Brick House...

Chloe's Tooth

2009-08-21T10:00:00.002-06:00

Chloe lost her first top front tooth. She looks so cute and we are calling her snaggles. The tooth was jus barely hanging in there and finally came out when she was brushing her teeth before bed. Here is her picture

Happy Birthday Nanny!

2009-08-17T12:17:00.001-06:00

We celebrated nanny's birthday last night and it was lots of fun. Here is a cute picture of the Nanny and the girls and her yummy oreo birthday cake from Dairy Queen.

Happy Birthday Chloe

2009-08-13T08:48:00.002-06:00

Chloe turned 7 on Tuesday. We had lots of fun...a slumber party over the weekend, dinner at nanny and pop's on Monday and out to eat on Tuesday. I can believe how much she has grown. She is a sweet blessing to our family.

Here are some pictures of her special day:

Here are some pictures of birthdays past:

Happy Birthday Parker!

2009-08-06T20:19:00.003-06:00

Well, our oldest girl is nine today. We had lots of fun today, but the real fun is tomorrow night. Parker and Chloe are having a sleepover birthday party! Here are some pictures from today.

And here are a few pictures of birthdays past

Creative Arts Camp

2009-06-28T18:55:00.002-06:00

Parker and Chloe attended Creative Arts Camp this week at Northbrook Church and they loved it. The kids were able to choose from a variety of arts - boomwhackers, interpretive dance, drama, banner art, etc. Their favorite was the dance. The kids all got to participate in the worship service this morning. It was really amazing. They were learning all week about how to use their gifts to glorify God. Here are two videos of the practice before the worship service. I like filming practices because then I get to really watch the real thing.

A trip to the Farmer's Market with Chloe

2009-06-20T07:32:00.002-06:00

This morning Chloe wanted to go with me to the farmer's market. She also went with me last week. She loves it - mainly because I let whoever goes with me pick out a treat and she enjoys a treat more than any kid I know. Anyway, here is her funny comment of the day....

After visiting the Mennonite booth to get chocolate milk, Chloe said, "Mommy, why do they always dress up like they are poor?"

So, apparently in Chloe's mind, the Mennonite people come across as not poor but they just dress like they are poor. I think this warrants a lesson in history, different religious views and maybe even a trip to visit the Mennonite farm.

And for her treat today - a chocolate, chocolate chip muffin....mmmmm.

12 Years and counting

2009-06-13T19:30:00.003-06:00

Happy Anniversary to us! Tomorrow is our anniversary, but we are celebrating tonight because tomorrow is Sunday. It seems like the time has been so short, but also like it has always been. I know I have said it before many times, but I really do have the sweetest, most thoughtful husband in the world. I am in love with him now more than ever. I had to post a picture of one of my favorite presents. The picture speaks for itself...

Chloe's Dance Recital

2009-06-11T09:20:00.002-06:00

Chloe had so much fun the week of her dance recital. There were extra practices, a dress rehearsal at the civic center and then the big day. She practiced very hard and knew her dances well. And this year she was even responsible for changing costumes by herself - no parents allowed backstage after the show starts. Aside from being fun, I think Chloe learns a lot from dance that is important - self control, working together with a group of friends, and some responsibility. Not to mention that she is full of joy as she dances - she is a joy to watch. Here are some pictures and then the dance videos from dress rehearsal - no cameras allowed at the real show.

Lilly's Playschool Program

2009-06-10T19:19:00.005-06:00

First of all---Sorry I have been absent for a while. The old smith family laptop died (although it wasn't really that old) a few weeks ago and so now I have finally set up the new one with all the appropriate stuff so I can blog again.

So first in line of important events missed: Lilly's playschool program. She had lots of fun singing the songs and getting her certificate. Here are some pictures and video.

Piano Recital

2009-05-02T19:32:00.004-06:00

Last Saturday Parker and Chloe had their spring piano recital. They have both practiced very hard this semester and did a great job. Here are a few pictures and the video.

Happy Birthday Lilly Grace!

2009-04-21T18:06:00.001-06:00

Easter has gone

2009-04-16T12:25:00.003-06:00

Well, Easter has come and gone, but we really had a great week leading up to the special day. As is our usual tradition, we made the tomb/mountain out of dough and baked it and made pipe cleaner people to act out all the stories leading up to the crucifixion and resurrection. But this year we really upgraded the pipe cleaner people. We made them out of wood beads, pipe cleaners, yarn and we sewed them clothes. They turned out great. I think all the fuss over making them helps us to remember that Easter is important and we do special things to plan for it, just like Christmas. Anyway, here are a few of my favorite Easter pics and there is even one of the risen Jesus who has conquered sin and death.

Guess what I got for my birthday

2009-03-07T20:30:00.002-06:00

Sledding pics

2009-03-02T12:05:00.001-06:00

Here are some sledding pictures (thanks Angie for taking them) from our day at the Autrys. We had so much fun - well, everyone except Lilly - didn't I already mention that. Although this morning she told me that if we went again today, she would love it. She just didn't love it yesterday.

Wow, I'm way behind

2009-03-01T19:23:00.003-06:00

Since I last blogged, there have been many exciting events around the Smith house. We had a really fun Valentine's Day - Ronnie and I learned to waltz. The girls got some goodies and we planted strawberries and flowers in little pots on the window sills. We had a visit from a certain little cutie pie named Kaplan.

