The Smith Family

What I did today.

2011-11-04T20:24:00.000-06:00

A little bit of this.

2011-04-08T23:17:00.000-06:00

I rarely take pictures anymore. {I know that fact needs to change if I'm going to start blogging again!} However, the little monsters I call my children take a plethora of pictures. So to hold you over for a day or more, you can admire their inspiring works of art.

They always want to take pictures of me. They're like my own personal paparazzi.

I have no words for this. I clearly did not take this picture. {Hello! I would not take a picture of my house looking like that! I would just share it with all you lovely people who won't be judging me right now, right? Right?}

Even completely washed out Donald is still super cute and smoochable! {Nickname explanation still to come!}

Anything left out becomes a prop for my little aspiring photographers.

Oh little Max. So squishy and blurry. <3

Here's another lovely one of the Momma Face. Yep that's me.

Have you ever seen puppy dog eyes like those? Who wouldn't want to give into this handsome little man!

Ah, the place where the light affixes to the ceiling. We shall hold this one near and dear to our hearts for many generations to come.

Taking a picture of a picture is always a good back up plan. Not sure what the back up plan is for, but at least we're prepared!

Yes, we have tiles {pretty sure they're a type of laminate} laid in with our "wood" laminate flooring. It sure is a conversation starter and adds character to our floor and beautiful home. Throw this one in the scrapbook!

Pretty sure this face says it all. {"Get out of my face!"}

Lucy is that you? I couldn't tell except for the fact that your skin radiates like your mother's. Oh and those amazing blue eyes. I love those.

Look at the beauty! Oh and my sparkling clean kitchen. See people, it happens once in a blue moon!

Not sure why this one got to be featured over a little Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, or Miley Cyrus. You'll have to ask Lucy.

The Left Foot

The Right Foot

Both Feet. Amazing, I know.

You might wonder where Squirt was for all of this fun. Truth be told, he probably took many of these beauties. Either that, or Lucy took them while Squirt was at school. She has to entertain herself somehow! I sure do love my little monsters and when I scroll through all the pictures they took I can catch a glimpse of what they see and how they look at the world {or at least our home!}.

The Toddler Turns Two

2011-04-04T14:11:00.005-06:00

How does this:

turn into this:

Well, with a little bit goldfish crackers, caprisuns, bubble baths, numerous Toy Story 3 viewings, no talking (at all) and an over abundance of love, you too could grow one of these cute little guys. But it does take 2 years, many sleepless nights, sweeping up many messes, changing too many diapers with diaper rash, avoiding most wheat products, and goobered up shoulders (but mostly only the left one). Still interested? I didn't think so.

Happy Birthday Max! I love you to Reese's Pieces!

Whoever said raising a blog was easy...

2011-04-03T23:17:00.002-06:00

I don't know how time does it. It seems to move in slow motion but go too fast to keep up at the same time. One of these days I'll get the hang of how to have 4 kids and then maybe life will be easier. Then again, maybe not!

As you can see, my blog is no longer private but simply edited. The stories are true (and the same) but the names have been changed to protect the innocent. If you don't know my children's real names you won't learn them from reading this blog!

Here are the guilty party:

Child #1: Squirt

Child #2: Lucy

Child #3: Max

Child #4: Donald (I'll explain that one later.)

Many, many, many, many, many things have happened in the past (almost) year since I have last blogged and I will not attempt to update everyone on everything that happened. But to sum up the year, we're all one year older and wiser too except for Donald who was born a measly 7 1/2 months ago. He's such a baby sometimes. Of course, that's the way we like him for now! I will post pictures of our older and more beautiful selves soon enough, but tonight it is bedtime. And thanks for stopping by!

The Princess Party

2010-05-17T07:04:00.002-06:00

Rigby High School's spring musical this year was Beauty and the Beast. Before the show they had a "Princess Party" where little girls could show up in their pretty dresses and get their hair and make-up done like a princess. Then you got a picture with Belle and a ticket to the play. We didn't make it back in time for the play, but meeting Belle and some other characters was enough for Lucy!

Max was a real trooper while waiting in line. Well, maybe not, but he sure knew how to cheese it up when the camera was on him!

Here is Lucy's before picture.

Getting her make-up done. It may not look like it, but she was in HEAVEN! She felt so grown up all throughout this process.

Getting her hair done. This girl was such a sweetheart. Lucy's hair had been done in braided pigtails all day and this poor girl sure did her best to cover up the crimped look!

We were supposed to get a picture from them, but like I said we didn't make it back to the show. But this is my picture of Lucy with Belle. All of the characters from the play were so nice and I was really impressed with how well they treated these little princesses.

Post Script: This is the dress that Lucy got for her birthday. It made Lucy feel so pretty and special for this little event.

The Shiner

2010-05-16T10:30:00.001-06:00

First off, I promise my children are in a loving and protective environment.

Second, I promise I am not typing this while Lucy screams at the top of her lungs in time-out.

Third, I promise that only one third of the time I say I promise I don't mean it. :)

World, meet Lucy's shiner that didn't go away for a long time! I don't know exactly how it happened. She said she hurt her cheek on the opposite side of her face but ended up with a black eye that continually changed colors but never seemed to be going away!

And, of course, the shiner was present when Max had his little incident.

We build 'em tough.

2010-05-15T10:47:00.001-06:00

The day after Max's birthday we found out exactly how tough our little man can be. And just how badly he can scare his parents! We were trying to get everybody ready to head out the door and between all the hustle and bustle the gate at the top of the stairs was left open. When I first saw Max he was on the second stair down (he doesn't do stairs yet) and by the time I got to the stairs I watched him fall off the edge of the open staircase about 5 feet down to the basement floor. And land on his head. Luckily the basement floor is carpeted and that cushioned his fall a little. And luckily he was protected by our Heavenly Father that night. Because of the way he landed and how far he fell we decided to take him into the ER, just in case. It was rough keeping him awake the whole way to Rexburg because it was already past his bedtime and he was traumatized from falling. But we made it there and it happened to be a slow night in the ER. They examined him, did a CT and everything looked fine. We were able to take him home and watch him through the night. The next morning he woke up acting normal and the small rug burn he had on his forehead from landing was almost completely healed. Otherwise, there was no indication he was hurt at all, no bruises or scrapes. Nothing.

I'm not sure why we were so blessed that night, there could have been a lot worse consequences. But little Max was tough through it all and I'm so grateful for that.

All I remember feeling that night is well, extreme guilt because I'm the mom and it's my job to protect my children. But the thought I had was that I haven't had enough of him yet. And I hope that feeling never goes away. I can never get enough of my children.

Easter

2010-05-14T10:36:00.001-06:00

I know what you're thinking, Easter in May? And yeah, you could say I'm a lazy blogger. But the more you say it, the more excuses I can come up with for not blogging. They may not all be good excuses, but I've got lots of them! And so for now, enjoy a few pictures from Easter.

And, yes, it was cold enough for winter coats on Easter!

First, The Birthdays

2010-05-13T14:12:00.004-06:00

Since it's been awhile, I better play a little catchup. First we'll cover the birthdays. Lucy's came first in March and she was a total princess that day. And why wouldn't she be?

She got spoiled by her mom and dad.

She got fun dress up clothes. (that have already come in handy, explanation will have to be in a later post.)

And she got a cute little baby doll to care for and love!

Max's birthday came next on Easter. And what a day to turn 1! The whole day was a little crazy with lots of family things, but we definitely took the time to celebrate the little man! And let me tell you...

