Sneaky Munchkin + Chubby Feet =

I am one of those people who believes that everything has a place and nothing should ever be left out of that place. So in being that way you could have probably guessed that I also believe that beds should always be made back up once you have awaken from your nights rest. Being the organized woman that I am and not being able to moved forward with my day otherwise, I also vacuum the floor everyday and no one is allowed back into the room until it is time to retire for the evening.  If Mark or the kids have ever mistakenly done so, they only made that mistake once. At some point in your life span you probably had some version of this said to you or you've heard someone else say it: "You didn't let us do that." or "Why does he/she get to do that, we didn't?" No one, absolutely no one has been allowed to walk on the carpet in my bedroom after it has been vacuum for years but for some unknown reason for the last 8-9 months, there's a little munchkin who has been sneaking into my room and leaving tiny little footprints all over the carpet when he visits...So of course my grown up kids want to know why this is acceptable when they weren't allowed and all I can I say is ... "Look at these cute little chubby things, how could I possibly chastised him for any such thing."

Facebook Etiquette - Things You Should Not Do on Facebook

• Don't use FB mail instead of proper email.
• Don't add old friends and then forget about them.
• Don't post TMI (too much information).
• Don't add or accept friends you don't know.
• Don't write on a wall instead of communicating privately.
• Don't moan in your FB status.
• Don't post your address or phone number.
• Don't talk trash about a mutual friend on somebody's wall (FB is a small, small world after all).
• Don't send more that one "fan" request to same person.
• Don't use lazy grammar and spelling mistakes.
• Don't unfriend someone after an argument.
• Don't change your FB status more than ___ times a day - that's what Twitter is for or a real friend.
• Do not be vulgar or sexual. Watch the type of language, conversations & pictures you post.
• Don't update your FB profile when you're supposedly ill, ditching a date, or after breaking an appointment.

Out at the Farm

Today PaPa and I got to take Trey out to visit Matt & Elena Smith's sod farm in Maricopa. We had a BLAST watching him explore all the "Big Boy" toys out there.  When we first arrived Auntie "E" spoiled him rotten with a brand new cowboy hat and his very own mini sized John Deere tractor.  His little hat matched Uncle Matt's, how cute was that!  He ran through the open fields; climbed tractors, tires, stairs and anything else he could get to; drove/rode in the real John Deere and even got to cut some of the grass.  He rode the tractor way out into the fields with Uncle Matt and PaPa to see some of the other big trucks at work.  We watched the water truck watering the grass and the big tractor that cut the sod into nice even pieces, rolled it and placed it on slats. Watching this big tractor do its thing reminded me of when I was a kid and use to watch Sesame Street and they would take trips to factories and such places and show how things were made. Pretty Cool!  He loved the open fields and would just take off running and didn't want to stop.  We had a wonderful time today sharing this with our special friends and our grandson. Can't wait until we can take Boston...  Thanks Again Matt & Elena, we love you!



AFTER THE FARM we meet up with Auntie Mesha & Auntie Nellie and had lunch at Sun Asian Kitchen.  In all of Trey's 21 months I have not seen him eat as much as he did today.  He had chicken lettuce wraps, crab wontons, broccoli and chicken fried rice.  I think being out on the farm, he really worked up a BIG appetite. After lunch we came back to the house where Trey found out that MiMi had been busy since his last visit...  He discovered his new little climbing gym and basketball goal all put together and just waiting for him to play with.



THE VIDEOS:

TWO Months Old

Off to Camp

Well it's that time, 5th Grade Science Camp for Sabriya... I've done it 5 times prior and yet I'm still not liking it very much (Sending my child off without me being there to watch over her.) Last night we packed all her things and went thorough the list to make sure we hadn't forgotten anything: Bible [x], sleeping bag [x], water bottle [x], camera [x], cloths [x], jacket [x], toiletries [x], you get the picture. So this morning we drag it all into the kitchen, right by the stairs so that we are certain not to forget one single thing (Yea right!). After breakfast it is time, so we load up the car, she says her goodbyes and off to school we go. As we are pulling into the school lot she says, "Mom, is my jacket in the back?" That's her way of telling me that she forgot her jacket back at the house. Now note here that the jacket she forgot is the one that matches her sweat suit she's wearing today, not the big one she'll need to keep her warm. But of course you know that I'm going to make a mad dash back home to get it, because she can't be without it. We unload all her things and I jump back in the car to make it back home and back to the school before they leave at 9AM. On the drive back home she calls to tell me she also forgot her water bottle. By the time I got home she had forgotten her jacket, water bottle, sun glasses and snack money. Don't even ask ME how that happened!

