Team Smith Adventures

2 Things

2012-02-12T15:49:00.000-08:00

1. How cute is this baby?

2. How awesome are our "Scott Smith original" shirts that Scott made for us? If you like them, or know someone who will, similar shirts (and other products!) can be purchased here. Also, if you have a specific design you'd like, let Scott know, and maybe he can draw it for you!

We love wearing our matching shirts made by our favorite guy!

I Made This

2012-02-09T18:18:00.000-08:00

I've been seeing menu boards all over Pinterest lately, and I love the idea. I found this one in particular:

(found here)
and loved it.

So I decided to copy it.

This menu board is great because:
1. It's a spot to put down what you're making for the whole week and takes a lot of the stress away from planning dinners.
2. It is a nice list of what meals you make, for those times when your mind just goes completely blank even though you know you make tons of recipes.
3. You can put all the ingredients required on the back, which makes compiling a shopping list so much easier.

I did a few things differently- in the interest of cheapness, ease and my own taste.

First, I couldn't see wasting a perfectly good picture frame, so I just got a piece of wood and cut it to 11x14. Then I mod podged my paper onto it.

Also, since I don't have crayon boxes at my disposal, I used jello boxes. They were thicker than I wanted, so I ended up cutting them all the way along the side, then fitted the 2 pieces together and glued them in place. Does that make any sense? So they were still the same height and width, they just didn't stick out so much when I attached them. I just needed 1 box- I cut it in half and used the top for one box and the bottom for the other.

I used ribbon and Stickles for my clothespins, and cut out my letters on the Cricut and used a gel pen and Stickles to decorate them. I hot-glued the clothespins and the boxes to the board.

I drilled holes in the top and used wire to hang it.

I didn't laminate my cards (cheapness and ease- it will be easier to add new cards whenever I get new recipes this way), so I had to print on both sides of the paper. It took me a few times to get it all lined up, but it worked pretty well. I entertained the idea of color-coordinating the cards for main ingredients, but I haven't done that yet. If I decide to then I will just ink the edges.

Here's my sister's:
It was made using all the same techniques except we used a mac and cheese box.

This was all very easy and could have been done in an hour or two. (If you don't spend twice as much time messing around than you do actually working, like we do.) And it cost me $0 to make, since I already had all the supplies!

I Love to Read

2012-02-02T11:03:00.000-08:00

Penny loves books! (In case you can't tell by the millions of pictures I have taken of her with them)

She holds the book while I am reading and will even turn the pages!

I have tried very hard to get it on video but it never works out.

As Scott and I are both avid readers, we are so excited about this!

This is a book about hearts I was reading to her at the doctor's:

Terrible, huh?

She also thinks anything that glows is wonderful.

We don't let her watch TV but if she is in the same room as it, she will wiggle herself around until she can see it.

She still hates tummy time. She will be like this for usually about the first 3 minutes of it:

But quickly turns into this:
She has found her thumb!

And loves it.

She also loves her dolly:

And we love her.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-01-26T13:44:00.000-08:00

Photos taken by Aunt Sarah.

Headband found here.

A Little Wisdom

2012-01-19T11:21:00.000-08:00

This week we received a newsletter from Jacob's mission. His Mission President said some really great things that I am so grateful I read:

I received a wonderful article at Christmas time from one of our missionaries entitled “In the Strength of the Lord” by Elder David Bednar. In this article he talked about how important it is that we pray daily to the Lord to assist us to have the strength to deal with whatever circumstances that we find ourselves instead of always begging the Lord to change our circumstances. He mentioned that those people who truly began to understand the “enabling power of the atonement” would often pray to ask the Lord to strengthen their ability to deal with the pain instead of always asking the Lord to remove the pain. These people understand that all experience is for our good and helps us to become more like Him. III Nephi 27:27 “what manner of men ought ye be, even as I”. He cited Nephi’s experience when he was bound with cords by his brothers. His response to this horrible ordeal as he prayed to the Lord was this, “O Lord, according to my faith which is in Thee, wilt thou deliver me from the hands of my brethren; yea, even GIVE ME STRENGTH THAT I MAY BURST THESE BANDS WITH WHICH I AM BOUND”. In Mosiah 24 as Alma and his people were being persecuted by Amulon and the burdens upon them were too difficult to bear, the Lord did STRENGTHEN THEM THAT THEY COULD BEAR UP THEIR BURDENS WITH EASE, AND THEY DID SUBMIT CHEERFULY AND WITH PATIENCE TO ALL THE WILL OF THE LORD”. He also cited a journal entry of Daniel Jones who was part of the rescue effort of those early pioneers and ended up with little to eat. As he worked diligently to survive while eating cow hides instead of praying for food he prayed that their stomachs would adjust to handle the meager cow hides that they were boiling in the water to survive. Elder Bednar stated that he was quite sure that he would have been praying for quail or buffalo or other relief from this pain. Those who begin to understand the “enabling power of the atonement” will practice a prayer to the Lord that will help us change ourselves instead of our circumstances which so often are placed there to “mold us to be more like the Savior”. So if we find ourselves wishing that life should be some other way or praying that our companion, ward mission leader, Bishop or Branch President, or our area should be some other way it might be a wonderful day to rediscover the “enabling power of the atonement” in our own personal lives and look to “act” instead of looking at life as “being acted upon”. The Lords promise is sure and the “enabling power of the atonement“ will work in our own personal lives to assist us in “becoming more like Him”. Every day is a gift and an opportunity to become more like Him. Our areas, companions, and wards and branches are a perfect opportunity for our growth and the growth of our investigators. How we love you and pray for you eternal growth in the “Greatest Mission on Earth” Thank you for being a part of this great work.

When I got to the bottom I knew I had to share this. And then I read his wife's message, and knew I had to share THAT too:

January is such a great time of the year, isn’t it? It is the beginning of a brand new year. A time when we can start over; begin again. A time when we can access the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ to commit to make a few new changes in our lives. I love new beginnings! I love the fact that we can change our behavior that isn’t working well for us and try something else.

Sister Wendy Watson Nelson, wife of Elder Russell M. Nelson, uses the analogy of new beginnings to “turning a corner”. She says that making a commitment to do something different in your life that will bring you closer to the Savior, or to STOP doing something in your life that is taking you away from the Savior can work just like “turning a corner”. Once you turn a corner, when you look back, all you see is the corner---not what was there before the corner happened. You are shedding your “old skin”, coming out of your cocoon and starting to become the person that God intended for you to become.

My challenge to you is to work on one Christlike attribute that you would like to acquire in your life. Read about it, write about it, and visualize yourself having that quality. Make a commitment of one thing that you will do personally to make that attribute a reality for you in your life. Line upon line we can become more and more like the Savior.

I love these two messages and hope you will too. Speaking of Jacob:

He just finished up an 'area' as a traveling missionary. There are several areas in his mission that don't have missionaries because they don't produce enough missionary work. So the members do the finding and the scheduling and the traveling missionaries visit all these areas and go to the appointments the members have set up for them. So there are a lot of people and a LOT of driving, but he absolutely loved it. He also was considered a Zone Leader, even though the zone was basically him and his companion. He did that for 6 months and just got transferred. He is a district leader again. So far he is loving his new area.

Here he is working hard:

(Almost) 4 Months Old

2012-01-17T13:54:00.000-08:00

Penny will be 4 months old next week. We still like her.

As of today she is 15lbs 11oz and 28 inches! (And hates shots) She is in the 95th percentile. She is growing so fast, and is passing up her 7-9 month old cousins/friends.

She is still a very good girl! She's still exclusively breastfed, but we plan on introducing solids soon. (I can't wait. The liquid poop that runs out the side of the diaper as soon as it comes out is getting a little old) She loves food. We gave her her first bottle a few weeks ago, and I was a little nervous that she wouldn't take it. But I shouldn't have been- she really doesn't care about the package as long as there's food in it. She's a good sleeper, and doesn't give us any problems going to bed. She does still wake up 2-3 times a night to eat, but I figure when you're growing as fast as she is, you need the nutrients.

Picture courtesy of Kellie

She still hates tummy time and will start to whine after a few minutes. She rolled over for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and neither Scott or I were in the room! I walked in just in time to see her land onto her back.

She got this cute ornament as a gift. You mold your child's hand in to it and then hang it on the tree. It took about 7 tries. One of them Scott swears looked just like a raccoon's paw.

She loves standing and sitting. When she is laying on her back she will try to sit up (all she can do is lift her head and grunt), and when she sits on your lap she will lean forward so that she is sitting on her own for a moment or two.

We have started baby sign, and she can't do the signs yet but she does get it. When I sign "Eat" to her, she gets all excited and antsy.

I made this blankie for her when I was pregnant and just now decided she is ready for it. This is her favorite way to sleep now. Just for the record, I do take it off her once she's asleep.

And, it turns out Mommy is funny too!

She was actually laughing harder before, but as soon as the camera comes out, she always just stares at it. Isn't she a little young to understand what a camera is?

A Little Bit of Randomness

2012-01-05T22:57:00.000-08:00

Today I saw this video of a woman who was born deaf and, through a hearing implant, hears herself for the first time:

It made me think of all the things that I have to be grateful for that I take for granted everyday. The little things, like being able to hear my daughter laugh. Just wanted to share a few of the beautiful things in this world that we don't always appreciate.

This is Roger Hammerstein:

Penny's 2 best friends (they don't know it yet), playing at the park:

We have the most beautiful roses in our yard! The best part is, we don't even have to do any work for them :)

My 2 favorite goofballs in the world:

You thought that was a mobile. It's really a rotating punching bag.

“I believe the Savior is telling us that unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives. Those who live only for themselves eventually shrivel up and figuratively lose their lives, while those who lose themselves in service to others grow and flourish—and in effect save their lives.” President Thomas S. Monson

Laughter is the Best Medicine

2012-01-05T13:01:00.000-08:00

Daddy is her favorite person!

Did you hear her saying "Hi"? She does it all the time. It cracks us up.

The Smiths in 2011

2011-12-31T22:41:00.000-08:00

2011 was a great year! We started it off with a wedding...
...where we got to hang out with these fun guys:

The next day we found out that our team was expanding.
And were thrilled.

The next month we celebrated Scott's 28th birthday with a fun little trip.
We took another trip in March, to spend an awesome week in New York with the Singletons.

(Whose belly is that?? Actually that's pretty much what it looks like now and there isn't even anyone extra in it. Sad.)

I chopped the mop!

We celebrated our cotton anniversary.
We got to see Elder Cook throw out the opening pitch at a Dodgers game!
We watched my belly get bigger...
and bigger...
bigger...
and bigger!
(And my face a little bit too)

Scott finally got into his dream field of work.

The sweetest, most beautiful little girl joined our family.

And we got to take our cute little chicken trick-or-treating for the first time.

