New Job!

I started my new job at Canyon Elementary teaching strings to sixth graders. So far I have no complaints.  The kids are wonderful and seem eager to learn their instruments. The pay isn't too shabby and I'm done by 8:30 in the morning. This job isn't in my subject area but I do love music and it's a new and exciting challenge. Of course there's a learning curve involved and I'm spending more time on it then what's being paid but that's okay.  It's called teaching. For all of you teachers out there I would love some fun games or activities that work in your classrooms.  Please share...especially if they can work in a music environment!

Last Hurrah!

We decided to have one more last hurrah with our tent trailer before the end of summer.  We headed up to Tony Grove in Logan canyon.  It was a beautiful campsite nestled in the pines and was located not too far from the lake itself. 

The first day there we headed down to Logan and toured good old Utah State with the girls.  The girls and Tyler were good sports while I breathed in all of the nostalgia  and took a trip down memory lanes.  Here's a picture of our three little Aggies.

Tyler took the opportunity to make each of the girls true aggies.  I know, VERY CHEESY!  However, the girls loved it.

Opa and Omi joined us for the day and we were able to eat lunch at the Bluebird and enjoy some relaxing time at the campsite.

While getting ready for dinner we realized that we'd packed no knifes.  Cutting potatoes became a chore but a memorable experience. The hatchet came in handy for the watermelon.  Of course after dinner, Tyler found the knive!

Combined, Annie and Tyler caught six fish.  Every time one was reeled in Heidi would say, "Gloup, Gloup" which in her language means fish.

Roasting marshmallows and eating smores' was of course a favorite past time for all of us.  All of the girls mastered the art of "Chubby Bunny" by the end of the trip.

Here's a picture of Cambry relaxing  and being her cute little self.

Of course after three days of camping we were cold and very scary looking but it was all worth it! 

Cambry's first day of Kindergarten!

I LOVE Kindergarten!  When else can you go to school and make jelly fish out of paper plates, sing songs without getting embarrassed, and make best friends with someone new every day.  Cambry was more than excited for her first day of Kindergarten.  It was hard for me to let her go but I couldn't help but be anxious for all the fun she'll experience.

Cambry is our little sweetheart and it's hard to watch her grow up and be thrown into the real world but I'm sure she'll love it! 

Heidi adores Cambry and insists on giving her a kiss and hug every day when we drop her off.

She's very happy to have her good friend Kara in her class.

And We're Back...

The guilt has consumed me and I'm giving in! Blogging world here I come and though there will be sap, bragging, and maybe even numerous pictures of Bison(Buffalo) in the middle of the road so be it.

We will however have to get around the fact that our camera died sometime between yesterday and today. Maybe it was the 36 pictures I took of Cambry's first day of Kindergarten. Who knows.

Just cause our camera is dead doesn't mean we don't have a full year's worth of entries we need to post. So, we will be updating our blog alright; backdating all of the fun we've had since our last posting.

See... there is a method to my madness. I had this planned all along... and, maybe we'll have a new camera by the time we are all caught up.

Don't worry there are more captivating entries coming...and their arrival might even be faster than the traffic trying to get around these Bison.

2nd White Dress...

On August 28th, we were able to celebrate the baptism of Annie.  It was a beautiful day and we are so proud of the decision she made.  We're so thankful for family members and friends who helped make this day so special for Annie (those both present and unable to attend because of distance). I hope she remembers this day better than I remember my own!

Picture of our family right before the baptism.

My parents with Annie.

A little Daddy Daughter bonding time before.

My favorite!

Annie with Omi and Opa.

Annie with her older cousins Kelsey and Adrianne...she adores them!

Cute Cayli! 

The cake says it all!

Annie's 1st day of 3rd Grade!

Annie's first day of school was also her Birthday.  It was a fun and eventful day!

Sisters are all happy, jealous, and sad to see Annie go!

Annie with her new bag that she decorated herself.  Here's hoping that 3rd grade will be a great year!

On the Road Again... Day 1 of 4

Tent trailer... Check.
Coolers loaded... Check.
Van fueled up... Check.
Bug spray... Check.

