Happy Birthday Jesus!!!

I got up early last Sunday with this in my head. I guess you never know what God will put on your heart.

True Meaning of Christmas

It’s not the crowds at the malls
It’s not the tree that’s ten feet tall
It’s not an excuse to watch football
It is GOD fulfilling his Greatest Call

It’s not parties with food so delight
It’s not eating so much my pants get tight
It’s not reindeer that makes Santa take flight
It is God showing His Love with all His Might

It’s not stockings hanging from the fireplace
It’s not your best dress all trimmed in lace
It’s not turning every corner and seeing Santa’s face
It is God showing His Holy Grace

It’s not the catchy tunes we all sing
It’s not expensive gifts and diamond rings
It’s not bells we all hear ding
It is the Peace only the Savior Brings

God loved us enough to send His only Son
And this is the day it all begun
Take a moment this Christmas Day
Hit your knees Thank God and Pray

Look past the ribbons and bows
And share the story a Christian knows
It is Jesus God sent to you and me
So that from our sin we would All be set FREE

Wishing you all a very Merry CHRISTmas!

(More pictures to come later)

'Twas the night before Christmas

Us in our new pajamas on Christmas Eve waiting on Santa!

"Merry CHRISTmas to all, and to all a good night!"

Getting Ready for Christmas

Even though I have had a couple days off, I have completely neglected my blogging obligation. I am sure the Christmas pictures I have posted will make up for my neglect.
Being off has been great. I have enjoyed the extra baby time and being able to get some odds and ends around the house completed. Most of the items are small chores I have been told to do for a few weeks now. Jennifer and I have been married for over 9 years and she may have finally figured out how to get me to do everything she wants - Make me a List. Yes, I am a list guy. I can do everything or nothing at all - just make sure it's on a list. She put a few items down, then some more, then some more. By lunch I had just about all of them complete along with a few extras.
We have been looking forward to these next few days for weeks now. Here's our holiday plan of attack.
Christmas Eve (tomorrow) - Get up feed the babies and off to Conyers to visit with Lisa, Joe, Michelle, Victoria, Grandmother and Granddaddy. We plan on timing the trip around their am nap time (schedule is key to having happy triplets). We have a couple stops to make on the way but should arrive just before it is time to feed them lunch. Our visit will last until after the eat dinner and then we will hit the road to come home. We have to beat Santa or he will not leave us any presents.
Christmas Day - The morning will be just our family. We will get up - check and see if Santa stopped by and then eat breakfast. Granddaddy and Grandmother will come by after lunch to visit. The PM is Feliz Navidad - a new tradition we are starting with my family. We will host this year and are expecting Mom, Dennis (Mom's boyfriend), Louis, Sabrina (Louis's girlfriend), Huck, Darla, and Joni. Jennifer made some salsa for the event and it is awesome!

Here are the babies Christmas Pictures - These were taken a few weeks back along with their 9 month pictures. These photos were taken by Jessica Beach (Easy Street Gallery - Clarkesville, GA)

I guess I better confess - I made the tutus for the girls.

Charlotte has fallen in love with her reflection.

Ellie is full of herself as well.

10 Months Old

Today I was looking at some 3 month old pictures that I had in my office and compared them to our most recent ones (see below - Yes it is ok to peek). I could not believe how much they have changed. It's funny how you want to see so many changes, but when they come you just know that they are growing up way to fast. I find myself more and more holding the babies wishing they could stay babies a little longer. I guess that is one problem with having triplets - once they all have graduated a stage you will never get the experience again (unless you have more babies - no plans for that!!!)

Here's an update on their progress:

Ellie

Ellie is still the smallest, but is by far the most vocal. She is fluent in Ma Ma and Da Da. She still loves to bounce and now dance. Put on a tune, and off she goes boogie woogie. She has gotten consistent on her bottles and is up to drinking 21 oz a day. She has no issues with food and loves to eat bananas in her popsicle pouch (I guess that is what you would call it). We only give it to her on bath night because it is messy. She has not gotten the hang of crawling yet, but we can tell she really wants to. Ellie likes to shake her head - no, even though she does not know what it means. She has a bad habit - Sucking her Thumb!!!! She is very sneaky and usually hides it under her blanket.

Evan

Evan is still the biggest. He likes to make funny fish faces and blows raspberries - such a boy already making crude noises. He says Da Da and is working on Ma Ma. He is not crawling yet - it is more like snailing. The good news is he is not laying in the floor stuck on his belly crying. He is the best overall eater. Just don't let him see the dogs or he will get distracted. He drinks 25oz per day and food goes down easy. They all tried a puff snack last night. He did the best on understanding how to chew (gum) and then swallow. The girls need a little work. He loves the walker and navigates throughout the house. We even put a baby gate around the tree to keep him from knocking it down.

