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Announcement~

2009-08-24T14:16:00.000-07:00

Well..it's been along time since my last post and what better way to update with EXCITING NEWS!!! I have been so blessed to work with one of my best girlfriends on a project she dreamed up 5 years ago. We are really thinking BIG here and are so excited to get the word out! We have named the organization Lanees Legacy. You can check it out at http://laneeslegacy.blogspot.com/ to read DeLanees story go to http://inmemoryofanangel.blogspot.com/
This is such a special organization and I know it will touch the lives of others.
I never thought I would be a recipient of one of Becky's boxes. I was given one in the hospital after we lost our 4th son Garrett in 2007. Leaving him at the hospital was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. I am so thankful I had a box to cling to. My box held everything that touched my precious little boy, a lock of his hair that the nurse had cut for me, and the impressions that were taken of his hands and feet. I am so blessed to have such a special box of belongings to reopen and to hold and smell. My entire family cherishes our box.
I am thankful for this opportunity to help this dream lift off the ground. DeLanee and Garrett did spend just a short time here on this earth but their sweet memories will continue to live on through this organization...Lanees Legacy!

Hair Flyer!!

2009-03-27T23:53:00.000-07:00

Just another CRAZY day with the 2 MONKEYS!!

2009-01-29T12:33:00.000-08:00

These two are water babies for sure! They LOVE bath time! As you can see in the video they are still all hyped up afterwards. They have brought so much joy into our home. I just LOVE them!! Even though life is pure CHAOS...ALL DAY LONG!!

Kader & Chloe after a bath from Rayel Smith on Vimeo.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHARLEE!!!

2009-01-23T23:10:00.000-08:00

I want you to know that I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!! You have been there for me through thick & thin. You are the best friend I have ever had. Here's to MANY more memories!! luv ya cuz

Brett,JR,Char & Me

Bryant is 6!!! Happy Birthday SWEET BOY!!!

2009-01-23T22:49:00.000-08:00

My SWEET baby boy turned 6. Can you believe it???
After 6 hours of EASY labor Bryant was born around 7 in the evening. My Mom & Ian were right by my side. The room was so quiet & still. Bry had such a strong spirit & didn't even make a peep. He was so beautiful with all of his dark hair & dark skin. What a blessing he has been to our family. His smile lights up the room!
WE LOVE YOU BRY BRY!

Bry was named after my Dad Bryant STEVEN Smith

Bry really wanted a Snowman party?? Go figure...you never know with this kid. Anyhow here are a few pics of the party & oh ya another Ahhwesome cake made by...me:-)

And his most FAVORITE Gift...

Mario Cart!!

Family Canning Day, Simple little story of being prepared

2008-11-30T15:23:00.000-08:00

I was talking to my friend the other day about needing to track down the stake caner...I was tickled to death when she said "I have the cannery's caner. It's set up in my garden in the backyard. Come and use it!!"
What a great opportunity it was to teach my children the importance of canning. We dry packed 300 lbs of food! It was so easy my 5 yr. old was doing it by himself. A few days after our canning day Me & Bry were making no bake cookies. "Uh Oh" I said as I opend the quaker oats..."we are out of oats Bry, what are we going to do?"I knew we were out...Bry was devastated. We would need to stop what we were doing and go to the store. Then I reminded him of the oats we had canned..he jumped down off the counter and went to the pantry and got a can of oats. His face was priceless when we opened the can together. He was amazed. He said "we have a store in our house."Simple little story of being prepared

My Boys

Bry-notice the sweat, he's workin hard...can you believe it's November.

Lace canning rice!!

Yeah!!! I got a new camera...

