- j S e -

2011-12-26T09:55:00.000-05:00

”He was poor, that he might make us rich.

He was born of a virgin that we might be born of God.

He took our flesh, that he might give us His Spirit.

He lay in the manger, that we may lie in paradise.

He came down from heaven, that he might bring us to heaven….

That the ancient of Days should be born.

that he who thunders in the heavens should cry in the cradle….

that he who rules the stars should suck the breast;

that a virgin should conceive;

that Christ should be made of a woman, and of that woman which himself made,

that the branch should bear the vine,

that the mother should be younger than the child she bare,

and the child in the womb bigger than the mother;

that the human nature should not be God, yet one with God

Christ taking flesh is a mystery we shall never fully understand till we come to heaven

If our hearts be not rocks, this love of Christ should affect us .

Behold love that passeth knowledge!”

~Thomas Watson

Merry Christmas and a blessed year to come as you celebrate the awesome love of our LORD and KING,

John, Liz, Emma Grace and Ian

his first scar

2011-12-24T15:50:00.000-05:00

Ian fell against the corner of the wall yesterday, and now he has two butterfly bandages holding his forehead together. His precious little face will never look the same!
Thankfully, even though the cut was deep, it was a clean split. It should come together okay. He scared me quite badly, though!
They say that head wounds bleed the worst, and now, having had our first major one, I can testify to that!

sharing : )

2011-12-20T15:32:00.000-05:00

Just for the record, Ian was in the box first. : )

my little super hero

2011-12-19T15:23:00.000-05:00

Hello there, do you like my hat?

That's a lot of pictures, Mama.

bye- bye. Are you all done now?

M'kay. Bye.

Christmas at the Zoo

2011-12-16T15:17:00.000-05:00

The Indianaplois Zoo decorates with lots and lots of lights for Christmas, and we went to see them! I bundled up the kids, packed some dinner and we picked John up from work on the way. We ate dinner in the car and then headed in.

The lights were so lovely!

Em and Ian both loved the train : )

After seeing most of the lights and getting a bit chilled, we went to the White River Conservatory next door.

It was such a fun evening! We normally tend to stay home in the evenings, especially on evenings when John is working a bit late, but getting out and doing something festive like this was just the thing to make a special memory. : )

because they're called "stockings"

2011-12-10T13:39:00.000-05:00

Em figured out that they are just a bit too big for her. : )

coloring time

2011-12-03T15:26:00.000-05:00

Emma does such a good job "writing".

And Ian makes a lovely elephant. Or mastodon. Or walrus. Or ...

she loves to dance

2011-12-03T12:43:00.000-05:00

Our precious girly loves dancing. And singing. And music. Of any kind. I can't remember what music she was dancing to when she asked me to take these photos, but she was loving it!

2011-12-01T15:30:00.000-05:00

She said, "Mommy, cheese me? Cheese me?" and so I pulled out the camera so that she could say "cheese". I love you, darling girl. <3

preparing for Christmas

2011-11-30T15:31:00.000-05:00

yesterday John and Ian put the lights on our tree, and this evening we will decorate it.
And I have a pot of cider on the stove. : )

our first snow

2011-11-11T19:15:00.000-05:00

Yesterday afternoon and evening we had our first snow in our new house. The little ones were so excited to see it this morning!

It was just a heavy dusting and melted away as the sun shone on it, but it sure was fun. : )

Zoo Day!

2011-10-08T13:21:00.000-04:00

baby feet

2011-10-05T15:56:00.002-04:00

The home that we bought was a HUD house - not too bad, but it did need all new flooring, as well as some other things (well, a lot of other things). John and his dad and brother laid laminate flooring throughout our downstairs, and one day I walked in to see these footprints in the dust. :) It was so precious to see the pudgy little footprints wandering throughout the empty rooms!

just checking in...

