Dana Smith and Family: December 2011

Yet another year has come and gone and it is amazing how the older we get the faster the year flies by. We are so lucky to have great friends and family with which to spend time and make memories.

Brodi is now in his third year of medical school at Des Moines University (DMU) and enjoying it all the more. This year is his first, of two, rotation years so he gets to be out in the field with doctors and patients, which he is thoroughly enjoying. He has now made the decision that he wants to become a plastic surgeon. This means after medical school he will be doing a five year general surgery residency (which we have no idea where that will be) then he will do a two year fellowship with a plastic surgeon. Brodi has a little more time to dabble in his hobbies this year and is still enjoying his tabletop games and video games and more time with his son. Brodi is now teaching the 16-17 year old kids in Sunday school and loves being able to work with them (he is a really great teacher).

Dana has been keeping herself busy (as usual). The most time consuming is being a mother, but it is worth every minute. She has also joined the board for SOS (Significant Other Support) through DMU (Des Moines University) where Brodi is going to school. She is in charge of the craft club, so she gets to teach and learn all sorts of new things. She has been knitting quite a bit and truly loves it, and loves being a part of the knitting club through SOS. She has also joined a cooking club, photography club, and a couple different play groups. Her Acrobalance team has really been doing a lot this year and she even convinced Brodi to do some things too. If you would like to see the video go to youtube.com and type in “Flying Eagles Acrobalance Art Festival” or watch Brodi and I by typing in “Brodi and Dana Acrobalance”. She is still working with the young women (12-18, but mostly the 12 and 13 year olds) in her church, and has loved every moment of it. She has a great group of leaders to work with and a great group of girls who teach her so much.

Atticus turned one at the beginning of the year and about a month later started walking on his own and hasn’t slowed down since. He is now talking in small sentences and has a lot to say about everything. It is amazing how much he knows and understands. He may not be able to say every word, but he sure seems to understand everything we say. This is very helpful when trying to find the keys or phone that he has hidden. We may be bias, but he really is a cute kid(but really he is adorable!). He loves to dance and jump around or pretty much do anything to be the center of attention (a lot like is mom). His favorite things seem to be cars, animals, guns, and really any type of weapon. He LOVES the PBS TV show Dinosaur Train and Dana has learned a lot about dinosaurs because of this.

We are all out in Idaho right now because Brodi had four rotations out here. He left Iowa in the middle of October for a OB/GYN, plastic surgery, anesthesia, and is currently in general surgery rotation. Atticus and Dana stayed in Iowa for the first two months then went out to Florida with her mom for a small family reunion. It was great to see all her family. She spent lots of time with her Aunt Marti, Berti, and Heidi, and Cousins Lindsey, Emily, and William. Atticus had a blast playing with William and Dana liked having a little alone time. We also were able to see both Uncle Phil and Uncle Pete and his wife, Julie. My grandparents seem to be doing really well and it is hard to believe my grandfather will be 90 this coming year. Dana misses her family a lot and wishes she could be around them more. They are all so much fun to be around. After Florida, the family was reunited again and we are currently staying with Brodi’s parents until the end of January, when we go back to Iowa.

It was nice being able to spend Christmas with Brodi’s family, but we missed Dana’s parents too. Brodi’s sister, Morgan recently got back from a year and a half mission in the Czech Republic and is now engaged to her high school sweetheart. They will be getting married in March which means another trip out to Idaho, but this will have to be a very short one.

It has been another great year and we have truly enjoyed being able to be a part of so many things. We hope you are having a fantastic end to your year and we look forward to hearing all about your adventures as well. Here are some pictures to sum up our last year: