2008 January Archive at Rich, Heather and Alana’s Blog

« Older Entries

Archive for January, 2008

mikado, lasagne, cheesecake, and taxes!

Published

Heather Smith

11 months, 1 week ago

in Uncategorized

. 7 Comments

The Swans came to Chattanooga and we got to have some fun together on Tuesday!

We started off at Mikado Chinese/Japanese Restaurant for lunch and enjoyed catching up! Rich and I hadn’t seen Kevin and Shel since briefly meeting them at OSP South (I can’t believe it’s already been over a year since then!) and we thoroughly enjoyed seeing them again! And this time around we actually had some time to spend together!

Thanks so much to Nathan and Amber for all of the awesome photos in this post (with the fabulous Holritz logo on them), and all of the really bad ones are mine. They are interspersed, but I am fully assured that you will all be able to tell the difference!

The group at Mikado!

Kevin and Shel had beautiful Eden just a day after I had little Alana! These girls are both so adorable, but very different in personality! Eden is totally laid back and rarely cries. Alana, well, let’s just say that the paci is in there for a reason!

They were both due for a feeding during lunchtime, and Alana let me know the second she got hungry, while little Eden just hung out, fell asleep, woke up, and simply started sucking on her fist to let Shel know she was ready to eat. Ha! I couldn’t believe the difference!

Rich with Eden! He couldn’t get over her lovely head of hair since he perpetually sees Alana’s bald little head!

Okay, here I have to stop and thank my dear, dear friend Cami, who bought this amazingly cute little sweater dress for Alana! It is a newborn size, but it just now fits her at almost three months!

Thank you, Cami! We love it!

And the stylin’ little boots are from recent clients-turned-friends Jerad and Calen, whose wedding Rich shot! Thank you guys so much, we love them!

Nathan and Amber’s adorable daughter, Addison, was playing in the restaurant and asked me to take a couple pictures of her. She is one my favorite little girls EVER, and check out how amazing she is…

She’s not lacking in the personality department!

She’s growing up SO much, and I can’t believe how much she’s changed in the couple of years that we’ve known her!

Then she proceeded to go on a shooting spree with my camera and came back with this incredibly artistic shot of Rich. I call it “strategic empty space.”

It’s valuable postmodern art. Bids begin at 1 million.

Amber and I. It’s blurry but I like it anyway. And hey, not everyone can take pictures like her. Certainly not me

Then we went to the Holritz’s that night and the fun continued. There we ate Amber’s fabulous lasagna and shortly thereafter Kevin verbalized his need for cheesecake. I seconded his brilliant plan and he and Amber ran off to our brand new, fabulously large, well-managed, customer-service utopia grocery store, Publix!

They came back with Snickers, Plain, and Key Lime Cheesecake. Yum. I ate my piece in about a minute. Hey, I’m burning calories by the truckload since I’m nursing!

Then we sat around and I asked Kevin (who’s not a dumb guy) about a million questions about taxes, the IRS, and CPA’s. Rich and I are learning the joys of running our own business, and with tax time rapidly approaching, we welcomed the advice from someone who is a true entrepreneurial success!

Alana didn’t like the conversation…

Rich says she’s such a female because she’s fickle. The moment before Nathan took this photo, Alana was smiling and cooing at Amber. Ha. I don’t argue with Rich on that one.

Then we stuck the little gals in Eden’s bouncy seat together and had some fun taking pictures! I LOVE the ones Amber captured!

They started holding hands! Oh, man, could it get any cuter?

And a couple that I grabbed:

Kevin and Rich…

The guys making the girls talk face to face…

Then the group exposed Rich and I to Guitar Hero…wow. If I hadn’t been SO tired by this point in the evening, I would have stayed for another hour playing this! So much fun!

Thanks so much to Shel for these photos of Rich and I…

Such focus!

Wow. Thanks for all of the laughs, and the great company, everyone! We loved it!

alana’s first road trip…

Published

Heather Smith

11 months, 1 week ago

in Uncategorized

. 7 Comments

Rich and I decided to meet up with my parents and brother this weekend in Jacksonville, Florida for my cousin Dave’s wedding with ten-week-old Alana…

As first time parents, we had no idea what to expect from a 7-hour trip in conjunction with a wee one, but as God would allow it, we had great travels and a very enjoyable trip.

We drove down on Friday, and as we crossed into Florida after dark, we pulled into the Welcome Center and drove straight to the familiar large, happy, “Welcome to Florida” sign that consistently greets us as we enter the state.

