A birthday, the park and a triathalon!

Saturday was my dad's birthday! He is the greatest dad ever! We celebrated on Sunday cause we were out of town for a triathalon but Dad I hope you had the best birthday yet! Love you so much!

Last week for our "girls day" we went to Layton park and it was a blast! All of the girls were there! So for a little while we had a total of seven moms and seven babies! And you might think it was kind of crazy, but it really wasn't. The babies loved being able to crawl around and find whatever they wanted...to eat. Yes I know, I shouldn't let my child chew on a twig, but he threw a minor fit every time I took it away. So I thought, what the heck, it's just dirt right? Well lets hope so!

This was the funniest. Jaylee loved pushing the strollers around all day long! She would push the stroller all around the park. It was hilarious. So I put Boston inside, and he was having a blast!

My friend Kaylee from our old ward came with her adorable little girl Remy. She's 4 months old, but still had just as much fun as all the other babies.

This is six of the seven babies and moms. Cute crowd huh?

Last weekend we went to Scofield and had a camping overnighter with Ryan's sister Jen and her husband Dave and their cute little family to watch them race in a triathalon. These guys are amazing! They have been training for quite awhile and it sure paid off! This is right before the swim.

Next was the bike...

And last was the run. This was just before Dave crossed the finish line and he's smiling! Jen had just a big a smile on her face too! I'm sure they were excited to finish! I'm not sure of the lengths for all of them, but it was far! Talk about being in shape!

But probably the cutest was to watch little Jacque who is 5 yrs old compete in the kid's triathalon. She was the youngest and beat half the kids there!

She took first in her age group!

Good job Dave, Jen and Jacque! Dave finished 4th in his age group and Jen 3rd in hers.

And we can't forget the cheerleaders!

It was such a blast watching you guys! Thanks for a fun filled weekend!

This last week we went to Bear Lake with my family!  It was such a blast!  Amber, Ashlie's friend, was with us the first day.  She's a blast to be around!  Her family came up the next day and she hooked up with them after that.  Glad you came Amber!

We went up on Wednesday and came back on Saturday.  I haven't been to Bear Lake for a long time and forgot how fun it was!  The water was so clear it was unbelievable!  You can see our whole bodies through the water.  The water wasn't quite as warm as Lake Powell was, but it still wasn't bad.

Here is my SMOKIN HOT husband getting ready to show my family how to surf!

We even got my mom to go on the tube!  If any of you know my mom, you'll know that she is absolutely terrified of the water.  Especially lakes and oceans and stuff like that.  So it was quite the accomplishment that we talked her into getting on the tube.  And if any of you know Ryan, you'll know that he is the most protective dad ever.  So my mom knew if she had Boston on the tube with her, she would be pretty safe.  Ryan took them on a nice slow ride and after the fact, my mom was glad she did it!  Notice how calm the water is...

Well the next day, it was anything but calm!  It was like the ocean out there because of the winds.  The picture doesn't do justice to how big the waves were.  We had to come back in because it was so bad, and a couple of us got sea sick too.  That was no fun!  

So that day we stayed at the condos and played games instead.  They had a volleyball court in the back of our condos.  It was fun except for the rocky sand and the weeds surrounding the court.  That's why we are wearing socks...but as we were leaving, we noticed there was a soft sand volleyball court with no weeds surrounding it right by the front desk.  Oops!  Now we know for next time!

Boston was having a blast watching us all play!  He would clap his hands every time he would hear us cheer.  It was dang cute!  I forgot that it gets a little cooler up there at nights, so I didn't think to bring a jacket for Boston.  So that's why he is wearing a robe!

The last day, the winds calmed down and we were able to take the boat out again.  Me and my sister rode the tube together and like I said, Ryan is really protective of his family, so he was going pretty slow for me cause he knew I was kind of scared of the tube.  But he was going so slow, we decided to try and stand up on the tube.  It was fun!  Then he sped up and made us go outside the wake and that was kind of scary, but it was still fun!

Me and Ryan!  

