Sayin' Goodbye to Sister Smith

A few weeks ago, we made a fast weekend trip down to Brush Prairie to say goodbye to Sister Smith! She is off to Brazil. She is going to make a great missionary! She did such a good job on her talk and she even bore her testimony in Portguese....she's been practicing and studying hard. It was fun to be together before she headed off for 18 months.
Here are 6 of the 7 crazy Smith kids...having some laughs while at home. We were sorry that Nicole and Corey and their family couldn't make it.... it is so hard to get everyone together. We haven't ALL been together for over 2 years now. WOW...has it really been that long? Yep.
It was a lot of fun to have both of the Grandma's there together. Preston was able to meet his Great-Grandma Smith for the first time and get reacquainted with Grandma Kerr. Both of these ladies are so special to us - they add such a spark to the family... We love them.

'Tis The Season....Sushi anyone?

Well, you may have heard a rumor going around that it's the 'Christmas Season'. Well, we've heard that rumor too, and as a result we've been getting things ready for the holiday; our tree is up, the stalkings are hung on the ....bookshelf with care, and CJ & Preston are napping right now!(I couldn't think of anything better to write)
The weather has been cooperating quite nicely for the season as you can see by the little CJ size snowman and the weather forecasts for more and more snow. If you were wondering what kind of snowman it is, just ask CJ and he will promptly tell you that it's a Mickey Mouse Snowman (you have to look at the ears).



We took the boys to the BX (Base Exchange) yesterday, and lo and behold, there was Jolly ol' Saint Nick and Mrs. ...uh... Nick. Now CJ and Preston have already seen Santa twice this year, but this was the first Santa that was sporting combat boots.

Clay had his birthday earlier this week, and when Laura asked what he wanted for his birthday dinner, she probably rolled her eyes a bit when his response was "Sushi". But she was a good sport and went along with it. She really does like sushi, even if she tells you that she doesn't......I think.
We found out a couple of weeks ago that CJ is a big fan of the wonderful delights of sushi, and when he heard that we were having that for dinner, his excitement went through the roof. He loves the stuff. I think that he ate at least four or five California Rolls and at least two of the raw salmon. Some of the other Japanese delights included eel and shrimp sushi with the standard side order of wasabi.

Christmas Festivities

We are ready for some holiday festivities to help it feel like Christmas. We went to the Christmas Creche Exhibit. It is a gym full of different nativities. It was so fun seeing all the different styles of nativities displayed. There were several foreign arrangements that were fun to look at. They also had a dress up and take your picture area...which was a lot of fun! After we took the picture, we noticed that Stan had on a pointed hat! It is just the star from the background... oh it just adds to his wiseman costume!

We also finally put up our Christmas Tree and decorations. CJ did the honor of putting on the top of the tree and he did a mighty fine job.

Workin' Hard for a livin'

We have been working hard - we just painted the living room in our new house, moved all of our stuff from our duplex into the new house, cleaned the duplex for inspection, spoke in church, ...whew. It was hard work, but as you can see we had the help of the expert - CJ. He is great with a hammer - see the determination on that face! We also had the help of Clay's parents, Stan and Amy, who came from Idaho to help us move- Thank you, Thank you. It was a lot of work - we appreciate your help! We are now in our new house and ready to stay put for a while! No moves for a couple of years...or at least we hope. With the military, you never know!

The Cute Ward Boys

They just keep getting cuter..what can we say? Preston is growing quickly and gaining a little attitude as you can see! But, boy do we love them. The boys love each other too. It is so fun to watch them interact. Preston watches CJ with envy - wanting to do everything he is doing...he gets so excited and just kicks his legs and waves his arms - it looks like he is going to take off... CJ also loves Preston and is always asking to hold him and then to have Mommy go and get the camera to take a picture!

Surviving Survival School

One week down and still smiling. Clay has completed one week of his survival training- two more to go! He has come home with some pretty interesting facts! Laura's favorite was when he said that 1 lb. of bugs is more nutritious, healthy, and contains more protein than 1 lb. of meat(At least that's what the instructor said). Well, doesn't that just make you want to change your diet? What's for dinner honey? BUGS! Well, after this next week, Clay should be able to tell Laura if the BUGS are just as tasty as they are nutritious. UGHH.
Clay has been spending the last few nights packing this huge backpack...it weighs close to 60 lbs. We aren't sure how far is going to have to carry that thing.... goodness.

Downtown Spokane

Downtown Spokane not only consists of the traditional shops, restaurants, and parks, but there is a breath taking waterfall (Spokane Falls), Gondola rides over the waterfall, a carousel, ducks to feed, a bridge, and apparently there is a huge wagon slide that we failed to see... I guess we will have to take another trip downtown!
We had fun in the gondola trying to get a good family picture in front of the falls. We crouched on the floor, twisted, turned and well...we had fun.
CJ did a good job keeping that horse under control!

Halloween Lion and Ghost

We let CJ pick what he wanted to be for Halloween this year. He wanted to be a ghost! He was so excited to be a ghost - we practiced saying BOO, Trick or Treat, thank you, and Happy Halloween. He had it down to an art by the time Halloween arrived! CJ went trick or treating 3 times; we went to the ward trunk or treat, the hospital on base had a childrens trick or treat, and then of course around the neighborhood on Halloween night. 3 times still weren't enough, he still asks to go trick or treating daily.... so he goes trick or treating to Mom and Dad!
Preston was the lion! Not so much fierce and intimidating, but sure cute! Preston had many admirers on Halloween night from all the trick or treaters. Several of the teenage girls ooohh and awed over him as they came to the door. He's going to be a heart breaker with those big eyes and that cute smile... (Thanks again for the costume Christy!)

