Twas the Night Before Christmas...

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas (otherwise known as Nick Saban) soon would be there.

Harrison and I were nestled all snug in our bed,
While the family had left for church service, to hear the Scripture read.

And mamma in her plaid PJs, and H in his cap,
Had just settled and fallen asleep for an abbreviated night's nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
for I had walked into the hallway to empty my bladder.
The home security system was ON and GOING like a flash,

And I broke out in a cold sweat and ran to key in the code with a dash.

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a police car, with full lights on, drawing near.

With a knock at the front door, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it was NOT St Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and wondered just what was my name!

The security system did not have you on their approved list, you Vixen!
So off I came quick and with a Blitzen!
But with plaid pajamas and an awakened baby on the hip,

He believed my shock of being caught on a nightly bathroom trip.

So off in his police car the kind officer flew,
With my relief I wasn't in his backseat, with Harrison too.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

True Story.

Harrison's First Christmas

Me and my main squeeze had a blast celebrating his very first Christmas!

H met Auntie Roz for the first time... she flies in every Christmas from Chicago...

....where we help her celebrate Hanukkah by lighting the Menorah and reading the Hanukkah story.

Four generations of good-lookin' Smith men...

H received many gifts.

This was a fluke - he was obviously a little over-stimulated by this point in the night.

But by Christmas morning, he was ready to go again.

With his baseball cap on backwards, just like Daddy.

Sister and I also wore our traditional Santa hats, as we "elves" helped sort out the gifts.

Someone learned that sticking their tongue out was the cool thing to do on Christmas morning...

Buy a child presents.... but the shiny bows will be their favorite things!

Later that day...

DeeDee and PawPaw had fun helping H with even more presents.

He showed quite the affection for his new Laugh and Learn Puppy.

And got some snuggle time with Aunt Melanie.

We did it! 

H's first Christmas... a success!

Merry Christmas!

Eight Months

Dear Harrison,

You are 8 months old! 

You weigh 17 pounds and are 27 1/4 inches in length.  Tall and skinny, just like Daddy. 

You are officially in Size 9 month and some 6-9 month clothing.  And, just recently, some 6-12 month clothing.  Sob.  You are still in Size 3 diapers.

We've upped your eatings to 3 times per day - you love oatmeal in the mornings, yogurt as an afternoon snack, and a fruit or veggie for dinner.  Usually banana, because that is your absolute favorite, and you slurp it down.  You're also still on Mommy Milk. 

 

We have officially entered the "wiggle worm" stage.  You cannot be still for anything!  Changing your diaper is like watching a wrestling match sometimes between me and you.  I'm on your side buddy!  Let me put clean britches on you! And good gracious, you're strong!

You can sit up very nicely and independently now, and can slither down from sitting up to your belly, where you are doing the most hiliarious "crawl" I've ever seen.  Booty up, head down slither, is more like it.  But you get from Point A to Point B, and that's all the matters. 

You are still obsessed with Mickey Mouse and his Clubhouse, and the Little Einsteins.  You love your Ella Elephant lovie the most, and you are fascinated by the tags on your toys.  You like to meticulously find the tags, examine them, and then suck on them.  To each their own. 

Someone has also developed a wee bit of a temper with a strong stubborn streak.  This is ALL from your father's side, of course.  All of it.  You are learning to throw a temper tantrum when we say "No" and take something away.  You've got a great set of lungs, my child. 

Sometimes when you get so distraught, we go to your happy place...the bath tub.  And we sit in there and play, play, play.  And I get soaked from head to toe. 

WIGGLE WORM!!!

Mischevious!

You love to "blow raspberries."  All day long. 

You're also loving finding and playing with your feet.

And you dissolve into sweet baby giggles when we fly you around the room. 

You've also developed some ticklish spots, and giggly hysterically when we count your ribs and squeeze your chunky thighs.

Quite honestly, it's the best sound I've ever heard. 

We love you H-Man!

Holiday Hoopla... Continuation.

The Pork Chop added another tradition to his holiday hoopla - the Annual "Families" Christmas Party in T-Town.  "Families" meaning Smith's, Belk's, Kizzire's, Tinsley's, and Ellis family. 

Something the first generations started many moons ago.

And now they've added a third generation...  but don't you dare mention they're getting old!

