The Smith Family Adventures

Four Generations of Smith Men

The reason we went to Indiana, and the best part of going, was to visit family. As I mentioned before, Nathan has quite a lot of family living in Indiana. We were so blessed because my father-in-law opened his home to us, and allowed us to stay in his home for ten days. He has more space than we do at home so we all fit very comfortably. Elias even got to sleep in his own room!

Elias pointing out the buttons on Great Grandma's shirt.

Some of the time I tell myself these trips to the Midwest are mostly for Nathan and Elias. I think I sometimes take for granted the fact that my parents are in town and I can see them almost any time I want. It was so fun for me to see how happy it makes Nathan to see his Dad in person. I think he misses his Dad more than he lets on. Those two can go on about history and sports (and history of sports) for hours. And I want Elias to know all of his grandparents…not just the ones in town.

A picture with Great Grandpa after church

But like most things, I seem to learn how wrong I am every time we go. This trip was not just for the boys. It was for me too. I love my father-in-law more and more every time I see him. All of Nathan’s family is so loving. They are my family too.

Besides being able to spend all of our time in the Midwest with my father-in-law, we were able to see lots of other family too.

Elias enjoyed the popcorn tradition very much!

Both Sundays in the area we were able to attend church at Hickman Heights, where Uncle Dave is the minister. Then we were welcomed into their home for delicious meals, Sunday afternoon naps, and other family traditions such as Sunday evening popcorn.

Elias was pretty nervous at first to meet everyone. There were times when he didn’t want anyone to even look at him. If

Elias enjoying his time with Uncle Dave and Aunt Barb....and the M&Ms didn't hurt either.

he saw someone coming near, he would say “no!” and turn his head into my shoulder. Meal times were especially difficult, and we had many high chair meltdowns during the week. It was a bit painful for me to see him be so shy…especially around such loving and good people. But Elias warmed up on his own time. He enjoyed looking at all the pictures of his second cousins on Aunt Barb’s wall. She patiently told him who they all were as he pointed to their

Counting toes with Great Grandma and Aunt Barb

pictures. He enjoyed having Great Grandma count his toes.

We also were able to stop by Nathan’s cousin’s house in Columbus, IN. They cooked us a very tasty dinner on our way home from Cincinatti. Elias got a chance to meet six of his second cousins, and had fun playing out back. We were grateful we got the chance to see them even if it was only for a couple hours.

Elias playing in the field with two of his second cousins.

Every time we go to Indiana, we leave wishing we could go back more often. Unfortunately due to finances, vacation time, and other factors, we cannot. We really treasured the time with family, and we are already looking forward to our next trip, whenever it may be.

Nathan was excited to play this impromptu baseball game with some of the kiddos. I think he can't wait until Elias is old enough to play too.

Yesterday we returned to Oregon from our trip to Indiana. We were lucky enough to be able to take ten days for fun and family. Grandpa Smith lives there along with Great Grandpa and Great Grandma Smith, Great Uncle Dave, Great Aunt Barb, and lots of cousins. The last time we had seen them was over a year ago when Elias was five and a half months old… so we were past due for a visit.

Elias playing in the sand at Lake Michigan

There is so much I want to say about our visit. I’ll probably write like 8 blog posts (I’m hardly joking). The trip was a bit hard on Elias because of the time change and “meeting” so many new people. But he also had a lot of fun and warmed up to everyone in his own time. I’m just so thankful we were able to take the time for him to see all of his Indiana family.

Both plane rides went well. We flew direct on Alaska from Portland to Chicago. The flight there went very smoothly. It was under four hours, and Elias slept for a bit over an hour of it. He got many compliments from surrounding passengers. The way home was a bit tougher because we were on the plane for an hour or so before even taking off. Then Elias didn’t sleep at all, and because we were going against the jet stream, the flight was longer. However, Elias still got compliments from surrounding passengers so we thought it was a success.

First Popcorn! He loved it!

Our trip consisted of trips to five different states (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Kentucky). Nathan drove over 1200 miles in the ten days we were there. Highlights included spending two Sundays with family, a day trip to Lake Michigan, and a trip to Cincinatti to see the Reds play the Braves. Elias even had his first appearance on a jumbo-tron!

Elias also got a few new experiences under his belt. He tried popcorn and M&Ms for the first time. He walked across a suspension bridge, sat in his first Major League Ball Park, saw his first manatee, and got to stay in Grandpa Smith’s house.

Walking across the suspension bridge at Turkey Run State Park

There are many more words and pictures to come from our trip, but for now I’m signing off. There are still clothes to be unpacked, and it’s late…especially in Indiana.

A clip from a recent conversation between my husband and me:

Nate: “Do you think we’re weirdos?”

Me: “Ummm….yeah, probably. Why are you asking?”

This conversation was prompted by nothing other than….a dog pile on Daddy! I don’t know how many other families would do this…let alone take pictures of it. Maybe all you closet dog-piling families can reveal yourselves and we won’t feel so weird anymore.

