The Life & Times of 4 Smiths

Project Life Tuesday

2012-02-07T21:08:00.003-06:00

Lots and lots of pictures and stories this week! This week was the father/daughter dance that Kip and Campbell attend every year and I had a lot of pictures from that night that I wanted to include... I've seen others include a smaller page protector to include lots of pictures from one event... problem being I didn't have any 6X12 page protectors which is what I wanted to use... so it was on to plan B... which included page protector design B from Becky Higgins... I took a design B page protector and basically trimmed along the seams to cut it down to the size I needed to accomadate all my pictures! It worked great and I was pleased how it flowed with the rest of the page! Again, I am sooo loving Project Life and getting our weekly life documented in 2012! I had plans of doing multiple albums at once to catch up on the last few years but so far have not had much success in carving out enough time to make that happen... rethinking the possibility of using the new digital option on Shutterfly... we shall see!

Project Life Tuesday... but on Wednesday

2012-02-01T08:10:00.003-06:00

This week-end was a fun but busy week-end for our family... amongst the activity I did not carve out time to get my PL layout done... but Tuesday being Project Life Tuesday gave me the motivation to take time yesterday to get my pages done! I seriously love this project and am really determined to NOT fall behind! It really is so easy to get it done if you stay on top of it... a few thoughts on this week's pages... I had lots of pictures and had several individual stories that I needed to document and want to remember about several pictures... so lots of journaling! Secondly, I did most of the journaling in my own handwriting! This is a HUGE great bid deal for me because I hate my handwriting and usually try to avoid using it in my scrapbooks at all costs! I typically type my journaling as I want things to appear neat and clean... but when I started Project Life I decided that with this project there would be NO rules... I really wanted to give myself the freedom to be successful at completing this album and really wanted my focus to be on memory documentation and not on technique, style, etc... so I used my handwriting this week and am pretty pleased with it! So, since I didn't get my pages finished until last night I am a bit late with my Project Life Tuesday post... but again the rules are out the window on this one! So Wednesday it is and here are my pages for this week...

For the love of Pinterest...

2012-01-27T10:37:00.003-06:00

I have a confession to make... I am completely, utterly, constantly consumed with Pinterest! Like I seriously think I may need an intervention to allow me to resume my normal state of living! Now for those of you that just asked yourself, "what the heck is Pinterest?" please, please, please think very hard before typing that word in your internet address box and above all don't say I didn't warn you when you can't help but become consumed with it because IT WILL HAPPEN! It. Will. Happen. People.

Now for my "non-pinning" friends let me share with you why I love Pinterest, First, it is the perfect place to organize ANYTHING you see, find, like on the internet. Seriously, anything from fashion to furniture, fitness routines to family fun, organizational tools to original artwork, decorating ideas to do it yourself projects, recipes to rumba tutorials, hairstyles to hamster habitats, scriptures to sewing projects... did I mention you can pin ANYTHING??? Secondly, you can follow other people's pinboards and they can follow yours. I typically log in so I can see mainly things pinned by those I follow. I LOVE seeing a pin and thinking "that looks like so&so's style or taste and upon looking at the name of the pinner realizing it was pinned by the person it reminded me of. So much fun to know your friends' tastes and be able to pick them out among all the pins to see! Anyone with me on this???

Once you find yourself glued to your computer screen, you can then repeat these words that I say over and over while "pinning"... "this is productive!" I mean just this week I've found amazing ideas for my kitchen renovation, planned meals for the week, begun planning Campbell's 9th birthday party (yes I am well aware that it's not until April but who doesn't like to be ahead of the ballgame???), created a piece of artwork for my guest bathroom, sewn a really cool camera strap cover for my camera, made another really cool camera strap cover for a friend's birthday, made yummy banana crunch muffins, redecorated my craft room/office based on one I saw on Pinterest, made a homemade king cake, done an upper body workout I found (to balance out the king cake and muffins:))... oh the list could go on and on.

so here's a little glimpse of this week's Pinterest action...

So there you have it... the confession of a Pinterest addict! Are you on the Pinterest bandwagon? If so, what is your favorite thing about it? If not, what are you waiting for? Join! You'll be glad you did but please remember that you may not blame me for the subsequent addiction... I warned ya! Now to do that laundry that I've neglected due to my Pinterest obsession... oh wait maybe there's some really cool laundry secrets on Pinterest! OK you get the picture! Happy Friday and happy pinning!

Hair bows, body odor and Project Life...

2012-01-24T14:16:00.005-06:00

This week I read this brilliant article Don't Carpe Diem and seriously could have written (well not really with my serious lack of writing skills) this article myself... I just loved the comparison of cronos vs. kairos time and just felt so relieved of the stress of thinking we are the only family that doesn't live "blue ribbon moments every single moment. I love how this thought process goes right along with what I'm attempting to capture in my project life binder... those kairos moments that I need and want to remember every single week. both good and bad. both happy and sad. both big and little. Those moments that I want to remember. I need to remember.I am not a mom that typically gets sad over my kids growing older. Now don't get me wrong... I often reminisce of the days gone by and often wish we could go back to the days before homework, tests, peer pressure, etc. However, I also enjoy watching my kids learn and discover new things every single day of every single season. It seems there's something new and exciting about them each year that I love and appreciate. But this week, I had two moments of gut-wrenching sadness that completely took me by surprise. something about both my kids this week that stopped me in my tracks...

1. Campbell doesn't need me to do her hair anymore.

Like "she does her own high pony and bow" doesn't need me anymore! What!?!

2. Will has body odor. Like "not cute little boy playing in the grass" smell but real adult man B.O. after a hard workout smell. What!?!

Now those may seem like ridiculous things to cry over but cry I did my friends... But I'm better now and you know what... both of these silly but important milestones are now documented in my 2012 week 3 project life layout... I want to remember. I need to remember.

