Abigail and Natalie

Well I have officially finished all my family memories for February  and to be honest it was exhausting to do a blog entry everyday. I admire those who have the energy and time to do it. After today I may take a break for awhile. Just thought I would share what we have been up to this month at our house.

First off we discovered Natalie has a head full of curls. It is super cute but they don't really stay unless her hair is wet and I am not about to start hair products with a seven month old.

Abby and Ryan had a great time building a "castle" in the backyard. The weather has been so mild we have been outside a lot the last couple of weeks.

Natalie decided she does like to eat after all and is now eating veggies and cereal. Still not interested in meat. Here she is eating her first Mum Mum cracker.

Bedtime is occasionally a challenge and one night Daddy was so tired he took them both into bed with him. Eventually everyone got to sleep.

We love hitting the parks and going for a walk or playing on the structure. The girls both love being outside!!

These two are pretty great kids and I am glad to be building many memories each day with them.

Now for those of you who read about my family and my great memories I don't want you to get any crazy ideas that my family is all perfect and wonderful. We are just like any other family and have our moments but in my effort to focus on the positive I wanted to share what I love and remember the most about them. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family!!

Grandparents

I have had many great influences in my life some of which are my grandparents. All of my grandparents have passed away. Ryan has one set of Grandparents still alive. I will share some of my memories of my grandparents.  I was pretty spoiled and grew up close to my Grandma and Grandpa Smith. I remember them coming to the farm almost every day when I was little. It was so fun to see them and play with them. I remember my Grandpa driving me to piano lessons and home when my parents couldn't. One such instance proved a little more exciting than planned when the police pulled us over because my Grandpa was driving on the wrong side of the road. OOPS! I made it safely home but Grandpa soon after wasn't able to drive anymore. My other favorite memory is he would come out and push me on the tree swing in their backyard and just take time to play with me. I loved that about him.
My Grandma Smith was pretty special. I used to sleepover at her house whenever I had early morning basketball/volleyball practice. She had the coolest house ever. She would always make me yummy suppers and we would sit and visit in the living room after. Usually ending with some tv. She loved watching her shows. In elementary school I interviewed my Grandma about the depression and gained such an appreciation for what I have and what kind of heritage I have. During the summerof my high school years I lived in town at my Grandma's so I could get to my Flamingo Hotel job. She was always worrying about me getting enough rest and hanging out too much with my friends. Never fail though she would always have dinner ready and waiting for me after work. She was such a special lady and I am so glad I had the opportunity to live with her and really get to know her.
My Grandpa Thomas I don't remember very much because he died when I was pretty young. He was an awesome fisherman though and I do remember going out in his little silver boat and spending the day fishing. I especially remember my brother Phillip getting the hook caught in my hair.
My Grandma Thomas was a really neat lady. She was super talented musically and I loved that about her. She played the organ well into her 90's for her ward. She also played the violin beautifully. I remember staying at their little house in Donnelly Idaho and walking to the corner store for an "Idaho Spud". It was so fun to go and visit them.

Ryan's grandparents on his Mom's side are the Rand's. I don't really know much about them since I never met them. I do know that they lived in a small town. His Grandpa was a judge in the town. Grandma was a very proper lady from what I gather. I know that they must have been great parents.

This is Ryan's Grandpa(His Dad's side).
We were able to go and visit them when Abby was just over one in Nova Scotia. I learned a lot about Grampy while I was there. He is an expert bird caller and he was calling the crows one morning and I told Ryan I think Grampy has lost it. He then informed me Grampy is skilled at this and he was truly calling the birds.
My other favorite memory was when we went for breakfast with the boys. Grampy goes to breakfast/coffee every day at the same resaurant with the same guys. It was so cute. He was telling everyone that he had his Great Granddaughter with him. Ryan and I were just a sidenote. It was super cute.

