Merry Christmas 2008

Merry Christmas from the Smith Family to yours this holiday season.

We are a little behind schedule, have had a busy year, and are gearing up for an equally busy 2009. As you can see, we added a new member to the Smith clan. Reagan Grace was born May 12^th of 2008 in Charlotte. She is a great fit for the family, has a sweet disposition and is loved by her brothers and sister.

We continue to make our home in Charlotte, NC – but not for long. Matt took a job with a new firm, in a new industry and we are moving to the Chicago area. Matt has been “commuting” since late July – and is very ready to have his family back with him full time. We all are excited to move again, and especially to a city as fun as Chicago. The kids are looking forward to being closer to zoos, museums, and other big city activities. Matt and Marci are excited to be close to our good friends the Whites.

Austin, Kiersten, Brandon and Reagan are all healthy and happy. They each are trying new things, sports, piano, singing, eating solid foods… We have no complaints.

We are so very grateful for our many friends and family and the support we receive from each of you. We hope this finds you happy and healthy. We have so many wonderful blessings, and pray that you are equally blessed.

Christmas is a great time for us to stop, remember the words of our prophets and reflect on the mission of our savior. I’ve been particularly struck this year by the many carols about our redeemer. We are thankful for the many reminders and send our testimony to you that Jesus Christ is our savior and the reason to celebrate this wonderful holiday.

Merry Christmas , With Love

Matt, Marci, Austin (9), Kiersten (7), Brandon (4) and Reagan (7 mth)

Happy Anniversary Matt!

Just a note to wish Matt a "Happy 13th Anniversary".

We were married December 15th, 1995. It was a beautiful day and I married the perfect man for me!

We are getting ready to move for the 7th time, to the 4th state with our 4 kids! Pretty amazing and we are so blessed in so many ways!

Love you so much! Come home soon! Thought you would all get a kick out of these pictures...Enjoy!

Marci

Reagan at 7 months

Her 7th month photo's are a few days late because we were in Chicago on the 12th. Today she was "rolling" around on the floor and finally found the Christmas tree. She doesn't crawl or move in any forward motion but she EVENTUALLY gets somewhere. Today she got lucky and found the tree and was quite intrigued by it.

The days are over of her safely lying on the floor with toys and staying in one place. Let the adventure begin.

The Little Reindeers

We wish YOU a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
(Brandon's version is: "We miss you a Merry Christmas")

This is Silent Night - they are so cute and did a great job!

Jingle Bells and Rudolph were also on the performance schedule...

Brandon is a happy boy and can't help but tap his toe to the beat of ANY music. It is so fun to watch. He loves school this year and did a great performance as a "Little Reindeer".

House Hunting Trip to Chicago

Looks like we are hunting hard...Marci and I spent a weekend in December in Chicago looking for homes. Actually, we did not look at so many homes as we scoped out areas and eliminated a few of the surrounding cities. There are so many great neighborhoods and cities, it is going to be hard to choose.

Before we got started, we took time to go to the Bears game on Thursday night. It was freezing! We bought long johns and hand (and bun) warmers, but by the third quarter, we were so cold, we had to leave. I feel pretty wimpy admitting I left the game early, but it was cold. Once the breeze started in off the lake...we were the one of the few people not in snowsuits. The Bears won in overtime. Luckily they are in the NFC, so I can safely ignore them in favor of my Steelers (playoff bound Steelers, btw).

We took the train into the city and then a bus to the stadium. We had a plane/train/automobile type of day. I started the day in Florida where I had been working. I met Marci and Reagan at the airport and we flew to Chicago. That evening we took the train to downtown, caught a bus to the stadium, took a cab from the stadium back to the train terminal and then drove to our hotel - it was a long, fun day.

Cory and Lori kept Reagan, and helped us keep our sanity over the weekend. Cory and Lori were the best realtors we met all weekend, they knew the places to take us and the right houses to show...we'll be owing "commissions" for a long time!

We'll be looking at homes again in January - getting serious and having the family up ASAP. I'm not sure I can stand many more weeks away.

Austin's School Spelling Bee

Austin won his class spelling bee and qualified to be in the school wide bee. He was so nervous, and the words on the list were hard. I'm glad spelling bee was not part of the bar exam.
Austin picked the first seat on the stage, not knowing that meant he had to go first. The auditorium was full of kids and parents and Marci said you could see he was nervous. His word was "chocolate" and he spelled it "choclate". Unfortunately, he knows how to spell that word, but his nerves got the best of him.

I told him next year we'll home school him so he has a better shot. He didn't get it!

Everytime I hear "spelling bee" I picture the home school kid screaming on ESPN when he won. I'm probably secretly glad Austin did not win - we don't need infamous Smith family moments broadcast on ESPN! Just kiddin' - we are very proud of Austin and his willingness to try his hardest at many different things. Way to go bud!!