I also tucked a printed copy of the article I m

entioned above in my page protector for this week as well. Something else I want and need to remember!

So here's a peek at this week's pages (hair bows and B

.O included:))...

Project Life Tuesday

2012-01-17T19:26:00.014-06:00

OK... I am seriously in LOVE with Project Life!!! I worked this week-end on getting all my supplies organized and printing pictures... I really, really wanted to wait for they type A page protectors tocome in before I started but when I saw that they wouldn't be in until February I realized it was time to throw caution to the wind and dive in with the page protectors that I could get my hands onnow! So I completed my cover page (thanks to Cathy Z for the title page downloads) and my first two weeks of my 2012 Project Life binder... so exciting! Now that I've taken the plunge I'll share a few things about how I think this will work forme... definitely not going to be a "must take a picture every day" kind of girl... I'mfocusing more on our weeks rather than days... I will include pictures from the week that capture the moments that I want to remember... those moments that I need to remember. I also know now that I want to be more conscientiousabout saving things such as movie stubs, receipts, lists, etc. I also need to start keeping a little notebook to jot down what we listen to on the radio, talk about in the car and watch on TV... these are the "little"things that I know one day I willforget and really hope to document in this scrapbook. I purchased 4 of the signature black binders and really hope to get to a point that I can complete the week's pages for 2009-present each week. I can't tell you how exciting this venture makes me! I love the way the binders look on my shelf, I love the way the pages and elements work so well together to complete pages that tell a story, I love that I don't get so caught up in tricks/techniques (now don't get me wrong... there's still plenty of me that loves trying new tricks/techniques in my other scrapbooks) but rather in telling the story, I love the idea of a completed project at the end of the year and I love all the inspiration found on Project Life Tuesday on Jessica Turner's blog! So here's my title page and my pages for weeks 1 & 2 of 2012...

Champion in my book...

2012-01-16T20:23:00.003-06:00

This week-end Will and I were in Lafayette for a horse show. The more I watch him ride and show the more I see the pure joy this sport brings to him. He is calm, focused and above all full of joy when he's at the barn and/or on Hollis' back. From what I've seen thus far, this is a predominantly female sport. I saw one other boy at the horse show on Saturday and yet that is the furthest concern from Will's mind. I remember the first time we went to the barn to pick up Campbell from a camp she was attending and Will asked "mom, why didn't you sign me up for this camp?" I gave him a quick response regarding the fact that it was ALL girls at the camp. To which he came back with "SO!?!" From that day forward the boy has been consumed with horseback riding!

Will hoped to get his first blue ribbon in this horse show but that was not to be... he came home with 3rd, 4th, and 5th place ribbons. I was a little disappointed for him but the entire way home he talked nonstop about how two months ago he would have been terrified to trot x's and now he was doing it and how two months ago he would never have dreamed of cantering and now he's doing that too. About half way home it hit me... it's NOT about the ribbons! Oh sure being a champion is great and what he strives for but just as importantly in that horse show he gained confidence, responsibility and of course pure and radiant joy!

As a mom of a child that often struggles with appropriate social behavior and skills, I am often one of Will's hardest critics. Luckily, the amazing trainers at Sommerview where he rides are the first to tell me how much they love Will and how fun he is to be around! A comment was made Saturday that he was going to make the best boyfriend and husband one day... So tonight I am thankful for the way riding has filled my boy's heart with joy. I am thankful for the kind words of others about my sweet son and am thankful for the opportunity to take a break from being the "bad cop" mom and being able to brag on my son that is such a special part of our family. I hope one day he is a champion at a horse show but until then I'm content with him being a champion of our family! Thanks Brittany (who I totally did not get a picture of Saturday:(, Emily and Catie for your kindness, patience and dedication to my kids and all the kids that ride at Sommerview... You all rock and I am thankful for you!!! Oh and am also thankful for Hollis and the amazing place this horse holds in Will's heart!

Project Life Tuesday

2012-01-10T19:43:00.005-06:00

A friend of mine with grown children and grandchildren was recently asked if she could have pictured life as it is now 20-30 years ago... she said no and that while she has enjoyed every stage of life, her one wish would be to be able to "remember every single moment"... my initial thought was "this is why I scrapbook" but then I realized that I don't scrapbook every single moment.

Most of my friends know that I don't go many places without my camera... I love capturing both the big "moments" as well as the little "moments" in photographs. I have very few pictures of my childhood... although I have very fond memories of that time, I have very little tangible evidence of those memories. I can't put into words the emotions I go through looking backthrough pictures of years past particularly the last 11 years of this season of life I've known as motherhood. I want my children to have a tangible piece of their childhood to remember and I want to be able to look back at photos and remember those moments as well. I scrapbook most of the big things such as birthdays, vacations, first days of school, and most of the firsts my kids experience; but I have so many "everyday" pictures that sit in boxes or on my hard drives hidden away from view.

For 2012, I decided to begin a project created by Becky Higgins known as Project Life. The basic premise is to capture everyday life. As I read more and more about this project I realized it was a great way for me to capture and document my family's everyday life. My goal is to take a photo a day to capture and remember moments. I know there will be days that I may forget or for whatever reason not take a picture... and that's OK! I can still document our daily, weekly or even monthly moments in 2012.

I have ordered my supplies but the photo protectors I want to use are out of stock so I haven't begun actually putting my album together. However, I really want to participate in Jessica Turner's Project Life Tuesday (a wonderful source of much Project Live inspiration) so for today I'm just going to share some of the pictures I am documenting our first week of 2012 with...

Campbell and I at our fun bowling adventure

with friends to celebrate the new year

a picture of my running shoes to

signify my resolution to run 600

miles in 2012

Will jumping x's for the first time on Hollis.

