Video clips

Unclassified movies Sunday from Nikki smith on Vimeo.

(HAHAHAHAH I think I'm funny. My kids are ZOMBIES in front of the TV. sheesh! Tough crowd!


El standing up from Nikki smith on Vimeo.

Ella Standing at 6 months


Splash splash first bath!! Ella from Nikki smith on Vimeo.
The above pic is her face 90% of the time.


Ella splash was stand from Nikki smith on Vimeo.


Good morning from Nikki smith on Vimeo.


Freds song from Nikki smith on Vimeo.


Mount eerie afternoon and popcorn from Nikki smith on Vimeo.

Disney WORLD

DISNEYWORLD!!!!!! We spent 2 days there. Because it was Christmas time and there were blackout dates for Magic Kingdom (Collin's Aunt Sarah works for Disney and gets us in). So we decided to go to some of the other parks! I had never been before and was super excited!

some lovely Waldorf winter verses. We say these together and feel unity, warmth and love.

A candle's but a simple thing,
it starts with just a bit of string,
But dipped or rolled with patient hand,
it gathers wax upon the strand.
Until complete and snowy white,
it gives at last a lovely light.
Life seems so like that bit of string,
each deed we do a simple thing.
Yet day by day on life's strand,
we work with patient heart and hand.
It gathers joy, makes dark days bright,
and gives at last a lovely light.

------------------------------------------

There was a giant big and bold
Whose feet were getting very cold.
He came along to our town
And walked the stairs all up and down
Calling "Is no one hearing me?
My toes are freezing bitterly!
No single shop that I could tell
Has stocking giant-size to sell."

A little gnome both old and wise.
He gave him very good advice.
He brought two pretty bits of stuff.
The giant thought them good enough.
He wrapped his feet, his pain was eased.
And home he walked content and pleased.

-----------------------------------------------

See the little snowflakes
Falling from the sky,
On the hills and housetops,
Soft and thick they lie.
On the window ledges,
On the branches bare;
See how fast they gather,
Filling all the air!

---------------------------

Look into the garden
Where the grass was green,
Covered by the snowflakes,
Not a blade is seen.
Look outside the window,
All looks still and white;
Under snowy blankets,
What a pretty sight!
(J.D. Macey)

----------------------------

Look Out! Look Out!
Jack Frost is about!
He's after our fingers and toes;
And, all through the night,
The gay little sprite 
Is working where nobody knows.

He'll climb a tree,
So nimble is he,
His silvery powder he'll shake;
To windows he'll creep,
And while we're asleep,
Such wonderful pictures he'll make.

Across the grass,
He'll merrily pass,
And change all its greenness to white;
Then home he will go,
And laugh, "Ho, Ho, Ho!
What fun I have had in the night!"

----------------------------------------

Snowflakes falling soft and light, 
Snowflakes falling in the night,
Soft and Light, pure and white.
When the sun shines out so bright,
All the earth is dressed in white.

----------------------------------------

Christmas Wish

To every hearth a little fire,
To every board a little feast,
To every heart a joy,
To every child a toy,
Shelter for bird and beast.

observations on a snowy Wednesday afternoon

It has just been snowing and snowing and snowing. We wake and it's snowing. We drive and it's snowing. We go on walks and it's snowing. The kids play together at home fantastically. We don't do TV during the week at all and it has made a huge difference with their patience and moods. We all feel happier and go to sleep easier. Plus now when they do watch stuff on weekends I don't feel guilty. We have been playing a lot. Playing board games like Monopoly Jr, and Hoot Owl Hoot. And puzzles and painting. We do chores. I mostly do them, but they like to help too. They love doing dishes, vacuuming and sorting laundry. When they have to do things that are actually their chores (cleaning up the table, setting the table, cleaning up messes) it's like pulling teeth. 

They pretend a lot. "Pretend you're my mom and you have to chase me a put me in time out." hahah. Collin and I made them some wooden clothespin dolls for their Christmas presents and they LOVE them. They are just wooden clothespins that we have painted clothes, skin and hair on. (no faces so that they can decide how the people are feeling). They play will those like crazy. Ella loves them too. She loves to mimic and follow her siblings around. She thinks she's part of every game and it's so cute. Today popcorn and hot chocolate and gingerbread tea for snacks before music class. This was sort of a dreamy afternoon we had. Dreamy because it was fun and relaxing and we were listening to "Singers" by Mount Eerie et al. (and it was only relaxing until we had to get out the door to go to music class. NO ONE LISTENS TO ME. I give plenty of time and ask them nicely and help them but inevitably they wont get in the car or get their socks and shoes on and we are pretty much always running late these days.) But we all talk about it and forgive each other and say we're sorry. We're all practicing that lots: "Sorry," and, "it's ok."

a bunch of popcorn dropped on the ground.
This one is THERE to eat as much of it up as she can before I can get the broom.

