It's update time!

Things here in the Smith household are...the same :)  Penney is still her cute self and is often found darting around the room to avoid anything scary--plastic sacks, vacuum cleaners, or just me with a super scary look on my face :)  She misses Keith too, though, and it's not hard to tell.  Once in a while she will just aimlessly walk around looking for him and meowing.  It's quite sad.  I think the hardest is when she hears someone walking up the stairs or outside the door and she RUNS to the door hoping it's him, only to realize that it's someone else.  Pets definitely mourn as well.

Things for me are going pretty good.  I'm picking up a few extra shifts a week at work, which keeps me busy, as well as traveling quite a bit to see family and friends.  In early July I'll be going to Dallas to spend a week with a girlfriend whose husband is heading out of town.  They have two little girls and I am SO looking forward to that time with them.  Can you say GIRL NIGHT :)  Kayla is almost 4 and a complete girly girl.  Kenya turned 1 in November and LOVES to do anything with her big sister and mama.  So, needless to say, there will be much toenail painting and "makeup" applying :)  It'll be great!  

Our families are both doing pretty well.  Keith's dad had an episode with his heart, but he is slowly recovering--a little stronger each day, we hope.  Keep him in your prayers!  Keith is still doing great in Iraq--although the time is starting to pass more slowly than at first.  Nothing is really new or exciting now that he is moved into his pod (YES!) and 100% engrossed in his routine.  So, he seems to be missing home a bit more--again, prayers would be appreciated.  He is getting great practice preaching, though, and he is VERY excited about it.  If you think of it, pray for him this Sunday around 8:00, as he will be preaching Sunday afternoon.  I guess it's one of the hardest messages God has laid on his heart so far, so he's taking a leap of faith and praising God for revealing such difficult things to him, yet at the same time fighting to not be timid.  

Hope this note finds you all doing well--we look forward to hearing from you!