Merry Christmas, Disney Style!

This year, instead of spending hours in the mall or the toy store, we decided to take the kids to Disney World's Magic Kingdom for Christmas. We had planned a trip to see my dad in Tampa, FL and decided to follow it up with a day at Disney. Minus a minor, self-inflicted, head wound (I pulled the back hatch down on my head) we had a blast from the minute we got to Florida (minus the intense fog, driving in) until we left. The weather was beautiful! It was so nice to spend the week of Christmas at Busch Gardens, watching manatees in the wild, going to the beach, and playing at Disney. I am starting to think this might need to be a new Christmas tradition.

Here are some pictures from our awesome winter vacation.

Kreid and Pappaw at Busch Gardens

Ky and Zay at Busch Gardens

Dad and me at the wild manatee sighting dock

Our little cuties walking on Clearwater Beach

Mini Minnie & Too Cool

We all loved the castle

Our family photo at Disney World

We hope you all had a fantastic Christmas, and we wish you a very happy New Year!

Blessings,

Delilah & Rob

Playing with the "Poof"

Okay, so I could likely lose my "mother of the year" nomination with this...but I can't not share it with you. I laugh out loud every time I look at these pictures. Let me give you the history first. Kreid had lots of hair, as I am sure you noticed, when he was born. Well, as the skin on his scalp started to dry and flake away, there his hair went with it. Just not all of it. He was left with this hilarious little "poof" right on the top of his head. We laugh about it all the time. For proof of the "poof," see the adorable picture of Mekyla and Kreid below. Then on to the good stuff...

Okay, so here's where my award goes out the window. The other night I was feeding Kreid and I couldn't stop playing with the "poof." So, naturally, being a girl, and playing with hair, what else would I do? Put it in a ponytail of course!! So here is my super-hilarious escapade, complete with Kreid quotes (in my mind, of course) to complete the story.

Kreid: "You've got to be kidding me. I KNOW Mommy did NOT just put my hair in a pony tail!"

Mommy: "But look at that adorable (and hysterical) shadow!"

Kreid: "Okay, the joke's over Mommy. Seriously, somebody HELP ME!"

See... doesn't that make you just chuckle? I know, I know, no awards for me.

I've Been Tagged...

This is fun! I was tagged by Melissa & now I need to tag 4 people to do the same. Go to your fourth picture folder and then go to the fourth picture in the folder. Write four things about the picture and then tag four other people.



1. This picture is of my best friend, Kari.
2. She is eating dinner at our wedding.
3. She will probably want to kill me for posting this... but its the fourth picture. LOL
4. Our wedding was totally unique, and it would not have been half the event, if it weren't for Kari being there. :o)


I wish I knew enough people on blogspot to tag four, but considering I only know three... and one of them tagged me, I tag:

1. Kelly Bullock
2. Nikki Holden

Solid Food

We've taken an all-important step in Kreid's diet... solid food. Here is an adorable video of Kreid's first encounter with cereal. He didn't do too bad, if you ask me (but thats just the proud mommy talking).

A New Day

Last night I wept. Not because I was ashamed of my country. Not because I thought a mistake was made. And not because I am relieved it is over (although I definitely am). I wept because as a man stepped up to the podium to make a historical acceptance speech, I looked down at my sweet baby and thought about all the times people told me, “I just feel sorry for the children” (of biracial relationships). All my life, I was hit with this ignorant statement by family members who never bothered to step outside of their own comfort zones. I heard it at church as a child, and I heard it from plenty of garbage on television. I never believed it, but you still never feel quite comfortable having biracial children when you know, deep down, that your family thinks something is wrong with it. Last night confirmed my story. Nothing IS wrong with my children, and you have NO reason to feel sorry for them! Last night, Barack Obama defied the odds when he took our great nation one major step forward. Now I realize, he most certainly should not have been elected (or not elected) based on his race, and I firmly believe that it had little do with it, but I would be blind not to want to jump for joy after seeing one more example of my children’s future being as bright as they could ever dream! I feel reassured in my country after Barack Obama’s election. I know he does not meet all the right-wing, conservative standards, but he is an honorable man. He is sincere, and shows a great amount of grace and humility.

