The Cure

Today at church, Julianna was being so difficult. I was having a real hard time keeping her quiet. Usually she can be settled somewhat easily, but today she actually was crying loudly that I had to take her out in the foyer. She was still loud that even being in the foyer was too much embarrassment for me, so I took her into the mother's lounge. Thank goodness for that room. I was able to sit her secluded to just us and I had her cry her brains out and still listen to the talks that were given. As I watched her cry her eyes out, I just thought to myself how hard it is to be a mother. It has so many moments that you just want to pull out your hair because in all reality, you don't really have any control over your child's thoughts. You have to figure out how to handle every situation so carefully so you don't screw them up. I did have a couple of moments of weakness as I had to force her on my lap to have an effective time out. But, I asked myself, what kind of mother do I want my daughter to have? Do I want to be a drill sargent or someone that shows love through discipline? That of course it obvious. I want to be the kind of mother that goes outside the box and finds way to calm them down by taking the road less traveled. I don't want to resort to anger and do things I will regret seconds later. I want to do things right the first time and see the joy of making the path brighter for my kids.
My children are very loving. The moment I say I want to give them love, no matter how mad or frusterated they are, they will race to my arms and melt with every kiss. This is the tactic I decided to do today in the mother's lounge. It was just Jules and I, rocking back and forth in the rocking chair, as I carressed her face as if she was a newborn. I told her how much I loved her and loved seeing her smile with her eyes and lips. It was an instant fix. It was brillant. She spent 10 minutes enjoying this one on one time with mommy and was perfect for the rest of the meeting. I want to record this moment only for the main fact is that when the going gets rough, the love needs to be there ALWAYS! It is the ulitimate cure!

Formula for a Perfect Day...

I have never in my life been so lucky with than now with the friends I have in my life right now. I look around me daily and think how amazing these women are that I call friends. My heart is overflowing with love and admiration for the these girls and hope I can be as a good of a friend as they are to me.




Crepeville! Pesto Chicken with a happy ending of a Stawberry Nutella. Need I say more...



All week I had been struggling with Elijah's sudden change of temperment. Crying over everything and never listening to a word I say. Well, he turned a corner. I asked him to clean up his response was, " Okay." And he did it! All day he was like that. A tear almost came to my eye. Never anything more rewarding than a child that cares about impressing you.
Tip of the day: when your kids do really well at the store, such as listening to you and not fighting with siblings, take to the dollar bin at Target and let them pick out a toy. I had two hours of complete distraction when we got home because $1.00 army men. The best dollar I had ever spent.

I found an amazing babysitter tonight. She will remain nameless for now because everytime I leak their name everyone starts using them and then I can't use them when I need them. But, she was amazing. She brought a bag full of things for the kids to do, treats for them to eat, and actually gave a full report of what the happenings were when we were gone stuck on the fridge. Way to go, ___________! (If you really want to know her name, you can ask, I might tell you)




Grilled Mesquite Tacos for dinner! Yeah, I ate out for lunch and dinner. That does spell a perfect day to me.






Ward Temple Night. Need I say more.

Loved this day!

One Scary Moment

I was folding laundry in my room and was watching Jules and Elijah swim. Elijah just recently learned how to swim without his vest on. So, I was watching from my room to make sure everything was safe. Well, they were having a grand ol' time racing each other back and forth. Well, Julianna started holding on to Elijah in the deep end thinking he is the magic floating device on which he so didn't. I saw the panic on his face and ran to his rescue. It was a very scary moment for him and made me realize how closely I have to watch him. I know Julianna didn't mean for that to happen, but I feel like the whole drowning thing is so close to my heart. I freak about it all the time. I am so glad that I was so close and nothing happened.

Breakfast in Bed

An American Tradition...Risking a huge mess in bed to show the ones we love that we care on their special day. We love you Daddy, just please, don't spill.

Any man can be a father. It takes someone special to be a dad.


