Merry after-Christmas!

Thank you to all who helped make our Christmas so wonderful this year! We have so much to be thankful for and we are truly blessed. Evan really enjoyed Christmas and is still keeping busy with all of his new toys. Mike and I are keeping busy with ours as well--Mike got me Photoshop Elements for Christmas, and I have been spending all my time figuring it out. There's so much you can do with it, so bear with me as I tweak all my photos and end up with stuff like this:

I can also make my own title and background for the blog, but we'll see how that goes--i'm still figuring this out.

We hope you all had a Merry Christmas, and are looking forward to a happy New Year!

Snow!

Snow! We've finally had our first snow and we couldn't be more pleased about it. We took Evan outside to play, and he was very excited about his boots. The snow...not snow much. (ha ha, pun intended) I don't blame him though, snow is cold, and his mittens kept falling off (why can't someone invent mittens that actually stay on toddlers?) and the snow was almost deeper than he is tall.

He enjoyed helping daddy with the snow shoveling though.

So, our snow play was short-lived, but we enjoyed the snow through the window for the rest of the day anyway. Back to Evan's snow boots though, he loves them. Yesterday, he put them on (all by himself!) and continued to wear them around the house for at least an hour. I think he likes that he can stomp with them. He also can say "boot", so I'm sure that makes them somewhat more interesting.

On Friday, as it was snowing outside, we watched "White Christmas"--my favorite Christmas movie. Evan sat on the couch with me for the majority of the movie and was mesmerized, which is amazing because he usually only has the attention span for a few minutes of TV--even Sesame Street. He even danced around to some of the music. He has good taste in movies, I guess.

I'll leave you with a video. It's not exceptionally exciting but like I said, Evan enjoys boots--even those that are not his own.

Cabelas, eat your heart out.

We had a fantastic weekend. First off we got our tree, and Evan even helped decorate it. We put all of our unbreakable ornaments down towards the bottom, but he apparently thinks that they're there for him to throw, so now theres only ornaments on the top half of our tree. He gets so excited every morning when he comes out into the living room and sees the tree. I like that.
Later, we decorated ornaments to put on our tree, which was pretty fun and they turned out great.

We also went to Bass Pro Shop this weekend which is now officially my favorite store ever. I think I can say that for the whole family. We had a blast. I know there's no Bass Pro in the west , so if you've never been there it's a sportsman's/outdoor store--kind of like Cabelas (assuming you've been there...). I took some entirely terrible pictures, but I'll use them anyway. Evan loved the fish the most--they had a little pond with some fish and a big aquarium with all sorts of big fish--I think he could have watched them all day.

Everywhere you look there was some stuffed animal (taxidermy, not the cute kind) or wilderness display or some craziness, and Evan was constantly pointing things out to me.

You see over in the top right corner of the picture? Theres a whale hanging from the ceiling. Why was there a whale? I have no idea. But it was AWESOME. Oh, and they sell cool stuff, too. minor detail. We even ate lunch there. Crazy. Best part though--Santa was there. And Evan got to have his picture taken with him.

I wonder if Evan will ever look happy in a Santa photo? Here's last years:


Stone-faced. I think he's making the exact same face in both pictures. Wait, whose teeny little baby is that? Evan was never that small.

I'm so proud of him though--at least he's not crying. (unlike these kids--thanks Ellen) So brave.

Another reason why Bass Pro rocks--our santa picture was free. And we only had to wait in line for 15ish minutes. Last year at the mall we had to wait in line for at least an hour listening to the woman in front of us yelling at her kids (remember that Holly?) and then had to pay a ridiculous amount of money for our photo. ($20? I don't remember). Never again. This year we got one picture for free (which is all you need really) and they gave us a code to use online if we want to order more. So, let me know if you want a santa photo.

Now I've gone and gotten myself all excited and lost my train of thought. Oh well. Moral of the story: we had a fantastic weekend.

One last thing: our christmas tree is a balsam fir, which is kind of bushy. Being from Oregon, we're used to a douglas fir, and I can now say from experience that the doug fir is highly superior to all other christmas trees. Ha! take that world. Go Oregon.

One more thing...

One more thing--I just wanted to post this picture of Evan's awesome outfit from yesterday evening. It made my day, he was so stinking cute. And yes, he's wearing his jammies.