Charlotte

Charlotte has had the most change in the last couple of weeks. The first change was her learning to crawl. She has taken her art of stealing toys to a whole new level. Now she takes them and crawls away - I guess she knows the others can't catch her. She has also learned how to pull herself up and stand. It started a couple nights ago and she has now mastered it. I moved her to the lowest level on her crib - the others have not been adjusted yet. Now for a negative change - she no longer wants to sleep. She is not fond of naps and she likes to sit in her bed and play while the others are sleeping. She is drinking the most formula - 26 oz and still is very picky on food. They got to try a new food tonight and it took several bits to get her to like it.

We had these pictures done a couple weeks ago at Easy Street Gallery. We also have some great Christmas pictures that I will share later.

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

It's all about Charlotte

And she is on the move! The first of the babies to crawl. She sees what she wants and then she's off. No more flipping and flopping - up on all fours and off to the races. She has been at this for about 2 weeks, but the last couple of days she has mastered it. Just a little while ago she traveled across the room and into the bathroom. The bathroom is tile. It slowed her down a little (less traction), but when she sees something she wants she goes for it. Look at this shot - sheer determination!


The video says it all!!!

Now the fun of keeping up with her begins!!!

???????? Guess Who ????????

Santa

The holidays bring visitors

It's no secret - making the rounds during the holidays will be at a minimum this year. So if you want to see the triplets, you will have to travel to Mt. Airy.
I was lucky enough to have some time off last week. Lucky because - Jennifer got sick. She came upstairs to help get the babies ready and was wearing a mask and gloves. I sent her back down and took over for the rest of the day (This was Sunday before Turkey Day). I got through Sunday with a little help but was concerned for Monday. I had to work Monday but was off the rest of the week. Jennifer's dad was up to the challenge. He even changed diapers - poopie diapers and not one, not two, but three of them before lunch was even over. He was a great help and I'm sure he was glad that I was off the rest of the week. Jennifer went THREE full days without touching a baby - I don't know how she did it. Jennifer's sister was in town so she helped too. I called my Mom for some help on Tuesday. She will do anything for triplet time, so without much notice she was on her way. She had spent most of the day Saturday here while Jennifer went shopping and I cleaned the house. Here is a shot of her getting all the love she could handle.

The next visitors have been itching for some triplet time since they were born. They were suppose to go on the camping trip with us but had to cancel due to their son playing football. I am sure we will make up the camping trip later. Here's Luke finally realizing how overwhelming it is to handle triplets.

Andrea has it handled.

They came by on the Sunday that Jennifer first got sick. Jenn was so sick she could not even poke her head out to say hi or bye. With her being sick it made the visit with Luke and Andrea not only pleasant but needed. They got the full experience - nap wake-up, changing diapers, putting on daytime clothes, getting bottles ready, feeding babies, getting food ready, feeding food, (of course) play time, and back to bed for an afternoon nap. I wish I could say that they would be back but I may have scared them off.

Our next visitor came by the Friday after Thanksgiving - Lauren. She is a long-time co-worker and great friend. She is also the self proclaimed #1 fan of the triple-smith blog. She will take anyone on in a triplet trivia contest. She lives in Marietta but her mom lives just up the road from us. Here's a shot with her and her daughter - "Luvin on sum babies"

We went to see someone special today. Can you guess who?

My next post will let you know who!!!

One Little, Two Little, Three Little Indians...

The babies made it through their first Thanksgiving and were able to share in all the festivities. They started their day off with a modest breakfast (had to save room for the big lunch) and watched their first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Then while we were getting food ready the babies made them some Indian head bands - no one wanted to be a Pilgrim.

Chief "Sitnpoop"

Princess "Wiggleworm"

Princess "Fuzzonhead"

Fourth Little Indian - Princess "Shakeabooty"

Now it is time to eat. They joined the family at the kid table (sorry Joe - we ran out of adult seats).
They even got to enjoy some traditional Thanksgiving day food. Apple Turkey Cranberry and Green bean Casserole. At dinner the got some Pumpkin Apple.
Of course after we all stuffed our bellies we vegged out and watch some football. Maybe next year we will have a halfway decent game to watch.


The night is almost over so here we are getting the last few moments together.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE

Weigh In

Today they went to the doctor and here are their current stats

Ellie - Wt - 13 lbs 8 oz Ht - 26"

Evan - Wt - 15 lbs 10 oz Ht - 27 3/4"

Charlotte - Wt - 14 lbs 12 oz Ht - 26 1/2"

They are happy & healthy

Jumping for Joy

We have lots of toys and one that they seem to enjoy is the "Johnny Jump Up". As you can see from the videos below, Ellie enjoys it the most. If she has an audience, she will jump for a while. Charlotte does not care for the seat - she would rather be in something that has things she can touch and play with. Evan was the first to get down to jumping but will only play for a short time and then he is ready for something else. We like to turn on the music and watch them dance - so ENJOY!

