Melissa and kids....

Cousin Kierra (4 Months) and Payton (8 Months)

Caleb, Kirsten, Payton, Kierra, Connor and Kaitlin (who wasn't feeling well)

Kaitlin is such a cutie!!

Yummy Dinner time....

Payton holding fruits of daddy's labor...

Sorry for the late post.... the weekend was packed and filled with wonderful new memories. Last week Josh and I stayed busy with finishing the fence and with my new job. I kept busy by hanging out with some great ladies from out church on Thursday evening. We had a wonderful time playing "get to know you games" and Pictionary. I ended up leaving early so that I could visit with my mom and dad briefly as they stopped by. They were in town visiting friends from Hawaii. Dad spent the night and Payton was able to hang out with her Pop Pop for a little bit the following morning. Then on Friday evening Josh, Payton and I attended a cookout with our home group (bible study) members at the Chan's home. It was wonderful seeing our friends after being apart this summer. After a few hot dogs we enjoyed playing some NERTS before having to head home to put Payton to bed.

Saturday we were super excited to Melissa and the kids visit. We have not seen much of the Rhoades family since our family grew as well as theirs. With Tiger in "Sin City" on busy... Melissa decided to come down for a quick visit. We made a yummy dinner together... homemade pizza and MORE hot dogs... lol. Then as I prepared for Sunday's crafts with Kaitlin's help... Connor, Kristen, Josh and Melissa played MORE NERTS! :) Once I completed my projects for church Kaitlin and Caleb joined me by snuggling together in my room while watching "Enchanted". Have a said yet how ADORABLE these kiddos are. We really do miss them! Kierra is FOUR months old now and is such a cutie pie. Payton enjoyed playing and laughing with her cousins.

Sunday I headed to church early to get things ready for the services and Josh stayed home with the kiddos and Melissa. It's my understanding that Uncle Josh made some nice waffles with bananas.... yum!! Once I returned from church we headed to Virginia Beach to visit the Aquarium there. What a blast we had!!! I really enjoyed looking at everything and watching Payton's expressions... priceless! After fighting traffic to get home... we popped in a movie and crashed! Melissa and the kiddos ended up leaving the next morning leaving Payton and I lonely! However, we had a fantastic time and can't wait til the next visit!

New Job....Family Ties...

My amazing husband and daughter... hanging out!

Payton sun bathing.... (how do you rotate pictures on her??)

David Isaac, my nephew getting ready to go down a water slide in Stafford, VA... brave boy!

Payton loves mommies wallet... hanging out at the Mariner's Museum Summer Concert!

My adorable niece, Isabella on the 4th of July

PopPop with Payton and Isabella (Payton's cousin)

What a great week we had! Josh continued working on the fence which is almost finished. Hopefully by tomorrow it will be complete and not a minute too soon. Even this past week our oldest dog, Toby decided to sneak out the hole in the fence in the backyard. Needless to say, after yelling for him for a while and a few tears later he showed back up. I was so happy to see him back, that the little bugger didn't get in trouble. He was having a lucky day for sure!

This week I started my new job as the Children's Ministry Coordinator (Infants/Toddlers). What a blessing this week was with helping out at the church. I am extremely excited for the opportunity to meet and get to know people at Peninsula Community Chapel. Another ministry I am involved in is our mother outreach program, mom2mom. I am also very very excited for the fall and for what mom2mom will entail. Check out our new site: www.peninsulamom2mom.com

Thursday I was able to visit with my mom for a hot second before her cousin, Jane and Jane's family arrived. They crashed at our place Thursday night and then we were all off to my grandparents for the day to visit. My sister and her three children were there as well as my Aunt, Uncle, cousins, and cousins babies. It was one WILD, FUN FILLED day. We are very blessed with a wonderful family. Payton enjoyed hanging out with other kiddos as well.

Saturday night was pizza night and our buddy, Chris came over. We played some cards and had some laughs. If you have ever played the card game NERTS you'd understand. If not... Josh and I will have to show you how to play. Good Times! Saturday was also my sister, Kimberly's birthday. What a year she has had, she and her husband adopted four kids this year from the Ukraine. What a blessing this year has been for she and her husband, as well as our family! I am so thankful for her and hope she had a fantastic birthday, first birthday with her children. Memories.... :)

Well, on to another busy week. Until next Sunday evening... have an amazing week and God bless!

Good Times....

Smith Family- Norfolk Botanical Gardens (Payton at four months)

Josh, Payton and I in front of Muller's Ice Cream Parlor in Chincoteague... YUMMY!!!

Payton playing on the beach in Chincoteague, VA (six months old)

Kate's baby shower.... best friends!! (Payton, me, Kate, and Calista)

Smith Family is now blogging....

So I am not real big into blogging but figured since I look at my sister, Kim's blog everyday maybe I should start one for our family. Many of you may be wondering why we named our blog the way we did. I'll try and explain.... Josh and I have started trying to brainstorm different things we can do with Payton, kind of like weekly traditions. We have come up with two so far, homemade pizzas on Friday nights and ice cream treats on Sundays! This past Friday we made our first homemade pizza... we are SOLD! It was a lot of fun and is definitely cheaper than going out. As for ice cream on Sundays, that is easy and happens already.

Today was a big day for the Smith family. Josh started working on finishing the fence around our yard. I am so excited. Not only will I be able to let the dogs go out to do their business, but now I don't have to watch them or stand out in the rain or cold. Plus, when Payton starts running around it will be nice to have her safely placed in the backyard as we play!

This Sunday was also a big day for me. It is my last Sunday NOT on staff with the church we attend. Starting this week I start my NEW job. I am so thankful for God's continued support for our family. I will be overseeing the nursery and toddlers at our church. Basically I make sure the there are teachers, materials for that Sunday's lesson, oversee room setup, and more. I can also do most of my work from home if needed! God is so good!

We had a great couple of days with Vivian, my cousin. I especially enjoyed going out and seeing a chick flick, walking around the mall, and her prom dress fashion show. We miss her company already! Josh and I were also able to catch the new Harry Potter film. Great film as always but lacked the intensity I was hoping for since it was the sixth film (book) and the intense ending is approaching. I hope they pick it up in the next to films!

Well until next Sunday!!! Have a blessed week!