New Pictures

It is time for pictues again! I think they turned out so cute - can't wait to see the rest of them!

Oh Katie Katie Katie...

Ok - My cute little Katie Bug... she is my most accident prone child! Again, we were at the doctors on Wednesday for stitches - yes, I said stitches. She was playing in the garage - swinging on a tennis ball Andrew had hung from the ceiling for parking purposes. The string broke and she hit her head on the corner of the wood stairs - OUCH!! I saw it happen...I was walking to the garage to tell her to stop hanging when it broke and she fell (what looked like in slow motion) to the ground, hitting the stairs. Poor girl - it hurt horribly!!! The gash was about an 1.5 inches and bleeding, bleeding, bleeding! So I have Kate screaming because she is in pain and scared, Thomas screaming because he is scared, and Mattie, not really caring about the commotion - singing and dancing around the living room. What a mess!! Anyway, Luckily Andrew was almost home and he was able to grab Kate and take her to the InstaCare and our lovely babysitter let me bring the other two over so I could go meet Kate and Andrew. Again, just like last time - after the initial OUCH! and freaking out subsided - the kid did not cry at all (as can be seen by the above picture taken before the stitches). They numbed her with this cool gel stuff and stitched her up - 6 in all. She did great and was a real trooper. Hopefully we have met our quota with Kate as far as injuries to the face and head go.

Family Vacation

We finally made it on a family vacation!! After 8 years of marriage and 3 kids - we have officially made it on a planned family vacation. We spent a week in Las Vegas - and it was really fun!!! I know - Vegas doesn't seem like the best vacation spot for kids - but I did some research and found a bunch of different kid friendly things to do why we were there. Anyway, we avoided staying at the crazy hotels and ended up in a 3 bedroom condo through Wyndham. My parents joined us on our adventure and everyone really did have a great time.

This is Fremont Street - or old Vegas. If you have never ventured here - you should give it a try. The light show on the ceiling was amazing and the bands that were playing were very good. Old Vegas was kind of like a trip down memory lane- these hotels were all the ones seen in the old movies!! Very fun!

Though Fremont Street is worth the time to visit - do not stay in the hotel in this picture - the Plaza! Andrew and I stayed here years ago because it was cheap - and yes...it was cheap. Didn't dare to take my shoes off while in the room, stinky old smoke smell cheap... I am sure you understand! Anyway - this is a picture of a very cool band that was playing while we were there - Kate thought they were so cool because she could dance to their music!

Cute Kiddos at the Luxor!

Thomas with the cute green M&M. Mattie saw her and let out a rather loud, blood curdling scream which freaked Katie out - needless to say, we did not get the girl's picture with the chocolate candy creature.

At the M&M factory.

Being just plain silly as we wait for the Volcano to erupt in front of the Mirage.

Cool view of Vegas behind the almost ready to erupt volcano.

LOL - On Sunday, we went to walk around the Temple grounds. Katie wanted to touch the water in the fountain - she leaned over the edge and fell head first into the fountain. She was completely soaked!! I couldn't stop giggling because I had this vision of her going over the edge that just made me laugh!! Anyway, she was OK and a little embarrassed, but after about 10 minutes she realized how lucky she was that she was nice and cool and the rest of us were really enjoying the 110 degree heat.

Another picture of here just getting out of her new pool. The cool part about this trip is that I saw one of my favorite Roommates from Ricks College - Becky. She happened to be there with her family when we got to the Temple grounds. Anyway, our kids sure hit it off and we hope to be able to meet up with them again in the near future -the cute little girls walking by Kate are her daughters.

Cool tiger in the Secret Garden at the Mirage.

Kids posing for pictures at the secret garden.

This was by far my most favorite thing we did - the dolphin preserve at the Mirage. What amazing creatures and what a cool exhibit. We spent the most time here because the kids were so fascinated by these creatures. I got some cool video of these guys doing tricks and racing around the pool. What a fun place - would highly recommend this to anyone who is visiting Vegas.

Another cute Dolphin!

Las Vegas has a really cool Children's Museum. This is Mattie - flying her first airplane - genius!!

