Daughters of Heavenly Father

Elizabeth and I were able to head up to girls camp for the third consecutive year and we're already looking forward to next year! It really is a highlight for us to join our girls and YW leaders for bishopric night. Our stake meets up at Heber Valley Girls Camp, nestled in the picturesque, serene mountains. Let's clarify one thing: it's definitely not camping! In fact, it's the Club Med of girls camp. They sleep in lodges, have beds, showers (proud that most of our girls didn't take advantage of that!), refrigerators, flushing toilets, etc. They even leave a mint of your pillow each morning :). All joking aside, it is a beautiful location for the YW and they had a wonderful time. Everyone was smiling and you could certainly tell that friendships and testimonies were strengthen and cemented. The Wilkins and we were able to bring up dinner, which was followed by a memorable program and lesson by President Norman. We then broke into our testimony meeting. Very spiritual...the exact opposite you'd see from our Young Men!

We are so proud of our girls. They are enthusiastic, sweet, and courageous all at the same time. Elizabeth loves her laurels and I'm so glad that the YW are surrounded by stellar sisters who are examples of what a daughter of Heavenly Father should be. It's been a joy for me to work with the YW and I look forward to many more choice experiences like this. Thank you girls!

Happy Birthday Tayah!

Hard to believe that our baby girl is one today. The time goes by all too quickly. We have loved having your little spirit in our home. You make everything better. It is such a joy to watch you learn and grow. Please know how much we love you Tayah. You and Kadence are the joys of our life!

Girlisms

Kadenceisms:

"My finger is taking a shower!" (when washing her hands)
"My eyes are sad!"

Tayahisms:

"Up...up...up..." (she says this a lot)
Giving kisses (all day long...so full of love)

Both girls are more the proficient at throwing tantrums, with Tayah following her sister's lead. They are usually very good at playing together, but Kadence's "big sister" instincts are officially kicking in...typically resulting in a good shove, push, or whap. Tayah in turn will look to Daddy or Mommy for consolation. They both know how to work it!

Weekend Visitors

We loved having Brian (Elizabeth's brother) and Jamie Torgesen stop over for a quick visit on their way to a family reunion. While it was short, Kadence and Tayah were thrilled to play with their cousins Chase, Sadie Mae, and Addie (as you can see above!).

Saturday evening, we had a block party on our street. I know most people out there think their neighbors are the best. Hate to say this, but you're all wrong...you'd be hard pressed to beat ours. We're surrounded by wonderful friends.

Too busy to write!

It's not what we've done...it's what we haven't done the past week! Here's the run-down:



Wed, 06:11: Elizabeth takes the girls on the first weekly Primary/Enrichment activity. They went on a short hike to see some falls. I had a training meeting with my entire staff that evening.



Thurs, 06.12: We wake the girls up at 6:15 AM to take in the hot air balloons for Springville's Art City Days. How fun was this?! While it was chilly, the girls' eye were wider that plates as they watched the balloons get blown up and sent off into the great blue yonder. Later that morning, we hit the BYU Museum of Art to take part in a medieval festival of sorts. They had face-painting, dancing, castle building, etching, storytelling, and treats to boot. Kadence and Tayah loved the balloons that came home with us.



Fri, 06.13: My day off. We took in the Orem Summerfest where Kadence was daring enough to ride not only the merry-go-round (w/ Daddy), but a car ride (da solo). It was a warm day! We then attended my cousin Jonathan's wedding reception in Provo and enjoyed visiting with our relatives, some of whom we've not seen for a while.

Sat, 06.14: We celebrated the June birthdays in our family up at my mother's abode in SLC. We always have such a great time together! When we got home, we took two cranky, hot girls to the Springville fair (which incidentally enough, produced too cranky, hot parents :). Kadence rode some rides, but was pretty ornery throughout. The scone we had was worth it all! We also enjoy supporting our little city.



Sun, 06.15: Happy Father's Day to me! Elizabeth and girls made a special day with a huge breakfast, fun gifts, and many snuggles, hugs, and kisses. How special is it to be a daddy?! The bishopric spoke in sacrament meeting and I was grateful for that opportunity. Afterward, we had the family down to our place for a Father's Day gala. We love the fathers in our lives! Above is a photo of all six Smith grandchildren/cousins (with a baby boy on the way!).

Since then, we've been decompressing and deservedly so. One of resolutions was to find new, exciting things to do as a family. Frankly, we're proud of ourselves!

Out of the mouth of babes...

Kadence can sing the ABC's in French. Yes, French! As part of our toothbrushing routine, we sing them in English while we brush and then while we rinse, we sing in French. Out of the blue one day, she starts piping out French-style. What a smart girl!

Tayah can say Mama too! She loves all the interactive songs like Itsy Bitsy Spider, Popcorn Popping, Pat-a-cake, etc. Her giggle is the cutest sound!

We had a fun outing Monday. Elizabeth took Tayah in to BYU to participate in some infant testing. We then made a trip to the Creamery. Kadence went to town on her lunch, especially the ever wonderful Creamery ice cream.

It's fun to hear Kadence chime out, "Look, the BYU!" Our brainwashing experiment on our girls is working...they're already Cougars at heart!

These Are The Days

First, here are some shots of our exciting Saturday night dinner at the one and only Burger King.

Random Experiences and Stories:
-Last week, a little three-year old boy went missing in our neighborhood. While it was a scary 1 1/2 hours, it ended well (he was found about a mile away!) and the turn-out was amazing. Another true testament that people are inherently good.
-Kadence continues to enjoy anything musical at all. Lately, her bedtime routine has included a few songs from The Sound of Music, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat (or as she calls it, sha la la Joseph), West Side Story, and Les Miserables.
-Tayah can now say "Mama!" as she signs Mommy!
-We had some insulation added in our attic, so hopefully that will help quell the summer heat just a touch. Our wonderful neighbor also helped us install ceiling fans in our girls' rooms, as well as the den.