Speedo Alert

Tonight my church had a wonderful party for the the primary age kids and their families. (Ages 3- 11.) It was so much fun.  We met at a park that has a splash pad (think sprinklers) instead of a pool. I love it! Play in the water without the fear of a drowning.  Annie, Simon and Owen were with me too but were playing too hard for me to document. And yes... Norman is wearing a baby speedo (which is actually the only age that should be seen in one.) Total cuteness overload.

I'm sad that my camera couldn't do justice to the moon tonight. To quote a favorite movie, Moonstruck, "It's Cosmo's moon.." Meaning, it's big and beautiful, full of romance and love.

Take A Hike

I took several kids hiking today. It was super fun, the weather was perfect, and all was well until "Be back in 5 min" turned into "Where the heck are they?" turned into the precursor to panic, turned into "25 min later" turned into "I'm taking you all home" turned into "No friends for the rest of the day."
No good dead goes unpunished.

Simon was not in the group that took off.

10 pints to Si-guy.

This was taken before the Disobedient Detour. 

The Death of Happiness

For the love of all good things, I just watched the documentary Fed Up (Netflix) about how the American food industry is trying it's best to kill us, with scientists projecting that in twenty years over half of all Americans will be over weight and over one in three will have diabetes... like actual diabetes (insulin shots anyone?) if we continue to eat and consume the way we are now.  Mercy!  The root cause of the problem? That would be sugar.  Glorious, tasty, delicious addictive like crack cocaine, heroine, cigarettes sugar.  Snap. I'm going to have to make some changes in the Smith family diet.  It's confirmed: soda is the devil... why is the devil in my kid's school cafeteria again?...  Because he's tricky, like the processed food industry.  I can imagine happiness dying a little bit with each extra pound packed on.  Seriously, we as a nation need to treat this the way we treated cigarettes: don't advertise to kids, require sugar companies to label products as health disasters waiting to happen, and tax the heck out of them...  Great. I'm all riled up and want to eat some chocolate peanut butter ice-cream... but pretty soon, I'm going to be able to say that I'm furious and want a crisp apple. For reals, go watch Fed Up.

Ryan took Simon to get his hair cut, and he looks so handsome!

Annie also got a trim... looking pretty!

Mr. Van Allsberg

One of my favorite activities to do with my children is to read. One of my very favorite authors is Mr. Chris Van Allsberg. He, in fact wrote Jumangi, Zathura, and the Polar Express.  All are excellent reads, but they are not my very favorites of his works. The Widow's Broom and The Sweetest Fig are in a dead even tie.  Even more fantastic than the stories are the illustrations, which by some extra Allsberg talent bonus, he also does as well. To be an author and an illustrator is the stuff that my dreams are made of! And even if I can't draw worth a hill of beans, I'm a lucky duck to have spent the last few days with my kids cuddled around me, sharing with them some of my very favorite books.

A perfect Halloween read!

For Animal lovers.

An autumn read.

The book is maybe 4 million time setter than the movie. Maybe 5 million.

Calvin is off to Scout Camp this week.  For as much as my oldest boy loathes scouts, his younger brother can't get enough.

Good boys. Nice friends.

Before, During, and After

What Norman looked like before church.

During Church.  Like I had never done this baby thing before, I forgot to pack an extra Onsie in the diaper bag.

After church. Right in the women's classroom. Mercy, now he's a piece of baby fudge.

*** Here's the Ryan update.  Ryan is recovery from his ostemy reversal surgery which he had on Tuesday.  It's no walk in the park, but he is properly medicated and he is hanging in like a trooper... I guess like a pooper trooper, to be more accurate.  I love this man and am so very grateful that this was just a chapter in the middle of his book of life, and not the conclusion. 

Corn Cakes

If you don't live in Utah, then chances are high that Friday wasn't a state holiday.  We love to celebrate when the pioneers settled Utah... there were Native Americans already here... anyways, in honor of what is called "Pioneer Day" I made corn cakes for breakfast.  Totally fun idea, except that as statement of fact, buttermilk pancakes simply taste way better. Truth.

These corn cakes look like they are going to taste better then they do.

Nothing says "Pioneer Day" like jumping castles.

Nielsen's Frozen Custard.

Again.

