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...Or maybe just a wet wipe so I can get rid of my white mustache??

Community

I have told many of you about how, when we were looking at home, our realtor asked me "So ... have you seen your dream home yet?" Now, this was after we had spent a few days looking at some absolute dumps (but, they were in our price range!) Of course, the houses were not all bad, but most needed work, which is why I replied "Ummm, I'm just looking for something that we can afford that has 3 bedrooms and isn't horrible or smelling like a litter box..."

Nah, my house is not my "dream home" in terms of its beauty, space, layout, yard, etc. In fact, I would likely never choose a house like this one again. However, this is just a house. But inside its walls reside some of the people whom I love most dearly and with whom I cherish spending my time. In the three short years we have lived here, we have made some incredible memories. We brought Carter home from the hospital to this home. We have had countless barbecues on our deck with family and friends. We have had play dates with our smaller friends. We have celebrated birthdays and holidays. We have had special out-of-town visitors like Grandma & Grandpa Smith, Uncle Josh & Aunt Molly, and the Voges family. The list could go on and on. These special memories, as well as our love for each other, is what makes 137 East Phoenix Drive a home.

However, what makes our home additionally special is what lies in the area surrounding us - the homes of our wonderful neighbors. I hope this doesn't sound like bragging, but we live in an incredibly awesome community, one that you don't find every day. The people here are kind and genuine and really fun. They are the kind of people who go above and beyond. I would go so far to say that they are like family for us Smiths.

Over the past week or so, the reality of how precious true community is became especially clear. As I mentioned in a previous post, our friend and neighbor Hilary Gorski died unexpectedly last Saturday, June 28. Yesterday Chad and I, along with most of our neighbors, attended her funeral. It was a very emotional day for all of us as we formally said "good-bye." After the funeral and reception, a group of us gathered outside the reception hall and had a time of remembrance for her. Some people had written out their thoughts, others just recounted special memories of Hilary. But a theme kept recurring, and that is how this neighborhood is a special place and we are all blessed to be a part of each others' lives.

Hilary was an important part of our community here. When we first moved here, she was the first person to invite us to a party. Anytime she heard a neighbor was going away, she would instantly offer to pick up mail, or watch your pet, or help out in some way. She always had a smile, a wave, a friendly greeting for everyone and she was so down-to-earth. A few months ago when Chad was away for a week in California, she invited Audrey to come over and eat dinner with Brianna. And when Hilary returned Audrey a few hours later, Audrey was fed, bathed, in pajamas, and ready for bed. A real treat for me during a long week of "single parenting." That's the kind of friend she was - someone who went above and beyond.

Hilary will be deeply missed by all of us here. But we are so grateful for her friendship and for the friendship of all those who live in our neighborhood here.

Summer Vacation, Part II

It seems a little incongruous to be posting this after my previous post. But I am going to add the remaining photos from our vacation.

I apologize in advance for ALL the photos. I just wanted to include pictures of ALL the friends we visited! And then there are all their beautiful children ... and whaddya know ... it all amounts to lots of pictures ... so bear with me and enjoy!

First stop: Cracker Barrel with my best bud Allison (and matron of honor ... sorry, I'm sure you don't like the word "matron," Al!) Also joining us were her two awesome girls Marah & Ellie. Additionally joining us was Tom, Allison's and my former boss and a great mentor to both of us!

Audrey, Marah & Ellie on good behavior ...

... and Audrey, Marah & Ellie exhibiting normal behavior!

All the kiddos on the porch of Cracker Barrel

All the BIG kiddos on the porch of Cracker Barrel! Conspicuously missing from this photo is Allison's husband Steve, who had a motorcycle accident a few days prior and was spending a few days in the hospital. We didn't get much time with Al & the girls, but we are glad that we got to see them at all given the circumstances. And Steve, we are SO glad that you are on the mend!


Next stop: Doug & Deana Rummel's house in North Aurora

Here is Carter with their 2 year old daughter, Brooke. Brooke immediately hugged Carter, even having never met him before. He seems to have that effect on women. Heaven help us.

Doug & Deana with Carter. Unfortunately we did not get a picture of their little guy Cody (age 5 months), who needed to go to bed a decent hour! Doug & Deana are great friends of ours - Deana and I used to work together and we all attended the same church. The excitement at their house was that a hot air balloon took off across the street from their home and the kids got to watch it float away!


Next stop: The Voges home in Woodridge

How many hours did Caleb and Audrey spend together in their first year? Can't count that high. And they jumped right in where they left off three years ago. Here is Audrey with Caleb & his sister Jillian, getting ready to eat dinner.

Chad and one of his best friends, Randy Voges.

Me and one of MY best friends, Heather Voges


Next stop: The Arney home in Winfield. We spent a very fun day hanging out and relaxing with Kyle & Kirsten Arney and Adam & Mary Jo Caouette, while ALL of our kids played and napped. Chad, Kyle & Adam were all roommates in the infamous North Avenue house in Elmhurst!

Carter makes friends with Kyle & Kirsten's 9 month old Felicia, aka "Fee" :) I think he's just handing her the hammer, at least I HOPE he wasn't planning on using it on her beautiful round head!

Kyle & Fee.
The dads took all the kids to the park to play. New dad Kyle brought diapers with him to the park. Veteran dads Chad & Adam did NOT bring diapers along. Guess who needed diapers??? Hint: It wasn't Kyle ...

Audrey & new friend Annie


Next stop: Bret & Velvet's wedding. I saw about 3 minutes of the wedding thanks to 2 small children who will remain nameless...

The happy couple - congratulations!

Adam, MJ, Annie & Sophie - 2 kids who DID make it through the wedding!


Let them eat cake!

Next stop: Uncle Dave & Aunt Deb's house (okay, since we stayed here, this was also our first "real" stop...)

