The Smith Family Chronicle

From Sea to Shining Sea (Just About)

2010-09-30T13:39:00.000-07:00

As the epic journey from Woodbridge, New Jersey, to West Jordan, Utah, slips farther and farther into the past, I can write about it with an keener eye for its pockets of humor and its many instances of miraculous divine aid. I'll start at the beginning.

Day 1 (Saturday, Sep 11, 2010 - this date should have already clued me in that the day was destined to be ill-fated)

6:30a I wake up after a 5 hour sleep (not nearly long enough, though). In solitude (everyone else is still asleep), I start making decisions about the substantial amount of stuff littered all over every room that didn't fit in the truck we packed the night before. That's what we get for driving into NJ with a 24-foot Uhaul and driving out of NJ with a 17-footer, but it was cheaper, and we are sure we're going to need to downsize for CA anyway.

7:30a I come to the awful realization that we didn't pack anything that was in the backyard, namely the dismantled trampoline, all the kids' bikes, and Joseph's highly-prized junior weight bench, and the truck is already full to the brim (from my angle of vision, anyway).

7:45 I come to the staggering realization that we HAVE packed the new car DVD player set that we had shipped priority from Walmart just the day before, JUST for this trip. We stupidly left the set in the shipping box, unwittingly making it easy prey for our hardworking elders quorum moving team.

7:30 – 8:30 After a quick Hail Mary, Pablo climbs, spelunking style, into the tiny slit of space left in the top of the moving truck , and disappears into the mass of furniture and boxes, looking for the ill-fated DVD player. We know it's a long shot, since the box is unmarked, and since Gary Losito packed and roped off the boxes with the skill of a sailor. While he's back there, I hand him the trampoline parts, Joseph's weight bench, the little white chairs, and various left-behind objects that we thought we didn't have room for. (With a few bungee cords, we are able to fit the bikes on the bike rack of the van, thank goodness, all except for Joseph's. We leave it with a "free" sign in front of our house and promise him a new bike for his birthday. He is pacified.) I also bring Pablo lots of water, because it is indescribably hot in the uhaul – I can't actually see him amid the furniture, so I just stick the water back as far as I can, and an unseen hand takes it. After almost an hour of looking, Pablo gives up and spelunks on down. There is a silver lining to this sad event - although the “Mission DVD Player Recovery” didn't accomplish it's primary objective, at least we were able to save a few more pieces of our life from the dump's gaping maw.

10:30 Pablo make one last run to the dump to dispose of all the trash and furniture that just wouldn't squeeze into the Uhaul (I think the men who work at the dump are going to miss us – we've been there 5 times this week!)

11:00 My dear friend Claire and her daughter Carla come over and help get the house clean while we pack (and overpack) the van, our temporary home for the next 5 days.

1:00p We finally pack ourselves into the van (no easy task with the overcrowding,) and the rabbits and Pablo into the Uhaul, and WE ARE OFF! Only five hours later than we wanted to leave. The GPS says we'll get to Columbus, OH, our first stop, at 8:56p. We are thrilled.

1:15p Stop at Wendy's and get a bite to eat, do our potty breaks, and then we REALLY are off. Or so we think.

2:00p After admonishing Pablo not to lose me, I promptly lose him, five minutes into driving. Don't ask me how. I was pretty tired, although it's a lame excuse. Here's how it happened: he get's on 287 north. I start daydreaming, and unwittingly begin following another white van. Before I realize it, I'm on the Garden State Parkway south! Ridiculous, I know. We spend about ten minutes playing catch-up, while I get back on track and Pablo goes the speed minimum (he didn't want to pull over on 287, since a fat Uhaul on a slim shoulder might cause problems). As you can imagine, he was a big hit with his fellow 287 drivers.

2:30p Pablo and the Uhaul are almost in sight, when the unthinkable happens – the “check engine” light goes on! We are not even out of Middlesex County yet! Mentally cursing my mechanic, who just this week, for a cool $850, changed our timing belt, rotated our tires, changed the oil, and assured us that the van was roadworthy. I pull into the nearest car place, which happens to be the Meineke in Dunellen. How could I realize how much a part of my life that Meineke would become in the following days?

2:50p Although the joint is hoppin', the manager takes pity on my sorry lot and pulls one of his mechanics to do a diagnostic test, which has access on the driver's side of my van. Meanwhile, I rifle through the passenger's sid, trying to find the road games that I bought for just such a time. The car is so packed that I have to take several things out and put them on the ground so that I can access the inner recesses of the mountain of junk. I have no way of knowing at the time the series of events that my little action will cause.

3:00p To my relief and delight, the mechanic pronounces the car roadworthy. He says that the light could mean that we might have to eventually change the . . . I can't remember what the car part is exactly, but it sounds something like “flex capacitor” (anybody recognize what 80's movie that's from?) But he assures us that we can make the trip no problem, and tells us that his boss has been driving around with the check engine light on for 12 years. I feel better. I thank the Meineke guys for their excellent (and free) service, and go to catch up with Pablo, who is still ahead of us on the road and has pulled over at rest stop to await the news, rather than waste gas trying to make a u-turn and find us.

*I just want to add a little aside here that will tie in later.I have been having a very good week learning to control my tendency to worry about things, thanks to Elder Holland, who wrote a talk about keeping the commandment to “...let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” I taught it in Relief Society last Sunday, an it has been an invaluable tool to me. This week I have been trying to show the Lord that I trust him. Thus when problems have arisen this week, I have been handling them better and worrying about them less that I usually would. But stay tuned . . . my ability to not freak out when things go wrong is about to be tested to its limit.

3:20p My cell phone rings, but I don't answer it, because Pablo (who I have finally caught up to) has asked me to not talk on the phone for a while so that he can get a hold of me if he needs to. Plus, I don't even recognize the number, so I don't worry about it.

4:30p We stop for a bathroom break and Pablo checks the messages. He tells me that the guy from Meineke says that I left some “very important paperwork” there. My first thought is, “How could I have left paperwork? I didn't even pay for anything." So I nonchalantly call him back to clear things up. As soon as the Meineke guy says “black folder with birth certificates in it,” my brain speed-reconstructs the horror of it all: I see myself opening the passenger door as the mechanic conducts the diagnostic, I see myself putting things on the road to find my roadgames, I see myself interrupted in my search as the diagnostic finishes and I walk around to the driver's side to hear what he is saying, I see myself drive off in an relieved ecstasy, and I see a close-up of my black accordion folder (the folder that contains every document that is of any importance in my life) in the focused foreground as my blurred van pulls onto the street and gets smaller and smaller.

The horrible present awaits me as my little movie clip ends. I slink up to Pablo and choke out the situation that I've created. We both wonder if we should go back and lose three hours of our already severely delayed trip, or if there is another alternative. Pablo is doing a great job keeping his tone even and relatively kind as he tells me to ask the Meineke guy to mail the folder to us in Utah, on us, of course. Pablo then informs me that he is going to take the kids to the bathroom, and to "please not lose anything else." I think to myself, "I probably deserved that." I make the uncomfortable request to the Meineke guy, and he graciously says that he will mail the accordion file to us on Monday, as soon as the post office opens, He refuses to accept any money for the postage. I thank him profusely, and we start driving again. I decide that there are two things I can think about, since I'm totally alone with only my thoughts and no media to distract me (my car radio is broken and the DVD player is of course somewhere in the Uhaul. My first pathway of thought would be everything that can go wrong with the accordion folder, like the Meineke guy forgetting about it, like it getting lost in the mail and the kids' school registration being delayed and eventually they would be forced to repeat the grade that they're in because they've missed too many days. OR, my second pathway of thought is practicing letting my heart be not troubled, neither letting it be afraid. I decide to do plan B, and I am happy to say that I get over my emotional nausea and worry much faster than usual. I am even able to play some of the classic car games with the kids fairly well. Monday morning does seem like a long, long time away, though.

1;00a After 9 hours of almost nonstop driving, and 3 nights of really bad sleep, the conventional tactics of keeping myself awake are not just working. Slapping my cheeks isn't working, singing with no radio isn't working, talking to Joseph, the only kid still awake, isn't working. In my exhaustion, everything is looking like a face. The moon against the clouds looks like the traditional alien face, the picture of a uhaul and a globe on the back of the uhaul truck, after staring at it for 12 hours, is looking like a smurf with and afro and nerdy glasses, climbing out of a hole. The signs to Columbus say 98 miles. I cannot make it. We pull over at a closed truck stop and I sleep for 20 minutes, and then we make the final leg of the journey.

2:30a It's easier to stay awake now that i recognize a lot of our old stomping grounds. I see the Reynoldsburg Walmart that I used to shop at every week, I see the Old McDonald's on . . . . what's the name of that street? Oh yeah, Stygler! How could we forget Stygler? We drove on it svery single morning for 2 years to get to the Meldrums for seminary! Before you know it, we turn into the development that we've come to love as much as any place we've ever been: the Booths' neighborhood. We park our Uhaul, expecting to just grab the key under the mat and sneak into bed, but Doug is waiting up for us, as cheerful and helpful as if it were 9 in the morning. We carry 4 sleeping kids in, give the rabbits some food, and revel in the homemade quilts and hospitality of the the Booths. I expect to sleep really well, but I'm just not used to having kids in the room, and I have the misfortune of having Rheddick, the eternal, nocturnal throat clearer, right next to me on the floor. Thank goodness church is at 11 and not at 9.

Day 2 (Sunday, Sep 14)

8:30a We enjoy a delicious healthy breakfast, compliments of Latricia, and then we pile into the Booth's 12 passenger van to head to church. We are so happy to be back in this welcoming, familiar ward. We are overwhelmed by the reception - I guess Pablo and I felt like we might be remembered pleasantly by most, but not really all that missed, and so we were so surprised at how our friends and acquaintances flooded us with hugs and contact info, and sincerely wanted to keep in touch with us. It was just too hard to see everyone we wanted to at church, and so Latricia and Doug graciously (and I mean GRACIOUSLY) offered their house as a kind of open house for the Smiths, complete with 2 huge pots of chili, homemade brownies and cookies, etc. The Booths just blow me away - I hope to be like them someday. Anyway, I was also shocked at how many people came to say hello! I was dead tired, but the adrenalin of seeing such dear friends, and oohing and aahing at how much their kids had grown, carried me through. i dare not name anyone for fear of overlooking someone, but to all my Columbus friends - WE LOVE YOU ALL! THANK YOU FOR YOUR FRIENDSHIP! CALL US IF YOU'RE EVER IN CALIFORNIA!

