The Smith Family

Costco?

2012-01-24T06:36:00.000-08:00

Now I realize that I tread on dangerous water to even suggest to you all my true feelings about Costco because everyone that I talk to is infatuated with every thing that is Costco, but I am going to step out on the plank anyhow.
As our kids are now a bit older and going through milk like crazy, Nikki and I recently bought a card ($55). We were excited as everyone elts has had one for years and we just have not for whatever reason. We got our card, walked through the cavernous store, the produce, the meat, the bakery and on and on. We did look at prices but without giving it much thought, everything was just so huge! We did buy three gallons of milk (in funny square cartons with an inch and a half of air in the top and very large mouths that spill everywhere as you pour). Exiting we all shared a pizza and a couple of drinks from the eatery and all was fine with the world.
About a week later It was time to go and reap the deals of buying in BULK! As I wandered the isles looking for things that we purchase regularly I was a bit perplexed-

Kroger/Walmart Vs. Costco
Milk 3.10 vs 2.99
Saved .10

Chicken Breasts

3 lbs for 6.49 vs 9 lbs for 21.99
Lost 2.50 (WHAT!)

Bread

One Loaf 2.00 vs Two loafs 4.00
A Wash (but have the extra
loaf to go bad in the pantry)

Dish Detergent

75 oz. 6.50 150 oz. 13.99
Lost 1.00 (and the bottle just
about broke my wrist to lift)

Laundry Detergent

This was not even close as the Tide
Detergent and even the Kirkland brand

were all over 22.00 a bottle for the same extra
value size of Sun for 14.00 form good
old Walmart.
Would love to wash with Tide but have
never been able to afford to do so!

Meat
3.99 to 4.50 a pound from Costco

3.99 to more at Kroger, But often on sale

for 3.50 or less. Never on sale at Costco.

Everyone says how wonderful the cuts are

at Costco. Am I to believe that 80% ground

beef is any different or that the pot roast is of

better quality at Costco vs Kroger. I don't think so.
Cows are Cows and truth be known, they all come

from only several suppliers nationwide!

Butter

Now here is a deal!

8.00 for four 1 lb blocks

Kroger 3.00 for one lb block

2.50 on sale

Savings of 4.00 and enough butter

to last 4 months!

Cheese worked out to be cheaper

by .50 a pound and eggs were cheaper

by a few cents as well. I found a Gallon

size can of sliced Black olives for 6.99

(1.99 per can otherwise) that would have

been an exceptional deal. But where do I

put the extra after I open it for a handful

of them for our pizza!?!?! In small

Tupperware in the fridge!

Many other things were not cheaper when the comparison is done oz. for oz. and lb. for lb.

One more- Tires for the Armada

We do need new tires and I priced them the other day at Kaufman Tire. I was shocked that they were over 40.00 a tire more than two years ago. They came to just over 800.oo for four with a wheel alignment and thought that for sure Costco would finally come through for me. Costco tire- 221.00 per tire is 884.oo and the alignment was extra!!! Even with their coupon for 70.00 off four tires, they still came in more! Long story short- At 10 cents here and a quarter there, and being taken to the cleaners on just about everything elts- NO THANKS!!! We drive an extra 8 miles to get to Costco and Pay 55.00 to be a member, We have 90 days to go get our money back and unless I can make 55.00 back on .10 milk purchases (550 Gallons), I think we will go and give our cards back!

Christmas Day- Horay!

2011-12-27T08:41:00.000-08:00

Christmas Morning

Santa came!

Brenner and his RC Car- Super Happy!
Cayden, and you guessed it... More Lego's. As you can see- ecstatic. And Mia and her American Doll. So very happy to have Emily! The traditional breakfast pizza and fresh squeezed Orange Juice! Later that day (after a nap of course) we had french dip sandwiches with the Douglas clan and opened more presents with the gift swaps. A truly wonderful Christmas, we could not ask for more!
Merry Christmas to all our family, near and far,
We love you all!

Christmas Cruise

2011-12-24T07:11:00.000-08:00

Christmas Cruise

Another cruise you ask? Well Nikki had the time off of work and we were going to go to Charleston or Branson or some place up north. But it always works out to be cheaper for us (without airfare) to go on a cruise- so we did! It turned out to be much warmer too which I liked allot! Of the five, We had two days at sea to just sit in the warm sun in a lounge and just RELAX. It was truly a vacation!

Every one at the dinner table. As this only happened twice the entire cruise with kids choosing either friends or Camp Carnival over dinner with mom and dad, it was fun! Mimi... open your eyes! Off the ship in Key West. This was one port that Mommy was very excited to see as we have been all through the Caribbean but never to Key West. It was very clean, built up and no one heckled you to buy junk- I guess is is in the states is why, but it was so nice! Out side the Key Lime Pie Factory just resting in the warm coastal breeze. We got a very cute ornament for our tree in the shape of a slice of key lime pie- too cute! That night at dinner.... Clink! The next day in the Bahamas. This day Mia stayed with Mimi and Granddaddy and the rest of us went off to get some sun and go snorkeling. Cayden and the fish right off the pier. The water was so blue and you could see strait to the bottom. Cayden out snorkeling. We did take an underwater camera for pics this day, but to go and get them developed, who knows, do they still do that!Brenner driving the boat back to the ship. Towel Animals! As Mimi and Granddaddy passed theirs down the hall each night, we always ended up with two! Oh the joy!!! Mia, Daddy and Leo or head waiter each night for dinner. He was very good, and made the cruise so much fun. Picture time out on deck! The sunset picture. Thanks for getting up from your nap Granddaddy to be our photographer! Christmas in the spectrum. Seven floors of garland, it was very pretty! The last day it even snowed inside this area and we all sang Christmas Carols, very fun!

Oh- all great things do come to an end and being that this was the 24th of December we needed to get home for Christmas! See ya later!

Everything Christmas 2011

2011-12-15T14:34:00.000-08:00

The Last "TRUE BELIEVER"

Mia is our last believer in all that is Santa. She sat on the old mans lap and asked him for an American Girl Doll, something that when the catalog came over a month ago Daddy said no way too. Well one month later who do you think walked out of the American Doll store over $200 dollars lighter!?!? Argh!!! The clothes are too cute and they have PJ's that match the dolls PJ's... give me a break!!! She also asked for a blue snow bear, lots of candy in her stocking and of all things a "helicopter"... what! She is not getting a helicopter! The "Non-believers" also pose with Santa to make their parents happy.

Christmas Cookies. Due to the animal ban by Daddy the kids are all very animal needy (I guess the "stuffed" ones are not enough). One night Mia and Mommy fed a stray cat out the front door and guess what- We now have pets! This is Cayden and Mia feeding the rascals on our front step. -Christmas Carmel- just can't seem to get them right in Georgia!We have tried and tried and re-cooked and tried, even buying a new candy thermometer and they still come out way to soft or hard as a rock. I think we will stick with the toffee. Several months back Mom made a comment of being sad that she no longer felt she knew where we lived and the kids played as we moved and all. So what better time than Christmas when your house looks its best to give those back in Utah a tour.... Here Goes- The Dining Room. The Front Room Our Family Room The Kitchen And the cool garland that Mom sent us on our upstairs banister. And as our bed rooms are a mess, the tour ends there! This is a picture of the "project" that I have been working on for the last several weeks. It started out a thing for us and has evolved into a "project" for everyone! I hope that you have all received them buy now and they look great in your homes and that you like them, I know that we do!

Callaway Gardens 2011

2011-12-08T08:21:00.000-08:00

Callaway Gardens

and Fantasy in Lights

Once again we went down to Callaway Gardens for Fantasy in Lights. The Taylor family went with us this year and we all had a great time. The bird show was new this year and with owls and hawks flying over our heads it was quite the experience, and the gardens were beautiful as always. All of us in front of one of the many Christmas Trees. The crew in front of the sign stating that there were 2200 butterflies in the butterfly pavilion that day.... until Daddy entered.

Ever since one of the lounges on one of the cruises we went on was decorated in butterflies all over the walls, I have been hooked. Over the years that we have gone to the butterfly pavilion I have been infatuated with them and in the gift shop at the end they have all kinds of butterflies in frames to purchase (75$ for the cheapest one). Much to Nikki's threats, dirty looks and ultimate disapproval, this year Daddy managed to leave the pavilion with several in his pockets! As it is posted all over the place not to take anything from the pavilion, I know it was wrong but I just could not help myself!
They are truly beautiful on my wall and now I guess there are only 2197 in the butterfly pavilion! Not a great picture but this is the only one we got of the finally- The Lights!

They were amazing as always!

2011-11-19T18:58:00.000-08:00

Brenner Turns 11- Yes 11!Brenner and some of his gang at his skating party.

Eating his favorite food- PIZZA!

Mimi came over on Saturday and started to teach the kids how to oil paint. Brenner and Cayden are bolth doing beach pictures while Mia wanted to paint dolphins... and they are going to be pink!
Mommy and Mia at her Thanksgiving Day Celebration. As you can see, she was an indian and did a great job with her parts and singing- Very cute!

2011-11-10T18:05:00.000-08:00

Brandon Flowers I have known for some time that the lead singer one of my favorite bands of all time the Killers was LDS. Take a look at his mormon.org interview in the link below. I think that his little boy is the cutest thing next to Cayden at that age! Very Cool- Check it out!
http://mormon.org/me/5233/

2011-11-01T08:20:00.000-07:00

Halloween

This year Mia was a Lady Bug, Cayden a Grim Reaper and Brenner decided to break the bank and wear his Soccer uniform to go Trick or Treating! Who leaves candy on their door step? I guess these people!?!

In the end and all the spoils layed out for trading and such- Fun Fun Fun!!!

2011-10-22T05:32:00.000-07:00

Family PicturesFamily pictures in the park with the fall colors. Costume change.
Just the Kids. To cute!
And the whole Douglas Clan!

2011-10-18T07:39:00.000-07:00

Nikki's All Girl Cruise

In October Nikki left on her first "Girl Trip", and I don't mean she went to the movies with the girls- No... She went on a cruise with them! All the other guys seemed ok with the whole thing, but I can't lie, It made me a bit jealous.

Formal Night.

Looks like they all had lots of fun.
Nikki at the Roulett Table. She was "way up" in the winnings (you may need to ask her about that), but ended up losing it all!

The Girls in front of their ship.

This weekend all the "family" that she left behind =) went camping again and had a great time too, although Daddy forgot the camera so no pictures! So I guess in the end we all had fun.

So when is the "Guy Trip" Planned.... Oh yeah.... NEVER!!! =)

2011-09-15T06:59:00.000-07:00

Family Camping Trips In September and October we camped out several times. With friends and without. All the trips were lots of fun for the kids but most of all, relaxing for Mom and Dad.

The trailer you see in the background in now ours and we look forward to many great years and lots of memories in "our little camper". It is just so nice to go camping and not be on the ground. The soft beds don't hurt either! Mia and a fish she caught. As you can see, she is not to sure of what to do with it.... Daddy is not so sure either! All the kids our kids like camping with. I just think this picture is too cute!