...It got a little messy!

And of course he loved all of his presents!
I love birthdays. And through the eyes of a child, they're so much more fun!

I'm tired, but it was totally worth it!

2010-03-19T10:34:00.002-06:00

Last year at this time I started to use coupons to see what kind of deals I could get and I did pretty well on building up a small food storage. But this year I have a house and I have some more room to store food. So I started couponing again, along with my mom. So we've been working together long distance to find the best deals. This week I went with Kara to Albertson's for their Post cereal sale and saved a TON. I've posted some pictures below of what I got.

This first picture is what the kids decided to do with my first load of cereal. They were so proud of themselves. Soon after the boxes became dominoes and even Steve got in on the fun! :)

This was from my first trip to the store. They were out of the other cereals on the sale but were planning on getting a shipment in today. So Kara and I went back early this morning and totally scored thanks to Kara's preparation.

This is what I brought home after the second trip. Seriously, I'm going to need a bigger house. :) Or maybe just more creative ways to store all this. And I thought I was past all that creative food storage when I bought a house and moved out of apartments!

All together I got:

52 boxes of Post Cereal (some not pictured)
25 boxes of Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks
8 regular sized candy bars (not pictured)
8 tubs of Dreyer's ice cream (some not pictured)
3 4-packs of Albertson's brand toilet paper
1 pack Orbit gum (not pictured)
1 box Dreyer's Fruit Bars (not pictured)

The grand totals from both days:

Total saved: $303.52

Total spent: $35.65

That total spent is not including $10 that I have off my next purchase though. But I can handle that. Totally worth the getting up early to get there and the two trips to Rexburg.

The New Transformer: Ironhawk

2010-03-19T10:26:00.003-06:00

Recently Squirt has been playing with his legos everyday. He has been really creative in the things he's been building. The other day he built a transformer that he named Ironhawk. He would build up to it's transformed state and it could walk around and was always flexing it's muscles. I may be his mother and I am proud of him no matter what, but that is pretty stinkin' cool!

The Little Sneak

2010-03-02T16:36:00.002-07:00

One of his favorite places is the pantry. He finds all the good stuff there. Here's Max stealing some extra Valentine's candy.

Has it been long enough?

2010-02-25T17:24:00.005-07:00

What better way to bring your blog back to life than with pictures of your semi-rebellious children. Squirt got a hair cut last night and I thought this was going to be the "middle" picture. You know, between the before and after pictures. Turns out I was wrong and both Dad and Squirt wanted to keep it this way. I said it might be okay for a couple of days...

Like Father, Like Son

2009-12-07T08:12:00.000-07:00

These are my many attempts to capture a "good" picture of the two goof balls!

Success!

Deck the Halls

2009-12-06T10:04:00.000-07:00

Wednesday night the kids and I decided it was time to decorate the Christmas tree. They were such great helpers! I think we're going to add some ribbon instead of garland, but we're almost done!

The pictures are little blurry, but it kind of captures the magic that I love about it! When all the lights are off and the Christmas tree lights are on, it makes my living room seem so cozy and magical!

Crafting Hour

2009-12-04T13:00:00.003-07:00

One thing we worked on over Thanksgiving weekend, was bow making. Mary was kind enough to teach us how to make them and Kara and I made some darling bows for our girls. When I got home I really wanted a place to put them so I saw this idea on another blog and made one of my own!

Thanks is Given and Unicorn Farts

2009-12-02T18:04:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. It was full of yummy food, good company and lots and lots of noise. I didn't take any pictures because our camera has been throwing fits lately and sometimes it almost refuses to work at all. But we had so much fun.

One night we played a game that my parents taught me and I taught Steve's family. My parents called is 10,000. Another name that I heard that caught on at the Smith's house is Farkle. We were telling Jared about the game a little and he said "What's farkle? Is that a unicorn fart?" So over the course of the weekend we tried to describe what a unicorn fart might be like. It made the game just a little more interesting. Just use your imagination like a Smith might! And I'm proud to say even those people who started the game out seeming not all that interested ended up really enjoying the game (at least it appeared that way).

So until next year, I'm thankful for family and unicorn farts and fun times.

I'm Only A Little Crazy. I Promise.

2009-12-02T10:47:00.002-07:00

I've decided I must be at least a little crazy. I have decided to join some other mothers (and friends from high school) in a "Whittle My Middle" challenge. It's a six week challenge where we work specifically on strengthening our core muscles. If anyone wants more information or is interested in joining the challenge, let me know! Part of the challenge to keep you motivated is posting before, middle and after pictures along with your stats (measurements). I know I have not gone totally over the deep end because I would never inflict that kind of scarring on anyone who didn't want to view it. So I have created a private blog to post these things and other healthy tips/ideas that I've learned along my journey. If you'd like an invitation to my blog and want to support me/join in, get me your email address.

Otherwise, wish me luck!

What Are You Thankful For?

2009-11-26T08:06:00.004-07:00

On the way to the grocery store today the kids and I went around saying what makes us thankful. Their lists consisted of the following:

Squirt:

his room

family

Santa Claus

Lucy:

dress up clothes

dresses

Barbie

I hope someday they understand (all three of them) that they bring me more joy than anything else in the world. I am thankful for car rides with games and giggles and songs with my little non-angels!

The Experiment Is Underway

2009-11-25T10:00:00.002-07:00

I have been having some issues lately getting my kids to behave. I don't think it's completely my fault. I don't think I'm a bad parent. But I'm sure I'm not perfect and that's why this experiment is so important. To try to change everyone's behavior. I read about this idea somewhere and have been wanting to try it out for a while. But my brain makes me think that everything has to be perfect before I can start a project like this!

The Experiment:
Take away ALMOST all the toys. Pack them up and put them away. Leave enough that your kids have something to play with, i.e. a couple cars, a couple dolls, some legos, some dress up clothes. But take away the majority of the toys. When the children get home/wake up explain to them that the toys that are out are all they have unless they have good behavior that day. At the end of the day if behavior has been good they can earn back ONE toy. Not one bin full, or one set of something, just one toy. If the behavior has been less than expected then they get nothing.

I guess I feel that my kids have been overwhelmed with all the "stuff". So I'm taking away what's not necessary in the hopes that they don't feel overwhelmed anymore and can be happier children.

Now let's just hope it works! I'll keep you posted on how it's going in the next couple days!

I'm back!

2009-11-24T22:45:00.003-07:00

Things have started to slow down a little... just in time for the holidays! But we are pretty much settled in our new house (you know how you always have that one or two boxes that never really find their homes until you're ready to move again?). And we are not planning on moving for a VERRRRRRRY long time. The house is great. The neighborhood is great. And the ward is amazing. Anyway, I guess I just needed to post something...anything... just to get your attention for my super, duper, fabulous, incredible, hilarious and a little stupid posts. Keep your eyes peeled. They'll be coming soon.

It seems like only yesterday...

2009-10-01T09:26:00.004-06:00

Just a little over 5 years ago I was large with child. And I mean very large. But now I have an independent little genious, who sometimes gets a little (a lot) hyper and I love him so much. I know his birthday was almost a month ago, but I still wanted to share some pictures from Squirt's birthday.

The Tall, Tall Tower

2009-08-10T16:45:00.003-06:00

Here is my proud boy with his tall, tall tower that actually had to be rebuilt a couple times because it was right in the major walkway in our home.

The 4th of Never

2009-07-28T08:53:00.004-06:00

Today is the day I actually post pictures of the 4th of July. Luckily it's from the 4th of this month of this year. I'm not too far behind!

We had a fun 4th with lots of family but mostly we just sat around a lot, ate lots of cookies and sat around some more (with some occasional game playing thrown in there)!

The parade portion of sitting:

The fireworks portion of sitting:

The one thing I learned.

2009-07-27T18:11:00.003-06:00

I know there is a huge controversy surrounding Jon & Kate plus 8 and you could learn a lot of things NOT to do from their situation. However, there is one thing I learned while watching older episodes that I will never forget.

When serving pancakes to your kids, cut them up with a pizza cutter! It saves on tons of mess and you can cut 10 times faster (that is, of course, an estimation)!

Pinching Your Pennies is now a little bit easier.

2009-07-25T23:31:00.002-06:00

If you want to save some money on your groceries, but don't know where to start with the sales or the coupons or the shopping, don't wonder anymore! Just hop over to pinchingyourpennies.com and plenty of experienced savers will show you the way. Plus there is plenty of other stuff to help save you time or money! Also, you never know where your expertise could help someone else out. Give it a try, you just might find what you've been looking for!

Max's Baby Blessing

2009-07-09T12:24:00.004-06:00

Like I said before, we had Max's baby blessing on the 28th. We planned for a day that was not Fast Sunday because all of Steve's family was going to be in town that weekend and then all the siblings could attend. We've always seemed to have nontraditional circumstances with our baby's blessings. And I'm happy to say this time was not any different. We like to bless our babies with just family and friends present (and of course a member of the bishopric!), and this time we had most of both our families and a lot of Josh Park's family and some of Josh and Jill's friends. Addie was blessed that same day and she looked beautiful in the dress that Eva made. Wayne (singles branch president) said that we could use the seminary building (where his branch meets) for the blessings and it worked out great to accommodate so many people. The blessing was wonderful. I wouldn't have wanted anything any other way. The only thing I hoped for but didn't get was some pictures of just Max in his handsome outfit. Eva has been amazing about making all of our kid's blessing outfits. This time I feel like she worked extra hard because of our requests, but she pulled it off.

Thank you to all of our family (those who could make it and those who couldn't) for loving us and our little family. Max is such a special baby brought to our family at the perfect time. My bond with him is so strong and he's only been here a short time. And his little smile shows more thanks than I could ever express.

Smith Reunion-The Hike

2009-07-07T22:50:00.007-06:00

The weekend before the 4th the Smiths had a family reunion. It was a lot of fun (except for the sharing of germs...again!) and everybody was able to make it. One of the days we were all together we went on a hike. It was sort of like a scavenger hunt. I still don't know who won though...hmm... We can just say it was my team! :)

In some of the pictures you'll see my parents and Tim. They came to town because on the 28th we had Max's baby blessing. He was blessed at the seminary building right after his cousin Addie was blessed. It was pretty special to be able to have both of them blessed on the same day.

There is no particular order to these pictures, but they are all from the hike. And a special thanks to my dad for taking all of these pictures (my camera was "missing" until I found it where I left it!)

We had to find a wooden bridge and we got extra points of there was a person in the picture. Instead we opted for a picture of our family with a bridge in it!

They were showing off the animal tracks in the mud (you can't see them, but I promise there were deer tracks there!).

A picture of the Snake River. And Steve didn't look thrilled to be standing next to me in ANY of the pictures taken that weekend, but I promise it was just the quantity of the picture taking going on that he wasn't happy with!

This is a cool picture even though I was little nervous when he was up there. The other side is just a cliff down to the river. Scary!

The Whole Smith Family.

This picture was taken near the beginning of the hike and the enthusiasm level from them went downhill from there (as we all climbed uphill...for a long time!).

My mom and I look a lot alike, huh?

Squirt with a flower.

All the Smith grandchildren. Max made the total 17.

My "Little" Man

2009-06-12T22:28:00.004-06:00

Max is still a little guy, but he's so cute and getting (sort of ) bigger everyday. At his 2 month check up he was:

9 lbs 8 oz

22.5 inches

His weight was in the 8th percentile but the doctor wasn't worried because he figured it was just genetics playing it's part. The other two were small, and still are. Other than his stats, he's started laughing, watching his hands, and has been working those legs trying to stand on my lap.

I just love my little man!

We're only a little mixed up.

2009-06-12T22:11:00.003-06:00

The other day Lucy was telling me something about her "eyeball" and I could not figure out what she meant. Her eyeball was fine, she hurt her elbow. So I asked her to show me her "eyeball" so I could take a picture of it.

I want to know...

2009-05-25T13:18:00.003-06:00

...when my kids grew. I was watching them the whole time, and then when I looked away for one second they were all bigger and smarter. So when did it happen?

Max is growing too fast. He's still a tiny little guy (I'll give stats after his 2 month check up in a week and a half), but he smiles and talks and tries so hard to hold his big head up. He's darling and the perfect little guy.

I haven't taken very many pictures of Lucy's cast, but maybe that's because I hate it. It is the most awful thing a person could do to a little girl who can't sit still with a mom who already has her hands full with a tiny baby. It only took her 2 days after the cast was put on for her to attempt walking. Since then she's climbed, ran, rode her bike, and even tried jumping on the trampoline again! She's cute as ever, and still adores her Baby Max.

Every single day Squirt does something to amaze me. He is getting smarter everyday. We've been spending tons of time outside when the weather is nice (thanks J, D, and C for someone to keep us entertained!!!) and Squirt is loving it. Whether they are riding bikes, playing in the sprinklers, playing baseball, or fishing for each other he has had a blast.

Just a picture.

2009-05-05T09:32:00.002-06:00

What every mother needs.

2009-04-27T09:57:00.005-06:00

I was just starting the feel like I could handle being a mom of three and keep my house fairly clean and cook healthy meals at a decent hour and keep my kids entertained with more then the tv. But I must have been getting too confident or too comfortable because last Friday night we took Lucy to the ER with a broken leg. She had been jumping on the trampoline with her cousins, which is not uncommon. But crazy injuries happen when you least expect it. She landed just right (or wrong) at the right time (or the wrong time) and buckle fractured her tibia right below her knee. It's not hurting her as bad now unless you take off the temporary cast or she tries to move around by herself. But she can't walk for now. We go in on Tuesday to the orthopedic doctor. They will probably put a more permanant cast on it and give us more answers about when she can move around on her own. Wish us luck!

Be sure the check out below, I've posted a LOT of updates with pictures!

2 Weeks 4 Days

2009-04-27T09:51:00.001-06:00

Here's a couple pictures of the little guy at 2 weeks and 4 days.

Is Easter Come and Gone Already?

2009-04-27T09:42:00.005-06:00

Easter was kind of a bust this year. The kids had a fun egg hunt at Grandma Smith's the day Max was born, but we didn't get any pictures of it since we were a little busy at the hospital. So the day before Easter we thought we would head to the park for the city's egg hunt. The only problem was that we were 5 minutes late. The eggs were gone and people were already leaving. So we ran to the grocery store and picked up some eggs and some candy to have our own hunt in the backyard. The kids helped me fill the eggs and then Steve hid them. The kids had a blast picking up the eggs and I'm glad we decided to have our own Easter egg hunt!