Fall is in the Air...so are the Leaves

Fall is sooo beautiful. The leaves are changing color and falling. CJ, Preston and the neighbor boys Harmen and Porter are having a great time playing in the leaves. They are keeping Clay busy.... Clay rakes them into piles and then the boys jump in it and throw the leaves around. Great fun for everyone!

Side note: Clay thinks that CJ's outfit is a little retro... his comment was..."What is he wearing? That is awful"....he wants to keep it for Halloween next year, then one of our boys can dress up as "Uncle Rico" from Napoleon Dynamite. Oh goodness. Laura thought it was cute...guess not. We had to change the outfit before we went out into public!

Preston's First Haircut

The other night after we gave CJ a haircut our eyes turned toward Preston. His long dark hair hanging over his ears and his "comb-over" told us he was due for his first haircut. Well, more hair came off then was planned. After the first stroke, Laura paniced....it's tooo short! But, what can you do at that point? Nothing, you have to keep going. Laura just about cried as she watched her baby get his first buzz. "He has less hair now, then the day he was born" (A Laura Quote from the experience). Now that it has been a couple of days, Laura is getting used to her new son.

Picking Perfect Pumpkins

Even before we moved to Spokane we heard about Greenbluff Farms. Now that we are here, all we hear about is Greenbluff Farms. So on Monday night for FHE, we decided to get some "real" pumpkins (straight off the vine), so head out to see the wonderful Greenbluff Farms. An hour or so later and after receiving not so great, okay, how about down right bad directions twice - we gave up on the whole farm experience and ended up at the "pumpkin patch" aka Albertsons parking lot. While picking out our pumpkins another couple came and joined us. We chatted and of course the infamous Greenbluff Farms came up - - they asked if we had taken our boys there yet...after telling us about homemade pies, hay ride, animals, pumpkins off the vine, etc. they convinced us to try again.
So, on Tuesday afternoon we headed off on our second attempt. We got to a farm in the Greenbluff area and found a huge pumpkin patch - must be it. We started looking at the pumpkins...asked about hayride - no, pumpkin shooting - no, homemade pies - no..hmm.. that is strange. Whatever... we were here and so we picked out some pumpkins. While checking out we asked about events calendar and such....we got a brochure. Come to find out... there are at least 20 farms in the Greenbluff area! Holy cow...we were under the impression it was one BIG farm. So, needless to say..each farm does a little something different.... we had stopped at the first farm ( no hayrides or pies...) but we got some great pumpkins right off the vine !

Time to share the Love

All who know Laura, know of her addiction and love for OREOS! Laura decided that it was time to introduce Preston into the Oreo Clan.... (NOTE: CJ gained admittance while Clay was gone this summer in Altus. CJ and Laura would have Oreo and milk dipping parties... Laura called them bonding moments, Clay calls it, Feeding the Addiction) but whatever the case may be...it is now Preston's turn to join and he LOVED it! You can witness for yourself from the pictures, that it was a messy, yet enjoyable moment for all! Preston went straight from the OREO to the tub!

Temporary House

Well, we actually made it to Spokane and then left again...but before we left, we managed to get a temporary house. This is our temporary duplex. We are waiting for a 3 bedroom place to open up, but in the mean time we are going to be calling this home. We are sooo excited that our stuff arrives on the moving truck this Wednesday, Oct. 24! We have had a lot of fun with family, gone to 2 weddings, mission homecoming, Red fish lake, but we are ready to get a place of our own again. CJ keeps asking when he is going to see his toys.... needless to say after 3 months...we are done with the homeless bit.

2 Tough Boys

The boys have been holding up so well through all the chaios. They are still smiling and having fun...what troopers! They are both growing up so fast, we can hardly believe it. CJ is two and a half and Preston is already 6 months. Where does the time go?

Red Fish Lake...calm before the storm

We decided to stop at Red Fish Lake on our way to Spokane. We had a great time on the paddle boats, dining at the lodge, staying in our own Authentic cabin, walking along the lake, and just enjoying being together. The weather was beautiful and sunny....nothing could have been better. We are sure glad that we had such a great time at Red Fish, because the route from RedFish Lake up to Spokane was full of adventure... We had tow dolly problems that delayed us a day, but we met the nicest people in the world in Challis, Idaho. Well, they saved our bacon, but had a foul mouth so we call them Angels with a dirty tougue.
When we finally made it to Spokane, we were met with the news that there isn't any 3 bedroom houses available and no time line as to when one would be available. Then, Clay's water survival got pushed back a month....aghhh... so a bunch of bad news, but we are still smiling and know that everything will turn out ok - eventually.

Cows

It's like a "Where's Waldo" book. Everytime you turn the page, we're in a different place....Oklahoma, Washington, Idaho, Florida....where will the next page take us?

It's been a fun time in Idaho. CJ's was able to get his fill of cows, sugarbeets, giant corn fields, and 4 wheelers. But I think the most fun was being so close to the cousins.