A little cupcake

Our sweet new niece Nora was born yesterday and we are all already in love! Nora Lindsay Smith entered the world at 2:41 pm on May 29th weighing 6 lbs 11 oz and only 18 inches long. She's the cutest, sweetest little thing. This baby girl was very, very anticipated by Chase. He hasn't gotten to meet her yet- no kids in the hospital- but we can't wait to introduce him soon! Here are a few of his thoughts about this baby he's shared with us over the past 9 months:

 When Will first told Chase that they were having a baby last fall the first thing he said was, "A baby! Like Hudson?! We already have a baby. We have Hudson." But ever since then his excitement about this little baby girl has just been growing. Longest wait ever (in his short little life).

February 2014:

Mom! Tatie says I can have the baby when she's born! She said I can have her!

Then we clarified that he can't HAVE her to keep, but he can hold her.

A few days later:
I'm going to have a little cousin. But she's just little in Tatie's tummy. But when she gets bigger she'll come out and I can hold her.
And then we asked what they'll name her, because he's been pretty sure she should be Sofia since day 1
Not Sofia. They'll pick something else. Maybe Josh? Yeah, they'll name her Josh.

Seeing my brother hold his new baby girl melted my heart

 March 2014:
While looking at Kate's arm:
Oh I see her!
Then we directed him to Kate's belly-
Chase: Oooooh, does she have owies?
Me:No those are just the dots on Kate's shirt.
Chase: Oh I see her! She's bea-u-ti-ful! (in the sweetest quietest little voice!)

Chase: Is she wearing diapers?
Kate: No, she doesn't wear anything yet.
Chase: Is she pooping in there? Is there poop in her?

Chase: My baby cousin is so tiny! She's so tiny in there but when she gets big she will come out and I can hold her, because I already washed my hands. (Let the record show that in late March he washed his hands so he can hold the baby when she comes in June)

 May 2014:

I explained to Chase that we were having a baby shower for Katie/Nora the next day. I asked him if he knew what a baby shower meant, he said he did. It means "rolls." After some thought I realized that we had cinnamon rolls (a definite favorite of Chase's) at my friend Keely's shower a few months ago. Then later on, while in the tub, Ben let the boys run the shower, which was hitting Hudson. Chase thought it was hilarious that this also was a "baby shower!"

Chase handed Katie a grape and said, "Here, eat this! This is for baby No-wa!"

One morning he crawled into bed with me and started talking about baby Nora. I told him she'd be here soon and he said,
"Yeah she's so tiny and I get to hold her. And I can call her a little cupcake."

When I told him that Nora was going to be born that day he said (in the most excited voice you can imagine) "and she can poop in diapers!!!!!" We are all just so happy that this sweet little cupcake made it here safe and sound. Ben and I snuck back up to the hospital this morning to spend more time with the her, and she's sure a sweet one. We are so happy for this new little family!

Memorial Day

Ah, Memorial Day! Basically our kick-off to summer. This is an especially exciting day because the Smith pool officially opens! We headed up to my parents house right after naps for a pool party and BBQ. Originally it was just going to be me and my kids and my parents (Ben was working), but as the day went on the party grew to a few more people (Will and Kate and the whole Franks family) and ended up being so much fun! Both of my boys were a little hesitant about the water right at first. Chase was insistent that he did not need his life jacket, and I was insistent that he does. So after some screaming, a time-out, and a little bribery, he put that life jacket right on and hopped in and had a blast! The boys swam for hours! Luckily for me, there were about 10 other people there, all of whom adore the boys and were more than happy to entertain and play with them. They were in heaven! Chase especially loves the Franks kids, who graciously swam with him for another hour after all the rest of us had gotten out. We had a delicious food, great company and beautiful weather. My parents backyard is basically a little bit of heaven on earth and we feel so lucky we get to enjoy it all summer long! 

I would have loved to have gotten more pictures, but after snapping just a few I hopped in the pool as well and the camera was forgotten for the rest of the evening. 

That's my cute little niece in Kate's belly- I took this pic in hoping that she'll be born tonight. Stay tuned for adorable pictures of Chase with this much-anticipated baby cousin!

