Crazy Eights!!

It's a Shiner

2012-02-02T11:48:00.004-07:00

The other night, we were all in the basement, hanging out, and Peyton keeps pestering Ashlynn. trying everything she can to get him to stop, she crawls towards us as he keeps jumping on her, and finally, after getting fed up (which usually takes a lot for Ashy), she kicks her foot at him, to try to get him off of her. Of course, Peyton comes running over to me, crying. And I have to admit I didn't show him too much sympathy, because he kind of asked for it. Well, the next morning, he comes down from bed, and he has a big 'ole black eye. Oops! I felt bad, because I didn't realize that it had been hurt that bad the night before, and I call Ashlynn over to see what she had done to Peyton. Instantly, she bursts into tears. After she calms down, she immediately interrogates him on what he is going to say when people ask him how he got a black eye. His answer was, of course, "My sister, Ashy, kicked me." Well, more tears followed, until he agreed to add in the word accidentally. So there you've got it, "My sister, Ashy, accidentally kicked me."

3 Reasons Why I Love My Job!!!

2012-02-01T12:07:00.000-07:00

Here are 3 reasons why I love my job!! Look what I get to wake up to. I couldn't imagine anything that I would want more.

I'm a big kid now!

2012-01-12T22:05:00.006-07:00

This morning, we discovered Tanner's first tooth! And last night, he just layed on the floor and drank a bottle all by himself! He's almost 9 months and it's crazy how fast he's growing - sometimes I wish we could just push pause and let him stay like this just a little bit longer. At the same time, it is so fun to watch him grow.

Tanner does not suffer from lack of attention around here! During Christmas Break, if he was alone in a room, someone would come running to me, "Mom, Tanner's by himself! He's all alone! I'm sure he's scared!" And I'm sure he was just savoring a little piece and quiet.

He is such a sweet baby! The only time he cries is when he is hungry or tired. He loves food! And he has tried pretty much everything. Everybody that walks by eating something is a sucker to his longing looks and grunts for a bite. When he wants something, he holds out his arms and opens and closes his fists while grunting. He still isn't crawling, but that doesn't stop him from getting around.

I got a camera for Christmas and have had so much fun playing with it, and of course, my favorite subject is Tanner.

Although clapping doesn't sound like much, we all were super impressed, and Tanner finds an immediate audience whenever he does.

He gives kisses now too.

Is he well loved, or smothered?

Happy New Year!!

2012-01-12T21:18:00.005-07:00

This year, we decided to welcome in the New Year with a BANG! For the first time, we decorated for New Years, and it was so fun! We just took down all of the red and green and strung clear lights all over everything- I couldn't get enough! We lit candles and had gold balls everywhere - so fun! We had a bunch of families over to celebrate with, and if this picture seems busy, then, that's how the night was! The kids all played around the world ping pong, Quelf, Balderdash, karoake, hide and go seek in the dark, and watched a movie, while the adults visited and played Apples to Apples and the sign game - apparently you need alcohol to get adults to agree to karaoke=), because we couldn't get anyone to take on to the idea. We ate all night, including an ice cream bar. Believe it or not, but the evening went so fast we forgot to make our party hats and barely got the sparkling cider poured in time for the count down. And, we finished the night with some loud fire works that we picked up the last time we drove through Wyoming. Happy New Year!!

Poor Kennedi! She was so tired, she tried so hard to stay up for the party, but crashed, sitting up in her chair trying to eat her ice cream, about 11:15pm.

Talie and her BFF Megan and Erika Glatt.

Ashy, with her posse, Chelsea and Madison.

Dallin and his buds Aaron and Ryan are in the background and Megan and Emma are checking out the ice cream.

Merry Christmas 2011

2012-01-10T21:51:00.000-07:00

Christmas was preceded by our Christmas Eve dinner. Of course, yummy ham, potatoes, rolls, and our favorite jello pretzel salad. We then went down to the stage to perform the Nativity (directed and produced by our very own Ashlynn Smith - a little chaotic, but all the important parts were there). Grandma & Grandpa Smith and Kim & Jeff came to celebrate with us.

Then it was time for an early bedtime - we put out Santa's goodies, of course, and opened Christmas pjs. It is pretty fun now that Talie and Dallin know about Santa - they get so excited to stay up and help us get ready for the big day. They are cute and cut our time in half!

At 5:00am, Peyton, who is always the last one awake in the mornings, woke up all of his siblings - except Tanner - phew, and came running into our room to ask if he could see if Santa came. We climbed out of bed and everyone went through their stockings. Santa was too lazy to wrap presents this year, so they all played with their present from Santa. Since Christmas was on a Sunday this year, we saved the rest of the presents until after church, and Benson and I went back to sleep until it was time to get up for 9:00 church. It was a wonderful day just to spend together as family and, as always, kind of sad for the whole holiday to be over. Merry Christmas!!

Although Tanner missed some of the festivities, he did join in on the rest. He was more interested in eating the paper than what was inside.

Talie & Dallin opening up tickets to a Brian Regan comedy act - that was the present I was most excited for them to open.

Christmas Break 2011

2012-01-03T22:27:00.000-07:00

Over Christmas Break, we had lots of fun! We . . .

sang lots of karoake,
played lots of ping pong,

attended white elephant parties - complete with a Lobster white elephant gift (he even made it on facebook),
ran into Justin Bieber at the mall,
ate lots of good food,
had some quarrel and apology sessions,
had lots of late nights,
a wedding anouncement (my brother and fiance Maddie),
played lots of Christmas games (especially Quelf and Balderdash)
had photo shoots with my camera,
and basically, just hung out.

Steak & Shake!!

2011-12-30T22:44:00.000-07:00

This last October, we were introduced to the chain, STEAK & SHAKE - can we say, Mmm Mmm good! - when we went to St. Louis to visit my sister and her cute family. It was such a hit that we ate there again in Independence, MO on the drive home. Then when we got home, we learned that they were building a Steak & Shake right here in Highlands Ranch! Could life get any better!?! I submit, it could not. Ok., I have to admit the only thing that I've actually ordered is their guacamole burger, so maybe all the other food on the menu is gross, but the guacamole burger is amazing. It truly was the best burger I have ever eaten. I swear there is an entire avocado on top of the burger. Warning: It is pretty sloppy, so maybe not the place to go on a date if you want to impress the guy with your table manners, but it truly was love at first bite.

Well, Steak and Shake opened up right before Thanksgiving, and apparently the wait was 2 1/2 hours to get a seat, there were 24 cars in the drive thru lane, and a policeman was there for crowd control. So we didn't even attempt eating there until after Christmas. We decided to go at 3:00, when nobody eats, to try to miss the crowd. We got there and told them party of 8, to which they said probably 30 minutes - not bad - or until the big booth opened up.

We went outside to wait, and before 5 minutes was up, they called our name and we were sitting down! It was a good day!

Toothless

2011-11-23T22:24:00.002-07:00

Peyton lost his two bottom front teeth already! He is the first one in his pre kindergarten class. He is the only kid I know to be sad that he lost a tooth. He started crying when he realized it was gone, but finally warmed up to the idea when he realized that a tooth fairy would come and leave him money.

Happy Halloween!!!

2011-10-31T23:24:00.003-06:00

I have to say that this year was my favorite as far as Halloween costumes go. I love Halloween! It is the first holiday of the big holiday season, and it is very simple. The kids pick out costumes, put them on, and then go door to door and get candy, come home and dump it in piles for the big trade, eat tons, crash on the floor or go to bed, and then Mom and Dad pick out some of our favorites. It doesn't get better than this!

This year, Talie struggled trying to figure out what she was going to be. It's hard to find an outfit that's not, how should we say, trashy? for her age. But she ended up being an 80's girl and looking super cute! My only complaint, is that every time I teased her hair, she would look at me as if I had completely lost it, and then she'd calm it down with her fingers.

Hmm, does that bring back any scary memories?

Dallin wasn't sure at first what he was going to be, either. We went to the pre teen boy section and every costume either had a mask, a weapon, or tons of blood. Well, for school, you could wear anything except a mask, or a costume with blood. And, absolutely NO weapons. Hmm. He and I went back on our own and he found some fake hoop earrings and tattoos, and the idea was born!
He looked good! A little too good. And then when we were at Target, he started sticking one of the earrings on his nose whenever I wasn't looking, because he would get a lot of stares. I started to get a little concerned, that my sweet boy was turning on me. But no worries, the day after Halloween, he handed me all of his bad boy paraphernalia and wore a button up shirt and slacks to school. Dallin was back =).

Ashlynn knew exactly what she wanted to be when we first started talking costumes, and she played the role perfectly!

Yes, that is Ashlynn! The funniest part about it was that all of the 3rd grade teachers dressed up as nerds too. So now guess whose teacher's pet as well as a big nerd.

Peyton's pre kindergarten Class.

This year Peyton was to the rescue as Batman.

Kennedi played the role of Cinderella. Everyone at the Trunk or Treat said that she was even more beautiful than the real Cinderella. Of course she ate that up! As she went to each door, she'd come running down the steps yelling, "Mom, they're so nice! They gave me two pieces of candy!"And without stopping, she'd run to the next door with both of her arms up like an airplane, so that she wouldn't trip over her dress.

I guess she forgot that she was Cin- der- ella, and not Sleeping Beauty.

I found the cutest turtle costume at a consignment store and had to buy it! Tanner fell asleep in Benson's arms during Trick or Treating, but did not miss out on the big candy trade! He may be slow, but he's fast enough not to miss out on the big candy trade!

I even got in on the action a little bit this year, and wore a Hippie outfit. The next week at the Dr.'s office, our doctor was asking Kennedi what she was for Halloween. She told her, "Cinderella. And my Mom, she was a Rock Star!!" I thought that was pretty cool. It's not every day you can be a rock star.

Mhmm Good!

2011-10-02T12:04:00.001-06:00

Tanner on his first day of rice cereal. You can tell it's been a successful feeding when there are no tears and more food gets into the mouth than on the face.

A Camping We Will Go!

2011-09-05T22:01:00.000-06:00

This Labor Day weekend, one of Benson's clients who lives in Meeker invited us to come and camp on his acreage. He had a beautiful spot with a little lake on it, and a coral of horses. The weather was beautiful and we had a great time! Some of Benson's family decided to make the drive down to join us.

Apparently, the lake was empty, but the four wheeling was good. The first full day we found a fun rec. center with a swimming pool to swim in while the men watched a BYU game. Here, Peyton mastered jumping off the diving board and swimming to the edge of the pool all by himself.
There was a small lake that, although empty, kept the kids busy with it's floating dock and old, oarless boat that made even more of an adventure.

Maggie, Hailey, Ashlynn, Daphne, Kennedi, Zoii, Dallin & Shannon.

Ashy, never afraid of a little (or a lot of) cold water

There was also a corral of horses that kept the kids happy.

(especially Talie)

The entire weekend, Talie kept attempting to get on one of the horses, but never quite got there until the last day, uncle Bart threw her on a horse. Soon a bunch of the cousins were on the horses as well.

Talie, happy to finally be on, but still scared to death=)

Dallin, just sure that the horse is going to take a big bite out of his foot.

Bart threw the kids on the horse & Ben threw Bart on the horse, and now he thinks he's Clint Eastwood.

Peyton, with his sketch book, didn't ride a horse, but was pleased with his diving board accomplishment.

And Tanner . . . he was a happy camper.

Chocolate Food Fight

2011-09-01T21:37:00.002-06:00

So today we were doing our marathon grocery shop, and we love Walmart, because they always have some good samples in the bakery section, right? Well today was no exception, they had 1/2 a chocolate doughnut to sample! The kids were super excited (Mom had to try one too) and were getting along great, so great in fact that I didn't even notice (I know, how can you not when you're less than 1 ft. away) they had finished their doughnuts, until I looked down and this is what I found. Apparently, Kennedi thought it would be pretty funny to rub the chocolate icing that was left on her napkin and fingers all over her face, and when there was still more, on her brother's. Peyton protested, " . . but she didn't even ask me if I wanted chocolate on my face." Hmmm, maybe next time we'll stick with the glazed doughnuts.

Well loved

2011-08-30T21:49:00.010-06:00

I can't believe how fast time flies! Tanner is 4 months and had his check up today. He weighed in at 15.2lbs (48%) and 26.5" (90%). He also had rice cereal for the first time today, and didn't think it was too bad. He is a super good baby and only cries when he is hungry or tired. He is such a good sport and puts up with all the smothering and loving he gets. He definitely doesn't lack attention. Even at church, he gets stolen (literally, if they asked, they couldn't pry him away from his five very possessive older siblings=) and passed around. I guess my only complaint is that he still is not sleeping through the night. I think it's too quiet for him, and he just doesn't know how to handle it.

Talie could hardly wait for nine months for Tanner to join us, and as soon as he did, she had a great plan of convincing him that she was his mother, until she discovered that babies recognize their mom's voice and smell. She was a little disappointed, but he still thinks she's great.

Dallin has been talking about and waiting for Tanner ever since Kennedi's ultra sound, when we found out she was going to be a girl. Dallin, the next baby you can plan on will have to be your own- sorry.

One evening, Tanner was crying and Ashlynn went and snuggled with him and they fell asleep together.

Peyton just loves being a big brother! And never gets tired of Tanner.

Kennedi likes to hold him, but now he literally weighs almost as much as she does.
I always say there is nothing else like having a baby in your home. And we sure are grateful for Tanner!

Musical Beds

2011-08-25T21:57:00.003-06:00

The other night, Benson & I put the kiddos to bed, and this is what we found. They like to play what I call musical beds - only we don't play music (besides Talie's Ipod that she plays to go to sleep), and we don't take away beds. But every night we tuck them in their bed, but when we go check on them before we go to sleep . . .

Sometimes I wonder why we don't just live in a two bedroom home with two great big beds. One for us and one for the kiddos.

Talie Turns Teenager

2011-08-07T22:25:00.008-06:00

If you haven't already guessed from the title, yes, Talie turned 13!!! And if you haven't already guessed from the picture, she's a lot of fun to hang out with - even the Colonel thinks so=).
She is 5'5" (86%) - (today, Peyton asked me, "Mom, why is Talie taller than you when she's 13 and you're 34?") and she is 107.1lbs. (60) - (shh, you didn't hear it from me=). She is great at making friends, and especially looking out for those who maybe feel a little left out. She loves music, face book, taking pictures of herself, blond jokes, babysitting, Brian Reagan, volleyball, basketball, and doesn't want to miss out on anything social.
She loves to play practical jokes on people. Sometimes it gets her in trouble, like at girls' camp, when some leaders tied her up to a tree as bear bait, and filled her pockets with candy - to get her back for her pranks. Her new favorite thing to do is to convince me that I am getting "Old Mam Syndrome" or losing my mind. She likes to hide eggs from me when I get them out, or move pitchers after I have set them out for dinner - to make me think I am losing my mind, and she tried to convince her leaders at Girls' Camp that I'm like 50.
Talie is a great babysitter, and is in high demand. One weekend, when we were out of town, she had to turn down 11 babysitting jobs - but now Dallin is starting to get some when she is busy - which he loves, but she hates. She is also super cute, and with her fun personality, a lot of boys have been noticing her lately.
Oh, and lastly, she is officially embarrassed of me. She told me that I could absolutely NOT come eat lunch with her at school - so I guess it's true: she is a teenager.

