The Smith Family

OUR NEW BLOG!!!

2009-02-18T11:36:00.000-08:00

Follow this link to our new family BLOG::: www.stephenandstar.blogspot.com . See you there!

Wow. . I'm so past due on an update!

2008-11-16T19:13:00.000-08:00

Here are some Halloween pics! The fourth baby is my nephew, Firefighter Caden.

Moving and Ike-ing

2008-09-11T12:51:00.000-07:00

Well, looks like we chose Hurricane Ike's big weekend for our big move! Thankfully, Stephen and the moving crew got all of our stuff from the storage building to the new house today. . .and quite a bit of our condo stuff, too.

Instead of being at the new house unpacking (like I'm anxious to do, of course), we'll be spending the weekend at the condo riding out the storm.

The name of the game is holding plans loosely. . . God knows and He will strengthen us for today.

If you would, pray especially for my parents and grandmama. Grandmama's nursing home issued a mandatory evacuation (it's near NASA), and so she is now at my mom's house. The crazy thing is that my parents' house is also in a mandatory evacuation zone. . and my grandmama is bed ridden and requires around the clock care.. . so pray for them, please. :)

OK. . that's the update! :) Thought I'd share. . .

First Day of School Pics and Baby News. .

2008-09-05T17:34:00.000-07:00

Our two school kids! They were excited. . and both had great starts to the school year.

Aren't they cute??

This is a rare family pic from Labor Day at my parents' house. We celebrated my sister's and my dad's birthdays.

And in other news .. . .for my blogging friends who may not know already, our family will be growing. . . and she's a GIRL!! We had an ultrasound today and got a clear shot! :) Praise the Lord! We are excited and amazed at God's plans for our family.

Sea World

2008-08-06T19:32:00.000-07:00

We went to Sea World for the weekend and had a great time. It was the perfect way to finish off the summer. . next week is our last week before school starts!

Here are some pictures of the kids:

on the Shamu roller coaster

right after the roller coaster ride--super excited

sweet Maddie helping Hope get her life jacket on for the lazy river

our baby girl

our silly boy

Stephen and the kids

another roller coaster shot

Birthday News. ..

2008-07-03T07:25:00.001-07:00

. . we are home this week! Yea! Jackson and I celebrated our birthday this week. Monday was the big day, and we went to an Astros game that night. We had awesome seats, and Jackson thought it was great. I can't believe he's four!! Then, on Tuesday night, we had a Hot Wheels party at the club room and pool at the condo where we live. It was a tons of fun with friends and family. Here are a few pics:

We had a big pancake breakfast Monday morning

Arriving at his first Astros game. . pretty exciting

Stephen and Madison having fun

We're here!!!

Hope is a party girl! She could not wait to get to the party, and she had a blast the whole time! She especially loved talking to Valerie-she kept saying "baby" and then babbling away at her. Hope talks in these long, emphatic strings of baby talk--she know every word that she's saying and she emphasizes the important parts with head gestures and hand motions. Too cute!

the happy chaos of opening presents. .

. . .and again!

2008-06-25T17:23:00.000-07:00

This week we're in Anderson, South Carolina with Student Life for Kids! This is our first time to do kids camp--and it is so fun! They are precious! Our kids are back in Houston spending time with their grandparents--all of them! Marsha had them Tuesday and Wednesday (with a zoo trip with Gene on Tuesday) and with my parents until Friday when we get back.

Wow! The summer fun never stops!

See you later!

Camp. . .again!. . and other happenings. .

2008-06-21T19:35:00.001-07:00

Yes, we've been to camp and back. . again. . .since my last blog. Last week we were in San Angelo at Angelo State University for a Student Life camp. It was an incredible week. We are so blown away that we get to be a part of such a wonderful week. I always pray that the things the students saw and heard will go down deep into good soil. I hate the thought of it just being another week in their lives, and I want so badly for them to be truly transformed because of God's work in their lives at camp. That sounds super-spiritual, but really--what is the point of the week if they aren't changed?

Do you know that Stephen and I have been going to camp every summer together for 14 years??? Our anniversary is coming up in July, and that first summer--14 YEARS AGO--we went to camp right after our Honeymoon! Seriously! It just wouldn't be summer without camp! :)

Here are some pics from last week. .

in the green room

at a Q&A with the band and speaker (Matt Carter)

Maddie and me

Jackson finishing off a 2 liter of coke--at 10:30 PM!!! This was the Thursday night after party.

Does Hope look like a rock star, or what!?

And here are a few pictures from the week before last:

This was a "Mission Wednesday" moment. I try to have day each week where we purposefully do something for someone else. Last summer it was "Mission Monday". This summer has been so crazy, that I'm just catching it when I can. This was for their VBS offering. Yes, we did VBS LAST week--in between Oklahoma and San Angelo.

This is a sweet Father's Day pic, don't ya think?

My newphew Caden is getting so big--he's soooo close to full-on crawling!

Hope is a reader (just kidding! :) but she does love books. Thank you, Aunt Melody, for all the new books!

Good night!

Camp Pics

2008-06-09T12:29:00.000-07:00

Hanging out in the green room. We were so thankful for a nice, cozy room to spend our backstage time in.

Molly (our wonderful nanny-for-the-week) and the kids spent a lot of time on playhousedisney.com!

My little strawberry girl. . so sweet!

My cup cake girl. . so sweet, too!

Just look at those legs! Love them!

We're at camp!

2008-06-05T07:38:00.000-07:00

We're at Falls Creek in Oklahoma with about 5,000 teenagers! We are loving getting to lead worship here. It's a wonderful invitation and we have so much respect for the camp director and the speaker this week. . so it's all good!

The kids are having fun playing in the green room, driving the golf cart, playing ping pong, making new friends, and going to the "Devil's Bathtub" (a natural spring in the mountain).

I love summer! It's my favorite time of the year. . the more relaxed schedule, kids home, and time to play and hang out. I love it! Hope you are, too.

Have a great day!

Star

Summer Clothes

2008-05-23T18:13:00.001-07:00

I had some "retail therapy" the afternoon, and I am just praising the Lord that I could do it! Every year at about this time I feel the need for a few new things to wear. . don't you know what I mean? I hit the B.P. at Nordstrom and got lucky on some DEALS. I love the IT brand of denim, and they did me right with some shorts and cropped jeans. I also got one of those little knit dresses that are popular right now. . I just hope I don't look pregnant in it! Yikes!

After some supper of spaghetti and meatballs (which I make Rachel Ray-style in the oven except that I added ground flax seed instead of breadcrumbs and my family never knew), we went to see Stephen's "new" office. The church was so gracious to initiate a re-do on his space right before we came, and it's just about complete. . and OH MY GOODNESS . . it is gorgeous. The furniture is gorgeous, the accessories are gorgeous, the set-up is gorgeous. . I might just work up there, too! :) (Just kidding!) I am giving the decorator a huge round of applause right now!

I'm so happy that it's a long weekend and that summer is almost here. I love the more relaxed pace with the kids. . and not having to get up quite so early. Of course, when I come to think of it, Jackson manages to get up pretty early anyway many mornings! Last night he couldn't go to sleep and ended up sleeping by me from 10-midnight. Then, at 5:30, he came in because he'd had a bad dream. The Grinch (who is his "boogy man") had rung the doorbell and taken Mamama (my mom) away! Truly frightening! Well, I put him back in the bed, but when he heard me get out of the shower at about 6:00, he joined me in the living room. Oh, well. What do you do? In our current condo situation--with all 3 kids in one room--I can't exactly make him stay in his bed because he would wake up his sisters.. . such is life.

Well, those are the current ramblings of my brain. Have a happy Memorial Day weekend!

Here are 2 pictures from Madison's school production of RATS (the story of the Pied Piper). She was a towns person from Hamelin. They did a wonderful job, and Maddie did great on her lines!

Visit the Fun House

2008-05-21T07:04:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading my friend Emily's blog. . and I just think you might want to visit it, too. Emily and Joel have a brand new baby boy named Seth. Seth has Downs Syndrome. I think you will be so encouraged to read how their faith is REAL. We love this family and are so incredibly privileged to lead worship with them at church. I know you'll be blessed like I am by Emily's latest post.

skaggsportal.typepad.com/

***PLEASE know that I am so EXTREMELY humbled and honored that she mentions me in her post. I promise that that is not the reason I want you to read it! :)

Why haven't I been blogging lately????

2008-05-20T17:25:00.000-07:00

That is the question I've been asking myself. I don't really know the answer. It's not because life isn't still happening with plenty of "news". Let's see. . . . since my last post. . . Madison busted out her 2 front (permanent) teeth and had them bonded back on. . . we celebrated Stephen's birthday. . we celebrated Mother's Day. .. . we've been to swimming lessons 7 times. . we've miraculously sold our Irving house to some precious friends :). . . .Madison was in a school play. . .I've been to lunch with sweet friends. . . dinner with sweet friends. . .we participated in our first annual Cystic Fibrosis Great Strides Walk (my sweet nephew has CF). .. . I've been on a yeast-free fast for the last month (Wednesday marks a month). . . visited my friend Emily in the hospital upon the birth of her son, Seth. . . visited my Grandmama in the hospital upon her 3rd trip to the ER in about a month (she's back in her new "home"--a residential care facility in Pearland). . . we went up to Austin for Stuart's (my brother-in-law) graduation from UT. . . and all sorts of other comings and goings. These are some of the things I've DONE.

I've worn lots of "hats", and I've also thought a lot about what my true priorities are. There's just not enough time in a day or a week to waste (much) of it! I've been wife, mother, daughter, sister, granddaughter, aunt, friend.

I'd like to not get so behind again on this little blog. . we'll see how I do keeping up. .

So. . . HI to all my friends in blog-world. Yes, we're alive and doing well (to those of you who have asked--and thanks for asking).

But for now--it's time for American Idol! Good night!

Loving Home. . the journey of mommy-hood

2008-04-03T06:53:00.000-07:00

So... I've had quite a few conversations in the past week about being the mom of a school-aged daughter. My post last week about my struggle to know how to navigate Madison through this chapter of growing up has spurred me on the quest for Godly wisdom.. . and it seems I'm not alone on this journey. . if fact, it seems like it's pretty normal for Madison and I to go through this "stage" and pretty normal for me to not know what to do! She's wanting more freedoms.. .I'm still wanting a happy daughter who is joyful, respectful, kind, considerate of others, generous, and obedient "all the way, right away and with a happy heart"--as we say around our house.

Because so many of my friends are experiencing similar challenges in their homes and because so many of my friends have daughters and because we are all desiring to have LOVING HOMES, I thought I'd pass on the collective wisdom I've been gathering. . almost all of it from my mom!

First, PRAYER is key. Here are the 2 scriptures that I'm praying for Madison.

". . . continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Do everything without complaining or arguing so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word life" Phil. 2:12-16

". ..being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Phil 1:6

Secondly, involve DAD. We're going to have a "family meeting" tonight. Stephen is going to talk about being respectful to me and being obedient from the heart. He's also going to lay down some consequences.

The third strategy is CONSEQUENCES. My mom said to plan on a few hard days of consistently enforcing the consequences, but then it'll get better. I've experienced that before when it comes to enforcing bed time, table manners, rude language, etc. We're looking for the "currency" that will get through to our girl which is TV time and stuffed animals at the moment.

We're also looking for some POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT. We're not settled on what this will be quite yet. Along those same lines, I want to make sure I'm making enough "deposits" with Madison so that she doesn't have to make a scene to get my attention!

I'm also going to re-evaluate which TV SHOWS are appropriate. We might need to cut back on some of our shows that are feeding the drama and childhood angst!!

Lastly, I'm going to be aware of GENUINE ISSUES VERSUS MANIPULATION. In the heat of the moment, I'm going to try to patiently express understanding and empathy ("I know you're disappointed. I see that you're wanting greater freedoms, and I'm going to think about and talk to dad about how we can work this out. . "), and I'm also going to end it there. Conversation to be continued at another time in another setting. The end.

I want to be strategic in parenting, like Pastor Gregg says! With God's help, we will.

God is good and he promises us wisdom when we seek it. Thanks be to God for his WORD to give us LIGHT on this journey-step by step.

I'll let you know how it goes! If you have more strategies, send them my way! :)

My Baby Hope is ONE!!!

2008-04-02T12:27:00.000-07:00

We had her party on Saturday at the park because she loves to SWING!

She really likes her new Dora car. . and her clothes and toys. Thank you to our sweet family!

This is the absolutely ADORABLE and DELICIOUS cake. We had a Strawberry Shortcake party, and this cake was strawberry with to-die-for cream cheese icing. Yummy!

Hopey was NOT shy about sticking her hands in and eating her cake!

She had fun sitting with Maw Maw and opening her presents.

It was a wonderful family party celebrating our girl! I truly can't believe that a year has flown by so quickly. Hope is such a happy, delightful little girl. People are always asking me, "Is she always this happy?". And, yes, she is! She is so much fun to have around. She is a cuddler, she is curious, she is quick to learn and figure things out, she can communicate, she goes with the flow. . and she is altogether PRECIOUS!

I love you, Hopey!!!

Save the DRAMA for your MAMA

2008-03-26T19:26:00.000-07:00

Oh, my goodness! My sweet Madison had a melt-down tonight. . of the "girly" sort. . I AM extremely sympathetic (as I am not immune to inexplicable melt-downs from time to time), but I AM still perplexed on how to handle it! Distract her? Talk it through? Firmly shut her down? Let her cry it out--alone? Try to cuddle and coddle her through it--despite her resistance to this?

Tonight the initial issue was wanting to stay at church longer and not head home a little early (as my mommy instinct clearly knew we needed to do--and as was proved by the melt-down itself!). But it quickly turned into "I never let her go her own way. I need to let her make more decisions. I don't listen to her. I don't understand her, etc.". When we got home, and we continued our "conversation", it progressed to "She's 8 now. She needs adventure. She needs to explore the world. By herself." When I asked her how she would like to travel, she said that "she would travel on foot".

On and on it went. I wish I could have made notes as we talked so that I could remember all she said! Bless her heart. I finally decided our "conversation" was not very productive, and it was time to put her in bed. . . and she happily prayed with me and for me and said goodnight.

What??? After all that??? I am needing some major wisdom!! This is not the first time this has happened and I have a funny feeling it's not the last! :)

Anyone with words of advice or suggestions of books or strategies or scripture. . feel free to send it my way!

What a girl! Oh, the adventures of mommy-hood!

Happy Easter!!!

2008-03-24T13:17:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter! We had a wonderful GOOD FRIDAY in Friendswood. We did it all. .

