Love At First Sight

Things we liked in May

2010-05-31T11:43:00.000-07:00

After having a huge garden the past 2 years we decided to down size.

Hopefully we will have success with our box garden!

Texas Bluebonnets!

2010-05-31T11:39:00.000-07:00

We got to talk to Brianna on Mother's Day.
She is doing well and loves her mission. She has already been serving for 10 months...the time has gone so fast!

We were excited to get these pictures of Brianna in the Bluebonnets.

Go Utes!

2010-05-31T11:35:00.000-07:00

Cameron graduated from the University of Utah this month.

He received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.

We are so proud of him and his hard work. We also appreciate all of Rachelle's support.

We are excited about the great company he works for and the growing possibilities. Check out their website: Kodiakcakes.com

Christmas Highlights

2010-01-07T14:19:00.000-08:00

December has been an especially nice month this year.
Here are a few of the things that made it so special.

*It began with the birth of our 9th grandchild Landon. His birth
has reminded me of the miracle of birth and also of the Christ child. I have thought often of the baby Jesus and his role in my life this month. He is my Savior and my Redeemer. I am thankful for His life and the atonement that was made in my behalf. I hope to develop more Christlike attributes in my life this new year.

*Carly was able to be here for 3 weeks. It was so nice having her here and she was such a great help to me!
*Kaylie had a wonderful concert that we attended. We felt the spirit strong as we heard songs praising our Lord Jesus Christ.
One song had a line that I have pondered often..."You are not alone, God is always with you".
I know that this is true. It is a reminder to me that I need to trust in the Lord more.
*We went to Temple square to see Kaylie sing in the Assembly Hall. The music and lights on Temple Square were beautiful as usual. Before we went to the concert we met Cameron and Rachelle in the temple. Along with Carly we did some work for my Grandpa's 3 siblings. On Saturday we met my parents in the temple to complete the rest of this work. There was a sweet spirit with us as we sealed my Grandpa and his siblings to their parents.
*We went Christmas Caroling with some friends in our neighborhood on Monday night. We went to several homes. The spirit was sweet as we sang at the various homes. Those we sang to were visibly touched and we felt joy in our hearts.
*Christmas Eve we went to Melissa and Brian's house. We had fun playing Christmas Bingo and getting a few prizes.
We then played Holiday Jeopardy that Mick had set up on PowerPoint. We had our traditional Christmas Eve dinner of falafels, cheeses, apples, almonds and honey, boiled eggs, dates, dried apricots and grape juice. We then dressed in our biblical clothing to review the story of the Savior's birth. It was fun to see everyone dressed up and the grand kids all seemed to have fun. It definitely was a sweet experience as we acted out and sang various songs celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.
*Christmas morning was nice being together with the family. We were excited to get Brianna's call and talk to her for about 1 hour.
She is doing well and sang to us in Swahili. She loves missionary work and sounds happy. We know that she is were the Lord would have her at this time. We are very pleased with the great work she is doing.
*We all went to visit Grandpa and Grandma Spencer for a family gathering. We had a Chinese dinner. The food was all really good and we enjoyed visiting with family.
*We had a quiet New Years and welcomed in the new year.
*New Years day we spent helping Grandpa and Grandma Smith take down their Christmas tree and little village. We also played a few games with them. It was nice spending the afternoon with them.
*On Sunday Landon was blessed. It as a very nice blessing and we once again appreciated all the love and support of family members.
* We have played a lot of fun games over this past week and watched a few movies. We have had yummy food and lots of treats. But most of all we have cherished the times we have had with family.

Our New Grandson!

2009-12-11T11:09:00.000-08:00

Our newest grandchild arrived December 8th at 1:03 A.M. He came a week early and surprised us all! Both he and Melissa are home and doing well.

Landon Brian Nuttall.

We are so excited to have this little baby boy join our family. We have now been blessed with 9 grandchildren. Wow!! We still can't believe we have that many.

As I wait for each birth of these grandchildren I am truly amazed at the miracle of birth. I think even more so now than when I was having my own children. The veil to this life and the next is very thin. I especially have felt that this past week. I am so thankful for the support of all our family. Those who live on the earth now and those who have already left this earth life.

When I was a teenager I first read a poem called "My Day Old Child" by Carol Lynn Pearson. I have always loved this poem and it came to mind this week after the birth of Landon.

My day old child

My day old child in my arms
with my lips against his ear
I whispered strongly "How I wish,
I wish that you could hear,

"I've a hundred wonderful things to say
(a tiny cough and nod)
Hurry, hurry, hurry and grow
so I can tell you about God."

My day old baby's mouth was still
and my words only tickled his ear,
but a kind of light passed through his eyes.
and I saw this thought appear,

"How I wish I had a voice and words,
I've a hundred things to say,
Before I forget, I'd tell you of God,
I left Him yesterday."

Sister Smith in Texas

2009-12-11T10:45:00.000-08:00

Brianna sent us some pictures recently. These pictures were before the cold and snow came.

Brianna is loving her mission and is having great success.
She has been on her mission 5 months already!

Here she is with her companion Sis. Wallwork in front of the Lubbock Temple.

I love this picture in the field of Sunflowers!

She told me when she saw the field she knew that she had to take a picture for me.
We have family pictures in the Blue Bonnets. Sadly I didn't get one of the whole family in the cornfields in Nebraska.
I have one of Mick and I. I do have a picture of the kids that I photo shopped into a cornfield. So it works!
My family knows I like some of these crazy pictures so they put up with me!

Brianna has said that at times she feels that she is in Africa.
She has learned Swahili and loves the people she is working with.

We have a private blog for Brianna. If you are interested in viewing the blog or sending her a letter please email me at ctr4ever81@gmail.com

Decorations and Football

2009-12-01T09:27:00.000-08:00

We went to Mom and Dad Smith's house Friday night and stayed until Saturday morning. We helped them set up their tree and little village of houses, shops, and churches. It was fun helping them get ready for the Christmas Holidays.

This nativity set was in Mom's childhood home.
She figured it was at least 70 years old.

We got home in time for Mick to go and sell at the BYU Football game. It was a great game and BYU won. Go Cougars! Mick was happy and sales were good. He said "Happy fans are buying fans".

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving break. We are so thankful for our many bounteous blessing. We feel richly blessed with family, friends, Mick's job and most of all the gospel in our lives.

Turkey Bowl and Black Friday Shopping

2009-12-01T08:51:00.000-08:00

Picture proof that Mick really did play in the Turkey Bowl.
(Thanks to Jennifer's friend)

Every Thanksgiving Mick plays in the annual Turkey Bowl.
This year was no exception. Jared and Mick went to a park close by and played with about 10 other guys. They had a great time, won and came home with no injuries! A successful Turkey Bowl.

We don't have a picture to prove that we got up early for shopping Friday but we were there. We left Jennifer's house about 4:30 a.m and arrived at Walmart about 4:45 a.m. We located some items we wanted and stood around the black plastic covered pallets. At 5:00 a.m. the pallets were uncovered and we grabbed for our goods. After getting a few other great deals we left and went to Target. Kaylie wanted to buy a camera but we didn't know if we would be to late. We hurried back to the camera bar and asked a clerk. Yes, he had the camera, he had just found 2 more. After a few other great deals and a long wait to pay...almost 45 minutes, we went home. We were home by 8:30 a.m. We are not hard core black Friday shoppers but we had fun and felt that we had a small victory that day!

Thanksgiving In Idaho

2009-12-01T08:47:00.000-08:00

We spent a few days in Idaho with Jennifer and Jared and the girls. This was the first time in 8 years that we had celebrated Thanksgiving with Jennifer. The weather was great and we really enjoyed being with all of them. The food was all so good and we ate way to much.

The girls liked their candy filled cornucopias probably more than anything else!

Rachel liked the cheese ball and crackers and Madeline was excited to try some pumpkin and blueberry pie. Grandpa told the girls the traditional family story about the turkey with the terrible temper.

Amaya was happy to be held by anyone. Carly and Aliza showing off their fancy glasses. We made our apple turkeys with marshmallows. The girls had fun doing this but liked eating the marshmallows the most. Grandpa and Jared enjoyed a few football games. Go Huskers!!

Idaho Temples

2009-12-01T08:09:00.000-08:00

We stopped to take pictures of the Twin Falls Temple
on our way to Jennifer and Jared's house.
It is a beautiful temple.

Twin Falls Idaho Temple

We went to the Boise Temple with Jared and Jennifer on Wednesday. It was so nice to be in the temple with them. We did some family names and that made it extra special. We had a great lunch at a Tex-Mex restaurant. It was really good. We were thankful to Carly and Kaylie for watching the girls so we could spend this time with Jennifer and Jared.

Boise Idaho Temple

The Boise Temple is the same design as the Dallas and Chicago Temples. We had been to each of those many times so the temple layout was familiar to us.

Guys and Dolls

2009-12-01T07:47:00.000-08:00

Kaylie was in her school play in November.

She was a missionary in Guys and Dolls.
She had a couple of speaking lines and spoke them perfectly.
She was fun to watch and you
could tell that she was having a great time on stage.

Halloween Happenings

2009-11-02T14:04:00.000-08:00

The family stopped by for a little Halloween fun. Cameron and Jackson sang the Spiderman song and spread their webs. Morgan had fun handing out treats and Hallie just wanted to eat them! Carly, with bumble bee Carson, came home for the weekend and had fun seeing her nieces and nephews in costume. Cameron and Rachelle brought up the pumpkin they had carved. Notice the 'N' ears for Nebraska? Kaylie had a few friends over and watched some old scary movies. Wait until Dark, and Watcher in the Woods. They all screamed when Mick scared them at the most intense parts of the movies. We talked to Jennifer and Jared and girls on Skipe. We were able to see the girls in their cute costumes.

Last week for Family Home Evening one of Mick's student's invited us to her family's Halloween Party. It was a walk through a "Haunted Lane" This family has been doing this for the past 8 years. We parked in a field close to their house. We than walked down a lane that had a grave yard, various monsters walking around, a horse drawn hearse from around 1860 time period and a 1924 hand carved Hearse. The main theme of the haunted lane was funeral home and graveyard. They also had an antique organ and little train village. They also had an antique carousel ride with 1941 Chrysler peddle cars. This had little monsters riding in it. It is hard to really describe all that we saw. The desire for this family is to create an old fashion Halloween feeling. We really felt that and enjoyed our 30 minute walk around the property. They told us that they had given out 800 invitations. Mick's student had only invited 2 teachers. We felt very lucky to have been invited. It was a lot of fun. One of the monsters did a good job making Kaylie Scream!