Of course we had some fun times with Grammy as well. She is such a sweet lady. She has sent me these two adorable quilts for both of my babies.  One of my favorite memories of her is playing scrabble with her here in Winnipeg. She is like the best scrabble player ever and I was just amazed at how talented and smart she is.  Every Christmas we get two things from Grammy that I love. One is hand painted cards that are amazing the other are hand painted eggs to put on the Christmas tree. They are so special to us and we look forward every year to see what picture is on the egg/card.

I am so grateful to have been blessed with such great heritage and grandparents who are such great examples to me!!

Leslye

My sister Leslye and I have had a lot of great memories together. I don't remember a lot of things from when we lived together on the farm but since I have grown up a little we have had a lot of fun times together.
One of my favorites is when we drove out to Winnipeg together to visit my sister Vicki. I learned so much about her just by being in the car with her for such a long drive. She helped me as I got my first speeding ticket and then we surprised our sister together for her birthday. Super fun times.
After I had Abby she was so cute when I was really exhausted and the tears were coming easily she was like somebody help her. She didn't feel like she could help me because she didn't have kids. I think she was a big help because she is good at recognizing when we need some help. I was so grateful for her coming and being able to help me.
I love when she comes to visit and we get to do fun sister things together. Going for lunch at Olive Garden, shopping for nursing uniforms, and talking about our favorite books together.

I don't know if this qualifies as a memory just something about Leslye that I love is she is so considerate about giving gifts and showing appreciation. She always sends the sweetest things and is such a great Auntie to my kids.

Today is her birthday and I hope she has a wonderful day! Love you Leslye!!!!

Tara

Tara is my sister in law and married to my brother Phil. She is an amazing person that I have gotten to know a little bit over the past few years.
I remember a family reunion at  Woolford Park on the Smith side with all the cousins and we sat on the blanket and just visited. She has had a really interesting life and overcome a lot of challenges and I learned so much from her. I remember being in awe at how talented she was. She is super musical and into dancing. We shared a common bond of being stake music chairperson for awhile and it was so nice to have someone to bounce off ideas on. She is so easy to talk to.
I think my other favorite memory is when her family came to visit us in Winnipeg. It was right after I had Abby and was adjusting to motherhood and was pretty much feeling overwhelmed. She totally talked to me about how hard it was after she had Landon and gave me some awesome practical advice that totally helped me. I am so grateful that my brother found her and that she is part of our family.
Love you Tara.
 It is her birthday tomorrow so have a wonderful day Tara!!

Cole, Naomi, Adam, and Noah

This is a really old picture of my neices and nephews but they have moved so far away that I can't really take many pictures of them anymore.
Cole is the oldest and my favorite memory of Cole is from when we had a family reunion at the farm and he was running around chasing all his cousins and trying to tickle them. He is a really funny kid and has a great sense of humour. When I went to BC to visit them I think a took a whole roll of film of Cole and Adam they are super cute and photogenic. Can't you tell by Adam's sweet smile?
Naomi is the only girl in a house full of boys. She is super cute. She is really quiet and sweet. She loves babies and was happy to play with Abby at the family reunion.
Adam is the cute one with the glasses and he is my cute little daredevil nephew. I know he is always trying new things and playing tricks on his parents I am sure.  Noah is the baby and as such I don't have a ton of cute memories of him.
They are all great kids and I am so glad that got to be a part of our family. They have great parents I know and I hope they are loving the beach in New Zealand. So jealous. In fact Dave was telling me they went surfing on Christmas Day. How fun is that?
Love you guys!!

