Tink and Taz

If only Blogger was more user friendly...

2011-07-01T08:36:00.003-06:00

...then I'd post more often. Facebook is just so easy as I can access it anywhere by smart phone. Plus pictures are easier to upload on FB. But I'm determined to stick with it even if my posts are few and far between!

This is what is going on in my little world lately. Summer is in full swing in our household. The kids have their daily jobs that are keeping them responsible and keeping the house somewhat clean. They've played with friends, done crafts, and made chocolate covered Banana Creamies. We have our days planned out so we don't miss any fun in this short time I have while my kids are out of school. We have gone swimming (a lot!), hiking, tumbling, field tripping to This is the Place Monument and The Children's Museum. We've been to the park, the splash pad and the movies. We have plans for Raging Waters, The Hogle Zoo, Classic Fun Center, Tracy Aviary, Lagoon, Cowabunga Bay, more swimming, more hiking, more tumbling, more fun.

This is my absolute favorite time of year. With Independence Day celebrations, hanging with family and friends, BBQ's, swimming, spending time with the kids and best of all the SUN, I am in heaven.

Bad Blogger

2011-03-24T15:35:00.006-06:00

Fantastic Facebooker...bad Blogger. Oh, well.

In the past few months we've celebrated Belle's 8th birthday and St. Paddy's Day and have been planning a trip to Disneyland.

Here are some pics from Belle's birthday:

Friend Party

Lego's were the present of choice this year!

So were kitty t-shirts. Staci and Danny gave her the exact same shirt I did :)

Belle and Parker playing at Airborn Trampoline Arena. We had the whole place to ourselves for about 30 minutes!

Best friends, Parker and Belle.

Family Parties

Sorry about the picture quality. These were taken on my phone. I really should carry my camera around with me at all times...

Christmas in Paradise

2011-01-05T09:14:00.020-07:00

Pretty Views:
Christmas in Kauai, December 2010

Christmas Morning:
The presents under the "Christmas Tree" aka a palm tree, Opening presents (Yes, Santa DID find us this year! He brought the kids both new phones, a book and candy.), Christmas Breakfast of cinnamon rolls, fresh mango, pineapple, and papaya, cheesy scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage. Yum!

Whale Watching Boat Tour:
Seeing whales spout, jump, slap and raise their tails with everyone but the Fuhriman's (no babies allowed on board) and Jeremy (sea sickness is not fun...just ask Steph, Brook and Grandpa!). Most pics are of the family on the boat as it was VERY rough waters and hard to take pictures of the whales. But we saw lots and had a good time. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!!

Staying in a Condo with the Mounteer's:
Tiny kitchen where meals were prepared, Rainy day's, Playing Poker with chocolates, Playing lots of Words With Friends on iPods, and a BEAUTIFUL view out back where rainbows, dolphins and rain storms were spotted and whales were seen daily!

Playing at the Pool:
Handstands, Slides, Sleeping, Swimming, Playing, Posing, Klive

Beachy Fun:
Posing for the camera, Sledding down the sand hill, Watching the waves with family, Crabs, Sisters, Cousins, Handstands, Building forts and sandcastles

Hiking to Queen's Bath:
Danger sign, Playing on the black rocks, watching the waves crash, looking for crabs, muddy hike equals muddy legs and shoes!

Snorkeling:
Belle on the beach, Tre in his mask, underwater pics. Snorkeling at Tunnels and Hideaway Beaches

Spending New Years Eve in the Maui Airport:
Ate in the airport restaurant, did the New York's countdown at 9pm

Other highlights not pictured:

Rope swing and waterfall jumping

Playing with Klive daily

Dinner at the Hanalei Dophin

Seeing whales playing in the ocean out our back lanai every morning/afternoon

Boogie boarding with cousins

Playing "Peter or Pinocchio" in the waves

Many, many trips to the Foodland in Princeville

Movies every night in the condo

Christmas Dinner with everyone (ham, funeral potatoes, salad, rolls)

Loud thunderstorms at night

Klive learning how to clap when anyone sings "Patty Cake"

Funny saying from everyone (esp. "if here is here, and there is there, it's somewhere in the middle" by Kara; "Your mother screams like a man" by Belle; "Patty cake, patty cake, Klive makes a great cake" by Tre)

Random December Fun

2011-01-05T08:35:00.014-07:00

In no particular order...

Christmas Parties:
Evans Christmas Party, Grandpa Kim's family Christmas party

Traverse Mountain Elementary Christmas Sing:

Belle 2nd grade, Tre 6th grade

Santa Letters:
More of just a gift for Santa. Belle made him a snowflake for his workshop

Festival of Trees:
Bridger's Tree was gorgeous, fun candy land gingerbread house

Winter Sunsets

Homemade Holiday Candy:
Helped Nana this year

Snow Fun:
5 foot snow drifts, Belle and Tre playing in the snow, Paper snowflakes

Zoo Lights:
Seeing the lights, seeing the animals, eating deep fried s'mores, posing for the camera

Just a Gumball

2010-12-07T10:13:00.007-07:00

As some of you know, we are going to Hawaii for Christmas this year. My family (Mom, sister, brother and families) have been planning this trip for YEARS. It started when my mom found out that she'd have her condo on Kauai over Christmas day. She didn't want to use it unless everyone wanted to join her in paradise to spend Christmas together as a family. We all agreed that it would be fun. That was 5 years ago. And now it's here. I can hardly believe it!

Since tickets were so expensive Jer and I decided to forgo Christmas presents this year. We asked everyone to leave us off their lists so we could focus on the spirit of the season and family and spending time together and not the presents. I started a few months ago explaining to the kids that Santa was going to take a break this year. He probably wouldn't be able to find us anyway since we wouldn't be home. Tre took it pretty well. He's just excited to boogie board with Braden and spend time with his cousins. I think he's getting smart about Santa anyway. Belle on the other hand isn't taking it so well. The thought of no presents on Christmas morning makes her tear up. And she's not a "crier". I've been trying to talk up the trip and how it will be fun in it's own right, but she just wants to stay home if that means she'll get presents from Santa.

But that was then and this is now. I had this conversation with Belle yesterday:

Me: Belle, if Santa happened to find us on Christmas Eve and wanted to give you one small gift, what would you ask for?

Belle: Hmm...*pauses to think*...maybe a gumball. Not a gumball machine, that's too big, but just one gumball. You know the big ones.

Me: No toys, books or movies? Just one big gumball? *smiling to myself*

Belle: Well...maybe 5 gumballs. Would that be too much?

Me: *now feeling a little emotional* No, that wouldn't be too much.

I am so proud of this girl. She is excited about Christmas not for the presents, but for the spirit of the season. I think Santa will find us this year. And you better believe there will be 5 BIG gumballs in Belle's stocking!

Halloween 2010

2010-11-11T16:40:00.007-07:00

Carving Pumpkins...

School Parade...

Belle's Class Party...

Uncle Jeff's work party...

Halloween fun with the Smith Family...

Dressing up for work...

She-Ra and He-Man going to a party...

