Closer to 2

Clark is cute. Lets face it, we make cute kids. He still has the squeezey cheeks that I just want to pinch every time I see them. He has started pinching my cheeks. Maybe I do it too much.

Now that he is tan and sun bleached, he is even better looking then before. The thing is, no matter how cute he gets on the outside, the fact still remains that he is getting closer and closer to 2 every day. His attitude is showing already. I need to remind myself that I love him so when he throws a fit I will have a written reminder to turn too.

I must admit that his communication skills are improving. He is no Ally, but he can usually get his point across. Usually. For some reason, I am the least versed in "Clark". It makes life difficult sometimes, especially when he and I are the only ones around. I am not sure why I have such a hard time deciphering him. I am around him the most. I never had this much trouble with the others. I must be losing my touch. I am sure the Binky in the mouth 24/7 does not help that cause to much either.

Clark is a wanderer. If there is an open door, he is outside and down the street before you realize he is gone. He has gotten smart about it too. If I bring him inside the front door, he heads straight out the side door without even pausing to take a breath. Almost like herding sheep. We have been the recipients of anonymous neighbors returning him to us wondering if we were missing a little kid on several occasions. He loves to be outside and screams if he gets brought in before he is ready.

He also likes to drag his blanket everywhere with him lately. His poor "beecee" is more gray than blue these days. Yesterday he sat by the dryer and cried while I washed it. He is always anxious to throw it in when I load the washer, but by the time I transfer it to the dryer he wants it back, but not soaking wet. When it finished, he took it outside and dragged it through the oil on the neighbors driveway. It was clean for about 2 minutes.

Clark loves motorized vehicles. All of them. When he sees a truck he makes the Rmm Rmm noise. Lately he has this thing for trains. Too Too is what he calls them. He loves to go to Maga's house because they are close by and loud and he gets to see one about every 20 minutes. This weekend the Blue Angels from the Navy were in town for an air show. A lot of their practice maneuvers had them flying directly over our house for the past few days. It was really cool. And really loud. We went and sat on a hill near the airport during their show so he could get a closer look. That was really neat to watch. He loved it. We all did.

My baby is not so much a baby anymore. I love his personality. He is so much fun when he wants to be. His sense of humor is already starting to surface. He likes to tease or hide and gets such a giggle out of it. I am looking forward to helping his vocabulary grow. I have a hard time getting him to say much, but if Luke tells him to say a word, he does it. Butt is one of his favorites thanks to the 5 year old potty humor. He also fake farts and burps. And laughs really hard after he does it.

He is a sweet heart. He still snuggles with me everyday. I know that will end sooner than I want, but for now I will take the time to hold him as much as I can.

Frizzy Skittles

Along with a bunch of other super cool stuff, Ally found a big bag of these Skittles Fizzl'd Fruits in one of her birthday gifts. The kids were discussing them at the dinner table the other night. Here are a few choice snipets I had to remember for posterity.

I love the way the frizzy tastes.

My favorite is to suck off the frizz and then chew the skittle up.

The frizz gets all over your hands when you hold them.

Those frizzy skittles are so sour. They make my mouth do this (pucker up here).

BTW in case you were wondering, they do not taste good. So I have heard. I make it a rule to not put things in my mouth that are declared gross by my husband as he is handing it to me.

Frizzy or otherwise.

Update: We went shopping today to look for Fathers Day gifts and Ally saw the Fizzl'd Skittles and said, "I know what we can get Dad...we can get him his OWN BAG of Frizzy Skittles for Fathers Day!" I am sure he will LOVE it!

Happy Birthday Ally!

My baby is 9! Oh how the time flies! She was born 2 weeks shy of our 1st anniversary and we could not have been more excited for our first baby girl! We are super excited for her. She is turning into such a beautiful young lady! I love her so much and really enjoy having her around and part of our family. The other night we went to dinner, just the 3 of us. She choose Texas Roadhouse because her favorite thing to eat in the whole world is steak. Plus she loves the rolls and honey butter they serve. I think she ate 4. Here is a recap of how we spent her day yesterday.


For breakfast we had Hootenanny Pancakes, or "Hoots" as we call them, by request from Al. This was a favorite when I was young made by Grandma Davis. Growing up, Ry knew them as German Pancakes. You blend the eggs with milk and flour then bake in a super hot oven and they puff up real big.


We had a Zooper Birthday Party with her friends and cousins at Tautphaus Park Zoo. They set up a tent and table and chairs for us right in the Children's Zoo area. We ate pizza, watermelon and Boston Cream Pie along with Root Beer floats. All favorites and requests. (Side Note: Eating food 10 feet from a Yak scratching his rear end...not too appetizing) The zoo also provided party games which included Animal Charades and a Scavenger Hunt for information at different exhibits throughout the zoo.





























