Malasada Night

Since Halloween was on a Sunday we decided to all stay home and do something even better.  We made Malasadas!  They were a big hit.  Arick came up with the moment of the night.  He wondered what it would be like to put an almond joy in side one and fry it.  It was awesome!

It has been a long time

I really need to update the blog. Yikes. While I am working on some month in review posts, please enjoy this picture of our kids. We took it while on our vacation to Florida last week. Click on it if you would like to see it larger.

A video of the kids meeting Charly for the first time

I finally found the cord to my video camera so I can finally share the clip of the kids meeting their new pup, Charly, on Easter morning. Enjoy!

10 inches of rain and counting

We have received 10 inches of rain in Nashville and it continues to come down. Lots of you have inquired about our safety and we are doing just fine. In fact, if you watch the video, you might just see that our kids are having more fun than they have had in a long time.

Ella

She is growing up way too fast!

A boy and his pup

y absolutely adores Charly. She is the first thing he thinks of when he wakes up and when he comes home from school. He loves her. Today while I was practicing my lighting skills he asked if I could take a photo of him with Charly. Who knew that a puppy could make a kid so happy.




Charly is seriously tough to photograph. She really looks like a ball of black fluff.

I love this little stinker

Rarely, do I relax enough to be photographed. I know that I don't look my very best right now but my kids don't mind, to them I look just right. So I have been trying to get in front of the camera more. I can always delete the photo, right? I love this shot with Ella. She did not want to be photographed so I tried tickling her while whispering in her ear anything to get her to smile. Her stubbornness won and this was the best shot of the bunch. Oh well. I love her, even if she is a little stinker sometimes.

Time Out for Women

I had the wonderful opportunity to attend Time Out for Women in Memphis this past weekend and I can't recommend it enough. I was truly inspired and I left with an incredible amount of gratitude for my life. It was such a treat to hang out with great friends as well.

My favorite speaker was Marioma, an amazing lady from Sierra Leone whose testimony of the Savior was so powerful. She has witnessed horrors and devastation that I can't even imagine and yet her faith and hope are strong. She is such an inspiration.

Meet Charly!

Meet our newest member of our family. Believe me when I say that I never ever thought I would cave to allowing a dog in our house. Seriously, I am not an animal person at all. However, one can only take so much begging before one gives in. It really was 5 against 1. Anyone want to take a guess how wanted a dog the most? That would be Andrew. I could have sworn that he told me that he disliked animals when we were dating. If I had heard otherwise, we may not have stayed together.

It all started on April Fool's Day, Andrew told the kids we were getting a puppy. The kids were so excited which made Andrew feel horrible when he said, "April Fools!". That even made me feel guilty as I was the only thing coming between them having a dog. Well, a couple of days later, Andrew's coworker brought in some puppies that she had for sale. He sent me some pictures and I admit they were pretty adorable. I told him I would give it some thought and meet the pups. The owner said that we could return the puppy if it didn't go well which made me feel lots better. Andrew promised to train the dog and do the majority of her care as well.

The Saturday before Easter, Andrew and I met the Shih Tzu puppies. The little balls of fur were so tiny and cute. Of course, all I could imagine as I held the puppy is how happy the kids would be which broke down the last of my defenses. Minutes later Andrew was paying for the puppy and we arranged to pick her up the next morning to surprise the kids on Easter.

That night I tried to get all the things I needed to prepare out home for a puppy. It is amazing how much stuff you need and the variety you have to choose from.

On Easter morning, we placed the puppy in a basket and covered her with a blanket. We called the kids down and told them that their Easter surprise was under the blanket and to lift it up. Their reaction was stunned silence. Arick got a little teary eyed and said that it was the happiest day of his life. Ella giggled and fell back onto the couch. One of those moments I will remember for the rest of my life.

