A little bit of everything

Life is about to get chaotic for us in just a few short days. Since Zoe was only born a little over a year ago I remember the newborn stage pretty clearly. This past week I've been waffling between wanting this child out of me already and then panicking at the thought of caring for two babies! Or so badly wanting to see this new little girl and then desperately wanting to soak up this time with just Zoe. So we're waffling -- A LOT! 

Here are some snap shots of life in the Jeff as of late ...

My very best friend and her husband (he's not too bad either) came to visit for an over night. I never even dreamed of how much the connection between my kiddo and these friends would mean to me.

We took a trip to St. Louis to see friends and introduce the newly exploring Zoe to some of our favorite places. She absolutely loved the zoo. 

The new book I'm reading -- it's fascinating!

The end of every day consists of some sort of treat -- I'm fully taking advantage of the whole "I'm 39 weeks pregnant" card. This particular one was photographed for my sonic loving friend back up north.

The Zo-ster has some new kicks that I love. She knows just where her shoes are and constantly asks to put them on and go outside. It's been a fun new stage of life!

We do a lot of "exploring" the driveway. She's got a weird thing with grass right now which is kind of a pain and really nice at the same time because she doesn't dare step foot off the driveway. 

While we were in St. Louis a sweet seminary wife took some pictures for us. Us Smiths are a little like animals in the winter -- we gather some extra pudge :)

This girl continues to grow! As soon as I get a decent amount of clothes in one size, she's moving into the next within a few weeks. We just bought her a new rash guard for Summer Conference since this one is far from covering her anymore. 

Our students only have 4 weeks left of class! I can't believe how quickly this year has gone by! 

We're still house hunting ... it's a slow, slow process in a tiny town that doesn't see much turn around. Literally there is not a house for us to even look at right now. 

Funny story: we've had our eye on a house that we loved, but weren't quite ready to pull the trigger on. After 3 months of considering we finally were prepared to make an offer. This house had been on the market for 200 days without a single offer! That morning, as we handed our letter of why these people should pick us to buy their house, our real estate agent told us another couple made an offer that morning way higher than we could ever offer. We were crushed -- I cried and probably threw a fit that rivals my 1 year old. Fast forward a week and Cam and I are sitting in the local coffee shop eating lunch. In walks a cute couple with a kid Zoe's age!! (When this happens in Jeff City you don't hesitate, you make friends) After a few minutes of talking to them we find out this couple is the one who made an offer on our beloved house. So now, once I can get over myself we'll be friends, but isn't that just a smack in the face! Really, what are the chances?

Cam's ordination service is quickly approaching and will be followed by Summer Conference. Hopefully I'll get someone to either take pictures or hold my children while I do! We've got a busy summer coming up, but I'm embracing it with open arms!

Team Smith turns 4

Four years my love...

- 4 moves

- 5 states

- 6 "homes"

- 3 years of seminary

- sweet friends becoming Christians

- 1 year of remodeling and Chick fil A

- 1 year of RUF

- 2 years of counseling

- 3 babies

- 1 child in heaven

- 1 baptism

- 3 church  memberships

- Countless road trips

- Treats to last a life time

- 1 trip to disney

- 4 years of birthdays

- tons of date nights

- Numerous arguments and I'm sorries

- hundreds of diapers changed

- thousands of hours of sleep lost

- millions of cups of coffee

- Friends scattered across the country

- And a fight for each other and Team Smith that continues to grow

You're the clearest picture of God's never stopping, never giving up,  unconditional love in my life, and daily I'm humbled by this gift of marriage. Thanks for continually choosing me to start for your team. I married up indeed!

So much snow

Today was our millionth snow day... only kidding it's been a week. And I just got word that they canceled school tomorrow too! Living in PA with snow was bad, because it always came with seriously low temps. Living here with snow feels worse because you know there's a possibility of getting out, but the South refuses to buy equipment to clean the streets. 

So today after my long and dramatic rant of how I feel caged in and am about to lose my mind, Cam decided to take some time and play outside with us. We piled on clothes and set Zoe's feet on the ground only for her to start sobbing. So with 6 more weeks until this next little girl comes and I no longer have options, I held her the rest of the time. 

She was a trooper and the outside air felt so so good. The thing that kept her most entertained was the dog next door. She's obsessed with dogs -- why I have no idea, but she loves them!

These two have a pretty special bond. I'm glad because when baby girl #2 comes they will be spending LOTS of time together. Zoe is convinced her dad hung the moon or made dogs... whichever is more exciting in her sweet one year old mind.

Her other latest obsession, balls. Ball is the clearest and possibly the only real word she says. In the morning as she starts chattering in her crib, she very clearly starts asking for her ball. All that to say, the mini snow ball was a huge success!

This kind of happiness only comes from Zoe spotting Cam ... and finally being taken inside. She's a riot and a joy. My hands are full and my heart is fuller. Now sunshine and warm temps please come back ... or a plow truck. I'd take either at this point :)

Small Victories

How does it feel like there is NOTHING to do and at the same time like you're being pulled in a million directions? Three words really... winter, sickness, and kiddos.

It's so stinking cold here and from what I hear from friends in PA and MN, I have nothing to complain about. That being said, I've bundled Z and myself three days in a row only to walk up our street and back to the house. The little love is sick and fresh air does her good -- me, I just need to be outside to keep the crazies at bay. 

With Cam studying for exams and prepping for another semester, Z and I are trying to make everyday inside another adventure. What that really looks like is a whole lot of crawling around the house looking for things to explore. This cabinet with sauces and vinegars has been a favorite. 

Our cautious little miss has been standing in the middle of the room more and more these days. It's hard to tell with her whether walking is right around the corner or if we've got a couple more months. She's pretty satisfied with the skills she has in her tool belt, and we continue to be amazed as she drinks from her own cup and bobs those little legs to music. 

The mundane can become glorious when you don't expect a thrilling, new type of something to entertain. Moments like this where we sneak dad away from studying to walk around the block. Or this morning, when I whined and complained because the expected outing of church was canceled due to sickness, and I walked into the living room to see my two loves dancing. 

This week, month, and maybe even year I am titling "Counting the Small Victories". Hopefully my blog will show the small joys of this season in life.

Zoe in a year

Today's the day! The day our sweet little girl of life turns 1.

I'm reading a book right now about how children raise adults, and it's teaching me so much about this first year of life with Zoe.

Her mere existence has stripped away idols, produced abundant joy, initiated hours/days/months of pensive conversations, revealed beautiful redemption, and shaped our hearts in a way that desires and experiences the Lord in a much more selfless way. I pray that we are continually humbled and constantly looking for what you are teaching us, Zoe.

I process most things  everything through feelings, it's just the way I function. So I chose to share Zoe's first year through a stream of random pictures, in no particular order. Pictures immediately take me back to that moment in time, and each of these pictures has a distinct feeling and story that I hope to remember for years to come.

Zoe Carolina Smith, you are a gift, a joy, life, and a beautiful picture of God's mercy and grace.