CSI: Frankfort

Noland has decided to go into forensic science. Thanks to a family I'm working with through AHH, Noland was able to shadow a latent print expert. He had a great time and learned a lot. I was amazed at all he picked up in just one day. So even though we're moving to Indiana, he may end up at EKU anyway. They have an excellent forensics department.

Easter Angels

Here are my lovely girls and handsome boys.....God has been so good to me. I hope that I can show Him how thankful I truly am.



Tattoo pics to come.

My Spring Break

My wonderful husband sent me to VEGAS for Spring Break. He took the week and stayed with the kids. I went alone to visit with my cousins, this is her back yard. It's a desert...duh...I was amazed. Below are flowers and cactus from her yard as well.

Jamey took me into the mountains. BEAUTIFUL!!! Red Rock Canyon.

I had a great time...slept in, read books.....played with the puppy. Spent time with Jamey, Anna, and Ashli....and their families. Oh, and did I fail to mention that I got a TATTOO??? Pictures to come. :)

GREASE is the WORD

Isn't he beautiful??? My oldest baby, Noland, was in GREASE at the local high school. He played SONNY....one of Danny's T-Birds.
Kenickie, Doody and Sonny prepare for gang war.
Marty and Sonny....he's going to put her name on his new Impala.
Danny and Sonny are GROOVIN'
Frenchy and Sonny at the picnic in the park.

Sonny prepares for the prom.

"We Go Together"....the entire cast.

It was a fantastic performance. Aunt Lisa, Uncle Dodge, Drew, Daly and Grandma came to a performance. Greg and I were very proud.

Niah's Dance Recital Pics

Niah is having her first tap recital in May. Here are a couple of pics.

Preschool Fun

The girls have had a wonderful year with preschool. Here are some pics to share.

Here we are....off to bed.
Look at my hair!!!
I'm soooo happy to see curls!!

Here are our beauty queens. We've re-discovered the "pink foam rollers." Just like Mama used to wear at night. Niah LOVES it. Naricyn only made it about 30 minutes, but look at the curl!!!

So we've done this twice now and Niah's curls last about 2 days, then back to TOTALLY STRAIGHT!!!

Royalty In The Family

Just wanted to post something positive, since I sounded so down in previous entries. Isn't he handsome? He was voted PRINCE of the freshman class!!!

Getting My Head Together

Well, I still don't have my head together. I'm still in Indiana...I just want to stay. Now I have a migraine, but at least the "major snow storm" isn't going to be "major". So there are no worries about travels whenever I go.

Thanks to everyone for the calls, emails and especially...the prayers. I need all that I can get.

Walking Through Faith Alone,
Traci

Going Home

So much can be said with those words. Sunday I will go home to Berea after saying goodbye to my father. He passed away on Feb. 2. Just two short years after my mother. I also say goodbye to EVER going home again. It frightens me beyond words.

I hope to be able to raise my children in a way that makes my father in Heaven(both of them) smile. I hope to make them, and my mother proud, and I hope to be able to do for my children as my parents have done for me.

God willing(and the creek don't rise, my father would say...) that will be done. Besides that, I want to live happy and healthy and enjoy each day as if it were my last.

Noble goals, I know, but in light of all that's happened in my life since 2003.....I would be a total idiot not to learn something.

God Bless you all.
Traci Lee Smith Andis

It's been Awhile...

It's been too long since my last post. I could blame it on the Holidays, but unfortunately...I can only blame it on my life.

We never know what God has in store and sometimes we're just not prepared and we get wiped out. That's what's happened to me.

Not to post doom and gloom, but I want to catch everyone up to speed. My father had a heart attack on New Years Day. I spent the next 2 weeks in Indiana, sharing the decision making with my sister and my brother, via the phone. While in Indiana, Dad's beloved cat, JD, died and was put into the freezer to wait for Dad to come home to bury him. That TOTALLY FREAKED ME OUT!!!. Eventurally my brother-in-law buried JD so that we could all get over that. Then their cat, Carly, had to be put down. It was like a really, really bad Stephen King novel.

