latest addiction

I've officially caught the knitting bug. I. can't. stop. Why didn't anyone ever tell me that twisting yarn would be this much fun?!?!?

After my friend Ashley taught me to crochet a couple of months ago, I decided that I also wanted to try my hand at knitting. Over Thanksgiving break, having not a clue the difference between a knit and a purl, I bought my first set of needles. Then I mustered up the courage to visit Twist, an adorable little knitting shop in Wichita.

Here's the first book that caught my eye:

After a friendly associate convinced me that I really could learn how to knit, I left Twist with this book and four skeins of yarn. And a teeny bit more confidence.

New Shapes turned out to be a book that is just perfect for beginners. In the back of the book are really specific instructions on each type of stitch. Although I had to refer to knittinghelp.com a few times, learning the stitches wasn't nearly as scary as I had imagined!

This scarf and hat are from the New Shapes book and were my first two projects.

Aren't the little bows cute? I think I made the one on the hat a bit large, but I like how they turned out on the scarf (the scarf tucks into itself behind the bows).

I quickly discovered that although there are thousands upon thousands of great knitting books, there are also a TON of patterns, many of them free, online. One of my favorite new resources for patterns is Ravelry, a site created especially for knitters and crocheters.

It was there that I found my next adorable project: a Marc Jacobs inspired scarf that I gave my sister for Christmas. I immediately fell in love with the ruffles (here's the pattern if you want to take a stab at it yourself).

I love it so much that I'm currently working on one for myself!

My last completed project was this Anthropologie-inspired scarflet, which I gave my cousin for Christmas. I made it so that she could remove the flower and wear it plain, or maybe with a brooch. It's hard to tell from this picture because the flower is hiding it, but at the criss-cross, the scarf tucks through itself (you can see how it works at the designer's blog).

Brian's mom also gave me a book for Christmas that has the cutest baby patterns I have ever seen! I'm keeping it secret for now, though, because I plan on using it quite frequently this year for gifts, as about 70 jillion of my friends are currently preggo! :)

Does anyone else out there knit? This newbie would love any advice, good knitting sites, books, etc.

real-life russell

I just had to post this picture for anyone who's seen Up (the movie). If this doesn't make you smile, I don't know what will!

the newest Smith

Our long-awaited little ball of fluff is finally here!!! Introducing our sweet little Annabelle.

Since we don't have a human baby to oogle over yet, please bear with me and let me tell you for just a second how excited we are about this puppy and the dog that she is going to become! Her great-grandma served after 9-11 as a rescue dog in the WTC rubble; in fact, she was chosen to be the poster dog for the NYC K-9 rescue squad during that time. Her grandpa is currently a K-9 office for the NYPD, and just last week, he sniffed out $250,000 worth of cocaine that was hidden within a metal lock box, which was in the middle of a rubbermaid container that had been filled with concrete. On top of that, Annabelle's parents are both champion show dogs AND certified working therapy dogs. Does this girl have good genes or what?

Some of our great friends from Wichita, Seth and Toni Buttner, drove up to Indianapolis this weekend to get a male from Annabelle's litter. It was so incredibly fun to share this experience with them! And, we're excited that our dogs will have the chance to be together once we move back to Wichita.

Annabelle's fun little personality is already starting to shine through! She is very attentive and patient and seems to learn really quickly. Although we haven't attempted to teach her the "sit" command yet, she naturally sits all the time, which isn't typical for such a young puppy. She'll walk a few steps and then sit for several minutes, like she's thinking about what to do next. We may be a little biased, but we think she is absolutely adorable.

We only had to get up once with her last night, which is really extraordinary for an 8-week old puppy! She is already going to the bathroom on command and has only had a couple of accidents inside the house.

Stryder is adjusting pretty well so far. We've given him a lot of love and attention, and will definitely continue taking him all by himself for his daily walks. He's even let Annabelle sleep on his bed several times - although he isn't looking for opportunities to be right next to her, he hasn't been mean to her. And she's definitely not scared of him. We looked down tonight and she had smooshed her little head right next to his and fallen fast asleep.

All in all, she's even better than we hoped she would be! If you want to see more pictures and videos of our weekend, feel free to check out this gallery.

from three to four

Well, it's official... we're about to become a family of four! (Two people and two dogs, that is - no human babies yet!)

We picked our golden girl on Monday night, and here's a sneak peek. She's the one on the left (Brian's right). Isn't she just the cutest thing you've ever seen?

There were five females to choose from. It. was. not. easy. They were all adorable little balls of fluff. But something about this one stood out to us - she's mellow and snuggly, and she has the most beautiful eyes.

She'll come home with us in NINE days.

It feels like Christmas all over again. :)

PS. Sorry for the terrible lack of updates from the Smith household lately - more to come soon!