Campbell doing homework in the passenger

seat while we wait for her brother in middle

school carpool... our daily afternoon routine.

a glimpse at the week's weather... warm,

warm, warm!

I am so excited about this project for 2012 but as I began to gather my supplies and get organized I came to the realization that I can also do this for year's past. I spent a few hours this evening going through pictures from 2009. My kids were 6 & 8 that year. We got a new puppy that year. Kip and I went to our first Mardi Gras ball that year. We saw the Eagles in concert that year. I can't begin to tell you how much fun it was to revisit that year of our lives and all the "moments" I want to recall and remember. I seriously think Project Life is about to impact my memory keeping in a huge way and I can't wait to share it with you each Tuesday as I not only document this year but revisit years past in the process! If you are looking for a simple and fun way to document "moments" then I encourage you to check out the links above! There are so many different ways to do this project that I am confident that anyone can find a way to fit this into their lifestyle! So as I end this really, really long post I am beyond thankful for my camera, Project Life and ALL the MOMENTS that make up my life!

School Days

2012-01-05T21:06:00.003-06:00

So today it was back to school for the kiddos after a long two week break for Christmas. I remember a few years ago when I dreaded the breaks from school and couldn't wait for them to go back... they were young, they were busy and they were exhausting:)... never did I imagine a time when I'd dread them going back after a break but alas they are older, more independent and honestly a lot of fun to have around! This was Kip's year to work Christmas week and work he did! He was either at work or sleeping most of the week but the kids and I managed to have some fun! We went to two movies, roller skating, shopping, the park and of course the kids did a lot of horse back riding! Will started jumping x's and verticals during the break and is so excited with his progress! Campbell had taken a break from horseback riding while she participated in Girls on the Run and rehearsed and prepared for the Nutcracker... she was very excited to be back on Sassy and picked right up where she left off! So proud of both of them! After all the fun, I guess it's understandable that neither of them was ready to go back to school today and I was just a little sad dropping them off and not having anyone in the car to talk to! Although I must admit the sadness didn't linger too long and began to dissipate as I slid into the chair and got a much needed haircut & color! Ahhh! Plus one day of school down and it's already time for Friday! Love a two day school week for sure! Bring on the week-end!!! So today I am thankful for a short school week, week-ends and of course my sweet friend Tammy and the rockin' hairstylist that she is! And here's a lovely, no make up, I'm tired photobooth photo of the new do! Happy Friday eve, y'all!

Focus on Joy

2012-01-03T22:09:00.003-06:00

Today was riding lessons for the kids... they both have discovered a true love for horses and riding and I love watching them develop new skills and get better each week. As I watched them today I really thought of something I read here in a friend's newsletter today...

Trade exploration for FOCUS.The younger you are, the more experimenting you should do. But once you’ve found what you were created to do, stick with it and continue to learn.

Will has always struggled with "focus" whether it's in the classroom, in a conversation or an activity... something has to be really good and/or important to hold his attention for very long! So as I watched him ride today and go from walk to to trot to canter over and over and jump x's over and over it hit me how FOCUSED this boy is on horseback. He has discovered something that he is passionate about and truly loves to do. The joy and determination are written all over his face when he rides. He intimately cares for those horses and just loves being in their presence. So today (day 3-01/03/12) I am grateful for Brittany and the wonderful trainers/staff at Sommerview Farm for allowing my kids the joy of horseback riding and particularly for helping Will find what he was created to do and to trade exploration for focus... focus on riding well, focus on safety and above all focus on joy!

New Beginnings and Running Shoes

2012-01-03T00:22:00.006-06:00

Day 2 (01/02/12) Today I am thankful for my ability to run and the fact that I live somewhere that I can run outdoors year round...

As we begin a new year I can't help but feel giddy as I always do at the possibilities of new goals and resolutions for the upcoming year... and yet my success rate at keeping most of my goals/resolutions is not that high! But there's just something about a new year and a seemingly clean slate erased of past failures, past mistakes and lack of success in previous years. So today I embark on new goals for 2012... I have 12 goals for 12 months in the year 2012... My first goal is to run 50 miles a month for a total of 600 miles this year. I'm planning on running the River Run (a 15k) in Jacksonville March 10th then perhaps a 1/2 marathon in the fall. What are your goals/resolutions for this year? Whatever they are... here's to much success in 2012!

Gratitude

2012-01-01T08:21:00.003-06:00

what if you woke up with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?

This past November, there was a movement on Facebook to post something each day that you were thankful for. I participated and through that month I began to really take stock in everything, both little and big, that I had in my life to be thankful for. As I created our Christmas card (a year in review) and took a look back on 2011, I must admit that my family had an amazing year. We traveled a lot, my kids participated in many wonderful sports & activities, we had visits from many loving family and friends, we experienced many "firsts" and the list could just go on and on... but as I reflected on our very blessed year I couldn't help also reflecting on a year that was also painful and hard for so many of our dear family and friends... the loss of Kip's grandmother Mimi in June, a friend that lost her father very unexpectedly, two friends that buried their husbands much too young, a precious young schoolmate of my children that fought so hard but lost her battle with cancer, the state of our economy and job loss for so many, several friends that are experiencing the pain of separation and/or divorce, friends diagnosed with and battling life-threatening illnesses, major weather disasters that devastated entire cities and unfortunately this list could go on and on as well.

As I reflected on these two lists I was torn between multiple emotions... joy for the amazing things we were blessed with in 2011, sadness for those things that stole joy from so many and then somewhere in the middle was a strange sort of guilt that our year was such a joyful year while others had more pain than I can honestly even wrap my mind around. Comfort came in this verse... 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 be joyful ALWAYS, pray CONTINUALLY and give thanks IN ALL circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

So this was my challenge to myself in 2012... to really strive to live out this verse every moment of every day. So for the next 365 days I'm going to focus on the things that I am thankful for (even the hard stuff)... and I'm going to try really hard to use this blog as both my journal and accountability on this gratitude adventure! Hope you will come along for the ride and share your thoughts as well! So here we go...

