So Graham got a hold of my iPhone while coming home from Portland a last week.  He took over 55 pictures, I will post a few here.  He has a good eye for a 2 year old, but I am his proud father. I was surprised while flipping through to find the one of the airplane wing. A nice touch.

This past friday night we took a trip to Orr Family Farms in Moore, Oklahoma - we went because we wanted to take Graham to a pumpkin patch. The fun thing about this place is that it has more than just a pumpkin patch to enjoy, they have train rides, hay rides, a small barn with animals to feed and annoy, ah, pet, a carousal and big jumping things that they call pillows. It is a really fun place that was perfect for the fall weather. If you need a fun family get away in OKC, check it out. Graham highly recommends the train ride around the secret pond. Here are documented pictures from the evening.

Friday's are my day's off so they are our family days. For this fun family Friday we loaded up the car and headed to the State Fair. It just started the day before, so we were early birds (although we missed the dollar day which was on the first day). We went last year and we pretty much did the exact same things this year, except Graham enjoyed it even more, his favorite things...the animals. Our favorite thing...food (essentially the same thing except the timing is off). Adriane had her standard Indian Taco, and instead of being adventurous, I went with Earls, a local BBQ joint that had a booth there. I just wasn't in the mood for risky food.

Something happens each year we go over to the barns, where all the pig, sheep, cow and horse shows are taking place. Instantly as we walk in, I am smacked in the face with a wheel barrel of memories from my childhood. The smell has to be the strongest ignitor of all the memories - to some it may be an awful odor of who knows what coming out of who knows where but to me it is a very familiar and welcoming smell, taking me back to my very young years where I showed pigs and spent many fall months hanging out in the barns of various fair grounds in  various towns in Oklahoma. Days were filled with washing pigs, bedding down their pins and then waiting and waiting, but within the waiting there was alot of the fun going on, running around with the other 4-H or FFA'ers, living off of candy bars and nachos bought at the concession stands, experiencing the latest crush on that cute girl from the other school and just enjoying being covered in dirt and it not really mattering. Even though I didn't always do that great showing my pigs (except one year my Chester won grand prize at the Grady County Fair and then first place in the Oklahoma County Fair) I always enjoyed the lazy days spent in the barns, with the animals, and with my friends. As we were walking through the barns I kept feeling  that nostalgia, and loved that I was able to share that with Adriane and my son.

Everything I just typed I was thinking about in this picture, we were watching kids show off their sheep, and they were doing a great job. Maybe one day Graham will get to experience some of that life - I hope, it is a good one.

I have to write these two Graham experiences down because if I don’t there is a good chance I will forget them (although the first will not quickly leave my mind or heart). 1^st Graham Experience: [caption id="" align="alignleft" width="240" caption="Graham enjoys the updated house"] [/caption]

A few weeks ago A, G and I were hanging out next door with Andy and Laura, we were actually working a little in the back of their house, last minute fixes as they had just moved in.  They were in the living room watching Lord of The Rings, so Graham was sitting on the couch watching it with them.  It was a safe part for him to watch at that moment, I think it was the Elfin forest scene or something serene like that.  About 5 or so minutes later I hear a battle scene from the movie happening, I go in there and He is watching it but Andy and Laura are quickly trying to cover his eyes, but I do think he caught some of the intense scene.

Later that night we put down Graham for bed, he is such a great sleeper, once he falls asleep we rarely worry about him waking up during the night.  At around midnight that night, he wakes up crying and screaming, first Adriane goes in, holds him, he calms down and she puts him back to bed, about 10 minutes later, he is screaming and yelling for us again.  This time I go in there, do the same thing, put him back to bed.  This happens 5 times with Adriane and I switching off consoling duties while being confused as to what is going on.  The last time he crys, I go in there, ask him if his stomach hurts – no answer, ask him if he is hot or cold – no answer, I continue to try and ask questions he would understand but still no answer.  So I hold him and then I think, he is probably having nightmares and is scared right now.  So as I am holding him I ask if he wants to “pray to Jesus?” in the sweetest voice possible he says “yes” – my heart melts.

He puts his head into my chest and I pray for peace over him, his room and his sleep as well, for the enemy to have no power or control over his mind and heart and for Graham to feel the closeness and love of Jesus.  Then I said amen.  I put him back in his bed, he went to sleep and didn’t wake up until his normal time the next morning.  Obviously I was very encouraged in my faith through this, but I was also so thankful for the realization that this 2 year old boy has that Jesus was what he needed.  I saw already a simple faith that is so profoundly whole from my son.  Jesus brings peace – Graham knows this.  Even though it was a encouraging night for me, I am keeping him away from Lord of The Rings for just a few more years – that movie is intense.

2^nd Graham Experience:

(this one is more of a ‘you had to be there and you had to be the parent (or uncle, aunt, grandmother or grandfather) of Graham to really appreciate it’)

Last night Adriane and I got on a kick to try and rearrange our furniture in our living room.  If you have ever been to our house you know that our living room is not that big and the furniture pretty much is where it is going to be, but we wanted to try anyway.  As we were moving some things around, we did find a new spot for a coffee table that Graham uses a lot – he stores his ‘colors’ in the drawer of the table.

Well, the furniture was all moved around and Graham was having fun jumping on the furniture and finding “new” toys under the chair and couches as we moved them.  Once we decided where ‘his’ coffee table was going to go, I grabbed it and said something like, ok this is going to go over here.  Instantly, Graham says “wait, no…table!” and jumps out of the chair.  You may not appreciate the humor in this as much as Adriane and I did.  He is a two year old, I have never heard him say something like ‘Wait, no!’ yet when we moved his table to a new spot, he spoke it.  It was like he grew up in an instant and both Adriane and I were shocked at his communication (as we have been often).  It was a funny moment. Once the table was in the new spot, Graham was able to test out the drawer and found that it still worked, so all was good.

Got the before and after pics of the rental house almost ready to post.  That will be coming soon…

Hanging out around the computer can be quite fun for our little boy.  I guess he has discovered how funny he is, at least to himself.  The best part about this didn't get captured on video.  It was him watching it after we filmed it and him laughing even harder at himself.  At the end he kept saying "more Graham".  Enjoy.

Graham Laughing from Ryan Smith on Vimeo.

Last night I had just gotten home from a weekend of fly Fishing at the White River and I was cleaning up and hanging out with Adriane and Graham. It was really nice evening so we had the back door open and Graham was going in and out, it's fun that he has a little more freedom and can go in the backyard on his own (with mom's eye on him through the window of course). Well, I noticed that he took my Bible outside with him, a few minutes later I looked out there and this is what we saw... He was reading the Word on his little bench outside.  It was really cute, he was having his Sunday evening time with the Lord, such a devout child of God.  We snapped a few more pics of him and he started smiling at us.  It's fun that every time he picks up the Bible he says "Jesus".  He already knows.

We had a sunny day recently and Adriane took some shots of Graham outside - this is one of my favorite ones these days.

So last weekend we went up to Tulsa for a birthday party for Mallory Gumtow, she turned 2. Her mom and Graham's mom are great friends. Anyway, we let the kids loose in the back and Graham started playing with the soccer ball, he dribbled it like he knew what he was doing. It was fun. Here is his 'I just stopped you from scoring the winning point' pose.

Graham loves music, he loves dancing, in fact he would rather watch music videos than cartoons - daddy likes that alot. Well, anyway, we grabbed our camera and captured some of his moves tonight. He is into gospel music these days, one other proud side note, a song with a piano solo came on and he looked up and said 'Pi' which means 'Piano' - proud father here.