Buddy Walk

Our first try at the Buddy Walk was a success! We showed up...we walked...so, I guess we accomplished our goal. :)
It was nice to see so many other kids with Down Syndrome - like a little sneak peak into the future for Berks. On top of all the family fun, the adult Smiths got to get a little exercise. Of course, following the walk with mexican food at Chuy's kind of defeats that purpose...but boy, was it good!

See why we love these girls???

Brighton proclaims her love for the Smith family!

Berkeley's laugh is contagious! Watch out, you might catch it, too!

N-O!

Update on Brighton - Sassy!!!
She is getting pretty sassy these days...and too clever for her own good. Last night she proclaimed loudly, "I...WANT...SOME...ICE...CREAM!!!" So, following her lead, I said emphatically, "N....O!" to which she quickly replied, "N...O... minute!" She didn't know what I had spelled, but used it to figure out how to get that ice cream "in a minute."

Update on Berkeley - Roly Poly!
Gone are the days where I can leave Berkeley and expect her to be there when I return. She's rolling, twisting, turning, and "craw-fishing" to get around. She's not quite crawling, but she is making progress! Sean took her for another hearing test yesterday, and it looks like she'll probably have tubes put in within the next few months. Other than that, her health is great! She is constantly charming us with that famous grin. Oh, and she's finally accumulating some of those cute little baby fat rolls!

Sean and I are so thankful for these girls!
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GEAUX SMITHS!

I'm posting this video, knowing that my family in Hog-country (Arkansas) will probably disown this branch of the family tree after seeing this. Yes, even I (Julie) was wearing an LSU shirt on this particular evening.

Last night we had our first family tailgaiting event of the year at the Smith house. Sean was so excited about the LSU season starting that he bought LSU t-shirts for everyone, and even made a 1 1/2 hour roundtrip journey to pick up "Raising Cane's" chicken (a restaurant chain that was born on LSU campus and has now spread to Texas). We had our little tailgaiting picnic in the light of the TV as we watched the Tigers play the Washington Huskies. If any of you keep up with football, you might already know that this game didn't start until 9:30pm! Sean made sure that the girls had a long, late nap so they wouldn't miss this all important event! Geaux Smiths!

WOO HOO!

 
Berkeley celebrates her first birthday a few days early with her Arkansas crew. Next step, party hard on Saturday night after church with our Texas gang!

Just before her heart surgery in March, while anxiety was building, I had a dream. The dream was just a tiny little glimpse of Berkeley celebrating her first birthday. Usually, I have such bizarre dreams that I never take them seriously...but this one was so comforting, and at just the right time. Right then, I felt like everything would be fine. And it was. She has arrived at this landmark, and we are so proud of her! Praise God for taking care of little Berkeley this year...through heart defects and surgery, pneumonia x 2, hearing issues, trouble eating and gaining weight...He was right there with us, and we'll just keep entrusting her to Him.

"For this God is our God for ever and ever, and He will be our guide even to the end." Psalm 48:8

Feeling Silly (not a rare occurrence)

Brighton and I are sporting this year's latest fashion trend - wearing hats made of the leftover demin from my cut-off capris. We are very ahead of our times in the fashion world...so far, in fact, that the general public may actually never recognize this as fashionable during our lifetimes.
Anyway, this is my last week of total hang-out-with-the-girls-days. I will definitely miss it! Fortunately, Brighton and Berkeley will be spending their daytimes with our friend Tracey Rose. We're very excited about this, because Berkeley will get really individualized care and get to stay home. Brighton will get to benefit from Tracey's fun and loving personality 3 days a week, and will get her classroom fix by going twice a week to the same learning center that she's gone to since she was a baby. It's a pretty awesome situation, and we're very thankful to God for working it all out...and in a pretty random way. We had no idea we'd ever have a "nanny." Thank God for knowing WAY more than me!

A few random things

Berkeley with her Uncle Tim (Julie's brother)
Brighton and her cousin Carson (Sean's sister's daughter)

Brighton learning to be adventurous with Evie (Julie's best friend's daughter). They are up in a hayloft of a model barn at the Fayetteville Botanical Garden.


Grammy Donna (Sean's mom) thinks the girls are a real hoot.

Just a few pictures of family and friends.

Also, if any of you want to receive an e-mail when we update our blog, please leave a comment or send me an e-mail with your e-mail address. My e-mail is seanjuliesmith@tx.rr.com