The Smith's

Holl-eeeey

2012-01-31T09:27:00.000-08:00

Sawyer has recently taken a liking to Holley the purple female spy car in Cars 2.
It shocked me one day when he points to the TV and said, “Holl-eey!” It took me 5 minutes to figure out he wanted to watch Cars 2, which we don’t even own.
Shocked because he still doesn’t say many words and he had only seen the movie 2 times (one of which was in June)! We had recently borrowed it from the library.
You might even call it a crush of sorts. He smiles and says it kinda shyish. So cute, that I would have bought him Holley if she would have been available for sale at the store the other day. I have heard she is very hard to find.
He had to settle for Fin McMissle (whom Hudson was thrilled with) instead. Let’s just say, He was not as pleased to get McMissle. But after seeing his brothers have no problem with the blue-gray male super spy, he thinks he should be the one and only to keep him.
And I guess that works for now. But it wont forever, because every time he asks for Holley I just tell him to look for McMissle and he just cocks his head to the side and turns up his little mouth and says, “k”.

Diaper Crazy!

2012-01-31T09:07:00.000-08:00

I am sure some of you can relate to this.
I was thinking today how many diapers I have changed in the last 6+ years. Because mind you, except 9 days (give or take) since 8/05/05 I have changed diapers every day. Average for one kid is 4-6 a day. Sometimes it was double that because I had/have 2 children in diapers. Say I use 5 and multiply it by 365 and I get 1825 a year. Multiply that by 6 and it is 10950… and it still continues, and will for like 2+ years.
I can’t even begin to think about how many diapers people who have had double the kids have changed. Hmmm. So let’s say each diaper is 35 cents, because only 1 of my kids could wear the cheaper diapers without getting rashes, and that would equal almost $4000.00 in diapers. That is not counting the times it’s been double duty.
That is diaper crazy!!

Year in Review

2011-12-15T10:14:00.000-08:00

As I was attempting chores today, I contemplated the last year and wondered where it all went. A lot has transpired in 12 months for our family and I am trying to remember the small things as well as the larger events. I am often reminded of how a blog can be a journal. I am not sure that I have anything that anyone else would ever desire to read about. Yet my children are my life right now, and they are so worth writing about, although a main reason I don’t. Last night I vowed to start scheduling things, even simple things. As I write this I am thinking of a person I know who is very task oriented. She makes a list and she sticks to it. Sometimes she is criticized and looked at as an unfeeling person, but I really know she fulfills her goals she has written each day. I really appreciate that about her.

Here are some larger events that transpired this year for us:
Sawyer turned 1, and learned to walk (2 months before Sayla was born…I cheered!)
After 7+ years, Cory entered his last semester of school. Hurray!
Cory received a job opportunity in Battle Mountain in April.
Sayla was born in April.
Cory moved to Battle Mountain in May to start his new job, while the kids and I stayed in Caliente.
We blessed Sayla the first part of June.
Cory graduated in May! I cheered inside more than outside!
We put our house up for sale.
Hudson turned 4 and we celebrated by going to Cars 2 in St. George (big event at our house, since we never go to the movies).
Atteneded the Petersen Family Reunion
Hafen turned 6 and we celebrated by going to Battle Mountain and bowling in Winnemucca!
Hafen started 1st grade in August in Caliente and again in Battle Mountain in September.
We moved to Battle Mountain in September.
Cory started a new job in December.

Some of the smaller events:
Fathers and sons outing, girls weekend for me, 2 baby showers (a big thanks to you girls, I have only bought 4 small packages of diapers for Sayla thus far), lots of playing at the park in Caliente and Battle Mountain, celebrating the 4th of July in Caliente, finding a house to rent in Battle Mountain, Hafen finally enjoying school, Sayla rolls over, attempts to pull herself around, and sleeps through the night occasionally. Buy a bunny. Bunny dies the next day. Feed geese and ducks frequently at the park near here. Celebrate pioneer day with my parents, Vera surprises us in Elko for Cory’s graduation, spoke and sang in church as a family where Hudson gave his first talk in sacrament, Sawyer learns new words, climbs stairs, sleeps in a bed, loves monster trucks, playing in dirt and water, Hudson learning letters, took swimming lessons, and made new friends. We sleep the first night in the rental on a cold floor and froze all night, labor day celebration and hike, Hafen and the shovel incident, graduates kindergarten, Hafen has a part in the Missoula Children’s theatre, makes new friends, plays t-ball, swimming lessons; multiple scratches and crash landings on the floor for Sayla, multiple drives to St. George and Battle Mountain, celebrate Halloween with 2 ninjas, a giraffe, and a piglet, celebrate 7 years of married bliss, and I am sure I am missing some.

We had loads of large blessings and countless small miracles this year.

I am hoping next year I will eat less, criticize, yell and ignore less, sit less, make excuses less, be less irritable, less negative and less lazy blog more, exercise more, read more, be more positive, work more, cheer, praise, love, and have more hope.

I will post some pictures later.

Please Stay Tuned....

2011-11-17T16:14:00.000-08:00

For future posts!
This page is currently under construction. HA HA HA!

Baby Oh Baby!

2010-12-03T13:42:00.000-08:00

In case you haven't heard...
Baby number 4 is on her way.
That's right, I said her.
After 3 rambling boys it is a girl folks.
I am still wondering what I am going to do with a girl.
And what do the boys think? They are excited!
Even Sawyer gladly clapped and giggled along with his brothers.
Must be a keeper in his book. A name you say? Well there are two.
We will let you know when it is narrowed down.
What a great early Christmas surprise!
I am saving the girly projects till after Christmas though.
I can't wait! But Christmas first!
I love Christmas!
But I know just what I am going to be doing on December 26th!

Halloween

2010-10-31T21:38:00.000-07:00

This year Hafen was excited to tell me months ago he wanted to dress up like a cop, which I fully expected to change as Halloween approached.
It didn't!
He looks so handsome as a police officer.

Hudson changed his mind at least once a day and and when it was time to go costume shopping we had to warn him that his costume of choice that day was going to be his costume for Halloween.
He decided upon Robin Hood.
Good choice I thought...

Sawyer was my roaring lion and quickly caught on to the roaring part when he learned that crawling and standing were not easily conquered in fur!

Grandma L said it looked liked typecasting to her...
But they decided themselves and even Sawyer showed his approval when I first tried his costume on. He chewed his paws! I mean, what lion does not chew his/her own paws?!!

The kids had a great time at the carnival and we all enjoyed trick-or-treating. At one point we stopped in to visit some friends and the boys were invited to take a treat.
Hafen took one treat and Hudson took one. And then Hudson took another and then another and another and another.

I was distracted of course, I mean I had a lion on my hands after all.

The rest of the crowd was laughing and quite entertained by my little Robin Hood.

I guess our host said it best when he said "I just figured he was robbing the rich to feed the poor!"
(note: I was sure when I saw Hudson's face, he was innocent...mom should have taught him better I guess)

A piece of History

2010-10-31T20:37:00.000-07:00

I just read this in the Lincoln County Record last night and thought it was very interesting so I wanted to share it. We have all just witnessed a piece of history here is what the paper said.

"Although the month is almost over, here is an interesting fact about October, 2010. It has 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays and 5 Sundays, all in the same month. Calendar watchers note that this has not happened since the year 1187. It happens once every 823 years, so it will not come around again until the year 2833, but then again you won't be around to watch."

Guys Weekend 2010

2010-08-27T15:17:00.000-07:00

A Couple weeks ago we (me, Hafen, my grandpa, dad, brothers, and brothers-in-law's minus a few this year) went on our annual guys weekend. This year we went up to my in-laws cabin on Monroe Mountain. We traveled up on Thursday and with a few delays (the biggest one being my brother-in-laws truck breaking down and taking the time to fix it) made it up about dinner time. We set up camp and enjoyed a little rain and some good conversation. On Friday we spent most of the day fishing. Every year we have a fishing tournament with bragging rights for the coming year. I of course got the bragging rights of the smallest fish caught.

No that picture is not a joke. I really caught that fish and it was also the only fish I caught. Hafen almost caught the biggest fish but my brother-in-law was helping him bring it in and some how lost it at the last minute. Did I mention his son had the biggest fish? Thanks a lot Joe. In the afternoon we tried a different lake and fished through rain and hail but with no luck. I guess the fish didn’t want to put up with the weather.

On Saturday we had breakfast, cleaned up camp and headed home. On the way down the mountain we got caught in a nasty rain storm. Of course I happened to be on a four-wheeler. My grandpa (on a rhino) and I hurried down off the mountain while everyone else in the truck in van had the fun of sliding down the mountain. It turns out when in rains the road gets really slick. Once everyone finally made it off the mountain almost in one peace (My brother-in-laws truck hitch broke with my dad’s trailer on it my mother-in-law made us a really good lunch and we all headed home. All in all we had a really good time.

No time like now

2010-07-16T19:07:00.001-07:00

I have really debated about whether or not to continue blogging. It has been so so long since I have updated and even then it was sketchy at best. But I decided that there is no time like now to update and continue on with blogging.

Here is our last year in a nutshell:

Cory is almost finished with school... only 2 classes left.
Too bad he has to take them seperate semesters. So that means another year from now Cory will be finished and able to take his Professional Land Surveyor Liscense. Finally and Yea! He has been busy on working on the house and yard. Good thing I kept up as well on the yard last year because I have done nothing on it this year but help plant the garden. Poor guy. He is working on finding a job since things have really slowed down here.

