Acts of kindness

Tonight my good friend Jen brought us a delicious meal of cheesey broccoli soup and homemade, home-ground wheat bread. It was wonderful...and, get this: homemade. My family got a homemade meal tonight. I was so thankful. We have been eating out a lot because A) nothing sounds good to cook and B) my kitchen makes me want to puke. It is not a messy kitchen, but the smell of food cooking and the idea of cooking food turns my stomach inside out! For those of you who never get sick...I envy the heck out of you. For those of you who do get sick...I feel for you. As we were partaking of this wonderful meal tonight, Daeson asked where we got it. I told him Jen made it and he said, "Jen made all of this for us? That was so nice, Mom." It was nice. It was a wonderful act of kindness. I was able to send Jen home with some goodies, but nothing beats a soup and bread!

This week is going to be extremely busy starting tomorrow. I hope I can muster through it. Tomorrow we have preschool at 9, drop the car off to get detailed (it smells like kids and I cannot stand to be in it), pick my new recliner up at the store, pick Tev up at 11, take Daeson to school at 12, teacher orientation for primary at 1, pick Daeson up at 3, clean my house???, pick car up, pres mtg at 6:30 pm, dinner and bed. I have cakes to do this week and Halloween to get ready for. We love Halloween at our house. We have a great time...I just hope I can pull this year off. I have to get the garage cleaned out, bikes put away, canning stuff packed up and fall decor to find. Wednesday I go to the Doctor, which Jen will be performing another act of service by watching my boys. I normally would take them, but we do an ultrasound to make sure the baby is growing where the baby should be growing. I am hoping everything is fine, but in case it is not, Troy will be with me. He hates going to Dr visits with me, it grosses him out that people would choose the profession of an OB/GYN. So, once again, Jen, thank you. You are a great neighbor and friend. I really appreciate it!

Longing for change

I am not sure what brought these feelings on. Pregnancy hormones most likely. If you know my family at all, you know that we moved around a lot. When I was 7 we moved from Pocatello to Missouri. Then four years later, we moved to Denver. Three years after that, we moved to Malad. I lived in Malad for four years while I was in High School, then moved, pretty much the day after graduation, to Pocatello to attend ISU. Although I loved spending time with my Grandma Tom, I moved back to Malad for 8 months while I worked, waiting for my semester at Rick's to start. I then moved to Rexburg, met Troy, lived in four different apartments (two before I got married, two after) in three years and then we moved to our home here. We have lived here since Dec 26, 2003. This year marks our 7th year. We have loved our neighborhood and we have some close friends here. I have lived in my house that I own longer than I have lived anywhere. I guess when people ask where I am from, I can now say here. If I died tomorrow, I would be buried here. This is where I am from.

However, for the last few months I have been feeling like change is in the air. Our ward has changed, some of the loved ones have moved out and some great one have moved in. Friends that used to be are no more and new friends have been made. There are only a few things that I do not like about the neighborhood we live in: there are not enough babysitters and there are no boys my kids ages. This really stinks. Daeson is forced to play with girls...dress up and dolls. There is no one Tev's age so when Daeson is invited for a "playdate" Tevan is left at home bawling his eyes out. I am not one of those mom's who makes my kids stick together. I think it is very important for kids to develop their own personalities and friendships. I will not force them, two years different in age, to play together with other friends.

I just feel like I am ready for a drastic change, not just by having a baby. No, I want to add to the chaos by moving. There, I said it. I want to move. We have outgrown our home. We are ready for some land and I would like to live closer to Daeson's school. No matter where we live, Troy has to drive all over for his job, so that would not make a difference. I would give a carpet allowance since ours is trashed and I would have to give an allowance for siding since we never got around to replacing it. Other than that, our house is okay. The basement is finished (other than the bathroom) brand new in the last three years. The bathrooms have3 been torn out and redone in the last four years and the windows and doors are new in the last five years. I need a bigger kitchen. This kitchen is fine for a few people, but when we have gatherings, we do not all fit and we are forced to eat in the garage. I am ready for change. I am ready to make that change before this baby gets here. I am ready for something huge to happen...like a house. Troy fights me on this everytime I mention it, but I am to that point where I just don't care. So, if you happen to see a for sale sign in my yard, there will likely be some angry feeling in my house! But, really, I am ready for a change. Ready for bigger and better things...I am calling it my 7 year itch.