This has been an exciting year for us! We are so grateful for all of our family and friends and all of our wonderful blessings. We can't wait to see what next year has in store for us!

DIY wooden photo

2011-12-25T23:33:00.001-08:00

Recently I found a tutorial to transfer a photo onto a piece of wood. I tried it out and it turns out that it's not difficult and it looks great! The video is short and cute but does not explain well, so I ended up having to try several times before I (semi) mastered it. So, watch this video, and then if you want to try it, keep reading below and I will explain more in depth.

*If any of this seems real obvious or too in depth, sorry. I am trying to answer a lot of questions that were posted about the video. And, sorry if some of my pictures are blurry. My camera is somewhat less than perfect (or it's an 8-year-old 5 mp point-and-shoot).*

Materials:
Yes, that is my family. I wonder if Dustin had any idea what he was getting himself into that day.

Block of wood
Can be any type of wood, actually it doesn't even have to be wood. Any surface that can be painted would work, even canvas.
Gel Medium
The brand I used was Liquitex, the same as the video. Another brand that I have heard works better is Golden, but I haven't actually used it. Both are sold at Michael's.
A photo
The photo must be printed on a laser printer (not ink jet). I have heard color works, but haven't tried it. Also, the image will be flipped, so if you have words in it, or are just OCD, make sure you flip it before you print it.
Mod Podge
Works as a sealant, sold at Michael's. You can use gloss or matte. Other sealants are OK to use but I haven't tried any others.
Water
A paint brush
In these photos you'll see I used one of those cheap foam brushes. A real paint brush will work better but this works just fine if it's all you have.

1st step:

Cover your wood with gel medium. You want to apply it liberally (Just to give you an idea of how much gel to use, I made 6 photos and used half of the bottle.) but smoothly. This is where a real paint brush comes in handy. If you use the foam kind it's more likely to look splotchy like mine. If this happens it will still work but it won't look as nice- you get color variations and spots where it's harder to remove the paper.

2nd step:

Place your photo facedown on top of the gel medium. It's important when you do this that there are no air bubbles or globs of gel. I found the easiest way to do this was to put the middle down first and then slowly put down the edges while smoothing it:

3rd step:
Wait for it to dry. It takes about 4 hours but it's OK to leave it overnight.

4th step:
Using a cup of water, start getting your paper wet. Don't be afraid to use too much, you want to thoroughly wet your paper.
Keep going until the whole paper is wet.

Then, using your fingers, rub back and forth over your picture to remove the paper. In the video, she says to "gently" remove the paper. The term I would use is "carefully." If you rub gently, nothing happens. So rub hard enough to remove the paper but be careful, because sometimes the picture will come off with it. You probably will need to keep re-wetting your paper while working.
This part takes a good 15 minutes. Once you're done it will look something like this:
Except your family is probably not as crazy.

It still looks fuzzy, and that's OK. It will look better with the mod podge on it. If you're a perfectionist you can keep re-wetting and removing paper. If you are, then wait for it to dry and you will see paper concentrations, but don't expect it to look perfect when it's dry- it won't.

5th step:
Apply mod podge evenly over entire surface. You can do this when it is wet or dry, it turns out the same. I prefer to let it dry first so I can make sure there are no big spots of paper in unfortunate places.
Once it's covered it will look like this:
But when it dries it will look something like this:
Except better because your eyes are better than my camera. You can see there are still some spots with paper left, and some small areas (especially around the edges) where the picture has come off. This was OK with me because it gives it a rustic look, but if you spend more time on it you can definitely get it to look nicer.

The entire process can be done in a day, with about an hour of work, and costs about twenty bucks to make several photos.

Christmas Cheer

2011-12-25T22:54:00.000-08:00

For Christmas my mom got all the grandkids matching Christmas jammies with their names on them:

We took this picture of all of these cute little elves wearing them on Christmas eve:

My Grandma made all of the beanies. Can you handle it?

Penny had a very exciting first Christmas. Here she is opening her first present:

I love her face when she sees it. On the way to church we put it in her carseat with her and she talked to it the whole way there.

She loves Christmas already!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-21T17:12:00.000-08:00

12 weeks

2011-12-15T20:58:00.000-08:00

Penny is 12 weeks old now- where has the time gone?? She is a really good baby and seriously the funnest toy we've ever had.

She is LOUD. She sleeps loudly and eats loudly and is always talking and making noises- when she doesn't get her way she YELLS at us. I don't think I will appreciate that much when she's older but right now it's so cute all we can do is laugh.

She is miles of smiles!

This is her goofy smile- tongue out and one eye closed.

She has decided that she is going to be a finger-sucker- like her mom. She's getting good at soothing herself and will suck on her finger or her whole fist when she's upset. She's still not very coordinated and sometimes she will get both fists up in the air in front of her and just stare at them, like she is willing one to get in her mouth.

At her last checkup (2 weeks ago) she was 12lbs 8oz and 24 1/2 inches- she is already tall!

She's turning into a good sleeper- she sleeps 9-9 (more or less) and wakes up once or twice to eat, and for the rest of the day her schedule is pretty much up an hour, sleep for an hour. She is also getting used to her own bed and will most of the time go to sleep in it without much fuss.

But still loves to sleep on Mommy or Daddy :)

She hated tummy time at first- when I would put her on her tummy she would just scream at me. But now she is getting used to it and will even give me smiles.
She is so strong! She's getting really good at holding up her head and can hold herself up on her elbows pretty well.

Everyday is a joy with this one!

It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas!

2011-12-14T22:22:00.000-08:00

10 Things 90s Kids Will Have To Explain To Their Children

2011-12-02T18:56:00.000-08:00

This is a hilarious article from Thought Catalog:

While most things we experienced as tots in that headiest of eras seems pretty self-explanatory (plaid was everywhere, Leonardo DiCaprio was the molten ball of light around which the solar system turned, and there was no color too bright for your sweatpants) there are some things that will be a bit harder to explain. Here, a primer for when your future children want to know what the heck you were doing with your boxy, multicolored electronics.

Nov. 23, 2011

By Chelsea Fagan

1. Topanga was at some point in human history considered not only a legitimate first name for a human being, but the kind of name that would inspire in malleable teenage boys a life-long infatuation. Topanga, in our day, was leading lady name-material. Topanga (pronounced Tah-payne-ga, for those who will have only ever seen in it written down) is the name of the quintessential girl-next-door who will live, along with Feeney, in our hearts forever.

2. At some point, we carried around little plastic eggs with tiny screens on them — in these screens lived our hearts, our pets, our raison d’etre, our very own Tamagotchi. We loved them, we listened to their tiny electronic screams of malnourishment, and we occasionally forgot to pick up their poop for long enough that they died a tortured, poop-filled death. They were perhaps our first foray into the life-consuming world of electronics and self-absorption, later to be fully manifested by Facebook.

3. The black Power Ranger was black and the yellow Power Ranger was Asian because…we were so completely ahead of our time and beyond the capacity to even think in terms of something as inconsequential as race that… uh… I don’t know. Casting directors were racist in the nineties.

4. Long before he was spending his days foisting his mediocre children on us, Will Smith was actually the perfect human specimen. He also undoubtedly holds some world record for saving the world the most times while simultaneously delivering flawless catchphrases and giving cool guy nods to the camera. The Men In Black rap song, at the time, was created and received by the public without the slightest trace of irony. Really. He was that good.

5. In some inevitable shift of the time-space continuum in which James Cameron continues to rob humanity of all that is good and sacred in this world, Fern Gully will be known as that movie that ripped off Avatar. It will be up to us to crusade for what is right. It is up to us to explain that Fern Gully was not only a predecessor to Avatar, but far better, in that it contained both Tim Curry as a singing pile of molasses and Robin Williams rapping about animal testing in the pharmaceutical industry. (As a side note, if you have not recently listened to the full lyrics of the “Batty Rap,” I recommend you do, as they are horrifying.)

6. A neighborhood boy who completely disregards your family and puts a ladder directly under the teenage girl’s window to climb up at his discretion is not only acceptable, it’s charming. It’s the kind of stuff that would make said family take the ladder boy under their wing and into their heart. The nineties were a simpler time, one where we didn’t have to worry about things like breaking and entering. Clarissa today would have steel bars on the inside of her window and her father would continually remind her that the next-door boy with his ladder and his touchy hands have no place in his household.

7. Though on the surface, they are the exact same thing in every conceivable way, whether you liked The Backstreet Boys or N*SYNC said more about your character than all of the terrible macaroni art you could ever make for your child psychologist. Essentially, liking *NSYNC meant you liked Justin Timberlake, as he was clearly the Seabiscuit in that race from the get-go. You even liked him with his terrible, icy-blond mini-fro. Liking the Backstreet Boys gave you a bit more of a cultured palate, as there was no clear Diana in those Supremes. Nick was kind of the wholesome, if northern-Florida-redneck safe choice (save for his humiliating younger brother, Aaron). Brian was the shy, sensitive type. AJ was the hottt, dangerous meth addict. Kevin Richardson was mute with sexy, sculpted facial hair. No one liked Howie. Choosing between the two groups was like choosing between two beloved children, but once that line was crossed–there was no going back.

8. “I wanna really really really wanna zig a zig ahh,” has a meaning, and all true nineties kids know it, but we must never share it. Like the Illuminati, it must remain between us, the keyholders. With great power comes great responsibility.

9. Lisa Frank is not the name of a woman, it is the name of a movement, a culture, a way of living. It is a theory, a concept, a belief in something greater than yourself. It is the belief that all girls are entitled to dolphins covered with rainbows, jewel-encrusted frogs, and unicorns in acid-trip colors hugging each other. It is the ideology that no notebook is complete until it literally hurts your eyes to look at from so much color saturation. It is the hope that no school supply, no matter how insignificant, will be left un-bedazzled. It is the knowledge that your eraser cap, and that of your granddaughter’s, and her granddaughter’s after her, will not be some boring little nub–it will be a diamond covered with butterflies in a rainbow of colors. It is the dream of a better tomorrow.

10. Incredibly depressing women in Indiana covered in cats and glass figurines they buy at The Hallmark Store used to troll the web 1.0 to invest thousands of dollars in tiny stuffed animals filled with plastic beans. That happened. Beanie Babies were not just significant, they were the first example most of us had of envy, greed, and wrath. If someone messed up that little heart-shaped Ty tag, so help you God, that was the end of whatever contact you had with that monster of a human being. That tag-less Beanie Baby was now trash, and you had to deal with the consequence. It was at that moment, that de-valued Beanie Baby moment, that most of us accepted the truth… we’ll never have nice things.

Another Beautiful Winter Day in So Cal

2011-11-26T17:06:00.000-08:00

"Greetings from Seal Beach!"

