Livin on Love

My dad

2013-08-23T23:55:00.001-05:00

It will be two weeks tomorrow that I got the call about my dad. I’ll never forget it. I was at the park in Minnesota with Rebecca, Taylor, Avery, and Tucker. Rebecca and I were pushing the kids on the swings when my phone rang. It was my sister and I knew from the second she started talking that something was wrong. She had come home from a friends house that Saturday (August 10th) around lunch time to see my dad lying on the drive way. I know the vision of him lying there will be with her forever and I just pray for God’s peace over that memory. She called me after the paramedics arrived and all we could do was pray together. I paced the park, holding Tucker, and prayed out loud for my dad, my sister, my mom, my brother, the whole situation. I called David and he gathered the girls together to tell them that Granddad was very sick and they needed to stop to pray. Rebecca even prayed out loud over me as we waited and that is a precious memory to me.

The paramedics worked on him for 30 minutes. My mom made it home from work shortly before they called his passing. My mom said that by the time they called it, my dad had regained full color because all the work they were doing to get his heart beating again. His skin was soft and warm, his hair was blowing in the wind, and he looked peaceful as the sun beamed down on him. It was a surreal moment to hear that he had gone on to be with the Lord. And to be quite honest, it’s still surreal to me after two weeks.

My neighbor saw him around 11:30 that morning as she left to walk her dog. She said that he was sitting in the chair outside on the drive way taking a break from yard work. She waved to him and he waved back. When she returned from her walk, she didn’t see him sitting there, but didn’t notice anything else. I assume he had fallen onto the driveway from the chair. They say it was a heart attack, at age 55. We spent most of the week with my family last week and every time I walked by the chairs on the drive way, I would just stop and wonder how the event must have taken place and thought about my dad just lying there. I even sat down in the chair I imagine him sitting in before he breathed his last breath.

Here one minute, gone the next. I guess that’s how it is for everyone. But it’s just always so unexpected. The week leading up to my dad’s death, God really laid on my heart for me to pray for him. Our church had begun something they do every January and August called 21 days of prayer. I made a notecard with his name on it (along with 4 others) to pray for each day. My prayers for each person were that the Father would draw them near Jesus (John 6:44), against the spirit that would blind their mind from the truth (2 Cor. 4:4), they would come to know Jesus relationally and deepen relationships with him (Rom 8:15), for believers to cross their paths and enter into positive relationships with them (Matt 9:38), and for a revelation of who Jesus is and what he has done for them (Eph 1:17). God answered every single prayer for my dad that week. Two days before his death he spent all day Thursday and Friday at church. He volunteered at the Leadership Summit and I know that in those two days alone, he was drawn closer to Jesus, his mind was opened to the boldness of Christ, he experienced God, he formed relationships with other believers, and he most definitely had a revelation of who Jesus is when he got to stand before the throne on August 10th. I may not have planned for my prayers to be answered through death, but death doesn’t get to win. Jesus is victorious over the grave and my dad is standing at the foot of the throne, rejoicing! He is free from this world – free from seizures, stress, smoking, job lay offs, debt, worry, heart disease, etc! Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom and my dad is free! He isn’t sad he is gone. He is happier than he could ever be and that brings so much peace.

I was thinking the other day about people who lose loved ones who aren’t sure of their salvation. That has got to be so scary. I couldn’t imagine sitting at my dads memorial service not knowing if he was with the Lord or not. It is such my prayer that through this tragedy, people who don’t know the Lord would come to know Him. He is so, so good and He longs for his people to have a relationship with him.

Speaking of my dad’s memorial service – it was beautiful! We opened with everyone standing on their feet to worship the Lord. Why? Because the Lord is good and triumphs over death! We stood and sang “Whom Shall I fear (Angel Armies)” by Chris Tomlin. It starts with these words: “You hear me when I call, You are my morning song. Though darkness fills the night, You cannot hide the light. Whom shall I fear? You crush the enemy underneath my feet. You are my sword and shield, Though troubles linger still. Whom shall I fear” I just love that song! Pastor Matthew spoke some beautiful words about my dad and about just being bold for Christ. My sister and I said a few words and David read a devotion out of the The Jesus Calling that my mom picked up and read on the day of my dad’s passing. It said:

“Relax in my healing, holy presence. Allow me to transform you through this time alone with me. As your thoughts center more and more on Me, trust displaces fear and worry. Your mind is somewhat like a seesaw. As your trust in me goes up, fear and worry go down. Time spent with me not only increases your trust; it also helps you discern what is important and what is not. Energy and time are precious, limited entities. Therefore, you need to use them wisely, focusing on what is truly important. As you walk close to me, saturating your mind with Scripture, I will show you how to spend your time and energy. My word is a lamp until your feet; my presence is a light for your path.”

Wow! I love when God speaks! Dave also read the devotion from the 14th, which was the day of his memorial service. That was spot on too! Pastor Matthew said a few more words and we stood to worship one more time as we sang “10,000 Reasons” by Matt Redman. I love when it says, “And on that day when my strength is failing, the end draws near and my time has come, still my soul will sing your praise unending, 10,000 years and then forever more!” What truth! That is Cori’s favorite worship song and now we can think of my dad every time we hear it.

In the midst of sadness that my sweet daddy is gone, there is so much peace. Peace that can only come from the Lord. Thank you, Lord! I am sad that my kids won’t get to know their granddad. Sad that I won’t get to grow old with him. Sad that I won’t get to physically see him, hug him, and be in his presence. But all of those things are only for a while. 1,000 years is a day and a day is 1,000 years – 2 Peter 3:8. I will get to see my daddy again before I know it and my kids will have a grand time with him running around in Heaven. It doesn’t make the sorrow go away completely, but it definitely gives us all something to look forward to.

As I went to bed the night my dad passed, I asked the Lord to give me a clear vision of my dad in Heaven. I just needed to see it. As I looked up at the ceiling I could see my dads face, more beautiful than ever before. He was smiling and there were beautiful rainbow like rays shining behind him. It was glorious and something I’ll never forget. If you draw near to God, he promises to draw near to you. James 4:8. I pray that people are touched and moved to draw near the Lord because of my dad’s story. Even if one life is changed, it was worth the tears I shed.

I love you dad and I miss you so much. But, I’ll see you again soon.

I bet you thought I was gone forever!

2013-07-24T13:43:00.001-05:00

Monday night I sat around the dinner table with 10 women. Some who do Premier, and some who do not. We have these family style dinners once a month and we call them Fun 2 Share. I really look forward to these sweet times of fellowship and I am so thankful for Premier because it gives me the opportunity to be in fellowship with some amazing women! I say all this because I had everyone at the dinner table write down two truths and a lie to help everyone get to know one another a little better. One of my truths was that I used to be a blogger. It made me sad to think that I “used” to be a blogger. But, that is just the truth! I think what makes me sad are all those lost memories. I mean they are in my head (well, some of them), but being able to go back and read the blogs I wrote when Cori was just a baby are precious to me! So, I wanted to take today to write down a few things…

6 months has come and gone, and I have a little boy who is FULL of life! Tucker David is sitting up all on his own, eating baby food once a day at dinner time, interacting with his sisters, loves snuggles from his mommy, and has the BEST laugh ever!!! Oh, my .. when that boy starts laughing, it makes my heart go pitter patter. There is something truly special about having a boy and I am loving every minute of it! Just a fun milestone – after putting him down for a nap the other day, he woke up after about 45 minutes into his nap. He started crying and it took us a few minutes to get the girls settled and get back to his room to check on him. Well, when we got back there, he was sitting up in the middle of the crib! What 6 month old baby can get from laying down to sitting up?! He is a cool kid!

Finley is a ham and just turned two. When people would talk about the terrible two’s, I thought it was a total myth. Well, my friends, it’s not! We have had our share of temper tantrums and rebellious behavior. I actually told David the other night that Finley and I just aren’t getting along at the moment. But I know that God is using her to refine me and using me to refine her. I truly believe that all those things that we see as difficult with our children, are actually God’s gifting to them. If only we could see the gift the way God does (and in the moment of kicking and screaming fit on the floor!!!). I’ve also been praying a lot about this whole “middle child” thing. There have been a lot of “middle children” at my jewelry shows lately. I know that the Lord is using those women to help me as I raise my middle child. They have given me such wisdom! I am just praying and believing that she will not get lost somewhere in the middle, but that she would know with full assurance WHO Christ created her to be and find her complete self worth in the Lord! In the midst of all those hard times though, Finley has a big heart! When no one is watching, she is always thinking of others. She will be the first to share and she will always give you the first of what she has, not the last. I think she will be the type to give you the shirt off her back if you needed it. We always say that we think she’ll be our missionary child.