2008-11-30T15:05:00.000-08:00

After a couple of weeks without a camera I finally found one I liked!
I can't believe how much I feel like I missed. With 5 kiddos there are ALWAYS
Kodak moments to be ready for.
Here is a little catch up on pics!!

dang camera...never a dull moment

2008-11-03T00:31:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update. Sorry in advance for the LONG LONG post. It's not that the past month hasn't been an eventful one...my dang camera broke!! It kills me every time I run to grab it to snap a quick pic & then remember...darn it it's broke. Hopefully I'll have that mess figured out SOON!
What have we been up to hmmmmm. I have canned around some sorta insane number like 300 lbs. of meat. Beans up the WAZUUU, around 24 lbs. of butter, stew, potatoes, applesauce & I am moving onto my next project...veggies & completing my 72 hr kits!! Am I crazy or what. I have defiantly found a new love & appreciation for food storage & preparedness.
I've accomplished my goal!! My "long term storage" is complete!! A month early in fact! I can't believe how easy it was. It's funny how powerful our minds are. I tend to over think things & complicate everything. But I've learned the secret of accomplishing your goals...is just getting passionate about it & believing in what your doing!! Sounds silly but I have grown so much from this little preparedness experience. My absolute must have while I'm canning is Hilary Weeks music!! Me & Hilary have spent a lot of time together in the last little while. I LOVE HER MUSIC!!
I am so grateful everyday for the gospel & for the joy & calmness it brings into my life & my home. This experience has brought so many opportunities to me & I pray I can continue to...listen. GOSH I know I'm telling ya...I'm getting all sappy I just can't even explain how passionate I am about all of this!! What a testimony builder!!
Any how moving on...(before I go on & on & on) Lacey is doing great! She has a 3.8 grade average & was a little bummed that darn B snuck in there. :-) What a great kid!! The Boys are doing awesome! Brenner's football season started. His coach isn't messing around he's got practice 2 times a week. He loves it! It's fun to see that Smith talent shine!! Bry is just always happy & in LaLa Land most the time!! He loves to whistle & is always whistling to some tune. He has really grown in this first semester of Kindergarten. Wow-It's amazing how fast he's learning.
His soccer season just started as well. He is not your most aggressive player but at least he stays on the field this season. Last game he only ran off once to kiss me & hug me & say "I love you Mom". Now how can I get after time for that??
Kade & Chloe are so cute & are the best of buds. They run & play tag with each other a lot. Where one is...there is the other! Kade started to say Baaaaae Bae (hey baby)this week.
He has a lot of Bry's personality. He is always happy & VERY,VERY busy. He loves to sing..he walks around the house singing ashes, ashes. It's cute. Chloe wont say much but I'm convinced she can it's just that if it's not her idea she wont say it or do it. NOW I'm confused because her & Kade get everything the same, I treat them the same. But... she just came with her own agenda. what a stubborn little girl. My boys never acted like this & sweet little Lace wouldn't of even thought about it.
???Really it puzzles me??? It seems every store we leave with her kicking & screaming?? Not sure what to do?? Any pointers?? How do you stay calm when your child is laying on there back, kicking & screaming & going into FULL MELT DOWN MODE IN PUBLIC?? SIGH......It's a great thing.
Last person to update is Ian! He has been working so hard! We are converting our Garage into a big room. Last Sat. in between the boy's games he wanted to put the finishing touches on the framing. I was in the very back of the house when I heard him yelling for me. You know that gut feeling of "something is wrong". Well I was defiantly feeling that when I was running to find him. I knew he had been running his saw & nail gun so before I got to him I quickly prepared myself for the worst and said a quick prayer(in my mind) that his limbs were still all attached.
As I got out to him he was holding is hand. He had shot a humongous nail through his index finger, middle finger & punctured his ring finger. HOLY COW! Inside I was freaking out but I managed to stay calm & got him to the ER right away. Crazy, Crazy! He was very lucky & it just missed the bones in both fingers. I had to leave the room when they pulled the nail out-yuck! So a tetanus shot, a heavy dose of antibiotic, some Vicodin & we were on our way. I found him out finishing his job after we got home- turd. He said he wanted to finish it while his hand was still numb...how safe is that? So He's good He's just pretty sore. We are counting our blessings that's for sure!!
So I have some pretty AWESOME pics! I will post a pic of the xray as soon as I get the "dumb camera" situation figured out.
Sorry for the FOREVER LONG update. Never a dull moment around here that's for sure!!

Miss Chole Kay

2008-10-08T00:04:00.000-07:00

Alright today it happened for the 2nd time so it's worthy of a post.