Fall Break

2009-10-18T15:55:00.000-07:00

The Colors of Autumn

The weather was beautiful for our fall break this past week!
We went for a drive on the Nebo Loop, it is one of America's Scenic Byways. It was a nice drive and the fall colors were breathtaking! We stopped along the way and had a scenic view of Utah Valley. We took a small hike to see "Hell's Kitchen" We had know idea that there were rock formations in this area. This was probably the prettiest Autumn drive we have taken since living in Utah! We went and had lunch and a nice visit with Carly. We saw even more reds, oranges and green trees on the mountains about 10 minutes from our house.

Gardner'sVillage

We spent a couple of hours walking around this fun shopping area looking for witches.

We found witches hula hooping, riding bicycles, fishing, playing ball, dancing and many other things. It was fun looking for the different witches. The pumpkins, fall decorations, and nice weather made for an enjoyable afternoon. When we first got there Morgan asked a few times if the witches were real. She was relieved to know that each one wasn't real. Mick survived the afternoon with us. He thought he saw maybe 2 other men among the many children and women there. We were glad he came and it was a nice fall activity to do with the family.

More Canyon Birthday Party Pictures

2009-10-11T17:52:00.000-07:00

We had lots of yummy food and it was fun visiting with everyone.

Jackson loved playing ball with Cameron.

Mick, Jackson and Morgan having fun with the bubbles.

Mick and Dad enjoying some time around the fire.

Happy Birthday Grandpa and Brittany!

2009-10-11T17:44:00.000-07:00

We went up the canyon Saturday for a picnic with my family.
Almost everyone in the family was able to be there.
We celebrated my Dad's 70th Birthday.
I have been blessed with a wonderful kind Dad. He would do
any thing for me and my family!
He is honest and true in all things. He is a humble and sincere man.
Happy Birthday Dad....I love you!!!

Brittany was born on my Dad's birthday.
It has made a special connection for them.
I am thankful for Brittany. She is a great daughter and
has brought a lot of spunk and laughter to our family.
Happy Birthday Brittany...I love you!!!

Rachelle and Cameron....say cheese!

It was a beautiful day in the canyon.
It was a little cool but the roasted hot dogs and marshmallows
were awesome.

Carson, Brittany and Steven roasting hot dogs.

Grandma brought bubbles and big wands to play with.
I'm not sure who had more fun the kids or the adults!

It was a nice relaxing afternoon.
We hope to make this an annual Fall tradition!

October General Conference

2009-10-05T08:02:00.000-07:00

I love conference weekend!! I feel uplifted and encouraged by each of the messages that I heard. I felt the spirit through the spoken word and the beautiful music! I felt excitement as the 5 new temples were announced. Our Daughter-in-Law, Rachelle, is from Brigham City so we are thrilled for this temple.

I loved Elder Perry's talk about the Manti Temple. Because we had just gone there and had been to Sanpete county it seemed so personal. Elder Sitati spoke to the missionaries when Cameron was serving in Zimbabwe. I love hearing the leaders from other countries share their testimonies of the truthfulness of the gospel. The growth that is happening in the church world wide is exciting. I am grateful for Brianna's sacrifice and serving a mission at this time. She is doing a great job in helping this work go forth. I love our church leaders and feel so very blessed to be able to hear the words of a living prophet and Apostles.

I think the greatest message I got from conference was to become more Christ-like through love, service and virtue.

Here are a few other things I learned and need to do to improve my life.

*I feel a great need to be of more service to those around me because of President Monson's talk.

*I felt the spirit and strength of Elder Holland's testimony as he bore witness of the Book of Mormon. I have a desire to read and study this great book better and apply it's teachings in my life.

*My testimony of Joseph Smith was also strengthen though the Conference messages.

*I have a desire to learn to recognize the promptings of the Holy Ghost more in my life. Elder Scott and Sister Matsumori taught great principles about recognizing the spirit and letting it guide our lives.

*I learned the importance of being consistent from Elder Bednar. I need to be more diligent and have perseverance in living the gospel.

*I feel a great need to hang on to the rod through the mists of darkness as Sister Dibbs shared in her message.

* I also feel the need to be more temperate and patient in my life.

The 2 days went too quickly!! I am looking forward to reading the conference talks again next month in the Ensign. I feel so blessed to live in a time that we receive revelation and guidance from our loving Heavenly Father.

Grandparents Day

2009-10-02T13:03:00.000-07:00

Morgan and I in front of the class tree.

I went to my first Grandparents day.
It was fun seeing Morgan with her kindergarten class.

I don't feel old enough to be a Grandparent of a kindergartner!

Each day their teacher has a question on the board.
They put their paper doll under their answer. It also lets
the teacher know that they are in class for the day.

According to Morgan I am 80 years old!
I thought I looked young compared to some
of the other grandparents in the room.

Morgan also filled out a paper about me.
One question was what is your Grandma's job?
Morgan said that I did Laundry.
I thought that was pretty funny.

The two kindergarten classes did a little play for us.
Morgan played the part of CoCo.
A little girl that couldn't wait to visit her Grandma.

She was so cute and did a great job.
She even had a line which she did perfectly!

I'm her Grandma...I can say that!!

After they sang some songs for us we had our snacks together.

It was a fun day and I hope to be able to go to more
Grandparent days in the future!

Manti Temple

2009-10-02T12:41:00.000-07:00

Carly had Fall break this week. We picked her up on
Wednesday and went to the Manti Temple.

I love this temple. It is so beautiful. It has always
been one of my favorites.

The Manti Temple is up on a hill.
We drove Carly back to school on Labor Day.
It was about 9:30 at night and we could see the temple
20 miles away. It was an awesome sight
seeing the temple all lit up on the hill.

Carly and Kaylie posing halfway up the hill to the temple.

Our self portrait.

After trying 5 times we were finally able to get Mick and I in the picture with the Temple!

Fall Colors

2009-09-29T14:28:00.000-07:00

We drove up the Canyon last night for
Family Home Evening and a picnic.

The colors were beautiful. I love the orange and red leaves.
The mountains we look at each day look like a patchwork quilt
of fall colors. Deep greens, reds, orange and gold.

Dad and Kaylie posing for a picture.

The temperature was in the high 80's.
It felt nice and smelled so good outside.

We weren't the only ones taking advantage of the perfect weather.
We saw a lot of other families eating, playing and posing for pictures.

It isn't going to last!! The prediction is 50's by Wednesday, rain and possibly snow.
Hopefully this is just a small storm and we will get a few more weeks of Autumn.

Happy 80th Birthday!!!

2009-09-21T10:24:00.000-07:00

-The Happy Smith Family!-
Kim, Mom & Dad , Debbie, Mick, Lisa and Pam

We celebrated Mom's 80th birthday at Kim and Guy's house on Sunday.
We had a nice time visiting with family and enjoying good food.

We are grateful for the 80 years of life that mom has enjoyed.
She has a kind and giving heart. She loves her family and would
do anything for them. She is a very talented seamstress and has
made many dresses over the years for my girls.

She makes cute blankets, burp clothes and animal snuggles
for all of the great grandchildren.
We each have receive crocheted blankets and wash clothes from her.

She has made beautiful porcelain dolls for each of us.
She enjoys working on her crafts and is very good at what she does.

These are just a few of the material gifts that she has shared with us.
She has also shared her love of family and the gospel with us.
She is committed and dedicated to what ever she does in life.

We all feel so very blessed to have this wonderful woman in our life as our
Mom, Grandma and Great Grandma.

We love you Mom!!
Happy 80th Birthday!!!

-Siblings posing for a picture-

-Mick being shown some sisterly love!-

Missionary Update

2009-09-03T10:40:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that it has been almost 2 months since Brianna left on her mission.
She is doing well and loving missionary work.

She went to Texas but feels like she went to Africa instead.

She has been teaching people from Africa and learning Swahili!

We have a blog set up for Brianna that we are updating weekly.
http://www.sisterbriannasmith.blogspot.com/

This is a private blog. If you would like to view her blog

email me ctr4ever81@gmail.com and I will add you as a reader.

August 1959 was a very good month and year!!!

2009-08-31T10:39:00.000-07:00

We had a very busy month but had a lot of great Celebrations!!

Melissa took these great photos of our recent celebrations.
I was to busy with other things to even think about taking pictures!

First my parents celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary.

We had an "Ultimate Soda Shoppe" open house for them. They love the 50's so we served ice cream sundaes and Root Beer floats. Mick was a great "Soda Jerk" and provided humor for the guests. We had great 50's music playing that my brother, David, prepared for the party. Mike and Ike's, hula hoops, 50's cars and gas pumps helped complete the party. Melissa put together a great music video on my parents life and we had that showing at the "Movie Theatre". My dad has a garage with old car's and 50's memorabilia. Every one had fun walking through "Route 66". Jennifer did a great job on the cake and it was delicious. My sister's, Debra and Amy, also helped in so many ways to make this day special for my parents.
I have been so blessed with good parents. They have set such a good example to me and my family of love, kindness, and service, ect. It was a fun day celebrating with them and their guests.

Mick's 50th Birthday Celebration!!!

A couple of days after my parents party we celebrated Mick and Kaylie's birthdays.

Mick reached the milestone of the big 5- 0 and Kaylie is 17.
We had a Mexican fiesta with family for dinner. Thanks to everyone for helping with the dinner! Especially Rachelle for saving the rice! We then had friends come to help us celebrate Mick's birthday and also honor him for receiving his PhD. from the University of Nebraska. We had the graduation march playing as he walked up and down among the group. Mom and Dad Smith then presented him with his Degree. It was a nice evening spent with family and friends. Melissa made a fun video for Mick with some great music, pictures and stories from family and friends. Jennifer was the cake queen of this past weekend. She made both Kaylie and Mick's cakes. They looked and tasted awesome. We were so happy that almost all of our children were able to be there. Carly was able to come for my parents 50th but had to miss Mick and Kaylie's party because of classes and distance. We missed Brianna at both events but are so happy with her missionary service in Texas.

I am so thankful for a wonderful husband. I have been so very blessed to have him in my life.
50 is not seeming very old. Mick just gets better with age! I hope to be celebrating many more birthday's with him.

Pioneer Trek

2009-08-02T17:23:00.000-07:00

The last week of July we went on trek with our Stake.
Mick and I were a Ma and Pa.
We had 7 children in our family.
They were a great group of kids and had good attitudes.
We walked over 25 miles in 3 days.
We had a great experience at Martin's Cove.
It wasn't easy but we learned many
lessons while we were there.

My handsome pioneer with Martin's Cove in the background.

Our trek family.

Preparing for our daily walk.

Here are a few "pictures" that have been impressed
into my mind during this experience.

