Hello Everyone!
We hope you have enjoyed our blog posts this year. We have had a memorable 2010 and are thankful for all of the special memories and times we have shared with you all.
Happy Holidays and Here’s to a Wonderful New Year!
Love,
The AZ Smiths
Hey Everyone!
I hope you are having a great week so far 
I wanted to post some video of Casie and I (and Braelyn!) doing some agility at one of my lessons last week.
I know I often write about agility but many of you still probably have no idea what I am talking about so……I thought I would show you!
It’s amazing what a well-trained dog, and owner can do together!
ENJOY!
These 3 videos are of Casie and I……
This 1 is of Braelyn enjoying the agility course She was barking and running around on all of the obstacles!
Howdy Everyone!
Can you believe that it is SEPTEMBER already?!? We are coming into fall, my favorite time of the year. We are excited for pumpkin patches and Thanksgiving and Christmas and all of those fun family holidays that are just around the corner. Most of all we are excited for the fact that Matt will be done traveling by the 20th of September – YAHOO!
This year has been very challenging because of the amount of time he has spent traveling – 25 days out of each month on average. Braelyn and I have done as well as can be expected between her activities and mine & keeping busy. We have spent LOTS of time up at the cabin this summer staying cool, spending time with Grammy and Grampy and being outdoors. Braelyn loves visiting the pond to see the tadpoles and frogs and eating breakfast in the fifth wheel each morning. The dogs love it too and they are always running and jumping around the logs and plants. Braelyn spends lots of time with Nana in the garden and Uncle Chris helped her make some pine cone birdseed feeders when he and Justin made a trip up one weekend.
Between trips to the cabin and our travel-filled August, we haven’t been home much this summer BUT we did get spend a lot of time with Matt this past month, taking several trips together to help make the days on the road go by faster.
At the beginning of August we took a weekend trip up to LA while he was scouting the Dodgers and Tom and Sheri met us up at the hotel for a 2 day visit which was nice.
2 days after we returned home, Matt & I took a trip together back to New York while he was scouting the Mets for 5 days. It was a LOT of fun and Braelyn was up at the cabin with my parents so she barely knew we were gone! We saw all of the usual touristy sites in the city as well as taking a couple of self-guided walking tours of different areas of Manhattan that we downloaded to our IPODS. I hadn’t been to NYC since I was about 10 and Matt hadn’t been in 2 years since he stopped traveling with the team. The weather was amazing, the city was clean and safe and we got to see and do so much in our few days. We saw Lion King on Broadway which is an experience like no other stage show that I have ever seen and we walked 5-10 miles every single day we were there. I would go back in a heartbeat – I really enjoyed our time there and it is always nice to get some time together as a couple. Thanks to both of our families for making the trip possible for us and allowing us to experience the city.
After flying across country, unpacking and spending 1 whole night at home, we were then off to San Diego for a week to spend time with family while Matt was doing some minor league scouting, as well as scouting the Padres. Braelyn had SO much fun with Kyleigh and they were hilarious together playing so nicely and getting along so well. They were both totally bummed when we had to leave and Braelyn still asks about her all the time. I stayed with Matt at the hotel for a night so B got to spend some good time with Grandma and Grandpa which she always enjoys. They visited the Natural History Museum at Balboa Park and we also went to dog beach in Del Mar. We took a trip up to La Jolla to see the seals in the cove as well and got an unexpected shower from a rogue wave that completely DRENCHED Braelyn, Sheri and I. We were completely soaked and dripping wet and even the inside of my purse needed to be dumped out to get rid of the water. When we went home 3 hours later, I was still WET, not damp but it makes for a good story and we were good sports about it!
When we drove home, we brought my cousin Sara and her daughter Emma with us and we had a nice family party for my Grandma’s 80th Birthday. I felt completely unprepared, not having been around for much of the planning BUT I just did what I was told instead of being the boss and it worked out great. Everyone had fun and we had some nice out of town guests that made the party even more special.
Once our company had gone home, you would think that we rested and relaxed but, OH NO not us! Braelyn started school last week and so we were back and forth taking her and dropping her off. She was nervous at first but she really seems to like it and her teacher is really good with the kids. They had show and tell last week and this week they have color week so they have to dress in all yellow tomorrow for class. I am a parent helper for the class so I get to do all kinds of fun things like cut out dinosaurs from construction paper, cut out and hole punch letter necklaces and all other sorts of crafty stuff that helps out the teacher and reduces her workload.
