Refrigerator Art in the Making

One of my favorite things about summer is that is slows down a little around our house - in SOME ways! With no one in school, it's nice to sleep in, we head to park and romp in the backyard, and on my days off, we enjoy "playing school"! My "students" are learning letters and numbers, phonics skills, etc... in preparation for Kindergarten! The girls especially love to draw and have created some really beautiful things!

How Coordinated are YOU!?!?

Ma-lak has been entertaining us and wowing us with his ability to switch back and forth between the "thumbs up" sign and the "okay" sign. (A little trick Daddy taught him, but he's a lot better at it than Daddy!) It's sorta like rubbing your stomache and patting your head at the same time - you should try it!!

Make No Bones About It...

"Have mercy upon me, O Lord; for I am weak: O Lord, heal me; for my bones are vexed." (Psalms 6: 2)

Ya'shar has debuted as the first Smith child to break a bone! Um... Make that TWO!! After an apparrent "not so friendly" shove from his big sister, Rea, Ya'shar and I ended up in ER for a few hours this evening, getting some XR's and getting splinted! He must've landed "just right", because he broke both bones in his left forearm right above the wrist when he landed.

We are grateful to God that: 1) His fractures are non-displaced and won't need surgery, just casting for a few weeks 2) Mommy has "a little" experience in the ortho department and knows all the orthopedic doctors well (the BEST doctor "happened" to be on call this weekend! Thank you, Lord!) 3) Ya´shar seems to have no pain at all whatsoever, and it is business as usual for this active little guy!

Thank you, Lord for preparing, for preserving, and for healing!! We will trust in you!

"He healeth the broken in heart, (and BODY!) and bindeth up their wounds." (Psalms 147:3)

Mom

There is just no one like my Mom!!

The older I get and the more my relationship develops and grows with MY girls, the more I "get it"...

Every memory I have of her from when I was very young up until now is always filled with joy and smiles. She is completely selfless in every way, so thoughtful in the little (and big) things, always doing one more thing to make you more comfortable, less stressed, more happy, more settled in, whatever the occasion may be!

Mom, I love you more than I can say! Please know how much I miss you from across the miles, how I count the days till we can hang out and bake something yummy together, how I hope I can be half the mother you are to me, and how I pray for you daily.

You are such a delight to my children and to my husband, and we love you deeply!

Pool Time!

After a couple 100 degree days earlier this week, we decided to ALL go to the pool for the afternoon! We drove around Santa Rosa a little bit first, and discovered Spring Lake and the surrounding parks. www.sonoma-county.org/PARKS/pk_slake.htm

We hadn't ever really adventured there too much yet, so we added that to our "list"! (Everyone has one of those, right?!) They have great camping sites there, a swimming lagoon, and lots of fishing and other lake activities if anyone ever wants to venture out for a visit!! (hint, hint!)

We love watching our children enjoy swimming and feeling so free and happy in the water, they seriously crack us up!! Rea has mastered her belly flops, Ni'ke is absolutely fearless and finally jumps off the side of the pool with BOTH feet now, Ma-lak loves the slide and pretends to be a shark, and Ya'shar, well, he just SPLASHES!!!! Daddy's the swimmer and is content to do laps all day, and me, well, I love it all - I do like to "safely" sun-bathe with a good 45 spf!! :)

Happy summers to you all!

Welcome Home, David!!

Our 4th of July weekend was a flurry of wonderful and welcome activity! The most exciting being that David came home - thanks to a last minute change in his work schedule!!

He's enjoying time off of classes till fall, and is working in an internship for the Florida Elections Board for the summer. It was wonderful to see him and cook some of his favorite things!

The children missed him terribly and had alot of fun climbing on him and talking to him constantly, relentless in their "story-telling"! :) Aren't big brothers GREAT!!?

We are grateful for the time together, however fast it went, and praise God for his safety in travel as he is on his way back to Florida right now.

Ma-lak Learns Something New!

The Shoe-Tie Jingle

Today's the day to try new things,
So how about we tie those strings?

Give it a shot, there's nothing to lose!
Unless of course, you lose your shoes...

Cuz if they aren't tied, they won't stay on!
You might look down and see that they're gone!

So make a bow, and then another,
And tuck the one into the other.

Pull real tight, and whaddaya know?
You tied your shoes! Way to go!

Your Mommy's so proud! Your shoes are tied!
Now what ELSE would you like to try?!

Happy Birthday, Ya'shar! June 26

Ya'shar-Sha'phat T'sedeq Mish-pat Smith (Righteous Judge, Upright Ruler) is two years old! This "little" big guy holds a special place in Mommy's heart, just like all my other babies, but in his own unique way, and here's one of the reasons why:

God showed me alot with this pregnancy as he does with each one, mostly that He always knows best, His timing is perfect, and that I need to stop having my own agenda!

Ya'shar was SUPPOSED to be 2 1/2 weeks early, just like all of our other children, because that's what fit perfectly with the plan I had all laid out for my summer. My cousin, Julie, was getting married the end of June, and oh, how I couldn't wait to go to that wedding! I had already bought plane tickets for my mom and I to fly down to the wedding from here with the baby who of COURSE would already be here, and I was excited beyond words!

Well, the wedding day got closer and closer, and still, NO BABY! My disappointment was growing by the second, and I couldn't believe God would just disregard all of my carefully laid plans!

My mom flew in on a Saturday, and it was pretty clear that I wouldn't be going to the wedding with her. My prayers started to change, but I still had a very specific request. My heart soared at the possibility that my mom might be able to be with us for the next miracle to arrive, and THIS prayer, God answered! Ya'shar was born early the following Monday, and we even had a few days at home together before Mom had to leave. What an amazing gift, Lord!

The wedding was beautiful - I saw the pictures - and I was at home with my new baby, exactly where God wanted me to be, and exactly where I was content to be!

Thank you, Lord, for giving me something even greater than I asked for!

So, here he is! He came out at 9 pounds, and apparently hasn't stopped growing since - he measured in this morning at the doctor's office at 33 pounds and 3 feet!

Happy Birthday, Sweet Boy! We love you!

The Lion Cake!!

Rea picked out this cake for Ya'shar at the grocery store, and I must say she did an excellent job! She knows her brother well! The cake is actually 30 cupcakes all smooshed together and frosted with yumminess - too cute and so matching our little lion theme!

Family Fun!

Ya'shar likes to pretend to be a lion, and his favorite thing to do is practice his "rooooaaarrrr"!!!! ("Look Mommy, I a yi-yun! Grrrrrr!!!!") He really is quite the cute little cub, too... So the lion scooter seemed to be the perfect gift! Look out, here he comes!