The Smith Family Reunion 2010

Us with our beautiful Grandma Smith.
We played a lot of games in the field like football, redrover, three legged races, wheel barrow races, sprint races, jump rope, tug a war, california pass, and a new game my mom taught us called "Johnny Johnny Butcher Boy."
My Grandma wanted to do something special for all of her grandkids so she told a story and sang the song "A Tisket A Tasket A Little Yellow Basket." Then she handed out a little yellow basket to all the kids. They loved it. Andrew and Nini got up to dance right when she was done.


The Smith's just after lunch.
Gilbert, Uncle Bill, and Willie.

Brooke came to visit

Every time we do anything with Brooke's family Andrew begs to ride in her car. Mason was nice enough to switch him and ride with me in the truck. We are one seat short of fitting in the same car so we both have to drive when we go places. This is when Brooke ran in the store to get groceries to make stir fry and manicoti. I stayed outside in the parking lot with all the kids. Of course we had to get some of our traditional Ben and Jerry's. This time we tried brownie cheesecake and it was amazing.

Andrew and Bracken love bath time.



Brooke taught me how to make breadsticks to go with our manicoti. We made them with whole wheat and they were pretty good. The texture was our favorite but we wished the flavor was a little sweeter.
Rylie loves to be a good little helper all the time.
Bracken has this new habit of taking his pants off. I kept trying to get him to keep them on.
He also has a habit of sticking things up his nose. I saw him with a little bead and asked him to bring it to me. The next thing I know he comes running to his mom saying nose, nose, nose. Sure enough we look up there and unless you look really far you can't see it, but he stuck the bead way up his nose. Brooke (the brave mother) got tweezers and grabbed it right out. I would have panicked and not known what to do. It was up in there so far you could barely see it.
Mason, Bracken, and Andrew had such a good time playing together.

We went to the swimming pool and the kids loved it. They never wanted to leave. (Except for Andrew, he has so much fun for about an hour then gets his towel and goes to the gate to leave.) It cracks me up every time. Bracken was quite the little dare devil and tried jumping in when his mom wasn't watching. Rylie kept wanting to get in the hot tub the whole time. They kept us on our toes. The last day Gilbert stayed home with the sleeping babies while we went swimming with Mason and Rylie. It was a lot more relaxing and we got a good tan.
At the playground....
I tried doing the monkey handles and couldn't believe how hard they are. Those are some muscles I haven't used in a long time. The more I do them the easier they get.
Brooke tried them out just to see what I was talking about and she totally agrees.

Brooke brought her famous shake maker. We made root beer shakes and they were so yummy.

The kids couldn't get enough of them.

Brooke and I gave each other pedicures in the middle of the night. It was so much fun and it felt so good. Brooke put me right to sleep.
I love you Brooke, and I love when you come to visit. It is so much fun whenever you are around.
(Brooke, I put this picture in so you could decide for yourself if you like your shirt. You are so darling in it and you look sooo skinny. You let me know what you think.)

Family visiting

Luke and Heather's family came to visit us for a night on their way to Wyoming. The boys went fishing all day (shocker) and we took the kids to the swimming pool. We had so much fun. Heather's kids are so well behaved and they are such good helpers.

Ryan, Andrew, Summer, and Sierra's head.

The Rowley Reunion

Gilbert's dad made his own basketball hoop so we could play ball on the mountain. It was so much fun. At first it was pretty hard and the rim is not forgiving at all. You had to be dead on to make it. Gilbert was really good at it. It made for a lot of fun! (Gilbert totally made that shot by the way.)
My Aunt Carol wanted to learn how to french braid so she could do her granddaughters hair. My cousin Sarah taught her while I taught my brother-in-law John who does all the hair in his family. I was so impressed. He never watched me do it, he just listened as I guided and he did an awesome job on his first try. Shows you anyone can french braid if you give it a try.
Andrew LOVES camping!

Andrew and his cousin Jeremiah entertained each other most of the time. They had so much fun together.


Eating lunch while watching Mommy and Daddy play in the horseshoe tournament.

I was partners with Gilbert's dad and we didn't make it to far in the tournament, but I did get my first ringer. It was so much fun.
Gilbert was partners with his cousin Kade and they did really well but, Luke and Chad ended up winning the whole thing.
The Rowley boys: Uncle Dave Baker (who came to visit for an afternoon), Dad (Kent), Sam, John, and Frank Rowley.

These are Gilbert's uncles that are so awesome! I got to know them a lot better at this reunion and I am so proud to be related to them. They are some really good men!

I found this quote while reading different blogs, and loved it!

"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails.

I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp.

I want to be there with grass stains on my shoes from mowing Sister Schenk's lawn.

I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbor's children.

I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden.

I want to be there with the children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder.

I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived."

Marjorie Pay Hinckley

I took Gilbert on a surprise date the Saturday before Father's Day. We had so much fun and the time away together was so needed. We went to the Provo Temple and did sealings, then we went fishing. He was so excited to take me fishing again. We went to the Spanish Fork river and Gilbert just caught a little one. I didn't have any luck, but maybe he will take me on the Provo someday and we will have better luck.

I am so lucky to have you for eternity! You are my one and only forever! I am so amazed at the wonderful Dad you are to Andrew. You are the bestest ever! Thank you for the fun date and the memories we made this day.

Gilbert and I went down to St. George to visit family. This was one of the best weekends we have ever had together with the Rowleys. Jen went through the Temple for the first time and we were sealed to Kimberly for time and all eternity. Kimmy just turned 21 so we have waited a long time to get sealed to her. It was such an incredible experience to be in the Temple with so many of Gilbert's family. We missed Brad, Angie, Amy, Joel, Teri, Brittany, and Doug. Someday we will be there with all of them. I can't think of a more beautiful experience than to be in the temple with family.

We have kind of turned it into a tradition to go to the park in St. George every summer we go down to visit. It always makes for some really good memories. This is Kimmy after being taken through the water fountain.
The sun was so bright Andrew had a really hard time looking at me for the picture and ended up squinting a lot.




I am so glad we were able to be a part of this experience. We are so lucky to get Kimmy for eternity. We love you Kim!
Oldest to youngest: Dad, Mom, Jake, John, Luke, Matt, Jennifer, Gilbert, Jessilee, and Kimberly.