A boy and his dog...someday

Poor Cody. He's such a good dog, and over the past year he hasn't really been getting the love and attention that he had grown accustomed to. And if you know Cody at all, you know that he seems to demand an exceptional amount of love and attention. His world was turned quite upside down when Evan arrived--with most of our attention going to Evan--and since then Evan has slowly developed a huge interest in Cody. Mainly, Cody's eyes, ears, paws and tail. And when I say interest, I mean wanting to poke or pull these things. Needless to say, Cody hasn't been too fond of Evan, and aside from being quite protective of Evan in the beginning (or just watchful and wary, I'm not sure) he mostly just tolerates him. By leaving the room when Evan comes near him.

However, it seems that Cody and Evan are beginning to get a long a little bit better.(Cody looks worried, I know, but it's a start!) Evan really likes to throw Cody's toys for him, and even though they don't get thrown very far, sometimes Cody will run after them. Also, Evan has learned how to do "nice touches" (instead of poking) and is getting pretty good at petting him. Sometimes Cody even seems to enjoy it a bit. Evan especially likes to give Cody hugs, which is adorable.

I have a feeling that someday soon, they are going to be inseperable.

I'm off to go cuddle with my dog.

P.S. How cool is Evan in his Jerry's shirt? (it finally fits, Grandpa and Kate!)

Good Times

Whew. We've been having a good time here in the Smith household. Heres a rundown:

Mike got a new uniform. Doesn't he look handsome? I think so--I'm a lucky girl. And aren't the patches sewn on nicely? (is that what they're called? I have no idea) I know they're hard to see, but i'll tell you, someone (me) did a very good job of sewing them on. A labor of love.

It's getting cold out (very cold-we added mittens to this ensemble shortly after this picture was taken-brrrr)

but Evan still loves the playground.

Here's a picture with me in it, simply because I wanted to join the other members of this post.

Mike and I have learned that Evan will snuggle with us when we read books with him. Otherwise, he's too busy too slow down and snuggle. Needless to say, we read books a lot in this house.

We went to Fourth Cliff (a military recreation area at the beach) with some friends this weekend and had a blast. We rented this little 3 bedroom cottage and spent the whole weekend doing nothing and hanging out. And playing Pictionary. We ate a lot too.




I didn't take a whole lot of pictures, so here's a picture of Evan. He likes his car seat.

Mike has this entire week off, and thats pretty exciting. We don't have any plans yet, but we don't really need any. It's nice to just see how things pan out. Although we do seem to have HBO (and Starz, and Showtime, and Cinemax, etc.) free for a month for some reason, so I plan on watching as many movies as possible. If you need me, I'll be on the couch.

Yes, we're still here

Ugh. It's been a while since I've posted. Really, nothing has happened that I think would be even remotely interesting to talk about. I don't think we've even taken any pictures since Halloween. So we're boring. But boring is good. We like boring.

Whats Evan up to, you may ask? Everything. I made him a little playroom in the basement, with a slide and a fort and lots of toys--all of which I just moved from upstairs, so bonus for me, extra room--and he seems pretty happy with it. A few times throughout the day he just stands at the gate at the top of the stairs yelling "BA BA BA BA" and pointing downstairs--apparently that means he wants to go play.


He especially likes to play with Rodney, whom some of you may have met, and everyone thinks is creepy. Except Evan and I, we like him. Evan likes to carry him around, sometimes uses him as a pillow, and really likes to make him go down the slide.

See, even at a young age Evan loved him. My Grandma made Rodney for my dad when he was little, and I played with him when I was little, and now, apparently, Evan plays with him. I think it's cute, and Mike thinks it's scary. But then again, Mike also thinks Elmo is scary, so I don't know if his opinion can be trusted.

So we're boring. However, if you want something exciting to do, and it's before 11:59 pm PST on Friday 11/14, go to Oprah.com (or click this link) to make a free photo book from snapfish. Yet one more reason why I love Oprah. You can upload your pictures and customize each page with text and photos to make a really neat book. On the show, they used pictures of kids' art work as a way to save the art and de-clutter. Pretty cool. Thanks Oprah!

Halloween!

