29 March, 2009

doting on dane

dote- (verb)
to bestow or express excessive love or fondness habitually.

My little b's have spent the last few weeks doting on Dane any chance they get. Berkley and Beckham have especially enjoyed caring for their new little cousin. As soon as they get a peek at him, their face brightens with a big smile.
You can see the joy that this little blessing brings them, and it is so awesome to watch.
They have spent some time sharing stories with Dane.And he always seems very interested to hear them!
The boys have seemed to share a few secrets with each other. (Who knows the plans they might be making!)Berkley has shared a few laughs with Dane.
And, of course, Dane has been showered with kisses!!!
Brenner has slowly become somewhat interested in Dane. (A big improvement from their first meeting!)
Basically, Berkley & Beckham could stare at Dane all day long! It is absolutely precious!
Simply mesmerized by everything he does... even when he is sleeping.
The joy seems to be never ending. And finally, my baby b decided to experience this joy too. After watching Berkley and Beckham hold Dane SO many times, he wanted a turn.He watched baby Dane closely and it brought a smile to his face too. He was now experiencing the joy of this tiny miracle.Something tells me these two guys are going to be big buds soon! There is something so joyful about a new baby. I think, for me, it is the fact of what an awesome miracle a baby is in the first place. To begin to realize that this precious life is here by no accident. Our Creator made him perfectly in His image and planned the precise time that Dane would bless us on this earth. I am completely blessed to be a part of his life and look forward to all of the memories that my little b's and I will get to make with him. I LOVE being an Aunt!

21 March, 2009

v is for victory

Saturday was Beckham's first soccer game. He was so excited, along with many of his teammates. Before the game, Matt tried to get the kids to practice a little. They were all smiles and couldn't hold in their excitement.
Before the game began, Matt huddled up as many of the players that he could, and tried to remind each of them on what they would be doing. (Trying to kick the ball in the direction of our team's goal!)The direction in which to kick was very important during the game. It turns out that 3-year-olds need to be reminded about that quite often. (Especially when they have so many crazy fans on the sidelines yelling their names, screaming "Go! Go! Go!")Matt did a great job of trying to direct them and keep them as "focused" as they could be.Once Beckham knew what direction to kick the ball, he was off! He kicked the ball all the way down the field.
And he even SCORED!!! That was something for he and the coach to celebrate for sure!It turned out that once Beckham got started, he didn't want to quit. He took the ball down to the goal a few more times. And he even scored a few more goals too.
He always raced back to daddy to give him a high five.
Our first game was a big success. Most of the kids had a good time and only a few refused to go on the field at all. They were all great sports, though, and were full of high fives and hand shakes for the opposing team when the game was over.
Beckham was on cloud nine after the game and had fun celebrating with his buddy, Luke.Since our team is so young, the YMCA doesn't declare a "winner" in this division. (However, all of the parents are secretly keeping score.) We owe our first victory to our great "coach." And of course, I'm very partial to number 7 too. I am so proud of them! (And I think they were pretty proud of themselves too!)

Lets hope we keep this excitement going to last us through the whole season. Go Wildcats!!!

19 March, 2009

zoo x 2

During our Spring Break there were only a couple of days that we had nice weather. We decided to take advantage of the pretty weather, along with a few of our friends, and headed to the zoo.

Beckham immediately stole a seat in the wagon with his friend, Trinity, when it was offered to him. They had lots of fun riding together.

Our first stop were the flamingos, which are always a big hit with my kids. Berkley & Beckham watched them intently and even gave them a few snacks.
Brenner and his sweetheart, Ainsley, were interested in these flamingos too. I think Brenner was trying to show off for Ainsley with an impression of his "flamingo stance." Ainsley wasn't going to be shown up though. She quickly showed Brenner that she could stand like a flamingo too. (I think she has it down a little better!)

Of course the giraffes are always popular. The kids have so much fun feeding them and watching their slimy, purple tongues slurp up their tasty treats!
Berkley liked to keep her distance just a little. She is never too sure about those big, slimy purple things!
We finished our trip indoors visiting the "creepy crawler" exhibit... never a favorite of mine. I realize the snakes are behind the glass, but it is just a little too close for me. All of the kids seemed to enjoy it, however. They really liked "searching" for the creatures who seemed to be hiding from their visitors.

The next week when Berkley was back in school, her class took a field trip to the zoo... so for Berkley it was the "zoo times two" since she had just been there! She still had a great time though. She really enjoyed being with all of her friends.
Here is her class with their sweet teacher, Mrs. Diller.
And this trip, Berkley got to give it her best at being a flamingo. Not bad!

We are so grateful for our Abilene Zoo. I know it doesn't compare to much, but it is the perfect size for an exciting excursion! (And honestly, the kids don't know any better!)