Day 3 (Monday, Sep 13)

Unrested and with a day of driving ahead of us once again, we are on the road again by 10:30, hoping to make it to Des Moines, Iowa, by tonight. Our friend Britney Wells has on the spur of the moment offered her house for the night, and so we want to make good time so we're not too inconvenient for her.

The moment has come, FINALLY, to call the Mike the Meineke guy and see if he still has my accordion folder safe in his possession. He does. I ask him to send it overnight so that I will have what I need to register the kids when we get to Utah, and he agrees to do so. Mike happens to be one of the two people in Jersey with seven kids, and so has a keen understanding of how the school registration process. He actually goes through my folder (with my permission) to make sure that all my documents of question are still there, and they are. I rest a little easier knowing that this man is in charge of my destiny.

He calls a little later to say that the folder is in the mail. "Wow, it was pretty expensive . . ." he hints. I take my cue and offer to pay for it once a again, and then the whole story comes out. Mike has paid $60 out of his own pocket to ship the thing overnight. Why out of his own pocket, when that wasn't the original deal? Because when Meineke boss found out how much the shipping was going to be, he refused to pay it until he had a check from me first (which would have delayed my receiving the folder for a few days, a few very critical registration days). But Mike says, "I was committed by this time, so I just went ahead and did it." He never asked to be paid back, this good family man, but the first day I got to Utah, I sent him a check for $100. He taught me a much needed lesson that sometimes, just sometimes, it pays to put your trust in a stranger. I wanted to show Mike the Meineke that I had learned the lesson, loud and clear.

So, drive drive drive drive drive drive drive drive. We arrive at the address we Latricia gave us for Britney's house at about 10:30p. Not bad, we think. We call her to ask her where she wants us to park the Uhaul, and she suggests the driveway. But here's the thing - there are no driveways in this townhome kind of complex. We start to wonder if we are in the wrong place. After checking the address with Britney, we wonder no more: we are indeed standing in front of Britney's home - her old home. We didn't realize she had moved! So we get ourselves back in, drive 20 minutes further to her home, and receive a warm welcome. It is so good to catch up with Britney - we are just sad that we missed Jeremy, who is away on business right now. Britney offers Pablo and I a beautiful guest room of our very own and puts the children in with her children, and guess what? For the first time in a long week, I wake up feeling rested! Of all the many thoughtful things Britney did to make our stay pleasant, separating the adults from the children was the most appreciated!

Day 4 (Tuesday, Sep 14)

In the morning we get to re-meet 6 year old Steven and meet Emily and Samuel, all beautiful and intelligent. We play at a park a little while while Pablo packs up, and then we're off again. Well, I guess we're off to find fresh goat's milk and a cord to replace the faulty one in the borrowed DVD player. First mission is successful, second one is not. Another long driving day without radio or DVD to keep our minds dulled. We leave white, middle-class Des Moines (a little uncomfortable with the demographics now that we are so used to the diversity in New Jersey). We eat lunch at an Omaha rest stop - has anyone noticed how aggressive the flies are in Omaha? We have to close and lock the car doors so that no more would try to eat our PBJ's!! Some of the flies stay in the car and avoid our attempts to shoo them out the windows all the way until night time. The silver lining on this is that flies make a convenient target for Rheddick's (Laman's) pent up energy. He begins hurling threats and epithets at the flies ("If you don't get out of here, you're going to jail, fly!" or "I'm not gonna share my grapes with you EVER, fly!") Keane (Lemuel) joins in and they enjoy this creative, if disturbing, emotional outlet for a good thirty minutes before I begin to worry that this verbal violence is bad for their souls, and ban fly abuse from now on.
We reach a trashy Motel 6 at about 10p in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The TV-starved kids feast on some nature program while Pablo and I just enjoy not driving for a while. We try to get to bed early so that we can arise early.

Day 5 (Sep 15), 2010

Finally we are putting some miles behind us by 7:00a. This day feels different than any other - we will be in West Jordan by 2, and the light at the end of this interstate tunnel is improving our moods already. As Joe and I look about us at the untouched prairie lands, we imagine how it was for the Mormon pioneers. We start comparing our circumstances with theirs, and it turns into an hour long, spiritual testimony meeting about those amazing people, about the prophets who led them there, about the miraculous hand of the Lord in so many of their histories. I feel honored to have had this experience with my beautiful, impressionable, faithful Joseph Smith.

As the Utah state line looms ahead (about 12:30p) Pablo and I put each other on loudspeaker so we can all cheer together as we cross it. And cheer we do as our tires leave Wyoming forever (hopefully). It is all downhill from here. The refreshing desert beauty of the rock formations soon gives way to the stunning fall foliage of a greener part of Utah. The windy interstate road is fun to drive, especially compared to the doldrums of Iowa, Nebraska, and Wyoming, where you cam make good time if you can but stay awake. Here, my sleepiness totally leaves me, and I realize again how much I love this state. My desire to ski is once again whet as we pass by some dormant ski slopes.

At about 2:15p, we pull into Grandpa and Nana's driveway, and on that driveway is where this post will end. More to come later.

The Museum of the American Indian

2010-05-15T20:09:00.000-07:00

Our dear friends Susan and Mark Weisheimer were in town all this week, and we were able to meet up with Susan (Mark was tied up at work) for a half day in the city. We spent it at the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian, which is kid friendly, fun, inspiring if you like beaded art and really nice native americans, and FREE!

Our Bunnies

2010-05-13T20:48:00.000-07:00

For Cami's birthday, we finally became a real family and got some pets. Meet our bunnies, Silver and Cotton. We found them at Petsmart on April 10th, the last day of the kids' spring break (making it the best spring break of their little lives thus far). They are both girls, making them sisters, both extremely sweet, and both half-lops (apparently this means that one ear goes up and one ear goes down - not so cute on humans but all the rage in the bunny world ;-)) They are both in love with Cami and learning to love everyone else. They stay in her room, and we all come visit once in a while.

Cami's Ninth Birthday

2010-05-09T16:22:00.000-07:00

Seven-year-old Boy Poetry

2010-04-27T11:19:00.000-07:00

Poetry is a packsack of invisible keepsakes. ~Carl Sandburg

This video is Joseph's debut onto the age-old, glorious stage of poetry. Joe's piece has all the elements of the classic Shakepspearean poem - iambic pentameter, liberal use of simile, couplet ending . . . get ready to be moved - it's going to be a tear-jerker.

Our Tough Little Boy

2010-04-25T12:36:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago I didn't know almost anything about diabetes. Last weekend, Keane was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, and now I am fast becoming an expert on the disease ;-) . Here are a few frequently asked questions when people find out that Keane has diabetes, and their answers.

FAQ's:

1. How is Keane feeling?
He is feeling good most of the time, although about once a day his blood sugar gets too low (due to the doctors having to adjust and readjust his insulin dosages during this first tricky week), and he starts to feel very weak and lethargic. A shot of Juicy Juice and a package of peanut butter crackers is all it usually takes to get him back outside jumping on the tramp in about 15 minutes.

2. Does Keane have to get insulin shots? How does he handle them?
Yes, he gets four shots a day (one at each meal and a long-acting morning one). He is getting progressively less scared of shot time ever since we decided to let him watch a short Youtube video of his choosing (lately it's been a little four minute clip from Kung Fu Panda) while the shot is being administered.

3. How are Pablo and I (and the rest of the kids) feeling?
It depends on the day. Sometimes the disease seems really manageable, and other times, Keane's body reacts exactly the opposite of what we were expecting. On those days, it seems like the whole day is devoted to trying to stabilize his glucose levels. It feels a lot like the workload of coming home from the hospital with a newborn, except, instead of having this new little adorable child, we just have diabetes as our fifth child. Instead of taking my diaper bag full of diapers and formula with me wherever I go, I have to make sure I have Keane's glucose gun, his juice box, and his crackers on me at all times.
Babysitting is something else we're having a hard time getting our head around - I can't just drop Keane off at my friend's house if I need to run errands for a couple of hours, like in the old days. In fact, I haven't left Keane with anyone since we've come home. I'm sure I will go ahead and take the plunge sometime, but it is just a lot to ask from a babysitter, and I feel like I need to really get Keane stabilized before I do it.
So bottom line: It is just so much work. I just hope the other kids will sit tight until we can pay more attention to them again, someday ;-).
And one more feeling floating around in my feelings pool that surfaces from time to time; I'm just so glad Keane came to our family - although we've got our flaws and our foibles, we're at least stable enough and loving enough to give him the care that he needs for a normal life.

4. What type of diabetes does he have?
He has Type 1, the kind that usually manifests itself during childhood. A person doesn't "develop" Type 1 through health choices - he is born with it. His body will never again make enough insulin to balance his sugars, even if he eats right and exercises, so he will need shots or a pump for the rest of his life.

5. How did you find out that Keane had diabetes?
About mid-April, we noticed that he was urinating a lot more frequently than usual, and that he was pretty thirsty most of the time. I thought it might be due to the hot weather in early April, or that it could possibly be some kind of urinary tract infection, so I decided to take him to the pediatrician after about a week of the above symptoms. They tested his urine, which had large ketones (yeah, I didn't know what that word meant either), and told me to take him immediately to the ER. It was a shocker, let me tell ya.

6. How was the hospital stay?
It was three and a half days of H-E- double hockey sticks. We went in on Friday, April 16th, and were discharged on Monday night. The nurses were awesome (they almost always are - I just LOVE the nurse personality type on the whole) , but they had to take so much blood, and it was so hard to get into Keaney's little flat veins, that three people would have to hold him down while the phlebotomistwould try to find the vein with the big needle. And this happened about six times in two days - I'm sure Keane felt like he was in a concentration camp, and he couldn't understand why his mother wasn't protecting him. I felt just so, so bad. The best times were when all the family could come visit and we had at least a couple of hours of normalcy. Coming home was oh so sweet, the trauma of the hospital had taken it's toll - Keane was a lot more aggressive than usual for a couple of days. Luckily the pent-up aggression has worn off, and he is back to his adorable self.

