Christmas 2009

Here is the quick summary of what happened in 2009 for the Smith family: Brent finished the Ironman triathlon, Anna gained 6 inches in height, Alycia once again had straight A’s, and Joseph has learned to speak Latin without an accent. What a year! If you are not confused right now you must be thinking of some other Smiths, because this year was fairly ordinary for us.

In March we went to LA and saw Universal Studios, the tar pits, and the beach. A surprise gem for the family was the Getty museum, which had many amazing works of art and was completely free. July was spent first in Utah at Brent’s family reunion, then up in Yellowstone. Anna was a good sport and put up with two night of camping, complete with bears, buffalos, and a thunderstorm that seemed determined to destroy our tent. We are ending the year here at home, but have Brent’s parents coming to escape the snow.

Joseph, 10, began this year cutting the cheese. His pine wood derby race car was shaped as a triangle block of cheese, complete with holes and mice. Both he and Brent were surprised to see it take 4^th place out of 30 or more boys. He earned his Bear in Cub Scouts and is now working on his Weblos. Besides Scouts, Joseph continues to keep busy with piano, and various therapies. He is in 4^th grade now and misses his big sister who has moved on to Junior High.

This was a big year for Alycia. She left Elementary School and Primary and has moved on to 7^th grade and the Young Women organization at church. This is her third year in the CATS (smartypants) program, but the first year that she has really been challenged. It has been a painful adjustment for everyone. She was able to get her ears pierced when she turned 12 in August, but it took a couple months for her to build up her courage and get poked. She has gained several inches in height and has now passed Anna as the tallest girl in the house.

Anna began the year with two of her favorites: Chemistry and Algebra classes. There is nothing better that she likes than having those beasts out of the way. She did well, but put her schooling on hold in the fall to focus on helping the kids with their schooling. Some need more help focusing, doing work, and meeting deadlines than their brother does. (I’m not going to say who.) Anna also started the year as a Cub Scout Den Leader, where she spends an hour each week teaching up to 10 boys various skills. She really enjoys doing this, although there are usually one or two boys that challenge her.

Brent received a similar challenge in August when he was asked to be the Scoutmaster for the local troop of a dozen 12-13 year old boys. He worked with the youth once a decade ago and has dreaded having to do it again ever since. It was a struggle to get organized at first, but it has become enjoyable for Brent to go on campouts and hikes again. Before scouting, Brent had been teaching Sunday School for a couple years. Anna misses hearing his lessons, but has been very supportive of his new responsibility. He is still working at Global Crossing, where he designs the backbone of the Internet.

We miss all of our family and old friends and are glad we can keep in touch (or at least keep tabs) with many of you via Facebook and blogs. We are constantly surprised to see you and your kids getting older. That might happen to us one of these days if we aren’t careful, but not yet. We hope that you are all doing well and enjoying the Light of Christ this Christmas season.

Love,

Brent, Anna, Alycia, and Joseph Smith

Gifts.....

It's 1:25 in the morning and I awoke to a pillow soaked with tears...my tears....

Several weeks ago a sister from my ward called and asked if I could do her a huge favor. My response..."well...it depends on the favor"....I would do it no matter what but I was dreading it...especially since she's in the Relief Society presidency...

Her favor you might ask..."could you tell a few experiences on gifts that the Lord has blessed you with or when someone has blessed your life with a gift?" I responded with a "sure, I could totally do that...I was afraid you'd ask if I could teach a lesson." Dodged that bullet....

Throughout the past few weeks I've been thinking about this topic and nothing came to mind. I said a quick prayer tonight before I went to bed asking for help....and my prayer was answered...

Eight years ago, around this time I was packing my house in Tulsa to move to the grand state of Arizona. My husband Brent was already out here working while I stayed behind with my young children and packed. This move was so difficult for me. I was leaving my house...the house that held so many happy memories...where my children took their first steps...I was going to leave my friends and ward family...these were the people that helped me with my little ones and helped me to become a better person....
This Christmas would be different from those past. Brent flew back to Tulsa to help with the move and my wonderful mother-in-law also flew out to help us out. All my Christmas decorations were packed up, so the house seemed empty. I mentioned to Brent how strange it felt to not have anything up. I was very sad...Then the doorbell rang. Who could that be we wondered? They were the young women from my ward. These were my girls. I was their leader the year prior...They came in and put up handmade decorations on my walls..they were made with love and alot of thought went into each of them. Oh how that little gesture brightened my evening. There were many tears of joy and sorrow shed that evening. I will forever remember that experience and that gift that was given to me and my family...

My other gift...
Growing up in my household was very difficult. There was a lot of contention in my home and I felt as though something better out there was awaiting. As a child I lived in Washington D.C. and my family would drive to Maryland every weekend to visit my grandparents and family members. On those drives we would drive past the most beautiful castle I had ever seen. I told myself that I would someday enter the castle...That "castle" turned out to be the LDS Washington D.C. temple. When I turned 12 we moved to San Jose, California. I was leaving behind my extended family and my heart ached that I wouldn't be seeing them for a very long time ...looking back...that was the best decision my parents made. Several years after we moved, my parents divorced. It was one of the most trying times of my life. I had to make a choice between my parents and I chose my dad. Several years later as a senior in high school I met my future husband Brent at work. As we dated, I thought to myself...I think I'm going to marry him...I thought that was a silly thought since we were still in high school. Several years later we were married in the Oakland LDS Temple. That was the happiest day of my life..the day I was sealed to my eternal companion forever...death could never separate us..and our children would forever be with us... As the years went by, we were blessed with two wonderful children.

This other gift was the Lord's love for me. These experiences I have shared are the snapshots I have been reminded of this evening. He was there with me throughout the difficult times of my life and the happy ones as well. I will be forever grateful for the gifts he has given me...My eternal marriage...my children...Temples here upon this earth...and of course the gospel that makes this all possible.

