Last Blog of the Year

The last few years our family has had a tradition of hot tubbing and watching fireworks(everyone in our neighborhood shoots them off, and they are the nice ones!) on New Years Eve. Tonight it will be just Dale and I and the dogs. Matthew and Brittney are at a party, Jacob at a friends and Makenzie is babysitting. How did that happen?
Happy New Year to everyone!!

The New Face of Hollister

Matthew felt bad that we didn't do a photo shoot of him the other day, so after he went shopping , he modeled some of his clothes for us. What a stud?
Hot!!

So sexy

Look at my white stomach

The Thinker... I think?

Too cool...

Jacob thought he was constipated

So Strong!!

Darrell or should I say D'rell

Dale and I are so proud...

Santa Was Good to Us

I made the kids sing for their presents.

It was somewhat singing.

They did get to open presents.

I had to take a picture also.

Matthew getting an XBox game


Makenzie excited over new cami's...

Brittney's new camera

Jacob has an obsession with chihuahuas

The aftermath

Whoever is paying for all of this, please raise your hand

Look who got new running underwear

Presents put to use

It was a relaxing Christmas. In the afternoon friends came over and played with the kids. I think they enjoyed all they got. I haven't heard any complaints, except maybe from Dale and I as we have had to listen to kids and their friends sing. The American Idol 2 game didn't come with earplugs! I hope all of our family and friends had a safe and enjoyable Christmas!

Christmas Eve at the Texas Smith Home

We took goodies to peoples homes. We were going to Christmas Carol at one of the homes but they weren't home. This would have been a real treat, since we don't sing. Sorry Brown Family, you missed a once in a lifetime opportunity!
Putting antler's on Peach

Our Christmas reindeer

We really do love her!!

Sorry Peach, but that is cute!

Dale cooking our Christmas Steak

Peach waiting by Dale, hoping for scraps.yummmy

Sammie waiting also, just because Peach is.

Catching Jacob sing while wahing his hands. Sorry about the laundry hampers and clothes, but with 6 people in a home, there is always laundry!

We love and miss our Family and Friends!!

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas!!

Ready For the Cover of Something

The girls and I had a photo shoot before church on Sunday.

Mathew was our photographer.

Are we ready for Vogue or Psychiatry Weekly?

BTW... The dress Brittney is wearing is mine and so is the sweater that Makenzie is wearing. My girls can't make fun of my clothes since they borrow them.

More Good News

Matthew just got his first college acceptance letter. It was from Colorado School of Mines. Dale is excited!! I am excited also. I don't know if he'll go there, but it's an honor to be accepted!

2008-09 Academic All-State 2nd Team!

Yes, I know football is over. Matthew just got his football pictures today. He looks so handsome. I think this is the best picture he has ever had taken. But wait, there is really good news. We found out today that Matthew made the 2008-09 Academic All-State Football Teams. He made the second team. There is a 1st team, 2nd team and honorable mention.
Here is how he was selected:
The Texas High School Coaches Association (THSCA) and State Farm Insurance are proud to announce the THSCA Academic All-State Football teams for 2008-09. The teams are selected by a point system that awards points for GPA, class rank and SAT or ACT score. The student/athletes are then placed on teams according to the number of points they have earned.
The Elite team represents the highest point total that can be achieved. Criteria required to be nominated is 1) a senior with an overall GPA of 92 or above, including grades 9-12 and the first six weeks of grade 12; 2) Be a member of the team in good standing at the time of nomination; 3) Be of good moral character.
Congratulations to Matthew!!

I Don't Speak Spanish

I don't know if you can see this, but this is a note that Jacob brought home to help with the 5th grade Winter Party. First place, I don't speak Spanish, second, we live in the United States so why do we need to spend money printing this in Spanish. I think I will send it back with "No Espanol" I big black letters. I guess Jacob didn't "press the right number" for English.

When it's this cold...

It should snow!!