. . . dyed eggs

. . . had a hunt

. . . opened baskets

... . and took some beautiful bluebonnet pictures. Here are some individual shots. . .

Here are our three. .

This is our adorable nephew, Caden. . .

The baby cousins. .

And all 4 cousins. .

We also had a delicious meal with ham and all the yummy sides and desserts. My mom is amazing! :)

Saturday morning, the bunny made a visit to our house. Funny how he knows that Sundays are too early around here, but he's always managed to visit us on Saturday. We went to the park and had a relaxing day.

Sunday was a blessed day. God was good to give us grace and strength to lead. I'm so amazed at the way God is making Stephen ABLE to do the work He has given. We are so thankful and blessed! Our church family was so receptive and responsive to the Spirit, and they were ready to worship. Our service Sunday night at Ascend marked the end of services in the sanctuary as we currently know it. It's about to under-go a HUGE renovation. . .these are exciting times.

God is good. It's going to be a great week. Hope turns 1 on Thursday. . . can't help thinking about how life was a year ago. So much has changed. . . this life-thing sure is crazy sometimes.. . kind of hard to understand. The only ROCK is Jesus. He's been so faithful and good to me. Happy Easter!

Madison is 8!

2008-03-17T18:24:00.000-07:00

Here's the run-down on Madison's B-Day Celebrations. . .

Thursday morning, we had our traditional birthday breakfast.. . she loved it!

At lunch, we delivered cupcakes to the 2nd graders at FBA. They announced her name on the cafeteria microphone. It was so sweet!

Thursday night we ate supper at home then went to McDonald's to play and have an ice cream cone.

On Saturday we had a family party at the HFBC bowling alley! Madison felt so loved on and so special. It was really fun for everyone.

Tonight I interviewed her about life as an 8 year old. . .Here's a snap-shot into Maddie's world.

What was the best part about being 7? Getting to go to people's houses by myself.

What was the hardest part about being 7? Having to deal with my little brother!

What advice to you have for someone who's turning 7? Have fun!

What is one thing you learned about God last year? That He will be with you all your life. And I asked Jesus into my heart because of that on one Friday night.

What is one thing you learned about yourself last year? That I'm confident to go spend the night and to interact with new things.

What surprised you last year? All the friends I made.

What is the most exciting thing you did last year? Go to NRH2O with all the kids.. . and getting a little sister! That's been my life long dream--to get a little sister.

What are you most looking forward to as an 8 year old? Going to 3rd grade and seeing what that's like.

What will be your greatest challenge? Having to deal with both a little brother and sister!

What is the most important thing about being a daughter? Having fun with my mom and dad.

What is the most important thing about being a Christian? Following God's Word and learning to hear God speaking to you and following Him.

What is the most important thing about being a sister? Have to look out for all the little kids.

What is your favorite subject? music

What is your favorite restaurant? Pei Wei

What is your favorite food?macaroni

What is your favorite song? Here I am to Worship?

What is your favorite band? The Smith Band and Jesus Freaks {Madison and Hannah's Band}

What is your favorite TV show? Fairly Odd Parents and Sponge Bob

What is your favorite thing to do on the weekend? Hang out with my family

Friday

2008-03-14T19:39:00.000-07:00

We had a delicious and fun Friday night. Can you say "2 desserts"? Well, that's how it ended. It started with a stop at Houston's to eat. Now, I absolutely love their grilled chicken salad with that peanut dressing. Oh, my goodness! But. . not exactly a place for a family of 5. . . so we left there and went to Amazon Grill. Now--it is in the restaurant family with America's and Churrasco's--2 of my all-time favorite Houston eateries--and it did not disappoint.

We ordered 2 kids meals, 2 entrees, and a dessert--their delightful table-top smores maker. It is so yummy! Well, then, we discovered that the kids meals come with (drum roll, please) GRAPE COTTON CANDY. Wow! It was actually really tasty. . .so we just basked in our sugar high. Happy Spring Break to us! :)

Jackson thoroughly enjoyed the smores, and was fascinated with the fire. Are all boys little pyros? He really only wanted to burn the marshmallows--eating then was just not necessary!

On the way home, in the context of a conversation I'll spare you, I said "What do you think it will be like to ride in the car with one of your own friend's driving?" Now, this is new conversation territory--we haven't talked about this before that I can remember. Jackson's immediate response was "No. I'll be driving MY friends. They can ride with ME!" What is it with boys and driving?

I'm reading Dobson's Bringing Up Boys, and I am (again) amazed at God's design of boys--my boy! He is in the stage where he continually identifies with Stephen as a male. He says it all the time---"Dad, we're boys. Mom, Maddie, and Hope-y are girls. We're boys." This is completely new and wonderful territory, and I am savoring my front-row seat to the unfolding of the way God designed my little boy!

We're having Madison's 8 year old B-Day party tomorrow. I just can't believe that she's actually 8!! I'll have an "8 is Great" post real soon with all the party pics!

The Tuesday report

2008-03-11T18:57:00.000-07:00

Well. Here I am. Hallelujah for an 8 o'clock bedtime at the Smith house! We've had 2 nights in a row of supper at home, baths, books, and on-time to bed. Awesome.

We are counting down to Madison's birthday which is Thursday. Speaking of Madison, she is recovering from HANNAH MONTANA which she went to on Sunday night with my parents. Can you believe it? My dad managed to get 3 tickets, so he and my mom took Maddie. Crazy! They had a blast!!!

My sweet Hope is changing everyday. Her birthday is coming up too, on March 27. I can't believe my baby is almost one! She can say "dada"--her most favorite word which she says over and over and over, "mama"--which she occasionally says!, "bye", "hi", "baba"--bottle, and "bubba"--for Jackson. She's also signing "more", "finished", "please", AND she can wave and play patty cake .. . AND she's just so darn cute!

Jackson is as much a nut as always. He keeps me hopping. He's happy if he can play with cars and more cars. I love that kid!

OK. That's the update. School's good. Church is good. Life is good.

God is good.

Good night.

A new song from Madison's heart

2008-03-03T11:46:00.000-08:00

Maddie wrote a new song.. . .she diligently sat in the back seat of the car with her notebook and pen. . and then sang this lovely song to us. I thought you would enjoy the words, too (the way she wrote them).

The Fathe (faith)

The fathe I have in Jesus is the strongist bond with anyone. I love Him and one thing why is I mooved and allredy he is helping me. I love the lord! He is the Best. repeat.

I love the Lord!

Hallelujah!! Is that precious, or what! Thank you to all my blog-land friends who have prayed for our family--and especially my sweet Maddie--during our transition. It means so much!

2008-02-28T19:19:00.000-08:00

OK. So Hope is 11 months old. On Tuesday, Hope, Jackson and I went with my BFF Tara to our other BFF Jennifer's house. Can I just express how grateful I am to be able to hang out with these girls? It's a huge blessing to my heart! Anyway, Jennifer (who is the mother of 4 girls), couldn't believe that I was still feeding Hope jarred baby food. I've been slowly transitioning her to table food, but when Jenn cut up some grapes for Hopey (very small), and gave Hope a bite, my girl when nuts! Jennifer did NOT say this, but what my heart heard was, "You're baby-ing the baby. Give that girl some food!"

So. . that night, we went to Friendswood for supper with the family. Again, AMAZING that we can be spontaneous with our family. I called my mom at 3 to see if we could come, and at 6 we were sitting at their table--with Mel, Nathan, and Caden--eating my mom's yummy food. Anyway, I cut up chicken, green beans, bananas, and peaches for Hope--and she went NUTS! She loved it! I promise you she ate for 45 minutes--it was the best meal of her life! She clapped and signed for "more" again and again. . and again! There's been no going back since then. . . no more jars. My baby is growing up--so quickly!

Nathan and Caden hanging out. Caden is GROWING like a weed! He is adorable!

Wednesday is chapel day for M & J. Here they are in their chapel uniform dress. Too cute! Jackson has to wear blue slacks with a white oxford (tucked in) with belt. Maddie wears a plaid dress with white, peter pan-collared shirt. Can I just say it again--GRATEFUL!

We're Here!!!!

2008-02-21T18:57:00.000-08:00

We are in Houston. . .we are doing well. . and we finally have Internet again. Yippee!! I've missed blog world. So much has happened in a week, that I don't think I could type it all, but one thing I will say is that God is good. He has been giving us grace upon grace to meet each day's challenges.

My Jackson started school at FBA on Wednesday and described it as "perfect"! He is so adventurous, friendly, and has jumped in full force. (I also started reading Dobson's Bringing Up Boys today! :) )

My sweet Maddie started at FBA on Tuesday. She is hanging in there with courage and perseverance. I have been praying my heart out everyday for her as she encounters new experiences and people and expectations each day. She is still suffering from the cold that has had so many of us down--so she doesn't feel her best in the middle of all these changes! Poor baby! On Monday, they had a holiday, and our friend, Allison, organized a playdate for the second grade girls. What a huge blessing! She had about 8 familiar faces on Tuesday morning! Her teacher is sweet and kind, and she's settling in pretty well. Academically, she's facing some challenges--they've already learned all the lower-case letters in cursive--and she'd only learned 4 of them! AND the homework is a bit overwhelming. . .but we are confident that He who has called us will provide everything we need! She finished the week strong and told me today that the girls like her! :) I'm so happy to hear her that her confidence is up and she's feeling accepted--and liked! Hallelujah!

I am so extremely proud of Stephen! I am in awe of the annointing and grace and wisdom and discernment and leadership that God is giving him moment by moment. He has worked so hard this week and is enjoyng some R&R this weekend. I love him so much and his absolutely biggest cheerleader.

We had a near perfect Saturday today. . I got to sleep late--til 8:30--again, Hallelujah! Then the girls and I wend to get Madison a Brownie vest while Stephen took Jackson to get a haircut. Yes, Madison is joining the Brownies-the have their meetings on Monday--and she will be there in her cute brown vest!

After our errands, we met up at Memorial park and had a ball! The kids played and played. The weather was perfect, and it was one of those days made to be outside. Here are some pics.

We are looking forward to our first Sunday at First tomorrow morning. We're going to be in "observation" mode--walking the halls and getting to talk to people. We are super excited. . .I better head off and get my beauty sleep! Ha! Ha! Good night!

Moving Day

2008-02-12T19:35:00.000-08:00

is tomorrow!! Oh-my-goodness! I can't believe that it's here. I have been sooo sick since last Wednesday--and finally today I'm somewhat better. In other words, I had done NOTHING to prepare for our move since last Tuesday!!! I am so serious! I have been in bed every possible minute--in between FBC Grapevine's D-Now (Smith Band sang this weekend) and our last Sunday at FBCI. One word-brutal.

Praise the Lord I felt better today. I managed to pack A LOT. Somehow I'll finish tomorrow--before 3 pm when we head out.

I'm feeling a little sentimental about saying goodbye to Boundbrook Lane and all it represents to me. I have a thankful heart for all that the Lord has done in Irving. Two hugely personal things come immediately to mind-Hope's birth and Madison's salvation. . . and much more than I can unpack right now.

So.. . tomorrow it's hello Houston! For now--I'll finish American Idol! :)

We saw the Hannah Montana Movie. .

2008-02-04T18:31:00.001-08:00

and it was an experience! We had a crew of 10 with Madison, Jackson, Hope, and me; Jennifer, Hannah, and Caleb; Michelle, Logan, and Maison. The show was in 3-D and really cool. That Miley girl is something else. Jen and I agreed that we'll happily believe the Disney magic that she is as wholesome and sweet as she is cute and talented--at 14 years old!

So. . we get there, get everybody situated. Jackson was kind of bored and wouldn't stay in his seat. Hope was a wiggle-monster, and she literally wiggled on me the whole time. We had baby food everywhere, cheerios all over the floor, and it was a complete mess. Jackson broke his 3-D glasses, and I tried to juggle wearing his broken glasses while keeping Hope from ripping out my earring and disturbing everyone with crying! Yikes! At the end of the show, though, we were glad we went. The kids loved it, and we made a memory!

Goodbyes and Hellos

2008-02-01T14:17:00.000-08:00

I'm in the no-man's land of impending change. The move is coming, coming. It's painful saying good-bye to friends here. It's exciting to look ahead to hello with friends and family there. These are 2 symbols of change.. . .the good-bye of boxes (I've officially packed 5 boxes--3 to de-clutter our house for showing purposes and 2 for Houston) and the hello of some "welcome" roses from the staff wives at HFBC. The flowers have certainly brightened my week. . I think I could get used to having a vase of fresh flowers all the time! :)

The weekend update

2008-01-28T16:29:00.000-08:00

The Smiths had a weekend to remember. First, on Saturday, Stephen officiated his first wedding for our friends Philip and Holly. He did an AMAZING job--I was SOOOO proud of him. Several people told him that it was sincerely the best wedding ceremony/message they had ever been to! Madison was the flower girl, Jackson was the ring bearer, and I had the great honor of singing "I am Strong in the Lord" as the processional.

Here are some precious pics from Saturday:

THEN, on Sunday, we made a huge announcement to our church family that we'll be moving back to Houston in February. We are so sad to say good-bye to our precious friends here! We are also overwhelmed at the opportunity that God has given us. It absolutely has been HIS work to bring this all about. More updates on our transition to come in future posts! :)

Simple pleasures

2008-01-25T13:21:00.000-08:00

. . . .chai in the afternoon

. . . .seat warmers in the car

. . . .a warm, cozy house on a cold, gray day

. . . .a new hair cut and hair color

. . . .baby kisses (her whole face lit up when she saw me through the window at the end of her "school" day)

. . . .a deal from Anthropologie (new skirt!:)

. . . . a Jackson-ism (I told you, didn't I, that he's the "root beer" in the wedding this weekend?)

. . . .children who get along (watching cartoons together, currently)

. . . .Sara Groves' latest CD (LOVE it!)

. . . .my iphone (how DID I love without it?)

. . . .my adorable husband (He so lovingly was concerned for my safety this morning--"Be careful of ice on the bridges in the little car". That is so sweet!)

. . . a new magazine in the mail (Cottage Living, anyone?)

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17

Saturday morning fun. . .

2008-01-19T09:07:00.000-08:00

Saturdays with no big agenda are--in a word--AWESOME!! Stephen let me sleep late (til 9:00!!!) and got up with the 3 kiddos! We watched cartoons, played on webkinz.com (that would be M), and played Play Station.

THEN, we had a visit from Stuart (Stephen's brother), Collin, Rob, and Brian. They are in town playing at FBC Hursts' D-Now! Collin is an incredible worship leader, and we think that they are just awesome guys. If you've never heard Stuart play (he plays with us, too)--he is AMAZING!