Talie & her BFF Megan (since the first day of school in the 4th grade after we moved here) on their first day of the 8th grade.

Talie, we love you!

1st trip to the dentist

2011-08-07T22:20:00.003-06:00

Today we took Kennedi to the dentist for the first time. Sometimes I forget how tiny she is=). They laid the seat all the way back and had to pull her up so they could work on her teeth. Her feet were barely on the bottom part of the chair. She did great, and the best part was, she got a princess wand from the treasure box.

Elitch Gardens '11

2011-07-14T22:22:00.000-06:00

This summer, we took the kiddos to Elitch Gardens. One of the first rides was the ferris wheel to get a view of the entire Denver area. I heard it was great, but Tanner was too little to ride, so we stayed on the safe ground and ate and took some fun pictures.

Obviously, he didn't mind! Sweet baby is always happy to be here!

Kennedi was pretty funny, she thought that when you waited in line, you had to stand with your feet exactly on the footprints painted on the side walk - that's how she stood all day.

And here's Benson, in his usual spot, behind the camera.

It started raining around 3:00, so we left, but get a free day at Elitches out of it.

Oh, and if you're wondering, Talie and Dallin were there too, they just were always riding the big rides together and, well, I was with the camera.

My DAD!!

2011-07-08T22:05:00.004-06:00

I love Father's Day! And maybe it's because I had such a great Dad growing up and my children are blessed to have the Dad they have. So many times I walk in and Benson is snuggling one of the little ones or teaching one of the older ones a skill or one of life's many lessons. I like to just step back and watch or listen.

This Father's day, Benson spoke in sacrament, ate crab legs & chocolate covered cinnamon bears, got a nap & we gave him a book that we put together. Here are a few high lights:

My Dad
We like to tease mom because she is not tall.
I don't like it when you embarrass me at the mall.
We listen to Brian Regan tell his jokes,
While sitting and laughing like old old folks.
We buy music for me and you
I like to spend time with just us two.
It's fun when we go to rampart Range.
I don't massage your feet because they are really strange!
Even though you don't like Justin Bieber
I am his number one belieber.
You work so hard each and every day,
I just don't know what to say
I guess it's because I am super glad
To have such an AWESOME DAD!

My Dad is good at: Everything, but dancing.
My Dad is famous for saying: That's hotter than a fire cracker.
My dad makes me laugh when he: sings
My favorite thing to do with my Dad is: to play the NBA game.

If I could use one word to describe my Dad it would be: wonderful!
My Dad is good at: teasing!
My Dad is famous for saying: Will you give me a foot massage?
My Dad makes me laugh when he: does handstands!
My favorite thing to do with my Dad is: play sports and snuggle!

My Dad, Benson (I don't know his other name), is the Best! My Dad is as handsome as Peyton (actually as Tanner). Everyday he goes to work. At work he has fun. He drives home in his truck. his favorite thing to do when he gets home is play with Tanner. My Dad is good at playing the Wii. He makes me laugh when he tickles me. I love Dad because yesterday he played Wii with me.
My Dad, Uncle Benson, is the best Dad in the whole wide world! My Dad is as handsome as Mom. Everyday, he goes to work. At work he brings stuff home for everybody. He drives home in his truck. His favorite thing to do when he comes home is play with me. I love my Dad because he's my best friend!

Tanner doesn't have much to say . . . yet. But Peyton said it perfectly the other day while walking to the neighborhood pool, "You step on a line and you'll break your Dad's heart."

I love . . .

2011-05-31T23:09:00.007-06:00

I absolutely love the smell of my little new born after I bathe him! I could just sit and smell him for hours.

I love watching his little expressions while he sleeps.

I love watching him smile.

I love watching my other children ooh and aahh over him. They are such great BIG brothers and sisters!

I love waking up and realizing he has let me sleep for 5 hours at a time - he's such a good little man!

I love that someday Talie will be a mother and will understand why naked baby pictures are so adorable.

I love the phrase the "Lord's Tender Mercies", and I am thankful for having 7 of them with me each day.

2011-05-26T23:43:00.005-06:00

Peyton has been waiting to turn 5 for forever! I know that it's always 365 days, but somehow he has been wanting to turn 5 for a long time! And now that he has turned 5, he tells everybody everyday that he is five now. Peyton, aka, Benson's mini me, is my little sweetheart. He is very affectionate and a great kisser. Whenever he is going to give a kiss, he puckers his lips real big (sometimes he even uses his fingers to make the pucker even bigger.) All of a sudden, he quit kissing Benson on the lips. When Benson tries to get a kiss, Peyton does all he can to dodge the lips -oh, but the best part is, he still kisses mama on the lips =).
Peyton's most recent recipient to all of his juicy kisses is Tanner. Peyton holds Tanner more than anyone else (Well, Talie gives him a run for his money), and he always says, "Everybody loves Tanner." and somehow, no matter how many times we ask him to kiss Tanner on the top of the head, he never fails to plant a big juicy kiss on Tanner's cheek, always leaving a little wet spot behind.
Speaking of juicy, yesterday, Peyton asked to change Tanner's diaper and as we opened it up, he said, "Ooh, that's juicy."

Although Peyton is very sweet, and has a definite soft side, he is all boy! He loves balls. Peyton also has broken everything that we own at least twice. One of his favorite games is the "shoe game". Perhaps you haven't heard of it, that's probably because it's a Smith family original. Peyton gives Dad the shoes and takes off running as Benson throws shoes at him. Ok., I don't get it, but they love it and play for like 15-20 minutes.
Peyton has become the family photographer. Every time he sees the camera or gets his hands on my phone, he is taking pictures - usually of Tanner.

(notice Kennedi's outfit - that is very normal for her.)

Peyton also has become quite attached to the Wii - especially to the game, Super Smash Brothers, so I have started putting the case that holds all the Wii games in a hiding place. So lately, when I tell Peyton it's time to turn the Wii off, he turns it off, puts Super Smash Brothers in the case, and runs off. When I ask him where he is going, he says, "I'm hiding the game case." He's smarter than he looks sometimes.
I can't believe my little man is going to start Kindergarten this year! I am glad it is 1/2 day Kindergarten, because I would miss him too much if he was gone all day! Thanks for keeping us smiling Peyton!

2011-05-25T22:05:00.005-06:00

Peyton just graduated from Miss Rhonda's pre school. It was a small pre school, with only six kids in it. Five boys and one girl - poor girl=). Peyton learned a lot and has gone from absolutely no interest in letters to being able to sound out most three and four letter words you give him. The other night, he was upstairs writing letters on a paper, and told me that he had written Dallin's name. I had thought that Dallin had helped him, but when I went over to look at his writing, he had spelled Dallin's name "D A L E N" and told me that he wrote it all by himself. I was surprised at how well he sounded out Dallin's name.
The graduation was cute with songs, reciting of poems, and the pledge of allegiance. I was surprised how emotional I felt that my little man is finished with pre school and ready to move on to Kindergarten!

One of Peyton's favorite parts of pre school was learning the Pledge of Allegiance. When he could recite it, he earned a small medal, and he proudly wore that medal every where he went for weeks (he still has it in his treasure box), and loved it whenever people asked him how he earned it. I love what little things make kids happy.

Peyton, receiving his diploma from Miss Rhonda.

a Quick Trip!

2011-05-20T15:07:00.006-06:00

This Weekend, we realized that we didn't have a soccer, softball, or baseball game! We felt a great freedom and desire to get out of Highlands Ranch, so we decided to visit Nat & Ben (Ben's sister and brother-in-law), who just moved to Riverton, UT after living in Arizona for 10years. We had a lot of fun visiting, Watching Thor, getting tours of their new hometown, eating lots, playing Just Dance, and getting hair cuts/pedicures. We also got to see Bart & Holly, and Grandma Smith. She called to see if she could come visit, and showed up about 15 minutes later, it was a fun surprise! Thanks Nat & Ben for showing us such a fun weekend!

Ashlynn has wanted an A-line haircut for years, but this is the first time that it turned out just right. She was so cute, she just sat there with that HUGE grin on her face the entire time she was getting the hair cut.

Talie also got a haircut.

Nat, Maggie & I decided to go for pedicures instead of haircuts.

As I said, we ate lots! Here is Peyton, enjoying a bag of powder donuts on the drive.

Dear Tooth Fairy,

2011-05-20T13:39:00.003-06:00

Ashy lost another tooth, It's not her first of course, but it was so cute, she left a note for the tooth fairy. I'm sure the tooth fairy loved receiving a note - it was a first for our tooth fairy, maybe yours is more lucky.

Dear Tooth fairy,
I lost my 9th tooth. I lost in like a week a go. I just keep forgiting to put it under my pillow. By the way my Mom is pregnet. What name do you like better? Tanner or Tate? I like Tanner. I wrote this note at 10:15, at night. How many teeth do you collect a night? I pulled my tooth out by my self. Come back tomarrow to get another note.

love Ashlynn.

P.S. Go to back of note.
How many more teeth do I lose? Come back please for an other note!
Wright back please.
love Ashlynn

5 lbs of CHOCOLATE!!!

2011-05-19T13:49:00.000-06:00

At Saddle Ranch Elementary, 6th graders get to go to Outdoor Ed. which is kind of like a field trip/camp that lasts for four days and three nights, and it costs $240.00per kid. At the end of the 5th grade school year, the kids have a chance to fund raise to earn money towards the field trip, and whoever sells the most earns a 5 lb chocolate bar. So Dallin set out to sell, and as the sales racked up, it motivated him to sell more. He spent hours after school, knocking doors (sounds like his Dad=), sometimes succeeding in convincing his sisters to go on the doors with him, and even one of Talie's friends went on the doors with him. On the last day, he turned in his sales and his money. He had sold enough cookie dough to pay for Outdoor Ed., and he found that he was only a couple behind the kid in first place. The school gave the kids one more night to sale, and so Dallin went out to sale the most in the fifth grade! After several more hours, he ended up with 57 sales, and with his fingers crossed, he set out for school the next morning to find out if that was enough to put him in first place . . . and it was! He won by two sales, and brought home a HUGE 5 lb. candy bar! We were proud of how hard he worked and that he set a goal, and worked at it until he accomplished it. Now the fun part, delivering and eating the goodies! Thanks for everyone's support!

Tanner's First Photo Shoot

2011-04-28T19:47:00.005-06:00

I have a very good friend who is a very gifted photographer, and was so sweet to come and take pictures of Tanner at 5 1/2 days. I always take pictures of my newborns, and I think my babies are beautiful, but I can never capture how I see them in the pictures I take. But she did it amazingly. Her pictures turned out exactly how I see him. Perfect. Thank-you Jaley!

even big sister had to get in on the action.

Even those little toes, aahhh, perfect.

A little Piece of Heaven . . .

2011-04-28T09:00:00.007-06:00

has filled our home. Tanner Benson Smith was born at 7:57pm on Thursday, April 21, 2011 in the Good Samaritan hospital, in La Fayette, CO. He arrived weighing 6lbs 13oz. and stretching to the length of 19 1/2 inches.
We were supposed to go to St. Joseph's hospital in Denver @ 5:30am to be induced (never done that before), because my babies come so fast and the hospital is 45 minutes away - without traffic. But when we called at 4:45am, the hospital was full. After calling every two hours, the hospital finally called back and said that we could either reschedule or go to the hospital in La Fayette. So we climbed in the car and hurried to the hospital to sit and wait for 6 hrs. until the doctors were finished doing multiple C-sections, before they would even start us.

The "before" picture (you've got to do something when you're sitting in a hospital room for 6 hours).

At about 4:00pm, they broke my water (I was at a 4), and nothing happened, so after awhile they put me on pitossin. After slowly upping the pitossin, about 7:20, I called the nurse to check my progress and call in the anesthesiologist to get an epidural (yes, they are one of the best inventions of modern time=). After paper work, and getting the epidural in between contractions, I rolled onto my back and felt like I had to push - Benson was on the phone trying to get the kids situated for the night (because we thought Tanner would have arrived hours before), At 7:52, he hung up the phone as I told him to get over here! and Tanner was born at 7:57pm, weighing in at 6lbs 13oz, and stretching to the height of 19 1/2".

Tanner is absolutely perfect! I had forgotten how special that time is when it's just Benson, me and the new baby - straight from heaven - in the hospital room. One of my favorite past times that I will have to admit I will be sad to never experience again.

Apparently, La Fayette, CO isn't quite like heaven=).

But it looks like it'll do after all.

The next day, all of the big brothers and sisters got to come meet Tanner in the hospital - another one of my all time favorite moments! And we all drove home together. One, even bigger, happy family!

Tanner is a sweet heart, very patient, and very well loved by everyone at home. The day after he came home, Talie said, "You should have had three babies so that we could all have someone to hold."
Tanner, we are thankful that you are a part of our family! We love you!

belly kisses for the baby

2011-04-20T22:53:00.000-06:00

Kennedi always says, "Here's a kiss for you," and kiss me and then she follows with, "And here's a kiss for the baby." And kisses my belly. I am going to miss those belly kisses when the baby comes!

Tanner or Tate?

2011-04-19T22:57:00.000-06:00

Well, after months of deliberation, and many family votes, it looks like the name Tanner wins! The final debate was between Tate & Tanner. Benson and Kennedi voted for Tate, and Talie, Ashlynn, Peyton & I chose Tanner. Poor Dallin didn't like either, but preferred Tanner out of the two names. And, unfortunately he couldn't come up with a suggestion that we liked better, so Tanner it is! We can't wait to see you, Tanner Benson Smith!

The Big 11!

