And the Fun Continues!

Will the adventures ever end? Let's hope not! It's been yet another fun week. First, we took in the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point Tuesday. It was crowded and wasn't what we expected, but the girls enjoyed themselves.



Here's Elizabeth sharing her deep knowledge about dinosaurs with the girls.



Hopping on board for a ride...



Nothing like some sisterly love in front of a blood-thirsty shark!




Thursday, we had another wonderful bishopric BBQ courtesy of the Christensens. Amazing food, lots of water and fun for the kids, and some great conversation for the adults. Thanks Kevin and Janelle!



Look at all these cute kids!



Having a good time in the fun house!




We also went out to breakfast Thursday at Magleby's (after "Baby Bruder's" doctor appointment; yes, that's his name for now. We are accepting name suggestions!), went to play group, the library, and some other things that I can't recall right now. Life sure is fun!

Non-Stop Fun!

We're always trying to find new (and old), fun, different, and exciting things to do. To fill you in on our comings and goings for the past few weeks, here's a sampling of what is keeping the Smiths busy and happy these days!

We've loved Thanksgiving Point's $2 Tuesdays this month. Here are some photos of us at the Farm Country. Kadence loved riding the pony, whom she lovingly dubbed Flora.

Tayah called hers Jo-Jo (the name of our neighbors' horse the girls enjoy visiting on walks with Elizabeth).

Feeding the ducks. Although you cannot see the birds themselves, I thought this was a cute shot of our adorable girls!

Up close and personal with a bovine.

Our next excursion was the Thanksgiving Point gardens. I had no clue it was so huge! There is so much to see them: koi pond (girls' favorite, but alas, no photos), waterfall (largest manmade in US), kids area with caves and Noah's Ark, and so on. Here's E, K and T.

The gardens were amazing, immaculate and beautiful, but not nearly as beautiful as our little red-head!

We just bought this carrier, mostly for Tayah and the baby to come...of course, Kadence wanted to be the first to ride it!

Last, but no least (for the photos that is), the annual Cougar Kickoff. We saw huge football players, got free food and drinks, heard some music, and above all, met Cosmo and the cheerleaders. There girls are mesmerized by them!

Other than that, we've also visited the BYU Museum of Art, went to the Utah County Fair in Spanish Fork (rides, exhibits, and the normal fair fare), extended Smith FHE, and this weekend, a fun dinner show with the Wilkins--a improvised Western musical. We sure have fun with life and life, I believe, has fun with us!

July Nuts and Bolts

07.02: Tayah has her two-year check-up and is fit as a fiddle. In fact, she’s now up to the 29% percentile on weight…a high for either daughter. They must be Smiths!
07.03-07.04: We had a fantastic 4th of July weekend. With Friday off, we used it to its fullest with some shopping, dinner out, and playing together. The actual 4th saw us hitting the Provo Parade, something the girls were enraptured with. They especially liked the marching bands (including Aunt Carissa), horses, the bag pipes, and all the “princesses,” otherwise known at beauty queens! We had a quiet evening with a BBQ and some snappers. No, we did not go to the Stadium of Fire, although the Jonas Brothers almost has us there (denote sarcasm here). We’re extremely grateful to live in the US of A!
07.06: Our Family Home Evenings are becoming more interactive…Kadence being more attentive, Tayah being more interactive doing other things!
07.07: We switched over to Comcast (as you can see, July was quite exciting for us). Now we can watch the BYU Football games this season.
07.08: I took pizza over to the Telefund. Boy, I miss see them every day! The new job is going well. There are new and exciting things associated with it, and also the fair share of challenges. Sounds like most jobs!
07.14: We went up as a Bishopric to spend a night with our Young Men at scout camp. We don’t have many boys, but they sure are great. We had a fun time being with them, including the steaks they grilled for us.
07.15: Elizabeth helped team-teach a ward finance lecture about couponing and general shopping saving tips. There were many people there who were thrilled to learn some of these things. Elizabeth probably saves us at least $100 monthly by doing the legwork to find all the great deals. Yep, that’s my wife!
07.16: Our baby boy is also healthy. Two more months and he’ll be here! The girls are ecstatic. Mom and Dad need to crack down and start looking at names…Stockton is on the list!
07.17: Can’t believe it’s been five amazing years! Elizabeth and I celebrated our fifth anniversary with me surprising her and the girls by taking the day off. While the girls stayed with a sitter, we went to dinner, shopping, and to a movie. I am very thankful for Elizabeth and all she means to me!
07.21: We got news that Elizabeth’s Grandma Torgesen suffered a stroke, and two days later, passed away. What a remarkable example of love and Christ-like attributes. We will miss her, but are glad she’s with loved ones.
07.22: Had a fantastic picnic lunch with some dear high school friends. What a great group of people I was blessed with. We’re glad we are able to stay in touch over these many years.
07.24: We took in the Pioneer Day Parade on television, ran some errands, and went to our annual ward party. We had a Dutch Oven cook-off, along with games and activities for the kids. We love our ward.
07.25: After many discussions, Elizabeth decided to go up to Old Town, ID for her grandmother’s funeral service. She left Sunday morning, driving all night with three siblings. The service was beautiful and Spirit-filled, from what I hear. All ten children were there. She then headed back down, arriving Tuesday afternoon. I was able to be with the girls for two+ days. We had a great time together,
especially with Sarah coming down to spend a day. We went to the MOA and to the Creamery.
07.29: We left early morning for Soda Springs, ID for the graveside service. Tayah, of course, decided to throw a huge fit right during the service and prayer. We still love her! We then attended the Oquirh Mountain Temple open house on the way back and had a picnic with the entire Torgesen Family to start our reunion. We had originally planned for it to start on Monday, but had to shift plans. Seeing as it drifted into August, we’ll save the rest for next month’s N & B.
Other than that, the girls continue to grow and learn amazing amounts each day. They both have their moments when their parents’ patience is tried, but they are our angels. Elizabeth is feeling good and continues to have very smooth pregnancies. All’s well for us!

