Letter to Phoenix

I was reading one of my friend's blogs tonight, and she mentioned that she plans to write a letter to her daughter each year for her birthday to tell her about herself and how she feels about her. I decided to adopt this tradition and just finished writing my first letter to Phoenix. Here is an excerpt:

I want to tell you how special you are to me. You have helped Mommy grow up a lot, because I love you more than I love me, so it makes me want to take care of you no matter what. Even if Mommy is tired or sad, I still want to take special care of you and make sure you are happy. I really love to cuddle with you. You aren’t much of a cuddler, since you like to run and play, but when you do lay your little head on my shoulder and snuggle me, it feels like nothing else in the world. I love to take care of you, to feed you when you are hungry and give you a bath when you are dirty.

When Mommy and Daddy wanted to have a baby, Mommy prayed to God about it. I told Him how much I wanted to have a baby, and I asked Him to please give me a baby in my tummy. And God is always faithful. He did choose to give me a baby, and that baby was you! Even when you lived inside of my tummy, and I couldn’t see what you looked like, I was still your Mommy, and I still loved you with all my heart. I could feel you move inside there, and I could hear your heartbeat. I could feel you growing and getting stronger. I couldn’t wait for you to come into the world and be my Phoenix.

I am thankful that God, in His grace and wisdom, created me to be a woman and allowed me to be a wife and mother. I recognize that marriage and children are not a part of God's plan for every one of His children, but He did choose to gift me with a husband and a son. For that, I am eternally grateful, for all that it teaches me and for all the joy it brings me. I delight in the Lord because of His wisdom, His creativity, and His miraculous plans. When I look at Phoenix, I wonder how anybody could doubt the existence of our God.

September is Fun

Isaac celebrated his 24th birthday on September 4th. Wow! My husband is 24 years old, I can't believe it. In a few weeks I will turn 23. As a teenager I dreamed about what life would be like in my twenties. My life is definitely fun, but I never expected things to turn out the way they have. Life is different than I would have thought but better for sure.

Also, my third wedding anniversary was on September 8th. Isaac left for work in California the day before, so we celebrated long distance, which wasn't much of a celebration at all, but we are planning to do something special together soon and make up for missing it. Tonight I am driving with Phoenix to Las Vegas to pick Isaac up from the airport. I'm so thrilled, I haven't seen him for a whole week. We are staying the night in Vegas since his flight gets in so late. I can't wait to see my hubby again and soak him up before he has to leave for another business trip.

Mesquite has been lots of fun. My days are spent chasing after Phoenix and trying to keep him entertained. He enjoys swimming in the backyard and pushing anything with wheels- toys, bicycles, wheelchairs, carts, strollers, ANYTHING with wheels. We are enjoying the Lord's blessings and provision in our life. We may not have our own place to live, but I know God has put us where we are right now for His purposes. I'm enjoying the journey, learning many things, and looking forward to what the Lord has planned for us each day. "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord..."Jeremiah 29:11.

Who knew I would love the Wii?

On Tuesday, August 25th, my sister-in-law Laura gave birth to Jerzi Ash, a beautiful little girl at 7 lbs 4 oz with a ton of cute black hair! I was so happy to know that she had a great delivery- she went in to the hospital in St. George around 1:30 AM and gave birth before 5:30 AM. Lucky woman! She hardly needed the epidural!

We went over to Josh and Laura's house to visit the baby and our little nephews last week, and Isaac and I played a few rounds of Wii bowling. I used to be opposed to the Wii, since I hate video games, but Wii bowling is awesome! I am proud to announce that I kicked his butt! In real life, most of my bowling balls go into the gutter, but in Wii life, I can bowl pretty well. It feels good to be better than my husband at something sporty.

Phoenix is growing before my eyes! He is almost officially weaned, he just eats once at night when I put him to sleep. That's the hardest feeding to let go of for both of us. Nursing for a year has been challenging, but at the same time rewarding. It will be nice to be done breastfeeding and move on to the next stage: Toddlerhood!

Back Home

Happy Birthday, Phoenix!

On Monday, August 24th, my son turned a year old, a whole year. Wow! He is not my baby anymore, but has grown into a toddler who walks and throws things and gets dirty and everything.

We went to Austin for a few days and had an early birthday celebration for Phoenix with my family. Phoenix had his first piece of cake, an organic chocolate double-layer I baked for him to enjoy. He mostly threw it all on the floor and squirmed to get out of his seat. He also enjoyed playing with Grandma and Grandpa Ortiz, and his aunts and uncle, especially Aunt Lily. It was all very exciting.

What's more exciting is that we are back home now, and by home I mean in Mesquite, the town where Isaac and I met and can't seem to leave! We left Sunday afternoon after church and lunch with my family in Austin, and then drove the near-24 hours it takes to get here. SO HAPPY that drive is over! Phoenix was great, just sat in his seat with his toys and Baby Einstein playing on the DVD player. Isaac was my hero, he drove the night shift so I could sleep. My mistake was eating McDonald's in El Paso at midnight. Ugh, the grease did not settle well with me and I felt sick the entire rest of the trip. Too bad it was the only place open. Another exciting fact about our trip: the restroom stalls in El Paso did not have doors. That was the scariest bathroom trip I ever made, just waiting for someone to walk in on me tinkling.

We are so thrilled to be back with family, with our awesome dogs, in a place that feels familiar. I don't know what the future holds as we still live day by day. Isaac is looking for a job here in Mesquite, and we're praying about where the Lord wants to take us next. In the meantime, I'm enjoying my first Isaac-filled days in a long time. It feels great to be home.

Frog-O-Sphere!

This past Sunday we went up to San Antonio again to spend time with our friend Pat and watch him practice football. It was a lot of fun, especially since our friends Nate and Taryn (and their little daughter Brooklyn, 6 weeks old and adorable) came with us. We ate lunch at the same place as last time, SMASH Burger. Mmmm...so delicious, the best burgers I've ever tasted.

In the afternoon we walked around the mall, and Phoenix was getting a lot of attention...he decided he didn't want to sit in the stroller, but he wanted to help me push it. So as I pushed the stroller, he walked right below me and helped push by holding onto the basket at the bottom of the stroller and pushed as if it were his own little handle. It was hilarious to see my little boy walking so fast and thinking he was the one pushing the stroller! What a hard little worker, what a Smith! I'm working on posting the video of him doing this.

We went to Brookstone, and they sell these new things called a Frog-O-Spheres. I might be amazed by not much at all, but these things are amazing! It's a little square aquarium with 2 frogs, a snail, live gravel, and bamboo. It's a mini eco-system. You feed the frogs twice a week and only have to change the water 2 times a year. The snail eats up all the waste, like the friendly janitor of the place, and the live gravel helps converts excess food and water into something the bamboo plant can use to release oxygen, which helps the frogs and snail thrive. And the whole thing lasts for 2-4 years! I was amazed, but alas, I didn't buy my own Frog-O-Sphere because it would have had to sit in the hot car for a few hours...not good for Mr. and Mrs. Frog. But next time I get the chance, I'm buying one of those awesome things!

Only 2 more weeks until we get to to go Mesquite and visit our family! It's been too long, almost 3 months, since we've seen everyone. We are so looking forward to this trip. After so much moving, change, and hard work, it will feel great to rest for a week and spend time with what's familiar to us- family.