2011-02-17T22:27:00.003-07:00

So yesterday, December 16th @ precisely 2:35am, Dallin turned 11. It's crazy to think of him as that old! In one year, he'll be in YM's, in a little more than a year, he'll be in middle school. I look at old pictures of him, and it's almost hard to remember him at that age, and at the same time, I wonder where the time went. Even though he likes to push our buttons, and we get frustrated with him more than we should, he is a great kid! He has been keeping busy lately. He works hard at school and is always bringing home tests with 100% on the top of them. He loves to read and is currently on book 5 in both the Percy Jackson and Harry Potter series. He recently took 4th place in the Spelling Bee, getting out on the word, frou frou. Come on, is that really a word? When they read his word to him, Benson and I just looked at each other and asked, "is that a real word?" He spelled it fru fru, which was a great guess. He also got an extra year to compete in the Pine Wood Derby, because they held it a couple of months early this year. He was so excited, because the last three years he took first place in style, but hmm, 2nd to last in speed. So this year as soon as he found out that he could do the Pine Wood Derby again, he was determined to do better. We checked out books from the library and he set to work. And in the end, he finished in 3rd place!! (oh, yeah third from first, not last - although both would have beaten his old record=). He also continues to take piano lessons, and will - on his good days - admit that he really enjoys it, and he is sounding really good. He still enjoys sports and is currently on a basketball team whose record is 6:0 (all wins by double digits), and is still being coached by Coach Dad. If you are wondering, he still has - or thinks he has =) - the memory of an elephant, remembering every age and detail of things that have happened in his life. Dallin has also just recently started babysitting for us for short stints of time, which is very helpful as Talie is in high demand as one of the ward's favorite babysitters. He is good with the little ones and Peyton loves his big brother! Happy Birthday Dallin!! We love You!

It's A . . . . . . . . Boy!!!

2010-12-17T23:01:00.000-07:00

Well, it is a . . . . boy! We went in for the ultra sound today, and found out that we are going to finish up with a beautiful, healthy, little BOY! Everyone had their guess as to what they thought or wanted the baby to be. Of course the girls wanted a girl, and the boy's wanted a girl. I had mixed feelings - of course I did, I'm a woman. But when the ultra sound technician showed us the general area, it was obvious, there was no mistaking that it was a boy. She even typed: Boy oh Boy on the ultra sound picture. And every Sunday morning as I am fixing girls' hair, I am again grateful we had another boy=).
Somehow it just seems like the perfect ending to our little family. Girl, boy, girl, boy, girl, and now boy. I know it sounds cheesy, but we have our own little Brady Bunch. I am grateful for my little family and the blessing each one of them is in my life!

My BABY is 3!!!

2010-12-03T20:31:00.000-07:00

Kennedi turned three on December 3rd, it's crazy that my baby is that old! She remains our tiny one, weighing in at a whopping 23lbs. at the age of 3. But the doctor was happy because she jumped up from 2% to 6% on charts for weight. She still drinks whole milk with her chocolate milk, and eats fairly well when I hand feed her, but sometimes I forget.
Being the youngest of 5, she is a spit fire and thinks she knows just about everything! Her common response when I tell her something is, "I know." The other day, we were in my bedroom, and she started to argue about something that I had said. As I realized that she was right in her mind, I decided it was definitely NOT worth arguing over. So I stopped and said, "Sometimes child, you are impossible." To which she quickly responded, "No. I am a child of God." She definitely knows who she is. She loves her older siblings and they adore her. I often get confused as I respond to her calling, "Mom" to realize that she is just talking to Ashlynn as they are playing. And Peyton is her buddy - they do everything together!
Kennedi quit napping before she was two. I would even lay down with her and Peyton, make the bed on top of them, and read stories in hopes that they would fall asleep, but all that would happen is that I would start nodding off and they would get after me for slurring the words together and not finishing the story.

Although Kennedi doesn't think she needs a nap and can keep up with the rest of us pretty well, sometimes she will just crash - mid action. One day we couldn't find her anywhere and started to worry, when finally after the third attempt at searching her room, we found her completely under the covers in her top bunk.
Kennedi loves story time and getting books from the library. She loves princess books, Fancy Nancy books, and princess/Barbie movies from the library - but she is lucky if she gets to watch her library movies even once before they are due, as she seems to get roped into watching dinosaur movies with Peyton.
Kennedi loves church - especially nursery! Last Easter, after church, I was lying down with her in my bed and asked her what she learned in nursery. She responded by telling me that "Jesus died, they put Him in a cave, and an angel rolled the rock away." I am thankful for wonderful nursery teachers!
Kennedi loves people and always makes them feel like her best friend. She is like a magnet. Today we went to eat lunch with Ashy, and stayed for recess and all of Ashy's friends just swarmed around her the entire time. Then, after they went back to class, a group of pre schoolers came out to recess and all the kids ended up in a circle around her under the playground.

Kennedi is beautiful, with BIG blue eyes - I wish she got them from me - but she does have some disgusting habits. She has her finger up her nose a lot, and when she finds something, she wipes it on her cheek. Gross, I know, we're still trying to break her of that habit.
Although Kennedi has been the baby for a long time in the Smith house, I think she will be a great big sister. She already kisses "baby Tanner" (aka, my belly), and is the only kid who says she will change his poopy diapers. Kennedi, we love you and Happy Birthday!

Trick or Treat!!

2010-10-31T20:15:00.000-06:00

I have decided that Halloween is one of my all time favorite holidays. It is so fun to watch the kids choose what they want to be and to help them get all dressed up. Then, I love their unbelief as they realize that all they have to do is knock on someone's front door, say, "Trick or Treat", and the person will just give them candy! Everyone is just out walking around with their trick-or-treaters, then everyone comes home, checks out their loot, make some big candy trades and the holiday is over. It is very fun, simple and relaxing, and it is the start of the Holiday season. This year, since Halloween was on a Sunday, our ward had a Trunk or Treat. The kids really got into it and even decorated the back of the car for the trick or treaters.

Ashlynn was Daphne, and I thought it would be really cute if everyone else dressed up like Scooby Doo and the gang, but nobody wanted to be Velma - poor Velma, so there went that great idea.

Talie was a Hippy, and she went to her first school dance with her friend Megan. She had a lot of fun, and didn't dance with any boys (of course we had to get the full scoop=).

And, Kennedi was a princess, well, kind of. For the Trunk or Treat she was a dragon, but when she saw that all of her friends were princesses, she decided that she needed to be a princess for Halloween.

Yes, I know that there are no individual pictures of the boys in their costumes, apparently, they didn't make Talie's photo shoot. Dallin was Bob Marley and would sing requests - if you want to call it singin=), and Peyton decided that being Spider Man was so good last year, that he had to be him again. Score for Mom!

Here are our final masterpieces. Unfortunately the next morning we woke up and the squirrels had eaten the front off of all of our Jack-O-Lanterns

I was surprised at Peyton's long attention span when he and I worked on his Jack-O-Lantern together. We carved a haunted house and he stayed right with me the entire time until it was finished. We also got into Halloween books this year and found a favorite, "Mr. Neewollah".

Although pumpkin carving gets a lot easier and more fun each year as the kids grow older, somethings don't change. The kids thought the pumpkin guts were gross again this year, and they still agree that pumpkin seeds are not worth eating. Aaahh, I love fall! Happy Halloween!

Iss No Problem in Costa Rica!!

2010-10-27T20:11:00.000-06:00

In October, we decided to take the three oldest kids to Costa Rica for fall break. Peyton and Kennedi stayed here and had fun with my Mom - thanks Mom! And we took the three oldest on a BIG vacation! We thought it would be fun for them to experience a different culture, food, language, and see how differently people live outside of the United States, while they were also able to enjoy the ocean, warm sun, and beautiful nature that you can find in Costa Rica. It was a BLAST! Our airplane flew out around 1am, and we had a 4 hr. lay over in Georgia. So we started out a little tired=). Thank goodness for sky clubs, we were able to find free breakfast and a dark room to take a nap in until we had to catch our next flight. That was one of the highlights of the trip for the kids=).

DAY ONE:

We arrived in the capitol, San Jose, around 11:00am. We got our rental car, checked in to our hotel room and went for a drive! Our first stop was the San Jose temple. Thanks to my superb Spanish from high school =) (or maybe the hotel employee's English directions, we were able to find it very easily. We met a number of missionary couples, and then we went out to find some authentic Tico food (Costa Rico is GREAT, but the food is definitely NOT a highlight). We found a little cafe where Ashlynn ordered a mother load of Spaghetti, which made everyone else's sandwich look second rate. We drove down to the city, San Jose, and just drove around and looked at the markets and the hustle and bustle of a big city, where there are no street signs and seemingly total chaos, but lots of horn honking. We got back after dark (which isn't hard to do, as it starts to get dark around 4:30-5:00), ate dinner and met up with our good friends the Albrechtsens.

DAY TWO:

We got up early, and went to see the Toas Volcano, where you can look over an edge into the crater of an open volcano. On the way, we ran into a little old man with an ox and a cart who let the kids climb into a cart that the ox pulled (of course asking for a small tip).

It was very rainy and overcast, so no matter how long we stared or how far we leaned over the railing, we couldn't see the volcano. So what do you do . . . ?

Smile, pose for a picture, and hike around in the rain until you move onto the next thing.
Next on the agenda, was a drive to the Arenal Volcano up North. We decided to take the scenic route on rural roads which was supposed to take about 2 1/2 hrs, but we discovered that it takes twice as long as people say it will take, to get anywhere .
It was a beautiful route where we saw some beautiful country side and some amazing waterfalls.
We got in, again, after dark and went to see the town of La Fortuna. We looked at tourist shops and saw plenty of stray dogs. We then went back to the hotel to swim in the supposedly heated pool, and watch for the lava falling from the Arenal volcano

DAY THREE:
We woke up early and ate breakfast at the hotel and met with our tour guide for a morning of horse back riding and zip lining.
On the drive, we passed a herd of raccoon-type animals who love tourists and whatever they feed them. They were very friendly and came right up to our fingers to eat the animal crackers that we had to offer.
HORSE BACK RIDING:
We all got to ride a horse and hoped that it didn't rain. We did have to dawn our parkas but the downpour didn't dampen our fun.
Our tour guides found it very funny that Benson thought he was a caballero (cowboy), apparently his horse didn't agree either.

Some of the horses would race to stay in front.

ZIP LINING:
Next was Zip lining. They strap us all up.

And we're ready to go.

Dallin obviously is loving it!

Sheer concentration

The Tarzan Swing was the high light at the end, where you just swing through the jungle off of a little platform. Benson was the only one brave enough to go upside down.
On the way home, we saw a bunch of locals with their cars pulled off to the side of the road, so after we were dropped off at our hotel, Benson and I hopped into our rental car and road off to see what the great attraction was, and found an amazing hot springs! La Fortuna is known for having numerous hot springs that cost $50+ a person to get in to, but thanks to the friendly and helpful Ticos, we were able to find a public entrance right next door to the resorts where the price was just right: FREE!

Benson & the boys found a cave that was under waterfall.

The natural hot springs was beautiful and was my kind of creek - WARM!

The girls found an oxe to ride outside of a steak house that we found in La Fortuna. All of the restaurants consist of a roof supported by poles, with no walls

We came back to our hotel and found a HUGE frog waiting at the front door for us.

The frog and raccoons were not the only wild life we discovered. Aaron and Dallin kept wrestling in the back patio area of our hotel room. And of course the day had to end with another dip in the pool in the rain.

DAY FOUR:

All in all, La Fortuna was a very wet place, that never quit raining until the morning we left. Here is the closest we came to seeing all of the Arenal volcano. We took one last trip to the natural hot springs and then off we went to our beach town on Flamingo Beach.
After driving ALL day.

I think everyone was tuckered out and it was a good chance for everyone - well almost everyone - to catch up on some sleep.
We got to our hotel, walked out to the beach and jumped into the pool again.

DAY FIVE:

Megan & Talie on the beach.

Dallin & Miss Kristy

Ashlynn just couldn't get enough sand! After a full day on the beach (where we got completely fried!), we went Jet skiing for a couple of hours, and then went and drove to a surfing town about 20 minutes away to eat at a Pizza Hut, boy was it time for good 'ole American food, and man did it taste GOOD!

DAY SIX:

We woke up early again and went on a fishing boat that took us snorkeling. Costa Rica is not known for good snorkeling, but on the boat we saw two Killer Whales and a huge turtle.
As we snorkeled, we saw some colorful fish and swam to shore and collected some very cool shells which we brought home. After snorkeling, we went back and forth between the hotel pool and the beach where we kept seeing these large lizards who were just trying to sun themselves, but did not like to be bothered by tourists - but of course, that didn't stop Dallin=).

Then we went to Conchilla beach which is known for its sand that is made up entirely of crushed shells. On the way to the beach, we stopped at a hotel entrance to ask an employee some questions and saw a bunch of wild monkeys in the trees.

Can you tell which of the monkeys is native?

That night we went to a sea food restaurant on the beach - again, which literally consisted of some plastic chairs and a plastic table under a make shift roof - they washed all of our hands in flower water, and gave each of the ladies a flower for their hair. The food was good and the atmosphere was fun and relaxing.

Then, 4 older gentlemen came over and sang a song to us with their banjos. Benson's birthday was the next day, so we requested a birthday song for him, and then they stood there until Benson gave them a $5 tip. They stepped a couple of feet away from our table and discussed something at length. Then a couple of minutes later one of the gentlemen returned and said, "Excuse me, do you have another $5 for us?" Benson told them that we were out of cash, and they just seemed to have no idea what to do, until Kristy gave them another $5.

DAY SEVEN:
This morning, we woke up early, ate breakfast at the hotel and drove South to Jaco Beach where there are many tourist shops, Crocodile tours, and Nature Reserves. We drove around Jaco, and spent the evening walking through the shops and relaxing in the hotel pool right off the beach.

DAY EIGHT:
We woke up early and drove up North to Tarcoles to get on a crocodile tour.
The beginning of the tour.

Our tour guide, getting up close and personal with a croc. that didn't seem very hungry. But it was no problem (that was the phrase that we picked up from Costa Rica. All the Ticos would assure us, "Aaahhh, Iss no problem.")

After wards, we drove back to San Jose to sleep at our hotel and get ready for our flight home in the morning.
DAY NINE:
Benson had started getting an ear ache from diving deep while snorkeling, so we went to find a local pharmacy to find him some antibiotics. Unfortunately his condition just got worse and by the time we got home to Denver, he was dying! Luckily we had some left over Vicadin at home and an urgent care close by. We returned home to a tired Grandma and Peyton and Kennedi, who had apparently partied pretty hard while we were gone as well. Good Bye Costa Rica!!

Back to School!!

2010-09-27T19:10:00.001-06:00

Peyton started preschool this year - I can't believe that he'll be in kindergarten next year!! His teacher is Miss Rhonda and he absolutely loves learning his letters, reading, and writing his letters. He is also going to speech with Miss Beth. He has a lateral lisp which makes it hard for him to say his S, Z, CH, and J's. But he loves speech and works very hard on his homework.