And this is a picture of me included for all to see back home of how skinny I have become. I weigh in at 155 lately. No more doubble chin, those jeans are 29's and are falling to the ground and that is a medium size shirt I am wearing. All the old XL stuff just hangs on me like bags so it just hangs in the closset waiting and waiting to see if the weight will stay off. We are into the winter months when I usualy pack a little on and it has not come back yet.

2011-09-10T08:05:00.000-07:00

We Saw Wicked and it is truly amazing, but until I find out how to get the photos of my phone all you get is the logo above that I was able to pull off the web. This musical is truly great, the music is wonderful and the staging is awesome! My new favorite right behind LES MISÉRABLES of course that will be here in February- We will let you know how it goes!

2011-08-11T08:33:00.000-07:00

Wall Art

Vinal lettering has been around for some time now I know but as we have some new walls to fill with stuff I pulled out some from the closet that we have had for several years and stuck it on a board. It turned out pretty nice I think!

2011-08-06T08:05:00.000-07:00

The end of a Great Summer!

After a fun boating trip to Lake Lanier with the Taylor's... And a great day at Six Flags Over Georgia with the Thomases, it was time to go back to school!

Boo say the kids. Hurray say Mommy and Daddy!

Back to school, back to school...

Getting on the bus for her first day of Kindergarten. She is so big!

2011-07-26T07:43:00.000-07:00

We Moved

After almost five years in Loganville we decided to make a move, we now live in Sugar Hill and are loving it! Although we will miss so many friends in the Monroe Ward, it is a great move for us and our family. Ten minutes from the Mall Of Georgia, Lake Lanier and much more! WOO HOO!

Our new address is:

1371 Primrose Park Rd.

Sugar Hill, Ga. 30518

2011-07-07T06:40:00.000-07:00

The Fourth of July

We had a great 4th of July. Lots of fun and the fireworks at the gates of Tara were as great as always. Just the three kids. Mommy and aunt Natalie at the water park. Fun Fun!

Mia floating on Mommy's Back.
Cayden in the water fall.
And Brenner doing a splash-down!

2011-07-03T06:31:00.000-07:00

Brenner Blows a Bubble

Brenner has been wanting to blow a bubble out of bubble gum for some time now and the other day he finally got it down!

Check out his skill!

2011-06-22T07:13:00.000-07:00

Camping at Lake Hartwell

The crew in front of the camper. The first night we had all to our selves and the next two nights we were joined by eight other families from our ward, a bit crazy!!! It was allot of fun. We had a community breakfast one morning that was great, lots of games and just good times! Mia and Daddy relaxing in the hammock. Out on the boat.

Brenner in the tube of death.

Cayden having some fun!

I think this photo could be used for an Ambercrombie and Fitch add if the were all a bit older!?! Cute Boys!

Brenner and one of his many fish. And is there any thing that says camping like a great s'more!

2011-06-15T06:55:00.000-07:00

Mia gets her very own Build a Bear.

Ever since Cayded got "Leo" the Dinosaur at the build a dinosaur shop in Downtown Disney, Mia has been hooked. She would play with Leo when Cayden wasn't looking and even "baby sit" for him. With her birthday money there is one place she wanted to spend it all! Here she is picking out the heart.

Giving the bear its first bath.
And after the bear is named (Muffin) and dressed (a small fortune for one outfit and pajamas) it was ready for real play, and she has not put it down for over a week!

2011-06-10T06:40:00.000-07:00

Mia's Splishy Splashy Birthday Party.Mia and one of her best friends Sammy.

Four kids in a pileup at the bottom of the water slide.

Water balloon fight anyone?

2011-05-28T07:02:00.000-07:00

May Days

Mia "Graduated" Pre-K and had several parties including Dounuts with Dad, Miffins with Mom a water day and of course the big last day with her diploma and all. Here she is hugging her "Boy friend" that she said broke up with her the day before, How sad! Mia and Miss Tamera. She and her helper Miss. Connie did an excelent job. The boys also had school parties to end the year but just no pictures- So sad!

The Family at the Zoo.

And at the Braves Game. That is what whent on in the month of may for the Smith Family.

Snowball Fight

2011-04-28T10:10:00.000-07:00

Snowball Fight

The past two years (before that the bush was too small) we have continued the tradition of the annual Smith Family Snowball Fight. It is always a lot of fun and you get to do it in warm weather while wearing shorts and flip flops.

Brenner got it good!
The kids and their Easter Bunny teeth- Thanks for the package Grams and Pa!

One of our favorite families in the ward, the Taylor's, are moving to Southern Georgia and this is a picture of all the kids eating ice cream one last time. So sad, they will be missed! =(

Decorating Easter Eggs.

Easter Morning.

The kids were not very excited about church at 9:00. They wiped of the chocolate Easter bunny from their faces and this is what we got- not to bad!

Picking strawberries at the strawberry fields.

Mia and Daddy and a big strawberry!

2011-04-14T11:56:00.000-07:00

Atlanta Temple Open House

The Atlanta temple has been closed for almost two years for a renovation project. It is now done and it is beautiful! The kids all walked through and they thought that it was amazing. Mia loved the brides room, Brenner thought that the chandeliers were very pretty and Cayden thought that the new "green" stained glass throughout was spectacular. They really did a great job, and it is truly a beautiful building and ultimately the "House of God".

The whole walk through crew.

It will be nice to once again have "our" temple open so close to us so we don't have to drive 3+ hours to another. They say that you don't miss something until it is gone, and this could not be more true of our temple.

Spring Break- Disney Style!

2011-04-11T09:07:00.000-07:00

Spring Break at Disney World.

We were invited again to go down to Orlando with the Browns, and of course we said yes! It was over the kids spring break from school and we had a blast. Although over the years we have decided that Disney is not a relaxing vacation, it is allot of running around, waiting in lines and very long days. But it is truly allot of fun!The Castle Picture.

Ice cream anyone! Daddy and Mia in front of "It's a small world". This became her fourth or fifth favorite after Pirates, Splash Mountain, the Tea Cups and Thunder Mountain Railroad. She has become quite a little thrill junkie! All the kids (minus the Browns as they went to Universal this day) waiting to ride the Buz Light year ride.

The electric parade is back this year with the fun music and all. Nikki was our parade spot holder, and beat several people from our spots each day as the kids and I rode rides, Go Mommy!

Mia and a Mickey Treat!

At Disney's Hollywood Studios. The Rockin Roller Coaster was the favorite of all!

Our last day in Animal Kingdom.

This is Daddy's favorite park of the bunch, with the Safari, Mount Everest and the Nemo Show!

We all had so much fun over the week, and I think that it will be our last Disney Vacation for some time to come!

Check out the new Club FHE!

2011-03-23T13:40:00.000-07:00

Our Site has changed up a bit.

And has a new look!

Check it out and be sure to tell me what you think!

I am very excited as you can only guess- It is time that such a neat program has a site to match!

The Club has really taken off in January and February, and the first of this month we shipped a yearly subscription off to Australia. That is as "half way around the world" as it gets! Thank you to all who support us, it helps out alot! Remember to post our logo on your sites, blogs and Face Book pages, and now with the cut and paste logo it is easier than it once was!

Thank You!

Pine Wood Derby

2011-03-21T20:32:00.001-07:00

Pine Wood Derby

The boys and their cars.

Out of 17 boys, they drew numbers that were competitors for the first race, what luck for the Daddy who built (helped!?!) the cars. To Daddy's surprise, Brenner's car barely squeaked out the win and sent Cayden to the losers bracket, but not for long as his car was still very fast!

Brenner took lining his car up on the track very seriously. This is the second to last race, and the red car ended up with 1st place.

Cayden cheering his car on to victory in his third race. In the end, Brenner ended up with 3rd and Cayden with 5th place. Not to bad for a 17 car heat... but there is always next year!

Cayden's Birthday and Baptism

2011-03-15T20:10:00.000-07:00

Cayden turns Eight

His request for a turtle cookie cake was realized and as you can see, it made him very excited.

Turning eight is all about baptism and he was very excited. The day was very special, and I hope he remembers it forever.

Mimi and Grandaddy and the rest of the family came and all had a feast at the house after, but no one seemed to pick up the camera for it!

What a special day!

Brenners Science Fair and Soccer

2011-03-12T19:56:00.000-08:00

Science Fair

Brenner did his science fair topic on the solar system and did a great job! Now if we could only convince him that Pluto is not a real planet, everything would be great!

Soccer

Soccer is in full swing, or kick or whatever. He truly loves it and we get a kick out of watching him play. Two games so far this season and they are undefeated, keep your fingers crossed for another great year!

Bonsai

2011-03-08T19:50:00.000-08:00

BONSAI

Daddy's newest hobby is finding small bushes that he digs up, forms into very small trees and puts into pots. These are three specimens in his bonsai collection, he has become quite the little bonsai artist!

2011-02-23T13:12:00.000-08:00

Family Ski Trip to North CarolinaWe went to Maggie Valley for a little skiing and had a great time. I guess kids pick up everything quicker than adults, because after a quick 2 hour lesson, all three were skiing!
Mia and Daddy.

The Speed Demon Brenner.
And the ever cautious Cayden.

All three kids on the bunny slope.
Mia and Daddy on the BIG LIFT! She went straight down the hill without any care, and was fine as long as the there was someone to catch her at the end. Brenner went down with allot of right turns (could not get the left down for some reason). And Cayden, was fine for the first little bit, fussed and cried the next (with daddy screaming and yelling and saying he was not going to walk down, one of those moments that your thoughts go back to you and your dad at the same age.) and He walked down the rest of the big hill back to the bunny slope where he was just fine for the rest of the day.
Every one had a great time, and Brenner even wanted to go back the next day.

The next day we went to the Builtmore and walked through. It is very amazing that people used to (and still do I guess) live like that! The house was amazing, and being the largest house in the country, I guess it should be. Amazing is all I have to say!

Kids in a candy store.

Valentines morning back at the cabin.

A cute shot of the kids at a gift shop overlooking Tallulah Gorge. We harassed Brenner about being the boy from Where the Red Fern Grows as he just read the book in school.

Every one on the deck of the cabin.

And the last night we stopped in at Harra's Casino in Cherokee to eat at Paula Dean's new restaurant there for Mimi. It was very good, especially the ewy gewy vanilla brownie.

Basket Ball

2011-01-25T07:46:00.000-08:00

Basket Ball Cayden

We signed Cayden up for Basket Ball this winter to see if it would be his sport, and the verdict is still out. He likes it ok, but needs alot more practice this summer on things like dribbling and passing. He has a good shot, but there is so much more to the real game than we prictice during a game of HORSE.
The plan is to do alot of practicing this summer and see what becomes of it.

Go Cayden!

Mexican Train!

2011-01-15T07:37:00.000-08:00

Mexican Train..... Choo Choo!!!

Although not a new game in the Smith arsenal, Grams and Pa gave Brenner a new set for Christmas, complete with the train items and we have done nothing but play the entire month of January. It seems every weekend we are playing with someone.
Choo Choo!!!

2010-12-28T13:36:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Mia started it all off with dancing as an angel in the nutcracker. She did a great job and we think it was worth all the money for costume, recital fees and the extra ticket (as it only came with one) in the end! She truly danced like an angel!