Madyson, Jordanne, Dallas, and Reid

Madyson is my oldest niece. I remember when she was born. She was the first grandkid on both sides and of course was spoiled. I remember her being a bunny at Halloween and she was sooo cute. I remember watching many a Disney movies with her while babysitting.  She is a super amazing writer and is now in college pursuing her dreams.
Jordanne is my cute redheaded neice we used to lovingly call "carrots". She is my social butterfly neice at least she was when I lived there. I remember when they were taking highland dance and they would perform on their front lawn in front of the town house. She used to ask me to read more stories at bedtime when I babysat. A girl after my own heart or maybe just avoiding bedtime?? I guess we are a little alike because she is applying to go to nursing school in the fall. I know she will be a super awesome compassionate nurse!! When we had a family reunion a few years ago she left me a little note in my scriptures. Yeah we are totally alike!! Love it!
Dallas is my halloween neice. Yeah born on Halloween and full of tricks. She was a dancing queen, musicican and I remember running to the Mac's store with her. They used to live right behind a Mac's store and every time I babsat they used to beg Auntie to go to the Mac store.
Reid was born when I lived in Edmonton and looking back I feel like man I wasn't any help to my sister in law when that occured. OOOPS! I remember visiting him in the hospital. He was very welcomed after three girls. He is a total trickster and has grown up so much since I left Edmonton. I can't believe he is in YM already and going on Scout camp and all that stuff.

I love all these guys and am so grateful that I was able to live in Edmonton for a few years and really get to know them better. They are awesome members of my family that I love!!

Mom

I first met Mom when I was serving in the Young Adult ward RS Presidency. She was a really great leader and always had great advice for our little presidency. I admired how dedicated she was to her calling. Every calling she has had in the church since I have known her she always gives it her all. That is a great example to me.

One of my favorite memories with her is driving out to Alberta with her on the way to my wedding. She drove out early with me so I could spend some time with my family. Ryan had told her I liked to sing in the car when I drive so we sang together. It was fun.
We had some great girl outings going to  the Nutcracker with Beth, going for sushi, and other things before the grandkids came along.

Really since I have had my kids I have really come to appreciate her so much more. She is such a thoughtful loving Grandma. I am so spoiled to have her so close. She is always calling to see how my day is going. She takes Abby for sleepovers to give us a break and they are always willing to babysit.
I love that my kids love going to their Grandparents house.
I really appreciate that we live so close and have so much time to make lot's of memories together.
Love you Mom!
I honestly cannot find a picture of Grandma with Natalie oh my we are such terrible photographers. I am sure Poppa has one!!

David

Growing up with Dave was always fun. I remember doing chores with him like cleaning the barn and hauling water for the cows.  I think one of my favorites was going to watch him play basketball. He was really good at basketball and I was so proud to go and cheer for him.

When he was on his mission in Tennessee I remember writing him letters and he would write back so many cool experiences that he was having. He has always had a strong testimony and served in whatever calling he has had. I remember in BC he told he me his calling was to help fellowship so he organized a basketball game every Saturday morning. Sounds more like playing to me!! HE HE HE!!

He is now married to my amazing sister in law Kerri and has four cute kids. He is enjoying the life of living in New Zealand right now lucky dog while Kerri goes to school. He is a great brother and great example to me.

Love you Dave.

Kolten, Kaitlyn, and McKinlay

Some more of my cute nieces and nephew. These are my brother Kevin's kids. I remember Kolten as being the cutest baby ever. He has since turned into a young man. He reminds me to a T of Kevin. I love watching him follow his Dad and Grandpa around when they come and visit the farm. He loves to takes risks and always teases me to drive faster on the quad. One of my favorite memories of him is playing the game Apples to Apples. He would always try and guess what Ryan would pick so Ryan would win. I always thought that was so sweet!!

Kaitlyn is the one in the middle. She is our little beauty queen. She does a lot of rodeo pageants and loves horses. When we were home this Christmas when Abby was just 8 months old Kaitlyn wanted to curl her hair. I remember being at the farm and Kaitlyn loves to do things with Grandma. They always have little projects together. These guys usually spend a week or two at the farm in the summer and I know my parents love having them around.

Mckinlay is the one holding Abby. She loves babies. She is always cracking jokes and making me laugh. She wanted to hold and play with Abby the whole time we were there that Christmas.

