Smith Family

Honoring Rob

2010-02-28T19:18:00.001-08:00

We spent the weekend up at Priest Lake close to the spot that Rob took his last snowmobile ride. It was absolutely beautiful while we were there, very sunny. We had a crystal clear view of the mountains. On the 27th we made ourselves at home on someone's dock and sat and stared at the mountains. We cried, prayed, and were silent as we thought of Rob. Then we threw flowers into the water. It was perfect. We spent the weekend at a cabin that has been around for awhile....mice had been there, we found traces. The bathtub was cracked down the middle so the water drained there before it hit the actual drain. It was perfect. We were with our best friends the Chaffin's (minus the men), and Shae. It was perfect.....we missed having our whole family with us but, it is what it is. Rob, you are in our thoughts everyday and we are so thankful for all the memories we have of you. Love you always.

The Latest on the Barn

2010-01-09T14:37:00.000-08:00

Hayden's Quinceañera and our trip to Mexico

2009-12-30T21:39:00.000-08:00

To put this into words would take some time.....especially since I have been trying to speak Spanish for 10 days. Since our time in Mexico began we celebrated Christmas, which was wonderful and also Hayden's 15th birthday. It is still 2 1/2 months away but we celebrated a little early. In Mexico, when one turns 15 it is a big deal. It is called a Quinceañera, it has many traditions which we learned quickly. We had so much fun and we are so thankful that the town took us in and helped us celebrate even though we are Americans. I will post more pictures soon but I am so tired right now.......Mexican's know how to party!

Thanksgiving Weekend 2009

2009-11-27T13:27:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner at Nanny and Pat's house. It was very relaxing and the company was wonderful. Skype allowed us to talk to and see Grandma and Papa and also the Reese's in Payette. Fun suprise to get to talk to Joseph too.

Mac and Andre had constant attention from Shae and Shane as well as Hayden and Cooper's buddies the Benzmiller's. The pictures I have were taken by the kids so you can imagine their crazy faces.

The barn pictures were taken on Thanksgiving day. It is so shocking to come home and see how quickly it is coming together.Hayden spent the night with Shae so they could get up early to shop. Crazy girls. The boys did the opposite, Cooper and Shane stayed up most of the night playing video games. Crazy boys.

2009-11-24T21:35:00.000-08:00

The next two posts wouldn't let me write anything along with them. The Blog and I seem to have a love/hate relationship. It never seems to do what I want it to, nor do I know how to do what it wants me to do.
My sister took some great pictures of Hayden's adventures at State B volleball. She and the kids met up with us in Yakima, WA for some volleyball entertainment. Northwest Christian ended up taking 2nd in State! It set a record for the school and we were so thankful that Hayden was asked to be a part of the team.
The next post is the latest pictures of the barn. Tomorrow, 11/25/2009, the tar paper will be put on the roof and then next week the tin roof will be put on. It has changed so much these last few weeks I can hardly believe it.
Tonight we were able to talk to Erica and Chris on Skype! It was so cool to get to see their faces as we talked to them. We are so excited to announce that they are pregnant and expecting their 1st baby next July!!
In a few days we will be celebrating Thanksgiving. Whether you are are near or far, we think of you often and are so very thankful for having you in our lives.

Facebook | Jenny Carnegie's Photos - NWC Volleyball

2009-11-24T20:55:00.000-08:00

Facebook Jenny Carnegie's Photos - NWC Volleyball

The Barn

2009-11-24T20:52:00.000-08:00

The french doors that go out to the patio.

The windows....duh, like they need a caption.

The covered porch where Grandma will park.

Smith family Barn

2009-11-08T19:29:00.001-08:00

Groundbreaking August 2009

The beginning of the rock wall.

All ready for the foundation.

The first walls going up.

1st wall of the 2nd story.

How it looks today 11/08/2009.

Uncle Larry, here you go! I know Sarah will let you know that I FINALLY put up the pictures of the barn for you. Thanks for your patience....Ron and Mary leave for Mexico the end of the week. Hate to think about them being gone for the winter, we miss them so much. I will try to do a better job of putting pictures up as I know they will want to see how their place is looking too.

Hayden's volleyball team made it to State! We will head out this weekend to root them on. I hope to have pictures of the team with a trophy on our next post.

Sadies Dance

2009-10-17T14:43:00.000-07:00

Hayden and a group of friends went to the Sadies Dance last night. They spent the afternoon getting their hair done, giggling, and in the end looked marvelous. The moms fixed them dinner and we took a lot of pictures of them. It was a masquerade ball and they all had to wear masks. It is pretty tricky to catch the girls with real smiles because they usually are being goofy! The only bad part of the evening is that Hayden ended up with the flu and we had to pick her up early. Poor thing! I think she spent most of the dance in the bathroom with her sweet friends bringing her water and 7-Up.

San Francisco Baseball Trip- Sept. 2009

2009-10-11T13:14:00.000-07:00

Our 2nd annual baseball trip was a huge success. Last year we went with the Chaffin's to Wrigley Field and loved visiting Chicago. This year we traveled to San Francisco to AT&T park and watched the Giants play the Cubs. Last year at our schools auction we bid on this trip. It included lunch with Jeremy Afeldt a NWC alumn who is a relief pitcher for the Giants. After lunch he took us on the FIELD! It was so cool...I even had butterflies in my stomach. His wife and son we there as well and we enjoyed getting to know them.

Our trip was jam packed with sightseeing and loads of fun. Next year I think we are planning to go to San Diego. Great friends and awesome trips!

2009-2010 yearbook photo's

2009-10-11T11:17:00.000-07:00

First Day of School

2009-09-07T16:48:00.000-07:00

This year was the first time that the kids were not happy about the tradition of the picture on the porch before we left for school. I pretty much told them tough....get up there and smile. Hayden is now a freshman in highschool and Cooper is a 7th grader. They are now onto their 2nd week of school and seem to be great and excited about school. Cooper is running x-country and Hayden made the JV volleyball team. So we will be all over the place here soon trying to keep up with all their events.

Uncle Billy's smile

2009-08-12T17:47:00.000-07:00

Cooper and Uncle Billy at Sarah and Derek's wedding.

Uncle Billy and Pete

Guy and Uncle Billy...I love that they are holding hands.

Uncle Billy and Cooper....check out Coop's dirty feet!

Hayden and Uncle Billy.

Guy with his Aunt and Uncles.

Uncle Billy with Hayden and Cooper. I told you he had the best smile!

Today was the day that God decided he was ready for Uncle Billy. Thankfully Papa was able to get on a flight and see him on his last day. Of course he gave Papa that smile as he walked into his hospital room, the smile that I will always remember. I don't think I have ever seen him without a smile.....he was that kind of guy. Now he is up in Heaven with a new body that doesn't hurt and he moves as freely as he did when he was young. Him and his nephew Rob can wrestle, laugh, and watch over us until we get the pleasure of joining them. My heart is sad...this has been a tough year for the Smith clan. If you are reading this I ask that you please say a prayer for all the Smith family. Much love to you all.

We didn't fall off the face of the earth!

2009-07-13T19:10:00.000-07:00

Hanna, Chloe, and Hayden in front of the "World's Largest frying pan" in Long Beach, WA.

Sweet Chloe.

Wow.....all I can say.

Hayden, Chloe, and Cooper loving the ocean.

Guy's new tatto! We miss you Rob....

Hayden the photographer.

Whew! It has been a busy summer so far. Sorry I haven't been very good about keeping you in the loop. Since school has gotten out we have pretty much been hanging out at the ballfields. Cooper's season has now ended but he has one more tournament the beginning of August. Last weekend he went to the lake with Boppo and helped him work on their deck. I guess they were quite a team. He has been golfing a few times and is looking forward to spending a week in Portland with the Carnegie's and going to a week long basketball camp.

Hayden has been playing a LOT of softball! Her team the Dawg's have had an almost perfect season. They have won 2 tournament's and took 2nd in one. She still has 2 double headers this week then the season will be over.

Guy and I are loving the games we get to watch but we really miss being home! We are looking forward to August when we can relax a bit!

Hayden's 8th grade graduation

2009-06-14T21:02:00.000-07:00

Hayden and her crazy buddies from school.

Hayden, Leah, and Jordan

Proud Daddy and proud Papa!

Kim hanging out with Andre.

Beautiful cake made by Uncle Harry and Aunt Jan.

Hanna, Hayden, and Kristen

Guy and Scott

Our beautiful valedictorian.

Hayden graduated last week from 8th grade! We were so proud of her. She was one of 5 valedictorians from her class and had to give a speech at graduation. Hayden did wonderful and also was awarded a character award by her class. Each letter in the word "Crusader" represented a character quality. Hayden received the letter "D" for Devotion. The teacher said it was for devotion on the field as an athlete, in the classroom as a student, and as a good friend. We are so proud of her!

Last weekend was Cooper's last baseball games for his season. They ended up taking 2nd place in the tournament in a nailbiter series. It was so awesome to watch!

Hayden has just started her softball season so I will try to keep you updated with how she is doing. This weekend they played in a tournament and also took 2nd place overall. I guess our kids need to add more gray hairs with these exciting games.

The last few months....

2009-05-23T21:13:00.001-07:00

Today we celebrated my dad's 60th birthday! Jenny and I fried oodles of clams and oysters for his party while the kids had fun in the pool.

Sorry I haven't updated the blog in a while. Cooper has been playing tons of baseball and Hayden just got finished with her school softball team. Hayden will be starting her softball summer league in a few weeks. I will post some sports pictures soon.

School is winding down. We are very proud that Hayden is one of her schools valedictorians for her 8th grade class. She will be giving a speech at graduation.(She is NOT thrilled about that)!

I will try to do a better job of getting new photo's on here.

Can she really be 14 now?

2009-04-06T16:03:00.000-07:00

This photo of Hayden was taken by my dad during one of our many adventures at Long Beach , Wa. It has always been one of our favorite photo's of her as a baby. We kept saying we should have turned it into a photo contest but we never did. Isn't it sweet! She is still just as cute and a wonderful girl. Love you Sissy!

NWC Basketball champs

2009-03-23T18:04:00.001-07:00

Our neice Erica (Rob's) daughter stayed with us a few weeks. It was a pleasure to have her here with us. I went with her to get this tattoo, she squeezed my hand the whole time! There are quite a few family member's that are planning on getting a tattoo in Rob's memory. I will post pictures of them as they are done.

I came across Hayden's pictures and realized that I never posted these! This is her and her friends Hanna, and Kristen at the Northwest Christian State B championship game. Their school ended up winning it all for the 4th year in a row. Since the game was a few days after Rob's memorial we had a lot of family in town so we had a few extra Smith's join us. It was nice to get out of the house for a little while.

It is so hard to believe that Rob has almost been gone a month already, time seems to be standing still. Our hearts our so broken...

We have been so blessed by our friends and family, thank you all for your support.

We love you.

Rob Smith July 7th,1965-Feb.27th, 2009

2009-03-06T19:31:00.000-08:00

Dear Rob,
I know you you are reading this from Heaven and you know the words before I am even typing them, but I still need you to know how much we love you. It hasn't even been a week since I got the horrible phone call telling me that you were gone, taken by an avalanche. The heartache that followed takes to much energy to write down. The agony in your baby brother's eyes will never be forgotten. The despair that your wife felt will forever be etched in my brain. I sit here at my computer the day after your memorial where over 700 people came to give their respect to you, and let me tell you that you were adored. Your Mom and Dad have a part of themselves that is missing, but we will keep your memory alive. I promise you that. Thank you for everything that you have done for us. From the little things like changing the oil in my car, wrestling with Cooper, coming to the kids' games, and pretty much fixing anything we had that was broken. Most of all I thank you for the man you were. You were the best "oldest" brother that Guy could have had, now you have handed the torch down to Pete who I know will handle that title very well. We will miss you with every ounce of our being. Please remind us every day that we need to live simply, loving the day we have and not take advantage of a single moment.

Cooper flipped ahead in my calendar to your birthday and it is so fitting...

"Happiness comes of the capacity to feel deeply, to enjoy simply, to think freely, to risk life, to be needed."

The Lord your God ...will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you in singing. Zephaniah 3:17

We will love you forever,
Krista

Andre Edison Reese

2009-02-27T16:39:00.001-08:00

Ed and Tine Reese welcomed their second son yesterday 02/26/2009 at 5:18pm. He weighed 7lbs14oz and is quite handsome. I am excited to hear what his big brother Mac thinks when they bring him home today. Tine is officially my hero. She once again had a natural chidbirth, so amazing to me! Way to go sister! Congratulations, we love you all.

Portland trip

2009-02-27T16:25:00.000-08:00

We were able to sneak away for a long weekend in Portland. I had yet to see Jenny and Jay's new house. We spent the weekend eating delicious food such as fresh clam's that Jenny fried up for us in Eugene while we visited Grandma Robbie and the Hathaway clan. The kids had fun playing at the park and enjoyed playing outside without any SNOW! OMSI is always a hit so we spent an afternoon at the museum. Of course the time went by way too fast, thank goodness the Carnegie's are now only 6 hours away.

Basketball Champions

2009-01-27T18:42:00.000-08:00

Mac is up WAY past his bedtime rooting on his Daddy's team.

Tine and Mac hamming it up for the camera.

Big Ed enjoying the limelight as a coach of a #1 team!

Nanny, Mom, Cooper and Hayden.

Cooper admiring his new bling.

Cooper, Nanny, Paco and Hayden.

Cooper and his coach.

Cooper's favorite picture so far...the final score.

Cooper's YMCA basketball team was undefeated this season, and to top it off they won the championship game and took 1st place in the league. My brother Ed was helping coach a 5th grade team so we were often at the courts together on Friday nights. His team also took 1st place for their division! Cooper was blessed to have his baseball coach also be his basketball coach. Cooper's words say it all, "The best coach I could ever have".

Club Volleyball~Team Avalanche

2009-01-27T18:12:00.000-08:00

Hayden had her 1st tournament last weekend with "Team Avalanche". They made it to the championship bracket which was quite amazing! Last year they didn't fair too well, so it was wonderful to see them improve so much. Of course they looked beautiful in their new uniforms, Hayden is enjoying her new look!

Hayden has the number 4, just like her brother Cooper. They like to follow in their daddy's footsteps.

Nice pose Leah! In between games the girls get a chance to grab a bite to eat and relax. We got to the tournament at 7:30am and didn't leave until 6:30pm. The team also has to ref games when they are not playing.
My mom and Pat made it to a few games along with my dad! Thanks for coming to support Hayden we appreciate you so much!

Laughter lives Tuesday

2009-01-19T23:36:00.000-08:00

This post is part of "Laughter Lives! Tuesday" on the Riggs Family Blog. Check our their blog to read everyone else's "Laughter Lives!" posts.
This is my first attempt to link my blog to someone elses. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will work. "Where laughter lives", is a blog that I have been following. Their daughter Abby is fighting cancer and she has been in our prayers. They are having a contest about funny kid stories. I posted a comment on their blog but I think I also needed to write it on my own blog. Man am I confused about this stuff!

One story that still makes us crack up is about our son Cooper. He has never been able to say my cousin's name correctly. Instead of saying "Joseph" he has pronounced it "Jofess". We have all adopted this and it has become his nickname. Cooper is now almost 12 and a few years ago at camp he had a boy in his cabin named....yep you guessed it "Joseph". When Cooper came home he was telling us all about his experiences and all the kids he met. He started listing all the kids in his cabin. Our conversation went something like this. "Well there was John, and Matt, and Jeffrey, and Jofess". I started laughing out loud along with my husband and daughter, and asked him if he really called him Jofess the whole time. He said of course he did because it was HIS NAME! Duh mom. It then dawned on me that he REALLY thought that was his name. I explained to him that this had turned into a nickname because You had not been able to say it correctly. Cooper with a dumbfounded look on his face says "Thanks a lot you have been letting me say the wrong name for 10 YEARS and never told me!
We still laugh about that conversation. My cousin Joseph visited us a few weeks ago and said he hopes we call him that forever!

Snow, Bowling, Christmas and Pirates?

2009-01-02T20:11:00.000-08:00

Peace out Cooper.

Bailey and Cooper~Bowling buddies.

Head Pirate (Boppo) and his first mate Paulo.

GiGi and the grandkids.

MacMac and the guitar we got him.

Guy and Paul rekindling their relationship.

Jason with two of his B's. Brady and Blake.

Arrrrrrg.

SUPER NANNY! Making snow angels with Hayden and Cooper.

Guy trying to clean off our roof.

BE CAREFUL!!

Cooper and Bailey in our driveway.

Christmas cookies made by Hayden and Cooper

2008-12-24T09:24:00.000-08:00

While I was at work the kids made some Christmas cookies. Believe it or not everything was actually cleaned up before I got home. By the looks of Hayden I am sure the kitchen needed a lot of TLC.

Merry Christmas to all!

Our winter Blog!

2008-12-21T17:50:00.000-08:00

Hayden and I decided we needed a winter themed blog since we are pretty much burried under the snow. Here are a few more pictures that Hayden took of the winter wonderland.We think we have about 30" of snow, and another storm is happening as I type. I have one more day of work then I am off for a week, Guy is off for 2 weeks. YAHOO!

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow!

2008-12-18T16:41:00.001-08:00

Spokane broke a record of the biggest snowfall in history in a 24 hour period. At the airport they recorded 19", at our house we have at least 24", and a lady that I work with measured 32" at her house. She didn't make it into work. Thank goodness Guy drove me to work, there would have been no way that I would have made it. Once I got there all I did was answer call after call of employees calling in. I think about 100 people didn't make it to work. Hayden and Cooper enjoyed their snow day, although I told them they couldn't sled because if they cracked their heads open the ambulance wouldn't be able to make it to our house!
School has been closed for tomorrow as well so the kids are officially out on Christmas break. They are predicting another big storm to make it's way through on Sunday!

Thanksgiving photos

2008-12-10T17:28:00.001-08:00

Decorating for the season

2008-12-10T17:23:00.001-08:00

Christmas Letter

2008-12-10T17:17:00.000-08:00

I send out the first round of Christmas cards and am now waiting for more pictures to be copied. Phew, it's a big job sending out these annual letters. So here is a preview of our letter. Hope you are all enjoying the wonderful month of December.

2008 Smith Post Year Report
Here we are at the end of 2008 with exciting news to report concerning the Smith family. Our year end family stats have just been released, and we are proud to announce them to you.
Introducing our starting line-up is the Mom and Assistant Coach, Krista. She spent the year working at Travis Pattern in her spare time. At the peak of the season her job was the transportation and support coordinator for the up and coming athletes, Hayden and Cooper. In the off season she loves teaching Sunday School at Lifecenter North and relaxing at home with her family when she is not in her car.
Head Coach and Dad, Guy, played out his 10th season at Rock Placing Company. He is blessed with a career that he enjoys, and has a long term contract to stay. During his year he managed to be Assistant Coach (AKA Juice Box Boy) to Hayden’s summer softball team and head cheerleader during Cooper’s baseball season.
Guy and Krista were able to sneak away with out the team in September. Chicago was a blast . Good friends, a Cub’s game and fun times. Guy then headed to Ohio on official coaching business. He scouted out all his loved ones and put them on his “All Star Family” roster.
Hayden started her season by turning into a teenager. She is blossoming into a great prospect. She is 5’6”, wears a size 10 shoe, and has a vertical leap of faith that is immeasurable. At Northwest Christian she loves her 8th grade classes and great friends. Hayden played on NWC’s volleyball team and also on the Jaguars Club volleyball. Her softball team “The Naked Mole Rats”, placed 1st in the summer league. She was drafted this summer to play for the “Spokane Dawgs” softball team in 2009. God has gifted us with this amazing family teammate.
In the home stretch we have our youngest player, Cooper Lee. Baseball, baseball, baseball, that pretty much sums him up. He began the year as an outfielder for the “Rock Placing Company”, then found his niche as catcher for the Major’s Rockies. He battled at tryouts and was excited to become a “Mead Major’s All Star”. In Fall ball as a “Pickle”, he fine tuned his skills and had a fun time. Now during his off season he is enjoying playing with his dog Ozzy, not cleaning his room, and trying out basketball this winter. At Colbert Elementary he was elected Student Council president and is very excited to be a 6th grader. In the parent’s poll he was ranked as the #1 son of the year.
Through he wins and losses of the year the Smith’s consider 2008 a successful season. Thanks in part to our devoted family and fans. May you all be blessed in the game of life through Jesus.

From our huddle to yours,
Guy, Krista, Hayden, and Cooper Smith

Thankful

2008-11-24T20:20:00.000-08:00

Guy and I came home last night from Bible study with a big suprise from the kids. While we were gone they had set the table beautifully for our family of four. The candles were lit throughout the house (that might freak a few people out) and Hayden and Cooper were beaming as we walked through the door. The soup I had prepared earlier was hot on the stove, our places had been set. Can we get any luckier?
We sat down to our meal, still sort of in shock that the kids went out of their way for us. We held hands and prayed. Guy thanked God for all that we are blessed with, especially for our family. While we ate we went around the table each person taking turns to list something that we were thankful for, here is a portion of what we came up with.
1. Ozzy, our wonderful dog
2. Ronny T our crazy cat
3. our house
4. food
5. Aunt, Uncles, Cousins,Grandparents, siblings
6. that Hanna and Hayden met at kindergarten round up
7. getting to sleep in
8. great friends
9. getting to sleep in this weekend (did I already mention that?)
10. our jobs
11.playing sports
There were many more things that we talked about that night and as I sit here typing I am still in awe of the things we came up with. I really wish I would have said that I am thankful for Blogs and Facebook because I LOVE being able to stay connected with all of you. So this Thanksgiving please know that we are thankful to know you and are honored to call you friends and family.

Happy Birthday Adam and Leah!

2008-11-10T16:34:00.001-08:00

Today is our good friends birthday. Her name is Leah Kelly and we kind of adore her. I hope she has a wonderful time on her special day. Here is a picture of her and Hayden all dressed up to go to a youth group event at our church. She is the superhero on the left. Tomorrow is our nephew's 19th birthday. We love you Madman!

I haven't updated my blog since when???

2008-11-10T16:02:00.000-08:00

Since I am NOT an early riser unless forced to for silly little things like taking children to school and going to my job, I rarely get to see something quite as beautiful as the sunrise. This photo does not give it justice but let me tell you it was so amazing. Maybe God will wake me up early on a day that I really need to know that He is always with me. It will be a reminder that He can handle anything that comes my way as long as I put my faith in Him. If you haven't seen a sunrise in a while I highly recommend it!

This is Halloween night right before we headed out for the evening to go trick or treating. Cooper decided to go as "Super Cooper" and Hayden was a pink, glittery, sparkly, goofy, teenage girl. Apparently she had already consumed enough candy to soften her up enough to allow Coop to kiss her cheek.

The next two pictures is what happens when the parents are NOT home. Not quite sure what exactly went on while Guy and I were out celebrating our 14th anniversary. We had a wonderful romantic dinner at the Downriver grill and talked about how amazing our life has turned out. We talked about how fast the kids were growing up and getting so MATURE. Little did we know what they were up to at home.

This is one of about 45 pictures that they took of themselves while we were away. I am so happy that they can have fun together. Most of the time is seems like they just are trying to see who can drive the other crazy first. In this photo it seems to look like they both went a bit loony.

Sadly, Hayden's volleyball tournament didn't turn out very well. They lost their first game and were out of the running. The good thing was that we were able to see Mackenzie Clegg play her last soccer game of the season. They took first place, it was such a beautiful Fall day. Thanks Keck for inviting us!

Here is the pink glittery girl again.

Fun times on the Bluff

2008-10-23T20:46:00.000-07:00

Hanging out with the Clegg boys.

Caramel apples are the BEST!!

AHHHH. Isn't that sweet.

They look so nice, I bet you can't guess what Cooper tried to do right after I snapped this picture...he tried to kiss her cheek. That never seems to go over very well.

Way to go PICKLES!

2008-10-23T20:33:00.000-07:00

Cooper's Fall ball team this year ended up in 3rd place. We were very shocked at how much they improved over the short 6 week season. It was quite an upset at the tournament when the boys won and took the 3 place spot, they even got medals! It was quite interesting trying to cheer for them....Go Pickles! We were so impressed with the coaches, they were all seniors from GU that volunteered their time for these boys. Thanks Nate you were awesome.

Having fun on yearbookyourself .com

2008-10-12T19:36:00.000-07:00

We had a fun time last night on this website. If you need a good laugh I highly suggest you try it out. I think the ones of Kaiya made us laugh the most! The picture of me in the 90's looks just like I did back then!

Sport's updates

2008-10-12T19:09:00.000-07:00

Here's the run down from our weekend.

Saturday-
Cooper had a double header. He played great,had some great throw outs as catcher. He plays again next Saturday in the final tournament.

Hayden's volleyball team had two exciting matches. They are in 3rd place and played against the top 2 teams in their league. They had to go to a 3rd game with the 2nd place team and lost by 4 points. Then in the next game they lost the first match 20-25, and the next match 23-25. This was to an undefeated team so it was quite exciting.

Sunday
Today was Hayden's final tournament for Fall Softball league. They played really well, but lost their 3rd game in the Silver medal division. Hayden hit a homerun today!! Way to go sissy!

We are very tired after our weekend. It was also quite cold. Although we love to watch the kids, we are looking forward to a bit of a break and the chance to SLEEP IN on the weekends.

A big thank you to Hayden and Cooper's fans for coming to watch them play this Fall, it sure means alot to them!!

Hayden's 2008 School Photo

2008-10-07T19:38:00.000-07:00

I realized that I never actually sent out the kids' pictures from LAST year. What a slacker. So I will be doing a better job this year of getting the pictures to my families mailboxes. Thought you might like a preview of Hayden's photo, it is her best one yet (she thinks). Good thing you all love me so much and put up with my lack of picture sending, birthday remembering, and Christmas card-less greetings. Please know you are in my daily thoughts and prayers. I miss you all so much. I thank God for each of one of you that I am blessed to call my family and friends. Cooper just got his pictures taken today so his will be ready for mailing soon. Have faith in me that I will not put them in a drawer with the rest of my collection.

Hail to the Chief

2008-10-04T13:20:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to introduce you to the Student Council President of Colbert Elementary for the 2008-2009 school year. This is the 3rd year that Cooper has been elected into Student Council, as a 6th grader they get to become officers. Cooper's job as president is to oversee the meetings and keep them running smoothly. The 3 officers take turns and get to do the morning announcements, which includes saying the Pledge of Allegiance and telling the students the lunch menu over the intercom. Cooper was a bit nervous his first day and told the kids they were having toasted salad (instead of tossed) and chilled peppers (instead of pears). I thought it was pretty funny but apparently he thought it was quite embarrassing. Too bad he is too young because I think he would give Obama and McCain a run for their money. Way to go Coop, you make us so proud!

Happy "1st" Birthday Kaiya Mae

2008-10-04T13:04:00.001-07:00

We were lucky enough to have my sister and her family visit us last weekend. They recently moved to Portland so now we are in driving distance of each other. While they were here we celebrated Kaiya's first birthday. She eventually let me hold her for about 10 minutes on the last day they were here. I assure you I WILL win her over:) I wish I would have gotten more pictures but here are a few from the weekend. This shot of Chloe is her pouty face. The cousins had a blast playing together. They got to swim in Boppo and Gigi's pool (brave children), we had a great breakfast at Mom and Pat's, and they all got to watch Cooper's baseball game and Hayden's softball game. Thank you Carnegie's for coming!!!

October is Lupus Awareness month

2008-10-01T19:15:00.000-07:00

Facebook Krista Reese Smith

October is Lupus Awareness month, at least I think it is, some websites say October some say May. I thought I would post a few videos that I found on you tube that help people to understand this disease. I was diagnosed in May with an autoimmune disease. They gave me a list of names to my diagnosis Sjogrens, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, and Mixed connective tissue disorder. They are all very closely related, many of the symptoms are grouped together in each disease. Since I am still learning about all of this I thought some of you might want to learn too. You may not be as nerdy as me though. I definately think I should have become a nurse, maybe God gave me all these mutant genes so I could let my "inner" nurse out. I would LOVE for there to be a cure someday for this, that is why I am all about spreading awareness. This video is about 6 minutes long but it is full of good information. It is on my facebook page, just click on my name and it should take you to it. I think....never posted like this before.

