Chad, Lisa, Karli & Ashley

Plane Ride to Hong Kong

2012-01-29T20:25:00.000-08:00

Monday, December 26th

Check out our sweet ride to the airport:

Hong Kong, here we come!

11 people

2 strollers

9 bags

11 smiley faces

Karli was VERY excited to ride on an airplane to "Honk Honk" with her grandparents and cousins. Me, on the other hand, not too stoked for another plane ride with my crazy little 1 year old.

Only three hours.

We can do this.

Angry Birds is BIG in Asia. They had a whole set up at the Singapore airport just dedicated to Angry Birds. Boy, were the kids excited to see the display.

Here is the Smith Fam at the Changi Airport in front of the Merlion:

At the airport, they had an automatic picture-taker as you were walking towards the gates. We tried to pose the girls and Landon in front of it, but apparently, we put them a little too close and got mostly the adults. Haha! Oh well. After it takes your picture, you fill out your email address and it emails the pictures to you. How funny. Maybe my parents can send this out as their Christmas card next year?

We had some extra time before our flight so we ate at the most kid-friendly place we could find.

If you are counting, I think this is our 3rd lunch at Burger King. I think we've officially been to Burger King more in the last week and a half than the last two years combined!

Aren't these two little girls quite the independent travelers? My goodness.

Looks like they are ready to travel the world.

We flew to Hong Kong on Singapore Airlines and it was AWESOME! The seats were bigger and we had more leg room, but the coolest thing was that they had bassinets for baby's to sleep in.

As you can see, our "baby" was not interested in sleeping in it like the other babies on the flight. She instead treated it as some sort of climbing/playing apparatus. It did keep her fairly busy. But, I can only imagine how nice it would be to lay your sleeping baby in there and have your hands free! So nice.

Karli enjoying lunch on the plane:

Peek-A-Boo! We made it to Hong Kong!

The little girls started asking, "Where are the Princesses??"

Woops, I guess we need to clarify a bit.

The above picture shows the signs in the airport. Uh oh. There is still English on the signs, but we are definitely not in Singapore anymore. I don't know if we're ready for this!

Ready or not, HERE WE COME!

Merry Christmas!

2012-01-25T09:23:00.000-08:00

Sunday, December 25th

HE FOUND US!

Santa found us, all the way in Singapore!

6:45 AM

Karli had 3 things on her list this year:

1. A Giant Care Bear: Check.

2. A Golden Necklace: Check

3. A Puppy in a Purse: Check

Wow. Santa is good, really good!

Santa also brought Ashley exactly what Mom had asked him to get for Ashley!

But, WAIT!

THE MOST EXCITING AND SURPRISING GIFT OF ALL:

Grandma and Grandpa wrote a note that said to be ready for another airplane ride tomorrow!

WE ARE GOING TO HONG KONG DISNEYLAND!

What a great surprise!

Karli and Ashley obviously had no idea what adventure they had just been given.

Chad and I were so excited and we just told the girls,

"You're going to see the Princesses!"

And that got Karli excited.

Karli had a hard time pronouncing "Hong Kong" and kept referring to it as "Honk Honk"

Oh well! Can't wait for Honk Honk!

We had a great time opening presents, and we all felt very spoiled, especially with our upcoming International trip within our International trip.

Heading to Church on Christmas Morning:

Christmas Dinner:

We actually had a classic Christmas Day meal, thanks to my Dad.

He bought the ham at Costco in Utah.

Then, he froze it in his hotel room.

Then, he hauled it all the way to Singapore in his luggage.

The ham was still frozen when he got to Singapore.

A month or so later, we got to enjoy it for Christmas dinner.

Thanks, Dad!

We also had some homemade rolls, cheesy potatoes, green beans, and green jello salad. Boy was it yummy!

The kids even got to try out the new chopsticks they got in their stockings.

Doesn't everyone eat their Christmas dinner with chopsticks?

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve-ning

2012-01-24T13:38:00.000-08:00

Saturday Night, December 24th

We had LOTS of fun activities planned for Christmas Eve.

My sister and I are pretty organized, so we wrote an itinerary for our post-nap schedule. No joke.

It went a little something like this:

4:00PM - Wake up from naps

4:15-5:15PM - Swimming at Grandma & Grandpa's pool

5:15 - Baths & Showers

5:30 - Christmas Eve Dinner

6:30 - Decorate Cookies For Santa

7:00 - Scavenger Hunt

7:30 - LDS Christmas Videos

8:00 - Nativity

8:30 - Stories & Bedtime

You might be thinking we are crazy for having an itinerary, but trust me, it helped us have a fabulous evening that was pretty much injury,tear, and whine-free! We consider that a success!

Our Christmas Eve Meal: Hawaiian Haystacks, a Morrison Favorite.

Delicious! Now, on to decorating cookies.

"One for you, and one for Santa" -- that was our motto.
Ashley even got to "decorate" her own cookie.

She decided to also "decorate" her face.

She's so sweet! Especially with a face covered in frosting!
She quickly learned that all of the fun was happening at the little table and she wanted to be a part of it. So, here she is putting sprinkles on her cookie, just like the big kids!
Santa better save room for these delicious cookies!

Scavenger Hunt Time:

It was nice this year because Landon could read, so we got to sit back and watch the crazy fun while he read each clue! The older kids did a great job of letting the smaller ones have a chance to find the clues, even though their excitement/anxiety for doing so was practically bursting out of their little bodies!

I'm not sure if I have ever seen Karli as excited as when she found this clue before any of her cousins. A huge life moment for her, really.

There was even a clue in Ashley's storage closet/bedroom.

--My mom fixed it up so cutely, didn't she?--

As I was looking through my pictures to see which ones to post, I noticed that during the treasure hunt, most of the pictures have one or more of the Mahaffey's in mid-air, full of excitement, kind of like this:

Looks like Karli was mid-air with excitement too.

I love that they have such an outward manifestation of happiness.

FINALLY! The presents at the end of the treasure hunt:
ASIAN JAMMIES!! So cute, and comfy.

How could I not post this picture?
I have never noticed that her tongue is THAT long. Wow.

Here is a picture of the kids, calming down after the crazy scavenger hunt, getting into the spirit of the real meaning of Christmas for the Nativity. If you are a teacher, you will know the term: TRANSITION!!

The Nativity

Joseph: Landon Mahaffey

Mary: Sydney Mahaffey

Shepherd: Karli Smith

Wiseman: Keely Mahaffey

Angel: Ashley

Baby Jesus: doll

Mary (understudy): Karli Smith

Chad read from the Bible, and the kids acted out the Nativity.

The kids really got into character with props and all.

They were all quite the thespians.

Here is Keely waiting in stage left:

It looks like the wise man presented Baby Jesus with some sort of CalTex gift.

The angel's performance left a little bit to be desired.

She mostly just crawled around and tried to make people laugh. Good think she didn't have a major part. She might be ready for more responsibility next year. We'll see.

What a fun night!

Before bed, the kids made sure that the cookies for Santa were out, and our stockings were ready.

I wonder if Santa will find us in Singapore?

Christmas Eve Morning!

2012-01-24T13:28:00.000-08:00

Saturday Morning, December 24th

TaDa!

Grandpa took some of the kids out for "Donut Day!"

Look what they found:

I have a feeling this is a GREAT start to a GREAT Christmas Eve!

Holiday Lights Tour & Singapore Flyer

2012-01-23T18:42:00.000-08:00

Friday Night, December 23rd

We had been wanting to go on a Singapore City Holiday Lights tour in an open bus for the whole week, but we kept getting rained out. You can still go on the tour, but you have to ride inside the bus...sad story. I really wanted to ride in the open top bus.

We bought tickets for Friday night at 6PM, and around 4:30 PM there was an all-out torrential rain storm, so I thought for sure it would be a bust.

Around 5:45 the rain started to let up, and by the time we got on the bus, the rain had stopped all together. Hallelujah!!!

We saw some AWESOME holiday lights. Especially going down Orchard Street.

It was great to be in the open top bus because we were used to being underground in the MRT or a in a taxi when going from place to place. Seeing it all above ground made so much more sense to me!

Karli insisted that we were on a float in some sort of parade, so she spend 90% of the time waving at the people below. Lots of people waved back. Probably because she's so darn cute.

Love these two crazies!

After the tour ended, MOST of us went back home.

Sydney, Karli, Chad and I really wanted to go on the Singapore Flyer, which is like the London Eye. So, we headed over to get tickets after the tour.

We had a great time on the Flyer and didn't have to wait too long. It was a nice, clear evening and we could see all of the sights! We were trapped in the Flyer Car with a bunch of people from England. We couldn't stop eavesdropping on their conversations because their accents were so awesome. I swear, if I had a British accent, I would be so much cooler!

When we bought our tickets, they gave the girls these little activity packets. Thank goodness! They kept them busy and whine-free the entire time!

Amazing view of downtown Singapore:

After the Flyer, the girls found a bunch of these cut-outs and insisted on taking pictures in EVERY SINGLE one of them. Keep in mind, it's about 9:30PM by now. They were pretty cute though!

Before we headed home, we stopped and got some yummy gelato!

By the time we got home, we were all pretty worn out!

Princess Manicure

2012-01-23T18:32:00.000-08:00

Friday Morning, December 23rd

The girls are off to the American Club for a Princess Manicure!

Landon is off to the American Club Library to check out some books!