It was Alana’s first time in Florida, and we needed to document the occasion! Here we are on Friday evening, chilly, introducing little Alana to the state in which her mommy was born! She was ready for a nap and a bit discontented!

Here we are at the first hotel Alana has ever been to, the Jacksonville Marriott! She and daddy are chillin’ on the bed

We had a blast getting Alana to smile all weekend! She began smiling in response to us at about 8 weeks, and it was so fun to see her interacting with my parents as they grabbed smiles of their own!

Here is Rich getting a smile…

(Notice Alana’s tongue is out even when she is smiling! I think it’s officially her trademark)

My parents enjoying Alana at the fabulous Marriott breakfast on Saturday morning…

And Dave’s wedding! He and his beautiful bride, Sarah, have a passion for working with kids and adults in Zambia related to the topic of HIV/AIDS. They have been on several trips and plan to go there longterm sometime soon. We were so honored and excited to be a part of their day, and are totally thrilled that they sense God leading them to continue their work in Zambia. And we loved getting to meet Sarah, who seems like an incredibly sweet, perfect choice for Dave!

This is my other cousin, John, Dave’s younger brother. He and I are the same age and I really admire John. He is talented, smart, and has always been super kind.

Shawnie with Dave and John…

And my mom again with Alana…I think Alana suffered from over stimulation! She got fussy at the wedding and then completely conked out!

Oh, the drama…

My honey and me…

More fun grandma time!

Spit up! Drool!

On Saturday evening after the wedding, we grabbed subs at Firehouse Subs (yum!) and then made our way to Coldstone Creamery for some tasty creations!

Here’s Shawnie and I at Coldstone. I just can’t believe this is my little brother, who’s diapers I helped to change and whom I babysat, cuddled, and rocked as a 13-year-old. Wow. Now, at 14 and myself at 27, “little brother” is a very relative term, as he is taller than me and growing into a young man whom I love and admire very much. He’s sweet, sensitive, fun, cool, and athletic. And he wants to please God, most importantly! I think he’s got a full, awesome life ahead of him.

Rich, dad, and I getting a little silly while in line at Coldstone!

It’s amazing to me…I’ve always loved family vacations and getting together with my parents, but now I enjoy it on a whole new level. I love the attention that Alana gets when she is with them; I just feel like the shower of love and interaction must go so far in helping her learn about the world around her. And, of course, I want the very best for Alana. I know the very best will always include time with grandma and grandpa!

Then, the saddest part of the trip…the “goodbyes.” We ate a scrumptious breakfast together at Cracker Barrel on Sunday morning and then we parted ways.

But happily, Alana and I will be flying down to Fort Lauderdale in late February while Rich is at a wedding photography workshop! So, we will have more fun family time soon enough!

We will see you soon, mom, dad, and Shawnie! We love and miss you! Thank you for another fabulous time together!

Baby and Pregnancy Tips

Published

Rich Smith

11 months, 1 week ago

in Alana

. 6 Comments

All too often, we as new parents have no idea what we’re doing. If you think about it, neither does a baby. It’s a brand new world for them and they’ve only had experience being a baby as long as you’ve had experience being a parent. Add on top of that, as parents you are dealing with a little person who can only communicate with one word — and that’s “Wah”. It’s like trying to communicate with someone who only says “dude.” It’s doable but you’re definitely going to struggle through it and be frustrated along the way.

That’s why I got excited when I found these extremely helpful tips for new parents. I knew there was hope for us new parents. These can be found in a book called Safe Baby Handling Tips that could be a great gift to a new parent that you know, or a great shower gift. I was reading these tips and just smacking myself on the forehead and saying more often than not “So, THAT’S how you do it!”

I think Alana will be a much happier baby since I’ve read this book. Check these out:

Here’s a shout out to Erin and Tim who recently had a baby. And to Sara and Ben — who just had a baby yesterday. And Steve and Shannon who also had a baby last week. And Melody and Josh — who just had their second baby. Now with the tips above, you can get it right this time around. And finally Scott and Kristy, who just had a baby, but this is their fourth one — so they should be WRITING these tips.

Now for those friends of ours that are still pregnant, I have a few tips for you. You can find these tips and more in a book by the same people called Safe Baby Pregnancy Tips. Jeff and Jackie are going to be having their new baby soon. And Jennifer and Chris — also about to have their first (Chris will definitely need to read this post). Kyle and Heidi — those crazy kids who got pregnant again while their little son Avery is like what — 4 1/2 months old? One word that comes to mind with that — “masochistic.”