7. Have you had to make big diet changes?
The overall answer is: Yes. I have always been big on healthy high-fiber breakfasts and lunches for the kids, but I have to say that we all ate way too many sweets, and not enough protein. Most of our calories came from carbs, some healthy, and some not so much.
But sweets wasn't even the biggest problem for our family. . . grazing was. I almost never would have a set time for lunch or dinner, and I was too unorganized or lazy to stop the kids from plundering the kitchen at pretty much all hours of the day, although I made token attempts at getting a little more organized in my meal planning. Now, I have no choice but to provide healthy meals and healthy snacks at pretty much the same time everyday, and I have to say that this might be just what the family needed to prevent some health issues down the road (for instance, Pablo has been a little worried about developing Type 2 diabetes, since his dad has it, and the changes that we've implemented are going to go a long way toward keeping my husband around for a long time, I think).

8. Do we need anything?
Just your prayers, and I'm not saying that flippantly. Our friends have been awesome, bringing us dinners all week, but really what we need is for those darn sugar levels to even out.

Giving Birth

2010-03-15T21:40:00.000-07:00

I'd like to introduce everyone to my new baby - Pink and Brown Cake. Isn't she just adorable?

My kids will agree that I've given as much attention to this cake as I would have to a real baby (and now that it's been adopted, I can go back to giving my real kids some much-needed attention). I made this for a friend's daughter's wedding this weekend, and I thought I would never want to touch another batch of fondant again, but . . . I'm already wanting to give birth to another one. Crazy.

Everyone wants to know how much of this cake is actually cake . . . I promised I wouldn't tell (at least not publicly).

But my real kids take the cake when it comes right down to it. Joseph was asked to be the ring-bearer, and he played his part like he'd been doing it a hundred years. And my reserved Cami tore it up on the dance floor the entire night! Such a fun time together.

The Power of the Pause

2010-03-02T21:10:00.000-08:00

I've been noticing lately that my life is full of pauses - moments where nothing seems to be happening, but that are packed with meaning or emotion, nevertheless. Some of them I like, and some of them I don't.

Pauses I Like:

The pause that happens when you drive under a bridge and the sound of the rain stops, just for a second, and then resumes again.
The in-tempo pause that happens about a measure before the climax chorus of a song, like in Tim McGraw's Live Like You Were Dying. The pause is even better when the chorus comes in with a new, more powerful, tear-jerking key change. (Hanging on a Moment by LIfehouse is another example of a powerful pause.)

Pauses I Don't Like:

The pause that immediately follows the question to your husband: "So does this look good on me?"

Ok, I guess I can onl think of one pause that I don't like at the moment. Am I missing any?

2009-12-25T16:51:00.000-08:00

The Old and the New

2009-12-02T13:16:00.000-08:00

For Thanksgiving this year we enjoyed some old traditions,
and added some new ones into the mix.

Old Tradition: KFC
Since no one in my family is a true turkey-phile, I find it ulitimatly more satisfying to order a big bucket of grilled KFC, mashed potatoes with gravy, and biscuits. This frees me up to cook the things that I really like, such as pumpkin pies, cheesecake, and cranberry sauce. Viva KFC.

Old Tradition: Move the Table to the Living Room
We started this tradition when we lived in a place with no feasible dining room. Even though we have a roomy dining room now, the kids still love when we shake the setting up a bit.

New Tradition: Dipping Wax Leaves
This was by far my favorite thanksgiving experience this year. And so easy! You just melt paraffin wax, dip a leaf, and let it dry for half a minute. The leaves hold their color for several days and their shape for even longer.
During the day of Thanksgiving, which was mild, we went to a park and all collected beautiful things to put on our table. (I was going to dip these leaves in the picture, but ran out of time).
I just love the idea of letting God supply the centerpiece, don't you?

New Tradition: Not Throwing Away My Kid's Cute Papers
I've decided to at least photograph these precious momentos before I find them crumbled up behind the couch. Cami wrote this at school; it says:
"I am thankful for my room, for food, for my friends, the earth, my church, my house, my trampoline, my school, my teacher, myself, water, air, clothes, my bed, my toys, my candy, my freedom, my principal, but most of all I am very, very thankful for the thing that matters most in the world, my family."

New Tradition: Thanksgiving Blocks
I got these blocks for half-price, but I still wondered if I was essentially wasting my money on something that no one cared about and that wouldn't provide any lasting joy or satisfaction. I was thrilled to see that they provided not only joy and satisfaction, but a lot of funny memories as well.

For instance, on Thanksgiving night, after the kids were down, Pablo and I spent a spontaneous, pointless (yet diverting) hour rearranging the blocks into a phrase that could at best appeal only to the humor level of an adolescent (and I did actually feel like a teenager for the first time in a long time as we did this).

Halloween pictures

2009-12-02T13:05:00.000-08:00

Now that it's December, I thought I'd better throw these Halloween costume pictures up. Don't feel like you need to comment - I'd be bored, too!

The Panda

The fire hydrant

The Skeleton

Cleopatra

The "Public Option"

2009-10-30T13:42:00.000-07:00

OK, I am officially starting to get irritated.

Let me start by saying that I have been following the public debate about the part of President Obama's health care reform bill called the "public option" insurance plan.

Have you guys heard of this? Does it scare the pants off of you? It does me.

Basically, the public option is government health care, which is allegedly going to provide a little friendly competition for the 1700 other insurance companies out there. But if the public option idea passes on the floor, it will inevitably do just the opposite - it will put insurance companies that need to make a profit out of business with its lowball rates. And once everyone is out of the way and the whole nation has no choice but to accept socialized health care . . . that's where it gets really ugly, don't you think? I mean, who wants the same kind of agencies running the medical world that run the post offices?

So why I am I irritated? Because my husband came home with a letter from work stating that our insurance rates for this year have increased by 25 percent. 25 percent! That is a painful chunk of our spending money gone, for the very same insurance that we had this year! Which leads me to believe that the insurance companies are in trouble (since all the companies on the list were raising their premiums), and that the public option is going to be the thing that could come in when they're weak and topple them.

Is anyone else worried about this? Is anyone else worried for our democratic, capitalistic, amazing country?

My Future in Chinese Advertising

2009-09-03T12:07:00.000-07:00

As some of you know, I am currently pursuing a dgree in writing. What you might not know, however, is that i'm not really sure why I'm pursuing a writing degree. I don't really know what do to with it after I finish. I don't know if there are any jobs waiting out there for old has-been stay-at-home moms who haven't ever written professionally.

I didn't, anyway, until now.

After reading the advertising on the boxes that contained some dollar store treasures --- a back support and a knee support for a buck each --- I saw a bright future in Chinese Marketing.

Surely, this company could use my talent.

OK, so check out the main slogan: "Victory Belong to You Forever." I'm not going to say that it isn't inspiring, but it might be the slightest bit deceptive. Let's leave out forever, shall we? Forever is a long time. And maybe it would sit better with a cynical audience to use the subjunctive mood.
Finally, the slogan could use a little subject-verb agreement (maybe the proofreader had something in his eye, or something)

So, should the Yechun company choose to hire me as their advertising director, here is the slogan that I would propose:

Victory Might Belong To You.

Better, don't you think?

The back of the knee support made me even more excited about getting hired with this company than the front. Here's what it says, since the camera shot was a little out of focus.

To protect your joints of knee.
Tightness construction and the even protection based on tridimensional sewing technology, maintain the best support during movement conditions.
Similar tension as muscle stretch which leads to nature protection.
Soft, comfortable, cool, sweat absorption without swelter.

Need I say more?

Here they are, Mom

2009-06-13T19:47:00.000-07:00

Hey Mom,

Here's my first attempt at flower arranging. What do you think? Are the grapes a little much?

Here's a shot from the back:

Here they are on the mantlepiece:

And here's the living room. Don't look at the curtains - I'm changing them this week.

Is the is the same thing that you have? I bet it is - these flowers fall off in a day, too.

And here are some cute pictures of the kids. We decided to cut Cami's hair short (with her blessing) to cut some of the hassle out of the morning routine.

Split Personality

2009-04-19T04:37:00.000-07:00

So what would you call the 2nd voice?
(Watch the video and you'll know what I'm talking about)

How More Philosophers Would End Discussions if They Had the Guts

2009-04-14T03:31:00.000-07:00

The following is an excerpt from a conversation Cami and Joseph had in the back seat of the van. They had been talking for a while, but this is where I zoned in.

Joseph (age 6): How did Heavenly Father appear?

Cami (age almost 8): His Heavenly Father made him.

Joseph: But when did the first Heavenly Father appear?

Cami: Why don't you just ask Mom? She would know. (Mom starts to sweat.)

Joseph: She wouldn't know!!! She wasn't even born yet!

Cami: What?!? Wasn't even born??? That doesn't even make any sense. If she wasn't born, that means she was in Heaven. Of course she wouldn't know if she was on Earth!! That doesn't make any sense, Joseph.

Joseph: (after a long pause) Oh. . .quack quack quack.

And a happy change of conversation seamlessly ensued.

One More GC Picture

2009-04-12T19:09:00.000-07:00

Here is what Pablo did while he was listening to General Conference.

General Conference Images

2009-04-10T13:27:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of Joseph's drawing from stories told in the most recent LDS General Conference.

“As we touch the temple, the temple will touch us.”Pres. Monson

"Finally, as she was reaching the end of her journey, the baby died in her arms. The spoon was gone now, so hour after hour she dug a grave in the frozen earth with her bare fingers. Her grief became unbearable." - Pres Monson

Stranger Things Have Happened

2009-04-01T05:36:00.000-07:00

So. . .we're moving!

