Early yesterday morning, Nathan and Meagan had to take Madison to the Emergency Room with a respiratory infection. As it turns out, she had to be admitted and placed on 24-hour oxygen. She has also been receiving breathing treatments every two hours.
Here is her “I am a Brave Baby” face. Such a sweetheart. She is the strong, loving hands of her daddy.
Yesterday afternoon, Nathan posted this on Twitter:
Two beauties. Prayers over Madison. Meagan is an amazing mother!
Meagan is an amazing mom, indeed. Nothing breaks the heart of a mommy any more than seeing her little one suffer and I know Meagan is doing everything in her power to nurse her sweet girl back to health. Our hugs and prayers continue to wing their way down to Florida to that little family we love so much.
And speaking of Florida, I’m so very thankful for Madi’s other grandparents, Frank and Sheri, who are right there on the scene helping, as well as her two sets of aunts and uncles. It’s good to know that loving hands abound.
Saturday night, my own sweet girl, Sarah, tried out a new recipe.
Although the ingredient line up doesn’t seem all that exciting, it actually turned out to be downright delicious! Something about putting the tortillas in the oven after brushing them with a little butter completely transforms their texture and makes them light and crisp. We will definitely be making this again soon–like probably this week.
This is the picture from the recipe (from a magazine) made with chicken. We made the vegetarian version.
Some taco meat would be good in there or you could also use up any leftover meat that isn’t quite enough to make a whole new meal with. Lots of options!
This takes just a couple of minutes to get in the oven but just be aware that between the baking and the “resting” stages, it will be an hour before it’s ready to eat. You could always take a walk (or a nap) while you wait.
Enjoy our newest Smith favorite!
[yumprint-recipe id=’14’]
It was Siblings Day on April 10 and even though I’m a bit late with it, I thought it would be fun to post a couple photos.
Before I do that, though, I just had to share this photo that Steve used as part of his sermon yesterday. This was taken just before we left on our honeymoon. (January 2, 1982.) How is it possible we were ever that young?
Okay. On to the siblings.,
Here are Steve and his brothers, Jeff and Dana. (1980-ish). That’s about what Steve looked like when I first met him.
Here are my five siblings and our parents.
You can tell by the Really. Big. Hair. that this had to be in the mid-80’s. How DID Debbie and I ever manage to get our hair that big?
Mom had six children in ten years; three boys first, followed by three girls. I thought she planned that quite well, to have them divided up like that.
We are arranged by age: the middle brother and sister (Ruth and Mark) are on the left, the oldest brother and sister (me and Tim) are second from the left, then our parents and lastly, the youngest brother and sister, (Debbie and Phil.) Phil just became a grandpa Saturday night so hooray for him and Grandma Carol! He is the third of the siblings to become a grandparent.
What about you? How many siblings do you have? Were you close growing up? Are you close now? Do you have a special sibling story you would like to share?
As usual I’m late to the blog party. I’m so sorry to hear that Madi had to be hospitalized. It’s so heartbreaking when I baby gets sick. My friend’s 7 month old baby girl was diagnosed with pneumonia yesterday. That little ray of sunshine and rainbows in everyone’s life was so miserable. She’s doing a little better today though.
These days I tend to tell people I don’t have any siblings, if asked. Most people I am around know my story so it’s rare I ever have to say it. I actually have 2 older brothers. They are downright horrible and I’m pretty sure I’ll never see them again. I just can’t have that in my life or around my kids. There is only so much forgiving someone can give. I always wanted a baby sister or brother. I begged my dad for years to give me one. It didn’t matter to me that he wasn’t married and he didn’t want anymore kids. I told him I would take care of it. I was dead serious too! I LOVED babies and knew exactly how to take care them since I had been doing so since I was 5. I was a hoot and a half! HAHAHA!
I love seeing your posts about your siblings and the bond between Nathan & Sarah & now Meagan too! It’s so sweet! <3
Glad Madi’s on the mend and going (at?) home!
I have no siblings.
Stefanie,
Madi made it home late morning today. I don’t know who was happier–her or Meagan!
I’ve always wondered if children with no siblings were glad to be the only child or if they wished they had siblings. I guess both situations–sibs and nonsibs–have their pros and cons.
Some days I’m glad, some days I’m not.
