The Black Family

Christmas with the Black Family 2010

2010-12-15T08:34:00.000-08:00

We are enjoying the festivities of Christmas time in snowy Utah. It has been a memorable winter already. We have enjoyed decorating our new home this year, trimming the tree, enjoying eggnog, family/ward parties, Temple Square lights, and just enjoying each other and our many blessings. We hope that everyone is enjoying the holidays and looking forward to a new and prosperous year.

Thanksgiving in Rexburg, ID

2010-12-15T08:20:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving weekend was so much fun. We visited Aunt Kim and Uncle Drew in Rexburg, ID. It was a very cold weekend (low-4 degrees, high 10 degrees) but it did not slow us down. The kids loved sledding down a seven foot embankment in their front yard. We also enjoyed a concert at the Rexburg concert hall, eating delicious food, feeding the cow, shopping and just hanging out with the family. Thank you Eagars for such a memorable Thanksgiving.

Smith Family Reunion 2010 @ Heber Valley Camp

2010-09-15T21:15:00.000-07:00

Where are the better halves? I wish we had a picture of EVERYONE. Our camera did not capture the whole group together. It was an incredible two days together camping in the Utah mountains. Love you all and thank you for the memories.

2010-09-15T21:11:00.000-07:00

2010-09-15T21:07:00.000-07:00

2010-09-15T20:53:00.000-07:00

Sand volleyball, horse shoes, obstacle courses with zip lines and swings, boating, hanging out in the Yurts, campfire songs, skits and just having a blast together is what made the Smith Family Reunion 2010 so much fun and memorable!

Happy 8th Birthday and Baptism to Jocelynn

2010-02-08T18:03:00.000-08:00

Jocelynn is our little angel and so proud of her and her accomplishments. You are such beauty that radiates pure love and energy to all that know her. We love you and are so proud to be your parents and siblings. Happy 8th Birthday and special Baptism day.

February 6th, 2010- Jocelynn's Baptism Day

2010-02-08T17:57:00.000-08:00

Baptism Highlights

2010-02-08T17:43:00.000-08:00

Jocelynn's baptism day was wonderful. She had two of her special friends baptized with her and also four other children. It was a packed building with many friends and family. Thank you for all the family that came from long distances to celebrate her special dayand the many gifts she received from necklaces, journals,etc. Thank you also to Aunt Marissa for playing a special musical number with her violin. It was beautiful and invited the spirit in the meeting.

The dinner after the baptism was great. We had a large group of about 40 people. Thank you to all that helped with the dinner and creating such a memorable day for Jocelynn.

Jocelynn's 8th Birthday

2010-02-08T17:23:00.000-08:00

Our sweet Jocelynn turned eight on January 21st. We are so proud of her. She is such a beautiful child. Her countenance is so sweet, angelic and pure. We are so happy that she is our daughter. From her warm hugs, cheerful smile, intelligent mind and peaceful mannerism, we just love being around our Jocelynn. Happy Birthday! It is also her special birthday. She has chosen to be baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus of Latter-day Saints. It is a grown up step in her life that we know that will bring her eternal happiness. We are so proud of you Jocelynn in all you do. May this year bring you joy and fun memories.

2009-09-09T20:46:00.000-07:00

Eithen is a big ten year old now. He has grown in so many ways. He is a very smart, witty, humorous boy. He makes us all laugh and he brings so much fun to our family. I love how he is asking so many questions and is always thinking about how things work. His mind is so inquisitive. He is also such a great example to others. He is a trust worthy young man and is always trying hard to do what is right. His tender heart is one of the things we love the most. He is so sweet and loving to his siblings and little cousins. Happy Birthday to our Big E on August 22nd. What a joy he is in our lives. I still cannot believe that he is 10 and in 5th grade! Time is flying by so fast. I hope that we can slow down the next 10. Love you Eithen. You are amazing!

Cameron is 5!

2009-05-06T16:10:00.000-07:00

On May 2, 2004 our sweet little Cameron was born. He has been such a fun child. He makes us laugh. He is a very intelligent, creative and outspoken child. He knows what he wants and lets everyone know. His heart is very tender also. He still loves to snuggle with his mommy and carries his special blankie around. We love our little Cameron. He has brought so much energy and delight to our family. Happy Birthday and watch out kindergarten teachers here he comes. It has been fun watching him grow up so fast. I am looking to more fun days with our sweet little man. We love you!

