Mama's Hugs

Up, Up, Up

2012-02-06T07:57:00.000-08:00

Evelyn loves to climb. I often find her with one leg on either side of the edge of my couch perched comfortably. She can never seem to get high enough, fast enough. Maybe because she's surrounded by tall people and things all day long. So, I asked around and a good friend donated her baby slide to us. Evelyn is in heaven!

This was her initial investigation last Friday. She's an old pro now.

When she saw me pull out the camera she had to get closer for a picture. I don't think she realized I had been taking pictures all along. She's learning as much about technology as she is everything else. She's learned how to turn on my cell phone and press the screen to make things happen. She can also get her little finger onto the ipad while the kids are playing their hot new game "Where's My Water".

Also, just fyi, the title of this blog comes from a song I heard on XM radio called Up, Up, Up by the Givers. Check it out, it's pretty fun.

Waiting For A Handout

2012-02-04T10:27:00.000-08:00

This is what our cat does every time Evelyn sits down to a meal. He's learned that sometimes she gets turkey with her lunch and sometimes it falls on the floor (because she doesn't really like turkey).

Not today, though. Today, it was just bananas. Poor Peter.

pictures taken on January 23

Faith, Trust, and Primary

2012-01-30T08:17:00.000-08:00

I guess I've been in a thoughtful mood lately. I usually try to break up my wordy posts with pictures of what the kids are up to but once again I have a thought I'd like to remember and realized I better write it down before I forget or the whirlwind of life takes away my chance.

Earlier last week I took a look at my upcoming primary lesson. There was an attention activity that went something like this...

Give the children a 20 inch piece of string. Have them hold one end of the string in their right hand and the other end in their left hand. Ask them to tie a knot in the string without letting go of the ends. This is actually impossible so after asking the children if it's too hard you have them try it again but first have them fold their arms and pick up one end of the string with their right hand and the other with their left hand. Have them hold onto the ends as they unfold their arms. The string will be knotted.

Despite how cool that activity idea was I then read this...

Point out that the children could tie the knot when you showed them how to do it. Tell the children that in the same way we all have challenges in our lives that might seem impossible to solve if we do all we can and put our trust in Heavenly Father, he will help us find the answers.

Right then I started to cry. On that particular evening Ryan was out of town and I was feeling overwhelmed with the challenges that were coming up in the next few days. I often feel overwhelmed with not being able to get done all the things I think need to be done for the home, the kids, my husband, neighbors, friends, etc. I was feeling particularly caught up in the emotion especially since I needed to sew a hole in Cameron's new winter coat and lacking the needed sewing skills I had no idea how to do it. It was late and I was tired and just wanted to go to bed.

Then Ryan called. I told him what I was feeling and he simply asked why I didn't ask God for help. Part of me felt frustrated and I said, why would God help me with something silly like sewing Cameron's coat? And how can he help me with being able to have enough time to do all the things I feel are important like working with Eden on her spelling words, helping Austin with reading, making sure the kids do their piano, etc. all while getting dinner ready and running around for all the afternoon activities? It seemed impossible to me that God could help me with something I just needed to DO myself. If I had more time and more energy I could get it all done but it wasn't like God could add hours to the day.

Ryan told me that I was being prideful and lacking faith. That stung pretty bad and I wanted to hang up and be done with the conversation but I decided to take a minute and be honest with myself. I knew what he said was true but I didn't know what to do about it. I felt trapped in my emotions and anxieties. Once again he told me to pray about it and we hung up.

So I did what he asked. I prayed and asked for help to sew the ridiculous hole in Cameron's coat so she could wear it to school the next day. Amazingly, I was able to get it all put together. It doesn't look pretty but if you don't look too closely you can't really see the crooked job I did. I felt a little better and went to bed.

Obviously, last week was a bit of a challenge. Instead of things getting easier, they got harder. But looking back on it now I see how much I was blessed. There were people to help me, family, neighbors, and friends. And I was blessed with inspiration to know how to handle each challenge as it came about. I had the energy and health that I needed and by the end of the week I was able to see that I had accomplished everything I needed to do.

Then on Saturday morning Ryan and I ran a 10k. I thought I was crazy. I should have taken advantage of the day to rest after such a long week but instead I ran my best 10k ever. I finished 9 minutes faster than the last 10k I ran a few years ago. Just a few weeks ago I wouldn't have been able to go that fast but I've been running with a sweet neighbor who has been pushing me to go faster.

If you had asked me earlier that week what was possible I would have said only a few things of the many I was able to accomplish. When my friend Kelly asked me what time I expected to get for the 10k I told her I just wanted to beat 1 hr. 9 min. but in my heart I had my doubts. Now, I'm sitting here in awe of what a little faith, trust, and a primary lesson can do.

Finally, as I was putting the finishing touches on my lesson for Sunday I came across 1 Nephi 15:8. Nephi had just told his brothers about his vision of the tree of life and all the things he saw regarding the future. They said they couldn't understand what he was talking about and he said, "...Have ye inquired of the Lord?" Then in verse 9 they say, "... We have not; for the Lord maketh no such thing known unto us." It hit me that I sounded just like that when I thought the Lord couldn't help me with things that seemed so out of His control. But I hadn't even bothered to ask. It was a reminder to me that the Lord expects us to be able to accomplish much, but not alone. He always invites us to Ask for all things we are in need of.

A New Color of Love

2012-01-29T17:51:00.000-08:00

I just finished reading Ally Condie's latest novel Crossed which is the second book in her Matched Trilogy. I don't remember much about the first book since I read it so long ago but this one was such a pleasure. Much of it takes place in slot canyons which, as you may know, are some of my favorite places to play. And the way she describes the scenery of the canyons took me away to some of my favorite hideaways, like Zion and Arches, the Fiery Furnace and Bryce. But the book is also full of descriptions of love that I found beautiful and poetic. I wanted to quote my favorite so I would remember it...

Ky

"When I was small my mother tried to teach me the colors. "Blue," she said, pointing to the sky. And "blue" again, the second time pointing to teh water. She told me I shook my head because I could see that sky blue was not always the same as water blue.

It took me a long time-until I live in Oria-to use the same word for all the shades of a color.

I remember this as we walk through the canyon. The Carving is orange and red, but you'd never see this kind of orange and red back in the Society.

Love has different shades. Like the way I love Cassia when I thought she'd never love me. The way I loved her on the Hill. The way I love her now that she came into the canyon for me. It's different. Deeper. I thought I loved her and wanted her before, but as we walk through the canyon together I realize this could be more than a new shade. A whole new color."

I often think about how my love for Ryan has changed throughout the years. It's amazing that you could ever love someone more than just a few years ago or even a few weeks ago. And yet life, and challenges, and experiences change us, add layers to us, shades us. This passage struck home to me because it was such a perfect way to describe how I feel.

Oh My Wednesday

2012-01-25T16:01:00.000-08:00

I've said before that Wednesdays are jinxed and today was no exception. I think next Wednesday I'll stay in bed and see if anything still goes wrong.

I had the day all planned, carpools arranged, babysitters scheduled, lunches packed, diaper bag packed, all so I could take Eden to Primary Children's in Riverton for an EGD and biopsy of her throat. We had to leave at 7 am which meant I needed to be up at 5:45 am. So, last night, Dallin got the stomach flu. He was sick all night. I checked on him at 2:30 and heard him again at 4:40 but couldn't quite drag myself out of bed for that one because I had gotten up at 3:00 ready to give Evelyn medicine because she had been fussing a lot but she fell back asleep before I got the medicine ready.

I still got up at 5:45 and got myself ready. Then I checked on Dallin again. He wanted more Sprite. As I went to get it out of the fridge in the garage I dropped it. When I opened it in the sink in the kitchen, very slowly and carefully, it exploded all over me. I cleaned up the floor and the counter, took Dallin his Sprite and changed my whole outfit.

Somehow I got out the door with Eden by 7:08. Grandma came to take care of the baby and Cameron left for orchestra. Then Grandma called and told me Austin was laying on his floor complaining his stomach hurt. I was well on my way and felt complete despair. Grandma was taking Eve to Joy's at 10:30 because she had a big Relief Society lunch to put on. I couldn't leave Austin with Dallin because Dallin couldn't even move. What was I going to do? Then it came to me. Cameron. Cameron has already had the flu and is super helpful.

So Grandma took the baby to Joy's, checked Cameron out of school and took her home to take care of Dallin and Austin. Austin ended up definitely being sick but Cameron did a great job getting her brothers Sprite and blankets and turning on a movie.

I got home in time to get Cameron back to school for lunch. They were having pizza. But Eden was still pale and dizzy from her procedure and I had no where to put her. So she laid down in my bed with the ipad while the boys each took a couch in the living room.

I still had to pick up school carpool and get Cameron to piano and play practice, all the normal Wednesday madness this afternoon, all while ferrying cups of Sprite to three sick kids.

Fortunately, Evelyn has been a doll and super happy today. She's been practicing standing all by herself and goes from room to room checking on all her siblings. She's so much happier when her whole family is home with her.

The other good news is that Eden's throat is fine. There is no inflammation from her acid reflux. So now I just have to wait for the results of the biopsy and blood work. Hopefully that will give us some answers as to what she's allergic to and what is causing her heartburn.

So, I survived another Wednesday. But like I said, I think next week I'll skip it.

She's Standing

2012-01-25T07:00:00.000-08:00

The day after I got home from the retreat Evelyn had a little surprise for me!

She doesn't stand for very long but at least she can do it. Does this mean she'll start walking now?

Mom's Retreat

2012-01-24T07:00:00.000-08:00

This year our annual retreat was from Wednesday night January 11th to Saturday morning January 14th. It was nice to have the extra day. I felt very relaxed but still got a lot done and had a lot of fun. I even had time to go running...

and on Thursday Kelly and I made a special trip to the temple.

I always love this weekend because I get to spend time visiting with the wonderful friends that I miss so much from the Canyon Ridge Ward.

Like the twins...

and my best friend Kelly,

and so many wonderful women who have influenced my life in many ways. These women helped teach me about motherhood and how to raise my children. I look to them for advice and look up to them as examples of righteousness. They were also there for me during some of my greatest challenges and were a huge support to me. I feel so blessed to have friends like these in my life.

I also look to them to have lots of fun and some of these ladies are downright wild and hillarious. It felt good to laugh long and late into the night. Or even when waiting in a crazy long line for the Friday night dinner...

I'm not a very good late night person but I managed to stay up way past my bedtime to play some games, eat too many treats and watch movies in the packed theater room.

Friday night is always the biggest night at the retreat. I think we had over 50 women there that night. It was amazing and inspiring.

A little later that night 14 of us crammed into the hot tub. Poor Aniesa didn't have very much room and got stuck out in the cold.

And then, Saturday morning I woke up with the flu. It didn't make for a very close "Smith" picture. Nobody wanted to hug the "contagious" one. I was just impressed I managed to stand long enough for the picture. I felt pretty miserable.

So my weekend got extended a little longer when I got home and Ryan took care of everything so I could sit on the couch and feel miserable for the rest of the day.

Sunday Sweetness

2012-01-23T07:00:00.000-08:00

On Sunday afternoon January 8th Eden brought up the ponies to play with Evelyn. They played so sweetly together. It made for a wonderfully quiet afternoon.

