White Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone!! It was a "White" Christmas this year. This year we headed up to Nebraska to celebrate Christmas with my dad and Kim. This Christmas was a special one since my dad turned 50 on Christmas day and it was Gavin's first Christmas. We had a great time just relaxing and enjoying the smiles and giggles from Gavin.

It was 4 days of R&R....it seems like all we do any more is go "gaa"over Gavin. It was an exciting 4 days as Gavin ALMOST rolled over from his back to stomach for the first time. We spent many hours playing with him on the floor hoping it would happen any minute!

Gavin was the perfect "Santa's Little Helper"...... and so was Gunner (the black lab) of course!

My dad just recently in the last year built a new house on 120 acres in Seward Nebraska....it is BEAUTIFUL!!! It was the perfect white Christmas. My dad and Kim watched Gavin while Courtney and I spent some time out in the timber! We got all dressed up in our winter gear and went stomping through the snow. We took a "gator" ride and I learned to drive a tractor for the first time.....it was so peaceful and beautiful out there. Gavin is going to love visiting Grandpa and Grandma D's place when he gets older. There will be a lot of fun things for him to do and get into! :)

Here is the awesome view from my dad and Kim's deck.....you can see for MILES!

We absolutely had the best Christmas ever! What more could we ask for than spending time with the ones we love and making memories! Thanks dad and Kim for an amazing Christmas! 

Gavin's Baptism

We were very blessed to be able to have Gavin baptized at Saint Francis of Assisi Church in West Des Moines on December 9th 2012. It was very special for us to have him baptized at St. Francis since Courtney and I were married there. We have always had a special place in our hearts for St. Francis. The baptism was absolutely amazing!! There were three other children that were baptized along with Gavin and it was a special baptism because it was the 2nd Sunday of the month. All of the children were FULLY immersed in the holy water. I had never seen that done before and it was truly amazing! Gavin did so wonderful....he didn't even let out one little peep! The day could not have been any better as all of our parents and most of our grandparents were able to come for the day. After the baptism was over we headed to Mimi's Cafe for lunch and cake (that Rose made)....THANK YOU to everyone that made it and helped to make Gavin's baptism truly special. 

We feel very blessed to have such a wonderful brother and sister-in-law in our lives, so it was no question that Tony and Jeannie would be Gavin's god parents. Gavin is a very lucky little boy to have such loving aunts and uncles. 

I absolute loved Gavin's baptism gown, it was handmade by his grandma....Thank You Dixie! 

We also want to thank everyone for the wonderful baptism gifts....his first cross, the perfect Christmas ornament. Thanks grandpa and grandma D!

His first bible....we have already starting reading it! Thanks GiGi!!

"That each of us may renew the commitment of our own baptism, renouncing sin and

promising to serve God faithfully in his holy Church, we pray to the Lord....Lord hear our prayer"

Gavin's New Toy

Christmas came early....given the fact that Gavin loves to kick and stretch his legs we decided it was time for the "Johnny Jumper". He still needs to grow into a little bit....but he sure does love it!

Gavin is 4 months!

Wow our little boy is now 4 months old. Gavin lights up our day with his smiles and giggles and our love for him grows stronger everyday. No one could have ever told me how rewarding being a mother truly is....I feel like the luckiest girl ever to such an AMAZING husband and son! Happy 4 months Gavin!

Gavin you have become such a big talker this month, you love to be talked to and sung to. One of your favorite songs is "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer". We sing this song before every nap and sometimes in the car when you get fussy. You also love it when mom and dad read books to you every night before bed... "Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site" is one of your favorites. One of my favorite things this month is how ticklish you have become. You are ticklish on your tummy and around your neck. It makes me smile from hear to hear watching and listening to you giggle.

You are still a great sleeper at night! You are going to bed a little earlier now around 7:30pm and still only getting up once at night to eat around 4:30am (moms goal this month is to eliminate this feeding) then waking up around 8am to start our day. You eat 6 times a day and about every 3 hours. At your 4 month check-up you weighted in at 14lbs and 5oz. which was in the 50% and you were 26 inches long which was in the 90%.

