The Smith Family

Guess who rolled over today?

2010-09-18T00:11:00.001-07:00

Soccer Season Has Begun!

2010-09-18T00:03:00.001-07:00

And I only had my camera phone. . . . .

Labor Day in Del Mar, CA

2010-09-17T23:37:00.000-07:00

We spent the week of Labor Day in Del Mar. After one whole week of school, we decided we needed some time off! Our good friends the Biesinger's joined us for the weekend. (Which is where all these beautiful pics came from - thanks Lillie!)

We relaxed, ate yummy food, went to the beach, played games, went to Old Town and enjoyed being together. Can't wait for next time. We've missed our friends!

Ryan took the girls to their first baseball game. They liked the Padres so much they wanted to go back! Laney and I joined in on the fun the following night.

We went to Belmont Park and Kail rode the Giant Dipper. Mia needs to grow a few more inches, but was happy with the Carousel.

And now we're back. . . .to school and work and soccer and swim team and laundry and cooking dinner. Ugh.

Old Friends, New (to us) Pool

2010-09-17T23:33:00.000-07:00

First Day of School 2010

2010-09-08T20:58:00.000-07:00

Our big 1st Grader! Kail is so excited to go to school all day - which means she gets to go to all the "specials" (art, PE, music, library) and eat lunch at school.

Her teacher this year is Mrs. Mariani.

Mia started Kindergarten! You would've thought it was Christmas morning with how excited Mia was on the first day! She is thrilled to be in Mrs. Drew-Flanangan's AM class and is super excited about riding the bus.

3 months old

2010-09-08T19:00:00.000-07:00

Playtime

2010-08-08T15:01:00.000-07:00

Kail and Mia discovered a bin of baby toys under Laney's crib. They thought she was ready to play with them. . . . .

Laney's Blessing - August 1, 2010

2010-08-04T23:01:00.000-07:00

2010-08-04T23:00:00.000-07:00

The Beach

2010-08-04T22:00:00.000-07:00

At Horton Plaza. . . after they played checkers, they made this huge tower!

Mia and her sand crabs.

Mia, Bennett & Aunt Rylee

Kite Flying

Me, Laney (in hiding), Brooke

4th of July with cousins

Laney's First Movie - Toy Story 3

2010-08-04T21:35:00.000-07:00

Laney at 3 1/2 weeks - June 18, 2010

2010-08-03T23:59:00.000-07:00

Hula Party - June 17, 2010

2010-08-03T23:02:00.000-07:00

The girls wanted to have a hula party with some of their friends. I of course agreed as I love to throw a party. And it gave us all something fun to get ready for as we were spending a lot of our time at home! We recycled most of it from Kail's hula birthday a couple of years ago. The girls danced, jumped on the trampoline with a sprinkler, made their own pizzas, ate cupcakes and made flower necklaces. It was a hit!

Sweet Sisters

2010-08-03T22:40:00.000-07:00

Swim Team

2010-08-03T22:30:00.000-07:00

1st Swim Meet - June 16, 2010

All Star Meet - 2nd Place overall 25 Yd. Freestyle

1st Day of Practice

A few from the camera phone . . .

2010-08-02T06:30:00.000-07:00

Mia's Preschool Graduation - May 28, 2010

2010-08-01T21:55:00.000-07:00

Mia had a great year of Preschool with Miss Karilee. I didn't get to go to her graduation because I had come home from the hospital about an hour earlier. But she was lucky to have Ryan, Kail and Grandma Rogers there. I can't believe she is starting Kindergarten this year!

At the hospital May 26, 2010

2010-06-26T20:28:00.000-07:00

Laney's Here!

2010-06-24T13:28:00.000-07:00

So it took me nearly a month, but I have decided it's time to blog about our newest Smith girl! Laney Joy Smith was born on May 26th at 6:28 pm. She was our biggest girl at 8lbs. 6 oz. and 20.5 inches long. She had an eventful birth with the cord wrapped around her neck two times. . . . but other than that, she is healthy and happy. Little Laney is a great sleeper and eater (she had two older sisters to set a good example for her!) and we are loving having this sweet babe in our home. Kail and Mia have been amazingly good helpers. I highly suggest having older girls when babies are born. It makes life so much easier!

Surprise Visit with Mrs. Orduno - May 2010

2010-05-21T22:02:00.000-07:00

Kail had a surprise visit with her former Kindergarten teacher. Mrs. Orduno was in Las Vegas with her aunt who happened to be looking at a home at Ryan's project. When we heard she was here, we jumped in the car to go say hello. Kail was so excited! What a fun surprise.