A week or so ago I made a purchase online with my credit card and left the card
sitting on my desk in the office. Needless to say...it disappeared. I looked everywhere for it. Nobody has seen it(funny how things just get up & walk away):)

Anyhow I got out the toaster for breakfast a couple of days ago...
Pretty soon there was this funky smell?? And smoke..I hurried & flipped the toast up and WAAAH LA-my credit card! Ohh & Bry's missing toothbrush.

So this morning...I got the toaster out for breakfast. Put the toast in wouldn't you know it pretty soon..there's that funky smell & SMOKE/fire. Chloe & Kade were sitting up to my bar eating breakfast & watching it all. I ran over flipped up the toast again & found...Chloe's hair ribbon. DUN DUN DUN. The thief was caught red handed. I pulled it out & turned to look at her & she gives me that cute little smile like...oh ya there it is Mama.
I sure do love her!!

All in a days work...

2008-10-03T00:51:00.000-07:00

So Aunt Geneva came & spent the day with me. We bottled 20lbs of chicken & tied fleece blankets. What an accomplishment!! Thank You so much Aunt Geneva for helping me. I sure do love ya.

Ian... checking up on us!!

What a fun Day!!

TA DA!!!
So on my ambitious day. I guess the twins were feeling neglected. Aunt Geneva walked into my living rm & yelled for me to "come see this". OMG Kader got a hold of my purple PERMANENT marker. He colored himself & then decided to color Chloe as well. She just sat there watching TV while he drew all over her!! I love Kade's face...priceless memories-right??:-)

Snowflake

2008-10-03T00:03:00.000-07:00

One of the highlights of my trip was to see Grandma Stratton. She is amazing!! I swear her mind is quicker that mine. I love her SO much!! What an incredible lady.
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Brenner & Bry Just Chillin

I love this picture. They absolutely love their daddy!!

Don't you just love her cheese face!!
silly girl!!
lunch time

he doesn't like the flash!!

Lacey & Uncle Dan- feeding the cows!

Family Home Storage

2008-09-17T01:13:00.001-07:00

"Our Heavenly Father created this beautiful earth, with all its abundance, for our benefit and use. His purpose is to provide for our needs as we walk in faith and obedience. He has lovingly commanded us to “prepare every needful thing” (see D&C 109:8) so that, should adversity come, we can care for ourselves and our neighbors and support bishops as they care for others.

"We encourage members world-wide to prepare for adversity in life by having a basic supply of food and water and some money in savings.

"We ask that you be wise as you store food and water and build your savings. Do not go to extremes; it is not prudent, for example, to go into debt to establish your food storage all at once. With careful planning, you can, over time, establish a home storage supply and a financial reserve."
—The First Presidency,

A year supply honestly has been something I have never been able to wrap my head around. I'm not sure why?? It finally clicked in my head the other day that... I have not followed the Prophets council and I'm not ready. No one was going to do this for me. So I had that..."Wake up Rayel, take care of your family" moment. My goal was to have my 3 month supply by the end of September. My 6 months by the end of October & year supply by the end of November. I'm happy to say that my 3 month is done!! I really have been surprised about how easy it has been. I think I have just made it be so complicated all these years.
Any how here is a pic of my yummy sugary freezer jam me & the kids made to go in our year supply. Strawberry/raspberry & the other is Mango (my most favorite food on the planet). The boys had a blast mashing up the fruit. And Lacey gave me a bit of a hard time with how "UNHEALTHY" it was...but all in all it was a great day & I feel so much better knowing that I have done this for my family & most importantly that I am following the council of our Prophet. I know...I'm the worlds BIGGEST Procrastinator.

