Monday, October 31, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
yard
i really wish i had an original picture of our front yard so you all could appreciate how it looks now, but here is an in progress before picture.
and here is an after picture. there is still more work to do but the grass is growing (it's patchy, but it's growing), and it's not looking half bad!
and here is an after picture. there is still more work to do but the grass is growing (it's patchy, but it's growing), and it's not looking half bad!
we live on a dirt road and it FINALLY got scraped! the boys sat outside for a long time watching the tractor, and the driver even stopped in front of our house and let carter get inside. living on a dirt road has it's perks :)
this and that
max loves to dumpster dive. he is constantly pulling things out of the trash can. somethings are worse than others... empty wipes bag = ok, vegetable peelings and raw chicken packaging = NOT ok!
aren't these the cutest smiles you have ever seen?
we have an unfinished basement and it is GREAT for ridable toys!
we found this guy in our garage a month or so ago. they are pretty scary, ty and i both may have screamed a little :)
Thursday, October 6, 2011
consistent parenting
yesterday was one of those days. the kind where carter tested my patience to the N'th degree, and i could clearly see my mother-of-the-year award, slipping further and futher out of my reach. he screamed all through safeway, refused to obey almost everything asked of him, and later in the day cried about EVERYTHING! he was in and out of time-out all day, had a spanking or two, and even more threats hissed at him through clenched teeth.
as i went to bed last night, after i had expressed my frustrations to tyrell, i lied there wondering why i can't be a better mother? i lose my temper, i raise my voice, and sometimes...on the worst days, i consider my child's imminent demise :) i mean, where is the loving, calm, and wise, mother who will be praised by her adult children as a great teacher and disciple of Christ from the pulpit of the conference center? :)
it is at these low points, where one needs a little support and validation that not everything you do as a parent is in need of revision. and who better to buoy you up in your time of need, than the man who loves you no matter what. so in an attempt to fish out a compliment, i posed a question to tyrell:
"does it make you so sad that i am not a great mother?"
to which he so lovingly replied:
"no. it just makes me feel better about not being a great dad."
well folks, there you have it... at least here in the smith home we are all on the same page, providing consistently bad parenting :)
as i went to bed last night, after i had expressed my frustrations to tyrell, i lied there wondering why i can't be a better mother? i lose my temper, i raise my voice, and sometimes...on the worst days, i consider my child's imminent demise :) i mean, where is the loving, calm, and wise, mother who will be praised by her adult children as a great teacher and disciple of Christ from the pulpit of the conference center? :)
it is at these low points, where one needs a little support and validation that not everything you do as a parent is in need of revision. and who better to buoy you up in your time of need, than the man who loves you no matter what. so in an attempt to fish out a compliment, i posed a question to tyrell:
"does it make you so sad that i am not a great mother?"
to which he so lovingly replied:
"no. it just makes me feel better about not being a great dad."
well folks, there you have it... at least here in the smith home we are all on the same page, providing consistently bad parenting :)
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Thursday, August 18, 2011
summary
i keep getting on here, ready to make our summer adventures public, but discouragement sets in and i can't decide where to start. my neglect has rendered me immobile. so, in an attempt to move forward, i will provide a short pictureless synopsis of our summer's happenings. after which, i will attempt to keep my updates more current :)
JUNE
-re-modeled our master closet
-max started crawling and pulling himself up
-we tore out most of our old landscaping (tons and tons of rock) made a circular drive, hauled in dirt for grass! lots and lots of shoveling and rock displacement.... killer
-re-roofed the house
-trips to the lake
-ty fixing cars
-boys being adorable and occasionally horrid :)
- i started working out in the mornings, loving it
JULY
-home to AZ:
*4th july in SJ, BBQ, fireworks, foot races at the park, beautiful weather lots of family
*pima to fix car (to no avail), play with friends, cousins and ty's parents
- carter learned to jump off side of pool, float with floaties, and 'swim' to the stairs all by himself
-trip to lake navajo with friends: awesome new lake, got sun burned, camped with both boys for the first time, minimal sleep, mosquitoes, good water, kids had tons of fun on the shore.
-ty went to scout camp
-ty fixing more cars
-ty had training in denver: the boys and i went to stay in the hotel with him for a few days, swimming, mall and more importantly escalators (carter's favorite), out to eat, pump it up (bouncy place, carter still a little too young), temple
- lake trips
AUGUST (so far)
-ty to emerald lake for back packing trip with high school friends
-the kids and i to my family reunion at the homestead: volleyball, treego, race (carter kept running over the finish line so people would cheer for him), games (carter LOVED being able to yell and cheer as loudly as he could, he was very enthusiastic), cousins, dancing (no one danced their heart out like carter) , dirt, carter in heaven!
-leveling and trenching for sprinkler system (moved more rocks...boo) grass on the horizon !!!!
-ty started work
-max top teeth in
-carter can now tell you how old he is "I'm two!" :)
- more lake trips
and there you have it!
