Important Numbers

Here are some numbers from our life here in Colorado Springs.

We are 6,035 Feet Above Sea Level
There are 35 Starbucks within 15 minutes of my house (56 within an hour), 7 with drivethru windows
14,110 Feet Above Sea Level in Pikes Peak... we can see it from the kids windows
7 airlines that fly into Colorado Springs Airport
$170- Total Monthly Payment, all-inclusive, for our utilities (with heat set at 70 degrees)
2 --- # of teeth Natalie has, # of naps she still takes per day, # of times she sleeps thru the night per week
3 Targets with in 7 minutes of our house!
4 bedrooms/ 3 bathrooms-- woo-hoo
60 women at MOPS! There must be a new friend for me in there somewhere
1 Fox living on our backporch
8-10 times it has snowed since Oct. 5th
"3 minutes"- what J.D. says when he wants us to wait "wait-a-3-minute"
Countless- number of times we miss you everyday

The TeePee

Before we left Annapolis, Grandpa John brought this wonderful teepee to us. Grannie Jill made it for the kids. It is the perfect new toy for our Wild West Family Adventure. Our new friends love it... J.D. plays in it everyday (I moved it to his bedroom... so it is up all the time).

Thanks Grannie Jill! We LOVE it!

Nana's Visit

Nana came to visit for 11 days! We had so much fun ( and of course got so much done).

Here are the hightlights:

Manitou Springs... drinking natural spring water throughout the town. "More Water, More Water"... and Nana would go and get him more!

Yes, the one picture below is a whole bowl of CHOCOLATE (with apples and bananas on the side). "More Chocolate, More Chocolate"

Garden of the Gods... a 1/4 of a mile took us about an hour!

Playing with the Fisher Price Farm set. "Park it, Park it"- refering to the tractor! And, Nana would have him park it in the barn, in the teepee, in the toy chest... anywhere she could think of.

Doing dishes with Nana... and drinking Pepsi. "More Pepsi, More Pepsi..." "More Diet Pepsi, Diet Pepsi"

And, almost everyday, Nana and J.D. would take a walk together. "More walk, More bike, More walk"

We had a wonderful time!

If you are going to be snowed in...

If you are going to be snowed in... be snowed in with a Wilkins!
Jason and I missed our first blizzard... we had Natalie in Denver for her tests that day. Drew and Lindsay stayed with J.D. (for much longer than they anticipated or signed on for) while we were away. That night, the blizzard blew through Colorado Springs and Drew and Lindsay introduced J.D. to the wild and wacky Wilkins' World... a world where everything is an adventure and fun and exciting!

Boo at the Zoo

The Colorado Springs Zoo holds an annual event called "BOO at the ZOO". So- all the kids come dressed up in their Halloween costumes and trick or treat through the zoo while looking at the animals. Natalie was the pumpkin... and J.D. was a lion. J.D. learned that if you say 'trick or treat' then someone might put candy into a bag for you... WOW! While we were walking around... a dad went by and said "Look a lion" and J.D. turned his head and roared at the man. It was perfect- I had been waiting for a moment like that all year!

Natalie is HEALTHY!

Sorry for the delay...

Natalie is fine. We spent a day at Children's Hospital in Denver doing a series of tests to determine if Natalie had all her kidneys and parts ... which she does... and they also saw that they work correctly.

Praise God!

Snow, Snow, Snow, Snow

This was our SECOND snowfall here since our move! Holy Winter, Batman! Where did Jason move us to??? Just kidding... I think that I was the one that was up for the adventure... didn't know that the adventure included snow in OCTOBER... before Halloween... AHH!

I actually watched the rain turn to snow on Tuesday afternoon. It was amazing to watch.

Needless to say, J.D. loves it. He keeps wanting to look out the window for "NO" as he calls it... it took me a while to catch on that he was saying "Snow" and not telling me "No".

Anyway... come visit our winter wonderland...

Pap's Visit

The above pictures are from our morning at the US Air Force Academy. Compared to the US Naval Academy, the USAFA has A LOT of space! We drove by some plane dispays... I think a thunderbird, a B-52 bomber and a warthog. We also walked through the visitor center, watched their movie about the academy and then Pap bought J.D. a toy airplane!! We then walked over to the chapel... it is impressive with its spires towering toward the heavens. J.D. was not as impressed with the chapel as he was with the contruction equipment that was working outside... Pap and J.D. must have watched the BIG TRUCKS working for over 30 minutes.


















