Mr & Mrs Smith

Many may know I've battled with family traditions, specifically Christmas ones for awhile now. I  don't fall in love with most traditions, especially those that are just for the sake of tradition and Mr Smith even more so. However, I do believe the scriptures make reference to righteous AND unrighteous traditions of their fathers, so we can filter for our own families. I only want our heart in it. I want our kids to enjoy time as a family and traditions are great for them.  With Christmas, I also need Christ in it. We are celebrating Him and that's why "happy holidays" makes me a little squeamish. So it's Hanukkah too and some Christians are beginning to wonder if it's best to celebrate with them vs the pagan roots of many Christmas traditions (or are they, it is debatable?!). I think there is a balance with no need to go to the extreme. While other cultures are fascinating, we do have to find a way to celebrate Christ. While our daily efforts are ess...

Christmas is an exciting time for new things, new gifts & treats. It's fun to think about giving gifts to our children or receiving some ourselves. I know some people love this opportunity, but I'm not in love with the gifts per say. I do love the idea of giving of course, and seeing our children get excited over something new. But it gives me anxiety to give, wanting to give something that is valued. I have the same issue with receiving, I want it to be worth that person's cost. Mr Smith may tell you I still love receiving packages. I mean even if you bought it, who doesn't love getting them, but sometimes it can become too much. Perhaps I just don't have the gift of gift giving. My kids still don't know what to ask for & are only starting to show interest in particular things. I have a hard time at this age too because gratitude doesn't always come naturally & I despise nothing more than not appreciating a gift. I may sound like a hypocrit...

Hello Family & Friends! As this year comes to a close, I wanted to reach out to you & let you know how grateful I am for your support & love over the years. And although Mr Smith may never say those words aloud, I know he appreciates you too =) If anything, it's those who keep me grounded & sane that he couldn't thank more. 2017 has been a  special  year of waiting & changing. We're very grateful for our many blessings. I appreciate the inspiration a friend gave me to put this pdf together to reflect on the blessings from this year (& moments of growth). We are still adjusting to Boise, but Eric is enjoying his new work atmosphere and has received strong confirmation that Boise is home. I'm sure my confirmation will come in time, ha! I am only working around 10 hours a week remotely now. Baby is doing well. As far as nausea goes, this has been my best pregnancy.  Lexi & Dallin have grown so much & it's a cherished gift to...

The entire Smith clan! We somehow managed a group shot with a little chaos, Photoshop & patience.  It's so nice to have the updated yearly shots though especially when 3 new babes join in one year! I still think there is room for more growth even if more complicated... Connie had us all over for a wonderful Christmas Eve dinner that followed the pictures. We let Lexi open one present that night & I read her the Christmas story from a picture book with scriptures. Dad doesn't like this sort of tradition, but it's not like I'm asking him to dress up. I told him to ask Lexi what Christmas is all about and she said "Presents!" without hesitation AND THAT is why we have to tell the story as much as we can. We all need a reminder that Jesus is the reason for the season and THE GIFT that matters most. I want to keep holidays simple because I don't like added stress, but hopefully next year we can do more to get the kids involved in serv...

1. My kids play well together. They love each other. That doesn't mean we don't have our moments. I'll have to tell Lexi not to tease Dallin & I'll have to tell Dallin not to pull Lexi's hair, but to be fair, siblings are awesome. 2. Lexi loves the snow. Dallin was sleeping and still recovering from his illness so I didn't want him outside, plus I hate the cold, but she was begging. So I helped her get all snowed up and watched her from the window as best I could. I was just waiting for someone to come report my child for playing in the front yard alone, but only my neighbor showed some concern. She also dresses herself these days. Sometimes I try to redirect, but sometimes it's entertaining to see what they come up with.     3. She got to attend her 2nd birthday party. They went to outer space and she had so much fun! I love seeing kids learn and experience new things. It's the best part of parenthood. She is very sweet with these tw...

It's one of those stories that doesn't have to be drawn out, but I did it any way. Besides Mr Smith buying up his emergency prep wish list end of year, we, and I mean I, decided we should do $20 "surprise" Christmas gifts for each other. $20 spent how we want since we normally might question the dollar spent, this would be just a "fun" way to think about each other. I suggested another measuring cup and then the shelves came up again and when a friend told me you could get some affordable IKEA ones, I jumped with excitement (2, 45in ones for $20 exact!). I told him his Christmas present would be just getting and installing them - instead of having to build them too. He said he had thought about that (obviously building them since IKEA isn't his go-to); I thought it was a win. You like that "surprise" suggestion? That's basically how it goes since Mr Smith doesn't appreciate the responsibility of finding a gift for someone. I get i...

This Christmas, I'm truly blessed with a wonderful husband, toddler and a baby on the way. I'm so eternally grateful for my family here and afar. I love my Savior; He truly is The Gift. I am so grateful to know He lives, that there is a plan, and that we can return to live with Him and our Heavenly Parents again some day. My warmest wishes to all of our friends and family this fabulous white Christmas morning. I didn't manage a lot of pictures of the holidays…yet. With Lexi and I both being under the weather, we haven't aimed to be photogenic. I had a few traditions I wanted to reach (I'll add photos as I get them):  1. Seeing Santa . We took a quick trip to the mall on the 23rd. She walked up to him, sat on his lap, told him she wanted a trumpet (he tried to also encourage Paw Patrol and I'm all don't push commercialism mall Santa!). The trumpet was pretty random though; I have no idea where that came from, but it sure made dad proud. He got his ou...

We ended up with a beautiful, white Christmas.  This picture is from the Sunday before the week of Christmas. The week went by pretty quickly with the whole Smith clan in town. We ended up sleeping at Rand & Savannah's house while they were out of town to free up a bedroom here. Sleep is important and already difficult enough with a packed house & toddlers. We have never been with the Smiths for the holidays so it was a nice change. It doesn't matter where you are, the holidays always seem to surround food and that is one of my tip top favorite things. Connie has been doubling portions around here and I have developed a food baby. BBQ pork sandwiches w/ potato salad Christmas Eve and then ham & funeral potatoes for Christmas with pumpkin pies if you were curious. Here is Lexi eating the potato salad: As far as Christmas morning goes, I took a picture of all the grandkids on grandma & grandpa's bed in their pjs. I just really liked the i...