When I awoke this morning I had the overpowering feeling that the Lord truly does know and love each and everyone of us. I have known this all my life, but tonight/this morning I have been reminded of it. For some reason I have been prompted to share these experiences and hope this has helped in some way.

Well I should be getting to bed..it's almost 3 in the morning and Joseph's excited to see Santa tomorrow morning...I wonder if he still believes in Santa..

Good night dearest family and friends....

BTW- Several years ago I had the opportunity to enter the D.C. Temple and it was a dream come true...

Socks and sandals....

My son is not a rule breaker. He's all about following the rules and sticking to them. As we were entering the food establishment we were going to eat at, I noticed my son wearing a fashion No No....Socks and sandals!

(Audible gasp)...
"Joseph what ARE you wearing"?

puzzled look..."sandals" my sweet boy answered.

How do I convince my boy that this is forbidden? Ahh....I know...
"Joseph, wearing socks and sandals are against the rules. You don't want to break the rules..do you?"

(gasp) "no! But Grandpa always wears black socks and sandals Mom."

"I know....I guess Grandpa doesn't know he's breaking the rules...Perhaps you can tell him the rules when he comes out to visit in a couple weeks"....


This reminds me of the time when Alycia was preschooler in Tulsa. At parent teacher conference I was told that my sweet daughter took a girl aside and explained to her that she shouldn't wear socks and sandals. She told the girl that was a fashion No No. The teacher assured me that she did it in a very kind way. I wanted to hide under a rock when I heard what my daughter did...yet...I was quite proud of her...

hehehe...Am I terrible or what?

Joseph's EEG...

As you can see...My sweet son Joseph didn't go to sleep like he was supposed to. You would think he'd fall asleep with just 4 hours of sleep. Nope! He definitely has his father's genes. They were able to get some readings, and unfortunately there were some issues that the doctor's concerned about. We'll be having to go back and do an overnight EEG so that they can do further testing. This is not fun.....

Halloween 2009

I know I'm a bit late posting out Halloween pics....so sorry!

Brent and Alycia took Joseph out trick-or-treating while I stayed home handing out candy.

I dressed up in my Corpse Bride outfit and actually scared a little girl. No...I didn't do it intentionally....I just answered the door and she ran to her mother screaming. I tried so hard not to laugh...but I must say...I did enjoy it (just a little)...

This is Joseph's last year to go out trick-or-treating, since our cut off is 12 and Halloween falls on a Sunday next year...bummer.

I hope you enjoy our silly pictures!

Update on Joseph....

I took Joseph to a doctor's appointment a few weeks ago and we're having an EEG done on our little guy to check for any signs of seizures. The doctor's scheduling this as a precaution.

I'm seriously freaking out.

He'll be getting this procedure done Wednesday morning at Phoenix Children's Hospital. In order for this to work, he'll have to stay up until midnight Tuesday and be woken up at 4 am. So this should be very interesting...

I'll post an update as soon as we find out what the results are....

Young Women's...

Last night was Alycia's first Young Women's in Excellence program. She gave a talk on knowledge and did an awesome job. She volunteered to give the talk...what a brave soul. I'm so proud of her! I didn't think to take a picture of her until just now...too late.
I'm so sorry I'm not doing well with keeping up with this blog...I will try and do a better job!

tweens.....

After I picked Alycia up from school, I asked how her day at school went and who she played with.

"Uh...Mom...Junior high kids don't play...we "hang out""....my dear tween informed me.

Tweens.......I guess I'm not as hip as I thought I was....

Our Halloween Party!

We just had a Halloween Party this past Saturday. There was a lot of preparation involved and it turned out fantastic! I wish we could have invited more friends, but you can't invite everyone, huh? Bummer. Here are a few pictures of our friends that came. Brent forgot to take a picture of our friends the Stewarts and for some reason the Swensens picture is having issues...grrr!

I dressed up as the Corpse Bride and Brent was a Used Car Salesman. We had a lot of fun getting our costumes at Savers. I found the perfect dress. It was hideous with all the glued on appliques. (I removed several of them)...It's actually a first communion or baptism dress I found in the kid's area. Yeah..yeah...I know...I guess I'm itty bitty for me to fit into kids clothes. haha! Very funny! While we were in the store, I was discouraged since the dresses I tried on were too big or too small. Then I spotted my gem of a dress. Brent couldn't stop laughing we he saw me in it. It just had so much potential. I ended up making a veil, dying it and the dress grey. It turned out great, huh? Ahh...I so love Halloween!

At the party we had music and tons of food to eat. We also awarded prizes to those that got the most votes for best, scariest, best couple, and funniest costumes. This was so much fun! Copper was dressed in his lobster costume. He had two votes for cutest costume. In all, it was an awesome party and I think I'd like to have one every year. My kids want a kids party also. Hmm.....We shall see...

Revenge of the Chicken....

If you have read my post "Revenge of the Turkey"...you probably are wondering what the deal is with my new post "Revenge of the Chicken"...

I think I did it again, just with a smaller bird. Grr....I cleaned out my fridge the other day, threw away a chicken and they had already picked up the trash for the week. Why..oh..why do I do the things I do....(big...sigh) ...You would think I would've learned by now.

Arizona can be brutal when it comes to the weather. All last week the temperatures were in the high nineties and I believe it reached 100 one of those days...Unfortunately, that's when I decided to get rid of the small beast.

As we went out for a walk as a family Sunday night, we walked past the gate that houses "the beast"....We walked quickly past it...My dear husband kept asking what in the world was in there. I semi-fibbed by saying it had to be the broccoli. (there was a bag in there...really). As we made our way back home, I had to confess.

He was quite shocked, but the stench explained it all.
"Anna...do you want another Revenge of the Turkey?"
"uhhh...no. But I triple bagged it...It's not supposed to stink like this..."
"Well, next time find a dumpster and throw it away there next time..."

