The Smith Family

Introducing. . .

2011-05-12T09:54:00.000-07:00

So we are still alive! I was going for a year off but have too many requests for pictures. We have had a busy year. We had baby number 4 Brooklyn Smith. Born
Feb 27th at around noon. She was 6 lbs 14 oz. She is sweet and mellow and already sleeping great. We are all doing well and I will try and get some more photos pretty soon!

2010-05-26T09:42:00.000-07:00

So it has been awhile again. We have been babysitting a 1 year old little boy for the last few months so things have been a little crazy. Scool is almost out, t-ball almost over and ballet almost done. I see a quiet, relaxing, fun summer ahead! We have done a few things over the last little bit. We ventured the tulip festival when the weather was dry. We had dance recital pictures taken. The recital is June 12th. Other than that we have been at home ore when the sun is out at the park! It has been crazy wet this year! We have had almost 2 striaght weeks of rain. We are ready to see the sun again. Our yard is in need of some serious help. We decided to kill all the grass and the level the ground and then start over but so far the grass is dead but the weather is soooooooo wet we can do nothing more. We do not even have a garden in yet! Some day we will get there. I did paint my second bathroom which was still the lovely wood paneling. I replaced the mirror and changed a few things. I t is a sage green with chocolate brown towels and accents. Nothing fancy but so much nicer that wood paneling! Other than that we just have had fun at home! The girls are getting big. Miley can't wait to be in 1st grade. She wants to be big and I don't want to let her be. Addie is as sweet and crazy as ever. She is in limbe. She misses the kindergarten deadline by 5 days. We are trying to decide if we want to test her to early start her. She is so ready and her friends are all starting, but I don't know if I want her and Miley so close in achool. Peyton is just peyton. She has a crazy curly mop on her head and a sweet goofy personality. She like to sing and dance and play with her baby dolls and cook! That's it in our exciting lives. More to come later!

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Long Overdue

2010-03-12T08:37:00.000-08:00

So these are just a few random recent pictures. Today is a grading day at school and we are having a lazy day so I thought I would drop a quick note. Things have been busy. WE BOUGHT OUR FIRST HOUSE! We closed on Dec 31st and started moving in Jan 1st. It is a great house. Built in 1927 but we came across it in time to pick interior paint colors and flooring to go throughout the whole house. There is still quite a bit of updating to do but we are trying to tackle it 1 project at a time. In the meantime I love having a house with space and a playroom. Can I tell you how much I love having a playroom!!!!! We also have a great backyard with a large wooden playstructure. I put on here pictures of my new couches. I think I am almost as excited about them as the house! Then there are just lots of pictures of the kiddos. Peyton is 19 months old and super sweet but also has a little fire. She likes her space and is not afraid to tell anyone to go. She also has a great look that could kill! Addison is our bundle of energy as usual. We are going to test her for early start for Kindergarten (she misses the deadline by 4 days) and the thought of school is super exciting for her. Miley is loving school. Not so much the bus, but school is good. She is already saying shes ready for 2nd grade. She is becoming quite grown up and you can tell in the way she talks. Her favorite saying is "Mom, don't I look sooooo fashionable". The picture in her pj's and sunglasses she thinks should be her next school picture! Anyways maybe in another 4 months I will have another update! So long for now!

2010-03-12T08:25:00.000-08:00

Kindergarten here we come!

2009-11-20T09:03:00.000-08:00

So Miley was off and running to go to kindergarten. She was a little nervous but mostly excited. I cannot believe we are starting down the school road! We decided to put her in a different school than the one she should have gone to. It is still in the district but it is a smaller school. Only one kindergarten class of 18. The school is K-8 and I love it! They know Miley, they know me, they know Addison. iT IS GREAT!

Happy Birthday Addie

2009-11-20T08:57:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe my Addie bug is 4 years old! Where does the time go. She is a sweet and busy and crazy and adventurous little bug! And we love her so ! I am grateful for the 4 years she has been with us and can't wait for the many more adventures she wil bring into our lives! We love you!

Happy Birthday Addie cont...

2009-11-20T08:47:00.000-08:00

2009-11-20T08:33:00.000-08:00

Peyton loves our little keyboard. She will stand on anything to reach it and play it and the automatic songs that are on it she loves to dance to! Addie is and has always been our little monkey. Our community has a family picnic every year with lots of fun things. Addie decided she was going to rock climb. She went all the way to the top and repelled down woithout even a second thought. The guy that helped harness her was amazed that she was only 3! That's our girl!