I always wished for a sibling, and begged my parents incessantly for one. Truly, though, what I really wanted was an older brother. So I went out and “created” my sibling group. Many of my “chosen siblings” were also only children. To this day, we are all close. We may not talk every day (or even every month, or every year), but each of us could call on another and we would BE.THERE.
Right now, though, I’m dealing with taking care of my dad, who lives 200+ miles away. My mother died very unexpectedly of a massive heart attack (no health history), which devastated my tiny family. Nobody expected her to go first – all “plans” in place were for her to survive my dad. He will readily tell you this. He didn’t even know how to run the washer or dryer. He has done very well at learning to do things on his own.
However, my dad has had some extremely serious – potentially fatal – health issues (he even lived with us for 3 months last summer, when he wasn’t in the hospital). He’s now back home, but we go to his town every third weekend to take care of things for him; until last month, we were down there every weekend, then every-other weekend. Luckily, he’s still fairly mobile and can still drive (I make him drive me around at least every 6 months so I can make sure he’s still OK behind the wheel).
This is why I wish I had a sibling – to help share this effort. I hesitate to call taking care of him a burden, because he’s not. I’m so very privileged to still have my Daddy. And I know that even if I had numerous siblings, I’m sure I’d still be “the one” to take care of him. I have a good friend who has a sister – but the sister has NOTHING to do with helping to care for their mother (who is in her 90s).
So – yes, I have one child. She is now 25. I wished desperately for another baby, and went through an ectopic pregnancy followed by two miscarriages before I decided I could not live through that type of loss ever again. I still feel like something’s “missing” from my family. My mother was an only child, as well.
There it is – the good/bad/ugly of onliness. 🙂
Stefanie,
I’m so glad you took the time to share your stories of onliness.
I absolutely loved that your created your own group of siblings and that you are still close to this day. What a fabulous idea!
I can only imagine how shocked and truly devastated your family was when your mom died. Steve and I have often said that we think women are much better suited to life alone than men are–not just because they most often have the cooking/housekeeping skills but also, because they are more suited to it emotionally.
This would certainly be a season of your life when having a sibling would be a big help but, as you said, there’s no guarantee that the sibling(s) would even be involved in your dad’s care. You are so loving and so dedicated to your dad; I know it means the world to to have you keeping an eye on him and the details of his life. And no, it’s not a burden but yes, it IS a large responsibility and a significant investment of time, money, energy and free weekends. You are a wonderful daughter.
Three three lost pregnancies would be just about all my heart could handle, as well. I had one miscarriage shortly after we were married; I can’t imagine three. I hope maybe your sweet daughter can find some other onlies along the way and continue your tradition of creating her own sibling group. She is certainly surrounded by generations of love and caring–a blessed young woman.
Again, thank you for taking the time to tell your story. In the end, it’s the stories that draw us all together.
Awww….poor Madi. I pray that she recovers quickly. She looks mighty sweet in those pictures. 🙂
I have one brother. He is 18 months older than me and mom said he was oh, so protective over me from the day I came home from the hospital. We are close…we just don’t see each other often enough since he lives about 400 miles away. He and his wife never had children so I am the only grandparent. However, those grandkids of mine seem to be getting us all together more often which is awesome!! Those two really dote on the little ones and do a great job of spoiling them too!
When I was about 4 or 5, he and I were playing in the empty field right behind our house. There was a makeshift playhouse there and I was inside playing with my dolls. My brother was on the outside. He was picking up and throwing big rocks at the playhouse to see how far he could throw them. Well, he managed to throw one right through the ‘window’ which I happened to be sitting by and the rock (over 10 pounds! My dad weighed it) landed right on my head. I came running out of there, screaming and crying with blood pouring down my face. Needless to say, he felt TERRIBLE about it and cried for hours while I laid on the counter with my head over the sink with mom trying to stop the bleeding. (She was a nurse and had been in contact with a Dr.) I got a hefty concussion and a fairly large scar out of the deal. And I do believe that my dad went out into the field and knocked down the playhouse! 😉 Ahhh. Memories. Lol
LOVE the hair picture! I, too, had some really. BIG. hair in the 80’s. It was pretty awesome!!
