week 18

baby Smith #8

due date: March 30 (probably before Casey)

weight gain: 16.5 pounds (unofficially/according to a meat scale)

Not too much exciting to report in the last 4 weeks. Busy adjusting to the weather change (and soon the time change), busy taking and editing photos, busy season at the meat shop, kids back in the swing of school... and on and on and onnnnn. I have a feeling my body is adjusting to the weather change as well  :/  (my back side apparently quicker than other parts... yowzas!) 

Next appointment isn't for a couple weeks so I don't have much new to report until then. Staying healthy I hope. According to my pregnancy tracker readings, I should start to feel movement soon... baby kicks... blows my mind every time! Always makes it more real when you can actually feeeeeel that you're really carrying a human being. Mind blowing.

I enjoy looking back through my pregnancy posts, but the closest I could find when I was pregnant with Meg was this post... oops! and this post from when I was pregnant with Drew... crazy! but oh how I love to reminisce :)

Thanks to Casey for making me get outside today and getting a photo. I like to take them, not be in them ;)

41/52

"a portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013"

Peyton: sulking.
Lia: being a kid.
Austyn: always ready for the camera.
Tayt: always ready for the camera. crazy kid.
Nash: showing me the size of a spider.
Drew: girls got skills.
Meg: officially a walker. four weeks strong.

October has been crazy busy. It's hard for me to believe we're half way through the month, but then I think of everything we've done already this month and I believe it. I'm busy editing photos, keeping the house clean, demolition in the former toy room, canning, so many things going on. I promise we're still here! I hope everyone is enjoying the last of their fall :)

daily Smith fashion

I wish I remember when these photos were from. I'm going to guess almost a year ago... or maybe this spring... judging by the length of his hair, I'm going to say this was sometime in February or March 2013. We'll go with that. Regardless, it's been awhile since I've done a daily Smith fashion post so here goes... 

Tayt (6): 
Tee: because this was tossed, I'm guessing it was just something like this
Pants: hand-me-down cargos from Peyton that should be replaced with these (if I liked cargo pants)
Sneakers: birthday Jordan's from aunt Mallory & uncle Christopher (not sure those are the exact ones though, it was almost a year ago... and the plastic bottom is almost completely detached from the top, but that doesn't stop him from wearing them. daily.)

Recently this kid got a hair cut after I'm not sure how long. He's had his hair trimmed a couple/few times so he said we could do a cut. I apologize to our hairdresser, but the cut (which actually kind of looked like the cut above) lasted maybe 24 hours. Then Dave shaved his head because they didn't like it. I didn't mind it. But I sure do miss his long hair. EVEN if I cursed combing it in the morning when he hadn't showered. I'm sure the long hair will be back soon enough.

here's the before, during, and after...

he mayyyy have been close to donating to Locks of Love ;)

I think he liked his hair a little until he saw his dad's reaction. Then he wanted to be like dad. And so it was :) I've always known this kid was/is going to be a heartbreaker, and every smile proves it all over again. That dimple. Those eyesssss. My heart.  :)

toy room simplification [aka...termination]

photo c/o pinterest (before that, couldn't find)

I struggle daily with the way my house looks. I always say it's a mess, but by no means is it dirty. Yes, the many, many phrases I read on Pinterest and previously on Facebook eased my pain a little. But this is something I struggle with d.a.i.l.y! I also feel like I come up with a new idea daily as to what can go, how I can change something, how I can make this or that room better. Mostly, it means something has to go. Last week, Dave burned a couch for me. He sure knows the way to my heart! This week, I've become ill at the sight of the toy room. Rather than clean it for about the millionth time, I'm saying good-bye. Possibly forever. My plan is to sort and clean and go through every piece of garbage whatever is in that room. Next goal after that, convince grandmas and auntieeeees the children don't need toys. EVER. AGAIN.

Now... the idea(s). The toy room is currently the only bedroom on the main level of the house. Because Peyton is growing up (I know, who woulda thought it!), I thought he'd like his room away from everyone else. This poses a couple risks: 1) His messy room upstairs will now be moved to the main floor... for all to see. 2) His tendencies to stay up past bedtime will only be intensified. 3) Removal of his thumbs because I caught him playing Xbox past midnight more than once.

Because this project is only in the beginning stages, all you get is a before photo and some of my ideas. For now. I fully intend to finish this. And by golly, this pregnant woman *will* get her way. (okay, who am I kidding... I get my way about 97% of the time... I love you Dave!) ;)

before

First, gut this room. Second, move Peyton's belongings... downsizing as we go... to this room. Third, or maybe second if I can get my dad to do a project, create new storage for a very tiny portion of toys we keep. Everything else will be donated. No worries. I'm not going to just trash everything. I'm not that mean.

I have a slight obsession with storage and organization and office products so this not-so-small project really makes me excited. Dave? Not so excited. "Whatever wife." His response to almost anything I ask his input for. He's not picky. He just wants me to be happy. Sooo... I'm doing it ;)

Here are a few ideas of small but necessary storage furniture pieces I have in mind. One of these will find a new home in the living room, and hopefully stay cleaner than the toy room ever did.

Also note, my dad is amazing with building just about anything so I'm going to sweet talk him in to making me something like one of these or a combination of all of them... somehow ;)

I may be in love with everything about this!

storagepalooza via land of nod

bulk bins via pottery barn kids

And these are a few ideas I am really liking off Pinterest:

even add a couple covers to these and they'd be just as adorable!

this within Nash's reach... love!

sorry this photo (below) got a little blurry, but now I may need to go antiquing or to an estate sale and find me some sort of vintage looking storage containers! even better, maybe I'll snoop in the shed out back and see if they're hiding some goodies on me ;)

last one!

wooden peach crates via etsy

I wrote most of this post last night. Scratch everything I said about Peyton getting his room moved... I made the executive decision in a moment of fury (I know, best time to make decisions...not): Peyton is not ready for his own room away from the rest of the bedrooms. Apparently, he has a hard time sleeping alone. So the toy room will be an empty room (empty when I clean it) for a bit until I decide if it should be a room for the homeschooling I'm not doing with Nash or just storage or a spare room. I'm still pondering this. A storage room is not ideal. I know what would happen, it would turn into another room of crap.

Excuse 'our living space.' I have absolutely no sense of interior design/decorating, and this is as far as our room has come in the almost 3 years we've lived here. I know some of you would go wild in my entire house :)

and now to begin this project!!!

(all help is welcomed) ;)

38/52

"a portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013"

Peyton: old man.
Lia: loves to help me in the kitchen. maybe not with clean up, but I enjoy the company.
Austyn: diva.
Tayt: concentrating.
Nash: destructing.
Drew: recently found her bellybutton.
Meg: always into something.

October is beyond busy. Bear with me. Posts may be fewer. Weekly photos may be seldom. But I'm busy getting lots of photo sessions done and maybe even some canning (aloneeee). More to come on that. Hope everyone is enjoying the beginning of their fall :)