Hafen is almost 5. Yes I said 5. Holy Moly Shmoly. I am a parent of a 5 year old! Hafen surprises me every single day with his intelligence. Yes I think he is intelligent and I am probably boasting, but he does it on his own. What he lacks in emotional maturity he makes up in smiles and laughs. He loves beating his dad at Mario Cart and everytime he throws a shell, he laughs and laughs and laughs. Nobody, I don't care who you are, will resist laughing outload to his ginormous laughs. Hafen is a great big brother to Hudson and Sawyer. He has been keeping busy with T-ball and swimming lessons and he is looking forward to school this fall.

Hudson has turned 3. I think about him as a little toddler still sometimes but he is completely a little boy and likes having independence. His smile is so contageous. He is very quick and witty. He loves to play with his older brother and every morning one of the first things he asks for is to see Sawyer. He dresses on his own and is really trying to succeed in climbing the apricot tree in the back yard even though he continually scrapes his hands and legs from it. He likes to help me with the dishes still and loves to make-believe. He imagination is endless adn I love that about him. He is sensitive and his cry still makes me almost cry if not.

Our biggest addition in the past year is Sawyer. He has really been a delight. He constantly smiles and the dimple in his left cheek shows through when he does. He loves his brothers especially when they are wrestling their dad. Sawyer really likes to watch them rough house and tries to get involved too. He is eating solids and continues to have strong legs due to his favorite position of standing, which he has had since birth, or shortly after. He was born weighing 7lbs 15oz and his current weight is 21 pounds. Not a small guy for 6 months.

For me life has been busy. I have been trying to keep up to the three boys and still have a moment to sew each day. Cory is patient with me when he comes home to a house of chaos; laundry piled high, toys everywhere, kids running around like banchies, and dinner not started. I always imagined life different. Funny how that works and how much the imagination doesn't even touch. Good thing, because life is so much better than I ever imagined!

Stay tuned for even more blogging from me and some updated pics.
ta ta for now

A few projects

2009-10-05T15:13:00.001-07:00

My neighbor (Karyn) and I decided we would refurbish our dressers. This one may look familiar to some of you as it used to house or movies and television. After contemplating on whether or not to paint, I just decided to cover the drawers with coordinating fabric I had and distress it a bit. It turned out cute I think and will be used as a new dresser/changing table for me and the newest Smith addition.

Recently I posted that I had made a few wallets and promised to post a picture. Here is one. So far they are all various colors and patterns. I have a boutique I am gearing up for in Vegas the first of November so I will be busy making several more for that. I have enjoyed the sewing immensely.

Too much?

2009-10-05T14:54:00.000-07:00

I could use the lovely fall colors as my excuse for the large amount of orange in this apron. Or I could say that it is for Halloween. But I would be lying. I mean, when I originally bought this material for an apron, I knew I was looking for something orange. The recipient of this apron loves orange. This much orange? I thought to myself it would look great. The black trim was more classy looking than gray and white would too easily stain. So what do you think? Is it too much orange, too Halloween(ish)??? FYI my camera is on the fritz. It seem to have issues with focusing and with using the flash, which taints the color of the photo a tad. The orange is vivid, but not quite as much as the photo. Still, what do you think?

Giveaway!

2009-09-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

Yes I said giveaway! Our first ever giveaway on the Smithalicious blog!

I don't know if it has become fall in your part of the woods, but it certainly has here. Long sleeves and jackets are now a part of our attire once again. I can't say I am disapointed. With fall brings warmth to my heart with lovely smells and beautiful colors. Fall cooking is amazing, whether it is a loaf of pumpkin bread, or a warm bowl of soup. We have had soup for dinner twice this week. I love soup.
Find some good heart warming recipes on our blog and enter to win a fun basket of goodies while you are there!

Hobbies

2009-09-10T20:51:00.001-07:00

Isn't it great when we can make money from hobbies? Saturday, thanks to a great husband, I was able to sit at the Labor Day craft fair and sell wallets. I have sold all but 2. I wanted to make enough to buy a car seat for the baby and I did with some to spare! Now I get to go shopping! Baby shopping is still shopping!

Hafen is 4!

2009-09-10T20:46:00.000-07:00

So Hafen had his 4th birthday! Unbelievable to me. Everyone says time goes by so fast when the kids are little and it is so true. Hafen got a new bike and thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Smith a new helmet and Aunt Vera gave him a cool new bell. He loves it, but he is still not used to balancing the bigger bike and occasionally tips it over! Good thing he has a helmet! Pictures to come soon!

Oh Boy!

2009-09-10T20:44:00.001-07:00

For those of you who didn't already get the update, it's another boy! His expected arrival is January 12! Any suggestions for a name? No "H" names if we can help it! I am drawing mostly blanks on the name game. I can't wait to see what the little guy looks like!

Dreaming again

2009-07-20T09:57:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I woke up at 8:00 a.m.! I have to say that has not happened since Hudson was born. Normal wake-up time at our house is 5:55. But as I was getting up Hafen ran into my room and yelled "1-2-3 Wake up Mommy" and it was soon followed by one handsome man holding a tray filled with a variety of breakfast food. "Could this be a dream", I wondered to myself as I started drooling at the sight of eggs and pancakes and a tall glass of orange juice. Cory let me sleep till 8 and I actually did? Wow! My husband had really brought me breakfast in bed (although I wasn't still in bed)? Yep folks, He did!
I decided I could be selfish and enjoy the quiet of eating all by myself in bed, or I could make it fun for all and we could all have a picnic on the bedroom floor. I opted for the picnic. We all had a marvelous time and I enjoyed seeing the bright smiles of my 3 boys. It was great and nice to relax together! What a way to start a day!

Hudson is 2!

2009-07-14T10:44:00.000-07:00

Hudson turned 2 on the 30th of June. We had a little get together with family. He received a sleeping bag and a stick horse from us. Unfortunately the stick horse looks more like a deer and he rarely rides it! I need to make him a new one. He also got some farm animals from grandma and grandpa Smith and a little monster truck from Great Grandpa Smith and Aunt Gina. He had a fabulous time! He blew out the candle before we sang to him and before I could get a picture. We relit the candle!
He decided a couple weeks before his birthday that he wanted a farm cake with animals. I had a picture of it and he packed it around for almost the whole 2 weeks to show that he really did want it. I made it, but it wasn't as great as the picture he packed around. He loved the spider on it though! I can't believe he is 2. He is a jabber jaw and likes others to pay attention to him...what 2 year old doesn't. He plays well by himself but loves when Hafen will play with him too. He is so fun and I am grateful to have him in our family. We were supposed to go swimming on his birthday but due to rain we didn't make it. We just bathed them early and thus the pajamas in the photos!

Expanding...

2009-07-14T10:31:00.001-07:00

We are expanding! Our family that is. AS some of you already know, we are expecting again with baby #3. He/she should arrive the first week of January I believe. We will find out for sure the first week of August. Yippee for baby #3. Both the boys want a sister they claim. I am exited but I have had to slow down on the running. Only 2 miles a day and I haven't even been able to keep that up lately. I hope I can build myself back up easier next time. I finally could run 5 in 52.5 minutes. Slow for some, but good for me. Oh well a baby is definitely worth it!!

Long Long overdue update!

2009-07-14T10:19:00.000-07:00

Summer time has kept us busy this year. Between yard work, the normal house work, 4H, and numerous trips to Las Vegas, I can honestly say I am almost ready for fall...almost! I have made almost a trip a week for 4 months now to the dental school to get my various teeth issues fixed. It has costed me almost nothing in dental work, but tons in time and gas. I will be very glad when I am finished. Only 1 appointment left.

4H went better than I expected. There were only 4 students and I had 2 assistants that rotated days. I am very proud of my little sewers, they did such a good job! I think I may do it again next year!

The first week of June we had a reunion in Heber City with Cory's siblings and spouses and his parents. Cory's parents rented a house in Heber City so we could all be together and enjoy each others company. We had a great time. Our adventures included the Heber Creeper, the Alpine slide, River Rafting, and the zoo! We had a wonderful time.

The rest of the summer is planned with various camping excursions, and harvesting veggies and fruit. Apricots are weighing down one tree, and peaches the other. IT has been nice to have our own trees produce this year. The branches are starting to tilt. I am supposed to be picking apricots right now!

Fun Friday

2009-05-02T10:20:00.000-07:00

Every other Friday night, the boys and I get together for a movie and dinner. It happens at about 6:00 pm in our living room. On the menu last night was homemade pizza. Yummy Yummy! Hudson actaully helped me with every part of making the pizza and then Hafen joined in with the breadsticks. They were a big help and I didn't even get too agitated when the pineapple hit the floor which resulted in flip flops that no longer stayed on my feet, but rather on the floor! It was fun and we really enjoyed ourselves. Hudson really enjoyed replacing the pepporoni and canadian bacon slices that he had previously put in his mouth!

It was Cory's turn to pick the movie and he chose "Yours, Mine, and Ours", the remake. The original (which we own too) is one of my favorite movies. I think it is hillarious!

When all was done and said Hafen ate a large slice of pizza, 2 breadsticks and 3 cups of milk (child size). Hudson barely ate his slice of pizza and half a breadstick and 2 cups of milk. Go figure!

Running hurts

2009-05-02T10:04:00.000-07:00

This blog is mainly for journal entry for myself, but feel free to read on.

I got up this morning at 5:00am. Everyone was still sleeping. I got dressed, put my shoes on and left at 5:20. It was really nice outside, barely chilly really. I walked to warm up and then began running. I ran to Kershaw and back. I had to walk a tad, but less than I had thought I would. I arrived home at 6:15, or a tad before.

So for a while now I have been running. I have been trying to work on time and distance. Since I haven't been as consistant as I should have been, it's taking me longer to get where I want to be.

