Christmas in Houston

Christmas season has begun! We went to Houston to see Mike's family over the weekend and officially started the Christmas family extravaganza. As always, we had a great time of relaxing and just "being" with the family. Christie and I talked about how we both don't really tell people when we're going home so we can have all of the time only with family...yes, it may be "hiding" from we love it! And, one of my favorite things to do is run through the trails in Kingwood with Christie. That girl can run! And, she's a great person to talk with about life during those times too. (Christie, I know i've told you this before but you are an added plus to my life when I married your brother!)

Most of the post is filled with pictures of our time together. I will devote a post later this week to Bella's walking skills - complete with video and lots of laughter.

Bella taking her "first" big-girl bath in a big bathtub. We usually put her in the small tub that sits in the big tub...but, this time Grammy graduated to the big-girl tub! Look at those eyes staring at Grammy!

Smith-Parson clan...complete with Bella looking at her daddy!
Playing with Paw-Paw...this was right after he was tickling her toes.

Here is Bella's loot from the grandparents...She loves to play with things she can't have - our cell phones, our keys, our laptops...so what did she get this year (among MANY other things?)...a toy cell phone, toy keys, and a toy laptop...maybe she'll want these more than the real ones?
Playing with Grammy and her new cell phone.
Bella LOVED Grammy and most of the time would not go to anyone else! (And, Grammy loved that...wouldn't you?)
Walking like a big-girl with Grammy.

Don't you wonder what she's thinking?

Where's the little gal amongst the presents?
Some of the other great presents she received included a cute outfit from Aunt Christie and Uncle Joey, multi-colored gloves from Peru (Tommy and Susy went on a mission trip to Peru this year), monkeys from Peru, a musical train set, a hat from Peru, books, books, books, puzzles...phew, thanks Grammy and PawPaw!

Playing with MeeMaw.

And, we're done

Mike is f.i.n.a.l.l.y done with the semester. Can I get an AMEN? Or a 'what what'? Or 'holla'? Or how about all together! Go ahead - AMEN 'what what' 'holla'. It's been a tough semester for him with four graduate classes and commuting 45 minutes one way to school and having a family to come home to and hang out with. But, he did it. 70+ pages written, numerous tests and quizzes and book reports and...you get the picture. So, today we celebrated by spending the entire day with eachother. Mike, myself and Bella. We slept in, cooked breakfast, worked on Christmas cards, caught up on TV shows, went Christmas shopping, cleaned house, cooked supper, did laundry, played and played and played...awwww, what a Saturday needs to be. Near perfect! The past few months, Mike has spent the majority ofthe weekends (and 2-3 weeknights through the week) in the library at Baylor studying, sometimes coming home at 11 or 12pm. So, to have him here all day with uninterrupted time was fantastic! Yay for Christmas break. From the picture, Bella enjoys having him home too...but, probably not as much as Mike enjoys having a break (you can tell that from the picture too - I caught him with his eyes kindof shut but the next few pictures are of Bella having an I-want-down fit...so this is the best of the batch).
On another note, do anyone of you watch Glee? Does my child remind you of anyone -namely, Sue? Not the personality (hopefully) but the outfit. Love it! I can't help but laugh when Bella wears her Nike mommy-marathon-training outfit and think of Sue on Glee.

13 month update

I know i'm behind on this. But, we were celebrating Thanksgiving when Bella celebrated her 13-month-iversary. So, I "attempted" to capture pictures with her and the giraffes. Next time...i'll wait until there are two of us to "attempt". But, for now here's her update.

Start of the photoshoot - "Uh, oh. I see something I want."

"Hmm, maybe I can reach it."
"Nope I'm going to go for it." (Notice I moved the giraffes thinking I could get a picture of her this way....Do you think it worked?)

Nope, didn't work. She likes to pull her clothes out of her drawers more.
"Mom, you want me to what? Hug the giraffes?"
"How's this?" (Notice I tried to move the giraffes again to get a good picture.)

And, here are other pictures from this week that were too cute not to post. Well, too cute to her daddy and I...and the grandparents that like to know e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. So, the actions documented in the following pictures are really for the grandparents to know the play by play action of Miss B's every move.

She is saying her "g" and "l" syllables. She likes to stick her tongue out and makes a "bluh" noise. She'll walk around doing this, looking like a little lizard. She also likes to say "ahh-ghee"...something like that. I guess you get the picture. LOTS of talking! She is taking more and more steps on her own too. A couple of days before Thanksgiving she took her official "first" step from me to Mike. Then, at Thanksgiving she took a couple in a row with my mom and cousin Jamie. Now, she's getting much better and standing and then taking off to a person with their arms out. She'll breath really quick and take off! It's too cute. She also likes to open and close doors.

Look at how long her hair is!

She's happy because her daddy is about to finished with this semester of school. And, so am I! And, so is he!

She likes to walk under the table and push all the chairs around. She pushed a chair to the other side of the kitchen the other night when I was cleaning up the kitchen. Makes a lot of noise but it keeps her occupied for a while.

I think she has found her hair. She'll raise her hands, feel her hair, and then throw her hands down to her side. Usually all of this is accompanied by various noises.