Yesterday, as I poured kitty litter into "the beast" I thought for sure I was going to throw up...oh the stench of death....I wish I could say it worked.
It did not....

I will have to resort to the previous method to take care of this situation....
Oh how I hate this beast!

Petsmart experience....

As Brent and I went to the shoe store, we passed a Petsmart....I was then reminded of an experience I had there just a few weeks earlier.

As many of you know we have a dog...well...our dear pet likes to bark...bark alot! His barking gets on my nerves so we've had to purchase a bark collar. Actually, two collars. We lost his first one...I'm assuming he took it and hid it. Bad dog.

Anyhow, I explained to the salesgirl at Petsmart the latest collar no longer works since my bad dog started to bark again. She suggested that I replace the battery. I did so and asked her the following question...

"Can I test the collar on one of your dogs here at the store to see if it works?"

(Gasp! Horrified look!) "Uh...nnnnoooo" said the young salesgal."We don't do things like that to our pets"....

"Are you serious? Just bring over one of your pups and I'll make him bark. I just need to see if this works before I take it home. C'mon...." I say with a straight face.

(Nervous glance) "I'm sorry Ma'am, but I can't do that. I could get in trouble."

"Fine" I say and left the store.

When I got into my car, I couldn't stop laughing. Am I bad or what?

FYI....The bark collar works on my dog now....He's been pleasantly quiet since his friend "sparky" works again....

Backpacking anyone?

Copper wanted to join Brent on his backpacking trip. He never would have noticed the stowaway....

Joseph in his favorite shirt...

We bought this shirt in Yellowstone. This is his absolute favorite shirt. I've caught Joseph waiting by the dryer for this shirt...funny huh?

What my kids like to do with our poor dog....

While getting out our Halloween decorations, we found Copper's new costume. The kids had fun dressing him up...he didn't enjoy it though...

Doesn't he look cute?

Date night....

About a month ago, Brent and I went to the movies to see "Julie and Julia". We arrived a bit early so we had some time to kill til our movie started. Our theater didn't have any previews started, so we went to the theater next to ours to watch theirs. (we didn't even know what was playing there)...

As we stood there watching the lame previews, a movie attendant in his spiffy black tie and coat interrupted our date...

"Excuse me, but have you bought tickets to see this movie?" the black coat asked.

"Uh, noo....(annoyance in my voice) Our movie doesn't start for another 20 minutes, so we just thought we'd hang out and watch the previews"....(more annoyance inflected in my voice and some eye rolling) I said....

Brent...trying to stifle laughter..

"I'm sorry. But what you are doing is "previewing" and we don't allow that here at Harkins" he said.

"You have GOT to be Kidding! Previewing? Is that a crime?" I voiced in a not so nice manner.

Do they NOT realize that I could watch the same previews on my phone or on my computer? Was that wrong what we were doing? I think not.

Brent told the young man, that we would return to our theater and watch those previews and thanked him. He was calm and very kind.....I was not happy....

When we left that theater to return to ours I felt....."shamed"....

That date night was interesting and I don't think I'll ever forget it. We still laugh over it....

Better not get caught "previewing" or it's Tent City for you!

No regrets....

Last week was interesting for me. I was studying for an upcoming exam on tissues and skin. It was absolutely fascinating learning about the human body. How just by observing a person's skin for the first time can give you clues as to how healthy the person is. Fascinating, huh? I couldn't wait to learn more...my mind was like a sponge. Taking Chemistry and Biology was utterly frustrating, since it didn't get into the nitty-gritty stuff that I wanted to learn... Oh...how I wanted to learn more...

Towards the end of the week, I could see/sense that my children were not getting all the attention and help they needed due to me studying. As many of you know, this is Alycia's first year in Jr. High...and we all know how stressful and hectic that can be...it's been quite an adjustment. Since she's in the gifted program, there are a lot of expectations that need to be met. She needed her mother.

Joseph has been doing well in school so far, but he's starting to get frustrated with the workload. A new schedule needed to be posted to make sure he stayed on task....oh, how I love that visual cue for him.... I've been noticing that he's talking to me more about his day and about his Legos... This has come as a surprise, as some of you know....he's our quiet little guy... I need to encourage this.... He needs his mother.

On Thursday, I found myself frustrated that I had accidentally left my beloved flashcards I had spent hours writing at my doctor's office. Of course they threw them away by the time I had realized I left them there. What a frustrating day! As I was helping the kids with their homework, I found myself thinking about the exam....

That evening I had a strong impression that I needed to put schooling on hold for a bit... The selfish part of me kept telling me that I should think of myself and further my studies so that I could work and help put the kids through college. The mom in me told me that my family came first...that's how it's always been and how it will always be. I saw first hand how much the kids needed their mom's undivided attention. I prayed to my Heavenly Father for guidance and I was not surprised with the answer.....

As Brent and I were going to bed, I broke down. I told him of my decision. I felt like a failure...I had to admit that I was not Supermom...

This was the second time I've had to put my studies on hold. The first time was for my little guy Joseph...all those many years of driving him to therapies, fighting the school district to give my son services, and dealing with our health insurance to cover the therapies my son so desperately needed. Due to that decision of me staying home and focusing on the kids, Joseph improved greatly and Alycia continued to excel in her studies.

I know that my Father in Heaven answers prayers. I have seen how compassionate Alycia is towards her brother when he struggles. She's truly a blessing to have around....

The evening I broke down and bawled my eyes out, Brent comforted me and supported me in my decision to put school on hold. I am so glad I married a wonderful man!

As I sit here typing, I am reminded of what a sweet friend wrote to me on FB..."There is always time for school, but only one short time to raise young kids. Don't feel guilty.".....Thanks Tiffany. I have many friends that wrote me words of encouragement and I'm blessed to be surrounded by wonderful people in my life....

As for schooling...I have no regrets for putting it on hold. I have enjoyed these past few days spending time with my family and giving my kids all of my attention. It's been a lot more peaceful here in the Smith home, and dinner's been made for the past few days...