My quickest 3 miles so far is only 26 minutes. But I am trying to improve and I must say it hurts. I am also trying to extend the distance. This morning I ran 5 miles in under 55 minutes. I am not sure the exact time since I didn't have a watch. I just checked the clock before I left and after I got back. This time included warm up walking time but not distance(of about 1/4 mile). So I was feeling good about myself, and then I started reading what an average 5 miles should take... no longer than 47.5 minutes. I am still glad I made it under an hour, since I would be really embarrased if I had not, but I have to kill 10 minutes off. That is 2 minutes off each mile.
My euphoria has definately worn off.

Fun in the Sun

2009-04-24T19:55:00.001-07:00

For Easter the boys got a little bug sprinkler that whips the water back and forth and around. So I put it to good use this week. The sun was shining and it was so warm on Monday I decided to let the boys have a little fun in the water. They spent almost half the day outside, alternating between getting wet and sun bathing. Hudson also added plenty of drinking time in. They spent much of Tuesday outside as well and a bit of Wednesday. They loved it!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2009-04-18T19:47:00.000-07:00

So I know that spring is upon us, but this is a yummy yummy soup recipe that deserves a try on any day. I have had the recipe for a while and I am not sure where I got it, but I am posting it on smith-a-licious. Cory and Hudson love it and the Hafen even eats it(he hates soups). Get the receipe here.
**For future reference, there is a Smith-a-licous link is provided on my side bar also!

Hmmm

2009-04-18T16:40:00.000-07:00

So I keep saying I will be better at blogging...that somehow hasn't happened. Maybe I will work up to it!!
We are doing good. Hudson is getting very good at talking. He is putting words together to form sentences, which is great, since 2 months ago he was barely saying anything!!
Hafen has gotten really good at riding his bike. I love the days we can walk to the post office and often we walk to the park with him on his bike and Hudson riding in the wagon. If you saw us on the way home from the park it is usually Hudson walking, Hafen walking, and I am also walking while pulling the wagon with the bike inside the wagon. Quite amusing really. Hafen has become so animated when he speaks. It is very funny to watch. He will swing his body, use his arms to gesture, and wants whoever he is speaking to, to really look at him and pay attention to him.
We have started using tokens for a reward system for Hafen as well. He works hard to do his chores each morning and to also help me with various projects to earn tokens. His tokens allow him television, computer, etc. It seems to be working quite well thus far.
I am still sewing...I have started a few other projects and haven't loved how some of them have turned out. I am hoping to have a booth at the Memorial weekend boutique here in town. That is if I can get it together. I promise I will post a few pictures here in a week or so of projects.
I can't remember if I mentioned I was going to be the 4H sewing leader here in town this summer. I am a bit aprehensive. I am not sure I am knowledgeable enough for it and how do you teach a bunch of 10 year olds to sew? I am sure I will be pulling out my hair, or swearing, or something by the end of the first day! I am by no means Mrs. Judd! (my home-ec/sewing teacher)
I have also started a garden this year. Peas, Radishes, some herbs, are in my flower beds. I have starts of bell and anaheim peppers, artichokes, and tomatoes. Not sure how many I have left though, since I found Hudson digging the starts out with a wooden spoon a few days ago! I am going to have the rest of the garden on the North side of the house. It will be keeping me busy. I also planted some flowers that I hope will soon be up. I could use some brightness around me!
Cory has been staying busy with school. We found out last week that he can get one of his classes signed off and another as a corequisite instead of prereq. That means if everything goes well he will graduate after Spring semester of 2010! Yeah. That is only one year... I can do this for one more year, right?!

We bought a minivan. A grand caravan that has so much space, I dont' know how I ever lived with my small car. It is dark blue and has the stow n' go. We really like it.

We pulled the old floor out in the kitchen and put down square vinyl tiles. They actually look really good and now I want to paint the top of the walls. I still can't decide what color though. We need to put trim up still too, but it makes the kitchen look much nicer.
Other than that, we are just gearing up for summer. I am loving the nice weather and enjoying the boys alot. I am really spoiled to have them both healthy and strong and well functioning. I love their beauty and enjoy spending my day with them.

Car Shopping

2009-02-11T21:09:00.000-08:00

So... I will soon be car shopping.
Monday I was headed to Las Vegas to shop and visit my sister. It had barely started snowing, so I didn't change my plans. Usually when it is snowing here, the roads get better the closer to Vegas, exc. Cory and I discussed whether I should go and decided it would be fine to go, so I packed up the boys and headed out of town. I followed the tow truck out of town and over the summit. The tow truck turned around at the bottom and I continuted on. The roads continued to look good but occasionally they had patches of snow. At one spot ahead of my I could see a light snow on the road so I took my foot off the gas. At this point I was going about 62. A minute later (not sure about exact time here) I hit a ice spot and it spun my car into the other lane. I slowly turned my wheel back the other way, but it spun me all the way around almost facing the way I came and then went off the side of the road and flipped once over end and once over the side. I am not sure how it flipped the first time. I think it may have hit on the top side and flipped it over to the other side. I know I went over 2 times because I counted it. The car doesn't really look all that bad. I think it was because I had slowed down before I hit the ice. There was a man behind me less than a mile and he must have seen me crash, at least the tracks and they were still fresh when he passed me. He didn't even stop. It made me mad. But the boys were safe in their car seats and I was safe in the front seat. Hudson was a bit upset and didn't know how to react. Hafen was crying and distraught about his movie that had been unplugged and thrown on the floor. I explained that everything was ok and we could go to his cousins another time and he could watch the movie on the way home. I was pretty calm. I checked the boys, called Cory, then called 911 and then called my sister. I think talking to her really helped keep me calm. I can now say I have ridden in an ambulance. Hudson didn't think riding in it was so great, but after he was given crackers and a cool purple glove to play with he did fine. Hafen really had fun riding along with the ambulance workers and Grandma Smith (she is an EMT and arrived on the scene) whom I was so grateful to see. She helped with the boys and I was glad they had someone they knew to be with them. We are all fine minus sore bodies. I can't complain. I know the Lord really watches out for us and I am grateful we are safe and I know that prayers are answered. I am also grateful for everyone who has been so kind and helpful to us. I even had meals brought over from a few close friends!
I posted a few pictures of the car. I think it held up pretty good.

Forts

2009-02-11T21:01:00.001-08:00

Quite a while back I had my neighbor Karen keep my kids while I went visiting teaching. Hafen learned about fort building there. For some reason I had not taught Hafen about the fine design of fort building, but he decided they were quite cool and has continued building them since. This is quite ok with me. It is one of the few things that keep Hafen busy for over 30 minutes. (One of the others is hiding in the tall laundry basket with a blanket over it!) Anyhow, Saturday I was busy preparing some stuff in the kitchen and saw the boys under quite a nice sized fort. They had fun playing in it all morning. I went in to take a picture and caught them. I almost suggested taking a nap under the fort, but thought better of it, since I know Hafen would think that would be great every day!

Sail Boat

2009-02-11T20:46:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago we were having really nice weather and so I took out Hudson's light jacket. It has a few sail boats on it and I happened to point them out to Hudson, not knowing what I was in for. For about 2 weeks Hudson would not take his jacket off. He would ask for it to be put on again by saying "sa boa" over and over until he got it on. This would be after a huge battle trying to get it off for dinner. It stayed on for lunch and nap time and sometimes breafast. We would usually convince him to get it off for dinner if we hung it on the chair and promise to put it back on. This didn't always work but when it did we would distract him until bath time when he would forget about it until morning...usually.
He has now figured out that if he takes it off, he will get it back eventually so it's not such a big fight. He still has to have it on before any other jacket can go on and he still won't take it off for the rest of the day once it is on. Even though it is a battle sometimes, I can't get too upset because I think it is really cute. He is such a sweet little boy. He is so funny and his humor is showing more each day.

Catch Up

2009-01-18T21:24:00.000-08:00

Well Christmas came and went and I missed blogging about it. The kids had a wonderful time and so did Cory and I. We spent almost all of Christmas day playing with toys and enjoying our time together. We also went to my parents house for a couple days over New Years. We had a great time visiting, playing games and sledding. Actually Grandpa pulled the sled behind the four-wheeler, but we still count it as sledding since there was actually a sled although there wasn't much snow left! We still had a great time. Here are a few pictures of our holiday season.

Christmas Morning at the Smith's

Hafen, Braiey, Christian, & Hudson getting ready for a skit Brailey taught them:)

Hafen Sledding all by himself. He did so well, even when snow was piling in his face!

Cory, Hafen & Hudson. Hudson later fell asleep riding up the hill with Grandpa!

Sew busy

2009-01-18T21:14:00.001-08:00

Ok I think it is painfully obvious that I have been neglecting my blog. I can't say that it has been lack of time...well computer time maybe. My boys think it is necessary to now involve themselves in any computer time I get and unless they are asleep I do not even try to spend any amount of time on the computer. Cory has been out of school for a few weeks now and so I spend most of my extra time with him. I feel somewhat guilty if I sit down to the computer while he is in the other room. I don't want to miss the chance to spend time with him since he will be starting school again next week and I won't see him much for another few months. And at last the reason for the blog title...I have been sewing, sewing, sewing. In the past few months I have started sewing again. I really do love it and in this small town it has really saved me from insanity this winter. Since Thanksgiving I have sewn one ugly doll, one wallet, 9 aprons, and a few other miscelanious items. I will post a few pictures a bit later. I am thinking of selling a few items on Etsy, but I am having insecurity issues with that right now. I will post pictures soon and you can tell me what you think.

I did it!!!