And, here she is sitting on her feet and smiling! She'll clasp her hands like in the picture and "wave" them up and down and side to side. Then, she'll clap them to "if you're happy and you know it clap your hands".

She likes to eat those strawberry-banana puff things that are really flavored air. She will stick as many as I would give her in her mouth and then "chew" with her teeth. She pats her mouth too when she's done or wants more.

And, I couldn't resist posting a bath picture. She looks so excited, doesn't she. This look is usually accompanied by various noises too.

And, I leave you with a wintery-picture! A cold front blew in this week! yay! I love winter and hopefully we'll get snow tomorrow. So, I went out and bought her these boots. Cute, huh!

Thanksgiving 2009

We went to our family (Dad's side of the fam) in Oklahoma for Thanksgiving! We always love doing this because my cousin, Jason, lives on a beautiful piece of land. He built his house (all of it), a fun treehouse (one side for girls and one side for boys), and a lake in the back (yes, he dug that). All in all, it's a relaxing time of being outside with 4-wheelers, tubing on the 4-wheeler, lots of food, lots of family, guitars, singing, pictures, kiddos, more food...you get the picture. Jason and Jamie have our dream house and land! There's something about raising your family in a big, open space with trees and water and lots of room to roam around in.

Here's the Hogue clan - Grandma and Grandpa Hogue, 4 children (and spouses), 7 grandchildren (and spouses), and 10 great grandchildren.


My dad was playing fetch with their dog and Bella LOVED it. She was laughing with one of those deep, belly laughs. Cutie!
Grandma and Grandpa by "their" car. It was actually a rental that was brought to the partay. Aren't they cute posing by it though! Grandpa is 88 and going as strong as ever. I hope I got some of his genes.

Bella got in on the car-picture action. But don't worry....

Mom was close by!




Allison and her man walking! Aren't they fun?!Another family picture.

Walking with sweet Bella!

Happy Thanksgiving from the Smith's!

Just an update

Bella went to her grandparents in Houston this past weekend. It was the first time she was away for two nights in a row. And, it was quiet! Mike and I enjoyed dinner and going to a movie. (We saw 'The Blind Side' which I highly recommend.) We slept in, I hung out with my sister, he worked on a paper allll saturday and sunday, we had a fire, I cooked soup and homemade cheese bread...it was a great, relaxing weekend with one another. But, we sure were happy to have our loud little gal home! Numerous times through the weekend we would comment on how quiet the house was. We didn't hear her jabber and babble and toy walker and hands crawling across the floors. Is that what it sounded like pre-baby? We met his parents at our thanksgiving service in Milano on Sunday night and enjoyed singing and eating with eachother. Thanks Grammy and PawPaw for the much needed break!

I had my first "I need a break" week. I never understood why people said they felt for me because I work full time, have a child, and my husband is in seminary (who has 3 large papers due this week and next week). Well, last week I understood. It's amazing what a little time off from the daily duties of life will do for you. I'm sure i'm not the only momma out there who feels like this and just needs a break!

Some firsts for the week include:
1. She's saying her "y", "l", and "h" syllables. It now sounds like she's saying "hi" and is rolling her tongue out when she says an "l". It really seems like she is having a conversation with us.
2. She is clapping to "if you're happy and you know it clap your hands". (I've been working on that one for a while.)
3. She is waving hi and bye.
4. She continues to be a great eater. I have not completely weaned her yet but that's ok. No hurry from this mom!

Here's some pictures from her time with the grandparents.

Hiking 101 with a certain one year old

When you go hiking with a certain one year old there are certain essentials you must have.

1. A great state park nearby. We went to Mother Neff State Park which was about an hour away. It's not very big (we hiked the majority of it in a couple of hours) but it wasn't crowded and was nice and relaxing. Plus, the leaves were beginning to change and it was an overcast day. Prescription for beautifulness! Quiet, peaceful, family time, smell of leaves, sound of water...awww!
2. A great hubby. This is essential since he carried the 20 pound one year old for the first half of the trip. And, is all around great to be with.

3. A mom. This certain mom carried the one year old the second half of the hike - which entailed lots and lots of kicking and laughing. She was w-i-g-g-l-y! And, the certain mom let the certain one year old touch the water.

4. A good baby carrier. This certain one year old wanted to lean as far over as she could to see mom's feet or the leaves. Or she just enjoyed lurching forward and then kicking her legs (sometimes that was uncomfortable and sometimes that would spring the mom forward but all the time it was cute and most of the time it was captured on camera)

5. A semi-I'm-not-going-to-smile grin. Just because it's too cute!

6. A great hat. A gal's gotta look cute even if she is in the elements.

7. A recliner (also known as daddy) for when you get tired.

8. And, just all around cute babyness.

9. A picnic table to eat on or bang on or climb on or try to suck on.

8. A parent willing to sacrifice their hat or hair or whatever else a certain one year old wants to "play" (uh,hum pull) with.

11. Something good to eat or chew on. Water, hands, fingers...
10. A family ready for a day with one another..

And, I would walk 500 miles...

