Derrick and Holly's Big Adventure: AKA LIFE

Crazy Kids...

2012-01-31T15:00:00.010-06:00

...this really is a term of endearment! They are so funny, they are just crazy sometimes! The other day, I was baking and Darcie got hold of my oven mit. She proceeded to put it on and started pulling on the oven door handle. It was so cute and she was really trying to open it! Maybe one day she will be a baker!

Here is Harrison with Spiderman stickers ALL over him and also he is trying to throw "web" out of his wrist! Hilarious!

This next picture was captured last night! Darcie was giving Daddy a kiss...not on the cheek, but on the nose! It was so sweet!

And last, but not least, the kids playing on their "laptops"! They are so cool!

Dr. Harrison Smith...and His Patient

2012-01-16T15:38:00.004-06:00

Here are a few pics of the kids this week playing "Doctor". Harrison made a grea M.D. and Darcie, a pretty good patient, at least for a few seconds. She needs some help with all that hair!!! Thought you would like to see the pics! Have a great day!

The Holiday Adventures of the Smith's...

2012-01-03T15:00:00.005-06:00

Well, this year we had 4 "Christmas" weekends in a row. The first started on December 10th which we spent with Derrick's niece and her husband. They came for the weekend to see his parents and they came up here to see us on the 10th. We hadn't seen them since they got married and it was REALLY nice to see them and spend some time with them. The second was with Derrick's family in Munford. The weekend of the 25th the four of us had our Christmas together. We actually did it on Saturday the 24th so that we would have the whole day in our PJs spending it together, with nowhere to go. It was GREAT!! Then, the following weekend Holly's side of the family showed up for festivites on Saturday the 31st. Her family was here for more time than just the 31st but the main celebrations took place on New Year's Eve. So, since this is the way we celebrated this year, when Holly's family showed up, Harrison asked where his presents were...he wasn't ungrateful, mind you....BUT, with three weekends in a row with family and presents, he just assumed that was what was suppossed to happen. Anyone that came to see us, they had presents. He and Darcie made out like bandits! I don't know where we will put all this new "stuff"!! They are having a ball with all their gifts and neither of them wants to share with the other one! It is LOVELY!! We had a blast but we are also glad that the New Year has arrived and maybe, just maybe, life will slow down a little bit! Enjoy the pics!

Best Photo Ever

2011-12-26T10:01:00.003-06:00

We have taken soooooo many pictures of the kids together and this one is one of the best of them together! They are actually both looking at the camera and both smiling....it is a Christmas miracle! We took this picture right before we left for church services yesterday morning! Enjoy....more pics from the holidays to follow soon!

Harrison's Holiday Concert

2011-12-19T15:04:00.003-06:00

Well, we have officially began the ritual of school programs...Harrison had his first debut on Friday at his Mother's Morning Out program! Derrick and I weren't sure how he was going to react onstage in front of a building full of people, but to our surprise and joy he did GREAT. Although you couldn't hear him as well as a little blond boy in the back row (he was hilarious and the life of the show), we swelled with pride as we watched, took pictures and cried just a little bit! He was awesome! Here are just a few pictures of our star!

My Three Cuties...

2011-12-15T15:27:00.004-06:00

I have three cuties (including my husband) :-)! Just wanted to share some photos that we have taken in the last couple of weeks. They are getting ready for Christmas! Harrison is excited, Darcie doesn't realize what is going on...i.e., all the decorations and such that are up around the house. They are having fun making things for teacher gifts, paper ornaments and such. We have been busy, busy, busy but it will slow down (I hope) a little bit next week. We are done with Christmas shopping for the most part (still have a few stocking stuffers to find), now we just have to wrap everything! Yikes! My husband's side of the family are getting together this weekend to do "Christmas"...and the kids are excited to spend the weekend opening their first gifts of the season. Hope you enjoy the pics!

The New Accessory

2011-11-05T11:09:00.003-05:00

Darcie's newest accessory....I think the picture speaks for itself!! I thought that my son would be the one with the first broken bone....then, I had Darcie! She made a rememberable entrance into this world (emergency c-section) and I think her life will be rememberable as well (although I hope not TOO rememberable)!!!

And then, you have Harrison who is just a cutie! He has been very helpful (in his own way) since Darcie hurt herself. He was great yesterday during the xray visit and such before the ortho office. He was great! He got to go back to work with Daddy (which he loved) and then home with Daddy until Darcie and I got back with her new "bling".

Grandma's Visit

2011-10-31T15:15:00.004-05:00

Here are a few pictures taken while Grandma was here for a week. We had a blast with her and I think she did too!! The kids always have a couple of days of Grandparent detoxxing (sp?) when they leave. Harrison got to sleep on his top bunk every night while she was here and she slept in his bed, which he thought was really cool. After Grandma left, every time the phone rang she would say, "granma"? It was cute but sad all at the same time.

Grandma and Harrison

Darcie in the dress Grandma brought

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T14:14:00.002-05:00

Halloween Pictures taken this weekend and at the Pumpkin Patch last weekend! The kids had a blast at the Pumpkin Patch and had a great time getting lots of candy at the West Huntsville church of Christ Trunk or Treat last night. Now I have two bags of candy that are looking at me all day!! NOT GOOD!! Enjoy the pics!

Darcie as a Fairy
Harrison as a Fireman

With Grandma at the Pumpkin Patch

Picking a pumpkin with Daddy

Birthday CAKE!!!!

2011-07-09T18:11:00.003-05:00

Today, Darcie had one of 3 Birthday celebrations in store for her this month. One here in Huntsville, one in Munford and one in Inverness. She will get not one, not two BUT THREE small parties!! She liked playing in the cake and eating it too. It took her a little while to get into it but after that, she was good!!! Here are a few pictures!!

Big Brother and Little Sister Moments...