My Grass is Pretty Green

2011-11-23T16:01:00.000-08:00

Recently I was reading another girl's labor story and it made me reflect on my own. When someone asks how it was I usually say, "Terrible. Awful. Horrendous. 22 hours of painful labor with no pain meds just to get cut open." They ask why I got a c-section and I tell them because just about everything that could go wrong did: failure to progress, baby facing the wrong way, baby's head pushing on the cervix and both the head and cervix swelling up, baby passing meconium. I think about being pregnant again, and then I think again- I was not a fan of the nausea, the total lack of energy, not being able to do all the things I am used to and all the weird things your body does.

But when I think about her delivery and post- delivery, I suddenly feel very ungrateful and ignorant. Yes, I had a painful labor and wasn't able to deliver naturally like I wanted to. But my life was never once in danger, and as frustrating as some of it was, it was mostly all normal delivery stuff. Yes, my baby had to go to NICU for monitoring for aspiration pneumonia and I didn't get to see her for her first 3 hours, but she was completely healthy and it was only 3 hours. No, I didn't have the easiest pregnancy, but I can have another child again, anytime I want to.

This has been an awesome reminder to me to be grateful for what I am given- and I have SO MUCH to be grateful for.

Cousins Day

2011-11-21T20:52:00.000-08:00

Last Friday we took advantage of the Veterans' Day holiday and had a fun cousins day! Did you know that there is a zoo in Irvine called the Orange County Zoo? Apparently it's Orange County's best kept secret. It's in the middle of Irvine Regional Park and perfect for little kids. It's small (there aren't too many animals there but you probably won't lose your kids) and only costs 2 bucks to get in. Plus there is a petting zoo inside. The whole park is great- on top of the zoo and acres of grass and trees,
they have a train,
pony rides,
and bikes and paddle boats you can rent.

So, Penny got to spend the day there with her cousins on the Dimick side for her first official Cousins Day. This was really exciting to me because I don't have any cousins my age and have always been jealous of people who do. Siblings are great and I love mine, but there's something about cousins. I am lucky enough to have adopted a few through the Smith family!

The kids had the funnest time, and the adults had a great time too.

After everyone rode the train, we saw a cute little photo spot- some pumpkins and bales of hay setup. So we decided to take some pictures of the kids there. We started herding them over when I noticed that Penny needed a diaper change, and then I noticed she needed an outfit change. So I started changing her when my sister- in- law called my name. I looked and some man was loading the pumpkins into his truck! He didn't care that there were kids playing on them and parents trying to take pictures. So I started changing her faster and then ran her over. Once I got there I saw that Sam and Trenton were sitting nicely, but they were sitting amongst some random kids. Now the random kids were very nice looking, but we didn't know them and didn't particularly care to have them in the photo, so we had to beg and bribe the kids to move to a different corner of the pumpkin patch. Once we got them there and gave them the baby, we saw that Travis was out cold. His mom laid him down on the pumpkins, where he woke up unhappily, trying to figure out where the heck he was. For some reason Rosalynn wanted only her back to be in the picture, and then Penny started crying. Lilly was probably the best one, even though she wasn't always looking at the camera. And in addition to all this, the random kids are climbing all over our corner, and the guy is still picking up pumpkins around kids and loading them in his truck. These are the beauts we got:

They're not exactly what I had in mind but they do accurately capture what our lives with these guys are like!

This sweetheart loves his cousin (and she loves him too):

Can't wait for the next Cousins Day!

Dreams Realized

2011-11-12T13:45:00.000-08:00

Anyone who knows Scott knows that one of his dreams is to help design video games. And anyone who knows him knows the video game industry needs him. He is so creative, an excellent artist, and he looks at video games the way some people look at art. He sees every part as a separate element, and can tell you just about anything about any video game.

This week he reached a milestone in that dream. For the past 4 months Scott has been working for Activision in the Technical Requirements Group (if you want to know what that is, ask him. It's a good job but not super exciting). His group has been working on Modern Warfare 3, which was released this week. If you happened to be one of the 6.5 million people who bought the game (in the first day alone) you can look at the credits and see:

"Scott Smith"!! Yes, it is a very common name, but this is referring to Scott Michael Smith of Lakewood, California. This may not be quite his dream of designing games and characters for games, but it is one step toward that dream, and I know that one day he'll be there. We are all so proud of Scott!

6 Weeks Old and Loving Life!

2011-11-09T15:26:00.000-08:00

Today Penny had her first real smile! Luckily my phone was nearby so I caught a picture of it.
It's blurry because she was wiggling around, having a good ol' time.

She is a good baby, we've only had a couple of stumbling blocks, but we have figured them out pretty quick. She eats well and doesn't cry much. The only time she does cry is when she's hungry or lonely. She does not like to be left alone at all. In fact, her favorite way to sleep is cuddled up with Mommy or Daddy, or somewhere where there are lots of people talking (Grandma and Grandpa's with the cousins there or my Young Women class both work great). Really the only way to get her to sleep in her own bed is to get her good and asleep on one of us and then put her in her bed. But I don't complain much, because at least I have a way to get her to sleep.

She is the NOISIEST baby. Just call me when I'm feeding her. She eats loud, poops loud, sleeps loud and just makes noises when she's not doing anything. I LOVE those little noises.

Being a mom is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. But it is also the BEST thing by far. I wouldn't give it up for anything, and I'm so grateful Heavenly Father has entrusted me with this responsibility.

In other news...
I have no idea how long she was sleeping like this before we found her. We are bad parents.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T17:11:00.001-07:00

This year for Halloween Penny dressed up as a...

...chicken! We were the farmers.

We went to our ward Halloween party, where we ran into this guy:

And on Halloween, we went Trick or Treating with some family and friends.

She got to see her boyfriend, Austin:

Penny slept through it all but she did still get some candy (I tried not to but the guy seriously chased us to the next house until we took a handful of candy for the babies) and overall it was a successful first Halloween.

Have you ever seen a cuter chicken? :)

Penny's Blessing

2011-10-31T10:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had the opportunity to have Penny blessed at church. Scott gave her the blessing and all of our wonderful family came to it.

Grandpa and Grandma Dimick

Grandpa and Grandma Smith

"Grandpa and Grandma" Fisher

Great Grandma Fraser and Great Grandma Joyce

Proud Daddy- he did an awesome job blessing her. She was so good too, she didn't make a sound and didn't hurl all over (I was a little worried about that since I filled her up real good right before to keep her happy and quiet).

Penny in all her beauty:
The dress she wore is "The Blessing Dress". My mom was blessed in it, along with her 2 sisters and all of their daughters were blessed in it as well. Penny is the first from her generation to be blessed in it and number 13 overall.

The shoes she wore are new but special also, they were made for her by her Great Grandma Riner, and those may have to also become a blessing tradition- they were so cute and fit perfectly!

Her Aunt Melissa made the headband for her. The day before I realized that I didn't have any headbands that would match and fit and Melissa came to the rescue.

The firsts of 3 generations blessed in the dress:

I am so grateful for my beautiful, sweet little girl, for my wonderful husband who is worthy and honors his priesthood, and for all of our wonderful family for their love and support!

One Month

2011-10-25T11:45:00.000-07:00

Penny is one month old today!

This has been the fastest month of our lives, I can't believe how quickly it's gone by. She has brightened our home and made us happier than we knew was possible. She is such a good little girl. Parenthood definitely has its challenges, but we are enjoying it very much.

She makes the funniest faces, we get a kick out of just watching her and listening to all the noises she makes.

She's very strong and can already hold up her head on her own (sorry it's such a bad picture- of course once we got out the camera she stopped doing it).

As of 4 days ago she was 9lbs 12oz and 22 inches, up from 8lbs 4oz and 20 inches at birth. She's in the 70th percentile for weight but in the 90th for height. We love her!

Pumpkin Pictures

2011-10-17T12:17:00.000-07:00

Aunt Sarah took Penny's Halloween pictures this week:

Thanks, Sarah!

Firsts

2011-10-10T14:14:00.000-07:00

On Saturday Daddy actually had a day off! So we all got to spend the day together and it became a day of firsts. Penny got her first bath that morning, which she thought was ok...

...at first

But Daddy helped her feel better.

Once she was all clean, she got to go on her first outing: a walk around the block with Mommy and Daddy.

That night we got her all bundled up and Penny went on her first Mommy/Daddy date. One of Scott's favorite things is going to Naples and walking around at night with a flashlight, looking for "Sea Creatures". We'd done if tons of times as a couple and have always looked forward to going with our children someday. Unfortunately, Penny did not enjoy it as much as we did. She decided she had had enough of her car seat that day and was over it, so the trip was cut a little short and this was the only picture we got:
We are loving our little bundle and excited about many more firsts!

"Penny's" from Heaven

2011-10-03T14:54:00.000-07:00

She is here!

And she is perfect. The labor and delivery, however, was definitely not. On Wednesday (my due date) the doctor stripped my membranes since I still had not even had 1 contraction. She told me she would let me go 1 week late, that meant that I had until the following Wednesday for something to happen. I started having contractions that day, but they were very weak. On Friday she stripped them again. Then, she found out through ultrasound that the baby's bowels were starting to fill with meconium. We were worried that she would pass it during the delivery and aspirate it, possibly causing pneumonia. Because of this, we decided not to wait the whole week. She gave me through the weekend, and scheduled me to be induced at the hospital Monday morning. I really did not want to be induced, since I was planning on delivering naturally, and I knew that pitocin contractions could be completely miserable without pain meds. So, I started walking. I walked as much as possible Friday and Saturday. By Saturday evening I had just about given up on it starting on its own, when it did. So we tried to get a night's sleep (which was impossible for me due to the pain) and went to the hospital at 2am. I had planned to wait longer but the contractions were going down to my legs, making it very difficult to walk. I was only dilated to a 2 so they recommended I walk some more. I told them it was impossible for me to do so at that point, so they decided to give me the pitocin. The contractions were very painful and were in my abdomen, back and thighs. Fortunately, about that time I figured out that the pain in my legs went away if someone pressed as hard as they could on my adrenals. So poor Scott pushed so hard all night on my back that his hands were swollen the next day. Our moms both showed up at about 8 and helped Scott with that.

By 1 pm I was still only at a 4, after 18 hours of labor, with several of those hours being helped with pitocin, so they decided to break my water. When they did we found that the baby had passed the meconium. Breaking the water also dropped her right onto my cervix. During the last month or so of my pregnancy, she decided she wanted out but wasn't going to do it the old fashioned way, and would hit me in the cervix all the time. It's very pleasant, like being kicked in the crotch, inside the crotch. So of course when she did this while I was in labor it was no picnic. What's worse, it made me feel like I had to push. I was fighting it with everything I had- they say to blow when you are fighting pushing and I was doing that so much that they put me on oxygen. This is how I looked most of the night, but with someone pushing on my back.

