Joyful Times

Seeing the joy in my kiddos faces during this sacred Christmas season is just the best gift any mama could asked for. I know I have been so incredibly blessed by not only the ultimate gift that my savior has given me but also the gift of an amazing husband and our four precious blessings. What more could a mama ask for this Christmas?

It is so easy to get overwhelmed by the rush of the holidays and let's be honest, there is just way too much for us ladies to get done in such a short amount of time. It really is easy for us to be all consumed with the gifts, parties, decorating, baking and so on and forget about why we are doing all of this anyway. I am trying to make it my goal to not feel the pressure to overload my daily schedule but instead to spend as much time as I possibly can cuddling with my family reading Christmas stories or watching a good Christmas movie. Elf is one of our favorites! We bought it for $5 at Target this year so we never have to try and catch it on tv anymore. I want them to always remember Christmas as such a magical time when we together as a family had fun as we celebrated Jesus' birth.

I get so emotional when thinking of my little ones first Christmas. It truly is such a special time and I look forward to so many more years of celebrating with this precious girl of mine.

I do enjoy the baking and crafting that comes along with Christmas so I've tried to incorporate that into our family time hoping that my kids will learn to love it as much as I have. I think it's working.

And where is Maggie while we do these projects? When I look down, this is what I see. Snuggled up in the nest of my sling as she listens to the giggles of her sister and brothers. I can't wait for her to join in the fun next year.

The other day I let the kids out of the car on our way home and let them walk home and collect these to make reindeer. (don't worry we live on a quiet country road these days and I followed them to make sure they were safe)

I made one of these reindeer many years ago in girl scouts and still have it. Such a fun little project and quite inexpensive too! The kids like to play with their reindeer and have them talk to one another. Pretty cute!

(if you look closely you'll see Josh in the background as he was building our mantel)


Aren't the kids aprons so cute? I have been blessed with a mother in law who sews some really cute stuff!

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Gracie totally gets into crafting and the whole concept of the joy you feel when making for others. We use clothes pins for so many purposes around here but mostly for holding bags closed like chip clips and for keeping papers neatly together. They can also be stood up for holding a picture or with a magnet on the back to hang on the fridge to hold notes or pictures. I made some of these last year and they were so easy that I thought she'd have fun making them this year. And she did!

I also made some simple little lavender sachets that I had the boys help with. I bought lavender potpourri and had them crush it into pieces using hammers and other heavy tools. Boy did they love this! Then we added lavender essential oil to give it a stronger scent then scooped it into these little pouches I made to hold them in. I didn't put down that bottle of lavender oil for the duration of my labor with Fletcher as I would breath it in during contractions to help me relax. I don't know how much it helped but I can't ever smell lavender without a flood of memories of my precious boy coming into the world. I even had lavender oil in the tub water when he was born. Go figure that he'd say it smelled like poop while he was helping with this project! He's too much sometimes!

I couldn't wait to make this next project. This was the first bit of sewing I'd done since Maggie's arrival and it felt so good to pull my machine out and put it to use again. And it was just what I needed... quick, easy and instant gratification! I just love it!
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Oh... and check out our fireplace mantel Josh and I made the other night. I had him bring me home some cheap plain pine boards at Home Depot then I let the kids go to town banging on them with various objects. They used hammers, chains, putty knifes, screw drivers and the such, and we made some grooves in them to give a distressed look. We finished by staining the boards and putting a few coats of Waterlox on top for the finish coat. Then Josh cut them to the proper size and constructed a nice chunky mantel for me. It was just what I had envisioned and we made a family project out of it!

I love my fabric banner so much that I thought it would be a fun gift to make for my nieces Ava and Kaya who are here for the month from Costa Rica. They share a room and I am hoping that each time they look at it they'll think of just how much their aunt Jenna loves and misses them!

I love the combination of pinks and browns. So pretty!

