Big Newtons and Fig Newtons

Pose

2012-01-18T16:21:00.002-05:00

I recently purchased a flash diffuser, as it is something that I have wanted for quite some time and felt the need for it given my children's Norwegian and Irish background. Let's just say the light toned skin looks even lighter with a case of flash in the face during photo taking sessions. Speaking of photo sessions; they tend to pop up suddenly in our house. Especially in the Winter when we are all trapped inside making funny faces to help us survive Winter. So without further ado: Behold our poses...

Christmas Prep

2012-01-09T15:40:00.000-05:00

Preparing for Christmas...

Homemade decorations in the windows of our Colonial.

Garlands of cranberries and popcorn to adorn the tree.

The quiet tree sits before the storm of Christmas morning.

I hope that your Christmas season was as peaceful, relaxed, and joyous as ours was!

Catching Up

2012-01-02T14:55:00.001-05:00

Maybe, just maybe we will start feeling caught up on things. But then, maybe not. Considering that Tyler and I are running a household of seven, continuing to finish a house, and desperately trying to figure out what the Lord wants us to do with this land: Catching up seems like a dream for the future. I rest knowing though, that when I leave this world I will be as caught up as I was ever supposed to be. Until then, my to do list remains, and everyday adventures are always waiting.

I know it has been a long time since I have blogged, and if you are one of my 3 readers I sincerely apologize. Not for not blogging though, I mostly apologize that I really haven't missed it. I like sharing our adventures, but I have found that I don't really have the time to give more to this blog and that is fine with me. I would much rather have my photo books done and sitting in my house than have my blog caught up.

So today, to get back into the grind after Christmas I wanted to share with you the mostly finished pictures of our house. There are still quite a few things to do, but most visitors here wouldn't even notice them. I hope that you like them and if you have any suggestions please let us know.

When I remember what this piece of land looked like just 8 months ago, I am astonished at the change, and excited for another Summer season of transformation as we turn the clearing into, well, a real field, albeit small.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-30T08:31:00.001-05:00

The turkey knocked out Matthias just as it does old men.

I realize that Thanksgiving has come and gone, but that is no reason for us to not continue to reflect on the Lord's blessings. Especially as we journey closer to the celebration of the birth of His son.

Tyler and I started a new tradition on Thanksgiving this year. Something that we hope to continue to do every year with our boys. We started a thankfulness journal. In this journal on Thanksgiving we write a list of events or memories that reflect that year and then we each state what we are thankful for. I am excited that this journal is helping our boys to reflect on the Lord's blessings throughout the year instead of just in November, and also that as the years pass we can look in the journal to see how our family has grown.

We went to Randy & Lisa's for Thanksgiving. The sledding was great!

I thought that I would share this year's entry with you as I feel that it is simple and reflects how young the boys are. I know that as they grow our entries in our journal will as well, both in thought and length.

24 November 2011

"Snow filled Thanksgiving"

2011 Recap

- winter skiing

- sold the ranch house - moved

- announcement of Matthias

- Easter on the lake

- Summer at Cochenewagon

- Tyler to Ghana

- House - building the colonial

- Popham beach

- visit to the van Achterbergs

- Sturbridge village

- birth of Matthias Brian

- move into house

- hiking Step falls

Doesn't Ansel look right at home here?

Tyler- " I am thankful for the birth of our fifth son, Matthias, whom fits so well into our wonderful family"

Eli - " I am thankful for days trips to Sturbridge, fairs, waterfalls, and wrestling with daddy."

Si - " I am thankful that we got to help build this house and that we got to move into this house. And for the baby"

Drew - "that I have another birthday soon"

Caleb - "thankful that we got to go to a skiing place"

Lori - " I am thankful that the Lord gave our family the strength to endure a year of moving, pregnancy, living in a camp, building a house, labor, safe arrival of Matthias, and living in an unfinished house."

What's in your thankfulness journal this year?

Look Who's 3!

2011-11-18T09:35:00.001-05:00

Like Josiah; Caleb is incredibly tiny, so tiny, in fact, that a person would guess him to be 18 months maybe 2 yrs old. Numbers don't lie, however, and on October 21st he turned a wonderfully prime 3. Tipping the scales at 24 pounds and as short as ever he hasn't let those slow him down. In fact, it is when he opens his mouth that you realize that he is much older than he looks. It must have something to do with fall birthdays. Regardless of the reason, it is a wonderful fact that Caleb is growing up to be a stubborn leader. One day, I know his stubbornness will help him succeed, but right now, it makes our days a little challenging. After all, who's in charge anyway?

Grampy and Nana Lisa hosted his birthday get together this year as our house was still under construction. The Smith clan all gathered to wish him luck in his fourth year.

The End of a Season.

2011-11-15T15:47:00.001-05:00

Soccer Season.

Now onto "Chubby baby season".

I'm Floored

2011-11-07T20:54:00.000-05:00

Who knew that Tyler was so good at laying tile? We sure didn't, not until he tried anyway.

Flooring and Cabinets. That is what has been on my mind these past few weeks. Let me tell you it is a whole lot easier to finish a house when you don't have to commute. Course, having a clean well dusted place to come home to at night can be nice. While Tyler and I have been frantically working on the floors a crew of finish carpenters have been focusing on the exterior siding. The only question now is... will we be done by Thursday?

I don't know. But what I do know is that what we have gotten finished looks simply FABULOUS!!

Can you find Matthias? He is helping mommy and daddy by being a good watcher.

Drew and Caleb love walking on the new floor.

We have had some great help with this house. John especially has continued to help us with anything that needs to be done.

This is how the house was left in preparation for our big snow storm. It looks good no?

"Can I Paint?"

2011-10-26T17:10:00.000-04:00

The cry of the day was... "Can I paint?" So, attempting to be a good mom and not say no again. I cleared the room of everything, even the floor was just plywood. I thought, "there is nothing in this room they can mess up." Then... I let them paint.

this outlet looks a lot better than the other 2 painted ones. I actually kind of think we should now do them all like this. Doesn't the outlet man look surprised!?

It was a stressful, hectic, kind of day, but the room got painted; along with 3 of the 4 outlets, part of a window and heating unit, and even part of the bathroom wall (from cleaning up I guess?). The next time "can I paint?" comes up, I think we will stick with paper, watercolors, and lots and lots of newspaper.

Any Given Afternoon

2011-10-17T12:51:00.000-04:00

Now that we are a little settled into our home. This is what my bedroom looks like on any given afternoon.

Siah-lopolis the Italian Football Player

2011-10-14T12:17:00.000-04:00

A couple of years ago Tyler nicknamed Josiah "Siah-lopolis the Italian football player", and with Siah's long curly blond hair, and short stick like build he looked the part. This fall Josiah has had a chance to show his skills as an Italian football player. Unfortunately, Josiah's skill of not paying attention has made its way into the active sport. While everyone is running after this small ball, Siah looks like a man lost in a field looking for a place to go. While he sometimes does in fact run for the ball, he mostly spends his time looking around and wandering aimlessly around the field. He reminds me of a certain young boy I once knew who used to sit down and play with the flowers in the outfield. I guess that is what I get for naming my son after that flower picking boy.

Elijah the Goalie making a great save!

Elijah is also playing Soccer with Josiah and although he pays better attention and is a great goalie: He is no (insert famous football player name here). With that said, both Eli and Si have enjoyed playing and not playing Soccer this fall. Maybe, just maybe, they will want to do it again next year and help nourish those wonderful sport skills.

Josiah paying attention to the ball, but not running.

An Explosion of Color!

2011-10-09T09:39:00.001-04:00

Painting the kitchen. The ceiling beams, wall sconces, and lone shiplap wall have earned my kitchen the term "Smith's Tavern". I like it!

The upstairs hallway is a blue-grey wall. It changes from blue to grey depending on the lighting and is accented by the brandied pears color. (fact: The brandied pears color is what ties my house together. You can find it in almost every room and it goes well with every color we chose)

Elijah and Josiah's room is a nautical harbor blue with a very large magnetic chalkboard. The boys have great plans for their room and I will share all that we do to make it especially theirs when the time comes.

The view looking out of the laundry room in to the hall. That yellow is not that canary yellow, but rather looks more like the representation in the picture below.

Looking into the laundry room from the hall. The laundry room doubles as the boys' water closet.

A very messy Master bedroom looking into the bathroom. The walls are a country green. Please be advised that my room does NOT look like that anymore. I have organized it, because having an unfinished house is no excuse to be a slob.

Andrew and Caleb's room is the brandied pears color with a couple of brown accent walls. It is hard to see, but can you make out the light fixture?

The beautiful hallway.

I will obviously post more pictures of the rooms as they are finished, and the main floor painting is just getting underway so stay tuned for those pictures too!

Sheetrock in the House!

2011-10-07T09:06:00.001-04:00

A Beautiful Blank Canvas.

Stay Tuned for some Color!

Moving Right Along

2011-09-30T14:49:00.000-04:00

These days have been all about moving. That is right, after just 18 or so weeks of building the house we are now moving into it. As a result of moving, however, my cable for my camera is never in the same place as my camera so I have no uploaded pics for you. But I do have some pics of Matthias. Seeing as you haven't seen him since he was first born these can be new to you!

Mowing the Lawn

2011-09-19T07:29:00.002-04:00

We have lawn! Unless you were incredibly aware of our lack of grass and difficulty in growing it at our old house you will not understand my joy in our lawn now! Some of it is crabgrass, but you know what? It is green, and therefore beautiful!

Apparently, I like Color

2011-09-15T14:47:00.000-04:00

Today is a different sort of house building post. For one, I don't have a picture of the house to share with you. Mostly because I am usually holding an infant now which makes documenting the house with tons of pictures challenging. Between that little tidbit, the fact that it is dark early, and raining today, I haven't taken any great pictures of the finished drywall in the house. It truly is, just as I said it would be, a transformation!

Finished sheetrock obviously, gets me thinking about painting. Tyler and I are planning a painting work party for the 24th of September. You, if you are reading this, are invited. Come help paint. This upcoming party has me busy trying to confirm paint colors for our new house so that I can have most of it purchased for the work day. Today, the boys and I stopped at Lowe's with one goal in mind: Collect various samples of the colors we think we want in the house. Well, we came home with colors from every color group. Why? Because apparently, our new house is going to be very colorful. What can I say? We like color.

Alas, we did not get enough red and brown samples. I need to go back to Lowe's to find the correct shades.

Housebuilding: Week 16

2011-09-09T16:34:00.000-04:00

This week concluded the inevitable "crunch week" to a close as we finished our preparations for insulation and sheetrock and got ready to watch the transformation. We had lots of great help with this preparation. My father came and helped our builder finish the last door and window; not to mention helping me with transforming the stairs. John and Tyler were able to wrap up the electrical in time for Ty to take the big men camping. Even Caleb pitched in by helping me run those last couple of wires in that itty bitty crawl space.

Can you see the difference a door makes?

The pocket door studs are in now, thanks to the help of my brother.

Tyler and Randy installed this ceiling in one Saturday morning. Isn't it a beauty!

All wrapped up and ready for sheetrock.

Housebuilding: Week "who is counting anyway?"

