Trails and Toes

A typical evening with the Smiths? An after-dinner jaunt at the new walking trail in Huntingburg, followed by bath time and then snuggle time in our jammies. We have to enjoy bare toe time too, before temperatures drop and we unpack our socks. Adorable, right?!?

S is for Sweethearts

At preschool, Ava has not only been reviewing her letters but also learning how to put them together to form words. A common activity is for her and her classmates to find words that begin with certain letters. Each week, her class focuses on a specific letter, and I try to incorporate activities at home that correspond to each week's letter. Last week was the letter S, one of her favorites, and so tonight we ended our S activities by finding items around the house that begin with S. (Ok, so I stole this idea from an episode of Little Bill on Nickelodeon, but it was such a great idea!). Anyway, Ava loved this activity and had already gathered quite a pile of S items (above) when suddenly Hudson interrupted our game by running into the playroom with a tiara in hand.

What ensued next was hilarious!

He streaked over to Ava, giggling in his adorable little boy voice, and shouted "Sissy! Sissy! Sissy!" (Yet another S word; go Hudson!) He then proceeded to crown his princess sister. Usually I miss a chance to capture such moments with my camera, but since I already had it out for our S items, I was able to catch this adorable moment. Observe:

We were all laughing hysterically by this point, so that ended our S game. While the kiddos continued to be silly in the playroom, I left to put my camera away. Until I heard more laughter and returned to find my son apparently attempting to mount this toy stallion! Where does he get these ideas?!? Thus, I managed one last hilarious shot before we were off to bathtime.

In the spirit of S words, I just have to say that I am so thankful for my silly, special, snuggly, sugary sweethearts!

Herbstfest 2010

Another Huntingburg Herbstfest come and gone, and for the Smith family, another successful festival experience! Thankfully, the weather cooperated and gave us two beautiful days to enjoy. And even though it ended up raining for the parade on Sunday, it felt more like fall and only really sprinkled. So that worked out too! We even got to visit with a group of our friends and their children on Saturday night, which was so fun! Busy weekend, but well worth it.
Rather than verbally elaborate on all our fun times, here are some photo collages of the kiddos to enjoy instead:

Bonus shot of Hudson & Papaw just cause I love the "fest feel" of it!

Great White Way

Meet Trailblazer

Tonight, since we had to return the free rental vehicle to Enterprise that we'd been using since our Jimmy was hit, we hauled the entire family off to the Jasper car lots to look at replacement vehicles for the Jimmy. To look, mind you. An hour later we left those very lots as new car owners (well, not brand new, but new to us anyway). Hey, when you need a vehicle, you need a vehicle! Needless to say, our insurance (not that of THE LOSER, I might add, who ultimately had none) finally came through and sent us a check.

Did you notice the color? Yup. White.

We never plan to buy white vehicles, but somehow it always ends up that way. Why is white always the best deal? White Jimmy, white mini-van, now white Trailblazer. Even our house is white!

Oh, well, it feels good to put this entire fiasco behind us and move forward. Erik is happy with his new vehicle, and I'm simply glad he took care of business so quickly AND that I was able to entertain the kiddos while he did so. (Even though Hudson did poop while inside the dealership!). In all, it was a productive evening capped off with a celebratory visit to McDonald's.

We will miss you, Jimmy!

Disclaimer: The Chevy Trailblazer pictured above isn't actually our vehicle; we won't take possession of it until Friday, so I just grabbed this one off Google images. ;)

Homebodies

Every once in awhile, amidst the hustle and bustle of life, one begins to crave the simple pleasures of home. And that is exactly where we in the Smith family have found ourselves lately. For me, staying home has helped ease the transition back to school, which means less time spent with my sweet little ones. For Erik, being at home may have something to do with watching certain sporting events without outside interruption (you'll notice Hudson did wear his jersey in support, although it obviously didn't help and he obviously preferred alternate viewing selections). For whatever reason, we've simply been enjoying our own company and sticking close to home.

Between Barbies, books, and art projects, Ava has kept her mind active. Our playroom can certainly attest to that! As for Hudson, he is still exploring the house and finding new things everyday to play. He still loves reading books, dancing to music, and saying new words nearly daily. I've been cooking more and have (almost!) banned eating out. I thought about quitting Cokes as well, but I'm not sure if I'm quite ready for that. And Erik (although he still constantly runs out for a quick fast food hit) has started taking long walks with me and the kids, so that's a plus!

Next weekend is the Huntingburg Herbstfest, so I know we'll be busy for that, but at the moment I'm enjoying precious time with the ones I love most.

Mulan

Ava: Hey, Mom, I know you're not very good at fixing hair, but do you think you could come in here and make my hair look like Mulan? You know? All on top. In a bun. You think?

Me: Um, okay, sure, I'll try.

Ava: Well?

Me: Here it is. What do you think?

Ava: Surprisingly, it's pretty good. It actually looks like Mulan, I think.

Ah, compliments from your four-year-old. As priceless as they are rare. Of course, by the time she's a teenager, I really hope she does her own hair!

Buddies

So glad they give me moments like this. It almost makes up for when (shortly thereafter) he ripped the book from her arms and she began to shriek. Yes, I like to focus on the beauty of the moment.

Praying...

Sometimes something happens—something so unexpected and tragic—that it forces you to look at your own life and take stock. On Labor Day, a family I have basically known all my life (we share common relatives) lost one of their own, a young boy, in a car accident. He was almost two. It's been a tear-and-prayer-filled week, to say the least.

Today, as I sit and mourn, I find myself facing the realization that life is a gift, not a guarantee. Every breath is a blessing. Too often we take for granted our very existence, and it's so easy to forget to be thankful for all that we have. I know I am so guilty of this. If anything, this tragedy has reminded me to take a deep breath, drop to my knees, and remember to pray.

Even more, however, my heart goes out to the family of this little boy. What can I say? There are no words for such a situation. I can only hope they will find a way to heal together. I can only pray that their beliefs will hold them up. And as my heart aches for them, I know that I am changed. As I look at my own children, as tears well in my eyes, I know I'll forever hug them a little tighter, smell their hair a little deeper, and take comfort in the knowledge only faith can bring.

Klem Wedding

Click here to view this photo book larger

Wedding Catch-Up

Wow! Let me catch my breath! This past week has been fun, fabulous, and frenzied. Honestly, I don't even know where to begin. It just occurred to me the other day that I hadn't updated the blog in awhile, and then I just as immediately realized the reasons why: (1) I went over my wireless limit last month and had to wait until my new September minutes arrived, (2) I was so busy excitedly editing all the photos of my aunt's wedding that I probably wouldn't have had much time to surf the web anyhow, (3) school is finally kicking into gear and I'm spending my evenings trying to readjust to life as a working mother again.

Now you see why I needed a breathe break.

Honestly, though, I am happily busy and so thankful for this time of year. Fall is one of my favorite seasons, and it makes me glad to have such lovely experiences to fill my time. Photographing Sandy and Dave's wedding last Saturday was so much fun as well. It was a beautiful day, and I think my photos turned out pretty decent for a first-timer. Although I only have a single shot posted today, I plan to upload a link to their entire wedding album shortly. It's finished, but I want the bride and groom to approve it before I make it public. In the meantime, enjoy the bloom of love in this photo. I chose it (one of my faves) because this is how they always look at each other, wedding day or simple moment, and I think it epitomizes the happiness of their day.

Enjoy the weather, everyone! I know I am.