Things always get a little crazier when Austin gets involved but they still had a good time.

First Birthday Party

2012-01-22T07:00:00.000-08:00

For Evelyn's first birthday I made her favorite dinner, Fried Rice, and this beautiful cake with homemade frozen yogurt. Grandma Sheri and Grandpa Darrell joined us for dinner.

Evelyn loves Fried Rice but I guess she wasn't in the mood for peas that night. She would take a big bite of rice with carrots, peas, egg, ham, etc. and just spit out the peas. Every time, pop, pop, out they would come. It was hillarious. Ryan got it on video.

I think the other kids were more excited for her presents. She just loved playing with the bows.

She loves books so she was ready to be done with presents when she opened this book. Usborne books has such a nice selection of board books for babies.

She definitely didn't know what to do with the candle on her cake but it got taken care of by the rest of the kids.

Evelyn's first birthday was an emotional rollercoaster for me. It wasn't so much because she's my last baby as it was that I couldn't believe how fast this year went by. I look at this year as someone might who has just climbed a mountain or ran their first marathon. I did it! I made it through a crazy year with five kids and although Evelyn had no schedule, rarely gets more than two hours of naps during the day, gets shuffled in and out of the car constantly and gets manhandled by all her siblings she survived. And she is a pleasant, happy, beautiful person to be around. She fits right in to this crazy house and adds a dimension that I couldn't have anticipated. Cameron loves to read her stories, Eden will play dolls with her, Austin wrestles and chases her all over the living room while she squeals in delight, and Dallin holds and comforts her when she just needs to be loved. Everyone in the family has a special relationship with her and each of their talents shines in the way they treat her. I never anticipated seeing so much love in and around one little person. Our family has come together to help take care of and raise Evelyn. The load is not on my shoulders alone and I appreciate everyone's willingness to help. It allows me to help everyone else in their own turn. I think I am just in awe of how family's can come together and get closer during challenging times. The Lord definitely knew that Evelyn needed to be a part of our family and I'm glad I had the faith in him to take that leap.

Evelyn Turns One!

2012-01-21T07:00:00.000-08:00

On January 6th Evelyn turned one. She isn't walking yet or even standing. She is completely comfortable with crawling and she's pretty fast too. I got her this little truck for Christmas thinking it would encourage her to walk more. The morning of her birthday I found her over by my winter decorations with her truck pulling the little snow animals off the table. When I turned back I saw her walking the truck with the little animals tucked in the back!

It's so hard to get a picture of her doing anything cute because she inevitably stops doing it once I pull out the camera. She pulled her dolls off the tuck and posed for a picture. What a ham!

But it was soon back to fun and games. I just wish this meant she was going to walk soon.

Big Brother

2012-01-20T07:00:00.000-08:00

Thursday nights are usually the most quiet in our house. We get homework done early and have time to relax before bedtime. Evelyn took full advantage of Dallin's undivided attention to play peak a boo for about half an hour. It was really cute. This chair has a hole in the back and she would duck down and say "hi" then pop up over the chair and say "hi".

pictures taken January 5, 2012

Brush Your Teeth

2012-01-19T13:08:00.000-08:00

Evelyn loves watching me brush my teeth so I bought her one of her own. I helped her brush her teeth in the bathroom then set her down to finish getting ready for the day. When I came out to the living room this is what I saw, except she was happily watching tv while brushing her teeth.

I sat down on the floor with her and we read a few stories together. It's nice to have a morning when I don't have to rush out the door to run errands. I decided to capture the moment.

pictures taken January 4, 2010

Christmas Fun Extended

2012-01-19T13:04:00.000-08:00

Ryan's sister came up to Utah with her family for a few days after Christmas. The kids had so much fun with their cousins but the best part was getting one more day when Deb and Stu decided to wait until Wednesday January 4th to return home. Our kids started school on the third but spent the rest of that afternoon playing games with their cousins.

When it was finally time to say goodbye they were all smiles. It was a great Christmas break.

What I Know

2012-01-16T07:00:00.000-08:00

I just got back from my annual Retreat weekend. It was wonderful and as in the past I spent most of the weekend scrapbooking, in a sense. My scrapbooking has changed into blogging and my blogs get turned annually into a book that I publish just for my family, like a scrapbook. So I spent the weekend copying posts from the year 2010 into a book that I will publish when I'm finished. I've been enjoying reading these past posts and as I'm going through the year I'm feeling a sense of identity and pride in who I am. I look back on that year as particularly hard because it was the year I chose to have my last baby. It was a hard choice and a hard pregnancy and that's all I seem to remember. But as I've read these posts and looked at all the pictures of the places we traveled to and the activities we did I am amazed at how much I accomplished and how much of it I did with a smile. I was pretty sure I didn't smile at all that year.

I've also noticed something else. I've spent the last thirteen years of my life raising children. I often feel like that's all I've done and that's all I am. But reading these past posts has shown me how much I've grown and how much I've learned. I am a mother but I have also become a teacher, a fashion coordinator, a chef, a mass production manager, a photographer, an event planner, a project manager, a cheerleader, a psychiatrist, a veterinarian, a doctor, and most of all a writer.

I am so grateful for these posts or in other words, a written account, by me, of what I have accomplished. Otherwise I know I would have forgotten these things. Especially the day to day experiences that disappear if they aren't written down. It's the little stories that I have found touch my heart the most. The funny things the kids have said or the small accomplishments I have made. All these little things are adding up as I read and I can't help but feel a sense of self worth. I know who I am through the deeds that I've done and the things that I learned because I wrote them down.

A Special Visit

2012-01-15T07:00:00.000-08:00

The day after Christmas was very relaxing and ended with a nice dinner with Ryan's family. Thursday we took three of the kids to my sister Jacque's house and Dallin went and stayed with his cousin Kolby so Ryan and I could take a trip with the baby to St. George. It was a quick trip but totally worth it. It was the first time in 10 years I've been able to see one of my best friend's from high school, Shannon. I finally got to meet her sweet husband Tim and her beautiful two month old baby girl Ava Jane. They were visiting her mom who has lived in St. George for the past seven years.

We had a really nice dinner with Ryan's friend Mark and his wife Eliza who also live in St. George and then went to see Shannon for an hour or so Thursday night and then for a couple more hours on Friday morning. It was nice to get caught up on her life and know that she is happy and doing really well. She also put the pressure on me to get going with plans for our twenty year reunion in 2012. After such a nice visit I felt more motivated to get together with old friends even if it means organizing the event.

On a side note, Ryan's sister Deb decided to make a trip up to Utah that same week. We met them in Cedar City on our way down to St. George and their way up to stay with Rich and Joy. We chatted for a few minutes and then were back on our way. When we got back into town we spent the next couple of days getting the cousins together for late nights and play dates and dinners and all sorts of fun.

Finally, Christmas Day! Woohoo!

2012-01-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

We woke the kids up at 7 am Christmas morning so they would have time to see their Santa present before church. We had church at 9 am!

I was a little stressed about giving the kids enough time for their gift and a nice breakfast and still get to church on time but it all worked out smoothly. We had a really wonderful sacrament meeting. Brother Harris gave a wonderful talk on the Savior and his atonement for us and then ward members were invited to come share their testimony about their favorite hymn and we all sang the first verse of that hymn. Most of the songs were Christmas ones but there were a few other hymns too. The spirit was really song and I had to wipe my eyes a few times. It was a wonderful way to feel the spirit of Christmas.

When we got home I was worried Evelyn would be too tired to open presents but I also didn't want to make the kids wait a couple more hours either. So we decided to push Evelyn a little longer and open presents. It worked out really well because when we finally did put her down for a nap she slept for almost 4 hours!

Everyone seemed really happy with their gifts. Some of the hits were: a pass for four weeks of snowboarding lessons at Sundance for Dallin, a Kindle Fire for Cameron, a helicopter for Austin, skis for Eden, and a ride on toy for Evelyn.

It was a wonderful Christmas and I was so happy when it was all over. :)

Christmas Eve

2012-01-13T07:00:00.000-08:00

We went to Grandma Bobbi's for dinner on Christmas Eve. She had a big bag of gifts for every family. After dinner each family took a turn opening their gifts so Grandma could watch all the children's faces.

Like this one

This little purse that Evelyn got has turned out to be one of her most favorite toys. Who knew a little baby girl would love to have a purse? Did I even need to ask that?

We love watching Grandmas face when she opens our presents too.

Christmas Lights at Temple Square

2012-01-12T07:00:00.000-08:00

Ryan's family has a tradition of riding Trax and going to see the lights at Temple Square every year before Christmas. This year we went on December 23rd. We met at Applebees in Sandy for dinner and then rode the train to Salt Lake. The kids love that part. I put the baby in the snuggli because I remembered that Temple Square is super crowded and managing the stroller is always a challenge. I also hoped it would keep both of us a little warmer.

The nativity

Aunt Joy and Kalvin

There were a lot of people in our group this year.

It was cold and late but Evelyn did great. She didn't complain at all and loved looking at all the lights. She was still wide awake when we got home at 10:30 pm. I forsaw a long nap in her future.

Two Places At Once

2012-01-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

The last few days before Christmas break are full of class parties, teacher's gifts, crafts and extra things. One of those extra things turned out to be a presentation on Russian culture for the sixth graders. Fortunately, Ryan had just finished scanning in all of my pictures from my time in Russia and I was able to put together a really cool slideshow. The problem came when I realized the presentation was going to be at the same time as Eden's Polar Express Parade. So I called in backup. Ryan's mom came to watch Austin and the baby. And Ryan came to help me set up my laptop and then headed over to Eden's parade. It went something like this..

My presentation

Then Ryan running to catch Eden's Polar Express Parade (we spent the better part of Sunday afternoon working on her train car)

Then Ryan coming back and taking pictures of my presentation. They actually had the music from the parade playing on the sound system throughout the whole school. I tried to wait until the song was over to continue the slideshow but it was a long song so I finally just talked over it.

After the parade Ryan snuck into the gym to get a picture of Eden before the movie started.

Just as I was walking out of the Little Theater we noticed Eden's class lined up outside the doors to the gym and were able to snag this last picture. It was hectic but I was so glad I got to see her all cute in her pj's.

That was one crazy morning but it all worked out great.

Birthday Party Part 2

2012-01-10T11:00:00.000-08:00

It was Dallin's year for a friend birthday party so Saturday December 17th he went to Lowe's Extreme Air Sports with a bunch of buddies. They did an hour and a half session on the trampolines and then came back to our house for pizza and cake.

(Cameron may kill me one day but I just have to point out how nice she looks. She had been wearing sweats all day but just before the boys got back she ran upstairs to change. She's even wearing a necklace. I never said anything to her but I did notice.)

Dallin is a Teenager!

2012-01-10T07:00:00.000-08:00

Dallin's birthday started early Friday December 16th. We had him open his presents just after a yummy pancake breakfast. There was a sneaky reason for this.

See if you can guess what we had planned for Dallin that day...