The nurse kept checking to see if I had shot forward all of a sudden, but no matter how many times she checked me, I never went past a 4 1/2. At this point, I knew a c-section was looking more and more evident. The nurse told me around 4:00 the doctor was going to come in and talk to me, and I knew what she was going to say. She came in and told me that not only was I progressing very slowly, but the baby had passed meconium AND was "sunny-side-up", which was what was responsible for the extremely painful contractions, and would make it harder to get her out. On top of all that, her head was pushing on my cervix and both her head and my cervix were starting to swell. The doctor said she recommended a c-section and if we wanted to do it, we should do it now. Scott and I looked at each other, and then at our moms, who said they were not part of the decision and left the room. We decided to pray about it.

While I was preparing for this labor, sometimes I would think about if I ended up having to get a c-section. During these imaginings, my reaction was always the same: tears. But when we finished our prayer, we both had the same answer: get the baby out, and we both felt peace with it. I knew that if I said no, if would be for selfish reasons, and since I was about to become a mom, my days of being selfish were over; we had to think only about this child. So we told the doctor and they started prepping me right away, which was the worst part of the whole experience. They weren't going to give me the anesthetic until we got into surgery, so most of the prepping was done with no pain meds and the contractions continuing (which for the last few hours had been on top of each other with no break in between thanks to that lovely pitocin)- including placing a urinary catheter. And, I had to be on my back for it all, which not only was more painful in and of itself, but that meant no one could push on my back. Finally they wheeled me into surgery and gave me a spinal block, which was the weirdest thing I have ever felt. It made the contractions completely gone, but I would not recommend it. I hated looking at my feet and telling my toes to wiggle and having absolutely nothing happen. It freaked me out that if something happened- say an earthquake or whatever- there was no way I could even move at all. The nurses couldn't believe the change in my demeanor- they kept saying, "Who is this girl?" I went from not talking at all with my eyes shut, to being chatty and smiley.

They finally cut her out, which was a little frustrating. I was excited to see her but all I could do was listen as other people said, "She's so cute!" "Look at all that hair!", etc. I love this picture of her grand entrance into the world:
I kept trying to get Scott to videotape it so I could see it later, but he wouldn't. I did get the anesthesiologist to take some pictures.

Here we are meeting for the first time:
It was love at first sight.

Proud daddy:

Then, they took her to the nursery to monitor her for 3 hours before I could hold her. Here I am holding her for the first time:
We had a special visitor while we were there:
Dr. Finklestein! He was Scott's pediatric oncologist. He is a wonderful man who made it to our wedding and still keeps up with Scott. Scott was born at Long Beach Memorial and his cancer was also treated there, so it was significant for us that Penny be born there. It also made it convenient for Dr. F to stop by during his rounds.

We feel so fortunate to have this sweet spirit join our family. We are so excited about what the future brings, but enjoying these moments while we have them.

Introducing...

2011-09-26T02:39:00.000-07:00

Penelope Ann Smith

Born September 25, 2011 at 5:10pm

8Lbs, 4oz. 20 inches

Due date come... and gone

2011-09-23T13:01:00.000-07:00

Here I am on my due date:
Obviously I was not in the hospital having a baby. But I was not counting on that happening, so I wasn't too disappointed. I think Penny really wants to come out and doesn't know how. She is always beating away on my cervix and my pelvis, but I did not have even 1 contraction until Wednesday (my due date) after the doctor stretched my cervix. That did seem to help get things going, I started having weak contractions sporadically, but in the evening they became more regular and stronger. I thought Thursday might be the day, as I had contractions all night Wednesday night. But when I woke up Thursday morning they were gone. Apparently I'm just a night person, because the same thing happened yesterday: I had a few here and there throughout the day and then they started coming stronger and more frequently at night. And then, again, nothing this morning.

I had another doctor's appointment today, I was hoping she would say I was starting to dilate, but I was not counting on it. I was dilated to a ONE- so she stretched me a little more and stripped my membranes. Since then I have been having more contractions, and I'm really hoping they continue because If she's not here Monday then I will be induced.

By the way- has anyone looked at my counter? For some reason, on my due date it said "0 days", and then it started counting up!

Why I am glad I am having a girl:

Talk about timing.

Everyone has been giving me their labor tips: "When I had my baby I held my breath, and turned around 3 times while rubbing my belly- and that night I went into labor! Try it, it works!" I don't know about all these home remedies, but the one that seems to work best is walking, so I am off to (hopefully) walk this baby out!

Dog vs. Cat

2011-09-20T10:01:00.000-07:00

I love this! I think you will enjoy it even if you're not an animal person.

Entries in a dog's journal:

8:00 am - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
9:30 am - OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE!
9:40 am - OH BOY! A WALK! MY FAVORITE!
10:30 am - OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE!
11:30 am - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
12:00 noon - OH BOY! THE KIDS! MY FAVORITE!
1:00 PM - OH BOY! THE YARD! MY FAVORITE!
1:30 PM - ooooooo. bath. bummer.
4:00 PM - OH BOY! THE KIDS! MY FAVORITE!
5:00 PM - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
5:30 PM - OH BOY! MOM! MY FAVORITE!

Entries in a cat's journal:

DAY 752 - My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while I am forced to eat dry cereal. The only thing that keeps me going is the hope of escape, and the mild satisfaction I get from ruining the occasional piece of furniture. Tomorrow I may eat another house plant.
DAY 761 - Today my attempt to kill my captors by weaving around their feet while they were walking almost succeeded, must try this at the top of the stairs. In an attempt to disgust and repulse these vile oppressors, I once again induced myself to vomit on their favorite chair...must try this on their bed.
DAY 765 - Decapitated a mouse and brought them the headless body, in attempt to make them aware of what I am capable of, and to try to strike fear into their hearts. They only cooed and condescended about what a good little cat I was...Hmmm. Not working according to plan.
DAY 768 - I am finally aware of how sadistic they are. For no good reason I was chosen for the water torture. This time, however, it included a burning foamy chemical called "shampoo." What sick minds could invent such a liquid? My only consolation is the piece of thumb still stuck between my teeth.
DAY 771 - There was some sort of gathering of their accomplices. I was placed in solitary throughout the event. However, I could hear the noise. More importantly I overheard that my confinement was due to MY power of "allergies." Must learn what this is and how to use it to my advantage.
DAY 774 - I am convinced the other captives are flunkies and maybe snitches. The dog is routinely released and seems more than happy to return. He is obviously a half-wit. The bird, on the other hand, has got to be an informant, and speaks with them regularly. I am certain he reports my every move. Due to his current placement in the metal room his safety is assured. But I can wait; it is only a matter of time......

Baby Showers

2011-09-03T20:13:00.000-07:00

I was blessed to have FOUR baby showers, and we were blessed with lots of wonderful gifts!

The first one was thrown by my sister, Melissa, and my mom. Check out the refreshments!
We played a game called "Are these things for baby?" Everyone had to guess what the mystery white powder was in each bag. Here is my aunt Jayne and cousins Jamie and Jaycee playing.
My aunt Lisa made us this beautiful hooded towel, I had to model it.
And Melissa made this awesome banner that I love. Now it sits above Penny's bassinet.

The second shower was thrown by the Fishers (family in our ward that we have adopted ourselves into). We played more fun, goofy games :) This one was called (I think) Piddle in the Pot. Everyone had to put a balloon in their shirt and then carry a quarter between their knees and drop it into a cup. It's funny how much some of these girls actually look like they are pregnant- sorry Rachel.
Alisa was probably the best at this game- maybe because she just gave birth to twins 3 months ago.
The second game was Pass the pacifier- we had to pass a pacifier from person to person using straws in our mouths- much harder than it looks. Here are a few of my mia maids playing, it was so fun to have them there.
This super cute dress was crocheted for us by a sweet lady in our ward who we love, Sister Fitches. The picture doesn't do it justice, you need to come see it.
We have such talented family and friends- this diaper bag and ball was made by Leslie, and filled with all sorts of great stuff by her and her mother.
Probably the highlight of the shower: I opened up one present to find a blank card. Turns out the Fishers were so busy getting ready for the shower they accidentally put the card in their gift without signing it.
And then they did the same thing with the group gift- love you, Fishers!

The next shower was a surprise and boy was I surprised! I had been suspecting that my work was planning a surprise but I didn't think they were going to do it AT work in the middle of the day and I really wasn't expecting it on that particular day, even though I should have because everyone was showing up when they weren't even working for random reasons.
It was a yummy lunch shower and it was very fun!

The last shower was thrown by mother-in-law Nancy at Scott's Grandma's house. I thought this was the cutest thing:

SO cute- Godzilla hitchhiking to Tokyo- compliments of Allie.

Uncle Greg saved Scott- they were the only 2 men there. I wish I had a picture of Greg when he first walked in, he was carrying a bunch of girly baby presents and a purse.
We are so thankful to everyone! We had lots of fun and we appreciate the gifts so much!

Now her bed is made, the drawers and closets are stocked, the car seat is in the car and the hospital bags are packed. And since I officially started maternity leave today, I am actually feeling ready for this! Bring it on!

Cankles

2011-08-25T20:02:00.000-07:00

I am officially in my last month of my pregnancy (assuming that she doesn't decide to hang around too late) and I can't believe at how it has flown! Pregnancy has not been my favorite thing but it has gone by much faster than I expected.

She definitely has a mind of her own, she is always pushing on me, and I swear she is trying to break out. I feel her pushing and/or hitting my cervix every single day.

All in all, I think I've had a relatively easy pregnancy (although I don't think any pregnancy should be called that). The 1st trimester was no picnic, but it could have been much worse. And the 3rd trimester is getting difficult, I feel like everything hurts all the time, it's hard to even turn over in my sleep, everything is exhausting and I just love the swelling. BUT I haven't really had any of the extra problems that a lot of women have with their pregnancies. No kidney stones, no hemorrhoids, no gestational diabetes, no high blood pressure or bleeding problems, only one minor infection.

Everyone keeps asking me if I am ready to be done and I think they misunderstand when I say "no." No, I am not overly enjoying this- I am scared for the next step! We are just about all ready for her arrival but it is still overwhelming to think about. Taking care of another human being is a lot, but I think I'm mostly worried about the labor process. Everyone has such different labors that I get freaked out thinking about what it could be like. The unknown is definitely scary and let's be honest, you can prepare all you want for this, you're still never "ready"! We are just doing all we can and then praying a lot!

Overall, we love her lots and can't wait for her to be here.

Mormon Night with...

2011-08-01T07:41:00.000-07:00

Last week my family went to Mormon Night at Dodger Stadium. We love baseball games and we were told the opening pitch was going to be thrown by a member of the 12! We were super excited.

There were stakes from all over Southern California there- they announced that it was Mormon Night and that there were 4000 members there.

The National Anthem was sung by Joshua Creek.
And then it was time for the opening pitch, we were so excited to see if the rumor was true and find out who is was. We could see them bring out a group of people who were lined up waiting to be announced.

The first 4 were representatives of some of the stakes (we even knew one of them), the 5th one was going to be the umpire for the opening pitch, a representative for the Southern California stakes. The 6th one was catching the opening pitch, a member of the 70. And the 7th person, throwing the opening pitch was...

Elder Cook!

We were so excited to be there and so glad that the Church is getting positive publicity. The game was really fun, the Dodgers did terrible, but we're not Dodgers fans so we didn't care!

Old Friends and Good Food!

2011-07-16T16:06:00.000-07:00

Today I went to a baby shower for my best friend growing up, Dana. She lives in Utah now and I never get to see her, so it was really fun going to her shower. She is having twin boys, and she's due about the same time I am! It's funny how when we were growing up we would always plan on having babies at the same time- and we actually are! Somehow we are about the same size even though she's got 2 in there.
The shower was really fun, it was catered by Crepe Maker! We each got menus and got to pick from a bunch of different entree options and desserts, and then they made it right in front of us.

This one was mine:

Honey Mustard Chicken

This one was Penny's :) :

Steak Fajita

And we may have also both got the "To Die For" dessert:

Which seriously is. It's cheese cake, strawberries, bananas, nutella and whipped cream. Yum! This was such a fun idea for a party, I would highly recommend it.

And yes, I am taking advantage of this eating for 2 thing!

The Most Beautiful Baby Ever

2011-07-06T13:25:00.000-07:00

2nd anniversary

2011-06-23T12:10:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month we celebrated our 2nd anniversary. We spent a weekend in Laguna Beach, which is where our first unofficial date was, and also where we spent some of our honeymoon.
Scott's grandparents have an apartment a block from the beach, and we were lucky enough to stay there.

We try to stick with the traditions for anniversary gift-giving, and the 2nd year is cotton.

Scott got sheets (he hates the ones we had before so this was actually an exciting present for him).
Apparently he was having trouble trying to think of something cotton to get me, so he did more research and found out that the 2nd anniversary is also garnet, so I got this!:

We spent some time down at the beach, and the weather was perfect! We made sandwiches and had a picnic.

This is how a sandwich is done:

We had dinner at BJs, which is where we went on our first date and also where we went the night we got engaged.
We had yummy pizza and of course, saved room for one of these...

YUM!

These last 2 years have been great, I'm so thankful that I get to be married to such a wonderful man and wouldn't trade it for anything. Without a doubt, there has never been a dull moment and we can't wait for what's next!

The Eye of the Storm

2011-05-30T09:30:00.000-07:00

I am now 24 weeks, and feel like I am in "the eye of the storm". I am passed the miserably sick 1st trimester and enjoying the 2nd before I head into the miserably large 3rd trimester. I stopped being sick right at 13 weeks, and my energy came back around that point too. Before that, however, I learned that throwing up anything with milk is nasty, and throwing up in bed is not fun.

Baby Penny is growing well, and the doctor says she's strong for her age. She is already taking after her mother and showing her true colors. When I spoon Scott, she kicks him in the back. When he puts his mouth on my tummy to talk to her, she kicks him in the mouth. The doctor was trying to listen to her heartbeat 2 days ago, and she started kicking the doppler. We will have our hands full for sure! She is very active and also gets the hiccups a lot.

When we got our last ultrasound they saw something that they wanted to have checked out, so we got sent in for a level 3 anatomy scan, which just means another ultrasound with a radiologist and a doctor looking at it that they can charge you a lot of money for. Everything was fine with her, but it was kinda fun because we got another look at her. Here are a couple of shots from that:

In that last one she is sucking her finger, again, just like her mom. Oh yay. We are very excited for her to join us in a few months and already love her so much!

Yes, he did.

2011-05-28T18:37:00.001-07:00

So lucky to have him

2011-05-07T14:42:00.000-07:00

IT'S A...

2011-04-13T14:15:00.000-07:00

big...

beautiful...

healthy...

GIRL!!!

Update on Elder Dimick

2011-04-06T10:07:00.000-07:00

Elder Dimick has been in the field for 3 1/2 months now and he's doing great! He is such a hard worker, and he is really loving the people and the gospel. He spent the first 3 months in Illinois. Here he is, working hard:
This is one of my favorite stories from him:

"Whenever we call our mission president with a date, its a really fun and awesome experience. The reason it is, is because you would expect him to be serious business most of the time. He loves a good time though. Whenever we call President Hutchings to tell him we set another baptismal date, we just tell him we have something to ask him, ( the first time we asked him, what do we do when somebody wants to get baptized? ) and after we say that to him, we just start screaming in the phone! Its awesome! It doesn't even make sense why we would do this but we just start scream/cheering in the phone and he does it back! It is one of the most ridiculously awesome things ever!"

A month ago he got to do his first baptism, which he was very excited about:

"We decided I would be the one to tell President Hutchings about it. So I called him and I said hey president, I have a question. I said it in a semi-serious voice (we love making him worry over nothing) and then I asked, "what should I do if someone wants to get baptized?" And he replied something along the lines of, "Well Elder, tell them no, its too much paper work and it makes the water bill go up and it is just way too much work for all of us." I love him ! He loves joking around with us as well, and after that we did the normal screaming at each other in excitement. "

Last week he finally made it to Tennessee! He became a trainer and district leader! In his last email he said,

"Last Wednesday I heard about a guy passing away who was in our ward. The guy had been less-active for awhile, and it made me so sad that I wasn't able to bring him back to church. About a week before he passed away, he called us and told us that he wanted to feed us if we were ever around his house. We never got to see him because of how things worked out, and it was really sad that he was less-active. It kind of opened up my eyes, and made me realize that we need to really repent daily, and always be reading to go back to our home with God. A talk in general conference I heard, someone said that a person who is afraid to die, or thinks it will come too soon, is a person who is not living life how they should be. Do all of you feel like you are able to meet the Savior today, with how you are in life?"

We are so proud of him! Thanks for all the prayers and support!

Locks of Love

2011-04-01T09:51:00.000-07:00

15 inches

My 3rd time! It's easy to donate. You just need a minimum of 10 inches, and they'll take your hair even if it's dyed, etc. Click here to donate.

2nd trimester

2011-03-31T11:19:00.000-07:00

The second trimester is awesome! It hit right at the perfect time: when we got to New York! The nausea is gone and my energy is back! During the first trimester I would come home from work and go to bed. And sleep for the next 12 hours. I hated our house, because I didn't feel well enough to clean it very well, or to hardly put anything away. Now I am feeling great, and scrubbing the place from top to bottom! I am very much enjoying feeling good again so I can do one of my favorite things: organize. Now I love our house again! Here is my 15 week photo:
Yes, I'm in that wonderful stage where you just look FAT and not prego, and where all your regular clothes won't fit anymore but the maternity clothes are still too big. We've heard the baby's heart beat (now we know it's a human being and not a tumor), and we have another appointment tomorrow, but we probably won't find out the sex for another month. We are stockpiling baby clothes and trying to clear out things to make room for another person here. We are very excited and loving it all!

Highlights of New York

2011-03-25T10:27:00.000-07:00

My aunt Stacey and her 3 kids (it may have been just a little bright out), in front of their apartment in Manhattan:

The World Trade Center being rebuilt:

Our view from the top of the Empire State Building:

Visiting Central Park:

The kids sword fighting in Central Park:

There may have been a couple of injuries...

Time Square:

"Rexie" (from Night in the Museum) in the Natural History Museum:

Goofing off in the Natural History Museum:

Enjoying our delicious New York hot dogs from Gray's Papaya

We had a great time! Thanks Singletons!

Scott's Birthday Adventure Weekend

2011-02-23T09:29:00.000-08:00

This year for Scott's birthday, I told him I wanted to plan a whole weekend for him. I told him what days to take off work and that was all! We started it off by going to look at this little guy:
That was fun because it was his first time seeing the baby. This was the only part of the weekend he knew anything about.

Then, we got in the car and Scott had no clue where we were going, so he kept guessing the whole way. We ended up at Nick's Deli for the best breakfast burritos EVER.
Great way to start off a birthday adventure weekend.

We got in the car again, and kept driving, and driving. And the guessing was non stop! He would say, "I know where we're going." And then we would change freeways, or pass an exit and he would say, "Huh? OK, well NOW I know where we're going!"
We kept driving up the coast, and it was such a beautiful day for it! He was really confused because I told him he didn't need to pack anything, and we seemed to be driving pretty far (I was sneaky and packed for him).
Finally, we pulled off here, in Solvang!
And into this awesome hotel!

Solvang Gardens

Anyone who is thinking about going there, stay at this hotel! It was such a great hotel and a really good deal! If you can go during the week it costs much less.

We got a king suite, here is our living room.
Notice the fire place!
Our bedroom:
And the bathroom!
BIG jacuzzi tub!

Behind the rooms they have a beautiful garden.

The pictures don't do it justice. And since we went on a Thursday in the winter we never even saw another person in the gardens.
After exploring our hotel, we went to explore the town. The nice thing about Solvang is that everything is bunched together in a few blocks, so you can walk and get everywhere in town!

Scott decided that since this bakery had a family name of his, he was related and they had to give him free pastries.

That night the pregnancy monster hit when we were trying to figure dinner out. Scott wanted a burger and I wanted a salad and a strawberry milkshake. Luckily, we found the Big Bopper! It was a 50's style restaurant where we could both get what we wanted. And it was very yummy.
The next day, we got to enjoy more beautiful scenery on the drive home.

That was not the end of the birthday adventure. We got home Friday evening and took it easy, and then I told him we had more planned Saturday night.

He was very excited when we pulled up to:
But he said, "We should have invited our friends!" I said, "You're right! We should have!" Then we walked in and saw these guys:

His best buds, Michael and George, and their wives, Allie and Genna.

Everyone had tons of fun and after we all pitched in our tickets and got Scott:
A KitKat, rubber walrus and tiny back scratcher!
Afterward, we all headed to our place to celebrate the birthday boy with his favorite cake. I sure am grateful that this guy was born and for all the happiness he brings me in my life!

Our newest (and scariest) Adventure

2011-02-15T19:07:00.000-08:00

That's right, 2 lines means positive! We found out a month ago that we will be having our first baby! I am 9 weeks right now and the baby is due September 21st. Of course September, because that's when everyone in our family's birthdays are, including mine. We are so grateful for this baby though, and even though September is not the month I would've picked, we know Heavenly Father knows what he's doing. For instance, he saved us a bundle of money on insurance premiums since this pregnancy starts and ends the same year!

The 8 week photo

This is how we told our families:

Scott designed this onesie and it has been sitting in our closet for 6 months, hoping it would get used soon!