There's Three

2009-04-27T09:29:00.005-06:00

When Max was 6 days old we took him for his first check up. I can't remember how much he weighed (but I do remember that at two weeks he was back up to 7#10). The doctor said he looked great and the kids did a great job, but I'm sure glad my mom was there to help (and Eva was there to help for the next week's appointment. Thank you so much!). And since all the kids were dressed and happy we opted for some pictures to capture the moment! :)

5 Days Old

2009-04-27T09:17:00.005-06:00

I should've posted this a long time ago, but it's crazy being the mom to a new baby. And then you add the fact that there's three kids and it makes it even crazier. But I took some pictures of Max when he was five days old and this will give you an idea of how he's changed over the last couple weeks.

Introducing...

2009-04-09T11:53:00.001-06:00

Kole Max

4/4/2009

7 lbs. 10 oz.

20 inches

A Princess One

2009-04-04T08:37:00.010-06:00

Edit: Pictures weren't loading on Saturday when I was working on this, so there will be more posts with big announcements soon!

While I'm waiting for my scheduled time to go to the hospital to be induced (4 days overdue), I thought I should post about Lucy's 3rd birthday before my hands are full of baby and toddler!

Any time anyone would ask Lucy what she wanted for her birthday she would answer with "a princess one". A princess what? You know it really didn't matter, a princess anything. Or really, anything pink and girly. Lucy also has the privilege of sharing her birthday with an awesome cousin who is 4 years older and a boy, but he was still willing to share his party with Lucy! Thanks Connor, you're the greatest! For their joint party, we all went over to the Martin's house, had pizza for lunch, opened presents and had some yummy, pink or illiterate birthday cake. It was great to spend the day with family, Lucy got some fun "a princess one" presents, Connor had us all laughing, and my baby became a big girl!

After a nice, cold 4-wheeler ride we had lunch before the party.

She got a princess dress-up dress.

Grandma Smith gave her this cute springy dress with a matching one for her doll!

Clearly the kid doesn't need more sugar, but I couldn't resist! Love you Conn!

Another present was a Belle Tea Set. She played with it as soon as it was opened and it's been out everyday since then!

Lucy's Pink Princess Cake (amazing decorations are thanks to Steve and myself!)

Connor's Illiterate Ice Cream Cake

Blowing out the candles!

Cheese!

The Super Diaper Babies!

2009-03-30T12:34:00.006-06:00

Sometimes bedtime can be silly and fun. I love it when it's like that. Neither of the kids are in diapers anymore (not even for nighttime), but we sure had fun playing around!

Don't forget to check below for another new post!

It's here at last!

2009-03-29T19:54:00.006-06:00

And no, I don't mean the baby. I decided he's never coming out. Or at least not until we actually get some better weather! Darn snow... But I have finally made the time to post some Rascal Flatts concert pictures.

First off, getting there was quite the experience as we drove through some terrible weather and almost died five times. Okay, we were never really close to dying, but there were some crazy times! At least I had good company. Then somehow Aaron, who had taken Kara for her birthday (the reason she's not in the picture, she was with her hubby!), somehow managed to trade our seriously nose-bleed tickets for floor tickets. It was so exciting! But because I was 8 months pregnant, standing the whole time was not an option. That's where my usher comes in. He was so sweet and anytime I sat down in the chair near him he wanted to make sure I was okay. Really, he probably wanted to make sure I wasn't going to be a liability! :) But when I was standing up we were so close that most everybody in our group got to touch the singer's hands when they came our way (I decided it was safer to stay out of the hustle and bustle!). In fact in one picture you can see just how close Trisha got. And just so you know there's no zoom in use in most of those pictures. There's one that you can see exactly what I saw when I looked up. And I thought it was hilarious that his jeans had little embellishments!

I had such a great time at the concert and I'm so glad I went, but I can guarantee I wouldn't have had as much fun if I'd gone with other people. Thanks girls (and Aaron!) for making it so much fun for me and for taking care of my pregnant-ness the whole time!

Love you all! Mwah!

Help Wanted

2009-03-20T10:21:00.005-06:00

Clearly I need help. I'm 11 days away from spontaneous combustion and already I can't seem to cook a healthy meal for my family because I lack energy/time/motivation/oxygen. I'm doing my very best to be better, but I realize that I will be out of commission for an unknown period of time. So I have taken a few staple recipes, purchased the ingredients, and over the next few days I will be making/mixing the meals and freezing them.

Here's where I need your help. I need more recipe ideas that can be frozen, thawed, and cooked and still taste good. So, anybody have any good recipes?

Happy Thoughts

2009-03-18T19:08:00.004-06:00

As the day drawers near for me to 'calve' (as someone so nicely put it the other day) I just want everyone to be thinking happy thoughts for me. That is, happy labor thoughts. I know I have a couple weeks still, but this little one is making me so uncomfortable and slightly miserable most of the time. So if you could keep thinking those happy thoughts, then maybe he'll come a little sooner. What does it hurt to try anyway?

And here are my other little munchkins being crazy and anticipating the arrival of their baby brother Max.

I already know.

2009-03-06T16:05:00.004-07:00

It's time for an update, and I get that. But it feels like the closer it gets to this baby coming, the less control I have over the rest of my life. So I'm going to take care of that first. I hope that's okay...

Thanks, and happy smiles all around!

Rascal Flatts, Here I Come!

2009-02-26T08:38:00.003-07:00

Yeah, you read that right. I'm going to see Rascal Flatts in concert. In fact, we're leaving today. I get to go with the most amazing sisters and practically mom that a girl could ask for (all except Melanie, whose ears we didn't want to start bleeding...)! I wanted to let my doctor know that I was planning on going to Utah just in case he had any concerns. He told me no mosh pitting, smoking, or drinking... Okay doc, I think I can handle that!

Now let's have some fun!!!

I know, I know...

2009-02-25T18:41:00.005-07:00

Technically this is not about my family... but you HAVE to check this out. The blog INeverGrewUp.net is celebrating it's 1st birthday. And in order to celebrate they are having a HUGE

amount of giveaways. Just go to the blog to see what they're giving away!

Who needs more than good friends?

2009-02-25T16:36:00.005-07:00

Last week the kids had an awesome time playing with their friends Hunter and Hayden. And even though there were some crazy, happy screams of all the little ones it was fun to try to visit with the boys' mommy Shayla. I sure hope they all enjoyed it as much as we did!

Doesn't it look like they had fun?

A Good Book

2009-02-23T16:05:00.001-07:00

Lucy is starting to act more like me everyday. I started reading Twilight again the other day and when I put the book down to do the dishes, she showed her love for Twilight and all things Edward.

Good Girl. :)

a little bit of both

2009-02-21T21:48:00.006-07:00

First off, Lucy loves to play with hair. It's a characteristic of hers that I love, because I love to have my hair played with. The other day I found her showing her doll the same affection I get.

Isn't she the sweetest?

Also, I have started to realize lately that I shelter and protect my kids a little too much. I do too many things for them. So I decided to let them have a little more freedom, with parental supervision, of course.

He made lunch all by himself. He was so proud.

(Notice that there is no peanut butter on these pb&j's? Yeah, I'm still too afraid to give that to them after the salmonella incidents.)

Body Art

2009-02-12T12:13:00.004-07:00

I don't know if she will be a fashion designer or just an artist, but she certainly has a knack for finding stray markers and coloring herself/her clothes/pretty much anything. What do you think of her talent?

"Oh please Mom, don't look."

"Okay fine, here it is."

Say Guilty! (The Mugshot)"Please forgive me mom. I promise it won't happen again!"

Our Valentine Friends

2009-02-09T14:56:00.006-07:00

We have some fun new friends to hang in our window and send out Valentine cheer.