Mays Days

Just a few pictures and events from May:

 How many Hugo boys does it take to fix a vacuum? Three apparently. Hudson is now at the age where he wants to join in any fun boy project around our house. Chase has always been this way. Today he literally broke into tears when he realized that Ben and Papa had finished fixing the fence without him.

 Heidi graduated from Utah State! She has a bachelors degree in Public Relations and already has an awesome job lined up in Boston! The boys and I went up to graduation. Chase did great for a 3 year old, Hudson could have done better. 15 months is a frustrating age for a baby I think. I wanted to get a picture of Heidi and the kids and this is seriously the best we could do. I told Chase to hold her hand- so of course he's crossing his arms in happy defiance, and Hudson just really really wanted to get that hat off her head. The boys love their aunt and we are so proud of her for graduating! (Also note- she's the only Smith kid to get a 4 year degree in 4 years. Some of us took a little longer than that.)

Chase is so creative these days. This picture shows him making some sort of trap/machine/fishing pole out of a ribbon he found. And wherever Chase is playing, you can always bet Hudson will be close behind.

 Hudson got switched to a forward facing carseat. His infant seat got donated to our new niece and I thought he'd be thrilled to face forward and have a good view/be like Chase. Well, I was wrong. Hudson, per usual, does not handle change well. The top photo is of day 1 in the new carseat. The bottom photo is the next day. He caught on quickly and now seems to be excited about the change. He waves "bye" to every car/person/tree we pass, so I think he's enjoying his new view.

 We spent a lovely morning playing at Station Park in Farmington with our friends the Warners. This picture is of Chase and Jane. Chase loved these fountains so much. I can't get over how wonderful that place is- we feel lucky to live where we do! Ann and I were remarking on how crazy it is that we used to hang out in a third world country, where we were sweating like crazy with no AC and chasing mysterious lizards and bugs out of our apartments, and now we are hanging out in this beautiful, brand new park!

A perfect Sunday Night

Like a lot of other families with young children, Sunday morning do not necessarily bring out the best in us. Rushing around to get everyone ready for 9:00 church and usually arguing with Chase over proper church attire (shoes, ties, etc.) This last week we pulled in to the parking lot only to realize we'd left the ipad at home (needed to keep Chase quiet during sacrament and for Ben to use in his lesson for Sunday School) so we turned around and ended up walking in to sacrament during the opening announcements. And then as soon as we sat down realized that Hudson had a stinky diaper, so out went Ben and Hudson before the opening song even started. Hudson, at almost 16 months, is in that hard church age- not old enough for nursery, but definitely doesn't stay with us for our meetings. We've resorted to just going to nursery with him. We laugh about why we even go to church sometimes, because we don't necessarily get a whole lot out of the talks and lessons while wrangling our kids. But we go because it's what we do, we want to teach our kids that we go to church and someday we'll be able to really listen again!

 So after a couple of stressful hours on Sunday mornings we have the whole rest of the day together, with no commitments or projects or errands. It is wonderful! This past Sunday was absolutely beautiful weather, so after dinner we took the boys outside and they just generally had a wonderful time. Ben worked with Chase on batting and then they played soccer for a good 30 minutes. And Hudson worked on his own type of athleticism- learning to walk on grass. I'd say he set a personal record this night. The weather was gorgeous, my kids were happy, and I loved just soaking it all in.

Our Favorite Thing

This spring we have been soaking up every warm day we can get! And our very favorite way to do that is playing at the park. We are so blessed to have 5 super fun, nice, different parks within minutes of our house! We rotate through all of them and enjoy the unique features each has to offer (this one has sand-which is a huge hit with my little diggers, others have ducks to feed, or the draw of the "castle" park). We go often with friends, or just by ourselves. And my boys both LOVE it. I love being outside with them and watching and helping them explore their world. And then they usually take excellent naps afterwards, which is a win for all involved.

This morning had started off a little rough- Chase had already been to time-out twice before 7:00 am to give you an idea. Once we had our whole morning routine done, exercise, breakfast, laundry, etc. I decided a fun activity was definitely in order to try to turn around a day that was headed for disaster (dramatic, I know). I packed up a picnic and some sand toys and we headed to one of our favorite parks. Ben was able to join us since he goes in to work late on Fridays. It was awesome. The boys were totally in their element. Chase got to attempt the monkey bars (or monkey hangs as he calls them). To Chase monkey bars are a real right of passage meaning you are "big". Hudson is definitely a little thrill seeker and laughed hysterically on all the slides and swings. Both boys dug in the sand. We ate a yummy picnic lunch. It was a little bit of heaven.