Bella is walking all over the place with her little walker. She has now figured out how to swing it around to change directions. She no longer has to step alllll around it to go the other way. Now, she'll fling it to one side. We'll shut the doors to all the rooms and let her roam in the kitchen, living room and hallways. She still tries to get in the rooms - evidenced by a large 'thud' as she runs into the doors. Here's the little cutie in action! Don't you love that cloth-diapered bottom! And you'll notice in the video her "loud voice". Sometimes that means she's upset (at the end of the video) while other times it means she's just wanting to be loud (at the beginning of the video). Can you also tell she's a daddy's girl by the video!

Some other firsts for the week:

1) She has another tooth - that now makes 8! The drool machine is at it again.

2) She started standing up on her own. She can go from sitting on the ground to standing up completely without any assistance. But, then she'll wave her arms and get this excited look on her face (aka - mouth wide open!) and then fall down. So, no steps yet but we're getting there.

3) She is finally eating banana or strawberry puffs. She's been semi-eating them for a while but most of the time she spits them back out. Today she ate all 6 of them we put in front of her!

4) She had her first non-baby poop - I know, I know, TMI - but i'm documenting everything right! All that solid food is creating very different poops than breastmilk poops.

Halloween and Fall Pumpkins - From Bella's Perspective

My mom always writes these post so I thought I should share my thoughts - you know, the thoughts of a cute 12 month old. She said she was sorry for taking so long in putting these pictures up too...Mommy and daddy decided to put me in a new outfit for halloween. I'm not sure why. I think i'm cute in my clothes without a big purple/green/yellow thing on my head. (What was that again? A flower? Hmmm, I know my mommy really likes those and Granddad does too. But on my head? Really, parents - stop the madness.)

Auntie Alli, Brad and Jodie came by for dinner and dessert and lots of candy! Mommy wouldn't let me have any though. Oh well. I saw Brad and daddy eat the majority of them.

Ok, so I kindof liked the flower outfit. Maybe it's because daddy, mommy, Auntie Allison, Brad and Jodie were making funny noises and faces and sounds. Or maybe it's because I totally rocked this outfit.

Mommy dressed up as a gardener and I was a flower. Maybe she feels like she has to tend to me and take care of me and make sure i'm well fed. I think she does a good job from the looks of my cute-self!I was trying to figure this purple flower thing on my head when daddy started making funny sounds...I kindof thought it was cute.

Now that i've turned one i'm trying to walk more and more. But for now I like it in mommy's lap - and she tells me all the time she likes it too. I even gets and lots of kisses from my parents and have started face-planting myself into their faces when I want another kiss.
This is a pumpkin from my Great-Granddaddy's farm that my grandparents brought me. Bittersweet memories.

Lately i'm becoming more and more mischevious. Why can't I open every cabinet and crawl all over the house? Or why can't I pull myself up by the trashcan or on that big white bowl thing in the bathroom? I usually make this face when i'm trying to evalute if my parents see me - and most of the time they do...but every once in a while I get past them and pull all the clothes out of the bottom drawer...mommy calls me a 'little stinker' when I do that. I still don't understand why. I smell awesome - like baby lotion.

Hanging with my daddy - He always says i'm cute and calls me "baby girl" - This is how I smile when he says that.

Daddy was trying to get me to smile - Obviously, only mommy got that memo - It's probably because she thinks i'm cute too.

Maybe mommy will let me write more often - she's fun and all but I can give you all the inside scoop. Happy Fall!

Bella's First Birthday Party - Continued!

The morning after the big birthday Mike made his famous homemade buttermilk pancakes and we continued the birthday celebration with the family. Bella received some great toys and clothes and shoes and loud-noise-makers and balloons! Thanks everyone for making this day so special!

And, of course no birthday party is complete without the cake! Miss B wasn't sure what to do with it and we had to "coach" to eat it or play with it. She was very particular in eating it or messing it up...
Mom had to help.
Dad had to help too.

"Hmmm, maybe i'll play the balloons instead."
Finished product = Messy birthday girl about to get a bath!

Bella's First Birthday Party!

I had plans for a great outdoors birthday party in a pavilion at a great local park surrounded by huge trees...you get the picture. We were going to have a dinner in the evening - leaves are changing - lights hung all over the pavilion - dinner by sunset - perfect weather - lots of great friends and family - a very happy birthday baby...but, the big day had COLD weather (action taken by the parents of the birthday girl - Move the party indoors to our house and subsequently make sure everyone was crammed, ahem, cozy), no leaves, no hanging lights, no dinner with the sunset in the background, and no happy birthday girl! Bella cried the ENTIRE time - poor thing. There were lots of faces and she had missed her afternoon nap (I know you other moms out there just said "oh no" to that fact.) The one thing that remained constant was the presence of great friends and family in celebration of our sweet one-year-old Bella! And, celebrate we still did!