We watched Chloe at parents watch week at Ballet. Here are the video clips. She is really practicing hard and doing a great job.

Ronnie made the girls a really cool tent last night and we had a sleepover in it. We all cuddled up and watched a movie and Ronnie even slept in it with them - he's a great dad. I opted for my own nice warm soft bed. Here is a little video of the tent (some of it is a little dark).

Last night it also snowed - a lot. I can't remember ever having so much snow. We spent the morning playing outside at our house and then the afternoon at Jamie and Marcie's sledding the hills. The girls loved it - except Lilly who doesn't really like to be cold. She loves to be warm.
Silas loved the snow, even though it completely covered him. Here is a video clip of him in the snow.

And finally, here are some pictures of our snowy day at home. I'll try not to save up so much for one blog next time.

Hollywood Studios and Epcot

2009-01-22T07:39:00.002-06:00

We spent the last two days at Hollywood and Epcot. They were the most fun for me and Ronnie. They girls had a blast too. At Hollywood we went to Playhouse Disney (Chloe loved this), we saw the Beauty and the Beast musical (awesome), we went to the block party with all the characters from Toy Story and Monsters Inc, we watched real stunt cars jump ramps and catch on fire (Ronnie and Parker's favorite), we played at the honey I shrunk the kids playground and ate at the Sci-Fi drive in Theater (very cool). It was a chilly but fun day.

At Epcot we road Soarin (the family favorite except Lilly was too short to ride), we rode Nemo, we rode Spaceship Earth, Ronnie rode another space ride that the girls and I chickened out on, we walked through all the countries. I just want to add in here that this was my favorite. I loved seeing all the stuff from the different countries. It is as if you get to visit them in some small way. We spent a while in France and had lunch there. I had crepes and it reminded me of our trip to Paris. We also spent a while in China, watched the acrobats and a movie and China's history. We had dinner in Norway - storybook dining with Princesses. They come around to your table so you don't have to wait in line to see them. It was Awesome. Epcot was my favorite.

Here are some pictures from the two days.

Ronnie's Big Day

2009-01-19T20:53:00.003-06:00

You would think that a day at Magic Kingdom would be all about the kids....but not our day. The girls had tons of fun, but Ronnie was singled out on more than one occasion. We headed off to Tomorrowland in Magic Kingdom. We rode space mountain (Parker and Chloe were very brave) and we went to the laugh floor at Monster's Inc. This is an interactive, movie type thing where they single out audience members, put them in the spotlight and either ask the questions or make fun of them. Well, Ronnie was "that guy". Every time they would make a joke and say "don't be like that guy", they put him on the huge screen for everyone to see. They even gave him a sticker that said "I was that guy". The girls thought it was so funny!

We went to Mickey's House and Minnie's house, rode the carousel, drove the Indy speedway cars, had lunch and then went to storytime with Belle. Here is where Ronnie comes back into the story. Storytime with Belle is also interactive. They pick audience members (kids) to act out parts of Belle's story. Well, Ronnie was picked out of the audience to be the Beast/Prince. He got to roar, die, turn into the prince and dance with Belle. The girls also thought this was funny, and could not figure out why daddy kept getting picked at all the shows we went to. I have really not laughed so hard in a very long time. It was great!

Favorites: Parker's favorite was Monster's Inc. Chloe's favorite was splash mountain (and the mickey mouse ice cream sandwich). Lilly's favorite was the Indy Speedway. Ronnie's favorite was dancing with Belle. My favorite was laughing at Ronnie dance with Belle, It's a small world, and the spectromagic parade and fireworks. Nanny's favorite was It's a small world. We all had a blast.

Here are some pictures from the day

Here is Ronnie's dance with Belle

Here is Chloe's crazy monkey dance as she waits to ride splash mountain

First Day at Disney

2009-01-18T19:46:00.002-06:00

Wow what a fun trip we've had already. Just the trip down (which took us 2 days of driving) was actually really nice. The girls love to stay in a hotel - anywhere. We did have a crazy first night on the way down. We checked into a really nice hotel, got the girls in their jammies and then realized that the toilet in our room was overflowing. It turns out that we had the very last room (as it was about 12:00)and so they could not move us to another room. So we loaded everything back into the car, girls in their jammies, and drove to a different hotel that had a room. Apparently there was a wrestling convention being held in Macon, GA and almost all of the rooms were booked up. Luckily, we found a room and went to bed.

Last night, after arriving in Orlando, we checked into our AWESOME resort and headed to Downtown Disney for a little shopping. We went to the hugest world of disney store I've ever seen and got mouse ears for the girls. Today we went to Animal Kingdom. Parker loved the Safari and some roller coaster in Dinoland. Chloe loved her Mickey Mouse ice cream sandwich. Lilly loved meeting the characters, standing in line to meet them and getting her picture made with them. They all had so much fun. We finished the night off at Rain Forest Cafe. Here are some pictures from the trip down and today at Animal Kingdom.

Christmas Time

2008-12-31T09:40:00.002-06:00

We had such a wonderful time during the Christmas season. We had lots of fun at home, with Pops and Nanny, and in West Memphis with Granny and Grand Don and Mee Mee and Poppie.