DAY 1 (01.01.11) Today I am thankful for my family. My husband that truly loves me unconditionally and my sweet kids that bring so much joy into our lives it's crazy! This was Kip's year to work Christmas and he worked a 24 hour shift Christmas Eve... no matter how many holidays he works, I still have the tendency to get a little cranky and sad that he's not home with us... but I am thankful for these two pictures of my kids and me on Christmas Eve and my sweet, exhausted hubby opening gifts Christmas morning in his scrubs because they are snapshots of our "real life" and remind me how truly blessed I am to have these three!

The Highlights of a Decade

2009-12-31T14:55:00.019-06:00

Wow... it's hard to believe that it's been 10 years since the big Y2K frenzy and we're already ten years into this century! Although there have been some incredibly tough times for our family, friends and our country in this time, we've also been blessed by some really fun milestones and memories in the last decade as well! Will's teacher Mrs. McMahan posted a fun Facebook update today about 10 favorite memories from the last 10 years so I thought it would be fun to do a blog post with a little photo review of the last 10 years for our family! These are the first 10 memories that came to mind when I read her post...

1. We started off this decade back in November 2000 with the birth of our first child Will. Such a treasured memory and the start of the amazing journey of parenthood! It's still hard to believe my sweet Y2K baby is now 9 years old!

2. 2 1/2 years later in April 2003 we shifted from a family of 3 to a family of 4 when welcomed Will's baby sister Campbell into our family! Again, how she has grown to be my sweet 6 1/2 year old little lady so fast is beyond my comprehension!

3. In June 2005, after 4 years of medical school, 6 years of residency/fellowship, we celebrated big with Kip's completion of his "training" years and became a full-fledged Neonatologist! Along with that celebration came the move for our family to Baton Rouge, LA. This move was not easy and many tears were shed as we left all our friends and life as we knew it in Louisville but now 4 1/2 years later I count that move as one of the wonderful blessings we experienced in this decade... while I still miss my friends in Louisville Baton Rouge is now home and we've made so many wonderful friends here!
(this fire truck was their "house warming" gift when we moved)

4. In 2006 and 2007 we celebrated Will and then Campbell's first day of school at The Dunham School. This school and all the amazing teachers we've had hold a very special place in our hearts! I can't imagine my kids at any other school... this is Will with Mrs. Lombardo and Campbell with Mrs. Kim on each of their first days of school ever at Dunham!

5. In February 2007 we made our first family trip to Disney World... we did a combination trip of parks and a Disney Cruise! We had lots of fun and the kids' favorite part was seeing and getting autographs from all the characters!

6. Another fun source of memories from this decade is what has become a tradition of our annual beach trip to The Beach Club the first week of June. We go along with multiple other Dunham families and share a week of good times and relaxing!

7. New Years Eve 2007 was the night of a conversation I had with my friend Lori in which we decided it would be a fun idea to train for and compete in Rocketchix a local triathlon here at LSU. So we convinced our friend Carolyn to join us and the three of us trained and on May 4, 2008 we did it! It was probably one of my most favorite "personal best" memories! I loved it and look forward to 2010 being the year that I get both my kids to participate in the Rocketkidz Triathlon!

8. Just a few days after the triathlon, Kip and I got to head off to Las Vegas for 5 days to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary! Neither of us had been to Las Vegas and we had a ball! People watching, golf, exploring all the hotels and on our actualy anniversary (5/9/98) we spent the evening celebrating another fabulous decade (the 80s) with a Duran Duran concert at the Hard Rock Hotel! Such a fun, fun trip!

9. In January 2009 we welcomed yet another member into our family... one of the 4 legged variety. We adopted Miller our black lab puppy and now can't imagine life without him in it. The kids love playing with him and he is just the most mellow lab puppy ever! He turned a year old on November 28th and is now 85 lbs. but is still as sweet and mellow as ever!

10. In February 2009 we experienced what we will probably remember as our most wild memory of the decade. We were invited to experience Mardi Gras in New Orleans by attending the Endymion Extravaganza. This is a Mardi Gras ball held in the Superdome and it was quite an experience. From the amazing floats, the wild costumes, the entertainment (Kid Rock and REO Speedwagon... I'll give you one guess which one I was able to sing along to:)) to the great company it was quite a night!

These are just some highlights from our decade... we've enjoyed many more fun times with visits to and from grandparents, great grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends! As I reflect on the amazing experiences and encounters our family has had over the last 10 years and thank God for our health, happiness and abundant joy I am also acutely aware that so many friends have been through great loss this decade... death, divorce, jobloss just to name a few and I pray that amongst the sadness and pain that you each can experience great joy again! I am thankful for the men and women that fight for our country each and every day and especially those that have sacrificied their life in doing so. So as we leave 2009 (and this "all over the place" blog post) to enter into the next year and decade we leave you with well wishes and prayers for a healthy and prosperous 2010! We look forward to the new and exciting memories our family will make in the next 1o years and hope that each one of you can be a part of those memories in some way! God Bless!

9 Years Ago Today...

2009-11-27T05:00:00.002-06:00

Wow... it's been a while since I last posted! Facebook has really made me a bad blogger! So a few weeks ago Will asked me if I remembered last year on his birthday writing 8 things I loved about him (on my old blog)... he then asked me if I was going to do a "9 Things I Love About Will" post for his birthday this year and I figured that was the best reason to jump back into the blogging scene... so here we are! 9 years ago today I gave birth to my first born, my son Will. Today as we celebrate his 9th birthday I present to you 9 reasons why I love this boy to the moon and back...

