Christmas #2 and the Great Grampini

Grampa Jim, Grandma Sue, Uncle Butch and Aunt Bobbi came over in a great northern migration from Saranac Lake a few days after Christmas for another Christmas celebration! Later that evening, the Great Grampini made a magical debut of tricks and spells which captivated Evelyn to no end. She hounded Grampa for the next few days of their visit to "do magic, do magic!"

Ta DA!

Bed time.

Christmas Morning

We spent Christmas Eve afternoon in Turner with the Prince and Pillsbury Clan, to return home for a tiny bit of goofing by hte tree and bedtime. In the morning Grammie and Grampa came by for presents, turkey and merriment.

Evvie really liked her little ukelele (although she calls it a guitar, which is make her look up to me...so I won't stop that!)



Notice who hogged all the stick'em bows on her shirt!



Even Ruby-Dog got in on the receiving end of a gift!




Always helpful, Evelyn delicately helps Grammie and Grampa assemble their new candle-twirlie.

Candy Cane Train

This Sunday Grammie and Grampa came down to Bath for a ride on the Candy Cane Train! We drank hot chocolate, sang songs with elves, heard Christmas stories, and then saw Santa himself! (Oh yeah, there were a few candy canes involved also!)

Evvie was fascinated by Santa, though she didn't want to talk to him or have him get too close, so I asked him just to say hello and keep moving down the line.

Whole Lotta Shakin'

In the spirit of the season, with our hearts swollen with Christmas cheer, we headed to Hummer Tree Farm to kill a tree. The first thing Evelyn had to learn was to see what the tree looked like underneath all the snow, so...

...she learned.

Despite how it looks in this picture, Evvie was really quite thrilled and giggly with the process. When we arrived home to put the bugger up in our living room, Evelyn showed us how to shake the tinsel to make the room sparkle.

It's the magic of the season.

Looking like Grammy!

Black & White Baby

So far all things look good for the tiniest member of our family. Hallie is now just past the halfway point in her pregnancy and really starting to show it! We both think she's got a larger girth than she had at this point when she was pregnant with Evelyn.




Perhaps it's the cinema geek in me, but I can't ever seem get the theme from 2001 out of my head when I see a picture of a fetus...even my own child.





It should be noted that there is a large gap here between the baby's big toe and second toe. Hallie calls it the "Smith Toe" and avers that it's a sign of wisdom.

We'll let history be the judge of that one.

Another Use for a Rubber Ducky

What's the expression? Cleanliness is next to... Foolishness?

Look who's 3

Big party on Saturday and Evvie was in the middle of it all! She asked for a rainbow cake for her birthday so we used a little creativity and surprised her when we cut into it!

After taking her first bite of cake she remarked, "Now I'm three." There's your ceremony.






After the festivities were over and friends and family had gone home, Mr. Enormous Bear and Evelyn continued to party it up.

Halloween with The Smarties

This camera-happy Dad has been shirking his duties of late, and despite a really fun trick-or-treating adventure, we neglected any Kodak moments for the good ol'fashioned "in the moment" moments. Luckily Shannon was captivated by the cuties and emailed us some reall good pix.

Evvie came up with what I believe to be her first official pun today. In honor of her barnyard costume, she thought we should knock on doors and, rather than say "trick or treat", we should say "chicky or treaty". It makes a Dad proud.

Here's "Miss Demure" pretending to be shy. Did you notice that it's all boys in her "Smarties" class today? We suspect she's just being coy because it drives the boys crazy.

Fall Smith Visit

A three day sleepover- what fun! We had a cozy camping expedition in our little ranch house over the long weekend, chock full of good times!

Evvie was on her most dainty and demure behavior while entertaining Ruby and Griffin.

Was it too cold to wade around in the tidepools and inlets around Five Islands and Reid State Park?

NO WAY!

Another beautiful day, another beach trip to the other penninsula- this time to fort Popham and vicinity. The fort and ocean are old hat to Evelyn, so she showed Griffin & Ruby every nook and cranny of the structure.


And a little later, Ruby started hovering in the air. (I still can't figure out how she did that!)

It was a wonderfully weathered weekend with glee and giggles galore! Come down from the deeply wooded mountains any time, Smiths!

Evvie's School Pix

Shannon took photos of all the "Smarties" for picture packages. Here are some of the highlights:
........

I Know Something About Mama...

Someone else will soon get to call her Mama.

Talbots beware, there's a new March birthday coming...

Little Canoe Excursion

School is in for Daddy, four-day daycare for Evelyn. Yup, summer's over. How did it happen without a canoe trip this year?

We took a few hours out of our Sunday, loaded the canoe onto the Golf (which, it turns out, is shorter than the boat!) and paddled the New Meadows River just a few miles from our house.




Evelyn was so ecxited to go under "the tunnel" that she almost missed seeing the cormorant here by the bridge. Whne it was time to go, Evelyn "helped" daddy carry the canoe back to the car.

Pennsylvania Fun

Another wonderful trip to Pennsylvania found us wonderfully welaxed for the week. As you can see here, we were well received.

The Smiths of Saranac Lake had a nice overlap ped visit, so it was extended family fun for all.


In celebration of Griffin's birthday, we had a nice party and some serious pool and underwater time, thanks to his new Birthday Goggles!
As usual, Griffin found more critters per square inch of Grampa Smitty's field than any of us knew were there!
After a brief sumer storm, a beautiful rainbow broke loose over the valley. G-Man was there to point it out.

Evvie really liked meeting Rosie, the young Springer Spaniel who occasionally sat still long enough to be brushed!