Gymnast in training!

Today was McKinley's second gymnastics class. She absolutely loves it. She has been waiting for Tuesday afternoon so she could get ready and go to gymnastics since the minute she left last week. She talks about it every day. And she is pretty good. She's taken tumbling/dance for 2 years but always enjoyed the gymnastics best. This class has been a first time for vault, uneven bars, and beam, but she's a natural at it. It's so fun to watch her and remember the years I spent in gymnastics and how much I loved it. I'm glad she enjoys it as much as I did...

We'll see how she progresses over time and if she sticks with it. I hope she does...

First Day of School

Four fantastic kids start the year in 3 wonderful schools!
Ethan Charles Patterson Smith, 7th grade

Evan Kent Smith, 4th grade

McKinley Elizabeth Smith, 1st grade

Austin David Smith, 9th grade

Gun Fun!

After dinner in Neola, Jeremy took us out back to shoot his guns. The boys were excited to shoot the pop cans off the 2x4. Jeremy has a few nice guns and a nice contraption which holds the gun steady for the less experienced shooters to really line up their shot. All you had to do was line up the scope on the can and pull the trigger. I think everyone was able to hit the cans down! Even Allison and I got into the action as the sun started to go down. David even took a turn shooting a pistol that Jeremy had. He said that was a neat gun and fun to shoot. Thanks for the fun evening of entertainment!

A Visit to the Davenports...meet Kendra!

On our way home we went via Neola Utah to spend some time with Allison and Jeremy and their kids...including their newest addition...Kendra Dee Davenport. She is such an adorable angel.

They also have 4 other adorable kids...

Everyone had to take a turn holding the baby. McKinley was especially fascinated with the new tiny baby and all her tiny fingers and toes.

We are so glad that we got to see them for a wonderful dinner and evening. We're looking forward to seeing them again around Christmas...too bad Kendra will be so much bigger by then.

Bear Lake 2010

This year's Bear Lake was as wonderful as ever. We had a few people missing (David, Alli's family) but those who were there had a blast. We arrived on Tuesday afternoon and set up camp before heading to the beach. It was quite windy that day but as night fell it was calmer and beautiful. We enjoyed our great tin foil dinners and smores and settled down for the night.

Wednesday morning was pretty cold and windy and so we ended up hanging around the camp doing activities and staying warm. We made duct tape wallets and alum sand castles and the boys mastered the RipStick. Once it got warmer we braved the beach and water in the fierce wind. It was a bit cold, but we enjoyed visiting and playing together.

As always we ate sooooo well at Bear Lake. That's probably the favorite part about Bear Lake...grandad's cooking!

It's always so fun to have the cousins together. The age range this year (for cousins) was from 17 down to 1 1/2! And there were plenty of cousins (28!) to always have someone to play with.

It was definitely different not to have David there, but the kids were at a good age this year and it was a lot less work than in years past. I was able to enjoy my time and spend time with the kids and all the family! We look forward to Bear Lake 2011 next year!

Real Men Tri at 40!

Last Christmas, when we were visiting with friends in Midway, the table talk turned to the fact that all the men (highschool friends) were turning 40 this year. After deciding that 40 wasn't as old as we used to think, the guys came up with a way to prove it....they would compete in a triathlon this summer. All 4 highschool buddies committed to participating in the Battle at Midway triathlon.

The training consisted of lots of swimming, lots of running, and really long bike rides. The event required David to spend lots of money on a bike, lots of money on bike shoes, lots of money on bike clothes, and lots of money on his speedo for the swim!

Two months before the August race David pulled his shoulder out of socket for the 2nd time. The first time was 6 years ago on the top of Old Rag (a scout hike in MD). This time he was laying in bed next to me and got up too quickly. He was able to get the shoulder back in, but was very tender and sore for the next few weeks. His swimming training was compromised and sadly, a few weeks later the shoulder came out again. This time he had to go to the Urgent Care to get it back in and he was told to rest it for 6 weeks. Eventually he will need surgery on it, but he was determined to compete in the tri. He rested it for the 6 weeks, which put him 2 weeks from the event. He trained the best he could for those 2 weeks, doing "blocks" consisting of 20 mile bike rides immediately followed by 5 mile runs. Everything was good to go.

The gang all stayed together the night before the race. We had special shirts made for them and they turned out really good! The morning of the event Kimberlee and I went out early to catch the start of the race. We had to shuttle over to Deer Creek resevoir and caught up with the young competators before the swim start of the tri.

Not far into the swim, David's shoulder came out when he bumped it on a swimmer next to him. He was able to backstroke back to the start and visit with the EMT's to get his shoulder back in. After pleading with the race officials he was able to proceed unofficially to the bike and run part o the tri. He waited for one of his friends to come out of the swim and then headed onto the 23 mile bike ride.

After a successful bike ride, it was off for the run.

David successfully finished the bike and the run. He did really well on both and was happy with his times. The good times helped ease the disappointment of the swim/shoulder troubles. All four guys successfully finished the tri...and all about 10 minutes apart. From 1:51 to 2:01...good times for old men!

From left: Mike Miller, Neil Lundberg, Mike Grass, Dave Smith...all 40 years young!

Splash Pad

Today we decided to take the kids to the Splash Pad in Park City. It's just a free water splash place that is near the recreation center. It wasn't a particularly warm and the water was cold, so we didn't say long. We ended up sitting and watching another group of disabled adults play in the water. They really enjoyed themselves and brought smiles to our faces. After splashing for 10-15 minutes we headed to the playground to run off some energy. It was still fun to have the cousins playing together.

Keegan played the most...she was proud that she made it into the dry part of the mushroom water feature!

Pizza Project

As a project (and dinner) I decided to make pizzas with all the kids. Each child got a crust and the ingredients to make their own pizza. First they spread the sauce around, then sprinkle on the cheese, then add their choice of toppings...pepperoni, onions, and red peppers. Marlee's pizza was just cheese, Keegan, McKinley, Ethan, and Evan had cheese and pepperoni, and Austin made supremes for all the rest of us. After they were done we stuck them in the oven and in 8-10 minutes dinner was served! We made 8 pizzas and they were all gone!