I was thinking of just hanging the kids in the window, but they move too much! :)

My List of Excuses

2009-02-07T14:49:00.008-07:00

I was recently asked why I don't update my blog more often with things actually pertaining to my family. Well I've been thinking about it, and I have quite a few reasons/excuses. Here's what I've come up with.

1. A little bit of this...

2. A little bit of that...

3. I haven't had my own computer to save pictures on, which makes updating more difficult.

4. I look like this...

5. And you can't tell, but those cute little feet inside me get stuck in my ribs when I sit down.

6. I have the worst cold I have had in a loooooooong time.

7. I was busy catching up on two episodes of this show that I missed.

8. We just moved into our new place and that always takes up some time.

9. And if moving wasn't enough, I'm almost 33 weeks pregnant with a horrible cold that I can't take anything for.

10. I forget to pull out my camera and take pictures of these amazing monsters.

And my last excuse for the day...

11. Whenever I feel like I've posted something cute/meaningful/funny/insert adjective, I don't get much, if any, comment love. So here's the bottom line, comments=more posts and no comments=Erin doesn't feel anyone reads her blog, so why post anyway!

I will try to do better, if not only to document my family's happenings. Thank you for the ever so gentle reminder. :)

These look cool too.

2009-02-05T09:42:00.003-07:00

I'm not the most green person out there, but I like to do what's easy and possibly even fun. Kind of like these products,

You should check out the website I Never Grew Up. She has a lot of fun ideas, and some cute giveaways. And who doesn't love a good giveaway?! Check it out.

I want this.

2009-01-22T16:30:00.003-07:00

If you want to try for it too, visit this fun site!

You leave my rear end out of this!

2009-01-19T22:16:00.004-07:00

I am a very careful driver. Apparently some college students are not. I got rear ended today. I was stopped at a stop sign waiting to leave a parking lot and turn on to Main in Rexburg when I felt a little bump from behind. It really was so minor that I had to ask myself if I had just been rear ended or not. My kids didn't even know that anything had happened. There was absolutely no damage to my car (thank you trailer hitch!) and if there was any damage to the other car you couldn't prove it was from me! (thank you crappy student drivers!)

Now get off my rear end and watch the road!

It's Bobsled Time!

2009-01-11T22:15:00.008-07:00

We decided to start our own family bobsled team. What better way to start training than throw the kids on a sled and send them down a hill? Usually the kids are wimps, but on Saturday they were brave and independent. They both wanted to go down the hill and they both wanted to climb back up the hill...for over a hour! They were totally bundled and the snow wasn't very wet, so they stayed dry and warm. I chose not to go down the hill for baby safety reasons, but still stayed fairly warm until right before we left for hot chocolate and donuts. It was also a lot of fun watching the kids from the singles branch go down the hill and create chains with inner tubes and go over the little jump at the bottom of the hill. We actually crashed/were invited to a regional singles sledding activity. And thanks to Eva's camera we got some fun pictures.

Steve decided to go on the sled once or twice with Squirt.

Squirt had so much fun!

Lucy went down the hill with Grandpa on the inner tube. We only thought she got whiplash, but she was fine. :)

Tyler came too. Steve and Grandpa sent him flying down that hill!
Steve really had a lot of fun with the kids too.

They're ready....

And off they go!

One of Lucy's favorite people is "Papa" Smith. One time coming up the hill Lucy got a ride from her Papa.

It's all a little jumbled

2009-01-07T20:49:00.007-07:00

First of all, if you'd like a good laugh you need to read what Karen shared with the world. If I didn't write about similar events before, I might be embarrassed. But then again Squirt is my son, and nothing surprises me anymore!

Secondly, I saw the cutest little baby yesterday in 3D. Max didn't give us any good pictures because he was constantly moving and putting his hands in front of his face. That's fine though, we have an awesome video. And thank goodness his head is going the right direction now. I was getting a little worried because I really don't want to have a c-section.

And lastly, if anyone knows of anywhere to rent in Rigby... please let me know!!! We've moved out of our place and are staying with Steve's parents for the month. But we don't want to stay longer then this month. Not that Steve's parents aren't the most generous hosts, but they deserve to have their house to themselves! So if anyone knows of any place available I'd like the info.

It was one of those days.

2009-01-01T21:36:00.004-07:00

Christmas this year (well last year) is what I would call interesting. Someone decided it would be a great idea to spread the flu around the Smith family (and I mean all of them). So early Christmas morning Lucy started getting sick and I was up every half hour with her. Finally she stopped throwing up but then she slept the whole day. She didn't really enjoy opening presents and really didn't want to do anything all day. Then one by one, other people started getting sick. All four in my family have had it, and all I can say is I'm glad we're done with that! I don't ever want to have a Christmas day like that again. For a more comical version of our Christmas visit www.smithplanet.com.

Other than being sick, this holiday season has been amazing. We've spent some quality time with all of Steve's family eating good food, playing games, sharing good conversations, playing in the snow, and lots of fun Christmas activities. Here's Squirt holding his gingerbread house which was eaten within 24 hours of being constructed. Lucy had her picture taken with her house too, but was so anxious to play in the snow that her picture turned out blurry!

I can't wait to see what 2009 holds in store for us. It should be an exciting adventure with growing toddlers and a new baby in the spring. And to all you Smith family members that helped us move out of our house, THANK YOU! I don't know if there's any way we could show how much we truly appreciate all you've done, but thank you for you kindness and your willingness to help!

The day to remember.

2008-12-14T00:33:00.005-07:00

I didn't want much for my birthday. I just wanted the day to be my day. But then the snow happened. Snow for our family means a tired dad and a frustrated me trying to keep the kids quiet. I had some simple plans, nothing elaborate. Not even close. Then those tiny little snowflakes started drifting down from the sky to squash my day! It all worked out though, just a minor/major change of plans. A nice little lunch at the local grocery store's deli, and an afternoon/evening spent with amazing friends. Nothing happened that I had planned, except for the part about spending the day with my wonderful husband (who surprised me with presents. And this time it was actually a surprise!), and my two and half darling children.

The point I am meaning to get across in all my rambling, is that even though the darn snow couldn't wait one measly day, it all turned out okay because my biggest concern was spending the day with my family.

I Sorry Momma

2008-12-10T11:51:00.006-07:00

I hear this phrase way too often. It's really only Lucy that says it, unless we force Squirt. But she says it with the hopes it will get her out of being in trouble. Like when she unrolls the whole roll of toilet paper and stuffs it in the garbage can (luckily not the toilet). All I have to say is "Lucy..." and I get a prompt response of "I sorry momma." Or when the two of them are running down the hall screaming as loud as they can (which they know they shouldn't), I wait until they're done and calmly (haha) say "please use your inside voices when you're inside. No more screaming inside." There is another prompt response of "I sorry momma." Followed quickly by a hug.

I love that girl. Too bad an I'm sorry and a hug won't solve all of our problems. How nice would that be?

It's finally happened.

2008-12-08T10:20:00.004-07:00

The day has come that I thought would never arrive. I'm so used to my kids crazy antics that I don't even blog about them. I know my life has seemed a little boring lately, but it's still exactly the same. My kids do and say crazy things everyday. And if it's actually true, that I'm used to their craziness, can anyone tell me where my sanity has gone?

