The Alaskan Plunge- 2013!

      Christmas in
Alaska in 2013!
 Michael, Esther, Miriam, Chantelle, Elaina, Lauren, Alexander,
William and Lillian Smith with Grandpa Neal and Grandma Laura.

We had a great time.  On Christmas morning I got my wish.  We saw the Northern Lights at 2:00 am.  It was a -40 degrees outside so we had
to bundle up but the view was worth it.

I am holding William, 2 years old and Michael is pictured holding Lilliam,
the 1 year old.  What a bunch of sweeties.  The kids are really well behaved and the babies, well they are babies.  What a riot, glad Michael and Esther are so young!

The Happiest Place on Earth!

Here we are celebrating 40+ years of marriage with some of our children and grandchildren.

We are at Disneyland and this is significant because we had our first date at Disneyland on Friday the 13th in March 1970. It was a lucky day for us. We also spent our one night honeymoon between classes in college at Disneyland on April 17th, 1971. Later, Neal worked at the Autopia cars in Disneyland in 1972-1973 as we waited for the birth of Derrick. Derrick went in with us often when he was just a baby to look at shops and just walk around. We got in free because Neal worked there. However, in those days you bought tickets to ride each ride and so we couldn't afford that but we always came away with a special happy feeling. Disneyland opened just 15 minutes from my hometown of Garden Grove in 1955. I was 4 years old. A few years later Santa Claus left us tickets and we got to go on Christmas Day to Disneyland. For my family, that was the beginning of a happy relationship. Neal remembers going in 1956 when he was 5 with his grandmother, she died in 1957. They had to drive 2 hours from Ventura for the trip but boy was it worth it. As we raised our children we took time to go to Disneyland whenever we could. Not real often and even less when we move to the Pacific Northwest. However, to this day, it is a magical place to us. We have 3 day passes and tomorrow is our last day. Derrick and Jen came with their 3 kids, Rachael, Megan, and Ethan. Melissa and Morgan came with their 3 kids, Manhattan, Megan, and Maxwell. Jeffrey and Danielle had school so we brought Kaylee and Sami. Stevie is 3 and too young to be away from mom. Michael and Esther are in the process of adopting Miriam and Elaina, and also just found out they will be having child number 7 in August. So, they couldn't make it. They are busy at home with Miriam, Chantelle, Elaina, Lauren, Alexander, and William. We don't know what number 7 is yet. We have missed them but plan to visit them in August. So, we are very busy grandparents. Melissa found us a house to rent near Disneyland, about 1 mile. It has a pool, hot tub, ping-pong table, pool table and a wide screen TV in every room. It is 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. She did great! The house is beautiful. This trip has been wonderful. We are so grateful to our children for helping us make this happen. This was a dream anniversary! Neal and I are already talking about doing this again some day. Love to you all, Laura and Neal

If we can do it , anyone can!

Jessica, my sister-in-law, and I have decided to quilt together. We are trying all kinds of new things. We put two quilts together that I showed you in a previous blog. Then, we went to a local quilt shop and were trained on how to use a Longarm quilting machine. We then took our quilts in and spent a Saturday quilting them. We had so much fun and we felt so accomplished when we were done. I am loving having Jessica here. We are going to Weight Watchers together and we have been going since January. Together we have lost around 60 pounds. It is so much more fun to lose weight when you have someone to do it with. Thank you, Jessica, you are so good for me! Laura :-)