Cori is a true first born! Wow, sounds like I need to read a book on birth order! She is 3 years old going on 13, and she is sure to let you know it! I do love when she tells me that she promises to stay 3 forever! Wouldn’t that be nice?! She is a big help with her brother and sister and is definitely our most obedient child. She loves structure and routine (a little like her mama) and is very particular about things being in certain places (a lot like her mama)! She can get frustrated by the amount of dog hair on the floor because of our ever shedding dog, Maverick. She must get that from me! Ha! David just rolls his eyes and tells me that if I quit making a fuss about all the dog hair, she wouldn’t even see it. She no longer takes a nap, but does have quiet time in our room for an hour everyday. She desperately wants to do school at home on a consistent basis so I am working on getting a pre-school plan in place with some other home schooling friends. Cori loves to smile, have her picture taken, and then look at all those beautiful pictures of herself. She loves to play in jewelry and says the wants to be a jewelry lady when she grows up. I love it! She starts ballet next month and it’s all the talk at our house right now! She does have her moments of selfishness and we’ve been having some discussions on telling the truth as well. I know she just wants to please you by telling you that she did what she knows you want to hear, but the Lord delights in those who are truthful, Proverbs 12:22. That has been “the” verse at our house over the last few weeks. Well, that and “do nothing out of selfish ambition, but in humility consider others better than yourself” Philippians 2:3. There is so much training to do as a parent! Whew!

Here are the three little rascals at the moment. This was taken on our annual Smith family beach vacation in June. They are a blessing to me.

In other news, Dave just finished his first year in fellowship and we have 2 more to go. Birmingham has been good to us! I really am thankful that I had Premier when we moved here though! It’s really what pushed me out of my comfort zone to meet new people and make friends! God is just so faithful! I’ll try to be back soon!

Newborn & Family Pictures

2013-03-28T06:00:00.000-05:00

I love a sweet photo of a newborn baby, especially when it’s my newborn baby! Oh, they are just precious!

Family Pics…

Our photographer had to come back a second time because Finley wasn’t super cooperative the first time for sibling photos. Luckily, my mom was in town during her visit and got some sweet pictures of my mom and the kids!

SNOW!!

2013-03-27T21:44:00.001-05:00

A few days after we brought Tucker home from the hospital we had a seriously cold, cold front come through Birmingham. It was so cold that is SNOWED!!! We had about three inches of snow in our front yard and were snowed in!! Of course we weren’t snowed in because of the 3 inches. We were snowed in because it had rained the night before it snowed, which iced over the road we live on. Since we live on an incredibly steep hill, no one could drive up or down it with the frozen over ice! Dave even tried to go to Crossfit the following morning but couldn’t because of the ice on the road. Oh, the joys of living where it gets cold! I miss Florida so much on those cold days!

Tucker and I stayed in the warm house, but Dave and the girls ventured out to make snowmen and play in the snow! They had a BALL!!!!

before the snowman…

after the snowman! They looked a little worn out and COLD, don’t ya think?!

Mr. Snowman was still standing two days later, even after all the snow had melted. Cori decided that he needed some hair! HA!

This was the view of our backyard while it was snowing out. Check out that awesome swing set my handy husband made! Looks pretty good with snow on it!

The Alabama winter wasn’t too bad, but I am REALLY (and I mean REALLY) looking forward to warmer weather! These last few days have been frigidly cold and I am longing for the sunshine and warmer temperatures!!!!!!! I mean it’s almost April for crying out loud!!

First few days at home…

2013-03-26T10:58:00.001-05:00

Our first few days at home as a family of 5 were so sweet. The girls simply could not get enough of their brother!! They wanted to just sit and hold him ALL THE TIME!! That has worn off over the last few weeks, but I love seeing them so in love with one another!

Welcome TUCKER!!!

2013-03-24T21:53:00.001-05:00

As we pulled into the parking deck at 5:00pm at the Women and Infants Hospital I had many different emotions rushing through me. Feelings of excitement, nervousness, anxiousness and joy all at the same time. All my pregnancies and deliveries have been very easy, but each time, I am always a little nervous, especially when I’m scheduled to come in. With Cori I was 5 days late and just tired of waiting so I went in and they kept me at 4cm. But, with both Finley and Tucker, we scheduled an induction since I had been hanging out at 4 cm for a week or two. It’s just a different feeling walking in with no pain deciding that today is the day we will have a baby. And, walking into the hospital with Tucker, I was extremely tired!!! I had tried to squeeze in every last little thing I could before having him and was up late every night getting things done and ready. But as we got settled into triage so they could check me and see where I was at, I felt extremely at peace, ready to have baby #3.

In triage I was still 4cm dilated and having contractions infrequently. It would be 9 minutes, then 15, then 9, then 20, then 8. Finally they checked me into a room and started Pitocin. About 30 minutes later I got my epidural and everything was going smoothly until I started feeling a bit faint. The anesthesiologist was still standing behind me finishing up the epidural when all the sudden I said, “I think I’m going to pass out.” Dave said I was looking extremely pale and they had me lay down on my side and put me on oxygen. My heart rate had dropped a little and so did Tuckers. The anesthesiologist finished up the epidural with me laying down and the nurse then decided to monitor me for another hour, while on oxygen, to make sure everything was okay with baby. They also stopped the pit drip so labor would slow down a bit. Each time I had a contraction Tuckers heart rate would drop a little and they wanted to make sure he wasn’t in a whole lot of stress before delivery. It was a quiet hour of watching the monitor. Even Dave was watching it a little more intently than normal, which made me slightly uneasy, but I figured if it was really serious they would be doing more than just watching. Finally, our heart rates evened out, we started the pit drip again and the doctor broke my water around 8:30pm. Whew!

After they broke my water, the nurse, Dave, and I all made some bets on when Tucker would arrive. I was 6cm at that point. I normally dilate from 7-10 rather quickly so Dave said he thought Tucker would arrive at 9:05, I said 9:45, and our nurse said 10:30. We waited and waited. I talked to a few dear friends of mine on the phone and eventually the 9:45 marker past. I was actually disappointed. I asked her to check me again and when she said only 7cm I was shocked and a little mad. I know that sounds so lame, but I just expected it to go faster than that! Wow, am I impatient! Around 10:15 I was talking on the phone to my sweet friend Lacy. We were talking about Rally that day and how labor was going, etc. I was in no pain at all. Granted I had an epidural, but still! At 10:30 the doctor came in and I told Lacy I’d call her back. We made small talk with our doctor as she sat at the foot of my bed. I was telling her that I didn’t expect it to take this long, etc. Then all of the sudden I started getting VERY uncomfortable. I upped my epidural and told my doctor that I thought she should check me. She checked and sure enough I was 10cm and the baby was on his way!! She very quickly got herself ready and got my body in position. The contraction came, I pushed 3 times and out popped sweet Tucker. It was very different than it was with the girls. I very distinctly remember the “crown of fire” as they like to call it with Cori and Finley when their heads were crowning. When Tucker came out it was so smooth and easy. There was no crown of fire! He was a few ounces smaller than the girls, but it really felt so much better!! As soon as he was born the doctor gave him to me to hold. My heart literally melted. He was just the sweetest thing in the world. It’s amazing how with each baby born, I love them more than life itself. Child birth is just incredible like that!

Tucker David Smith ~ born at 10:42pm on January 12, 2013. 7 lbs 2 ounces. 19 1/4 in.

I got to hold him for such a long time before they took him to weigh him, measure him, and give him a bath. They were such sweet moments. There is something so incredible about having a son and the strong connection/bond I felt with him right away. I definitely feel connected to my girls too, but it’s a little different with a boy. I had heard people say that before, but never really understood until I felt it too.

The next day, Dave went home to pick up the girls so they could come meet their brother. They were SO excited about Tucker’s arrival, especially Cori. She was the proudest big sister when she came into the room to meet him and all she wanted to do was hold him! Finley brought her own little baby to hold too. They were just the sweetest!!

The whole experience of having a third baby was wonderful! I honestly LOVE having three kiddos and feel so incredibly blessed. God has given us more than we could ever ask or imagine!!!

Rally and a Baby

2013-03-24T14:44:00.001-05:00

January started out with me being extremely pregnant to say the least! I started out the month with two jewelry shows and people at my shows thought I was nuts to be out doing jewelry parties when I was due so soon. Tucker was due on the 15th and I was pretty positive he would make it until then. So positive that I decided to head up being Rally Registration Coordinator for our Regional Premier Rally here in Birmingham on January 12th!! At our doctors appointment, the Tuesday before Rally, I was 4cm dilated. That’s pretty normal for me considering I hung out at 4cm for a while with both girls before going into labor. At that Tuesday appointment my doctor said that she would be on call the Saturday of Rally should I get done with the day and feel like I’m in “labor”, I could just come in. Without hesitation I said, “Let’s just plan on it! See you Saturday around 5pm!”

