Smith Squad: 2009

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Christmas Present

My new Christmas present this year an Olympus E520 SLR digital camera. This was my biggest best surprise I have ever received for Christmas for as long as I can remember. I have been wanting this camera for close to a year, but our plan was to maybe buy it with our tax refund this year. It was a lot out of our price range for Christmas so I didn't ever even consider the idea that Eric might get it for me, especially with all of the talking up he did about getting me a kitchen aid for Christmas. That should have been my first hint, Eric loves surprises he would never purposely tell me what he was planning on getting me....but I took the bait and was fully expecting a kitchen aid this year. I was SHOCKED to open up this on Christmas morning and I have done nothing since but play with my new toy taking picture after picture with it, it's wonderful and I love it so much.

It takes beautiful pictures, see for yourself:

I can't take all the credit for these pictures, turns out Eric loves playing with the camera every bit as much as I do. Who knew he had a fascination for pictures like I do. Between the two of us we are constantly wandering around looking for interesting things to photograph, it's kinda fun!

Ps. Oh and by the way for those of you who were wondering about the drama of Lance and Santa, well here is how that turned out. I did a lot of swapping from under the tree from mom and dad and gifts from Santa. Then we bought a few more surprises and continued on with our story of how Santa needed extra help storing presents for Carson and Lincoln. I stressed and stressed and stressed over this whole issue. But there was one key point I forgot to remember a quality of Lance's I failed to consider. You see not only is my Lance very much a thinker and intuitive he is also very trusting. He bought word for word what I told him about Santa and come Christmas morning he fully believed all of those gifts were from the big guy in red and not mom and dad. There was a moment of fear later on in the day when I overheard him ask Teri where Carson's flicker was. Teri bless her heart thought fast and told him it was broken and Santa ended up taking it back. Lance responded with a sad face "oh, that is sad, well Carsy can just use mine". I think we were safe and you can bet I will never make that mistake again..... All turned out well!

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

30th Reason

Last year for Eric's Birthday post I did the top 29 things I love about him the most, if you really want to read it well I don't know what to tell you the link is not showing up for some reason.....but I will just add on to that list to celebrate his 30th birthday yesterday.

#30 and quite possibly could rank for the number 1 spot in my book--

I asked him repeatedly what he wanted to do all day long, a number of times really all the while he just ho hummed his options and claimed he wasn't sure. Finally after probably my 30th time of asking him his response was "you know what I really want, exactly what I am doing....stay home with the boys and just play with all of their new toys". And that is just what he did they played Spiderman video game, he taught Luke to play his drums, practiced spelling flashcards with Lance.....you name it they played it.

We did eventually make it out of the house and bought the birthday boy some gadget for his guitars, and went to Olive Garden for dinner just the four of us. It was low key, relaxing and perfect, how blessed to have a husband that wants nothing more on his birthday than to be with his family just playing. Love you Eric, hope you had a great day!

Monday, December 28, 2009

"MICKEE MOW"

We had a Mickey Mouse or as Luke would say "Mickee Mow" themed birthday party for the Loubird yesterday. I was way impressed with myself for even getting this thing thrown together seeing as how Saturday morning we woke up to the mess of Christmas toys, a dirty house, no presents having been bought, party food planned, I didn't even have a plastic fork in the house. But thanks to willing family members who pitched in with bringing salads, a crock pot full of sloppy Jo's and a great husband who spent the day running around collecting a cake, party favors and presents I was able to stay home and put the house in order for Luke's big day. It was worth it! Thanks family for coming over and making the day special for Luke, I know we are all getting to the partied out phase, but you are all troopers it would not have been the same without you. We love you!

Not many pictures were taken, it just doesn't happen when you are running around playing hostess all night, but I will leave you with a classic Luke expression....

"Mommy Open, O--P--E--N"

Luke says this all the time, we are constantly correcting him with his speech so if he doesn't say it right the first time we will repeat it until he gets it right. He now does this with us, he will say a word and then say it again real slowly so there is no mistaking what he is trying to say, though if you look at that face I doubt there would be any confusion on his request, he is practically begging.

Love you Loubird, happy 3rd Birthday!

Saturday, December 26, 2009

CHRISTMAS 09'

Lots of Christmas posts below, had to get them all done in time for the next round of parties, Luke's 3rd birthday tomorrow and Eric's 30th on Monday.....the fun just never ends!

