Watercolor 2011

We just returned from the amazing city of Watercolor.  I had never heard of this place before, but let me just assure you, it is the cutest little beach town I've ever seen.  This place it so perfect that it's almost scary.  I decided to post alot of pics just to give you the full effect of this amazing town.  One of my personal favorite things about this place is that they have little vintage cruiser bikes all over the place.  One morning I woke up, rode my bike over to the coffee shop, read my Bible and a book and enjoyed a vanilla latte, did some shopping and then cruised on home.  Life here just seems very easy and slow.  This makes me want to get a little basket on my bike and bike over to the grocery store right now.

Our little family went with Jerimiah's mom (Edie), Dr. Faehnle and his sister and her little family.  James was entertained all week by his cousins Lucy and Christopher.  They all had a blast. 

Thanks so much Doc and Edie for a wonderful week.  We love ya!

This was the best little snow cone stand.  I'm a snow cone snob and this place was definitely above average. 

 Umm, I'm pretty sure the license plate on this amazing snow cone stand says Oklahoma.  Now I know why these were so amazing!

Are you starting to see how ridiculously cute this place is?  

I love these little fingers. 

I love this.  James is wearing some hand-me-downs from Christopher.  Most of the clothes that James wears are Christopher's.  I can't believe that Christopher is almost 6.  I remember when he was 9 months.  Oh how time goes by so fast. 

 Christopher was so excited that he played 18 holes of golf, pretty impressive for a 5 year old.  As soon as he got home he told James all about it.  James was pretty excited.  I know Christopher will be a great golf teacher for James some day. 

I can't take a picture of James any more without him charging my camera and touching my lens.  I have a million pictures like this and I love everyone of them.

This is one of his new little faces that he makes when he is really excited.  He usually makes it at Solie.

This is one of my favorite pics from the trip.  We had so much fun building this sand alligator.  The kids put some sea weed and shells on it to make it extra special.

Here is a little look at the town.  All the art work has inspired me.  It has been a while since I have had a chance to appreciate original art work.  I am hoping to do this more often. 

Ummm, yes please.  I will take them all.

I found a little community garden in the town square.  I LOVE this idea.  We did this when we lived in California and it was so nice to have fresh herbs whenever you needed them.  It also created a closer sense of community.  I am already trying to figure out how I can start a community garden in our neighborhood.  Maybe next year...

I am sitting here wishing I was sitting on the beach, eating a shrimp burrito from the Taco Bar, drinking a margarita, and riding one of these trendy little bikes to our beach house.  I miss being on beach time.  I may just have to adopt the slow paced mindset here in Texas.  Adios. 

He is Risen!!

Happy Easter everyone!  Wow did we have an eventful Easter this year.  I am so incredibly tired right now so I am not going to write alot, but I wanted to get this post up for our parents since they keep asking me for pictures.

The Easter bunny made his first visit to the Smith household.  James loved his little basket, especially his Rangers hat, bat, and ball.  We had some Easter themed pancakes and got all dressed up for church.  Church was amazing as always and especially today as we celebrated the resurrection of our Savior.  We then had some friends over for an Easter lunch.   We had a ton of food!!!  I roasted my first turkey.  I was so nervous, but thanks to my mom, my mother-in-law, and Pam and Mark Wade it was a success!  We had a little egg hunt in the backyard and then took a few family photos.  The family photos were a little difficult but I posted the best one of the bunch.

All in all it was a great day.

He is Risen, He is Risen indeed!

The Great Outdoors

    Well this post is way over due, but since I am so behind I am just going to post a few pics from when we went to the Forth Worth gardens last month.  It was a blast.  We think this little guy loves being outside and exploring.  He loved looking at the trees and touching the grass.  He also had a good time eating his lunch.  I don't think it gets much better than this.  

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6 Month Photo Shoot

I can not believe that 6 months has already come and gone.  This was a big month for our little man.  During his sixth month James accomplished the following:

1.) James started eating solids: rice cereal, peas, green beans, sweet potatoes, and now carrots.  Alot of people told me it would take a while for him to really get the concept of eating solids...um not so much for this little fella.  It took him about three days to understand that the food needed to stay IN his mouth for him to actually enjoy it.  He LOVES to eat, but that doesn't really surprise me, he is a Smith boy and Smith boys know how to eat.  He also started drinking apple juice...yum! 

2.)  James has started the journey of learning how to crawl.  He is so close!  He started getting on his hands and knees and doing the "baby rock" as some call it.  He tries so hard to crawl everyday and he is getting so close.  My prediction is that he will be crawling by 8 months...we'll see.

