Christmas in Canon City

A Letter to Cedric -retyped exactly as written

Dear Cedric,
You are so cut. I Love you Cedric. You can laugh playing with us. the game is ticlke tiger. you can play with your toys and I can play with you. You and I have fun together. You and I are Best Buddies. You and I are happy together. You are the Best Brother in the world. You and I are very happy. You and I play together becuse I Like you. I Love you Becuse you are my Baby brother.
Love Spencer

(I thought this was the cutest brother letter. Spencer really does adore his baby brother, and the entire Lincoln Elementary School knows it)

Halloween 2008

The Pontious cousins.



Cedric totally pigging out, and Hyrum using his manners.



Fooz ball is always a conpetitive game. (The gir ls had more supporters when playing.)
Me (pink shirt) & Alihah (dress) against Johnathen (murderer) & Noah (who didn't dress up)



The faries and doll.



All of us kids!



Since it was Cedric's b-day, he was a cup cake!











The Two-sum @ their party.



On the Monday before Halloween, we celebrated the birthdays of Cedric, and Hyrum! (They are only 2 weeks apart.) We decorated oranges to look like jack-o-lanterns, ate cake, hung out, and played games. It was a lot of fun! We also had the Youth over for a Halloween party. It was a blast! When looking at the pictures, I'm sure you will notice a lot of wings going around! There were at least 5 faeries. It was fun to hang out with everyone though!

Another Race!

This weekend was an awesome family race. I entered the 10K, Hannah and Jay did the 5K. We all placed and won medals! I couldn't believe Jamison ran the 5K in 26 minutes, and placed first for his age division. Hannah got 3rd for her age division. I had a great race and placed 2nd for my age division. The woman in first place was the high school cross-country coach and she was fast, really fast. I wanted to have a good race to make up for the tough time I had running with an injury for the half-marathon. I wanted to do 8:30 minute miles, but I averaged 8:06 minute miles for 5 miles. To some it may be slow, but I was really happy. My running buddies all did well too. What I won't tell you is that I got the 2nd place ribbon because there were probably less than ten ladies in my age division. You've gotta love small towns sometimes. You've got a chance to feel like a winner once in a while!

Little Pumpkin

I think I'm going to have fun having a baby born on Halloween! We made these tie-dye shirts for FHE last week and everyone wore them to school the next day.

The Best Dinner in the World

Tonight Jamison asked the biggest question of the day: What are we having for dinner? Expecting moans and groans I enthusiastically responded, "The best dinner in the world!" His ears perked up and hopefully responded, "Oh, Hamburger Helper?" Exasperated I said, "No." "Oh, then Cow Tongue?" "NO!"

Okay, where have I gone wrong when a child, who has been exposed to might I say with the pride of a homemaker, some rather fine cuisine, thinks that Hamburger Helper and cow tongue are the best dinner menus in the world?

Half Marathon Race

Race day finally came. I don't think my nerves could have handled another day waiting. I spent the entire summer training from 1 1/2 to 3 hours almost every day to be able to run 13 miles on Labor Day. I was really stressed out because the last two weeks, and most important part of training, I started having foot problems which translated into knee and hip problems. I could hardly walk, let alone run, and I was upset that after all my hard work I may not be able to race. After lots of cross training, iceing and heating and heating and iceing, and prayers, I felt good enough to race. The four of us that raced together stayed in a hotel at the location for moral support and a lot of well needed laughs. I was so incredibly nervous. We all bounced out of bed at 4:45 am and headed to the America the Beautiful Park. The line to the bathroom was so long, and I had to go so bad after hydrating like crazy, out of desepration we took an outdoor leak behind a statue at the park! It was just in time for the race to start. It was a beautiful trail. It went up for 6 1/2 miles and back down the the last half. By mile 8 my feet were hurting quite a bit, by mile 10 the pain was terrible and just got worse. The good news is my feet hurt so much, I couldn't even feel me knees. I wish I could've had the stronger run I wanted, but I still finished in just over 2 hours and in the top 1/3. It never felt so good to be done running! Denise said she would rather go through another high risk pregnancy than run an actual full marathon. It was a goal I never thought I would accomplish, especially since my New Year's resolution was to just run a mere mile around our loop without stopping. I learned to love the meditation and stress relief of running and really hope I'll be able to resolve my "pain" so I can train for a faster race next time.

Race Day

A Mouse!?

When I was on the computer, I heard mom yell, "Ahh! Jay, a mouse!" (Jay is the one who gets rid of them.) So Jamison rushed into the room, Mom said she heard a tap-tap somewhere, but, only ended up being Spencer! What a stinker!

