The Chisholm Scowl

We recently got a great email from Joshua's mother referencing the strong brow of Joshua and our children:

Hi Josh and Laura,
As you can tell, Josh, these are some very old photos of your Dad. I thought you'd appreciate seeing the first recorded evidence I have of that famous Chisholm scowl. 
Love,
Mom

Grandma Chisholm and a Baptism

 Grandma Chisholm came from Oregon to meet James and attend his baptism.  Here they are meeting for the first time. 

 James getting dressed for his baptism in the same gown that Joshua wore when he was a baby.

 James's godparents are my cousin Peter and my best friend Kate.  A criminal defense attorney and a pediatrician, this kid is set!

 Alma with her godparents, Christine and Scott.

We are so blessed to be able to spend time with family and friends ... and especially our week with Grandma Chisholm!

Vacation Wrap Up

We were lucky enough to have three straight weeks of vacation this summer.  Well, one week of "workcation" followed by one week of "memorialization" before a week of actual vacation.

Our first week was spent in Applegate, CA (near Sacramento) for Joshua's work conference.  The overarching organization that Joshua, through CUNA, works with, People Improving Communities through Organizing (PICO), is an international non-profit that encourages the employees to bring their families to the yearly week-long work conference.  I've been wanting to attend for years but this is the first time that the trip didn't interfere with my own employment.  Alma and I spent our days playing with the other 40+ kids in attendance and enjoying the beautiful Jesuit retreat center where the conference was held.  And, at night, Joshua and I would hang out on the patio overlooking the pond and share a crossword puzzle.

Sadly, Joshua's grandmother passed at the beginning of June, so we spent the next week with his family celebrating her life.  While it was a sad event, it was so nice to have some time with the Chisholm clan when we had not been planning a visit with them for this summer.  We were able to spend a day at Santa Monica beach (photo of Alma and me was snapped by Hayden!), some time in the backyard shooting cans with a BB gun, and Alma had plenty of time idolizing her cousin Hayden.

After a wild trip home -- three days of delayed flights, car rides interrupted with me getting sick on the side of the road (yes, that happened more than once), an eventual red-eye flight home with an overly tired toddler -- we were home for 20 hours before leaving for a trip up to the Adirondacks for a week of relaxing with Kate, Neal (a.k.a. Uncle Fun), their pup Rio and our dog Simon.  It was a week composed of all the greatest things: best friends (even Simon had his best friend), delicious food, and an amazing house right on Lake Paradox.  We spent days hiking, napping, watching the dogs swim until near-drowning fatigue and our nights were long games of Kate beating us at Settlers of Catan.

Days of Christmas: Special Foods

 Smarker family special: Povaticia (Alma loves it!)

Grandma Chisholm's special: Gingerbread men!

Cookies for Santa!

Days of Christmas: Walking

We had a great visit to Oregon for Christmas.  Since I snapped so many photos (336!) and want to share some of the good ones that summarize our trip, I'm going to spread them out over the next week.  Enjoy!

Beyond the wonderful visiting with family, one of the most notable events of the trip was Alma learning to walk.  Sure, she has done tons of first steps, but on Christmas Eve she decided to walk across the room. 

It was so exciting and I'm thrilled that we were able to experience this first with the Chisholm side of the family.  I will always remember Vickie's screams of excitement and encouragement. 

First Povitica

Alma watching the first povitica of this house bake.  She will get her first official taste on Thanksgiving.

First Birthday Gift

Thanks Grandma Chisholm and Grandpa Henry!

Grandma Chisholm's Visit

It was great to have Alma's Grandma Chisholm travel all the way to Philly from Oregon for Alma's baptism. Plus, she stayed with us for an extra week so that she could let Alma eat her cheeks (it's the latest trend with babies, honest!),

 feed Alma more avacados, ...

go to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, ...

attend CCOP's Annual Fundraiser Breakfast, ...

go to a Phillies baseball game, ...

attend story hour at the local library, ...

... eat cheesesteaks, visit local historic sites, take daily walks with the dog and other adventures.  Another great visit!!  Alma is such a lucky gal to have such wonderful grandparents!