TN Aquarium

Nice day for a quick trip to the TN Aquarium. I know we'll be making many more trips over the years, but this is one of the last few trips where we could observe nature in peace and quiet. Well, mostly quiet except for everyone else's kids that were running around!

Chris' Work Shower

Chris' friends from work threw us our last shower this week. We had a great time and Baby got some wonderful stuff! New clothes, toys, diapers, and much much more! This baby is going to be so well prepared, wonder how it's parents are going to be?!

Chris opening presents.

Wow, we could technically have a baby any day now. Well, except for the fact that I haven't even started progressing. My doc checked on Tuesday, nothing, nada, zilch. I'm kinda relieved b/c 1) I hadn't planned on going early and 2) I'd put off labor and delivery as long as possible-- fear of the unknown! We tend to carry babies for a couple extra weeks in my family, and we tend to have big ones. I was over 9 lbs and my "little" bro was almost a 10 pounder! Oddly, he was the runt the night he was born-- a whole football team must have been delivered that night! Chris was only 6ish, so maybe if we average our birth weights we'll have a normal sized baby.

Wedding in the Mountains

This weekend our cousin, Marjorie, got married in a beautiful ceremony at Table Rock, SC. The setting was awe inspiring with the mountains and lake in the background.

Bride and groom, Marjorie and Paul, with her dad, Luther, toasting the new couple.

Me and the soon-to-be Uncle Joe.

The Smith clan: me, Dad, Mom, and Jody. I look ready to pop, huh? Just 4 more weeks- AAAGGGHHH!!!!

This is a random picture of a goat in the back of a pickup. Have you ever seen such a thing? We passed this interesting sight on Saturday just outside of Knoxville on I-40. I made Jody take the picture b/c it just struck me as so odd.

Counterspace: The New Frontier

Today we accomplished yet another project, a new over the range microwave! Chris' dad, Ray, who, by the way, is almost 74 and looks more like 47, helped Chris attack this project. What may seem like a simple installation never turns out that way in our house! The cabinet had to be removed and raised, the old hood was taken out and, in turn, the old vent which ran into the attic had to be cut down, too. The second picture is of Ray "trimming" the drywall column that was built and nailed into the cabinets to hide the attic vent. We think that originally, back in the 40's, there was a wood burning stove in this spot.

Ray in action!

And, there you have it! Chris and Ray proudly display their masterpiece. Check out our super hi-tech micro! Pretty, huh?

Look at all the extra counter space we have where the old microwave used to be! Pretty soon that space will be filled with bottle drying racks and all kinds of baby stuff. Until then, though, we'll enjoy just looking at the open (and clean!) counter top.

Couples Shower and UT v FLA Football Party

This weekend was a BLAST! Our wonderful friends Lauran & Shane and Kristen & Phil came in from Memphis. Lauran, Kristen, and Kristi all hosted a beautiful Baby Shower, while the boys watched the football game on the 92" projection screen in the media room. We had a houseful of some of our best friends and every minute of it was great. The boys all migrated to the newly dubbed "man cave" while the girls stayed in, where else, the kitchen. Chris managed to fit 17 guys in that room, which is just slightly larger than a typical bedroom. Baby Vinson got some wonderful gifts, including personalized and hand monogrammed burpie cloths from Maria, lots of board books, and fun and developmentally stimulating toys. The biggest gift was from our hostesses, a jogging stroller! Since Lauran and Kristi are my original running partners, it was only fitting! This way I'll have no excuse not to be back in fine form for the Knoxville Half next April. It will also help to get my pre-baby figure back for Lauran and Shane's wedding next May.

What a spread, huh? We had drinks on the counter, desserts on one table, and the food on the dining room table. It was a big success. The boys had their own food upstairs- one guess as to what they had. No, can't figure it out? OK, beer and pizza! They actually managed to get a keg upstairs, and the ironic thing is that Chris doesn't even drink beer! He just thought the novelty of it was cool, and it certainly did keep the trash level down!

All the girls in the living room to open presents. Two more mommies-to-be; Maria and Shay are both due in January! We had 4 preggie girls at the party, and a couple of new moms, too. This was the one shower that had a lot of mommies present, and I always welcome the extra advice!

Pay close attention to the T hat on Chris' head, this may be the one and only time you'll ever see such a sight. We were one time Vol fans this weekend, mainly because of how much we really don't like the Gators (sorry Nic)! Unfortunately, even with our support the Vols couldn't manage to pull it out. The Dawgs, however, did win, but we still have both the Vols and the Gators left to play! Yikes!

Black is my new favorite color, how did I manage to forget it all during this pregnancy?!

Just chillin'

Donna came in to town for a fun girls weekend. It was great! Pedicures and girlie movies. What a way to spend the day!

Chris' Pride and Joy; the Media Room.

Even though the Dawgs didn't have much of a weekend, we enjoyed watching the game in the media room. Chris and Jody have been working on getting everything just right for football season, and all the other sporting events to come!

Labor Day in Memphis

We (Chris, Jody, and I) took a road trip to Memphis this weekend. The main reason for the trip was so that Lauran, Kristen, and I could all go together to wedding dress shop for Lauran, who FINALLY got engaged two weeks ago. The other reason was to watch two big college football games on opening weekend (UGA v OkSt and UT v Cal).

How many shots does it take to get 3 girls to pose for a picture anyway?


Lauran is shocked at how big a belly can get, and there's still 7 more weeks for it to grow! We had a great time browsing through bridal magazines. It definitely brings back memories of planning my own wedding; I'm certainly not jealous of the planning she has ahead of her!

Anyone who knows me at all knows how I LOVE to have my hair brushed or "played with." Lauran and I barter: she brushes my hair if I give her a scalp massage-- it's a win-win deal!