see you on the other side...

i'll start by saying...this is the last post on this blog...THIS BLOG - thesmiths.hugitout - for a while...maybe forever!? I'm not going to delete it, at this point. I'm actually looking into ways to print it, to save for the length of forever:)

let me explain.

courtney and I. My sister, Courtney - over at Buffaloes and Butterflies. The one married to my husband's older brother. The one I spend 5 out of 7 mornings with, having coffee, with an abundance of kids interrupting our DIYing/coffee drinking/blogging/talkingggggg:) Okay...the one with 'all the kids'?! Yeah, that one;).

We're gonna combine. 

We're as much alike as we are different. A lot of different strengths and weaknesses. We make a pretty good team, if you ask me:) And I know we spend a lot of time together and at the same events and such but I think each post, whether regarding the same subject or not, will have a lot of different view points:)

from here on out you can find us both posting over at Hey Hickory!!! 

(details regarding what Hey Hickory means to us, over at Hey Hickory and where we started - HERE).

i started this blog in 2009. Jacob and I were 26 years old (what is TWENTY-SIX!??!!?! Wahhhhhhhhh!!!!) - 1st Blog Post ever, HERE. The point back then was to document the planning of our wedding and our honeymoon! And then in 2012 I changed it over to thesmiths.hugitout, as we were past the wedding/honeymoon and moving on to building our family:)

it blows my mind, how far we've come. What we were then and what we are now. 

Back in 2009, we were newly engaged and talking about the possibility of never having kids?! OMG, we were such younggg, youngggggg assholes;) And in the photo above, 2011, we were walking down that isle, JUST married and a few weeks pregnant with Homer:)

and below, the most recent photo of our family of 5:) 

jacob's at work. Homer and Theo are sitting on the living-room floor, QUIETLY - what is this LIFE?!?!?!?!;) - watching a movie. Rocky's snoozing. I'm drinking some coffee and doing this blog post. I am insanely happy:)

welp. Theo just spilled her milk all over the rug...mostly UNDER the damn couch...while working on a shit...in her CLOTH diaper:/

back to reality;)

i know this...collaboration...probably seems pretty simple and not the announcement you may have been hoping for (NO, Courts is NOT pregnant;). But we're pretty excited and it feels like a fun, new direction, to be taking in the New Year!

we hope you'll follow along:) 

HEY HICKORY

month 2: rocky peyton

soooooo, apparently the baby stage lasts LESS than a hot second. With each baby, they stay a baby for that much less time. It's disgusting:/

Rocky Peyton is 2 months old - was 2 months old a week ago;) Today has been 67 days since baby boy came flying into this world. HOW?! 

he's so fucking precious, it's painful. Like...for real. PRECIOUSSSSSSSSS!!! He's a pretty chill dude. He's all smiles and coo'ing. He spits up quite a bit but no where near as much as the other 2 did! And at this point, I've completely embraced being semi-soaked at all times:) He sleeps really well...it does take him a bit to get to sleep...that 10PM-1AM is a little sketchy but once he's down...we're good!! He'll eat at least twice during the night and has his most solid sleep from 5-9AM. 

also...when are you mama's with 3+ kiddos finding time for s.e.x?!?!?!? Asking for a friend;)

2016.

some thoughts...on things...I'd like to see happen in 2016:)

get on a damn schedule!
we've been adjusting to having a baby back in our bed and up late at night and sometimes early in the morning and a few times throughout the night...but I need to get back to waking-up before the kids wake up!
Nothing feels better than having dishes done and laundry going and the day planned and coffee hot before 830AM:) 

health/fitness/be semi-okay at yoga
stop eating a pint of Ben & Jerry's at 1127 in the afternoon anddddd 1127 in the night;)
And just having had a baby 8 weeks ago...this is the perfect time to start getting back to running and trying to start a-new:)

continue reading
our monthly reading club is still going strong! 
My pick for January is: Mindy Kaling. Why Not Me?
And also to take time to read to the kiddos EVERY NIGHT. That's something we've definitely been slacking on and goes hand-in-hand with that pesky (see: shitty) schedule we're currently on;)

spend MUCH less. Want less.
try this capsule wardrobe thing cause we allllll know that I have too much shit and I leave the house in one of 3 shirts every damn time. Or yoga pants all the other damn times:/
SO that's the specific item I need to want less: clothing/shoes/bags, etc.
But I need to just work on being happy with what we have. Not worry about the kitchen not being done. Not spend every last dime we have this week on thin white frames to create a gallery wall around the TV in the living-room - for example;)

 finding balance between being happy with things as they are and still feeling okay about 'wanting more' for us and our family, is something I'm hoping to work on this year. And not wanting more: material things (like a new coat or shiny new kitchen) but wanting more time together, Date Days, adventures and travel!!!

purchase new yoga pants
i spend a stupid amount of time (happy time;) in black-tighty-pants. This year I'd like to invest in a new 'work-out/walking/loungey' wardrobe!

lets get rid of some debt
my biggest goal this year is to sell a damn house. Our 2nd mortgage needs to go and could help change a lot for us, financially! We are sooooo so close to being Debt-Free and tax returns + selling that house could finally get us there!

purchase THIS amazing van. My spirit van.

i know you're chuckling...wondering if this bitch is serious...I'm d.e.a.d  serious!!!;) This van is like $900. $900 over our budget. BUT this is where we're at in our lives...and I'm totally okay with that:)

cook. Make some meals.