Christmas 2010

I better get these posted, I am already behind! There are some ideas posted for the Smith side. Let me know if you want anything added!

Grovers:

Child gifts $5.00 and under

Adult gifts: Whatever you want to spend

Adam; Dani

Kayla: Troy

Adalyn: Sadie

Mieley: Ryker

Tora: Daeson

Troy: Todd

Jandy: Adam

Daeson: Adalyn

Tevan: Tora

Danielle: Heidi

Todd: Kaden

Sadie: Tevan

Ryker: Mieley

Heidi: Kayla

Brad: Jandy

Kaden: Brad

Adam and Todd, we need some ideas or you'll get a super cool t-shirt!!!

Smith side:

Child gifts:Under $10.00

Adult gifts: Less than $20.00

Justin: Jaden

Hailey: Jandy

Jax: Daeson

Jandy: Carlie

Troy: Jesse

Daeson: Brookie

Tevan: Carson

Jess: Troy

Carlie: Justin

Brookie: Tevan

Carson: Jaxon

Jaden: Hailey

Ideas:

Justin: white ankle socks, g's, Gift certs to McDonalds,

Hailey: food storage, smelly lotions,

Jaxon does not need clothes but would like: Cars, trucks, Sesame Street DVDs, Elmo and Dinosaurs

Troy: Home Depot GC, tools,

Jandy: diapers Pampers swaddlers N, Huggies size 2, wipes from Costco, baby bath soap, Dreft laundry soap, Vaseline yellow lotion, Gift Cert to Home Deopot or Lowes for paint and bathroom stuff

Daeson: Pokemon or Bakugan stuff, Size 5/6 warm pajamas, bath stuff with characters on it, Dr. Seuss books for both boys

Tevan: ZhuZhu pets stuff, size 3t warm pajamas, bath soaps with buzz or other characters on it

Carlie: laundry detergent Tide, Pampers size 5, Snuggle fabric softener

Jess:

Brooke: jewelry, Barbie, dress-up stuff, Princess hair clips, Belle princess stuff

Carson: 2T/3T clothes

Jaden: HMK4/klim boots size 12, g's, laundry soap, Gift cards to foot locker, sporting goods store (not Cabellas), tools,

Mom: silver stud earrings, lotion (all kinds), slippers size 8 1/2-9, mid-calf blue socks not trouser,

Dad: Paint ball gear bag, bathroom books, cross word puzzle books,

Sick and sicker

Two nights ago I came down with a very obnoxious runny nose. Yesterday when I woke up, my head was pounding, my nose was running and I developed a horrible cough. This morning I have all of those symptoms plus a sick husband. It is bad enough that I cannot get caught up on laundry and cleaning, now I have to add to the fire. I have been taking Airborne...one of the greatest supplements in our time if you ask me! But as for other medication, I try to stay away. I don't even take medication when I am not pregnant.

My house is a wreck. I did get two batches of laundry washed, dried, and folded. I managed to unload the clean dishes this morning and load all of the dirty ones from yesterday. My beds remain unmade, the floors unvacuumed, the hermit crabs unkept (I am not even sure they are still living). If someone were to come over, I would either lock the doors and pretend I was not home or open the door looking like crap and welcome them to my very smelly, untidy home. I have not cooked since Sunday. Here it is Thursday. Troy has been really good, but now he is sick so I am sure that will take care of his enthusiasm. It is 8:40 in the morning. Tevan has preschool in 20 minutes. He is still in his pajamas, he has not been fed breakfast and he will probably stay home today, or be VERY late. I am not usually like this. I am usually very on the ball and organized but right now, I do not give a flying monkey's tail. It would be nice to have a long, hot bath filled with Vicks Vapor Rub. It would be nice to heavily medicate myself with TheraFlu or NyQuil and just sleep the entire day. It would be very nice to have my children old enough to take themselves to school and cook their own meals. But, I am a mother. I take care of my husband and my kids even when I am not 100%. I have to. It is my job and my responsibility. It is my duty to my family to hold my pounding head up high, keep my fanny out of bed and get to work. It is now 8:50. We may have tears (from both parties) as I hastily get Tevan ready for school, fed and out the door. But with luck, I will pull it together.

