cooking is very serious business...

one of lily's favorite things to do right now is stir. whether it is something we are cooking or just a plate of peas, according to her, everything deserves a good stir. and one of my favorite things about her right now is that she calls herself "ninnie." "l's" don't come easy for our poor child with two of them in her name. but, it doesn't seem to stop her from constantly telling you what "ninnie" is doing as she does it. anyway, she takes her stirring very seriously and i just thought she was too cute as she stirred and stirred with much determination. (and she was sure we were making a smoothie, not zucchini bread!)
ps. i promise to stop posting videos, but she just cracks me up recently!!

treasured

today, when i got lily out of her crib i said, "lily, i love you."
and she said, "nuv you."
best thing ever...

generations to come...

i remember learning the saying "there is no such thing as a free lunch" back in high school econ and i remember being somewhat taken aback by that statement. i remember thinking, "i can prove that statement wrong. there are free things in this world. out of the goodness of people's hearts, there can be things given away for free." well, sadly, as i've entered into adulthood and we have bills galore, i would mostly agree with the TINSTAAFL statement. as our grocery bill seems to be rising and riding a bike all the way to indy seems more appealing than taking the car, money seems to dwindle.
however, i have good news to report! no, not a free lunch, but i did just receive something in the mail for absolutely no cost to us! somehow, i ended up on the seventh generation website a few weeks ago and noticed that they have a "get out of hot water" pledge you can take. anyway, you agree to stop washing clothes in hot water to save a dime or two for yourself and also to take a small step to do something good for the environment. about 90% of the energy used in washing clothes is just in the heating of the water. and the average american household can save up to $70 a year by washing in cold. anyway, i decided this sounded like a great strategy not only for our pockets, but for the earth. (and i pledged to wash our clothes in cold... NOT lily's diapers!) anyway, a simple click of a button and i have since been washing in cold. and what did i just receive in the mail for free? a book called naturally clean that is all about cleaning your home naturally and safely. this is something i am working so hard to do, but still have much room for improvement! anyway, kudos to seventh generation for providing something that is not only free but can have a great impact for generations to come.

smith family reunion!

urology is certainly treating ryan better as he finally had some time off. we've just had a great weekend that was packed! my uncle, mikey, and cousin, allie, were in town this weekend to visit and it was awesome to have some time with them. and we also headed up to DC to visit our dear friends, andrew and lisa. it was wonderful to get to catch up and relax with them and we also got to visit the DC zoo with lily. it was SO much fun to get to experience lily seeing these huge animals in person for the first time. she kept squealing with excitement over and over upon seeing her first elephant! sadly, the heat of a summer day is not prime time for viewing animals, but it was still so much fun! thank you, andrew and lisa for being such gracious hosts! we miss you already!


her first elephant!!




she just couldn't get enough!




smiths together again!

8 beautiful decades...

we traveled home for a whirlwind trip last week to celebrate ryan's grandma pat's 80th birthday! ryan's mom and siblings had planned an awesome surprise birthday party for her and we were able to join in the festivities and also make it to the annual wiley lake lemon weekend! and we were also able to celebrate kathy's birthday, too! (was it her 28th or 29th???) it was a wonderful trip and we were so happy to be a part of your birthday, grandma pat!! happy 80th!


walking into a room full of her most dear family and friends!


getting some fresh air during the party.


tim and jana are so gracious while we are at the lake and much time was spent on the water!


ryan slipped into a game of cards and surprised grandma pat with his arrival!!


the whole family!


and of course lily had her first boat ride and first spin on the jet ski!

and an exciting smith family tidbit...

lily used the potty for the first time tonight!!!

ashley elizabeth guzman!

my sister is no longer a biber! ash had the most beautiful wedding on saturday and it was an amazing week! she was breathtaking and i think she and jose loved every minute of it! sadly, i didn't get a ton of pictures of the actual wedding, but here's a snapshot of the week...


gallons of arnold palmer consumed...


getting ready for the rehearsal




big dave getting ready to give her away!




duke practicing for the wedding


so, this is sideways because i am not technologically savvy, but i just thought duke was too cute not to post!


ash's friend anne!


the CAWDS


duke and steph


my dad getting a little emotional at the rehearsal!




rehearsal dinner down on the beach


jose's mom doing ash's hair


sammy learning how to tie a bowtie


the big day!




the newlyweds!!


brandon and ry getting down!


bon voyage ash and jose!!


and we thought we'd leave you with a ridiculous 3 second glance of how my family and ryan's act when we all get together...

wimble-done

the laconi vs. guzman match was quite a spectacle last thursday night. watch out federer, here they come! we had an awesome clay court under the lights and about 40 spectators for the event. they both played hard, but in the end, nick pulled out the win. congrats, nick!