Pork Chop was, for lack of a better term, "over it" with all the picture taking. 

Look at my Little Reindeer today! 

Isn't he squishable?

One of my Top Five favorite holiday traditions... Christmas cards! 

I love seeing our fridge fill up and being greeted by family and friends every time I do another favorite of mine ... eating.  :) 

See anyone you know?

Campbell's Challenge: I Accept.

I'm sure many of you have seen Campbell's Soups latest 30 seconds of teasing:

A delicious meal,

under 4 minutes,

under 4 dollars.

I laughed at their taunts, until I could accept their challenge myself. 

Which came in handy, with all the Christmas spending we've been doing around here and empty cabinets with all the running around we've had. 

Behold:

Campbell's Chunky Beer Sirloin Soup over Instant Mashed Potatoes.

Needed a healthy dose of salt, and I'm aware it does not look like the commercial (ahem, Mr. Smith), but it tasted great!

Campbell's Challenge:  Victorious. 

You can believe those commercials now.

Someone was a bit upset he could not partake in the challenge...

Don't let those crocodile tears fool you, readers. 

As soon as I turned Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on, it was all fun and games. 

Holiday Hoopla

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

we've been in full Holiday Hoopla Swing around here!

We recently celebrated the 3rd Annual Falcon Baseball Boys Christmas Party at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Burns.

We say this every year, but I have no idea why we all only get together once a year.

Ridiculous.

Here are the wives...

And the husbands... 

This past weekend, we took H to visit Santa and his elves at Courtyard Cafe. 

It sure beat the lines at the Mall any day!

And H was such a champ - no crying at Santa at all! 

Somebody made quite the impression on Shelly the Elf...

I think he was whispering sweet "I've been really good this year" nothings in her ear. 

Friday Funny

It is important when you have to make a restaurant b-feed break to feed your precious babe to note that when you perch upon the toliet in said restaurant restroom...

... to make sure it doesn't have a sensor on the back to automatically flush. 

Or you will fall victim to a series of flushes and walk away with a damp seat on your pants.

So I've heard.  

Homemade Sweet Potato Baby Food

For those of you that emailed me about homemade baby food, here's an easy dish to get started. 

Homemade Sweet Potato Baby Food

Start with a sweet potato.  Naturally.

Peel that thang.

Cut up in small pieces and put in microwave-safe bowl with a lid. 

(Look!  All that wedding-gifted-Corningware comes in use!)

Don't forget to pour a little water in there, maybe 1/4 cup. 

Zap in Microwave about 10 minutes, until potatoes are cooked.

Put cooked potatoes in Blender with some Mommy Milk - either fresh from the source or formula.  I use about 4-5 oz with one potato.

Also - if there's any water left in your bowl, add that too, since it contains some tasty vitamins and nutrients from your potatoes. 

Puree until it reaches the texture you want. 

Voila!  SIX servings of baby food from one 99 cent sweet potato. 

Easy to put in the fridge or freeze.

(I usually only keep homemade baby food in the fridge for 3 days; otherwise I freeze it.  Note:  when thawing your sweet potatoes, you'll probably need to add some water to it when stirring to give it the whipped texture again, because it tends to freeze lumpy.)

P.S.  Those containers have snazzy green lids too.  I picked them up at Buy Buy Baby, and it came with 2 trays of 4 containers for like $8.99. 

And the crowd goes wild!

Another satisfied customer in Chef Smith's Kitchen.

Honestly, H, it didn't take that long to fix - about 20 minutes total.

You don't have to be dramatic and try to eat your foot.

Easy French Fried Onion Chicken Recipe

Have y'all tried this dish yet? 

French Fried Onion Chicken

It has all the main priorities of my kitchen:

1.  5 or less ingredients

2.  Good on the ol' budget

3.  Deliicous-in-my-belly

4.  Done in 30 minutes or less

5.  Husband tested, Husband approved

Here's what you need:

French's French Fried Onions

1 Egg

Flour

Chicken

Go ahead and preheat your oven to 400 degrees, please. 

Beat your egg in a bowl and then dip your chicken in it.

Place in baking dish.

In a Ziploc bag - WITH IT PROPERLY SHUT - put a heaping spoon of flour and about a cup of your French Fried Onions.  Maybe more than a cup if you're feeling adventurous.

