Arrrrrrr, matey!

My lastest creation...this was so fun! I had a couple of mishaps (cake just breaking apart!) But I'm pleased with it. It's hard for me to do buttercream and not fondant...I like the way fondant is so smooth and perfect but I bet this tastes soooooo yummy! This was for my BFF's oldest who just turned 7 (I can't even BELIEVE he is 7!) Poor little guy was sick, sick, sick the day of the party. At least there will be plenty of yummy cake for him to eat when he feels better!!!

January, UGH

I need to plan something exciting for next January. I find that I feel so just "stuck" this month. It's a nothing to do, no where to go, same old stuff, rut. I haven't even hardly blogged because really the only thing that we've done is a lot of de-junking and reorganizing and well, that's hardly blog worthy.

I finally dug the camera out the other day and took a few pictures just to have something for this month. Here's a little of what we have been up to.

Gavin just sat there one day making funny faces...it was hilarious. He's such a nut!





Then he decided we should make a potato head family.

Look closely....

How cute! He was holding hands with one of that Potato Heads!

Max loves to wear sunglasses and put things on his head like hats and headbands. It doesn't last long before he takes them off though!

Last night we happened to look outside and the sky was BEAUTIFUL. It only lasted a second. I asked Gavin if he wanted to go outside with me really quick to see it and he said, "Yes, and in the meantime I'm going to pick up some sticks." In the meantime? Really, where does he get this stuff?!

We had some random balloons just hanging around so I googled and learned how to make a balloon animal puppy. I love the internet. Max just likes to put things in his mouth....

New Year, New Me

I wish it was a new me like 50 lbs lighter and a funky new hairstyle, but hey, at least I'm alive, right?!?!

I think this is honestly the first new year that I have truly reflected on the past year and focused on what I might want to change or improve upon this year. I have SERIOUSLY debated over what I want my resolution to specifically be. In the end I have quite a few smaller goals that I will be working on to better myself, but my main focus for the year is happiness. Don't get me wrong...I'm happy now, but I really want to be someone other people want to be around. I want to be one of those people who ALWAYS seem happy despite minor issues they might be having.

I know I'm always going to have rough days, but I am trying to remind myself when those tough times come that it's not the end of the world. How positive (or not) I am about the sitution will determine the outcome. How I am the ONE person who can decide how I will act or react. (Maybe I should have gone with the word "control"!)

I know if I can be a happier person it will influence how others are feeling. I know my children and husband will feel more loved and secure when I am outwardly happy in all of my efforts.

I'm still not exactely sure how I'm going to accomplish this because I feel that I tend to be a glass half empty person, but a couple of ideas I've thought of:

Working on my personal progress for YW. I absolutely love the new program and always feel at peace when I'm working on it. Along with this comes studying the scriptures as the project for virtue is to read the Book of Mormon.

Stop thinking that everything is so hard to do with my kids. I think I hide at home a lot because I get anxiety about going out with them. I know this is harder for me in the winter months, but it's something I need to work on all year long.

Waking up each day and thinking of something I am thankful for. It's hard to be a downer when you recognize everything you've got going for you. And, well, I really have a lot going for me :)

Quit worrying about what everyone thinks of me. We all do this, but I think I do it a little more than others. I'm so self concious of how I look, what I wear, are they judging my parenting?, is my house perfect enough? I'm done worrying about it. This is me and this is what you get. No more apologizing for being me. I want to like ME and I can't do that when I'm so worried about everyone else liking me.

Recognize that I am truly a daughter of God. I don't usually get all churchy (is that even a word?) on my blog, but that last statement is the core of who I am. He created me and He loves me, despite all the things I think are my shortcomings. If I can just keep this in mind, how could I feel anything but happy?

So the word of 2011 for me is Happiness. What's yours?

Paisleys for Paisley

My sweet niece Paisley turned 1 this past week and is having her birthday celebration tomorrow evening. My sister asked me to make the cake...actually, I think it may have gone down something like this:

Britt: We're having Paisley's birthday party Sunday evening...can you come?

Me: Of course! I'm bringing the cake, right?

I doubt she minded me being so forward, but after it took me all day long (and that was even with preparing half of the stuff earlier in the week!) I was starting to wonder why the heck I even offered! Just kidding...I love my little Pais and am glad I got to make this way too big and elaborate cake for her very first bithday! Can't wait to take some pictures of her smashing the top layer!



I wish the paisleys would have turned out cuter (obviously this was my main idea since it's her name and all...)I'm really not great at piping things on cakes! I struggle with getting the cornstarch off of the fondant too...especially the chocolate. If anyone has suggestions about this kind of thing, let me know!

The longest Christmas post you've ever read...

What a great Christmas we had! Party after party, family and friends, and lots of fun times together. I always feel truly blessed at Christmas time, not only because of my family, but the birth of our Savior is a wonderful thing to celebrate. I hope to make our Christmases a little more centered around Christ as the years go by and I've already been thinking up ways to do so for next year.

We had a fun family Christmas party with just my siblings. I really enjoyed just being with all of them. The family has definitely grown in size since some of us have had kids, but I love watching my family interact. My sisters (all of them) are so cute with my kids. I watch them all and really see what a true love they have for them. It always amazes me when you see people love your children beyond what you could imagine. I don't feel like I am a real lover of other people's kids. I think it's just hard for me to connect with them or I just feel really awkward, so it really amazes me to see people act so lovingly toward my own children. My parents seemed really relaxed that night and like they just enjoyed being with everyone (I hope I read you correctly in that sense Dad and Amy...) I brought my camera and didn't take a single picture. It's hard to be the photographer and referee your kids... It was our first year just having a party with my siblings and I hope it's something we continue...(hint, hint...)

