Tag Archives: The Smith Boys

Brady-boo is 14!

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How is this child growing up so fast? Our not so little Brady-boo will be in high school next year. While he is more than ready, we can’t help but want to make time slow down a little.

This year Brady grew so much socially. His friend group expanded as he began to get more involved in band, running track and cross country, and participating in Lego Robotics club. This was evident at his birthday party where 11 teen boys came to hang out, swim, and EAT SO MUCH FOOD. One thing I noticed was how each of them had such nice things to say to Brady in their birthday cards- they all seemed to know him so well and really care about him. It feels good to know that as he begins this new adventure of high school, he will be surrounded by some really good kids.

Brady at 14 is not that much different than Brady at 4 in most ways. Yes, at 5’8 he now towers over me, but he is still my dinosaur obsessed boy. He still studies things and quietly observes in new settings. He still loves museums, books, and building. In fact, this year he asked for money for his birthday so he could buy his own Lego Robotics kit. He loves learning behind the scenes information about his favorite movies (Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Jaws) by watching documentaries about Steven Spielberg and John Williams. He is a wiz at coding, Lego, and anything Paleontology, but he also loves being up to date on current events and government.

This kid is so unique and so kind. He is analytical, logical, and has such a good head on his shoulders. We are so proud of the young man he is becoming. Slow down, time! We love you so much, B-man!

Nolie is 12!

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Our sweet Bubba turned 12! He spent his special weekend rock climbing with friends, watching the Minecraft Movie (he LOVED it), eating his favorite foods, opening presents, and cheering on the Gators in the Final Four.

Nolan is our competitive, musical, feisty, and fun-loving kiddo. This year he has had a great start to middle school, is continuing to play baseball and trumpet, and has begun to hone his piano skills with lessons. He has branched out by making new friends, becoming a more adventurous eater, and practicing harder things like tricky Lego builds and complicated piano songs.

He is loving and funny and can always be seen playing with a ball or heard humming a song. He is so smart and loves to humble brag about his math skills.

We love this boy SO much!

Brady-boo is a teenager!

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Our sweet Brady turned 13 this summer. This past year has been a tremendous time of growing and maturing for him. He is easily 2 inches taller than me and is eating us out of house and home. You can practically see him growing before your eyes. He is smart and kind. He is witty and analytical. He loves Minecraft and coding. He plays trumpet and runs track. He spends his time reading and hanging out with friends. He is easily the best teenager I know. We are so lucky he is ours!!!

Nolan is 11!

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Our youngest (not-so) little man is 11. He is in his final months of Elementary School and is dangerously close to being taller than me. While he is maturing and growing, he is thankfully still our sweet, playful, hilarious Bubba. He loves anything he can “win” at- video games (Minecraft and Mario), sports, board games, and math problems. His quick wit is either going to take him far in life or get him in trouble some day! He has become more confident and more sure of himself over the last year. He is more willing to try new things and has worked hard at being okay with making mistakes. Although, that may always be a work in progress…

He is always up for a round of basketball, golf, or football in the yard with his daddy. He knows how to butter up his mommy for extra desserts and snuggles. He plays baseball and the trumpet, and his ability to play a tune on the piano by ear is amazing. We are constantly in awe of this kid and his talents, memory, and humor. He is the absolute best 11 year old I know.

We love you, we love you, we loooooove you, Nolie. *extra hug!*

Brady is 12!

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It’s hard to believe our quiet little blue eyed boy is on the verge of teen years. It seems like just yesterday he was flying his toy planes around and eating his cheddar bunnies while watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. And now, as I type this, I’m currently washing up a week’s worth of his smelly laundry from his first sleepaway camp that he just returned from where he learned to design flying gliders and all about Lego robotics. Our sweet Brady-boo still has his big kind heart from his toddler years- but he’s got a little older kid independence mixed in there now. He is still fascinated by building and understanding the way things work. He still has a HUGE appetite (and God only knows where he puts it all!) He still loves movies and music. And, he’s still a quirky daydreamer with plans to discover a dinosaur fossil when he grows up. It’s bittersweet to see our little guy grow up into this pre-teen kiddo, but he makes us proud every day. He boldly tries new things and doesn’t let a challenge deter him. He is fiercely himself in a crowd of middle schoolers all trying to out “TikTok” each other in an effort to fit in. He could spend hours with his books and playing video games with his brother. He is curious about the world and makes it better just by being in it. We love you lots, B-man!