Here is Christmas at home

Here is Christmas with Pops and Nanny

Here is Christmas in West Memphis

We ended out trip to West Memphis with a family trip to the movies (we took up the entire back row of the movie theater with Lilly and Annalee in laps). Lots of popcorn and chocolate - so much fun!

Advent Consipiracy

2008-12-20T15:41:00.003-06:00

Someone Ronnie knows told him about this site. You should check it out.

Here is the video from the front page of the site if you don't have time to explore it right now.

And to lighten things up a little after that serious video, some funny words from the kids.

Lilly: Daddy, your ears are funny.
Ronnie: They are?
Lilly: Yes, just look at yourself.

Chloe: Nanny, can you blow hot air?

Chloe: There are 2 ways to get babies.
Allie: Really, what are the two ways?
Chloe: One is from someone's belly and one is from the adoption center. But I still don't know where the adoption center is. (after further discussion, we realized that Chloe views the adoption center as a sort of baby making factory.)

Lilly's Playschool Christmas Program

2008-12-17T21:38:00.002-06:00

Lilly was so excited to sing in the Christmas program at her playschool. She has been walking around singing the songs all week long. She even talked Nanny into a new red dress for the event.

A Union Christmas

2008-12-09T22:24:00.004-06:00

Tonight the girls (parker and chloe) sang with the Union Children's Chorus in A Union Christmas. They did a great job - no one picked their nose or did anything else embarrassing on stage. The choir sounded really sweet. And the program seemed a little shorter than last year....
Here is a video clip of one of the songs. I was in the back and couldn't zoom very well, but you can at least hear the song :)

And aparently they made the Jackson Sun :)

Piano Recital

2008-12-06T20:57:00.003-06:00

Saturday was the girl's piano recital. This was Chloe's first one and Parker's third. They really like playing the piano and practicing - really, we have to tell them to quit playing. Miss Courtney is their teacher and they love her. I'm glad they enjoy it. They each got to play one song and then they had a duet. Here are the videos.

Fun in West Memphis

2008-12-06T20:32:00.004-06:00

Here are some pics from our Thanksgiving in West Memphis. I didn't get pictures of them all, but between all the cousins there were about 15 kids eight years old and under - fun times!

So much to blog

2008-12-03T09:46:00.008-06:00

Well, since I've been swamped with work at LDL, I have failed to update my blog. Lots has happened. First of all, Chloe lost her first tooth. This was very exciting for her. You can't really tell though because the tooth behind it was already in when she lost it. I did take a picture, but it is hard to see.

Also, lots of friends gathered to celebrate Marcie and Jamie's upcoming adoption of baby Kaplan. It was an amazing time of thanksgiving and prayer. We gave her a quilt in which each person summed up the whole process in one word and with a scripture. And it was a great surprise to Marcie, especially the out of towners that were included (Hannah and Lori).

We also celebrated Thanksgiving with the Parker's in Jackson and with Ronnie's family in West Memphis. The food was great and so was just hanging out and enjoying family.

Here are a couple of pictures of Thanksgiving in Jackson, pictures from West Memphis coming soon.

Gladys Aylward - Missionary to China

2008-11-12T09:56:00.007-06:00

The girls and I just finished reading the most amazing book about Gladys Aylward. I had actually never even heard of her before, but wow, what a story. I would highly recommend this book to any adult. I read it out loud to the girls, but there were a few parts I had to skip over or reword - a few violent war scenes and beheadings. The story of how God miraculously provided for Gladys so that his name could be proclaimed in very remote parts of China is very foreign to modern people who are so self reliant. Her obedience to stay in the midst of danger because of her love for God and the people sounds foolish to modern day Americans. This is an amazing story of God's sovereignty and Gladys' willingness to suffer harm for the sake of making the name of Jesus known among the people of China.

I won't give the story away, I hope you'll read it yourself. There are several books about her. We read Gladys Aylward The Adventure of a Lifetime by Janet and Geoff Benge. I have a copy if anyone wants to borrow it. You can also google search her and get little short paragraphs about her life.

This is what I came home to on Friday night

2008-11-09T17:57:00.003-06:00

Friday night the girls spent the night with Nanny and Pops. I had been working at Loop De Lou and I was going to drive home and pick up Ronnie, so we could do some shopping. I was running late and Ronnie was waiting for me on the porch swing. I was going to just stay in the car, but he went in the house to turn off the lights and didn't come back for a few minutes, so I thought I would go in and grab an extra jacket. When I walked in the house I was so surprised - candlelight, a beautifully set table and music. Ronnie walked me to the table and made me sit down while he served me the most wonderful dinner (and he did eventually eat with me after everything was brought to the table). We had salad, rolls and chicken and rice soup from Dumplins, finished off with a piece of pumpkin cheesecake. It was great! The best part was just the surprise and to know that he planned something special for me. He is the best. I keep telling him, he should write a book.

What a Fun Weekend!

2008-11-02T20:53:00.004-06:00

This weekend was so much fun. Here is how it went down. Thursday was Lilly's playschool halloween party. Even though she had a brand new tinkerbell dress (with all the accessories), she wanted to be Alice in Wonderland (which is what she was last year). So, I let her dress up like Alice and we saved Tinkerbell for halloween. She was adorable and had so much fun at her party. Friday Parker lost her fourth tooth (when Chloe punched her in the mouth). It was hanging by a thread and needed to come out anyway. Then we all got dressed up and went over to the Pflasterers for fun snacks and trick-or-treating. I wish I had taken a picture of the snacks because they were awesome - punch with a floating ice hand, monster mash and lots of other fun goodies. The kids loved dressing up and being with their friends - and the candy! We also trick-or-treated Nanny and Pops who loaded us up for the next year on chocolate. Then Saturday the girls got to spend the evening with their sweet friends Braden and Ella Catherine, which was a special treat for Parker and Chloe because they haven't seen Braden in quite a while. They really enjoyed it. I can't think of a better way to spend a weekend. Here are some pictures from all the fun.

