Happy Birthday Brianna!!

Brianna is 21 years old today- December 31st


You can see the spark of adventure in her eyes!

I think that Brianna came on this day because she is a social butterfly
and loves to party. My original due date was December 13th.
Halfway through my pregnancy they changed my due date to January 13th.
I never felt like that was right and wasn't sure when the baby would come.
Brianna was born around 7:00 p.m on New Years Eve.
Her birth was celebrated by the rest of the world but especially our family.

It was fun to have Brianna on New Years Eve.
We always have a party with yummy food, games and staying up til midnight.

A beautiful daughter among the bluebonnets.

Brianna is a wonderful, loving and playful daughter.
She is very sensitive to others and especially me.
I feel so very blessed to have Brianna in our family.
She adds spunk and laughter whenever she is around us.

Happy Birthday Brianna!!
We love you!!

Carson's Blessing December 7th

I love this picture of Carson in his little blessing suit.
He is such a cute baby and so good!

Melissa took the pictures...aren't they great!
Check out her new blog: melissanuttallphotography.blogspot.com

Steven, Brittany and Carson

It is had to believe that this picture was taken in December!
The weather was gorgeous today...a clear blue sky and 50 degree weather.

Steven gave Carson a beautiful blessing.
Both Steven and Brittany shared their testimonies.
We were all uplifted by sharing in this experience with them.

The Smith and Dent Families

This was only a part of the group that attended the blessing.
We came to our house for dinner afterwards.
It was so nice to visit with family and friends.

I have pondered over this event and have felt so very blessed in my life.
I have an incredible family who loves and supports me.
I heard this statement once "All this and the gospel too".
I feel such gratitude to my Heavenly Father for these blessings.

My father-in-law says this often.
"My family means more to me because of the gospel and the gospel means
more to me because of my family." So True!!

Choir Dinner

Carly and Kaylie both sing in choirs at their school.
Each year there is a choir dinner to help raise money
for trips, outfits, ect.


This years theme was "An Old English Christmas".

Carly and Kaylie both decorated tables.
They looked really nice. It was a fun evening of food and music.

We enjoyed visiting with Mom and Dad and appreciate their support!
It is fun to watch Carly and Kaylie perform, their choirs sounded great.

Thanksgiving 2008

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and felt so blessed to have family to share it with us.
We missed Jennifer and Jared and the 3 girls! We had 23 of us at our house. The food was great and family time even better!

Here are a few random pictures of our day!

Our traditional Thanksgiving picture. Mick got a great group shot of all of us!









Mick- the master turkey carver.
Debra, Hallie and Melissa visiting before our feast.












-Cameron, Jackson, Kaylie, Brianna & Rachelle-


















Our cheeseball turkey looked awesome Wednesday night. I put it in the fridge overnight and the crackers softened and fell off (I took this picture Wednesday night). It still tasted great and was a hit for hungry guest before the big feast!



I am thankful for many things. My family and the gospel are at the top of my list. Everything else falls into place and I am so very blessed.

I love Thanksgiving. It is a holiday that makes me stop and reflect on all the blessings in my life.







Thanksgivng is the holiday of peace,
the celebration of work and the simple life....
a true folk-festival that speaks the poetry
of the turn of the seasons,
the beauty of seedtime and harvest,
the ripe product of the year - and the deep,
deep connection of all these things with God.

~Ray Stannard Baker~

Happy Birthday Cameron!

Cameron's Golden Birthday....24 on the 24th!

It is hard to believe that 24 years have passed so quickly.
We have been very blessed to have Cameron as our son.

I couldn't imagine myself having a little boy.
I felt like I could handle girls but I wasn't sure
about a boy. When Cameron was born Mick cried because he was so happy.
We felt blessed to get a son because girls out number boys in our families.
Mick has 4 sisters and no brothers. I have 1 brother and 2 sisters.

Through the past 24 years I have found out how fun a little boy
can be and the joys of raising a son.

Cameron started early as a sport's fan.

We had a lot of fun watching Cameron play sports through the years.

-Soccer, Football, Basketball, Cross Country and Track-

Cameron had some incredible experiences while serving a mission in Zimbabwe.
We felt great blessings in our lives as he served.

Cameron with his new bride, Rachelle.
It was a wonderful experience seeing Cameron and Rachelle sealed in the Temple.

It just added to the joys of raising a son.
Happy Birthday Cameron
We love you!

Cameron and Rachelle's Wedding!

November 14, 2008



Friday was an amazing day! We couldn't have ordered a more perfect day!
The Sealing in the Salt Lake Temple was so wonderful.
It was made even more special being with 4 of our children
with their spouses, and our parents in the Temple.

Here our the cutest little grandchildren ever!

~Carson, Morgan, Madeline, Jackson, Aliza, Rachel and Hallie~
Brianna, Carly and Kaylie took good care of them while we were in the temple.

