This is what we do

It's a busy week for us - the 30th Annual Kroger SpeedFest has arrived. It's a big deal, and the last one for awhile. I won't see Scott again until Sunday, and after noon tomorrow I won't see Connor again until Sunday. We are all going in three different directions. But, we're lucky to have jobs that allow us some fun opportunities like this. There are still good seats available! Check out LucasOilRaceway.com for event details and ticket prices.

See you at the races!

Flashback Friday - Connor's first trip to the zoo

This weekend is Connor's second birthday party. It doesn't seem as chaotic as planning a 1st birthday party, but it could be the fact that we are doing it BEFORE the big SpeedFest weekend, instead of after like we did last year and we have other things occupying our mind.

Last year we really wanted to do something with just us and Connor on his actual birthday. Since he was born so close to this little event we have, sometimes that isn't possible. This year Scott may not even see him on his birthday since it is Friday of the event. But we can look back to last year, on the day after he turned one, when we traveled to the Indianapolis Zoo for the first time.

To say he was excited is an understatement. His eyes were W-I-D-E open as soon as we walked into the oceans pavilion and he saw the brightly colored fish. We knew it had been a good choice to make the visit as soon as we saw his face light up.

Still has the wide eyes! This is in the dolphin dome - the only underwater viewing area in the World - where you are immersed under the dolphin pavilion and they swim around you.

He loved the Merry-Go-Round! Scott did not, so he took the photos. It is impossible for him to take a decent photo of me. Every time he does, I look like I do in the above photo. It's almost a game now. (I figure I might as well put a few up, or there may never be a photo of me on here!)

Family photo on the train, not our best one but we'll take it.

Surprise, surprise! Tony Stewart and his surprisingly tame Cheetah hanging out in the Plains exhibit. Seemed like a good guy, but a little stiff. I know bad joke, bad joke.

At the end of the day, Scott got Connor a cute little polar bear that he sleeps with today. All in all, a great first visit, and a great first birthday. Here's to this weekend being just as nice as last year!

Wordless Wednesday - July 20th

I can't even imagine what he is thinking...but I bet it's something!
Hendricks County 4-H Fair, Monday 7/18/11

Kissing Cows and Petting Pigs

Judging by the title, I hope you assumed it was Fair Time, but if now let me set you correct, it's Hendricks County Fair week. If you are from Indiana or any Midwestern state, I'm sure you know the rite of passage that is the county fair. Scott and I both remember treks to the old fairgrounds with the super scary carnival rides which were right in the middle of all the other 'fair' things. The sheep barn was next to the pigs and cows, and the horses were way in the back. The midway was in the middle of it all. Things have changed, including the move to the new fairgrounds, but it was awful fun to take a 2 year old Connor to the fair tonight.

For reference, here is Connor during our 2010 visit. It POURED rain. It was miserable. We just saw chickens and rabbits, it was the next to the last night, nothing was going on. He looks positively thrilled I'm sure.


2011 tells a different tale. This year we went earlier, and that was wiser. We took reinforcements (grandparents) to help with corralling our little animal. We ran into a wonderful former Commissioner and all around amazing man, Mr. Whicker, who let Connor get close enough to kiss the cow!


Two groups of baby pigs were in the pig barn, and Connor was in L-O-V-E. He even had to pat a few other bigger pigs, but he was smart enough to stay away from the momma sows.


Ahhh....the lemon shake up!


Connor loved walking around the big tractors. He climbed up in the wheels and would scream 'Cheese!' for me to take his picture.


Connor and Daddy posing by the combine. No wonder you can't get around them on the back country roads - they are huge!


The absolute strangest looking chicken we have ever seen. We never did 'see' it's eyes. I call him Disco Chicken.


In the exhibit hall, I love looking at the 4-H projects. They have photo projects, scrapbooks, gift wrapping and my favorite, cake decorating. We even saw two lego shuttle projects (I'll have to do a Flashback Friday on Scott's lego building soon!) in the craft entries. Here is the most amazing cake in the bunch:


Awful reminiscent of Cinderella's Castle don't you think?

If this is your fair week, or if you would like to visit your fair, look here for all 92 here in Indiana. Ours goes through July 24th, and you can learn more at www.4Hcomplex.org. You can also follow them on Twitter or Like them on Facebook.

County fairs offer good hometown fun, and a great sense of place. You can experience that on an even grander scale at the Indiana State Fair, coming up August 5th through the 21st. Take the time to visit, I promise it won't disappoint!

