The Smith Family Adventures

Tonight we were ready for some more Christmas light viewing. This time we chose the zoo. As soon as Nathan was home from work we were off. The night was almost perfect. Cold and clear, and family together.

We made good use of the double stroller because Simon has a little bit of the sniffles and wanted to be cuddled under the blanket for most of the time. He did perk up when we offered him some of a warm elephant ear for a snack. He refused to be photographed, but enjoyed it very much. Elias was very excited about the elephant ear as well and was happy to hold it up for the camera.

As we got to the bright red lights I told Elias it was my favorite part and he said, “I can see why!” Here you can seem my boys just ahead enjoying the lights.

We warmed up in the elephant lands indoor exhibit where we saw elephants playing and talking to each other. When we got to the light tunnel we had to go for the obligatory family selfie. Simon was not enthused about the camera, but I promise he was really enjoy the lights.

We also met up with some “animals.” Simon jumped up out of the stroller to go give hugs and high fives…and actually smiled for me!

We capped off the evening with a ride on the train. Another fun zoo lights evening in the books!

Last week we had our first snow days of this winter season. Growing up in Portland, I know to be grateful for any snow we get….because some years there isn’t any at all. However, I have to say that having such pitiful snow for a day off school was pretty disappointing. The boys could barely make snow angels and they definitely could not really do much sledding! We all had a blast while we were out in the snow, but after we came in I was told that we would be needing a trip to the mountain for some REAL snow ASAP.

Here are some pictures of the boys:

Simon had fun trying to catch snowflakes on his tongue.

Caleb was a roly-poly ball of outer garments. He could barely move, and his boots kept falling off and taking his socks with them. Poor baby was so snug except for bare feet in the snow! I kept trying to put the boots back on and they kept coming back off. He enjoyed watching his brothers play, and crawled around a bit, but mostly looked like he was just trying to take it all in.

Here is Elias making a snow angel. He lasted longer than any of us out in the snow, and ended up playing by himself in the backyard for awhile.

Nathan got to work from home on the first snow day. He came out for a bit on a break to play. You can seem him in the background smirking after giving Simon a snowball to throw at me.

Ah… family fun! These are the days I want to remember.

My baby turned one year old on Friday. I was feeling very sentimental. It is very bittersweet. He is growing so fast! However, Elias said something at dinner today about wishing Caleb was a newborn again, and although I miss it, I realized I don’t wish he was a newborn. I am really enjoying him right now…just how he is. He fills our lives with joy every day.

Caleb’s birthday morning started out with breakfast and balloons. Then we showered him with a few presents. He liked the wrapping paper and tissue paper more than anything else, but liked his gifts too. We got him a cross for his room and some puffs to snack on. Here he is exploring a new piggy bank toy.

Elias and Simon put on a puppet show for Caleb with his new puppets.

And Caleb also really enjoyed his new toy from Uncle Greg and Auntie Shaina. He can’t walk on his own, but he can walk around if he is holding on to his new walker!

In the afternoon we just took it easy and played at home. We also got to Skype with Auntie Shaina and Uncle Greg. Then, we met cousins at Chang’s Mongolian Grill for a birthday meal.

We came home for more presents and birthday cake.

Elias and Simon helped me bake a cake in the afternoon, and then they decorated it. Caleb was very excited to be sung to.

Then was the best part. Caleb got to try is first chocolate! (And almost his first sugar). At first he looked a bit unbelieving.

Then he happily tried it.

I’m not sure what happened while I was serving everyone else…but the meal did not end happy. It’s his birthday. He can cry if he wants to.

After dinner we took a family picture with Nana.

I think he had a great first birthday!

What a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend we’ve had in the Smith household. It has been full of bustling, giggling children, family, friends, and we’ve also had a bunch of downtime with just the five of us. A perfect mix of life giving things!

Our weekend started with meal prep. We hosted the big turkey meal. Nathan and I had most of the food finished by late morning. The turkey was in the oven, and things were humming along. I gave Elias an all important job: making place cards. When I was a little girl, my grandma always let me make place cards. She had this way about her that made me feel like it was the most important part of the day. I loved doing it, and she made me feel like a star. I wanted to continue the tradition. I think Elias loved making the place cards almost as much as I did!

Our family was scheduled to arrive soon so I made some quick things to snack on. A fruit tray, and a cracker and sausage/cheese tray. I’ll admit to having a bit of a pinterest failure moment. I was going for a turkey display:

Oh well. Judging by what these plates looked like a few minutes into the visit it was the taste that counted…not the presentation. At least it all tasted yummy!

Caleb enjoyed re-meeting his Auntie Erin and Uncle Jared (and cousins). He’s seen them twice before but is too young to remember. He was just waking up from a nap and gave some quite skeptical looks at first, but warmed up very quickly.

The kids got right down to playing. It’s like they just saw each other yesterday. It’s one of the best things about this group of youngins.

Later Great Grandma and Grandpa showed up. It was Caleb’s first time meeting Great Grandma, who just moved home to Oregon from a seven year stint in Indiana.

We also took a four generation picture of the Smith fam.

The meal was great (if I do say so myself) and the company was even better. We have much to be thankful for!