Our Trip to Kansas

In August Mom, Dad, Steph, Evan, Caden, James and I all piled into Steph's Suburban (Mommy's big car, as Evan calls it) and headed to Kansas for our cousin Kendra's wedding. We had plenty of diapers, books, movies, and snacks on hand. And of course, a fantastic sense of humor :) We did it in one long day on the way out and two on the way home. We stopped at rest stops along the way so Evan could play and Steph and I could feed the boys. We did diaper changes on the hatch of the Suburban, and once on the table at Wendy's. We sang songs and played games. Whoever sat in the middle seat interpreted between the driver and the people in the back. We got to go to a beautiful wedding and a great reception. We got to see lots of fun family members. We saw my aunt and uncle's new house and went to my cousin's house for dinner. We caught up on each other's lives. And I'm pretty sure my sister and I felt like we were having a slumber party each night. Even if it was interrupted by the newest men in our lives needing to eat and be rocked back to sleep. It was a long, hot trip, but one of my fondest summer memories :)
Mandy <><

Photos from Kansas

Caden was zonked

James had to wear long socks to sleep in because somebody (Steph) kept the room at subfreezing temperatures at night

Caden & James hanging out in our room

Steph decided James' eyebrows needed to look a little more dramatic

Kendra & Sam's Wedding

Dad blowing bubbles after the wedding

Evan enjoying them :)

Steph Styled James' hair for the event...

Isn't it cute?!

Kendra & Sam cutting the cake.

Steph & Evan

Cousin Charla feeding James

Alfalfa, and other funny pictures :)

Three Months Old!!

Sorry it took me so long to post these :)

Really, Could He Be Any Cuter?!

Mandy Smith: Poop Detective

For those of you with a weak stomach, you might want to skip this post. But if you're feeling brave, read on... Since I have become a mother, I feel as though I have a new title: Poop Detective. Before I had a baby, no one told me I would have to be on the look-out for appropriate colored poop. If it's yellow and seedy everything is going well, if it's green, he's not eating for long enough, if it's watery, he has diarrhea. So, every diaper change, I find myself inspecting my son's poop, making sure his output is consistent with his input. It's easy to drive myself crazy, wondering: "Is this the right shade of yellow? Is it too runny? Not runny enough? How green is green? How much do I need to worry if it is green?" And so on, and so forth. It's an amusing aspect to motherhood, one I didn't anticipate, and yet one I spend a lot of time doing. And as if that wasn't bad enough, I find poop in places I never would have suspected. I mean, really, how did he get it on his foot? Or that far up his back? Wait a minute, what's that on my finger...
Mandy <><