"Aunt Madi took me to the Zoo!"

 Aunt Madi took Carter to the Zoo and then to Toys R Us the day before his birthday. She's pretty much SuperAunt Madi with a cherry on top in our book. So here are some pics Aunt Madi sent me from their time together. Carter talks about this special trip alot and I know he loved every minute of it.
Thanks Aunt Madi!Love, Carter Miff (Smith)

Some more catching up

Chris will be blogging here shortly with a full report from his trip. In the meantime...here are some photos I think are pretty amazing. Just cute kids doing cute stuff. 

Carter would eat bread and jam 24/7 if we let him. Here he is eating his third piece of bread and jam. The jam is fresh from Grama Trudy's kitchen. 

Cole's 7th birthday morning

Silly kid.

Cole is working on a project at school and this is Flat Stanley. There's an entire story behind this and Chris will share it with you. Chris took Flat Stanley on his trip with him so Flat Stanley has made a nice  jaunt from Butte, MT to Salt Lake City, UT to Chicago, IL. Not too bad for Flat Stanley. 

Flat Stanley at Notre Dame

Flat Stanley at Wrigley Field

Flat Stanley traveling with Chris. Notice...Flat Stanley even has a water bottle to stay 

hydrated in the car.

Cole practicing his song. 

When Chris came home....he brought the kids oodles of Notre Dame presents. Here are the kids with their lunch buckets from the campus lunch he enjoyed with Grandma LeeAnn as well as a few special Hot Wheels. 

Even with all the special Notre Dame gifts Chris brought home...the kids were still happier to see their Dad than they were to see presents. 

A Fun Update!

Just a fun update of some of the latest activities since school began.

Carter likes to take a bath and sing. He focuses while singing amongst the bubbles.

Chris and I on a date night at Coldstone. Chris...sporting his blue pants was very fashion-forward that evening. 

Cole is the BEST big brother. Cole here is walking Carter into school.

Lovin' the big boy bed...and the 'big blanket'. I can hardly keep the 'big blanket' away from Carter long enough to wash it!

Pack meeting. Cole's last Pack meeting as a Tiger Cub.

Chris switching over Cole's scarf to the Wolf. 

Finally, I have a MAJOR blog post coming from Chris' trip to South Bend, IN with his Grama. Chris went in place of his Grandpa Gil who passed away in August. I am sure Grandpa Gil was smiling down on them the entire time. Chris and Grama LeeAnn had an AMAZING time. I have so many photos to post.....er...Chris has so many to post! 

However, I'm so glad Chris is home. Being a 'single' mom for just a few days is not my idea of a good time. (My hat is OFF to those single ladies out there making it work with the kiddos. Seriously.)

The kids also asked me on an hourly basis when their dad would be home. Life is not as much fun without Chris around to keep it spicy. 

So here's a preview from Chris' trip. 

This is as Chris calls it "Touchdown Jesus" on the Notre Dame campus in South Bend.

Happy Birthday Cole!

7 years of awesomeness with the one-of-a-kind Cole

Guess where Chris is?

Chris loves the Irish!



A Birthday Around the Corner

Cole Smith is just days from 7 years old. 

Exciting times at our house.

Sunday, September 18 - 4 pm 

Cake, ice cream, candy, Viva Piñata 

Frisbee throwing and most likely some soccer and flag football in the mix. 

Be there or be square. This is the All-Star event of September. 

9/11/11

Praying for peace. Of mind and heart and earth. Dancing to the voices that carry.

Let's hear it for New York... and ten years of song.

Peace and love to everyone everywhere. 

I will never forget 9/11 when I walked to class through Portland State University's campus and looked up at the big blue vast sky and incredible green trees and I knew then that the world would never be the same. 

The fear that I felt I will never forget as I wondered what it would all mean for the future.

1st School-year Mass in the park

I was lucky enough to spend a lunch break with the boys at Mass in the Park a few weeks ago. Apparently hanging out with your mom at Mass in the Park is no longer cool for a 2nd grader. So I sat with Carter and his friends. Pre-schooler's still think moms are pretty cool. 

The back of Cole's head.