These tips are for you guys:

fabulous former boss

Published

Heather Smith

11 months, 2 weeks ago

in Uncategorized

. 2 Comments

Today, Alana and I got to meet up with Rich and my fabulous former boss from the Chattanooga Youth Network, where I worked for three years (until week 37 of my pregnancy)!

Tony is great for lots of reasons. You can count on him to do several things in any given conversation:

1) He will make you laugh.

2) He will engage you in meaningful conversation, asking how things really are.

3) He will, at some point, make reference to the Myers-Briggs personality profiles.

4) He will talk about his sweet wife and incredible twin girls.

5) If you are at a restaurant, he will learn the server’s name and refer to him/her by name (as if they are a close friend), for the remainder of the meal.

6) He will drink a diet coke.

7) He will quote his favorite pastor/theologian/author, John Piper. I think my favorite quote is the one that Piper is most recognized for: “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”

8 He will mention the book(s) that he is currently reading (from his extensive library…he has a book addiction) and if you mention wanting to read it yourself, he will most likely give it to you. He’s super generous.

These are some of the things that make Tony who he is, and I am so thankful for him! He was the best boss I’ve ever had, and I loved working for him!

Tony, it was GREAT to do lunch with you today, Rich and I appreciate you, and are looking forward to seeing you again soon! And thank you for this fun shot of the three of us!

good friends are like pure gold…

Published

Heather Smith

11 months, 2 weeks ago

in Uncategorized

. 2 Comments

Rich and I aren’t wealthy according to the world’s standards, but I feel immeasurably rich on days like today. I had the blessing and privilege of spending a few hours with my friends Kristy and Steph.

Kristy prepared delicious salad and panini sandwiches for lunch, and we sat and chatted about life and motherhood, with all of it’s inherent challenges and joys.Â As a new mom, I cannot think of a more enjoyable, beneficial thing than to spend time learning from other moms whom I love and admire. It’s just a saving grace. I knew I admired these girls before I had Alana; now I consider them just plain amazing. I’m in the trenches alongside them now, and motherhood is a little more difficult than I gave it credit for!

I met Tim and Steph when I started dating Rich. They were friends of his, and I’ve loved every second of getting to know them over the past few years. They have 3 sweet, energetic little men, and Steph handles motherhood with such charisma…even when she doesn’t feel like she is!

Here are a couple of shots of her holding Alana…she is such a gorgeous, loving, natural mom, and I loved seeing her with my little one! They were fast friends

Rich and I met Scott and Kristy through Tim and Steph, and we’ve been blown away by this family! They are two of the kindest, most talented people I know. They have four wonderful kids; their youngest, Lily Kate, is just ten days older than Alana. They were little twinkies today, and we had so much fun taking these shots of them in their matching little sleepers. Such angels!

Kristy is a calm, caring, beautiful person, and I have much to learn from her.

I think I will go live with these gals for a while, kind of like “shadowing” back in high school, and see what all I can learn! It’s a little ironic to me that there is pre-marital counseling for couples who are about to tie the knot, but when it comes to parenting, the classes most people attend pertain to the process of labor and delivery…much emphasis is neglected on the subsequent responsibilities and challenges! I’m thinking, “Okay, so I just gave birth to this little person…now what!!!”

That’s where these fabulous friends/moms come in!

Steph and Kristy, thank you so much for an afternoon of great conversation, much-needed laughs, and honest sharing. I love you two.

OSP january lunch!

Published

Heather Smith

11 months, 2 weeks ago

in Uncategorized

. 4 Comments

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, a fantastic group of local OSP photographers get together each month for lunch at different restaurants.

Today we met at Blue Orleans, a tasty new place downtown with a very cool story. Apparently, the owners lost everything in Katrina and relocated to Chattanooga to begin afresh. The couple, Mark and Cherita, are incredibly kind and talented, and Rich and I got to meet them today. We should have grabbed a self-portrait with them. Shame on us! We thoroughly enjoyed meeting them, and hope to see them soon, I want to know more about their story!

Here is the group…though we missed Amber, who is sick right now! Not sure what Nathan and the wonderful Liz Power are doing, but I am sure it was humorous. These guys always make me laugh

Nathan and I must have missed the “make a funny face” directive that Rich was responding to

Becca and I!

Alana was SO not paying attention!

I especially enjoyed awesome conversation with Garrett and Joy Nudd! I knew these guys were awesome, but the more I get to talk to them, the more impressed I am by who they are, in addition to their incredible talent!

It was great fun, everyone!