Ryan took the day off work and we checked Dallin out of school. Then they headed up to Sundance to go snowboarding with Dallin's new gear. They tried the bunny hill for a while but decided it wasn't steep enough for snowboarding. Then Ryan remembered that a buddy at work had invited him to a free day of skiing at Sundance that day. He went up to the ticket counter and asked if they had a Novell special that day. The lady said No. He thought for a second and then said, "how about The Chamber of Commerce?" She said Yep and handed him two lift tickets for the day! The boys spent the rest of the day riding the lifts and skiing (Ryan) or boarding (Dallin). Ryan said Dallin did really well for his second time being on a board. Dallin was happier that night than I've ever seen him. Just wait till he gets his Christmas present!

Getting Ready For Bed

2012-01-09T07:00:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, as I'm updating my blog, I come across little surprises like this. Eden loves taking pictures with her camera. She took this picture while they were getting ready for bed on December 15th.

I imagine Ryan took this next picture. He usually tucks the kids in. He gives Evelyn her bottle and puts her to bed first. Then he snuggles with the girls and kisses them goodnight.

Cameron reads as she patiently waits for Ryan to tuck her in. Eden's supposed to be reading too but I guess tonight she was busy snuggling.

Cameron's Orchestra Christmas Concert

2012-01-08T15:31:00.000-08:00

Cameron has been learning to play the Viola this year as part of a combined school sixth grade orchestra. She goes to another elementary school three mornings a week for practice. The mom's worked out a carpool so I drive all the girls there at 7:10 am on wednesday and friday and other moms picks up the girls and takes them all to their school in time for school to start at 8:30 am. It has made for some crazy mornings but Cameron really enjoys it.

On December 14th she performed for the 5th and 6th grades of both schools. Our school walked to their school at 9 am and then walked back after the performance. Cameron got to play a song with her friend Emily on the violin and another girl on the cello.

That night the orchestra performed again for all the parents. I'm really impressed with how much the students have learned in just a couple of months.

After the performance the conductor had the students play an encore and invited the parents to come up and take pictures. Cameron is so cute.

Christmas Sing Along

2012-01-06T07:00:00.000-08:00

We had the annual Christmas sing along at Jacque's house this year. It was nice and cozy and lots of fun. This picture is kind of a Where's Waldo. See if you can find all the Smith kids.

Christmas Piano Recital

2012-01-05T07:00:00.000-08:00

The kids Christmas piano recital was on Saturday morning December 10.

First Eden played a duet. They only practiced twice together and it turned out pretty good.

Eden played another song by herself and then another duet with Cameron. My favorite part was how she ducked her head close to the keys when she was supposed to play super quiet. It was the cutest thing.

Cameron then played Claire De Lune. She had the whole thing memorized and it was 5 1/2 minutes long! It was beautiful. She did such a great job. All this time she's been practicing and I never realized how long the song was.

Then she played a duet with Dallin.

And for the finale Dallin played Turkish March. That is one hard song to play and he had it memorized too. He just needs his hands to grow a little bit so he can reach the hard parts.

There were about 10 or so other students that played too and they all did a great job. I'm really happy with the kids piano teacher and the technique and skills she's teaching them.

Dallin's Winter Band Concert

2012-01-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

Dallin's taking Percussion in Jr. High this year. He played the bells and the big bass drum at their winter concert on December 6th.

The band sounded pretty good considering most of these kids have only been playing for a few months.

Wicked

2012-01-03T13:09:00.000-08:00

On December 3, 2011 Cameron and I saw Wicked in California with my Dad and Kathy. It was so much fun. Cameron and I have been trying to get tickets for years. I finally decided the only way it would work is if I went outside of Utah, they sell out too fast here.

Don't they all look great.

Inside the Pantages Theater foyer. We were allowed to take pictures here.

I wasn't supposed to take pictures inside the theater but I took a quick one before anyone noticed. The theater is so beautiful inside.

We both loved the show. The story was so well done it made me totally want to see it again. Then, the Monday after we got back (it was a quick trip) I was able to buy 4 tickets during our banks presale. The show is coming here in August! I couldn't believe it but I'm so happy Ryan, Dallin, Cameron and Eden will all get to go.

We also had a really nice visit with my Dad and Kathy. It was quiet and relaxing. We got to see their beautiful Christmas tree and enjoy a little warm California weather. The only down part to the whole weekend was at security in Salt Lake. They told me I had to open my Dad's Christmas present and remove the little snowglobe we had gotten him. We had to throw it away because I guess snowglobes pose a serious threat. I was mostly bummed because Eden had picked it out just for my Dad because it had a "G" for Gilroy on it. I guess this is just the world we live in now.

The Morning Sun Rises

2011-12-31T07:00:00.000-08:00

If you wake up early on a cloudy morning in November this is what you get to see just before the sun rises. It takes my breath away every time but that's about as long as it lasts so I often miss it. This picture was taken on November 24th.

Thanksgiving Feast

2011-12-30T07:00:00.000-08:00

Eden told me that she told her teacher that I would help with her class Thanksgiving Feast Pancake party on November 22nd. There were already several mom helpers but I went anyway. Eden was so happy to show all her friends her little baby sister. About two weeks after this party I found out Eden is severely allergic to wheat and milk. These were probably the last flour pancakes she'll ever have.

Tis The Season!

2011-12-29T07:00:00.000-08:00

Our neighbor Julie Harris took these pictures on November 22nd for a slide show for our ward Christmas party.

Snuggle Bugs

2011-12-28T07:00:00.000-08:00

Picture taken November 21, 2011

Hey Baby, What Do You See?

2011-12-27T15:03:00.000-08:00

Early November 19th we got a bunch of snow. It was impossible to keep Eden and Austin inside when there was so much fun to be had outside. Unfortunately, I won't let Evelyn crawl around in the snow so she has to wait until she learns to walk. I wish that would happen soon. At least she was a happy spectator.

Where's the Kitty?

2011-12-27T14:59:00.000-08:00

There he is! There's nowhere safe to hide.

On November 18th Dallin was getting ready for his last scout campout of the year. Ryan went with him and they woke up the next morning with their tent caving in from all the snow on top. But I sent them with secrets, namely the fleece blankets you see in the picture above, and they stayed toasty warm all night.

Family Pictures

2011-12-16T17:47:00.000-08:00

Back in October we had new family photos taken by our neighbor Laura Henry. She did such a great job and I was so excited but I wanted to wait to post them until our Christmas cards went out. If you follow my blog on Google Reader you will have to go to my original blog and see everyone's updated pictures.

It was so cold I thought for sure the kids would complain but they were all really good sports. We bundled them up in between shots to keep them warm.

Evelyn had so many cute pictures I couldn't pick just one. She just sat on a little log and made the cutest faces.

Evelyn kept trying to eat my necklace while trying to take this shot. It was so funny. We finally got one without her attached to my neck.

My handsome boys. I was so worried the bright sun would make us look shaded but instead it just lit up all the fall colors around us. It was the perfect day and perfect place for a family picture.

Close The Door

2011-11-26T06:00:00.000-08:00

This is what happens if we don't keep the laundry room door closed. It's particularly hard right after the kids come home from school and are hanging up all their school stuff. That's what happened Friday November 18th. What I found was Evelyn and the cat sharing a delightful meal of chicken and rice cat food together. I think that's the longest those two have sat together.

Oh Beautiful

2011-11-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

for spacious skies,

For amber waves of grain,

For purple mountain majesties

Above the fruited plain!

America! America!

God shed his grace on thee

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea!

Wednesdays are always really hard days for me. I even wrote a post the afternoon of November 16th because it had been an especially hard day but decided not to post it because I don't really like complaining on my blog. Then that night as I was rushing around the house getting ready for dinner I glimpsed this view out the front door. I called all the kids to come quick and we took a moment to just stand in awe. In that moment I thought about all the things I'm grateful for; my beautiful children, a wonderful husband, a warm home, food to eat, good health, good friends, a country full of opportunities and freedoms, and a testimony that I am a child of God and that he loves me and knows me. My heart was full.

11-11-11

2011-11-24T07:00:00.000-08:00

I didn't realize I took pictures on the day but I'm so happy I did and that they were of Evelyn. She was due on 1-11-11 (although she came early) and was walking on 11-11-11. Well, almost walking.

I was busy in the kitchen that morning and when I turned around there she was, pushing her little toy and walking. I ran and grabbed the camera.

She's learned to smile for the camera. Have you ever seen anyone so Cheesy?

It didn't last long but it was a start. I'm excited, though. I'm hoping once she starts walking she'll find less things on the floor to put in her mouth.

Doctor Duty

2011-11-23T07:00:00.000-08:00

On Thursday November 10 I had the other three kids tested for allergies. I decided it would be better to know and change everyone's diet now than regret it later.

We were in the waiting room for a while.

But the kids kept themselves entertained.

Unfortunately, Austin was still hurting pretty bad. He laid on the couch in the office looking miserable. The sweet secretary took good care of him while I watched the other kids get their blood drawn. We had Dallin go first. He was so mature and brave. Too bad he almost ended up on the floor. The nurse caught him in time and held him up until he became coherent enough to move to a chair. He ended up being green for about an hour after. Cameron did a little better. She shed a few tears and felt a little shaky but Eden was the big surprise. I was expecting drama from my drama queen. She cried a little but then she was done and ran out to the car while the rest of them hobbled and held on to railings.

At least we know now what to expect if Dallin ever has to give blood again.

No More Tonsils

2011-11-22T07:00:00.000-08:00

On Monday morning, November 7, Austin got his tonsils out. The hospital staff were so sweet to him. They gave him a little blue teddy bear and took him into the operating room in a little red wagon.

Before

After

He spent the next week on the couch in the living room. He went from bad to worse before he got better. He slept a lot and cried a lot when the painkiller wore off. We learned to not let that happen. He finally went back to school on November 15 but only with painkiller. Hopefully he will feel better soon.

Evelyn missed playing with her brother.

10 Months!

2011-11-21T07:00:00.000-08:00

On November 6 Evelyn turned 10 months old. She stands holding on to furniture and toys. She loves to look at books on the couch. She can say "kitty, uh oh, all done" and maybe "hi Dad" or at least something that sounds like that. She also meows like the cat and does a high pitched bark when she hears the dog Chester next door. She likes turkey, rice, peas, sweet potatoes, and Ritz crackers although she eats lots of other things. She has two bottom teeth and is getting two top teeth but not her front ones so she's going to look like vampire baby. I guess that will be perfect for the premier of Breaking Dawn part 1 this month. She can clap her hands and play peak a boo and find anything anyone might have accidentally left on the floor.

Evelyn also loves to give hugs and big wet open mouth kisses. She is still a super happy baby. Her favorite time of day is when all the kids get home from school. I think she's starting to miss them when they're gone. I know they definitely miss her. She's irresistible.

Snow?

2011-11-20T07:00:00.000-08:00

Yes, it snowed the day after Halloween. So much for the beautiful fall weather. The kids begged and begged and begged for me to let them play in the snow. I came down with a really nasty head cold after my half marathon and was feeling really wiped out. The last thing I wanted to do was dig out all the snow clothes. Obviously, I caved. My kids sure do know how to beg.

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-19T07:00:00.000-08:00

Eden and her new birthday scooter. Happy Birthday Eden!

The annual Halloween Parade. Kindergarteners first.

My sister in law Joy dresses up every year. She always goes all out.

Cameron, Emily and Emma

All of the kindergarten classes had a carnival in the gym.

I thought this doughnut on a string was a great idea.