Chicago- A weekend of "First's"

2008-09-22T19:41:00.001-07:00

Our trip to Chicago was perfect. Great company, perfect weather, awesome food, and lots of fun. The cab rides were...fast. On Saturday night after singing at the top's of our lungs to eighties hits in a bar on Rush street we took a cab back to the condo. Scott told the driver that Guy was from Nome, Alaska and he was a helicopter guide that took people out to hunt for Polar bears and penguins. Guy used his best New York accent to describe in detail how he flies his "copter". This was at 1:00am after a "few" drinks.

We went on an Architecture Tour of the city by boat. It was so beautiful. We left at dusk so we were able to see the buildings at day and at night with all their lights on. This was a highlight of our trip. We learned a lot of facts about the city and each building that we passed by. The new Trump Tower is quite impressive.

First time that I have seen my cousin Lizzy pregnant! Isn't she cute. She lives with her husband Dave in Chicago. She was able to come to lunch with us and walk around the city a little bit. Thank you Lizzy for taking the time to see me.

First time to see a real Olympic Gold medal. We were at Wrigley field to watch a Cub's game.The women's USA soccer team was there to show their medals to the crowds. They walked right by me and I could have reach out and touched the medal. Very cool.

We had unbelievable seats for the game. Right behind home plate. The game could have been a bit better, but it was still great even though the Cardinals beat the Cub's. This is one of Cooper's favorite players.

First time to Wrigley field. This was so cool. The atmosphere outside the park was spicy, can't think of a better word to describe it. I couldn't take my eyes off all the fans waiting to watch their team. It is really fun to be in a city where the people LOVE their teams.

What happens in Chicago stays in Chicago!

First time to be in a "Coach" store. I can probably guess correctly and say it was the first time that anyone has witnessed a man in a camouflage jacket trying out a purse. I could be wrong....but I doubt it. As we entered the store the saleslady asked "Are you here for the event?" Kim and I say "Yes... as a matter of fact we are." While Guy and Scott say, " We are the event!" We were pampered with champagne, truffles, and cute little coach water bottles. Kim bought a very cute little purse while Scott silently paced.

First time to ride on a ginormous Ferris Wheel and see the view of the city. Sorry it is a bit blurry but we are moving a tiny bit. Either that or Kim's tears are fogging up the glass. Which comes to another first. Guy made Kim cry. Yes, he really did. He didn't realize how scared she was and couldn't stop with the joking. He asked the ticket agent how many people had died and told Kim they took our picture before we got on so that they could ID our bodies. That is what friends are for right, to scare the @#*% out of you!

There are so many more pictures I would love to post but I am missing the Season premier of Dancing with the Stars. A girl has to have her priorities you know. Have an awesome week.

Krista

I won a contest!

2008-09-17T11:25:00.000-07:00

I am so excited! I follow a blog called my charming kids, which I also have a side bar on my blog, to pray for baby Stellan. There was a photograph that she wanted a caption for and guess what, SHE PICKED ME! So much fun. Now I seem to be getting a lot more traffic on my blog. We were used to about 6 hits a day, and in the last 30 minutes I has at least 50. WOW. The internet is amazing. So, hello to all my fellow bloggers out there. God bless you!

Heading to Chicago

2008-09-16T20:02:00.000-07:00

We will be jetting off to Chicago in a few days! I am so excited to get away and visit such a fun city. Lots of sightseeing, eating, and a baseball game! Go Cubs. Hopefully their flooding has subsided. I will try to take a ton of pictures and post them when I get home. Thank you to the Kelly's and Smith's for taking care of the kiddo's. You are the best. To our Ohio clan...have lots of fun with Guy. He is so excited to spend the week with you. Much love to all.

Oh My how you've grown! First day of school 2008

2008-09-09T18:47:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful first week of school. The kids are adjusting to getting up early and having homework, it is only the first few weeks though. I know as soon as it gets cold it will be harder and harder to wake them up. Cooper started Fall baseball and will have double headers every Saturday. Hayden is playing Softball and her double headers are on Sundays. Hayden is also playing school volleyball and we found out today that her games will be on Saturdays. Hmmm.... How to be in 3 places at once? The kids love their activities and we LOVE to watch them play. Hard to believe in 5 short years Hayden will be a Senior, wow has time flown.

Crystal is continuing to improve. She is eating and talking. She is at about 80%, it will still be a while before we know the total extent of her brain trauma. Thank you for your prayers for her!

Guy and I will be heading to Chicago next week with our friends the Chaffin's. We are so excited to visit the "Windy city". We have tickets to a Cub's game and have plans to eat, sight see, eat, and probably eat some more. I will head home but Guy is going to fly to Ohio and spend the next week with the Smith clan. He can't wait to hang out with his family!

Updates

2008-08-29T12:32:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to post for days now but my Internet has been acting funny at home, so I am at work posting on my lunch break. I wanted to tell everyone that Crystal has woken from her coma. On Tuesday she opened her eyes and became very violent. Started tearing out her IV and other tubes. They had to sedate her, which later she opened her eyes again and was able to answer a few yes and no questions. Great news! Still not sure of her prognosis but is wonderful that she regained consciousness.
Also, my mom and Pat who were vacationing in the Grand Cayman's made it off the island last night before Hurricane Gustav hit. PHEW! We were very worried about them. I can't wait to hear about their adventure.
Hope you all have a fun and safe Labor day weekend. We plan on going to the lake. I will NOT be playing football this Labor Day, last year I broke my finger, not so much fun.

Love to all.

Hayden Is Back!

