Settling in

Lance and I are finally feeling a little more settled in our new place in Gadsden.  It is starting to feel like home when we wake up in the morning and is starting to feel more like a reflex to turn into our driveway.  Yes, our list of to-dos grows each day but we are still loving it!
This past weekend, Grandma Darlene came for a visit.  We had been looking forward to spending a relaxing weekend with family and avoiding our to-do list.  We had a great time going around town and playing with Henry.  We enjoyed a delicious cup of coffee at The Coffee Mill downtown.  It is such a cute coffee shop and our drinks were delish!  We also visited the Cultural Arts Center to see the Gone With the Wind exhibit.  Henry was an angel...and Darlene and I loved seeing all the Scarlett memorabilia.  So much so that we made Lance get Gone with the Wind to watch that night..sorry Lance;) We also did a ton of shopping at the downtown boutiques. 

 Check out Henry's fabulous moose hat...thanks Grammy!

Look at these two grandmothers oohing and aahhing...are they in love or what?!?!

Savannah is still getting used to our new home.  I know she has been through so many changes in the last few months.  She is a trooper though and hasn't complained that much.  Henry is still so in love with her..and she is attempting to play with him more everyday!

Future best friends!

A little love....

Henry is getting used to the new house as well.

The weekend went by so fast! Darlene flew back Sunday and Lance and my dad headed to Birmingham for the carshow and lunch at FlipBurger...sad I missed it but enjoyed some quiet time at the house with my boy. 

Love that smile!

Still working on crawling forward...until then a backward scoot will have to do;)

Happy Fall!

First Halloween

Henry's first Halloween started with a few 'tricks' and ended with lots of 'treats'! In the morning, Henry had his first visit with Dr. Skelton, his new pediatrician.  That also meant..his six months shots..not so fun!  Henry cried a bit but was a trooper and stopped as soon as I picked him up.  He also got weighed...19 lbs 2 oz! Big boy!!

For his 'treat', Henry attended his first Halloween party and first social event in Gadsden! Our friends Amy and Jared hosted a fabulous get together for all the Gadsden kiddos at their beautiful home.  It was so much fun to catch up with old friends and meet some new families too! The kids all looked adorable and the Gladden home was decorated beautifully for halloween! Amy is such a fabulous hostess and thought of everything...including a bounce house for the older kids. 

How cute are these kiddos!!! 

We left a little early because Henry was exhausted from the day.  It was so fun to see all the trick-or-treaters in Gadsden.  Many families take their kids around in golf carts from door to door.  Lance and I joke that if you move to Gadsden...you must buy a golf cart and a tuxedo.  When in Rome...right?!?!?! We stopped by Grandma's house for a couple of pics..but most were of sleepy pooh!

Happy Halloween!

Happy fall from our little pumpkin

Lance and I took a much needed break from unpacking and headed to Norris Farms outside of Gadsden to pick some pumpkins.  I know its a little late but we've been a bit preoccupied. It was a lot of fun although the patch had been picked through already.  We did manage to find a couple of fun pumpkins and took some cute pics of Henry.  He would barely look up at the camera because of all the new textures he was playing with.

Lance picked the perfect little pumpkin;)

Having fun playing in the straw!

Loving to get his hands dirty in the pumkin patch.

Happy Fall!

Six months old

I can't believe Henry is already six months old!  I mean..that's half a YEAR old.  I can't imagine life flying by any faster.  He is such a sweet baby and Lance and I are having so much fun with him.  He now weighs 18 pounds and is wearing 9 months clothing. 

The last few days have been interesting because Henry is getting used to his new surroundings in the new home and teething.  Poor little guy is not feeling that awesome and that little tooth is definitely making its way in. On his six month birthday, Grandma Ghafary brought over a cake to celebrate.  Henry of course didn't get to taste it but he definitely loved playing in the icing and looking at his first candle.  Don't you just love Grandmas!

Henry is still scooting backwards and we he has held his own bottle a couple of times.  He is still enjoying his veggies and we have not introduced fruits yet.  He still loves Savannah and he babbles the most when she is around. Overall he is a pretty laid back dude and aside from the current teething issues...he is a great baby!

 On Monday, we will take Henry to meet his new pediatrician Dr. Skelton.  Dr. Skelton was my doc when I was growing up and his family has remained dear friends.  It will be so special to have Henry grow up in the same pedo practice.  We will also celebrate Henry's first Halloween...fun times ahead!

Moving day

I think it's an understatement when I say we have been busy.  I consider myself a pretty organized person but the last 4 weeks have been the most unorganized, crazy times of my life.  In the last month we have decided to move to Gadsden, found a house, closed on a house, moved to Gadsden, put our Birmingham home up for sale, and had Henry's baptism, all while trying to maintain some sort of stability for little Henry. I am happy to say that our crazy lives are slowing down a tiny bit now that we have moved into our new home.

Baby Henry helping us pack!

Moving day was very hectic! We hired New Latitude moving company and they were fabulous.  We closed on the house last monday and moved in Friday.  In between, we took six car loads of "breakables" to Gadsden.  On moving day two 24 foot trucks moved us to Gadsden and we still have lamps and paintings in Birmingham!! I have no idea how we have collected that much stuff in six years but it is what it is.

Unpacking all his toys in his new room.