Kaylee Rose Smith

Kaylee Rose Smith came into our lives 4 years ago when Jeffrey became a father. We had the opportunity to have her live with us this past year. It was sometimes a challenge being a parent to her instead of a grandparent, but mostly it was a great blessing to us. We got to know her better than we ever did before and she got to know us. We have a bond and love that will never be broken. It is wonderful. We were able to teach her about Jesus and praying. She taught me that I am never to old to dance, prance, laugh, and/or ride a merry-go-round. She is with her dad full time now, as it should be of course. But, we love and miss her. Jeffrey is happy and with Danielle. She took these pictures of Kaylee. She is not only going to school to be an RN but she is a very good photographer. She has 3 children, 2 girls and a boy. The girls live with Jeff and Danielle and so Kaylee has two sisters all of the time, one younger and one older. She spent this weekend with us and I can tell you she is very happy! She asked me to get her some school work to do at home. Jeffrey is going back to school, Danielle is in school, and she wants to have some work to do when they do homework. We have had a fun weekend with her. I am exhausted and she is going home tomorrow. We are already making promises about the things we will do next time she comes to visit. She tells me she "loves me big much"! Who would not give anything to hear that from a small child. I am so blessed!

Enter Fall....

Just as March brings in Spring, the last week of August finds us preparing for Fall. Jessica and I started quilting together this
past year. We have been having so much fun and we have made some pretty quilts. Right before school started we were trained on a long armed quilting machine. We did a wonderful job finishing up two quilts. One for Jessica and one for me. It was fun and very fulfilling. I had my quilt squares in storage for almost 5 years and Jessica's had been away even longer. All we had to do was sew the squares together and then put the top and bottom together. The long armed machine did whatever we guided it to do. It was a blast.
Anyway, we are both back to school and busy with work. But, we manage to get together to sew and exchange ideas. Jessica has been so helpful with my church group of girls ages 8-12. We meet twice a month and do projects together. Jessica is the queen of crafts after all of her years running a day care so we have really had fun. Family and Friends, there isn't anything more important to me!!!

The best part of the visit was a birthday party for Marin and Kaylee. Marin turned 4 on July 23 and Kaylee turned 4 on August 19th. So, we had a Tangled party. Melissa made the cutest cupcakes and braided a yellow hair they could wear. We found princess dresses for them and Aunt Jessica found gloves, shoes, and magic wands. It was a group effort and so much fun for everyone. Thank you all for the help. The girls had a ball.

Who are these beautiful people?

And yet I find more.... at a park, in a hat shop, stuffing his little face, and going to church. What fun we had!

And, still more, we played at out house, colored, did projects, rode bikes, had lunch at Aunt Jessica's lunch program, blew bubbles, had camp fires, went to church, and prayed together. Does life get any better than this? No, it doesn't!!!!

I forgot, while in Kennewick Derrick and Grandpa took the kids to Home Depot Day! What a blast they had!

Well, we finally made it to the coast of Oregon. We went to the Merry-go-round in downtown Seaside, we went to the beach where brave Melissa shows off a crab. We went to a beautiful park in Astoria and had some great summer days! More to follow!

Well, this probably looks strange, but, it was a blast! We were at Derrick's house in August, the kids collected stones, went Geocaching and treasure hunting, thanks to Uncle Morgan. We had a facial put on by Rachael and Megan. Derrick took off time and we went swimming, picnicing, walking, and playing. It was great. We had some great barbecues put on by Derrick. The distinguished man in the beard is Neal. Grandpa came back from Alaska with a beard and has never shaved it. I am getting use to it and he likes not having to shave. Kaylee was with us so all of the grandkids except Michael's crew were here. We missed them but maybe we can all get together next year. I love being a Grandma!

I know my blog is out of sequence but I am finding all of these pictures from the summer. This is Melissa's family with us in Kennewick. We were visiting Derrick's family. Derrick was at work. I believe Morgan took the pictures. We spent a wonderful week with them before coming out to the coast of Oregon.

Jessica, here's another mess you've gotten me in! Actually, Jessica and I had a wonderful walk on the bridge. Would we do it again, I don't think so, but, it is one of those things we can cross off our "Bucket List". The bridge is 208 feet tall and we walked about 6.5 miles in just under 2 hours. Not bad for two older ladies. We sure were feeling good when it was over. Thank you Jessica for the challenge. I feel great about accomplishing it!

