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The newest Smilie Family Member

2009-03-11T20:10:00.000-07:00

Introducing MISSY! We adopted this beautiful three-year-old from a friend. Now I officially have two toddlers! She is already perfectly housebroken and trained and has found her spot on Emma's bed at night. She even loves to lick the leftovers off of Andrew's face...and the kitchen floor!

Talkin' to Daddy

2009-03-05T19:19:00.000-08:00

Bert calls home from work a lot to talk to the kids. I sometimes wonder if Andrew thinks that daddy works in the phone. He will bring me the phone and say "bye bye dada." We put it on speakerphone and Andrew talks away.

Andrew Walking

2009-03-05T18:25:00.001-08:00

I've been getting requests for video of Andrew walking. He was a late bloomer and we wondered if he would ever start walking full time. In December he took a few steps but Literally on the day he turned 18 months old, he decided to start walking all the time. He also likes dancing to boy bands! Don't hate!

Twicon Video Bloopers

2009-03-03T19:23:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who went to Youtube and voted for my video contest entry. Unfortunately, I did not win. I think the judges were looking for something more "homemade."

I'd like to give special thanks to my very own movie star friend, Tamara, who played the vampire in the video. She is actually a bona fide actress who recently landed the lead role in an independent film. She is going to put this video on her resume, so I am glad that I opted to go for the more technical and sophisticated look.

I did film some more "goofy" scenes with more of my friends as we embraced our love of the Twilight Books & Film. Since I did not use them in the final version, I thought that I would put together a blooper reel so they too can have their moment of movie stardom.

Andrew's first Steps

2009-03-02T18:19:00.000-08:00

In December, I was filming Andrew dancing in the living room and accidently captured his first steps on film. Up to this point he had only bounced up and down. It's no coincidence that the song playing was "Bring me to Life" by Evanescence.

"Hot" Grandma

2009-03-01T18:12:00.000-08:00

We call my mom's mother "Hot" Grandma and "Sexy" Grandma (yes, to her face) because she is such a crazy lady and so much fun to be around. She loves to dance and decided to take my dad for a spin around my living room this past Christmas. To our surprise, my dad got a little into it and did a little dirty dancing with "Hot" Grandma. Maybe we should start calling him "Freaky" Daddy.

2008 in Review

2009-01-25T15:35:00.001-08:00

Here is a recap of some of the quirkier points of 2008...the cute...the interesting and just plain hilarious!
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In February, Andrew learned that he had feet:

In March, Emma had some special guests at her 5th Birthday Party at the Fort Worth Zoo:

In April, Andrew questioned whether having a big sister is a good idea:

In May, Dianne and her friends (Melody & Rebecca) made fun of the teenagers posing next to them..and then realized that thirty-something mamas look sexy too:

In May, on our way to Mexico, we learned that Arizona Rest Stops have Rattlesnakes:

During our Mexico vacation, each one of us endured a nasty bout with the stomach flu. But Timmy (Dianne's brother) still managed to make us all laugh:

In June, I realized she'll make a beautiful bride someday:

In August, we learned that Andrew's favorite beer is Dos XX:

Empty bottle people!

In August, we learned that our Taxpayer Dollars are hard at work:

Dianne's brother, CAPT Paul Homan, USAF

In September, Andrew discovered he could open all the cupboards.

In November, we almost roasted an Andrew for Thanksgiving.

In December, Emma decorated the tree...and Andrew tried to tear it down:

Happy New Year from the Smilie Family!

What Happens When

2009-01-04T20:19:00.000-08:00

What Happens When You Dare Your Brother-in-law To Arrest You!

Matt is arrested from bertanddianne.com on Vimeo.

Our Dancer!

2008-12-20T18:20:00.000-08:00

Emma had her first dance performance today for her Dance Academy's Christmas Party. I worried more than she did, not about her dancing but how to get her hair into the perfect bun. I spent nearly an hour combing, twisting and applying gel to form a neat little bun on top of her head--only to have her lay down on the couch and mess it up. Grrrrrr! The second time around, she kept it neatly intact and blew me away by how grown up she looked. Here are some pictures and a quick video of her performance.