It took us a day to name her as we all had our favorites. Andrew wanted to name her Ahsoka (Snips for a nickname), Arick wanted Cutie Pie, Brianna wanted Sidia, I wanted Bailey or Chloe, and Ty wanted Charly as did Maren. Charly is in honor of the youtube video "Charlie Bit Me" which has long been a favorite source of laughter in our house. In the end Charly, short for Charlotte, won.

We have had her for 9 days now and she has been wonderful so far, except of her first night home when she cried ALL night long. She is adapting well and the kids love to be with her. Maren loves her too and when she visits us, the puppy is snuggling in her arms within minutes. She has gone on lots of adventures to Gigi's house, to the soccer fields for the kids' games, to the vet, and to Petsmart. Her favorite place is either being held or being in her crate. She loves this little stuffed animal that you heat up in the microwave.

Happy Birthday Marshall

In February, my mom, my sister and I flew to Connecticut to surprise my brother for his 40th birthday. We sat on the outdoor furniture at Lowe's with books in front of our faces and as he walked by we started singing 'Happy Birthday.' He was definitely surprised and we were all a little teary eyed. We had a fabulous weekend together and we were all sad to go. We definitely need to visit each other more often.

The highlight of the trip was eating at Bar Americain, Bobby Flay's restaurant. The food was FANTASTIC! We all agree that our favorite part was the tower of raw fish. Everything tasted great and the service was perfect. Here is a picture of the tower.


My brother ordered the crepes for dessert and they embellished it with a birthday message! The crepes were delish.



During the weekend I was also able to visits friends and attend my old ward which was super fun. One of my friends just had a baby girl so I squeezed in a mini photo shoot. Here is a picture of me with the baby and my favorite picture of the baby.

Ella Bella

I had a friend over today to take photos of her adorable baby and Ella wanted to have her picture taken too. This is my fave out of the few I took.

Our new nephew, MVP!

We had a wonderful time this past weekend visiting Jamie and Andy in North Carolina. Their first baby, Mark, was born in January and we were there to meet him and attend his baby blessing. We all were pretty smitten by him, especially the kids.

Cabin Fever

I am officially depressed. The school called to inform us that school is canceled again tomorrow. I have not left this house since Thursday evening and I really need to get out.

January in review

Life is certainly busy with business, birthdays, homework, sicknesses, church stuff, snow days, and a long list of chores. Here is our life in pictures for the month of January.

Ella showing off her fashion taste. She is such a girly girl.


I LOVE my Blendtec blender!! I have at least one smoothie, if not two a day. It makes the perfect breakfast and lunch. I love that I can sneak lettuce or spinach in there and my kids still drink it.

Our first good snow storm of the season. Due to the snow, many birds came to visit our bird feeder.

Andrew's birthday. We celebrated at a local Mexican restaurant. The food was good and we had the place to ourselves thanks to a snow and ice storm. Andrew was thrilled it snowed on his birthday. He was also pleased that the restaurant staff respected my wishes that they not cover his face in whipped cream.

Brianna and Ella being silly.





I have been spending a lot of time at the YMCA lately. I am loving it and wish I could go more.

Ella having fun with static electricity.

We love the original Boom Blox game game for Wii. This is the second version which I got for Christmas. We have loved playing this game together.

Ella had a play date with her friend T. They both love everything princess, can you tell?




I attended Imaging USA, a professional conference for photographers. The picture above was taken during one of my classes. I learned so much and I had a great time.

Brianna turned 12 and is now part of the Young Women program at Church. The older girls love to welcome the new girls, so they made this cute poster for Bri. The funniest part is that they put it on the neighbor's mailbox. We had a celebration at home where we dined on homemade California rolls, her favorite. The gifts we gave her included an avocado, a pint of Haagen Daaz, the game Clue, and a new purse. She was thrilled with her gifts. The avocado was a special request since she loves it and wanted one just for herself.


Here is a picture of Ty enjoying one of his birthday cupcakes I made. I surprised him at school. He was so happy and didn't want us to leave. Ella did not want to leave him either and proceeded to cry for 5 minutes in the car.