Tired and nauseous

So, I know it is a bit early to be posting this, but our family members have been told and my children will probably spill the beans sooner than later, so here is our news: Baby #3 is on its way. How do I feel about this? Well, we decided to try until September. Then two Tuesdays ago, I decided that I wanted to stop and be completely done. The sickness, the tiredness, and the hustle and bustle that we are already experiencing overwhelms me. I am tired now. I don't know what I am going to do in nine months when this little Grover comes.

The funny thing is that it is due in June. Let me give you a quick run down of June...or starting with May 28: Daeson May 28, my niece Brooke and my Late Grandma Great June 5, Me June 8, Kayla June 9, cousin Shailee and Aunt Vicky June 11, Uncle Scott June 12, June 13 my Mom, June 14 this one, June 15 my Grandma Tom, June 16 Uncle Dirk, June 19 Tevan, June 21 my Grandma Lish, Aunt Lynne June 22, June 23 Uncle Kip, June 28 Dad and June 29 Aunt Kristy. I tried to get it to come sooner, but it was not supposed to happen that way I suppose.

I now get to rearrange furniture and bedrooms. I have my eye out for some bunk beds. I found some yesterday that if they are still there tomorrow I will go purchase them. I need to paint, get new carpet, weed out toys, and try to find space. One option is to get rid of the guest room, but I am not ready to do that. I don't get a lot of visitors, but it is nice to give them privacy when I do get them. Also, I do not like that the boys would be downstairs. I like them up with me. So, I think the toy room will dissolve. There were 5 bedrooms when we bought the house, but we turned one of them into an office for Troy. The other is a guest room. Then upstairs we have our master bedroom, the boy's room and the toy room. The toy room will become the boy's room, the boy's room will become the nursery and our room will remain the same. So over the next 7ish months, I need to get the energy to do all of this moving and rearranging. Right now it seems a bit overwhelming, but it will all work out. I guess that is why we have 9 months to prepare. Unfortunately my raised vegetable garden and my pavers will have to wait as will our siding and our hardwood floors and our living room. Our deductible is outrageous. I cannot believe insurance companies!!!! They make you pay a TON during the year, then they cover NOTHING! I hate it. Being self-employed makes it even harder to get good insurance.

So, what are we hoping for? I think we all will be okay with either a boy or a girl, hoping that it is healthy. However, I would really like a boy. We have everything for boys and considering when it is due, I will have the proper sizes and seasons. If it is a girl, we will be equally happy, but it will cost a ton to buy all new stuff. This will likely be our last baby, if I have anything to do with it. Three is plenty for me. So I think it would be silly to purchase things for a girl if it is our last. I would just like a healthy and happy child. That is really what any of us want. God willing.

My cake business is on a slight hold for a while. I have four cakes ordered right now and as long as I feel okay, I will continue taking new orders. After the baby comes, I will completely stop for about 10 months or so. Then I hope I can resume in full swing. This makes me a bit sad. I love doing cakes and I love expressing myself through frosting :). But there is a time and a place, this is not my time I guess. I will keep everyone posted and updated through the BLOG. I go to the Dr on Oct 27 to do an ultrasound. They have to do this because of the previous ectopic pregnancy I had in 2002. They just make sure everything is where it is supposed to be. Until then...