2008-12-25T18:08:00.000-08:00

At the end of October I (Cory) took the first of my two tests to become a Professional land Surveyor. The test was broken down into two four hour sections with an hour break in-between for lunch. For those of you who don’t want to do the math that is eight hours of testing in one day. At the end of the day I was more than a little brain dead and extremely worried that I hadn’t done very well. Well finally last week I received the results back. I PASSED. To tell you the truth I was a little surprised but much relived not to have to take it again. Now all I have to do is finish school and I will be ready to sit for the second test which is a six hour national test and a two hour state specific test. Below is a picture of the card they sent me to put in my wallet. They will be sending a bigger certificate in February. So now I am a registered Land Survey Intern in Nevada.

Thanksgiving

2008-12-03T13:13:00.001-08:00

So I really had a good time this Thanksgiving. We stayed here and ate with Cory's family and had a great time visiting. Hafen and Hudson sure enjoy having time with the cousins. Cory's sister Vera got here the previous Saturday. She is single and does not have children. The first thing Hafen says to her is, "where's my friends" in which Vera replied, "I didn't bring any" and Hafen began bawling. Vera soon became his friend and he had a great time with Aunt Vera most of the week. For dinner I got to take pies, a turkey, and made a relish tray. Thanksgiving evening the girls of the family, only those over the age of 3 were allowed, got together for a little craft and snacks. So I made pumpkin dip, chocolate chip cheese ball, and truffles(you can check smithalicious for recipes). I love to cook and bake, so I had a great time last week. Although if you check my next blog, you will notice that I also had a great time eating it all and gaining weight. I went to the gym on Monday morning after 4 days off, and about threw up when I was running. I haven't ever felt like throwing up from running before. At least I can say I have had a new experience!

After doing our craft on Thursday night, I decided to get some of my unfinished crafts done, so Friday and Saturday I worked on a couple. It was nice just to do something crafty again. One of the crafts was "joy" made from wood that I have been packing around for about 5 years. Yes it was a super saturday that long ago. I don't know why I haven't done anything with it before now. I painted it white and threw some craft glitter on it. It turned out way cute, although the pictures don't really show that!
Sorry no pics of Thanksgiving. I didn't take any. Maybe I will get some from my in-laws to post later.

Food

2008-12-03T13:06:00.000-08:00

So the holidays have now started and I just thought I would let you all in on a secret...Well maybe it isn't so much a secret. I love food. Especially sweet stuff. So, the holidays are a such a love v. hate for me. I love all the goodies, but I hate all the extra pounds I put on. Case in point... My sister-in-law Matti provided us with candied yams this year. They were divine. For the recipe check out smithalicious, although I am not sure she has posted the recipe yet. Anyhow, I ate 2 servings at Thanksgiving. That was the only thing I had seconds on. She left me with the leftovers though, which was a big mistake, since I have now eaten them all. Cory helped only slightly and I am not sure I should even count it has helped. But anyhow, if any of you were wondering what happened to the sweet potatoes, now you know. I ate them all. And I am not sorry, although I have gained 4 pounds since last Thursday morning. The worst part of it is that I can't wait for Christmas so I can make candied yams and do it all over again. Hurry up with the recipe already, Matti!

Television

2008-11-12T15:45:00.000-08:00

For a very long time now I have been debating how much t.v. watching I should be allowing my kids. Hafen would watch t.v. almost all day if I would let him. Right now I limit how much he can watch. There are some days he watches more than others, usually so I can catch up on chores, and some days he doesn't watch it at all. It makes me curious to know what everyone else allows their kids to watch. I think most people allow their children to watch some t.v., but how much do you allow your kids to watch, or how much t.v. do you think is appropriate?? If you want to answer there is a survey to the right, or you can leave a comment too.

Halloween Fun

2008-11-12T15:30:00.001-08:00

I am finally getting Halloween pictures up. I haven't been able to find my camera, so I didn't want to post without pictures. It just wouldn't be the same! Hudson was a clown and Hafen was a knight. Seeing several of my sisters-in-law post spudnuts on their blog, I had sudden cravings. So the boys and I made spudnuts. Have you ever tried this with 2 toddlers??? It was great and so were the spudnuts when they were done. I couldn't stop eating them. Yummy! Halloween evening we went to the school carnival. Fortunately we didn't win a cake at the cake walk, but unfortunately the kids won 3- 2 liter bottles of soda. Just what we need around here… more sugar. We came home and had chili dogs. Just a side note: I had grand plans of making a fun dinner of jack-o-lanterns involving pancakes but Cory had other plans. He didn't get home on time and I am sure it is because he hates breakfast for dinner.
Anyhow we went trick-or-treating. We took the wagon and the kids really enjoyed going from house to house. Hudson was so cute that people didn't even mind his handfuls of candy taken from their bowls. He had triple the treats Hafen came home with. Hafen was too busy charging all the home owners and co-treaters. The homeowner didn't know what to think when they opened the door and some little kid yells charge as he is pushing his sword into their side...little did they know it was probably all a distraction for Hudson to steal all their candy. The two of them probably conspired before going out.
We had loads of fun and then went to grandma and grandpa Smith’s for a spudnut and hot cocoa. Talk about a day of fun!

Party at Joy School

2008-11-12T14:57:00.000-08:00

Hafen is going to Joy School held at one of my friends homes. There are 4 little 3 year olds and they all love going. For Halloween they got to dress in their costumes and have a parade for the parents. They also sang for us. I think Hafen did the best! He was so cute.

What do you think?

2008-10-21T09:29:00.000-07:00

So in my mail yesterday came a little brochure from the Lincoln County Nuclear Oversight Program. Now most of you know that Yucca Mountain is where it has been determined to dump nuclear waste. For some time now it has been in questions where the route would be and the interchange yard would be located. Well, in the newsletter they sent yesterday it tells us where it has been determined to put both. It will be going through Caliente and it will have an interchange location here in Caliente. The yard location is right behind my house in the railroad property. This property is located off my back fence and continues past the railroad tracks. It states that Lincoln County Commissioners and the City of Caliente will work closely with the DOE and will be setting up "Coperative Agreements to help loal interest have a seat at this planning table and encourage mitigation measures." What do you think? What would you do?

Tagged!

2008-10-21T09:25:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by my friend Kendra... so here it goes

8 Shows I Love To Watch
(I am not sure I should admit watching to some of these though)

*Amazing Race
*Greys Anatomy
*Private Practice
*The Unit
*Jon and Kate
*The Backyardigans
*Reba reruns
*Raising the Bar

8 Favorite Restaurants
*Outback
*Memphis BBQ
*Chili's
*Applebees
*Outback
*Olive Garden
*Cheesecake Factory
*PF Changs

8 Things That Happened Yesterday

*Tried to work on sewing an apron
*Played outside with the kids
*Shopped for pumpkins at the local pumpkin patch. We came home empty. (For those who have been readers for a year, you know where our local pumpkin patch is and if not refer to last October!)
*Tried to clean my house
*Purchased a Knight helmet for Hafen at the hardware store which he has barely taken off to sleep and eat.
*Made dinner
*Made FHE treats…they were orange sweet rolls from the can, yum yum!
*Edited Cory’s midterm exam.

8 Things I Look Forward To

*Halloween
*New Carpet
*Spending some time alone this weekend with Cory
*Spending some time alone this weekend with Me
*Getting my hair done this weekend too
*The Holidays
*Hudson talking. He is a very funny boy already
*Seeing family on the Holidays
*First snow of the year

8 Things I Love About Fall

*The colors
*The smell of fall
*Sweaters
*Jumping in the leaf pile
*The crunch crunch sound of leaves on the ground when you walk on them
*The smell of harvest. I really miss the smells that come with chopping corn though.
*The kids getting to watch the season change
*Nights get cold so I get to snuggle up with a blanket.

8 Things On My Wish List

*Have my home renovated
*Be out of debt
*Happy, healthy kids forever
*A bigger vehicle
*To run 3 miles in less than 25 minutes. For some of you that doesn’t sound like a challenge, but it is for me. I am only around 30 give or take a couple minutes.
*Easier access to better stores
*A personal family chef
*More storage space

8 people I tag

*Marie, *Laura, *Roxy, *Tessa, Matea, *Jamilee, *Vera, *Linsay if you didn’t already do it

Have Fun Ladies!

September

2008-10-08T19:43:00.000-07:00

For Labor Day we went to Boise, ID to participate in the blessing of Cory's nephew, Deker (see posting on The Picanco's). It was a really quick trip for us, spending almost as much time in the van, but we all enjoyed ourselves and the kids did amazingly well for such a long trip. We had fun visiting with the family and playing games. All of Cory's brothers and sisters were there as well as the "out-laws". It was a great time. Unfortunately I don't have photos to share on this.

Also in September I prepared and froze corn, about 60 pints, thank you Mom and Dad Smith for the corn! And then I went to Monroe for several days and picked peaches. I couldn't pass up the low price of $15 a bushell. I began thinking I would pick 4, but by the time I finished it turned out to be 7 and extra. My kids ate so many apples I was surprised they weren't up all night with belly aches. I bottled over 110quarts of peaches with the help of my sister-in-law Mitzi, and a bit from my mom and Aunt Jeana and Grandma Leavitt.

We also did some home improvement work in our living room. Cory and I and my brother-in-law Neal tore down, well tore the plaster and lath down on an inside wall in our living room and then sheet rocked it, mudded and taped it and painted it. We also put in some tile on the floor (and still need to tile the wall and finish painting a bit). We did this in preparation for the new stove, which my brother Seth installed. Cory's grandpa decided he needed a new stove, so told us we could have his if we wanted it. Of course we can't pass up a free stove, since we were looking for one at the time. Yeah! Thanks Grandpa and Seth.

