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!

Halloween

So on Halloween, Marilyn decided it was ok to be a purple witch... as you can see, there is no purple. She is so funny about what she will and will not wear... and once again, this is a small battle, so I smile and move on. She was adorable as a witch!

She wore her outfit for the afternoon and went on an adventure with Grandpa. She arrived home hyped on sugar and equipped with a flashlight for trick or treating. We are so thankful for these wonderful times, they mean so much!

As the time for trick-or-treating approached, she claimed to be too tired to go out. We bribed her with candy and she complied in putting her costume back on. It was a chilly, breezy evening, so we hit a few houses and headed home to help Daddy hand out candy. This thrilled her. She changed into her princess nightgown and announced trick-or-treaters the rest of the evening.

My favorite part was when she would say trick-or-treat to the kids at the door, and they would get confused about what they were supposed to say to her. She was so excited to give them candy... she was much more generous with the candy distribution than I am, especially with the good candy, so that had to be corralled, but she did a great job!

The dogs begrudgingly dressed as ladybugs again. I think it's so cute and it cracks me up as they try to help each other take off the outfits... hehe.

Zoo Boo 2010

We shared a beautiful Saturday evening at Zoo Boo with Grandma & Grandpa. It was so much fun seeing all the kids dressed up. For this evening, Marilyn chose to be a pink dancer of some sort. She has been fickle with her costume choice and has been saying she wanted to be a purple witch. So when it came time to get dressed, she wanted nothing to do with the witch costume and chose her pink dress-up outfit. I think the cute pink shoes and glasses were a nice touch. The flower bracelet, necklace and baby doll complete the look. I figure we pick our battles and she was happy so it all worked.

We are delighted that she is now wearing a contact in her left eye and can actually wear fun glasses like the other kids. It was also great letting her bounce her heart out in the bounce house and not worrying about her glasses. Yeah for the little things!

Senior Night

My wonderful cousin Joshua is a high school senior. He has grown and matured into a wonderful young man, and I am certain there are big things in his future. Two weeks ago, Center Grove had their Senior Night festivities during the football game. Poor Marilyn was not feeling well, but we bundled up and made our way there to support Joshua and his wonderful parents as they walked the track with the other Senior band members. My darling Godmother, Aunt Ronna has been tearing up for a year in preparation of these milestones for her first born and now as a hormonal pregnant mother, I feel I better understand her emotions. We were so happy to share in this special night and look forward to other special nights this year.

Brown County

On a beautiful Saturday in early October we took the beautiful drive to Brown County State Park and Nashville, IN. The leaves were beautiful and the weather was perfect. It was a bit warmer, but it made for a wonderful day exploring the park and shops of Nashville.

Marilyn was thrilled to ride the pony. She brought her little Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) along for the trip and told her all about the fun they would have on the pony ride. As you can see, she was sure to give her a good lookout point atop the pony.

Being back at the Brown County stables reminded me of the yearly camping trips Kate and I made there with our Brenton Grandparents. We always had such a wonderful time camping and were treated to a trail ride with Grandpa & Grandma. Those will always remain one of my treasured memories, and I was happy to bring Marilyn to someplace I remember so fondly.

Marilyn and her wonderful Daddy

The Pumpkin Patch

We visited the Anderson Orchard Pumpkin Patch weeks ago but have been so slow about posting pictures. Yikes! Let's hope that the first trimester weariness is behind us now and we can stay up to date on sharing these great times.

We had the perfect conditions for a delightful day: mild weather, bright blue skies and an excited three year old. We had some delicious apple cider, carmel apples and treats.

In search of the perfect pumpkin

The pumpkin patch has little pumpkin tickets that you redeem when you pick out your pumpkin. Well, Marilyn thought it was a picture of the EXACT pumpkin we were supposed to find. The pictured pumpkin has eyes, a nose, mouth and a little curly tuft on top. She searched diligently through the field, scrunching down and examining all the pumpkins to find the one with a face. We ultimately convinced her that the we just needed to pick one, and we would make our own face on it.

We had a great day at the pumpkin patch, as it is always one of my favorite Fall outings.

Marilyn the Big Sister!

Marilyn is excited to announce that she will be a BIG SISTER!!!

The Easter Bunny will be bringing more than just eggs to the Smith residence in 2011. At just over 9 weeks along, we were surprised by this exciting news. We met with the doctor on Friday, and our due date is April 29 2011. We feel so blessed and pray for a healthy pregnancy and baby.

Aunt Kate & Uncle Brett surprised us with an adorable LL Bean bag for the newest Smith and two cute outfits and bibs. Aunt Ronna has also started another library with "Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What do You See".

When we told Marilyn she was going to be a big sister, she replied, "I am a sister- I have Zelda!" (our new cat) We decided 9 months is a long time to wait for a big surprise so we can let her realization grow over time. Once the crib takes the place of her toys in the spare room, Marilyn may start to understand that magic word of siblings... SHARE! We are so excited for this wonderful gift and look forward to April.