ONE

I can hardly believe that my little Mr. Baby turned one this week.  They say time flies and it really does.  I'm not a "mommy blogger" so I haven't been posting monthly updates on the boy, but I figured a quick montage of his monthly pictures as appropriate, just this once.  This chair is older than me; my parents bought it a few years before I was born, and then I claimed it when they redecorated in the 90s.  I love that it is in Mr. Baby's room, and knew I wanted to use it for his monthly pictures.  I did not consider that once he got wiggly, it would become exceedingly difficult to get him sitting still in the chair.  I have many outtakes of him diving at me!  

        

       

So anyway, we officially made it through the first year.  It was overwhelming and wonderful and too slow and too fast and just kind of unbelievable.  There are a lot of cliches about babies and parenting, but they sure seem true to me right now.  

Easter

When we planned our trip to Richmond, the best week to go happened to fall over Easter weekend.  Sunday ended up being kind of cold and rainy, but we still had a great day.  We went to church, had a delicious lunch, and then an indoor Easter egg hunt.  The kids found all but 3 eggs, and the grownups couldn't remember where else we had hidden them, so I suspect my sister will find them someday.  Then we put some cheerios in bigger eggs for Mr. Baby and hid them in the middle of the room.  He loved it!  Of course, he was more excited about shaking them to make fun noises than opening them to eat the treat, but that's okay.  Plus he got a big chocolate bunny which I graciously volunteered to eat for him.  

My niece was coaching me on model poses during outfit picture time.  I think I should listen to her advice more often, because I look SO COOL.  

And then I convinced her to join me.  It wasn't very hard.  

And then we lured everyone else out (except my brother-in-law) for some more pictures.  

Cousins!

Girl picture

Smiths

My dress is from Bella Gravida.  It was definitely my most favorite item when I was adding things to my wish list, so I was pretty excited when I got the notice that I'd be receiving it just in time for Easter.  It fit kind of weird up on top, but nothing too noticeable.  I was hoping it would be perfect and I could wear it to my other sister's wedding in May, but alas, it was not.  My search for the perfect maternity dress continues.  It's frustrating, because you can be tall, or you can be pregnant, but good luck if you are both!  

Cardigan: JCF
Dress: ASOS via Bella Gravida

Shoe: Old Navy (similar)

Currently December

First Wednesday of the month means it is time to do the Currently linkup.  Go check out In Residence and Gold and Bloom.

wishing - that it wasn't quite so cold outside.  I am not a winter person, and with a baby, it's even worse!  I'm worried we will be staying home a lot during these cold months.  
remembering - last year around this time we were just starting to plan the nursery and figuring out what to register for.  And I hadn't told the blog that I was pregnant yet!  It's crazy how quickly time has gone!
wrapping - nothing yet!  I just started my Christmas shopping yesterday.  I honestly don't even think I have any wrapping paper.  Better buy some.  
baking - this again?  I don't really bake much, okay!  Or maybe I should edit my first category to "wishing I was baking chocolate chip cookies"
decorating - again, oops!  Nothing so far.  We need to get the Christmas box out of the storage closet and make our house somewhat festive!  

So I looked up my Currently post from last December.  Not much has changed!  I hadn't wrapped anything yet then either!  

And since I've been the worst at outfit pictures (or really outfits) recently.  Here are a few family photos from Thanksgiving.

*Mr. Baby is a bit of a drooler these days, but he's still pretty cute.  

Emotional Weekend

We spent the weekend up in Minnesota for my uncle's funeral.  We left early Friday morning.  The drive wasn't too bad.  Mr. Baby sleeps quite a bit in the car, but then is pretty grumpy when he wakes up and is still trapped in his car seat.  The trip took longer with him, so we got to the hotel just as my parents, sister, and nieces were leaving for the church.  We got checked in, and had a quick turnaround getting ourselves ready, and then headed to the church.  We had a little time with just family before the visitation and funeral.  I've probably mentioned before that I'm a crier.  Any extreme emotion (happiness, sadness, anger) makes me cry.  It's pretty inconvenient.  Well, I get it from my dad, and the rest of the family seems to have the same problem.  Friday evening was kind of a blur of hugging, crying, laughing, crying.  John and I left for a little bit to drive around and see if Mr. Baby would take a nap before the funeral.  He fell asleep about 4 minutes before we needed to be back in the church.  Somehow, he slept through most of the service, which was a blessing.

