My Favorite Ornaments - Adopted Son & Cross-stitched names

Christmas 2011 -

We had spent a marvelous evening listening to the Annie Moses Band perform Christmas music at our home church, RFA, and afterward decided to have our annual family Christmas photo taken in front of the ginormous Christmas tree in the fellowship hall. We asked one of the Master's Commission students to take several photos of our family and we would pick the best one later for display. Little did we know that another student, our good friend Marquis Nobles had joined our family in one of the photos. And you guessed it…that photo was the best one. So…that Christmas we had an adopted photo bomb son…Marquis Smith! :D

Cross-Stitched Names - 

One year, Granny (aka, Scott's mom) had a friend make these ornaments for us with our names cross-stitched in each one.

I love that they look like a handmade quilt, and we each have our own to display.

They remind me of  snowflakes and how they are all similar, but when you look at each one individually, they are remarkably different.

Like our Christian brothers and sisters, we all serve the same Father and believe in His Son, Jesus and live our lives guided by His Holy Spirit, but we are each uniquely different with different gifts and abilities that He has given us to use for His glory. Together, we are a beautiful quilt stitched together by God!

This Christmas, may we be united with our brothers and sisters of the faith, stitched together in the common purpose of sharing the love of Jesus and the hope of salvation to a lost and dying world!

My Favorite Ornaments - Merci

Merci - my baby girl, a faint hope come to life, our youngest treasure.

In October of 2005, I started having that familiar desire once again to have a baby. When I brought it to Scott's attention, he emphatically stated his opposition…not because he didn't want another baby, but because he was worried about losing me in the process. 

For 3 out of the 4 pregnancies, I had developed placenta previa and with each pregnancy it had progressively gotten worse and lasted for a longer period of time before resolving itself. Scott's biggest fear was, if we had another child, we were risking my life in that the previa might not resolve itself and I could go into labor and bleed to death. 

I completely understood and released my desire to God, but I still continued to feel the urge. In January of 2006, Scott decided to do an extended fast and since I was still feeling that desire, I asked him to pray that God would either change his heart or cause my desire to dissipate. He begrudgingly agreed. 

Several days into his fast, he came to me and said, "God spoke to me today and we are supposed to have another baby. He said that we would have a girl and you already had the name." As I stood there in shock with my mouth gaping open, he shared with me how on his way home from work that day, for the first time in his life, he heard the audible voice of God speaking to him. He almost ran off the road as he looked around searching for the source of the voice. 

Shortly afterward, we discovered we were pregnant and on October 9, 2006, Merci Hope Smith joined our family. Oh, by the way, I never developed previa during my pregnancy, although if you have developed it before, it usually occurs again with each consecutive pregnancy. In fact, I had a most remarkably, healthy pregnancy all due to the One that planned Merci long before He placed the desire in my heart!

So, when I look at Merci's first ornaments, I can't help but think about God's perfect plan for our family and I am so very grateful that we were obedient to His promptings. She is a constant reminder of the Mercy of our Lord and the Hope of Salvation.

When I look at her first two year's ornaments, I can't help but think of how Merci loves babies. She plays with her dolls, of course, but anytime there is a real baby present, she begs to hold him or her and loves to play with toddlers as well.

Her tender heart and compassion towards others is evident as she will cry at the slightest thought of someone being mad at her, or if she feels someone is being treated unfairly. She makes friends with everyone she meets, just like her Daddy. Anytime she sees someone that might be close to her age, she always asks if she can "make a new friend." And she is constantly writing notes to Mom and Dad about how much she loves us and how we are the best in the world. :D

Although she has her own bed, she would rather sleep with her big sister. And when said big sister gets a little irritated with her younger sister, all we have to do is remind her about how she prayed so hard for that little sister! ;D

I always joke that Merci is the only mercy I have!

Although I don't naturally have a great deal of mercy, God is allowing me to learn more about His mercy through the actions of my Merci!

Our family would not be complete without Merci Hope. Her addition to this family has brought us great joy and we cherish her, Matthew, Micah, Moriah and Malachi.

Thank you Jesus for the treasures of our children, the joy they bring to our lives and the memories we have made together!

My Favorite Ornaments - Matthew

Matthew - my baby boy, the tenderhearted one, the lego lover, and super-hero fan.