These are more pics from the week.

This is the Lincoln Log Ranch that J-man and I built one morning.

M & J trying on their new wedding clothes for next weekend's big wedding. M is the flower girl and J is the "root beer" (otherwise known as the "ring bearer" at our friends' wedding!

And this is sweet Baby H playing at the mall. She is getting so big! She is such a delight in every way.

Happy Weekend! Have a blessed Sabbath!

Baby Caden is Home!

2008-01-16T19:37:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to report this wonderful news about my nephew, Caden! He has been home since last Thursday, and they are doing great! Check out my sister's blog at

thelilleyfamily.blogspot.com

24 hours of. . .

2008-01-15T18:27:00.001-08:00

24!!

Yes, we completed season 4 of 24 last night!!! That Jack Bauer--he went and saved the world AGAIN! Amazing! How does he do it? We'll take a break and then move on to season 5! Yippee!! Stephen and I have enjoyed our fall with Jack, Tony, and the gang. A lot of nights we've made this yummy little drink that you might like. My friend Donna introduced me.

1/3 cup Pomegranate juice (it's best by POM--in the produce section by the bottled salad dressings and juices).
2/3 cup Canada Dry

Serve over ice. Yummy!

a funny "Jackson-ism"

2008-01-08T12:06:00.000-08:00

So this morning at the mall, Jackson, Hope, and I past an elderly man sitting still and quietly. He was evidently waiting for someone or something. Anyway, I noticed that he had a bright white bracelet-type thing around his wrist and assumed it was holding his keys. Jackson took note of this man, too. As we walked by him, he hollered out, "Hi, Grandpa!". Then, as we walked on past, he asked me, "Mommy, why is that grandpa for sale?". He thought that bracelet was a PRICE TAG!

Funny stuff. I've been chuckling to myself all morning long! :)

Ramblings. . .

2008-01-05T13:57:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my blog-reading friends. I've totally been wanting to write a sweet, thoughtful Christmas-post but too much has happened and too much is happening! When I did sit down to write, I found out that all our Christmas pictures are on Stephen's computer and deleted from the card. . so NO PICTURES here to post! Yuck!

So. . . we'll just move along to current ramblings in Smith world in no particular priority order. :)

First, is High School Musical taking over anyone else's world besides mine? Those songs are everywhere I go! The other night when Madison's friend spent the night, they sat on the couch watching the movie and singing along with the songs on her new karaoke machine (Thank you, MawMaw!). It was pretty cute. They also wrote 2 more original songs--"Who's that Man?" and "It's the Word". They both sound a little bit like "Who's that Boy?". . . .Hmmmmm. . .

Second, these are the new foods that Hope-y has recently sampled: dog food (twice), Carmel corn, and Ritz crackers. The first 2 she obviously scavengered for on the floor--that girl can crawl like crazy! She can make it from the living room, through the breakfast room, through the kitchen and to the laundry room were we keep Gretel's food in no time!

Third, my Jacks-man is a nut! He plays non-stop! This morning, though, he got into some of Madison's nail polish!!! He "painted a stream" on the top rim of the tub! Fortunately it (mostly) came up. He also painted his nails! Exciting.

Fourth, my amazing husband surprised me last night with. . . an IPHONE!!!! No kidding!!! My 2nd hand Nokia has served me faithfully (again, thank you, MawMaw), but it was time to retire that baby! Funny, I just FEEL cooler when I hold it! :)

Fifth, I made a very easy, yummy supper last night, and I thought I'd share it with you busy girls out there. This recipe is from my mom's friend, but you call it Saucy Chicken and Pasta!

Ingredients:
1 8oz. cream cheese (full fat or fat-free)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (regular or 98% fat-free)
1 stick of butter (or 1/2 a stick)
Chicken tenders or breasts (about 3 breasts)
1 small pack angel hair pasta or thin spaghetti

Directions:
Melt the butter in a sauce pan. Add the soup and cream cheese, whisking to combine.
Put the chicken in a CROCK POT.
Pour the sauce mixture over the chicken.
Cook on HIGH for 4ish hours or LOW for 6ish hours.
Cook the angel hair pasta.
Serve the saucy chicken over the pasta.

**My mom made the original version for us over Thanksgiving, and it was so creamy and yummy! I made the the low-fat version (with whole-wheat pasta) last night for us, and it was super creamy and good. Next time I make it I'll experiment with adding a little garlic salt and/or onion powder.

Enjoy!!

Sixth, can I just complain for a sec? I really don't like taking down Christmas decorations!!!! What a mess. . I'm only half way through!!!

Seventh, my nephew Caden is hopefully going to be coming home before long. They're at least starting to seriously talk about it! Please keep praying that he'll continue gaining weight and get to come home soon!! Also, for Mel and Nathan to hold up.

Lastly, my precious husband is just not feeling well today. . he's been laying low all day. .. sore throat. . .looks like we'll be singing lots of girl-songs at church tomorrow!!

OK--I'm out. Time to feed Hope, wash more clothes, clean up this messy, messy house, be Stephen's nurse, cook supper, give 3 children baths, and get us ready for church tomorrow! See ya!

NEW song from Madison and Hannah

2007-12-22T19:30:00.000-08:00

While hanging out today, Madison and Hannah wrote a brand new song. Enjoy the latest hit single from the duo that calls themselves the Jesus Freaks. Here it is..."Who's That Boy?"

Carols and Candlelight 2007

2007-12-18T07:28:00.001-08:00

These are pics from Sunday night's Carols and Candlelight service--our church's very elegant, choir and orchestra, candlelight service. It really was a beautiful night. It was a landmark night for me personally because I WORE A CHOIR ROBE!!! This was my very first time to wear a choir robe and sing in and ADULT CHURCH CHOIR!!! I must say that I enjoyed it (the singing, not the robe) very much. Standing next to Janell made it fun! Stephen did a wonderful job emcee-ing (is that a word? probably not!). Take note of just how gorgeous the sanctuary looks with all the Christmas decorations up. Last year my precious friend, Tara, came up from Houston to help the girls and me arrange all the tree toppers, wreaths, swags, and garlands. It looked stunningly beautiful again this year with the poinsettias and lights.

Medieval Christmas at our church

2007-12-17T13:11:00.000-08:00

Amazing song from an amazing night. Kemper Crabb and band do "Down in Yon Forest" on Dec. 9th.

What a weekend!

2007-12-17T11:32:00.000-08:00

Wow! So much happened over the weekend! Maw-Maw (Stephen's mom) came to Irving Friday night (in all that terrible rain!). We were so happy to see her. On Saturday, my parents came into town. . more hugs and kisses. I made Olive Garden's Pasta Fagoli Soup for supper, and I'll just tell you--it was yummy!

Then. . on Sunday morning. . .the reason our sweet family came to town. .

Madison was baptized by Pastor John. What a thrill! She had such a sweetness about her--she was so excited and honored by all the people who stood in support of her decision and her witness. An incredible moment. . beyond words that I can form. . .

Stuart (Stephen's brother) and his precious wife, Nicole, were there to celebrate with Madison. . .and we just can't pass up an opportunity to play with Stuart. He is one incredible guitar player!! As is my handsome husband! He just is made to be playing that guitar. . I think he was looking EXTRA cute!

Then we came home and had a celebration lunch (pot roast with carrots and potatoes). . also incredibly yummy!!!

Here are a few pics of the kids in their Christmas get-up.

The Caden Report . .

2007-12-04T06:53:00.000-08:00

I haven't given an update on my nephew Caden lately, and some of you may be wondering how that precious boy is doing. My sister just gave the latest report on her blog, and if you'd like to see it, hop on over to

thelilleyfamily.blogspot.com

It's worth zipping over to see a picture of his adorable little face!

Maddie as Mary

2007-12-03T14:13:00.001-08:00

Look at my sweet Madison! She was Mary in our church's Family Christmas program last night. Our High 5 Choir (elementary choir) sang several songs and created a manger scene. Maddie was escatic on Wednesday night when she found out that she would get to be Mary. . . and she did a wonderful job. Here's another picture.

Also, in another performance, the Durham's came over Friday night for smores and fun, and the kids put on a little play. . .

Lots of fun! What an adventure to be 7 1/2. What an adventure to be the mom of a 7 1/2 year old!

Our weekend was full with a quick trip to lead worship at Faithbridge UMC in northwest Houston. It was a great morning, and as a wonderful bonus, we got to spend Saturday night with our precious friends, the Hills. I could go on and on about what a great time we had. . .it was so refreshing to spend time with them!

So.. . busy weekend. . full and wonderful!

These hands are made for building

2007-11-29T06:52:00.000-08:00

My Jackson is "all boy" as they say. He was in the backyard A LOT yesterday working on his "building site" (that's what he calls it). What was he building? A building, of course.

What will he build with these precious hands through the years? Only God knows. As I assisted in the building, sitting out in the sunshine with my son, I just kept hearing the phrase "build the kingdom" and I just kept praying that Jackson's life and his precious hands will build God's kingdom. He is so full of imaginative possibilities. . .he wants to be a mechanic one moment, a "knuckle fighter" the next (that would be a boxer!), a drummer in a band (currently called "The Little Smith Band") or a tractor-driver. I'm so glad that God sees the end from the beginning. He knows why he created boys--and my boy!--with this inner drive to BUILD. So. . I'm back to wondering what he'll build with those hands of his? Only God knows. And I can't wait to see.

2007-11-25T18:53:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving! We had a wonderful week in Houston. John Durham, our pastor at FBC Irving, said something that really impacted me this morning. He said, "There's a big difference between feeling thankful and truly giving thanks to the One who is the giver of all things." I've been feeling very thankful all week. . . but have I truly worshipped Jesus in thankfulness?

Here's a verse the kids and I sing frequently. . . "Give thanks to God in everything." 1 Thess. 5:18

Happy Thanks-giving!

The kids and me

The Smith family (pre-turkey!)

The kids with Great-mama

Hope's Milestones

2007-11-13T14:02:00.000-08:00

WOW! Our Baby Hope is 7 1/2 months old! In the last month she has learned to sit up, wave bye-bye, clap her hands, and say "ba-ba" (bottle-her first word!) and "da-da" (Daddy). Obviously, I'm pushing hard for "mama" now! :)

I'm telling you, she is precious beyond belief! Anyone who is ever around her is as amazed as I am by her sweeter than sweet disposition! She is the most easy-going, good-natured, gentle-tempered little girl. I've thought several times that baby Jesus may not have been sweeter than baby Hope! She's just that good!

Here are 2 pics of our sitting up, hand-clapping, book-reading-genius baby Hope! Enjoy!

Boys and Girls Country

2007-11-08T07:04:00.001-08:00

Stephen, Hope, and I did a quick zip-to-Houston trip Tuesday night to participate in a wonderful event. It was a huge gala at the Hilton of the Americas in downtown Houston. Stephen's creative services company (Maddstar) has been working over the last 3 years with a special organization called Boys and Girls Country. He has literally been working since last January on all the various publications, invitations, signs, etc. for Boys and Girls Country's Heritage Award Dinner and Gala evening, so we were excited to cross this "finish line" and to get to attend the event. One of the best parts of the evening was when Stephen led the choir (The Heritage Award Singers) made up of about 35 children from the Home in singing "We're All in this Together" from High School Musical 2. It was so precious to see these children of all ages (elementary to high school) singing and clapping! They were too cute! We have been so grateful that Maddstar (through one of Boys and Girls Country's board members) has been able to be part of this event. I think everyone there (nearly 1300 people) had to have been blown away how wonderful it is that the leaders of B&GC truly are committed to these children who cannot-for various reasons-live with their biological families. They truly become their family and they raise them up in a Christian community.

Way to go Stephen!!

Way to go Boys and Girls Country!

As an added bonus. . we got to stay with my parents and go see Baby Caden and Melody on Wed. morning before heading back to Dallas. Caden is absolutely beautiful!! He looks so good! He is feeding completely without an IV, and it looks very hopeful that he'll be able to be home before Thanksgiving! Yea!! Praise the Lord! Thank you--again--to all of you sweet friends who have prayed for Caden. Please pray things will continue to go smoothly so that we can have in home for Thanksgiving! Also, please keep praying for Melody and Nathan. They are doing well, and God is gracing them with strength and wisdom.

Here's a picture of Hope from Monday night. . can you say "Time Change"? We're still adjusting. .

Here's a picture from Sunday night (Maddie is middle row, far right). Madison sang with our High 5 Kids Choir Sunday night and they did such a great job! Afterward, the Jones' came over for Sunday-night-pancakes and a little football watching! We are grateful for the Jones' and all they do for our church! They are amazing! (wish I'd taken a picture of little Jackson Jones. . . you can see one on Amanda's blog)

One more "snapshot" from Smith-world. . . . As I was telling Madison good night last night she very seriously said "Mom, maybe I can be the President one day." I proudly thought "Wow. I'm so glad to see her confidence, her desire to be a leader, to make a difference. . ". Then she said, "I'd make a rule that kids can eat candy and hang their heads out the window whenever they want to." WHAT?!?!?! Now I know, of course, that candy-consumption is a big deal, but hanging your head out the window??? Who knew that was so important to a kid? I just laughed and said "Good-night".

Have a great day!

Halloween Pics

2007-11-01T19:14:00.001-07:00

We had fun-filled night night! We dressed up as 3 cheerleaders, 1 basketball player, and 1 coach. . . TEAM SMITH!!! We went to our church's Fall-a-Palooza for candy, games, blow-up slides, cake-walks, and a costume contest. Then, we made it home in time for some neighborhood trick-or-treating. Jackson didn't remember that we get to do a "candy hunt" on Halloween (and I apparently forgot to give him the heads-up about the whole candy thing!), so he was pretty excited. Madison, of course, needed no reminding--she was ready! And sweet Hope. . she was just happy to be there! Stephen was the coach, but I'm afraid that I didn't ever get a picture of him on our camera! We did get one family picture of TEAM SMITH, but it was the "official" picture taken at church, and we'll have to get a copy of it later. Anyway, enjoy these cuties from TEAM SMITH!

The annual costume contest. . . (Jackson is the basketball player on the right)

Maddie playing putt-putt

Me and the kids

Our Basketball All-Star!!!

Team Smith-Kids!

Go-o-o-o-o-o-o Team Smith!

Hope finds her voice!

2007-10-30T17:04:00.000-07:00

A Funny (?) Story from Monday

2007-10-27T14:50:00.000-07:00

We've all had those moments when we walk into a room and feel anxious--embarrassed--unsure--humiliated--mortified--you know, that sinking feeling?

Well, my sweet Madison had just such a day on Monday, but it worked out great and a "miracle" happened!