2011-06-28T14:57:00.004-05:00

Harrison looked at Darcie and said, "Darcie, come sit on the couch with me." So, I put her up on the couch and these are some of the pictures that followed. He is such a good big brother...and she is such a great little sister...most of the time :-).

Too Hip...

2011-06-28T10:24:00.002-05:00

...or so he thinks!! He has really gotten into wearing his sunglasses and his hat all around town. He pushes them up to his head and he is so adorable!! He is growing up so fast!!!

Summer Days...

2011-06-28T10:08:00.004-05:00

Well, Summer is here is full force and a few SAHM took advantage of the sunny day and let the kids play in the water for a few hours one day last week. The kids had a blast. This was Darcie's first time in a swimsuit and after a minute of crying she had a blast splashing in (and drinking) the water in the pool. She looks like she is up to something in the first picture... Hope you enjoy the pics!

Weenies and Spaghetti...The Meladine Favorite

2011-06-20T20:15:00.002-05:00

Every time we went to New Orleans we always had the same "welcome home" meal....Weenies and Spaghetti and PaPa's famous Green Beans--followed by New Orleans French Bread and PaPa's Sweet Tea!! This is one meal that I am still trying to perfect to PaPa's (which will probably never happen) recipe!! Tonight was another shot at it and as you can see both of my kids were very happy. This was Darcie's first time eating spaghetti and she LOVED it...Harrison, as you can see, has learned the art of eating spaghetti (most times) without getting it all over him, the table and the floor :-). Hope you enjoy the pics!

School Days

2011-06-14T10:02:00.003-05:00

School Days, School Days, Good 'ol Golden Rule Days....
Harrison started "school" last week. One day a week during the summer and then two days a week beginning this fall. He did GREAT the first day but today I left him crying...so, hopefully he does well and continues to like it! This is a picture of his "Cars" lunchbox that has all his favorites inside :-)

The Fork...or Any Other Utensil...

2011-06-14T09:59:00.003-05:00

Darcie carries this fork (or spoon or knife) all around the house. If you take it from her...she screams!! The other day at church services she decided that she didn't want it anymore and threw it across the aisle!! This could become a dangerous habit :-).

The Sandbox Tails...

2011-06-14T09:53:00.003-05:00

Last night was the first time we have put Darcie in the Sandbox as well. Harrison and Darcie played very well together in the sandbox much to my surprise. I figured there would be throwing of sand and many more things that flooded my imagination :-). So, here are a few pictures of what REALLY happened. Darcie LOVED the sand as you can see...

The Past Few Weeks...

2011-06-07T09:57:00.004-05:00

Seriously, I haven't updated in a YEAR!! This is really SAD!! Maybe I will get better about posting one day...I don't know when that will be but MAYBE it will be in the near future. Here are a couple of pictures of Darcie with her first "pigtails", Harrison playing in the sandbox and also the finished product of Harrison writing his first, middle and last name. He is AWESOME!!

Summer Fun

2010-06-09T06:52:00.003-05:00

Summer is here and so is the hot weather and lots of lightening bugs. Here are a few pictures of him on a slip n slide and a few pics of us catching lightening bugs the other night. He had a ball doing this as well as us!!

BIG Shoes To Fill...

2010-06-09T06:38:00.003-05:00

Since there is so much to cover in the last few months, I am going to just show you a few of the highlights of the last couple of months...

Here are a few pics of Harrison in Daddy's shoes (and yes, he loves my heels as well) walking around the house. Also, here are a few of him "helping" accomplish a few things off of our running list of things to do before the baby comes. Hope you enjoy.

Helping with leveling the pictures for the wall...

Climbing the ladder to help install a ceiling fan for his new room...

Helping hammer the fence back into place...

Walking around in Daddy's shoes...

Wow...It's been a long time....

2010-06-09T06:28:00.002-05:00

SOOOOOOO sorry I haven't caught up on the blog lately!!! I have been very busy but that is no excuse. So, here is a quick "catch up" since my last post.
1. We are having a little girl and we are going to name her, Darcie Anne. She is due on July 14th.
2. We spent some time in Florida (as our last trip before the baby) in March seeing friends and family.
3. My brother graduated in May from Freed-Hardeman and is going to be married in Grand Rapids, Michigan in just a couple of weeks. (3 weeks actually before my due date so needless to say, I am not allowed to go. VERY upset about this)
4. We had a garage sale this past weekend to get rid of LOTS of stuff so that we have room to put a new baby :-).
5. Today is going to be Harrison's first day to sleep in his new room in a "big boy" bed...we shall see how this goes.
6. We have been going non-stop working through a list of "to dos" before the baby gets here. It is amazing the stuff you have to do when you go from one kid to TWO!! Wow...I hope we get it all squared away.

So that is a run down of what we have been up too. I hope you all are doing well and I hope we stay afloat through the next big change in our life. We know God will be there for us everyday and that is the most encouraging thing about this all!! God never fails!!!

Love you all and miss you dearly.

Harrison Turns TWO!!!

2010-02-12T13:54:00.003-06:00

We can't really believe that it has been two whole years since we had Harrison!! And to think we have another child on the way already. Time flys when you are having fun. It has been a lot of fun having Harrison. He has made us laugh...and cry at times but overall it has been a great last two years. We pray that he will have a long life ahead of him and that he will bring us even more happiness than we can imagine. Happy Birthday, Harrison!!!

We had his party at Jump Zone, which is a place that has several huge inflateables inside to jump and run around in. All the kids (and some of the parents too) had a great time jumping around. Later that night I am sure that we had kids that slept like logs :-)

Learning By Reading the Golf Digest

2010-01-19T14:54:00.004-06:00

"Who says you can't teach a child while reading the Golf Digest", says Derrick.

Christmas 2009

2010-01-19T14:29:00.002-06:00

Here are a few pictures from Christmas this past holiday season. We spent Christmas Day at our house and then left the day after for Florida to spend a few days with Holly's parents. We had the Smith family Christmas earlier in the month of December. We had a great holiday spending time with all our friends and family.