Exploring his new home...if only he would crawl forwards;)

I am happy to say that nothing precious was damaged or broken during our move.  Lance's mom stayed with us for the weekend to help us and take care of Henry while we tried to get stuff done.  And my parents brought us dinner every night since we were basically living out of boxes.  When the movers were finished we started unpacking right away and are 75% settled.  There are still boxes scattered about the house but they are all in the right rooms and the important stuff is accessible.

Does this need a caption?

On Sunday, I helped host a baby shower for my dear friend Kate.  Baby Xavier is due in a month and we are so excited to meet the newest baby boy in Gadsden! And BOY are there are a lot of baby boys here. It was so much fun to catch up with friends at the shower and take a break from all the unpacking! Everyone in Gadsden has been so welcoming and supportive during our move, making us even more sure of our decision to live here.  And Baby Henry is settling in his new room wonderfully!

Letter from the man

One of the gifts that Henry received from his Godmother Shelley is a special letter from a special man.  Henry was born the week of the bad tornados in April.  He was less than 36 hours old when we hid in the halls of St. Vincent's during all the tornado warnings of the day.  Most people know that I have a slight obsession with the weather and have been a James Spann fan since I was in elementary school.  James has been OUR weather man since I was little and no weather outbreak is complete without watching him on ABC as he guides us to safety.  Shelley knows and shares my obsession and wrote James when we asked her to be Henry's godmother.  Below is the letter from Shelley to James and the response from James to Henry.  Such a sweet gesture.  We love you James and Shelley!

James,

This is a rather strange request but would mean the world to family friends of mine.  My Godson was born at St. Vincents on April 25, 2011.  The little guy (Henry) sure knew how to make an entrance.  My dear friend Julie Smith (Henry's Mom) follows your forecasts and your blog closely.  She is a dentist but I am pretty sure she was meant to be a meteorologist.  She uses meteorology terms such as hook echo when speaking about weather events.  Her husband, Lance Smith, and I laugh that it was a good thing she was on morphine when the tornado went through because otherwise, I think she would have had a panic attack.
The day of the tornadoes the Smiths sat at St. Vincents, and Henry was less than 36 hours old. I stayed on the phone with them while they were in the hallway and the storm was approaching.  I literally paced back and forth.  They were kept safely in an interior roomwithout being able to see out the windows or a tv. I am SO thankful for their safety.  I know many were not as lucky.
 I have the honor of being the Godmother and want to do something special for them (and Henry) for his Baptism.  They were never able to see the live video coverage because they were in the hallways so I have your newscast (which I DVRd) put on a DVD for Henry and his parents.  I know it would mean a lot if you could write a note or message I can include with the gift.  However is easiest for you....you can respond by email or mail.  My address is below.  Henry Smith is the baby and Lance and Julie Smith are the parents.  Being a proud Godparent, I have included a picture. :)
Thank you for your time and even reading this.  I know you are a busy man.  Know there are many of us out there who are grateful for what you do!
                                                            Shelley

Hi Henry....
There is a good chance you won't know me when you read this, but I was a TV meteorologist in Birmingham when you were born in 2011. I wanted you to know that you came into the world two days before the greatest tornado outbreak in Alabama's history. We call it a generational tornado event because for most of us it will only happen once in our lifetime. In one day, April 27, 2011, we had 63 tornadoes that did lots of damage and caused many heartaches in Alabama. You will be able to tell your children, and your grandchildren you were alive on that day, and they probably won't believe you.
God was watching over you and your family when you were less than two days old and still in the hospital. A very violent tornado was within 15 miles of the hospital, but there was no damage where you were, and your family was safe. Some were called home to heaven that day, but you were left here. So, that means God will do great things through you. You will have special gifts and can do things nobody else can do. Just honor God in everything you do and you will have a great life.
God Bless!

___________________________________
James Spann, CBM
ABC 33/40

Henry's Baptism

On October 15th, we celebrated the sacrament of baptism at St. Paul's in Birmingham.  It was such a special day for our family and we will remember it forever.  Henry's Godmother is our dear friend Shelley and his Godfather is my dad's cousin Buddy.  Each of them are so important to our family and Henry is so blessed to have them in his life.

Henry's Godfather Buddy and Godmother Shelley

Monsignor Rohling, who also married us in Gadsden six years ago, came to the Cathedral to baptize Henry.  Our friend, Bishop Knox also blessed Henry during the ceremony. 

Henry looked beautiful in his gown and acted like an angel the entire time.  I will have to say that our little guy got a bit heavy by the end of the ceremony.

We had a private ceremony and the Cathedral looked especially beautiful that day.  Monsignor Rohling also added a special touch when we all walked to the front of the church and laid Henry on the alter to be dedicated.

The sweet baptismal cloth was given to Henry by his Godmother Shelley

After the ceremony, we had cocktails and lunch at The Club and enjoyed a delicious cake from Dreamcakes.

Henry enjoyed opening all his beautiful gifts and spending time with all the guests that came.  We felt so blessed to celebrate such a special event for our family!

Beautiful view at The Club

Henry's girlfriend Tallie and her sweet mommy Ann

 When we got home, we took a short nap and started packing for our big move.  That's right, Lance and I have moved...to Gadsden! We are so excited about our move although leaving Birmingham and all our sweet friends is bitter sweet.  We have been in Birmingham since college so that makes about 11 years of living in the Ham.  We are already moved into our new home and I will update the blog soon about all this but for now..that's what's new with us:)