This is crazy.

The weather here has felt like spring!!! Today it should be 63 and tomorrow 69. Pretty sure I could get used to this. But with weather THIS nice, there are definitely more trips to the park.

(I assure you, Aleeya IS in this picture, but she's behind the little boy, Corbin, who happened to follow my family around everywhere. I mean when there's a party, better stick with it, right?)

Royce loves walking around and doesn't think TWICE about staying near me......which is FINE, because I just follow him around. But when the WHOLE family wanted to play a good ol' game of tackle football on the field by the park, well, Royce's adventurous attitude wasn't going to fly.

So once again, my husband's ingenuity came through in how to keep him close.....

Not sure if you can notice the round shape in the back of Royce's pants.......but Brooks stuck the handle of Sally's leash down there, so he was connected to Sally. You're PROBABLY thinking this is a bad idea, but you clearly don't know Sally. She will NOT leave my side for anything. She always is around me, so it was perfect......and Royce had no clue it was in there!

He would walk and sometimes Sally would go a few feet away with him.

But when he wanted to go away from the family, Sally stood her ground and sat down.

Yep, I think that's about as far away as Royce got during the whole football game. HAHAHA.

It was awesome. Thanks Sally.

WE LOVE FROSTIES!

And by "WE" I mean Iris and me.

What's that you ask? Why the WHOLE drink carrier full of frosties? You think we like them that much? Well, yes, we do, but normally Iris and I don't order that many for our little date.

You see, the past few days Brooks and I have noticed a decline in gratitude from the kids. Even yesterday when I made a huge batch of cinnamon rolls and they all devoured them....WITHOUT SAYING THANK YOU! So Brooks said, "Okay, I don't care HOW much you like something, you say thank you. So next time you don't say thank you, we'll take it back."

Lo, and behold after Bronson's basketball game, (THAT SAME DAY!!!!!) we went to go get us some free frosties and Brooks gave me the look like "Okay, here we go......."

I passed out all the frosties, spoons, napkins, etc. We drove a few blocks and I'll be darned if not ONE of my children said thank you......or GRACIAS for that matter. So Brooks pulled over, I grabbed them all back, and the rest of the ride home there was MUCH wailing and gnashing of teeth........to say the least.

However, it wasn't ALL a loss............because Iris and I sure enjoyed yourselves.

Our house has been taken over by

Beyblades.

Anyone else have this problem? Beyblades are EVERYTHING to my boys, and when they earn or get money, they buy beyblades. You see, they're basically graduated tops that battle.

The most entertaining factor for me (besides Brooks getting into it w/ them), is to see which "Stadium" they're playing with. They're always going through random household items to get their beyblades to battle in.

Exhibit A- a cookie sheet.

My personal fav to play with- a round cake pan. There's some MAJOR close action with it.

(inside the wood arena Brooks built.....but the beyblades didn't hit each other enough in it)

Beyblades LITERALLY entertained my boys for 4 hours today (and 2 of those hours before church. Beautiful.) They're pretty happy when they play them too........

Side note: if there are TWO things that gross me out more then anything, they are 1) a plunger.......I NEVER own one. They're a one-time use thing around here then they get thrown away......and 2) portable potties.

They are nasty. I bought one once for Aleeya or Emerson or something and after they used it once, I took out the cup thing and all inside parts, threw them away, and we now use it just as a step stool.

And more recently, a new Beyblade stadium.

HAHAHAHAHA. This picture makes me laugh soooooooooo hard. Just seeing my kids hover over a child's potty seat makes me smile. But it DOES make a great stadium.

Look what I found

My camera. Oh happy day......... here are some random pictures I've found

the two twins. My 2 baby boys. (snuggling in Grandma's blankey.....it goes everywhere w/ Emerson)

So there's this Nature Center/Children's Museum combined close by. And the kids LOVE the outside part (animals) best.

However ME? Well, when Emerson brings his clipboard and has to DRAW EVERY. SINGLE. ANIMAL.............it gets a little old. He was pretty adamant about it though.

Brooks has finished up his interviews now and when he had on in Virginia, we stopped by a quick pizza place and got to meet up with my brother. Asking for them to set up a table of 15?......classic.

My girls could NOT have been happier being spoiled by their older girl cousins.

And this is the part I was KICKING myself for not having my camera for our stay w/ the Henriods, downtown D.C. and Air and Space Museum w/ Tio Bug and Tia Linsey.