The Stockings Were Hung

2008-12-02T12:15:00.004-07:00

I absolutely love this time of year. There's something about the smell of pine trees, twinkling lights, and Christmas music that just fills me with warmth, even if my house is an igloo. I love practically everything about December. I'm so excited for my kids, well Squirt anyway, to be excited about Santa and also learn about the birth of our Savior and start to understand the true meaning of Christmas. I thought I'd add a picture of Christmas time and since I'm still in the process of putting pictures back on the computer, here's an old one. This was 3 years ago, Squirt's 2nd Christmas and I was pregnant with Lucy.

Happy Christmas Shopping to All!

Raise your hand if you're thankful!

2008-11-27T22:29:00.004-07:00

I was having some fun tonight playing with Photoshop. I'm still not very good with it, but I'm practicing with different techniques and I'm having a good time learning something new. Here's a before and after picture of the kids playing in the leaves at my parents house. Let me know what you think.

Before

After

I'm not a Debbie Downer.

2008-11-22T09:54:00.004-07:00

I'm just pregnant. Last night I went to go see Twilight with some friends and my sisters (who are also my friends!). I was so excited and it was basically my idea to go last night and not wait a little longer. When we got out of the movie I started listing off things that I didn't like about it and I think the girls might have gotten the idea that I didn't like the movie at all. But I did. I've just found with each pregnancy that I get annoyed by different things at different times that wouldn't normally bother me. I usually just try to ignore whatever it is that's making me cringe, but last night I told them every little thing that bothered me! Sorry girls!

So to be totally honest, I'm glad I went to the movie. I liked it, but I wasn't 100% impressed by it. I still love the story, I'll still read the books again (probably a thousand times), but the way the movie was made wasn't my favorite. Then again, give me a couple months (after baby comes) and maybe I'll love the movie. My recommendation is that if you read the books and loved them or even sort of liked them, go see the movie. Or if someone you love read the books and you never have, go with them to see it. All of the 'reviews' I've heard from people who read the books and loved them have been good reviews, so you probably won't be disappointed.

Anybody else go see it? What did you think?

p.s. Mark, you're not allowed to comment on this post. :)

Say Cheese!

2008-11-20T17:28:00.005-07:00

For a while now I've wanted to get into photography as a hobby for the time being. So my dad was upgrading his DSLR and decided to be amazing as usual and give us his old one. It's a very cool Canon EOS Digital Rebel. Well, I haven't had much practice yet and I know that's what will make me better. But does anyone have any advice for an amateur? Also, I am trying out a trial version of Photoshop Elements and am looking for any advice on using that. Or if you have used/tried any other editing software, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on that.

I know this picture isn't the best, but I was practicing taking and editing pictures and my most accessible models are my kids.

Put a little Simplicity in your life.

2008-11-15T22:28:00.006-07:00

Who doesn't love snuggling up with a good movie/book/crossword/blog/etc. and a cozy quilt. Especially a quilt that is beautifully pieced by a professional. Well, head on over to Simplify to read about/enter the contest, or just admire the incredible quilts.

I See Blue Skies

2008-11-13T15:43:00.005-07:00

And next March I'll be seeing a lot more blue because...

It's a BOY!!!

Are we there yet?

2008-11-11T14:21:00.005-07:00

Thursday is big for us. It's the day of the 20 week ultrasound. We're crossing our fingers and our toes that the baby will be high enough to tell if it's a boy or girl. I'll let you know how it goes!

The Bad with The Good

2008-10-27T12:40:00.003-06:00

Sometimes you have to take the bad with the good. We don't always like it, but there's no way around it. For example:

The Bad: The hard drive for our computer is no longer in service.
The Good: We got to have dinner and play some games with some friends when they came over to tell us the hard drive is no longer working. Thanks Brad and Karen!

The Bad: We can't get anything off of our hard drive.
The Good: I just backed up ALL of my pictures on my computer about a month ago.

The Bad: Steve went hunting and was going to leave us all alone for 5 whole days.
The Good: Steve went hunting and shot a small buck! (Yay for meat!)

The Bad: Steve went hunting and was going to leave us all alone for 5 whole days. (I know, a repeat. It's double bad.)
The Good: My parents didn't want us to be all alone for 5 whole days so they invited us to their house in Boise. (Yay for grandparents!)

We've had a blast since we've been in Boise, but we are desperately missing the husband and father of our family. We can't wait to see him again. Since coming to Boise we went to some yard sales (and if you know me, you know how much I love a yard sale) and found some awesome toys for practically nothing, we went to the zoo, we went to the pumpkin patch/corn maze/field of screams (Don't go there when you're 18 weeks pregnant and want to cry the whole way through.), and got to see some friends (sorry we didn't get to see you more Keri!).

I'll try to update as much as I can until we are able to get our computer fixed, but don't expect a whole lot from us for a little bit. And if I can't post again before Friday,

Happy Halloween!!!

Catch of the Day

2008-10-16T10:14:00.006-06:00

Squirt caught his first fish! Well really he just reeled it in. But he was so excited. It's kind of hard to tell from the picture that he was really truly excited (if you know Squirt you know how excited he can get), but he was freezing cold and just wanted to go inside! Yay for my little boy who is growing up so fast (too fast)!

Thanks to the Dials for supplying the pond and the fish! :)

Paper or Plastic?

2008-10-09T11:18:00.005-06:00

I've been trying to think of ways to make money and save money since I'm no longer working and we don't have that extra income. I absolutely love being home with my kids even if I'm not the most organized person and really I'm a terrible homemaker. But I have fun with my kids, and they even have seemed a little surprised that I'm playing with them more instead of wanting to sleep all the time!

One of my ideas was to babysit in my home again. So if you know of anybody who is looking for a sitter, tell them I'm available! When I babysat before it was so hard because of unpredictable work schedules and a very teeny tiny apartment with not much room for five little ones to run around and really enjoy themselves. But now we have so much more room and a yard where the kids can release some of their stored up energy.

Another one of my ideas is to make cloth diapers. I know what you're thinking, eww gross. But if it could seriously save us tons of money, I'd be willing to suck it up and change and wash those disgusting diapers. But I don't know where to start. I'd like to try to make my own because buying cloth diapers can get very pricey. Have any of you ever tried cloth diapers, ever made them, have any advice? I'd love the help. I have a couple months to get them made so I thought I could make them over time. But I did think maybe I wanted to make some for Lucy so hopefully she would potty train sooner. Then again, I could just actually work with her and train myself. But honestly, any advice on cloth diapering?

I know I'm totally crazy!

Please Help Them

2008-10-04T09:45:00.002-06:00

If you know my parents, please visit their blog and give them some comment love. They need a little enouragement in the blogging world!

Chris and Val Seaman

13 Week Baby Bump

2008-09-24T09:03:00.003-06:00

I went to doctor yesterday, and there's not much to report. Everything is normal and baby's heartbeat was strong again. But just for your viewing pleasure here's a little baby bump!

Idaho Potatoes

2008-09-20T09:40:00.003-06:00

The other day after church Squirt was thrilled to show me the picture he colored in primary. "Look Mom! I colored a potato and this is his private parts!"

I did my very best to tell him that potatoes don't have private parts, and we definately don't draw private parts on pictures. It hasn't happened since. Whew!

Something Smells Fishy

2008-09-17T18:39:00.005-06:00

Actually, it doesn't smell at all. But we do have four new fish. There are two common goldfish and two calico goldfish. Honestly, I was more excited than the kids to actually get the fish. But now, it's all I can do to keep the kids off the kitchen counter. Squirt named his Goldilocks, Lucy named hers Fins (with my help) and the other two don't really have names.