As my Aunt Linda would say, "He's a God-blessed little angel!" :D His heart and compassion towards others is always evident. He loves the littlest children and wants to hold the babies and play with the toddlers. And they love him back. He always points out the babies to me when we are out.

As a baby, Moriah determined (at the age of 3) that Matthew was her baby and we have many, many photos to prove it. She rocked him in his swing and read to him from her books and hugged him as hard as she could on a regular basis. Thank the Lord that she was tiny herself or she might have damaged him. ;D
He, like Micah was a very sweet, easy-going baby and went with the flow of our family. As baby number 4, he probably didn't have much choice.
For the first year, he had very little hair, and he looked so much like Scott, that we thought about drawing a mustache and goatee on his face and calling him "Mini Me."

But when his hair finally came in, it was beautifully curly and I loved it. I had always wanted a baby with curls and he was the first and only to fulfill that wish. I allowed it to grow for as long as I could, but after he turned 2, I was forced to cut it. After the 2nd stranger said, "Oh, how sweet, 2 boys and 2 girls," I admitted that he was such a pretty baby that I needed to cut his hair to clarify his boyhood. ;D

From the very earliest, when we would look at pictures of Scott as a child, he thought it was himself. His gentleness and tender heart are obviously from his father, as I am not as gentle or compassionate.

Even though each of our children is unique and different in their own way, as he gets older, I see, not only his dad, but many of Malachi's traits in him. We laugh about it, at times, saying that we duplicated Malachi with Matthew and Micah with Merci, but we were afraid to duplicate Moriah as two of her would be too much for one family! ;D

When I found the puppy in the swing ornament, the first in another series of 5, I couldn't resist, partly because Matthew had loved to be in his baby swing. Some of those pictures I mentioned earlier are of him in the swing with Moriah reading to him, or climbing in to hug him!

Each consecutive year's ornament was such a great representation of Matthew and his changing personality.

He still loves to build any and everything with his legos. He even has a special place where he keeps all his lego figures and weaponry, from swords, to whips to guns.

He still loves to play super-hero, from Iron Man to Batman to Captain America, he covers all the bases. I still see Malachi playing light sabers with him occasionally. (But Shhhh! You didn't hear that from me!)

Matthew loves to draw and write stories and he has several notebooks with his work in them. I sometimes find that he has used one of mine when he couldn't find his in the moment. :/

And, of course, he still loves riding scooters and bicycles, although it is a little harder to do here in VZ.

As Matthew is fast becoming a young man, I see God's work in his life, fine-tuning personality traits that make Matthew who God intended him to be. I look forward to watching him grow, but I am content in the time that will take as I watch him mature and grow in his relationship with his Savior too. I don't want to rush these years, because they go by all too fast, but also because I know that God can use each of us no matter our age.

God has a specific reason for us to be in VZ while our children are young. I believe that He not only wants Scott and I to serve Him here, but each of our children as well. I love to see my children serve the King of Kings.

I want my children to be like Timothy in the Bible. The words that Paul shared with Timothy in his letter are for my children and your children too.

Let no one despise you for your youth, 

but set the believers an example 

in speech,

 in conduct,

 in love,

 in faith,

 in purity.

I Timothy 4:12 (ESV)

Our children are witnesses of our Savior too and I believe God calls them just like He calls us.

Thank you Jesus for children who can serve You and show Your love with their childlike faith!

My Favorite Ornaments - Micah

Micah - my surprise gift from God, the one that we didn't plan, but God did…

When Moriah was four months old, I discovered that once again I was pregnant. It was not the ideal 2 year age span that we had planned, but God knew better than us (Imagine that!) what we needed to make our family complete.
So, exactly 1 year and 9 days after Moriah was born, Micah Elias Smith (my MES) made his appearance.

He was the sweetest, cuddliest, chubby little baby and within 6 months was bigger than Moriah. People in stores would stop us and ask if they were twins and when we said no, they would then ask us if he was the oldest. They looked so confused when we said she was older. ;D
I love Micah's unique purple and yellow giraffe with the cool hair (just like he wears his now). It reminds me of how different each one of our kids is in their gifts and personality.

Micah has always been the tough, get angry at the pain rather than cry about it, kind of kid. As a baby receiving his shots, he would scowl and grunt rather than cry. :D

We have always called Micah, "Micah Mess," not just because his initials spell MES, but because he used to be the child who made the biggest messes. Whether he was eating or playing, he was making a mess! ;D

When I saw this ornament, I had to purchase it, as it reminded me of my own little mess. When you push the button on the bottom, the blocks fall down. It fit Micah to a tee.

