Skip to main content

Christmas Letter

By
Hello Family & Friends!

As this year comes to a close, I wanted to reach out to you & let you know how grateful I am for your support & love over the years. And although Mr Smith may never say those words aloud, I know he appreciates you too =) If anything, it's those who keep me grounded & sane that he couldn't thank more.

2017 has been a special year of waiting & changing. We're very grateful for our many blessings. I appreciate the inspiration a friend gave me to put this pdf together to reflect on the blessings from this year (& moments of growth). We are still adjusting to Boise, but Eric is enjoying his new work atmosphere and has received strong confirmation that Boise is home. I'm sure my confirmation will come in time, ha! I am only working around 10 hours a week remotely now. Baby is doing well. As far as nausea goes, this has been my best pregnancy. 

Lexi & Dallin have grown so much & it's a cherished gift to be their mother & watch them grow. Dallin has started talking a lot more (in context, not demand) & Lexi is learning to recognize words & read. Dallin loves cars & animals. Lexi loves dolls & art. Lexi is a lover & Dallin is a fighter, although he definitely has a tender side under all that baby fluff. They have developed such a strong friendship & they love to make messes together. Parenthood is definitely my growth opportunity in this life and as I learn from my kids e ach day, I'm able to reflect on the love our Heavenly Parents must have for all of us. 

Even with the worldly chaos & confusion, there is always so much hope in each day due to our Heavenly Father's plan for all of us. Reflecting on our Savior's birth reminds us why we are here, what we are fighting to overcome and who is always on our side. I know we have a Savior who loves us, who feels for us and who strengthens us. My theme for last year carried into this year - this idea that I'm not here to find comfort or become comfortable in the world - growth is not comfortable! Our Heavenly parents want us to return to live with them and experience true & everlasting joy. We can overcome our sorrows here knowing that because of our Savior, we can receive everlasting joy in the eternities!  Overcoming may not be comfortable, and we might fear just how difficult becoming our best selves may be, but I know we are guided in this life by the Holy Ghost & lifted by the love of our Savior - many times by those who are around us seeking to be His angels on earth. 

I hope & pray for the time we're all together again. It's truly a great blessing in my life to know so many wonderful people. We send our love to you from Idaho [of all places =)]


Merry Christmas! 
Eric, Kayla, Lexi, Dallin & baby girl  









Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

To Live is to Change

By
I love change. I love variety. I love mixing things up just because I can. It's helpful, but it's kind of a double edged sword.  I'm terrible at consistency, even though Clifton Strengthfinder told me that was my #5 strength (I think they meant something closer to wanting things fair & equitable which isn't wrong). I not only move furniture in & out of my life, or make sure we don't eat the same thing too often... but I love that I can give my kids a flexible education. God knew this is something I would love & has allowed for it even when it comes with significant sacrifices (as many good things do). This has been a beautiful way to grow me over the last 4 years, and I definitely missed it, but I also started to doubt ever doing it again, which felt odd. I found myself questioning why I wanted to take the harder course. I had a little break with just E & M at home, but now B is back too, so I'm giving up some me time (I was never good at it any ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Our Baby Story - Alexis

By
Alexis Jane Smith 04.27.13 - 5:16PM 8lbs 15oz - 22.5 inches brown hair, undetermined (blue) eyes NB clothes are too tight You hate diaper changes You love being swaddled You are a piranha for food Your skin is perfect You sleep better with noises You came out sucking on your fingers But luckily you're not a scratcher Basically, we think you're perfect. First day at home photo Dear Lexi,  We couldn't handle holding you inside my stomach for another minute. We made an appointment when the contractions never came. Things were changing, but you were still 7 days late. Maybe we were eager parents, but now that we have you in our arms, we understand why, really understand. You're amazing . By the time we showed up at your 6 AM hospital appointment to be induced, I was already 3.5 cm dilated & 90% effaced & having mild contractions. So mild I thought I might have had high pain tolerance because I didn't feel th...
9 comments
Read more

There is a Plan for That

By
  Perhaps I'm ready to begin again, again. I struggle to add more words to the universe & I feel the same with photos. I let two of my passions die, both rather abruptly. My posts used to write themselves, I felt so guided in what God needed me to say. But this past year, my words have been removed. I moved from this blog over to Instagram as a better place to connect, but then everything became a distraction, and even the good distractions soon became too overwhelming. I can't possibly do every craft or recipe I've saved at this point. Unfortunately, I became painfully aware of my addictive attachment to my algorithm & lost much of my peace & productivity because of it. Satan knew, but I was too slow to recognize complacency & emptiness disguised as creative options & worldly debates. "The days are gone that you can be a quiet and comfortable Christian." I am definitely not raising quiet Christians, but perhaps we are still trying to be too co...
Post a Comment
Read more