~Author Unknown




As I listen to my beloved husband reading a Elmo book with the voice to match to our children, I can't help to feel so blessed to have made the decision to have a family with him. I knew when I was dating him that he was going to be a great father. First off, he was one of thirteen which automatically puts him in a category of a baby lover. Also, he is loads of childlike fun, which also makes him perfect for a toddler. Knowing these two traits of his personality, I could not wait to start a family with him. He has lived up to every expectation with a few surprises. (didn't think he would be getting my five year old obsessed with video games. Yeah, not too happy about that one!) Overall, he has mastered the gift of fatherhood with incredible ease. I am so thrilled that my children can't wait for him to get home and when he walks through the door, they run into his arms. He is such a fun dad. He is the nickname type. He always has his pet names for his babies. Bucky, Sissy, and Ly! I am extremely thankful for his help everyday when he takes the reigns with the bedtime routine. He has done so much for me and my children and I want him to know how much I love and appreciate him being the man he is. He is my sweetheart and his childrens' hero. I hope he never goes a day without knowing how wonderful a father his is.

Happy Father's Day!

Recent Development!

I have a change to my top 5! Due to recent events, I have now removed Hugh Jackman to #2 and the new reining #1 is....Drum roll please.....

Two for Two

I AM SO PROUD OF MY LITTLE GIRL. I can't say it enough. Jules had her first dentist appointment and she was awesome. No cavities. Didn't shed a tear which anyone who knows my little drama queen is a miracle in itself. I totally enjoyed our date to the dentist and I hope that all the rest of her appointments from now on go this smooth.

Getting the X-rays. She did so great. Opened, closed and tilted when asked. Like she had been doing it for years.








Getting the pearly whites a little more pearly. No cavities made this visit a dream come true.

"I can't wait to get my balloon and Jamba Juice!"

My Life as a Seminary Teacher

I remember the call like it was yesterday. I got the call from Brother Bassett about a calling that I honestly never thought I would even consider getting. SEMINARY! Are you kidding me? I never went when I was a teenager and they expect me to teach it. I felt so inadequate and not right for it. I talked to my dad about it because he taught it for a year himself. He told me it was the hardest calling he had ever had. Great! I have to agree with him. It was the hardest year of my life. I had just had Julianna a year before and I thought they were crazy for asking a mom of two little ones to get up at 5:00 am to go and teach a bunch of youth about the gospel. I was convinced that they would hate me. What teenager likes the seminary teacher at 6:00 am. I had my thoughts of saying no, but my father always taught me to say yes to any calling from the church. This is the Lord's call and I am not to say no to any calling that he extends to me. It is for my greater good. So, I accepted and I must say that it was the best thing I have ever done. The reaping of the rewards came almost daily as I got to feast upon the words of the Doctine and Covenants. Church History was always an interest to me, so having the year to study it deeply was way awesome. Teaching it was even better. I do have to admit that the preparation took a major toll on my family more specifically my marriage. I always felt so much pressure to perform for these kids that my sweet husband was neglected and for that reason I decided not to continue at that time. It was a pretty easy choice to make, but there were times that I felt a emptiness in my heart. I missed the connection I had with my kids. If I could have taught the same kids the next year, I think I might have thought twice about not doing it. They were amazing.
D&C 4 Each one of them got their own mission call and replayed the MTC experience. After this day, I felt that we really broke the ice and made memories.






Last night I was able to see 6 of my kids graduate seminary with one of them with 100% attendence all four years. (Kelly) I was so touched with their testimonies and talks. I feel so honored to have spent a whole year with them. I know that each of them are going to do amazing things in their lives. I definitily reaped the rewards of my year of Seminary last night. Congrats to my Sweet Adrianna, Zach, Jenna, Kelly, and Gretchen. You are ALL AWESOME!

Home Alone!!!!!

