Last days as Iowans...

Our last days as Iowans went by so quickly.  Knowing we were most likely going to make this move in March it seemed like this day was so far away.  We quickly realized it was approaching very soon...we had so much we had to think about besides the things in Georgia like a house to live in, good schools for the kids, utilities, cable, insurance for the cars...just the little things you haven't had to think about changing for quite some time.  Besides all the changes down south we were still tying up loose ends in Iowa and mainly for the kids.  Like:

 

There was the last day of school!  I think this was harder for me than the kids.  Mainly because I went to Denver so I just thought it would be normal for my kids to go there too.  Ava's friends were too young to try and comprehend that she wouldn't be back in the fall.  At their age, most of them don't see each other during the summers anyway, so I don't think it will hit them until they get to school and don't see her there.

 

 

 

 

Isaiah's classmates were different.  His close "guy" friends totally got it.  His friend Stratton (in the Texas hat) asked me if Isaiah really had to move to Georgia, and one of his closest friends Kyler (to the right of Isaiah) asked me if we were just pulling a prank on him.  It's so different now.  When we were young (as if I am old now) there was no texting, Instagram or any other app that helped kids stay in touch.  They had to actually pick up a phone and call or actually write a letter (gasp!).  I know that Isaiah will stay in touch with his friends for a while...some of them will fade with time, while others he will continue a strong bond and that makes me happy!

 

 

Then we had to finish the soccer season for Isaiah.  That was the last part for us before we could leave.  Isaiah met so many new friends playing this year in Cedar Falls/Waterloo league.  These two below had a bond right away.  It's funny how that happens.  They don't see each other constantly but when they do, they pick up right where they left off.  You can't tell at all that they like each other :).  Daniel's parents are amazing and are a wonderful family who we will miss (and his dad was our doctor so we will miss them in more ways than one haha).

We got a chance to play with the Piehl clan one last time.  Isaiah was sick so he sat this one out and Ellie was too comfy in her carseat and it was too cool to take her out...so we got most of them here and all looking and even smiling (well most of them)

 Finally it was time for family...and it was gorgeous out.  Isaiah keeps sizing himself up to everyone in the family.  He has my grandma Knudson down...now onto Aunt Corrie :)

 I love this picture of all the kids...Finn is just the happiest little guy!!

So...that is our last few days in Iowa...next time...onto Georgia...to be continued!!!

Ok so it is now May of 2013…over a YEAR since I have updated this blog. It has been a crazy year and hope this next year and going forward I can be better at updating the blog. I had these high hopes I would do it at least monthly…pfft…yea right.


I figured now was as good as time as any to update the blog…because we are MOVING TO GEORGIA as if some of you haven’t heard already!!!! I have some apprehension as any move would cause but also a lot of excitement. Especially after this winter and the cold weather we were still having in April and May. No more snow blower, no more freezing winters where I feel I have frostbite immediately, bulky coats, snow pants, boots, cold winds that takes your breath away, etc. I would feel a little bad about being excited about this but neither of my two older kids like playing in the snow really so they are with Tim and I on the weather.

The kids are all different in regards to the move. Tre…the adorable little man doesn’t have a clue what is going on, which is wonderful. Ava…she is excited, she talks about driving to the beach, playing outside, and can she still play soccer in Georgia…that’s my girl! Isaiah…the one I wondered about the most. He is older and has definitely found his niche with his friends and sports at school. I know there will be boys playing what he plays now, and that soccer, football, and basketball still exist in Georgia. But they aren’t familiar, however they will one day become familiar and Denver will become somewhat foreign (makes me sad to think about). Did I have the idea that my kids would graduate from mom’s school, that possibly their names would end up on the record board like mom somewhere for sports, that grandma and grandpa would always be ½ mile away? Absolutely…but such is life! I will miss my parents tremendously…no doubt about it and no secret that I am extremely close to them. We live ½ mile away and I still call one of them if not both every day (don’t judge me). On nights where the kids need to get out of the house, we walk to their house and hang out in their backyard or invade their home and you better believe we are always welcomed with a smile and snacks from Oma and some big kid (may possibly be named John) ready to play too.