Movie Reviews

We had a wonderful time at the Torgesen Family Reunion and Elizabeth and the girls are enjoying the Lake Powell week. I'll let my much better half recap the festivities of the past week, as well as Grandma Torgesen's funeral services.

In the meantime, let's review some of the recent movies we've seen. It's been a while (four months or so) and you know you can trust us with these reviews...

(500) Days of Summer

I hadn't heard too much about this movie, but was thoroughly impressed. It is a story about love and how it affects us in many ways. This was a comedic, touching, realistic depiction of things. Clearly one of the best movies I've seen in a long time! It took me back to experienced I had (only in a Mormon way!). The two lead characters were outstandingly believeable and the director used some creative ways to tell the story. Definitely worth seeing and thanks Moms for taking me to see this!

Night at the Museum 2: too long, too fluffy, and too many characters. Not my favorite. Started out good, but got worse as the film progressed. A few funny scenes, but Ben Stiller is losing it (not that he ever had "it").

Confessions of a Shopaholic: Pretty much what I expected...formulaic movie that reminded me how much I hate fake people and helped me appreciate even more how grateful I am that Elizabeth is not like the girls that used to (and still) drive me nuts with their obsession with materialism. I did not care for this.

The Proposal

As Elizabeth mentioned, we saw this on our anniversary and we both enjoyed it. It started out so great and was a typical Sandra Bullock romantic comedy. Unfortunately, there were a few unneeded parts. We've seen a lot of Ryan Reynolds' movies recently and think he quite a good actor. Worth a watch.

Knowing: I shown have "known" that this would be a terrible movie, but when you've got a Red Box code, you take the risk. AWFUL. Nicolas Cage has got to be one of the worst actors around. Can't stand any of his movies.

Taking Chance: a short HBO film about an officer who accompanies a soldier's body to his hometown. Extremely touching and patriotic. You can get it at Red Box.

Angels and Demons: We really enjoyed this one...much more that the first film (and that was fairly good too). Exciting, action-packed movie. Best part: Tom Hanks' mullet was no where to be found!

Paul Blart: Kadence could've predicted how this would play out, but it was funny and enjoyable. \

Marley and Me

One of our favorites of the year. Not anything like we expected. It was very touching as it showed the life of a family, using a dog's perspective to help tell the story. Not a dog fan, but a fan of this movie.

Passengers: Not that great. Anne Hathaway has come a long way since the Princess Diaries.

Taken: Pretty exciting, but yet another movie that started out on fire and then just became too much. Extremely violent!

Bride Wars: We really enjoyed this one! Both Hathaway and Kate Hudson do a good job.

Seven Pounds: Interesting plot line, but difficult to watch.

Quantum of Solace: Fairly good. It is, after all, a James Bond movie (I do my best not to hide my feelings here!).

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: I kind of fell asleep, so need to give it another go. It was so extremely slow. Elizabeth thought it was mediocre.

Yes Man: Blah

Bedtime Stories: definitely more for the younger audience, but decent.

Up
Last, but certainly not least, Up was a big family favorite. We took the girls to the theater to see this and although Tayah decided to get some exercise the second half of the movies (laps up and down the aisles), it was yet another great film for Disney!

And there you have it...much too long of an entry, but what can you do?!

Constant Entertainment

We've had a fun three days together! Elizabeth left Sunday morning to attend Grandma Torgesen's funeral up in ID/WA. The girls were absolutely perfect in sacrament meeting, thanks much in part to the Hunsakers for sitting with them! We then were thrilled that Grandma Sarah could spend Sunday night and most of the day Monday with us. She played with and sang to the girls and they loved it. We went shopping, to the Museum of Art, and to the Creamery for lunch. Oh, the wailing and gnashing of teeth that occurred when Grandma had to go. The girls loved the time with her, as did I! The girls have been angels (for the most part :) and we've enjoyed the Daddy/daughters time. We'll see Mommy in a few hours.



Sunday was family dinner time at our house to celebrate Tanya's birthday (thanks for coming down everyone!). We were all excited to have Dad, Donna and Carissa back from their exotic European trip. Here is Grandma Donna surrounded by grandkids...must be gift time!



