I know...it has been almost a year.  All I can say is we have been B-U-S-Y!  So here is a little recap with pictures.....

Jagger got glasses...and a new friend!!

My Hubby (my fave pic)

The Dragons and the Black Dragons...no championship this year, but no major injuries either!

Daddy was able to be here for a few of our games.  We miss him so much!!

Jagger, Ranger and Prezton

Last day of School

Goodbye Kindergarten!

Thanks Ms. Anglea for a fabulous first year!!

Adios Third Grade!

Mrs. Dillon rocked!!

Dirt bike fun..or heart attacks for Mom?!?

Definitely heart attacks!

Our first fishing trip!

Thanks for taking me Pepaw!!

Jagger caught the biggest fish of the day and here's the proof!

Thanks again Pepaw...for holding it for me:-)

COUSINS

Jackson, Owen, Ella and Megan

Nonnie and the boys

Off to camp for the very first time. 

CentriKid 2012

I know this only gives you a glimpse of what we have been up to here at the Smith house.  Jordan went to camp as well this summer.  They both had a great time.  Jagger and I had a fun time here just the two of us.  We played Phase10 (card game) EVERY day.  Thank you Blayne Blayne for teaching me how to play!!  Which reminds me that my Blayne came to stay a few days with me.  It was great not to be the only girl!  I miss here dearly.  We have actually had lots of company this year.  Everyone is trying to get their Nashville trip in before it is too late!  Last chance...it won't be much longer!!  I'm ready too.  I'm very ready to have my sweet hubby home with me every night.  I miss him so much.   Till next time....

Saying it with pictures!!

Proud of his ILE tote!

Jackson and Jagger

Jagger and Mrs. Anglea

Ready for my first day!!

Mama and Jagger
(my brave face!)



3rd grade PTO performance



Fall Soccer 2011

Fall soccer 2011

Daddy and Jagger

Jackson turned 9 years old on Saturday!!  So hard to believe.  He is growing up so fast.  He had a great birthday with friends and family.  Played an awesome game of soccer.  Had a fun skating party with a Spongebob cake, and lots of school friends. 
We are missing Daddy very much though.  Can't wait for him to come home!  I think I got a little spoiled over the last two months.  He is the coach for Jagger's team so I haven't had to do soccer practice at all until last week!  It was a nice break for Mom, but it made the last two weeks an adjustment...for us all!  This is going to be a tough year, but we are looking forward to where this new opportunity will take us!
WE LOVE YOU DADDY!!  We are so proud of you!

Off to 8th grade, 3rd grade, and KINDERGARTEN!!!!!!

Where exactly have the days gone??  I am not ready for school...I am not ready to send this baby boy off to Kindergarten.  Why do they have to grow up so fast?  I am having a REALLY hard time with this.  I know that everyone laughs it off like no big deal, but it is a big deal...HUGE!  He is my baby.  What am I going to do with my time now?  I am trying to stay positive and upbeat about this whole Kindergarten thing,  but I have to be honest with you, I am crying my eyes out....on the inside of course. 
He on the other hand is super excited.  We went to registration to meet his teacher, Mrs. Anglea.  He was so proud of his new classroom.  Although he misses Ryan and Reed so much, he was very happy to see that his other buddy from preschool, Ranger, will be in his classroom.  I hope she is ready for them!  I am very thankful for the whole phasing in process they have here in Sumner county.  For the first two weeks of school, the Kindergarten classes are split up so only a few go for a half a day each week.  I will admit that I did not like this idea at first.  It seemed silly to me for them to go for three and half hours once a week, but I am liking the idea very much now.  I still get two more weeks with him.  He's first day will be Thursday, and he can hardly wait.  Unlike me who could wait...oh say another year!!
Jackson and Jordan started yesterday.  I am going to try to force Jordan to be more like me this year so that should be fun.  What I mean is I am going to try to make him OCD like me.  How can you live in such chaos?  So I have elected myself sheriff of the binder police.  I am armed with a 3 hole punch, dividers, sharpies and paper clips.  A place for everything and everything in its place right??  I was thrilled to learn yesterday afternoon that I have a deputy as well.  Her name is Mrs. Crawford, and her day job is math and lit, but her night job is using a 3 hole punch for all her handouts.  LOVE IT!!  I think she and I will be good friends. 
Jackson's teacher is Mrs. Dillon.  She seems really nice.  I only know what I have heard from other parents, but the most exciting thing I heard is she is not a big believer in take home projects.  God love her!!  We all know how I feel about those.  Two of his buddies from Mrs. Swinger's class are in his room this year so he was happy about that.  Jackson has come such a long way.  Remember in Kindergarten when he wanted to become president so he could change the nations laws on mandatory schooling...to none at all.  Or what about the time in 1st grade, when he told me he would finish out that year, but would NOT be going on to the next.  Second grade was a huge turning point for him, and we owe it all to Mrs. Swinger.  She taught him everything she is suppose to (school wise) and so much more.  She taught him how to love school again.  Awesome!
We had a really great summer.  It went by all too fast.  Now it is time to get back in the swing of things.  I am going to miss staying up late and sleeping in, but I am excited to see what this new school year brings for my boys...all three of them.  And if you can't seem to find me during the day...check the school.  I know I complained a lot about it last year, but I couldn't help myself.  I signed up for everything I possibly could.  You say I'm insane...I call it separation anxiety.

