Campbell's Ticket to "The Ryan Express"

"The Ryan Express"...The Ball Park In Arlington

September 25, 2012

Yesterday, Campbell and I had the great honor of meeting Mr. Nolan Ryan.  I can't put in to words the rush of emotion we both felt as we stood there in the presence of "The Ryan Express".  I remember everything about the man.  I remember watching games on television, at the stadium, and even listening on the radio to every moment that this man picked up a baseball.  He was a childhood hero, and now a legend.  Even now as a grown woman I am still enthralled with the great player!  I know that he had a career strikeout record of 5,714 and pitched 7 no-hitters during the duration of his career.  I know that of the 27 years he played ball that 1989-1993 was perhaps the most significant for me -- seeing as how he left the Houston Astros in '89 to come play for the good ol' Texas Rangers and then retired in '93 in Arlington as a Ranger.  I remember the day he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999.  I know that he threw pitches that were regularly clocked over 100 mph, and that he could throw a curve ball like no other.  The speed and control with which Ryan could hurl a ball was absolutely exhilarating and exceptional to say the least.  I remember the day he beat the snot out of Robin Ventura.  I remember loving every minute of it! The way my daddy felt about Mickey Mantle is the way I felt about Nolan Ryan.  Everything about him made me want to play ball.  Not just play ball, but be the best.  Above you will see my son, Campbell standing with the "Colossus of Clout," "The Great #34," "The Ryan Express," and now the president of baseball operations of The Texas Rangers"!  We were on our way to sit in our seats when we happened to catch him coming down from the press box before the game.  It was a date with destiny like no other.  We had been waiting for Josh Hamilton to show up so that we could try and grab his autograph.  After much waiting, and a lot of disappointment from Campbell's end, we were left with "maybe next time".  We had absolutely no idea that we were about to happen upon one of the greatest players of all time.  Campbell is a little young to understand how special this picture is now, but one day he will look back and realize that he had the honor of standing in the presence of perhaps the greatest baseball player of all time!  He will have the pleasure of showing his children the picture, though I hope they can get past their father's CRAZY hat-headed locks.  :~)) -(This momma made her boy remove his hat as a gesture of honor and respect to having his picture made with The Ryan Express).  We enjoy sharing moments like these with you all, and hope you find them equally as enjoyable.  Be blessed!  ~The Smith's         

Well, we finally made it out to our first Wildcat game this Fall season!  This may sound crazy to some, but there is nothing like the smell of the crisp night air with the lingering aroma of grass and pigskin.  It's just hard to explain the way a good hit can ignite a memory from within.  A memory nonetheless of a little girl who spent countless hours watching football with her daddy and brother, examining every conversation exchanged between the two, and longing to understand that mysterious bond and excitement that they shared over a game where men hit the tar out of each other for fun.  Now looking back I realize it wasn't just about a game, or a good hit.  It wasn't about winning or losing.  You see, I have watched my little boy examine his daddy lately in much of the same way.  I have come to realize that this game is much more.  It's the way a daddy holds up his children to see the hail mary in the 4th quarter, the way he explains every single detail of the game in it's entirety with joy a thousand times before his children begin to grasp what he is saying, and the peanuts that never quite seem to be enough.  It's all the hours he spent playing as a boy with his father, and all the hours spent playing with his "now" son.  It's about experiencing a team like they are your family and knowing that in any given instance you would do anything for anyone of them that step on that field. It's much much more.  There is just something about it.  Now I watch as Campbell mimics much of the  same behavior as my brother once did with our daddy.  It is really quite special.  Don't get me wrong, I watch Cameron do the same, but not in the same way.....because for us, it's always been about the half time show!!!!!  :~))  Right mom?  Go WILDCATS! 
Campbell and Cameron with their Captain McKenzie! -(Girlfriend/Hero)

I love the way Cami is looking at Kenzie in this picture!  Thank you Miss. McKenzie for being such a stand up young lady!  I remember looking at a certain young lady by the name of Candy Stipes much the same way my Cami is looking at you now...and that is a totally different kind of special!  Both are equally important, and both so incredibly special.  I love my kids, and I love this life spent cherishing every moment with the two of them.  I am so very blessed beyond measure! 

 

...and We're Back!

