Kaylee's Christmas Program!

We had a great time going with Kaylee to her preschool Christmas Program. She is with her preschool teacher, Miss Brena in the center picture. She just loves her. As you can see she is quite shy. She was doing just fine until everyone in the audience started taking pictures and then her sweater came up in front of her face. Afterward, she posed for Grandpa in front of the Christmas tree. She really is hamming it up! It was really cute and there were lots of Grandparents there to watch the program. We feel blessed to have this opportunity to be with her. It was great fun!

Christmas 2010!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We had a wonderful time with Derrick's family in Kennewick, Washington. We went to the mall and saw Santa. Actually, two Santas. One driving his motorcycle in the mall parking lot and then Kaylee saw the Santa in the mall. She talked to him and everything. She was alittle afraid of the one on the motorcycle. We went and saw the Disney movie, "Tangled" with the family. It was a fun and entertaining movie. Jeffrey and Kaylee were with us so it was really nice. We had a wonderful Nativity play put on by the whole family on Christmas Eve. Derrick was the narrator, Ethan was Joseph, Kaylee was Mary, Megan was an angel, Rachael was a sheep, Jennifer was a wiseman, and Jeffrey was the donkey that Mary rode in on. It was very sweet, Jesus was played by a baby doll. Santa brought a Guitar Band game for the Wii for the whole family. We all got into the action and played and sang. Except Grandpa, he preferred to be the photographer. We got there late Thursday night and left early Sunday morning. All in all it was a great holiday, just too short a visit, as usual. Derrick and Jennifer had just moved into their new house and we really appreciated them having us so soon after the move. The house looked great and will be a great place for them to raise their family. We are counting our blessing this season. We hope everyone is well and happy. Love to you all, Laura and Neal xoxoxo

Goodbye, Abby!

Abby Smith
1998-2010

They say that a dog is man's best friend. Well, I would have agreed with that saying and would have insisted that it didn't pertain to women. I have to admit I am not that excited about animals, especially pets, as over the years it has meant more work for me.
However, Abby was special and she will be missed. We have had two dog's that have been with us for years in our family. The first dog was called April. She was a Terrier mix, a mutt, and part of the Smith family. Our children learned about the birds and bees from her and about loss. We got her the minute we knew we had just bought our first home. Neal and I had told the kids for years that as soon as we owned a home we could get a dog. Well, after years of waiting we got our first home and April. She was with us almost up until our last child left for college. She was our family dog. Abby, a Border Terrier, entered our lives when we were early empty nesters. We inherited her from Derrick. It is enough to say that they had a brand new baby and Abby came to live with us. She was so little that she could curl up in a ball on our bed and hardly be noticed. She is the only dog who has ever slept in my bed and up against me. We have teased Derrick for years about giving her back (especially when she ate a hole in our couch, our screen door, ran away for the hundredth time, and chewed up some of our precious things). But, we never gave her back. We actually found company with her around. You never felt alone when she was at home. She could slip out of the yard and make her way to just about any house around. Every one of the neighbors knew her and would call us and say, "Abby is visiting us again". We met most of our neighbors because of her. While living in Seaside she dug out of our yard and was arrested by the local police. Neal and I got home from Portland to find our backyard empty and a message on our phone that Abby was at the police station. When we arrived at the station her mugshot picture was posted with the caption, "Dog at large". The poor thing was in a cage next to a huge dog and she looked like she was going to fall over dead from fright. The ticket was $700.00!!! So, I went to court, promised we would keep her chained up, and we got off with about 10% of that. It was a pretty humiliating experience having to go before the judge (me a school teacher) as I realized that one of my kids was in court as well. Unfortunately, she was not there because of her dog. But, that is another story. Anyway, Abby has been really slowing down. She was almost 13 years old. She was going blind and was very hard of hearing. She woke up very sick this past week and we decided it was time. Most of you know that our grandaughter, Kaylee, lives with us during the week. So, we took Abby into our vet on Saturday when she was gone with Jeffrey. The vet has been her doctor for 10 years. He was so sweet. He put her to sleep first and then finished the job. Neal started crying and I had tears falling down my face. How could a little dog get to mean so much to us? Well, she did. We will miss her. And, Kaylee? Well, she came home Sunday and looked around and said, "Grandma, where's Abby?" We were kind of hoping she wouldn't notice. So, I told her she had been very sick and died. She looked at me with those big brown eyes and said, "What does died mean"? So, I reminder her of our talk about Heavenly Father. And, how when you die you go and live with him. Without skipping a beat she looked up at me and said,"Well, if Abby is living with Heavenly Father, couldn't we go get a puppy that is not sick to come live with us?" Neal and I looked at each other and sighed. I said, "Ask you Father!"
Goodbye Abby, we loved you and you will be missed!
Laura and Neal Smith