3.)  James officially started teething in his 6th month.  He currently has 4 teeth, wow!  Two of his lower middle teeth are in completely.  He has one tooth on the top that is slowing making its way out and one on the bottom right that is slowly coming through.  He has been a trooper though it all.

4.)  James had his dedication service in this month.  You can check it out on our blog.

5.)  James visited the west coast.  We went back to Pasadena, California a few weeks ago.  We will blog more about that soon.

6.)  James officially started to show off his dance moves...yeah that's right, our boy has started bouncing around to certain beats of music.  I have to say that I'm not surprised...his parents know how to bust a move, ha!

I am sure there are more things that I need to add to this list, but these are the ones that are the most significant right now.

We love you baby James!  You are the best blessing we have ever received.  Getting to watch you grow each and everyday is something we cherish.  I always tell your dad that I wish I could slow down time because I don't want you to grow up to fast.  I am loving every second of your life.  My favorite moments are when you are still a little sleepy in the mornings and you fall asleep on my chest.  I could do that all day everyday.  Although I can't wait to learn your favorite color, your favorite animal, and hear you finally say mommy, I am enjoying this stage you are in right now.  You are a miracle to us.  I pray that I never take a single day for granted.  We are looking forward to month 7!

Dedication Sunday

This past Sunday was a very important day for our little family.  We officially vowed in front of all of our friends and family that we would raise our son to know Jesus Christ.  It was a very brief ceremony, only lasting about 10 minutes or so, but it was extremely meaningful for me.  I was telling Jerimiah on one of our walks the other day that I hold this day to the same importance as our wedding day.  I know, I know...kind of a strange thing to say, but its true.  Now don't get me wrong, I haven't been planning this event for 6 months, agonizing over invitations or what dress to wear.  Nothing like that (thank GOD!)  But verbalizing in front of God, our family, our church, and friends that we will do our very best to love him in a Godly manner and to conduct ourselves in such a way that Christ is reflected is no small task.  This responsibility is one that weighs heavy on my heart each and everyday.  To know that this innocent little boy will look to his parents to see a reflection of Christ overwhelms me.  It makes me incredibly determined to hold tight to the word of God, even more than before.  I want so much for my son to know the peace that only comes from God, to feel His presence when he is hurting, to see the miracles that He has performed all around us.  I pray every night that God would grab a hold of my little boy and would overwhelm his heart with love and joy.  I am so excited to see where God will lead my James.  He was created for a purpose and I can't wait to see what that purpose will be.

The dedication day was a fun one!  We had all kinds of family in town to celebrate this day with us.  I took almost 300 pictures on this day and I tried to figure out the best way to share some of them with out overwhelming this blog post (oops, too late).  So here is a little snap shot into our dedication Sunday.

 I have to say, James was looking pretty sharp in his little outfit.  I haven't really had to buy him many clothes since he was born thanks to all of his generous grandparents.  However, on this occasion I did some serious shopping for his outfit.  Of course, he could make anything look cute.  

We gave James his first Bible.  Hopefully he will learn to love it as much as we do.  

Nannet did an amazing job of making the dedication special for all of the families.  We all got to take a pic with Dennis after the dedication, got a certificate, a little Bible, and a DVD of the service.  We are incredibly blessed by our church and especially our preschool department.  James was loving his ride in the wagon!

We had everyone at our house after the service for a little celebration luncheon.  I'll admit, I went a little overboard with everything.  But it was just such a special day for me.  Maybe it's a mom thing, I don't know.  It may not have been that big of a deal to any one else, but it was a big deal to me.  Anything that involves my child is a big deal to me so I will probably always go a little overboard...and I'm ok with that. 

Here are a few pics of the spread.  I have to thank Jer and my parents for working really hard to help me pull this all off.  I couldn't have done it with out their help!  Thanks team! 

The Menu:

Sandwich Trio: 

Grilled Ham and Cheese (we used gouda cheese and it was so good)

Egg Salad Sandwiches

Chicken Salad Croissant Sandwiches (Thanks Edie)

Soups: 

Chicken Noodle

Tomato Basil

Salad Greens

Fruit and Dip

Cheese and Crackers

Dessert:

Snickers Cupcakes (thanks Linds!)

Yellow Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

Cupcake Cake Balls

Lots of great family.  We are very blessed to have this many people who love us and our little boy.

My boy James.

We had a little station set up for our family to write prayers and wisdom to James.  This was very special for me.  I read through some of these prayers last night and just cried my eyes out. 

Overall, it was an amazing day.  I will never forget it.