smithfam

Seven Peaks - Summer 2010

2011-05-11T20:16:00.000-07:00

Seven Peaks was a huge hit this last summer; the kids loved it! Hallie couldn't stop talking about "the orange slide", it was her favorite. The boys loved the waves and the lazy man river. My favorite part, if I was lucky, was Brock would take his afternoon nap in the beach tent and I could lay near by in the sun!

Payson Lakes Camping Trip 2010

2011-05-11T18:32:00.000-07:00

We went camping at Payson Lakes with my brother and his family. We were lucky to get a camping spot there, but because there was a bear scare there were some spots open. A little bear can't scare us away! We had a great time, it was so beautiful! Definitely something we hope to keep it up every year!

One thing I didn't factor in with the whole camping experience was how dirty the kids ended up. I guess a little dirt never hurt anyone, but I am so glad we had that lake near by!

Ashton 6th Birthday!

2011-01-30T20:01:00.000-08:00

Well I have a lot to catch up on. We still have yet to recover all our pictures from when our computer crashed. But thanks to Facebook, I was able to get a bunch of pictures from off there. For Ashton's birthday party we did a Mario theme. Both Ashton and Brody are a huge fans of the Mario brothers. They often ask for Mario and Luigi stories before bed and both pick a character they want to be in the story. The party went great and everyone seemed to have a lot of fun!

One of the games we played was, "Mario saves Peach". Taylor was such a good sport and dressed up as Bowser and chased around all the kids. What a good dad! We also played pin the mustache on Mario.

A Running Perspective

2010-09-21T09:42:00.000-07:00

Well I haven't posted anything for some time, but I do have a good excuse. Our computer crashed and we have all our pictures on an external hard drive, we just have to figure out how to put them back on the computer. So hopefully soon I will be able to catch up and post some pictures of Ashtons birthday and the rest of our summer.
So, since we moved down here I have picked up running. Before we came here I would run here and there and no longer then for thirty minutes. I love running! I love running with and getting to know wonderful women. Sometimes you run for two hours or more, so there is plenty of time to really get to know and love those you run with. I also love the scenery; the mountains,running down the canyon,and watching the sun rise, it is always so beautiful!! There are also those days when your run alone and you receive inspiration and answers to prayers. I'm so grateful for those quiet moments when Heavenly Father has taught me, those moments are very special and sacred to me. Well, today I went running with my friend and it was a very painful run. Anyone who runs knows about those days where you feel so weighed down and stiff and 5 miles seem like 20. When I got home I thought about that and how it related to life, my life. In running you train and build up your endurance, but even the most prepared and trained runners still have those days. I try so hard to do my best and be prepared spiritually, emotionally and physically and often I fall short. No matter how much preparation I have, I still have those days and those trials that really weigh me down. And yet, I am so grateful for those days, where I have to completely rely on the Savior and his atonement. I love the scripture in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. It says,"...most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distress for Christ's sake:for when I am weak, then I am strong." In those trials where I have felt great pain and sorrow are also the times where I have felt the great power of the Saviors atonement and his great love. So I glory in my trials, I glory in my Savior and I am so grateful I have those experiences that I may know Him and His love for me. I love that I can submit my life to Him and His gospel knowing and trusting "that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good." (Doctrine and Covenants 122:7)

My first half marathon, I loved it!!! I'm so excited to do a full next summer.

Two of the wonderful ladies I run with!

Happy Birthday Taylor♥

2010-07-12T13:57:00.000-07:00

All Taylor asked for his birthday was to go to the Salt Lake City temple. We had years ago attended a session there and hadn't since until this time. There is a special spirit in that temple, it is so beautiful and reflects the devotion and the great sacrifices made of the saints years ago. Afterward we ended our night with some ice cream from Coldstone. We had such a good night! Thanks Michael and Kristy for watching our kids so we could get out!

On Sunday, Taylor got to pick what he wanted for dinner and dessert. He had a craving for cheesecake but it had to be specifically mini cheesecakes. Anything for my Tay!! Love you!

Brock is One!!!!

2010-07-08T14:44:00.001-07:00

May/June is a busy time for birthdays in the Smith home, so expect the next couple of posts to birthday posts. It always amazes me how fast time goes while raising these little ones. I'm really trying to enjoy every minute as I know that time does go on and soon enough they will be asking for the keys to the car. I have loved this year with my Brock. He has been such a good baby and it has been so fun to watch his little personality develop. Happy Birthday Brocky!! We love you!!

