Hope your winter is going as smooth as ours. Northern New Jersey is experiencing a relatively mild winter. No bitter, biting days of wind and ice. Very few snow entrenched roads backing up the highways.
Within the last month our family experienced a significant loss. My father (Robert E. Smith) recently passed away. On January 27, 2005 Dad passed away in his sleep in the company of his family.
As many of you know, he dealt with Multiple Sclerosis for a majority of his life. Within the last few years the effects of this disease made him more susceptible to various infections. This January the infections proved to be too much for his system to handle any longer.
While this isn't an easy time for any of us I feel an underlying comfort that he can now rest. I think that almost all who are reading this never had the opportunity to meet him. That being the case I am posting some images from the best years of his life, when he was young, healthy and newly married. His legacy is apparent in not just the physical resemblance we share but also the daily optimism and love of laughter that I hope you all know me for.
Senior Year, Pingry High School, 1962
Lt. Smith, US Army, 1966
Looking toward the future
The little lady has really popped since the last photos. Check it out!!
My Growing Belly
In the past month we've been busy getting things ready for Baby Smith. The first activity of note is getting the nursery painted. Below are some pictures of the finished product (painting that is):
Not sure if you can really get a feel for the color. The official name is 'Ribbon Yellow.' As many of you know we are going with a Curious George theme. Not sure if that means I need a big yellow hat or not . . .
Also, in getting the nursery together we are getting organized for the furniture (crib, dresser/changing table and bookcase) that will arrive in a week or so. Keeping in fashion with our generally anal retentive planning habits we actually graphed the layout of the room. Below are some pictures of this exercise in obsessive compulsive behaviour:
