The Smiths

A Beachy Thanksgiving

2009-12-07T14:24:00.011-07:00

We celebrated Thanksgiving in Destin, FL! When Steve proposed skipping the usual family Thanksgiving and heading for the beach instead, I was totally on board. We had been away from each other for 3 months and we were eager for our own family time. So, where better to do that than at the beach? But as it got closer we both had a lot of doubts. Going to Florida meant not being with the Izatts for the feast...the turkey, the rolls, the mashed potatoes, the stuffing and oh, the pies. As the day approached, we debated whether to cancel our reservations and stay home...and then we looked at the pictures of our hotel and the view from our room again. Palm trees, sand and the blue ocean won. We headed for our one bedroom apartment at the Fort Benning Recreation Area on Wednesday night and woke up to sunny Florida on Thanksgiving morning. Steve had found this resort for military people with incredible rates, especially off season. It was really private and had pools, playgrounds and a pier. It was the perfect place for families. So, Thanksgiving Day, after exploring the beaches for several hours, we went and picked up our Crackel Barrel Thanksgiving meal. We then ate turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and pies on a picnic table by the ocean. Ah, what a day! I'll never look at Thanksgiving Day the same again! We stayed through Saturday and spent as much time as we could playing on the beach. The weather was sunny and cool and breezy, but all we needed was a light jacket. As you can tell from the pictures, it didn't keep me and the boys from going up to our knees in the water and it didn't keep Steve from diving in. : ) There were hardly any people so it was perfect for marine life sightings. We saw dolphins, crabs, and sting rays so close we could touch them...of course, we didn't! (I have been to Destin probably 10 times in my life and have never seen any of these.) The boys absolutely loved the beach. Everytime we would go back, Oliver would say, "sand, more sand, more sand," and point all around. His favorite thing to do was throw the frisbee and dig with the shovels and buckets. Caleb liked looking for shells and experimenting with mixing the sand and water. And Peter would not keep his hands and feet on the towel he was on. He kept scooting over (he's almost crawling now!) so he could get at least one appendage into the sand. Thankfully, he didn't put any in his mouth. We had such a great time and made some really fun family memories. We were so enamored with the place, Steve made a reservation for a 3 bedroom villa for my birthday in May!

Halloween Fun

2009-11-11T13:01:00.004-07:00

Here is my 4 year old Robin Hood, my 2 year old Fireman, and my 5 month old Tiger. My very patient mom made the really cute Robin Hood costume according to Caleb's specifications. He made sure every part looked just like the Robin Hood cartoon movie and if it didn't, then grandma had to fix it. Oliver wasn't so excited about wearing a costume, but once he saw everyone else dressed up he got into it. Peter wore the tiger costume my mom made when Caleb was a baby and was surprisingly really happy in it. It's a little bulky so I thought he would complain, but he has the best temperment and enjoyed looking at all the kids and decorations.

All the Grandkids: David (2 Indiana Jones', Yoda in stroller), Sam (2 Cheerleaders, White Dog, and Brown Bear), Jeanne (Robin Hood, Fireman, Tiger), Rachel (Cowgirl and Cow)

12 excited kids...this should be fun!

Oliver couldn't wait to eat his candy.

Authentic Robin Hood.

Bow and arrow practice. Watch out, pumpkin!

Rachel's Nicole and Oliver trading candy.

David's Ben and Caleb

Our poor van...trashed after an evening of halloween fun.

One tired tiger.

They might be in the pjs, but after a night of candy and fun they weren't going to bed anytime soon!

Where's Peter?

2009-10-30T13:17:00.002-06:00

I know I'm asking pretty early, Santa, but will you bring me Photoshop? You see, I have this gorgeous baby named Peter and I can't add him to my blog header because I don't have photoshop. Poor Peter. Poor Jeanne.

Cheating

2009-10-12T20:17:00.003-06:00

So now that Steve is back I am serious about losing the baby weight and getting back in shape. I made a month long menu of healthy meals and I have been doing a mixture of the treadmill, tae bo, and yoga booty ballet (awesome, you gotta try it!). I'm committed! Except in my dreams. Last night I dreamt that I ate a whole plate of cupcakes in front of Tyra Banks and she was like, "girl, are you sure you want to do that. you won't look very fierce anymore," and I said, "ya, girl, I'm going to eat this whole thing." And then I did. I remember feeling so happy. And then I woke up. Losing weight is hard...I just want my cupcake, Tyra.

Oliver's 2nd Birthday!

2009-09-19T19:29:00.005-06:00

Oliver turned 2 years old on Labor Day, September 7th! We were so happy that Steve was able to fly in for the extended weekend to be there for the big day. We had a fun party on Sunday night and then a family picnic on Monday. He got a bunch of music toys, some small animals that he loves to carry around, and a membership from his Smith grandparents to a children's museum here in Huntsville that he loves going to. Oliver had a blast and is ready for his next birthday, which I guess is why he keeps telling everyone he is three.

Yummy dinner.

Oliver LOVES taking baths so I thought a bathtub cake would be appropriate. The execution was a little rough, but it turned out okay.
Oliver loved it and, unfortunately for the rest of us wanting cake, dug right in with both hands.

He got a bike helmet like Caleb and wears it for hours around the house.

...and sometimes he wears it when he rides his bike.

His favorite gifts were definitely his guitars, a classic one from his Izatt grandparents and a toy one from us. He's such a musician and singer. His favorite song right now is "How Firm a Foundation." Yes, it is hard picturing a 2 year old singing that song, but he's good.
He also really loved the drum and music set he got the following day at our Labor Day picnic.
Everyone from the Izatt clan was there. It's amazing that we are able to get everyone together on a fairly regular basis: my parents, 4 kids and spouses, and 12 grandkids.

My sister, Rachel, held my sweet Peter-bug so I could control the cake eating.

Oliver, we're so glad you're a part of our family! You definitely make life a lot more busy and funny. You have so much personality and possess a great love for your family. We love you!

More pictures than you probably want to see

2009-08-16T19:08:00.012-06:00

So, I have been kicking myself for not writing more about how things have been going with Steve gone in Virginia, me raising 3 kids by myself and moving into a new house, but unfortunately with Steve gone in Virginia, me raising 3 kids by myself and moving into a new house I'm not left with a lot of time for blogging. The best I can do is give you a picture journey of the past 2 months. It's kind of a mod-podge of all we've been up to. Enjoy!

The boys weren't quite sure what "the Army" meant, but they thought all the gear was cool.

They couldn't even pick up their feet.

Before Steve left, we tried to spend as much time as we could as a family. We went to a state park in Tennessee and had tons of fun splashing at the beach, hiking to waterfalls, and diving in swimming holes we discovered.

Favorite baby accessory: my sling by Spout Pouch.

Gorgeous day with daddy.
4th of July: Steve left for JAG training after the fireworks.
Can you tell I love my sling?!
He drives me crazy, but I can't help but love this face. A typical 6am morning includes cartoons and crying.
I got these funny animal noses at a garage sale before I even had kids. I was sure they would be hilarious...they are!
Carrots please.

Hilarious!

After several weeks of not seeing Daddy, we decided to meet halfway in Knoxville, TN for the weekend. Steve came in after I put the kids to bed and when they woke up and saw him, they couldn't resist a little wrestling along with the hugs and kisses.
We went to the Knoxville Zoo. Altogether a pretty lame zoo, but the camel was nice.
After not seeing my husband for a while, this view almost made me cry.
Oliver's courageous act of touching a hedgehog. For as wild as he is, he is pretty cautious of animals.
They may not be girls, but they LOVE playing dress-up.
Does this make me look fat?
"My hands upon my head I'll place..."
With daddy gone, I decided to forego doing haircuts myself and let the professionals have a shot at my wiggly crew. It was their first "real" haircut and they were great. (Which actually kind of bugged me because they are SO HORRIBLE when we cut their hair.)
Oliver finally learned how to climb out of his crib so I moved him to a toddler bed. This is how I found him the first night.
This was the second night. I almost panicked when I went to check on them and couldn't find Oliver. I searched all over the room and the house before I saw his two little feet poking out from underneath Caleb's bed. This was the third night. It completely baffles me how and why he would fall asleep under a bed that is only a foot off of the ground. Thankfully, he finally got the hang of it and now sleeps in his bed and not under it.
A couple of weekends later we met Steve again in Knoxville and decided to see how they make cheese at a dairy farm. It was fun, but way too hot. Don't you love the "cow-poop protection" booties? You might notice the boys are all in red. Besides being kind of cute, I've decided color coding my children is the only sane way to keep track of them in public.
This was a children's area at the zoo that we missed the first time and went back to see. I didn't know there was going to be water so I didn't bring their suits, but they didn't seem to mind.
Caleb: I'm getting soaked, Mom.