These pictures are from our late afternoon excursion on Sunday to Garden of the Gods. Pap carried Natalie on his back... and we both tried to keep J.D. on the beaten path! J.D. is an explorer, climber and daredevil already.

So, if Dad tries to tell you that I kept him under lock and key the whole time he was here... here is the proof! He did let me get him out and about on Sunday and Monday. It was great to have him here... he did a lot of work... but he also played... so don't let him tell you otherwise :).

Colorado or Bust...

We made it! The pioneers would have been proud (an insanely jealous of air travel).

Our journey started in Baltimore... two kids, two adults (myself and our kids Aunt Mimi/Aunt Athene/Aunt Miriam-- you pick your favorite name), BWI airport and one heck of a thunderstorm. Of course, they loaded the plane, closed the door and then the pilot came on the loud speaker to tell us that we were delayed due to an electrical storm... Really???- I couldn't tell from the massive lightening bolts coming out of the clouds... Thank God for the Wiggles!!!! and Aunt Mimi's creative mind -- she can always find a way to 'make believe' with J.D.

We arrived into Atlanta about an hour late, found Tom Neiles, loaded into the car and drove to Chattanooga, TN for Jason's brother's wedding. The wedding was beautiful. It was outdoors (perfect weather), lots of candles, twinkle lights and beautiful wedding party. Jason gave the charge during the ceremony... and it made his mother, aunts and other family folk cry... he is such a good speaker and he really spoke from the heart, from scripture and directed it right to David and Heather... it was great.

From Chattanooga we took a flight from Nashville to Colorado Springs. Miriam, Natalie and myself on one flight and J.D. and Jason on another... we all arrived safely into Colorado Springs on Monday, Oct. 2nd. The next morning started the whirlwind that we still find ourselves in...

Tues, Oct. 3rd- we closed the house at 9am (but the owners were not out... a minor glitch... some how they didn't make the connection that once they signed the papers that the house wasn't theirs anymore. But, it all worked out).

Wed. Oct. 4th- Cleaned, cleaned, cleaned our FIRST HOUSE. That was great fun!

Thurs. Oct. 5th- our stuff arrived

Friday. Oct. 6th and Sat. Oct. 7th- we unpacked most of the house. Thanks to Miriam's help, Jason and I could unpack till we were blue in the face... she played and played with the kids... her help was invaluable! On Saturday we all went to Garden of the Gods... it is amazing... looks exactly like a place that the 'gods' should call their playground. It is magnificent. Miriam took some wonderful pictures this day.

Sun. Oct. 8th- had Drew and Lindsay Wilkins and Chris Wilkins over for lunch

Mon. Oct. 9th- Miriam went back to Annapolis. SAD, SAD, SAD day in our house. But, she has said she will come back in March... I don't think March is going to come fast enough

Tues. Oct. 10th- went to MOPS for the first time.. great group of women at Village Seven Presbyterian Church. I was really impressed with their structure, professional approach, etc. And, I felt immediately welcome.

Wed. Oct. 11th- Dad arrived with the minivan and his painting clothes!

Thurs Oct. 12th until now... Painting, painting, painting, painting, painting, painting, painting... Dad won't relax until it is all done... I totally understand that... I must get that from him... can't relax until all the work is done. He has worked really hard and I am excited about having the guest room and kids rooms painted. We have had a really nice visit... I needed some time with my dad.

I am really loving the great outdoors here in Colorado. I took the kids on a two hour walk yesterday. We have wonderful greenways that go behind the homes in our neighborhood.... they connect major streets, minor streets and a great system of parks for the kids. I am going to have fun discovering the greenways with J.D.--- since there is no traffic, he can run, run, run and I don't' have to worry... it really wears him out.

Well, J.D. just woke up... time to run... I'll try to post some pictures later tonight.

Love to everyone! Come and Visit... it is beautiful here.

A message for Daddy, Love J.D. and Natalie

BUSTED!

How am I supposed to discipline him for crawling up on the desk, picking up the phone, dialing and saying 'hiiiiiiiii'- when he is so darn cute???

