The Smith Family

Happy 1st Birthday Baby Noah

2012-01-09T20:31:00.000-08:00

On this day 1 year ago, the much awaited arrival of our baby boy was born. He came into this world early Sunday morning. He was Beautiful and Perfect. A year has gone by now and our lil man is growing up. In the year he has learned to hold his head up, sit up, crawl, interact with others, play, walk, run, dribble the soccer ball, climb, eat more and more foods with the 8 teeth that came in, sing, throw hand straight up in the air and say touchdown, dance, talk a little, hug, kiss, pull hair, wrestle, shoot hoops(with his little basket), sleep through the night in his own bed, laugh, giggle, screech to be heard, and explore the world around him. He is sweet as can be and our family will never be the same.
Having our 1st boy is so much fun. He is so different than the girls. He is pure boy and its amazing how from the start he has been like that. I was a little worried he would be a daddy's boy but he is totally a mommy's boy. I love that he adores me so much. I am excited for this upcoming year as he grows up more and to watch his little personality really grow.

We celebrated his special day with chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast.He watched his favorite movie "Rio" with mom in the morning. Then grandma Smith came over. He played with grandma for awhile until nap time. In the afternoon daddy came home early so we headed over to Chuck E. Cheese's to play. Lil Noah had a blast riding rides, singing and dancing, and playing a few games. We ate his favorite food chicken nuggets and fries for dinner. He opened up all his big boy presents. He received a lawn mower, Cars ball pit, race track, balls, cups, play cell phone, and a plasma car. Then he got a big slice of chocolate pudding cake. Boy did he like that...Yummy! Happy 1st Birthday my big boy!

Happy New Years!!!

2012-01-01T16:36:00.001-08:00

Happy News Years!!! One of my new years resolutions is to update my blog or at least keep it a little up dated. I may go back if time allows, but over a whole year has passed and I never did a thing. So I promised myself I would keep it updated as well as I can with 4 kids. I think 4 kids threw me off my schedule a little, but finally I feel like I am getting it together. I want to share our family newsletter for 2011 which will bring us up to date on the happening in our family thus far besides the most obvious one...our little baby boy Noah...who I can't believe will be 1 year old in 8 days. Time sure does fly.

Our Family Christmas Letter 2011

This year has been Amazing for our family. We were blessed to have a Baby Boy come to our family in January. We loved spending time with Noah’s family for Memorial Day camping at Noah’s sister Rachel’s house in Boulder Creek near Santa Cruz, CA. It was fun spending time with her since she will be moving to Japan for 3 years in January. Anissa and little Noah also had the opportunity to spend time with her family and attend Anissa’s sister Amber’s college graduation from BYU-Idaho in Rexburg, ID. Little Noah enjoyed his first plane ride and snow. Noah and the 3 girls enjoyed camping for the weekend at Del Valle while they were away and fished and endured temperatures below freezing at night. This summer we had the opportunity to take a two week, 3,000 mile road trip to Colorado and back with stops in Utah and Las Vegas. We enjoyed visiting both sides of the family in Colorado and had the special opportunity to reunite with Anissa’s 3 Aunts and Uncle and their families that we had never met before during a Martinez Family reunion. Anissa’s dad had not seen 4 of his siblings since he was 9. For fall break we enjoyed a week at our favorite spot on the north coast at Manchester Beach

Noah celebrated 11 years working for Neil O. Anderson & Associates. He still enjoys his job and this year was the most profitable for his office since opening the bay area Branch in 2006. His office grew enough this year to move to a new office building double the size. The company continues to bounce back from the downturn in the economy and has grown over 20% in the last year. Noah was released from his calling as 1^st counselor in the Young Men’s Presidency at church after serving for 5 years. He is now teaching the Gospel Principles class. Noah was able to coach Aubrey’s soccer team “The Tremors” this year.

Anissa gave birth to a beautiful baby boy this year and has been adjusting to life with 4 kids. Despite the 4^th child she has been able to help in Aubrey and Autumn’s classes at school. Anissa was released as the Activity Day leader this year and is now serving as a Visiting Teaching Supervisor. She enjoys spending the little free time she has scrapbooking, playing with Noah, and socializing with her good friends.

Ashlyn is ten and is in the 5th grade. She had a great experience running for Student Body President this year although she didn’t win. However, it gave her time to volunteer in Aubrey’s kindergarten class and the Hawk Helpers Club. Ashlyn has been taking piano lessons and is in the school band where she is taking after her mom and playing the flute. She loves increasing her musical talents. Ashlyn has really enjoyed having a little brother and takes good care of him.

Autumn is seven and in the 2^nd grade. She enjoys school and continues to excel in her reading. She has also been writing stories. One story based on Cinderella about a butterfly was even considered for publishing. Autumn surprised us this year when she joined the Kindess & Caring club at school. She has really enjoyed serving and doing things for other students. Autumn started taking piano lessons this year and is playing very well.

Aubrey turned five and started Kindergarten this year. She is doing very well in school although she continues to demand attention by being the class clown. She is very outgoing and constantly breaks out in song with whatever pops into her head. Aubrey started playing soccer this year and enjoyed having her dad as her Coach. She scored lots of goals and looks forward to playing again next year.

Noah Thomas Elias was born this year on January 9. Noah was named after his great grandfathers. He is definitely a boy and different than his older sisters. Noah has a great spirit about him and loves to play. He is already a smart boy and started walking at 9.5 months. He appears to have a future in sports as he already dribbles the soccer ball around the living room and loves to shoot a ball in his basketball hoop. Noah is easy going and that is good given the nature of his older sisters.

The California Academy of Sciences

2010-05-28T17:42:00.000-07:00

Our girls had the Friday before Memorial day off so we decided to go on a little getaway to San Fransisco for the weekend. Our 1st stop was to The California Academy of Sciences. This place is amazing with tons of things to look at and to do. Our girls had a blast exploring all the different areas at the museum. The 1st place we went through was Extreme Mammals, then on to the planetarium to watch a show about our planet and universe. Then we explored the 4 story Rainforest, massive Aquarium which takes you to different regions around the world, and natural history museums. It was really cool and the girls loved it. We will be doing this again.

Ashlyn's Field Trip

2010-05-19T15:44:00.000-07:00

Ashlyn's 3rd grade class had a field trip to Historic Downtown Brentwood. I was able to drive some of the kids from school to the Downtown Brentwood Park where we would be taking a walking tour around the area and learn more about Brentwood. It was a lot of fun for the kids and it was really interesting to learn about the different buildings. Like the Brentwood Women's Club established in 1901, used later as the public library. This Red roof house was built at the Nortonville coal mines. When the mines closed they moved the homes into town. They moved them 3 times to where they are now. They were owned by teachers and staff in the 1920s. The building with the hallmark sign was the old Brentwood Pharmacy that included the Hallmark card shop. This was built in 1915. The sign was left as a reminder of its past.The Sun n Stuff was built around the same time and was a grocery store and post office. It still has the original wood floors and meat locker in back.This building was the Brentwood Press Building built in 1913 and in 1927 became the Bank of California. The kids loved walking through the old bank vault still there and being used as an office. What a fun time we had.

Mormon Helping Hands

2010-05-11T17:30:00.000-07:00

Today was Mormon Helping Hands a Service Day organized by our church. Every Stake in the state of California participated in some way helping out their community by giving service. Our ward along with Oakley ward were given 3 designated areas to work on. We chose the group to be at the park. We picked up garbage all over the park and along the walking trail. The men were using weed eaters and lawn mowers to cut down the over grown areas. Our area was the biggest and had the other groups join us later. Afterward we meet at the church for lunch.

It was a great experience and something they will be doing next year. I hope this will become an annual event so that we can work together and give service.

The Best Mothers Day Ever!

2010-05-09T21:00:00.000-07:00

This was the Best and most memorable Mothers Day Ever! Many of you know that Noah and I have been trying to have a baby for about 2 years now and on the eve of Mothers day we found out in 9 months our little miracle will be joining our family. I was so stunned I took 2 tests and almost a 3rd one, but Noah assured me that it was absolutely without a doubt positive. On Mothers Day it was hard not to shout it out to everyone we knew. That morning before church my girls and Noah had made me breakfast along with all of my gifts, flowers, and decorations out on the table. What a wonderful surprise.