Maybe the Lord was just waiting for me to make my list (see the previous post) so that I could recognize just how perfectly He set things up.
The very day I wrote this post, I got a call from Kent and Virginia Rockwell, friends of ours from our church, saying that they heard through the grapevine that we were looking for a new place. When I told them what we were looking for, they made the offer - a house in Woodbridge that they were looking to rent, newly remodeled after the last tenant had a kitchen fire. Here are the specs:

has three bedrooms,
has a fenced yard,
from what I understand, the school district is good,
is close enough to Rutgers that I can still take Rhedd to his fabulous preschool (less than half an hour away),
is close enough to a train station that Pablo can walk to it (less than a mile!),
shaves 45 minutes and $74 off Pablo's monthly commute (!),
has a washer and a dryer,
has a dishwasher,
is in our price range.
Oh, and it certainly has a landlord as good as the one we currently have.

It is out of the ward, which is sad, but at least it's close enough so that I can stop by people's houses for dinners unannounced. We'll be moving May 15th.
Needless to say, I feel that this move is SO right - God is so great.

On Moving

2009-03-27T03:32:00.000-07:00

*Note: This post refers to some of the events in the history of the LDS church; therefore, I have put some links in the post to clarify any events or terms that may be unfamiliar to those of other faiths.

This morning I studied about the gathering of the saints to Ohio from New York. I was surprised how much my heart ached for these people who picked up their whole lives to follow the Prophet Joseph Smith's call to gather to Ohio. Moving ain't easy, even under the best of circumstances, and "best of circumstances" could hardly describe the conditions which they found themselves in. For more on their experiences, click here.

We are currently toying with the idea of moving, but for much less noble reasons than these early saints. We just want a rental that:

has three bedrooms,
that has a fenced yard,
that is in a good school district,
that is close enough to Rutgers that I can still take Rhedd to his fabulous preschool,
that is close enough to a train station that Pablo can bike to it,
that has a washer and a dryer,
and a dishwasher,
and that is in our price range.
Oh, and that has a landlord as good as the one we currently have.

And guys, I don't think we're moving any time soon. Houses that meet all the following criteria are not exactly a dime a dozen here in New Jersey. How nice that we don't HAVE to move any time soon, unless we find just the right place.

Maybe that's why I felt such heartache for the Saints, who didn't even have the option of making a list like this. They were lucky to even be able to sell their farms for a decent price, and they were lucky to receive even a small piece of property in Ohio once they got there. (Some, like the Colesville saints, got to Ohio and realized that the land that someone had promised to donate to them for settlement had been renigged, and they had to keep their bags packed to make the thousand mile journey to settle in Missouri. Not fun at all.)

Bottom line: I feel so highly blessed (spoiled, really), and I want to be as grateful as I am blessed.

Wax Museum

2009-02-10T10:05:00.000-08:00

Cami's second grade class (and all other second grade classes in John Adams) put on a "Wax Museum" presentation for black history month. Every child was assigned to do a report on a famous black person, and the come dressed as that person for the assembly. Each child stood on a spot in the cafeteria, still as a wax figure, until some parent or teacher came and pressed their "button" (a little sticker on their hand). As soon as the button was pushed, they would recite the biography of the person they were representing.
Cami was assigned the part of Mary Eliza Mahoney, the firstregistered black nurse in America, and pioneer for those who followed. Cami now loves this lady, and you could tell as she delivered her report perfectly.
I was surprised at how touched I was, walking through the "waxs museum." Every child had put a lot of effort into his/her costume and report, and each was acting the part so well. Such a great idea - I'm logging it away for future use. I'm sure it will come in handy somewhere.

(It was so noisy in the auditorium, that you are just going to have to take Cami's word that she really is reporting on Mary Eliza Mahoney).

Keane and Joseph

2009-02-02T17:23:00.000-08:00

These boys are always together.
Keane really brings out Joe's already well-developed nurturing side.

Thanksgiving pajamas, a new tradition

2008-12-05T12:33:00.000-08:00

BELATED HALLOWEEN

2008-11-09T14:39:00.000-08:00

Much was overshadowed because of the election-Halloween for one. But we did want to get the pictures up for everyone to see. First we did some pumpkin carving:

Here are the costumes. First up is Cami as a Japanese princess:

Joseph gets a few pictures for this one. Here's the BEFORE picture:

. . . and here's the AFTER:

Here was some of the process:

For Rhedd . . . well . . . this was just a bit of fun (we might use it for blackmail later on down the road).

Keane tolerated this for just a short while, the scar he managed to give himself did quite a bit to up the toughness of the whole ensemble:

And here's the whole lot on Halloween night.

God Bless America

2008-11-05T15:55:00.000-08:00

Like all of you, I have some strong sentiments about the outcome of this election - some of you would probably identify with them, and some of you wouldn't. But I think there is one thing that we can ALL agree on: What an amazing, amazing phenomenon we witness every 4 or 8 years or so when executive power is peacefully transferred, with goodwill and handshakes, to an opposing party. The "Democratic Experiment" has succeeded as well as our Founding Fathers prayed that it would. I am so proud of how far our country has come concerning the racial issue.

Interesting trivia fact: Our Constitution is " It is the shortest and oldest written constitution of any major sovereign state." (wikipedia). May we do all we can to preserve it according to our Founding Fathers, and ultimately the Lord's, original intent.

Composer or Thief?

2008-10-22T10:23:00.000-07:00

I seem to have this habit of thinking that I wrote a song, when in reality I usually just heard it somewhere down the line, stored it in my subconscious, and figured it out on the piano. Therefore, I ask you, dear readers:
Have you ever heard this song before?

Cowboy Caviar

2008-10-20T19:35:00.000-07:00

I'm trying not to go to the store this week, and thus I was missing a couple of ingredients for this dish tonight...or was I? I actually was able to supply the tomatoes from my sad-looking, shaggy, unkempt bush, and I got the beans from the freezer, where I had boiled them and put them a week ago, having no idea when I would use them or what for. And the result was a really, really good dish that I didn't have to go to the store for at all.

Now I write this because this experience made me happy, and I'm trying to validate and give voice and weight to things that make me happy during the day, and not just to things that I think should make me happy, or that make other women happy. I learn about myself as I put my “mental editor” on the shelf and write even about small things.

Throatless Thursday

2008-10-09T10:33:00.000-07:00

Finally, Finally...

2008-10-01T15:24:00.000-07:00

. . .my kids know their cousins.
And, apparently, this is what cousins do on Sunday afternoons together.

On the Day of my Dad's Funeral

2008-10-01T15:10:00.000-07:00

How could I have not taken any more pictures on the weekend of my father's funeral than this? The thought honestly never crossed my mind. I am so glad I got these two, though. Could any two cousins look more different (and yet both so beautiful) than Cami and Claire?
I wish I had taken about 200 more pictures - El Paso and my family is still running thick through my mind and my blood, and I really miss everyone. I still want to be around people who know Dad. My aunt Bobbi and my sister Jen wrote eloquently about the funeral, so click here or here if you want the whole story.

Hoopin' the NIght Away

2008-09-12T19:13:00.000-07:00

To celebrate the arrival of the weekend, we had a Friday Night Hula Hoop Party. The kids brought down the house. Anyone want to join us for next time? ;-)

Ring the Bell, School's In

2008-09-05T14:07:00.000-07:00

What's better than tackling your first day of school with a new shirt...

and a new backpack?

Tackling your first day of school with your
best friend right beside you.

(And since Keane and Rhedd have no other sibling alternatives, they've decided to call a truce.)

The Birthday Card that Saved the Day

2008-08-24T16:44:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the musical card, Nana and Mosas! Just as Rhedd was about to have a meltdown about a missing puzzle piece, I slipped it into his hand, and he has been happy ever since...

Like Father, Like Son

2008-08-07T06:14:00.000-07:00

Joseph recently put his creative genius to use making the ultimate costume:

the Pablo Smith Animator costume. It consists of:

a laptop (tin foil and cardboard)
a pencil
a mouse (paper)
an animator's 3 fingered glove*
a brow furrowed in concentration

*Pablo invented this device to free up his drawing fingers while protecting is laptop screen from hand sweat)

Pretty Much Made of Quirks

2008-07-24T19:11:00.000-07:00

Here's my list of 6 quirky things about me (I realized that the list could go on and on, but I'll stop at 6):

1. Most of my shirts (and Pablo's, too) develop a mysterious, untraceable grease stain within the first month of purchase.

2. I can't pick a good book to save my life. The last 10-15 library books that I've just picked off the shelf have been the most colorless, amateur reads!

3. Because of my prosthesis, I have never been able to wear high heels, but I've always longed to

4. I love touching my boys' ears. The squooshier and more flexible, the better.

5. I hate singing in a congregation. I don't like to not be able to hear myself, and so I tend to strain my voice in an attempt to hear it, and I'm winded and tired by the end of the hymn.

6. I've never had a cavity, even though my dental hygiene is unimpressive, to say the least. Except that I might be experiencing my first one now.

Keaney Red Riding Hood

2008-06-04T06:20:00.000-07:00

Presenting...

Keane's first week of walking!

Unwelcome Science Project

2008-05-30T10:26:00.000-07:00

The following picture shows the effects of toddler urine on a young basil plant. That's all I'm going to say. Except that someone is banned from the balcony garden for the summer.

Belmar Beach

2008-05-27T16:41:00.000-07:00

Saturday, May 17, we spend the afternoon at the beach. Here are some pictures in no particular order. (Everyone loved the beach except Rhedd, who declared 10 minutes after we got there, with a mouthful of sand, "I hate beach.")

Three Things I Hate (and One That I Love)

2008-05-23T15:57:00.000-07:00

Humidity hair days one after another -
A wardrobe that screams, "Isn't she a sweet mother?"

Nineteen buck book fines that drain my fun money -
And the one thing I love?
Three days straight with my honey!

T.G.I. Memorial Day Weekend - hope you guys have a great one!

Joseph's New Fantasy

2008-05-21T19:33:00.001-07:00

"I love acting. It is so much more real than life." -Oscar Wilde

Two weeks ago Pablo bought Joseph an Avatar costume just for fun. He has not taken it off more than an hour at a time since.