Mia's Swimming Lessons

2010-05-19T18:43:00.000-07:00

Kindergarten Field Day

2010-05-19T16:25:00.001-07:00

Kindergarten Hoe Down

2010-05-14T20:14:00.000-07:00

Kail had her end of the year Kindergarten program today. They sang and danced to songs like "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain" and "Cowboys and Cowgirls." It was a really cute performance. They also each made a desert animals report which showed all the animals have been studying about for the past few weeks. I've learned a lot about snakes and bats to name a few! All of the students received their graduation certificates today too. It's hard to believe that Kail is going to be a 1st grader! And maybe even harder to believe that Mia is going to be a kindergartner!

Some big bellies

2010-05-11T14:25:00.000-07:00

Ryan brought home some balloons from work and the girls thought it would be fun to imitate their big momma. I'm scheduled to be induced on May 26th unless this baby girl chooses to come sooner. Here's hoping! :)

Mia got her ears pierced! April 2010

2010-05-09T17:09:00.000-07:00

Mia convinced us that getting her ears pierced like her big sister was a need and not a want. So rather impulsively one evening after dinner we headed to the mall to do just that. These earrings are bringing her one step closer to her most important goal as of late. . . being a teenager. These days every outfit she puts on, shoes she wears, or hairstyle she picks are followed by the question: "Mom, does this make me look like a teenager?"

Easter 2010

2010-05-09T17:05:00.000-07:00

We made it back from AZ on Saturday afternoon with just enough time to color eggs and get ready for Easter. It was a fun family day spent searching for treats from the Easter Bunny and enjoying General Conference. We enjoyed a great holiday at home.

Smith Easter Egg Hunt - April 2010

2010-05-09T16:36:00.001-07:00

After Rollin's baby blessing we had dinner and then an egg hunt in the Smith's backyard. Fun!

Rogers Easter Egg Hunt - April 2010

2010-05-09T15:40:00.000-07:00

Grandma Rogers planned an Easter egg hunt for the cousins. What a fun time! There were eggs in the front yard, backyard and throughout the house. The girls loved it!

Tea Party in AZ - April 2010

2010-05-09T15:10:00.000-07:00

We spent our Spring Break in AZ this year. It was a fun week filled with lots of family activities: cousin Melanie's baptism, cousin Rollin's baby blessing, two egg hunts, the Easter pageant, manicures/pedicures and a tea party. The oldest Smith girl cousins came up with the idea of a tea party and Grandma Smith happily obliged! It was complete with invitations, costumes, crafts and yummy food. We loved it!

More Missing Teeth for Kail

2010-05-09T15:01:00.000-07:00

SNOW! In our backyard. . . .February 2010

2010-05-09T14:56:00.000-07:00

One of the surprises we discovered in Las Vegas is that it was legitimately COLD. (Compared to our previous location!) We had to buy warm jackets with hoods because it actually rains here too! One morning we woke up to snowflakes (that melted once they touched the ground). The girls were thrilled nonethless. Apparantly snow is very tasty.

Kodi's 32nd Birthday - February 2010

2010-05-09T14:45:00.000-07:00

We moved into our new house in Las Vegas a couple of weeks before my birthday. Here we are celebrating with some lemon raspberry cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory. Yum. We celebrated one night with the kids and one night with Ryan and I. On the big date we went to Bobby Flay's restaurant at Caesar's Palace -The Mesa Grill. That was one of my favorite meals ever! Delicious. And this may be the only photographic evidence I have of my baby girl due June 2nd. I am obviously not into the pregnancy photos!

Star Student Mia - January 2010

2010-05-08T20:07:00.000-07:00

Mia was the Star Student her last week of school in California. Steve the monkey got to come home with us and help us pack up the house before our move to Las Vegas!

Kail Lost her First Tooth - January 2010

2010-05-08T20:05:00.000-07:00

Christmas 2009

2010-05-07T21:39:00.000-07:00

LA Trip December 2009

2010-05-07T21:16:00.000-07:00

As part of Kail's birthday extravaganza we headed to LA to the American Girls store. After visiting the store in New York when Kail was only one, I was so looking forward to the day when I could take my girls there! I couldn't wait to get dolls and have a bonafide tea party. So maybe the idea started out as more for me than them. . . . but nonetheless it was a hit. We now have two new additions to our girl household: meet Lucy and Casey. It seems that we can't do anything now without those dolls! We loved spending some time at The Grove which is one of my favorite holiday places. They have the best Santa and decorations and who can forget the SNOW! We also had to make a stop at the happiest place on earth for more snow and festivities. Really, what is a trip to LA without Disneyland?

Kail's 6th Birthday Party - December 2009

2010-05-07T21:02:00.000-07:00

After Mia's party in September, Kail decided she wanted a Pump It Up party too. So we partnered up with Kail's friend Ben and did another joint party. It was a hit! This time I remembered to break out my camera more than once and take some pictures!