When Sean and I were first married, I would hate when he went out of town. I would be left with all these thoughts of him crashing in his car (not an absurd thought considering you can count all his accidents he had before he met me on both hands and toes) or something else so tragic I would be left a lonely widow with a lifetime of sadness. I know, I have a crazy imagination. I would imagine how I would hear the news with the cops at my door telling me that he had died earlier that day and that it took a while to locate his wallet to notify his loved ones. So, Sean didn't leave a whole lot because I would throw a big fit every time. I was a little needy to say the least.
Now I sit here with Sean out of town on business. I don't have an ounce of fear in me. Why is that? Have I just gotten more mature and less needy? I don't like to think I love him any less, but it does make me wonder how it has changed so drastically. I don't think about those little what if's anymore. I just relish in the quiet nights I spend on the computer and watching whatever show I like at the same time without any word said by you know who. I must say, I think that I am getting older and more complacent. I don't know if that is a good thing, but I do like not having the thoughts that would literally keep me up at night with worry.
The one thing I do miss is Sean putting the kids to bed. I do not have the patience at that time of night. I lose it completely and it is not a pretty sight people. It makes me tired just thinking about it. I didn't get to eat dinner until 8:30 because the kids were fighting about a book that we were going to read. I didn't understand their mode of thinking. We are all going to read the same book, so who really cares who picks it out. I guess we all had it by the end of the day. I just have to get through the next couple of days. Wish me luck.

My Top Five

I was at Enrichment last night and I was talking to my dear friends about celebrities. Male Celebrities and the Top Five Choices. They started listing theirs and they asked me. I remember having this same conversation with my friend Jasmine on the way home from L.A. on time. I could not remember for the life of me what I had back a year ago. At the time I rattled off some that I was lukewarm about, but for the life of me I could not think of a single guy that I had those dreamy feelings for. Now, this worried me. When I was a teenager, I had a top 50 and now I can hardly think of a top five. Am I getting too old that I don't even have celebrity fascinations. So, I started to think about all the men that I see on T.V and movies and I came up with the perfect top 5. Now, I don't want any judgements (Sharday & Kimberly P.). This is my Top 5 as a thirty one year old. It may not be ideal for some, but for me it will do just fine. Drum roll please...!

1. Hugh Jackman

Need I say more. He can sing, dance, act and he is a great family guy. He is always doing something with his kids and let's face it, he is so easy on the eyes.

2.John Kransinski

Oh Jim! The Office is my favorite show on T.V and I think the man above is the main reason. I love his character in the show and how sweet he is. He is just a normal guy with a great sense of humor and I love him. He makes every quirky look adorable and I look foward to anything he does.


3. Micheal Vartan


This admiration goes back to my Alias days. I almost named Elijah, Vaughn after his character in the show. I find this man incredibly attractive and the movie "Never Been Kissed"with Drew Barrymore was one of my favorites.

4. Ewan McGregor

He had me at Moulin Rouge. I guess I have a thing for a man that can sing.

5. Last but not at all Least

Sean Smith
Maybe the reason I have had such a block on my top five is because this man is all the man I need. Sean is the man of the hour for me. And you know what, I'm glad. He is mine even if he can't carry a tune.

Cute Kid Line of the Day!

Elijah: "Do you want to know why it rains?"

Me: "Why?"

Elijah: "Because the clouds run into each other and bump their heads. Then they cry and that is the rain that comes down. It is their tears."

Me: (thinking about that for a moment) "Hmmm, I like that." Very observant, Elijah.

Remember When...

We just got our video camera fixed. It has been under construction for quite some time and I thought all the video footage that we have had of the kids was going to be an artifact in our home. I was so thrilled when Sean brought it home the other day in full working order. Last night, I thought it would be fun to look through our unmarked tapes and see what treasures we could find. What a treasure we did see. There was so many moments I totally forgot about and seeing Julianna at a year old with her curls (they are long gone) and cute little personality made me realize how old she really is. It was also crazy to see how her personality has not changed at ALL. She was just as spunky at one as she is at three. It was so much fun. I have heard I have made cute kids, but when you are living day to day, you overlook it. Last night, I truly was in love with my kids. The funny things they do at such a young age is so fun. They have a mind of their own and I wouldn't have it any other way.
When I was younger, my parents only got little footage of me when I was a kid. I think the earliest footage of me was at three or so and they have lost every thing. They do not have anything at all. I do not want my kids to say the same thing. It is fun to see yourself younger. While I cleaned today, instead of putting a movie on, I put home videos. They had the best time. I loved to see Elijah's reactions when he saw his younger self. I had to beg him to turn it off. He wanted to watch them all day. I guess I can't blame him. I got lost in the moment when Julianna's birth day was on. I just sat there in awe. How is the time just flying by?