~Loading the buses for the 6 hour ride to Wyoming.
We were fresh and clean, excited but a little apprehensive.

~Coming into our camp after walking 3 miles.
The wind was blowing like crazy.
It took everyone in our family to set up out tents.
It was a struggle but with a group effort we did it.

~Oscar the Dog
Good watch dog that follows our trek group.
Protects us from the Coyotes at night.

~Walking into Martin's Cove.
Wondering how the pioneers did this in the cold and snow.
Sacred spot. So many died here.

~Crossing the Sweetwater.
Cool and refreshing for us.
Cold and Bitter for the pioneers in October.

~Women's pull.
The men left us for the Mormon Battalion.
Talk to the young women- We can do hard things.
Looking to the hill.
It is steep and sandy.
The men and young men silent, watching us
pull our handcarts.
Watching the women ahead of us.
They are strong and make it to the top.
Other young women come back down
to help them.
"As Sister's in Zion we'll all work together".
Our families turn to pull our wagon up the hill.
It is so hard. Harder than I could have imagined.
I'm praying for strength and pushing the wagon
from behind.
I pass Mick and he gives me a thumbs up for encouragement.
It was so hard...but we made it to the top.
I can do hard things!

~The Storm
We made it to camp and had a wonderful dinner.
The sunset is beautiful.
We can see rain in the distance.
We gathered our family in our tent.
We get settled and begin a discussion.
The wind, lightening, thunder and rain come.
It is very scary.
We feel so unprotected.
But we are together and are silently praying.
Our tent rips and pole breaks.
Now we are getting wet.
How could the pioneers have endured such weather?
After the storm we discover our other tent was ruined.
We all fit into a dry tent.
We talk of our experience.
Letters are shared from home.
The youth in our family are so happy to receive
their letters and some shed tears.
It was a tender moment.

~Final Trek
We are a little weary.
Sore feet and blisters.
It is amazing what duct tape can do.
Walking a fast pace.
Can't keep up!
Put into the wagon for a couple of miles.
Disappointed that I didn't walk all the way.
I am so thankful for my trek family and
group captain.
They pulled me along!

~Last 1/2 mile.
I walked the last 1/2 mile of our trek.
I was very sore and tired.
I felt a sweet feeling of peace as I finished.
I shed a few tears that my journey was done.

I am Grateful for the experience.
I am glad that I didn't have to do more.
I am thankful for the sacrifices of the early pioneers.

Top 5 Recent Events

2009-07-12T19:32:00.000-07:00

The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of activities!
Here are our top 8 picks in no particular order.

1. Brianna entering the mission field.
She will be an awesome missionary in Lubbock, Texas!
The curb drop off at the MTC wasn't as bad as it sounds.

2. Tuesday night, before Brianna entered the MTC, all of our children and spouses went
to the Provo Temple. Carly and Kaylie went to the Baptistry and the rest of us headed to
the Sealing Room. My parents were also able to join us.
It was a sweet experience being there together as a family.
We were able to do some family names and that made it especially nice.

3. Brianna was set apart as a missionary by our Stake President after we left the temple.
This was a special event and we feel so blessed to have another missionary serve from our family.
We are so thankful for Ruth and Elizabeth Pratt. They watched the
8 grandchildren while we participated in these two great events.

4. Monday night we did our 2nd annual slip and slide. (I will have to post pictures later)
We had a fun time as a family and only a few minor bumps and bruises!

5. Sunday went to Grandpa and Grandma Spencer's house for a farewell dinner for Brianna.
We had all of the family there, minus 2 nieces.
It was a wonderful meal and so nice to visit with family.

6.Celebrating the 4th of July.
We had a great BBQ with Grandpa and Grandma Smith, Kim and Guy and family.
We came home with 3 large bags of cherries from their tree. Yummy!!!

7. Here we are in our Algae green shirts coloring for
the EFY service project. We had a great week with the youth in Ogden, Utah.
We were so surprised to have youth from many different states and countries there.
Mick is a wonderful session director and
I just have a lot of fun mingling with youth and counselors.

Posing with Kaylie on game night in our Hibiscus EFY shirts!
Mick looked extremely dashing in his shirt!!
We were glad that Kaylie was able to with us again this year.

8. Mick and I celebrated our 28th anniversary on the 11th of July.
We went to the Hale Centre Theatre and saw "Singing in the Rain".
Our children gave us season tickets to the Hale Centre for Christmas.
We loved the musical. It was probably one of the best we have seen there.
We had a good Chinese dinner afterwards.

On the way home we saw a rainbow in the sky.
This is especially meaningful to us on our Anniversary.
On the day we were married, just as our outdoor reception began, it started
to sprinkle. It stopped and was replaced with a double rainbow.
We always felt that was a sign of Heavenly Father's approval of our marriage.

Melissa called us later and said "did you see the double rainbow tonight?"
We felt once again that this was a special sign of our union!

We are so thankful for friends, family and most of all each other!

A Little Bit of Heaven!

2009-06-08T16:23:00.000-07:00

Brianna received her endowments Saturday in the Draper Temple.
She looked beautiful and the spirit was so sweet.

My favorite part was being in the Celestial Room with the family.
I was the first one in the room and was able to see everyone
as they came in. What a great experience!

It definitely was a little bit of Heaven here on Earth.
It would have been even better if Jared, Jennifer, Carly
and Kaylie could have been there with us!!

We were so happy that both sets of Grandparents were able to come.

Our family in front of the Temple, which included both
sets of grandparents, and Mick's sisters, Pam and Kim.
Carly and Kaylie watched Carson while we were in the Temple.

I am so very grateful for the gospel and for our Eternal Family!!

I Love to see the Temple

2009-06-05T21:22:00.000-07:00

Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple

We went to the Temple open house on Wednesday.
It is a beautiful Temple!

It has been a blessing to go to two temple open houses
in the past five months.

Standing in front of the Temple you can look across the
Valley and see the Draper and Jordan River Temples.

I love to see the Temples dotting the land!

We also celebrated Carly's 18th birthday on Wednesday.
Can she really be that old??

Carly's Graduation- May 28th 2009

2009-05-31T15:28:00.000-07:00

Carly graduated last week from High School.
We are so pleased with her accomplishments and the beautiful young woman
that she has become.

Emilye and Carly are all smiles after the graduation!

The family with the graduate.

Sisterly Love!!

Carly isn't sure how to react to her crazy sisters!

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T15:31:00.000-07:00

To the women who have touched my life!

Mom Smith & Mom Spencer, Jennifer and Amaya.

I am so thankful for the women in my life!
I am strengthened by them and have been
taught by them.

I am who I am because of my mother!
She has always been steadfast in her teachings
and love for me.

I have been blessed to be married to a wonderful
man because of the teachings and love of his mother.

Kaylie, Brianna, Rachelle, Carly
Brittany, Melissa, Jennifer

I have been blessed with beautiful daughters!
Some are mothers and others will be someday.

Each is a great example to me. I learn from them and
sometimes feel like the child. They are great women
of strength and courage.

I feel blessed to be surrounded by so many strong, dedicated,
creative, humorous, compassionate and loving women!

Sister Missionary!!!

2009-05-10T15:00:00.000-07:00

Brianna received her mission call on Friday.

She will be going to the TEXAS LUBBOCK Mission!
She will be entering the Mission Training Center (MTC)
July 8th.
We are so excited for her.
Brianna will be an awesome missionary.
She has always been a great example of love and service
to others.

We will miss her terribly but we know that she is
doing as the Lord would have her do at this time.

She will be a great blessing in the lives of many people.
She is the first girl to go on either of our
families and is a great example to all of us!

It's Done!!!!!

2009-04-25T20:30:00.000-07:00

Meet Doctor Smith!!!

3 years of class work.
2 years of dissertation work.
Hours and hours of corrections.
Final dissertation-319 pages.
1 1/2 hours defending his work to his
committee members in Nebraska.

Successful defense.
Graduation paperwork filled out.
Mick is relaxed and all smiles!

After Mick completed all of the paperwork they gave him this button.

When Kaylie's friend saw the button she said, "That's all you have to show for it?"

That's right!

Mick is feeling a great sense of accomplishment right now.

He is also amazed that he finished it.

We all knew he could!!!

Mick went to the University of Nebraska
this week to defend his dissertation.
After a lot of hard work he now has his
Ph.D. in Educational Studies, Teaching Curriculum and Instruction.

This is the title of his dissertation:
Understanding Obstacles to Developing and
Implementing Pedagogy and the Teaching Emphasis among Daily Volunteer Seminary Teachers in the Church Educational System.

We are all so proud of him and this great accomplishment.
We will go to Nebraska in August for the official Graduation.

Go Huskers!!!

Spring Break

2009-04-23T13:11:00.000-07:00

We got almost 6 inches of snow the first day of Spring Break!
The rest of the week was nice.

We went to Snow College to check things out for Carly.
We had wanted to go to the Manti Temple but it was closed for cleaning.
We got a few great pictures anyway.

Friday we went to the Draper Temple.
It is so beautiful and we had a great experience there.

We met Brianna in Salt Lake and went to Temple Square.
I love walking around and seeing and smelling the flowers.

I think Spring is my favorite time to go there.

Easter Blessing

2009-04-20T08:49:00.000-07:00

The Smith & Pratt Families

We felt especially blessed this Easter!

Jennifer and Jared made an unexpected trip to Utah
because of the death of Jared's good friend, Cameron Merrill.

They decided to have Amaya blessed here because so many
family members would be able to come.

All of our family including my parents, Mick's parents, sister and husband
came. Jared's Parent's, two brothers and family were also able to be there.
My two sister's and families were able to join with us for our Easter Celebration.

Jared gave Amaya a beautiful blessing. The spirit was sweet watching
the men in our families using the
Priesthood Power they hold to bless this angelic baby.

After Church we had a great time visiting and feasting on our Easter Dinner.
I am so very thankful for all of our family members who made this day
so memorable. We truly felt blessed this day!!

Saturday Night we colored eggs with the grandchildren.
Jackson loved coloring his eggs blue.

They all loved coloring the eggs.
After coloring one Rachel would say
"I want to color another one". It was so cute.

Madeline showing her bright pink egg.

I think this was the first time in at least
7 years to have the family all
together for Easter.

I am thankful for the Atoning Sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
It is hard to comprehend all that he has done on my behalf.
I felt strengthened and renewed as I heard Easter messages both in conference
and in our Sacrament meeting this special Sunday.
I know that Jesus Christ lives!!!
I love the renewing season of Spring. It is a reminder to me
that because of the Savior, I too will live again.

Our Newest Granddaughter!!!

