My "Kung Fu Panda"

Belle got the Kung Fu Panda DVD for Christmas from Grandma. We decided to watch it that night and this is what happened...

(click on the top image to the right under 'video bar')

Can you say sugar rush?

Christmas Pictures

Super Sledding Scenes

My favorite Christmas tradition is sledding on Christmas Eve day. Here are some pictures and video our crazy feats! Enjoy.

Christmas Fun 2008

It is a tradition in the Smith household to make Ginger Bread Houses at Christmas time. This year we did it with just our little family of four. This is how it goes:

• Buy house kits
• Buy extra candy (because you don't want to be boring and use what is included in the kit)
• Make Nana's special frosting
  
• Build houses, decorate houses, admire houses
• Eat leftover candy and frosting
  
• Get sick from leftover candy and frosting
• Take a picture of the mess and finished product
• Clean up mess and hover over finished houses so Tre and Belle won't eat them
  

Christmas Eve Jammies

This year Belle asked for "feety pajamas". I didn't know she liked them but I'm glad she told me. They are so cute on. They remind me of when she was a baby. Tre is super old with his grown up jammie pants and robe. I love new jammies on Christmas Eve.

Sorry about the 'quality' of the pictures. I left my camera at Nana's house last weekend and it wasn't working either. So these are taken with Jer's BlackBerry then emailed to me and imported to Adobe Photo Shop to attempt to fix them. Hmm...I'll have to figure something else out.

Merry Christmas!

The Roof

My mom loves The Roof Restaurant and so for her birthday she takes everyone out to dinner there in December. After buying Tre new dressy clothes and shoes, convincing Belle to wear a dress (skorts with knee highs were the best we could do), curling our hair, talking Jer into wear his nice clothes for just one night, and fighting the traffic and construction downtown we stuff ourselves silly.

I love the dessert tables, the rolls and the atmosphere. I also love dressing up since I wear workout clothes or jeans every other day of the year. After dinner we get our coats, hats, gloves and scarves on to brave the cold and walk around to see the Christmas lights at Temple Square. Tre and I had a blast. Belle and Jer tolerated it well. And now I have some cute pictures of my family all dressed up!

Fa'bow'lous

Haley, my friend, has created a monster. She came over the other day to show me how to make really cute hair bows for Belle and it just spiraled out of control from there. Here are some pictures of my creations. Once I started, I couldn't stop. I only stopped when I ran out of different ribbon color combinations. But, then I went to the store and got more ribbon. So fun!

If anyone has any interest, we'll be having a "bow party" soon. Everyone who wants to come brings a glue gun and two spools of ribbon. Then you get a bunch of different colors to work with and come home with a stash that probably looks like the pictures above. Fabulous!

Santa's Sister Comes to Visit

According to Anabelle, the Tooth Fairy is Santa's sister, Jesus is his brother, and the Easter bunny is his brother too. They all live with Santa at the North Pole except for Jesus who "lives somewhere else that I don't know".

On Friday December 5th Belle lost her first tooth. Santa's sister (the Tooth Fairy) came to visit that night and paid her $1 for the tooth. She was very excited to finally lose a tooth. She has been waiting and waiting and while chewing on a straw in the car it just popped right out! Yay!

Busy Bloggin'

Sorry I haven't posted for a while. I've been busy blogging, just not on my own blogs. I got nominated to start up a blog for my cute nephew Bridger. He is in the PICU at Primary's with some pretty life threatening issues. In order to satisfy every ones inquiries and concerns we thought a blog about his progress would be helpful. I have Bridger, Danny, and Staci in my thoughts from the time I wake up until I go to bed. I couldn't imagine what he is going through. I just want him better.

Cute story:

Tre told me last weekend that he "can't wait to see Bridger so he can play cars with him". So sweet considering he (1) has never met Bridger and (2) Bridger is only 3 months old. I love my sweet little boy. I never want him to grow up. But he'll probably be a sweet adult too. He loves babies unlike his sister who is "allergic to babies". She says she can't be around them because they make her mad and sneeze. Talk about polar opposites! I love my little girl too. She's strong minded as opposed to sweet and I love it.

Could've waited...

TWILIGHT

Oh no, no, no. Such hype for a severely disappointing movie. I have just one comment then I'll let you make your own decisions.

I have to re-read the whole Twilight series so I can get the bad taste out of my mouth that this movie left.

Now, what did you think of the movie? Comment when you've seen it...if you even go.

Can't wait!