At first, I wasn't sure what Kennedi would do without her big brother around, but now that Peyton is in preschool, Mom and Kennedi get to spend a lot of one on one time together. Sometimes she still misses her big buddy, and asks, "Can we go pick up Peyton?"

Ashy is in the 2nd grade this year and has Mrs. Koechley. She played another season of soccer and still loves it!

Dallin is in the 5th grade and has Mrs. Kinder. This year, he got to go to Ameritowne. For two months before the event, the kids get to apply, interview, and train for jobs that they want to do while they are on their field trip in Americtowne for the day, then they go to this mini indoor town for an entire day. Dallin was a police officer and although he loved writing tickets, he took his job very seriously =).

Talie (ever ready to strike a pose) started Middle School this year at Ranch View - I can't believe I have a Middle Schooler!!! It was a rocky start, but she is loving it and works very hard, pulling great grades! She also started volleyball, and discovered a new love!

Oh, and did I mention that she is now taller than me - crazy!!

I also can never find my clothes, because they always seem to end up in her drawers, hmmm.

Talie had a YW's activity where the girls dressed up like nerds, well her brother was not going to be left out - look out Napolean, because you've got nothing on Peyton=).

Go Rockies!

2010-09-19T22:13:00.000-06:00

This year, Benson got Rockies season tickets for his employees and other people that he does business with. We also got to use them. He'd take one of the kids and they'd enjoy some Daddy time. One evening, right before school started for the year, Benson, Talie, Dallin, Ashlynn and I went to one final game. It poured down rain, but since it was a double header and the team was from Toronto, they didn't want to call it. So although it started at around 7:00, they decided to hold off until 9:00 to see if they would call it or keep playing. So we walked off in the rain to the 16th street mall, where we got on the shuttle and looked around for a restaurant. We found a yummy Chinese restaurant, ate some great food (much better than a hot dog), and went back to the game, in time for them to decide to keep playing in the rain. We sat in the rain for an hour or so and the rain kept getting worse. But finally they played enough innings that they decided to call it with the team ahead winning. It sounds like a horrible setting to enjoy a baseball game, but it was a great night! I can't imagine how fun it would be on a beautiful night- who knows, maybe it would be lacking the adventure.

Happy Birthday TALIE!!!

2010-09-16T21:54:00.006-06:00

It's CRAZY to think that my baby is 12!!! Talie turned 12, is in YW's and Middle School - all in the same week! I remember the time when I thought my little ones would never grow up, and now she only has 1 or 2 inches before she passes me by!
Talie is a sweetheart! She absolutely loves babysitting and is my little entrepreneur -umm, pretty sure she gets that from her Daddy - She is always trying to come up with ways to earn money, and sent an email out to everyone in the ward with young children, announcing that she loves to babysit and completed the Red Cross babysitting course. She got to go to Girls' Camp and had a BLAST! She still loves animals, and is always on the lookout for a Smith family dog.

Talie is a great friend and always makes friends with those who may be left out by most. She is a lot of fun to be around and has a funny sense of humor. It has been so much fun watching her grow into such a beautiful, sweet, good person. I just hope the next 6 years go by very S L O W L Y because I can't believe that she will be gone in that amount of time! Talie we are so grateful that you are a part of our family, and I love you with ALL my heart!

Obviously, they didn't have running water at Girls' Camp!!

Talie is our little photographer. She is always taking pictures of herself and everyone else. She sets up a little studio in her room (complete with a fan for effect =) and pulls Ashlynn, Peyton and Kennedi and any of their friends that happen to be around, in for photo shoots. She also bought her very own camera with some Birthday and Babysitting money that she had saved up. We went to Wal mart to find her the perfect camera, but she didn't quite have enough money for the camera and the memory cartridge she wanted, so I suggested that we wait until she earns a little bit more money and then come back and buy the camera she really wants. She agrees to this, but while we are looking at other items to purchase, the gentleman she had been working with , comes up to her and tells her that since she had worked so hard to save up her money, he had spoken with his manager, and convinced him to sell her the camera for $20 less so she could afford it that day.

Ashy turns 8!!!

2010-09-06T21:53:00.000-06:00

Ashlynn turned 8 on August 20, and we lucked out that her baptism was over labor day weekend, so that a lot of family could come and support her. She was baptized by her Dad, and had a lot of family and friends in the circle - Uncle Ian, Nate, Matt, Daniel, Spencer, Grandpa Walker & Smith, and Brother Glatt.
Ashlynn has always been a natural nurturer (above: Ashlynn w/Peyton). She is so good and patient with the little ones - they absolutely adore her, and sometimes I sit back and am amazed at how patiently she deals with them. She naturally jumps to help people when they need something - we think she would make a great nurse someday. Ashlynn loves school and works hard at everything she does. She enjoys playing with friends, but is still content to play for hours with polley pockets, littlest pet shops, or barbies. She and Talie are always playing musical beds, taking turns sleeping with each other. Sometimes I will go check on them before I go to sleep and I discover four of them piled on top of each other in one bed, like a litter of puppies - sometimes I think we would be just fine in a two bedroom home=). Ashlynn was always our chubby little girl, and prides herself in being the biggest Smith baby (at a whopping 7lbs. 6oz.). The big joke in our ward when she was four months old, was that her thighs were bigger than mine. Now she has grown up lean and tall, and she has become our little star soccer player. Ashlynn does well being the middle child, and was a little upset that she would lose her spot when the new baby comes, but she was relieved when we assured her that she would just share it now with Peyton. We love our Ashlynn and cannot believe that she is 8 years old!!! Congratulations on being baptized! We are so proud of you!!

She and dad have always had a special bond. She is the one that -when asked - instantly chose Dad as her favorite parent, and is always giving him foot rubs and bringing him treats.

The Walker side of the family
The weekend turned into a Walker family reunion, because all of the Walker family was able to be there except two of my brothers. And that doesn't happen very often - thanks everyone for coming!. I think it made Ashlynn feel extra special!

We had a lot of fun! The men took the kids four wheeling, we went hiking at Red Rocks,

climbed around at Daniels Park, went extreme swimming - including building human pyramids,

attempting a 4 person pyramid

Succeeding a four person pyramid with Bday girl at the top!

the adults went out for amazing dessert at the White Chocolate Grill, we hot tubbed

(I'm sure there's no maximum capacity),

there were kissing cousins,

(I'm not sure where I was when this was taking place =)

lots of little boy cousins - usually dressed up as some sort of super hero,

we hung out and stayed up late talking, ate lots of good food, and played a wild game of Fear Factor, complete with drinking disgusting stuff and running around the house with a cricket in your mouth

- Peyton completed that feat for the Smith family, bringing us to first place in round one - go Peyton!!
Amazingly there were no fights, broken bones, or sick kids, all in all I would call that a success!

Glenwood Springs

2010-07-30T22:40:00.009-06:00

Over the weekend, we discovered one of our new favorite vacations: Glenwood Springs! We ended up leaving Friday around 3:00, took the boys from Benson's teachers quorum some fried chicken, beans, and potato salad dinner on the last night of their 50miler. I don't think I have ever seen 40 pieces of chicken disappear so quickly, or a group of 14-15 year old boys so grateful for food. Then we continued on our way to our hotel. We arrived at around 9:30, and since the pool closes at 10:00, what do we do of course, we race for our swimsuits and jump in!

The next morning we rode up the side of the mountain on a tram

to explore the Glenwood Springs Caverns. The cave was discovered in the late 1800's and turned into a very high societal attraction, where people would pay a lot of money, and actually dress up in formal gowns and tuxedos to crawl around in the caves.

(I guess we were a little under dressed)

Apparently the grand finale, is when the cave opens up to the largest cavern in the US, full of cool formations, but of course Peyton and Kennedi couldn't last the 70minutes without a potty break.

After the tour, we stayed all day at the adventure park. I have to say that this was the perfect size amusement park, there were only about 6 major attractions, no crowds, and the only ride that we ever had to wait in line at, was the Alpine slide.

We filled our day with bull riding (complete with an injury)

One arm up and everything!

rock climbing,

Racing down the mountain on the Alpine Slide,

4D movies,

Laser Tag,
Paroosing (is that a word?) the Gift Shop,

Getting into a little trouble with the Law:

and the ride that made everyone's weekend, the Giant Canyon Swing. Umm, yes, they need to come up with a better name. But seriously, this swing was AMAZING! It literally launched you up to 50miles an hour over the valley of Glenwood Springs. There is nothing between you and the Colorado River - which is 1,300 feet below - except a small, little bar that I had to keep asking them to push down tighter against me (to which they responded, "Mam, you can actually have a few inches between your lap and the bar and still not fall out" - very comforting=).

All I'm going to say is that the expression on Talie's face says it all! The first time Ashlynn rode, she kept her eyes closed the entire time! I'm not sure how many rides she went on before she actually opened them. But the kids ended up riding it about 30 times, and Benson and I probably got in about 10 each, so I think we definitely got our money's worth.

We ended up staying until about 8:30, when we finally dragged everyone out of the park and stopped at a yummy Chinese restaurant on the way back to the hotel, where we watched a documentary on Bear Attacks. Hmm, great footage for children to view right before bedtime=). But all in all, I would highly recommend Glenwood Springs to anyone, and we didn't even make it to the hot springs.

4th of July Weekend!!

2010-07-08T15:14:00.008-06:00

Since the 4th of July landed on a Sunday this year, I guess we decided to make the whole weekend a holiday celebration! Friday night we went with our friends, the Searles, to the drive-in. I had promised Peyton that if he learned how to ride his bike, we would take him to Toy Story III, and so we loaded up the truck with pillows and sleeping bags - oh and lots of junk food, of course - and off we went! It was a fun experience and a cute movie - thanks Peyton for taking us to the drive in!

Saturday morning, we woke up and decided to drive down to the Royal Gorge, which is the highest extension bridge in the world, standing 1,053 miles above the Arkansas river. It was a fun drive complete with a rainbow, lots of out of state license plates, little pit stops for Peyton and Kennedi, and a quick pull over to visit with a bull.

On the way home, we stopped in Colorado Springs at the Flying W Ranch. There we hiked toan overlook, danced with Indians, visited a jail, sat in a Tee pee, and ate a cowboy dinner, while listening to cowboys sing, tell jokes, and express how grateful they are to live in America.

Sunday was filled with church, a Monopoly tournament, and us sitting in the back of our suburban, waiting for the rain to stop to watch the Highlands Ranch fireworks display.

On Monday, we did chores and had a culdesac 4th of July BBQ, complete with fireworks and water balloons! I am thankful to live in America, with all the freedoms that we enjoy and I am grateful for those who sacrificed so much so that we can live in this great land. Thank-you.

Big Bike Rider

2010-07-07T15:39:00.000-06:00

This is what Peyton wore the first time he tried riding his two wheeler (Now I have to chase him down to make sure he has shoes and a helmet on). I think all the pads accomplished was to get in his way. The second time he tried, we told him that if he kept trying, and learned how to ride his bike, we would take him to Toy Story III. Well, by the end of the evening, he was riding around in circles with the neighbors cheering him on.

My favorite part of Peyton riding his bike, is that when he falls, he just sort of lays there on the ground. He doesn't cry or say a word, he just lays there and then all of a sudden he jumps up and gets back on his bike. I'm still trying to figure out if he counts to ten, or what it is that makes him decide it is time to stand up.

I think that Peyton literally thinks that Kennedi is a princess. He loves to hold her, and one day he was walking around carrying her - I don't think she minds the princess treatment either.

Happy Birthday Peyton!!!

2010-06-06T21:55:00.009-06:00

Peyton just turned 4 and I can't believe it! I was looking for a recent picture of him the other day to take to a speech appointment and couldn't believe how old he looked in all the pictures! Peyton is all about dinosaurs and (since seeing How to Train Your Dragon) dragons. His favorite thing to do is go to the library and check out non fiction dinosaur books and Land Before Time videos.
Peyton is always smiling, usually breaking things, and has gotten to be a pro at sitting in time out=). He is so sweet. Lately he needs to know where I am at all times. Every 4 minutes or so, he will yell my name in a panic-edged voice. If he hears me right away, he says, "I love you", but if he can't hear my response, he runs around the house screaming my name, and when he finds me, he says, "I just need you."
Peyton always has the right answer to your question. Benson asked him the other day why his eyes are blue, and he quickly responded, "Because I love you."
I think I love this age, because they always say funny things and make the world makes sense to them. The other day, we were driving to meet Benson at his office, and it was a beautiful day, so I was telling Peyton how I love to look at the beautiful world around me, because it reminds me of how much my Heavenly Father loves me. Here, I think I'm having a little spiritual teaching moment with my son, when he responds, "Heavenly Father doesn't love you." Not sure I understand him correctly, I confirm, "What did you say?" To which he repeats, "Heavenly Father doesn't love you, Mom." Quite confused and a little concerned, I try to clarify, "Why doesn't Heavenly Father love me?" To which he responds, "Not with those glasses on."
I have to admit the glasses I was wearing were a little strange, but they were the only ones I could find that day. So a couple of days later, we were in the car again, and I had different sunglasses on, so I ask Peyton, "Does Heavenly Father love me now?" To which he states, "Yes, he just doesn't like goofy glasses." Aah, funny boy.

My goofy glasses. By the way, he didn't really want me to take a picture of him with them on.

As I said earlier, Peyton is very sweet. He dotes on his little sister Kennedi, and truly thinks she is a princess. They both plan to marry each other in the temple. Benson thinks that's gross, but I still think it's cute, at least for another year or so.
Peyton is all boy. He loves to yell, jump, play anything that involves a ball, but HATES having his hair cut. He screams and cries and acts as though we are torturing him. This morning, his hair needed cut very badly, so we told him that we were going to cut his hair. Instantly he went into the kitchen and got scissors and clear packing tape, and asked us to put it on his mouth so he wouldn't cry. Well, it worked for the first couple of minutes.

Happy Birthday Buddy! We are grateful that you are a part of our family!

The End of School

2010-05-31T00:03:00.000-06:00

Boy has time flown by! We've been busy, and I haven't blogged everything that we've been up to, so here are a few highlights of the last couple of months:

Dallin competed in his 3rd Pine Wood Derby. He took 1st in Style, and 2nd to last in speed, but it's all about how cool the car looks, right?
His car was a skate board, which last minute, at the church, the found a toy elephant from the nursery and decided to glue it on the top to add a little weight. Apparently it was a little too much. I don't know why they couldn't have found a lighter animal, like a mouse.