Girls Day Out

2010-11-11T16:08:00.003-07:00

While the boys went to the big UofU TCU game the girls got out in nature and had an adventure. We drove up to Silver Lake by Brighton to enjoy some fresh (cold) air and scenery. After a walk around the lake and a side trip to play with the ice we got our craft supplies out (glue, paint, scissors, paper plates, nut cups, tape) and did what any crafty girl would do. We made nature crafts. Belle exclaimed that this was "the best day EVER"!
Girls rock!

Silver lake early November

Poking the ice

Smiling and showing our U pride

Pulling the ice out of the water

Hurry, take the picture! It's cold!

Maybe shorts wasn't a good idea Belle...

Belle taking a picture of me by the thawed side of the lake

Making nature crafts out of pine cones, leaves and sticks

1 Mom, 1 Boy, 1 Fun/Active Date

2010-09-19T18:25:00.005-06:00

Tre at the trailhead

Mom and son outing

On the hike

Pretending to lift the rocks

This part of the trail was nicknamed 'The Tunnel' by Tre

View of the city (it was windy so it is dusty down there)

Pretty views

More pretty views with Tre in the foreground

Upper Falls

Tre by the falls

Tre and I with the falls in the background

More pics of the falls

Tre happy that we made it to the waterfall. We somehow missed the lower falls, hiked on and on until we lost the trail and had to backtrack, I was just about to turn back and follow the river down when I went to find a bush to relieve myself and stumbled upon the upper falls. Didn't even realize until we got home and looked it up that we missed the first falls. No wonder it was a longer hike than I was expecting!

Tre took a picture of me with the falls in the background

Pretty tired boy, but he did it and was super proud of himself. After we stopped for Wendy's and ate Frosty's and fries then hit the gas station for Gatorade, treats and an energy drink for me :) In all we hiked over 5 miles of strenuous terrain in 3.5 hours and 80 degree weather. Good job buddy! Thanks for spending the day with me.

Guardian Angel?

2010-09-15T13:35:00.003-06:00

So you all read about Tre's accident, I assume. If not, scroll down to read about it. Here's the weird part: Tre said something right after I got to him that didn't really register at the time. He couldn't remember anything about the accident or the day, but he told me that someone was there that helped him. He thought it was his friend Adam's dad. I just remember thinking why wouldn't someone stay until I showed up? It was only about 60 seconds from the time he ended his call with me until I showed up with the car. But then I forgot about it until now. Tre said a man asked him if he had his cell phone so he could call me. He didn't even know where he was or what happened but he knew how to look up my number and call me?? He now remembers everything from the accident except the part about the man helping him.

So...guardian angel? Or did someone really stop to help but then drive on by without waiting to see if he got help? And why wouldn't Tre remember this man now after all other details have come back to him? I talked to the Adam's mom yesterday, and she told me she didn't know of her husband stopping to help Tre. She didn't even know he got hurt. So the question is, Who was this man? Was it a man at all? Or was it his angel looking out for him? Either way, it's nice to know someone was there to help him call me.

"I don't know!"...

2010-09-13T13:11:00.003-06:00

These are the words I kept hearing over and over on the phone Sunday evening. Tre called (thank goodness he had his cell phone and remembered how to look up my number) crying at about 5pm. He said he needed to be picked up, that he crashed his bike. Here is how the conversation went:

Tre: Can you pick me up?
Me: Why? Are you ok?
Tre: I don't know!
Me: What happened?
Tre: I don't know!
Me: Where are you?
Tre: I don't know! I think by Savannah's house.
Me: Are you hurt?
Tre: (crying harder) I don't know!
Me: I'll be right there.

Here is what I found...

Bumped, bruised and bleeding. Didn't know what happened. Couldn't remember any details. Dazed and confused. Mild concussion for sure. Crying, nauseous and scared.

But within 2 hours he was starting to remember and feeling a little better. Next morning he woke up with a headache, sore neck and sore elbow.

What happened you ask? Well, apparently Tre was riding his bike down a pretty big hill with his skateboard tied on to the back. He was NOT wearing a helmet. The skateboard got in his way and tripped him up. He swerved, crashed and took the full force of the fall on his head (see bloody goose egg above).

Moral of the story is...Always wear your helmet, never tie your skateboard to your bike and go down a hill, and always carry your cell phone!!

Belle, oh Belle

2010-09-09T12:04:00.006-06:00

I love this girl! She is entertaining everyday. Yesterday Belle wanted her fingernails painted. 'YES!' I thought. Then she asked if we had orange and black nail polish because she wanted her nails to look like a tiger...

Earlier this week she wanted to trick her classmates and teacher and wear her glasses to school. Apparently it is cool to be a nerd :) She is cute in those glasses...

And while reading out loud with her she stopped mid-sentence and you could see the wheels turning in her head. She was trying really hard to read the words that are on the page without adding on. She explained that sometimes "to make it more interesting" she adds details to books. For example the book read: 'But at last they could see the Crystal Palace!'. But she reads it like this: But at last they could see the Crystal Palace in the distance. I never knew she added details to books. Very creative!!

First signs of Fall

2010-09-09T11:39:00.004-06:00

September is my 2nd favorite month (July is the first) and one of the things I love are the colors. This week while hiking up American Fork Canyon I spotted the first sign of Fall. One lone tree that was boldly shouting that it was time to change. I love the green, blue and orange of the picture above. Welcome changing leaves, pumpkin cookies and crisp cool air. Goodbye Summer...

Me and my Jeep :)

It looks right at home in this setting

Red rock up American Fork Canyon? I had no idea.

First colors of Autumn

Tibble Fork Reservoir smooth as glass.
Peaceful!

Timp 2010

2010-09-09T11:31:00.004-06:00

Last year I hiked Timp with my friend Amanda. It was the first time for me and I was hooked. Although I think I can only manage it once a year, it is still something I look forward to. The end of the summer is the time for this adventure and this year didn't disappoint. I went with my friends Heather and Brandi.

14 miles, 11, 749 feet, 8 hours, 265,324,953 steps, 20 or so mountain goats, 3 handstands at the top, 3 or 4 falls and lots of laughs equal 1 very fantastic day....

Back to School!

2010-08-30T09:36:00.006-06:00

Tre's new outfit and shoes (he's getting SO big! size 6 shoes, clothes from Aeropostale!!)

Belle's new outfit

Tre holding Klive after getting a haircut at Kara's

Belle and Tre walking to school

Belle let me curl her hair this morning! Amazing!!

As I was downloading pictures from my camera to my computer I accidentally erased all my "first day of school" pictures and "Timp" pics. I am SO mad! Good thing I have some pics on my phone, but I'm having difficulty getting those pics to my computer too. Stupid technology.

Anyway, the kids started school on August 25, 2010. Tre is in 6th grade. Belle is in 2nd. They were both super excited to start. Belle loves learning and Tre loves seeing his friends everyday. And I was excited that they started in the new school this year. Instead of a 15-20 minute bus ride into Highland, they now have a 10 minute walk to get to school. Buses always make me nervous (No seatbelts!? Getting stuck in the snow!? Not knowing if they make it on time and safely!?). Well, you get my point. So now I can walk my kids from our house to their classroom door in the morning and pick them up the same way in the afternoon. I'm really gonna love this!