Fishing Pond

The rest of the grades had individual class parties. Eden and Halle.

Cameron, Felicity, Emily and Emma

Ryan was excited to take Evelyn, Eden and Austin trick or treating. Dallin and Cameron were off with friends this year. It's crazy to see them growing up and heading off on their own. Ryan brought Evelyn home after a little while and went back out with Eden and Austin. All the kids got tons of candy.

I'm not sure how Ryan got this photo. He was sneaky sneaky.

It was a beautiful night. The best weather we've had on Halloween in years!

Eden's Birthday

2011-11-18T07:00:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Eden's birthday Sunday night since we knew Halloween would be a full day.

She got lots of girly presents that "all" the girls were excited about.

She asked for "pumpkin pie" for her cake this year.

Five things I love about Eden:

1. She is really good at gymnastics. I love watching her do pullovers on the bar. It's exciting every time.

2. She has a crazy laugh that's contagious.

3. She's a really good friend. She told me about a girl who moved into her class a few weeks after school started. Eden was one of the first ones to welcome her and be her friend. The girl had been through some rough things and I appreciated knowing that Eden became her friend right away.

4. She's very helpful.

5. She loves to be loved. She loves giving hugs and kisses and wrapping her arms around each of her brothers and sisters. She's such a beautiful girl inside and out.

Halloween Half Marathon

2011-11-17T07:00:00.000-08:00

For the past few months I've been training for my first half marathon. I chose the Halloween half on October 29th because it sounded fun and I liked the idea of doing a downhill run (what did I know). I trained by adding a mile a week starting at 6 miles. It was challenging but mostly because it was hard to always find the time for the longer runs. Running at 5 am wasn't my favorite thing.

My friend Kelly decided to run the half with me and started training (with only 6 weeks until the race!) with her neighbor Kim and her sister in law Tricia. I joined them for some of their longer runs on Saturday mornings.

Friday night we got together to drive the course, have dinner, and pick up our packets. The line was crazy long and that was my first glimpse at how many people would be running the race. I started feeling really nervous.

The morning of the race we were supposed to meet at the University Mall and catch a bus up to Aspen Grove where the race would start. I decided the night before to go up a little earlier with my neighbor Kristen who was also running the race. We got up to Aspen Grove at 6 am. They were supposed to have a heated tent where we could all hang out until the race started but when we got off the bus it was dark and there was no one to show us where to go. It was below freezing. The crowd eventually made it's way along a dark path that did indeed lead to a tent but it was not very warm. My friend and I huddled in her blanket until a few more thousand people showed up and the tent got warm.

Kelly, Kim and Tricia showed up about 30 min. later along with my brother Adam. I started feeling more excited and even more nervous. Kelly had bought wings for us to wear and brought face paint. I was a little hesitant about wearing face paint myself since I could just picture it smearing all over the place half way through the run but I didn't mind helping them out with theirs. I did get a little eye shadow. Next year I'll try to get more into the spirit of the race. I was too nervous to think about being silly this time. My longest run so far was only 11 miles and I had been feeling a little under the weather all week. I honestly didn't know what to expect.

I did batwings for Tricia that I think turned out pretty well.

There were about 4,000 people total that ran in the race. They had two groups, one started at 9:00 am and the slower group started at 9:20 am. We were in the 9:20 group. The first 4.5 miles flew by. I could tell it was hard on my legs but we were going so fast downhill and I felt pretty good so I didn't worry about it. My calves were tight but I thought I could run through it. The next 8 some miles after the steep hill were brutal but I managed to run the whole thing without stopping. I had some Gu and some Hammer water while I kept running. I stopped to walk once but a lady behind me asked me to keep going because she was following me. That was just the motivation I needed to keep chugging along. I was very tired by mile 11 but tried to mentally overcome it. Around mile 12 Ryan called and asked if I was about 5 min. away. I almost lost it and tried not to cry while I managed to squeak out that I was maybe 15 min. away. As I was coming around the last turn and saw Ryan and the kids I felt like all the tears I was holding back would come bursting forth. I was exhausted, hungry, and my legs felt like jello. That was the longest part of the whole race. There were so many people crowding the finish line and I just wanted it to be over.

When I finally made it across the finish line I was afraid to even walk because I thought I would collapse. And I was starving! I grabbed a handful of oranges and then I saw the kids and my sister in law Joy (who also ran the race) and I lost it. She hugged me while I cried and cried. I felt so overwhelmed physically and emotionally. After a few minutes the adrenaline kicked back in and I started to feel better.

My friends came in about 5 min. after I did. They have a tendency to stop for water breaks and I was afraid if I stopped I would never get going again. I kept thinking they would catch up to me because they're pretty fast but they didn't.

The strangest part was that I kept looking for Adam at the finish line. He and I ran together for the first mile and then he took off. He looked like he was feeling great and I thought for sure he was going to finish way before me. When he came limping up after the race I was really worried but it turned out he just had sore muscles like I did. I guess he got stuck at the bathroom. It was fun having him there, though, and even better to have someone to commiserate with on Sunday when I felt like my legs were two big bruises with feet attached.

It was a pretty cool race and especially fun to see all the funny costumes people ran in. Maybe I can get better at these long runs and do this again next year without feeling like I'm going to die. I finished with a time of 2:21. I figured with my typical pace I would finish around 2:30 but hoped the downhill would make me faster. I guess it did. But it also blew out all my muscles. I couldn't walk for three days.

Trick or Treat at Novell

2011-11-16T07:00:00.000-08:00

Every year Novell invites children to come trick or treat. I got the kids all dressed up and dropped them off with Dad so I could pick up my packet with the ladies for my big race the next day. It looks like they had a lot of fun.

Austin was Darth Vader.

Eden was a half angel, half devil. Cameron was an inmate with a mullet and scary face. Evelyn was a butterfly in a tootoo (I don't know, it was something she could wear in a pinch). Dallin wore his Ranger's Apprentice cape because I refused to buy him a new costume this year. He's twelve, shouldn't he be done trick or treating?

San Francisco

2011-11-15T07:00:00.000-08:00

As you already know I got to go with Ryan on his business trip to San Francisco from October 23-27. Here's the room we got upgraded to because we mentioned we wanted a fridge I could put milk in for my breakfast in the morning. It came with an entire kitchen, washer/dryer, dining area, living area, small office and bedroom.

And it had an amazing view...

We stayed in the heart of downtown SF and had a blast finding hole in the wall places to eat that were rated 4 stars or higher with our Yelp app. But mostly I stayed in the room and got caught up on my blog. I did 27 posts in 2 days! It was thrilling (but it also gave me a headache).

Tuesday night Ryan was done with meetings by 4 so we decided to walk to Chinatown for dinner. We picked up souvenirs for the kids along the way mostly in the form of warm hats for winter. After dinner we were still looking for something cute for Evelyn when we noticed these...

We got Evelyn the one on the bottom right and talked to the lady that worked there for half an hour. When I told her I had five kids she said, "You Crazy! Me, I had three kids, and they made me Crazy, just crazy. You have too many, you go crazy!" I'm still laughing about that. She was so cute. Usually those store owners try to talk to you so they can convince you to buy more but as we left she said, "Wait, you forgot your free gift." And she gave us a sweet little paper fan. I told her I would put her hats on my blog in case anyone was interested in them (I have her business card with her number). They are all hand made by her sister in law and mother in law. According to her she says, "They don't speak English, they have nothing better to do." She was seriously hilarious. She also said, "I tell them to make Angry Birds, they say, what's Angry Birds?"

Wednesday morning Ryan and I decided to rent a car so we could go across the Golden Gate Bridge and see what was on the other side. The rental places were sold out or wanted to charge $100 until I mentioned to one that Ryan had a gold card. We got a car for $50, walked a block to the rental place, and listened in line for a minute while they turned people away because they were sold out.

We drove across the bridge and had lunch at a great little Greek Deli in Sausilito (thanks again Yelp). Then we headed up the highway to find some lighthouse Ryan wanted to see that was only 30 miles away. When I plugged it in to my navigator it said to get off the freeway at the next exit (crazy lucky) and drive for an hour and a half! It was a cool drive, though, so we didn't mind.

The Point-Reyes lighthouse. It was way out in the middle of nowhere.

We drove down Hwy 1 back towards the bridge and decided to take a detour at Mount Tamalpais State Park hoping we would find some Redwood trees.

And there they were...

We just don't have trees like this in Utah.

On our way back to the bridge we stopped by Muir Park to see more cool trees. By this point I was feeling really carsick, though and ready to get back to the hotel.

It was a really great trip and a wonderful break. And what did my kids do while we were gone? They played with my sister Breanne, her husband Michael, and their little girl Jane.

I got texts like these from Breanne...

Just so I wouldn't forget to miss my cute kids.

Little Mozart

2011-11-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

Cameron thought this was pretty annoying but we thought it was pretty cute.

Pictures taken Sunday October 23.

6th Grade Egyptian Projects

2011-11-13T07:00:00.000-08:00

These projects are pretty much my 6th grade nightmare. Because Dallin did this last year I was all too aware of how much work it was going to take. The students are given a list of crafts to do or papers to write that they can complete for anywhere from 10 to 25 points. They need a total of 75 points worth of projects. Cameron was given her assignment while we were in Moab and had two weeks to complete it. Unfortunately it was a very busy two weeks so she squeezed it in whenever we happened to be home.

She ended up making a Sphinx out of two packages of air dry clay, a Pyramid out of rice crispy treats, and two posters, one depicting five types of Egyptian jewelry and another showing an egyptian picture with hieroglyphs. It was hours worth of work.

We had to take one more picture before she threw these away. It's hard to do all that work and then toss it in the trash.

Pictures taken on October 19

The Pumpkin Patch

2011-11-12T07:00:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday October 18th we made our annual trip to the pumpkin patch.

Red Cliffs

2011-11-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

On Saturday morning, October 15, we saw a parade in St. George and went on a tour of the tabernacle.

Then we went hiking up a trail in Red Cliffs Canyon that led to a slot canyon.

The Little Mermaid

2011-11-10T07:00:00.000-08:00

Back in March I bought tickets to go see The Little Mermaid at the Tuacahn. We went on October 14th. I was excited but it exceeded even my already heightened expectations. It was amazing!

Austin refused to be in any "silly" pictures.

Scuttle

Chef Louis

Flounder

Sebastian

Prince Eric and Ariel

Big Brother

2011-11-09T07:00:00.000-08:00

Cattle Drive

2011-11-08T07:00:00.000-08:00

We finally headed home from Moab Friday morning. I couldn't wait to see the kids again. We were at the summit on Hwy 6 when we saw a police car stopping traffic. We were afraid there was a really bad accident, until we saw all the cows on the road.

And then we saw this guy.

And we understood what was going on. It was a cattle drive. We thought it was so cool we took a whole bunch of pictures.

Just in case you thought our week in Moab wasn't cold enough it snowed Thursday night. We found 3 inches on the ground when we got home.

The squeal I heard from Evelyn when I got in the door was so worth it. She was so happy to see me but not overly upset. I could tell she was fine and well taken care of which made the trip even better.