We decided to do a Read-Around-The-World theme. I originally wanted to decorate each picnic table with a different country theme...but, I combined them all in one table (aka. our dining table!). So, we had the world in one place which was fun. I found some great children's book to decorate with from various parts of the world. We also had a global menu of Tunisian chicken and couscous, Mediterranean spinach dip, Indian spiced tea, "Scottish" oat bread, Houston chocolate chip cookies (Grammy's special recipe), Dutch double chocolate cookies, and Bella's birthday cake decorated like a world (well, kindof. I did my best. Maybe it's Pangaea...)Either way, Bella was not having any of it! What you can't see is her screaming and what you can't hear is everyone singing happy birthday.A fun fact about the table is there were numerous items given to us or Bella from around the world. Camels, elephants, giraffes, bowls from Rwanda, Tunisia, Kenya, Ethiopia!

We asked people to donate to the Room to Read organization instead of giving gifts to Bella. I first read the book about that organization and loved what they were doing, particularly with supporting underprivileged girls around the world obtain an education. So, through the gifts of everyone we were able to support one girl for a year and a half through school!!!! So neat! And, thanks everyone from the Smith Family!
I found this great book I asked everyone to sign which teaches you how to say "hi" from various countries around the world. This page is teaching "hi" in Swahili!

Where's the birthday girl? Not here! She's in her room being rocked/bounced/sung-to/rocked/bounced/cooed/talked-to/bounced by her mom, dad, aunt, grandmothers...

Some of our great friends who came - Kristen, Sarah, Suzanne, Jodie, Aunt Alli, Mike, Louis, Alan, Joell, Holly
Friends from the Onion in Waco!!
My grandmother was also able to come. Thanks to my aunt and uncle and mom and dad!! Isn't she beautiful!
Sweet Frances from our Milano church. She bought Bella a book that sings "Jesus loves me"...I may or may not have cried nearly every time I sing this with Bella!
Precious AD and Ruth Lagrone from the Milano church! They made Bella a cute castle birdhouse ("Since she's a princess" - Ruth) and gave her a $2 bill, which is a tradition for their family. We are glad to be a part of that!
We ended up having a great time with our great friends and family. And, guess who perked up after everyone except the family left! You guessed it...the birthday girl! Little stinker!
"Where did everybody go? And, why is mom playing peek-a-boo?"
"Phew, hard night...I'm still cute in my pre-bath glory though! Mommy said she had a good time too after she got over being disappointed. I think I flashed my sweet grin and she was ok! Glad I could help..."
Mom - "What about the world cake now?" Bella - "Nope, i'm laughing at Brad, Allison and Granddad"

The next day we had another party with just the family...To be continued....

Rosalynn Carter Institute

Last Wednesday, my boss and I flew to Americus, Georgia to present our Scott & White Family Caregiver Program at the National Rosalynn Carter Institute (RCI) for Caregiving Conference. (Can I just say how great it is to work for a boss that is brilliant, fun, and is a friend! I didn't think I would have that again after my rockstar boss in South Carolina, Swann Adams - who continues to be a mentor and great friend to me). Alan presented in the morning and I presented in the afternoon along with Richard McGhee, the director of the community partner - Aging and Disability Resource Center. Wednesday night we attended a welcoming reception at a beautiful HUGE historic home. While we were there Alan introduced me to a man who is the medical director of corporate communications for Johnson and Johnson and works in Latin America. (RCI and J&J funded the Family Caregiver Program). I asked him if he knew of Dr. Paul Farmer and Partners in Health in Haiti (Dr. Farmer is one of my biggest heroes). Dr. Martinez smirked and said "yes, we work with him and know him"...which I proceeded to say "ooohhh, i've read his dissertation, all his books....". The rest of the time we were able to discuss schools of public health and his connections to Johns Hopkins and Harvard (yes, I was excited!). Then, Mrs. Carter came in and we met her. All in all, the weekend was wonderful! It got better when we went to the Gala the final night. Alan and our program ended up winning the Rosalynn Carter Leadership in Caregiving Award is the highest award given in the caregiving field. And, I couldn't be happier for him and Richard!! Enjoy some pictures of our time there.

Richard and I presented and then participated in a panel discussion for the participants...we look serious don't we!

Mrs. Carter and I - She said "Did you know I used to be a 'Smith'?" - yes, we connected! I hope I am that gracious, beautiful, and poised when I am 82 years old.
Louis and I in an old phone at our hotel. (It was a neat old, historic hotel)
Louis and I at the reception.
Alan and I with the beautiful award!
The "official" press release picture...which makes me laugh since all of us are looking different directions and have different facial expressions...oh well. Disregard the fact that I am faking that smile...I was really nervous!


Pictured (l to r): Alan Stevens, PhD, Director, Scott & White Program on Aging and Care, Temple, Texas; Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter; Emily Smith, MSPH, CCRC, Family Caregiver Program Director, Scott & White Healthcare, Temple, Texas; H. Richard McGhee, Director, Central Texas AAA, Belton, Texas.

While I was gone we called in the most qualified reinforcements to watch Bella while I was gone and Mike was at school. Thank you Grammy! I flew in on her birthday and was so excited to see her...can you tell!

And, we are officially one year...