Let's emphasize again - shut your Ziploc bag fully and completely. 

Then, take a spoon or whatever your heart fancies and beat the bag to crunch everything up.

This is also a fabulous stress-reliever, like when your husband tells you he's going away hunting for a whole week after Christmas.

But, I digress.

Pour your freshly beaten mixture on your chicken, then flip your chicken and do the other side.

You may have to get your hands a little dirty and press it in a little for them to stay.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes.

Voila!

Harrison's First Thanksgiving

Harrison's First Thanksgiving

Enjoyed some sweet potatoes with a turkey-themed bib...

Fed to him by his "T."

Got some snuggles in with Aunt Anna...

Enjoyed Great Aunt Susan's gorgeous table decor...

Posed for a cheesy pic with Mommy and Daddy...

And showed off a cutie patootie little turkey booty.

Shameless Plug

If you're not using Ebates for your Christmas shopping this year, then you're totally missing out.

I just checked my Account, and since 2008 they have paid me $601.18.

Yep, you read that right - $601.18. 

Cold, hard cash.

Me likey. 

My checking account likey.

Now, you can likey.

http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=FDTEYJtdxIhUMsmW2TQECA%3D%3D



Wordless Wednesday - Where did November go?

Iron Bowl 2012

Roll Tide!

Yes, we won.

We get bragging rights for the next year, but I don't want to rub it in anyone's face.

The real point to ponder here is...

TRENT RICHARDSON FOR PRESIDENT 2012. 

Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart

2011.

What a year.

A year filled with enough ups and downs to last a lifetime.

But.. with everything, I give thanks with a grateful heart.

For my Harrison. 

The precious gift of my Harrison, who has opened and expanded my little heart more than I ever thought imaginable.

For Mr. Smith, for being the husband and father I knew he would be and will be. 

(Even if it's deer season.)

For my parents, as they survived their house crashing in around them on April 27. 

For their lives being spared. 

For their constant positive outlook even as their world was literally shaken upside down.

For their love of H.

For family and friends who rushed to the scene, helping them save as much as possible of my childhood memories.

For my Brother, who keeps me in stitches yet keeps me in check.

For Sister I and Sister II, for being the best sisters-in-law a gal could ask for.

For my In-Laws, who treat me as their own Daughter.

For their love and devotion to H and his well-being.

For friends, who keep me laughing, keep me grounded, and keep me sane.

For a roof over my head as I type this, as so many do not have one.

For food on my plate, as so many do not have the means to provide for themselves nor their families.

For the clothes on my back, even as I complain about them not ever fitting right again or that they are not "in style"... that I realize that others simply want to warm themselves this winter.

For my job and co-workers, that they have blessed me with the opportunity to work from home and rush to love on Harrison when we do go to the office. 

And... for my Heavenly Father, who continues to love me unconditionally, listen to me constantly, and encourages me every day with a

"Okay, Christina.  Let's try it again today.

Love. 

Love me.

Love others.

That's all I ask for."

Yes, Lord. 

I am thankful. 

With a grateful heart, I am thankful.

Seven Months Old!

Dear Harrison,

You are seven months old!  My big boy!

I can see the wheels turning in that little head of yours... especially when you don't get your way!

You are in Size 3 diapers and Size 6-9 Month clothing.  Not sure how much you weight, since there is no pediatrician visit this month, but you have put on a considerable amount of weight, Pork Chop, from all this baby food. 

You're on Mommy Milk and are eating your baby food 2-3 times a day.  Your favorite is bananas, and you LOVE baby yogurt. 

You're still napping about 3 times a day.

Your favorite hobbies include watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Little Einsteins - in fact, you're quite obsessed.  You literally light up like it's Christmas morning when their theme songs come on.  It's hilarious.

More pictures?  Mom - quit taking pictures of me!

See those teeth?

Mom... quit kissing on me!  You're so embarrassing.

(Side Note:  Had to get the "Billy Ray" chopped off.  I've got a very short bob.  Mr. Smith calls it the "College Christina" look.)

You LOVE your bath time!  I honestly think you would stay in the bath all day long if I would let you.

Oh My Gawd. 

I'm melting. 

Melting.

You can have anything you want, my child. 

Anything.