so thankful for my mom.  

she is amazing...21 hours in a car and moving a family of five in.  and loving us so well all the while.

thank you, mom!!!

::be it ever so humble::

we are getting settled in texas!  

our drive from VA was amazingly smooth and the kids were champs.  

we arrived to our new home to find we were locked out...we had received the wrong keys.  so, we camped out in the front yard for a bit while the new keys were delivered.  we started getting settled in to find that no matter what we tried, our air conditioner would not produce cold air.  and from there, we discovered we had no hot water, no working shower, a toilet that wouldn't flush, a shower and sink that wouldn't drain, and a refrigerator that was malfunctioning.

thankfully, things are falling into place and everyone's attitudes have been great throughout.

we have had a few days of hard work and an AMAZING effort from my mom (whom we could NEVER thank enough!) and we are feeling pretty moved in.

i think this house is going to feel like a home for this year in texas...

and we had our first visitor!!  so glad duke was able to break away from work for a quick trip.  we love you, duke!!

::chief::

my sweet boy is three!!  

i can hardly believe that you were born three years ago, finn.  you are growing up so much each day, yet still are my sweet little man.  you are all boy and i have loved seeing the differences in having a girl and a boy.  yet, you have the most tender heart and have so much compassion it almost brings me to tears.  

it is absolutely a joy to be your parents and every day i am so incredibly thankful for you.  you are the most wonderful little brother to lily and the best big brother to crosby.  

i hope today you felt overwhelmed by how much we adore you.  you are amazing and i am so thankful for these past three years and for the decades to come.

we love you so very much, finn wiley smith!

love,

your mama and dada

finn's birthday requests today: white cupcakes with white icing, blue juice, swimming and a special movie.  oh i love you!!!

::our last few days::

these last few days have been a whirlwind of action and busyness.  

today lily asked me if i was feeling emotional.  

i think that would be an understatement.  

from feeling sad to excited to busy to proud to nervous to happy to thankful, my heart can't quite decide where it should land.

but, if i had to choose just one, it would be thankful.  

thankful that whit was in town for one last c'ville hurrah. 

thankful that she was there to help during the packing chaos.

thankful that ryan has had such amazing training here at UVA.

thankful for the most wonderful friends who have loved and supported us like family.

thankful for the opportunity to spread our wings for a year.

and thankful for this awesome family of mine that i get to go on this journey with.

we are going to miss charlottesville beyond words.  

but we have trust and faith as we take these next steps forward.

we love you all so very much!  xoxo

::final swings and sprints::

thru our sweet back yard.

precious lily -- she will have such beautiful memories of this home.

::blue ridge, blue grass, and brews::

happy father's day to my amazing dad and my unbelievable husband!

i love you both so much and i am beyond thankful for both of you in my life.  

we had a great day celebrating ryan (and cleaning our house...somehow doesn't seem like something you should have to do on father's day!).  

lily, finn, and crosby could not be more blessed than to have you as a father!

crosby's first game of corn hole.

congratulations!!!

to my most amazing husband, dr. ryan smith, congratulations!

you have gone through these past five years of residency with such grace and with such an attitude of service.

you have served both your patients and your family without complaint and i have been amazed by how hard you have worked.  it has been awesome to see you gain skills and confidence as a physician and i am so excited for you as you embark upon this next chapter.

i am so very proud of you today as you finish your last day of residency.  and i am so honored to be your wife and to have walked by your side through these years.

i love you so much!

congrats!!!

::big man::

::an ode to 1007 holmes::

sweet first home of ours,

we are so thankful for you.  you have brought us so many blessings, so much joy, and so much growth.

as we pack our boxes and get ready to move, i am remembering so many details of the past years we have spent here.

we celebrated our first anniversary here.

we learned how to care for a home and yard here.

we painted the entire exterior of a house (in 2 days!) here.

we made home improvements over and over and learned from our mistakes.

we went from husband and wife to father and mother in this sweet house.  and those first days and nights are such precious memories to me.

we have opened our doors to countless guests and it has been such a privilege to be able to host so many friends and family here.

ryan went from student to physician while living here and they joy and tribulations of residency began.

our family went from 3 to 4 here as we welcomed our first son and lily gained her first sibling.

our sweet children have played for hours in this small yard and we have delighted in it.

i spent countless hours praying and crying on the bathroom floor here as we clung to crosby's life.

and we welcomed our tiniest addition last year in a whirlwind of emergency and miracles.

we brought home sweet crosby 10 weeks after he was born and it felt so good to be home as a family.

and ryan will complete his residency as we reside here.

we have had days filled with laughter and joy and worry and sorrow and happiness and peace and LOVE in this house.  this is our first home and it will always feel like home.

we love you, 1007 holmes.  and we will miss you dearly!

love,

the smiths

- as we pack our boxes and get ready to head west, blogging might be sporadic.  check back in with us in a few weeks as we declare texas our new home!

love this.

makes me want to dance.  sadly, i only really let loose around my kids or when i am alone because my dancing skills leave something to be desired.  but, it does feel so freeing.

and i really love dana, danielle's sister.

enjoy...


stumbled upon this here

::graduation::

crosby had his final neonatology appointment this morning.

things are looking great for our big man.  his development is coming along and while he still has some delays, he is making great forward progress.  i learned for the first time today that there is a preemie growth chart that adjusts their size and compares them to other preemies born at their gestation.  and, i am happy to say, that for 27 weekers, he is in the 50% for weight!  he is barely on the chart for length, so that is something we will watch, but i was so happy to see him on a growth chart!  at his regular pediatrican's appointments, he has yet to eek onto a chart.  so, it was great to see his little dot among others! :)

if we were not moving, they would continue to follow him.  but since we are getting ready to head west, he has been discharged to the care of a new pediatrician and physical therapist.

i have really loved touching base with his NICU doctors and have felt a sense of peace as they have tracked his progress over the months.  they have taken such amazing care of cros and we could not be more thankful for each doctor and nurse that has helped us along the way.

today, as we were wrapping things up at his appointment, i found myself getting all teary eyed as i said goodbye to one of his amazing attendings.  i know our paths will cross again, but i feel i could never thank the team enough.

thankfully, we have a NICU graduation reunion to attend this weekend!

this office has an a.maz.ing waiting room filled with toys and a teacher who will play with lily and finn while crosby has his appointment.  i have to pull them away from the office at the end of these checkups! :)

our big man showing off his skills to a doctor.

::mischief::

::sprayground fun::

my big girl on the monkey bars!