52 stories Nikki week 4

What would you want your friends and family to learn about making and achieving goals from your example?

I love to journal. It is a part of me. It's not hard at all. I was raised by a mother who was a record keeper, list maker, letter writer, and documenter. I've always kept journals. I have hundreds of notes from friends in high school, notebooks written back and forth from Jayna, and letters, postcards and cards I've received throughout my adult life.  My senior year of high school, my friend, Sarah Pace, gave me a red notebook with lined white paper in it for Valentine's Day. She told me to write everything down in it. (I'll have to find it for the exact quote on the inscription.) From that day forward, I kept "books," as I called them. I wrote down my thoughts, funny things people said to me, observations, poems and stories, drawings, kept clippings from magazines, and more inside. I would go through them like crazy. I've lost count lately but I have at least 200. I remember counting to about 120 just before I was married. I have them all in boxes. Collin has to deal with them each time we move! (sorry!! -not sorry- hehehe)

Now, they have evolved and even slowed down as I've had children and have had less time, and fewer hands to write with. But with smartphones came easy blogging, instagram, and chatbooks. So I'm still ever observing, documenting, journaling. I still bring whichever notebook I'm working on to church every week and I still take notes and write down impressions I have. What will this all amount to? 

What does this have to do with goal making and keeping? 

Did I even answer the question? 

The world may never know. 

(oh yeah---moral of the story....I write things down and it helps me remember things better. and I feel accountable because it's in writing. I can look back on different things I've learned and changes I've made and goals I'm still working towards.)

Collin's #52stories

Collin

What Goal Do You Hope to Achieve This Year?

in 2017, my goal is to bring daily happiness into my home and family. Why? Because we need a little Christmas, right this very minute! And a ton of other great broadway songs floating through the house to lift us all up and help us feel joy.

When I was in the MTC, I sang like crazy; in the halls, in the shower. At first my other 19 year old peers were generally confused, and some put off by my unabasehed enthusiasm. But over time, as I kept it up and sang out of the sheer joy that I felt, other’s did the same. Better yet, our MTC District was happy and had a sense of connectedness.

My family is not used to winter; or waiting until 8 am for the sun to rise; or snow to cover everything and freeze us to the bone. We want to feel warm when we are together and bring light in both physical and metaphorical ways, into our home and to others. 

So singing will be one way to bring happiness into our home every day.

What else will I do this year to bring happiness into my family daily? 

• Read my scriptures every day
• Pray personally and as a family twice daily
• Attend the temple monthly
• Prepare and take family names to the temple bi-monthly
• Talk to my brother, sister, mom and dad at least once a month

Say nice things, be nice, sing, get down on the floor, say yes to whatever my kids ask to do with me more. Less trying to get “me” time, less time on my phone (at anytime: work, transit, home, bed), less complaining, less waiting for others to do something before I do something.

52 questions week 3

What goals are you actively working toward right now?

I have been walking in the mornings with a few friends on my street. It wasn't working out to do stroller strides right now, so we've been loading the kids up in the double stroller and heading out in the freezing, foggy, snowblizzardy winter. I hate winter, guys. At least when it snows it's pretty. Jan and Feb are just ugly when it's cold. 

The air is starting to get bad, so I'm not sure how long these walks will last. But I am also making a couple of friends while walking. 

But still, I miss being with people who KNOW me and LOVE me for me. I feel a great unrest within my soul right now. I feel lonely. I feel so much all at once. I want to 

a. attend yoga weekly. I am so inspired by my yoga instructor of 1 year now. She is the most incredible person, Alicia of Salt Lake Prenatal Yoga. (and post natal yoga, and mommy and me yoga). She made a HUGE difference in my pregnancy with Ella. So much healing happened. So much confidence and faith developed. Tonight was no exception.

b. forgive

c. have confidence. I know I'm doing what is right for me and I cannot feel sorry or regretful for that. 

d. be happy RIGHT NOW. choose happiness!

52 questions week 2

#52 questions
Week 2

What is something you taught yourself to do without help from anyone else?

I have taught myself to love learning. This isn't something that came to me growing up. I didn't discover it until about age 26/27 as I was finally getting my Associates degree. I enjoyed travel and adventure and learning about new things and people, but I didn't know that I actually loved doing work and getting good grades until it felt too late. It still feels too late, even though I know, of course, it's not. 

Learning to love learning has helped me so much in motherhood. I feel like I was able to educated myself on childbirth and things that mattered to me. I educated myself on breastfeeding and raising kids. I like to look to research and science for answers to problems that arise as well as studying the Gospel and scriptures when searching for peace.