Then later on in the day our family arrived to spend the day with us. It was hard not to tell them the good news right away, but Grandma Smith would have an extra gift to open. In a little box she opened up the 2 positive tests. Everyone was so excited. We told the rest of our family over the phone that day. It was a great evening, yummy dinner, and was able to enjoy 2 different kinds of cakes that my wonderful husband made.

It was a perfect day.

Something New

2010-05-06T17:11:00.000-07:00

The girls are trying out new things right now and are really excited. Aubrey now has cute bangs and that she loves and once a week she goes to different friends home for a little preschool time. Autumn is trying a Tap/Jazz class until summer and can't wait. She even made her new dance teacher a card to let her know how much she is going to love it. Ashlyn is taking piano lessons too. She can play a few songs now and we think she may have a real talent in playing.

Women's Conference

2010-05-05T15:53:00.000-07:00

I have been planning on going to BYU Women's Conference for the past few months now. I was so excited to go. I hitched a ride with Noah's mom, aunt Nancy, and sister Becky. Our time together was a great. We started it off Wednesday with a lovely spring storm with lots and lots of snow. It required us to put on chains as we went over Donner. We could only go about 20 miles. It delayed us a few hours and in Reno it stopped. We stopped at Cabela's for some yummy snacks. Once in Utah it started up again. We did enjoy an amazing sunset. We had off and on snow, sleet and rain almost the whole time we were in Utah. It was still beautiful and good thing we spent our days inside listening to the different speakers.Both Thursday and Friday we started our day gathered together with a full Marriott Center. Being able to listen to the Relief Society General President Julie B Beck on Thursday along with her 1st Counselor Silvia H. Allred and 2nd Counselor Barbara Thompson on Friday morning, was a really treat. Each day they have a closing speaker the 1st day we skipped out and opted to eat on campus at a Hawaiian BBQ place. We did however make it to the evening entertainment which included Hilary Weeks, The Fab Five who were on Americas Got Talent, Mercy River, Miceal Mc CleanDallyn Bayles, and Alex Boye. Elder and Sister Oaks gave their closing remarks on Friday evening. Both days were filled with 3 different classes Then went to check out the service activities. There was so much to do and so much to enjoy we had to take it slow. On Friday night I spent time with my cousin, his wife and adorable son and my sisters. Amber and I went to Sammy's where I tried their chocolate peanut butter cupcake . It was yummy! Saturday was sister day. We spent the day shopping at the BYU bookstore, craft stores,
lunch at Los Hemanos, mall shopping, and dinner at Chilli's compliments from my sister Tiffany.Sunday I meet up with Noah's family to start the long journey home. We stayed in Winnamucca, Nevada for the night and had a great time eating dinner together. We ate at this Basque restaurant called The Martin Hotel where they serve you family style.

They served us salad and beans you place on top of the salad. Next came corn, mashed potatoes, warm cows tongue, and our chicken fried steak. I at all my cows tongue. It was actually very tender and tasted good. I wish they would have cut it up the look of it made me realize what I was eating every time I looked down at it. We also enjoyed Aunt Nancy playing slots at Grandmas House. In Reno we stopped at Scheels. This sports/outdoor store is like a mall and mini amusement park all rolled into one. We spent a long time shopping and looking at everything. Once home I got in my car and headed home. It was a fast and fun trip, but I sure missed my husband and girls while I was gone and it left good to be home.

Aubrey's New Bangs

2010-04-26T15:42:00.000-07:00

Aubrey has been telling me for weeks now that she has been wanting her bangs cut short. I have been meaning to cut them for her, but before I could do it. She took matters into her own hands. She got some scissors and cut her own hair. She did pretty good if the look she was going for was V shaped bangs. I did my best to straighten them out. I think they turned out pretty good and she really likes them. I think she looks cute with her new hairdo.

Our Weekend Getaway

2010-04-25T16:48:00.000-07:00

Noah and I really needed some time to ourselves. So we called up Noah's mom to see if she could watch the girls so we could go on a weekend getaway. She was able to do this at her house so on Thursday evening we dropped the kids off and planned our weekend. Our destination would be to Half Moon Bay, but 1st we would stop by San Fransisco. We thought it would be fun to see some sites in San Fran that we often skip because we have the girls with us. So on Friday morning we drove to the San Fransisco Wharf and hopped on a bus to our 1st stop Mama's on Washington Square. They serve breakfast and lunch only. The line was out the door and around the corner which we read it usually is. After a 30 min wait we finally made it to the door where they ask how many in your party and have you get in another line to order your food. Noah ordered the Monte Cristo and I ordered the Chocolate French Toast they were both EXCELLENT and SO YUMMY! After brunch we we walked to China Town, then rode the trolley to Union Square and checked out the shops. Then we hopped on the cable cars and rode down to Fisherman's Wharf where we walked and took on the sights and sounds of it all.That afternoon we headed down to Half Moon Bay just in time to check in and get our couples massage.
We ate dinner at a little place called Flying Fish Grill it was excellent. On Saturday morning we got up bright and early to go horseback riding along the ocean. It was a ton of fun. We enjoyed every moment of it. After our little adventure we came back for a nap. We had lunch at It's Italia PIzzeria one of the best Italian places we have eaten at, and walked along the downtown Halfmoon Bay. When we got back to our hotel we took a walk on the beach outside our place, followed by a nice romantic dinner at the Mezza Luna Italian Restaurant.

On Sunday we relaxed, slept in, and checked out. On our way back home we stopped at Fitzgerald Marine preserve. Then Golden Gate Park to enjoy the many gardens including the Japanese Tea Garden.

Give-A-Day/Get-A-Day!

2010-04-18T16:12:00.000-07:00

Noah and I signed up the whole family to do the Disney give a day get a day. We decided to do service for the city. We reported at 8am for check-in and were given our assignment. We were give the park and some surrounding area. They gave us each goodies, water and a plastic bag, and put us to work. With gloves on we hunted the park and area for garbage. It was a wonderful experience for the girls. They really learned the importance of serving, cleaning, working hard and having fun. After our clean-up we were treated to BBQ lunch. We will definitely be doing this again. Plus we got free Disney tickets.

Black Chasm Cavern

2010-04-05T19:01:00.000-07:00

We decided to go to Black Chasm Cavern today since the girls had the day off still. It was a really cool thing to go see. The girls thought it was pretty neat to climb down into the cavern. We were able to see a wide variety of formations including stalactites, stalagmites, flowstones and the vast arrays of rare helictite crystals, for which Black Chasm Cavern is famous for. We will defently be doing this again. After the caverns we stopped by Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park. It is a 135 acre park that preserves a large outcropping of marbleized limestone, where local Indians havested acorns. This resutled in the development of over 1,185 mortar holes, the largest collection of bedrock mortar holes in North America. There is a Miwok village, complete with a roundhouse, bark houses, and acorn granaries, that were reconstructed. It was neat to see how the native Americans in the area lived. It even snowed on us a little. What a great day.

More Egg Hunts

2010-04-03T22:13:00.000-07:00

On Friday night we headed up to Cameron Park for Easter. We went to two egg hunts on Saturday day in between watching Conference. The 1st one is one of our favorites and it is early in the morning at the high school and put on by the fire department. They have 3 different age groups are girls were in each different group. They got a lot of eggs and they had a blast with their cousins.
Later on in the afternoon, we headed to another egg hunt at one of the local churches. It was fun for the kids and we got to see some old friends.

Coloring Eggs and Easter

2010-04-03T19:27:00.000-07:00

We didn't have time to color eggs before going to grandmas so on Sunday we colored eggs. The girls had a blast. I made them take their shirts off so they would not get them colored on. I guess I should have brought shirts for them to color in.
Easter Sunday we were visited by the Easter bunny. They girls got some fun goodies. That afternoon we headed to Noah's sister house for dinner and a family egg hunt. It was fun to hide eggs and baskets for everyone. It was great to be all together as a family on this special holiday.