12 months - 52 weeks - 365 days - 8,760 hours - and lots of minutes of love and hugs and slobbery kisses! This time last year we were Here after we had just seen our little girl for the first time - and still trying to wrap our minds around being parents in-real-life. What a journey it has been! Sweet Bella, we love you more than we can tell you and look forward to many more years to show you. We are now climbing on the giraffes and playing peek-a-boo behind them.

Family photo at one year!
Family photo one year ago!I went to the Rosalynn Carter Institute in America, Georgia this week i'll blog about that later) and got back today - right in time for her birthday! Yes, I was so happy to see Bella again!
Playing with Grammy!
Happy Birthday Bella Grace!

This time last year...

This time last year...I was Here

and officially about to jump out of my skin! I was loving the belly, loving feeling Bella move and do circles, running, swimming, cleaning, keeping my mind off of "I-may-go-into-labor-at-any-minute-now", loving calling my family just to say hi and hearing them say "hElLooo" (hoping it was the I-am-in-labor-call), loving the what-ifs and thankfulness of motherhood. I also remember being nervous and scared about not knowing what I was doing or how I was going to be a mother (remember, I hadn't changed diapers before).

Fast forward one year later...the belly went away, Bella moves in circles in the house (all over the house!), I still run and swim (and had to get used to the non-prego-belly run again), I still call my family (although now they really want to know about Bella more than me...which is ok!), I still ask the what-ifs of motherhood and am increasingly thankful for motherhood. I also still get nervous and scared about being a mother. But, the thing that is different is I see this precious little Bella of ours daily. And LOVE her to pieces. As her first birthday is coming up I am reminded what a difference a year makes. And what a fabulous difference that is!

Look who's walking!!!

Ok, so she's not "officially" walking but this counts as the progression to it! A momma has to document e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g...right? Also, notice her rockin' marathon-training suit Grammy bought her. Adorable! She is ready to go!

Family time and catch-up

Our families came into town this past weekend to celebrate Bella's birthday! Yes, it's early. Her birthday is actually on the 23rd but we had the party when everyone could make it. I'll devote a later post to the party itself but I wanted to post some cute pictures of the weekend and the past two weeks. Some "first" for the week includes:
1. Dancing! We put on music of any type or just sing to her and she does this a-d-o-r-a-b-l-e dance-sway-move-back-and-forth and smile thing. Super cute! I'll have to catch it on video but if she knows we're videotaping her she'll just stare at the camera.
2. She's talk talk talking. I know I post about her talking alot but it really does just keep increasing!
3. She has learned to turn around in the bathtub. One of her new favorite games is to turn herself around and throw the rubber duckies out of the water. Then, she'll turn herself around again and retrieve the thrown ducks. This could go on for a while i'm sure!
4. She has started talking with voice inflection that makes it sound like she's always asking a question. It's hysterical listening to that in the monitor in the morning before we get her up.
5. She is 19 pounds and 15 ounces.
6. Mike and I think her legs have gotten loooonnnngggger just within the past week. Her torso seems to be the same size but her legs keep going and going...maybe she'll be tall!?

Enjoy some pics from the past few weeks! Expect more blogs in the near future of the birthday festivities and her cute pumpkin outfit!

She's wearing one of my dresses I wore at her age.
Playing with Auntie Alli.
Can you see my dad's hang in the window!
Great Grandmother going in for kisses!
Laughing at Nana with the camera.
Look at those teeth!

Just because...

Happy Last Day of September y'all!
(The picture is a little fuzzy since it's from our phone camera but it's so cute I had to post it!)

11 months old!!

In a little less than 3 weeks our sweet baby will turn one - the birds are chirping, the wind is calm, the earth is quiet, and...wait, just kidding. WE-HAVE-AN-11-MONTH-OLD. The birds are chirping? No, Bella is singing LOUDLY! The wind is calm? Maybe, but Bella is ALWAYS on the move. The earth is quiet? We now have a talking-squawking-squealing-making-every-sound-she-can-think-of little gal. And, if I do say so myself...she is A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E. She is a champ at pulling up on everything and is getting quick at walking around the coffee table or the chairs or the kitchen cabinets. She also learned how to open them - so her daddy quickly baby-proofed the cabinets before she could figure them all out.

Look at those eyes! I like to climb on daddy these days...Hey mom, why are you laughing so hard? Sweet daddy's girl.Here are some other firsts for the month:
1. She stood up and LET GO! We were hanging out at the Bradster's house enjoying grilled dove (ok, they were...not me) when Bella scooted to me, stood up and hung onto my shoulders for support, looked at me and then let go and stood there all on her own. What did this momma do? All I could think of was "grab the camera" but I froze as we both looked at eachother and smiled. Those memories are captured in my head and heart so who needs cameras! (I know at this point the grandparents are saying "We need cameras").
2. She is making "puppy-dog" sounds. Along with her numerous sounds she is making now we'll hear her yelp and squeal like a little puppy dog.
3. I think she is learning "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands". I'll sing that and she'll actually clap back. Smart? Yes! Clap all the time? Well, maybe...
4. I think she's beginning to dance. We'll sing and she'll bounce in her cute belly-hanging-over-her-diaper self.
5. And, she continues to just be super duper cute. I know i've said it before but I had no idea how much I would love being a mom!