I have been feeling pretty lousy, I throw up everyday, luckily just once in the morning, but I feel bad ALL DAY. And i am SO TIRED. Sometimes I come home from work and go to bed, and don't wake up til it's time for work the next day (usually about 11 hours) and I still feel tired that morning! I haven't been enjoying it and thinking that women who say, "I just love being pregnant!" are crazy, but today I listened to Elder Wirthlin's talk called, 'Come what May and Love it.' It is seriously such an awesome talk and it made me think, I'm so grateful I am sick! I'm so grateful that we've been given this sweet spirit to take care of, and I'm grateful that my body is healthy and strong enough to care for it. I'm also grateful for all the bad physical things that are coming with the territory because I know everything is normal. I even have a little bump!

Scott is just going to be the best daddy ever. Not only does every child LOVE him, but he has been so amazing ever since I got pregnant. He has really stepped up to take care of me and our home. I'll come home from work and the house is cleaned, or the dishes done (which is my job), or the grocery shopping has been done. And he has been so patient with the fact that I don't want to eat normal meals. We're both very excited! (and maybe scared)

We thought we were safe from TPing...

2011-02-12T12:44:00.000-08:00

...because we live in a back house. Not true.

Free to a Good Home

2011-01-12T09:43:00.000-08:00

We are getting rid of our trusty futon, does anyone want it? We've had it since we got married a year and a half ago and before that it belonged to my aunt and is in very good condition. It opens up to a double. Personally I think it's the most comfortable futon I've ever been on and yes, I had slept on it numerous occasions before it became ours. On the flip side, Scott hates it and thinks it's not comfortable at all. So come sit on it and tell us who is right, and then take it with you if you like it.Also, everyone knows how in love with this I am:
Scott got me the extended version for Christmas so we have our original copy that we don't need anymore. There is one BluRay disc and one DVD.

Welcome 2011

2011-01-01T13:30:00.000-08:00

To welcome in 2011 we had a fondue party. Some of the world's funnest people were there, so we had an awesome time.

We started the evening off with some cheese fondue, which turned into a cheese experiment. I followed the directions perfectly but somehow the cheese was clumping instead of melting. Luckily we had Michael the culinary expert there who tried to help us out but it was almost beyond even him. We ended up putting it all in a blender to see if that would fix it. It was edible, but just barely.

If someone knows what I did wrong, please tell me. These sweet people all ate it anyway.

Of course we were rocking out to Rock Band 3 (which is really fun with the keyboard) all night.

Check out Kellie, the groupie.

Look at this teamwork from Ryan and Madison.

And how cute are these 2 twins? They will be married one week from today!

The chocolate fondue was next, which was as good as the cheese was bad. It was SUPER easy and delicious, for anyone who wants the recipe!

The highlight of the evening was when it was nearing midnight, and we got to witness the ball dropping, live! In our house!!

All in all, it was an awesome New Year's Eve and we're ready to take on 2011!

Christmas

2010-12-31T09:02:00.000-08:00

We had a really great Christmas, we were able to spend it with lots of family and we got some really great presents. I would like to post all of them, but I don't know if you would enjoy that as much as I would. So here are a few highlights.

We got Despicable Me- complete with the little guys' goggles, which Scott loved.
Dustin (soon-to-be brother-in-law) got this disgusting giant gummy bear from his bride-to-be.

He took a bite out of it and then lost it. So if you see a giant green gummy bear running around, you know where to return it to.

It was a great Christmas and we can't wait for the new year!

Boutique This Weekend

2010-11-28T20:33:00.000-08:00

All are invited! This Friday night and Saturday morning/afternoon in Cypress. There will be lots of talented people with crafts there. I'll be selling some of these:

I have generic ones with the temple or I can do custom prints with your wedding/family picture. See you there!

Adventures at Target

2010-11-11T07:43:00.000-08:00

The other day Scott and I were at Target and he was trying on some clothes in the dressing room. I told him to come out and show me how it looked. That's when he discovered that when you shut the dressing room door, it doesn't open again. He tried to squeeze under but his head wouldn't even fit.Then he thought about just pushing over the cheap cardboard walls of the dressing room. Luckily we figured out that if he grabbed the handle from the inside and pushed, and if I grabbed from the outside and pulled, the thing would pop open.

Moral of the story: if you're at the Lakewood Target, don't go in the dressing room, especially if you're alone!

Gratitude

2010-11-03T07:31:00.001-07:00

November is Thanksgiving Month so I am going to try to blog about some things I am thankful for. Since yesterday was election day I have been thinking about how grateful I am to be able to vote, and for the country we live in.

I know to some people voting doesn't even seem like a privilege, in fact some people don't vote at all because they figure their vote doesn't matter against the millions of other votes. But think about this- If all the people who don't vote did, would it change our elections? Every vote counts.

Our forefathers fought and died so that we could have a free country, and choose for ourselves who our leaders would be and what laws would govern us. And our foremothers fought for the right of us women to be able to do the same. I am so thankful for their courage and strength to do that for us.

So even if the person that I voted for doesn't win, or that proposition that I voted against passes, I am still grateful for the opportunity to make my voice heard, and for the wonderful country we live in.

Who Did It?

2010-10-30T16:03:00.000-07:00

Was it Colonel Mustard with the rope?

...Or Miss Scarlet with the candlestick?

...Or Professor Plum with the poison?

Happy Halloween from the cast of "Clue"!

I like my hands the way they are.

2010-10-19T20:29:00.001-07:00

I love my job (veterinary technician) and love the animals I get to take care of. Of course, not all of the animals are real keen on the idea of me taking care of them. Occasionally we will get an animal that needs one of these on its chart:

This means that the animal has, at some point, shown signs of aggression and to never let your guard down when treating it. Some are not that nice.

Pretty self-explanatory.

Some really want our blood.

But this one takes it to a whole new level.

Enough said.

When are you going to stop asking socially awkward questions?

2010-10-14T20:22:00.000-07:00

Recently I was talking to my sister about one of our pet peeves as young marrieds: when people ask, "When are you going to have a baby?" It is irritating because it is none of their business, and for couples who are trying without success, it can be especially frustrating. To deal with this question we came up with some creative responses.
Note: we acknowledge that everyone has been guilty of this at one time or another, including ourselves, so this is merely for comedy's sake, and not aimed at anyone in particular!

Random person: "When are you going to have a baby?"
Young married couple: -"What? We're supposed to do that? Can you tell me how?"
-(breaks down crying) "I just had my ovaries removed!"
-"Actually, we're trying! In fact just last night we..." (goes into graphic story)
-"When are you going to have a baby?"
-"(spouse's name) just left me!" (leaves sobbing)
-"Once Blargon succeeds in his plans to take over the world!"

Anyone have anymore good ones? I'm running out of things to say at church every week!

Imagine

2010-10-08T17:26:00.000-07:00

I really like the song Imagine by John Lennon. It has a great tune and a good meaning behind it. I was thinking about the words today, and when I imagine these things I feel very different about them than Lennon probably did.

Imagine there's no Heaven
That is just downright depressing!
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Only sky??
Imagine all the people
Living for today
That's pretty scary!

Imagine there's no countries
I love my country! Well, Lennon was a Brit.
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
But then why are we here?
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
Even though we have nothing left to live for.

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Ever read The Giver?

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
Now this, I like.

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
This kind of sounds like some crazy Socialist world.

Like I said, I do like this song. But while Lennon pictured these things as the ideal world, I like the song because it helps me to see what's great about the world now, and how scary it would be if all those things we live for and love were gone!

Conference...

2010-10-03T21:03:00.000-07:00

All were uplifted and edified. And rested.

All You Need is Love

2010-10-01T21:15:00.000-07:00

After 26 years of being a member of the church, I am just beginning to learn what it is all about. Last week President Monson gave a talk at Women's Conference that has changed me. He spoke about judging vs. loving others. He said, "None of us is perfect. I know of no one who would profess to be so. And yet for some reason, despite our own imperfections, we have a tendency to point out those of others. "

Click here to watch it.

I know I have been guilty of unrighteous judgment way too many times. It is so bad for us! It gets in the way of making new friends, of current relationships progressing, of missionary moments, of helping people who truly need help, and so on. Since I watched this talk and realized the gravity of this sin that we so often overlook, I have committed myself to saving the judging for the only one who is qualified for it. And since doing so, I have been so much happier! It was a simple act but I feel a huge difference. In removing my judgments I have made room for the spirit.

Once we stop judging people we can truly begin to love them, and in doing so, love the Savior. "Charity is having patience with someone who has let us down. It is resisting the impulse to become offended easily. It is accepting weaknesses and shortcomings. It is accepting people as they truly are. It is looking beyond physical appearances to attributes that will not dim through time. It is resisting the impulse to categorize others."

I can't wait for the rest of conference this weekend!

I love this video

2010-09-07T21:12:00.000-07:00

You are hereby called to serve in the...

2010-09-03T20:43:00.000-07:00

My little brother (18 years old and 6 feet tall), Jacob, recently put in his mission papers to serve a full time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He received his call in the mail today and we all gathered for the big opening. Here it is!

Nashville, Tennessee! He reports to the Provo MTC on December 8. We are so excited and so proud!

Reuniting

2010-08-12T21:26:00.000-07:00

Scott edited this video clip of Christian the Lion. It is of Christian reuniting with his owners after being separated when he was sent to the compound. This is what I think Rainbow Bridge will be like.

10 things I learned at Girls Camp

2010-08-08T16:58:00.000-07:00

1. Teenage girls will literally die if they don't have their cell phones.
2. Getting 5 hours of sleep every night for a week is not fun.
3. Making friendship bracelets is fun.
4. It's really scary to run into a pack of coyotes at night when you're alone.
5. The Young Women in my ward are the best teenage girls anywhere.
6. It's hard to leave your husband for a week.
7. Just when you feel like you have learned every single camp song in the world and there can't possibly be anymore, they start singing a new one.
8. Tampons can stop nose bleeds.
9. I am in no rush to have children.
10. Teenage girls can be some of the meanest people alive, but if they want to be they can also be some of the sweetest and most helpful.

I have the BEST husband!

2010-08-06T18:29:00.000-07:00

I got home from girls camp today and...

The sink is empty.
The dish rack is empty.
The piles of video games and movies are off the floor.
The bed is made.
Everything is dusted.
Scott's dresser is clutter-free. (For the first time in a year)
The floor is clean.
There is a bouquet of flowers on the table along with a sweet card.

It sure is nice after chasing around a bunch of 15-year-olds all week!

Our DTR

2010-07-17T08:39:00.001-07:00

There comes a point in every relationship to have the DTR. For those not familiar with this acronym, it stands for "Define The Relationship". It is the discussion where you find out where the relationship is going, what the other party wants out of the relationship, and at the end you are usually either a new couple, or on the way out. Either way it's usually an important step.

