1 Mom, 1 Boy, 1 Fun/Active Date

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?

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!"...

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!!

Back to School!

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!!

SUMMER!!

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

11 years and counting...

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:

That's no Harry Potter...

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!

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...