Stitches!!

You would think by the title that one of the kids got stitches - well it was actually me! I'm 30 yrs. old and had never had stitches till yesterday! Notice no pictures attached....it's not very pretty! I have 8 stitches on the side of my hand. How? Well, I was just about to make some lunch for Erin and we decided on tamales. (yes, the kind that come in the can but hey they sounded good - I have been told that this was my first mistake - never to eat tamales out of a can). We have such a terrible can opener and honestly I have been putting off getting a new one because Emily was having a Pampered Chef party and the only thing I REALLY wanted was their groovy can opener. Well in my attempt to open the can I pulled out the spoon to kinda pry it open since my can opener didn't do its job right. As I pulled - the lid flew right up and sliced the side of my hand. I could tell right away that it needed stitches and thankfully Emily was on her lunch break and ran right over to take me up to the ER where Ryan met me. After a 2 hour wait I was all taken care of. Another friend, Tresa showed up at the hospital and took me home and cleaned up the blood off the floor for me. What good friends! I will admit I have a really weak stomach and almost passed out while they were actually stitching me up but I survived. The funny part was the first thing the nurse said to me after checking me out was "You really need to get one of those Pampered Chef can openers!" How ironic! I think I was a pretty good spokesperson at the party last night for why you need their can opener. It cuts below the can edge, leaving no sharp edges - right up my alley! At least I am now current with my Tetnus shot.

Erin's First Haircut

a happy Erin with her bribes when it was all said and done

she wasn't quite sure what to think at first

Erin got her very first haircut today! She has been quite shaggy lately and will not keep any barettes or elastics in - stinker! So we at least got her bangs trimmed so we can see those beautiful blue eyes. She also took a little weight off by layering the back and it made her curls kink right up! Super Cute! She was a little nervous about the whole process but bribery seemed to work in this case. M&M's always do the trick and it helped to have an Elmo video on!

Missouri

Grandma Smith with all of her grandkids

The great-grandkids practicing their song

Last week we made an unplanned visit to Missouri to attend Ryan's Grandpa's funeral. Grandpa Smith passed away at the age of 82. We were grateful for the opportunity to be just a days drive away so that we could all attend to honor his life. As sad as funerals can be they are also an unexpected family reunion. It was so good to visit with all of our family there. The funeral was a beautiful service and I learned alot that I didn't know about Grandpa Smith. What a wonderful man he was. Grandma even had some of the older great-grandkids sing 'I am a Child of God'. They did an amazing job! We are so blessed to have such wonderful family members!

Hannah Montana Mania!!!

Last night Emily and I took the girls to see the Hannah Montana 3D concert movie. They were just giddy with excitement and they are only 6!!! I have to admit though it was really easy to get caught up in the moment of it all. I found myself singing along and swaying to the music. She really is a cute 14 yr. old girl - hopefully she stays good. Then the Jonas Bros. came on stage & performed a couple of songs. The girls went wild! I think I now have a glimpse of understanding of what my mom had to put up with when life revolved around the New Kids on the Block! (have you heard they may try for a comeback? - crazy but true!) I'm so sorry Mom!! She actually camped out with me to get tickets to their concert when I was 12! Paybacks right? Well I think I have many more years to go before Emma outgrows this stage. It has started way too early. One thing I did decide is 3D concerts are the only way to go to a concert these days! Much cheaper, less crowds, better views and it really does give you the illusion that you are actually there. In fact, U2 is doing one soon -it looked really good! Maybe I can convince Ryan to go...

President Hinkley

I so loved President Hinkley.....I was sad to hear of his passing yet happy to know that he will be reunited with his sweet wife and has found rest after a life full of service. He was truly the prophet of "my"day. I have always loved and appreciated his great sense of humor and his enthusiasm for the gospel. I am grateful for his inspiring words to always be a little better and stand a little taller, that we not be satisfied with mediocre. There is so much the Lord stands willing to bless us with if we but do our part. I love his concern and faith in the youth. I love the way that I felt after he spoke. That 'I can do this' attitude. President Hinckley was an amazingly humble and loving prophet. He had the ability to make us all feel like a very close friend, even if we never had the opportunity to meet face to face. What an amazing legacy.....

Sickly Sleeping Beauties...

Emma and Erin both have a tummy bug! It all began last night right before dinner. So much for enjoying my chicken enchiladas. I'll spare you all of the gross details but they started throwing up within a half hour of each other. Just enough time to clean up and bathe one before moving to the next! So we are all pretty pooped! Today the girls were resting and watching TV one minute and the next this is what I found. Too cute! Erin loves to let Emma take care of her. Emma is such a good little helper to me, especially today as I am sterilizing my house!

Catching Up....

Life has been a bit crazy around here lately and I have still have lots of catching up to do! We had a great trip out to Utah for Christmas despite all the winter coughs and little Erin's first ear infection. It is amazing how fast it all went by. We packed a lot in though. We were able to spend lots of time with the family, enjoy a white Christmas, the kids attempted ice skating & sledding, we played lots of games, shopped and what holiday would be complete without lots of yummy treats! Thanks to Nate & Kristy we are now also Wii fans! We had a blast with Guitar Hero. Ryan was quite the pro while it took me like 4 times to make it through without getting booed off the stage! On our trip home we stopped by the Grand Canyon which was truly beautiful and just amazing! We didn't spend alot of time there, it was mostly a 'been there, done that' stop. We are all now trying to recoup and catch up! I also received a new calling - primary president. So life has been a bit overwhelming to say the least. I have much to learn but am blessed to work with such wonderful ladies!
Maybe if I'm lucky I can get Christmas put away this weekend! How sad is that?