Hi Grandma Bonnie and Grandpa Bill!

Katie doing what she loves most -shopping. It doesn't matter what kind of shopping, she just loves to do it. She spent almost her whole time in this part of the museum.

Thomas and Andrew fixing a car at the Museum.

Well - that is all the pictures I have. I forgot my camera for some of the stuff - but another cool place we went is the Shark Attack at Mandalay Bay as well as we saw the Billagio Fountains and the Caesar Palace "Fall of Atlantis" show. We also hung out at the condo and went swimming and participated in several of the resort activities they had. What a great trip. Our little family really enjoyed spending time together and just relaxing. I think I am ready for another vacation!!

Where has my summer gone???

It is a sad fact of life that when you are having fun - time goes by way to quickly!! School is starting and we are starting to feel the beginnings of fall - yay!! Fall is one of my favorite times of year - purely because of the temperature, however, summer this year was nice. My kids had fun at their daycare this year playing, swimming, etc.. and I just had fun doing whatever needed to be done.
Thomas starts school next Monday - crazy!! He will be in second grade and is starting at a brand new school. He is not too happy with me but I have been trying to get him in a charter school for sometime and finally succeeded. I am hoping this will be a good fit for him since it goes clear through to 9th grade. I like the idea of missing that transition from 6th to 7th grade. I am hoping he will enjoy this new experience as soon as he get used to being there.

Kate is doing well - she is quite upset though that she is not allowed to go to school with Thomas. She informs me everyday that she IS old enough to go to school even though she does not turn 5 until December. There is no changing her mind on this one - so we have experienced a lot of pouting and stomping of feet. Oh well - that is just Kate!

Mattie - she is growing. She has gone from my cute "Q" ball to a full head of curly blond hair. What a cutie!! She is also talking non stop and LOVES to torment her siblings - especially in the car. Her newest word is "bum bum." She spanks her little behind and says "bumbum - mama - tis my bumbum" Anyway - she is so fun and full of of spunk!!!

Life is good at the Smart household! We are living and enjoying our time together. I will make sure to post some school pictures next week.

My beautiful (little) garden...

Isn't it pretty??? I have had so much fun this year planting my little garden. My mom and I read this book called square foot gardening and thought we would give it a try. It has been so easy because this system is so low maintenance - no weeds!!!! Anyway, we have tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes (which we already have been enjoying), strawberries (which the birds are enjoying), green peppers, pumpkins, melons, jalapenos, carrots, and beets. I am also trying melons but they are not doing so hot. I just had to show it off a little because I am so excited that things are actually growing! I think next year we will do two of these boxes.

Last day of soccer

We are officially finished with sports for the summer!! YAY!!! It was fun to watch everyone and Kate did awesome her last game. She was so proud of that little trophy that she kept asking me to take more pictures so she could remember it. Anyway, her little "Green Machines" team did a great job - but Kate did inform me that she was "Done with that" and was ready to go back to dance.

Day at the zoo with Grandma Bonnie..

A couple of weeks ago my babysitter called in sick so I got to spend a day with the kids at the Zoo. We had so much fun!! Grandma Bonnie took some time off and walked around with us and really had such a nice time. We brought our own lunch and had a picnic. The weather was perfect and it was not overly crowded. Really - it was just a perfect day!!

This egg made her a little nervous - as you can see by her worried little face. I could not get her to look at the camera really - the whole time we were there!!

Hehe!! (smile) - need I say more! (Bad mom - I know)

The classic Zoo picture - come on, we all have one. Kate was the only one who I could get to stick her head in the Lion's mouth.

My 3 Sweeties!! Again, Mattie is otherwise occupied!

And there is grandma with her grandkids - cute picture!!

Thomas is Seven!!!

My sweet boy turned 7 today!! Anyone else as surprised as I am?? It is amazing to me (and I know I always say this) how time flies. I still remember the day he was born and the realization that hit me that I was going to be a mom - I was scared to death!! But here came this spunky, sweet hearted little boy to sweep me off my feet. I am very grateful for this little man and the excitement he brings to our family. I am amazed at the growth I have seen in him this year and amazed at how much he has taken to reading and school. I am also so grateful at what a great big brother he is - especially to little Mattie. He is an essential piece of our family and I am so grateful he is here. I love you Thomas - HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUDDY!!!

