either. Santa brought Deacon 3 wiseman gifts and we got him several little things. And yet...Christmas morning as we moved all his presents from all our Christmas celebrations to one side of the room I started to cry. My heart was heavily burdened that their are children in our world without clean drinking water and my child had an over abundance of stuff. This said child was also playing with the remote instead of the new gifts we had just given him. Derek tried to reassure me that we had done our part. We had given to charitable organizations and we had made Christmas special for an 18 month old little girl through Toys for Tots. He tried to convince me that I couldn't let it ruin our special day. I dried my tears for Deacon's sake but vowed that this Christmas would be different. It's so hard to be competing in an uphill battle. Sometimes I feel like it's us (and several of our friends) against the rest of the world.

So what does that mean for Christmas at the Smith house this year. Deacon will still get 3 wiseman gifts from Santa. He wants a brown guitar and a hard case and we pray that he will use his love for music to worship God one sweet day. We have also asked that all our family only get him one present each. Other than that they can get him clothes or money for his college account. I was recently sharing this with a friend and he asked what we would do when Deacon got older and realized that his friends around him got so much more than him. I really don't know the answer to that but I know God will lay it on our hearts as to what we will tell him.

We aren't against buying him material things. He is blessed in that his mommy and daddy love to travel and we take him on several trips each year. He always gets lots of neat mementos while we are on vacation. We also aren't opposed to buying him things throughout the year and no holiday goes unnoticed at our house. But what we can't stand for is the birth of our Savior being overshadowed by material things. We want him to have a heart for the less fortunate and a hunger to change the world one sweet heart at a time.

I've heard people argue that they want Christmas to be magical for their children. Make no mistake Christmas is magical in the Smith home because 2,000 years ago a baby was born in a manger so that we would live eternally in a place far better than this world we live in today. That alone is enough. That alone is a far greater gift than we could ever give Deacon.

Derek took a little boy shopping this past weekend for Shop with a Trooper. He really wanted more clothes than toys because he needed clothes. He also wanted a new Christmas tree because the one they had was small. No matter what provisions we make this is a different world than Deacon will God willing ever experience. He has clothes in abundance and there is no shortage of Christmas decorations. However, we want him to know that these conditions exist and to do whatever he can to give more than he ever expects to receive.

We wish God's richest blessings on your family this holiday season. We are looking forward to spending time as a family of 3 before our world is turned upside down in March!

Rising Life

So my husband is in a band...

Alot has happened since the last time I posted as you can see. In a whirlwind of events, Derek was asked to join a band. God continues to bless us more than we deserve. I will give you the cliff note version of how Rising Life came to be.

• Heath and Kristy Glisson began attending Calvert City United Methodist Church in March 2011
• In April 2011, some of us learned that Heath could play the guitar and begged him to play in the contemporary service.
• Heath started playing one song each week.
• In September, we were at a worship planning meeting and Kevin felt led to take up the bass guitar...for the first time
• About the same time Heath felt called to the music ministry. He stopped playing secular music in local joints and started writing Christian music.
• Kevin learned to play the bass guitar and started playing at church as well. Heath told Kevin of his vision and Kevin came on board.
• Derek felt the stirring in his heart to join them in the praise band at church but wasn't ready to jump in just yet.
• I was behind the scenes encouraging Heath to encourage Derek. Heath asked Derek several times to play with him but Derek wasn't ready yet. God was still working in him and we know his timing is always right. 
• In December, I got the bright idea to host a pajama party for our Sunday School class and their parents at our house. Heath brought his guitar and after everyone left Derek and him finally played together for the first time...until 3 in the morning. In that moment, Heath asked Derek to join the band that he was starting. 
• About a week later in a chance situation, Heath heard Derek play the piano and he knew that Derek would play keyboard and guitar in the band. 
• A few weeks later, Brian the drummer, found the band's ad on an online band forum and played for some of the guys and it was an instant fit.
• Since that time things began happening really quickly. They are now playing at Atlantafest, have a cd out, and have played several gigs.