This is one of the calico goldfish.

This is Squirt's fish Goldilocks. Lucy's is orange and white.
Isn't our fish tank awesome?!?! It was from an awesome Dad/Grandpa! He even set up the tank after I ~~conned him into it~~ asked him nicely to do it!

Goldfish Update: Burial at Sea

One of the calico goldfish didn't make it. I'm not sure why, but we found it floating under the filter. Now it is floating wherever the toilet water took him.

Don't forget to check out my other posts below!

Let's get this party started!

2008-09-16T10:09:00.004-06:00

Saturday we had Squirt's party. We had a ton of fun, with lots of family, presents, sweets, and pirate goodies. It was a great pirate party!

Here's Squirt trying to 'pin the pirate on the X'.
This was Lucy's turn at the game, but she needed a lot of guidance!
Opening a very cool present!
Monster Trucks from Uncle Tim!
He was thrilled to get his first set of Legos ever!!!

We had a treasure hunt to find the best pirate cake!!! Not only was it yummy, but my dad did an awesome job decorating it!

The last item of business was blowing out the candles, making a wish, and passing around that fun, delicious cake!

Be sure to scroll down and see the pictures from his actual birthday too!

You've had a birthday, shout hooray!

2008-09-15T18:30:00.007-06:00

Last Thursday, instead of waking up and thinking of the tragedy that happened seven years ago on 9/11, I thought of my toddlers birthday. It's true, his birthday is September 11th. Don't get me wrong, I did think about that day and those people and all their families that suffered. But mainly I thought about how Squirt turned 4! I still can't believe I have a 4-year-old. We had a pretty fun day, even though we saved most of the fun for Saturday. We were going to spend the morning getting a goldfish because I didn't want to hear all day about presents and cake and presents and cake and presents and cake! But those plans were postponed until today because lately my brain hasn't functioned properly and I had drained the battery on my car (that's the second time in one month! oops!). Eventually some friends of Steve's (thanks Brandon and Travis!) rescued us and jump started my car. But when we got to WalMart they had no common goldfish. I think I was more disappointed than the kids. How does WalMart not have any goldfish?

At least the trip to Rexburg wasn't a total loss. I didn't want to bake a whole cake when there wouldn't be anyone to eat it all, so we went to the Broulim's bakery. They had made the funnest little cupcakes, so we got two (one for Squirt, one for Lucy, and Steve and I finished what they didn't! Yum!).

Outside Broulim's in the famous car carts.

We had pizza for dinner, cupcakes, fully accessorized with candles, for dessert, and then Squirt was allowed to open one present. He opened the one from my brother, Nick, and his family. Look at the pictures to see Squirt's reaction.

Bumble Bee Transformer!

A card from my Grandma. We allowed him to buy his own toy with that money. Now that's a first!

Blowing out his 4 candles.

It was an awesome birthday. I was very pleased, except for the dead battery! But Squirt was very happy to be 4!

Hair Cuts and Ear Cuts

2008-09-10T09:56:00.005-06:00

Today I cut Squirt's hair to make him look more like a '4-year-old'. That was my excuse to get him to sit still anyway. Apparently my constant ~~nagging~~ prompting wasn't good enough, because I accidently cut his ear. It didn't bleed for long, but that's the first time I've drawn blood while cutting hair. Here's the finished product.

And Lucy didn't get a hair cut, but insisted on getting her picture taken.

Booby Traps

2008-09-08T16:34:00.004-06:00

As we're pulling into church, Squirt notices Steve's hat sitting on the seat next to him. And, of course, he asks,

"Dad, can I use your hat as a booby trap?"

Steve's reply? "As long as you catch me some big ones, son."

My Bean

2008-08-29T12:50:00.004-06:00

It's true, I'm pregnant. My due date is March 31st. And my baby is the size of a bean. I've known for a while, but wasn't going to tell anyone until there was a heartbeat. I did a pretty good job not telling anyone but Steve cannot keep a secret, especially when it comes to my pregnancies. He always been the one to spill the beans.

When I found out, I had no idea how far along I was because my body has issues. But according to the pregnancy "wheels" at work I would have been 5 weeks farther along then I really am. So pretty much it's a miracle baby, and I'm so grateful. But before I found out, I had a dream where I just knew I was pregnant. I was just positive of it in my dream. To make it so I didn't think about it all day long I took a pregnancy test expecting it to be negative (we've been 'trying' for over a year now). Obviously, the outcome was the opposite of what I expected.

I know we're not past the safety zone of the 12 weeks, but there were so many people who already knew. And I think about it all the time. Not only because of morning sickness and my super human pregnancy smelling, but because I'm already starting to show (one more reason why you should be 'in shape' before you get pregnant, especially with your third)!

At my first doctors appointment (about a month ago) I found out I was about 5 weeks. It was hard to tell because there was just a yolk sack, nothing inside yet. But that was their estimation. It was pretty accurate because at my appointment this last Monday, I was 8 weeks 6 days. But there was an awesome heartbeat. Nice and fast, and definately strong (it was visible on the ultrasound).

We're very excited to finally make another addition to our family. The kids are thrilled, and Squirt is convinced it's a boy and calls him baby Max. I'm not so sure about the name Max (it is starting to grow on me though), but I'm happy that they're actually thinking about it. It is kind of hard telling the kids so early because Squirt doesn't understand why I can't just go to the hospital and have the baby already. I tried to explain how small the baby is and that it needs to keep growing until March. I think he's starting to get it...maybe.

I'll try to do regular updates, or else I could possibly start a separate blog just for pregnancy. I'm not sure yet. I'll be thinking about that in between waves of nausea and trying to live a normal life. :)

Does this baby make me look fat?

2008-08-27T09:26:00.004-06:00

Yes, you read that right. I said baby.

Ewwww... Gross....

2008-08-22T09:28:00.005-06:00

I'm tired of looking at the bugs so here are some pictures to push the bugs down!

Sometimes the angle of the picture really matters

Don't ask, because I don't know.

My cowboy...?

"Can I please go on a ride?"

"How about this one? Please?"

Again, I don't know.

Boys with their toys.

A beautiful girl, with beautiful flowers.

Will you be my ringtone?

2008-08-21T15:11:00.005-06:00

This would be another Squirtism. Enough said.

Scorpions in Idaho?

2008-08-18T18:37:00.003-06:00

Not quite, but close. Last night after I did the dishes, I noticed this disgusting little creature on my counter top. I didn't actually take this picture, but it looked exactly like this. At first I thought it looked a little crab-like. Wondering how in the world a crab could live in Idaho, I googled it. I'll save you the trouble. It's called a pseudoscorpion. Or you can find more here. Turns out we didn't need to kill it. It isn't harmful to humans, only other bugs. And they're very rare, but are hitchhiking bugs. They can hitchhike on flies (and other bugs), which we have a lot of because of the hot weather.

We also have a lot of earwigs. They totally creep me out. If I find them, they don't live long.

I am not a bug person at all, any advice for getting rid of earwigs?

Have you read them?

2008-08-15T14:07:00.005-06:00

I don't want to share any spoilers with anybody who is still reading them (namely Trisha), so I won't say anything about the books. But I want to know what you think. Are you happy with the series? Are you happy with the ending? Or do you now feel like it was a waste of your time? Leave a comment and let me know. So here's the official warning:

If you don't want to see spoilers, don't read the comments!!!!

p.s. Can you tell who I like best? Look at my background for a hint!