Kaitlyn and Mckinlay both decided to be baptized in December. I am so proud of them for making this decision.

They are awesome kids and I love that they are part of my family!!!

Beth

I have a few memories of Beth before and after I met Ryan. I think Christmas was probably the funniest.

Ryan and Beth played a trick on Mom and we pretended to give Beth a dog for Christmas. It was hilarious watching Mom try to be supportive. There you have it. Beth is as big as a jokester as the rest of the family.
I think the first time I met Beth was at a friends house after I had just moved to Winnipeg. We played two games that I was not very good at  Trivial Pursuit and Crib. She was super smart and I wished she was on my team.
I remember playing the piano for her to sing before she left on her mission. She was correcting me on my technique. He he I have to say counting was never my favorite!! She is super talented on the piano and French Horn. I wish!!!
I remember when we had Abby and she came home from school to visit and she wasn't too sure about holding the baby. Now she is a pro Auntie and Abby loves it when she comes over.
It is great to have another sister that I can chat with and do some fun things with.
It has been so much fun having her around the last while as she is figuring out what to do. No matter what happens I know she is going to be awesome at whatever she decides!!
Love you Beth!

Dad

Memories of my Dad mostly revolve around the farm because he loves that place. As I have gotten older and looked back I realize how much he really likes being a farmer and working on the farm. Growing up I sometimes didn't understand that and didn't realize why we couldn't do so many things that others were doing.

This picture is from this past October when we were there and Dad had fallen and hurt himself. My Dad is a little bit accident prone and I have many memories of my Mom running him to the doctor for stitches/dressings etc. Since I became a nurse he is always asking me health advice and wanting me to take his blood pressure and other such things. I guess this is a memory to me because I myself am accident prone nothing serious just little things but I always think of my Dad when I do it.

One of my favorite memories with my Dad is doing irrigation pipes at the flat. We used to go down with my two brothers and I would help Dad and the boys would do the other end. When I was younger I thought I was special because I was able to be Dad's partner. Really I was just the wimpy one and he was strong so he could do it with just a little help. I remember sometimes having a picnic  by the river at irrigation pipes and Dad would come off the machinery long enough to eat and then back to work.

I am so grateful that he taught me to work hard!!

One of my other favorite memories is when I graduated from University and he and Mom came up to Edmonton for my convocation. I remember him telling me he was proud of me and that I was going to make something of myself. My Dad is not big on words or compliments and so this meant a great deal to me. I am grateful that because of him I was able to put myself through school, buy a car, and buy my own house. I know it stems from him teaching me to be frugal and independant.

I am glad that he is a great Grandpa to my kids when we get to see him!

Love you Dad!

My Valentine

I feel pretty blessed to have the love of this guy in my life. I often wonder what I did to deserve such a great guy. I can't believe we have been together for five years this year. Time sure flies.
Our love story began just five short years ago. I am not sure of the first day we met but the first time we noticed each other was on a double date in which we were not together. I was so impressed with how he treated his date and how respectful he was. He is quite the gentleman.(Thanks Mom!) He had some great training!!
Our first date we went to an exhibit about the history of the toilet! It was really quite interesting and very unique. I remember thinking wow this guy is so easy to talk to. We had some really fun times. I knew he was a keeper when he stayed at the church all day while I was preparing a meal for the ward potluck and helped me with the food. He is definitely the romantic in our relationship. Stopping in the middle of a parking lot to dance with me is another memorable experience. Taking me to dinner with a live jazz band! Lot's of fun times!!
Watching him become a Dad and see how great he is at it has been amazing!!
He is fabulous and I am so grateful he is mine for all etenity!!

Over the past five years we have had some amazing times. We have two beautiful daughters Abigail and Natalie. He has given me so much confidence and love. I love how we grow together and build each other. It is exactly how I pictured marriage would be. Love you Ryan!! Can't wait for the rest of our life to unravel together!