Mommy and her little angel.
As soon as the recital was over we hopped in the packed car and headed south to Florida, stopping at Calaway Gardens to see the lights. As we had skipped last year, this was alot of fun, but cold!
At the beach! Mommy and Mia and their sand castle.
Daddy and the boys sand castle.
Cayden found a turtle at the new mall area. We spent time walking the stores, eating of course, had some ice cream and found a Christmas ornament for our tree! The last night we went to the Olive Garden and Mommy and Brenner went to see Harry Potter while Daddy stayed back at the house with Cayden and Mia and watched a red box.

Their was a lunar eclipse one night that Brenner and I got up at 1:30 to see. It was pretty cool!

One night the kids made gingerbread houses.

The last day at the beach!

The Boys feeding the birds.

Three kids in the heated pool. We had alot of fun, even more relaxation and most of all a great time as a family!

Back at home and the cousin gift swap. We also all opened jamies and had a pajama parade.

Christmas morning and Cayden found the pickle hid in the tree, letting him open the first gift.
Santa Came!
Brenner and his bow and arrow.
Cayden and his Legos.
And Mia and her littlest pet shop.
There was breakfast pizza and home made orange juice and a nap for Mommy and Daddy.
Christmas evening we got what we thought would never come, a White Christmas! Grorgia has not seen snow on Christmas day since 1882, thats right, 128 years ago. The kids played in it for a bit and came in for some hot chocolate!

We had a great Christmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND A GREAT NEW YEARS!

Christmas under the tree!

2010-12-13T06:14:00.001-08:00

Christmas under the tree!

Here is the picture of the kids sleeping under the Christmas Tree!
Christmas is in full swing!

Thank you to all who have been so very supportive over the last month. Your prayers, fasting and thoughts have all helped more than you will ever know!

A special thanks goes out to the Douglas and Smith families for their support, Family is truly the greatest!

2010-12-07T05:14:00.000-08:00

Over a month late, but here is Brenner on his 10th birthday!

He had a red velvet cake and got what elts ........ Books of course! We went to Chillis, His favorite, and had a relaxing dinner with just the family. 10 year olds are great!On Sunday He shared the cake with his cousin Abby as is becoming a tradition. It is so much fun with the two of them so close in age! They opened cards and collected money! Again, 10 is great! Although He is going to save most of it, He did spend some on a new soccer game for his Wii.

This is a picture of Him and His trophy for His undefeated season this year! As you can tell, we can't brag enough about our Brenner!

Fall Family Photos

2010-11-06T19:57:00.000-07:00

FALL FAMILY PHOTOS

Yes it has been two more years since the family photo above the fire place has been changed, and it was time! We always go with the best photographer around- Patrick Douglas of Douglas Photography of course! He always makes us look great!
The Girls
The Boys
Family #1
Family #2
Family #3
Family #4
Family #5
Mia's close-up
Cayden's happy face
And GQ Brenner

Vote for your favorite!
Although we may end up just going with the kids photo at the top this year in the big frame and leaving the old geasers out of the photo altogether! =)

To check out Patrick's other work follow the following link:
www.douglasphoto.net

Halloween Fun!

2010-11-02T07:25:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

Halloween seemed to go on and on this year as it fell on Sunday and I think all desired to make up for it on another day. We had the kids school Trunk-r-Treat on Thursday night and Nikki and Mimi went to the school with the kids to decorate the trunk and hand out lots of candy. Then on to the Monroe Ward Halloween party on Friday night with a chili and cornbread cook-off and another Trunk-r-Treat, again, Nikki won best trunk! Saturday, after Brenner's last soccer game (finishing off an undefeated season), we had the Tara Halloween pizza party and Sunday was spent with family, more great chili, bubbly root beer and the end of the Halloween Fun.

As Nikki saw this as her last year for a theme of some kind, the only thing that most could agree on was "Ghost Busters", as you can imagine, Mia was the hold out and not interested in being a ghost! She wanted to be a princess! She did get her wish at the school party, and she did wear her "ghost" costume with pink bows for short periods of time, but never liked it!

The Smith family as Ghosts and Ghost Busters 2010

Spooky Mummy Dogs, orange Cheetos and bubbly root beer.

Granddaddy borrowed the Chase Bank mascot and surprised all the kids as a big blue dog. A hit with the bigger kids, the smaller kids wanted nothing to do with such a large stuffed animal! Mia is not in the picture, as she was sulking in the house because we tried to get her in her ghost costume one more time.

And what would Halloween be with out the last of the dry-ice pushed into a 2-liter bottle with some water and a tight fitting lid? Not a complete one for sure!

BOOM!!!

The boy's and the remains of the Dry-Ice bomb!

Hurray for Bean and Bacon!

2010-10-21T11:48:00.000-07:00

This post may seem strange to many, but most friends and family know of the one extremely picky eater in our family.

Yes, Brenner!

It seems we never all eat the same thing for dinner unless of course it is Pizza Night- And that, we all can agree on! Brenner has been very picky from almost day one and we are always making a second meal of some kind (carbohydrates) for him to eat. Why? Who knows? Maybe this is revenge from above for what I put my parents through growing up (extremely choosy too!) Well we found another thing that we all enjoy together- Bean and Bacon Soup and Saltine Crackers! As this is a staple to all the Smiths (we were brought up on it), it may seem strange that we just seemed to stumble upon it again, but boy are we glad we did!
Dinner is served again, and out of one pot!!!

And dang, for a $2.50 family size can and a sleeve of saltines, it satisfies the budget at the same time!

Fall Camping

2010-10-18T10:56:00.000-07:00

LAKE HARTWELL, SOUTH CAROLINA

What to do when the kids have a long weekend off for Fall Break? Head to the Mountains of course!!!

We planned a fall camp out with several families up at Lake Hartwell and had a great time. It was a bit windy at times, but overall the weather, temps, camp food, and as always the friends were great and added so much to the trip.

The above picture is of breakfast and Ziploc Baggie Omelets- Pass the Ketchup!!!
Lounging on the sand at the lake.

Nikki and Brenner cooking dinner-
Pigs in Blankets.

Daddy and Brenner waiting for the tinfoil dinners to finish cooking.

Always the best meal of the camping trip due to several "tricks" handed down from "Grams"!

The Kid Crew at the beach

Much to Dad's dismay, the Scooter Crew- "Here comes a car, get out of the road" and "Someone is going to get hurt" were said countless times. Luckily all survived- Dangerous Razors!!!

We all love Fall Camping!

Fair Fun!

2010-09-21T06:33:00.000-07:00

I don't know what it is about the end of August and September, but just as in the past (remember Brenner's Mohawk post) there seems to be a natural lull this time of year. I think it has to do with school starting back and all the structure and confinement that it brings. Also, other activities such as soccer, cub scouts, piano lessons, and this year ballet for Mia come back into the schedule and it seems at times that all we do is after school activities, homework, quick family dinners, baths, prayers and it all starts over again in nine or ten hours. I guess it is just hard to come into it all after long summers of "whatever goes"!

To break up the structure, we went to the Gwinnett County Fair and had some fun....... it felt like summer again for one evening! =)

As you can tell, Brenner and Mia had fun!
Caterpillar roller coaster... Woo Hoo!!! Cayden loved the swings, but not the Wild Mouse.
Two crazy boys in the fun house.
Mia and her carousel horse. She wanted to show everyone that she too could smile like a horse! Giddy up!

Another fun house, one that Mia was tall enough to enter.
And what would the fair be without a stop a the farm animal cages. As you can see, Mia was very excited for the sights and smells of the barnyard animals. Pewwy!

Daddy..... is that really where bacon comes from?
Yep...... and happy meal hamburgers too!

Sail away, sail away, sail away~~~

2010-08-24T06:49:00.000-07:00

~11th Anniversary Cruise~

As our 11th anniversary was quickly coming up and we had no plans, we looked around at the last minute for something fun to do. The weekend in Savanna, a trip to the Builtmore or NYC for several nights? After all the looking, we decided on what we have always loved..... another cruise. It would be a short one, and bought at the last minute for a great deal (with food and entertainment included, much cheaper than the other options)! We decided there would be no excursions or schedules (Norwegian free-style cruising), just rest, relaxation, sleeping in, food, fun and sun! In the spirit of ease and simplicity we even packed in only two very small carry-ons so we could get on and of planes and the boat without checking bags- Why have we never thought of this before, it is wonderful!
The first meal of many, and about the only picture of food as we rarely carried the camera around. Call it lazy? Maybe, but we called it carefree!
There were many other ships leaving the pier at Miami, and this is a picture of Nikki in front of Royal Caribbeans Majesty of the Seas- The same ship that we were on for our Honeymoon cruise almost 11 years ago to the day! Too crazy! As you can see, there was a storm on the horizon in Miami, but as we left port, the weather was picture perfect for the next four days.
Dessert anyone? And yes we did eat all four!
Playing the drums with the band in the Bahamas.
A picture of us in front of the Norwegian Sky, it was a beautiful ship! And look at that water- So clear and blue! In this port- Nassau Bahamas, we just shopped for some stuff for the kids and then went back to the ship for lunch and laid by the pool, sipped cold drinks and what else- RELAXED! Before we left, Cayden (surprise, surprise) asked if we were going to bring back "reminders" (he meant souvenirs). We said that we were going to just get one souvenir per kid- Right! They each ended up with four! As we floated away, Nikki asked me at one point how often I have thought of the kids, and it seems crazy, but we came to the conclusion that we though of them at least hourly. You see a turtle and think of Cayden, a cute little girl in a swimsuit about Mia's age, or the pink ice-cream and think of her, and we even saw a teenager with a plate of four hot dogs and a mountain of french fries and said: there is Brenner in several years!
As much as you try to relax and get away, the best of what you have done over the last 11 years stays with you!!!

A great sunset on deck.

We just love the whole cruise experience, the sunsets at sea, watching the water go by and a cozy cabin with the waves rocking away all your cares have always provided relaxation for us.

In keeping with the beginning pact of "no tours or excursions this time" the next stop at Norwegians private island was one of our favorite days. We got off the ship on the first tender to the island, picked out two lounges by the sea, filled up our drink cups and sat in the sun! There was a Beach BBQ provided and a band playing island music. Just over the dunes and past the palm trees were modern and clean bathrooms, but other than that, it was like we were in the middle of nowhere- and what a great place to be! We did kinda break the pact by renting snorkel gear to go out and swim over the reefs and we were so glad that we did as this was the best snorkeling that we have ever done! Beautiful fish! We saw Yellow Tangs, Black and White Zebra fish, Blue Damsels, corals and anemones, and even a Wild Sting Ray almost three feet wide. It was like swimming through the opening part of Finding Nemo! Again we commented on how much Brenner and Cayden would have loved it! We also met a very nice couple on the beach from New York, Michele and Stuart, that we had lunch with and decided to meet up for dinner back on the ship and see that nights show together. We had a great time with them the last night. The next morning we slept in one last time and off the ship and back to Atlanta. What wonderful days we had! We both commented that it seemed like much longer than four days had passed- and that was the point- we lost track of time !

Back at home and the kids going to school in their Nassau Bahamas T-shirts and Islander made shell and bead bracelets! The kids had a great time with Mimi and Granddaddy and even went to McDonald's for breakfast before school on Monday morning! Granddaddy knows how to keep them happy! Thanks Mimi and Grandaddy for the time off and away- we had a great time!