We love Halloween in this house. Evan, apparently, is no exception. He had a blast this halloween, seeing all the kids come to our door, showing off for our friends who came over, and eating sugar cookies and punch. Best of all, he got to go trick-or-treating! He was really good at it, and he had a wonderful time. We only made it to three houses, but that was better than we expected. He even carried his little pail (which he picked out himself) and held it out for candy.

He especially enjoyed chewing on his candy after he got it. I think he was pretty surprised to learn that candy was actually something you can eat after you get through the wrapper. Mostly he just chewed on it for a second and then abandoned it somewhere. Although, he did seem to enjoy this tootsie roll pop, which he then proceeded to smear all over the floor and furniture. Needless to say, his time with the lollipop was short-lived.

You might have noticed, from the previous post, that Evan has two Halloween costumes. He had two last year as well. We just can't help ourselves. Actually, we thought the monkey costume was pretty creepy, so we had to buy it and take pictures, but putting it on Evan turned it from creepy into cute so our plan backfired.

It is creepy, however, when you think of it in the context of this:

...which was what we were going for. Oh well.

On another note, Evan is now officially a climber.

Notice how a) he is trying to get to the halloween candy, and b) he is using his little car as a step stool. A few days ago, I watched him carry his car over to the coffee table and use exactly this method to climb onto the coffee table. Then he danced. On the table. I am simultaneously proud and worried by his newfound upward moblity, which is why I've decided to turn the basement into a playroom.

I just recently cleaned out our basement (a feat not for the faint of heart) and am very proud of myself. I actully enjoy spending time down there now. I've been looking for a climber to put down there for Evan so he can use the basement as a space in which to climb and run around, and I finally found one on Craigslist. Fantastic! So now we're off to Natick to pick it up--wish us luck!

While we're out, want some candy?

We've got plenty.

Make a Smilebox postcard

Sleepytime

Poor Evan. He skipped his morning nap today, and was a little sleepy when lunchtime rolled around. He ate most of his lunch, but then this happened, and it was just so funny that I had to immediately sit down and share it.

Sorry if the camera is a bit shaky, but I was silently laughing so hard that it was the best I could do. And don't worry, he's now sleeping much more comfortably in his crib.

Now, off to clean up the mess we made at lunch.

First Haircut!

A very momentous day in our family has occurred--Evan's first haircut! He did great. Mike really had to talk me into it, because I was worried that he wouldn't be my little baby anymore if we cut off his little curls, but I shouldn't have been worried at all. In fact, now I realize that he was starting to look a bit crazy at times, and the haircut has been a big improvement.

Here he is before. Not a big mess, but theres some fly-aways on the sides and top that were getting a bit out of control. Especially in the mornings. Or when he had rubbed food in his hair, which is often.

Here he is after. Not a big transformation, I know, but we are quite pleased. Try to ignore the fact that his hair is spiked in the front--the lady that cut his hair thought it would look cute, and we figured she deserved to have some fun. After all, she cuts children's hair all day--probably not the easiest job there is. At least he didn't leave with a blue mohawk, like the kid before him...

Evan did a great job, and the haircut went pretty much as we anticipated. He just sat there, looking glum, and periodically tried to turn his head to see what she was doing.

Here he is, trying to look as pathetic as possible. Often, when he's not quite sure about whats going on, he gets this blank look. Silly boy.

At this point he was trying to look at what she was doing, and somewhat melted in that position. He stayed like that for the rest of his haircut--and she managed to cut his hair that way. He was a trooper, and didn't complain, whine or cry one bit--but then, we never expected him to. "Mild-mannered" seems to sum Evan up perfectly.

Yes, I Do Believe My Son is the Cutest.

Sometimes I cannot even handle how adorable my son is. I know that all parents think that their child is the cutest kid in the world, and now I am going to take my turn and pronounce mine the cutest. There. I've said it. But don't you agree? If you think he looks like he's up to no good, it's because he is. He noticed that I had the camera out, and this was the only picture I was able to snap before he grabbed it. The smirk is one we know well--it usually means the bathroom door is open and he's about to unravel the toilet paper roll, or somone has left the remote control within reach. Or left anything within reach, for that matter. What a cutie.