Luau

2009-11-20T08:24:00.000-08:00

Our ward had a luau in August and we had a polynesian group come down and do some traditional dances and songs and also teach some of our youth and members dances. Miley was able to participate and she did so good being on the stagein front of everyone. We opened it to the community and had I think around 300 people present. She did a great job!

2009-11-20T08:20:00.000-08:00

We love our Granny!

2009-11-20T08:18:00.000-08:00

2009-10-15T10:08:00.000-07:00

The Ice cream shoppe tradition

2009-10-15T09:59:00.000-07:00

Fun at the lake cont...

2009-10-15T09:48:00.000-07:00

Aunt Jen gave Peyton her first haircut! What could be better than sitting in the lake eating popsicles. Poor Addie was so tired and afraid to sleep upstairs that she turned on the hall light and crashed in the hall!

My baby turns "1"

2009-10-14T11:27:00.000-07:00

I am not sure when this happened. Probably while all the other chaos has been going on. I know that 1 is still a baby but it seems so big from what she was just a year ago. She is a sweet girl. She is a mix of her sisters in so many ways. She is independant and persistent. She is loving and smiley! She loves to cuddle. She can walk but won't if anyone is paying any attention to her. She is a goofy girl who brings lots of smiles and peace toour family! We love our little pater taters!

2009-10-14T11:19:00.000-07:00

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Crash

2009-10-14T10:55:00.000-07:00

So we were on our way home from Montana on the 5th of July. We decided to break the trip up and stay over in Coeurdalene at my grandmas house. We got in late slept and got up early to hit the road. It was a long drive home. We had a very emotional trip with Miley. She was sooo thirsty and then was peeing every 45 minutes. We were stopping so much. We finally cut off all liquid which made her sob because she was so thirsty. We were not very kind - we were trying to get Ben to work and we were apparently very ignorant. She was still having to pee even with no drinks. We eventually got home and she was still peeing a lot. I thought to call the dr thinking it was a bladder infection or something and never dis. Then Wednesday she wet the bed. She did it 3 nights in a row. She has not wet the bed in over 3 years. In fact one night, she went potty, we read scriptures, she went potty again and within an hour of being in bed she was wet again from her shoulders to her waist. I took her in on saturday morning still somewhat oblivious and they diagnosed her with type 1 Diabetes. Her blood sugar was 537 (normal for her being 80-180) So they sent us up to Emmanuel Choldrens Hospital for the next 3 days. It was horrible at first. Miley is phobic of needles so it would take one of us to hold her down and the other to give the shot. Now she is a pre. It has been an adjustment but we have lots of help from family and friends! We would not survive without them! Miley checks her own blood sugar now 5 times a day and has insulin shots at breakfast and dinner. She is very brave and we are so proud of her for being the big girl that she is!

Montana Adventures

2009-10-14T10:42:00.000-07:00

We were able to spend about 8 days in Kalispell over the 4th of July for a family reunion. We had a great time. There was swimming, hiking, canoeing, sleeping on the tramp, fireworks, birthday parties, and lots of playing with cousins! We had a wonderful time!

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Bloggity Blahs

2009-08-27T16:36:00.000-07:00

So I have had a severe case of the bloggity blahs this summer. I have had issues posting pictures to my computer so I am not tackling that one today but just wanted to note that we are all well and surviving summer now that it has almost come to an end. We have lots of fun playing with family and friends. We have also had lots of firsts! Peyton turned 1. Miley learned to ride her bike without training wheels! Addie rock climed a 40 foot rock climbing wall without a moments hesitation. Lots of excitement. We also learned at the end of our vacation that Miley has type 1 diabetes. After a short stay in the childrens hospital for education and to help Miley get her blood sugars and ketones under control we came home to have lots more firsts as we have been learning about juvenille diabetes. I will get on the ball in a week or two when miley and addie experience more firsts with preschool and kindergarten and ballet starting up and I will get some pictures posted! Hopefully this means the bloggity blahs are gone!