Last Thursday when our family was quickly making our way to Houston, Madison came home with a bright red sheet of paper announcing that this week was Drug Free week. To reinforce the message, they students were to dress up each day in a different way (crazy socks, camouflage, etc). Well, it listed that on Monday "Banana Puddin' would be presented in the cafeteria at 1:30 and the children are to wear a numbered jersey". OK, WHO or WHAT is "Banana Puddin'" and WHY would that have anything to do with a jersey??? I don't know! But, of course, I was congratulating myself on Monday morning when I actually remembered to put Madison in a jersey for school. (I was also thankful to Stephen's mom because she had just brought this pink A&M jersey to Maddie a couple of weeks before. Yea!) So, we put her in the pink jersey, put her hair in a pony tail, slipped on her wind breaker, and sent her off to school.

Well, when she got to school, she immediately realized that she was the only one with a jersey shirt on!!!! Everyone else was wearing camouflage!!!! Turns out, they had sent home a REVISED Red Ribbon note on Friday because now "Banana Puddin' will be presented on WEDNESDAY in the cafeteria at 1:30 and the children are to wear their numbered jerseys on WEDNESDAY and their CAMO on Monday"!!!! YIKES! Can they do that??? Well, they did!

So, Madison quickly zipped up her jacket, carefully stuffing the edges of the jersey under the jacket, and she asked her teacher to go to the bathroom. When she got to the bathroom she took off the jersey and just had on the long-sleeved white T-shirt that had been under the jersey. Then she prayed for a miracle.

When she got back to her classroom, she looked in her desk and there was a purple camo headband she had left one day awhile back!!! A MIRACLE!!! Her friend Haily helped her brush out her hair and get her head band on. Fortunately the dress-code rules were a little bit lax and her teacher didn't say anything about the collar-less white T-shirt. My sweet Madison wore that purple camo headband and made it home with the jersey. . . to wear on Wednesday. .. when "Banana Puddin'"-which turned out to be some monkey puppets--did their drug free message!

When she got home she told me how she had prayed for a miracle in the bathroom that morning. . .and got one! :)

Oh, and the doctors DID get the PICC line into baby Caden and he's had a pretty smooth Friday and Saturday. Thank you for praying for them. Keep praying for our baby boy and my sweet sister and brother-in-law. Thanks!

Today

2007-10-26T06:31:00.001-07:00

I'm headed back to Irving at lunch time today, and I can't wait to see my wonderful husband and 2 big kids! They are unspeakably precious to me, and I'm grateful beyond words that they've been so great about supporting my Houston trip this week. They are amazing!

Last night was really good for us (Mel, Nathan, mom, dad, me) because we LAUGHED so much!!! First off, Melody and I do NOT have a good understanding of human anatomy, and we had some serious mis-conceptions about all that Caden is going through! Believe me, it was pretty funny! We also talked about some old stories that had us laughing like crazy--very therapeutic! My mom fixed (a good Texas word!) us a good supper and then we went up to the hospital about 8:30 to see baby Caden. . but we didn't get to see him after all, and we left at about 10:30.

Caden's day yesterday was full of poking! They are trying to get a pic (how DO you spell that?) line in (it replaces an IV line), and they just didn't get it. They had spent a lot of time in the morning and then lots of time in the evening trying to thread it in, but poor baby, it just didn't work. They are going to try again this morning--so that's what we're praying for today. If they don't get it, then they'll likely do a "port" which means another surgery--which we don't want him to have to do!

The good news is that he's now "extibated" which means the tube down his throat is out and he's breathing completely without a machine being there to help.

Thank you, friends, for your love and support! Let's pray that pic line in this morning and ask God for a smooth day for baby Caden!

My sweet nephew and my awesome husband

2007-10-24T19:34:00.000-07:00

Baby Caden came through his surgery "very well" this afternoon. We are praising God and calling on him, Jehovah Rapha, for Caden's complete recovery. They removed the blockage by removing a small portion of his small intestine. He'll be sedated for the next 2-3 days and then they'll begin trying to feed him.

Melody and Nathan are holding up. God is gracing them with strength to make it, but I know they are so tired. I keep thinking "Melody just gave birth not quite 5 days ago, and here she is having to be up and gone from home all day long. . sitting at the hospital and in restaurants. . just having these long, full days."

Now, I must say that Stephen totally gets the husband of the year award! He is so awesome and things at home have been going so smoothly at home. . more grace! Thank you, Lord!

You can see pics of Caden and more updates at:

thelilleyfamily.blogspot.com

You are awesome friends and I'm so grateful for your prayers and support!

Baby Caden Joseph Lilley

2007-10-21T20:41:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to announce baby Caden's arrival! My sister and brother-in-law, Melody and Nathan, have their first baby--and he is gorgeous! So sweet and adorable! Melody's doctor sent her to the hospital from her appointment on Thursday. We got the call in Dallas at about 12:30, packed our family, and headed to Houston at 2:30! We made it to the hospital in plenty of time. . He is a midnight baby--born officially at 12:02 AM on Friday the 19th. He was 7 lb, and he is just so cute!

I am sending out a call for prayer for baby Caden. He has a GI blockage that put him in the baby ICU yesterday afternoon. He hasn't passed the miconium--the first poo poo. They've been doing lots of observation. . and finally gave him something this afternoon at 5:00 pm to help him pass the blockage. It takes about 6 hours to work, so we won't hear anything until the morning. It's actually a fairly "acute" issue that must be dealt with, but we are trusting God! All things are possible! Melody was discharged from the hospital today, and Caden will be in for at least a week if not more, so it's going to be difficult. . . .lots of unknowns about the week ahead. . . . so please pray for Caden, Melody, and Nathan! We just love them so much!

Thank you!

Hello out there!

2007-10-18T09:06:00.000-07:00

To all my blog-world friends, I am so sad that I have not been properly
updating my blog! And I really have a lot to say! I've been wanting to
give the baby Hope update--she's 6 months old now!!, I've wanted to
tell you about our First Irving women's retreat--God was so faithful!!,
I've wanted to share about our book club progress--check out that blog
at firstirvingbookclub.blogspot.com, and I've wanted to give updates on
Madison--I'm totally seeing evidence of the Holy Spirit working in her
life AND she made all A's on her report card--and on Jackson--he's a
crazy man! Also, my sister is about to have her baby boy any day, and
we're just so excited!

That's the super short version! I'm
afraid that a super long blog will be coming up (hopefully) with the
full update, but for now, here are some pictures from Hope's 6 month
old photo shoot to ooooohhh and aaaaahhhhh over! :)

2007-09-26T16:04:00.001-07:00

Here's my deep thought for the week. . sometimes they are too few and far between! :)

On Tuesday of this week our Jackson had an outpatient procedure done that we believe is for his good. . but it was oh, so hard when he was hurting so badly in the recovery room. Thank you, God, that he is doing GREAT now. . even by yesterday afternoon he was feeling great. This definately got me thinking, though. . . what we required of Jackson caused him pain but we knew it would be worth it and for his good. In a similar way, sometimes God totally requires us to go through something that causes us great pain. . and He knows that it will. . .but He knows it will be worth it and for our good. We've never had to make such a dramatic decision for one of our children before--and it was not easy, even though it was right! It was actually MORE loving for us to require this of him than it would have been to let the issue slide.

When God requires you or me to go through a painful season or situation, what does He ask of us? To love Him with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, all our strength. To TRUST Him. To choose to praise Him when we can't see His hand YET. This is how the healing process begins in us.. how He turns our mourning into dancing, our weeping into joy.

For now, I'm thankful that my Jacks-man is doing so well. . and I'm thanful that God's loving-kindness is never failing.

Praise be to God!

2007-09-21T17:53:00.001-07:00

He has called my Maddie girl to Himself! She has answered in faith--to be a follower of Jesus! I know many friends and family have joined me in fervently praying for her salvation this summer. God is faithful!

Over the last month we've had more frequent conversations about salvation, and about a month ago, she said that she wasn't ready to become a Christian because she knew that it was such an important decision. She didn't want to just make it easily. I, of course, did not push her. I was glad that she wasn't rushing it . she was seriously weighing this decision.

Over the last week, she's initiated conversations with Stephen and/or me everyday, and Wednesday after church she told me she was ready. In my spirit, I felt a true peace, too. This was HER deal. . she understood what she was doing! She talked to Stephen Thursday, and we set a plan to talk all together after school today. This morning, just about her first words were "can we still pray after school for me to ask Jesus in my heart?".

So. . after school, God mercifully let Jackson take a NAP on the couch (a truly first time event--a miracle), Hope was in her bed, and Stephen, Madison, and I sat on our bed to talk. We asked her questions (again) about what it means to be a Christian. She described that she had a black heart--and how awful it felt! She said it feels like when you get a shot, and then you fall in the mud and hurt it, and nothing you can do can get all the mud off! Only Jesus can wash the mud off and heal the bo-bo. Then she said she now has a pink heart--which meant she was between red (understanding Jesus' blood can cover her) and white (washed clean). It was a precious, simple conversation. We read several scriptures from Romans, particularly about believing in your heart and confessing with your mouth that Jesus is LORD--the leader of your life!

She said that she was ready. She wanted to pray and ask Jesus to be the leader of her life so that she can follow him. We prayed together. . . and a baby Christian was born right before our eyes! Thank you, God!

There aren't words! My heart is so full of thanksgiving! He called her. . she responded in faith. She said, "I know Jesus is calling my name." Hallelujah!

She excitedly made a few phone calls and hollared over the fence to our neighbors! :)

Thank you, sweet friends and family, who have joined me in praying for Maddie. Please continue. . :) The journey is beginning. A whole new chapter of her life is beginning. She's just so sweet and gentle and kind and funny and clever. . and a CHRISTIAN!!! Thank you, God!

My new favorite CD is. . .

2007-09-20T11:57:00.000-07:00

Caedmon's Call--Overdressed!!

I love it! Go get it! It's the new soundtrack of my day.

Enjoy!

Libby Lou Girls

2007-09-15T12:40:00.000-07:00

Last night Madison and Hannah celebrated Addison' H.'s 8th bday at the North Park Libby Lou--Hannah Montana style! Oh, my goodness! They were adorable and had a ball!

Book Club

2007-09-13T11:12:00.000-07:00

I am so excited about something that started last night at our church. . our very first ladies book club! Since I'm such a reader, this is right up my alley! We are reading an amazing book for moms called Don't Make Me Count to Three by Ginger Plowman. It is AWESOME! The whole premise is to re-format your thinking as a mom to use scripture to train your children and to use scripture to probe the hearts of your children. I was blown away that we had 19 ladies there last night, and I know of at least 4 more that are reading it with us, too! AMAZING!!! God is doing a new thing in the hearts of our women at FBCI. My sweet friend and partner in so many projects, Amber, made a blog for our book club, and you are welcome to check it out at http://firstirvingbookclub.blogspot.com/. If you know of more moms who might want to read it along with us, pass this on. It is NOT a big time-commitment, and it is NOT workbook/homework style, and it IS powerful! We are praying for great things!

Questions Jackson has asked today (that I can remember) by 1:45 pm

2007-09-12T11:37:00.000-07:00

Can I wake up Maddie?
Can you take me potty?
Can you wipe my bottom?
Can you get me some milk?
Can you turn on cartoons for me?
Can you get me some breakfast?
Why aren't we going to church?
What is her dog's name? (A random lady we passed.)
Why is she outside?
Why are we lost? (We weren't--he just knows our usual routes.)
Why is that big rig naked? (It had no trailor attached.)
Can we shout out "naked bug" everytime we see a big rig or bus? (Yes, we can. And did.)
Why is that man riding that wheel chair? (A large man at the grocery store on a motorized buggie.)
Is that lady big? (The one we just squeezed past near the Target restroom.)
Why are those birds up there?
Why are those ladies in their wheel chairs sitting under the trees? (Waiting for the bus, maybe?)
Can you take me potty?
Can you get me some more milk?
Can you play with me?
Can you fix my car?
When will Maddie get home?
Can you read me my Bible?
Can you read me the part when Jesus died?
Why did Jesus die?
Can you take me potty?
Can you turn the light on in there?
Can you get me some more milk?
Do you remember when I was a baby? (Yes.)
Can we play when I wake up?
Where does Titus live?
Can we move by Titus' house?
Why is she (Hope) crying? (Waiting for her bottle.)
Can I play with my trucks?
When will Maddie get home?
Can you take me potty?

And on it goes. . .life with a precious 3 year old boy! I love my Jackson-boy!

Psalm 40

2007-09-11T15:47:00.000-07:00

Psalm 40 has beckoned me to stay awhile and plumb the depths. Thought I'd share it with you. .

I waited patiently for the Lord;

he turned to me and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the slimy pit,

out of the mud and mire;

he set my feet on a rock

and gave me a firm place to stand.

He put a new song in my mouth,

a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear

and put their trust in the Lord.

Blessed is the man

who makes the Lord his trust,

who does not look to the proud,

to those who turn aside to false gods.

Many, O Lord my God,

are the wonders you have done.

The things you planned for us no one can recount to you;

were I to speak and tell of them,

they would be too many to declare.

Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,

but my ears you have pierced,

burnt offerings and sin offerings

you did not require.

Then I said, "Here I am, I have come--

it is written about me in the scroll.

I desire to do your will, O my God;

your law is within my heart."

I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly;

I do not seal my lips,

as you know, O Lord.

I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;

I speak of your faithfulness and salvation.

I do not conceal your love and your truth

from the great assembly.

Do not withhold your mercy from me, O Lord;

may your love and your truth always protect me.

For troubles without number surround me;

my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see.

They are more than the hairs of my head,

and my heart fails within me.

Be please, O LORD to save me;

O LORD, come quickly to help me.

May all who seek to take my life

be put to shame and confusion;

May all who desire my ruin

be turned back in disgrace.

May those who say to me, "Aha! Aha!"

be appalled at their own shame.

But may all who seek you

rejoice and be glad in you;

may those who love your salvation always say,

"The LORD be exalted!"

Yet I am poor and need;

may the Lord think of me.

You are my help and my deliverer;

O my God, do not delay.

Beach Trip 2007

2007-09-05T08:37:00.001-07:00

We are so grateful to my parents for our 3rd annual Labor Day Beach Get-Away! Here's our weekend in pictures (just pardon the un-rotated ones. . I was experiencing technical difficulties!). Enjoy! AND. . Happy Birthday to my sister (yesterday) and my dad (today)!!!

Madison is a 2nd Grader!!!

