I wonder....

What did we do for fun before we got one of these?

Santa Baby

This Christmas an old friend dropped by that I hadn't seen in years....

Santa Claus!

 Santa brought gifts for the little ones. The best part was Suzanne teasing with Maddox. "I hope you made the nice list! Fingers crossed!" Of course he was the last child called, so for a few minutes I'm pretty sure he wondered if he'd made it onto that nice list.

Then Santa had a picture with the entire family. I think we overwhelmed him a bit, but he was a good sport about the whole thing.

 It turned into a total Santa photo shoot!

I even got one with the Jolly Ol' Elf and myself. I'm pretty sure he was one of Santa's elves making the party rounds....I remember Santa being A LOT taller! 

Santa also took the time to have a little Q & A session with our family. Somethings you  might find helpful....Santa's favorite cookies are chocolate chip. He's on a diet, so skim milk is best. The reindeer like apples and carrots. Most importantly, there are some 6'4" elves at the North Pole....Perhaps there will be one under the Christmas Tree tomorrow morning. You never know, but fingers crossed!

After some caroling and jingle bell ringing it was time for Santa to head back to the North Pole.

See you next year, Santa!

October~

October is one of my favorite months of the year. Clear blue skies, cool breezes, and natures changing colors signaling Fall is here and Old Man Winter is on the way. 

Thriller

October 13, 2011

  Julie, Kimberly, and I kicked off our month of right by going to Odessy Dance Company's production of THRILLER at the Covery Center for the Arts. It was a goulishly good time! During intermission, as Julie and I perused the lobby, she suddenlty started giggling....one of the undead had been sniffing my back for a good 15 seconds and I'd never noticed!

Tuacahn

October 15-17, 2011

  Every year I say I want to go to Tuacahn, only to have the season's end sneak up on me again. This year I was determined that wouldn't happen. For Mom's birthday I got us ticket to see both Grease and The Little Mermaid. Megan and Jeremy were kind enough to let us crash as their cute little home, giving me the chance to spend time with my Brother-from-another-mother. While I loved both productions, the best part of the trip was chatting all through the night with Jeremy and Mom! 

Halloween River Cruise

October 28, 2011

  What could be more fun than a group date floating down the Provo River where haunting pumpkings glow from the shore as your pirate captain recites a spooky bit of poetry? NOTHING! We girl (Bekky, Kimberly, and I) grabbed some good lookin' fellas and headed out for a night of good 'ol fashioned fun. After crusing down the river, we headed back to our house for ice cream sundeas and a movie. After much deliberation, we settle on the 1989 classic "Little Monsters" -- Two hours of our lives we will never get back. Overall, a fun time was had by all!

Family Halloween Party

October 29, 2011

Halloween is a big deal in our family...a BIG deal! Costumes are planned for months in advance (well, maybe that's just me?) and kept secret until the big day. Our annual family picture is taken each year at Halloween while we are all dressed up!

Me - The Gypsy Woman

 

The bun baker, the bun in the oven and a cute little witch

 Gatsby Family with the cutest little flapper EVER!

Great minds think alike...The flapper era was twice the fun this year!

Darin and Ren are out to find the treasure!

Mom and her girls

Next Halloween may be 11 months away, but I'm already planning my costume!

Graduation....Part Deux

I GRADUATED.....AGAIN!

Granted it was back in April, but I haven't updated in a while.

 Tiffany, McKell, Aburee, Me, and Courtney

Waiting for the ceremony to begin. I seriously don't think I would have made it through the program without these fantastic friends!

 Sandy presented my diploma along with Dr. Rushforth.

 Me and the family. It was so cold and windy outside we only got one picture of us together. I was glad I got pictures with my mom, sisters, and dad before the ceremony started. 

After the ceremony we went to The Brick Oven for dinner. It was so fun to celebrate with my entire family....and to finally get my very own song from the Smith Super Star Singers. 

Sung to the tune of Beauty School Drop-Out:

You didn't drop out.

It's graduation day for you.

You didn't drop out.

Passed your midterm and finals too.

So crazy that you've had no time

to wash or clean your clothes up, 

After spending hours at work and school

you'd sometimes want to throw up!

Somie you did it!

It's not a dream, your still alive!

Completed your degree, 

you had a goal and lots of drive.

You went for your diploma, 

but you'll skip the hiring pool

Cause you're the nurse at Discovery Ranch School.

You didn't drop out! 

A slave to school, never more!

You didn't drop out! 

So much spare time you might be bored.

Since student loans have buried you, 

for relief we know your lookin'

We guarantee you'll find a way

that doesn't include hookin'!

You don't have to sweat it, cuz you have the perfect job

Lucky to get it. Here's hopin' it's not run by the mob!

Throw your books away, stand up and say

"It's now my time to rule!"

Please promise us that you are done with school!