Saturday, January 12th, started early with Dave and I heading downtown for Regional Rally around 6am. I really enjoyed getting to be a part of the “behind the scenes” action at Rally this year. I also left our house that morning feeling excited about meeting our son that evening after Rally was over. I knew it would be a long day, but also an amazing day at that! It would be my last day of being pregnant with Tucker.

It was bittersweet attending Rally in a new state this year without all my amazing Premier friends from Gainesville. However, God has given me an absolutely wonderful group of girls here in Birmingham to live life with. I am beyond grateful for them!! I love thinking about how Dave and I moved to Birmingham not knowing anyone and now have all these sweet families in our life because of Premier! I don’t just have a job in Premier. I have a ministry and I love it!!

Dave and I were recognized for being one of the top sponsors in the region in these last 6 months. I was definitely a great honor!!

Rally ended at 4:00 and we helped clean up a little, said goodbye to everyone, and headed off to the hospital to have our little boy.

Welcome 2013!

2013-03-23T17:00:00.001-05:00

Hey there! Yes, it is March 23rd and I’m JUST now starting out my blogging for 2013. We just keep adding kids to our household and things seem to pick up pace rather than ever slow down. I think that’s normal at this point in life. :) Young families are constantly on the move I think! I am so in love with my growing family though! I sometimes just sit on my couch and look around at my 3 sweet children and wonderful husband and just smile. My heart is filled with such warmth at the thought of how IN LOVE I am with my family. Wow! I can only imagine how God must feel when he looks down on all his children. He loves us even more than that!

I started out this year thinking of resolutions for myself as most of us do, until the first Sunday in January rolled around and our pastor did a Sermon series on Revelations verses Resolutions. Our resolutions are to eat right, exercise more, get our finances on track, blog more (yes, that last one was a resolution of mine – HA!). We quickly realize that we have fallen short of those resolutions about two weeks into January and then completely give up on them, saying we will try again next year. Can I get an amen?! That’s about right where I was sitting that first Sunday in church. That’s because resolutions are things we want to change about ourselves, and it’s more of an outside thing than an inner thing. A revelation is a change from the inside out, and it’s a change only God can make. It was a great reminder that we are spiritual beings who need the help of our maker to change us/mold us into the person he truly created us to be. I am trusting God for many revelations this year and I am intently trying to turn my gaze on Him each morning.

Dave and I were recently having a conversation about the big things in life verses the little things. We compared them to big marbles vs. little marbles. I really tend to focus on the little marbles – like cleaning the baseboards when there is a pile of laundry sitting on our bed to be folded. Praying that God will give me great revelation this year to change me from the inside out so I can focus on the BIG things – like time with Him and my family most importantly. The baseboards and the dog hair will have to wait, but only with the power of Christ living in me!

May 2013 really be a year all about growing in the Lord and doing things for His Kingdom and His glory!

Wrapping up 2012 (a few months later)

2013-03-02T15:52:00.001-06:00

Blogging has totally taken a back seat at my house these past few months. Pretty much since we moved. But I know 20 years from now, I will be so glad I wrote down what was going on in our life, even if it didn’t get written down right away.

2012 was a great year. God has just blessed our family abundantly and I am continually thankful to Him. We spent half the year finishing out our 11 year stay in Gainesville and the other half of the year starting a new life in Birmingham. I can hardly believe that we don’t live in Florida anymore, but we are enjoying Birmingham!

These are my two precious girls exactly one year ago. My how they have changed!!

It’s funny how much David and I complained about living in the Links Condos where we spent the first 6 years of our married life. We (let me rephrase … I) was so excited when we bought our little 2 bedroom condo. It was our first real home together. We soon out grew it and became not so fond of it, but always joked how one day we would look back on life in the Links and remember it as the best time of our life. Now, looking back, there were so many great memories there – beginnings of a great marriage, working life without kids, two sweet girls being born, transitioning to becoming a stay at home mom, friendships formed, etc! Cori and I spent quite a bit of time playing on the field behind our house as well. What fun we had!

In 2012 we,

Found out that we would be moving to Birmingham
I ran my first (and maybe only) half marathon
Dave graduated Pediatric Residency
Took our family to Disney for the first time (and then a few times more!)
Went to two Rallies for Premier and continued to grow a great business
Got pregnant with baby number 3
Said goodbye to our family and friends as we moved away
Found out that baby #3 was a boy
Had our first Christmas alone
Potty trained Cori (at 2 years 4 months) – I don’t think this picture ever made it onto the blog and it’s just too funny not to share!

Dave got baptized
Cori started gymnastics
Found an AMAZING new church home

Here is a picture of our family back in July. This was our first family photo taken in Birmingham! Wow! We sure did change a lot in 6 months!

I’m sure there was a lot more that I’m missing from 2012, but just wanted to wrap it up before moving on. 2013 here we come!!

Happy Birthday Cori Belle!

2013-01-08T08:02:00.001-06:00

Three years ago on December 28, 2009, I became a mommy. There really is no other feeling like it and I feel so blessed to be someone’s mom. It definitely can be a tough job at times, but one that I’m so proud to have. I remember the moment I met my precious first born. We even have a short video clip of the first few minutes I got to hold her. I cry every time I see it. I can’t believe it’s been three years and I’m now about to have my third baby. Time really does fly.

I love this picture of CB and I. It just captures my heart with the moment.

Three years later, this is the beautiful little girl she has become…

The Party

Two weeks before her birthday we celebrated with her new friends up here in Alabama. She wanted to have a pink Princess party. She LOVES pink and adores Cinderella at the moment. She actually isn’t a big fan of the movie Cinderella (Tangled is her favorite Princess movie by far), but I think she likes Cinderella for her blonde hair and blue eyes, much like our Princess Cori Belle! :) These are the invitations we sent out for her party. Of course, my very talented husband made them!

We invited over 9 other little princess and had a great time together! They each came dressed as a princess, most of them were Cinderella. Upon arrival, they all sat down and decorated their own tiara's. Then I read them a very special Princess story, about being a daughter of the King. Our good friends Lance and Lauren (who drove all the way from Florida just to come to CB’s party!!) got that book for Cori and it was perfect for her party. After story time, we all sat down, sang happy birthday, ate a cupcake and drank lemonade. Then, we opened gifts and everyone went home! It was the most efficient party I think I’ve ever been to or thrown, lasting a total of one hour and 20 minutes! Record time! Ha!

decorating Tiara’s

Reading our story. Even the little kids did GREAT sitting to listen!

Singing “Happy Birthday”! Dave took this picture and she is looking right at me singing next to her. I love the look in her eyes! It’s just precious! You will also notice the outfit change. She was in a bit of a “mood” earlier that day – probably feeling anxious about her party. Even though she talked about wearing her Cinderella costume for MONTHS, she seemed to feel much more comfortable in her Dora dress. Go figure!

Blowing out the candles!

Finley eating some cake! Yum!

All the kids gathered around to watch Cori open gifts. With all of them in a circle around me, I felt very much back in the classroom teaching kindergarten again!

I completely forgot to take a picture of the entire group of Princesses, but it sure was a great time. I snapped one picture of Cori and her friend Maggie before she left. Maggie and Cori met in gymnastics class and she is probably one of Cori’s favorite friends to play with. It’s not the greatest picture, but it’s a sweet memory!

The Birthday – December 28, 2012

Cori started out her big day getting rid of her Nuk (pacifier). For the past year she has just had it to sleep. I tried breaking her of it at age 2, but she quit napping and I just wasn’t ready for that, so at age 3 I thought we would try again! We had been talking it up for about a month – saying that she was going to be a big girl and that new babies needed her Nuk. So, on her birthday, she literally jumped out of bed saying she was ready to give her Nuk away to the new babies, and was actually excited about it! She decided that she wanted to wrap it up like a present, put it in the mailbox, and let it be delivered to the next baby who needed it.

bye, bye Nukie!!

What a big girl!!

After we were finished putting her Nuk in the mailbox, we made some delicious birthday pancakes with blueberries for our little girl. We spent the morning playing and just relaxing as a family. Then, around lunch time, we headed out to our girls favorite place to eat – Chick fil A. This was definitely Cori’s request for her birthday lunch, and of course we traded out the toy for some ice cream!

After lunch we took the girls to their first movie!! We went to see Finding Nemo in 3D and both girls did really great! We did get a bag of popcorn and sprite for the showing. Oh yeah, we did it big! Ha!

After the movie, we headed home for some much needed naps!! Mom and Dad needed a nap too, that was for sure! Upon Cori’s request, we made homemade pizza for dinner and a delicious cookie cake with PINK icing! Unfortunately, all the picture taking seemed to cease after the movie. Told you that was something I needed to get better at!