Here are her monthly giraffe pictures in her diaper-cuteness. (Yes, it was hard to get her sitting down or being still.)

Hugging the giraffe!

Look dad...I can stand up on this now!
Cutie-pie! (Don't you love the 'hair-sprout'! Grandma's...that's for you!)
Cutie-pie again!
When all else fails...kiss the mirror!

Sweet Seymour

September 7th I lost my sweet Granddaddy. I wanted to post earlier but it's been pretty hard for our family. Those of you that know me know how close I was to him and those of you that knew him know what an extraordinary man he was. I called him Seymour. (My mom called him "senor" one day and I heard it wrong - thus, "Seymour" became his nickname to me.) I thought i'd dedicate a post, or two, to him. Here are some of my favorite pictures and stories of him. (My mom also has a great post about him at http://pattihoguephoto.blogspot.com )

One of my favorite stories of him was when my mom was born. They wouldn't let Granddaddy go into the delivery room or stay the night when mom was born. The hospital room was on the first floor so Granddaddy drove his car underneath the room where Grandmother and my mom were at and slept there the whole night to be close. Growing up, some of my fondest memories are when we would go camping in the airstream to Cloudcroft. Seymour was a big man so when he moved in the airstream we all felt it. To wake us up in the morning he would bounce up and down...then we knew he was coming around the corner. After the bouncing started you would hear:

"Zippity Doo Dah
Zippity Ay
Mean oh Mine (he always sang these words instead of the "My oh My" words)
What a wonderful day.

Plenty of sunshine
Comin' my way.
Zippity Doo Dah
Zippity Ay".

I'm sure we would pretend like we wanted to go back to sleep but secretly we loved it. When we would go visit for holidays or birthday parties Granddaddy and I would walk down their driveway to put up the flags and still sing that together. One of my favorite pictures of us! This picture depicts how sweet and comforting and strong he was to us.
During our second birthday I found mine and Allison's cake in the back room at my grandparents house. And, since I had to make sure it tasted good I stuck my finger in it thinking noone would notice. When they brought the cake out Grandmother asked me if I was the guilty party. In my two year old voice, I said "Granddaddy do it." I still blamed him for things saying that! Grandmother always knew who really "do it" though. All of us grandkids would get a kick out of "sneaking" up on Granddaddy while he was "sleeping". I remember Cybil, Allison and I hiding behind the couch while Granddaddy was napping with a feather to tickle him. He always seemed to know when we were trying to do that - he probably heard those giggles we were trying to keep in. When we would get up close to his face he would jump up and we would go screaming and jumping and running...and we probably woke Grandmother up every time.
When I got older I went to Wayland Baptist University which, thankfully, was about an hour away from Grandmother and Granddaddy's house. I loved going to their house for the weekend or evening - we would shell peas, can peaches, ride in the golf cart, and just be together. They always welcomed my friends and became another set of grandparents to many of them. I lived with them one summer too. He taught me to catch a june bug and tie a string around it's foot and watch it fly around (I know, I know - things we did on the farm). We laughed so hard that evening because it would fly around and the string would entangle around me - resulting in squeals and "Granddaddy, get it off...." from me. He laughed and chuckled like he always would and then come to my rescue. (His laugh/chuckles were fabulous!)
We've always loved his big, strong hands. Even to this day I would put my palm in his and watch mine disappear. There was always that security and love in those hands that represented how we felt about his heart.
Grandmother and Granddaddy live on a farm outside of Lubbock where he had Christmas trees (in West Texas!) and cotton. They have a little house across from their house where I lived during a summer I took classes at Texas Tech. I was so excited about having my own place and was busy decorating all day. Then nighttime came around and after laying in bed for a little bit I got scared of being by myself. So, 10:30pm at night I marched myself over to my grandparents house and rang the doorbell. I still remember Granddaddy opening the door for me while I said, "I don't want to sleep by myself". He didn't laugh or make funny remarks to me - He simply said "Well honey, come on in. You're welcome". Then with those big hands he hugged me and they made sure I got tucked into bed. That never got old - even in my twenties. Yes, security and love and family were always trademarks of his.
On the farm, Granddaddy would take us up in the bucket and "pretend" like he was dumping us. We squealed and squealed and it probably made Grandmother pretty nervous. Then we had fourwheelers and then the golf cart. Granddaddy would take Grandmother out to watch the beautiful sunsets of West Texas. Their romance never got old or dull.
The farm should be called "Smiley's Place". Granddaddy would take old tractor parts or anything else he could find and paint them yellow with eyes, a nose, and a big smile. He has a TON of them all over the farm. If you're ever driving down highway 87 toward Tahoka look for the giant smiley face in the cotton field. That's it!
One of the greatest joys was sharing their first great grandbaby with them. I adore my grandparents so it was an honor for Bella to meet them. I love this picture and his face and the way my heart was beaming at the time.
Granddaddy was the hardest worker I know. My Uncle Steve depicted that work ethic and what it taught us about life so beautifully at Seymour's funeral. That work ethic and life lessons were instilled in us all at a young age and still holds true in many, if not all, aspects of my life.
He was a man I admired and looked up to. We became friends as I got older but he always was my Granddaddy.
Sweet Seymour and Mike working in the barn. I will always remember the smell of the barn.
Here's the bucket he would put the grandkids in and we would ride up and down his driveway. I'm sure Grandmother has hours and hours of video of us doing nothing more than laughing and riding.
Everyone who knew Granddaddy knew about his red hat! They would come to our high school events and Seymour would always wear his red hat. I could spot him out in the crowd while I was in band or at an awards ceremony and my friends knew who he was too. Toh is children and grandchildren, he would wait until the crowd at one of our games or events got quiet and yell "At'a boy, girl". We loved it!
I can't describe in words how much I love my Seymour. His love for Grandmother serves as one of the greatest examples in marriage I know. His strong hands were more than physical strength to me. Those hands represented friendship, love, strength, hard work, and grace. Seymour, you are one of those loves to me that I am so thankful for. Love you better, Emily.