Holidays 2022

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Another holiday season has come and gone. This year we had visits from family, ate lots of yummy food, and enjoyed activities close to home. We kicked off the holidays with a visit from Grandpa and Nana. I was so happy to be on both my feet this year (boo to last year in a cast!) We cooked a huge meal, went to a Maine Mariners hockey game and checked out the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens lights. It was a fast but fun visit!

Throughout December we did lots of festive activities. We bought our biggest Christmas tree ever at Highlands nursery by our house. We had to buy more lights!! We decorated cookies, did advent activities, played in the snow, and hosted a neighborhood Christmas party. And, school went right up to Christmas weekend. It…was brutal! But, we made it.

Over Christmas break Grandma came to visit with her puppy, Ollie. We didn’t get to do as much as we had planned because she got sick while she was here (boo!) but we did fit in some fun. Lots of eating and relaxing! And of course, Santa was very good to Brady and Nolan. They even got to skate on our next door neighbor’s rink they built in their yard. Chris and squeezed in a fabulous date night and even a beach sunrise one day.

Here’s hoping 2023 blesses us with good health and continued happiness!

Spring Break(s) 2022!

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So one thing that is new to us here in Maine is having both a February and April week off of school. I guess they assume all Mainers are ready for a break from the cold come February. And, let’s get honest, it’s still cold in April so many people need to get away again then! We did a big Florida road trip in February and had a nice stay-cation in April.

We made the 2 day journey down South with the kids and the dog. It was a loooong drive, but we did get to see Grandpa and Nana for a night before we made our way to Universal Studios. (Sailor spent her vacation with them!) During our trip we also got to visit with Aunt Kim, Uncle Esteban, Aunt Gift, Chloe, Grandma, Aunt Claudia, and our friends Darrah and Ryley.

The boys loved the hotel at Universal. One of their favorite things was the pool and restaurant! But, the biggest reason we were there was to finally see the Jurassic Park world and ride the Velocicoaster. Brady was SO excited. We also loved getting to see the Harry Potter World. It was ridiculously crowded but we packed a lot in. We even got to check out the new Volcano Bay water park. It was snowing back home while we were floating down a lazy river!

We kicked off April break by celebrating Easter just the 4 of us at home. Chris had to spend part of the break in Puerto Rico for work, so my dad flew up and spent the week with us. We did a fun stay-cation and did things like eat out at new restaurants, went to the trampoline park, went to the movies, and hit up a minor league baseball game. We even drove to Boston for the day and checked out their amazing science museum.

We are finally starting to see some signs of actual Spring. There are buds on trees, flowers blooming, and *slightly* warmer weather. We can’t wait for Summer!!!

Florida to Maine: Smith Family on the Move (Again!)

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In April we officially closed on our new house in Maine. While the boys and I stayed in Florida to finish up the school year, Chris moved half of our stuff up north and started working his New England territory. For two months we were a long distance family. I wrapped up teaching and packing while Chris was doing some major overhaul on the new (OLD!!) house.

  • Last day with my students *tear*
  • Miss my kiddos so much!
  • A note left in my mailbox from a student in my neighborhood ❤
  • When Chris got home!
  • Last day of 2nd and 4th grade
  • Here we go again!
  • So sweaty from packing, loading and cleaning.
  • By Florida house!

By the time the boys and I had our last day of school, it was time to start our journey up to Maine. My dad offered to help with the drive so we stopped in Savannah to pick him up on the way. The boys got to drive through 11 states in a matter of 3 days- Florida>Georgia>South Carolina>North Carolina>Virginia>Maryland>Pennsylvania>New York>Massachusetts>New Hampshire>Maine. My dad drove my car with the boys, the dog, and the fish (in a Tervis Tumbler in the cupholder!) I rode with Chris in the bumpy moving truck. We made it to Maine on Sunday the 13th. We celebrated my birthday the next day by unloading a moving truck- yay! My mom sent flowers and treats to make it feel a little more special.