Wordless Wednesday...I mean Thursday!

Oops! The day got away from me. I had a great meeting getting ready for the 2012 Super Bowl to be here in Indy yesterday morning, and I was knee deep in parking, control centers, super celebration sites, 1st and green and more. I promise Indy in February is not to be missed!

Here's a fun photo of Connor during the Family 4th Fest on the 4th of July. Pretty funny to see him run the track and Scott and I's high school alma mater.

Flashback Friday - 1st birthday party

Posting took a back seat and this one is way late tonight. I had a bit of a mix up with my daily medication, you can read about it here. Let's just say I had to take a nap today, and it makes a really funny story. :)

Since we are getting ready for the 2nd birthday bash, I thought a few photos from his first birthday party would be fun. We had it at Nana and PawPaw's house and several of our friends and family came, even Great Grandma Mary Ann and Bill. Uncle Jason came from Bloomington and your buddies Addison, Ava and Cassie were there too (I promise you have boy friends too, you just like the ladies better!).









You're party was jungle animals and you had the cutest cupcakes and smash cake. We even had a more sophisticated grown up cake with fancy sparkler candles. You weren't even a walker yet, so we could keep you contained. I doubt that will be the case for year two.

Wordless Wednesday - July 6th

Didn't quite realize it was Wednesday already! I'm working on a speed scrap layout for my other hobby, and ran across this photo from our Disney trip. Check out Connor's super excited face. 3 months, 1 week and 1 day until our flight back to Florida....



Is it bad I'm already counting down to vacation just two days after my last vacation?

Flashback Friday: Bathtime Splashes

Well, #smithcleansweep11 is plodding along. We got a bit derailed this morning. I was excited to spend my last vacation day relaxing and sleeping in since the 2-year old was at Nana's. However, the 85-year old had other plans. :) Thank goodness we are here to help, and thank goodness he asks for it. Alas, that is a story for another day.

Before I get to Flashback Friday I want to show you my desk in my house. If you've seen our house or even my desk at work you know I'm a pile-er. I get it from my mom and Grandma Girton, papers get stacked and go in piles. I know what's in each of them, and where they are. There does come a point though, the piles can get to be too much. And now that we have a budding artist in the house who brings home a 'report card' every day he goes to school we have waaaayyyyy too much paper. Here's my desk before:



And after:



I love my desk accessories, I picked them up at Wal Mart. They were pretty inexpensive and I hope that having a system (bills/to-do stuff in the left box, filing in the right) will help keep the paper off the kitchen table. That being said, I have about two years worth of filing under my desk at work so I'm not expecting miracles.

Onto Flashback Friday! This video is from April of 2010, Connor was just 8 1/2 months old. He was still taking baths in his baby bathtub, but we put it in the big bathtub. This was one of the first times that we filled up the whole tub along with the little one. He's always loved the water, as you can see:



We are hoping for a relaxing 4th of July weekend, and right now it looks like the Bohler/Smith Fireworks Extravaganza will not be happening for 2011. Life just got in the way today. We hope it'll make a comeback for 2012. We'll make up for it by using the kiddie stash to entertain our 17 different neighbor kids. It'll be a new kind of firework show. Have a great 4th of July holiday!

House Cleaning 2011: otherwise known as #smithcleansweep11 on Twitter

The plan for the week was to clean the house - at least the majority of it. I did really good on Tuesday, but lost all mojo yesterday. The only 'cleaning' related activity of yesterday was buying Pledge. I'm dedicated to getting the master bedroom finished today, and then start on the spare bedroom - also known as The Pit. It's bad...there is no furniture in there so it's a dumping ground of papers, toys, electronics, movies, etc. If you don't see a post from me tomorrow send help!!

When I clean it's a Clean Sweep - everything must go. I have bins sorted for keep, donate and trash and move them room to room. So far I've had two 30-gallon trash bags and five donate bags. I know more trash is coming in the form of paper. Do you have that? Mounds and mounds of PAPER from work, mailings, daycare, etc. It's taking over!

Here's the bathroom in mid clean sweep:



It's worth it when we are done. If I get it cleaned enough I'm getting a cleaning person. That would help right?

For motivation - here's the finished master bathroom:



All motivated? I'm heading into the bedroom to dust now!

Wordless Wednesday

It's Wednesday already?!??! Where do the days go.... I'm on vacation this week, and I'm cleaning this whole house. We've had a constant influx of 'stuff' for two years and we need some stuff to go out!