Belle's teacher is Mrs. Smith. Belle got a kick out of this. She seems super nice and fun. And Belle says she is as nice as Mrs. Lefler (her 1st grade teacher) whom Belle LOVED. She knows some kids in her class and feels pretty happy about that.

Tre has Mrs. Mendenhall. She was a teacher at Ridgeline and moved to the new school to teach. She's got lots of experience and has seemed to have an impression on Tre already. He talks about rules and what is expected of him and how important reading at home and homework are. He feels nervous about this, but is ready for a challenge.

And this is the view from the top of our mountain on my walk I took after dropping the kids off at school. There are some good things about school starting. Although I am really sad not to be able to play all day with my kiddos. I always feel a little depressed when they go back. Summer has been so fun and busy and now I must find other things to occupy my time. :(

Belle sporting the new school's t-shirt. The Traverse Mountain Tigers!!

Tre's 10 meter platform jump

2010-08-30T09:13:00.001-06:00

Belle's jump off the 8 Meter Platform

2010-08-30T09:13:00.000-06:00

Double Back Flip at Lava Hot Springs

2010-08-30T09:12:00.000-06:00

Lava Hot Springs

2010-08-30T08:36:00.011-06:00

Love, love, love our yearly trips to Lava Hot Springs. This time Steph, Jason, Braden, Brook, Melissa and Justice joined in the fun. Tubing the river, camping, playing, swimming galore! Check it out...

Fat Jacks restaurant on Main Street

Flipping, jumping, swimming, sliding off diving boards, platforms and waterslides

Driving...and being attacked by shirtless Ninja's!!

Tubing the river over and over and over...

Taking a short break on the tubes

Belle's creation. Roasted fruity mini marshmallows!

Hanging out at the Mounteer's campsite. Dutch oven dinner, playing ball, stuffing our faces with S'mores, hanging with friends and family. Fun Stuff! Can't wait for next year :)

Roman Colosseum and Scooby Doo

2010-08-30T08:24:00.003-06:00

The other day Jeremy was watching The Gladiator on T.V. The kids came in and watched for a minute when Tre asked, "Where it that?". Belle said, "I think that is the Roman Colosseum. It is in Rome, Italy. Right Dad?" And when Jeremy asked her where she knew that from she said, "I read it in a book somewhere. And it's in Scooby Doo". Smart girl!

Cliff Backflip

2010-07-20T11:01:00.002-06:00

Lake Cliff Jump

2010-07-20T11:01:00.001-06:00

Cliff Backflip 2

2010-07-20T11:01:00.000-06:00

30 foot Cliff Jump

2010-07-20T11:00:00.002-06:00

"Double" Backflip

2010-07-20T11:00:00.001-06:00

Look...look...look...backflip

2010-07-20T11:00:00.000-06:00

Flaming Gorge

2010-07-20T09:56:00.009-06:00

After a trip to Cabelas for cots to sleep on and a few new cargo carriers for our car to haul our camping gear, we were ready to pack up and go camping. I love spur of the moment trips. Throw your stuff together, pick a destination, and hope for the best. We decided on Flaming Gorge since we haven't been for a while. There is water, great camping sites, and (our favorite) cliffs to jump off. Nothing to lose, memories to gain. Time to get our camp on.

Windmills in Wyoming on our way to Flaming Gorge

The campsite at Cedar Springs. It wasn't our favorite (Mustang Ridge) but it was a close second. The only thing missing was showers.

Cedar Spring Marina
We walked there from the campsite the first day and on the way we saw rabbits, lizards, chipmunks and birds. Tre was calling the chipmunks "chickmunks" and Jer told him there was a "p" in the word. Tre said, "chickpunks?" Ha, ha :)

This is Sunny Cove. The place to be! Drive to the cove, carry your stuff to the rocks and set up camp for the day. You have swimming, cliff jumping, animal watching and sun. What more do you need?

Jer and Tre chillin' under the shade tent with a plethora of snacks. Yum! We didn't go hungry, that's for sure :)

The water is cold, but not too cold for my little fishies. Tre and Belle had a blast jumping and swimming in The Gorge. I had a blast too.

CLIFF JUMPING!!

Belle

Jeremy

Leisa

Tre

Tre and I at the top of the cliff jumping area

Tre was so brave this trip! He jumped off the cliff that was about 20-25 feet high. I was a little nervous at first to do that one. Jeremy was jumping from the higher one that was about 30 feet. After jumping the "smaller" one 15 or 20 times, Tre decided to step it up and go off the biggest cliff. I didn't think he would do it. I am so proud!
Belle thought about going off the 20-25 footer, but in the end she decided not to. She had her own little cliffs to jump off and had a ball doing those. Maybe next year she will brave the bigger cliffs.
Jer and I had fun showing off our back flipping skills as well as jumping off the bigger cliffs. Seriously, I love this place!

Our Flaming Gorge trip is not complete without a trip to the Dam. We toured it the last day and drove down to the river to see it from the bottom. Fun stuff! Tre thought it was so funny to say, "Dam!" over and over. He must be an 11 year old boy.

This was the trip of wildlife. We saw deer, pronghorns, moose, antelope, rabbits, lizards, marmots, chipmunks, bats, and all kinds of birds including this Golden Eagle.

Playing card games as a family back at our campsite

Roasting S'mores

Reading to relax after a day at the lake

Breakfast of champions. Mini cereal boxes are a must for our little campers. Good thing it wasn't too cold this trip, so we didn't have to build a fire in the morning and make a hot breakfast.

A picture of Belle's hair-do that lasted all 3 days of camping, swimming and playing.

Belle burned her lips with a marshmallow that was on fire. She tried to blow it out quickly and ended up accidentally touching it to her face. She tried to be brave and tell us (through tears) that it didn't hurt and she was fine, but as a mother, I knew better. We got her some ice and she kept it on all night. Her lips blistered up but I was glad it wasn't worse. Poor girl.

The troops all snug in their beds for the night. These cots really were the best. I slept great. Except for Tre and his sleep talking. But that was just entertaining. It gave us all a laugh the next morning when we told him what he said. One night he started yelling, "MOM! MOM!". "What?" I asked him expecting something to be really wrong. "I'm AWESOME!" he says. And promptly lays down to sleep some more. It happened the night after he jumped of the 30 foot cliff. Guess he was pretty proud of himself. I was too :)

Good Night

4th of July Weekend

2010-07-06T11:00:00.009-06:00

If you know me, then you know my favorite holiday is the 4th of July. I love the weather, the traditions, the food, the fireworks, the friends and family and the good times.

We start our holiday a few days early by making some sort of patriotic craft. This year it was dressing up our shirts from last year with glow-in-the-dark fabric paint and decorating bags to hold the many pieces of candy collected at the Murray Parade:

Then we wake up early the day of the parade, purchase doughnuts from Harmons and head out to the spot my dad has saved for us. We love the candy, the doughnuts, the parade entries and I especially love the JEEPS!:

After the parade it is off to Grandma's pool for diving board sports, more food, family and fun. The kids swam for 7 straight hours!:

Now it's off to Murray Park for frisbee, football, playing on the playground, rolling down the hill, reading, eating KFC, snacking on treats, socializing, playing with glow sticks and bracelets and waiting for fireworks to start:

What a great day! We are exhausted but happy by the end of the day that starts at 6am and ends at 11pm. Wow. I can't wait to do it all again next year...