Summer Ends & School Begins

2010-08-17T04:55:00.000-07:00

The kids all had dentist appointments the same day we picked up the Armada from the auto body shop so everyone got clean new smiles and "GRILLS".

The last several weeks of summer were filled with fun. We went to the Zoo to see the new baby giraffe, up to the lake to do some jet-skiing with friends and planned many play dates and several last summer sleepovers. With all this, Cayden still found some time to let us know that he was bored and we were waisting his summer! School can't come soon enough I guess for ungrateful little children! =)

Soaking in Lake Lanier.

Billy Bob Huckabee (AKA- Cayden) with his front tooth missing. It has changed the look of his face and also his speech, he slurs and whistles as he talks like a Appalachian hillbilly.

Brenner with all his books.

And Mia has started Ballet and Tap dancing and she loves it. She and her friends Morgan and Lindsay are all in the same class, so I hope they can focus on their foot work and tapping instead of their goofing and talking!

Mommy made the kids a first day of school big breakfast to start them off right (with daddy it is usually cold cereal or grits if they are lucky). Mia is holding a hippo that her teacher gave each child at orientation and asked that they bring them back on the first day of school named and ready to learn. After many name suggestions that started with the letter "H" to go with hippo, Mia decided on "Sparkles" so sparkles it is!

Three kids (and Sparkles) all ready for school.

Mia's last moment of freedom for the the next 16+ years to come. It is great to have two body guards with her at all times as she goes to school. Well make that one protector as Cayden may look the other way or throw her under the bus, Ya just never know! Day two and Mia's first school bus ride. As you can tell by the look on her face, she has been waiting for this moment for some time. That is really all she has wanted to do for the last several years is "ride the big yellow bus"!

Summer Days

2010-07-26T07:11:00.000-07:00

-The last weeks of summer-

How did it happen again- summer break is almost over. A little over two weeks and the kids (all three) will be back in school. This is a picture of the kids at Country Kid's Camp. They loved all the fun "country summer" activities and could not wait to go back each day.

Their favorite things-

Brenner- The zip line into the lake, canoeing and the "Mud Day".

Cayden- The zip line, the fire truck hose down and looking for worms.

Mia- Doing all kinds of crafts and catching tadpoles. Also riding "trigger" the horse and painting him with finger paints. Fun, Fun, Fun!!!

<>We also celebrated the 24th of July in high pioneer style. We pulled our family and provisions (a salad for the potluck and our camera) in a hand cart to a little valley (1/8th of a mile from the car) and hung out with some of the best Mormons around (the Monroe Ward). It was lots of fun, but super HOT! Come, come ye saints!!!
And Brenner is still reading, and reading and reading. He has only a chapter or two left in the final fifth book of the Percy Jackson series. All added up, he has read over 1,800 pages this summer. I think that meets the AR reading goal for the summer! Turns out all that finger and thumb exercise from all his video gaming also helps to turn the pages of books- who would have thought!!!

Gram's and Pa's Visit to Georgia

2010-07-22T07:37:00.001-07:00

Gram's and Pa's visit to Georgia

Oh the kids had been holding their excitement from the day they heard Grams and Pa were coming to Georgia until their plane landed and the kids were half asleep.
The trip was sorta last minute and planned around Pa offering to come out and ordain me to the office of High Priest. It could not have been a better week, the weather (although a bit humid for Grams & Pa), the fun, the food, and the just good old family time spent doing nothing really! Past trips were planed around trips here and there and this visit was just good time spent together- it was "great time"! Swimming at the Tara pool.Pup Pancakes of course! Grams as always was the "cruise director" with all kinds of activities up her sleeve at any given moment. Sun Catchers, Finger Paints, Bubbles, Carmel Corn and many other Crafts made for "simple great times". Mia kept asking: "what 'actidity' is next Grams?" Even going through grams bags one time to get a jump start on the boys.BubblesMia and Grams reading and playing sticker princesses. We had lots of fun at the Vines Park and Pond. Feeding the ducks and nature walking.
Down by the banks of the Hanky Panky were the Bullfrogs jump from bank to banky!
We stopped and bought some "boiled Peanuts" from a road side vendor and Pa thought they were great- but Grams could not quite get into the southern spirit of it all. As you can see, little Miss Mia thinks they are yummy! They are a bit of an acquired taste- I have acquired to love them!
After my high priest ordination and setting apart as a high councilor in the Athens Stake, I found out that my speaking assignment for the following Sunday was changed from a ward assignment to speaking in a branch. They are a bit different, and as such, I needed a first speaker and fast! Pa, without hesitation, offered to speak and we both spoke on aspects of Member Missionary Work. The Meeting was great and a bit of a relief, as speaking in a small branch as opposed to a full ward was a more natural transition I think. The members and the spirit in the Madison Branch were great, and having my parents and my family there with me for my first assignment I will remember forever! Great Day!
Speak, See and Hear no evil.

Pa and his silly rhymes. Adam and Eve and pinch me quick went down to the river to bathe, Adam and eve were drowned, and who do you think was saved?..... Pinch me quick! The kids never tire of such fun and the opportunity to pinch each other!

Watching the Garden Railroad at Vines. Choo- Choo!!!

Another day with the ducks, but armed with bread this time. We almost got caught in a rain storm this day and the last minute "Run and Dash" to the car was fun, although no one ended up getting wet.

Mia and Grams and a Magnolia blossom.

Dinner in the backyard. Yummy!!!

Carmel Corn is becoming a Grams and Pa visit tradition!

In the flowers at the gates of Tara.

What would a visit to the South be without a visit to the Waffle House. Brenner and Pa's favorite meal. Make my hash browns "covered (cheese), chopped (onions) and chunked (ham) please!"

The kids in the Crape Myrtles. Although many of the Georgia flowers had finished blooming a week or two back, the Crape Myrtles were all in full bloom and colored the visit in pink, white and purple.
Gram's and her Georgia Kids

Thanks for such a great visit Grams and Pa, we love you and had the "BEST OF TIMES!"

Forth of July FUN!

2010-07-09T11:05:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July FUN!

We had a great Independence Day with family and friends. The Georgia summer heat gave way for the weekend and the temps in the 80's gave us all some "Independence" from the heat and humidity.
There was plenty of Red, White and Blue, a traditional water balloon fight and as always, great summer cook-out food!
Here the kids are having a picnic in the backyard.

Mia and Morgan clapping in approval of the Cul-de-sac firework display- The boys were busy lighting them of course- little fire bugs!!!

And oh what would the Fourth of July be without cold and creamy homemade ice-cream!!! YUMMY!!!

Politically correct or not- the little southern rebel with her Confederate flag.

THE SOUTH WILL RISE AGAIN?!?!?!

And the night ended with the always spectacular firework display at the front gates of Tara. We are always right underneath them, but this year the wind seemed to blow lots more spent cartridges and firework sparks our way. Someone said: maybe next year we should sit further back..... I said: are you kidding, I'll be right here in this exact spot again 365 days from now. There is nothing like feeling the pound in your chest as they explode so close and right above you... sparks and debree only add to the experience!!!

And just a side note:

Not to be out done by the bangs and crashes of the fourth, I wrapped the bumper of the Armada around a mini-van several days later. Just as with the fourth, there was also a bang and crash and some debree thrown around, it just was not as exciting or fun- but that is life I guess.... Some times it unexpectedly crashes. No one was hurt and we now are driving a fancy red rental Mini-Van until the Armada gets it's face back! "Yeah" said the kids as it has two TVs and video game hookups!

Beach Fun!

2010-06-20T12:16:00.000-07:00

-BEACH VACATION-

Our long awaited Douglas Florida beach trip finally came and all in the family were so excited and ready for a break. Back in the early days of our family, even back into the dating pre-marriage days, an almost yearly trip to the Florida beaches had been a Douglas family tradition. We did go down the first summer we moved to Georgia, but have not been back since (over three years). This year, Nikki was not going to let it pass again and decided early on that this was a return to the beach year! She rallied the family (now almost twice the size as previous trips) around a week and a beach house in June (best water conditions) and it was planned. Then the Oil Spill Fiasco in the Gulf threatened plans, but in the end the beaches could not have been any more beautiful and we all had a wonderful time in Paradise! This was our home away from home for the week- the Cracker Jack. It was big enough for the crew, and just a block from the beach! It really made the week enjoyable and so much fun!

Beach Party Central!

Colorful front room painted in fun beach colors.

Club Cracker on the third floor was the bunk spot for the kids and the Wii arcade and movie theater. The house was kinda themed around some old Cracker Jack paraphernalia- hence the cracker names. Very clever.
This was the pool from the balcony and where the kids spent all their "wet" time when not at the beach. The kids were addicted to the water.
One of the first home cooked meals- Fresh Gulf Shrimp!

First Day at Santa Rosa Beach. Although Daddy would tire of the beach over the next seven days, the kids would not! This day Mia attempted a "Sand Angel" that was very cute, but on second observation of the picture, it showed a bit to much for the blogging world and was deleted. =) Yikes! We will save that picture for her future husband!

Beach Sunset with Mimi and Granddaddy.

The next day, and the first of many sandcastles to come.

Brenner and Cayden with Sand Fins.

Beach Boys on their Bogey Boards! They would play in the surf for so long, that they would have sand and sea weed just about everywhere when they were through.

Grilled Cheese "Sand"wiches.

Beach Feet.

The first nights stroll along the beach we learned from some locals that with a net and a strong flashlight, crabs are only a few feet from the breaking surf at low tide. After a trip to Wal-mart, we were ready the next night and this became one of the kids (and adults) favorite activities.

The CLAW!

As you can only imagine from the above picture, Mermaid Mia stuck to finding sea shells with her flashlight. She wanted nothing to do with those crabbies!

Dinner is served!

Day three's Sandcastle, and I think the best!

Mia and Madelyn in their Watermelon swim suits. So sweet, could just eat em' up!

The Douglas kid Beach Crew!

This shark was line caught the night before by a guy on the beach and let go, but it washed up on the beach the next morning for a picture. Not slippery like a dolphin or ray, but very sandpaper course to the touch. Kinda sad it died, and kinda scary that they are out there in the water we played in all week!

Big brother's helping hand to the beach. Too cute!

Family pictures on the beach. Everyone else taking pictures were also in khaki and white, must be the uniform for 2010 family pictures!

The most Beautiful girls in the world!

Mommy and Mia.

Plastic Great White Attack!

Big Catches in Destin! Swordfish anyone? Or Mia is offering Dolphin!?!?! =)
On the pier with the fishing boats in Destin and a stop for some more seafood at AJ's. Great seafood but that close to the marina we learned that the water that goes with the syrup and carbonation can make a Coke taste like a mouth full of sea water- Nothing to drink please! We also ate at Landry's while in Florida, a place I had always wanted to try (one of McGrath's biggest competitors) and as all the reviews have said- it was wonderful!

This is the one day away from the beach, but not water! We went to Ponce De Leon Springs for a day and had a great, but cold time. 14 million balmy 68 degree gallons a day gush from this crystal clear spring. It was quite amazing to see and experience.