Bummer. Then again, it would've been a lot of pictures of Brooks off by himself reading every plaque while Linsey and I watched the kids. ;)

He's 9!!!!!

My eldest and most awesome Smith seed turns 9 this week. Brooks has an interview on his actual birthday and we would be out of town. Bronson was starting to think I was NOT going to celebrate his b-day, and the fact that I hadn't made a pinata and asked who he wanted at a party probably confirmed that. So as you can imagine, he was SURPRISED when he came home this morning and found a room w/ his family, balloons, 3 friends, cake/presents waiting for him. I wish I caught that moment on camera.

But before anything he just wanted to go in the driveway and play basketball with his buddies.

I finally had to to call them in to eat cake......they were having just too much fun. Check out the PURE joy on Bronson's face.

And having a basketball cake helped keep that smile there.

The presents were so fun (check out Camden's face in the bottom picture......he cracks me up!), and Bronson was ESPECIALLY excited over the Human Body kit w/ books and skeleton thing to make. He LOVES learning about the body, so when I saw it at Megathrift this week for 1.99, I HAD to grab it. Talk about the best 2 bucks ever spent!!!

Since I couldn't MAKE a pinata, I knew probably had to go buy one. Then my sweet friend Melissa offered me one they found in her dad's garage. Score.

WAIT. time out........Bronson's gotta wait while we move Royce.....

The candy grab. Gotta love those moments.

As fun as the pinata was, the boys all thought this was MORE fun.........taking the new football out for a game of 500........w/o the points. Brooks would just throw it and the boys decided they would do whatever it took to get the ball.

I love all the faces.......

it was pretty intense. Between each throwing, Bronson couldn't wipe the smile off his face.

Boys are awesome.

I've decided parties must get easier when the kids get older. You don't need to plan games, entertainment or anything. All Bronson REALLY wanted to do, is grab his friends, go outside and play some sports.

Love me some Bronson.

Realization

Yes, I realize I haven't posted in a while (mystery of the missing camera), but it MIGHT have something to do w/ me laughing over this article too hard.........and too long:

(Keep in mind, if you do NOT have a sense of humor, you are NOT allowed to read this..... it's not a comparison article, just pointing out the differences of the two work environments.....but holy cow, is it funny.)

http://www.babble.com/toddler/toddler-development/questions-for-parents-from-SAHM/

It just made my day.............it ALMOST made me forget that old lady giving me the meanest crusties she could muster at Walmart today. Man, do I wish I had a camera for THAT moment. Who knew faces could make that face? CERTAINLY not me.

My deserved treat

Almost my WHOLE family joined together in Salt Lake City yesterday when my parents were set apart and blessed before they go down to Brazil to be the Missionary Training Center President there! What a neat day and spiritual boost I know they all had. It is so neat hearing about it from all of them......

Then. there. was. my. day........

Actually the DAY on the whole was fine w/ having everyone home, eating football snacks, wings, etc., painting different rooms, and playing some games. THOSE parts were great. But there was a good ol' hour of the day that was hard........No, allow me to use a different word .......... TORTURE! Yep, a WHOLE HOUR OF TORTURE sitting there in the photo studio w/ Royce for his year old pictures (to match all of these yr. old pictures of the others above my bed)

It had to be a WHITE background like the others and sitting down....the sitting down part being the trickiest part. Man, he was SUCH a stinker.

The photographer was SUPPOSED to take more pictures, but since Royce kept shaking his head no to him, he decided to mark the shorter photography session on his paper "Cut short due to unruly child". Perfect.

And if you'd LIKE to feel like you were there too, here are the ones that he DID get to take and that weren't blurred w/ Royce shaking his head.....once again, telling him "no".

http://www.myonlineportraits.com/ViewSharedAlbum.aspx?ShareID=8325a1e8-a5f6-4974-a730-c6edcdb75c47

The last 6 on the first page crack me up because you can see him progressively starting to get more and more bored w/ the whole situation, until the last one when he gives the photographer a look like, "Really? Shaking that stuffed animal at me?! Do you REALLY think that will amuse me?!"...with his hand balled up in a fist, probably ready to deck the guy.

Honestly, the VERY last one he smiled big........but only because he heard me say, "Wanna go get a treat?".......and after that, we did. We went, but it was ME who got the treat. NOT HIM!