So...I have no regrets!

A good day, except for one horrible thing....

As I picked up my 10 year old son from school, I asked what any mother would ask...how his day went? He has had a substitute for the past 2 days and I was bracing myself for a not so great response. To my surprise, he said...
"Mom, I had a great day except for one horrible part."
I gasp..."What happened?"...no leading questions asked, I just wanted the scoop.
"Everything went well, except I had to hear President Obama on TV today."

A little bit of background, I don't like our present Commander and Chief and if asked anything regarding his socialist policies I would freely express my opinion. If my children ask questions about our President, I advise them that he is our President and that we need to be respectful towards him even if we don't agree with his decisions. Now that you have my take on this..I will proceed...

"Mom, I don't like him and he ruined my day. While he was speaking, I made a sign and it said: Boo on Obama."
(I'm desperately trying to suppress giggles)
"Reallly? " was all I could say with a straight place.
"I didn't wave my sign around, I just had it in front of me while he was talking. The boy sitting next to me kept giving me strange looks. I really think he likes Obama. The sub saw my sign and took it from me. Mom, she made me throw it into the recyclable trashcan."

When I heard this I was so proud of my little 4th grader. At least they put his sign in the recyclable trashcan....that's at least one thing we agree with ....going green.

"Mom, I didn't do anything wrong? Did I?" my little political ally asked.
"Of course not, you are entitled to your opinion and if you need to express it then do so...that's what makes this country so great....I'm proud of you Joseph!"

When we returned home, Joseph told Brent about his day. (I was all smiles...oh, how proud I was of my little guy..) After he told him all the details, Joseph turned to me with a huge smile on his face and asked if he could receive a treat since he was such a good boy.

The answer of course was....

yes!

Driving to piano lessons....

Well, as some of you may know...both of my kids play the piano. At times they love playing, other times...it's like asking the impossible from them. Oh how they pout and try to find any excuse to not play or practice. It's in the schedule now, so Hah!

We've had to make a few adjustments in the kid's schedule due to Joseph starting Webelos at the same time as piano and with speech services starting up. The first thing Mr. Joseph asked was ....
"Mom, do I still have to go to piano?"
"Of course, we'll just have to move things around." I said.
"But you know I can't do two things at once...I only have one body"...
"I know you can't be in multiple places at once...it will work out....don't worry about it little man."
"How long do I have to take piano?" the little man asked.
"Until you're old and gray mister" was my answer.
"That's a VERY long time! Will you still be alive?"
.....end of conversation....

It was so convenient with both kids going to lessons at the same time and not having to make multiple trips...not anymore...We now have the kids going at separate times and it can be challenging at times...

On Tuesday, Joseph and I picked Alycia up from school and headed to piano lessons. I had a Paramore song playing to which both kids started singing. Yes both kids!
"Joseph, stop singing...You're ruining the song! You don't even know the words!" my dearest Alycia said to her brother.
....more singing from little brother...many made up words being sung...
"Uh, Mommmm! Can't you have a rule in the car? No singing unless you KNOW the words!!!" my tween asked....
.....uncontrollable laughter.....(from myself)
"Sorry my dear, but I can't adhere to that specific rule...I would be in constant violation of that rule" I said. (more giggles)
"uhhh" grumbled my Alycia

As we pulled up to Mrs. Buffie's house, I saw that Alycia was happy and anxious to get out of the car.
Why?
Was our singing THAT terrible?

Bad memories....bad eggs...

As many of you know, I am Chilean...born and raised here in Los Estados Unidos...to be politically correct...The United States. So of course that would mean that my parents are foreigners to this wonderful country of ours. Well holidays can be a bit tricky in the Puentes household. Easter was filled with going to Mass, myself wearing a fancy frilly dress (which I absolutely hated), dyeing eggs and spending a whole weekend with family.

This can be tricky...The whole concept of dyeing eggs was very foreign to my Mother. She read the directions (or at least I'd like to think that) and attempted to dye them. It was a fruitless effort...you see....She bought natural brown eggs...No matter how many dye tablets she put into those cups...they stayed BROWN...Oh how I cried that morning...My 4 year old self couldn't comprehend the situation. Why can't I have eggs that look like the ones on TV. What happened to the pink and green eggs I envisioned? BROWN? (more weeping)....I had such great plans...I was going to make my eggs look like the ones in the commercials with the PAAS bunny...That was one of the most traumatizing Easter's I've ever had.

Why might you ask is Anna writing about this....I went to Sprouts the other day and opened a carton of eggs...and to my horror....they were BROWN eggs! That memory came to me...and the feelings I had as a young 4 year old came...Oh how I dislike brown eggs...
I didn't end up buying them of course...

BTW.....To this day, I have Brent take care of the dyeing of the eggs with the kids...LOL

Alycia and Joseph....

What parent doesn't want to brag about their kids? But I have the best kids ever! I love my kids and I can't believe they're growing up so quickly. Oh how I wish they could come up with a pill that freezes your child's growth, just so that I could enjoy them just a little longer....I took these pictures of my wonderful little ones (well...technically Alycia's not so little since she's past me in height)...anyhow...I took these pictures after church last Sunday.

Alycia's officially in Young Women's and enjoyed her first Mutual activity last night. She was beaming when I picked her up. This is so bizarre to have tween. She's now a beehive and officially babysitting ready. She thinks she's ready for it since she took classes through our City and is CPR certified. (big sigh)....Now she's just waiting for a gig.....