About half of the spring has been swimming poolalized by the forest service with concrete walls, dive platforms and steps and the rest was left all natural. In the picture below, you can see one of the very turquoise blue holes that feed the spring. They go down 25 to 30 feet into the limestone that you can see, and can feel the water current pushing past you. One of those things you have to see to believe.

Brenner jumps into a pool of "Aquafina"! =)

Jimmy Buffets Cheese Burger in Paradise!
This is one of the kids favorite Jimmy songs, so we just had to stop here and make up to them for all the Seafood restaurants that the adults stopped at.

I like mine with lettuce and tomato, Hinze 57 and french fried potatoes, big kosher pickle and a cold root bear, well good gosh almighty which way to I steer for my- CHEESE BURGER IN PARADISE!!!

Just a side note. On the way out of town we passed the Destin outlet stores and Nikki just had to stop and feed her latest addiction. I have always said that one (of the many) things that I loved about Nikki from the very beginning was that she never carried a purse full of junk around with her every place she went. Chap-stick and her I.D's in her pocket and she was off! Well, call it a mid-life crisis or whatever (I think a past friend at the hospital brain washed her), She has been buying purse after purse over the last 6 to 8 months and filling them with all kinds of crap! I am trying to be understanding and kind, and she has not asked me to carry it for her yet. So as you can see, she was very excited about her new find, and in no time flat, she had it so full, that she could barely fit her Nook in it! (I will admit that things like hand wipes and gum are very nice to have at an arms length, but I am not sure what else needs to be packed around like this! What ever makes her happy!

The kids all tan, water logged, souvenired and relaxed! What a trip! Thanks Florida- Hope to be back very soon!

Happy Birthday Mia!

2010-06-11T18:10:00.000-07:00

Mia Turns Four!!!

Mia originally wanted a princess party for her 4th birthday, but soon as she realized all the boys that she wanted to invite would not be to crazy about a dress-up party, she changed her mind. So Mickey Mouse Club House it was as this is her favorite show on Playhouse Disney!!! All the Mouseketeeres had ears to wear, and ate hot dogs while listening to.... yep- the Hot Dog Hot Dog Hot Diggity Dog song. Daddy gets a kick out of the Mickey Mouse Club House songs and lyrics because if you did not know (Just listen to the voice), they are by the late 80's band They Might Be Giants! Too funny that our funky cool "Birdhouse in your soul" song writers would be making songs that our kids would love.

Mia had a large pile of friend presents and threw several fits (Ok- had several break-downs) before present opening time, the little squirt! I thought that by four, that kind of stuff was behind us, but we have only had boys, so I guess we are in for it, as she is going through a very spicy stage! It was her party and she did cry because she wanted too!

Mommy and Mia and her Minnie Cake. The Minnie dots were Almond Fondant and very tasty!

Our cute little squirt is four.....What happened to the time!

Happy Birthday Mia!!!

10 Mile Hike

2010-06-05T21:36:00.000-07:00

Monroe Ward Boy Scouts

We have already had several Boy Scout activities, this is a picture of five of the boys (not counting the two big boys and the one taking the picture) in the troop before the second trip around the "rock" at Stone Mountain. We also have done some cooking, knot tieing, 22 shooting and a night learning all about rock climbing gear and safety for a trip planned later on.

We have a great bunch of boys and we are having fun....right Josh?

Happy Birthday Nikki!

2010-05-22T20:18:00.000-07:00

-Happy Birthday Nikki-

Another year older and wiser for Nikki. All day Mia wanted to know when the party was going to start. She could not wrap her little mind around the idea that Mommy was not going to have what to her constituted a "Real Birthday Party"! Then when Mommy and Daddy left for birthday dinner she said: "I am not invited to your party? That's not fair!"

Even though Mia thinks Mommy got robbed, Nikki did get all she wanted for her birthday- a NOOK. Nikki has become a little book worm over the last several years, reading just about anything she can get her hands on. She decided several weeks back that she wanted to join the ranks of the e-book readers and set her eyes on a Barnes and Nobel NOOK. She shamelessly plugged friends and family for B&N gift cards as gifts this year so she can fill it with e-books. Thanks to all who contributed to her addiction!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOO FOO!!!

Brenner's soccer season came to a close on Saturday. The championship games were so intense that we did not seem pick up the camera to get a picture of him in action, but I love this picture of him and his teammates on the bench. In years past, the "Bench" was a place to go play and goof off until your name was called to go back in. Now it has become a place to rest-up, get a swig of Gatorade and attentively watch and cheer on the team. The boys are growing up! His goal in the second game which tied the game and sent them on to the third round sent shivers down my spine, and to see the look on his face as the other boys run to give celebration "slaps" makes a Daddy almost cry!

Brenner and Cayden also had their spring piano recital and each did a great job with the two songs that they have been practicing for six weeks now. Brenner played "Fire Ants" and "Just a Carefree Day" and Cayden played "In the Hall of the Mountain King" and "The Raven's Call". They did awesome, and Brenner even said how much fun he had playing. Wow, I will have to remind him of that the next time he complains about practicing!
Nikki took Mia and Cayden to the strawberry patch to pick strawberries one night while Brenner and I were at Scouts. These two kids would eat the whole gallon bucket they are holding if they had their choice. Brenner on the other hand has still not had any fruit since he was spoon fed it out of "Gerber" jars! He does get a banana every once in a while when Mommy makes "Nut Bread". If it were called by its full name, he would not touch it either.
Cayden and I worked on his end of school project, a reptile diorama. He loved making a lizard "buddy" out of clay. Nikki had some great ideas- Brown sugar dirt, and melted Jolly ranchers for the water. As you can see, it turned out great!

Cayden and his "Buddy".

Silly Bandz!!!

2010-05-18T05:44:00.000-07:00

Have these Silly Bnadz hit your school yet? Well if not- BEWARE, because they are coming. One day several weeks ago, Brenner came home from school with a colored elastic band on his wrist. I asked him about it and he said it was a silly band. I thought, that is silly, we at least had "Jelly Bracelets" that were more than a colored rubber band back in the day. Well turns out they turn into shapes when you take them off your wrist, some glow in the dark, some glitter, and the new ones are even tie-dyed!?!?! Brenner found another on the playground and started trading with his classmates. In no time he had turned those two into a wrist full and both boys are addicted!!! They are kinda cool (even the high school kids get into them, as Cayden made a trade with one of our priests at church last Sunday) Mia loves them too, but is having a hard time with the trading thing, she gave away her favorite (a pink glitter butterfly) the other day for something she later decided she did not really want and has cried about it ever since. Brenner, being the good big brother that he is, is on a mission to find her another one but Cayden on the other hand is just out for himself!!! He said: "trade one of my dinosaurs or sharks for a butterfly, are you crazy!"

We are sorry for the hiatus!

2010-05-15T07:10:00.000-07:00

Wow! It has been over six weeks since our last update, and for our faithful followers- (we realize there are most likely not any, but we are hopeful!) we are sorry! Although it seems that we have been in Blog Hibernation, we have all been very busy and active, I promise! We just have not picked up the camera in a while I guess, and the one time we did, there was no memory card inserted- Crap! And as all who blog know that it is never any fun to post with out pictures- that is our excuse. I will try to reconstruct the last month and a half if I can. Here it goes-

The first week in April we had a ward talent show that several of the guys from elders quorum got together and formed a rock band. Talent or not it was lots of fun and we played Weezers Buddy Holly, complete with thick rimed glasses, black spaghetti ties, and cardboard box speakers for us to destroy and jump into at the end as all great rock stars do! I was asked to emcee the event a week or so before and it turned into quite the show, with wardrobe changes, cheesy jokes and lots of crazy fun. As this was the night that the memory card was absent in the camera, if anyone has a picture of me dressed as Carnack the Magnificent- I would love a copy! The above picture was pulled from another blog- Thanks Taylor's! Brenner and Cayden took the Georgia CRCT and both think they did well. Although we will not know the scores for sure for another several weeks, they are both excelling in school and Cayden has become quite the little reader and Brenner is our little Mathematician (did not get that from his Daddy). And for those who were wondering- Yes Cayden can now tell the difference between two dimes and a twenty dollar bill! =)
Nikki has been studying in her spare time as well and passed with flying colors another ARDMS Board the end of April. She is now certified in Obstetrics & Gynecology! Way to go Foo Foo!!!

Around the first week in May our Elders Quorum shook up a bit and I am no longer the EQP in The Monroe Ward. After almost three years in the presidency in one form or another, it was time for a "MOVE". And not the kind of "MOVE" that has dominated much of my time over the past several years! =) Looking back, it has been a lot of fun mingled with a lot of hard work, personal growth and lessons learned. If after three years I only take away the words and teaching of our extremely wise and wonderful Relief Society President, lesson and skill well learned.

"If you are going to error, error on the side of charity."

Hopefully many of those lessons learned I can pass along to the 12-14 year old "Boyz" of the ward as I am excited to be involved in the Boy Scout program. It will be lots of fun too, just of another type! Hiking, camping, canoeing, knot tying, tent sleeping, boy building and tinfoil dinner eating..... Sounds like a good time to me! We have great leaders and great boys to turn into Eagles! Let's go troop 793!!!
Brenner and Cayden's room received a bit of a makeover. It was a little unintended, but a trip to IKEA for some kitchen nick knacks, turned into new dressers, night stands, trophy shelves, and some really cool reading lamps. The boys did need them as they have been sharing a dresser, and their various trophies were piling up. But IKEA- shame on you!!!

Trip to Zoo Atlanta. That cute little baby Panda Bear is getting very big. It reminds me of our "cubs" getting to big. Stop growing kids!!!
We have decided that we are better pot and planter gardeners that entire scape ones, although our Gardenias do have flower buds on them for the first time since they were planted. Georgia is so great this time of year and although it has been a little unseasonably hot, the heat makes everything grow as if it is on steroids. This is one of our hanging baskets on our back porch- what some miracle grow won't do!

And Club FHE is steadily growing too. We see growth each month and last month it seemed to be in Washington State!?! Something happened in that corner of the country as five subscriptions came in form Washington in a week, it is funny as it is just about as far from Atlanta as one can get! Still waiting for that Alaska Subscription! =)

So other than a great Father and Son's camp out, and nice Mother's day weekend (surprise- no pictures), that just about catches us up to the current. The kids will be out of school soon and the summer will be in full swing. With all that comes along with busy summers, we will try to keep updated a little more often, and promise to take our camera with us more often!

Innocence lost

2010-04-05T06:59:00.000-07:00

Spring time photos

It is full blown spring in Georgia! With spring flowers everywhere, the dogwoods in bloom and also all the "popcorn" trees that Mia keeps trying to tell us are just flowers- what does she know!

Three cute little spring chicks!

The Easter Bunny came as you can see and the first thing out of Brenner's mouth after finding his basket was, "Thanks Mom and Dad"- Innocence Lost! I think it flew right over the heads of the other two, but Cayden has his doubts also. The only childlike innocence left around here anymore is in Little Mia.... LET'S KEEP IT THAT WAY BOYS!!!