2011-08-27T15:12:00.000-04:00

I think that we are officially on week 14 of this housebuilding process, but seriously. Who cares? What matters is that progress is being made over here at the Smith plantation. Tyler keeps referring to it as Dozen Acre Farms, but honestly, it doesn't look anything like a farm. Okay maybe a little, it is just missing the huge gardens, berry bushes, fruit trees, and any animals of any kind. Other than that, yeah, we can call it Dozen Acre Farm. Hey! We have a woodshed!!

I am pleased to announce that the weathertight shell is one door and one window shy of completion. Just in time for the hurricane. As some of you may know, our biggest window was damaged in shipping, and after a very long stressful week the company has finally agreed to replace it. It is scheduled for delivery this coming Tuesday. The final door is a second story door and was ordered 2 inches too tall, so I had to order a new one. Which is now on site and will be installed this coming week. After this week our stressed builder can move onto being stressed somewhere else while we continue the battle with others.

Barry the Plumber started his engineering this past week, and as long as you don't mind that swiss cheese look the work is coming along nicely. Our insulators should be here soon which has Tyler in a tizzy trying to wrap up the last of the wiring and other odds and ends. When we built the other house; this last week before insulation and sheetrock were called crunch week as Tyler, John and I (some nights), were at the house until 10, 11 or midnight. At this moment, thankfully, it doesn't look like this week will be that bad. Actually, I just thought of a couple other things that need to be done before the drywall so I will get back to work and let the pictures speak for themselves.

The workshop/mudroom/kitchen ell

the upstairs hallway looking through the walls to Eli and Siah's room.

I give you: A Basketball Team!

2011-08-24T15:23:00.001-04:00

As you are well aware naming a new child is a huge endeavor. Especially when your other children have such FABULOUS names. We attempted not one, but two online polls to see if our decision could be made a little easier, and although I think it helped some, it did not grant us the solution. So going into our fifth labor with our fifth boy Tyler and I were still unsure of an appropriate name.

Boy Smith #5 was born exactly 1 week early (by the doctor's prediction), 1 day late (by mine), and barely on time (by Tyler's). The birthing experience can only be explained as exactly what I would have thought a normal post first baby birth would be like. You know, light contractions of 12 hours, intense contractions for 2 hours and then 45 minutes of "why do I keep doing this to myself?". The problem for us was mostly that because the past 2 labors were so quick we were scared to leave the hospital because of a very real fear that I might deliver at home, in the car, or somewhere else in between.

Thankfully, our midwife was also very nervous about this and once we arrived at the hospital she wouldn't let us leave. So we spent 5 hours or so walking the floors back and forth and back and forth. Which wasn't so bad as Eli was with us and having a great time and we had great visitors. And as expected when we got past that weird early labor stage (something I hadn't experienced since the birth of Eli), we progressed very fast and on Sunday, August 21st at 11:44 PM Boy Smith #5 was here!

He weighed a huge 5 lbs 8 oz and was a whole 18 and 3/4 inches long. Can you believe I was nervous that he would be big? He is an incredible combination of his four big brothers with light red hair, a Josiah turtle head, and the always popular button nose. And his name? Matthias Brian Smith. Which means, of course, "named by mommy". Actually, Matthias (pronounced ma-TY-is), means "gift of God" (which considering our past 2 years seems incredibly perfect, and altogether true). Brian, as a middle name, was an easy choice as my father's birthday was last week and is in fact called Brian: Meaning strong, high and mighty. So there you have it: our little high and mighty gift from God!!

P.S. For all of you hardcore housebuilding enthusiasts. I am aware that I skipped week 13, and I do plan on doing a house update this coming weekend in which I will cover both week 13 and 14.

Contentment Is...

2011-08-15T20:23:00.000-04:00

Watching your 7 yr. old enjoy riding his bike around the house just like you did when you were a kid.
Delighting in a 4 yr. old's sudden strength for independence.
Realizing that your unfinished house already feels like home.
"Green Eggs and Ham" being read in a little voice.
The overwhelming presence of God amidst obstacles
Goodnight kisses for "baby brother" from 4 big brothers.
"Beautiful Places" in your backyard created by four beautiful and creative minds.
Friends who call to see how you are doing.
Living with a 5 yr. old gentleman who takes off his hat, and bows to you while saying "Your Majesty".
Peace when your children are happy, content, and exhausted from a day of work.
Thankfulness to the Lord for his incredible presence, love, and blessings revealed everyday.
Sharing the Joy of a 2 yr. old at the return of a loved one.
Adoration sons have for their fathers.
A parent's love for their child being made perfect through Jesus Christ.

Housebuilding: A Complete Dozen!

2011-08-12T12:50:00.000-04:00

12 is a wonderful number! For one thing, it is how many acres we own, and when one makes 12 muffins that leaves 2 for each of us. How perfect is this number! In our exhausting journey of building this house we have completed week 12. Regardless of the amount of weeks it has taken to get here; I am just glad we have arrived to a place where the weathertight shell of our house seems to be in sight.

The view out of the kitchen window

Eli standing in his and Siah's bedroom.

Housebuilding: Week 11

2011-08-04T07:48:00.000-04:00

Roofing is a big deal when it comes to housebuilding. Not only do you have to pick a color, but you also have to decide if you are installing asphalt shingles, metal shingles, or just plain old metal roofing. My preference? asphalt shingles. I am kind of boring in that regard. I like the traditional look of the shingle. The color and composition of the shingle lends itself to different hues and depths and can be very soothing to see. Metal roofing, however, is simple, plain, and often overwhelmingly one color.

So why did we install metal roofing? Cost. The cost of labor associated with putting on asphalt shingles would have been high. Not to mention the complaints my builder would have given me. I am getting quite upset with attempting to dodge complaints. So when it came to roofing choices the choice was made by "what is cheap, durable and won't make my builder complain like an obstinate old man?" Obviously the choice is clear. Or in this case red, much redder than I thought it would be. I am optimistic that this color choice will look great with the brown cedar clapboards, much better at least than it does with that traditional Maine gray Typar.

Humor

2011-08-02T15:21:00.000-04:00

Everyone has a different sense of humor. When I met Tyler he quoted monty python and talked about his family watching SNL together. I, for one, found the idea of watching SNL repulsive. The crude comments and rude skits always seemed like a pathetic attempt to make people laugh. Obviously our sense of humor did not seem to match. He loved the stupidity involved with Monty Python, Get Smart, and The Pink Panther. I seem to prefer a drier humor. What seems to be a bit odd to me is that regardless of our difference in this area not only did we get married, but I remember finding Tyler to be quite funny when we were dating. His jokes and comments were very humorous to me, and they still are.

Now that we have been married for 10 years our sense of humor has seemed to meld into one. Tyler's days of watching SNL ended long ago, and I have learned to appreciate some of the humor in the new Get Smart and Pink Panther movies. I started thinking about this the other day when Tyler said something; I laughed, and he apologized for his dry humor!

A typical conversation between Tyler & Lori:

Tyler: I like the name Ezekiel for the baby. We could name him Ezekiel Onslow Smith. EOS. Then you could call him our little rebel.

Lori: I don't think so.

Tyler: It would be great. We could tell him to "Man the Canon!!!"

Lori: HAHAHA, I don't think anyone else would understand that.

Housebuilding: Week 10

2011-07-28T14:38:00.000-04:00

A perfect 10; that is how impressed I am with the building for this new house. Yes, there have been surprises. The costs have been higher than I would like, but the quality of the work is fantastic. I couldn't be happier with how our new house is coming along. The chimney is practically finished, the trusses are on and ready for the roofing, and best of all, it doesn't look like a pencil!

So let's ignore the slightly higher cost, and the fact that I keep seeing it as too much house for our little family, and focus on how the Lord has blessed this project. I can only pray that he continues to carry us through this very long stressful process as I put my concerns in His arms.

Of Crumbs & Slumber

2011-07-26T14:41:00.000-04:00

all these victims stand in line for

crumbs that fall from the table

just enough to get by

all the while your invitation

wake on up from your slumber

open up your eyes

This new NeedtoBreathe song led me to Matthew 15: 21 -28 where we read about the faith of a Greek woman.

For those of you who aren't going to run to your bibles to read the story. This is a quick exchange between Jesus and a Greek lady in which the lady is begging Jesus to remove a demon from her daughter. Jesus ignores her at first, because he refuses to give her the children's bread. She then asks for the crumbs.

Jesus states" O woman, your faith is great."

If you read the passage you can see the obvious faith that this lady has. She trusted and knew that the Lord could help her daughter. Unlike so many of the Jews present, she didn't implore the Lord to come, lay hands on her daughter, and she didn't bring her daughter to Him. She knew that he could send out the demon without needing to be present.

The largest evidence of her faith, and to me the hardest to grasp, is that she knew that the crumbs from Jesus would be enough. Most of us would turn sadly and leave when Jesus said that the bread was for someone else, but she didn't. Somehow she knew that what she was asking of the Lord was a crumb issue.

This one gets me. How many Jews came to Jesus only for the healing that he offered? How many settled for the crumbs when they could have what is on the table?

Does this story not make you ask: If the cast off crumbs can do this, what can the bread that Christ offers us do? Why aren't we asking for the bread instead of the crumbs? They are available to us, all we need to do is wake up from our Slumber and receive the full meal that God has prepared.

Housebuilding: week 9

2011-07-21T14:05:00.000-04:00

The last couple of times I have started my weekly updates I get caught up in the title. I am torn between thoughts of "have we really been building the house for this many weeks already?" and " How many more weeks is this going to take?" Obviously, building a house is a large project and will take many weeks to finally be finished. We are even anticipating moving in before the house is completely finished, but then, as most homeowners know, a house is never finished!

This week has ben one of preparation. Preparing for a chimney, and trusses is hard work. The trusses alone require at least two men and a crane! Can you believe that we had a crane at our house and I missed it?

Here is the finished product as of the end of our preparation week. Tune in next week to see the completed chimney, sheathing, and maybe even some roofing.

Housebuilding: Week 8

2011-07-17T13:55:00.000-04:00

Our great group of volunteers raising the exterior walls for the second floor of the house!

The Interior walls are going up fast. It must be the sunshine!

The back of the house.

The view of the backyard from the second floor windows. Obviously, our brush needs to be cut down, but the view is still a welcome sight for us.

Next Week: Trusses!

Housebuilding : Week 6 & 7

2011-07-08T16:39:00.000-04:00

I do so apologize for my lack of posting in regards to the house building process this past week, and to make it up to you I have combined week 6 and 7 together for you today.

Weeks 6 & 7 were full of anything and everything. We have never had so many people working at the house at once. We had crews of friends, family, and builders working, almost around the clock, to get the beams and tongue and groove flooring in for the second floor. Because these items are exposed, and will remain to be, getting them in tight, and quick was a high priority. We simply could not install half the beams only to have it rain for three days. Timing was everything, and the procedure to install the blocks and floor boards was slow.

But, alas, thanks to a great many people and the Lord for holding back the rain, after a week and a half the second floor decking is completely finished and incredibly beautiful. Every time I started to get frustrated with the time and money that this project cost us I would just look at the ceiling for my kitchen and smile. I absolutely love it!

Look at that Grass!!

