Watch the cutest Nativity Story EVER!

The Christmas Story (2010 HD version) -- as told by the children of St Paul’s Church. Anyone is welcome to show this film publicly, but not change it in any way, nor make money out of it. We also welcome you to view the prequel (2011) Good News of Great Joy

We had such a great trip to Whistler, BC.  Here is a quick video montage of just some of the fun times that were had   We did plenty of outdoor activites despite the temps being in the 20s most of the time.  It was quite a shock to the desert dwellers and to some more than others (me!)!!  We hope these pictures get you in the mood for winter and the Holidays ahead.  Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy New Year to everyone.

All our love,

The AZ Smiths

P.S. Videos to come this weekend…….

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

We hope you had a great Halloween and that you got all of the candy that your heart desires!

Here are some pictures of B in her Monarch Butterfly costume at her school carnival and out trick-or-treating. I was very proud of myself for making the wings – I felt very crafty.

We took her Tinkerbell wings from last year and removed the green fabric. Then I had to cover the wire outline of the wings with black pantyhose and hot glue the 3 wing sections together. After that, I cut out felt in orange and white and hot glued those shapes to the black pantyhose. Add in a black headband with some pipe cleaner and puff ball antennae and you have a complete Monarch Butterfly HOMEMADE costume for about $10!!

Braelyn got her whole bucket full of candy (which she won’t eat!) and now dad is going to have a feast for the next few weeks – LOL!

Hope all is well with everyone – we miss and love you all

Lisa

Hello – Happy October and Happy Fall!

Can we really call it Fall when temperatures here are expected to be 99 tomorrow!?!

We have been busy with our usual running around and we have tried to add in some family activities along with keeping up on our yearly Fall traditions Braelyn’s playhouse at the cabin is finished and she has been able to enjoy decorating it and playing in it over the last month or so. We took a trip to the zoo with some of our cousins and thought it would be nice, cool, weather seeing as it was October when we went but, ALAS, mother nature did not humor us and it was 96 when we left! We also made our yearly trek to the Pumpkin Patch and Braelyn got her farm animal petting fix while we adults got lost in the corn maze for the 2nd year in a row. By now we are convinced that there is not an easy way out as we have been told – LOL!

Matt has been home for a few weeks now but, after being promoted to a different position (AGAIN!) he is now working most of this month instead of having it off as we anticipated. Not really the down time we had envisioned BUT at least he still has a contract for next year! He will write a post soon about what he is going to be up to now. It seems like in this industry it’s something new every year. It keeps us on our toes that’s for sure!

Braelyn moved up to Lobster level at her swim school and is one of only a few 4 year olds to make it to that advanced class. Most other kids are at least 5 when they get moved up but our little fish is a strong swimmer so she is the exception to the rule. If she wants to, she can do swim team this summer and can compete (I use this term loosely!) in swim meets. We got her a pink swim cap to keep her goggles from slipping down her head every few minutes and now when she does backstroke or the butterfly across the pool, she looks like an actual mini swimmer!

For Halloween, Braelyn decided that she wanted to be a Monarch Butterfly (not just any butterfly mind you! Only a MONARCH will do!) so we are modifying her Tinkerbell costume from last year and changing her fluorescent green fairy wings into black butterfly wings. Pictures to come! I am having my craftiness tested with altering these wings and the creation of all of the patterns on them BUT, I think I will pass the test of the 4YO Braelyn, although she is a butterfly expert and will probably point out any mistakes I make on either the wings or antennae

We are trying to enjoy some family time and outdoor time and are looking forward to setting up our trampoline and getting out on the hiking trails. We have been cooped up with this hellish weather for TOO LONG! We hope you too are enjoying the weather and the activities that this time of year provides. As the holidays approach, we are looking forward to seeing many of you in our travels.

Here’s to cooler weather, pumpkins and tasty treats!!!

Love,

Lisa

We hope you are having a good Valentine’s Day weekend!

I have some short video of Casie doing agility that I wanted to post and some funny pictures of Braelyn getting into mischief -- pretty much an everyday occurrence as well as baking with Nana.  Enjoy your weekend and Happy Heart Day!

We thought that with the stress and hustle-bustle of the season, that you might appreciate these Christmas carols and hopefully, they brighten your day!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night