River Boat Tour

2011-11-07T07:00:00.000-08:00

Thursday morning I called Ryan's mom to see how things were going. She asked me if Evelyn had been clapping before I left. I said, no, and she told me she was feeding Evelyn just then and Evelyn was clapping. It's amazing how much she grows every day. It's hard to miss little things like that. But Sheri said the kids were doing really well and the baby was happy and everything was fine. So I decided we would stay for the last day of our trip.

Once again we met up with Tag-A-Long Adventures and headed out for a jet boat tour on the Colorado River. Of course we had to stop to see some more petroglyphs. They're all over southern utah but no matter how many we see they're still fascinating.

We dressed really warm for this boat trip. We weren't expecting to get wet but it was hailing when we got on the bus so we figured better safe than sorry. Fortunately the rain cleared up just as we got on the boat and we had a really nice trip.

This was our boat driver/tour guide.

Our first stop was to see some petrified wood.

We continued on till the river entered the border for Canyonlands National Park.

This is the view of Dead Horse Point from the Colorado River. A few years ago we drove to Dead Horse Point with the kids. It was July and hot and the kids didn't want to get out of the car to check out the view. I remember looking way down at the river and thinking how cool it would be to be on the river looking up at Dead Horse Point. And here I am! It's amazing how life can come around like that.

I love spending time with Ryan, just the two of us. He's my best friend.

White Water Rafting

2011-11-06T07:00:00.000-08:00

Wednesday morning, once again, we got up at 5:30 am so we could be at Tag-A-Long by 7. We were going White Water Rafting in Westwater Canyon. Since it rained the day before the temperature had dropped significantly. It was windy and the high for the day was about 50 degrees. Not the best day to be on a river.

The first half of the trip wasn't too bad. There weren't any rapids and with Ryan next to me blocking the wind I wasn't too cold. Our tour guides strapped the three rafts together and ran a little motor to move us down the river faster. We were fine with that. The canyons we went through were spectacular. Unfortunately we were so busy looking around we forgot to get pictures. There were steep granite walls, bald eagles, and a slow moving, dark, colorado river. It was so cool.

The guy on the left was our tour guide, Ben, and the guy on the right was the main tour guide. I can't remember his name because I kept calling him Captain Jack Sparrow. He growled and mumbled just like the actor and talked with a loud, enthusiastic voice. He cracked me up, although, I don't think it was intentional.

The guy on the left here is Kim Groneman. It's his job to plan these trips every year. He's a real outdoors man and loves Southern Utah so he plans a lot of trips here.

That's it for my pictures. We stopped for lunch (Mexi Cones again, not so great the second day) and put on our wetsuits and every warm piece of clothing we had. We then went in our individual rafts down 14 class 3 and class 4 rapids for the next hour or so. Ryan was terrified. I've never seen him so pale. We sat in the back of the boat because our guide said it wouldn't be so bad from there but there was one set of falls we went over that launched us both. I thought Ryan was going to end up in the river but at the last second we both fell into the bottom of the raft. We were then swallowed by a huge wave of water and totally drenched. The winds picked up, the rains came, and by the time we got back to the bus my lips were blue and I was shivering uncontrollably. It was pretty fun, though. Our guide was really competent and I was never really worried about falling out of the boat. Not for myself at least.

That night, after warming up in a very long, hot shower, we went out to dinner at a Lodge just outside Moab. Again I went most of the day without cell phone reception and knew the kids were babysitting while Sheri went to Salt Lake. I was feeling very anxious and finally asked the receptionist at the Lodge if I could use the phone. It turned out the kids had had a rough night trying to get Evelyn in bed and take care of everything. On top of that someone stole Austin's new scooter when Dallin rode it to church for his Young Men's activity. Dallin was heartbroken. I told him it was fine and that he and Cameron were doing a great job and I was really proud of them. I told him not to worry about the scooter, that we would get Austin a new one. I felt like maybe I should go home so the kids wouldn't have to worry about anything anymore. Ryan told me to wait and decide in the morning.

Elephant Hill, Canyonlands

2011-11-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

Every year Ryan gets to take a trip for work as part of Novell thanking the NKP's (Novell Knowledge Partner's) that support Novell products and customers, although they aren't Novell employees. It only took me about two years to understand that. The first year I got to go with Ryan we went on a cruise to Hawaii. Last year they went to Marysville, UT and rode ATV's but I was a little too pregnant to go on that trip. I've been waiting all summer for this one; jeeping, white water rafting, and hiking. I don't think Kim Groneman (who plans each trip) could have designed a better trip for me (not that it was even for me) but I was super excited to get to go.

Ryan's mom stayed with the kids while we were gone. I was a little nervous since it was the first time I was away from Evelyn but she did great. We got to Moab on Monday night, October 4th and were up at 5:30 Tuesday morning for our first adventure, jeeping with Tag-A-Long Adventure Company. We left at 7:00 Am and headed to Canyonlands to follow the Elephant Hill trail.

We stopped along the way to see some Petroglyphs and hear a little lesson in Archaeology.

Ryan and I rode with Tim and Olivia Heywood (two of my favorite people). Our driver was Shane, the guy in the blue sweatshirt. He was pretty funny. He reminded Ryan of William H. Macy.

The view just before we reached the trail. I love Southern Utah.

I didn't have very high expectations of the trail before we got started. We were riding in Ford Expeditions and a big beater truck. How hard could it be?

Then I saw this sign.

And this was the road? Within five minutes I had a whole new respect for Ford Expeditions. It turns out there are people with Jeeps who won't take this trail. I was soon feeling a little anxious...

This was the beater truck we rode in.

One of the Expeditions doing what we just did. Do you feel my anxiety?

Remember that truck with the big blue thing on the back that we were riding in? Yeah, we backed down the mountain in that. I held my breath. Shane is a very good driver.

The dents on the side did not occur on our trip. Although, I'm pretty surprised with some of the stuff we did that day.

Like this.

I had to fold in the mirror.

We got to this neat place called Devil's Kitchen and our tour guides made us Mexi Cones for lunch. They were pretty good and very inventive.

I really enjoy visiting with the NKP's. They are some of the most interesting people I've ever met. They come from Germany, Australia, England, Scotland, and the Netherlands. There was even a rocket scientist there, Joe, who was fascinating to talk to. Like I said before, though, my favorite are Tim and Olivia Heywood from Scotland. I feel like seeing them is like reuniting with long lost relatives. They have that rare gift about them that instantly makes you feel loved and special.

Before we went into Canyonlands we got to watch a video about preserving the Cryptobiotic soil in Southern Utah. It's very important in preserving the dessert flora and fauna. The gyst of the movie is - Don't Step On It.

This is what it looks like up close. It helps hold the soil together to retain moisture which allows plants to grow in such an arid environment.

Ryan can't resist pictures of local wildlife.

The jeeping tour ended up at this really great slot canyon trail.

On the way back to the trucks the sky darkened.

And then came the rain.

Then it was back up all that slick rock that was now wet.

I may have used this handle more than once.

I think we were supposed to be back by 7:00 pm. But by the time the sun set we were still over 2 hours from Moab.

It was a very long day. We got back to Moab around 9. I tried to call the kids on the road at 8:30 but kept losing reception. Dallin and Cameron were babysitting since Sheri had to go to Salt Lake and I could hear Austin crying in the background. But by the time I was able to call back around 9:15, Dallin and Cameron had everyone in bed asleep, the house cleaned up, and everything was fine. They are such great kids!

Cameron's Birthday Part 2

2011-11-04T13:00:00.000-07:00

Cameron really wanted to take her friend Breanna to Lowe's Extreme Air Sports (the jumping place) for her birthday. We decided to go while Ryan and Dallin were at the Priesthood Session of Conference. It's a trampoline place right next to my friend Kelly's work. She told us about it over the summer and my kids love it. Who wouldn't? I love just watching what some of these kids can do.

Cameron and Breanna

They have a little section squared off for little kids. Evelyn loves crawling around, I just have to make sure she doesn't eat any of the fuzzies off the floor. She puts Everything in her mouth.

They have trampolines, a climbing wall, a mountain you can jump off of and big foam pits surrounding everything to catch you.

Eden has been in gymnastics for a while now and as she was practicing she learned how to do a flip. It was so cool to see but really hard to get a picture of.

Yes, they even had little stairs for Evelyn to play on. The interesting thing about this is that she learned to crawl up stairs a few hours before we came here. I was out running errands (if you can believe I squeezed that into this day) and on my way home I had the thought that maybe I should look for a gate for the other set of stairs. I came home with the box and one of the kids said "hey mom, look what Evelyn can do". I walked into the living room just in time to see her crawl up the stairs. Ryan attatched the gate immediately.

And here she was practicing her newfound skills. I have a feeling I'm not going to be able to keep up with this girl.

Austin has absolutely no fear. He lasted in the kiddie section for about 10 minutes before he was standing in lines with teenagers waiting to jump on the big trampolines. It's actually really funny to see him having conversations with them as he waits. It's also great to see them being patient with a five year old as he takes his turn jumping. I've been really impressed with this place.

But then I look up and see Austin climbing the rock wall. Amazing.

Cameron had a lot of fun with Breanna and I'm pretty sure she had a great birthday.

Cameron's Birthday Part 1

2011-11-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

Cameron's birthday was on a Friday (the day of her Greek play) but since Ryan was out of town we decided to celebrate Saturday. Unfortunately Saturday was also General Conference so we made plans to squeeze her party in between the afternoon session and the Priesthood session.

There was one present that just couldn't wait, though. After all of her recent disappointments Ryan and I felt like giving her something a little out of the ordinary. We let her open it up just after lunch.

She thought it was sheet music.

But nope, it was...

Are you serious? ... yep, two tickets to go see Wicked in LA in December. We're also going with my Dad and Kathy. It took a few minutes but when it finally sunk in she was super excited.

Just a little pause in the birthday celebrations. It's a tradition in our house that the kids get to play with playdough while watching General Conference. One reason is because it keeps them mostly quiet and listening and the other reason is I can't stand playdough but I can handle the mess twice a year. These are some of the cool things Dallin and Cameron made. Dallin made the boat and Cameron made the tiger.

Back to the birthday party. Cameron got some fun stuff too, like fuzzy socks, and some great sheet music from her friend Breanna.

Cameron requested this chocolate cake for her birthday. We made it gluten free but not exactly dairy free (you can't win them all). It has a minty cream cheese filling in the center and minty white chocolate drizzle on top of a chocolate glaze that tops the cake. It was delicious.

There's always something that I forget. This year it was candles. I had to dig around to find 11 but they unfortunately didn't match. Stay tuned for part 2 of Cameron's birthday fun.

A Few Disappointments

2011-11-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

For the past few years Cameron has told me that she wanted to be on student council when she was in sixth grade. All summer she talked about the speech she would give and the posters she would make. She had me sign the paper to say she was interested in participating the day she got it and turned it in right away to her teacher. She was so excited. At the same time she auditioned for one of the lead rolls in the Children's Theater performance of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Again, she talked all summer about being Veruca Salt, and she put everything she had into her audition.

She was supposed to find out about student council on Friday and the play the following Wednesday. Friday afternoon she came home and said, "I didn't get it." "You didn't get what?" I asked. She said she didn't get chosen to be on student council. I was shocked. The reason is because the teachers actually choose who gets to be on student council and then the students vote for President, Vice President, and Secretary. Cameron, my star student, outgoing, helpful, teachers pet daughter, did not get chosen by the teachers to be on Student Council. To say she was devastated would be an understatement. I held her in my arms and told her I was so, so sorry.