2011-10-05T15:51:00.000-04:00

... to say that we've done it one more time. But this time, the move was to our very own house - our first one ever. We are so happy! Please let me know if you want the address. : ) And feel free to stop by if you're in the Indianapolis area. We have a guest room ready for you!

morning light + milk bubbles

2011-08-16T08:58:00.000-04:00

mimicking mommy

2011-08-13T08:09:00.000-04:00

Summer Yummies

2011-06-30T18:30:00.000-04:00

We..

...have...

...peaches!

Want one?

Thay're really yummy!

Sweet Baby Girl

2011-06-01T08:35:00.001-04:00

I took these two photos of Emma Grace as she woke up on moving day morning, the last morning in our apartment, and, unbeknownst to us at the time, her last morning in her crib. I'm so glad that I did!

The crib came free to us, and it has been so wonderful for our little girl. : )
Now, when we transition into our new home (whenever that will be), Emma will get to sleep in a big girl bed and Ian will have the crib.

how in the world ...

2011-05-13T20:40:00.000-04:00

... can I make her stay in bed when she comes to me with this face to give me kisses (over and over)? She's so cute sometimes! And yet she's learning to obey (thank You Lord!).

moving to her first "big girl" bed

2011-04-29T15:51:00.000-04:00

While here at the Smillies', Emma has been sleeping in a playpen since her crib was a bit too large for the room we are in. She keeps growing, though, and we've finally had to move her to a mattress. She was so excited to have a bed!
Having a big bed was so special that it took her quite a while to settle down and actually sleep. :)

2011-04-29 Emma's first nap in her big bed from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

showing off some of his tricks

2011-04-28T16:17:00.000-04:00

Oh yeah. I'm pretty talented - I can stand up and flip my pacifier over at the same time!

this little girl has some pigtails ...

2011-04-27T16:04:00.000-04:00

Emma got pigtails with bows this morning as we were getting ready for Bible study. : )

combing her bangs and watching in the mirror

saying "hi"

and showing her bows

another milestone : )

2011-04-25T11:47:00.001-04:00

This morning Ian pulled himself to standing in his playpen!

(a terribly blurry photo, but it really expresses how excited he was to be standing up!)

Ian has been pulling himself up on the furniture for a little over a week now. I thought it would take him a while longer to be able to pull himself up in the playpen because the sides are smooth and there isn't really anything to grab onto - but I guess not!

good morning baby boy

2011-03-28T13:06:00.000-04:00

On mornings like this I almost wish that you would stay my baby boy forever and never grow up <3

oh, look! Mommy's ribbons are out!

2011-03-07T11:00:00.000-05:00

Few things are as much fun as throwing a bag of ribbon in the air!

Granddad & Ian

2011-03-05T22:45:00.000-05:00

watching soccer together during lunch time :)

Hi there!

at Grampa and Grammie's

2011-02-19T14:36:00.001-05:00

We are visiting the Jacobsen family in California this week, and last night Julia and Emma baked us a dessert. :)

baking with Emma, 1 from Jane Jacobsen on Vimeo.

Untitled from Jane Jacobsen on Vimeo.

baking with Emma from Jane Jacobsen on Vimeo.

baking with Emma, 4 from Jane Jacobsen on Vimeo.

baking with Emma, 5 from Jane Jacobsen on Vimeo.

baking with Emma, 6 from Jane Jacobsen on Vimeo.

baking with Emma, 7 from Jane Jacobsen on Vimeo.

baking with Emma, 8 from Jane Jacobsen on Vimeo.

Thanks, Mom, for taking the video!

Ian was SO tired ...

2011-02-10T20:18:00.000-05:00

... that he leaned forward and fell asleep in the pile of laundry on our bed. :)

our little sweetheart

2011-02-06T11:48:00.001-05:00

hi there!

where is Ian?

2011-02-06T11:39:00.001-05:00

There he is!