Portland in the Fall!

Acouple of weekends ago we had to go to Portland on a Friday. We went to acouple of appointments and then dropped Kaylee off with her dad, Jeffrey. We decided to take the long way home along the Columbia River. It was absolutely beautiful. The Fall colors were everywhere. While making the trip home we passed by a sign that said Suave Island. We saw the pumpkin fields in the distance and decided to take a look. What a wonderful decision! We drove around the island and saw farm after farm of all kinds of animals, vegetation, and homes. We stopped at an old fashion farmer's market and bought a home made basket and filled it to the top with fresh produce. There was a Corn Maze for kids to go through and houseboats along the river. In the spring they boast having a large Lavendar farm that is a sight to see. We hope to take our kids and grandkids there someday. We rarely take the time to stop and look but lately we have enjoyed doing this with Bronner and Jessica. They have caused us to have the explorer bug, too. We went with them to an Amish furniture store the last time we traveled and it sparked all sorts of ideas. Neal has even made a wooden project for me that I saw at the store. It is nice to do things like this together. We are really enjoying life.
Love to you all, Laura and Neal

More of Kaylee, enjoying herself. Thanks to Aunt Melissa we haven't had a day without a red sweatshirt on.
She loves it so much! She even pulled it out of the laundry to wear this weekend with her PaPa.

Kaylee's pictures...

Happy Harvest!

Here is our dear Kaylee in her school pictures. She loves preschool/day care and we are so glad for this. She doesn't like her pictures taken so we had to do some quick thinking and talking to get her to agree to have this done. She picked the pink background and wanted to wear pink. It is her favorite color. I was just getting over knee surgery and Neal couldn't get her hair done. So, I did it while laying in bed. I am all better now but it was sure fun having Neal and Kaylee take care of me. We are doing well. She is with Jeffrey every weekend so we can get some rest. She is sure keeping us young. I am now able to converse with my students about any cartoon or movie for kids. We read books every night. Kaylee can act out her favorites. She is quite a little character. Actually, she really reminds me of her papa (Jeffrey is called). It is like going back in time. Only, we are not as quick as we were. This is to her advantage, I think. More later.

Love to you all, Laura and Neal

More of Kaylee...

We have found out that Kaylee loves books. I am so glad being a teacher of reading. She is taking a picture here for her dad. She does not like her picture taken and so we have to be very clever to get her to give us a smile. She is cute, don't you think? More later... Laura

A Sunny Day...

Here are some pictures of things we have done together. Kaylee likes to put on Grandpa's hat and use his cane as she saunters around the house. She loves her swimming pool and totally loves it when Grandma blows bubbles and she chases them. She is eating her lunch here, she really likes Top Ramen, beef. But, the most surprising event was today when two deer stopped by for a visit. They were eating Grandpa's California Poppies and were so close we could see them and enjoy the view from the safety of our living room. Kaylee plays a mean game of Memory and she really likes to watch Shawn the Sheep, again, and again, and again, and again. I, know them by heart. We have danced to the movie "Mama Mia" and now we can sing together in the car both Dancing Queen and Mama Mia without missing many of the words. It is fun keeping up with a two year old. More later... Grandma Laura xoxoxo

Kaylee Our Little Helper!!!

