My 1st International Vacation!

We figured you'd want a blow by blow of our very first family vacation so here it is.

We hopped a plane in Atlanta for Cancun but there was some waiting before hand in the airport. Good thing we all LOVE food because that's what we did to pass the time - eat!

Then it was time to get on Sierra's very first airplane! How exciting! I was actually a little scared considering I didn't know how she was going to behave. She's super chill however I don't want to be "THAT LADY" whose child is screaming bloody murder on take off and landing. How terrible. She LOVED the airplane. The fact that she can stand up and smile at the people in the row behind her really made her go crazy! She was SO HAPPY about that. Someone to smile at her other than her parents and grandparents. What a treat. She loves strangers. Especially smiling ones. She did great though. Take off, landing, air pressure, didn't phase her at all. My ears bothered me more than they bothered her. She was all smiles the entire trip. She didn't even have a nap the entire day.

We got to Cancun and to our hotel with little incident, ok, there was one but we don't want to talk about it, and of course we devoured the entire room service menu when we got there. I think for the 4 of us (duh, my mom and step-dad traveled with us) we ordered 8 entrees. We are big fatties, but that's what you do at an all-inclusive resort...EAT!

The next couple of days were a blur. All we did was eat, Eat, EAT!!!

They had all kinds of great food there. I had pink grapefruit, bananas, oranges, nachos (yes, that's true), and anything else I could get my hands on. And trust me, I wanted to eat EVERYTHING. Daddy and Papa Ron LOVED the buffets and Mommy loved teh sugar french toast, but nothing is as healthy as the fruit I ate all week long. This is what I looked like every meal with all this food. A baby's paradise!


By the time we left I was stuffed, but in between meals I found time to do some other things.

I spent some quality time at the pool with my family. Don't worry, I put on alot of sunscreen so I didn't get a sunburn at all. So I showed off my bathing suit to everyone and everyone LOVED me! Perfect strangers wanted to hold me and love me and be my 'Auntie' and 'Grandma'. People are so silly. I was the talk of all the ladies at the resort though.

I learned how to swim too! It was awesome! I had my swim assistant so I could chill in the pool at not have anyone bother me. I look like I didn't enjoy it, but trust me, I did! I had so much fun. I don't know why I have such a weird look on my face. I am so silly. I would just kick my little feet and be lazy in the pool while everyone watched me. It was like being in a huge bath except it was a little colder than my bath, ok, a lot colder than my bath. I took a few dips without this thing and dunked myself underwater. Not to shabby for my first time.

I watched some cool shows and made some new friends while I was in Cancun as well. (check out that one dancers butt...it's like a ham...HUGE!)

Grandma really liked the show. I thought it was pretty sweet too. They changed their outfits like every time they did a new dance. They clucked like chickens sometimes too when they were excited. It doesn't look like I enjoyed myself, but I did!


I met these characters on my way to the beach. I wasn't even scared of them. They were on their way to a wedding. They throw fire!
And then...I FINALLY made to the beach. I had been to the beach in Florida before, twice, but I wasn't old enough to go on the sand and now I'm finally old enough! I'm big! Check me out, you better believe everyone on that beach was!

I had my sun tan lotion on, my sunglasses, and I was such a looker! I loved the feel of the sand on my toes...and my hands, the sun on my face. This is the life!
So, after all this fun we were exhausted. We had a great time and I can't wait until we can go again next year! Only 333 days until we leave!

Viva La Mexico!

Hit you up when we get back! We'll think of you while we are chillin' on the beach!

Playing Catch Up!

It has been a BUSY month! Wow, it has really flown by. So, nothing super exciting to write, But I just wanted to put up new pictures of the Bug. More to come because we are heading to Cancun tomorrow! YEA! Vacation! Beach! Sun! TAN!!!!! ...Oh the tan!
So check her out...again...!

Sierra LOVES to eat stuff that we do, or try it anyway, so we let her. Why not? She doesn't do rice cereal but she'll eat stewed tomatoes. She's so silly. She'll gnaw on it to get the juices and then she's not quite sure what to do with the rest.

Snow Day with Sierra. Her first Snow Angel (or is it Angle...I can never remember, yes I am retarded!)
And she wasn't too interested in snow, as you can see. She was trying to practice her upchuck reflex with a little help, yummy pine straw. She really did stick it all the way down her throat and gag.

It's ALL ABOUT ME!

It's been TOO long because now Sierra has all these new tricks and all this stuff happening in her groovy little world that we just have to share. Check her out!


















She can do it now! All by her self!

And she LOVES to eat. We haven't really started her on any food, no rice cereal, none of that, but any time we put something in our mouth she wants to do the same and since Joe is determined to have her have eating habits totally different than mine, he gives her veggies to chew on.

Joe gave her a fresh green pepper. She gnawed the heck out of that thing. "Arrrrrr".

Look at me! Look at me!

So we are trying to teach Sierra how to sit up. I realize this isn't something you can actually teach a baby, but she's just not figuring it out on her own. We have done everything we can for her!! We got her a Bumbo seat...she likes to fold over and twist through the arm hole. We sit with her and she likes to topple over. Her grandmother got her a booster seat and she likes it, until she gets bored (like 5 minutes or less) and leans to one side and whimpers. Oh baby...well, Joe has been staying with her and to my surprise look at what he has done! She sits! Ok, don't be totally deceived. If he gets her on a soft surface at just the right depth she is supported and can usually sit up for a bit on her own. Isn't she the cutest! But eventually she will topple over and just lay there on her face, side, or back. She won't even cry if she faceplants into the bed and we don't get her up right away. She just smells or tastes the blanket...what a wierdo! =)

I sat by her today while she sat in the middle of the Boppy and that seemed to work for awhile, surprisingly. Twenty whole minutes! She's still more comfortable on her back but hopefully some day soon she'll be sitting up on her own and the new perspective on life she's been getting will be a permanent part of her day! Wish us luck!