2009-04-03T09:38:00.000-07:00

Amaya Clarissa Pratt
Born March 23, 2009

-Amaya after her first bath-

We have a beautiful new granddaughter!
Jennifer and Jared have added this sweet baby to their family.
Amaya (pronounced A-my-a) seems to be a very happy baby
and is loved by her 3 sisters, Madeline, Aliza and Rachel.

-The Masked Pratt Family -

Jennifer and Jared have had an adventurous few months.
Amaya's birth was no different!
I drove to Idaho Saturday morning after finding out that Aliza had been admitted to the hospital for pneumonia.
Jared was with Aliza in the hospital and Jennifer at home with the girls.

Jennifer went into labor Monday morning and drove herself to the hospital.
I stayed with Madeline and Rachel. After Jennifer called to let me know that
they checked her in I called her friend to come and stay with the girls.

A nurse would stay with Aliza until I could get to the hospital.
About 10 minutes after I called Jennifer's friend, Jared called to say
that the baby had already arrived!!
It was a quick delivery...less than 2 hours after she had gotten to the hospital.

-Aliza the Patient -

Amaya was the newest grandchild I had seen at just 1 hour old.
It was fun watching her have her first bath and getting her footprints and picture taken.
Jennifer and Jared were both sick and exhausted from the events of the last few days.
They were able to sleep for a couple of hours.

-Amaya after her first bath at home-

Aliza spent the rest of the week in the hospital. I was glad that I was there to help out a little.
I spent sometime with Aliza in the hospital so Jared could be with Jennifer.

Jennifer and Jared are wonderful parents to their 4 sweet little girls.
Jared is such a great support to Jennifer.
And Jennifer is just amazing!
It is a lot of hard work on a day to day basis!

I had fun with Madeline, Aliza and Rachel.

They all have such different personalities and are

all so cute!

We are so thankful for this new addition to our family!

Draper Utah Temple

2009-01-22T09:26:00.000-08:00

Last Friday we went to the open house for the Draper Utah Temple.
The temple is beautiful! We were in awe of the art work, wood work, windows and chandeliers.

But it was the spirit that we felt that touched us the most.
There was a sweet, peaceful feeling as we walked through the temple.
For me the highlight of the tour was the sealing room.
The spirit was so strong as we sat in the room and
heard the testimony of a tour guide.

This temple has added meaning to our family.
Before you tour the temple you watch a short video.
In the video they tell about temples and the reason
we have them. Also it talked about the area and it's
early settlers. It was a nice surprise to see a picture
of Mick's great, great, great, Grandfather and his wife on the screen.
William Draper Jr. was the leader of the first congregation of the
Church established here in September 1852.
The settlement was named Draperville in Honor of him.

As we walked through the temple we thought about how
these early settlers must be rejoicing now.

We have had opportunities to go to several temple open houses.
We were very involved in the Winter Quarters Temple and Nauvoo Temple open houses. We got to lead tours, push wheelchairs and Mick even did security in Nauvoo. Our older children got to help with the booties at both temples. Carly and Kaylie weren't old enough to do this but they were able to tour the temples as well as attend the dedications. They really enjoyed seeing the Draper Temple and had a lot of good questions.

I have fond memories of touring the Provo Temple with my family when I was in 3rd grade. I still remember walking in the halls of the temple and seeing the celestial room. Mick and I went to the Jordan River Temple open house when we were first married. When we were at the Draper open house we saw a list of temples and the date they were built. The Jordan River Temple was the 29th temple in the world in 1981. Today we have over 129 temples built or in the planning stages.
Mick also had the opportunity to go to the Denver Colorado Temple open house. He remembers being there with his Grandma Smith. This was a great blessing for his family to have a temple built in Denver. When we were living in Idaho we drove to Utah for the Bountiful Temple Open House. We have a picture of the whole family standing outside of the temple. That was a fun experience for all of us.

We are so very thankful and feel blessed to live in a time that so many temples dot the land.

Sweet Christmas Moments!

2009-01-15T19:35:00.000-08:00

On New Years Day we went and took some family pictures. Melissa's sister-in-law Brittany took the family pictures and Melissa took all of the rest. They turned out great!

It is hard to believe that our family now numbers 20!
We are excited to be adding another grandchild in March!

We feel so blessed to have this amazing family.
We were in a Sacrament Meeting when our children were really young. I think we had
only three or four children at the time.

A man stood up to bear his testimony. He said "I am not rich according to the worlds standard, but I have my Quiver full of Children and Grandchildren. I am very rich".

That has stuck with me and I think often of my own "Quiver Full".
I wouldn't trade them for all the riches in the world.

On New Years Day we also opened letters that we had written 9 years ago at the beginning of the New Century. We were suppose to wait until 2010 to open them. Since we were all together we felt like this was a good time to read them. It was fun hearing what everyone predicted they would be doing in 10 years. Some of them were pretty accurate.

This season has been bitter sweet as we realize that our family is changing even more.
We won't have as many opportunities to be together. But we will always cherish the time that
we do! We are so very thankful for technology that blesses our lives with blogs, email and web cam.

We have a friend who uses this phrase often..."It's all about Temples and Families".
We know that is true and we rejoice in our Family and the sealing power of the Temple.

More Sweet Christmas Moments and a few pictures!

2009-01-15T18:57:00.001-08:00

We went to Melissa and Brian's house to try out their snow hill.
Brian had made this huge hill with stairs going to the top.
The little kids loved it and even some of the "big Kids".
Once was enough for me but it was fun watching everyone.

Look, no hands!

Jared, our stuntman!

Kaylie and Madeline after their ride down the hill.

Rachel loved sledding and went down with several different family members.

This time it was Jennifer's turn. Carson was pretty calm riding down the hill.

I wonder who had more fun, Brittany or Carson !

Melissa had a cute craft idea and all the sisters plus Morgan made magnet clips.

Later we went swimming and finished the day off with pizza.

2009-01-15T18:27:00.000-08:00

Grandpa and Rachel bundled up for some snow fun! This year Christmas morning was pretty quiet at our house.

We always take a traditional picture on the stairs before we open presents.

Carly and Kaylie were happy to pose for the picture.

Brianna had to work but was able to get off a little early and spend time with us.

All of our children and grandchildren surprised us on Christmas Eve morning.

Melissa and Brian had invited us to breakfast at their house.

What we didn't know was that our whole family would be there.

What a great surprise!

This was our off year for Christmas so we hadn't expected

to have everyone together until New Years. What a great Christmas gift!!

The 7 cutest grandchildren ever! We loved our little Santa!

Seven Silly Siblings!

(*One of my all time favorite children's books is Seven Silly Eaters.)

We spent an afternoon, a few days before Christmas, with Mom and Dad Spencer.

All of our family plus my siblings went to their house the first Sunday in January. We had a great meal and enjoyed visiting with everyone.

Earlier in December we were able to go to the Tabernacle Choir Christmas Program.

It was an amazing program and helped get us in the Holiday Spirit. The lights are beautiful on Temple square and add to the magic of the season.

This was the year of changing and evolving traditions. We went to Ogden, Christmas Eve afternoon, to spend a little time with Mom and Dad Smith.

We took Brianna back to her apartment and fixed our Shepherd's night dinner. Brianna had a friend come over who was alone for the Holidays. He joined us for dinner and our acting out the Nativity scene.

The spirit was sweet as we reflected on the birth and life of Jesus Christ.

Happy Birthday Brianna!!

2008-12-31T13:02:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-08T11:29:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-08T11:04:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-01T06:43:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-11-24T07:50:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-11-18T20:35:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-01T22:12:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-10-31T09:30:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-30T08:07:00.000-07:00

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!!

2008-10-24T16:33:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-10-24T16:08:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-10-11T11:59:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2008-10-11T11:25:00.000-07:00

I love this picture of dad as a little boy.

I am thankful for a wonderful father!
He is a great example of integrity, love, kindness, and service
in his dealings with all people.

Happy Birthday Dad, we love you!!!

Fall Picnic

2008-10-10T14:33:00.000-07:00

We had one last picnic, before the snow comes, this past Monday.
We met Grandma and Grandpa Spencer, Debra, Justin,
and Melissa, Brian and family at Vivian Park.
It got cold fast because of the recent snow in the mountains.
But the food was great and we enjoyed the time visiting.

Hallie was content to have her Great Grandma Spencer holding her.

Debra dishing up her yummy "Sloppy Joes" for us.

Kaylie and Carly posing for the camera!

Justin stopped his playing for a minute to let me get this picture.

Conference Weekend

2008-10-06T06:02:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful weekend being uplifted by the messages of conference and spending time with family.

We went and spent time Friday night with Mick's parents in Ogden. The BYU football game was the focus that night. Saturday morning we enjoyed conference with mom and dad Smith.
We are so excited about the announcement of 5 new temples!!

Mick, Carly, Kaylie and I were able to go to the Saturday afternoon session in the Conference Center. We love going and being among so many members of the church. There is such a sweet spirit when the Prophet comes into the room.

I felt strengthened by the messages of hope and faith. I love that our leaders encourage us to be better and reach higher. I am so thankful to be a member of this great gospel of Jesus Christ.

We stayed in Salt Lake so Mick and Cameron could go to the Priesthood session together. They didn't have tickets to the Conference Center so they went to Cameron's Stake Center.

Brianna, Carly, Kaylie and I went to the Joseph Smith memorial building to fight the crowds of Deseret Books Ladies Night. We waited in line and were able to get a door prize - a cute plate wall hanging that says: Home Sweet Home.

It was a little crazy there, Wall to wall women and hard to move around! We had yummy food samples and Utah truffles, mmm......!!

Jenny Oaks Baker was there playing her beautiful music on the violin. We went upstairs in the Joseph Smith Building and saw some beautiful artwork of the Savior.

We had fun but I'm not sure we will try fighting the crowds again.

Sunday we enjoyed conference at home. It is such a blessing to be able to watch it on TV.
I am also grateful that we can read these messages again when our Ensigns come.

There were so many great talks. A few that I have reflected on were: President Monson - "Finding Joy in the Journey now!" Sis. Dalton - "The Temple is the reason we do everything in the church" and virtue. Elder Bednar's great instruction on Prayer. Elder Wirthlin's - Comforting talk on trials we face in our life, but encouraging us to find happiness and laugh.
President Uchtdorf - "Hope is one leg of a three-legged stool, together with faith and charity. These three stabilize our lives regardless of the rough or uneven surfaces we might encounter."
President Eyring -"the Lord's prophets have always preached about unity. The need for that gift and the challenge to maintain it will grow greater in the days ahead, in which we will be prepared as a people for our glorious destiny."

I love the positive and encouraging messages of conference. Each of our leaders recognize the challenges we face in the world we live. I am so glad that they don't focus on the negative and make us feel scared. Instead they are a great example of hope, faith and steadfastness in the gospel.

