Alyeska

Bliss, sheer bliss!!  The day after Christmas my entire family took off to Girdwood and stayed the night at the Alyeska Hotel.  We swam our little hearts out the first night we were there, and then skied all day Saturday.  I just love the feeling of being at a ski resort during the holidays, especially with all the christmas decorations.  {Jas & I talked about making this a Christmas tradition}  

Kali & Meg really surprised us with how long they wanted to ski, especially despite the cold weather. We took them to the top of the mountain on the tram, and Kali skied 1/4 of the way down all by herself! We were VERY impressed with how well they both did.  Meg's favorite thing was the Magic Carpet, a rubber conveyer belt {new-skool tow rope} that brought her to the top of the hill, then she skied as fast as she could back down.  We all had so much fun, we'd love to go back!!

 

Day #25 {advent calendar}

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!

I don't think Santa needs to worry about video games for our kids for a VERY LONG time!!  He brought everything Wii, and Jason's parents gave us Rock Band.  {check out the video to see how excited Kali was when they opened it}  Jason also loved his present!  I got him the 6-tool Dewalt cordless power tool set.  His box was about the same size as the Rock Band box, so I hid the wrapped Rock Band in a closet, and wrapped the tools the same way and labeled it "To: Kali, Meg & Owen,  From: G&G Smedley" and let the kids open up what he thought was Rock Band.  He sat chilled out on the couch, and got all excited while they opened it saying "WHAT THE!!!".  He makes me laugh when he says "i got my MAN tools" :)  And Jason this year, well lets just say he got me a nice PrimaLoft Jacket for winter.  {i picked it out ;D} 

Day #23 {advent calendar}

For todays activity we were supposed to make cookies, but this was more exciting!!  Our friends Matt & Tiffanie invited us over for pizza, Polar Express, Rock Band & Snowmachining for the kids.  We had a blast!  Especially the kids!  They just rode around and around the house till 10:30.  Josh let Kali try out his skis and Kali picked it up QUICK!!  She was even brave enough to keep trying out the jump that they made for Josh.  We were SO impressed with how determined she was!  Those four little kids, Josh, Kali, Liz & Meg were a hoot to watch.  They were like midget teenagers that knew exactly what to do, I didn't even have to help them.  Anytime Kali fell down, Josh would yell "go help her, go help her" as Meg or Liz jump off the snowmachine to go help Kali get the tow rope.  And if she got left behind he'd jump off and yell at the girls to help him push the snowmachine backwards to go get Kali.  I was cracking up the whole time just watching in amazement how it all went down.  

While the kids were doing their thing, us adults jammed out to Rock Band.  It was only my second time playing and I already feel like a Rockstar!!  There's something about those guitars and drums that just gets me!!  

The following videos are of Josh being pulled by Kali, landing the jump.  The second is of Kali's best attempt.  Oh yeah, and in the last pic, Liz & Meg are pretending that they are falling off!

 

 

Day #21 {advent calendar}

These were fun stockings to make!!  I obviously had to do Owens.  I have quilted stockings that I made years ago that hang over the fireplace for "pretty" sake.  Does Santa fill these puppies . . . HECK NO!!!  

We have had the kids choose a sock of their choice Christmas Eve, and lay it on the hearth of the fireplace for Santa to come and fill with goodies.  This got challenging for Santa when socks, especially GOOD socks {the ones that have cute patterns and aren't bought at Walmart!} were filled too full, thus stretching them out!

So I decided to make fleece stockings for Santa to fill this year. Something a little more Christmas-y, and kid-contributed. Aren't they cute!  The kids LOVED the added touch of the bells and the stuffing in the toes.   

Day #18 {advent calendar}

This week has been a busy one, and the activities have been less interesting to be posted.  We've made cookies, gone sledding, watched a few movies, etc. etc. 

I am AMAZED though at how all three of my children had a great attention span for sitting down and watching the church DVD, Joy To The World.  Owen wouldn't stop saying "baby Jesus, there's baby Jesus," Kali would sing with the Mo-Tab, and Meg was purely entertained {see, she's a movie junky!}

We enjoyed this movie and will probably see it again before Christmas comes.  It brings a great spirit into our home! 