1. I love his genuine and contagious smile!

2. I love his amazing memory and how he randomly will say "remember when I was two and we did..."

3. Even thought they have their typical "sibling issues" I love how much he loves his sister. He comforts her when she's sad, laughs with her when she's happy and looks out for her like any big brother should!

4. I love the notes/pictures he randomly write/draw for me to tell me he loves me.

5. I love that he still want me to tuck him in at night and tell him that "I'll see him when the sun comes up".

6. I love his gorgeous thick hair and how it falls across his forehead (even if people often tell us he needs a haircut)!
he has!

8. I love his love for all things music! I love how he can hum in various sounds and sound exactly like the Million Dollar Band. I love hearing him sing... praise and worship songs, rock songs, honor choir Christmas songs, and of course his absolute favorite The National Anthem. I love hearing him play his guitar (when he practices:) and I look forward to loving hearing him play his new drum set:):):)!

9. I love his strong will and his desire to try hard and be successful! He has his share of challenges and often gets frustrated but still tries very hard to overcome and work hard and I love it when he is successful in moving beyond the frustration and is successful with hard work!

So there you have 9 things for 9 years! He may be almost as tall as me, he may not let me kiss him in public anymore, and he may stink like crazy when he comes in from playing outside now but he will always, always, always be my sweet baby boy!

Happy Birthday Will... I know you're excited for your birthday to be on the same day as the "Iron Bowl" so Roll Tide Roll... beat Auburn for Will!!!

Blooming Where We Are Planted...

2009-06-17T15:05:00.004-05:00

This week I mark many anniversaries of personal experiences... Next week I will attend my 20 year high school reunion (how I got that old so fast I'll never know). That is just crazy to me, but in that 20 years, I've lived in 4 states and in each of those states I've been blessed by friendships that have allowed me to deepen roots and put this whole blooming idea into action!
In 1993 I very spontaneously left my hometown to move to Birmingham, AL. I knew exactly two people in Birmingham and have no idea why I moved there other than the fact that at the time, I knew without a doubt that that was where I was meant to go... three months after moving there I met Kip and now know without a doubt why I was meant to move to Birmingham!
Fast forward 6 years and one wedding later to March 17, 1999... that fateful day know as Match Day. For those not in the medical community, this means nothing, but this is the day where eager and excited medical students find out where they are headed post graduation to enter the next stage of their medical training... residency. In most educational venues, you complete school, interview, hopefully get job offers and then choose which job you feel is best suited for you. Medical school is a bit different. Durning the 4th year of medical school, each student travels wherever they may be willing to go for residency. They then rank the programs from favorite to least favorite and submit their list knowing they could end up at any of those programs. The programs then do the same thing with their applicants and on Match Day and computer unscrambles all those lists to determine where each medical student in the whole country will go for residency. All of Kip's medical school class and their loved ones gathered in the auditorium and one by one each student went on stage, opened an envelope and read their results. I thought I was prepared and ready to go wherever the match took us. Kip opened his envelope and announced "I'll be doing residency in Louisville, KY." I immediately burst into tears... I was not as ready as I thought I was! Luckily I had a few months and a few visits to Louisville to get ready and in June 1999 (10 years ago this week) we moved to Louisville and we immediately fell in love with our new home.
Fast forward 6 years, one residency, one fellowship and two babies later and that brings us to 2005. Kip was completing fellowship and we were in our search for a "real" job! One evening he gets a call from a doctor in Baton Rouge, LA. He spoke with this doctor for sometime and after he got off the phone and informed me that there was a job opportunity in Baton Rouge that sounded very interesting and this doctor wanted him to come interview. I responded by telling him that he was more than welcome to interview but my life plans did NOT include a move to Baton Rouge, LA. Again, lucky for me I had 3 months and two visits to Baton Rouge to except the fact that yes indeed my life plan did include a move to Baton Rouge, LA. So in June 2005 (4 years ago this week) my family moved from Louisville, KY to Baton Rouge, LA. Although I was excited for Kip to finally get to do what he'd trained so long for and was so passionate about, I was absolutely devestated to be leaving all the dear friends that had deepened my roots and allowed me to bloom so beautifully in Louisville...
Fast forward 4 years and three hurricanes later and here we are today. Each day my roots here get deeper and deeper and my blooms more plentiful. As I think of my neighborhood, my kids' school, our church, the dear friends we've made here I can't help but smile and know that this is now home. As I reflect on what the future holds for our family, I can't help but wonder if our future memories will be made in this neighborhood... I also can't help but remind myself that as I reflect on the past 20 years, it has not been my plans at all that my life has followed. God has a plan for my family and He knows long before I will what it will be! The Bible study I'm doing right now says we shouldn't worry about the what ifs of tomorrow but rest in the what is of today... so for now I shall enjoy the what is of life today and depend on God to take care of the what is that will be tomorrow (and look forward to catching up with friends from the what was of high school)! For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Random Thougths...

2009-05-08T14:25:00.012-05:00

Warning... this is a multi section post of all the things going through my brain/happening in my life this week! It has been a crazy busy week so I'm just now finally able to sit and post the multiple posts that I've had on my mind this week... so hopefully you can stick with me here...

