Family Time

Hunter's Mom sent us a special present for Spencer... a Woombie. At first we questioned it but after a peaceful night of sleep, we knew it was wonderful. We also thought it was adorable to see our little love stuffed into his "zipper suit" and ready for bed.

Marilyn was delighted to get her first trophy!

Hanging out around the house

The Children's Museum

Brown County Pony Ride

Hunter arrived to work with a stow away in his pocket. When questioned, Marilyn said she thought he needed a friend.

Welcome Spencer!

On April 20, 2011 at 8:33am our family welcomed a healthy baby boy!

Spencer Thomas Archer Smith

7 lbs 1 oz 19 in

Proud Parents

Marilyn welcoming her baby brother! She has been so excited about becoming a big sister. She remarked, "He is so cool!" and "Can we keep him?"

Finally a boy! After two daughters and a granddaughter, Dad & Mom now have a grandson to spoil! And they are... especially with kisses and hugs- the most important kind of spoiling.

Aunt Kate & Uncle Brett planned their globetrotting adventures around this day! Thank you!!! It meant the world to us to share this wonderful day with you.

Great-Grandparents Brenton & Mennel

While expecting, I had wondered how I could possibly love another baby as much as Marilyn, but with his first breathe, my heart doubled in size, and I cannot imagine our family without him. Welcome Spencer, we are so glad you are here.

Almost Time!

Woohooo! We are almost there! I am currently 38 1/2 weeks along and am scheduled for a c-section on Wednesday morning, April 20th at 8am. Yeah!!!

We are thrilled to meet our little one and are nearly counting down the hours as we get closer and closer. We ask for prayers as our family grows! We will update with pics of our little one soon.

Marilyn's First Soccer Game

It was a chilly, rainy Saturday as we went out to the field for Marilyn's first soccer game. Marilyn had a great time despite barely touching the ball. After arriving home, she commented that she thought the other kids were a bit mean since they did not share the ball. Soccer appears to be in conflict with what she has been told of always share your toys and be nice. I sure do love this little one and her insight.

Hopefully a little more exposure and practice will help her understand the fundamentals a bit more. But no matter what- it was wonderful to see her excitement and team spirit. The highlight of her whole day was when the team put their hands together and yelled "Go Tigers". We have been reenacting that all week!

Family Fun!

Marilyn has been enjoying the wonderful Spring weather with lots of family fun. She was spoiled to a day of egg hunts with Aunt Kate & Uncle Brett.

We also celebrated Grandpa's 55th Birthday on April 13th. He decided a day of Duckpin Bowling was in order to mark the special day. Here are some great shots of their day of fun!

Fun with Lip Gloss!

Marilyn loves lip gloss, and it was all she wanted for Christmas from Santa. So of course, Santa spoiled her with lots of lip gloss. Here is just one of many evenings spent enjoying this fun treat.

Christmas 2010

Mennel Family Christmas

Brenton Family Christmas

Christmas Eve

Christmas Day

Tennessee Christmas

We were blessed with wonderful Christmas celebrations and were surrounded by lots of love.

Holiday Fun

Celebration Crossing at the Indiana State Museum



Visiting with Santa



Gingerbread House

They're Home!

Last Saturday was a very happy day! Uncle Brett & Aunt Kate returned from their three month adventure in Argentina, and their biggest fan was so happy! We had been counting down the days, and Marilyn was so excited to travel to the airport to pick them up.

Marilyn went as far as she was allowed to go and waited "patiently" at the red line for Aunt Kate & Uncle Brett to appear. She exclaimed to several passengers, "you are not Aunt Kate or Uncle Brett". Then she echoed down the terminal, "Uncle Brett, Aunt Kate, Where are YOU???" It was very cute and come to find out Kate and Brett actually heard her calling for them before they could see her. We are thrilled they made it home safely and are excited to share the holiday excitement with them.

Holiday Excitement!

November and December have been zooming by, and I realized have not updated the blog recently. We are doing wonderfully and are excited about the holiday festivities. Here are a few from around the house.

Marilyn is quite the little tree decorator or rather re-decorator. Every time I look at the tree the ornaments on the bottom half have been rearranged. And for the most part, they all collect on one branch. When asked about this, Marilyn explained that the ornaments need to be near their friends, so that is why she puts them all on one branch. I think it is too cute so I spread them back out and the next time I look, they have been moved again.

Marilyn loves the Christmas decorations as much as I do and has two Hallmark Ornament books that she carries around. She has also taken to creating storylines and a back story for the ornaments in the book. She is so funny that I cannot help but play along. I love the excitement she shows for all things Christmas... who knows where that came from!