Ty turned 6! We celebrated his birthday with pizza and a cake made out of ice cream sandwiches. I love kids at this age as they are so easy to please when it comes to gifts. Although he was given other gifts, his world was complete with a super soft blanket and a new Bakugan.



I can't rave enough about www.ldsjournal.com. Andrew recently had his journal from ldsjournal.com printed into a book and it turned out great. I loved it so much that I wanted one for myself. I have now started my own account. It sends you reminders to journal according to the time settings you choose. It also has a journal jar section with questions for you to answer about your life.

I never thought we would ever be able to build a big snowman again since we moved to the South.

The kids showing off their snow fort. We received about 4 inches or so which is the most we have received in the nearly 3 years we have lived here. Due to the weather we have been trapped in our home for 3 days. Church was even canceled today. The area in which we live relies on the weather to melt the snow, so no sanding or plow trucks have been by here. This makes it incredibly dangerous to drive. School will be canceled tomorrow as well because of it. With temperatures in the 40s tomorrow, the roads should be clear by Tuesday.

A new year and a near calling

Yesterday, I got a new calling in church. I was released as the second Counselor in Relief Society and sustained as the Relief Society President. Oh my! I have never served as a President in any of the auxiliaries before so I have no expectations as to how much this calling will affect my life . . . yet. In a way, being blissfully unaware can be a good thing for now.

I am truly humbled by the calling and I know Heavenly Father will help me. The experiences I have had with the Spirit so far have been amazing and I am grateful for them. I pray that I can become what the sisters and the Lord need me to me to be.

My year in review

My friend Monique did this review on her blog and I loved it so I thought I would do the same (I did add a few more questions).

What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?

• Rock climbed
• Made fresh pasta
• Saw the musical "Wicked"
• Attended my first professional conference
• Was audited by the IRS (in the end we were right)
• Actually completed a sewing project
• Perused a Tuba museum
• Enjoyed a great meal at the Teriyaki Grill with Susie
• Cut my hair short and liked it
• Attended the Taylor Swift concert with Brianna
• Hosted family at our home for Thanksgiving
• Went one whole week without eating added oil, sugar, grains, meats, or dairy foods
• Tweeted (but I like Facebook better)
• Played "Settlers of Catan" (my favorite game ever!)

Did you keep your new years' resolutions? Probably not. I don't even know what they were.

What are some of your resolutions for 2010? 2009 was the hardest year for me, health wise, and I don't wish to repeat that. My resolution for 2010 is to take care of myself so I can take better care of my family and friends.

Did anyone close to you give birth? My SIL gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Gracie. I was blessed to be able to fly out and take baby pictures.

Did anyone close to you die? No

What countries did you visit? None

What states did you visit? Arizona, Idaho, Utah (twice), North Carolina

What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?

• I would like to be more organized and complete more of the projects I started in 2009.
  
• A garden that actually produces enough for canning.

What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? March 9th, the day Brianna fell off a scooter and broke her jaw in two places, broke four teeth, and received 16 stitches total.

What was your biggest achievement of the year? Does surviving count? I would say starting a garden, but Andrew did all of that.

What was your biggest failure? I did not do well with my blogging, nor did I take enough pics of my kids.

Did you suffer illness or injury? As stated before, I've spent more time sick this year than any other year of my life. That has been very frustrating.

What was the best thing you bought? Andrew's used tubas on eBay. They make him so happy!

Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? The people on "Clean House" and "Hoarders." I don't know how anyone can live like that.

Whose behavior impressed you? Brianna. It was amazing to see how she went through her recovery process. She was so brave. And, my kids for being kind to others. I also enjoyed watching my friends take care of people who needed spiritual and physical help.

Where did most of your money go? Our trip to Utah, getting ourselves healthy financially, food storage, tree removal, kids activities and school fees.