When Seth and his family came we all waited for him to place the stove and then we went down to the Bradshaw Orchards. We have gone every year since we have moved here...3 years now (Yeah, I know, it seems like a lifetime and yet it has flown by). We all had a great time picking apples and looking at the lake. We picked 7 buckets full of apples between the two families. With Ann's help I bottled around 30 quarts of applesauce and 7 quarts of apple rings and did several pints of apple butter.

Amongst all this, I also put up several pints of grape jelly and grape juice supplied by my very own grapevine in my very own back yard!

I must say, I feel like I have actually contributed to our food supply this year! Too bad since I don't have much storage space all the applesauce is at Ann's and all the peaches are at my moms!!!

Needless to say, our month has been a busy one, but I am actually starting to feel somewhat domestic. Yippee! I think!

Happy Day for Hafen

2008-10-01T21:48:00.000-07:00

Hafen’s 3rd birthday! It was actually on August 5th! (Yikes I totally am a slacker!) Yes he is 3 and I hate it in many ways. Here are a few pictures from the last few years of my little guy. If I get to it, I will put it in a slide show, but that will have to wait for now.

This year Hafen wanted a “racecar” party. So that is what we did. We had a few of Hafen’s buddies over and finger painted derby cars and then raced them. We also did an obstacle course with the ride-on cars and a few other fun games. We also made a racecar cake and he even helped when mom let him. (Anyone who has ever baked with a 3year old knows how that is!) He had a ton of fun celebrating his birthday!

Updating

2008-10-01T21:38:00.000-07:00

So I haven’t an excuse to give anyone for not updating my blog. In fact I would not be surprised if not a single person read my blog anymore. It is really more for me… and anyone who has ever had a journal knows that not everyone writes all the time! Oh and we are contemplating going private, so stay tuned for that.

In the next few days I will be updating what has been going on with us.

Guys Weekend (Only a month late)

2008-09-05T09:15:00.000-07:00

I know this is a month late but I have been busy. Last month I (Cory) went with my Grandpa Smith, Dad, son Hafen, brother Alma, brother in laws Joe, Andrew, and Jeff and nephews Tyler and Keagen to a guys weekend. There was lots of fishing, eating, fishing, cannoning, fishing, passing gas, fishing, visiting, and oh yeah fishing. We went up to Kent’s Lake east of Beaver. We all got there Thursday night. I was able to get a little fishing in Thursday while dinner was being made and almost caught my limit in about half an hour so we had to eat those fish as well so I could participate in the fishing competition. Friday we started the fishing competition were we fought for largest fish, last fish, and ugliest fish caught. About a half hour after we all started fishing Tyler screamed across the lake that he had the largest fish and that he was going to win, we had a day and a half left. We all thought we would be able to beat him but he was able to hold us all off until about two hours before the end of the fish off where Tyler despite not fishing for most of the competition sealed the deal and caught a bigger fish. Dang you Tyler. Andrew caught the last fish and Joe caught the ugliest fish. Andrew had a uglier one but because he already had a prize it went to Joe. Friday night a couple of us headed down to Beaver to get some ice cream for my Dads surprise birthday party we had for him. We had root beer floats made with fresh A&W root beer Alma picked up on his way to the campout. Saturday we fish half the day ending the fishing competition at 12 noon then headed for home smelling like fish and campfire to the delight of our wife’s. The fishing competition got very completive with lots of cheer picking, having two poles in (one for my son), and threats to sabotage other people's fishing gear (but don't worry Joe I won't mention you name) I was close to having the biggest fish a couple times but never grabbed it away from Tyler. The Guys did a lot of fishing except Dad and Jeff who for some reason went for books in stead of fishing and the kids got lots of play time in. I know there is a lot of pictures, I started to weed them out but decided I didn't want to get rid of any of them so you all will have to suffer through it. For those of you how were there fill free to post comments about it so we can share more memories but remember what happens on the lake stays on the lake.

Fishing

2008-07-28T20:32:00.000-07:00

About 6 months ago, Hafen was at the Haley's home while I was at the dentist. While he was there, Aunt Marie taught Hafen how to play the fishing game. I believe the actual title is "Go Fishing". Hafen talked about it most of the way home explaining how he practiced fishing and he wanted that game to play and that soon he could go fishing with his dad. A few weeks later we were at a store and they had this same game for sale and it was pretty inexpensive, so we bought it. Hafen has gotten really good at the game and he can even beat me sometimes. So for those of you who will be going to the "Kevin Smith and Sons, Guys Weekend", you better watch out, because you might have some competition...AND NOT JUST FROM HAFEN EITHER Because Cory's neen practicing too!!!

I am a/an...

2008-07-28T20:09:00.000-07:00

Hafen has been so imaginative lately. I absolutely love it! He will play pirates, fireman, dinosaurs, cowboy, ghost, master chef... almost anything! He has a few dressup clothes, but most of the time he improvises, such as an ogre with his shirt pulled up or school bus driver who pushes the passengers in the bus (with the laundry basket and Hudson inside of course!). I captured a few moments on camera. One is with his shirt up over his head playing ogre, and the other is him playing dinosaur with his dad. And most of the time I know he is what he is because he lets me know by starting his sentence, "I'm a/an... Mom, your a/an..." Usually I am the bad guy or the really ugly one.
That reminds me, Hafen really likes to watch "Pete's Dragon" which we borrowed from Marie and Joe. He lets me know that I am a girl "like that lady." Nope, not the pretty girl, the real ugly one at the beginnig of the movie that is after Pete. Let me tell ya, he sure knows how to make a lady feel good about herself!

4th of July

2008-07-14T20:54:00.000-07:00

This year for the 4th of July we in town to celebrate. Each year the city has a breakfast at the park hosted by the firemen, then a parade (which goes right past our house, how convenient!), games at the park and finally fireworks at dark. The Haley family came to town to celebrate the events too which which only added to the fun! This is the first year Hafen has actually got to participate in the park events, so it was especially fun this year for us. The park events consist mostly of races and then a money scramble, which is just wet. The fireman spray their hoses as the kids scramble to pick up money in their alloted time per age group. Hafen earned $3.10. We all had a great time.

Hudson's 1st Birthday

2008-07-14T19:51:00.001-07:00

Hudson is one! I can't believe he is already one. I have been reflecting on this past year quite a bit lately and some of the things that he has accomplished and how greatful we are to have a happy healthy baby. Lets see... Hudson is walking pretty good now. He says a few words, such as "mom", "dad", "dog", "duck", "no", and his favorite is "that". When he wants something he points to it and says, "that". Go figure. He is such a happy baby and everywhere I go, people comment on his beautiful eyes and smile. His eyes just light up. They are so expressive! He also is eating with a fork and spoon and drinks from a cup. He still looks for Hafen each time Hafen has been gone or asleep and when Hudson first wakes up he looks for Hafen. If Hafen isn't still in bed, then he will look for him downstairs. I am grateful Hudson is part of our family.

June

2008-07-14T19:35:00.000-07:00

So I haven't updated our blog in quite some time. Here goes...
June was filled with helping Cory on a class. It was on social health and I actually really enjoyed reading the text. The class was a 4 week course and consisted of 300 pages a week plus essays of 250-350 words a piece. You might say to yourself that this isn't too bad. It wasn't but it wasn't easy to always keep up either. I must say he got an A-. Not so bad.

The month of June also consisted of a visit from my brother Seth and his family, Mitzi, Straton, Braylee, and Christian. They got here on a Friday evening and on Saturday we spent the morning at Kershaw and the afternoon at Cathedral Gorge. If you haven't been to either of these, you are missing out. We had a great time and really enjoyed our visit. This is what two tired out boys look like after a morning of fun! They both zonked soon after we got home and stayed that way after we changed their clothes even. The following weekend we spent in Monroe. My brother Preston was there for a couple days, so we took the opportunity to go see him.

We also spent one weekend camping with our friends, John and Lindsay. We have kind of made it a tradition to go camping with them at least once each year. We missed last year, due to Hudson and home improvement. But this year we had a great time. We went to Yankee Meadow, which is about 20 minutes up Parowan canyon. It was really pretty. Hafen and Hudson had a great time playing and Hafen learned what a smore is all about. He ate about 10 roasted marshmallows! I was amazed that he did not suffer from after affects.

I took photos of most of our activities, but for some odd reason, they won't upload. I am using a different computer than normal, but I don't see how that would make a difference. I will try again later.

I finally graduated!

2008-06-04T09:27:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know, I graduated from UNLV in May. It was a long time coming and it does feel good to be done. Yipee! I think I will go back to get my Masters after Cory gets done with his degree...hopefully in two years. I will just have to wait and see where and what we are doing. Lucky for me there are alot of classes offered online that I can access and our community has many options for routing telenet or ednet classes also. My dad took pictures but I haven't got them to show so you will just have to use your imagination I guess!

New Entertainment

2008-05-15T20:41:00.000-07:00

Hudson has found new entertainment...that's right folks, the stairs. He loves them. About a month ago he figured out how to go up the stairs and I figured out I had a new job task. Lately he has only been going up about 4 stairs, although he can go up all of them. After he gets up the third of fourth stair he will turn his body half-way around and try to climb back down. He will then sit down on the next step and turn his body again utnil he makes it to the last step. Once he makes it down he sits on the last step and rewards himself and anyone watching with claps and smiles and laughs. He thinks its all very funny. I think it is all a bit too much anxiety. Although it doesm't keep me from smiling and laughing along with him. Here is a picture of him the other morning just getting down and proud of it.