  We love you, you know it!

We will sing praises to your name!

Now you're a grown-up,

Our lives will never be the same.

We think you're hot, get off the pot,

it's time to find a guy!

Get goin' girl, your limit is the sky!

I pretty much cried through their entire little performance....and I'm sure the other people at Brick Oven enjoyed it as well! Just another reason  I love my family!

Baby Love

Oakley Robinson

Baby Oakley arrived on March 18 at 11:22 pm. She is such a joy to have in our family! Time flies much too quickly and I swear she's bigger every time I see her. She is the sweetest girl with a mischievous smile that's impossible to resist. Love her so much!

 

You're Havin' a Baby, Baby, Baby...

Princess Sparkles will be here before we know it!

What better way to celebrated her pending arrival than with a musical number... 

I can't even express how excited I am to meet this little girl! Britney, the momma-to-be, may be my niece but she is also one of my best friends! I am so blessed to be her aunt and to have her in my life. I love our girls nights, sleep overs, movie time, lounging in our jammies and giggling our guts out. I love that we can talk about anything and everything...and we do! 

I love you Brit Brit and know you are going to be an amazing momma! I am so in love with your little bundle of joy already and I can't wait to meet her!
(PS...I think we gave Justin Bieber a run for his money! And, yes, family. This video is now on YouTube. I couldn't get it to load any other way)

Viva Las Vegas!

For Christmas, Asleigh and I decided to take Mom to Vegas to see Donny & Marie at the Flamingo. Britney jumped a boared and we took hit the road! We checked in only to find out the show had been canceled. Donny was sick! We were shocked and my mom almost started to cry...she loves them! But, we decided to make lemonade and see another show instead.

We bought matching T-Shirts and got all dolled out for the show. The show was amazing! We had the best weekend shopping the forum shoppes at Ceasars Palace, playing with make-up at the MAC store, & watching the fountains at the Bellagio.

New Moon Rising...

I can't help but giggle...this whole Twilight Saga makes me feel like a teenager. And so I am proud, and yet a bit chagrined, to say I say New Moon FOUR times in less than 48 hours.

My first viewing was at Midnight at a private showing at Thanksgiving Point. I went with my friend Bekky and some girls from work. It was so fun! There was a drawing before the show started and I won the cutest wrought iron basket full of Fall decor from Rod Works. And then there was the movie itself...LOVED IT! It was definitely about a million times better than Twilight. We all had a blast giggling and cat calling every time Jacob Black came on the screen.

Friday afternoon I went to see it with my brother, Ericson, his wife, Keayra, and my niece Kaicee. Definitely just as good the second time. The best part about watching it with Kaicee is you never know what she's going to say. When the Werewolves persue Laurant through the forest she said, "See! I told you this was a scarey movie!"

My third viewing was with Amber! We had so much fun! We went to an event hosted by the Twilight Lexicon I loved all the cat calling that happens during these private showings. We each got a swag bag that had a necklace with a moon pendant. I thought that was pretty cool and wore it the remainder of the day. Right after the movie was over, I had to run to Lehi to meet my family for the next showing.

Kierstan's birthday was earlier in the month, so to celebrate we hit a double feature: New Moon and The Blind Side. It was so fun to see it with my family! It may have been my fourth time seeing it, but I still loved it just as much!

One of the silliest things of all this movie going was how much Cherry Coke I drank. Thrusday night I purchased a New Moon cup that was refillable for the entire weekend. So, every time I headed to the movie theater I stuck it in my purse. That thing must have been filled at least 6 times. I think I could have floated away from all the soda bubbles in my tummy.

Happy Hauntings...

Some people find their greatest joy in Christmas Spirit.

We find joy in the Spirits of Halloween.

What a cast of characters! We're like any other family...
Family photos once a year...we're just always in costume!

Mom and her girls

Playing Punk Rock...

In Case You've Been Wondering...

What I've been up to...


















Family Lagoon Day! We love spending time together as a family...especially when adrenaline producing rides are involved! Kaicee loved {EVERYTING} and was so sad she wasn't able to ride {WICKED}.

















I {SURVIVED SUPAI}...Again! Casey, Alli, and I spent a night on the trail and watched the meteor shower. We were poured on by rain with nothing for shelter but our hammocks and lived to tell the tale! Best of all, we channeled our inner {WARRIOR} woman and had an amazing time!


Rocked out with Def Leppard, Poison, and Cheap Trick!
My belated birthday celebration
and gift from my big sister, Kierstan!






























When I asked Kaicee what she wanted for her 4th birthday she said, "Uhm, I'll sleep at your house." So, that's what we did. We went to dinner, to the Spanish Fork Wind Fest, and to Grandma's house to make {COOKIES}.