Me: You'll dry. Roll up your pants and stop splashing so much.

Caleb: I have a great idea. I'll just take all my clothes off.

Me: No.

So much for teaching modesty.

Steve's parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary the beginning of August in Cheyenne, Wyoming, so I flew out with the 3 boys a week early and spent time with friends (Kristi and kids, Stacee and Erin) in Laramie before the big reunion. I neglected to take many pictures though so I don't have any to post. (Can you send more of the ones you took Kristi?) Steve was able to leave training and join us for the reunion weekend.

Flying across the country wore us all out. At least they could sleep in the rental car on the way from Denver to Cheyenne. The whole trip was quite an adventure with 3 kids by myself, but we made it. I sure got a lot of great looks walking in the airport with Peter in the sling, Oliver in the front of the double stroller, his carseat in the back, the carry-ons crammed in the bottom and Caleb walking with his backpack. And that was after we checked two suitcases and two carseats! Their were some who looked at me with admiration, but mostly it was the "do you need some birth control?" face accompanied by the "I hope I'm not sitting by you on the plane" look.

3 Dolls! (Marissa and Peter) The reunion = cousins galore. Steve is the 7th of 8 kids in his family, so there were A LOT of people. With 30 cousins to play with I hardly saw Caleb for 3 days. It was such a fun time with family! We had a huge family home evening together, went to Vedauwoo for a picnic, had a fancy dinner at Little America, did a session at the Denver temple with Steve's parents and all his siblings and spouses (so cool see everyone there together in the celestial room!), and had a huge party with singing, dancing and a whole lot of laughing. I'll post more pictures from the reunion later.

After our big trip to Wyoming, it was time to relax back at home with the Izatt cousins.
I still get lonely in the evenings without Steve, so I try to stay busy. Usually I'm unpacking boxes and cleaning, but my parents bought me a changing table (I'm on my 3rd kid and I've never had one. Thanks mom and dad!). It was supposed to come mostly assembled. Ya right. This is normally Steve's job to assemble things, but... in the words of Kate Gosslin, "I am resigned to try things I have never tried, do things I have never done."
After several hours and a lot fewer cuss words than I thought I would have to use, Ta Da! I even used it today and it didn't fall apart! Shocking.
I just had to stick on the end this picture of Peter that I took today. He is just learning to smile and coo and is the sunshine of my day.

Summary: a little stress and loneliness, but a lot of fun!

Somewhere a place for us...

2009-06-26T13:58:00.003-06:00

I don't really know how to say this, except just to say it: we're changing career paths and moving...again. I know, I know. You're probably thinking, "boy, the Smiths have become really flakey weirdos! Just pick a job and a location already!" We feel the same way ourselves. We know we are crazy for shifting gears and picking up and moving again and it's not like we really want to do it, but we feel good about the decision and know it is right for our family. So, what are we doing and where are we going? Steve is commissioning into the ARMY JAG and we've been assigned to Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. Translation: Steve is going back into the Army as a lawyer and we will be living back in Huntsville, AL about 10 minutes from my family. (Some of you may remember that Steve was in the Army before law school and was assigned to Redstone as an ordnance officer. That's how we met!) This was a really hard decision for us, but, thankfully, this was one time when Steve's pro/con list obsession actually helped.

Here are the highlights:
Cons:

deployment (though low at Redstone)
long training period
4 year commitment

Pros:

steady, good income
free housing/rent/house payment (whichever we choose)
free, good health care
more varied career opportunities
lots of paid vacation
perks: commissary, pools, vacation rentals, gym, discounts
having the honor of serving our country
generous student loan repayment program
normal work hours
can get good federal job when get out of Army
Steve doesn't have to decide what to wear everyday (yes, he actually put this on the list!)

There are more to both lists, but that is the just of it. We feel relieved that going into the Army will let us catch our breath financially. Student loans and being unemployed for almost a year really set us back, so we're eager to be able to pay our debts and move forward.