Ward Egg Hunt

2010-04-02T20:41:00.000-07:00

On Friday evening our ward had an egg hunt. The girls had a blast waiting for the egg hunt by placing their buckets in their heads. When the hunt began the girls had a great time running around searching for eggs. It was pretty cool how many eggs they had for each child.
The girls loved it. After we had a potluck dinner. The hunt, the food, the friends, and the evening was great.

Pirate Girls

2010-03-30T20:12:00.000-07:00

After school and after homework my girls really wanted to watch Pirates of the Caribbean. I agreed and they all ran upstairs. When they came back down they were all dressed up in their pirate costumes ready to start the movie. They had asked for Cheetos as their snack for the movie. It was pretty funny seeing them all dressed up and into the movie. Silly girls.

My Spring Flowers

2010-03-27T19:32:00.000-07:00

At my old house we had a lovely spring surprise when the tulips and daffodils would pop up out of the ground and splash color in the front of our house. I loved it and wanted the same thing at our new home. It took 3 yrs but I finally planted some bulbs this year and this is what I got...

A Day at the Zoo

2010-03-24T17:36:00.000-07:00

I decided I would talk the girls on their day off to the Oakland Zoo. Their aunt Rachel and their cousins Logan and Kelsie also joined us. It is always fun when we go together. We saw lots of animals that were out and about because of the nice weather. Logan was sad when the giraffes were not allowed out because they were remodeling their home. He did like the giant alligator skeleton. Ashlyn enjoyed talking about all the animals as we passed them.The kids love to play on all the different play areas that the zoo has. That is probably their favorite thing to do at the zoo. It was another great day at the zoo.

Day5: Coming Home

2010-03-19T21:17:00.000-07:00

Today we cleaned out our little cabin and packed our truck up. We did not hurry home, but made our way slowly down HWY 101 towards home. We had a great time this week and can't wait to do it again. Here are some outtakes from some of the days we tried to take pictures. Once we got home we unpacked and went to the movies to see "A Diary of a Wimpy Kid". It was a pretty funny movie.It was a great way to end our week.

Day4: Beach Hopping

2010-03-18T21:41:00.000-07:00

On our last full day camping we wanted it to be relaxing and stay close to our camp area. So we decided to go to Manchester beach this morning and play. We flew kites including Aubrey's Tinker Bell and Noah's trick kite. We built sand castles, driftwood forts,and enjoyed exploring the quiet beach. Where we found a lady bug in the sand and the Snowy Plover Birds. The landscape of the beach has changed since October, but it still is nice. We had a nice BBQ at the beach for lunch and soon after left for Greenwood State Beach.
This has become mine and Noah's favorite of all the beaches in the area. Just the view from the top of the bluff is amazing. As we walked down the beach we saw so many colorful flowers blooming. Once we got on the beach it is always a blast to go exploring. This time we found lots and lots of giant starfish. The only problem was they had gotten thrown onto the shore and were drying out and dying. They girls wanted to save them all, but they were to squishy to grab. So we left them sad about their fate. It is not a huge beach but it full of surprizes. One fun surprize were the deer tracks we found right in the sand next to the ocean. Our biggest surprize was that there was a very very deep stream running through one end of the beach. Last time we were able to explore the cave on this side. Not this time it was much to deep, swift, and colliding with the ocean.We decided it was safer to not cross and watched as the different sea birds enjoyed that side. The girls did enjoy throwing rocks in the stream. As we started to go in the other directon it was fun to see all the driftwood and giant redwoods on shore. We even found giant log sticking up and out of the sand. One was so long it fit all of us for a photo moment. At the other end we found an old tractor and more beautiful beach. This is why this beach is our favorite. There is always something to explore, it is never the same, no one is ever there and it is breathtaking.

Day3: Point Cabrillo Lighthouse and Glass Beach

2010-03-17T11:21:00.000-07:00

This morning Autumn noticed that something got into our green cupcakes, left penny's lying around, and made a mess with flour on our picnic table. She knew exactly what it was: The Leprechaun! After our St. Patricks morning surprise we headed to Point Cabrillo Lighthouse. It was a beautiful sunny day. By the time we made it to the lighthouse after having to stop several times we decided to eat lunch before we walked down to the lighthouse. It is a mile walk down to the lighthouse and the girls were excited to show grandma. Our walk down was beautiful and everyone took in all the sights. Our 1st stop was at the lighthouse keepers home. It was really cool to see how they lived and how different their home was compared to ours. Our 2nd stop was at some overlooks and small building that has aquariums set up with sea life and hands on fun for the kids. It is sure is gorgeous here. We could have stayed and looked forever. The 3rd stop was the Point Cabrillo Lighthouse itself. I wish we could have gone up to the top where the lens is kept, but they only give tours 4 times a year. The girls love to color pictures that they have in a kids area. It is a small lighthouse, but full of history.
On our way up to Fort Bragg we stopped at the girls favorite beach: Glass Beach.They love it here. This beach used to be the dump in the early 1900s and they would dump lots of glass off the sides. As time goes by the waves crashing and tumbling the glass on the beach has made it smooth and shiny. The girls love go through all the glass and find all the different color. Even Noah and I love to look through all the Glass and find our favorites. I like the royal blue and ruby red glass. After glass beach we took Noah's mom out to dinner for her birthday . We ate in Noyo Harbor at Silver's at the Wharf. The food was pretty good, we had a great bus boy who Autumn thought was very cute, and we had a nice view. We ended the night by getting ice cream at Cowlicks. It has become one of our favorite stops.

Day2: Russian Gulch State Park

2010-03-16T22:45:00.000-07:00

With the weather not so great this morning we decided to go on a hike at Russian Gulch State Park. The 1.5 mile hike loop ends at a waterfall. We thought it would be cooler and much nicer to hike in the dreary weather than in sunny weather. We packed our a lunch and started the hike off in great spirits. As we walked we used some guidebooks of the North Coast to find the names of the different trees and plants we saw along the way. We sang and played little games as we walked.
About halfway we stopped to eat lunch. This really energized us and the girls. It never really rained on us just misted a little here and there. As we walked we saw more and more Giant Redwoods, along with the plants and animals that go with that environment. Right before we came to the split in the trail where you could go up to the falls or all the way around that would take another 1.5 miles Autumn was done. She refused to move any more. She wanted to go back and rest. Grandma volunteered to walk her all the way back to the truck and wait for us to come back. Not long after they left and we strted the climb up to the falls we were there in no time. The waterfall was big and full of water. The girls loved it and we rested and took some pictures at the falls. It was a great experience we just feel bad that grandma and Autumn were so close and missed it. Oh Well! Maybe next time!

Day1: Camping at Manchester Beach

2010-03-15T19:41:00.000-07:00

The girls have two weeks off this month, so we decided to go up to Manchester Beach for about a week. We brought Noah's mom with us and decided we would camp for a few days. We arrived yesterday evening and got all settled in. Today we did a lot of fun things. First off Autumn was bound and determined to find a leprechaun. So she went on a leprechaun hunt to try and catch one. After we were ready we headed to Point Arena Light House. The girls love going here because they get to climb to the top. The views are amazing at the top. We even saw some humpback whales off shore. After this we headed to our favorite pizza place only to find it closed for lunch. We would have to come back for dinner. So we grabbed something else and headed to one of our favorite beaches Schooner Gulch. The beach is much different in the spring than in the fall so it took some time to get used to the difference. There seemed to be less sand and the stream flowing into the water was much wider and deeper. We still had a great time playing and exploring the beach.We found a bunch of teeny tiny red crabs all over the rocks and seaweed. They were about the size of a ladybug. The girls had a blast watching them. After our great beach day we made it back to the pier for that yummy warm pizza and a scoop of ice cream after dinner.

Catching a Leprechaun

2010-03-11T08:50:00.000-08:00

Autumn had a homework assignment to make a leprechaun trap for school. They had to come up with a trap that would catch the sneaky leprechaun. Autumn had a great idea for her trap. She wanted to have gold coins, a trap at the top covered in grass, rocks painted gold, signs with a ladder to climb up and a rainbow to get the leprechauns attention. her dad and I helped her create this. She was really excited about it. I think we will be able to catch a leprechaun for sure this year.