Ashlynn's class went to the Denver zoo on a field trip. There were so many parent volunteers that day, that our group that I chaperoned, included Ashlynn and I. Her favorite part of the zoo was a mock covered wagon pulled by plastic oxen. She played another season of soccer. She got to eat lunch with the principle because she eared an award for being "Honest", and at her end of the year celebration, Mrs. Kempf gave her the "big helper" award. She said that Ashlynn is always asking Mrs. Kempf how she can help her, helping those around her, and she said that she thought that Ashlynn could practically run the class herself.

Talie finished the 6th grade and will be going into Middle School next year - CRAZY! She also was selected to eat lunch with the principle because she was honored the award Excellence, because of her hard work.

Benson takes the kids on rides around the cul-de-sac. I guess it's like they say, "You can take the boy out of the country, but not the country out of the boy.

I completed my first triathlon! Before this year, I could only swim to save my life. Call me crazy, but I like to breathe when I exercise, so when I have my face under water, and I'm trying to swim, I panic. But, thankfully my good, patient friend, taught me how to swim-thanks Dina! And that was my goal, to be able to swim so that I could complete the triathlon. It was so much, and there were 8 women from our ward who raced, so at the end we had a huge cheering section.

Sorry, I don't have any race pictures, I'll have to find one and post it later.

We said goodbye to our good friends and NC next door neighbors, who moved back to Apex after a 1 year stop in Colorado (ok., yes, we are a little jealous).

We saved three baby bunnies. They fall into our window wells, and then can't get out. So we open our basement windows, catch them, let the kids pretend they're their pets for a few minutes and then let them go.

2010-05-28T19:26:00.010-06:00

Aaahh, Mother's Day. I've decided that this is one of my all time favorite holidays. The day starts out with me sleeping in and staying in bed absolutely guilt free, because I know that I must stay in bed as I wait for my children to bring me breakfast in bed. This year they brought me a huge platter full of breakfast. (This effort is always headed up by Talie - Thanks Talie!) It contained chocolate milk, cereal, orange slices, and a bagel with strawberry jam. Mmmm good. Then is my favorite part, when the kids clamor up onto the bed and bring me the gifts that they made me at school. I will be so sad when the day comes that they want to buy me a gift instead of make me one.
One of my all time favorite gifts was a poem that Dallin wrote me in kindergarten. It was a fill-in-the-blank poem where he had to finish the sentence with his own choice of word. My favorite sentence was, "My Mom is as pretty as __________ . Most of the other kindergartners put words like: flower, rainbow, or rose, but not Dallin, he wrote, My Mom is as pretty as . . . my Dad.
After we finished with the gifts, Peyton came up from the basement carrying tissue paper, saying, "Happy Muddah's Day!" And in the tissue paper was his favorite dinosaur and 5 packages of fruit snacks. Truly a gift from the heart. All day, he kept going down to the basement and filling gift bags with his favorite toys and coming upstairs with a big grin, and a "Happy Muddah's Day, Mom!"
Then at church we got a See's chocolate bar to get us through the last two hours - you can't beat chocolate - and the rest of the day, you can just get away with not doing too much, and not feeling guilty about it. Over all, it just reminds me how grateful I am for my kiddos, to be able to stay at home with my children, and for a Mom who I always knew loved being a Mom. Happy Mother's Day to All!
I should have taken a picture of my beautifully arranged platter, but my kiddo's are funner to look at.

Sick Day

2010-04-15T17:55:00.005-06:00

This morning, Talie woke up with a fever, a few hours later, I got a call from the school that Dallin had a fever, and then Kennedi woke up from her nap with a fever. It came time to pick up Ashlynn from school, and I was rocking Kennedi in the rocking chair, and announced that I had to get up and go get Ashy from school, and Peyton asked, "Can I hold Kendedi?" So I got up and placed her on his lap. When I returned with Ashlynn, they were in that same position - well, Kennedi had slid off to the side of his lap a little - but he was ready for me to take Kennedi back.

Luckily I had checked out the movies, "Anne of Green Gables" from the library earlier this week, so we have plenty of low key activities for them to pass the time away until they start feeling better.

Summer in March

2010-04-15T17:44:00.005-06:00

Peyton and Kennedi are always in the mood to go swimming. When one of them gets the idea to get their swimsuit on, they quickly solicit the other one to join them. Unfortunately - for them, they don't get to swim as often as they dress for it. This particular day, it's like 40 degrees outside, but it doesn't stop them from laying out on their towels on the back patio.

Notice the snow behind Kennedi. With 0%body fat, I can't figure out how she can stay warm.

One Saturday morning, Benson, Dallin and I came back from an early B'ball game and found Peyton and Kennedi in little bins filled with warm water on the family room floor. Talie was babysitting, and this was her solution to keep them happy without letting them get in the hot tub. She simply brought their "hot tub" inside=) - she always was a problem solver. Both Kennedi and Peyton had their own little bin and were as happy as could be.

2010-04-03T16:43:00.004-06:00

In first grade, Ashlynn has been learning about our national symbols. At the end of this unit in school, her teacher, Mrs. Kempf, had the children dress in red, white, and/or blue and present a program to the parents. Mrs. Kempf put together a pod cast in which each of the children read a report that they had done on a specific US symbol (Ashlynn reported on the Bald Eagle), and in between the reports, she had taught the children a variety of patriotic songs which they performed. The program consisted of the traditional favorites, such as "America the Beautiful", some cute clever ones about Abraham Lincoln, and George Washington, where they acted out young George cutting down the cherry tree, and they finished with the song, "I'm proud to be an American", where the kids sang with great conviction. I'm sure you had to be there to truly appreciate it, but at the end of the last song, there was hardly a dry eye in the room. The spirit was so strong as everyone felt their love for this great nation. I was very proud of the class, and very grateful to Ashlynn's teacher for teaching the children something that is truly important. Thank-you Mrs. Kempf!

Half of Ashy's cute class, wearing adorable hats and head bands, provided by Mrs. Kempf.

Last Sunday, Kennedi and I were laying down on my bed, snuggling. And I asked her, what she learned in nursery today, and she said, "Toys." Not getting the answer I wanted, I rephrased the question, and asked, "What did your teachers teach you about?" To which she replied, "About Jesus."
"What about Jesus?" I further inquired.
"Umm, Jesus died yesterday. And the angel rolled the rock away."
I was amazed at how much my little two year old understood that her teachers were trying so hard to teach her. Again, I was thankful to my childrens' teachers for the love and time they put into teaching my children.

A Real Tear Jerker!!!

2010-04-03T16:29:00.001-06:00

So we were supposed to leave for Idaho Friday, for Benson's youngest brother's mission farewell, but since Dallin's team won their 1st championship game, they were supposed to play at 10:00 on Saturday morning, and - if they won - again, at 2:00 for the final championship game. The boys won their 1st game, so we ran home, packed up the car, and returned for the final game. We were playing against a team we had already won before, so we had hope. The game was going very well, at one point we were even leading by 8 points. Dallin played great defense and swished two sweet shots (my favorite, is watching his confidence grow and watching his Dad's proud smile). But by the end, we were only up by 2 points. I turned to one of the mom's and said, "The worst that can happen, is they make a basket and we tie and go into over time." Well, with 30 seconds left on the clock, somehow a player on the other team sunk a 3 pointer (the 1st one I'd seen all season). With about 15 seconds left, we tried our best, but missed the basket, and the ball game and championship was over. The boys were so cute, about half of the team was crying, they were so disappointed. But, they played great, and we're super excited for the next season!

A Day of Basketball

2010-03-15T22:43:00.004-06:00

Today was a day filled with basketball games! I am not a big sport's fan, but boy was it fun - nothing beats watching your kids work hard at something! Talie and Dallin played basketball this winter and this Saturday was the tournament. Benson is Dallin's coach and their team has improved a ton throughout the season! They went from losing most of their games at the beginning of the season to winning four in a row at the end. It is fun to watch Dallin as his confidence and love for the game grows. I like to call him, guard dog. His job on defense is to stand just beyond the center line and guard the point guard coming down with the ball. He has gotten so good at this, that it makes the poor point guard so nervous he just doesn't know what to do, so we usually get a steal and end up with the ball. Today, they played and won their first championship game, and so next Saturday they get to play another championship game, and if they win that one, they get to play the final game and place 1st or 2nd in the tournament - Go JAZZ! It is fun to watch the team work together - they are a great bunch of boys! I also love to watch Benson with the boys! You sure can see how proud he is of them and how much he enjoys working with them. Good-Luck next week boys!

Talie also played basketball this year. She somehow was put with a 4th grade team last year, and this year was bumped up to her normal grade level and Wow! is there a difference between 4th and 6th grade girls on the basketball court! At first she looked a little confused as far as what was going on, and anytime she bumped into anyone, she would say sorry, and give up the ball =), but she worked hard and improved, even scoring 4 out of the final 21 points for her team in the first tournament game. The girl's won their first game and the final championship game later that evening. Talie's team is also full of great girls. For their last game, they played against a team of girls that play dirty (like having fouls called for kicking). So it was kind of fun to watch her fight for the ball and stand up to these girls, she even played most of the last game, and boy was she tired after two hard games in a row! Although her team was ahead by 10 points at one point, unfortunately they didn't win, but they played hard and took 2nd place in the championship - go Comets! It was great watching Talie work hard at something and improve so much - her coach even recognized her as the most improved player.

Tear Jerker

2010-03-15T22:40:00.003-06:00

The other night, Talie and Ashlynn decided to watch a movie that they had never seen before. I don't think they realized that it was a sad movie, until the very end when they were caught by surprise by the death of one of the main characters, and soon their cries turned into sobs. They hadn't ever cried so much in their lives (at least over a movie), so they took a picture of themselves in the middle of their big cry. Funny Girls!

A Child's Prayer

2010-03-15T22:32:00.003-06:00

I think one of my favorite things about being a Mom is listening to my little ones pray. Today, Kennedi was saying the lunch prayer, and she was sitting at a little table with pictures on it. She began by thanking Heavenly Father for the house, and then I couldn't understand the next thing she thanked Him for, so I took a peek at her, and she was looking at a picture of an owl on the table, so I realized she said, "owl", she continued looking at her surroundings, and thanking Heavenly Father for everything she laid her eyes on, "thank you for spoons, the moon, food, spoons, yogurt . . ." I was very touched by this show of gratitude, and asked myself, "How often do I just look at the simple, everyday things around me and thank my Heavenly Father for them?"

The other day Peyton was saying his prayers, and he said, "Bless Mom and Dad, because I love them so much.." Prayers are my favorite!

The Big D

2010-03-01T20:07:00.000-07:00

Dallin is officially 10!! I have to admit it is crazy that he is getting that old! I think it really hits me when I look at old pictures of him and can't believe how much he has changed. Dallin is definitely our morning kid! He can't sleep in, no matter how late he goes to bed. I finally had to make a rule that he was not allowed to set his alarm clock for any time earlier than 6:45 - just to get ready for school. When he was learning how to ride a bike in NC, he and I would wake up at about 6 am. and he would ride beside me as I ran. I would push him up the hills and he would leave me in the dust as he sped down the hills, but we had a lot of fun. And now, he'll wake me up on Tuesdays and Thursdays to take turns running on the treadmill.
Dallin is very affectionate and loving. Currently, Kennedi chooses to sleep with him instead of in her own bed. The other night, I went to check on them. They they were both asleep and Dallin had his arm around her.
A little known fact about Dallin: He has a green thumb. He grew these herbs (basil & thyme) from seeds. He carefully watered them every day, and even called his Dad to water them when he was at Grandma & Grandpa's house.
Dallin loves having a brother, but has been planning a second brother since we found out that Kennedi was a girl. He is very smart and loves math. He works hard at school and at home - trying our patience ; ) We are glad he's part of our family!

Although they don't always get along, and he loves to tease them, he really does like his sisters.

A New Years Revolution!

2010-02-28T15:58:00.005-07:00

It's hard to believe that yet another year has come to an end! And, especially hard to believe that it is the year 2010!!! 2010 was ALWAYS the year of the future in the movies growing up, with flying cars and robots for maids (Now that's what I could really use!), but it's here, and things don't seem all that futuristic.
For New Years Eve, we went to our friends, the Browns, and had a great time. One of their fun traditions, is to make hats out of wrapping paper and ribbons and put them on to welcome in the New Year.
Last year, the kiddos made their New Year's Revolutions, as Ashlynn called them. Ashlynn set a goal to keep her nose cleaner, and she is looking much less crusty this year - yay Ashlynn! Dallin set a goal to be nicer to his sisters and be more respectful to his parents, and Talie planned to read her scriptures every day. Uuhhh, . . . Well . . . maybe those can be like most people's goals to exercise - and become their ongoing New Year's Revolutions. For 2010, all three of them set the goal to be better at remembering to say their morning prayers. Keep up the great work kiddos!!

Skiing

2010-02-28T14:40:00.002-07:00

Benson has taken Talie, Dallin and Ashlynn skiing a few times this winter. It was Ashlynn's first time skiingand she loved it! - until the time that it was blowing cold snow in her face - she decided to spend the afternoon in the lodge with Talie while the boys toughed it out.

My Baby is TWO!!

2010-02-01T23:08:00.005-07:00

Kennedi is two and all trace of baby is gone! And I think she wouldn't have it any other way. I think this would make me really sad, except that I'm having too much fun enjoying her little personality to be sad - and I'm still her best friend- which usually doesn't last this long =). Kennedi weighs in at a mere 21 lbs, bringing her to a 2% in weight (and 67% in height - every girl's dream, right?). We are through with diapers at the Smith house as she is potty trained -YAY!! Her best buddy to hang with during the day is Peyton - who has helped her become well rounded as she loves to play with dinosaurs, scale closet shelves and is skilled in shooting webs through her spider man fingers. She is fluent in English, loves to sing, wear princess dresses (but the costume is not complete unless accompanied by a cowboy hat), and is known to put her toys in time out for three minutes - hmmm, she must see that a lot around here=).
The other night, we were watching American Idol, and they showed clip after clip of hopefuls crying when they didn't make it to Hollywood. After seeing this, she observed, "Mommy, they're so sad." To which I replied, "Yes, they are sad, aren't they. Do do you know why they're sad?" she immediately answered, "They need their Mommy." Aaahh, life is so simple to a two-year old=). There is so much that I can learn from her. 1.It's always the perfect time to put on your swim suit and go sit in the hot tub. 2.If you don't know the correct answer to something, just say, "Good." and 3. Jesus loves me - the perfect faith of a child. We love "Kah Kah" Kennedi and are so grateful she came to our home!

