Tink and Taz

Sunday, February 28, 2010

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...

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Belly Bop

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!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Christmas...just a little late

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

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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

Monday, December 14, 2009

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

"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."

Friday, December 4, 2009

Festival of Trees (December 2009)

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!