Wait for us!

Striking a Pose in front of the American Club:

The girls each got to pick their colors!

They even encouraged them to pick multiple colors!

My mom was wincing...she's a pick-one-color-and-stick-with-it type.

In the end, Karli picked sparkly, Keely picked red, and Sydney picked red and green.

Then, we headed down to the paint room!

The girls sat very still and enjoyed every second of being pampered!

First manicure was a success!

After the manicures we headed down to the kid's area until we were ready for lunch. The kids watched a little TV and played a little ping pong.

We headed back upstairs to meet Chad and Ashley for lunch!

When Karli was finished with her lunch, she asked if she could take a few pictures.

Here are a few of her shots. Not too shabby, but she could use some practice.

Ashley & Grandma

After lunch, I was a brave soul and took Ashley, Keely and Karli home in a taxi. I think the taxi driver thought I was crazy! The girls did great and I loved hearing their conversation on the way home.

They were looking at their nails and all of a sudden, Keely looks at Karli's and says, "Man, I wish I would have gotten farkally (sparkly)!"

I guess the grass is always greener!

Sentosa Island

2012-01-23T18:26:00.000-08:00

Thursday Afternoon, December 22nd

After Underwater World, we headed toward the beach to get some lunch.

We found a perfect little pizza place with a kid's table and everything.

Ashley enjoyed the pizza, as usual.

Then we headed to the beach to play!

This was Ashley's first beach experience.

She loved the sand.

Didn't love the water.

So, Ashley and I spent most of our time up on the sand while the others played in the water.

Sand? What is this stuff? Can I eat it?

Yuck! No, I should not eat it anymore.

Ashley did not like Karli being covered by sand. Every time I tried to get a picture, she would have already uncovered part of Karli. Oh well!

Cute little cousin bums!

So glad we were able to return to Sentosa Island this trip!

Underwater World

2012-01-22T21:26:00.000-08:00

Thursday Afternoon, December 22nd

While the adults went to the fish spa, my mom took all 5 kids next door to Underwater World.

All by herself. Talk about Super Grandma!

She even took some great pictures of the kids!

Landon was brave enough to feed the stingrays:

After the spa, we met up with Super Grandma and the kiddos.

They took us around to show us some of their favorite things.

There was a long underwater tunnel with a moving walkway. It was pretty amazing. We saw all kinds of fish, sharks, sting rays, octopi (yes-that is the plural form of octopus), starfish, and eels.

Moving walkways make anything cool.

You mean I can just stand here and enjoy this and I don't have to move? Sweet!

Karli enjoyed the fish, but I think she enjoyed being with her cousins more.

Ashley, with only her left shoe on.

Typical.

Bless her heart, she tried grabbing at every fish she could.

Unfortunately, they weren't having any dolphin shows that day, but we did get to hang out by the pool and watch them swim and play around!

Sentosa Fish Spa

2012-01-22T20:25:00.001-08:00

Thursday Morning, December 22nd

There are "fish spas" all around Singapore.

These fish feed off of people's feet.

Sounds super weird and gross, right?

For some reason--which I later learned--my mom insisted that Michelle and I go...WITH our husbands.

TOTALLY not the Chad's cup of tea!

This is hands-down one of the craziest things we've ever done! After you wash your feet, they take you to the fish pond, basically a big, shallow bathtub with hundreds of fish and benches around the side.

It is really hard to explain this experience.

The lady simply said "Just start with your heels," and then she walked away.

That's IT? That's all you're going to say?

I didn't think we'd be able to do this. We were facing Michelle and Chad so we got to see their reactions, and in this case, I think a picture is worth a million words:

We could not stop giggling, and feeling the first few fish nibble at your heels is extremely weird. It didn't hurt.

It was almost like the anticipation of the nibble was WAY worse than the actual nibble.

But seriously, I think we were all giggling for a good 10 minutes straight.

We finally pulled ourself together and got our feet all of the way in.

We realized that they just don't go for feet.

They enjoy leg skin too. Sick!

After the fish spa portion, we had a "foot reflexology" massage.

Even though I'm smiling in this picture, this "massage" was pretty much the most painful thing I've ever gone through. Apparently Chad Mahaffey and I had masseuses who were mad at the world or something. It hurt so bad. I told him a few times that it hurt and to stop, but he no speak English.

I remember thinking that I would rather be in labor. At least I could have an epidural then.

I kept looking over at my Chad and Michelle and they were both just fine.

I remember thinking, "What the heck, and I a huge wuss? This is killing me!"

Anyways...painful massage and all...we had a great time.

Now I can see why my mom insisted that the 4 of us do this together.

I haven't laughed that hard in quite some time.

And I've never seen the boys laugh like that!

Totally worth every second! Thanks for arranging this, Mom!

Here are a few videos we took. Please excuse our giggles.

Singapore Botanic Gardens

2012-01-22T14:42:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, December 21st

Chad and I enjoyed our relaxing break, and good thing, because right when we got back on Wednesday morning, we headed off to the Singapore Botanic Gardens!

This was on our list of places to go two years ago, but we didn't quite make it, so this time we made sure to get there. It was totally worth it!

Normally, I wouldn't say we are the "Botanic-Gardeny-Type" but my mom told us that they have a fun little Children's Botanic Garden.

Fun stuff to keep the kids busy? We're all over that!

Here's a picture of us as we walked over to the children's section.

It was hot. Really hot. I think we're all pretty sweaty in this picture.

We walked through a little jungle of banana trees where we saw actual bananas growing.

I think that blew Karli's mind.

"They grow in the stores, you're silly, Mom!"

Yup, silly me.

We started off at this little playground:

Next, we headed towards the maze:
Why is it that kids LOVE mazes?

They actually seem kind of scary to me.

What if you can't find your way out???

The kids didn't mind.

Ready, set, go!

I had a hard time telling who was the leader.

Sometimes Landon was, sometimes Sydney. The little girls were just running around having fun.

We were all EXTREMELY surprised when Keely was the first one out!

And Karli followed quickly after.

Who would have thought the youngest would prevail??

Maybe Keely is some sort of navigational genius prodigy child.

After a few rounds in the maze, we headed off to walk through the gardens.

This bridge seemed very "Swiss-Family-Robinson-like" to me.

I forgot how much I love that movie!

They had some cute little learning games and activities.

And thank goodness for those misters!

Next, the kids got to explore this big tree house.

I'm not sure what is going on in the following picture, but maybe they're having some sort of secret treehouse meeting.

Michelle and Chad took a little break under the GIANT mushrooms!

Um, have I mentioned that my sister has been doing this and she is 36 WEEKS PREGNANT!

She deserves a little rest. As for Chad, I don't know what his excuse was. Kidding.

The kids enjoyed some more play areas.

And then, we found the

SPLASH PAD!

There are hardly any children's attractions in Singapore that don't include some sort of water feature.

I think Michelle and I both said something to the effect of "Just try not to get too wet."

We quickly knew that was impossible.

"Never mind, just have fun then."

Even Ashley wanted in on the action.

Karli and Keely would take breaks from the water to come and "read" this little sign. It was fun to hear what it "said." Somehow, it was different every time!

Love this action shot of Karli:

It was another soggy taxi ride home, but so worth it!

After the we got home, the kids got all cleaned up and dove into bed.

However, we headed out to be a part of the Singapore night-life and do some exploring.

Look what we found:

After hearing so many good things about H&M, I finally got to see one for myself!

We picked up a few Christmas presents and headed home...exhausted!

Wicked Anniversary

2012-01-21T13:51:00.000-08:00

Tuesday Afternoon, December 20th

I love a good surprise!

And today, was full of amazing surprises for us!

Today is our 8th Wedding Anniversary and it is definitely the most amazing Anniversary we've had yet. It's going to be hard to top this one!!

One of the surprises, I ruined ahead of time, in true Lisa fashion. Before we left for Singapore I was just doing a little internet research and making a list of things we wanted to do in Singapore. Somehow, I found that "Wicked" was showing in Singapore. Both my mom and sister have seen it before, but I emailed my mom to let her know it was there! Turns out, my parents had already bought us tickets with Michelle and Chad to go see it, and they would babysit for us! Even though I ruined my own surprise, I was still SO excited!

So, on Tuesday afternoon, we left the kids with Grandma and Grandpa and headed to the Marina Bay Sands. We sure love our kids, but it was nice to have time to do a little sight-seeing, take some pictures, and eat dinner with just adults.

Here we are, with the Marina Bay Sands hotel behind us. It is one of the super-fancy, new hotels in Singapore. The ship-like thing at the top is the deck that has a few pools. Pretty neat!

Chad loves a good picture of any skyline, and I love any picture of him!

I thought this picture of Michelle and Chad turned out great.

Before the show, we decided to eat at Mario Battalli's Restaurant, Mozza. It was pretty yummy, but we didn't get to see Mario. AND we paid way too much money for bottled water. My bad.

Now, on to the show!!

I'm pretty excited here. This has been a long time coming!

Another Major Surprise About to Happen:

We had our tickets in our hand and as we entered, the ushers would check our ticket. After they would look at our ticket, they seemed to be extra nice. We soon realized that we were breaking away from the pack. Michelle and Chad were behind us a ways, but we followed an usher down a quiet hallway with stairs where he opened the door, and I saw THIS:

WHAT?!? Are you kidding me? We are in a BOX! I was shocked and couldn't stop giggling!! I should have worn something nicer. Not only did we have a box to ourselves, but it was the BEST BOX. My Dad sure pulled a fast one on us!