2008-08-26T11:30:00.001-07:00

Hayden just got back from visiting her aunt, uncle, and cousins in Portland! She was gone for 10 days! She had a great time with her family and playing with her 3 cousins John, Chloe and Kaiya!

Thanks Aunt Jenny and Uncle Jay for letting Hayden come stay with you!

Urgent prayer request!!

2008-08-17T20:47:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of me with my cousin Markie's girlfriend, Crystal. She is in the hospital in a coma. She was injured when she fell out of a car going 40 mph. Please pray for her recovery. They thought they were going to have to remove part of her skull to relieve the pressure but yesterday there was an improvement. When they asked her to move her toes she did! Praise God. I love this girl and her family. I ask for prayers for my cousin who is in a place of despair. God will guide you how to pray for him. Also, if you would please lift up their son, James. He is as sweet as can be. I am so thankful to add more prayers to those that are already praying for this family. I will try to keep you updated on her condition. I thank you in advance for your prayers. Please feel free to pass on this prayer request to anyone that you think would pray for her. I cherish you all. This picture was taken last summer at our beach house, the Bat Cave. We went to Black lake to fish for the day. As you can tell we were quite the successful fisher girls!

Papa Mows Our Field

2008-08-12T13:53:00.000-07:00

Last week Papa mowed our field for us! Thanks Papa the field looks great!

Hayden is Back From Camp

2008-07-30T11:50:00.000-07:00

Hayden just got back from camp yesterday! She went to Riverview Bible camp and had the best time with her new friends. She is on the top, 4 in from the left!

The Bat Cave

2008-07-25T07:51:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to give you a quick history on our family cabin. It is in Seaview, Wa and was built in 1883 by my Great-Great Grandfather. My grandma grew up there in the summer's as a little girl. When she married my Grandpa they were deeded the house. They would live there in the summer so my mom then became a "summer girl". This is where she met my dad as he was raised in Long Beach just down the road. I spent every vacation here since I was born and we continue to go there now for our family vacations. On the door frames are height measurements that date back to the early 1900's. I can tell if my grandma, my mom, myself, and now Hayden were the same height at age 13, PRETTY COOL! It was named the Bat Cave because many, many years ago in the sleeping loft upstairs they would open the North and South windows to keep it cool. The bats thought this was a very convenient way to join the guests sleeping upstairs. This cabin is my favorite place in the world!

Family Reunion/ Beach Trip

2008-07-24T12:34:00.000-07:00

Hey sorry for not updating the blog in a while, our computer has been acting up but anyway here are some pictures from our family reunion we went to last week. We had a great time with all of the family and the kids had a blast with all of their cousins!

Softball Pictures

2008-07-15T07:14:00.000-07:00

Finally we got some pictures of Hayden playing softball last night! She did very good pitching and playing catcher! Her team won which means that they are still undefeated! Go Naked Mole Rats!

Update on Baseball and Softball

2008-07-10T11:24:00.000-07:00

Cooper's All-Star team did quite good with winning 2 and losing 2. It was sad that they lost on Tuesday but then again it was very happy because now we have a little break from baseball.

Hayden's softball team is still doing very good being undefeated! Hayden has also found another postion that she injoys to play, catcher. Let's hope that the Naked Mole Rats stay strong for the rest of their season!

Swimming in the Pond

2008-07-06T20:41:00.001-07:00

We spent the remainder of Sunday relaxing and swimming in the pond! We had a very fun evening together!

All-Star Baseball

2008-07-06T20:12:00.000-07:00

This 4th of July weekend Coop got to play on the Mead All-Stars team. The first game they played was on the 4th and they lost badly. Then they played yesterday and won 12-0, ( Coop hit a double that game!) Today they won again 4-1 which means they play again Tuesday at 3:00. We have had a lot of trips out to Cheney this weekend. GO MEAD ALL-STARS!

The Weekend At The Lake

2008-06-30T09:30:00.000-07:00

This weekend we had a very relaxing time at the lake. It was a hot weekend so we did a lot of water activities in the freezing cold water to stay cool. Thanks Chaffin's for letting us come up, we had a blast with everyone!

Hayden Lynn-Home run Hitter

2008-06-19T08:11:00.000-07:00

Since my photographer was the one running the bases I will have to catch the next home run on film. Hayden hit a GRAND SLAM HOME RUN last night at her softball game. WOW! We are so proud of her and the whole Naked Mole Rat team. No that is not a typo, that is their team name. Teenage girls are so creative!?!? They ended up winning 32-2, a bit of a landslide victory for the Rats. Now they are undefeated! OK so they have only had 2 games and they won the first because the other team forfeited, but a win is still a win. Coach Chaffin and his sidekick Coach Smith are awesome coaches. We are very thankful for all that they are doing for the girls.

That is all I have to report for now, until the next Smith kid sports highlight. I am signing off!

Cooper is an All Star

2008-06-18T12:50:00.001-07:00

This is the first time that Coop has been on an All Star team. To make the team, your team must vote for the top three kids they want to go ( Coop was one of the three), and they have to have a certain amout of votes from other couches ( Coop had that too!). Then the boys have to try out for the team and Cooper made it onto the Marjor's All Star team which is 11 and 12 year olds and Coop is 11! Way to go Cooper we are so proud of you! You are an All Star!

Snow on June 10th

2008-06-10T19:56:00.001-07:00

Here is a picture of Mt. Spokane on the 10th of June! Snow. Shouldn't the sun be out!

Finally Spring!

2008-06-01T09:07:00.000-07:00

Everything is finally nice and green out! Our flowers have started to bloom, our trees are getting huge, and our pond is beautiful. Guy also built a water feature yesterday in the front of the house. It looks great!

Here is a Before And then an After

Mac's 1st Birthday!