Cayden has become a Minute To Win It fan and thinks the new game show is the greatest thing ever! (His Mom and Dad like to watch too!)
The other morning we caught him stacking cups out of the pantry. Who knows, you just might see him on one of the upcoming shows.
Brenner's soccer pictures were last weekend and right after the pictures, they destroyed a team much to Brenner's excitement! Good luck this season Brenner!

Another "what is new" update!

2010-03-25T10:49:00.000-07:00

March is almost over and here is what is new-

Caydens friend Birthday party was great fun. Each soldier was given camo head and arm bands for either platoon Brown or Green and their Dog Tags with their army names on them. Cayden's AKA was B-Day, I thought it was clever even if it did go over the heads of all the kids. AKA's like Bazooka and Grenade were more liked by the kids, go figure!

This is a picture of Human Battle Ship, they loved it!
Saint Patrick's Day also came and went and we had some friends over for the traditional Green Dinner. Celebrating the luck of the Irish is always a good time!

Brenner's 2ND pinewood derby was this week and he came in third after two other very fast cars. Daddy thought we might have had it this year... but there is always next year! Third is not bad I guess out of 12+ racers. Everyone loved Brenner's yellow wheels and beyond the 3rd place trophy, he was given the most "Cubtastic Car" award.

Thanks for those cool yellow wheels Grams!
The Winners podium, Good job Bart and Josh... Oh... I Mean J.J. and Brett on your first and second place wins! =)
Brenner and his blue and gold "Cub Racer" and trophy
There was also an elders Quorum derby for the "Big Boys" to show off their stuff.

It was crazy fun and after all the re-racing (Jeff is most likely still in doubt/denial of the outcome), almost disqualifying (Zach and his "Non-starting device" remote control motor and propeller) and extra weight removed (Chad and his car keys and wedding ring in the bed of his very cool derby truck) I was awarded first place. To make Jeff feel better about it all he was given the second place award with "first" written over second. There is always next year Jeff!

Some other happenings around here-

The boys helped me put up a basket ball pole and hoop and they are loving and learning how to shoot hoops.

And Mia and Morgan are "Best Friends" and play together all the time. Dolls, strawberry milk and the trampoline are some of their favorite things.

Easter will be here before we know it and on to Summer!

Happy Easter to all!

We love ya!

Seven on the Seventh

2010-03-07T19:48:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it- Cayden is Seven!

Oh for this years party, as we all know, Cayden is very creative and had lots of great pie in the sky ideas (wow), but with a little help, direction, and several trips to Party City, he decided on having an Army themed party. As His "traditional" Birthday cake is actually a cookie, he asked if Mom could make him a "Tank". I suggested a big round cookie decorated with camo spots, but as you can see- Cayden got his wish. Mommy is great at that! Just look at those chocolate bar "Tank" treads, Oreo wheels and Tootsie Roll gun barrel- very cool! His family party was lots of fun and we had our first cook-out with hamburgers and hot dogs (but ate inside as it is still a bit cold, come on Spring!)
Two of the stand out gifts came from Mimi and Granddaddy and Grams and Pa, and the DS game From Mom and Dad ranked a close third. Mimi and Granddaddy heard that Cayden was recently learning (and struggling a bit with) counting money and the names and denominations of each coin. Granddaddy filled a "Bank Tray" with a full roll of each coin type and gave him a poster all about money. When he opened their card and a 20 dollar bill fell out, Cayden said "Wow, twenty cents!" As you can see, the teaching gift could not come any to soon!

From Grams and Pa, Cayden got the three disc set of all the Jurassic Park Movies. Ever since watching them with Uncle Justin, Cayden has been obsessed with them and dinosaurs in general(one of his other party theme ideas by the way). Grams noticed and the look on his face says it all! He just can't wait to see another innocent human be devoured by a spooky eyed velosa raptor. His "friend" party is next Friday and with some life-sized human battle ship planned it should be a great time, but..... Mommy..... I'll need another one of those cool "Tank" cookie cakes!!!

A tale of two Cities

2010-02-27T19:54:00.000-08:00

I don't know why for sure we are addicted to the Olympics, but I do know that for the two plus weeks they are going on every other year, we cannot pull ourselves away from the TV. I don't know what to make of our addiction as neither of us watch much TV or are really "sports" minded in any other way or at any other time. Could it be that we are both from Olympic Cities and we have been in some way hypnotized by the Olympic movement? Whatever the reason, we are hooked! We watch during dinner and it is on in the background during homework and piano practice. We even find ourselves watching until midnight some nights because we just have to see who won what. It is Crazy! For a couple of weeks I get the mindless "ESPN Obsession" most guys have for watching anything sports on TV! It is very strange. With the closing ceremonies coming up very soon, Nikki and I asked ourselves what we are going to do with our evenings as soon as the Olympics are over, as we can't seem to remember life without them. I think that we will live!

In the end I think that it is the excellence of everything Olympic that keeps us coming back for more. It is the exciting traditions of the opening, awards and closing ceremonies, the stories of these no-name un-paid athletes from all over the world that train all their lives for several seconds of greatness, and also the stories of defeat and of 4th place and no medal. The whole thing is just exciting and we think that they are great! Do we really have to wait two more years for more!!!

Is anyone else addicted? We could start OAA- Olympic Addicts Anonymous. We might need a support group!

FLASH BACK- Nikki and I at a 2002 Olympic downhill event in Salt Lake City. The energy of the games is truly unique- Long live the Olympics!

The latest with us

2010-02-13T13:33:00.000-08:00

The Latest with us?

Some new snow, a silver medal and two new holes.

In a moment of weakness, the girls broke Daddy down and we all ran to the mall to have little Mia's ears pierced. Although I do think that it is adorable, tradition holds that girls are a bit older, but that tradition seems to get younger and younger every day, so why not three, right? As we ask them a 16, 12 or even eight, the answer is always going to be the same- yes! It is very cute and Mia loves them. She can't wait until she can change them to the other "pink" ones that Mommy got her. She is a little girl through and through!

Brenner finished his winter indoor soccer season and he and his team got second place in the u-10 tournament. It was a very tight game ending with a score of 1-0.Southern Cotton Plants. . . or Georgia Snow?
With this last winter storm we received almost 6 inches on our lawn by the end of the blizzard!!! Wow for Georgia!
The kids played and played and it looked every bit like out west for a day, but it never seems to stick around long here in the South.

A Little snow Devil!
The start of a snow man. What fun! Cayden could not stand it and wanted to spend the whole evening and the next day outside. Crazy boy.

Our trip out West

2010-01-31T20:25:00.000-08:00

This post is a bit late, as we have been home for almost two weeks now, but better late than never right?!?! We spent some time in Utah and had a great time. It is always great to be able to visit and catch up with family that we don't get to see enough. We spent a day in the snow, many nights just hanging out with family and the cousins, a afternoon with Bing and Lady, a morning with Stacy and Michael and ate at Nikki's favorite places, Rumbi's and Bajio's (twice).

We really had a great time only wishing that we would have had several more days to spend.

Up on the tubing slopes with Grams and Pa.

Although they did "tube" Stone Mountain this year, the boys had so much fun on a "real" snow hill with "real" snow. Check out those snow bibs on the boys form the late 70's- thanks for keeping us all warm Grams- retro is back in style....Right?

The kids had fun on Pa's snow machine but they did seem to get the most fun out of a good old fashion sled and a steep hill.

Little "Snow Angels".

The Bad Boys of Winter!

The visit with Bing and Lady- time always well spent! We love you guys!

This picture I just think is cool- it could almost be Cort and I, even down to the matching "twiner" camo pajama bottoms. Cayden had so much fun with Austin!

Hanging out with the Herrens- Thanks guys for all the fun and the great breakfast! You always remind us what the word "Friend" really means!

You can't visit Salt Lake City with out a picture like this!

Thanks to Grams and Pa and everyone else that made our trip "Home" so much fun, we truly had such a great time, and it is all because of all of you- We love ya!

Jesus wants Mia for a Sunbeam.

2010-01-04T14:16:00.000-08:00

This last Sunday our little Mia got a little bit bigger. She is now a Sunbeam! She graduated into the Primary and is excited to be with the big kids. I do not think that she has realized quite yet that the toys, treats and Sister Alvis and Prater will be left behind in the nursery. Oh she just keeps breaking her promise she made to me to stay little forever!

Let's all sing:

Jesus wants Mia for a sunbeam (jump) to shine for him each day. In every way try to please Him at home at school and play.

Wow- December is gone!

2009-12-27T20:01:00.001-08:00

Where did the month of December go? It has truly zoomed by! Where to start for the last post of 2009....? The boys had their first piano recital a week or so before Christmas and it was Christmas themed. Brenner played "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and Cayden played a rendition of "Jingle Bells". They both spent lots of time practicing and other than some nervous jittery notes, played like little Beethovens! Good Job Boys!

Brenner and the 12 days of Christmas

Push Pause on the player at the bottom, before hitting the play button.

Cayden playing Jingle Bells.

We made a fun Christmas trip up to the Blue Ridge Mountains with the Brantley's and had a blast just eating great food, playing fun games, and trying to keep warm in a little cabin all decorated for the Holidays in the woods.

It was so cold that the Polar Bears were out!

The kidos found a warm spot as long as they were submerged to their necks.

Wow- As the camera always seems to be fixed on the kids, just a picture of US! We need to take more of these!

Thanks, Page, Brandon and Family for such a great time! Let's do it again next year!

At the Stone Mountain Christmas lights. The lights seem to get better every year, and the kids are getting old enough to sit through some of the fun shows. Dinner at Miss Katie's, and all the kids caught their own "Flying Rolls".

Christmas Eve and home made PJ's made by Bing. It is so much fun to see a tradition that you hold dear passed on to your own kids~ THANKS BING! We love you and your Jammies!

Back at the house and the kids Christmas Eve gift swap.

Oh - Santa Delivered, what a Surprise!

Brenner Found the Christmas Pickle hidden in the tree and got to open the first gift of the morning (for the second year in a row now- good eyes!)

Mia and "Swim to Me Puppy" (More like Drowned in front of me Puppy) =)

Cayden and his Legos, He built that whole thing in less than 2 hours! (over 900 pieces)

Brenner and his Indoor Soccer Shoes. Now his "Style" will match is "Skills".

Holding up Mimi and Granddaddy's Money! Funny- Cayden asked this year if Santa really makes the toys or if he just "buys" them? Humm...? Just like his daddy, never satisfied with the "Simple facts of the story"!

After all the parties, lots of great food, cups of hot chocolate, all the here and there, all the wrapping and unwrapping, all the magic and fun in the eyes of young children and all that a "Family Christmas" Holds, it ended with some laps around a slot-car track and some late night Rips on Wii Rock Band with the kids.

What a great December, nice 2009 and just as the Christmas movie title- "What a Wonderful Life! We are truly blessed and thankful!

Christmas in full swing!

2009-12-07T14:25:00.000-08:00

It is only the 6th of December and it seems that Christmas has already been around for over 2 weeks! As Thanksgiving was not hosted at our home this year, Nikki got her wish of putting up the decorations and trees the last week of November. I always use Thanksgiving as a logical reason to wait till the first weekend in December, but this year she got her way. It works out though because as the years go on and as we collect more and more Christmas Stuff, we need several weekends for the elves to get it all up! The picture above is a shot of the tradition of sleeping under the tree on the night it goes up (November 24th this year... Yikes!).

