BYU Weekly Story

There is so much to wrote about (Kara and Scott's wedding festivities, Thanksgiving, the vaunted Smith Family cranberry rock-off, etc.), but we are in the midst of Christmas decorating and still have a lot of family in town. This will be brief.

BYU Television finally aired the story they filmed three months ago. Kadence and Tayah were home sick with Elizabeth on Sunday, but they enjoyed seeing Daddy on TV. Just click on this entry title and it should take you the website, but just in case, you can simply go to www.byuweekly.byu.edu and click on the Faces of BYU link toward the bottom left (or the list of stories on the scroll down menu bottom right. It is listed under Triple Majors). They definitely spend more time with the other guy, but no worries. Love to hear what you think!

Thanksgiving in our Hearts (and Stomachs)

Friday night we had all the Young Women's leaders and husbands over for dinner and games. What a wonderful group of people. Thanks to interesting array of games, we learned a lot more about people (sometimes more than we wanted to!). Thanks for a fun evening everyone!

Well, BYU was not able to dent Utah's season, falling 48-24. It seems like every now and then, a team comes around that seemed destined for greatness and nothing can impede that. Well, this year is Utah's. Hopefully, Bronco and the boys will come back even stronger next year. Most of the crew from a 10-2 team is returning, so let's go BCS'ing in '09, shall we? It was still a wonderful season and we'll be bowling next month.

We celebrated Thanksgiving with my parents yesterday, while celebrating my stepmother/our grandmother and nephew/cousin's birthdays. There is nothing like gathering around the Thanksgiving table with loved ones. We love you guys and are so grateful to be in the family we are. Here are some quick snap shots from the day:



Here's Kadence, Elayna and Aubrey helping Connor extinquish some candles.



After no nap Friday or Saturday, it's safe to say Kadence wasn't too grateful for much before lunch!



Cousins...



Nothing like a candid Thanksgiving preparation scene.

Hair time

Here are a pair of cute girls just getting their hair done, courtesy of Mommy.



We love Kadence and Tayah!



By the way, does anyone else thing Elizabeth needs to do more of these entries? I thought so!

Girls weekend

Okay, so I'm a little slow at posting, but better late than never. Two weeks ago my wonderful husband let me go down to Houston to have a weekend with my sisters and mom. David stayed home with the girls while I was gone from Thursday morning (6th) until Sunday night (9th). By Thursday night we were all at my sister Denise's house and having a great time talking, eating, and playing games (what we do best:). Thursday afternoon we all went (minus Kara whose flight didn't come in until later that night) to the Houston Temple.

Friday morning found us at a spa where Denise had gotten us all in to various appointments. I've never been to a spa before but quickly decided it was definitely something I could get used to. I got a manicure and a massage. I also used their hot tub, tried out the steam room for the first time and went in the sauna (I've only done that on my mission, and that was fully clothed). It was relaxing and I really liked it. We went out to eat at a favorite restaurant of Kara's called Los Cucos (a mexican restaurant) after the spa and I actually deviated from the chimichanga or usual Bajio salad I always order. Andrea and I split a meal and tried a stuffed avocado. It was one of the best things I've ever eaten. They stuff an avocado with your choice of meat (we got chicken fajita) and then cover it with mozzarella cheese and then put some kind of breading on the outside and of course, fry it! It was like a mozzarella stick with lots of extra yummy stuff! Saturday found us shopping, trying to find great deals which most were successful at, and eating lunch at Chick-Fil-A (now I can't remember how you spell that). Before our shopping spree, a good family friend, Judy, came over to Denise's and took lots of group pictures for us.

Sunday found us eating more, packing, then heading to church with Denise, and then most of us leaving for the airport directly from or soon after church. Marie, Carter, Kara and I were all able to be on the same flight back to Salt Lake, so we had fun visiting even more. The whole weekend was great. I ate way too much food (especially a new found love of chocolate covered pomogranites from Costco), stayed up too late, and had a lot of fun with everyone. David and the girls did wonderful without me (but I'm glad they did miss me and wanted me back as much as I missed them). Thanks again David for being supportive and such a great husband!

Busy Times, Wonderful Times

Kadence is obsessed with weddings and anything associated with them. She loves looking at our wedding photos, as well as our wedding video. Above all, she adores wedding dresses. Here she is wearing one--actually a wedding slip. She's not even three yet and I'm already losing my little girl to marriage!

What a busy week! Due to some illness at work, I ended up working all six days last week and missed "Daddy's day off." Thank goodness we'll be able to make it up in December (most of the month off). Not only that, but it was an extremely busy week there. I won't bore you with the details, but suffice it to say, it's been one thing after another.

Thursday evening, Elizabeth and I attended the Stake Young Women in Excellence program. Our girls sang a beautiful number (with Elizabeth and the leaders joining) and our YW displayed their talents. Friday, Dad and Mom Torgesen flew in for the weekend. We all accompanied Kara and Scott that evening for her endowment. Special evening to be in the temple with family. Elizabeth threw a bridal shower for Kara Saturday and then Mom and Dad were in transit back to ID. Sunday was, of course, Sunday...a true day of rest.

Now we get to start another week. Take a deep breath and jump right in!

Mission Memories in Japan

Okay, so the BYU Weekly piece on me is finally going to be shown in one week. As they were finalizing the last finishing touches, they wanted some photos of me, including ones from the magical days in Japan. They scanned them and then e-mailed them to me. I've never taken the time to scan these, which I should. Each photo has so much behind it. Sometimes I can't believe Heavenly Father trusted me enough to give me such an incredible experience. It was indeed the "Best Two Years" ... until Elizabeth and the girls came along. Come join me on this stroll down memory lane...



Here is my MTC district as we all met up together for the first time in Japan...nearly 1 1/2 years in. This was a mission conference where then Elder Eyring was our speaker (and chastised us a bit, but that's a story in itself!).



Nothing is more beautiful than the sakura, or cherry blossoms. This is the month before returning home. My companion, Elder Jones, and I had had a busy few weeks (we were serving in the mission home) and we took a few hours off (after missing a P-day or two) to go to a downtown Tokyo park to take it in. Amazing.



Here I am with TJ Gallini and his wife Kaori. He was a member who met his wife while serving in the military. We got a phone call out of the blue, asking us to come teach her the discussions. Within two months, he was able to baptize his wife. Elder Lewis, one of my favorite companions, got transferred the week of the baptism, so that was bittersweet. Still, a great experience. I hope the Gallinis are doing well!



The day before flying home. So many emotions were going on in my head. It was fun to return home with three of my companions- Elder Palmer (MTC comp), Elder Bishop and Elder Willden.



Just a fun photo with Elder Latham (from my home stake in Orem) and Elder Palmer, one of my closest mission friends.

I love my mission!

Tayah's Bedtime Routine

Right when we started this blog, I described the bedtime routine Kadence and I had. NOw, it's time to document what Tayah and I do. After all, these are the things I'll want to remember years from now when she and Kadence are taking AP classes, having sleepovers, watching cheesy Disney Channel movies (yes, like High School Musical), and, heaven forbid, going on dates!

We first go in a brush her teeth and then choose a book. After the book, I tell her and her friend (a bear, doll or unicorn) to fold them arms. She always excitedly does so too and we say a little prayer. We'll sing one song and then I lay her down. While doing the signs, I say:

"Time to go to sleep in your bed. Daddy loves you (blows a kiss), my baby girl."

The best part is that recently Tayah has started doing the signs before I even say any of these things...sleep, bed, Daddy, baby and girl. She even blows me a kiss...a kiss that melts my heart.

I know you probably don't care about this, but whose blog is this anyway :)?!

All's Well in Zion

Elizabeth is back! She had a wonderful time, but I'll let her fill you all in with the details. I believe she also has some photos to post. There's the challenge right there, Sweetheart!