Birthday Swim

2009-05-06T16:00:00.000-07:00

Cameron wanted to go swimming on his birthday at the pool that had the big yellow water slide. It was a fun filled family day. We were exhausted after hours of swimming.

Birthday fun

2009-05-06T15:45:00.000-07:00

Cameron had a lego theme for his birthday. Can you tell? It was fun. He was so excited to get legos. He continued thanking us many times. Bruce came up with the design of the cake. I was very impressed. It was delicious too!

Down and Derby 2009

2009-05-06T15:21:00.000-07:00

This was a memorable pinewood derby. Let's just say after all was said and done it was a triumphant night! Eithen's car was a cool truck and placed around 5th out of 15. They had fun designing the truck and it raced quite well considering the odds against it. Way to go Eithen (and Dad).

Way to go Jocelynn!

2009-05-06T14:57:00.000-07:00

Jocelynn received a Conquering Cub award at her school. She had to complete goals throughout the year to receive the award. Way to go Jocelynn we are so proud of you! She has excelled in first grade. We cannot believe how much of a sponge she is. She is reading at a third grade level and knows even some multiplication. Her brother, Eithen will get his award soon too. They have both been great kids and students. Love ya! You make us proud.

2009-04-05T10:45:00.000-07:00

Spring time is here! We got lucky on this day when it was not snowing. It has been a very cold spring so far. Hello to all our friends and family. May your days of spring bring you renewal of life, color and happiness!

2009-04-05T10:30:00.000-07:00

Good times together as a family. Cameron above enjoyed a ride on the tractor with grandpa. The kids had a fun sleepover together in the big room watching movies and eating carmel popcorn. We also enjoyed a family outing to Temple Square and attended an organ recital.

Birthday Fun

2009-01-23T10:17:00.000-08:00

Jocelynn celebrated her birthday a few days early on the MLKjr holiday. She invited a few friends and her cousins to Classic Skating and they bounced, climbed in a jungle, played arcade games and ate lots of pizza. She also enjoyed cupcakes and ice cream at home and of course all the fun presents.

It was a fun-filled day.

The next day was also fun. Her gift from us was to pick out a special friend at Build a Bear. She picked a bunny and gave her a heart, bathed her and named her Daisy. Happy Birthday, Jocelynn. It was a memorable time for all of us.

Celebrating Jocelynn

2009-01-23T09:40:00.000-08:00

Our little beauty and angel daughter, Jocelynn, came into this world seven years ago on January 21st. She has brought so much peace and love into our family. We love her tender heart, happiness and light!
Her name has always fit her well; meaning playful and merry.
We enjoy her creativity...She is always drawing pictures or making clothes for her stuffed animal or letters to her parents and friends.
We love her giggles and laughs...She is always happy and makes everyone feel loved and special when they are around her.
We are so proud of you, Jocelynn. You are a delight and we are blessed to have such a sweet little girl that is incredibly beautiful inside and out!
Happy Birthday Angel Girl! May your wishes all come true. You deserve them all! Keep being who you are and know that you are very loved.

Winter Days

2009-01-08T21:40:00.000-08:00

It has been a crazy winter already in our neck of the woods. The temperature has been in the teens and the snow is always falling. We have made good use of the snow and times together as a family, though. We have enjoyed hot cocoa, making snow forts, sledding and spending time with family. It has been bearable and warm to be with family and friends for the holidays. Thank you for all your cards and love. We hope that your holidays were fun-filled and memorable. Now it is time to make it through the duration of the winter with positive thinking and safe driving! Only four more months to go!!

Christmas 2008

2009-01-08T21:24:00.000-08:00

Christmas was fun for all of us! The kids were so excited for Santa to come. It was so fun to see them count down the days and write many letters to Santa. Cameron kept saying that he must have been a good boy because he got what he wanted. Christmas is so magical and joyful with such happy kids that believe in the good things in life. I hope that your holidays were memorable as ours was. I think we started a new tradition in our family this Christmas that would be fun to continue, we sang Christmas carols on Christmas Eve to many families at their front door step. It was a special time for us to bring cheer to others. Of course creating the nativity and getting Christmas pajamas were also a tradition we will always want to keep.

The above picture of Cameron makes me laugh. He is showing his true colors more and more everyday by his own sense of style or too much sugar!

The Snow Fort

2009-01-08T21:02:00.000-08:00

It all started with an idea from Eithen to make a snow fort and then Bruce got involved and the rest was, well history! It was big, tough and had lights throughout the inside.

