Seventeen years ago

Seventeen years ago, on February 7th Ryan Edward Smith proposed that we get married forever.  He popped the question at the Renaissance Festival in Tucson, Arizona.  The festival has lots of plays and renaissance games and delicious renaissance food (like if you lived in the renaissance, but were rich:~) Ryan arranged for us to be worked into one of the acts.  Because I don't guess the ending to movies, I was truly surprised when it happened.  I of course said "yes." We have the whole romantic scene on VHS, and every year I plan to transfer it to digital.  I still haven't done it yet.  That began the longest four months of my life, waiting to have a handsome husband and to begin my adventure as a his trophy wife. So it goes.  If my 19 year old self (yikes, yes I was 19!) would have known that in 17 years I would be pregnant with our 6th child (5th son) I don't think I would have believed it.  Saying yes that cloudy Saturday was one of the best decisions I have ever made.  My plan is to make it here on earth to our 75th anniversary, and we only have 58 1/2 more years to go,  (Ryan has always claimed that he doesn't really want to live to 97 years old, but I'm still working on him.)

Owen Ryan Wallace Smith now has one less tooth in his head.

He even pulled it out all by himself. It was so loose it didn't even bleed, and like a shark, his replacement was ready to go.

The ladies in my fabulous extended family gathered at my Aunts house to 

party, celebrate family, welcome my 6th child to the world. Our numbers were few, but our bellies were filled and so was my heart.  10 points to my Aunts and cousins.  I propose a monthly lunch gathering.

Super fun party idea: sharpies and white one-sies.  

As any mom already knows, at first, a baby's favorite thing to do is blow out her/his shorts.

We change the clothes on a baby all the time because its both fun, and entirely necessary.

I thought this one-sie was super classy.