Where the good Lord will lead them is something that only he knows. They hope that their music will touch lives and saves souls. None of them have a spotless background and they hope that through their music others can see God's redemption and grace.

If you would like to keep up with them you can like Rising Life on Facebook and follow their website at Rising Life

Bye Bye Passy

Perhaps one of the things I've been dreading the most was getting rid of Deacon's passy. I knew the longer we waited the harder it would be. We had talked about letting Santa take them at Christmas and I wish that's what we would have done. But Christmas came and we were so wrapped up in making sure Deacon understood the true meaning of the season that it just didn't seem like the right time. As the months passed, Deacon started calling the pacifier a passy and asking for it throughout the day.

Then one day in April, Maddy ate Deacon's last passy and daddy bought him a new kind and he grew even more attached. We would only let him have them in the car and at bedtime but he couldn't wait to get them in his mouth. I knew that over summer break we had to get rid of them.

We had decided that we would get rid of them on Thursday night and celebrate on Friday at Venture River. I was working my last day of school on Monday and I decided that I wanted to get rid of them as soon as I got home so I wouldn't have it hanging over my head all summer. Plus, Deacon was staying with parents Saturday night and I wanted him to sleep well for them.

While I finished up at work, Taylor gathered some helium balloons. I got home from work and we tied them up and sent them to the moon. The first night was rough and many tears were shed...but one week later and he hasn't mentioned them in 4 or 5 days. We have learned alot though and when we have another a baby we will get rid of them much sooner. It is almost like he was addicted to them and needed them for comfort. It was heartbreaking having to listen to him tell us that "he needed them" and to "go get them from the moon."

 I have prayed many many times that Deacon would find comfort and fulfillment in his heart that only God can bring. I prayed that prayer thinking it would only apply to his future. However, as he was crying that night I prayed it over and over until he fell asleep. In that moment, I couldn't comfort him. I was doing everything I possibly could and yet it wasn't enough because it wasn't the one thing he wanted the most. God comforted my sweet baby that night and has been with us every day since. I know this was one of the first of many tough things we will face as parents.

I'm baaaack...again..

Sometimes having a blog stresses me out...there I said it. You may think that's crazy as I haven't update since January...January are you serious?!? I faithfully read about 20 or so blogs a night before I go to bed. It's my guilty pleasure. I get Deacon in bed and then I catch up on the blog world. I'm going to make it my goal to post more often this summer. I also just found out today that my sister has blog she is faithfully updating....and I thought if she can do it so can I! I don't know how I missed the fact she had a blog.....maybe I can blame it on the very busy 23 month old I have living in my house.

I hope to get in the habit of updating now that I'm on summer break. Summer break is sooo much cooler than I remember when I was in school. We have been having so much fun this summer and we have only been off 3 days. The one thing I'm trying to do this summer is be intentional about my parenting. Parenting is hard work but sometimes we get so caught up in our kids general well-being that it becomes a routine and before we know it days are passing but are they really counting? I don't want to go back to my "other" kids in August and realize I missed precious opportunities with Deacon this summer. So..we are making it a point to do something with him each day of the week that we may not normally do. I'm sure you've seen these ideas on pinterest and other blogs. Here is the schedule we will be loosely following:

• Monday Funday-A fun activity planned as a family since Derek is off on Mondays
• Take Me to the Movies Tuesday-On Tuesday the movie theatre near our hometown shows $1 movies. We hope to go to several or let Deacon watch a movie at home. We don't let Deacon watch too many shows so this is a treat.
• Worship Wednesdays- On Wednesday we will spend time talking about a bible story and doing a fun activity to go with it.
• Thoughtful Thursdays-On this day we will do a random act of kindness for someone.
• Family Craft Friday-On Fridays we will make a craft with the family

I would like to thank ThePoeFam and Pinterest for the wonderful idea. We will be starting this Monday and we can't wait!