My friend kathy

Published

Heather Smith

11 months, 2 weeks ago

in Uncategorized

. 2 Comments

Yesterday afternoon Alana and I met up with my dear friend Kathy.

Kathy was a bridesmaid in my wedding, and someone with whom I meet up periodically for coffee. Usually Starbucks. We spend a couple of hours catching up on each others lives and chatting about numerous life relevancies.

I always end up wondering why we don’t do it more often.

The thing is, I always, without fail, leave my times with Kathy feeling completely refreshed, uplifted, encouraged, and challenged. I do not exaggerate! She embodies such a unique combination of traits, and I have never met anyone quite like her.

She’s the kind of person who listens with such vigor that she often knows exactly where I am headed with a train of thought, and she manages to complete more sentences for me than I complete for myself. I love that kind of energetic, engaging conversation. She makes me feel understood and important. And somehow, she seems to have some wisdom regarding every season of life that I go through. She’s just really full of insight. More than what’s typical in a person. I think God gave her extra doses of it with which to tackle life and relationships.

She’s super down-to-earth, and extremely relateable. That’s one thing I strive to be. I don’t want to be prideful, but rather, to be fully aware of who I am without God’s grace in my life, and consequently, to be a relateable, humble friend to the people in my life. I think there is much to be said for that.

Here we are at Starbucks yesterday, and man was it COLD! Chattanooga has been quite chilly lately, and the way I see it, if it is going to be this freezing, it may as well snow! If I’m going to walk outside and be greeted by 20 or 30 degree wind, I’d far prefer if the landscape was blanketed with white. Oh, well. Such is life in Tennessee. If we get any snow, I will be sure to grab some photos of the three of us in it and you better believe I will be blogging about it Snow makes me SO giddy!

I love you, Kathy, and I’m SO thankful for you! You are one of God’s many blessings in my life!

great dinner…even better company

Published

Heather Smith

11 months, 3 weeks ago

in Uncategorized

. 3 Comments

On Thursday night, we had the privilege of joining the Holritz’s, the Nudds, and Melody Hood for dinner at Tony’s Pasta, and we got to meet the fabulous Shyla for the first time! We had a blast (minus a five-minute screaming interlude by Alana) and thoroughly enjoyed the company!

We are so blessed to have such incredibly kind, authentic, talented friends with which to spend our time and energy! We love these people, and are so thankful to call them friends!

The whole group…

The girls! Joy, Melody, Shyla, Amber, and I…

Amber!

Our newly renovated family! Can’t believe Alana is two months old this weekend!

the first tub bath!

Published

Heather Smith

11 months, 3 weeks ago

in Uncategorized

. 3 Comments

Initial reaction…

The subsequent confusion…

Total ambivalence…

I talked her through it, and she was a trooper. Hey, soon, we may even get some smiles out of this crazy bath time!

belated christmas posting…

Published

Heather Smith

11 months, 3 weeks ago

in Uncategorized

. 2 Comments

This year, we did a HORRIBLE job of documenting our family vacation together for Christmas, but Rich did manage to grab some shots of my immediate family with Alana. I wanted to go ahead and post them for posterity, even though we are now well into January.

These were taken while my family was up for the holidays, and I will always treasure photos of my parents with our little daughter! Brand new grandparents! Hard to think of my parents this way, since they are still so young to me. They are loving it, and they are simply amazing with Alana. Now I can see why I have always felt so loved and cherished…they are so tender and sweet with her; talking, singing, bouncing, and just generally incredibly kid-savvy people. I love them, and it’s so fun to see them with her. She’s got them wrapped around her little finger

Thank you to my amazing hubby for catching these images!

Mom totally didn’t have time to go through the garage for their stockings before they left to come up, so we had to improvise: Cheap Target stockings with a little black sharpie action! The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, but they weren’t the prettiest we’d ever seen!

Here is Uncle Shawn with Alana. He is going to be the greatest uncle, and is anxiously awaiting the day when Alana gets a little older and able to interact a little more. He will be teaching her how to surf, and how to play basketball, baseball, football, and maybe even some soccer and skateboarding

And here is Alana with “Aunt Amber,” which Amber emphatically hates to be called. She thinks it sounds awful, and is waiting for Alana to be able to talk and make up her own name for her aunt!

Here is Christmas Alana. We had several Christmas outfits as gifts for her, and didn’t even get a chance to take her picture in all of them. Here is one, and you can tell that she is just tolerating the madness. I wondered how comfortable this thing was, so we didn’t keep her in it for long.

That, and everything just gets spit up on anyway