The Smith Family Chronicles

Winter comings and goings

2012-02-13T13:03:00.003-05:00

I have no pictures to share, no huge news to tell, and yet the Smiths are busy and happy and moving along with life. It's that funny time of the year after the big holidays are over and the lull of chilly winter rolls in (even though our winter has been rarely mild this year with temps mostly in the 50's and no snow...even a week that went up to the upper 60's, making flowers begin to sprout too early from the ground!). Does that mean we are bored out of our minds? No way, Jose! Here's just an update...

Sophie is continuing with her ballet lessons and recently got a progress report telling of her great enthusaism, desire to learn everything right, some difficulty paying attention :), and also of her amazing ballet feet! She is learning a lot at school and reading better all the time, finding words everywhere to read, even on wrappers and such, daily saying something like, "Hey, there are words here! ...not for resale...what does resale mean?!" Her random questions that role through her head continue..."What does 'declare' mean? How fast does our car go? Why can I be immodest for ballet? Have you gotten a ticket before? How many more kids can we fit in our car? I dont' want to have to teach that many kids, so maybe 3 or 4 kids is enough for our family?" are just a few of the recent thought-provoking questions of late.

Ryan is a talking machine. He loves to express his ideas clearly. He has been into construction trucks VERY much lately. Now, I know where all of the local construction sites are and what all of the machinery names are, what they do, and the prices of the construction truck toys at Target. His very recent trick is that he decided he wanted "McQueen underwear" so he could go potty like a big boy. I was not anticipating this until summer, but he asked, so we went for it! He has been a champ! It has been less than a week, and any accidents that happen are more of MY fault than his (not showing him where a potty is in a different place, going to answer the phone right when its time to help him in the potty, etc.). He even stays dry for nap time and can almost stay dry at night! A far cry from my first potty training experience.

Justin is working hard with his consulting company, recruting people to their team like a mad man! He earned a bonus which is making it possible for us to go on a carribean vacation this spring-just the 2 of us! We figured we'd better do it now before life gets crazier or our family gets too big for us to do it. Justin also just put together a group of guys in our area for a Tough Mudder team. They will completing the grueling 12 mile obstacle course in September. Thus, the workouts have begun! Justin also receives husband of the year for planning a semi-surprise (he can't keep a surprise to save his life!) Valentine's Day/Lauren's 30th birthday weekend trip to New York this upcoming weekend. He has never ever done anything like this before! We are always pretty simple with our gifts and get togethers that we plan, so this is a fun one-time thing for us!

Lauren has begun working every Saturday morning at Inova Physical Therapy, instead of 1-2x/month. It has been good to keep up her skills and give us more opportunity to earn needed extra cash, especially when Saturday Young Women's responsibilities pop up on that one weekend she needed to work. She has also been training to complete the DC Rock n Roll half marathon, coming up March 17th. She recently completed 10 1/2 miles outdoors. She will be happy to finish it with a good pace (10 minute mile non-stop). There is always something going on in Young Women's or something to keep her busy with the kids, so she relishes in any moment she can catch to read a good book. She also loves to watch other moms' kids, to help entertain mister Ryan. :)

Like all fmailies, we have the constant interuptions in life (broken household items, unexpected events, etc.), but we have our goals as well: paying off car bought from a bad year with vehicles, saving for that kitchen Lauren has dreamed about since the day we set eyes on this hosue of ours, and hopefully, preparing for another member of our family once we get things in order and Lauren's body cooperates.

We are sad that we haven't had a chance to use our sled that we finally got after several winters without one, BUT it sure is nice to be able to play outside more often than not!

So, there it is! No frequent blog updates, no fun pictures of big events to mark, but rather marking our current life by those precious moments; like everyone snuggled on Mommy and Daddy's bed watching America's Funniest videos, or listening to a big sister lovingly read a bedtime story to her little brother who adores her, or laughing at the way Ryan can't say his 'L's, or listening to 2 cute kids sing along to "Give Said the Little Stream" in the car, or trying not to laugh but rather teach and dicipline as Sophie tells us she got a "yellow face" at school for being too competitive during the quite game by erasing the other team's point...there are too many to name! It ain't always easy, but life is good.

Ice Sculptures Dec. 2011

2012-01-26T22:01:00.001-05:00

I blogged about this before, but now I have the picture to prove it! It was COOL! Literally AND Figuratively! (around 9 deg. F, I think)

Sophie's Nutcracker performance December 2011

2012-01-26T16:54:00.006-05:00

Here are many pictures from Sophie's Nutcracker performance just ebfore the holidays. her class were the ragdoll puppets. She is quite the good dancer! What we loved most were the faces she gave us. She before her performance she told us that she fine with performing, but she doesn't like ti when people smile at her. So, we tried our best, but it was too fun to see our little girl dancing! She kept giving us funny faces and getting mad at us for smiling! So fun! I think I told about that before, but here are all the photos we finally got back.

Christmas!!!!

2011-12-26T20:59:00.007-05:00

We had a wonderful Christmas this year! The kids were so excited and into every little part of it. The night before, they left out reindeer food on the lawn and then cookies and milk for Santa (made the previous day with Daddy). The next morning, they found a Thank You note from Santa (for the cookies & for being so good) and a few surprises under the tree. We loved seeing their happy, excited expressions with each gift, and we loved how excited they were for others and the gifts they gave to them. We couldn't believe that Charlie dog remembered Christmas so well, for he trotted excitedly to his stocking while we were looking at ours. He was so happy to get peanut treats! After breakfast, we went to church for sacrament meeting where we heard a good message from our dear Bishop. We just enjoyed each other the rest of the day and Daddy made his "Christmas Pizza." The next morning, rather than the kids running into our room no later than 7am, we got to stay in bed another 1/2 hour-hour. The kids woke up and played with their new Christmas toys and things together! As we listened to our sweet children playing, Justin humorously said, "I love Christmas!" :)

A few of the photos are not in order, but you get the idea! Above, is Ryan sporting his new Packers jersey with Daddy in his, while below is Ryan sporting is Cars McQueen jammies and slippers (which he still will not take off unless he has to get in the bath or change into ourdoor shoes). Sophie LOVES her Hello Kitty walkie talkies and her new CD player with the Tangled soundtrack. Now, we are just enjoying being together as a family. I love the holidays!

Christmas Eve fun

2011-12-26T20:49:00.006-05:00

Christmas Eve, we like to get together with friends to share a Christmas dinner, act out the nativity with our children, and sing Christmas songs. The kids were so darn cute this year! Ryan and Sophie were Joseph and Mary (photo above I like to call "the snot picture" as Ryan's nose is running and Sophie is picking at hers...lovely, I know). I wish I could figure out how to post the video, because it really was awesome. The dinner was pleasant, and we all had fun. Afterwards, we all retired to our homes to open a couple Christmas Eve gifts (traditional PJ's and sibling gifts to each other). Our family PJ photo is below, complete with the dog.

Handel's "Messiah" Sing-A-Long

2011-12-26T18:50:00.003-05:00

At the last minute, a friend of mine asked if I wanted to go with her to the Handel's "Messiah" Sing-A-Long at the Kennedy Center (on Thursday, Dec. 23rd). I had never heard of this, but I had no plans, I like to sing, and I like the music, so I tagged along. To my surprise, 3000 musical people fill this beautiful concert hall every year to sing-a-long to to Handel's "Messiah." We listened to the beautiful orchestra and soloists, and we all stood and, with musical score in hand, sang when it was the choir's turn. I have sung a few selections in choirs past, so I could easily sing along with some and had fun sight-reading the rest with my fellow alto friend. It was quite an amazing thing to be a part of, and what a wonderful, fun, and spiritual way to kick off the Christmas weekend!