After much deliberation on whether or not I should get back in the swing of things and start blogging, I have decided to get back in the saddle -(after nearly three years)!  Wow, how time flies!  I realized that since Nate has started law school, I haven't had near the opportunity to share with our precious friends and family everything that the Lord is doing in our lives!  Here is a quick little update: Nate is finishing up his final year at Texas Wesleyan.  It has been a grueling couple of years, but we are finally starting to see the light at the end of the darkened narrow tunnel that refers to itself as "Law School"!  Nate was fortunate enough this year to be voted President of The Christian Legal Society, and I have really enjoyed watching him serve in this way.  He continues to lead worship at our church, New Beginnings Fellowship Baptist Church, and currently is serving in our youth program as well.  Campbell has begun his second grade year at Lamar Elementary.  He is doing great and loving every minute with new friends, as well as his old buddies from Austin.  He is currently in Cub Scouts, and AWANA's. He has decided to play basketball in January, baseball in the Spring -(because of asthma...broke his little heart that he couldn't play this Fall), and we are still debating karate!  -(Mom is debating)  He is still the same sweet hearted kiddo he has always been and I am savoring every moment of it, seeing as how that preteen attitude rears it's ugly head sometimes when chores or green beans make their debut into Campbell's world.  Cameron has started her first year of preschool at Kid Central this year and is loving it!  She has grown so much, and is really interested in all things, pink, feathery, and glowing with sparkles.  She is currently enjoying AWANA's too, gymnastics two hours a week, and dance for one hour a week.  We most recently have been proud that she was asked to join an invitational only gymnastics class, and we wait in expectation as she continues to excel.  Both children are their father's and my joy!  Our love for them both never ceases to amaze us, growing stronger by the minute.  As for this stay at home mommy; I am enjoying ministry at our church where I am working with the youth and children.  I got the opportunity to go to our children's camp as a counselor this summer, and work along side some of the most amazing adults, youth, and children in serving our Lord.  What an awesome experience!  I have, even more recently, gotten the opportunity to lead a women's worship conference, which I have never done before.  Although a bit nervous, I know that our Lord has great plans, and He will never leave me nor forsake me.  -(Though the crowd of women may)!  So, with that said, prayers are appreciated and I will keep ya posted.  :~))  As for the rest of me, I stay wrapped up in the affairs of my husband and children.  I am still blessed to be able to do so, and I absolutely enjoy every moment of it!  I hope this post finds each of you doing well!  Be blessed beloved friends and family as you all walk in the Light of His Word!  All of our love, Nate, Cara, Campbell, and Cameron! 

Halloween Fun!

Happy Halloween to all! Campbell decided... after much pondering over Spiderman, Batman, Darth Vador, and Optimus Prime... that he just couldn't resist being Optimus Prime... again! For those of you that are near and dear to our family and know our family well, you could already pretty much gather that Optimus Prime was going to be the inevitable costume of choice for our little man. Campbell is a huge Transformers fan, just as his father and uncle were when they were wee lads. As you can see from the picture, Nate dressed up with the kiddos this year as well. -(They absolutely loved dad's costume!)

Dad chose to be a nerd... not to far off from his everyday attire. :) -(Just kidding baby... well sort of.) Cameron was a Pumpkin Princess, and she was absolutely adorable. She wore a black tutu with black tights and the cutest little black crocheted hat along with her orange pumpkin face shirt and orange flower bow. She is still so young so we just kept it simple. -(she only wore her tutu for pics.) She seemed to of had a great time being girly. I know I sure had fun making her costume. :) I was a LNFM this year. -(Lame No Fun Mom.) I didn't dress up, but you try feeding a four month old in a Halloween costume and let me know how that works out for you. :)

Any way, we had a great time this year at the church Fall Festival, and we even took Campbell's best bud Liam and Liam's little brother Brady. The kids were great and had a blast. I hope to always be blessed with such treasured memories as these. You can see the kiddos costumes a little better in the picture above. :)



Here is my stud of a son flexing his big bad Optimus Prime muscles. Quite a sight... all you Decepticons out there better watch out. Having a little boy is so much fun! They are too cute and so funny!


















Of course you know that you can't be Optimus Prime without a blue Mohawk and a pair of Cars sun glasses! Everyone knows that Optimus loves to chill in his blue Mohawk along with his very own Cars sun glasses when he is taking a break from saving the world! This is how Campbell chose to wear his hair to school for crazy hair day. It was red ribbon weak at his school during the weak of Halloween. We had so much fun! Any way, we hope you all had a wonderful time however you chose to celebrate!

~Love The Smith Crew

Go-Go-Gadget Kids

Go-Go-Gadget-Campbell-stomach! Seriously, I think my child might be hitting another growth spurt. Today he came home from preschool exclaiming, "I am STARVING momma! What is for lunch?" This is really no different than any other day accept for the amount of lunch that he consumed. I won't go into too much detail, but the kiddo literally ate half a chicken breast with broccoli, yogurt, and raisins. When this didn't do the trick, he then moved on to a corn dog. When the corn dog failed to fill him up, he moved on to a few of his dad's pizza rolls. After discovering the pizza rolls had failed too, he then graduated to half of a peanut butter and banana sandwich. "He was still hungry folks!!!" I figured, I better stop him before he spewed, so we took a break and started all over again in two hours! Seriously... I wish I could eat like that still, but my Go-Go-Gadget-hips started on me after baby number one! :) Whew! I can't imagine what it will be like when the boy reaches high school. Gives a new meaning to the phrase, "eating us out of house and home!"