2007-08-29T12:39:00.000-07:00

I can't believe our little girl is a 2nd grader! We are so proud of her. She had a great 1st day in Mrs. Adamson's class, and we really think she's going to have a wonderful year. One cool thing. . several of her very best friends are in her class! Madison is a kind friend, a creative thinker, a gentle spirt. She is loyal, devoted, and funny! We love her and pray all kinds of blessings for her as she begins the year. . may she know Christ! and may she follow His path for her life!

Milestones

2007-08-25T12:11:00.001-07:00

Jackson is ready for his first day at Kids Day Out!

The CARS backpack (and lunch box).

Too cool for school!

See me pulling him back for a hug. . he was barrelling on in!

Maddie and Hannah enjoyed their last "free" night of summer and spent the night together. This is a mansion for Polly Pocket that they constructed and painted with old fingernail polishes.

Super-Baby!! She is OFFICIALLY rolling. . and rolling. . and rolling. .

Cute-ness!

Looking at herself in the mirror.

HI!

After this photo shoot, she got a bit sleepy and just started to take her nap on her play mat. . she has to be the world's easiest, sweetest little baby!

Baby Otto

2007-08-23T19:12:00.000-07:00

I just had to send a HELLO to the Jansens! (See blog link list to the left.) They just welcomed baby Otto Lee to the world, and he is so cute. Jeremy and Stephen have been friends since 1992, I've known Jeremy since 1994, and we all shared some good times at HBU. Lots of miles in the FOCUS van. :) Ah. . . memories. . .Anyway, we have just loved getting to know Candice and just think the world of this sweet family. . of four! Jeremy, Candice, and Ollie are loving on baby Otto! Jeremy is one of our favorite people in the world, and he is just hysterical! Their blog is new, and I think it's gonna be a funny read! We love you, Jansens!!!

The Most Exasperating Mall Trip of My Life. .

2007-08-22T12:34:00.000-07:00

Hey, blogging friends. I feel so crummy. . I've gotten out of my blogging habit with all the summer travels. . maybe I'm back in the game. . .I totally need so blog-therapy (blogapy???) though, so here I am, and here's my story.

OK, so I sometimes like to think that I'm super-mom--can do it all--with grace and patience--but I was just about brought low with my mall experience yesterday. First of all, Madison's sweet friend was spending the day with us--which is absolutely fabulous because she's just precious and we love her. I think, hey, I can go to the mall with 4 children. . .I only have 2 returns to make, one stop at Payless for Madison shoes and then we'll eat lunch and play at the kiddie play area. . .super-easy. Well, I knew pretty quickly that things weren't going to go my way. In the parking lot Jackson started the "I've gotta go potty" song and dance, so I quickly gathered up the children ("quickly" being a relative term of course), we went in straight to the bathroom, but he hadn't completely been able to wait so we start our shopping with damp shorts. I pull off the wet underwear. . and we're off. I stop at the list of mall stores (it's a new mall to me) and realize they don't have a Children's Place (return #1--oh, well). We head next to Bath and Body where I want to make my second return--exchange, actually. As I'm looking on the shelf for the eye make-up remover I want, Jackson starts saying "Mommy, I've gotta go potty." I say--"We JUST went. You can hold it a few minutes." Well, he couldn't. We went teetee right there on the floor. Seriously. A puddle. On the floor. Luckily no one else is in the store, and Maddie and her friend dart off as if they're not with us. I apologize to the lady (who is very sweet and understanding), clean it up, get a credit voucher--because they do not have what I need!, and we head across the way to Gap kids to buy something for Jackson to wear. OK, so now I get him some jeans, but they're buy one get the 2nd 50% off, so I go ahead and get Madison some too. $35 bucks later, Jackson is dry and we head to the food court. As we're standing in line at Wendy's, Jackson starts the song and dance AGAIN!!! (Mommy, I gotta go potty!) So.. I order and then take all 4 children back to the restroom (Now, don't forget that I'm pushing the huge stroller and keeping track of all 4 children!). He goes-again-and we go eat our lunch. Next, we head to payless where I get Madison 2 pairs of shoes--but no Sunday shoes (oh, well-AGAIN). Well, by now it turns out that we're not going to have time to play, so I offer the kids a cookie instead. The girls are fine, but Jack-Jack is disappointed, but we do avoid a tantrum. Finally, we make it out to the car. . I'm hot and exhausted. . but thankfully, the kids are not grumping. . and as I cool down (literally and figuratively). . . I realize again that life with 3 (or 4) children is never boring!

So there it is--the Most Exasperating Mall Trip of My Life. Feel free to top it if you, too, have a "funny" mall story! Let's hear it! :)

Hope update. .

2007-08-12T20:30:00.000-07:00

Well, baby Hope is a little over 4 months old now. She's just growing and changing so fast. At her 4 month check-up on Friday, Dr. Conoley said she gets an "A+" and "the cutest-baby-of-the-day award". I couldn't agree more! :) She is a delight and a joy in everyway. Here are some pics from the weekend.

She is so easy! This is Saturday evening. She was just playing on her mat, and then drifted off for her evening cat-nap. She also sleeps until 8:30 most mornings!

Jackson was proud of Hope--it was her first cereal experience!

She played along. . I'm not sure if she liked the cereal or not, but she liked the attention!

Here eyes are getting so blue! (And her hair a bit patchy! :) ) She's just so precious!

The Summer Fun Continues. .

2007-08-09T18:27:00.000-07:00

The summer of 2007 will go down in Smith history as one of the most fun. We have traveled a lot (which I love), and we've had a lot of at-home fun, too. Last summer we were moving AND I was in the yucky stage of pregancy (which was doubly miserable for various reasons), so this summer is WAY better than last year. But in many ways, this has just been an awesome summer of wonderful times with friends and family. . and we still have a few weeks to soak it up! Here are the last few weeks in snapshots:

Madison and Hannah (squinting in the sun) the day Madison and I went to Waxahachie for lunch and shopping at the Dove's Nest with Hannah and Jennifer.

Princess Hope has spent much of her summer in the stroller or carseat. I think she looks a bit smushed, don't you? This is in Waxachie, too.

A self-portrait of Madison and Maison. Madison took her camera to church one morning (unbeknownst to me) and enjoyed taking LOTS of pictures! :)

Visiting with Grandmama (or GREATmama). She loves holding her name-sake, Marcy Hope

We are grateful for our friendship with the Matte's

We went on 2 great hikes during our Hill Country adventures. Stephen and the big kids found this stream and just waded right on in . .

Yes, we went to Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels. We went with my parents and sister and brother-in-law and had such a wonderful day. This is at lunch.

Look how cute baby Hope is in her teeny tiny bathing suit!

Jackson was so proud to be able to do waterslides on his own!

The family. .

The wacky Smith's

More pics to come another day. . .maybe a deep thought, too. . .

Heading Out. .

2007-07-28T20:13:00.001-07:00

The Smith family will be heading out for some R&R with family and friends. I'm not counting on internet, but maybe we'll be suprised. . see you next week!

Star

My Maddie Girl is Growing Up!

2007-07-25T05:39:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd just share a few observations about my sweet Madison that I made yesterday. .

*She slept until 9:00 o'clock. This is a completely new development this summer. Never in her life has she really slept past 7:30 or so on her own.

*Mid-morning, she decided to clean out my box of nail supplies--ON HER OWN!! She sorted the polishes, tools, and nail files into 3 different baggies and arranged them just so in the plastic box. AND she was very pleased with herself! (She IS my daughter, after all :) ).

*After we ran our errands, I dropped her off at her piano teacher's house. It's just still kind of strange to me that I can just drop her off like that. . .

*Later in the afternoon, when I typically ask her to work in her "Summer 2nd Grade Book", she worked and worked--doing way more that what is required--and seeming to enjoy it! She was reading so well, answering comprehension questions, doing double digit addition, and more! AMAZING!! She also read her new library books for about 20 minutes--really reading!

*In the evening, she invited her friend who lives behind us to come spend the night. She came over, and they just had a ball. They painted their fingernails (on a big towel in her closet so that Jackson wouldn't bother them!), watched a movie in her bed on our little portable DVD player (thank you, Maw Maw), and went on to sleep at 11:00 without any problems!

She is really growing into a beautiful, responsible, caring young lady. Two people complimented her yesterday. One was the owner of the cleaners that we use. He said that she was so happy and well-behaved. The other was our neighbor. When she dropped her daughter off last night, she said that Madison is a true friend who is always so kind. I feel the same way about her daughter, too! We are thankful for their friendship.

I'm so grateful for God's hand on her life. I'm still praying that I will know for sure that SHE knows for sure that she is in God's family. But for now, she has a simple faith that God loves her.. and He does. . even more than I love her. . .Thank you, Jesus, for my Maddie girl. May she always be secure in Your love for her.

Tag Day

2007-07-19T06:52:00.000-07:00

OK, I've been tagged TWICE at once, and this is exciting because it's my first time to be tagged at all! One is reflective and spiritual, one is just for fun. So, here goes. . .

SEVEN RANDOM THINGS ABOUT ME

1. I have flat feet. I had to wear inserts in my shoes until I was a grown-up and wanted to wear cuter shoes all the time! :)

2. I love to cook (most of the time). I'm constantly reading recipes. When I get a new magazine, I usually go the FOOD section first.

3. I'm not scared of bugs or snakes or spiders or frogs.

4. When I was about 22 I wanted a belly button ring, but my husband talked me out of it and bought me a magnet one instead that I never wore--not once. I have NOT wanted one since. It was a silly in-the-moment idea that I am SO glad I didn't go through with.

5. I love to shop at Target. If I could only have one store to do all my shopping out of, that would be it.

6. I love to read. I always have a book going. I particularly like historical fiction for relaxing with. . I'm currently RE-reading the Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers. It's set in Rome and VERY exciting. I also love reading to my children. Madison and I are flying through the chapter books now, too.

7. I can play the piano. I took lessons from 1st or 2nd grade all the way through a senior in high school. I'd like to start taking lessons again one day

And on a COMPLETELY different note. . .

5 THINGS I DIG ABOUT JESUS

1. He is faithful. He's been so faithful to me. He's always there. I never have to wonder if He'll love me, forgive me, guide me, provide for me. . .I also love how He is faithful to the ones I love. He'll always take care of them, too. Whenever I rehearse His past faithfulness, my faith for today increases.

2. He is GOOD. 100% good. He wants what is best for me. He is utterly incapable of making a mistake. He sees the end from the beginning.

3. He give me wisdom. I love His promise to give wisdom when we ask! I need so much!

4. He teaches ME from His Word. I love studying and learning His Word. I praise Him for this desire to sit with the Word and that He would meet me there is amazing.

5. He wakes me up in the morning. I never thought I would want to get up, but He wakes me up early and "the same power that rose Christ Jesus from the dead" works in me. . and I get up! Incredible! Such a gift.

Picture Day!

2007-07-18T11:14:00.001-07:00

Jackson swimming at Papa Joe and MaMaMa's house in Friendswood

Madison floating and having fun. .

We're at the circus!

Maddie and me. .

The white tigers doing their tricks. .

The dancing elephants.. .

SEVEN motorcycle guys in ONE giant cage. .

Madison, Jackson, and Hope with their cousins, Morgan and Luke (We went to Maw Maw's on Sunday afternoon)

The brothers (Will and Stephen) holding the babies (Luke and Hope)

Morgan holding Hope

On the slip-and-slide at Splash Day (look at that handsome boy!)

Sweet baby Hope at Splash Day

Hope again. .

About to go down the water slide

On the water slide. .again. .

That's the last few days in pictures. . Thank you, God, for our family!

Good Times

2007-07-15T18:35:00.001-07:00

I'm so glad it's summer! We are just soaking up all the good times with friends and family near and far. . . and because school doesn't start until Aug. 27th, we're only half-way through!

So. . .we DID go to the circus yesterday. I have lots of pictures, but I can't figure out how to get them off the camera and onto the computer here at my parents' house, so I'll post them another day. Anyway, the circus was oodles of excitement. It wasn't like I remember it, but I had only been one other time when I was about 7--and that was just awhile back, ya know! THAT story goes down in Zmarzly history because our car "blew up" while we were in the circus (according to legend). As we were looking for a place to park, that dark, rainy night so very long ago, our car (which was really my grandparents' car that we were driving with some friends) was smoking and over-heating. We parked and went into the circus. When we came out, the car was GONE. All that was left was my mom's Big Gulp cup, sitting all alone on the asphalt. Turns out, the car had "blown up", the wrecker had been called along with my dad (who obviously wasn't with us), and the car had been towed away. Remember this was WAY B.C.--before cell-phones! Okay, so yesterday, no cars blew up as far as I know, but we (my mom, my sister, M, J, and I) did have a marvelous time. Madison really liked the elephants and trapeze artists, and Jackson really liked the motorcycles that do this amazing trick. SEVEN of them were riding simultaneously in a spherical cage. CRAZY! She got an elephant, he got a motorcycle, they each got a snow-cone in a special cup, and I got $65 poorer on souvenirs!!!! YIKES!! Thank you, Mama, for supporting our circus endeavors.

Today we gallivanted about town in the style of the olden days when people went "visiting" on Sunday afternoons. We went from the Matte's (see below), to Maw-Maw's house (where we got to see Uncle Will and cousins Morgan and Luke--PRECIOUS!!), and to Lee-La's house (Stephen's great-grandmother--where we also got to visit with Aunt Mary Ann). So. . . it was a delightful day of good ole visiting.

Last bit of news from the home-front: Stephen came home early from his trip. Sadly, Greg's grandad is not doing well, and he's needed in LA, so they come home this morning (instead of Wed.). We are super happy to have him home already, but sad to hear the Matte's sad news. It worked out B-eautifully to pick the guys up from the airport, take Greg home, hug Kelly and Grayson, and head to Katy. So, there. . that's our weekend.

On a final note, God has been teaching me some really sweet things lately, and I feel compelled to share. . maybe tomorrow :). It's so precious when you know you're His daughter and He is yours. I am blessed. You are blessed, too, friend!

This is the great adventure. . .or at least it's some kind of adventure

2007-07-13T19:37:00.000-07:00

We (3 kids, the dog, and I) are in Houston as of 5:45 tonight. Yes, I think I set a record. We left our house in Irving at exactly 1:23 pm and made it to Friendswood at 5:45. No stops. Seriously. We made NO stops. J-man slept, and then watched one movie. M watched one movie, and then read some books. Baby girl literally made not one peep. She fell asleep before we were on the freeway and woke up in Friendswood. I have the hands-down world's greatest baby! Gretel (the dog) slept the whole way, too, by the way. We made it in time to eat spaghetti and swim in the (blow-up) pool. . good times.

