Video of Noah's Solo in Christmas Program

More Pictures from the North Pole

"Mom, Dad, why do you guys look sick to your stomachs???" Gee, I wonder!

You are on your own with that spinning ride, Noah! Have fun!

Annual Trip to the North Pole

Every year, I drag the family up to the North Pole--Ryan always tells the kids that they are helping to "amuse Mommy". But secretly, he loves every minute of it too (I think the comment after our first visit with Noah in 2006 was "That's the best day I've ever had of being a dad!")For those of you who have no idea what I am referring to, Colorado Springs has this kid's Christmas amusement park complete with rides, visits to Santa, and of course, hot chocolate. It been around for over 50 years--I remember going a few times as a kid! Ryleigh and Noah had a blast riding every attraction they could in five hours--they were so exhausted near the end of the day that Ryleigh laid back in the stroller and said she wanted to just rest for a few minutes before riding again! The visit to Santa was a bit of a bust though as we waited 30 minutes only to have both kids walk in his house, say, " I want sunglasses, please!", and walk away in less than ten seconds! Neither one would sit on his lap this year, but they were sure to state their wants (at least, they said please)! Jakie stayed home with Grandma because you have to be at least (or should I say only) ONE YEAR old to ride these rides.

A Star is Born . . .

Who's that cutie in the back row?????!!!

The proud sister!!
The best of buddies!!!

Noah had his first preschool Christmas program last night. It was almost a tear-jerker for Mommy and Daddy as he was picked to sing the SOLO for the program! I guess he is just following in the footsteps of his Gnepper relatives (Ryan's mom's family) who are now infamous for their musical talent all the way back through at least four generations! We were so proud of him standing there with the microphone clutched in both hands, singing with all of his little heart! Afterwards, Ryleigh ran up to him, gave him a big bear hug, and said, "You did awesome, buddy!!"

A Day at the Children's Museum

The kids had a great time with their cousins at the Children's Museum in Denver, playing basketball, grocery shopping, playing vet, and acting like little animals in a forest. What a great place! They played for five straight hours and as you can see, it was enough to completely wear them out for the ride home (a miracle for the Smith kids)!!

Christmas Parade in Estes Park

I took the kids to the annual Christmas lights parade in Estes Park with my mom, Uncle Joel , Aunt Mel and their boys, Colton and Maddox. Noah screamed excitedly about EVERY float, entertaining the entire block. Ryleigh didn't feel too well, but was still her sweet little self, quietly telling all of the people on the floats, "Merry Christmas!!" The kids both liked the last float with Santa on it--Noah wanted to run up and tell him that he wants sunglasses for Christmas.

Jakie's First Thanksgiving

Here is a picture of Jacob during his first Thankgiving dinner!

Colorado Avalanche Game

Ryan got FREE tickets to the Avs hockey game on Wednesday night, and we went with Jakie! Not bad, being only 3 1/2 months old at your first professional sporting event! Our tickets were in the SEVENTH row--wow, we don't even really get into hockey but anything with seats that close is pretty cool. Jakie was a hit in his little bear snow suit, drawing smiles from young and old alike. Or maybe it was his good-looking, incredibly cool parents????!!! :)

Santa's Message

Looks like the unbelievable miracle has occured....Noah seems to have made it on Santa's "Nice" list this Christmas after all. No lumps of coal from Belsnickle! Ryleigh barely sneaked on to the list as well.

Check out http://family.go.com/santas-list/video/13470-smithry42/ and http://family.go.com/santas-list/video/13481-smithry42/

The Third Kid's "Nursery"

With Noah, I labored over decorating the perfect nursery for his new home. New paint, bedding set, pictures, stuffed bears, furniture, his name in letters, the works! Then, Ryleigh came along and inherited the same nursery, but we exchanged the bears for some dolls and angel pictures and got her name in letters too. Jakie . . . well, he gets his name in letters and some hand-me-down bears, but his "nursery" is in the hallway!!! What can you do???!!! We plan to eventually move him in with Ryleigh for a while until he is out of a crib, but for now, we are afraid she'll climb in bed with him and crush him!

My First Shoes

Jacob wore his first pair of shoes last week--I couldn't resist taking a picture of those cute little feet! He also found his hands and often sits there clutching them together like he is plotting something!

Big Brother and Big Sister

The kids love to sit by Jakie in Ryleigh's little blue chair. They beg me to take pictures of them and then want to see themselves in the camera viewer, always exclaiming, "How cute!!!"

Mommy's Jakie and Daddy's Jakie

Daddy's Jakie!!!!

Mommy's Jakie!!!

In honor of tonight's matchup between the Denver Broncos and the Cleveland Browns, Jakie sported his best clothes to make BOTH Daddy and Mommy happy!!!

The Annual Trip to Harvest Farm

The kids enjoyed a hayride, the corn maze, the corn box and petting the animals. I think Ryleigh's favorite part was the hot chocolate and kettle corn by the campfire! It sure was cold!!

Jakie Continues to Grow BIG!!

Jakie is getting even bigger these days and loves smiling at himself in the mirror. His little coos are so cute, and the other kids still continue to smother him with their love and attention, sometimes until he cries!!

A Visit from "Uncle" Colby and "Aunt" Rachel

Ryan's buddy from Florida and his wife came for a long weekend to visit with us and the kids. Our kids were their charming selves and sure loved being with their "uncle" and "aunt"! We spent some time at the corn maze/pumpkin patch, the guys went fishing (and caught nothing!) and we took them up to Estes for a close glimpse of the Rockies. We also watched the Buckeyes and Penn State, but we aren't talking about that!

Jakie is TWO MONTHS old already!

Time sure flies--Jacob was two months old on Sunday, and he is already starting to lose some of that "blob" status of a newborn. He has actually been smiling for a couple of weeks now and seems to be showing some hints of personality. He is really interested in looking at everything around him, especially our faces. His brother and sister are absolutely enamored with him. I can hardly keep them from kissing him every minute of the day. When Noah wakes up, the first thing he wants to know is "where is Jakie??" I have to hide him in our bed or the pack and play if I want him to be able to keep sleeping!

More Visitors to Colorado

Uncle Jason, Aunt Mandi and Cousin Audrey came to meet the newest little Smith a few weeks ago. We went to a pumpkin patch/corn maze, up to Estes Park, and watched some great football! It was a fun but short weekend!