The next morning, we woke up and had breakfast with Grandma and then headed for the mall. Grandma and Ashleigh always take Kaicee to the Disney Store to pick out a present. This year, Kaicee and I started the tradition of going to {BUILD A BEAR} We had a blast!

Smith Super Star Rally 2009

It's like the Olymics...

Only {Messier}

Giddy-Up!

Let the Summer {OFFICIALLY} Begin...
It's Rodeo Time!

BBQ. Family. Friends. Tradition

Indianapolis?

What can I say? I run in a circle of friends that includes some {Amazingly} Talented people... One of which is Nathan Pacheco. A BYU Graduate and returned missionary that is now a Yanni 'Voice'...

In the tradition of surprising/torturing my mom, I called and asked her out on another mother/daughter date. If you've read the posting of our last outing, you know she never can be quite sure if this is going to be a good thing, or a not so good thing. But, as usual, her curiosity, sense of adventure, and the fact that I am an awesome daughter won out, and the invitation was accepted. This time, I was taking her to see "Yanni Voices" in concert and I invited Ashleigh to come along too.

Ashleigh has a {BIG MOUTH} and cannot keep a secret to save her life...well, except for that time she bought a house...but that's another story...and while driving in the car said something about, "Oh, ya...that's when we're going to Yanni at the Acropolis." Luckily for her, my mom was only half paying attention and thought Ash said something about Indianapolis. So, from that point forward, our mother-daughter date was referred to as Indianapolis...such as, "What should I wear to Indianapolis?"

After a delicious dinner at Red Robin and some shopping at Ikea we headed to SLC for our date with Yanni at the Energy Solutions Arena. We arrived a little bit early and decided to walk down to the Gateway to get a treat from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. As we were walking, Mom could see the elctronic bill board in front of the venue as it flashed "Tool" across the screen. "I see Tool. Are we going to Tool? Who's Tool?" Another guess was that we were going to the circus...way far off on that guess. While walking back from the Chocolate factory, I decided to have a little fun. I said, "I have got to pep up! I've got a case of the Yanni's!" Ashleigh caught on (after I explained it to her in a whisper behind mom's back) and started getting a case of the "Yanni's" herself. Mom did not catch on. So, we finally told her..."We're going to see Yanni!" She was still so confused from our conversation of Indianapolis, Tool, and yawning that she didn't quite get it. She alsmost asked the security guard at the door what she was here to see. Once we got inside, however, and she saw the kiosks with all the Yanni merchandise, she kinda started to freak out! That was the reaction I was waiting for.
Our seats were amazing! We had the perfect view and could hardly wait for the show to begin! There was a gauze like drape hung all around the stage that had scenes of nature and cities through out the world projected onto it. Before the show, it looked as though you were flying through the clouds. The scenery was breathtaking! One of my favorite parts was when Yanni's shadow would appear and you could see him conducting the orchestra. If you look in the large picture below, you can see Nathan through the screen as he sings his opening number.
The talent and music that was shared literally brought tears to my eyes! What a fun night to spend with my mom and sister and be able to support a friend as he fulfills his dreams! Below is just a little clip of Nathan preforming. It's definitely not the best quality, so visit Yanni.com to hear how beautiful his voice really is!

Nathan, you are {INCREDIBLE} Thanks for letting us share this night with you!

Lollipop

Way to go Kaicee!
Dance in the Smith family has come full circle. 20 years ago Britney had her first dance recital... Tonight, was Kaicee's first dance recital and Britney is here teacher. What amazingly talented and beautiful nieces I have. I'm so lucky to have you in my life! I love you!

AF Cavemen Class of 2009

Congratulations Kylie and Amanda! You did it!

I can't believe you're graduated! Seems like just yesterday I was babysitting you for the first time. I just watched you as you both slept soundly on a blanket in the family room thinking, "What do I do if they both wake up and start to cry?" I love you both so much! Congratulations!

And to celebrate, we embarrassed them with a little song and dance during lunch at the Macaroni Grill.

(I know you're thinking one of two things: Damn! I wish my family was that cool! or I'm so glad that is not my family. Personally, I'd bet your thinking the first.)

Brotha' from anotha' Motha'

Some people say it's impossible. You know...the elusive platonic relationship. At some point in time, one party MUST be attracted to the other party, even if just a little bit... It's the rules, right? Nope! Not even close. Jeremy and I have been friends, and only friends, from day one.
I remember the first day I met him. Jeremy had just been sustained as the ward mission leader and I was speaking in Sacrament Meeting. As I was speaking, I remember seeing Jeremy and Weston sitting in the front row. As I was bearing my testimony of the gospel, I remember hearing myself say, "I love missionary work," and as soon as the words left my lips, Jeremy way nodding his head up and down and nudging Weston. Less than a week later I was called as a ward missionary.