The entrance was facing south with a crawl space of about 2 1/ 2 feet to the middle room with a height of 3 feet and then you crawl through another hole into the large room with a 7 feet ceiling and a platform to sit and enjoy the ice masterpiece. It was a snow fort any child would love to have in their back yard. Thanks Dad for you innovative mind and craziness to make it possible. Sadly, it is melting and falling apart, but it lasted a week or two.

Sledding

2009-01-08T20:45:00.000-08:00

Jocelynn decided to have her own sledding hill in the backyard. She got busy along with her dad and built a fast sledding hill. It was a hit and lasted for weeks. The kids got creative and crazy sledding down the hill. There were not too many injuries, just cold hands and noses.

Gingerbread Houses

2009-01-08T20:14:00.000-08:00

It was a treat to make gingerbread houses with cousins and family. At first it was just for the kids, but then the adults got into it with a manger scene and the envied house that Bruce made with perfect structure and symmetry.

After I was done with my house it looked more like an out house. I was rather proud of it! So proud of it, I decided to eat it instead of display it.

Las Vegas

2008-12-05T17:16:00.000-08:00

Bruce and I went on a little mini trip together just before Thanksgiving. We went to Palmdale, California for an interview for an internship during the summer. It was a fun trip. We enjoyed every minute of it. We finally started taking pictures on our way back through Las Vegas. It is definitely a city of glamour, lights and other worldly stuff.

Thanksgiving Pow-wow

2008-12-05T17:05:00.000-08:00

My kids and their cousins enjoyed a night of an Indian Pow-Wow. We danced, sang, beat on drums and even renamed each other. It was a fun way to celebrate the beginnings of Thanksgiving.

A Spooktacular Halloween

2008-11-04T18:55:00.000-08:00

We sure had a lot of fun this year on Halloween. The kids had a parade at school, Cameron had a preschool party, trick or treated at the Jordan School District Building (where I used to work) and around the neighborhood. We also had a party with the Smith family siblings and families. It was fun eating mummy dogs and chowder, eating donuts without hands, playing Canasta, watching "Monster House" and Jacob scaring all the kids with his hunchback, pig faced, black wigged creature. I think Cameron screamed the loudest and longest. It will be a Halloween we will never forget!

Fun Halloween Pictures

2008-11-04T18:35:00.000-08:00

Eithen was a very handsome Indiana Jones, the Grimm Reaper roamed our streets on Halloween night, cousins showing off their costumes, and Elisa and Wes, I mean Sarah and John showing off their moves.

Colors of Autumn in Utah

2008-10-28T13:31:00.000-07:00

Halloween Early at the Zoo

2008-10-28T13:07:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed Halloween early at the Hogle Zoo. It is the annual Boo Zoo! It was very crowded, but lots of fun. There was candy, costumes and of course the animals. Our favorite costumes at the zoo where people dressed as: bananas, wonder bread, wizard of oz characters and a scary werewolf that fit in with all the wild animals.

Attack of the Green Monsters

2008-10-28T12:49:00.000-07:00

It is the funnest time of the year...Halloween!

We had fun decorating the large bushes in the front yard. I always thought that they looked like monsters, we just added to its true characters.

We have not named them yet. What would you name them? They are Mike Szowski's cousins(Monsters Inc.)

It is a warm October for us. It is supposed to be 70 degrees Halloween Day. Yeah!! That is like Arizona weather.
Have a Happy Halloween Everyone!

Go Cougars!

2008-09-19T09:02:00.005-07:00

The game that will go down in history! The boys enjoyed an exciting game in Provo. The Cougars crushed UCLA 59-0! The boys were hoarse from cheering so loud. It was a fun and memorable day. The boys went to the game while the moms played and watched the game at home with all the kids.

The picture includes: Wes (Elisa's husband), Jacob (my brother), and Uncle Sparkie.

TRUE BLUE, THROUGH AND THROUGH.
GO BYU!!

First day of school!

2008-09-19T09:02:00.004-07:00

Eithen and Jocelynn started 4th and 1st grade. School started the end of July. They walk to from school everyday. It is about a mile a way. They are great students and growing up so fast!
Cameron started preschool this year. He loves it and wishes he could go everyday. He keeps the teacher on her toes. She says he knows everything and is a step ahead of her. He may be small, but his personality makes him so big! He is such a fun kid.
Painting pictures and playing with his friends are his favorite things to do. I am missing him, but it is so fun having time to myself a few hours a week. I sometimes do not know what to do with all that time. I am sure proud of my little schoolers. They make me proud. I am so lucky to have such three bright and sweet little kids.