One of Ally's friends was telling her all about her animal family. She has a hippo for a mom, an elephant for a dad, and she is a is a kitty. Nice. But she also called her tallest friend a giraffe and Clark a baby goat. I love how candid kids are sometimes. (maybe I need to get back to the gym)


After the fun adventure at the zoo we headed home and spent the evening hanging out with our cousins from Pocatello, Dubs and Subee. He loves the trampoline and had fun playing with Luke for a long time outside. He also tried to teach him how to play Mario Kart Wii (one of Ally's gifts, and the best one in Luke's opinion) but he got a little frustrated and was content to just watch.


It was a fun filled day with lots of smiles and laughter.

Piano Recital

With thier piano teacher, Sis. Billman.

Ally and Emma had their first piano recital on Saturday morning. They both did pretty well on 2 out of 3 of their songs. There was one that they both struggled with too. They were not the only performers to make a mistake, but I think it was obvious to most who practiced and which songs they spent the most time on. It was a good learning experience and I think they really enjoyed having the opportunity to learn something new. Ryan is going to keep up on their practicing over the summer so in the fall they won't have to "start over" when lessons begin again. Here's to hoping.

A time to Remember

Memorial Day is a special day amongst the Smiths for lots of reasons. Every year we trek to Smithfield Cemetery (yes. Smithfield. It is named for our 5 Greats Grandfather) in Smithfield, Utah...just North of Logan. We visit the site of our loved ones, place flowers on the grave and take a picture next to the same headstone every year. We then cross the town to our spot at a local park and commence the feasting. Grandma Smith used to make homemade fried chicken when I was young, but later bought it at the local KFC. It has come to be known as Smithfield Chicken amongst our cousins. My dad would make homemade root beer and everyone would contribute a salad or a dessert. Or both. There was always a ton of food. We would then talk and share a little talent show with each other. Then we would head over to the ball field and start a game of softball. We would play Frisbee or horseshoes and when I was a lot younger there seemed to always be some sort of water fight that would break out.



It sounds like a pretty normal picnic/family get together. And to almost everyone it is. The reason it means so much to my family is a little different. My dad is the only Smith...we have been over this before...so it is up to him to carry on that legacy. Not only that, he and my mom lived across the street from each other all through Jr high and high school but never went out until the end of their senior year. Their first date was to Smithfield on Memorial Day for a family picnic. They had a picture taken of them next to a tall headstone...same one we still stand in front of every year. Except for the 2 years he was away on his mission, they have never missed that picnic, or the picture. It is kind of a milestone every year for us to see how the family grows and changes and who is not around to be able to make it to the picnic.



While we were driving down to Smithfield, Ryan made a comment about how some of my cousins decided not to come this year since Grandma would not be there. They will probably never come again. "This tradition is going to die," he said. I don't think it will. Not amongst my brothers and sisters anyway. As long as my parents are alive they will still go. As long as they go, I will be there and I know they all feel the same way.



But now it is an opportunity to visit Grandma. A time to remember her and all the wonderful things she represents in our life and our memory. It was hard for her the first few years after Grandpa died, and it was a little hard to be there yesterday. But it is important to think of those who have passed before us. They are our heritage and the reason we are here. Passing on the memory of them helps define who we are.



I am a Smith and I will eat Smithfield Chicken every year on Memorial Day. Even if it's only my little family who go.

Side Note: I have lots of pictures to put with this post. They are on my camera at my brothers house. I will post them later I guess.

My cousin who also attends every year also wrote about the event. It was fun to compare her memories to mine. You can read her account too if you want!

Boy Humor

Here is a conversation I was lucky to be part of this morning.

Ally: Can I please have an early birthday present? Please Please Please

Me: No your birthday is over a week away.

Luke: Hey Ally, come here I have something for you. (as he points in her general direction)
Ally grabs on to his finger and the toot noises commence.

Me: Where did you learn that?

Luke: the neighbor.

Can we move yet? Please Please Please???

Clark is now walking around "tooting" from his mouth. He didn't even make it to 2 before he learned that.

CHEESE!

Clark is so cute. His personality cracks me up. Lately he has started making his cheese face smile anytime a camera is around. I love it. Binki or not, you can always count on the "cheese". His favorite thing right now is trains. He loves Thomas and whenever he is around a real train he gets super excited. He also enjoys a large truck. (insert rmm rmm noise here) He got mad the other morning when the garbage men turned the corner at the end of street. It was all I could do to stop him from running after it in his jammies.