Cooking With Grandma

2010-01-19T14:21:00.002-06:00

Grandma came to visit for a week after Thanksgiving and Harrison decided he wanted to help cook. So here are a few pictures cooking with Grandma.

Another One On The Way....

2009-12-17T14:04:00.002-06:00

Well...here we go again!!!! Holly is pregnant with our second child!! We found out on November 2nd. We had our 8 week apointment and sonogram on December 2nd. I am due on July 14, 2010. We can't wait to find out what sex the baby is and can't wait for our new little joy to arrive. Please keep us in your prayers as we bring another child into this world.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-03T15:12:00.006-06:00

Harrison was a LION this year. He was so cute and made a great "rrroooaaaarrrr" sound for everyone. We attended the Trek or Treat at West Huntsville and had a great time. William and Patsy (Derrick's parents) came up for the event as well. Derrick was out of town for Halloween but on November 2nd, we got Harrison dressed back up and took him outside for a few more pictures.

Smith Family Carvers

2009-10-28T12:40:00.003-05:00

With the pumpkin we picked at Tate Farms, we bought a stencil set and carved out this furry little friend. We had a blast doing this. This will most likely become one of our family Halloween traditions. It looked soooo cool when we lit it up. We were so excited. Hope you enjoy it as well...

BEFORE...

...AND AFTER

Pumpkin Pickin' at Tate Farms

2009-10-24T14:00:00.006-05:00

Mom...I want this one...

We went to a popular pumpkin patch (say that 3 times fast) this morning with a group from church. We had a great time together enjoying all they had to do at Tate Farms. (Meridianville, AL) We enjoyed a wagon ride out to the pumpkin patch to pick a pumpkin, animal petting area, a hay maze, a trailer filled with cotton to jump in, a corn crib (sand box only dried corn instead of sand) and many other fun activities. We had a great time even though it was cold :-). Enjoy the pics.

Camel Anyone???

2009-10-20T15:03:00.003-05:00

While in Lubbock for Southside's Lectureship (Derrick was one of the speakers), we went to a birthday party for a little girl we know and it was held at a place called Kenny's Koral. It has lots of animals to pet, feed and see. Harrison loves animals but doesn't like them enough to pet them :-). He is so funny. I took his hands several times and made him touch them. He laughed the whole time. We had a great time in Lubbock seeing people we hadn't seen in a long time. It was a great visit.

Dinnertime Adventures

2009-10-02T09:41:00.003-05:00

So...any of you that have kids or grandkids know that eating is always an adventure. You know when Harrison is done when he starts playing with his food or utensils or both! The other night he brought a book with him to dinner and proceded to read it to us and then he started "leading" singing from his Handy Manny book. He was NOT happy when I took it from him and told him to eat. He hardly ate that night...so, note to self: take the book away BEFORE he gets in his chair for dinner. He keeps us entertained.

Flying High

2009-09-29T13:42:00.003-05:00

I think once Harrison gets older he will LOVE roller coasters. He loves to swing as high as possible and would stay in the swing for days on end. When I take him to the park, I put him in the swing last because if he gets in it at the beginning he won't do anything else. He also loves to slide. This picture is Harrison swinging while at Dublin Park yesterday morning. Definitely having a blast.

One Going On Sixteen

2009-09-29T13:21:00.002-05:00

Today in Alabama the high is 71 degrees and it feels GREAT. So, since it was beautiful outside and because it was in desperate need of a cleaning, Harrison and I cleaned out the car and vacuumed it as well. Harrison played while Mommy cleaned is more like it. Here are a few pictures of Harrison "driving" the car while I cleaned up around him. He had a blast turning the emergency blinkers off and on and messing with all the other buttons. Who knows what our settings will be when we turn the car back on!!

Imagination Movers

2009-09-24T15:06:00.003-05:00

Okay...so my son loves Imagination Movers on Disney. This is the only cartoon that he will sit or stand in front of the TV for 30 minutes each day. I turn it on right after breakfast and he loves the next 30 minutes. It is a wonder that I got him to turn to me and take a picture during this show. Hilarious.

Chillin' in the Bean Bag

2009-09-16T08:42:00.002-05:00

Harrison loves my bean bag that Derrick bought for me when we were dating. He sits in it all the time. I fear that one day it will be in his room and not mine!! Oh well. I will take it occasionally to sit and read in. That is my favorite place in the house...sitting with a book in my hand in my bean bag!! Maybe he won't get it....

Coloring with Daddy

2009-09-11T21:21:00.002-05:00

After looking FOREVER for exactly what we wanted, we found a toddler card table with 4 chairs for Harrison. I bought it yesterday and we have already used it well worth its cost. Here is a picture of Derrick and Harrison coloring on the new table. Lots of great memories I am sure will happen at this table. Good times.

Advent Calendar

2009-09-11T21:08:00.004-05:00

A few friends and I got together last night and put together an Advent Calendar (count down to Christmas calendar) for our kids. It was so much fun doing it...it took 5 hours but it was worth it. We can now all use this for years to come. The circles are actually tins that you can fill with candy or whatever you want to put in there for the child to get each day. We copied this format from a Stampin' Up idea. We had a great time putting it together. If any of you are crafty and want to do this, just give me a call and I will give you some pointers on how we did it so that you can enjoy it as well. (There are a few secrets to doing it)

The Beach!!! (Cocoa Beach, FL)

2009-09-09T15:03:00.003-05:00

When we went to Florida, we went over to Cocoa Beach to see Will and Jenn Thomas (college friends). We took a day trip to the beach and had a great time!! Harrison would have went out into the ocean until he drowned...he loved it soooooo much!! We also went to the Rainbow River with the family the week before the wedding. We had a great time.