For the Strength of Youth handbook

2008-09-09T01:05:00.000-07:00

Well we had another one of those "firsts" again today with my sweet little Lacey BUG! This is how the conversation went when I picked her up from Junior High today:
Lace: So...Mom
Me: yeah
Lace: I guess that there is a dance on Friday
Me: GULP...yeah
Lace: Taylor asked me at lunch if I'd go with him...
Me: EVEN BIGGER GULP..What did you tell him?
Lace: Well..I didn't want to hurt his feelings in front of everybody so I said...maybe
Me: That was thoughtful of you(trying to hide my panic attack)
Lace: Later after lunch I felt the spirit tell me that it wasn't a good idea
so..what do YOU think Mom...can I go to the dance on Friday?
Me: ...well...what does the strength for youth guide say?? Not till your 14 I think
..possibly even 16 :-)
Lace: I knew it...& I'm fine not going & I've already decided to tell Taylor tomorrow.
Me: SIGH...whew

The story was even better watching Ian's face as she told him at dinner.
He shot a few glances at me..in utter disbelief that he was having "this"
conversation with her!:-)
Man I know she is growing up but...it's crazy how fast things just sneak up on you.
I know Taylor has had a crush on Lace for a while (they went to grade school together) so I wasn't surprised..He's a cute boy & has been a good friend to her. I'm so proud of her decision making & her acceptance of the strength for youth guidelines. I'm so proud of her for recognizing the spirit. And listening to the promptings & understanding that her "maybe" should of been a "no thank you".
Anyway just wanted to brag on what a good girl she is. I'm so Proud of her & pray
she continues to let the spirit guide her in her life.

2 babies + teething= TEARS...from them & ME

2008-09-08T20:33:00.000-07:00

And this to shall pass...right? My poor babies. I feel so bad for them both. They are breaking their molars & I seriously am exhausted. Kade tries to eat but anything he chews on is just so painful & ends up screaming. So he is drooling buckets & in tears because he's hungry. Chloe has figured it's not even worth trying so she is refusing everything. I've found that yogurts & apple sauce are the only things that don't bring tears. I also tried chicken noodle soup today & that went well.
The downside to these foods is I have to sit & feed them. Spoon feeding two babies is time consuming but the pay off is...I don't have to clean the floor or the chairs or the walls :-) & by me feeding them I know exactly what made it in their mouths verses them "trying" to feed themselves & needing a bath after every meal. AHHHHHH!
I am so happy that these teething days will soon be behind us. THANK GOODNESS for

If it wasn't for Orajel & Motrin I'm pretty sure you would find me curled up in the fetal position sucking my thumb!!

LIVING a life of SERVICE...I thought his speech was great!

2008-09-04T21:55:00.000-07:00

Thank you all very much. Tonight, I have a privilege given few Americans -- the privilege of accepting our party’s nomination for President of the United States. And I accept it with gratitude, humility and confidence.
In my life, no success has come without a good fight, and this nomination wasn’t any different.
I’ve been an imperfect servant of my country for many years. But I have been her servant first, last and always. And I’ve never lived a day, in good times or bad, that I didn’t thank God for the privilege.
If you find faults with our country, make it a better one. If you’re disappointed with the mistakes of government, join its ranks and work to correct them. Enlist in our Armed Forces. Become a teacher. Enter the ministry. Run for public office. Feed a hungry child. Teach an illiterate adult to read. Comfort the afflicted. Defend the rights of the oppressed. Our country will be the better, and you will be the happier. Because nothing brings greater happiness in life than to serve a cause greater than yourself.
I’m going to fight for my cause every day as your President. I’m going to fight to make sure every American has every reason to thank God, as I thank Him: that I’m an American, a proud citizen of the greatest country on earth, and with hard work, strong faith and a little courage, great things are always within our reach. Fight with me. Fight with me.
Fight for what’s right for our country.
Fight for the ideals and character of a free people.
Fight for our children’s future.
Fight for justice and opportunity for all.
Stand up to defend our country from its enemies.
Stand up for each other; for beautiful, blessed, bountiful America.
Stand up, stand up, stand up and fight. Nothing is inevitable here. We’re Americans, and we never give up. We never quit. We never hide from history. We make history.
Thank you, and God Bless you.

Dun...dun...dun...the long awaited saga is over.

2008-09-03T13:05:00.000-07:00

Hmmmmm....interesting. I have mixed feelings??
What are your thoughts??? Lacey has asked me several times if when she turns 13 if she could read this series. After reading the final book..my decision is...NO WAY.
In my opinion..to mature for tweens.
I read the first 3 very quickly...& had to wait for the 4th for 8 to 9 months...I was
wondering if the language was the same in the first 3 as in the 4th?? Anyone
remember?