We got there before Michelle and Chad and it was so fun to see them walk in and find out we were in a box. Priceless!

Here is the picture I took, right before they told me no flash photography. Woops, I couldn't help myself!

"Wicked" was every bit as great as I had imagined. The cast was awesome and I enjoyed every minute of it.

All I have to say is, "DEFYING GRAVITY!"

Favorite. Part. Hands. Down.

I think the Chads even enjoyed it too!

After the show, the Mahaffeys headed back home. Because it was our Anniversary, my Dad had booked us a hotel room at the Marriott on Orchard, so we headed there.

Another Major Surprise Ahead:

Chad had a sneaked a peak at our room earlier in the day, but I was shocked when I saw it. This was by far the NICEST hotel room I've ever seen in my life! Let me put it this way: We had our own gate, outside sitting area, and outdoor jacuzzi!

Again---are you kidding me?

Nicest bathroom:

Coolest shower:

What an amazing anniversary.

Thank you to my mom and dad for all of the amazing surprises!

We are SO VERY grateful for everything and for taking such good care of the girls while we were getting pampered.

I dare you to top this anniversary next year, Babe!

Alvin, Simon, Theodore!

2012-01-21T13:10:00.001-08:00

Tuesday Morning, December 20th

Who wants to go see the new Chipmunk Movie?!?

We do, we do!

So did Landon, but he was still pretty enthralled with his toy catalog that his Uncle Chad gave him the night before. What can we say? The kid LOVES toys...even pictures of toys will do.

I love me some Karli.

Cute Cousins!

In the picture below, Kari is saying "surprise!" to Aunt Michelle, and Landon is still looking at his toy magazine.

In Singapore daily life, I figure each person goes on about 20 escalators.

The kids were in heaven!

The escalators are super well-maintained and I think we encountered one broken escalator in the hundreds that we came across---WHAT??? We have to walk up stairs?!?! UGGH!

I love that about Singapore.

I swear, at our mall, the escalator is broken every time we go there.

Here are the girls, buying tickets for the Chipmunks movie.

In Singapore, when you buy your tickets, you pick your seats too.

Love the giant chipmunk statues!

Landon is still immersed in the magazine.

I told Karli to stand by her favorite Chipmunk, and she chose Theodore.

Good choice, Karli.

The kids all did great watching the movie. Grandma bought us drinks and popcorn and we were happy campers. It was fun to be with the Mahaffeys because Landon and Sydney are old enough to understand some of the jokes and laugh.

Keely and Karli would just laugh when everyone else laughed pretty much.

But they still enjoyed the songs and dancing.

After the movie, we got some Bread Talk and ate outside. Yum!

After lunch, we let the kids each pick a flavor of gelato.

Karli and Sydney picked "pink."

Keely picked chocolate.

Next time, I'll persuade her more towards vanilla!

Photo op. with the elephant:

Waiting for the MRT.

Just as we were walking home, guess who we saw???

Grandpa, The Chads, and Ashley!

Ashley got to turn right around and come home with us, and the guys got to go out to lunch, kidless. Nice!

Monday=Funday!

2012-01-21T07:46:00.000-08:00

Monday, December 18th

In the morning, the Chad's stayed home with all of the kids while the OG Ottesons headed out to do some MAJOR grocery shopping.

When we got home, Landon and Grandpa had some time to play Sonic against each other on the ipads.

Landon is quite the little gamer, but Grandpa can hold his own.

There may have been some trash-talking going on.

Thank heavens for i pads!

After naps, we headed over to the Tanglin Mall for an authentic food court meal, and the bubbles.

The kids had some fun with the mall toys, as usual.

I wonder if they even know these things can move?

Hmm. Let's keep that our little secret.

We ate downstairs at the Food Court and we picked the most mild food we could find. The Chads were adventurous and ate some local food, while Michelle and I stuck with some beef noodles.

The kids mostly ate chicken and rice...and they even tried chopsticks.

Tricky little things.

After dinner, we went to a juice bar and everyone picked a drink.

Karli picked a peach smoothie which was very yummy.

Ashley also enjoyed Karli's smoothie. The "extra big straw" was pretty much the size of her little mouth.

I had a delicious fresh lime juice and Chad enjoyed a "Coke Light."

Michelle ordered some sort of coconut drink.

When my mom saw what Michelle ordered, she made a weird face.

After we tried Michelle's drink, we understood why.

It was gross.

Looked cool, but was gross.

After dinner, we headed outside to wait for the bubbles.

Unfortunately, we got rained out.

But that didn't stop the girls from having fun!

Dance Party In The Rain!!!!

What you can't see from these pictures, is the crowd of people behind us that were watching the girls dance and giggle. Apparently they were the entertainment for everyone!

Needless to say, it was a pretty soggy taxi ride home!

First Day of Rest

2012-01-20T22:00:00.000-08:00

Sunday, December 18th

9 AM church-Yay!

Here is our best attempt at a picture before church.

The kids are in the lobby right outside of the front door and the elevator was just opening when I took this picture. I think I love these pictures because the elevator is opening and there is some anxious feelings happening about NEEDING to get into the elevator. Just look at Landon and Keely...they are inching toward the door. Even though, if it closed, we could push the button and it would probably be right there waiting for us. For the kids, this was inducing major anxiety. Karli seemed to be clueless.

I shouldn't laugh at causing them anxiety...but...I just did! Too funny really.

After church, we enjoyed a yummy Sunday breakfast with an amazing view.

It's hard to tell what portion of the meal was Ashley's favorite.

Was it Grandpa's fresh whipped cream, perhaps?

Delish.

After breakfast, we all took naps and then enjoyed some time relaxing with each other.

Landon was a big fan of Ashley and she was a big fan of him.

She also enjoyed some Sydney time, despite her post-nap hair-do.

That's a good thing about Ash. She's not superficial like that:)

Isn't this what every Sunday afternoon should look like?

I think so. But maybe with a different show on TV;)

American Clubbin'

2012-01-20T20:14:00.000-08:00

Saturday, December 17

This just happened to be one of my favorite days we had in Singapore.

My mom was so on the ball this trip. She scheduled a time for us to go to the American Club to make ginger bread houses on Saturday morning.

So, off we went!

I got to ride in a Taxi with Michelle and the girls, and we took the opportunity to practice using the camera!

The kids were definitely still on a "high" of being together and couldn't sit still, so our nice-cousins-picture-in-front-of-the-tree turned out like this:

We were pretty jazzed when we walked into the room and they had complimentary cookies and drinks ready for everyone. Wahoo!

Ashley got to stay home and enjoy a nice, long nap.

We missed her and Chad, but we had some fun together. Take a look:

You know you have a good Grandma when she takes you up to show you that you can stand in front of the projector and see yourself on the Big Screen.

This alone could have occupied these 4 busy-bodies for hours.

Okay, okay. We will quit goofing around, and get down to some gingerbread business.

Karli and Sydney decided to work together.

I was amazed when we opened the kits. I was picturing some graham crackers, and some royal icing with some gum drops, but HOLY COW! These people didn't mess around.

Inside the kit there was FRESH GINGERBREAD along with two giant pastry bags filled with royal icing. There was also lots of candies and cookies to decorate the house.

There was a professional pastry chef who was giving directions and we followed them the best we could.

Karli and Sydney's finished product.

I thought it turned out pretty awesome!

Landon & Keely got to work together and also did a stellar job.

I thought Keely would eat most of the decorations, but I'm pretty sure she didn't even eat a single one! She's so professional!

Landon & Keely's finished product:

While we were busy with the gingerbread houses, this cute little thing was busy enjoying a nap and some fresh, Singapore fruit with her Daddy.

At the American club, we packed up our houses and went downstairs to change into our swimsuits!

"We are Triplets"

Grandpa, Ashley and Chad all met us for some swimming and a poolside lunch!

Ashley spent most of her time exploring the splash pad, which is funny, because last time we were here, Karli was 18 months and was way too timid to go near them!

Not this girl.

She even made and international friend:

I love this action shot of Karli.

I wish I had one of these contraptions at my house. So cool.

We took a lunch break to enjoy some good ole' American food.

Sometimes there's nothing like a burger and some curly fries.

Someone came around and gave each of the kids balloons and we couldn't believe how excited they were about it. We had no idea what fun was ahead...

Apparently, we chose to go swimming at the American Club on the last day of Swim School. So basically, we crashed a giant carnival/party for the swim students. No one seemed to mind and the kids had so much fun. What a great surprise!!

First up- there was a clown making balloon animals. He was good, really good!

He made Karli a cute little pink dog.

I wasn't going to have him make Ashley anything, but he insisted and said "I have perfect one for cute baby" and made her this little flower bracelet. I think it was perfect and Ashley sure enjoyed it.

Next up: the bouncy slide! Landon was the only one old enough to go on it, but we all enjoyed cheering him on!

Next Up: Face Painting!

Here is Karli's transformation into a lion:

Rarrrr! You can admit it, you're a little bit scared, huh!

She sat perfectly still and her lion face turned out great!

Landon chose to be a Super Hero!

Sydney chose a butterfly:

And Keely chose a Princess!

Speaking of Keely...Lots of family members ask me what Keely is like because they don't get to be around her very much. When I saw the following pictures, I knew that this would explain Keely pretty well.

