Smith-Nandez Weekend!

So, it's a big weekend! My little sister, Jenny and her fiance, Rene are getting married! I am so looking forward to seeing my little sister marry the man of her dreams. Rene has been a real joy to get to know and I'm very happy to have him as a brother in law. When we ask Gabe who's getting married, he says, "Jenny and Uncle Ney". It's pretty cute.

I'm a little worried about a few things... Um, I have a solo, Gabe's a ringbearer.... and I have no idea how he'll behave, and I don't know what to do about my camera! I certainly want to take it with me to take some pictures, but I don't like a couple of things about that - It's not a camera you can just throw in your purse. I'll need to take my flash. I don't want to be one of those people that's in the photographer's way. Although I love my "big camera" (as most people call it!) It's not always convenient when going on vacation with a kiddo, or going to a wedding. I'm still going to take it, and just deal. :o)

So, it should be a pretty fun weekend. Congratulations, Jenny & Rene! I hope this day is full of wonderful memories!

Guys Weekend

Gabers, I'm getting ready to head to Chicago for the night to see Wicked with Abba & Aunt Keeker. We're going to meet Aunt Ne and Uncle Rene up there for dinner. You and Daddy have already started your weekend together working in the basement. I'm upstairs getting ready and I can't help but chuckle listening to your conversations. You are such a good boy. Mommy's going to miss you while I'm gone, but I'm excited for you to spend time with Daddy.

Love you guys!

Dress Shopping

We got to go dress shopping with my younger sister Jenny yesterday. It was so much fun watching her try on the beautiful dresses. We couldn't believe it, but she ended up purchasing the first one she tried on! She looked absolutely stunning in it. We also picked out the bridesmaid dresses yesterday too. They are chocolate brown with a hint of champagne color. Sorry, but no peeking!

Because the bridal store was AWESOME, I was able to practice taking some wedding pictures there. So, I just took some random shots and thought I'd post them. NONE of the dresses you see here are Jenny's dress OR our bridesmaid dresses. Sorry! No peeking!

How in the world do people choose a flower girl dress? There are so many to choose from and they are all so adorable! When we got married 7 years ago, we had a friend of the family make the dresses, so we didn't even look at them in the store. I would've been overwhelmed.

I just loved the detail on this dress... just gorgeous!

Same with this one... When I got married, SO many of the dresses had a big bow on the butt! Thank goodness the dress makers are realizing that the last things that brides want on their wedding day is a big ol' behind!

We just had a great time with Jenny and her fiance's family. They are terrific people who love Jenny very much. It makes me so happy to see her so happy. I love that even though she lives farther away, she still has a great support system nearby. I am looking forward to getting to know Rene's family even more as we plan for this special day!

PS: Did I mention that Gabers is the ring bearer??

Matron of Honor Duties Begin!

Gabe's Mom is heading up to Aunt Ne's to go dress shopping with Aunt Lindsey and Abba Smith. Gabe and Daddy are going to stay home and play in Gabe's new fort! I just love that he makes Greg get in there with him! We got a new dishwasher, so Gabers has a new playhouse!

I'm so excited to go up and help my sister Jenny plan for the wedding! Have a great weekend!

Celebration of Life Day

Today, we celebrated life. Nine years ago, my brother & sisters were in a near-fatal car accident. I blogged a bit about it here. We always try to get together as a family on this day to celebrate life - life that was saved, life that has changed, and life that didn't exist before. I just can't believe it's been nine years. So many memories come back from those days when Jenny & Dan were in the hospital. So many moments where we didn't know if we'd have them. So many uncertainties. When those thoughts come to mind, I do my best to push them away and remember that they're here. They're living a life that is so special. Life can forever be changed by a single incidence and my family is proof of that. Because of the accident, we don't take life for granted. Because of the accident we are so unbelievably close. Because of the accident, my family has formed a strong, loving bond with Greg's family. As much as that day devastated me, it has helped form me into a better sister, daughter, and mother. I am thankful for my suffering - it truly has shaped me and added beautiful colors to my tapestry. However, I can say that it was painful - so unbearably painful at the time. Praise God that only He can make something beautiful from it.

My awesome nieces and nephew with Gabe. They are so great in always willing to pose for me!

Gabers with his Abbas and PawPa's (we spell PawPaw (PaPa) 2 different ways!)