Cousin Time - Thanksgiving 2009

2010-05-07T20:10:00.000-07:00

For Thanksgiving this year we headed to Arizona and got to spend lots of time with our family. One of the best things about our trip was getting to play with cousins. Some of the highlights included a trip to Glitter Box with Grandma Rogers where Aunt Rylee works. The girls got their nails painted and their hair done up fancy with tons of glitter. Mia still says that when she's a teenager she's going to work there too. We attempted Christmas pictures with all the cousins . . . that was quite a feat. And we got to have a Polar Express party at Grandma Smith's house complete with matching jammies. We love our cousins!

Halloween 2009

2010-05-07T19:58:00.000-07:00

For Halloween this year I told the girls that they could be anything they wanted. . . as long as it was something we already owned. With dozens of costumes in our dress up pile, I thought this year we'd make some good use of them. They of course couldn't decide on just one and so they were princesses for school and our ward Trunk or Treat party and then they decided on 50's girls for Halloween trick or treating. In the end we were all happy!

Soccer Star Kail - September 2009

2010-05-07T19:46:00.000-07:00

Kail played her first season of soccer this year as one of the Starfish. She couldn't have been more excited about her pink uniform. She loved it! Ryan wanted her to be a bit more aggressive, so he negotiated a dollar reward for every goal scored. Her season picked up and she had one game with a memorable 6 goals! Guess it worked. :)

September 2009 - Mia's 4th Birthday

2010-05-03T20:48:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Mia's 4th Birthday with her sweet friend Sophia. They had a Pump it Up party together with about 25 kids. It was a lot of fun. I only wish I had better pictures!

Disneyland - September 2009 The Beginning of Mia's 4th Birthday Festivities

2010-05-03T20:31:00.000-07:00

A couple of days before Mia's actual birthday we headed to Disneyland to start the celebration. It was, as always, a great time. Mia loved seeing Jessie and Woody. The girl's got a little cowgirl in her. Yeehaw!

Going Green - September 2009

2010-04-28T11:03:00.000-07:00

Here's just one of the girls ideas of a fun Sunday afternoon activity. Outfits complete with shoes and gloves. Lovely.

First Day of School 2009

2009-09-05T20:23:00.001-07:00

Kail started Kindergarten this year! Her teacher is Mrs. Orduno. She was so excited and has loved everything about her first week. This girl loves to try new things and meet new friends. (Which makes it so easy on me!) She already asked to buy hot lunch so she could look for her older friends in the cafeteria (although I think she realized after she got it that Mom's lunch is much tastier). When Ryan asked her how her lunch was, she responded simply with "Yuck." It is hard to believe she is so old! Mia started Preschool (a couple days late because she had a cold). She has the same teacher (Ms. Kristin) who she loves. Mia insists upon me packing her a lunch everyday just like her big sister. She doesn't need it at school, but it works because she eats in the car on our way to pick up Kail! She loves being back with her friends. Hooray for school!

Disneyland!

2009-09-05T20:18:00.001-07:00

We celebrated with Hallie on her birthday at Disneyland. We're so excited to spend more time there now that Fall is approaching and it's not so hot and busy! We had a fun last day before school starts!

Carlsbad August 2009

2009-09-05T20:14:00.000-07:00

We had a quick weekend in Carlsbad. All this working in Corona has given Ryan lots of free hotel nights! We love getting out of the heat and love the beach even more.

Gymnastics August 2009

2009-09-05T20:09:00.000-07:00

The girls started gymnastics and LOVE it. It is always a countdown till Wednesday afternoon. I'll have to get some shots of them in action!

Del Mar 2009

2009-09-05T20:06:00.000-07:00

Carlsbad 2009

2009-09-05T20:05:00.001-07:00

The Beach July 2009

2009-09-05T19:59:00.000-07:00

This pretty much sums up July. . . . we spent a month at the beach! We spent the first two weeks with the Rogers family in Carlsbad and the second two weeks with the Smith family in Del Mar. It was lots of digging, swimming, eating, shopping, reading, movie watching, playing, Shamu sighting, and all around fun! We loved our month away. . . . we'll probably never be able to swing that again! :)

Dance Recital June 2009

2009-09-05T19:50:00.000-07:00

Kail's Preschool Graduation June 2009

2009-09-05T18:21:00.000-07:00

Kail officially graduated from Tiny Tots! It was all the pomp and circumstance a 5 year old could want. We of course ate it all up! She also had a surprise guest. . . .Grandma Rogers! Next step, Kindergarten!

Slippin' and Slidin' June 2009

2009-09-05T18:10:00.000-07:00

This was a fun Saturday. However, it was short lived. Ryan and I checked the instructions after it burst. . . . we should never have been racing on a Slip and Slide with a 100 lb weight limit!