Random Thought #1:NDP
As we commemorated the Natl' Day of Prayer this week, I spent some time reflecting on what prayer means to me and the impact prayer has had on my life. Prayer has been in my life in some form for as long as I can remember. I also know that long before I started journaling and keeping up answered prayers in my life, people were praying for me and prayers were being answered. My first memory of being taught to pray goes back to my childhood. My mom was a single mom and traveled a bit for her job, so I spent a good bit of time staying with my grandmother & great aunt who lived together. My aunt had two twin beds in her room and this is where I slept. Each night as we would go to bed, we would say our evening prayers... I'd pray the typical children's night prayer (now I lay me down to sleep...) and then I would wait until my aunt finished her prayers (which ALWAYS took much longer than mine)! I have a vivid memory of one such time when I finally asked her what prayer she prayed that took her so long to say. She went on to explain that she wasn't praying a "memorized" prayer, but was actually speaking to God from her heart. She then told me all the prayer petitions she had lifted up that night and all the people she had on her heart to pray for. This was one of my first "aha" moments in my prayer life. In my adult life, prayer has remained a constant in my life. After Will was born and I started really engaging in regular Bible study, my prayer life continued to grow. This was the point where I really started having a quiet time of prayer every day. This was also a pivotal time in HOW I prayed. I had become really good at praying for very specific needs, but began to learn a very different way to pray. I also learned that no prayers go unanswered, but often times they don't necessarily get answered the way I want or expect! During one Bible study I did, we specifically studied the purpose of prayer. It was in this study that I learned an acronym for prayer that has really structured my prayer focus as it is today. It is ACTS which stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication. Each time I pray, I give adoration or praise for Who God is, Confession of sins, Thanksgiving for blessings/answered prayers, and supplication or making my current prayer requests known to God. This has really given me a structure for my prayer and has really given me more accountability to journal and keep up with my prayer. This study also really helped my focus my prayer intentions and taught me how to pray specific scripture for specific needs/requests!
For the last two years, I've been praying with a group of girls. We pray together every Monday very specifically for our children. This has probably had the most impact on me personally. I am so humbled by this hour where we come together and pray over each others' children, families and marriages. When I recently went to hear Beth Moore, she said that in order to become holy, we have to wholly give our life over to God. One way we do this is to be immersed in a community of fellow believers. This is specifically what this group is to me. We are friends, but we are also a close-knit community of believers that have been transformed by the power of prayer each Monday morning in a small conference room on our school's campus. As we celebrated NDP and our school year comes to a close, I am thankful for each of these girls and the impact they've had on my family's life through our prayer time. From illness to academics, school bullies to time in jail, we've prayed for it ALL and I want to let each of you know how much I love you and appreciate the time you spend praying for my family!

prayer group with Beth Moore

Random Thought #2:
Happy 11th Anniversary to my sweet hubby! I am so glad to be married to you and am so thankful for ALL you are in my life! I love you!

Random Thought #3:
We reached a HUGE milestone with our sweet boy this week! As most of you know, Will is on the Autism spectrum (very mildly, but on the spectrum none the less) and has some quirks that we as parents don't always understand... one such quirk has been his absolute aversion to taking his training wheels off his bike! I struggle daily with my wants/needs for Will and often have a very hard time just letting him be who he is. In my mind an 8 1/2 year old (well even a 6 1/2 year old for that matter) should not have a bike with training wheels! So for two years we have tried numerous times to convince Will to take his training wheels off his bike and probably had a huge part to do with the fact that he went through a good 9 months not even riding his bike to just get me off his back! So you must know how completely delighted I was Monday afternoon when my boy came running into the kitchen to drag me outside to show me this...

Yes, he was outside playing with some friends and just decided to get on his friends bike and try it out... and that was it. He ALREADY knew how to ride! Not a lesson to teach, not a fall to be had. So off went the training wheels and now these two little wheels and this sweet little guy are precious memories to be cherished...

Will (age 5) in his preschool bike parade shortly after getting his new bike!

Oh and of course... Happy, Happy Mother's Day to all my sweet "mom" friends out there!
I must do a whole post on the sweet Mother's Day Tea that I attended with Will on Friday hosted by the Dunham School's 2nd grade!

Six Years Ago Today...

2009-04-24T08:04:00.004-05:00

I gave birth to this beautiful 6 year old little girl...

I'm so proud to be this sweet girl's mommy... she brings such joy and laughter to our family! So in honor of her 6th birthday, here are 6 things that I LOVE about Campbell...

1. She is a leader not a follower. She never makes a decision based on someone else. She knows what she likes/wants and usually follows her own heart in life!

2. She is diligent in all she does. Whether it's cleaning her room, doing school work, helping with chores, or helping a friend she works with all her ability until the job is done! Each year her school has a "Let It Shine" ceremony which honors each child for a Christ-like trait that they possess. This week Campbell was honored with Diligence & Hard Work (whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord... Colossians 3:23). I guess this is why her teacher has nicknamed her the "queen of focus"!

3. She has a heart of service. She loves helping others. Whether it's helping a friend, letting someone take a turn before her, giving money to the poor... she almost always puts others before herself!

4. She is just plain FUNNY! She has a very quick wit and says things or does things that make us laugh all the time! I am often told I should write a book of "Campbell" stories...

5. She has a unique sense of style. She loves clothes and she particularly loves mixing and matching pieces to different outfits to make new outfits! Although I love this about her, it is probably the biggest area of disagreement I have with my younger child... especially at 9:30 every Sunday when she's getting dressed for church!

6. She is still my snugglebug! She loves to snuggle with whomever is available... mommy, daddy, Will or even Miller! She loves to get down on the floor and snuggle with him in the mornings...

Honestly, I could go on and on with things I love about my sweet girl, but I must go now to take her Raising Cane's chicken and cupcakes for her birthday lunch at school!

Happy, Happy Birthday my sweet 6 year old girl! Thank you for the joy and happiness that you add to our family! We LOVE You!(Campbell's first photo as a 6 year old before school this morning)

Resting in His grip...