You may have noticed on the con list was "long training period." Unfortunately, that hard task starts July 5th. Steve will be in Ft. Lee and then Charlotteville, Virginia for a total of 3 months. It's hard for me to even talk about how difficult it will be for me to have my husband and best friend gone and for the boys to not see their daddy everyday, but we are a close family and we'll make it somehow with Heavenly Father's help. We're hoping he can fly back on the weekends once in a while and we bought a webcam, so we can still see each other everyday.

I don't want to end on a sad note so I'll leave you with a couple pics to enjoy.

Steve in front of his law practice. Though his run as a private practice attorney was brief, he definitely does not regret it. It gave him an intense real-life course on the law and some really funny stories to tell.

This was one of the only cool things we found in Fayetteville, TN. Caleb keeps asking why there isn't a Caleb Smith Road, too.

My cute men!

Welcome, Sweet Peter

2009-06-07T13:24:00.006-06:00

We welcomed our newest little boy, Peter Onil Smith, on June 1, 2009 at 2:18pm. He weighed 8 lbs 2 oz and was 20 in long. Apparently, he didn't want a May birthday because he made us wait a whole extra week to meet him. When I went to the doctor on Friday, I was at 5cm so we were sure he would come over the weekend. But no. I can't believe I was walking around at a 5 and my water still didn't break. I kept having daydreams that it would happen at church or the middle of Walmart. We tried everything we could to get labor started, but he would not be convinced. I finally was induced on Monday at 8am. When they checked me at noon I was progressing pretty slowly so it looked like he wouldn't be born until later that night. The nurse checked me again at 2pm, though, and freaked. I was completely dialated and effaced and ready to go! So my doctor came literally running from his office next door (he teased me that he pulled a hamstring for this baby) and got ready to deliver my baby. As he was dressing, he turned to Steve and asked him if he wanted to deliver the baby. Steve was completely shocked that he could do that and was so excited. So he suited up too. A couple pushes later, Steve caught Peter's head, delivered the rest of his body, and cut the cord. It was so neat that Steve could do that and it is a memory we will never forget. What an amazing experience it is to have a baby! I have done it by c-section and I cannot explain how different and breathtaking it is to be able to do it naturally. When Steve put our little baby on me just after he delievered him, I could not get over how beautiful and amazing life is and what an honor it is to be able to bear children. I am so grateful for the privilege to bring children into this world and, along with my righteous husband, teach them what they need to know to progress and be successful in this life.

Peter, thankfully, has proved to be a pretty laid-back, easy-going baby. He sleeps and eats much better than Caleb and Oliver ever did and he is so gosh-darn cute! He is adored by his brothers! Caleb always wants to hold him, tells me when he thinks Peter needs milk, and has already played cowboy with him. Oliver mostly runs around yelling "baby," but he likes to pat Peter on the head and try to sit in his infant swing. I'm feeling really good except for these two milk gallons I'm carrying on my chest! My body always thinks I delivered quadruplets and produces tons of milk. Sometimes breastfeeding is so lame...there I said it. No, really, though, we are all doing great and are enjoying being a family of 5.

Welcome Peter!

Caleb is 4

2009-04-14T14:13:00.006-06:00

My sweet Caleb turned 4 years old on April 5th. After weeks of talking about it, the weekend of his birthday finally came. We visited the local fire station (his current obsession), watched conference, played all his favorite games, made a birdhouse at Home Depot, played with cousins and grandparents and then went home for the big party... decorations, a tank cake with army guys on it and presents. He had such a great time that he is already making plans for when he turns 5!

He requested a tank cake. A tank cake? C'mon kid...couldn't it have been a dog cake or boat or something not quite so manly? I have no idea where he even got the idea. He isn't really into tanks, but he insisted that he what he really wanted...so a mother has to deliver, right? A couple of years ago I would have been against making anything so violent looking, but look at his face. I never would have got that grin for a poodle cake. I did it for my little guy and it was a fun challenge. Besides, it's not everyday that you actually try to make puke-green colored icing.

Notice the guy coming out of the hatch. Cool addition if I do say so myself. This is one bonifide tank - complete with Oreo wheels, chocolate Twizzler crawler tracks and three chocolate fudge Pirouette cannon things in the front. Okay, I haven't learned all the lingo yet.