Beach

The Burkey's Pool

Aunt Emily and Harrison feeding the fish at Blue Run (Rainbow River)

Emily's Wedding

2009-09-09T14:39:00.004-05:00

Emily (my younger sister) just got married in August. She met Billy where she now works in Pennsylvania. They got married on August 8, 2009 in Inverness, FL. We all went down to Florida for the wedding. My brother and I were in the wedding. Here are a couple of pictures of the day.

Harrison just wanted some cake and he climbed up in Ms. Margaret's lab...who he doesn't know well...and started eating her cake...Hilarious!!

Canning in July

2009-09-09T14:27:00.003-05:00

I grew up canning with my Mom every year. She did green beans, black eyed peas and chicken...those were the "normals". So, this year, Derrick's parents planted a garden and we got green beans from them. I bought a small canner and the utensils needed and went to town. I was very nervous but it all worked out great. I did one canner full of green beans and then Derrick and I made homemade blueberry jam. It all turned out great and we had a great time doing it.

Blueberry Jam

Green Beans

Louisville

2009-09-09T14:03:00.003-05:00

So...it's been awhile since I updated...SORRY!! I know I say this a lot but I will try to do better!!! Now that the apologies are out of the way, here are a few pictures from Louisville. Harrison and I went with Derrick in July. Derrick had a week of work there at the American Printing House for the Blind and Harrison and I played all week. Derrick did several things with us as well in the evenings. It was a great week away from home and a great week of family time.

CHURCHILL DOWNS

CAROSEL AT THE ZOO

INTRANCE TO THE ZOO

LOUISVILLE SLUGGER MUSEUM

Easter/Worms/Pool/Mowing Lawn

2009-06-18T10:51:00.002-05:00

Since it has been awhile....here is a hodgepodge of pictures. First, here is a couple pictures of his first "real" Easter. Secondly...his pictures of playing with worms...and, no, we didn't fry them!! Thirdly...here are some pictures of Harrison enjoying the pool in the backyard. Fourthly...Harrison likes to mow the lawn with Daddy!! (Okay, so the pictures are the opposite order than I said...oh well...you get the idea :-))We are all doing well and having a great summer so far. Lots of grilling, swimming, and hanging out with each other. Hope you all enjoy the pictures.

Harrison and Vance

2009-04-05T15:22:00.005-05:00

One day these following pictures will be priceless when the boys get a little older. Pictures make great memories!! Jenn and Vance Thomas came and visited for one night a couple of weeks ago and we decided it would be great to put them in the bathtub together along with taking a couple wagon rides. They were so funny. Hope you enjoy.

Gotcha!

Gotcha Back!!

One Year Pictures

2009-03-25T11:40:00.012-05:00

Well...Harrison is already one years old and yesterday we took him to Portrait Innovations and had some pictures made of him. He did great...didn't want to sit still but still did good. Hope you all enjoy the pics. The suit is obviously his Easter outfit that Grandma and Grandaddy (Holly's parents) got for him. Isn't he going to steal the hearts of all the little girls???? By the way...These are the pictures that we actually purchased...they were obviously centered and cropped and a couple were made black and white, but these are the originals on our CD. I don't know how to fix them at the moment :-)

"Eating" God's Word

2009-03-08T14:21:00.002-05:00

Well, the Lord says in Matthew 5, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." So, we assume that Harrison has read this verse and taken it to heart. Here are a few pictures of him playing with his Bible in the kitchen and some other pictures from Saturday as well. For the Epsilon and Delta crew I think you will like the ladybug purse pictures. Daddy has taught him early to love those "ladybugs". Enjoy.

"Wagon-tales"

2009-02-26T15:20:00.002-06:00

Harrison got a Radio-Flyer Red Wagon from Maw Maw and Paw Paw for his birthday and he loves it. We have been out in it 3 times this week because it has finally gotten a little warmer. Today at lunch we were out with him for 45 minutes. He loved every minute as you can see from the pictures below. We hope you smile and laugh and much as we did today.

The PARTY!!!!

2009-02-23T11:28:00.003-06:00

This weekend was soooo fun! We had about 15 people come to Harrison's Birthday party and it was a blast. We had a 1st year sports theme and the cake was decorated with a football design. We served hotdogs, chips, punch, and cake. We all had a great time and Harrison had some great gifts and a big deposit for the piggy bank (college fund). Hope you all enjoy the pictures and fun.

Harrison's First Birthday

2009-02-09T15:49:00.002-06:00

Harrison's birthday party is going to be on the 21st of February but Derrick and I couldn't let his true birthday go by unnoticed so we bought a little cake for him to dig into. Along with the cake he opened presents from a few family members that had already come to the house. So, as you will see, he had a great time with the presents and the cake.

January/February 2009

2009-02-09T15:42:00.002-06:00

Hey Everyone!!! Hope you all survived the holiday season and I hope things are slowing down as they are for us. Harrison has his first two teeth...he got them 2 weeks before he turned one!! Can you believe it was that late???? He gets it honest from his mother who didn't have teeth until well after her first birthday. Derrick blames me :-) I blame him for everything else :-)...the cute face, the blue eyes...most of the good features of our little boy. Life has calmed down for us. We are still trying to get "into" the house....we are changing some things and also REALLY need to decorate. So, we are working on those things constantly it feels like. But, all in all everything is good here at the Smith home. Here are a few pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year

2009-01-17T11:17:00.007-06:00

I know that I apoligize a lot on this blog, but I am sorry that I didn't get Holiday cards out this year...so here is our holiday message along with a few pictures. All three of us hope you all had a great Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year. Our year is starting out busy but we know that it will slow down eventually.

This past year flew by. It started out in February with the birth of Harrison William. He was born the evening of February 5th at the University Medical Center in Lubbock, Texas. The birth went well and both Harrison and I left two days later in great health. We were visited many times by family and friends in the next couple of months and adjusted pretty well to a new baby in the house....although we are still adjusting daily to having a child :-). He is almost 1 now and about to start walking. He has been a joy to our lives and has made the last year very fun. You laugh and cry a lot more often after you have kids for sure!!!