Braelyn is still taking dance/gymnastics and swim class and on Saturday she starts her acting class in which I think she will be a big hit because, if you know Braelyn, there is nothing but complete DRAMA to everything. From her facial expressions to her sweeping arm movements to her dressing up and putting on her makeup, I think this girl is headed for the stage – LOL! I actually can’t wait to see her up there performing because I think it will be so good for her and she will be able to use her natural dramatic talents! She told me that she was concerned about this acting class because ‘What if I get stage fright during the performance?’ I tried not to laugh and told her that she would be great and that she would do her best and that the teacher would help her if she forgot her lines. Too funny!
Things for me are going well with our new business. We are finishing up our current line of artwork and already prepping for new lines and designs. We are doing lots of live shows this fall to promote our products and we have retailers interested in adding our lines to their shops and stores. We are expanding into pet art, educational items and full size wall murals so be on the lookout for our stuff soon! If you are looking for customized artwork, we can do that too, just let me know size and design and my partner can create something AMAZING for you!
I am still doing agility with Casie. We have taken a break for the summer from our regular classes and so I have been filling in with some seminars from past instructors as well as getting to know some new ones. Casie actually now looks like a dog that you see on TV, weaving in between all of the poles and going on the teeter totter and over jumps and through tunnels. I have currently started taking private lessons to replace the group lessons so that we can work on things specific to Casie and I. I MAY start competing this fall but mostly I am doing it for fun and because Casie has had such fear issues in the past and still to this day, she can be skittish. It is really good in building her confidence and really good exercise for us both as we run around the courses.
Matt is finishing up his scouting in Dallas and Seattle over the next couple of weeks and then he will be done for the season. He is very worn down from being on the road so much and being in so many hotels. The GOOD thing about his travels is that we get LOADS of hotel points and air miles so that we can take some fun family vacations in the off-season and get lots of stuff for free! We aren’t totally sure what he’ll be doing next season as lots of things are still not finalized with the GM situation BUT we know he will be working in baseball somewhere next year and hopefully he will get to stay put where he is. Things are supposed to be hammered out in the next few weeks and then the scouts will start finding out what they will be doing and people will be moved around and shuffled to fill vacant spots left by people vacating them this year. There will be lots of opportunities and new teams to see, we are just waiting and hoping for a contract extension before October.
We hope everyone is doing well and that we will see you sometime in our Holiday or off-season travels this fall. Take care and enjoy the cooler weather and the fun family times ahead. Love to All.
MLB Mama
So it’s been a little while since the last time we gave an update on all things “Desert Dwelling Smith” and about a hundred times longer since I was actually the one putting fingers to keyboard.
First of all, Happy New Year to everybody and we hope that 2010 is full of health, happiness, and success for all of you.
And now for the update …
Christmas for us was a good one. We spent Christmas Eve with Lisa’s family at Gary and Bonnie’s house where we were able to see Lisa’s Uncle, his wife, and their son Cameron (who we hadn’t seen in far too long). Christmas morning at our house was fun, as it always seems to be every year. Braelyn was surprised with a handful of treats from Santa and we were able to just take our time and relax together as a family … for a few hours at least … we ended up hosting Christmas Lunner at our house with about 20 friends and family with a fun potluck, bocce ball tournament, and a fire outside on the patio. It was cool to have so many good people come together and just enjoy each others’ company.
Lisa, Braelyn, and I packed up and headed home to SD for the week between Christmas and New Years and were fortunate enough to see lots of family and friends while we were there.
We took a family trip (my Mom, Dad, Devyn, and Kyleigh along with L, B, and me) to the Wild Animal Park which Braelyn absolutely ate up. We took the safari tour, heard Lions roaring, got to touch an African Boa Constrictor, got mooned by a handful of Gorillas, fed Ducks, rode the Carousel, and about died from heat exhaustion (the forecast called for something near 60 degrees but ended up roasting our fully clothed selves with a very January-esque 85). It was a good family outing as none of us had been there since Devyn was in Middle School (10 years ago at least). Braelyn also decided she wanted to get her face painted … pretty darn cute in my biased opinion.
My parents hosted a New Year’s Eve open house and we were able to see Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Friends, and Neighbors … all of whom we haven’t seen in too long … it was awesome to get caught up.
Braelyn and her Gramma Sheri spent some time baking cookies, playing in the front yard, and playing with lots of toys … Braelyn enjoyed having her little cousin following her every footstep for the week too.