Cameron made a handsome Groom and Rachelle a very beautiful Bride!
We are so happy to get a daughter-in-law and feel that Cameron has his perfect match.

Everything from the Temple, to the Luncheon, to the Reception was so nice!
We feel very blessed and are so thankful to all of our family for their love and support.

(Brianna took these pictures. I only got a few pictures at the Temple.
Melissa and Brittany both have some fun pictures on their blogs).

Halloween Moments

A lot of people dress up for Halloween at Carly and Kaylie's school.
They decided to go as twins. It made Brianna and I laugh when we went to pick them up from school.
They were standing on the curb, side by side, dressed the same and surprisingly looking a lot like each other.

Carly and Kaylie had a few friends over Halloween Night.
The "Yummy Mummy" cheese ball was a huge hit.
I saw this idea on another blog and thought it would be fun.
We also had "Graveyard Crunch", Ghastly Green Punch, Carmel apples and Sloppy Joe's.

Steven, Brittany and our little pumpkin, Carson came to visit.
Melissa and Brian also brought Morgan, Jackson, and Hallie over to show off their costumes.
You'll have to go to their blog to see some cute pictures!

Brianna helped us get the party started and stayed long enough
to hold her cute nephew. Then she left us for a better party with her friends!

Halloween Favorites!

Happy Halloween!!

We have had a lot of fun costumes over the years.
Here are just a few of our favorites!


Our all time favorite family themed costumes:

7 Kids =7 Dwarfs

We had the kids draw the name of a dwarf out of a hat. Everyone wanted to be Dopey so this was the only way to be fair.

By the end of the night a few of the dwarfs were true to character: Brianna was constantly sneezing, Carly was grumpy, and Kaylie was having a hard time staying awake.

We got lots of compliments trick or treating with the family. The only thing that would have made it even better, was if Mick and I had gone as Snow White and Prince Charming!

Our Dwarfs: Melissa-Bashful, Jennifer-Happy, Cameron-Doc, Brittany-Dopey, Brianna-Sneezy, Carly-Grumpy, Kaylie-Sleepy.


Our Ladybug Kaylie--It was really funny watching her crawl.

An Assortment of Characters!

We have had a lot of witches, princesses and clowns over the years. Melissa's dice costume was another fun one.

Raggedy Ann Carly and Cameron the ghoul (maybe he was the Hunchback of Notre Dame...I can't remember)

Colors of October

I can't get enough of the beautiful Fall Colors.
The weather has been amazing and the trees
brilliant shades of red and gold. Clear blue skies, green pine trees, and foliage
add to this jeweled colored landscape.

We went up to BYU Campus and took theses pictures.
I love the contrast between the blue sky, rugged mountain
and the bright red and gold colored trees.

We have had clear blue skies like this every day this week.
We hear the cold is coming but I am thoroughly enjoying
every last bit of Autumn.

High School Musical!!

Carly and Kaylie were pretty excited about High School Musical 3!
School was out today so we got tickets for the 11:00 a.m. show.
Along with a good portion of our ward members!!

Mick was happy to have his friend Ryan there to share the fun :)!!
"Real men do like High School musical".

Carly and Kaylie anxiously waiting in line.

Morgan is happy to be out with mommy.
She wasn't sure what movie she was going to see.
When it started she said "Is this another one of those High School Musical Movies?"



Morgan was dancing in her seat at the end of the movie!
We all give this movie a thumbs up! The dancing was awesome and the music great.

Brianna was an extra during the basketball game scene. We couldn't see her but if
you go watch for her in a blue shirt. Carly and Kaylie did see 2 young women in our ward
and one of their mother's who were extras in the film.

Happy Birthday Grandpa Smith!

September 24, 2008

We are all so grateful for Dad Smith.
He is the wonderful Patriarch of the Smith family.

Today he celebrates 83 years of life!
He has accomplished many things in those years.

He is a great example of service, kindness, love and faith.
We love you and are thankful you are a part of our lives.

Happy Birthday Brittany and Grandpa Spencer!

When I was expecting Brittany my due date was October 11th, my dad's birthday.
My Grandma Spencer said to me one day "You need to have that baby on your dad's birthday".
I said I would try but you never know with babies. I remember it being a beautiful fall.
The colors were bright and the weather was so nice.
Britttany arrived on her due date.
Grandpa Spencer and Brittany have now celebrated a shared birthday for 22 years!


Brittany about 3 months.

"Christmas at the OK Corral"

Brittany has always had a lot of spunk!
She has kept things lively in the Smith home.

I admire her discipline and determination. She has accomplished many
things because of this great trait!

Showing some personality at the Nebraska Football game.

It has been fun to watch Brittany in all phases of her life.
She is a wonderful daughter, wife and now mother.
We feel so blessed to have Britttany as part of our family.

Happy Birthday Brittany, We love you!!!