drop everything and go to _____.
the beach, back yard, splash pad/pool, garden, flea/farmer's market, free zoo. 
Find inexpensive/free activities to do this summer!!!:)


and there you have it! I'm sometimes in disbelief of the last few years! We've been a pretty busy family...wedding, honeymoon, baby, baby, babyyyyy. And here we are, in 2016!!!

a few things that I'm looking forward to in this coming year:
BIRTHDAYS
I turn 33, 3/23
Theo turns 2, 3/30
Homer turns 4, 5/8
Jacob turns 33, 7/24 
Rocky turns 1, 11/12
MONEY
Hopefully, selling our rental property and just making good decisions financially, overall!:)
TRAVEL
Dells Weekend, 1/22
Oregon 9/20
hoping to add some small trips in-between!!:)

i believe 2016 is going to be very good to us:)


"of this be sure: you do not find the happy life, you make it." 
- Thomas S. Monson

month 21: theo daisy:)

if I could sum up the last month of life with Theo Daisy, in one word...I'd choose: psychotic.

true story. 

theo's been a bit of a wild card over the last month...mostly, the last week. A LOT less smiles and a lot MORE fits. Eeeekkk. But I'll let her off the hook seeing as the Holidays can always be a tad stressful and the sickness has been going around and who wouldn't be pissed about having the shits for more than 4 days;/

other than being up to no good;), Theo's been pretty wonderful:) She's totally into baby dolls and physically fighting her brother anddddd the occasional, unsuspecting 4yr old boy;) She can hold her own, that's fo' sho'!!!!;)

theo has to be the most polite 1-1/2yr old I've ever had the pleasure of dealing with! Please and Thank You's without being prompted!!

as much of a struggle as this age has been for miss Theo, it's also been a ton of fun! Toothy grins, new words and she attempts to 'jump' and 'run/race'. It's freaking adorable. Apparently, 20(ish?)lbs is too much for a 1-1/2yr old to get off the ground;)

a lot of fun to come in the coming month. We're headed back to WI Dells for our water park weekend with the family. Theo wasn't a huge fan last year - see HERE;). SO I've got high hopes that she'll be completely excited this year!!!!

and no photo-sesh would be complete without a bit of WillB;)

christmas.

i'm going to make this quick...which isn't normally in my nature to do. BUT my ice cream is melting - baby weight...what baby weight? 

it's 232PM on a Tuesday and I'm blogging and eating a pint of Ben & Jerry's. What else can I say;)

the holidays were good. Great. Grand. Wonderful:) 

there was some sickness. And lots of baby fits: I want the ball. But I don't want you to give me the ball. DO NOT SET THE BALL DOWN. Now hold me. Not like that. But I can't tell you how. BUT NOT LIKE THAT. Harder. I hate you. I hate this. I hate you. I hate it all.

wahhhhhhhhh. Babies;) - and by babies...I mean my 1-1/2 year old!:)

so here is our Christmas in...52 photos...good lord...I might break the Internet with this load!!;)

andddd go.

i'm seriously considering putting up some twinkle lights year round...this kids were fascinated!!:)

a lot of Christmas Firsts this year, including visiting Santa's Reindeer!!:)

gosh she's perfect...when she's not being a lunatic!!!;)

doing the annual Present Wrapping. The kids hated it. Didn't understand it. Fought over which wrapper paper was used. Fuck it.

our Traditional Christmas Eve at my Aunt Pam's:) Always so festive and packed with people. I love it. This year was especially bitter-sweet. My grandpa attended for the first time in many years...maybe 10? My grandma, who needed his constant care - she suffered from Alzheimer's for 15 years - passed away shortly before Thanksgiving. I'm sad but happy to see his face again:)

3 out of 4 sisters and dad:)

she wanted to be in the picture...just not IN the picture. ;)

and we were missing about 12 of the regulars!:)

never a dull moment!!! GAMES!!!

kid games...Homer + a face covered in butter + a plate of Cherrios = no amusement.

This also ended with all the children having a red rash on their faces for the next hour!!!;)

papa strikes again - at least it was washable marker this time!!!!;)

Christmas morning at home, with my favorites:)

homer did have a fancy new pair of Christmas Pajamas but he shit through those...ahhhh, Christmas Diarrhea;)

and Christmas afternoon at Mal's:)

when you order relatively expensive Gap Christmas PJ's and have them 2-day shipped to get here ON Christmas Eve so that you can Instagram an adorable photo of 3 perfectly matching toddlers...

#FAIL

theo and her new baby:)

anddddd Christmas evening at my in-laws:)

my lack of photo-taking is sad! Adding Point and Shoot Camera to next year's Christmas Wish List!

i can hardly believe another holiday has come and gone. And with Rocky here, celebrating as a family of 5:) It has been so great:) 

next year, we did take note, that we need to get our shit together justttt a bit. There was some confusion as to who 'knows' and who doesn't 'know'. More discreet conversations, etc;). Santa has kinda been flying by the seat of his pants these last few years because he's been dealing with babies and kiddos with wonderful short term memories and no serious curiosity when it comes to large boxes arriving at our door in the weeks leading up to Christmas;)!!! But that's all about to change!!!!!:)

we hope you had a wonderful Holiday! Now...2016:):)

this post was brought to you by: A Pint of Karamel Sutra Core Ben & Jerry's.