::six!::

oh sweet lily of ours.  we absolutely adore you.

you are such a gift to our little family.  you bring so much joy, so much compassion, so much caring to us.  you take care of your brothers and worry about them as if you were their mama.  you are growing in such leaps and bounds and it is such a joy to watch you grow into such a precious girl.

we are so alike in so many ways.  and yet different in others.  but, one of my favorite parts of this year is being able to relate to so much of what you are feeling.  i love to see the similarities in the way i thought as an elementary aged girl and the way you process things.  i love watching you experience elation in your daily life and then am able to remember those same experiences in my own childhood.  i love watching you grow in confidence and skill and remembering being so proud as i mastered some of the same things.

you are absolutely precious and the Lord has blessed us beyond measure by giving us the gift that you are.

we love you so very much and are so excited to celebrate you today!

happy 6th birthday, sweet nin!!

::sweet birdie turning 6::

my little birdie turns 6 in less than 2 days and i can hardly believe how quickly my sweet one is growing up.  

my heart aches that she is getting so close to 10, but i am so proud of the sweet girl she is.

and the weekend was absolutely full of joy as whit came to visit and helped us celebrate with a bird themed party (per lily's request) and ring in her 6th year with about 20 of her closest friends and classmates!

bird seed ornaments for favors.

crafts!

sweet kate

the pinata frenzy!

needing some coffee after the party!

celebrating a party well done with a night out!

the birthday girl getting some whit love!

thank you SO much for coming, whit!  we could not have done it without you!  it was a perfect weekend with you by our side!

i am going to soak up the last hours with my 5 year old and ring in her 6th year with so much joy and thankfulness.

oh, we adore you, sweet birdie of ours!

::little peanut::

i am overwhelmed by thankfulness today as we had our 20 week ultrasound.  the baby looks wonderful and there is absolutely no sign of a hemorrhage present.  praise the Lord!  i think that i had some anxiety heading into the ultrasound, just worrying that a hemorrhage may have occurred in the 7 weeks since the last one.  and it was such a beautiful sight to see a healthy baby in such a healthy environment.  

i will always be so thankful for the miracle of this pregnancy and i am overwhelmed by the miracle of health so far for both me and the baby.  thank you Lord!

::some duke love::

duke had some time off before he had to return school.

we were so thankful that he was able to spend a few days with us relaxing.  he definitely earned his uncle points as he was fully immersed in smith family life this past week!

the dunkins.  love.

hanging for 2 hours with us at gymnastics!  

we love you and miss you so much already, duke!

thanks for coming!!

::new year, new pregnancy::

a few weeks into our new injection routine.  so thankful for my husband who will administer it for me. 

this pregnancy has been such a gift.

we have been so thankful and felt so blessed to prepare our hearts to welcome a new one into our family.

but, it has also stirred up many emotions i was not expecting.  i knew that the process of healing from crosby's pregnancy and birth would take a while.  but, i did not expect so many raw emotions to come flooding back (and neither did my dear friend, katy, when i burst into tears on the phone with her recently!).

since crosby's due date and this baby's due date are separated by days, the timeline of this pregnancy feels much like his.  and the emotions i felt on new year's eve of 2010 were absolutely horrifying as the contractions began and fear crept in.

so as this new year's eve approached, i have had moments of anxiety as i have prayed that this pregnancy would continue on it's healthy path.  i have had to turn to God so many times in these first 17 weeks and place my trust in Him alone.

i am so thankful that we have made it this far and am so hopeful for the months to come.

praise God from who all blessings flow...