Here's a quick photo from our trip to the park a few weeks ago. It pretty much sums up his excitement in just one photo. :)

Flashback Friday - March 2010 GO DAWGS

The NBA Draft started last night and in honor of some Butler kids being in the draft (Congrats to Shelvin Mack, pick #34!) I found these photos from March of 2010.





Look how tiny he is! He barely fit in his exersaucer and that Butler hoodie doesn't come close to fitting him anymore. He's still rockin' the comb over hairdo too!

In 2010 the Indianapolis Butler bulldogs went all the way to the final game of the Final Four right here in Indy. This year they pulled off the impossible, back to the final game in 2011. It's a true 'Hoosier' school, and it was fun to be a part of those back-to-back runs!

Hendricks County Civil War Heritage Days June 25th and 26th

{I know, I know...this is supposed to be all about Connor. However, I wrote the post below for AroundIndy.com to feature a work-related event, so I thought you might enjoy a look at our upcoming weekend plans.}

150 years ago America engaged in the fiercest battle of all time on U.S. soil, the Civil War. To commemorate this history-making event the Town of Danville, Indiana has been working to host the 1st Annual Civil War Heritage Days this weekend, June 25th and 26th. Activities are planned from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm Saturday and 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Sunday and the whole event is sponsored by the Danville Public Library and the Hendricks County Historical Museum.

Events during the weekend will be held throughout the Historic Downtown area including at the Danville Public Library, the Hendricks County Historical Museum, the Hendricks County Courthouse and on the grounds of the Hendricks County Government Center. These facilities are easily within walking distance of one another and each venue will host civil war units, agriculture and transportation displays, music, demonstrations and more. The majority of the event activities including the civil war ancestor show and tell, Sunday morning church service, music performances, and the demos on cricket and living history are free. Only a few of the events incur a fee and that is the Civil War Fashion Show at 3:00 pm Saturday in the Courthouse Rotunda for just $5.00 and the two seatings of High Tea at Courthouse Grounds at 2:00 and 4:00 pm for just $15.00. Vendors will also be throughout town showcasing civil war era items.



I will be making time to visit on Saturday with Connor and Dad. I’m excited for the little guy to be able to run around downtown Danville and my Dad is exfcited to show me what the Zouaves uniforms look like. He says it will be surprising! I’m also looking forward to checking out the refurbished Civil War room at the Hendricks County Historical Museum that will be showcasing a number of era documents.

Danville is an easy drive just 20 minutes west of Downtown Indianapolis. Take US 36/Crawfordsville Road west from I-465 or use State Road 39 if traveling from the north or the south. Parking and public restrooms are available throughout town. Numerous shops and restaurants line the area to add to you experience. Find us on Facebook at or follow us on Twitter @DanvilleIN. For a schedule of events and detailed event descriptions, visit www.CivilWarHendricks.com. For additional travel information including overnight accommodations, call 800-321-9666 or visit www.TourHendricksCounty.com.

Wordless Wednesday - June 22nd, 2011

Connor ready for water play day at school. Saying 'cheeeeeeeesssseeeeee'!

Thomas the Train Videos

Got the videos to upload today. Without further ado...

Connor pointing out the other 'choo-choo' -


Returning to the depot -

Choo-Choo!

On Saturday we traveled over to Connersville, IN for the Day out with Thomas the Train event. We graciously received tickets from our friend Sarah B. to use, she and her family are the best. They made one little boy pretty happy.

While Connor isn't too into Thomas, he's a big fan 'choo-choos'. We're a Disney family, so if it has been Brewster, KoKo, Wilson or Puffer Pete from Chuggington he may have recognized the train. Alas, it didn't matter, he was just thrilled to hear and see the choo-choo.

Our first stop was the gift shop where we got our $30 souvenirs and then visited the games and concessions. Scott steered clear of the pony rides (he called them devil goats and refused to let Connor near them) and C doesn't care for bounce houses, so we decided to go ahead and get in line for the train ride.



The event is hosted by the Whitewater Valley Railroad, an all-volunteer group that manages the operating railroad museum. All the helpers were dressed as conductors, and they even had a ticket taker!





The ride lasts about 30 minutes or so, and we all really enjoyed it. I'd recommend it for any Thomas the Train fans, or any little ones that are into trains. We went for the 4:30 pm ride, so we left our house at 1:45 pm, got there at 3:30 pm and left at 5:15 pm. Unless your kids are big Thomas fans, there isn't too much else at the site, but there is a cute ice cream shop just across the street. We passed since dinner time was near. We also met Sir Topham Hatt, but I couldn't tell you who that is. A quick google search says he's the conductor at the railstation. Connor just kept asking for Mickey Mouse....