When this election process began, I was unbiased, and I watched all the debates, both conventions, and multiple news channels (in order to avoid biased news casting). I wanted what was best for our country, and I wanted to be sure to get the facts. I did my best not to let others sway me, and to look up things that I questioned. Slowly but surely, I began to lean towards Obama. Then he made, what I thought to be a great decision for his VP, in Joe Biden. FINALLY, we have leaders who know what is like to be broke, to have one parent, to be one parent, to lose a loved one to a failed insurance system, to struggle, and to fight for what they want out of life. They weren’t fed with a silver spoon, or given plenty of chances to mess up time after time and get a free ride. They know what it is like for those who are in need. They are not elite, although they have done great things in their lives. Don’t get me wrong, John McCain is, indeed, a great American hero. But can someone PLEASE explain how that qualifies him to be president? When John McCain was asked what he would want his tombstone to say, he said “He served his country well.” When Obama was asked the same question, he said, “He was honest, he was a great father, and he was a great husband.” Aren’t these the qualities that we should be looking for? Someone who strives to be honest, to be a great family man? Not someone who only cares about his status as a leader or a hero. The presidency was just another notch in McCain’s belt. One, it seemed, that he felt he deserved. I sincerely believe that Barack Obama loves this country just as much as John McCain, and has this country’s best interests at heart, and that he cares about the little people. You know, the ones who have not had a voice for the last eight years.

Four years ago, when George W. Bush was re-elected by a small margin; he never acknowledged that half of his country didn’t stand behind him. He never reached out to those who didn’t support him. And last night, in Barack Obama’s first speech as the President Elect, he said, “As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, “We are not enemies, but friends…though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.” And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn – I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.” He is a man of great integrity, humility, and undoubted graciousness. After all that he endured, all the hate, all the lies, and all the slander, he still wants to work for each and every American.

I am honored to be able to experience this, and I hope that the entire country can learn to be as gracious and forgiving as Barack Obama. It is obvious that his character far exceeds that of our elected officials of yesterday. It is my hope that my children will aspire to have character like Barack Obama, and that they will never know the hatred and ignorance that has been endured through our lifetime, and the many lifetimes before ours. We are coming together, whether you realize it or not, we are getting on the right track. Integrity will always prevail, it just may take work to push it through all the wicked.
I pray that you are blessed today, and always.

Peacefully,
Delilah

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. – Galatians 5:13


Future President 2044

Missing Him

"Missing Him" it has two meanings really, one OF COURSE is because I miss Rob, my amazing husband, who has made a million sacrifices for our family, so that he can do his job, and even more for this country, because of his job. I couldn't begin to tell you how amazing he really is... you'd never believe me. But anyway, I miss him a lot lately. We just had our third child, and our first one together... which is naturally really exciting for us. Unfortunately, it makes it even harder to be separated from him, but, that leads me to the second reason behind "Missing Him..."

For the better part of my adult life, I thought that I had things all figured out. I thought the world was crazy, that I was somehow wrapped up in it, but if I wanted anything from it, that I would have to get it myself. Little did I know, I was missing Him. By Him, I mean Jesus Christ, of course... the newest love of my life. I came to the harsh realization that I didn't have a clue what this world was about nearly two years ago. I was one of those people who claimed to be a Christian, but didn't know the first thing about it. I believed in God, and I prayed, so I thought that was sufficient. Boy was I wrong. Lucky for me, God has unending mercy, and a plan for me. I didn't see it, but he managed to allow my mistakes to guide me in directions I would have never gone on my own. He led me to a man who cared nothing about me, nor I him... and we had a child together (great idea, right? ha!). That was my first step outside of my dilusional world, when I was responsible for someone other than myself. So I had the most amazing, special, beautiful, smart, witty, and entertaining little girl I had ever encountered. Soon I realized I HAD to take care of her. I didn't just need to feed her, house her, and keep her clean... I was responsible to mold her, to lead her, to encourage her. My mindset was completely inept for such a task, but He had a plan for us. When I realized how important she was, and my role was, I knew I needed Jesus, but I had no idea how to get to Him. My thought was that I needed to find a Christian man, and he could lead me, show me, and accept me for all my sinning ways. HAHAHAHAHA... riiiiiiight. God had a different idea.

Somehow, he led me to Rob, another sinner... who himself, struggled with his belief system, and all that God had in store for him... and we married. Two sinners, living in marital bliss, ha!! That is certainly not the case. We agreed to disagree a lot, normally always about religion, sometimes about parenting, and ALWAYS about money. I loved him, wasn't that enough? Apparently it is not that easy, BUT with a hunger for God, it can be.

