the smitherses

watch out Justin Beiber . . .

2012-01-31T09:21:00.002-05:00

there's a new act in town.

(Dad and Grandpa Hennie are so much fun!)

sisters

2011-12-30T00:19:00.001-05:00

Quinn

2011-12-30T00:13:00.004-05:00

one month old!

Quinn Mae Smith

2011-12-18T21:34:00.003-05:00

Quinn Mae Smith

Born November 29, 2011

7lbs 6oz

19 1/2 inches

11:49am

Our first picture as a family of four!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-27T21:50:00.001-05:00

Probably our last picture as a family of 3!

fall fun

2011-11-15T23:02:00.008-05:00

First mug of hot chocolate!

Playing in "slime" - who knew corn starch and water could be so fun!

Pickin' a pumpkin

So fascinated with "happy pumpkin" all lit up

Ready to score some loot!

first day of school

2011-09-21T23:57:00.004-04:00

little hoosier

2011-09-13T23:01:00.000-04:00

new hoop from lisa Smith on Vimeo.

stretching

2011-09-13T22:52:00.002-04:00

After one of Andrew's recent bike rides Ellison wanted to get in on the stretching action. Now she will often inform us (usually in order to avoid a request that we've made of her) that she is "busy doing my exercises".

laundry

2011-09-13T22:45:00.002-04:00

Getting some clothes sorted and washed for Baby Sister!

making daddy smile

2011-08-03T22:14:00.002-04:00

A few days after finding out we were having another girl we came downstairs to find Ellison getting some quality reading in. Her Daddy has never been so proud. :)

summertime

2011-08-02T20:24:00.003-04:00

baby smither's gender

2011-07-23T21:33:00.005-04:00

A few weeks ago Ellison had this to say about the gender of the baby:

swim lessons and a prediction from lisa Smith on Vimeo.

and she was right! The newest Smither is a girl!

#2

2011-07-09T21:58:00.003-04:00

The Smitherses have some exciting news . . . this little guy or girl will be joining us in December! We're so grateful for this new life and eager to meet the newest Smither. :)

Not really sure why this is the picture they chose to give us but our hunch is that the technician was especially proud of her "hi" typed in next to the hands. Sort of an aerial shot of the top of the head and outstretched hands. (It's worth noting that Ellison routinely walks around holding her stomach saying "My baby hurts".)

highlights

2011-06-01T15:52:00.018-04:00

The Smitherses have been negligent blog-keepers. Our intentions are good but our posting motivation is bad. :) Here are some highlights from our March/April and May! We'll start with today because that's how the pictures loaded and I'm a little lazy. :)

June

Today we inaugurated spring/summer with our first trip to the pool. She had a hissy when we left said pool . . . good thing we took a picture before we left the house.

May

First burgers off our new grill! Again, good thing I took a picture before the burger was tasted because despite her cry for "hangurgers", Ellison does not care for the classic sandwich.

I don't know that this is a highlight but I do think it's amazing. This a swiffer diary of our first floor after one day of leaving the windows open. Lest you think we're the dirtiest people on earth . . . that is pollen. Allergies much?

First ice cream cone ever . . . we think. Burt Reynolds called shortly after this shot was taken and asked for his mustache back. Getting ready to celebrate Dad's 22nd** birthday. Too bad Dad isn't in the picture huh?

** Dad is much older than this.

April

April held extra-special highlights because Papa and Grandma "Henny" came out from CA for a visit. They braved some wild midwestern weather (narrowly dodging several tornadoes, a flood and other severe weather events) to see us and we loved every minute of their visit. Playing with the dollhouse my sister and I played with as kids. This dollhouse made the 2,100 mile drive to Indy intact only to have Ellison break half it's contents in the first 15 minutes it was in our house. Oops.

Getting friendly with the locals in downtown Carmel.

Checking out "Beard Papa's" (as he is sometimes called) fuzzy face.

Making Easter cookies with Grandma!

This is how you know your Dad loves you . . . when he spends the better part of the day picking hay off your lawn that blew in from the empty lot next door.

March And last but not least . . . Aunt Kristi came in for a visit from DC! Yay!

uncle miguel is famous!

