summer vacation-Yellowstone 2011

Our big family vacation for 2011 was Yellowstone Nat'l. Park. I think this was one of our funnest and  memorable adventures. The children are all so independent, Curtis and I really enjoyed ourselves and it didn't feel as stressful as some trips. I realized it is because the 3 older children really take care of themselves plus they are so helpful to Chris and Kiera. They were so willing to get them in and out of their car seats, help with potty breaks, change clothes, get our food ready on our picnics, you name it and one of them was right there to lend a hand. Yellowstone is such a magical place. Everywhere we went in this park we thought about how insignificant we are as humans when you consider God and this world he created. We talked on the trip up about all the wildlife there is and how some of them go right by your car. The kids decided to say a prayer that we would have the chance to see all the wildlife that Yellowstone has to offer. It was cute that they thought of that but I didn't think it was likely that we would get to see all the animals. The last day of our trip we realized that throughout the 3 days of being there we had in fact seen all the wildlife there is to see in the park. We even saw moose and wolves which are the most difficult to spot. The waterfalls, geysers, and hot pots were so fascinating. It is exciting to see children wonder about nature and how these things came to be. We waited for Old Faithful to erupt and Christian was getting impatient so he and I started to chant, "Faithful, Faithful". Other tourists around us got a chuckle and when it finally blew he thought it was really cool. I think I even used the word "Radical" and Kemp and Cami felt embarrassed by their mom. Kiera could not have been an easier baby and she has been like that from birth. She loved being outdoors in the fresh air. Kemp and Cami's favorite part of the trip was the Bear and Wolf discovery center. Kerstyn loved staying at the hotel and seeing a Grizzly bear family (mom, dad, and 2 cubs) walk right across the road in between some cars behind us. Christian's favorite part was seeing a bison herd walk right past the side of our van and one of them was showing us his rear end, Chris laughed about that. My favorite part was the hike to Yellowstone Falls, it was gorgeous! Curtis just loved being away from civilization with his family. We will never forget this trip!

Summer craze-literally!

Anniversary #14


Park City Flying Aces Aerial Show

I love this crazy man!

Silly boy scouts

Receiving National Gold Award along with other classmates

Report for school on Switzerland

Kemp's vision was struggling a bit so now he has some way cool glasses!

Cami's 11th B-day, she loves the movie "Tangled" so that was the theme

Easter 2011

Kerst learned how to ride her bike this SpringLoves to hang out with cousin Lauren

4th of July-West Point Carnival

He Loved this snake Chris likes crawling through the tunnel

Homemade boxing gloves

Kiera's blessing

Darling outfit from Aunt Caroline

With the craziness of summer I have gotten behind in my posts, so here is an all-in-one:

Curtis: He ran the Ragnar and did awesome! He hurt his knee (IT band problems) but he is glad he did it. He is growing out his first beard, he thinks it will be cool to have one for scout camp. Also he is growing a garden and can't wait to see the fruits of his labors. He traveled to Las Vegas a couple times in June for work, and spent most of his leisure time near the temple-he would never just stroll down the street in Vegas.

Kelly: I love having a new baby and a reason to slow down a bit. I successfully rode the Frontrunner train all the way to SLC by myself with the 5 kids, that is one for the record books! I went to my very first Body Pump class, and it was a killer! Curt and I celebrated our 14th anniversary in Park City and we went to see the Flying Aces Aerial Show at the Olympic Park and the new "Pirates" movie.

Kemp: Is gung-ho with his scouting. He is ready to do his Eagle project and he will be 13 in November. It has been nice for Kemp to have his Dad as Scoutmaster because he was able to go on a lot of campouts when he was 11. He looks so grown-up with new glasses. He earned a National Gold Award and a pin for having a 3.5 or higher through all of elementary school. Jr. High School is approaching and his mom is very nervous about that transition!

Cami: She has joined Girl Scouts, and loves it. She is not playing comp soccer next year because of some changes in the UYSA, but she is happy that she won't have that huge committment. Everyday she wants to have a plan in place. What are we doing today, mom? Most of the time she comes up with the ideas. I love that about her! She was able to do some horseback riding, canoeing, and lots of other things at Curtis' family reunion. She was in heaven!

Kerstyn: She has blossomed the last few months. She was given the Super Polite award in her 1st grade class. She is so proud of that, and I definitely use it to my advantage. I ask her if she is being Super Polite and that question alone solves a lot of issues. She would love to learn the piano and sing. I'm hoping we can afford that next year, because I sense some music talent in her. Grandma Garrett is one of her best friends. She always wants to sleep in her bed because she gets to eat popcorn and apples at bedtime. That's what grandmas are for,right?