Halloween 2008

2008-11-04T07:03:00.001-08:00

We celebrated Halloween with our traditional trick or treating with The Fikkert Family. Andrew was scared of Davey's mask!

Our Little Dorothy and her Cowardly Lion!

Andrew is still not walking, but he can stand by himself. He stood like this for about five minutes watching all the crazy costumes.

Andrew trick-or-treats for the first time!

Let them eat ice cream!

2008-11-04T06:55:00.001-08:00

Proof that I do indeed let my kids have ice cream. Well, if you consider Weight Watchers w/fiber and protein actually ice cream!

What happens when...

2008-11-04T06:44:00.000-08:00

You let a 1 year old eat yogurt by himself!

Still Best Friends!

2008-11-03T06:33:00.000-08:00

Emma & Davey...Still best friends after all this time...

They hadn't seen each other since school started...the longest separation in their whole life! They had such a blast together!

The Slip 'n' Slide needed cleaning before packing it up for the summer....so I handed the kids the mop!

"Family" Projects

2008-11-02T07:40:00.000-08:00

What’s up with the so called “Family” Projects that the Kindergarten teachers keep sending home? First we were sent home a blank “person” to decorate to look like our child. Supposedly, we are meant to do this together as a family.

Let’s read between the lines, shall we. These projects are homework for the parents. Do you really expect a five year old to cut out a person, glue yarn and felt in a perfect fashion to somewhat resemble their own self? Of course not. The parents are expected to do it.
Well, at least they are pressured to do it themselves. The teachers hang these projects in the hallway and I’ve seen how extravagant they are. No kid can be expected to compete with the artistic flair of the other perfect parents. It’s like I’m in high school again, the peer pressure is on for me to provide my child with the perfect art project for her to show off to her class. I can’t let her bring in an off-center glue job that looks like an actual five year old did it can I?

Our current “family” project has me gluing straw to a scarecrow. I see the art projects she ACTUALLY does HERSELF at school. No way could she do this without the scarecrow resembling a homeless person. So I’m off to do it myself, so my five year old daughter will save face among the other Armani-clad scarecrows.

The New Kids are Back!

2008-10-20T20:05:00.000-07:00

Last night I experienced the thrill of my first bona fide Rock Concert! I'm sitting here still giddy from the excitement of thousands of 30-something screaming housewives ringing in my ear. Yes, I am not ashamed to say that I went to the New Kids On The Block concert.

In case you didn't know, this King of all boy bands of the 80s has reunited and is racing across the US, Canada, Mexico and Europe with a reunion tour not to mention they released a new album.

I went with my friend, Christina, another "blockhead" as we were known back then....and we screamed, and danced, and shouted, and jumped up and down for three straight hours. I am not ashamed to admit that I knew every word of every song and even most of the dance moves. I danced so hard that my legs are actually sore today not to mention that I lost my voice.

I have to admit that I am quite in awe of the whole experience as I have never been to a stadium concert before. The lights, the fireworks, the volume of the crowd screaming is quite overwhelming. Up until this point, I've only seen musicians in small venues and no one nearly this famous. Alas, I did not take any video or pictures because I'm a nerd who followed the "No cameras or videos" rule printed on my ticket. However, because other, more rebellious types have posted their goodies, I can share this experience with you! For those who care, here are a few clips from last night's show.

Last song of the night: Hangin' Tough

The Right Stuff

Mensa Membership Form Needed

2008-10-02T19:05:00.000-07:00

My children are showing signs of pure genius, or at least pure cuteness.

I walked into Emma's room and found Andrew sitting on the floor, trying to put on her shoes. He can't even walk yet, but he wants to wear shoes. So, I bought him a pair and he seemed so excited as he sat and tried to figure out how to slip them on and got so upset that he couldn't and started to chew on them instead.

