Video of Berkeley Sitting

We are so proud of Berkeley! Here is a clip of her sitting all by herself. She's really getting good at it! She does fall at the end, but she's fine!

Berkeley's rodeo

8 Seconds -

Doesn't seem like long....

unless you're riding a bull...

or sitting up all by yourself for the first time.

In case you're not currently in the baby scence, most kids learn to sit unassisted around 6 months of age. At the very end of June, at age 10 months, Berkeley made it to this milestone. She sat by herself, on a flat surface, with nothing to hold on to or lean on, for 8 whole seconds! It was just as exciting as when any baby learns to sit, if not moreso, because she had worked so hard to get to this point! Yea Berkeley!

Brighton's two cents

A conversation with Brighton, who is now 3 and thinks she ought to help with the decisions.

Brighton: Mama, what are you doing?
Julie: Thinking about whether or not I need to swat you for what you just did.
Brighton: I don't think you need to swat me for everything I do.

Well, I didn't get around to swatting her. I was too busy trying to hide the fact that I was laughing.



For more pictures of the Smiths in July, click this link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/seanjuliesmith/20097July?authkey=Gv1sRgCOTU2NiMhZWXggE

History In the Making

I know this isn't about our girls, but I guess in a way, it is (you know...in a "future of our country" kind of way). I mostly wanted to share this picture with those of you who don't live in a racially diverse area like Dallas.
When was the last time you remember complete clothing and accessory lines being churned out that featured a political figure? I was slightly amused and surprised when my students in Oak Cliff (urban area in Dallas) started wearing T-shirts, jackets, and stocking caps with President Obama's face on them. When I told a student that he needed to take off his hat, he immediately got defensive, seemingly ready to fight for "his" new president. I laughed and told him, "No. Hats are out of dress code. Take it off."
Regardless of your political or personal opinion about the election of Obama, it is hard to deny that this event has inspired many young African Americans. Sure, most of them don't really know what his political stance actually is, and probably many of you reading this do not agree with it, but they do understand that he overcame the odds to reach his goal. Hopefully they will be inspired to do great things with their lives as well.
"By Obama being a black president and us being young black kids it makes us feel like if he can do it, we can do it," said one teenager.

Are you Jesus?

"I love you SO much...You are SO beautiful...and God made you JUST perfect!" These are the words Sean tells our girls every night of their lives. Last night, it became apparent just how engrained those words are in Brighton's head. As I was tucking her in, I told her, "I love you, Brighton...but I could never love you as much as Jesus does. He loves you SOOOOO much!" Using her two year old deductive reasoning skills, she asked, "Is Daddy Jesus?"

Problem Solving - by Brighton

Brighton has her own style of solving problems, and it blows me away. Here are two short stories to demonstrate:
1. A conversation between Brighton and Mommy (Julie), just before bedtime one night:
Mommy: Brighton, you know you're not supposed to pull toys out of the basket before bedtime. Just pick ONE THING to play with, and put the rest into the basket.
Brighton: OK
Mommy: (a few minutes later, after reentering the room and seeing that toys were still spread all over the living room.) Brighton, there are still toys everywhere! Did you pick out one thing to play with?
Brighton: yes!
Mommy: Well, what did you pick?
Brighton: The BASKET!

....Outsmarted by a two year old! At two years old, it's funny, but my mind jumps to the teenage years when she could really hatch a lot of sneaky plans. Sean can deal with her then.

2. On our way out the door to go to church last night, Berkeley decided to unleash a stinky surprise. The original deposit was bad enough, but once her diaper was off, she managed to deliver the next shipment via airmail. I dodged it just in time, and it landed 3 feet away and splatted on the ground. Sorry, I know that's gross! At least YOU weren't there!
Brighton came to see what all the excitement was about and couldn't be convinced to stay in the hallway. She kept walking into the bedroom, where I knew some splatters had landed. In the stress of the moment, I snapped at her and raised my voice.
After the clean-up, we finally got out the door and into the car. I realized I needed to apologize to Brighton for yelling. I told her I was sorry for being grumpy with her. To my surprise, Brighton came up with the best solution for my impatience. She said, "We need to pray to God for you to have a good attitude."

Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.
1 Timothy 4:11-13
FOR MORE PICTURES, CHECK OUT THIS LINK:http://picasaweb.google.com/seanjuliesmith/20095May02?authkey=Gv1sRgCO7ckvq3kZnH6wE

Happy Birthday, Grammy!

 
Happy Birthday to our grammies...Ginger Cotton (April 19th) and Donna Johnson (April 20th)!
We love you!