On Wednesday she came home from play practice and said she wasn't going to get to be Veruca Salt. I was ready for the tears but instead she said she was excited because she got a different part that had four lines but allows her to be other characters in more scenes that include singing and dancing. I was surprised at her good attitude and felt proud of her.

But little did I know just how proud of her I was really going to be. The following Sunday she was sitting next to me in church. Before the meeting began she opened her scriptures and asked me to read the following:

23 For behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you that the Lord God worketh not in ^adarkness.

24 He doeth not ^aanything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he ^bloveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw ^call men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation.

(2 nephi 26; 23-24)

She told me that Friday afternoon when she didn't make student council she went to her room so no one could see her cry. She was really sad and didn't know what to do so she opened her scriptures. She thought she would try what Joseph Smith did and open the scriptures randomly hoping to find an answer there. She said the first time it didn't really work but on her second try she came across these verses and instantly felt like the Lord was telling her that he knows her, that he is in control of all things and that he has a plan for her and that maybe being on Student Council right now wasn't part of that plan. She said she felt comforted and knew that everything would be alright.

A few weeks later her teacher was picking students to act in their class's Greek mythology play. Again she came home and told me she wasn't chosen for one of the main parts. I know she's feeling frustrated at all of her missed opportunities but once again she showed an amazing attitude by playing her part (a greek statue) very well and by helping others with their parts; decorations, scripts, etc.

Tunnels

2011-11-02T13:00:00.000-07:00

Austin created this for Evelyn to crawl through.

Pictures taken September 29

A Trip Down Memory Lane

2011-11-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

Ryan had to go to Houston for work at the end of September so he stayed an extra day and traveled around to see some of the places he lived and played as a child. He was also fortunate to be able to stay with his brother Steve who lives in Houston and take his trip down memory lane together.

A house they lived in for a few years.

A park that's still around after all these years.

I guess he used to play in this ditch behind the park. He said it was just as big as he remembered, although other things seem much smaller.

After driving around to see places from his childhood he went with Steve's family to the beach. Garrett's their oldest.

Cute Olivia

If it wasn't for the height difference Ryan and Steve would be identical.

A cool storm rolling in.

I'm not sure what's up with Dairy Bar but I've heard from more than a few Texans that it's all the rage.

Tuesday Tidbit #7

2011-11-01T10:00:00.000-07:00

Homemade Applesauce

I thought for my kids I would do a post about canning applesauce. I love canning every fall. I usually do peaches, pears, salsa, applesauce, and peach raspberry jam. It makes an already busy season just a little crazier but it's worth it to have all that tasty fruit and salsa all winter. I wanted to take pictures of all the things I canned and leave instructions for each of them but that didn't happen. I only got pictures of applesauce this year so maybe I can get the others next year.

I start with Golden Delicious apples that I pick up from The Big Red Barn in Santaquin.

I peel them and take out the centers.

Then I collect the prepared apples in a large bowl of cool water with Fruit Fresh sprinkled in to keep them from turning brown.

As soon as the bowl is full I put the apples in a basket inside of a large pot that has a few cups of water boiling in the bottom. Then I steam them until they're soft.

Once they're soft I put them in the food processor and blend them until smooth.

I collect the pureed apples in a large pot and keep it on low on the stove (or even turn the heat off) otherwise it will splatter. Then I add sugar until it tastes slightly sweet. Finally I put the applesauce in hot quart jars and process for 25 min.

They turn out beautiful and delicious.

The Hills

2011-11-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

Every fall Ryan's cousin Brandon comes out for a BYU football game with his kids. It's always fun to have them stay with us. This year was a little crazy. We had more than a few things going on and didn't get to sit back and visit as much as we wanted to.

More Kindergarten Soccer Cuteness

2011-10-31T07:00:00.000-07:00

Every time we cheered Austin on Evelyn would yell too. It was so fun.

Definitely not enjoying the lack of action at the goal.

Back in the game.

So happy.

The Pack.

As crazy as it is trying to get to soccer games every Tuesday and Thursday night I'm going to miss it when it's over.

An Ugly Tree

2011-10-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday Sept. 7th I went outside to find one of the main branches of my peach tree lying on the ground. It was too heavy with fruit and the wind from the night before ripped it right off. I was devastated. There was a huge, ugly gash on my beautiful peach tree. But more than that I was worried this gash could get infected and kill the tree. I called a local orchard and asked what I should do. The guy was so laid back. He said, "Oh,that's no big deal. We've got lots of ugly trees. They still produce good fruit." He told me not to worry about it getting infected this time of year. He also said that if the fruit was yellow near the stem it would ripen and be fine to eat but if it was still green I might as well throw it away because by the time it ripened it would be grainy and wouldn't taste good.

He also reminded me that it's important to "thin" the fruit on the trees every spring. Not only does it help the peaches to get big but helps to not weigh the branches down to much. He also said not to let the branches get too long. He told me that fruit only grows on 2nd year branches and to keep that in mind when pruning. i was very grateful for his help and advice and hope to take better care of my ugly tree next year.

A Day At The Park

2011-10-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

After kindergarten on September 1 Austin had an appointment to get tested for allergies. Since it was up near the mouth of Provo Canyon I packed lunches and we went to Bridal Veil Falls for a picnic.

This has got to be the cutest, bright yellow, fuzzy caterpillar I've ever seen.

Austin had the camera for a while and tried to get a picture of me feeding Evelyn lunch.

It was a beautiful day.

I got Austin's results two weeks later. He's allergic to wheat, dairy, and soy. Bummer. I decided to get the rest of the kids tested in November. I might as well know how it is for all of them so I can prepare meals everyone can eat.

Kindergarten Soccer

2011-10-28T13:12:00.000-07:00

I LOVE kindergarten soccer. I couldn't wait for Austin to sign up just so we could go watch. It's the cutest thing ever. A bunch of five year olds running around kicking a ball that may or may not go in the right direction. They just find pure enjoyment from the running and kicking.

Austin's team this year was the Crocodiles.

I love his "running start" to kick the ball. Watching Austin run is like watching happiness.

Being goalie wasn't his favorite but he always gave it his best effort which I was really proud of.

The best part of kindergarten soccer is watching the kids move like a pack down the field following the ball. It cracks me up. The other part is that there's no "I'm better than you" attitude. And it doesn't matter who wins or loses, everyone has fun. I don't think Austin knew half the time if he won or lost a game. All he knew was that he got to run around and kick a ball with a bunch of his friends. I've never seen him so happy.

Austin's First Day of School

2011-10-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

Austin finally started school on August 29th. I think that last week was the longest of his life. He's so excited to be in kindergarten (aren't we all). His teacher is Mrs. Lyman and I think she's going to be perfect for him.

He also has one of his best friends in his class, Trevin and some other friends he gets to play with at recess. He's a happy camper.

Childproofing

2011-10-27T15:00:00.000-07:00

When we bought this house Austin was 2 1/2 and we pretty much didn't have to worry about childproofing. We have two sets of stairs and only one gate. For now, though, I'm just worried about her falling down. She can't crawl up, yet.

Poor Kitty

2011-10-27T11:00:00.000-07:00

Remember that blog post about the cat sitting all nice and comfortable just watching the baby. Well, he still sits and watches but not as comfortably as before.

He lets her get pretty darn close and then hops into the air and sits, yet again, just out of reach. (Eden took these pictures one morning before school. Peter didn't get to "hop" away this time but he's still faster than Evelyn no matter how trapped she tries to get him).

Smart kitty.

She doesn't care. Crawling has opened up a whole new world to her and she's happy to explore it all.

What's That Baby Doing?

2011-10-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

From sitting, all cute and innocent to...

wait for it...

and there she goes. Evelyn's crawling. She's 7 1/2 months old and crawling. And once she starts, man does she move fast. The rest of the pictures I tried to take were blurry because she wouldn't hold still long enough.

(pictures taken August 23, 2011)

First Day of School

2011-10-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

Monday August 22 was the first day of school for Dallin, Cameron, and Eden. It was a crazy morning (although not nearly as crazy as it is about to get) so I unfortunately didn't get a picture of Dallin on his first day of Jr. High. I was so nervous for him I thought I was going to have a heart attack. Ryan drove him to school and dropped him off and I had to fight the urge to run there and follow him to all his classes to make sure he was okay. (We did go to the school twice the week before to make sure he could open his locker and find all his classes). He rode home on the bus (another source of worry) and told me he had one of the best days of his life. I was stunned. He loved it!

The girls were a little easier to send on their way. It was Eden's first day of all day school but I was excited for her. She has every one of her little friends in her class this year. She was especially looking forward to school lunch and it didn't disappoint.

So what did those of us left at home all day do?

We danced.

Austin turned on the music on the ipad and set it near Evelyn and danced around the living room for about an hour. It was awesome and Evelyn loved it.

Camping Up American Fork Canyon

2011-10-25T11:00:00.000-07:00

That afternoon Ryan took the kids for one last campout before school started.

Mostly I think he just wanted to try out a little off roading in his new truck.

It looks like they managed to get everything set up before it got too dark and had a tasty dinner of roasted hot dogs. For some reason those always taste better cooked over an open fire like that.

Dr. Jekyl

or is it Mr. Hyde?

What is it with men and fire?

I guess the bigger it is the better to roast marshmallows.

C'mon Dallin, just get up. It's not that cold outside.

Ryan says this is just before Dallin slipped off and fell into the river.

Ryan loves taking pictures. There were about a million pictures of the river but this one was my favorite.

Their final destination was Cascade Springs. We've had such a wet summer that the water was still flowing, even in August.

I guess Eden slipped and landed in some mud and Ryan told her to wash it off.

This is the token "group" picture just for me. Ryan loves taking pictures of nature and I love pictures with people in them, especially all the kids.

I must admit, some of his nature pictures are pretty cool.

All in all the kids and Ryan had a great time and it was a good farewell to summer vacation.

School Projects

2011-10-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

Man am I far behind. I'm going to get caught up starting all the way back to August 19th. The friday before school started I finally got around to going through the kids' school boxes from last year (it was a busy summer, remember).

Austin had preschool with Erica Hansbrow. She did a great job and he made a lot of fun crafts. I like how he tried to "wear" as many of them as possible for this picture.

Cameron had Mrs. Hughes last year. I love her. She makes the kids do book reports which I think is great. Cameron also won a lot of awards and overall was a great student.

Eden started school last year with Mrs. Broderick. She was so sweet and made Eden feel so loved which I really appreciated. I only made it on one field trip with Eden because Evelyn was born in January. I felt bad missing so much of her first year of school but I know she had a lot of fun. She is a very talented little artist and did some great work.

Dallin had Mr. Gull for sixth grade. It's hard to imagine he graduated elementary school. Sixth grade was pretty demanding with a lot of really big projects but he did a great job! You wouldn't know by looking at this picture, though. They did a lot more projects in groups and so he didn't bring home as much. I had to go to his class several times throughout the year and walk around to see all the things they had been working on.

I'm On Vacation!