In the meantime, I'd like to share a picture we took of Deacon last night. I have been dying to try out the sidewalk paint recipe on Pinterest. It worked like a charm

SIDEWALK PAINT

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup corn starch

food coloring

1. Mix corn starch and water. At first it feels like they will never mix but just keep stirring.

2. Divide your mixture into different bowls/containers. We used our Melissa and Doug no spill paint cups that we love.

3. Add food coloring.

4. Enjoy

 

Until next time.....

 

Courageous

  

Our church is showing the movie “Courageous” next Sunday night, January 29,  at 6:00 p.m. We will be serving sandwiches, chips, and drinks at 5:00 p.m. There is no charge. Derek and I have been very excited about this for several weeks now. We saw the movie in theatres and it is a movie that changed our lives. I know it will change the lives of anyone who sees it.

Here is my opinion of the movie for what it’s worth. I have been asked several times if “Courageous” is a movie that women would enjoy and the answer to that is ABSOLUTELY. It changed the way I parent Deacon and made me more aware of what the bible says about child rearing. It also helped me realize things I could do to support Derek in his role as man of our home. It’s a tough job that I’m glad I don’t have but I can definitely pray for him and give him the support he needs. Lastly, the most important job I will have on this earth is to raise Deacon to be a “Man of Courage.” I’m not going to lie that seems like an overwhelmingly daunting task that has been given to us. This precious little boy who loves to shout “NO” and “MINE” will someday be in charge of a family of his own. It will be his responsibility to lead his family through the trials and tribulations of life. He will have the task of teaching his children about God all while loving their mother and providing for their needs. I can tell you it won’t be easy which is why we need to do everything we can now to prepare him for this role.  

The song “Courageous” is hands down my favorite song right now. I love to hear the guys and Kristi practice it at church and I know you will be blessed if you join us on the 29th so you can hear it too. This movie has the chance to change your life. It doesn’t matter what your religious affiliation is-this movie is for everyone. It would be our honor to have you join us at Calvert City United Methodist for this film. You will be so glad you did!

 

Seek justice

Love mercy

Walk humbly with your God

 

We're still here

I have been busy transitioning to my new job and juggling work and Deacon so I haven't had much time to blog but I hope to change that! I have a blogging app on my iPad so I hope that will make blogging easier. I could never catch up on all that I've missed so I will just start fresh!

 

This is a funny picture of Deacon from photo booth! I will be back with more soon!

Still Here

Deacon and I are still doing TOT School. I didn't know what our theme should be after we were done with dogs. Derek thought it should be a fruit so we had settled on oranges...random I know. Then on the Sunday night before we were going to introduce orange on Wednesday-Derek took Deacon outside with him to set the trash out and pointed up to the moon and said moon...which Deacon repeated again and again. So we changed themes! I made him 4 moons on the cricut since the moon was created on the 4th day. We read Goodnight Moon and went outside and pointed at the moon every night. As the moon changed Deacon started calling it a ball but now he knows it's the moon. He also has a turtle that projects stars on the ceiling and we turn it on as he goes to bed and he shows us the moon. I love having a theme we focus on for a couple of weeks because I feel it helps expand his language and knowledge. We are now going to move on to a Halloween theme for the month of October. I would love for him to learn the word Pumpkin.

As many of you know God has led our lives down a new path. I have accepted a position with the Marshall County Board of Education. It will be different in that I will work 5 days a week but I will be home with Deacon in bigger chunks of time several times throughout the year. It is a decision that we prayed over for several months. We knew that if a school position opened I needed to apply but we didn't expect one to open up this year. God had other plans and we are excited to start this new journey.