The Drastic Difference between Girls and Boys

2008-10-31T15:06:00.003-06:00

Since we have three sweet girls, our lives are tied up in ballet, tap, gymnastics and things that are sparkly and princess-like. If you would like to see some rough and tough football, soccer and baseball, then this is not the place for you. Please visit my sister's blog. Her boys are amazingly cute and rough and tough.

This week was parents watch week at Chloe's dance classes, so I took a few video clips. She did a realy good job and is becoming quite a dancer. Here is a clip from Chloe's tap class.

Family of Pumkins

2008-10-08T11:08:00.002-06:00

This is the easiest carving we've ever done! And it was lots of fun.

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-03T19:19:00.005-06:00

We had a great trip to the pumpkin patch tonight. Everyone got to pick out their own pumpkin - even me and Ronnie. We had lots of fun and took lots of cute pictures.

and here is a little blast from the past - this was our trip to the pumpkin patch last year with our sweet friends the Bustrums.

School Pictures for the Girls

2008-09-14T19:46:00.005-06:00

Ok, since we homeschool I thought I should take some pictures to consider school pictures for this year. So I had my own little photo shoot and this is what I came up with. I think they turned out pretty good, since I am by no means a photographer.

City Fellowship Update

2008-09-06T14:18:00.002-06:00

Today is a very exciting day. We have spent most of the day getting our new rental space ready to have church tomorrow. We will be meeting as a small core group of about 30 people including kids and adults until maybe Easter (while we figure lots of things out). I feel so blessed to be a part of such an amazing work of God. Today just makes everything seem very real. What we have been thinking about for months is becoming a reality. So we all cleaned with great joy today despite the spiders and unknown sticky substances on the floors and walls. Our building is on the corner of Royal and Main street downtown. A church in Missouri has donated a lot of furniture that will come next week (kids tables, book shelves, couch, desks, stove, refridgerator, folding chairs, etc.). And someone has even been generous enough to pay for the UHaul to get the stuff here. How very amazing and exciting!

New Haircuts

2008-09-05T10:36:00.003-06:00

The smith women were in much need of new haircuts. We were very shaggy and had many split ends. So we (me, Parker and Chloe) all headed over to South of New York and Anna gave us great cuts. Here is a picture of Parker and Chloe. Their cuts are adorable, and I really like mine too.

Future Ballet Star

2008-09-05T10:32:00.002-06:00

Chloe has started taking ballet and tap lessons. Here is a cute picture of her in her outfit with the shoes. She loves it and is a great dancer.

Lilly's first day back to playschool

2008-09-02T16:07:00.002-06:00

Lilly has been waiting for this day. She has been talking about it for a few weeks. She had lots of fun today with her four teachers, her lunchbox and her backpack. She is so very big . . . and so very sweet!

In other news. . . Parker is losing teeth left and right. Finally, though, she has lost one in which the grown up tooth hasn't already grown in. She also looks very big with a missing front tooth.

The rest of the story - Vacation Part II

2008-08-26T12:17:00.003-06:00

We ended up cutting our vacation a day short because of tropical storm Fay. But we really can't complain - at all. We had 6 beautifully sunny days to enjoy the beach before the clouds came. We had the most relaxing vacation that I can ever remember -no hurry to do anything. It was lovely.

However, now we are back in the thick of things. We started school yesterday. Wow, there is a lot to learn in the 3rd grade. I really am probably learning more than the girls. It is so much fun, and even Lilly thinks she is in school. She has her own folders and things. We really couldn't do school any other way - she would not have it. Lilly is getting ready to start back to playschool next week. She informed me this morning that she would be learning Spanish (that's what Parker and Chloe told her). I realized that I somehow forgot to take her to the doctor for her 3 year check-up (in April). Since I have to have a special form from them saying she's had all her shots, I decided to make the appointment. They were able to get us in this morning. I bribed Lilly with the thought of picking out a special toy if she would not fuss - and it worked. She was so good, even laughing and waving bye to Dr. David and Nurse Samantha. She even talked to the lady who was pricking her finger for a blood sample and never cried. We went directly to Wal-Mart and picked out a Dora Bath Castle for $14.95, a very small price to pay for a happy visit to the Doctor.

The Middle of a Great Vacation

2008-08-21T07:04:00.006-06:00

We are having a great time in Panama City. However, there is only wireless internet in the lobby of our hotel, so I will probably not be able to check email and update again until after we are home next week. Here are some highlights of the trip so far

We have had great weather. Parker loves the beach and boogie boarding (She is very good at it). She never wants to come to the pool. Chloe and Lilly love the pool and the hot tub the best. We still have two days left for lots of fun.