10 March, 2009

baby dane is here

Dane Christopher Smith arrived last night at 7:39 PM after we awaited his arrival ALL DAY! He weighed in at 7lbs 4oz and was 20 inches long. He is absolutely perfect.Amy had a long day, but she pulled through it like a champ. And at the end of the day, Chris and Amy's gift from God was snuggled in her arms. The kids and I had been up at the hospital a couple of different times yesterday. We stopped by that morning to say hi and hang out for a while, hoping something might happen while we were there. When lunchtime hit, we decided to go home to get some food and rest. Marmie and JT assured us that they would call if anything began to happen. Once the kids were up from their nap, even though we hadn't received a call, we headed back up to the hospital. I couldn't stand the thought of missing any of the excitement. (Obviously I wasn't remembering how long this process can sometimes take, and that there usually is quite a bit of time from when the baby is born before visitors can actually meet the tiny miracle!)
The kids had fun playing in the waiting room. We also passed the time with a tasty snack in the cafeteria. Daddy finally showed up too. Brenner finally begin to grow tired of the hospital, however; and he needed dinner, a bath, and a bed! Matt graciously volunteered to take Brenner home and let Berkley, Beckham and I stay awaiting Dane's arrival. FINALLY, Marmie got a text from Chris around 7:45 announcing Dane was here! Of course, then we had to wait a while before we actually got to go meet the new little man. The kids and I were growing quite tired of the waiting room, we were all getting really hungry, and bedtime had already approached... but we had to see Dane before we left. By the time we got a glimpse of baby Dane, it was around 8:30. We just got to run in Amy's room really quick and get a quick "peek" of Dane, but none of us got to snuggle with him.
The next morning we were all excited to head back to the hospital to spend some time with Dane. Berkley got to hold Dane first. She really enjoyed meeting her new little cousin.She was definitely very proud of Dane, and she really enjoyed being the first cousin that he got to meet!Berkley gave Dane her approval!
Unfortunately, Brenner didn't quite share Berkley's enthusiasm about this tiny intruder. Brenner definitely plays the role of the "baby" really well. I think he is feeling a little threatened by baby Dane.
Beckham had no problems meeting his cousin. He was really interested in him.He really seemed to enjoy checking him out and getting to know him a little. Dane seemed pretty interested in Beckham too. (I'm sure they were making big plans together!)
We are so blessed to live in the same town as family. Berkley and Beckham both are so excited to have a cousin in Abilene! They've been waiting for Dane to arrive for a long time, and it is evident that they are glad he is here.

On a side note, Beckham now wants to be a "nursery" when he grows up. Beckham was fascinated with all of the nurses he saw at the hospital yesterday while we spent so much time waiting. Once we got to see Amy and baby Dane, he was really intrigued with the nurse that came in to check on them both. The nurse immediately got his attention, because she was wearing gloves. As soon as Beckham commented on them, the nurse asked if he wanted a pair. His eyes lit up as he shook his head. When the nurse returned with a pair for both Berkley and Beckham, she also brought her stethoscope so Beckham could get a closer look at what had been hanging around her neck. She showed Beckham how it worked and let him listen to his heartbeat. He was amazed! He had found another passion in life. He wanted to be a "nursery."
Needless to say, the next day when we returned to the hospital for our first true visit with Dane, it was no surprise to me that Beckham needed to bring along his own "patient" and his doctor kit. Of course, when we asked if he just wanted to be a doctor, he quickly responded, "No, just a nursery!"

05 March, 2009

bend it like beckham

Tonight was Beckham's first soccer practice. He has been SO excited about getting to play soccer this Spring. He has watched Berkley get to go to ballet lessons each week and has seen her in her recitals, and I think he was ready for his turn to do something special. (Mommy & Daddy are happy too, now that Beckham has other interests and is excited to dress up as a football player, cowboy, pirate, golfer and now soccer player instead of a ballerina!!!)

This past Saturday we spent the morning searching for soccer cleats, shin guards, soccer socks and shorts. We thought this would be a one-stop trip, but we were very wrong. It turns out most people must buy their soccer gear a little earlier than the weekend before soccer season begins!!! Everything was so picked over, and it was especially hard to find Beckham's size in anything. However, after many trips around town, we finally found everything we needed for our little soccer star. He has put his cleats and shin guards on with his shorts every day since we got them. Tonight he was especially excited to put them on, because he knew it was for the real deal. The day of his first soccer practice had arrived, and he was ready!

His team is pretty much made up of a bunch of his friends. One of our good friends from our Life Group at church got the team organized and invited all of the kids in our group to participate. The team is organized through the YMCA and you have to be 3 years old to play. Beckham was really glad that he was finally old enough to play something.

I wasn't sure what to expect for the first soccer practice... especially with eight 3-year-olds!!! Matt helped out, along with a couple of the other dads, and they amazingly got the kids to do a few drills! Beckham did a good job following directions and listening. He took it serious for the most part. He did a great job waiting his turn in line to practice kicking the ball into the goal.He was quick to get in his spot while the coaches tried to get the team in a circle for a drill.
He also did a great job working with his "buddy" Luke. They have so much fun together!I did notice, however, that he had some "issues" of some kind going on with his soccer shorts.
We might have to get this under control before the first soccer game!
Beckham had an absolute blast at soccer practice. He had so much fun playing soccer and being with his friends. When practice was over, he wasn't ready for it to end. He and his sweet friend, Trinity, practiced together more with Matt. They were pretty proud of themselves!
I'm not sure what Beckham's first game will be like, but I am pretty sure that he is going to LOVE that too. It was so fun watching Beckham tonight. Every time I looked at him, it was evident how much fun he was having. I'm not sure if he will have all the moves or skills that David Beckham has, but I am positive that he thinks he does!!! And really, in the end, I guess that is all that matters.
Here is to an exciting soccer season ahead of us!