When it finally came time for bed, we had to address the Nuk issue again. She was just thrilled to give it away that morning, but when it was really gone out of the mailbox and not in her bed for her to sleep with, that was a different story! Just to say it plainly, the poor girl cried from 7:30-11:30, repeating over and over that she “needed her Nukie.” It was one of the more painful things to have to listen to and just broke my heart knowing how attached to her Nuk she had become. Luckily around 11:30 she had worn herself out and finally fallen asleep. She awoke the next morning in a perfectly fine mood and only asked for her Nuk one time the next night before drifting off into dreamland. We have been Nuk free ever since! Wahoo!!

We just had the best day ever with both of our little girls and feel so blessed to be their parents! Happy Birthday Sweet Cori Belle! We absolutely adore you!! Here are some things to remember about you as you turn THREE…

You love to jump and laugh and play!
When I put you to bed at night you say multiple times, “Mommy, let me tell you something …” Then you think for a minute and always come up with the funniest things. I know it’s just a ploy to put off bed time, but I love spending those extra few minutes with you! Especially when you say, “Mommy, let me tell you something .. I love you so much.” Thank you for those sweet words!
You always like to be involved with the cooking in the kitchen and stand on your little green stool watching daddy or I cook.
You are a HUGE help with Finley. You are always taking care of her and mothering her. I love hearing you tell her that you love her and seeing you genuinely hug and kiss her throughout the day.
You love to play babies and recently you have been pretending to “check them out” and “fix them up” with band aids. We’ve just started watching Doc McStuffins and you have been going with me to the baby doctor weekly – that could have something to do with it!
You LOVE the color PINK! You are always telling me that your favorite color is pink and Finley’s is purple. You also make sure to inform me that your favorite princess is Cinderella and Finley’s is Belle.
You are more of a mommy’s girl then a daddy’s girl. Your sister is the complete opposite!
You always make angels when you play with Play dough.
You can brush your teeth by yourself.
You can wash yourself AND Finley in the tub. Mamma loves that!
You sometimes go in the fridge to pour your own drink – when this happens, you always chose sweet tea. Maybe I should stop making that!
You love doing school with me and arts and crafts.
You really love to bake cookies and cupcakes. I mean, who wouldn’t?!
You are always talking oh the phone and coming up with the funniest conversations with the “person” on the other line. I often hear you saying, “Hold on okay, I will text you.” .. I guess mama is on the phone too much! Blame it on my job as a jewelry lady! ha!
When you really like something, your response is, “awwwww, that is so cute!”

DIY Kid’s Kitchen…a how-to post by Dave.

2012-12-31T17:00:00.001-06:00

As Christmas approached, all our two beautiful girls wanted was a pink kitchen. We knew that a pink kitchen needed to happen, the only question was where to get one. After a long search including many plastic, cheap or overpriced options, I decided the best way to provide a quality pink kitchen for our girls was to build one. This blog will go through the step by step process of the build.

Step 1: I decided to use a nightstand, coffee table and old cedar chest as the base furniture for this project. Total cost $25 at thrift store.

Step 2: The coffee table was sawed in half and the legs and supports were shifted and reattached to become the same width as the night-stand. These were stacked on top of each other, held with wood glue and screws, then the body was sealed in with 1/4 inch MDF and pine molding, creating a solid two door refrigerator with shelving.

Step 3: We envisioned the old cedar chest as a range with oven, sink and faucet and an under-sink cut out for more storage. A jigsaw was used to cut out the front of the chest and 1/4 inch MDF was used at the opening of the oven to make the door and hinge flush to the chest.

Step 4: A backsplash was made with solid pine and attached with wood glue and finishing nails. Refrigerator doors were made out of 1/2 inch thick MDF. The oven door was cut out of sanded plywood and the window opening was cut with a jigsaw.

Step 5: Range Burners were cut out of MDF using a router after a mold was created with a jigsaw, so that they were all uniform. The hardware for the unit included antique drawer knobs for the range controls, a stainless steel bowl for the sink, and a real faucet found for $10 at the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store. This photo was taken prior to priming to get exact locations for all the hardware.

Step 6: Priming is a key component to any good paint finish, especially with MDF. All pieces were sanded and primed prior to painting.

Step 7: Paint. We considered a teal with pink accents, or a vintage distressed white, but in the end determined that the only thing that would suffice would be pink…all pink. Cori had some say, but in the end we decided on Fairytale Pink. We left the inside of the cedar chest natural, as we thought it looked cool.

Step 8: Attaching doors & hardware should be the simplest part of the project, but it can make or break the final aesthetic appeal. I was focused on the doors swinging easily and staying closed when shut. The fridge doors are easily opened and will stay open unless closed. They have a special hinge that holds them flush to the front panel when closed. The oven door is made out of wood (to withstand the abuse it was bound to take) and it rotates on a spring hinge that makes it fall slowly to the ground as well as close on its own when slightly raised. The window in the oven door is plexiglass. We attached high quality stainless steel cabinet hardware from our local home improvement store to complete the look we were going for.

Step 9: Now that the hard work is done on all the functional and structural parts, we started working on the top of the chest. The backsplash was decorated with hand painted wooden letters spelling out “Heart of the Home.” The faucet was installed normally, and the stainless steel bowl was secured down with liquid nails. The burners were hand-painted black and then a small decorative circle was drawn with a metallic paint marker. The burner controls (antique door knobs) were installed through the top, so that they would still turn and “control the range.”

Step 10: The final touch was a hand-sewn curtain (courtesy of Danielle) to bring a splash of color and pattern as well as cover our under-sink storage. She finished the curtain two nights before Christmas and was able to complete it in one night. It really completes the kitchen and it wouldn’t be the same without it. So proud of my wife.

The final product was hanging out in our garage until Christmas Eve.

On Christmas morning our two girls, Cori Belle & Finley Grace, awoke to find a one-of-a-kind, hand-made PINK kitchen. It was truly a labor of love. They were also blessed with aprons, pots & pans, plastic food products and anything else you think would be found in a kitchen. They cooked all day and we have been eating non-stop.

Thanks go to Danielle for her seamstress skills, and believing in the vision and my ability to pull this off, Lance Jones for his epic pink painting skills, and Pottery Barn Kids for charging a ridiculous amount of money for poorly made things that has required dads to get back to being creative and getting their hands dirty. I hope this process was enjoyable to watch unfold, and I will be sure to post the next adventure in building.

Lights at the Zoo!

2012-12-30T07:00:00.000-06:00

Just a quick post about our trip to see the lights at the zoo last week. We actually went the Saturday before Christmas and it was PACKED! It was also 38 degrees outside and FREEZING, but the girls had such a great time!!! So thankful we had just made a trip to the outlet mall and bought the girls their first real winter coats earlier that day. Yes, they are pink. Do you expect anything less coming from my very sweet 3-year-old who is obsessed with pink?! She literally refuses to wear any other color. If only you could be a fly on the wall when she gets dressed every morning! I have decided to pick my battles, but that story is for another day! :) Ha!

What a blessing this sweet little family is to me! Only two more weeks until we become a family of FIVE!! Can hardly believe it!

Christmas 2012

2012-12-29T07:00:00.000-06:00

Leading up to Christmas this year, the girls and I did an advent calendar with an amazing e-book called Truth in the Tinsel. Cori and I did parts of it last year, but this year we did it every day! It was such a fun experience and something Cori really looked forward to doing everyday! The girl would wake up every morning and run out of her room asking to do her ornament for the day! I loved that! In the midst of all our scripture reading and ornament making, I didn’t take a single picture. I think picture taking is going to be on my list of things to focus on in the new year! Here are a few pictures, post Christmas..

So proud of her tree with all her hand made ornaments!!

Christmas this year was so special! Three is really the perfect age to grasp a little bit of what Christmas is all about. Cori learned a lot of the Christmas story and could easily tell you that we celebrate Christmas because it is Jesus’ birthday. She also walked around all month singing, “Hosanna.. Hosanna.. Hosanna in the highest!” Bless my heart!

Explaining Santa was a different story! I really wanted Cori to know the true story of St. Nicholas and tie that into how Christmas is all about giving, just like how God gave us his son, Jesus. The difficult part in that is that everywhere we went, people felt the need to approach my children and ask them if they had been good this year and if Santa was coming. I guess I never really thought about it before, but the thought that my children would think that they had to be “good” to get gifts from Santa just didn’t sit well with me. The gift of Jesus was given to everyone, goodness doesn’t have anything to do with it! And, I’d rather not bribe my children with Santa! Someone in Publix actually asked Cori if she was getting coal or gifts in her stocking this year. Who says that to a three-year-old?! I was a little unnerved by that question!! Cori was also a little scared of Santa this year so every time someone asked her about Santa she got a little upset and would remind me how she didn’t want Santa at her house. .. Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to rob my children of the joy Santa can bring, I just want to balance it with Jesus. Santa did come to our house. He left a stocking for both girls outside our front door. Cori was adamant that he not come inside! … Anyway, off my soap box now about Santa. I’m sure I’ll have more to say next year!

