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!

photos lately!

hello again

Ok so I tried to blog at wordpress but I just couldn't really do it. I feel home here. My words flow here. Even though the app for blogger stinks/doesn't really exist anymore...Even though the app for wordpress is amazing...

Even though I'll have to get on my desk top to write instead of using my phone...
I just wasn't blogging much. I wasn't feeling inspired to go. I didn't enjoy typing the same way I do here. That makes no sense.

Click here to read the few posts I made over at Wordpress...

Updates then...

Ella is big. Well, actually she is tiny, petite. But she is a 6 month old crawler and at almost 7 months she is pulling up to standing on toys or things low to the ground.

Hattie and Freddie are completely in awe of the world. Fred can help me with things and does, occasionally. Hattie tires my patience. I might say she is my hardest child but then again, Fred was crazy honory and hard at 3 years old. And Ella isn't there yet, so...

We spent Thanksgiving down in Phoenix. Collin and the kids and Dot and I flew down and man was it nice not to have to drive the 12 hours... (plus many more with all the stops). Dot was an angel and loved being at my parents' house. We had the best time I've ever had with my fam. Amelia and David being married adds a great dynamic to the group. We all had fun every night going to the hot tub with Joseph. My mom and dad would take the kids (which they all loved) and we would go. It is awesome to have that ability!!

There was an added somberness and gratefulness as my dad's business partner and coworker of 20 years was killed in a car accident just the day before Thanksgiving. It was a horrible thing and a huge shock to us all. It was so different from any death I've experienced. I get so sad thinking about it and about not seeing him at my dad's office and about his kids. They are my brothers and my age. We have so many memories together. My dad said some beautiful things to us all before we ate our Thanksgiving meal about living life everyday to the fullest and holding each other close. It really set the tone for the rest of the weekend. Even when we did have a small political discussion, we kept calm and listened pretty well to each other.

We were happy to have Dot traveling with us and she was cuddly and fuzzy all weekend long. 

The new Gilmore Girls revival came out and Morgan came over and we had donuts, hot chocolate and pop tarts to celebrate. Here's a separate post about that.

It was amazing to see other friends too!!!

Now we are back up in Sandy, Utah, preparing for Christmas, for Hattie's birthday party and for our travels to Florida for Christmas and New Years.

beautiful table created by Amelia

arcosanti in March

The month of March is birthday month in our house! We traveled just a little ways out of town to Arcosanti to celebrate. Freddie went to his grandmas for the night so that we could have time alone and a little more time with just Hattie. We did have fun together but missed Fred so much. We decided that family trips feel empty without him and plan to go back again in the summer with all of us. 

Florida in April

Collin and Frederick and I had the most incredible trip to Florida back in April and I was just realizing that we never blogged about it!!! So here are some pictures of the super fun time we had visiting with Collin's parents, brother, Ian and his wife Ashley and their 3...almost 4 children, his 3 grandparents, and my family from my mom's side who live in Florida. 

The plane trips were great. Freddie was happy, excited, hyper, but slept a TON. We weren't sure if he would nurse much (which has been a life saver on previuos trips) but he did, and rested well. There was this crazy little incident with a woman sitting next to us from AZ to our lay-over in Chicago wehre she flipped out at us and told us we thought we were SPECIAL because we had a baby (when we asked if we could go by her to use the bathroom once and then to stand up in the row in front of her as we were waiting to deboard the plane) and we and everyone around us were like...what the?????? HAHA! But now it's just a funny memory. 

these two..

my sweet sleeping angel...

First glimpses of Florida!!!! We were SO EXCITED!!!

Fred and Pops

Freddie and his BEST BUDDY EVER, his cousin Lincoln.

Cousins Lauren, Kate and Lincoln. There's nothing better than Fred spending time with his cousins. 

Happy birthday grandma Hermann. I love Collins hair in these shots. 

Buds

Beach time!!

Kate 

Lauren 

Fred you need some sunglasses or something. 

Beautiful Florida beach. 

I got do burned. :( :( and I put on sunblock!!

After-church photos 

4 generations of smith men

The gals. 

Love these guys. 

Forced cousins pictures always end in tears. 

Oh boy.... Don't worry; he didn't drink of drive. 

Loving life grandpa/ma smiths backyard in Lakeland. 

Garden party

A visit to Macintosh, fl to visit my aunt Susan's home. She and her husband, chuck were there along with robin, Austin, andy, Celia, Holden, blaire+gf, shanna, Doug, Eva, silus, susi, Ryan, Elliot, Cohen, laurel, Liz, rain, Ty, uncle Rick and aunt Jane!!!!! Did i forget anyone???? Collin and Ludona and I had a great time!!

Eating and announcing....that I was pregnant for the second time. 

So independent. Wanted ZERO help. 

Cats and stuff

Swimming. 

Playing. 

Selby Marie Botanicsl Gardens where Collin & I got engaged 5 years ago. 

Saying good bye. What a fantastic trip. We can't wait till January when mom and dad smith visit us after bean is born.  

Solemn. 

Hello again, desert.