JUNE
-re-modeled our master closet
-max started crawling and pulling himself up
-we tore out most of our old landscaping (tons and tons of rock) made a circular drive, hauled in dirt for grass! lots and lots of shoveling and rock displacement.... killer
-re-roofed the house
-trips to the lake
-ty fixing cars
-boys being adorable and occasionally horrid :)
- i started working out in the mornings, loving it
JULY
-home to AZ:
*4th july in SJ, BBQ, fireworks, foot races at the park, beautiful weather lots of family
*pima to fix car (to no avail), play with friends, cousins and ty's parents
- carter learned to jump off side of pool, float with floaties, and 'swim' to the stairs all by himself
-trip to lake navajo with friends: awesome new lake, got sun burned, camped with both boys for the first time, minimal sleep, mosquitoes, good water, kids had tons of fun on the shore.
-ty went to scout camp
-ty fixing more cars
-ty had training in denver: the boys and i went to stay in the hotel with him for a few days, swimming, mall and more importantly escalators (carter's favorite), out to eat, pump it up (bouncy place, carter still a little too young), temple
- lake trips
AUGUST (so far)
-ty to emerald lake for back packing trip with high school friends
-the kids and i to my family reunion at the homestead: volleyball, treego, race (carter kept running over the finish line so people would cheer for him), games (carter LOVED being able to yell and cheer as loudly as he could, he was very enthusiastic), cousins, dancing (no one danced their heart out like carter) , dirt, carter in heaven!
-leveling and trenching for sprinkler system (moved more rocks...boo) grass on the horizon !!!!
-ty started work
-max top teeth in
-carter can now tell you how old he is "I'm two!" :)
- more lake trips
and there you have it!
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
GET IT!
so we had a problem. a HUGE moth problem. for a few weeks, we were plagued with millions of moths (i think they were bad here in PW, but i believe our house was a little worse because we have 'butterfly' bushes, which apparently, also attracts moths). they were swarming near every door and had the audacity to dive-bomb your face every time you walked outside. the front door was barely usable at night, the garage was infested and the house was their next target. so i had to take action.
a bunch of them made it into the house and they got the fly swatter treatment after i couldn't stand the sound of their gross little bodies hitting the walls, the windows, or the lights!
i also had a personal bug man, carter, who is awesome at catching bugs. he came bringing me one once and so i started directing his talents to the moth problem. it's pretty cute because every time he sees a flying insect, he gasps and says "GET IT!", and then proceeds to hunt it down. he is kind of like a cat who catches and releases until he has maimed the poor thing, but i stopped feeling badly for them after there were 20 or so in my house. he puts the dead ones in the trash or throws the maimed ones outside, where i hope they inform their friends that anyone caught trespassing will be tortured :)
after my friends suggestion (from her bug man) of a bucket of soapy water only delivered three dead moths, we took a more 'ghost buster' style approach.... the shop vac. if you don't have one of these GET ONE! they are so useful and can be used for an array of projects, and if you were wondering, sucking up moths is one of them :)
i turned on the outside lights, luring them in with my warm light goodness, and then shop vac-ed them to their death. i stood out there for a good half hour sucking up hundreds of them. but the truth is... it didn't' even make a dent. they had a million more friends waiting for an open spot at the light.
but then, just as i was headed to the store for a bug zapper, they disappeared just as quickly as they appeared. odd... but i'm glad it's over:) perhaps i should go ahead and buy that zapper so i can be ready for them next time.
this doesn't even do it justice.
a bunch of them made it into the house and they got the fly swatter treatment after i couldn't stand the sound of their gross little bodies hitting the walls, the windows, or the lights!
i also had a personal bug man, carter, who is awesome at catching bugs. he came bringing me one once and so i started directing his talents to the moth problem. it's pretty cute because every time he sees a flying insect, he gasps and says "GET IT!", and then proceeds to hunt it down. he is kind of like a cat who catches and releases until he has maimed the poor thing, but i stopped feeling badly for them after there were 20 or so in my house. he puts the dead ones in the trash or throws the maimed ones outside, where i hope they inform their friends that anyone caught trespassing will be tortured :)
after my friends suggestion (from her bug man) of a bucket of soapy water only delivered three dead moths, we took a more 'ghost buster' style approach.... the shop vac. if you don't have one of these GET ONE! they are so useful and can be used for an array of projects, and if you were wondering, sucking up moths is one of them :)
i turned on the outside lights, luring them in with my warm light goodness, and then shop vac-ed them to their death. i stood out there for a good half hour sucking up hundreds of them. but the truth is... it didn't' even make a dent. they had a million more friends waiting for an open spot at the light.
but then, just as i was headed to the store for a bug zapper, they disappeared just as quickly as they appeared. odd... but i'm glad it's over:) perhaps i should go ahead and buy that zapper so i can be ready for them next time.
this doesn't even do it justice.
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