Miss Personality

Natalie is Miss Personality around here. She loves to laugh, play with her brother (which means she tries to hold on tight to her toys so he doesn't take them away) and she loves her doorway jumper- she could stay in it all day! She jumps the strongest when we say... Jumping Bean, Jumping Bean, Natalie is a Jumping Bean! J.D. loves to chant this at her while 'helping' her jump.

Tattoo Artist

I think that J.D. may have a future in art! This was his attempt at tattooing himself with markers. Thanks Pap for the washable markers... they make for great coloring fun and they come right off with water!

A word from God...

Today, I got what I think will be the closest personal message from God that I will ever receive. As I was driving home from the grocery store today, I passed by the Baptist church on the corner before my house. This church has been displaying wonderful, encouraging, and uplifting sayings on their church signage for years. Today, the message should have begun "Dear Carrie" and ended "Love, God". The message read:

Your problems are not exhaustive of God's provisions.

Now, you may be thinking, that is no great revelation... well, let me tell you about the last 36 hours here in Annapolis.

1. Natalie woke up on Thursday morning with a fever of 101 degrees. By noon it was 103.8 degrees. Coupled with some other symptoms, I figured out that she may have a urinary tract infection... so, I called the doctor.
2. Our pediatrician that I LOVE, is no longer an option because of new health insurance... so, I had to call our new insurance, get coverage in Maryland authorized, and take my precious and very sick 6 month old 30 minutes away to a new doctor.
3. We spent over 5 hours with the doctor (mostly waiting for Natalie to 'pee'). the doctor was nice, but not like our pediatrician.
4. In the midst of being in the doctors office with 2 children under the age of 20 months for 5 hours, Jason called and told me the seller of the house in Colorado Springs said they weren't going to close several permits that were open on the property... which basically meant that the deal is off for buying the house.
5. Got home from the doctors office, spent the night monitoring Natalie's fever, giving her fever reducing baths through the night only to wake up and find out that she, like her mother, is allergic to penicillin. She had a lovely rash from head to toe this morning.... AHHH!

So, through today, Natalie's fever has gone down to 101 degrees, she is in much better spirits, she is a little itchy (kind of silly to watch a baby try to figure out how to scratch an itch). Tonight for dinner, I think she had her triple cocktail of Children's Benedryl, Infant Tylenol and the new antibiotic... not much room for anything else...

Jason called and said the owners are looking into closing the permits on the house... won't know till Monday. We are trying to show them some grace and give them a second chance... but I don't think it looks good. We should know more on Monday.

Speaking of Monday, this is the day that Natalie goes back to the new pediatrician to make sure we are treating the infection properly and to begin to talk about doing some tests to make sure that her kidneys have all their parts and are working properly. Apparently a uriniary tract infection in an infant is a BIG RED FLAG. I would appreciate your prayers for Natalie as she recovers, for me to have confidence in the new pediatrician and that I would cling to the word from God that I got today...

Goodnight.

Natalie starts Rice Cereal!

"Look, Mom, I'm a natural at this eating stuff" Natalie seems to be saying. She has been 'eyeing' everything that Mom, Dad and J.D. are eating. And, last night, she got her first taste. I think she thought it might be more tasty... nothing like a little bland rice cereal for the beginning eater.




She took about 5 bites... most of it ending up dribbling down her chin. She did a really good job for her first eating endeavor.



Then, it was J.D.'s turn to eat dinner. I put him in the high chair and was shocked by how BIG he looked in the high chair. I still think of him as a little guy... but these pictures really help me keep it in perspective. He is growing and growing and growing... not to mention talking, talking and talking!

The perfect Youth Director!

On Sunday night, our church hosted a goodbye party for Jason. After the close of the event, a group of Senior High guys kidnapped Jason and had some fun... take a look at the pictures below!



Yes, they carved our church's initials "AEP" into the back of his head. Then...


They gave him a mohawk... I just can't even bear to show you the picture from the front....

Needless to say... he thought it was so fun, so cool and so wonderful... and he even thought he might keep the new look until he got to Colorado on Saturday. (Thankfully he caved and let me shave his head on Tuesday before we had to go out in public together... )

Talk about first impressions... he is going to make one on Sunday when we are introduced to our new church... and he is BALD! I guess this is just one more reason why he is so good at what he does... he loves the students... and loves what they come up with as fun and harmless. And, yes, I know it is fun and harmless... but I have a two day limit on this kind of stuff:)

And, I am sure gladd we had the family photo below taken last week!