Whenever we asked her what kind of birthday cake she wanted, she would just say, "chocolate", so we went for taste instead of look, and we obviously must have succeeded as this is what was left of the cake before we even sang Happy Birthday. Oh, and if you're wondering what is around her eyes, yes, it is green marker - but she's convinced it's eye shadow.

Yes, this is Kennedi. Some how she always has a finger up her nose, and usually it's more than one.

The Black Eye!

2009-12-28T20:36:00.005-07:00

If you're wondering what happened, here is our "story" - Every Tuesday and Thursday morning, Benson plays basketball at the church. One Tuesday morning, at about 7:15am, the kids come running into my bathroom yelling, "Mom, Dad is bleeding all over!" I ran to the front door, trying to figure out if he was in a car accident or what happened. But it turned out that someone palmed his nose (instead of the ball) as he came down from making a basket. This picture was taken a week and a half after it happened, and it still looks this bad! Unfortunately, it looks like he will have to have surgery on his deviated septum, from talking to those that have had it - it's worse than giving birth =(. Poor Guy! At church, everyone thought it was the funniest joke, that I had had enough with Benson and finally let him have it. I don't know what's so funny about a 5 foot 3 inch woman taking down a 6 foot 5 inch man. All, I have to say is, "Honey, next time take the garbage out the first time I ask you to!=)"

Unfortunately, the other guy doesn't look worse

Thanksgiving

2009-12-28T20:23:00.004-07:00

For Thanksgiving this year, we all drove to Riverton, Wyoming. Spencer and Shayla just moved into their new home about three months ago, and so they invited everyone there for Thanksgiving, and everyone was able to make it - I don't think they thought we would all be there =). All in all, there were 32 people in one home. I have to admit I was curious how it all would turn out, but due to Shayla's good planning and organization skills, we had a great time! Thanks Spencer and Shayla!

All the grand kids on a beautiful day before a hike.

The kids ran around so much they literally crashed at night (Talie).

We Wish You a Merry Christmas '09

2009-12-28T14:46:00.000-07:00

This year, Christmas was a little more quiet and slow paced than in the past couple of years. We actually had Christmas by ourselves with no extended family coming in to town. It was a little quiet, and of course we missed family, but it was very relaxing, just being us. We did the normal things, like decorate Gingerbread houses, bake and deliver goodies, visit Santa, read Christmas stories, and open Christmas presents on Christmas morning, but I think one of the highlights for me, was Christmas Eve, where we gathered with friends and acted out the Nativity. Kennedi actually played the role of baby Jesus and took it very seriously, as she would lay there, very stiff like trying to be very still, but she also made sure she always had her little blanket on, because that was her costume. She seemed to realize the great importance of role that she played. And it helped us truly focus on the true meaning of Christmas and the great & important role our Savior plays in each of our lives. Merry Christmas to ALL!

The Nativity re enactment.

Ashlynn loves art projects, and what's better than an edible one!

Santa came to the library and did story time. He did a great job and it was a lot of fun, but the wait to see him was a little long.

Thankfully, we had good friends

and cousins to hang out with while we waited!

Talie is very into music lately. She even has her American Idol audition song all picked out.

Apparently, Christmas morning arrived very early this year, as our morning child still looks half asleep.

Who knew that true happiness could be brought by a $6 alligator. . .

. . . and a basketball too, I guess.

And, of course, a girl can never have too many baby dolls to love.

We DID IT!

2009-11-17T14:45:00.004-07:00

A couple months ago, my good friend, Kristy, and I decided it would be fun to train for and run a 1/2 marathon. Well, the day finally came, and even though the past two weeks have averaged in the 60's and 70's, the night before the temperature dropped and even with both of our prayers, it began to snow. The temperature the following morning was supposed to be in the upper 20's lower 30's. The race was supposed to be challenging, was to go on rain, snow, or shine and was in the foothills. Well, we decided we had to finish what we started, so we got up early Saturday, I waved goodbye to my supportive family (Dallin asked if he could watch the race on TV, and the night before Talie asked if I would come in 1st place=), as they wished me good luck & promised to meet me at the finish line.
The race started, (luckily it only snowed about 1 inch) and after each long uphill climb, we thought, we've got to be to the top! When are we going to start going down!?! Finally we did start to go down hill, but it was steep, muddy, and the worst part was, that those who were ahead of us had gone all the way down and were on their way back, so we knew that what we were going down, we would have to come back up - yuck! Luckily at the bottom of the - can I say- ravine, there was a water/energy gel station. Now I don't know if you've ever had energy gel before, but I would have to describe it as drinking thick, strawberry flavored toothpaste. I tried to choke it down with gator aid, but no matter how nasty it was, it worked! Miles 10-12 were the hardest part of the run, muddy and uphill. But we made it, and as we neared the end, we found ourselves on a paved, down hill path and were running at a 6minute 30second speed - we were ready to be done!
The best part of the race was when we rounded a corner near the finish line (which of course was straight up hill), and saw our children - who had just spotted us- run down the grass hill to meet us and finish the race with us. Waiting at the finish line were our cute little families, our good friend Dina- the photographer- who unfortunately didn't make it in any of the pictures, my sister-in-law Kim, and my two little nieces. What a support system! I have to admit that there were a few moments in race that just knowing they were going to be there to greet me, helped me keep on running.

My cute husband waiting at the end to record the crossing of the finish line. He was so supportive and excited for me throughout the whole thing - I'm still such a lucky girl!

My cute family!

The kiddos running to meet us.

Morgan & Peyton bundled up waiting in the cold.

Kim & Whitney also trying to keep warm

By the way, Heavenly Father did hear and answer our prayers. After the race, at about 2:30, it began to snow and didn't stop until the ground was covered with 18 inches of snow - church was even canceled.

Say Cheese!

2009-11-15T14:10:00.002-07:00

With our last HUGE snowstorm, I was afraid that we missed our outdoor photo opportunity. But the snow was followed by a couple weeks of 70 degree weather- I love Denver! So my wonderful sister-in-law (the photographer) and I found the perfect back drop and the perfect day for pictures! OK., I am a little indecisive, so I need your help. I am going to post my favorite shots, and am hoping you will help me decide which one you would choose to blow up and place above the fire place.

1.

notice Kennedi's mouthful of gum, that was the only way we could get her to cooperate and not cry during pictures =).

2.

3.

4.
5.
6.

7.
8.
9.

Sorry so many, but Thanks for your help!

I just had to include this one 'cuz they're soo cute!

I know, more many pic.s, I'm sure you're already bored, but here are a few more fav.s.

Watch out boys!

Aah, my cute boys!

Thanks Kim, it was FUN!

Fall Break!

2009-11-12T22:42:00.000-07:00

For fall break (we get a two week break, due to our modified school schedule), our good friends invited us to stay in Park City with them for a few days. So there we were, two women, 8 children, and no hubbies. Boy was she brave to invite us! The best part is, even after hanging out together, we had a blast AND we're still friends!
Our first stop was in Mapleton, UT, visiting Bart and Holly. Then, we hung out in Park City, visited the Olympic museum, saw old friends, rode our first Alpine slide, ate out lots, stayed up late talking, went to the Hogle zoo, and visited SLC. It was fun, but boy was I ready not to be a single Mom again for a long while! Thanks Dina and girls for showing us such a great time! Here are a few highlights:

We just had to see the new baby elephant that had just arrived at the Hogle zoo! Yes, he was very cute, but I kind of prefer these little animals=)

I even got to hold the cutest monkey at the zoo!

We got to go through the Conference Center, the Visitors Center, and the Tabernacle. It was great, but those tour guides can be long winded, especially for a group like ours!

My little bobsledders!

We even got to see Gabriella and Troy's (High School Musical) houses.

Happy Halloween

2009-11-09T12:16:00.003-07:00

Halloween was a BLAST! I think it is definitely on the top list of holidays for my kids, and therefore it is so fun to get caught up in the excitement with them! It started off with an 11 mile run (getting ready for the 1/2 marathon this Saturday), then we shoveled some more snow off of sidewalks and driveways for trick-or-treaters, got ready - wow it takes a LONG time to get ALL 5 ready! - and then went to our good friend's house for pizza and trick-or-treating.

We did hit a few speed bumps along the way as Peyton woke up grumpy from his nap and insisted on being Mickey Mouse (his costume from last year - no idea where the ears went), not Spiderman (who he has insisted on being since September). Talie (Hermoine) lost her wand, and Dallin (Harry) lost his glasses. Thanks to some good friends and a persuasive father, we were able to carry on and Halloween was a success!

Later that night, as the kids were talking about Halloween, Peyton said, "I love Halloween! I get dressed like spiderman, knock on peoples' doors, say "Trick-or-treat", and they're so nice, they give me candy, Mom!" Life is so simple and wonderful at 3! I love it!

Winter Wonder Land!

2009-11-01T22:05:00.007-07:00

Tuesday (Oct. 28) night, we got a few inches of snow and although the forecast was calling for up to 8 more inches of snow, I was a little surprised that they called a Snow Day. Well, needless to say they were right to do so! It snowed straight through 'till the middle of Thursday night, totaling about 30 inches!!! The first two days were fun and blizzardy, but Friday was my FAVORITE! It was about 50 degrees outside, but we still had tons of snow to play in and sled on -I love Denver snow storms! Friday we went sledding and lasted (even Peyton and Kennedi) for a little over an hour. Kennedi said it was fun, but when asked if she wanted to go down the hill again, she promptly replied, "No." We did get her to go down about 7 times! We also made snow forts, snow ball fights, and the kids turned the back terrace into a sledding hill. The night ended festively with pumpkin carving and a scary movie "Coraline." to prepare for Halloween the next day!

The 1st night of snow, we all had fun going out and shoveling snow.

Kennedi even joined in on the fun, using a dust pan as her snow shovel.

By the second day of constant snow, Dallin collapsed from so much shoveling=)

Thursday, Benson even got to stay home from work to play in the snow with us! Peyton enjoyed some behind the 4-wheeler sledding.

We had to carve mini pumpkins this year because due to the snow storm, we didn't buy pumpkins 'till Halloween eve. But, like every year, the kids can't make it through carving without make "sick" faces at the pumpkin guts.

Outdoor Ed

2009-09-28T19:37:00.000-06:00

Hi, this is Talie. I want to talk about my outdoor ed field trip. At my school, in 6th grade students go on a 4 day field trip they learn leadership skills and how to make friends. I loved it, and learned a lot about team work. I also did archery and one of my favorite parts was going down the zip line. Outdoor Ed was amazing! We had groups. I was put in the coyote group. The camp fire was our activity on the last night, we had smores and sang songs. Then on the last day we played an intense game of capture the flag with all the 6th graders!!! Then headed to the buses. I loved out door ed and it is an experience I will ALWAYS remember!!!

Archery
This is me shooting at the foam Dino with a apple on his head!

Last Day
This is me on my last day in my cabin that I slept in.
I might look happy, but I was so sad we had to leave

A Camping We Will Go!

2009-09-21T21:27:00.008-06:00

Since moving to Colorado, we haven't done much adventuring. I think between Benson's busy business, keeping up with the two little ones, and attending the three older kids' games on Saturdays, we just haven't really gone out and done much on the weekends. So we tried to make up for it all in one month!
Labor day weekend, we drove to Estes Park. First we had to stop at a candy shop and get some white chocolate, macadamia nut toffee and snicker bar candy apples, mmhmm, can I say amazing! Then we started on the scenic drive. First, we stopped at a flood plain and hiked along the rocks that had fallen in the flood, and enjoyed the pretty waterfall that remained, until a sudden storm came in and we dashed to the car to escape the rain and wind. -

Next, we drove the Old Fall River road, which is a one-way dirt road up to the top of the mountains. Before the early 1930's, this was the only road up the pass, and now it is only open from June through September. It was a beautiful drive and was not crowded (which is rare for Colorado nature). The rain pretty much let up, so we pulled over to hike down to a waterfall. Ashlynn was the only kiddo that wanted to hike down - which she may have later regretted=).

Ashy, drenched, from slipping off the wet rocks into the cold water.

Nothing beats climbing around on a bunch of rocks!

We Also drove along Trail Ridge road which is the highest paved road in the US reaching the height of 12,183ft. It was pretty amazing to be driving above timberline.

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The next weekend, we decided to camp in the mountains above the town of Empire, where Benson takes care of their water. Earlier that week, Benson and an employee had been 4-wheeling in the area and had found a remote campsite that looked great. The only problem, you had to 4wheel in 2 miles to get to it. Well, not a problem for Benson - that man can move mountains! Between our two 4wheelers, we loaded up our 5 kiddos, all our camping gear, oh, and us, the drivers, and up we went! We rode 4wheelers, explored abandoned cabins and swings, scarfed down tin foil dinners and smores, sang campfire songs, and tossed and turned while the kids slept. The next morning, we loaded everything and everyone up and were pretty impressed with ourselves as we made it down with everything in ONE trip! On the way to our car, we passed about 9 jeeps 4bying, who apparently were impressed as well, because they stopped and took pictures of us as they drove by. On the way home, we stopped by at the Sweet Shop in Empire and tried out their extra thick shakes, Mmmm Mmmm!

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The next weekend, some friends invited us and a bunch of other families from our ward to go camping- Thanks Kristy! This time we took it easy and drove right to the campsite. All the kids played and rode 4wheelers while the adults hung out and talked. It was a blast! I think Peyton's favorite part about camping is getting to pee on the trees. In fact, he thought it was so cool that he decided to try it in our backyard as well=).

Peyton, driving a four wheeler w/one hand, his girl, Kate on the back, and his favorite stuffed animal, Chloe in his other hand.

Look at all those girls! There were boys too, we just couldn't get them off the 4 wheelers.

Kernel Dallin

2009-09-20T17:07:00.006-06:00

Lately, Benson, Talie, and Dallin have really been into reading Harry Potter. Well, Thursday, Benson had finished book number 4 and was getting excited to watch the movie. Since everyone was finished with homework and piano, we started the movie and let the kids watch the first little bit before bedtime. Fact: the Smiths can't watch a movie without popcorn, so we popped our usual bag of popcorn and were munching while enjoying the movie.

