2012 Smith Family Christmas Letter: By The Numbers

In case you haven't seen it yet, here is our 2012 Christmas letter and photo. We truly hope you all had magical Christmases with your loved ones. Happy New Year, too!

THE SMITH FAMILY’S 2012: BY THE NUMBERS

8 lb, 13 oz            Our adorable angel, Cambria, joined the Smith Family fun on 07.16. We simply could not ask for a sweeter, happier baby. She had some early health issues, but is doing great now. Her siblings love her to pieces, literally and figuratively. She is joy!

1,276                    Miles from our home to Disneyland (roundtrip). We made our annual February pilgrimage to “The Happiest Place on Earth” and had an incredibly magical time there together. 

2 hrs, 15 min     Amount of time Tayah attends kindergarten each day. We cannot believe how quickly our children are growing up! Our spunky redhead loves her English/Spanish immersion class, her teacher, her friends, playing, and being five.

37                           Page number of the BYU Magazine fall issue where all the Smith women—Elizabeth, Kadence, Tayah, and even Cambria (though not visible J)—are featured in an ad.

100%...                 …BOY: our Stockton. In the midst of all the femaleness that surrounds him is our little man. What an active, wonderful, cuddly boy we have! Stockton turned three, loves sports, anything with wheels, and being Daddy’s partner in crime.

7                             Years we have loved living in Springville, Utah—and loved is an understatement. We are amazed by the stellar examples of our neighbors and 20^th Ward friends. So very blessed.

1^st                           Grade for Kadence. Hard to believe our oldest goes to school all-day now. She reads 24/7, is bueno in her Spanish studies, and is a budding artist. Our shy girl is starting to break more out of her shell. Kadence just dotes on her baby sister.

Once…                   -in-a-lifetime experience when David went to a game as a guest of Utah Jazz owner Greg Miller. They sat on the 1st row and were on TV. David still enjoys writing a Deseret News article for each game, while blogging and writing for the Utah Jazz website.

#1                           Elizabeth is easily the world’s best wife and mother (no bias here). Besides being Mommy to four children six-years and under, she teaches Primary, takes care of Activity Days, serves on the PTA Board, and always has projects inside and outside the house.

10 (+1)                 Ladies at the Torgesen Girls Only Party. Elizabeth (and Cambria) enjoyed a well-deserved vacation with her mother, sisters, and sisters-in-law down in Houston. Four days of games, food, evenings out, painting, crafts, visiting, and bonding.

10-4                       After 10 years in Annual Giving, the past four as Director, David accepted a new position at LDS Philanthropies. While a bittersweet change, he is excited to be a Donor Stewardship Officer, working more with donors and legacy societies.

Innumerable     Diapers we changed this year; people David put to sleep with his monthly High Council talks; “time-outs” administered; smiles, laughs, and memories shared as a family.  

We hope this Christmas letter finds you all well, happy, and loving life. You each bless our lives in many immeasurable ways—so many that we simply cannot quantify. May this be a beautiful season for you!

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

With love,

David, Elizabeth, Kadence, Tayah, Stockton, and Cambria Smith

O Come, Emmanuel - Christmas Version - ThePianoGuys

In the summertime, our entire LDS Philanthropies team was given a special tour of the Jerusalem Set down in Goshen. This is the place where all the touching, amazing, and penetrating Church Bible videos are filmed. It was a spiritual experience and may prove to be the closest I ever come to the Holy City itself. Who knows?

Anyway, this video combines that remarkable locale with images of our Savior's birth and the music of our family's favorite musicians: the Piano Guys. If you have no taken this in yet, prepare to be moved, perhaps to tears. Just a beautiful reminder of Jesus Christ and how very much He loves us.

Merry Christmas!

Rudolph - Merry Christmas - ThePianoGuys

To get you in the Christmas mood, if you're not already, Scrooge!

O Come, Emmanuel - (Piano/Cello) - ThePianoGuys

A beautiful song to help you feel the joy of Christmas, featuringJon Schmidt, Steven Sharp Nelson, and the Piano Guys. Filmed at the Church's remarkable Jerusalem set. Very touching.

Family Photo Fun

First off, here is our family photo for our annual Christmas letter (which we'll post in due time). Elizabeth did a fantastic job, going from one store to another to get us matching so well. We had originally intended to have our family pictures taken that day outdoors, but Mother Nature did not comply. Thanks to our good neighbor, Matt, for snapping this shot for us.

Hurricane Sandy- Mormon Helping Hands

If you have eight minutes, this is an amazing way to spend it. I wholeheartedly adhere to the belief that people are inherently good. When tragedy strikes, it unites us. The best in us can emerge and in doing so, we see the Savior's visage in our countenance. This video shows that. The Mormon Helping Hands is a tremendous brand, because when I see those vests, I see power, honor, and warm hearts.  

Lessons for Daddy

This last week, Elizabeth and Cambria were able to have a well-deserved vacation, joining up with Elizabeth's mother, sisters, and sister-in-law for the biannual Torgesen Girls Weekend. Hopefully Elizabeth will take the time to blog about their adventures (hint, hint; nudge, nudge). I am glad that she had this time, for with four little ones, she needed the chance to recharge her batteries.

In the meantime, while I was able to spend time with our sweet kids those four days, I was privy to some important, meaningful, and amazing lessons.

• No matter how long, difficult, complex, or challenging a day we fathers may have at work, they most often pale in comparison to the days our wives experience.
• Playing in the snow together is rejuvenating. Snowballs, snow angels, frozen digits, and big boots. One of the best parts is the hot chocolate (with marshmallows, of course). And snuggling afterward.
• I loved getting to know our adorable children even better. Such personalities!
• For instance, our kids, including Stockton, enjoy Rom Coms. Two of our movie nights were spent watching "Sleepless in Seattle" and "One Fine Day"--both of their choosing!
• Every child is going to have a fit each day. There is no escaping that.
• Every parent is going to have a "moment" each day. There is no escaping that.
• Breakfast for dinner? Yes, please!
• Siblings just have an innate ability to push each other's buttons. Multiple times a day.
• Elizabeth does so much and I'm grateful for every bit of it. From teaching our children vital lessons, listening to them, nurturing them, chauffeuring them, Band-Aiding them, and sitting alone at church with these angels the past 6 1/2 years...you are wonderful!
• Patience is a virtue, and sometimes I'm not as "virtuous" as I'd like to be.
• We are all--children and parents--works in progress. 
• Bedtime can be among the most frustrating times. But more often than not, they can be the most spiritual moments. A sleeping child is one of the most beautiful sights I've ever beheld. So peaceful. 
• Stockton and I loved our alone time while the girls were at school, including basketball at the church. This will undoubtedly be a constant for us over the next several decades :). 
• Children love being given responsibilities. It is so important we teach them how to work.
• The simplest things are the best things.  
• There is no greater feeling than that moment when you are reunited together as a family. Each and every member of the family is irreplaceable and precious. All the more reason to work hard together to have eternity and forever as a family. 
• There are so many helps in life: Church, school teachers, loving neighbors, Primary, etc. But the responsibility of raising our children up in righteousness rests squarely on the shoulders of the parents. We cannot pass this on to anyone else. It is a sacred calling. We have been charged to raise these precious children of our Heavenly Father, to teach them principles, and to love them. 
• Of all the joys I've experienced in life, nothing compares to being a husband and father. I LOVE BEING a DADDY!