Online Again!

2008-08-14T13:45:00.006-06:00

It took me awhile to decide on an internet company (the options are few at our new house and not very promising!), but we finally have internet again! I'm so excited! Now I can actually check my email and update my blog! The kids want to go out and swim in the yard, so here are a few pictures since it's been so long.

Has is it really been a month?

2008-07-30T22:25:00.003-06:00

I have felt really busy lately, but I honestly didn't think a month had gone by. We have been crazy and I'm hoping it's going to settle down soon. As far as I've heard though, it never settles down! Life is always crazy.

Since my last post we have gone to a 10 year high school reunion (and if you think it was mine, you're toast!), had family in town (A LOT, just the way we like it!), celebrated the 4th, had a Smith Family reunion (and it was a blast!), had family in town (again), celebrated our 5th anniversary, found out we were moving, had a Godfrey family reunion, packed, had family in town (still... :), moved, and cleaned our old place. That basically catches you up to today. We just moved our stuff over yesterday and finished cleaning the old place today. We're thinking of going into the moving business. We do it often enough, we're basically pros! But in case you're wondering where we ended up, we're in Rigby again! WOOHOO!!! It's about time right?

Pictures will have to wait a couple days, but I promise there will be pictures! And stay tuned for more Smith family adventures. I guarantee there are more in our future!

ps- Happy Anniversary Blog! This past year has been great, and you've helped me learn so much in the blogging world. Where would I be without you!?! Probably a lot more organized with a clean house, clean kids, hot dinner, and a lot more free time!!! Happy Blogging!

Coming Soon:

2008-07-29T09:51:00.001-06:00

Updates! I promise! I will update on our crazy life...but not today!

It's All Okay Now

2008-06-26T09:13:00.003-06:00

Don't worry everyone (your concern was overwhelming in the measly 2 comments I received in the past week. Thanks Trish and Kara!). Everything turned out just fine. It was sort of like a widow zombie yogurt incident. And clearly I don't remember it all very well because, well, I was the zombie. And the yogurt was all too traumatizing so I don't really want to remember that. However, like I said, everything worked out. Of course I am a zombie again today, but we're planning on no, I repeat NO yogurt today.

I feel like...

2008-06-21T15:31:00.001-06:00

...pulling my hair out!

Where's my unicycle?

2008-06-20T12:35:00.004-06:00

Another morning conversation with Squirt:

Squirt: "Where's my unicycle?"

Me: "Did you just say unicycle?"

Squirt: "Yes, you know, my toy."

Me: "You don't have a unicycle."

Squirt: " Yes I do, and it has yellow on it."

Of course the fact that it has yellow on it is supposed to make me remember that he has a unicycle and where it is. But he doesn't have one. He's too funny sometimes.

(About the picture: I took this a few weeks ago when Squirt, before eating them, was putting his grapes in his cheeks. Like I said before, too funny.)

Jefferson Stampede Parade

2008-06-17T10:04:00.004-06:00

On Saturday we went to the parade in Rigby and had so much fun! We don't usually get to spend a whole lot of time as a family, but we got to spend the whole day together. Squirt's favorite part was mostly the candy. But his second favorite part would have to be the fire engines.

I think I've been taking a lot of pictures lately because Squirt has started to tell me that he doesn't want any pictures! That's pretty much what he was telling me in the picture below!
The kids got to go on a "train ride" and absolutely loved it!
They got to play (one time) on the bouncy toys. Lucy refused to climb this one wall by herself, so I got go too! Heehee!
And I know we totally spoiled them that day (we might as well somtimes, at least while there are only two!), but they got to get their faces (or an arm if you're Squirt!) painted and have pony rides too.

Even Steve went for a little jaunt. Isn't my husband a hoot?

His Name is 05

2008-06-16T11:32:00.004-06:00

Steve's brother Aaron is working with a friend to make sure these elk get fed and he let us go see them and even pet them! It was amazing. The picture below is the one elk that came up to us and is very nice. Apparently he's very photogenic also!Here is Aaron letting Squirt pet 05.
Before we went in to see the elk, Squirt and Lucy were climbing this rock hill and then sliding back down. This was my view from the tractor while we waited to leave.

What I'd like to be doing.

2008-06-13T11:58:00.002-06:00

After working two nights in a row, I'm exhausted. And no, this is not what my kids are doing right now. This was a couple weeks ago when I put a movie on for quiet time. It must have been a miracle.

TuTu with PaPa

2008-06-12T12:41:00.000-06:00

Silly Shoppers

2008-06-11T16:32:00.002-06:00

These two are so silly! I rarely let them both get the little shopping carts, but it had been such a good day and I was feeling very patient! They both did a great job until the very end and my patience was running out too.

If it's not monsters, it's girls.

2008-06-03T08:16:00.004-06:00

Until just recently Squirt would wake up multiple times a night saying he was afraid of monsters. We got tired of that and told him we would start taking away toys if he couldn't sleep in his own bed all night. And he did, sleep in his own bed, I mean. But this morning it was a different problem.

Squirt: "I was running away from them and they were chasing me. I was trying to get to my friends."

Me: "Who was chasing you?"

Squirt: "Girls. Girls were chasing me and they were trying to kiss me and they were wearing lipstick. I was running away from them."

All I could do was laugh.

Thankful Thursday (x2)

2008-05-15T18:21:00.006-06:00

Last Thursday was kind of hectic so I didn't get to post for Thankful Thursday. So today, you get two! First off, I am thankful for my amazing husband. I just love him! I love that he is honest, caring, dedicated, loyal, and hilarious! He always knows how to make me smile *even when we're fighting and I'm trying to be mad! Which can be so aggravating!*. And he is an awesome dad. The kids are on his heels the moment he gets home from work until they are going to bed. Even then they beg for him to read them stories *secretly I hope I am a better story reader, but who knows, I'm reading to toddlers!*, which he does.

I am so thankful that I married Steve *who lately I've been calling Steven, weird I know.*. I am thankful for the man he is, and for the person he helps me to be. I love you Steven!

One more thing I'm thankful for is American Idol. I am the type of person who will be loyal to a show and watch it every week. I'll get so caught up in the show that I'll think about it in the middle of the week. But this season I didn't have anything to watch. All the shows that I had been loyal to had ended *not that they weren't good shows, they had just been going for a decade... or close*. So I picked up on American Idol and fell in love with it! I admit I've probably only been so loyal since the person I am a fan of is still in the running, but I like to "judge" the contestants and use that ear for music that I was blessed with and haven't used in a long time! *That was a really long sentence! Sorry...*

Answer: $51.00

2008-05-06T18:49:00.003-06:00

Question: How much does it cost to fill 3/4 of the gas tank in your Xterra when gas costs $3.47/gallon.

Just in case you wanted to know.

Free Diapers?

2008-05-04T08:44:00.003-06:00

What would you do to get free diapers for a year?!? I think the real question is 'what wouldn't you do?' A friend of mine has entered her baby in a cutest baby contest or as they've so cutely named it 'Baby Idol'. This little guy is Mason, he's just over a year old and he's darling! You should vote for him even if you don't know Keri. Common let's support other mom's dreams. And with the cost of diapers *and everything else* constantly rising, anything free is a good thing!

To vote all you have to do is go here. There will be a page full of babies pictures, at the bottom of the page you can enter your favorite babies name *of course Mason will be your favorite*. Type in Mason M and click submit. It's that easy! Now go, vote, and feel good!

Mother of Mason: Keri Motley