Family vacations are the best!  I love them because for a few days you can forget about all your normal everyday worries...keeping the house clean, work, cooking etc.  And instead you just spend quality time with each other laughing and playing games!  We've been on a lot of vacations this year and have a few more to go on!  This weekend we're going on a little camping overnighter to watch Dave, Jen and little Jacque race in a triathlon.  Then next week we have the yearly Randall Family Reunion and the week after that, we will be going back to Lake Powell with the Smiths.  So we'll keep you updated!  Thanks family for such a fun Bear Lake trip!  We love you!

4th of July fun!

We hope you all had a great fourth of July!  We sure did!  Here are some highlights:

We started off the morning going to the Cherry Days Parade.  What fun!

This year was the first year we didn't have someone in the family actually in the parade!  It was kind of sad!  Between cheerleading, band, football and officers, we've had someone to cheer for every year.  But Dustin is out of junior high now and no one else was in anything that would be in the parade!

Boston sure had fun though!

Actually we started our fun the night before with a big slumber party at my in-laws.  We stayed up late playing games and having yummy food!  Then after the parade, we came back and had a fun pool party!

We had all sorts of relay races and it was a blast!  Everyone swam!  This is Ryan's grandparents racing each other!  They were awesome!  

All together we had a fun 4th of July and hope you all did too!

We've been tagged!

So I was tagged a long time ago (sorry Kaylee!) but I'm doing it now!
How long did you date? About a year before we got married.
How old is he? 25
Who eats more? Sometimes him, sometimes me!
Who said “I love you” first? He did...it was cute, he said "I really want to tell you something but I'm not sure if I should"  I already knew, so I told him to and he did!
Who is taller? Him, by over a foot!
Who sings better? Him even though he will NEVER admit it!
Who is smarter? We're both probably about the same, but he definitely learns a lot faster!
Whose temper is worse? Mine, he is super patient...especially with me! I like to get things done and he likes to take his time!
Who does the laundry? Me
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Ryan.  I'm by the door to get Boston at night...yes he still does not sleep through the night!
Who pays the bills? Me
Who cooks dinner? Me...but it's not very often!

Who drives when you are together? He does.
Who is more stubborn? Probably me
Who kissed who first? He kissed me on the last day we were in Arizona together.  My friends and I went to visit him and his friends while they were there for school.  That's where it all started!
Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Him, I said I was more stubborn!
Whose parents do you see the most? Same...we try to make it as equal as possible.  Both grandparents can't get enough of Boston.
Who proposed? He did, he had the ring for almost a month or maybe a few?  Anyways, I was at his parents house and had fallen asleep on his bed.  He decided he was going to do it then.  So he made a pathway through their house with candles and Christmas lights (he had a Christmas light business at the time) and his little brother came and woke me up and escorted me through the house and Ryan was at the end of the pathway in a tux down on his knees.  He's so cute!
Who is more sensitive? We're probably both the same.
Who has more friends? I think it's equal.

Who has more siblings? Me, he has 1 sister and 2 brothers and I have 1 sister and 3 brothers.
Who wears the pants in the family? I think it's pretty equal, but if you ask him, he might differ!  But we decide things together for the most part and try to work as a team.
**I tag: Ally, Chelsie, Lauren and Lindsey!

Happy Birthday Eric!...and lately

Happy Birthday Eric!  It feels like we haven't celebrated your birthday for so long!  But you were off doing more important things for the Lord and we are so proud of you!  Although it is nice to have you back home!  Thanks for being such an awesome uncle to Boston and such a great example too.  We love you and hope you have an awesome day!

Sorry AGAIN that I haven't posted for so long!  But we've just been busy doing so many fun things that, well you know how it goes!  So here's what we've been up to... a couple weeks ago we went to a shower for a high school friend, Maryam and it was a blast!  It was so fun to see so many friends that I haven't seen probably since graduation!  I'm kinda bummed though, cause I left my camera case with the charger to my camera at Amber's house and so I haven't been able to take pictures of all of our fun adventures!  But as soon as I can get pics from other people, I will post them.   And my good friend Jessica moved home with her husband Kenny and new little baby Ethan!  We are so excited to have them home!  Ethan is adorable!  