Mothers Day 2014

I'm so glad that I get to be a mom! These two boys are seriously a dream come true. Somedays it's hard, and somedays it's really, really hard, but the happiness they bring to my life outshines all that. I came to the conclusion after I had Hudson and I was trying to adjust to having 2 needy, sweet little kids, that it was okay that I felt like my job was hard. It could be hard and I could love it at the same time. I love teaching my boys new things and watching them learn. I love wiping away their tears and giving hugs when they are sad. I love cuddling in the middle of the night when someone has a bad dream. I really love reading stories and singing lullabies. I love pushing them around in the stroller and taking them everywhere with me. Mostly I love their smiles, sweet little faces and feisty little spirits. Some days I feel like I'm in over my head- and I call my mom and vent to her- and she reassures me that they are normal and I am normal and that it will all be okay. I love her. 

Which brings me to my second thought today: A few months back we were having a lesson in Relief Society from Elder Holland's conference talk on depression. So many women shared their experiences with depression, and about 90% of those came from the time their children were very very young. They talked about the physical demands on young children and how exhausted they felt all the time- and the importance of taking time for yourself and getting help from other people. I sat there feeling a little awkward- I was one of only a handful of young mothers in the room (we have an older ward). And honestly- I don't feel this exhaustion and despair that so many of them were talking about, and I know exactly why. Because there are so many people surrounding me helping me raise these boys. I have a husband who despite long work hours is amazing with our kids. My parents babysit all the time or have us up to dinner on a random week night. My dad takes Chase on little outings every week. My brothers and sisters adore my kids and are constantly reassuring me that I'm on the right track. The people in our ward kindly smile at us as we take our noisy baby out of sacrament meeting. Some awesome friends come over for play dates so I can get some social interaction along with my kids. There are so many people around me who are helping me raise these boys, and I feel the strength of their love every single day. And ultimately I know Heavenly Father is there to help me, He truly knows what is best for my kids and He will guide me to find it. I am so thankful for all the people who are there to help me on this journey- they've helped me to be able to fully enjoy motherhood and all these sweet boys have to offer. Of course I'm exhausted at the end of each day- but it's mostly a happy-exhaustion that I wouldn't trade for the world. 

 And just when you think Chase couldn't get any cuter- here is a picture of the mothers day card he made me. I know exactly what it was before Ben even told me- Chase's current favorite machine- a cement mixer. I think Chase is saying he loves me as much as he loves cement mixers- which is a whole lot.

Out of the Mouth of Chase- Spring Edition

After a family home evening lesson about Easter and the Resurrection:
Me: So when we celebrate Easter on Sunday can you think about how Jesus was resurrected?
Chase: Yeah! And the Easter bunny can come to see Jesus!

While Hudson was whining Chase yells out:
"I'm SO HUNG-WEEEEEE"
Me: You are hungry? You just had lunch!
Chase: No, I'm just talking for Hudson. He's SO HUNG-WEEEE

Every time he sees his name written he tells me, "It needs an rrrrr. For Chase-RRRRR" He's made it fairly clear that he thinks his real name is Chaser, and we just call him Chase for short.

After eating lunch at the park:
Me: Chase, did you have a good lunch?
Chase: We didn't have lunch Mom! It was a picnic.

I was showering him off one night and while I was trying to wash him he kept closing the door saying, "Mom- I need privacy! I'm showering, I need privacy!"
(Of course he was fine having me dry him off afterwards and everything. He just knows that's what he's told when anyone else is showering.)

Me: Chase- go to bed!
Chase: (with a serious twinkle in his eye) I can't. My bed is making me terrible! I'm terrible Mom!
Me: No, you are not. You are adorable, not terrible. But you need to go to bed!
Chase: No, I can't. I'm just terrible Mom.

While my mom was babysitting one night-
Chase: Nana, can I please have some chocolate?
Nana: Um, let's wait for your mommy to get home and we'll ask her.
Chase: Oh Nana, that is not a good idea.