Happy Birthday Hallie!!

2010-06-18T08:43:00.000-07:00

I can't believe our baby girl is now nine!! She is and has always been such a good girl, always trying to do her best in all aspects of her life. We have loved watching her grow and figure out things for herself. For Hallie's birthday we had a luau party. She had so much fun with all her friends and it was fun to see her personality around all those girls. All the girls were talking about what boys they liked but Hallie stuck by her claim and said she doesn't like boys. I am totally fine with that, although I know there will be a day she will. Right now she more focused on beating them in races, she is a little competitive. Happy birthday Hallie, we LOVE you!!

Here is a bunch of pictures from Hallie's party...

My Mother...

2010-05-10T14:10:00.000-07:00

I am so grateful for my mother, for her great example and love for all of us children. She was such an example of selflessness as she raised us. I know no better way to show another your love then through unselfish sacrifice!! Thank you mom!!!

Mother's Day

2010-05-10T13:51:00.001-07:00

I had a great mother's day and felt so loved. The kids all made me lots of cute cards and Taylor got me the cutest apron!! I love to bake and find any reason to do it. Getting a new apron was definitely a great reason to make some cookies.

Serena's Visit...

2010-05-10T12:50:00.000-07:00

We recently had my sister Serena stay with for a couple of weeks. We loved having her here and spending that time with her. Here is a bunch of pictures of her stay with us...

Serena and I had the opportunity to go to BYU Women's Conference. We has such a great day together running in heels back and forth from class to class. We heard many inspiring talks and listened to beautiful musical numbers. It was such an awesome day and I loved spending it with Serena! The time we had together, specifically at Women's Conference, will always be so special to me!

Serena's stay here wouldn't be complete without Chuck-O-Rama!!

Easter Conference weekend

2010-04-07T21:29:00.000-07:00

The weekend before Easter my brothers family invited us over for an Easter hunt and dinner, as they would be up in Canada Easter weekend. The kids had so much fun and the dinner was delicious! Thanks guys! Then we did our own thing on the following Friday. It was pretty cold and wet outside so we did a scavenger hunt inside. We all had our fair share of chocolate!!

The day before conference one of Taylor's professors gave us tickets to the Saturday session giving the opportunity for Taylor and I to go just the two of us. Taylor being his go getter self quickly found someone to watch the kids last minute. I was so glad he did, we loved listening to the talks and the beautiful music, there was such a special spirit there. Our bishop also found us three more tickets for the Sunday morning session, so we were also able to take Hallie. We are so grateful for all those who made this all happen for us. It was such a special weekend!

Hallie was so excited to go her very first Conference!!

The student life...

2010-04-01T20:17:00.000-07:00

When we made the choice to come down here to BYU we knew it wasn't going to be easy. Taylor is super busy with school and all that goes with it, not to mention the busyness of raising 4 kids. One thing he will say to me when he has to stay late or go back to school to write a test is to "think Hawaii". Well one day we were discussing our food budget and I said to him to just "think yogurt". Yup, that's how poor we are, yogurt has become our luxury. It's funny how your perspective can change through life experiences. We really don't mind not having the extra money, we have learned so much from it. We have learned to budget, we have been better able to discern our needs from our wants and most importantly we have been able to put our trust fully in the Lord and witness his great miracles. We definitely have those days where we wonder how we are going to make it, but we honestly can say that we are loving the whole student experience and the lessons we are learning along the way.

Surprise Visit from the Grandparents!!

2010-03-10T21:26:00.000-08:00

So In February my parents surprised us with a visit. We loved spending that time with them and seeing them with their grand kids!! That's one thing I really miss is family get togethers. Especially right now with all the birthdays in the next couple of months, they were always a great reason to get together and spend time with one another.

Brock update

2010-02-25T21:30:00.000-08:00

Brock is just over 8 months old and is starting to get mobile. He is not crawling yet, but is starting to scoot on his bum to move around. I have never been one to rush the crawling thing. After having 4 kids you know what crawling all entails. Brock still loves his sleep. A lot of times when I go and lie him in his crib he will get this huge grin on his face, it's so cute! Those Smith boys love their naps!!

Definitely grown out of his baby tub..

Date night with Brody

2010-02-25T21:17:00.000-08:00

For my date night with Brody we went to McDonalds for ice cream. I loved spending that time with my Brod and I'm pretty sure he had a great time as well!!

Go Cougs!!!