While I'm on the subject of life with a toddler, let me tell you what I found under the bed the other day. (Go ahead and let your imagination run wild for a moment...) I was in the process of making the bed in the morning when I discovered two things. One: Mike had changed the sheets the night before, (which was very helpful of him) but had managed to put the top sheet on sideways, which was funny. Two: Something smelled terrible near my side of the bed, which was not funny. I will spare you a description of the smell, but I must say that it is a highly unpleasant experience to have to search for the source of a gross smell by following it. Anyway, what I found was a sippy cup that had apparently once contained milk. And leaked onto the floor. And no longer contained anything that resembled milk. yuck. On the bright side, we just recently bought a handheld carpet cleaner, which works beautifully. Somehow I have the feeling I will be using it increasingly more often!



What a big boy. By the way, I finished Evan's robe and am quite pleased with it. He seems to like it as well. It should come in handy on chilly mornings.

Mike's sister Maggie is here right now for her first visit to the East Coast, and we have been having a fantastic time. It's so fun to tour around the area with someone who has never been here--we end up seeing so many things that we've never seen before! She's here until Wednesday, so I'm sure we have more adventures coming our way.

On a final note, does anyone read this? Leave us some comments-- the Team Smith blog is feeling very lonely...

Craftiness

I thought I would share with you my most recent piece of craftiness--my new favorite purse. First of all, let me introduce you to my sewing buddies (all-the-time buddies, really) Anne (middle), and Sarah (right).

We spent ALL DAY yesterday sewing--Anne made a yoga bag, and Sarah made a small tote. I made a fabulous purse/diaper bag, which is already full of diapers and other assorted mommy detritus, and I am very proud of myself.

Here it is! I found the pattern online at J Caroline Creative (click on the link for the pattern) and tweaked it a bit to be exactly the bag that I wanted. I love it.

Here's a close-up:

I love that it has plenty of pockets, is big enough to hold all my junk, and is exactly the way that I wanted it. I made it just for me!


So thats my most recent accomplishment. I also recently just finished my first quilting project (which I started in July, and didn't work on again until last month, oops) which ended up being a big (big!) floor pillow. Evan loves to lounge on it, and I think it's kind of pretty.

I don't know how I feel about quilting. I had a really hard time keeping all the pieces square and the right size, but it was really rewarding seeing how the all came together in the end. We'll see.

Next up I'm making a toasty warm robe for Evan...I'll keep you posted.

Speaking of Evan, we have no idea what he should be for halloween. Any suggestions? Here's a picture for inspiration.

Kinda cute, huh? I think he'd make a good dinosaur--he likes to roar a lot.

RAAWR!

Rainy Days

Ah, fall has arrived in New England. Brilliant foliage, cooler temperatures and...rain. Lots of rain. Some here might be dissapointed by this soggy start to the new season, but the duck, beaver and young platypus in this household are thrilled to see some Oregon-like weather. I've had enough sun. Bring on the rain!

We are lucky that as Oregonians, a little rain hardly ever spoils our plans. This weekend we are traveling to Springfield, MA to visit the Big E --the largest fair in the northeast, for all 6 New England states. It's going to pour. Luckily, much of the exhibits and food are under cover, and we are staying for the night at a reserve base nearby, so I don't think the rain will bother us at all. Looking forward to an adventure!

Also this weekend is our third anniversary! We don't have anything special planned, but I think the three of us will thoroughly enjoy our little weekend getaway. Actually, an excellent recognition of our anniversary was to finally have an updated family picture. Holly took some awesome pictures of us while she was here (which was fantastic, by the way) and we love them.

On a totally different note, here's Holly with her "fish and chips" which was literally one giant chunk of fish. We thought it was pretty funny--I know i'd never seen it like that before!

Evan is doing great--when the weather is nice, he's really been enjoying spending lots of time at the playground. He seems to enjoy it much more now that he can walk steadily and go explore whatever he wants. Lately, hes mostly been chasing other kids his size around and shrieking at them because he's so excited. Most of them are scared of him...

but he's made some friends. He's a happy boy.

Also, this week Mike got to go for a flight with his squadron on a C-130 which took off from Hanscom, flew up to Niagara Falls, circled around there a few times, and flew back. It sounded pretty cool, and it must have been neat to see the falls from above like that. Jealous!

Off to enjoy the rain!