Ian has a habit of pulling his blanket up over his face as he is falling asleep, so I come and fold it down a few minutes later when I check on our sleeping little guy.

we love our sunshine boy :)

2011-02-03T12:01:00.000-05:00

Ian was soooo happy when he woke this morning. :)

2011-02-3 Ian waking up - he was so happy! from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

2011-02-3 Ian waking up from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

2011-02-3 waking up and lowing bubbles from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

getting to be a big girl

2011-02-03T11:20:00.001-05:00

Emma wore her hair in her first pony tail today - so sweet!
I've put her hair into two little pigtails before, but until now her hair has always been too thin to make a pony tail look right.
She looks so darling running around with the single tight ringlet on the back of her head. :)

2011-02-01T12:55:00.000-05:00

This is how we play in the snow when it's too icy to go outside. We even make mini snowmen in the dishes of snow. : )

results of the ice storm

2011-02-01T12:51:00.002-05:00

The storm was amazing - it rained ice for a while, and then snowed on top of that.

Three intrepid adventurers, coming back to say "hi" to Em. (who had her sweater and hood on, just because she wanted to. It was far too slippy for her to go out!)

a boy and his wipes

2011-01-31T12:58:00.000-05:00

Ian was playing with the wipes warmer, and I just stood and took pictures while I watched him explore.

"Hm, what's this?"

"Look! I can pull them out!"

"Mmm. Soapy. Yum!"

2011-01-21T17:34:00.000-05:00

Well, we've done it again!

As of now, this little branch of the Smillie family is in Indianapolis, IN. Feel free to leave a comment or email me if you'd like our current address!

every little girl loves buttons :)

2011-01-21T17:04:00.001-05:00

I found a bunch on vintage buttons at a flea market last Sunday, and on Monday I let Emma play with them. :) At first she was enjoying looking at the individual buttons, but pretty soon she moved to placing (or throwing) them into a vase and then dumping them back and forth.

She had sooooo much fun!

2011-01-17 playing with buttons from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

toes and smiles

2011-01-20T12:41:00.001-05:00

7 months old :)

2011-01-11T16:01:00.000-05:00

and getting cuter, sweeter and chubbier by the day. We love you Buddy!

"playing" with Daddy's new game

2011-01-11T13:41:00.000-05:00

John got an Xbox from the family for Christmas, and we've been keeping him company as he plays. :)

Emma likes to pretend that she can play, too, and will put on John's headset and talk to "Shosh" (Josh, the brother who is on the most often) as she sits with John.

Ian really has no idea what's going on - he just likes to be with Daddy. :)

(almost) sitting up!

2011-01-02T14:03:00.000-05:00

let's play!

2011-01-02T08:58:00.001-05:00

thank you Uncle David and Aunt Jenny for all the pretend food! I really like it a lot - want to come and play with me?

for Uncle Josh

2010-12-29T13:41:00.001-05:00

Ian loves the dog you gave him!

He especially loves wrestling with it. :)

Thank you Uncle Josh!

Emma has new mittens

2010-12-28T13:50:00.001-05:00

Grammie made Emma some kitty mittens for Christmas. They are so sweet! Emma likes making the kitties "meow" to each other while she is wearing them.

photos from Christmas

2010-12-26T15:52:00.000-05:00

2010-12-25 Christmas with the Smillie family

photos from Christmas

2010-12-26T13:09:00.000-05:00

2010-12-25 Christmas with the Smillie family

2010-12-25T00:03:00.001-05:00

family Christmas, part 2

2010-12-22T15:51:00.001-05:00

In the afternoon we went to see the Christmas exhibits at the Krohn Conservatory. It was snowing when we arrived, and Emma enjoyed John getting her all bundled up to go inside. :)

Ian stayed in the stroller for a while, just enjoying the sights and smells of the conservatory.

One of the wings of the building had a few train displays, one of which was at toddler level. Emma loved it!

Lastly, we stopped by the Living Nativity display on our way back to the car - Emma spied some ducks that were visiting the display and seemed to think that they might enjoy someone playing with them. :)

All in all we had a wonderful, quiet day with just the four of us celebrating Christmas and Jesus' birth.

family Christmas, part 1

2010-12-22T15:44:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Christmas twice this year, once at our place on the 22 and a second time with John's family on Christmas Day.