Day #14 {advent calendar}

Our activity was a great one, especially for having it on a Sunday.  

We drove out to the Palmer Chapel to see for the first time their annual Nativity Celebration. Practically the whole church, minus the chapel, was decorated with all kinds of nativities.  The primary room had all kinds suited for children, while classrooms were assigned themes to sort all different kinds of nativities.  The cultural hall was half full, with chairs filling the other half so people could enjoy the Christmas singing/musical entertainment.  

I took a few pix of the kids' favorite nativities. Since we live in Alaska, it's not too hard to figure out which ones they liked best!!

  

Day #13 {advent calendar}

We've done so much fun stuff for our activities, sometimes it seems like we are avoiding the real reason for Christmas.  BUT . . . I do have more activities that involve the birth of Jesus.  

Here is what we did tonight.  I printed these on cardstock, cut them out, and gave each of the kids a puzzle to work on.  I've commented in the past what kind of personality Meg has, so I thought she of all people, would think this was boring.  But to my surprise she was SUPER excited to do a puzzle.  So while they were working on putting it together, we talked about the REAL reason for Christmas.  

If your interested in downloading this and doing it yourself, click here.  The link uses it as an advent calendar, but I just took the image and did my own thing.  To each their own.  

Day #12 {advent calendar}

On our 12th day of christmas {aka: advent calendar} we made a Gumdrop Winter Wonderland!  

This took much effort on the kids part.  

             #1 - For not eating them!!!  

             #2 - Poking the cupcake sprinkles in the gumdrops

              were a little tedious, especially for Meg.

             #3 - Owen could care less what we were doing, all 

              he knew was that there was candy, and he  

              was there!  Need I say more!?

With the past 12 days behind us, I have learned some things about our kids . . . 

             - Kali is the 'artsy-fartsy' one always asking "can we  

             do something crafty?"

            - Meg likes to be entertained . . . with Christmas 

             books or movies. {the least effort the better} 

             - Owen just wants to eat!!  If there's candy involved, 

             he eats it.  If there's no food involved . . . he wants

             POPCORN!!!  I swear he needs to be on a Carls 

             Jr. commercial . . . "Don't bother me, I'm eating!"

A Little Christmas Interruption

A week ago I had my mom watch Owen for me while Kali, Meg & I went to the Dentist.  While Owen was at my mom's house, he was eating popcorn in the kitchen on a swivel stool and flew off of it and landed smack on the sharp corner of their pantry.  Thus creating this inch long gash in his head.  My mom tried to call me 15 times {of all times I leave my cell phone in the car} to see if I wanted her to take him in to get stitches or just super glue it shut.  They opted for the cheaper side!  So they super glued Owen's head shut, as well as glueing my dad's finger to his head!  

OF THIS WE ARE GRATEFUL TO MY PARENTS!!!  

My neighbor is a nurse and I showed her to see what her take on it was.  She said that it looked good, it's just store bought glue is not sterile, has other chemicals in it, doesn't heal as fast, etc. etc.  But all-in-all, things were good.  She came over later and gave me a nice little care package for emergencies such as these.  In her goodie bag was gauss pads, antiseptics, and a HANDY DANDY Dermabond Pen!!!  If you don't know what these are, they are the official super glue at the Dr.'s office! It was like I heard angels that day, cause with this little boy of ours, we are sure to use it!!

Owen has been fine, no infections, just a glob of glue on his head.  UNTIL TODAY!!  He picked off the whole thing, glue, scab & ALL!!!  The wound opened right up, so I cleaned it out and glued it shut again.  What a handy little device!!  I'd love to have more around the house, but I guess they are like $200 or something crazy like that.  

Nothing like a little home surgery and putting that on my resume!!

 

Day #7 {advent calendar}

This activity was fun but quite messy!  We made Ice Cream Snowmen.  

We took our scoops of ice cream and rolled them in coconut. Our snowmen balls were supposed to solidify in the freezer while we roasted our marshmallow hats and cut up our licorice buttons. 

We obviously didn't leave them in the freezer that long because they were toppling over before I could get a good shot of them.  But the kids loved making them . . . and of course EATING them!! 