Cameron's 4 month stats:
She weighs 13.2 lbs in the 50th percentile.
She measures 25 inches in the 50th percentile.
She is rolling over, and doing her best to sit up alone, but still needs a little practice in this area. She'll also stand for a while if you hold her hands.
She loves Campbell! Anytime he is around her world is a better place.
She loves dancing, singing, swinging, jungle gym time, walks, and eating Campbell's ABC's floor puzzle.
She is talking up a storm, and loves to mimic anything and everything we say.
Favorite words are mama, dada, gag, ba, poo, and Nate! :)
She is still on a mommy's milk only diet, and we hope to start fruits and veggies at 5 to 5 1/2 months.
She has a smile that could light up the night!

Long Time No Blog!

It has been quite some time since I have had a spare moment to update the ol' blog, but I have actually accomplished quite a bit today and thought I would take this moment and catch everyone up on the happenings of the Smith household. -(Not to mention... both kids are down for a nap... at the same time... pigs must be flying somewhere and I'm not talking about the swine flu!)

I will start with Campbell:
Campbell has recently started back at pre-school! This year is exciting and a little sad for momma. This will be my last year of half days because next year my big boy goes to kindergarten! Time really flies and I can't believe how fast he is growing. Campbell has also started soccer! This has been so much fun for the whole family. Campbell started practice a few weeks ago and his first game is approaching rather rapidly. (-At this point, the statement above seems like it may be a little scary.) Campbell spent most of his first practice climbing the goal posts. At one point, I looked over and he was swinging upside down trying to entice one of his other teammates to do the same. I have a suspicious feeling his father may have done the same when he was a wee lad. Any way, he is having a lot of fun playing and seems to be getting the hang of things with each passing practice. Other than school and soccer, Campbell has recently informed his father and I that he will be playing Tee-ball this spring as well! So exciting! He loves his little sister! It has been his joy recently helping me take care of her. -(Of course only in between playing the Wii Cars game and running around the house saving the world from bad guys. He is such a sweet child, and I could not ask for a more loving and caring son. It is my prayer that God continue to radiate His joy from the heart of my child for all of his days.

Now on to Cameron:
Cami is a big girl now! No longer a puny 7lbs and 12oz. She is now 11lbs at 2 months old. She is sleeping through the night consistently from 9pm to 7am! I am no longer a zombie stumbling through my days from one cup of coffee to an afternoon cup of tea. She is so much fun! She has this light in her eyes that could melt anyone's heart and her smile leaves everyone speechless. We have been playing this game lately and I kid you not when I tell you she is a baby genius! The game consists of me making a noise at her, for instance an eww or an ohhh. Then she mimics the sound she hears. She loves this game and is already so smart! She is laughing and cooing almost all day. The only time she pipes up is in the evening, usually from 5pm to 8pm. -(She has acid reflux and it really seems to wear her down around this time.) Other than being in the business of stealing hearts, Cameron loves spending time with her momma. Right now, I hold the keys to Cami's heart and I don't mind it one bit. :)

Nate and I:
Nate is doing great! He has really been a source of spiritual strength for our family lately, and I admire his consistency. Nate has recently begun seminary. This is an exciting step for him as he embarks on the wonderful plans our Jesus has for him and our family. We continue to be highly involved with the youth at our church, and we look forward to what God has in store for all of our kiddo's this year!
I have been quite busy lately! In between new baby, soccer practices, play dates, the youth, trips, birthday parties, bible studies, talent shows, church, and the regular hoopla and organza of activities our every day life brings about, I haven't had much spare time lately. Recently I mentioned to my beloved husband that I wanted to be in the talent show at our church. -(Our church just recently held an auction on baked goods for our Children's Ministry to raise money, during which members could participate in a talent show.) Any way, I mention to Nate in passing, "Cool! I want to be in the talent show!" I am not kidding when I tell you that that goober signed me up to sing a song with him in the talent show without a whole lot of heads up! The talent show was last night, and we sang a song that Nate wrote for us to sing together. Other than being horrified at the idea of singing for the first time ever in front of the entire Shannon Oaks congregation, I really had a great time. -(Thanks Nate for making me step out of my comfort zone, and being my strength when I have none. I love you!)

I feel like I have barely provided a glimpse into our world for the moment, but sister is awake and exercising her lungs to their best ability, so I better quit writing so that I may aide the princess. Else it will be, "off with my head!" I seriously think sometimes that she has this sixth sense that allows her to know when I sit down, get comfortable, and am able to relax. Hmmm... a theory perhaps to be investigated sometime.

Love,
Us Smith's

The Prettiest Lil' Princess

For Cameron's three months pictures, I made her a pink tutu! I am really excited about it, and it actually turned out great. I can't wait for that three month mark, but seeing as how she is only two weeks old, I thought I would play around with the idea a bit. Here are some of the pictures from our first tutu photo shoot. ENJOY!






My sweet lil' ballerina princess laying up on her changing table posing like a true beauty. -(I think she is really trying to figure out what ate her legs! :)

I don't know... you guys let me know what you think and if you have any cute ideas for our three months pictures.

Love Momma Smith