Beach Cupcakes

2010-03-10T16:34:00.000-08:00

For the Relief Society Birthday dinner they had women sign up for one of the 12 months of the year and either bring a cake representing the month or a centerpiece. I decided to make cupcakes for July. I found this idea on the family fun website. They came out so cute and were really easy.

Spring is in the Air

2010-03-06T20:13:00.000-08:00

The rain has stopped for a few days now and the sun has finally come out. With all the sunlight the plants have started to flower. It is starting to feel a little like spring or at least a preview of what spring will be like. We decided to take a walk and have the kids ride their bikes around the neighborhood. As we walked I took some pictures of what we saw along the way. After our walk we stopped at the park by our house and let the girls play. We had a great afternoon, to bad it is going to rain again tomorrow.

Autumn's Loose Tooth

2010-03-03T15:52:00.000-08:00

Autumn has been running around with an extremely loose tooth. She it is so loose in fact I thought her breathing would knock it out. It has been flapping back and forth for the past week. We have been trying to pull it out but she won't let us. Ashlyn was even chasing her around the house with a piece of string to wrap around her tooth and yank it out but Autumn won't let herself be caught. This afternoon she was doing homework and snaking of some food when she yelled, "Mom! Mom! Look at my tooth." "It just fell out" she said, "I wasn't even touching it." Now we wait tonight for the Tooth Fairy to come and make a visit. Autumn can't wait for her to come, her and Ashlyn are writing a letter to her right now.

Coming in like a Lion

2010-03-03T15:05:00.000-08:00

The weather has been crazy the past couple of days. On Tuesday it rained all day long and Aubrey got all dressed up in her rain gear to jump, splash and play in the rain. She had a great time. Then on Wednesday we got rain, sleet, and hail, thunder and lightning. It is supposed to rain like this the whole week. March sure is coming in like a Lion.

Chocolate Party

2010-02-27T14:58:00.000-08:00

My friend Karri and I hosted a Chocolate Party for the gals in the ward. We had a great time. Getting everything organized and set up. We supplied white chocolate and milk chocolate along with some fruit, pretzels, marshmallows, and bacon. We had each person who came bring a food item that could be dipped in chocolate. It was fun to see all the different things people brought. We had a fun night eating and visiting together.

Valentines Date Night

2010-02-17T14:00:00.000-08:00

After a long day of playing in the snow on Saturday, we rushed back to Noah's Mom's house where we got ready for our Valentines date night. All the grandchildren spent the evening with Grandma for a special fancy Valentines dinner, some crafts and movie night. Noah and I went out to dinner a Tahoe Joe's and ordered the dinner for two special. Then headed to the movies to watch When In Rome. It was a pretty good romantic comedy. It made us laugh anywayAfter that we headed to the Sacramento Temple, where I took some night shots. We even tried out my remote. We had a lot of fun together. We are blessed to have such a great mom who will take care of all 9 grand-kids so we can enjoy and evening out. Thanks Grandma Smith.

Snow Day!

2010-02-15T17:28:00.000-08:00

Saturday we spent most of our day in the snow. It was a gorgeous sunny day echo summit. We went with Noah's sister Rebecca and her family. We also brought our nephew Logan along while his parents are in Hawaii. We always have the greatest time together. All the cousins pair off and enjoy playing in the snow together. They did lots and lots of sledding. Single sledding, Buddy Sledding, and Race Sledding.
They did some snowball making, building snowman, making snow forts, and just being silly in the snow. Theses are some of the silly snow faces of us having fun.

Valentines Day

2010-02-11T17:24:00.000-08:00

Valentines day was celebrated early this year because we spent our valentines weekend at Grandma Smith's house. But every year it is tradition for me to give my girls a little something for Valentines day and Noah to get the girls some clothes. This year I found little mailboxes and filled them with fun stuff for my girls. Noah was able to get them 3 adorable outfits. The girls loved them. Noah even brought home an early valentine for me. A dozen red roses. Happy Early Valentines Day!

Bowling for Ashlyn's Birthday

2010-02-06T21:23:00.000-08:00

This year Ashlyn wanted to do something really fun for her birthday party. She chose to go bowling even though that meant less friends to invite. She decided to do the rock n bowl and have a Jonas Brothers themed party. I spent the morning getting her Jonas Brothers cake ready and making sure all the goodie bags were ready. They got our lanes and tables set up for us, then they turned off the lights, got the music, and disco ball going. We ordered our pizza and started bowling. While they bowled they ate their pizza and later had cake and Ashlyn opened up her presents. Ashlyn and her four guests had a blast. It was a great 9th Birthday

Mavericks

2010-02-05T21:35:00.000-08:00

Noah and I have been wanting to go to Mavericks beach this winter to see some big waves and to try and catch some world class big wave surfers doing what they do best. Noah heard that they had some 25 foot + waves today so we drove over to Half Moon Bay to check it out. Mavericks is a world-famous surfing location and winter destination for some of the world's best big wave surfers. Winter storms can routinely crest at over 25 feet and top out at over 50 feet. The break is caused by an unusually-shaped underwater rock formation. Only a select few are willing to risk the hazardous conditions at Maverick's. An invitation-only contest is held there every winter, depending on wave conditions. We were hoping to catch it this year, but today's conditions were considered to dangerous for the contest.We did enjoy watching the huge waves, playing in the sand, and the sun set over the water. On the way back to the truck we saw a rock memorial for the popular and famed Hawaiian big-wave rider Mark Foo, who died while surfing Maverick's with the other Hawaiian visitors and local riders. It was a reminder for us on how dangerous the ocean can be even if it looks inviting.

Ashlyn turns 9

2010-02-01T21:41:00.000-08:00

Today my oldest turned 9. We can't believe it has been a year already. WOW, time flies. She woke up bright and early and got ready for school. We had her open her presents from us. She got clothes so she changed her outfit for school. I made her chocolate chip pancakes which were served on a celebrate plate. Last night I made star cupcakes for her whole class and took them to her school for a special lunch treat. They all loved them. I was even there as the yard duties announced her birthday over the bull-horn and everyone yelled at the top of their lungs "HAPPY BIRTHDAY"!Our friends daughter Belen and Ashlyn share the exact same Birth Day together, just different ages. They are good friends of ours so we had a joint dinner. Ashlyn wanted to go to Shirishoni a Japanese Restaurant where they cook in front of you. So that's where we went. After dinner they sang Happy Birthday and brought the girls some Japaneses ice cream. When dinner was all done we all came back to our home for some singing, cake, and to open presents. Ashlyn had a great Birthday with many phone calls from family. In about a week we will have a bowling party for her. She is really excited about that.

Taking a Nature Walk

2010-01-30T22:48:00.000-08:00

The kids have been wanting to ride their bikes and go for a nature walk. So we took the afternoon to go out and enjoy the spring like weather. Ashlyn and Autumn rode their bikes and Aubrey rode in the stroller. As we walked I took some nature shots. The girls stopped to rest before we headed home. They liked the nature walk so much they want to do it again tomorrow.

Stinson Beach

2010-01-28T23:44:00.000-08:00

Aubrey and I took a little day trip with Noah to Stinson beach today. He had a job to do over there and it took a good part of the morning to get there and do the job. While we waited for him Aubrey and I walked around the neighborhood and took in the sights and sounds. We saw goats, flowers, and some beautiful flowering trees. After Noah's job we went to a little market and bought some lunch for us to take to the beach. As we ate lunch we watched the surfers, a seagull try to attack our food, and Aubrey enjoying herself in the sand and on the beach. After a relaxing lunch is was time to head back home and pick up the girls from school and Noah had to go back to work. I'm glad we got to have a mini getaway and enjoy our short time together.