Easter Dresses

2009-04-13T22:49:00.001-07:00

I know that I am the mom so of course I think this but I have dang cute little girls. This was the first time I was able to dress them all up matching and it was sooooo fun. Miley is starting to look like such a big girl and so is my Addie bug! Where does the time go! I love that whenever Peyton sees me she grins from ear to ear! What a great blessing these little girls are to me. It has been neat to talk to them about how fun all the egg hunts and parties are but that the true meaning of Easter is that we can live again with our families forever because of Jesus Christ! What a wonderful thing to celebrate!

Let the games begin!

2009-04-13T22:41:00.000-07:00

My Addie bug made her mom proud by participating in a peeps eating contest. She was by far the youngest in the kids competition. I think she was is shock that she could really sit and eat as many as she could without getting in trouble. She was so cute and did so good at trying to not use her hands. She ate 4 in the 2 minutes! Go Addie. She won a little thing of bubbles and was so proud of herself and so excited about her accomplishment.

2009-04-13T22:14:00.000-07:00

WARNING! Content may be graphic and cause one to gag or even vomit! As a part of the Easter party we had a peeps eating contest! Now anyone who knows me knows that I have a love affair with sugar! Peeps are no exception. They have always been one of my favorite easter treats! So a contest! I was in.At first I was the only girl and then I talked Lisa the hostess into joining me so we could show the guys who the superior gender was! I think Lisa is still cussing me out. We had 2 minutes and we could use no hands. I downed them 2 at a time ( I warned that the pictures were graphic - you should see the video) and I tied with an 18 year old young man. We both ate 12. I had quite the sugar buzz and am not sure that I will eat peeps for a very long time but I walked away standing a little taller knowing that I had accomplished such a great task!

Easter Party

2009-04-13T22:02:00.001-07:00

Some of our friends in the ward had an Easter potluck/party/egg hunt for those of us that did not have family around. It was sooo much fun. We again had great weather, Good food and lots of fun. The anticipation on the kids faces kills me(j/k). Once they got to go they had a ball and even worked together for the greater good :)!

Coloring Easter Eggs

2009-04-13T21:51:00.000-07:00

We had beautiful weather Friday night so we decided to have a bbq and color eggs outside. It was great and much more laid back for mom because I did not have to worry about color spilling on my carpet. It was great and the girls had a ball! Peyton enjoyed her cheerios and the swing. We have already passed on the tradition of my father of the famous "eye" egg. As Miley so proudly displayed - this is by far the favorite egg and is fought over when it comes to finding it! I love traditions!

Community Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-13T21:43:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed a little easter egg hunt with some friends on the Friday before Easter.

Lucky little leprechaun

2009-03-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

Happy ST. Patricks day! We copied and idea from my cousin Kristin to set a trap to catch a leprechaun. When I told the kids what we were going to do they wre totally into it. Addie was a little freaked out at what a leprechan was so I told her they were nice little magical people that we wanted to catch because they would grant us wishes! We made our trap and found the shiniest pennies to put in since they like shiny things. This morning they came down to our house in shambles. Chairs were turned upside down and in the sink. We found Mixie the fish on the stove to be cooked. We found green pee in the toilet where they apparently had to take care of some business and a little note in the trap that said - hahaha you can't catch me! The girls were all to excited and wondered if they would see them today but I assured them that when the sun comes out thet travel home to Greenland to sleep! I attempted to make green shamrock pancakes but was informed by Addie that they looked more like a duck so we had green duck pancakes apparently! Have a lucky day everyone. Also Happy Birthday to our favorite little Jackson! He turns 3 today and we wish we could celebrate with you!

Big time owie and lesson learned

2009-03-17T08:48:00.000-07:00

We have been trying to work with Addison on sitting down at the table to eat. She has the hardest time with this. She is always standing up. We have been telling her that it is not safe. We hopefully lesson learned. She was standing last night and slipped and fell hitting her lip. She totally split the little thing that connects your lip and your gum and then has a lovely fat black bottom lip. No loose teeth so that is good! We will see how lunch goes today!

Sick

2009-03-17T08:41:00.000-07:00

Surprise! Surprise! We were all sick a few weeks ago so all we did was lounge and watch movies. Peyton wanted to be held 24/7 and there were some basic tasks that had to be done so this is how we functioned. She would not lay down to sleep so we kept her in the sling and she loved it! Addie was being our Strawberry Shortcake Berry Princess! Can't you tell!

A first for Peyton

2009-03-17T08:33:00.000-07:00

The first on is Aunt Jen and the babies. But the following are of Peyton in the new baby swing we got for the swing set. She loves her swing in the house but when she was put in the one outside we had squels and giggles from her. She is a happy camper outside (I wonder where she gets that from). Now if we could get some more nice weather to play in that would be great!

Movies in the Fort

2009-03-17T08:30:00.000-07:00

All of our ducks in a row!

Birthdays! Birthdays! Birthdays!

2009-03-17T08:19:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since our whole family has been together (long for our family I should say!). We seized the opportunity with 5 birthdays that all fall within 3 weeks of one another 6 if we could have had grandma hebdon with us. We had a great weekend. Lots of food and games and late nights. A few of the favs were speed scrabble (maybe verging on obsession with a select few), phrase pictionary, and guitar hero. This was my first intro to guitar hero/rock band. I was not brave enough but we have some hard core rockers in the family if you can tell from the photos.

A first for Addie

2009-03-17T08:11:00.001-07:00

So Addie's hair is long enough to pull back in a "big ponytail" as Miley calls it. Addie was so excited to have a ballerina ribbon and hair do just like her big sister! So nothing to do with hair but this is an Addie -ism. Miley was telling me about a dream she had and Addie piped up, I had a dream about you mom. I asked what about me and she replied; about how much I liked you and I was giving you all the hugs and kisses! Gotta love those dreams!

Fun Project

2009-02-24T08:28:00.001-08:00

So I was at JoAnn Fabric getting fabric for my next sewing class and I saw this great material. You paid for it by the inch and all you have to do is hem it and sew down the side. I added thick ribbon as a strap. It was super quick and easy for one who is not the sewing type!

A beautiful Weekend

2009-02-23T08:21:00.000-08:00

We had some beautiful weather this weekend so we got out the biles and decided to enjoy it!Peyton loves to be outside. I wonder where she gets that from!:)

2009-02-23T08:19:00.000-08:00

It is hard being 6 months old!

Sweet

2009-02-18T15:02:00.000-08:00

So today I laid my kids down for naps,addie hollered at me after only about 30 minutes. I could tell she had been asleep already and was awake and she wanted me to cuddle with her so I laid down to see if she would doze back off. Ashort while later I awoke to Addie rubbing my cheek and playing with my hair which is what I do to her. Sometimes you could just killem and then they do the sweetest things that help you remember why you love them of so much!

Finally

2009-02-16T15:38:00.000-08:00

So I finally figured out what was up with my computer and we have pictures once again! The pictures speak so much better than I could. This is what we have been up to. Nothing too exciting!

2009-02-16T15:37:00.000-08:00

We are here! We are here! We are here!

2009-02-04T16:08:00.000-08:00

We are alive! We survived the holidays and are trying to adjust to a new routine. We had some trouble with our computer a while ago and ever since I have not been able to download my pictures on. I am not a procrastinater, my pictures just say things so much better than I do! Anyways for now you get to hear me. Things have been a little crazy in our life for the last little while. Ben was laid off from his job in October. We had a little rough patch but my husband being the wonderful hard worker that he is and with lots and lots of faith and fasting and prayers (thank you to everyone who prayed for us!) he was able to start at a new job January 5th. It has been going well and he seems to enjoy it. We are adjusting to commuting. He travels 1 1/2 hours to work and 1 1/2 hours hom everyday. It makes for a long day but we are very grateful that he is working! The girls had a great Christmas. We went to Boise and spent the holidays with my family and had a great and relaxing time.
Miley is changing and learning and growing everyday. It seems like she grows out of pants every couple of weeks. She is going to be taller than me someday! She is enjoying her preschool co-op and her friends. She is a CTR 6 this year and is anxiously awaiting kindergarten in the fall!
Addison is as mischeivious as ever! She keeps me on my toes which is a good thing. She has the energy of the energizer bunny. She is funny and quirky and has the greatest little laugh. She is also the most tender hearted little girl. She is a sunbeam this year and already volunteered to give a talk in opening exercises. That was very stressful for me but she did not even flinch. It was a very proud mommy moment.
Peyton is growing like a weed. She is a grabsy mcgrabs a lot. Everything in sight she is grabbing for it and trying to eat it. Her favorite thing to do right now is spit and it is the cutest thing ever. (You would think I have never had a kid before). We love her laid back nature. She is very tall. We had her 6 month appt and she is in the 45% for her weight, 70% for her head, and 95% for her height. She will be our sports star!
That is what is up with us right now! I am trying to figure out the picture thing but since I am technologically challenged it could take a while!

Peyton

2008-12-20T09:58:00.000-08:00

Our little pater taters is 4 and 1/2 months old. She is getting so big and it is so fun to watch as she is learning so many new things. At her 4 month appt she was in the 45% for her weight and the 93% for her height. She is so tall. Some of her pants are 9 month just so they are not highwaters. She is a sweet girl. She loves her sisters. She loves the Christmas lights. She is grabbing at her toys and trying to roll over. When she gets mad she purses her lips and blows spit bubbles at us! We are so glad she is with us and brings a smile to our faces even when we are having the worst days!

Fun with knee highs

2008-12-20T09:54:00.000-08:00

Who knew knee highs could be so fun???!!!

Deep Fried Goodness

2008-12-20T09:46:00.000-08:00

We had a secong Thanksgiving on saturday after Thanksgiving. Justin fried a turkey as well as battered green beans and battered pickle chips. It was delicious and it was fun to watch the process of frying a turkey!

Family Fun

2008-12-20T09:42:00.000-08:00

Great Snow Storm

2008-12-20T09:37:00.000-08:00

The kids had a ball while they were all together making a snowman and snow angels. It was beautiful. I love snow at the lake! It is so peaceful and calm!

Thanksgiving cont....

2008-12-20T09:26:00.000-08:00

We spent Thanksgiving in Rathdrum at my garandmas house. We had traditional Thanksgiving with my Aunt Vickie and her family. We were all recovering from the flu so I was not very good at getting many pictures. It was a beautiful candlelit dinner with great food and company. You can see my sister in law Hannahs blog for lots more fun pictures www.bythesea-hane.blogspot.com

Boise

2008-12-20T09:16:00.000-08:00

We ended up going to Boise for a few weeks and as soon as we got there the birthday celebrations continued. We celebrated Mileys birthday with Aunt Jen and then we were able to celebrate Grandpas birthday with him! We had a great time and Aunt Jen (grandpa assisted with the cooking) made homemade doughnuts! Yum!

My Sweet Miley is 5

2008-12-20T09:05:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe my sweet Miley turned 5. It does not seem that long ago that she was born. She is such a swwetheart. She is a great big sister (even though she likes to (play mom) her little sisters. She takes such good care of Peyton and her and Addie are best friends. I am already dreading the thought of her going to school next year. She is thoughtful of others. She is trusting and she has great faith in her Heavenly Father for being so young. She is a great example to Ben and I and we are so grateful she is a part of our family!We love you Miley poopers!

Happy Birthday Cont...

2008-12-20T08:57:00.000-08:00

Halloween

2008-12-20T08:44:00.000-08:00

We had a great Halloweeen. The girls loved dressing up. We went to the goblin walk that downtown puts on in the afternoon. Then pur ward had a trunk r treat and then we let the kids go to a few houses in the neighborhood with some friend. They had a ball but when the sugar high wore off the were wiped out! I forgot to take pictures until they were wiped out! Can't you tell how excited they were. The weather was beautiful though. They did not even need jackets! Addie was the best. She is our candy fien so she thouhgt trick or treating was great. She would invite herself in and win their hearts thus ending up with twice as much candy as Miley!

Halloween cont...

2008-12-20T08:32:00.000-08:00

We have returned!

2008-12-19T18:32:00.000-08:00

I am back but be patient! I was out of town for almost a month and then came home to multiple viruses on our computer so it will take me a while to catch up - especially with Christmas around the corner; but I will get there!

Autumn Festivities

2008-10-22T15:12:00.001-07:00

Photo Shoot

2008-10-22T09:10:00.000-07:00

Do I not have the cutest girls?! I love having 3 girls (most days).

2008-10-22T09:02:00.000-07:00

Peyton loves her hands and to be sitting up! She is getting so big. I love all the phases they go through.

Addies new favorite food!

2008-10-14T09:58:00.000-07:00

So I asked Addie what she wanted for breakfast the other day and she kept telling me she wanted rotten eggs. I was disgusted and wondered what on earth she was talking about. We eventually figured out it was a hard boiled egg that she wanted. They are her new obsession. Any one for rotten eggs?!

mom of the year

2008-10-14T09:50:00.000-07:00

So a few months ago Miley had a serious problem biting her fingernails. We tried everything to make her stop. I even pulled the "if you stop you can pick any 1 thing you want" trick. Luckily Miley is a simple girl and thought for a few days and decided she wanted a fish. Now that is do able! So after waiting patiently for summer to end and things to be a bit more settled for us, daddy took her, and her and Addie picked out a fish each. Addie named her fish grog and miley named her fish randy. For any of you who know me I was not exactly thrilled. I am not an animal lover of any kind except from a distance. It is just another mess to clean up! Sorry animal lovers out there. Anyways yesterday I was cleaning out the fish bowls and Mileys fish jumped out of the bowl into the sink. Well I thought I had the stopper down enough that the water could drain but the fish could not escape but I was wrong. The fish escaped down our sink drain. I felt horrible. When I told Miley she shrugged her shoulders and said, "well I guess we can just go buy a new one right?" Can you feel the love loss!

fun hair day

2008-09-28T15:15:00.001-07:00

I saw this fun hair do on my friend Lindseys blog and thought it would be fun to try. Miley loved it and Addie of course had to have her hair criss crossed too!

2 Months Old Already

2008-09-28T15:02:00.000-07:00

Here is our little chubba wub. Peyton is 2 months old. I cannot believe it! She had our appointment and these are her stats:
weight: 11 lbs (70%)
height: 23 3/4 inches (95%)
head: 15 1/4 inches (70%)
She is coming out of her fussy stage. She is learning lots of new things. Our favorites are smiling and spit bubbles. She is constantly blowing spit bubbles!

Canning Craze

2008-09-28T14:46:00.000-07:00

We have been going crazy with the canning at our house. We canned 60 pints of applesauce, 30 quarts of tomatoes, 14 pints of green beans, and we have done 2 batches of freezer corn. The girls had a lot of fun peeling tomatoes. I was surprised at what good helpers they were. I love to look at my shelves and see all the yummy food and the fruit of our labors.

New Table

2008-09-23T07:25:00.000-07:00

Bens dad does a lot of woodworking and he made us this table. We found one that we liked at pottery barn and took lots of pictures and sent them to him and he made it for us. It is beautiful. He did a great job. It is made out of solid walnut. I love the legs and that the color is so warm. The end pull out and we have two leaves that we can slide in. I am so excited to have a big table. Now we need to find chairs to match but for now we will take one thing at a time!

This picture the table looks more yellow than it really is.

I love the legs on the table. This is more the real color.

Peytons photo shoot

2008-09-23T07:18:00.000-07:00

Peyton is starting to smile more and more each day! Mornings are definately her happy time. The girls are loving that she will respond to them now when they talk to her. As she gets bigger, I think she is looking more like Addison but we will see!

Peytons photo shoot cont...

2008-09-23T07:09:00.000-07:00

Beach Fun

2008-09-21T13:49:00.000-07:00

Bens parents came for a long weekend to visit and we have had a great time with them. We took them to our favorite place "the farm" and we went to the ocean. We decided to go up North a bit and went to Tillamook. We had a little tour of the cheese factory and then enjoyed some ice cream. I had my camera but I am still adjusting to dealing with 3 kids out and about and trying to take a picture can sometimes throw me over the edge! Anyways we had fun there and then we headed up towards Oceanside and played on the beach. The girls nad grandma found some seashells. Daddy built a sandcastle with them and they found another little girl there to be their friend. Daddy showed them all how to dig their feet into the sand. Addie figured it out just as a wave came in and the wave knocked her over. The picture is of Ben carrying her out and then her running to us to get fried off, She was drenched. Fun times were had at the beach!

playing on the beach

2008-09-21T13:41:00.000-07:00

family beach pictures

2008-09-21T13:34:00.000-07:00

making huckleberry ice cream

2008-09-21T13:26:00.001-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa Smith came to visit and brought lots of yummy goodness with them. HUCKLEBERRIES rom Montana. We made the yummiest homemade ice cream and the girls had a ball helping to add the salt and the ice to keep it cold! Thanks grandma and grandpa.

Peytons Blessing

2008-09-21T12:25:00.000-07:00

It was so great to have family here for the blessing. My older brother Justin and his wife Hannah and their kids Grace, haylee, and Gavin. My sister Jen and her little boy Jackson. My grandparents and all the great grandkids. My Uncle Lynn. My parents and my brother Paul and his wife Whitney! Thanks to everyone for making the trek and for the fun weekend! We love you!

2008-09-21T11:39:00.000-07:00

One of her presents was a mini trampoline. She was so excited to start jumping so daddy got started setting it up. How many adult men does it take to set up a tramp? Apparently quite a few!:)

Addisons 3rd Birthday

2008-09-21T11:19:00.000-07:00

Addie had so much fun with her family around her for her birthday! It is so fun when they start to understand what a birthday is and get excited for it. She decided she wanted a cake with a pink flower and a rainbow. She had a great time and got to open lots of fun presents.

2008-09-21T10:53:00.000-07:00

So many things to blog about and I have seemed to make every excuse not to do it! Over Labor Day weekend we blessed Peyton and we celebrated Addisons 3rd birthday with all of our family in town. We had a great time with grandma, grandpa, great grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins!

So many things, so little time

2008-09-11T17:32:00.000-07:00

So I will post more later but just wanted to give you a glimpse of what has been going on! Ilove that Peyton is smiling now!

Fun weekend

2008-08-26T19:14:00.000-07:00

So we had a great weekend with our friends Jake and Morgan. They were in town with Jakes family and took time to spend a few days with us. We love to see good friends. But it is sad because it reminds us how much we miss them and how far apart we are.
I also put some new pictures of Peyton up. She is a little undecided about bath time but the girls sure like to help. I know they all look a little unkept but our mornings are a little crazy these days!

What we have been up to

2008-08-26T09:08:00.000-07:00

Ben and the girls have been using their muscles and working hard to put some new bark in our beds in the front and back yard. It looks so nice. I did not get a final picture but we will have one soon! Addies new favorite thing to do is wear Peytons hat from the hospital.

Growing like a weed

2008-08-26T08:40:00.000-07:00

Peyton had her 2 week appointment. She was really 19 days old so almost 3 weeks. She is growing like a weed and already seems so much bigger to me.
Weight 8 lbs 10 ounces 55th percentile
Length 21 3/4 inches 90th percentile
This picture is of her favorite way to sleep - with her arm under her head!

Changes

2008-08-07T16:44:00.000-07:00

So Ben and I are crazy and our usual indecisive selves. We were having a hard time calling the baby Taylor. It was a name we both liked but were not exactly convinced of but because we could not agree on another name we named her Taylor. We came home and no one could call her Taylor sowe changed her name. We agreed upon Peyton Smith. Even Ben who had not been a big fan was calling her Peyton. It seemed to fit. So I guess we will reannounceour baby girl as Peyton Smith. She is doing great and we are settling into home well. These are a few new pictures. She is looking more and more like Miley did but with Addies mouth and chin. She is adorable and we are enjoying loving on her!

2008-08-02T11:51:00.000-07:00

2008-08-02T11:45:00.000-07:00

2008-08-02T11:42:00.000-07:00

Announcing Taylor (aka peanut) Smith

2008-08-02T10:57:00.000-07:00

She is here! She was born July 31st at 7:56pm. She weighed 7 lbs 3 ounces (exactly the same weight as Miley and Addison) and was 20 inches long. She has lots of hair. I had a great delivery. I only pushed for 3 minutes and she was here! I will post pictures now and writing later! We are grateful she is here safely and we are all doing well!

Another Baby Update

2008-07-24T08:32:00.000-07:00

So we had our weekly doctors appt and all is well. She is still content to be in there where it is snug and warm. I am now at a 2 and 50% effaced and she has dropped some so we are at least progressing. We are trying to stay busy so that the house stays clean (what can I say;) We have been loving the berry picking season here. We have picked bluberries, rasberries, and katota berries. We eat to our hearts content, make jam, milk shakes, and freeze some for future enjoyment. I love the Oregon Berries. We also are loving the free family movies once a week. My girls love the movie theater! The library has a fun summer reading program and of course the park. The weather has been ideal. It is in the mid 70's and I am loving that! We also had fun at some friends birthday party. The girls got to go on pony rides and tractor rides and feed the chickens and torment some kittens. They were in heaven. I will post some pictures later when I get them on the computer. That is all for now! Nothing too exciting!

Baby update

2008-07-16T14:03:00.000-07:00

Nothing too exciting! She is still in there. I am only dilated to a 1 and am holding out for that due date! What a miracle it would be to have 3 kids all right on their due dates. What would be even more amazing is if she weighed 7lbs 3oz just like her sisters! We will see. In light of baby stuff we have been going crazy at our house. We made like 8 batches of apricot fruit leather (which many of you know is my all time favorite) I have had to excercise much restraint to keep from eating like 10 rolls a day! I keep reminding myself that I have to ration! We also canned 8 batches of kidney and black beans. That was a first. Not nearly as intimidating as I thought using a pressure cooker would be. We went to the cannery and filled a big order for us and we got the nursery all set up! Now just to fill it with the necessities of life - diapers and wipes, diapers and wipes! That is something I am totally out of the habit of buying as Addie has been potty trained for like 7 months! Anyways, that is the excitement at our house! We are always looking for something to do to keep us busy and make the time go a little faster!

Home again Home again

2008-07-10T17:46:00.000-07:00

Yes we are officially home and have no plans to leave again until Christmas. We need some time to vacation from vacation! We are excited to be home and get ready for our new arrival. I start my weekly visits on Wednesday so we will keep you posted on what is going on. We are very excited that we now have grass in our yard. I will post a picture as soon as we get it mowed and the swing set back on it. The girls are loving that they can walk around with bare feet! That is all for now. We are excited to catch up with all of our friends! It seems like we have been gone forever.

2008-07-10T17:24:00.000-07:00

After our hike we came back for our own little fireworks display and a bonfire. The kids especially loved the smoke bombs or as Miley calls them from last year the stink balls! The kids had a blast and then smores were enjoyed by all. We had a great time at the lake. It is fun to watch my kids make memories there because I have so many wonderful memories from when I was a kid. I am grateful to my grandparents for providing such a wonderful place for our families to gather and create memories!

2008-07-10T17:16:00.000-07:00

Our last day at the lake we enjoyed the water and a nice little hike that Ben had taken the girls on. They wanted to show us a fort they had built earlier that day! It was a fun little adventure and it will be fun to see if it will be there in the years to come. They named it the "friendly hardcore fort". What great memories!

2008-07-10T17:08:00.000-07:00

We never go into town to watch the fireworks because there is always such a great show at the lake. There are a lot of well off Canadians who stay at the resort and get a lot of the good illegal fireworks so we headed out in my Aunt Vickis boat and watche fireworks for about an hour and a half. The kids had a ball being in the boat. I especially love the chubby face close up pictures of Ben and I with Addison.

2008-07-10T17:01:00.000-07:00

After the parade we went over to my grandpa Ellersicks grave to put some flowers and flags on it. It was kind of a special moment for a few reasons. It is always good to remind my kids of who grandpa ellersick was since they never had a chance to meet him but also because my new nephew Gavin is the first Ellersick boy to be born in 25 years (it is up to my two brothers to carry on the Ellersick name). Even though Grandpa was not their we took a 4 generation picture. It was quite touching and we were all a little teary that Grandpa was not there to share it with us!

2008-07-10T16:58:00.000-07:00

After the parade we got a picture of grandma and grandpa with all the kids. It is quite difficult to take a picture or maybe I should say cute picture of 6 kids ages 6 and under.

2008-07-10T16:41:00.000-07:00

These are the Red Hot Mamas. They have been in the parade for as long as I can remember. They are always dressed to the hilt with their shopping carts and a nice little dance to go along. Something new that I do not remember were the "Usetabe Hot Mamas" and the "Mamasboys". The whole act was quite entertaining and the parade would not be the same without them!

2008-07-10T16:31:00.000-07:00

Miley had a great time fishing with daddy! She caught a lot of sunfish - nothing we could eat - but the effort and experience were great. We also had a great time at the parade in Coeur d alene. They have a great parade. Addison especially loved the horses and was obsessed with them the entire time.

2008-07-09T15:06:00.000-07:00

We went on our annual walk up to the resort to let the kids get an ice cream. It is a cute little ice cream shoppe and the kids get a huge cone for only a dollar. They were so excited. Granny had given them each a dollar and life was good. We had tried to go a day earlier and take granny on a little walk with us but the shoppe was closed. It was nice to have her out and about with us!