New Blog

I have a new blog...Finally! www.chrisandkayleesmith.blogspot.com

Easter

I know Easter was a while ago, but I just wanted to post some pictures from Olive and Scottie's Easter egg hunt. It was FREEZING that day but it didn't seem to slow either one of them down.

Olive was old enough this year to really appreciate it. She actually got into the whole Easter bunny thing and was so excited to wake up and find that we had been visited. Ever since she will occasionally wake up and ask me if the Easter bunny came and brought her candy. If only it were Easter everyday!

Scottie was a very good uncle and helped her out a lot. She has so much fun with him.

A New Hope

I'm going to get back into blogging. I just realized I haven't posted in about four months. I've been spending so much time on the computer doing other things that I don't like to spend any additional time blogging...But, I'm committing myself to a new post once a week from now on. I do enjoy looking back on old posts and am sad that for the last four months I have nothing to look back on!

Olive and I have just been hanging out for the most part. We have been experiencing the highs and lows of our new life and surviving the best we can. Olive, as always, has been a huge source of comfort and encouragement.
My divorce is going to be final in a couple weeks. The past six months, waiting for it to finalize, have been the best and worst six months...EVER. I wish I could say it has been a gradual change from bad to good, but unfortunately the good, the bad, and the ugly get so jumbled at times I can hardly tell one from the other.
Lisa gave me this quote she had used in a lesson a while ago and it soon became my constant prayer, "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." I still have good days and bad, but in general, I feel at peace. I have accepted the unfortunate course of my marriage. I have reached a point where I am ready for the divorce to be final, not happy or excited, just ready.
I am looking forward to new adventures and know that good things are in store for me and Olive.

Pictures from Checca's Wedding

Here are just a couple of pictures from Becca's wedding. There are a lot more but, I'm tired...I'm really excited though that I can finally change my blog from the comfort of my own home! My internet is finally working and...I have a sweet new laptop to use it with! Yay!

Camry, Olive, and Claira

Scotty and Pacen playing King of the Mountain..Olive just trying to get as close as she can to her boys.

Olive asked me several times that day "Mom, is hers a princess?"

I just have the cutest kids in my life. I LOVED having all my nieces and nephew in town. I hope someday we will all live closer so I will get to be Aunt Kaylee more often.

Foil Dinners

Last week we had our first dinner party in our new home. The McDowell's and Gigi came over for foil dinners and s'mores. We have really enjoyed living where there is enough room for two dogs, a cat, a turtle, and a camp fire!

While Ian was busy getting the fire ready, the girls stayed inside to prepare the meals...I think Olive inherited my love for garlic salt..

After the craziness of having two two year old girls running around a fire, we decided to cook the s'mores inside.

Olive LOVES her friend Halle. We are so lucky we live close enough to hang out now! Both girls are very independent and neither one is afraid to speak their mind. They can be very sweet and cute with eachother, but most the time we just hear a lot of "Mine!!!!" being yelled from one or both of them!

Of course we had to watch a show our favorite show! I just love little girls!

We're Home!

Olive and I are finally in our new home. We moved in last week and have been loving every minute of it! We have missed all the fun of living at the Hunter's but luckily we are only a bike ride away. Since we've moved in I've been keeping myself busy cleaning and decorating and Olive has been busy playing with all her toys and loving our new life!

Living room

Olive is the best hostess if you ever want to join her for tea.

Kitchen

It's nice living out in the country, you can cook naked and don't have to worry about the neighbors peeking in!

Olive's Room

She's been so cute about keeping it clean and arranging her animals and toys.

My Room

Olive's new favorite game..Thanks Joe and Candy!

Guest Room/"Office"/Aunt or Uncle Room

I'm really hoping I can convince either Uncle Sam or Aunt Shae to move in with me...

Seriously, the girl can throw a great tea party. Olive has had so much fun having friends over.

This is our yard..it's just dirt right now, but it's going to be super cute...We have a white picket fence and everything. Olive keeps referring to it as the "park" and loves playing outside.

The dogs have settled right in, they love being out in the country. We are right next to a big empty field that the dogs and cat love to roam around in.

We are so grateful to be in our own place and really appreciate all the work that the Scott's put into the house to make it so nice for us. We are also grateful for our families and for all the help they have been from housing us, to moving us, to countless hours of free therapy..I don't know what I would have done without both of my families!

Happy Halloween

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Halloween and a Happy November! I love the start of each new month. I always have so much hope that the upcoming month will be better than the last. I had to file for divorce this month. It was absolutely the worst day of my life. There have been so many times this year that I have thought "this has to be the worst day of my life," but I don't think any of it it prepared me for this. It's hard not to let a piece of paper determine your self-worth. Every signature felt like an admission of defeat and of failure. Not to mention the gut-wrenching sight of your daughter's life, and how she will be spending it, written down like it's some trivial thing, knowing that she will be the one suffering the most from her parents decisions. I know I can't focus on the events and choices that led me to this position. I know that I gave it my all and I have to accept the things I cannot change. I know that I just have to move forward and focus on the life that is before me and Olive. I am excited for November, because I know this month I wont have to experience that again.

October was not a total loss, it was Halloween after all. Olive and I got to do a lot of Trunk-or-Treating. We got to go to Oroville's and Gridley's and Olive definitely walked away with a lot of candy. She got so much she actually quit half way through to sit in the car and hang out with Poo-Zip.

Olive and Auntie Claira

Olive did so well this year. She loved it and wasn't shy at all. She said "Trick-or-Treat!" as well as "Thank you, have a Happy Halloween!"

Olive and her Uncle Scotty who took her under his wing and broke her in to the whole Tick-or Treating scene.

Kycle hooked Olive up with a more than average amount of candy.

Olive took a break to share some candy with me, that's right, she actually shared!