Happy Thanksgiving

We are enjoying our week off for Thanksgiving. Today I took the kids to take some pictures for Christmas cards. It is so much fun to spend time with the kids. Most of the time they were telling me what pictures that they wanted to do. Here is a small sample of the pictures we took!

Sarah and Emily showing off their beautiful smiles!

William being his "normal" self!

Happy Thanksgiving from Paul, Jodena, Sarah, Emily & William

Happy Birthday Granny Mary

Today is my Granny Mary's 80th birthday. Some of you know that my Granny was diagnosed with Alzheimer's several years ago. Paul, the kids and I visited her a few weeks ago. While we were there, she looked at me with eyes that were searching for recognition of who we were. I looked at her and memories of the last 40 years that I have spent with her flooded my mind. Since there are more days that not that she doesn't remember anything, I wanted to share some of my memories that I have of her to honor her on this special day.

Loving Hands- Granny always loved to sew. I remember how I couldn't wait to receive a package in the mail. Whether it was a shirt, shorts or a dress, the articles of clothing were made for me with such loving hands. I can still remember one of my favorites - a pink and white checkered dress. I wore that dress on my first plane ride to Indiana to spend my first summer with Granny and Pa.

Cooking - Next to my mom, Granny was the best cook in the world. I loved to spend time with her in the kitchen. I remember cooking, baking and canning with her in the kitchen. I remember the cherry pies, canning pickles, and so much more. I also remember calling her as an adult about a recipe and she would tell me it over the phone. Then in a few days I would receive a handwritten copy of the recipe in the mail. Oh how I treasure those recipes that I have in my favorite cookbook that were handwritten by her.

Mail - Granny was always sending mail. She had a card organizer and she would send cards for your birthday or anniversary. Also, I received many letters during my college days. Being away at college, I was always excited to get that little note from her in my mailbox.

Movies/Shopping - Granny would take us to the movies at Castleton Square. We saw "Apple Dumpling Gang", "Benji" , "Herbie" and "Grease" just to name a few. She would also take us shopping. I remember how Regina and I would run just to keep up with her.

Friends - Granny was always a loyal friend. I remember a few of her special friends and how she spent time with them and how they would sit, visit and minister to each other. And NO ONE could ever forget Emma Martin's wonderful homemade apple pie.

Faith - On the strongest memories I have is how Granny served the Lord inside the church. She taught children and women, sang in the choir and ministered to the members of their church. I remember being in her classes as a young child all the way to her subbing in her ladies class just a few years ago. There are so many times that I hear a hymn in church or on the radio that reminds me of her singing that song during the service or around the house. There is a song that we sing sometimes in church that has the phrase in it "May those who come behind us Find us faithful". Looking back on Granny's life, I truly believe that Granny is one of the most faithful people that I know.

Happy Birthday Granny. You have truly been a woman that I admire and along with my mom - you are my hero.

Summer is Over - Here is some of the things we did!

Fiesta Texas & Six Flags/Cowboy Stadium
We began our summer by going to Fiesta Texas in San Antonio. We bought season passes so we went another time to Fiesta and then once to Six Flags in Arlington. And of course since we were in Arlington, we HAD to go and check out the cowboy stadium. Here are some pictures of our adventure.

Hillcrest Summer Camp

For 3 days in June, Hillcrest had its annual summer basketball/cheerleading bible camp. Paul, Sarah, Emily & I worked and William was playing basketball. We had 150 campers plus 50+ workers. We had a great time and can't wait until next June.

July 4th

On July 4th we traveled up to Henrietta and went to the lake with my family and celebrated Independence Day. The boat was broken so we didn't get to go out on the lake, but the dads played aqua catch all day long. It was great to see some of my cousins and their families. Rebecca and her family had come in from Poland a few days earlier to begin their furlough from the mission board. Jay and his family came in from Missouri. Hannah and her family were up from Houston. Aunt Lynne, Angie and McKenna were down from Indiana. Good time was had by all.

Celebrations

In June we celebrated Sarah and Emily's birthdays. In July, we celebrated Paul, Amy, Shirley and Melinda's birthdays. In August, we celebrated the wedding of Jamie & TJ where Paul had the privilege of singing.

Happy Birthday Emily!

It is hard to believe that my little girl is 12 today. Emily is our sweet little princess. Happy Birthday Emmy! We love you.

Happy Birthday Sarah

Today we are celebrating our eldest child's birthday. It is hard to believe that 14 years have come and gone. Sometimes I still think that she should be 4 and in preschool NOT headed off to High School.

Sarah is just a blessing to us each day. I still remember the moment they put that baby girl (all 9 pounds) into my arms and we went from being a couple to a family.We looked down into that sweet face and saw how she favored her dad. Well, 14 years later and she still favors her dad in her features. However, as she grows, she has more of my mannerisms. Sarah loves to read, sing, play basketball, and spend time with her friends.

Happy Birthday my sweet Sarah Rose!

Oh the thinks you can think!

Well we have two rehearsals down and two more to go until Opening Night of "Seussical Musical". The kids are doing a fabulous job. They definately have Paul's talent. If you would like to come and see one of their shows - you can buy tickets at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/59868

Come and see Sarah as the SOUR Kangeroo, William as JoJo Who, and Emily as Artist Who!

Update Finally

OK - It has been a LONG time since I updated. The last few months have been a little chaotic. We ran the Hillcrest Hoops Basketball program every Friday and Saturday from January - March. Emily played her last season with Hillcrest Hoops. She is awesome on defense. She doesn't care how small she is, she gets in there and steals the ball. William played his first season with Hoops. Hoops is for 5th and 6th graders, however, we allow some 4th graders to play up. Will got to play up and he did a great job. He didn't care that he was the smallest kid on the court. In his mind he is 5 foot 3 inches NOT 4 foot 5 inches or so.