Jordan's Baptism

Today was such a blessed day.  A beautiful service and the baptism of my baby boy and two of somesone else's baby girls.  It was amazing, powerful, inspiring.  Brought back so many memories.  I can not believe that he is 13, but I have never been prouder of him as I am today.  You can see the change in him.  Breath taking.  I will post pictures soon!

Never finished April, May and now there goes June....

I guess I fell asleep, I really thought I published that last post:)  Anyway, where was I...April flew by, May was crazy, busy with all kinds of school stuff.  You know all the things they like to cram into the last 4 weeks of school like teacher appreciation, two field trips, field day, and of course the ice cream social the last day of school.  That's just Jackson's school functions.  I have never been so relieved that school was over...not even when I was the one anxiously waiting for summer!!
Report cards were awesome.  All A's and B's for both boys.  I am so proud of both of them.  They had a great year.  It is hard to believe we now have an 8th grader, a 3rd grader and a Kindergartener!  We had the Duke Tip ceremony for Jordan.  That was pretty cool, and he was so proud.  Since school has been out, we have seemed to stay busy, busy.  Our friends, the Harmon's, found out they were moving back to Ohio a few weeks before school let out so we kept pretty busy with them the entire month of June.  Making the most of our time with them was a blast.  We will miss them terribly, but we know that God has great things in store for them in their new place. 
Ok, I am sure that I am leaving out all kinds of things over the past 3 months, but I am bursting at the seams with my newest news.  I am surprised that I have lasted this long without blurting it out.  As you know, Jordan has been at camp all week.  Centrifuge in North Carolina.  He had a great time...AND  he wants to be baptized.  How amazing to see your son off for his first year of camp as a teenager, and to see him home a completely different teenager. He will be baptized tomorrow.  I am so thankful to Josh and all the counselors that went with our kids on this trip, and I am excited to see God working in so many different lives.  God is really at work in our family too, and I am so thankful.  I feel as if I am witnessing one miracle after another.  God is so amazing. 

Where did April go???

Geez, time is flying by at lightning speeds. I sit here in this quiet house so tired I can barely hold my eyes open, but I all I can think about is how fast my babies are growing up! In the past two weeks we have been super busy. I feel like I have been at the school more than I have been at home, and my house has the dust to prove it!
First, let me start with graduation. It was so sweet...and so sad. I held out well until they started rolling those darn baby pics. I lost all composure. I have dried my tears since then. I just can't get around babies (real or fake) or talk about any type of graduation without tearing up so I am avoiding those things at the moment. I hope I get over this by October...when I start my new "job" in the baby room:)

Who turned out the lights?