2010-02-25T20:27:00.000-08:00

Taylor and I have always wanted to do parent/child dates with the kids and they are now all a good age to start. With life always so busy, we thought it would be nice to give them that individual one on one time. On separate occasions Taylor took Hallie and Ashton to the BYU basketball games. The kids really loved it and for the next week after they were singing the Cougar fight song and doing cheers.

On Wednesday night I got to go to my first BYU basketball game, it was a lot of fun! Taylor won front row tickets in the students section which made the experience all the better. The student fans were so crazy and into it. By the end of it we were on our feet cheering along with them. During the game Taylor managed to catch a Shade t-shirt that they were throwing out to the crowd (yay for me) and also, he won a $50.00 check card. They scanned the whole audience and out of all those people his face showed up on the jumbotron. I can't believe his luck sometimes!! To top it all off the Cougars won. Go Cougs!!!!

Date night!!

2010-02-10T22:05:00.000-08:00

We decided to go to the temple for our date night last Friday. We went to the Mt. Timpanagos Temple in American Fork. We figured the Provo Temple would be super busy on a Friday night and it was a good excuse to go visit one we haven't been to before. It was so beautiful and we had a great night. Of course, we stopped afterward for ice cream at coldstone...SOOOO good!!

January Fun

2010-02-10T21:40:00.001-08:00

This snowman is so Taylor, when he does something he goes all out. He said the kids were egging him on to keep on adding more snowballs, they had so much fun. Dads are great for stuff like this especially when the kids have a mom who likes to stay warm!

Christmas 2009: Here, There, Everywhere!!

2010-01-05T22:16:00.000-08:00

I admit I have been avoiding this post! We were so many places this Christmas and have so many pictures to choose from. This was a whole new experience this year for us traveling back up to Canada to spend Christmas with our families. It was pretty busy, but we really loved every minute with our family and friends. We first spent a couple of days out in Fairmont BC with Taylor's dad. Then the remaining of the trip we were back and forth between my family and Taylor's mom. The kids loved seeing everyone as well, poor Hallie was in tears the day we had to leave. Thank you to our families for taking care of us. We had such a great visit. Here are a few pictures of our Christmas...

Oma teaching all us girls how to make her specialty cookies!!

Almost 7 months old here!!

Jeffrey R. Holland | The Ministry of Angels | October 04, 2008 | BYU Broadcasting

2009-12-06T10:05:00.001-08:00

I was listening to this talk this morning and I thought it was a perfect talk to hear this Christmas season. Elder Holland talks about how we have angels around us both immortal and mortal. He gives examples of some of those mortal angels when he says,"Some of them we walk with and talk with—here, now, every day. Some of them reside in our own neighborhoods. Some of them gave birth to us, and in my case, one of them consented to marry me." I'm so grateful for the angels in my life; my mother who gave me life and sacrificed so much for me, family, friends, neighbors and all who have touched me in some way or another. We all have angels in our lives and can be angels to each other this Christmas season and always. Hope you enjoy the talk!!
Jeffrey R. Holland | The Ministry of Angels | October 04, 2008 | BYU Broadcasting

A miracle on my doorstep...

2009-11-20T17:30:00.000-08:00

So this last week was very eventful. Our furnace went out on the coldest night we've had so far, I crashed our van 50 feet from our house, and then when we took our van in to get fixed Taylor forgot to give me back our keys so I was locked out of the house with my kids. I eventually got desperate and broke in our back window. I can't say that I didn't have any stress from it all, but a lot of good came from it. I was able to be reminded of how great and understanding my husband is. He came home from school early and took care of all the insurance stuff the day of the accident. He helped me to realize that it was just a piece of metal and we would get through this. The day I was locked out of my house I had the opportunity to get to know my sweet neighbor. We had such a great visit as she told me of some of her experiences in life and about her family. She even got down on the floor with Brody and played blocks with him. I really appreciated that especially since it wasn't an easy task to get up and down for her. Today I expressed to my Father in Heaven how grateful I was for these experiences, for the lessons I learned and the blessing that came from these trials. Now this brings me to our miracle on the doorstep. Tonight I got a call and I was told that it was an unanimous call and to check outside for something on my doorstep. I asked who it was, but she said that she just wanted to make sure I got it. Well, it was an envelope with $500 in it which is the exact amount of our deductible for the van. I have no idea who it was, but I am overwhelmed with gratitude and love for that person. How Christlike was that act; I will forever remember this miracle!!!