What...A new calling!

I have had a blissful time being unemployed in the church. I don't think I have really gone this long without a calling in my whole married life. I have been in YW each time I have had my other children and I also taught seminary when Jules was less than a year. That was rough but rewarding. Now, I am knocking on a different door. Yes, I am now Enrichment Leader in the Relief Society. Now, I am not sure how I feel about this yet. I have been in leadership roles, but I must say that I am a little stressed about this new change. I am following quite an amazing person. Beth is my predecessor. Anyone who knows her knows that she is efficient and incredibly creative. I mean she is a wedding planner for crying out loud. I feel like I have my work cut out for me in my creativity. I know I have an amazing committee full of fun and wonderful people. I am excited to be with them. I just know that I will need all their help. So, here is to a new change and I am praying it will be just what the Dr. ordered.

Ponder this one...

You discover that your wonderful one-year-old child is, because of a mix-up at the hospital, not yours. Would you want to exchange the child to correct the mistake?

Sean and I had a DATE DAY! I feel like we needed some major reconnecting, so I got an idea from a great friend of mine about having questions to ask to each other in the car while we were traveling to spark up some conversation. Sean and I are very comfy with each other and sometimes the conversations get a little stale. So, I got on the internet to come up with some questions. We had a great time asking each other what ifs and would yous. One question we had though made me think twice though. I really felt like at first that I would not be able to give up my baby or should I say someone else's baby if I found out it wasn't mine after all. I think of my little Lyla and coming to realize that she was someone else's. How would I just stop loving her and worst have to give her to someone else. Would I have the same connection with the baby that was genitically mine even if I missed the first year of their life. Sean brought up the point that the baby would be fine and they would want to be with their own flesh and blood. He also said that he would want his own child without any hesitation. It just makes me wonder how that would feel. It was a good topic of conversaiton. It is a good thing that I have cookie cutter children. No mistaking that they are mine. It was a just a more realistic dilemma considering it does happen to people. It definitly made me think about it. I recommend this question to all who needs a little spice up in their marriage. It made for some fun topics of conversation that I think every marriage of 8+ years or more needs. But I do think Sean was worn out from all the talking. He came straight home and went to bed. He is snoring so loudly I can hear him through the walls. Poor guy. Talking to his wife can be sucb a workout.

Anxious Moments by Kim Smith

Today I went to the gym to work out. It was a little rough to say the least. The baby pooped twice back to back so in a 10 minute span I had to go to the day care twice. As I was about to leave, I had to get warm water for the bottle. I went to their break room to use their microwave. Well, I didn't know how to use it because it was a new microwave. I had to ask the guy that works there, which I didn't want to do because he was a big burly dude and I felt stupid for not knowing to operate a stupid microwave. Of course the first thing he said was, "All these kids and you don't know how to operate a microwave." Now, he had a smirk on his face, so I didn't know if he was mocking me or just being a guy. Then he continued to state how I have my hands full. I think all this talk made me really anxious and I started to get nervous about every move I made, like he was watching to see how I was going to mess up next. Well, I did not disappoint. I took the bottle of water out of the microwave to put my baby bottle in it and the water spilled out on my hands to totally burn me. I tried to not make a huge reaction, but MAN DID THAT HURT! I could not even imagine what he must have been thinking now. I just looked like a royal clutz and a idiot. As, I walked out I was trying to get the stroller out of the door and slam me in the process, but Elijah was looking down at his Jedi Knight Legos to get slammed on his head by the door. Yes, it was a shining moment in my mommy history. I just thought to myself, "We need to get home before I make a bigger spectacle of myself!"
All this made me realize that from the moment people see a woman with more than one kid, people are going to expect you to do stupid things. I feel like most of the time I have got it together, but today made me realize that maybe I don't. I guess this is why mothers stay home more than going out. Not to ridiculed by passers by.