Happy Valentine's Day

Joelle/Nicole/Ben

So we are pretty spoiled and get to live close to my two neices and nephew here in Winnipeg. Joelle, Nicole, and Ben.

This is a pic the night before Joelle left to go to University in Lethbridge. I think my most favorite memory of Jo and Nic is from back in the day when I was single. I used to come and visit from Edmonton. I was the cool Auntie back then because I could afford to buy them treats and spent all my spare time with them when I was here. We would have little sleepovers. One in particular we were in Nikki's room and we were playing the game where you have to finish each other's sentances. We were laughing so hard and having so much fun!! These two are awesome.
 Joelle and I have had many heart to hearts about taking it easy. We are similar in the way we react to stress and she always knows just when to say let's go for a walk right before I may spontaneously burst into tears. She is so smart and motivated and just a really awesome girl.

I loved when she was in our ward and playing the organ and every Sunday Abby would ask if she could go and sit with Joelle on the front bench. After Joelle left Abby was so sad she couldn't got and sit with her. Lucky for her Nicole is still here to play with.

Nicole has such a  sweet spirit. She is so awesome and good at just saying relax it's all good. She is so good at playing with her cousins at church. If Abby comes to church in a cranky mood she just has to sit by Nikki for a few minutes and everything is all better. We  love watching Nicole dance. She just started taking lessons but we went to her school recital and Abby was so excited to watch her cousin up on the stage. When Nicole was 8 and got baptized I remember going to her baptism and she had invited all her friends. I was so proud of her for being such a great missionary

Ben is uber talented in the baseball department. He is our chief babysitter these days and has done so well with both of the girls. I was worried we had scared him off kids forever the first time he babysat Natalie but he did it again so I figure we are all good. I love watching him and Ryan play together. They both love video games and it is so cute how Ryan becomes a little kid for awhile when they are together. One of my favorite memories of Ben is one time when we were out here and the kids were putting on costumes and trying to put on a play for us. Ben just kept running out and trying to scare us.

It is crazy how grown up they are now. I guess that means I am getting old.

We are so blessed to have these awesome guys close to us and we totally love them to bits.

Candace

Candace is my sister in law married to Matt(Ryan's brother). This is her on her wedding day. As you can tell she is full of adventurous spirit like her husband.

I love listening to all her experiencies and travels all around the world. She is a great example of someone who gives to those in need. When she was in Africa doing her research for her Master's I was so impressed with her research and the experiences that she told us about.

When we visited them in the fall we had so much fun with her and the girls. Abby had so much fun playing with her stuffed animals and singing to Rock Band in their cowgirl hats.

At Christmas she even played school with Abby! She is a great Auntie.

So glad that she is part of our family!

Kerri

My sister in law Kerri is married to my bro Dave. They have four cute kids. Here they are on my wedding day.
Some of my memories include: The first time I met Kerri she was staying at our house until she found a place in Lethbridge. She was super nice and had a cool accent. She is from New Zealand. She drove with us down to my brother Kevin's wedding and I remember she was flossing my brother's teeth. I was in high school and I thought man she must really like my brother. (She is a dental assistant.) Guess it was love because they got engaged on that trip.
One Christmas we went to Lethbridge for dinner and she made this yummy dessert that was her family's tradition it was trifle now one of my favorite desserts.
She is super fun to hang out with and whenever I have gone to visit them she has treated me like a queen. It was so much fun when I went and visited them in BC and she took me to all these cool places. She is super good at making you feel at home!!
Now they have moved to New Zealand so far away so she can get her midwifery degree. I think this is so cool. When I was in nursing school I wanted to work in Labour and Delivery which never happened but I think she will be so great at this. I admire her for going to school when she has four kids I don't know how on earth she can manage it all.
Anyway she is a really smart girl and is one of those people who is always on top of what is going on in the world and can discuss it with you. It think that is so admirable.
So glad she is part of our family!!!