Day #4 {advent calendar}

It's AMAZING how simple a thing like making paper chains entertains and brings happiness to a child's life!!  

On day #4 of our advent calendar we made christmas chains.  Kali was the expert and wiz since she had practice last year in kindergarten, and Meg was not too far behind. Owen surprised us by doing quite well at his chain . . . with exception to pulling two feet of tape out every time he needed to stick one link together!  After it was finished we took the final chain to be hung from the ceiling in the girls' bedroom {which was just about as exciting as making the chain itself!}

I wasn't sure how this activity would pan out, but after Meg took out the picture from the calendar and showed Kali what it was, I knew from Kali's reaction that this one was an EXCELLENT choice!

"Wow!  THANKS Mom!!!!!!"

A Christmas Tradition

I decided this year that we needed a good Christmas tradition to last throughout the years, and I found a good one!  I picked up this advent calendar in which I printed pictures of things we are going to do everyday that are related to Christmas.  Each day the kids get to open the door for that day and find out what we get to do.   The first day we decorated the tree, today we made a gingerbread house . . . and the rest you will just have to sit on pins-n-needles to see what fun things we will do on our journey to Christmas!  The kids by-the-way, are so jazzed about doing this!  They can't wait to come home and finish their homework to see what fun thing we will do that day.  

{ it also makes for a good bribe when rooms don't get cleaned ;) }

Dear Santa . . .

Kali wrote her very first Christmas Wish List to Santa this year on a 3x5 card. 

I thought 7 year olds were supposed to have a new bike or something!  

Jason told her to keep writing cause as the list gets longer, it also gets cheeper!

Santa . . . if you're out there . . . help us out on this one!

Happy 65th Dad!

Recently I made a scrapbook for all of us to give my dad for his 65th birthday.  It was titled '65 Reasons We Love Dad' and it came out AMAZING!!!  I've used iPhoto on our Mac before for photo albums, but this time I used shutterfly.  I think I am sold with shutterfly!  I can't argue the simplicity of iPhoto or the quality, but I am SUPER pleased with how shutterfly's turned out.  The book is hard bound and the pages are thicker.  Just overall, LOVED it!!  I made a layout for each of the six kids {grandchildren included} as well as my mom with each of our reasons why we love dad.  The #1 Reason was because he married mom & the #65 Reason was from my mom "Because he takes me fishing."  Here are some of my favorite pages in the book!

   

Tagged Again

Fill this out about your Senior year of High School!  The longer ago it was, the more fun the answers will be.  {I was tagged by Tiffanie}

Name of your high school and graduating Year:  Chugiak High School 1997
Did you marry someone from your high School?  No
Did you car pool?  I guess, my mom was a Special Ed teacher, so we drove together.  Beats riding the bus!!  But occasionally I'd ride with Colby Thurston from early morning seminary to school.
What kind of car did you have?  'The Mitsu' a Mitsubishi Galant.  We were one of the few then who had a sunroof!!  
What kind of car do you have now?  Toyota Landcruiser
What kind of job did you have in high School?  None technically, but cleaned a galls house every week.

Were you considered a flirt?  Probably, I had lots of boyfriends.  Jason says I was 'hot lips' when I was in HS.  But he likes to exaggerate :D
Did you get suspended or expelled? No, but got a few detentions for tardies.  I ALMOST did one time for wandering the halls after school and bouncing my volleyball on the floor.  The janitor told me to stop and I didn't, then wanted to confiscate it.  So I ran away outside, and he got my name from a schoolmate and I had to go to the principles office the next day and he made me apologize or get suspended for three days.  Dumb I know, but my freshman year I was kinda a punk.
Can you sing the fight song?  Chugiak mustangs hats off to the, to our colors true we will be . . . Fight, fight, fight, put your ______ to the test.  Rah, Rah, Rah for CHS, Rah, Rah, Rah for CHS, Rah, Rah for CHS.

Where did you sit during lunch?  Cafeteria until I could drive or go with someone who did.  Senior year was in the senior hall by my locker.  But my favorite was when I'd take off to my dad's CES office and see if he'd take me to Garcias for lunch and then ask him to sign me out for the rest of the day.  I'm sure I took advantage of that a lot, but it was honestly good daddy/daughter time!  That happened a lot my junior and senior year.  