Michael & Esther's Harvest

This is a collage Esther sent to me. They have new animals, food they
have grown, and a brand new baby boy, William. We were there for
his blessing the 4th of July. Lauren was also bapized the same day and
so it was a wonderful and inspiring trip. We were sent to Denali Park
by the kids for our 40th anniversary on a train trip. The sights were
just out of this world. We saw deer, elk, moose, beaver, swans, eagles,
and much more. One day we were out driving with the kids and actually
saw a baby black bear crossing the highway. What a thrill!

I know I am behind on my blog. But, I thought I would start here with Neal's trip to
Alaska. This happen in April at Easter. You can see Michael's family has really grown
they have a baby on the way and are in the process of adopting Elaina and Miriam.
What a blessing this is for all of them!

Merry-Go-Round

Dear Family and Friends, Life really does have its ups and downs, just like a Merry-Go-Round. Neal and I have had our share of both ups and downs. We will be celebrating our 40th anniversary on April 17th and Neal has recently lost his job. It is because of some huge errors another person made with the company's finances and over 80% of the company had to be let go in order to try and save it. The transit center may or may not stay open and it is sad. Neal is doing o.k. He was very disappointed and upset at first but now is in Alaska with Michael and his family. They are expecting baby #6 (they have added 2 foster children to their family and are in the process of adoption). Michael has been blessed with pretty good health, though he is tired a lot. Esther is down waiting for #6. So, Neal is there helping to finish some projects, etc. I will join them in June for the birth of the baby. Meanwhile, Kaylee and I are doing an all girl thing at home. She slumbers with me every night. After all, she pointed out I have this huge bed and I was all alone. The good thing about it is we both go to bed at 8:00 and I am actually waking before the alarm every morning. Neal would call this a miracle. Neal and I are not sure what the future will bring. We are praying about it and staying busy. Both of us, apart, yet of one thought and mind. So, after a long first week without him I decided to take Kaylee out Friday night after work. She wanted to go to the Seaside Merry-Go-Round. After we got there she insisted I needed to go on the ride with her. Well, it has been awhile since I rode a Merry-Go-Round but I couldn't say no. I am here to tell you all that it was the best 3-5 minutes of my life. For those few minutes all of my concerns were gone as I looked at the 3 year old next to me enjoying the ride with pure joy. We threw our heads back laughing and enjoyed the ride. I started realizing that this is how life is. We ride so many things that are scary, sad special, and happy. We wish we could hold the happy and special moments in our hearts and spirits forever. But, then some hard thing happens and it washes away those happy thoughts. I know this is not original and it must sound pretty corny. But, I was so happy for that time, looking into her beautiful 3 year old smiling face of pure joy, that I didn't want to get off of the ride. I think that is why we hate to have to grow old and die. Because despite the trials, the ups and downs., the truth is that when we get to the end of life, as we know it here, we only remember the wonderful fun times. We just don't want to let go. I for one am going to try to keep in my heart every day the special moments I have had with Neal, my kids, my grandkids, and the family I grew up with because in the end, that is what really matters. I am posting some recent pictures. I love you all. Laura

Sweetheart!

Kaylee and I finished her Valentines for school. We had Tinker Bell Valentines and we taped a sucker to each card. She was so excited!
We even had sticker hearts to add to the cards. Then, my friend, Juliet, told me about making labels that say the child's name on it so that I don't have to write it 30 times. Neal made us up labels with hearts and they said "From Kaylee". So, she just had to stick them on the backs of the cards. I never thought of this before. What a great idea! Kaylee received a new top from her mom's parents, Bumpa and Nana. It is really cute! She was so excited. She got a book, a card, pictures of their family, and a heart with chocolates in it. She is loving Valentine's Day! Hope you all have a wonderful day tomorrow. I am sure to have lots of fun at school even with the insanity.
Love as always, Laura, Neal, and Kaylee xoxoxo

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