Back when we were first dating, our DTR went like this:

Scott- "Are you mine?"
Christy- "Yeah."
Scott- "Ok, I'm yours too."

And they lived happily ever after.

Saying Goodbye

2010-07-15T18:48:00.000-07:00

*Disclaimer: skip this post if you have never loved an animal- this means you, Sarah! ;)

Throughout my life, I have had to say goodbye to some very loved furry friends. And, working in a pet hospital, I have to say goodbye, almost on a weekly basis, to those pets who have claimed a piece of my heart. It never gets easier, and sometimes we wonder if owning a pet is even worth it. Recently I had to say goodbye to a very special dog who has stolen my heart. It was not easy to hold him as he passed, and hug him as he licked my arm even though he was in pain. I will always miss him but I am so glad for him he is not hurting anymore, because his last few months were not easy ones.

When our clients lose a loved pet, we give them this poem to offer some comfort. I love it, and after 4 years, still can't read it and not cry.

By the edge of a woods, at the foot of a hill,
Is a lush, green meadow where time stands still.
Where the friends of man and woman do run,
When their time on earth is over and done.
For here, between this world and the next,
Is a place where each beloved creature finds rest.
On this golden land, they wait and they play,
Till the Rainbow Bridge they cross over one day.
No more do they suffer, in pain or in sadness,
For here they are whole, their lives filled with gladness.
Their limbs are restored, their health renewed,
Their bodies have healed, with strength imbued.
They romp through the grass, without even a care,
Until one day they start, and sniff at the air.
All ears prick forward, eyes dart front and back,
Then all of a sudden, one breaks from the pack.
For just at that instant, their eyes have met;
Together again, both person and pet.
So they run to each other, these friends from long past,
The time of their parting is over at last.
The sadness they felt while they were apart,
Has turned into joy once more in each heart.
They embrace with a love that will last forever,
And then, side-by-side, they cross over… together.

4th of July in Southern California...

2010-07-05T20:33:00.000-07:00

...is not supposed to be this cold.

Ode to Pacific Star

2010-06-27T09:44:00.001-07:00

We have this burger place 4 doors down from us. It's called Pacific Star (I really don't know why, that's a random name for a burger place and we're not even close to the ocean or anything) and it's awesome. This is how close it is to us, picture taken from our driveway:

We call in our order, walk there and by the time we get there it's ready. Then we walk back to our house and eat it at home and it's still fresh. AND they are really awesome burgers and they have never messed up our order once. Awesome food and super convenient. What more could you ask for?

Last time we went to eat there we saw THIS on the door:
As you can imagine, we are not happy. Now we don't know where we are going to eat when we are craving a delicious burger and are feeling kind of lazy. Luckily we got to have one last burger there before they leave us.

Savor it or scarf it?

Highlights of Mexico

2010-06-25T10:45:00.000-07:00

The newest Missionary

2010-06-21T21:19:00.000-07:00

This weekend we had the opportunity to go see this guy's mission farewell.

This is my cousin Michael, who is super fun and going to be an awesome missionary. 2 summers ago he lived with my family for the whole summer and we had tons of fun. After he moved back up north with his family, he came all the way down for my wedding, so of course we had to go up to Spokane, Washington for his farewell.

It was so beautiful there. We went on a hike and here is some of what it looks like there:

Afterward, we went to downtown Spokane and got to see some of the sights.

This goat has a button near it that when you push it, it activates a super strong vacuum that picks up all the trash in front of its mouth.

This is possibly the world's largest Radio Flyer.

Here is the awesome family we got to stay with all weekend.

We love the Frasers! They have an incredible house with an even more incredible view. Scott decided we need to move there. I told him that would be a possibility if he could find a job that would pay enough for both of us. I'm not too worried. When we were packing Michael told us the weather could be unpredictable. That was well-put. It went from hot and sunny, to sprinkling and lightning, to sunny and warm, to POURING.

Michael reports to the MTC to serve in the Baguio, Philippines Mission. That is pretty close to Sandy's mission, which is cool since they are friends, and will be able to talk about all of us in Tagalog when they get home.

We're so proud of both of them and excited for those lucky Filipinos!

Ole!

2010-06-13T20:45:00.000-07:00

We survived Mexico! We had a blast and we will try to post some pictures soon to share with you all of our fun. I just have to share one thing right now.

That's right. Someone got himself a Lucha Libre mask. And is very proud of it.

Happy Memorial Day!

2010-05-31T19:58:00.000-07:00

My family has a tradition every Memorial Day. We go to Westminster Memorial Park where they have a program to honor those who served our country. It's a great program with speakers, patriotic musical numbers, etc.

Our whole family goes and we have lots of fun.

The Boy Scouts place American flags on the graves of all the veterans, and everyone dresses in red, white and blue.

Afterward, we visit the graves of our family members. We have a kit we bring every year that includes: a water pitcher and paper towels to clean dirt off, digging tools to clear weeds, and lots of flowers.

My grandma's mother's name was Iris, so she placed an iris on her grave. She also told her parents, "You'd better be taking care of my sweetheart!" This year was a little different since my grandpa, who comes with us every year, passed away a few weeks ago. We not only got to visit his grave this time, but the Marines were waiting at my grandpa's grave for us. Since my grandpa joined the Marines when he was 18, they were there to salute him and his family.

They opened an American flag and held it open over my grandpa's grave while the soldiers gave a 21 gun salute (which Grandpa would've loved, since he was an avid gunman).
After, they folded it back up, and another soldier played Taps.
Then, they presented the flag to my grandma, on behalf of the President of the United States, and the Marine Corps.

It was a wonderful ceremony and very touching to be a part of. I'm so thankful to be a part of this country and for all the men and women who work so hard for our country to be what it is. We will forever be in their debt.

Of course, Memorial Day just isn't complete without a pool party and barbeque. So we all headed over to the Dimicks' for some food and fun. Scott and I had our underwater camera, so that added to the fun.

Memorial Day is a great time to have fun, spend time with family and just take a break. I am so grateful for this holiday because it also reminds me to give tribute to those who have gone before us, and to be thankful for this country we live in. It truly is the greatest country in the world. God bless America!

Our Kitchen

2010-05-28T14:53:00.000-07:00

When we got engaged and started gathering things for our first home, we decided (or I decided and Scott went along with it) that our kitchen would be ladybug-themed. We've been lucky that ladybugs are somewhat in right now and so there are lots of ladybug things available, and that our friends and family members have been very generous and helped it come together. We just wanted to share some of our treasures!

Our salt and pepper shakers and matching cookie jar, compliments of Nancy/Mom.

Scrubber holder (or whatever you call those things), complements of sister Sarah.

Ladybug mixing bowl set, a shower gift from a family friend back in the home ward.
One of my favorites, an apron that my Grandma Fraser made for me. One of the best things about it is she made the pocket on the left side since I'm left-handed!

Another homemade favorite: my sister Melissa made these red and black "Home" blocks for our house last Christmas. She knows we don't have much room in our apartment so...

They double as Christmas decorations if you flip them around! They're so awesome.

Last but not least, this cute little ladybug picture frame that I got at Michael's for 3 bucks.

We can't wait to get a bigger place (even though we are no rush to leave our little "cottage" that we love) so we can get more ladybug stuff! Thanks to everyone for the gifts!

It's a bird, it's a plane...

2010-05-20T22:00:00.000-07:00

It's a graduate! That's right, folks, after nearly 8 years of procrastination, tomfoolery and indecisiveness the time has finally come! I'm (Scott) getting my Associate's Degree! The day of celebration is this Wednesday at 6pm at Cypress College. All are welcome to come!

Dedicated to John David Fraser

2010-05-09T21:02:00.000-07:00

On Thursday my grandpa went back into the hospital. Of course we were all worried about him but checking into the hospital was nothing new for him. Friday morning my grandma told us she had received a strong impression that we should all visit with him sometime that day. An hour or so later his doctor informed us he didn't expect him to make it through the weekend. So we all got out of work and went to visit with him. At noon he was given a priesthood blessing that said, "You've endured to the end and we give you a blessing of peace." We visited with him throughout the day, during which he understood us and would nod or shake his head, but was too weak to speak to us. We could tell he didn't have much longer. Between seven and eight the critical care unit doesn't allow visitors, but they made an exception for us and allowed my grandma, mother and aunt to stay with him. Scott and I figured this was a good time to do our laundry before going back. We were in the laundromat when we received word he had passed on. We were glad that he would no longer be in pain but knew we would miss him so much. There was nothing to do about it immediately so we sat in the laundromat, folding our laundry and crying. I'm sure we looked insane.

My grandpa lived a great life. He received multiple college degrees and was an avid hunter, photographer and biker (both bicycles and motorcycles).

He was a professional photographer, and at one point worked as the Director of Photography for CBS.

In 1957 he was married to my grandmother and started the Fraser family, having 4 children who all married in the temple.

My grandparents have always been an inspiration and an example to me of being good spouses, parents and servants of the Lord. I will always be grateful to them and try to follow their examples. I am so grateful for temples and look forward to being reunited with my grandpa, and the rest of our family, in paradise.

Bon Voyage!

2010-05-06T18:51:00.000-07:00

One month from today we'll be on this ship:

Celebrating that this happened 11 months ago from today:

And finally enjoying our honeymoon!

Wishing we were Blue

2010-04-22T21:10:00.000-07:00

We hereby proclaim: Avatar= Best Movie Ever! We saw it in theaters four times (3D of course). And we didn't stop because we were sick of it. We stopped because all of our movie tickets we had gotten for Christmas ran out. Well, when I say "we" I mean "I". Scott loves it too but not like I do. He is very understanding and supportive of my addiction though.
So, after the fourth and final time, like the wonderful husband he is, he reserved the BluRay on Amazon. And ever since then, we have been counting down to the day it will arrive, April 22nd... which just so happens to be today!

That's right, we are now proud owners of Avatar. And the best part, for our twenty bucks, we not only got the BluRay, but it came with a DVD! Soooooooooooo, if you happen to be one of the few people who still haven't seen it, then it's your lucky day! Because we not only happen to have it on both kinds of discs (for whichever kind of player you have, but hopefully you do have BluRay because seriously, it is so much better), but we would love to watch it with you!

Almost worth getting sick

2010-04-17T19:26:00.001-07:00

My Grandma and Grandpa Fraser are some of the best people I know. They are a great example of a good marriage and being strong members of the church. My grandma is so selfless and hard-working. My grandpa is so smart and funny and he knows so many things. They both care so much about their family. Last July we had a party for my mom's 50th birthday. The theme was "Things that happened in 1959." My grandparents represented Alaska being admitted to the Union.
Aren't they cute? My grandpa has some of the best stories, but we don't always take the time to listen to them. We are so busy sometimes we miss out on the stories about when he was 15 and he would take his dog and gun and hitchhike to go hunting. Or when he was a kid and traded his grandpa's sword (a real 4 foot sword from a war) and traded it to another kid for a horse. Or about the time when he opposed a bishop in stake conference. Or a billion others!