Later, he was in the bathroom...can you guess what he was doing? Combing his hair. My little man crawled in, stood up by the sink, grabbed Emma's brush and was grooming himself for a play-date. I guess it's time for his first comb and bottle of hair gel.

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Since Emma started kindergarten she has been using new and more complex words on a daily basis. Her grasp of the world around her is also increasing. We went on a walk down a street that was lined with American Flags. I read the "Welcome Home" sign for a soldier that had returned from Iraq.

Emma pondered this for a minute then asked, "Like when Uncle Paul helped the people in another country?"

"Yes. And this soldier came home safely too."

"Well, then we need to go knock on their door and tell them Congratulations!"

For Nana

2008-09-24T06:33:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken just for Nana (Bert's mother). As she reminded me that I just don't take enough pictures of my 2nd child. Poor Andrew just doesn't get his time in the spotlight.

Here he is, chillin' eating his breakfast. Doesn't he have great table manners?

The Power of a Letter

2008-09-24T05:57:00.000-07:00

Emma was sick this week and had to miss her first day of Kindergarten. As I sat writing a "please excuse my child from school" letter, I remembered my own mom writing these letters for me. One time, she let me stay home from school for "Senior Skip Day" but she refused to write a letter saying I was sick. The power of a letter. I have an "unexcused" absence on my "record."

Now I, in all my parental glory, have that power. [insert evil grin]. They really shouldn't give us parents that much power, because I can think of some really great letters to write...

Please excuse Emma from school. She's a bit moody today.

Please excuse Emma from school. She stayed up last night watching Letterman.

Please excuse Emma from school. I forgot to set her alarm.

Please excuse Emma from school. I forgot to set my alarm.

Please excuse Emma from school. She'd rather stay home and play.

Please excuse Emma from school. She's still in time out.

Please excuse Emma from school. We're still looking for her homework.

So, my dear Emma. It seems I have a new tool for leverage against you when you decide to whip out Miss Sassy Pants....

"I don't wanna clean my room."

"Fine missy. Just try me. If you don't do what I say....um...I can give you an "unexcused absence!"

That'll teach her.

The Summer Stories - Part 1 - Fossil Rim

2008-09-12T20:53:00.000-07:00

We had quite the summer of crazy adventures. From Mexico to New Mexico to Colorado to the Texas Hill Country, we made use of our gass-guzzling car and personally cotributed to quite the carbon footprint. (Do you think I should purchase one of those new carbon offsets that Al Gore raves about?)

I'm going to tell the story of each trip, complete with pictures and video. Just to confuse everyone, I'm recounting the trips backwards and saving the longest and certainly the craziest story for last (imagine 10 people crammed into a 2 bedroom condo...then imagine just one word..PUKE...you must stay tuned for that story :)

But back to the beginning..er..The END of the Summer. Just three days before Emma started school, we spent the day at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in the beautiful Glen Rose, Texas. It's a fantastic place where you drive around and feed very cool animals right from your car. It's always reminded me of the movie Jurassic Park. The entrance of the park is marked with a very ominous gate to keep the animals out....and you locked in! So, here is my tribute to Jurassic Park...Fossil Rim style!

Video Library - "Cops"

2008-09-12T20:16:00.000-07:00

I made this video three years ago when Bert was nominated for "Rookie of the Year" with the Dallas Police Department. I used clips that the Department filmed for the promo video they showed at the awards ceremony. It's just a quick view of Bert's world at work!

My Own Personal Video Library

2008-09-12T18:56:00.000-07:00

Anything to do with the computer is never simple for me. I can't just post pictures, I have to organize them into a fancy Shutterfly Album....taking care to remove the red-eye and airbrush the zits out and add a little digital lipstick.