On Your Mark Dune Buggies, Get Set Dune Buggies, Go Dune Buggies

2008-05-15T19:24:00.001-07:00

There is a traditional dune buggy race here each year put on by SNORE. They start the weekend off by eating breakfast at the elementary school on Friday morning. They then spend the rest of the morning entertaining the local and surrounding schools elementary students with their buggies and goodies like stickers and suckers and shirts. Most racers are here for at least the two days and so the locals prepare in various ways for their arrival. Many participants camp overnight behind our house in the railroad property. This is where the race starts. On Saturday is the big event and most of the locals like to watch and enjoy seeing the racers come off the mountains.

This year I had prepared Hafen of the events that we were going to attend and we were discussing our field trip to the school that day at breakfast when he pipes up, "On your mark, dune buggies; Get set, dune buggies; Go, dune buggies!" We laughed.

I took the boys to the elementary school for the anticipated fun. We met Grandma Smith there. Hafen had loads of fun, that is until everyone started showing lots of attention to him and his brother. He then decided it was too overwhelming and stuck to the stroller the rest of the time. They racers really made a fuss over the boys. Hudson even made it on their website.(http://www.snoreracing.net/08dt250.htm ) He is the last picture. They passed out tons of pictures and stickers and treats. The boys had a good time and enjoyed watching the racers arrive out the back window.

Saturday they spent most of the day with Cory watching the races. They had a super time doing that as well. Every sound that sounds like it could be a dune buggie is now a dune buggie according to Hafen. He also still includes them in at least one prayer a day!

Girls Weekend...With Mori

2008-04-28T21:00:00.000-07:00

So this last weekend was long awaited and vastly anticipated girls weekend. This year we stayed in Huntsville, UT in a condo with a great view of the valley below. We had so much fun visiting, reading, shopping and eating...and I mean eating. We also played imaginif Friday night where we renamed my mother-in-law from Mom/Ann to Mori and on Saturday we went to see My Fair Lady at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse in Ogden. I know I have mentioned this before but we had so much fun. I was so glad to get a chance to visit and play and just enjoy myself and my sisters-in-law. I am greatful I married into such a great family. I am also greatful to Cory for keeping the boys. I was so delighted to find them happy and well when I got back home, although Hudson acted as if he didn't even know me I felt so bad that I cried myself to sleep last night. He was much happier with me this morning though...probably because I gave him a piece of the yummy chocolate cookie from the Cookie Factory left over from the weekend, Thanks to Vera. I can't wait for next year when we can do it again.

Tagged

2008-04-14T09:30:00.000-07:00

Ok I have not been very good about being tagged. I don't intentionally not do them, its just I haven't for some reason. Please don't hold it against me. I think I will start the ones that I haven't done sometime soon:) For this tag I chose 4 things about each boy that I haven't posted recently, so here goes.

Hafen

1. Hafen was born on Friday, August 5th at 3:19 p.m. He was a whopping 8lb.8oz. One of the thoughts in my head when he was first born was that he didn't look like a wee little baby and he soon showed me that he didn't want to be one either. He has always been one to be ahead of the game on most physical and mental ability. I think that is usual with most first children, but am not sure. Shortly after Hafen went home from the hospital we found out his lab work showed bacteria of some form so the doctor rehospitalized him for 3 days to make sure he was ok. luckily the lab work was contaminated and he was ok, although a little jaundiced.

2. Hafen has the most beautiful smile that lightens his beautiful eyes right up. I can say beautiful because that is what it is and that is what he is inside and out. Everyone who meets Hafen comments on his eyes. His eyes are a window to his thoughts and feelings, "the window to his soul" like the poet wrote. Hafen and I share these little moments when we are laying down next to each other. He will look into my eyes and I look into his utnil one of us smiles and then the other one does. And they are big smiles and I love it.

3. Hafen loves music. The first time I realized this was when he was about 4 months old. There was this petsmed comerial playing on tv and Hafen was in the kitchen doing something. He army crawled into the livingroom to hear it and every time it came on he would do this. His uncle Neal got a set of drums for Christmas that year too and he quickly learned how to play them. By the time he was 1 he knew most instruments in an orchestra. He can even pick out the sounds of many instruments being played when he listens to music. He loves to dance and sing and try his hand at any musical instrument he comes in contact with. He has great rythm and great ability to sing in tune(where did he get that?).

4. Hafen loves sports. He continually asks us to play whichever sport he has decided he wants to play at that moment. Basketball, football, soccer and Baseball. He will play all day like this if he can, throwing the ball and having us catch and return. I must say he can throw very well. His favorite sport right now is soccer, but since he isn't allowed to play that inside, he settles for baseball. His form of baseball inside is a soft softball and a blue raquetball rackt!

Hudson

1. Hudson loves being swaddled for bed even now at 9 months. I thought he would have outgrown it by now. A while back I was trying to figure out why he wasn't sleeping as well as he had been. I figured it was that he was just getting more aware of his surroundings. It may have been but after we started swaddling him again he sleeps much better and He doesn't settle down as well without it either.

2. Hudson is full of energy in every way. He was this way in the womb and he is this way still. He loves to move around the chairs and floor. He loves to kick and jump and climb. He loves to talk and laugh and even dance. He loves to explore and investigate and get into things. His latest is the strainer. He puts it on his head, drums with it, sucks on it and I am sure he will figure something else to use it for. I have yet to get a picture of it, but I will. He loves to imitate Hafen in these actions too and will do this even after several hours of seeing Hafen do the action.

3. Hudon is very strong-willed and stubborn and already trying to be independent. What happened to being a baby? When Hudson decides he does or doesn't want something, everyone ought to beware. He will do almost anything to get it. He wiggles and squirms and climbs until he can get it. If that doesn't work he will whine and cry until someone gives in. Usually it isn't him. He remembers very well too and just when I think he doesn't, he still does. We have this battle daily with the phone and neither of us have given in yet.

4. Hudson is so so cuddly and lovey and sweet. He is beautify too. His smile will make anyone smile and his laugh will make anyone laugh. He is always cheerful and happy. He loves to give kisses to me and Hafen. He loves to hug and cuddle and snuggle. I absolutely love it. He even tries really hard to get what he wants by giving me loves. He makes the ouh sound and kisses on me and then tries to get whatever he wants, usually food! When he sees me after what must seem like a long time, he gives me a hug so tight, like he is clutching on. I love it. I hope he stays this cuddly and loveable and so so sweet!

Lindsay I tag Brooklyn.

2008-04-08T21:41:00.001-07:00

I have really loved getting to see Hudson's personality develop. I thought I would share just a few things lately that he has been or is doing.

I stopped nursing Hudson almost 2 weeks ago. On the morning after his first night without nursing I took him into my bedroom where Cory was taking a drink of water. Hudson saw the cup and lept as hard as he could toward the cup. I thought I was going to drop the kid. He was starving and yes I felt very guilty. I rushed him downstairs to get a bottle and when he finally started drinking it it was gone in record time!

Speaking of food, Hudson has not been much for allowing other people to feed him food. He thinks he should do it and only he should do it. He is so stubborn. So I finally have learned to find things that he can pick up and feed himself. I will occasionally get something in his mouth, knowing that I am lucky on those times. Usually it ends in a big disaster and both of us irritated with the whole mess. I have figured out that he likes sippy cups that Hafen uses (Hafen likes the ones I got for Hudson) and so I combine yogurt and ground up fruit and juice for a healty drink and that way I feel like he is at least getting some nutrition.

Hudson is trying to walk. He has learned to "army" crawl, but will complain the entire time he is doing it. Once he has reached a spot where he can see me he will stop moving and really complain until he finally gets help. He does walk along furniture though, and thinks it is great when someone will walk with him. He also likes to ride the little push car as well as slowly walk with it.

The other morning I was changing the laundry out and I went back to the living room expecting to see Hafen at the drum. Nope. It was Hudson. Hafen had left his drumsticks down the night before and Hudson had picked them up and he was drumming with both drumsticks. I thought it was fun to see him figure that out. He really is entertained by them.

Hudson also loves Hafen. He was born loving Hafen. When Hudson was 2 weeks old I was at my moms. Each time Hafen would come into the room where Hudson was and begin talking, Hudson would smile. This still happens often and Hudson will usually look to see what Hafen is doing. If Hafen plays with cars, Hudson wants to play with cars. He makes vroom noises already, which I thought was just coincidence at first, but it is consistent each time he has a car. If Hafen is having a story, Hudson wants to listen too. Hudson also knows the difference between his fake looking cars and Hafen's cool looking cars and Hafen's books and his books. He prefers whichever type of toy Hafen has and if Hafen has his book will try to get it away from Hafen.

Here is one last thing. Hudson figured out that Hafen's stool is just the right heighth for him to sit down on. I happened to have the camera next to me right when it happened, so I got a picture. He was so proud of himself; he kept getting up and sitting down again...until he felt robbed when the stool finally tipped over!

Picnic at the Park

2008-04-08T21:25:00.000-07:00

We have had some really nice weather lately. I absolutely love it, and I have been taking advantage of it! Whenever Cory has been working locally in the field by himself and it is somewhat local, I will load the kids and a lunch in the car and we will meet at the closest park for lunch. We really enjoy having lunch together to visit and to spend some nice time on the play ground equipment too! I really look forward to each time we get to spend a lunch with a picnic like this.

A Dirt Filled Day

2008-04-08T20:50:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday Hafen, Hudson and I went to Alamo to the dirt bike races. My Brother-in-law, Tony and my nephew Mason were participants and My sister Sheila was "pitting". Well I missed Mason's race, but made it just in time for Tony's to start. It was actually kind of funny to watch the participants all line up and start their bikes to race. Hafen was thrilled! I wish I would have had my camera on the hill with me to take photo's of that part. They are racing again in a couple weeks in Panaca, so maybe I will get a pic then.