A Look Back

2011-07-05T14:02:00.000-04:00

My focus has been set on the house; building, designing, and purchasing for. This leaves room for little else, and thankfully I knew that would be the case. With this reality Tyler and I have tried, and continue to try, to plan at least one fun non-house related event per month. June was an utter failure, but May was a complete and wonderful success. Because we had not yet broken ground we planned on a weekend voyage to the beautiful and warm Connecticut. We have cousins in Connecticut who offered to let the boys and I stay and visit while Tyler worked, and then we spent our Saturday going to Sturbridge village and coming home.

Overall, the trip was perfect. I was able to get to know my cousins a little better and see how their large family operates. They are a wonderful family with many great children whom the boys had a blast playing with. This was at a time when Maine weather was cold, wet, and muddy so spending a couple of days playing outside in a warm, sunny part of New England was a real treat.

If you know me well enough I am sure you have images in your head of me following everyone around with my camera to capture our time with family, but alas you are wrong. I didn't want my cousins to think that I was some sort of camera freak so I steered clear of it. Although I did plan to take a few pics. I had nothing to worry about though, as soon as my cousin got home from work he took out his camera and took lots of pictures. Apparently, we are fairly similar in that regard.

I did, however, insist on getting some pics at Sturbridge village. Mostly so that I could have a good reference to look at while attempting to design and build a historically accurate 1700's New England Colonial. We had such a wonderful time visiting, learning, and just playing together while not being interrupted by house building demands. Now all I have to do is come up with another great day trip to relieve us from the building in July.

Naming Choices

2011-07-03T08:06:00.000-04:00

Again, I am baffled by naming choices for this baby. I thought maybe a poll would help, but alas, I think I was wrong. Obviously, Gabriel won with 10 votes, but I am not sure if that name fits. I, personally, like Gideon (the second winner) and Zebedee (the loser). Tyler mentioned redoing the poll with the top choices and having everyone vote for just one name. So I think that we may just do that.

On a side note, I thought the other day that if I had gone with historic Northern names that fit our family's background of seafaring warriors (Vikings) then naming my boys would have been easier. I could have a Lief, Meric, Gavin, Otar, and Sven. Couldn't you see my little warriors?

Anyway, last time I had you pick 2, now that we have narrowed the name list down, please pick only your favorite.

Thank you for helping me with this ever difficult and important decision!

Je Suis Désolée

2011-07-01T15:32:00.002-04:00

I am going to start teaching the boys Spanish this fall so foreign languages are on my mind. Obviously, the title is French, not Spanish. Because, although I could probably navigate a French city like Quebec; I would be utterly hopeless in a Spanish one. I guess that means I will be learning Spanish this fall as well.

Enough about the title. For it is only there to say:

I know I didn't post about the house progress yesterday; I am incredibly overwhelmed and do not want to talk about the building process. For that, I apologize and share with you that maybe, just maybe this weekend I will be up to downloading my pics from the past week and posting about them. Although, I have my doubts.

On a side note: The polling has closed for name choices of Smith boy #5. I will post about the results at some point before the baby is born.

Housebuilding: Week 5

2011-06-23T10:05:00.000-04:00

It seems as though a lot has not happened this past week. We started our 5th week of housebuilding with another wall raising. Now the house was actually starting to look like a building as we entered the weekend of projects.

Following the very busy Father's Day weekend the inside walls for the main floor of the house were all built and put up. Now Andrew can run from one room to another and ask "who sleeps here?" only to be confused when I keep answering "no one".

I am excited for this next week and what it brings with beams and added heights and additional people. The beams were delivered and although they will sit until Monday morning, I love seeing the potential that comes with 2 huge stacks of beautiful hemlock. It is kind of like watching the potential in a little boy observing his father being a man; you know he is taking notes in his head for the day when he is required to do manly work.

Saturday Activities

2011-06-21T19:01:00.000-04:00

Saturdays have been filled with around the house projects. We have done a little here and there to help prepare our new house to be a home. Earlier this year I was able to purchase some granite blocks at a great price and as soon as we had a platform on the first floor, Tyler, Eli and I put them into place. They are not in permanently as they really need to sit and settle for a year, but they certainly make it easier to get "into" the house.

Housebuilding: Week 4

2011-06-16T15:23:00.000-04:00

I cannot believe that it has been another week already. With that said, I don't even remember what stage we were at in the building process last Thursday. I am sure glad that I have a camera to remind me.

All ready for the first floor decking!

Here is the first wall almost ready to be stood up.

We have such wonderful friends and family. They came out in the mist and rain to help raise the first 2 exterior walls of the house.

As I type, here the house sits, ready for the remainder of the first floor exterior walls to be stood up straight and proud.

Isn't it handsome? Just look at all that beautiful loam and fresh farm hay!

What's a Family to do?

2011-06-14T10:04:00.000-04:00

After many days of rain, Saturdays filled with work and 4 rambunctious boys; A Sunday afternoon at the beach was needed. Sure it was a little chilly and windy, but going to the beach on a Sunday afternoon brings joy even in the coldest of weather. I love Sundays!

John, Sara and Samantha joined us on our little adventure. It was wonderful being able to spend some time with friends and simply enjoy an afternoon without a to-do list. That is what makes Sunday afternoons so fabulous!

If you get chilled at the beach, have no fear, Samantha will gladly help you bury your legs in the warm sand.

There is nothing quite like the warm breeze on your face!

Even though Eli knows Sunday is not our day to work, he cannot help but try building something with the treasure on the beach.

Housebuilding: Week 3

2011-06-09T12:37:00.001-04:00

It seems odd that the weeks that I have setup for updates go from Thursday to Wednesday, but that makes it easiest on me. It also leaves me wondering how to word some of my sentences. Do I say, we started last week with the pouring of a brand new concrete floor in the crawlspace, or do I say we ended it that way. relatively speaking, the "beginning of last week" for a Thursday posting would be last Thursday and Friday. So that is the format that I am going to adopt.

The boys were so excited to put their handprints in the new concrete floor. I searched everywhere for a 2011 quarter instead of having to write it, but alas, not a single bank in Monmouth or Winthrop had a single new quarter.

As I said, we began last week with a new floor in the crawlspace. Of course, the boys had to watch them pour the entire thing. I keep thinking these guys are going to get sick of my men watching everything they do. Thankfully we rotate to different sub-contractors often enough; by the time they start getting annoyed they are done with their job and we are onto someone else. With the concrete work done by Friday we were ready to start wood building on Monday morning, and that is exactly what our builder Rod did! He started bright and early Monday morning by receiving lots of beautifully yellow 2 X 10s and plywood and studs. There are few things as exciting as new wood waiting to be put to good use.

Can you believe that I had 3 grown men working at once on Tuesday morning? I kind of like being the foreman for a building project. Troy is digging the trench for the well guy, who is laying the pipe for the well, and Rod is working on the structure.

I find myself drawn to the progress at the land. Tyler and I often find ourselves driving to go see the work that has been done during the day while he was at the office and I was on the phone. Admittedly I spend my days on and off the phone trying to order materials, setup electrical pole installations, and gain those last few quotes so that I can stay one step ahead of the crew at the house. After all, I don't want Rod coming over to build only to find that he is out of lumber. What a disaster that would be!!

Tuesday night we brought Ayla and the boys out to see the progress. Here are the joists almost ready for a nice new deck to be installed.

The Art of Stacking One's Muddy Shoes by the Door

2011-06-06T07:03:00.000-04:00

Ask anyone in Maine and they will proclaim: Mud Season is over! But not at the Smith house. Oh no, when you have a very large machine moving dirt everywhere for weeks on end you can enjoy mud season all Summer long! I only hope that we can get that area finished and seeded with grass before too long. I am not sure my car can survive the ever flowing intake of sand, clay, and mud.

Housebuilding: Week 2

2011-06-02T16:27:00.000-04:00

Thursday last week the walls were poured. Here they are directly after with the forms still on them.

I have decided that in an attempt to be organized in my record keeping I am going to attempt to update my blog with one housebuilding post a week. That isn't to say I won't have other posts in between about more important issues, but on every Thursday I will try to post the progress of our house for the past week. That way you can all celebrate and watch our home being built with us.

And here they are with the forms off headed into the long weekend.

What did Tyler and I do Memorial Day? We tarred half of the foundation in 86 degree weather and very bright sun. It was glorious!

We finished the tarring on Tuesday, and on Wednesday our excavator extraordinaire did some backfilling and drainage to prepare the foundation for a nice floor. Here it is Wednesday night eagerly awaiting the brand new smooth concrete floor to come on Thursday.

Phase 1: Dirt, Dirt, & More Dirt

2011-05-24T21:36:00.001-04:00

The view of the house location before groundbreaking. Those saplings to the left are actually quite large.

I would title this posting "getting a slow start", but that would only be half true. While, yes, we have had quite a few setbacks and are technically a week or two behind in scheduling: We have also had a significantly busy and successful first 2 days of house building. While the week started on Monday with the land looking as sad and overgrown as ever, by the end of the day on Tuesday it is barely recognizable.

The house location all leveled with great dirt and a big hole. Do you see my beautiful granite by my handsome beech?

If it wasn't for the saplings and stumps in the background I would not know which direction I was looking in a picture and may not even recognize it as my own land. I should know by now that site work on a house is like the USPS. For three days you eagerly await the changes the life brings, and nothing happens. But on the fourth or fifth or sixth day, you open your mailbox to more activity, change and plain old mail than you ever thought possible to fit into that little box. In our first 2 days of groundbreaking, we have a foundation hole, and footers all poured.

Looking back at the driveway and beech from the other direction. The foundation hole is on the right.

This USPS mentality will continue on for us though as tomorrow will be a day of rest for our land, but then Thursday a flurry of activity will commence. The boys have loved every moment of this process and are very excited to learn more about building a house as each new contractor makes his appearance.

Our House as of Tuesday at 3:45 PM, just before the footers were filled in. Imagine those footers filled with concrete and you can see how we ended our 2nd day of groundbreaking. Do you see the boys picking Brandon's brain about concrete?

What's in a Name?

2011-05-15T17:07:00.000-04:00

As our journey continues in searching for yet another perfect boy name, Tyler and I find ourselves looking back at all of our boy's names, origins, and connections.

For some odd reason patterns in the names in our family are important to me. I find comfort in this: Each of the Smith children has a name that is connected to a family member; and none of the first names start with the same letter. I tell you this so that when you give your suggestions for Smith boy #5 you can take our past patterns into consideration.

Elijah Benjamin was, probably, our biggest joint effort in name selection. Elijah, meaning "the Lord is my God", had been a name on both of our lists from before the time we were married, and so it made sense to name our first son after the great prophet Elijah. Benjamin as a middle name was a natural choice as it brought a family connection through Tyler's brother Ben, a wonderful friend with whom we laugh often.

Josiah James has the most obscure family connection in the lot. After naming Eli after Tyler's brother; I wanted to name a son after my brother. Josiah is not my brother's name. My brother's name is Joshua which all of you Hebrew scholars can attest to, has the same root as Josiah, "the Lord saves". Couple that with Josh's nickname being Jo, and suddenly you have a family connection. James is the name of my favorite book of the bible, and happened to be the book that Tyler and I were reading at the time that Siah was born.