What was your school mascot?  Mustangs
If you could go back and do it again, would you?  I don't think so.  Too confusing, too dramatic.  But it was fun.  I like not being so immature.  College was better.
What do you remember most about graduation?  My tan I got that week from Halibut Fishing!  Speaking at Seminary Graduation.  Oh, and also wearing my 'QB' boyfriends letterman jacket - who was from our Football State Championship Rivals, Palmer High - {who we lost to that year} to our High School Senior Grad Blast.
Who did you take to the Prom in your Senior Year?  My previous boyfriends' little brother.  
Do you still talk to the person you went to prom with?  Only if we see each other.  

Tagged:  Kasey Henry, Jayci Reeder, Christy Wilson, & Lindsay Johnson

Letterpress

   

Jason's cousin, Cameron Moll, is one of the most talented and smartest persons I know when it comes to graphic/web design!  He works for the church designing their website, has a marketing & design blog Authentic Boredom, public speaks on things I cannot comprehend, and has his own publications. One of his latest posts is this AMAZING 16"x24" Letterpress that he designed with limited editions for sale.  It's absolutely stunning & only $50!  He's taking names/email for his next printing edition available mid December.  Click here.  

DJ Smeds

We love music & we LOVE to dance!  Our family's favorite activity is to turn on iTunes and get cRazY!  Our callings have changed in the past months.  Jason was in the Stake YM Pres, then was called to be the Priests Advisor, and then a few weeks ago they called him to be Nursery Leader.  Before you get all sympathetic, Jason's favorite thing to do at church is eat snacks and play with kids!  He couldn't be happier.  He has two other men in there with him.  He looks forward to lax sundays and just being a Big Kid!  I on the other hand am still 2nd Counselor in YW.  

While Jason was in the Stake, we occasionally subbed for the DJ's when they were out of town.  So two months ago we got yet another calling to be the stake DJ's.  Another dream job for Jason since we both LOVE to dance.  We've been seen to jump off the stage and get down with the youth ourselves!  We love being with the youth and this is another way we can be "cool" and still feel young.  

The girls announced on sunday that there was a dance this saturday and that Sister Smedley was 

DJ-ing and all of them started 'rais'n the roof' and chanting "woot-woot"!  So they made me gangster talk . . . I told them it'd be "off the hizzle fo' shizzle"! 

Happy Halloween

Halloween this year was a fun one!  Kali was a vampire, Meg was Padme {Queen Amidala}, and Owen was Horton {Hears A Who}.  - I just sewed a flower on his trunk -   Kali's latest BFF {she talks about him a lot}, Kaden, from church/school happened to be a vampire as well!  We'll just call them Edward & Bella!  :D  Aren't they cute!!!

 

 

        

Kali

Kali had a great week of school last week.  We went to an awards assembly on friday for 1st-3rd grade.  Kali's teacher submitted very few awards, of which Kali recieved the "Citizenship" Award . . . Treating Others with Great Kindness.  We were VERY proud of Kali for having one of the most important attributes!  

Then I went in for Kali's Spotlight for the week. She could write a few things about herself and bring some pictures.  This is what she wrote:

- I have one sister and one brother

- My birthday is September 2

- My favorite food is Cordon Bleu

- I like to ride my bike and jump on the 

trampoline

- I can wakesurf

After she read everything about her, the class got to ask/comment on a few things.  It was unanimous . . . they ALL thought she was cool for wakesurfing with her Uncle Matt, especially on his shoulders!!

Cousins

From painting each other, to getting thrown out the tube together {Kali & Meg are behind the boys},

COUSINS MAKE THE BEST FRIENDS!

Austin #3 {Surf's Up}

This was Jason's dream to learn how to surf.  We were both very excited to learn how to surf behind a boat.  Jason's older brother makes surfboards {Smed Wakesurfing}.  He changes the ballast on one side of the boat, creating a larger wake on one side.  It was so much fun, we might just bring his boards up here and start the wakesurfing sport in Alaska!