Well, it came and went...The Great Smith Family Adult Christmas Party 2010! Words cannot describe how excited I was for this! I know it's only the second year running, but as I stated in a previous post, I LOVE IT! This year DID NOT disappoint. Good food, good company and LOTS of laughs! My mom in law had some clever games for us to play followed by the main event...The White Elephant gift exchange. Those who truly know me, know that I love me a good white elephant game. I much prefer those that are true white elephants and have the oddest of odd. This year may have been absolute perfection as far as the game goes. I don't think I have ever laughed so hard. Serious...side splitting, gut wrenching laughing. And no kids so I have pictures....!!!

Rob commented how he and Carol "matched"...

Keith's White Elephant gift...for those not clued in...Kevan (Keith's brother) is referred to as "Golden Boy" in our family. This had a note that read, "On the 5th day of Christmas my true love gave to me, 5 golden things...." All were gold and had pictures of Kevan :) The Inca cola was the best part because Kevan served his mission in Peru and brought this cola back. It says right on the cola "The Golden Cola"

We played a game where you had to wiggle "Santa's Elf" to your mouth...it's times like these I'm glad I'm the only one who had the camera....MaryAnn sure was concentrating!!!

We played another game where you had to get the ornament from one end to the other using only your mouths...it made for some interesting photos!!!

Rob and Carla had some trouble...blood may have been involved....

This game you had to run to the end of the room, unwrap a hershey's kiss, chew it up and race back to your team to hand off the gloves to someone else...

Aww....

This was my white elephant...Yep, that's mom and pops goin all American Gothic here! I blew it up to a big 20x30 and mounted it on foam board.

Christmas Eve is always spent at my Grandma and Grandpa's. Every year we get together and have a big meal and do a Piñata (Don't worry, it just took me an hour to remember how to type the ñ in that sentence). Might sound like a silly Christmas tradition (anyone else picturing Tevye singing Tradition right now, Dad?) but it's something that everyone really seems to enjoy. I'll have to ask my Grandma how long they've been doing this but I'm pretty sure it's since her kids were young. Each year it's something new and this year it was a big ol' can of Monster Energy drink. (It's been Dora the Explorer and even a Walmart truck to name a few...) It's also not your traditional Piñata. It's HUGE and FILLED with all sorts of trinkets and toys that my grandparents shop for all year long. I think my grandparents rock. Not because they do this for all of us, but they are so kind and loving and generous. Especially with me and my kids. They didn't technically have to be my grandparents, but I always feel so good when I know they claim me. Unfortunately I again brought my camera, but this time it didn't even make it in the house thanks to a 3 year old meltdown and my sanity close to gone for the day...

Christmas morning with the kids was great! They slept in until 9 o'clock. Go figure! That started my day off great. Gavin was so excited to see that Santa came! He couldn't wait for poky dad to get out there to open presents. However, once he finally started to, HE was the poky one! I think it took 2 hours to get it all unwrapped. Max couldn't have cared less about opening presents, he just wanted to play and climb on everything. They both seemed to have fun and were way too spoiled. I'll have to let Santa know they don't need so much next year.

This was the best one I could get of them together...

Wow...a present for me? Am I supposed to sit on it?

Maybe I'll just carry it around...

He was so excited!

Thrilled to infinity and beyond.....

Clearly he was excited about his new backpack!

He climbed in all by himself and thought their new wagon was the greatest!


We usually spend Christmas night with my mom and Alan for their Christmas party. More good food, too much spoiling of the grandkids, some door prizes and a shuffleboard tournament. It was great minus me not even coming close on the shuffleboard tournament! My mom is so cute and can't let anyone walk away a loser so they had it all set up in brackets and their were consolation prizes for those that didn't advance. I got a Walmart gift card and my brother said I won the most out of the losers because my prize value went up since I get a discount there. What a positive way to look at the fact that I LOST and you WON, Austin!!! I did make a come back on some dice rolling game that I wasn't really understanding but got some cash for winning so who is complaining?!?!

He was thrilled about this lantern!

Isn't she precious?

Life size....

Watching a movie while the tournament was going on....

Shuffleboard....

Lots of fist bumping...I didn't make them pose for this picture or anything....

All in all, what a FANTASTIC Christmas. I'm so lucky to have my family so close and to be able to spend time with them during the holiday season. I can only hope that each of them truly feels of my love for them. I am so thankful for each and every family member in my life and feel so incredibly blessed just knowing each of them. Merry Christmas, everyone!

CHEESE!

Enough said!

Smith Family Cousin Party

Once again it was time for the annual Smith Family Cousin party. This is actually only the second year we have done it, but with so many of us now, last year we decided to do a kid party and an adult party. I LOVE the adult party. It is SO RARE that I get to spend any time with any of my in-laws without children. Not that I don't love all the little kiddos, but it's fun to get to know the in-laws and see their true colors :) Anywho, there will be a post about this party soon as it hasn't happened yet (can you tell I'm just really looking forward to it?!?)

This year instead of doing all the traditional Christmas activities, we met at Keith's parents for pizza and a quick Christmas craft and then herded all the cattle children to Jungle Jims Playland. I know...not the cleanest place on earth, and the employees aren't exactely something to write home about, but I can put my feelings about germs and weirdos aside for a couple of hours. The kids sure had fun. I enjoyed visiting and watching the kids run around like crazy and taking lots of pictures.