The boys had a good time playing in the dirt and the back of the truck (the dump truck too!) with Ashlyn and Stacia. I had dirt everywhere including inside the lunch box as well as in Hudson's diaper.

Ashlynn is one month exactly older than Hafen. They love each other. After a day together they ask about the other for a week. All I heard about the whole next couple days was Ashlynn, Uncle Tony and the motor bikes.

I learned alot about motor bike racing that day. If I didn't know much about anatomy I would have learned a few things regarding the rear part of that too! I had a good time visiting and actually look forward to next time.
Here is a couple pics from the day.

H-A-F-E-N

2008-04-08T20:46:00.000-07:00

For quite a while now Hafen has known his ABC's. He can tell you what letter is what, which number is which (up to 10) and even knows some of the sounds. He has been able to choose the letters that make up his name and put them in order some of the time. Until today. He will now recite how to spell his name and he can put the letters in the correct order.

I could take all the credit, but I think he just picks it up from "Super Why" on PBS. He seems to have an easy time learning up to this point...a whole 2 1/2 years. I hope it continues.

Baxter

2008-03-25T20:18:00.000-07:00

After three months of continual, "Mommy, I want to get a puppy," or "Dad, I want a puppy" we finally gave in and got a puppy. A few weeks ago while we were out of town shopping some people were selling springer spaniel puppies. They were so cute that Cory called me up while I was shopping and asked me if I wanted one. The pup started out as an indoor/outdoor dog, but after a few days and a couple of meltdowns, Baxter is now officially an outside dog. He has plenty of yard to play in and several neighbors and neighbor dogs to keep him company throughout the day. He even plays some fetch already. We left him alone with Cory's aunt Gina for a week and he is even better behaved than before. Maybe I should leave him for another week and see what happens. Just kidding. Hafen really likes to go for walks and run with the puppy and he even lets Baxter lick his hand, which took a lot of courage from Hafen. I am proud of Cory for giving us a dog, even though he has a phobia of them and proud of Hafen for overcoming his fear of dogs and Baxters playful nips.

Jump Jump Jump Jumparoo

2008-02-25T08:00:00.002-08:00

After a play date with some of our friends, Hafen, Hudson, and I left with this Jumparoo on loan-out. Hudson had so much fun in it my friend loaned it to us to use. I appreciate it greatly since Hudson will play in it for a good 30 minutes and he laughs while jumping too; making it the winner for the longest played in toy yet. Last was the exersaucer entertaining him for about 20. Yes I can finally do the dishes in one session rather than 2 or three. I tried to get him while he was laughing, but he had calmed down by the time this was taken...calm is relative!

2008-02-25T08:00:00.001-08:00

Pizza Pizza

2008-02-24T19:40:00.000-08:00

To support Neal, we participated in a school fundraiser in which the product being sold was Little Ceasers Pizza. We purchased a Pizza Kit that included the products to make our own pizza, breadsticks, and cookies. We thought this would be a fun activity for the family to participate in. Last Friday night we decided to make our pizza. We all had a fun time preparing and eating pizza. Hafen had such a good time sampling the food and smearing the sauce, sprinkeling cheese and lining up the pepperoni that he thoguht we should make more! We all had a great time together and enjoyed the results. Kind of defeated the purpose of the gym right before...oh well it was worth it!

Rough Me Up Dad

2008-02-05T21:04:00.000-08:00

The last two days have been really crazy for us. It included a quick trip to Vegas, the DMV, the Social Security office, large amounts of pus from my finger, playtime at a freinds house, visiting teaching, a little bit of time at Grandma Smith's house, and subbing at the gym.
This results in at least two tired boys and one tired mom. Hafen was having a difficult time this evening and after we got his pajama's on he was pouting a bit. I asked him a series of questions that he replied no to and then he looked up at me and a smile crossed his face and he said, "I need to be roughed up!" So I sent him to his dad and he said "rough me up dad"!

They had lots of fun playing and getting a bit of fun time in. Hudson got a little playtime in too. All three of my boys had smiles on when they were done.

Vocabulary

2008-02-05T20:52:00.000-08:00

So Hafen is learning new vocabulary quicker than I can keep up. H also picks up on phrases and comes up with great ways of using them. He picks at least one new one up each day. I am having a lot of fun listening and conversing with him. I love that he can play and tease with words now. Here are a few things he has said in the last few weeks.

To brother Taylor who was catching his hand at the dinner table: "Are you teasing me?"
At story hour to Ms. Anna after playing the goat puppet and she said good job, he said, "No, I awesome!"
To Grandma Smith (Ann) when she asked him if he wanted to bear his testimony, "Where is it?" she replies with "It's in your heart." He looks down at his chest and says, "I don't see it, where'd it go?"
To Cory when Hafen wants some fun, "rough me up, dad!"

Oh and thanks to Uncle Alma's amazing tricks at the family Christmas party, "see my funny trick?" "Watch this trick" and when it isn't so funny and I am ready to pull my hair out he usually comes up with something that ends in "trick"

Floors

2008-01-30T21:20:00.000-08:00

Many of you have seen the floors in our house. They were terrible. I say were because we sanded and stained our floors upstairs! Yeah! Cory and I decided give this lovely gift to each other for Christmas! Not a morning went by from the time that we moved in the house until the time we sanded the floors that we didn't have slivers in our feet. Hafen would constantly tell me he had "ouchies" in his feet and he didn't like to play on his floor. I didn't like him to either since they were always dirty no matter how many times I cleaned them.
We finished them over New Years weekend with the help of Cory's dad and then waited to move in for a few days after. I must say they are beautiful compared to what they were. I love them and I was elated that they turned out as well as they did. Hafen was pretty happy about it too. He loves to play upstairs now (especially if mom is in her room). I love to just spend time in my room now. It feels so much more finished. It adds so much to the house.
Here are a few pictures.

Before

After

2008-01-16T17:34:00.000-08:00

So I thought I would give a quick update on our life. I have been lagging on the blogging a bit. For those of you who like to read them, sorry about that. And thanks for the chastisement! Here are a few updates on the Cory Smith Family!

First Hudson is now 18lbs 90z (we went to the dr on Friday!) and much to Hafen's excitement he did not have a shot this time! He rolls over both ways, has 2 teeth and still the top teeth are trying to appear. He sits up and loves to play with everything he should not including paper and pens and sometimes Hafen's toys. Hafen is a bit possessive of them. Learning to share has and is a challenge for both Hafen and me.

Hafen is potty trained for the most part going on 3 weeks. Yay! He has an occasional accident, especially when he is in the middle of a fun game or new activity. But all things considered he has done really well. He received a stick horse, vest, and a cowboy hat for Christmas. He loves to "get dressed up" and run around on the horse. It is fun to watch and listen as he plays. His horse has even spent a couple nights fighting for space on his pillow! He is also learning how to recognize his ABC's and counting objects. He is very active and keeps me busy.

Cory started school again on Saturday. Saturday is a bit strange to have school start, but that was the scheduled day. That month went all too fast for me. I really miss Cory when school is in session and I know some of you can relate. It has been really nice to have him around in the evenings to spend time with. I know that Hafen and Hudson have enjoyed it also.

I have been trying to keep up with everything which is a challenge for me. I am still not as organized here as I would like to be but I am working on it!

Winter Nights

2007-12-20T19:39:00.000-08:00

I love the winter for so many reasons (the cold not being one of them)!
I love snuggeling under a blanket in the evening, especially next to Cory!
I love Hot Cocoa with a dab of whipped topping sprinkled with cinnamon and a tad bit of nutmeg!
I love being able to curl up and read, read, and read some more! The latest great reads have been "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", "The Glass Castle" (Thank you Matti!), "Playing for Pizza", "The Broker", and several "Curious George", "Little Critter" and other favorites Hafen has found at the local library or here at home. As a side note, Monroe Library was a frequently visited place of mine growing up. I think by the time I turned 18 I had read almost every book (that was worthy of being read) in that library and plus I have also restricted my reading of non-text books until the end of each semester, so I have been saving up.
I absolutely love Christmas. I love the smells, the lights, the pretty wrapped presents among many other nice things about it.
I also really enjoy building snowmen at night, especially when the snow has just blanketed the ground and given it a beautiful covering. Beautiful!

Story Hour

2007-12-18T12:44:00.000-08:00

Living in a town this small, it is often up to little ole me to be creative and find something for Hafen and me to do. Most of the time our outings involve going to the park, or playing outside in the yard, but with the cold of winter it limits our outdoor activities. I envy those of you who live close to easily accessible activities. Lucky for us we have the family connection center. It is located at the elementary school and it is open a few hours each day. Tuesdays they have a story hour where the kids can play for a bit, listen to a story or two and then do an activity. The kids also get to do exercising occasionally too. Hafen really enjoys going not only to hear the story, but also to see and play with all his friends. This last Tuesday we made ornaments for the Christmas tree and Hafen made his very own and did a super job! Here are couple photos.

2007-11-18T18:38:00.000-08:00

Anyone ever have something happen to remind you how powerful prayer is? Today was a reminder for me. I love Sunday mornings. It is one of the few days that we get to sleep past 5. We get to take time while making breakfast and just get to enjoy each other's company. Sunday is also one of the few mornings I get to take my time getting ready for the day and I really enjoy this. Cory may not, since he gets to "play" with the boys, I’m not sure. This is how our morning started out and as I was getting ready for church I decided to heat some water for hot cocoa. Cory and Hafen both wanted some too, so I was preparing mugs as the whistle blew on the teapot. I placed the teapot on the front burner to cool and continued. Cory was standing next to me and all of a sudden Hafen screamed and the teapot hit the floor. The boiling water had spilled down his right arm and leg. I looked at him for a split second and grabbed him to put him in the tub. Hafen was screaming at that point and I was a bit worried. He wouldn't let me look at his leg. I kept him in there for a while and finally convinced him to sit down in the water. After he relaxed and he played for a good 30 minutes, I took him out and looked at his leg. Nothing of a burn found. And at that moment I knew that we had been blessed and Hafen had been protected because we had been prayed for. It wasn’t something I even questioned, but the thought came to my mind and I knew. I am grateful for those moments!