2008-06-01T08:56:00.000-07:00

Mac had his first birthday and the party was over at our house! He didn't really like his cake but he had a great time crawling around in all of the balloons.

Little League Baseball

2008-05-30T16:29:00.000-07:00

Here is Cooper catching on his Little League Baseball team. Catching is Cooper's new favorite position to play!

We Got To Babysit Mac!

2008-05-11T13:35:00.001-07:00

We had such a fun time babysitting my brother's son Mac! He even got to spend the night with us. He was so happy and loved to move around everywhere! He also loved his bath time! Mac you are such a cutie!

Portland Trip/ Visit with Grandma

2008-05-04T20:04:00.001-07:00

Hayden and her 7 grade class got to take a trip to Portland! They got to go to the Zoo, a Dam, the OMSI, a submarine tour, and a jet boat ride! It was so much fun! When it was time to go Hayden and I drove down to see my grandma for the weekend! We had a very good time together and hope to see her soon!

Lewiston

2008-05-04T19:58:00.001-07:00

Sorry we did not get these photos up sooner! But here are some pictures of the Lewiston baseball tournament! RPC played great all weekend! The weather was also very nice! We also hope to get some pictures of Hayden playing softball.

Pictures

2008-05-04T19:54:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures that we found that were very cute of Hayden and Cooper with some of their grandparents.

BUSY!

2008-04-24T15:49:00.000-07:00

Sorry we have not posted in a while. The Smith family have been so busy! Hayden finished volleyball last week, she is also on her school softball team and Cooper is on two baseball teams! We have only been able to have like one day a week at home to relax. Hopefully our schedule will lighten up a bit! We will also try to snap some pictures this weekend as we are off the Lewiston for a baseball tournament!

Yakima Tournament

2008-04-01T08:51:00.000-07:00

Cooper had a baseball tournament in Yakima last weekend. We were all very cold because the weather was freezing! It was very windy and about 34 degrees out! So to stay warm we would all bundle up together in a blanket and then sip on some hot chocolate. Coop even got to pitch on the last game and he did great! GO RPC!

Snow on Coop's Birthday!

2008-04-01T08:48:00.001-07:00

Can you beleive that there was snow on Cooper's Birthday. It is just crazy!

Cooper Cleaned his Room

2008-03-23T12:55:00.001-07:00

Attenion everyone, we have some very important news to announce, COOPER SMITH CLEANED HIS ROOM!

Happy Easter

2008-03-23T12:39:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter everyone. The Easter Bunny came last night and gave Hayden and Cooper presents! Hayden got the softball bat and Coop got the baseball helment. They also dyed these colorful eggs!

LEAP DAY 2008

2008-03-03T19:47:00.000-08:00

Leap day 2008 was awesome. We traveled to Payette, ID to celebrate with my twin, Jason and his family. On the 29th we had a very full day. Started at Bailey and Blake's school and went to Mass. Then off to coffee where we were photographed for the Argus Observer. Spent the afternoon putting on a "FROG" hunt for the kids. Although I think we had more fun hunting down the frogs at the Dollar Store. Dinner was at a Mexican restuarant where were donned the sombreros. Our cousin Joseph joined us from Boise. What an incredible "9th" birthday.

Countdown to Leap Day 2008

2008-02-18T18:49:00.001-08:00

My twin brother Jason and I have had so much fun with our unique birthday. This year we will be turning "9". We haven't celebrated a "real" birthday together since we were "4". So this year the Smith family will head to Payette to celebrate together!

Beautiful Sunsets

2008-02-15T20:48:00.000-08:00

The most recent view from our backpourch!

V-Ball Tournament

2008-02-06T17:17:00.000-08:00

Hayden and her team had a blast at their last tournament which was on Super bowl Sunday! They won 2 out of 5 games and played great! Cooper even helped the team by shagging balls during warm up time! But it was a long 9 hour V-ball day and we were happy to go to Nanny and Pat's house to watch the tail end of the Super Bowl game!

More Snow!

2008-01-29T16:54:00.000-08:00

We now have about 2 feet of snow! Today it snowed nearly 7 in. and this storm was the "small" storm. On Thursday there is suppose to be a big storm!

Snow!

2008-01-28T06:56:00.000-08:00

Hayden, Cooper and Ozzy have been having a geat time together playing in the snow!This is the most snow Spokane has had in 15 years!No school today, Ya!

Spoiled Pets

2008-01-27T19:05:00.000-08:00

Ozzy and Ronny-T enjoying time together on Hayden's bed. The animals are not happy about the remodel. They are banned from being upstairs.

Hayden- The volleyball star

2008-01-27T18:55:00.001-08:00

Hayden had her 1st tournament this weekend. They did not win a game, but they won in their hearts (Hayden's words). Plus thay had very cool hair. The competition was fierce, almost all the other teams had girls that were 6 feet tall and 2 years older than Hayden's team. Next tournament is Sunday Feb 3rd. It will be a fun experience for Hayden and her team.

Remodeling

2008-01-27T18:48:00.001-08:00

We are in the middle of a huge project at our house. We painted the upstairs and now we are having tile put in the living room, kitchen, and dining room. Hopefully it will be done the end of the week. It looks great so far.

Christmas in Mexico

2008-01-26T19:21:00.000-08:00

Cooper and some new friends enjoying his PSP.

Daddy and Sissy dancing Mexican style. This is 2am on

New Years Day.

Curb parking.

Fresh beef, real fresh!

Grandma and Papa's casa. AKA Smith-Lopez home

Hayden and her new girlfriends.

Mom and Cooper at a party.

The sweethearts out to dinner.

The ornery children out to dinner.

Raging, angry, scary, one-horned, charging cow that we

met while we were out for a stroll.

Beautiful scenery out on a walk.

Hello to all,

We have joined the ranks of high speed interenet. Here are a few pictures from our recent trip to Mexico.