Christmas Eve started out with Gingerbread Houses. I love that tradition! We are hoping it will be something fun that our kids look forward to doing every Christmas Eve morning. The girls had a GREAT time with it this year! They ate TONS of candy!! Cori actually worked really hard creating her house. I was impressed! Finley worked really hard at eating everything in front of her! It was a precious sight!

Getting ready to build!

Yum!

Daddy and CB working hard on her foundation!

The beginnings of Cori’s

caught, red handed!

More sprinkles please!

Finished products!

Funny thing is that we posted this final picture on Facebook to see who won the Gingerbread making contest. From left to right it’s: Finley, Mommy, Cori, Daddy. Finley got lots of votes for eating her entire house!! But, I think Cori ended up winning for an overload of creativity!! What a FUN tradition this is!!

For Christmas Eve dinner Dave made steaks and homemade mashed potatoes. He is totally the chef in our family!! He is just so good at it! It was delicious and I am excited about steaks becoming part of our annual Christmas tradition!

Before bed, we took some sweet pictures of the girls in front of the Christmas tree in their matching PJ’s. We even got a family photo in there too! We haven’t taken many of those since we moved to Birmingham.

We put cookies, carrots, and eggnog outside on the front porch with the girls stockings before heading off to bed.

When the girls woke up and headed out to the front room on Christmas morning, here is what they saw…

Dave worked VERY hard on making the girls a kitchen this year. (DIY post on this coming soon!) Cori very much requested a pink kitchen so that is what they got! Not from Santa, but from their very hard working mommy and daddy! We also got them each a bike. They were so very excited and got right to work on getting aprons and helmets on!

In the midst of everything they got, I think their favorite were the sleeping bags my mom got them. I couldn’t get Finley out of it all morning and Cori has actually been sleeping in hers on top of her bed every night since! Obsessed much?!

Yaya also got them another stroller so they could stop fighting over the one we have. Now they can both push strollers around and it’s been great! Finley decided SHE wanted to ride in the new stroller though. Fits perfectly! Ha!

Our girls were so blessed with gifts this year. It is so apparent that they are loved by their family. Thank you so much to all who gave them something. Each gift was special it it’s own way and much appreciated!! You all helped to make our first Christmas away special this year!

Dave and I were intentional about exchanging gifts this year. The last couple of years we have decided to do other things or get something we needed, but this year Dave said we needed to bring our creativity back. I made him a box of dates, one for each month of the entire year. I am pretty excited to know that I have a set date, already paid for (most of them!), to go on with my handsome hubby each month – for 12 months straight!! Wahoo! And, Dave made me a special little box of scripture cards, one for each day. I absolutely love it!! He just knows me so well and I love that about him. He also got me a bunch of other little treats too, but this was my favorite! I am excited to use these verses as memory verses each day and to bring me encouragement when I’m feeling stressed or overwhelmed. I truly have a wonderful husband!

After all the gifts were opened we sat down to Christmas morning breakfast. Dave made homemade French Toast, which was delicious and will surely become another tradition in our home. Then, we baked Birthday cupcakes for Jesus. Cori wanted to die the icing blue because that’s the color boys like, so she says.

Dave headed off to work at 3 and the girls and I visited with some new friends for Christmas dinner. I was so grateful for my friend Mollie who invited us over to join her family for Christmas dinner. It was perfect and a great ending to a joyous holiday.

When I got home that evening and put the kids in bed, I sat down on the computer and wrote the following blog, which I thought I’d share here. So thankful for the birth of Christ and my precious family!

December 25, 2012

This is the first Christmas that Dave and I have been away from our family, but yet it was our first Christmas with just our own little family. Truly, it was a great Christmas. We started a few family traditions all our own like gingerbread house decorating, steak & homemade mashed potatoes, and homemade French toast. We spent the 24th and 25th just hanging around our house and enjoying one another’s company.

At church on Sunday our Pastor talked about the song Silent Night and creating a “moments” in our life where God just shows up. That song has been playing in my head ever since. It just gave me such a warm feeling about Christmas this year and being intentional with my family. I feel like there were a lot of God moments as we taught our children about the true meaning of Christmas and family. I am so grateful for that. I am so grateful for a husband who wants to do that with me.

I think as I reflect back on Christmas this year, my husband is who I am most thankful for. Of course I am thankful for my Lord and Savior – the whole reason this holiday even exists! It was He who gave me my sweet husband in the first place! To Him be the glory! … God created Dave so perfectly for me. He gets me even when I don’t always get myself. I am so thankful for the way he loves me and our children. He is thoughtful and always puts us first. He reminds me of who I am in Christ – I am most grateful for that.

As this Christmas ends and we begin a new year, I am praying for many “Silent Nights” where I can just sit and see the splendor of the Lord in my life; the great works he has done and will do. “For there is born to you, this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord!” Luke 2:11

Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas Card 2012 and Letter

2012-12-28T07:00:00.000-06:00

Family & Friends,

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! I pray that this letter finds you and your family in the midst of a holiday season filled with joy, laughter and love. I cannot believe another year has flown by. It sounds cliché, but I have no idea where the time has gone. It has been a whirl-wind of a year, full of zip code changes, growing children and new friends.

The major thing that happened in 2012 was our big move in July from our home state of Florida (Go Gators) to the heart of the south, Alabama. I graduated from my pediatric residency and decided that 3 more years of training was calling my name, so I decided to start a Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellowship at the brand new Children’s Hospital in Birmingham, AL. Needless to say, it was a major change. We had been in the Gator Nation for 11 years prior to July. In moving, we left all we knew, a wonderful support system of friends, and our families were no longer a quick 2 hour drive away.

My Fellowship has exceeded expectations and I love that every day that I get to impact the lives of the children of Birmingham. Danielle continues in Premier Designs and her business is flourishing in the new city. She already has a strong Alabama down-line, runs the monthly city-wide training and is helping to organize their regional rally.

Our children, Cori Belle and Finley Grace, are both incredible. Cori is almost 3 years old, going on 18. She is fascinated with Cinderella and Rapunzel, and will be celebrating her 3^rd birthday in real princess fashion. She also began gymnastics this fall and has amazed us with her abilities. Finley is almost 18 months and is a ball of love. She is really coming into her own and learns something new every day as she tries to keep up with her very busy older sister. We also are expecting our first boy in January. Tucker David has been a very active child thus-far and we are expecting he will fit right in with his fast-paced sisters. They are very excited about their baby brother and have been known to randomly kiss Danielle’s belly and talk to him as if he is already here.

The other unexpected blessing in our lives has been our new church home. We have been walking with Christ for almost 10 years now, but not until we started at Church of the Highlands did we experience all that God meant for us in a church community. It is hard to explain, but we were introduced to Highlands by a long-time friend upon arrival and it has dramatically changed the course of our lives. On my 30^th birthday, I was baptized in front of my family and best-friends. We have been actively involved in a church small group, which has inspired me to lead a men’s bible study in the spring. We are also excited about church every week, because when we are there, we really feel that God is moving through his people in this place.

So overall we have found that big transitions also bring big blessings and we could not be happier than we are right now. We wish we could be closer to family, but know that God has placed us in Birmingham for a purpose. We pray that Christmas will be a time that you remember the greatest gift ever given, Jesus Christ, and that through him you will find forgiveness, joy and love.

Love,

Dave, Danielle, Cori Belle, Finley Grace & Baby Tucker

LIFE Retreat and a Baby Moon

2012-12-27T15:06:00.001-06:00

Our December started out with an amazing two day conference at our church, followed by a trip to Chattanooga for a little get away before baby number three is born! Dave’s mom came up to watch our girls for the weekend. We were so appreciative of her willingness to come up and do that for us! Esp. since our refrigerator broke while she was here and she had to put our entire fridge in coolers! So thankful she was here to save the day!

For 13 weeks this past semester we headed out to bible study every Tuesday night. It was a guys/girls study where the guys met at one house and the girls met at another. It was called LIFE, which stands for Living in Freedom Everyday. It was a great study about getting closer to the Lord and truly living in His freedom, grace, mercy, and love every single day, not feeling bogged down or anxious by this world we live in. The LIFE retreat was a two day conference where we went through topics people might feel bogged down by and got prayed over numerous times. It was amazing to get that much prayer! Even when there were things I didn’t think I needed prayer for, I was just so uplifted by people praying for me. It was literally like closing out the world and being in the full presence of the Lord, with amazing worship, for two days straight! If that doesn’t strengthen your relationship with Jesus, I don’t know what will! It was just wonderful!