For the past 3 years I've been blessed to work with an amazing team. They were there through some tough times in my life and celebrated the anticipation and birth of Deacon with me. For girls and now guys with such varied ages and interests we bonded together and got along like a family. I will forever be grateful for the therapy team at Bradford Heights. They supported me my first 3 years as a Speech Pathologist and were happy for me when I made the decision to leave. Though I won't see them as often I will for sure keep in touch. I've worked with a unique population the last several years. My patients have been much older than me and I've admired and respected each one I've had the privilege to treat. They have all left a lasting impression on my heart. They've made me a more faithful, compassionate, caring, sensitive person and that is truly a blessing.

Derek and I decided before having Deacon that we would do whatever it took to ensure his best interest was always put first. We are both the type of people who put our whole hearts into anything we do and child rearing is no different. We struggled with knowing whether or not it would be in Deacon's best interest for me to work the school schedule or to work 3 days a week until he got in school. We knew hands down I needed to be in the schools before he got there. We decided to let go of that decision and let God and he provided all the answers and things just fell into place. We would appreciate your prayers as our family embarks on this new and exciting journey. I love love love kids...not just my own but all kids as if they were my own. I hope God uses me as an instrument in these sweet children's lives.

Tot School

I'm finally starting something new with Deacon that I've been thinking about for awhile. It's what alot of moms call tot school which is exactly what the name suggests-school for tots. Alot of these moms home school their older children and so they plan structured themes and activities for their younger children. The blog where I got most of my information from is http://www.1plus1plus1equals1.com/totschool.html. She has lots of theme ideas and printables I will be using in the future. We are blessed that Deacon is with my mom, Derek or I at all times. No matter who he is with he gets one on one attention which is invaluable to us and exactly what we wanted. It has more advantages than I can even begin to mention. However, Deacon rules the show. He decides what he is going to do and when he is going to do it and we just follow his lead. That's why I think it is so important to do some structured activites with him each day. We will all be working on the same concepts following a basic theme that will change every two weeks. I hope to document it all here. After Christmas we will advance to letters and numbers and that will be the basis of our themes.

I'm going to introduce the themes to Deacon on Wednesday mornings. When he wakes up in the morning he will find his special bucket in the floor. We are then going to go to the library and pick out some books related to our theme. I'm not going to force him to play with the items in the bucket but they will be available to him throughout the day and I know he will take an interest in them.

The first theme is dogs. Deacon loves dogs thanks to Maddy and he can already say the word and make the sound. This made it an obvious first choice as he already has an interest in it. The activities below are a starting point and I hope to add one or two more dog activities throughout the next two weeks.

This is the bucket I'm going to use for his theme activities. His Aunt Jill made it for him for his birthday.


These are some of his dog toys. Most of these he hasn't seen or played with in the last couple of months. These theme activities will also help me rotate his toys as he typically plays with the same ones over and over.


I found these silly bands at Hobby Lobby in the clearance aisle. Deacon loves jewelry so I know he will enjoy putting them on and taking them off. They are in the shape of dogs and he will always be under close supervision when playing with them.

This is a book we got while I was pregnant and it tells the story of a K-9 dog and officer. This will help bring in Derek's job to the theme.

This is a basic little book I made him.

It is filled with stickers that are different textures which he will enjoy feeling of.

I put these dogs on sticks for him to play with.

These are his big and little folders. The glue isn't dry but it will dry clear. Deacon can say so big and we often contrast that he is so big and Maddy is so little so I thought that would be a good learning activity to work towards. I don't expect him to be able to sort them and understand what big means and what little means but he usually does a good job putting things back in the place they go and it will be good early exposure regardless.

The big folder with big bones and big dogs.

The little folder with little dogs and little bones.

His bucket of goodies which I'm about to sneak in and place on his bedroom floor.

I think it's important that Deacon has some type of learning activity each day because if he were at a daycare he would be getting that for sure. I know that he may not fully understand the concepts we are working towards this week but he usually surprises me with how quickly he picks new things up. When he is a little older we will add in themed lunches which I can't wait for!