Matt

I first met Matt in the fall after Ryan and I were married. He and Candace were off on a canoe trip with a big group of friends and weren't able to come to our wedding.  He is such an adventurer and when we saw all the pictures I was pretty amazed. I later read his story of when he canoed across the prairies and I really gained an appreciation for what this guy can do. He is a pretty cool guy with a ton of adventurous spirit!!

In October we got to spend some time at their house in Calgary. He came to the zoo with us and he was making it so much fun for Abby. He is such a great Uncle and I love how he takes the time to play with Abby.

This Christmas he and Candace really went all out having to play school/nap time and other fun things with Abby. Abby had them both laying under a blanket on the family room floor.

Like his brother and Dad he is also a big tease at times. I often wonder how Beth ever survived with all of these jokesters and teasers around?

Mostly Matt is such a considerate and just all around nice guy. He always makes an effort to talk to all of us and calls us on special occasions.

On a special note today he enters the 30's of his life. 

Happy Birthday Matt!!

We love you!!

Deanna

Today is my wonderful sister in law Deanna's birthday so I thought I would share a few memories! When I lived in Edmonton I really got to know her better and do some fun things with her. Here are some of my favorite times that stand out.
Whenever I would babysit or come over and she would drive me home I remember cranking up the tunes and singing away. She has a beautiful singing voice and I thought she is the coolest Mom ever.
She is like ultra organized/clean. I used to be amazed at how clean and obedient her kids always were. That was before I had kids now that I have them I am in awe??? I still really don't know how she accomplished it but I used to tell my roomates I could eat off her floor!!! Now they have a cute little dog so maybe he gets to eat off the floor? As for having obedient kids she is just a consistent parent I think. I wish I had that all figured out for my own kids!!
I think she has been in Young Women's since she got married and I think it is because she is super easy to talk to and always has great advice. I remember lot's of boy advice just the nice kind like you are great don't settle etc.  I am sure she is doing amazing things with those girls.

What else can I say? She is awesome and I am so happy that she is part of our family!! Happy Birthday Deanna!!!! She is married to my oldest brother Mike and these are there four kids.

Kevin

Today is my lucky brother Kevin's day. He is a pretty great brother and I have a few memories that I want to share.
He is so mechanically minded. Whenever I had a question about my car or anything else mechanical I always called him first. I remember on the farm one time the swather broke down and my Dad is not really a fixer he usually just gets a little frustrated in that department. I remember thinking how grateful I was that Kevin was coming home from Rexburg that day and could fix it. He came home and within a few hours Dad was back to swathing the field.
He is the most laid back Dad I have ever seen but his kids still totally respect and love him. I love watching him interact with his kids because I think there is such a cool relationship there.
When I got married Kevin did so much for us. He helped with the decorations, picked up the flowers, and a bunch of other little odd jobs. He is so dependable.

Here he is taking Abby for a quad ride on the farm!!

Vicki&Darren

Well today I am lumping two together since I don't like to do computer stuff on Sunday. I am going to tell you about my awesome brother in law and sister.
The first time I heard about Darren it was Christmas 1988. My sister was intrigued by this guy and kept talking about him all Christmas holidays. He was so nice about all the wedding plans far more relaxed than his wife to be. Thank goodness! Actually Darren is pretty awesome. He is always helpful and dependable. When I moved to Winnipeg and had some car troubles he helped me replace a lighbulb in my car/headlights and all sorts of car stuff. He is really good at keeping secrets and helped us surprise my sister one year for her birthday.  He loves his baseball and is happy to leave us sisters to chat whenever a game is on!!

Now my sister Vicki is pretty awesome. One of my first memories of her is when I was in Grade 1/2 and she was trying to do my hair for school. I was crying for my Mom because it was hurting my head. Thankfully her skills have improved vastly and she is my favorite hairdresser ever!!! I pretty much grew up admiring her because she was my closest sister in age and she seemed always so beautiful and popular. I mean who wouldn't want to be like her? 