Andrew Tyler was the hardest naming experience that I have had. The reason being that Tyler changed his name after we had "already" named him. For 12 hours I called him Titus Andrew only to have Tyler change it on me. The confusion was hard, but eventually overcome. Andrew is a family name on my mother's side and Titus was to be his own. But alas, Tyler decided to make Andrew, "mighty", the first name which opened up the chance for me to change the Titus to Tyler. A change I thought appropriate considering the incredible job Tyler did in Andrew's delivery. Alas, Andrew has 2 family connections, but we didn't really know the connection on my mother's side, so let's call Tyler his family connection shall we?

Caleb Thomas was named by Tyler, mostly. This was the second time that Tyler requested the name and seeing as he didn't want to budge on my options for first name; I decided to drop my requests and key in on the middle name. So, Tyler chose Caleb, "devotion", after the courageous man in the bible, and I chose Thomas after Tyler's grandmother, whose middle name is also Thomas. What a feat! We have managed to name one of our children after a much beloved grandmother!

As you might have noticed I like the twists found in our naming choices for the boys. I like using a root form of Joshua to name my son Josiah and naming a son after a grandmother. I find it intriguing and full of great history. This new son's name has a lot to live up to. For a middle name I am leaning on the family connection to my father's family. My father's birthday is in August and I thought the close proximity to our due date would be a nice treat. At this moment my middle name of choice is "Sevryt" pronounced sev'rE. First names are numerous and all hold wonderful meanings. Here is our list and please feel free to comment and put in your suggestions.

Gabriel - "Hero of God"

Zebedee - "Given by God"

Samuel - "God Heard"

Micah - "Who resembles God"

Gideon - "Powerful Warrior"

Reuben - "Behold, A Son" (like that's a surprise!!)

If you need more information on what kind of names that we tend towards, not that you wouldn't notice the biblical connections. Here are some names we have considered in the past:

Noah, Daniel, Jedidiah, Zechariah, Azariah (ok, I was wishing, but Tyler hated it), Matthias, Timothy, Jacob.

No!! Baby Brother!

2011-05-07T07:25:00.000-04:00

The boys have taken to discussing possible names for the new baby. Almost each and every day you can hear them give in their suggestions for a name for our new addition. Josiah, of course, wants to name the new baby "Corduroy", Elijah likes "Gabriel Sevryt", Andrew wants various names depending on his character for the day, or what's in front of him. But each and every time they start discussing names Caleb loudly proclaims "NO!!" "Baby Brother". So no matter what we decide to name our new little boy; to Caleb his name will be "baby brother".

Can you Canoe?

2011-05-03T12:45:00.001-04:00

Spring is quickly revealing herself these days and with Spring come all of those fun things like fishing, canoeing, and eating on the deck. Fortunately, this year we are "stuck" not prepping our garden, and although I am enjoying the abundance of time to simply enjoy I know I will miss the harvest this Fall. On Easter this year after taking pictures and trying to get over an odd mood Tyler and the boys decided to take the canoe out on the lake for the maiden voyage of 2011. The weather was sort of cool, and time was short, but when you don't have to load, drive, unload, and launch the canoe a short canoe trip really is possible. As it turns out Tyler and the big boys were out for a significant canoe trip across the whole lake where they took in the sights, smells, and sounds of the lake waking up.

Upon their return the little men and I jumped into the canoe for a quick jaunt before dinner. The weather was great, the lake was calm, and all of the guys were comfortable in the canoe. This was obviously not their maiden voyage.

Remember to enjoy this Spring that has finally arrived. Go fishing, take the canoe out or you know, go for a hike.

Easter on the Lake

2011-04-24T15:21:00.000-04:00

If you are going to have Easter on a lake, then you better be prepared to take advantage with family photos. That is all I am going to say about that!!

Signs of Easter; Signs of Spring

2011-04-18T14:43:00.001-04:00

Signs of Spring have erupted in the great state of Maine. This weekend, for one, the ice completely disappeared from the lake! To help usher in Spring this year the boys and I took advantage of a 60 degree day to attempt dying Easter eggs. Easter eggs have never been dyed in the Smith house and for a long time I didn't understand why we would dye eggs for Easter. I thought that eggs were more a sign of the fresh new life that is so evident around us as the trees bud and the grass wakes up from its Winter sleep. The new life in an egg, however, helps us to remember that Easter is when we celebrate the new life that we have in Christ. Because of His life; we have life. That is a simply glorious reason to take time to decorate eggs, enjoy Spring, and worship God.

Elijah & Siah succeeded in dying almost a dozen eggs! Caleb & Drew each dyed 2.

What does one do with leftover dye? Why decorate the snow of course!

The League

2011-04-08T15:23:00.000-04:00

League nights are of course the bread and butter of the few bowling alleys in Maine. They are also, however, not family friendly. As it would turn out, Andrew requested bowling with the family for his birthday celebration, and his birthday happened to fall on league night. How incredibly annoying it is to show up to bowl with 4 excited boys to find that all of the lanes are occupied by serious bowlers. Fortunately, the personnel were very helpful and held the only lane that wasn't reserved for the league for us to use once it was vacated. In the meantime we enjoyed a very pleasing dinner and tried not to get too distracted by the great multitude of people around us.

After dinner, we were able to kick off our shoes and get down to bowling. As long as we didn't use flash photography, roll down the ramps, or distract the serious bowlers all around us we could stay all night.

First Things First

2011-04-07T16:31:00.000-04:00

One of the first things we did when we moved into our interim home was prepare to celebrate our March birthdays. Elijah's birthday was first, occurring the very week that we moved. With the smaller house I was a little concerned about the boys gaining a heap of new items that we would need to move in June. That didn't stop us from giving Eli a couple of gifts and taking him and a couple of boys from church out to play indoor mini golf and enjoy a lunch of pizza.

Tyler was so excited to find a small guitar for Eli while we were out Christmas shopping this year. Eli loves his new guitar, and he is doing great practicing the A and Em chords.

Time for Transitions

2011-03-22T11:42:00.001-04:00

March, as always, is a month of activity. I can gladly announce that we are all moved into our temporary home and everything seems to be settling quite nicely for the quiet month of April. We have, however, started a little of the rush of contractors as Tyler and I work to gain quotes, finalize designs and get everyone lined up to start work the first of May. Until then, however, we have 2 special birthdays to celebrate this week and a couple of great weekend events planned for April to help keep us all sane.

The boys waving goodbye to the old house. They left the day before our big move. Our great friends came the next morning and helped us move everything. What an incredible blessing we consider the help that we have received for this transition.

Our temporary house is just that, temporary. We have spent the last 30 days greatly reducing our items in preparation for moving into a fully furnished small vacation home. We are only here until the end of June though, then we move into an even smaller furnished vacation cottage until September when we, Lord willing, move into our mid sized family colonial. Which, thankfully, is not furnished, at the moment.

The view of the lake from the front. That small cottage will be our home for July and August.

Our home away from home is really a vacation home on the lake! It seems that there is very little on the market available for a family of six to rent. If it wasn't the fact that we didn't need it for a year, it was "oh you can't put kids in THAT apartment", or some other such nonsense. All I have to say is landlords have no reason to complain about not being able to find renters. The Lord is on our side, however, and he provided us with a wonderful place to spend our Spring days. Not only is our landlord not afraid of children (he has 10 himself), but he is very kind and is allowing us to rent this home until July, when we can rent his smaller cottage until we are ready to occupy our new residence.

This is the staircase that leads to the loft (aka, Tyler and my bedroom). I think that by the time I am 7 months along I will have to go up backward to have enough room.

I have included some pictures of our new dwelling place; which aside from the clutter (which naturally comes with vacation homes as the owners tend to collect every little knickknack for every little shelf), is lovely. Don't be jealous that for probably the only time in our lives we have a chance to live on a lake in Maine, just come visit us and spend the day basking in the sun and swimming. Assuming that this snow disappears sometime between now and September of course!

The view of the loft from the great room. The chimney is massive and literally in the middle of the house.

Dreaming

2011-03-09T14:28:00.003-05:00

Oberon (the king of the fairies), and his train of fairies

Who falls asleep and wakes up in a completely different state of mind because of a so-called dream? Apparently characters in a Shakespeare play. This past weekend Elijah was able to be a part of the SMASH performance of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream". I love Shakespeare, but do not consider this play one of my favorites. The performance that this group put on, however, was by far better than any other. I expected to enjoy the play more for the fact that I appreciate the actors and their hard work. Intermission came all together too soon, and I realized that they were doing such a great job that I was lost in the story. Not only was Shakespeare suddenly not hard to understand, but the body language and expressions the actors were using was making it downright enjoyable. If you ever get the chance to see the transformation of some wonderfully old literature by SMASH; seize the opportunity and enjoy the show!

Queen Titania & her train of fairies

Not only has this performance helped me to comprehend the idea of a Greek play written by an Elizabethan playwright and performed by a group of Americans, but it has also given the families involved memories to cherish. How I enjoyed visiting, learning from, and laughing with the variety of mothers during rehearsals. SMASH has given those of us longing for community a furlough into the life of a play with wonderful people and a great guide. Not to mention the incredible increase in vocabulary everyone gains. I mean how many mothers can say their 6 yr. old son woke them up from a nap by quoting shakespeare?

The entire cast

The Newsletter - Part 2

2011-02-28T07:09:00.000-05:00

The Journey Continues...

The third, and most important topic for our newsletter, comes to me in the form of a mathematical equation: 10 years divided by 2 individuals yields what? March 10th, 2011 marks the date that Tyler and I will celebrate our 10th anniversary. Ten long years ago two young adults working their way through College were called by God to become one flesh and join together in the greatest earthly journey known to man.

In the years that we have been together, we have grown from those two young adults, to becoming a mother and father and raising a family together. What an incredible expedition the Lord has brought us through. Graduating from College, building a house, having a family, selling a house, to raising a family, and building a new home in Christ. In hindsight, events always seem to come together perfectly as though they are from the pages of a book. But that is not how God has directed our life; it is not to be perfect to the point of prediction. Rather, the perfection is only seen when one looks back, the present always seems muddled and confusing: Walking on the line of overwhelming activity and responsibilities; only by turning to the Lord daily can our past come together as beautifully as a fairy tale.

With that said, I want to address my mathematical equation. 10 years for 2 Godly people results in what? Would it be a surprise to learn that it is in fact, 5? Does it not fit perfectly that in the same year we celebrate our tenth anniversary we also welcome our fifth beautiful child from the Lord?

Please join us in our year of adventure as we continue to serve the Lord, raise our Family, and rejoice with our friends.

The Newsletter - Part 1

2011-02-25T20:39:00.000-05:00

This week we sent out a newsletter to update some of our friends and family on some of the upcoming adventures we have planned. Because we obviously did not send a newsletter to everyone I am going to share on the blog the newsletter that we sent out in 2 parts. So, without further ado, here is part 1 of our recent family newsletter:

Throughout the years Tyler and I have received numerous family Newsletters. Although we find them engaging, informative, and simply delightful; we have never felt it necessary to draft our own. For some reason, whenever the topic would arise as to whether we should write one, we felt there would never be enough to warrant a newsletter over, say, a blog posting. Well, Tyler has spoken, and announced that the year 2011 holds so many changes in our family that we simply must do more than our simple blog can accomplish: Hence this newsletter!

Although it may seem premature to send out a newsletter declaring future events for the Smith family we do have a reason. Not only do we wish to keep all of our friends and family well informed ahead of time, but also we wish for you all to share with us as we walk through this year of activity. Shall we walk through the year together?