It is so amazing watching you grow....I love spending each and every day with you. I'm so blessed to be your mother Gavin Bo! We love you with all our hearts! We can't wait to see what next month will bring.

X-mas Ready!

Well, this past weekend was one of our first weekends in the new house with NO plans....every since we moved it has been go go go! So, we decided to put up our x-mas decorations this weekend....the tree and fire place mantel are all ready for Santa! The tree is kinda small, so we will be upgrading next year.....but for now all we need are some presents under the tree. 

Gavin LOVES looking at the lights on the tree and the cats LOVE playing under the tree. It is always fun seeing which ornament they will knock off the tree and break this year! Gavin was the prefect little helper as mom set-up all the decorations. He just hung out in his "baby bjorn" with mom. He loves riding around in it. This weekend was the first time we tried turning him around in it so he could see out....and he loved it!

Thankful!

Happy late Thanksgiving everyone!! This year I am so thankful for so many things, but mostly I am thankful for my wonderful boys!! This year I was given the greatest gift ever.....the chance to be a mom. Thanks to my hard working husband I also have been given the opportunity to stay home with Gavin. I thank God every day for the chance to spend each day with cutest baby ever! Our new family of three means the world to me! I never knew I could feel this much love. Happy Thanksgiving! Here is our cute lil turkey....trying out our new monkey hat! 

Here are some pictures of the past week spent back in Iowa visiting family. Gavin got to see a LOT of relatives....grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and even some friends. We feel so blessed to have such wonderful family.

Gavin even got to meet Araina....my friend Trish's little girl. She was only three days and as precious as could be.

Our New Home

Well...I'm sure you all have been wondering if it really happened or not, and yes it did! As of November 10th Courtney and I are no longer residents in Arkansas, we have officially moved to Kansas. After weeks of searching for homes, we finally found a place in Olathe, KS just south of Kansas City. The move went GREAT! We hired Two Men and a Truck to pack and move us....they were amazing! They packed and moved our entire house in two days. Plus it took all the stress off of me having them do ALL the work.

Oh yeah uncle Curt came to say goodbye to us and wish us a farewell on moving day.....looking good boys! :)

So, this past week I have been a busy little bee trying to make this new house...home! Courtney and I are very excited about the new adventures and memories we will be making here in Kansas with Gavin. We are looking forward to being closer to family and making new friends! The past few days I wake up and can't believe how much my life has changed in the past few months. Having Gavin, new home, new city.....it seems like it is all happening so fast. I know one day I'm going to wake up and Gavin is going to be 18 and graduating....but until then I'm loving all the change and soaking up every second of my little man and our new life in KC!

Here are some pictures of our new house. This house is actually bigger than our last house, so my mother and I went shopping and she got us a new sectional for our lower family room as a house warming gift.  Thanks mom!! :)

Gavin is 3 Months!

I know this is a few weeks late...but my little man is 3 months already! These past three months have been the BEST 3 months of my life. Gavin brings Courtney and I so much joy and happiness. He truly is a blessing and we love him more than life itself! Here are some pics of our little 3 month old boy.

Gavin you have such a big smile that lights up your face and brings so much joy to my life. I wake up every morning so excited to see your smiling face staring back at me from your crib. You are a great little sleeper at night, you go to sleep around 8 or 8:30pm each night, then waking up only once around 4am to eat, then go right back to sleep until 8am.

Watching you grow as been so amazing. You are able to do so many things now.....you can hold her head up on your own, you can roll over from your tummy to your back, you LOVE to smile and laugh, and you love sitting in your bumbo seat. You also have started to grab at your toys hanging from your jungle gym. We can't wait to see what this next month will bring and what new adventures and milestones you will overcome.  Happy 3 months Gavin Bo! 

Happy Halloween

Ok, so I know I'm about a week behind in posting these pictures. Things have just been a little crazy in the Smith house, as we are moving to Kansas City this weekend! So this was Gavin's first halloween and given that he LOVES his bath and water....he deiced he wanted to be a little goldfish (aka Nemo).