Our little man Joseph loves taking goofy pictures...It's so nice to have him around...He's our little jokester and loves to scare people with his fake bugs...(he's put them in the dryer and scared me a few times)..naughty boy! I guess that's what boys do....He still likes walking around the house with his quilts...His favorite is the one his Aunt Charlene made with the animals (he cannot sleep without it)...I made him a quilt for his bed that he uses, since Nemo is no longer age appropriate (per Joseph). Now he drags the twin sized quilt I made him throughout the house. I need to make a smaller version now. He can be very particular...that little man of mine...All his blankets need to be accounted for and HAVE to be in his bed in order for him to sleep (it's 110 outside!). That can be quite frustrating, since they need to be washed and dried. Oh...he'll wait for them though...We've had some issues with him lately...He had to see his Pediatric Orthopedist a few weeks ago, due to our concerns in his running abilities. A few years ago they thought he would need surgery to correct the tightness in his acchiles tendon, but with PT twice a week that procedure was no longer needed. Now, we need to be diligent with him using his orthodics and wearing shoes with support in the house. This will keep his feet in the proper position and will (hopefully) keep him out of the operating room. We have one more week to wait for his new inserts and we hope he won't mind using them. If you have a child with flat feet, Birkestocks are highly recommended since it has arch support. No flip-flops for our little man....bummer....

I hope you enjoy the pictures....these kids change too quickly!

Alycia's 12th birthday party...

Alycia had a fabulous 12th birthday....

The girls had a wonderful time playing American Idol, DDR, swimming, playing games, eating, and decorating flip-flops..It was a fun filled evening and everyone had a great time. Alycia said we should have parties like this more often.... Alycia's friend Erica made an awesome card...I took a picture, since it was such a wonderful idea...Enjoy!

Etiquette and dancing...

Our church/stake had a Teen Elect night last night. I believe the age groups were 12-17, but they separated them by age groups. The 12-13 year olds were where Brent and Alycia were. Since Brent's our ward's Scoutmaster, he was over the deacons (12-13 age group). At this meeting they were taught proper etiquette like no texting at the dinner table, place settings at a fancy dinner, they even taught the boys to stand up and pull out a chair for the young ladies (the young man sitting next to Alycia did it for her), making a good first impressions and modest dress were also part of some of the lessons. There was even dancing involved! Oh...how I wish I were present to witness that! I really should've had Brent take my Blackberry to take pictures and videos....(big sigh)....

Brent had a great time helping out at this activity. As the kids were being served their fancy dinners, some of the men played waiters and served them. Brent was one of them. Brent balanced 3 plates on one arm and 1 on the other. Many folks were impressed and asked if he had done that before. As some of you may know, Brent worked as a Banquet waiter at the Marriott hotel while in college. (My dad helped him get that job)...He said that it was easy to get back into the groove of things...His other role last night was as a chaperon...There were more girls present than boys, which made things a bit tricky when it came to dancing. There were several deacons hiding out in the restrooms, and Brent and others had to escort them back onto the dance floor. He said there were several boys that were terrified to have to dance with the girls. There was one boy that had a cup of water in his hand hoping that would get him out of dancing...nope! You can't fool those old timers, mister! Several of the Scoutmasters even tried bribing the boys to dance with money. One was even offered $5, and still said no. While on the drive home, Brent mentioned to Alycia that several of the boys were scared of dancing with the girls to which she replied..
"Boys...scared of us girls? We're not scary!"....
"Roaaar!!!"
hahaha...Brent thought that was funny....

Alycia danced with several boys and Brent even took a picture. We promised her that we wouldn't post it, so sorry...no picture. She said she had a lot of fun at this activity. The dancing, fancy dinner, and hanging out with friends was the best part of the evening. She's so excited to go into Young Womens this Sunday. Girl's camp was such a great experience for her and she's anxious to move on...I'm not ready for this....

Well that's the latest and greatest from our little lives...

Oh so busy....

This is week 3 of my kiddos going back to school. They're doing well. There hasn't been one complaint about it starting so early...I wonder if they were tired of the many chores I had for them to keep them busy.

Alycia's in 7th grade and is not thrilled about the many projects she has to do. The workload and expectations can be a bit overwhelming for her at times. She's doing 9th grade Algebra now and hasn't really struggled with it...yet. She came to me the other day and asked a question on her math homework...

"ahh...I just finished up my Intermediate Algebra just last semester..I should know how to do this"....were my thoughts.
...click....I was actually able to help her. After I answered her questions, I directed her to Brent...the math wiz...He enjoyed helping her, and they even had a few laughs. It's so nice when she comes home from school and tells me about her day. I don't remember having these conversations with my mom, she was always at work and I was a latch-key kid. I think I'm a hip mom, since she likes to wear my t-shirts and jeans. Yes...she can fit into my clothes. She's taller than my 5 foot self and my jeans are getting to be too short. Scary, huh? The one thing we're thrilled about is, we now have full access to her grades via the school's website. Missed or late assignments...hah! You can't hide that from us missy! She is not happy about this...and I personally wouldn't be either. I'm so glad they didn't have this fancy technology back in my day. Well, she missed the bus this week. You may ask yourselves why? Jamba Juice. Jamba Juice was at the Jr. high after school, so she decided to buy herself a smoothie. I have a very resourceful little gal...That morning she gathered up all her pennies, stuffed them into a ziplock bag and paid for her smoothie with her change. Yes...$2 whole dollars worth of pennies. She said the guy behind the counter's jaw dropped, gave her a look like "what am I supposed to do with this?" and proceeded to count the 200 pennies. Mind you, there were a ton of kids waiting anxiously to order their smoothie. Well, by the time she got her smoothie, ran to the bus area, her bus was leaving. She even ran alongside the bus...oh that mean bus driver! (were my thoughts).. I hope she learned that time doesn't stand still when you need it to, and neither does the bus....

As for my little guy Joseph, he's really enjoying school. No complaints so far. His teacher is a very kind and patient lady. Joseph's best friend is in his class and they're both happy about that. He'll be turning 10 tomorrow and just had a birthday party. It was a swim birthday party with 6 of his friends attending. I seriously thought I was going to cry this morning, not over the fact that he'd be turning 10, but the rain...There was a monsoon storm that hit last night (I spent all morning yesterday cleaning and spraying the deck in 108 degree heat)...Grrr...When I woke up this morning it was raining. What was I to do with all those boys if it continued to rain? It almost NEVER rains here! We live in the desert! (sniffle, sniffle) ...Well, great news! The rain stopped and the party went as planned... I wish I remembered to take pictures. Brent took a video of the birthday cake festivities...what a great hubby I married...