If you are an avid blog reader as myself or a pinterest addict which I'm also guilty of then you have seen these ideas I'm sure. These moms are having great success so I hope we do too. I couldn't have done any of these activities without my cricut. This project cost less than $7. Stay tuned for more themes in the coming weeks...

Deaconisms

• Yes that is sand you see all over his face. He loves his new sand and water table and like to dump sand all over his face.


• We played with water balloons the other night and had the best time-Thanks Aunt Tay


• His vocabulary is really picking up and he never shuts up...we just can't yet understand most of what he says


• We haven't introduced many new signs now that his vocabulary is expanding but he did learn "stop" He loves tellling "Ma!" (Maddy) to stop


• I'm really encouraging independent play a little bit each day. It's a skill I was worried he was going to miss since we try and interact with him every waking moment. Independent play is an important part of development so I knew we needed to work on this. I love just sitting in his room and watching him pull every book off the shelf and look through them without me trying to teach colors, animal sounds, etc.


• He loves to pretend to talk on the phone. He calls dad most often especially when he's at work


• Maddy and Deacon are the best of friends and he gets so excited when she gets up in the morning.


• He loves to pretend cook while I'm cooking. He loves to stir ice and make a huge mess.


• He is feeding himself most anything but making a HUGE mess! I love watching his fine motor skills develop. I've gotten him some adaptive equipment to help build these skills....can you tell I work with OT's


• He will pick up most anything such as hair gel, hairbrush, toothbrush and mimic its intended purpose


• My absolute favorite thing he has learned to do is clasp his hands together in prayer. He is a sponge and picks up on most things quickly. We have tried so hard to instill our Christian values in him since day 1 and to finally see it in him warmed our hearts. When we ask him to pray he folds his hands together very quickly but ever so sweetly. He doesn't keep them folded during the entire prayer but he definately knows we are praying. He has even done it in church a couple times right on cue.
  

100th post

It's our 100th blogpost! I've been really bad about updating this blog but I hope to get better! Deacon is doing wonderful. We are working on body parts and colors with him and he is doing really well. I have started couponing and there is so much to learn. I hope to take a couple classes and get better and share some tips on my blog from time to time.

Deacon is going to his first wedding this weekend so I'll post pictures from that for sure!

Dearest Deacon

Deacon,
I can't believe you are already one year old. It seems like just yesterday I was getting the positive pregnancy test and now you are a toddler. This past year has been the most amazing year of my life. You brought new meaning to our family and to our hearts.

You are 100% boy. You are rough and tough and very loud! I LOVE being a boys mom. You've taught me to love loud noises, trucks, trains, dirt, and balls! You love for us to build things for you to destruct. You are certainly your daddy's child. You love tinkering with things, lights, and all things electronic. I can't wait to see what you two create in the years to come.

You love your sissy girl more than anything but you also love to yell at her! We can't wait to know what you are saying to her because from the sounds of it it's not too nice. You think you are the boss of her and for the most part she lets you be. It really is true that a dog is a boy's best friend.

I've loved watching you learn so many new things. This world is so full of wonder and you are a blank slate just soaking it all in. You enjoy the simple things in life. We love watching you learn new signs and words every day.

We pray for you every night that you grow into the young man God desires you to be. He already has a plan for your life sweet boy and we pray we are doing our part to mold you into the role you will play on this Earth. We continually pray for wisdom in our newfound role as parents.

Thank you for blessing us this past year over and over again. You give us new reasons to smile everyday. You've taught me to not sweat the small stuff. I used to insist on cleaning my house every week and always having the laundry caught up but now I know those are such trivial things. I'll worry about those things again when you are all grown up! You've taught Daddy and I new ways to fall in love with each other all over again. Seeing you with him just melts my heart.

We love you more than words can say!

Mommy and Daddy

Still here!