Back row: Kelly, Laurie Ann, Renee, me, Lindsay. Front Row: Elizabeth & Shelley. I am so blessed by these sweet women! We had a lot more in our group, but forgot to take a picture before everyone left!

Here we are, hitting the road!

We left the retreat late Saturday afternoon to head to Chattanooga and stayed in this quant little B&B downtown. We actually had the whole Bed and Breakfast to ourselves, which was so nice!!!

When we arrived, there was some parade going on downtown and we got there just in time for the firework show! We couldn’t have timed it better! We basically did a lot of walking downtown (with quite a few contractions here and there, but obviously no baby yet!) …

Panoramic of the river downtown.

a lot of eating (there is some GREAT food in Chattanooga) …

went to a move (which hadn’t done in FOREVER!) …

did some shopping (Steve Madden flats for $12 at an antique shop! Score!) …

and had a lot of sweet quality time together. Have I mentioned lately that I just LOVE my husband?! Well, I do. I couldn’t have picked a better one. He is just precious to me!

This picture has quite the funny story! Dave was born just a few miles north of Chattanooga so we traveled up the interstate to check out the house he lived in for the first 2 years of his life. We got the address from his mom, Google mapped it, and headed that way. Google maps took us to a sweet older neighborhood and to a cul-de-sac where this picture was taken. The house numbers weren’t clearly labeled and it looked like this was his old house on Google maps. So, Dave got out of the car and we took this picture, so excited to have seen the house he was born in. .. A short while later we texted the picture to his dad, to which his response was, “That’s not our house.” This was the house next door and we were too far away by that point to go back and take a picture of his actual house! Oh, well. I guess the memories are enough! HA!

While we were visiting Chattanooga we also did some driving around the mountains looking at all the homes up there. Dave and I really enjoy taking note of beautiful homes and creating our dream house in our heads. While driving on one of the mountain ridges that overlooks the entire city, we came across this house…

The reason I share it with you on this ‘ole blog is because we saw this house being built on an HGTV show! We are big HGTV watchers. In fact, you might find us on a Friday night sitting on the couch watching old HGTV shows that have been recorded throughout the week! HA! Nerds, I know! :) But, anyway, it was pretty cool to drive by this house totally randomly and then realize that we saw it being built on TV!!! We were just a little star struck by it! And the view was incredible!

What a great start to the month!

A few pictures…

2012-12-27T15:04:00.001-06:00

I found a few pictures on Dave’s phone from our trip to Tampa over Thanksgiving. Posting them for memories sake!

Finley Grace and Jona Lily. Sweet cousins. Born just 3 weeks apart!

My sweet girls enjoying the views of the lake in the back of Yaya and Papa’s house. Can you tell that Cori had pig tails in her hair earlier in the day?

Taking a jaunt around the lake in the boat!

Dave at a Bucs game with his older brother, sister and dad. What a good looking group!

The Month of November

2012-12-26T20:32:00.001-06:00

Has it really been over a month since I’ve posted here on this ‘ole blog?! I’ve actually thought about posting many times, but felt like I had been so behind I just couldn’t bare to try and catch up. When my 2012 Blog Book gets printed it will be so small in comparison to the two previous years! Blame it on two kids, moving states, and restarting a business in a new place. All of those things combined have definitely kept this mama busy and sometimes, just trying to keep my head above water!

November was a whirlwind of events! And in the midst of it all, we lost our little camera. I am seriously saddened by that! I have a few here and there, but nothing like we had taken! So, my memory will have to just have to remember all the fun we had!

We took two trips down to Florida in November. The first weekend of the month was Jewel School for Premier. It was such a sweet time of fellowship with my amazing friends in Premier. A lot of the husbands were there too! Woot!

While we were visiting for Jewel School, my Gainesville friends got together and threw me a shower for Tucker. It was so sweet and I really enjoyed spending time with them all. It was actually supposed to be a surprise shower, but a few weeks before we went down I cried to David one afternoon about how we lived in a new state and no one was going to throw me a baby shower and my friends in Gainesville were moving on with life with out me, blah, blah, blah. I blame it on the baby messing with my hormones! :) Anyway, he called my besties in Gainesville and told them of my mess so they told me about the shower they were planning. Oh, how I love them! I miss them terribly and it was SO good to just sit around drinking coffee in my best friend’s house like the old days.

My very BEST buds from Gainesville – Stephanie, me, Lacy, and Kristy. All of whom do Premier with me. I just LOVE that!!

Dave and I have been really good at weekly date nights since we’ve moved to Birmingham. We had bible study every Tuesday this semester and left an hour early to grab dinner together before hand. I don’t think the trend will continue once Tucker comes, but it’s been so nice! We won a gift card to Ruth’s Chris last May and were finally able to use it last month. It was DELICIOUS!! Even with a $100 gift card, we still had to pay $40, but it was so worth it!!! The steak literally melted in my mouth! The Lobster Bisque was to die for. And, the creamed spinach left me without words! I do hope we get to go back one day! YUM! We did take a picture before we headed out for dinner that night. One that didn’t get lost. Yay!!

We took family/maternity photos the week before Thanksgiving. Finley wasn’t the most corporative, but we snuck in a few sweet pictures! It was also pretty cold the day we took pictures and my poor children were purple by the end of the shoot, but it was fun! Here are a few of my favorites!

Thanksgiving came and we spent almost a full week in Florida. Driving to Florida twice in one month was about all I could handle! I was actually relieved that we didn’t have to do it again for Christmas. We drove through the night both times so the kids would sleep, but we were exhausted! I think the final drive back to Birmingham on trip #2 was the worst. We hit Tallahassee and I thought I wouldn’t make it the 4 more hours to Birmingham. But, we did. Not sure when that will happen again. People can just come visit us for the next little bit! I mean with THREE kids and a dog – we will be staying home for a while!

We had a great Thanksgiving with family though! It was the traditional 3 o’clock dinner with my side of the family at my aunt’s house and then 6 o’clock dinner with Dave’s side of the family at his parent’s house. We are always stuffed, but feel so blessed that we can see both sides of the family in the same day! Again, no pictures of that sweet day or our entire trip to Tampa! I did run in a 5K on Thanksgiving Day and was pretty proud of that considering I was 32 weeks pregnant then!

I did 7 Jewelry Shows in the month of November and Dave worked a horrific schedule of days on anesthesia/ultrasound and nights in the ER. His poor girls barely saw him, but at least it was just for one month! We can handle anything for a short while! Between the two of us, we had ONE night together – the one where we went to Ruth’s Chris. The rest of the nights we traded off taking care of the kids while he was at the hospital or I was at a jewelry party. Needless to say, it was a busy month! December has been good to us and we have enjoyed a lot of time together as a family. More posts on that coming soon!!!

31 weeks, 4 days

2012-11-17T20:56:00.001-06:00

On Monday we were able to do one last ultrasound of our sweet baby boy and as the ultrasound tech was finishing up, she switched over to 3D. We never had 3D ultrasounds with the girls and were not expecting it with Tucker either, but it was such a sweet surprise. I even teared up a little bit seeing him on the screen. Just precious! I think he looks like Finley, but we will see when he makes his real life appearance! And, they checked – still a BOY!

I’m measuring a little ahead of schedule, but not by much – like a day or so. Cori was 5 days late, Finley right on time, and we will see what Tucker decides to do. So crazy to think we will have three kiddos running around!!! I’m excited and scared at the same time!

Here is what my belly is looking like these days..

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 31 weeks, 4 days

Gender: It's a BOY!!! Tucker David Smith

Size of baby: He is a little over 3 lbs according to his ultrasound

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 17 lbs

Maternity Clothes: I FINALLY went shopping for some last weekend!! This really is the first time I’ve gone maternity shopping and got a ton of great tops at the outlet mall. I’m seriously LOVING having some clothes that fit me! Haha!!

Movement: Still a whole lot! This kid is a mover and a shaker! Could it be because I still drink a cup of coffee every morning?!

Sleep: Can’t complain! Sleeping comfortably snuggled next to my hubby!

What I miss: Hmm.. this may sound strange, but I miss being able to do burpees without having to spread my knees apart so my belly can fit when I jump my feet in. Katie Wade – are you reading this?!

Cravings: nothing particular this week

Symptoms: A few Braxton Hicks and a BIG belly!

Best Moment this week: Seeing sweet baby Tucker on Monday in 3D!! Loved that!

October Wrap Up

2012-11-13T13:29:00.001-06:00

I can’t believe it is already November; mid November at that! We’ve been here in Birmingham for just over 4 months and it’s really been a great adventure thus far! Since I’m such a blog SLACKER, I thought I’d just wrap up the last month in one super long post! Ha! Enjoy!

We ended September and headed into October with Premier! The last weekend in September I got to go on a Designer trip in Hilton Head with some of my sweet Premier (and life long) friends. I just LOVE that Premier has allowed me to stay so close to my already close friends. It’s just one more reason to chat on the phone and one more excuse to see each other more frequently.