Since we’ve been back to reality, Braelyn continues to keep us busy with her dance/gymnastics classes, swim classes, and play dates with her friend Esteka. We also had another fun annual excursion with Jack and Betty (Lisa’s Gpa/Gma) when “Disney on Ice” came to town – Braelyn hasn’t stopped talking about it nor has she quit pretending to skate around the house.
As this is a rare update with me as the author, I’ll try to give a recap of some of my job/role changes since the last time I posted:
After spending 2009 away from our Major League team for the first time in 5 years; I was running around scouting High School and College players in preparation for the Draft as well as covering and reporting on a handful of Minor League teams in case trade opportunities were to arise and/or to gauge our interest in Free Agent acquisitions. I really enjoyed my time and was able to earn a more involved role within our scouting department. 2010 will see me covering 21 professional teams (5 Major League, 16 Minor League) for trades/free agency as well as seeing some of the top amateur players in the country as we prepare for the Draft (it sounds extremely similar but it is different, I promise, though it’s hard to explain). Long story short, lots of travel, lots of writing, lots and lots and lots of baseball … and lots of opportunity.
I’m just enjoying every minute of the off-season right now since my time at home runs out on April 8th. Braelyn is such an incredible little girl and Lisa, with very little help from me, sets such a wonderful example of what a caring, loving, genuine person embodies.
Long winded I know, but at least I hope you feel caught up. Best wishes to you and yours …
Matt
HI!
Just a warning: Get ready for PICTURE OVERLOAD
We have been so very busy the last few weeks and have captured it all on film!
My cousin Sara and her daughter Emma came to visit last week and we had so much fun with them catching up and showing them our usual hang outs (The Zoo, park and Museum). Braelyn was really happy to get to know her newest cousin and was constantly touching her head and cheek and giving her kisses. She was a little leery about sharing her toys but for a 3 year old who is used to ALL the attention, I think she did rather well.
Matt had off for a day or so and was able to join us on the visit to the Zoo/Aquarium where we spent 1/2 the day and had lunch near the shark aquarium. It was a little bit warm but we managed to escape into the indoor exhibits as the temperatures got too hot.
The Children’s Museum in downtown Phoenix is one of my favorite places to take Braelyn. We have an annual pass so it’s great to just pop in for a couple of hours to get out of the heat. It has some of the most creative, hands-on exhibits I have ever seen and it is entertaining even for kiddos that are Emma’s age because there is so much going on. There is a kids grocery store, pizza kitchen, flower garden a “noodle” forest and lots of other cool exhibits. It has been 5 years in the making and they are always adding new features and activities for the kids to do.
Matt has had a bit more down time lately so he and Braelyn have been bonding a bit more and spending some more time together. When I sat down to write this blog and go through the pictures, I realized there were quite a few of them together so I thought I would put together a little collage since he is on the road right now (for 12 days) and would probably like to see some pictures to remind him of home.
I have been keeping extremely busy between entertaining guests , taking Braelyn to all of her activities and working with Casie at her training classes to become a therapy dog plus trying to maintain my workout schedule and some sanity as well. My mom had back surgery 2 weeks ago and I have been trying to help out a lot at my parent’s house too.
Braelyn is still enjoying her art class where just this week she made a clay family (from L to R – Me, Braelyn, Matt and Casie is the one with the red face!).
She also passed the test to move up from her Goldfish swim class to a Jellyfish class. Uncle Chris says she is the youngest Jellyfish as most are 4YO and that she will probably be in this class for awhile since it requires them to swim across the entire pool and do a lot of floating and turning over by themselves.
She is still doing dance classes and I am going to be switching her to a different class for the summer so she can be with her friend Esteka. They are doing a Princess themed summer dance recital in mid July where they dress up like Princesses and dance to Disney songs. I will keep you updated on dates for that as it should be VERY fun and funny!
Matt is still plugging away at the amateur scouting side of things. The high school season is ending soon and right now he’s away on a pro-scouting coverage back east in Washington DC and Delaware. When he returns, they will be prepping for the draft which is the first week of June and then after that we are taking a much needed vacation to Whistler, Canada over July 4th. We aren’t sure what exactly his assignment will be after the draft and school years are over, but he does have some additional pro coverages in August and the Dbacks are running a scout team that he helped put together as well as a summer league team so I’m sure he will be working on those things as well.