Prior to Christmas we really hadn't done much decorating since we're still focusing on finishing the house but we did have fun decorating for our first Christmas here. We actually have stuff to look at now instead of just furniture scattered about.
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Through the years I have loved collecting vintage Christmas decor at various thrift shops I've visited. These old things have so much more wear and love to them than buying brand new and I can't help but think of the many people who must have enjoyed them through the Christmas's of the past. I'm sure there are many stories and memories behind these items that I will never know about. That's my favorite thing about antiques. Every piece has a history and a story behind it yet most will remain a mystery. Ooh.. a rhyme!

This old (and somewhat creepy) Santa was purchased by Fletch last year for $.50 at a yard sale. He loved it and had to have it! The red Santa bag is not old but was made for us by Josh's mom and we love it. Typically we fill it with the smaller gifts that we've wrapped but there aren't any yet this year.

My favorite bowls ever from Anthropologie along with a thrifted Santa mug, a star that was my mom's that I've painted and a thrifted old hobnail milk glass vase.

And more milk glass with some really old glass ornaments that my mom has had since forever along with her cow creamer that I inherited. My mama had good taste I must say!

I love these little old wooden ornaments. I found them at a thrift shop for around $.25 to $.50. I hope to collect more someday. They are so cute and make me smile! : )

This pretty little bird was my Grammy Maggie's. Can't help but look at it and picture it on her tree many many years ago. So special.

Aside from Christmas stuff little Fletch has been loving living on the land. I love this next pouty picture of him. Fletcher came out of the house just as Josh was parking the tractor...

and he became so upset that he missed the ride. He loves to join Josh whenever he's using the tractor but this time he missed out. This picture shows Daddy trying to comfort him and letting him know that he'll get to go next time.

He spends many hours out in the pond trying to catch minnows. He hasn't quite caught on that he has to be extra quick cause these little buggers are fast!

But with the help of big brother and sister his fish bowl gets filled up quick!

Here are pictures from our visit with Santa. Colton surprisingly still believes but I get a feeling this will be his last year although I said that last year too. I'm prepared to tell him however that when he stops believing that'll be the day Santa stops delivering to him. That way hopefully he'll keep his lips zipped so he won't spoil it for the other kids. He asked Josh while we were at the mall "If that is the real Santa, then where is his sleigh?". Josh quickly said "well you know, Santa usually parks up on the roof." Colton's quick come back was "Dad... there is no chimney on the roof of the mall!" And Josh jumped right back with "well of course Santa takes the elevator silly! He'd take the elevator at our house too if we had one".


At Macy's mailing their letters to Santa.
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Colton...

Dear Santa,

I think you are really cool. If you think that I've been a good boy I would really like a Wii, a bb gun, a remote control airplane sunglasses and a DS game.

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Gracie...

Dear Santa,

I think you are really nice. For Christmas I would like 2 barbies, bouncy balls, makeup and a DS game.

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Fletch...

Dear Santa,

I love you. Please bring me anything you'd like. Merry Christmas.

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Jenna...

Dear Santa,

You charged incredibly way too much for my kids to come sit on your lap so I could take a few pictures. $26 is outragious! Yes you did give me a couple little pictures for this price but I didn't want those anyway nor do I even like them. Shouldn't we "remember to love one another" like you told my kids and just let me take my own pictures already? I would have much rather given you 10 bucks to do this than to get your cheapy little poor quality photos. ps... don't be surprised if you get stale cookies this year.

For the record, Colton is not geting a bb gun. Maybe in a year or two when he has matured a bit more but not quite yet. He has a wooden gun that shoots rubber bands and he knows the rules of it. No shooting it in the house and never shoot it at others. Lets just say that that rule gets broken often.

I bet next year she'll be in tears when she meets Santa!

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But for now, look at this silly little girl! Isn't she the cutest?!



