Our Story: The End of an Era

Ready to go on a work date with my man.

 

Our church directory picture.  

 

Manly and his silly littles. Father's Day 2012.

 

Fourth of July Littles. Oh, baby boy! Why do you have to grow up!?!

The city built a sidewalk in our yard. They left their tractor. Brubbs got to check it out.

 

Brubbs also realized that he liked playing in the dirt with his trucks.

My girls LOVE summer time because it means Yeyeyeyeyes to VavavaVBS!!

 

Brubbs started wearing glasses. They made him even CUTER!

 

KK got her reading glasses! SO cute!!

 

Daddy daughter banquet. Lulu looks so little in this picture.

School year 2011-2012 KK's first day of K5 and Lulu's first day of 3rd grade.

These two became the hardest job I've ever had.

We visited the place where Manly and I met as a family. We have a brick on the legacy walk so we took our picture with it.

FAIR PARADE!!

My Lulu and me on her 8th birthday.

At Livi's doggie birthday party.

 

Halloween 2012. The girls were yummie goodies and Lulu and Brubbs are bakers. So cute!

 

KK decided she loves all things cooking. This child is obsessed with food.

 

All the great grandkids Thanksgiving 2012.

Christmas 2012

Another Christmas picture from 2012. LOVE Mia's face.

Lulu had her first piano recital!

Lulu got her first American Girl Doll. She named her Lydia.

More jammie littles. I should just go buy out Carters!!

Our little bike parade of Smittles.

Brubbsy and Manly got to go to the MONSTER TRUCK show! It changed Brubbs' life forever! HA!

Brubbs had a fire truck party with a REAL fire truck. AWESOME.

 

We went to the circus for the first time!! I think it was a hit.

 



As I mentioned in my last post, we decided we would wait a while after Mia before talking babies. A few weeks before Mia turned a year old Manly asked me if I was ready to talk. Thinking this conversation would go much like the last I agreed and while I was making dinner and the kids were playing upstairs we started chatting. I quickly learned this conversation would be nothing like the ones we had before. It went a little like this: Manly: "So, we said we would wait until Mia was a year old to talk about if we were ready to have another baby." Me: "Yup." Manly: "Well, I've been thinking about it and I think I'm ready to be done having babies." Me: "Uh...WHAT?" Manly: "I just think we have been having babies for a long time, and I'm ready to start raising the family we have." Me: (Drop spoon and begin water works) "Uh....I'm not even sure what to say...uh...I need a minute." Manly: "OK."
Feeling panicked I went into the bedroom and shut the door. How in the world could he have come to this conclusion? What in the world was he thinking? WHY? What about my baby boy? My baby baby I'd been thinking about for the last 6 months? See, I was ready to be finished too, but not before I had my "baby!" I just KNEW that the Lord had one more baby for us. I took a moment, said a prayer, dried my crying eyes, and returned to the kitchen where Manly had taken over dinner.
I sat on a barstool and with tear filled eyes told him that I wasn't sure I could be done yet. I explained about how I was ready, but that I needed a "last time" for everything. If I had prepared myself that Mia would be our last baby I could have done all of that with her, but I hadn't, and she wasn't. I tried not to feel panicked, but that's just how I felt.
I think Manly may have been a little shocked with my response. He just sort of stood there for a while. Stirring whatever it was that we had going. Finally he said, "I think I might have spoken too soon. I haven't even prayed about this yet." Feeling a ray of hope I said, "Then you should pray. If you still feel the same way after praying about it, then we'll be done. If not, let's have one more baby, then be done." I waited patiently for several weeks until one day he came in from work and said, "OK. One more. Then we're DONE."
I know some of you wonder what made us come to this decision to be done having babies. I know because many of you have asked me, and I'm totally open with anyone who wants to know. The truth is, I can't really explain it other than to say we just knew. I felt a complete peace with having one more then being done. I mean, I've been pregnant or nursing for the last ten years, I am EXHAUSTED. That's a big factor. Other than that, there are lots of little things like not being able to add anyone else into the Suburban and not having any more room for beds in the house. Believe me, I KNOW the Lord would provide all of our needs because he always has, but this was the FIRST time in our marriage that I felt a peace about our family being complete. Not only did I have that feeling, but Manly did to. I can't really explain it any other way than to say when you know, you know. You know?
Mia had her first birthday on May 4th. On June 22nd I found out I was pregnant for the last time. Well, unless God decides to bless us with some miracle baby. It was actually interesting this time because I knew I was pregnant before I could get a test to read positive. That had never happened before, but finally, I got a positive test and was overjoyed. You can read all about my last pregnancy in the Home Brewed Smittle series on my blog where I journaled my pregnancy from the day I found out until several weeks after delivery.
This time around I knew the baby was going to be a boy. I had prayed for God to bless us with a brother for Brubbs for our last baby and I just had a feeling we had a boy baby. When we went to the ultrasound and immediately saw that he was indeed a boy I shouted for joy and scared the poor ultrasound tech to death. Brubbs was SO excited about gaining a boy for his team that he'd tell just about anyone who would listen that he was going to have a brother!

More precious pictures from Paula Bean Photography. Probably one of My most favorite pictures of the two of us. I love how you can see Manly smiling even though you can't see his face.

 

Another favorite. We were so goofy trying to pose. Poor Paula! Finally she said, "Just kiss her!"