So--here she is, in all of her glory:

Gotta love her!

After crashing the swim school celebration, we headed home.

Here is a picture of us at the taxi stand. It was pouring rain, and taxis were hard to come by, so everyone decided to walk home. But, Michelle, Karli, Keely, Ashley, the gingerbread houses, and I opted to wait for a Taxi. We thought for sure we would beat those suckers home.

Long story short, we didn't understand Singapore taxi etiquette, and we have terrible luck.

So, an hour later, we finally arrived home.

The rest of them had been home for a good 45 minutes.

We passed my mom, walking in the rain, back toward the American club to look for us.

Michelle and I have really good luck in situations like these. Dangit.

Here's Ashley, waiting for a taxi.

My thoughts exactly.

We arrived home just in time to join Sydney playing "Taxi"

and to have a snack, with our somewhat smudged faces.

Who knew that the Ottesons were such amazing party crashers!

What a FABULOUS day!

They're Here!

2012-01-20T01:54:00.000-08:00

Friday, December 16

This picture captures how Karli felt about being with her cousins:

Pure happiness.

The Mahaffey's stayed at the Sheraton hotel next door for the first couple of nights.

They came over the first morning and Karli and Ashley were both so thrilled.

We took the whole gang out to get some MRT cards, then we had another delicious lunch at Burger King--much to My Chad's dismay. He was a trooper though.

After naps, we headed over to their hotel for a pool and pizza party.

Even though we got rained out at the pool, we were still able to bring the pizza inside for the party!

So glad to be together again!

Just Like Old Times

2012-01-19T23:35:00.000-08:00

Thursday, December 15

It's amazing how quickly we adapted to Singapore this time.

We knew the ropes and got right back into the swing of things.

Here is Karli next to the MRT sign:

Grandma saved her MRT card from last time. Karli was quick to learn how to swipe her card at the station.

On our first morning, we headed over to the Novina Mall for a little lunch and shopping.

Here is Grandma walking with Karli to the MRT.

I forgot how quickly Grandma walks! We could barely keep up with her! Those Asians!

We started off the trip with some real, authentic Singaporean food...

Burger King!

After our deliciously American meal, we walked around the mall.

They had an ice rink set up with some ice skaters performing.

Karli was quite mesmerized by the whole thing.

In the picture above, you can see one of Chad's favorite shops in Singapore.

It's a store called Bread Talk and they have all kinds of delicious bread varieties. I think we even bought some that day...just like old times!

The girls also had a chance to play.

Jet Lag 101: Sometimes you HAVE to wake yourself up.

I went in to wake up Karli after her nap, and this is what I found:

Poor little thing. She had been asleep for 3 hours. It was 4PM, but her body was telling her it was 7AM. Ashley looked about the same. Jet lag is killer!

That night, we ventured off to the grocery store and enjoyed a relaxing night at home. Karli and Ashley explored the apartment and we all went to bed early. We knew we needed to rest up because tomorrow... the Mahaffey's will be here!!

Our Amasian Adventure!

2012-01-19T22:40:00.000-08:00

Wow, I can't believe we get to have this once-in-a-lifetime trip ONE MORE TIME!!!

Singapore, Here We Come!

And this time, we have another little girl with us!

22 hours of flight time and 30 hours of travel time

with a 3 year old, and a 1 year old

6 checked bags

4 carry-ons

WISH US LUCK!?!?

Travel Plans:

2:30 AM- wake up in Utah

3:15-wake girls up, hit the road

Fly to San Francisco- 2 hours, 4 hour layover

Fly to Tokyo-12 hours, 3 hour layover

Fly to Singapore-8 hours

Meet Grandma at the airport and take a taxi to apartment

Sleep!

Wake up in Singapore

The morning started off great! Curt was a lifesaver and woke up at 3:30 before his finals to take us to the airport. The girls were in their jammies and sharing a bowl full of grapes. The fact that they almost ate the ENTIRE bowl on the way to the airport had me second-guessing if I had packed enough snacks for this adventure. We shall see...

The moment we got into the SLC airport, Karli was ready to DO THIS!

Slow your roll, little one!! I'm always amazed when there is a HUGE line at 4:00 in the morning. This was the first of many, many, many lines we would wait in that day :) Both girls were still amazingly happy and excited.We took a little break at the play place in the SLC airport, because sometimes at 5 AM, you just need to play!

The flight to San Francisco went a little something like this:

Karli sat by Chad and talked the ENTIRE flight about anything and everything :)

What a good Dad to sit there and listen.

Ashley slept for the first hour, then woke up cranky as all get out! Thank goodness this was the shortest flight.

Chad and I debated about giving her away in San Francisco.

During our layover, we headed to the Business Lounge. One of the perks of having your parents live so far away, is that they rack up the frequent flyer miles traveling, and we get to reap the benefits. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

Here is Karli, enjoying the free bagels:)

Ashley's just hanging out with all of the other business-types:

We all ate a yummy breakfast, then the girls had a wardrobe change!

I love this picture of Ashley, she's just such a cute little person!

Onto flight #2!

Our first flight in Business Class.

I felt like Fancy Nancy.

Ooh-la-la!

The flight attendants gave Karli some wings! She was pretty jazzed.

Ashley fell asleep as soon as the engine started. Thank heavens!!

She is such a sucker for extremely loud white noise.

Karli was so excited about having her own personal TV screen and treats that she didn't fall asleep for a good 5 hours or so. Crazy girl!

But finally, pure exhaustion took over and she fell asleep in her own little makeshift bed.

ZzZzzZzzz...

Our layover in Tokyo went well. They also have a play place there, so the girls played there for about 2 hours. Karli made some foreign friends and Ashley went down the slide about 1.5 million times.

Finally, onto flight #3.

I think Karli's face sums up how we all felt at this point:

Ashley, Karli, and I all fell asleep during take off and slept for about 5 hours...straight. It was a miracle! I think Chad got a few hours of sleep also. Or, he had some nice, quiet, movie-watching time. Either way, we all left that flight feeling a little refreshed...who would have thought!

We arrived in Singapore around 2AM.

Grandma Nett was there waiting for us, bless her heart, and we all took a taxi to their apartment.

Dirty and exhausted, we hit the pillow around 4:30 AM!

I can't believe we're here...Again!

WE MADE IT!

Princess Festival

2011-12-12T21:01:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, Chad and I got to take Karli on a little outing all by herself.

We went to the Christmas Princess Festival at Provo Town Center Mall.

I must say, I'm not usually into the whole princess scene, but Karli definitely is.

Our princess dress-ups, crowns, and shoes are heavily used at our house.

I wasn't too sure about this whole Christmas Princess Festival thing, but it turned out to be fun!

Karli picked to wear this princess dress that her Great Grandma Otteson made for her. She looked beautiful and got lots of compliments! Her friend Kylee dressed up as the cutest Cinderella ever! But, we missed Lucy!

The evening started with having the kids make snowflakes.

Then, a REAL princess entertained them while we waited for the show. They played ring-around-the-rosie and sang "Merry Christmas" to the passers by at the mall. Too cute!

When the show started, the girls didn't quite know what to think. There was some singing, and dancing, and explaining. I'm not sure how much sunk in.

Karli couldn't stand to be away from the princess for very long. She kept trying to scoot closer and closer to her. And she tried to hold her hand every chance she got.

During the show, the kids answered questions and played games with the elves. Karli was introduced to "Simon Says" which made an appearance later in the evening...

The cast did a good job and they were so cute with the kids. Bless their hearts. I could never do anything like this! Drama just wasn't my scene I guess.

After the show, we even got to go see Santa!

Karli told him what she wanted for Christmas, and asked if he would find her in Singapore.

He said he would!

She was a little too scared to sit on his lap, so we just chatted with him for a second and then he gave her a coloring book! I'm pretty sure he was the REAL Santa. He was nice, jolly, and his beard was real. Definitely the Real Deal.

To wind up our date, we went to Wingers for dinner.

Karli was LOVING having both of our attention! While we were eating, she made us play the new game she learned, "Simon Says."

"Simon says take a bite."

"Simon says take a drink."

"Simon didn't say eat a fry!!! Hahaha!"

What a fun night out with Princess Karli!

A St. George Thanksgiving

2011-12-11T21:01:00.001-08:00

This year we headed South for Thanksgiving!

The Smiths rented a gorgeous home where we got to spend the week and have a ridiculous amount of fun.

It's always hard for me to think about things I'm grateful for. Not because I'm not grateful for anything, but because I feel like I'm grateful for everything. Know what I mean? So, after much thought...and fun...here are some things that I am grateful for:

GRANDPARENTS:

My girls are extremely lucky to have two sets of Grandparents that love them, play with them, cheer for them, and teach them. We are so grateful for them!

WATER:

The house in St. George had a great pool that we spent lots of time in. My girls and I are huge fans of water. If there is water around, we probably want to go in it. And we are grateful for Chad and his willingness to get wet with his girls, even though he might not have the same affection for water.

ACTIVITIES:

My girls like to keep busy and this rental house was perfect for them! There was always something to fun to be doing. Karli's favorite activity was the playhouse complete with a kitchen, couch, dress-ups, and all. Ashley's favorite was the game cupboard downstairs.