2009-04-02T20:57:00.003-05:00

So today I got the call I've been dreading for 2 years... In February 2007 I had my first mammogram. I was 35 and it was time. Two days after I had it done, I got a call that I needed to come back in for some additional films/ultrasound. I went back in and was basically told that I had some irregular breast tissue on my right side that was concerning only because it was only on one side and not bilateral. The radiologist and my gynecologist decided they wanted to follow it with mammograms every 6 months. Basically, they told me that as long as there was no change in the tissue that there was no real concern. So for two years I've spent a week every 6 months in fear of what my next mammogram may show... Since that first mammogram in 2007 there has been no change... until Tuesday. I went Tuesday for another follow up mammogram and during the three hours, twelve mammogram films and two ultrasounds, I could tell that there was concern on the radiologist's face... He kept using the word benign but he still seemed more concerned than in the past. This abnormal tissue has not ever been visible on ultrasound until Tuesday. This change means that what was abnormal tissue has not solidified into some sort of mass. So today I got a call from my OB/Gyn and she is referring me to a breast surgeon for a ultrasound guided biopsy of a mass on my right breast. I have gone through every emotion today... fear, anger, sadness, joy (listening to 6 little boys playing with Miller in my backyard all afternoon)... and yet I keep coming back to one thing... the ever-present feeling of God's grip on my life. I am going this week-end with 6 girlfriends to a Beth Moore conference and it could not come at a better time. This will be a week-end of worship, prayer and fellowship with friends. I need that right now. I know that no matter what Tuesday brings that God is going to equip me with whatever I need to get through!

It's going to be OK!

I'm going to be OK!

So, tonight I am resting in the Lord's grip and finding peace/comfort in prayers that are being lifted up for me... I know God hears and I am thankful for the prayer warriors in my life! I will keep you posted after Tuesday.

Oh... and I must wish a very, very Happy Birthday to my BFF of 22 years Christa... I love you and hope you had a great, great day!!!

Spring+Sun+Swimming=FUN

2009-03-22T16:48:00.006-05:00

I'm back.... wow where has the time gone? I mean February is a total blur to me! We all enjoyed back to back flu viruses that seemed to last the entire month and then if you throw in Mardi Gras, our trip to Georgia then that pretty much sums up our month. And now that over 1/2 of March is gone I decided it was time to get back to the ole' blog! I promise to post more regularly from here on out! I mean now that we are officially enjoying our 2 weeks of spring in Louisiana before full on summer weather hits we should have lots of fun things to report about here... I must admit that there are lots of things I love about living in Louisiana... but right now I must say that my most favorite thing is the weather (however in July/August that may be my LEAST favorite thing)... I am really a sunshine girl through and through. I don't miss those Kentucky winters at all! My kids loved are one fluke snow day this winter, but for me it just reminded me just how much I don't miss those dreary gray winter days at all! There are LOTS of things I do miss about living in Kentucky, but winter is definitely not one of them. So here are a few pictures of my kids first swim of the season... Here's to 9 more weeks of school and then basking in the rays of summer! If you feel like sharing, I'd love to know your favorite thing about where you live...

Life, Death & Staples...

2009-01-30T19:41:00.006-06:00

This is a very random title for a very random post... it seems I have proven to be a very slack blogger so I thought I'd just post to recap our week...

This week has been a sad week for a few of our friends and subsequently for us. A good friend down the street buried his father at the young age of 64 on Monday. He'd been sick for some time and lived far beyond what the doctors ever expected so it that was a blessing the family was able to cherish even in their grief. On Tuesday, another sweet set of friends buried their 24 year old son who died very unexpectedly. I cannot fathom the pain and grief they feel. The funeral home and church were packed with people both young and old to celebrate this young man's life. As I hugged them and cried with my sweet friend Vicky, they spoke of looking forward to cherishing every moment ahead with their younger children (the same age as Will & Campbell) and encouraged me to go home and hug mine with all my might because they now understand all too well how quickly they can be pulled from your earthly grasp. They said they know their son is rejoicing in Heaven and find some peace in that, but can't help but wish for another day with him here on earth... so this week I am thanking God for the blessings that my husband & children are to me! It has made me so aware of how incredibly blessed I am and how much of my life I often take for granted... It made me realize that I need to slow down and truly cherish moments of every day... here's a few I'm cherishing this week!

*Will's absolute love for Guitar Hero on Wii... I love watching him play and just adore how he sticks his tongue out just so when he's really concentrating on a song! (note to self... grab my camera next time!)

*The conversation I had with Campbell in the car this week that went something like this...
C- Mommy, were you happy when you found out that you had a baby in your tummy?
me- oh yes! I dreamed my whole life of the day I would become a mommy.
C- Oh good because this morning I thanked God that he choose your tummy to put me in and noone elses. I'm glad you are happy to be my mommy too.
me- yes I can't imagine my life without you and Will. You both make mommy very happy.
C- Because we're good?
me- Well yes I love when you're good, but I also love you even when you're not so good... I will always love you!
C- Well I just prayed that when God puts a baby in my tummy that he picks a good one just like me and Will.

*The 1 1/2 hours I spent at the vet Monday morning with Miller. He developed sever diahhrea over the week-end and they wanted to see him first thing Monday morning. (WARNING... for those of you non dog-lovers or those with weak stomachs STOP reading now this may get graphic) The vet attempted to get a fecal sample only to realize there was something blocking my poor sweet puppies rectum. That something ended up being a large industrial construction staple. The vet then explained that she just couldn't see how he wouldn't have any internal damage after digesting said staple and felt we needed to do some x-rays & further exam to check for any additional metal staples/damage to his belly... only to find he was perfectly fine. So it seems my sweet puppy has more "Marley" in him than I've been giving him credit for... My vet just kept saying over and over again... this is one lucky pup! Yes, indeed he is. Conicidentally his vet visit coincided with my prayer group meeting and there were prayers being lifted up for my pup at that very time that he was being told how lucky he was... which leads me to my next point...

*I cherish prayers that were answered this week... even those not answered in the way I exactly expected/hoped for!

