H1N1? Not at our house!!!

This last week was terrible. I made it to work a total of one day! Thank heavens it was the good ol' regular flu. We took the test and passed. No H1N1 (swine flu for you that read this in the future.) Too bad that didn't make anyone feel better. Malori had a headache and insisted on having a wet dish cloth on her head all the time (I wonder where she has seen that?)

Dance, Dance, Dance

Chelsea Richards, a girl in our ward, is a Vikette for Pleasant Grove High School. For a fundraiser they do a drill clinic every year for three nights, then the girls do a perfomance. Cora and Malori wanted to do it this year so we signed them up. Cora did a great job, even with the big bruises she ended up with on her knees and feet. I love to watch her because she has that "Smith tongue" that comes out whenever concentration is necessary for a task. Malori was hilarious. As you can see from the picture, it was like herding cats. Masie, our neighbor, was there too and they had a good time. Hopefully next year, we can get Mal to do a bit more dancing.

Happy 12th Birthday, Madison

It was definitely a nail polish and body spray birthday for Madison this year! It kind of feels sad when all a girl wants for her birthday is clothes. It means no more Barbies, Legos or Polly Pockets. It means Brian and I are getting old. #4 of 6 wanting clothes for her birthday, I can't believe it.

The Last Camping Trip of 2009

We took our final camping trip during fall break. It was a bit chilly, but the leaves were amazing! We went up American Fork Canyon to Little Mill Campground. Blessed be the generator, we stayed quite comfy at night ( a little too warm for mom's taste) and the fire kept us warm during the day. We collected many, many leaves and played a few games. Malori is pretty wicked at Battleship when she plays by her own rules.

Labor Day 2009

For Labor Day we went to

Grandpa and Grandma Bullock's cabin with Darin, Cheryl, Megan, and Haley. We set up

grandpa's new air hockey table, ate some yummy food, and spent Saturday at Starvation Reservior. Cora, Haley and Gretchen all got up on the knee board. We had to laugh because every time Cora fell she made sure she plugged her nose before she went under. There were also a lot of "Smith tongues" sticking out for balance.

Mal's First Day of Preschool, September 1, 2009.

I can't believe my baby is starting pre-school. She goes to Miss Camalee's and she loves it! Her favorite thing to do is make things with playdough.

The First Day of School, August 20, 2009

Once again, we start a new school year. 2009-2010. I think Haydn was the only one not excited to start, but she's a senior and ready to be done. Cora is in 8th this year, Madison 6th, and Gretchen in 4th. I dropped down to part time this year so I only work on B-days. I love it, expecially because I got to be home on the first day of school to see the girls off.

4 Years Old!

Happy 4th birthday Mali. Malori doesn't like cake, so we made her cake with powdered donuts. She always makes sure they are not the ones with blood (raspberry filling) in them. Thanks for that one, Haydn. All she wanted this year was a little tiny fish in a big tank. She actually got four fish and a lot of other presents.

Malori has been telling the ladies in primary that it is her birthday for months now. They fell for it the first time and sang to her, but put her off after that. Well, this Sunday was her birthday and when they called her up to sing to her she said, "It's not my birthday, it was Friday." What are we going to do with her?

Malori and Macie

Believe it or not, this is a typical day in our neighborhood.

Hunter

Hunter Smith is my nephew and he has Angelman's Syndrom. He is the most lovable kid and is pretty darn happy all the time. This day at Grandpa Smith's was off the chart. He can't get around on his own, so the four wheeler was a big treat for him, as you can see on his face.

Happy Birthday, Cora...again.

Cora's birthday was really July 2, but we had her friend party on the 23rd so her friend, Kaylyn, could be there.

Girl's Camp

I just don't think there is any way to describe it. Girl's camp. It brings out the best in some girls and worst in others. Luckily, the best was seen in my girls, Haydn and Cora (and I'm not just saying that because I am their mom.) It was stake camp and our ward was assigned Rocky Ridge. Yep, the other wards got camps like Palmyra, Nauvoo, and other nice sounding places. We got Rocky Ridge. I think it had something to do with the fact that to get to where the stake held their meetings we had to hike almost a mile. Getting there was down hill. Getting back to camp was another story. I only had to stop a couple times on the way up and I could only do it twice in one day. I need to get into better shape.

The theme was "For the Strength of You!" and our ward had honesty. Our motto was "truth rocks" and we made a big paper mache rock names Ruthy Truthy. It was a lot of fun. If you get a chance, have Haydn sing the Purple Stew song. She really gets into the whip it part.

Fortunately, our girls were sleepers. No midnight pranks or problems. I just hope the scouts forgive us for messing up all their tent poles.

Oh, Alice!

Here is Haydn's new kitten, Alice. Cute huh? Bet you can't see the dirt that is all over my blinds, couch and table. She IS a sweet thing, but Bat (our older cat) is sure having a hard time adjusting.

Lake Powell

The end of June marked our annual Lake Powell trip with the Bullock family. We spent our days swimming, boating, making t-shirts and painting glitter toes. We were lucky to have Tiffany Erickson (Robyn's friend) and her kids along, and also Doug and Autumn. It was a full boat, but we didn't really feel it, except the night we got rained out. This is the second year in a row and both times Brian told me that it never rains like that in Lake Powell. Hmmmmmm, seems to me like it always rains like that in Lake Powell.

Strawberry Days 2009

The theme for Strawberry Days this year seemed to be "rain, rain, go away!" It rained at the children's parade, at the rodeo and at the big parade. I have to admit, it didn't keep us from having a great time.

Do You Remember That One Night?

Do you ever have a memory pop into your head and think, "That was the best night ever?" Not the big things like weddings and babies being born, but those little things like laying on the trampoline and watching the starts or someone coming to visit? This is one of my times. I can only remember that this was a Sunday night and we were playing tag. I'm not sure if one of us fell in the pool, or if it was on purpose, but before we knew it we were all in there (which is no small feat if you consider Brian's size and attitude of "Water is not funny".) Haydn was the last, and most resistant, to enter the water, but we laughed and laughed until we almost wet our pants. It was the best night ever.

Gretchen, Our Comedian

Brian was fixing the garbage disposal and I was taking pictures because Malori was helping. Without warning Gretchen pulls down her pants a little and poses for the perfect "plumber" picture. I have to ask myself everyday if Brian is not her biological father. It's a little scary.

A Match Made in Heaven

Again, looking through the archives of our pictures, I couldn't pass this one up. This is Brian and our neighbor, Shawn Mcleod, Halloween 2008. Classic.

Time Flies

I was looking through some of our old pictures
and found this one of Gretchen and Malori. This was the day after Mali was born. It reminds me of that song "Don't Blink." It seems like just yesterday.

Camping at Little Mill

Finally, our first real camping trip of the year. I'm talking dirty, stinky, I'll never get this smell out of my hair, camping. We went to Little Mill Campground up American Fork Canyon. Aunt Nellie and Granny got a camp site close to ours so we were able to do some serious fishing and good eating. All our younger girls love to camp (you will notice Aubrey and Haydn missing from the picture.) Cora caught the first fish, yeah!!!