Finally...pictures of the first day of school!!

2008-08-31T17:30:00.001-07:00

Bry-ALL DAY KINDERGARTEN!!Yeah!! can you tell I'm a little excited!
Brenner-2nd grade & thinks he knows ALL things
Lacey-7TH grade..look out junior high!!

And shes off..

Brenner in his classroom

Bry playing on the playground

Trying to catch up

2008-08-31T16:56:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to get better about finding the time to do this whole blog thing. It seems like every weekend I get further & further being. So this month I am going to try & keep my blog updated.
My Kader bear got his first hair cut!! He had the cutest locks of curls in the back. It was a hard thing to do but now that it's done it's something I probably should of done a long time ago!!

Before

After
What a handsome little man!!
Brenner thought giving Ian a hair cut was hilarious!! He is no longer in denial
about the "thinning" of his hair. He has been shaving it for the last few months or
so. He has lost around 40 lbs. And says "his hair is gone...but at least I'm not
bald & FAT)

A Special day!!

2008-08-29T20:50:00.000-07:00

Ian & I were so blessed to have Lacey sealed to us a couple of weekends ago in the
Snowflake Temple!
Lacey is 12 now & in Young Women's! Where does time go? It just seems like yesterday
when she was singing her ABC's & playing with her imaginary friends (honey & Mr.Blue bird). She is such a good girl & we are so proud of her. Ian & I took Lacey to
the open house for the temple in Snowflake when she was 6. It was really cool to be with her in the sealing room & I couldn't help but think that someday we would bring her back & have her sealed to us. It was a special day!! Thank You to all of our Family & Friends who came & supported us.
She was just glowing & looked so beautiful in her white dress. She is a little sponge & soaked everything up. The spirit was so strong. I am so thankful for my knowledge of eternal families. This gospel is true & I am forever grateful to my Savior Jesus Christ & for his example he set for us. I know he lives & I cannot wait for the day that I will be reunited with him & my sweet baby boy Garrett.

Grandpa Stratton & Lace

Amy,Kari,Me,Mom & Lace

2008-08-27T12:14:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics of our trip to Hawaii!! We had a blast! You should also know
that when Ian has the camera there is no warning on when to smile so that explains
all of the silly poses from me. We spent most of our time on the North Shore. It
just gave more of that "hometown" feeling to us. We ate our lunches from a bus that
had been converted into a "food shack". There were stray chickens everywhere & for those of you who know about my fear of chickens would of got a kick out of my nervousness!! A couple of cats and a sleepy dog laid on the dirt in front of the order window. Bring back memories to anyone who grew up at Lenny's like I did??
Anyhow we also took surf lessons from Uncle Bryan. He was a cool guy that is very well known on the island. Our friend Zack hooked us up with him. Our class was small-just one other couple from Canada went out with us. Ian & I were surprised with how easy it was to get up. We had this guy Gabe in the water with us and he would push us off to help us catch the wave. We had so much fun. Later in the trip we were over on Waikiki & decided to rent surf boards since we were pros...ya know. Needless to say we got our rear ends handed to us. It was so hard-we both were exhausted by the time we paddled out to were everybody else was. And this time there was no Gabe
to give you that little push off. Ian & I got separated and I somehow ended up
with all of the locals. They all pointed & laughed when the waves seemed to get bigger & harder. One guy told me that if I would just take my top off.. that really
helps! HA HA. That's when I figured it was time for me to paddle back to shore & do what I do best. Lay in the sun-on solid ground!!
We met some really awesome locals!! They took us cave snorkeling. This ranks #1 on my craziest things I've ever done list. OMG-I can't even begin to tell you how crazy cool that experience was. It really proves mind over matter-all of my senses were screaming at me & my brain was telling me that I was out of air & in deep trouble. Then you would see a little light above & pop up in a little cave. This
is where our "war wounds" came into play. The ocean just throws you around & you
could feel yourself bump into or kick the reef a little. I was surprised when we
were done & back on the beach to look down & see my foot cover in blood. The rocks are so sharp. We also swam with turtles. They are used to people so they come right
up to you. Ian still teases me about hearing me scream underwater. I'm not exaggerating...the turtles were HUGE!!
So all in all it really was the trip of a lifetime. I would love to pick my little
family up & relocate.??Maybe I will?? We are so thankful for EVERY opportunity we had on the island. I LOVE how no matter where you go or where you are the gospel is the one thing that stays the same & makes you feel so comforted & safe. We truly
felt the spirit of the Temple. What a great day that was..so beautiful!!
I loved-loved every second of our journey & love the Hawaiian people & culture!!