I Love Santa!

Joe took Sierra to sit on Santa's lap last week. Yes I am a bad mother, I couldn't go because I was working but my fabulous husband was a champ and got it done. She is so cute I could just Eat her UP!

This is the REAL Santa too! 25 years at North Dekalb Mall. He's the real deal. Joe used to get his picture taken with this Santa. So precious that he's still there to get a pic with Sierra.

Baby's 1st Christmas

So Sierra is only five and a half months old so Christmas wasn't that exciting for her. It was more exciting for me because I got to open all her presents! I LOVED it! I think baby toys are so fun! The best part of the holiday was (and I know I'm supposed to say family) that I was off work for a whole week and it was GREAT! I loved hanging out with Joe and his family and Sierra and I FINALLY got to read the final Harry Potter book! I have not read one of them, I usually listen to them on CD (yes, I am lazy!), but I read it and I loved it!

So here are some holiday highlights...

We went to Florida for the holiday. Really wanted to get in the Christmas spirit so we though 90 degree weather would do the trick. ;)


We went to the beach twice, Sierra's 2nd and 3rd visit. She wore her pretty little white sun dress, her pink bathing suit, pink crocs and darling bonnet. She was so cute and dressed to impress!

We hung out and watched the boys play in the surf.

We love sporting our sun glasses.

She didn't go in the water this trip or even get in the sun that much (yes, she has an overprotective mother) but I don't want her in the sun with such fragile skin. She's just too precious to burn. We did get her into the arms of her extremely handsome daddy by the water though. Maybe next trip she'll actually go in.

After such a hard time at the beach and playing with her 3 uncles, 1 aunt, and 2 cousins, she was wiped (like every day) so she would stretch out 3 times a day just to take a little snooze to rejuvenate. Gosh she's cute!


She had a great time with Jayden who, once again, wanted to touch her at every opportunity. She would reach her hands out and grab Sierra's face and ears and just about anything she could get her hands on, in a good way, but still, they haven't learned how to play nice yet. But they sure are cute. Jayden is 10 months and I think Sierra could take her...their size differential is minimal, anyway.

The main event in Florida was Christmas, Sierra's very first. As my family tradition goes, Santa leaves our stockings by our beds in the morning, so when Sierra woke up on Christmas morning she had her very first stocking propped by her bed. And yes, I made myself, Sierra, and Joe stockings with the instructional help of my mom, but I sewed those suckers all by myself and I am SO proud, enough of that. Sierra loved it, as you can see.

She wasn't too into her presents, but I was! I loved opening her presents! She got some GREAT stuff! She did however, LOVE the wrapping paper, with our baby you could give her anything and it would end up in her mouth, just like this poor stocking that Grandma Paula made for her. (don't worry, I'll get some wrapping paper action shots up here soon) .

Ms. Pat got her a barking, singing dog that she goes crazy for. I think this toy is the one that will make her crawl because when it goes off and she's laying on her stomach, she'll kick and push her feet and move like a millimeter because she just gets so excited!

We had a great time in Florida, but after 5 days we were ready to come home. We got to celebrate all over again with my family. Pictures from that to come...they are good!

So it's...

Christmas Eve and we are in Florida. It's 85 degrees and we were at the beach today. Doesn't even really feel like Christmas. Of course, it's 76 degrees in Georgia today, so we are glad to be at the beach.

We wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. If you are our nearest and dearest you probably saw our Christmas virtual card, if not, check your email for the link. Merry Christmas, we love you all. Really, REALLY cute pictures of Sierra to follow. Her first picture with Santa (she was SO cute!), her 2nd trip to the beach, her first Christmas, her darling dresses, and so much more.

Love you all,

The Smiths

Roly Poly

Sierra is just full of new tricks! Little Si Si has been laying on her side in her sleep for like 2 months now. At 3 months I thought my little baby was just going to roll herself over but of course she didn't. Check her out in her favorite sleep position...

So, we've seen barely any attempts to roll over while she's playing on her blanket. She kicks her legs a lot but no sideways action ever, ever, ever in the day time...maybe once, perhaps. So we've been asking her if she'd like to roll over and we practice going from her back to her front. Yeah, she's not feeling it, ever. She's not super fond of tummy time. She does great until she realizes that her hands are as accessible on her stomach as on her back so when the mouth finds the hands her face is just down in the blanket and there is no return.

Well, I came home from work today and Sierra was in a great mood, as always (thank you Babywise) when I got her up from her nap. She shrieked a bit at us while I did some unwinding with her and Joe, and then she and I went to the living room to play. She was lovin' life (yes, that means she was naked, except for her diaper) and enjoying her naked feet. Well, I was just sitting there watching her, not interferring in all the fun she was having, and all of a sudden, her feet went up to her hands, she turned on her side, then she put her legs in a scissor kick, put one arm down by her side, and rolled over! My little baby rolled over all by herself! She turned to face me and got the biggest smile on her face! I was the first one to see her roll over! I was afraid I would miss all the "firsts" when I went back to work. Oh my gosh, it was so awesome! I got all teary (i'm a nerd, I know) but it was awesome!

So Joe runs out of the bedroom, camera in tow, trying to catch her on video with her new trick and she just laid there staring at him. 45 minutes later we put her in her crib to see if she'd do it and sure enough we go this video, the 2nd time rolling over. Gosh she's cute!

My baby girl is all grown up!

Turn up the Volume

So Sierra learned a new trick yesterday! Yeah, yeah, so she's sideways in the video, so what! Turn your heads, or the screen, but really just turn the volume up so that you can hear her. Silly baby.