Halloween 2012

The kids had a great Halloween. Lily got to wear her costume practically all day because of preschool and kindermusik. She cracked us all up in that wig. In the morning I made her just wear a ribbon in her hair then in the evening she went all out with the black wig. She would wear that thing all day if we let her. My sister's kids are pictured here with mine on our front porch. 

When Eryn announced to me that she was going to be a blue bird for Halloween I was not sure how we were going to work this out. All of the costumes online were lame. So we made this one up. She was happy with it, although some people asked if she was a peacock.

Joseph was Babo Fett from Star Wars, Eryn was a blue bird, Anna was Alice in Wonderland and Lily was Snow White.

Halloween Party

My parents threw a really cute Halloween party for the grandkids last weekend. My dad dressed up as Dracula and my mom wore her "I'm Batty" hat she used to wear when she was a high school teacher. They did so many games and activities including a spook alley in their basement hallway. The kids really had a great time. They were also high on candy by the end! Ha!

Fall has arrived!

We went to a pumpkin patch for family night on Monday. I have only been to one before this in Hawaii. This was way more fun. We all loved the atmosphere and the activity of choosing pumpkins. We are definitely going to make a tradition out of this. 

 The Hay Maze. 

St. George

St. George Temple 

A little cave like tomb built into the red rock.

"The Narrows" 

We have had a wonderful trip to St. George. We planned going on this trip last year after seeing The Little Mermaid at the Tuacahn (which was amazing). This year the Tuacahn was playing Aladdin and it was equally good. The staging along with everything else is so well-done! Lily was in heaven when the magic carpet flew right over her while Aladdin and Jasmine sang "A Whole New World." She stayed up past 10pm for the entire show.

Above are some pictures of the kids exploring the red rocks just above the temple in St. George. The tiny narrow canyon is called "The Narrows." Eryn is the only one who decided to climb all the way through it up to the top.

It has been so nice having my parents come along on this trip. They are so helpful and fun to be around.

First Day of School

Today was a pretty exciting day, sending everyone off to school. Anna is in 5th Grade, Eryn is in 3rd. Joseph is in Kindergarten!!! And Lily is starting 3 year old preschool (two days a week). Joel made breakfast for the kids and walked to school with us. Then he stayed with Joseph for his kindergarten orientation. I got to take Lily to her preschool orientation. She appears to be pretty excited about going to preschool. Only time will tell if she really loves it. 

Smith Family Reunion - Summer 2012

My entire family came together this summer for about a week. We had a very nice time together. It is always sweet to see cousins reconnect and play. Emily and I forced everyone to take a family picture on Sunday before church. Ammon who is on his mission in Peru is the only family member missing.

Trip to Hawaii

These two pictures are my favorite from our trip. 

We spent a lot of time swimming and playing together as a family. 

We ran into one of Anna's good friends from school at PCC. Small world!

The kids loved spending time with Grandma and Grandpa. They had sleepovers and played games and went on outings and just hung out together. 

We were married in the Hawaii Temple 12 years ago!! 

Four kids later, we are still very happy and in love.

Joel's favorite part of the trip was taking the big girls horse back riding up behind Gunstock Ranch. They are pictured here with Anna's best friend from preschool when we lived in Hawaii.

My favorite outing was taking the two big girls to explore the tide pools at low tide at Shark's Cove. We caught little fish, hermit crabs, opihi, shells and spotted lots of big fish.

On our last trip to the beach with some friends we saw a Hawaiian Monk Seal resting on the beach! 

Visiting Betsy's Family in Washington

We stopped in at the American Girl Doll Shop. All of the girls loved wandering the store and picking out a small purchase. Three of the girls got their doll's ears pierced at the store.

We went to the Seattle Aquarium on our last day. It is an amazing place. We all loved it.

I love my sister!

Anna and Rachel are the same age. We got to attend church there where Jose is the Branch President of the Spanish Speaking Branch. Betsy put Joel and I on the program at the last minute and we sang a hymn in spanish with Betsy on the piano. 

Washington is a beautiful place. We really enjoyed our visit. The weather was really nice while we were there. Betsy said that it was unusually sunny. No rain at all.

Eryn's Baptism - July 7, 2012

Eryn was baptized this summer by her dad. It was a very sweet day (even though we were all a little jet lagged from returning only the day before from Hawaii). 

We sang "When I am Baptized" as a family during the program with a short solo from Eryn. I got emotional when she sang because of the strong spirit in the room and because of the sweetness in her little voice. I love opportunities like this to be together with my family. It was a very happy day.

Both sets of grandparents were there as well as Eryn's Great-Grandpa Anderson.

It was a special treat to have all of the Kongaika grandkids together. Rob's kids were here on a visit from Egypt.