Now, some things I've jotted down that I've not put into a blog entry yet. I write things down as they happen, so I don't forget. With these two daughters of ours, I'm writing things down constantly. Pardon me if it's a little scattered, but such is my mind (and yours as well...go ahead and admit it).

Tayah's new words: too many to count, but she's got the hang of baby, piano, back pack ("pack pack"), okay, church, tie, candy, fork, spoon, go, and the ever-popular "that" and "this"...usually used for whatever it is that she wants. So much fun!

Kadenceisms:
Upon getting a whiff of Tayah's diaper: "I smell something."

"You gotta be kidding me guys!" (she uses this one pretty well and it cracks us up!)

Daddy, wearing a blue shirt with a black sweater over it: "What do you think Princess?"
Kadence: "You don't match Daddy. You need to change."

They had a fun time walking through the museums and mall holding hands, giggling, and just being a cute pair of sisters.

Lastly, Tayah came up to Kadence and gave her a pretty solid whap to the head. Kadence naturally started crying, so Tayah lovingly patted Kadence shoulder while turning her head to the side. Leave it to an 16-month old to inflict pain and instantly feel compassion and remorse.

I love my girls!

Quite a bit of catching up to do...

Well, here we are...the morning the day Elizabeth returns. Believe it or not, all three of us are still alive and well! In fact, we have had a wonderful time. We've filled each day together as much as possible and we've had a ball. We've spent time with family, visited IKEA, the Bean Museum, and the Springville Art Museum, went shopping, raked (and jumped in) leaves), went out to eat, helped with our ward food drive, and played, played, played. They've slept and eaten pretty well and their hair hasn't been too bad :). A few tantrums here, many hugs and kisses there. An early morning here and a short nap there. I have loved spending this quality time with Kadence and Tayah. Beforehand, there was some apprehension, but in many ways, it's been a very spiritual experience for me. I cherish my daughters and having them both rely on me 24/7 the past four days has caused me to love them more...if that was possible. I also have an even greater appreciation for Elizabeth and the sacred work of a mother. I'm glad she and the Torgesen females have had such a good time.

One more day...church should be interesting, but thankfully enough, my mother's spent the night to help out during my morning meetings, the Hansens are taking them during sacrament meeting, and Dad and Donna will be here to watch them tonight during Priesthood meeting. Always so grateful for family and friends!

First Snow in Springville

Here are scenes at our home yesterday morning. Winter's around the corner and I couldn't be more excited!

BYU Telefund Night @ the Smith Home

Once a semester, we try to have our BYU Telefund crew to our home. We hope it's a good change-of-pace from the normal routine and we love having them here.




The West Team and...



...of course, the East Team!



Jeff and Spencer spicened things up with a memorable song...



...and got some great audience participation along the way!

I don't feel like I've worked too many days since I started this job six years ago. Words cannot express how much I love working with each of these incredible friends and co-workers. They do a remarkable job raising money for BYU and thus, make great things happen. We're having a record-setting year (in spite of some trying economic circumstances) and we're having fun along the way. Thanks BYU Telefund...don't know what I'd do without you!

If you've got the time today, feel free to read our October Nuts and Bolts entry. If you don't...you're missing out!

