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Happy Birthday to you!

Bailey is one! Where has the time gone? It is definitely true what people say - time really does fly by...especially that first year. I also feel like it flew by even more with all the medical drama we went through. 

But I wouldn't change anything (well, maybe the whole ICU/sepsis/almost dying thing) since we got 

Miss Bailey O'Quinn Smith out of it. 

We were lucky enough to have a family party up in Idaho last week for her where her cousins sang, danced, and played songs all for her. She wasn't quite sure what to do with the cake we gave her, but definitely enjoyed all the attention. It has been an amazing year full of laughs. While I am little more tired these days I am so grateful to finally have Bailey. Trevor and I waited a long time, but since she is practically perfect in every way - it was well worth the wait. 

We love you Bailey! Happy Birthday! 

November 29, 2011 - 5 lbs 14oz ; 18.5 in

November 29, 2012 - 22 lbs 2 oz ; 29.5 in

Family Photo

Ladybug themed birthday party

She had a great time!

She didn't quite know what to do with the cake...

...but she figured it out

Don't worry, we went out for ice cream on her actual birthday

Gobble, Gobble...

We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! 

We had an adventure up in Idaho with all Granat kids and cousins together for the first time ever. I don't think all the Granat siblings had been together for at least 3 years. It was fun and really loud. But what do you expect?! 

There was lots of food and, if I am not mistaken, 13 pies. The weather was great and even enabled us to take family pictures for the first time in probably 6+ years. Bailey also learned how to climb stairs with the "help" and encouragement of several of her cousins. Thanks so much kids. :-) So the final baby gate went up as soon as we got home at the bottom of our stairs. She can still climb, just while under supervision. 

Bailey is all over the place and is on the cusp of walking (if she could just figure out the whole "balance" thing). She continues to be one of the happiest, easiest and funniest kids around. I am not biased...just honest. 

Happy almost Birthday Miss Bailey! We are so thankful you finally joined our family a year ago!

"Look what I can do!"

Just chillin'

Happy Thanksgiving Girl

Sisters!

Granat Fam 2012

Thanksgiving Miracle: All 15 grandkids posing perfectly!

What a bunch of goofs

"This is Halloween, This is Halloween..."

Well, it was a successful, fun, and cute first Halloween for Miss Bailey. She was so excited to be Princess (Bai)Leia. She wasn't smiling a lot that night, but she was probably just taking her job to defend and lead the rebels very seriously. Ha! We started with a party at church and a trunk or treat - which I am not a huge fan of, but it was the day before Halloween, so it was just another opportunity to show off the Smith family and its fabulous attire... well, mostly Bailey and Trevor, I apparently waited too long figuring out my costume and it was not nearly as impressive at Trevor's Captain Mal. So we were a family of geek chic - at least that is what I am going with. Trevor and I were characters from a brilliant but cancelled-too-soon television series called "Firefly". On Halloween we trick or treated at a couple of houses and then headed home so we could treat the neighborhood kids. I think we may have even watched a scary movie or two. 

We went to Idaho for a few days last week and had a fun time with Grammy. Bailey loves all the open space and carpet at the Granat house. She is standing and pulling herself up everywhere. She doesn't seem to be a fan of snow - as she put her hand on some snow and immediately burst into tears... must be the Arizona side of Trevor coming out in her. I personally love the snow, at least watching it from the comfort of my warm house with nowhere to go. We are getting excited for family Thanksgiving fun and Bailey's first birthday. Just a few weeks away - which is crazy, but I love it. Bailey is phenomenal and super fun and we truly are thankful for her everyday. 

Be thankful for the big and small stuff. 

Happy Holidays!

Happy Halloween from Captain Mal, Inara, and (Bai)Leia!

Closeup of (Bai)Leia

Bailey-Boo

Even her passifier is Halloween-y

Stay classy!

Sometimes we just stare at each other all day.

Thriller Night...

“You hear the door slam and realize there's nowhere left to run -

You feel the cold hand and wonder if you'll ever see the sun…”

It’s been a thriller of a few weeks in the Smith Household. We spent some time with Trevor’s parents again as they descended to the City of Salt for conference weekend and to attend Trevor’s cousin’s wedding. A grand time was had by all. Bailey enjoyed all the attention and it is a shame she is such an underprivileged, unwanted child who never gets any attention normally. Ha! Seriously it was pretty fabulous and helped remind me what is important in life.