When I was in University I used to call her probably once every week/two weeks and she would always have plenty of advice and plenty of boys to set me up with. In fact every trip out here I think she set me up on a date with someone! I appreciated that she took the time to talk with her baby sister even though she is super busy!!

One of my favorite memories are the hours we used to spend singing at the piano together. So much fun.

Mostly I admire her testimony and dedication to the gospel. She is always giving to others and thinking of others. I wish I could be more like that.
She is an awesome Mom and has helped me many times gain perspective and really do the important things when it comes to parenting.
Lately we have become gym buddies and it is so fun to go work out with her. We are always pushing each other and attaining our goals together. It is so great to have her so close and to feel like great friends and sisters!!

I put in pictures of them holding our kids because they are both awesome to my kids it is great to have auntie and uncle so close!!!

Poppa

Today I am going to tell you about Poppa. Of course this is Grandpa/Ryan's Dad. I have a few funny memories of course most of them are funny because he likes to tease and I am terrible and get embarrassed/turn red and all other such reactions that people who like to tease love to see.

My first memory that always makes me laugh happened before I ever even knew Ryan. When I first moved to Winnipeg I lived in a basement suite of an older couple from Church. It was awesome. Since I didn't know many people they invited me to their "Rook" tournament. Since I love playing Rook I was game. Well the entire evening Al teased me about one thing or another mostly about being single and hanging out on a Friday night with a bunch of oldies he he he!!! Good times. For the record after it was over I went over to  some friends house and stayed out really late to make myself feel socially cool!!! Anyway he made an impression on me as a really funny guy little did I know he had a son that would soon be eligible.

One of my other things/memories I have when I think about Al is his perfectionist/OCD tendancies. They make me laugh! He did our slideshow and I don't even want to know how many hours he spent working on it. Pretty much every project/game or activity he is in it has to be organized. I love playing cards and he is sitting there organizing the piles. So funny!!!

Now I couldn't do a post about Poppa without mentioning his amazing photography that he has done for us. He is always snapping pics of us and the kids and has captured many moments that we haven't so I am super grateful that he shares that talent with us!!!

Most of all he is a super awesome grandpa. Abby simply adores spending time with Poppa. He has taught her very useful information like "eggs come from a chicken's bum". Just the sort of stuff you want your daughter spouting off at nursery!! They made this purple birdhouse together and Abby is always telling me it is Poppa and hers. Natalie I am sure will follow suit in her adoration of Poppa.

We are so grateful to live so close to him and to have his love and attention.

Mike

Today I am going to tell you some of my favorite memories of my oldest brother Mike. Since he was the oldest and I was the youngest and only 5 when he left the house I honestly don't remember much growing up. I do remember when he came home from his mission and Leslye and Vicki babysat all the rest of us. It was one big party. I was so proud to have a brother who was a returned missionary!!
 One of my favorite memories of him involves when he brought Deanna (his wife) home for the first time. This was a pretty big deal. My Dad is kinda scary when it comes to bringing people home and so we were all a bit nervous. I remember having a nice meal and then we had canned cherries for dessert. Of course my brothers started spitting cherry seeds at one another. I was pretty sure Deanna wouldn't come back but she did thankfully.  They asked me to be a bridesmaid and at 11 years old I thought I was pretty cool stuff. Especially singing "The Glory of Love" at their reception.(Oh my). I might add I didn't make him do any embarrassing performances at my wedding. He is the handsome one in the dark suit.

Most of my favorite memories are from when I lived in Edmonton and I got to spend some family time with them at their house. Of course all of these fun photos are on my old film camera.West Edmonton Mall waterpark and galaxyland, going to the movies, and going out for dinners. It was so fun to watch him being such a great husband and Dad. I was so grateful to him for coming to Cardston with me when I went through the temple for the first time and really for all the support while I was at school. It was nice to always know that I had family I could call on and they would come and help me if I needed it.
He is one pretty great brother!