Can you guess where this road trip took us?

If you guessed Disneyland, you'd be wrong.
San Diego? Nope.
The Grand Canyon? Wrong again.
Jackson Hole? WOOT!!!.... Good job smarty pants.

Jackson was our first stop of a three night, four day trip through four states, two national parks and three separate campgrounds. Yes, we stayed at three different campgrounds, setup the tent trailer, slept, took down the tent trailer and towed it to the next place. Call us crazy if you want.

Everyone that stops in Jackson just HAS TO get their family photo taken in front of one of the Elk Antler Arches in the town square. (NOTE: Don't worry, no elk were harmed in the making of the arches. They shed their antlers every winter and they were collected and assembled into elegant arches.) After a quick walk through overpriced stores, and getting an overpriced ice cream cone, we were off to Grand Teton National Park.

First stop, Jenny Lake. We took a brief walk down to the boat dock and enjoyed the scenery. We found these three wild animals (pictured) that were kind-a-cute. Heidi's doing her "cuckoo" (THINK Shallow Hal).

Time was ticking, light was waning and the kids were getting hungry. It was off to our first campground. But not without stopping to take a picture of Mount Moran across Jackson Lake (while stopped for construction near the dam).

First night was at Grassy Lake on the Ashton-Flagg Ranch road (sometimes called South Boundary road). No pictures. Sorry.

BTW: Early in the trip, Cheryl mentioned that it might be nice to have a little rain while sleeping one night. Little did she know the power of that statement. HEAVY rain as soon as we entered Jackson, rain several other times that evening, and during the night. Needless to say, she got her wish.

Annalee's 7!!!

Annalee turned 7-years-old on August 24th. I'm really beginning to realize how fast time goes by and how much I need to cherish these times. It was quite the ordeal bringing Annalee into this world, but the trial that came with her birth makes me appreciate that I've been given the opportunity to be in her life. She is our little guinea pig that experiences all of Mom and Dad's countless mistakes that occur with parenting and therefore puts up with
A LOT! She is sensitive, energetic, feisty, musical, talkative, anxious, intelligent, artsy, loving, etc. all wrapped up into one. She really is a whirl wind of energy that makes all of our lives more meaningful.

The one thing that Annalee wanted to do for her 7th Birthday is go to Build-A-Bear. She's been talking about doing this for the past year. She also insisted that Cambry be able to get one too. We were reluctant because of the prices but the experience was fun and memorable.

Grandma came along for the ride and made it even more fun! Annalee has a very special bond with her namesake.

Annalee ended up with a Hannah Montana bear, and Cambry of course picked a pink bear accesorised with Ruby Red slippers...we wouldn't expect anything else.

We finished off this two day birthday event with a family party with, of course, a Hannah Montana cake that Annalee picked out herself...so cool!!! She got Legos for her birthday and her older boy cousins were so cute at showing her how to put them together!!! It was a fun day.

Cheryl Gave In

and this is why...


With my sister and her kids visiting us tonight, we swam, bbq'd had root beer floats and then finished off the night with s'mores. I guess the pressure was too much for her.

Visits like today is what summer is all about.

A girl's best friend.....

While having a little campfire tonight I was amazed to watch our girls down the s'mores! They even asked for not only seconds, but thirds (which were not allowed)! Therefore I've come to the conclusion that clothing, shoes, and not even diamonds are a girl's best friend...."Chocolate is truly a girl's best friend." Unfortunately, I haven't allowed my "best friend" to have a part in my life over a month but sure have enjoyed watching my girls, AND HUBBY, indulge in it. Here's a picture of the girls enjoying a chocolate milkshake at Arby's which was given to them for free by a worker. That made their day!

The chocolate addiction starts at a young age in our family. Here's a picture of pookey bear getting free reign with a homemade chocolate chip cookie. I think the smile says it all!

Awesome Cherry Blossoms

I just wanted to share a photo of our ornamental (fruitless) cherry tree in full bloom (a little past its prime). The variety is a Yoshino Cherry, sometimes called the Japanese Flowering Cherry (Prunus x yedoensis). It is the same variety that makes the Washington D.C. cherry blossoms famous (along with the Kwanzan Cherry).

