Farewell 2013... Hello New Year

A year in review, what a year it has been!  This year was extra special because our sweet little Hollyn arrived happy and healthy on July 8th.  Colton changed from a wobbly little toddler who knew a few words to an agile, strong, inquisitive, talkative little boy.  Gone are the signs for more "mo mo" and simple words like hi, Mama, Dada, please...he now speaks in toddler sentences:
Mama, Dada where are you? (this what I hear every morning when I wake up)
I did it!
Me drivin' car
No Dada, no stop
Why?... Because...
What's (wuz) that sound?
I see moon, more moon please (Colton thinking I have the power to create another moon in the sky - can this innocence last forever?)
Baby sister (seester), I see you.


Gone are the chubby legs and squishy belly.  Now Colton is fast and sturdy on his feet.  He can run, jump, spin, dance and wear all of us out very quickly. Hollyn has made our little corner of the world feel more complete than we could have imagined.  She went from a newborn to a happy, engaging infant who recognizes her family with a huge smile.  The way her eyes follow Colton around the room tells us she idolizes her big brother.

Hollyn's arrival gave me a wonderful four month leave from work, time I will always cherish.  The days were hectic but I think back to moments where time stood still and the world seemed like a simple place. Beyond a daughter, 2013 brought Jason the home bar, gym, and theater of his dreams.  This was not without Jason painstakingly routing every wire and laying every piece of tile, and me spending hours orchestrating this crazy project.  In the end, having this new family space has been worth it.  Jason relaxes here, Colton burns his toddler energy and I can workout at home. 


So what's ahead for 2014?  I don't really have it all planned out (shocking, I know).  We we will focused on creating fun memories, cherishing moments with our ever changing kids and continue to be thankful for the life we have together.  Cheers to the year ahead!

Oh, and a New Year's resolution -- yours truly will try to limit multi-tasking.  I'm not sure if this is entirely possible, but maybe I'll aim for doing two things at once as opposed to ten.  

Colton spent NYE at CC & Papa's - he wore his special glass straight from Times Square

Hollyn joined us for NYE at the Van Deusens

Cheers...seconds before midnight

Hollyn was asleep and woke up just in time to watch (literally) the ball drop

Christmas Artwork

What happens when you have too many picture-taking devices?  You completely lose track of adorable messy painting pictures.  With some effort, Jason tracked these down on a SD card floating amongst his cameras.

Elizabeth spent a Sunday with us while Laura & Jon braved the cold at a Bills game.  Of course I had to come up with some sort of activity -- let's paint and make snowflake handprints on canvas for Christmas gifts.

Trouble & Trouble getting started!

Oh, pretty neat so far

Again, I was impressed with their technique

Where things started to go down hill... who wouldn't want a yellow hand?

Or a blue hand?

Blue & Yellow hand?

Green hand?

A very focused painter -- I think Elizabeth would have kept going but once her hand and arm were covered, I decided it was time to clean up.

Hollyn is just puzzled by all of this

Rolling

It has been a busy week for Hollyn... sitting, food and now rolling over.  She rolled belly to back quite some time ago but now she can maneuver her arm and go from back to belly.  She repeats and repeats until she has moved across the floor.  Gone are the days of Hollyn staying in one place.

I did it - this is moments after the first roll!

Eleven Smiths + a Brown

We had a post-Christmas family get together at our house with Yamma, Bob Bob, Steve, Amy, Chris, Taylor, Jackson, and Lauren (the one Brown in attendance).

The kids had a blast and played with nearly every toy in the house.  It was great to catch up and spend extra time with Lauren before she headed to Oklahoma and back to North Carolina.

Chris got his hands on some of Colton's favorites

Cookies & Chocolate Milk CMS & CMS have lots in common.

 There must be something exciting on the TV

Colton was happy to share his toys but would not let go of his guitar 

Jammin' for everyone

First food

Is it really time for Hollyn to have food?  Where have the past 5 1/2 months gone?  Our little lady was a trooper with her first meal.  She wore her Vera bib from Mimi & G to mark the occasion.

A little clip of all the action (this is her 2nd meal)

Surprisingly more went in than came out = baby food success!

Christmas Part II

After leaving Yamma and Bob Bob's we headed home and the kids took a nap while Jason put the Cozy Truck together.  Then our Christmas celebration continued at our house.

A family picture, not perfect but we are all looking

Hollyn is happy in her little corderoy dress

She kept trying to steal tulips from the vase behind her

Since it is her first Christmas - Hollyn commenced opening gifts before anyone else

Awake from his nap and all dressed up

The chaos of Christmas

A big surprise from Aunt Laura and Uncle Jon
Colton's wheel barrel is officially nicer than Jason's

Colton's guitar (ukelele) from CC & Papa is a hit!

Jamming to the Christmas carols

Another CC & Papa gift...
The magic of a music box

Colton's version of a Drive-in Movie

Manning the bar

Hollyn decided to hang out with the boys

She loves her Papa

CC & Papa with their favorite people

The Vesneske Clan

CC with all of her girls

Hollyn with her Godfather to be

Merry Christmas everyone!

No better way to end the day than with a cookie