Swimming with Dolphins Video#3

2010-07-06T10:25:00.001-06:00

Swimming with Dolphins Videos

2010-07-06T10:24:00.003-06:00

Listen closely at the end of the video and you can hear the dolphins talking. You could hear it really well while swimming with them and I was excited that we caught it on video.

Swimming with Dolphins Video#2

2010-07-06T10:24:00.002-06:00

Dolphin Adventures

2010-07-06T09:15:00.011-06:00

My favorite part of our Hawaii trip has to be swimming with wild dolphins. Dolphins are beautiful creatures that are graceful, playful, and entertaining. After reading about Kealakekua Bay and the great snorkeling site at Captain Cook's Monument that sometimes boasts dolphin sitings, we decided to rent kayaks and check it out. Little did I know that this would be a day to never forget. A day to cross off my Bucket List. A day that would put a smile on my face and a tear in my eye when I think back on it. This was the best day ever.

The kayaks loaded up on our rental car

On the kayaks:

Underwater dolphins pictures:

Tre

Tre's feet with a dolphin swimming just under him

The dolphins were jumping, flipping, splashing and playing out of the water, but under water they look so easy going and graceful. They also liked to swim belly to belly. The picture above captures that move.

The book I read said that once the writer saw 19 dolphins. They were quite excited about that. We counted at least 20 in ONE picture that I took. I assume there were at least 50 if not more. The locals at the pier said that just last week, no one spotted any dolphins. We were quite lucky to be able to jump in and swim with these beautiful creatures. They are not afraid of humans. In fact one came at me head on. I could have reached my hand up and touched his nose, but I decided to respect this wild soul and keep my hands to myself.

Snorkeling at Captain Cook:

Right behind Tre is Captain Cook's Monument. It was just across the bay from where we put the kayaks in. After swimming with many, many dolphins this beautiful snorkel spot just didn't really compare.

After the dolphin adventure:

Belle jumping off the pier into clear turquoise water full of yellow fish

Her smiling face after the jump

Belle and Tre standing on the pier where we put the kayaks in

SUMMER!!

2010-07-01T10:53:00.003-06:00

Belle and Tre at Stewart Falls

Summer is in full swing in the Smith household. We have been swimming, hiking, playing, boating, crafting, cleaning and Lagoon-ing. And I don't have time to blog about it. So I guess you'll just have to wait until Autumn for some new posts :)

Brook, Tre and Belle on the "island" at Grandma's pool

Belle, Tre and I at the beginning of the Timp Cave hike

Belle and Tre eating lunch one day while playing "dress-up"

Parker, Tre, Belle and Elli at the front of Scott's boat at Jordanelle

Hawaii 2010

2010-05-29T17:40:00.026-06:00

May 2010 trip to The Big Island, Hawaii

This trip started with a 6am flight out of Salt Lake mid-May. We woke up at 3am to finish up packing and drive to the airport. Flights were pretty routine and nothing real exciting happened on them. Tre and Belle entertained themselves with their iPods, coloring and reading books and magazines.

We show up in Hawaii at 11am their time. Which is fantastic. Get our bags, rent a red convertible Mustang, find some lunch, go grocery shopping for the week at Costco and Walmart, then finally head to the condo. Which was fantastic.

The Condo:

The kids relaxing in the condo after a hard day at the beach

The view of the golf course, pond and Kings Shops from our lanai
The kids loved to run across the course to the water every morning to see birds, fish and frogs

Our lanai where we ate breakfast and dinner at almost every day

The kids room. Tre and Belle fell promptly asleep as soon as we walked into the condo on the first day while I was unpacking. They had their clothes on still and didn't even brush their teeth. But I woke them up and made them get ready for bed and into the covers.

The condo's infinity pool where our children loved to wash off the ocean water. I'm pretty sure they were wet more often than dry the entire trip.

The Beach:
Next on the agenda is beach, Beach, and more BEACH. Everyday we woke up, had breakfast and coffee on the lanai, got swimsuits and sunscreen on, packed up the cooler with lunch items and snacks then headed to a beach. We loved snorkeling, boogie boarding, swimming, jumping waves, playing water football, turning cartwheels, walking on our hands, napping, sunbathing walking along the beach, making sandcastles, looking out for crabs and reading.

Tre and Belle at Kai State Park. It was gorgeous here. Lots of local talent, deep, thick, fine soft sand, turtles, good snorkeling, fun rocks to climb...it had it all! Wow.

Mermaid off the port bow! Ariel! How ya doin kid?...Wow, what a swim!

Belle and I just chillin in the beach chairs :)

Belle climbing the trees at Beach 69

Tre, Belle and Jer looking for crabs at Mauna Kea

Tre, Belle and I walking along the beach at Mauna Kea

Tre boogie boarding at Kai State Park beach

Belle read this chapter book 5 times on our trip. Guess I should have brought more than one book for her to read. I almost gave her my book, The Hunger Games

Belle and I showing off our mad gymnastics skills

Tre and Belle playing nicely together on the boogie boards

Jeremy and Tre
Hang Loose! And, yes, the water really is this color

Sandcastle madness!

Happy girl! As long as she's wet, she's happy

Snorkeling pics...
Me

Belle is quite the snorkeler. Must be all the practice in the tub :) She seems to just float. In fact, we have to have a hand on her at all times or she'll just swim off to see whatever catches her eye and in 2 seconds she would be 20 feet away from us.

Tre is a good snorkeler too. He's not as brave as Belle and won't go off on his own. I love it because he holds my hand the whole time while we're exploring the ocean. He loves to dive down though.

Wonder where Tre learns diving from...

Sea Turtle! We saw at least one every time we went snorkeling...which was 9 days out of 10.

Other Adventures:
We had some other adventures that didn't include sand, sun and surf. A short hike to a waterfall and a very loong car trip to Volcanoes National Park was two of them. The drive was long, the weather was cold and rainy, but now at least the kids can say they've seen a real live volcano...and we never (ever) have to do it again!!

Tre at Akaka Falls
On this hike a sad, starved pit bull followed us the whole way but ended up following some other people about halfway through. He seemed nice, but I was nervous.

Jer, Tre and Belle at the end of Thurston Tube. This is a long cave-like structure that is formed by lava flow. You can walk right through it and come out the other side.

These were the biggest waves we saw on this trip. We are at the sea cliffs in Volcanoes where we took pictures, watched the ocean and ate lunch

Belle and Jeremy overlooking Kilauea Crater

Tre, Jeremy and Belle looking at the sea arch in Volcanoes

Eating lunch on the cliffs

The closest thing to an erupting volcano was this smoke rising out of the crater (might have been a little anti-climatic)

Belle doing what she does best...climbing

Me on the cliffs

The Beauty:
Hawaii is beautiful. Whether its the sunrise, sunset, ocean, sea life, landscape, animals, people, or sky, it's beautiful. I couldn't resist taking pics of some of the more beautiful sights I saw.