Anyway…the other day after Elias woke up from his nap, Daddy was laying on the floor, and Elias sat on his back. (Something Elias

Daddy's had enough!

finds quite funny) I decided to join in the fun. Don’t ask me why we thought it was so funny. Nathan and I were laughing so hard we could barely take a picture at all. Sometimes the best family times are the spontaneous ones. Elias didn’t really know what to think of the whole situation, but was just glad to be part of the fun.

Elias and Mommy

It’s my second Mother’s Day with Elias. Nathan made me breakfast, Elias made me a card, and we went to church. On top of that it’s the most beautiful day of the year! A wonderful start to a fun day.

Our Mother's Day outing to Saturday Market.

My Mom is a real special lady. I know lots of people probably think their Mom is the best. But I can truly say that my Mom is the best Mom for me. I never would have admitted this when I was in high school, and maybe not in college either…but she is almost always right. Growing up, she knew what was best for me before I ever did. (Especially when it came to where I went to college).

My mom is super fun to be around when there is good news to tell. Her eyes get wide, her smile gets large, and her whole body just breathes excitement. She’s one of the first people I think of when I have good news just because I know I’ll get a good reaction.

I think every year that’s gone by, I’ve appreciated my Mom more and more. I guess that’s probably the natural way of things, but it seems unfair to her. Mostly, it took me having my own child to really see how much my Mom did for me growing up, and how much she still does now. My Mom is my advice giver, my confidante, my friend. She’s a wonderful Grandma too. Elias will have so many fun memories of quality time he spent with his Grandma. She makes both him and me feel special and loved and safe.

My Mom is an inspiration. Not only did she choose to make her body healthy and lose a lot of weight, but she’s kept it off for years through hard work and determination.

There is so much more I could say, but I’ll just get down to what I really want to say:

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom! I love you. You are the best Mom for me.

My brother is home from Arizona for a few days. I wanted to spend some time with him. On top of that, it’s a nice day and we haven’t been to the zoo for a long time….so I called him up and asked him if he wanted to go with me and Elias. He was up for it, so we packed off to the zoo this morning.

We had a good time at the zoo as always. Elias is getting more and more interested in the animals. Last summer the only thing that really interested him was the fish tank. This time he really liked the sea otters and the monkeys. My favorite was the porcupines. I had never actually seen a porcupine in real life. I was amazed. If you ever come upon one…run! We also had fun seeing the lions, cheetahs, crocodiles, and much more.

While we are at places like the zoo, I like to allow Elias out of the stroller to walk. I want him to have practice walking around and staying with us. Plus it’s more fun for him to be able to walk around a bit rather than sit all the time, and it’s easier for him to see the animals out of the stroller. However, every time we are on the move and Elias is out of the stroller, he wants to push it. He is getting so independent these days. He wants to push the stroller with no help. Well…just picture a tiny boy trying to push a huge stroller. He can’t see where he’s going, and he can’t actually control it. Now picture lots and lots of people trying to get places in the zoo around us….It just doesn’t work. So I try to push the stroller and act like Elias is actually the one pushing it…but he’s smart enough to realize that he is not actually in control. So he gets upset. I know things like this are usually actually pretty short phases in the grand scheme of things. But it’s still frustrating. It’s a constant battle.

So…I was complaining to my brother about this whole situation as we were at the zoo, and he said, “Well have you ever tried just not bringing the stroller?”

In my mind I was like, “Duh…Why didn’t I think of that?”

Sometimes all it takes is a fresh perspective. Thanks, Greg! Next time we go to the zoo I’m going to just bring Elias…and no stroller. We’ll see how he does.

Elias loves playing with trucks. He lines them up, drives them, and makes "vroom" sounds with his mouth.

I spend a lot of time thinking about special moments. Our first trip to Canada, or Elias’ first haircut. Landmarks…one time only things. Those things are special, but when I really think about it, I want to remember the ordinary times. I want to remember the every day. It seems like so much time is spent just passing through my life. So much time is spent thinking, “Ok, 45 minutes until we leave for…..” I don’t want to just be passing through. I want to really be present…to really live.

Elias trying to fit himself into his Lightning McQueen push toy.

I decided I wanted to document and intentionally remember a few of the things Elias does in an ordinary day. Because ordinary can become very special too if you are truly present. Yesterday I just followed Elias around with the camera for an hour or so in the morning before I got him dressed and before we had to go anywhere. I think he got a bit annoyed with me. A couple of times he grabbed the camera and said “No” accompanied by a firm shake of his head. So I quit the paparazzi stuff and just decided to create a running video memory in my head instead. But here are a few of the pictures I did capture of Elias on an ordinary morning. Oh, I love this boy!

Elias found two of my shoes, slid his feet into them, and proceeded to walk around the house. It was quite amusing for both him and me.

Elias has a bit of a cold. He was trying to breathe through his mouth a bit, and has a funny expression.

Elias playing with his trucks.