Pics of Hawaii

2008-08-27T12:09:00.001-07:00

North Shore, Oahu

2008-07-17T01:05:00.000-07:00

WOW!! Ian & I had the time of our life this last week!! We were so blessed
to have the chance to go to Oahu. The first trip away from the twins...13 months
with no brake-it was WAY overdue! So a BIG THANK YOU to those who helped & made
this possible for us.
I labeled the entire front of my refrigerator with medical releases to daily
schedules and meal ideas & had a lot of sleepless nights over leaving.
OF COURSE the day before we were supposed to leave Chloe wakes up from her 2nd nap & out of the clear blue sky has "pink eye". I was freaking out-pink eye...really??? So thankfully I was able to get her a prescription that night (THANKS JEFF-I LOVE YA MAN). Our flight went out early the next morning & I guess that Kade woke up with it as well...so here I am trumpsing off to Hawaii & my poor babies eyes are glued shut & Momma is know where to be found. They were completely better by the time I got back so Thanks Am,Kris & Chelsea.
I kept telling myself that as soon as I walked out the door: I would NOT worry, I would NOT call a gzillion times a day & I would just let myself take it all in and RELAX!!

I was going to post our pics but go stuck on decorating...:-) I also added a pic of Garrett-isnt he the most beautiful baby! It's a big step for me!! It's getting late but I promise to post pics & tell you more about the trip....soon!!

Had to post this...just for you Bec! What a mess to clean up!!

2008-06-30T21:30:00.000-07:00

Hmm...Where do I start. I'm SO behind on my posts..Here is a quick run down of the CHAOTIC life of the SMITH FAM!!!

2008-06-17T01:24:00.001-07:00

WHEWWW...SURVIVED..ONE YEAR DOWN!!!

2008-06-17T00:10:00.001-07:00

Look at them...One..where has time gone?? They LOVED,LOVED their birthday!!
I thought it was funny-most of my pics are blury..they wouldnt hold still long
enough!
I had to put all the pics into the slide because there were just tooo many to
chose from...
Thanks so much to all of our friends and family for sharing this special day
with us. It really does take a village to raise MY children:-) REALLY-Thank YOU for helping us through this year!!

2008-06-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

Miss Kristi has given Bry the OK to graduated to the "BIG BOY SCHOOL"!! I think if she could she would keep him in preschool 4 ever!!She doesnt have favorites though-wink,wink. We Love you Miss Kristi & already miss you!!!

2008-06-16T22:50:00.000-07:00

Since you last heard from us we have had Lacey graduate from elementary school! AAHHHH Junior High here we come. She was awarded the Character Ed award...perfect-this suits her well. She is so caring & is always thinking of others first!! I am so proud of you Lacey..what a honor it is to be your Mother. You are truly my rock...you always have been. Heavenly Father has special plans for you. You have been such a great example & have touched & strengthened all those around you. I Love you SWEET girl!!

"ENDURE IT WELL"

2008-05-16T02:35:00.000-07:00

The Lord urged his suffering servant Joseph Smith to “endure it well” (D&C 121:8)
What does that mean? When the sobering gift of growth comes our way, how can we receive it with grace and integrity?

May came…I’m not sure if I was ready for it-but it’s here!!
Today is Garrett’s 2nd birthday. I’ve found myself really struggling.
I knew this day was coming…last year was so different.
I was pregnant with the twins and on bed rest. I was pretty distracted
And still pretty numb.
I can’t believe it’s been 2 years. I am so thankful for the gospel & for
The comfort that it brings. Ian & I had the most special experiences that
We will treasure forever and ever.
What a journey this has been.