PS: Thank you Great Aunt Terri for the jump seat!!!

9 Months Old Today

Another milestone has been reached. Here's a quick update on their progress.

Ellie DeMore Smith

Ellie is catching up with her brother and sister. She has been about two weeks behind on most developmental areas but they all seem about equal now. She loves to eat - food not bottle. We still have times when she does not finish her bottle but for the most part she makes up for it with food. Her hair is brown and fuzzy and we love it. Everyone comments on her hair and her spunky personality. She can capture your heart with a simple smile. She tries to talk and I have caught her in her bed talking to her bear. It sounds like she is trying to say "Da Da" - but not clear enough yet for us to say it's her first word. She loves the jumpy seat - only problem is she wants an audience. As soon as you turn away, she starts to fuss.

Evan James Smith

Evan is king of the castle. He has become a loud mouth. Every time Jennifer calls me at work I can hear him in the background - loud and proud. Not real clear on what he is trying to say. He is still the biggest and with the way he is eating he will stay that way. He loves his sleep. When we put him to bed at night he is content to grab his bear blanket, watch his mobile, and off to sleep he goes. He has just started to move around in the walker - forward, right, left, and backwards - off to explore the house. He is not crawling yet but is getting close.

Charlotte Rae Smith

Charlotte is the easiest baby ever. She rarely cries or makes any kind of fuss. I think she knows that we have a lot going on so she takes it easy on us. She has learned how to keep herself amused. When she talks she sounds like she is trying to say ma-ma. She is not crawling, but does know how to navigate around the room. She has a variation of slide, flip, flop, push, and pull to get around the room. She reaches and tries to get into everything. It's time to baby proof the house!!!! Her smile lights up the room just about as much as her red hair does. She is the hardest to feed solids - we have just found out that we can distract her with toys and she will open her mouth. I love to feed her night time bottle - she falls deep asleep about half way through - so cute!

They go to the doctor on Friday for a check-up - we will update weights and such later.

Triple Play

A good thing about having multiples is that they will have each other as playmates. They can all hold a sitting position which is a good thing because we don't have 6 arms. One thing we have noticed is that each one has a different playing technique. Evan is a little "bam bam", he likes to bang his hands and wave his arms. Ellie loves to be the center of attention. She wants everyone to watch her. Charlotte is the most curious and a toy stealer. We know that will be an issue once Ellie & Evan figures out what she is doing. Here's an example of "Triple Play" - their nightly playtime.

Weekend with Grandmother

Dear Grandmother,

Thanks for staying with us this weekend. We had lots of fun. Sorry if we woke you up too early. Come stay with us again the next time Granddaddy goes out of town. Here's a picture of all of us playing together on the couch.

Love,

Ellie, Evan, and Charlotte

Happy Halloween!

Have no worries, have no fear - the superhero Triplets are here. The streets of Mt Airy are being protected by some pint-sized super powers. Ellie shows off her power and her charm as she poses as Wonder Woman. Evan has more than just a smile when he is armed in his Batman suite. And Charlotte might be in pink, but she packs a mean punch as Super Girl. All together they make one powerful team of trouble stoppers!

Dressing up for Halloween is just one of the joys we are getting to experience as new parents. The coolest thing is each year we don't have to settle on one costume - we get to pick three.

"Batman"

"Super Girl"

"Wonder Woman"

The trips and I took our try at carving some pumpkins. I never knew they were so handy with knives. Here's how they turned out.

We don't celebrate Halloween we celebrate "Hazelween". Our church (Hazel Creek Baptist Church)has a festival every year on Halloween night. It is a great opportunity for kids and parents to not participate in traditional Halloween. We offer food, games, trunk-or-treat, and all the fun you can stand for one night. Here are some pictures of the triplets having fun at their first "Hazelween".

Scarecrows, hay and pumpkins make for a great picture.

Here's the crime fighters keeping peace in the crowd.

Ellie with Granddaddy in the cake walk. We had over 30 cakes this year in the cake walk. Most of them are Homemade by some of the best bakers around.

Here I am with Jessica Colbert and Jessica Beach. We were working the Face Painting and Balloon animal booth. I think I made over 100 balloon animals. All I was missing was my clown suit.

Ellie was amazed at the biggest baby there. I think she wanted to steal his bottle!

The babies did not get any candy this year but did come away with some apples for applesauce. Granny DeMore gave each of us a silver dollar. The weird thing is that they were all crazy when we got home. You would have thought they had been munching on candy all night. They just wanted to play all night long. We did let them stay up a little longer - trying to get them ready for the time change.

Jennifer is already trying to come up with a costume idea for next year. She wants to do a family theme - which means I will have to dress up.

Any Suggestions?