Christian: He is such an energetic and hilarious 2 year old. He has trouble going number 2 in the potty. When we ask him where his poo-poo goes he says (in a loud voice) "In the......Toyet!" but it ends up in his underwear. He loves cars, monster trucks, trains, reptiles, airplanes, the park, riding on the back of mommy's bike, and riding his tricycle. He loves to make Kiera smile. He can pray all by himself, and throws a fit when it isn't his turn. He loved the Frontrunner and we went to see a whole bunch of trains at the Union Station with Lesley and her family. We also want to go to the Airforce museum. Those will be the highlights of his summer for sure!

Kiera: She has the sweetest disposition ever. She sleeps through the night from 11 pm to 6 am. I have never had that luxury with my previous babies-love it!!! Her smile is just the cheesiest ever and she has a cute little double chin where she is very ticklish. She just started to laugh this week (my post is a few weeks old and I am writing this the first week of July). She rolls over from her tummy to back. She does so well with all the noise and children wanting to play and entertain her. Maybe that is why she gets lots of sleep! What a bummer it would have been to not have this sweet girl, she is a keeper!

Kiera, and her proud big brother

Kiera is 5 weeks and changing so much. Her vision is starting to become clearer cause she is focusing on our faces and giving more eye contact. Christian loves her so much. I was very nervous because he is such a curious child and very observant. I was worried that he would try to "help" with the baby and do something that would give me a heart attack. He couldn't be cuter with her and the way he says her name or kisses her or holds her just makes my heart melt. This time around with a new baby has been more pleasant and not as nerve wracking. When she cries or needs attention she has 6 different people running to her aid. No wonder families complain that the youngest child is spoiled! She is the prettiest little baby and has such a good blend of all the kids in her. She does this loud snorting and sucks all over my cheek and her hands when she is hungry, love it!

A Rude Awakening and A Triumph!

I got up Saturday morning at 7 a.m. so excited because Curtis was heading down to Bountiful to compete in a Triathlon and the kids and I were going to be at the finish line with a banner and treats to congratulate him (with losts of kisses). I warned the kids ahead of time that we would need to stay on the ball with our Saturday morning chores so we could get to Bountiful in time to see Dad finish. I was getting nervous around 9:30 that we weren't ready to go because I figured that the swimming would take him the longest and I knew he would cruise with the biking and running. Kiera was screaming bloody murder because she was so hungry and had to wait, that doesn't happen very often so she was p.o.'d. I made a huge mistake of taking more time to do my girls hair all cutesy-I should have cared more about what time it was. You know how you imagine something in your mind and you are fixated about it. Well I wanted all of us to be cute and well-groomed for Curtis and taking pictures with him. Just as we were leaving the phone rang and it was Curtis saying he just finished and was coming home. AAAHHH! I had a little meltdown and started to cry because it was a big deal to me to be there when he finished. He said it was just fine and he would celebrate with us when he got home. I have to wake up to this reality-I have a new baby and she is my 5th child, corners are going to have to be cut somewhere. From now on I am keeping a brush, hairspray and some headbands in my car! Curtis-we couldn't be prouder of you, I can't believe you finished in 2 hours for your first time. You didn't even train for it, and you seemed like you could go do it again when you got home. Way to go Sweetie for accomplishing a big goal of yours. I hope you know how much we love you and what a great example you are to me and our children! Thanks for being so understanding and knowing just how to calm me down and make me feel better when I am out of sorts. I love you.

IT'S A ......

Sorry about the shoulder shot-always so exposed after having a baby!

Grandpa Smith took the kids while I was in labor-What a guy!
Kerstyn is holding up a zero sign which means no more baby in my tummy-she is so funny!
Daddy's girls!
My Cheer Squad-minus my sister Lesley, where did she go?

I love how emotional my husband gets when a baby is born, he is the one that felt strong about having this baby-so glad he did!

This is what life is all about!!!!!!!!

BABY GIRL! Kiera (Kee-ra) Eliza Smith was born on April 8th at approx. 6:00 p.m. she weighed 6 lbs. 9 oz. and was 20 inches long. My doctor let Curtis call out if it was a boy or girl and we couldn't stand the suspense, but I'm so glad we did that. I decided to go natural with this one because getting the epidural with Christian was a horrible experience. I'm sure I sound crazy, but having babies natural has been a better experience, so I just suck it up and do my best with the pain! I loved having Curtis, My mom, Mom Smith, and my sister Lesley in the room. It helped a ton to have them cheering me on! Kiera has been an absolute joy! She has the sweetest nature. Curtis and I are wondering how we got so lucky. Either the Lord has cut me a break with this baby or Curtis and I are just more comfortable as parents with this being the 5th time around. I think she has the cutest stubby nose (like Pollyana) and she is so alert, she just stares right at ya when you talk to her. I have to be right in the same room as her to hear her cry or I won't even know it, that could change in a couple of months. I love being a mom and 10 months ago I couldn't have imagined myself with 5 children and now it feels as though we just wouldn't be the same family without her!