Camping May 2009

2009-09-05T18:02:00.000-07:00

Easter Celebrations April 2009

2009-09-05T17:32:00.000-07:00

This is why I should lock my Office door ....March 2009

2009-09-05T17:29:00.000-07:00

Star Student February 2009

2009-09-05T17:24:00.000-07:00

Kail was Star Student of the week in Preschool. She loved having 'Teddy' spend the weekend with us and sit on the 'golden chair'. Yeah for our little star!

Feeding the Ducks February 2009

2009-09-05T17:19:00.001-07:00

On our non-Preschool days we loved to go to the La Quinta Library and check out books. Afterwards we would feed the ducks (and sometimes ourselves).

Disneyland February 2009

2009-09-05T17:08:00.001-07:00

For my 31st this year, we went to Disneyland as a family. It rained most of the time, but we LOVED wearing our ponchos and riding every ride we wanted! After our sneakers were sufficiently soaked, we left the park and had a cozy dinner at Mimi's Cafe across the street.

Bikes & Scooters

2009-01-31T17:27:00.000-08:00

With the weather as nice as it has been (70's and 80's) we've been spending alot of time outdoors. (We need to get it in while we can. . . . before it gets too hot!)

Mia's in PRIMARY!!

2009-01-31T17:21:00.001-08:00

Mia was super excited to start Primary. For the big day, she asked for curly hair, her CTR necklace and her favorite headband. Yeah for our big girl!

Christmas (Continued) in AZ

2009-01-31T16:58:00.000-08:00

So we continued on with the festivities in AZ. Lots more presents, lots more family, lots more singing.

Christmas Day 2008

2009-01-31T16:43:00.001-08:00

I didn't take many pictures. . . I was too busy enjoying the day! (And singing on the Wii. . . . . everyone's favorite gift!)

Christmas Eve 2008

2009-01-30T13:30:00.000-08:00

We made cookies for Santa (who apparantly adores sprinkles), ate clam chowder & homemade bread, opened jammies, watched Joy to the World, and saw Rudolph's nose outside! Note the 'Happy Birthday' sign in the background. Kail found that and hung it up "Because it's Jesus' birthday, Mom." Christmas Eve is probably my favorite night of the year, the excitement and anticipation. . . . .

Preschool Christmas Show

2009-01-30T13:16:00.000-08:00

Here is one of the songs that the girls did in their Preschool 'show'. They loved singing for the parents, seeing Santa and enjoying a Christmas breakfast. Lots of fun.

Kail's 5th Birthday

2009-01-11T00:12:00.001-08:00

Kail's Camping Party

2009-01-10T23:41:00.000-08:00

We ate hot dogs and s'mores, opened presents in the tent, found bugs with flashlights and sat around the 'campfire'. Every 5 year old's dream right?! Lots of kids. . . .lots of fun!

The Turkey Show

2008-11-25T14:42:00.000-08:00

The girls were so excited for their 'show' at school. They sang some songs, wore crazy hats and had a Thanksgiving feast complete with chicken nuggets and all the fixin's. We are thankful for Preschool!

At about 6:30 pm. . . . .

2008-11-18T14:53:00.001-08:00

This is what we do. (Just about every night)

The Living Desert

2008-11-06T23:00:00.001-08:00

The girls and I went to the Living Desert last week with their preschool. We had a great time and enjoyed the beautiful weather. (Thank goodness. . . last time we went I vowed never to go again because it was way too hot!)

More Halloween!

2008-11-01T21:57:00.001-07:00

Halloween Preview

2008-10-30T14:13:00.000-07:00

The girls had a Halloween party at school today. Mia couldn't go because she is sick. She of course wanted to wear her costume too, so we went with it.

This is what Mia thinks about her antibiotics. Yep, we're so glad that we get to take them twice a day for ten days. Awesome.

11 Years!

2008-10-28T14:08:00.001-07:00

I am quite certain that I am the luckiest girl in the world. And the past 11 years? For all of it, I am grateful.

Kail's Talk

2008-10-26T21:14:00.000-07:00

Kail gave a talk today in Primary on 'serving others'. After we had baths tonight I recorded her giving the talk. . . . . don't feel obligated to watch this, it is primarily for her grandparents!

HSM 3

2008-10-26T21:03:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am one of those moms. You know the ones that take their girls to the newest High School Musical movie the day it opens at the earliest time we can find (10:15 am). . . . I say I'm doing it for my girls, but the truth is. . . . . I actually thoroughly enjoyed it. True confessions. I heart Troy & Gabriella. Here are some pics of the girls before we went in to the movie and one during. They wouldn't take their eyes off the screen even for a smile, so this is the best we got.