A sailboat in the background of a perfectly landscaped resort

Loving kids on the grounds of Mauna Kea

Sunset

Sunset

Family picture (minus Jeremy)

Stopping to smell the flowers

Birds everywhere. Belle and Tre were convinced that there were lots of birds in Hawaii because that is where they fly for the winter :)

Kai State Park

The grounds at the Hilton Waikoloa

The bay at the Hilton

Dolphins at the Hilton

The Last Day:
The last day is always a sad one. We're tired of not sleeping in our own beds, but we don't want this vacation to ever end. The good news is that we have another Hawaii trip planned (and paid for!) in December of this year so we don't have long to wait until we can go back. Our last day included a trip to the beach (of course!), then a walk down Ali'i Drive in Kona to shop, eat and chill until the plane departs that night.

Lu Lu's is my favorite place to eat in Hawaii. It is an open air restaurant with dollar bills stapled all over the walls. Not only is it good food, a fun atmosphere, but it shares my name. My nickname has been "Little Leisa Lu Lu" for as long as I can remember. In fact, my brother still calls me "Lu".

Fun photo op outside of Wayland Galleries (which is our favorite art gallery to visit in Hawaii)

The best (and BIGGEST!) Shave Ice in Kona. The servings were so big no one could finish what they ordered. Tre and Jer got a medium which was bigger than a watermelon and Belle ordered the Keiki (child) size which was as big as a large should be in my book. So YUMMY!

While in Kona I got a new tattoo of a dolphin with the zodiac signs of my family tattooed on her back. I've been thinking about this tattoo for several months and since it's tradition to get my tattoos on the Islands then I thought this trip would be perfect for it. I lived my life long dream of swimming with wild dolphins on this vacation. So how perfect is a dolphin tattoo as a souvenir!? Not that I'll ever forget that day, but now I have a constant reminder :)

As I said before, the dolphin adventure deserves its own blog post. So look for it coming soon!
Hawaii, we miss you but we'll be back!

11 years and counting...

2010-05-28T10:21:00.010-06:00

Happy Birthday Tre!

Dear Tre, I love you more than you will know. You are my first born, my sweet spirit, my love. The way you play with Belle puts a smile on my face. I love that you are constantly moving, whether it is riding your bike, scooter or skateboards, or running, jumping and playing.

You are 11 today. That makes me feel like time really does fly. I remember the day you were born. The day you got your first haircut. The day you went to Kindergarten and got lost. The day you threw a rock through our Jeep's back window and broke it. The day you got your first cell phone. Your first sleepover with friends.

You will always and forever be my little boy with curls. I love to see the kind of person you are growing up to be. Keep holding my hand. Keep being happy. Keep kissing me goodnight. Keep being my sweet, sensitive boy.

I love you,
Mom

Tre's Birthday Parties...

Opening presents at 5 in the morning:

(new shoes, Hot Tamales, Star Wars Lego Set, Sole Skate, a Transformer)

Lunch with Grandma Rose at Jonny Carinos:

Friend party at Classic Fun Center with Carson, Belle, Denham and Seth:

Dinner at Fuddruckers with Grandma and Grandpa and Steph and Jason Braden and Brook:

Just a taste...

2010-05-27T08:59:00.003-06:00

I don't have time for a full blog post about our trip to Hawaii, but here is just a taste of what's coming...

Family Picture at Mauna Kea Beach

The biggest (and BEST) shave ice on Ali'i Drive in Kona

My lifelong dream of swimming with wild dolphins. This deserves it's own blog post!

Tre, Belle and I at Akaka Falls near Hilo

A gorgeous ending to a fan-freakin-tastic vacation

Getting ready!!

2010-05-03T15:01:00.004-06:00

Tre and Belle at sunset--Maui 2008

It's less than 2 weeks away....9 days to be exact. I'm SO excited! We've put off taking big vacations for over 2 years and are now ready to relax, renew, regenerate. Hawaii here we come! We are going to the Big Island with the kids this time. I love all the islands. Kauai is my all time favorite, Maui is Jeremy's favorite, but the kids wanted to see a real live volcano so we decided on the Big Island. Here are some of the things I researched online and want to do once we get there:

Pana'ewa Rainforest Zoo--best of all its free and they have a white tiger
Free dolphin show at Hilton Waikaloa Village's Dolphin Quest
Hapuna Beach--this is the best rated beach on the Big Island
Volcano National Park
Punalu'u Beach Park--it is a black sand beach and a popular home to sea turtles that boasts excellent swimming and snorkeling
Cliff jumping at South Point (I've read there are 15-50 foot cliffs above gorgeous clear ocean water and is a popular jump site)
Kealakekua Bay--they say pods of dolphins swim in this bay early in the morning and you can swim along side of them as long as you are courteous and respectful
Kayaking--we plan to rent kayaks to take to Captain Cook (a popular snorkel site) and we may even check out the Sea Caves as well

I am SO excited!! Can't wait!!

Easter...or NOT

2010-04-19T13:13:00.003-06:00

I'd love to post Easter Pics, and Tre's haircut pics, and other things that are happening in the Smith household, but I can't. Not that I don't have time. Not that I don't want to. Nope, it's because our computer died. Won't turn on. So I'm using our trusty (not rusty) laptop as our main computer now, but it has none of the pictures on it. Also, we lost our iTunes for the kids iPods and other random documents that I need. Why didn't I backup all this info? I don't know. Call me computer un-savvy.

So...stay tuned for posts later when we can figure the stupid thing out.

There! That's better!!

The Many Faces of Belle

2010-03-17T11:10:00.002-06:00

(click on image to enlarge)

Belle age 7

Belle

2010-03-17T10:36:00.008-06:00

This is how Belle's 7th birthday went down...

Wednesday, February 10th--wake up at 5:30 to open presents before Dad has to go to work...

Get dressed, curl hair, play with Lego's till school...

Go to school where Mom brings 30 white frosted, red sprinkled doughnuts to class and takes a picture with the teachers (Mrs. Lefler and Mrs. Boskovich)...

Go to Boondoocks to play games and buy toys (junk) with the tickets earned...

Go to favorite "restaurant", McDonald's, for dinner...

Saturday, Feb. 13th--Celebrate in St. George with the rest of the family with pizza, salad and (more) doughnuts...

Sunday, Feb. 21st--Celebrate AGAIN with the Smith side...and forget to bring camera...

Let's see if blondes really have more fun...

2010-03-10T15:05:00.004-07:00

That's no Harry Potter...

2010-03-10T14:47:00.003-07:00

Tre's 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Bishop (not so kindly) suggested that Tre might need to get his eyes checked. So knowing what kind of genes he comes from, I thought it best to get him in to check his eye sight. They are not bad (yet) but he'll be able to see the board in class now and his teacher won't think he's just "trying to get out of the assignment" by saying he can't see it.

I think the glasses make him look older, more sophisticated and smart. While trying on other glasses at the eye doctor, Tre says, " These make me look like Harry Potter!" Well, the ones we picked out surely don't look Harry Potter-ish. I think they're RAD!

Dear Hawaii, I miss you!