We completed our conference weekend by going over to Melissa and Brian's house for dinner.
The chili was great and it was nice to discuss the messages we had heard.

Our New Grandson!

2008-10-02T12:24:00.000-07:00

We are so excited to have a new little grandson!

Carson Kyle Dent was born October 1st.

Carson being held by his proud Grandpa!

We feel so blessed to have Carson join our family.
He is a handsome little guy and is already loved by many!

It is fun to have another grandson.

The girls definately out number the boys in our family!

New parents, Brittany and Steven, are tired but thrilled with their new addition.
All went well with the birth, mom and baby are doing great!

Colors of September

2008-10-02T12:09:00.000-07:00

This beautiful golf course is not to far from our house.

Mick loves to play golf here and you can see why....the colors are beautiful!
We drove up Hobble Creek Canyon for Family Home Evening Monday.
It was so peaceful sitting and enjoying nature, we even saw a few deer.

I love the orange and red leaves!

We have been trying to read the talks from the April General Conference each week.
We read President Monson's talk "Looking Back and Moving Forward."

There was a statement that really stood out to Mick and I.

"Our homes are to be more than sanctuaries; they should also be places where God's Spirit can dwell,
where the storm stops at the door, where love reigns and peace dwells.

General Relief Society Meeting

2008-09-28T16:48:00.000-07:00

I went to the General Relief Society Meeting with Melissa and Brittany Saturday. It was at Melissa's Stake Center and we had a nice dinner before the broadcast started. I was uplifted and encouraged by the messages given. Some of the things that stood out to me were...

Sis. Julie B. Beck

-Increase Faith and personal righteousness
- Strengthen home and families
- Serve the Lord and His Children
-Seek, receive and act on personal revelation

Each woman is needed to prepare for Christ's Second Coming. "In fact, the Lord cannot accomplish his work without the help of his daughters. Because of that, the Lord expects us to increase our offering. He expects us to fulfill the purpose of Relief Society as never before."

Sister Sylvia Allred -Temple Worship

"The covenants we make with the associated ordinances we receive in the temple become our credentials for admission into God's presence...These covenants elevate us beyond the limits of our own power and perspective. We make covenants to show our devotion to build up the kingdom."

Sister Barbara Thompson -Relief Society -An Army of Righteous Sisters - It is time to step up!

"Relief Society magnifies the talents and faith of each woman through offering the opportunities to bless the lives of others."

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf -Creating and Compassion

-Women who find ways to create and to serve others will emulate the Savior.
"As you take the normal opportunities of your daily life and create something of beauty and helpfulness, you improve not only the world around you but also the world within you."
-Serving others opens the windows of heaven.
"As we lift others, we rise a little higher ourselves."

I am thankful to be a member of the Relief Society, the largest women's organization in the world. I have been blessed throughout my life by this great organization. I have been served and strengthened by so many dear sisters. I have seen the example of my mother, mother -in-law, grandmothers and daughters as they have served others. It is such a blessing to be a woman in the church today and to be a part of the Relief Society.

CornBelly's!

2008-09-28T16:41:00.000-07:00

We went to Salt Lake for a Midwest Reunion.
We had a great time visiting with other CES (Church Educational System) couples who
had lived in the Midwest while we were there.
It was fun reminiscing about our time and experiences there.

On the way home we stopped at CornBelly's.
Carly had a friend tell her at school that it was only
$1.oo to get in this Saturday.
So we took advantage of a fun and cheap family activity!

We felt a little silly in the over sized rocking chair but it was a fun photo anyway!

Walking through the David Archuleta corn maze.

The corn maze design has a picture of David Archuletta singing.
You can go to www.cornbellys.com to see the maze design.

They played various David Archuletta songs as we wandered through the maze.
And I do mean wondered. I think we were walking through the maze for at least 30 minutes before
we found our way out!

Ma and Pa Smith down on the farm!

We had a fun time at the Corn Maze and the weather was perfect!

~September Memories~

2008-09-22T11:37:00.000-07:00

I love the month of September!

Some of the things I enjoy the most about this month are......

~The cooler fall temperatures.
~A new beginning - I like to set goals in September.
~My birthday - I like to reflect on the many blessings in my life.
~Beautiful Sunsets.
~Sunflowers blooming.
~Leaves changing colors.
~The Harvest Moon.
~Peaches!

When I was growing up I would come home from school and see rows of bottled peaches on the counter.
I loved the site of them and especially the taste. I had no idea the time it had taken my mom to
bottle all of the peaches. I just enjoyed the end product all winter long.

Later when I had 3 of our children and was expecting my 4th I decided I also wanted to bottle peaches.
I am so thankful for my Grandma Spencer and the service she gave to me at this time.

She came to my house for several days and helped me bottle peaches and pears.
It was an enjoyable time visiting with her as we worked together.

I didn't know until I was typing up her journal last year that she served many others the same way.
She listed in her journal helping her sisters or sister -in-law canning peaches and pears.

She would list the number of jars that they had bottled and it was many.
I appreciate her example of service to me and so many others.

This is the first year I have bottled peaches in a long time.
I love seeing them on the counter and it brings back a
flood of sweet memories to me!

Birthday Celebrations!

2008-09-22T11:09:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Grandma Smith -September 21st
and Happy Birthday Lisa - September 24th

We went to Kim and Guy's house to celebrate
Grandma Smith's Birthday on Sunday September 21st.

Lisa and Bill, along with there family, were visiting from Colorado.
We were also able to celebrate Lisa's upcoming birthday!

It was fun to visit with the family.
We haven't seen Lisa and her family in over a year.

We are thankful for Grandma Smith. She is a wonderful
mother, grandmother and great-grandmother!!

She is a great example of love and kindness to all of us.

We look forward to celebrating her 80th birthday next year
with the rest of the family!

We couldn't get everyone in the picture so we took two.
I think we still missed Guy in each one!

Mick and his baby sister, Kim.

Kim and Guy are great hosts!
They always open their home to
all of the family.

Thanks for a fun afternoon!!

Happy Birthday Diane!!

2008-09-07T14:52:00.000-07:00

I can't even believe that Diane is celebrating her 40 something birthday this year. If I said she was born on September 7, 1962 though I wouldn't actually be telling anyone how old she was, unless your math is really good. Soooo...

My life with this incredible woman has been fantastic. She is the love of my life, and walks hand in hand with me as we follow the Savior and his teachings. My life has been so blessed with seven beautiful children, almost seven grandchildren, and amazing memories of time spent together. We have walked the streets of Jerusalem, sailed down the Nile River, walked through the Coliseum in Rome, and traveled the sacred spots of the Restoration side-by-side. This picture is of Carly and Kaylie, Diane and I sitting in Saucilito looking back towards San Francisco. I love being with her.

Here she is showing her talents as a weaver of hats. I love that smile, and the sense of accomplishment when she and I have worked together to do something we are both proud of. It may not be much, but there was a lot of love and togetherness as we did the service project at EFY this summer.

The Golden Gate Bridge is over our shoulder as I tried to take the arm-length photo. I truly love spending time with her. We figured the other day that without CES, EFY, and BYU travel in our lives, we wouldn't have traveled too much, but as a result of those opportunities we have gotten to see much of the United States, and parts of the world. We love to travel and look forward to spending time as a missionary couple one of these days.

Here we are waiting to get on the Cable Car this past summer in San Francisco. It was another one of those fun family trips where we spent a week traveling around the area after our EFY session.

I don't want to be too cheesy, or too personal, but hope that this tribute expresses even a portion of what I feel for her. Twenty seven years ago I saw her across the dance floor and knew she was the one I was to marry. She is my love, my friend, my support, my strength, and my happiness. As Dad always said, "Without my family, the gospel wouldn't mean what it does, and without the gospel, my family wouldn't mean what it does." Diane has been such an incredible strength for our family. We have testimonies of father's interviews, family home evening, temple attendance, family scripture study, and on and on because of her constant encouragement to do those things that will draw us to the Savior and his teachings.

She has taught our children how to serve in the home, how to care for families, and how to set the Lord as the center of our lives. For that I am eternally grateful. I will always be grateful that she was willing to say, "Are you asking?" when I asked her the marriage question so long ago. My life has been blessed ever since.

Diane, I love you forever, and always. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Cameron is Engaged!!

2008-08-29T10:21:00.000-07:00

Morgan is happy with her soon to be new Aunt!

We are so excited for Cameron and Rachelle.
They officially got engaged this week.
They will be getting married November 14th in the Salt Lake Temple.

Rachelle is a beautiful young woman with a playful personality.
She makes Cameron so happy and she fits perfectly into our family.

We are overjoyed to be adding another daughter to our family!

Birthday Fun!

2008-08-29T10:04:00.000-07:00

Kaylie wanted to have a 50's Themed Sweet 16 Party.
Grandma Spencer had 7 hula hoops that we borrowed. Everyone found unique ways to use them.
Kaylie's personal favorite is moving it around her neck!
Brittany was able to keep it moving for a while despite her growing belly!

Several of Kaylie's friends were able to keep the hula hoop going while blowing bubbles with their gum.
They had a hula hoop contest to see who could last the longest.
Also a bubble blowing contest to see who could blow the biggest bubble.

Later we set up a movie -Gidget- outside.
That was awesome. It was like being at a Drive-In, only in our backyard.
Mick made some great hamburgers that we served with fries.
Later they had popcorn, candy and Root Beer Floats.

It was fun and Kaylie and her friends had a good time.

Cameron mastering 3 hoops!

Cameron took this picture of a few of the girls in the family.

I think he especially favors the one in the middle!

We had a surprise visit from our old friend Ima-AKA: Tammy Mar from Nebraska.

On Mick' 40th Birthday Tammy went to his office dressed as her old lady character.
She walked into a class he was teaching with a walker, gray wig and old lady clothes.
She gave him a few items that he would possibly be using in the next few years.
Mick didn't recognize her at first and thought it was just a crazy old lady. She got him really good!!
She has been known to stop by many offices over the years on milestone birthdays.

We had a good laugh when she stopped by on Mick's birthday and teased him a little about his age.
It was great visiting with her and we enjoyed her traditional black bottom treats!

Happy Birthday Mick!!

2008-08-24T22:14:00.000-07:00

What a handsome little boy!

Elder Smith ready to teach.

Mick received an extra special birthday present August 24, 1992.
Kaylie decided to come a week late and make her appearance on her daddy's birthday.

It has been fun celebrating their birthdays together each year!

Mick is an amazing husband, father and grandfather.
I have been so blessed share my life with him.