I also taught myself to use a PoGo stick, and am quite good at it. 

photos lately!

Collin #52stories week 1

Collin

What Goal Do You Hope to Achieve This Year?

in 2017, my goal is to bring daily happiness into my home and family. Why? Because we need a little Christmas, right this very minute! And a ton of other great broadway songs floating through the house to lift us all up and help us feel joy.

When I was in the MTC, I sang like crazy; in the halls, in the shower. At first my other 19 year old peers were generally confused, and some put off by my unabasehed enthusiasm. But over time, as I kept it up and sang out of the sheer joy that I felt, other’s did the same. Better yet, our MTC District was happy and had a sense of connectedness.

My family is not used to winter; or waiting until 8 am for the sun to rise; or snow to cover everything and freeze us to the bone. We want to feel warm when we are together and bring light in both physical and metaphorical ways, into our home and to others. 

So singing will be one way to bring happiness into our home every day.

What else will I do this year to bring happiness into my family daily? 

• Read my scriptures every day
• Pray personally and as a family twice daily
• Attend the temple monthly
• Prepare and take family names to the temple bi-monthly
• Talk to my brother, sister, mom and dad at least once a month

Say nice things, be nice, sing, get down on the floor, say yes to whatever my kids ask to do with me more. Less trying to get “me” time, less time on my phone (at anytime: work, transit, home, bed), less complaining, less waiting for others to do something before I do something.

#52 stories week 1

Collin and I will be blogging the answers to 52 questions, 1 per week, this year, to help us in writing our personal histories. Here's a link with more info on the project:

52 Stories

So here is the question and Nikki's answer fir the 1st week in 2017...

January
Goals & Achievements

What goals do you hope to achieve this year?

I actually just posted our family's goals for the year but I'll expand on each: the reasons behind them and update on how I'm doing 2 weeks into the New Year.

This year I hope to reach these goals:

1. Make a real friend. 

I have some extremely close friends. A few women I would do anything for and who I know would have my back in any situation. We talk often and I rely on them heavily when I am having a hard time or when I want to share goodness, but they live in AZ!!! and DC!!! and Japan!!!! Sheesh. I have some good friends around the state/valley in Utah and we are making friends here and there in our ward but I want to really focus on developing some of these relationships. You out there: my dear best friends already, you reading this now: I could never and would never replace you. Friendship to me is family. It's real. It's forever. I need a best friend neighbor to add to the bunch.

2. Exercise; take care of my body; be HEALTHY.

I had a baby. And I gained a lot of weight (about 60lbs) with that first little guy and never really lost that weight. Then I started working out but before I got totally healthy, I had another babe. I worked out a lot during that pregnancy and gained a minimal normal amount (but then ended up having high BP due to stress just the last few weeks). After that I still had that extra stuff from the first pregnancy. I was working out and then came babe #3! YAHOO! I had a very healthy pregnancy. I ate really really well, and toned down the working out to walks and low key aerobics. I gained only about 30 lbs again..minimal normal weight...and had a super healthy awesome birth too. So here I am, 8 months postpartum and I'm working out a few times a week (I wish I could do more, but very little time these days), and I still have a ways to go. I've never been one to focus on numbers; I've never owned a scale. I don't believe in focusing on losing a certain amount of weight. But I want to be healthy. I really desire this. I want to feel good in my body. I want to be a good example to my children and to be able to stay young and healthy for them as much as myself. I want to work hard at making good choices when it comes to eating. I have a goal of not eating fast food this year (or my kids.) I also want to eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm full. I have been so used to just eating at normal meal times and just a plateful. I have been trying to learn to listen to my body.

3. Make our house a home. 

We spend a lot of time in our home. We want to love it. We want the kids to love their rooms and to feel comfortable. And we want to have lots of parties!!!

4. Prayer on my knees morning and night.

It makes my prayers more sincere. (So does the fact that I need all the help I can get while raising my 3 little stinkers and trying to strengthen my relationship with Collin.) I love the comfort that comes from prayer, the self-reflection and feeling that I belong and have purpose. 

Well, here's to 2017 and to Collin's gorgeous hair in humidity. (and in general. boyfriend has the best hair ever and I love when he lets it go wild. Collin, your goal this year should be to let your hair be wild and curly more often and to go on lots and lots of adventure dates with your lovely wife.)

New Years Goals for the Smiths

Nikki:
This year I hope to reach these goals:
1. Make a real friend.
2. Exercise; take care of my body
3. Make our house a home.
4. Prayer on my knees morning and night

Freddie:
1. say my prayers every morning and night
2. Start kindergarten next fall

Ella:
Learn how to walk and grow some teeth

Hattie:
Start primary and be in my own class.

Collin:
More quality family time
A garden