The burial was Saturday morning, just the family.  Many more tears.  It was pretty cold and rainy, so I put Mr. Baby in the carrier/wrap thing to keep him warm.  He wasn't really sure what to make of all the weepy grownups, and kept grinning at me.  He's a pretty good medicine for heartache.  Then we spent most of Saturday at my aunt's house catching up with family.

In the afternoon, I took my nieces out trick-or-treating in a small town nearby.  They didn't have costumes, but the small town folks still gave them candy.

It was really wonderful to see most of my extended family, and get to introduce them to my boy, but I wish it had been for a happier reason.  I'm sad Mr. Baby won't get to meet Uncle Wes.  I think they would have gotten along just fine.

We drove home yesterday, and it seemed to take way longer than the drive up on Friday.  Probably because we were so tired from the weekend.  We were grateful for the warm November 1st, because we could stop and let the boy get some fresh air every so often.

Anyway, October has been an eventful month.  Birthdays, a wedding, and a funeral.  I think/hope that November will be quieter.

Uncle Wes

Sometimes things happen that I don't really want to write about, but feel like I need to.  This is one of those times.  My uncle died a few days ago.  He had been diagnosed with cancer in September, and it just progressed faster than anyone expected.  I think I'm still in shock a little bit.  I'm sure I will fall apart when I see my dad.

I've been blessed so far in life to not lose many people who I was close to.  My grandpas both died when I was in high school.  That was sad, but they had both been very old and declining in health for so long.  This is different.  This is my dad's little brother.  When I last saw him, there was no thought in my mind that it would be the last time I'd see him.

As one does, I've been thinking about my Uncle a lot over the past few days.  So, here are a few of my favorite memories of this wonderful man.

Uncle Wes and me when I was probably 8, and shortly after that, I decided pictures should all be cropped into awkward shapes, removing the background .  

When I was a kid, Uncle Wes and I wrote letters back and forth.  I have no idea how this started, only that it meant the world to me.  I remember checking the mail and being SO EXCITED whenever I got a new letter, and then carefully crafting my reply.  A few years ago, he stopped by our house when he was driving through and had a binder of all my letters.  I looked through them and didn't understand half of what I was talking about.  We were obviously joking back and forth quite a bit.  I wished I still had his letters so we could line them up and follow the conversation.

I also remember a few times where we got to talk on the phone.  This was back when long distance calls were expensive, so a rare treat for a very chatty little girl.  He had gotten a new car, which I was pronouncing phonetically, Ply-mouth. This cracked him up, and I think of it whenever I see a Plymouth, which is rare since they haven't made any for 15 years!  

Around that same time, I renamed him Uncle Prickle Beard, because well, he had a prickly beard, and it tickled, and I thought it was hilarious.  Then I got older and was completely embarrassed that I had ever called him that, but he would still sign notes or emails as "UPB."

Wes was one of "the little boys," and we loved to commiserate about the injustices suffered by the younger children of the family.  Whenever people talk about the little ones being spoiled, I have stories to tell.  

He had a uniquely witty way of talking and writing.  My dad would pick up this tendency when they were together and it always made me smile.  For example, at the 2005 family reunion, he organized a Scrabble tournament.  After a close championship game, Wes accidentally won.  But he had a prize for the winner, which he didn't want to accept for himself.  He declared me the winner, "via a minimal deficit, but having attained a superior average score per move."  He was tricky like that.  

Most importantly, he loved Jesus and wanted everyone else to, too.  I'm happy that he is in heaven.  But I'm very sad that he isn't with us anymore.  

Weekend Adventures

This is what I wore to church on Sunday.  My sister and nieces came out for a quick visit, so we had a wild weekend!  We used to be on the go nonstop when they visited, but we are now somewhat limited by Mr. Baby's schedule.  But we still managed to squeeze in quite a bit of fun.  It's so sweet to see how much the girls love their baby cousin!  He's not really sure about them yet, and probably confused about the whole twins thing, but he gives them lots of smiles, so I think he likes them.  

