Mini-van Mama

Mama Smors is now officially a mini-van mommy! Now, you know, that since becoming a momma I knew that I wanted a mini-van at some point. I pictured it packed to the brim with many small children and it being the perfect car to suit my large family! Well, a little earlier than planned I am officially driving a van... or as Ivy says, "a ban." After taking Greg's car to Charleston and almost not making it home we were forced to do some car shopping. We looked at bigger cars, small SUV's, and then vans. It was a no brainer, when we factored in gas mileage, insurance, and Ivy's continuous kicks to our seats.... we were ready to take the plunge into Mini-van land! We have been the proud owners since Thursday, Ivy thinks it is the coolest thing her parents have ever bought, and we are loving the space. However, it is pretty odd to look around and have only one babe in the backseat! My baby fever is rising as I am sporting my new vehicle.... I hope to fill it up with many more small children in it's lifetime. But for now, it is the perfect luxury car for a two year old!

Fall Times... Good Times

I absolutely love fall... I love the smells, the tastes, and the colors. I love celebrating lots of family birthdays (two more this weekend)! I love the cooler temperatures. I love seeing little ones dressed up in costumes (note- I do not like to dress up)! I love knowing that Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner. And I love going to Boyd's Orchard. Last weekend we ventured there for the second time this season and as usual we had a blast.

Ivy's grand entrance... on Daddy's shoulders!

Enjoying a snack of apple doughnuts and cider... yum!


She loves this swing.... or blue horse as she calls it!

Feeding the goats- Ivy does not prefer to partake she just likes to watch Mommy and Daddy have our hands munched on!

Through the tunnels... much braver than just 2 weeks ago!

Mommy and Ivy... Boyd's Orchard 2009!

The Story of Charleston... with few words

A husband and wife were very excited for some time to reconnect and enjoy one anothers company. For the very first time they were leaving their sweet Ivy and going to enjoy 4 days of marital bliss in the beautiful city of Charleston, SC!

Saying goodbye with a nervous tummy but know Ivy was in good hands!

Seeing a perfect rainbow on the drive into Charleston.

Enjoying the scenery, walking miles and miles a day, loving that we could sleep late and be on our schedule...

Posing for a sweaty, close up picture before getting on our carriage tour.

Meet Lucy who showed us the beauty of Charleston.

Real people live in these houses with so much history!

A day at Sullivan's Island... can you tell that the temperature dropped 25 degrees and it was really really windy!

My hubby carrying my chair and I have a bag of magazines.... wow I am really an adult and taking a break from children's books momentarily!

Feeling refreshed to come home to our lovely Ivy and the real world, with real problems like a broken car! Our get away was perfect for recharging.

We are so thankful for grandparents that made this trip possible!!

Mommy Likey's

Everyone now and then we come across things that we love love love!! I have found one new favorite thing to do and Greg's mom got Ivy the most precious hair bows that I also love! Here is picture with Ivy sporting both!

Ivy is dolled up with jewelry that she made with Pop-Em beads. These are sold in kits in the craft section at Wal-Mart. They can string together various colored beads to make necklaces, bracelets, and even worms or snakes!! It also comes with things to pop onto rings. This keeps Ivy entertained and she loves getting dressed up with her finished product. I strongly recommend getting some of your own... especially with the rainy days we have been having! Boo to the rain but at least we have some fun inside toys!

This is the close up of the new bows that Meemaw got for Ivy!! She loves them and wants to rock out these ladybug bows everyday. I think someone handmade these genius bows that my child is in love with- so whoever it is... thank you thank you! They are oh so cute!

Overcoming Fears

At age 2, one of Ivy's only fears was the mower. She loved the looks of it in the shed, but once it was out and running she cried at the sound of it.... even when she was inside. Last week she finally broke down. She wanted to go for a ride and her little lip quivered as the noises started, but once they were off she loved the it!! Now any time we are outside she begs to ride :)

Waving to Mommy once she warmed up!

Taking one last lap around the tree!!

Dr. Ivy

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Today was the day.... and proudly the first day, that I lost it! I had a mini meltdown about the struggle of balancing being the jack of all trades. All summer long, as I prayed for the year ahead, I knew that I would still have hard days and somehow I have been able to manage (happily) for the past 8 weeks with no major temper tantrums. Temper tantrums by Mama.... not Ivy. One is never too old to have temper tantrums. So onto my major fit!
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Working full time is manageable, working full time.... having a stupid meeting.... walking on a few eggshells.... knowing I have grad school looming.... and then add a typical 2 year old to the mix is sometimes a recipe for tears. I am so excited to pick Ivy up in the afternoons. I miss her all day and can't wait to hear about all the fun she has at Kristy's. She is at the age where she gives me every last detail and I am soaking these talks in. However, today was different. I was late picking her up due to a stressful afternoon meeting, so maybe it was partly me. But then she began screaming bloody murder the second I buckled her in to the car seat. I told her to calm down and to use her words to tell me what was wrong and then I decided to ignore her tantrum. I turned the music up a little louder certain that with no attention her fit would not flourish. I was WRONG! The screaming escalated, the kicks in my seat got harder, and WAM! I turned around and screamed right back at her. This sent me into tears. Did I really just scream back at a 2 year old? Did I really just yell at the top of my lungs because I had a bad day? Did I really just loose my adult cool with my toddler because she was screaming first?
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Seriously.... I felt terrible. When we got home I sat on the couch a cried. I prayed for strength to do this. I prayed for patience. I prayed to have a change of heart as I go from work mode to home mode. It is hard at times. I told Ivy that I was sorry that I screamed and that I loved her. I told her she was the greatest little girl but she wasn't acting so great. I told her I love when she uses her words so that I know what she needs. She was bothered that Mommy was crying. She sat by me telling me it was okay and rubbing my arm. She asked if I wanted a paci or a blankie!! Haha! And then she said, "I know!!!" as she jumped off the couch on a mission.
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Ivy returned with her doctor bag in tow. She immediately checked my heart and informed me that I was good and it would be okay. "No crying, Okay?" She must have said a million times. I thought it was so sweet and moments like these are when I am reminded of her innocence. I love her child like way of fixing things. I know today was just one of those days where I had to learn a lesson. I am hoping for a better tomorrow and I am most certainly thankful that our children provide us with smiles in the midst of our parenting tears.
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And of course, I had to snap her picture as she played Dr. Ivy! Dr. Ivy knew just the right medicine for a sad mama!

Family

I am aware... I am a slacker. Working full time and having a grad school class with all my free time spent being Mommy and Wife.... Blogging has taken a backseat- MAJORLY! I do miss it, because it is a little bit like free therapy and a little bit like scrapbooking, interesting combo I must admit. But anywho, onto the topic FAMILY!

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If I could wish for one thing in the future it would be that my brother and Chelsea would get out of school, have some babies, and move back to good old Kentucky! (Step 2 and 3 could be reversed!) I will be praying for God to make His will for their lives clear.... clearly in Kentucky :) Haha! Seriously, I love them and I miss them when we don't see them. I enjoy the time that we get to hang out and Ivy is absolutely smitten with them. I want her to be close to them and I want to spoil my unborn neices and nephews rotten! So they must land here, I'd be fine if they ended up at 115 Lefty Loop!!

They came in town a couple of weeks ago. We ate good food, roasted marshmallows, shopped, and attempted to persuade them to adopt Jack's brother or sisters. It was awesome! Here are some pics to capture our fun filled 23 hour visit! I look forward to the next time we see Unc and Esie. It will be soon because we celebrate many birthdays in October!