The month of February also brought more great things in our lives. Derrick defended his disertation and officially became a "Doctor"....and no he cannot write prescriptions. He has an Ed. D. in Special Education and was offered a job as an associate professor at the Univ. of Alabama in Huntsville one day after Harrison was born. Of course he accepted the position and we moved to Huntsville in August. Derrick graduated from Texas Tech in May and we spent the summer packing, packing and more packing. We were happy to get back to the southeast part of the nation but we do miss our friends we made over the last 3 years.

After we moved to Huntsville, I (Holly) became a stay-at-home mommy and am loving every minute of it. I am taking time off from being an x-ray tech and am going to stay home for a while with Harrison. I am having a lot of fun staying home but I do miss grown-up conversation :-).

We lived in an apartment until we found a house to buy here in Huntsville. We closed on a house in November, which was followed by Thanksgiving, moving in, Christmas, a trip to New Orleans and then another trip to Derrick's parents' house to throw a 50th wedding anniversary party....so, to say the least we have been really busy lately!!! So, that is why you all don't have a holiday card coming to you in the mail this year. I hope this blog takes care of all of your withdrawl from not receiving the yearly card :-).

So, enjoy the pics and news. We hope you all are doing well. We love and miss you all.

Holiday Season 2008

2009-01-17T10:13:00.009-06:00

First of all, I am sooooooo sorry that I haven't kept up with the blog since we moved into our house. With moving, Thanksgiving, Christmas and throwing the in-laws a 50th Wedding Anniversary Party, things have been quite hectic around the house. So, here are some pics of the holiday season of 2008. Hope you all enjoy.

"Living the American Dream"

2008-11-15T12:57:00.004-06:00

We are now homeowners!!! It really hasn't hit us yet even though we had to sign a million papers yesterday! This is it. 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 2 car garage and a large back yard. We are really excited and ready to move in. We have to be out of our apartment in one month so we can move slowly which will be nice. Hope you guys like the house.

Fall Pictures

2008-11-07T12:27:00.006-06:00

My Personal Favorite (above)

You just can't deny his cuteness!!!

Derrick was out of town yesterday afternoon through tonight. So, Harrison and I decided to go to the park yesterday afternoon because the weather was very nice and it is about to get cool and stay that way. So, we went and I took some pictures of him in the leaves. Most of them turned out very cute. He wouldn't smile for me at all which is not like him. (Poor thing, he knows what a camera is and he knows what to do in front of it.) He kept playing with the leaves and making a grunting noise....he was so excited to be playing with something new. He tried to eat the leaves and the sticks but was unsuccessful because mean ol' mommy kept taking them away. I hope you enjoy the pictures. Hopefully in the next few days we will go out again (or stay in) and do some more of him along with some pictures of him in his Halloween outfit again. Stay tuned...

The Spoiling Begins...and Will Never End

2008-10-28T14:00:00.006-05:00

Like I said before, we traveled a some and were visited by both of our families. Holly's mom came and spent two weeks with us. Holly's brother, his girlfriend and her sister came for a weekend as well. We traveled to Munford to see Derrick's parents one weekend and they came up the next weekend to see Harrison dress up for a TREK OR TREAT party after church services on Sunday night. (I promise to put up more pics of Harrison and us after some more are taken in his outfit.) He was the cutest horse there!!! We had fun with all the family but are equally glad things are back to normal around here. We won't be going anywhere until Thanksgiving and Christmas. Hope you all have a great holiday season.

Millions of Milestones

2008-10-28T11:24:00.006-05:00

Harrison is doing great as are we. We have had lots of company and have traveled some as well this month. Harrison is now sitting up by himself (from a laying position), crawling (all over the place), saying lots of sounds, and into everything as you can see from the pictures above. He loves exploring his surroundings all over again due to his new freedom. Give him a laundry basket, a clotes hanger or a box and he is good to go for a while. Forget all the toys....these things are much more fun to play with. He is so fun to watch and we are loving every minute of his new beginnings.

A New Friend

2008-09-26T15:26:00.006-05:00

A couple of weeks ago Holly's college roommate, Wendi and her husband Ben came for the weekend. They have a little boy (Campbell) who is 1 1/2 months older than Harrison. Harrison and Campbell had fun playing together. Harrison laughed at him all weekend. He has never really been around a child his age for a long period of time. He thought it was hilarious. Campbell had just started crawling before he came to our house and he was everywhere (even on Harrison). Harrison is starting to do a slow army crawl and gets to where he wants to get by army crawling or rolling. He is so funny to watch. Now that he is sitting up really well he hates to be on his back. He trys everything to get back up if he falls over. He will figure it out sooner or later. He is going to be everywhere when he really starts crawling. He is never still. Hope you all enjoy the pictures.

Harrison's Natural Mohawk...At The Park

2008-09-08T21:09:00.002-05:00

Harrison's hair is naturally in a mohawk style. It sticks up no matter what we do to it. It is so cute. Only at this age is a mohawk cool looking :-). So, in the bathtub, like all good parents do, we made it wet and stick up and then took pictures of it so that one day we can make him laugh. We went to the park the other day and put him in the swing and as you can see had a great time. We did too just laughing with him.

Labor Day Weekend...In The Pool

2008-09-08T14:54:00.003-05:00

How cute is his little crab float??? He has so much fun in the water. He is a little fish. He kicks and splashes and wants to swim across the pool. He just loves it. We had a good time playing in the pool during the weekend. We went swimming 3 times and loved every minute. We also had a great time visiting family and friends while in Munford.