My grandpa has always had health problems and a few weeks ago he ended up in the hospital. He was transferred to a nursing home, which he was released from today. We all tried to visit him as much as possible. Scott and I were able to go visit him last night. We listened to his stories and were looking for an exit a little after ten, since we both had to work in the morning. Of course, none came. Grandpa is really good at keeping his stories going. We finally managed to sneak out about 10:45. When we were saying goodbye, he thanked us for coming. And then he said, "It is almost worth getting sick to be able to have so many good talks with my grandkids."

In the last couple of years when I have thought about the time when he will no longer be with us, I thought that I will probably regret not listening to him more. But I didn't think about what he has been missing out on by not being able to share his knowledge and experience. So remember, life is short!

Kiwan-who?

2010-03-29T22:27:00.000-07:00

As we were grocery shopping tonight, Scott decided that he needed fruit. He doesn't like fruit so this was a little strange, but every now and then I guess his body needs the vitamins and he craves it. But since he doesn't like actual fruit he was trying to get every kind of juice the store had. Then we went into the produce section and he sees this:

This is a kiwano. And it's weird. The sign says that it doesn't bruise, that it is sweet and tart and that it tastes like a banana and a cucumber. And it's $2.99 a piece, so I said no way, what if it's gross? But he really wanted to try it. So...

Here is Scott with his new favorite thing. Also, notice the mustache that only has a few more days with us.

We bought the thing and cut it open, not sure what we would find...

But really not expecting this. Now what? Well, we just paid 3 bucks for the thing, so now it's time to figure out how to eat it!

Ok, this thing is seriously weird. First, it's majorly gelatinous. I mean, you could hold it upside-down and it would stay put. Also, it's mostly seeds. There's not much fruit to speak of at all. So, like any good man, Scott figures out a way to eat it!

It doesn't taste like cucumbers at all. It does taste like bananas, but it also tastes like kiwis. And like seeds. And, just to save you all the trouble, it is so not worth all the work!

March-stache

2010-03-07T20:11:00.000-08:00

In honor of testicular/prostate cancer awareness month, it is Mustache March! Scott has started growing his, and here it is!All men (and any women who can) should join in recognizing this month, and post the pictures of the progress of your 'stache!

Come Play With Us!

2010-03-03T22:05:00.000-08:00

We just got a new video game (big surprise). It's a new Rockband of a small band that maybe you've heard of before:

This game is so groovy you wouldn't believe it. It also has all kinds of stuff you never knew about the Beatles. Here are some screenshots from the game:

And, after you play this game, you feel like you know what it is like to do drugs.

Last night we played the game for the first time and we decided we needed to commemorate the occasion somehow. So we dressed up 60's style.

Disclaimer to those who lived through the 60's: This is the best we could do on a moment's notice and without a trip to Goodwill!

George

Ringo

I decided that my hair was more 70's than 60's so I had to change it. Hopefully the people who lived through the 60's will approve.

In summary, this game is really fun and you should come play it with us, and it definitely is more fun when you dress for the occasion.

The Dimicks' Christmas Present

2010-01-11T08:38:00.000-08:00

Every year for Christmas, my Grandma Riner gives us all money to do something fun with. To spend this year's Christmas present we all got together last Saturday and had some In-N-Out for lunch.

After lunch we all went bowling. Sam and TT got the 6 pound balls and a lane with bumpers.

Of course, the bowling alley just has too many possibilities for a 2-year-old, and we ended up chasing TT all over that place.

He is an expert bowler. Here is a video that shows the true chaos of the bowling alley. It also shows how long it takes a 2-year-old to get a 6 pound down the lane, even with a good kick from Heidi.

After bowling we all headed over to BJ's for Pizookies!

We all shared this yummy, massive party platter.

After bowling, Sam and TT were so tired they didn't even have any.

I never thought the day would come that these 2 would refuse sweets.

We had an awesome time, thanks Grandma!

Christmas Eve and Day

2009-12-26T08:38:00.000-08:00

Our first Christmas as a married couple was successful! We were able to visit both families on both days and we had a good time! Christmas Eve we went to Grandma and Grandpa Fraser's (Christy's) and did the traditional stuff there complete with a white elephant gift exchange. People play the game some different ways, some get stuff from their house that they are dying to get rid of but can't throw away and then wrap it up. Others (maybe the ones who are lucky enough not to have anything under that category) go to the store and buy things specifically for the game that are sometimes random, but usually good gifts. Scott and I were lucky enough to pick games from those kind of people, we got a game and a movie, both good ones. TT was also lucky, with his playdo.

Some, not so much. But it made the game so much more fun. Like when TT's brother, Sam, opened up a pair of flamingo salt and pepper shakers.

Don't you love his "smile for the camera" face? In all truthfulness, Sam actually loved his "birds".

Jacob also got an awesome gift: a twilight shirt. Just what he wanted.

Good thing it didn't say "Team Edward".

After all the goofy gifts, we gave Grandma and Grandpa a scrap book with everyone's testimonies written in it.

Afterward, we went to Grandpa Fred's and Grandma Dode's (Scott's) for their Christmas Eve. Everyone was sharing stories, talents and things they have been up to the last year. Unfortunately we came in late and couldn't easily squeeze ourselves in the room so we listened from the hallway and chased Carter around. We had lots of fun though.

The highlight of the night: we got to talk to Sandy! She sounded great and it was so weird talking to her on the phone, I felt like she was just over at her friend's house, goofing around. She is an awesome missionary and we are all so proud of her.

Christmas morning was great! We woke up in our apartment together, read Luke 2, and then got to open our presents from each other. Here's the loot:

We did pretty well!

I know what you're thinking: "What kind of a gift is a keyboard for a husband to get his wife? Especially when they already have one?" An awesome one! I HATE Scott's keyboard. It's one of those rounded ones with the letters split down the middle. I can't type on that thing at all! And every time I use it I tell him how much I hate it, so he was so sweet as to get rid of that thing and get a new one :)

My favorite part of the gifts from Scott was how he spent 3 hours in Target trying to decide what to get me, what color and if I was really going to like that or should he switch it for something else. Yes, he's a tad bit indecisive but it is sweet.

Here's another awesome gift from him:

Most people when they were unable to find the gift before Christmas, would just write out an IOU for one. Not Scott. I am now the proud owner of this artist's rendering of The Prestige/ an IOU for the movie.

Yes, we both got each other the same game. If your birthday is coming up, watch out! One of these babies might be coming your way!

After all the gift opening at our house, we headed over to our parents' houses where there was more gift opening. When we got to the Smiths' house they were still on their way home so we waited on the porch. We were looking at how beautiful their tree looked in the frontyard and thought it would be the perfect time to shoot some lovely fall pictures. Of course we used the timer on the camera which doesn't always turn out so great.

Overall, we had an awesome Christmas and can't wait for next year! Many thanks to all the people who gave us gifts, let us into their homes this holiday and have been there throughout the year. We love you all!

2nd Annual Gingerbread House Party

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

Last night we had a great opportunity to see some old friends and to have the 2nd Annual Gingerbread House Party! A couple of years ago we were just a bunch of single people, in the singles ward, hanging out whenever possible. Unfortunately, life has that way of making you grow up and saying goodbye to old friends. In the past 6 months, 2 couples (including us) have gotten married and another one has gotten engaged, not to mention that everyone seems to be moving all over the country. Our wonderful friend, Kristen, hosted the party along with her husband, Matt.

This year we made Gingerbread trees, which were very fun. Alex's and Kristen's turned out great.

Jared's, not so much.

He thought it was a good idea to pour the little candies over the tree instead of placing them on it. Hardly any of them actually stuck, so Jared picked up the ones that didn't roll off the table onto the floor, and threw them at his tree.

You have to give him props for trying though, some people gave up and just played Wii Sports. Guess who that was.

It was a very fun night though and I can't wait to see them next year!

Congratulations to Kari and Dave for getting engaged, for getting all the way through the engagement story, and for being a trooper and staying all night even though Dave was sick.

Worst Stocking Stuffer EVER!

2009-12-21T20:46:00.000-08:00

This has to be the worst commercial on television. The sad thing is, it's not meant to be funny! That poor man, he will never date another woman in his life or every woman he does date will accept all his gifts with hesitance.

A Night in Naples

2009-12-13T22:35:00.000-08:00

So, this evening, we (Steve, Ashley, Christy and I) decided to go take a nice little walk around Naples, Long Beach.

The residents of Naples have a tradition of decking out their houses and making them look like the Christmas spirit threw up all over them. Some houses look really cute, while some houses lean more towards the creepy side.

It's always nice to see how creative some of the residents are. Christy's camera doesn't have that great of a night setting, so just use your imaginations. The picture directly below is an umbrella skeleton decorated with lights. Very clever!

Clever wordplay here:

Remember how I said some of the houses lean more towards the creepy side? Well, this house is an excellent example of what I was talking about. Could you imagine coming downstairs for some water in the middle of the night? I would never go downstairs until it was daylight, those things look scary.

Some more creepy dolls. They were actually running at us in this picture, that's why it's so blurry.

So, the drainage in Naples isn't that great. Let's say you leave your sprinklers on for a little too long or it rains; Well, due to lack of draining, you usually end up with a nice little puddle such as the one seen below:

I had to manuever a potted plant in order for Christy to climb along a wall. Steve used the more direct, 'romantic' approach:

All in all we had a very enjoyable night, despite the fact I kinda got us lost and we had to walk for miles to get to our car. It was definitely worth it!

First Smith Christmas

2009-12-07T22:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we celebrated our 6 month anniversary and we're so happy that we made it this far without killing anyone. It has been great so far and we're looking forward to the next 6 months, especially since it starts with our first Christmas as a family.

Scott was officially welcomed to the family with a traditional "Made with Love by Grandma Riner" stocking!

Yes, that baby is completely cross-stiched from calf to toe. Thanks Grandma, we love it! Since we don't have a fireplace, our kitchen wall will just have to do this year.

Our next step was to get a tree, and again, our space is limited here so we had to make do with this baby, which Scott is strapping to the roof of the car because it is just so enormous.

Is that the cutest thing you ever saw? Now getting the tree was the easy part. Decorating it, not so much.

Let's just say we're not the most spatially-oriented people. I added some candy canes to try and help it a little but I'm not sure if it hepled it or made it worse.

Ok, I was wrong. That tree skirt has to be the cutest thing you ever saw. Here are our first Christmas picutres together, complete with cheesy poses.

Look at it this way, we can only improve.

Hey There Delilah, I'm at the MTC

2009-11-21T07:36:00.000-08:00

This is a really funny video, just wanted to share it with everyone!