2010-02-28T17:05:00.005-07:00

I'm missing Hawaii. I am missing the sound of the ocean, the smell of the sea air, the laughter of my children when dodging waves. I miss the taste of fresh pineapple for breakfast, the feel of the sand on my body, the calmness that overcomes Jeremy. I miss the smile on my face as I spot my friends--dolphins, the views, the sun, the warmth.
So I will relive my dreams with photos. My favorites are below:

Maui April 2008

Tre standing up on a boogie board

Part "rock on", part "hang loose"

Literally stopping to smell the flowers

Beach Baby

Family, sun, ocean, boat...what more do you need?

And a few more...

Belly Bop

2010-02-04T11:31:00.009-07:00

Belle will be 7 in less than a week. Yes, my baby is 7 yrs old. Wow. Below are some pics of Belle on her 6th birthday. A lot will change in one year.

Belle is as independent (and ornery) as ever. She has this strong-willed personality that will get her places one day. I can almost see her brain working every minute of every day. This girl will be smarter than me by the 3rd grade. She LOVES reading and playing with Legos. These are her favorite activities. She also loves crafts, stuffed animals, and snack time :)

Belle is not a social creature. She doesn't have many friends. But she can entertain herself for hours and hours at a time. Sometimes she needs to go to her "corner" which is just a quiet spot where she doesn't have to talk to anyone. She can play there all day. Other times she loves to play with Tre. They mostly play Legos and make-believe. They are best friends. Belle can memorize songs she hears once. She can learn math (fractions and times tables) while listening to Tre and I do his homework. And she is top reader in her class. Sure, her surly mood gets in the way sometimes, but Einstein can't be expected to be always plesant and super smart too, can she? (She does sort of have Einstein hair...)

My favorite "Belle Moments" are: Her big hugs. The way she still holds my hand when we go places. The way her eyes move when reading (like she just can't make them go fast enough to gather all the information). Her stories she writes. The pictures she draws. The way her hair looks in the morning (see pic above). Her non-girly attitude about all things pink, sparkly, dramatic, and/or frilly. The way she always surprises me by picking up on adult things Jer and I talk about or what's happening on a TV show or movie, or just the world in general. And when she cuddles up by my side with her own book while I'm curled up with one too.

Happy Birthday Belly Bop!

Christmas...just a little late

2010-01-13T09:08:00.012-07:00

Christmas Eve

Belle making cookies for Santa

Tre on a sugar rush while making cookies for Santa

Opening the traditional Christmas Eve present

Tre and his big stuffed Husky

Belle happy with her huge stuffed Bear

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Christmas Morning

Belle and her loot

Tre's face is classic! He had NO idea he was getting an iPod Touch. This made my day.

Tre super excited with his gift from Santa

Now all the kids do is play and play and play on the free apps. It made for a very quiet, fun, peaceful Christmas.

Belle and "Big Bear" taking a ride on her new scooter

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Christmas Morning with The Smiths (our house)

Rowan

Edith, Heather, Abby, Nana, Toddy, Tre

Aunt Staci (Danny and Staci gave all the kids U hats...so cute!), Kiera, Belle

Edith, Jeremy, Kayla, Papa, Abby

Carson, Uncle Garrett, Tre

Kiera and Belle

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Christmas Evening at Grandma's

Jason, Steph, Braden, Janet, Jeff

Belle (excited about the new Tinkerbell movie)

Tre and Jason

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Other Fun Christmas-y Stuff

Tre and Belle playing in the snow

Belle with the two snowmen she made

Family pictures all dressed up before going to The Roof Restaurant

Belle and I enjoying a quiet evening reading and cuddling by the Christmas tree

I love this quote...don't know who it is though...

2009-12-14T14:31:00.002-07:00

"When you come to the edge of all the light you know and are about to step into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing that one of two things will happen. There will be solid ground to stand on or you will be taught to fly."

Festival of Trees (December 2009)

2009-12-04T08:11:00.003-07:00

I LOVE the Festival of Trees! It's sensory overload, very festive, and super yummy (the SCONES!). This year was special though, because our angel baby, Bridger, had a tree and wreath donated in his name. We searched the entire South Towne Expo Center from North to South and finally spied both his tree and wreath. And with 100% of the proceeds going straight to Primary Children's Hospital, it was well worth the traffic!

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-12-04T08:05:00.003-07:00

Thanksgiving dinner was held at our house this year! Here are the stats:

9 original (crazy) Smith's
7 Smith significant others
13 Smith offspring and 1 angel baby
29 chairs, hand-made turkey nut cups and place settings
2 turkeys
96 rolls
17 pounds of leftovers
1 party fowl
10,000 laughs
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree!

Belle's 1st Grade Thanksgiving Play

2009-11-20T10:55:00.012-07:00

Click here for video

and here

Apple Green

2009-11-16T15:02:00.011-07:00

I had a urge to paint my walls Apple Green and since we've had spackle white for about 18 months now I thought it was a good idea. I saw an Apple Green kitchen somewhere and it stuck. I thought the color was so refreshing and happy-making that I wanted to re-create that feeling in my own house. So Jeremy being who he is started the project and finished in less than 2 days. I bought the paint and chose the color and helped where I could. He didn't care what color it was just as long as we finally covered those ugly dry wall mud patches. It's a little bolder than I was expecting, but as you know with paint it dries darker and makes a HUGE impact on the room. I love it! Enjoy the pics. Hope they do it justice.

Funny things that were said during the process:

Belle: This looks like spring!
Tre: This is the BEST Saturday EVER!
Belle: I just love watching people paint, I love the smell.
Tre: I like this color green
Jer: Its really green...
Leisa: In that light it looks florecent! I feel like I'm living in a fun house! It makes me happy!
Belle: I just love watching people paint, I love the smell. (we heard this comment a few times)
Jer: Hope you don't get sick of this color ANY time soon, cause I'm not doing that again for a long, long time.
Jer: Mmmm...anyone want an apple?

The Process:

The Finished Product:

Oh, and I also picked up a 'mis-tint' from Lowes for $20 off the original price. Not a color I would have EVER picked out on my own, but I needed a color for just one wall of our front room. This seemed to fit the bill and though I didn't love it when we were painting in on, I fell in love after it dried. It matches the trim on our huge painting perfectly and looks FANTASTIC!! I'm calling it 'Berry'.

Anabelle

2009-11-13T16:39:00.004-07:00

I love to tell everyone I meet about my little girl who is six and a major reader. She loves books. I don't know where she gets this from. Granted, I love to read and can often be found sitting on my "reading chair" devouring a new romance or mystery, but Tre didn't pick it up quite like Belle has. She reads all of Tre's chapter books and more. She amazes me daily with her ability to read unfamiliar words without a pause. She can race through a 50 page chapter book like it's the Sunday Funnies. My favorite thing to do is watch her eyes and head while she reads. It's like the cartoon character that eats corn on the cob, head going side to side quickly. She is a speed reader and has read every book in the house. Her teacher says she can't keep up with her reading level testing because she just gets better and better every day. She reads as well as an average adult. I think I'll start her on Dan Brown next. I am SO proud of you Belly!