***This post is for Friday, July 24th, 2015***

Oddly, the day before Pioneer Day is when our city chooses to do the Pioneer Day Fireworks (Yes, this is an actual Utah holiday and is a major big deal.)  My fab in-laws took my kids over to the park for some fun park pioneer attractions and food (think county fair.)  Also not pictured is my middle four kids (Owen, Annie, Simon and Calvin) hanging out with their Grandma at the fireworks. She's a saint for taking them, and they had a blast with them.

The Mile Club

One of the hardest things to do after major surgery is to hop out of bed and walk around.  Naturally, that is one of the best ways to speed recovery, at least that is what they told my handsome husband.  Day two* at the Huntsman Cancer Center brought a few laughs, some decent food, and Ryan is now the proud member of the "Mile Club," having walked over a mile today.  Well done, Ryan.  One mile down, a lifetime of love and longevity to come.

I simply love that this is even a thing at the Huntsman.  

****This post is for Weds, July 22, 2015.****

Safe and Sound

Operation: ostomy reversal. Verdict: success so far.  2 hour procedure. No vomiting. Minimal hiccups. Prayers answered. Handsome, healthy husband. Prognosis: excellent.

Checking in. The Huntsman aint free:~)

Checking vitals. Vitally important.

Checking in with the anestesiologist.

Tired but healthy. I love this man.

Ryan and Lindsey: Forever!

The Day Before

Tomorrow is the big day (surgery day) which means that today was the day before the big day: the day to clean the house in preparation for my inlays who are coming to help, the day to finish up the laundry, to clean bathrooms, to vacuum the house and the car, to stock up the fridge and to contemplate the many blessings that the last year has brought to our family. I'm excited for tomorrow. One surgery for one man, one giant leap for the Smith clan. 

I decided to take all of our laundry to the laundry mat, choosing to finish the job in two hours instead of almost finishing the job in 9.  Super glad it's over, and everyone has clean underwear for the week.

I'd like to say that seeing Annie do something that was so obviously dangerous was super shocking, but it wasn't. Regardless, it was fun to have her come with me, and she was super helpful.

So happy to have Grandpa Ed and Grandma Linda (aka Ryan's parents) here to help.

We had a wonderful meal at a family favorite, The Mandarin.  mmm.

One day more. Another day another destiny...

Tomorrow we'll discover what our God in Heaven has in store...

Adios to the Ostomy Party!

Ryan got home from a business trip in San Francisco.  He arrived home around 9:30pm to a home full of neighborhood/ church pals who were all kind enough to show up for Ryan's very last minute party that the kids and I decided last night to throw. Every great party has a game. I made a Ryan's cancer trivia quiz. Way fun! It was loads of fun. This is our final week of colon cancer drama; Ryan has a surgery on Tuesday to reverse his ostomy. I can not thank my friends and family enough for your prayers, words of encouragement, meals, etc that have been the silver lining around this year.  Ryan Edward Smith... we love you!

Easily the best picture of the night.

Ryan is holding a gift that a friend brought for him: a roll of Toilet Paper.

He'll be using the throne by the mid week!

Annie and Simon prepping for the party.

Annie and Owen brought Ryan into the house for the surprise.

Calvin hung most of the balloons.

Cupcakes, chocolate. Cookies, brought by friends. Italian Soda, totally tasty!

 

Preston made this poster for the night! 

Calvin was a total gem and helped me clean up.

Ryan’s Colon Cancer Quiz

1)         What kind of cancer was Ryan diagnosed with?

Colorectal Cancer

2)         What are the top 3 symptoms that lead to a diagnosis of colon cancer?

#3 abdominal cramping

#2 bleeding

#1 No symptom, they discover it during a routine colonoscopy *Get yours when you turn 50!*

3)         How many days old was Ryan when he was diagnosed?

14121 days

4)         How many hours was Ryan’s first surgery?

5 hours

5)         What was Ryan’s favorite chemo food?

Kiva Juice, Island Princess

6)         What pastime did Ryan re-discover whilst in chemo?

Basketball

7)         How many tattoos does Ryan now have?

3!

8)         What Color ribbon has been assigned to Coon Cancer?

Dark Blue

9)         What promotion did Ryan get whilst under chemo?