Hi! My mommy's busy planning my first birthday but she will be back to updating soon!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

11 months

• Visited Florida and swam in the ocean for the first time





• Caught his first fish with lots of help from Dad





• Went to Venture River for the first time





• Can stand for several seconds on his own





• Consistently says: dada, momma, ma (Maddy), Tay, hey, huh, bye-bye, mum-mum





• Signs-more, please, thank you, and finished





• Loves most all finger foods except for tortillas, english muffins, bar-b-que





• Weaned down to two nursing sessions morning and night and began drinking whole milk from a bottle-he usually only drinks from sippy cups but he won't drink the milk from a sippy cup

We are in full fledge party planning mode at our house! We can't wait to celebrate the first year of his life!

Mommy's Day

Mothers Day this year had a whole new meaning thanks to Deacon. It was my first mothers day although last year I was very aware of his presence! This picture is the exact moment I became a mommy. It is a moment I will always treasure. Looking into the eyes for the first time is a moment I'll never forget and I'm so thankful my husband took this picture.


Derek and I saw his mom on Saturday night for Mothers Day and we met my mom and grandma for breakfast before church. My parents were heading to Lexington for Chase's graduation (yay Chase!!!!)

Deacon and I before church-love him so much!


After church Deacon took a nap and I did some embroidering. Then when he woke up we set out for an afternoon of family time. Derek and I decided to plan an event or an activity for Mothers Day and Fathers Day instead of gifts. Our birthdays are in April and May and our anniversary is in June so we don't need more gifts. As Deacon gets older I'm sure he will enjoy planning the day with the other parent.

We were planning on going to Belews the scenic route thru Cadiz to look at the flooding and take a hike. We were also going to go fishing for the first time and see if we could catch Deacon a fish. Well...that plan changed when we saw the Elk and Bison Prairie at LBL. Jackson and Amelia love going here so we knew Deacon would to. We got up to pay and the credit card machine was out of order and they only took $1 or $5 bills which we didn't have. This didn't stop Daddy though-50 minutes and 15 miles later we had the correct change. Thanks Barkley Lodge!

It couldn't have been a more perfect day. To see the excitement in Deacon's eyes is something I'll always cherish.


His face when he saw the animals was priceless. The bison were so close to our car and several crossed right in front of us.

We then found a little creek and stopped for pictures. I love this picture of him. A perfect ending to our day!

10 months

We are a little behind on our blogging because our camera has been in the shop but it's fixed now and we will be picking it up soon! Deacon turned 10 months old on Easter Sunday. We recently got his 9 month proofs back so I will share a couple of my favorite pictures and do his 9 month stats. Then I will be taking his 10 month pictures this week and sharing those as well. I'm hoping to start blogging more as more and more of my friends are getting blogs.

• Deacon is eating mostly table foods. He will eat anything we put in front of him and we feel so blessed by this. He loves all fruits, veggies, veggie burgers, cheese, pancakes, soft pretzels, and oatmeal. We are introducing new things all the time.





• He has signed the words: more, please, and thank you in the last week. He does more very consistently and appropriately. He won't do it unless he truly wants more of something-he won't do it on command. A few times we haven't given him what he wants quick enough so he will throw in please but it's not very consistent. We are working on finished now and he does something similiar to finished but I'm not sure if it's purposeful yet.





• He can get down off the chair or couch without tumbling head first. He knows to turn around and slide off.





• He can blow kisses, make an indian noise, and make a sound that sounds like our boat when we ask him how our boat goes.





• He says mama and dada consistently and Ma for Maddy. He can also use hey, hi, bye bye and mum mum pretty regularly. He has said several other words but not enough for them to be purposeful.





• He is sleeping 12 hours a night and taking 2 naps a day for the most part





• He went to Bowling Green on an overnight trip this month, dyed Easter Eggs, went to an Egg Hunt, went to the movies, played outside and lots more fun things I can't remember





• He is the best shopper in the world and will stay in his stroller all day long!