Kaylee wants her Pa Pa to know that she is not just being waited on. She is a great help to her Grandma and Grandpa. Yesterday I was moving the dryer clothes to the counter to fold. I turned around and Kaylee had gotten her stepping stool and was loading the dryer with the clothes from the washer. What a sweetie! Today she insisted on setting her place for dinner. She is modeling the new princess pjs she picked out at F.M. She dances all around after putting it on. The bottom of her collage is all about her getting ready for bed. She brushes her teeth and washes her face. The final precious moment was when we were getting ready to eat dinner. Tonight she folder her arms and said, "Don't we have to do this?" What can I say, she is a blessing for us. Jeffrey, you have done a wonderful job with her. Thank you for letting us help to take care of her. Love, Kaylee, Grandma and Grandpa

Kaylee says, "Hi!"

Kaylee getting wet and Pa Pa and Kaylee together!

Neal and I have had the added blessing of having Kaylee stay with us this week. She is Jeffrey's 2 year old daughter. We are having so much fun and she is so cute. She is smart, too! She likes to watch, "Shawn the Sheep" movies, she likes to read, she likes to blow bubbles, or more likely catch the ones we blow. She can play the game "Matching" and find most of the pairs. She is blessed with a great memory. "Grandma, you said we would have ice cream before bed." Oops, have I forgotten how smart her dad was at bedtime. Anyway, Kaylee and Grandpa just finished having a water fight. Kaylee said, "Grandpa got me wet!" I said, "He is in trouble!" She said, "Why? I liked it!" We are going to be kept young with grandchildren like her around. Jeffrey works in Portland during the week and comes out all weekend. It works for all of us. Life is Good! Love, Laura

P.S. "Pa Pa, I love you! Kaylee :-)

Happy Anniversary to us!

Spring Break!!!

We had the most fun over the past few weeks. Melissa, Manhattan, Marin, and Maxwell came out from Ohio for my Spring Break!
Morgan was home working. Derrick, Jennifer, Rachael, Megan, and Ethan came out from Kennewick, Washington. Jeffrey and Kaylee came out from their home in Portland. We missed Michael, Esther, Chantelle, Lauren and Alexander as they could not come from Alaska this time. We hope to have them out next year. We had a grand time with everyone who was here. Bronner and Jessica were here to join in the festivities. We went to the beach and put 8 kites together, but guess what, no wind. This was a first that I can remember when the kids were here. We went to a wonderful park in Astoria. The kids went bowling one day while Neal and I were at work. We have a local park in our neighborhood and we walked there every day to swing and look for deer. We had several projects going on here at home. I made the kids all hats. We decorated and framed a picture of the Savior and had them completed for Easter. We went to church together with all of the children in the Easter best, so cute. The girls joined Jessica, my Achievement Girls, and myself for an Easter Activity. It was lots of fun. We colored Easter eggs. Jennifer and Melissa took turns cooking and I just totally enjoyed my grandchildren. They were all very well behaved and such a pleasure to be with and to play with all day and everyday. We then followed Melissa and the kids to Sacramento, California, and enjoyed seeing Morgan and his family for the actual Easter weekend. Morgan joined us all there so that both grandparents could be together for Maxwell's blessing. It was very special. Neal and I are very glad we have been blessed to be to all of our grandchildren's blessings. Life has really been very good to us. Well, enjoy the pictures and if you are still home with your children, enjoy them. Time goes really quickly.
Love, Laura and Neal

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Bronner and Jessica just returned from a trip to Ventura, California. They had a great visit with Uncle Bob and Aunt Jean. Brought some yummy oranges back and some beautiful pictures. Apparently, Uncle Bob and Jessica bought some new hats. In fact they have started a new Hat Club. The real name of the club is "Vintage" Uncle Bob. I laughed my head off when I found out that sweet Aunt Jean actually (by accident) named the club all by herself. One day Bob came home wearing the hat and she told him he looked like a "??". The name stuck. So, of course, Jessie bought me one as well and now I am a member. Yes, my children, Aunt Jessie is rubbing off on me and I am loving every minute. Whether you like our appearance or not, I have to tell you the hat is very warm and cozy when walking here on the cold and windy beaches of Oregon. This is a true story, no blarney! Love to you all and Happy St. Patrick's Day! Laura

Kaylee and Jeffrey's Visit!!!

