9 Months Old!!!

It hardly seems possible, but Austin is now 9 months old! Where does the time go? We had a 9 month check-up on Tuesday and he weighed in at a healthy 20 lbs. and has grown to a length of 28 inches. He is turning into 1 big boy!

Austin is almost walking...we're just not quite there yet. He's still cruising around any piece of furniture he can reach and is now taking 3-4 steps from Daddy to Mommy and back again. He has been shaking his head (as if to say no), but last week he started doing it when someone else does it. And, to add to that - this week he hit yet another milestone. Austin will now wave "bye-bye!" Our little guy is turning into 1 very grown up little guy!

The Clothes in the Dryer Go Round and Round...

Austin had a ton of fun last night. He crawled over to the dryer, climbed up, and watched as the clothes tumbled around inside. Daddy laughed and said, "Like mother, like son" and I had to correct him. I told him that I only did that when they were brand new - kinda like getting a new toy. Austin has done that several times and even likes sitting in the dryer (of course, with the door open) while it has warm clothes inside. What a kiddo!

A Special Message from Austin...

vdxhgf v n, mg h cvv ngf g d t,t5mrjh nnm4f f th nln n m


*You can't tell from this (the computer took out the spaces), but he really likes the spacebar!

Rub a dub, dub...three duckies in a tub.

Wait, make that 2 rubber duckies and one, very happy, splashin' little boy! All this time, Austin has been much more fond of taking showers with Daddy than taking baths and splashing. That all changed last week. Adam was gone for County Commissioner Training and Austin and I spent three days and two nights at home without him.

It was nearing bath -n- bed time Wednesday evening, when I got him in the tub to begin his nightly wind-down routine. Usually, he'll raise his arms to be picked up (this happens fairly frequently), but not this time. I attempted to pick him up several times, but he was much more interested in playing with his duckies than he was at getting out of the bath tub, dried off, and into some cozy jammies. What a little quacker! He was finally done splashin around about 10 minutes later.

On the Move...in more than one way!

Move #1: I arrived home from work on Tuesday to be asked a question by Adam. "Do you want the good news or the bad news?" When married to a rancher, this is never a good sign - and so I must have looked a little like a deer caught in the blinding glare of someone's headlights. As I stammered to say "What?" Adam chimed in, "Well, the bad news is that you weren't here to see it, but the good news is that Austin crawled today!"

"He did?" were the next words out of my mouth. As we visited a little more, I found that he had crawled a few feet and then stopped near the couch. Quickly after, Adam put him back on the floor, in hopes that he would do it again. No such luck! This little kiddo is definetly on his on own scheudle. I just can't wait to see it and get it on camera!!!

Move #2: Just to let you all know, we'll soon be moving to a new address. We'll be moving out of town (YAY!) and out to the ranch! Please pray for us that we are able to keep our sanity together and our tempers mild as moving often brings on a little stress. We are looking forward to lots of crawling and running space for Austin and lots of bunnies for Trapper to chase. As of next week, our new address will be:

1960 Road 3

Weskan

We'll be sure to keep updating Austin's crawling status and add moving pictures as we have time!

Austin's First Christmas Travelling Adventure!

Austin's 1st Christmas sure was an eventful and exciting one! We enjoyed Christmas with Adam's Mom & Steve, Kim, Kayla & Ethan (shown above) the Saturday morning, before Christmas. Austin got to play in his new walker and enjoyed getting his bottle from Great Grandma Smith.

That evening, we were able to celebrate with Adam's Dad & Cathy before our big Indiana trip. He got lots of great toys and even better...lots more attention! It seems that Austin was already very spoiled before we even got to see my family.

On the 22nd, we headed for the airport in Kansas City, with Grandma & Austin (and all of his stuff) in tow. After a not so short delay and an hour of sitting on the plane, we were off the ground in KC and on our way to Indiana...or so we hoped. During our delay in KC, we had heard that Indiana was getting pounded with a nasty ice storm. Thus, there was no guarantee that we would make it to Mom & Dad's once we landed in Minneapolis. We just had to sit back and wait - or sleep, as Austin did. What a great boy. He slept almost the entire flight and showed no signs of difficulty with the altitude.

An hour or so later, we arrived in Minnesota to find out that our flight to Indy was right on time. Within an hour, we boarded and Austin fell asleep and slept all of the way. Boy, were we truly blessed. Unfortunately, the ride home to Mom & Dad's didn't go as smoothly! The normally 2 hour trip turned into 5.5 and at a drowsy 3:30 AM, we finally arrived at the Snipes Bed & Breakfast.

We remained at my parents' home for Chrismtas Day and enjoyed seeing lots of family and a new cousin, whom we hadn't seen yet! The kids sure all had fun playing and taking in all the lights and decorations.

All in all, Austin celebrated at 6 different gatherings and had a fantastic holiday! We hope yours was joyous and that you were able to enjoy visiting with your family and friends!

Best wishes for a Happy and Blessed New Year!

Lots of Love, The Smiths
Adam, Christine, & Austin