We slept in that morning (all the way to 8:00!) and had cinnamon rolls, sausage and sparkling juice while we opened gifts.

Ian's favorite part of the gifts was the tissue!

The Smillie greatgrandparents gave Emma a Mother Goose doll that came with little books and figures that fit into pockets in its sides - a fascinating toy for a 22 month old. :)

Mommy's Helper

2010-12-21T15:34:00.000-05:00

Emma loves to "help" me. She enjoys helping with laundry and with Ian, but mostly she enjoys helping in the kitchen.

Her specialty is washing the dishes - playing in the water and dumping water from one container to another. :)

jumping!

2010-12-21T14:27:00.000-05:00

12/21/2010 jump jump jump from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

Ian is working at getting those legs nice and strong for crawling. :)

with child-like wonder and faith

2010-12-21T10:25:00.003-05:00

Let us celebrate the coming of our Lord and worship Him with child-like wonder and faith this Christmas.

"Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said, 'I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.'" matt. 18:2-4

Oh tidings of Comfort and Joy

2010-12-20T10:56:00.000-05:00

a girl after my own heart :)

2010-12-18T14:46:00.001-05:00

This is what Emma loves to do with our sample size bottles of Vemma (and the water bottle). And, sometimes, she lines them up with all the labels facing in the same direction. :)

I can't wait to see her start labeling things!

2010-12-18T14:23:00.000-05:00

Emma was talking away in her room when she was waking up from her nap (so sweet!):

waking up from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

hangin' out in our jammies

2010-12-18T10:53:00.000-05:00

and eating toast. :)

starting solids

2010-12-14T15:59:00.000-05:00

Ian has started to be very interested in our food when we are eating. So, now that he is 6 months old, we have started to feed him some solid food.

Yum yum!

crazy hair!

2010-12-13T12:02:00.001-05:00

Emma Grace's hair has finally been getting long (some of it is almost 8") and she has been sporting some pretty crazy bed head when she gets up in the mornings. :)

And she likes making silly faces at the camera when Mommy asks her to smile. :)

6 month Lamby photos

2010-12-13T11:58:00.001-05:00

6 Months Old!

Ian really loves to "talk"

2010-12-13T10:27:00.000-05:00

2010-12-13 talking talking talking! from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

getting into mishcief

2010-12-12T16:32:00.001-05:00

Ian was playing contentedly on the floor when I left the room, and when I came back about three minutes later I found this:

he had somehow gotten the wipes bag open and completely emptied it. He was having so much fun playing with the wipes!

where are you?!

2010-12-11T22:16:00.000-05:00

Emma's new peek-a-boo phrase is "where are you?!"

2010-12-11 from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

2010/12/11 from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

2010-12-11 from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

happy 6 month birthday!

2010-12-10T08:52:00.003-05:00

6 months ago you were stretching out for the first time, squinting at the light and amazing us with your dimpled chin (who did that come from?).

Now you are starting to scoot backwards and trying so hard to keep up with your sister!

And this month you cut your first two teeth, weighed in at 20 lbs 4 oz and measure 28" long.

We love you Darling Boy!!!

belated Thanksgiving re-cap

2010-12-09T12:04:00.007-05:00

Leah's family, the Stonecyphers, hosted Thanksgiving dinner this year. It was delicious, relaxing and so much fun. :)

both clans together :)

Ian and Granddad checking out the Black Friday ads

the guys played a board game and the girls talked and made fabric flowers

the desserts: Pumpkin Roll, Apple Galette, Fudge, Pecan and Walnut Pie, Apple Cake and Pumpkin Pie

Yum yum yum!!!

Emma really loved the pumpkin roll

practicing

2010-12-09T10:09:00.000-05:00

Emma loves her baby dolls soooo much, and has been practicing being a little mommy. It's so sweet to watch!

2010/12/09 from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

Webcam time with Grammie

2010-12-06T10:07:00.000-05:00

Emma loves visiting with Grampa and Grammie Jacobsen (and the uncles and aunties) using the webcam. Of course, they love it too!