I try not to think about too much about the things that make me sad about the move as there are just a couple items and the positives we will get out of the move make them seem smaller. But here are some which I think anyone would have; I think of the kids last day and telling their friends good bye and realize it probably hurts mom more than it does the kids. I think about missing family functions that I have taken for granted, or the fact that on the holidays if it is not in the rotation for my brother and his family and we aren’t there either…that my parents are alone (go away lump in throat!). I watched Isaiah play basketball with two of his best friends at UNI…they whooped up on another team and I thought to myself “these guys are going to be good as they get older” and it hit me…THIS IS THE LAST TIME THEY PLAY TOGETHER…there was that lump again. Taking Isaiah’s picture with these two buddies after their game…he was upset they lost and the picture said it all, his friends were consoling their friend…I looked at my friend and both of our eyes watered. I now think about getting through soccer with both Isaiah and Ava and their “lasts” for Denver altogether. For Tre, I think of his wonderful daycare and some of his favorite people there, Yvette (his second mom), “Emmy” (who is really Emily), and Jennifer who was one of his favorites from the start, and his little girlfriend Emersyn he has loved since the day he laid eyes on her sweet little face …he really does have good taste in women. A lot of these people were also like family to us in different ways. These are all memories that are GOOD and that is why it makes it sad to leave…but...now with the GREAT.

Georgia gives us a chance to work together as family, spend more time together and learn to count on each other more than ever. The opportunity to meet new friends, see new things, do things we can’t do in Denver or Iowa for that matter. Isaiah is looking forward to going to Braves games (so is his mom!), really any sporting event only being 2 hours from Atlanta.  He has tried to figure out how some of his favorite teams would ever plan Atlanta teams so we could still catch them...he is really going to miss seeing the Packers on tv though... but that is what matters to him right now, that we are close to sports that he can see in a day trip. He wants to be sure he can play on a football team, basketball team, soccer team. Ava again asked if she could still play soccer in Georgia, she asks about if there are parks close by our house (and thankfully there is), can she go to the pool (YES!), and thinks about what her new room is going to look like at the new house. Tre, well that little man is going to grow up in Georgia really so I look forward to seeing how that shapes him versus Isaiah and Ava. I look back to when Isaiah was young, he spent from age 9 months to 2 ½ in Texas. He had a little bit of a drawl on some things; the words brown, hands, and daddy as examples…and it was adorable. So I believe that will happen a little with Tre too.
I think, my goodness how many of my friends have moved away, have children and I am pretty sure are surviving…quite a few!  I know that in a perfect world that it would be better if we could all just be together in one place…but I have also learned in my life time that the world is far from perfect. Here is something else I know and no one can tell me any different (go ahead and try it won’t work) and I am going to bring up God so if you don’t like hearing my views on what He has done for me you better close out now, but if you love God as much as I do, continue to read with goosebumps, tears, and joyful smiles at the same time. My life was not always surrounded with God the way it is now. I went to church, went through all the classes at church so I could receive communion, memorized Bible verses, etc. Do not get me wrong these are all important things. I have watched people I know with lives that are far from perfect try to be these awesome Christians just because they sit in church on Sunday…I have found it doesn’t work that way…hey don’t judge me just because it took 32 years to come to this realization.  Here is what I know, God has a plan for me, Tim, my children, and you that reads this extremely long and drawn out blog posting. Some stuff you are going to hate, and you will wonder why, cry, get mad but there is also lots of joy. I have found that instead of me trying to fix all my own problems and my worries it is just easier to say, “ok, I am sorry God that I am trying to do it myself, I know you’ve got this for me”. There is a sense of relief when you do so, if you haven’t tried it do it now. I have done this a lot, and doesn’t mean I don’t still try to fix my own problems but I have found for the things I cannot control I have to let God take it for me. This move to Georgia brings a lot of uncertainties and times of being uncomfortable in different ways as we try to find our Smith family way through Evans, GA. However, I know that it brings us closer to Him as well because as we learn to depend on each other because we don’t have a friend who can bail us out for something or us to bail them out when needed…I am sure that will come though, or a mom and dad that are a phone call/bike ride/walk/run/car ride away. A lot of these things will come back as we meet new friends, my parents visits will be a couple times a year vs any time I want…but God has a plan for all of us and right now I feel the plan is to move to Georgia and start our Smith family life there.