Fast trip

Wednesday night we decided to go to Grangeville on Thursday. The boys wanted to see Grandma and Grandpa again and the horses. So, Thursday we picked up Miki (my 14 year old cousin) and drove, and drove, and drove. Finally about 7:30 pm we arrived and we were able to relax for a bit. We visited and had a good two days. The boys got to ride the horses a little bit and Mik, mom and I went shopping for an hour or two. It was nice. We had a ward party while we were there, too. We got in the car Sunday morning only 7 minutes behind schedule. It was a long drive home, very tiring. Tevan came within inches of his life and finally settled down about Fruitland. They were good most of the time and we were glad to be home at last. The boys did not want to go to bed right away, but they had no choice. It was bed time. I did not take my camera...I don't even know where it is to be quite honest. Now I am going to tie in to my house and 72 hour kits and get things organized. Today is clean the house day and I hate Mondays for that reason. The entire house gets cleaned up top to bottom. It makes the rest of the week go a lot smoother if I just have to touch up. Thanks mom and dad for letting us crash your weekend, and thanks Mik for going with me! You were a big help!

Keep scrolling!

I just posted a ton of pics and they date back to August, so keep scrolling down. Leave comment, too, if you desire. I am glad I am almost caught up. I still have to post our new addition...two fun and shy hermit crabs. Pictures are coming soon...or whenever I get to it! I have been so stinking busy I cannot keep up with school, life, cooking, cleaning, organizing and church assignments. Sheesh, I need to relax and take a break. Well, I guess considering how much blogging I just did, I probably can consider that a break. I still had to take care of the kids and cook while it was all uploading. I am trying to get caught up on laundry, too. Only three more batches, until tomorrow! Ha, it never ends! Oh, Troy, Kara, Jaimen and I went to see You Again. If anyone is thinking about going, it is very good. It was only PG, too. So, if you have any daughters or teenage sons, they would probably enjoy it. We also saw Scott Pilgrim VS the World a few weeks ago. It is terrible...unless you like that kind of thing, then you will love it. I put it right there with Monty Python movies. Troy loved it. He wants to buy it. He tells everyone how fabulous it is. Obviously we do not share the same taste in movies...or much of anything for a matter of fact. But, opposites attract, right?

Answering machine problems

I am sorry if you have called in the last few months and left a message. I did not call you back because we have not been getting all our messages...and the messages we do get, they appear erased. So, I am so sorry that you have not been called back. I do not hate you...I just had no idea I was supposed to call. For those lucky enough to have been called back, I am glad we got the message...eventually!

Green and pink wedding cake

I delivered this cake this morning. It was a scary cake to make. Last night about 10 pm I finally figured out the flowers. It was also scary to transport. I sat in the back of the car holding it while Troy drove the 10 miles. I felt every bump and the string work would fall off sporadically. I was able to fix it and it turned out okay. It was raspberry filled white cake and the flowers are fondant. The sizes are 16, 12, and 8 inch rounds. I was excited it came together. I have to admit, I was a bit nervous. I did not actually see anyone in the wedding party, but one of the guests told me it was loved and that everyone was talking about how great it was. That always makes me feel good!

Daeson's first day of KINDERGARTEN!!!

Daeson was so excited to go to school. I was a bit nervous because the school appeared unfinished just last Thursday, but here we are. It was very exciting for him. It is 10 miles there, 10 miles back so we drive an insane 200 miles each week to take him to this Montessori. We are excited to be apart of this beautiful school and wonderful method of learning. It is wonderful that everyday he gets to learn and meet new friends. He chose Transformer pancakes for his breakfast. He was thrilled that they looked kind of like the real thing! (They looked horrible but he thought it was great.) I am proud of him for being a child who wants to learn. His teacher is Miss Baugh and he seems to really like her.

Warning...updates coming soon!

Today is Daeson's first day of school...but I promise when I finally get updated there will be a TON you have all been dying to see :)! Okay, just the Grandmas are dying to see these cute children of mine, but I hope the rest of you enjoy it, too! I finally got my part of the primary program done and emailed, Troy's bithday party done, and Daeson is headed to school today. I did pick up 6 dozen corn from Aunt Linda yesterday, so I guess I have a bit of shucking to do, but I will send Troy out to do that (I am allergic to the silky stuff in corn). I have a cake at the end of the week, but I have already been shopping for that. So, today I might just get some blogging done...finally!

Happy 32nd, Troy!