Sitting Up...A Whole New World

2008-08-24T06:22:00.002-05:00

Hey MOM!!!
Harrison is always reaching for something!!
Just chillin'
Smiling at Daddy:-)

Harrison is getting closer and closer to sitting up all by himself. He still needs a pillow or something soft behind him because he likes to kick his feet and fall backwards. I can't leave him all alone yet while sitting up for that simple reason. He also thinks that if he goes forward that he will crawl or move towards something he wants...oh, he does but he does it on his face. When he goes forward he slides to his face and turns over and smiles at you...like he really did do something amazing:-)...hilarious. He IS the cutest kid alive:-)...of course we are a little partial. This coming weekend we are going to Munford, AL to spend the weekend with Derrick's parents. We are excited to go and see people that we haven't gotten to spend a lot of time with in the last 3 years. There will be lots of pool time this weekend so I am sure next week there will be some fun pics to look at. Stay tuned....

Some New Stuff

2008-08-12T11:06:00.002-05:00

We have pretty much gotten unpacked and are settling in. Harrison devoured his first "biter bisquit". He had it all over him before it was all said and done. He is a great eater. The second pic is of him getting up on his knees and pushing...no work with the arms yet but it won't be long before he is moving all over the place. The third pic is Holly and Harrison at the fountain at a nearby outdoor mall. He loves the water so far. Loves his bath and the pool. The fourth pic is really for our family (and whoever else cares)...this is his new crib. He loves it. He loves his mobile especially and his aquarium that is on the rail. We have ordered his changing table and are awaiting the arrival. Our backs are killing us!! (For those of you who don't know we borrowed a crib and changing table while in Lubbock so that we didn't have to move it, so we had to order them once we moved.) Hope you all enjoy the pics.

New Beginnings

2008-08-12T10:46:00.002-05:00

Hey Everyone!!! These pics are from the month of July. First of all, Harrison loves his daddy!!! His facial hair tickles him and he laughs everytime. Secondly, he has started juice from a sippy cup. He does pretty good with it. A lot of the time he just chews on it...he is hilarious. Anything that can get to his mouth gets there. In the second picture as well he is sporting his birthmark. It looks like water dripped on his chest and then it ran down...or so I think anyway. Thirdly, he is trying his best to sit up by himself. He teeters to all sides :-) and falls over. We are working on it. He is getting much better. It won't be long until he does it all by himself. Hope you all enjoy the pics. We are doing well. Just getting settled into our new home.

New Life in Madison, AL

2008-08-10T06:48:00.003-05:00

Hey Everyone!! Sorry I haven't updated the blog lately...with moving we have been soooo busy (as you all know it can be crazy). We are finally starting to get settled in our new home. We are all doing well but still very busy finishing unpacking, Derrick getting ready for his classes this fall etc... I hope all is going well with everyone and their families. I promise to update the blog with news and pics next week.

Four Generations

2008-07-10T07:28:00.002-05:00

Holly's granddaddy is Harrison's only living great-grandparent. So, while we were in Florida we made sure to take a "4 generation" picture of all of us. Harrison really liked great-granddaddy. He would just sit and look at and smile at great-granddaddy. I think great-granddaddy liked him a little as well.:-)

Fourth of July in Florida

2008-07-10T07:11:00.004-05:00

We spent the 4th in Florida at Holly's parent's house. Her brother, sister and granddaddy had never met Harrison so we went for the weekend. This was Harrison's first time in the water. He liked the pool on Saturday but didn't like the 72 degree water of the Rainbow River on Monday. Hopefully next year he will like it better. Don't you think his swimming outfit is sooooo cute?:-)
Hope you all had a great 4th of July!!!!

ExerSaucer Fun...And His First Hat

2008-07-01T18:38:00.004-05:00

We went and bought Harrison an ExerSaucer this past weekend. He likes it so far. When he gets bored with one side we turn him around. We don't think he really gets that it is a new toy...he still stares at it debating whether or not he likes it :-).

The hat he is wearing was one that "Grandma" (Holly's mom) bought him in Pennsylvania before he was ever born. We found it at Gymbore but thought that it would be a great Auburn hat...being orange and having a tiger on it...we thought it would be so cute. He seems to like it...he didn't take it off. Hopefully that is a good sign that he will like hats.

We are all doing good. We have one more month of being in Texas. We are starting to pack up the house. We are walking around boxes already but we are so excited to be moving back to Alabama. We will miss our friends that we have made here but we are excited to be moving back to the southeast and closer to family and friends we left 3 years ago.

Harrison has his first cold...so we are dealing with that today. If any of you with kids have any tricks up your sleeves, please let us in on the secrets. :-)

I Found My Feet...and Love Them!!!

2008-06-20T07:07:00.005-05:00

Harrison has finally found his feet. We were worried he would never find them because he has short legs like Derrick:-) He has been looking at them for a long time but now pulls them up to touch them and play with them....It is so funny to watch him. He hasn't got them to his mouth yet but I know that will not be long because EVERYTHING goes into his mouth!!! We are also working with him to start sitting up. He does pretty good with a roll in his lap that he can lean over...after several seconds he begins to topple over. He keeps us laughing for sure.

Eating Cereal!!!!

2008-06-07T09:51:00.004-05:00

WHERE IS MY BOTTLE????

I guess it isn't too bad...

Well, we gave Harrison cereal for the first time last night. He actually did really well after the first couple of minutes. He wasn't very happy at first. He swallowed most of it but also spit out some too. He was so funny to watch. Hope you enjoy the pics.

4 Month Doctor's Visit

2008-06-03T06:52:00.003-05:00

Hey Everyone!!! Harrison had his 4 month Doctor visit yesterday. He had more shots :-( but he is doing well. He was a little fussy yesterday and probably will be a little this morning. He weighed 14 lbs. 14 oz. and was 24 1/2 inches long. That is average weight gain and average height. He is growing more everyday. It is amazing to watch the changes each week. He is rolling from his back up to his side and rolling from his stomach only when his arm is underneath him. He just can't figure out that his arm must be up or down by his side to roll over all the way. He is so funny to watch because he gets soooo mad. He is such a joy to have in our life. Every now and then we just look at each other and say "Wow, we have a kid." Funny stuff.