2010-12-06 Itsy Bitsy Spider with Grammie from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

2010-12-06 Jesus Loves Me from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

Getting Ready For Church

2010-11-28T14:55:00.000-05:00

and giving kisses.

Emma loves Baby Jesus

2010-11-27T14:35:00.001-05:00

And she kisses him, plays with him and sings to him.

And plays peek-a-boo with him and Joseph and Mary.

2010-11-25T09:36:00.002-05:00

dawn

2010-11-24T13:43:00.000-05:00

Ian got up very, very early, so we watched the sun come up together.

"red sky in the morning, sailors take warning" - it proved true! we had icy rain all afternoon.

I love how Ian sleeps

2010-11-21T09:42:00.000-05:00

He's just so sweet. :)

being girly

2010-11-20T15:46:00.002-05:00

Emma found my old tutu and was wearing it this morning. Quite the look with the piggy jammies, don't you think? :)

2010-11-20 veggie tales! from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

And she also loves Veggie Tales, in case you were wondering. Really loves them. And singing and dancing along. :)

Emma has some serious dance moves :)

2010-11-20T13:02:00.000-05:00

2010/10/26 dance dance dance! from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

John was watching something on youtube and Emma Grace thought the music was pretty catchy. :)
Dance Emma, dance!

for Uncle Ben

2010-11-15T16:53:00.002-05:00

The package that you sent arrived today! Emma was so excited to open it. :)

a package from Uncle Ben! from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

a package from Uncle Ben! from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

a package from Uncle Ben from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

a package from Uncle Ben from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

peek-a-boo

2010-11-11T13:11:00.000-05:00

Hi .... :)

Peek ah ...

... Boo!

Peek ... (she's really "peek"ing - can you see her eyes?)

Ian loves his Auntie (and Uncle, too)

2010-11-09T19:21:00.001-05:00

John went hunting over the weekend, and the little ones and I spent the weekend with Brian and Leah (so we wouldn't get too lonely without John). Ian loved playing with his uncle and aunt. :)

just playing

2010-11-09T13:24:00.000-05:00

2010-11-09 from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

Emma has boots!

2010-11-06T09:50:00.000-04:00

They are pink flowered rain boots and Emma loves them. The first time she wore the boots she was almost tipping over and running into things because she kept looking at her feet and admiring them.
She is so proud of herself when she can put them on without help. :)

like Daddy

2010-11-03T17:33:00.001-04:00

John was relaxing after work and Emma Grace hopped up on the bench next to him. She looked over at him as he and I were talking, put her arms up behind her head and tried to get her feet to reach the coffee table, and then joined the conversation!
One of the cutest parts was that her appendages are too short to make it look quite like Daddy. :)

what we did on Halloween

2010-11-03T08:28:00.002-04:00

We went up to Dayton to visit Brian and Leah (and Baby on the way)!

One of the highlights of the afternoon/evening was visiting the local Fulton Farms. Emma ran right to the wooden train/play structure and climbed up into the engineer's seat. :)

She also enjoyed playing in - and sitting on - the pumpkins.

There was a little fish pond in front of the barn that had a few koi in it. Emma kept trying to say "fish", but it came across more like "sh". :)

We saw the animals in the petting area, and Emma was so excited to see the goats and miniature horses! When you ask her what a horse says she answers "whee!" :)

Leah holding a well bundle Ian. It got colder than we thought!

Look who is trying to sit up!

2010-11-01T13:16:00.000-04:00

Ian is trying so hard to be a big boy! He loves practicing sitting up and standing.

He can "sit" for a couple of minutes in the Boppy and loves it, but after a little while he starts to get tired and lean over.

Yeah, sometimes that happens too.

because 5 months is just around the corner

2010-11-01T12:20:00.001-04:00

Here are his 4 month pics. Yeah, I thought it might be time to post these.