This is a preview of the possible Christmas card photo, but if this year is anything like the last, there will be at least one more shoot! The foyer is one of our favorite parts of the house every Christmas as it is always done in clear lights and holds Nikki's "Fancy Adult Tree". The new addition this year is some Mistletoe hung from the light above (can barely see it in the picture if you squint), I will let you all know if it really works the way that tradition holds! =)

Christmas Cookies have been baking.

The kids in front of the outside lights. As many of our outside lights were going on 10 years old, almost none wanted to work this year. I figured that it was time to re-work them and went from multi-colored to red, green and white. It looks Great in the day, and even better at night. Something Clark Griswald would be truly proud of!

Picture of the ever growing Christmas Village (just for Tara).

And last but not least- this years picture with Santa!

Items on their lists:

Brenner- Wii Games, R/C Car, Indoor Soccer Shoes.

Cayden- Nintendo DS and Games, and Legos, Legos and more Legos.

Mia- Baby Dolls, Swim to me Puppy, Dora Backpack, Play Kitchen, Elephants game, Little Baby LuLu Kitty and one of everything that she sees on the TV! She is really getting into the true spirit of Christmas this year!?!?! =)

So Very Thankful

2009-11-26T17:57:00.000-08:00

We always have so much to be thankful for, but on Thanksgiving it seems to be at the front of our thoughts. We are truly blessed in so many ways, three healthy and happy kids, a comfortable roof over our heads, plenty to eat (too much at times) and lives that are always filled with excitement of one kind or another. We live in a wonderful country and in a beautiful state that provides us so much opportunity and freedom. And the greatest "thanks" is for our membership in the church and the fact that we have the gospel in our lives. What more could one ask for or possibly need? For all these blessings and for so many more not mentioned-

We give our thanks!

To all our family and friends, thank you for all you do for us and for all the love and support that we feel and receive from you-

You are the greatest and we are thankful for you too!

What's New?

2009-11-12T14:32:00.000-08:00

What's new around the Smith House?

Mia has been playing with her new friend Morgan who moved onto our street several weeks back. This has been wonderful as there have not been any little girls her age around the neighborhood and now she has a friend that is just the right size down the street.
Brenner just finished another great soccer season and his team did very well once again. He is becoming a soccer pro and is loving every minute of it! Mom and Dad are also getting a "KICK" out of it as the older the boys get, the better the games get. They are lots of fun and exciting to watch!
And Cayden has not taken his nose out of the "Christmas Wish Books" since their arrival last week. He already has his "List" made out, but as things are added and subtracted daily, it is a work in progress! If he only knew that he is only registered for a shipment of coal this year! =)

Ho, Ho, Whatever!

2009-11-06T13:51:00.000-08:00

Happy 9th Birthday Brenner!

On the 2nd (actual b-day) Brenner finally broke mom and dad down and got some Bakugan stuff for his Birthday. We have held off (except for a free one he got in a happy meal) as long as we could, not seeing the point of these expensive rolling battle brawlers. But now that we have them rolling around and are exposed to them a bit more, daddy does think they are pretty cool.... in a late 80's Transformer kinda way.
Brenner's friend party was the following Friday night and he decided to take some friends to Stevie B's for all they could eat pizza and to the slot-car track for some racing fun.

Six little monkeys at a pizza place.
At the Lego Store in Discover Mills.

ZOOOOOMMMM.......... Lots of smiles at the slot-car track. Full throttle on the straightaways but slow down on those turns boys!

Wow- We now have a 9 year old!

Halloween Fun

2009-11-03T22:46:00.000-08:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN 2009

The traditional feast, Hot Chili, Ghost white and Regular with all the fixings, Mimi's corn bread and bubbly drinks (thanks Stephanie for drinking root beer with me and the kids). This year Nikki surprised us all with Chocolate Melting Cake for dessert, Yummy! (The last night of the cruise, the dinning room matradee was handing out the recipe... Anything for an extra tip!) A new tradition perhaps?

The kids in all their Halloween spookiness.

Momma joins in the dress-up fun, sorry kids that daddy is a Halloween dress-up Scrooge! Lots of scary fun!

Funny side note: At most doors, Cayden, who dressed as an army guy was confused as dressing as a hunter. "Got yer deer yet?" they would say- are you kidding me! Maybe if he was wearing bright ORANGE! ONLY IN THE SOUTH my friends, only in the the Beautiful South! =)

2009-11-02T20:07:00.000-08:00

Hey all, Thank You to all our family and friends who have made a link on their blogs/sites to our Club FHE site. It helps with search engine rankings and we love ya for it! It is also fun to see our logo on your blogs, so a Big Thanks again! So much support from so many!

2009-10-29T23:44:00.000-07:00

Family Cruise 2009

We have all been looking forward to a bit of rest, relaxation and FUN, and the trip finally came. We decided to celebrate our 1oth anniversary by going on a family cruise to the Caribbean. We booked several weeks late so the kids would be out of school on fall intercession. Mimi and Grandaddy also went along with us (celebrating their 40th anniversary) and made the trip extra special.
Well as there is so much to post and many things to tell, I thought it best to do a slide show of the trip and it's highlights so take a look at the fun and craziness of a family floating at sea!

I really liked this Family picture as we were all dressed up.
Here is the slide show. As you hover over the pictures, captions will show up.

Oh Oh- Magnificent! (But sadly not for us)

2009-10-07T21:15:00.000-07:00

The U2 concert last night at the Georgia Dome truly would have been as Bono sings- Oh Oh, Magnificent!

When we heard that U2 would stop in Atlanta as part of their 360 tour, Nikki and I planned to go. After many other U2 fans turned us down in going (yeah, you know who you are!), we thought just the two of us would still go, but never got around to buying the tickets. As the date got closer and closer, I still held out that we would go. In trying to figure out why we missed out on such a "Magnificent" experience, the only reasons I can muster are the following- the kids piano lessons and soccer practice were in the way, tickets/dinner/babysitting would have cost a small fortune, it was on a school night, and in the end, we would have had to ride MARTA into Atlanta because of very limited parking..... What....? None of that would have stopped me 12 years ago (the Pop Mart tour was so great)!

I guess that we are just not as young, care free, and spontaneous as we think and feel anymore.... is that a good or bad thing? I am not sure right now as I feel that I missed out on something! It did not make matters any better that when in conversation with a high schooler in our ward yesterday, she had absolutely no idea who U2 even was?!?! Thanks Lauren for making all of us 30 somethings feel very old! And shame on your parents for not teaching you about the fine things in life! =)

Well for those who would have loved to have been there along with us last night, but also did not make it for one reason or another, Click on the link below to see Bono and the Edge "Rock It" in Atlanta. I guess in the end I did "Rock It" with them- it was just in my own home wearing my pajama bottoms (and Pop concert T-shirt) in front of my computer for free on YouTube. I may be getting cheap, old and who knows what else, but I still rocked it in my own little way.... I guess.

Here is that link~ Enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKij_97yp9Q

Take a Look at CLUB FHE!

2009-09-23T13:29:00.000-07:00

Well I guess it is time to finally pull the sheet off a project that we have been working on for some time now..........

Drum Roll Please.........

~INTRODUCING~

Over a year ago we came up with an idea to have some sort of Online Family Home Evening Club that could help families with pre-done lessons and activities that would make Family Nights spectacular with much less effort! So after months of writing, research, planning, design, construction, many changes, and much ANTICIPATION.....

We are pleased to announce to our family and friends,

Check out our Website at

clubfhe.com

September Excitement!

2009-09-11T16:14:00.000-07:00

A MOHAWK should deliver some excitement around here!

If there is a down month of the year it must be September. Nothing happens for us in this month, no Birthdays, Holidays (I guess there is Labor Day), and as school is getting into full swing, our schedule becomes very regular, repetitive and somewhat boring I guess. This is a picture of Brenner's latest hair cut (just for the picture mind you!). He wanted to keep the Mohawk to play his first Soccer game of the season tomorrow but we said NO! Brenner is back in Soccer and really excited about his Team after several practices. Both boys are back in Piano after the summer break from tickling the ivory's, Cayden has his first loose tooth and Mia is just getting to big. That is what seems to be happening around here. We are looking forward to next month as October brings some predetermined excitement again!

~Our 10th Anniversary~

2009-08-19T06:08:00.000-07:00

Looking Back On Our Tenth Anniversary~

It is crazy but wonderful to think what 10 years of marriage brings. If we could only go back and tell this young couple what the next ten years would hold, do you think they would have still gone ahead?

Absolutely and Without a Doubt!
We have had a wonderful and exciting ride so far and can't wait for the next ten, twenty five, fifty, or for that matter~ bring on Eternity!

We had a great Tenth Anniversary and have spent some time over the last week reliving and talking about the past through family videos and pictures. It is very strange to be watching "our past" on video with three kids eating popcorn on the couch with us~ Wow! Who are those Babies they asked.

Well I had intended to have a little montage of pictures of the last ten years of the Smiths to post, but with all that keeps us busy, it did not get done. But check back as I still intend to do it~ how exciting, I bet you can't wait! =)

_____________________________

__________________________________

_____________________________

Well, here is the 10 year picture play by play that I promised. As I started looking over pictures of the last 10 years, I thought I might just find one or two a year that would be an overview, but was I ever wrong. There are over three shoe boxes of the first five years and over 5,000 pictures on our hard drive of the last five years. Getting stressed and as I just could not decide which ones to post and which ones to leave out I have decided that just some anniversary pictures over the years would suffice. So Enjoy~

Oh~ for Our youth back! One of our engagement photos

_____________________
August 19th,1999

Our Wedding Day was truly amazing but just look at the picture above as it will keep me from scanning another. =)

_____________________

Our First Anniversary, and the Cake that had been in our freezer for a year was not to bad!?! =) We also knew that Brenner was coming in less than two months. Oh Yeah~ we did not waste any time.
We spent our 5th anniversary on a Cruise to Mexico and had a great time.

Although it is so much fun to look back and remember the past, what is really exciting is the future. And if our future can be made of more moments like those of our past it will truly be wonderful!

2009-07-28T09:15:00.000-07:00

Back to School
Oh Yes, all good things do come to an end. School started back up for the Boys and it was about time, as Cayden had one of his self proclaimed "most boring days ever" last week~ give me a break! =) These kids have had nothing but straight entertainment all summer long and a couple of down hours equate to the "most boring day ever"! Now that School is back in~ we hope Cayden will be more fully entertained. He is excited and eager to go back, but Brenner on the other hand would take the rest of his life off if it were an option as he is truly a summer lover!

Off to class boys~ The Bell has rung!

~The Final Week of Freedom~
We tried to fill the last week with great stuff and had lots of fun at Stone Mountain, Zoo Atlanta and of course the kids favorite summer spot~ the Pool.

On top of "The Rock".

(Notice Atlanta in the background)Wild Animals at the Zoo
Every thing is "Pink" with Mia lately, and she was crazy over the Pink Flamingos.
Zoo Atlanta is one of the few in the U.S. to have Giant Panda Bears, and even more unique with a new panda baby born this year. Pandas are very cool up close, and are such beautiful animals! I think we have all officially changed our favorite Bear from Polar to Panda, except Mia, she will stick with the Pooh Bear.
Rock Climbing
Whatever Brenner is doing?!?
And one last Jump in the Pool brings with it the end of a great Summer!