Also, I got my hair done today. What is it about going to get your hair fixed? It's always shinier, smoother, and in my case--a different color. What is it with me and changing my hair color lately? Really. What AM I trying to prove? That yes, you can have 3 children and still want to have great hair? That even though I do pony tales 4 days a week, I can still get fixed up when I want to? First it was the fire-engine red and vibrant blond (read: yellow) highlights. I told Glenn that I wanted dramatic, and I got it, all right. Red + yellow = orange. Well, it's dark brown now. Madison called it black. She also said she doesn't like it. I told her to wait 2-3 weeks or at least until after I shampoo it a couple of times. . it'll lighten up a bit. I told him I wanted to go close to my natural color, that I wanted a dark, rich brown. Well, it IS dark brown. Oh well. At least it's shiny and smooth.

Stephen's adventures continue, as well. He is now in Boston. He and Greg went to Harvard Square to eat tonight, and tomorrow they do the tourist thing. Tomorrow night, they are excited about going to a Red Sox game.

For us, tomorrow holds the promise of. . . (drum roll, please) the circus!!! Fun!

Holding On and Letting Go

2007-07-11T19:44:00.000-07:00

It's been coming at me all day that mothering is about holding on and letting go. One of the first things Jackson said to me this morning was the precious thing that my friends who are mothers-of-boys told me he would most likely say at some point... "Mommy, I love you. I wish I could marry you. If I was a dad, I'd marry you." Oh-my-goodness!!! If that doesn't melt your heart! And my little baby Hope--I just want to hold onto her being little--but do I really? Yes! And no. And my Maddie girl, I dropped her off at the church at 9:00 am and didn't pick her up until 5:00 pm, and she was at a water park all day long without me! I just can't believe that she's old enough to do that! But I'm so proud of her. . she's responsible and trust-worthy and ready to. . be let go a little bit. . just a little bit. Tonight we snuggled in bed and read "James and the Giant Peach" (we're excited about finishing the story tomorrow), and I wanted to just hold on. In my mind I picture this funnel, gradually widening that corresponds to my children's growth.. . their worlds gradually expand along with thier ability and readiness to go out into the world. Does it have to be an either/or kind of job, this thing called being a mother? Do we hold on OR let go? I don't think so. . at least in my 7 years as a mom, I think I've learned that my little ones need me to hold on AND to let go. . at the right time. . .not too soon and not too late. Thank you, Jesus, for 3 precious little ones to hold onto. Give me your wisdom to gently let go bit by bit. . while holding on.

Happy Anniversary to us and Hello White House (among other various happenings)

2007-07-10T13:08:00.000-07:00

Isn't it funny, you fellow-bloggers, how some days you don't think you have anything interesting to write about and other days you have more tidbits to talk about than you have time to type about! Well, today is such a day for me. ..

First, yesterday was our 13th anniversary. I am so thankful beyond words for Stephen and who he is. It's just unbelievable to think back over our 13 years and how much we've changed! If there's any one word to sum up our marriage journey so far--it might just be change--which is usually a good thing! We were both so very young when we got married (I was 19 and Stephen was 20) that we both had a lot of dramatic maturing and changing to do! We've also changed together, as one. I'm especially grateful for this aspect of change. We've learned to listen, to give care, to be patient, to endure, to encourage, to work things out, to speak each other's "love language" just a bit more fluently. We've experienced a lot of life change together, too. One of the most wonderful things about our marriage so far has been the absolute privilege of getting to sing together and lead worship together in so many different settings--both small and large. What an incredible thing that God would let us do this music thing at all, and to do it together is amazing. Three more life changes: Madison, Jackson, and Hope. It's beautiful to have a like-minded husband to share this role of parent with. Stephen loves our children, and I love him as he loves our children. It brings my heart great comfort and peace as I look to the years ahead (God-willing) when I realize how much change we have survived and even thrived through. God is good!

Second piece of news--Hope is just about rolling over! She can get on her tummy, but she doesn't get both arms parallel to the ground--she's kind of half-rolled over--kind of stuck! She's so cute! Here's a picture from yesterday--though she didn't roll over again once I got the cameral out (notice the huge mosquito bite ON HER LITTLE CHEEK! Yikes! It's already a lot better today, in case you're worried!). . .

She's such a happy girl!

And she's just so sweet!

Third--my friend Jamie is in Dallas and unexpectedly has a couple of hours, so she's coming over tonight! I'm so excited!

Fourth--and just maybe the most unbelievable--Stephen was at the WHITE HOUSE TODAY!!! He's on a trip with Gregg Matte (our good friend from Breakaway days at A&M and also at Houston's First Baptist Church--he happens to be the pastor :) ). Gregg knew somebody from A&M whose husband is the Military Security Director. This couple picked up Stephen and Gregg at the airport this morning and took them to the White House! They had lunch in the Executive Dining Hall in the basement of the West Wing. It had impeccable service and food, and just about everything had the executive seal on it, including the butter! They had some White House specialty called Freedom something for dessert which was chocolaty goodness. They were standing right outside of the Situation Room when Mr. Gates and Condelissa (I don't know how to spell her name!) Rice walked into it! Gregg said "giggem aggies" and Mr. Gates (who is the former A&M pres.) turned and shook his hand. Ms. Rice was so close to Stephen that she just about "brushed his shoulder" as she walked past!! Now, they are at the hotel (which is without power due to bad weather) and are going to rest a bit. They have all kinds of awesome things on their itinerary in the next week, so I'll let you know! :)

Fifth--I just have to say that Curtis Jones preached an absolutely amazing sermon on Sunday, and it will eventually be up on the pod cast of our church's website at http://fbcirving.org/. We were blessed to be reminded that God's definition of success doesn't necessarily equal our Americanized idea of happiness. Thank you, Curtis.

Sixth--this picture just might sum up my life with 3 kids--I never really know what might happen and Jackson is bound to make me laugh. Yes, he's naked. He's between going potty (Hallelujah for the "potty train" as he calls it) and playing in the sprinkler.

Have a blessed day, friend. I pray that you are successful--pleasing to the Lord--in all you do today!

One Word: LASIK

2007-07-07T14:36:00.000-07:00

Yes, I got LASIK yesterday!!! This is truly a dream come true for me!! I know that sounds so corny, but I have been wearing my glasses all the time since last October when my eyes became intolerant to contacts. I had to wait until 3 months after Hope was born to be eligible for the surgery and now. . it's done!!! I'm reluctant to share the depth of my feelings about how I've been looking over the last 10-11 months--first because I even hate to articulate it and second, because I don't won't anyone to feel the need to correct me! So, just I'll just leave it that the last year of my life has-I think-been one of the least attractive--second only to my 12-13the year when I had huge hair that I did not know how to fix, big huge-framed peach glasses, and a chubby body that had not yet lost the "baby-weight" that would come off by itself my freshman year of high school! (I couldn't even find a picture of myself at 13 because so few exist--which proves my point! That, and the fact that the digital pictures I have don't go back before 1998 :)). But now at long last--step one to getting back to the "real me" is done!!! Yeah!!!! Now I won't feel like I should be going to bed at any minute (because that's the ONLY time I've worn my glasses since I was 13 and got contacts!). LASIK itself was an interesting process. The surgery was truly pain-free, but I was uncomfortable last night. This morning, though, I woke up feeling great! No pain. . no discomfort. . and I can SEE!!!! I know there is a definite spiritual lesson in all this "seeing" for me, and I'm still mulling over it. . maybe I'll share once I figure it out exactly. . .

So. . . next time you see me, I'll be glasses-and contact-free!!! Hallelujah!!!

4th of July Festivities

2007-07-05T20:04:00.001-07:00

Our crew!

Waiting with great anctipation for the floats (or fountains as Jackson kept calling them) to come our way. Notice the Main Street shops in the background. Cute!

Baby Hope taking her morning nap in my arms. The little dress she's wearing is one that Madison wore on her first 4th of July. I remember that special day at the Smith farm in Hempstead so clearly. . . we celebrated Stuart's, Bunk's, and my birthday that day. . all of our families were there. . . it's funny how seeing Hope in the dress had me walking down memory lane all day long.

One of the beautiful floats/fountains.

In the evening we had a blast with the Richardson's out in Highland Village. We love hanging out with them! We grilled steaks, and the kids played and swam. It was a great night. . the kids fell asleep on the way home.. . and it was a peaceful end to a good day.

Recent Pictures from Recent Events. . .

2007-07-04T11:13:00.000-07:00

Stephen and baby Hope at camp in MO last week. This hat is just amazingly cute! :)

This is as the kids were coming in one morning. We love leading worship-through-song with the Smith Band at camp. What an honor and blessing for us!

This is right before Jackson's party on Sunday night. We had a double party with Jackson's buddy, Titus. He turned 3 last week, too, so his mom, Amber, and I thought this would be so fun. We had a Bob the Builder Party, and invited Titus and Jackson's friends from church (Daniel and Lauren; Kate, Ben, and Drew;Jackson J.; Campbell; Caleb and Hannah; Annalise) plus their parents and a few extra friends. Amber made the most wonderful appetizer veggie pizza, delicious cupcakes, and to-die-for cookie-dough cheese cake (from SCRATCH!!!). Stephen and I grilled hot dogs and hamburgers and had all the trimmings (including my friend Jamie's incredible spin art dip, a personal favorite). Though the weather didn't cooperate (it rained super hard in the late afternoon and left everything muddy and soggy), we still had a blast. .. just without the construction site (a.k.a. sand box) that was to have been a big hit of the party! Oh, well. . . the kids still had fun.

The 2 birthday boys at the big moment.

Stephen watching Jackson open his presents. . . a high lite of the party when you're a kid! :)

One of my favorite parts of the party was when the dads prayed for the birthday boys. I'm so thankful for the example of Stephen and other men (including Titus' dad, Vernon) who point the way to godliness for Jackson, my big 3-year old!

Jackson is 3 today!

2007-06-30T20:12:00.001-07:00

I can't believe my little boy is three years old. He is so "big". I can remember so clearly the day that he was born. .my little dark-haired boy. We had those fearful first few moments when they decided he wasn't breathing well enough, and the nurses took him to the nursery right away. . we didn't get to hold him for several hours. . but when they finally brought him to us it was amazing. How can you love someone so much in just a few moments? And how amazing is it that we share a birthday? He was such a wonderful little baby. Now that he's three, I thought I'd make a list of words that come to mind to describe my Jack-Jack.

charming
smart
articulate (even without the "r's")
endearing
delightful
funny (He's into made-up "knock-knock" jokes.)
loyal (He loves his "sissy" and "my baby".)
playful (It's true that play is the work of a child--he's always playing!)
repetitive (He tells EVERYONE, "I have a train table.")
friendly
dramatic (He can turn it on--and off.)
loves books (He reads stacks of books every nap time and bed time, but he told me tonight that "these were too hard for him to read--he doesn't know these words"
tan (lots of swimming in Houston!)
sweet (He recently told baby Hope that "when she grows up she can be a fire fighter, or a police officer, or a trash truck driver" in the most gentle voice--like he was bestowing on her a great honor.)
adorable (His smile gets me every time!)
mine
ours
His

Jackson's first trip to Friendswood.

Little blue-eyed one after a bath. It think he's about 4-5 months old.

This was on a trip to the park at about 8-9 months old.

We're at the Houston zoo. He's 9 months old. Too cute!

May 2006 in the bluebonnets.

At his 2 year old party!

The Big Update

2007-06-24T18:50:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling a bit regretful about my lack of blog updates lately! I'm going to follow my friend Amber's example and give you a quick list of thing going on. . .

1. I'm blogging from camp! We're at Camp Windermere in Roach, MO with The Smith Band! We love working with our band guys and with Student Life. . . so we're having a blast! We head home today (Wednesday). . from MO to Dallas to Houston

2. We had a great couple of days in Houston (Wed.- Fri.) before heading to MO. It was so great to be home for a few days--we packed in lots of good times. . . sitting on the back porch in the evening drinking coffee and watching the kids swim (in the inflatable pool). . . going to Gringos and having birthday cupcakes (Jackson now thinks he's 3 because he got a present from Mel and Nathan and we sang "Happy Birthday"). . . lunch at the Tea Room and getting to see Tara.

3. Last Friday night, Hope and I flew out to Tulsa with Aric (he's our awesome bass player). Hope just has to be the world's best baby! All of our kids have been amazing travelers, but she is just incredible! She made not a peep through 7 hours of traveling from Friendswood to Tulsa.

4. Jackson is officially POTTY TRAINED! I am thrilled (to say the least). He hasn't even had an accident in about 2 weeks!!! He even goes by himself, and you'll just hear the potty flush and he'll come out. . I have to say he looks so big and so cute in his Thomas the Train or Cars or Diego underwear! :)

5. Madison and Jackson are being spoiled beyond belief with my parents (pool, shopping, Kemah) and with Marsh (Moody Gardens--swimming, room service, etc.). I am so happy that they are so happy!

I'm going to add some new pics ASAP!

The week in review. .

2007-06-16T17:35:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I haven't found a moment to post anything this week. . it's been a busy one. We had VBS this week, and all of us were involved Wed-Sat. Madison really enjoyed GAME DAY, and she got to take cheerleading the last hour of VBS each day. They're doing their cheer in church tomorrow, so that should be super-cute! I'll try to take some pictures. Jackson had a good time, mostly. It was a little bit hard for him to see Stephen and me at random times but have to stay with his class. I was really proud of him because for the first time, starting Wed., I sent him to church in his big-boy underwear! Wow! He did really well. He did have an accident Fri. morning, but hey, it's really OK! We're now wearing underwear all the time except for naps and at night! Hallelujah! Hope did great, of course. She's been smiling and cooing a lot this week, and it's just so fun to get her excited and talking.

In other news, I'm pretty sure I broke my toe today. . seriously. It's the 2nd toe on my right foot, and if it's not truly broken it is definitely cracked. A friend of ours who is an EMT looked at it and concurred. I decided not to go get an X-Ray because everyone says that all they'd do is tape it up. .. .which is what Phil did. It hurts SOOOOOOOOO bad. When I'm off of it, I can handle it.. but being up on it just hurts like CRAZY!!! Poor me!

Okay, well, that's about it. . .bless you at church tomorrow!