Aubrey's 1st Trip to the Dentist

2010-01-27T16:35:00.000-08:00

Aubrey had her first trip to the dentist today. They took a few x-rays of her teeth, cleaned, counted and found 2 cavity monsters. She did such a great job. The dentist said she did really well for her age. She got to pick out a new toothbrush, floss, and a yellow balloon. She had a great time and said she wants to go again. That's good news, because she will be going back in 2 weeks to fix her cavities.

An Afternoon At Black Diamond Mines

2010-01-23T19:08:00.000-08:00

This Saturday we didn't have anything planned. And this was the first day with no rain for about a week. The girls enjoyed playing outside this morning.Later on we decided to head to Black Diamond Mines and explore the area a little. I also used my new camera to take pictures and was able to get a some beautiful pictures.
We had a really nice time. Glad to have some sun finally.

Date Night

2010-01-22T17:46:00.000-08:00

Noah and I finally got a chance to go on a date tonight. We decided to go to dinner and a movie. We decided to finally watch Avatar. We have been wanting to see it but haven't been able to get over to the theater to see it. Noah and I watched it in 3D and agree it was one of the best films that we have seen in a long time. The graphics were amazing and we really enjoyed the film. When we got home everyone was asleep including the babysitter. The best part was when we went upstairs to go to bed and found little Aubrey asleep on the floor right next to our locked bedroom door. Apparently she was trying to crawl in bed with us, only we weren't home and the door was locked.

The Performance

2010-01-18T14:36:00.000-08:00

My girls a really creative especially Autumn. Her imagination is incredible. Her and her sisters came up with a play. There was dressing up, singing, dancing, acting, and so much more. Noah and I were handed FREE tickets to come up to the playroom and watch our 3 girls Perform. We were taken to our seats they placed a hat aka fairy wings on Dad until the performance started(he really needs a boy). It was a great play. Ashlyn narrated the whole thing while the 2 little ones did their thing.

The Melt Down

2010-01-16T13:11:00.000-08:00

Aubrey is my good girl, the one that helps when no one else will and behaves so nicely. Well now that she has turned 3 she has been voicing her opinion more and more. Today she had a melt down. She was so mad she just threw herself on the floor screaming. I tried to calm her down, but that only made her angrier. So I put my camera to use and snapped some pictures of my little girl. Why must they grow up?

Ashlyn's Piacaso Day

2010-01-06T13:01:00.000-08:00

For the past few days Ashlyn's class has been studying all about Picasso. In honor of Picasso Ashlyn's teacher asked each child to come up with their own style of clothing to wear today. Ashlyn had a hard time trying to decide on what to wear. She finally decided on an outfit that was inspired by the book Princess Party by Joy Allen(who is a really good family friend of ours). It has a character dressed just like what Ashlyn wanted to wear. We all think she did a great job dressing up like that character. Her teacher said she was the most creative one dressed. We told her teacher it was all thanks to the Princess Party book and its great illustrator. I added a picture of all the characters from the book Princess Party. Can you find the Character Ashlyn tried to imitate? (they have these printed on fabric, are making these into ornaments and she is going to be writing a Boy Book too)

New Years Day!

2010-01-02T12:42:00.000-08:00

New Years Day for us was a day of sleeping in, being lazy, watching parades and football, putting puzzles together, and just hanging out at home. Aubrey loves puzzles and helped us with our 1,000 piece puzzle. She actually put together several pieces. We were really impressed with her ability to do this. She stayed for almost an hour helping us out.

Our 2009 Year in Review

2010-01-01T09:40:00.000-08:00

This year has been great for our family. We have been blessed with still having a great job and home. After a busy year in 2008 traveling for Noah’s sabbatical, we stayed a little closer to home. We had a fun year of camping. We camped at Pinecrest Lake for Memorial Day where we hiked 4 miles around the lake, rented a boat, and went horseback riding. In August we went to our annual Bladder Extrophy Support Team campout at Lake Tahoe to support our niece/cousin Kylee. This year was our 8^th year attending. For Labor day we went to the LDS Clark’s Fork Girl’s Camp which is located up the mountain from Pinecrest Lake and Sonora, CA. We helped close the camp for winter. We went with all of Noah’s family and were able to stay in cabins. After the camp was closed we went horseback riding, hiked around Pinecrest Lake again, and rented a party barge where we had a BBQ and fished. For the girls fall break, we went up the north coast and stayed in a cabin at Manchester Beach in Manchester, CA. We had fun beach-combing, hiking, and seeing new places near Mendocino and Fort Bragg. We love spending time along the north coast. Noah and Anissa were able to get away in September and spend a wonderful couple days at a bed and breakfast inn one block from the ocean in Carmel, CA. We also became concert goers again seeing Green Day, Franz Ferdinand, Rascal Flatts, and Darius Rucker. Noah celebrated 9 years working for Neil Anderson and Associates. Despite the economy and some downsizing in the company, Noah’s office was the most profitable this year. Financially the company is still in a hole because of the economy but is looking better right now that it did at this time last year. He still loves his job and the projects he get to work on. Noah is going on 3.5 years now as the 1^st counselor in the Young Men’s Presidency at church and was able to go on a backpacking/rafting trip this summer with the young men and had a blast. Noah coached Autumn and Ashlyn’s soccer teams this year. What a great but tiring experience it was. Anissa has been extremely busy this year making preparations for all our trips and holidays. She has been trading babysitting once a week so that she can help out in both Autumn’s and Ashlyn’s classes at school. The girls love having her in class (and so do the rest of their classmates). She is also the Art Docent for their class teaching them art once a month. It has been allowing her to use her creativity and love of teaching. She also has been able to host a preschool once a month for Aubrey. Anissa taught the 6 to 7 year old girls in Primary for part of the year and is still the Activity Day leader for the 8-11 year old girls in the ward. Ashlyn is eight and is a 3rd grader. She had a special year this year because her father was able to baptize her a member of the church. It was a special experience for her. Ashlyn played U9 soccer this year which is the first year they play with all the full rules. She won the award for Best Goalie on her team. She is really growing up and helps cook, do laundry, and take care of her sisters. She was excited that she learned how to ride her bike this year and wants to ride every chance she gets.Autumn is five and started Kindergarten this year. She loves school and has been really excelling in all subjects and won an award for her improvements. She took swim lessons again and is excited that she can swim all by herself now. Autumn played her first year of soccer this year even scoring some goals. She has really matured and grown up and loves to dress up and be “fancy”. Aubrey turned three and is still mommy’s little sidekick spending special alone time with her during school hours. She goes to preschool once a week and loves learning. Aubrey loves playing play-doh in the nursery at church and can’t wait to be a sunbeam next year. She loves music and loves to sing and dance. She is really growing up and thinks that she can do everything her older sisters can do.

New Year's Eve!

2010-01-01T00:22:00.000-08:00

With all the craziness of getting a new piano, having to clear out the living room, then clean up the big mess we made in the living room, and getting some food for our family New Years Eve party the night did not go as planned. We had planned to do some fun things with the girls and with everything going on it just didn't happen. We had some yummy snack foods, played one game, sang some karaoke and guitar hero before we rang in an early new year with the girls. They had a good time spraying silly string all over the house, themselves and at us. We popped some poppers and let them trow some confetti too. After the mess we made we had to clean it up. Aubrey helped me clean by taking handfuls of the mess and putting them in the her bowl. Then we sent them to bed at 10:30 pm. Noah and I had a nice quite couple of hours before we rang in the official new year. 2010 is going to be Amazing and we can't wait!

New Piano for the New Year

2009-12-31T22:59:00.000-08:00

For a few years now we have been wanting to get a piano. We kept checking around so that we can get a used one or a really good deal on one. Well today Noah was checking the ads and he found a piano someone was selling for $100. The family is moving out of state and doses not want to take the piano with them. We went over in the morning to check it out. We thought it was in excellent condition and sounded great for the age. Noah payed for it with his birthday money and we hurried home to move shelves, the Christmas tree, and make room for our new piano that would be delivered in a couple of hours. With a mess still in the entry way the piano movers arrived moving our new piano into it's space and we became the proud new owners of a piano. We were so excited we went to the music store to buy some piano books for the girls and for Noah. We will all be learning to play as the year goes on.