And then there are the videos I've been making lately. I can't seem to film a simple video without making it into this hollywood-type production. So between creating "movies" with pictures or fancy video editing, I've been amassing a small library of videos. At the moment, I don't have them all in one place. I will try and post them all here for everyone to enjoy.

See the next post for the first one.

Dancing Queen

2008-09-08T12:38:00.000-07:00

Our little Emma started dance class this past weekend. We pulled up to the studio and she started literally shouting "help me with the bottom one, help me with the bottom one" (She can't unbuckle the bottom part of her harness. Yes, it really is that hard. And yes, she is 5 and still in a 5-point harness carseat! I'm never letting her grow up!)

We bounded into the studio and Emma promptly started introducing herself to the other girls waiting in the lobby. And then there was the shreak...the high pitched squeal of a five year old that is so excited she can't possible say anything in an inside voice.

"Ryyyyyyyan."

"Eeeeemmmma"

Then, there was running and sweet hugs for two girls who apparently were separated at birth.

Ryan is in her kindergarten class. As Emma puts it.."There are two Ryans in my class. One is a boy and One is a girl." Yes, the Ryan in her dance class is the "girl one" as Emma puts it.

On a side note, there is another Dancing Queen in the house as well...

Can you guess who and what kind of dance?......

The Trophy Mom

2008-08-30T20:31:00.000-07:00

Step aside frumpy housewives all over America and make way for the newest thing since soccer moms. May I present "The Trophy Mom."

She gets up at the crack of dawn to dress in her designer clothes and apply her eyeliner and lipstick to runway perfection. Her children are the envy of the playground with their Gap shirts and perfectly coiffed hair. They hop in their Hummer and head off to the exclusive prep school and the mom heads in to the office as the CEO of a company....

Wait a minute..No it's not boarding school. It the local elementary school. And these aren't CEOs, these are stay-at-home-moms who apparently have nothing better to do with their time (like sleep) as they get up at 5am to put their hair in curlers. Then, deliver their children to school, teetering on 5 inch heels as they kneel to "air kiss" their child goodbye with their perfectly painted lips.

Upon seeing this polished attire, one might assume they went on to work at a high-powered office. Oh no. They gather the younger children and proceed to the grocery store...Where they float up and down the aisle like a Stepford Wife, pushing the cart with the next perfect child...Wearing Chanel, red lipstick and balancing on her 5 inch heels.

-as observed as I dropped off my child to school while wearing sweatpants and proceeded to go shopping at the illustrious Tar-Zhay (that's Target for the rest of us.)

The Kindergarten Kid

2008-08-25T11:21:00.000-07:00

My firstborn baby girl started kindergarten today. She bounded into my room before I had a chance to wake her and pondered “is it time to get ready for school yet?” She got dressed in five minutes and I didn’t have to remind her over and over again to “focus” and “please hurry up.”

She bolted out the door and down the sidewalk, proudly carrying the brand new backpack that is almost bigger than her. As we dropped her off, I saw her start to talk to the girl sitting next to her and I thought Yay! She is making friends. I did not shed a single tear. She would do great.

Suddenly I realized that I had 7 whole hours to fill. Seven whole hours of organizing and chores and errands and a kind of freedom that I had not had in five years. I had such great plans for the day. I would play with Andrew, finish the laundry and run to the bank. Wait, I thought. I can do those things with Emma in tow.

The minute the baby was down for a nap, it was back to bed for me. To bask in the freedom of less responsibility and catch up on the soaps. 9am…10am…wait it’s only 10:45. How many more hours till I pick her up? Suddenly, I was missing her. I felt the welling begin to fill.

3 o’clock on the dot, Andrew and I walk back to the school and get in line with all the other parents that were counting down the hours. “Look Andrew. Look. Watch for sissy.” I saw her appear in the doorway and I could not keep the tears away. The other parents cried in the morning, but I was crying at the pickup. She ran to me and as she threw her arm around me I heard the best word in the world…”Moooooommy.” She had had a good day.

Andrew excited to see his sissy: