Lance and Linae Smith

Grandpa Smith Visits

2012-01-30T20:07:00.000-08:00

Grandpa Smith came out to visit from Vermont for Sydney's baptism. While he was here we did some fun things with him.....like visiting the Carousel,

going to McDonalds....twice!.....

and visiting the Zoo.

These are my favorite pictures, Grandpa Smith with Tyson (in the first, and Tyson and Carson in the second) watching the sea lions, who were being very active that day!

Sydney's Baptism

2012-01-30T20:00:00.000-08:00

Sydney was baptized on January 28, 2012 by her dad. It was very special day for her. She has looked forward to this day for a long time. Sydney said she felt very happy and excited. Her Grandma and Grandpa Huffman, and Grandpa Smith were there for it. So was Aunt Erica and cousin Ellie. All of these people are very special to Sydney.

Sydney Turns Eight

2012-01-30T19:54:00.000-08:00

Turning eight is a very special year. So special that Sydney ended up having several parties! This was the family party. Sydney wanted an icecream cake.

This was Sydney's friend party, which I keep saying we are not going to have every year, but somehow we keep having one everyyear. The theme was pajama party. We served pancakes for dinner and the cake was a stack of donuts! Each girl got to make her own fleece pillow to take home.

Sydney got rollerblades for her birthday and she has loved practicing on them. I'm amazed at the progress she has made is such a short time.

Thankyou Great Grandma Smith

2012-01-30T18:00:00.000-08:00

These special blankets were made by Great Grandma Smith! I kids recieved them in the mail recently. They were very excited to recieve a package, and then loved that there were blankets inside! Out kids LOVE blankets. They pile them on their beds and carry them all over the house. We are very grateful for all the time and love that went into the making of these blankets. Thankyou Great Grandma Smith!

Our Typical Snow Storm

2012-01-30T17:36:00.000-08:00

We finally got our first snow of the year! Maybe a quarter of an inch, hurray! Just kidding, Lance loves to make fun of how little snow we get, but the kids will take anything! And they LOVE it! Here they are with some local cousins, Ellie, Nathan, and Ren.

Here is Carson pulling cousin baby Ren.

Oh and by the way, there was a 2 hour delay for school that day, another thing Lance loves to make fun of.

A Giant Christmas!

2011-12-26T10:39:00.000-08:00

The kids woke up Christmas morning to find GIANT stuffed animals waiting for them on couch from Santa!

Grandma and Grandpa Smith sent John Deer tractors and sweatshirts for the boys! Very fitting. Sydney got an MP3 player which she is very excited about.

Christmas Eve Dinner was at our house,

complete with a deep fried turkey by Brian,

and carved by Lance.

Our traditional "program" followed dinner. It began with the kids acting out the nativity. Here is Mary and Joseph.

Followed by everyone else.

After the nativity we had a talent show. The older kids each played a piano song, and the grand finale was a group performance of Sleighride.

Santa and the Fireman

2011-12-20T21:48:00.000-08:00

A few nights ago we were putting the kids to bed, reading books with them, when a loud fire truck with the siren on came down our street. The siren stopped and christmas music began! Immediately the kids flew downstairs and outside. The truck stopped at the top of our street and out jumped several fireman and Santa! He was passing out candy canes, big ones! With all the rucus every neighbor came outside to see what was going on, and suddenly the dark street was filled with kids! Santa and the fireman walked through the whole neighborhood with the fire truck and ambulance right behind them.

It took awhile to get the kids to wind down and get back in bed, and once they were finally in bed, we could then hear the siren blast everytime the truck entered a new neighborhood. I remember they did this last year too, but our kids were totally asleep when they came and they missed the whole thing. I'm glad they saw it this year.

12 Days of Christmas

2011-12-20T21:37:00.000-08:00

The 12 Days of Christmas is the way Grandma and Grandpa Huffman have been doing Christmas for the past few years. Last year it was all in a neat big box, this year it showed up in a big santa bag. The kids have loved playing with it. There is one present to open everyday for the 12 days. The kids take turns opening the presents each day (except day 12 there is one for each of them). Each year the 12 days all follow a theme, and the theme this year is "Our Heritage".

Day one was some Swedish gingerbread cookie mix. Day two was the Swedish cookie cutters and the instuctions that you hang the cookies on the tree ( and sneek them later).

Day three was $10 to do a service project, or something nice for someone that we maybe wouldn't have thought of otherwise. Since we walk to school everyday, we chose our crossing guard. The kids picked out a scarf and gloves and gave it to her on the last day of school. I had typed up a note and attached on the present explaining the gift and why we chose her. She was very surprised, flattered, and grateful! I wish I had brought my camera to take a picture of the kids giving the present to her.

Thanksgiving Pictures

2011-12-11T16:39:00.001-08:00

My good friend Ann was so kind to take a few pictures for us. We found a bench near Target and headed over there after church one afternoon. So lucky it wasn't raining! Here were a few of our choices.

Waiting for Santa

2011-12-11T16:36:00.001-08:00

Santa was going to arrive by helicopter, so we waited and waited. Then we found out it was too foggy for the helicopter to fly so Santa came inside a fire truck. HUGE let down! Waste of time.

Setting up Christmas

2011-12-11T16:35:00.001-08:00

The just couldn't wait any longer, so they are helping to set up Christmas stuff!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-11T16:30:00.001-08:00

Sydney and Grandma setting the kids table.

They boys enjoying some appetizers.

During dinner. We had my mom and Gary, Gary's parents, Mormor, Jeremy, and Gary's brother Jeff.

The kids love to play with Uncle Jeremy. Here they are playing "go fish". I with Jeremy would come over more, he's so great with the kids.

Neighborhood Fun

2011-11-05T19:14:00.000-07:00

This is how our kids have fun in the neighborhood. Riding bikes and scooters and tying them all together with jump-ropes.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-05T19:09:00.000-07:00

Sydney a black cat. Tyson a knight. Carson a dragon. So Tyson's costume is actually a Roman soldier, but he wanted to be a knight, and he really liked this costume. If you take off the helmet, which he did often, then I think it works!

It worked out great that Tyson was a Knight, and that Knights fight dragons. We just needed Sydney to be a princess, but she was pretty set on being a black cat.

This year we trick-or-treated in our own neighborhood, which we've never done before (last year was our first year halloween in this house, but it was on a Sunday, so we didn't trick-or-treat). It was the perfect amount of houses, and it's extra fun because we know everybody.

Counting the candy afterwards!

The Bird House

2011-11-05T19:02:00.000-07:00

Last year Sydney made a bird house in school. We hung it in our back yard and over the summer a family of chicadee's moved in and hatched some babies. We learned that we are supposed to clean out the bird house every fall, so we opened it up last week. We found a nest and two eggs that never hatched! The nest included a lot of Lafawndah hair.

Hot Hot Chili

2011-10-29T22:16:00.000-07:00

The ward Halloween party is having a pot-luck chili dinner. Lance really really wanted to play a joke on everyone and make the HOTTEST, as in spiciest, chili possible. He bought a couple cans of chili, then added the habanero peppers, which were the hottest available in our area. This first picture is of him trying to get me to try it.

This next picture is the face he made after he tried it himself!

Pretty obvious what this picture is.

In the end, he did take the chili to the church and warned no one. He strategically placed it first on the table. Yes there were small children fanning their mouths crying for water, and Lance laughed all the way home.

Last Game

2011-10-29T22:10:00.000-07:00

Sydney's last soccer game was today. She is excited to have it over with. She does not like to run much, so she has preferred to play defender, which she does a pretty good job at. She doesn't think she'll play soccer next year, but we'll wait and see. I didn't think she would play again this year, but she wanted to.

Apples

2011-10-29T22:05:00.000-07:00

It's time to pick apples at the nearby U-Pick apple farm. The boys had lots of fun, too bad Sydney was in school and couldn't come. Soon we will make applesauce.

Tyson Turns 5

2011-10-26T14:59:00.000-07:00

For breakfast, Tyson chose German pancakes. Of course I had to add candles.

He wanted an "Angry Birds" cake, so that's what he got!

He invited three friends over. Here they are checking out some the presents.

Grandma and Grandpa Smith gave him an awesome lego set, which he opened first thing in the morning. I think dad loves the legos as much, if not more, than Tyson. They have a good time putting them together.

Fire Station Open House

2011-10-26T14:53:00.000-07:00

Our kids love to attend the fire station open house. Carson especially loves "Freddy" the firetruck, above, who drives around, talks and squirts water!

They get to tour fire trucks, abulances, and police cars. They also learn about fire saftey and prevention.

Just Like Dad

2011-10-08T21:31:00.000-07:00

Need I say more?

Pick Your Pumpkin

2011-10-08T21:30:00.000-07:00

We visited our local nursery today, which happens to offer the very best price on pumpkins. The kids could each pick one, any one they wanted. Sydney and Carson picked quickly, but not Tyson. He wanted a perfect one. No lumps or scratches, and perfectly round. Tyson inspected nearly every pumpkin, and it took about an hour to finally decide. We were in no hurry, just waiting for the kids bulb planting class to start.

Kids Bulb Day

2011-10-08T21:25:00.000-07:00

Our local nursery offered a kids bulb planting day for free. The kids get to plant a pot of tulip bulbs, with pansies on top so we can enjoy it in the fall. They take care of them all winter and wait for spring to see the tulips! Carson LOVES planting things with dirt. He refused to "pour" the dirt into the pot. He wanted to do it handful by handful.

JOG-A-THON 2011

2011-10-07T11:35:00.000-07:00

Sydney's School does one fundraiser a year and it's a jog-a-thon. Carson and I worked hard on some motivational signs for Sydney! Tyson was in preschool, so he didn't get to come and watch.

Sydney is running by her best friend here.

All finished, now they get to eat popsicles!

Home Grown Pumpkins

2011-10-05T21:09:00.000-07:00

My garden space is very small. But I LOVE pumpkins and wanted to grow small. I decided we should be able to fit some small pumkins so we planted some "jack-be-littles". Today we picked them! The kids were as excited as I was, each picking their favorite. This kind of pumpkin is too hard to carve, so we'll be using them for decoration.

Cinderella

2011-10-02T21:39:00.000-07:00

Sydney was in the play of Cinderella last week. She was a pumpkin in the pumpkin patch! Sydney loves to be on stage. The play needed a pianist, so when asked, I agree to play for them. It was fun to be at all the rehearsals and watch the play come together so quickly. The entire thing is put on in 6 days, start to finish!

After the play was finished, I asked Sydney which role would she like to play when she is older? She thought for a minute, and told me she would like to be the pianist! I was very touched!

Soccer Girl

2011-09-17T21:54:00.000-07:00

Sydney played her second game of the season today. I missed the first because I was out of town. I love the color of her jersey. Sydney loves it too, but she doesn't really love soccer. It's just ok. She says she doesn't get enough breaks. She does play better this year than last though!

Giant Beetle

2011-09-15T21:47:00.000-07:00

Lance found this bug tonight! I haven't taken the time yet to look up what kind of bug it is, but the kids thought is pretty neat. We don't usually get big bugs here.

Homemade Kites

2011-09-15T21:46:00.000-07:00

We do actually have a real kite, but the boys love to make their own and run around with them. That's what we did today.

Kids Do The Grossest Things

2011-09-15T21:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the kids started to play together, which was surprising, so I didn't stop them. Even when they created a game called "snot balls" instead of "snow balls". You can probably guess how the game works. They blow their nose and then throw the snotty tissues at each other. They were having soooo much fun! What could I do?

Tyson's First Day

2011-09-14T14:11:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of preschool for Tyson. But it wasn't really his first day because this will be his second year in preschool. The teacher said he was the example and the line leader today since he had done it all before. The teacher gave him lots of praise today. I think Tyson is the tallest, the oldest, and the smartest in his class!

Second Grade For Sydney

2011-09-12T11:29:00.000-07:00

Sydney had her first day of second grade. She has lots of friends in her class which is a second-third grade split. It's still too soon to decide about her teacher, but Sydney thinks she will like her.

After taking pictures of your child the school offer treats for the parents in the cafiteria. Tyson and Carson took advantage of that, which I think is really an effort to get parents out of the classroom!

Labor Day at Silver Falls

2011-09-05T22:20:00.000-07:00

Here we are hiking the falls again. There's not quite as much water in the late summer, but it's still a lovely place to be. Carson was the best hiker out of all the kids. He walked the entire way, even back up to the top and he never once complained!

After the hike we played in the creek up above the falls.

There is also a playground near the swimming area. There was so much fun to be had, we stayed there until dark!

We went with several other families, so the kids had lots of friends to play with. Here is Sydney wading out in the water with the other girls.

Carson likes to get is hair wet whenever he's around water. He says he making it curly. I guess he remember us doing that to him when we was younger. Notice the chocolate cookie all over his face!

There was also great digging places. We could have stayed there forever!

My First Triathalon

2011-09-05T22:12:00.000-07:00

Finishing my first ever Triathalon. My dad was there to watch, along with Lance and the kids!
I know this next picture of me is terrible, but it show the awesome signs my kids made for me to cheer me on! That kind of support wouldn't happen without a great dad behind them. Thanks Lance!

Back Yard Fun

2011-09-05T22:09:00.000-07:00

It's been such a cold summer we've only gotten our little pool out once! And this was only the second time we played in the sprinklers! The boy were wild! Trying to dance in the stream of water!

Carson Turns Three

2011-09-05T22:05:00.000-07:00

Carson was so excited for his birthday. Every time I asked him what he wanted for his birthday, his reply was the same, "cake!". I don't think he knew he was going to get presents.

He really does have a sweet tooth, thanks to his Grandpa Smith I'm sure! Carson is making his three with his fingers. He likes to see how many different ways he can make a three.

Carson got some birthday money from his Aunt Sarah and Uncly Devin, and also from Lance's Aunt Karen....so we took him to Toy's-R-us to spend it. He picked out a remote control monster truck, and gave Tyson the few dollars left over to buy a few hotwheels. What a nice brother! Thanks Aunt Sarah, Uncle Devin, and Aunt Karen!

Seaside Beach Trip

2011-09-05T21:55:00.000-07:00

In July we took a trip to Seaside for a weekend. Trisha was up visiting from Arizona, so there were lots of cousins to play with. Seaside is farther away than several other beaches so we don't usually go there, but Erica had a access to a free beach house so we made the drive.

Eating lunch with the cousins just after arriving.

Bumper cars with Uncle Brian. All the kids got a chance to go on the bumper cars, and they all loved it. I'm not sure why though, I remember hating them as a kid because it was so jarring, and when I rode them again on this trip I thought the same thing. Not much fun, just discomfort.

The Tilt-a-Whirl ws right next door. Now that was FUN! Probably the best fun I've had in the last 5 years or more. (These rides are permanent indoor fixtures at the beach town.)

We spent the ENTIRE afternoon and early evening on the beach. It was a beautiful day, warm, sunny and no wind! Those conditions are hard to come by around these areas.

Sneak Peak

2011-07-18T23:19:00.000-07:00

This is just a fraction of the pictures I have from our Vermont trip, but I'm too tired to put them all up now. I'll add the rest later. Arriving after a long day of travel.

Visiting the old Smith dairy farm.

Visiting Crown Point in New York.

Just hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa.

Riding a tracter with Great Uncle Dave.

Blue Jays with Coach Dad

2011-06-04T21:08:00.000-07:00

Sydney is up to bat, Lance is giving her helpful advice I'm sure.

Ooooo....she misses and hits the tee instead. Let's try that again.

Ok, she hits it, run!

Now in the outfield, throwing the ball.

And fielding the ball.

Riding Trikes

2011-06-04T20:39:00.000-07:00

I can't tell you how often the boys ride their trikes! I think their trike is their best friend. Carson's is called "Little Red" and Tyson's is "Mongoose". Hardly a day goes by that they aren't together. They both have scooters and bikes as well, but nothing compares to the 3-wheeling power of a trike.

Memorial Day Weekend at the Farm

2011-05-31T21:21:00.000-07:00

It's been while since we visited Grandma and Grandpa Huffman, so decided to spend the holiday weekend up there. The kids had constant smiles! The weather was a little chilly, but that didn't stop them from staying outside almost all day long!

Spreading Barkdust

2011-05-31T21:15:00.000-07:00

We've been told that we need to teach our children how to work, so everyone was involved in our once a year barkdust spreading. At first the kids seemed to be in the way a lot, but by the end, we really developed a good system and the job took less time than had Lance done it by himself, like usual. All the kid had fun and wanted to be helping. They did get tired by the end, about 2 hours later.

Cool Shades

2011-05-31T21:12:00.000-07:00

The boys can't handle sunshine! We are so used to cloudy weather that one little sunbreak blinds everyone. The are waited for our little town's parade to begin. Sydney couldn't attend because she had a mandatory ballet rehearsal that morning.

Erica's Haircut

2011-05-31T21:09:00.000-07:00

This post is for the benefit of my sisters who want to see Erica's new haircut. Since Erica doesn't have a blog I have to post it here.

Rainy Camping Again

2011-05-15T21:38:00.000-07:00

Another wet camping trip. Everytime we try to go camping with our friends, the Aylworth's, we get rotten luck with the weather. However, we always have a good time being to together. And the kids don't seem to care about getting wet. I do think we'll need to plan our future trips far away from this rainy section of the west coast.

Blue Jays T Ball

2011-05-15T21:34:00.000-07:00

Here a few T ball pictures. Sydney is so lucky to have a great coach, and awesome assistant coach (her dad!). She is lovely T ball this year, unlike last year. She is friends with girls on her team, and she's starting to get into the game, like trying to get kids out.
Sydney is kindof hidden in this picture, she's the 4th girl back.

The Logging

2011-04-26T20:26:00.000-07:00

A year ago or so, my mom had some of her forest logged, and most of my sister have not seen the changes yet, so this post is for them. A log pile somewhere in the back 20.

Looking towards the back of the arena from where the original gate to the back 20 was.

From the bottom of the back 20, looking up the hill that leads back to the barn.

Looking down into the bottom of the back 20.

The red dirt is where all the stump where buried. This at the top of the hill that lead down the hill in the back 20.

The buried stump patch.

The new pasture, behind the arena. Picture was taken from where the back 20 gate was. Grass was planted.

Walking towards the back 20 from the back of the arena.

Same

Back of the arena.

The oak tree staight ahead is the one that we would climb in and had the big horizontal branches. This shows the new fence line.

New fencing just outside the back of the indoor arena and looking to the right towards the outdoor arena and that tree. This area keeps the horses away from the gate, so there is no mud here.

Taken from same place, arena back gate, but looking straight ahead. This is the gate to the new back pasture.

Back of the arena.

Easter Egg Hunt at Grandma's

2011-04-26T20:22:00.000-07:00

On you marks.....get set....... go! The kids were lined up and ready to hunt for about 400 eggs! No candy in them of course, they would get some of that later. With only 5 kids hunting, each kids got to find tons of eggs. They especially loved the ones with money in them, thanks uncle Brian!

The Tulip Farm

2011-04-26T20:16:00.000-07:00

We visited again, and I love it every year. The only problem is the cold! It has been soooo cold this April. But at least the sun was shining.

Eggs, Eggs, and more Eggs

2011-04-20T21:01:00.000-07:00

We have to dye the Easter eggs! The kids are so attached to their eggs they won't eat them, or let me crack them and use them. I've tried to explain they will eventually spoil. This first picture is their silly faces.

Silly Static

2011-04-19T21:29:00.000-07:00

This picture speaks for itself. This is 100% static!

My Pear Tree

2011-04-19T21:27:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited about my pear tree! It's loaded in blossoms. Last year it had a few, this year there on tons! Hopefully they turn into pears.

Spring Finally

2011-04-19T21:24:00.000-07:00

We had to get outside and enjoy a day with no rain, although it is still cold.

Sunriver Vacation Trip

2011-03-17T06:33:00.000-07:00

Our vacation started out with sledding,

something we've never done with the kids before.
Doesn't Tyson look Swedish? He's even wearing the right colors!

Lance built a snow fort for the kids.

There was a warming hut at the snow park. And we had the place all to ourselves on Monday.

Eating lunch in the warming hut.

The were even excited about a little "dusting".

We played in the hot tub everyday....perfect that nobody else was there. We had the place to ourselves.

The kids thought it was fun to run in the snow and then jump back in the hot tub.

There was a great park at sunriver.

The very coolest part was this merry-go-round.

Checking out the bridge across the Deschutes river.

Riding scooters

Warming up by the fire in our Condo, which we used ALL the time.

Riding bikes, there are tons of paved paths.

The sledding!

The first couple of times the kids went with mom or dad, but soon they wanted to go by themselves!

It Was Not

2011-03-17T06:31:00.000-07:00

Well, the test results came back, and Carson did NOT have the chicken pox. The doctor doesn't know it was, maybe some virus. He looks all better now!

The Chicken Pox?!

2011-03-08T16:48:00.001-08:00

Yesterday morning Carson woke up with spot all over his face. Over the weekend he had a fever and complained his ear was hurting. So I took him in, and the doctor thinks it's Chicken Pox! We're waiting for the official test results.

Make It or Buy It?

2011-02-27T09:55:00.000-08:00

We make pizza all the time, but I decided to weigh the pros and cons:
Cost...................equal
Taste.................equal
Dishes................con
Time..................con
Family Fun.......Huge Pro!

If I prepare the toppings before and have everything ready to go, the kids love to help make the pizza. First is the sauce. Then add the cheese.

Next is the pepperoni and ham. I let the kids put whatever they want where ever they want.

Then the mushrooms and olives. Of course Sydney leaves those off her section.

Some onions, and then more cheese. Notice Tyson is eating the cheese. That's always part of the fun.

A few italian seasonings for the top, and little parmeasan.

Voila! A delicious pizza!

Now we get to eat it, and it's so much more fun to eat it when you helped to make it!

Not Even An Inch

2011-02-27T09:46:00.000-08:00

Well, we finally got our big snow storm. The kids couldn't believe they woke up to snow! They didn't even care that is was only a dusting. Why would they? They've never seen more than that. School was delayed 2 hours, so we were outside and playing in it by 7:30 am. You have to be quick because it may only last an hour or two.

This is the average size of a snowman here.

See What I Mean?

2011-02-27T09:43:00.000-08:00

Here are the same flower I showed earlier. Their arrival makes you think it's spring, then it snows! But, since we LOVE snow, I'm not going to complain.

Dad's Office

2011-02-17T15:12:00.000-08:00

The boys helped me decorate Lance's office while he was out of town. The timing was perfect, because the next time he would be back in his office was Valentines Day. I had written something I love about Lance on tons of hearts. The boys helped me stick them up all over the office.

They also helped hide candy.

Signs of Spring

2011-02-17T14:41:00.000-08:00

I've decided that I don't like it when the early flowers come up. They trick us. They look so beautiful, and they make me feel like spring is here. I want to be outside to enjoy them, but it's still so cold I can't! I wish they would wait until it was actually spring.

However, since we moved into a new house, these are all new bulbs I just planted last fall, and I'm really excited to see how they all turn out.

Saturday Nerf War

2011-02-12T13:37:00.000-08:00

Sydney and Tyson hide behind their fort while Carson tries to shoot.

Dad gets out the big gun, and Carson hides too.

Carson gets hit lots of times by Dad's rapid fire 35 dart blaster (it seems dad can't stop once he gets going).

This is getting serious so the kids get head protection.

Forest Ridge Falcons

2011-02-12T13:35:00.000-08:00

For valentines day, Sydney's elementary school Forest Ridge has all the kids make their own container to hold their valentine's. It has to be made out of recyclable items. Sydney choose to make a falcon. There is a school contest she hopes she will win.

Valentines for Grandparents

2011-02-12T13:33:00.000-08:00

Here are the kids making valentines for Grandma and Grandpa Smith, we had to make them early so there would be time to mail them.

Super Bowl 45

2011-02-12T13:30:00.000-08:00

We decided to keep it simple and have our own super bowl party. To make it fun we had lots of party food and ate at the bar instead of the table. The kids even got soda, a real treat!

Mother Daughter Night!

2011-02-05T10:58:00.000-08:00

Sydney and I had a night out! First we ate at Red Robin, then on to Portland for the BYU Living Legends show. I knew Sydney would love the dancing and the costumes.

I know this picture is terrible and you can't see us, but we liked the lights.
The show was great, and Sydney loved it, but she did get really tired. At 9:15 she asked when it would be over, and told me she wanted to go home. It ended around 9:45. She slept on the drive home. She woke up the next morning with a fever. Sick? Overtired? Coincidence? I don't know.

To Make It Up

2011-02-04T14:53:00.000-08:00

I didn't post for so long, so to make up for it, I'm including some video's just for Grandma and Grandpa Smith.

That Was Easy!

2011-02-02T20:12:00.000-08:00

Tyson got a small cut on the thumb that he sucks. He needed a band-aid, so he couldn't suck his thumb. We thought this might be a good opportunity. I told him we would buy him a big prize if he could stop sucking his thumb. He enthusiastically said, " I will NEVER suck my thumb again!" I then told him it would very hard to do, but he replied, " it will be EASY". And that was it. I he never sucked again. Literally! And he never complained or tried. So he got a big prize. Lance took him to the store and let him pick out a toy.

Warm After a Bath

2011-02-02T20:09:00.000-08:00

Carson wanted to wear his robe after a bath. He ran downstairs and asked Lance to take his picture. He must know how cute he is.

Extra Birthday Pictures

2011-02-02T20:01:00.000-08:00

I had some extra pictures that didn't make the last blog, so I thought I would add them. The party at school, which took place a few days after her actual birthday.
Tyson and Carson came to the school party too, and we all enjoyed grandma's homemade cinnamon rolls (which we were allowed to bring in to school because grandma's kitchen in liscensed for catering).

Seven Is a Big Kid Now

2011-01-17T20:53:00.000-08:00

First thing in the morning we opened presents! Well actually, it wasn't first thing. At 5:40 am I got up to go for a run, and discovered Sydney was already awake. I told her it was WAY to early, and not time to get up yet. She said "O.K., but I am seven now right?" I told her yes, and to try to go back to sleep. I got back an hour later, and she was still up. Oh well!

Sydney's new bike! (not actually new, found it on Craigslist) She loves it!

Sydney's party included 12 guests, and a horsebacking excursion to Grandma's house!

Then back to our house for pizza, cake and icecream.

I can't believe she's already seven! She's a big kid now....and I think I love it?!

Sydney said her favorite part of her birthday was opening presents. Her next favorite part was riding horses and eating cake.

A New Dining Room

2011-01-09T15:29:00.000-08:00

We had some black book shelves that didn't match the furniture in the front room (where they were located before), so I convinced Lance to move them to the kitchen. He thought I was crazy, but after moving them, we both really liked the new look. The dining area now looks like it's own separate room, instead of a little area just off the kitchen.

Treasure Island

2011-01-09T15:23:00.000-08:00

Sydney was in a play on Saturday. This year was Treasure Island. Sydney played the part of a seagull. She loves being on stage and performing, and we had loved watching her! Sydney had lots of friends that were in the play with her.

They had to learn a song with hand motions.

We celebrated afterward by going out to dinner!

Catch a Break

2010-12-29T14:13:00.000-08:00

It's raining so much! Finally the rain let up, and the boys were begging to play outside. We bundled up (as much a Tyson would allow, the only thing he will wear is a sweatshirt), and got out the scooters.