Kitchen Help

2008-10-16T22:39:00.000-07:00

Kail has been very helpful in the kitchen these days. When dinner time rolls around, she's always asking for a task. Give the girl a cantaloupe and she goes to town. Today she seeded the melons, set the table (placemats, plates, cups, silverware and napkins), and poured the noodles into the pot. She even put the silverware in the right place. Well, that is until Mia decided to help and then we each had a few extra knives. I really can't wait till this girl starts cooking for us! I think she has a pretty good start, as long as the menu involves cantaloupe.

I kind of think she likes these shoes. . . . .

2008-10-07T22:58:00.001-07:00

32 Candles

2008-10-05T23:06:00.001-07:00

We celebrated Ryan's 32nd Birthday on the 4th. The girls helped me frost and decorate Ryan's cake (which is why there are so many crazy spinkles). Kail insisted that we put all 32 candles on the cake. . . . obviously that was no match for Ryan's incredible lung capacity. Just one poof and they were out. Hope he gets his wish. The girls picked out Operation to give to their Daddy. I thought it might be a little difficult to play as a family, but Kail mastered it by the end of the 2nd session of Conference (of course in between coloring in the colors of the Apostles ties). I think she's going to give Ryan some stiff competition.

Star Student of the Week

2008-10-05T22:27:00.000-07:00

Mia was selected as the Star Student of the Week in her preschool class last week. She was so excited! Some of the perks of being the 'star student' include:
-Sitting in the gold chair all week
-Making a poster for everyone to learn about you
-Taking Teddy home for a visit and recording in a journal about your adventures
-Wearing the 'star student' visor

I know, I know pretty cool stuff. We made the poster for Mia and here are her favorites:
Color: pink
Animal: dog
Food: peanut butter sandwich (we're so gourmet)
Book: Pinkalicious
Sport: swimming
Thing to do in school: play at the park
Thing to do at home: play with my dog Rosie
Favorite Princess: Cindarella
Favorite Movie: Camp Rock (yeah, she really did say that)

Turtle Ponds & Disneyland

2008-10-03T21:07:00.000-07:00

The day after Mia's birthday we headed to LA and stayed a night in our beloved Pasadena. Ryan had an event that night at USC he attended and I was working in LA the next day. Our first stop in Pasadena was Pie and Burger. It was yards from where we lived and has the tastiest burgers and pie for dessert. I can't believe I didn't take a picture of my homemade boysenberry pie with mounds of whipped cream on top. Delish. After eating, we stopped by Cal Tech's campus where we visited 'the turtles'. This was one of our favorite spots to walk with the girls. They love the turtles and the fish and I used to love that there was such easy, free entertainment within walking distance. If only we could have had the Westover's with us it would have been perfect! Then we dropped Ryan off at the train station and the girls and I did a little shopping. Mia had some birthday money (thank you Tanner's and Maynard's) and she picked out a head to toe purple outfit from The Children's Place. That girls knows what she likes. Then we walked a mere 200 ft. (or so, I've never really counted) to our old place. Kail of course remembered the pink condo we lived in with the crazy green stair rails and the oh so retro vibe. Mia was only a baby there, but she thought it was cool. . . . I mean how could she not, everything was pink. I must say it was hard to visit and not stay. Fall feels like Fall in Pasadena. The cool weather, football season, changing leaves, the cute little houses with pumpkins out front. . . . . sigh. Then we headed to the hotel. The girls continue to think that pull out couch beds are the coolest things ever. Go figure.

We woke up early and went to eat at Russell's for breakfast. (We tried to cram all our favorites into less than 24 hours) Then we headed to LA. I dropped the kids off to Disneyland with Ryan. (I should probably just say Super Dad. . . I continue to be really impressed with his willingness to take two kids all day to Disney. . . it's hard for me to do! And he took pictures!) That was of course the highlight of the trip and they loved every minute of being with their Dad!

Mia's Birthday Continued

2008-10-02T23:53:00.000-07:00

On Mia's actual birthday she had preschool and was so excited to bring pink cupcakes to her class. Ryan picked the girls up from school and we all met up for lunch at Panera. That night we had another little party . . .opened presents, etc. We were (ok really just me) tired of cupcakes so we had a chocolate chip cookie cake. Note that Mia is plugging her nose as she blows out her candles! She still has a little trouble blowing out of her mouth instead of her nose (due to the cleft) so she took matters into her own hands. We sure do love our Mia. It's great to be THREE!

Mia's Puppy Party

2008-10-02T22:47:00.000-07:00

Mia turned 3 on September 22nd and she requested a puppy party. I always love a good party, so I was happy to grant that request. The girls each got a stuffed poodle to 'dress' and name and put a collar on. They also got a purse to put the pup in and a little blanket to keep it warm. We painted the girls 'paws' pink and painted paw prints on their faces. The girls all had a great time (ok let's admit it. . .I had a great time too). I do love little girls! Happy Birthday Mia!