Ice Blocking the Black Family Style

2008-09-19T09:02:00.003-07:00

We love to ice block! Bruce came up with his own invention of a sled for ice blocking. It was ingenius and worked great. We only wiped out a few times. It was a hot day and hard work walking up the steep hills. We tried two hills, Flat Iron Mesa and Sprucewood park in Sandy.

Flat Iron Mesa was the fastest! The kids finally had enough and were exhausted from playing so hard!

Eithen's 9th Birthday

2008-09-19T09:02:00.002-07:00

We celebrated Eithen's 9th Birthday on Friday, August 22nd. He wanted to see "Iron Man" with all of his best friends and than he wanted to have is favorite dish, smothered burritoes, at La Frontera Mexican restaurant. It was a fun filled day. We sure love you Eithen. We cannot believe that you are nine already. We are so proud of you and the young man that you are growing up to be. You are a great big brother and a wonderful son. We enjoy your humor, intellect and tender heart. The first nine years of your life has been a joy I cannot wait for the rest! Happy Birthday Eithen!

2008-09-19T09:02:00.001-07:00

And here are the end results of all our efforts...
Here are the kids and their friends showing us how to have a good time during a hot and long day.

The flooring looks beautiful and adds so much character to the home. We completed over 1000 sq. feet. We did it all on our own and learned so much through this process. Bruce is so brilliant with these kinds of projects. He can accomplish anything and he does it with perfection.

Replacing Grandma and Grandpa's flooring

2008-09-19T09:02:00.000-07:00

Eating breakfast with the roosters and sawdust.
Cameron was such a big helper in this big project. He even helped us paint until midnight.
Cameron is modeling on how high the pile of subflooring and carpet we pulled out of the house.
Here are pictures of our big project replacing Grandma and Grandpa's flooring. It was hard work. It started with tearing up all the old carpet and padding. Then all the subflooring and replacing it with new subflooring and beautiful wood flooring. It took us two weeks of sweat, labor and eating on the floor. It was well worth it!

Seattle Science Center

2008-08-15T20:40:00.000-07:00

A fun day at the Seattle Science Center.

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's...

2008-08-15T20:34:00.000-07:00

What do you think it was? We will never tell! It was amazing.

2008-08-15T17:16:00.000-07:00

Did you know that there are nine different varieties of blueberries? We taste tested over nine varieties from: Nelsons, Olympias, Dixon, etc. Our favorite was the EarlyBlue. They were the sweetest. We picked over eleven pounds. The kids had more fun eating and running in and out of the bushes. If you ever are in Oregon, the Morning Shade Farms in Canby was family friendly and has everything from marionberries to apples.

2008-08-15T17:08:00.000-07:00

We decided to go on an adventure on our bikes and see where it takes us. It took us over bridges, through ferns and endless evergreen trees. We just wanted to get lost in this evergreen wonderland.

Welcome Home Elder Smith!

2008-08-15T16:59:00.000-07:00

We were excited to welcome my big, little brother home from his Las Vegas mission. He served an honorable mission with many pictures and stories to share with us. It is always fun to see if he recognizes any of the neices and nephews.

Multonomah Falls, Oregon July 2008

2008-08-15T16:39:00.000-07:00

We are standing below the Multonomah Falls in Portland, Oregon.

It was our first site to visit on our vacation to the Northwest in the month of July.

We first stayed in Wilsonville, Oregon to house sit my sister's house. We: hiked, biked, picked blueberries, sun bathed, attended an outdoor concert in Lake Oswego, spotted a cheetah at the Oregon Zoo and just ate ice cream and watched movies. It was time that our family really needed and enjoyed.

We then went up to Auburn and Olympia, Washington and visited with family.

My little brother, Matthew, returned from his Las Vegas mission and we celebrated our first Smith Family Reunion in Lincoln City, Oregon. It was a relaxing and fun trip seeing all my family in the beautiful northwest. Though, I am not sure about all the rain and dreary skies. I think I like the sun too much! Tucson was just about right!

True Colors!

2008-08-07T18:05:00.000-07:00

Eithen, Cameron and Jocelynn showing us how happy they were to have their picture taken.