Snow Flurries!

2010-12-29T14:02:00.000-08:00

We got some snow flurries, so the kids put on snow clothes as quick as they could and ran outside to play. The flurries lasted about 5 minutes, but it was a good 5 minutes!

Grandma and Grandpa Smith's Little Tree

2010-12-29T13:59:00.000-08:00

Wow! What a tree! It makes me want to spend Christmas there (not that just seeing family isn't enough already, but wow, look at that tree). I don't know how they get it inside in one piece.

Swedish Christmas Dinner

2010-12-26T18:57:00.000-08:00

The keeps going all day long! Dinner was at Grandma Huffman's house, a Swedish buffet!

The Big Day

2010-12-26T18:47:00.000-08:00

Sydney and Tyson were checking out their stockings while waiting for Carson and Dad to wake up.Carson is up, time to start opening!

Sleeping bags from Grandma and Grandpa Smith! The kids LOVE them, especially that they are monogrammed! They opened the sleeping bags towards the beginning, and finished opening up while in their new sleeping bags.

Even Lafawndah had fun Christmas morning.

A Big hug with Sydney and Tyson!

Catching the Trolls!

2010-12-26T18:43:00.000-08:00

I forgot to update you on the trolls we caught! Sydney set a trap, and it got two trolls!Here is what the trap looked like, and a picture of the trolls she got. The trolls also left a note behind.

Christmas Eve

2010-12-26T18:29:00.000-08:00

In the morning Carson helped make dessert.

I was making turkey for dinner, but Uncle Brian wanted something "extra" special, so be brought King Crab. I wish I had taken a better picture so you could see how big the legs were!

This was how Grandpa Gary spent most of the night.

Aunt Erica, Grandma and I played a piano trio of We Three Kings.

Carson had fun playing with dished while waiting for dinner to start.

Getting ready for dinner, Sydney and cousin Ellie.

Acting out the Nativity.

More Nativity. Tyson was Joseph, Sydney was Mary. Carson was a wise man, but he refused to participate.

Gingerbread Disaster!

2010-12-19T13:51:00.000-08:00

Time to make gingerbread houses! Yeah! So I baked the dough the night before. I followed the same receipe I always do. But I guess I need Grandma Smith here, because I didn't bake it long enough, and the gingerbread was soft. I figured it would harden over night.

The next afternoon we started assembling the houses. Uh-oh, the cookie was very soft still, but I'm sure I can make it work. I'll just use extra frosting.

Here you can see the houses, notice Sydney's roof is a little saggy?

We finished, they looked great. We had to hurry to Grandma Huffman's house, so everyone get in the car quick. But I have to run inside to get something, and this is what I see. Oh dear, what do I tell the kids. I quietly show Lance and we get in the car and leave.

Lance comes up with a plan involving some Christmas trolls who like to smash gingerbread houses. He mentions to the kids that he hopes they don't come while were gone. The kids are asleep when we come home later that night, so Lance leaves a note, and this what the kids find in the morning.

Sydney was disappointed. She said, " Hey, I worked really hard on that you know!" But now they're really excited to set traps and catch some trolls! They also get to eat a lot more of the house than we have ever let them eat before. The biggest problem is that Tyson's house survived and doesn't have a single mark, and this bothers Sydney.

Another Haircut

2010-12-17T18:39:00.000-08:00

Carson got a haircut yesterday. This is what it looked like wet, but once it dried is was much shorter, and I didn't like it at all. I can't figure out what to do. I cut his hair, hate it, then it grows, I love it, then it gets too long, I try to just trim it, then I hate it! It's a bad cycle we're in.

Roll Roll

2010-12-17T12:52:00.000-08:00

Here's a quick example of a game the kids like to play, roll-roll. Sydney was hogging the video so I had to cut it short.

Boxes

2010-12-16T22:33:00.000-08:00

The kids are still loving the boxes!

Yea! Packages!

2010-12-13T21:30:00.000-08:00

We received some boxes from the "package man" today, and the kids went crazy! They wanted to open them soooo bad, but I told they were christmas presents from Grandma and Grandpa Smith, so they had to wait until Christmas. They didn't complain anymore, they just loved their boxes. They stacked them, sat on them, carried them, decorated them with markers, and then I saw them playing the piano with them! That's when I quickly whipped out the camera! Maybe we'll never open them, and just keep them as boxes!

That Darn Coffee Table

2010-12-01T20:19:00.000-08:00

I'm not really sure how it happened, but Carson's head met with coffee table Monday. These pictures were taken about an hour after the incident. I should take some more tomorrow becuase now the bruise is getting more purple.