2011-05-02T13:02:00.006-04:00

First Aunt Laura made it into the news with this piece, and now Uncle Miguel is in the news! What a power-couple! This crash happened a little while back but I just got my "hands" on the video. Although you can't really tell, Miguel is the firefighter at the top of the ladder with the hose. (Miguel: Um. . . next time can you get a post a little further away from the action? It's making us a little nervous that you were sitting directly OVER the plane/fire. Thanks!) Nice work!!

a home, a birthday and "two deers"

2011-03-15T22:37:00.007-04:00

A snowy pic of the new digs.

(Hard to believe we've already been here a month!)

Ellison's second Birthday fell two days after our move so we made some cupcakes and celebrated with Grandma and Papa Smith (our neighbors 5 minutes to the south!) Here she is enjoying the sugar rush.

Ellison doing her daily morning check for "two deers". There really were "two deers" out there one day but no sign of them since. :(

More to come . . .

pony hair

2011-02-03T10:42:00.002-05:00

Ellison has finally grown enough hair for a small pony tail (or pony hair as she calls it). She's growing up so fast!

pony hair from lisa Smith on Vimeo.

out west

2011-02-01T23:35:00.012-05:00

Some pics and highlights of our time out west at Christmas!

Playing with PopPop and Granma at the park!

Getting some coloring tips from Great Grandma Russ.

(Who just turned 94 by the way!)

Playing alphabet with Auntie!

PopPop Henry rigged up a special lunch situation here. She loved getting to eat while she rode!

We all finally made it to LA's famous Pink's for a hot dog.

We got to see the Town of Sierra Madre's Rose Parade float go from this. . .

to this!

a cookie tradition begins

2010-12-23T09:54:00.001-05:00

Untitled from lisa Smith on Vimeo.

total joy

2010-12-22T22:19:00.004-05:00

Because we'll be celebrating Christmas in California this year, we did some early celebrating in Indiana. Judging by the giddy reaction, Ellison is apparently a shoe and accessories girl! Thank you Aunt Wendy and Aunt Lauren!

puddle jumper

2010-12-07T22:38:00.003-05:00

We happened to be in Southern California on one of the two days a year that it rains. Being cooped up all day, I decided to let Ellison out for a little puddle jumping. She had fun, but as you can see she took her work pretty seriously.

puddle jumper from lisa Smith on Vimeo.

thankful. . .

2010-12-07T17:47:00.009-05:00

for a great visit with family in CA!

Papa's Flower Pot Friend

Gardening 101 with Amma and Papa

Taking Melmo for a ride in Mom and Aunt Laura's old wagon.

Ellison getting a lesson in standing at attention.

Cool trains at Travel Town in Griffith Park.

Riding the train at Travel Town.

Checking out the L.A. skyline from Griffith Observatory.

ellison's first (alert) halloween

2010-11-14T22:14:00.011-05:00

Heading out.

The journey up the street.

Checking out the goods.

Checking out the lawn decor.

Helping herself to Grandpa's loot.

The victory.

(in celebration of her first bite of chocolate/mini-Crunch bar)

Sharing a laugh with Papa Smith.

aunt laura is famous!

2010-11-03T00:27:00.005-04:00

Check her out! We're so proud of you and what you do Laura!

dedicated to uncle miguel

2010-10-30T16:28:00.005-04:00

In honor of Uncle Miguel (who is a CA firefighter) we tried to get a shot of Ellison with our local Zionsville Fire Dept. Watching the kids dress up in fire gear was really cute but it seems not all of us are cut out for firefighting. :(

fall fun

2010-10-30T16:13:00.012-04:00

A trip to Stuckey Farm

First day of "school"

Halloween dry-run

First hay-ride (for Ellison and Lisa)

practice

2010-10-21T15:42:00.003-04:00

Here's a little clip of Ellison (and Grandpa) getting warmed up for Halloween. :)

butterfly from lisa Smith on Vimeo.

Happy Day Grandma Henry!

