Zoo day

Today we went with our friends to the Frank Buck Zoo. What a treat! This zoo is a perfect size for little ones - not a ton of walking, lot's of shade, and many places to feed the animals. Here's some pictures from our morning:

Happy Monday

Check out this bed head:

Happy Monday, friends!!

Super-sized Smiths

Matt has been showing his students "Supersize Me" as he teaches about nutrition and the chemistry behind calories. I think it's getting into his head because yesterday he came home and said, "Let's try a new challenge...no eating out for an entire month." Naturally, I reacted by laughing then realized he was being completely serious. Uh-Oh. What? No Kids-Eat-Free nights at Chick-fil-a? No Sonic grilled cheeses and sweet teas? No El Fenix queso and chips? I'm supposed to cook every night for an entire month? But WHY???

Now, I wouldn't consider us in the obese or even overweight category of the U.S. population but that doesn't mean we're taking care of our bodies. I've noticed that I've been struggling with slight depression and lack of energy and I really think it's because of my poor diet. We've overhauled a lot of what we eat and drink over the last year such as no more sodas, lots more fresh produce, and more fish and chicken, less red meat. We eat a lot of Mediterranean/Asian foods these days. But we can still do better.

After planning our meals for the week and putting together my shopping list, I'm starting to get a little excited about this challenge. I think it will be the start of some great eating habits for all of us. I think it will force me to take better care of this body God's given me. How dare I trash it by skipping meals or eating too much sugar instead of natural, healthy "fuel"? This will be a sweet time of family dinners and reflections/conversations on the importance of taking care of ourselves for God's glory and purpose. How can we go out and serve Him with weak and fatigued bodies?

This may seem like a simple and easy change that you've already done in your own life. However, if not, I encourage you to think about how much food consumes your day-to-day happenings. Do you find yourself thinking a little too much about what your next meal will be? Do you turn to food for your comfort instead of turning to the ultimate Comforter? Do you skip meals and deprive yourself of much needed energy to get through your day joyfully? Do you eat mindlessly without giving thought to what it is you're putting in your body? I feel like this is a discipline and responsibility I've been neglecting and/or not putting enough emphasis on in my own life. I don't want to be "preachy" but just want to confess where some struggles have shown up in the Smith house. Now...off to the grocery store we go...

The Big ONE

Heidi's birthday was yesterday....can it be? It has been a fun and wonderful year. Here are the little things about Heidi at a year that I want to remember:

- She has six teeth, two on the bottom and four up top.
- Her favorite foods are blueberries, broccoli, and crackers. She'll tolerate most other things but her appetite definitely depends on her mood. Some days she'll like a certain food, but will throw it on the floor the next day.
- No signs of walking just yet. She can cruise along the furniture and pull up on your legs, but will not let you hold her hands to help her walk. She'll just buckle her legs and melt to the floor.
- She's still taking two naps and sleeps almost 12 hours at night.
- She loves to play peek-a-boo with you. She'll hide behind something then pop up with a big smile on her face. Then she'll do that over and over again.
- She is a little dancer. She grooves to any music she hears, shaking her head and moving her body.
- She loves to be outdoors. We take a lot of walks and play on the playground often. This is where she learned how to climb steps.
- Her words consist of buh-bye, da da, dee (her word for the dogs), uh-oh, buh-duh (brother). Nope, no ma-ma yet. I'm not upset by this or anything. Nope, not at all upset.
- She is really starting to try and imitate words. She laughs and thinks it's a fun game to copy you.
- She's learned to wave, give high five, and clap.

This morning we went to the doctor for her one year check up. She's still a petite little thing: 18lbs (7th percentile) and 27.5 inches (8th percentile). Everything was fine and dandy according to her check-up. That's not hard to diagnose...this little girl is happy, giggly, and a joy to be around! We are blessed!! Here's some pictures of her big day celebrations from playgroup on Tuesday, and yesterday's fun...

Going for a ride in her new car seat:
The cake pops we had at her playgroup party Tuesday. I wish I had taken more pictures of the kids but us mommies couldn't stop gabbing:
Birthday donuts yesterday morning. She took her time with the first donut hole, then realized she liked them a lot and decided to stuff the entire next one in her mouth:
Going for a ride in her new car. She had perfect birthday weather yesterday and we were able to stay out most of the day:

Happy, happy, happy birthday, Miss Heidi!!

Races and Parties

Saturday was a big, fun day for us. Tobin ran his first race with me. It was a race for the Denton Health Department and he ran the entire mile, non-stop! I was so very proud of him and he's super proud of himself. He was ready to do another one the next day. His favorite parts were the free granola bar at the end, running past the woods and wondering if there were bears in there, and keeping up with all of the other runners. It was a special memory for both of us! Saturday evening, we had family over to celebrate Heidi's first birthday. She had a great party! Here's some pictures of her day:

The goodies:

Mmmm...my new toys taste great:

Daddy...can you hurry up with the batteries? I'm ready to play:

Forget it. I'll just do it myself:

Is this for ME?

That cake was great...but I'm full:

I made a slideshow/dvd for our families of Heidi's first year. Here's the slideshow:

Heidi's One Year Slideshow from Emily Smith on Vimeo.

Wednesday is Heidi's actual birthday. We have plans to go out for birthday donuts and perhaps we'll picnic/play at the park all day. No matter what we do, what a gift we have in this girl and what a special year to celebrate!!!

A Beautiful Birthday

My mom's birthday was yesterday and we celebrated with a wonderful dinner outside. The weather couldn't have been more perfect. We had some Easter cascarones (Mexican eggs filled with confetti) that we hadn't used last weekend since Tobin was sick and saved them, knowing that Mimi would love them. It was a lovely evening....

Mom with her Almond Bliss German Chocolate Cake:
Then Heidi discovered the yumminess that was right in front of her and decided to dig her fingers into it:
Then we brought out the cascarones:Heidi is clearly unimpressed with the confetti in her hair:
And here's the delicious dinner:


Matt's brother, Sean, had a birthday yesterday, too. Happy Birthday, Sean! We miss you!!

Easter 2010

We hope everyone had a wonderful and special Easter! Ours started out like this:

And an hour later, our plans for church, family, and fun ended in this:
Notice the Lysol and bucket on the floor? Yes, Tobin came down with a stomach bug yesterday. He's feeling much better today and so far, no one else in the house is showing signs of sickness. In fact, this little girl is going about her business of chasing the dogs, playing with cabinet doors, and unloading any basket or dresser drawer she sees available: