sold.

post by Casey

i can hardly believe the day has come. We sold our house...the one we thought we'd sell almost 4 years ago, when we bought our current - forever - home, just across town. Funny how these things work out...or don't;)

i highly do NOT recommend having one home (bought not fixed but now fixed, fixer-upper) and then buying another home (completely un-fixed fixer-upper, currently still not fixed...not at all...not even close) and then dropping to a one-income household with 2 mortgages and 3 kids and an Astro-van. 

lot of love though. A shit ton of that;)

i bought my 2nd Street house when I was just 21. The beginning of some very ugly days years for me. I was really in no position to be buying a house. Jacob and I were dating when I bought the house but we'd soon realize we were both assholes and break-up for a few years.

we were together. i forget the rest. - walt whitman

as of today, I've struggled to hold onto this home for 12 years. Being 21-25yrs of age, with a slight drinking 'issue' and possessing an American Eagle and Victoria's Secret card, turned out to be a bit more than I was able to handle on my own;)

i bought this house, under a Land Contract, from my aunt and uncle. They are basically, saints, for working so patiently with me. I had so much to learn and really had no clue what I had signed up for. Only in the last 7 years - 5 shitty years, 7 very okay years;) - can I fully appreciate what they did for me. Thank you!!!!!

and to my parents, THANK YOU! I bought the house after my grandma was moved to Assisted Living. It wasn't what it is now. It's a beautiful little house because of them. Many of the quirks and character of an old home but the updates my parents have done to this house, made it the adorable little home it is today:) And they worked entirely on x's and o's...;) 

and now a little trip down memory lane. 

my bridal shower and young skin:)

jacob proposed in this house. I was napping (shout-out to naps...you are missed!!!;) in our bedroom and he came home from work and marched right in and got down on his knee and asked. Just like that. And I said: are you sure? - I said that because I'm fully aware of how crazy I am and it was absolutely necessary to give him an 'out';)

we celebrated Homer in this house...before we knew he or she would be a Homer:)

this was Homer's first home - insert tears on the keyboard;'). We're happy that this house is right down the street. That we can point it out to Homer on all our walks. We're happy that we sold it to a good kid, someone that will take care of it and make improvements and whether he enjoys it as his Bachelor Pad or someday, starts a family there...I hope he loves it as much as we did:)

there were so many hard days here. But we got our shit together in this house. We straightened out our messes. We grew-up. 

- it's where Jacob picked me up for our last 'first' date...huge snow storm that night and we shut down the cafe, talking about us and how we were going to take it slow this time (engaged in 6months slow?!;)

- it's where I walked through the door wayyyy too drunk, for the last time...where I started getting better:)

- where I didn't learn to cook, not sure any house is gonna pull that off;)

- where we screamed at each other and where we learned to stop screaming at each other

- where I watched Harry and the Hendersons for the 1st time...it's still completely absurd!

- where I took my 1st positive pregnancy test:)

all the late night projects and early morning walks and sleepless nights and my first maternity leave and...each day has only gotten better. It was good and it was bad, at times, but it always got better:)

having this house has meant so much to me.

butttttt today, I left the kiddos at home and went and signed papers and bought a coffee and a fucking hanging basket cause having had this house and now selling this house is a pretty big deal. Like $6 coffee, $29 hanging basket BIG;)

20 weeks. half way. say whaaaaaat!

post by Courtney

in awe once again at how fast pregnancy seems to go. I may be out of the norm, but I thoroughly enjoy pregnancy. granted, we've been blessed with 'easy,' healthy pregnancies, but I enjoy it nonetheless!

I'm behind on my end of this blogging deal as this photo was taken a couple weeks ago before a date night, but I figured I should make a contribution ;) 

so here you have it, my 19 week bellay. while I'm 21 weeks 1 day today. and the post is titled 20 weeks. 

a little comparison cause we all like to look back and reminisce. 18wks with Will.

that's how I roll :)

shoes * jeans (similar) * shirt (similar, Casey made me change) * cardigan

over a week ago now I had my 18to20 week ultrasound. all looks good and healthy, just the way we hoped and prayed for. measuring right where we should be. and no, we did *not* find out what we're having. that's no fun ;) we like the surprise. and at this point, we have a couple of each :)

baby Smith #9

due date: October 8

weight gain: 12.6lbs 

(started about 10lbs more than I wanted)

finally feeling baby move occasionally. seems to be my norm. embracing the maternity tote. eating all the food. minus fast food and soda pop because it doesn't cooperate. blech. frequent potty breaks. nothing too exciting to report. apparently my next appointment begins the infamous urine testing so I'm looking forward to that ;) thankful everything is going well once again!

and a photo of us before our date day just because he's my favorite :)

random shit that stresses my husband out

post by Casey

me eating the grapes...he just brought home...before they've been washed.

get some Loft in your life.

post by Casey


loft is pretty neat. Loft at an additional 50% Off...magical.

as my Forever21 days are coming to a close - the fact that I complain about the volume of their music and lack of organizational skills (both inducing headaches;) speaks volumes about my age;) - Loft has become a new favorite! The stores smell good (very important;), are clean/organized and visually PRETTY:) Besides that and more importantly, classic/pretty/comfortable/affordable clothing:)

they are currently running a sale...50% OFF of the already, sale priced items. And there are a lot of great options! Sale section HERE.

i sort of feel like a coke-head...dangling my coke bag (coke bags are a thing, right??? where my coke friends at???;) in front of your face and trying to convince you that it's life-changing in the 'good way';)

trust me. It's a good sale and if you were already considering spending a little of you or your husband's paycheck...now would be the time. Today. DO it. Or not. It's okay-ish to put your money towards your retirement or kids college fund;)

a few of my fav picks below!!!:)

happy - online - shopping:)

*all items can be found in the Sale Section

SAHM Wear

post by casey

i was sending kids to my sisters for a few hours - happiest day of my freaking week (I don't feel bad for saying that and I won't upload a video of my 2yr old currently screaming at my side with a face full of snot and my 4yr old just being a plain ol' dick - Rocky's still perfect;)

and Courts was on her way to a baby appointment. Lucky SOB;)

casey

faux leather jacket HERE no longer available online, similar options HERE and HERE

tank (envied by all the 3-6yr old boys...and my husband;) HERE

leggings similar HERE and HERE

flops HERE

courts

tshirt similar HERE and HERE

and since Courts is a creature of limited outfit choices habit, links to watch and jeans can be found HERE

more #momfashion on Instagram HERE

theo daisy: 25 months and rocky peyton: 6 months

post by casey

my darling children are growing old. I'll cut right to the chase and tell ya what I love about them and what it is that is causing me wrinkles;)

if you follow me on Instagram - HERE - you are pretty familiar with Theo Daisy. And Theo Daisy's sass. I can report that nothing has changed in the last month, in regards to her attitude;)

BUT she's getting taller. Which makes her look less like a baby/toddler and more like a normal/annoying-sized child;) 

she just began to sleep in a big-girl bed! We're about a week in and it takes just a bit to get her to stay in there but we've found that the same approach that we used on Homer, is working with her as well - where she gets out of bed 20 times in one night and you just sit on the edge of your bed (crying because of sheer exhaustion, optional;) and you just silently get up and put her back to bed. Every.Damn.Time). But she's always been a really solid sleeper, they all have, so once she's asleep...we're all good till morning:)

besides that...she's just doing her thang'. Binge eating, taking an interest in taking photos with my little point and shoot camera, being aggressive and then incredibly sweet.

this little turd of perfection is still just that. Perfect. Nursing like a champ...we had a few sketchy days after I was diagnosed with strep and then become pretty dehydrated, where my supply seemed to drop significantly. BUT we worked through it, thankfully! Now that he's 6months...1/2 a DAMN YEAR?!?!?!?...we're gonna finally take the plunge and put some solid foods in this boy:) If he could talk:

"BOUT DAMN TIME."

i'm just sad he's getting older. That's all. I can tell he's not ready to be a big brother...by the way that he doesn't allow me to ever have sex;) He's still co-sleeping with us but now that Theo's out of the crib, that's freed up for Rocky. 6months is usually about the time we transition them to the crib but I'm not sure he's we're ready yet:(

and then things got incredibly sexy for this perfect baby specimen!!!;);)

blurry but too happy not to include:)

i almost forgot to get a photo of Homer in 'the chair' for his 4th birthday - HERE - but even though it's coming in a few days late...we grabbed one. 

this buddy is becoming such a little man. He's still got some attitude that we're working on adjusting. I mean, we're on his ass constantlyyyyyyy. ARG. But I'm assured it's just the age...and partly his evil little ways....and mostly his age;)

homer is on night 7 of not wetting the bed!!!!:):) NO diapers. I mean...it's crazy! We kinda forgot about it and then on a whim, decided to put Theo in a big girl bed and put Homer in undies at night and throw Rocky in a crib anddddd solve World Hunger;) All in a week's work;)

I could not be prouder of how well he's doing!

and Homer just had his last day of Preschool. It was challenging for him at times...but really only for drop-off...I think he did great while he was there. But we've still decided to keep him home now, until Kindergarten. The teachers were wonderful and I think it was really beneficial for him but we're going to start putting that tuition, towards the tuition we'll be paying for him to go to the local private school. EEEEEKKKK. It feels like such a big deal to be making this sort of decision for him and his future and we're really excited. I feel...old;)

3 kiddos has been such a great time. I mean...SO much better than 2. 
2 was an incredible struggle!! But we're forming a pretty wonderful team here and I'm excited for the future with these guys:)

5 things

post by Courtney

quite possibly starting a new series here on the blog... inspired by an old favorite blogger :)

1. as you can imagine with 8 children, we have just about everything you could need for a baby. Actually, for a baby until he turns 16 or she turns 13. By all means, that does not keep me from online shopping. Currently talking myself down from a new swaddle.

2. who doesn't need another perfect leather bag?!

3. amazing one man band.

4. let us paint every room in the house in the next 5 months! I heart these colors. The end. also, I have a couple crush on these two. seriously, love.

5. always interested in fellow photographers, although there really is no comparison in our work. regardless, this post really intrigued me.

diaper bags. aka. junk drawers.

post by casey

i miss the days of pretty diaper bags, filled with healthy snacks and wipes and earth-friendly diapers and having it all togetherrrrrrrrrr - nah, it was never quite like that;)

while sitting around sipping coffee and tripping over diaper bags, it occurred to us that we needed to share what we're carrying around and how we 'make it work' - laughable;). 

So right that second...myself and 2 sisters, dumped our bags and it was...enlightening. 

Casey

one eye is bigger than the other

doesn't move hips when dancing

mom of 3

2 in diapers

switching to a backpack has been life changing. And comfortable. It just works. Find mine - HERE.

i haven't cleaned my bag out in a while...so it was even a bit of surprise for me to find some of the things that were in it. 

- non-matching sock

- a pair of my socks

- 1millionnnnnnnn teeny hair ties

- a pack of birth-control that I've been meaning to refill. OOPS.

so I've gotten a bit lazy in my diaper-bag game. Mostly cause I know I'll normally be somewhere that has the essentials (diapers & wipes): my sister's, with similar aged children. or Target. Duh.

diapers

Mallory
an Aries
considering braces at 31
mom of 4
2 in diapers

similar bag HERE

mallory just birthed a baby 6weeks ago. And she's now a mama of 4. SO, she's kinda got this thing down.  Not much in this bag that isn't essential.

- amazing lotion

- fat wallet, due to receipts not cash money;)

- professional-looking folder of bills/life

- all the drawings of the new baby...that the other babies drew:)

it's still a bit early for her...and this little baby is her first girl. SO she still has those cute diapers and cute outfits. She'll start failing soon;)

lotion

honest diapers . swaddle . folder

Courtney

her hips don't lie

loses in foot races

mom of 8

1 currently failing at potty training

bag HERE

i know you've all been waiting to see what a mom of 8 (soon to be NINE) keeps in her diaper bag. Right?!!?!? I mean...she's been doing this since she was 15 18;). NOTHING gets past her. You need an extra diaper, or 10...she got it. You need some butt paste, the organic kind, bitch...inside pocket. A flashlight...a spoon...3 paper clips...a stuffed animal with a soft taggggggg...a condom/pad/tampon...ALL.IN.THERE.

lip balm . diapers . wipes

and then this is what you find. I meannnnnn. Ummmmm. I feel like it's maybe how Packer fans felt at the end of those Favre games...the games where he throws a Hail Mary...that's intercepted;) This kinda shit just knocks the wind outta your sails. Not gonna lie, we dumped this out...and then I stuck my entire head into the bag, sure I'd find SOMETHING else...and then we all laughed our asses off!!!

mom of 8. but this resembles something closer to what a 16yr old boy would need after dark...at summer camp...ya know...for himself...and his handdddddd....;) Courts, don't you have a 16yr old boy?;)

- old Kleenex??!!?!?

- lip balm

so what we learned from this little experiment is...that even combined...we couldn't put together a decent diaper-bag anddddd I may or may not be pregnant. Totally kidding. Kinda. Maybe. 

birthdays are about family...and mostly presents. By Homer Smith.

post by casey

i mean, what can I say that won't lead to a thousand tears?

we love this boy. Gosh, he's pushed me to the verge with his awful attitude and then pulled me right back in with his huge heart:) Homer just wants things a certain way and he'll try to negotiate with you to the ends of the earth;). He's sweet as candy and has a mouth full of cavities to prove it;) But he's special. And he's perfect. And he minds his manners. And he's such a jerk. And he's 4:')

his 3rd birthday HERE. his 2nd birthday HERE. his 1st birthday HERE. - don't mind me, over here...in my dark room...crying those thousand tears now;'(((((((

homer helped decorate:)

this mayyyyy have been my favorite birthday feast, to date:) YUM!

thanks to my mom, for capturing some perfect/non-iPhone photos:)

this year we asked Homer what 4 things he wanted. His response: a RED hulk costume - couldn't find and we question whether it even exists?!?!. A (pretend) Power Ranger gun with 3 bullets - again...wtf?. Bubble gum - thanks Auntie Pigg!!!!:). A bike:)

not only do I love Homer's genuine excitement in these photos...but the part that has me all choked up...what is surrounding him. His family. His cousins. His built-in best friends. They just get right into it with him. Happy FOR him. :)

the weather was perfect to hang-out outside with our coffee...for the kids to play and Homer to get some practice in on his bike - he is SO good at it!!!!:) And of course, for sidewalk chalk - aka. body tracing...see more on my SnapChat: me.caseysmith.

bike

black letter board

it was such a great day. Made better because we were able to celebrate Mother's Day AND my 1st born on the same day:) I gotta say...I never dreamt of being a mom. Neither Jacob or I knew if we had it in us. But I'm so glad we decided not to let fear make that decision for us - just unprotected sex;) Just KIDDING ma, I've never had s.e.x. Ew.

Homer Nicholas Scott Smith - I'm typing that with a raised voice because that's SO OFTEN HOW IT COMES OUT OF MY MOUTH AT HOME;)

we love you too much. It's quite disgusting. We're gonna be front-row for everything. You wanna do Softball? We'll be there. You want to win some Interpretive Dance Competitions? Count us in. You've decided to play video games for a living - from your own apartment, ya bum!!! What time should we log-in? We'll support you in anything you love. We love you. Always have. Always will.