Water World

Dad took the Boy Scouts who earned 5 Merit Badges to Water World. They had a blast! More towards the end of the day, the clouds started to roll in. It started to rain, and thunder & lightning was also amungst us. So the life guards blew the wistle, and everyone had to leave the water. It was about 30 min. and it cleared a little bit! Most of the people had left, so there were practicly no lines! It was a lot of fun! Next year, maybe Elitch's Garden (aka Six-Flags)!

B of M

Together as Young Women & Leaders, we all read the Book of Mormon...in 2 DAYS!The reading began @ 8:oo a.m. and ended the next day @ 9:15 p.m. It was truly a spiritual experience. The leaders thought it would be a great idea, since school is on its way. Every single person who attended, had finished, with big smiles on their faces. When the night was coming on, reading got even harder to concentrate on, for we were all really tired. But we pushed through, and it was worth it!

On one of the breaks, it was dark out side, so, me & my close friend Alihah, sneaked out side. Most of the Young Women were down in the basement (at my house). Our plan, was to go, and bang on the windows to scare them. But...two laurels went out side where they could see us if we went to the window,so the plan changed. I decided for us to jump out at them, and say boo. Alihah thought differently. She decided, to growl. So she did, and it scared the laurels completly! They ran back inside screaming, and told all of the other gir ls what they heard. Me & Alihah raced back inside, and pretended to be scared also. But we couldn't handle it, so we started to laugh out loud! It was so funny! The secret went out, and they all knew it was us.

To be able to read the Book of Mormon, cover to cover, is amazing by itself. But to do it in 2 days, is amazing! My dad really wanted to do it with the Young Men, but all the g irls didn't think that would work out well. Even some of the Beehives (not including me) wanted to get away, and played in a corner in a far off room with toys. It was hard, but we made it!

Oregon Pictures (beware:a lot)

Oregon is Green

It was a total BLAST! I wish that we didn't have to come back. But it's nice to be home again...
We left on Saturday to the Denver airport. The night before, all the Young Women had their hair done, so I slept in my up-do (well,not exactly sleeping), really carefully so I wouldn't mess it up. Well...as I was going through security, the alarm went off. So one of the employees took me aside, and scanned me. It was the most embarrassing thing in my whole life! I had to stand up, with my arms in the air, palms up, in front of the huge crowd that the airport is. I guess all of the bobby-pins in my hair had set it off, so the lady was patting my nice up-do, to see if it was a real threat or not. So after that, my hair looked like a mess, and Jamison had no trouble reminding me that 24/7. Kyle was the most excited out of all of us. Every little thing had him talking about it non-stop. He especially loved the "train thing". It went "so speed"! LOL! All in all, the flight went okay.


Our first stop in Portland, OR, was the Rose Gardens. It was beautiful! We also went to the mall, and shopped.

After spending the night at a hotel, we set off to the beach (Seaside, OR)! It was so much fun! Us kids were so excited to actually be at the beach, since it has been so long since the last time that we have, we all ran into the water, clothes 'n' jackets. The Aquarium was also quite the entertainment. The seals were my favorite, because they would do tricks for food. Mom rented a beach house from VRBO (vacation rental by owner) and it was just amazing! Dad rented boggie boards for the guys, and wet suites because it was so stinkin' cold! They were "out at sea" for 4 hrs straight! The whole family went on a hike in the woods, and it was so pretty and green. After that, we toured the Tillamook Cheese factory. It was yummy, cuz we got to eat their cheese curds, and ice cream! I never really realized how much milk was needed to make a LB. of butter! Crazy!

Another one of the stops, was at Medford, OR. We got together with some other families at the park, and talked. It was nice to see our friends again! The Family's friend, Trina Brumble, took pictures of us kids, and the whole family. It was really nice of her!

I didn't take any pictures when we were at the Sunriver Resort. I wish I did! It was really fun! There were bike rides, tennis games, swimming, fooz ball, card games, t.v., dinner, golfing, and the like! It was awesome!Before we got to Sunriver, us and the Wests, toured the gorge. It was spectacular! To make a long story short, a teenager guy went down the river/waterfall and survived with cuts & bruses! All the other insedences that happened there, the people died...um...really grossly. So the moms kept a close eye on all of the kids. It was fun to be in Oregon once again! I can't wait to be there again someday...

Oregon

The whole family is going to Oregon tomorrow morning, so if there is nothing new lately, then that is why. Just so ya know!

Beautiful Young Women!

Ashley
Marci
Sariah & Friend!
Ashton, Me, & Alihah

Abalina

Katrina

My awesome Aunt Mary, did the activity for mutual today! She is a pro. hairstylist, and showed us how to do up-dos! It was a TON of fun! (p.s. all of my aunts are awesome...)