It literally was the last minute, so I look...well...OK. :)

Ice Sculptures

2011-12-19T22:08:00.002-05:00

A couple Saturdays ago, a work buddy of Justin's gave us the present of coming to see the ice show at the Gaylord National on the Potomac River. It was Madagascar themed, and we saw tons and tons of ice formed beautifully into all sorts of characters and ways. We even slid down a slide entirely made of ice. We had to wear special parkas inside the place that was kept at about 10 degrees! Sooooo cold! If there aren't pictures with this, its because I am not so computer savvy and could not figure out how to change the emailed photos correctly to post them here. Oh well! :)

DC United soccer and dancing!

2011-12-19T22:03:00.002-05:00

I can't figure out how to get the picture of my phone, but I figured I should blog about it anyways and add the pic if the universe aligns for me! Back in October (seriously, it feels like couple weeks ago,not a couple months! where does time go?!), we had the opportunity to go see DC United soccer game with a group of friends. The soccer player that I am, was glued to the game! Everyone else got pretty bored until the last 5 minutes when 3 goals were dramatically scored (DCU 1, other team 2). All in all, very fun!

A week or 2 after that, we went country couples dancing with a few friends. We were taught a few moves, and then let loose on the dance floor. I almost re-broke my toe that night, but it was worth it! Anything to get me and my guy out on the dance floor. If I can get him out there (which is ahrd0, he is actually pretty good and really fun! (totally forgot my camera for this one!).

Puzzles....ugh!!

2011-12-19T21:54:00.002-05:00

Justin and I have been trying to have regular, weekly, different, low cost dates. You know, instead of just plopping on the couch and watching whatever netflix movie looks good every weekend. We have done a puzzle together before, and it was quite fun working together, listening to fun music, and chatting. Well, for Justin's birthday, I got him a 1000 piece puzzle. Boy, was I in for it! These pieces were tiny and put together so differently with such a detailed picture. Justin gets obsessed when he starts a puzzle. Me (Lauren), on the other hand, enjoys them, but only if the pieces aren't ridiculous to figure out, and if its is a large area of water or trees, I can only handle so much at a time before my back hurts and my brain fries, and, well...I just need to step away from the maddness. It took us a few days (and Justin encouraging me to continue!), but we finally finished it! We are our moments of "I'm so done with this!" but mostly it was fun and rewarding. Here is our work of art. I think next date night is MY pick. :)

Sophie's Nutcracker Performance

2011-12-19T21:47:00.002-05:00

Last week, Sophie got to dance ballet in her dance group's Nutcracker performance. She was a cute little ragdoll with her class danced so well! She told us before the performance that she is fine with performing for people, but she hates it when people smile at her. So, we did our best, but how can you hold in the joy of watching your little princess be so cute and do so well?? So, we're hoping to get some footage back of all of her rolling eyes and goofy faces she made at us to let us know we needed to stop smiling. It was hilarious! Up above is a picture of Sophie with her assistant teacher, Lauren (who is also a young women from church). Below that is a picture taken at a local shop where we had some hot chocolate while awaiting Sophie's performance. After taking his winter hat off and having a nice sip with lots of whipped cream, Ryan's hair and face were quite the site!

Ward Christmas Party

2011-12-12T10:44:00.002-05:00

We had our annual church ward Christmas party on Saturday evening. It was long, but we had a good time with all of our church friends. It was a 12 Days of Christmas theme, having many families decorate a table according to one of the days. We did 5 Golden rings, and Ryan loved singing the song together as each table stood up for their part. The kids also loved the nativity that some of the primary children acted out. The Christmas season is so fun!

As a side note, I have noticed pieces of the gingerbread house slowly disappearing and Sophie is itching to have her daily treat from the Advent calendar every day. Man, will she be in for a rude awakening when all the goodies are gone by the New Year! Also, this week, Sophie will be performing The Nutcracker with her ballet studio. She will have so much fun!

Santa!!

2011-12-06T22:22:00.002-05:00

Last week, I had an eye exam that was located at the mall. It was a long wait there, and my sweet little boy was getting anxious. So, what does any good parent do? Bribe their child! I told Ryan that if he was good for his Mommy that he could go see Santa. Oh boy, was he excited to tell him he wanted "McQueen stuff for Christmas." He was all geared up, but, as I noticed with other children before him, something happens when you are right there in Santa's midst. Santa star-struck, perhaps? Although he does not look very excited or talkative in the photos, he had a pretty good chat with Santa, and I could tell the big guy was taken with Ryan. Afterwards, he got a tiny candycane, a paper reindeer hat, and told me how cool it was to sit in Santa's lap. "He's a nice man," Ryan told me. :) I only wish Sophie had been there with us. Since that mall is absolutely nuts in teh evenings and weekends, especially this time of year, I'm trying to see how we can work that out. She seems to be content with the fact that she wrote him a letter already, though. Oh, the joys of Christmas and kids!

Big Medicine, Grandma Deb, & Grandma Condo come!

2011-12-06T17:20:00.007-05:00

Hooray for visits from family! We love it! Big Medicine, Grandma Deb and Grandma Condo (Justin's dad, step-mom, & step-grandma) all came out east to visit family all around, and we were so happy to have them for the weekend. We took them to tour around the historic downtown Occoquan by the river, as well as the Natural History Museum (Ryan LOVED it and Sophie asked question upon question!), went out to eat, and made a gingerbread house together (you will see it turned out quite well, but it was quite the mess), as well as beaded ornaments (right up Sophie's alley!). It was short but very sweet. Amidst the photos, you will see a couple of Ryan having a "heart to heart" with Charlie, the dog. It was quite adorable.

Aunt Leslie visits!

2011-11-28T13:54:00.008-05:00

We were so happy to have Leslie come up and visit us! She's in Georgia, and we didn't realize just how close she really was. We enjoyed having her for Thanksgiving, having some good aunt time with teh kids while Justin and Lauren had an anniversary date, making sugar cookies with her, and sharing our sick germs with her (sorry Leslie!). It was a short visit, but it sure was sweet!

Sophie and Ryan sure love their Aunt Leslie! By the next day, they were already asking when she was coming back!
After devouring his overly frosted green cookie.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-28T13:37:00.005-05:00

What a blessed Thanksgiving! Sophie, being in Kindergarten, had Thanksgiving Feast with her class that Lauren and Ryan were able to come help with and enjoy. It was fun to see her with her classmates and for Ryan to feel like a big kid.

For Thanksgiving Day, we did a potluck with some friends in the ward, and we were so happy to have Leslie, Justin's sister, drive up, as well as Justin's cousins, Danielle and Patrick (newly married and in the DC area now). The food was amazing, we all got stuffed, we enjoyed each other's company, played games, and let it all sink in. You couldn't ask for better!

Danielle seranading us with hymns while Ryan "helps."

Playing "Bang" with the crew.
A site of contentment.

Fall View and update

2011-11-14T23:04:00.001-05:00

A few days ago, I just wanted to capture the beautiful Fall view outside our home. The leaves been colorful and stayed longer on the trees than in previous years added with gorgeous fall weather. The kids have really gotten into raking and playing with the leaves, which has been fun. Not only do I love the scenic view but the adorable view of my family in it as well. Just one of those simple memories I had to capture. Oh-and there is also Sophie modeling her new Hello Kitty umbrella. She has been asking for one since school began, saving her money, us looking all over for one, and finally I (Lauren) found one in NYC on my day trip with the girls (possibly another post). Is not hard to see the girl loves it.