Mom

Today I thought I would share with you some favorite memories of my Mom. I think everyone thinks their Mom is the best and I am no exception but I think I really started to appreciate my Mom once I had kids. First of all how on earth was she able to be a Mom to seven kids? Two keeps me busy enough. Anyway out of a lifetime of memories I picked a couple of my favorite.

(On a side note I have learned something in the three days I have been doing this 1. I don't take or have enough pictures of my family and 2. I really need to get some of my old printed pictures onto a digital format.)

Ok back to my Mom.
One of my favorite memories was in Grade 11. I was getting ready to take my Grade 9 piano exam and was of course stressed out and being a teenage girl. My Mom was always telling me to relax and have confidence in myself. I remember her taking me to the Cardston Alberta Temple Open House right before my piano exam because she said it would give me peace. What a wise woman!!! Sorry no awesome pics of me in high school all on the old film camera!!

Here is a pic of her at a baby shower they had for me when I was born. She was so excited to have a baby shower for number 7 can you imagine? Check out those outifts and hair do's!! Check out my sister Vicki in her styling red and white dress!!

Another favorite memory was all the talks we used to have driving back and forth  to volleyball, basketball, choir, and piano lessons. I remember all the recitals and games she always tried to come to. What an awesome lady.

Now that I have kids of my own I get to see her as a Grandma and although my kids don't get to see her as much as I'd like they love her and talking on the phone to Grandma Smith on the farm. She is pretty much amazing and I am grateful to have been raised by such a great lady!!!

Landon and Taylor

Today I am going to tell you about two adorable boys named Landon and Taylor. They get February 2 because it was Landon's 8th birthday yesterday. Same day as his Dad's.

The first picture is of Landon with his parents at my wedding reception. I can't believe he is 8 and getting baptized this Saturday. I wish we could go. He is super talented into sports, music, and dancing. When they came to visit us after I had Abby he was so cute playing video games with his Uncle Ryan and following his cousin Ben around.

Now this is the first time I met Taylor right after Abby was born and I have to tell you he was the happiest kid I had ever met. He was always smiling and carefree. When we had our family reunion a couple of years back I couldn't believe how big he had gotten. He is still the laid back easy going kid. I think he inherited that from his Dad. I have to admit I was so jealous at the time I met him  because I was pretty new at the Mom thing and Abby made a ton of noise still so I thought this kid was pretty amazing!!!

Just two of my amazing nephews that I am so grateful to have as part of my family.

Love Month

In honor of February being the month of "Love" I thought I would do something fun. I am doing to do a post about people I love/respect/admire every day. The majority will be family but of course a few great friends/influences in my life.

On the first day of February I am going to tell you about my brother Phillip. I have a ton  of memories but I will share just a couple. Phil is probably my sibling who knew me the most because he lived with me the longest as we were the closest in age. I am sure as the baby sister I occasionally annoyed him but he is a great brother that I love.

My first memory is from when I was in high school. He was home working and waiting for his mission call. I was super frustrated with my math class(one of my weaknesses) but I was determined to do well so I could get into nursing school. He took the time to go over concepts downstairs in his bedroom. I am so grateful for that and for the time he took to spend time with his baby sister. I remember his also giving me boy advice about the boys that I liked. So fun!!

When he went on his mission one of my YW goals was to write him a letter every week and I remember how fun that was to get letters from him about being a missionary.

My other memory is from a few years ago. He and his family came to visit me in Winnipeg shortly after I had Abby. Now anyone who has had a baby knows how crazy you are after having your first. I remember him telling me to just relax and take it easy. He is super easy going and a great brother to have around.

It is his birthday today so have a great day Phil!! Love you!!!!

Well this is the best that I can do since I can't seem to find my wedding disc which is the last time I took a pic of my bro. He is the cute one in the blue pj's!!!

Obviously missing my two sisters. This is a pic of my four brothers and I. I was three at the time!