Here is a clip of Parker boogie boarding

Chloe's Special Day

2008-08-11T20:12:00.001-06:00

Wow! I can't believe that Chloe is 6. It just doesn't seem right. We had a wonderful time celebrating her birthday today. She got a special surprise yesterday - a trampoline. The girls have had so much fun jumping and jumping and jumping. Today we celebrated with chocolate chip pancakes, lots of jumping on the trampoline, lunch at Longhorn with Nanny (Chloe's choice - she ordered a hotdog), making a barbie cake, noodle soup and cheese toast for dinner (Chloe's favorite), and meeting friends to play and eat cake at Chuck E Cheese. What a really fun birthday. Here are some pictures of all the events. We also celebrated last Saturday with most of the family.

Parker's Birthday Surprise

2008-08-09T18:04:00.003-06:00

We celebrated Parker's birthday last Wednesday. For a few years now she has been asking, begging is more like it, for a puppy. Now most of you know that I really don't like dogs that much. They are ok for other people, but I really don't want anything else to take care of. However, I have realized over the past year that Parker is growing up and capable of caring for a puppy - and I could think of nothing else that would make her happier. So we got her a little Yorkie puppy. We named him Silas and he is a very sweet puppy. Parker was so excited - I am pretty sure she did not think I would ever let her have a puppy. We actually got the puppy two days before her birthday, so it was an early surprise. On her real day we ate chocolate chip waffles for breakfast, went to chic-fil-a for lunch, had Savanna and Natalie over to play, decorated cupcakes, and celebrated with our small group that night. It was really a lot of fun! We also got to celebrate the Saturday before with all the family at Ronnie's graduation.

Oh Happy Day

2008-08-08T09:29:00.002-06:00

The day we have been waiting on for three (very long) years has come and gone. I can't even really believe that it is over. I am referring to Ronnie's graduation, in case you didn't know. Ronnie graduated with a Masters in Christian Studies last Saturday. We are so very proud of his diligence and endurance, and so very happy that it is over. I mean look at his happy face... It just makes me want to yell Woooooo Whooooo!!

Now this chapter of our lives is down in the books and we are looking forward to the next one.

Fun Week With Bailee

2008-08-08T09:24:00.002-06:00

Ok, so I know that I said I wasn't going to go back and blog about the past summer events, but these pictures were too cute. Our little niece Bailee (who is the same age as Parker) came to visit for a week. The girls had so much fun. We went swimming alot and we even got to go to a play - Charlotte's Web (which by the way had a wonderful goose).

Its the New House (and its not a brick house)

2008-08-08T09:04:00.002-06:00

Here they are - pics of the new house. I don't have an outside picture to show yet - the painters are painting the front porch this week. So I'll post a picture when they are done.

A month of firsts and lasts

2008-07-29T10:23:00.002-06:00

Lasts

last day in our old house

Ronnie's last day at Union (work)

Ronnie's last day at Union (school)

last service as Northbrook members

last lunch with Jamie and Marcie (just joking - you know its not the end)

last time to work in the old LDL office

Firsts

first time to stay at our new house

Ronnie's first day at his new job

first time to work at the new LDL office

first time to have small group at our new house

first time to meet Oscar - the little old man across the street

first time to watch TV at our new house (1 month after we moved in)

first time to try to mow our new yard (which at this point may be a three day project for Ronnie with a push mower)

Sorry for the month long sabatocal from posting. There have been many monumental events in our lives this month. I probably won't try to catch up on blogging. I'll just start with what's new. I will, however, try to post pictures of the new house for any out-of-towners, or I guess in the Bustrums case it would be out-of-countryers.

Happy Anniversary to Us

2008-06-16T18:39:00.002-06:00

This past weekend was our 11 year anniversary. We celebrated by sending the kiddos off for a few nights and taking a trip to Atlanta. Ronnie (the greatest and most romantic trip planner of all time) planned another great trip for us. He is amazing. He covered every little detail. He even brought us a movie (which turned out to be the cheesiest one we've ever seen) to watch at the hotel. He bought me a sweet basket of goodies (lotions from bath and body, new toe rings - very cute, and a great CD). We stayed at the Grand Hyatt in Buckhead. Wow! It was very great. He booked it on priceline so it was only $60 a night. Friday night we ate at a restaurant called Twist. The food was great. We spent the entire day Saturday at Ikea buying stuff for our new (but old) house. It was overwhelming. I mean, have you ever spent 8 hours in one store. We only walked through one time. There is a cafe conveniently located half way through to nurish weary shoppers. We ate at California Pizza Kitchen Saturday night which was excellent since pizza is my favorite. The weekend was wonderful. It was wonderful to have lots of time to spend with Ronnie at such a crazy time in our life. We really needed the time. I am blessed to have Ronnie to spend many more years with.

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-12T12:53:00.005-06:00

I know, I know... it is not Father's Day yet, but we pretended that last Sunday was Father's Day because Ronnie and I will be out of town on the real Father's Day. So the girls were able to give him his present - some very cool new sunglasses. Ronnie is a wonderful dad and it was fun to celebrate him. Here are a few pictures:

Swimming Fun

2008-06-12T12:41:00.007-06:00

Here is a look at what we've been doing for the past two weeks. Swimming, swimming and more swimming. My sister and the boys were in town for a week and we had so much fun.