By the way, the kids have been aware of upcoming Christmas. It has been awesome has a parent being able to use Santa to softly threaten against bad behavior. :) Sophie and Ryan were way too excited to write Santa a letter as soon as they heard they could...even though Christmas is still a month and a half away! Their letters went into the mail today. This is going to be a fun year for the holidays!

Family Pictures 2011

2011-11-07T13:22:00.024-05:00

Finally! The yearly family photos! We are pretty excited about these since they turned out really well. Enjoy!

Time Out For Women

2011-11-01T13:24:00.007-04:00

Lauren had the opportunity to go to "Time Out For Women" in Richmond, VA. It is an event sponsered by LDS members who bring together various LDS inspirational speakers and musicians especially for the needs of women. I (Lauren) went with a group of ladies from church. We made it a weekend by staying at a hotel, going out to eat, and just enjoying being away with friends. It was a wonderful break!

Here we are at Outback.

After the Friday night session, we went out for cheesecake...yum!

Devouring our cheesecake. Only Lauren and another friend could stuff it all down! This is our friend enjoying peanut butter, since her son is very allergic. Go for it, girl!

We stayed up way too late playing Phase 10 and having some good conversation! By the way, there was a slight mix-up with the hotel arrangements, so we stuck our 2 queen beds together and stuffed 5 ladies on it...phew!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T09:17:00.004-04:00

We had a fun Halloween weekend this year. We hit the church trunk or treat on Saturday (which turned into an indoor trick or treat thanks to the super wet/cold weather (early snow flurries for our area!). Justin's cousin, Danielle, and her husband, Patrick were able to come for dinner and visit with us. We had great fun and Dani is trying to convince Lauren to change her half marathon to a marathon...uhh...we'll see. :) On Halloween, Justin was able to come home early and carve our big family pumpkin with the kids. Then, we stopped by a friends' home for a little get together and promptly hit up the neighborhood for some fun trick-or treating. Ryan, being quite motivated by candy, picked up on the idea quickly and was quite the charmer with his "Thank you"'s and "Happy Halloween"'s. He, then, became intrigued by everyone's jack-o-lanterns and decorations, and although the rest of us were done at the end, he wanted to keep going! Sophie was just happy to get a bunch of Kit Kats, her favorite candy. Oh! This year, we all dressed up as Star Wars characters: Lauren-Obi Won, Justin-Darth Vader, Sophie-Princess Leia, and Ryan-R2D2. Sophie was tickled that we called her Princess all night, and now she has our costumes picked out for the next couple years! Ryan had fun saying, "Bee bee boo bop bop!" We tried to get a picture of Sophie bending down to turn buttons on Ryan, but, alas, it did not work! :) Here are our few snapshots that we got.

Our little chef

2011-11-01T09:09:00.002-04:00

Ryan LOVES to cook. He will anything he is doing (even eating) to come help Mommy and/or Daddy to cook. He is very good for a litle 2 year old, too! He is fascinated by the whole process, and has even gone through my kitchen tools drawer to ask Lauren what every tool is called and what it is for. It's even cuter when he is in these snuggly jammies! :)

Fall Festival at Cox Farms!

2011-10-21T13:20:00.007-04:00

We went back to Cox Farm this year for the Fall Festival, as we love to go to some pumpkin patch thing every year. We had sooo much fun! We each got a pumpkin, saw the farm animals, has a hay ride, went through a corn maze, and played and played! Here's all the fun...

We had all sorts of slide fun!

Justin and Ryan on our fun Hay ride.
Playing on the toys, trains, and playgrounds that had blowing bubbles on them.
Petting the goats...

And this is how tuckered out they were after it was all over!

Extras! Extras!

2011-10-21T13:14:00.003-04:00

Here are some extra photos that didn't make it in a couple old posts. There are a few from when we went to Build-A-Bear to get the kids each their own birthday bear. They each chose teh brown puppy dog and dressed them in PJ's of their own taste (Hello Kitty and Cars). They were very cute getting their little "build-A-bears" all cleaned and dressed. The last one is one is one of Justin and Leslie (his sister) from the Tough Mudder.

Ryan turns 2!

2011-10-04T09:27:00.008-04:00

Last Sunday, Ryan turned 2 years old, and we had a wonderful weekend mixed with General Conference and Justin and Lauren having a day date at King's Dominion (an amusement park-thanks to Lauren's work!). Friday, as requested by Ryan, we played at the playground with friends and ate Cars McQueen cupcakes. It was a hit, and he was a happy boy! On his birthday, we had balloons and bubbles, then cupcakes for the family, and opened presents. I love the faces the excitement the kids show in the pictures when opening the gifts. Ryan got cars and a small Thomas the train (and Percy) track set. Exactly what he loves! We just went to his Dr.'s appointment and found that our boy is tall, extremely muscular (the Doc kept saying, "This kid needs to stop body building!"), and very advanced with his speech. We always knew he was always trying to catch up with big sister and that he will be a rugby or football player! Happy Birthday to our sweet sweet boy!

What sticks with kids

2011-10-01T22:55:00.003-04:00

It's always funny to me what kids notice and remember. What is even more funny is how that gets interpreted by them and what they say about it. The other day, Sophie was drwing on some scrap paper and decided to make a picture for Mom and Dad about "loud" and "soft." The right side of the drawing is Sophie reading a book quietly, or "soft." The left side of the picture is Mom screaming at a jumping cricket ("The[re] is o [cric]kit"). Yes! The nasty jumping creepy things make me freak out a little bit if they jump near me! Sue me! :)
On a similar note about kids' remembering, Ryan has entered the phase of expressing things he remembers when something random will trigger that memory. For example, a neighborhood friend stopped by the ride bikes with Sophie, and Ryan immediately turned to me and explained the things he remembered about her (hoe she crashed her bike with another kid, and how she pushed Ryan on his little bike). Recently, we had quite the brief, but very "loud," "bright," and "wet" thunderstorm, which left quite the impression on Ryan. He told me all about it ALL the next day. The prepositions are slow in coming, but he is fairly easy to understand. We sure love our cute family!

More Tough Mudder Pics

2011-09-26T14:02:00.002-04:00

Here are a couple pics from teh tough mudder course Justin did. First one is taken by Mason, his brother, and second from Leslie, his only sister. (more to come, hopefully)

Above: Smith clan muddied up and pushing through (having just finished one obstacle)
Doing the "tough mudder face" They are also sporting their team shirts and headbands (the Thundercats!)

Family Service!

2011-09-26T10:35:00.005-04:00

Every year, we do some big family service as a Christmas gift to Granma Jocelyn. Well, this year, the church asked us to devote a day to service (mostly for the adults). We said, "Perfect!" We got the whole clan (minus Lauren-she served the family by working that morning and missed all the fun!), and headed to a local Elemntary school that was in desperate need of some yardwork. They all worked very hard all morning, and the kids had a lot of fun! I think this helped give us more ideas for service work in teh future!

Broken Toe!

2011-09-26T10:32:00.002-04:00

Saturday evening, we were playing Kinect games. The kids decided to do their own thing, so Justin and I decided to try out Dance Central together and show off our moves. We were doing some sweet Salt N Peppa moves when Ryan got in front of me (Lauren), and I kicked the base of the couch (the wood part). It felt like stubbing my toe, didn't think anything of it, until I saw how twisted it looked. We knew I had done something and immediately packed up to go to the ER. I did, in fact, completely break my pinky toe. No pain really, but 3 hours in the ER, and hobbled out with a toe reset, taped to the next toe, and my foot in a flat shoe. I guess my half marathon training will have to wait!

New Bed!

2011-09-26T10:29:00.002-04:00

Ryan just changed from a crib to a toddler bed. He got McQueen Cars sheets, and he is in heaven everytime he goes to bed! No problems sleeping at all! (Did I mention he is obsessed with Cars the movie??)

Justin's Tough Mudder

2011-09-26T10:24:00.003-04:00

Justin recently ran the "Tough Mudder," a 10 mile hard core obstacle course created by Marines and filled with lots of mud. He flew out to Reno and completed teh Lake Tahoe course with all of his siblings. It was quite an experience! It was the toughest physical thing he's ever done, and believe it or not, they all want to do it here in D.C. in May. Lauren and the fam are so proud of all of his hard work! What a tough guy!! Here are some snapshots of when he got home and proudly showed the kids the headband he earned from finishing the course.

Ryan's new ride!

2011-09-26T10:19:00.002-04:00

Ryan got a birthday present early, so he could enjoy it in the nice fall weather. He LOVES his new motorcycle and wants to ride it all the time. He's such a boy and such a big boy!

Sophie's First Day of School!!!

2011-09-06T13:20:00.007-04:00

Here it is! It has finally come! The first day of school for our big girl! Sophie was excited (and maybe a bit shy, but not too much!) about her first day of Kindergarten. She felt pretty cool waiting for the bus with the kids, and once that bus was in eyesight, a big grin came across her face. She got right on and waved to us through the window. I can't wait to hear about her day!

Ryan and Lauren ran an errand or 2, had a lovely little visit to the library, and came home to fold laundry. He caught a glimpse of Nascar (Daddy had left SportsCenter on), and his eyes were transfixed! So far, a great first day for this new chapter! Of course, being first time school parents, if you will, there are plenty of pictures...:)

Sophie turns 5!!!

2011-08-30T00:21:00.010-04:00

We can't believe our little girl is already 5 years old! She brings us so much joy with her personality that is so fun-loving, intensely curious about her world, animal loving (yet quite eerily comfortable with death and where her meat comes from), amazingly bright and good at memorizing, sporty yet so very girly-girl, constantly dancing on her toes and singing her own songs, and has such a silly and acute sense of humor. This is our precious Sophie.
As you can tell, Hello Kitty is still VERY much her "thing." She was overjoyed to get her very own Hello Kitty bike, and had fun learning to ride it. She had a Hello Kitty birthday party, inviting her friends to swim with her at the pool, followed by getting her favorite dinner, McDonald's, where she orders exactly what she wants all by herself (cheeseburger Happy Meal with NO pickles, apples with caramel, and chocolate milk). On her actual birthday, she got to have a pajama day (her favorite!), where she just played around the house all day in her jammies. That evening, we all went as a family to Build-A-Bear (Ryan got an early b-day gift there as well), spent her birthday money at the Disney store as well, then got a smoothie for a treat. Yes, she is well aware that she will not get parties and all that royal treatment every birthday! :)
We love our little girl, and we are so excited for this new age that brings such fun adventures, like learning to ride a bike and going to school. She starts next week, and we are all excited!

Both of the kids got a puppy stuffed animal at Build-A-Bear, and they both dressed them in their favorite character/jammies...Hello Kitty for Sophie, and McQueen ("Cars") for Ryan. They were so happy and giggly about it! It was too cute!

Blowing out ehr candle (I JUST missed the pic of it!). She hates people singing "Happy Birthday" to her, so everyone just said "Happy Birthday" and she blew out her candle. Silly girl!

Opening gifts!

Chocolate face

2011-08-30T00:19:00.001-04:00

...Just for fun...:)
Sophie was so sweet to share one of her birthday candies that she got from Primary. Ryan gobbled it up in the car and was left with a cute chocolately grin!

Family Fun

2011-08-23T14:11:00.004-04:00

The pictures here are a little mixed up, but you get the idea... Yesturday, I had to snap a pic of the kids getting ready for bed. Sophie loves to help her brother get dressed, and they were so sweet about it. They are getting to be so big! They fight more now, but they are also more loving, and that is the part I cherish.
We also had a fun Family Home Evening. Lauren taught the lesson about Noah and the ark. They pretended to get in the ark with the animals and ride out the storm (as you see Justin helping out with effects). They had a lot of fun. I hope I can keep getting more easy, quick, creative ideas for FHE to make it more memorable for them.

Amigos Amigos Amigos!

2011-08-23T13:59:00.004-04:00

A while back, on a boys' day out, the guys' made a reference to the movie, "The Three Amigos." They were shocked to find that at least 1 of them had never seen the classic comedy, and it was then and there that they decided to have a party and watch the movie together. We finally got it together at our home, where we played Mariachi music, had a potluck taco salad, dressed up Amigos/Mariachi-style, watched the movie, and played a fun, goofy game, called "Quelf." (Thanks to the Witters for bringing it!) It was great fun!

Getting settled for the movie and ready for laughter.

The set up.
Getting silly in our game.
At one point, Justin had to pretend to be a dog. Oh dear! :)
All the girls!

County Fair!!!

2011-08-17T14:27:00.005-04:00

Oh, how we LOVE the county fair! Carnival rides, funnel cakes, demolition derby, farm animals, old fashioned ice cream...what's there not to love?! I think this year we had the most fun we have ever had. Sophie was able to ride any ride she wanted (almost!) and Ryan got to go on a few and see the "cars crash!" I don't know if I have ever seen more joy on a little girls' face! Here are some snapshots of our fun...
What a big girl!

Ryan flying with Mommy!

Race car Sophie!

We loved the carousel...and the great big slide!

"Go green!!" (cheering for the demo derby cars)
Ryan was very much into the demo derby!

Our little fam.

More carousel with Daddy

Ryan waving to all the animals and showing us "He..llo...baby...goat!"

Skipping along with Daddy.

Can't you just see the pure joy this little girl had? So fun!! Best summer activity yet!

Got shake?

2011-08-17T14:12:00.005-04:00

Recently, the kids have enjoyed getting a little bit to drink themselves in the mornings from Daddy's protein shakes (usually its just Sophie who hears the blender and goes running from ehr bed). I just loved the mustaches they got one morning. It looks like they are straight out of a milk ad! (below is just in case you needed a closer shot!)

Movie Time!

2011-07-31T20:21:00.002-04:00

Its a terribly picture...I know! Sophie is complaining about the sunlight, we have a wiggly Ryan, and Lauren is trying to make it work. Next time, we'll take a picture BEFORE the movie. :)

Anywho! We had a free Saturday and decided it would be fun to take the kids to the Cars 2 movie, since Ryan LOVES Cars stuff and Sophie loves the movies. They got to see the big screen with popcorn and candy in their laps. For his age, Ryan did really well! He lasted for at least the first hour of the movie before the wiggles started. They both loved it and it was a fun family outing on a hot, hot summer day.

Beating the heat

2011-07-24T22:34:00.004-04:00

I have failed to take pictures yet again, but here's a quick update...

A phone call from Oma & Papa reminded me about this...It is time for those dog days of summer here in Virginia, with high tempertures and high humidity. We tried to keep cool at the pool, but even the water there was too warm, so we quickly came home to run through the sprinklers for a good cool down. I think I just sat in the grass with the cool water spraying on me for a time as the kids ran around. :) To beat the heat, we have had movie time at home, gone to the library, and gone bowling. The bowling was fun and quite busy for Mama keeping hands and yes on 2 busy-bodies carrying heavy balls. This week, Lauren is filling in at work for a couple days, so if we have time we may try and catch a movie this week or next.

Also, last night our ward had a Pioneer Picnic to celebrate Pioneer Day. The primary children dressed up as one of their ancestors and told stories about them. Sophie was her great-great-great-great grandmother, Mary Thompson, who crossed the plains with teh saints and was also married to Willard Richards ( a prominent church leader who was in Carthage Jail with Joseph Smith at teh time he was matyred). She did very well telling her story, and Ryan had fun running around "Fast!" Ryan has become more of an immitating parrot, copying everything his big sister says and does, as well as repeating phrases to you over and over again (to tell you a story of something important) until you finally say it back to him. They certainly keep us smiling.

Justin's work has been getting busier as his boss's trust him more in helping the company grow. We are excited for the possibilities that will come from teh hard work, as they have always treated him very well. He is also working hard at working out, training for the Tough Mudder this fall in No. Cal. with his siblings. He has already lost 22 pounds and counting! We are quite proud of him.

Laurne is keeping busy with Young Women's and her job on the side, but life at home keeps her most busy. That's all for now!

Grandma's Visit!

2011-07-21T14:57:00.004-04:00

Grandma Jocelyn came to visit us last week for 5 days. It was great, but we completely failed to take any pictures at all! So, we will just have to sue our imaginations! We had fun going for walks with Charlie, going to the playground, playing games, going to a waterpark, a birthday party, and having some grandma solo time with the kids (which was better for mister Ryan to enjoy his grandma without Mama around to whine to!) while Justin & Lauren had their time away for a night. Yes, that's right! Justin and Lauren stole away for a night out in old-town Frericksburg and a stay at a small bed & breakfast. It was a good experience for all! We were sad that Justin's work was so busy and that the stay was so short, but thanks for coming! We love you and we love our family visitors!

Girls Camp 2011

2011-07-18T15:11:00.004-04:00

I love my calling at church! As 2nd Counselor in the Young Women's, I love working with the young women. I was lucky to be able to go to Girls' Camp all week with them this year, roasting in the hot, humid forests of Virginia, giggling with them, helping them certify, and helping them to feel the spirit and love of their Heavenly Father. "Happily Ever After" was the theme, full of princess-y type things, and based off of Pres. Uchtdorf's talk, entitled the same. I came home tired, dirty, but happy, closer to the girls, and on a spiritual high. I hope I get to go next year...or every year! :) (Notice there are tons of leaders from our ward! The Stake Camp Director moved into our ward last year. Talk about fun!)

4th of July parade

2011-07-14T17:49:00.009-04:00

We had a very fun Independence day filled with a long parade of fun and a great BBQ and fireworks show with friends. Just how it should be! Unfortunately, we only remembered our camera for the parade, but we got some good shots. Check it out...

Ryan waving his flag

we love marching bands!

The kids.

Here's our whole crew (about 6 families from our church ward).

Sophie was too busy with her friends to join our family photo...oh well!

The kids enjoying the show (and the LOADS of candy they got!)

Swimming Lessons and Waterparks

2011-07-14T17:45:00.003-04:00

(Top: Ryan having fun at a local waterpark for kids). Sophie took swimming lessons this year and was a "Rock Star!" (exact words from her teacher) She is a little fish and egtting better every day. We also had the opportunity to head up to a local waterpark, called Signal Bay. The kids were there for 5 hours and had a ball! Here are some snapshots.

Paper Airplanes fun

2011-07-01T19:19:00.006-04:00

SO, I didn't realize that our blog was not posting when I asked it to. Sorry for the break in posts! One night, Justin had the grand idea to make paper airplanes. The kids had a blast throwing them around outside. It's amazing how much simple fun you can have with a simple idea! Sophie did pretty well, and Ryan...well, it didn't go far, but it sure was a cool plane! :)

Sophie's Ballet Recital 2011

2011-06-23T17:05:00.015-04:00

Our little ballerina had her very first ballet recital. She danced to sleeping beauty's "I know you." It was quite a big deal. After buying costume, waiting 2 hours in line for recital tickets, 2 dress rehearsals, and flowers purchased, and watching our little girl in a packed auditorum filled with family members of tons of other little girls, we realized just how big this was! It was so fun for her, though, and she is eager to do more ballet come fall. We took our own little photo shoot at home and had a little fun with it. Here are those as well as snapshots from the recital. (The video of the dance is having trouble loading, so I'll try to post it later)

Happy Father's Day!!!

2011-06-19T15:37:00.003-04:00

I love my dad! Both of my parents taught me so much, but for father's day...My (Lauren's) dad taught me love, respect, honor, responsibility, hard work, silliness, the simple joys of life, how to enjoy sweets and super buttery/salty popcorn, how to pick my nose (but not others'!) :), how to fish, how to be selfless, and many other things! The picture below is John Haddock with his headlight on trying to catch some catfish with me. Thanks, Dad! (see below for more great dads!)

Since Lauren does the blog, she'll have to speak for Justin :), but Les Smith trylu enjoys history, good stories, movies, and having child-like fun. He is a good man and a wonderful grandfather (even though he has the weirdest grandfather name we have ever heard of!! "Big Med"). Thank you for being in our lives. I think you like me because my own father prepped me well with his cheesy humor :). You are fun to be around and I think you keep getting better with age!

Justin is such a good father and daddy to his little children. They love him to pieces in every way. Sophie tries hard to be JUST like him (and in many ways she is and always has been!). he is so fun and silly, yet a good disciplinarian, and so loving. There is no doubt in those kids' minds that their daddy loves them. Thank you! We love you!

Beginning of summer

2011-06-19T15:16:00.003-04:00

Summer is here, school is out, the pools and parks are open, the heat and thunderstorms are here, the plans for summer fun are being made, and the calendar is filling up like madness. I don't know why summer, or at least the beginning of it, has become so crazy for our family. Perhaps its the 2 surgeries we are doing (turbinate

reduction in the nose for Lauren and Justin's major mole removal this week), OR maybe its the family dentist appointments and other doctor's appointments that have all come up, OR maybe its the daily swimming lessons for the next 2 weeks and end of year multiple ballet rehearsals for Sophie's recital this week, OR maybe its the preparations for Lauren to go to Girls' Camp for a week immediately following the 4th of July, O

R maybe its the c

ontinuing education seminars that have come up for Lauren's physical therapy licensure, OR maybe its re-orgnaizing the ward playgroup and continuing to organize book club. When I put it all down, it makes sense...I think. :) How ever you look at it, we're busy, and we are trying to create and find those special moments in between that make it all worthwhile.

Lauren and the kids have been trying to hit the pool often to keep cool, and we finally just went outside to run through the sprinklers (after a week of cooler temps and non-stop begging from Sophie). Yesturday, Lauren had received an invite from a couple other wives, and found a cheap amusement park ticket. So for Father's Day yesturday, off Justin went to King's Dominion for some all day rollercoaster guy-time fun. He had a blast, and I think it made up for some all morning meetings for Stake Conference we had today.

here are some snapshots of the kids (up top): eating watermelon, (below): having fun with their bubble bath (check out the Santa beards), Ryan trying to fill some big shoes (Justin's), then falling, and then some sprinkler fun. Happy Summer!

Race Car Driving!!