2010-10-15T15:46:00.010-04:00

Happy Birthday Grandma Henry! We love you and are celebrating your life today!

face

2010-10-08T00:00:00.003-04:00

tiny dancer

2010-10-03T21:47:00.001-04:00

HERE is the dancing video. :)

Untitled from lisa Smith on Vimeo.

sitter

2010-10-03T15:49:00.003-04:00

Please forgive the title on the video; I got my uploads confused. You'll find no dancing here, just sitting. Actually I take my apology back; we've had a FEW things going on over here and getting my uploads confused really isn't apology-worthy. :) Here is a little video we took just before leaving the East Coast. Hope it makes you laugh like it makes us laugh.

dancing from lisa Smith on Vimeo.

vacation

2010-08-25T19:49:00.018-04:00

We had the really wonderful opportunity to spend last week with my parents out west. Beautiful doesn't even begin to describe it. Dry heat, sunshine, rivers, waterfalls, pine trees, bikes, walks, kayaks and laughing together. . . it was total heaven. Thank you Papa and Amma Henry!

it's saturday . . .

2010-07-31T15:41:00.002-04:00

but we're working hard over here.

happy birthday grandpa henry!

2010-07-23T15:26:00.005-04:00

Ellison, Big Bird, Baby, Melmo and Mr. Pups all want wish you the

best Birthday ever!

happy father's day

2010-07-15T00:02:00.005-04:00

We finally made it out for the Father's Day breakfast we've been talking about since Father's Day. A couple of weeks late but who's counting?

And after breakfast Ellison tried to take a dip.

june

2010-07-08T23:14:00.017-04:00

Somehow June has come and gone and here we are in July! It was a month characterized by more illness than we care to relive but our trip to Indiana redeemed it all! Here is a (not so brief) month-in-review.

Memorial Day hike at Great Falls.

Frozen custard at Nielsen's. Ellison recommends it.

(how in the world have we lived here for 8 years and only just NOW experienced this custardy goodness?)

First legit boo-boo.

(it looked much worse in real life)

Playing at Zionsville's awesome sprayground.

Andrew testing the waters at aforementioned sprayground.

A mostly happy family picture.

The Wrights and Smiths -- how much sunscreen combined do you think we go through in a summer? :)

Little buddies.

Sorting laundry with Grandma.

Delicious popsicle courtesy of Grandpa.

Kisses through the screened porch.

just because

2010-06-11T13:18:00.005-04:00

really? really Lakers?

2010-05-26T19:44:00.004-04:00

Really Lakers? You're really tied 2-2 with the Suns? Really? Seriously guys, pull it together or I'll be cruising over to Staples on my pink car to whip you into shape.

go lakers!

2010-05-19T19:55:00.010-04:00

In honor of game 2, Ellison donned her official Laker gear today and got in some good practice before the big game. Check out our drills.

First, a little stretching.

Then some low dribbling.

Some dunking. (Check out the palm on that kid.)

The "I didn't touch him" plea to the ref.

And finally, a little time out.

Go Lakers!

the milk strike of 2010 and . . . licking

2010-05-12T22:23:00.007-04:00

We recently decided it was time Ellison graduated from the bottle to the sippy cup. She had never been a fan of the cup so we anticipated a little battle of the wills. Well, 15 days and 7 cups later she finally caved and joined the sippy world. (The winning cup is #2 from the left . . . in case you were wondering.)

In other news, Ellison has developed an unmistakable licking routine when it comes to one of her books. We have no idea what it is about this particular page:

but every time we come to it she does this:

What in the world?

the game-changer

2010-05-05T22:52:00.005-04:00

advanced skills

2010-04-19T22:46:00.004-04:00

Forget the ABC's and clapping - we're into car maintenance and Gladware.

After watching us dust the layer of pollen resting on our every belonging the other day, Ellison now likes to "dust" anything and everything; including her "car". (Grandpa Henry -- she'll be ready to wax the cars with you during our next visit.)

Checking the wheel alignment and struts.

And finally, Ellison discovered she can fit into the biggest Gladware container we have. She spends A LOT of her day right here.

catching up

2010-04-19T22:11:00.010-04:00

We recently joined Grandma and Grandpa Smith for some fun in sunny Florida. It was G.R.E.A.T. Ellison accumulated an additional 5 hours of flying-time (bringing the grand total to 43 hours - holy cow) and vacationed like a champ. Here's proof.