The Weekend

2007-06-09T19:47:00.000-07:00

I'm always glad when the weekend comes. Sometimes I think this is a bit odd since I don't work a 9 - 5 job away from home, but somehow, when (Friday), Saturday, and Sunday roll around, the pace of the day is just a bit different. Some weekends are project oriented, some are about relaxing, some are busy and play-full, and some are a mixture of all three. This weekend we did projects (Stephen continued working on the new front-porch columns, I continued the never-ending clean-out-the-garage project), and we rested (took a huge nap this afternoon!). We also played outside a lot. The kids love playing in the new sand box with our neighbors and eating popsicles! Hope and I laid in the hammock and enjoyed ourselves immensely! So. . .here we are on Saturday night. . .ready for church tomorrow.. . asking God to work powerfully in the people of our church. . .to use us in His mercy. . and to speak to our hearts, especially our children. I'm praying in faith for Madison's salvation this summer. Jesus, call my girl's name, and let her respond to you!!

Sweet Madison. She had her first piano lesson on Friday and absolutely loved it! She can already play 2 songs! :)

Jackson was a big help to Stephen and Paw Paw on the

front porch columns! :) Is he cute, or what!?

Paw Paw with the kids on the new sand box.

The Sand Box of all Sand Boxes

2007-06-07T18:30:00.000-07:00

Something wonderful happened yesterday. .. Paw Paw (Stephen's dad) came to town.. . . and he came with projects in mind. He and Stephen have accomplished more in the last 36 hours around our house than we have done in months! They started with the most important project on their to-do list. . . the sand box. For months now, Jackson spends much time in the backyard pushing his cars, trucks, and dump trucks around in his "construction site". Well, now he can play in style! And I might just join him more often! As you can see in the picture, this sand box is quite large and has a nice ledge around the perimeter for sitting and playing on. The kids had a blast helping build the sand box, and tonight we enjoyed the fruits of their labor. We sat outside and ate ice cream (Blue Bell peaches and cream for the adults--delicious!) and Popsicles for the kids (including Madison's friend). The kids played and played until it got dark. A pretty wonderful summer evening, if you ask me. Tune in tomorrow night to see what they do with their Friday!

Hope was worn out from her day!

Jackson playing in the front yard (last Saturday). This is

the awesome tree swing that Stephen put up for the kids.

Madison flying through the trees on the swing!

From the Hearth...

2007-06-05T16:34:00.000-07:00

Catch-up!

2007-06-04T18:24:00.000-07:00

Well, summer is officially here and in full swing! We celebrated last Thursday with an after-school-party at the park with about 15 friends. The kids made banana splits and played like crazy! That night, Jackson and I built a HUGE train track that took up most of the floor in his room. Our friend Caleb recently passed down to Jackson a big box of train tracks and trains. Jackson is thrilled, to say the least.

On Friday, I took Hope to the doctor for her 2 month check-up. I still can't believe she's already 2 months old! She had 4 shots and is doing great. (By the way, as awful as it was for her to get shots, it's MUCH easier than giving shots to a 3, 4, or 5 year old!!!) She is now 10 lbs. 5 oz. Amazing! Friday night we went out to Highland Village to The Richardsons and had a blast! The kids played in the water hose and just loved every minute of it! Stephanie and Jeffrey are wonderful friends and it was just so good to spend time with them. We also got to eat our favorite pizza from Palio's (a Katy favorite that has a Flower Mound location!).

On Saturday, Stephen's mom came into town, and we were so happy to see her. The kids were super excited. We went to Stephen's favorite restaurant, The Italian Cafe, to eat.

Sunday was a big day at church with our first annual Bluegrass and Blue Bell event. We had between 400-450 people! All generations. . lots of community people. . .it was a huge success!! The Shady Grove Ramblers played good music, we had ice cream, bounce houses, face painting, pony rides, and classic cars. . something for everyone! Jackson especially loved the inflatable obstacle course and fire truck, and Madison had a ball because she actually got to paint faces!!!! She worked at the station and also "went to the people" with a paper plate of paint colors and a paint brush! She felt so grown-up; it was just adorable.

Monday was a good day of hanging around the house with Marsha (Maw Maw). We all just really enjoy having her here to play and relax. We also had our first "Mission Monday" of the summer. Every Monday that we're home we are going to be purposeful in doinging something for someone else, so this week we made cookies and cards and delivered them next door to our sweet neighbor who is a widow. I think she really liked them, the kids and I really loved getting to cook and then share our goodies. In the afternoon we had 4 strange visitors in our backyard. They stayed for about 10 minutes!

Tuesday we went to lunch and Pei Wei before Maw Maw headed home. It's always hard to say good-bye when family leaves. . .we treasure our time together!!! Tonight the "big kids" and I went swimming with the Durhams at the INDOOR pool in the neighborhood. . not too cold, you see.

So. . that's the "catch-up" edition of the Smith blog. The kids are in bed. . .peace reigns!

Here are pics from the week. . . .

Engineer Jackson with our huge train track. We used EVERY piece of track

we had AND it call connected--pretty good, huh?

Jackson driving the fire truck. Notice the "baseball" that Madison painted on his cheek!!

Precious baby Hope was a favorite attraction. :) Notice the adorable green

gingham dress that my friend Cathy and her mom, Jan, gave to Hope.

Madison in action! She has a unicorn on one cheek and a butterfly

on the other (painted by Ms. Holly).

Our Monday afternoon visitors. . 4 armadillos!!! Crazy things happen here in Irving!

The Awards!

2007-05-30T20:16:00.000-07:00

This morning something unexpected and special happened. . . .Madison received a certificate for Music Achievement at her school. She was recognized as an outstanding music student. . She was so pleased and wide-eyed, taking it all in. When her name was called she went up onto the stage to shake the music teacher's hand and receive her certificate. This is her first time in a school assembly to be recognized like this, and we were so very proud of her. Especially in light of our "discovering her passion" conversations lately, it was so precious for someone outside of her family and friends to encourage her and speak into her. Like my mom said, she's beginning to define herself, and this speaks to Madison the Musician. Also this week we met with her new piano teacher, and she's super excited about beginning lessons in the next week or two. Later in the morning, in a classroom awards time, Madison's teacher gave her the "Academic Award--Best All Round Student. . in recognition of being a person that shows the best effort in all areas" . Wow!!! Now we're doubly proud! So. . .I'm reminded that God knows the plans he has for my girl! He sees all her days before one of them comes to be. I'm so grateful.

*By the way, thank you to Stephen for designing my new "header" for my blog. I think he did a great job!

She just received her certificate.

With Ms. Hoffman, her music teacher

Proudly displaying her certificate

With Mrs. French, her principal

Gymnastics. . .

2007-05-25T06:30:00.000-07:00

Thursday afternoon Madison and her class of gymnasts, displayed their skills for a captive audience of parents and various family members. Wow. It was an accomplishment for our family to have made it through an entire year of getting there on Thursdays from 4:30 - 5:30! What can I say about our first gymnastics experience? Well, Madison had fun! She absolutely smiled and bounced her way through each and every class. She did a great job at the program yesterday, she felt good about it, too. Stephen and I are really proud of her. We're not sure what we'll do next year. . . not sure what will be Madison's thing~her passion and pleasure that she'll want to stick with. We're going to try piano lessons this summer. . we'll see. . .here's our girl showing us her stuff!! :)

On a different note, I've been wanting to give you this AMAZING recipe. It's from the Dove's Nest in Waxahachie, and I'm telling you, you will not be disappointed. It's easy and yummy! I made a huge salad with field greens, apples, dried cranberries, candied pecans, feta, and grilled chicken one night for supper, and Stephen and I loved it. Enjoy!

The Dove's Nest Balsamic Maple Vinaigrette
(The measurements in parentheses are about 1/3 the original measurements. This made plenty for us.)

1 cup balsamic vinegar (2 1/2 ounces)
1/2 cup pure maple syrup (1 ounce)
1/4 cup minced shallots (2-3 Tablespoons)
3 cups olive oil (1 cup)
2 teaspoons salt (1/3 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon pepper (1/3 teaspoon)

Combine all ingredients in a jar with tight-fitting lid. Shake together. Chill. Enjoy!!!

A Tribute to Melody

2007-05-24T07:01:00.000-07:00

Good morning. Well, a few days ago I totally laughed out loud when I got an email from Melody saying that I put a picture on my blog of her with a mad-face, and that I made her sound like a cry baby!!! (She was teasing me, of course.) Anyone who know our family very well knows that historically, I am the one who can be found crying at ANY maybe cry-worthy (or not) situation! Melody, historically, has more self-control, saving her crying for truly cry-worthy situations! So. . . it was noteworthy, in our family, for HER to cry and not me on Mother's Day!!! But it got me thinking. .. so today I'm including some lovely pictures of my BEAUTIFUL sister, and I want to say a few of the things that I admire and love about her.

Melody. . . .
I love how LOYAL you are to your family and friends. You can always be counted on to be there for your family. Your group of "girls" is so special, and I think it's awesome how ya'll stick together.
I love how you are always willing to COME-THROUGH for the people you care about.
I love how you are a HARD-WORKER. You have amazing expectations for yourself--and you achieve them.
I love how you are HONEST, never decietful in the slightest, about your thoughts and feelings.
I love how COURAGEOUS you are. Leaving the corporate world and getting your teaching certificate was a bold step. I'm proud of you!
I love how SMART you are. Oh, my goodness! You're smart!
I love how much FUN you are. You're always up for a movie or a puzzle or a game. . .
I love how you're a MOMMY. Just knowing that Caden Joseph Lilley is growing inside you makes me smile!
I love what a great AUNT you are. Thank you for loving my children. Thank you for being willing to play with them!
I love what a great WIFE you are. It's been so sweet to watch you and Nathan grow in your relationship over the last several years.
I love how you're a TEACHER. I know your students adore the lovely Mrs. Lilley! Even the tough ones. You are an excellent teacher of little minds.
I love how your WORK OUT! You are truly and inspiration to me!!
I love how your FAITH IN GOD shines. Walking through life's struggles hasn't always been easy, but you have trusted God's plan. This has been an encouragement to me.
Melody Summer Lilley. . . I love that your name rolls off the tongue like a song.

Look how cute! Melody as a toddler. I'm pretty sure this was 1982.

Melody with Madison on the 4th of July 2000.

Melody and Jackson at the beach Labor Day 2006.

Melody and her awesome husband, Nathan.

Melody and me a few years ago.

Jackson's Kids Day Out Finale!

2007-05-23T11:20:00.000-07:00

Well, Jackson has completed his first year of school. This is quite an accomplishment for a 2-year old, don't you think? The first completion of many school years, God-willing. He has loved going to school on Monday's and Friday's. Ms. Michelle has been a great teacher, and his class is so sweet.

This is class singing. They sang "I'm Jesus' special friend. . . he helps me know what's right to do" to the tune of "The Farmer in the Dell" and "Clap you hands and sing this song. . . thank you God for Jesus" to the tune of "Mary had a Little Lamb". Jackson did great!

Jackson with his friend, Finn. He really sang out like a true Smith!

Isn't he adorable? Before the program, whenever I'd ask him what song he was going to be singing, he always sang a Doodlebops song for me (a Disney channel show). I'm pretty sure he thought he was going to have a solo act!

This picture is from Madison's choir's production of Donkey Tales on Sunday night. Stephen designed the barn! He created it and painted the background red, then a set-painter came in to add the details. Madison is on the right hand side, third from the right.

Check out that incredible foot-work!!! Yee ha!!! Go, Madison!

Pretty exciting, around the Smith house. :) Thank you, God, for these sweet children. They fill my life with so much joy and so many reasons to smile and laugh every day!

Size Ones

2007-05-22T14:21:00.000-07:00

My precious baby Hope is 8 weeks old today, and she's officially in size one diapers. I'm feeling just a little melencholy about the whole thing. . . no more newborn diapers. . . she's not a newborn anymore. Since I fully expect (unless God intervenes like crazy!) that Hope is my last baby, I just can't help noting all these milestones. . a series of firsts and lasts. Hope's first days in size ones, my last baby in newborns. I'm truly making an effort to treasure my little one. I have to admit that it's kind of fun that she's so little. . . she's staying little a little longer! :)

She's such a precious, perfect baby. She has actually slept through the night for the last 5 nights! And I mean in the bed at about 10:00 and up at about 6:00. Now that's a milestone to celebrate. . .I'm not going to go getting sentimental about my lack of sleep these last 2 months! :) She is just the cutest, sweetest thing. She goes with the flow, happily taking her 4 naps in her bed or in the carrier. She is starting to smile responsively a little bit, and we just all love her to pieces. If you haven't had the chance to hold her, I promise that I'll give her a kiss for you. I find myself kissing those oh-so-kissible little cheeks all day!

These 2 pictures are from today. . . both ASLEEP!!!

Well, that's enough gushing about Hope for now! We're off to Jackson's stage debut for Kids Day Out pretty soon, so I'm planning to gush about Jackson tomorrow! :)

I'm an aunt!

2007-05-21T17:53:00.000-07:00

Happy news!!! Melody (my sister) has a baby BOY growing in her tummy!!! We are all thrilled! She is 19 weeks along. . everything looks healthy! Thanks be to God! Baby boy Lilley had his hand in his mouth and was, of course, terribly adorable on the ultrasound monitor! We love you, baby, already!!! Thank you to all of you who have prayed for Melody and Nathan. I'll keep you posted...

Happenings. . .

2007-05-21T07:42:00.001-07:00

Hi, friends! Lots has been happening around here the last few days. Here's a run down on all the activity. . .

*Last Thursday: Madison's 1st grade field trip to the Fort Worth Zoo. We had a blast. The 5 little girls in our group were precious. Maddie and I can't wait to take Stephen and Jackson and Hope back to the FW zoo this summer. The craziest thing we saw was a white tiger pacing back and forth just inches away on the other side of a piece of glass. Jackson and Hope stayed with Miss Jenny (Travis) while I was gone. I got home at 2:30 pm. and then. . .

*Thursday night: Miss Kathleen came at 3:15 to keep all 3 kids while I went BACK to Fort Worth for a Smith Band date at the seminary. This was a huge blessing. . .John, Aric, and Stuart were with us for a college conference. Lots of Sagemont people were in leadership, and they did an awesome job. Vodie was the speaker and was amazing, of course. We didn't get home until 9:30 or so. . .boy, I missed baby Hope!! I've never left her ALL DAY like that! She did great, but it was hard on me! I do thank God for an easy baby girl who can go with the flow!

*Friday morning: I got the big kids off to school and then the guys came to Irving (I missed the morning session). We all went to eat Indian food for lunch. They headed back for the afternoon session (which I also missed), and I headed to Stipes for Madison's field day! This was a non-competitive field day where the kids moved around from station to station playing games. They had a ball!

*Friday night: Miss Jenny was back to stay with all 3 kids while I headed to FW. We went to eat at the Mellow Mushroom (YUMMY)! Ya know, it's a treat to go out to eat with just grown ups!!! :) The students were really responsive at this session and it was a blessing to be a part of the evening. Thanks be to God.

