One of the Best Board Games Ever!

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

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!

Easter Morning

This post is almost two weeks late as life gets too busy sometimes, but...

Oh yes~ The Easter Bunny did come!

After the "Hunt", we did manage to get the kids to pose for a quick picture before they ripped their finds open. As you can tell~ Mia was very excited to see what the Easter Bunny brought her (another book of Nursery Rhymes Perhaps?!?). As church is always at 9:00 sharp for the Monroe Ward, it did not leave much time for Basket Exploring and Easter Egg Breakfast Sandwiches. Hurry up kids, throw a Peep in your mouth and a chocolate egg in your pocket~ we're going to be late for church!

Many in the Monroe Ward have been practicing their Hillbilly Voices and Acting skills over the past several weeks in preparation for our Hee Haw Show. It was just like the real thing. Minni Pearl was great, and all the cast- including two Cornfields full of Hillbillies popping up with crazy jokes, Where oh Where singers, A bit of Gloom and Despair, Plenty of Country Music and Good ole' Banjo playing. Even Junior Samples stopped by, trying to sell several of his "used cars". We were the Fishing Couple and we had three crazy parts throughout the show. It was so much fun and everyone had such a great time! It is really amazing what can happen when a bunch of under qualified Hillbillies put their minds together to put on a show! And what a show it was~

Yeehaw for HEE HAW!

The Fishermen~

Nikki: Honey- Why do you say that wives are like Fishermen?

Gentry: Well, They are always Bragging about the one that got away,

and Complaining about the one they caught!

Some of the cast~ Gloom, Despair, and Agony on me. Deep Dark Depression, excessive Misery. If''in it weren't for bad luck we'd have no luck at all. Gloom, Despair and misery on me!
What a Ungloomy, Misery-Free fun night!

Bunnies and Chicks Getting ready for Easter

The little Smith Easter Bunnies have been very excited this year to decorate the house with eggs of all kinds, Dye Easter Eggs and just anything that relates to Easter. They can't wait for Sunday Morning and the "Hunt" to see what the Easter Bunny may have brought!

Mia's Bedtime Rhymes

~Pause Blog Playlist Music before pushing Play~

Mia has changed her obsession from Bedtime Songs to Nursery Rhymes and has memorized all of her favorites. She insists on reciting several before she will even think of going to bed each night. Some of her favorites are Little Boy Blue, Hey Diddle Diddle, and one called Little Poly Flinders (one that I had never heard of?). She also loves the What Little Boys and Girls are Made of, and will tell you that she is made of Sugar and "Fhise"(Spice), and everything Nice, and that Brenner, Cayden and Daddy too are made of Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dogs Tails!~ She is getting a bit to "Fhisty" and Spicy if you ask me! =)

WISHING A VERY HAPPY TO ALL OUR FAVORITE FOOLS OUT THERE~ YEAH, YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!!!

~The Luck of the Irish~

As is Smith Family tradition, we had a Green Dinner on St. Patrick's Day, although not very Irish~ fettuccine with Green Alfredo sauce. That Morning Daddy just about sent the troops into battle without any green on. As we were getting ready to leave the house, Cayden said: "Daddy, what about our green?" The boys ran upstairs and changed into green shirts and Mia's ribbon in her hair was changed from blue to green. What could have been a pinching disaster was averted thanks to the good memory of our little Leprechaun Cayden (He is very observant and forgets nothing). What about Lucky Charms for Dinner next year?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAYDEN!
Ever since first seeing the Huge Castle front of Medieval Times on the way to the Lego Store at Discover Mills, Cayden has wanted to go inside and have dinner and watch the Knights Battle it out on their horses. We asked him if that is what he would like to do for his birthday this year and the look on his face said it all. It was allot of fun and he even liked the food that you have to eat with your hands, because after all~ there were no utensils in Medieval Times!

Presenting their Royalty the King, Queen, Princess Mia, Prince Brenner and Birthday Boy~ Prince Cayden.

The show was really great and the horses very beautiful. Mia loved whenever the princess came out and the boys loved the action and fighting scenes, with the jousting being their favorite. Mommy and daddy loved that we went on a buy a ticket get a ticket night and that Princess Mia is still under three for a short while more so it all did not break the Royal Treasury!