He is fun loving and really a little boy at heart.
He is valiant and strong in the gospel.
He is my rock and best friend.

Happy Birthday Mick!
I love you!!

Happy Birthday Kaylie!

2008-08-24T21:53:00.000-07:00

Our little Idaho Gem!

We have been so blessed to have Kaylie as the caboose of our family.
She has brought so much joy to all of us.
She loves her family and always wants to spend time with them.
One of her favorite activities to do on Sunday is watch family videos.

She is very determined and goal oriented.
She is always a few steps ahead of us!

She is kind hearted and a hard worker.
She has a teasing streak and likes to have fun.

Happy Birthday Kaylie!
We love you!!!

Miniature golf fun!

Kaylie is usually happy and smiling.

Showing some of her playfulness in the waves.

First Day of School!

2008-08-20T13:09:00.000-07:00

We have traditionally taken a picture of the kids on the first day of school.
We forgot last year so Kaylie made sure we got one this year.
I think we have something like 21 years worth of pictures of the 1st day of school!
I think my favorite picture was the year that all 7 kids went to school.

It is hard to believe that school is starting already.
And that my 2 babies are in High School.
Carly will be a Senior and Kaylie a sophomore.

They started the day early with a 7:00 a.m. Seminary class.
Tomorrow the class begins at 6:20 a.m and goes for 90 minutes.

They have an A B schedule at their school and will do this on A day.
Mick's day started even earlier today. He had a class that began at 6:30 a.m.

Unfortunately he will be teaching on B days so every morning will be early.
We were hoping to coordinate the days but his seminary had a different schedule.

We will be the early birds this school year and will need to have an earlier bedtime!
Hopefully we will do better next week after the Olympics have ended.

Garden Harvest!

2008-08-20T12:50:00.000-07:00

We have been pretty excited to get some vegetables from our garden.
I made this chili sauce last week using tomatoes,
onions, green and red peppers that we had grown in our garden.
That made me feel a little self-reliant.

I remember my mom making this chili sauce when I was growing up.
It is my Grandma Anderson's recipe
I loved coming in the house and smelling it's wonderful aroma's.
Carly and Kaylie did not delight in the aroma and wondered what smelled so bad in the house!

On Sunday we had a meal from our garden. It was Delicious!
Tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, and a zucchini from one of our fellow gardeners.
For some reason our zucchini is not growing well. We thought that zucchini would be the easiest to grow.
We are still hopeful that it will produce in the near future.
We have also been enjoying corn on the cob!

I will be making salsa and bottling pickles in the next week.
We are thankful for the blessings of the harvest!

Heber Valley Camp!!

2008-08-12T14:54:00.000-07:00

Spencer Family Reunion

We went to the Heber Valley Camp this past weekend for a family reunion.
This is a really nice camp that is owned by the church. We stayed in Cabins that are called Yurts.

We roasted hot dogs, marshmallows and ate s'mores...yummm!

We had an enjoyable time with family visiting and sharing memories around the campfire.
Thank you to Grandma and Grandpa Spencer for arranging this for us.

We feel blessed to be a part of this family and are thankful for the ties that bind us!

The time went way to fast for us.
I read a quote the other day that I really liked.

"Don't be sad that it is over
Be happy that it happened!"
Dr. Seuss

Jackson and Aliza loved having Brianna running with them in this double stroller.

They kept saying again! again!

Uncle Cameron reading with Morgan.

Heber Valley Camp!

2008-08-12T14:30:00.000-07:00

Madeline loved climbing up to the top of the bunks.

Jennifer and Jared love the outdoors!.

We were really happy that they were able to come and spend a few days with us.

The family enjoyed relaxing at the camp.

Steven and Brittany in their comfy camp chairs.

Row Row Row Your Boat!!

2008-08-12T14:16:00.000-07:00

We spent some time on the Lake. It was a lot of fun riding in the canoes and paddle boats.
It was a beautiful morning and it was fun being on the Lake with the family.

Madeline wanted to ride with Grandpa and Grandma Smith on the paddle boats.
We got this cute picture of her riding with us.

Jennifer and Jared paddling away with the girls.

Melissa and Brian. Morgan and Jackson were hoping that they would get to go fishing.
Hallie was between Melissa and Brian sleeping!

Near the end of our time on the Lake, Rachel wanted to put her hands and head in the water. Luckily Jennifer had a good hold on her!!

Row Row Row Your Boat!!

2008-08-12T14:04:00.000-07:00

Carly and Kaylie are in the canoe with Grandpa Spencer.

Grandma Spencer, Aunt Debra and Justin are in the other canoe.

Aunt Debra, Kaylie and Carly on the paddle boat.
We all got a good leg work out on the paddle boats, the canoes were a little easier to handle.

Cameron and Brianna rowing towards the us.

Steven and Brittany with Aliza on the paddle boats.

Challenge Course!

2008-08-12T13:51:00.000-07:00

Mick starting the balancing tricks!

Hallie is sleeping through all the excitement.

We were thankful that Great Grandma Spencer had come prepared.
All the little grandchildren were happy with their own chalk, eraser and chalkboards. They loved drawing and the licorice!

A few happy faces after the challenge course was complete.

Challenge Course!

2008-08-12T13:37:00.000-07:00

We spent 2 hours at the Challenge Course. We were divided into groups so all the family wasn't together.
Our group did the ropes course first. We then went to several other challenge activities. You have to work together as a team to be successful in each activity. We had a great time doing these activities and enjoyed the time with family.

Carly in the middle of the ropes course.

This is the third time that Carly has gone a ropes course this summer.
It really scares her but she finds the courage in herself and has been able to successfully finish each time.

Some of our group is trying to balance on the moving log. Others are acting as angels and are giving a supportive hand when needed.

Brittany is squeezing through the spiderweb.

We each had to go through one of the openings without touching the rope.
No opening could be used twice.
It was pretty hard to do but was possible with a lot of team work!

Madeline held really still while she was pushed and pulled through the spiderweb!

Challenge Course!

2008-08-12T13:19:00.000-07:00

Brianna high in the air on the ropes challenge Course.

Cameron is looking pretty confident on the ropes!

This has to have been the scariest thing I have ever done in my life.

I think the hardest part for me was climbing the tree...I was so scared. Crossing the ropes I just focused on the guide giving me instructions and encouragement. Repelling down was fun. I think I wasn't scared of that part because I went down backwards!

Mick repelling down the tree.

Slipping & Sliding away!

2008-08-11T12:19:00.000-07:00

The Smith Train!

Brian and Melissa set up this fun activity for our family.
We spent over 2 hours sliding down this hill....what a blast!!
We decided this has to be a new family tradition each summer. Everyone had a great time.
The family got pretty creative in going down the hill. Each time they tried a new way to go down.
They went as a train, on their backs, stomachs, sideways, knees, ect.
Jared was adventurous and tried a somersault down the slide.
Steven, Jared and Cameron even caught a football as they were sliding down.

Madeline and Brittany had fun watching everyone going down.

I love all the expressions on their faces.

Almost everyone in the group went down this time.
It was fun seeing how they were going down and then watching their reactions at the bottom of the hill.

2008-08-11T11:58:00.000-07:00

Cameron surfing down the slide.

Cameron and Jared were both able to stand up as they slid down the hill.

Jared and Jennifer with the girls.
Rachel (the youngest one) loved it and wanted to keep going down.
Madeline had fun going down with different family members.
It took Aliza awhile to decided if she wanted to try it.
She liked it well enough to go down several more times!

Jackson had a special cover for his cast. He had fun going down and the cast stayed dry.

Brittany's baby is due in about 6 weeks.

We all felt that it was best that she didn't slide down. She kept the little ones busy when they weren't sliding!
The blue and white striped bump is Jackson hiding from us.

California Here We Come!!

2008-08-04T11:36:00.000-07:00

We were excited to begin our journey to California.
Mick was the Session Director for EFY (Especially for Youth) in Santa Barbara.

It was a wonderful campus with perfect weather.

The group of youth were great and we had an amazing experience.
We love EFY and were so happy that Carly and Kaylie could come with us.

Las Vegas Nevada Temple

We stayed in Las Vegas Friday night.
Saturday morning before heading to California we went to the Las Vegas Nevada Temple to do Baptisms.
This was a very beautiful Temple and we had a wonderful experience.
We were happy we were able to go there.
We saw several other Temples but weren't able to go in them because they were closed.
We love seeing all of the Temple that dot the earth!

We stopped in Ventura to visit Mick's Aunt Barb, Uncle Dave and cousin Randy.
We had a really nice visit with them and they treated us to a wonderful dinner at Marie Calendar's!

Here is Mick welcoming the youth to EFY.

The Theme this years was "Steady & Sure".

This is a great program that really does bless the lives of the youth, counselors, directors and all involved.

Our Friday night dinner had a western theme.

Cowboys and Indians were on the table for decorations.

This little cowboy found his way to Mick's pocket and later danced the night away!

2008-08-04T11:25:00.000-07:00

Here we are making hats for the EFY service project.
We were happy to complete our hat in a little over an hour.

Over looking the Ocean from University of California Santa Barbara.

Even though we spent the week just off the ocean in Santa Barbara
This was our first real close view of the beach.

We are dressed up for the Friday night Dinner and Dance!
We had a great time at EFY this week!

Carly and Kaylie on the Santa Barbara Pier looking back towards the city.
I felt bad that I hadn't taken pictures the first day that we were there. Because it was overcast on the day we left the pictures don't do the city justice!
Santa Barbara is a very beautiful city.
It is known as the American Rivera. You definitely feel as though you are in another country.

2008-08-04T11:12:00.000-07:00

After the EFY Session we spent a week in California.

We drove up the Pacific Coast Highway.
Before we got to the highway we passed by many fields that migrant workers were working in.
We passed one field where we saw a lot of cases of strawberries.
We were driving through a small town and passed a strawberry stand.

We stopped and bought these strawberries for $4 dollars!
They were so sweet and delicious.
They have to be the best strawberries we have every tasted!
We had them finished by the end of the day.

The Pacific Coast Highway follows the ocean all the way up to San Francisco.
It was a beautiful drive. The day was a little overcast so it wasn't very clear over the ocean.
It was scary in a few areas as we drove along the mountainside with the ocean on the other side.
It was just a drop off with out a guard rail in some places.
Mick didn't find the drive to be very relaxing at all and was relieved when we finally made our destination.

We stopped and watched the Elephant Seals. That was really interesting!

Kaylie at one of the viewing points.

We went on the 17-mile drive through Carmel by the Sea and Monterey

This was a beautiful drive.
We stopped at Spy Glass and Pebble Beach golf course.

Mick would love to play this course some day but we will have to wait until we are rich and famous ;)!