Sorrow seems to move in slow motion. But when the moment has
Passed,we will move back into eternity with ease. Time will lose it’s hold on our
Minds, and we will behold the Eternal One. D&C 88:49-50

I know others who have made blogs for their children who have passed
..I haven’t gotten that strong yet. This has been a hard thing for me because
he really was such a beautiful baby.
I thought maybe this would help me to just tell a little about him…baby steps
Right??
We did'nt have a name picked out. But after prayer Ian & I both
Looked at each other and new exactly what he was to be named.
Garrett Lynn Smith-after my Grandpa Stratton, who has passed also. I
cant help but think that grandpa loves this boy dearly and was by his side every
step of the way. He weighed 4 lbs and 3oz. and was 19” Long and at 33
weeks…he was a pretty big boy. His eyes were crystal blue & his hair was so so blond-almost white. His skin color was beautiful and he was so soft!! He Looked a lot like our oldest son Brenner.
After 2 days I begged my nurse to unhook me from my machines and tell the Dr. I was leaving. I believe I even asked her to lie for me if my blood count hadn’t come
Up yetShe was so sweet and definitely meant to be my nurse on that
Day at that time. Needless to say she did'nt have to lie and had
Me discharged in a worlds record time!!

Garrett was almost 2 days old before I got to touch and smell him. I was
Able to have 2 of the most precious hours with him before he returned
To Heavenly Father. It was the happiest Sad moment of my life.
Time seems to glide along when life makes sense-my time with him passed so quickly. I am so thankful and ever grateful to be his mother.

We all went to dinner to celebrate Garrett’s birthday. As the twins were
Both screaming and throwing food, Lacey was teasing Bryant and Brenner
Kept crawling under the table. Ian & I just looked at eachother and smiled
…we are SO blessed and have SO much to be grateful for.
This will be a good day.
“ENDURE IT WELL”

2008-05-16T00:26:00.000-07:00

Silly Kidz!!

2008-05-15T23:54:00.000-07:00

2008-05-15T23:50:00.000-07:00

Silly Boy

2008-04-15T12:54:00.000-07:00

The other night it was around 8 & the kids were supposed to be sleeping(ha,ha).I was in my garage airing up my tires for my 4:30AM bike ride the next morning (ouch) and Bryant came in looking pretty stressed out. He started to tell me how he cant sleep and this and that..stalling basically! He then got really excited and asked if he could lay in bed and read a book. I told him sure that was a great idea-just GET IN BED! After kisses and hugs(AGAIN) he ran off to bed-so excited that I had agreed to his brilliant plan. A few minutes later he came back in so sad & with his head and shoulders slumped and really depressed. I asked him what was wrong and he looked up at me with his beautiful blue eyes and said "Mom, I cant read". It was so funny-Bry always cracks us up!!We love him SO much!!

NEVER A DULL MOMENT...

2008-04-01T23:49:00.000-07:00

WHOAAA...is it REALLY April 1st??? Last I was aware it was March 20Th. Seriously
spring break, Easter,,,it's ALL a blur. Chloe was first..ear infection, shocking (not really) poor baby her right ear just WONT get better. We've been on & off antibiotics for months (I hate putting my kids on antibiotics..but I don't know what else to do for her)? Any how she all the sudden starts throwing up and diarrhea..I thought I could handle it UNTIL Kade starts as well. LONG story short 2 weeks of NO sleep for Me, a hospital stay in pediatrics at Banner Gateway, lots of needle pokes, IV's & TEARS,a xray & catscan, & did I mention the $1100.00 in "insurance co pays"???
Double Trouble is right..I think things are Finally back to "normal".
Who knows what bug they had? Only the twins got it. Thank GOODNESS!!
The other kids were troopers & so much help to me.
Thanks for all the phone calls,visits & ice cream (Kristy & Julie).THANKS to My sis Amy,Brandon's wife, & to My Ward for the dinners you brought in during all the chaos! And Thank You Grandma Stephanie. I am SO gratefull for you and all you do for us. WE Love You!!
I'll post more another day..I'm going to bed:-)

OUR SWEETIES!!

2008-03-03T22:52:00.001-08:00

What a GREAT weekend!!