6 Year Anniversary!

Mike and I celebrated our sixth year anniversary last week and went to Houston for a quick trip. While we were gone Bella had a great time with Grammy and PawPaw Smith. Check out this cute video! It was WAY past Bella's bedtime (as evidenced by her 'falling' on Mike) but you have to stay up late when you're with the grandparents. If she plays in her crib before she falls asleep she'll usually fall over and sleep with her head face-first between her legs. She'll go until the end!

Love you better

This video is for my sweet grandmother, Bella's great grandmother. We (grandmother and I) say "Love you better" to eachother and try to be the first one to say it. So, grandmother, Love you better - and enjoy the video. (If it doesn't work the first time keep trying or let it buffer some more.)

10 month update!

Happy 10 months to Bella - Happy 10 months to Bella - wait, what? We are now in the double digits!

One of her new favorite things to do is play peek-a-boo. Even when we're not there she'll play with herself. We'll hear her in the monitor in the morning playing it by herself in the crib. Or we'll catch her in her play yard playing peek-a-boo with the air. She'll turn her face ("You can't see me") and then turn around ("Here I am") and laugh or squeal with a raspy voice. Yes, it is so much fun! The little stinker loves it - and, she loves it when we hide underneath covers or a towel or a blanket or her clothes or anything else to "hide" and then pop out. Here's the play by play action of peek-a-boo.

Where's Bella?
There she is! (Imagine a cute raspy voice trying to squeal and mimic her momma's laugh when she says 'Peek-a-boo')
Then we stand up instead of playing peek-a-boo behind the bumbo.
As you can tell from the pictures we are beyond the point of being able to set her down and know she won't move. Now she wants to move and stand up all the time! Hence, we bought the monster play area that is big enough for her to feel like she has all the room in the world but small enough to fence her in the living room and give her "boundaries".
"I wonder if I can get out of here" - Then, she'll usually proceed to lick the sides. Yes, we are still licking everything in sight!

Another "firsts" from this month is she loves to play in the kitchen. I can have the floor COVERED in toys and teething rings and blocks and place one tupperware top on the floor - what does she goes for? You got it - the tupperware. So, I loaded a bottom drawer (that she can now open) with all my tupperware and she goes to town. It keeps her occupied during dinner preparation or washing dishes.

I tried to get a picture while she was playing in the drawer. This is as good as I got the first try - she's quick!

Try two - Success! Notice the tupperware lids scattered around - and notice that cute smile!Bath time still is some of the best times. She LOVES to splash and splash. I'll also get a bowl of water and pour it slowly in front of her. She'll try to grab it and then laugh when she splashes herself in the face.
Smiling at daddy!
Rubber Ducky fun!
Look at those eyes! She's making the raspy laugh when she looks like that.
Now that she is M.O.B.I.L.E. she will wiggle around in her bed until she can't stand it anymore. Notice the next picture? Case in point.

She now weighs 18.5 pounds (50th percentile) and is 28 inches long (50th percentile). She still has her baby "tummy" that is so cute! But I can tell a little of it is going away. What? They grow up? No one told me that!

Until next time have a great day! Here are her 10 month pictures - with and without her flower. We had to be quick to get any with her flower on!

Fun times with Grammy and PawPaw

It's been nearly two weeks since i've last posted, y'all. Sorry about that! Here's a little bit of an update on what we've been up to. Stay tuned for 10 months pictures and stats later this week.

We took a quick trip to Houston last weekend to see the grandparents! Bella played with blocks...
Took a bath in the kitchen sink...
Wanted to spray the water and did NOT want to sit down in the sink. She wanted to be standing!...
Gave Grammy wet - slobbery kisses on the nose...
Played peek-a-boo for a LONG time when she should have been sleeping...
Cooed, talked, played, screamed, laughed....
Saw MeeMaw...
And of course, got some lovin' from mom and dad and gave some lovin' back.

The sweet thing seemed to have a great time playing with new toys and new "whatever-else-she-can-grab" at Grammy and PawPaw's house. Bella especially loved playing peek-a-boo with anything she could "hide" behind. Grammy and PawPaw - Thanks for letting us come visit!

Being a mom...