Joseph

2008-05-21T19:29:00.000-07:00

"I love acting. It is so much more real than life." - Oscar Wilde

Day of Forbidden Pleasures

2008-05-07T11:01:00.000-07:00

Keane Michelangelo Smith has officially been with us one year. For his birthday on May 4th, we decided to take our cues from him - what does this baby really, really like to do that is always forbidden him?

Forbidden pleasure #1: Pulling all the Kleenex out of the box

Forbidden Pleasure #2: Well, this isn't exactly forbidden, just not very commonplace. He got to eat his cake out of the back of his new dump truck. Forbidden Pleasure # 3: He got to open the singing card ("Happy Birthday" sung to the tune of "La Cucaracha") he got from his Aunt Mosas ad naseum.

Forbidden Pleasure #5: What baby doesn't enjoy a little TP mountain now and then?

Forbidden Pleasure #6: Emptying his drawers. Not like he doesn't do this everyday anyway, just not with my approval.

Cheapskate Thrills

2008-05-07T10:51:00.000-07:00

Anyone out there obsessed with a good deal? Look at the sheer quantity of matter that I got at Garden State Fruit Market (right down the street from my house) . . .

for $15.36!!!

*My cashier threw in the mangos free, since about half were going bad. But only half. I'll take 4 or 5 free good mangos any day.

I'm Back

2008-05-07T10:40:00.000-07:00

Finally I'm back to my blogging world! For the past 4 weeks, about 95% of my mental pie has been taken up with a composition that I've been working on to perform at a Relief Society training meeting last Friday. Now that it's over, I feel mentally free as a bird - so here come about 10 posts in a row - get ready!

The Power of the Breath

2008-04-14T19:57:00.000-07:00

I had a revelation during my tennis wall game today - here it is - are you ready? BREATHING IS POWER.

Usually after a couple active points where I'm going after the ball and putting my all into every shot, I am so winded that I'm just thankful that the ball finally came to a stop so I can put my hands on my knees and pant for 5 minutes. During one of these panting sessions, it occured to me that I should transfer some of the breathing techniques that Pablo taught me about karate - in a nutshell, that you breathe out hard on every punch, every kick, every roll out. So I decided to try breathing out hard on every hit.

It took my game to a whole new level. Not only was it surprisingly easy to remember to do it, but it gave strength and consistency to my hard shots that I've never felt before. When the ball stopped, I could just pick it right up and keep on going, since I had already been breathing steady all along. I felt like I could have gone on forever in a nirvana-like tennis fantasy, except that the boys needed me after about 45 minutes.

I sensed that what I was learning went deeper than tennis though. I started to analyze my day and what I could do to "breathe" through it so that I didn't feel so wiped out at the end of it, so that I was re-energizing my soul right in the middle of the hard work. One thing that immediately came to mind was enjoying the kids more, in particular holding the kids more. During stake conference I had so enjoyed holding Rhedd on my lap for quite a bit of the two hours, but I also made the uncomfortable discovery that this kind of bonding rarely happens in such a timeless, unrushed way at home. Not even close. So I'm working on just "breathing" my kids more during the day. I also want to "breathe" more through making a more conscious effort to just keep in contact with Heavenly Father all day. I'm sure the list will go on...

What about you? How do your breathe?

Our Day in the City

2008-03-27T13:57:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone for your great NYC suggestions -

here's what we finally ended up doing for

Cami's Spring Break / Birthday Present.

1. The Met

Cami's Favorite Thing (F.T.) - Arms and Armor

Joseph's F.T. - Arms and Armor

Kristin's F.T. - Temple of Dendur

(I also enjoyed getting in half price due to my 1-hour credit class that I'm taking, so the whole affair cost us a whopping $10!)

2. Central Park

Cami's F.T. - sliding down the slide with Joseph

(Kristin knew taking him along would come in handy!)

Joseph's F.T. - going down the old school super steep, dangerous slide

Kristin's F.T. - the fact that we just happened to stumble across this fabulous, fabulous park on our way from the Met to the subway -

aren't things always better when they weren't planned in?)

Here's what Cami does when she sees the camera pointing at her.

Joe could care less.

He's busy making sand angels, heedless of my warnings

that there will be major discomfort when sand gets in his undies.

3. South Street Seaport

Cami's F.T. - when we got to talk together

Joseph's F.T. - when he got to drink with Daddy

Kristin's F.T. - the "Farmer's Market" Deep dish pizza at Uno's on the pier, and getting to meet all Pablo's co-workers

4. Toys'R'Us at Times Square

Cami's F.T. - that Joe "bought" a Barbie for her (not his money, but the thought was his)

Joe's F.T. - that Cam bought a lego set for him (and it WAS her money)

Kristin's F.T. - that we didn't have to stand in the ferris wheel line,

since my height-shy kids didn't want to have any part of it

A few more thoughts . . .

The Weather. High 50's, no rain.

Public Transportation. For once, everything ran like clockwork. (Well, OK, there was that one time when the green line to South Street Seaport mysteriously ended its route one stop short of where I needed to be, but I just read the map and hopped on another one. Which almost landed me in Brooklyn, but luckily a nosy Brooklyner pointed me in the right direction and I was only 20 minutes late to meet Pablo for lunch).

Down Time: I only planned 3 things, so we had a lot of time to stop and smell the roses. Or hot dogs. Or sewage steam rising up from the manholes ;-) If the kids wanted to see something, we did it right then and there, and usually for as long as they wanted.

No Diapers! Leaving the two little ones home was so . . .relaxing. Some of my favorite times were just riding the bus or train or subway and just laughing my head off at Joseph's antics or stroking my pretty girl's head on my lap, without having to deal with the stress that a 3-year-old or a 10-month-old brings.

NYC

2008-03-21T13:17:00.000-07:00

For Cami's birthday, I'm taking her and Joseph into

The City

on a little daytrip next week.

(Shhh. . .this is a secret.)

Any suggestions on what to do/see?

Where to eat?

Ensign Article

2008-03-20T15:03:00.000-07:00

A "call for articles" from the Q&A of the Ensign a couple of months ago caught my eye - would anyone like to give me some feedback on it? Anything you don't agree with? Anything that is unclear? Redundant? Boring? Anything at all that you would change? Thanks for looking it over.

The Question:
The members of my ward seem to be a bit cliquish. I want to feel a part of the ward family, but how can I continue to reach out when I feel like I might never fit it?

My Answer:
Don't jump to conclusions. Very few people would describe themselves as cliquish - they might be just shy or insecure around people outside of their immediate group of friends. They may not even realize what impression they are giving off. Giving those who belong to "the ward cliques" the benefit of the doubt that they are basically good people will most likely open doors of frienship in the long run.

Analyze your motives. Are you serving others only so that they will serve you back? Are you rejecting offers of friendship from others because they might not be "your type"? Be honest with yourself about your motives, and make efforts to become more Christlike in those areas where you might be lacking.

Pray for guidance. Don't let those frustrating experiences damage your confidence and your self-worth - chances are, there are many people in your ward that need your frienship and care. Try to prayerfully contact someone everyday, to let them know that you noticed that they were not at church, or to invite them to a ward function, or just to see how their day is going. The Lord can use you better if you are already "in motion."

Plant lots of seeds, and they will produce fruit when you most need it. Keep reaching out in love, in service, in the witholding of judgement to those in your ward. I believe that the law of the harvest applies to relationships: what you sew in sincerity, you will surely reap sooner or later.

Focus on what you can control. When you stand before Jesus Christ at the day of judgement, it won't matter whether those in your ward were inclusive or not - all that will matter is how hard you worked to keep your heart soft and kind towards others, especially towards those whom you feel may not have deserved it. Focusing on what you can control brings peace, emotional stability, and a reservoir of spiritual resilience that will help you to keep reaching out to those of your ward, and to those in your community as well.

St. Patrick's Day

2008-03-19T18:11:00.000-07:00

My St. Patrick's day consisted of...

a suprise visit from Debra Rankin;

(Thanks to her, I have my first St. Paddy's Day hat ever);

a little party with the kids;

and a layered fruit rainbow trifle.

(Thanks to Mandy Maldonado, i have my first trifle bowl ever.)

To Our Nana...

2008-03-16T14:22:00.001-07:00

We Love You!

Dust My Brain Off...

2008-03-12T20:29:00.000-07:00

So last night I officially started my first online class through BYU Independent Studies. I forgot how much I love this stuff - the quizzes, the quotes, the stretching, the professors, the whole learning atmosphere.

By the way, BYU is being so nice to me - I've been waiting on pins and needles to see how much of my aimless, shiftless college classes in Texas would actually count for anything at a school of BYU's caliber . . .turns out ALL of them count! And some of them even count DOUBLE! So if I'm reading this right, I have 13.5 credits left to graduate. And then 2012 repblican nomination here I come!

First field trip of the season

2008-03-05T04:03:00.000-08:00

We needed a little fieldtrip to relieve our cabin fever and to take advantage of temps in the 50's, so we decided to explore Princeton Cemetery. Unsure of whether the cemetery would even be open daily or not (the website didn't say), the boys and I drove down to Princeton anyway. I spouted off all the stories about the people buried there (that I had just read about that morning) and Joe soaked in 5 to 10% of it all.
When we got there. . .good news! It was open. So with a cemetery map in handand the boys sharing shotgun, we wound along the ancient trails until I felt I knew how to get around, and then we parked at the end of a lane (for free, no less!) and got out. After a talk about cemetery ettiquette, I let the boys lead me and the sick-but-content Keane around for about 15 minutes, and then I led the quest to find:

John Witherspoon, the signer of the Declaration of Independence,

Aaron Burr - vice president and dueler with Alexander Hamilton,

and James Johnson - a runaway slave who made home at Princeton selling food to college students. His story is really interesting: after he'd been here for a while, someone tipped off his owner, who came up to claim him and even won a lawsuit, thanks to the fugitive slave law. But Princeton loved him, and a lady in town bought his freedom (valued at $500). He proudly paid her back week by week from his earnings, until he had paid in full. His simple grave was my favorite.
Who knew who this was.
We didn't stay long enough to find U.S. President Grover Cleveland or Sarah Pryor, founder of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

So we give Princeton Cemetery two thumbs up. The boys learned various things, such as:

-what the star of David means,

that there are lots of gravestones with the name of Smith,

-that Oriental people get buried, too,

and that it's not OK to use gravestones as springboards for jumping

(well, Joseph learned it, anyway).