I am so excited for the movie Twilight to come out. But I'm torn...on the one hand I'm really excited to see how they turn the book into a movie, how the characters look, how the special effects turn out, if it follows the book or has other tangents, etc. On the other hand, I also don't want the producers and actors to ruin the book for me. I have yet to watch a movie after reading the book where I liked the movie better. I always like the way my brain develops the characters, settings, and story. When someone else tells me how it's supposed to be I don't like it.

So, that's my dilemma! I really can't wait though. I've re-read the book just so I know what is done differently. I already disagree with how some of the characters look in the movie verses what I think they should look like. To name a few:

Alice--I think she should be smaller with really really short spiky hair unlike her trailer pics

Edward--I pictured him more gorgeous in a timeless fashion. Think Patrick Dempsey with blondish hair. I also pictured him a little bigger (more muscular and taller)

Rosalie--sure she's pretty in the movie, but I really pictured a timeless character like Scarlett Johansson (but prettier)

Emmet--Really! He should be as big as the black guy in Green Mile.

They did do a fantastic job in casting Bella though. She's kinda bratty in real life but we'll just overlook that as long as she does the character justice in the movie. Jacob also is good. I just can't wait for him to grow up a little and not look so boyish. You know, since I am a Jacob fan!

So I'd like to get your opinions about the cast, the movie itself, and your thoughts on "team Edward" and "team Jacob"

Sick kids = no leftover candy

My kids both came down with a weird illness (tired, fever, no energy, cough, headache) right before Halloween. We tried to do the best we could with all the parties and fun that we didn't want to miss but by Halloween night the kids were seriously ill and exhausted. So we trick-or-treated for less than an hour and maybe hit 20 houses in that time. Then we came home, the kids changed out of their costumes and spent the rest of the night inside and were in bed by 9ish.

Bonuses: no left over candy to binge on (them or me) and less than an hour in the rain while trick-or-treating and some serious snuggling and sleeping!

Storm Toopers, Dead Soccer Players and 80's Aerobic Instructors "Oh, my"!

Aahh, Halloween. One of my favorite holidays. But this year was even better because instead of just one costume we had many. Between the kids and I we wore 8 different outfits. What fun! I got to dress up for two parties, 3 different days of work, and Halloween night. Tre was Darth Vader for the most part but got to dress up as a dead soccer player for gymnastics and Nana's. And Belle was just a storm trooper. She is just like her dad...when she makes up her mind she just doesn't change it.

Belle and Tre:

Sick kid

Pumpkin patch

Ivy's party

Cute bus stop pic

Me:
I was Daphne from Scooby Doo, a pirate, an 80's aerobics instructor, Princess Lea (sorry no pic) and a witch


The hair-do:




You think I'm hot, huh?!

Perfect Autumn Day

This afternoon on our walk home from the bus stop Belle and I were talking and finding crunchy leaves to step on. The sun was shining, the wind wasn't blowing, it was quiet and peaceful, and the smell in the air was crisp and clean. It was a perfect moment.

Then Belle looks up at me and says, "Mom, I love you as big as the whole earth". To which I replied, "And I love you as big as the whole earth and all of space". Then she smiled up at me grasped my hand and told me, "lets never let go".

I could have cried if I wasn't smiling so much. Now that was the perfect Autumn Day. I love you Belle.

Fall Break Trip to St. George and Zions

Angels Landing:

Found and Imprisoned a Lizard:
Too Tired to Finish:
Saw Baby Deers:
Hotel Fun:

Cold Morning in Zions National Park:

Playin' in the Sand:

Lots and Lots of Swimming:

Playing at the Park in Coral Canyon:


I am just so proud of these kids! First, the car ride to St. George and back was so quiet and peaceful that I didn't know what to do with myself. The kids just colored, read, played, and watched movies. There were no fights, no meltdowns, and no yelling. Success!

Second, they showed off their endurance at Zions. Tre hiked all of Angels Landing, The Emerald Pools, and some of the Narrows. He also climbed every big rock he could, climbed through caves and entertained our friends Haley, Tyler, Ivy, and Lennox. He only complained a tiny bit, but then again, so did I! Anabelle did great too. She hiked up most of Angels Landing and part way down. She hiked up to Emerald Pools and some of the way down and she played in the sand, shimmied up rocks, and climbed in caves. And all of this in just ONE day. Then later that night we went swimming and while the grown ups relaxed in the hot tub the never ending energizer bunnies ran around, swam, jumped, dove, and splashed their way to a VERY restful sleep.

Some highlights of the trip:

• Meeting up with my new BFF :) Haley and her family
• Running into my cousin Emily and her fam in Zions on the Angels Landing hike
• Seeing a lot of animals, mostly deer and chipmunks and lizards
• Hanging out with my kids
• Making memories that will last
• and Having one last vacation in some great weather

Can't wait to do it again next year!!