What I am still learning....

Why do I find it so hard to TRUST that God will take care of us and provide?... It is so easy to say the words, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart... lean not on your own understandings"... But when it comes time to actually act that out- I so easily forget. I have always been some-what of a worrier. When there are warnings out for storms in the summer- I freak. When Jordan hasn't answered my calls on the way home from work- My mind races. When Katelyn hasn't woken up for 4 straight hours in the night- I check to make sure she is still breathing. And ever since we went down to one income- I worry. and worry. And worry some more. Some days I am literally paralyzed with worry & fear... "How will we make it?, Will we be able to keep our house?, Will our bills get paid this month?"... And on & on the list goes.

And Yet...When I look back on the last 6 years of being married... God has always provided. We have not gone hungry. We have always had shelter over our heads, and a place to rest our bodies and call "home". We have always had clothes, and a car to get us from here to there. Have we ever felt wealthy- no! We never signed up for that, nor do we care to be rich with treasures on earth. We knew that when we chose to get married young and start our family right away!
But, still... in my humanness I worry. I find myself not only fearing the future, but the DAY. My mind gets flooded with the "How's" and "whys" and the "what's"... "How will we... Why did that... What will we...", etc. (Are there ever direct answers for those questions?...) Probably not.

Why isn't it enough to know that God has provided, and WILL provide? Why doesn't that calm my fearful heart? I know a lot of it is ME wanting to "fix it". I want to make all the worries go away- I want to put all the pieces perfectly in place.- When my house is a disaster, and toys are everywhere- I can fix that! I work until my house is clean- spotless- peaceful. Yet even that analogy bites me- because no matter how much I clean, it always gets dirty 5 minutes later (3 kids, hello!)... but I still feel in control of that situation. It may kill my back & push my patience, but I still know I can put the house back in order.

But when it is life, I can't always do that. I can't just go out and get a job with 3 little ones at home and only one car. I can't magically get Jordan a higher paying job, or put more money into our account each month (although I still try!)... Some times, I just have to TRUST. To realize we are doing what we can, and the rest is up to Him... I am not able to calm the storm, or drive the car, or control that my children are always healthy, breathing, and OK. I can't fix the past or control the future- as much as this 26 year old mom would like to...

I have to choose to LET GO, and just TRUST.

Trust that the creator of this world cares about the minute details of my life. That the Savior understands our failures (the reason He came to earth!).
That my Lord Loves me, and WANTS to take care of every area of my life. It may not always look the way we want or think it should look... but to just realize and accept He is in control! That He can do it SO much better than I could want or imagine. That He sees the BIG picture... not the "How's, & Why's and What's..."... He sees the end result and knows ALL the answers to my many questions. There is a reason He keeps things a secret some times, and probably just because He wants to teach His child to simply... Trust. To just wait upon Him and let Him take the lead.
To take off that heavy load you carry and lay. it. down. I know He will continue to teach me this... He will keep reminding me that everything will be OK. He will keep whispering those precious words day after day after day... "Elizabeth, TRUST me... I love you... and I am in control..."

Thank-you Jesus... Thank-you.

7 weeks!

It's hard to believe Katelyn turned 7 weeks old last Thursday! However, it also feels like she has been with us forever... She is getting more & more personality every day! She will coo and "talk" to us, and she gives me HUGE smiles (However I can never seem to catch it on the video camera!)



Samuel and Serenity have been playing SO well together~ They are just the best of buddies. Yesterday they were playing "Hair Cuts"... luckily all my scissors are put FAR away from their reach! :) But here are a few pictures of them playing~





I have been trying to do more crafts with the kids... So here are a few we finished the other day. I think they turned out so cute!



This morning we woke up to BEAUTIFUL snow covering the ground... We had snow before, but this new, fresh snow is just gorgeous! Last night Jordan and I and the kids went with my parents to look at Christmas lights! Jordan mapped all the houses out, and we were able to see some AWESOME houses! We put the kids in pj's, brought snacks in the car, turned on Christmas music and had a wonderful time! All three kids were fast asleep by the time we turned into our house before 9:00pm. What fun memories we are creating!

Today I am going to get some more wrapping done, maybe make some Christmas cards with the kids, and just enjoy the day! It is easy to "Dread Mondays"... But I am CHOOSING to have a WORRY-FREE day, and INSTEAD, focus on all my blessings! Here is another video of Katelyn all dressed up for church... She would NOT give me big smiles, but she is still so darn cute, I had to share again!

Mirror Mirror on the Wall... and the Washing Machine

Last night Jordan put Katelyn in front of our mirror and she immediately started smiling. It was ADORABLE. I ran down stairs and grabbed the camera... But of course I missed when she was smiling really big! But it was still so cute I had to share! (If you make it to the end she starts cooing at herself... It's my favorite part) :)



And THIS is what S & S were doing while we were video taping!.... We discovered it later that night when we wanted to dry some sheets... (They put TONS of their toys in there)... (Note to self, don't leave a 2 & 4 year old un-attended too long!!!) :)

Some of my Favorite Things About Christmas!

There are a few things that I just LOVE to do around Christmas Time... Here are a few of them!

I LOVE going to the Dayton's 8th Floor display (I can't get myself to call it Macy's...) Even though I know the display itself only takes less than 5 minutes to go through, I think it is the whole "down-town" experience!




