Happy Birthday Grandma!

Sunday, March 29th, 2009

Happy Birthday Claudia!

Yesterday was Claudia's birthday. Her best present was having baby John blessed on her birthday.

Jonathan and Merry Watt, the proud parents.


Ivy wasn't too sure about this little baby getting all her mom's attention. Just you wait my love, only 18 more weeks until your baby brother comes!
I'm always nervous to have my cakes get eaten, you can't really taste test it before serving it up...so I can only judge it's goodness by how fast it gets eaten. This one did...ok.
We loved celebrating Grandma's 55th birthday with her and lots of the cousins. Claudia is one of the best examples I know. She deals with many hardships, but you would never know it by how positive and fun she is. I've also never seen someone so talented at "turning the other cheek," but maybe it's because unfortunately she has had lots of experience with having to do just that. She is such a wonderful person and I'm so happy that my kids get to have her as their grandma forever. I'm also especially glad to have her as my mother-in-law. She is a very nonjudgmental and forgiving person, and loves her 23rd grandchild as though she was her first. Who can say all that about their mother-in-law? Now if only I actually wrote all this in her card...

Okay, it's been a while, so sorry for all the pictures. This is what we've been up to for the past few weeks:

Gloria at Wendy's first birthday party. Wendy turned one on St. Patrick's day. The pictures go backward, so we just went to this party today.

Our newest addition to the Smith family, Ivy's cousin, John. He was born on February 27th and I got to be there for his birth. It was one of the most thrilling things I've ever experienced, mostly because I wasn't the one having the baby.

All the kids at Wendy's party.

Baby John again, he is so perfect and has the cutest little mohawk.

The birthday girl!

I finally got a shot of Ivy's silly teeth, sorry about the yucky nose.

I just had to throw in a pretty picture after that crazy one

This was at my niece, Heather's, birthday lunch

William's brother, Carl, is working on his Eagle project at Camp Nauvoo, so here it is in progress

A few weeks ago we took a little family trip to Coloma

In case anyone forgot I was pregnant...

William has work! The crew started on this 5000 sq.ft. house in Granite Bay recently and it's on the same street where Bobby Jackson lives.

Our mini daffodil hill on Pleasant Street

The real daffodil hill. We went on the first day it opened. I love this stubby little body standing up so big.

My little Humpty Dumpty

This is when I realized I, along with Ivy, do not have any eyebrows. I've since bought an eyebrow pencil. I'll give her some time though.

Ivy was a little scared, I loved how she threw her hands back

Sutter Creek on the way to Daffodil Hill

My dad met us there on his way to Merced

Ivy on her 11 month birthday

Playing the drums with Uncle Buck

I love the springtime

Ivy has too much fun at the Abrahamson's

Ivy has discovered that she loves to climb stairs

Ivy on her fun new toy from Aidan and Brooke

Here are some random recent pictures

Watch out, Ivy's a vampire, and she definitely knows how to use those fangs.

Ivy with cousin Gloria

Twins!

Just thought I'd add this. William and his dad built this for a family who bought the last house they built. They loved it, and are having 2 more smaller ones built too. It's quite grand.

Yes, it has been a while. I'm quite lazy with this as you can see, so here are some pictures from Christmas.

Nonna and Papa with Ivy, Audrey, and Anthony

In case you can't tell what's going on, Ivy is clearly baby Jesus in our little Nativity with the Smiths, and her cute cousin, Bella, was Mary

All the cousins got cute little piggy banks from Aunt Suzi and Uncle Rustin. That's Dolly's little cutie, Teddy, with Amy (she made that sweet hairclip she's wearing, I was quite jealous)

Ivy on Christmas morning! She got some fancy clothes and was so excited about them.

It was lots of fun to spend so much time with our Minnesotans, and all the kids had one big thing in common...eating food and wanting more food. Seriously, these kids acted like they were starving, even though they ate all day.

Time for a bigger house...or a minivan.

Guess what?! Ivy is going to be a big sister! It's okay to be shocked, we are, but we're really excited, except I was NOT ready to be sick again this soon. So I think I'm due around August 1st, but I actually haven't been to the doctor yet, so I don't know for sure. Well, this is my second Christmas in a row that I'm pregnant...weird. I guess I fit right in to the Smith family.