I took a different way home and found a garage sale that was too interesting to pass up - lining the driveway and almost the whole front of the house were about 75 rocking horses of all kinds. An friendly older man with a stroke-slur impediment showed us around - you just would not believe the amount of stuff he had crammed onto his property In the back, he had bowling balls lining the walkways and trees the way other people have flowers (400 bowling balls in all, according to him). We could have stayed there all day, but it was raining pretty hard, so we left empty-handed. (For you local readers: if you're lookng for something to do, this is apparently a year round garage sale. It's in South Brunswick on New St, between Rte 27 and Rte 1.)

The Call

2008-03-02T16:42:00.000-08:00

Conversation between Pablo and his sister Raquel - March 1, Saturday night.

Pablo: So I had an interview with the stake president this afternoon, and now I'm the new 2nd counselor in the bishopric.

Raquel: Whoa! I thought that was a grown-up calling!

Pablo: Yeah, that's what I thought!

Just Some Harmless Fun

2008-03-01T14:31:00.000-08:00

So Pablo happened to overhear Cam and Joe playing with the 12 Dancing Princesses Barbie and her prince. (Note: Barbie has a spinning tutu - if you press a button on her leg, the tutu will spin very fast around her waist.)

So Pablo looks over and is slightly disturbed to see that Cami has Ken's head under Barbie's spinning skirt. He's about to say something, when Cami pulls Ken out and says, "OK Ken, your hair's all clean!"

It's good to know that Cami is using Barbie to her full potential.

A Little Help

2008-02-25T19:30:00.000-08:00

Alright, girls,

how do I make my blog prettier?

Like the colors, etc. I've already gone to "choose a new template," but it only gives me about 10 choices, and none are what I'm looking for. I cannot figure it out, and the blogger help center is daunting.

Why I Love Rheddick This Week

2008-02-24T18:44:00.000-08:00

Because he says stuff like:

"Can you help me so bad?"

"Can I go pee-pee for a while?"

"Can I take a bath so that . . . no harm will come to us?"

(During his first primary talk) : "The scriptures teach that . . . BE QUIET! Jesus made the earth . . ."

And...

Because he is officially potty trained (nighttime and everything!)

His "Type-A-ness" is turning out to be very useful!

Rock Me, Amadeus

2008-02-22T18:01:00.000-08:00

Does anyone remember this song?

Who would have thought that it would have unleashed the dancing maniac in Keane?

We were taken aback with the vigor in which he boogied to one of his dad's all time favorites.

Next time I teach a lesson . . .

2008-02-21T05:32:00.000-08:00

on repentance, I'm going to bring these two pans with me.

The Problem:

I got these pans brand new from Latricia Booth, and somehow within 5 years they were both almost black with thick, seemingly impregnable grime. (I'm going to blame my lack of cleaning savvy on my mom, since she rarely remembers to read my blog ;-)

Ashamed of my neglect, and wanting a fresh start, I considered buying new pans, but my conscience wouldn't allow it. I kept thinking about a documentary on the Amish that showed how the Amish women keep their cooking gear (all their gear) looking like new for their whole lives. And so I felt like I should at least give cleaning at least one of them a good college try before throwing them out.

The Process:

What I used to clean it: steel wool, Ajax, metal scrubber, steak knives, flat screwdrivers, elbow grease

Who I used to clean it: Cami, Joseph, and Rheddick (they were actually volunteers)

How long it took to clean it: 45 minutes after dinner (with all 4 of us pitching in) for 8 days - 6 hours total

The Results:

1. I know this sounds crazy, but cleaning this pan as a family really brought us together. Everyone was so pleased with their efforts every night that they asked me what else they could clean, and ask each other how they could be of service.

2. It gave me the confidence to tackle some of the thousand other household messes that have gotten away from me somehow. For the first, I felt like an adult when it came to taking care of my things (not hitherto a strength - ask my family).

3. It is rich in symbolism, for all you gospel philosophy nerds out there (of which I am one).

So Joe is reading now

2008-01-16T04:01:00.000-08:00

Today he read: see, me, eat, seed, read, seat, am, sam, ram, and rat.

The book he is reading from is called

"Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons."

Wassup, Ese?

2008-01-15T19:54:00.000-08:00

Out of the Blue...

2008-01-11T10:22:00.000-08:00

So of all the hats I wear, I didn't expect to wear this one! If all goes as planned . . .

I'm going back to school!

A couple of days ago, Pablo told he heard a BYU radio commercial saying that if you had attended BYU but hadn't finished your degree, there was a program available to help you graduate. I'm sure you all have heard about it, but I hadn't. So anyway, the commercial completely describes me. I went to the Y for 3 semesters, then went on a mission, then transferred to UTEP. I never graduated from UTEP either, due to our decision not to go to school when Cami made her arrival. This series of events has always been a little embarrasing to me - almost 6 years of schooling and nothing to show for it, you know what I mean? So I was interested in researching a little, but I wasn't getting my hopes up, for cost and time reasons. Well, here were my concerns, and here's what I found out:

Concern 1: I realistically only have time to take 1 class per semester.

Fact: The program lets you take 8 years to finish.

Concern 2: My credits are are more than 10 years old.

Fact: They never expire, as longs as you went to BYU and took at least 30 credit hours and are in good standing with all universities attended. I completed 44 hours at BYU, so I'm good.

Concern 3: It's going to be just too expensive.

Fact: It's less than $400 per 3-credit hour class, whick is about what I paid at my community college summer session, if I remember correctly. Per month, it's works out to roughly what I charge to teach two piano students, which is exactly what I happen to be teaching!

Concern 4: I won't be able to major in music.

Fact: This concern is valid - I won't be able to. The degree is called "Bachelor of General Studies," with an emphasis in one of 8 areas. Music isn't one of them . . . but writing is! Great!

At the last Women's Conference, Pres. Monson encouraged women to be prepared to handle things if something were to happen to their husbands (or their husbands' earning abilities), and it has been on my mind ever since. After finding out about this program. I sure feel like the Lord provides a ways to do what He says, huh? I'll keep you posted . . .

Our Christmas Party

2007-12-16T06:13:00.000-08:00

NOTE: I tried to spruce this post up with colors and text style, but for some reason I wasn't able to. Sorry for the boring delivery.

Finally I can relax!

I have to say that i've always been scared to death when it comes to sharing the gospel! Eventhough it's something that is so special and beautiful to me, i'm always afraid that if I share it...the people I share it with will take it as if i'm selling Amway! I don't want it to ruin our relationships! But, i've just had an experience that has changed my attitude about sharing the gospel with those people that I love.

Chapter 1: The Issue

I have always wanted to have a really great relationship with our neighbors where ever we are, but I always want it to happen naturally. I hardly ever take the initiative and take the first step. Last year for Christmas, I made a bunch of chocolate covered pretzels and went from door to door just to introduce ourselves-you know, start our experience here the right way! It was obvious that things like that aren't a usual occurence in this neighborhood because some people would just peek through the door and it took quite a bit of talking for them to accept even one chocolate covered pretzel!

As I was contemplating what to do for my neighbors this Christmas, I felt like throwing a party for them was the right thing, even though party-throwing is not really my thing, (and definitely not Pablo's thing), and I had no idea if they would want to come to something like that. (We are not exactly a tight-knit bunch of neighbors, even though everyone is nice).

So we took the plunge! Pablo and I made some invitations and delivered them from door to door. The invitation simply read that there would be food and that the kids and I would play a little something and that all our neighbors could play or sing something if they wanted to. While some of them made excuses as to why they couldn't come, a couple of our neighbors actually said they would try and make it! So the plans were set. Or so I thought.

On Thursday afternoon two days before the party, I picked up "Teaching of the Prophets: Spencer W Kimball" lesson manual and started reading the last chapter, which happened to be about missionary work. I was excited to read it, because that topic been on my mind ever since the stake president gave us the challenge to invite someone to hear the missionary discussions in our home by Christmas. But I wasn't prepared for how deeply the chapter would affect me and my well-laid plans for the party. Here's what riveted my attention:

"Our goal should be to identify as soon as possible which of our Father’s children are spiritually prepared to proceed all the way to baptism into the kingdom. One of the best ways to find out is to expose your friends, relatives, neighbors, and acquaintances to the full-time missionaries as soon as possible.

Sometimes we forget that it is better to risk a little ruffling in the relationship of a friend than it is to deprive him of eternal life by keeping silent."

And I thought, Oh Lord, I hope this does not apply to the party! I hope it applies to something else. I was just so afraid that the neighbors would think that this was the only reason I invited them over, especially because it was the first time that any of them had come over for anything formal. But I thought I'd at least pray to know if I should have the missionaries at the party so I could just lay the matter to rest either way. To my surprise and disquiet, I didn't get a strong feeling either way.

But the whole matter wouldn't leave my mind as I drifted off into a little nap, and while I was drifting and thinking about what I had read, I remember getting a clear impression that the Lord was not going to give me somehuge spiritual confirmation because He had already told me in the words of those pages what He wanted me to do, and there was no need to tell me specifically what He had already told me in general. I already had my answer - this party was not an exception to this doctrine, and I knew it.

Chapter 2: Modifications

I seemed to understand without explanations where my fear usually causes me to stop short of sharing the gospel without being offensive. I usually keep that part of my life secret to people that aren't members of my faith. If they really want to know about it, they will make it a point to find out! But the prophet hadn't said to shove it down their throats. He said to expose them to it. And by never mentioning it, there is never a chance to discuss that which truly defines who I am; that which is the reason behind almost everything I try to accomplish. By just exposing them to that part of my life they have doors offered to them that they can choose to open and walk through, or leave closed and we can still maintain that close association that we enjoy - closer even, since now we can discuss things about my life on a more personal level instead of walking on social eggshells.

And that's when I started to get excited. I suddenly had no dread or fear that the neighbors would be offended or feel tricked - just a happy anticipation of the party from then on. So we called the missionaries (Elders Furan and Adamson) immediately, and to my surprise and delight, they were free that night, and they were willing to sing something!