Christmas morning bright and early 6:30 am, Lance asked me the night before if he should come wake me up and say "mommy it's Christmas, Santa came" or if I should wake him up and say "Lancey it's Christmas, Santa came". I told him whoever woke up first could come and wake the rest of us up knowing darn well my early bird Lance would be the first to awake. Sure enough in he trooped at 6:15 in the morning, love that boy.

LANCEY

favorites include: Flicker the flashlight, scooter, and his digital camera he is as picture happy as his mommy with that thing.

LOUBIRD

favorites include: scooter, Mickey Mouse Choo Choo express, and his leap frog learn to write

We headed down to Grandma Tereasa's for Christmas dinner, presents and gift exchange with cousins.....

Sweet boys love their grandma all right!

Papa Deano surprised all the kids with these scooters, the only drawback is the freezing temperatures outside covered in snow. Not exactly scooter riding appropriate.....they opted for zooming up and down Grandma and Grandpa's hallways downstairs.

It was hilarious teaching these three how to play Hungry Hungry Hippos....

Lance kept getting mad at the cheating two year olds....

Luke kept scooping marble into his hippo....

and Brevy just laughed in delight at the others winning all the marbles....

made for a mad Lance who was counting the minutes until Carsy arrived to actually play a game with him!

A highlight of our day was heading down to Grandma and Grandpa Smith's to talk to uncle Greg on the phone, he is serving an LDS mission in Tennessee, it was so good to hear his voice. Lance particularly liked talking to Greg, he got the complete rundown of what Lance got for Christmas...he even remembered to tell Greg he got an apple, an orange and spiderman underwear. Lucky you Greg....it must have been quite the conversation with this four year old.

After that it was off to Grandpa Williams for snacks and more presents and the tormenting of the new puppy Dotty. This poor six week old pup had a few best friends that would not leave her alone all night long. I think the only kid who was not pestering her was Lance who spent the night curled up on Teri's lap terrified of this tiny little puppy.

Oh and I forgot to mention my sleepless nights of worrying what to get Eric for his birthday paid off. This was his Christmas/Birthday present from me--his new little baby a flat screen TV for our front room. He is anxiously anticipating all of those Jazz games on this beauty....and watch for another post entirely on what my Christmas gift was. It's so wonderful it deserves it's very own post.

About Us

We are the Smith family Eric, Jenny, Lance, Luke and Katelynn. Eric is working for Weber State University as a professor in the Accounting Program teaching tax law courses. As for me I feel so blessed to be able to stay at home with our three children, and spend my days playing with them. Lance is our six year old, a great big brother who loves coloring, playing outdoors and MOVIES, boy does he love movies. Luke is our five year old, he was born at 28 weeks prematurity and has since suffered a severe hearing loss he is currently enrolled in the Sound Beginnings program here in Cache Valley to help teach him to speak and hear with the assistance of hearing aids. He is active and really just all together crazy but in a fun way. Katelynn is our newest addition, our sweet baby girl. We are so enjoying a little pink in our household, and those cheeks boy do we love to kiss and squeeze them! She brings such peace and joy to our home. What can we say life is good!

Book Reviews

Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling--Bushman

Four Stars****

I spent the good part of my first semester in DC reading this book. It was one of those things where you look forward to reading parts of it every night because it is so interesting. To me, the most interesting biographies are written by master-story tellers who can weave biographical information into a novel-like account of a person's life. Bushman, who is a member of the church and a professor at Columbia, accomplishes that in this book. That time in my life was a perfect one to read about Joseph's life. He was away from his family for such long periods, often with his wife going through great difficulties without his being able to help her. I felt like I could acutely relate. I was absolutely without power to help Jenny from where I was in DC and there wasn't a lot we could do to change our circumstances but wait for time to pass. My love and testimony for the prophet grew greatly through reading this book and I would highly recommend it to anyone wanting to know the prophet better.

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Truman--McCullough

Four Stars****

This is one of the best biographies I have ever read. Truman is now one of my heros and I am convinced that had I lived at that time, I would have been voting for a Democrat. Truman was called upon to address some of the most difficult issues in our country's history. There are only a few president's about whom you can say, if he didn't make the right decision at the right time, we might not be here now, and Truman is one of those.