Today, we had a wonderful time. Greg's family - brothers and their families, as well as Greg's parents - all came out to the farm. We all had a great time. Good food, good fun, some photo ops, eucure, and a very well-behaved Gabers. What more could you ask for? Here are some pictures from my impromptu photo session:

My FAVORITE picture from today - Lindsey & Matt

My adorable niece, Julia

My other adorable niece, Katie

Aunt Lindsey, Gabe, & Uncle Dan

Grandma & George

Found Pictures - Nice Surprise!

While we were at my parents' house visiting Monday night, I reached into my camera bag so I could snap a picture of Gabers and his Papa Smith. When I took the first picture... CRAP! No memory card! I had left it on our computer desk after taking pictures from it. But, then, I found one of the smaller cards that I used to use. One that doesn't have near the amount of room on it. So, I put it in my camera and snapped away.

When I got home, I put the card into my computer and found some pictures I'd forgotten I'd taken of Gabe before he was a year old. I'm guessing he was around 10 months old. Here are a couple of them:

What a pleasant surprise! He was so adorable, wasn't he? He still is... Now, he just looks so much more like a little boy than a baby.

I'm looking forward to a rather calm weekend. We don't really have any plans except for a cookout at my mom & dad's house on Monday. We always try to get together as a family on or around Labor Day - This is the anniversary of the accident my siblings were in, so we like to spend that time together. My parents invited my in laws too (including Greg's brothers and their wives & kids), which is awesome. I'm so fortunate that my family all gets along so well together. That's great for me and Greg, but even better for Gabe. Not many kids can have some of their holidays shared with both sides of the family. Greg's parents are always so great about including my family too. If my mom has to work a holiday, a lot of times Greg's parents invite my Dad and brother over to spend the holiday there, which is so thoughtful.

Gabe is really fortunate to have grandparents, parents, cousins, aunts, uncles, & friends that all love him so much. Seeing your child loved is one of the greatest joys a parent can experience.

Vacation Recap

So, we're home from Arizona! Travelling with a toddler - what an adventure. What an unbelievably exhausting trip - notice... I didn't say vacation! Don't get me wrong, it had it's fun moments, but it wasn't exactly relaxing! I am glad to be home, and I'm glad to have my baby boy back. Here's a recap of the trip, just to give you an idea of how things went:

Friday: We leave for the airport and things are going great. We got some cute pics of Gabers at the airport and he did fantastic on the flights. He slept most of the second flight, which was the longer of the two at 4 hours. We arrived in Scottsdale at our condo at around 11:00 pm - their time (1:00 am our time) and Gabers was wide awake. He went to bed after about 45 minutes and all was well.

Saturday: We did some swimming and noticed Gabe just wasn't acting like himself. We thought maybe the clorine bothered him or most likely he was just overtired from the travelling the day before, but we couldn't really figure it out. We took it kind of easy and had an early night. We had PF Chang's w/Papa and Grandma too!

Sunday: Let me introduce "Damian"! WOW. I've never seen this kid act like this before (or any other kid for that matter!) We had pancakes by the pool and Gabe wouldn't eat, which is way unlike him... normally, he's wolfing those things down! It's one of his favorite foods. After pancakes, the resort sponsored an Easter egg hunt for the kids. Gabe wasn't too thrilled about that either. So, we went back to the condo and that's when Damian came out to play! He was just inconsolable. He rolled around on the floor and just screamed. By this point, Greg, Gabe's Mom, and Grandma were all getting scared, so we decided to take him to the ER. Scottsdale has a Mayo Hospital so we went there.

First of all, we were there for nearly 6 hours with an inconsolable baby. Secondly, the doctor was pretty much a jerk. Third, we found out that Gabe did not have influenza (after a torturing nose swab!). Finally, we found out that he most likely had strep. (I also had it) The doctor saw white spots on the back of his throat, but the test results would take 2 days to confirm. He prescribed the tasty "pink stuff" antibiotic and tylenol with codeine to help with the pain and to help Gabe sleep. Before going to the ER we were having the worst time getting Gabe to eat, drink, poop, or sleep.

Monday: We followed the doctor's orders regarding the meds. Gabe was still miserable. The tylenol w/codeine was knocking him out. He was absolutely exhausted. We took him to dinner with the rest of the family that evening for Grandma & Papa's anniversary and he just did not behave. Damian returns!!

Tuesday: We called our doctor back home and found out the ER doctor had prescribed WAY too much tylenol with codeine. Our doctor said the only time they ever give a 14 month old tylenol with codeine is after a surgery. They said at most they would give him 1/2 a teaspoon before bed. The ER doc had prescribed 1 teaspoon every 4 hours. Gabe was still so cranky because he was drugged out and everyone was trying to cheer him up!! He just wanted to be left alone so he could pass out and sleep. Tuesday we also took a drive with him through the desert. He slept the entire time. We stopped the codeine medicine that morning and gave him only tylenol if he seemed to be in pain. We haven't decided if we're going to report that doctor or anything. The thing that makes me so angry is that codeine slows your respirations. Gabe could've seriously been injured! Or, he could've stopped breathing!