2011-05-20T18:38:00.013-04:00

Justin's boss's, to reward for hard work done, invited us to go race car driving in Richmond, VA today. It was a family affair that was lots of fun. The kids loved the cars (especially Ryan!), the guys were pros, and the ladies...well, were terrified, but we had fun. :) Here's what we did...

Psyched before we go!

All the kids pretending to be driving.

Ryan, nervous for his Mommy

Justin suited up.

Lauren, looking goofy.

Ryan helping Mommy at the pre-drive instructions

Ryan getting to sit on a car.

The kids posing.

Waiting our turn.

Scott and Jennifer. Such wonderful people and neat bosses.
The drivers.

Too loud!

Justin's turn. This guy helped us into the cars and got us going. Super nice.
There goes Justin!

Lauren's turn.

Yep I (Lauren) stalled. Embarassing. :)
I got better! :)

They had some rockin' music playing at the track, and Ryan got his groove on with the pole.
He was so happy to get his own race car toy and couldn't wait to open it!

Out to lunch afterwards, and cute little baby ducks came right up to our table!

So cute!

The kids checking it out.

Sophie's Preschool Graduation 2011

2011-05-19T21:26:00.005-04:00

Our Sophie girl graduated from Preschool and had her graduation this evening. She is such a big girl, and we are so proud of her! Sophie is very ready for Kindergarten, and cannot wait. Here are some fun snapshots from the evening.

The whole group

Doing the Pledge of Allegiance

Singing some of their songs

Ryan got SUPER wiggly and crazy. So, he took a snapshot or 2 with the camera to keep busy.

After her teacher talked about how wonderful Sophie is, they took a seat. here she is using her "diploma" as a telescope. :)

Our sweet girl!

The gang

Ms. Maureen, her teacher. Such a wonderful lady!

A couple pics from her days at preschool

Hello Scar Face

2011-05-15T20:31:00.002-04:00

Our little boy...well...is a little boy, by all accounts of the word. Normally, he brushes himself off or says "ouch" and continues to run off playing, even though it leaves you cringing, but now and then he really freaks his Mommy out. Church, today, proved to be one of those more interesting days. Ryan got into a fight with the hymnal holder. Mommy rushed him out, Ryan screaming, to take care of the blood, but all turned out OK. He was quite the trooper, and now we have mister "Scar Face." I'm hoping this is a scar that goes away as it heals. Then, again, you can still see his Thanksgiving momento on his bottom lip. I'm just glad that I (Lauren) just took a First Aid refresher course! Oh, boys!

Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-08T21:02:00.002-04:00

Happy wonderful Mother's Day to all women, for we are all mothers! We didn't get a chance to have an Easter picture taken, so Mother's Day is close second. My family treated me very well this year, and taking a little bit of a break with some appreciation sure makes a mom feel great about going back to "work." :) I am grateful for all the mother's, and women, in my life.

Visit to Las Vegas

2011-04-28T16:03:00.024-04:00

We had already decided on coming to Las Vegas this summer, but Grandma Smith's health took a turn for the worse, bringing the whole family together to see her at least one last time. As with these things, such sad occasions bring people together, which is also joyous. So, we were all sad for the reason, but happy for the event. We were there for just over a week, spending time with family, celebrating Easter, a new baby, and, at the very end, mourning the loss of a loved one. She was such a wonderful woman, and we know that she is much happier now.

We stayed at Mel & Ty's home (Justin's step-sister), and Sophie & Ryan had a ball getting to know better all of their cousins, uncles, aunts, and grandparents (including Lauren's parents & sister, Kelli). We captured lots of photos to remember the fun trip, and some more details go along with the pictures.

It was also our "puke-tastic" trip, as Justin so named it. First of all, we have decided that flying across country is awful, flying with kids is very difficult, flying with sick people is no fun, and combine it all and you've got pure misery that we do not want to repeat. Just before the trip, Ryan and Lauren had JUST gotten over a really nasty stomach bug. Well, just after take-off, Ryan's still weak stomach made him puke all over Lauren. Thankfully, he was fine after that. Not 2 days into the trip, Sophie pukes all over the rental car as we neared the Hoover Dam, spiking a fever of 104 for the next day. Thankfully, SHE got better and quick. Poor Uncle Mason and grand uncle Paul caught the bug from Sophie. We thought we had all made it through the sickness without much trouble, when on the way home, Sophie pukes about 5 times, filling more than her share of barf bags. At least, we didn't smell of puke. We had some delays and majorly bumpy flights (due to a storm-Lauren had major naseau with that!). We finally arrive home and climb into our own beds (hallelujah!) after drinking crystal clear Virginia water (we missed you!) around 3am, when Justin announces he is feeling ill. Sure enough, the next day, he is making his own sacrifices to the porcelain gods, as they say. It is at the end of the day, Lauren had managed to keep fluids down Justin, tame a mountain of laundry, tackle a load of mail, bills, & emails, re-stock the fridge & cupboards, and get the kids in bed at a reasonable hour. Friday is looking better and better.

We're not so sure we ever want to travel like that again, but we are so very very grateful we made it safely home (Charlie and the house were also OK and happy to have us) and that we were able to spend some precious, unforgettable time with those we love. We miss them already!

Aunt Katie & Sophie catching some sun.

Aunt Kristen, Uncle Dallin, & Preston.

Some of the Smith brothers palling around in the pool.

Lauren helping Ryan in the hop race (at Mel & Ty's church easter activity). He was giggling so hard!

Sophie pinning the tail on the bunny.

Sophie dying her own egg.

Ryan & Zoey (2) giving high fives

Cute little Zoey. She is so tiny! Ryan easily outweighed her!

High Five Uncle Burton!

Justin & Burton had to race in the potato sacks. I think Justin tripped at teh end. They are so competitive!

Zoey & Ryan racing with their daddies.

Here was the egg toss, which made Ryan believe that's what all eggs were for....sigh.

Finding the candy inside the eggs at the hunt.

Looking for eggs!

Ryan took a great swing at the pinata. That's our boy!

Sophie scored with all the candy!

Cousin Brendan trying to make off with the pinata. Go dude!

Aunt Leslie! We love her!

A common occurance on the trip. The kids were so off schedule, and we were all often tired, catching a rest whenever we could.

Playground time!

PresTON!

Our Ry-guy

Swinging cousins

Easter morning egg hunt in the backyard.

Cousin Kaitlyn looking hard.

Justin, Grandma Debbie, and Big Medicine directing traffic

Bailey & Mel. Bailey knew where the good stuff was!

Uncle Mason helping Sophie out.

Ryan filled his bucket so full, he couldn't carry it anymore, dragging it & saying, "Heavy! HEAVY!"
Sorting it all

Jayden & Sophie having fun together as always.

On Easter Sunday, we went to church with Oma, Papa, & Aunt Kelli (who drove in for thhe quick weekend to visit). Sophie had lots of fun playing Barbies with her!
Lauren & Kelli

Ryan snuggled right up with their dog, Sandy. That's our dog lover.

Kisses!
The crew, minus Justin who zoomed across town for Julie's baby's blessing.

Oma, Lauren, and Kelli

So precious! Ryan snuggling with Daddy after his afternoon nap.

We hit up the Stratosphere arcade with Justin's siblings and kids.

Splash-pad/playground fun. You have to get wet in Vegas! Here's Big Medicine swinging Sophie & Taylor around.
Hi Ryan!

Bailey

"Wet"

Sophie palling around with Jayden
"Cheese!"

Swinging with Big Medicine

Uncle Dallin being his goofy self.

