This is a shot I'll keep forever. Christmas night, 2008...the girls were absolutely spent and as I read a book to them, they both put their heads on my shoulders simultaneously. The beautiful perks of being a Daddy to two sweet girls.



The day after Christmas was our Smith Family get-together at our place. Thanks for braving the snow and ice that day. We had a fantastic time together and our girls were amazed to have Christmas all over again! Please note that Kadence and Tayah received three dress-up sets and are positively enamored with them. Kadence is in her Cinderella dress--by far her favorite outfit!

12 Days of Christmas

Here are the things I did for Elizabeth and the girls for this year's version of the Twelve Days:



12 Drummers Drumming- Nutcrackers, plus a dozen roses for E and flowers for K and T



11 Pipers Piping: a Mormon Tabernacle Choir CD, both for the pipes in the organ and the pipes they use for singing!



10 Lords A'Leaping: tickets to the 01.31 BYU Basketball game



9 Ladies Dancing: Mamma Mia! on DVD. Such a great movie, minus Pierce Brosnan's HORRIBLE voice!



8 Maids A'Milking: eight items with milk, including egg nog



7 Swans A'Swimming: Barbie Swan Princess



6 Geese A'Laying: Ferrero Rocher (resembles geese eggs!)



5 Golden Rings: donuts for breakfast!



4 Calling Birds: White Christmas



3 French Hens: Disney Princesses CD player, since many of these maids hail from France (a stretch, I know!).



2 Turtle Doves: Dove Chocolates

and 1 Partridge in a Pear Tree: a fun Christmas Book, with the Twelve Days in it.

I had fun doing this, but it was difficult trying to match it up with the word's actual lyrics (rather than just 12 of something, 11 of another, etc.). Merry Christmas Elizabeth, Kadence, and Tayah. We'll do it again next year!

Christmas Eve Party

Elizabeth's family had a tradition growing up of a Christmas Eve party. They would make some fun finger foods and then would go caroling. We have done it since we got married, minus the caroling. This time, we invited the Wilkins and Dad, Donna, Carissa, and Grandma Nelson. It was so much fun. After eating, we gathered the girls first for a rousing reading of Twas the Night Before Christmas. They listened with raptured attention, as evidenced by these photos:




Okay, so maybe Tayah was a little too antsy to sit the entire time...



We then sang some carols and followed that up with our attempt at reading the Nativity. The girls loved acting it out.



Here's Mary (Kadence) and Joseph (Maili) riding the donkey (Elizabeth volunteered for this role!). Notice Mary is "great with child," as we stuffed the "Baby Jesus" doll under her fleece.



The angel (Tayah)came to visit the shepherds (Kevin, Kristi, and basically everone else). She did a fine job leading the heavenly choruses!



Here's Maili, borrowing Grandma Nelson's cane as a staff.

What a fun time...thanks everyone!

Christmas Candids

Here are a few photos we didn't use for our Christmas letter:



It's terrible, I know, but I think Tayah's sad face is pretty cute--squinched eyes, square lip...so sad!



A Daddy/daughter snuggle shot.

We've had so much fun this week. It's just so wonderful to be together as a family. Saturday, we finished our shopping, wrapping, etc. It's nice to not have to rush out this week.

Sunday saw Elizabeth and I singing in the ward choir. I was also able to speak on Christmas and its meaning to me.

Monday, we were engulfed in snow and I loved it! Elizabeth worked for hours in the kitchen, preparing our neighborhood gifts (Rice Krispie Christmas wreaths) and we had a ball delivering them in the snow! It was so peaceful to watch the snow fall and the girls were patient as we'd leave the car idling and both of us would run plates out on both sides of the street. We've also concluded that dinner at Bajio's is always a good thing.

Yesterday, we went to the church to let the girls get out some energy. We got new basketballs for my birthday and it was great breaking them in. We read all our Christmas books and have been plowing through each of our Christmas CD's (have to listen to all of them at least once this season!). In the evening, we headed to Sandy for the Nelson Family party (Donna's side). We had a fun time and the girls loved the gifts from Great Grandma Nelson. To finish things off, Kevin and I delivered the giving tree items. It was amazing to see the generosity of our ward members. People were so excited to help and we actually had numerous additional presents dropped off at our house (including toys our Young Men bought with their own money). The love that exists this time of year is what Christmas is all about.

Kadenceisms:
-holding her church slip, she exclaims "Aunt Kara, this is my bra!"
-"Mammaria...here I go 'gain...my, my...how can I resistya" (she's on a huge Mamma Mia! kick)
-"My birthday's next...but after Baby Jesus' birthday!"

Tayahisms:
-"Luv you!"
-She's started to say Daddy and Mommy instead of Dada and Mama. Melts your heart. She also asks for Kadence first thing in the morning.

Smith Family Christmas Letter 2008

Here is the Christmas letter we mailed out to family and friends. If you didn't get one, our apologies! We're either missing addresses, ran out of time, or just don't care about you as much as you thought :). Whatever the case may be, here it is!



2008 Smith Family Awareness Exam (SFAE)

Please mark the box next to your answer. There is a strict time limit of one hour give or take 55 minutes either way. Cheating in any form will not be tolerated (unless it’s really creative). The welfare of the world rests on the results of this test…or something dramatic like that.


1- Kadence (age 2 ¾) does what each week?
 A: Attends a neighborhood preschool with her friends (including tied-together-at-the-hip best friend Maili)
 B: Joyfully (or grudgingly) goes to Nursery on Sunday
 C: Looks forward to library trips
 D: All of the above

2- Tayah (18 months) accomplished what in 2008?
 A: Learned how to walk
 B: Perfected being the cutest red-headed (still!) baby the world has ere seen
 C: Can now jabber like there’s no tomorrow
 D: All of the above

3- Elizabeth (almost the big 3-0) carries what job titles?
 A: Mother Extraordinaire
 B: Laurel Class Advisor in Young Women’s
 C: Green Thumb
 D: Girls’ Life Guard (weekly Seven Peaks trips)
 E: All of the above

4- The family made excursions to which exotic locales?
 A: Old Town, ID (Dad and Mom T’s new digs)
 B: Park City, UT
 C: Lake Powell
 D: Antananarivo, Madagascar
 E: A, B, and C

5- David (1 yr older than Elizabeth) spends his time doing what?
 A: Working at LDS Philanthropies (BYU Telefund)
 B: Loving life as father of two angelic daughters
 C: Serving as 1st Counselor in the Bishopric
 D: Cheering on the Utah Jazz (when they win…)
 E: All of the above

6- The Smith Family made what purchases in 2008?
 A: Honda Odyssey (sans the stick figure family decals)
 B: Much more landscaping for our yard
 C: A dog
 D: A & B (David + canines= that one warm place freezing over)

7- What constantly goes up and down in the Smith house?
 A; Kadence’s desire to use the “big girl potty”
 B: Kadence and Tayah’s moods (girls will be girls)
 C: Our 401K
 D: All of the above

8- What were highlights for the D and E Smith’s?
 A: Torgesen Family Reunion in July
 B: Kara (E’s sister) and Scott’s wedding
 C: David being featured on a BYU-TV story
 D: Hosting 86 people (and 42 pies) for Thanksgiving

 E. All of the above

9- Kadence and Tayah engage in what daily activities?
 A: Concocting exquisite and culinary creations in their gastronomic laboratory (aka play kitchen)
 B: Big sister “helps” baby sister learn the lessons of life
 C: Hugging and kissing each other
 D: Hitting, shoving, pushing and pulling each other
 E: All of the above

10- David and Elizabeth broadened their horizons by doing what?
 A: Finally joined in on the Harry Potter phenomena
 B: Watching The Office and Lost almost religiously
 C: Keeping up w/ the movies (thanks be to Red Box)
 D: Hitting the occasional concert or play
 E: All of the above

Bonus: The Smiths gladly welcome which of the following?
 A: Phone calls
 B: E-mails (with photos)
 C: Visits
 D: Cash, securities, real estates, deeds, life insurance policies, antiques, and rare artwork
 E: All of the above

Please score yourselves using the answer key provided below. A perfect score of 10 gets you that much closer to heaven. A score between 7 and 9 will give you the title of an excellent friend or relative, thus keeping you in our good graces. Tallying 5 or 6 indicates a definite need to brush up on our ever enthralling lives by spending more time with us. A total of 4 or less seriously jeopardizes your receiving a Christmas letter in 2009 (and a “Bah Humbug” to you!).

2008 has been a simply fantastic year for us, full of memories, great experiences, and cherished time with family and friends. We hope the same can be said for each of you. Please know how much we love and think about you all, although our infrequent contact may suggest otherwise. May the holidays find you well. We love this time of year, as we celebrate the birth and life of Jesus Christ. He is what it is all about. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Until next year…

Answer key: 1-D, 2-D, 3-E, 4-E, 5-E, 6-D, 7-D, 8-E, 9-E, and 10-E

Adore my Daughters

Love that smile...



"Daddy, will you dance with me?"

Fun With Frosting...

Tayah + sugar cookies =

Candy Windows and Christmas Fun!

First off, the 12 days of Christmas are going and going strong. It's getting harder and harder each year to think of new ideas. We'll give you the full list later on...

My last day of work for a while was Monday and even that was a retreat with our team. I sure enjoy the people I work with. It's always a wonderful way to cap off a wonderful year. Now, it's pure family time!

Tuesday, we went on an evening walk to see the Provo Center Street candy window displays. The girls loved seeing the images of, you guessed it, the Twelve Days of Christmas! Had it not been for the bitterly cold weather, we'd have enjoyed it a touch more! Here are some photos from the chilly night...should've gotten closer photos of the displays themselves.





One of the gifts I bought the girls was Mamma Mia! on DVD. We watched it the other afternoon and now our girls are walking around the house spouting out Abba songs. We have two regular Dancing Queens on our hands.

Two Angels

Some pictures do not need any captions. Here are three...

Christmas Activities

We're doing a better job inviting our camera to accompany us to activities, but it's a work in progress. Some of the Christmas events we've attended, minus any visual proof include our ward Christmas party (great night with LOTS of people; Elizabeth and I sang with the ward choir and the girls loved the lights, music, and food), a craft and gift fair down in Spanish Fork, a family dinner celebrating my birthday (thanks everyone again for the love and gifts!) and our BYU Telefund Christmas banquet. We've also managed to watch most of the Church's Noel DVD's and last year's staple during our drive to ID/WA, A Christmas Story (or as Kadence lovingly dubbed, "Ralphie Christmas"). These fun activities sure add to the spirit of things!

Here is one tradition we've started--the BYU Christmas party. It's simple and fun, plus how can one turn down all-you-can-eat Creamery donuts?



At the entrance. Kadence, for some reason, is pretty big on nutcrackers...even though we don't have any!!



The BYU SA sets up several booths. The girls colored, did a cake walk, watched fishing (they didn't actually want to GO fishing), etc. Kadence's favorite, by far, was the balloon pit. Love static electricity's contribution to her hair!




We didn't want to wait in line for an hour to visit with Kris Kringel, so this Santa sufficed



Tayah was mesmerized with the large Nativity set.

Christmas Decorating

In efforts to catch up, we'll do several mini entries. Two weeks ago, we decorated our house. Is there honestly anything better than the feeling you get when you pull out the boxes, forgetting that you had some of these wonderful decorations. Setting up the tree, eating fun treats, and all to blaring Christmas music...pure joy. Here are some photos from the fun:



Kadence was so excited to put the "beautiful angel" on the top.



Tayah tried to make the tree skirt, her skirt!



My three girls reveling in the Chrismtas fun. I love this scene...

November Nuts and Bolts

Here are our girls having fun before Kara and Scott's reception.



Sorry for the leave of absence...we've been just a little busy (code for really busy). We promise to catch up on things, but first, here is November's Nuts and Bolts entry:

11.01: Coming off the previous night’s sugar high, Kadence helped me conduct a baptism. We shook off our disbelief that it was already November!
11.02: We were thrilled to participate in Darrell and Tanya’s big day as they blessed baby Gavin. Both father and son did a fine job during the blessing. There was a good turnout of family.
11.04: Like all of you, we watched the election results (having taken advantage of the early voting). We had all 85 of the BYU Telefund employees over to our house for team meetings, refreshments, and fun.
11.05: After doing our due research, we refinanced and worked out a nice new mortgage plan that should enable us to cut off many years of payments. The girls are thrilled, for that means more money in the future (if they don’t take it all by then)!
11.06-11.09: Elizabeth headed to Houston for a girls’ weekend with Mom, sisters and sisters-in-law. They had a ball going to the temple, having a spa day, shopping, eating, watching movies and being together. It was a very well-deserved weekend. David and the girls not only survived, but had a wonderful time together going to museums, going shopping, and visiting family. Thanks to Mother who spent two days with us and friends for watching the girls during sacrament meeting. Sunday evening, I attended Stake Priesthood meeting.
11.12: Elizabeth dropped by the Enrichment craft group.
11.13: Elizabeth and I attended the Stake Young Women in Excellence program, where she and the girls sang a beautiful number.
11.14: Elizabeth picked up Dad and Mom Torgesen from the airport and that evening, we all attended Kara’s (Elizabeth’s sister) endowment session. Always wonderful to go to the temple, especially with family.
11.15: Elizabeth and Mom helped throw one of Kara’s bridal showers. My crew had an early Saturday morning breakfast together.
11.18: Kadence loved having preschool here, with Mommy giving the lesson. She has thoroughly enjoyed this and it is easily the highlight of her week.
11.20: Had our annual bishopric planning meeting.
11.21 Tayah and Kadence were excited to have a bevy of neighborhood girls over for the weekly playgroup. Daddy hid upstairs, as there was a definite not a male in sight! That evening, we had about 20 people over for the Young Women leaders’ holiday gathering. We had lots of food and played some fun games. We love our ward and everyone in it. The first of family came to our house, helping have someone staying with us for nearly two weeks.
11.22: We celebrated Donna and Connor’s birthday, as well as an early Thanksgivng at Darrell and Tanya’s house. Besides Kadence being sad and scared (of their big dog Jake) and BYU’s horrible performance at Utah, it was a splendid get-together, as always!
11.24: I attended Carissa’s play, The Sound of Music, at Mountain View. Way to play Carissa!
11.25: The Torgesens hold a pre-wedding dinner for family the evening before weddings and it was wonderful getting to be with each other.
11.26: Kara and Scott’s big day. We’re so glad Kadence and Tayah were good for the cousins and friends we left 28 kids with! Elder L. Tom Perry performed the sealing, as he was Mom’s seminary teacher. It was a spiritual ceremony. The weather was nice and cold for photos. We had the luncheon, following by preparing things for the reception that evening. I made it to the Smith Family Thanksgiving, just in time to see Mary Sue win the Cranberry Rock-off for the second time!
11.27: The morning began with 2 ½ hours of hoops. The last time I played full-court basketball, sadly enough, was six months previous at the Torgesen family reunion. Good times! After hours of cooking and preparing, we had 86 people at our church for Thanksgiving dinner. Oh…and 42 pies! We managed to find lots of time to follow the song’s advice and Count our Many Blessings.
11.28: Black Friday saw us warm at home in our covers. Nothing too great to interrupt our slumber too early. The girls loved having cousins here during the week and were sad to see everyone leave. After dinner at the Creamery, we bid farewell to many, but were glad Granny and Gramps could stay with us for several more days. The girls ate up the alone time with their grandparents!
11.29: I had the privilege of conducting my first funeral, as the bishop was out of town. It was a spiritual experience and I was honored to be part of the services. Elizabeth helped cook the meal. That afternoon, we attended a Christmas craft fair in Spanish Fork.
11.30: The other counselor and I taught a combined youth lesson on technology and the media.

Tayah is a little chatterbox and will often entertain herself and her stuffed friends and dolls for quite a while. She learns new words constantly and remembers them. She even loves talking on the phone with Daddy. She and Kadence both had a rocky return to sleeping normalcy, but all’s well in Zion now. They play together really well, but have their little quarrels and spats that only little kids can have.

Kadence is making some slow progress potty-wise, but we’ve earmarked Christmas break for some prime potty time. Wish us luck! When playing with friends, she alternates between being very outgoing and very standoffish, sometimes within seconds of each other. Tayah definitely is the fearless one. We love our two girls so much!

Elizabeth and I are up to the same shenanigans. We’re pretty boring when you think about it. And with that, we head into December and all the Christmas cheer. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year and we hope it really is for all of you!