5th Grade Christmas Concert

Jacob had his 5th grade choir Christmas Concert last night. The choir is optional. The only reason he does it, as do a lot of the boys, is for the Sea World Trip in the spring. It's not that he hasn't been to Sea World, just not with his friends. He wasn't very enthusiastic about the concert or the clothes he had to wear. He was on the front row, first one on the left. It was hard to get good pictures since I was in the back video taping and the lighting wasn't very good on that row. Here are a few pictures and video snippets of some of the songs.

Doesn't he look excited... This s about a third of the kids

Jacob and his best friend Thomas.
Jacob is trying not to laugh...

He smiles :)

I think they did a great job for 5th graders!!

Scuba in the Pool

Yesterday Night the Priest Quorum had a scuba diving activity at our house. We heated the pool and it was a good thing since it hovered around freezing all night long. All the men and boys wanted to still do the activity even though it was so cold. The mom's on the other hand weren't so sure. Me, I say let them go since I spent 2 days heating the pool and cleaning all the leaves out!One of those guys is Matthew
Jacob is in the middle and Dale is on the right.
We let Jacob skip Pack Meeting so he could scuba dive. He had a great time!
Dale

Jacob

My 3 handsome guys in the hot tub after their scuba expeditions

One of the blobs is Matthew. Jacob said he was the ugly blob.

Matthew along with others

Dale jumping from the hot tub to the pool. We had all the heat going to the hot tub at that time so the pool wasn't as warm.

Dale and Jacob under water

A Taste of Winter

We had a little taste of winter yesterday. We had a few flurries, but mostly little ice pellets that didn't stick. Most people got enough snow to make a few snowballs and even snowmen, but not us. I went to pick the girls up from the church last night and it snowing by the church. As we got about a mile and a half from our house it stopped. I was disappointed to not have any snow on the ground this morning.

Ice pellets on the patio chairs

Nothing to do with the weather, just a cute picture of Sammie on her first snow day.

Sideways Flurries. I had the camera sideways and I can't flip the footage around.

Another shot of the flurries and the steam coming off the pool. We were heating the pool for a Priest Activity.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Living in Houston, Texas you don't exactly get the feeling of Winter during the Christmas Season, although today is the exception. It has been between 34 and 36 degrees all day with strong wind and rain,in fact it just started to sleet, but it will warm up in a few days. Back to my point, since we don't have too much winter weather, I have to decorate the house to make it look like Christmas. This is what I've been up to. Sorry that there are so many pictures, I was going to do a slide show, but then I couldn't describe my pictures.

The Nativity in my Living Room

All the stocking s hung with care

This is my Music Tree. You cant really see all the instruments on it. It has french horns, violins, trumpets, notes and ribbons and angels, bows, gold, cream and burgundy ornaments and cream and burgundy stuffed fabric hearts. This tree is in the piano room.



The Nativity in the entry way

Looking up the stairs

The Dining Room. I have 3 small Christmas trees and put lights on my ficus tree. There is also another Nativity just below the mirror.

This is my Sports tree. I had a zillion sports pictures of my kids so I laminated them and got some sports ball ornaments and slapped them on a tree. I also have stars with their names on them. There is gold and silver star garland on it. I need to make one of those mums I talked about in a previous blog to put on top.

Close up of Sports tree

This is the potpourri tree. My mom gives all her grand kids a ornament every year so they are all on the tree. It also has all the ornaments the kids have made and all the ones we get from others.

The Family room upstairs.

Another view of the potpourri tree

This is my Food tree, at least that's what the neighbors call it. I string popcorn and cranberries, make real gingerbread men, add some candy canes and real cinnamon sticks bundles together. Some of the non edibles are fake apples, bows, bells, and pine cones. Kind of an Old Fashion Tree.

Living Room

Another shot of the living room

Outside

Another outside shot

Hope everyone is have a safe and happy Holiday Season!!