Let’s start with a little background... About 2 weeks ago we went under contract on our house. We have thoroughly enjoyed living in this home that the Lord provided for the past 6 years, and would like to express our heartfelt thanks to all of you who helped us to get our start by building it alongside us. We are saddened to say goodbye to our home, yet excited to move on to the next adventure. At this moment the inspection has gone great and we are currently scheduled to close on the Ides of March. We have yet to find a temporary location to move to, but hopefully by the time this reaches you, we will be in the midst of moving to a suitable apartment or house. With plans of selling and moving in March; it will not strike those of you closest to us as surprising to learn that we are going to be starting to build a new home sometime in May. Please pray for us as we endeavor to construct a home sufficient to meet the needs of our growing family, yet not overwhelming to Lori’s fear of having to maintain and clean a mansion! Lord willing we will be able to build and move into our new home no later than October. Before our busy Summer of wielding hammers running wires, however, is a busy month of May for Tyler.

For a few years now, we have been supporting and praying for a missionary in Ghana, Africa. In various ways, Tyler has felt the need to express our support for Rockeybell through more than just the gift of a regular monthly gift. Not only do Tyler and I know that our presence could be a great service to the cause of Christ, we also know that the Lord has many lessons and blessings for us that we can only learn through service. At this point Tyler will be going to Ghana for a ten day trip to assist Rockeybell in his ministry to Muslims and African Traditionalists through radio programs and conflict resolution outreach programs. If you have any questions about this trip of a lifetime or would like to help us afford this exciting new journey, please feel free to call or come by for an exciting visit. We’d love to provide the details of the projects in Ghana through Rockeybell.

to be continued...

Treasure Box

2011-02-21T09:15:00.000-05:00

We have started packing up our home to move. Not only does it seem overwhelming at times, but downright crazy. I keep reminding myself that the mess created by moving is only temporary. Eli and Si have been huge helpers and I am thankful for their attempts to please in packing. The first items that we packed were our books. Mostly because we will not need all of our books in the interim house so most of them will remain packed for the next 6 months. I have to admit it was hard for me to decide which books to pack for the long period and which to keep accessible. With the turn of Spring around the corner I opted to keep almost exclusively garden and outdoor books.

While Eli was packing his first box he pulled out this white three-ring binder from my shelf. I assumed it was my photography portfolio and told him he would enjoy looking at it. Well, he opened it up and wasn't excited about anything he saw. Obviously, I had to see why so I went over and looked at the book he had found. It turned out to be a collection of all of my grandmother's recipes. I had no idea I even had a book of my gram's recipes. What a treasure to find on my very own shelf. This book naturally made it to the keep out pile so that I could peruse it at my leisure.

The three-ring binder is full of photocopies of hand written recipes of all kinds. Most of them are labeled with the person she received the recipe from. It is amazing to me that if we could continue to keep hand written recipe cards like this we could track genealogy for women, or at least women who like to cook. If you are in a cooking mood please feel free to come on over and we can attempt one of my gram's great recipes!

Truly a Maine Sport

2011-02-08T12:30:00.000-05:00

Considering the amount of snow that Maine has the privilege of receiving every Winter Season it comes as no surprise that Skiing is a huge sport for Mainers of all ages. I, myself, am not a big skier: preferring instead the quieter snowshoeing adventure or cross country ski journey. My father, however, is a great skier, and as such has succeeded in introducing this fun and expensive sport to all of his grandchildren.

This past Saturday our entire family bundled up and met my father, mother, and sister's family at Black Mountain resort to watch Elijah, Josiah, Tony, and Alex ski with grandpa. The boys did great, as usual, and had a wonderful time. Andrew and Caleb enjoyed watching everyone and hanging out in the beautiful and bright Winter day on the mountain. Overall, it was a great time with the family and almost makes me want to attempt downhill skiing one more time. Then again, Black Mountain has some of the best cross-country trails and I would love to get my skis on those!

Antonio was a great help with the boys. He continually gave up skiing time to take them up the hill.

Josiah may not be sturdy enough yet to ski without assistance, but he can sure stand!

Standing with Style

2011-02-04T13:23:00.000-05:00

February is upon us. Time always seems to fly by, but for some reason the Seasons stand still. In Winter, it feels as though it has always been Winter: Days outside with no coat are but a long lost memory reserved for the Southerners. As this cold Season threatens to remain forever we are reminded that Spring will soon be here. How you may ask? SMASH - Southern Maine Association of Shakespearian Homeschoolers.

In March the incredible members of SMASH put on a great production. This year's production is A MidSummer Night's Dream and helps us all feel as though those days are right around the corner. Elijah is very excited to be playing one of the manly fairies in this year's production. In preparation for his second production with SMASH we had Eli practice posing in one space, just to see what he would do. All I can say is there are few kids who can stand in one place with such style as Elijah Benjamin Smith!

So if you want to see him and the other fantastic players usher in Spring by putting on an incredible show then you will need to order tickets and come out for a night of fun! Check out MaineShakespeare.com to get the information you need.

A New Year: A New Do: A New You

2011-01-06T08:38:00.001-05:00

Josiah's hair is a running controversy in our house. You see, when Siah's hair grows it curls ever so slightly. I find it to be downright handsome. Who doesn't like a guy with wispy curls?

Tyler, however, finds long curls to be feminine. He doesn't mind the curls as long as the hair does not get too long.

So, as you can see, we have a dilemma. Just as Josiah's hair is getting long enough to curl and look great; it is also too long for Tyler to tolerate.

What do we do? We let it grow to curls, enjoy it a day or two, and then make a fun adventure of cutting them all off! What would you do?

Josiah, of course, thinks this is loads of fun!

The Tale of the Snowman

2010-12-22T11:39:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time there was a snowman. The world was dark, little snow on the ground, but there was hope as long as the snowman stood.

Then the rain came, and the earth warmed and the rain drizzled the snowman until he was no more. In that day there was wailing. It was a sackcloth and ashes season.

Do not despair in the night for there is joy in the morning! For the world became white as snow, and behold he was alive! He had come back from the depths of the earth to bring hope to all.

He lives so that others also may have life and have it abundantly!

Does it not amaze you how a simple true story of a snowman at the beginning of Winter can focus us all on the birth, sacrifice, and hope of Christ?

Smith Basement Makeover!

2010-12-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

After 2 months, we have finally completed the basement renovations. When I say completed, I really mean the two rooms are ready to be lived in! Aside from the few odd and ends to completely finish this project we now have a completely new basement. The "dungeon" now contains a large "neutral zone" (game room), and 2 small dorm like bedrooms that the boys each share. Even though Caleb is but 2 I love the way that this situation looks like a College dorm, though it is cleaner!

The "little" boys: Andrew & Caleb have a soft floor, bunk bed, and 2 very bright windows. This room gets the most light in the morning. It is probably the best basement bedroom I have ever seen.

The big boys only have 1 window, but it faces South and brings in some of the greatest afternoon light. They love having a spot where they can save their toys from the others.

Eli & Si also get the area under the stairs. The ingenuity of Tyler was great as he constructed a door that connects the big and small boys' rooms from under the stairs. For a while, the boys made every visitor go through the tunnel!

Happy Birthday Josiah James!

2010-12-11T16:01:00.000-05:00

He may be short, but rest assured Josiah is 5 years old in every way. He is learning to read, adding, and working more and more everyday. It certainly makes us feel old to see that our little "turtle head" Josiah is a whole hand!

He received his new orange vest just in time for hunting season.

Christmas Card Creating: Long, stressful, and generally unproductive

2010-12-01T16:09:00.000-05:00

But hey, At least we get some great shots of the boys, right??

I know, I know, this doesn't sound like me. I love taking pictures, especially of the boys. I also happen to think that I do a fairly good job at it. Unfortunately, I have found that attempting to get 4 young boys to stay still, pay attention, and smile while operating the manual controls on a camera can be nothing short of frustrating.

Fortunately, I have a great husband who helped me with the second photo shoot, but by my standards it wasn't much better. The sun was so bright and genius Lori was wearing her tinted glasses so it was impossible to fully see the camera's settings. To make a long story short, I tried my hardest to adjust the camera multiple times to guarantee getting at least one that was 1 stop overexposed while attempting to get the boys to look good. Looking back, I see there was probably a 1 in 20 chance that all of these factors would prove successful and I should be happy that we were able to capture what we did.

Oh well, maybe next year I will be able to find someone to help me get a whole family picture who will do more than just click the button. If you are curious as to which one I spent 2 hours with putting on a Christmas card then you are just going to have to wait until your card arrives in the good ole' snail mail.

2 Yr. Olds Have so much Fun!

2010-11-12T15:00:00.000-05:00

Caleb loves the garage that Eli made for him. Now he has a place to park his tractors!

Sometimes I think that I would like to be 2 again. I watch Caleb play, run, laugh, and even cry, and I am envious of his freedom to have so much fun and express so much emotion over something. Watching a person experience everything for the first time is one of the benefits of being a mom. I love to see his excitement over something that he has never done. If the boys are excited so is he.

The Whoopie pies were a hit, as was the birthday hat.

We try to have some fun on birthdays around here. Instead of one simple day we tend to draw out the celebration. In a matter of one week Caleb had a small family gift time, the grandparents came over for cake and presents, and Tyler and I took him to Red Robin just the three of us. He had no idea what to make of all of the ladies at Red Robin singing to him, and serving him ice cream.

Grampa & Grammy bought him a rocking horse which has rocked its way right into the Neutral Zone.

Of all the things that his birthday might have been this year; I would say it was a year of Firsts for Caleb. First embarrassing moment in a restaurant; first time actually blowing out candles, first year to have 4 different birthday celebrations, first year he turned 2...

Autumn Breezes

2010-11-02T14:36:00.000-04:00

I love Autumn. Obviously, if you have been reading my blog, you know that. Tyler and I were hoping to steal a day away to go for a foliage drive. We both love driving, orange leaves, mountains, and fall walks; so a day together foliage hunting is always a real treat. Unfortunately, our own stubbornness with home projects prevented us from this journey. We did, however, manage to get in a wonderful hike up Monument hill with the men to see the beautiful color laden hills in Leeds and Turner.

Eli climbs everything he can find these days. He is quite the monkey!

Eli took this great photo of us. He took a couple of great artistic ones, but this is my favorite.

My men all made it to the top!

Caleb walked up, but needed to ride down. His legs are just a little too short.

What us Ladies find on our Decks

2010-10-26T13:29:00.000-04:00

I am continually finding all these manly items on my deck in the most unorganized way. Sticks, rocks, gloves, rubber boots, tools, you name it, I have found it, tripped on it, cursed it, and put it away. You can imagine how comical this can get when you climb the stairs to head inside only to find that the rapture has occurred.

Now if I could only find the culprits who keep leaving their stuff on my deck. You'd think it wouldn't be hard since at least one of them is walking around naked!

Family: Big or Small we are still Family!

2010-09-24T14:00:00.000-04:00

Dialogue from this morning as Tyler was leaving for work:

Lori: "Give Eli and Siah an extra hug, they are going to gram's and won't be here tonight to see you."

Tyler: "It is good I don't have to go to the dump tomorrow, I would have to go alone."

Lori: "You would have Andrew and Caleb; The average family has 2 kids. For those men that is all they have."

