The Halloween Spirit...

We're getting geared up for Halloween around here by putting up the last of our decorations (that are in boxes in the garage) and by carving our first pumpkin! Lincoln has been sick this last week and hasn't really felt up to doing much. But after a few days, I thought we both could use some fresh air so we went back to the pumpkin patch for a little photo shoot.

He LOVED this little tractor! He didn't want to see anything else!

Make sure you get my good side, Mom

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Since we were there, we decided to buy another small pumpkin to carve for the front porch. The next day, I set down a garbage bag and cut the top off the pumpkin to get us started. He didn't really seem interested and I'll tell you why after you watch the video.

About 45 seconds AFTER this video, Lincoln threw up his breakfast all over me and luckily all over the garbage bag. Poor kid. No wonder he wasn't really interested in the pumpkin.

Just so you are not worried, I took him to the doctor yesterday after yet another vomitting session and he said it's just a virus that is going around. There's nothing I can do but make him comfortable and wait it out. So if you were planning on visiting in the next 7-10 days, you may want to reschedule!

I'll post Lincoln's Halloween costume tomorrow.

Barber Shop Boy

I took Lincoln for his first "official" hair cut yesterday. Josh has been after me to cut his hair for awhile now and I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I thought about "doing something for daddy" and thought about getting Lincoln's hair cut as a surprise.

I first took him to a place where I got mine cut, but the lady said she was too busy and to come back. Well, once I have an idea in my head about getting something done, I HAVE to do it. So I remembered an old-timey barber shop in downtown and decided to take him there.

I asked if they could cut a one year old's hair and they said yes, so we walked in and took a seat in one of the old chairs. They had me hold him on my lap instead of sit him in the chair. I no sooner sat down and positioned him properly, when the barber flipped on a pair of hair trimmers attached to a vaccuum. It startled me and scared Linc to death. He started screaming and grabbed onto me as tightly as he could. I felt really bad for him, but he was looking pretty shaggy.

The barber and the other lady who worked there said he was really good, inspite of the yelling, and that he didn't have the very high-pitched scream they were used to with other kids.

After it was all over, we took a picture with Mr. Len, our new barber, and they gave us a "First Haircut" Certificate with a piece of his hair taped on it for Lincoln that says...

"This is to certify that Lincoln Michael Smith has bravely met all the requirements of recieving their first haircut and has graduated from babyhood on the 22nd day of October in the year of 2008."

I'm so PROUD of my graduate! hee hee

Before...

And After...

(yes, I know there is a deer on the wall...we're in Texas after all!)

Sea World San Antonio

Last Saturday, we decided to take a family trip to Sea World San Antonio. We ended up going with my older sister, Natalie, her two boys, Austin (9 yrs) and Aidan (6 yrs), and my mom. It's been years since Josh and I have been and Lincoln is old enough to recognize animals and notice if something is interesting, so away we went.

It's about 1 1/2 hours from Marble Falls so we left around 8:30 am to get there by 10:00. My sister has season passes, which comes with a coupon booklet so she let us use a couple coupons to get in at a discounted rate and get a discount on the photo they take of you when you first arrive.

So, the closest attraction when you walk in is Dolphin Cove where you can feed the dolphins fish. This is MY favorite part and it seemed that it was Lincoln's too. He loved WATCHING the dolphins, but wanted nothing to do with TOUCHING them.

We saw the Budweiser Horses at the stables, which terrified Lincoln, and took a picture with them. We saw the Viva show with the dolphins and divers. However, in both the dolphin and the seal shows that we saw, the animals didn't want to do the routines, so the trainers had to improvise a little.

Josh and I rode some roller coasters while mom or Nat watched Lincoln. Austin got his face painted like a Gargoyle and Aidan got to play the games to win a prize. Overall it was a very fun, but exhausting day.