Clay

2010-12-01T20:14:00.000-08:00

Grandma Smith brought clay last time she came, and Sydney hasn't stopped making things! We bake them and then she arranges them in a display box. I love stuff like this because it brings our the creativity in kids. I always amazed at the things Sydney makes. Most of this stuff she makes all by herself.

Backwords!

2010-11-10T12:49:00.001-08:00

Carson's been trying to come up with a few tricks of his own, since that what he see Tyson doing all day. His lastest is riding "little red" while sitting backwords.

Girls Night Out

2010-11-10T12:43:00.000-08:00

I recently spent the night in Portland with my lady friends. They were going to Time Out for Women, but was just going along for the ride! I met them up there around 9 pm, checked into the hotel, which was amazing, then we walked to the Melting Pot for dessert. That is our waiter, eating our dessert with us! (he brought us extra dipping goodies for that)Hanging out in one of the many foyers of the hotel.

Relaxing in our room. We stayed up very late!

Soccer Party

2010-11-10T12:35:00.000-08:00

The end of the year soccer party happened, and all the girls recieved their trophy. This was Sydney's very first trophy and she felt really special! It even had her name on it!

These are some of her soccer friends. You can see most of them are missing teeth. Sydney hasn't lost any teeth yet, and she keeps complaining that she's the only one!

Fall Family Pictures

2010-11-01T21:01:00.000-07:00

I needed some family pictures for craft I am making at Super Saturday coming up. I asked my mom to take these pictures, but it wasn't until after we finished the "photo shoot" I realize that Carson still had ink on his face. You'll see a post further down in the blog explaining the ink. It's titled "Hitler".

Halloween and Grandma's House

2010-11-01T20:57:00.000-07:00

We spent the afternoon making homemade for donuts, which would be for dessert later.

The kids found grandma's dress up trunk.

Stew in a pumpkin, a perfect halloween dinner. Erica made "little mice" which you can see in front of the pumpkin. They are made out of crushed chocolate cookies.

Spoooooooky

2010-11-01T20:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, being Halloween, we drove up to my mom's house for stew in a pumpkin, and homemade donuts. We happen to pass a graveyard on the way, and since my kids have never been to one before, and it happened to be Halloween, we had to stop. The kids thought it was very creepy!

Hitler

2010-11-01T20:51:00.000-07:00

Carson found a black stamp yesterday (Halloween) and started stamping his face. This is what he look like.

Trunk or Treat

2010-11-01T20:44:00.000-07:00

Sydney got her face painted. I had to stop by Michaels craft store right after we cut Sydney's bangs, and they happened to be doing free face painting! So we got in line.

The church was having a trunk or treat on Saturday since Halloween falls on a Sunday this year. We brought our jack o lanterns and set them up to help decorate our trunk. It's never as much fun and real trick-or-treating, but it's better than nothing I guess. After the trunk-or-treat, there was a chili dinner inside the church. There were so many people and I wasn't feeling very well, so we only stayed about 15 minutes. All the kids cared about was the candy they got, so they didn't mind leaving.

Sydney Gets Bangs

2010-10-30T16:54:00.000-07:00

Sydney's cousin Ellie recently got bangs....which means Sydney now wants bangs. She's been asking for awhile now. Lance and I are not really big fans for bangs, but it's her hair and I think she should be able to do it if she wants. So after her last soccer game today I took her to a salon. She had never been to a salon before since I had been the one to trim her hair. Before we got there she asked me if was going to hurt! Isn't that so cute!The before....
Getting ready...

Here we go....

No turning back, but can see her genuine smile?

She loves it, and that all that matters!

Sydney's Soccer Season #1 is Over!

2010-10-30T16:46:00.000-07:00

Soccer ended with lots of rain! I didn't mind though. The kids have fun playing in the rain, and as long as I have an umbrella, I enjoy watching. Sydney's come a long way in 2 months. She still says she doesn't like soccer, but it looks like she really is having fun out there. Here she is as goalie, doing a goal kick.
Good save!

Can I just say how happy I am that our team is pink?! I doesn't get any better than little girls playing soccer in pink jersey and matching frilly hair bows!

Pop a Wheelie

2010-10-29T12:36:00.000-07:00

Tyson's new scooter has a wheelie bar, so he's been learning how to do wheelies.

Book Character Day

2010-10-29T12:32:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess it's comes as no surprise that our school is not allowed to have a Halloween day, so now they have a "book character" day. You must bring the book to school. We had to borrow a book from Grandma that's about a witch.Tyson is a green dragon (same thing as last year, which is why it looks a little small, but I didn't mind as long as it meant I didn't have to buy another costume!).

Carving Pumpkins

2010-10-29T12:29:00.000-07:00

Here we are at the beginning....And here's the end result. Sydney's pumpkin was a cat, Tyson's was scary, and Carson's was silly!