I found this quick exchange to be quite interesting on many levels. It is not because Tyler doesn't think of the little guys, because he does. It is just that he equates having just two of his boys as not really having a full team. We obviously have a different perspective on family size than the typical American. Definitely something to ponder on a rainy Friday...

I have always viewed family size through different eyes I suppose. As a child I was one of four, sometimes three. It always seemed as though we were average size, even a little small for a family. Completely contrary to the supposed National average of 2.3 or something like that.

I have complete strangers come up to me in the store and express that I have a lot of boys, and wonder if I am done. I am sorry to all of you nosy people, but I don't see 4 boys as a large family. In my mind we are barely average size. If anyone asked me I would say that 1-3 children was a small family; 4-7 children was average size, and 8+ constituted a large family. With that said, I do not see myself ever being a mother of a large family.

Size is relative of course; and whether your family has 2, 6, or 13 what matters is who your family serves. Even a "family" of 1 who serves Christ is important, maybe even more so than the family that doesn't serve Him.

Sesquicentennial

2010-09-17T14:30:00.000-04:00

150 posts is a lot of blogging, at least form my perspective. A pictorial nod to the past 4 years is definitely in order...

The story continues...

What God does with Broken Plans...

2010-08-16T10:17:00.000-04:00

This year was going to be a big year. Tyler and I were going to take Elijah up to the Allagash for his first river camping trip. This was truly an exciting trip that both Eli and I were looking forward to. Unfortunately, our plans broke apart and we were not able to go. The weekend of our trip was not a loss though. We were still able to meet Kendra, and for the first 2 days, Ali, Josh, and my mom, were willing to take the little men as planned. This gave Tyler and I the gift of spending some time with Eli, Eli, and nobody but Eli. What a great couple of relaxing days we had with him.

I have found that each my children are amazing, especially when you receive the gift of one-on-one time. We try to schedule time for this, but it doesn't always work out accordingly. Eli is so funny, and he is now old enough to work alongside Tyler and I with a project or if we want to go for a walk. We don't have to carry him either!!

I had such a great unique time, and I was reminded of one very important thing: Having just one child all of the time would be very boring compared to having four. So for now, I think that I shall stick with my four, and enjoy the occasional adventure with only one.

Things I Never Thought I Would Have to Google

2010-08-09T11:26:00.000-04:00

As a young lady I would often dream of what my future would hold. Even now I still dream and imagine what my future will hold with my many boys, large woods, and great friends. That is why, you can imagine, I am surprised to find myself saying things that I never thought I would say. Or better yet, googling something that never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I would desire to know.

Things we mother's must find out on google:

1. How do I remove dry erase marker from wood and painted walls

2. How much sleep does a child really need

3. How much sleep does an adult lady surviving off of PB&J need
4. How to create something cool with a TP roll
5. What liquids count in regards to nutritional value
6. How to secure a bookshelf to a wall
7. Average dimensions for a 4-person bedroom
8. What noises are considered "white"

9. How to numb the area around a splinter, bee sting, bite, _______...
10. What books constitute grade level 1, 2, and 3 reading

Oh, I know, some make sense, some are weird, but all were necessary. I am sure that all of you mothers out there have googled just as crazy things as I have. Now if I could only get you to share...

A New Friend

2010-08-02T14:16:00.000-04:00

Caleb & Andrew driving the boat

I have found in recent years that I love meeting new people. Especially new people that myself or my family seem to connect with instantly. That is exactly what I have found in my new friend Kendra. She is amazing! Kendra is one of those people whom you meet and you just want to know more about. Not only does she have incredible stories to tell about all of the great places that she has been, but she also loves Christ with her whole being and it shows! What a blessing it was that when our trip to the Allagash was canceled we were still able to meet her in person and spend some time with our great sister.

Here she is convincing Eli to swim in the middle of the lake!

As most of our friends are subject to; Kendra was introduced to our home by 4 very excited boys. They eagerly showed her their room, toys, and creations. Kendra has a wonderful spirit and was incredibly gracious with the boys' enthusiasm. Welcoming our new friend with a fire and a day out on my parent's boat was an adventure for all involved. We cooked with our new pie iron, stayed up late talking, and even went tubing with the boys. Needless to say, they had a blast, and I did too. Thank you Kendra for driving all the way up to Maine to meet us; we are so thankful for you and your friendship.

Kendra was such a great sport. She even went on the tube with Andrew!

Kendra is in Africa this month working with some missionaries. Please pray for her safety and that she will be a blessing to everyone she meets!

Elijah & Andrew loved tubing. Josiah, however, was not too keen on the adventure.

Our Friend: The Maranacook Lake Bald Eagle.

A look back

2010-07-29T20:32:00.001-04:00

Today, I spent 5 minutes reading all of my postings for March 2009. I mourn the fact that I have not been able to blog as much this year. Unfortunately, I don't know if it is lack of time as much as it may be lack of information. I despise that I haven't read a good biography lately. All of my time seems to be confined to raising educated children, planting a garden, and trying to sell a house. I miss that girl of 2009 and I hope that I can get her back. I think that I need to carry a recorder so that I can record my thoughts when I have them while outside working or downstairs purging this house of a despicable mess!

But right now, I am tired and going back to sleep...

A Future For Christian Men in the Military?

2010-07-21T17:00:00.002-04:00

I have been raising my boys to be men. One day they will each wake up realizing that finally: “I am a man”. Little by little they will step out of their mother’s arms and into the company of men. Like all mothers I am very much aware of this transition and have been reflecting on it even now when they are all still small. As I muse of this World and this country and their futures I am not naive to the fact that I may have some military men. I see this possibility growing each day with the decline our Christian Nation. My boys are being raised to find honor in defending women, children, and fellow men. They will fight with courage, either in the trenches, planes, or even in an office.

In light of these thoughts I find myself incredibly interested in anything related to the military. Today, I read about our current administration’s desire to repeal a piece of legislature that President Clinton worked hard to create. I admit, I am grieved by this change. I look at all that I am preparing my boys for as possible military men and I don’t see how I could prepare them for this change. Alas, I do not know how to teach my son that as a Christian in the military he would be seen as a second class citizen. Fighting for Christ would be a must, and I feel sorry for any man who assumes that my sons will not defend the Lord.

No mother wants her son to be placed in the position of helplessness that fighting a war can lead to. But to start in that position before the war; is something I will never be able to prepare myself or my boys for. I think maybe, if the government continues to fight against Christianity, my boys will need to fight this battle from a different front.

Alas, Captain Eli, Lieutenant Josiah, Sergeant Andrew, and Private Caleb may never hold those titles in this present military, but they certainly will in the battle beyond.

"Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses."

1 Timothy 6:12

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith."

1 Timothy 4:7

Picture Taking is Hard Work

2010-07-20T15:14:00.000-04:00

I have discovered that it doesn't matter how old you are. Attempting to take a decent photo with your siblings is difficult to say the least; impossible to say the most; and just downright ridiculous!

It would certainly help if a certain someone would stop cracking jokes!

I want to know how Joshua managed to look good in all of these photos.

The oldest two of this group are always the hardest to get to sit still.

After an eternity, a half decent (maybe?) shot of the four big kids.

L - R: Christopher, Amy, Lori Ann, & Joshua.

Hiking: My Love Hate Relationship

2010-07-07T16:00:00.000-04:00

Elijah & Siah under "the rock", I seem to remember taking a similar picture of Mr. & Mrs. Edwards under this same rock.

I love hiking! But man do I hate hiking. It kills my knees and about halfway up a mountain I am always wondering why I talk myself into tormenting my body to climb a silly rock. After all, there are plenty of mountains I could just drive up, Mt Washington, Mt. Cadillac. They are everywhere!

Caleb had so much fun riding up the mountain, but he also wanted to hike; unfortunately he is just too small.

This Spring I convinced Tyler (who officially hates hiking now) to take us all to Tumbledown. When I say all, I mean ALL 6 of us. John (you can't keep him from hiking, Tyler's opposite) joined us, and to my wonderful surprise so didn't Samantha (my long lost twin sister!). I have never had so much fun hiking. Honestly! I went through my "I hate hiking" phase rather early. I don't know if it was because of the added 25 lbs on my back accelerating my rate to exhaustion and thus resulting in me entering the "survival" status long before the big "rock" or what. But what a fun time.

John and Samantha were great helps with the boys. Samantha helped Siah overcome the large rocks.

Interestingly at the base of the best mountain in Western Maine is a wonderful little hand written note: WARNING! Trail not suitable for dogs, kids, or unseasoned adults. Well, as it turns out we had a dog, lots of kids, and well, I didn't smell like seasoning so I would say at least I was unseasoned. Needless to say, it is a very good thing that three of us adults and 2 of the kids had hiked this same trail before. But it was certainly interesting to hear other hikers say to us "have you hiked this before" when they realized the extent of our party.

I think we have a tree hugger on our hands.

As it turns out, everyone thrived on this hike (even during the lemon squeeze): Elijah and Siah hiked the whole thing, Andrew hiked a little, and Caleb hiked none. I am glad that we hiked Tumbledown; especially for the boys. They loved it and hopefully we can keep Tyler hiking long enough for the boys to grow up loving the great outdoors!

One of the best parts of hiking is enjoying a good ole' Eli's soda at the bottom!

Up to Date

2010-06-28T10:00:00.001-04:00

Are you up to date? Certainly not with my family. Considering that it took me months to share with you the events of our vacation in APRIL! Okay, so now I need to try to share with you what we have been doing, besides ignoring the blog.

This past May was beautiful! I kept thinking, wow! This feels like June, and then I would remember last year...

In case you forgot, the best weather we had last year was in May. It was gorgeous; and then June came with rain, and July came with rain, and need I say more? Thankfully, this year has not been like that. I am working on trusting God as I tend to be one who looks around and says "what a beautiful early Spring, a great gardening year, wow! we have grass; I wonder when the Lord is going to drop the bomb?" As I have been reading in James, God does not offer his gifts to us with a reproach attached. I need to trust that he wants good things for us without a catch.

Back to May: One wonderfully warm, sunny, breezy Monday Tyler got up super early 5:00? and went to work. He had to train a couple of new people, and get some paperwork done. Then at 11:00 he returned to take the rest of the day off and take us all to the BEACH! We all jumped in the car and headed to Fort Popham to have lunch.

I took a ton of pics of the boys at the beach... The shadows were just perfect!

After the fort we went to the beach and walked along the river. To say that it was glorious is an understatement. What a wonderful surprise and a wonderful day that came from the Lord, I must say, without reproach. Thank you Jesus!

So Long, Farewell - Day 4 @ GC

2010-06-20T14:00:00.001-04:00

Thursday morning at the canyon opened with a beautiful blanket of snow, and very cold temps. As we are accustomed to EST we tried to stick closer to it while in the west: we retired early and woke early everyday. This morning I took a quick jaunt down to the edge of the canyon to attempt to see the sunrise. Apparently I wasn't the only one up either...

After a wonderful breakfast we started our slow departure from the Grand Canyon. Because of the cold temperatures we departed down the road that runs along the edge of the Canyon. All morning as we traveled we were able to catch glimpses of the canyon on our left. One of our stops was at a Tusayan ruin. We both love history and thoroughly enjoyed looking at the foundations of a few small buildings and evidence that 20-30 people farmed, hunted, and lived along the edge of a supernatural masterpiece.

