4 Year Old Wanders Away

On my way to take Sabriya to school this morning, as we are coming out of our neighborhood we see lots of police vehicles, news vans, and some regular citizens. Very obviously something is going on. As always the car radio is tuned into KTAR and just before we arrive at school, they are talking about a little girl who was found on the corner of 40th Street and Baseline. I'm intently listening to the story and hadn't put two and two together yet but Sabriya was right on it. She says, "Mom didn't you hear what they just said?" I responded, "Yes, and I'm trying to hear the rest of the story." She says, "Mom, that's what is happening by our house and that was the little girl we saw the woman holding." I'm like WOW, you are right. Sabriya is as smart as whip and doesn't miss a thing.

HERE'S THE STORY FROM KTAR: A 4-year-old girl was found safe after wandering away from her baby sitter's home in southeast Phoenix Monday morning.
Police first believed the girl might have been abandoned, but later determined her mother had left her at the baby sitter's home in the area of 41st Street and Baseline.
A Good Samaritan, Marva Schrock, was going to work when she found the little girl on the street and notified police.
"No tears, no worries, no nothing," said Schrock. "She just said, `I'm going after my mom because I want to be back with my mom.' She said she didn't want to be with the baby sitter."
Detective James Holmes said, "Fortunately, officers were able to actually go around and find where the child was supposed to be."
He said the girl's mom had left the child at the baby sitter's while she went to class.

Pappadeaux's

Well almost a week later we were finally able to gather the family to take Mark out for his birthday lunch. He had said quite sometime ago that he wanted to go to Pappadeaux's and so after church today we met at Honey Bear's and then was able to combine the group into only 3 vehicles to make the drive across town. As always being together is a BLAST, never a dull moment. Tana of course wasn't with us and so our family events are never quite complete. WE MISS YOU BABY! Joining us today as our special guests were Trent & Ava, Marcus' little brother and sister who were quite entertaining on the ride over. The conversation in the car was mostly between Big Mark and Ava, because he loves to pick on the kids. So they were having this discussion back and forth, back and forth and then all of a sudden she doesn't respond to something he said and so he asked her, "Are you not my friend anymore?" and she says, "I was until you ask me for $2.00." TO CUTE! Marcus we miss you too, so hurry and come home! Of course we have to end this event with Reggie starting a food fight by throwing a strawberry at me, ME of all people! So I take a piece of bread and throw it back at him at the exact moment our waitress leans in to grab something off of the table and the bread hits her in the face, OMG! it is definitely time to head home...

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Mark + Girls & the Outhouse

Mark took 3 of the girls (Shamara, Shanel & Sabriya) with him on an event this afternoon to cater a wedding reception way up North in the mountains at 24th Street and the Carefree Hwy. I thought what a great opportunity to send the camara out so that they could get some pictures for me for Honey Bear's. I guess I should have explain in more details what type of pictures I was expecting because they came back with 99% of the pictures of the four of them and just one of the actual event. For some reason they were really fascinated with the outhouse.

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Nieces

These are 4 of my nieces (4 sisters) from Louisiana: Jessica, Victoria, Aisha, & Princess... They are all so gorgeous I just had to share!

ONE Month Old

FIRST Gym Class

These pictures are just a little blurry because I'm looking through the glass while watching Boston so Shannon can do the class with Trey.  This is one of his Christmas gifts from MiMi and PaPa and so I am really excited about being able to watch him.  GiGi and I are going to trade off weeks so she can get to see him as well and also by doing every other week we'll get to see how he's progressing.  The first lesson his teacher learned today was to hide the balls (any kind) before Trey gets to the class.

Mark's 48th Birthday

Today we celebrated Mark's 48th Birthday or we tried to, but with everybody's busy schedules we are going to try to get together this coming weekend... Bri & Nel were in school during the morning/afternoon; Mesha was in school afternoon/evening; Bri had dance classes and then basketball practice from 4pm until 8:30pm; and then of course Mark himself had a catering from 6-8pm, just a typical day in our Lyfe as a Smith drama but WE LOVE IT! Anyways Nel and I was able to sneak him off to his favorite resturant for a quick lunch. Birthday cake & presents are still sitting on the table untouched/unopened...

THREE & A HALF Weeks

St. Patty's Day

Disneyland, Spring Break & Boston

Spend a few minutes checking our newest family pictues: Disneyland 2010 & Sabriya's Dance Performance (Sabriya's page); Shamesha & Shamara beachin it up in Newport Beach (both Shamesha & Shamara's pages - different photos); and some new photos of Boston (Boston's page). Enjoy!

Newport Beach, CA

Boston - Photo's by Jackie

13 Days Old

Boston's 1st Bath

Ken & Shamara Sittin' in a Tree, K.I.S.S.I.N.G

This is the cutest picture EVER! Love it!

Game Night @ Mark & Shannon's

Peeking into Bri's Dance Class

Check out Bri's page for more pictures and some videos of her during one of her dance classes...

Sabriya's Track & Field Day

Please visit Sabriya's page for a slideshow of her events today and to read how well she did...

9 Days Old

A friend of Shannon's (Mikel Anne DeMiguel Arnce) took this adorable picture of Boston.

Ken - Winner of the 2009 Ed Block Courage Award

The Ed Block Courage Award Foundation throughout the past has placed an emphasis on the "Five C's" - courage, compassion, commitment, community, character - and the National Football League. Ed Block described character as an attribute of mind, blind faith without doubt, confidence, fearlessness and bravery, triumphant overall. The Courage Award recipients are selected by their peers and they symbolize the elements of the "Five C's." By his selection, Ken has become a Courage House crusader...

Kenny Iwebewa is the Arizona Cardinals winner of the 2009 Ed Block Courage Award. Iwebema was ready to start the first day of the Cardinals' 2009 mini-camp just like every other player on the Cardinals roster, but he was pulled from the team's stretch lines that first day at practice with news that his chest x-ray from his physical taken the day before had revealed some sort of mass close to his heart.Further testing revealed a mediastinal germ cell tumor located between his heart and chest wall. Comparison x-rays revealed that this tumor had grown from nothing to a mass the size of a golf ball in just one year. It had to be removed. Iwebema faced the fear of losing his season and career to invasive surgery, but because of his outstanding physical condition doctors were able to use a new technique in robotics to remove the mass. The large mass was removed on May 18th, 2009. Iwebema returned to physical activity an amazing three weeks after the procedure, and was back on the practice field after only eight weeks. Iwebema's return to football activity reflects the courage, dedication, and discipline of an Ed Block Courage Award recipient.

CONGRATULATIONS KEN, WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!!!

Baltimore - Ed Block Courage Award