Kiersten's Piano Recital

Kiersten's piano teacher arranged for a Christmas recital at a local nursing home. Kiersten has taken to the piano really well and did a great job at the recital.
Each student either played the piano or sang a Christmas song. Kiersten is looking so grown up and marched right up to the piano and banged out her song. She has decorated her school folder and written "piano rocks" across the front!! Marci and I get a laugh everytime we see it. Like Austin, we're glad she is trying new things.

All of the songs in the program we Christmas songs, except one teenage boy. He was probably 15 or so, very gangly with a mop of hair. He sat down and started playing a beautiful piece of music. After a minute, I found myself humming along and then realized it was a Pink Floyd song!! I did not realize Pink Floyd qualified as Christmas music, must be a 15 year old boy thing.

Anyway, it was an enjoyable hour, even Austin and Brandon seemed to enjoy themselves. Plus, they got chocolate Santas at the door - and who doesn't enjoy chocolate Santas??

Thanksgiving Day

Reagan's First Thanksgiving...enjoyed just watching us all eat.

We had a great Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings...my mom would be proud. Matt, Jody and I all helped prepare a wonderful meal. It was a beautiful day here - sunny and in the low 60's. We spent some time outside, we played (too) many board games, watched football and planned out day of shopping on Friday. Wish us luck!

**don't worry about the beverage - it is sparkling cider. Kiersten kept asking me where the "barrel drink" was before dinner. She was excited for something special but then didn't even like the drink.


Stuffed to the MAX...lounging after dinner.


The traditional candy making lessons when Jody is in town. The whole family gets involved and we get to enjoy the fruits of our labors.

We have so much to be thankful for...I asked all the kids (and adults) what they were thankful for and these were there responses:

Brandon: Family and Grandma
Kiersten: Friends
Austin: Family
Marci: Healthy Children
Matt: the Gospel of Jesus Christ
Grandma Jody: Family
Grandpa Bob: 12 Beautiful Grandkids

We do have SO MUCH to be thankful for...we hope you all had a wonderful day as well!

Marci

Cute Reagan (and matt) pictures...

Reagan is such a messy eater. Brandon must be teaching her well. He can't seem to eat anything without getting food all over his face, table, floor, etc. In fact, he'll move his place mat out of the way to keep it clean!

So, Reagan is following in his footsteps, messy face, messy plate. She is teething and the biter biscuit brings such sweet relief. Bath time strangely always follows meal time.

Unfortunately, she does not always leave her food on the plate. I picked her up (gently) and proceeded to give her a kiss, when she let loose and I got a milk bath. Everyone thought it was funny (ha, ha). It is probably just what I deserve. I cannot stand to have Reagan by me without kissing her face. She is getting her first experience with my goatee, which makes her laugh (the feel, not the look...) and my kissing her face leaves it with red marks.

South Carolina Aquarium - Charleston SC

We spent a morning at the aquarium, seeing the animals and fish. Reagan is learning to make sounds, and is exploring how her tongue helps. Her face is chapped due to her tongue hanging out all the time!


The bridge provides a great backdrop for pictures. Mom and Austin having fun.
Amazed at some animal fact!

The joys of hotel sleeping...

We had a two room suite, so my mom and dad had a room, Marci and I had a room and the kids slept in the living room. We would put the kids to sleep in our room and then move them to the living room when we were ready for bed. You can tell that Austin and Kiersten are typical brother and sister, they were as far apart as possible while still being on the same bed! Ah - brotherly love...

Patriots Point - Charleston SC

We took the opportunity to visit Charleston, SC the weekend before Thanksgiving. Bob and Jody were in town for Thanksgiving, so we decided to go out and about to see the sites. Two years ago, we went to the Biltmore Estate for Thanksgiving and really had a fun weekend.

We visited Patriots Point, where there are four memorials, a submarine, battleship, coast guard cutter and an aircraft carrier. We went early in the morning and had the entire place to ourselves.


Brandon is such a clown, and keeps us all laughing. After walking through all the ships, Brandon was spent and it was all he could do not to sit down and stop.


Marci and Reagan sat on deck while we went through the battleship. They enjoyed the sun while we learned about the sacrifice our forefathers made during WWII. We were all amazed at the brutality of the Japanese pilots and the heroic work of our sailors. We are proud to be US citizens and really had a good time at the memorials.
Here we all are in a submarine. For such a large ship, it was incredibly small inside. You would be really close by the end of any deployment! Again, it brought us to the realization of the sacrifices made on our behalf.




The bridge connecting Mt. Pleasant and Charleston is striking. This is the view from Patriots Point.