*Saturday morning: Miss Kathleen was back to stay with M, J, and H while we went back to FW for the final session. We finished strong! The speaker, Jim Henderson, really challenged me with this question: Do we try to impress people with our own abilities and strengths or do we try to impress people with GOD's might? Do they come to our churches to see our personalities and hear and see how great WE are or do we point them to God with what we do and say? This was on my mind Sunday morning. ..

*Saturday afternoon and evening: We all took a huge, long nap and then went to La Madeline for supper. Our kids actually like going there! It's all about the huge cookie you get with the kid's meal! I had this very yummy crepe with shrimp!! Tooooo delicious! Those of you with kids know that the pre-church/Saturday evening ritual takes a while. .baths for THREE. . clothes laid out. . bags packed .. . coffee maker prepped. . .house picked up. . .to bed.

*Sunday morning: I led with Stephen at our 11:00 o'clock service. This was a blessing because I haven't led with him on Sunday since the middle of March (pre-Hope). I was so glad to be back! :) My friend Alicia sat with Hope in the service and she slept the whole time, of course. She sleeps A LOT! I'm not complaing or anything, but people are always shocked when they actually get to see her with her eyes open!

*Sunday afternoon/evening: The kids and I went to Taco Bueno to grab some lunch ( I'm absolutely addicted to beef muchacos--not good for my weight-loss goals!) and then ran Madison home to change . . and then took her back to church to get ready for Donkey Tales, our children's spring musical! Stephen and I both had a parenting moment where we realized just how much she is growing up! She is so responsible and actually helpful!!! She helped with set-up and then they rehearsed at 3:00. After Jackson, Hope, and I had naps, we were BACK at church for the big performance!!! Madison and the kids did GREAT!!! She actually had a lot to remember. One great thing about our church is that it's big enough to do a full-on musical, but small enough that every kid has a few parts.. . so Madison had 3 big parts. . she rode on a wooden donkey and had to lean LEFT-RIGHT-LEFT-RIGHT through the song on the beat. . . she was the "preacher" in a song that told the story of the good Samaritan. She had on a red robe and carried a Bible.. . .and she also did "foot work" on one song. Why do they call it "foot work" and not "dancing"? I really do not know! Maybe so some boys will participate (though none did). It cracks me up!!! They basically did the grapevine-to-the-left and grapevine-to-the-right through the whole song! It was awesome! :)

Okay, so that's our weekend. We've got more excitement to come this week with Jackson's school program on Tuesday night and Madison's gymnastics program on Thursday.. . stay posted for more pics!

Have a blessed Monday. . oh, and check in later to find out if Melody is having a boy or girl!!!!! They have the big ultrasound at 4:00 which I will be attending via my mom's cell phone!! We are soooooo excited!

Star

Oh, and please visit Amber's blog and/or http://www.hisvoiceforsudan.com to hear about their current trip to The Sudan.

Madison with Savannah, Esmerelda, GiGi and Jeannie.

The pacing tiger.

Jump roping at field day. I actually jumped a bit, too! It was fun!

A Mother's Thoughts Today

2007-05-16T11:25:00.000-07:00

Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul. I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

Psalm 147:1-2

This morning as I read this Psalm, I immediately thought of my children. Oh, that God would grace them with such a deep, fervent love for Him that nothing else compares. . .that they may live for Him all their lives--with all their lives. My prayer is for number of days and substance of days. . that they would not trust in princes and mere mortal man (verse 3-5), but would put all thier hope in Him alone!

My second thought was of my sweet grandmother. I love Grandmama so much, and she is a beautiful, living illustration of loving Jesus for all you days. What a legacy she is leaving for my mom, my sister, my daughters and me to follow. Her courage and determination in coming to the "Meet-Hope-Party" on Saturday in Houston was truly a blessing to me. I'm so very grateful that she set her heart and mind on coming. . .and she made it happen. I know she's paid the price with an extra-sore body, but I'm so glad she was there.

On Sunday, my dad got out the video camera for us to record words of thanks to our mom. That was an easy assignment! I told my mom, and it's always true--she is the most wonderful example of being a Godly woman--she loves Jesus, her husband, her family, her church, her friends--all in the right priority order. She generously and gracefully serves all those around her. She is wise in all things. I honestly think through many situation with the WWMD test--What would mama do? By the way, I thought it note-worthy that MELODY was the one crying--not me!!! SHE has the pregancy hormones to deal with--not me! :)

I have a renewed sense of mothering being the most important "career" (to use my dad's word). These children are my life's work, and it's my joy to pour into them. . .to labor in prayer for them. . . to read with them and play with them. . to care for their daily needs. . and on and on.

Thank you, Father, for this amazing journey of motherhood. You have been so good to give me living examples that I am glad to follow! Thank you for the three children you have blessed me with. I put my hope in YOU, Lord! I need YOU to give me a fervent passion for YOURSELF. . that I may lead the way for my little ones to follow in loving you all my days.

Grandmama and Hope chillin' at the party.

The beautiful table that my mom and Melody prepared. Yummy!

Madison and Jackson with friends Makenna and Delaney Crane (and Fudge). We were so happy to see the Cranes!!!

Hope with sweet friends Jan Hart and Anita Clark. It was wonderful to see these moms and Tara and Cathy. Also. . Jamie and Carol!!

Nathan and Melody!! (note the bump on Mel :))

Friends

2007-05-09T12:51:00.000-07:00

I KNOW that God put it in our heart to just need friends--true friends. These last 10 months (yes, it really has been 10 months) in Irving have been interesting for me in this regard--I HAVE lots of friends--it's just that most of those in the life-long good friend category are not very close by proximity-wise. I have tried not to complain (too much) because I am not alone (though lonely sometimes). Anyway, Stephen's grandmother, Lee La, admonished me 3 weeks ago to pray that God would give me a friend because that's what she had done, and God had faithfully brought her a friend. So. . . I have prayed for a friend. . .and God has answered by showing me the friends that I DO already have and deepening those friendships. Examples: Jennifer Durham--who has CERTAINLY been my sweet friend--came over last week to eat lunch and hang out. That meant so much to me! I miss Tara and my other Houston lunch buddies. Also, my friend Sheri--who has been so kind to me (though we haven't done anything together since last fall)--emailed me to go to lunch before school is out--and we're going on Monday! AND, today as I read Tina's blog, I felt so connected to her--like I can relate!! AND, I'm going to Houston on Friday and will get to see some PRECIOUS FRIENDS!!! AND--last but certainly not least--my friend Amber Burger came over yesterday with her son Titus (who is Jackson's age). God so clearly showed me that Amber is my friend. He has brought her into my life with great purpose!!! She loves the Lord so much, and her heart for the nations (especially The Sudan) challenges me immensely--and I'm so grateful!!!

Here's a picture of Jackson and Titus after their play date. They had a ball in the play room and outside in the dirt pile!!

So, my heart is filled with thanksgiving today for the friends God has brought into my life--the life-long kind and the new kind--who I have a feeling might just turn out to be the life-long kind, too! I love you, sweet friends!

Fantastic Friday's

2007-05-04T11:36:00.000-07:00

Stephen and Hope and I just returned from a lovely, peaceful Friday morning. . we have so enjoyed having most Fridays to go run errands and to lunch together. . and we have only a couple more opportunities before SCHOOL'S OUT!!! Oh, my goodness! I can't believe that summer is upon us! These Friday's have been treasures to us. . a date with no babysitter to pay!!! :) We can talk about whatever we want without interruption!! Amazing! I must brag on my wonderful husband. He is an amazing daddy--he loves our children to pieces and will do anything for them. He is wise in his parenting and so helpful in the day-to-day practical way! Now that we are out-numbered (as Jennifer Richard reminded me!), we really have to tag-team it more than ever! And thanks be to God, it's somehow working!

By the way, our outing this morning included a new experience--the farmer's market! We went downtown and bought up all kinds of fresh fruits and veggies! Yummy! We're going to grill some of them tonight and then have vanilla ice cream with the fresh blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries we got!! DELICIOUS! As you can see, I'm already looking forward to supper even though it's only 1:45!!

Well, almost time to go get the "big kids" and let the afternoon craziness begin! Have a wondful weekend!

April Update

2007-04-25T11:06:00.000-07:00

Wow! So much has happened. . and not happened since my last post. Isn't it weird when you've been busy all day long, but you just can't think of anything news-worthy that you did? My friend Kristin Hill was perfectly timed in reminding me that being in your pajamas at noon and playing with a baby on the floor is a perfect season of life to remember that our perfect Father wants me to perfectly rely on Him!!! My world seems rather small and close-knit right now--though filled with the most important people in the world to me. I am (mostly) loving it--I AM somewhat of a home-body--for a while. . . This continues to be a very unique and stretching season of my life--filled with challenges and blessings. God is faithful to continue the refining process in me!!!

One HUGE blessing--a quick trip to Houston over the weekend!! I DO love being at home, but I DO love adventures, too--so to Houston I went with all three kids! We had an amazing time and I am so glad that I did it! Here are a few pictures. Enjoy!

4 Generations of "Marcy's"

Lee La holding her newest great-granddaughter

Happy Easter!!!

2007-04-09T14:40:00.000-07:00

Easter has been precious around the Smith house! We have enjoyed watching "Miss Patty Cake Eggstravaganza" MANY times. . which is awesome! Jackson and Madison have been singing about the "Mighty Resurrection Day"! I love it!!! Jackson, especially, has awakened to the Easter story--he's learned that "The tune (that's how he says it) is empty! He is alive!!".

The Easter bunny visited us on Saturday morning (We asked him 7 years ago to do that so that Stephen could be a part of the fun--since he has to be at church so early on Sunday.). Right as we started to dig into the baskets, Madison looked out the window and yelled, "It's SNOWING!!!" And. . it was!!! We could hardly believe it!! At 10:00, Stephen took the big kids to church for an Easter egg hunt--outside in the cold!!! Mawmaw (Stephen's mom) came it to see us on Saturday afternoon, and we enjoyed celebrating Easter with her!!!

Now, I must say my children looked ADORABLE on Easter morning!!! They are so cute! Thank you to my mom for supplying the Easter finery! I could just eat them all up!

Enjoy the pictures! More posts about baby Hope's absolute precious-ness to come!

Today is Stephen's Birthday!!

2007-04-04T18:58:00.000-07:00

Wow!!! Today is ANOTHER special day in the life of the Smith family!! Stephen turns 33 today. Amazing. We had an awesome day--celebrating with food all day long!! We started with a birthday breakfast with the family, and then for lunch, Stephen, Hope, and I went to Brio in Southlake for a DELICIOUS lunch! I wanted to lick the bowl after eating my lobster bisque. YUMMY! Then, this afternoon, our B-day cake was ready, but supper wasn't quite done and it was time for Stephen to head to church, so. . .. we ate cake and ice cream for supper!!! (Then ate our tetrezinni later. :)) We had a dinosaur-themed party--those are little dinosaurs on their heads in the last picture! It was a great day! Happy Birthday to the most awesome husband in the world!

HOPE HAS ARRIVED!!!

2007-03-29T16:28:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE FOR OFFICIAL WEBSITE
We are so excited!! Our precious baby daughter is here!!! We want to share our joy with you, so click here on this link and go to Baby Hope's website that her Daddy made for her! And check back to the blog in the days to come to see a snapshot into Hope's world!!

Fun with Jackson

2007-03-22T09:47:00.000-07:00

Who knew that playing with a little boy could be so much fun? I sure didn't. . before Jackson came along. I have been enjoying time with Jackson these last few days--knowing that he'll have to "share" me really soon. We've been playing "Handy Manny"--where he is the fix-it man and I am Kelly, the hardware store owner (from a Disney Show). We've also spent a lot of time at the train table and outside. Today we played in the dirt pile--how do little boys just KNOW how to zoom cars, make roads, dig holes, and line up their collection of cars? This is a great mystery to me! I am FACINATED by watching him--it's in his DNA to be a boy. . and one day a man. (But I can't get too mushy today because I just might cry--way too many hormones in this body!!! :) ) He also gave his cars a bath and fed his elephant some mud (an invisible elephant, of course!). He is an absolute joy to be with and talk to (and he does talk non-stop!). Now he wants to play hide-and-seek. . . so I'm off!!! Enjoy these precious pictures of my boy!!!

Fun in the MUD!!!

2007-03-15T17:24:00.000-07:00

The spring break fun continued on Wednesday with. . . a mud bath! Madison and Jackson turned on the hose outside and made mud pies. Oh my goodness, what a mess--a wonderful, memorable mess! After this much fun, they took a bath (at 5:30), put on pajamas, then we loaded the Mini Couper with the top down and went to Sonic. So, all in all, it was a fun afternoon!

Birthday Pictures!

2007-03-13T15:10:00.000-07:00

Birthday Party at Chili's
Hannah, Madison, and Annalise with their Build- a-Bears

Jackson enjoying dessert!

Good morning, Birthday girl!
Jackson likes his new toys from Mamama and Papa Joe AND his movies from MawMaw.
Train time!

Us at the zoo with a shaggy camel. ..

Jackson got a spider on his face!

The B-Day Girl chose a rainbow!

Madison Star Smith is 7 TODAY!!!

2007-03-13T13:53:00.000-07:00

Well, it's here. The big day that she's been counting down to for months. . . .Madison is 7 years old. We had an awesome day together. We started with blueberry muffins and presents--super fun. Then we made it to the train station to catch the 9:07 train to the ZOO! This was our first train experience together, and Madison and Jackson BOTH thought it was awesome! We got to the zoo just as the exhibits were opening--it was perfectly un-crowded.

I thought an interview with Maddie would be fun. . . to chronicle her life at this moment:

Do you feel any different today?: Yes, I feel a lot different!
What is your favorite food?: chicken and rice
What is your favorite color?: blue
What is your favorite restaurant?: pizza places
What are your favorite things to do?: talk at the fence with Annalise, swing on the hammock with Daddy, take photographs, go to gymnastics
What collections do you have?: rocks, stuffed animals, friends, My Littlest Petshop toys
What do you want to be when you grow up?: geologist
What's the best part about being a kid?: don't have to change dirty diapers
What are the things you are looking forward to as a 7 year old?: riding a two wheeler, spending more time with Annalise on summer break, swimming under water, and doing back-flips by myself
What advise to you have for Jackson and Hope?: you have to look out for your brother and sister, stand up for others, stay away from boys (to Hope), everyone Ive met so far is nice, listen to mom and dad
Do you have any final thoughts?: I love this world that God made.

So. . .there you have it. ..life in Madison's world!