Being a mom includes certain joys of teaching my daughter independence of journeying through this thing we call life - but, also experiencing dichotomous times of mommy dependence-attachment. Ok, so i'm the one with the dichotomy. They are only little once and now that she is MOBILE I take all the little hugs and lovin' I can get!

In no particular order, I give you the dichotomies of today...
Being a mom includes:

Teaching your child to go to sleep independently - but, rocking her during her last feeding of the day after bathtime and the oh-so-fabulous smell of baby lotion. When she falls asleep and I keep rocking for oh about an hour - bliss!
Watching your child play independently as she explores the world of colors, shapes, sizes, and the occasional TV remote, shoe, book, or other "toy" she can crawl to and grab - but, snatching her up to get big, wet kisses! (Yes, these are slobbering-full mouth-tongue out kisses - precious! I'll take the occasional zit this causes any day!)
Seeing your child stand up and prepare to walk by herself into exciting adventures of exploration - but, getting hugs before the "wiggles" away to continue walking.

Seeing your child laugh and clap and play with nothing more than the air around her (she seems to spontaneously laugh which is one of the greatest joys so far!)and all the tupperware tops in the kitchen - but, laughing with her until you both can't take it any more.

Asking yourself "Am I doing this right?" and "What do I do now?" and "Oh my goodness, they don't have a book about this do they?" - but, enjoying the sweet times of reassurrance when she giggles from getting zerberts and oobers amount of lovin'.

Teaching her how to clap (she can do that) and wave (we're working on that) and play pic-a-boo (see below) - and, seeing her catch on (kindof) to her new skills. ("Mom, is this how you do it?" 1. Hide behind shirt/object/hands, 2) Lower shirt/object/hands, 3) Squeal, 4) Stick out your tongue as far as you can, 5) Smile, 6) Squeal again, 7) Melt the parents heart, 8) Ok, i'm done, 9) Squirm away or repeat)

Going to work at a fab job - but, coming home to this sweetie-pie.

Watching her smile and make noises and try to "mimic" your facial expressions - but, letting her make her own silly-faces and crazy noises/squeals/screams.

There certainly have been lots of times of questioning and times where I just want to sleep or read (that's for another blog post). However, I continue to be amazed at how much I am loving being a mom. Considering I didn't really "like" kiddos or babysitting growing up and Bella was my first diaper change EVER I am pleasantly surprised at how much I love being a mom to Bella. Considering I love my job and research and writing and what I "do" outside of the home and wondered if I could really have it all (aka. being a working mom [I use "working" loosely because all moms are "working" regardless if they stay home or work outside of the home]). I am pleasantly surprised at how I still love to work and research and have ambitions for my PhD one day...while loving coming home to take care of Bella and putting my apron on to make homemade bread and cleaning my home (Mike is great at doing these things too since we enjoy an egalitarian relationship - I just enjoy doing these things! Just ask him - sometimes I get upset when he cleans the kitchen since it's one of my favorite things to do at the end of the day...I know, i'm weird).

So, I know I've said it before but being a mom has not been what I read about in the books and certainly not what I had in my mind. It's full of wonderful dichotomies that i'm sure will only continue to get more challenging and rewarding.

The End.

Week in review

Bella is standing up like a "big girl" - that's what I tell her. The little cutie is pulling up on everything now! We have had our first (and i'm sure not the last) encounter with bumping our head on the coffee table, TV armoire, bed...kiddos are resilient though, aren't they! A little crying and then she's ready to go again. Other firsts for the week include:
1. Another tooth on top - that makes 4 top teeth and 2 bottom teeth.
2. She is "walking" while holding on. She will stand up in her playpen and "walk" around the parameter while hanging onto the sides.
3. She is wiggly wiggly wiggly! Ok, so that's not a first. And, we already knew she was wiggly - but she keeps getting wigglier (is that a word?)

Here are some fun pics from the week:


Hanging out with daddy in the backyard.
Melt your heart?!? Yes!

Standing, Standing...

Our little shugah is standing up! Now she is pulling up on everything...as you can tell by the pictures in this post. Oh boy! Here's the progression....

"Daddy, I want to be up there with you and that guitar."
"Here I go." (If these pictures came with sound you would hear grunting and uh, ah, oh, uh..sounds of determination coming from the cute red/blonde haired kiddo.)
"I made it! What's that? Daddy's laptop he doesn't let me touch?" (If these pictures came with video you would see two wobbly legs balancing and a cute little bottom trying to stay up!)
"I'm still trying to get to that laptop." Notice she took a step forward to steady herself - smart girl!
"Aww, dad. I want to play too." Notice Mike's face - trying to discipline but laughing at the same time.
Busted.
The first time we saw her standing was in her crib. Mike went in to go get her after a nap and she was standing up waiting for him! We'll put her down for a nap and after a while we think she's sleeping since she is so quiet. Sometimes she's sleeping...other times this is what we see!

I think she is cutting another tooth - look at that tongue! She wants to lick, chew, suck on EVERYTHING!
Another fun photo from the week - look at those curls!

This one is blurry but it's too cute not to post!
Standing in the living room. Yes, she's licking the table.

Until next time, y'all have a good week!