God is good to me and my family…He has taught me a lot personally about patience, timing, and love. I hope that each day I learn even more as we make this walk with Him down south 16 hours. I hope that last sentence did not deter anyone from wanting to come visit…I am sure it is just a breeze of a trip, haha. Think of us often as we make this adventure as a family as we will think of yours and you will always have a place to go next winter “y’all”



**sorry about no pictures (other than the one above that will become the picture for our new home) and just a lot of blabbing…I will have updated pictures as we make our journey to Georgia!**

One Year!!! Already!!!

I can't believe this little ham is already one! This year has gone by so fast...I sat in the glider rocker the "eve" of him turning one staring at his sleepy, half open eyes, snoring with a pacifier hanging out of his mouth, laughing in his sleep... thinking about a year before Tim and I were on our way to the hospital in hopes of seeing him, even though 2 1/2 weeks early. To think that getting to the hospital and less than 3 hours later he arrived is crazy...I wasn't convinced that night was the night, but for the third time Tim was, and he was right (again). Tre has been such a joy to us to have around as you can see in the pictures!!

Love his baby blues that hopefully will stay blue, because they melt me every time with this sweet face!

Opening presents is a blast...eating cake too!!

Love these cheeks...still drooping! He was 29 pounds and 32 inches at his 12 month check up. Slightly shorter than Isaiah but heavier...and bigger than his big sister (thank goodness!).

Trejan James Smith...words cannot express the love we all have for you "chubby button sea turtle, bubba, little Tre Man, chubbo". You are such a wonderful, funny, handsome, sweet little man. I still even at the end of this blog cannot believe that one year has gone by already. It seemed to just fly by, as I was going through all of his newborn clothes I can almost still see him fitting in them, the smell of dreft on the sleepers, finding the newborn MAM pacifiers I am pretty sure he could swallow whole now if he tried, and his University of Texas swaddler he came home in...the sleepless nights, teething, scary breathing issues he had early will all just be a distant memory, but ones that I hope I never forget...we thank God for you every day buddy!!

A little bit of well...I guess you could call it thoughts!

Have you ever sat back and looked at your life and been completely amazed by what God already had planned for you? And you think about the things that you wish you could change or do differently but know if you did it wouldn't have led you to where you are now? I had these thoughts as I was rocking Tre to sleep last night. This is a monster post and I don't do these often...sorry!

I thought first about meeting Tim. When I met Tim I had it in my mind that summer that I was going to have a summer with my "girl" friends only, no more boyfriends. Man that was the best mindframe that God could have planted in me during that time. When I met Tim I knew he was quite possibly the nicest man I had ever met so we started as friends with ties to basketball at UNI and knowing we would be seeing a lot of each other! It didn't take long (at all) before I knew that friend was not going to cut it. Fast forward to less than a year later and we were married!

Then you think a few months later we had the most amazing gift ever...Isaiah John. I couldn't imagine my life with out that little man. He is sensitive, smart, athletic...just so easy going (that would be more like Tim!). He grew up in between Iowa and Texas learning things like saying ya'll at 2 years old and had quite the accent with words like daddy, hands, and my favorite when he said the color brown.

Then there was Ava a few years later. I thank God that he makes kids different and boy was Ava different than Isaiah. She is spunky, doesn't sit still for anything, a little mischievious, but also so cute and funny you can't stay mad long. Even though she can be a little stinker she is still very caring when the time is right for it, and she knows her timing.

After having Isaiah who had fever seizures as a baby and Ava was hospitalized early on for pneumonia/influenza and both having surgery for tubes Tim was pretty sure we were done...that was enough for him. We were blessed with two healthy kiddos that were happy, full of life and just well...wonderful! But then Ava got easier as she got older and Isaiah was getting older that he was such a help with everything that I think I was able to twist his arm a little :) and we have little "Tre man, chubby button sea turtle, buddy, bubbah". When you have two kids and opposite sex you chalk a lot of things up to being part of being a boy or being a girl. Then you have a third child and he is such a combo of Isaiah and Ava. Tre is like Ava that he laughs easily, constantly is moving and knows when he wants to go to bed. However, he is like Isaiah that he is sensitive, cuddly, but also a little more reserved with strangers and picks and chooses who he wants to relate to.

And this is where I ended up last night while rocking Tre with tears in my eyes...that had I not been in the mindset that I was only going to be with friends that summer of 2000 and not even think about dating I wouldn't be where I am now...which leads me to think what I think many, many times..."maybe God does know what He is doing". I tell God many times thank you and sorry I don't trust Him enough...probably more than He wants to hear, but I know He loves me anyway!!