We absolutely love it when Kadence is a pensive eater! She does this often, and as is par for the course,...



...Tayah tries to follow her example!

Now, why the entry title Constant Entertainment? Well, as the three of us have been together the past three days, my sides have been hurting from the funny and cute things they say and do. Here is proof:

Tayah:

-Promptly after waking up, she beams and exclaims: "I had a good sleep Daddy!"
-"Daddy, Ariel sings 'Aaaaahaaaa Ahahaha!" (you know which part of the Little Mermaid we're talking about. The girls can sing these notes over and over again!)
-"Chack a teme moi" (supposed to be "chante avec moi," as we sing the ABC's in French)
-When we take her to watch her hands, we tell her to stick her "hands in the air." Without skipping a beat, she'll say "Hey Ho! Hey Ho!"
-Sometimes can be so stubborn. If we reprimand her and ask her to say "sorry," she'd rather fester for quite a while before bending. That's our little red-head.

Kadence:

-She's obsessed with the word "forver." Case in point: "I just want to stay here forever!" or "I want to eat ice cream forever!" or "I want to hold you forever Daddy." So fun!
-"Mommy and I had a spicy drink." (a Sonic creamade slush)
-"We flushed Tasha up to Heavenly Father." (after losing yet another fish last night)

How lucky are we to have these girls?!

We Love You Grandma Torgesen!

We received word yesterday that Elizabeth's sweet grandmother passed away early in the morning. She had been struggling with her health recently, but went peacefully. Dad and Mom Torgesen have been living with her the past year to take care of her. We're so grateful for all they've done for her.

She was a sweet and loving person who was a true example of a disciple of Jesus Christ. Grandma Torgesen was so selfless and loved her family. We're thankful the girls were able to spend time with her two Christmases ago, as well as at last year's family reunion.



Here is our family with Grandma.



We love you and will always be grateful for all you've done!

I can't find my mommy!

So, 2 days ago (on Monday) I was putting the girls down for naps and successfully got Tayah down. I went to put Kadence down and she started throwing every possible fit to avoid taking a nap. I knew she was really tired, so I wanted her to take a nap (the last few weeks she's only been taking a few naps a week)-for both of our sanity. Well, I finally got so fed up with all her tantrums (she was screaming right outside Tayah's door) that I carried her into the bathroom to brush her teeth. She continued to scream, and I felt like I'd better go out for a few minutes and ask for a little divine guidance so that I would not hurt my daughter. I told her that I was really mad and so she could cry in there until she was done, but I was done listening to it. I went out and closed the door, then went into my room, closed the door and went into my closet (with that door open) and said a prayer. I heard her still crying, and a minute later I heard our bedroom door open, but I didn't look up, so I just assumed that she was still in our room. Well, a few minutes later, I thought I could hear crying, but it sounded a lot farther away...almost as if it were coming from outside. Immediately I thought, did Kadence go outside looking for me? I didn't hear the door, but I thought i'd better go check on her. and keep praying that I wasn't so mad anymore.

I hurried downstairs, and went out the door, only to see/hear Kadence crying, walking down the sidewalk, screaming, "I can't find my mommy!" over and over again. I ran out and called out to her (she was in front of the neighbor's house by this time). I carried her inside and sat down and had a "talk" with her. I got her calmed down enough to talk, but she said she looked for me inside, then went outside to look, and when she couldn't find me, she was going "to tell Sister Wilkins I can't find my mommy". I felt terrible, but I have to admit, it was pretty cute. I had to explain to her that I was really mad that she wasn't being a good listener, and so I needed a little break to make sure I would be a good mommy. I reassured her that mommy and daddy would never, ever leave her alone. I asked her why she was going to tell Sister Wilkins she couldn't find her mommy, and she told me, "because I couldn't find you, so I was going to tell Sister Wilkins or Sister Fowler". I thought that was pretty smart of her (we haven't talked to her about that kind of thing much, but we have been talking about how lifeguards help us and if you ever can't find your mommy or daddy, then a lifeguard can help you, since we go to 7 Peaks a few times a week). I had to tell her that was a good idea, but she shouldn't go to Sister Fowler's house (only because it's across the street), so I told her a few other options that wouldn't require her to cross the street. I then reassured her again that we would never ever leave her or Tayah, and that I was sorry I made her so sad and worried.

After lots of hugs, and reassurances, we finally agreed that she didn't have to take a nap, but needed to sit quietly and read books so that we could both have our "quiet time" while Tayah finished her nap. Every half our or so the rest of the day she would tell me how she couldn't find me, so she was going to tell Sis. Wilkins, and of course, that was the first thing she told Tayah when she woke up and the first thing she told David when he walked in the door from work (luckily I already gave him the rundown, so he wasn't worried). The whole experience was a little scary, but at the same time, was a little cute I have to admit, so see her crying for me. I felt bad that she got scared when she couldn't find me, but we had a great talk, and were able to have a great afternoon, and haven't been butting heads since then like we were for several days leading up to that.