Dad also has COPD, and pulmonary fibrosis...so he cannot have the bypass surgery that he needs. He has 6 arteries blocked at 95%. There's nothing more that can be done. Even though, Dad's pulmonologist is sending him to Indianapolis to see another cardiologist. I don't think anyone will risk the surgery, but it gives him another few weeks of hope.

I can't imagine him facing suffocation as his death sentence. I'd much rather him go quickly. It's God's choice, not mine.

Since Thanksgiving

WOW.....what a lot has happened....the children are growing....I am happy to say that I'm thinning out a bit....and taking in a little "light therapy"....can you tell?

Neal finished his role as the dog catcher in ANNIE. He hopes for a bigger role in his next production.

Football season ended, thank GOD, and Noland enjoyed the banquet.

Naricyn's first GOTCHA DAY...came and went. She went to everyone and said, "I got chew"...then laughed. It was sweet. She also picked out this "adorable" teapot that bubbles and sounds like it's pouring water. CONSTANTLY...but she loves it.

We went to Berea's Christmas Parade...and Naricyn was in the middle of the street for any candy she could get. The lights didn't impress her much. Niah LOVED them!!

Then it snowed....and the girls thought it was fantastic. But "too cold to play outside."

Here's our family picture for the final installment of Naricyn's adoption. Finally. Thanks for all the prayers and love y'all've (is that a double contraction??) sent to us. We're doing great. Thanks be to God. More later.

Happy Halloween

It was Naricyn's first Halloween but Niah wasn't feeling well so Momma couldn't take them out. Instead, "Rina" came over and we had a princess dress-up party to hand out candy and celebrate Halloween at home. The girls did a great job at picking out Rina's princess accessories.

Before we had any visitors, Niah expressed concern that nobody would say "Trick or Treat". Fortunately, she was so excited to learn that not only did the girls and boys ask nicely for candy, they also said "thank you!" The girls had a lot of fun putting handfuls of candy in each trick-or-treater's bags. Every time we closed the door, Niah would dance around in her princess dress and exclaim "I LOVE TRICK OR TREATERS!". Naricyn would twirl with her princess mermaid fin and giggle in imitation.

The truth is, Naricyn simply liked the opportunity to eat some "mo cany" on her first Halloween.

Naricyn's BIG Day

Happy Birthday!!








It's your 3rd, but your first one with your family. What a day we had watching you explore. You sang "Happy Birthday" louder than any of us. We had sloppy joes and chips, scalloped potatoes, broccoli and carrots....to be healthy. :) Your cake was funfetti...but Mama made the icing...and even if I did make it, it was sooooo much better than the canned stuff.


We love you, Baby Girl.......And YOU loved your cake, and your presents, and just being 3.

Loving The Fall

As the breeze blows, you can hear the leaves rustling....the girls take turns sliding and swinging. Moonshine (our parakeet), chirps along with the birds outside. The house smells of apple pie, thanks to Home Interiors.....no, I'm not baking.

I just love the fall. Hopefully we can get to a pumpkin patch this year. There are a lot of firsts for Naricyn with the holidays coming up. Can't wait to see her reaction to the trick or treating. Knowing her, once she realizes that it's food......LOOK OUT!!!

Preschool Starts Today!!

"I so esssssited, Mama." These were the words out of my daughter's mouth as I woke her at 7:30 this morning. Gone are the days of sleeping until she wakes up on her own. Niah knew that it was her first day of preschool; this year in the FOUR year old class!!! Oh, and her Sarah......her Sarah would also be in her class.

She reminded Naricyn that she too could go to school when she could pee-pee and poopie and in the potty.....not in the "nasty" diaper. Even with that, Naricyn thought she was going too. Which wasn't entirely untrue....

We met Miss Debbie, Niah's teacher...and Naricyn did get to play in Niah's classroom while Debbie and I talked. Leaving was another issue....Naricyn cried, "I got too!!" Now we're trying to play without Sissy....something new.