Jeremy is my brother-from-another-mother! Our minds share space in the same gutter. We get each others jokes. We speak our minds no matter what the situation. There's no such thing as TMI when it comes to either of our lives. He's always there when I need him. He brings me to my senses when my heart runs away from my head. He reminds me of what I want and will never let me settle for less. He's the best brother wrapped up in a friend a girl could ask for! Love ya, Jer!

Conference Sunday

What a great blessing to sit with my family at the feet of the Lord's servants and be taught his word.

An April Fools Day Conversation...

Help came almost too late, as the gray roots and Grandpa Munster eyebrows had just about taken over, but there I was...at the salon. For those of you who go "al' Natural" the hair dye is all sorts of funky colors when you mix it. For example, blond usually has a purple color to it. So there I sat, cozily in the chair (which I put together, BTW), Britney putting bright pink hair color goo on my head and Kylie walked in...

Ky: Hi guys!
Me: Hi Ky!
Ky: Some, are you coloring your hair pink?
Me: Yup.
Ky: Shut up. Really?
Me: Ya! I needed a change.
Ky: Like pink all over?
Me: Yep. You know that deep dark red every body does? Like that, only Pink.
Ky: I sure hope I'm still here when it's time to wash you out. I gotta see this.

About an hour goes by...
As I finish processing, Britney works on Kylie.
As her hair's almost done:

Ky: How long 'til you rinse her out?
Brit: Uhm...probably 5 or 10 minutes.
Ky: I'm totally staying. I've gotta see this.
Me: I can't believe it's April already. Can you believe it's April 1st?
Ky: I know! It's Jenica's birthday!
Me: It's also April Fools Day!!!
Ky: Is that why you're dying your hair Pink?

Needless to say...Kylie is a BLOND.
Love you Ky Ky!

Hold On Tight Spider Monkey

When life offers you a dream so far beyond any of your expectations, it's not reasonable to grieve when it comes to an end.

After months of waiting and anticipating the day was finally here....TWILIGHT on the big screen. Over the past 9 month, a dose of Twilight has become part of my daily routine. As each character was cast, I grew to love them and see them in the role. I watched every preview, read every interview....all in anticipation for the big screen debut of the world I get lost in and the story of a love women long for. Now, after all is said and done, the question remains: What did I think?

Casting: Overall, I loved the entire cast of Twilight. There were, however, a few standouts... those who were the embodiment of my imagination brought to life. Rob Pattinson as Edward was AMAZING! The cautiousness with which he moves, the cadence of his speech, his facial expression speaks novels to the inner struggle of love vs blood lust. Bluntly, and childishly, put... he can bite me any time! Billy Burke as Charlie was genius! He captured the uneasy and awkward emotion and excitement of Charlie at Bella's return seamlessly. The stunned, broken hearted look on his face when Bella tells him she doesn't want to get stuck in Forks brought tears to my eyes. The scene of Charlie cleaning his gun before meeting Edward is one of my favorites! I totally love Mike Newton and could see him in the characters I call friends.

Storyline: Two thumbs up! I really got caught up in the world of emotions created by the screen writer, director, and actors. While it hit every key point from the novel, it seemed at times to jump the plot forward too quickly. It was like, "I know who you are. You're a vampire." "Yes I am...and here's how I run, what I look like in the light, how I was changed...." But, at the same time, how do you convey all of those things without dragging the movie on and on? There were also some elements from the storyline of the novel that I missed. I wish the fact that Bella's heart beat played such a big role in both she and Edwards actions was added to the movie. I also wish the blood typing scene was left in as well. After all, it is quite ironic that Bella hates not only the sight, but also the smell of blood...and yet fall head over feet for a blood sucker. More ironic still is the fact that in Breaking Dawn she comes to love the smell and the taste. While I understand that the movie was released with an uncertainty of the reality of sequels, it's the little things that are built upon throughout the Twilight Saga that endear me to the characters.

Overall: While I've only seen it twice, so far, but would be happy to watch it over and over. I loved the movie in itself, as it's own entity in the Twilight world.

So the waiting is over, and I'm kind of sad. But, Stephenie Meyer said it best: When life offers you a dream so far beyond any of your expectations, it's not reasonable to grieve when it comes to an end.

Halloween Spooktacular

I love Halloween! In a family full of traditions, some of my favorite are found at Halloween. Running to beat the sunset, we strike a pose for pictures...I think it's the closest thing we have to an annual family portrait. I think my favoritest thing is our family Halloween parade! Since Kierstan lives just down the street from Harts, we walk dressed in costume to get Big Chills. As we walk, people honk and wave...watching Kaicee is the cutest. She thinks it's all for her. Game time always includes BINGO, and this year we added pictionary, and a game kinda like Big Budda. Hocus Pocus is a staple in the tradition...we've seen it so many times I think we all know the lines by heart! Alas, it's all over until next year. However, it's never too soon to start thinking about a costume!