Then two weeks ago we went to Lake Powell and oh was that a blast!  Boston didn't make one little peep the whole ride down!  He was awesome!  The weather was great and so was the water.  The boys learned how to surf behind the boat and I even tried it too...but I wasn't so great at it.  I'll definitely try again though!  We jumped off a few really mini cliffs, but our cousins David and Tyson, they jumped off a 70 ft cliff!  Craziness if you ask me!  I wouldn't let Ryan do it!  We had tons of great food thanks to Aunt Jill and Uncle Shawn and it was just so great to relax and play tons of card games and enjoy the beautiful creations from our Heavenly Father (and the awesome house boat thanks to Chuck and Julie!)

So we got back on Saturday and I was bummed again cause I had to miss another high school friend's shower.  Sorry I couldn't make it Kelsey and we LOVE LOVE watching your show!  You're doing awesome and hope you win!  So last week we had a blast swimming with our friends and looking at houses.  We have started to somewhat shop for a house.  So if anyone hears of any great deals on a house anywhere from North Ogden to South Ogden let us know!

So that has been us lately!

Love you all!

A special day!

Today is Father's day and perhaps the most important father in my life is the father of my child...Ryan is the best dad to Boston.  Before we had little boo, Ryan was always kind of scared to hold little babies and sometimes he just wasn't quite sure what to do with other little kids, so I wasn't quite sure how it would be when he became a dad.  Well there was no need to worry.  Ryan is a pro at this dad thing!  He is so protective of our son and just loves him with all his heart.  I have to admit that I'm kind of a clumsy mom and Boston has probably bumped into the corner of the wall while I'm turning the corner just one too many times.  But Ryan, he will make sure that doesn't happen.  When he sits Boston down, he still makes sure there are pillows around him so that if he does lose his balance, there will be something soft to break his fall.  Ryan is always the one to spoil Boston with little treats and I can often hear them giggling back and forth at each other in the other room and it just melts my heart.  I love when Ryan gets home from work seeing the smile Boston gets when he sees his daddy.  Thank you Ryan for giving me our son and being the best dad in the world.  I love you with all my heart and Happy Father's Day!

  My dad is so special to me.  He has taught me so many valuable lessons that I will carry with me throughout my lifetime.  He always has such a good attitude and has taught me to turn any bad situation into a good one.  He rarely gets mad and will make sure your feelings never get hurt.  And if they do, he'll make sure it gets fixed and fast.  I'm proud to say that my dad is a worthy priesthood holder and I have felt that in our home growing up many times.  I remember being sick in the middle of the night and he would wake up and give me a father's blessing, also before every school year, he would make sure each one of us kids would get a blessing to help us do well throughout the year.  Him and my mom made sure we always had family home evening weekly and prayer and scripture study daily.  I'm so thankful for those teachings while I was young so that I can carry that on with my own family now.  He's in the bishopric now and I just think they couldn't have picked a better, more spiritual person than my dad.

And my dad is the best grandpa to Boston.  It makes me kind of teary eyed thinking of how much my dad and the rest of my family love Boston.  They just absolutely adore him and he has so much fun every time we go over.  When I was a little baby like Boston, my dad would hold my two feet in his hands and hold me high up in the air.  He likes to think that he was the one who made me the cheerleader I was for so many years.  Now, perhaps his favorite thing to do with Boston is that same thing.  Although, I hope that Boston doesn't turn into a cheerleader, I know that he loves it because the higher up he gets, the more he laughs.  Normally he extends his arm way above his head, but he wasn't in this picture because he said he didn't want people to think he was showing off.  See...he's such a humble man too.  Thanks dad for everything you do for me and my family!  I love you!

My father-in-law is the best father-in-law I could ever ask for.  I can't imagine anyone else fulfilling that role.  Chuck has the sweetest, most kind personality ever.  He has a way of making you feel just so loved every time you see him.  When he says he's so glad that I'm apart of his family, I know he really means it.  He has accomplished so much in his life and has so much wisdom to share.  He has taught Ryan many valuable lessons that he carries with him now and will for the rest of his life.  Ryan has the best example of a dad to learn from.  Chuck also just adores Boston...ok lets face it, who doesn't.  But Chuck and Boston have this special connection with each other.  Like I have mentioned before, Boston is the first grandbaby boy on the Smith side.  I think that Chuck really enjoys that.  He loves the girls too, but Boston and him have a special bond with each other.  They will sit and just talk to each other and Boston just gets the hugest smile every time he sees him.  Thanks Chuck for loving us and teaching us so much!