2009-11-19T20:29:00.000-08:00

Don't get me wrong, I love our American people here, but look at the influence they are having on our Canadian children. But you have to admit, It sure is cute!!

Happy Halloween!!

2009-11-02T11:42:00.001-08:00

The kids had a great Halloween, although they didn't end up with as much of candy as last year. So now the parents feel guilty if we snitch any. I guess its for the best. This year we went with the King family; the kids had a lot of fun with their cousins.

New calling...

2009-10-27T23:34:00.000-07:00

So I got a new calling in my church, I'm an assistant Webelos leader. For all my fellow Canadian readers, a Webelo is the older kid cub scouts. I have to admit that I was a little intimidated in accepting this call, as I grew up with 5 younger sisters and am overall pretty girly. I know girls!!!! (even though I do have 3 young boys myself). But with each week, I love the challenge and getting to know those young boys. I love their energy and they make me laugh. Tonight I was reading the scriptures and read Doctrine and Covenant 64:33. It says: "Wherefore, be not weary in well doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great". It really made me reflect on the the supposedly "lesser" roles in life. For example, parenthood, a role that is often undermined. Yet we are laying a foundation for our kids to accomplish all that they desire and experience a life full of happiness. What a great work! I'm so grateful to be involved in that work and for all the people; family(grandparents, uncles and aunts), primary teachers, school teachers, great neighbors and friends who help along the way. Often I feel that it is those things we do that aren't publicly noticed and seem so simple, that make the greatest difference in lives of others. "Out of small things proceedeth that which is great."

Happy Birthday Brody!!!

2009-10-18T16:32:00.000-07:00

So one of my favorite shows is cake challenge on food network, they make the most beautiful cakes. I know I'm not even close to cake challenge level, but I thought a football cake would be easy enough to pull together. Well after hours spent and my kitchen completely destroyed, I came up with this cake. The problem was that the cake I made was light and fluffy and so when I cut out the football shape, it was really crumbly and the icing wouldn't stick to the sides. Good thing over the years of not being a perfect homemaker, I have learned to fix and cover up mistakes. Anyways, he's 3 and loved it and that's all that matters!!!

3 Months already!!!

2009-09-14T13:40:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Brock is 3 months already. He is such a good baby, so content and happy. The kids are really starting to enjoy him more now that he is smiling and more interactive. It's crazy how fast they change, he is looking a lot more like Ashton did when he was a baby. Well, really, all my boys look like Taylor!

Back to School

2009-09-10T16:18:00.000-07:00

The kids are back at it. Hallie is in 3rd grade and Ashton is now in Kindergarten. They are both are doing great so far. We live really close to the school, so the kids get to walk together to school along with the neighborhood kids. I love our neighborhood, a lot of families and really good people. On Hallie's first day of school I watched her in her classroom for a few minutes and they were singing the American national anthem, poor girl looked so lost. We do really like it here, but we sure miss our Canada! It's a little weird that our kids will be learning American history. We will just have to teach them on the side their Canadian heritage.

Best Buds!!!

2009-09-10T13:54:00.000-07:00

I have been waiting for this day where the boys would play together. Lately they have been the best of friends. I think Ashton finally realized that he could have a little more say it what they do and do all the boy stuff that Hallie is not into. They are so cute together, I can't wait til Brock can tag along too!

A Special Thanks!!!

2009-08-31T13:03:00.000-07:00

So we made it down here and we had so much help to send us on our way. We had a lot of help from family, friends and our ward. We appreciate and miss all of you so much. I had just had Brock a month and a half previous to the big move, so the extra help was such a blessing. We had meals after meals, family and neighbors taking care of the kids, help with packing the trailer, and help with the drive down. Not to mention the re-packing of the trailer late the night before the drive down. Everyone has been so good to us and made it so hard for us to leave. I learned a lot a with this whole experience and how equally important it is to accept help as it is to give it. My love and appreciation grew even more for you all. Thank you all so much. We love you all!!

The best years of my life...

2009-08-16T20:36:00.000-07:00

I have loved every moment being married to Taylor. It was our anniversary on the 15th of August. We weren't able to celebrate because Taylor is up in Canada finishing up work. Having him gone has only made me love and appreciate him even more in my life. He has always seen the best in me and has loved me unconditionally. I'm so grateful to have him,a loving husband and father!

Our 10 year Reunions!!!!

