Doreen Averill Smith

Connor update

2008-09-09T20:59:00.000-07:00

We got to babysit Connor last Friday night while Andrew took Aleta out to dinner. We had a wonderful time with him. Here are a couple of the many pictures we took

I can't seem to get enough time with him. I keep telling Andrew that he needs to take Aleta out more and let us keep Connor.

He is such the little man, and is growing so fast. He will be 4 months old 9/21/08

I will be adding a slide show of all the new pictures soon so be sure to check back.

Mt Rushmore / Crazy Horse, July 2008

2008-09-09T20:33:00.000-07:00

What a great trip. We stopped along the way for pictures, took in the tourist sites, gift shops, films and ice cream almost every afternoon. Lots of car time to catch up on visiting. Beautiful scenery and good memories.

2008-07-21T20:44:00.000-07:00

Here is another view of the hospital, Hot Springs is a beautiful town.

Edgemont, SD & Hot Spring, SD

2008-07-21T20:29:00.000-07:00

Summer trip with Darcie & Dennis. We went to South Dakota. Here are some pictures of the Hospital in Hot Springs where I was born. It looks like a castle, I always knew I should have been a princess. It is now called Casle Manor and is a rest home.

Lead, SD; Deadwood, SD; & Reptile Gardens, Rapid City, SD

2008-07-21T20:27:00.000-07:00

Ensenada

2008-07-09T23:37:00.000-07:00

The day in Ensenada was great, we got off the ship right on the dock. We had a tour scheduled so we waited and shopped as some of the stores right on the dock. We had a tour bus this time, it took us to the town square and our tour guide gave us some history of Mexico. There are 9 flags like the one in the pictures at ports in Mexico. We drove up a hill to look out over Ensenada and on the way we saw the original Black Pearl from the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie. The next stpo was at the Mango Mango where we were taught to make salsa, guacamole, tamales and tostadas. The food was great and the chef was very entertaining. After the cooking class we had a couple hours to shop and then it was back to the Elation for our last day at sea. The trip was fantastic, something I will never forget and something I want to do again real soon.

Our day in Cabo San Lucas

2008-07-09T22:04:00.000-07:00

Our day started with a ferry ride to shore. It was beautiful. We were met by vendors selling boat trips, snorkeling etc. We ended up with a glass bottom boat tour, time on a beach for snorkeling then a ride back to the dock. Our captain spoke only a little English and Shelby speaks a little Spanish so we made out pretty well. The boat was bright green (so we would remember which one was ours) and as for the glass bottom, it looked like they had cut out the bottom of the boat and replaced it with a couple of old house windows. The captain would pour ocean water on the windows so we could see the fish. The bay was beautiful and the whole boat trip was and adventure to remember.
Back on shore we had a great time looking in all the shops. A couple workers from the zoo were raising money by charging to hold a 6 week old lion cub, and as you can see we couldn't pass that chance up. The day was great. We took a ferry back to ship around 4pm and left Cabo at 5. Many great memories and stories.

2008-07-09T21:50:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the latest pictures of Connor. Andrew and family came to visit with me before I left on my trip to Montana. I will be gone for a whole week... I will miss my baby loves.
Crystal was talking to Connor and he smiled and cooed at her. It is the first time we have seen him smile and coo on purpose. It is so fun to watch him grow. He changes every time I see him. I can only imagine the changes that will take place in the week I am gone. The girls will have to take my place and keep me updated.

Birthday Cruise

2008-07-08T21:45:00.000-07:00

Pictures on the Cruise ship

For my 50th birthday Shelby bought me a cruise to Mexico. On April 28th we flew to San Diego and boarded the Carnival Elation. We spent our first day at sea, then we were off to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Then we had another day at sea, and our next port was Ensanada, Mexico. We spent 5 days total, then flew home on May 3rd.

Baby Quilt

2008-07-03T16:56:00.001-07:00

This is the baby quilt that I made for Connor. I am carrying on the tradition that my mom started when she made quilts like this for each one of my children. It is truly a labor of love. Here are close ups of the center block and some of my favorite small blocks.

(If you click on the photos and see an enlarged version)