Lacy, me and Stephanie

Then, the following week Lacy and Jonathan came to visit us for Jonathan’s 30th birthday. We had such a great time together and so did our girls. Ella and Audrey came up as well. Cori and her BFF’s had a slumber party in her room for 2 nights. It was just precious to hear the giggles of a 2, 3, and 5 year old. I don’t think they got much sleep while they were here!

Dave finished the playground in our backyard. When we moved in the backyard looked like this…

It was basically sliding gravel rock and super dangerous. It really just had that old wooden structure in it and we bought and put the slide there temporarily until we could get the new swing set built. Dave built the new swing set all by himself. He bought the parts and the wood and went to work for a few days back there. He also laid sod down so it would be safer for the girls. Check out our backyard now… I am SO proud of my handy hubby! We have gotten SO MUCH use out of having a swing set in the backyard. The kids LOVE it!!

We’ve had some cold days up here and Cori had her first experience with hot chocolate. She was SO excited!!

We started a tradition of homemade pizza night about every other week. We call it “Family Night” and the kids really look forward to it! I do too! It’s so much fun and I can’t wait until all the kids can really take part in it, making their own individual pizzas!

Cori took her first trip to the dentist last month. We really talked it up to her as being super fun. Dave and I also made dentist appointments for ourselves the same day so we could ALL go to the dentist as a family. She was actually excited about going to get her teeth brushed, until we got there! Ha! Isn’t that always the case?! The office was sweet and kid friendly. They actually took her picture and did her hand print to put up on the wall and ceiling. She liked that, especially that she got to use pink paint to do her hand print.

We sat down in the chair and met our hygienist, who was so sweet. She told Cori all about her special tooth brush. Cori wasn’t too sure about it, but she was a good sport. She wouldn’t lay down, but sitting up worked great!

All done, but still looking a little traumatized! The real traumatizing part was meeting the dentist! She sure did cry then. Thankfully it was quick! She got some great stickers, a bouncy ball, new tooth brush & tooth paste, and we took her for popsicles afterwards! Ha! It was a great 1st trip to the dentist!

We did some fun fall related activities during “school” hours. Cori had a blast!

Being that it was October last month, we took part in MANY fall related activities. We went to two different fall festivals at two different churches. We dressed up and went trick-or-treating at Whole Foods. Did arts and crafts at the zoo in our costumes. Went to a Halloween parade. And, our girls had their very first real experience trick-or-treating on Halloween from house to house. All of which was so much fun! The girls were bumble bees at some events and princesses at others. Here are some sweet pictures from our fall events! (the cute dresses that the girls are wearing in a few pics were made by my mother-in-law. Aren’t they adorable? Thanks Yaya!)

Fall Festival

Whole Foods

The Zoo

Halloween Night

One of my very favorite pictures!!

Some sweet sisterly love after a LONG night of trick-or-treating. Finley was SO ready for bed!!

We have really been enjoying the fall here at our home. Excited for Thanksgiving next week and then the beautiful season of Christmas. I do have to admit, I’ve already been playing some Christmas music in our house. Just don’t tell Dave – he is pretty adamant about no Christmas music until the day AFTER Thanksgiving!! I always seem to start a little earlier than that! Ha!

Until next time .. hopefully you won’t have to wait too long! :)

God is able

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Lifted up, He defeated the grave

Raised to Life, our God is able

In his Name, we overcome

For the Lord, our God, is able!

I know you’ve heard me say it before, but we go an to absolutely AMAZING church here in Birmingham. God is just doing incredible things there. He is present and moving. I just can’t even begin to explain it, other than to say, WOW! It has nothing to do with the church walls themselves, but the presence and blessing of God within it. It is such my prayer that every single one of our family members will visit us over the course of our 3 years here and attend church with us. It’s just life changing!

Pastor Chris started an unbelievable 4 week message series yesterday called Legacy – doing exactly what GOD created you to do here on this earth so that when you go, people will remember the name of the Lord.

If you’ve got 40 minutes to sit down, I’d strongly recommend watching the message from this past Sunday, and maybe tuning in for the next 3 Sundays! Legacy – part 1

Psalm 112:6 – A righteous (headed in the right direction because of a right God living within you) man will be remembered FOREVER.

Ephesians 4:1 – I URGE you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

Leaving a legacy is really about living beyond ourselves because we just can’t do it on our own. We ALL have a call of God on our lives, whether we’ve accepted Him as our Lord and Savior or not. The realty is, He created each one of us and put a calling on our life. You can’t truly find out what that calling is without Him because He is the only one who knows us and knows what it is!

You see, Acts 17:26-28 says that God determined the times set for us and the exact places we should live. God did this so that we would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him. For in Him, we live and move and have our being. … God placed us here in Birmingham, right now, for a purpose. He put you right where you are too for that very same reason. Do you believe that?

Pastor Chris also talked about being a generation that finishes well so that the next generation can continue to lead in such a way. Truly leaving a legacy. Before we can leave that legacy, we’ve got to be aligned with the life God has set before us to live. You see, it’s more than just being a “good person”. Yes, God calls us to do good works, not out of duty or obligation, but because of our faith and love for Him. A profound statement from yesterday’s sermon was that we must “ALWAYS connect the good deeds with the good news!” If we feed the hungry, but don’t tell them about Jesus, their tummy’s will be full but they will still be lost. Hungry people and full people both end up in the same place if they don’t know Jesus.

John 6:27 says, “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life.” So, let’s do good for the name of Jesus! Amen!

All this to say that David and I were extremely moved yesterday to be intentional in figuring out what kind of legacy we would like to leave. We feel so called to Birmingham at the moment and are just so excited about what God has in store here for us. Now, our focus is on being intentional, taking no credit, and giving all the glory to God.

For when (insert your name) has served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep. Acts 13:36. Let’s be a generation that finishes well!

So, do you believe that your God is able to give you such purpose in your life? One of my favorite verses is Ephesians 3:20 – God is able to to immeasurably more than all we could ever ask or imagine! Praying that for you today!

Happy Monday!

Fall Fun!

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This past week we have participated in a few fall events. On Tuesday we ventured to Aldridge Gardens to play with a few new friends, dress up in our Halloween costumes, and do a pumpkin hunt! It was a good practice run in our Halloween costumes to see what we may need to add before the big dress up day! Both girls are bumble bees this year. I thought about my friends, Annie and Carrie, and their annual Pumpkin Party for the kids back home. I am sure gonna miss that this year! In fact we already did because it was last night. Looked like so much fun!

Cori and her new friends from gymnastics class

On Friday, Dave and I took the girls to the pumpkin patch. It’s interesting here in Alabama because they don’t have a lot of these church pumpkin patches that Gainesville has. Alabama does the “REAL THANG” where you head out to where the pumpkins actually grow. Unfortunately, these patches are about an hour away from Birmingham on both sides so we decided to try out a a second annual pumpkin patch at a church near by. Let me just say that it’s not like the one at Trinity back in Gainesville, but they did have pumpkins so that was a plus! ha! And, we got to snap some pictures of the girls in their sweet pumpkin dresses, which was the main thing I wanted anyway! I’m thinking next year, the “REAL THANG” will be a must on the fall list of things to do!

We are headed to a fall festival tomorrow, a Halloween play date at the Zoo next week, and trying to solidify our Halloween plans. Fall here has been much like fall in Florida, except for the changing leaves. Those are just beautiful! We’ve had some cool days, which we’ve enjoyed very much. Everyone has mum mum’s on their front porch, and I just love that!

Hope ya’ll are enjoying fall as much as we are! Until next time…

26 Weeks!

2012-10-12T15:02:00.001-05:00

Good gracious! How have 26 weeks flown by and I haven’t once posted a picture of my growing belly?! It’s so different with each pregnancy. I was just talking with someone about this the other day. With Cori Belle, we took a pregnancy picture EVERY week! With Finley, we didn’t start until week 17 and took one every other week. And, this sweet little guy didn’t get a picture of his growing mama’s belly until week 23 – and that didn’t even make it on the blog!

So, here we are at 26 weeks, FINALY getting a picture up! HA!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 26 Weeks

Gender: It's a BOY!!! Tucker David Smith

Size of baby: He is 2.2 lbs. according to the pregnancy tracker on my phone. The size of a cucumber!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 15 lbs – man, that feels like a lot!

Maternity Clothes: I need some!!! This is the first pregnancy I haven’t had all my friends maternity clothes to borrow! I have ONE pair of regular jeans I can wear with a hair tie. I’d MUCH rather wear maternity pants. And, I literally have NO maternity shirts. This girl needs to do some maternity shopping!