We got him a subscription to the Friend church magazine. We picked a copy up in Denver one time and he read it cover to cover about 10 times. He loves to get mail, too, so this was a very exciting gift for him.

After opening everything, he had to revel in his gifts for a while. Thanks to KB Toys going out of business and selling toys for 90% off, he also got a fishing game, a toy drill set, card games, some airplanes, a parachute guy and a paint by number set. He got a piano, robot dog and cars from his Izatt grandparents and he is planning a trip to the children's musuem with the gift from his Smith grandparents. Very lucky little boy!

Poor Oliver. I think he kept wondering when it was going to be his turn to open presents. He must have figured out that he wasn't going to get a turn because it didn't take him long to start taking Caleb's new toys. Crying, tears...party's over, time for bed!

Caleb is such a fun, inquisitive, tender, patient, loyal, intelligent, enthusiastic little boy and we are so thankful he is a part of our family.

Mission Accomplished

2009-03-19T13:51:00.002-06:00

Steve has a job! Boy, it's been a long journey! As most of you know, we have been looking for a job since graduation last May with little luck. He applied to positions all over Tennessee, with the federal government and the Coast Guard, but after 9 months we still hadn't heard a favorable reply. It looked like with the economic downturn we chose a bad year to job search. Finally fed up, Steve started driving up to Fayetteville, TN just on the other side of the border from Alabama and about 45 minutes from where we lived with my parents so he could at least sit in a court room and see some law in action. He ended up getting a few court appointments and an offer to do an office sharing arrangement with a seasoned lawyer in town. After A LOT of sleepless nights and crying on my part (hey, I am 7 months pregnant!), we finally decided to take a giant leap and start our own practice. We moved to Fayetteville 2 weeks ago and things have been going really well. It's a little scary that Steve isn't salaried, but between court appointments and getting fed cases from his fellow attorney he has had plenty of work. And there are promises from all the attorneys in town that he'll soon have more work than he can handle. Besides the trepidation of being the new rookie in town, Steve loves being a lawyer! He has had all kinds of interesting experiences already and he likes being able to dabble in all the different areas of law while he is learning the ropes. My favorite part is that he comes home happy and excited everyday. We had a very comfortable life with the Army, but we left that life and went to law school because we wanted Steve to work in a field that was really enjoyable and challenging for him, not just a good income. After a lot of studying, a lot of debt, and a lot of patience-trying months, it is good to finally see that decision come to fruition!

Baby #3 is a ...

2008-12-04T19:42:00.003-07:00

Even though I'm only 15 weeks, we could see the little guy very clearly. He looked healthy, was very wiggly and was not especially modest, thankfully. The first picture is a bum shot and if you look closely you can see leg, (boy part), leg. The second picture is his profile. Cutie! A girl would have been fun, but we are so excited to have another precious, spunky boy to love!

The No-Snow, No-Tree Blues

2008-11-28T13:39:00.004-07:00

So, apparently I caught Kate Anderson's depression bug and now I'm feeling down in the dumps. We had a really terrific Thanksgiving...lots of family, lots of food...good times. But today I'm dragging. We enjoy being in Alabama, especially with all of my family around, but we still miss Laramie...the friends, the town, and the snow. This is the first "day-after-Thanksgiving" spent in AL since Steve and I met. We spent our first Thanksgiving together as an engaged couple and we flew to Minnesota to be with Steve's brother. Our other Thanksgiving breaks were all spent in Wyoming. So we really associate Thanksgiving with snow and going to get a Christmas tree. We have the best memories of driving up to the Snowies with Steve's family to find the perfect Christmas tree. We'd have snowball fights and go sledding and get nice and freezing cold and then pull out the piping hot pot of white chicken chili. Once we were all toasty again, we'd get down to business. We'd drudge through 3 feet of snow sometimes for an hour, undoubtly falling several times, until we found it. The perfect tree. Standing tall against the other trees, sunshine pouring through its perfect ornament-hanging branches. Steve, ever the woodsman, would then pull out his saw and drop the perfect tree into a bed of fresh snow (sometimes hitting us on the way down). After bandages were applied, we would haul the perfect tree into the back of our truck, have some post-snow hot chocolate and then (the boys would) make one last batch of yellow snow before leaving the mountains. Steve and I were musing again last night how perfect our trees were the past 3 years. No crooked trunk that wouldn't fit in the tree stand, no bare spots that we had to hide. They never turned brown or dropped needles. And there was always the perfect branch on top to place the star on. We are definitely missing our perfect tree this year, since there are no real mountains around AL (just hills they call mountains), but we have high hopes that next year we will be living somewhere where we can again hunt down the elusive, but attainable perfect Christmas tree.