Sarah was also playing basketball for the 8th grade B team. So every Monday night, we were cheering for the Canyon Ridge Lady Eagles. Her team ended their season UNDEFEATED for the 2nd year and won district again. GO LADY EAGLES!!!

When basketball ended, we had Spring Break. We worked around the house. We did spend a couple of days doing some fun activities. One day, we headed out to Sweetberry Farms and picked strawberries. After the farm we headed to the Bluebonnet Cafe for a brunch. We have been making this trip for the last six years. We have a great time and can't wait until May for the blackberries to be ready to pick.

Sweetberry Farms in Marble Falls

Bluebonnet Cafe

For the last few weeks we have been busy with school and extra curricular activities. William is playing flag football. AND we only have 3 more weekends of play practice left until the kids BIG show. On Mother's Day weekend, the kids will be performing 4 shows of "Seussical Musical". It is hard to believe that there is only 8 weeks left of school. I really can't believe that in 8 weeks I will have a 14 year old who will be in HIGH SCHOOL. The kids seem to grow up more every day.

COMING UP NEXT: Getting to meet a couple of great football players. ( I promise it won't be 3 months until I post again!)

Baby Charlie

Charles James Miller arrived late on Monday night. Thursday night I got to hold this sweet bundle of joy. Congratulations Debbie and Andrew. Charlie is adorable.

Christmas Week

Here is an update on what the Smith's have been doing since our holiday began.

Fiesta Texas - Sunday 12/21
The Bells of Joy and the HBC Adult Choir went and played and sang at "Holiday in the Park" at Fiesta Texas in San Antonio. As you can tell by our attire, we did this on the COLDEST night in Texas!

Christmas Eve & Day

We went to the Christmas Eve service after we had our annual Christmas Eve chicken fajita meal. We came home and everyone got to open 1 gift - new pajamas! Christmas morning began at 6:00 am. The kids love opening their gifts and seeing what Santa left them. One of the favorite gifts was their new bikes.

Smith Family Christmas

We went to Denton for a few days. We got to visit with Frank and Lynn (my in-laws). Kirk (Paul's brother) and Alexis (our niece) came over for gifts and dinner. FORGOT to pull out the camera for pictures. The kids had a great time playing with Alexis.

Anthony Family Christmas

On our way to Henrietta, we stopped and visited with Uncle Woodrow. We had lunch at the DQ and a great visit. In Henrietta, we took a family picture at the Courthouse and then headed over to Pa Bill's for Christmas.

For dinner, we met Jerry and Carolyn (my dad's cousin), Jaycee and Cal (their grandkids) at CiCi's. Next we headed to Midwestern State University's "Fantasy of Lights". This has become a traditon of the kids and they love getting together with the Cantwells.

After a morning of shopping for the girls and shooting lessons for Will (YES - he got a BB gun and needed to practice SO "he wouldn't shoot his eye out!), we headed out to Jerry & Carolyn's for the kids to play and to see their new house.

Happy Birthday Pa Bill

On the 29th Pa Bill celebrated his 83rd birthday. After the afternoon in the country, we headed back to town to celebrate. Pa had cooked his famous delicious ham and we had all kinds of goodies. Sue, Jerry, and Regina were able to make it to the party. We were even able to bring Granny down for dinner.

Like Great-grandfather, Like Son

William is compared many times to his dad (no BIG surprise there), his grandpa, and his poppy. BUT he is also compared to Pa Bill whose name he bears. On our last morning, I couldn't find William and looked out the window to see Will and Pa Bill outside kicking the football. What a wonderful site. We are so grateful that Will has 4 men that he can learn so many things from.

The Braces are off!

Friday was a BIG day in the Smith family. It was the last day of school before the holiday break began. Most importantly, Sarah got her braces off. She has been counting down the days since her November appointment and now is sporting a beautiful non-braces smile.

Our "Charlie Brown Christmas Tree"

On Friday afternoon, we headed out to the lake to see my aunt and uncle's lakehouse. Everyone decided that it would be fun to have the kids decorate a tree outside. So with some decorations and lots of creativity, we decorated our "Charlie Brown" tree. We had a great time!!!

Emily got a lift from Rob (Hannah's husband) to put the garland at the top of the tree.

Pa Bill (the oldest) and McKenna (the youngest) at the tree trimming. They both had a great time.

What beautiful girls we have. Aubrey, Emily, McKenna, and Sarah are growing up on us. My, how time flies!

Happy Thanksgiving

For the last 50 or so years, my grandfather's side of the family has a family reunion on Thanksgiving. In 40 years, I have only missed 1 year (due to having a newborn the week before). Having a Thanksgiving meal with all my relatives is a highlight of my year. The above picture is just OUR family. We were the hosts this year and we had about 110 people come to dinner.

Happy Birthday, Son!

It is hard to believe but my baby boy turned 10 today. It seems like it was only yesterday that he was little, running around the house with a blanket tied like a cape so he could be a super hero. As I reflect back on the last ten years of his life, I remember all the questions, songs, games, and time that we have spent together. I was always a little nervous about having a son. I didn't know much about raising a son or what do little boys like to play. However, I wouldn't change it for anything. He is priceless (as well as his sisters are). Here is a look back at some of my favorite pictures of my boy - beginning with a picture I took in the hospital when he was 24 hours old, his first haircut, through the years, and ending with all three of my beautiful kids.