Our last stop at the Canyon was at the Desert View Watchtower. The watchtower was built about 110 years ago and was made to replicate an indian watchtower in construction and in art. It was quite an interesting structure, but honestly, as a replication it really is more of a tourist attraction than history. The art in the tower was done by a Native American which makes, to me, the drawings and art more interesting than the structure itself.

After our super long drive, in which we saw many old volcanic mountains along the edge of the Colorado Plateau, and many cacti, we ended our day in Phoenix. That evening we were able to get to know the city's layout very well as we traveled from the wonderful Ansel Adams' display at the art museum to Ikea to our hotel for an early evening in preparation for a very early morning flight home.

Sunset on the Canyon

2010-06-03T07:30:00.000-04:00

Considering that my last post completely ignored the latter parts of the day reveals to me a need to share with you the view that we encountered later that evening. This was our second sunset at the canyon and although it was cloudier, it was also more vivid. You see the entire afternoon it snowed and snowed and snowed. We had about 2 inches of snow on the ground in the evening and it was cold!

Tyler and I drove over to Yavapai observation station to watch the sunset from both inside and outside the nice heated building...

To Summer and Back

2010-05-19T14:01:00.000-04:00

Ooh Aah Point!

After a short hazy afternoon taking in the grand display of the canyon from the upper heights of the south rim; Tyler and I were ready to descend into the great abyss. Wednesday morning broke early with a beautiful array of... freezing cold hail. Walking to breakfast while freezing under our raincoats was certainly a time to rethink our day's outside activities. Fortunately for us; we are both very stubborn!

Shortly after 9 AM we were broaching the South Kaibab trailhead on the shuttle and still wondering if we were going to get much hiking in at all. We slowly walked to the trailhead and were welcomed with a beautiful view that would indeed follow us on our journey.

The next day, I asked Tyler to journal about our very unusual hike, and after much arguing that he "cannot" write - absolutely ridiculous! He did indeed write a wonderful dialogue of the first part of our journey into the canyon...

At the start, looking down was a bit scary, but we either became accustomed, or stopped paying attention to the drops.

Part of the fun of hiking down, is enjoying the view above us. What a great way to see the canyon closer!

Me by the little colorado river, most of the time we hiked right through it, there was no where else to put your feet!

"22 April 2010

I am writing today from the Grand Canyon! It was quite a challenge to get here, but very much worthwhile. Yesterday was the big day. We hiked the South Kaibab trail down to skeleton point.

The beginning of the journey started off with hail. Next we experienced rain followed by a gorgeous rainbow and periods of shining sun and what we call "sunshowers"! What a variety of weather. Almost as unpredictable as Maine! We approached the point with great anticipation of seeing the 'Great' Colorado River only to find it was missing! Had it eroded deeper and out of view of our tiny little eyes??

Nay! It was right where it was supposed to be. We actually had to hike only a slight distance further to another, more revealing pinnacle. To Lori's surprise, we indeed saw an apparently very thick homogenous mixture of "mud" and what is supposed to be uncommon in a dessert... water! The view was... shall we say "grand"? Absolutely! It is quite amazing what God had created once, then reformed by flooding the earth and receding the waters, over a year later, back to the ocean by way of this grandiose gorge!"

Enjoying the view of the sun hitting the canyon for the first time that day!

This rainbow really liked us! He followed us all morning!

Cedar Ridge 1.5 miles down. The rain stopped and the haze was lifting, or we were going down fast!

Our return voyage up the canyon was not as light, warm, and beautiful as our descent. However, it was still wet, wet, and more wet. We hiked our 3 miles back up in pouring rain, and 50 mph gusts. As you can imagine there were a couple of spots - ooh ahh point- where I was more than a little nervous about falling off of the edge. By the grace of God, the wind died down as we again reached our starting elevation of 7000 +/- ft. In fact, the wind was in direct relation to the temperature; for as the winds slowed the temperature dropped and we ended our 3.5 hour hike in snow. Cold, wet, accumulating snow.

The view from just below Skeleton point. You can see the muddy river behind the rainbow. This is pretty much the half-way point down into the canyon, and as far down as we went.

From hail, to rain, to wind, and snow we experienced every type of weather imaginable on our hiking day in the canyon (except tornados!), and yet, when we return we shall hike the canyon yet again. What an amazing way to take in the color, heights, and all the seasons that the canyon has to offer!

"The Gift of Time"

2010-05-14T21:27:00.000-04:00

What does one do with 27 hours of pure time a day. Can you imagine the days when you look up and see that it is 9 pm already and you are not done; only to be given the time that you need. I never would have planned a day as filled as our second day on vacation, but because of Monday's fiasco; we didn't really have a choice. On Tuesday, we woke up at 4 AM. I say "woke" in the loosest sense of the word, our alarm went off and Tyler says (in a not even close to groggy voice) "I hope you slept some, because I didn't". Well, I didn't really either, but who's counting?

We arrived at the airport on that pre-dawn morning in time to share a nice hot breakfast in a 1940's diner. Then we boarded our plane at 6:30 AM and were finally on our way to the west coast!

A mere 2 hours later, by the clock anyways, we were landing in the bright, warm, dry city of Phoenix. By 10 AM we were in a nice little luxurious Hyundai headed up to the land beyond to get a glimpse of a not-so-little canyon.

The drive was incredible. In Phoenix the landscaped "lawns" and roadside vegetation looked just as I would imagine it to be in a warm dry climate. As we gained altitude and leveled off on the Colorado Plateau, however, the cacti became rarer and rarer until they were practically non-exsistent. Instead the plants were some short stunted grass mixed with short bushes, and sad stunted pines. It was obvious that the water content was more significant, and yet, not as wet to boast tall trees like we have everywhere in Maine. Honestly, I had never been so interested in plain, ordinary vegetation. But, I found the change to be drastic and entirely riveting.

Something else changed as we broached the plateau and continued our upward travels. The weather was suddenly not as warm, and you could feel some humidity. By 3 PM we were entering Grand Canyon National Park and preparing for our first glimpse...

After four hours of basking in the hazy beautiful view and sharing a wonderful dinner together in the lodge, it was time to enjoy the sunset and hit the sack. After all; flying across three timezones, driving many hours, and walking the ridge of the great abyss all in one 'extra-long' day can be quite exhausting.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

2010-05-03T20:00:00.006-04:00

Before planning anything we set a few guidelines for our Spring trip together to help us stay focused on what we wanted to do:

1. We wanted to fly wherever we decided to go (because I haven't flown commercially since I was Eli's age)

2. We would save up and pay cash (which gave us a set amount of money to work with, and thus reduced our possible destinations)

3. We would go somewhere where the words "man, the kids would love this." were not coming out of our mouths constantly.

4. April vacation week was a set date because of the babysitting availability.

5. A slightly warmer and drier climate would be nice (but not too warm to where we would be worried about seeing any pornography).

Seems simple right? Well, actually it was. I googled "vacation destinations for April". The top results were Florida and Arizona. So with the click of a mouse we had a destination: Arizona, and the Grand Canyon!

Our relaxing week away from home started with getting all of our boys out of the house by 9 to head to Grampy and Nana Lisa's house for the week. drop offs went well and we were easily eating lunch in Portland with time to catch our flight at 1:30 PM. At noon we kissed Caleb goodbye and practically ran to the terminal so as to help the departure seem less stressful for all involved, especially Amanda and myself.

A wonderful breakdown of our first day on our wonderful vacation:

12:45 PM: sitting outside our gate eagerly waiting with great nervousness to board our flight. Okay, I was nervous, Tyler looked like a frequent flyer, which he almost is.

1:15 PM: watching the plane that we were going to board land and drop off a lot of passengers.

1:30 PM: listening as a high shriek came over the speaker explaining that the mechanic needed to check our plane out and it would be about 30 minutes, but that we would all be set to catch our connecting flights in the wonderful state of NJ (sarcasm detected).

2:30 PM: high shriek again reveals that the mechanics are working and almost done, just another 15 minutes or so. Thankfully, the lady next to me was quite entertaining and loved to talk.

3:30 PM: In an ear piercing volume: "the mechanic is finished and just waiting for the final paperwork to be completed on the repair, should be boarding in about 15 minutes"

4:00 PM: Still waiting for the paperwork to be signed

5:00 PM: the flight is not taking off for some unknown reason, so we are going to setup later connecting flights for everyone and get another plane in here from NY

6:00 PM: The plane in New York will be taking off and coming to pick us up, kiss your connecting flight goodbye.

7:00 PM: The plane in New York is taxiing down the runway heading in our direction.

7:30 PM: The plane that we were originally going to fly on is suddenly fixed, signed and ready to go, boarding in 15 minutes.

8:00 PM: Boarding on a plane that was supposed to takeoff at 1:30 PM.

9:30 PM: Arrived in Newark; I take off running to customer service to try to get in the front of the line to get a hotel room and finished connecting flight details.

10:30 PM: waiting in line (Again), to catch a shuttle bus to a hotel.

11:00 PM: In bed in, of all places, NJ with an alarm set for 4 AM so that we can get to our connecting flight to Phoenix in the morning.

What a start to a relaxing week of vacation. I am now not so fond of flying, and was continually reminded why I love road trips. But hey, not once on Monday did I find myself saying "man, the boys would have loved this!"

disclosure: no actual photos were taken on day 1, but I put one on from day 2 so that you weren't entirely bored with just words.

What Do I Know of Holy?

2010-04-29T08:37:00.004-04:00

Our Trip to the Grand Canyon was an experience on many levels. Physically, Mentally, but mostly Spiritually. It is amazing how something that God has created can impact us humans so deeply. I never thought about how touched I would be by the immense beauty of something so incredible and made by someone so Holy. I walked the rim, hiked halfway to the river, and visited the observations dwelling on the greatness of God and what he can do. Sifting through fact and assumption at the visitor centers was too great a task for someone such as I, but basking in the Holiness of God is something I could never tire of doing.

I will share more details of our trip in the next few days, but for now I wanted to share with you the big picture of the Grand Canyon. The Canyon is a work of art; you can spend hours just staring at it as the colors change throughout the day. When you walk away you are left wondering what the answer to the puzzle is. What did the artist wish to portray through this masterpiece? Sadly many of the visitors around us missed the artist and dwelt on the "accidental" work of art. Don't make that mistake. The Grand Canyon is just one more way that God shares his holiness with us.

Climb as High as a Monkey!

2010-04-06T14:30:00.004-04:00

Elijah is now an official 6 yr old. It seems every year that the month of March flies by for us. I blink and behold, he is a year older. I know that it has something to do with multiple birthdays, anniversary, and this year a play and homeschool convention. Yet, even though I know it is coming I still feel hit upside the head with the reality that my oldest is well, older.

To celebrate the rush of March and Eli's birthday, here are some pictures taken that help round out the days surrounding the momentous occasion!

The week before his birthday Eli appeared in his very first Shakespeare play. The play was the Tempest and was incredible. I find it ironic that Eli's first Shakespeare play with SMASH was the same play that Tyler and I first helped SMASH with back in 2002. He loved being one of the dogs, and cannot wait to have a part in the next performance!