What better time to catch you up a little then when there is no electricity!! Well, at least until the battery dies on this laptop:) Things have been a little crazy the past month with school, soccer and spring break. We went to Memphis on our break. It was an eventful week. I enjoyed spending time with everyone. Even if it was just for a short time, it meant the world to me. The boys had a blast at the hockey game, the bonfire, riding the 4 wheeler, the Pink Palace and staying with all the grandmas. Sorry we missed some of you, but you will be first on our list of people to see next trip!
Report cards came home last week. Drum roll please...Jordan made honor roll with all A's and 2 B's.
Way to go Jordan! I knew you could do it.
Drum roll again...Jackson made principal's list with ALL A's. Awesome job Jackson. You worked so hard, and I am so proud of you!
Soccer is going well. Alot of rain means few practices which makes me happy, but doesn't make the team and coaches too happy. I don't know what that's about. Jackson's team has won one game and tied the other two. Jagger's team...well, they play really hard so we will give them that:)
Speaking of soccer...Jackson took one for the team Saturday. A ball right to the face. Knocked his tooth so loose that I had to pull it out or they would not let him play for fear of him swallowing it. So I did and right back out he went. Such a trooper. Now if someone could just get in touch with that toothfairy to let her know we have been waiting on her for the past two nights...what's that about?!?
Are you ready for the biggest news ever!!! Last drum roll please...Jagger looks like a little boy now. That's right...it's all gone...almost every bit of it. He does not even look like the same kid. I have never seen a child so excited about a haircut. He LOVES it. I wanted to cry for days, but he is the happiest boy on the planet right now. I guess it had to happen eventually, but I don't think I was really prepared. I will try to post a picture soon. Well, I think that is all for now. Don't want to use all the battery...it may be a long, dark night.

God is soooo good!!

Disaster averted...again! Isn't it amazing how God works things out for us? So why do we do so much worrying and stressing over issues that He is going to take care of anyway? My husband is probably asking me these same questions right now. He has ALWAYS said that everything will work out...and he has been right every time. I know this, and I am still excellent at worrying about everything!! Are you curious to know just what disaster I am talking about now? Well, a couple of weeks ago the refrigerator filter busted and flooded half the kitchen overnight. The water seeped under the floor soaking our bedroom carpet and the hardwood floor in the hallway. The landlord decided this week to claim it on his insurance so the claims adjuster came out yesterday. The carpet in our room needs to be replaced and ALL of the hardwood floors (or they would not match). The hardwood runs under the cabinets so the entire kitchen must be gutted to replace the floors. So for the past 24 hours, I have been going out of my mind with unneccesary worries. We would have to move out for an extended time, our belongings would be left to be moved around by strangers, what about school, what about staying in a hotel with 3 kids and a husband for a long period of time, etc...you get the idea right. Oh, also, the landlord wanted to replace all the flooring at one time so it would match so we are not talking about one room...more like the entire house!!! Well, long story short, we agreed this morning for him to wait until we have moved out to replace any floors. We aren't planning on being here that much longer, and if God has different plans on that, we will just cross that bridge when we get to it! God has really been working in our lives lately, and many changes are coming about because of those plans He has for us. I am thankful for this reminder this morning that He is in complete control, and He will work everything out according to His purpose. I am also very thankful for a hubby who brings me back down to earth whenever I begin to float away in my hot air balloon of worries:)
To my husband: As if God hasn't proved himself faithful enough over the past 5 years, He continues to do so stronger than ever now. Being worried about certain family members, you have really been there for me even if it meant giving me a dose of truth that was extremely painful. I promise not to worry about any decisions that need to be made in the future. I trust that your heart is right where it needs to be. God is opening doors all around us. It is not luck or chance that you are where you are...or even that you have been where you have been for that matter. Isn't it amazing to see the things that God has done in our life opening up new opportunities now? How the pieces fall perfectly into place? All we have to do is keep trusting in Him for only He knows the plans He has for us! I know...this is easier for you than me, but I will do better!

On a little different note, last night at the dinner table Jagger asks if Marley can come to his house. She wants to bring her doll. He would like for her to spend the night so he can show her all of his stuffed animals. Jackson asked him if she was his girlfriend. He said no, but the look on his face suggested a different story. Sweet, right?