I also invited our dear friends from church, the Smiths, to come (we thought that they would be perfect since some of the neighbors are teachers and Brent is, too, and since Christie is just so easy to talk to, and the whole family is a joy for anyone to be around). To my amazement, they said that they could come! And here's the cool part, which I didn't learn until later. The Smiths had just decluttered their December calendar - they had even said no to the Elders Quorum Social, which was the same night as our party, but just a little later. But they were just thinking, OK, we cleared our calendar, but we are not filling it with anything. And so when I called them, they felt that this was meant to be.

Chapter 3: Faith, Fun, and...Faith

So Pablo and I worked hard to prepare. We started by fasting Friday after lunch to calm our nerves and to prepare hearts all around the board. Then we got to the nitty gritty stuff. We has a lot of fun making:
two veggie trays,
a meat and cheese tray,
a crackers and cheese tray,
a cookie tray,
sweet and sour meatballs,
hot cheese and onion dip,
a fondue platter,
and last and least,
honey roasted peanuts.

So the Smiths and the missionaries showed up first, and then our neighbors Allayna and Jamison came (the ones who are teachers). The Smiths were so hospitable and friendly and they immediately had something to talk about, and we were glad over and over again that they had come. And to our great relief, our neighbors did not seem bothered that the missionaries were there - they seemed to make themselves at home pretty easily and enjoyed talking and playimg with the children. Joanne from downstairs also came a little later, saying that she didn't want us to think that she didn't want to be at the party, but she had just fallen asleep for a while. I was so glad that she came.

Both Cami and Joe overcame their shyness and played, respectively, the Shepherd's Flute and half of Joy to the World, (we were so proud of them), and then Brent read a funny poem about their first Christmas tree, then the Elders sang Hark the Herald Angels Sing, and then I played my Christmas piece, and then the 10 minute program was over and everyone resumed talking and eating.

The party was scheduled for 5:30 to 6:30, but to our delight, everyone stayed past 6:30 and had a nice time. Joanne left first, then the Smiths, then the missionaries, but Jamison and Allayna stayed all the way until 8, just talking and getting to know everyone better. Jamison taught Cami how to make better snowflakes, Allayna had played Thomas with Rhedd and made him laugh his head off, (she also held Keane for a long time) and they had both indulged Joe in all his costume changes. They are just so sweet to the kids. We feel honored to have them as our neighbors. They also brought each of the kids a well-suited present, which Pablo and I felt was so thoughtful.

As the conversation progressed and we were able to talk about church things a little bit, it was obvious that they already knew about Mormons and that they didn't want to converse about it, which was fine. Instead of being secretive about that part of our lives, when they asked questions to Pablo like,"How did you end up getting into the art field?" Pablo left in that he was accepted into the top animation college but decided not to go because he decided it was more important to serve a mission instead. That kind of stuff happened several time throughout the evening and, guess what? They weren't offended! We all parted on very friendly, sociable tones, and I am just SO relieved and content and happy and everything else that it worked out so well. I'm thinking there just might be a 2nd annual Smith Christmas Party . . .

Corn Tortillas

2007-11-10T19:43:00.000-08:00

I did a lot of things today, but the only thing I feel is even remotely worth blogging about is what I did to connect with hispanic abuelitas down through the ages -

I made corn tortillas from scratch.

Well, OK, it wasn't completely from scratch - I just added water to a mix called Masarica cornmeal - it's not like I ground the corn or anything. But there was something very "roots-ish" about rolling the dough into little balls, massaging it gently into a flat circle between to well-oiled pieces of wax paper, and then cooking them in an increasingly smoky kitchen to get that browned look over the surface. And for some reason, I didn't mind that it took almost an hour to make like 15 tortillas - I enjoyed getting the "art" of the process down.

On to the reception: Everyone loved them, although they did not in the least resemble storebought corn tortillas. Everyone ate multiple bean burritos out of them (Joseph came in winner with a grand total of 5), and even Pablo, who is not a Mexican food person (too funny, huh?) thought that the meal was great.

My next Masarica adventure: Tamales!

On Making Pancakes with the Kids

2007-11-06T09:37:00.000-08:00

In letting Joseph add the salt

My judgement proved quite faulty.

He thought he'd make them double good -

But they're just triple salty.

The Power of Fire

2007-11-05T03:23:00.000-08:00

I have a lot of family togetherness ideas - a lot of them that just don't fly very well in practice. The cause: I don't have a highly developed creative side that can "dress up" the idea and sell it. And that's where Pablo comes in . . .

For instance, it was my idea that after church on fast Sundays, we should break our fast and then have a family fast and testimony meeting. The kids really loved it the first time, since that are pretty intimidated by the pulpit but do like to have everyone listen to their precious little thoughts. However, it is hard to for the kids who aren't bearing their testimony to stay focused. And that's where Pablo came in with idea for . . .

A fireside testimony meeting.

He whipped up a quick fire out of some wood we forgot we had, and it trasnformed what would have been a pretty ordinary family gathering into a very memorable night for the children. Everyone would just stare at the fascinating flames as we took turns bearing testimonies, and then we had an unplanned discussion about how testimonies are a lot like fire (you have to feed them, etc.) that really made sense to the kids, Joseph in particular. You could just see the little cogs in his head turning for a while, and then he would share with us his thoughts about the testimony/fire analogy. And then it would happen again in 1 or 2 minutes, for pretty much the rest of the night. He really loved having something visual and concrete to build on.

The Angel in Black Leather

2007-10-31T02:59:00.000-07:00

I'm putting grocery #279 onto the ALDI belt with my left hand, holding my 20 pounder baby in my right, glancing nervously over my shoulder, wondering how long it will take to accumulate a line behind me full of antsy shoppers who all have 7 items tops. So far, so good - no line yet. I resume my work. But then it starts. A man with with 5 items comes up behind me and eyes my stunning amount of stuff with dread. He looks around (in vain) to see if another checker is open. So I move my cart out of the way and offer to let him go first, since I still have half my cart left to empty. I'm pressure-free once more, but only for a minute. The line starts piling up, and before I know it, 5 or 6 people are behind me.

The first of these is a tough black lady with a smoky voice and a black leather jacket. Before I can even offer to let her go first (since I am still not done putting all my groceries on the belt), she asks without ceremony (and in my opinion, without tact), "Can I go first?"

In an equally tactless way I said, "Sure," and resumed my work, annoyed with her for not even saying "please" or anything like that.

The next people, a jamaican husband and wife, start helping me put my stuff on the belt and tell me to feel free to hold the my crying Keane while they finish up for me. So NICE! So of course I let them go first, with pleasure. And finally I am ready to proceed to the cashier .

For any who have never been to ALDI, they keep prices low by making you do as much work as possible, so you can't just relax and read the tabloids while the checker is scanning your stuff. You have to wheel your (now empty) cart to the other side of the checker and try to keep up with her as she scans and places each grocery on a very small ledge next to her, and your job take the grocery off the ledge and put it into your cart again, which you then take to another area of the store and bag it all yourself. A daunting prospect if one arm is holding your little 20 pounder and your left has tennis elbow.

But I needn't have worried. The tough black lady in leather has finished bagging her 6 groceries, and announces to me in the same unceremonious manner that she will be staying to help me bag mine! And then she just gets to work! She organizes the boxed stuff into into bigger empty boxes that she's found throughout the store, and then moves onto cans in the same efficient manner. I keep insisting that she doesn't have to do this, but without even looking up, she just tells me that she feels for me, with that crying baby and all. She graciously leaves out my issues with Rhedd opening and eating a bag of Skittles while I'm distracted.

So we finish in record time, and I thank her profusely for her kindness - but she's not done! She wheels the second cart of groceries out to my car, asks me to open the trunk, tells me we're not going to be able to fit anything in there with the stroller in there, and starts loading the groceries into every crevice of my car, which thankfully I had just cleaned out that very morning. Again, we're done in record time, and then we say our goodbyes (I really wanted to give her a hug, but my better sense told me to hold off on that for now;-) and then she wheeled my cart back to the cart area as I drove off.

What I learned from this experience:

Appearance is truly no indicator of a person's desire to be helpful or kind.

The Hot Streak

2007-10-23T17:40:00.000-07:00

What I was wearing in Late August:

A Short-Sleeved Red Shirt

Wispy Black Pants

Black Sandals

What I am wearing in Late October:

A Short Sleeved Red Shirt

Wispy Black Pants

Black Sandals

And I think I'm the only one in New Jersey that doesn't mind. More tennis for me. Less bundling for my kids.

Keane

2007-10-12T19:37:00.000-07:00

2007-10-07T03:54:00.000-07:00

Connecting

2007-10-06T18:38:00.000-07:00

Quick note about why it's been so long since the last blog: I seem to have permanently misplaced my camera, but I'm realizing that, pictures or not, I will regret it if I don't somehow document my life. That said, here is my verbal "snapshot" of a beautiful night...

My four beautiful children all on sleeping bags in the living room (Keane is sleeping in his carseat), and me in the hub of this circle of precious offspring. My left hand is holding Rhedd's small forearm, my foot and calf are being stroked by Cami, my right hand is stroking Joe's surprisingly small back as he reads me story #3. I take a deep, whole-souled breath, breathing not only the air, but the sweet, elemental joy of doing what I am meant to do.

Every Saturday night Priesthood Session, I consider what traditions I want to start. I almost planned a Girls' Night, where everyone just meets at the church, leaves the kids with the babysitters in the nursery, and brings a project that they want to work on while the husbands go to the session. But this week seemed to be full of time with "the girls," and so I decided to do something at home - just me and my little ones.

So they brought out their sleeping bags, we turned out every light except one, and I told them a couple of stories - the Emperor's New Clothes and the story of Rupert (as heard in a talk by Pres Monson) while we snacked on, of all things, green beans. Boy, I didn't realize how rusty my children's stories were! At Cami's suggestion, we then did puppet shows, and then just lay down on our bags and enjoyed being together with no agenda but connecting.

I remember Stephen R Covey saying that when you spend the time with your children that you should, you stop feeling guilty. It's that simple, he says, and it is. It really is what we are meant to do.