Foster Falls

2008-05-25T20:29:00.006-06:00

This weekend we went camping with our great friends the Autrys. Yes, I mean really camping - in tents, in the woods, where cell phones are out of range and the stars are beautiful. I must say that this was one of my favorite camping trips yet. The trails we hiked were beautiful. My kids had a blast. I love being outside and not having to worry about regular life. Here is a slide show of our trip .

OK, so I won't lie. There were a few mishaps along the way. We took a 40 minute detour to get to our campsite because people kept on giving us bad directions. Lilly vomitted from car sickness as soon as we reached the campgrounds - but she was still in her car seat so it was fun to clean up. There was some difficulty in lighting the charcoal to cook our dinner the first night. Marcie was injured while taking a picture of my kids and Lilly spiked a high fever the last night of the camp. But everything else was so great that these only seemed like minor incidents. We are blessed to have such great friends to share a camping trip with.

Here is a video clip of our picnic lunch right beside some cascading water. A little shout out to the Bustrums - we certainly would have dragged you along on our trip if you were still in Jackson.

Louisville, KY

2008-05-25T19:41:00.004-06:00

Earlier this week the girls and I went to Louisville with Ronnie. He had a college fair (for Union - so the trip was paid for) on Tuesday night. We stayed at the hotel with an indoor pool while he worked. I know... this fits into my normal routine of watching soaps and eating bon bons while he works. We had so much fun! The girls really enjoyed the pool and staying in a hotel room.

Lilly's Playschool Program

2008-05-15T19:07:00.001-06:00

Today was Lilly's end of the year playschool program. At the program the kids sing songs on the stage. Lilly was not so interested in singing (even though she loves to sing). I think she was just trying to figure out what was going on. She is really more of a solo performer. We did get to watch our friends Zach, Addison and Ella Catherine who were singing their little hearts out. After the singing, there were yummy treats. Yeah Lilly! We are so glad you finished a year of playschool.

Here is a video clip of Lilly (not) singing

And a solo performance

No Training Wheels for Chloe

2008-05-11T19:03:00.004-06:00

Saturday Chloe decided she wanted to ride her bike without the training wheels, so Ronnie got out his tools and took them off. Now we were fully expecting this to be a daylong event. However, Ronnie held on to her for about ten seconds and realized she could already do it. You see, the training wheels on her bike were bent up, so that they really didn't work correctly anyway. Apparently, she has been riding her bike for a while now as if it had none.

She was so very proud of her accomplishment. Here is a video clip of her riding

Stacie's 30th Birthday Party

2008-05-11T18:49:00.003-06:00

Friday night we celebrated Stacie's 30th birthday at Stix in Collierville. We had so much fun. The kids all sat at their own table and had their own chef. Here are some pictures from the night.

It Has Finally Happened...

2008-05-09T11:45:00.003-06:00

Parker lost her first tooth. We have been waiting so long for this event. In fact, a tooth is already grown in behind (and I mean way behind - I'm looking forward to large orthodontist bills) the tooth she lost. The tooth came out at Nanny's house, after Chloe's Graduation. Here is a picture of her toothless grin

Chloe's Graduation Day!

2008-05-08T11:32:00.008-06:00

Today was Chloe's big day and we are so proud of her accomplishments. She has learned so much this year and she is definitely ready for first grade. Here are some highlights from the big event.

These pictures are of Chloe's class lining up, Chloe posing in her cap and gown, and Chloe with her teacher (Miss Sarah) and her diploma.

Here is Chloe reciting Psalm 23. (sorry for the shaking at the beginning)

and here is the first part in spanish.

And finally, the throwing of the cap.

A very happy day for the Smith family.

Parker's 2nd Piano Recital

2008-05-04T14:56:00.004-06:00

Parker had her 2nd piano recital today. She did a great job! I was way more nervous than she was - really I thought I might throw up. We worked hard on walking slowly to and from the piano this time, and she did great. Here is the video clip:

Yay Parker!

April May and June Birthdays in West Memphis

2008-05-04T07:19:00.008-06:00

This is a new tradition started by Granny Beth and Grand Don because there are so many people and thus, birthdays in our family. This quarter the birthdays celebrated were Ronnie, Ben, Sarah, Nancy, Katie, Jacob, Josiah, Garrott, Lilly and Bailee. Now that's alot of birthdays! We had so much fun playing, eating and talking. And did I mention the food - it was excellent! Thanks Grand Don. Here are a few pictures from the big event:

Here are a few of the cousins.

This is Ben and Katie.

Katie (Donnie's Katie) and Ethan.

Uncle Nate the rabbit and Ben.

A very pretty cake decorated by Bailee and Granny Beth.

Aunt Nancy, Angie and sweet baby Olivia.

A Woman's Mission

2008-04-30T19:45:00.003-06:00

Ok, so I know I vowed not to blog about anything too heavy, but I guess it is ok to have an occasional heavy topic isn't it? Well, I borrowed a book from my friend Hether (who by the way has not read this book yet) called A Woman's Mission written by John Angell James. It's a very short book (only 30 pages) but the author lived in 19th century England, so it made for a harder than normal read for me. The basic idea of the book is that a woman's mission (at least a married woman's mission) is to be a companion/helper to the man she is married to. That is what God created her for - man. Everything a woman does should focus around this mission. Now I know we can get into all sorts of debates about this topic, but I did find one passage in the book to be both challenging and encouraging. Here it is:

"She is in wedded life to be his constant companion, in whose society he is to find one who meets him hand to hand, eye to eye, lip to lip, and heart to heart; to whom he can unburden the secrets of a heart pressed down with care or wrung with anguish; whose presence shall be to him better than all society; whose voice shall be his sweetest music, whose smiles his brightest sunshine; from whom he shall go forth with regret, and to whose converse he shall return with willing feet when the toils of the day are over; who shall walk near his loving heart, and feel the throbbing of affection as her arm leans on his and presses on his side. In his hours of retired conversation, he shall tell her all the secrets of his heart, find in her all the capabilities and all the promptings of the most tender and endeared fellowship, and in her gentle smiles and unrestrained speech enjoy all to be expected in one who was given by God to be his associate and friend."