2005

2006

2007

Photoshop Fun

2008-11-16T22:07:00.003-07:00

With the help of my sister-in-law, Lisa, I finally have a better grasp of Photoshop. I actually made our own Christmas cards last night and I have to say I am pretty proud of myself. It wasn't too painful to learn the basics and there are a lot of cute freebie digital scrapbooking sites.
My problem now is that I might have got a bit addicted. I was looking through our pictures from our recent cross-country trip from Laramie to Huntsville and I saw our stop in Metropolis, Illinois. For you gals out there like me who did not grow up worshiping Superman, Metropolis is the home of Superman. When I told Steve that I booked us a hotel the second night in Metropolis he almost hyperventilated. I was like, "what's the big deal?" He just looked at me like I was dumb. Apparently everyone but me knows that Superman is from Metropolis. Anyway, they had a 3 story statue of the guy right in the town square! We took some really fun pictures and you get to enjoy them with photoshop magic! Enjoy! (sorry it got pixely when I put it in blogger)

2 Pink Lines

2008-11-09T16:21:00.002-07:00

We're pregnant! Baby #3 is due May 24th! I'm feeling great ... sleepy all the time, but thankfully no morning sickness. We're super excited and in awe that we are going to be a family of 5!

Goodbye

2008-10-20T10:15:00.003-06:00

The rumors are true! We are finally leaving Laramie. We are moving on Wednesday to go to Alabama to live with my parents until we can find a job (which will hopefully be very soon!). I really hated Laramie for the first year. I know that is a strong statement, but with Caleb's cancer, no family around, no friends yet, and never-ending winter I really felt that way. So it comes as a shock to no one more than me how sad we are to leave now three years later. I feel almost as sad moving from here as I did initially moving from Alabama to Laramie. Wierd! I really grew to love the people here...and even the winter. We will miss everyone very much, but we are also excited to be moving on with our lives. Even though we still have no job prospects, we are optimistic and look forward to what surprises God has in store for us. Diane Poledna and I were giggling in Relief Society yesterday and then she leaned over and said we would never see each other again. I realized she was probably right and felt really sad, but then she smiled her mischievious grin and said "not in this life anyway." She reminded me that all partings are just for a moment. Imagine what an amazing party we'll have in heaven when we all see each other again! Thank you to all of you who have touched our lives. We love you!

Steve and I decided to make a list of our most notable experiences in Laramie for our own archives, but thought some of you might like to read it. We were surprised how long it got and we just included the highlights. There are a couple unpleasant memories, but they are far outnumbered by all the good times. Enjoy!

The Laramie Experience

bought our first house
discovered Caleb’s cancer
3 below-freezing temperature Halloweens
laughed with Kristy in the Crow parking lot while our kids ran around crazy
Jeanne was Ward Chorister, Enrichment Leader and Enrichment Counselor
Steve was Counselor in YM and the Bishopric
partied with friends
parades, fairs and festivals
miscarried with pregnancy before I had Oliver
sledding, snowmen and snowball fights
skimped by going to “the start of school” free food week every year YUM!
got cars stuck in the snow
picnics and rock climbing in Vedauwoo
picked out the perfect Christmas tree in the Snowies
Caleb: walked, talked, potty trained and everything in between
spent countless hours with Kate Anderson planning Enrichment activities
summers spent in Washington park
camped in Vedauwoo and Snowy Range
made my first quilt by myself
Steve almost set Vedauwoo on fire shooting fireworks at Orcutts house
endured three winters…each 8 months long!
racked up a ton of loans
had our 2nd child, Oliver
lived through a tornado
trips to the petting zoo in Ft. Collins
celebrated Caleb’s clean bill of health for his cancer
lost 45 lbs between the both of us (oops! gained most of it back : D)
Oliver was born in WY and learned to walk here
Caleb made his first best friend: Quentin Smith
Steve’s law school classes and homework
trips to the Denver temple
campaigned for Kiowa park with Erin Mead
home repairs
airplane rides to Alabama
Jeanne’s university classes and homework
visited Steve’s parents in Cheyenne
rode bikes to church in the summer
Steve’s Juris Doctorate degree
Jeanne’s Bachelor’s in Psychology degree, Summa Cum Laude
sold and lost money on our first home
were two days away from being homeless with 2 kids
moved into no-privacy basement apartment
studied all summer for the bar…and passed!
girl’s nights at Applebees with Pam Bressler, Kristy Smith and April Morgan
made amazing friendships we’ll never forget!

