16 Sep
Ava, while out on a walk tonight: “Mom! What’s that noise?”
Me: “I don’t know, maybe locusts.”
Ava: “No, cicadas.”
Me: “Cicadas?”
Ava: “Yeah, cicadas. Cicadas are good. Everyone loves them.”
Me: “How do you know about cicadas?”
Ava: “Mom, I just KNOW.”
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Check out the bonus Doug added to the grandparents’ edition of Overheard here. More to come on the quilt weekend soon. In the meantime, Laura has some posts up over on The House on Hudson.
10 Sep
And, also, this weeks marks two important dates–my mom and dad’s birthdays. Dad’s was yesterday; Mom’s is today. Happy birthday!
1 Sep
We took a little trip to Mom and Dave’s house this weekend. We were only there for a few days, but we still had time to watch a few storms roll by…
…and play endless games with Gramma…
…and Papa.
We baked cookies…
…were completely spoiled…
…spent time outside…
and ate delicious grilled meals.
We also checked out the local wildlife…
…played a round of golf…
…chatted with Aunt Katie over the phone…
…and watched 40 mph winds whip the lake into a frenzy.
It was a great weekend!
27 Jul
Today is Katie’s 27th birthday, and I found myself thinking about just how amazing she really is.
One of my favorite stories about Katie involves Teach for America, the endeavor she took on after graduating from college. The first few months were rough to say the least, but Katie’s comment was that “the only thing worse than going back was quitting.” It perfectly illustrated her commitment to finishing everything she starts, not to mention the dedication and hard work she shows for anything that’s remotely important to her.
She’s a fantastic sister and a wonderful aunt to Ava and Olivia.
Do you have a favorite story about Katie? Please share it in the comments section below.
20 Jul
Doug sent Karyl an incredible bouquet of roses while she was staying here. A bouquet which, fortunately for us, she left behind.
19 Jul
We’ve had a relatively hectic month. Following a week-long vacation, Ava’s preschool was closed for a week, then Olivia’s was closed the past two weeks. We were fortunate to have Katie on for a big chunk of that time, and I was able to work from home for a few days as well.
Last week, though, we had to call in reinforcements: The Grandparents.
My grandparents came Monday and Tuesday, and Karyl was here Tuesday evening through today. They all seem to have ceaseless energy, the desire to play “doctor’s office” for hours on end and the ability to convince Olivia that she really does want to be rocked to sleep.
The only downside is that I spent three and a half months on maternity leave telling Bryan that it was impossible to keep house AND watch the children at the same time. Now that he’s seen otherwise, I’m going to have to step up my game.
Or convince the grandparents to move in. Either one.
16 Jul
I mentioned that we went back to Nebraska last weekend for pancakes. Wait, no, we went back for a birthday party. It was delicious. I mean, fun.
But also delicious. See below.
Ava had a chance to play in the playhouse with Grandma Smith.
And we enjoyed the beautiful view…
But did I mention the pancakes?
We’ll be back.
15 Jul
While we were visiting Mom, I told her that I was in the mood to bake something. She simply pointed me toward the cherry tree outside.
This is truly baking from scratch…as long as you don’t count the crust!
My mom, who picks and freezes quarts and quarts of cherries each summer, has a handy little pitting tool. Still, this chore took about three times as long as the picking.
I followed a recipe for fresh cherry pie from a vintage Better Homes and Gardens cookbook–remember the one with the picnic-plaid cover? It simply called for three cups of cherries, a cup and a half of sugar and a quarter cup of flower. I added a bit of salt and vanilla.
Lattice tops are my favorite, usually because it makes rolling the top crust less stressful as there’s no need for a perfectly smooth round. Recent time crunches have pushed me to turn to Pillsbury, but I still love a pretty lattice.
Eighteen hours of pitting and picking later, here’s the finished product!
It was totally worth it.
15 Jul
I’m running about a week and a half behind on the blog, and I’m starting to get my posts out of order. Please know that I’m not chronologically challenged, just poorly organized.
With that, step back in time with me to the Fourth of July weekend for just a bit.
When Ava was born, Mom and Dave planted a tree that would bloom around her birthday. Three years later, it’s taller than she is:
While we were visiting, they planted Olivia’s tree, a variety of hibiscus called Rose of Sharon.
Of course, they had some help.
15 Jul
We stopped by my grandpa’s farm last weekend while we were in Nebraska. It was a gorgeous day, and I was reminded how much I loved this place as a child.
This sweet pea is visible from Grandpa’s living room, and Grandma always loved it. It grows along the pasture fence, though, and the calves seem to love it, too. Grandpa rigged up a fence from old window screens along the ground below to protect it.
I recall playing under this incredible old pine tree when we were little. It was always shady and cool among the Lily of the Valley and periwinkle flowers.
Bryan spotted this nest of robins in a low branch.
Rose and Olivia:
Grandpa, Rose, Olivia, Rebecca and a suddenly shy Ava Kate:
Smith Family Weblog 