2008-03-03T10:53:00.000-08:00

We had a BUSY day Sat. After my LONG crazy bike ride, we spent the rest of the day getting ready for our Family Pinewood derby ward party. Here are pics of the car the kids (IAN) made:-) Just a few arguments and cuss words later...WHA-LA. It didn't go very fast but it looks cute!!
Then Sunday Ian and I both woke up needing a Garrett fix-we love having him in Snowflake! The kids were really excited to take flowers and Easter stuff up! Ian
grabbed a quilt and we sat on the grass and decorated his garden!! I love the feeling of sitting there with ALL of my kidz!!
It was a fast but fun trip!! We got to see Grandpa's and Grandma and Uncle Tanner,Curtis and Aunt Melissa and cousins Deegan & Madison!! We are so blessed to have wonderful family! We love you all!!

2008-03-03T10:43:00.000-08:00

What doesn't kill you will make you stronger...right?? Okay-So I know it doesn't really look that hard (the picture doesn't do it any justice). This is the first time I've tackled this hill called "king Kong". My girlfriend and I took off around 7:30 on Sat. morning and had a blast!! We went out through Red Mountain Ranch and down by the river where the bus drops off the tubers. All said and done it was about 44 1/2 miles!! The weather was great and the scenery was beautiful!! WOW-was I tired.

Finally they got to play in the snow!!!

2008-02-20T22:30:00.000-08:00

Our poor "Valley kids" have been begging us to take them to the snow. So with this last storm that's what we did!! It's been awhile since we have had snow worth playing in. Ian and I were'nt shocked when we went through our "winter bag" to find the kids out grew their clothes. The other night Ian and I went to Dang WalMart to get winter clothes,ya know-boots,gloves maybe some bibs. It took us all of a few minutes to realize It's the end of Feb. and we are in "Mesa" standing next to the swimsuit rack. Duh-what were we thinking??
Anyway we threw what we had together (Brenner was a REALLY good sport about wearing Lacey's Barbie boots from last year)I was suprised, that tells you how bad he just wanted to play in the snow!!
Grandpa Willie came along and memories were made!! What a fun day-for us city folk:-)

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-02-07T22:03:00.001-08:00

2008-02-07T18:57:00.001-08:00

I thought it really would'nt be that big of a deal to keep up with my Blog.
WHAT was I thinking...I can barely keep up with my thoughts. Life for us
is going really great!
Ian has been working really hard IN ST.CROIX. He has been traveling alot doing "business" in the Virgin Islands. He's really happy with his job and is awesome at what he does, I'm so proud of him. Here are some
pics of his "work"!!
The kids are all doing great..Brenner just turned 7, and Bryant just turned 5. Having BOY birthday parties (I'm finding) are ALOT of work.
Lacey is growing up SO fast. She is on honor roll in school and is one B away from straight A's!! She helps me SO much with the babies and is getting to be quite the chef.
THE BABIES....We all just adore them. We moved to the next stage of life this month..new carseats..new highchairs...new stroller. Having twins is just a little expensive!!
Kader is crawling everywhere. He is so busy we have another little Bryant on our hands. He says "DA-DA,BA-BA"... and "MA-MA" only when he REALLY needs something. The rougher the better with that kid..he's all Boy!
Princess Chloe Bug is exactally that...She just sit's and gets everything she needs. Kade makes her nervous. She screams everytime he gets in her comfort circle.
Some days she lets him climb all over her and other days he can't even look at her. Is that a GIRL for you or what. She is very serious all the time. She reminds me of Ian so much. And those of you who KNOW Ian know what I mean. She says "DA-DA and MA-MA" and is no where near crawling..If it take effort, forget it!! Ian says she looks just like Aunt Mandie-I saw pictures...I think he's right.
As for me I could'nt possibly happier. My life is so blessed. I am so thankful
for my wonderful husband and beautiful children. I love my life-it's hectic but that's exactly the way I wanted it!! Also it's finally warming up..that's means
I can get back on my bike again-the TOUR of PHOENIX is in 11wks..we'll see??
Well hopefully this give everyone a little update on the Smith Fam.
Can't wait for the next post-

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-08-30T03:02:00.001-07:00