What happens when you get to the hotel after being cooped up in a car for 14 hours…

While the house is still not 100% done, we’ve made some great progress. Chris did an awesome job of getting it in shape before we arrived and now I’m having fun putting my touches on it. Our first Airbnb guests arrived the week after we moved in and it’s been going great. Now on to exploring Maine. So far, it is magical!

  • Home!
  • unpacking hElL
  • Sailor loves her new yard!!!
  • Birthday dinner
  • These boys are living their best life!

First Day of 1st Grade & VPK

Posted in Brady, Education, Family, Nolan by

Another school year has begun! I’m so thrilled with how the boys have adjusted to their new teachers and classes. It helps that they are both returning to a familiar school. For Brady, his first grade classroom is just down the hall from his Kindergarten room. For Nolan, he is the big man on campus as a big VPK-er in his final year at Promisetown Preschool. Here are some pictures from their first days of school…


It’s oh so hard getting used to early wake ups again. We are not morning people!








Brady is thoroughly enjoying 1st grade. He is such a “school kid” and thrives in that structured environment. I can’t believe that he’s in the grade that I was teaching when I was pregnant with him!

Nolan only goes to school on M,W,F so we still have Tues/Thurs for “Mommy Nolie days”. When Brady was at school I took Nolan to his favorite place- Taco Bell! 🙂


Nolan’s first day of school went better than I expected. Historically he does not do well with separation from us. He was surprisingly brave heading into school this year. While he did have a meltdown when we left the classroom on the first day, we’ve been tear free and happy ever since. Whew!






End of school day exhaustion!


VPK is just too much!


Here’s hoping for a great school year where the boys will continue to grow and learn!

 Summatime 2017

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Seeing as how both boys have started school, I guess summer break is officially over. Not gonna lie, I’m going to miss our lazy days of sleeping in and doing whatever we feel like doing. We packed so much adventure and fun into summer this year. Here’s a recap of some of the highlights.

We have plans. We have lists. They are their mother’s sons after all.

This was the summer of American Ninja Warrior for us. We watched it all the time and we made SO many obstacle courses throughout the house.

Our summers are always full of birthdays and celebrations (3 out of the 4 of us were born in June or July.) This summer Brady turned 6 and Chris and I celebrated 11 years of marriage. 

Brady’s birthday gift…a Beta named Shiny. He and his 2 follow up fish did NOT have long life spans, but they sure were fun while it lasted.

11 years, 3 states, 2 kids, lots of wine and dancing!

Boat time sans kids- an extra special anniversary present!

Lots of kiddie pool and popsicle time!

A few beach days here and there…

Fun at the library…

An attempt to do some school work…

A trip to Seaworld- the kids and teachers get in free. Hello cheap theme park day!

A visit with Aunt Claudia- always a fun time!

Swim lessons- so much progress made!

Celebrating my birthday with my favorites. 

Celebrating Father’s Day

Visiting all the splash pads… if you build it, we will come!

Our big vacation was to Key Largo. It was the best trip ever! We had so much fun swimming, eating, boating, paddle boarding, fishing, and lounging.

A visit from the Hootens. Taylor and Nolan are 2 peas in a pod with their mad dancing skills.

A visit from Chris and Auntie Jill… who brought the boys bathtub slime.

A visit to a lake house in South Carolina with our friends the Easters. This was our Griswold portion of the summer. So many travel issues!!

We put our zoo passes to good use. Animals and another splash pad, you can’t go wrong. 

The boys had their first lemonade stand. 

We adopted our sweet girl, Sailor. She’s been such a fun addition to our family!

The Alligator Farm blew the boys minds. They were seriously excited!

Food trucks and bounce houses in the neighborhood.

Backyard laziness…

I’m already missing all my time with my boys. They drove me nuts, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Now back to packing lunch boxes and setting alarms. Until next year, Summer!