What did you get really, really, really excited about? Going to "Imaging USA" for the professional photographers conference and seeing Anne Geddes speak. Also, spending time with family and friends in Utah, baby Gracie making her arrival, our Memorial Day weekend trip to NC, watching our kids on Christmas morning, making smoothies in my Blentec blender.

What song will always remind you of 2009? Any song by Taylor Swift

Compared to this time last year, are you: much happier, richer, nicer? Happier - yes and no. I am happier with who I am, but my health issues were pretty depressing. Richer- spiritually, for sure! Nicer - I am trying to be nicer everyday.

What do you wish you'd done more of? Cook more from scratch, stick to a budget, exercise, read more to my kids, take care of myself, go to the temple, pray.

What do you wish you'd done less of? Avoiding. I am really great at avoiding doing what I should be doing.

How did you spend Christmas? In the comfort of our own home while relaxing in our pajamas.

What was your favorite TV program? The Amazing Race, 24, Monk, Psych, The Mentalist and NCIS.

What was the best book you read this year? I actually read very few and listened to many. My favorite that I listened to was "The Goose Girl" by Shannon Hale. It is incredibly well done. I did read, "Eve's Daughters" and I really enjoyed it. Most other books that I read were cook books and how-to books.

What did you want and get? A better relationship with my husband, a pasta machine, a flat screen TV, a Blendtec blender, a panini grill, a sewing machine, more time with my friends.

What were your favorite films of this year? Well I just watched Anne of Green Gables 1 & 2 and it made me realize how much I did not love any of the new movies I saw this year. The one I found most fascinating was Julie & Julia as I loved getting to know Julia Child. I also saw (most on DVD), Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Angels and Demons, Up, Night at the Museum 2, New Moon, Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Harry Potter 6, My Sister's Keeper (I totally cried my eyes out!). This week I watched the classic movie Patton for the first time and I thought it was awesome.

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? 33. My birthday fell on a Sunday which kept it a much more peaceful celebration. My kids did manage to rat me out in their Primary Sharing Time and all the kids sang Happy Birthday to me.

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Being a better mother to my kids and taking more time to create memories with them.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008. I discovered Chico's. Their clothes fit my shape right now.

What kept you sane? My husband, my friends, being left with only one child at home during the school day.

What drove you insane? Trash on the floor!! Bugs! Brianna's recorder that Ella keeps on finding and making wretched sounds with! Forgetting to renew my library books!

What were some of your favorite dishes of 2009? The Thanksgiving turkey, the fresh pasta and sauce I learned how to make this year, the Tuna Carpaccio at Cheesecake Factory, the mild yellow curry with chicken at the Elephant Thai in Phoenix, the winter fruit salad I made for a Relief Society meeting, the beef tenderloin my mom made last month, the beef negimaki at Wasabi's, the pumpkin dinner rolls.

What political issue stirred you the most? Health-care reform has me pretty concerned.

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009. That it really is better to give than to receive.

What are you most excited for in 2010? Siesta Key, Florida! White sand beaches, clear water, having family to hang out with in a fun beach house, and going to the BYU v. Florida State game. "Imaging USA" again in January. Andy and Jamie's baby boy due in January and our trip to meet him in February. Brianna entering the Young Women's program in January! (Whoa!)

What are you least excited for in 2010? All the veggies I have to eat, yuck! Watching people I love learn hard lessons.

A dose of Ty's super-cuteness!

Merry Christmas!

We wanted to take the time to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Since we did not get Christmas cards sent this year, we thought we would share with you a video of our kids. Every Christmas Eve, we reenact The Nativity scene while reading Luke 2. Here is the video from last night.

One reason I haven't been blogging

Here is one of the cutest reasons I have not been blogging. I took a trip to Utah to take pictures of my sweet little niece, Gracie. This is the first baby for my brother-in-law (a Salt Lake City firefighter) and his wife and we all so excited for them. She is such an angel. You can see more pictures of her here: http://amylynnsmith.com/photocart/slide_show.php?viewGallery=1035

Hanging out at the park