What We Did Last Sunday...

2007-09-03T19:15:00.000-07:00

...to kill some time before we went to 1:00 church - photography practice at Rutgers Gardens. It turned out to be one of the most spiritual parts of our day. How does God know that these shapes in these colors will look so good?

"Happy To You," Rhedd

2007-09-03T19:06:00.000-07:00

This is what we did for Rhedd's birthday - the fun factor would have gone way up if the heat index hadn't been so high - it was 107 degrees, and we were out from 2 to 3 in the afternoon. We should have just stayed home and stood in front of the freezer.

The rest of his birthday was great, though. All his presents were a hit.

Before and After

2007-09-01T06:06:00.000-07:00

August 27, 2007

To me, Cami's first lost tooth was surprisingly exciting - It represented, more than I before understood, her passage from little kid to big kid.

Kristin, Christie, and Chrislynn

2007-09-01T05:49:00.000-07:00

On August 21, 2007, Christie invited Chrislynn and I to go on a girls' night out in Princeton. We got uninterrupted talk time for 4 hours straight! And it wasn't all about the kids. either. We had some deep doctrinal discussions over our lemon chicken, orange chicken, and szechuan shrimp.

This visiting teaching combo is one of the best things New Jersey has given me.

Our Overnighter

2007-08-25T05:13:00.001-07:00

New York:

We visited the temple, and then stumbled upon a little French restaurant just right across the street.

It was all that we hoped a genuine French restaurant would be, complete with a long community table, incredible tartlets, a sampling of fine breads and cheeses, and an un-attentive French waiter.

D.C.

the hotel...

We got a really, really great on-line last minute deal, so this is where we stayed after the 4 hour drive -
at the downtown D.C.Mariott Renaissance

the sight-seeing...

This city is, in my opinion, America's jewel, her pride. I would live here if I could.

We spent quite a chunk of our precious time at the Holocaust Museum, and at the Ford's Theatre, where Lincoln was shot. Both decisions I don't regret.

The rest of the day we spent on an entertaining, very knowledge-transmitting tour of the rest of the major attractions. Another worthwhile activity.

And for all you grandparents out there...

Some Keane Pics.

Mom and Keane

2007-07-30T12:15:00.000-07:00

Saturday at the Beach

2007-07-30T12:12:00.000-07:00

Our first time taking our family of 6 to the beach. I forgot how much fun it is. And now the kids are in love with the ocean - well, most of the kids.

Rhedd didn't have a lot of use for the beach, as it just made it hard for him to eat on account of the sand on his fingers.

Pablo, as usual, got to work on a full-sized, lifelike "Sand-Man."

Monkey Bar Trees

2007-07-30T12:10:00.000-07:00

Rutgers Gardens is a favorite hang-out for the children - they particularly love the "Monkey Bar trees" (Joseph coined this phrase), with branches low enough for little kids to easily explore.

Cami's Goal

2007-07-30T12:08:00.000-07:00

Taking her cue from an article in the "Friend" magazine, Cami decided to read the Book of Mormon. She started on the Book of Enos and, with help from Dad, finished it in about 3 nights. I was surprised by the intensity and sweetness of the Spirit that pervaded this Sunday night as soon as Cami began to read.

"Spiderman"

2007-07-30T12:06:00.000-07:00

About 20 minutes before church, Rhedd got a hold of my "16-hour stay-put" lipstick and transformed himself into what he thought was a perfect likeness of Spiderman. Nothing would get the lipstick off - water, soap, vigorous scrubbing, WD-40*...nothing short of time would get this stuff off.

*WD-40 was just a joke, by the way.

Pumkpin Pie

2007-07-24T04:00:00.000-07:00

These first two pictures show what Keane looks like when he's talking.

See his animated hand gestures?

I know it's blurry, but I love this picture anyway.

Saturday in the City

2007-07-24T03:36:00.000-07:00

At the Fountains...

This little-known treasure is in the middle of Battery Park (lower Manhattan).

This was a "two thumbs up" day for Joseph...

(Spiderman just happened to be walking by the fountains this fine Saturday afternoon - that's the City for ya!)

On the Ferry...

Like a Fish

2007-07-15T03:01:00.000-07:00

Keane's first experience in the pool was a success. I eased him into the pleasantly cool (but don't worry, Delia, not cold,) water one inch at a time. No crying, no nothing - just totally at ease. Quite a contrast to getting Toddler Rhedd in the water.

A Date with Rhedd

2007-07-15T02:55:00.000-07:00

Too often this little guy gets ignored during the day, so I took him out for ice cream tonight.

The Cupboards Were Bare

2007-07-13T17:32:00.000-07:00

This is what the family got for dinner tonight. Can't tell what this food is? Neither could my family. For posterity,

I'll list the ingredients here, because I'm sure you all want to make it:

- whole wheat bread bowl

- scrambled egg

- cucumber

- beets

- parmesan cheese

Why we love summer

2007-07-10T11:29:00.000-07:00

Today was an official "motherhood success" day. I took all four kids swimming and none of them drowned! Keane slept in his carseat the whole time, Joe and Cam got even more comfy swimming with their floatie vests, and this left me free to use Rhedd as my kickboard. He insisted that I not let go of him, so I just made the best of it and did some dolphin-kick laps with him. We all left the pool suntanned, tired, hungry, yet with a sense that "All is right in the world."

Thinning Shears

2007-07-09T19:33:00.000-07:00

Kim came for the weekend, and I put her to work cutting my hair. She is so good! she just dove in and thinned about half of my hair. I was so sad when I saw it lying there on the floor, but so happy when I saw the results!

Let Freedom Ring!

2007-07-09T10:55:00.000-07:00

We made our Independence Day shirts on the 3rd of July,

and sported them at the fireworks that night and all day on the 4th.

(I found this cute idea on www.familyfun.com)

The extra-long fireworks show proved to be a crowd-pleaser, except for Rhedd. At the first boom he was throwing humself into Pablo's embrace and shutting his eyes and covering his ears, not willing to face death's imminent approach. The last boom of the last finale came almost an hour later, and strangely, death had not come! So Rhedd, with renewed appreciation for the gift of life, greeted us again and again ("Hi Mama! Hi Dada!), greeted everyone that we walked by, and just seized every moment to shower his fellow humans with his love.

The 4th

Since we did fireworks on Independence Day Eve, the 4th was a little less that patriotic for us. Here are the events of the day: finding Incredibles shirts at the mall for $3 each, playing tennis in the rain, and going to Skylark Cafe in our rain-soaked clothing, where I ordered a decidely UNamerican dish, Lebanese Leg of Lamb Wrap.

Sentence Construction

2007-07-05T00:51:00.000-07:00

I just love the way this boy's mind works. Here are some products of his custom -made sentence construction.

- "I got some bonk your head" = I hurt my head (or any other part of the body)

- "Can I have some hold the baby?" = Can I hold the baby?

- " Can I jumping?" = Can I jump off this couch?

"Can I have some brush your teeth?" = Where is the toothpaste?

Thrillers, Fillers and Spillers

2007-07-01T04:35:00.000-07:00

This is the gift Mom and Jen gave me

on the "down day" of the vacation.

Pretty ambitious for a down day,

don't you think?

This is a classic "Thriller, Filler and Spiller"

flower arrangement. Gorgeous, huh?

Pablo and I sit out in our "Garden Paradise"

every chance we get.

Mom and Jen, you may be interested to know

that I am addicted to a new hobby:

Dead-heading!

My Ohio Quilt

2007-06-28T03:41:00.000-07:00

Doesn't Keane look great on this quilt?

Of course, any baby would.

To all my Gahanna ward friends,

and to the quilt group in particular,

thanks for your love - we miss you guys

and hope to visit soon.

Bathing Keane

2007-06-17T04:32:00.000-07:00

Getting chunky, huh?

Robyn and Kim

2007-06-17T04:13:00.000-07:00

Robyn and Kim came on May 21st.

They always bring the party with them.

I just love this picture - too bad Jen and Erik couldn't be here.

The Pose.

The Real picture.
Robyn and Rhedd bonded at a wading pool at the Princeton campus.

Nana, Grandpa, and Mosas

2007-06-08T16:16:00.000-07:00

We Loved our precious time with our family.

Grandpa Al took the kids for walks, taught

them lots of tongue twisters, and let them jump

on him to their hearts' content.

Nana Delia smothered the kids with kisses

and whipped my house into shape!

Aunt Mosas gave everyone one-on-one

attention and was the perfect playmate.

Cutest Pictures of our trip to the Phily Zoo.

Face Painting compliments of Grandpa Al .

Holding Keane

2007-05-24T15:23:00.000-07:00

A view from the Mom-cam.

Held = Happy

Cami and Joseph fight to hold Keane.

Rhedd just tries not to touch him.

It's a boy

2007-05-04T15:03:00.000-07:00

Presenting...

Keane Michaelangelo Smith.

Born May 4th, 2007 at 7:18 a.m.

7 lbs, 8 oz. 19 inches long.

Couldn't be cuddlier and more content.

As much hair as Cami had at her birth.

April 26, 2007

2007-04-29T18:57:00.000-07:00

Boy, superhero parties are a lot more fun than princess parties.

Not one of my best works of art...

Cami kept asking all day, "Has my Birthday turned me six yet?"

Popcorn Poppin'

2007-04-29T18:47:00.000-07:00

The day before Cami's birthday, I went into her class

to do a little MusicTime (I knew it would mean the WORLD

to her). Can you guess by the picture what I taught them?

You guessed it!

"I looked out the window and what did I see?..."

It was a great experience. The 24 popcorn balls I made

en lieu of birthday cupcakes weren't the hit I thought

they were going to be...live and learn.

Cami and Mrs. Loester, the no-nonsense kindergarten

teacher with a Jersey accent and

a heart of gold.

Two Weeks, two days,,,

2007-04-17T16:24:00.000-07:00

So the doctor agreed to induce me the night of

May 3rd.

16 more days and I can sleep on my stomach.

(picture taken by Cami)

Easter Style

2007-04-17T16:22:00.000-07:00

Clothing courtesy of Nana Delia...