Noah and Grandma Kyle's Birthday Dinner

2009-12-30T22:23:00.000-08:00

After we left my parents we drove 4 hours to Bakersfield. Once we got there we settled in at Noah's cousins house. Shortly after we arrived we drove to the Mexican restaurant where we meet up with Noah's mom, Grandma Kyle, and Uncle Craig. Noah and his Grandmother share the same birthday and it is always fun to get together and celebrate together. Grandma Kyle is 89 years old today and Noah is...well lets just say he is getting older.So while we waited for dinner they opened up their presents. After a delicious dinner we sang Happy Birthday and ate some yummy chocolate cake. We all had a real nice time together.

Grandma and Grandpa Photo Shot

2009-12-29T12:58:00.000-08:00

Before we headed home I wanted to take some pictures of the girls with my parents. It was fun to gather them up and have them take pictures with Grandma and Grandpa. They came out pretty good for last minute as we were packing to leave.

Noah's Birthday Morning

2009-12-29T09:58:00.000-08:00

The Birthday Boy Noah celebrated first thing this morning with a Birthday Dance by Autumn.After Autumns dance he enjoyed a yummy breakfast(thanks to my mother)with candles on his pancakes and singing. Its a bummer that we had to drive to Bakersfield right after this, but I hope we made his start to his big day special.

The Tractor Pull

2009-12-26T13:08:00.000-08:00

The day started off with us just hanging around the house. My dad went outside to work in the yard again and my girls followed their grandpa right outside. The were helping him and then they decided to play with some cars in the yard. Then my dad got the idea to hook up one of the cars to his tractor and pull the two girls all over the yard. It was probably safer than the sled ride. Then my dad abandoned the idea of one car and added two. Which Autumn liked. So now he is pulling my girls on the kids coupe car and another play car chained together connected to his tractor. This was pretty funny to watch, because the girls had even less control and would swing back and forth each time my dad made a turn. Autumn even rolled the car and fell out . My dad told Autumn "Don't tell Grandma I rolled you, because Grandma will be mad at Grandpa." Well that's the first thing she said to Grandma when she came inside. Autumn walked in saying "Grandma! You will be really mad at Grandpa, because he rolled me. Right?"

Lovin' My New Camera

2009-12-25T12:59:00.000-08:00

Christmas Day I most of the day playing with my new camera. I played with every feature on the camera and used both lenses. Here are just a few pictures that I took on Christmas Day. Most of the pictures were of the family as they were playing with their new toys for Christmas or the family just enjoying the day. As night approached I took some night pictures too.
I really love my new camera.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T12:57:00.000-08:00

Christmas Morning is our favorite it is so amazing for our family. All the excitement that our girls have makes it even more special. No matter where Christmas is at we always have the "Line-up". It starts in the hallway with the girls lining up from youngest to oldest to pose for a photo. Then we let them run to see what Santa has brought them. The open Santa gifts and Stocking until everyone is ready to begin opening the presents form everyone. This year our girls got lots of cool stuff from Santa and from my family. The adults opened their gifts after the girls opened up theirs.
We all got some great gifts. It was a very Merry Christmas for me because I got a New Digital Camera. Something I didn't expect for years(cost to much money). Noah is amazing and knows me so well. I can never thank him enough for this special gift that he got me. I am now on my way into diving into my passion for photography.
In all the excitement Ashlyn didn't notice that Santa had left her a note. She was totally excited that he wrote her a Thank You letter for all the goodies that she left him. With her belief in Santa wavering, she now Believes!

Christmas Eve

2009-12-24T12:57:00.000-08:00

This afternoon we headed to the movies to watch The Princess and the Frog. Then we headed home for a yummy dinner with appetizer foods. The girls worked on a gingerbread house with Aunt Amber and did a great job. They loved putting their very own house together, plus they got to pretty much eat as much candy as they wanted too. We all sat and talked about the true meaning of Christmas. We watched some cartoon nativity movies, wrote Santa a letter, and got his plate of goodies to together.
Then it was off to bed to wait and see what Santa will be bring us.

Sledding So-Cal Style

2009-12-23T12:56:00.000-08:00

My dad was outside cleaning up the yard and my girls were out helping him. Or so I thought...
All of a sudden my mom comes running in the house to tell me to look outside and bring my camera. I run outside to find my dad pulling the girls with his tracker and a panel of siding from the house that he made into a sled. Now that's what you call Sledding Southern California Style. The girls loved it! After a few runs Aubrey was getting all dirty from Ashlyn putting the brakes on with her heels. So my dad put Aubrey at the wheel with him. They ALL had a blast. I am grateful for such a creative father that knows how to entertain his busy little granddaughters.

Best Birthday Ever!

2009-12-23T12:55:00.000-08:00

With the alarm set for 6:30 we dressed quickly and hustled down to breakfast. By 8:30 we had parked, walked to the Disney entrance, bought tickets (my free ticket + Disney money + free ticket a friend hadn't used that she gave us=$99), and checked our dog into the kennel. We had entered Disneyland and began to map out our day. Around 9am or so as when were getting off the Matterhorn Noah told me to look up. I saw my mom, Amber, and Aaron coming towards me. I was so surprised. They came to spend the day with me at Disneyland. We ran from ride to ride trying to get as much done by the noon hour.

Around 11am as we were getting off Space Mountain I saw Noah's mom, aunt Nancy , and uncle Craig they too had come to spend the day with us. As the day went on the crowds increased and our party broke off into groups. Our group ate lunch and rode a few rides but was not in a big hurry. We took the Disneyland train and enjoyed all the sites and sounds of Disneyland.We all met up again for the Haunted Mansion ride, dividing into small groups again.
At dinner time we met up at for a yummy BBQ. They not only serve you delicious food, but have entertainment too. I was asked to come up on stage with a few other Birthday kids and were sung too. We also rang the dinner bell. It was a lot of fun. As night came upon us we made our plans around the parade and rode our last ride small world. What a magical Birthday. Not only did Noah pull the wool over my eyes, but all my family and friends did too, because they all knew about it. I loved spending my birthday with family because it made it even better. This was by far one of the best Birthdays I have had. Thank You Noah and to all my family that came and made my day!

Driving to San Diego or so I Thought

2009-12-21T22:47:00.000-08:00

We left around noon today to head to my parents. The girls and I were really excited and couldn't wait to see my family. I called them several times to give a heads up on our status. When we got to Bakersfield we visited with Grandma Kyle and headed out of town. I was busy talking with Noah when I noticed we were passing Anaheim. I thought it was strange to be going this way to San Diego we usually go a different way. Noah assured me the traffic was much better on this freeway. I pointed out Disneyland to the girls and we waved goodbye. We talked about going to Disneyland on Noah's Birthday(Dec. 29th).
Noah and I needed a pit stop and he passed the gas station. I said firmly "Where are you going? This is by the hotel we stayed at in the spring when we went to Disneyland. He said "Yes, I know this is a better place to stop at." I thought that was silly for him to drive all over just to get out at a hotel. We pulled into a spot and he said "I will be right back." When he came back he was wheeling out a luggage rack. I was a little irritated and said "What are you doing?" He replied "I'm tired, I don't want to drive any more, and I want to stay here tonight." At this point the girls started to cry and I was shocked not to be driving all the way to San Diego when were less than 2 hours away. I didn't argue with him, but I knew something was up. When we got up to the hotel he told the girls to get ready for bed, because we were going to be getting up early. No sleeping in for the Birthday girl either. I was told that we were going to Disneyland tomorrow on my Birthday! I love Disneyland! I was really excited and asked him how he did this. Apparently he had been planning it for months. I can't wait until tomorrow

Smith Family Christmas

2009-12-20T23:12:00.000-08:00

This is the year that we are going to San Diego for Christmas to visit Anissa's family. That means we will be having an early Christmas with my family. Since our house is in the middle. We invited everyone over to have Early Christmas here. We got together around 1pm for a Mini Birthday Party for Anissa and I.Then
we started our Christmas. Everyone gathered in the living room around the tree. The kids passed out the gifts and from youngest to oldest we took turns opening up our presents. We got some really nice stuff. Once the gifts were opened we had our talent night. EVERYONE has to do SOMETHING, no matter how big or small. Kylee played her flute , Kelsie, Autumn, & Aubrey danced, Anissa, Mom, Rachel, and Art shared stories/thoughts Logan, Preston, and Kurt performed Jingle Bells and Logan & Preston also danced, Davis shared art (manger scene), and Ashlyn read her poem "A Brentwood Christmas". I played Christmas music on my guitar and everyone sang along. We ended the night with wonderful dinner prepared by Anissa, Rachel, Mom, and Becky. We were able to all fit around our dining room table. This will probably be the last year to do that at our house, but we had a great time together.