THE INTERNET:

We made lots of yummy Thanksgiving treats and crafts thanks to the creativity of people on the world wide web. I love feeling like I have a million creative friends that can teach me just about anything. I think these Oreo Turkeys, from Our Best Bites, were the favorite treats! Karli and Tucker kept talking about how they wanted to eat turkey! We were so surprised, until we realized they wanted to eat these treats, not the actual turkey. Sounds about right!

NAP-TIME:

I love my kids. LOVE THEM! But, it was nice to sit down and eat Thanksgiving dinner while they were warm and cozy in their beds! We had an amazing dinner and fun conversation! I enjoy the peace that nap-time brings each day:)

TRADITIONS:

I love a good tradition! And Karli is starting to catch on. When we don't see the Smiths for Christmas, we will have a "Pretend Christmas" at Thanksgiving. We were spoiled with lots of fun gifts that we are very grateful for!

BUT MOST OF ALL...

I am so grateful for my family!

Chad is a great Dad and takes such good care of us.

Karli is such a sweet and kind big sister.

Ashley is crazy and likes to make us laugh.

I just love these people!

Ashley at One

2011-12-02T20:28:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it has been a year since we first met Ashley. What a difference a year makes!

Is it just me, or does she get smilier by the minute?

Ashley, at One, looks a little something like this:

22 pounds 6 ounces (85%)

31 inches (100%)

Super Smiley

Ashley, at One, sounds a little something like this:

"Mamamama"

"Ha Dad"

"Eh, eh, eh, eh..."

Grunting

Giggling

Ashley, at One, feels a little something like this:

Soft

Squishy

Sticky

Squirmy

Some Things We Love About:

Ashley

-Whenever you ask her a question, she will ALWAYS shake her head "no." Karli and I have fun with this while we eat at the table. "Ash, do you love mommy?" noooo. "Ash, do you love Karli?" noooo. "Ash, do you love candy?" noooo. That's when we know it's a lie.

-Her feet are still in a constant state of motion. She does not like to wear socks or shoes.

- She is in a forward facing carseat now, but still feels the need to raise her feet up in the air, or perch them on the sides of her carseat.

-Ashley LOVES food, especially treats. If she even sees a tiny glimpse of a sucker, she WILL freak out. Ashley can out-eat most toddlers, including Karli. This is a typical occurrence at our house. Ash is in the fridge eating grapes...again.

-Reading books is one of her most favorite things to do. Quite often she will be following me around with a book trying to get my attention. She would sit in your lap for hours and read if you kept changing books. She definitely has an opinion about which books she likes best.

-Random strangers still stop and comment about how cute Ashley is. She does pull some pretty weird faces though. See below.

-Ashley has an amazingly strong grip. Good luck to anyone who tries to take away anything she is holding. Here's a shot of her trying to keep hold of her cake. Typical Ashley!

-Ashley can be so cuddly and cute when she wants to be. She can also be downright grumpy and crazy. Luckily we get more cute and cuddly. She just started giving us kisses and still pats us on the back for hugs. To die for really.

-Ashley loves to be outdoors. I think this winter might be rough on her. Anytime the door opens, she tries to dart outside to play, even though it might only be 30 degrees.

-Lucklily, she also enjoys getting her pjs on and cuddling up on the Dora couch.

-I've never seen a child who enjoys music so much. She definitely prefers something with a beat, like R&B or rap, but she'll head bob to anything really. She REALLY enjoyed watching the performances on "The Sing Off" with us. Both her and Karli would get so excited anytime we turned it on. Again, she prefers watching the songs from Hip Hop week. Within the last few weeks she has added standing and waving her hands along with her head and body bobbing. So cute!

-Ashley is turning into a little toddler too fast. I miss my baby! She loves all things girly, just like her sister. She loves brushing her hair, and pretending to put makeup on. She always wants to play dress ups with Karli and her friends. Luckily, she thinks that simply putting something on her head is dressing up. Much easier for me that way. She also loves trying on anyone's shoes and wearing dress up shoes.

We are so grateful for this little girl!

Happy Birthday Ashley!

We love you!

Bubbly Birthday!

2011-12-01T20:52:00.001-08:00

What?? It's November 8th???

Well, let's throw a double bubble party!

Happy Birthday to Ashley!

Happy Birthday to Annette!

A Wise Person Once Said:

LET THEM PARTY!

LET THEM BLOW BUBBLES!

LET HER EAT CAKE!

LET HER GRANDMA EAT CAKE TOO:

LET THEM HAVE FUN!

Thank you to everyone who came to party with these two ladies!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

We love you!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-29T21:52:00.000-08:00

We can't get enough Halloween at the Smith house.

It's so fun to have a 3 year old who gets excited about holidays.

Grandma Smith sent us some festive window stickers that we put up immediately to get us in the Halloween Spirit!

Karli and friends had been brainstorming Halloween costumes for a good 2 months before Halloween. Karli decided that she wanted to be Strawberry Shortcake and I was SO excited!

When in costume, we were told to refer to her as Strawberry Shortcake. So, we did.

She had several events that she needed to be dressed up for. I feel like she wore the costume for 5 days in a row, but she loved every minute of it, and she looked so darn cute. She also had a secret weapon. Because all things Strawberry Shortcake smell like strawberries, I tried to figure out how to make her smell like strawberries. I couldn't find any body spray or lotion, so we decided to marinate her costume in a baggie with a strawberry scented car air freshener, and WOW did that work!! For added strawberry power, she even wore the air freshener. YUMMY! I was surprised at how many comments we got on her strawberry-scentiness!

Event #1: Preschool Costume Party:

Karli was one of three Strawberry Shortcakes in her class at preschool.

I am always the person who brings the same side dish to a pot luck as 14 other people. And apparently, I am also the mom who dresses her daughter up like every other little girl on the planet. Oh well! At least mine smelled like strawberries, right?!?

Event #2: Jackson's Halloween Party

Mother Gothel (Kylee) came to pick up Strawberry Shortcake for the party. Cute girls!

How cute is this party?? My mom and I took Karli and dropped her off, but by the time I got home, I realized that I left my mom there...

I'm glad Melanie let my mom stay. She took some great pictures of all of the Halloween fun. Thanks Mel & Dave! Cutest Halloween party ever!!

Event #3: Trunk-Or-Treat

Our ward has an annual chili cook-off and trunk-or-treat each year. This was the only time that Ashley got to dress up in her strawberry costume (which also marinated in Strawberry air freshener). I love this little strawberry!
Karli wanted me to dress up as Strawberry Shortcake's friend, Orange Blossom. So I had to throw something together.

Tucker and Calvin also came to trunk-or-treat with us! Cute little clowns!!

Event #4: Trick-or-Treating on Main Street on Halloween Day

I've heard of this every year, but this was the first year we actually went. It was pretty interesting! It was basically just a line of kids along Main Street that go from shop door to shop door and get candy. The City Office Building and the Bank were handing out full-size candy bars. Score!

Ashley was LOVING the people watching.

Event #5: Trick-or-Treating Around the Neighborhood

Zuri, Karli and Kylee.

The Moms.

Some of our favorite neighborhood costumes:

Thank goodness for the stroller!

Check out the Loot!

Happy Halloween!

Phew, we're tired. Glad we have a whole year before we do all of this again:)

Jaker's Pumpkin Patch 2011

2011-11-29T21:20:00.001-08:00

This little neighborhood pumpkin patch is getting bigger and bigger each year!

This is our 4th year picking our pumpkins at Jaker's and this year was the best year yet. This year they added a hay ride and live music. So much fun.

Ashley was ready for her first pumpkin patch experience:

Classic picture faces from both girls:

And yes, the cowboy boots made another appearance at the pumpkin patch.

The dried corn pit is ALWAYS a hit!

And the maze is perfect for little kids:

But, be ready to rescue at any moment:

Annual cute shot with Dad:

Karli found her pumpkin!

The new and exciting hay ride:

The petting zoo:

Thanks, Jakers! See you next year!

Swings and Surprises

2011-11-29T20:57:00.001-08:00

Our neighborhood park leaves a LOT to be desired, but at least we have fun on the swings!

Ashley and I can swing for hours.

Karli will last only minutes.

But we still have fun together.

After a big morning full of swinging and playing with Grandma and Grandpa, Ashley took a nap and Grandpa took Karli to Walmart. They came back with all sorts of surprises!

Karli picked out a cupcake set, and she told her Grandpa "Ashley really wants this Dora couch." Hmm...I'm pretty sure that is something Karli would be interested in.

We put both to use right away.

"Oh my heck, my sister is SO FUNNY!"

Thanks, Grandpa. We love our cupcake set, our Dora couch, and YOU!

Sleepover

2011-11-29T20:40:00.000-08:00

While Grandpa was out of town, Grandma called to see if Karli wanted to sleep over at the hotel with her!

We asked Karli if she wanted to have a sleepover with Grandma and she said "Yes, I do! I'm so excited!" We packed her suitcase and headed for the hotel.

When we got there, Ashley took it upon herself to check out the room and make sure everything was safe.

So far, so good.

So, we gave Karli hugs and kisses and left her with Grandma.

Chad and I were a little worried for Grandma, but knew Karli would have fun. We just weren't quite sure how bedtime would go. Karli is a pretty sweet-talker, especially at bedtime.

When we got home, Ashley went to sleep and then we pretty much just sat there and talked about what we thought Karli and Grandma were doing. Yes, we are pretty lame.

Here's a peek at what they were up to:

They watched movies, ate snacks, read stories and went to bed around 9:30. What a fun night!