*I'm looking forward to my overnight date with my husband tonight. I cherish the fact that we have a sweet babysitter to stay with and nurture our children overnight so we can enjoy time together!

There are many more moments that I could list from this week, but I'm off to spend a few more cherished moments with my kiddos this lazy Saturday morning!

Hope you all have a most blessed week-end!

Cool Mom Alert...

2009-01-15T16:16:00.002-06:00

well at least in the eyes of my 8 year old son! Will's favorite song on Guitar Hero is "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" by Pat Benatar. When he's not playing Guitar Hero, he's constantly singing the song while strumming his air guitar. His PE teacher, my sweet friend Sara, said he was even singing it last week while doing football drills at PE! Well, I asked Will if he'd like me to put the song on his i-pod for him. He responded very excitedly with a yes! So I dug out my Pat Benetar CD, dusted it off and uploaded the songs to my itunes library. To say Will was impressed with the fact that I actually owned a Pat Benetar CD would be an understatement. He was very impressed that I used to rock out to Pat Benetar back in the day... I mean what good 80s child didn't?!? Now every morning, we have to play the CD on repeat mode for song #8... all the while trying to figure out why Pat Benetar is blonde on Guitar Hero when the picture of her on the CD cover has black hair. Will is very intrigued by this... Could it be that the creators of Guitar Hero are so young that they don't even know who Pat Benetar is?!? Well... regardless of if she's dark headed or blonde, after listening to the 2 minute 50 second song on repeat during our 15 minute drive to and from school each day I'm about to have to lose my "cool mom" status and hit the off button on the CD player with my best shot! So for all my fellow 80s children... I leave you with a little taste of our musical entertainment! Rock on my friends!

Sold Out...

2009-01-10T09:18:00.002-06:00

to infomercials! My kids have recently gotten into a few shows on Nickelodeon... they've typically been Disney Channel fans in the past. Along with this new interest with shows on Nick comes a new love for this bizarre world of infomercials... They memorize them and then tell me all the reasons I need these items... a few of their favorites include:

the snugglie...

big city slider station...

ShamWow...
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Buxton Bag organizer...

and then of course there's my favorite Spinlash Mascara...
(which Will reminds me each morning would reduce my bumps & clumps and make my eyelashes fabulous)...
https://www.getspinlash.com/?refcode=ax&gclid=CJTApLeqhJgCFQkzawod1VvT1Q

I'm not sure why on earth a television channel broadcasting shows for kids feels the need to air these infomercials, but they've managed to get my kids hook, line & sinker. I think it may be time for a infomercial intervention around here!

So the irony in all this is Kip and I did order (after watching an infomercial) and commit to doing P90X this year! It's an infomercial that Kip's been watching and contemplating for a while now so I ordered it for him for Christmas. It's an intense 90 day body transforming work out regimen... we've taken our before pictures and I've been challenged by a few friends to put them on the blog... so I've decided there's no better source of accountability than you my blog friends... pictures to come soon!
Oh yea, in case you aren't familiar with P90X here's a link. Sorry I couldn't find the actual infomercial...
http://www.beachbody.com/product/fitness_programs/best_sellers/p90x.do?code=BBHOME_PARSEA_P90X

Hope you all have a fabulous week-end free of any annoying infomercials! Perhaps you'd like to share your favorite?!?

The Sugar Wasn't So Sweet...

2009-01-03T11:09:00.003-06:00

Last night we took Will to see the Alabama Crimson Tide take on the Utah Utes in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. Wow, not quite the game we had hoped for. Not sure what team that was wearing those crimson jerseys, but it sure wasn't the same team we watched win 12 consecutive games in the regular season! We were outcoached, outplayed and as a result outscored... however it was a fun night! The bands were great, an awesome choir sand the National Anthem as they rolled out a huge flag, and of course Big Al was there to entertain!

Will had a blast and I guess that's really all that matters. Campbell slept over with a friend so it was fun for Will to have a night out with just us! He's always wanted to go in the Superdome and he finally got his chance! He still proudly wore his jersey and sported his foam finger!

So until next fall... we'll leave you with one final Roll Tide Roll!

Welcome to our blog and new year's resolution(s)...

2009-01-01T19:57:00.001-06:00

I love the start of a new year. It's such a great time of new beginnings and great ideas for the new year. With that in mind I decided to start a family blog. I've had a private blog with a few friends this year and decided I wanted to start a blog so that family & friends out of town can keep up with our ins & outs of life!

So many of you may be reading the banner and thinking... "I didn't know the Smiths had a dog... Well here you have new year's resolution #1: train our new black lab puppy that will be joining our family in a week or so. We've picked him out, named him Miller and now we are patiently (or impatiently depending on which family member you are referring to) waiting for him to be old enough to leave his litter and join his new family. We even have his new engraved tag waiting to be attached to his collar! He's so cute and I just think he will add a whole new element of fun to our family.

Many of you know that my resolution last year was to train for and complete a mini triathlon. I completed the Rocketchix Triathlon in May 2008 and this year decided to set my goal just a tad bit higher. This year I will train for a triathlon of longer distances in August. This one will also include an open water swim as opposed to the pool swim I did last year. I'm excited to embark on my training for this race. So, there you have resolution #2.

With life keeping us busy and on our toes around here, I've really put my scrapbooking on a back burner the last 6 months. I'm really starting to miss that creative outlet so for resolution #3 I look forward to dusting off my supplies and jumping back on the scrapbook wagon!

OK, honestly I could sit here all night and list all the resolutions I'd like to make for this year but we'll stop at 3 for now!

So I hope everyone starts the new year off healthy & happy and I look forward to sharing more of our life with you throughout this year and beyond! Thanks for joining me on this journey... oh and if you feel compelled, I'd love to hear some thoughts from you on resolutions you'll be making for the new year!