As for an update on Brent, he's enjoying being the Scoutmaster. He plans on taking the boys camping late September, once he's done with training. It's been weird not having him at home some weeknights and weekends due to training and 0ther youth activities...I guess I didn't realize how much I miss having him here at home 'til now...

As for myself...I'm finished with Joseph's birthday party and Alycia's is next! It's going to be a sleepover/swim/birthday party. The stress is on! We have a theme, but I just need to get the party supplies. I start school on Monday...Anatomy and English 101 are the courses I'm taking for the semester. I think Anatomy will be interesting as well as very difficult. As everyone knows, I'm all about getting great deals. Well I must boast a bit. At the campus bookstore they were selling my Anatomy textbook for $215, I found the international version online for $80...and that included shipping. Hah! Take that campus bookstore! As for my English class, I'm not happy I have to take it since it will require a lot of writing. I do enjoy writing, just as long as the subject interests me. A thought just occurred to me...English 101 is a freshman class. ugg...I'll be dealing with freshmen...they can be soo annoying! Okay okay, I will stop my grumblings. (deep breath...exhale) Much better.

I hope this next week goes well...It will be utterly stressful and busy... I have enjoyed the break from school to spend time with the family and getting to know them better. My family is what's the most important thing in my life...and I have treasured these brief 3 months I have had to spend one on one time with them... Now I need to get back into school mode...not fun...

Wish me luck! I will seriously need it!

Fat dog.

Brent and I noticed that our dog Copper had been rapidly gaining weight. We don't feed him scraps from the table on a daily basis and the kids forget to feed him at times...I know...we're bad dog owners...but he's looking more like a sausage dog than a weiner dog. I found out why just a few days ago...

As I was on the computer ordering my books for school, I heard him eating his dog food.

"What good kids, I'm glad they remembered to feed the dog"...were my thoughts...

I then turn around to see that he's nowhere near his dog bowl. I could hear him chowing down. I followed the crunching sounds and found him eating out of his food bucket. He lifted the lid with his nose and when he saw me his ears fell back, tail tucked in, and he avoided all eye contact.

He was caught red-handed...poor dog...

The mystery has been solved and Copper no longer has access to his all dog can eat buffet...

My poor little fat dog...

Little Anna at the Town hall meeting???

As I was running errands last Monday morning, I heard on the radio that there was going to be a town hall meeting with Congressman Jeff Flake. He was going to speak at Basha high, just two miles from my house. I thought to myself, I really should go and see what he has to say and it's not far from my house. As I kept pondering whether or not I should go I felt a bit nervous. I had seen on TV how some people were "roughed up" just for showing up.

Yes, I may be five feet tall and not super strong...but I'll be brave and go. Brent was a bit nervous that I was going by myself and told me to be very careful. When I arrived, the parking lot was almost full and there were tons of people moving quickly towards the gym. I did not see any protesters outside chanting or any signs. I did see however, some people being escorted outside the gates...they had signs...

As I walked into the gym, it was packed. There were many people present from different age groups. It was completely civil. Nothing like what I had seen on TV. It began with a prayer, which I was pleased to see a member from my stake offer. It was very patriotic and ground rules were given. Like I said, it was civil. It must me an Arizona thing....

What our Congressman informed us was frightening when he informed us what was in the "Health reform bill." It was a bill full of liberties we will lose as American citizens. This bill will restrict and ration our health benefits.Many think this would only affect the elderly but it also concerns premature babies. We all know that premature babies are in the hospital for a long period of time and the medical care and therapies they are to receive costs a lot of money. I do not want the government to have a say as to what's deemed "necessary"... They say will tax "the rich." Those who made over $250,000 gross... Small business owners will be affected by this in a major way.

I do not want this to pass...How are the American people going to pay for this? We're now trillions, not billions..but trillions of dollars in debt. This is fiscally irresponsible. The only way to pay for this is to tax the people...Many people are losing their jobs and homes, taxing is not the solution. This form of healthcare reform is a form of socialism no matter how those in favor of this paint it. They are taking away money from hard working citizens and giving it to those that don't. Sounds like a redistribution of wealth, right? Socialism, perhaps? Since when should we trust the government with our money? Bank bailouts, auto industry bailouts, and most recently "cash for clunkers"...We're all paying into the Social Security fund, right? The government runs this system and it's pretty much bankrupt. Will I see any of that money once I come of age to retire. Nope! How about the U.S. Postal system? The government is running it and continues to be in the red...What do they do when they are losing money? Up the postal rates! I think these are perfect examples of how we shouldn't trust the government with our money.

I am really disappointed in the direction our country is headed. People have this sense of entitlement...Is healthcare a constitutional right? The last time I looked it wasn't! People need to stop looking to the government to take care of them. Socialism is NOT the solution...So much of my tax dollars are being wasted on stupid projects..."cash for clunkers"...what a joke! Instead of dumping all that money into stupid programs, why not give the tax payers a rebate of some sort and let them stimulate the economy and let them choose how they spend the money. Just a thought...Okay, I'm done venting...

I just want to set the record straight...No one paid me to be there... I was not recruited... I am not astroturf as the speaker of the house stated... I am just a stay-at-home mom that wanted some questions answered by my Congressman... and I'm pleased to say that Congressman Jeff Flake did a fantastic job at addressing his constituents' questions. Should he run again, I will definitely vote for Flake!

Our lunch trader....

I meant to post this on Sunday....sorry..

This morning I decided to make some of my delicious homemade bread. I couldn't stomach eating the store bought stuff...While it was baking, Alycia said to me..