You may know that in our home we rarely have a large birthday party. That is because we let the boys each choose something fun to do on their special day and whom to do it with. This year, Eli chose rock climbing at the Maine Rock Gym. Ethan, Josiah, Tucker, Tyler and I joined him on his first climbing experience. The boys got as much enjoyment out of watching us "big" people climb as they did out of climbing themselves. Needless to say, they were a little afraid to go high, but are all excited to go back and climb higher when they are a little older!

Don't let the camera angle fool you. They are not that far up; in fact, that blue hold just above Eli's head is about 14 feet off the ground!

Just 2 weeks after his birthday, one bright sunny Easter morning, Elijah lost his very first tooth. Like so many other official 6 yr olds out there he is thoroughly enjoying discovering the interesting things one can do with a gaping hole in one's mouth!

The Artistic 4 Yr Old

2010-03-30T14:30:00.000-04:00

Once Upon a Time a four-year-old called by the name of Josiah James acquired the use of a camera...

You can imagine a mother's surprise when she imports her photos to discover 58 photos of corduroy, and 4 of a bottle. I suppose it does take quite a few shots to get that perfect 1!

Hours of Fun on a Bike

2010-03-22T14:00:00.000-04:00

It is amazing that year after year as the snow melts I turn my thoughts to the warm sun and the inevitable tuning of bicycles. This year, however, was a little different. Since I am greatly limited in my ability to be as free as a bird on a bike I didn't really think about the much appreciated sport. Then, my almost 6 yr old turned to me and said "mom, can I get my bike out!" What a revelation! My son is now old enough not only to ride his bike, but to acknowledge that with Spring comes the freedom to cruise on a bicycle!

As this has been an obviously early Spring and any snow forthcoming is not going to last long I granted the wonderful request. In the 63 degree weather my four sons spent a significant amount of time reacquainting themselves with those wonderful seats on wheels.

Bikes are not all play, just ask Eli, he constructed a way to grate the driveway and get some work done while playing in the sun.

The tricycle that we own has a seat on the back that is perfect for giving each other rides. As a result we have given it the name of "the taxi". It is fun to watch everyone take turns being the driver.

Andrew drove the taxi just long enough to declare it out of gas. Is there anything funnier than a 2 year old standing by a foot pedaled toy and expressing, in all upset seriousness, that it is out of gas?

Winter Extraordinaire!

2010-03-06T21:00:00.000-05:00

Is it not interesting that most people use the word "extraordinaire" to describe something bigger than life. Like a larger than normal winter. While a bigger and colder and snowier winter would be considered extraordinary; a smaller, warmer, and wetter winter is also extra-ordinary. Thus making it Extraordinaire!

Even with a extra-warm, extra-rain, and extra small winter we did manage to fit in a little snow fun this year. Most of which was in December with the new snow, but a couple of events took place in spite of the lack of snow and cold. In fact, some were made more fun by the fact that we weren't freezing like crazy while participating.

Take snow tubing for example. I had never been tubing and so I was personally looking forward to getting some time in this winter. Thankfully the tubing parks make their own snow, much like God does, and we were able to enjoy a wonderfully warm day on a large hill with hardly any wind and wonderful friends.

The second event took place just this past week. By some miracle we were blessed with 2 inches of wet snow. Perfect for building a snowman with. Promptly following church the boys and Tyler went outside and built everything they could think of before all of the white wonder melted away.

So there you have it, even with a smaller than life winter, much fun can still be had. For crying out loud this Winter was definitely a little more than ordinary!

The Extinction of Dinosaurs!

2010-02-26T15:00:00.000-05:00

You may be surprised that I have spent a lot of time contemplating the extinction of the ever-powerful dinosaur. Was it glaciers? Meteors? Lack of Oxygen? Weather? or People? I am not part of the global warming religion so I obviously don't fall for that weather conspiracy surrounding the great lizards. With great honor, I share my epiphany:

I walked into the kitchen the other day to discover...

Yes, my four year old knows the secret, he knows that like all animals in this world: Dinosaurs were hunted down, shot, and tied to the front, back, and even tops of everyone's mode of transportation as some sort of trophy. Man was the problem. Just think about it, without all of these pesky men who like to display carcasses: We would all be living in peace waiting for the day a carnivoral monster would snatch old granny away while she chowed down on her buffalo chicken dino-burger!

Getting ready for the hunt!

What is He Calling you to Do?

2010-02-19T15:00:00.000-05:00

I was listening to this song last night and this is what it said. If your music has a beat... Wait!... wrong song.

This artist was expressing our desire as humans to please God and do something great for Him. I, like most of you, can completely connect with that feeling. I want to do something great for Jesus. Sometimes I look around my house and wonder if I wasted my time and money at college, or if I am wasting my degree now. I would like to propose that neither is true. The devil is the liar and he tries continually to push these lies into me, but I need to stay focused on the Truth. This I know: 1. God called me to go to school, He called me to work hard, study (sometimes), put my money, time and effort into obtaining a degree. 2. God called me to stay home with my children and put my blood, sweat and tears into raising these children to follow Him, revere Him, and desire Him in their lives.

I do not see a contradiction here. I know so many people who see a contradiction between these two things. I, honestly, do not know why I needed to go to college other than the fact that I was called to. I may, someday, find out. Some people, upon learning that I homeschool, comment on my qualifications to do so because of my education. What a bunch of hogwash! Some of the greatest teachers had far less education than even our public schools offer. So, I end this thought by saying I don't know why I am called to do these things. I do know that I, like the artist, want to do great things for God.

Am I doing great things for God now? My mind says that I am because I am following his call, but my mind also sees that my everyday activities are quite mundane and not great in the eyes of many Christians and non-Christians alike. After all, you don't see me traveling to Africa, or witnessing to a lot of people. Alas, I don't even see that many people. So my mind ended with this thought:

The world's wisdom does not count my work as great, but I know that since I have been called to do this work, then it is great indeed!

So I ask again, what work is God calling you to do, no matter how small it may seem?

Something Beautiful!

2010-02-07T11:21:00.003-05:00

It's the Child on Her Wedding Day

It's the Daddy that Gives Her Away

Something Beautiful!

It's a Voice that whispers my name

It's A Kiss without any shame

Something Beautiful!

We Interrupt Your Regular Reading...

2010-01-30T19:44:00.005-05:00

So... my blog updates have been a little inactive. That is because we here at the Smith house have been dancing the night away!!

We will have more to come soon... I Promise... Stay with us!

Thoughts for the Overworked

2010-01-11T15:58:00.001-05:00

I feel as though I am overworked. This feeling of being stretched like "too little butter over too much toast" seems to be quite common among the hardworking. I have days where I feel as though I am chin deep in water and barely keeping myself alive. I even marvel at the fact that yesterday I was about to drown, but today I am no better or worse off. How long can one stay floating so deep in water and not drown?

Oftentimes I hear people state the obvious... "you are one busy lady" or even the occasional comment "I don't know how you do it". I don't know if these are meant to be compliments or not, but I can assure you, I do not need a reminder that I am barely surviving. Believe me, parenting four young boys is a time of trouble. Yet in the midst of this, the Lord blesses me daily by giving me strength, and love from above. I know that the only reason I do not sink down into the muck is that the Lord is lifting me up. He knows what I need, He knows that I cannot do this job without Him. He even knows that this is not my forte. I am even to the point of knowing that if I ended every day feeling completely confident then I wasn't following the leading of the Spirit. How lonely and irrelevant would my life be if I did not recognize my need for a Savior every day?

I know that I have been called to be a mother, farmer, housekeeper, and educator. I haven't always been happy about this calling. I had dreams of having a career (outside of the home) that I loved, with adults, and having a small nice quiet home to refresh and relax in. For one thing I know, my childhood dreams were shallow and didn't include some of the greatest blessings that I have received from God. So I am slowly trading these dreams to match reality.

Instead of an ordered adult oriented job; I dream of educating and raising my children in the most God centered way. Instead of a clean quiet haven; I have a loud home filled with laughter and the exploration of what God has done. Not all dreams need to be traded, though, some are new and more wonderful than the ones that I could ever come up with myself. I never even allowed myself to dream of a spouse, and yet I have the most wonderful man beside me everyday. Thank you Jesus that I would be so blessed!

A Christmas Back in Time

2009-12-30T20:26:00.003-05:00

Who says that children hate clothes as a gift? My boys open a pair of jeans and they are ecstatic; after all, the alternative is a hand-me-down. Trade those jeans for a revolutionary war outfit complete with hat and we have the best Christmas yet! Seriously, Eli wore his "tunic" all morning and has worn it for at least 5 minutes every day since. We don't let him eat in it which is why he hasn't worn it a full day through.

Thanks to my dear friend Amanda and her creative sewing skills, the boys had a great one-of-a-kind Christmas.

I don't think life could get any funnier: Eli and Siah have been running around the house dressed as Samuel and John Adams while shooting their popguns and singing "Go Tell it On The Mountain".

Tyler's Family Christmas Gift

2009-12-23T19:50:00.000-05:00

Tyler had a very special gift for us this year...

Please meet: Nera Pantera Smith

(Italian for Black Panther Smith)

She is the most affectionate 4 month old kitten I have ever met. What a surprise it was for the boys to see a kitten in the box that Tyler brought home tonight.

I started this post an hour ago with thoughts of the perfect kitten for our family, and although this view has not changed it has been widened. Not only is Nera affectionate with the boys she also desires to have my attention post bedtime. If you know me at all, once the boys were in bed tonight I spent my normal 10 minute run by straightening up the house and prepping for the wrapping of Christmas gifts. Unfortunately, since I was the only one up, I was followed by Nera constantly. She even meowed at me when I ran downstairs twice! I really don't mind I think it is cute and makes me love her already, but I am not sure how Tyler will feel about her infatuation; he might just consider this gift a mistake.

Although I don't see how a kitten like this could possibly be a mistake. Unless of course she keeps trying to walk on my counter and table...

One Beautiful Snowy Day Before Christmas!

2009-12-19T08:37:00.000-05:00

Searching, Cutting, and Dragging home a Christmas tree is a wonderful tradition for most families. I still remember the few times that we went out searching for a tree with my father when Joshua and I were little. One year we cut down this huge fur tree just so that we could take the top home to mom. Of course, the top looked a ton better from 50 or so feet away. I think that was the year that mom decided that the work put into a wild fur was not worth it. We didn't exactly have a lot of trees around our field-centered home.

Now that I am grown and married with children I feel a great sense of belonging when I know that our home is surrounded by some of the cutest little scraggly fur trees you have ever seen. They are so very cute and they make getting a "I came from the woods" Christmas tree rather easy. The first Christmas Tyler and I shared in our new home we simply put Eli down for his nap; sprinted the 50 feet to a decent looking tree; cut it; carried it home; and had it inside before Eli even woke up.

As the children have grown they have accompanied us on our adventure to find a tree. This year, Eli, Siah, and Caleb ventured out in the not-so-deep snow. Andrew doesn't really like the snow that much, he has a hard time walking in it and doesn't want to sit in a sled. It was a beautiful day filled with sun, wind, ice, and a little cold...

A group of men excited to venture on their journey and fulfill their mission of finding the perfect little Christmas tree.

Even the smallest member of the crew was anticipating what would be found.

When most had given up hope and gone home the fearless leader returns successful with the prettiest little charlie brown Christmas tree. He knows just how we like it!