Today Troy turned 32. I know, he is an old man!! I hope he had a fun day. He took it off for once and we tried to make it a good one. I took him to the SankeBite for lunch and it was delicious. We walked around downtown for a bit then hurried home so we could go to the ribbon cutting for Daeson's new school. When we got back, we sat around and waited for people to show up. I was ready a half hour early!!!!! I could not believe it, I am usually running behind! We had a good turn out, thank you to everyone who came. Peggy made it back from her sales trip...even with missing a flight! I was glad she could be there as well as everyone else. We had Bret, Holly, girls, Adam, Kla, girls, (just kidding...they were camping, thanks for reminding me, KLA!) Richard, Peggy, Heidi, Kaden, Grandma Grover, Jaedyn, us, Dave, Dustin, Laura, kids, amd last but definitely not least, Jaimen and Kara. I was sad that no one from my fam came, but that is how the cookie crumbles. Troy told me I wear my heart on my sleeve because I try too hard to make it to family things. That might be changing. But we had a great time. Troy got a GC to Texas Roadhouse, Smart-wool socks, money, three polos, a cologne set and I am sure things that I did not get a chance to see and write down. He also got a lot of very nice cards and heartfelt messages in them. Thanks to everyone!!!! happy Birthday, Babe! We love you very much~

Where do we live?

Today I was asking the boys where we lived. I knew Daeson knows, but I thought it is high time to have Tevan start learning these things. They have on their BYU-I shirts, and this is the conversation we had:

Tevan: "I-O".

Me: "So where do we live?"

Tevan: "WalMart!!!"

I guess I spend too much time there! I know Troy feels like he lives there...he is in there about 12-15 hours each week delivering! We go in to say hi often and to stock up on necessities. What would we do without WalMart?

Tevan's first day of Preschool!

Tevan's day finally came! He potty-trained for this day and was absolutely thrilled when we told him it was the day. He requested pancakes and French toast for breakfast....so that is exactly what he got. He has it 9-11 am and does very well with getting ready. Miss Janet is wonderful and he is having a blast!

Craters of the Moon

We decided to take the boys to the Craters of the Moon today. It was great. I had never been there before. The kids thought the caves were amazing and they wanted to do everything possible. They even earned their Junior badges. What a cool thing to do! It was a beautiful day and we could not have asked for it to be more perfect! I also would like to thank the gas station lasies for letting Troy in the girls bathroom to help me give the boy's "baths" in the sink. They just laughed. Oh, and what do you think of my little plumber? I was hiking behind and thought Tevan's bum was extra cute!

Canning season

I have a ton of pics and a lot to catch up on, but it will have to wait until my two boxes of peaches are canned. I just finished 16 quarts of chicken soup (for use in noodle soup, pot pie or chicken and dumplings), 3 quarts chunked chicken, and 30ish quarts of beef stew. I also did 20ish half-pints salsa and 30 quarts spaghetti sauce. I still want to do corn, peach jam, peach chutney and some more chicken. I am very experimental this year. It has been very fun and adventurous. I love trying new things. I will tell you the one thing I will never bottle...or eat for that matter: mincemeat. Do you know what is in that???

Handsome devils

I think my boys are adorable. Monsters at times, and sometimes very hard to handle, but adorable nonetheless. They could use a haircut...it grows so fast! This is right before church. SO DANG CUTE!

Chicken, beef stew and chicken soup base

I know, lame to take pics of the food I bottle, but I am so excited this year. I have canned up a storm and I am so pleased with the results. The chicken soup base is new this year, and I am not sure what I think of it. It was a lot of work and the jars do not look very full. I did use two that did not seal to make chicken noodle soup. It was pretty tasty...luckily I had a zillion noodles to fill the pot :). I am currently finished with canning. We did pickled okra at my mother in laws Sunday (9-26-10) , so we will see how it turned out!

