Welcome to Zion!

Oh it was so fun to see all of my family! The Smiths have an annual reunion at Zions National Park and it was our 55th year--that's impressive! I was amazed at how much I had missed the canyon. I haven't been to Zion in three years. Molly had a blast playing with her cousins and it was so fun to see her new friendships. Matthew and Daniel, her first cousins, never left her side and they were often found rolling pennies down the hill or catching tadpoles in the river. We love to put our chairs in the Virgin River and sit and chat forever. Catching up with all of my cousins takes a while since I have over thirty of them. Oh, and gotta love reunion food!!

The Durfeys (my extended reunion which includes the Smiths) were asked to be in the Springdale 4th of July parade and we made our own float. It was so much fun and Molly got to get decked out in patriotic gear and throw candy from the float. She was way too shy to throw the candy, but she rode on the float sitting next to Mafew-Danel (as she prounounces their names as one) and had a fantastic time.

Porter grew quite attached to his pack that was strapped to the front of me. He enjoyed being strapped to his mom but able to see everything that was going on.

Blake's sister, Brett, came down from BYU to join us and it was wonderful seeing her. It is always fun to see Molly with her Aunt "Bit" because they are two peas in a pod. Brett was very attentive to Molly's fun-o-meter and helped her out with the reunion crafts and river time. And, she always made sure she had a buddy in the pool!

Saxon was a joy to be around (my brother Tyler's son). He is crawling and trying to stand up now. Tyler called it Baby WWF when Saxon mauled Porter on the floor. He is 28 pounds at 9 months compared to Porter's 16 pounds at 6 months. But when the family saw Saxon their first reaction was, "He looks exactly like Tyler did--CHUBBY!!:)

We had a great time and can't wait to see everyone again. Happy Summer Vacations!

Learning how to play the organ

Molly loves her Nanny. She learned how to play the organ and couldn't stop telling me all about it. I remember sitting next to Nanny when I was younger and learning how to play, "I am a Child of God". I took a mental picture that day. My sweet angel is growing up.

Our Little Man

Mr. Porter:

Weight Watchers

Hey, I've started weight watchers to lose my pregnancy weight and I was wondering if anyone had any good recipes for me? Low-cal, low-fat, tastes exactly like a mountain of chocolate;) I can't stand dieting, but the desire to fit into my pre(Molly)pregnancy clothes outweighs the desire for junk food!

I appreciate the recipes--y'all are great!

Cute Birthday Girls

For those of you who do not know, Molly and Kaiya were born one day apart. They have been friends since they first began to smile. They will turn 3 on the 25th (Molly) and 26th (Kaiya). Tristen (Kaiya's mom) and I wanted to take their pictures so we could watch them grow together. They truly love eachother.

My brother and I went to visit the fam in Blanco along with our families and we had a blast! We all drove to Fredericksburg (30 mins. away) and picked strawberries at a farm. It was the most gorgeous piece of property! You could tell the owner worked hard at making it beautiful and enjoyable for everyone to go there and pick. Then we all went back to the house and made freezer jam, my favorite :) Saxon, Tyler's son, is the cutest chub, and I just want to nibble on his cheeks all day. Molly loved to play with him and Porter thought everyone was hillarious. He cooed and giggled all day. Here are some pics of our adventure:

Easter Bunnies and Chocolate, oh my!

My little bunnies had an easter egg hunt. Molly picked up every plastic egg, took out the candy and then threw the shell back onto the ground. Can you guess that she has been the only child for too long? Soon she'll be more concerned with getting them into her basket before her brother gets them! Molly had a blast and we all enjoyed watching her.

We also explained what Easter is all about this year. We talked about the Savior and the resurrection. Although Molly still has a hard time with many gospel principles, she understands that Jesus has a body and loves her very much. That's good enough for me right now :) Happy Easter!





Molly was trying hard to understand how all the eggs got in the yard.










Molly and her Grandpop were watching a stump grinding video on youtube. It must have been entertaining because Molly watched the whole thing with him!