So by the time I made it home and then back to the school they were all loaded up and ready to pull out, her driver ran over to my car window and all I could do was hand the items to her. I didn't even have time to get one picture of her going off to camp, but I did snap this one of the van she's in driving off... She does have a disposable camara with her and she was given very specific instructions on taking some good pictures for me. My fingers will stay crossed on that one but who knows she may surprise me.

A Quick Trip Home

I went home to Louisiana for a quick trip this past weekend but I didn't take very many pictures. The highlight of the weekend was getting to spend a few days with Santana, she drove down from Houston. We got my mom prep and ready for her eye surgery now schedule for 4/29 and 5/6. The doctors will only do one eye at a time. Since I won't be able to get back for either of those dates, Santana said she would go back in my place. She has always been the greatest daughter and now she's a fantastic granddaughter as well. So over the few days there we celebrated my niece Aisha's 19th birthday; visited my oldest sister's new venture into retailing (She has a booth setup in this antique place called the Cedar Chest); ate alot and just enjoyed spending time with my family.

Bike Riding...

Phoenix Suns vs Denver Nuggets

This was quite an exciting game!  For me the highlight of the night was when Steve Nash threw the ball from three-quarters court and made the basket, but the refs said the ball was released after the buzzer.  We had some bad refs that's all I can say, and they were definitely not on our side for this game which makes the win on so much sweeter.  Amare Stoudemire scored 26 points and Steve Nash had 18 points and 10 assists before sitting out the fourth quarter while the Phoenix reserves completed a 123-101 rout of the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night that gave the Suns homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs.  The Suns made 14 of 24 3-pointers, 11 of 17 in the first three quarters. Phoenix jumped to an 18-2 lead and the Nuggets never cut it to single digits after the first quarter. The Suns can finish no worse than No. 4 in the West and would be No. 3 if they win at Utah on Wednesday night.  GO SUNS!

Shanel's Happy Bday Post to Marcus

Check out Shanel's page and read her Happy Birthday Post to Marcus... http://thesmithfamily-shanel.blogspot.com/

Sabriya's 1st Blog Post

Sabriya just made her 1st blog post (with my help of course) to her page talking about the Phoenx Suns game we went to on Sunday night, it's cute. Check out our future blogger: http://thesmithfamily-sabriya.blogspot.com/

Suns vs Rockets

Suns top Rockets, Denver and Utah left! Phoenix is now tied for third in the Western Conference with Denver and Utah. They were 3 1/2 minutes away from what would have been a brutal loss. Then, as has happened so often, the 3- pointers started falling. Amare Stoudemire had 35 points and 13 rebounds and the Suns made four 3s in a row to pull away for a 116-106 victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday night. Channing Frye made two of the 3s and Steve Nash and Jason Richardson had one apiece in a 14-0 run after the Rockets took a 102-100 lead with 3:23 left.

If you have an extra moment check out my latest post to "All Things Random" - the link is below and on the left under INSPIRING or click here: http://thesmithfamily-allthingsrandom.blogspot.com/

Why Do I Blog

Well, I have had my blog for a little over a year now and what can I say...I am ADDICTED! The world has shrunk since the internet has become more accessible and blogland has enabled me to keep up with the current events happening in the lives of so many people that I love. Blogging has provided a simple way for family and friends to stay connected from different parts of the world by sharing stories, photos, videos and more. It has educated me, inspired me, made me laugh and even sometimes cry. My Blog "Lyfe as a Smith" is about everything in my life, family, friends, occasions...Thank you for stopping by and I look forward to you visiting again soon.

From Mom to MiMi

Today I got to play grandma "MiMi" with Trey, I love those days. I picked him up from dad about 9:00AM and our 1st stop was at Babies R Us for a new car seat. We selected the Safety 1st (Air) Protect complete with revolutionary side impact technology. Whew with all that it sure sounds as if I picked a good one being that I haven't done this for awhile. (We'll get moms approval later in the day.) Next we ran a couple of errands and my thoughts were how much faster I can move in and out of places when it's just me. Haven't done errands with a baby in while either but I love it and I haven't lost my touch haha! Now it was time to stop by the house for a little while until our lunch date with Uncle John.

