Bermuda ... Jamaica ... ooo I wanna take ya!

I'm back! Woo hoo! Finally! Two weeks ago Scott and I drove down to Utah, left the kiddies with his parents (thanks again Hal, Sharon, Becca, and Kate!), and jumped on a plane headed for NYC, stayed the night, and then boarded the ms Noordam with Holland America for a fabulous cruise to Bermuda. The peeps in our crew were: my parents, Adrienne (sister) and Jim, Blair (brother) and Kim, Mandy (Kim's sister) and Cam, and Nick (brother) and his friend Kyle. Here are some of the highlights:

When we landed in New York, we met up with the folks who were already there and headed over to Times Square. I felt so liberated, yet lost, being out at 1 a.m. without any kids, just cruising through NYC. It was so much fun! Cold, but fun:
The next morning instead of sampling NYC's cuisine (sigh) or shopping on Canal Street (double sigh), Scott and I walked over to Central Park and did a little sightseeing of our own, Scott-style (leave it to MY husband to find a place to boulder in the middle of Manhattan!):

Setting sail (NYC skyline):

Adios NYC!


Adrienne, making even a life preserver look good:

Our lovely room model, Scott, showing off the luxurious space in our stateroom (actually I think he was wallowing in misery about having to dress up for dinner):
Formal night #1 - Papa Mike and Grammy Kay lookin' sharp (Papa and Grammy? What?!? There were no kids along -- they were just plain old "Dad" and "Mom" to us for one precious week. What a novel concept!)
Dad on his hog:

Father/daughter bonding on a pier in Hamilton:

Blair, in some sweet shades, showin' off his great white ninja moves:
Kyle and Nick modeling awesome spandex with their svelte physiques (check out the color of that water!) on one of the famous pink sand beaches:
Formal night #2 -- Mandy, Kim, and I (at this point, Adrienne was in her room puking her guts out from a wicked combination of the rolling seas and early pregnancy -- am I allowed to divulge that little tidbit Adrienne?):
Probably one of the best/worst things about the cruise was the karaoke "Superstar" competition that Adrienne, Nick, and I entered. Best because it was highly entertaining (especially Nick's "risque" performances) and was super popular on the ship but also the worst because Adrienne and I would get so nervous every night before the show that we couldn't eat dinner and had to "use the facilities" (if you catch my drift) numerous times before each performance. We were, however, singing in front of 700+ people so we weren't just embarrassing ourselves to a piddly little crowd. Oh no! We Smiths like to go all out when it comes to public humiliation (although, I must say, we all did fairly well. Thank you. Signed photos can be ordered.). We concluded that our lame nerves and stress for a cruise ship karaoke contest just weren't worth it -- I mean missing out on fillet mignon because you're worried about how your Bonnie Raitt is going to sound? Come on!

Here's Adrienne working her magic on stage...

A few of Nick's colorful outfits...What's that? The air guitar whilst he whistles? Stop! Just too much talent for one guy (although I have to say, that Nick can whistle like nobody's business. I'm not kidding, I double dog dare anyone out there to challenge him to a whistle-off, the kid has some mad whistling skills).

Here's my tutorial on how to make it in the karaoke world:

First, flirt with the gay emcee...
Second... stomp your left foot (if you're left handed, however, stomp your right foot) while singing your heart out to the Dixie Chick's "Sin Wagon"...
And last but definitely not least, lean back and close your eyes ... pure karaoke genius... And although none of us won, we had a great time. On performance merit and crowd favorite criteria alone, we all think Nick should have won, hands down. Probably the highlight of each of Nick's performances was his wardrobe transformations. At the start of each song, he looked great, then either the wheels slowly started falling off the bus or the performance just got better and better and BETTER! depending on how you look at it. (I subscribe to the "better and better" mentality -- HOLLA Nick!)

This was his best night -- he started out in a tux, all distinguished and respectable...
Then just a hint of his personality emerges ... A little more personality ...
And then BAM! Full-on crazy! The best part is, the judges always seemed to like it...

Phew! Quite a long post. But it's been quite a while so I was overdue.

Thanks again family for such a great trip!

Easter Celebrations

I've been busy lately. You know that. But, bad news -- I'm still busy. Still workin' for the man but also trying to get ready to go out of town.

So, instead of trying to come up with something witty to say, I'm just going to post my Easter pictures.

Sorry to disappoint. I know you all use me for my wicked sense of humor.

Darling little fam on the way to church:

Darling little Ruby before church:

Crazy little Ruby after church:

Our contemplative Easter Bunny:

Darling Henry, discovering that the "hopping" he heard in the hall really WAS the Easter Bunny!:

Darling Henry during the hunt (Boy, is he easy to please sometimes!):

Excite much?:

Proud Ruby with her new Easter toy:


p.s. Did anyone else notice the changes going on on Ruby's noggin'? I tell you, the girl changes hats about 52 times a day!

Where Have I Been? (Part II)

I wish it was somewhere exciting.

But it wasn't.

Just here ...

Blogging, unfortunately, has taken a back seat to working for the man, getting frustrated at my kids when they interrupt me while working for the man, throwing back Diet Coke like it's water (isn't it better, though?) to stay awake until three in the a.m. so I can finish the projects blessed upon me by the man, and talking bizness over the phone 'til 12:30 in the a.m. with the man (aka my father-in-law) and hearing him spew his beloved Diet Coke (it runs in the family) everywhere because we're laughing so hard at the dumbest things because we're punchy due to the late hour.

See? Sometimes work can be fun.

(Except until you feel like you've got a hangover from you-know-where (not that I've ever had a hangover but I'd bet you $27 this felt worse than Lindsey Lohan's average Sunday morning "headache") and get your 7:30 a.m. whisper wake up call from a little voice at the side of your bed saying, "Mama?" At least the gracious child had the decency to whisper, right?)

They're Here! New Spring Fashions!

My little fashionista has been enlightening me lately on what the new trends are this spring (and since I'm like so on top of the latest fashions -- or at least only two years behind -- I better listen up).


So here they are ...


The latest and greatest accessory -- big brother's underwear, worn as a HAT!


Ruby's next fashion choice makes perfect sense for those long, scorching hot summer days ...

Ruby ain't nobody's fool. Even when naked, she insists on being fashionable.


And for those days when maybe it's not so warm outside (I'm sorry we practically live in the Arctic), Ruby chooses to sport her pink, fuzzy boots with ...

... red Christmas pj's. What an obvious choice.

And last but not least, it's not really a fashion, per se, but more of a chique daily ritual. Ruby has recently learned the innumerable benefits of the ancient Chinese tradition of ...

My Big Day

So, I'm 30! I can't say that it feels differently than 29, except maybe now I can't be offended if the teenage bagger at Alberston's calls me "ma'am." I guess that comes with the new territory.

I have to say that Scott stole the show, however. He surprised me by getting a babysitter (even on family night -- how dare we?!?), taking me to a fancy restaurant, and having some of my friends there to greet us! Scott has never done anything this sneaky so I was pleasantly surprised by the festivities. Although a few couples couldn't make it, we had such a great time with Traci and Jaeson, and Rachael and Chad. Thank you for coming you guys and sacrificing your family night. I hope we didn't disrupt the harmony in your home!

Thank you Scotty for gently ushering me into my 30s with an appropriate amount of celebration -- not too much, but not too little (hello, I "immodestly heralded the arrival" of my own birthday, afterall; there must be SOME celebration!).


Fellow partying friends:
Traci and Jaeson

Rachael and Chad

Thanks again everybody!