Trevor is currently on the hunt for a new job as he joined the ranks of the unemployed last month. All will be well and I am sure that he will get a new job where he is happy and can excel. But, in the meantime we would appreciate happy thoughts and prayers sent out way. I was also fortunate to head up  to Idaho for about a week with my sister, McKenna, where we helped my mom remodel her bedroom while my dad was out of town for work. Welcome new large screen television and cable and even more importantly a second DVR. Sorry dad, but you are very welcome mom.

The weather is changing and we had probably the last nice weekend before the snow and cold descend to this mountainous desert. We took Bailey to Wheeler Farm and saw all the animals and were able to take the absolutely necessary (yes Trevor) picture of her among the pumpkins and hay. She loved it – we all did. So that is what has been happening in Smithtown – we will be in touch soon with some fabulous Halloween pictures. Get excited for Princess BaiLeia, Captain Malcolm Reynolds and Inara. Happy Halloween!

“Cause this is thriller, thriller night -

And no one's gonna save you from the beast about strike.

You know it's thriller, thriller night…..”

Cutest...Baby...Ever!

Bailey thought the debates were hilarious!

Movin and Groovin at Grammys.

Beautiful afternoon at Wheeler Farm.

Happy Halloween!

“Let’s give ‘em something to talk about….”

The gift of gab has always been a truly endearing trait of mine – right? Well that Bailey wants to be just like me apparently. She is talking - a lot, and while I am the only one who can translate her supposed baby-babble she is getting closer and closer to saying ‘dada’ and ‘mama’ everyday. She also now has 7 teeth and even though I feared and dreaded it; she is crawling. She is so fast and she is everywhere. Baby gates are up and our house has officially been claimed by Miss Bailey and her toys.  We love it and are embracing the madness –mostly. :-)

We have had a great last few weeks. We went to Idaho for my nephew’s baby blessing and got to spend time with family. I am not sure if Trevor enjoyed the mini road trip with McKenna and her kids from Logan to Idaho Falls, but I was thoroughly entertained ("Rumor has it"). Great food and fun was had by all – even with the fun car issues the morning we tried to head back home. After a short trip to Sears Auto Center, we were able to head back home. 

 Trevor went to Sacramento this past week for work and was gone for a few nights. Bailey obviously missed him and so did I. We celebrated his return by attending the annual patient picnic for the Utah Center of Reproductive Medicine (UCRM). It was pretty fun albeit a bit awkward. No one knew each other, but the kids running around are the result of miracles, faith, and the great work of the doctors, nurses and other staff members. It was pretty funny - we have never seen so many sets of twins (and a couple sets oftriplets) in one place ever.  We saw our doctors and nurses that helped us get our Bailey and while I almost cried, I kept it together and had fun talking with them and showing off our pretty lady.They were happy to see us all, especially with all the drama-rama that we experienced after Bailey’s arrival. We received another updated statement from the hospital and we are now up to $678,000+. Trevor is getting a little worried that we are going to get a huge bill, but I think all will be well. So think happy thoughts for us and our bank account. :-) 

We are definitely ready for fall and cooler weather in Smithtown. We are also getting excited for Bailey's first Halloween - Should be a good time. Have a great rest of September party people. 

The King Tut exhibit at the Idaho Falls Museum

Sleeping Beauty

Friends or Foes?

So many options...

UCRM Picnic - with Mommy

UCRM Picnic - with Daddy

“And She’ll Have Fun, Fun Fun…..”

It’s that time of year again where I am so happy that summer is ending because I am not a fan of the hot weather. It also means ‘Back to School’ for many, and for our household… the start of the football season. Trevor has managed to get NFL Sunday ticket for free again this year which makes the entire Smith household giddy with anticipation. (I have a feeling that Bailey and I will spend a lot of time upstairs on Sunday’s). Actually, my sister McKenna and I are playing fantasy football this year in one of Trevor’s leagues. Our strategy during the draft was to choose players with fun names and/or who we thought were cute. Our team name is “It’s Showtime Synergy” (Thank you, Jem and the Holograms) and fits in great with the other 9 men’s fantasy teams, I am sure.  Trevor and my brother in law are just hoping that this makes us even more interested in Football fun this year. (I will let you know what happens). Trevor is also excited to attend the University of Utah’s opening football game with his dad. GO UTES!!