Here is my cute son - with his trophy signaling the end of a very long season!! Yea!! Is that bad?? I hope not too bad - it was just not as fun this year as in the past. He had really bad coaches who tended to favor those boys who were bigger - namely their sons!! Whatever - doesn't matter in the long run because Thomas had fun and that is what matters most. It is hard for me as mom not to fight for my kid when I feel he is not being treated fairly (though - I must say that I am not the only parent that felt that way - they had one parent who pulled their child off the team because of the way they were being treated.) Anyway, I understand it's life and Thomas needs to learn how to get along with all sorts of people - apparently so does his mom!!! Oh well - he wants to play again next year however, we will be joining a different team. Thomas is most happy with that trophy and the flags that are now his. In his mind that is what matters to him.

Stuff...

We are an official sports family again - though this time, we are juggling two kids on all their sports. Thomas has decided to play football again and Kate thought she would give soccer a try. They are both doing really well and seem to be having lots of fun - me on the other hand - is counting down to the end of the season. Don't get me wrong- I love to watch my kids play - but it is difficult to have basically your whole Saturday tied up with games. I am counting down to the end of a fabulous season - 3 more Saturday games and 2 midweek games left!! Yeah!! I have some pictures of the kids in the games - but I can't find my cord to download - so they are coming!

The things kids say...

We are walking through JcPenny's tonight heading to the bedding. This is the conversation I had with my oldest...
Thomas: Why are we hear?
Mom: To look for a birthday present for me
Thomas: Here??? What do you want?
Mom: I want a new bed set
Thomas: Do you want new boobies too?
Mom: WHAT???
At this point you must realize we are passing the lingerie department as he points to the padded bras we were just passing in the isle.
Mom: No - I am happy with what I got???

I never thought about the fact that those padded bras look like they are pre filled - no wonder he was confused. He really thought that those bras came with the breasts already attached... too funny!!

We really are alive!!

To all my blog readers (because I am sure there are many of you out there) - I know I have been a super slacker the last few months - but I sort of lost my momentum there for awhile. That darn facebook tends to get in the way of blogging!! I know, excuses excuses! But I am here to tell you that we are still alive and kickn'! I decided March, April, and May for our family is crazy. I know it was just a bit ago when I said nothing was really happening - yeah, what was I thinking! Andrew and I had our 8th anniversary(really crazy - 8 years!), Andrew's birthday was last week, we bought a new car, my birthday plus mothers day plus both g-mom's birthdays in May, the list goes on (Oh - Thomas starts football again and we put Kate in soccer!) So, I assure all you loyal blog followers (hehe) I will be writing more and it will be more interesting - PROMISE!! Anyway, I just wanted to let you know we are alive and I will be posting more here in the next little bit. I also wanted to post this cute picture of the girls at their babysitters -enjoying Ice Cream OUTSIDE!! Yes, I said outside - yesterday was beautiful and I am getting really excited to spend our evenings enjoying the beautiful weather. Have I mentioned this is my favorite time of year! I love to be outside (more importantly I love the kids to be outside!!!). With all that being said... expect more to come. Till then!!

Yes - we were that family...

You know when you go to restaurants and you get so annoyed at that family sitting next to you that let their kids run out of control- well, we were that family yesterday at a restaurant. Katie had been complaining her head hurt and I just chalked it up to being hungry. We go to the restaurant (a nice place with a kids area) and all of a sudden she is better so I let her go play. The kids are running crazy in the playground when our dinner arrives - Katie takes two bites of her pizza and pukes all over the floor - yes - everywhere!! Thomas freaks out and runs out the door screaming - Mattie is crying because she is hungry and can't understand why the food stopped coming, and Kate is standing there with this deer in the head lights look. Wow - can I say "OH MY HECK!!!" Thank goodness the staff was so nice and helped us get everyone under control. We had them box up our dinners while I took Kate to the bathroom to clean-up. The worst part was that this family with little boys was sitting right next to us and you could just tell they were talking about how gross it was (believe me - I know!) Anyway, we left at that point with Kate screaming mad because she does now feel much better. What a night!!! Oh, well the joys of parenthood!!