Halloween 2009

2009-11-02T19:57:00.003-07:00

Tre is a 'Dead Skater'

Belle the Feisty Cheetah

Luigi

Sassy Pink Witch

80's Chick

Halloween is always a fun time at the Smith house. We've got the Smith Family party complete with homemade chicken noodle soup, bread bowls, and games. The kids dress up and we all stuff ourselves silly and have a good time. Then on Halloween night we eat broccoli cheese soup in bread bowls (again), sugar cookies, and candy.

But, this year Belle got really sick. We think it was the Swine Flu, but didn't really have her checked. All her symptoms pointed to that so we treated it as such. She did make it out trick or treating with the aid of Tamiflu (which cost us $90) and Advil but didn't make it long. The party at school was tainted too. She really wanted to go, but was so sick she couldn't make it through the party. I had already signed up to help with a game at one of the stations so I took her anyway. Her fever was raging by the time we got home and she ended up sleeping most of the afternoon. But we survived and are now on the mend. We'll hope for better luck next year.

I did like my costumes I wore to work for "costume week" though. Fun stuff!

Sad, sick little kitty

Then and Now

2009-10-29T11:58:00.002-06:00

Then:

Now:

The first picture is at the Zoo with Scott and the kids. Notice the shorts and t-shirts. This was on October 18th. Fast forward 1 week and 2 days later...and you get Belle playing in the snow, making a snowman in a coat, gloves, boots and hat. Oh, Utah. How we love the weather...NOT!

Escalante Sept. 2009

2009-10-12T10:05:00.005-06:00

Pictures above: Big Rock Candy Mountain, Jer and I in the car on the way there, Tre listening to his iPod, Belle happy with the sunrise in the background, Belle eating crystal candy from Big Rock Candy Mountain, Belle with our packed car in the background

Jer and my mom decided that the family needed to take a trip to Escalante National Park. No one had ever been and they wanted to check it out. Besides I wanted to take a camping trip and Jeremy just likes vacations period. So we packed up the car (it was like a Tetris game to get it all to fit), left early morning Friday, and set out for an adventure.

Petrified Forest Hike (Steph, Jas, B and B hadn't made it yet): Jer being funny, me and the kids touching a big piece of petrified wood, giant lizard (or small dinosaur), Tre, Tre and Jer, Grandpa and grandma looking at a black widow, Tre, Belle

Devils Garden, my favorite!: me on top of an arch, family picture, me and Tre, me and the kids, Tre climbing a tree, Tre and Jer on top of an arch, Grandpa jumping a crack, Jer scaling the rocks, Tre jumping a crack, Belle and the arch in the background, Jer still climbing, Belle in her "cheetah cave", me and Tre, Tre climbing the rock, Grandma, Grandma and the kids

Camping! We stayed at this really weird site where the tent sites were just on a open space behind a store and restaurant. There was a community fire pit that we took over the two days we were there. It was still fun...even with all the stickers! From left to right, top to bottom: Jer on the phone trying to get some work done, Belle in her feety pajamas, Tre playing in the sandbox at the campsite, Belle by our tent, Jason and Jeremy in their matching outfits, Tre-Braden-Brookie-Belle in bundled in their jammies one morning, Belle and Steph in jammies, Belle eating Charleston Chews (yum!), the whole family relaxing while dinner is cooking, Jas made dutch oven chicken and rice and Caramel Apple Cobbler. It was SO good!, the kids playing a multiplication game Grandma brought.

Lower Calf Creek Falls hike: Here's the gist of the pics...10 hikers, 8 hiking sticks with 2 being used as Light Sabers, Flying Spaghetti Monster, climbing trees, posing for pics by the falls, searching for points of interest along the hike

Grosvenor Arch: Jer and I, the kids sitting on a rock, Jeremy at the top where he climbed up the backside of this MASSIVE arch, Braden in a cave, the kids scaling the arch making Grandma nervous, the arch from a distance, Tre and Belle climbing. This arch has a major dirt road you have to drive on to get there. Jason and his minivan was not happy. The Check Engine light came on while on this road. BUT...I think the arch was SO worth it. It was beautiful!

Parent Teacher Conferences

2009-10-12T09:42:00.003-06:00

Anabelle: 1st Grade Mrs. Lefler

Model student, gets along well with others, has friends, does her work, is quiet in class, an amazing reader...(off the charts) and loves to read. The teacher tells us to keep up the good work, that whatever we are doing is working. Hehehe! We haven't done a thing! In fact we have worked harder and longer with Tre and kinda put Belle on the back burner. It's all her. Belle did have one incident where a 3rd grade boy (who may or may not have Turrets and/or anger issues) kicked her in the stomach with both his feet on the monkey bars. So she punched him in the face. We didn't hear about it because Belle is not a Drama Queen. She took care of it. Let her teacher know what happened, held her own and wasn't even upset about it after she punched him. So proud of this girl!! Smart, tough, agressive, knows herself and will stick up for herself anytime.

Tre: 5th Grade Mrs. Sparks

Tre is a great student. He tries hard, has tons of friends and loves to write stories for his teacher. Teacher says he wrote one where she was the "bad guy" but was so excited to give it to her that she had to take it as a compliment. He talks alot...(wonder where he gets that from!?), struggles with organization, neat work, and handing in assignments. But he is a "joy" to have in class. He is always happy and friendly and respectful. He is on his class level with most subjects, loves to read and loves school. He prides himself in getting good grades and worries when they are not so great. He is always going, going, going. I love this kid!! Smart(ish), friendly, happy, active, tender-hearted.

Jeep-N

2009-09-20T14:37:00.004-06:00

I love, looove, loooove my Jeep. Especially with the top off. Funny how buying an 15 year old car can be so rewarding. Who needs luxury cars with all the extras like...power windows, locks, and seats, heated seats, automatic transmission, a top, and shiny interior/exterior's?

Not me! I'm happy to get 5 big tires, a steering wheel and a seat belt. And that's all I need. I told Jeremy he's pretty lucky that he can make his wife uber happy with a $4000 car.

The Tooth Fairy Is At It Again

2009-09-11T08:41:00.006-06:00

Before:

After:

Yesterday while swimming at Grandma's house, little Belle was happily eating a mint chocolate Creamie when all of a sudden she shouts, "MY TOOTH!" She bit into the ice cream bar and thought maybe there was a rock in it. It was this close (picture her pointer finger and thumb showing us) to getting swallowed. But when Belle pulled the "rock" out of her mouth it was her front tooth. She was super excited. The Tooth Fairy would come that night and leave money! Yay! And he..er..she..didn't even forget.

Couldn't resist taking a picture of her outfit today. The shorts are hand-me-downs...from Tre. Yep, boy shorts. And the shirt is a black Halloween "skeletanimals" from Target. This girl cracks me up!

Tre Kickin' It...Soccer Style

2009-09-04T17:20:00.004-06:00

Tre + Soccer = one happy kid!

Boating (summer 2009)

2009-09-04T17:02:00.005-06:00

Scott is SO nice to let us come boating with him. We pack up a cooler of sandwiches, drinks and treats and head up to Jordanelle. The four kids really get along and it's fun to watch them play on the boat and in the water. I love that they watch movies up and back on the drive so Jer and Scott can talk and I can play on my phone. I really look forward to these day trips! I could live on the water. It's so nice being out in the sun on the water with great friends.