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To Kill a Mockingbird--Lee

Four Stars****

Classics are classics for a reason and this is no exception. The imagery created by Harper Lee with her writing is second to none and as you read, it is like watching a masterpiece of art being painted. My favorite quote from the book: "I'm not a very good man, sir, but I am sheriff of Maycomb County. Lived in this town all my life an' I'm goin' on forty-three years old. Know everything that's happened here since before I was born. There's a black boy dead for no reason, and the man responsible for it's dead. Let the dead bury the dead this time, Mr. Finch. Let the dead bury the dead."--Sheriff Tate

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No Place Like Home--Higgins Clark

Four Stars****

I started reading this book to Jenny when she was in her car accident years ago. She couldn't see and the lights were too bright for her so I sat there in the banana chair next to her with a flash light reading this book. We got 2/3s of the way through it and never finished. It took me four years before I was able to reread it. If you like a good mystery that you can't put down, this is your book. Jenny, who is a Mary Higgins Clark expert, says this is one of her better ones.

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The Street Lawyer--Grisham

Four Stars****

Except for The Rainmaker, this is my favorite John Grisham book so far. It really made me think about the satisfaction that can come by helping the poor/needy through using your acquired legal skills. It served as motiviation for me to get involved with the pro-bono opportunities with the bar.

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Remember Me--Higgins Clark

Four Stars****

After I finished "No Place Like Home," Jenny suggested her favorite Mary Higgins Clark book, "Remember Me." This is another good suspense novel in which, unlike my previous Mary Higgins Clark read, I was unable to guess the true villain. What was most interesting about this book to me was the author's using premonitions of ghost-like activity, but in a way in which you were almost hoping that the ghost existed by the time you finished the book. Usually ghosts haunt, in this case it was more of an issue of setting the historical record straight. I also loved the geneoligical twist at the end that gave this book a perfect ending.

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For Whom the Bell Tolls--Hemmingway

Four Stars****

I had always wanted to read this book--a classic in American Literature. It lived up to its billing. This is an account of an American in the International Brigade during the Spanish Civil War who is assigned to a small band of guerillas behind enemy lines with the task of blowing up a bridge. The book recounts in graphic and disturbing detail the images of war and specifically the political dynamic between the Communists and the Fascists at that time in Spain. The ending is foreshadowed throughout the book, but you still find yourself hoping right until the end that what you know is coming will not be. The book is also interesting in that it gives glimpses into Ernest Hemmingway's psyche, specifically on the topic of suicide. Ernest Hemmingway committed suicide years later so that insight is particularly poignant.

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Divine Justice--Baldacci

Three and 1/2 Stars***

This was my first read by Baldacci. This was a very good suspense novel which was set in Washington, DC and the small fictional town of Divine, Virginia. An interesting feature is the dynamic in which the hunted and the hunter eventually come to understand each other and, through adversity, join sides against an even greater evil--the CIA.

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Great Expectations--Dickens

Four Stars****

Because of when this book was written, reading it is like stepping in a time machine and traveling back 100 years. A classic by Charles Dickens, so you know it is good. Lasting impression: aspirations are not always worthwhile and once you achieve them, you might lose what you realize is most important.

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The Lost Symbol--Brown

Three Stars***

Jenny questions my giving this only three stars, which is not to say I didn't enjoy it--I finished it within a week--but I thought the ending was not a surprise given how his other novels have ended. You seem to have three commonalities in his novels with Robert Langdon: a psychotic bad guy; a suicidal (intentional or unintentional) ending for that bad guy; and a female co-protagonist who would be an obvious fit for Robert from a romantic standpoint, but nothing ever happens.

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The Kite Runner--Hosseini

Three Stars***

This was a very good book that opened my eyes to middle eastern culture--specifically Afhganistan and Pakistan. The ending is certainly not a happy one, but all things considered, is satisfactory. The only reason I didn't give this four stars is because there are some pretty graphic and perverse scenarios which I found quite disturbing.

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A Train to Potevka--Ramsdell

Two and 1/2 Stars**

A lot of people really like this book, and for good reason. The story itself of the author's experience in the Foreign Service in the USSR is quite gripping. My only complaint was the self-serving personal tangents that take up a good chunk of the book and were only tangentially related to the underlying plot of being in Russia. If this book had stuck to the underlying story, it would have been great.

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The Blind Side--Lewis

Three and 1/2 Stars***

I was already familiar with Michael Oher's story before the movie sharing the title of this book came out. I found the book very appealing because of its in depth analysis of football strategy, emphasizing the importance of the left-tackle, but a non-sports fan may have trouble getting through the book because of that detail. I wouldn't say this is an over-the-top feel-good story. What the Tuohys did for Michael was praiseworthy, but perhaps the run it is getting these days is a little over the top.