Not much happening here...

Ok - so there is not much going on at our house right now. Wow - I never thought I would hear myself say that...but it's true - at least for the next couple of weeks. Andrew is on a school break and there is just not much going on with the kids right now. I recently signed Thomas up for football again (sigh...). I only sigh because I hate being cold and I can already see where this is heading. I tried to encourage him to try baseball or soccer - but it was a resounding "NO." Oh well, it is super fun to watch and it helps Thomas expend all that extra energy he seems to store in that little body of his.
Kate - told me a while ago that she no longer wanted to do dance - her words - "I am just done with that!" She did inform me though that she would like to do Karate. What?? Not really sure where that came from but she is very diligent in practicing on her own. You know - on her dad, her sister, and once on the dog. Hmm... let me remind you - she is NOT yet in Karate. So, I have been trying to find a place that will take a 4 year old and will not cost me mucho bucks. Anyway, if you have any ideas let me know. She also did tell me that gymnastics and soccer would also be fun - so I may have a better chance with those - I don't know!! That girl, she's too funny!
Mattie is currently on antibiotics again for another ear infection. That poor girl - she has had issues with her ears this year. Hopefully we don't end up with tubes like we did with Thomas. Anyway - her new favorite game is crib football (not sure what else to call it). You put her in bed and in about 5 seconds - everything in her crib is chucked on the floor or on her sleeping sister - argh... You tell her no and she just laughs. It really is pretty cute unless it is late at night and all you want to do is sleep. That's about it on our front. Thanks everyone!

Our visit to the Temple

Today we dressed warmly and headed out to visit the new Draper Temple. I wasn't able to get tickets for time that would work for our family, so we thought we would just show up and see what happened. I was glad we went - we were there about 9:30 and didn't even have to wait - in fact they didn't even ask for tickets. The Temple itself was absolutely beautiful - everything from the wood to the fabrics to the color scheme - I loved it. We took Thomas and Kate with us and they even thought it was very beautiful though Kate did tell her dad that she thought this was (and I quote) "this is the most boring place I ever be" - hehe, I thought that was pretty cute. I did ask both the kids what their favorite part was and Thomas said that he loved the baptismal font while Katie liked very much the bus ride to and from the parking lot. Oh well, at least something was positive for her! If you haven't been yet or can't find tickets, just go! They are not turning anyone away and it is well worth whatever wait you may have (though morning seems to be the best bet).

Murder Mystery Pictures

Below are some of the pictures from our Friday 13th murder mystery dinner. I was a school teacher and Andrew was a cop(of course)!! Some of the costumes there were really fantastic. Like I mentioned before, we met a lot of fun people and had a really great time. The last picture posted is the whole group!

Our newest member...

I am introducing the newest member of our family -"Meggie." We have been searching for a dog for the last several months - she had to be small and not shed - and she had to be really good with kids. We finally found her!! Her family had too many dogs and needed to find space for this one. She is 1 and is completely housebroken (another requirement). My kids are so excited to finally have a dog (again).

Valentine's day fun!

We had such a fun weekend! It started on Friday when we had an awesome evening at our friend's house. We had a murder mystery dinner where we were all given a character to play and we had to solve a mystery. There had to be at least 30 people there (Megan - you can verify that) and there was some tasty food! Anyway, it was a great night and we met some really nice people. Thanks Megan and Darren!!!

On Saturday (as seen by the picture below) - we woke to a knock on the door and this was all over the front. Very cute!! Not sure who did this - but I have never been "hearted" before. Kids thought it was great and - especially the candy!!