4 Month Portraits

2008-05-30T07:01:00.004-05:00

Derrick and I decided to save a little money and take some pics of Harrison ourselves at home instead of going to a photographer in town. We have already spent a lot on pics for maternity photos and newborn pics...so we decided this would be the best option to save some money. We have taken tons of pics and have some really good pics to choose from. We are still not done taking pics but will finish this weekend...Harrison only cooperates for so long:-)

Dr. Derrick W. Smith

2008-05-27T19:27:00.003-05:00

Derrick graduated on May 9th with a Doctorate in Special Education. IT IS FINALLY OVER!!! We are all so proud of him and very happy to be moving back to Alabama in August. He will be a professor at the Univ. of Alabama in Huntsville in the fall. We will be renting an apartment in Madison (a suburb of Huntsville) for 10 months while looking for a house to buy in the meantime.

Photos from April

2008-05-27T19:16:00.004-05:00

Hey Everyone!! Sorry we haven't kept up with the blog!! Holly is now going to be working only part-time at her job so she is going to keep the blog going. So...here are some pics from April that we took of Harrison. He is growing soooo fast. At 3 months of age he was 23 3/4 inches long and weighed 12 lbs. 14 oz. He is getting so long that he is growing out of his newborn clothes just because of his length. Hope you all enjoy the pics.

Pictures...Sorry it has been so long!

2008-03-30T20:17:00.001-05:00

I am sorry I have not added new pictures earlier. It has been busy around the Smith household. Here are some new pictures of Harrison on St. Patrick's Day, Easter, and our Spring Break. He is growing, but I guess babies do that! Enjoy!

Doctor!

2008-03-05T21:22:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to make a quick entry about my dissertation defense. Last Friday, I successfully defended my dissertation. It took about 1.5 hours and was...well...tough. To say the least, I am glad it is over. It's like a load of bricks has been taken off my shoulders. So, yes, you can now officially call me Dr. Smith. (Que the "Lost in Space" Jokes....Danger, Will Robinson, Danger!)

As for Harrison, he is doing well. We have had some diaper rash issues but he is doing better. He is starting to sleep a little better at night. Holly is doing great, she is awesome!

I will post new pictures soon!

Derrick's Post-Partum

2008-02-21T15:09:00.000-06:00

First, I want to apologize for not adding this post earlier. All of you that have children understand how busy it is once you come home.

Holly, Harrison, and I left the Texas Tech Universtiy Medical Hospital on Feb. 7th. Since then, we have been visited by both sets of grandparents who stayed for a combined two weeks. It was fun seeing them with their new grandson!

Harrison is doing great! He went to the doctor for his two-week check-up and got a clean bill of health. He is growing (he now weights 8.8 oz., 21 inches long). Holly and I feel very blessed to have him in our family. He is a character (gets that from his mom) and makes us laugh all the time. He is sleeping pretty well, but he likes to keep us up sometimes (gets that from his dad).

He hates being cold, so he does not like having his diaper changed. He hated the sponge baths but he LOVED his first tub bath that he had yesterday!

I have added some new pictures of him. They range from feedings, to baths, to playtime. I will try to add more as we get some good ones!

By the way, we have some other good news. I accepted an assistant professor position at the University of Alabama in Huntsville the day after Harrison was born. So, we will be moving back to Alabama in August! It is a great opportunity and we are very excited. I will be defending my dissertation next Friday so please keep me in your prayers.

Take care!

Welcome to the world Harrison!

2008-02-06T08:46:00.000-06:00

It is our great pleasure to introdue the newest addition to our family, Harrison William Smith. He was born on February 5 at 6:15pm at University Medical Center in Lubbock, TX. He weighed 8 lbs., 3 oz. and is 20.5 inches long (yes, he is short and stocky like his dad). Mother and baby are both doing wonderfully!

He came a week early! Holly was having some issues with her blood pressure, so the doctor decided to induce. We checked in the hospital on Februrary 4th to get fluids in her (she had been sick and not able to keep food down). They started the induction on the morning of the 5th, broker her water around lunch, she started pushing at 5:45 and 30 minutes later he was born. It was amazing to watch! Holly is an amazing woman!

Keep posted for more!

35 Weeks and More Pictures

2008-01-11T11:21:00.000-06:00

I apologize for not updating this as much as I should. Between the holidays, writing a dissertation, and getting the house ready for Harrison, the blog has been put on the back-burner. Holly is 35 weeks and we had our second ultra-sound today. He currently weights 5 lbs. 14 oz and is projected to weigh around 7.5 lbs. (Holly was excited about that as big babies run in my family.)

The pictures turned out great (I love 4D technology). Holly is doing well, no major complications. We are gearing up for three showers in Lubbock within the next 8 days, so it will be busy! Check back for more as I add pictures from the baby showers.

His name shall be Harrison William Smith

2007-11-16T21:11:00.001-06:00

Sorry it has been so long since I updated this! It has been crazy around here lately. This is what has been happening:

1. Holly is pregnant! Oh yeah, you knew that...moving on.

2. I went to Louisville, KY for a week to present at the American Printing House for the Blind Annual Meeting and work on a project with them.

3. Holly and her mother traveled to Pennsylvania to visit her sister.

4. I went to Washington, DC for a training with the NCLVI Fellowship.

5. Holly took me to Flagstaff, Arizona for my 30th birthday trip. We went to the Grand Canyon, the Petrified Forest, and the Painted Desert (see pictures below).

6. I am in the middle of my data collection for my dissertation. For those of you outside of academia, it is hard and time-consuming.

7. Holly is pregnant! Oh wait, again, you know that!

Holly is doing well. We went to the doctor for a check-up yesterday and all was well. The baby is moving alot now and it is SO cool feeling him move! Holly is starting to really show now being almost 7 months along.