2011-10-24T10:01:00.000-07:00

Yep, you read that right. I'm on vacation. Not the kids, not even Ryan, just me. I'm sitting in an amazing hotel room in San Francisco all by myself. In case you don't believe me, here's a view out my window right now...

Ryan had a conference for work and enough miles to fly me for free. My sister Breanne is playing Mega Mom this week and watching six kids, all of mine and her sweet baby Jane! So here I am, absolutely giddy. Why? For one, it's sooooo quiet. Two, I don't have to clean up ANYTHING. And three, I can do whatever I want. If that's not the perfect Mom Vacation I don't know what is. So what am I going to do? Well, our hotel is in the heart of downtown San Francisco's shopping district, but I'm not going shopping (way too much temptation). I've decided to finally get caught up on my blog. Yippee. And if I actually finish I'm going to start my blog book for 2010. That may not sound exciting to you but to me it's an absolute gift. There just hasn't been any free time in my life lately to get caught up on the little things that mean a lot to me. So, here we go. Stay tuned for a gazillion posts on what we've been up to this fall.

A Unique Opportunity

2011-10-11T09:09:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, Oct. 8th, was the Groundbreaking ceremony for the new Payson Temple. Ryan had received tickets for our whole family to go but the weather was looking cold and rainy and I didn't feel good about taking the baby. I decided to keep the younger kids home and have just Ryan and Dallin go. Friday night Dallin was up late with a friend and on our way home he told me that he never gets to sleep in and that he wished he could just sleep in late on Saturday and not have to get up early.

Believe it or not Dallin was the first one up Saturday morning and was showered and dressed in warm church clothes before Ryan was even ready. I sent them on their way and headed to the Stake Center to watch the proceedings with the rest of the kids where we could be warm and dry.

There were several speakers and then we heard from Dallin H. Oaks who also offered the dedicatory prayer.

After the prayer he told the men in the audience they were welcome to cover their cold heads.

Then he invited four groups to participate in the actual "groundbreaking". The first group were the apostles that were present. The next group was the 26 stake presidents that were there. Here is a picture of ours, President Duffin, in the center. Next he had all the civic leaders and city mayors come forward. And finally he had this...

He invited all 12 year old Aaronic priesthood holding deacons to come forward and participate. Dallin was in the final group of all those boys. It took my breath away to see him standing near Elder Oaks participating in such a special occassion.

I asked Dallin how he felt about being a part of the ceremony and he said it made him really happy. I asked him if he was glad he didn't sleep in and he said he was really glad. I'm so proud of this boy. He is diligent in fulfilling all of his responsibilities and commitments and he is devoted to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

On a side note, I've mentioned this before but we named Dallin after Dallin H. Oaks because we hoped we would have a first son who would be dependable and responsible and devoted. I think this last picture captures a moment I could have never imagined nearly 13 years ago but warms my heart.

You Can Call Me Crazy

2011-09-29T13:19:00.000-07:00

I keep waiting to get caught up on my blog to tell about the things that are happening in my life right now but getting caught up may never happen. Life is too hectic. I decided today to write about what I did this week. My greatest running accomplishment so far. I ran 11.17 miles. I think I'd like to document it. Mostly so I can remember that I am completely insane, in case I ever thought I wasn't.

My original plan was to head down the hill from my house and run down rural roads out to Salem and back. But at 4 am, lying on the couch because I couldn't sleep (nerves) and thinking about how dark it was outside, I decided to change my route. I decided to run more neighborhood streets and less rural. I got up at 4:45 am, ate one of my kids Cliff bars, mapped my new run, and headed out at 5:10 am. At the last minute I decided to don my smartwool shirt which turned out to be a smart idea, it was really cold.

My first couple miles I felt pretty good. I was a little wary of the weird guy driving in circles around me until I realized he was delivering newspapers. I turned into the wind but figured on fresh legs I could handle it and I knew on my way home it would be at my back. I was feeling positive. I ran four miles before I headed towards the rural roads and downhill.

For some reason I decided to mess with my husbands headlamp, thinking I could make it brighter. I changed it to a wider light to make up for the lack of street lamps and almost ran off a cliff. Yep, the rocks were the first sign that I was no longer on the road and when my brain registered my location I realized it was a cliff with a steep drop. I made a sharp turn back to the road and followed a fence. Idiot.

I headed down the hill (with my vision severely impaired) when my light caught a pair of glowing eyes. I wanted to think "this is why I don't like to run in the dark" but I decided denial would be better. I focused on staying on the road and not thinking about anything. Not about how bad I had to go to the bathroom, or how dark it was (stupid light), or how much farther I had to go. Nope, I didn't think about anything. Except that I did stop to go to the bathroom. Three times in fact on that run. But there is a definite advantage there of running in the dark. I think that's how I figured out the problem with my headlamp in fact because I turned it off to do my business and when I turned it back on (to the original setting) it was much brighter. Whew.

I got out to the long road and felt really confident. I was doing it. I was going to make it to my turn around and run home and complete my first 11 mile run. It was simple. A straight shot out to Woodland Hills Drive and then I could turn around. Except it wasn't simple. It was actually really complicated. My husband told me to run towards traffic so they could see my headlamp and therefore see me. But car after car came towards me with their highbeams on and I was completely blinded! It's all good if they can see me but not good if I can't see a rock, or the road, or the edge of the road. So I started switching sides as I saw cars coming towards me, or jumping off the road so I could look down as they passed. It became of sort of hop dance that required a lot more energy than I felt I had. I was running 11 miles for Pete's Sake! I was feeling frustrated and tired.

Then I remembered my Gu. Gu with caffeine is a miracle. Personally, the taste doesn't bother me. I do a TriBerry Gu with Berry Gatorade to wash it down and I only have a bite at a time. The energy burst is totally worth the pasty taste! I made it to my half way point and turned around. The sky began to lighten over the mountains, the stars began to fade and I felt rejuvinated. I ran past the popular trails that were beginning to swell with morning runners and thought, "I've already gone 8 miles!"

Then I hit the hill. The long hill. I planned it a few miles before the end of my run so I wouldn't die but it was still hard. Wave after wave a nausea hit me so I walked, tried to calm down, and relaxed. It worked and I was off again. At the top of the hill the wind hit me like a wall. But I knew it would be brief. I knew I would turn the corner and the wind would be at my back gently pushing me home. It worked. All I could think was, "man I'm smart." I ran home. Literally. I don't know where the energy came from but my legs kept moving, my heart kept pumping, I wasn't going to die, and I was still running.

I made it home in 2 hours 5 min. Not a stellar time for others but for me it was great! I was so proud of myself I felt like crying. But I was energized and ran through the rest of the day getting a million things done.

My biggest problem occured the following morning when the baby was awake from 5-6 am. I had gone to bed at 9:30 but hadn't moved until she woke up at 5. I never fell back asleep and dragged through another busy day with my head in a fog. I couldn't figure out my bills or remember what to feed the baby. I felt like crawling back in bed which I finally did at 10 pm. And then, the baby was up again today from 4-5 am! My head isn't quite as foggy but my eyes burn. I've been running around, again, trying to get a million things done when all I want is to get back in bed.

So what is the moral of this story? Don't run 11 miles before your husband goes out of town? Don't run 11 miles on a super hectic week? Don't run 11 miles when you have a baby that might wake up in the middle of the night? I would say don't run 11 miles period, except I'm going to run 12 next week. Call me Crazy!

Evelyn's ABC's

2011-09-25T14:52:00.000-07:00

By: Dallin & Cameron Smith

A is for Apple, Evelyn's favorite treat

B she's a baby with big baby feet

C is for cat who she loves to chase

D is for drool which runs down her face

E is for Evelyn, her very own name

F is for future (she'll still be the same)

G is for game, she loves Peek-a-Boo

H is for hugs, she likes to hug you

I is for I-pad, she likes to play sneezies

J is for jumping, she never gets queasy

K is for kisses, she gives them so much

L is for life, ours she has touched

M is for mmm she says during meals

N is for noise its all part of the deal

O is for Oh! friends say this with faces a lit

P is for playtime, balls are her favorite

Q is for queen, in our hearts she leaves a dent

R is for racing, the cat's her opponent

S is for shopping she naps at the store

T is for toys they cover the floor

U is for under, always the chairs

V is for vacuum, it can't give her a scare

W is for wagonwheels she sucks on forever

X is for xylophone it's played by her brother

Y is for yams, the taste she'll never forget

Z is for zero, she hasn't turned one yet

Dallin had to write a children's story this weekend for a school assignment. He came up with this poem (with a little help from his siblings). I don't know if it's what the teacher had in mind but I love it.

Baby Faces

2011-09-11T12:41:00.000-07:00

These pictures are from August 15th. After a week like this week it's nice to remember how happy she can be. She was so sick this week. I thought it was from teething, she ended up cutting two new teeth. The first one came through on Tuesday and the second on Thursday. But her 103 and higher fever that kept spiking all through the day and night had me thoroughly confused by Thursday. The violent chills were even more worrisome. I finally took her in Thursday afternoon and we discovered she had a urinary tract infection. Add to that pink eye and it all added up to one miserable little girl. It was so sad.

Strawberry Shortcake

2011-09-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

We finally got to have some lazy summer mornings in August, a whole two weeks before school was going to start. Evelyn actually watched this entire cartoon with Eden and Austin.

Almost There

2011-09-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

Evelyn spies the cat...

She's super excited about that cat...

She thinks, "maybe I'll just go get that cat"...

But she just can't quite get there...

Two weeks later, almost to the day, she's crawling all over my house! I like to think this was the moment that she decided "rolling around" was no longer good enough.

Fishing

2011-09-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

Dallin loves fishing. So when his Uncle Scott invited him and his cousin Kolby to go fishing with Scott's father in law Dallin didn't mind having to get up at 5 am! They went to Deer Creek Reservoir.

He caught four beautiful rainbow trout! But he wouldn't hold them for the picture.

Later that afternoon we had Ryan's family over for dinner since his brother Steve was in town and we cooked up two of those pretty fish. They were really good!

Bouncing Baby Girl

2011-09-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

(August 5, 2011)

I was so happy to put this up and have a new toy to keep Evelyn happy while I made dinner! Thanks Deb for giving it to us!

Smith Family Reunion

2011-08-31T07:00:00.000-07:00

We went to Lake Powell for Ryan's family reunion this year. We headed down to St. George Sunday night and spent the night at his Uncle Randy's house with his sister Deb and her family. The kids had a lot of fun playing in Randy's huge backyard and swimming super late. Austin swam until 10:30! He was so happy about that.

The next day we headed to Lone Rock campground at Lake Powell. Most of Ryan's family camped right on the beach but we chose to rent a house in Page with his sister so the little ones could get a good night's sleep.

We still spent plenty of time on the beach. The kids got to take turns riding on Uncle Rich's boat, wave runners with Dad, and cliff jumping! I wish I had pictures of all the amazing things my kids did in those couple of days.

I was so glad I at least walked over to watch the kids cliff jumping. Cameron was fearless and jumped right off the highest point. There's some debate over exactly how high it was but the standing number for now is 35 feet.

Kale

Kolby

Dallin

Cameron

(well, I couldn't let my kids show me up, could I?)