Teenagerhood!

That is a popular saying from my Dad now. I turned the official age of 13! Many of my friends called, and sang "Happy Birthday" to me! It was cool. At noon, I had some family from around the "loop", come and eat a sugar loaded cake and ice cream. We left at around 1:30 to the movie theater. The grown-ups went to watch ' The Dark Knight', and me, Jay, & Spencer saw 'Journey to the Center of the Earth'. It was a really good movie! When the movies were over, me, Mom, Aunt Laura, and her new baby Isabelle, went shopping for my birthday! I blew my money, as all teens would probably do...but it was so much fun! I mainly bought like, shirts, a jacket, pants, and p.j. pants. Mom told herself that she wouldn't buy anything, but, when at the mall, it is hard to resist! So she went and bought some things any way! It was fun having my Aunt Laura there! She is fun to hang around with! Now I feel that my wardrobe is complete!

Another Clyde

In my mom's family, there have been some orange kitty Clydes. One of my YW leaders, a really cool person, offered me one of her new kittens! They are all orange, and so, on behalf of the cycle, I will name him Clyde. The only down-side, is that, Spencer & Dad, are ALLERGIC! And our family, isn't really a pet one. All of our pets have died...well...terrible ways. But I am going to be most protective! I have no idea how I can keep it, for my backyard has no fenced off places, and the mountain lions, bobcats, and coyotes will most likely eat it if I leave it outside. If you have any advice, please tell! THANKS!

Life Jacket

Some time ago, Mom took us to Wal Mart. When Kyle was looking around, he found a life jacket. As usual, it was a Scooby-Doo one, and begged mom for it. She said yes, and he was totally thrilled! Everyday, all day, he now wears it, with his swim trunks, (occasionally) swim shirt, and swim shoes.

Any way... my Aunt Karen and Aunt Mary entered into a home-made ice cream contest, and while we were tasting out the ice cream, there were also home-made crafts. One of the booths was a "Mountain Man" theme, and had a lot of weird things. Like...animal skins, knives,and stuff like that. One of the items that the boys liked, was the raccoon hat. I got a pic of Kyle and Spencer wearing it, along with Kyle in his swim gear. I thought it was funny!

Some Pictures of the Trip

I apologize, for I was pretty lazy with the camra on this trip...

Our family with Gr. Grandma Brown.

Spencer loves his Uncle Robbie!

The hike at...Stuart Falls.

Cougar hat guy in the bushes...

A pretty veiw.

Family Reunion

We just got back from a family reunion in Utah! The trip there was a long....and tiring drive. We went to BYU Provo, saw Gr. Grandma & Gr. Grandpa Walker and the other family there in Kamas . (Thurs.) While at BYU P, Mom and Dad gave us a tour of the campus, like, the building that they met at, the library, the yummy creamery, and other buildings as well. Since there was a BYU bookstore, it was decided that we would go buy some things. All of us, got a BYU shirt, and a hat or sweatshirt. Spencer loves the "different" things, and got a hat that was shaped as a cougar! After that, he wore it everywhere! It was a blast, and inspired all of us kids to go there some day! It was also fun to go see family in Kamas, UT again! We hung out, talked, played in the backyard, and mom had fun getting new irises from Gr. Grandma's beautiful garden! After all of the fun...we had to leave to the hotel in SLC.

In the morning ( Fri.) the whole family woke up, and got ready to go on a hike to the Stuart Waterfalls! We had to drive a ways away, but when we got there, it was worth it. Utah is quite a bit "greener", than Colorado, and the mountains there were just gorgeous! The sign said, ' Stuart Falls - 2 mi.', but as we were hiking to the falls, it felt more like 3 mi! But it was fun, and amazing. Spencer (of course) wore his cougar hat, and loved to hide in the bushes, and pretend he was an actual cougar. I'll have to post pictures later...anyway, after we got back from our looonnnggg.....hike, we went swimming, and to Denny's for dinner. When dinner was over, all of us went back to the hotel, and a few minutes later, met up with our friends, the Burns.

On Saturday, the actual reunion began! It was on my Dad's side, so there were about...10 siblings there...maybe 9. It was a huge blast!!! The Smith Family met at a park, that had a play ground, so that was neat to have around. I had a really fun time getting together with cousins that I haven't seen for 2 years or so. Most of the family played kick ball, but the main fun for the little ones, was the Jump House! It was a huge hit! Even me, my cousins, and aunts went on, one time or another. All in all, it was a great time! Thanks Grandma Smith for making it happen!

The ride home was pretty interesting. Cedric had a few gross incidences, but other than that, we made it home all right. The boys are getting tired, so I better help mom get them to bed, write to ya later!