Later in the afternoon - we dropped the kids off at Grandma Helen's and Andrew and I started our Valentine's date early. We went to a matinee at Hale Center and watched the best play ever!! It was so funny - I don't think I've laughed that hard ever!! Than, we went home and both of us cooked our romantic dinner for two (though looking at the pictures -I am sure you can see we could have fed many more than two...). It was so nice and we didn't have to break the pocket book to have lobster and steak. I know some people don't celebrate Valentines because it is one of those "Hallmark" holidays - but I must, say that it was very nice to be with my sweetheart and to share this evening together!

Who ever heard of "dirthog" day??

After picking Thomas up from school today I had a cute little conversation with him

Thomas: Mom - I hope the warthog doesn't see his shadow
Mom: What?
Thomas: No, No - I mean the Dirthog - I hope the dirthog doesn't see his shadow
Mom: (I was not following - blond moment really...) I don't know what you're talking about.
Thomas: Mom! (very irritated) - You know the dirthog - if he sees his shadow there is 6 more weeks of winter??
Mom: Oh (finally getting it) - you mean groundhog - if the groundhog sees his shadow
Thomas: Yes mom -that's what I said!!

Worst mother of the year award!!!

OK - I should have posted this awhile ago - but I am thinking I must have been traumatized so I put it off a bit. Anyway, a couple of weeks ago we were at my mom's house and Thomas was playing with a small football (that happened to be very flat). He was biting on the end of it and poking me with the other end - so I grabbed the ball and pulled it out... along with his tooth. Oh my - there was screaming (freaked Thomas out and I am sure it probably hurt!) as well as lots of blood. I felt horrible!!! Though I have to say he had to eventually lose a tooth - he is the only one in his class that has not lost one yet. Anyway, after about 10 minutes of freaking out - I finally calmed him down by telling him the "Tooth Fairy" brings $5.00 for the first tooth (yeah - shelled out big bucks for that one). Anyway, in the long run - it ended up okay - but sheesh!! Not a good night for me. Anyway, he lost his second one on Friday - he pulled it out himself at school. He was quite thrilled with the cool little tooth box he got but no so thrilled for the measly dollar he got. Oh well - teeth are becoming a very stressful thing at our house!

Proud to be an American!

Yesterday was a great and historic day for our nation. To my surprise, I became a bit emotional as I watched our 44th president take his oath of office. It became very clear to me at that point of how great a nation we live in that respects the voice of its people- even if it was different than my voice. I did not vote for Obama - but I respect the process that put him into office. I listened to his speech and realized that his best interest is this country and I really feel he will do his best to lead us in the direction we need to go. Politics is an interesting thing - especially working in an environment where political views can differ greatly from mine. I don't mind - that is what makes this nation great. We have our opinions and we should respect other's opinions - even if we don't agree. Watching the inauguration yesterday reminded me what it is to be an American. I am grateful for a system that I feel is an inspired system that allows people to vote for an individual they feel will do our country the greatest good. I am very blessed to be an American and to witness this piece of history for our nation. I will support this President whole heartily and hope to see greatness from him!

Another quick update...

Hi Everyone - I just wanted to let you know that we got the results back from my surgery and all is okay! The doctor is recommending though that I go back and remove everything because I have had the same problem twice (in his words - I have dodged a bullet twice now)- so now the decision needs to be made as to if we are actually done having kids or not. I never thought this would be such a hard decision but it really is because of how final it is. I don't know - Andrew and I are now faced with this dilemma - I guess we will see what happens. As difficult as this decision is however, we feel very blessed that this was nothing too big and that I am basically doing fine. Scary stuff - but all is well! Thanks to everyone who kept us in your prayers!!

Birthday Fun!!!

On Friday we celebrated Kate's birthday with her first friend party at Jumpin Jacks. Everyone had a great time and as can be seen by the pictures, even the "Big Kids" had fun. Thanks everyone for coming and celebrating with us!!

Happy Birthday Kate!

Amy and her daughter Billie from our ward.

Hang on Sol!

Misty with her son Ethan and niece KyLee.

She had had enough at this point - grabed her bottle and fell right where she was standing! Pretty funny!

That would be Kate!!

Cute Thomas!

Darin and his boys!

Darin, Andrew, the two tiny kids and some random child having fun!

Kate enjoying the present time!