Through a friend I was led to a great church, where I attended by myself with the kids for a few months during one of Rob's deployments. It helped pass the time, gave me some good information, and helped me grow closer to God... but only a little bit. Rob came home, and I soon realized why military wives misteriously disappear from church. Rob didn't attend church, "it wasn't his thing." But I soon realized I needed Him...Jesus. I needed Rob, but I needed Jesus more. So I went to church without him, week in and week out. He deployed again and upon his return, I asked that he attend church with me, just so the church members would know he was home safe, and he agreed. I don't remember his first reaction, but by no means was he captured by it, with a need to go back... because he didn't... for a while. It became an ever-so-often event that he would join me. With his work schedule, it wasn't abnormal for Rob to be gone one week and back the next, so I don't think anyone at church ever noticed. Well... someone did. Somehow, I think my pastor, Scott knew that this was part of my life that I was lost in. Because of the sermons I had heard at just the right time, it was no surprise to me, that God would work in His mysterious ways to get into my marriage. One time when Rob came to church, Pastor Scott walked up to him and said, "Hey Rob, I know your work schedule is crazy, but it is so great to see you here when you're able to make it." Finally, it wasn't just me encouraging him to go, but Scott. Those who know Scott, know he is amazingly engaging, and a great great guy. Rob knew that, and I knew Scott's words would make a difference. Rob deployed again, and upon his return went to church with me that Sunday, and has not missed a Sunday since, as long as he's been here.

So we go to church... who cares, right? God cares! He knows that even if we are dragging ourselves there every week, we want His word, we trust His judgement, and we know He's the reason for it all. We are both still simple sinners who mess up every single day, stumbling along this crazy path just to TRY to deserve even a glimpse of God's glory. But you know what? He pours out blessings on us anyway. Our blessings are abundant, and His glory can so easily be seen in our lives. Our children are healthy, they're smart, they're happy, they love to go to church, and they love Jesus. My husband has gone from a single soldier, who spent his money whenever he wanted, and wherever he wanted, living with a conditional agreement with God (he'd call when he needed Him), to a man who leads his family to church, who is an amazing father, who has adopted Financial Peace for his finances (which if you know the plan, is EXTREMELY different from just doing what you want with your money) and who accepts that God has our lives in His hands.

I love my husband more and more every single day, but it's not just because he's great... it's because God is great. God somehow saw something in me that would lead Rob, and my family to Him. I don't know how I obtained this job, but I am so honored that I did. I love God, and I am so grateful that He gave His only son, so that I could live a life as a sinner, but still be rewarded with the ultimate gift of everlasting life. I mean, who can give you that? There is no one, but Christ himself. In John 3:16 it says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." Really read that. When you REALLY believe that, you'll know. There is no question after you believe that. He is the way, the truth, and the life. He said it himself in John 14:6 "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Do you think He'd just make that up? C'mon, He wants you! He wants you to seek Him for salvation.

Jesus did not make these promises and say these things so you would feel judged, persecuted, or even abandoned. He said them so that you might feel reassured, comforted, supported, and welcomed. Jesus loves you. He died on the cross for YOU, and He does not care if you cursed someone under your breath, or you murdered someone; He will forgive you. He wants you to confess, but more than that, He wants you to know, that once you confess, your sins are forgiven. You can move forward, leave that life behind, and grow in His glory. There is not one gift on this earth worth more than the glory of God. I assure you, as I cannot think of a single thing that holds more value in my life.

Some might say, "oh God can't be more important than your kids, your family, your marriage, your money..." and the list goes on. I assure you, He is more important than every single one of those things, because without Him, you wouldn't have them. Those who know me, know that I LOVE my husband, I love my kids, my family, everything. But in my growth through Christ it is absolutely apparent that I would not have one of those people in my life, without Him. He led me on my path. He walked me through, when I couldn't see. He carried me, when I couldn't walk. It is only because of Him that I am where I am, and I have never been happier. It's almost comical to think of the goals I had as a 18-year-old girl who relied on herself for whatever she wanted, who felt completely defeated when things didn't go her way. You can imagine it took a lot for me to simply let go of control, and I still battle that every day. But as soon as I did, it was like God said, "FINALLY! You've realized, I had the reigns the entire time, and NOW you know that I'll take it from here." As soon as I gave God my finances, He blessed us with Financial Peace University and we became debt free. As soon I gave God my marriage, He brought us closer than ever. As soon as I gave him my children, He showed me how to lead them. I struggle every single day, but that is simply Him molding me, shaping me into the Christian He wants me to be. Because through Him, I can accomplish anything, but without Him, I am lost.