Grandpa & Grandma

Kaylee and Papa

Kaylee brought our son, Jeffrey, to visit us at the coast this weekend. She is a beautiful little girl, if I say so myself. She is very self reliant and has her daddy wrapped around her little finger. (Which is as it should be!) We thoroughly enjoyed every minute with them. Whether it was watching a Disney movie with her, dancing with her to the music, building castles, reading books, and/or playing with our dollhouse together. She loves it all! We loved having Jeffrey here as well. He was helpful fixing a car with dad. He brings a quiet but sweet spirit to our home and I am always glad when he comes. We miss him a lot when we don't see him often. He works hard at his job and then is a wonderful daddy. We also went to the beach. Believe it or not, the wind did not blow enough to fly our kites. However, Jeffrey had bought Kaylee a smaller Tinker Bell kite and he ran up and down the beach to get it in the air for Kaylee. She loved it. She also likes to run after Abby and she lets Abby pull her around. She likes to dig in the sand with Grandpa and me. All in all it was a wonderful weekend. Bring daddy again, Kaylee. We had a great time!Love, Grandma xoxoxo

Collin Raye Concert

Tonight was our 40th anniversary! That is the anniversary of our first date. We went to Disneyland back in 1970. We obviously had a wonderful time. But, tonight was magical to me. Neal won tickets to the concert at work. He came home Friday night and he announced in a by the way, sort of voice that he had tickets to a concert for Saturday night at the Liberty Theater in Astoria. I had him repeat it to me, what, Collin who? I was on the phone with Esther and she said that he was one of Michael's favorite singers. Then, it dawned on me. He sings "OUR SONG". At least, this is what I call it. The song is called, "One Boy, One Girl". If you have heard it you will know that it is about a very young couple falling in love practically at first sight. Neal and I met on a Wed. morning, February 11th, 1970. He was dressed in a shirt and tie, very tan, and his hair was streaked with blond. He also had a life guard physique. He was, after all, a swimmer. I was also fit and trim with brown hair streaked with blond. I was a California girl, after all, and spent most weekends and the summer at the warm California beach. Anyway, to make a long story, sort of short. We noticed each other that day. We smiled and smiled at each other from two rows away. Later, Neal held the door of our classroom open for several students while waiting to talk to me. We began talking and walking together everyday after class. Then, we had our first date at Disneyland, and the rest is as they say, "History". So, last night we are being very entertained by Collin Raye. All of a sudden, I remember, it just pops in my head that our first date was on Friday, the 13th of March, 1970. I lean over to my usually very romantic husband as the song, "One Boy, One Girl" comes on and I whisper about it being our first date anniversary. What does he say, "Right, you know that for a fact???" I punched him lovingly in the arm. He is still, today, teasing me, questioning my memory, and my reason. Now, why would I lie about this! It really happened. We were both there. And, someday soon, I will find my journal and prove it to him. It was a lovely evening. I do love being with Neal even with the teasing. I swear to anyone who reads this, that I am telling the absolute truth. Any other man would have taken credit for remembering such a lovely day. Not my Neal, he has to argue about it with me. Anyway, Collin Raye was just wonderful. It was an enjoyable night. Laura xoxoxo

Family with us on the Coast!!

Build-a-Snowman!

Hi, Bronner and Jessica have moved to the Oregon Coast! We are so excited to have them here with us. They got here on January 5, 2010. Their boys, Jarrid and Blake, helped them move up here. We rode with them to Portland to drop the boys off at the airport. We had lunch with Jeffrey and Kaylee. A treat for everyone! Then, we stopped at the mall on the way to the airport. Jessica had the idea for us to make a snowman together. It was silly but totally fun! They had dinner with us last Sunday. It is really great having family here with us. Happy New Year to you all. Love, Laura