And of course, this one clearly displayed his curiosity which led to many opportunities for messes in my house. This would lead to him getting in trouble, which would lead to the lower lip quiver and the huge, I mean, giant crocodile tears that would fill up his eyes and overflow down his cheeks. It makes my lower lip stick out just thinking about it. :D

As he has grown into the (just recently) tall, thin athletic young man, I see before me today, his personality is become even more refined. Although he still makes a mess every now and then, the MES is becoming more like his own personal Messi as he hones the soccer skills that only God could have given him (as they didn't come from me). The determined, tough little boy is fast becoming the bold, strong in his faith, unafraid to learn something new, always willing and available for a new adventure young man.

He is so like his dad, in that he never meets a stranger and he talks to everyone in Spanish, even if he makes mistakes. He doesn't mind, just files it away in his brain for next time. He is our personal translator and he loves to go and do and serve. And he doesn't mind sharing the abilities of his siblings as well, even when they ask him to keep it on the down-low. ;D

 

After living in three different countries in two different continents, the variety of people I have seen is amazing. We serve an awesome creative, imaginative God who not only formed us, but breathed His breath of life into us. And although we are all completely unique, when we join together to serve our Creator, we fit together like pieces of a puzzle.

His rocking horse shows birth stats that seem pretty average, but Micah is not your average kid. In fact, none of our children are average. Yours aren't either. Children are special blessings from God, each uniquely created as another masterpiece in His collection.

And there is not one that is an accident to God. He planned them all, whether we did or not! Most people I know who have 'surprise' children will agree with me, they couldn't imagine their lives without them.

Thank you Jesus for your surprises!

My Favorite Ornaments - Moriah

Moriah; the daughter I prayed and hoped for, the preemie who scared us all, the fighter, our angel.

She was born at 33 weeks, not the normal 40 (or 42 in Malachi's case). 

She weighed all of 4lb 6oz and was 17in long.

You could put her head in your hand and her feet wouldn't touch the bend in your arm and you could see all your fingers around her little tiny head.

She was in the NICU for two weeks, which now seems so short, but in the moment felt like eternity. Her feisty determination is still evident today. ;D

When I walked into Hallmark and saw this ornament, I knew instantly that it was for Moriah. On our couch we had some big throw pillows that we would lay her entire body across when she took naps while we could stay close by and watch like the paranoid parents of a preemie that we were. We called them the "princess pillows" and this ornament perfectly displayed what our tiny little angel looked like on her "princess pillow."

She always looked so tiny and fragile, but don't let that fool you because inside she held a resilient strength that to this day astounds me.

Her beauty is not skin deep, but runs deep like the love and passion I see in her for her Savior. Her love of books has led her to read and search out the scriptures, oftentimes coming to us, her parents, with theology questions and revelations that we would like to take credit for. ;D

When I look at this picture and see the little smiling, one-dimpled princess and now the still smiling, one-dimpled young lady, I am so very thankful that God chose me to be her mother. As she loves to call herself my mini-me, that definitely puts the pressure on me to watch the example I set before her in the way I live my life.

This baby girl is now a freshman in high school! The time has flown by and I don't want to miss a single minute with her. 

This little girl who was once all Daddy's girl is now becoming my fun-loving shopping companion and conversational joy. I enjoy her laughter, her sarcasm and her wit and she constantly keeps me on my toes. But she also brings encouragement and hugs when she sees me sad.

That little 4lb 6oz fighter in the NICU has become a beautiful, loving, creative, Jesus-loving missionary kid, (oops, young lady) and I look forward to seeing the dreams and visions that God has given her fulfilled in her life!

My Favorite Ornaments - Malachi

Malachi; my firstborn, the child I prayed for, the one who made me a mommy for the first time.

Because of him, we started this tradition. I can't tell you how very excited I was to find that Hallmark had a new collection for Baby's 1st Christmas through his 5th Christmas.

I decided when I bought this ornament that we would always buy an ornament for each child we had every Christmas and we would make it a special tradition for our family.

Who knew that we would have 5 children and almost a full tree within the next 17 years? ;D

It has been worth it and our tree is full of memories and love. It might not belong in a Home and Gardens magazine spread for the season, but who cares?