. . . Even Myself

2008-09-29T22:45:00.000-07:00

Kail loves to write. She is always asking, "Mom, how do you spell 'love'?" ,"Mom, how do you spell 'Anderson' (the name of her baby doll)?" She loves it all. Well the other day she asked me, "Mom, how do you spell 'even myself'?" I spelled it out E, V, E. . . "Kail what are you writing?" I asked. She said that she would show me in a minute. I proceeded to give her the rest of the letters. When she was finished she had written this:

Translation for those of you who don't speak or write 'Kail'. "I love Mom, Dad, Mia, Rosie, I love Smith's. . . even myself". She was so proud of this declaration and had it taped to her dresser for a week. I have thought about it a lot since and have realized that she is already learning at such a young age the one thing I really want her to know. Of course I want her to love her family and to love others. But most importantly I want her to love herself too.

1st Day of Preschool!

2008-09-28T00:16:00.000-07:00

All I have to say is. . . better late than never. The girls LOVE school and have been going for several weeks now. I knew Kail was excited, but I didn't realize quite how excited Mia was! She had been watching Kail go to Tiny Tots for so long and she was so happy to have her chance! (Despite the grumpy look in the photo above outside of school with Kail and our carpooling buddy Kameron. She was mad that we had to stop to take a picture.) Mia hardly said goodbye to me as she promptly walked over to her teacher and began to play with her Play Dough. Hooray for school!

San Diego Temple

2008-09-14T10:04:00.000-07:00

Del Mar, CA one last hurrah. . . .

2008-09-12T20:57:00.000-07:00

We had a super time in Del Mar with our friends the Biesinger's. (As many of you kmow, Lillie is an amazing blogger and has documented this trip many posts ago.) My blogging skills however, are mediocre at best. I am just oh so happy that she was the designated photographer of the trip, because now I have all of these great photos! Thanks Lillie. Please bear with me on the quantity, I clearly had a tough time choosing. Good times, great friends. . . .it doesn't get much better!

My camera is broken. . . . . .

2008-08-28T21:53:00.000-07:00

So that's my 'excuse' for not blogging in a while. My kids were playing/fighting over the camera and it got a little heated. . . . .it's broken. I have now purchased a new Costco model and it is charging as we speak. Thankfully I was in AZ for part of the last couple of weeks and my mom sent some photos to prove it. Otherwise, this blog would be just words. Words aren't quite as fun. Thanks Mom.

So I have had a whirlwind couple of weeks. Most of my time was spent in the car (or so it felt). I drove the girls and the dog to AZ on Friday morning. . . .swam, got a haircut/color (thanks B), met with a client, got the kids settled and then left for home (kid/dog - less) on Saturday afternoon. Sunday - packed, went to church, cooked food for Ryan. Monday - woke up early and left for LA. I spent Monday - Friday in LA working by myself. In a hotel by myself. Did I mention that I was by myself. . . . for 5 days? Yeah, not sure that will ever happen again, but I know that I haven't slept that much or that well in about 5 years. It was great. But I will admit that by the end of the week I definitely missed my kids. I missed Ryan too, but we met up halfway through the week for dinner, so it wasn't nearly as long. Well, Friday I had planned on going home and driving with Ryan to pick up the kids the next day (Saturday). As I was driving home I just decided to stop by the house, drop off my stuff and keep going. I certainly wasn't going to be tired. . . I'd had plenty of sleep. So I did that. . . just kept driving and surprised the girls by getting there a day earlier. They were excited. Then we all woke up the next morning and drove home. Whew. Glad to be home.

The kids had such a great time. They spent the first half of the week with the Smith's and the second half of the week with the Rogers'. We are so lucky to have family that loves our kids as much as we do. Thanks Mom. Thanks Marilyn.

We leave tomorrow for one final beach trip of the summer! We are all so excited. Then school starts (technically it starts on the 2nd of Sept. but it's pre-school, so they're going to be a few days late!). And it's on to the schedules. Oh how I love the schedules! We're ready. Can't wait.

Our bilingual 4 1/2 year old

2008-08-11T13:59:00.000-07:00

Ryan and Kail were watching the Olympics and they had been discussing China and speaking Chinese. A little while later a reporter came on and began interviewing Yao Ming. As soon as Yao starting speaking (in English), Kail shrieked with excitement and said, "Dad, I understand Chinese!" We always knew she was brilliant. . . . .

Tents, S'mores and Sleeping bags

2008-08-05T21:56:00.000-07:00

So it's official: my kids love camping. We headed out this past weekend with our friends the Tibbitt's to Hurkey Creek. It was lovely weather, not too hot - not too cold. We cooked all kinds of yummy food in the dutch oven, played games, went on a 'hike' with two nearly 3 years olds, a 4 1/2 year old, and a slumbering newborn, roasted marshmallows, cooled off in a sprinkler, and enjoyed the great outdoors. We had a super time. The best part? The kids slept in till 7 am. That was big for Miss "I rise at the crack of dawn" Mia. Maybe we should pitch a tent in the backyard. . . . :)

Girls in white dresses. . . .