Associate Dean of Research in the College of Architecture and Planning

Braving the Weekend

It never feels quite right when my handsome husband is away on business trips, which he is far more often than I ever thought he would be, or than I remember agreeing to.  I try to pass the time with fun activities, hoping that my kids won't notice that regardless of whatever we're doing, I'de prefer dad to be doing it with us.  This must be what our dog feels like when we leave the house. 

I went to the temple on Friday morning. It was a lovely experience.

Presotn got his haircut... and he looks almost exactly like he did before the trim.

I got to cater for a business party that my friend had this evening.

My home-made barbecue sauce can not be beat.

That probably sounds obnoxiously cocky, but every once in awhile I make something that is so irresistible that I don't mind sharing my delight!

Normans hair looks so very red in this picture!

This post covers Friday and Saturday, July 17 and 18, 2015.

Best Night Ever!

What an awesome night I spent with some of my cousins! We hit Cafe Rio, and then headed up to Ogden to see the Andy Grammar concert, which was totally amazing.  As much as my husband teased me about having a crush on Mr. Grammar, the reality is that I had no idea what he even looked like until about a week ago.  He isn't ugly by any means, but the real reason I'm a fan is that almost a year ago, my husband was diagnosed with colon cancer. On the night it hit the fan, and Andy Grammar song kept coming to my mind, titled "Keep Your Head Up."  It seriously brought me loads of comfort, and I imagine that many others have a story about how that song in particular has helped them on a less than awesome day.  It's a winner, and so are loads more of his songs.  What made the night even more fabulous was that I had such a blast with my fantastic cousins. I would say that my second concert experience got two thumbs up.  And no joke, this is really the second concert I've ever been to, with They might be Giants claiming my first concert spot. Now you know.

He's crazy talented, and a great performer.

It's proof that we went... us standing in front of a poster with his picture on it.

Never been to the Ogden Outdoor Amphitheatre. Apparently, there are only a few actual seats with rest being grassy areas to plops down on.  We found a lovely spot but it only had room for us to sit in a vertical row.  We did the only thin we could do: gave each other back masseges. It was so fun!

I'm in the same shot with his. How legit!

I even took my children to the pool. What a great Mom day!

*** This post is for Thurs, July 16th, 2015 a truly lovely day!

Dad's Eyes

My three elementary school age kids had eye appointments today.  Everyone enjoyed their time in the chair, got the chance to say "better" or "worse" and chose "A" or "B."  Their are are all collectively healthy, and all three still have 20/20 vision.  Victory!  When I was just five years old, just started kindergarten, I had my very first eye exam (at least the first one that I ever remember having.) I failed.  And went to the eye doctor where he used the word "retarded" to describe my vision, as in it was "delayed, hindered, hampered." I remember thinking that he was calling me stupid... and my sweet mother (who unfortunately wasn't a mind reader) just sat there agreeing (clearly knowing what the doctor was actaully explaining, and having no idea that I thought he was calling my dumb.) I barely remember anything from my childhood, but this memory is insanely clear.  That wasn't the only thing that was clear. Once my glasses came in, I could see leaves on trees and patterns in carpet. What a blessing glasses have been to my life, and I hope my children can avoid that kind of a blessing for several more years.

All eyes were dilated, so they got to wear these totally cool sun glasses home.

Lookin good. 

Guilt Trip

I saw a make you feel guilty for not doing something awesome post on Facebook this morning. It read something to the effect of "a family is forever but summer isn't. What are you going to do today?"... go to Wheeler farm, I guess. Annie Joy packed us a lunch, and we met some friends and enjoyed sing sets, animals, chatting, tractor rides, feeding the ducks, and otter pops.  Our guilt trip to the farm. All in all, it was a lovely day, and as far as I'm concerned, this satisfies my big awesome mom moment for the week, so I don't have to do anything of the rest of the week. Done and done.

Good morning Norman! He's 4 months old today.

He is starting to really enjoy time on his tummy. 

At the farm.

The farm again,

Annie and Owen made a vending machine tonight.

For just a quarter you got a small can of candy.

my neighborhood cooking group met tonight.  Every dish was super duper tasty,

Blueberries was the theme ingredient. I made a blueberry brushcetta which was tasty.

I love hanging out with my girlfriends.