Our 11th Anniversary

2009-12-19T18:27:00.000-08:00

Today, exactly 11 years ago, Noah and I were married. It seems like just yesterday we met at BYU and we were hanging out together. Nothing has changed we still love to hang out with each other and do fun things together. This year Noah and I decided to stay close to home and do an afternoon/evening date. We started our date by heading to San Fransisco. We bought tickets to visit the Walt Disney Family Museum located at the Presidio. We heard this was a really neat museum that takes time to go see. We also heard that little kids would probably get bored with the museum. We wanted to go and check it out by ourselves first. We agree that kids will get bored and want to zoom through it. The museum is a history of Walt Disney where he was born and grew up, what he did as a young man that shaped him into the kind of man he would became, how he came up with Mickey Mouse and other characters, and later his idea for not only Disneyland, but other ideas. We arrived at 3pm and it closes at 6pm there are 10 galleries and by 5:30 we had only made it to the 3rd gallery. We had to hustle through the last 7 which was a bummer because, that's when it got into how he came up with his full length animation films. Many of the characters and story lines not only came from fairy tales or stories he was told to as a child, but his own family life had influenced stories and characters. In gallery 8 there was a scale model of Disneyland as Walt Disney had envisioned it to be. We could have spent an hour just looking at that. We enjoyed and missed so much at the end that we decided we need to go back again. It was nice to read, watch video, and see how Walt Disney grew up and how at age 19 started his business to elevate animation to an art form. We highly recommend this museum to others.
After that we headed into San Francisco. Noah made reservations at Mamacita. We read a few reviews online and it sounded yummy. It was really busy and not a lot of parking was available, especially for Noah's big truck. He dropped me off and parked in a parking garage. Mamacitas was a cute little restaurant, with not a ton of room inside, but nice atmosphere. The price was not real cheap, but not that expensive either. It was not your typical Mexican dinner with huge amounts of food served with beans, rice, chips, and salsa. Noah and I had to buy the guacamole, salsa, and chips. We ordered open faced asada tacos and asada enchiladas(no beans and rice). It was just the right amount of food and really really good. The steak was so tender it melted in your mouth and the food had so much flavor. Noah and highly recommend this place as well. We will have to go back again soon. After dinner we headed home. What a wonderful time we had together. It has been such an amazing 11 years.

Star of the Week

2009-12-18T16:11:00.000-08:00

Autumn was the star of the week this last week and got to do some pretty cool things 1st she had to make an all about me poster, then she got to answer her class friends as they asked questions about all her favorite things, she got to share her favorite book with the class, share her favorite stuffed animal, bring a snack to share, and bring home the class pet Curious George for the weekend. She took him everywhere all weekend. We wrote all about their adventures in a class journal. She was so excited to be star of the week she wants to do it again, but she will have to wait until next year.

Activity Day Girls Christmas Party

2009-12-16T21:45:00.000-08:00

The past few years we have had an Activity Day Girls Christmas Party gift exchange. The girls absolutely love this activity. We have them come in their P.J.s, we provide goodies, do a craft, and then do a different left right gift exchange store each year. The girls really enjoy giving each other gifts and doing the crafts. This year we made ribbon trees, ate yummy snack including a cupcake tree(thanks to Noah), and passed out gifts for the left right store. What a great night for the girls.

Ashlyn's Award

2009-12-15T18:27:00.000-08:00

Ashlyn got an award today for her academic achievements in all areas especially in math. Noah and I were really glad to know that she is doing much better with her math and in reading. We hope Ashlyn can keep up the good work and continue to improve as she grows up.

Up on The House Top

2009-12-13T13:28:00.000-08:00

Last night we attended Noah's little sisters Santa Party. A few of their friends came over for soups and appetizers, crafts, caroling, cookies and a visit from Santa himself. Ashlyn didn't believe that he was the real deal and did not want to talk to him. Autumn was so excited that she was the first kid to see him. She asked him for a DS Lite. Aubrey wanted her dad to sit with her and told Santa she wanted a Dora toothbrush that's it. After Santa visited with all the children it was time for him to head out. Ashlyn trying to find out if he was for real ran outside to look for his sleigh and claimed she heard and saw his sleigh. Its good to see she still believes. It was a ton of fun and something the girls will never forget.

Breakfast with Santa

2009-12-12T22:26:00.000-08:00

This morning we got up bright an early to head to the church for Breakfast and a special visit from Santa. The little girls were really excited to go and see Santa. It took some persuading for Ashlyn. They all ended up getting in line to see Santa because Aubrey wouldn't go up there with out Ashlyn. They looked so cute up there. (waiting for pictures from church) After Santa left the kids did crafts and played on the sleigh. It was a fun activity and the kids enjoyed telling Santa what they wanted for Christmas.

Our Annual Trip to Tilden Park

2009-12-07T23:23:00.000-08:00

For the past 3 years we have been going to Tilden Park to ride the merry-go-round for the Christmas Fantasy. We love going there not only to ride, but see all the cool themed decorated Christmas Trees, see Santa, all the lights and decorations up and to celebrate the Christmas season. This year on our way up we had some snow from last nights storm. It was fun for the girls to each get a cup of snow to play with while we were up there. There was hardly any people up there tonight so we got our pick at what ever animal we wanted to ride on. We all rode about 3 times. The best part of the night was when Aubrey got on her own horse and rode by herself. She has never done this before. She was a little uncertain when then the merry-go-round started to move, but soon became comfortable.Another thing we like to do is pick our favorite themed tree. This year the winner was the Candyland Tree. The runner ups were the Wizard of Oz Tree, Santa Tree, Road Trip Tree, and Baking Tree.
We really enjoyed ourselves and will continue to make it an annual event.

2009-12-07T10:07:00.000-08:00

It has been really cold the last few days getting down into the low 30s. We covered our citrus plants in hopes they don't freeze. We were expected to get rain along with the cold, we had no idea we would be getting some snow flurries at our home and some that covered the mountain tops all around us. Everything was covered in a nice thin sheets of ice or snow. It was pretty fun to have a little snow and to see all the snow on the hills.

Lights at the Oakland Temple

2009-12-05T23:23:00.000-08:00

On Saturday evening we headed over to Oakland Temple to check out the lights and join the ward in a hot chocolate donut night at the Temple. The girls loved seeing and playing with all their friends from church, eating several donuts, drinking warm hot chocolate, and checking out all the beautiful lights that the Oakland temple does this time of year. As we walked with several families from the ward we were able to visit and talk about our Christmas plans. It was a great night. We hope the ward will continue to do more of these kinds of activities.

Little Miss Everything

2009-12-04T23:44:00.000-08:00

Autumn got invited to a Little Miss Everything Party the same night as Aubrey's Birthday Party. She was around for the 1st half hour of Aubrey's party and then she went to her party. I had no idea what a Little Miss Everything Party was let alone that there was a store named that. Apparently it is a fancy store with clothes and accessories for your little miss. They throw parties there that are "FANCY". Autumn had a blast at the party getting all dressed up, having her hair colored purple, and braided all cool. I was told she was the life of the party being one of the only ones to get up and sing karaoke. I guess she knew every song that played and had a great time dancing and singing to the music. She is defiantly our little social butterfly.