2009-08-07T21:09:00.000-07:00

Wow, where has the time gone!!! We had a lot of fun seeing everyone. For my reunion we had a backyard party out in Raymond. It was good to catch up with everyone, although most of us knew what was going on with each other with facebook. Taylors reunion was at some hall in Lethbridge, they had a DJ and a lot of yummy food. It was nice cause a lot of my good friends are wifes of the guys Tay graduated with. The DJ played a lot of the oldies like Brittney Spears and Backstreet Boys and Tay actually broke out some old dance moves. We had a great time at both of our reunions!!!

2009-07-10T00:06:00.000-07:00

So my sister took these pics. She has always had knack for photography, she did an amazing job!!! Thanks Suz!!

One Busy Weekend!!!!

2009-07-04T20:45:00.000-07:00

Our first event was Ashton's Preschool Graduation. Ashton loved his Jumpstart class and made a lot of friends and memories over the year. Friday was my baby sisters grad, although she not so much a baby anymore. We are so proud of her and the awesome girl she is! Congrats Serena!!! Then on Saturday Hallie was baptized. Hallie was so excited for this day and had organized the program and everything. It was a very special day for us parents as well. To be able to have someone you love so much make that choice to be baptized. Being a member in the church has brought us so much joy in our lives and we were so excited for Hallie's decision! Our last event was baby Brock blessing on Sunday. Though it was a very busy weekend, it was every bit worth any effort made. We had a great weekend and are grateful for all the family that could make it out!

July 1st Parade

2009-07-04T15:22:00.001-07:00

2009-06-21T07:12:00.000-07:00

I couldn't ask for a better father for my kids. Someone who is so unselfish and so patient with the kids. Love you Tay.. Happy Fathers Day!!!!

More baby Brock pictures

2009-06-20T21:34:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Ashton!!!!!

2009-06-20T21:17:00.000-07:00

Ashton Loves pizza, so we made him a pizza cake!I don't think he actually ate it, but he thought it was pretty cool. I cant believe he is 5 already!! Lately he is always saying how he wants to be an adult and big like daddy. He does his own version of push-ups in hopes to grow bigger, it's so cute!

Brock is finally here!!!!

2009-06-14T17:13:00.000-07:00

Baby Brock was born on the 11th of June, he weighed 6 Lbs 14oz and was 20 1/2 inches long. I started having contractions around 12:35am. We rushed to the hospital and within the hour delivered. Doctor Dave made it over just in time! I knew that it was going to go fast, just cause my last labor was an hour and a half with Brody. Thank goodness my sister lived so close.. thanks Tammi! All in all, things went well (as well as labor can be). We all love Brock and are excited to have him a part of our family.

Final Prego Post...38 weeks

2009-05-27T21:49:00.000-07:00

Hallie is 8!!!!!!

2009-05-27T17:31:00.000-07:00

Hallie absolutely LOVES animals, and since we aren't planning on adopting any more pets any time soon, we had Petland come in for her birthday. She was in heaven and I was just glad that they didn't decide to bring any snakes!!!

We found a place!!!

2009-05-02T09:40:00.000-07:00

For those who haven't heard the news, we are moving down to Utah in August. Taylor was accepted into the Civil Engineering program at BYU. We are very excited to take this next step, yet sad to leave family and friends... Utah is a great place to visit (hint, hint). We also plan on visiting our southern Alberta roots at least once a year. We found a cute little house in Springville, Utah just 10 blocks away from where my brother lives. In the mean time, we have to pop this baby out and bless him, throw a bunch of birthday parties and hold a baptism for Hallie (I can't believe she will be 8 soon!!). So I figure we will have enough to keep us busy before the big move!

Moving Forward...

2009-04-24T17:53:00.000-07:00

Well, the 2 years have flown by and Taylor graduated from the Civil Engineering program at the college. He is looking forward to university in the fall but is definitely glad to have this summer to allow his brain to recover!!

More Easter Pics

2009-04-21T14:55:00.000-07:00

My beautiful sisters and mom, all except one of my sisters couldn't make it out that day.

Easter 2009

2009-04-14T14:54:00.000-07:00

All the kids had so much fun hunting for eggs. Grandma cooked 48 eggs plus we had around 48 candy filled eggs to find as well. There was definitely more then enough eggs to find! Even with all the eggs the kids were so quick, it was hard to get them to stop for some pictures.

Baby is growing!!!

2009-04-13T14:23:00.000-07:00

32 weeks
25 weeks
2o weeks

2009-04-06T18:05:00.000-07:00

We are very excited to add another little boy (we think) to our family. The boys are definitely taking over the house!!!