Back online ! Our newest family photo!!

We were without  internet for 4 days  which meant virtually no school for the Smith Kiddos and NO easy way of communicating for the Calico Acres Mamma! I have that really nifty new Blackberry,  having had to replace my other phone ( lost at a not-victorious  OKC  Thunder basketball game the night before Thanksgiving) and I have figured out  how to Face Book.. but the screen is too small and its all too loopy for me to do much else. All you really saavy  techo-folks, I envy  your skills!
Our boys have been super busy with their basketball season which has been very successful so far, with only one loss and six wins. Its  so fun to watch my sons and their teammates ' skills develop as their confidence grows as well. I love watching Malachi, once the player I watched,  now be the coach of the team he once played for. One opposing team coach asked last week as he heard all the team introductions "Is your whole team last- named Smith?" We laughed because we do not have a "big bench" ( large team) and with three players and a coach all being Smiths, we ARE the definite  majority!
The boys really do play well as a team, and its so Mamma-heart popping to observe how they cheer each other on and brag about each other,  rather  than " Look at ME  ME ME  LOOK AT ME, Listen to what I  I  I  I  I  did!!" They came in the door last night with " Peter did this and Peter did that"  stories and I had to really dig deep to find out how Isaac, Noah or Isaiah did. Peter told me. That 's how best friends should be!!
Leah is not a fan of watching basketball at home or courtside, but she  and  Rachel can be persuaded to go root for their brothers and pals; Naomi LOVES basketball and is the first to ask about game schedules and if we will be able to go to a game. She is Isaac's  prodigy as far as NBA goes too:  she knows a lot about  many NBA  players and has her own personal favorites!  The night of the fateful Thunder and Linda's phone  loss, Naomi was sweetly cheering AGAINST our  OKC team in favor of Houston's Rockets, who won. When they would score , she'd smile and clap for them, give Isaac a smirky -lovey smile and when our Thunder would miss a shot or lose the ball, she'd do the same. Made for a fun night!
Jael is taking her 2nd round of SAT exams this morning  in hopes of bumping up her first sore by  two or more points. This will guaranteed her full admission to OSU's Honors college, and lots of funds!! She is so bright and so strong in mathematics! This is not my strong suite so I'm thankful that she inherited her daddy's  math ability. I am little help in that department. She  and Gideon are strong in Language Arts ( my "gift")  and sciences  which  I guess is from both the Daddy and the Mamma. Isaac comes by everything very naturally it seems, while everyone  else, home grown and adopted has to really work at grades in almost all subjects.  Malachi is on  scholarship this year, and he worked SUPER HARD to  earn that; it was not easy  in the slightest.
I just heard this song you are hearing  play  right now for the first  time last night.  On YouTube you may find it  set to  film footage from "The Nativity" and sung by a woman, and my version is Randy Travis (?)  but it is a beautiful Christmas song called  "A Labor of Love". I hope you enjoy it as much as I am! I'm still really enjoying  "Oh Come Oh Come Emmanuel" with  "Hatikva" in its background.   PRAISE GOD for His wonderful gift of music!  Brook Fraser's  "Hosanna"  is also one of my "gotta listen to"  songs right now as well.  Her words "I see a generation. ...rising up with selfless faith" really move me!!
Are WE rising up to where God would have US? Are we raising up the next generation with selfless faith? Stir us Lord, challenge us every day to seek Your face, to be on our knees, physically and mentally .. For Your Kingdom , for YOU LORD!!!!! For YOU!

Four generations of us, There's my  mom holding Daniel and her Great Grandson Charlie, behind her in the cowboy hat.
May we all continue to follow hard after God and  raise up a strong next generation of Believers!

Guess I should label us, ya think? Front row: My  mom Gladys 83, with Daniel, next to her is Hannah and Jon's Madyson,6, looking  away and  up is Naomi, 9. In between Madyson and Naomi is our Rachel, 11,
Behind my mom is me, Linda with my  DH behind me, the cowboy hat is hiding Hannah and Jon's 

Charlie, 14 months, being held by  Jael, 16. Next is Esther  the bride and

Casey  her groom; in front of Casey is Leah, 14, and next to her is Daughter-in-love Sopheak, next to her is  Hannah, 23 and our son-in-love, Jon, 27. Right behind Jon is  Malachi, 22.On the other side  of the photo   behind Charlie the Patriarch is  Gideon, 25, Next are  Noah, 13, Isaac, 14, and Isaiah, 12.