Smith Family

We had to bury our pet Lizard yesterday. After having our Grandpa die on Friday we came home to find "Larry" the lizard dead in his cage. It was not a good week. We all walked into the forest behind our house and found a great spot next to the creek and put Larry to rest. Mike said a prayer and asked God if Larry could find papa Bob and tell him we all miss him. We covered him with dirt and all cried together. We are all experiencing the hard reality of death. I have had to pick up Mikey and Max from school this week because they were crying so much and their teachers needed to send them home. However, tonight I got in my bed with three stinky little boys and we all loved on each other and told each other about our day. I am sure this is one of the hardest times for us but we always end the day with lots of love and smelly feet. We miss Daddy and Julia because they are with Grandma Carole but we know they are where they should be. We pray for Grandma Carole every night and hope she knows she is not alone and she is very loved.   As for death, we know we will see Larry and Papa Bob again. Larry will be eating lettuce and Bob will be playing the banjo. That reunion may seem like a lifetime away, but it will come. In the mean time, as Mike always says, we are Team Smith and we are the best!

Mom has lost her mind!

Mohawk

This is for my sister Mandi so she can see the true scrappiness that is the Smith family. ( we call it white t) For the last week of school Julia and I gave the boys a Mohawk! It was truly awesome. We needed to butterfly one of Maxwell's many hits to the head so we had to shave the back of his head. Julia and I thought it would look rad to shave a Mohawk and of course Harrison had to have one also. A butterfly bandage and a Mohawk! What a great way to start the summer!

We love Papa Bob!

We had a very sad week! Our wonderful Papa Bob died on Friday of a stroke. It was a shock to all of us. He was a wonderful man and a very much loved Grandfather. He always taught the kids something. When we went to Hawaii he taught them to play the banjo. He was a great father. Mike remembers when he bought him his first pony. Mike rode his pony all over Wilsonville as a little boy. We will miss him so very much. We are thankful for the many memories we have of him and the great example he set of how to live a good life. We love him!

Pacific City!

We love the beach! It takes us 90 min to get to the ocean and I personally feel like I am a bad mother if I do not take advantage of that wonderful gift. This trip was not sunny and warm but it was fun. We climbed the sand dunes and checked on our fort. Mike taught the kids that if one brother throws sand in your face just throw sand back at him. A parenting low! Julia was gorgeous and of course Lauren was with us. The day ended with a trip to DQ. Peanut Buster Parfait!

Mud bugs! Mike was 12 again. Even Julia was a mess.

Mahalo

Hawaii with Mike and my family was a great adventure. The best part of being on vacation with Mike is the always interesting struggle between the extrovert and the introvert. Mike spoke to EVERY person we passed and became a local by the end of the week. I was overwhelmed by the many people on the ship and loved resting in the sun and sleeping in. We are so opposite! However, we have so much fun together. We went on a 7 day cruse to many different islands. We had an excursion everyday and realized by the end that we are not 19 anymore. Mike almost died a few times with his cliff jumping and wave riding, but he kept us all laughing. We feel so lucky to be able to go on vacation and enjoy our family and each other.