Youth Conference

My Aunt Denise, who just lives around the loop (corner), and her husband Phillip, are in charge of Youth Conference. And while she was busy preparing, we had the kids over at our house! It was very fun! We did a "slip-n-slide", which didn't really work, because there is no down hill in our yard, ate ice cream sandwiches, and played with squirt guns, and the hose. Everyone got wet at one point. A while after the cousins left, Kyle layed down on the couch, and instantly fell asleep! Yes! I believe a long day of play did its job. Tonight will be interesting, for we are hosting 9 teens, and a leader for Youth Conference. Phew!

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!

Summer-Time Guys

The Lingards have joined us Smiths for the Forth of July. Though...I do feel out numbered...NINE boys, and ONE me. So far so good... we have seen the movie Wall-E, and explored the Royal Gorge Bridge. As our trip was ending at the Gorge, we thought it would be fun to ride the Tram across once more, so we (Carlos, La Dawn, Grant, Garret, Nick, Mike, and Hannah) headed up on the long walk to the Tram. When we arrived there, nobody was there so we thought the last ride was gone...so we started the long way back... and as we were crossing the bridge, there goes the Tram, with people inside it! Oh well! We survived just the same. Tomorrow, is our day trip to Colorado Springs. First, the touring of the Air force Academy, then sight-seeing at Garden of the Gods, and having fun at Manitou Springs. (A tourist town close to Colorado Springs.) Along with my friend Debra Brewer! Who is now the age of 16.

Here are some pictures of the Royal Gorge...

Machine "Thing"

My mom got an email from a friend, and this was attached to it.


The machine was built by the effort between the Robert M. Trammell Music Conservatory and the Sharon Wick School of Engineering at the University of Iowa.

Amazingly, 97% of the machines components came from John Deere Industries and Irrigation Equipment of Bancroft, Iowa ... yes, farm equipment!

It took the team a combined 13,029 hours of set-up, alignment, calibration, and tuning before filming this video but as you can see it was WELL worth the effort. Enjoy!

It's My Turn!

I thought that I should put in my own two cents about the Smith family these days....

So far, the summer has flown by. Even though I was a lame mom and completely missed the lines to sign up for baseball, swimming lessons, and soccer camp etc. We still seem to be running around crazy taking care of business. I'm kind of glad that I haven't had those other obligations, and the boys seem to be just fine anyway. Nevertheless, Jamison is taking french horn lessons, Hannah has piano, and of course there's always lots of cub scouts and church activities. This last month for young women's we did a campout, a day hike to natural water slides, a temple trip to Denver, where we took everyone on the light rail downtown where we went on a field trip. My favorite part was seeing a guy with long black dreadlocks wearing a "matching" fuzzy tarantula on top of his head. Then we traveled 3 hours to and back from camp to give a young women's fireside. That's a long ways! Then of course David and I chaperoned the youth dance and hour away. (We snuck out and went out for dinner...now that was fun!) Next on the list, is a ward campout I'm in charge of. I think I could use a deep breath at this point.

In the mean time I've decided to train for a half-marathon. I'm pretty excited about it since my New Year's resolution was to run 1 mile around the loop of our house without stopping and yesterday I was able to go on a 9 mile run. David has also been working out, he looks great from the weightlifting and we try to run together, although, he runs way, way faster than me!

This week my sister LaDawn is coming to visit for the 4th, (Hurray), and so we'll be busy partying day and night! Hope is all well with you, I love reading your blogs and feeling "in touch".

Broom Trick

When my Uncle Stephen and his friend came to visit the family here in CO, they taught us kids this cool trick. Note: My mom told me to introduce what I was doing, and it was kind of lame, so just ignore it....any way, enjoy!

The heavy breathing in the background is Cedric. He is in love with cameras....

Swimming

Today, we went swimming, something new.(HA!) Spencer is always the adventurous child, so he figured out how to do a front flip of the unbouncable diving board. Hopefully the video will turn out.

Cool, huh!

Summer

I got back from Gir ls' Camp ( which was last week )on Friday, so then I had to prepare for a talk in Sacrament Meeting, on Sunday about my experiences at Gir ls' Camp. It was a blast going to camp! I learned to appreciate living with dirt, wearing it, and some what eating it.
Since then, life has been the same, like swimming almost everyday, hanging out with family, and enjoying the sun.

Fire Pit

On Sunday, we got a little bored! So we decided to set up a fire in our back yard fire pit.
LOL! I wonder what kind of face Kyle is showing?
Isn't it so pretty?

Cool Hair

Here is a shot of Cedric in a new style of hair!

As usual, Cedric and Spencer together. This time both with spiky hair.