"Mom, I have to tell you something...At school last year, I grew tired of the bread you made and traded it with my fellow classmates. You have no idea how many kids wanted to trade my "homemade bread" (pb&j). I got multiple offers!"

"Hmm....well did you get anything good?" I asked.

"Yeah, I got a couple of things for just one sandwich." She answered.

When I told Brent about this, he wondered if she sold it as "homemade bread" in order to get a good trade.

When we got home from church today, I decided to make some of my favorite chocolate chip cookies. I'll have to post them to the family recipe blog sometime. Anyhow, as they were baking I could smell their delicious aroma. I thought to myself...someone will be coming down the stairs any minute now. Alycia was the first to arrive.

"Hey Mom. Do you know how many kids in my class would want to trade when I brought out the monster cookies you would make during snack time? I wouldn't trade if there was just one....well...I would trade half of my cookie for something...but it would have to be a really good trade though..."

I'm a bit speechless.
Should I be happy that I have such a resourceful child/tween that cuts deals?
Or should I be honored that she had multiple offers when trading?

School....already? AND a new calling?

Yes...our children started school already. Chandler is the only school in the country to start this early. It's been a week since they started and they are finally getting into the groove of things.

Alycia started Jr. High this year...I wanted to cry when I allowed her walk out the door. That's normal, right? How can my baby girl go off to JR. HIGH??? Yes, I know she's taller than my little 5 foot self, but she'll always be my little girl. I couldn't wait until she walked through the door to tell me how her first day went. She was glowing and was so enthused when she spoke to me. She had a fantastic day! ...big sigh of relief... She's in the gifted program and is not looking forward to all the work involved...Today was the first day she said she had an OK day...
When I asked why just OK..
She replied... "Ugg, I have so many projects due on Friday...I'm soo not looking forward to all that work"....
She'll be turning 12 this month and is anxious to start the Young Women's program. At our last Primary program, she just wanted to hide and was not enthused to be there. Her facial expression said it all...I was glad to see that she wasn't the only one making it clear that they didn't want to participate....big sigh....

Just before the first day of school, Brent and I were chatting about Jr. High and we couldn't come up with anything positive to say about it. I don't think it's just us that feels this way. We just ended up telling Alycia to just have a great time...

As for my little man Joseph...he's enjoying 4th grade. There's definitely more work expected from him, but he's dealing with it well...so far. His best friend is in his class, so that's fantastic for both myself and his best friend's mom. Joseph finished getting his Bear in Scouts. He's just not very driven when it comes to scouts. It can be a bit frustrating sometimes. Oh well...He'll be turning 10 this month and keeps telling me on a daily basis how many days are left until his birthday. Birthday countdown....

If I were a better Mom I would have posted pictures of my kid's first day...well...I guess I'm not. I completely forgot. Perhaps I'll post a second week of school picture. Is it too late? Hmm...we'll see...

Well, my wonderful husband has been released as Gospel Doctrine teacher. He absolutely loved that calling. When the Bishop called us in, I was nervous it was for me. Thankfully, it wasn't. Brent's been called as our ward Scoutmaster. Yes...Scoutmaster! When Bishop said Scoutmaster, I couldn't stop laughing. Seriously...it was so hard for me to keep a straight face. Brent kept a straight face. He's overwhelmed, since it's such a huge responsibility but he's excited. Good thing he likes camping, since he'll be doing a whole lot of it! Everyone knows I dislike camping, so my poor husband doesn't get to do a lot of it....not anymore!

Well....I better get back to sewing Scout patches for both Joseph and Brent...

Isn't there a sewing patch they could earn??? hahaha

Summer vacation in Utah...

Our vacation to Yellowstone....

After the Smith reunion, we went up to Yellowstone National Park. I never thought I'd survive all the camping involved. Our plan was to camp overnight for 3 nights. That in itself is almost an eternity for my pampered self. I am no pre-madonna...I know...I know...my siblings and stepdad call me "Mrs. Hollywood"....but I'm really not that difficult. Anywho, we ended up leaving a day earlier than anticipated. Here's why....

The first day went really well. We saw a bear 20 minutes after we entered the park, which was totally awesome! I've never seen a bear in the wild. We stopped to see an Elk or dear (are they the same?...just curious) and someone yelled that there was a bear across the river. I liked the fact that the river separated us from the brown beast. That night went very well. It wasn't freezing cold like we thought it would be, but it was quite chilly. I think it was cold to me, since I'm so used to really hot weather. We all slept peacefully....

The second day went well. We went and saw tons of Bison and wild animals throughout the park. It was absolutely amazing...Afterwards, we went to church at the outside amplitheatre of our campsite. It was interesting with everyone dressed in shorts and a t-shirt. I felt a bit strange wearing my sunglasses. After church we started to get our dinner ready and marshmellows roasted. By then I was feeling great...like I could totally do this camping thing. Boohoo...our campfire kept dying. So we ended up having to cook it with the stove. There goes my dutch oven experience. Oh well. The food smelled delicous. So delicous that I thought a bear would come to our campsite. Luckily, no bears paid us a visit for dinner. Then sprinkles started to make their presence. Oh no...great...they stopped. The family finally got to eat their marshmellows since our almost non existent fire turned to coal. Fun Fun Fun....grr...more sprinkles. We cleaned up everything, then the hail started. Yes...hail...I don't camp with hail! We all escaped to the van. Fun huh? Once it died down the temperature dropped. Like realy dropped! I could see my breath cold! We head for our tent and luckily we brought plenty of warm clothes and blankets. I married Mr. Outdoorsman/Perfect...he was smart to put a tarp above our tent. It kept us nice and dry. Thanks babe! By 2am...it started to rain, thunder and lightning. It felt like a bomb went off above us. That's it! We're leaving! Joseph and I start freaking out! Alycia just goes back to sleep. Brent calms us down and we go back to sleep. By morning I head up to the Ranger's station to get the weather update...and they predict the same weather as the night before. Early check-out please! Needless to say, we checkout and do a quick visit to rest of the sites we needed to see at the park. The kids got their Jr. Ranger patches and we took plenty of pictures.