LeeAnne,
How lovely that you had a big brother to watch over you–well, apart from the whole Rock Throwing Scenario. 🙂 What is it about boys and rocks? I can only imagine how bad he felt, since he was usually your protector.
Glad the kids and grand kids give you reason to see your brother and sister-in-law more often. A very good thing!
I really hope Madison is feeling better soon. So glad she has such loving and strong parents beside her.
My legs were seriously burned by a hot coffe pot (whose handle broke off right as it was passed over me) when I was 2 and a half. One of my earliest memories is being in the hospital emergency room having a difficult treatment . It was pretty bad until the Dr’s called my dad. As soon as he put his arms around me I felt incredibly safe again and all was well in my world no matter what was happening with my body Madison looks like she feels like that – safe in her parent’s arms and knowing that even if she doesn’t feel so good that she can trust her parents she is safe and okay. I really hope she is all better soon!!
I had one younger brother growing up as well as a cousin who lived for a number of years with my family. We were both named Jennfier, which made things interesting.
Jenna,
I love the picture you painted of your dad putting his arms around you in the hospital and making you feel so safe. That is a wonderful memory that hopefully helps to blot out a little the memory of the coffee pot t. acciden Ouch, ouch, OUCH! Not a fun thing for a toddler to have to go through.
And yes, I can imagine having two Jennifers in the house made things interesting. Is that why you went to Jenna?
Prayers for Madi and the Florida family. Such a cute picture. There were four siblings in my family me, then two boys, then my sister. Jim’s family had boy (Jim), 2 girls, and a while later 2 boys and a girl. Like two sets of children for them. I have posted a young picture of us on FB but do not know how to get it in my comments. We were close then and my sister and I are closer now. Growing up we formed a club and would plan surprises for Mama. My younger brother always told her before it happened. I am close to him, too, but other brother is in FL so more difficult to be close.
Ann,
I love that your younger brother told your mom about the surprises before they happened. That is too funny! And I also loved that the whole purpose of the club you formed was to plan surprises for your mom. That just makes me smile!
I don’t think it is possible to post pictures in comments although I sure wish it was. At some point, I may move to a different commenting system so that it is possible. That would be so much fun!
Lots and lots and lots of prayers for Madi. In the photo, she sure doesn’t look very sick….we’ll have to teach her how to work on getting sympathy! (Don’t let Sarah do the teaching; I remember your story about her skipping into the hospital for a check-up, bald head and all.)
I only had one sister, and she died when I was 16. She was on a college trip, and the truck driver behind the bus she was on didn’t think the rules of the road applied to him. My parents owned a gift shop, so my big sister (3 years older) was my proctor mother. Sometimes that was a real pain, but others it was definitely to my benefit. (Neighborhood kids didn’t give me a hard time twice with my big sister on the job!)
Jan,
To lose a sister when she was just 16 is hard to even comprehend. You don’t need to give many details for me to imagine the horrific scene of a truck running into the back of a bus filled with college students. I know you must still miss her terribly.
I liked your story about your older sister being your proctor mother. Sounds like she loved you a whole lot to spend so much time watching over you and taking care of you. Sweet story.
Even 57 years ago, it’s tough to talk about it, so here’s this: http://www.capitalcentury.com/1959.html
I don’t expect you to read the whole article, but her name was Nancy Raub, so if you do a “find,” you’ll see the worst of it. She was 19, I was the one who was 16.
Jan , I just read the article, and tears are running down my cheeks. I’m so sorry that this happened to your beautiful, special sister and that you and your family had to endure such a terrible tragic loss. It sounds like she was incredibly special to you and made a big impact on your life, that she used the short time she was given very well to love you so deeply
Thank you, Jenna.
Jan,
I’m with Jenna on this one. I sat and read the entire article with tears in my eyes.
The fact that I have a 20-year old college daughter just made the whole story all the more real. To think of that many young women gone so quickly and all the families and siblings and parents who were left behind–well, it’s beyond comprehension.
The article said the campus was in a “funk” for a long time after the accident and I can well imagine how that would be. A small college. Beloved students and professor. A loss that could not be explained or gotten over. Heartbreak and tragedy beyond words.
Jan, if you feel a little unexpected warmth around your shoulders right now it’s because I am hugging you from a distance–hugging the sister who was left behind, always, to grieve. And left behind, always to remember the sweetness of those early years of your sisterhood. Those years can never be taken.