Family Photo

This is our first family photo!
We had this done on Friday morning- it was fun! J.D. loves a camera... he starts saying 'cheese' even before you turn it on... and Natalie is so personable these days- she smiles for everyone!

Love to everyone!

MiniVan Mama and other updates

It is official... I drive a minivan - and I am proud to say that I LOVE IT. Some wonderful friends of ours sold us their Honda Odyssey... I am constantly amazed at how God provides for our family through creative ways.

So, I am finding myself thinking... "what errands do I need to run today??" It is so easy to get the kids in and out of... and J.D. has discovered that he can watch the Wiggles in the van, too. He has started to sing along with the Wiggles songs... when I say sing... I mean say an occaisional word or two. We will be driving down the road and the song "Lights, Camera, Action" will come on... and J.D. will add "WIGGLES" when appropriate and "GO, GO, GO" where it fits, too. Any of you who know Wiggles know exactly what I am talking about...

Natalie is very close to sitting up on her own. We work on this every day. She is growing like a weed. It is amazing to think that she is close to six months old. It just seems like yesterday that we brought her home from the hospital. She is yet to sleep through the night consistently, so the days are long and the nights are short, but she is SO worth it. She smiles, coos, giggles, tries to imitate your facial expressions... too fun! And, she is a SCREAMER. Girls make different sounds than boys... J.D. was never a screamer. Natalie will scream at the top of her lungs at the most inappropriate times... like when the whole church is quiet or the dressing room is full of women looking in the mirror (not a place you want to hear screams).

Going to bed... Jason is rocking Natalie to sleep for the third time tonight... we keep thinking she is 'down for the count' but oh, no, that would be too easy... she is a tricky one.

Goodnight

Go West Young Family! Go West!

The Smith Family is headed to beautiful Colorado Springs! Jason has accepted a call to Village Seven Presbyterian Church as the Senior High Youth Director. We are excited about this new phase, chapter, adventure. Colorado Springs is a beautiful place. Pikes Peak borders the city to the west- and in every other direction you can see for miles and miles and miles and miles!

Jason leaves for 'The Springs' on August 16th. He will begin his new position on August 28th. He will live with one of the church families for about a month before the kids and I join him.

Here are the things we are praying for- and would ask you to join with us:
1. Safety in travel for Jason as he drives from Annapolis to Colorado Springs Aug 16th- 19th.

2. Safety in travel for Carrie and the kids- as we fly from Annapolis to Colorado Springs Aug. 19th (we have to change planes in Dallas... and it is just me and the kids... I am praying for angels in the airport!!!). The return flight is Aug. 26th- same request.

3. That we would find a house that meets our needs, that we can afford, and that we can move into within a month. Hoping to have a move in date around September 26th.

4. For Jason as he starts his job, lives with a family from the church and will be without us for about a month.

5. For me and the kids- as we are on our own for about a month after Jason leaves... pray that children would sleep through the night and take naps at the same time during the day.

Thanks for your prayers!

Mexico

J.D. on the beach on our last morning in Mexico. The city behind him is Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

This was one of the three pools that we swam in during the week. The little hut is the cover for the swim-up bar at the pool... J.D. loved the smoothies that the bartenders would make for him.

Speaking of smoothies... here is J.D. enjoying one in the pool! The edge of the pool had built in lounge chairs... so wonderful... a little sun, a little water, a cool beverage... what more could you ask for???

The lazy river at the resort could either be entered by stairs or by the short slide. We spent many hours going up the stairs and down the slide... he LOVED it. "Side, Side" he would say!

More sliding...

Mexico was wonderful! J.D. and Natalie both love to be outside... the pool was cool and refreshing... there was also a play gym for J.D.- a slide, swing, fort, etc. The resort really had a great layout for kids.

Each morning J.D. would wake up and say.. "swimming, swimming"... and after his nap he would wake up and say... 'swimming, swimming'--- he couldn't have been happier to be outside playing all the time.

J.D. also discovered ping-pong while we were at the resort. The ping-pong tables were by the pool and he would find an extra paddle... take his ball... and yell at the people playing 'turn, turn'- telling them it was his turn. Most of them were happy to let him have a go at it! He actually is pretty accurate in hitting a ping-pong ball.