I LOVE decorating my house! I have always loved decorating, and with three kids it is usually put on the back burner... but Christmas-time gives me an excuse to tap into my creative side :)






I LOVE watching the snow fall softly down while we are all snuggled in our warm house... Grab a cup of tea (or coffee), find a comfy spot on the couch and do nothing but admire the beautiful WHITE.



I LOVE wrapping presents... I know a lot of people dread this, but I find it completely relaxing and once again a chance to be creative!



I LOVE Christmas music. The week or two before Thanksgiving I have Christmas music filling my house 24/7. (I love Pandora.com!)

I LOVE Christmas movies. I have a list that I HAVE to see each December. Is is as follows~ Miracle on 34th street (the new one), It's a Wonderful Life, White Christmas, Elf, Frosty, A Garfield's Christmas, A Charlie Brown Christmas, and The Muppet's Christmas.

I LOVE how the house looks and feels with all the lights down except for the glow from the Christmas tree...



I LOVE how the anticipation builds each day with my kids as we get closer to Christmas day!



I LOVE that the mall is CLOSED on Christmas day!... That Jordan always has that day off to spend with us.

I LOVE seeing Christmas lights outside. I love driving in a WARM car and enjoying all the amazing houses decked out with lights.

I LOVE seeing family. Brothers & Sisters. Aunts & Uncles. Cousins. Grandparents... Not every year are we blessed to see all the family we would like to, but I count my blessings when we do!

And finally... I LOVE hearing the Christmas story. Over & over again. I love sharing the Christmas story now with MY children. I love when they "get it", and they really understand what Christmas is all about.

Katelyn Smiles!

Katelyn has been full of smiles lately! I just had to share this picture with you! Isn't she SWEET!?! (She is 6 weeks old tomorrow!)

5 weeks old!

This past Sunday Katelyn turned 1 month old!! I can't believe how F.A.S.T it has gone!! She has started smiling directly at us a few times~ I LOVE it!! Even though I wish she could stay tiny a lot longer... it is so fun to have her alert, looking around, starting to recognize faces (Samuel and Serenity love when she looks right at them!)

I can't believe Thanksgiving is over and it is on to the Christmas Season! (We had a wonderful day celebrating with my parents...)

Playing Games!


Making Crafts!


Singing Songs!


Being Silly!


Enjoying our Family...



As I look outside, I have decided I either need SUNSHINE or SNOW... The In-Between-Stuff is not fun- I am SO HAPPY the sun is out today!! However, I'm getting ready for beautiful white! (It makes Christmas seem more like Christmas!) I have already started to enjoy all the fun things about Christmas... Decorating Christmas cookies, putting up the tree, wrapping presents... It will be so fun this year with Samuel and Serenity at the age they are and of course having a brand new baby! What a year to celebrate!


(Notice Katelyn is helping me bake) ;)


Well, as most people will be out fighting the crowds today for Black Friday (including Jordan- who had to be at work by 5am!), We will be snuggled in our home~ wrapping presents, watching Christmas movies, and maybe doing a little baking! Hope everyone had a BLESSED Thankgiving, and you all were able to focus on the important things in life, and the blessings God has given you... Have a wonderful weekend!!

~Newborn K~

Newborn shots done of Katelyn at 2 1/2 weeks old!

These pictures were done by a photographer that needed some newborn shots for her website! We were able to get these pictures taken and the whole CD of pictures at no cost! I was SO thrilled to have these done of Katelyn at such a tiny age!! Hope you enjoy... :)

3 weeks and 5 days old!

Instead of writing... Here is a tiny glimpse into my world :)

(Ps... if you check out our blog, send me a comment! Many of you have told me in person you see my blog, but I never know! :) It is fun to keep in touch with all of you, and also know who I am writing to!) :)











And a few pictures...

17 Days Old...

Ok. Seriously, These last two weeks have FLOWN by! I can NOT believe Katelyn is over two weeks old!! Her two week appointment went great... She weighed 7lbs 5 ounces! (she already gained a pound!)~ still falling in the 10th percentile. She smiles ALL the time in her sleep, and once in awhile if we are lucky we hear her giggle! She really is such a good baby. She constantly gets SMOTHERED in kisses from all of us! She is still getting the hang of her nights and days, but it will come soon enough.


Samuel and Serenity LOVE her. Samuel says, "I will love her forever." and Serenity says all the time "Katelyn is pretty mamma, I love Katelyn"...






Samuel~ has been SO into hockey lately! He and Jordan play every night... They use chairs as their "nets" and each have their own hockey team name! It is adorable.



Serenity~ EVERYTHING is princesses and pink. As tough as she is, and as much as she can keep up with her big brother, she is definitely a girly girl too!



I don't know about anyone else... but I'm getting pretty excited for Christmas this year! There is something about holding a newborn baby and thinking about Jesus coming to earth as a tiny infant... I guess it makes it even more real and even more special to me... I know this Christmas will be one to remember. It will be fun to have 5 stockings hanging by the fireplace! I probably will be getting out the Christmas boxes in the next few weeks, starting to look through and get out all the fun decorations. The kids even got their own little trees with their own decorations from Grandma! Speaking of Grandma...Jordan's mom was able to be with us for 10 days and Jordan's dad flew in to spend two days with us all... They left on Saturday morning, so it is officially real life with 3 kids at the Smith household!
Thank you again SO MUCH for coming and staying with us!, we LOVED it and the kids miss you so much already!!





Well, as Thanksgiving approaches I just want to say how THANKFUL I am for all my blessings. For a house to live in, food on our table, the freedom to worship God, and most of all my wonderful family... Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!