Aydinisms

Remember a while back I said I needed to comment on "Aydinisms", because of all the funny things she says? Well, here we are. That kid cracks me up. Since starting school, she is obsessed with being smart. Ok, could be worse things, right? Anyways, here was our conversation yesterday while doing homework:
Me: Good job, you must be the smartest kid alive.
A: Yep, because I have a lot of brains.
Me: A lot of brains? How many?
A: About 191 million.
Me: You have 191 million brains?!?
A: Yep. 'Cause thats how many people are in my head! :)

(And I thought trying to control one was enough!)

Good Luck, to all my friends

So the other day I was talking to a friend, and we were complaining about this mess of a world we are in right now. The economy is down, money is tight, jobs scarce, we all know the feeling, right? Well, it was funny because that same day I got home from work and Chad told me he found something for me, a four leaf clover! (Now, to key you in, I have NEVER found a four leaf clover in my life, and always say how badly I want to.) I took that as a good sign, considering the day I had been having. Well, we kept it and put it in a book to dry. Then, a couple days later Aydin got the book to show it to my mom, and there were TWO in there! Chad was like, "oh yeah, I found another one," (like it was no big deal). So, now we have 2 four leaf clovers, and I'm thinking this is another good sign, but since Chad was so nonchalant about it I had to come back with "you know, it's cool and all, but I'd really like to find one myself". he he
Well, the next day I went outside to put my dog out, looked down, and guess what? I found one! Just right there, didn't even have to search. I was pretty excited. ;) That was 3 in one week, and I'm thinking we need to go to Wendover or something. But, it gets better...
About 2 days later, I'm talking to my mother-in-law on the phone and telling her how "lucky" we are, and all of a sudden I look down again and find ANOTHER one! So now we have 4 four leaf clovers, which has got to mean something, right? 4 clovers, each with 4 leaves and 4 members in our family. Hello... anyone have some lottery tickets? ;) Anyway, the reason for my long story is to say to all my friends out there, having hard times to keep your head up because things will get better. Love you all!

(MWAH!) :)

Happy Birthday!

It was my sweet nephew's, Christopher (aka "Critter") 1st birthday yesterday. Awe, what a cutie! He started off slow in the cake, but caught on pretty quick and went to town from there. Nice work, Ali, for making such a cute baby! :)

YUMMY!

Awe, so cute! :)

I know the layout here is not so good; trying to get this thing down, not working out so well, but what can I do? I'll get it eventually...

Weekend News

Another eventful weekend for the Smith fam. I swear, we have been so busy I am almost glad summer is coming to an end. Not that I can complain, but I'm tired! Of course, winter will come and I will curse it until it's over, so se la vie. Saturday night Aydin danced at the Weber State half time. She was cute, showing off a little, but cute. Makena wanted nothing to do with dancing, but had a ball at the game. That may have been because Nana loaded her up on sugar, but she had a great time.



Then on Sunday we went to the State Fair. Aydin had been waiting all week to go, and even cleaned her room to keep on the "good side". It was super hot, (who knew!) and we were sweating the whole time, but the girls got to see the animals, ride the horses and play on the rides. But good lord, that place was expensive! For a corn dog, fries and small drink it was $13,50, and for $14 worth of tickets the kids went on two rides. Not to mention it was another $10 to go down the slide two times (of course Chad had to go with them, so he needed a ticket, too). All this on top of the price of admission. Good thing the fair only comes once a year...




Sweet Sisters

Rockport

Last weekend we stayed up at our friends' house in Rockport. Now I know this isn't the best picture, but it was the only one that had ALL of the kids in it. When you have six little ones under the age of 5 running around, it's hard to get them all in one spot. We rented some jet ski's and played on the beach for hours. The kids can never get enough time in the water.
After the beach Kanista made some YUMMY Thai food. She is such an amazing cook. I look forward to eating ANYTHING she makes. It is always mouthwatering.
The morning after.... This is the kids having breakfast the next day. They were so excited to have a "sleepover". :) It was so funny to see how similar their personalities are. Aydin and Zach, Makena and Cam. They could have been the opposite-sex versions of each other!
Ok, this was so cool. They live on the mountain, so there are deer everywhere. Chad went to the car to get something, and when he stood up there were about five deer standing in front of him. He was eating a cookie at the time, so he held it out to the deer and it ate it, right out of his hand! Maybe I should start calling him the "deer whisperer". ;)

In Loving Memory

Our beautiful dog of ten years, Kona, passed away last night. Our constant companion and loving friend, it is so hard to imagine life without her. Now I know some of you are probably thinking "it's just a dog", but she was so much more than that. We always called her our first child, even though she was more of a mother to us than us to her.
I remember the first time I met Chad and he had this monster of a pet, whom I might add, did not like the idea of me moving in on her man. I was terrified of her at first (you should have seen the teeth on her!), but she warmed up to me, and we finally bonded after I sat and rubbed her belly for about two hours. (She was a sucker for a belly rub.) She never left my side after that. Unless it was to chase after our other dog, or a kid here and there.
You couldn't have asked for a better dog. The alfa (fe-) male; she used to sit in front of our gate if it was left open so Bo (our other dog) couldn't leave the yard. And if any other dog even tried to come close to one of us she let them know who was boss. Everyone knew their place with her.
She was definitly a tough dog, yet every kid in our neighborhood knew her as the big teddy bear. She lived to run in the mountains and take care of the ones she loved. She will be forever in our hearts, and greatly missed. There could never be another dog as great as she.
We love you, Kona. Take care of Bo, and we'll see you later.

Makena, Makena

With Aydin starting school, I feel like everything has been about her lately. So, this post is a tribute to my little Kenna, star of the show.

Makena has got to be one of the funniest kids I have ever seen. Here are a few of the many qualities I love about her:

• Her face is always a mess
• She loves her big sister, and wants to be just like her
• She has the attitude of a 16 year old (yikes!)
• She is 110% a daddy's girl
• She will laugh and cry in the same sentence
• She hates clothes, and will rip them off any chance she gets
• She is very into her Barbie Jeep
• She knows every word the the Barbie Girl song (and lives it!)
• She is extremely adventurous and has no fear
• If you want her attention, you will have to work for it. Nothing comes for free
• She lives to tease, but if you make her mad, watch out. She won't let you forget it
• I have never seen such complex emotions in a two year old in all my life