I was sitting next to Dallin (our straight A student) and I notice that he is pushing popcorn kernels up his nose and then plugging one nostril, while blowing the kernel back out. I tell him to stop and explain that it could get stuck and lead to an ER visit. Expecting Dallin to of course listen to his oh-so-wise mother, I focus my attention back on the movie until a few minutes later, I notice him at the kitchen sink, doing farmer blows out his nose over and over again. "Dallin!" I exclaim, "You don't have a popcorn kernel up your nose, do you!?" After a short pause, he admits he does. We get the flashlight out and look up his right nostril. Sure enough, there is a popcorn kernel, way up inside.
Benson and I look at each other. I go for the phone to call the after hours nurse (because of course it is late evening) and Benson googles, what to do when things get stuck up ones' nose. The after hours nurse assures us that it is a good sign that we can see the location of the kernel, and tells us that we should try to put saline solution up his nose and have him hold the left nostril shut while trying to blow the kernel out the right nostril. We do this over and over again until we admit it just isn't going to work. Now, it is time to move on to plan B: the nurse told us next to do Mouth to Mouth. Benson and I look at each other, again, and he says he just can't get that close to his son (I guess it falls under the nurturing role of a mother). So I get closer than I ever have to Dallin and perform mouth to mouth on the poor kid to try to pop the kernel out. Well, Plan B doesn't work, so Benson comes up with a plan C. He's the family champ at the game Operation, so I guess he thinks he can extract the kernel with a pair of tweezers. After a few unsuccessful attempts, we look back in the nostril, and the kernel has completely disappeared.
So, we call the after hours nurse again, who tells us that since we can't see it any more - we don't know where it went, so we better take him to the ER. It's 9:45 now and Dallin starts to cry as we drive to the ER. Reality has hit and he's starting to wonder how they're going to get this thing out of his nose and he's a little afraid that he might die.

Fifteen minutes later, we arrive at the ER and the nurse asks him how in the world a nine-year-old gets a popcorn kernel up his nose!?! Dallin starts this long ol' story about how his Dad likes Harry Potter . . . and they were watching the movie . . . and eating popcorn . . . and he was carrying the popcorn bowl to the sink . . . and then the popcorn kernel got up his nose. After his long story, the nurse said,"Ok., so how did the kernel get from the bowl to your nose? After retelling the story over and over again to each person he meets, the doctor fishes her way up his nose for awhile and can't locate it either, so she refers us to an Ear Nose Throat specialist to go to in the morning.

The next morning arrives and we drive down town Denver to the ENT where Dallin has to repeat the story to each nurse he talks to and to the doctor. They all laugh at him and he gets to the point that he can laugh and joke about them having to cut off his nose to get the kernel out.

We get into the ENT's office and Dallin lays back in a dental-like chair while the doctor puts on a full plastic face mask. There is a nurse at one side handing tools to the doctor, and another nurse on top of him to make sure he holds still while the doctor shoves different tools up his nose. Within minutes, the doctor slips a long, skinny looking tool, ending with a little bowl shape, up his nose and brings it right out with the kernel sitting on the end. Dallin didn't even know it was out until the one nurse climbed off of him and the other nurse shows him a soft, swollen popcorn kernel. The doctor finishes up by looking up the other nostril - just to make sure there's nothing else wasn't up there=).

A couple days later, Peyton sees a pair of tweezers on my bathroom counter, and says, "Mom, that's for getting popcorn out of your nose, huh." I guess it all makes sense to a 3 yr. old. Why wouldn't they make tools specifically for getting popcorn kernels out of one's nose?

Funny quote, Dallin says, "Mom come smell my armpits, they smell like tacos."

To Grandmother's House We Go!

2009-07-10T21:41:00.001-06:00

This Summer, The kids and I got to go to North West Washington to visit my parents for 2 1/2 weeks, and then Benson met us there for the last 5 days and flew home with us. This was a record stay for us, and a lot to ask of anyone-=), but we kept busy and I think my parents survived fairly well.
To start off, due to a car accident (thankfully not ours) and the traffic it caused, we missed our 5:30pm flight by 5 minutes and were rescheduled for the next morning's 5:30am flight. We drove home, left all of our suitcases in the car and slept in our clothes. So when the alarm clocks went off, we literally rolled out of bed and into the car. I have to admit that I was already nervous to fly solo with 5 kiddos, but then to leave that early, I had no idea what kind of moods the kids would be in when they were that tired. But thankfully, my kids did better than I could have even asked for!

The first week my brother Ian and his wife, Bonnie drove up from Cali to see us and my sister (currently in Seattle) and her two little boys drove up and we spent the first week together. We kept very busy! We went on a fairy around the San Juan Islands, we picked
strawberries, visited Canada, swam at the wave pool, played in the ocean, held star fish, climbed trees, played with puppies, ate cherries, celebrated the fourth of July on the lake, lit off fire works, and drove to Portland to see Benson's grandma Smith.

Luckily on the way home, Benson was able to take Kennedi with him and somehow we all ended up @ the airport about the same time! Whew! We were tired, but had a blast! Thanks for showing us a great time Mom and Dad!

Some people in my parents' ward had St. Bernard puppies and baby goats. I think that was one of the highlights of the trip. Kennedi kept grabbing them by the face and kissing them - I know I should have stopped her sooner, but it was too cute not to capture it.
More puppies, luckily we had a plane ride home, so no one could try to beg Mom to take one home.

Peyton and Grandma hit it off from the start. When we ask him where he wants to go on his mission, he says, I'm going to get on an airplane and go to Grandma's house.

Kennedi, trying to see what was the baby goat found so yummy.

Dallin, showing off his hard work.

Kenndi, not sure what really goes in the bucket.

We literally did spend hours in trees, something we can't do so well here.

Us, taking off on our first fairy ride. And, yes, that bright, red head in the back is me. That's a whole 'nother story.

Much to the mother's relief, the kiddos instinctively laid on their bellies to look at the jelly fish.

Peyton and London were inseparable the entire week. 3 year old boys, have everything in common.

Kayaking anyone?

I'm guessing that's Ashy's new picture pose.

Talie, who loves all animals, had a blast with the star fish, until a very concerned parent discovered that she had put one of them in her back pack. Talie was finally consoled when I convinced her that they would just dye and stink really bad.

Us, My sister Laura and her two cute boys on the beach in White Rock, CA.
The two little 1 year olds, loving the beach!

More fun on the beach.

7 out of the 15 grand kids.

Kennedi discovered mascara, luckily she has a few years to perfect her technique.

We got to drive to Portland to visit Grandma Smith at her nursing home.

Soccer Star

2009-06-10T23:03:00.001-06:00

Ashlynn was our latest child to try a sport or any sort of extra curricular activity. Now, this may be because she is #3, and mom has run out of steam, or it could be because whenever I asked if she wanted to take a dance or gymnastics class, Ashlynn would quickly reply, "No, I don't like sports, Mom." Well this winter, she started talking about playing soccer. The idea sounded great in theory, but keep in mind Ashlynn is my child who would walk for a couple of minutes, and then climb in the stroller because her legs were so tired. In fact, when she was five, and we were still in NC, we would walk to preschool. After walking part way, she would climb in the double stroller, and I would push Ashy, Peyton and Kennedi (in utero). I had to keep reminding her that when the baby was born, she would lose her spot in the stroller and have to walk all the time. So as Ashy is begging to play soccer, these flashbacks are flickering through my mind.
Well, of course we sign her up for soccer. She is with a team that has been together for atleast two seasons before this one, and her first practice consists of kicking the ball to the other teammates as you take turns shouting out their names. Saturday comes around, and before the game, Benson (who is not a soccer player) takes her in the back yard and teaches her things like, in soccer we don't touch the ball, and kick it towards the net which is called a goal. You, know, very advanced skills like that. We race off to the game, getting ready for a game full of funny memories. Well, to our utter astonishment, Ashlynn takes off and leads her team to victory by scoring the most goals. Benson and I, in shock, wonder if it is beginners' luck, but this luck stays with her the entire season.
It was fun to watch her focus on the ball and come out of a pile of girls kicking at the ball, with the ball in foot. Their team came out of the season undefeated; they did have one game that ended in a tie 2 to 2, but guess who scored both goals? It was fun to my little soccer star, but it still makes me laugh, as the other day we were walking home from kindergarten and she says, "Mom, can I please ride in the stroller, my legs are soo tired." I guess some things don't change.

Ashlynn, crashed one Saturday afternoon, after a game.

My Big Three Year Old!

2009-06-10T22:26:00.005-06:00

Ok., I know that no one can believe their kids grow up as fast as they do, but man, does time fly! My little man, just turned three, and although his name is now being taken over by the girls, he is completely boy. Benson and I say that we could not afford another Peyton. If a day goes by that he has not broken something, we count our blessings! He writes on everything (thank goodness for magic eraser, or I might have craigs' listed him=), has broken parts to the dishwasher multiple times, has broken the silver ware drawer, several parts of my clock, well, you get the picture.
Peyton does have a studious side as well. He has a long attention span and loves to sit and read books. He and Kennedi are two little partners in crime - when ever they disappear together, I know that I will find trouble. He calls Kennedi "babe" and whenever she is napping very long, he will ask me, "Where's babe, mom?" and go in and wake up his little side kick.
That kid keeps me busy! He is Mr. Independent, and is always climbing up some cupboard or freezer shelf to get a glass of water or a bowl of ice cream. He also considers himself a master chef. Today, he decided to warm up a Hot Wheels car in the microwave. Luckily, I caught it in the first few seconds, unlike the shrivelled up dorito bag wrapper I discovered in the microwave a few months ago.
Before Peyton came a long, I used to wear cute, tall shoes. I have long since traded them in for running shoes. Peyton's favorite thing is to be chased. In the store, he will ropel down from the cart, yell, "run!" and take off! He thinks it's the funniest thing in the world. I've taken up running again just to keep up with him=).
Just in case you're wondering if I even like my boy, I have to say that one of my favorite things in the world is to snuggle and read stories with him. His BIG cheeks, dimples, never ending smile and gorgeous blue eyes melt my heart any time I want to get mad at him. And, I love his little comments that sound wise beyond his years. The other day he was on fast forward mode, and I asked him, "Peyton, when are you ever going to grow out of this crazy, busy stage?" To which he replied, "Nobody knows, Mom."

Peyton, singing "Happy Birthday" to himself.

Ode to Cloudy

2009-04-27T21:47:00.008-06:00

A few months after we moved to Colorado, Talie, our resident animal lover, adopted a Teddy Bear hamster and named him Cloudy. He was a good little hamster - pretty calm and hardly bit anyone, but like any pet, unfortunately, his time on earth did come to an end. Of course Talie was distraught, so we held a little funeral service for him in our back yard. Not trying to be insensitive to the loss of Cloudy, but it was one of the cutest things I have ever seen. First, we scheduled a time that Dad could be there to lead the ceremony and dig a proper hole. Then the girls created a cute and very comfortable coffin for Cloudy to rest in (with his favorite wheel).
Talie wrote the sweetest letter to Cloudy to bury with him, and Dallin sang a solo of "I am a Child of God" (not sure what that has to do with hamsters, but it was very cute to watch him sing). Then Benson said a prayer, we said our good byes and with a few scoops of dirt, the funeral was over.
Here is the letter Talie wrote Cloudy:
Dear Cloudy,
I love you sooooo much. I miss you. You were so soft and white just like a cloud that's why I named you cloudy. You were so sweet, kind and I enjoyed playing with you on the Barbie house. I hope you loved me and thought I was a good owner. I picked you from the store because I knew you were different. Today is the day you died (Apr. 27, 2009). Tomorrow we are going to bury you. I have been crying for 1 hour straight and will probably cry myself to sleep! I promise I will never forget about you. Just remember you're the best hamster anyone could ever ask for. I hope you're in a good place.
I love you soooooo much.
Love, Talie someone who really, really loves you.

. . And now, a little over a year later, Talie has a new hamster, Macy, and has been able to find happiness again.

My Pretty Boy!

2009-04-27T21:47:00.005-06:00

The other day, we had a freak snow storm in the end of April (which seems to be getting pretty common around here), and Dallin was at a friend's house, down the road. There was over a foot of snow on the ground, and Kennedi was asleep, so I asked Ashlynn if she would sit with Peyton while I ran to the neighbors to grab Dallin. I turned on a show for them, locked the doors, and ran. When I came back in, I went straight to the family room where the TV was still on with Ashlynn glued to it, but no Peyton to be found. "Ashy, where's Peyton?" I asked, when who should come around the corner? Yep, Peyton. Proudly showing me his new, hot pink toes. (A good reminder why 6 year olds don't babysit).

Of course it was a pretty cute moment, but before I could totally enjoy the moment, I had to dash to my bathroom and see what kind of damage was done. I looked around and to my amazement, there was only one tiny spec of bright pink polish on the tile - easy to clean up - and he even put the toe nail polish back in the basket under my sink! He's much cleaner than my girls are when they do their toes. After the quick check, I ran back and could enjoy the moment - complete with a photo shoot!

*Tonight, I was tucking the boys into bed (they are in bunk beds, but of course like to pile up in the same one), and as I was trying to tuck them in, Peyton says, "I want to sleep in the punk bed, Mom." (meaning the top bunk).

Bad Parking Job

2009-04-17T15:33:00.005-06:00

The other morning, I was taking Peyton to play group, and we had to make a quick stop to the library to return some books. I pulled into a parking spot by the front door and was super excited to get such a good spot, especially when I usually have to circle the lot 2-3 times before settling for a parking spot in the pre school lot next door. Well, as my little buddies and I climbed out of the car, I noticed a number of people gathered around, taking pictures with their phones. I followed their camera aim, and this is what I found - Oops!

Apparently, the (mini van) woman's dog jumped on the gas pedal and vroomp, up and on top she went. (Another good reason, to tell my kids, why we shouldn't get a dog=).

Funny Quotes:

The other day, Peyton was praying and he said, "Heavny Fauder, Thank you for Mom, Benson, Talie, Dallin . . . ." Apparently they're on first name basis now.

The other night, Talie came down after being tucked in saying that she couldn't fall asleep. Benson asked her if she had tried counting sheep. To which she replied, "No, I don't have any."
- A true blond, and we love it!

Anchor Center for the Blind

2009-04-02T21:32:00.008-06:00

I have the unique calling of service coordinator for the youth and RS in our ward. Because of this calling, I was motivated to start a service enrichment group, where each month I find a service project for a group of us to participate in. It has been pretty amazing. Already, I have learned a lot and have met amazing people in the community who give so much, and are so grateful for the little bits that we help with. This last month, the entire RS put together tactile boards for the blind children at the Anchor center for Blind Children, a school for blind children under Kindergarten and their families. We attached textured items to the back of clipboards.

We completed 53 of them, and Talie, Dallin and Ashlynn each made one as well. I was impressed with what a good job they did!

So, today, we delivered boards to the school. When Karen (the volunteer coordinator at the school), found out the my kids helped make the boards and were out for Spring Break, she invited Diane, me and my children to a tour of the school (I'm not sure she knew what she was in for=). It was an absolutely amazing program! The school works with the families of blind children and helps them know what types of things they need to teach their children that we take for granted. For example, blind children have to be taught that they have hands and feet and that they are theirs to use. The school has lights on the hallway floor and handrails along the walls for the children to be guided by, and at each "intersection" where the classrooms are, the floors change from wood to tile, so the children know where the classrooms are.

