Anchor Center for the Blind

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!!*

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.

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

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

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.