Slippin' and a slidin'

Today I set up the slip and slide {gasp}, I know. Here is the story: I broke my leg on the first day of sixth grade on a make shift tarp slip and slide. I will never forget that day...no one believed me that it was broken. We lived in Denver and my mom was scared to drive because we had just moved there. Justin, my older brother, thought he could tell mom how to get to the hospital. My dad was doing a rotation in Commerce City and was not available for chauffeur duties. I tried to tell my mom that we were headed down the wrong road, but Justin insisted that it was the right way. To make a long story short, my mom ended up backing up the on ramp to a very busy highway. It was so scary for her to have to do that. I am sure lugging four kids...one in a lot of pain...to the hospital was not fun. At all. But, after the two hour wait in the emergency room and the x-ray, we found that indeed it was broken. A spiral break in my right leg was the diagnosis. I missed the next few days of school and had to hobble along the other six weeks. I hated it. The only good thing about it was after the six weeks of having my leg in a cast while it was very hot, I got to start shaving my legs. The hair had grown so long and there was a ton of dead skin. Gross, huh?

So, for me to let my kids play on the slip and slide they go from Uncle Todd and Aunt Danielle was a huge feat. I am proud of my kids for not breaking any bones, and I am super glad they had a BLAST! They have played on it before with Troy, but this was my first time allowing them to do so. They loved it and kept saying how awesome I was for letting them! Extra points are always a good thing!

Just because...

I love flowers! However, one day I made the comment to Troy that they die so it seemed silly to spend money on them. (I think I might have been sick that day). Today Troy and Daeson surprised me with beautiful roses. Daeson even spent some of his money on them. They told me they loved all the canning that I do and that they are glad that I cook for them! How sweet!

The FUN house

Tevan: Mom, you want play house? Ruff, Ruff? (on all fours and barking like a dog)

Mom: I play house every day, Tev.

Daeson: No, we mean the FUN house!

I guess playing the real house isn't glamorous enough for pretend play. Obviously it is not fun.

The Ty Smith first annual family reunion

So, we have never really been a reunion people. This year my mom and dad took us to Island Park for a three day trip. It was great. The first night (Thursday) we were up at the Buffalo Inn campground, we ate pizza and had a good time. Mom, Dad, Troy, me, and the boys went up early. We took this opportunity to catch some frogs at the river bank. Mom and Troy were brave enough, but there was no way in heck I was gonna catch a FROG! Justin, Hailey and Jax came up later. Mom and I had spent all night Wednesday shopping and preparing. As usual, we had enough food for an army. But, better too much than not enough. We had something for everyone! Friday we went to Mesa Falls and then got ready to go to West Yellowstone. The hike was fun and just the right size. Tevan had to stop to "read" every sign. The boys had a great time looking at the falls and checking out the cabin. After arriving at West (where Jess and Carlie met us), mom and I took Daeson, Tevan, and Brookie to the Tea Party with Belle at the Playmill. They thought that was pretty neat. It was a fun experience for them. We love the Playmill and I can remember going every summer until I got married. This year we saw Beauty and the Beast. It was great! The boys did very well. I think all of the kids did great. Carson got a bit fussy, but what do you expect from a 1 year old? After that, we stopped by Troy's bro's place and chatted for a few minutes. Adalyn and Mieley were there hanging out, so the boys took that opportunity to play with them. We played games after getting the children to bed. Catch Phrase was the fave. Mom was so funny with and without her glassed. I think I heard the phrase, "Well the damn thing" more than I ever have. It was so funny! Saturday morning was a bit wet. We headed to Big Springs to feed the fish. This was really fun. The Johnny Sacks cabin was closed though. We wanted to go through it. We went back to the cabins and started Dutch ovening. It was mighty tasty!!! We sat around the fire and chatted. We tried to do this every night. Daeson and Tevan we dubbed the wood haulers (for the kindling) and Daeson was hauling some big sticks. I was shocked at some of the logs...rather trees he was hauling. They had a great time. I think Brookie joined in the nights they were there. It was so nice to be with mom and dad. I didn't mind being with the bros and sis in laws either :). Sunday morning we loaded everything up. My bros left, so it was mom and I again...oh, and Troy and dad :). We got ready to leave and our battery in the car was DEAD. We wanted to go to West again, but we headed home after a quick charge instead. We made it safe, but I was so sad to see everyone disperse. I wish we could spend a bit more time together. We missed Jaded like crazy, but he was in Missouri and Texas and could not make it. I sure miss him!!! We had a great time, THANKS a million, Mom and Dad! It was great! The pictures are all posted in reverse order. So the top is the last night, the bottom is the first.