Mmmmm.....Spaghetti!

This girl could eat spaghetti for hours...and she just about did! Lovin' that Berkeley!!!

Welcome to the newest Drama Queen!

The girls LOVE their daddy! They love mommy, too, but there's just something about daddy. We're having a great summer so far...we really are...but I'm still getting used to being home (or somewhere) with the girls all day. Some of you who are moms might understand that there can sometimes be a little bit of tension between mothers and daughters. Brighton and I really did have a wonderful day today, but by the end of the day things were getting a little dramatic. She really wanted a gumball, but since she had just had a cookie, I told her no. She pressed the issue, so I said (trying to use a New York accent), "forget about it." With as much drama as she could muster, while holding her pointer finger up in the air, she said, "I will NEVER forget about it! I will keep this story FOREVER!" I think Sean summed it up tonight when he said, "when you get a bunch of women together, things just get crazy."

Jungle Princess

Brighton made a wonderful "Jungle Princess"...a party theme that she came up with all by herself ("princess for the girls, and jungle for the boys," she said). Her party was at Chuck E. Cheese's, and they really made her feel like a princess. It was so fun to see her having a great time with her friends and family.
As if kids' parties aren't exhausting enough, we decided to top off the day with a trip to the Dallas zoo. They were having the annual "Zoobilee" ... bounce houses, free carousel rides, stilt-walkers, face painting, and of course... animals! Two of her cousins from Austin, Carson and Brenna, came with us and we all had a great time. The kids slept good that night!
One of her presents was a safari book that we got at the zoo. Each day she wants to learn about a new animal. Yesterday it was Lions, and she learned the word "pride." Today was the White Rhino (which also happens to be the name of our favorite coffee house). She learned what poaching is. Each page has a 3D puzzle of the animal that you can put together. When I told Brighton that it was too late to put together the rhino puzzle tonight, she said, "but Mama, I want to LEARN!" Wow, talk about manipulating the heart of a mom (and a teacher at that!)...nevertheless, I said no. Sometimes it's just time for bed!
Good night, Jungle Princess.

More birthday pictures at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=222563&id=745472353&saved#!/album.php?aid=222563&id=745472353&ref=mf

Summer Fun

We are having a great summer so far!
In case you don't live in Texas, let me just tell you: IT IS HOT!!!! The water hose has been our friend!
 Here is a link to some pictures of the kids doing various summer things: water hose, zoo with cousins, firehouse tour, and even an overseas guest!
http://picasaweb.google.com/seanjuliesmith/WebAlbum20106June?authkey=Gv1sRgCKiewdWQqMuwxAE

Here are a few more photos from last month in case I forgot to post them:
http://picasaweb.google.com/seanjuliesmith/May2010WebAlbum?authkey=Gv1sRgCKnTxIrC_ruJ8AE

Fire Station

Here are a few pictures from our recent tour of the fire station in Duncanville. Our good friend Logan Henry is a firefighter there and volunteered to show us around the station. Brighton got to learn all about the truck and even try on some of Logan's equipment. Thanks, Logan!
For more pictures from May, please go to
http://picasaweb.google.com/seanjuliesmith/May2010WebAlbum?authkey=Gv1sRgCKnTxIrC_ruJ8AE