Cayden cheering on our sections Yellow Knight, who ended up wining the nights battle and saved the king and queen. He also tossed a flower to Mia from his horse and she thought that was wonderful! Cute girls get all the attention! =) As you can see Cayden really got into it!

It would not be Cayden's Birthday without his traditional Cookie Cake, and it was decked out with the image of "Sherbit" his new Webkinz friend. What a party!

Happy Birthday Cayden!

Cub Scout Pinewood Derby

After "driving" Daddy almost crazy over the last three weeks to help build his car, finally the night came for Brenner to race in his first Cub Scout Pinwood Derby. He was so excited to see all the other boys cars and to race them. He also earned his Bobcat Badge and three Belt Loops (Bowling, Bike Safety and Baseball) at this pack meeting~ Way to go BRENNER!!!

We took a SNOW DAY!!!

It was forcasted to snow 4 to 6 inches on Sunday afternoon and we did not believe, but as we came out of Church, sure enough, it was coming down hard. It came down the rest of the evening, and made for a messy night. The Power went off at around 3:00 and did not look to be coming back on any time soon. Daddy lit the fireplace as this soon became the only light and heat for the house and the kids built a blankie fort in the front room. We had milk and smores by the fire and told stories and answered "what if" questions from the kids. Just as we were getting ready to lay down by the fireplace for the night, the power kicked back on and it was up to our soft beds, instead of the floor. It made for a very fun family night together. As we went to bed we knew that School would be canceled the next day. The roads were all ice and Daddy stayed home with the kids and had a "Snow Day". The day was filled with sleeping in a bit later than normal, snowman building and hot chocolate drinking~ what a day! And look at that Snowman~ he rivals those made back in Utah~ that is a once in decade kind of Georgia Snowman!!!

Here are the Disney High lights as I said I would post~ What a great time we had, only in Disney can you be so ridiculously happy!

The Happiest Place on Earth- Again.

We just got back from Disney World for the second time in less than a year. We had no intentions of being in Orlando again any time soon after our trip last April with Cortney and Mandy, but some great friends in our ward invited several families to go down and stay in their vacation home for the week. As it was the week of Walton County School intercession and as it was "Disney", we just could not refuse. This is the picture with Cinderella Castle that eluded us last time, but this time we got it! As there is much to post and many cute pictures, I will post more about the trip as soon as I get some free time~ so check back!

Mostly Happieness mixed with a bit of Sadness

Mia is finally potty trained! This makes me so very happy that words can't express my joy that I am done with diapers forever!!! Gent and I did a little celebration dance as we took the Smelly Diaper Pail (This time mind you~ not just the sack inside, but the whole thing!) out to the Garbage can for good. Oh the Joy!!!

Good Bye forever Diaper Pail, you will not be missed!

Now for the sad part. The deal was made with Mia that as soon as she was trained she could have a big girl bed. Well she earned it and the promise was kept. Gent and I did not see the flood 0f emotions coming that were involved in taking down the nursery furniture for the last time. Although I hope I never see another diaper pail again, taking down the crib that has held all three of our children was a moment of mixed emotions. Many memories were very close to the surface as the crib and changing table went up in the attic to make room for Mia's new big girl furniture. Although growing kids are wonderful, the idea of no more babies in the house is a strange one, as this has been our life for the last 8+ years. Although the thought of another infant frightens me also, something is a bit melancholy about the crib (and the attached feelings) being gone, as it has been around for so long. Well Life moves on and there have been such ending points in the past and other finish lines will be crossed in the future! Just for posterity we did get one last picture of all our Babies in the crib before it came down! =)

Three little Monkeys jumping in a crib!

~A very Little Potty Trained Big-Girl, on a even Bigger Bed~

As you can see by the smile on her face, Mia is Happy to be a big girl! And it is very nice to be able to lay in bed with her and read nursery rhymes and sing her to sleep. And the fact that I cut up her baby quilt, old crib bumper pads and dust ruffle to make the new full size comforter and pillows makes the whole thing fit, as I am not ready for a Hanna Montana bedspread yet~ if ever!

Cute Little Cookies

Usually Mia visits Blaine at his house but he came to visit the other night and we made cookies. They were both such good little helpers and these two get along most of the time very well, but tonight they fought over who got to hold and dump the bag of chocolate chips~ silly kids.