Christmas in Colorado!

We visited Dirk's side of the family for Christmas in Colorado!

Our flight out was Sephira's first, and she did GREAT - especially considering we had to sit on the tarmac for 4 hours in Salt Lake City. We had trafficked around the tarmac so long, hoping to fly out between breaks in the heavy snow fall, that we had to return to the gate to refuel. Then we had to get in queue to de-ice, again, and then because of all the delays the flight crew had to change out since they needed to keep flight schedules on track...ah-huh. And the whole time we were only offered peanuts and VERY small beverages. Fortunately, because of that, we didn't have to pee in the tiny bathrooms very much. We got to Colorado Springs 4 hours late, hungry, and tired of sitting. But it was sooooo good to see the family and to be welcomed home with a hot plate of spaghetti and meatballs! Yumm Yumm!

The storm from SLC ended up following us here, so Saturday night we got a little bit of snow that Dirk helped shovel the next morning....but ultimately it didn't stick around. We had reports of major snow storms back home, and had crisp beautiful clear skies in Colorado the rest of the trip. No white Christmas for us! The temperature Sunday night was down to -2 degrees, and highs during the day were in the 20's.

We saw most of Dirk's family, including his Mom flying in from Virginia, during our visit. That was a very special treat! We celebrated with the ENTIRE Smith family at a Christmas Eve dinner celebration at Cousin Aron's house in Denver, and most everyone traveled down to Colorado Springs for our Christmas day celebrations there.

Dirk shoveling snow

The outside temp! Brrrrrr....

The view of Pikes Peak out the back window (telephoto lens of course)

Sephira, the reindeer and the fireplace. Nice and cozy!

Cousins Elizabeth and Nicolas meeting Sephira for the first time!

Granma Gerri, Cousins Elizabeth and Nicolas, and Sephira squished in the middle!

Dada cooing with Sephira

Aunt Catherine reading to the kids

Nicolas and Sephira

Sephira's sleeping arrangments: a drawer on the side table

As snug as a baby in a cradle!

Grandmama Barbara visiting from Virginia, loving on Cousin Alex and Sephira

Aunt Effie reading "The Hungry Thing" to Elizabeth and Nicolas

Sephira hearing "The Hungry Thing" for the first time

The cousins: Alex, Sephira, Elizabeth, Daniel, Nicolas

Grandmama Barbara and Sephira all dressed up for the festivities

Sephira all dolled up in her Christmas dress...that just happens to match her eyes!

Effie, Dirk & Sephira posing in front of the beautiful Christmas tree

Sephira's first ornament

Oh Yeah, Baby!

You're gonna love this! This last weekend Effie filmed Sephira talking...but it's not all "ahgoo's", "ahbah's" and "ahgle's" anymore. Check this out!

Sephira 3-Months Old!

Boy time flies! Our darling Sephira is already 3 months old!!! She is developing fast - holding her head up strong, trying to sit-up on her own, observing her hands, and tracking with her vision perfectly! She's so big now...over 15.5 pounds...that we've had to move her up to the next notch in her car seat belt, and as you call tell from these photos, she's outgrowing her swing seat pretty fast too!

She's also starting to sleep through the night better - starting off in 4-7 hour cycles, and as of last night, she slept 8.5 hours straight! We hope this is a new trend!

She also loves books and lights, so we're excited to take her on walks to see the Christmas lights. AND at 12.5 weeks she discovered her voice again!!! Now she talks all day (off and on), from morning to night, imitating our sounds and creating some of her own, and she talks to us to let us know when she's sleepy too. She is just a gem!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Love and blessings to all our family and friends across this great nation! Happy Thanksgiving!

We give thanks for the blessing of our new daughter, and the love that binds us all together.

Our family is heading over to a friends house for our first Thanksgiving feast, then Tutu and Papa Keith are driving over from Bend tomorrow, and we'll be celebrating again on Saturday! Yumm Yumm! Thanksgiving is our favorite holiday of the year!

And a quick pic for fun: While Effie was preparing the traditional Savory Chestnut Stuffing this afternoon, and entertaining Sephira with song and dance, Sephira ended up falling asleep on the floor. Look close. Where's Waldo!? I mean, Sephira?

Sephira's First Trip to Bend

Nana Cris, Grandpa Cliff, Mommy Effie and Sephira all traveled together to go see family in Bend before the bad weather set in. This was Sephira's first trip over the Santiam Pass, and she slept the whole way!!! She even slept through the family dinner! She was a tired little munch-kin. Here are a few pics from our visit.

Auntie Skye loving on Seph

Nana Cris holding Seph tight

Tutu giving Seph a squeeze!

On top of seeing family we also got to see old childhood friends of Effie and Skye's who were having their only early Thanksgiving get-together in Sunriver. Between Audree and Alesha's family members there were 8 babies all under the age of 3!!! And with Sephira and cousin Max present, that made 10! Then Audree announced she was expecting again, so all in all 11 babies were present! WOW!

L-R: Effie w/ Sephira in sling; Audree Davidson w/ Amanda; Alesha Shemwell; Skye Williams.

And look! There's Seph sleeping!

Look Who's Talking

This 3 and a half minute video captures Sephira's first attempts at imitating sounds and cooing...with her Mother! What precious moments we shared! And now we're sharing them with you!!! Enjoy!




Sephira was 9.5 weeks old.

Sephira and Her Giggle

This video is for all our beloved family and friends. In this 10 minute video, Sephira is 8 weeks old and still discovering her "social smile" and giggle! She is such a gem! May this bless your day.

All our love,
Effie, Dirk & Sephira



Filmed by Effie on Tuesday, November 4th, 2008.

Sephira's 2 Month Checkup

Sephira had her 2-month checkup today.

Dr. Hokari reports that she is a healthy, beautiful girl...which we already knew! And Sephira weighed in at 13 pounds 14 ounces (in the 97th percentile), 23 inches in length (75th percentile), and a 39 centimeter head circumference (50th percentile). Big girl!!

Today was also the start of her immunization shots. We are doing a reduced immunization schedule, so today she received her first shots for DTap (Diphtheria, Tetanus (Lockjaw), and Pertussis (Whooping Cough)), Hib (Meningitis), and her first oral dose of the Rotavirus vaccine (severe diarrhea in babies and young children).

Let's just say she didn't like the shots at all!

She was a good girl though, and didn't fuss long. Maybe 5 minutes. She fell fast asleep as soon as we left the Dr's office, until we returned home 3 hours later. She had no desire to eat, so Mommy and Sephira took another nice long nap together. Her thigh did swell a bit from the shots, and she has continued to fuss a bit during the later part of the evening...but who can blame her. Even now she's quickly back to sleep - recovering from the ordeal!

All In The Family

Who do you think Sephira looks like? Which of each of our features do you think she has? Click image to enlarge. Leave us a comment.

Happy Halloween!

Shiver me timbers! It's Captain Sephira No Beard with her cannons booming!

Yo ho ho, and a bottle of milk!

Milk sodden sailor.

Aaarrggh!!!!

If I could only roll over I'd have me chest of gold!

It's a pirates life for me.

She is Pretty, Oh So Pretty!

Mommy had some friends over for lunch, so Sephira got all dressed up for the afternoon. Look how pretty she is! Still warm enough for a summer dress, but cool enough for leggings at the same time. Every day we're getting closer to seeing her "social smile". Soon we'll be able to photograph it!