The Song Remembers When....something for my kids

This blog is going to be somewhat random. I found about 10 minutes to run in here and share some random thoughts!!!! I can honestly say I have not been deliberately neglecting my blog. After what seems like the longest sickness run EVER at the Smith Ranch, I couldn't find it in my realm of sanity to get on here!
Last night, we came across some old home movies that opened up places that my heart had locked away. Videos of Chance at such a young age. As I sat there and watched my little man, in diapers, and speaking in that tiny voice, a flood gate of memories came to my mind. And in that moment, I realized how much time I had taken for granted! I saw myself next with precious Bella in my belly, and my handsome prince talking in third person ~ "I wanna see Chance. Cool Dude." All these songs started popping in my head. Songs that had never had real meaning until my children came and took over my life!!! So I have been on a quest today. Finding pictures of when they were smaller, and soaking up and re-living all those moments that I know now are a gift from The Lord. So that is what this blog will be. A walk down the "memory lane" that I could find.....Each one complete with a song that will take me straight back to that time....
ANGEL EYES: Here is precious Bella on her 1st Birthday......"So tonight I lie- stars above..How Did I ever win your love? What did I say? What did I do...to turn your angel eyes my way........"

Christmas at the Smith Ranch is always such a special time...My kids LOVE LOVE the song Jingle Bells....I remember this picture...that is all Chance wanted to sing!!!!!!!!! Bella was 6 months old, and Chance just 3 1/2.......Jingle All the way

The next pictures make me think about that song..Let them Be little. They always used to go under the table and hide, and they would laugh cause they really thought I couldn't find them......SOOOO:
Let them be little cause their only that way for a while....Give them hope give them strength, give them love everyday. Let them cry, let them giggle, let them sleep in the middle....Let them Be Little....

In my Daughters Eyes........ (Enough Said)

The day we went to have Chance, JD had called the radio station and had them play the George Strait song..A Fathers Love...This is Chance's third birthday picture....That song is the first thing I thought of when I saw this....I can still remember the tears in my eyes as I drove to the hospital with that song on the radio....

"Let me tell you a secret about a Fathers Love, a secret that my daddy said was just between us...... "

His First Halloween.........

I am just living in a reality of how fast time goes by, and how I will never get these days back. It makes me think of the Trace Adkins song, "Then they do"....

We can't wait for them to grow up...

"Then they do, and that's how it is...

Its just quiet in the morning, can't believe how much you miss,

All they do, and all they did. You want all the dreams they dreamed of to come true....Then they do........"



Thanks for walking briefly down memory lane with me....

KYLA!!! I GOT IT!

So my sweet friend Kyla had told me like, I don't know, 6 years ago that she tagged me. Ok so not 6 years ago but bear with me for the sake of a good blog. I have never been involved in a "tagging" experience so I was searching my dashboard the few times I got onto blogger, cause let's be honest..I hadn't been on in a while. So I told Kyla that I didn't think her "tag" had taken effect on the smith ranch, and she was like "sweet Roza, you have to read my blog to understand". Boy did I feel like a dork!! LOL! I had read that blog before and TOTALLY missed the part that had my name! ok, so now that I am no longer a virgin to the tagging game..here goes... the 4th picture in my fourth folder.....and the winner is.....................Chance and Bella!

This picture was taken right before Christmas 2 years ago. Chance was 4 1/2 and Bella was 18 months...I have NO idea what he is doing with that green food coloring stuck in his ear, but Bella doesn't seem to care cause she has her little advent calendar(is that what they are called?) They LOVED waking up each morning and running to get their calendar, opening up the correct day, and finding a piece of candy! Those little chubby fingers could not work fast enough as they tore into those calendars! How exciting is Christmas time?! I love it. Man, Christmas Eve, when you are so giddy with excitement that you go to bed heart beating 900 miles an hour...straining your ears to hear the hooves on the roof top...trying so hard to go to sleep, but you just couldn't!!!! I miss that type of innocent excitement! Those were the days man! Christmas was always so amazing when we were kids, huh? I wish we had more magical experiences like that...

Well, since all the people I know that have blogs have already been tagged, I thought I would leave you with one more "magical moment"...Chance and Bella (same year as the Christmas picture) LOVING each other! LOL! Not fighting!!!! That's something we don't see everyday!!!! Aint they sweet? And yes my kitchen was purple.......

It's been a while

Knowing how much my blog is anticipated, I felt it necessary at 5:32 a.m. Jan. 21,2009 to put an end to your suspense.
I sit here, unable to sleep because I wake myself up from coughing every 2 seconds. Seriously, I am over the cold weather. Actually let me say, I am over weather period. Really, is it so hard to stay around the same temperature everyday? must we go from 0 to 30 to 60 to 15 all in a couple days time????? what happened to the good ole days of just being in the 70's all the time???? Oh wait, that is Florida weather!!! OOOOPPPSS!
Well, enough about that nonsense, and time to move on to the next.
Things have been going (as to be expected). I won't say things have been good, or bad...simply interesting. JD and I celebrated 7 years of marriage on New Years Eve....and for those of you who know me best, my night was not complete until I took a brisk walk. New Years Day, my sweet friend Kyla Carpenter and I were off to lay background vocals on JD's praise and worship CD...which, by the way, is now complete with 4 songs, and available only at the Smith Ranch.
As I was taking an "evening" stroll on New Years Eve, I had time to reflect on myself. Scary image at times. I am a woman of structure. I do like schedules, and knowing how long I have to do something....maybe it is the discipline of a schedule that I like. Lately, however, it was seeming as though my schedule was spinning out of control. Over the next couple of days, it was brought to my full attention just how off "schedule" I had been for the last 2months. No discipline at all, except with my attitude..that was in FULL force let me tell you. I was neglecting all that was important, and focusing on all that made everything seem UN-important. See, no Quiet Time, no connection with my husband, totally consumed with what I am "not" getting..BLAH BLAH BLAH - tends to leave a person ... . . . empty. You see, no Holy Spirit in me is a dangerous DANGEROUS place to be. The Holy Spirit for me is almost like a filter if you will. It gets down in those "hard to reach places" and cleans them out. Praise the Lord that JD and I finally have a solid group of friends that lead us back to the narrow path, and surround us with love, no matter what they have going on.......phone calls of genuine concern while they are on a much needed date with their husband, driving to work in Nashville to a job that will not let you get home until 4 in the morning, Dropping everything and hanging out with me, Keeping me pre-occupied, listening to my endless babble, all the while loving me and pointing me back to the Word, coming over to my house without a moments pause to let us know things are NOT going down like this, Taking on children at a moments notice, just to offer support. Amazing, one of the most precious things that was taught to me in my life, happened in a weekend...no..a day and a half. It's been a while since I have had that. Felt that. How quickly we lose sight of those precious humans we are privilege to call our friends. We lose sight of what it means to be brothers/sisters in Christ. That is my prayer for 2009 to display the type of love that my friends showed me. The type of love where they show that even when they are not with me they are concerned, that they are there when I need them, and that they truly want what is best in my life, to hold me accountable, correct when I am wrong, show me the Truth even when I don't want to see it..........What an awesome display of Christ in them. SO Kisses to you my friends. Thank you for sharing the "filter" you have in you, with me, during a time when I was unscrewing mine. The Holy Spirit in you, was able to fight off the Dirt in me........Thanks for your obedience, and love...you are truly a blessing!!!!!!