Wednesday: We're starting to get our baby back. We took him to the Grand Canyon and it was just breathtaking! He was tired of being in the stroller and wanted out! I was not about to let him out though... way too dangerous!! The trip to the Grand Canyon took a total of 8 hours in the car. Due to the tylenol still in his system, Gabe slept for 6 of those hours.

Thursday: We finally had our child back! We took Gabe to the Phoenix Zoo and it was great. He was a little warm, but he enjoyed seeing the animals. We only spent about an hour there because of the heat, but we finally had our baby boy back. It was great to see him enjoying things again. That afternoon, we went to the pool with all of the cousins for some fun. That evening Gabe's Aunts, Uncles, & cousins watched him so Gabe's Dad and I could go out for supper. We had a great meal and we both had Gelato on the way home! It was yummy!!

Friday: We left Scottsdale at 7:30 am and got back to Illinois at 10:00 pm. Gabe did great on the first flight (3 1/2 hours - he slept the entire time) and was pretty much a stinker on the final hour and 1/2 flight. We were glad to be back safe and sound. We all crashed in our own beds. Ahhh....

So, overall, it was a pretty rough vacation for our first travelling experience with a toddler. But, thank God he's ok and we made it home safe and sound. We had a great time with our family. They are the best - they all just love Gabe so much and it's so great as a parent to see your family love your child. You just know they're going to grow up with a great support system. Gabe loves his cousins and has become his cousin Braden's shadow. His cousin Katie helped with babysitting for the first time on this trip too. That's kind of crazy for me since I used to babysit her! We're so fortunate to have been able to go on this trip with our family. I love that Gabe will grow up going on vacations like Greg and I did as kids. We're making memories.

Weekend Recap

It's kinda been a yucky weekend at Gabe's house. Gabe's Mom had to take Gabe's Dad to the ER Friday night because he had fever of 105.4 degrees. We found out that he has influenza and there's not much the doctor could really do for him. We just have to wait it out. Gabe has a cold right now, but thankfully he hasn't had any fevers. I feel fine, but I've been taking Tamiflu just to ward off the bug. Gabe's Dad has been really sick. Poor thing has been a trouper. Yesterday, my sister came home to the family farm to visit for a while. She hadn't seen Gabe since his birthday, so she wanted to hang out with him for a bit. We had a really nice time. Thankfully (I guess you could say...) Mom and Jenny have been exposed to the flu several times this year because they're both nurses, so we didn't have to worry about passing anything to them. Unfortunately, we did have to miss Gabe's cousin, Braden's birthday party. We didn't want to risk any kids getting what Greg has. I'm sure the parents don't want that either! Today, we just kinda bummed around and watched TV. Greg's getting better, but doing just a bit seems to wear him out quickly. I took this picture of Gabe Saturday morning. I'm getting ready to send Nick & Jordan a care package of baby things. Well, Gabe might be a little attached... I told him that we need to share... Maybe he's just sending his soon-to-be buddy a big hug to go with the baby stuff!

Once Upon a Time...

There was a boy and girl in love. That girl is my sister, Aunt Ne and that boy is her now fiance, Rene.

This weekend, we had the privilege of being a part of a very special moment in my sister's life. She got engaged! In September, at Gabe's adoption finalization party, Rene told me that he wanted to marry her. I knew from the way he talked about her and his love for her that he was completely serious. He told me that night of his plan: he wanted to take her to dinner at the Signature Room in the John Hancock Building, have our family and his family looking on, and he would have them taken away in a horse drawn carriage. I just remember thinking "Wow. He really loves her. He really wants this night to be like something out of a fairytale". And it definitely was. She was so surprised to see all of us there. I think it speaks volumes about the kind of man Rene is that he wanted our families there. It shows me & my family that he realizes how important family is. That he knows our family is very close and that we wouldn't want to miss a special moment like this in Jenny's life.

His plans went off without a hitch. It was a beautiful night. The view from the restaurant was amazing. Jenny said she saw a bunch of flashes and then my face and didn't really know what was going on. It was so wonderful to see her so happy. Congratulations Aunt Ne & Uncle Rene... Gabe is so happy to have a new uncle!

The View

The Happy Couple

Our Family

The end.