There were a lot of other really nice stops where you could view the ocean, seals, ects.

2008-08-04T10:52:00.000-07:00

Oakland California Temple

This is a beautiful Temple and the grounds are gorgeous!
We went to church next to the Temple. Afterwards we were able to walk around the Temple grounds.
You can even go up stairs around the temple and walk around the top.
There is a great view looking over to San Francisco from the top.

The visitors center is also next to the Temple.
They had a special display of sculptures there on the life of the Savior.
The sculptures were amazing!

That night we went to a fireside. It was a woman from the Philippines who has a beautiful singing voice.
She was voted as the best voice in Las Vegas last year.

She shared her conversion story to the church and sang some beautiful songs. It was a very enjoyable evening.

Here are a few of the many beautiful flowers around the Temple.

Looking down from the Temple.

I loved these yellow rose trees.

2008-08-04T10:41:00.000-07:00

Mick was in heaven at the Jelly Belly Factory!

This was a fun place to visit.
While we were standing in line they gave out sample of Jelly Beans.

The tour was great. It takes about 7 days from start to finish to make a Jelly Belly.
After the tour we were able to go to the sample bar and try some Jelly Belly's.

We also went to the Bean boozled wheel to try out luck.
Kaylie and I got lucky and got peach flavored Jelly Belly's.

Carly and Mick weren't so lucky.
Carly got tooth paste.
Mick got triple dare.
The 3 flavors he got were pencil shavings, vomit and skunk!
He said they were all pretty gross.
He breathed the skunk scent on us and we can verify that it was gross!

Muir Wood National Forest

This forest is close to San Francisco.
It has a lot of tall Redwood trees in it.

It was a beautiful area and the trees were amazing.

2008-08-04T10:29:00.000-07:00

Lombard Street

We are at the top of Lombard Street.
In the distance you can see Telegraph Hill and the Oakland Bay Bridge.

Lombard Street is known as the steepest, windiest road in San Francisco.
We didn't tell Carly and Kaylie about it until we were getting ready to go down.

We all survived and got some fun pictures!

At the base of the hill.

Looking up at Lombard Street.
The flowers were beautiful! We were glad we went down first thing in the morning.
When we rode by the next day on the Trolley Car there were tons of tourists there.

We walked about half way up Lombard Street.

I thought the flowers were so pretty on the street and houses there!

2008-08-04T10:16:00.000-07:00

The Golden Gate Bridge

This was before we drove across the bridge.
There is a little park you can stop at and take pictures.
We walked up to the first tall part of the bridge and back.
That was pretty fun.

It was foggy so you couldn't see the top of the bridge on this side.

Behind us on the island is Alcatraz.

I love this view that Mick got of the bridge.

This was after we drove across the bridge and went up to a viewing area.
You can't even see San Francisco because of the fog.

2008-08-04T10:06:00.000-07:00

Getting ready to ride the Cable Car.

Our 2nd day in San Francisco we bought a muni pass to ride
different types of transportation. We road on a city bus to get down to the Cable Cars from our motel.
We had a lot of fun riding the Cable Cars and went on them several times.
We rode on the Trolley Cars which wasn't a great experience.
We were packed like sardines on them. We got off as fast as we could!

The Pier along Fisherman's Wharf.

It was fun watching the ships sailing and to feel the ocean breeze.

China Town

We spent a few hours in China Town.
We went to the fortune cookie factory and watched them make cookies.
We ate at a Chinese Restaurant.
They served us tons of food that we couldn't finish but it was good.

Mick had seen these men playing chess the day before and really wanted to play.
So we rode the cable car down to Market Street so he could play.

He loved playing but made a wrong move and lost.
Mick said this was probably his most favorite thing he did in San Francisco.

Carly, Kaylie and I felt a little nervous as we watched him playing.
We observed alcohol being passed around and men digging
out of the nearby garbage cans trying to find food.
We were relieved when the game was over and were happy to ride the Trolley Car back to the Wharf.

2008-08-04T09:36:00.000-07:00

Riding the ferry across to Balboa Island.

The waves can get pretty high here.

It was fun to watch. We didn't get too wet on this day.
We had been at the Santa Monica Beach and Venice Beach the day before.
I didn't have my camera with me at those beaches.

Mick and I on Balboa Pier.

We had lunch at Ruby's Diner at the end of the pier.
It is a 40's style diner known for it's hamburgers.
We enjoyed the ocean view while we ate lunch.

Looking back at Balboa Beach.

I love the Ocean and have really enjoyed seeing it along the California Coast.
The seaside cities are really fun. We had been told we had to get some doughnut holes in Newport Beach on the boardwalk.
We found the place and were not disappointed....they were yummy!!!

2008-08-04T09:19:00.000-07:00

Newport Beach Temple

The Temple in Newport is only a couple of years old.
It is uniquely designed and the temple grounds are beautiful.

We love seeing all of the Temples!

This is the garden at the back of the Temple.

Mick was able to contact a family that he had taught on his mission.
The oldest daughter invited us to her home. She lives in Beverly Hills. The view of the Los Angeles area was amazing from her back patio! They were so touched that Mick would come and see them after so many years. Sadly their mother had passed away 4 months previously. We had a wonderful visit with them and were treated like royalty.
They served us an awesome grilled lunch.The family was so kind and loving to us.
They have never joined the church but have many fond memories of their experiences with the Elders.
This was a family that Mick had great love for as he served his mission.
This was a sweet moment for Mick to reconnect with this wonderful family.

2008-08-04T08:59:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles Temple

The Temple is huge!
It is a beautiful oasis in a massive city.

Before we left Los Angeles We stopped at the Temple grounds and walked around.
Mick has many fond memories of serving his mission in Los Angeles. The mission home is next to the Temple.

Having some fun in the Hotel.

We checked into one last hotel. Mick spoke at the EFY in Las Vegas.

He spoke 2 different days and had a great experience.

He is a great speaker and has had great impact on all of the youth he has spoken to.

Carly, Kaylie and I went shopping while he was teaching.

It was pretty hot...108 degrees. We decided our air conditioned hotel room watching TV was a better option!

St. George Temple

We stopped for about an hour on the way home and walked around the St. George Temple grounds.
It is a beautiful temple and reminded us a lot of the Kirtland Ohio Temple.
We watched a video about a young pioneer girl in the area. It was an amazing story.
It really makes us wonder how many times angels are surrounding us and protecting us.

July 27th - Happy Birthday Jennifer!

2008-07-11T06:58:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that a quarter of a century has passed and my baby is 25!
Jennifer was a very good little girl and always so obedient.
Sometimes she got mixed in the middle of things
but we have always been so thankful for this sweet, compassionate daughter.

She is a good friend and a good listener.
She is a wonderful wife and mother and has so many talents that she willing shares with others.
She is a great example of faithfulness in the Gospel.
She has a great sense of adventure and is willing to try new things!

Happy Birthday Jennifer - We love you!!!

Jennifer 1 years old.
This is one of my favorite pictures of her.

I love this picture, it really shows her sweet little personality.

Jennifer as a bag of Jelly Beans for Halloween.
This was her idea and got rave reviews!

Jennifer and Jared in Mexico.

Jennifer looking cute with her braids she had done in the market.

27 Years of Wedded Bliss!

2008-07-10T17:30:00.000-07:00

Today we are celebrating our 27th Wedding Anniversary!
It is amazing how fast the years have passed.

I have been so blessed to be married to Mick, he is an amazing man.
He loves me, his children and grandchildren and would do anything for us!

He has provided a wonderful life for me filled with fun and adventure.
Most of all he loves the gospel and is a faithful Priesthood holder.
My life has been greatly blessed because of him.

For me personally I know that I met my perfect match 27 years ago.
I look forward to spending the Eternities together!

We were sealed for Time and all Eternity July 11, 1981 in the Salt Lake Temple.

We had a beautiful outdoor reception in my parents backyard.

Just as the reception was starting it began to sprinkle.

It only lasted a few minutes and in it's place was a double rainbow. We have always felt that this was a good sign marking the beginning of our life together!

Here is our story:
We met January 3, 1981 at a dance.

It wasn't just any dance it was a Disco Dance at the Star Palace!

He said: I saw her come into the room and I knew that was the girl I was going to marry.
She said: When I saw him I thought "that looks like the type of guy I would like to marry".

We danced all of the dances together.
We went to a BYU 14 Stake Fireside the next night.
Talked once during the week and saw each other the next Sunday.

We got engaged that night!
That is right it was only after 8 days of knowing each other!

The proposal went like this:
He said: What would you say if I were to ask you to marry me?
She said: Are you asking?
He said: I guess I am.
She said: Than I would say yes.

6 months later to the day we were married.
It was love at first sight and has grown incredibly since!

"Our song" came out a few months before we got married.
Anne Murray's "Could I have This Dance?"

In the beginning there were 2.....

soon it grew to number 9.

We are now 18 and counting!!

Mick is my best friend and confidant.
I cherish our time together. It doesn't matter what we are doing,
working, playing, worshiping or just having fun.

I met and married the man of my dreams!
I love you Mick!

Mick's "Tara"

2008-07-09T13:07:00.000-07:00

If you are familiar with Gone with the Wind you will know that "Tara" is the plantation owned by Scarlett O'Hara. As Mick has worked in the garden weeding he said that he has the Gone with the Wind Theme song continually running through his head.

When the train goes by Carly, Kaylie and I have felt like the slaves on the plantation picking cotton.
It is funny where your mind takes you when you spend time working in the dirt.

Our garden is growing well. Mick has spent lots of hours weeding.
I have been more limited because of some back problems.
I think I over did it with all of the weeding that has needed to be done !

Our corn is growing high....hopefully it will soon be as high as an elephants eye!

It is fun seeing the garden grow.

We even have a few tomatoes growing.

Mick has done a great job in getting all the weeds out...don't the rows look awesome?!!

Mick was excited to pick our first green pepper.
We ate it in fajitas last night....it was good!

Our onions are growing really well. They have a strong fragrant smell.

It is amazing the growth that has happened in the garden in a few short weeks.

Summer Flowers!

2008-07-09T12:47:00.000-07:00

We have these pretty Daisy's blooming in our garden now.

The roses have been beautiful but the hot weather has gotten to them.

I was excited to see this Clematis growing.

It didn't bloom last year. We just figured it was some kind of vine plant.
Mick cut it down at the end of the summer, all that was left was a small branch.
It appears to be a pretty hardy plant as it is growing like crazy.
Hopefully we will get some more flowers on it.
This is a plant that you don't want to get close to during the day.
We have a big wasp problem here. Mick tried to find their hive the other day
and instead made them mad. So we had wasps swarming everywhere.