A Very Fun Night

2008-04-25T10:35:00.008-06:00

We had a really fun night last night with our friends the Bustrums. They are actually more like family than friends. The night was filled with great food - thanks Nanny and Pops - princesses, dancing, laughing and talking. We can't wait to stay up late with you guys in Lisbon! Here are some pictures from the night.

Who knew Ronnie and Mark were this close?????

I do realize that this is not my most photogenic moment, but it is the memory that counts right...

Thanks guys for all the fun!

Happy Birthday Lilly!

2008-04-19T14:20:00.002-06:00

Lilly turned three today. She has had a really great birthday. Last night MeeMee and Poppie and Uncle Nate came for a visit. Today we played at the park with friends and went to chick-fil-a with our cousins. Even though it was chilly, she still had lots of fun. Her favorite gifts were the two cards that played music. She's been singing happy birthday to herself all day.

Happy Birthday, Ronnie

2008-04-08T20:12:00.003-06:00

This is just a short post to tell my sweet Ronnie - Happy Birthday! He is amazing - a true friend, wonderful father and husband. I don't deserve him.
... and by the way, he's 37.

Psalm 23

2008-04-02T13:21:00.005-06:00

This spring the girls have learned Psalm 23. It took us 3 months of hard work. I hope that one day when they are older and know more, it will be a blessing to have it hidden in their hearts.

First the kindergarteners....

And second - the second graders.

I am very pleased with their dilligence.

Our Freezing Cold Trip to the Zoo

2008-03-29T16:06:00.001-06:00

Our new baby

2008-03-29T15:48:00.007-06:00

We got to visit our new baby niece (cousin) Olivia on Friday. She is beautiful. Lilly had been especially excited about going to visit Olivia and she told her playschool teachers on Thursday that we had a new baby. I had to clarify very quickly that she was Lilly's baby cousin. We really enjoyed getting to hold her and cuddle her.

Spring, Easter and a tulip

2008-03-26T14:43:00.009-06:00

Here is a sweet picture of the girls on Easter Sunday, all dressed up in their pretty dresses. I think they looked so cute - but I am their mother.

I would like to add that it was no small task to dress three girls plus myself. Make Parker and Lilly's hair curly....straighten Chloe's hair...find just the right bows...put on all the lacey socks and fancy shoes.....sweaters....iron my shirt and skirt. All this while Ronnie was at choir practice. He got off easy this week.

Earlier last week we made a tomb and little puppets as part of the passion week tradition at our house. We use them all week long to act out the events from Palm Sunday to the resurrection. This year the Bustrums came over to help us. We had such a good time! Here are a few pictures

Easter has come and gone and now it is spring. Last year Ronnie and I went to Paris the week before Easter. On our way home we bought some tulip bulbs from Holland at the Amsterdam airport. The girls and I planted them last fall. There were about a dozen when we planted them, but this year only one decided to grow. It is very beautiful though and it smells nice. Chloe and Bria posed for me in front of it, but neither of them could keep their eyes open in the sunlight for a good picture - they were trying really hard, but both of them have light colored eyes and they just won't stay open in the sunshine very well. Some of you may have been wondering about the tulip part of my title - it had nothing to do with John Calvin.

A typical night at the Smith house

2008-03-22T19:17:00.003-06:00

just in case you were wondering....Poor Ronnie - outnumbered by ballerinas.

Parker and the piano

2008-03-20T11:54:00.004-06:00

Parker loves to play and practice the piano. She really does this without whining or complaining and most of the time she decides to practice on her own. Since starting in first grade, she has made good progress.

Also, did I mention that she is just like me - she really does not like to talk on video. I can't say I blame her AT ALL.

Chloe, Chloe, Chloe...

2008-03-18T13:06:00.004-06:00

Here is Chloe's Spanish rendition of the days of the week. Did I mention that she is exactly like her daddy - in almost every way I can think of.

Lilly singing

2008-03-16T12:04:00.003-06:00

Here is Lilly singing the ABC's. She certainly loves to sing!

A one year sabbatical

2008-03-14T13:26:00.002-06:00

Since my last post (which was one of four total posts before I ran out of things to say) was almost exactly a year ago, I have decided to re-enter the blogging world. This time my purpose is different. I am just going to try to keep everyone informed about what is going on with the girls and life in general. Don't expect anything too deep or theological.

The Great Mystery

2007-03-16T14:11:00.000-06:00

So now that we have conquered the problem of evil ( or at least come to rest at some comfortable place on the subject), let's consider another one. I'm talking about marriage, or Christ and his relationship to the church - the great mystery (Ephesians5:32).