Trick or Treat

2007-11-13T09:03:00.000-08:00

So I am finally getting Halloween pictures up. For Halloween this year I planned on making costumes. Hafen was going to be an elephant (he loves them) and Hudson was going to be a lion. I figured if Cory wanted to dress up as an animal he could too, but I was going to just be the zoo keeper. Well after reading Clifford's Halloween about 1000 times, Hafen decided he was going to be a ghost. I thought to myself, "right, that is going to change as soon as I put it over his head." So I practiced putting sheet over his head and he was fine with it. I ordered the pattern for the elephant and lion costumes. I figured he would change his mind, but as Halloween drew near and people would ask, he would answer "a ghost" all excited. I finally picked up material for a ghost costume and made a hood to attach, instead of putting it over his head (who knows how long that would last). I figured I might as well make it cheap and make a mummy costume for Hudson.

The day of Halloween I sent Cory and Hafen to Grandma Smith's to get some face paint. Hafen knocked on the door and when Grandma answered he said, "Happy Halloween, Trick-or-Treat!" He did a great job the rest of the night! We had a fun time. Hudson even enjoyed it and acted the part some of the time! We also went to the school carnival for a bit. Hafen was a bit leery to go in; he could see the scary costumes from the door. But once inside and a few tosses of the baseball he was enjoying himself!

This was also Hafen's first experience carving pumpkins. We all had a good time!

Apples vs. Pumpkins

2007-11-06T21:02:00.000-08:00

So, our closest pumpkin patch is near Cedar City, an 1 1/2 hours drive. Our pum'kin pick'n consists of going to the cardboard box at the local Food Town and if we are lucky, choosing a good pumpkin! Which we did do this year!

But we do have an apple orchard down the canyon. The Bradshaw Orchards have a couple different varieties of apples that are grown chemical free. We went one Saturday afternoon and invited Grandpa and Grandma Smith along. We had a nice time picking our own apples and watching Hafen enjoy the day as well.

There were several horses behind a fence, however they could easily get out and eat at their will. Hafen didn't enjoy this part of the trip though, and the closer they got to him, the less he enjoyed their advances! We also saw several ducks and a large barn owl that hooted and flew around the area. The camera ran out of battery before the day was over, but the drive was beautiful and so was the day.

October

2007-11-06T20:37:00.000-08:00

So, October is over. It was an eventful month of fun and spooks. Fun being the change in seasons, leaves falling, apple picking, LDS Conference, Thriller in SLC, Halloween! The spook being I turned 30. Pretty spooky if you ask me!

But as I have reflected on all that has happened in my life in the last 10 years, I am glad of where I am. I have a great husband whom I dearly love and 2 beautiful little boys that light up my day, not to mention a whole bunch of other things to go along with it. I am greatful for the many blessings that have filled my life those that I have seen and those that remain unseen. I have recently recomitted myself to being a better person and being the best I can be. A talk from one of the councelors in the First Presidency of the LDS Church in October really touched me. President Eyring shared how he has written in a journal every day to show his children the hand of God in his daily life. I was touched by the spirit when I heard that and I have yet to follow this, however I do reflect daily on what I am given to remind me of the Lord's activity in my life and all that I have in spite of myself. It goes like this, for those of you who know the song, sing along!:

Lead, kindly Light, amid th'encircling gloom; Lead thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home; Lead thou me on!
Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene-one step enough for me.

I was not ever thus, nor pray'd that thou Shouldst lead me on
I loved to choose and see my path; but now, Lead thou me on!
I loved the garish day, and , spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will. Remmeber not past years.

So long thy pow'r hath blest me, sure it still Will lead me on
O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till The night is gone
And with the morn those angel faces smile,
Which I have loved long since, and lost a while!

2007-10-19T07:45:00.000-07:00

Make your own slide shows and scrapbooks

Daddys Boy

2007-10-10T21:29:00.000-07:00

I remember not too long ago Hafen was a total momma's boy. I remember talking to Cory about it and mentioning that Hafen would be a daddy's boy one day soon. Sure enough it has happened. Hafen loves to play with his dad and I love that he loves it. They have so much fun together. Hafen and I were playing in the yard today and Cory joined us once he arrived home from work. We had alot of fun playing soccer and enjoying each others company. Hafen, Hudson and I go walking most mornings. It has gotten cold enough to pull out the gloves and mittens. Hafen wears his "gloves" inside and out!

Genuine Reader

2007-10-10T21:01:00.000-07:00

I love to read and it is one of my favorite pastimes. I hope to pass this tradition on to my children. It is a routine thing right now to read stories before naptime and bedtime. I know Hafen really likes it and I do too. A few nights ago I was holding Hafen and Hudson on my lap while reading stories. Hafen was listening intently and the cutest thing happened. Hudson started reading too. Unbelievable, I know. For all you skeptics out there I know how it must sound. He would talk when I did and when I paused he would pause. Now, I know that you might think me foolish, but it was so fun and cute that I couldn’t believe it. He has done it several times since then and I love it! He did it again tonight while Cory was reading to them. I think I have a genuine reader on my hands. Maybe I will learn his language someday.

23 Kiddlets and Counting

2007-09-26T20:40:00.000-07:00

Cory and I recently were called as nursery leaders. We were asked to be assistants and then right before they sustained us they notified us they needed new leaders instead! I guess they thought it could/should be us. I am not so keen on the idea. I think it will be a blast and I love kids but I was selfishly enjoying Relief Society. And nursery is a big job with 23 little kiddlets. I am actually looking forward to it. Oh the joy of service! But here is a list of good things about nursery.

10. Socializing with parents at greeting & pick up time
9. Playing with playdouh
8. Coloring
7. Glue sticking all by myself("I do it")
6. Learning a foreign language
5. Singing time
4. Snack time
3. Seeing the little kids smile
2. Hearing the little kids laugh
1. Silence! (Well not really, but it seems like it!)

And the best one of all...
Spending time as a family. Yep all 4 of us together!

Little Baker

2007-09-22T22:27:00.000-07:00

I love to bake! Hafen loves to help! And he is an extremely cute baker. Need I say more?

A Nice Day

2007-09-22T12:40:00.000-07:00

Today was a good day! It was raining today. It started about 4 this morning and drizzled off and on for the morning and a good part of the Afternoon. I love rain, so for me it was a good start to a nice day. Rain has a distinct smell and I love it! I also love the way the rain emphasizes the beautiful colors of the world around me.
Cory, Hafen and I cleaned up most of the house, which was a big chore due to the fact we just got our closet up. Yes I know, we have been in the house a Month almost and we have barely hung our clothing up. Until now, the suitcase was the closet, and not a very efficient one either. I am sure you all could imagine.
A picture of the outside of the house for those of you who want to see it. Inside pictures will have to come at a later date.
Anyhow, getting back to the good stuff... It was nice to actually clean up and have help at it. Hafen helped do dishes and helped pick up our room. He had fun riding his horsey (a coat hanger!) and sleeping, "I sleep in basket, mom" (pretend sleep with snoring) in the laundry basket.
Hudson did so well. He is a very patient baby even though he is teething. Yes Brenda, I said teething (for those of you who don't know Keegan, he didn't get teeth until he was 1). Hudson has 2 teeth on the bottom that have come through and 2 trying to come down from the top any day, plus a couple more that you can tell are getting ready. He is very drooly. I don't remember Hafen being this drooly. Hudson is so funny. He likes to be talked to like any baby does, but he does this little tilt of his head that makes one wonder if he is going to be a bit shy. I absolutely love it.
The boys and I also went for a walk to the store after the rain stopped. Cory stayed home to do school work. You know, it was a normal Saturday. I haven't had one of those in a long time. I really enjoyed it.

BIG TRUCKER

2007-09-15T17:57:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to Monroe after the Millard game and had a good time visiting with family. Saturday we left Cory at the house to study and went for a ride on the mountain with Grandpa, Aunt Mitzi, Straton, Brailee, and Christian. We had loads of fun playing at the cabin and watching for deer and elk or "melk" as Seth used to say:) On Sunday Grandpa Lundgreen took Hafen and Cory on a short ride in his new "Big Truck". Of course Hafen was the "Big Trucker" and had a great time driving.
On the way home that evening we saw a beautiful sunset that I just had to take a picture of.

Football Fun

2007-09-15T16:54:00.000-07:00

Many of you know that Hafen love's football. This is most likely due to "Uncle Neal" being a football player for the Licoln County Lynx(Go Lynx!!). Hafen has been to almost all the games so far this season either with Mom and Dad or with Grandpa and Grandma Smith.

I am told by many that he is quite the entertainer. He loves to dance with the cheerleaders one minute and make touchdowns with the football players the next.

We went to the Milford game last Friday with G&G Smith and Marie and Joe and their kids, and then on up to Monroe. Here are a couple pictures from the Milford game. We had lots of fun and I know Hafen really enjoyed playing with his cousins and friends and so did we.

CORMEL'S CREW

2007-08-27T21:11:00.000-07:00

After debating for quite some time I've joined the ranks of bloggers. YEAH!! Why not! It is a good way to keep everyone updated as well as journaling some of the exciting things that happen in our life. So here is to my first Blog!!!