Boston Trip

Last week, the kids, my mom and I went to Boston to visit my sister and her family. We had a great and memorable week. I'm not sure we made a good impression in Boston...here are some of our unfortunate highlighs from the week:

- At dinner with one of my sister's friends, I was asked if Tobin was into playing guns (like all typical boys). Not knowing who I was talking to, I candidly replied "Well, my husband's a hunter." I'm not sure I could have sounded more like a hick. The host quickly responded back at me with a sharp "We don't do that sort of thing up here."

- On Tuesday, we went to the Boston Children's Museum. Tobin's eyes were watering all morning and I just chalked it up to allergies and we were on our way. Throughout the day, his eyes progressively became gunked up and green and all around nasty looking. Late that night after no signs of feeling better, we went to the Urgent Care Center at a local hospital. Pink Eye. Yep, we spread highly contagious pink eye germs all over the Boston Children's Museum, of all places. Here's a picture of Tobin from the hospital:

- While taking Tobin's temperature one night when he wasn't feeling well, I dropped my sister's mercury thermometer and broke it in the children's bathroom. Sharp glass and mercury beads on the floor equals a big dangerous oops. Thanks, mom, for cleaning up my mess.

Other than these moments, we made lots of great memories...

- Tobin & Heidi had their first flying experience and they did great. Heidi slept on my mom most of the trip and Tobin thought flying was a great adventure.


- My sister's house has a perfect sledding hill in their backyard. Tobin and his cousins spent the first morning we were there sledding down and enjoying the snow until Sloan and Tobin went down together, crashed, and Tobin got snow in his gloves and on his face. That kind of ruined his fun.

- Tobin had his first skiing lesson and really enjoyed it. I was proud of him for being so brave and open to trying something new. There was a ski mountain just 45 minutes from where my sister lives and it was a fun experience for all of the boys. Heidi wasn't a fan of the snow. She's like her momma...doesn't like to be cold. Each time I would put her in her carseat this week, she would cry and scream because it was too cold for her little body.

- Boston has some amazing museums. We went to the Boston Children's Museum and the Science Museum and had a fantastic time at both. I was also able to see the Harry Potter exhibit at the Science Museum with my nephew Gil (he's 10) and my sister. It was pretty incredible.





- We had lots of time to play and be with one another at my sister's house throughout the week. The boys played (and fought) like brothers, wrestled, put on puppet shows, made valentines, had movie nights, and had an all around wonderful time.




Thank you, Cheryl and Greg, for opening your home to us, for being so gracious and hospitable, and for showing us a wonderful time in Boston. We love you all so very much!

Favorite Things

I feel like we're at a wonderful place within our little family of four, plus two wiener dogs. Matt's job is going well. I'm getting back to my favorite hobbies. The kids are healthy, sleeping well, and as always, very giggly and full of surprises. What more could I ask for? Here have been some of my most favorite things as of lately:

- Tobin has had thoughts about his future and is already making plans. He wanted to marry Heidi and I quickly put a stop to that. Then he decided on another precious little friend of his. He has told me that he's going to be a fireman, and Zoey is going to be his firewoman. He's also told me that he's practicing being a good daddy so that he can take care of Zoey's baby someday. What a little guy!

- Tobin and Heidi have bonded in ways that I've prayed for since finding out we were pregnant with her. They are so close that Heidi lights up when Tobin walks in the room and Tobin gets a big grin on his face when he sees her. They have giggle fits together over nothing...I'll walk in the room and they're just laughing with one another for no apparent reason. Tobin shares all of his toys with Heidi and even takes in consideration if it would be something she could choke on. He'll put the questionable toys up high where she can't reach it. He's already looking out for her.

- When Heidi is going down for a nap or going to bed, I'll hold her and give her the lovie blanket I made for her. She grabs it ferociously and rubs her face back and forth on it. She then starts to suck her thumb and lays her head on my shoulder. This is one of my favorite daily moments with her that I will always remember.

- I've started working on opening my own Etsy shop. I you haven't visited the website before, Etsy is a place online where people can sell handmade, homemade things. I will announce the shop opening after I have items listed for purchase. I still have a little bit of stitching to do. Stay tuned!

- Matt has started coaching softball, and although I know he misses volleyball, he still continues to be a great influence and positive coach for the girls he sees every day. I can't say enough how happy it makes me that Matt loves his job and is able to subtly shine Christ's light in a public school setting. What an opportunity he has been given and it's a responsibility he doesn't take lightly.

There have been all kinds of small daily joys that I've been trying to take the time to enjoy instead of rushing through chores and errands. We're coloring more, reading more, and imagining more. I feel like everywhere I look, families just like us are facing severe hardships - divorce, kids with cancer, miscarriages, military deployment, not to mention the devastation in Haiti. We are incredibly blessed with amazing friends, a secure job, our house, our health, our family, and our faith. Thank you, Lord.

Curious or creepy?

This morning at breakfast, Tobin noticed a truck was parked in front of our house. He stood up on his chair and said, "Who is that?" I told him I had no idea then he asked, "Is it alright if I go take a quick stare at them?"

Merry Christmas

In leu of Christmas cards, here's wishing you a very joyful Christmas, from our house to yours!  Check out these moves...

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Heidi's food update

Well...Heidi is taking bottles like a champ now.  She's eating every four hours, 6 ounces of formula, and sleeping 7 to 7 at night.  However, she still has zero interest in baby food.  She either spits it out as soon as it hits her tongue, or she'll just play or turn her head away anytime she sees the spoon headed her way.  I can usually get her to take three or four bites, and then she's done.  Here's a video of her playing during dinner:

Untitled from Emily Smith on Vimeo.

I love how she would arch her back and do backbends out of the Bumbo seat.  She's a silly girl!

I've discovered that she loves to feed herself.  I think we're just going to skip the baby food stage and get to the table food.  She loves to gnaw on slices of apples or pears and enjoys feeding herself baby puffs and peas.  She has one tooth now which will help her jump to table food soon.  We got her a new highchair which she has enjoyed very much.  The dogs seem grateful to have a baby in the house again, too!  They love the leftovers that fall off the tray just for them.  

On a side note, I was able to give Heidi her first set of pigtails last weekend.  This has been something I've been anxiously waiting to do ever since we found out we were having a girl!

P.S.  LOVE this cute sleeper...thanks Melissa!  :)

Sibling Love

Heidi giggles at big brother from Emily Smith on Vimeo.

My Four Year Old

Tobin turned four years old on Sunday...what???  What has happened to my little toddler?  He is a ball of endless energy, contagious joy, and a constant ray of sunshine in our house.  He has a very tender heart and is a wonderful friend to all of his little buddies.  I'm crazy about his hilarious personality.  He's always looking for new ways to make us laugh - a made-up joke, a new silly sound, or a quirky way of walking.  He still loves to read books and is now starting to recognize familiar words.  He knows all of his letters and can count to 30.  His favorite toys are his Playmobil sets.  He'll play with them by himself for the longest time, making up stories and acting out his imaginative thoughts.  He's a wonderful big brother and can ALWAYS make his little sister giggle like no one else can.  He gets excited about going to church and has 13 Bible verses memorized from his Awanas class.  I am so proud of him!  We love this little guy with all that we have and are grateful that God chose us to raise him.

Here's some pictures of his big day and from the pirate party we had with his playgroup friends:

Here's one of his favorite jokes...what a comedian!