Ellison and Grandpa taking a moment to pose for a picture between discussions on Butler's movement on offense.

Happy as a clam being pushed by Grandma!

First encounter with the Gulf.

First walk in the sand.

Alligator!

Ready for a swim . . . but not with the guy pictured below.

Another alligator!

almost walking

2010-03-25T17:38:00.003-04:00

Ellison is on the move these days. We're officially declaring her a pre-walker. With the assistance of "the car" she's actually pretty speedy. A little video clip would be more convincing but we can't get it to load; you'll have to take our word for it. :)

we miss you!

2010-03-06T18:28:00.005-05:00

We want to send a special THANK YOU to our dear family. We were so excited to share Ellison's first Birthday with you and can't tell you how much we loved having you with us. Thank you for all the travel and generosity. We wish you were still here!

one year

2010-03-06T18:22:00.016-05:00

One whole year!

Here are a couple of shots from her first Birthday followed by our year in review.

.....................................................................................................................................

5 days old

one month

two months

three months

four months

five months

six months

seven months

eight months

nine months

ten months

eleven months

twelve months

Indoor Sledding

2010-02-07T23:53:00.003-05:00

In celebration of the snow and an unapologetic effort to stay warm, we introduced Ellison to indoor sledding today.

Blizzard 2010 (not the newest flavor at Dairy Queen)

2010-02-07T23:25:00.013-05:00

Almost 30 inches.

HOLY. COW.

Those mounds on the right are cars.

Andrew created this mountain of snow while digging out our car.

We took a similar picture back in December (check out the December posts). This is the difference between 15 inches and 30 inches of snow.

Happy Birthday Grandma Smithers!

2010-02-02T18:30:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday Grandma Smith! We're all so excited

that we get to see you soon! We love you very much!

giddy up!

2010-01-24T22:14:00.004-05:00

Andrew and Ellison's prediction for the Superbowl?

Colts all the way baby!

go horse!!!

2010-01-17T19:25:00.007-05:00

Everyone has their own theory as to why a team wins an important game: quarterback play, offensive line scheme, defensive package, plain ol' mojo. I'm of the opinion that the Colts' dominance of the Ravens and (soon to be) dismantling of the J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS is due to their new #1 fan, Miss Ellison Ashby Smith!!!! Go Horse!!!!

11 months

2010-01-13T22:05:00.004-05:00

At Ellison's 11 month mark we'll share a moment from dinner. If she ends up being a poor dancer she'll be able cite this clip and pin it on the genes.

first christmas!

2010-01-12T23:06:00.012-05:00

Ellison's first Christmas in review:

picked out her first tree

helped decorate the tree

flew to California

got to see lots of tan Henry family

got her first santa hat

(thanks for searching the Southland Grandma and Grandpa H!)

checked out her haul

shared her new toys with Grandpa Henry

welcomed Grandma and Grandpa Smith to VA!

taught Grandpa Smith some new tricks on the laptop

snow!

2009-12-20T10:11:00.005-05:00

It snowed . . . A LOT!

Yes, those ARE socks on Ellison's hands -- we couldn't find mittens!

Out for a snowy walk!

The view from our balcony - it's more impressive in real life.

10 months

2009-12-13T21:04:00.003-05:00

Ellison is 10 months old today and in the last week has really conquered saying "hi". Wanting nobody to feel left out, she can most frequently be spotted saying "hi" to the Christmas tree. So polite.

indiana

2009-12-09T20:56:00.010-05:00

We had so much fun over Thanksgiving in Indiana we thought we'd share some highlights . . . even if Thanksgiving was 2 weeks ago! :)

Taking walks around the neighborhood.

Ellison got to eat her meals in the very same chair Andrew ate in

as a little guy.

Ellison getting friendly with Claire the dog-dog.

Ellison sporting her first official Colts gear.

Grandma helped Ellison get acquainted with the first Christmas tree she'd ever laid eyes on.

(Thanks for setting up the tree Grandpa!!)

the Espinozas!!!