The next morning, Ashley and I met them for breakfast and a swim in the pool.

We sure love a hotel stay! Thanks Grandma!!

Bakerella!

2011-11-29T20:26:00.001-08:00

We have a cute little children's cookbook with all kinds of kid-friendly recipes and activities. Every so often, I let Karli pick out something she wants to make. On this particular day, I was thinking maybe the octopus hot dogs, or the mini pizzas.

But, no. She picked out the full-on Barbie cake.

And so, we baked...

And decorated...

And nibbled...
And smiled...

And prepared...

And ate...

YUM!

Karli is becoming quite the superstar in the kitchen.

Grandma Goes to Preschool!

2011-11-29T20:09:00.000-08:00

"You guys remember my Grandma Nette, right?"

Apparently, that's what Karli said to her classmates when Grandma came to her preschool to visit. Most of them had never met Grandma Nette, but don't you just love how 3 year olds assume everyone knows the people they know? Love it.

Ms. Meghan and Ms. Nicole were so nice to let Karli's Grandma come to preschool. Of course, she had her camera in hand and I got a little glimpse of what happens at preschool. I wish I could go to school with Karli everyday!

If you want to see more pictures of Karli in action, Ms. Nicole and Ms. Meghan keep a super cute blog to document all of their learning with pictures and all. Man, teachers sure do a lot of work...I'm glad I'm on hiatus:)

The KinderGarden Blog

Great Grandpa's Basement

2011-11-29T19:58:00.000-08:00

One of the great things about picking Grandma Nette up at the airport is that we usually get to stop at Great Grandpa's and play in the basement. Possibly one of our favorite places on Earth.

Speaking of Earth...one of Ashley's favorite toys was the globe.

And Karli's favorite spot is still the "Teacher's Desk" where she keeps busy by writing checks and ordering people around.

There was also some climbing going on.

Can you see how happy this place makes us???

Birthdays = Funndays

2011-10-20T10:45:00.000-07:00

We love when anyone has a birthday!

Karli was able to attend some super fun birthday parties of friends and family this summer. We live by some amazing and creative moms! Here is a list of some of the cute parties she attended:

-Pizza Planet from Toy Story

-Circus Fun

-Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

-Pinkalicious

-Princess Tea Party

One of the most recent was a horseback riding/gymnastics party for Karli's friend Aidan.

Horses and Gymnastics--what a fun birthday combo...who would have thought??

Only in Springville!

Karli and I loved every minute of it!

For the first stop, we headed to the horse pasture a few blocks East of our house.

When Karli got dressed that morning, she knew she was going to ride horses at the party. She came down in this outfit, which she picked out ALL BY HERSELF...including the boots!! I feel she is a true cowgirl at heart. How did she know that cowboy boots are for riding horses?? I still can't figure out how she knew that!

"My horse pooped Mommy!"

After horseback riding, we went home for a quick wardrobe change and headed over to Airtime Gymnastics in Springville. And, man, was this the coolest place ever! Before we started, the kids got the rules rundown:

Next was stretching:

Then they got to do an obstacle course:

Next, jumping on the runway trampoline. As you can see, Karli is a rule-follower, bless her heart. The teacher demonstrated how to keep your arms straight and jump down, and she did exactly that. Love her.

And FINALLY....play in the FOAM PIT!

Possibly the coolest place on Earth.

I think I want to take Karli to this place every single day, just to see her smile, laugh and have as much fun as she had here. I loved just sitting back and watching her absolutely LOVE every minute of gymnastics!

Thanks, Aidan, for another great birthday party!

Please Excuse Karli...

2011-10-19T21:50:00.000-07:00

We let Karli pick a movie out of the $5 bin at Walmart before we left for Colorado. She chose a Bernstein Bears movie with a few episodes. The first episode is about Sister Bear and how she hurt her ankle. Momma Bear wrote her an excuse note for gym class and she didn't have to participate. Her friends were all jealous and sister thought it was great that she didn't have to exercise! Even after her ankle was feeling better, Sister kept her bandage on and told the teacher her ankle still hurt. As in every Bernstein Bear story, there was a lesson to be learned! Sister learned that excuse notes are only for when you are truly hurt, and exercise is good for your body!

Who cares about the Bernstein Bears, you ask? Well...

I went to play volleyball one night while Chad and Karli had some good Daddy-Daughter time.

When I got home, Karli was in bed and I saw THIS on the counter:

Then I looked over and saw this:

(the pear jam Karli and I made the night before)

Being a super smart mom, I hypothesized what happened that night.

First, they watched Bernstein Bears episode.

Next, Karli asked her Dad to write her an excuse note.

Then, her Dad asked her what she needed to be excused from.

Then, Karli glanced around the kitchen and saw the pear jam.

And finally, her Dad wrote her an excuse for pear jam.

Chad confirmed my predictions and we laughed...super hard...for a long time.

How can you not love this little girl!

Thank goodness for the Bernstein Bears!

If not for them and their lessons, I would have a messy room, still get the gimmies at the grocery store, and be afraid of the dark.

If you don't understand that last sentence, come over to my house and borrow a book. We have every single Bernstein Bear book and they are all great!

School Pictures

2011-10-18T09:49:00.000-07:00

Karli Christine Smith

1st School Pictures

I can just picture her Senior picture in 15 years looking similar to this:

Classic Pose for Grandma Nette:

Karli insisted on putting my lip gloss on the entire way to preschool. I was a little worried she would get out of control, but she was pretty neat and tidy about it. And, you can kind of see it in these pictures. Bonus!

Class Picture:

Karli can name every one of her classmates!

But she is not here right now, and I can't!

I'll update with names later.

Poser

2011-10-11T14:55:00.000-07:00

I just noticed something.

While I was going through my pictures, I noticed this silly one of Karli.

Then I noticed this one of Karli doing the same weird thing with her hair.

And finally, I noticed her doing it in our family picture!

When did this start? Where did she learn this? What is happening?

Best Friends

2011-10-11T08:37:00.000-07:00

Karli and Brighton.

Brighton has been coming to our house one day a week for the last year and a half and it has been so fun to see their friendship grow! For some reason, Brighton and Karli play SO WELL together. Their personalities just mesh. Brighton is a few months older than Karli and has older brothers and sisters, so I feel like Brighton teaches Karli a lot of good things. She has taught Karli how to make-believe and play pretend. They like to play house, errands, and school (including homework...ugh!). I could sit and watch them play for hours. I also like to hear their lunch conversation. It usually goes something like this:

Karli: You having a good day today Brighton?

Brighton: Yes.

Karli: I'm not feeling well. I have a cough.

Brighton: Me too. I'm sick. Watch me Karli! (she'll make a funny face)

Karli: That's funny, now watch me! (another funny face)

Brighton: That's so silly!

Karli: Yeah, I'm silly.

I love these girls and I am so glad they are such good friends. I hope they can be good friends forever.

Dancing in the Rain

2011-10-10T19:53:00.000-07:00

While we were in Colorado, we had a little dinner picnic at the park with the Roland Smith Fam. While we were eating, we were struck by some sort of flash flood rainstorm. It was crazy!

Karli has been loving the book "Catalina Magdalena Hoopensteiner Wallendiner Hogan Logan Bogan Was Her Name" and we read it several times a day. In the end, Catalina gets married and they dance in the rain, so when it started raining, she asked me if she could go dance in the rain like Catalina. So of course, we did.

After the rain cleared up, we had a chance to play at the park. It was a little soggy, but still so fun!

Karli loved Isaac, as usual. I think Isaac forgot how intense Karli is. She wouldn't let him sit down for one second! Poor Isaac.

Another fabulous evening in Colorado.

The North Pole is in Colorado!

2011-10-10T12:22:00.000-07:00

In September, we headed off to Colorado!

Karli had her stickers:

Ashley had her marker, pan, and straw...we were set!

Grandma and Grandpa Smith took us to the North Pole! Chad has been telling me about this place since we were dating. I never really understood what was so cool about it. Now, I do! It is a mini theme park hidden up in the mountains just for kids! It reminded me of a place called Pixie Play Land that I grew up near. I love that the theme of this park is "The North Pole." Even though we went in September, you could still feel the Christmas spirit! I can't even imagine how cool it would be in December.

Right as we walked in, Santa greeted us, but Karli wanted nothing to do with him. In fact, she didn't even want to go sit on his lap when we went to see him at his house later. Oh well, I guess he won't know what she wants for Christmas.

One of my favorite parts about the North Pole was that they actually have a big, frozen pole made of ice that is the "North Pole"! I think everyone had tried to explain this to me, but obviously I didn't get it! It was pretty neat to be able to touch the North Pole on a hot day! Ashley and Karli LOVED feeling the cool ice.

Karli insisted on rubbing her bum on the pole and saying, "I'm rubbing my bum on the North Pole...hahahaha!"

They have TONS of rides at the North Pole. What I love about kids rides is that they are all basically the same ride with a slight variation from ride to ride. Some go up, some go down. Some go fast, some go slow. Some you're on the ground, some you're in the air. Some you're in a car, some you're in a boat. But, all are basically the same ride, and Karli couldn't care less. She loved them all!

Some she rode by herself:

Some she rode with Grandma:

Some she rode with Dad:

And some she rode with new-found friends:

The picture above is one of my favorites because Karli was the last child (out of 3 total) to board the ride. Instead of picking one of the other 50 seats available, she wanted to sit right next to this girl and be her friend. What can I say? Karli is a social butterfly. The girls had a good ride together...I think the other little girl was okay with it?!

