Merry Christmas

2008

What a great year we have had! We started out with a trip to Disneyland in February, which the boys loved (Matt and Tina too, of course). And then we geared up for our big trip to Italy this summer. It was a trip we have for years planned and saved for, and we had a wonderful time! We stayed with Tina's Brother, Verne, and his wife, Monica, in Turin for a week and a half, and also spent a week traveling around to Venice, Florence, Rome and Pisa. McKinnon had so much fun playing with his cousin, Elizabeth, and Deacon ate everything he could see. It was a wonderful trip, and we are so thankful for the opportunity to see the beauty of Italy, and for the great hospitality of family and friends.

Lily Jane Smith, the newest addition to our little family arrived on November 19th and she has already been a joy. McKinnon was so excited for a new sister to come, and he picked out her name months ago- it just took mommy and daddy a while to concur. McKinnon adores Lily and is always trying to share his toys with her, asking if he can wake her up (the answer is always no) and giving her hugs and kisses. Deacon has adjusted to having a new baby in the house without batting an eye. He just kind of noticed that she was here to stay and adjusted accordingly. That was a big relief for mommy and daddy who were worried Deacon might have a hard time with the adjustment. Lily is a great sleeper and a good eater, so she is already spoiling her parents. Needless to say, her parents hope this great behavior stays up through teenage years at least.

Deacon has grown so much this year that he has really turned into a little boy. He is enjoying his Early Intervention classes, and is a busy boy. Although we are still waiting for his first words, he is so independent he has little need for words. We often find him in a cupboard getting himself a snack, or climbing up to things he wants that are too high, etc. Terrible twos for Deacon means no temper tantrums, but getting into everything! His list of messes he has made this year is lengthy, so it is a good thing he is such a happy and easy-going child. It makes a difference at times like these to know your child is just being curious, as opposed to being naughty- at least it reduces how upset you get, if not reducing the size of the mess. Deacon loves to hug, cuddle and play. We are being told all the time by his teachers at school and church how much they love that Deacon wants them to pick him up, and then he will throw his arms around them and give them long hugs.

McKinnon tuned 4 this year, and he is constantly amazing his parents with the new things he is learning and teaching himself. We have always been surprised with how fast he learns things, but this year he has taught himself how to read and is constantly teaching us new facts about the world that he has picked up from Pre-School or other places. McKinnon had such a good time in Italy this summer and learned some Italian words that he used quite fluently- most often, "oopsila," meaning woops, and "scusi" meaning excuse me. This has opened his eyes to the fact there are different languages in the world, and so he often asks mommy and daddy how to say a certain word in Spanish, or Italian, or some other language. Mommy is glad daddy knows so much, or she would spend her life looking up the answers to all McKinnon's questions about the world.

After spending most of the year pregnant, Tina is glad to be back to herself and is enjoying dressing a little girl for the first time. This year Tina has kept busy running McKinnon and Deacon to their classes, and working in the garden and around the house. She has loved her calling as Relief Society President at church, and although it keeps her very busy she enjoys the opportunity to reach out and serve so many woman around her. With the new baby Tina will be busier than ever, but she knows the Lord has blessed her so much to be able to accomplish everything she needs to so far, and that He will continue to sustain her through the coming year.

Matt turned 30 this year, reached his 6th year of work at L-3 Communications and bought a minivan, realizing he is now officially a grown-up. Matt also ran his first 10K this summer. Matt enjoyed the trip to Italy - especially the pizza and gelato. It was great for him to see some of the sights his Dad had seen 40 years earlier. Matt has had a good time in his church calling as Cub Scout Master, and is looking forward to another year of Cub Scout activities and acting like an 8-year-old.

Once again we send our love to you all and hope you had a fantastic year too. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Lots of love,Matt, Tina, McKinnon, Deacon and Lily Smith

Deacon... a few more messes, by Tina

So, my visiting teachers were over today and as I was telling them about some more of Deacon's crazy messes I thought... I haven't put these stories up on the blog for my family to see. So, here we go:

Matt went shopping and came home with cookies (best way to a little boys heart). Matt put the package up on top of the counter, on top of the microwave, thinking that was plenty high. It didn't take Deacon long. Matt came downstairs to a floor full of cookies with one or two bites taken out of them. Apparently they taste better if they are whole, so Deacon tried all of them.

Deacon likes to drink (non-alcoholic, of course). He loves fruit juice most, and then Gatorade. And when we got some pomegranate 7UP to try- yup, he loved that. As you can see.

Having Deacon around guarantees that my kitchen and dining room floor are always a mess- he has no problem getting into anything that strikes his fancy. The next photo demonstrates just that- he has a bit of a sweet tooth, and if nothing else is available than what could be better than powdered sugar?

We thought we'd let you see just how much he enjoyed it for yourself:

So, it makes me sad now to realize all the photo ops I've missed. There was Deacon trying to eat the stamp ink pad yesterday (needless to say, I'm glad I caught him before he touched anything), the apple juice fiasco, and especially I'm sorry I didn't get the frosting episode on tape. Lets just say- if you buy a tub of chocolate frosting remember to put it on the highest shelf of the kitchen. Chocolate frosting from head to foot, all over my white carpet, the walls, the floor, the stroller... what fun! Like my dad always says, "Single life was never like this!!"

65 Things We've Done...

Italics- Matt
Bold- Tina

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped (Tina fell 15 feet rock climbing- does that count?)
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning (multiple times)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (Matt went, but a sniper kept him off the top)
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort (like any good parents, we made one with our kids)
25. Held a lamb (Matt hasn't, but he was kicked by a sheep)
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon (Matt, in 2010)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice (Matt would have, but decided the waterbus was just as good)
29. Seen a total eclipse (of both the sun and the moon)
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community (Not Amish, but a Hutterite Community)
36. Taught yourself a newlanguage
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (We both agree we're satisfied with what little we have)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing (Matt too, if you count Dick's Sporting Goods)
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris (Tina's been to the base, just not the top)
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class (We are going to say fencing counts)
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies (never sold any, but eaten plenty)
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House (from the outside- it was too close to 9/11 to go in)
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury (Matt wants to really bad)
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one (unfortunately yes)
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Totally copied a post from someone else's blog to your own