Aubrey's Tinker Bell Party

2009-12-04T21:55:00.000-08:00

So a few days ago I decided to have a small party for Aubrey. We invited six of her church friends to come and four of the six came. Aubrey wanted a tinker bell party. We had her friends dress as fairies or pirates. As her friends came in Aubrey posed for a picture with them. We played a few games, colored fairy/pirate pages, ate dinner, went on a treasure hunt, opened presents, sang happy birthday, and had yummy birthday cake.
Aubrey had a wonderful time and really enjoyed her self.. Her little friends were very well behaved. In fact they were the quietest bunch of 3 year olds I have ever had at a party.

Tinker Bell Mushroom Cake

2009-12-03T21:18:00.000-08:00

Aubrey is going to have a small birthday party at the house tomorrow night and I have been quickly trying to organize her big night. I have lots of fun ideas and I hope I can get them done before tomorrow. I was a little stumped on what kind of cake to do until Noah searched some on the Internet. I was all set on making a tinker bell doll cake with a big flowing dress as the cake part. Well the tinker bell barbie was too tall and after messing with the cake and doll for about an hour trying to figure out what to do, Noah gave me a great idea to make a mushroom cake out of my failed attempt at a tinker doll cake. I had the bottom portion made and colored the icing to look like a green mushroom stem. Then I made the top rounded mushroom part by baking 1/3 cake batter in a metal bowl. Once it was done I placed it on a round cardboard so it wouldn't fall apart when I placed it on top. I then colored that part purple (tinker colors). With the leftover cake I made over filled cupcakes which ended up looking like little mushrooms. Aubrey had a blast putting sprinkles on the cupcake mushrooms. I dyed some coconut green and placed it around the cakes. I put a few purple sprinkles on top of the cake and sprayed the top purple. I bought a cute tinker bell candle that I placed on top.In the end I was pleased with how the cake turned out. Aubrey and her friends loved it and it tasted great too.

Decorating the Christmas Tree

2009-11-30T22:07:00.000-08:00

On Sunday night Noah and I put the tree up. It was taller than we remember and took me awhile to put the lights and garland on. I wanted to get that done so that tonight we could decorate the rest of the tree. The girls were really excited to pick out their favorite ornaments and place them on the tree. Once the tree was covered(mostly the bottom half) the youngest in the family was lifted up to place the Angel Moroni tree topper on the tip of the tree. Aubrey was a little worried dad would drop her, but loved putting the angel on the tree. Finally the tree is complete.

Aubrey turns 3

2009-11-29T16:34:00.000-08:00

I can't believe my baby is 3! Really?!?! Has it been that long? It seems like yesterday she was born.
A lot has happened since then and time just seems to zoom by so quickly. Aubrey is a blessing and a joy to have in our family. She is smart. Too smart for her own good sometimes. She is my little sidekick. We do everything together while her sisters are a school. She is loving, sweet, best friends with both her sisters, and my calmer one. I didn't say calm she can hold her own with her sisters and often get loud ans stubborn, but over all she has a calm side to her. Aubrey is a character and says the funniest things. She has the best facial expressions ever. She is always making a face good or bad. Aubrey loves crafts, music and dancing. It will be fun to see her blossom and grow this next year. Happy 3rd Birhday Aubrey!

Davis's Baptism

2009-11-28T20:05:00.000-08:00

On Saturday morning we attended our nephew Davis's Baptism. It was wonderful and Noah and I were able to feel the spirit very strongly. All of his cousin participated by singing 2 songs only Ashlyn and Autumn wanted to go up and sing with everyone, while Aubrey sat with me. After the baptism we had a luncheon at the church and Davis opened up his baptism gifts. We are so glad that we could attend such a special event for Davis.

Birthday Dinners

2009-11-27T23:32:00.000-08:00

This evening Noah's whole family got together at the church to celebrate Aubrey's , Tristan's,and Art's Birthdays. Art's family was able to join us for the party too. The little girls did nails and make-up, the big girls hide from all of us behind the stage, the boys and later the little girls ran around the gym to play and once the PlayStation Rockband got hooked up we all had a blast playing it, even the big kids. After playing and eating dinner it was present and cake time. Aubrey got Tinker Bell P.J.s, Yo Gabba Gabba puzzle, Dora stamps, 2 long sleeve shirts, Tinker Bell pillow book, Tinker Bell barbie, tinker bell coloring book, some books, jeans, and a new princess bike.We had 3 cakes and 3 cupcakes for the 3 birthday kids. Aubrey turns 3 tomorrow, Tristan 13 in a few weeks, and Art had a birthday already and you gotta guess his age. Aubrey loved her cupcake and got a little slice of each cake. She loves cake and her the party. It was fun to celebrate it with family.

Getting Our Christmas Tree at Applehill

2009-11-27T17:23:00.000-08:00

This morning we headed out in the rain and drove up to Camino in search of a Christmas Tree. We stopped at Indian Rock Tree Farm one of our favorite places to pick out a tree. They cut them fresh, which comes in handy when it is pouring rain(like it was this morning). The 1st one Noah grabbed looked great. We looked at a couple of others before I said "lets just get the one we saw first." It took us 15 min. to get our tree. I think that is the fastest we have ever picked out a tree. That gave us plenty of time to go get apples, eat lunch, buy apple donuts and fritters, and drink some yummy hot chocolate. We had a nice relaxing time enjoying Applehill together as a family.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T23:22:00.000-08:00

On this Thanksgiving Day our families hearts are filled with Gratitude. We are Grateful for so much, here is our top 10 things we are Thankful for this year.

1. Each other. We are Best Friends and appreciate one another so much!

2. Our 3 little girls. Life wouldn't be the same with out them. They make us laugh, cry(in a good way), and feel whole.

3. For our Parents. Both sets of parents helped us become the people we are today and we are grateful for their examples and guidance through the years and even now.

4. Both Sides of the Family. Thank You All for your love and kindness you give our family.

5. The Gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives. It is what keeps us grounded and happy.

6. An Great Job. Noah has been blessed to have an office that is doing very well this year.

7. Good Friends. We have great friends that have helped us in need and truly bless our lives.

8. A Beautiful Home. Having a brand new home with everything working has been such a blessing.

9. Our Health. This year our family has been really healthy a few colds or flu bugs, but nothing to crazy.

10. The USA. We are grateful that we live in such an amazing country with the freedoms that we have.

Smith Family Pictures

2009-11-26T16:21:00.000-08:00

It is always a little crazy when you have three families, 7 adults and 9 little kids to gather for a picture. We try our best, but you get what you get. Here are the photos from this years Smith family photo shoot. In the end I they came out pretty good.

Life with 5 Kids

2009-11-24T12:26:00.000-08:00

Noah's younger sister asked if Noah and I would watch their two little ones for a few days so that her and Kurt could have a getaway. Noah and I both know how important it is to have time as a couple all alone. So we said Yes. This week we have had our little ones along with Logan(3) and Kelsie(1). It has been really fun. We are enjoying the time with them. My girls love seeing their cousins everyday. I even went to church with all 5 kids all by myself. Noah was not feeling well and I knew he needed to rest. Sacrament was a little hard, but the rest of the time was fine. Lots of friends helped me out. It has taken time to get schedules down and I definitely forgot what it was like to take care of a one year old. They are a lot of work, but so worth it. Thank You Rachel and Kurt for letting us help you out so that we could enjoy your little angles this week.

Crazy Hat Day!

2009-11-17T15:48:00.000-08:00

It's spirit week and the girls have to dress up each day with what the day is. They had crazy sock day, backwards day, sports day, P.J. day and crazy hair/hat day. Here is what my girls came up with for crazy hair/hat day. I thought it was CRAZY!

Kelsie's Party

2009-11-16T13:25:00.000-08:00

After family pictures we headed to Rachel and Kurt's home for a mini birthday party for our niece Kelsie. She turns 1 on Wednesday. We had a fun time celebrating her special day. The cousins played together and Kelsie opened up her gift from us. Then we went out for dinner at a really nice Japanese restaurant. The food was excellent and I tried some sushi Kurt recommend and even tried some with the fish on top. I really liked it. Even if my picture doesn't show it. After dinner we headed home for cake and crafts. The girls made party crowns. We had a wonderful time with family.