This year Malachi said that he had always wanted to display his train all in a row on the tree, since every other year I made him spread them out around the tree.

So, here is a picture of his first 5 years of ornaments all displayed in a line on the tree just like a train. :D

It does make me twitch a little when my OCD kicks in, but I just try to focus on another part of the tree to distract myself. ;D

And then this sweet photo catches my eye and the memories flood back of the baby, toddler, preschooler, grade schooler, junior higher, and now the junior in high school.

Where did the years go?
How did they pass so swiftly?

My baby has become a young man right before my eyes. It sometimes seems like it happened in the blink of an eye.

As we get ever closer to the college years, I am so very glad we began our ornament tradition. One day we will be able to hand these ornaments over to him for his own family tree.

When I think about how hard it will be to give him up, so to speak, to live his own life, it only reminds me of how much harder it must have been for our Heavenly Father to give up His own Son knowing of the suffering and death He would experience because of our sinfulness!

The Hope of our Future rested in the Baby Jesus!

And that Hope is the ultimate reason why we celebrate this season and why I love Christmas more every year! 

My Favorite Ornaments - Scott & beginnings

For the month of December, I thought it would be fun to highlight some of my favorite ornaments, in fact, I think I may highlight almost all of them, as each one is so very special. ;D

When we began preparing to move to the mission field, we knew we would have limited space, but someone gave me some great advice. They said to always make a little room for some things that you consider very special that would help your home seem more like home.

For me, that was Christmas. I know that the decorations are only up for maybe two months at the most, but Christmas is my favorite time of the year and over the years we have collected many memories during that time. 

It always begins the first of November with the introduction to the holiday season and preparing for Thanksgiving, the cooking, the desserts, the fellowship with friends and/or family, and the setting up of the tree and all our decorations. 

Around the middle of November in our house, the tree comes out and we unpack and display all of the ornaments as we separate them into neat piles that belong to each individual in our family. Each person is responsible to find places on the tree for their ornaments. (Of course, I usually go back over the tree after the kids are in bed and "relocate" some of the ornaments that find themselves jumbled together or are placed unfortunately at the bottom or under the tree. Actually, my OCD determines that I will periodically check the tree during the entire season and move things around as it comes to my attention that they seem out of balance or disordered.) ;D

When our first child, Malachi, was born, we decided to collect ornaments each year. So, every Christmas Eve, we begin our evening with Chinese food, afterward reading and discussing the Christmas story and then we give our children one gift each to open. The gift includes that year's ornament and they are allowed to put it on the tree after they open it. Most years we watch The Nativity Story movie to end our night.

Today is December 1, and in no particular order each day, (except when it comes to my husband and birth-order of our kids) I will share some pictures and stories about my favorite ornaments and the loved ones they belong to in my family.

Scott - 

The back of this Rocking Horse says:
Scott
Aunt Bebe
Christmas 75

This ornament is Scott's first from his Great Aunt Bebe (Adelaide). He is now celebrating his 40th Christmas. (You know what that means for his next birthday in April…the big 40! Shhh, I didn't tell anyone!)

This ornament perfectly describes the mischievous boy that I now call my husband as he wears his halo while "fixing" the ornament! ;D

The back of this one reads:
Merry Christmas
Love,
Aunt Bebe

(He was the first baby added to the family in many years, so he was spoiled a little by his Great Aunt.)




Although stockings are not ornaments, our decorating wouldn't be complete without them. This year, for the first time in years, we have a fireplace on which to hang them. YAY!

Our stockings are very special, in that each one is handmade with love by Scott's mom. Scott's stocking was made 40 years ago this year.

Mine was added after we were married in 1996, 19 Christmases ago.

Malachi's was added in 1998, 17 Christmases ago.

Moriah's was added in 2000, 15 Christmases ago.

Micah's was added in 2001, 14 Christmases ago.

Matthew's was added in 2003, 12 Christmases ago.

Merci's was added in 2006, 9 Christmases ago.

Each one is unique and special to our family and although the fireplace is small (and we never use it), we can hang all 7 around the mantle and fill them with candy goodness and little trinkets for Christmas morning.

For the next month, each day will give you a glimpse of my favorite holiday and my favorite ornaments as I share a little about why they are so special to me.