• He can stand briefly unassisted and can walk around all the furniture. We know walking is right around the corner.

We can't wait for the fun things we have ahead of us. I'm in full 1st birthday planning mode and I'm trying to get as much accomplished as possible while he naps and after he's in bed.

May God bless you all this week!

Sorry

This post will have no pictures as our camera is in the shop:( This is good for Deacon and terrible for us! Thank goodness we have our cell phones and another camera. I have his 9 months picture that I will post when the camera is back. We have been busy the past few week but are enjoying the time we get to spend outside. I have been working in Princeton the past couple of weeks so it's been nice to be so close to home. It makes for much shorter days. We have several Easter activities planned for the next week. We bought Deacon some plastic eggs and he has been practicing his egg hunting skills. He went and saw the Easter Bunny last weekend and wasn't scared at all. He also saw his first movie theatre movie-HOP and loved it! We are making Resurrection Rolls with our Sunday School class this Sunday. I hope that we can convey the death and resurrection of our Savior in a way that is meaningful and something they will remember forever!

Almost 9 months...

We have been taking advantage of this nice weather and playing outside as much as possible. Deacon loves being outside which is good because we do too!

Swinging


We had a wonderful time at the Wizard of Oz


Jackson, Deacon, Amelia


Sweet boy in his adorable shirt

His new trick is to do his hands like this when we ask him how big he is...so big!

Playing at church

He loves his car

First trip to Rupp to cheer on the Marshals!

Mommy's boy

Love him!

With him fam!

Such a ham!

Styling before church

8 months old!

You are 8 months old sweet baby! We can't believe you have gotten so big! We have had so much fun with you.

Highlights:

• Size 3 diapers- very close to size 4
• 6-9 month clothes
• Words-bye-bye, mama, dada, hey, poppa, ocar (oscar)
• He can wave bye and can sometimes point to mommy's nose
• He got his first black eye by falling into Maddy's toy box
• Pulling up and walking around furniture
• Can walk behind his lion toy
• Nurses about 5 times a day
• Sleeps about 12 hours a night and takes 2 naps (Thank you God!)
• Eats food that mommy and daddy make: blueberries, strawberries, pineapple, peaches, pears, applesauce, banana, broccoli, peas, green beans, mixed veggies, chicken, squash, sweet potato, carrots-we buy organic yogurt and oatmeal
• Started going to the nursery at church and does so good

Just this week Deacon has learned that even though he can't see one of us we are still there. If he's in the room with me and hears Derek in another room he crawls as fast as he can to look for him. The other night I was in the bathtub and he was in the living room with Derek and he crawled all the way into the bathroom to find me. He is learning so much every day and we are blessed to get the opportunity to raise him!

We're off to see the wizard...

Saturday night we are off to see the Wizrad of Oz with the Boone's at the Carson Center. I've been dying to host a movie night but I knew Deacon wouldn't appreciate it yet. So I got the idea to have a Wizard of Oz movie night and invite the Boone's. That way we could refresh our memories on the movie before seeing the play. A movie night is simply a themed party to go along with the movie you are watching. Lots of blogs I follow do these for their children and I AM IN LOVE with the idea. The Smith home will be having movie nights at least once a month when Deacon is old enought to watch a movie. All you do is watch the movie ahead of time and plan a themed party around the movie similiar to a birthday party. This movie night cost less than $20 and the kids loved it!

Uncle Michael and Aunt Jill brought Deacon the Wizard of Oz toys



The kids on the yellow brick road

Follow the yellow brick road-I'm lucky to have a husband who goes along with my ideas:)

The yellow brick road made by D

The witches brew....I'm melting....

Toto's dog food

Scarecrow's diploma

Wicked Witch cookies

Tinman's heart

We also had somewhere over the rainbow fruit cocktail and munchkin mix which was miniature oreos, teddy grahams, and nutter butters. This was the favor the Boone kids took home with them. The first movie night was a success.