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Today was his annual birthday lunch over at his business Five G. Here Trey discovered motorcycles (possibly a future gift idea) hint hint mom, dad, PaPa. After our lunch/birthday party celebration we went back home for a nap. This boy can give PaPa a run for his snoring money, dang I should've made a video clip. Make sure you take a look a the picture of Trey's shoes for today, too cute! These are the ones Uncle Ken bought for him to start his collection of hightops - POLO's. After his nap it was time to pick up Sabriya from school and take her to dance. He recognizes her now and it is so cute. When she was walking to the car he got all excited and started talking (his version of talking) and kicking his feet. That was a "smile" moment for me. Off to dance class we go, which means I have a hour to hang out at Lulu's with Angie and Trey got to explore the store (a boutique store with lots of breakable things). Anything that was round he thought was a ball that he could throw... but we didn't break anything mom. He even handled some business calls on Lulu's phone. I took him over to the dance studio for a little while to watch Bri in her Jazz class. He was so adorable, sitting/standing in the classroom doorway. He tried really hard to not sneak into the room but he really wanted to get to Bri so we didn't stay too long.

Basketball Night Out

We had a great time tonight with part of our clan attending the Phoenix Suns game with us. Dinner in the Lexus Club was fantastic and the game was pretty exciting! The Suns fought off a rally, then pulled away for a 112-101 victory tonight that snapped the Spurs' four-game winning streak and kept the Suns tied for second in the Western Conference with four games to play. Amare Stoudemire scored 29 for the Suns, who led by as many as 17 after San Antonio had cut the lead to five early in the final quarter. Jason Richardson had 20 and Nash had 16 points and 12 assists in Phoenix's 11th victory in 12 games.

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Easter Sunday ~ Missing Tana

Well of course today was a beautiful celebration of the life and death of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, and then spending time with the family but no day for me is complete without Santana being with us. I Miss You Baby! Knowing that all the kids would be over I thought that we could skype Tana and let her enjoy some of the days activities with us.

I even went as far as suggesting that she boil some eggs and join us in the egg dying contest via skype but she said that she had alot of homework to do and would be spending her day on that.

Easter Service

Our Easter Celebration started out with the family attending the 8:30AM service at Christ Life Church. A wonderful celebration giving us "The 411 on John 3:16." What is 3:16 Love? How does it Affect me? My Present? My Future? My Relationships? We also learned about how the Cross separates our lives - Life before the Cross and Life after the Cross. We all live in these two categories and our futures are determined by which side of the cross we are on.

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Easter Dinner

After church we all met back at the house to prepare the Easter meal. The kids wanted to do this a little different today, so it was decided that instead of having dad do all the cooking that we would all contribute an entree to make up the whole meal. It was also decided that we would enjoy each others company while each preparing our portion of the meal, meaning that we would all be together in the kitchen doing our thing... So, Dad grill a roast, Mark 2 made chicken, I made potato salad and rice dressing, Shamara made tacos, Shamesha enchiladas, Reggie brought a pie, Shanel made a carrot cake, Ken made the kool-aid (red), and Sabriya made cupcakes.

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Egg Dying Contest

After dinner, it was time to dye the eggs. We were suppose to all put $5.00 in the pot and whoever had the best egg would win it all. I'm not sure what happened to that part, but there are some people in this family who owe me some money, since I was the winner and not Reggie. This was fun!

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Cards & the Wii

What's a family gathering with out a little card game and some Wii competition...

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Evening Bike Ride

Well, I guest this is just a little glimpse of the future... After the days festivities were done, somehow Mark & I ended up alone in the house. Mark & Shannon went over to her parents; Shamara & Ken headed back over to his place with plans to go to the movies; Shanel & Marcus headed out to catch a movie; and then Shamesha & Reggie decided to go to a movie as well and took Sabriya along with them. So we decided to take an evening bike ride and was having a great time until Mark got a flat tire and our ride was cut short...

Easter Video's

Here are a couple of videos from the day. The 1st is the kids talking about our egg dying contest and who they felt the winners were going to be. Of course they were voting for themselves but what they didn't know is what I had up my sleeve... The 2nd video is of Trey sneaking into my office to talk on the phone. He's fascinated by the phone right now and loves to pick up the receiver and start talking as if there is really someone on the other end. Love It!