Carter playing dominoes with my cousin Dave

Audrey with Dave's wife, Daniela and their dog, Bailey. The kids LOVED the dog!

My Uncle Dave, Aunt Deb & I watching Bailey do tricks, which Audrey greatly enjoyed (and tried to imitate!)

It was such a blessing to see our faraway family and friends again. We miss you! And please come visit us any old time ...

Grief

Today I write with such a heavy heart.

Last night our next-door neighbor and friend Hilary died suddenly and very unexpectedly. I don't even know how to process this. I was sitting in her living room two days ago, talking and laughing, and it's hard to comprehend that she is gone now. Hilary injured her knee a couple weeks ago, and evidently developed a blood clot ... I don't know how these things work exactly but apparently that is what killed her. She was to begin physical therapy tomorrow and have knee surgery in a few weeks. It just doesn't make sense.

She leaves behind a husband and 4 year old daughter. I start crying whenever I think of little Brianna, who has played in our home, splashed in our pool, gone to church with us, eaten at my table ... How do you live without your mommy? I just keep picturing important events in her future that her mom will not be a part of ... starting with the fact that Brianna is to begin kindergarten in a few months, on down the road to sports events, graduations, a wedding someday. My heart is torn up with grief for her, grief that she doesn't even probably comprehend right now.

Please keep them in your prayers. Pray that God would give Vince (Hilary's husband), Brianna, and all of their families and friends comfort during this time. Pray that we as friends would know how to best love and support them through this time. Pray that God would use this, somehow, for good.

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Psalm 34:18

Over the river and through the skies, to grandmother's (& grandfather's) house we go!

Okay, it's been awhile since I posted but I have a great reason ... we were on vacation! We spent a little over a week having a great time at Chad's parents' home in Farmington, Minnesota. Then we were off to our former hometown of Wheaton, Illinois to attend a friend's wedding and visit many of our dearest friends in the world!! The best part? The kids did GREAT. All my worries about them being tired and miserable and grumpy (and screaming throughout our flights) were unfounded. It was indeed an adventure, but one that turned out well :)

I'm going to post a few photos from the first leg of our journey, then I'll have to post a "part 2" of Wheaton at a later time!

PS - Some of these are out of order, but I don't have the time or energy to rearrange them all!

Trip to the Minnesota Zoo

Carter makes friends with a goat (a little too up close and personal if you ask me!)

Daddy & Carter looking at bison (I think...)

The kids at the Lake Schulze Beach

Fun in Grandma's pool

Carter is taking his own little hike (usually in the opposite direction of
where we're headed ... aargh!)

Audrey's first attempt at fishing at one of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes. She even caught one!

Water fun!

We all (minus Carter) rented a canoe and paddled around the lake.

Just had to throw in another photo of Mr. Rainbow Eyes :)

Minnehaha Falls

We rented a surrey at Minnehaha Falls. I happened to get in the seat that steered the whole thing. I think the men had a hard time relinquishing driving responsibilities ...

On the carousel at the Mall of America

Lots of GREAT memories for us and the kids! Stay tuned for Part 2!!!

Gray skies are going to clear up, put on a happy face

About a week or so ago, the kids were playing outside at a neighbor's house, when out of nowhere, there came a refreshing spring rain shower. The sun was shining brightly, but the rain was definitely coming down. So we moms all ran to look at the sky, and this is what we saw:

a HUGE rainbow!!

You can't tell in this picture, but the rainbow went from one end of the sky to the the other, and there was actually a double layer of rainbow colors. The kids were all amazed. Some of them had never seen a rainbow before!

A beautiful reminder of God's love and care for us.

Siblings

The other day as the kids were getting ready for bed, Audrey insisted on "reading" Carter his bedtime story (reading in quotes since she technically can't read ... but how hard is it to lift the flaps?) I opened the door to see this sweet sight - my 2 kids enjoying each other's company; one the "older and wiser," the other wanting to learn from his big sis. This vision brings back so many memories and feelings for me. I joke that my family is like the movie "Groundhog Day" for me in some ways, and here's why: I grew up with my mom, dad, myself, and my little brother. And now I have recreated my family all over again. Even family get-togethers remind me of my childhood in that our family would get together with my one local set of grandparents and my uncle, who is unmarried. And guess what? Today, our family get-togethers entail the EXACT same set up. We Smiths, my parents, and my brother, who is unmarried. The only difference is that I moved up a generation!

It's been interesting seeing how Audrey has adjusted to life with a sibling, especially after being alone for almost 3 1/2 years. Carter, being the little "cute" one of the moment, gets a lot of attention for his antics and his new accomplishments and of course, his cuteness. Today at Kohl's the checkout lady went on and on about how adorable he was and another customer added "Oh, and look at those blue eyes". Of course my mother's heart swelled with pride, yet I felt for Audrey who sat there most certainly feeling like chopped liver. This is, of course, not the first time this has happened. She used to actually ask me why people didn't say that she was cute too. Ouch. I too remember people going on and on about my little brother and how cute he was (he even had the blue eyes like Carter does! Eek - groundhog day again) and I hated it! I felt totally invisible! So I made a point to say something positive about Audrey too, which fortunately the clerk picked up on and added something about her as well.

All in all, Audrey is one terrific big sister. Sure, I can tell that sometimes she is jealous of the attention he gets (I can especially tell this when she starts acting like she's a little kid too) but mostly she seems to have learned to not take it too personally. I hope this is because she has good enough self-esteem to know that she is important and special too.

And sometimes Audrey's a little too bossy (hmmm, that reminds me a wee bit of myself at that age ...) But her love for him is obvious - from the way she wants to be first to go in his room in the morning ... to the way she wants to read him stories before he goes to bed at night.

It makes a mother's heart proud.