Miracle of Miracles!

2008-10-10T12:06:00.002-06:00

Steve passed the Tennessee bar! We are completely ecstatic! We have been really stressed about it the past week and now we can hardly believe it. It still doesn't feel real. For those of you who know what we've been through since graduation, (house problems, nowhere to live, moving, job searching, etc...) it truly is a miracle that he passed and we are so grateful. Hallelujah!!

A Beautiful Fall Day

2008-09-29T20:24:00.011-06:00

We went up to Vedauwoo Monday to see the beautiful fall colors and we were not disappointed. We cooked hotdogs, got sticky with smores, scrambled up rocks and went for a pretty decent hike considering we were with two kids. We love being outdoors together!

Steve - ever the daredevil on rocks - with our precious cargo (Oliver!) on his back.

Caleb kept wanting to build a campfire for our smores, but with our curious and mischievous Oliver mobile now we opted to use the campstove on top of the picnic table to cook our food. Never one to be deterred, Caleb built several of his own "campfires" which we had to be careful not to step in and be "burned." He held a firehose just in case such an accident occurred ... such a good imagination.

Ooey, gooey smores!

Boys are so much fun ... except for this giant stick collection we are amassing. They are both obsessed with getting armfuls of sticks wherever we go, whether it be in the woods, at the park or in someones yard. My car is buried in sticks - it is their favorite thing to play with when we are traveling in the car. I finally had to draw the line at bringing them in the house. What is it exactly about a stick that is so cool? I love nature as much as the next person, but just looking at a stick all day long doesn't sound that fun to me. I guess I should just be glad it is such a cheap, replaceable toy.

This is Oliver's first injury from learning to walk. He decided to take a dive off of some concrete steps a couple of days ago and landed squarely on his eye. He didn't get a stratch anywhere else, of course. Steve kept saying at church, "you should have seen the other guy!" I guess it does kind of look like he was in a boxing match.

Grandma Izatt requested more video of Oliver walking, so here is some taken in the mountains. Take into account that he is a little more stumbly than normal because of the bumpy ground. Oh, Grandma, notice that reddish tint in his hair? His hair is definitely a reddish-brown now and that is as close to a red-headed grandchild as you're gonna get. : )

Ready, Set, Walk!

2008-09-08T21:51:00.004-06:00

Oliver is walking! He took his first brave steps at the library in Cheyenne just in time for his first birthday September 7th. Caleb is so proud of his little brother.

Oliver on Day 2 - concentrating.

Oliver on Day 6 back at the library - now a pro.

What will the future hold?

2008-06-20T21:05:00.000-06:00

Okay, Kate Anderson is forcing me to join the world of blogging, so I'm giving it a shot. Thanks, Kate! No, really, though, I think it will be a good way to keep in touch with everyone. Well, we're still in Laramie, although we still don't know for how long. We both graduated in May, Steve with his Juris Doctorate (Law) and me with my Bachelor's in Psychology. We're excited to be done with school, but a little apprehensive about the future. We've been accepted into the Army JAG, but we're still not sure the Army is the right road for us right now. We have applied to a lot of other jobs and are waiting now to hear from someone else. We have sold our home on Crow and we close on July 11th. So, basically, the Laramie Smith clan is jobless and soon to be homeless. Yes, it sounds bad, but we're optimistic and know God will take care of us. We will probably be getting an apartment in Laramie until we find a more permanent location. We have come to really love Laramie, so we are not in a big hurry to leave. We've met such wonderful people here - Andersons, Smiths, Orcutts, Hydes, Hoopes, Meads...the list goes on and on. We have learned something different and valuable from each one of these families and we will miss them very much. But for now we're still proud to be called Laramites.