Since Gavin was to little for trick or treating this year we decided to read some halloween books, crave pumpkins and eat a LOT halloween candy (mainly just mom) to celebrate!

Talk, Talk, Talk

I can roll over!

Yesterday Gavin decided he was ready to roll over....we have been working on this for awhile now. Typically, during tummy time Gavin kicks and screams with his face buried in the floor/blanket. I guess you could say he is NOT a fan of tummy time. Finally, he has figured out that if he lifts his head high enough he can see so many things! So, in no time he started arching his back with his head up and his legs kicking.....then he did it! He rolled over!! I think he is starting to like tummy time now.

Here he is this morning after rolling over three times!!! He has got the hang of it now!! Such a big boy.

He also has become a big fan of his bumbo seat....he loves watching mom cook dinner whiling hanging out in his bumbo. He assists me from the sidelines.

And of course who doesn't like a naked baby.....just had to throw this one in!

Catch Up!!!

 I know I have not been very good about keeping up with the blog, so I thought I would post a few more pictures from the past week. Our little Gavin is the CUTEST baby ever....at least I think so! Here are some fun pictures of Gavin after his bath (which he loves). We have started a routine and take a bath every night before bed at 7:30pm. Sunday bottles are another routine we have started. Gavin and dad get to spend some time bonding on Sundays while watching football.

Here are some more of my favorite pictures of our little guy over the past month....I just can't get enough of him! 

We also took Gavin to the pumpkin farm to pick out his first pumpkin!! He was memorized by all the lights and halloween characters. It is so much fun experiencing his all his "firsts" 

Gavin is 2 months!

Well, another month as come and gone....our little guy is 2 months now! Actually he is 10 weeks (sorry I have not blogged in awhile). He is such a joy...I can't even imagine one day without this little guy. He is growing and changing every single day, it is very rewarding watching this sweet little baby develop into his own little person. At his 2 month check-up Gavin weighted in at 13.5 pounds and 24 inches long. He is in the 90% for both weight and height....so I guess you could say we have a BIG BOY!

We do not have a quiet baby anymore as he has definitely found his voice this month! He has turned into quite the little chatter box, and possesses a variety of sounds, ranging from “little coos” to full out screams. He especially loves talking to us on his changing pad table. One of my favorite times each day is right before bath time. I lay him on his changing pad table to get him undressed for bath and he just starts talking up a storm. I LOVE IT!! I could just stand there all night and listen to him! He is so dang cute. It has been so much fun watching him interact with us by using his voice this month!

Gavin has also found a new obsession this month, his hands! I have to admit that watching him get his little fingers into his mouth is just so darn cute. I try to give him his pacifier to replace the hands, but he seems to like his fingers better. 

Two weeks ago we meet Grandma "Gigi", Great-Grandma Olson and aunt Cathy in Kansas City for the weekend as we looked for houses. We were not very successful in finding a house that weekend, so it looks like the move as been pushed back a few weeks. Although we didn't find a place we had a great time seeing family. We go to enjoy a beautiful night out to dinner and a stroller ride on the Country Club Plaza!

Getting Ready for the BIG MOVE!

Ok, well our little Gavin is 7 weeks old today....the time is already flying by. Before we know it he will be a year old! Everyday he it seems like he is able to accomplish something new. He is really starting to talk to us when he is awake....I love hearing all the new sounds he is making. We have been introducing a lot of new toys to him and he loves the toys with lights and sound. His little grip is getting pretty strong now too. He has a rattle that if I put it in his hands he will hold on to it for awhile. He also loves grabbing mom's hair....especially when we are nursing. Another exciting thing is that Gavin has started to sleep even more through the night. He now sleeps from 9pm until 4am without waking up. This all started about a week ago....so we will see how long it continues. He still is nursing every 2.5/3 hours during the day. He also smiles a TON now....I can pretty much get him to smile on que! It really is amazing how much we love this little guy....he truly is a blessing and I couldn't imagine one day without him!