Halloween Decorations

Although Halloween is my FAVORITE holiday, I don't seem to have many decorations. So, I put up what I did have and decorated our little front porch. We painted the pumpkins we picked at the Pumpkin Patch, hung up a yarn spiderweb, added a pipecleaner spider (which Lincoln loves to grab) and a few plastic ghosts in the flower beds. Here are a couple pics, but I just thought Linc looks so small in this picture compared to the porch. But he's growing so FAST! Just thought I share with you what the outside of our apt. looks like. Cute, huh?

More Pumpkin Pickin

I've been so wrapped up in my friends adoption story, I've forgotten to blog myself. Here are a few more pictures of Lincoln at the Pumpkin patch, which was really fun but crowded. We didn't stay long, but we'll probably go back again soon. They have an area where you can pick your own flowers. Beautiful blossoms too!!!

The weather here has been relatively nice...no warmer than 88 degrees lately. So we've been out on the porch or walking around our apt. complex a lot. Lincoln has gotten the hang of walking in his shoes, so we walked over to check the mail yesterday and the day before. He's getting really good. Only one little scraped knee so far.

When Lincoln was born, Josh's old company (ASMO in Waxahachie) sent us a plant, which I was sure I would kill long before now. I have a black thumb. To my surprise it has survived not only my horrible agricultural "care", but also a 200+ mile move, being re-planted twice and a child tugging at its vines. I'm really impressed with this plant, whatever it is. We try to water it when we can and Linc LOVES to help.

A new baby brings ultimate blessings!

Our friends Mike and Lila, who live in Tennessee, have been patiently waiting to adopt a child and FINALLY after 2 years on the adoption list and 11 years of marriage, may I introduce...

EVAN ROBERT STUTEVILLE : born Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 9:40 am

Congratulations Mike and Lila!!!!!! We love you ALL!!!

My First Blog Post

Although I think of myself as "tech-savy," I know I am not. After several requests from blogging friends to get one for myself, I finally sat down and put one together. I worried that I would do more on the computer than in my actual journal. Hopefully I can combine the two and print out the most important posts to put in my journal.

So without further ado...The Smith family finally has a blog!!! Yeah!!

Here is an update on us...

Josh is the Director of Human Resources for the City of Marble Falls, TX, which is about 45 minutes west of Austin. He loves his job and feels challenged by it every day. We live about 30 seconds from his work. We are in a two bedroom apartment that is very nice, but we are SO ready to buy a home of our own. We've started looking, so if you know anyone who wants to sell us a million dollar home in Marble Falls, TX for $100,000, let me know. hee hee

I stay at home with Lincoln, our 1 year old son. I'm thinking of going to school to become an esthetician (sp?) so I can pick at other people's faces, instead of my own. Josh just hopes I'll stop picking on/grooming him too. Not a chance.

Lincoln started walking the week before his birthday and hasn't stopped since. He had to "re-learn" walking with shoes over the last week, but definitely has the hang of it. He has been the biggest blessing to Josh and me, in bringing our family closer to each other and to our Father in Heaven. He makes us smile every day, even when he's fussy or, as they say in Australia, being a "Sookie-bubba" (whiney mama's boy).

We have two cats, Bevo (7 yrs) and Chopper (3 1/2 yrs) who we love on the rare occasion when they are not scratching our couch, crying in the middle of the night, or chasing each other around and digging into the apt. carpet. We can not WAIT for them to be outside! Did I mention we need a HOUSE!?!?! I think it will be better for ALL of us.

As of this month, we are also trying for another kiddo. It took us two years to get pregnant with Lincoln, so we're going to start a little earlier, just in case. Hopefully we've solved the mystery of my "infertility", which wasn't anything more than something wasn't open when it should have been (I won't go into any more details, thankfully.) So keep your eyes and ears open for a Smith Family announcement, but not any time soon, I don't think.

Okay, well if you didn't know anything about us, now you do. And if you knew us already, now you wish you hadn't!! hee hee. We look forward to keeping in touch with as many of you as possible and hopefully rekindling those past friendships!!!

Lots of Love,

Lacey