We went to a few of the girls' favorite restaurants that they don't have at home, had a picnic and walked around the lake, did a little shopping, walked to the park and let Mr. Baby try the swing and slide (he wasn't really impressed, even though I told him it was fun).  At home, we played a lot of games.  Sorry lasts forever sometimes.  They liked Scattergories more than I expected, and had some very clever answers.  And we laughed so hard playing Scribblish, which is way more fun with kids.  It's basically like telephone crossed with Pictionary.  My favorite was when "Playing piano with your toes" turned into "CAMEL ATTACK!"

My sister and I finally remembered to get a picture together.  We have failed on the last 2 visits.

The girls weren't interested in taking a nice picture, but I tricked them with Photobooth, and we got this winner.

Anyway, it was a fun weekend!  And I really liked this skirt from LeTote, too.
 
Cardigan: JCF (similar, similar)
Tee: Gap (similar, similar)
Skirt: LeTote
Shoes: Target (similar)

Wild Weekend

This is what I wore to church on Sunday.  The weekend was crazy but super fun!  My dad and nieces were on a little road trip and we were one of their stops!  The girls are ten and were so excited to meet their new baby cousin.  It was really fun to see them playing with him.  There's something special about a kid doing baby talk!  And of course it was wonderful for my dad to see him again.  

We mostly hung out at home and played cards or had dance parties, but we did a little shopping and went out to get sno cones!  I'm trying my best to still be a good aunt even though I'm also a mom.  

We miss them already!!!

Top&skirt: Loft

Sandals: target

Father's Day

I'm so behind on posts!  It's hard to find time to blog these days.  Anyway, these are from Father's Day.  We met up with John's family for lunch after church and then to our house for a bit.  Everyone tells John "it's your first Father's Day!" And since we are smart alecks, we explain that he's been alive for many Father's days.   But I suppose they mean his first time as a dad celebrating the day.

And I'm very happy to celebrate him, because just a few weeks in, he's a pretty awesome dad.

Top: Gap factory

Cardigan: JCF

Shorts: Loft maternity

Sandals: Santana 

Maternity Finale

Well, this is my last maternity outfit!  John and I went out for dinner the night before baby arrived and this is what I wore.

These pictures seem like they are from a million years ago.  I don't even remember my belly being so huge!  So much has happened since May 8th!  My world has been turned upside down in the best possible way.

We are slowly but surely figuring out how to take care of our little guy.  I think we are doing alright.  And he is just awesome.  Seriously, there are not words to describe how much I love him.  It's ridiculous.  

And since I happen to be wearing a skirt in these pictures, I get to link up with Bri for Third Thursday Threads - bare legs!  

Shirt: Loft maternity

Cardigan: Old Navy
Belt: Madden

Skirt: Loft

Shoes: Target

New Mexican Christmas

Most of the time, when I say I'm going to "New Mexico," people just hear "Mexico."  Then they are kind of disappointed when I explain that I'm actually just going to the Southwestern United States, and not some amazing beach resort.  But New Mexico has been kind to me over the years, so it's all good.  I mean, the beach resort sounds nice, too...

Anyway, a quick Christmas recap!

Usually we end up wearing sombreros in Los Alamos

John and I flew into Albuquerque on the Saturday before Christmas.  His grandparents from Northern NM picked us up and took us back to Los Alamos.  We spent a few days there, mostly relaxing and eating at all of John's favorite restaurants.  I don't like Mexican food, so I mostly subsist on quesadillas and sopaipillas.  This is fine by me.  On Monday, the boys ventured into Santa Fe for some errands, and John's grandma took me shopping to buy exactly one million new outfits for my baby.  (Okay, maybe not that many, but I sure felt spoiled!).  That evening, we met up with John's aunt and uncle for dinner.  On Tuesday, John and I went to check out the science museum in Los Alamos.  I kind of think I'm a nerd sometimes, but when I end up at a science museum I am just bored.  I was more interested in the history of Los Alamos in respect to the nuclear bombs.  The museum was more interested in all the different science applications for nuclear research.