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The Associate--Grisham

Four Stars****

If you want to know what it is like to worth in a mega-law firm in New York, this is the book to read. As with many Grisham books, an overall critique of a broader matter (life of an associate at a big law firm) serves as the background to a story plot. And the story plot in this particular book is very intriguing: Editor-in-Chief Yale Law Journal is blackmailed to going to work for a large law firm to steal information on one of its biggest clients. Juicy.

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Paul McCartney: A Life--Carlin

Three Stars***

I am a huge Beatles fan and thought this would be a great read. It was, but it turns out sometimes you don't want to know the entire life story of one of your musical heros.

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Moby Dick--Melville

Four Stars****

How could this book get anything but Four Stars? It is a classic in American literature for a good reason. I was surprised to learn that it never received its proper acclaim until after Melville died. It was very good though to actually read the book that has become so engrained in our culture. Classics are classics for a reason.

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In the Heart of the Sea--Philbrick

Four Stars****

After reading Moby Dick, this seemed like a logical follow-up. This book tells the tale of the whaleship Essex, the account on which the novel Moby Dick was based. Essex was destroyed by a great white whale in the Pacific Ocean in the late 1700s. Melville read the account which inspired him to write Moby Dick. Moby Dick, however, ends with the ship's encounter with the whale. This story tells what happened after the collision: the survivors had to make a 3,000 mile trek back to South America in whale boats (larger than life boats, but not much larger). Starvation, mental instability, and even cannabilism are all suffered in efforts to survive. This book really makes you appreciate what hunger and thirst really are--certainly more than the uncomfortable pangs we experience on fast Sunday.

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Oliver Twist--Dickens

Four Stars****

The story of Oliver Twist is a storyteller's masterpiece. You have no choice but to root for Oliver, a young orphan of honest character and sweet disposition who suffers through abuse in an orphanage, deceitful ploys from perceived friends, and seemingly endless bad luck. Reading Dickens is an experience in and of itself--you get so much detail, so many layers of the story, that you feel more than acquainted with the characters by the time you have finsihed the book.

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Angels & Demons--Brown

Three Stars***

Most have already read this book--I supppose I am a few years behind on the Dan Brown train. I found it compelling enough and there is a great surprise ending, but I've done some research (or, that is, have read the research of others) and Brown took a few too may creative liberties with the historical facts for my taste. Moreover, as I mentioned in my review of the Lost Symbol, all of Brown's villains seem to be psychotic, which is a little creepy for me. Sometimes villains need to be bad because they are simply bad and not because they are operating in a delusional state of reality.

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Screwtape Letters--Lewis

Four Stars****

This was my second time reading this book and I feel like there are still parts that are worth re-reading and thinking about. This book comprises a series of fictional letters from a mentor devil to an apprentice devil (his nephew) as the apprentice tempts his assigned subject on earth. Of course, the book is read with the understanding that the opposite of everything the mentor writes is true. This mode of exchange offers a uniquely sharp perspective of our existence because we see things from a completely different perspective. Keen insights regarding man's relationship with god, with family, and himself are plentiful. Each letter is only two to four pages long, and I found myself not able to read more than one at a sitting because there was so much there to digest. Wonderfully done and highly recommended.

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A Tale of Two Cities--Dickens

Four Stars****

Of course four stars--one of the greatest novels in English literature, but I did not know what to expect of this book beyond the famous first lines regarding the best and worst of times. A few moments stand out for me that were described with stunningly majestic prose: when Lucy meets her father and tells him that she is his daughter and the final chapter where the hero of the novel sees the future in a prophetic recount right before his execution. I reread the final chapter two or three times and was continually amazed at how well it is written and how much emotion is drawn out of every word. This is a long book, and is not one that you can breeze through, but the investment of time is well worth it.

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Around the World in 80 Days--Verne

Four Stars****

This novel is a classic that only could have been written when it was written given the onset of modern travel--but it is an absolute adventure. An eccentric and wealthy man, not to mention flawlessly cool and collected, bets his fortune that he can traverse the circumfrance of the globe in 80 days, heading eastward from London. He confronts adventure after adventure, including a stop in Ogden, UT where his servant is preached to by an Elder of the Mormon church. Worth experiencing yourself--give it a try.

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Christmas Present

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

30th Reason

Monday, December 28, 2009

"MICKEE MOW"

Saturday, December 26, 2009

CHRISTMAS 09'

OUR FAMILY 2012

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