Also, today was my mom's birthday!  Happy birthday mommy!  I love you so much!  Thanks for everything you do for us!  You're the best mom ever!...and Boston turns 10 months old today...he's getting to be a little boy and not a baby anymore.  He's become a pro at the crawling thing!  It's so cute, I love it.  But he's still not sleeping through the night.  He wakes up at least once, if not two or even three times sometimes.  Gee I thought he would be over that by now.  Ryan and I both have a hard time just letting him cry it out.  And quite frankly, crying doesn't making him tired, if anything, he cries himself awake and not asleep.  Any suggestions?

A little catching up to do!

Wow!  I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while!

I forgot to add pictures of when we were in AZ for our anniversary.  We didn't do a whole lot because the day before we left, Ryan managed to get a hairline fracture on his ankle from playing basketball.  He was supposed to get a cast on, but he told the dr he didn't want one since the summer and swimming and all of that was here.  So the dr let him get away with wearing an air cast.  So we had a relaxing trip.  His ankle is just fine now.

We ate at the Cheesecake Factory and it was delicious!

We also met up with our good friends Jeff and Hilary and had dinner and watched the Jazz game.We had a blast!  Boston really liked Hilary...as you can tell!  We miss you guys!

I just thought this picture was so cute.  This is Boston's first time trying a pickle.  He couldn't quite figure out if he liked it or not.

So that was rewinding.  Now fast forward a little...Last week we went to the zoo!  It was a blast.  The weather was perfect and I think the babies really enjoyed it!  They all did so good!

This is what happens when we try to get four 9 month olds to smile cute for a picture...it just doesn't work!

Boston thought the alligators were cool...or he just thought it was hilarious to hit his hands on the glass!

This was just cute!  The babies were such troopers all day long!

Last week was also my birthday!  I turned 23!  Man I feel old!  My family surprised me and came over the night before with cake and ice cream and tons of fun presents!  Thanks guys!  I love you all!

Then on my birthday, Ryan took me to Kobe's Steakhouse.  Yum!  That's always a favorite!  Thanks hun!  It was the best birthday ever cause I spent it with the two loves of my life!

So that was last week.  Now for this week...Yesterday we got back from a fun trip to AZ with my two brothers and one of their friends and my sister and her friend.  It was a blast!  They had all just got done with school and wanted to go somewhere.  So we thought it would be fun to take a road trip to our favorite Arizona!  This is the crew!

We did tons of stuff in the short time we were there.  I have to apologize though because I didn't take my camera with me most of the time!  But I did have it when we went to CrackerJacks.  We did the go-carts, batting cages and...

the bumper boats.  That was pretty funny cause the boys all ganged up on the girls and trapped them under the waterfall.  They got drenched.  It was hilarious!  We also went swimming a ton, listened to "Apologize"-the one David Archuleta did on the finale- over and over and over again cause Dustin was trying to learn all the words...haha love ya Dust! And we also went around and looked at all the cool car dealerships they had there.  The boys really loved that.  They had Porsches, BMWs, Lamborghinis and...umm...now I can't think of the names of all the other cars.  But they were cool and they were all like rare sports cars.  I'm sorry, most of the time I can't tell the difference between a Honda and a Toyota, let a lone a Porsche and a Lamborghini!  But it was fun!

This is Boston being such a trooper on the long ride home!  It took us 14 1/2 hours to get there because we were driving in the dark and kinda got lost I guess you could say.  And on the way home, it took us about 12 hours.  Boston did so good and was so happy to be out of his car seat by the end!  Thanks Chuck and Julie for letting us stay in your beautiful homes there!  It was a blast!  And mom, dad and Eric, we wish you were there with us!

Oh... and Boston is crawling!  Watch out!