Even Ashley got to ride the Merry-Go-Round by herself! Go Ash!

Thank you for taking us to the North Pole, Grandma and Grandpa! We had so much fun. Can't wait to go at Christmastime!

Karli's 1st Day of Preschool

2011-10-09T18:51:00.000-07:00

I am a dorky mom!

I literally couldn't sleep the night before Karli started preschool. We laid out her outfit, her bow, her backpack, and her shoes the night before school. We've been talking for weeks about preschool. We were both mentally preparing ourselves, but still I laid awake worrying.

My thoughts went a little something like this:

"What should I make her for breakfast? It needs to be special, but also energizing- She's got a full day ahead of her. Wait, take a chill pill, it's only preschool and she'll only be gone for 2.5 hours. I hope she has fun. I know she will. What if she doesn't and she'll hate school for the rest of her life? What if she is mean to someone? What if someone is mean to her? Ah, I think I want to make a different bow, maybe one a little lower-key. No, that's silly, the one she picked is perfectly fine. I'm going to miss her. What am I going to do in the morning without her? I've got tons to do. I should try to fall asleep. Oh wait--I forgot--what should I make her for breakfast?"

First day of school shot:

This is the breakfast she chose in the morning:

Washing her hands after breakfast, getting ready to head out:

Yes, the whole family was involved in the 1st day of school. I can't remember if I persuaded Chad to come with us, or if he volunteered. Either way, he's a great Dad.

There she goes! She was so confident and excited and gave me a hug and a kiss and off she went with Ms. Meghan. But of course, I followed her in.

When she arrived, Ms. Nicole gave her a big hug! What a perfect way to start a school day!

Then Ms. Nicole, Lydia and Samantha helped Karli check in...

and hang up her backpack:

Then Brighton arrived and she got to help Brighton hang up her backpack!

Then we left and let Karli be the big girl that she is.

Chad went to work.

Ashley took a nap.

And I got some things done.

Ashley and I left a little early to go pick her up a special treat!

Nothing says "Happy 1st Day of Preschool" like a cream slush from Sonic!

So proud of you, Karli!

Ashley's 9 months

2011-10-09T11:54:00.000-07:00

In August, this beautiful baby turned 9 months old!

Height: 30 inches (100%)

Weight: 20 pounds 3 ounces (85%)

Ashley's Top 9 at 9 Months

Top 9 Favorite Foods:

1. String Cheese

2. Bananas

3. Toast

4. Squash

5. Pears

6. Green Beans

7. Macaroni and Cheese

8. Goldfish Crackers

9. Anything Really

Top 9 Favorite Activities:

1. Reading Books.

2. Crawling anywhere Mom is.

3. Playing outside with her sister and friends.

4. Playing in the toilet water.

5. Taking baths with Karli.

6. Swimming.

7. Eating anything and everything.

8. Crawling up the stairs and then yelling for someone to come up and play with her.

9. Wrestling with Mommy, Daddy, and Karli.

Top 9 New Skills:

1. Crawling over to hug us and pat us on the back.

2. Waving "hi" and "bye."

3. Brushing her hair.

4. Playing with dolls and taking care of them.

5. Clapping.

6. Drinking Juice and Water out of her sippy.

7. Saying "Mamamama" and "Dadadada" when she sees us.

8. Clicking her tongue.

9. Getting herself into Karli's little chairs and smiling. Big girl.

Top 9 Things that Annoy Ashley:

1. Diaper Changes.

2. Closing the bathroom door.

3. When Karli takes one of her toys.

4. When people won't share whatever they are eating with her.

5. When Mom or Karli is doing an activity without her.

6. Grabbing her off the stairs while she is heading up full-force.

7. Blocking her secret path through the couches to the kitchen. She. Gets. Mad.

8. Not being able to hit the TV.

9. Chad.

Top 9 Cute Things Ashley Does:

1. When she gives hugs, she lays her head on your shoulder and pats your back.

2. She'll smile at just about everyone.

3. Loves to hang out in the Fisher Price Car.

4. Sleeps with her bum in the air.

5. Gets super excited when Karli wakes up.

6. Crawls up to her room and reads books by herself.

7. When you start clapping, she can't resist clapping.

8. Her feet are constantly moving and very expressive.

9. She mimics EVERYTHING we do (how we use the remote, brushes, makeup, etc.)

Here are some pictures of our 9 month old doing some of her favorite things:

This looks completely uncomfortable:

Ahhh! That's more like it:

I was trying to let her be independent with her Gogurt:

Crawling through the fort with Grandma:

Get in my belly!

Playing with the dishwasher:

Taking Baths:

Like I mentioned before, Ashley has VERY expressive feet. You can really tell what mood she is in just by looking at her feet. Her big toes are pointing up about 99% of the time...just like her Grandma Smith!

Waving:

How did she get so lucky? Cute brown hair, blue eyes, long black curled lashes, a button nose, and cute red lips. Jealous am I.

Chubbers:

We love Ashley!

Karli's Swimming Lessons

2011-10-08T20:54:00.000-07:00

In August, Karli took swim lessons ALL BY HERSELF!

What a big girl.

We took the Mommy & Me class last year, but this year she was big enough to go alone.

Ms. Debbie was Karli's instructor and she is amazing! We went to swim lessons for 5 days straight, 30 minutes a day. It didn't seem like a huge amount of time, but Karli (and I) learned a lot!

Blowing bubbles with Ms. Debbie:

Floating on her back. She eventually learned how to float all by herself.

Kicking with straight legs under the water:

Best part of the week? On Friday, Karli got to jump off of the diving board 3 times and come up all by herself! I don't have any pictures of that because I was too nervous while she jumped, and then when she popped up, I was cheering so loud. I was so proud of her!

She did so great that she got a popsicle on Friday. Wahoo! Way to go Karli!

Kissy Face:

Ms. Debbie takes pictures of each swimmer under the water. She insists that they open their eyes and smile. I'm so glad she does. I love these pictures! Karli likes me to keep them on the magnet board so she can look at them often. "That's just me at my swim lessons...with Nemo." So cute.

Ahsley and I were good cheerleaders. Next year we'll be able to do Mommy & Me!

Here's a video of Karli practicing her skills. I love my little water bug and I'm so proud of her for being so brave!

24th of July

2011-10-08T20:52:00.000-07:00

Our Neighborhood loves an excuse for a good party, and the 24th of July is no exception!

I love celebrating the 24th of July because it's basically a repeat of July 4th, and our neighborhood likes to do it BIGGER and BETTER!

Ash was excited to wear her red, white and blue again!

The afternoon started with a delicious barbecue and swimming fun with the neighborhood. As with every other summer gathering, otter pops were passed out by the handfuls! Thanks Mel!

After Ashley went to sleep we sat down for the fireworks show! Let's get this party started!

The kiddos from left to right:

Paydon, Jackson, Bekham, Aidan, Conan, Sienna, Jayden, Kylee, Jackson, Karli and Zuri

I'm not sure who had more fun: the Dads setting off the fireworks, or the kids? My vote is for the Dads.

That's right, these used to be illegal...but not this year!

Nothing says party like some glow sticks!

I've got skills:

Of course Karli NEEDED one more slice of watermelon before we headed in for bed!

What a great night!! Thanks RPW!

Otteson Family 2011

2011-10-07T22:39:00.000-07:00

It's not too often that the whole Otteson Clan gets to be together, so when we are...FAMILY PICTURE TIME! I think it's my Dad's favorite part of his vacation! Haha! But luckily, it was pretty painless, and we got some great pictures!

I know I'm totally biased, but how cute are my parents' grandkids????

Let me tell you about them.

Landon is the oldest. He loves video games, toys and school. If any of you know the color code book...Landon is a blue.

Sydney is next. She loves being in charge, singing, and helping. Sydney is a red.

Then there's my Karli. She loves laughing, dressing up and playing make-believe. Karli is a blue.

Keely is one-of-a-kind. She is crazy. In a great way. She loves to hold babies, sing and dance, and laugh. Keely is a Yellow. How did my sister get a yellow?

Ashley. What can I say about Ash? She is cuddly, determined and ridiculously adorable. Not sure which color she is yet...still getting to know her.

Karli is one of the cleanest kids I know, but sometimes I forget she is abnormally tidy. I thought it would be GREAT to have these orange suckers at the photo shoot. As the mother of Karli, I didn't realize that this could lead to white shirts with orange splotches and orange faces and mouths. I quickly realized what I had done. But I still thought it turned out cute. Thank goodness for wet wipes and bleach, right?

I'm sure this is how the kids would like life: No mom and dad. Just grandma and grandpa...SWEET! Until bedtime...then they might have second thoughts.

Two of my favorite people:

"Everyone tickle Ashley! Oh wait...no...stop...stop tickling Ashley!"

Love these November 8th girls:

Thanks, Nicole, you never cease to amaze me!

32 years!

2011-10-07T21:18:00.000-07:00

My parents got to spend their anniversary in Utah this year!

We just had to have a special dinner for them.

They haven't changed a bit!

Here's to the next 32!!

Cakes de Fleur

2011-10-07T09:51:00.000-07:00

If any of you know me pretty well, you know that I have a secret love for cake decorating.