Casie continues to be such a good puppy for us. Now that she has finally recovered from all of her ailments and is obedience trained, she is a joy to take with us wherever we can. I will be starting agility (obstacle course work) with her in mid-May and we are taking the classes with my cousin, Lauren and her dog, Levi. We are looking forward to it. I also take her to weekly group training classes through my dog trainer which help her get better socialized and used to all different people, noises, situations, etc. She is only 7 months old but does everything on command and will stay and listen until we let her go. Everyone remarks how well behaved she is and because she is VERY smart, it has been pretty easy to train her.
I think that is all from our neck of the woods. We look forward to hearing from you!
Love,
MLB Mama
P.S. Here are some miscellaneous pictures – didn’t think you’d seen enough!!
Hello All!
We hope you had a great Easter Here are some recent pictures of Braelyn and Casie. Not much new to report here. We will have some pictures and video of our upcoming visit with Cousin Sara and Baby Emma next week. Hope all is well!!
Just wanted to send out a quick note with some pictures and video (thanks to grampa Tom for the pictures!)
Braelyn is really loving her “goldfish” swim class. She can now float on her back ALL BY HERSELF and then roll over onto her tummy. She can also jump in from the side, swim around Chris and then back to the wall, as well as swim underwater to Chris in the middle of the pool. When she is able to roll from her tummy to her back unassisted, she will move up levels to the “jellyfish” class which Chris also teaches.
Braelyn and Casie also LOVE their newest outdoor toy -- the Bubble BBQ, sent over from San Diego from Gramma Sheri. They enjoy jumping up to pop the bubbles together and chasing them all over the backyard when they blow in the wind.
I was able to catch some of the antics of the bubble play on video -- hope you all enjoy this as much as we did! Have a good week
We have been busy these last 3 weeks and hope you are all doing well!
First off, Braelyn started an art class and dance class right after her Birthday. She loves the art class and painted a dog and cat figurine (which Casie promptly took out in the backyard and ate!!!!) and made a horse and rose out of clay which are still surviving The class goes in 3 week cycles so she is off from that right now and during the next session will be sand art, more painting and other messy stuff!!
The dance class is a combo tap, ballet and tumbling which has not gone over well. She likes the tap but she says that the ballet music makes her “too sad” and she cries during that whole portion. Since it is close to her nap time, I thought maybe she was overtired too which added to the sadness. This week we are switching her to a combo jazz and tap class in the evening with the hopes that she will be well rested after her nap and that the music will be more upbeat!
We also had Casie spayed 2 weeks ago and have been on the constant “puppy patrol” trying to keep her calm so she doesn’t rip her incision. This is hard with any puppy but add in the fact that she is a Golden Retriever, extremely excited and feels perfectly fine despite her incision and that makes for a very tough job!! The vet did a great job with her and said she was a model patient and got lots of attention from the vet staff When we brought her home, she was wearing a pressure bandage and full body gauze suit to keep her from getting to her stitches. It only lasted about 2 days and then she had bitten a hole in the sleeve so we had to put her into a tank top to keep her covered!
She and Braelyn are proving to be best buddies and Braelyn is always laying down next to her in the hall, hugging and kissing her and asking me to take pictures. I obliged her……
Finally, I had to include this last photo because the circumstances around it were so funny The other night my grandparents were here and we were all downstairs at my parent’s house playing in her playroom. She looked at my grandpa and said “Grampy, would you like to wear this hat because you have a bald head!” All of us started laughing and she made both Grammy and Grampy wear hats and take a picture with her.
I hope to have some video of her dancing soon to post, as well as several other songs that she can sing. She is establishing quite a repetoire and will probably soon be singing in shows at Disneyland because of her liking for princess ballads!!! I also hope to have a post from Matt soon telling you all about his new job and how it is going after the first 2 months or so.
Because Matt isn’t going to be traveling as much this season, we probably won’t be getting out to see everyone as much as we’d like, but we are thinking of you all and hoping that things are going well for you during these difficult times. Take care!!!!
MLB Mama
Hello Everyone!
Not too much new to report but I thought you would enjoy these new pics and videos from our star performer
This video of Braelyn singing is a song from Sleeping Beauty called “Once Upon a Dream”. Here are the words:
I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream.
I know you, the thrill in your eyes is so familiar to me.
And I know it’s true that visions are seldom what they seem,
But if I know you, I know what you do,
You loved me at once, the way you did once upon a dream
Crazy Casie….
Hope you have a great weekend,
MLB Mama