4 month photos

our bouncing baby boy

2010-11-01T12:01:00.001-04:00

It was a wet and windy day ...

2010-10-26T19:10:00.000-04:00

... and this is what we saw from our window.

The storm has blown over and blue skies are back, but the cold that the storm brought with it seems to be here to stay!

playing together

2010-10-23T15:06:00.000-04:00

2010-10-23 playing together from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

2010-10-23 hugs :) from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

2010-10-23T12:20:00.000-04:00

At 4 months Ian is liking the lamb more and more (and these pics are a little late, yes)!

He is grabbing for things, rolling from his back to his tummy, playing with his toes, babbling and blowing raspberries and bubbles. He thinks being tickled is just hilarious. :)

Ian recognizes us but hasn't learned about separation anxiety yet, so now is the perfect time to meet the little fellow!

wash wash wash!

2010-10-21T11:21:00.000-04:00

Emma loved helping John wash the car. She plunged right in and "helped" rub the bubbles on, even after John was done. And she got wet up to her elbows, because, well, bubbles are just sooooo fun. :)

And Ian enjoyed watching. :)

our pumpkin

2010-10-20T14:16:00.000-04:00

Emma was fascinated by the goo inside the pumpkin. At first she wasn't sure what to do about it, but then she kept trying to help. :)

2010-10-19 Pumpkin Carving! from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

2010-10-19 pumkin carving from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

2010-10-19 pumpkin carving from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

coloring inside the box

2010-10-18T16:49:00.000-04:00

Emma was sitting in a box just now, coloring on a MagnaDoodle that we borrowed from Grandad and Mimi. She loves that toy!

waving "hi" when I asked her to say hi to the camera

Emma Grace told me that this was a "tar" (star).

And this is a "titty" (cat).

we're back!!!

2010-10-17T16:13:00.001-04:00

We have been to California and back, all four of us.
Quite an accomplishment.
Of course, years from now, when there are more of us, I'll look back and think, "that was so easy! why did I think it was tiring/chaotic?"

Tickle time on the Denver airport floor really gets the wiggles out.

Kiss!

2010-10-07T11:18:00.001-04:00

Emma loves giving Ian kisses. :)

our happy little Ian

2010-10-03T14:07:00.000-04:00

2010-10-03 our happy little Ian from Elizabeth Smillie on Vimeo.

playing in our p.j.s

2010-10-03T10:41:00.000-04:00

bathtime!

2010-10-02T20:14:00.001-04:00

good morning!

2010-10-02T10:21:00.001-04:00

little Blue Eyes

2010-09-23T11:09:00.001-04:00

3 months old, originally uploaded by Lizi Beth.

I'd love to recommend these ....

2010-09-21T11:15:00.001-04:00

We haven't tried them, but they look great!

We got a Fisher-Price ad in the mail and these pieces of "baby gear" caught me eye. We've used things similar to them, just not as multi-use and well, cool. Maybe we'll splurge on Baby #3?

The first one that caught my eyes is the Newborn Rock 'n Play Sleeper.

Yeah, that one is pretty nice - it would be perfect for a small apartment. And it rocks. And collapses. Plus, it has a seat belt. Yeah ...

And the other one is the Infant-to-Toddler Comfort Rocker

It converts from a baby bouncer (with or without the toy bar) to a toddler rocker chair! So cool. I could see this one being used for years in our growing family. :)

Anyway, I just wanted to share these pieces of equipment because I'm sure I would recommend them if we had used them!

p.s. I just found this forum on the Rock 'n Play Sleeper - interesting!

the hair

2010-09-21T10:28:00.002-04:00

before it was cut

He reminded me of the Peach in VeggieTales - who had hair.

his first haircut

2010-09-20T12:42:00.001-04:00

John used the clippers and took 2 1/2 inches off. *sniff*
It needed to happen, though. Ian was losing his hair on the sides of his head, but the hair on top kept growing!
He looks like a different baby now - and older, too.

in case you needed an Emma fix today

2010-09-20T12:22:00.002-04:00