Our animal lover immediately fell in love with Sandy. We went to a park to feed the ducks, then on a walk with Oma, Papa, and Sandy.

Easter Bunny came early!

2011-04-17T21:08:00.003-04:00

Our family has to go to Las Vegas early this year to visit Justin's grandma, who is in poor health. It's sad and exciting at the same time. She is a wonderful woman, and we will miss her, but it will be nice for Lauren & the fam to go back to her old stomping grounds after years.

So, because the Smiths will be gone for Easter, the Easter bunny decided to come early! He left our early packages on our doorstep with a ring of the doorbell, and the kids couldn't have been more excited! They got kites (which we will have to try out soon), new movies, their own little chicks that move, and, of course, candy. "Cars" for Ryan, "Pocahontas" for Sophie, and candy? Talk about happy kids! Ryan was sooo stinkin' excited to watch that Cars movie! "Vroom vroom! Vroom vroom!!!!"

Thank heavens Ryan was himsefl today after a week of a yucky stomach bug. He so kindly shared it with his Mama, who is slowly recovering. We hope to be all healthy and good for our trip west. Happy early Easter to all!

Spring toes!

2011-03-29T14:27:00.002-04:00

Sophie loves to paint her nails with her Hello Kitty nail polish, and especially with Mama. She was tickled "pink" that our toes ended up the same color. She doesn't want to wear socks today so that she can see "those pretty toes." That's our girly girl!

Dead to the world

2011-03-29T14:16:00.002-04:00

This is my poor, sleepy, little boy. He fell asleep yesturday morning as we drive home from the grocery store. If I don't wake him in the car, or as soon as we arrive home, I'll bring in our goods, and then bring him inside where he wakes. I had some things to do and thought, "He'll at least wake up when I set him down." Nope. Plopped him on the couch, and there he ly for at least another 40 minutes, motionless. Just before we had to head out the door again, I heard him call for me while he was walking toward me in the kitchen. Granted, the poor little guys is getting over a double ear infection where one side caused a slight ear drum rupture, and he woke up too early that morning. I couldn't believe it that afternoon when he still slept another 3 hours! Needless to say, he's feeling great today. This photo op. was just too precious.

Family Bowling time!

2011-03-28T07:15:00.001-04:00

Finally! A Saturday without several obligations! With a lazy morning filled with waffles & playing galore, we headed on down to the bowling alley for some more family fun. We all had a great time, and Lauren got the high score (thanks to some possible bumper help, Justin's poor bowling, or Lauren's mad skills...we'll never really know!) :). Ryan also gave it a try, and at one time tried to chase the ball down the aisle. He slipped with a great fall, and we are all so bummed that we didn't get a video of the whole event, since Lauren chased after Ryan. It was like a scene out of a movie, or even a cartoon, for that matter. Ryan slipped, then Lauren slipped, feet flying in the air, & we're scrambling to get off the stupid lane. It was all quite funny (& a little embarassing)! We left a fun game and ate at Cici's pizza buffet. It was a long-awaited, fun family day, and we plan to do them more often.

Ryan's "crusty"/sad face

2011-03-04T09:13:00.002-05:00

Doesn't this make you so sad? It reminds me of my nephew, Evan's "crusty," as they called it. Maybe its a second child/boy thing?? I asked him to keep eating and he got sad about it...maybe it was my firm tone? Don't worry, he got lots of love after I made him pose. :) Parenthood is great!

Haircut and fun

2011-03-03T09:12:00.002-05:00

Here's Ryan's latest haircut. Lauren thought using the clippers on the top of Ryan's head would make things easier, but...we got post Cancer treatment Ryan. Pasrt of what makes our sweet little boy so unique is (or was) is hair. Oh well! He's still cute, and his hair grows fast.

Here's Sophie parading around in Justin's motorcycle helmet that she found. She immediately said it was like Daddy's Halo game. No more video game watching for Sophie! (except Lego start wars-that girl is awesome at it!)

Sweet boy

2011-02-12T13:20:00.002-05:00

Here is a taste of our sweet little boy and how he is communicating now. He is learning a new word and/or sign every day. He had an ear infection last week that took a while to get over, so we really appreciate his sweet personality even more.

Super Bowl 2011!

2011-02-12T13:13:00.002-05:00

We always like to watch the super bowl, and its a great excuse to have some yummy food and maybe even even even get together with friends. This year, we partied by ourselves and got serious about the game because Justin's Packers were playing. He made sure we were all in green and/or gold. We had quite the tummy spread, and enjoyed our time together. During the second half, we had to take a break to get the kids ready for bed, and Ryan, who normally hates to be naked, became a pretty silly naked boy, as you see here. After the kids were in bed, Lauren got in her jammies and found the Packers were doing well. So, Justin made her get back in green. Lo and behold, as soon as Lauren sported the colors, the Packers got a touchdown and snagged the supe rbowl trophy. Go Packers!

Winter Fun!

2011-02-12T12:55:00.006-05:00

Happy Winter! We have been enjoying the snow and indoor fun here at the Smith house. The kids had fun getting out one day to check out the snow. It was too stiff to make a snowman, but we had fun throwing some good snowballs. Here are some snapshots of our fun.

Ryan has been getting into everything, and loves to copy his big sister. SO, here he is sporting Sophie's headband. Stylin', dude! :)

Ryan just couldn't last through lunch and fell asleep in his chair. Poor kid!

Ryan's Dismount

2011-01-24T20:15:00.001-05:00

Need we say anymore? At least he provides hours of entertainment....

Sophie's new purse!!

2011-01-16T19:11:00.003-05:00

As we know, Sophie is a Hello Kitty fanatic. She loves everything Hello Kitty. Recently, she has been learning about the concept of money, earning pennies and nickels for chores and saving to buy things she likes. With some Christmas money, she immediately knew she wanted her very own Hello Kitty purse. We had to do some searching on the internet, but she helped pick one out, paid Mommy and Daddy her money in exact change, and waited patiently for it to come in the mail. Well, last week, she got it! Her very own package form the mail man with her brand new Hello Kitty purse that! It is more adorable than we thought, too! While jumping around in excitement, she continuously exclaimed, "This is the best day EVER!" I only wish I taken a video of it...too funny!

Uncle Mason visits!

2011-01-16T18:59:00.002-05:00

The last week of 2010, we had the joy of having Uncle Mason visit us. We had a lot of fun bumming around and playing with Mason. The kids adored him, and we have sure missed him, especially Charlie! Charlie knew Mason as a puppy when Mason lived with us one summer up in Maryland, and he was extatic to have his old pal back! Here is a snapshot of "Fruitopia," the city Sophie and Mason created before Ryan tore it down. And below is a shot of the kids playing on Ryan's car.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-25T15:09:00.006-05:00

Merry Christmas!! We have been hvaing the most wonderful Christmas. This morning, we awoke to a lovely light snowfall, which is Lauren's dream. Christmas Eve, we shared a delicious Christmas dinner with some friends and had the nativity performed by all the children. Sophie was an angel, and Ryan...well...just enjoyed it! After some pie, we went home to leave out cookies for Santa and open up our pajamas. Sophie woke us up in the morning to tell us about the presents and missing cookies & milk . The kids loved opening their presents, and there was lots of love and giving. We had a full morning, and the kids were quite tuckered out from all the fun. In fact, Ryan fell fast asleep in his high chair after eating our light lunch. The most precious gift (at least to Lauren) was a recipe/photo book of her Oma's loved recipes and family photos that her cousin, Danielle put together. Christmas truly is about giving love. here are some snapshots from the holiday.