It's no where near it's potential full size of 40-50 feet, but it is really becoming a beautiful tree. I'm glad we spent a little extra money four summers ago to get this show piece.

Click here for a link to ArborDay.org's page on this tree.

Farwell Grandma Smith 1908-2009

Today my wonderful Grandma Relia Cooley Smith passed away at 101-years-old. I began to think that this day would never come but here it is. She lived such an amazing life and was loved by so many. I can't help but imagine the joyous reunion she's having with family that has already passed on. Especially the reunion with her sweet husband Jay who she lost over 20-years ago, and her daughter Sandy who passed away this year. I'm so thankful for her example in my life and how caring and loving she was to me and everyone around her.

Events and milestones of 1908.
January 1 - 1st time, ball signifying new year dropped at Times Square
January 6 - Relia Cooley Smith was born
January 11 - Grand Canyon National Monument is designated
January 24 - Robert Baden-Powell begins the Boy Scout movement
March 22 - Louis L'Amour, American author born
April 5 - Bette Davis, American actress born
May 10 - Mother's Day is observed for the first time
May 14 - 1st passenger flight in an airplane
June 12 - Lusitania crosses Atlantic in record 4 days 15 hours, New York City
June 24 - Grover Cleveland, 22nd and 24th President of the United States died
June 30 - Boston's Cy Young's 2nd no-hitter, beats New York Highlanders, 8-0
July 13 - 4th modern Olympic games opens in London
September 16 - Carriage-maker, William Durant, founded General Motors Corp
September 27 - Henry Ford produces his first Model T automobile (sells for $850)
October 14 - The Chicago Cubs win the World Series. They have failed to do so ever since
October 24 - Billy Murray hits the charts with "Take Me Out to the Ball Game"
November 3 - U.S. presidential election, Republican William Howard Taft defeats Democrat William Jennings Bryan
November 6 - Western bandits Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid are supposedly killed in Bolivia
December 31 - Wilbur Wright made a record flight of 2 hours, 20 minutes

Other things to note.
Petroleum production begins in the Middle East
There were 46 states, New Mexico and Arizona were still territories
U.S. population: 88.7 Million
Dow Jones closes at 86.15 on 12/31/08, up 46.6% in one year.
First Class postage stamp: $0.02
Four operating LDS temples, St. George, Logan, Manti and Salt Lake
Joseph F. Smith, president of the LDS Church

It's the Little Things....

It seems that my blogging is like feast or famine, but right now I'm probably being a little too plentiful but I had to write about what happened this morning. For no particular reason I was having a pity party for myself last night and was just frustrated about a lot of minuscule things. It caused a little dissension between Tyler and I so of course I went to bed angry and did not sleep well. I woke up later than usual and quickly told Annie to go grab a banana while I jumped in the shower and then I'd be down to feed them all breakfast. Annie had no clue of my frustrations from the previous night. After quickly showering, I ran downstairs and saw that breakfast was already placed perfectly on the table. There were three bowls of cereal (with the milk poured in), a yogurt for each of us, a graham cracker for dipping, and drinks poured in mugs. She even gave me the cereal and drink that I prefer because she knew I wasn't a big Fruit Loops fan.

All of the sudden everything I was frustrated with disappeared and my heart melted. What a thoughtful gesture...even if my Corn Flakes were a little soggy. I've heard that the 6-8 years old stage is called the "good girl/good boy" stage and I think there's some truth to that. My sister-in-law stated the other evening that it's because they're preparing for a special event that takes place when they turn eight. The more I've pondered that I totally agree. I've noticed that Annie isn't as loud lately and seems to be internally pondering things more, she's always the one that reminds us to pray and hounds on Cambry if she eats before the prayer, and she's very sensitive to others' around her and quick to cry and defend others. I've noticed these qualities in her friends whom are also this age. I think it's part of their preparation for the special event that will take place on their 8th birthday. Anyways, I'm grateful that Annie was able to turn my mood around this morning. I think that our children are more perceptive to our moods and needs than we realize.

More Pictures of Cambry's Birthday!