November 17, 2007 I gave my life to God officially, as I was baptized into Christ. I laid to rest that hard-headed, angry, spiteful Delilah, and through Christ, raised a new clean Delilah. I am now a Christian who is hopeful for the future, grateful for the past, and simply blessed to have all that has been afforded to me in this short life. God is great, and I am a testament to that. His glory is amazing, and his gifts are unending. It takes nothing more than letting Him into your heart to know His love, and to know His plans for you. Once you have that, the picture becomes clear, the answers are at your fingertips, and the blessings overflow.

Are you missing Him?

Loving Him,
Delilah

Completely blessed... whether I realize it or not.

Have you ever stopped to really think about how blessed you are? I always think "oh we're so blessed," but in a superficial kind of way. Lately I have been giving a lot of thought to what God really has given me, and the paths that He has sent me on to get here. Man, I'm blessed! I mean, first, what are the odds that a tom-boy from Cincinnati would meet a "play boy" from Milwaukee, eight years her senior... and they'd fall in love? Beyond falling in love, they push one another into their own path of Christianity... one that never existed before their meeting. So I have an amazing husband... big deal, a lot of people do. Well how about those kids? All three of them are completely healthy, beautiful, and intelligent. The two older have great manners, are excelling in kindergarten, and are super helpful at home. Considering their father comes and goes every few months, and its not like he is just going out of town, he goes to war, and they know that, and of course the "circumstances" of our family and what brought us together, they still excel. They are amazingly resilient young people. God has truly blessed us. Then of course, our latest blessing, adorable and perfect little baby Kreid. I didn't think I could love my husband one bit more, but every time I see him scoop that little boy up in his arms, and I see the love he has for him, my heart just melts. I knew he was an amazing father before Kreid was born, but I absolutely believe that Kreid has brought on a new stage of fatherhood for him. It is amazing. What did I do to deserve these amazing people in my life? How did I manage to receive such adorable escorts to His throne? It is hard for me to express how BLESSED I feel. I do not know what I've done, or why I deserve it, but as loud and profound as I can be, I praise God for all the grace he has offered me. It is only through His glory that I can even give His testimony of my path, and I am so grateful and humbled to know Him, to love Him, and receive Him.

Feeling blessed,
D

Beautiful boy

We recently had Kreid's first baby pictures done with our favorite photographer Jamie (see "Other Blogs to Read"). They turned out great, as we expected, but they were REALLY great. We are very pleased with them, and thought we would share them. I can't wait to get them back so I can start framing them.

Changes Around Every Corner

Naturally with the addition of Kreid, things have changed a lot, but that is not all. Rob and I are still trying to get used to being off work; we rarely know what day of the week it is (haha). Not only did we welcome our little man, Kreid, to the family, Mekyla and Xzayvier started kindergarten last week. There are changes going on for all of us, regularly it seems. Of course, the kids have been a bit anxious with all the changes, but I am sure since things are getting settled at home, and as they have new experiences each new day of school, they will start to feel a bit more secure with all the changes. It is our hope, now that Ky and Zay have started school, Kreid is getting on a schedule, and we are getting used to the days, we can get everyone into more of a routine and things will settle down.




So even though there are changes around every corner, we are completely content with them. We are enjoying every sleepless second with Kreid, and it is exciting to see Ky and Zay venture into a new chapter in their life. Hopefully the sleep will come more often, and more in the midnight hours, than the daylight. But until then, we will simply enjoy the chaos.

Surprise, surprise, surprise...

So imagine my surprise Saturday morning when I could swear I was having contractions. No, not three weeks early, not the day after I had just hit 37 weeks. Well, sure enough, we were having a baby, if not Saturday, then the next. I had contractions every 15-20 for the better part of Saturday, but they weren't completely painful, just sort of uncomfortable. It wasn't until Rob and I went to bed that night that I knew we would be in the hospital soon. According to the nurse I called, I would have to wait until my contractions were 5 minutes apart for at least 2 hours. Well, they went from 10, to 8, to 7, to 5, then right back to 10 again, so we delayed for a while. Finally, around 5:00am Sunday morning, I realized that it was time to go. The neighbors so graciously kept Mekyla and Xzayvier,and Rob and I went to the hospital. I was 5 centimeters dilated and completely effaced, meaning it was time to get this show on the road. I asked for an epidural immediately and suffered through a few more contractions before they could get the orders in. I got my epidural early Sunday morning and finally got to get some sleep. Then it was around noon when they checked me and said we were ready to go. Three pushes, and 11 minutes later, Kreid Allon Everett Smith was born. July 20 (which just so happens to be my sister's birthday), weighing in at 7lbs. 14oz. and 21 inches long.

