My little actress...

I work with a young lady who I think is 27 years old. Every night we leave work, I tell her to have a great night. Every morning I come in and ask how her night was. Typically her answer resembles the following:

"I had my boot camp cardio class, and then went for a walk with Bree (I have no idea how to spell this but yes she has a friend named after cheese) then I met Mike at Drink for a couple and went home."

When she asks me tomorrow what I did, I will have to say the following:

"I got home and picked up the kids from daycare. My 2 year old kept asking "where mommy" while my 4 year old told me I had to see the frog they caught. They actually never caught a frog....and mommy was a long way from home."

I then made cheese quesadillas. This really is cheese melted in the toaster oven on a tortilla. Not hard. But my best attempt at a wholesome dinner.

Then, mom got home and we went outside. My kids actually got along playing with each other. Katelyn (4) decided we should put on a play for everyone. None of my neighbors were outside so Kelly and I were wondering who "everyone" was. Regardless, it was time to do Cinderella. Katelyn announced that she was Cinderella, Ashley was her mean step sister, Kelly was the step mom, and I was to play both the king and the prince.

We went through the entire play, including the clock striking midnight where Katelyn kicked off one of her shoes becuase she knew the slipper needed to be found by the prince.

It was honestly one of the cutest things I have ever seen.

The first time.

Then we did the same play four more times. When I asked Katelyn if we could do another play...she said "sure, I know, I know...how about Mulan?" I have never seen Mulan, nor has my wife....therefore we are going to have a talk with our daycare lady tomorrow.....

Regardless.....this will be my story versus my assistant Cara's. She will have spent the night at some hip and trendy hangout...I will have spent the night in a Cinderella play (four times).

Still, I wouldn't trade places with her if you paid me.

Because they give me memories you couldn't get at the local hot spot.....I love my girls.

Right before my eyes.....

So...it has been a little while since my last post, but only because I struggle to find something new and exciting to talk about every day.

So, although not much to update, I thought I would share a few things.

We have a cleaning lady. This is not because my wife and I are extravagantly wealthy...more because after searching high and low my wife found a service we could afford, and..well.....we hate cleaning. So, she comes every other week and spends some time cleaning the pad. Every other Thursday night my wife and I spend some time picking up so she can actually clean the things we don't want to. We made it kind of a game to get the kids to help out, but in order to do so, Kelly told Katleyn that we clean to get ready for the cleaning fairy to come.

I give you this background because today the cleaning lady came. Because our daycare lady is on vacation, Kelly and the kids were home when the cleaning lady arrived. Katleyn politely met her at the door and exclaimed: "Hi, are you the cleaning fairy?"

Thankfully, she did not quit on the spot....and exclaimed that yes she was.....

On that note, Katelyn is quickly growing up right before my eyes. She used to be scared of the park in our backyard....but here is her recent adventure:

Needless to say, her fear is quickly fading.....

So, Katelyn is climbing the park, and Ashley's vocabulary is growing daily. With them growing so fast, the talk of number three is escalating.....

I'll let you know as soon as we are pregnant (of course after I tell my mom). I am willing to bet that number three will also be a girl, so sorry dad but it looks like the Smith name might come to a close as I am betting that I can only produce girls.

Because one wants another baby, one believes in "cleaning fairies" and one simply is the cutest 2 year old in the world.....I love my girls.......

Struck

So, as I am sure many of you know Sonia Sotomayor was named our newest Supreme Court Justice. I don't know much about her, and I know less about politics...but I did hear a portion of her acceptance speech.

At one point, she said "I am struck by the wonder of my life....."

Since hearing this sentence I have replayed it over and over in my head as to me it is an unbelievably positive attitude and a powerful statement to be able to say. I have been thinking, am I struck by the wonder of my life?....and after a lot of thought, I truly believe so.

I have been fortunate as my life has been touched by so many who have left me better off. I am blessed for having been given the opportunities that I have, and I have worked hard to grow from them. Following are a few reasons I consider myself lucky every day:

1) My children. Katelyn and Ashley. Each day holds a smile, or a giggle or a hug.
2) My wife. Kelly. The most confident and brilliant woman I know...and yet still depends on me for support. Is there a better compliment than to tell you you are needed by someone whom you respect and love more than anyone else?
3) I built a home. Buying a home is an accomplishment for anyone, and I am proud that we built ours
4) I have traveled the world. Okay, compared to some, I have not made a dent. But when I look at my life, and know that I have been to Norway, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Canada, and am heading to Brazil...I am thankful as there are so many who don't get to experience anywhere other than where they live.
5) My mom. If you know her....you like her. I have yet to meet someone who knows my mom who does not say good things about her. When I first started at Mosaic, I was known by some as Carol's son. For that I am proud.
6) Concerts. I have not seen many. But there are many who have seen none. To name a few, I have seen Garth Brooks, Dixie Chicks, Kid Rock, and Harry Connick Jr. All different, all exciting, and all enjoyed with friends or loved ones.
7) Friends. A person does not need a lot of friends to be happy, they need some quality friends. I am fortunate that I have a lot of quality friends. Proof of this is that there are too many to list. You know who you are, and thank you for being there for me in the past, present and future.
8) Humor. If you ever find yourself in a bad mood...think of a joke, or a story that will bring a smile to your face. If you can't think of that story...call me...I have a few good ones that I'd be happy to share.
9) Second chances. I have not led a perfect life. Thankfully, I have been surrounded by many who allow for this, and have helped me become smarter growing from past mistakes.
10) Freedom. I currently am watching television, writing a blog, having enjoyed a tuna sandwich and a bag of chips. Nobody told me I couldn't do any of that. Thank you freedom.

So, I could go on forever, but I too am struck by the wonder of my life....because to me the "wonder" does not have to be as profound as being named to the Supreme Court.

I would be willing to bet that no matter where you are at in your life...if you truly thought about it...you too would be struck by the wonder of your life.

My advice: think about it. Make your own list. Then read it....and you will catch yourself smiling.

Because they are at the heart of the wonder of my life... I love my girls.....

It's just not fair.....

Okay. So, we went to the Carver County Fair on Thursday night. My daughters and wife had a great time. They rode all the rides, which consisted of different things going around in a circle. We had corn dogs for dinner, and a piece of pizza. We had a bucket of fries. We bough some all you could drink chocolate milk, and filled the sippy cups without them looking.

The experience cemented my belief that I would rather pull my eyebrows out then attend fairs. Lucky for me, this was apparently a practice round for the State Fair. Apparently, we were honing our ability to find the best corn dog, the shortest lines to the 4H barn, and the ability to collect free crap that we simply have to throw away when we get home. Oh, good news though....rumor has it my family is all going to wear the same t-shirt when we go to the fair. For the new followers to this blog I have a wife and two daughters. Apparently, without me knowing...I have agreed to be gay.

We spent $55 at the fair. We were there for 2 hours. For $22.50 an hour, I expect an experience that rivals that "white light" people say they see in near death experiences. Instead, for $55 I received a corn dog, one third of a piece of pizza, and a carnie ride operator that talked to me for 5 minutes while my kids and wife were "flying" the helicopter. To this day, I have no idea what he was saying other then I had to check out the motorcycle ride. I was pretty impressed with his ability to smoke seven cigarettes in the 2 minutes our conversation lasted.

They all had fun though. There is a chance that I am once again in the running for father of the year because I pretended the whole time that I was having fun.

I will go again though, not because I crave punishment, but because Katelyn told me that the bunnies were pretty and she loved me for taking her to see them.

Because they can turn an experience that I hate to the greatest moment of my life in one second through a brief sentence.....I love my girls...