Dress-Up

2009-07-17T20:14:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time...

Three little girls happened upon some Dress-Up Clothes, and just look what happened!

Other than Halloween, this is Mia's first real encounter with "Dress-Up". I guess with two older brothers, she just has not been exposed to such activities. Notice her eniexpierience with her gown over her purple shirt =), but she did get the pink BLING on her finger to make herself runway ready! Well needless to say, she loves Dress-Up and danced the rest of the night as whoever she thought she was. I guess we need to start collecting some Dress-up items, Yikes!!! Boys are so much easier! I do have to admit that it was very cute to see her dancing with such excitment.

The following picture is included because she is so darn cute but also to make Aunt Tara so very jelous of Mia's footware. Although you can barely see them, YOU know what they are... Bring back any memories? Well, We all know that you still have some just like them in your closet and it is ok if you feel the need to go put them on! =)

Proud to live in the U.S.A!

2009-07-05T20:18:00.000-07:00

~ Happy 4th of July ~

BBQ, Homemade Ice Cream, Fire Works, and Red, White and Blue... Sounds like Independence to me!

Mia and some Black Olives- this trick never seems to get old! =)

We also spent some time this weekend doing something with our bathroom on the main floor as it has needed some help for over two years now. We never did like that it was a full bath with the tub that has never been used, so we finally covered it up and now it seems more like the 1/2 bath that we would have rather had all along~ good-bye awkward tub!

Boom Blox 2

2009-06-29T08:08:00.000-07:00

Oh the JOY!

As many know of our obsession with the first round of BOOM BLOX, you can only guess, we are ecstatic about the new version! Pick it up~ you won't be disappointed!

Little Girl with Little Toad

2009-06-27T08:48:00.000-07:00

~Rib bit and Croak~

These cute little toads seem to be all over our yard this year, and the kids have had lots of fun catching and playing with them (although a bit deranged, Gent has hit several with the lawn mower and Brenner has even feed some of the smallest ones to his turtle!?!). As we don't remember seeing them in year's past, we are wondering if it might be a plague, but are not going to go as far as to call it that until the locusts arrive and the Chattahoochee River turns to blood. But Gent has put some red paint over the front door~ just in case! =)

Princess Mia may just be holding her Prince Charming, but as she would not kiss the toad, we will never know for sure! That would be "disgusting" she said.

More Flags More FUN- SIX FLAGS!

2009-06-23T19:54:00.000-07:00

Brenner and Cayden decided it was time to use the Six Flags passes they had both earned for meeting the required # of days in the Six Flags Reading Program over the last year. Although we may have picked one of the hottest days of the Atlanta Summer to go, we had a great time. For some reason, Brenner and Cayden left all their amusement park bravery that we thought they had built up over the last year, at the front gate as we entered. Maybe it has something to do with Cayden's "forced ride" by Gent on the Tornado several weeks back or it could also have been the truly towering "Goliath" roller coaster and it's 200 foot drop that greeted them as they entered the park~ who's to know?!?!

Goliath's Drop from down below (notice the tree line, as it does not end there!)

Mia loved all the Characters and I just kept thinking about how they do it in 95+ degree temps and high humidity with out falling over on their animated faces!?!?

Lots of good fun!
P.S.~ For Tara and Darren- This time we did get on Super Man, and we should have waited two years ago as it is the best coaster in the park, Hands down..... or stretched out in the air in front of you as you pretend to fly! =)

A BIG Fathers Day Hug!

2009-06-21T19:48:00.000-07:00

A big hug from the kids for Gent for Fathes Day.

2009-06-07T19:40:00.000-07:00

Mia's 3rd Birthday

I don't think that Mia quite knew what to expect when we talked about a Luau for her 3rd birthday, but as soon as she saw the grass skirt and Flower Leis, She never looked back. She is also planning on wearing her new favorite "skirt" and "Necklace" all next week and to church the following Sunday. Oh Boy!

Little Luau's

Mia did not know what to think at first about the pinata and did not want to hit it with a stick, but as soon as she realized that it was full of candy, she forgot all about the pinatas feelings. She smacked that candy filled bird over and over again.

The big luau's

What fun way for our little girl to turn 3, although we still can't believe it!

She promised that she would stay little forever!

2009-06-05T20:55:00.000-07:00

Dear Blog,
It has been almost three weeks since my last post and I am sorry for the time away, but as summer is in full swing, we are just trying our best to keep up! As it has been so long, I will try to catch up and bring the Smith Family Blog current~ =)

We spent Memorial Day weekend on Lake Blue Ridge in the north Georgia Mountains and had a great time with a great group of friends. We hiked, kayaked, played board games, ate great food, tubed the Ochoe River and stayed up way too late each night just talking after all the kids were tucked into bed. We had a great time and hope to go back this fall with the Douglas Clan.

Mia Getting a ride on the hike to the waterfalls.

One of the last Drive-in Movie Theatres in Georgia.

Although the kids loved the lake, the hot tub was their favorite spot to get wet.

~Happy Birthday twice~

The end of May means Happy Birthday to Gent and I, and another year older for each of us! Yikes!!! (Total Candles on that cake between the two of us are now numbering a disturbing 68!)

~Pack Meeting~

Brenner had another Cub Scout Pack Meeting and added several more Belt Loops and Patches to his growing stash.

~The School Year came to an end~
Brenner has loved Ms. Mitchell and she has taught him so much this last year. Her class had the highest class average on the CRCT for the entire school, and Brenner scored in the excellent range on the math portion. We found out that Ms. Mitchell will be moving from 2nd to 3rd grade next year and will be taking all her students with her. This makes Brenner and his classmates very happy.
Brenner at his end of year Pizza Party.

Mr. Hendrix is the teacher of the century in our book, and is truly amazing! Cayden has learned so much from him and is sad to leave kindergarten behind. We can't believe little Cay Cay will be in 1st grade come fall! I think that he is really BIG CAY CAY and we are just not willing to realize it quite yet!

Cayden and some of his friends at his last day Luau.

~Stone Mountain~
Brenner on Sky Hike
Cayden was not too sure about it, but he did it!

Mia on Baby Sky Hike

Miniature Men, Miniature Golfing

~Six Flags White Water~

Hanging out in the water park

Mia on a "FHITTING TURTLE" (spitting Turtle)

Splash Down! Cayden also went on the Tornado (forced against his wishes by Daddy) with Daddy and Brenner. That is one scary water slide even by adult standards! He cried and was mad at Gent for a bit for throwing him onto the tube at the top and not letting him walk back down the steps in shame. =) or =( , I am not sure yet, as Cayden may be traumatized for some time to come.

Brenner engaging in his favorite past time! GETTING WET!

~Cub Scout Day Camp~

This year both Brenner and Cayden attended Cub Scout Camp for a week, What fun!

Brenner Shot BB's each day, and by day five shot 3 out of 5 BB's into the center of the bulls eye with all five hitting the target! Nice Shooting TEX! Cayden on the other hand shoots more like Ralphie, you know, the one who shot his eye out!

Cayden liked hunting Indian style better~ our little Thunder Cub!

But don't mess with Cayden when he is armed with a Marshmallow Shooter! He will get you for sure, if he does not eat all his ammo first!

Lunch time Tiger Cub Style.

Well, I hope that updates the blog and brings the Smith Story current for a few more days as after all, this weekend is Mia's Birthday Luau~ She is turning 3 if you can believe that! I for one can not! Until next time~

A Great Season

2009-05-18T14:09:00.000-07:00

~Blue Springs Soccer comes to an end~

Brenner in action!

Brenner has really gotten quite good this year and his games have become so very fun to watch as this is the first year that his team has really "Got It". They understand the rules, know how to pass and play as a team and are having fun playing soccer. Little Cayden's team on the other hand is still running around in a "Pack" and are out only for themselves, but Cayden has done well and enjoys the social side of it all and the game end treats! His friend Kevin from the ward played on his team this year and they had a lot of fun!
Cayden on the line!
The Boys and their end of the Season Medals.
Although it took most of the day to get to the Championship game, it was really fun and very exciting to see Brenner and his team do so well. They lost 1-0 against another very evenly matched team. Just as with the Olympics, I have always thought the Silver Medal is the best looking =). Brenner was very happy with the Silver Medal in his age division out of a 10 team tournament~ he was very excited and so were Mom and Dad!

2009-05-09T19:57:00.000-07:00

The Boys will be Boys and The Girls will be Girls

This weekend was kinda different than most for us in that the Boys and the Girls both went their separate ways. Gentry and the boys went on the Father and Son's camp out on Friday night and Saturday morning Mia and I walked in the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Walk in Down Town Atlanta. The weekend was topped off with us all back together for a wonderful Mothers Day!

Mia and I walking in Down Town Atlanta
Trident Imaging Sponsored a group from my work and we had special~ Trident for Ta- Ta's shirts made for our group of 20 or so to wear. As Mia was going to "Stroller" the walk, She also needed a pink shirt so I made one for her to wear with the rest of the girls.

We had a great time and helped a great Cause!
GIRL POWER!

The Boys in the meantime did everything boys do when they get together. The pitched a tent, cooked dinner over a fire, and just goofed around. As a group of Dads and Boys They had a great time in the woods. Brenner even got his first Tick, I right of passage I guess!?!?Home away from Home

Brett, Weston, Brenner and Cayden
Friends, a Fire, a Football and the Freedom of the Forest are all a Boy needs! Breakfast Man/Boy style~ All you can eat Pancakes, Scrambled Eggs, and a Pound of Bacon a piece~ how Barbaric!
BOYS WILL BE BOYS!

One of the Best Board Games Ever!

2009-04-25T13:07:00.001-07:00

This Board Game is one of our new addictions! It is a close second to Settlers on our list of favorite Board Games. It is not overly competitive, is easy to learn to play and has just the right amount of strategy that it is not too heavy. It also only takes 45 min or so to play a full round compared to 2+ hours with some others we like. As with Settlers this game also came to us through the Brown's love of great games~ thanks guys! Although we did share The Great Dalmuti with ya, I think you are still up on us by one! The game can be a bit hard to find, but it can be found on Amazon or other game sites. If you are in the need for another great game in your collection of great games, pick this one up!
Chuga, Chuga, Choo, Choo......

Stone Mountain in Spring

2009-04-24T06:50:00.000-07:00

Brenner has had his year end CRCT testing all this week and he has been very busy the last two weeks
studying for the big exam. With the reading and Language Arts portions he felt pretty confident, and has been studying very hard for the Wednesday Math portion. Each day that Mrs. Mitchell felt that each student did their best, their name went into a pot for a test end prize raffle. Brenner got his name in the pot each day and won a Mp3 Player on Thursday, very exciting for him! So to get his mind (and Mom and Dads too) clear of all the testing stress, we all went to Stone Mountain to hike around the lake, roast hot dogs, get some fresh air and just to be at one with nature! We had lots of mind-clearing fun and ended the evening with some somores! On our way out a fox crossed our path~ that's something ya don't see everyday!