My Aunt owns her own bakery, Cakes de Fleur, and she let us invade her bakery for an afternoon FULL of frosting, cake, and fun!

There were, of course, some rules.

Rule #1: All decorators must wear hair nets...especially when they look this adorable:

Rule #2: If you lick your fingers while decorating, you must go wash your hands.

**There was A LOT of Rule #2 going on...I'm just sayin'**

Rule #3: Have Fun:

There was also a lot of Rule #3 going on:

Karli loves decorating...and she's remarkably good for a 3 year old!

Sydney's "Working Hard" Face:

Quite similar to her mom's "Working Hard" Face:

Karli is super focused.

"Ta-Da!"

"Can I eat it now?"

When it comes to cake decorating, Landon is all Boy. He wanted nothing to do with the pink frosting, so Laurlee made him some green frosting and she found him some more manly things to decorate with. Landon made a great cupcake-- perfectly fit for a boy!

Sydney even made a cupcake for her favorite uncle in the whole wide world:

Ashley was a great audience and she even got to taste test some frosting. She was a big fan.

While we were ate Cakes De Fleur, I think we collectively decorated 28 cupcakes, ate 13 of those, washed at least 16 sets of hands, ate 4 cake balls, and smiled non-stop.

We left Cakes de Fleur with 4 delicious cakes, 15 decorated cupcakes, and 4 kids on a sugar-high!

Thanks Aunt Laurlee!!

When can we come back??

Matching Sisters!

2011-10-06T09:53:00.000-07:00

One average summer day, a package arrived at our door. Karli LOVES packages. We were so excited and when we opened it up...we saw... MATCHING OUTFITS from Aunt Dorene.

Holy cow, were we ever excited!

Karli would choose to wear this outfit every day if she could. And so by default, when Karli chooses it, Ashley chooses it. I cannot pass up a good matching outfit. Too. Darn. Cute.

Thanks Aunt Dorene! These outfits are getting plenty of use!!

Hogle Zoo & Heritage Park

2011-09-06T09:50:00.000-07:00

We tried to cram as much fun into one day as possible.

First Stop:

Hogle Zoo

You're lucky my mom wasn't able to go to the zoo...I would have had WAY more pictures!

Next Stop:

Heritage Park

Ashley's first order of business was to take a nap.

We learned lots of things about the Pioneers at Heritage Park.

We got to play some of the games they played:

Pet animals like the ones the Pioneers had:

Wash clothes the way the pioneers did:

Ride ponies like the pioneer kids:

Although, I'm sure the circumstances were slightly different for the pioneer children :)

Learn to clean like the Pioneers did:

And finally, go to school like the Pioneers did:

I love this picture my mom took of Karli. She is so sweet.

As we left, these men were singing "All is Well" and it sounded so beautiful. It was so great to come to Heritage Park to learn about the Pioneers and my ancestors. I think everyone should visit Heritage Park. We learned so much about the Pioneers and the kids enjoyed learning also. What fun!

Last Stop:

Dinner at Grandpa Morrison's

Picking and eating raspberries:

Picking and eating fresh peas:

Enjoying a delicious dinner with cousins:

Wow...what a day!

Who is ready for bed??

4th of July Weekend

2011-09-06T09:49:00.004-07:00

We got to spend the 4th of July weekend up in Salt Lake with Grandma and Grandpa Otteson and the Mahaffeys. We all stayed at The Residence Inn and had a non-stop fun time!

Right when we got to the hotel, Grandma took the kids on a walk to "scout out" where we were going to watch fireworks.

And of course, along the walk, there was an impromptu photo session.

These kids have no personality...can you tell?

Landon found a snack.

Finally! After lots of walking and some sweating...they found the spot. Needless to say, when they got back to the hotel they were REALLY thirsty.

Oh, Grandma Nette and your adventures :)

The next morning was the Annual Evergreen Parade!

Small Parade+Lots of Candy+Family= We'll Be There!

After the parade, we headed to Grandpa Morrison's yard where we ate watermelon and popsicles, picked peas, visited and played.

Again, hard to see the personalities in these kids :)

Great Grandpa with all of the Greats.

Love all of these kids:

Ashley tried her first popsicle:

She is a fan!

Karli had fun playing in the basement.

Next, we headed to the Henriksen's for swimming and a barbecue.

Ashley is so patriotic.

Notice Landon and Sydney immediately in dress ups!

Later that night, we went back to the hotel, Ashley went to sleep, Chad stayed to babysit, and the rest of us headed out to watch fireworks. Turns out "the spot" was pretty amazing. We got to see several shows going on at the same time across the valley. We enjoyed every minute of it!

happy 4th of july

So glad we could spend it with so many great people!

Thank you to Grandma and Grandpa Otteson for letting us stay with you!

Karli was in heaven having a sleepover weekend with her cousins in a hotel!

Otteson Family Party

2011-09-06T09:49:00.003-07:00

In July we had an Otteson Family Party at a Park in Murray.

It was so fun to get together and catch up with everyone!

While the adults visited, the kids kept busy with an assortment of ipads:

Landon teaching Matt a few things:

I love this picture of my Grandma and her great-grand daughter, Madison!

7 Peaks with the Mahaffey's

2011-09-06T09:49:00.001-07:00

The Mahaffey's Don't Mess Around.

We usually go to 7 peaks for about 2 hours, but when we went with the Mahaffey's, we stayed for 7.5 hours! We were hard core water parkers that day!

This was the first time we had rented tubes. Why hadn't we done this before?! So fun!

Not only did the kids play on them, but we went on rides too!

Karli and I got to go on several rides together and we had a great time!

Karli's favorite was the "night-time one again!"

Ashley took a much needed nap in her stroller.

How cute are those feet?

Uncle Chad likes her chubby cheeks. As do I.

One of the best parts of the day was eating ice cream!

Love Landon's super intense face.

As Karli always says, "Boys like blue, and girls like ice cream."

So true.

Can you tell we were there for 7.5hours?

Girls Only Karaoke!

2011-09-06T09:47:00.000-07:00

If there is one thing in the world that the Mahaffey girls LOVE...

it is singing and dancing! Karli fits right in.

Within in minutes of their arrival, all three girls were fully dressed in costume, singing "Kids Bop" at the top of their lungs, and dancing their little hearts out.

I could have watched them for hours. Love these girls.

Next up?

Costume change, then painting!

Note to self: I apparently have the world's cleanest painter (Karli).

And Michelle apparently has one of the world's messiest painter (Keely).

Karli didn't really want anything to do with the messy version.

Next up?

Trying to calm down with a movie.

Grandpa's a pro at helping the kids calm down!

uh oh...

Can't resist more singing and dancing at the end of the movie.

So much for calming down!

Can't....Stop....Dancing!

The Crazies are Here!

2011-09-06T09:46:00.001-07:00

After TWO LONG YEARS...

The Mahaffey's are finally in Utah!

Let the craziness begin!!

We were so excited to see the cute grin on this guy:

And hear this little girl talk:

And follow this little girl everywhere she goes:

And we were pretty excited to see their parents too!

Nothing like chowing down at Chuck-A-Rama to get this family reunion started!!!

"More please, mom."

Grandma and Grandpa Otteson!

2011-09-06T09:14:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa Otteson came to visit at the end of June.

Can you tell we were excited?

Grandpa got to show Ashley some of the new apps on his ipad:

Although Ash thought they were pretty cool, she still just wanted to eat the ipad.

Karli got to show off all of her silly tricks!

What fun it is to have Grandma and Grandpa here!

Sweaty Baby

2011-09-06T09:10:00.000-07:00

Poor little Ashley is a sweaty sleeper. This is usually how her hair looks when she wakes up from a nap.

Love my little sweaty baby!

Morning Movie Date!

2011-09-06T08:55:00.000-07:00

Karli, Jackson, Dave and Chad all went on a movie date on opening day to see "Cars 2" and boy were they excited!

Lots of popcorn.

Lots of candy.

Lots of switching seats.

Lots of fun.

Thanks for chaperoning, Dads!

Father's Day Weekend Extravaganza!

2011-08-31T21:37:00.000-07:00

Grandma Smith got to come stay with us for a whole week before Father's Day! "We did lots of things!" as Karli would say. We went to the park, we went on errands, we read stories, we did projects, and one of Karli's favorite things:

reading books on the kitchen floor with Grandma Smith.

On Friday, we spent the afternoon at 7 Peaks with Grandma, Tucker, Calvin, and Aunt Holly. So fun! When we arrived home, this guy was there to surprise us!

And boy, was I surprised! I think I screamed.

The next day we took some family pictures up the canyon.

Could these three be any cuter??

Love my big girl!

Love my baby!

My girls are so lucky to have Chad as their Dad!

He is the most patient, hard-working, and loving Dad.

He is even slightly funny also.

Love him!

After church we had a delicious dinner, followed by a pretty intense cupcake contest.

The theme: barbecue grill

I will take it upon myself to give out a few Superlatives:

The award for "First One To Dig In And Give Up on Decorating" goes to Grandpa Smith.

The award for "Most Orange Sprinkles" goes to Karli.

She is also awarded the "Most Interesting Hairstyle and Wardrobe Choice"

The award for "Cutest Decorator" goes to Chad.

The award for "Most Excited Eater" goes to Tucker.

And the "Overall Winner," due to the creative use of toothpicks, goes to Curt!

What a fun Father's Day Weekend!