Merry Christmas ya'll! ; )

Tis the Season

The holiday's are here and are coming and going as fast as the days of having a newborn in the house are. Our sweet Maggie will be six weeks old this Sunday. I love seeing her little personality unfold but I am gripping tightly to her days as a wee little one. I love her at this stage and know that I will miss it dearly once it's gone.
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She is such a joyful little baby and I'm loving every minute of it, believe it or not even at night. A friend of mine who had her first baby a few weeks after I had my first commented how funny it was that back then when we only had one baby to care for our responsibilities seemed all consuming. The nighttime feedings and trying to keep up with housework and cooking were overwhelming at times. Looking at my life now and everything I have on my 'plate', taking care of her is like the icing on the cake. I am enjoying having a newborn like never before. I will say however that some days my life is more than challenging but it is so very worth it. Keeping up with a household of six (oh the laundry, I despise laundry), keeping everyone fed, and clean and happy and obedient and then there is schooling to get done. THEN... there's the house projects. Our house still has many, many, unfinished projects that are screaming at me each day. The painting seems to get left to me so my painting projects are piling up faster than I can keep up with. So in between feeding a baby, sweeping the floors, folding laundry, teaching math and stirring a pot of macaroni I am also constructing a mantle so the stockings can be hung, painting doors and trim and beadboard, patching drywall and the such.
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But in saying all of this I can't help but think of how blessed I am. I GET to clean a house. I am so grateful to have a home in which to raise my family in. I GET to love on and care for my four children each day. I GET to feed a baby every 2 to 3 hours and all through the night. God didn't have to bless us with her if he didn't want to. I GET to teach my children each day. The fact that God has called me to be the leader of their education is just humbling. I love seeing the joy in their faces as they accomplish or learn something new. It makes all of this hard work so very worth it. I GET to feed my children. I am so thankful that God provides food for our family. I could continue but I think you GET the idea.
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Back to our growing little Maggie, she is doing terrific! She is truly the calm, peaceful baby that we had prayed for through all of my nine months of pregnancy. She had a little bit of tummy cramping and problems 'getting it out' when she was brand new but our chiropractor fixed that right up. She hadn't 'gone' for four days during her first week of life and was getting really uncomfortable. A trip to our chiropractor when she was eight days old cleared all of that up. He could tell she had colic by feeling her lower back and after her adjustment she was as good as new. No more problems 'going' and very little tummy cramping. We've since been taking her for an adjustment about two to three times a week and I am absolutely convinced that this made all the difference for her. Just googling "newborns and chiropractic care" showed me that it wasn't just our luck that it worked for her. I believe in it all the way!
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She sleeps anywhere from 2 - 4 hours at a time at night and loves to sleep either on my chest or between Josh and I. She loves to be carried in a sling which once again has been my number one piece of baby equipment that I couldn't live without. It is truly a life saver. She's in it when I'm doing house work, outside with the kids, at the store shopping (it even keeps people from coming up and touching her) at Christmas parties and even at church too. I guess that names just about all the places we've been since she's been here. Ha! Seriously we've been homebound for the most part. With all the germs and flu's floating around, it wasn't worth risking getting her sick. And we are major homebodies anyway so it's actually been really nice not to have to rush around here and there while we're adjusting to life with a new baby.
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That's about all she does. I think I've covered it all. Eat, sleep, poop and smile. Yes, she has been our most smiley baby yet! Since week two she has been consciously giving us little smiles. All our babies did the REM smile in your sleep thing but this has been when she's fully engaged staring into our eyes while we're talking to her. It melts our hearts for sure!
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The other three little Smith's are doing great. Fletch was a little on the wild side, no, make that a little more on the wild side than usual in the beginning but I know it was his way of getting the attention of others. All of a sudden it's not all about him and all the attention has been poured on this little sister of his. He has shown nothing but love towards her but we did have to buckle down with his behavior in general.
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Schooling is going well, although some days are hit or miss. But we give it our best effort all the while trying to enjoy this holiday season with a new baby in the house. But I am proud of all we've accomplished these past six weeks considering all that we have going on. The kids would much rather play all day of course but they've been making the effort to get their school work done knowing that if they don't do it now then it will run into their summer break.
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I guess that's about it for now. I'm going to go lay this precious baby down who's sleeping peacefully on my lap and go get some painting done! Oh how I'd love to cross just one project off my list today!





Gracie making a button tree



trimming the tree









Isn't she just the sweetest thing ever? I could stare into these eyes all day!


















Does Fletch look less than thrilled or what? :)







He truly is this sweet to her each and every day. I love how he introduces people to her and tells them "her other name is Eliza".





We love our Maggie girl!