2009-11-21T14:22:00.010-05:00

On October 3, 2009 Laura Henry became Laura Espinoza! It was a beautiful wedding and a wonderful celebration. As I told everyone during my toast, Miguel is a very smart man for choosing my sister. Nice work man. We love you both!

just married!!

just the girls

the whole gang

aunt laura and uncle miguel

sisters

9 months (and 4 days)

2009-11-17T18:32:00.015-05:00

9 months! Let's review the stats.

90th percentile in height

(clearly the Henry side contributed nothing to the height genes)

75th percentile in head circumference

(the Henrys did have something to do with this one. . .)

17 lbs 4 oz before the leaf . . .

17 lbs 5 oz after the leaf.

In addition, Ellison has two teeth, is an avid army crawler, sticks her tongue out on command, waves goodbye and in her spare time loves to poke noses.

catching up (part 2)

2009-11-17T17:48:00.011-05:00

Check out the two (small) teeth!

(on Ellison . . . not the pumpkin)

"Those teeth would be handy if somebody would open

that candy bar for me."

Dreaming about next year's costume

Catching Up (part 1)

2009-11-10T23:05:00.004-05:00

Somehow October came and went . . . we have some major catching up to do. The beginning of October included a visit to CA for some great time with family and more importantly, Laura and Miguel's beautiful wedding! Congratulations ESPINOZAS!!! We managed to take zero pictures at the wedding (lame). . . so that post will have to come when we can get our hands on some photos. Meanwhile here are some of our CA adventures with Grandma and Grandpa Henry.

the Orchid House at the LA County Arboretum

walking to Hamilton Park

swingin' with Grandpa

chips and salsa on the patio with Grandma

keeping up with west coast hair trends

hanging out with Great Grandma Russ!

Happy Birthday Grandpa Smith!

2009-10-22T18:59:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday Grandpa Smith!! For your Birthday I put on my Butler outfit and had a good giggle in celebration of you!

Happy Birthday Grandma Henry!

2009-10-15T16:57:00.006-04:00

Happy Birthday Grandma H!! For your Birthday I learned how to eat puffs -- it's not as delicious as food from the Panda, but it's something! :)

on the move

2009-09-26T21:11:00.005-04:00

peas

2009-09-15T23:30:00.005-04:00

This picture makes it hard to believe but Ellison is now a fan of peas.

6 months

2009-08-13T22:54:00.003-04:00

In honor of Ellison's six month birthday we'll share a picture of her latest skill . . . sitting!

rice cereal

2009-07-31T16:34:00.012-04:00

We thought we'd share some highlights from Ellison's first encounter with rice cereal. She has had it every day since these pictures were taken and while we wouldn't say she LIKES it - it would be fair to say she is getting increasingly less resistant.

first bite

"what is this stuff??"

"bring back the milk"

"more?? . . . are you serious?"

"I have an idea . . . you guys eat it"

"Dad, I can't be bought"

"forget it. no way people."

lots of firsts

2009-07-21T22:58:00.012-04:00

Before we go any further I (Lisa) feel the need to explain the significant presence of nakedness on the blog. Although we've not offered you much proof, we do actually have clothing for our child and make it a point to dress her daily. However, she spits up regularly and with impressive volume at times. At some point during most feedings her clothes come off, and the same is occasionally true for Andrew and me. It's not pretty folks. Play time/picture time follows feeding so that is the reason for all the nako pictures.

OK - now to the firsts. . .

first week of "foot in mouth"

first upside down encounter

first taste of dad's feet

first swim

first splash

first time meeting a goat

first blackberry sighting

first walk through a raspberry patch

5 months!

2009-07-13T19:56:00.007-04:00

Ellison has been with us for five months as of today . . . hard to believe. Time moves so fast. She spent some time up close and personal with her reflection today and here are a few highlights.

The Many Faces

2009-07-08T22:21:00.019-04:00

happy face

"I love my daddy" face

serious face

"my hands are delicious" face

surprised face

tired face

Ellison Ashby Smith

2009-07-01T18:12:00.006-04:00

Our first blog post! We hope that the pictures and stories shared here help bridge the physical distance between us, our family and many of our dear friends. As its title suggests, the blog is all things Smith family, but let's be honest...Ellison is the main event. This picture of her at 10 weeks is a bit outdated, but it's our favorite so far. More to come. . .