Ronnie and I went to a wedding about a week ago. It was a simple ceremony with one of the most profound messages I have ever heard. Even Ronnie commented the next day about how he was still thinking about it. The message was titled on the wedding program "The purpose of marriage". What is the purpose of marriage? companionship, procreation, guilt free sex, the list could go on. What is God's purpose for marriage? There is a clue about this in Ephesians 5:31. The verse starts "For this reason a man shall leave his father ...". Well, what reason is he referring to? He is referring to the picture of Christ and the church given in the preceding verses. The picture of Christ and the church is the reason that a man should leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife. The reason people should marry is to give a picture of Christ and the church, not to have companionship, not to have children, not to have guilt free sex (although those are all ok by-products of a healthy marriage).

How does this play out practically? When people look at Ronnie they should see his unending love for me. They should see how he takes care of me and loves me as he loves himself. They should see how he tries to protect me from evil and keep me holy and blameless. He is a picture of Christ to the world in our marriage. When people look at me they should see how I quietly yield to Ronnie's advice. They should see how I treat Ronnie with reverence and respect. They should see an accurate picture of the church quietly submitting to the authority of Christ.

What an opportunity/responsibility we have as christians. Marriage is not about us. Marriage is about God and created by Him. Marriage is a tool used by God in our world to portray a picture of Christ and the church. It has nothing to do with us, and that makes it so freeing. I am free to quietly submit to Ronnie, for the sake of the gospel. Each time I do this the gospel is portrayed accurately to anyone who may see. Ronnie is free to love me as his own body, for the sake of the gospel. Anyone who sees him doing this gets a glimpse of the love Christ has for His church.

How does your marriage measure up to this? What can we all do to more accurately portray a picture of the gospel to a lost world? What about marriages between non-believers? Do they still represent this picture of Christ and the church? I'd love to read your thoughts.

The problem of evil...

2007-03-12T13:50:00.000-06:00

The basic problem of evil is stated like this:

If God is all good, why does He allow all the evil we see in the world?

If He is all powerful, couldn't he do something about it?

So, either God is not all good or He is not powerful.

So, how could you give an answer to this my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. I would love to hear your responses. This is one of the topics for discussion at the Genesis bible study that I attend on Monday nights.

I think that the problem is in the logic of the questions. We assume things already in the questions we ask. First of all, God is good. (Ps 24:8, Ps 34:8). If we believe the bible then we know he is good. If we don't believe the bible then that is another topic of discussion...another day. So not if God is good - we already know he is (this logic starts off bad, trying to disprove that God is good, we already know the answer to this).

Second, why does he allow evil in the world? It is important to remember that the world God created was good in every way. There was no death, sorrow, or separation from God (not even death among the animal kingdom I might add - man and animals were only eating plants Genesis 1:29-30). Man's sin is what has led to all of these. After man sinned, God cursed the serpent and God cursed the ground. The earth is still under this curse (thus the reason for all natural disasters and the death caused by them). So the cause of evil in the world is man and the serpent. But that does not answer why God allows it. I think God is holy and he requires holiness. He is also merciful and forgiving. My only answer is that through all the evil God has worked out his perfect plan of salvation. All the old testament points to christ. The sacrificial system that God provided for his people points to Christ. God is somehow glorified through all the evil - both the natural disasters and the evil of man (both are evil). So I guess I can only answer that God allows (plans for you hyper calvinists) evil because it somehow in the end points to the holiness of God and is glorifying to him and brings his people to salvation.

I won't comment much on the powerful question. I don't think any us question whether God is powerful enough. At least I don't. I know he is powerful. It is just hard to figure out the reason why he does allow evil?

Maybe I'll have some better answers after the study tonight, or maybe you have some answers you'd like to share.

A Tribute to My Friends

2007-03-09T07:27:00.001-06:00

I have the most wonderful friends. What could have been the worst nightmare of a birthday, was such a fun day because of you (my friends). You see, yesterday was my birthday. Ronnie, knowing he was not going to get to see me at all on my real birthday, planned a little family party for me the day before my birthday(Party #1). It was great. Cards from the girls - even the little one. A new little Bible (which I really wanted). A new book. Chocolate. But there is something about the real day. You know, you just want to relax, enjoy life, do something you like to do. My real day did not go exactly as I had planned, but my friends made all the difference, and I got to spend some quality time with my kids that might not otherwise have happened. I got to have lunch with Marcie, Jill, and Dara (Party #2). And after I put the girls to bed - another birthday party appeared at the door (Party #3). At 8:30 Angie, Heather, Ellen, Jennifer, and Hannah were at my house with cheesecake, cards, gifts and flowers. What a blessing! And what a very fun birthday party. I feel so blessed to have friends - people who care about and love me - and who love a good excuse to laugh and eat cheesecake. Thanks Guys!

Brick House...

2007-03-07T16:00:00.000-06:00

You may be wondering about the name ... brick house. Well, you see it has been the theme song of my married life. (Please tell me you know the song - you know, from the 80's - She's a brick house). At any given point in the last 10 years you might have walked into our house and heard Ronnie humming the tune. It has always been sort of a running joke. More of a joke at some times than others. Like each time I have been pregnant, Ronnie likes to change the lyrics from 36-24-36 to something more realistic like 36-75-58. I have usually taken it in good humor and the song has become comforting, really. It feels like home. Just this morning Ronnie was humming the tune...