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