Enjoy the pictures of our latest excursion. This is the time Jeremy got sick and we had to drop him off on shore so it was just me, Scott and the kids. We looked like a happy little family...with 4 kids!!

Tre and Ellie (they really do love each other-we'll have to keep them separated when she hits the teen years :)

Ellie and Parker loving each other (for now)

Jer and the famous finger

Jer and the not-so-famous smile

Tre driving the boat (he's just pretending here)

Tre and I just foolin' around with the camera. Aren't we cute!

Say CHEESE!

Jeremy throwing Tre into the (freezing cold) water

Belle

BACK TO SCHOOL!!

2009-08-20T09:56:00.013-06:00

Best Friends

Silly (EXCITED) Kids

Bus Stop Friends (Ivy Bye and Noah Spencer)

Tre

Tre is now 10 years old, going into 5th grade, and apparently a model. He is still sweet as can be. He is about 4 ft 6 and 80 pounds of raw muscle :) He loves "scootering" with friends, he is in love with Kaylei Lewis (but don't tell anyone), and his recent funny saying is:
Tre: I don't really want to have kids when I grow up anymore.
Staci: Oh, why?
Tre: Cause my dad told me how you make babies and its REALLY gross!
Staci: Oh! Good.

Belle

Belle is a big 1st grader this year. She is excited for full day school, 2 recesses, and school lunch. She doesn't want anyone to bother her in class so she doesn't have to get mad. She is happy her former best friend in not in her class. She is still a tom-boy. Notice the boy skater shoes above. I still make her do her hair like a girl and wear bows though. Wonder how long that will last. Belle is a great reader and loves it. She is actually reading the same books as Tre right now. Sometimes when he takes too long to read something she says: Just give it to me, I'll tell you what it says! Belle is still short for her age, but we know where she gets it from. She weighs a HEFTY 55 pounds of...yep, you guessed it...PURE MUSCLE! She is one tough cookie.

Gone Home

2009-08-08T14:04:00.004-06:00

My sweet nephew Bridger has returned home. His 11 month battle with his health has ended. I can't start to express how I feel. Grief. Tears. Sadness. Helpless. May God be with Danny and Staci.

The hardest part was telling Tre. He took it hard.

Bridger, you will always be in our hearts. You have touched our family in so many ways. May you be happy and healthy in Heaven. Please watch over your parents.

Skate Park and Splash Park

2009-08-07T09:22:00.007-06:00

Rock On!

Super Cool

Biking King

Biking Queen

Swinging Monkey

Happy Cartwheeler

Smiling Girl

Fun Times

Refreshing Water

Handsome Hunk

Cold Water

Crawling Panther

Spray Contest

Playing

Play Structure

The kids and I had a fun field trip day full of parks. First was the Skate Park where I was entertained by bikes, scooters, skateboarders, jumps, hills, falls and speed. Next was the Splash Park to cool down after being on the hot cement for 2 hours. There the kids ran, crawled, walked, jumped and swung their way to some fun. The best part? IT WAS FREE!!

15 foot Platform+2 crazy Kids=good video op!

2009-08-03T15:07:00.004-06:00

Lava Hot Springs on a whim

2009-08-03T13:47:00.008-06:00

The Drive:

The River:

The Pool:

3 kids and a video camera

2009-07-26T19:58:00.001-06:00

Pioneer Day BBQ and S'mores

2009-07-26T19:26:00.004-06:00

What do you get when you combine the Smith's, the Mounteer's, Rolo's, Reeses Peanut Butter Cup's, Starburst's, Andes Candies, marshmallows and fire? A whole bunch of spectacular S'mores!! Rolo-mallow, Peanut butter madness, Fruity Delights, and Minty Orgasms (Jer's term...not mine).

From Drop Box

Palisades State Park

2009-07-26T18:38:00.007-06:00

The Evan's family reunion was held at Palisades State Park this year. We had ton's of fun and the pictures will prove it...

From Drop Box

Belle and Brook climbing tree's

From Drop Box

Swimming in the lake, jumping and being thrown off the floating dock, playing in boats

From Drop Box

Relaxing, sleeping, playing on the shore.

From Drop Box

Camping the night. Makeshift fire pit, playing in tents, hanging out in the truck while the grownups set up.

From Drop Box

Random picture of family, from top left: Tre waiting for Grandma and Grandpa to blow up the raft, Jeff and Tre at the makeshift fire pit, Braden and Jer eating 'Cheesey Poofs', Grandma and Lisa Evans, Steph and Brook.

From Drop Box

Heading Home: Tre super tired and Belle with "Moosey".

Oh, Tre. Can you just sit still for a moment?

2009-07-23T09:03:00.004-06:00

Yesterday Tre had a rough day. Let's start out the story in the morning. Tre gets up, eats breakfast, showers, then waits patiently for me to finish training Mandy so he can go play with friends. Once I tell him it is okay, he rushes straight for his best friends, Noah and CJ. But, they can't play yet because they just got up and still need to get dressed and eat.

Tre is once again waiting patiently for his friends to get ready and decides to ride around on his scooter. While riding past they neighbor's house (in the street...that is a whole different issue) the neighbor dog runs and chases Tre. That little fur ball jumps and bites him on the leg! It is a small puncture wound and way less serious than any other injury he gets on a daily basis, but it is a dog bite from a dog we don't know.

I was not happy to say the least. I tried to get Tre to tell me the truth about what happened. Did you kick the dog? No. Did you pull his tail? No. Did you hurt it in anyway? No. I didn't touch it mom. It always chases us when we ride our scooters/bikes/skateboards/RipSticks. So off to the neighbors house we go. I just wanted to let them know their dog bit a child and ask them about the dogs shots. If it was up to date. Ring the doorbell. Nothing. Knock on the door. Nothing. But I can hear them talking inside and hear the dog barking at the door while the owner tells it to be quiet. What? Why won't you answer your door? Now I'm worried. Maybe the dog is not vaccinated.

Okay. Fine. But where does that leave us? My best friend Google will tell me. Find out that all dog bites MUST be reported whether you file a citation or not. I call Animal Control, which is really just Lehi Police. They were very helpful and friendly and took me serious even though I told them how small the injury was and how small the dog was. An officer came over about 45 minutes later, had us fill out a report, took a picture of the injury, and talked to the owners (they answered the door for him).

Tre is still waiting around patiently to go play with friends. The police officer suggested we call Tre's doctor to see if any further medical action needs to be taken. Sure enough, it does. Tre has to get a Tetanus shot. So it's off to the pediatrician for an exam and a shot and a prescription for antibiotics. We all wait patiently at the doctors office, then again while getting the prescription filled at Target.

Now we're home. I have to go to work in 40 min. and have done nothing around the house that I wanted. I send Tre out to play while I put away some laundry before I have to leave. Not 20 minutes later, Tre comes in the house with that look in his eyes. "What?", I say. "I just got stung by a bee", says Tre.

Argh! Can you catch a break today Tre? No, not really. Knock on wood. I don't really want you to break anything today. It would be just your luck. Sorry buddy, what an adventure!