Movement: LOTS of movement when I’m sitting down. He also likes to roll to the front of my belly quite often. I love getting to feel his little body hang out there.

Sleep: Things are going pretty well in the sleep department, but I have NOT been wanting to get up early. Definitely feel like I’m requiring more sleep!

What I miss: My abs! But, it’s worth it to not have any at the moment!

Cravings: Pregnancy started out with me craving smoothies ALL THE TIME, but these days, I’d like some cookie dough, ice cream, and milk shakes. Guess I better head to the gym! HA!

Symptoms: A few Braxton Hicks and a BIG belly!

Best Moment this week: Just knowing there is a sweet boy growing in there!

Now, let’s take a look at some comparisons… These are all picture of me at 26 weeks. Cori on the left, Finley on the right. Tucker on the bottom. Is it just me, or does it get bigger EVERY time?!

My Little Gymnast

2012-09-26T10:08:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago we signed Cori up for gymnastics. We had been wanting to try out gymnastics when we lived in Gainesville, but prices were just so expensive. Well, here in Birmingham, there is a church about 15 minutes from us that has an incredible recreational center!! Recreation includes gymnastics, ballet, karate, a gym for adults and some awesome bootcamp style workout classes for me at a very reasonable price! We actually spend 3 days a week over there at their recreation center! We just love it!

Cori is absolutely LOVING gymnastics. She can forward roll all by herself and flip backwards over things. She is one of the strongest 2 and a half year olds I know! Of course, I’m not saying she is the next Olympic gymnast – that would be a bit too far! HA! But, she is a natural flipper for sure!

Here are some pictures from her first day of gymnastics…

She is having a BLAST and talks about gymnastics ALL the time!! We actually have gymnastics today and she keeps asking me when we are leaving to go. Ha! Can’t wait to see the things Finley loves to do too!

Happy 30th to my hubby!!!

2012-09-25T23:40:00.001-05:00

Almost a month ago my handsome hubby turned the big 30! Where has a month come and gone?! Dave had such a special birthday this year! Our dear friends, Lance and Lauren came to visit, as well as his little sister Jamie. We found out that we were having a BOY. And, Dave got baptized. Doesn’t get much better than that!!

The morning of his birthday, Lance and Lauren flew in. We picked them up from the airport and headed off to the doctors office for our OB apt. Lance and Lauren watched the girls in the waiting room while we headed back to see our newest little addition. We told the ultrasound tech that we didn’t want to know the gender and asked if she could just place a picture and the secret information in an envelope for us. She checked out our little baby from head to toe and all looked good! We closed our eyes as she checked out the area down below and went on with our apt.

When we left the doctors office, we headed over to my new friend, Brooke’s, house to give her the info. She then called the bakery where I had ordered a birthday cake for Dave to tell them whether to fill the inside of the cake with pink or blue!!

We even got a babysitter so Lance, Lauren, Dave, and myself could go out to celebrate his birthday!! We went to Flip Burger, which if you’ve never heard of before, is AMAZING!!! It’s a fancy little gourmet burger joint that overlooks the mountains that surround Birmingham, with a part of the city in the valley below. It’s such a beautiful view and some of the best food I’ve ever had!!! They also have THE most delicious milkshakes EVER!!!

Lance decided a picture of the food was a must! We got 4 completely different burgers and cut them in fourths so we could try more of a variety. SO GOOD!!! I think it has become the “go to” place for all visitors! We even took Dave’s dad there when he came to visit earlier this month.

After dinner, I pulled the cake out to tell Dave about the big reveal. Up until this point, he wasn’t quite sure how I was pulling off telling him the gender.

Dave did the honors and cut a piece out… and the inside was…

BLUE!!!!

We spent the next few minutes talking about WHAT we were going to do with a boy! We are so excited to change things up a bit, but definitely feel a little nervous about it at the same time. The more I think about having a boy though, the more God reminds me about the little warrior He has given us and the BIG plans He has for him! I’m SO excited about that!

Saturday morning we headed off to the Farmer’s Market. We have an AMAZING Saturday Farmer’s Market here. Also a key place to take incoming visitors! ha! Cori and I get some delicious homemade popsicles every time we go and we enjoy the live music and food samples. They also have some BEAUTIFUL wildflowers for sale too!

We picked up Jamie from the airport, had a quick stop at the Vulcan, and then ate lunch at Dreamland BBQ – a famous BBQ spot here in Birmingham, known for their ribs. It was delicious!

Everyone came to church with us on Sunday morning. Later that afternoon, we headed back up to church for something Dave had been looking forward to for a while now. When Dave first got saved, he really didn’t think all too much about baptism. It’s something our parents did when we were babies right? Well, sort of, yes, but no. Depends on what church you were raised in, but the bible says that baby baptism is really a dedication for the parents and family to raise a baby up to know the Lord. Getting baptized should be something a person chooses for themselves, much like Jesus chose to be baptized when he was 30 before he started his ministry. Jesus was 30. Dave was 30. Just one more reason he was so excited! :)

Our church does water baptism on the first Sunday of every month. It’s a full-fledged, get dunked in the tub type of thing. There were 30 people there that day making the choice to get baptized. So cool. Dave was the last one in line. Cori watched in anticipation for her daddy’s turn. She was just amazed by the whole experience and clapped so proudly for every person as they made a public claim to follow the Lord. She is such a precious little girl with a beautiful heart. I just adore her!

Finally, it was Dave’s turn. Let’s tell the story in pictures…

I am so incredibly proud of my husband. I love that he loves the Lord. I trust him to lead our family because I know he is a man who seeks the Lord in all he does. I am so blessed to be married to him. I am so proud of the legacy he is leaving for our children. Cori talks about her daddy getting baptized all the time. Just the other night I was tucking her into bed when she said, “Mommy, I get baptized like daddy when I get bigger. Daddy loves Jesus. I love Jesus too.” Those are words that melt a mama’s heart. I know that she is 2 and that she doesn’t really understand what her daddy did, but I just love the pure faith of a child. And, I pray everyday that she will be a woman of God’s great influence one day.

We couldn’t have had a better weekend and we are so thankful for the visitors we had to celebrate Dave’s birthday with. What a wonderful time of rest, fun, and reverence.

Cheers to being 30, honey! I LOVE you!!

“Come to Me”

2012-09-14T16:14:00.001-05:00

I had a rough day on Monday. Just felt stressed, overwhelmed, like I had too many things to do and just not enough time in the day to do them and meet everyone’s needs in my household. It was just a rough day. Ya know, the kind where all you want to do is just cry. And, truly, you don’t know “exactly” why. But then again, that’s part of womanhood! Oh, the joys of being a girl.

Fortunately, Dave and I happen to be part of an AMAZING church here in Birmingham. One that is just alive and on fire for Christ. We started a LIFE Group (Living in Freedom Everyday) 2 weeks ago and it’s just incredible. It’s a 13 week bible study written by Church of the Highlands and it has truly strengthened my faith in just the 2 weeks we’ve been a part of it.

The group is split guys/girls. All the wives meet at one of the leader’s houses and the husbands meet in another house in a neighborhood across the street. I love the opportunity to meet with a group of women and to be doing the same study as Dave so we can talk about it together as well. What great conversation we have had!

The girls start group every week with a worship song. It just really sets the tone for the night and helps to get us prepared to hear a word. I absolutely love it! This past Tuesday we started with this song called, “Come to Me” by Bethel. I had not heard of Bethel before, but the song just touched me in so many ways. Especially after having a really tough Monday, it was just what I needed to get my week refocused on the Lord. I have put the words below as well as the link to the youtube video. I really encourage you to spend a few minutes listening and reading the lyrics. Imagine God is speaking directly to you in the words below. What life it brings! It has been on repeat in our house since Tuesday night. Cori is even learning the words.

I can’t imagine going through this life without Jesus. So thankful for Him. Praying this speaks volumes to you! Happy Friday!

I am the Lord your God, I go before you now.
I stand beside you and I’m all around you
And though you feel I’m far away
I’m closer than your breath
I am with you, More than you know

I am the Lord your peace
No evil will conquer you
Steady now your heart and mind
Come into my rest
And oh, let your faith arise
And lift up your weary head
I am with you, Wherever you go

Come to me, I’m all you need
Come to me, I’m everything
Come to me, I’m all you need
Come to me, I’m your everything

I am your anchor, in the wind and the waves
And I am your steadfast, so don’t be afraid
Though your heart and flesh may fail you
I’m your faithful strength
And I am with you, Wherever you go

Come to me, I’m all you need
Come to me, I’m your everything
Come to me, I’m all you need
Come to me, I’m your everything

Don’t look to the right or to the left, keep your eyes on me
You will not be shaken, you will not be moved

I am the hand to hold, I am the truth, I am the way
Just come to me, come to me
Cause I’m all that you need

“Come to Me” by Bethel Music