We registered for baby things Monday and Tuesday at Target, Babies R' Us, and Wal-mart. We have decided to go with a Sports theme for the babies area (and future room once we move). OH YEAH, we decided to name him Harrison William Smith. We were going to name him William Harrison but we decided we did not want him to have to deal with being called by his middle name. William is my dad's name so he was pumped when we found out! Ironically, we chose Harrison because we like the name but it is a family name also.

Other than that, we are gearing up for Thanksgiving and Christmas. We have alot of traveling ahead of us (three trips). We are looking forward to seeing family and friends!

I will make sure to post more updates. We have our next ultra-sound at 32 weeks, so some time in December. We are looking forward to more pictures! Enjoy our pictures and I will add pictures of Holly soon!

It's a BOY!!!

2007-10-02T14:47:00.000-05:00

The great question has been answered: we are having a boy!

We went to have the sonogram this morning at the University Medical Center. The sonogram took about 30 minutes and was amazing to watch! Here are some pictures of our baby boy:

If you look closely, you will see an arrow on the picture. The small circle being pointed at is our baby boy's scrotum. (The only time in his life where pictures of his "stuff" are okay!)

This picture shows his feet (at the top they are pointing in opposite directions)!

This is a picture of his skull. You can see his eye sockets and nose. If you look closely, you can see his hand to the upper-left of his head.

Technology is amazing! This is the face of our baby boy! You can see his ear, nose, mouth, and eyes. Looks good-looking to me!

The sonographer said everything looked great. The body was forming normally and he is a good size for this stage (14 ounces)! Holly is doing well, still growing daily! I will post a picture of her soon! We continue to plead for your prayers for Holly, the baby, and our future as graduation approaches. Take care!

Week 19

2007-09-20T16:36:00.001-05:00

Today we had another doctor's appointment. The babies heartbeat was strong and averaged around 150 bpm. Everything seems to be going well! Holly is doing much better. She is off her morning sickness medication and feeling much better. She started feeling the baby move around last Sunday (September 16th) and has felt it moving all week. It becomes more real everyday! She is getting a little bigger but I will wait on posting a new picture for a few weeks.

We are going to have the sonogram on October 2nd to find out the sex of the baby. We are SOOOOO excited! I will post the news as soon as we know!

I am busy doing my dissertation research. I am starting the job hunt so everyone please keep us in your prayers as we begin looking for the next home. Check back in two weeks!

16 Weeks!

2007-08-23T17:23:00.000-05:00

I apologize for not posting earlier but nothing extraordinary has happened in the past three weeks. I am finishing up some contract work before school officially begins. I am teaching two courses at Texas Tech and one online course at the University of Nebraska starting Monday, August 27. My dissertation proposal defense is scheduled for September 5th. This is a major step toward the completion of my doctorate. Please keep me in your prayers during this time. I will be a nervous wreck for the next few weeks.

Holly is doing well. She is still having some "evening sickness" but she is doing better. She is taking half the dosage of the medication she was taking for the sickness and doing well with the change. We are both praying for the sickness to end soon. We had her 16 week appointment today (even though she is really just 15 1/2 weeks). The heartbeat was strong and very loud at around 140 beats/minute. It is very exciting to hear the heartbeat! We set up the appointment for the sonograms to determine the sex for next month! That will be exciting! We will keep everyone posted.

By the way, we are asking everyone to keep Holly's maternal grandfather (we call him Papa) in your prayers. He has an enlarged heart and a congestive heart failure. He flew all his grandchildren in to New Orleans last weekend. Holly had her first "babyshower" with some of her aunts and cousins. Papa gave us also some wonderful gifts! It was a good trip under tough circumstances.

Here is a picture of Holly in her first maternity clothes at 16 weeks:

Week 13

2007-08-06T16:41:00.000-05:00

Well, tomorrow Holly will be 13 weeks! We are constantly asked how everything is going so let me just say, it is going okay. Holly is still fighting "morning sickness" which is more of an "evening sickness" for her. She is okay but is still tired and sick most of the time. She isn't showing yet but we will take pictures as soon as she begins to show!

We have been asked a million times if we are going to find out the sex of the baby and the answer is YES! We will find out about the sex around 20 weeks which will be in early October. We will let everyone know as soon as we know!

We have a doctors appointment on August 23rd so expect a new post around that time!

Week 11

2007-07-27T20:01:00.000-05:00

Today is week 11 of the pregnancy! We had a doctor's appointment for 10:15 am but we did not see the doctor until around 12! We had a good visit with the doctor and we were able to hear the heartbeat for the first time with the Doppler. The baby averaged 152 beats per minute! SO, it is official, we are pregnant!!!

We called everyone, starting with my family. Everyone was very excited! We had trouble getting in touch with Holly's parents but finally were able to tell them right before Wednesday night bible class. Getting in touch with the Ironaton folks (especially Scott and Lorinda) was difficult as many of them were at Indian Creek Bible Camp. We were also able to tell our "Florida" friends right before bible study so we were very happy going into the church building.

After three days, it seems that we have told everyone on our list. I am sure that we will remember someone later that we forgot. I hope they can forgive us!

In the beginning...

2007-07-25T19:36:00.000-05:00

And our lives are changed forever...

It was the morning of June 12, 2007. Holly went to work and was coerced by a co-worker to take a pregnancy test after being just 4 days late. To her surprise, she was pregnant!!! SO, she rushed home (around 7:30 am) and awoke me with this wonderful news. It took me a while to realize that it was not a dream!

We decided to keep it a secret from everyone until we heard the heartbeat around week 12. In the meantime, we traveled to Florida for a vacation (to see Will and Jenn Thomas, Dan and Trudy Ingram, and Kirk and Christie Hunt). Then we traveled to Alabama to visit our family and friends (Scott, Lorinda, and the Ironaton folks) over the 4th holiday. Hiding it was definately hard, but we succeeded.

Holly has been very sick, especially in the evenings. Her doctor has put her on some medications that have helped with her nausea. She is having the typical issues: nausea, tiredness, and not being able to sleep. We are both looking forward to the 2nd trimester.