It has been a great few weeks full of other family fun and family reunions for both sides of Trevor’s family. We got to show off Bailey, have fun with cousins, and spend more time with Trevor’s parents who got back in the beginning of July from Thailand. Janis (Trevor’s mom) and Bailey got quite a bit of ‘rock-a-bye’ time in which was great. Bailey is doing well with trying new foods. She loves pears, peaches, and squash. But she really seems to not be a fan of peas. I can hardly believe that she is almost 9 months old! Time is flying! Not to brag, but she is still the best and happiest baby ever. (Even outsiders agree). However, I have posted a picture of her sad, because it does occasionally happen and I think it is kind of funny. She continues to move and groove and I think that she will probably be one of those kids who never crawl, but go right to walking. She is also a talker, which I am sure will come as a huge surprise to everyone…since I am her mother. She has a lot to talk about, but I think most of it is about how great I am, and how much fun we have together. Ha! Seriously though, I love being a mom. She is the best thing I have ever done and I am so beyond grateful that we have her in our life. It was a struggle getting her here, and then we had even more troubles after she got here, but she is completely worth all of that and more!  Trevor and I have even managed to go to the movies twice in the last few weeks, thanks to willing friends wanting to spend time with Miss B. It’s important to stay in touch with pop culture right?

Have a great last few weeks of summer and August everyone. We are excited to see family in Idaho in a few weeks and meet my new nephew, Austin. I am sure there will be stories and photos to share from that Granat fun. Let’s get this party started quickly…..right?! Until then…

It doesn't happen very often...but she does get sad sometimes. Isn't it funny?

Are you ready for some FOOTBALL!! (we had to buy the football outfit in the boys section...how sexist!)

Leave on a mission, come home to a new grand-baby!

Don't worry, this is how she is most of the time.

Cute cousins!

Pretty in pink.

Came downstairs on a Sunday afternoon to this....when do I get a nap?!

"Hot Fun in the Summertime..."

It is summertime and we all know what that means... it's the perfect time to visit Arizona and its nice temperate climate! [read sarcastically] Many of you might know that I do not enjoy the heat, but we were all excited for the reason we recently ventured to Arizona, Trevor's parents are home from serving as Mission President and Mission Mom in Thailand! They were gone three years and were on a mission in Hong Kong before that. So after nearly 5 years living abroad it was great to have them return to the good land of the U S of A and be able to celebrate with the entire Smith clan on the Fourth.

It has been a great few weeks since we last saw you all. Bailey was a champ for her first road trip to Arizona and slept for the first 20 minutes and the last 45, but was happy the entire time. It was a pretty similar story for the return trip as well. What a trooper! We truly are so lucky with this happy girl. Bailey has finally started on solid foods and she is still not sure how she feels about them, but we are moving right along and trying to find something she likes. She also got 2 new top teeth to go with her 2 bottom teeth - so at least we know she has 4. She is also rolling right along (literally) while trying to figure out other ways to move around. I think that crawling is in the near future. 

I am also back to work full time at the library. I am fortunate that I get to work from home 2 days a week. We found a great lady to watch Bailey - her name is Arlene. The best way to describe her is "Cloris Leachman meets Betty White". She has been watching kids in her home for 25 years and I know that Bailey gets a lot of attention especially since she is her only child right now. Speaking of attention - Bailey has had a ton from all the fun we have had in recent weeks visiting family. She loves her cousins and all her aunts and uncles and especially her grandparents. I know because she talks to me - it may sound like gibberish to some people, but I completely understand what she is trying to say. Have a great rest of July and we will be in touch soon with more tales and adventures I am sure.

 First 'Solid' Food Experience

"Happy Fourth of July Daddy"

Smith Family Back Together

Ready to get her swim on!

Successful First Swimming Adventure

Me and my sisters in law (and our "babies") - we make this look good!

Bailey and her daddy on his birthday

Family photo in AZ

Best Potato Head Ever!