Well, we have been talking about this for awhile now and the time as finally come! The Smith family will be leaving Northwest Arkansas and migrating north to Kansas City!! We will be packing our bags and moving the last weekend in October....so lets see that is in about 34 days. I guess I better start packing then!!!! We plan to head up to KC this weekend to finding housing....hopefully we can find something. With me working every weekend right now, due to busy wedding season, it has been hard to get up there to look. This weekend is going to be great thought because Gavin will get to meet his Great Grandma Olson and see Grandma Knapp again (Gigi)....he also will get to meet his Great Aunt Cathy! Of course in between house hunting we plan to get in a little shopping at the Country Club Plaza! SO EXCITED!!! We are really excited about the move and the change, it seems like the prefect time! With a new baby, a new location, brings a new bright future!

Our life is a little crazy right now with the move coming and working weddings....but my goal everyday is to stop and enjoy every second with Gavin and love on him as much as I can!!! Sometimes I feel like it I want to cry because the time is going by so fast already. I do feel very blessed that I have the opportunity to stay home and enjoy our little munchkin everyday! So, here are some pictures over the past few weeks of our little guy!

Hanging out on the deck with Mom and Dad....as they enjoy a nice steak dinner!

Thanks Aunt Vicki for the cool outfit....the ladies are lining up!

1 Month....already!

Well, it has been 1 month already!! I love watching are our little guy grow, but at the same time I want him to stay little forever. We had our 1 month check up and Gavin is weighing in at 10 pounds and 6 ounces. We just started to move into our 0-3 month clothes, as the newborn outfits are getting a little tight! This past month as been SO AMAZING!!! Courtney and I could not be any happier...we feel so blessed to have this little guy in our lives. 

Gavin is doing great at breastfeeding and is eating about ever 2.5 hours. He is still doing great at night. I'm still feeding him at 9:00pm and he sleeps until about 2:30am every night! Just in the past week or so he has started to smile back at us...I love it when he wakes up in the morning and is ALL smiles! I seriously think I have the cutest baby ever!!! Just saying...LOL. He also has started to make some "coing" sounds...I think he is going to be a talker like his mom, and grandmas, and great-grandmas for that matter!!! :) 

This past week I started back to work and had 3 weddings. Gavin was such a trooper for me. He came with me to all my weddings and helped me set-up decorations. Then during the event he hung out with dad up in the office. Well, here is a video of our little guy at 1 month, and some pictures from the past few weeks. We can't wait to see what the next month with bring! 

3 Weeks Old....and Loving Life!

Well, I can't believe Gavin is already 3 weeks old! Everyday he gets stronger and stronger and cuter and cuter!!! Life really could not be an better, I'm truly enjoying motherhood and loving on my sweet baby boy each day. Gavin has been doing great with breast-feeding and sleeping during the night. I typically try to feed him each night around 9:00 or 9:30 and then lay him down for bed. For the past week he has been sleeping from about 9:30-2:00am....which is AWESOME!!! He is such a good boy!! He then wakes up around 2 to eat and then again around 5:30. Now, he does have a fussy period each day which is typically in the evening when dad gets home....I think maybe Courtney is secretly pinching him! LOL j/k

We had our two week doctors appointment last week and he weighed in at 8 pounds and 4 ounces....so he is growing like a good little boy. We have not gotten out of the house to much, but we did go for our first stroller ride the other night and he loved it! I think he liked the breeze and all the nature sounds. We also started talking real baths this past week instead of sponge baths and he LOVES the water. He can be crying his little eyes out, but once you put him the water he stops immediately.

Gavin also got to meet Grandpa/Grandma Smith and Grandpa/Grandma Doerr over the past two weekends....he is one lucky boy with 4 sets of grandparents. I don't think he will be spoiled at ALL!! ;) Courtney and I received a new camera as a gift from grandpa Steve, so once we figure it out I will post some pictures of Gavin with the grandparents.

We also had his newborn pictures taken when he was 6 days old....so here are some of the pictures! He was such a good boy for pictures....he was awake more most of it and he didn't even cry once!