We all had a wonderful time at Yellowstone. It's one of the most amazing National Parks I've ever been to. It's definantly a "must see" wonder. As for camping...I'm still not a fan. We did take showers every single day. They were worth the $3.50/each we ended up paying per day! I hope you enjoy the pictures I scrapbooked. We have tons more pictures, so I just did a condensed version...

Smith family reunion in Heber..

The month of July was super busy and fun filled. With the Smith family reunion and our trip to Yellowstone Park, let's just say...we are finally decompressing....

The reunion was fantastic. We spent 5 days together in a 7 bedroom cabin up in Heber, Utah. It was great! The cousins had a great time getting reacquainted and hanging out. Alycia had a great time hanging out with her cousin Dariya. They're just a few months apart. With 20 cousins and only 5 being girls...the girls tend to stick together. Our 5 days were filled with planned activities. One of them being boating/tubing/wakeboarding...My fave was wakeboarding. It was just my second time attempting it and I actually got up several times. I'm trying to convince Brent that we need to get a boat or jet skis...haha...we'll see about that...One of the days, we went hiking (which I'm not a fan of) and fishing. Alycia actually caught a fish. I'm not sure what kind it was, but she liked eating it. Her cousins Alan and Jakob also caught fish...Joseph was a trooper, he wanted to stick it out and catch one but didn't. I give him an "A" for effort.

Our brother-in-law Paul got a fabulous deal on reunion t-shirts and Brent got his slogan printed. "Heber City invasion 2009" "Keepin' it real"...

On Sunday, our nephew Jakob was baptized in the Provo river. It was an awesome experience. After the confirmation, we went to church in Heber. The time slot we went to was for the Single's ward. I was a bit nervous. Single's wards usually have a reputation, especially on Fast Sunday's. I'm happy to say no one bore weird alien testimonies. About half of Brent's siblings went to the same meeting time as us...so there were weird looks when we walked into Sacrament meeting.

There was one person that said.."you know...ummm...this is a Single's ward meeting..."

"uh, yeah...we know..." I said.

One of the girl's in our row, kept eyeing us and was freaking out that we were there. It was quite funny seeing her expressions. They were priceless...(big grin)...

In all, the weather was fabulous and everyone got along. My kids can't wait until the next reunion.

Girl's Camp 2009

As many of you know, Alycia went to Girl's Camp this year. She had an absolute fabulous time! I'm posting a few pictures she took on her adventure. I don't think I'll freak out as much next year knowing how great of an experience she had. Thanks to all the YW leaders that made this such a special event.

Enjoy!

Summer is here! Time for some drama....

June has come and gone. The kids have been out of school and I've had the chance to catch up on the happenings of their little lives. The first few weeks after school let out, the kids were so nice to one another. Well the something's happened and they now get on one another's nerves.

"so and so didn't brush their teeth, and they have dragon breath."
"so and so poked me, so I poked them back....it's not my fault they're crying"
"so and so is killing me with their death breath"...gagging sounds

I can go on for forever with the drama that I'm dealing with. I remember as a young mother watching other moms at the store. Some spoke kindly to their children when they misbehaved....some looked frazzled and chewed the kids out with no regard as who was observing...some just ignored the behavior and went on doing what they were doing...others caved in and gave the child/children what they wanted. Hmm...I'll be like the first mother...were my thoughts...

I remember thinking...I'm going to be so patient and loving towards my kids always...I'll never raise my voice to them...If I just give them all the love and attention they need, they'll never misbehave...my kids will never talk back to me, since I'm such a nice kind mother... hmm...
yeah right!

So what happened yesterday? We were at Sam's Club getting some last minute items for our trip and I brought both kids with me.

"So and so whacked me in the face"...sobbing.
"I didn't do it on purpose, I was just skipping and swinging my arms and accidentally hit so and so. It's not my fault so and so's face got in the way."
"Apologize" I said.
"So----rrrry".....
"so and so didn't mean it!" sniffle sniffle.
"so and so stuck their tongue out..."
"so and so is giving me the evil eye..."

I think this was the straw that broke the camel's back. My patience by now had dwindled.
"Fold your arms, no swinging, no bumping, no talking, no evil eyes, NO nothing! I don't want to hear one word from either one of you. Silence!"

(audible sniffles from both kids)

As we pass the little old people at the sample booths, both kids say "oooh. Can I get a sample?"

"No, you two were not kind to one another and misbehaving. No samples."

sniffle, sniffle

We pass two sample booths and both kids look pitifully sad.

"Would you like a sample?" said the little old lady with the samples.

"We CAN'T... our Mom's mean and said we were misbehaving so no samples for us."

gasp.

You would think the little old lady would have some sympathy for me...Nope...she made the "shame on you" face to ME!

Nice huh?

I guess the drama will never end, huh?

Bad dog owner....

We had just gotten back from swim lessons, when Joseph notified me that Copper got into the Nutter Butters. I was not happy. I don't like very many store bought cookies, but these are my absolute favorite. I know it's silly to yell at a dog and ask it questions. But I proceeded to do so.

"Copper! Did you get into my Nutter Butters?"

Ears tucked back and tail also.

"Bad dog Copper!"

Dog runs to the back door to be let out.

I open the door and tell my brown enemy what a bad dog he is. I feel a little bad since it's 102 by then, but the dog needs to learn his lesson, right?

I instant message Brent and tell him how bad of a dog he has. How he ate all my precious Nutter Butters.

There was a bit of a pause. I'm sure he was laughing.
"Uh, I ate the rest of the Nutter Butters. There was nothing left but crumbs." Brent wrote.

My heart sank. Poor dog. He got yelled at because someone decided to leave the empty bag out...

Am I a bad dog owner or what? So sorry Copper.....