2008-08-02T22:08:00.000-07:00

Definitely on my list of 'favorite things'. Now, if only we had some 'blue satin sashes'. . . maybe next time. These are a few of the pictures my sis Brooke took of the girls this year at the beach. I love having such a great photographer in the family! Thanks Brooke. (Hard to believe she got these when Mia was oh-so-grumpy the whole time. )

Guilty?

2008-07-23T22:56:00.001-07:00

I really have no idea who ate the cupcake sample sitting in the cart at Costco. You wouldn't possibly think it was me. . . .would you?

Week 3 - Del Mar, CA

2008-07-21T21:51:00.001-07:00

Highlights of our 3rd (and final) week with the Smith's:

-Mia & Rosie being reunited after a week long absense.

-Sea World (again. . . the kids LOVE that place. Kail couldn't stop talking about the Atlantis ride.)

-A visit Downtown which included The Cheese Shop (best blueberry pancakes ever) and a stop at the Children's Museum to see an actual unsigned copy of the Declaration of Independance. Cool for us, not so cool for Mia.

-Ryan and his brothers wrestling on children's park equipment and then a perfect stranger decided he wanted a piece of the action. At first no one knew if the stranger was serious, but oh my ...he was. Sweat was flying and I was laughing so hard I was crying. Of all the missed photo ops, that one tops my list.

-Seeing (and smelling) the seals at the La Jolla Children's Cove and showing the girls the spot where Ryan & I got engaged.

-Ryan & I racing in the swimming pool.

-Shopping at Flower Hill and seeing the darling movie, "Kit Kittredge".

-Another delicious trip to Ghiradelli with Reagan & Cassie.

Week 2 - Carlsbad, CA

2008-07-18T21:17:00.001-07:00

Highlights of our second week with the Rogers' :

-The BEACH. . . .morning noon and night

-Playing with our cousins Ella & Bennett and admiring the belly of Aunt Brooke (which is housing the next Rogers' cousin).

-The huge hole the guys dug on the beach. It kept the kids entertained for hours.

-4th of July

-Carlsbad Outlets

-Cessie's burritos on the beach

-Going to sleep to the sound of the waves

-Watching movies at night with 4 or 5 of us all huddled around Dad's laptop

-No TV

-Fireworks

-Suprising my Mom and Rylee by picking them up from the airport in matching family reunion shirts. . . (wish I had a picture) and then opting for Ghiradelli sundaes instead of dinner.

-Runs and walks on the beach

You might notice that I have twice as many pictures from the second week. That is because I have a very talented, photo snapping sister who sent me all the pics she had. And there were a LOT. Thank you, Brooke. I also just 'borrowed' this cute collage that she made from the 4th of July.

Week 1 - Del Mar, CA

2008-07-16T22:22:00.001-07:00

Highlights of our first week with the Smith's:

-Playing with our cousins Melanie, Colette, & Gus

-Sea World

-Carlsbad Outlets

-Swimming in the pool

-Trips to Roberto's for yummy bean & cheese burritos

-The BEACH

-Putting together puzzles

-Multiple viewings of The Parent Trap

-Reading the stack of magazines I hadn't touched in a month

-Chasing Rosie up and down the hilly streets

-Watching Wall E at the theater (although I wouldn't recommend it)

-Doing yoga at 11 pm with a group that included myself, Ryan, Shelly, Sterling and Marilyn (in a family room that never seemed so small)

Finally. . . . wedding pictures

2008-07-16T22:05:00.000-07:00

When we were in San Diego, Reagan and Cassie were kind enough to share their wedding pictures with us. I copied them onto my computer and here they are for your viewing pleasure. (Since I didn't take anything great myself!) Unfortunately kids will be kids and mine were not into smiling. Except, of course, when they were running around playing! (Photos by Mark Mabry).

A Stick?