There...I hope that I can promise that is my last sentimental post (for January anyway!) :)

9 months here and gone!!

Tre has grown so fast...time is just flying by. I cannot believe he will be one already in 2 short months!! I try and think back to what Isaiah and Ava were like at 9 months. So I pulled out the old photos and their baby books.

A few stats:

When Isaiah was 9 months old we lived in San Marcos, TX. Tim and I were both in school, he was finishing his student teaching in San Antonio and I was a grad assistant at Texas State for Athletic Training...it seems so long ago! Isaiah had no interest in walking, just wanted to hang out with Tim and I wherever we were going. He was 29 3/4 inches and 24 pounds 8 ounces. We thought he was such a big boy!!

At nine months for Miss Ava: we had moved back to Iowa and were living in Cedar Falls. Tim was lucky enough to get a job with Progressive so we could move back home and we had moved into our home in Cedar Falls. She was a busy, busy little gal...where Isaiah was good with just sitting and watching Ava had to be right in what you were doing and make sure you knew she was around! She was 29 inches and 22 pounds at 9 months.

Our little Tre man at nine months...he is a great combo of both kids and their looks and personalities. He is busy like Ava and really manhandles things, his toys, his food, and us! He is laid back and sensitive like Isaiah though he doesn't like the kids fighting or when they cry (which usually follows the fighting :) ). Luckily this doesn't happen often! He is such a good baby and loves each one of us in the house and takes turns having his favorite. He does a little bounce while sitting when he "dances", waves good bye and night night, and loves to listen to himself laugh. At 9 months he is our biggest kid...and boy is he ever! 30 3/4 inches and a whopping 25 pounds 13 ounces!

We love the kids for how different they are and as I rock Tre to sleep every night I think of how much God has blessed Tim and I!! Couldn't imagine life without these precious gifts!!

Wow...Christmas over already??

My favorite Christmas morning picture, they are so excited!!!

My favorite picture of the kids on Christmas Eve...now for more of my favorites, there are too many!!

Christmas came and went so fast this year! I remember being excited when 104.5 started playing Christmas music all day...yes I am a dork and yes you better believe I had it on EVERY time I got in the car!! I also cannot believe that we were outside taking pictures this year on Christmas Eve and were not freezing!!

The Knudson Family Photo!

Tim was prepping for our family shot, I loved all the things going on in this picture, especially my dad's face as he is talking to Ava!

I can't even imagine a family photo without Tre now, I think our family of five looks perfect!!

Kyle, Corrie, and princess Maija...usually she is "posing", I love her!

Uncle Ron with Isaiah and Ava...

The years that Maija is here my mom buys them Christmas pjs, the girls love having matching ones! One day, Isaiah will say "no more" I am sure but until then...

Don't worry Tre, soon you will learn how to join in too!

My grandma Knudson strongly dislikes having her picture taken so Tim had to sneak this one in!

Tre's first present on Christmas Eve...

He was losing steam quickly...

Ava was so excited for her Barbie guitar!

Isaiah's Packers personalized sweatshirt from Santa!

A "Monster" Post

We made our trip this year like every other to the pumpkin farm by Ames, IA. This year we brought the Curtis clan with us and the kids had a GREAT time!!

This was Tre's first year to go down the slide...

pet the horses with mom...

and feed the goats with dad!

Ava still has her favorite, the corn pool!!

Posing with her apple cider slush...YUM!!

HUGE concentration down the slide!

We have pictures of every year with Isaiah on these tractors....

I think he may have outgrown them now!

His face is more excitement than Ava's!!

Kids posing on the hay, an every year pose!

Next up, carving the huge pumpkin!

We thought we would put Tre inside the pumpkin, however, his chubby legs didn't quite fit through the hole comfortable and the inside of the pumpkin was freezing!!

Trick or treating this year was fun because it wasn't too cold, but was busy!!

I just love everything going on in this picture. Matthew talking to little brother Cole...Isaiah trying to hold Tre steady while Ava is giving him some loving!

Batman (Matthew) and Batgirl (Ava)

Tre wasn't so sure about it this year

This really is kind of a scary mask...Isaiah tried many times to scare me in the house!

Our happy boy!!