Ryan and I took a turn on Rich's boat and I actually got up on skis on my second try. I can't remember the last time I waterskiid but it's definitely been at least 5 years. Ryan of course got up several times. But the one I was most impressed with was Eden. She got up on the knee board in a matter of seconds and rode until they told her she had to stop so someone else could try it. I tried that knee board thing and went right over the top! But it was perfect for her and so cute to see her waving as they rode by.

Austin conquered a few fears and jumped off the boat into the lake. All it took was one try and he was hooked. It was hard to keep him on the boat after that. And I guess Eden even managed some cliff jumping but I wasn't able to see her do it. It was a little tricky being on a beach all day with a very hot and tired baby that wouldn't nap.

Everyone had so much fun spending time with their cousins, playing endlessly in the water, and eating great food!

I Am A Beautiful Butterfly

2011-08-30T13:37:00.000-07:00

Before Dallin mowed the lawn one day in July he found this...

he and Austin came running in the house to tell me about it. I've never seen a caterpillar like this before. It was huge! (That's Austin's hand by the way to give it some perspective). I did notice some pretty spectacular and particularly large butterflies this year. Maybe that's where this guy was headed. He totally reminded me of that character from A Bug's Life.

County Swim Finals

2011-08-29T14:10:00.000-07:00

For the final swim meet of the season the kids qualify for one of three meets, bronze, silver or gold. All 6 and under swimmers swim at the bronze meet no matter their times, I guess because there aren't very many of them. So the bronze meet, for Eden, was scheduled for July 27th. As you can tell from the picture below the weather did not cooperate with us. She swam a 4x100 relay (and won!) and that was it. We sat there for three hours waiting for the lightning to stop but it got worse before it got better so we finally went home. They rescheduled Eden's meet for the next day.

When we got to Eden's meet the next day the coaches begged me to be a timer. They told me that they couldn't start the meet until they had all the timers. I was there with Five Kids! But because I'm a sucker and Dallin and Cameron rock, I agreed. Dallin watched the baby (until Ryan came and took over) and Cameron made sure Eden got to all her races on time. I'm not sure what Austin did (I think he spent three hours playing on the ipad) but I'm so proud of those kids for being so helpful!

You are never going to believe how well Eden did... she took 2nd, in the county, for her 25 freestyle! She was so fast. I was timing the girl in my lane and didn't get to see Eden's finish but she was neck and neck with the girl that took first. It was amazing! I was so proud of her. And guess what else? She took 1st for her breastroke (because she was the only one who didn't get disqualified)! At their end of the year party she got a plaque mentioning both races and her stellar accomplishment. I'm bummed I didn't get any pictures because I was timing.

Cameron qualified for the Gold meet this year. She worked so hard getting up so early every day. I could tell she was nervous and I was nervous for her. We all went to her meet Saturday morning and then Ryan took the other kids to help my sister move into her new house.

This is Cameron doing her 50 freestyle. She got a really late start and got one of her worst times of the season. It was so sad but the meet was crazy. They had the kids doing flyovers so they could make the meet go as fast as possible. Cameron said she got confused and flustered and so she started late. We'll have to remember how crazy it is next year.

I thought for sure things would go better for Cameron for her butterfly. She looked like she was going to take 2nd but when she walked up to me after the race she was crying. They disqualified her because they said she didn't touch the wall with two hands which is totally strange because she knew to touch with two hands and I saw her touch the wall and it looked like she touched with two hands to me. I was so sad for her.

There's a lot of free time between races. Fortunately even Evelyn likes to play with the ipad.

Cameron's breastroke went really well, finally. It was a good way to end the day. Ryan and the kids had made it back in time to watch this race which was nice too. We all went out for smoothies before we went home. My heart still aches a little for Cameron's disappointing day but she had a really good attitude about it and is just as committed as ever to keep trying and swim again next year. I love that girl.

Speedy Spaniard

2011-08-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

We decided it was Ryan's turn to get cheered on for a race so on July 25th he ran the Speedy Spaniard, our annual city 10k. His goal was to run it under 50 min. and he finished in 49:04! He did great!

My sister in law Joy also ran the race along with several friends of mine. I was a little jealous but it was nice to be able to cheer Ryan on with all the kids. Both Dallin and Cameron said they want to try to run it next year.

Adam's been doing a whole bunch of races. His goal is to do the Alcatraz triathlon next year so this race was just training for him. He did great and has really improved this year. He's been a great motivator for me too.

Austin's Birthday

2011-08-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Austin's birthday on Sunday July 24th since there was a big swim meet on the 27th. Austin really wanted a Tron birthday cake and unfortunately for me Tron party decorations, particularly cake toppers, are no longer available. If it were Cars 2 it would have been easy. So this is my effort at making a Tron cake for Austin's birthday using frosting (because I have no idea how to work with fondant), a little fruit roll up, and one of Austin's Tron motorcycles.

I overheard Austin telling his buddy the other day that he had the best birthday cake ever. He told his friend that I made him a Tron cake and that I'm an artist and it was Awesome! That made me so happy.

Austin had a lot of fun with his cousin Alex at the reunion and wanted to invite him to his party since it was his year to have a family party. We invited my mom and my sister Jacque and her family over for dinner and a little party.

Evelyn's started doing this really cheesy smile where she closes her eyes and breathes really fast through her nose. It's so cute but hard to get a picture of.

Austin has always been a man of many facial expressions.

Evelyn learned to wave "hi" during Austin's party!

She also got to play with her cousin Ian. Ian is about 9 months older. They had a lot of fun putting a ball in this red cup.

City Swim Meet

2011-08-25T12:09:00.000-07:00

This was our only outdoor swim meet this year. I love outdoor meets! You get much better pictures.

Eden got to be on the team with her best friend Sareya. They had so much fun together!

This is Eden and Sareya getting ready for backstroke. Since it's only 25 meters I waited at the start to help the girls get ready and Kelly waited at the finish, with the camera.

Eden and Sareya are neck and neck.

Sometimes it's so hard to get a good swim picture. This is Cameron doing butterfly for the 100 IM.

GREAT Camp

2011-08-21T12:09:00.000-07:00

The week of July 18th Dallin attended a GREAT Camp at the U of U. GREAT stands for Graphics and Robotics Exploration with Amazing Technology. I called it a Nerd camp. :)

Every day for that week Ryan drove him up to the U and then I drove up in the afternoon to pick him up but it was totally worth the sacrifice because he loved it. For the first half of the week they worked on Alice, a graphics and animation program. They designed a small cartoon and a brief video game. Then the last half of the week they got to work with Lego Mindstorm robots. These pictures are from the last day. They had a competition to see who designed the most destructive robot. Dallin's robot had a good concept but didn't quite perform as he had hoped. It was pretty cool to watch, though.

Just a side note. We were a little nervous about dropping Dallin off in Salt Lake all by himself so the Saturday before the camp we bought him a cell phone. We had been discussing it all summer. I wanted him to have one for Jr. High. Ryan was on the fence until he thought about dropping Dallin off at this camp in Salt Lake and not having any other way to get a hold of him. I must say it was a huge relief for me. I got some pretty cute texts from him during the week. My favorite was when he told me he won a small competition and got a treat. I like having a way to chat with him during the day. He may be growing up but he's my first and I'm a wimp.

Clones

2011-08-19T12:02:00.000-07:00

When I held Evelyn in my arms for the first time I thought, "oh yeah, she's one of mine." I guess after a while they all start to look the same. But when I came across this picture of Dallin and Eden in a little baby book I was really surprised. Eden and Evelyn really all could be clones. So I took another picture of Dallin and Evelyn just so we could compare.

My mom swears they look nothing alike. What do you think?

Are You Sleeping

2011-08-18T12:14:00.000-07:00

Evelyn was a great sleeper. For the first six months of life she slept through the night and only woke up around 5 am to nurse and then went right back to sleep. Then something happened in July and all of the sudden she's waking up at 1 am and 4 am and 6 am and all sorts of crazy am's. It's been a disaster since we've also been taking Cameron to swim team at 6 am and with all the summer fun we've been going to bed later and later.

I'm sure part of Evelyn's sleep problems are due to the fact that she has no schedule. She naps in the car or the stroller or occasionally in bed if we happen to be home. But those naps are usually cut short because we've arrived at our destination, I've come home from jogging, or the kids are a little too loud. It's so unfair to this poor little girl and her tired parents. Maybe when school starts things will get better.

Summer Swim Team

2011-08-17T12:48:00.000-07:00

Every summer my kids participate on the city swim team. This was Dallin's first summer not doing swim team because he would have missed 4 weeks out of the 8 due to vacation, 2 scout camps, and a camp at the U.

Cameron was a diehard though and got up 4 mornings a week at 5:30 am to swim from 6-7:30! I am so proud of her for her committment. One night just after Ryan and I went to bed but were still awake talking Cameron came in dressed in her swimsuit and sweats, all ready for me to braid her hair and put her cap on! I told her it was only 10:30 pm and she had only been in bed for an hour and she needed to go back to bed. She looked at me with so much confusion and slowly made her way back to bed.

This was Eden's first year to participate on the swim team. She really did great. I have to hand it to Juleen Whitney, though, because she does a great job teaching kids how to swim. She got Eden ready for the swim team in just two months. Eden swam in the 6 and under category, which is a pretty small group of kids, but from the start she won just about every race she swam. I was so impressed and had no idea she was so athletic.

This is Cameron diving in for her relay. These pictures were taken at the Provo swim meet. Provo has an indoor pool so it's really hard to get a good picture. I should have taken more pictures throughout the summer but I was too busy watching the girls' exciting races.

The kids have to get up pretty early to be at the Saturday swim meets so I think they all enjoyed a relaxing afternoon on July 9th.

Summer Fun

2011-08-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

Usually I spend a lot of summer afternoons at one city pool or another but this year has been a bit more challenging with the baby so I picked up this fun little pool for the kids to at least cool off in during the hot afternoons.

In order to appreciate this picture you have to understand how much our cat avoids Austin. Usually when he sees Austin coming he heads in the opposite direction. Probably because he knows that if he's caught he will be dragged around and forced to succumb to Austin's will. So when I saw Austin sitting next to the cat and gently petting him one morning (and the cat not running away) I just had to get a picture.

Eden hasn't had as much time to play with her friends this summer as she normally does. Everyone's been so busy (including us) that it's hard to find a day when friends are home and we are home. This was a very rare day. She had all her favorite friends over at the same time and it wasn't even planned. Her cousin Katy (also considered a best friend) and her best friend Haydn, and her best friend Sareya.

Let's Wear Them Out

2011-08-07T10:34:00.000-07:00

On July 4th I was feeling a little antsy to do something fun with the kids. My goal this summer has been to see how much it takes to wear them out, especially Austin who seems to have an endless amount of energy. So we got up bright and early Monday morning and took the kids on a 10 mile bike ride. Austin rode in the carrier with the baby but it was so hot and humid I thought that would still make him tired. But after we got home and had lunch and I suggested we all go swimming they all jumped at the idea.

So we went to the pool for a couple of hours and then came home and changed clothes and headed to our friends the Mickelsen's for dinner and fireworks. Before dinner Evan took Ryan and the kids on an atv ride in the mountains around their house. They came home dusty and dirty but were still up for playing with their friends and staying up late to watch an impressive fireworks show with the whole Mickelsen clan. We got home around 11 pm and amazingly everyone fell right to sleep.