2008-07-14T23:42:00.001-07:00

So we're back from the beach and I have a bunch of pictures to post. . . still need to download them and I am working on that. But I have something else to post. Here we go. Oh my sweet Mia. She is such a crazy kid. So this evening, Ryan and I are downstairs (the kids had been in bed for over an hour) and all of a sudden I hear the girls door open. Of course it's Mia. Who else would it be? Kail falls asleep as soon as her head hits the pillow. I went upstairs to check on her and she said, "My nose. I put a stick in it." I wasn't exactly sure what that meant, but I asked her if her nose was hurting. She said yes and I asked if something was in it. She said, "Yes. A stick." I went and found a flashlight and looked in her nose and sure enough there was something in it. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) Mia's nose is not your typical nose. It just so happens that she put the 'stick' in her nose on the side where her cleft lip and palate were. This makes things a little tricky. The lip and palate have been repaired, however her gumline still has a hole at the very top where her gumline was never connected. This can't be fixed until her permanent teeth come in. I called downstairs for some back up from Ryan. We were armed with a flashlight and tweezers, however it was too far to retrieve. I really was not interested in the emergency room tonight. . . it was already 10 pm. Ryan convinced Mia to try to blow her nose. It didn't come out, but it started to move. That's when we discovered the 'secret compartment'. Once we lifted her lip up all the way at the top of her gumline where the hole is. . . . we saw the stick. Apparantly the nose blowing helped. I felt like I was in a really bad game of Operation as I tweezed it out. But we got it. Hooray. And I must mention that Mia was entirely calm throughout the 'procedure'. Amazing.

So what was the stick? A chewed up golf tee (care of Rosie). I had picked up little wooden pieces of it earlier today and apparantly missed one. Mia certainly learned her lesson after being told that we never put anything in our noses. "I won't do it ever again." At least we know if she does, there's probably a way out! And for that I feel lucky.

I was thinking afterwards about all that Mia's gone through and just as a reminder for me, this is Mia before her first surgery.

This is my Mia now. . . .3 surgeries down, probably several to go. Amazing right? She is brave and beautiful. I sure do love this girl.

In case you're wondering. . . .

2008-07-06T20:16:00.000-07:00

And maybe you're not, but in case you are. . . . .we're out of town. Although with my blogging track record a couple of weeks or more without a post is really not so unusual. But this time I have an excuse. We have escaped the heat for 3 weeks! We're at the beach. One more week to go. Tons of pics to post when I get back. Until then. . . .

Mia's Obsession

2008-06-20T14:55:00.000-07:00

You would think that after 6 months, the obsession would end. But it hasn't. In fact today made it clear to me that Mia and Rosie are bonded together in a way that most kids and dogs are not. I was upstairs mopping the floors when I heard Kail shriek, "Mom, come look at Mia!". This happens often and it's usually accompanied by something like: Mia and the dog in the sink with bubbles and handsoap or Mia and the dog in a big pile of dirt or Mia and the dog in a puddle of water. You get the idea. She's that kind of a girl. But today was a new one. Today Mia decided to be like Rosie. A little too much. I ran downstairs and found Mia cheeks stuffed full and hands digging in to Rosie's dog treats. Yeah, she wasn't licking them, or sniffing them, she was eating them like they were chocolate chip cookies (which she is also obsessed with). I asked her to spit them out and explained that they were so yucky. She just looked at me and said, "no they're not, they're yummy." (Which may in fact be the case as I had succumbed to buying Trader's Joe's all natural dog treats. Pretty sure she found the peanut butter flavor.) Whatever. Gross. Really gross.

Preschool Festivities

2008-06-20T14:08:00.000-07:00

Kail finished up Preschool last week. That week was bitter-sweet. She has one of those birthdays. The birthdays that are a week and a half away from letting you go to kindergarten. Kail really wants to go to kindergarten. All of Kail's friends are going to kindergarten. But, we have to wait another year.

Kail was a little troubled that she didn't get to wear the graduation hat and gown and stroll to the graduation song. It also didn't help so much that she was sandwiched in between the two smallest kids in school for the performance. Oh well. She had a fun time and loved signing the words to the Pocahantas song "Colors of the Wind" and dancing to the "Monkey Mambo". It was really cute and we were really proud. Kail was beaming when she saw that her Dad had made it. She really is a daddy's girl.

The good news for Kail is that she will be the oldest kid in preschool (and all the subsequent years of school after). And she will have her little sister there next year to play with on the playground. I think she's decided that kindergarten can wait a year.

Kail was also the Student of the Week on the last week of school. Every Monday she would come home and proudly proclaim who was the current Student of the Week. She would tell me all about their favorites. It was a pretty big deal to her. Her turn finally came and this is what she said:

Birthdate: December 15

Favorite Animal: Flamingos (because they're pink!)

A Person I Admire: Ayden

Favorite Food: Carrots

Favorite Book: Princess

What I Do Well: Making crafts

What I like most about School: Playing at the Park

My Wish: I want to be a doctor when I grow up.

Kail's Dance 'Recital'

2008-06-01T21:39:00.000-07:00

Kail had a dance recital this weekend. Technically this was only the dress rehearsal, but being that the performance was on Sunday, we opted for the rehearsal only. Kail didn't know any different. . . she was so excited to dance on the big stage at the McCallum Theater and MOST excited that her Daddy was there to watch. She loved every minute of it! And of course we did too. . . I am not sure if I have ever smiled so much!