Thank you, Becky. I thought that warmth was because I was slaving over a hot pressure cooker, but now I know better, and I appreciate the hug.
Prayers for Madi and all of you.
Dale,
Thank you. She finally gets to go home today!
there are four of us kids – 3 girls and a boy and my mom calls us the pre doctorate kids and the post doctorate kids. My Older Sister and I were the pre and then my daddy worked full time and got his doctorate part time and when he finished they had my younger brother and sister so my youngest sister AKA the baby is nine years younger than my older sister. We are all close except my older sister and I are in the care giving for our mom and the younger two do not participate with that or it is minimal. We thought our brother was a doll and dressed and treated him like one for years. We all have grandchildren now and we all think it is much easier than being a parent.
Sending prayers for Madi.
Had to laugh when I saw the hair- reminded me of rat tail combs and hairspray
Have a great day
Becky,
I love that you thought that your brother was a doll and dressed him up like one. I’ll have to say that is a VERY patient brother!
And the pre-doctorate and post-doctorate thing was a hoot. Sounds like your mom has a great sense of humor.
I’m sorry that two of your siblings are not very involved in the care of your mom. They are not only short changing her, they are short changing themselves from getting to spend that extra time with her during these last years of her life. Sometimes it’s just sort of hard to figure out why people act the way they do. Bless you and your older sister as you continue to return to your mom the love she has given you all through the years.
I hope Madi bounces back quickly. There’s a lot of sickness swirling around right now. Love the sibling photos. Hooray for the 80’s! I am the oldest of 3, one younger sister and then a brother. I am the only grandparent so far.
Lesley,
I’m actually pretty glad the 80’s are done and I hope those hairstyles never, EVER come back into style. What were we thinking? 🙂
I think I’ve seen pictures of your sister on FB; if I am remembering correctly, the two of you share a strong resemblance.
hope Madi is home soon
Thank you, Mrs. Pam,
Today is the day!!
Prayers for the sweet baby for a quick recovery. As a mom, there is nothing worse than when your baby is sick and it doesn’t matter that my babies are 19 and 22. 🙂
I have 5 siblings, all brothers and for the most part we are very close. We all like to golf so that keeps us close. Mom had 4 boys, then me and then my youngest brother. Our ages currently are….55, 54, 52, 51, 50 and 49!! My dad’s initials were WDL so when my first brother was born, his initials became RWDl, my next brother because WDL, then when mom had the next boy, they gave up and did JPL. She just couldn’t come up with and WD names that she liked the sounds of together. 🙂
Mel,
So your mom had six kids in SIX years? Oh my. Let me pause and have a moment of silence in her honor. 🙂
And to be one girl among 5 brothers–wow. I bet you learned to stand up for yourself and throw your weight around! So glad to hear you are all still close and have something like golf to share together.
And I don’t blame your mom for running out of names to keep those initials going. It was a nice thought, though! 🙂
Poor sweet, Madi. I hope she’s feeling much better soon. This must be very difficult for MegaNate and Noah, too.
Michael and me were very close……he was my little (FIVE YEARS YOUNGER), BIG (6-7 inches taller) brother. I miss him dearly. When we were kids we used to play the tripping game. The tripper would lie on the floor and move their arms/legs as if they were a snow angel while the trippee would run around the tripper doing their best to stay standing the longest.
Also, Michael had a mild deformity called a pectus excavatum (abnormal development of the rib cage so that the breastbone grows inward making the chest wall sunken). For a laugh, we’d pour Coke inside the indentation as if it were a “cup” and than string several straws together and he and I would drink out of his funnel chest. In fact, we wanted to send it to Americas Funniest Home Videos but my Mom was (is) quite the BAHUMBUG!
Happy Tax Day!
Keep us posted on Madi.
Jodi,
It sounds like the Tripping Game is one of those activities that kids things are great fun and moms think are scary and dangerous. I can just picture the two of you laughing as you played that, as well as drinking with straws out of Michael’s chest wall. Love that you shared that sense of humor together and that you could laugh over physical challenges.
I imagine that the laughter together is one of the things you miss the most. He sounded like a truly great guy.