Jammies time!

First look at the gifts.

yea! Lego blocks!!

Santa gave me....a package?

Yes!!!!

The kdis ahd fun with their Zhu zhu hamster pets.

Sophie being silly, pretending to be a present.

The kids gave Justin a fancy tie.

Lost in ehr new game.

My own flashlight!! (Sophie is excited for him, since he won't take hers anymore) :)

Hello Kitty lip gloss?!! (Seriously, how much Hello Kitty stuff can one little girl have and still be excited for more?)

Visit from Grandma Jocelyn

2010-12-17T10:41:00.004-05:00

Last week, we had a wonderful visit from Grandma Jocelyn. We had so much fun with her! She got to come to our church Christmas party, sent Lauren & Justin out for an overnight date, visited, & played fun games at home with us. Some pictures below show us decorating a gingerbread house for Family Home Evening. We already miss her!

Bath time is always fun filled at our house!

Pretty Grandma!

Happy Thanksgiving 2010!

2010-12-17T10:26:00.003-05:00

I know its late, but Happy belated Thanksgiving! Some old Maryland friends (who moved to the TYson's corner area of Virginia) invited us for Thanksgiving. So, we happily cooked up a few dishes and made our way there to spend some time with "the other Smiths" and their 6 boys. It was so nice it felt like we were with family. We had a ball visiting, eating, and playing. We are sure grateful for the countless blessings we have been given! Here are a couple snapshots of the kids in their Tahnksgiving bibs that Grandma Jocelyn made for them. Sophie loves them!

In other news, Sophie is trying to learn to read as well as leanr the concept of money. Just yesturday, with her own money she had been collecting, she bought herself her own Hello Kitty nail polish ("poe nolish," as she often calls it) that she just HAD to have. SHe is decked out with sparkly nails today. Ryan has started saying some more words ("mama," "dog," "please," "sauce," "night night") and signing for things he wants ("please", "no", "drink"). He is not as verbal as Sophie was at this age, nor is his brain constantly "computing" as her is, but he sure figures things out fast and is quite determined! He is also is a book worm and also so very loving, cuddly, and sweet. We love our family and are so grateful everyday for each other.

Family Pictures Fall 2010

2010-12-03T15:08:00.001-05:00

Family Picture time! Our friend so kindly took these wonderful pictures of us. We'll try to do something like this every year or so. Enjoy!

We love Fall!

2010-11-17T21:29:00.003-05:00

This Fall here in Virginia has been expentially wonderful! The leaves have taken their sweet little time changing colors and slowly falling off. In fact, we never had to rake until today! The kids had a ball playing in the leaves before we had to dash inside for dinner. Here are a few snapshots of our fun (they were too cute! I had to get the camera!). Ryah loved the rake, and Sophie had fun covering her mama in leaves and letting Kitty join in on the fun.

Justin's big 30th B-Day Bash

2010-11-08T13:25:00.004-05:00

This last Friday was Justin's 30th Birthday. He took the day off, enjoying his time at home, went golfing with several buddies, went to grab a quick bite with them at Chipotle, and then came home to a big surprise birthday party filled with friends. Lauren managed to surprise him (which was hard!), and he had dcorations, lots of food, pictures of his life up all over the place, as well as some of his fav. tunes playing in the bakcground with all of his friends ready to wish him Happy Birthday. We had a great time. Our camera's battery died just in time for the party, but our friend, Nikki (seen above) was kind enough to share some of her snapshots. We hope you enjoy this new part of your life, Justin!

Lauren, the hostess.

Friends!

One of Jusitn's old mission companions who has moved to teh area came with his beautiful wife, Donia, and their newest addition to the family.

Ben, Justin's Chocolate partner. It's no wonder they're friends. :)

Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T15:51:00.004-04:00

Happy Halloween! The Smiths went to our church Trunk or Treat from some trick-or-treating fun. We also carved our pumpkin and watched a kids' alien movie. The day before, Sophie went to her Preschool Halloween party all decked out in costume. Just some simple fun!

Sophie making sure Daddy is making just the right face.

Our little Fairy!

Our little Monkey!

Getting ready to walk!

2010-10-22T20:43:00.002-04:00

Our little man is getting more daring with his first steps, taking more & more. He's a mover, so we're excited to see him when he really gets goin'! What's funny & what was missed at the end of the video is he took the apple piece back from Charlie & ate it. He wants his food! :)

Pumpkin Patch 2010

2010-10-22T15:32:00.020-04:00

We love Fall! And in Fall, we like to go to a pumpkin patch for some good ol' Fall Fun! This year, we tried Old Mine Ranch. The kids has a blast. We fed the animals, rode the "train," played on toys, in big slides, went through a small haymaze, took a hay ride, picked our pumpkins, and just enjoyed the beautiful day. Now that we got our orchard apples, we're ready to bake us some apple pies/crisps. Fall is so yummy & fun!

The goats were free roaming.

Checking out the piggies.

Ryan loved petting the ponies.

Sophie entered the huanted house with Daddy. What a tough girl!

Ready for our train ride!

Lucky girl! Miss Sophie girl had a pony ride. What a natural!

Finding our way through the little haymaze.

Ryan LOVED the big, slippery slide.

We all ahd a ball!

Gotta love the sibling love.

Our little mover enjoying it all.

here's how Ryan came down teh slide most of the time. It just about gave Lauren a heart attack teh first time, but he was super safe & laughing the entire time.

I'm ready!!

Sophie got rolled around in a tube for the first time.

What are you doing?

A typical pose from Ryan, waving his arm in the air & talking about something important. He especially does this when he's outside feeling the wind and looking at the trees.

Riding the little trucks

They loved this little playground.

Hay ride time!

Isn't this so stinkin' adorable?!

Toothbrushing adventures

2010-10-15T22:01:00.002-04:00

Ryan has just started brushing his teeth. He loves his new toothbrush and proudly says, "Ah!!" when its time to brush. That little guy birng so much joy to everyone he meets. Also, he is getting very close to walking.

Sophie also got a new toothbruth....Hello Kitty, of course! Are we surprised? :) She's beginning to get good at writing and sounding out words. She was quite excited that she was able to bring her special kitty to preschool for show & tell today. Her teacher said she presented like a pro! We've learned that Sophie needs to prepare what she does in front of people. If it is sprung on her (like a last minute scripture in Primary), she shuts down. She's sucha smart, fun girl.

Here's a couple fun snapshots of the kiddies.

King's Dominon date!

2010-10-02T21:39:00.002-04:00

Lauren scored free tickets to King's Dominion, a nearby amusement park, through her work. We realized poor little Ryan would've had a hard time being stuck in a stroller all day, so a friend kindly offered to watch him. Then, we had the grand idea to go sans kids. So, Sophie happily went to play at our friend's house, while Justin & I sped away to the amusement park to spend the day on rollercoasters! It was so much fun! Lauren was pretty nauseous, but it was worth it! We took a few snapshots of us after it was all said and done. What a great date!

Video fun from Ryan's B-day (& before)

2010-10-02T21:22:00.003-04:00

Here's Ryan trying to talk his gibberish to us. Of course he wasn't a performing monkey for us when we turned the camera on, but we got a little bit out of him nefore he was done with it all.

These last 1 aren't very exciting-just fun for us to look back on & see that cute boy's smile & brain a workin'!

Figuring out his new hammer toy.

He loves his new Cookie monster toy, but he was a little overwhlemed with all the new things. Oh, to be 1!