I. Met. SANTA!

Hello Everyone!
I don't have a lot to say for this post. I am very busy rolling around the living room floor, trying to break a tooth, and trying to crawl. Notice, I said TRYING on the last two items. I haven't had much luck so far and let's just say it makes me VERY frustrated! Luckily, Mom has been nice enough to avoid snapping pictures of me during these weak moments. I'll just say they involve a lot of whining, crying, and flapping my arms - not the prettiest of moments.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand. I was fortunate enough to meet one of the most famous men in the entire WORLD. That's right, not just Florida, but the WORLD! Who you might ask? Well, if you paid attention to the title of this post, you would already know. You got it - I met Mr. Santa Claus himself. I also met his lovely wife Mrs. Clause. By the way, anyone know what her first name is?
Now, you know how some babies are a bit terrified of this mysterious, only-seen-one-night-a-year man? Not me! I loved every minute of it. Now, it helped that our meeting was not a private one. In fact, there were tons of other strangers waiting for their turn to meet the jolly old man, and in the process, had all eyes on me. I couldn't possibly let them see fear, could I? Of course not! Instead, I gave them quite a show of smiles and giggles. What can I say? I know how to work a crowd.

Grandma & Grandpa Visit

At the beginning of December, Ryan's parents - Grandma & Grandpa - came to visit us for a week. It was Christmas time at Walt Disney World, so we spent most of the time park and hotel hopping to show them the amazing festivities that take place around WDW this time of year. Christmas time at Walt Disney world has to be one of my favorite times of year. The decorations are absolutely breathtaking. If it doesn't put you in the Christmas spirit, I don't think anything will.

The biggest event during their visit, was when we took them to see the Candlelight Processional. During the holidays, Walt Disney World presents the Candlelight Processional at Epcot, which is a nightly event where a celebrity guest speaker reads the birth of Christ from the book of Matthew, matched to Christmas songs performed by a full orchestra and choir. Every time I see it, I get chills thinking about what amazing gift we have been given in the form of Jesus and the salvation He brought with Him. Parker was absolutely amazed by the brilliant lights and sounds of the processional. If you are ever here during Christmas time, I can't recommend it enough. It's a yearly tradition for our family.

During their visit, Parker also tried bananas for the first time. So far, bananas seem to be Parker's favorite. I must admit, we have been great about having Parker try different foods, but terrible at being consistent with how many times we give him a particular food. I guess you can say that's one of our resolution of sorts.

The trip was packed with so many wonderful events. As always, when anyone visits, the time goes by so fast and we enjoy every minute of our time together.

Recent Events

"Wow" is all I can say when I look at this blog and realize how far behind I am in updating the events that have been unfolding in the Smith household. I know it's been said many times before, but I had the best of intentions of keeping up with this blog. However, as with many other things, life gets in the way. Not that it's a bad thing - that means we are spending precious time together living life, not just writing about it. Still, I know that this blog provides a way for family and friends to see what is happening, but also an online record keeping of the things we are seeing and experiences - moments that I know I will easily forget as time passes, but wish I could hang on to forever.

In November, after we arrived home from Kentucky, Parker took his first trip to the beach. We took an afternoon and drove to Tarpon Springs to enjoy some of our favorite Greek food, but more importantly our favorite ice cream shop. Seriously, if you are ever in Hudson, Fl, you must check out Hudson Beach Ice Cream Parlor. The ice cream is all homemade and is delish! The shop is nothing special. In fact, if you were driving through, you would probably pass right by, but I promise you, it is the most amazing ice cream you will ever have. After the ice cream, we drove a little farther south to Indian Rocks Beach. The weather was a bit cloudy and dreary, making for some cool temperatures, but because of that, it provided us with a near empty beach. We were able to take our time and let Parker experience his first beach. From the time he was born, Parker has been observant. So much so, that after he was born, he almost immediately stopped crying and simply looked around the hospital room at the all the objects and people. This time was no different. He didn't show a lot of emotion, but simply had his typical raised-eyebrow, furrowed-brow look - wondering what everything was. He was able to feel the sand, as well as let the water rush over his tiny toes. The beach has always been a big part of my life. I can remember many family vacations spent on various beaches and I can't wait for Parker to experience, and more importantly remember, the memories we will make as a family.

Also, during the month of November, we were lucky enough to spend a day with one of my dearest and oldest friends, Elizabeth, her husband Andrew, and their precious boy Wilson, who is a little less than 10 months older than Parker. I know that Parker and Wilson are still too young to remember each other, much less their day spent at Disney together, but I so look forward to the day when they will be friends and get excited for their visits from each other. One of the most precious moments of the trip took place while we were watching the American Idol Experience and Parker and Wilson decided it would be a perfect time to hold hands. I know what an important part my friends played in my growing up and who I am today, especially Elizabeth, and I pray that Parker develops the same strong bonds that I developed with my hometown friends growing up. It would only be sweeter if Wilson could be one of those friends.

We also experienced Parker's first Thanksgiving. It was very low key, which was a perfect way to spend the evening. Morfar was in town and we had some of friends come over to share in the Thanksgiving festivities. Thanksgiving was held at our house this year, rather than Aunt Rachel's new apartment. However, Aunt Rachel was in charge of the turkey, and thanks to the help of her classroom teacher's aides, we had the most amazing turkey cooked in wonderful Puerto Rico spices. Parker slept through the entire dinner and woke up just in time to enjoy an evening full of games. No turkey for him this year.

Parker now laughs. A lot. It has to be one of the sweetest sounds in the world. 

I know this isn't all that has been happening in our world, but it's at least a start. My goal is to carve out time each week to make sure and update this blog. Not for anyone else, while that is a great tool in keeping up with out of town family and friends, but for me. I know the days slip by so quickly. Often, so fast that I forget to really stop and enjoy them. As Parker begins to change and grow at such a quick pace, I want to be able to look back and remember these moments. He has started sitting up on his own and laughing and trying incredibly hard to crawl. I know one day, while I will remember these moments happened, I won't remember them with vivid detail. That is why I want to make sure I update this blog. I want to be able to look back on these entries and remember just how special these moments were.