10.02: Elizabeth coached one of the Young Women volleyball games and has been assisting with most of them.
10.04: What can be said about General Conference. The girls were very cooperative and we were able to get more out of the sessions than last time. Lots of favorite and fitting talks. We had breakfast with many of our neighbors and Kadence and I had our Daddy/daughter date in between sessions. She chose the Springville Museum and an ice cream sundae…again! I need to let her know we can do other things! Dad and I met up at Danny’s church for Priesthood (Darrell was in ID).
10.07: Kadence attends her preschool (really pre preschool) class faithfully each Tuesday morning. In fact, it’s one of her highlights each week. It’s pretty fun to watch seven or eight two-years learning together! Elizabeth enjoys the one-on-one time with Tayah during this. That evening, she attending a YW service project at the local elementary school.
10.07-10.14: At least one of us was sick during this entire week! Kadence had a pretty bad fever, while Elizabeth and I both experienced an extreme 24-hour flu bug. Tayah emerged somewhat unscathed…lucky her. It sure makes you appreciate health. At least one of us parents were coherent while the other was in bed.
10.11: Elizabeth participated in the quarterly Enrichment service project, helping tie together some t-shirt dresses for women in third world countries.
10.16: I attended the BYU President’s Leadership Council meetings, hearing some amazing talks and presentations. The only downer was BYU’s thumping at the hands of TCU!
10.18: Kadence sat with me at a baptism I conducted. We headed up the Woods Cross to celebrate Carissa and Garrett’s birthdays…can’t believe he’s one already! Always good to be with family. We attended our ward’s fall festival. It was quite the event with lots of food, activities, games, costumes and candy. Kadence donned her ballerina costume, while Tayah inherited the lady bug outfit Kadence wore the past two years. We had a great time!
10.22: Elizabeth attended Enrichment book club.
10.23-10.25: We had a fun mini vacation at Park City. We stayed in a condo (for the price of a 90-minute time share presentation…not too painful), went shopping, out to eat, swimming, etc. It was fantastic to be together as a family. On the way back, we stopped to attend our first family BYU Football game. The girls made it through the first half—a major accomplishment!
10.26: I attended a fireside for the parents of our youth where a counselor from our Stake Presidency and his wife were the main speakers.
10.29: The Jazz kicked off the 2008-2009 season with a victory—hopefully the first of many. Go Jazz! Elizabeth went with the youth to the BYU Basketball Tip-off event.
10.30: We made it up to West Valley for the Nelson Family Halloween party.
10.31: The girls LOVED Halloween! We attended Dad and Donna’s trunk-or-treat with the home ward, then made it down to our neighborhood for our first ever bout of actually trick or treating. Kadence and Tayah made us very proud and we’ll be enjoying the spoils for a while .

Other than that, we’ve had memorable Family Home Evenings, little outings here and there, a few trips to the park, and a walk during good weather days. Elizabeth and I took in several movies—even make an excursion out to the theater (now a rarity) to see Forever Strong. An absolute must see.

Kadence is being more and more social at church and with her friends. She is a very good big sister 90% of the time, playing with and teaching her baby sister words. Let’s not even talk about the remaining 10%! She spends her day reading, drawing, cooking in her play kitchen, and playing with her babies. What a sweet little two-year old!

Tayah is really communicating and picks up new words seemingly every day. It is adorable to hear her talk. She is quite independent at times and does her red hair temperament proud. She actually picks on Kadence more than the other way around. Tayah is very cuddly and enjoys snuggle time each day. We love our baby girl.

Elizabeth is busy between the normal mix of Young Women, Enrichment groups, working outside, and being a magnificent mother and wonderful wife. I stay out of trouble thanks to work, church, and family. Life is simply splendid!

Simply Priceless

Here are our girls in the car yesterday. Daylight Savings, combined with Gavin's baby blessing in Sandy, our uncle's 75th birthday party, and a lot of driving will do this to our girls. All that said, it was a wonderful Sunday together as a family!

Halloween Fall-Out

What a fun October 31st, and I think we may face some reprecussions for that on November 1st! We had a full, busy day, culminating in an enjoyable trunk or treat at Grandpa and Grandma's ward (my parents) and then traditional trick or treating in ours. This is the second year we've gone to my home ward's get-together and while there are many unfamiliar faces, there are plenty who are great to see. I certainly was blessed with a fabulous ward growing up. We had a blast going around our neighborhood. THis is the first year we hadn't had a trunk or treat as a ward, so it was different seeing so many children out and about.

When it was all said and done, the girls went to bed a few hours later than normal. Combine that with a little sugar high and we should be having a fun Saturday!

Leave it to us to not take any photos of the actual trick or treating. Perhaps we dress them up, pull out our wagon and stage a few...posterity would never know!