Rob and I are thrilled. Kreid is an amazingly handsome little man, and I am so happy to see him. I can't wait to see the man he grows up to be. It will be very interesting to take him home for Mekyla and Xzayvier to meet him. Our home is now complete. :o)

So it is a really weird thing to sit here with my computer on my lap patiently (yeah right) waiting for my next contraction. I have been having what I think to be labor pains all day. This is the same way it happened with Mekyla, subtle back pains early, that gets progressively worse and more intense as the day goes on. Right now I am having fairly uncomfortable back pains every 15-20 minutes. When they started with Mekyla, it was a Thursday, and she was born Saturday afternoon. So I am not sure if this will go on for another two days, or if it will go a lot faster this time since this is my second pregnancy. I think Rob is still in denial...haha. I am only 37 weeks, which is term, but still, we had our eyes set on August 8th as the expected date and AT LEAST August. It seems Kreid may have other plans in mind.

Counting Down...

We are officially in the count down phase of the pregnancy. I went for my 36 week check up on Thursday. Kreid is doing fine. And even though I was complaining about a pain in my leg, and assumed something was wrong, my midwife assures me that he has just dropped already, and that it is completely normal. I haven't slept through the night for about a month now, but I still feel good. I guess this is preparation for when Kreid gets here. :)

I think we finally have most everything we need to bring him home, and just have some minor changes to make in order to prepare the house. We've made space in our bedroom for him to sleep in his bassinet for the first few months, and we also set up his baby bed and changing table in Zay's room. It won't be long before the sound of a screaming baby will be a normal thing in our house. I am definitley not in a rush to hear that, nor do I want to rush the end of the pregnancy, but I am certainly excited. I am eager to see what his adoarble little face looks like, and to see him in all of his adorable little outfits. I am also hopeful that when the time comes, Rob is home, and I have enough advanced notice to not have to panic about the delivery. Things went pretty smoothly with Mekyla, and I hope the same for this delivery. God has certainly blessed this time for us, and I have the utmost faith that He will have it all planned out for us when the time comes. I am eager to see the plan through!

Until next time, stay blessed. :o)

Incubator

In an effort to celebrate the final weeks of my "incubator-ness" we had a good friend do some belly pictures for us. We had a great time, and got some great pictures. We thought it would be a nice way to enjoy this time, and to have something to look back on after baby Kreid joins our family.

Pregnancy

Oh how fun, helping none other than the Almighty Creator Himself bring another precious life into the world. I absolutely enjoy being pregnant. While I am eager to meet Kreid and to love him to pieces, I am certainly sitting back to enjoy this time that God has blessed us with. Each time we see my belly move, we are amazed that there's a little one in there. We are in the final weeks of pregnancy now, 34, with only 6 weeks left to go.

We are eager with anticipation, and still frazzled with the details of planning his arrival. The projects are piling up, but Rob and I seem to be knocking them down one-by-one. It is my hope that Kreid will follow the rules (my imaginary rules, of course) and not come until he's expected, August 8th. If he's a good little boy (like I know he is), then I think we will have everything ready before his arrival. :)

Pregnancy has been relxed and nauseating, comfortable and filled with discomfort, exciting and exhausting, but mostly it's been amazing. I am happy to be blessed enough to have an easy pregnancy. I feel great (most of the time) and I don't waddle too much. And as much as I want to meet Kreid, I am completely content working as his incubator for another six weeks so we can see his darling little face. And of course, it won't be long before you see it either. I am sure I will immediately have it plastered on here for all to see.

Have a blessed day!

Intro

Hello!

First let me be clear, I have no idea what I am doing on here. I thought it might be a good idea to set up a blog to welcome little Kreid and for our family and friends to have access to updates and pictures of our family. Be patient, I will figure it out, and I will hopefully be able to keep it up-to-date without any trouble. I hope I don't disappoint any of you.


Continue having a blessed day... and if you're not, well then change your mind and start having one! :o)

Feeling blessed,
Delilah