Christmas Day

On Wednesday, John and I drove all the way to the opposite end of the state to the other side of the family.  We had fun catching up with his aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. We ate plenty of food, played games, built gingerbread houses, opened presents.  And that was just the first day.  On Friday, we were all scrambling to get everything set up for the big 50th anniversary party on Saturday.  It all came together beautifully, and the party went well!  Then John and I had to leave early Sunday to fly home.  And that was a whole whirlwind of the week.

Almost the entire Smith side at the anniversary party - The camera obviously blurred me since I'm the newest Smith

As I always end up saying, I didn't do a very good job of taking pictures, but we did have a great time with everyone!

Thanksgiving Recap

This outfit has nothing to do with Thanksgiving week, but I managed to take almost zero pictures when I was visiting family, and I didn't want a pictureless post, so that's how it's going to be!

John and I drove out to Indy last Tuesday, and started getting anxious phone calls from the 10-year-old nieces as soon as they got out of school.  They were just slightly excited for us to arrive.  On Wednesday, they had to go to school again, so I went to meet them for lunch.  Then my other sister's family arrived Wednesday afternoon, and my brother's family arrived Thursday morning and the house was full!  We had an awesome week hanging out with everyone.  So much food.  So many board games.  Multiple laughter-induced tummy aches.  Not enough sleep.  Perhaps a few tears as we drove away.  I really wish my family lived closer!

Anyway, it was a really fun week and I'm very thankful for these crazy people that I get to call my family.

Oh, and it's Tuesday, so go link up with Laura!

Dress: Younkers (similar)
Cardigan: Gap (similar)
Belt: Limited (similar)
Tights: Old Navy
Boots: Steve Madden (exact)

Weekend in Des Moines

Friday after work, John and I hit the road for a weekend away.  Since we prefer a short drive, our destination of choice was Des Moines, IA!  My most difficult task - trying really really really hard to not sing "You really ought to give Iowa a try!" all weekend.  (Where my Music Man fans at??)

We rolled into our hotel around 9:30, and there just happened to be a Sister Hazel concert on the green space right next to it.  We listened to them for a bit, and then went looking for a coffee shop, or (let's be honest) dessert.

I highly suggest Java Joes, if you are ever in downtown Des Moines.  They have ice cream AND board games.  We played Scrabble, because that's what we do.  It was an epic game, with FIVE seven-letter plays.  It was crazy.  At the end, we realized that the set was missing the J and X, so that really changed the dynamic.  Okay, I'm talking about Scrabble too much.  Moving on...

On Saturday, we went to check out the Farmer's Market and then walked down to the sculpture park.  It was a little warm out, but the park was really cool.  And I did cliche poses, because that's what bloggers do!

After hiding inside for a little while in the afternoon, we got cleaned up and went to dinner here.  (We tried to go here, but the line to even put your name in was out the door, so we abandoned that plan pretty quickly.)  Then we were on a mission to find some live music.  The internet wasn't helpful, but we noticed some guys setting up sound equipment and went to check it out.  Success!  They were a cover band, and played an assortment of stuff, but mostly 90s alt-rock, which we were happy with.  Then we may have gone back to Java Joe's.  Because what's a Saturday evening without board games? 

Sunday was my favorite.  A little backstory - I can't ride a bike (Or really do anything that requires balance, like skating, or you know, walking without frequently tripping).  But I really love the idea of going on a bike ride.  During our walk around the lake last week, we saw a guy on a recumbent trike, and I decided that would be the perfect solution!  I've heard of the Trestle Trail, and wanted to try it out.  So we rented trikes and had the best time!  The weather was absolutely gorgeous, so that helped.  And now I want a trike!  So if anyone is looking to get me a very expensive birthday present, there's a hint.   

After that, we were starving, and ended up at Jethro's BBQ.  Amazing!  I would eat smoked turkey every day.  Then we thought a movie would be fun.  Lucy started out cool, and then just got really weird and boring.  So, I don't recommend it.

Then we drove home.  It was a really fun weekend!  Des Moines gets my stamp of approval for an easy weekend away.