More Daisy's with some Hollyhocks.

This is a really pretty flower, lots of delicate petals.
We have the more traditional Hollyhocks growing in our backyard.
My Grandma Spencer had Hollyhocks growing on the side of her house when I was growing up.
I have always loved these flowers and could never quite figure out how they made dolls out of them.
I guess I will have to look it up on the Internet.

Proud To Be An American!

2008-07-05T12:40:00.000-07:00

I love the 4th of July!
I love the Patriotism of our Country.
I love seeing our flag waving and pondering on the blessings of living in a land of freedom.

We had a full day of events beginning with Brianna running in the Freedom Run.
We got her there just minutes before she ran her 5k.
She did a great job and finished in under 27 minutes and met her goal.

While she was racing we saw some of the Hot Air Balloons.
A few came close to the Park where the race ended. It was fun to see them a little closer.
A Couple even landed in the Park.

Carly, Cameron and Kaylie with the Hot Air Balloons behind them.

Brianna's happy with her running time.

We then went to the parade. I love hearing the bands play, especially the Bagpipes.
I love seeing the creative floats and the hot air balloons.
Our family loves getting the candy and made lots of noise to get their share!

A high light for me in the parade is the missionaries from the church.
I think there must be close to 200 Elder's and Sister's that walk the parade route.
It is amazing to seeing this Army of missionaries that are going forth spreading the gospel.

There was a veteran from Pearl Harbor in the Parade. Other veteran's and soldiers were honored that have served our country to preserve our freedom.

A quick picture before the parade started.

Grandpa with Hallie decked out in her red, white and blue.

2008-07-05T12:05:00.000-07:00

Kaylie and Cameron with Hallie.
Hallie didn't get into the parade to much. Half way through she fell asleep on the blanket.

Jackson liked the big balloons in the parade.

We missed having Brittany & Steven, Jared & Jennifer and the girls here.

We did call and talk to them to wish Aliza a happy birthday.

We love this little Star Spangled Banner Granddaughter.

She has a fun day for her birthday. Every year America will celebrate with her!

Morgan was anxious to try some of our strawberry and blueberry trifle.
She and Jackson were especially excited about eating the blue balls (blueberries).

The 4th of July wouldn't be complete without a BBQ!

Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Potato Salad, Baked Beans, Watermelon....yummmmmm!!!

We watched the fireworks on the grounds in front of the Provo Temple.
The fireworks were great and we loved hearing a few patiotic songs
on the radio that we had brought with us.

Mick was disappointed to not be watching the fireworks with us.

His new "Hobby Job" kept him busy at the Stadium of Fire. He is the Hawking Manager over the Hawkers selling concessions. After 9 years of selling at Nebraska Football games he has had a hard time giving that up. He sold at the BYU Football games and sold the most in the stadium. The guy in charge was so impressed with his know how and experience he offered him a position. No this doesn't replace his day job but it gets him into the BYU Football games free and he comes home with some fun money!

The Stadium of Fire is the biggest event of the year at the stadium. He did see Miley Cyrus, Blue Man group and Glen Beck as he ran up and down the stadium steps selling concessions. He was thrilled with the money he made is 5 hours.

I am so thankful to live in the United States and have the privileges that we do.

We are abundantly blessed! I am also thankful for those who have and who do serve this country in my behalf.

God Bless America!!

Repelling Off Mountains!

2008-06-22T20:05:00.000-07:00

Mick had some training meetings this week.
One day they went to a mountain and had some hands on learning.
They went to the top of a mountain and repelled about 75 feet down.
These experiences would be great if you didn't have a fear of heights!!
Mick overcame his fear and repelled down.
Mick is pretty determined so it would have taken a lot for him not to do it!
He said it was a great experience but he wouldn't be making a habit of repelling.

Starting his descent.

This is what he repelled down.
They hiked up the back side to get to the top.
Maybe next time he will try rock climbing up to the top....not!!
We will leave the rock climbing to Jared and Jennifer.

I love this picture of Mick.

He has this little boy look of determination on his face!

Learning The Ropes!

2008-06-22T19:24:00.000-07:00

Carly high in the air trying to reach the rope!

Carly, Kaylie and Mick had a youth activity night at this ropes course.
They did some group and trust type activities. They Climbed a rock wall and also a pole. They were about 25 feet in the air on the ropes course. Mick said the girls did great and he was so proud of them. We were excited to get these awesome pictures from one of their leaders.

Kaylie on her way up the rock wall.
She said it was hard but she did it!

Carly is feeling pretty confident climbing the pole.
She had a fun time and said she might do it again.

AAAAAAHHHHH!!! Jane a.k.a. Kaylie of the Jungle!

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-15T13:15:00.000-07:00

Mick has been the father of my children for over 26 years now!
I have been so blessed with this amazing, funny, compassionate and spiritual man!
Our children and grandchildren have an awesome dad and grandpa.

He has taught our family to work hard, have fun, but most of all a love of the gospel
and our Savior Jesus Christ.

We have had an incredible journey together.
I love you Mick!

Mick with a few of his friends.

Dad with 2 of his girls!

Grandpa and Morgan.

We have pictures through the years with all of the kids having a
"horse back ride" on dad.

This time the grandchildren got a turn. They weren't too sure what to think of it!

The Father's in my Life!

2008-06-15T12:47:00.000-07:00

I am thankful for my father-in-law.
He is a good man with strong values. I have been so very blessed by his teachings in the
home and also in the church because it has affected my life.

I have an amazing husband because of the teachings of his father.
Mick and his dad are so much a like. I know that he has been born
of goodly parents and I have been blessed in my home because of it.

Having some fun with the monkeys !

3 Generations of Smith Men

I am thankful for these 3 strong Smith men. They each have had a great impact on my life!

2008-06-15T12:30:00.000-07:00

I remember watching out the window while my dad and my brother David made this snowman.
When it was finished my dad came and got me and took me out side.

I have many wonderful memeories of my dad.
He is an honest, good man who always does what he says he will.
He is friendly and kind and always willing to help others.
He works hard and never complains.
He honors his Priesthood and is committed to the gospel.
He has blessed my life and I feel honored to be his daughter!

I love you Dad!

My dad has always worked hard at helping other people.

Here he is with his tow truck.

My dad enjoys nature, especially the autumn leaves.
I remember going on many rides in the fall to see the beautiful colors.
I also love the autumn time and always think of my dad when I see different colored leaves.

This is a picture of my family with one of my dad's antique cars.

My dad has a great love of old cars and gas pumps. It was always fun to go with him to some of the antique car show.
We were especially proud when he entered his own cars or drove them in a parade.
My dad loves the 50's and it is fun to hear him talk about the cars, food and music of that era.

Aaronic Priesthood Encampment

2008-06-12T13:10:00.000-07:00

Mick and I went to our Stake Aaronic Priesthood Encampment as a missionary couple.
We were assigned a zone with 13 young men which included 2 zone leaders.

This is the view we saw for the past 3 days.
It was absolutely beautiful! The Encampment was at the base of Mt. Timpanogos
near Sundance Resort.

This was my first experience camping with a bunch of young men...totally different than girls camp!

We had a main lodge that we ate in and the food was great!
We camped in Zones. Here a few of the young men are gathered around the Zone Leaders Tent.

The Theme for the Encampment was "Faithful Fearless"
Mick was in a vignette at the Sundance Amphitheater.
He played the role of a Bishop counseling a young man.
Captain Moroni and Mormon were also a part of this play.
A man from our ward had written the script.
It was very well written and went over very well.

The young men had workshops each day. They were all really good.
Mick spoke to the group one morning and talked about the
Atonement and Repentance. His talk was very powerful!

President Burgess from the General Young Men's Presidency
Spoke to us one night. This was very good and was a highlight of the week.

A recently returned missionary from Russia also spoke to the young men.
He was very impressive and a great role model for them.
Each of our Stake Presidency members spoke to us and
gave very uplifiting messages.

Each of the 8 wives had an opportunity to teach on the Sanctity of Womanhood to their Zones.
I felt good about my presentation and what I had shared with the young men.

There are so many other things I could write about this Encampment.
So much preparation, time and effort went into this event.
I think each of the young men there were affected in some way.
I know that I was strengthened by my experience at this Encampment.

We mingled with some great young men this week who will be amazing missionaries and future leaders of the Church.
I loved my experience and am very grateful that Mick and I had this opportunity.

Here we are on the Ski Lift going up to the top of the Mountain.

2008-06-12T12:22:00.000-07:00

This is a view from the ski lift about half way up the mountain.

They brought us lunch up on top of the mountain and we had some workshops there.

What goes up must come down!

The temperature was pushing 80 degrees but there are still glaziers on the mountain.

We got to this point on the trail and were told the only way down was to slide.

Mick went first and then I followed.

It was really fun and the wet bottom cooled us off for a while.

Several of the young men went down a few times

and even stood while coming down the mountain.

If you look close you can see where most of us slid down.

Here we are at Stewart Falls. Several of the young men in our group climbed to the top of the Falls. We weren't as adventurous.

We really enjoyed this hike and the beauty that surrounded us.

Come To Our Gardens!

2008-06-08T18:30:00.000-07:00

When we bought this house we were excited about the beautiful garden.
The former owner was a florist and spent hours designing and taking care of her garden.
When we moved in last June it was over run with weeds and very overwhelming.

We have spent many hours weeding and nurturing our garden.
It has been fun to see what new plants and flowers spring up every week.
I now recognize most flowers and I think have figured out the weeds.

It is amazing the time it takes to have a beautiful garden.
I admire all those who love gardening. I love the flowers but not the weeding!

These rose trees are blooming even more now.
We have several roses bushes that are getting ready to bloom.
Spring has been beautiful and I have loved all the new flowers!

Here is an update on our "Green Acres" garden.

Mick put in all of the stakes yesterday so that our tomatoes,
beans and peas can begin to climb. Everything has started to grow
including the weeds! We spent a few hours there and didn't even get close
to weeding all of the the rows!

Between our flower garden and our "Green Acres" garden
we are getting a stronger back, a little sun and nimble fingers
as we pluck out the weeds!

We have an added appreciation for farmers and the hard work
that they do!

June 3rd - Happy Birthday Carly!

2008-06-03T18:35:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that Carly is 17!

She has grown and changed a lot and so have we!

Carly is our Idaho Gem.

Carly is very quick witted and laughs at all of Mick's joke.
He loves this! She has an incredible memory concerning history.
She can always be found with a book (usually something Historical) in her hand.
She has a beautiful singing voice and loves to play games.
She love her nieces and nephews.
We are so thankful that Carly is a part of our family.
We love you!

Carly and her favorite princess Belle.