Dallin tries out a braille typewriter

The school has art rooms, music rooms, outside gardens, and I think everyone's favorite, the motor skills room.

We were grateful for all we learned at the school and for the services they provide! I think the kids learned a lot and Peyton even made a new friend.

Snow Day!!

2009-03-26T19:46:00.006-06:00

While Spring is finally here for most, for us, in Denver, we finally got our winter snow! This morning, we woke up with a tiny skiff of snow and Dallin was so disappointed that that was all the snow we were going to get. Boy was he wrong! We went swimming at 10 and it had started snowing pretty steadily, but when we loaded back in the car at 12, we could hardly find our way home in a complete blizzard. It was so fun to be snowed in and have to just stay inside! We turned on the fire place, made hot soup and cinnamon rolls, watched "Ant Bully", and then when Benson came home early, everyone piled the snow clothes on and the FUN began!

The Michelin Baby

Snow Sledding Behind the Four Wheeler

Talie was the last one in out of the snow . . . and off the 4-wheeler.

Look at those cheeks! I had to squish them in his 2 hats.

The first one out in the snow.

2009-03-25T22:11:00.004-06:00

Ok., so I notice a lot of times I will have a little thought, a little inspiration. Nothing huge, but I think that I should do or say something specific, and then if I don't follow through with my thought, I later regret it and think that if I had just followed that prompting, my life would be a little bit easier at that moment.
Well, today was such an occasion, and - once again- I ignored it. This morning, I put Peyton in the bath tub adjacent to Ashlynn's room as I was cleaning the bathroom and helping Ashy clean her bedroom. Kennedi loves baths, but was already dressed for the day, and I thought I would save some time by not giving her a bath. As I was cleaning the bathroom, she was just walking around the bathroom talking to Peyton. I thought, "I should just take off her clothes and put her in the bath tub. But was in a hurry, and figured she would be ok., without the bath. I stepped out of the room, and well, you guessed it, as soon as I reentered, she had climbed into the bathtub, fully dressed. She just turned around and smiled up and me, cooing, "Mamma." Just like it was completely normal to bathe in your clothes. And she continued to bathe rather comfortably, I may add, while I took pictures.

Kennedi, happily playing with her cars in the bath tub.

Obviously this was not a negative consequence. Yes it took me a little longer to take care of her wet clothes and put her in a dry outfit, but boy did it make me laugh. Now I am trying to follow through with these promptings, so that in little ways my life will be easier, but more importantly, so that I will continue to receive inspiration and that when it is for something more important, I won't have to learn the hard way to heed promptings.

Smith's March Madness

2009-03-24T22:50:00.000-06:00

These past few months, 3 of the 7 Smiths took an active part in the winter basketball season at Highlands Ranch. Talie and Dallin played on teams and Benson coached Dallin's team. I guess you could say that ALL 7 of us took an active role, as Kennedi screamed, "Lally!" (aka Talie & Dallin) from the sidelines, and Peyton would come, snatch my purse, and make a mad dash for the candy machines ( hopefully we'll turn the dashing into a life long skill, and not the purse snatching=), and Ashy chased and dragged kids back to our bench - thanks Ash, I don't know how I would have done it without you! Although we had plenty of our own action on the side lines, we loved watching the games! Especially as both teams started out as underdogs, but quickly improved. It was fun to watch the kiddos' confidence and skills increase as they worked hard, made friends, and had fun. It was also fun to watch Benson's debut as little league B-Ball coach - he only got kicked out of 1 game=) - you'll have to ask him the details, it sounds much worse than it really was.

Talie making her first free throw.

Dallin, racing to play some good "D".

Intense coaching by Coach B, the kids memorizing his every word.

Pine Wood Derby Take II

2009-03-21T23:54:00.000-06:00

This year for the pine wood derby, Dallin did a spider man car. Again this year, right before he's supposed to cut it out, he draws up a little pattern to cut - which looked about the same as last year - and then the night before we remember to paint it. Although he took 2nd to last place in speed, he did take 1st place in style.

The stylin Spider Man Car!

Dallin's
own little
fan club -
front row
seats.

For Funny

2009-03-19T23:17:00.005-06:00

The other night, Talie came down to our bedroom at 10:00 claiming she just couldn't fall asleep. Benson asked her if she had tried counting sheep? To which she replied, "But I don't have any."

She's Walking!

2009-03-02T13:08:00.005-07:00

OK., Kennedi has now been walking consistently for about 2-3 weeks now. And she is a regular pro. I'm just wondering where my baby went? She is 15 months tomorrow. Although she is still under 20 lbs., she can definitely keep up with the other 4! She thinks she is too big for her high chair, she can climb up any playground set and go down the slide on her own, and she is constantly chattering off new words. She adores babies and my favorite is when she goes up to other babies and says, "Baby! Baby!" - like she's not one herself. She thinks she's 1 going on 3 or 4. And, well, if that means she skips the terrible 2's than I guess I'm ok with it.

2009-02-10T22:00:00.003-07:00

The other day, Peyton fell and bonked the his lip and it started to bleed. It hurt, so of course the only thing that would fix it was- no, not a kiss from Mom - a band aid. I tried to soothe, him and explain to him all the reasons why a band aid just doesn't stick that well on lips. But, finally gave up trying to explain. So we went and got a band aid, applied it ever so carefully, and he was off running and laughing in a matter of minutes. I thought about how great it is that at the age of two, a band aid can fix absolutely everything!
I decided that we all need band aids in our own lives, and began to wonder what my band aid was at the age of 32? It was hard to narrow it down to one item. I mean, I love chocolate, I think that Magic Erasers are absolutely amazing and help me be a calmer mother, but I think I concluded that my personal band aid is when I see my children treat each other with compassion or treat those around them kindly; when I hear stories of people sacrificing for and helping others. Somehow this reminds me of all the good in the world, and it helps me to step back and remember that we are all Heavenly Father's children, and everything really will be ok. So, what's you're band aid?

A Whole Lot O' Hair

2009-02-08T22:38:00.004-07:00

One morning I was in the bathroom getting ready for the day and Peyton brought me a hairband and asked me to put it in his hair. Thinking that was cute, I gave him a little pig tail on the top of his head. He thought it was great fun and brought me another hair band and another and another until we ran out of hair that was long enough - it was pretty cute.

Kennedi still doesn't have much hair, but it's always up in pig tails. She is a great sport and never fusses when I put it up.

Talie has gorgeous natural curly hair, but she straightens it every day. I had always had thick, curly hair, but never knew what to do with it, so I was the biggest nerd until about my junior year in high school - and I vowed that when I had a daughter with curly hair, I would help her make it look so cute. Oh, well.

And then there's Dallin, who I just can't get him to do his hair no matter what =).

The Compassionate side of Dallin?

2009-02-08T22:00:00.003-07:00

Today Talie was sick and laying on the couch asking for hot chocolate, and all of a sudden, Dallin jumps up and says, "I'll make it for her, Mom." So he runs and makes her chocolate milk - even warms it up for her, brings her a pillow and makes sure she's all comfy. (Hmm, is Dallin feeling well?) I have to say, I was pretty impressed. Talie and Ashy are always the ones that put a blanket on someone who falls asleep on the couch, or soothes someone who is crying. While Dallin is, well, usually the one making the person cry =).

I know that we like to give Dallin a hard time, but we really do love him! He just achieved his Wolf in scouting and worked really hard with his dad to receive 5 extra arrow points. Good work Dallin!

You Say You Want a Revolution

2009-01-07T14:55:00.004-07:00

For New Year's Eve this year, we layed low and hung out at our house, as we were all recovering from some company and lots of strep=). We watched a kid's movie, played some Rummy-O, snacked, hot tubbed, and the kids all fell asleep, except for Peyton, by 10:30. I couldn't believe our little party animals fell asleep! Maybe it's a sign for a calm, peaceful year to come; yeah, I'm not even holding my breath. So Benson, Peyton and I rang in the new year together! Happy New Year!

We discussed setting our New Year's Resolutions, and they kept saying, "For my revolution, I want to . . . "

So here's a list of Smith Family's New Year's Revolution:

Talie Smith (10): Read my scriptures for 15 minutes every day.

Dallin Smith (8): Don't fight with my sisters, obey my parents, and be more respectful to my parents. (if that happens, we'll be the happiest parents of '09!)

Ashlynn Smith (6): Keep my nose clean. (literally, she's always got something running out of her nose, and sometimes forgets to take care of it).

Good Luck Kiddo's! And here's to another great year!

Christmas '08

2008-12-31T16:06:00.008-07:00

Christmas was a BLAST! Filled with fun family members, great food (thanks for all your help!), and many memories! My Sister, Laura and her family, and my Brother Nate, and his family came to spend the holidays with us - thanks guys!
Some highlights:

*Little boys in dress ups - who altered their identities and referred to each other by their alter egos: BUZZ, HULK, and PUPPY (or princess=).

*Ski Trips - Talie & Dallin's 1st time snow skiing. They went with Nate & Katie and had a blast even though it was only 3 degrees outside!

*Acting out the Nativity - Reading the Christmas story from the Bible. But our Mary & Joseph don't always get along.

3 Pink, toddler wise men:*And an angel who declared good tidings of great joy to 2 little shepherds who weren't the best listeners.

*Kennedi's 1st Christmas, at least that she took an active part in. A visit from Santa.

*Yummy Food! Big Christmas Eve Dinner and Christmas Day Mexican food and Snacks.

*Hot tub sits, Cold Weather - yet no Snow, Hair Cuts, Fear Factor, Games, Strep throat, 4 Dr. Visits - thank goodness for Antibiotics!

All in All, We had a BLAST! And are glad everyone came! Merry Christmas!!!

Hey Santa!

2008-12-31T15:43:00.006-07:00

This year, we got to see Santa at our ward party and discovered a few things. Dallin thinks he is officially too big to sit on Santa's lap, but will shake his hand. And Peyton will accept candy canes from strangers, but doesn't know who that red, hairy guy is and why in the world should he sit on his lap! We also got to see real live reindeer, but discovered that comet isn't as friendly as he looks.

Peyton, taking the candy cane and running.

Talie, happy to tell Santa everything on their list, and Kennedi, just happy to be here.

Ashy, super excited to see Santa!

Dallin, ending his wish list with a gentlemenly handshake.

Introducing . . . John Cabot

2008-12-12T15:30:00.000-07:00

Talie wrote a report on John Cabot. Who, for those of us who do not even know who he is, was an Italian explorer who sailed for England and landed on the NE shore of North America. Not much is actually known about the explorer - even by historians, but she worked hard and completed the report, complete with a model boat. The second part of their report was a Live Wax Museum, where parents were invited to come, walk around and look at the models they had created, and listen to the students (dressed up as the explorer) as they shared their life stories and adventures. It was a great idea, and Talie worked hard and succeeded! Go Talie!

Talie's fellow explorers.

My Baby's ONE!

2008-12-07T21:38:00.006-07:00

So Wednesday, our baby turned ONE! It's amazing how time flies! She has been so fun! Everyone loves her. Even Peyton asks where she is if her nap goes a little long. Here are her stat.s for the year: She weighs in at 17lbs.4oz. (Now at what age is it no longer ok to list her weight=)? and stands (or lays) @ 29 1/4" tall. This leaves her 3% in weight and 56% in height. She still does her gimp crawl, but her little vocabulary is growing to include: mommy, dadda, baby, Ashy, Talie and Dallin (which sound the same to me), uh-oh, anana (banana), peekaboo, doggy and puppy. So she may not be an athlete, but we can hope for a . . . debater . . . or something. Her favorite things are her binki, giving kisses, the basement, the loft with polly pockets and doll house toys, loud music, dancing, peekaboo, baths, Mom, and pulling absolutely everything out of every cupboard she can get to. I like to call her our little tornado. She just comes in, picks things up, and moves them to new places.

I was all excited for her to blow out her own candle, because we practice blowing on our hot food. But instead of blowing she wanted to go for the candle . . . .

OK., I know what you're thinking, isn't this her 5th? Yes, I should have known better, but none of the others have gone for the candle. And I was busy playing photographer.

Luckily, there were no marks and she quit crying in time to enjoy the cake and get excited about her presents.

She celebrated her 1st Birthday party with her family and Aunt Kim, Uncle Jeff and cousin Morgan. For her 1st Birthday cake, we went more for flavor than appearance - caramel fudge cheesecake. And by the looks of it, we succeeded!

Crazy Eights!!

It's a Shiner

3 Reasons Why I Love My Job!!!

I'm a big kid now!

Happy New Year!!

Merry Christmas 2011

Christmas Break 2011

Steak & Shake!!

Toothless

Happy Halloween!!!

Mhmm Good!

A Camping We Will Go!

Chocolate Food Fight

Well loved

Musical Beds

Talie Turns Teenager

1st trip to the dentist

Elitch Gardens '11

My DAD!!

I love . . .

a Quick Trip!

Dear Tooth Fairy,

5 lbs of CHOCOLATE!!!

Tanner's First Photo Shoot

A little Piece of Heaven . . .

belly kisses for the baby

Tanner or Tate?

The Big 11!

It's A . . . . . . . . Boy!!!

My BABY is 3!!!

Trick or Treat!!

Iss No Problem in Costa Rica!!

Back to School!!

Go Rockies!

Happy Birthday TALIE!!!

Ashy turns 8!!!

Glenwood Springs

4th of July Weekend!!

Big Bike Rider

Happy Birthday Peyton!!!

The End of School

Sick Day

Summer in March

A Real Tear Jerker!!!

A Day of Basketball

Tear Jerker

A Child's Prayer

The Big D

A New Years Revolution!

Skiing

My Baby is TWO!!

The Black Eye!

Thanksgiving

We Wish You a Merry Christmas '09

We DID IT!

Say Cheese!

Fall Break!

Happy Halloween

Winter Wonder Land!

Outdoor Ed

A Camping We Will Go!

Kernel Dallin

To Grandmother's House We Go!

Soccer Star

My Big Three Year Old!

Ode to Cloudy

My Pretty Boy!

Bad Parking Job

Anchor Center for the Blind

*Snow Day!!*

Smith's March Madness

Pine Wood Derby Take II

For Funny

She's Walking!

A Whole Lot O' Hair

The Compassionate side of Dallin?

You Say You Want a Revolution

Christmas '08

Hey Santa!

Introducing . . . John Cabot

Snow Day!!