 My BFF Ashley got married when I was 37 weeks pregnant. I was SO happy to be there.

 

Manly and I sang and I was a bridesmaid. Such a sweet happy day.

 

We had always liked the name Eli, so we decided pretty quickly we would name him Elias and call him Eli. THEN came the middle name debate. From the beginning I liked Elias Paul. Manly's late grandfather was named Paul, and I have always loved that name(since I had a crush on a boy named Paul in grade school! HA!) Manly liked the strong sound in the name Elias York(which is my maiden name). We never decided on a middle name for sure until we saw him. I finally just told Manly he could name him whatever he wanted. I was just glad he had let me have my baby! So, Elias York it was.

 

These are the birth photos are by Paula Bean Photography. I love these pictures so much.

My man being strong for me.

A precious moment.

Checking out our new sweet miracle.

My completed family.

My first and last. I cry every time I see this picture.

Probably my favorite picture. Ha! Love squishing my darling baby!

This is my dream team. These three helped me deliver my last two babies. SO glad all three of them were able to help me!

My baby and me!

Oh sweet beautiful boy!

 

While I was still pregnant Manly and I started to look at options. I could have SWORN I blogged about our journey here, but for the life of me I CAN NOT find it. After researching and thinking and praying about our decision we decided to go with Manly getting a vasectomy. I actually asked around on facebook about a good doctor, and we made an appointment, went in for the surgery, and it was over with before I even had the baby!

perfection.(Paula Bean Photography)

 

Love this cute pic.(Paula Bean Photography)

 

Little Brother Chub Chub(Paula Bean Photography)

 

In this time Manly also decided to quit his well paying, fantastic benefits package job and pursue private practice counseling. To say it was a rough transition for us is putting it lightly. We went from having excellent insurance to having bad high priced private plans, he had to work strange hours, and he didn't make enough for us to live on for the first several months. He had made a financial plan that kept us afloat, but it was a VERY rough time in our home that I think takes second position for the hardest time in our marriage right below grad school.

Manly in his office the day we moved in all the stuff.

 



I know that we will and already are seeing the pay off, but it was and still is a very tough change on our family. I am SO proud of the unwavering faith that Manly has maintained. He made this decision only after a lot of praying and fasting. It was with bold faith that he walked in and resigned from his position at UAMS. He KNEW God was going to take care of us. He has never lost faith that he'll be able to build a successful practice. Sure he's had bad days and slow seasons, but his faith has stayed strong, and has been contagious.

My man on TV. So proud for him.

 



Elias has been such a joy for me. I prayed and prayed that God would allow me to enjoy him being a baby and not wish it away, and these past seven months have been SUCH a blessing for me. Eli is a fantastic blend of sweet and silly. All of his sisters and brother are in love, and fight over who gets to play with him. He's such a strong boy. He already pulls to standing, crawls, and cruises. He can clap his hands and wave bye-bye. He knows how to give high fives. He dances to music. He says mama and baba. He cries to be held, but loves to play in the floor too. He has a smile that melts my heart and a toothy grin that would make anyone smile.

Cutest baby ever.

 

Big old 5 month old STANDING in his bed! Yeah. Nuts!

 

Cute little silly baby!

 

God has shown himself to be faithful in our family. He has never stopped providing for us, and loving us. We can look back over the years and clearly see the hand of God right in the middle of our family. Someone once told me that when God calls you, he always equips you. I know now that is true. There is no way I would be able to handle this crazy life of mine otherwise. People always ask me, "HOW do you do it?" The answer is pretty easy. I don't. I'm here ONLY by the grace of God. He's brought us so far in the last ten years. I can't wait to see what happens in the next chapter of our life.

We got our Palin and fell in love.

 

These two are a MESS! Hysterical. And covered in mud.

 

Smittles May 2013

 

Even the baby knows how we roll.

 

I got the school room of my dreams.

 

Then started teaching FIVE kids in it!(Plus the baby)

 

We took our third trip to Disney.

Disney Swimmers.

My pretty princess and her prince.

 

Oh boy! These two are going to give me grey hair!

Addi completed Cubbies in the AWANA program. This is her wonderful leader.

We had to say goodbye to our spectacular sitter as she went off to college. BOO for us! Yay for her!

We also had to say bye to our sweet Palin. Such a sad day for our family!

Sweet memories to hold on to though.

 

Memorial Day 2013.

 

First time fishing.

First time to church camp.

Lulu gets her studio!!

Father's Day 2013.

Fourth of July 2013(Also Addi's fifth birthday).

Lulu and KK got to go to music camp 2013. 

These two decided they were twins separated by a few years.

 

My Lulu grew up!

 

Easter 2013.

Eli's Baby Dedication

So thankful my Granny lived to see all my children be born. We were so blessed to recently celebrate her 84th birthday.

BROTHERS!!

 

So that's all the story we have for now. We aren't QUITE ready for rockers on the front porch yet, but as we enter this new season of our life of raising all these littles I hope we will love stronger, be more giving, smile more, laugh harder, pray together more, invite others over more, save more money, break up less fights, watch more movies together, sing louder, share more special moments together, teach our kids factions, potty train the last two kids, eat more chocolate, vacation more, go on more dates, and soak up every last drop of every moment we are given.
I can't tell you how thankful I am that you shared in reading Our Story. Don't want the story to end? Don't worry. It's only just begun! The next chapter starts now.

The Smittles 2013.