They have a Polar Express run in November and December, we may make the trek back. Anyone want to join us? We also have a really cute video, but YouTube isn't cooperating tonight. I'll try again tomorrow.

Thanks again to our friends, it was a great family day.

Flashback Friday - March 2010

Since we took over a year off from blogging I thought it might be fun to do a little flashback once a week to show off what we missed during that time.

In March of 2010 Connor was 8 months old and was taken off his apnea monitor and oxygen. The monitor proved to be the bane of Scott's existence over time since it gave off a false alarm almost every other night. We gladly boxed up the monitor and sent it back and were glad to see the oxygen tank go. We were very fortunate to have a happy and healthy baby!





Isn't Connor a cutie! He barely used pacifiers, so it's funny to see him grasping one in this photo.

This weekend is Father's Day, and we are looking forward to the celebrations. We even have a trip to see Thomas the Train to fit in, Connor will be so excited to see a great big choo-choo. I bet I will have photos to share soon. If you need some fancy artwork for a homemade father's day card, be sure to check out the design blog here.

Wordless Wednesday...with 19 minutes to spare

Summer Fun

Almost every night that we are home for dinner (about 4 nights a week), we head out on a family walk around the cul-de-sac and sometimes down to the 'lake'. I use the term 'lake' quite loosely since it's a retention pond but we have seen people lay out next to it - so, it's my own personal 'lake'. Last night the lake was full of some pretty aggressive fish that were big fans of white bread.

When we got back, Connor say the hose in the front yard and pretended to water the flowers. Awwwwwww...so Scott turned on the water so he could finish the job. As expected, here's what happened next:

Yes, that is me screaming 'Not Mommy!'

That's just a bit of our 'summer fun' so far. We're off to dry out!

Congratulations Sara & Zach!

Scott's 'baby' cousin got married yesterday and it was a beautiful wedding, great reception and a wonderful day. The Davisons are great, and Connor loves spending time with all of his cousins. He was a wild man at the reception (but that's what a 45 minute nap will bring you!).
I love this photo of Connor and MaKenna even though it's overexposed. They have such a special relationship and he adores her!


Here he is with MaKenna and Kendall. Kendall has twin baby sisters on the way and is one of the brightest kids I know. She said she had to carry Connor so she could practice for the babies, and she said 'Yep, he's about the same size as two babies.'

Here he is with Lainey and Tyler. All the girls had their matching flower dresses and ironically Connor and Tyler were dressed alike! Ty is a hoot - we love seeing him and Lainey is Connor's bestest bud - they spent a lot of time together and I credit Lainey for how funny he is. She has the best laugh.

Boys will be boys right? Ty and Connor trying to nap on Lainey's fancy dress.

Connor went home with Nana - and we got a full night's sleep! Actually Scott is still asleep...should I wake him? Here's 'Nana' with her brother, the father of the bride.

Here is the new Mr. & Mrs. They look so young, but they are wise beyond their years and will be a fabulous couple, and someday hopefully, amazing parents.
It was fun to be there yesterday, the reception was the same place that Scott and I had ours, West Chase Golf Club. I was reminded of that day and the rough things we've been through since then - 3 years of infertility treatments, the death of Scott's dad, and most recently the opportunity to take on the care of his Dad's parents. Your vows really do mean 'for better or for worse'. For all the worse above, the better that comes is so worth it.

Wordless Wednesday

Let's see if I can keep this up! One photo a week on Wednesday, I *should* be able to do that. :) It's been a long week in the Smith house, I'm anxiously awaiting our visit to Disney this fall. Who couldn't resist these happy faces??



I'll try the Wordless part next week.

WOW! Time flies

It's been over a year since we updated, how crazy is that? Time just keeps marching on and when everyone tells you that once you have kids it speeds up, they are telling the truth!

That scooting baby from the last post will be 2 next month. He walks, talks, dances, yells, sleeps and lights up our life everyday. Here's two recent pics -




Connor loves Yoshi, Bubbles, Mickey Mouse (also known as Maw-Maw in our house), playing outside and climbing anything. We all still work at the same places, and we both enjoy it. We'll try to be better updaters - hopefully there will be a few more posts before he turns 3!