My kids are so smart

My kids are so smart; they should be in smart kid’s hall of fame. Ha ha! Semester grades recently came out, and I have to say that I am so proud of all of my kids.

The three little girls have all improved a great deal in both reading and math. Since starting at their new school halfway through the 1st quarter, Jenna and Shelbie have raised their reading level more than a full grade level. They have all been doing so well academically. Chloe is doing great also. She made honor roll this semester. (Whatever that means to a kindergartener I don’t know). We are so proud of all of them.

The older three kids are also doing so well in school. Brittani made honor roll this semester and has done pretty well in her grades. Like all of us she has a little to work on before she is “perfect”. Classes at their new school are at a higher level than they are used to. She is doing great. Nathan and Treya are doing really well in High School. This is the end of Treya’s first semester in High School and she got straight A’s and is ranked #1 student our of 79 total 9th grade students. She made top honors for Honor Roll. This has been a goal of hers for the past three years and she is really happy to have made it. Along with that she enjoys any sport. Currently she is on the basketball team and they are really pretty good. This is her first time ever playing basketball and she has gotten some pretty good court time. Her coach says it is because of her good attitude and hard working spirit. Nathan raised his GPA from 2.58 to 3.56 this semester. We are really proud of his progress in school. He is ranked 13 out of 49 total juniors. He also made the honor roll this semester. Aside from academics Nate loves music, especially the guitar kind. We got a whole bunch of stringed instruments for Christmas and he has been trying to learn them all. We got a bass guitar, an electric guitar, a mini acoustic guitar, a dulcimer, a mandolin, and a banjo. They are really fun. He also is part of the drama club at school. Their next play is a musical called “Remembering the 80’s”. I think that is what it is called. Whatever it is called it makes me feel old, since that of course was my time. Some of the girls are trying out next week to join a group called shenanigans. It is a dance, sing, act, type group or club. I don’t know much about it; however I think they will have fun.

Needless to say we are all so busy. I am busy just trying to calendar all of the activities that the kids, Troy and I have. Just that is a full time job. Ha ha. Well, that’s all until next time. I hope I am not so long winded then.


This is Chloe receiving her Honor roll aword.

Chloe and Jenna at the awords assembly.

Chloe and her kindergarten teacher.

I have spent a great deal of time this last week thinking about and remembering one of our beautiful children. I just wanted to write down some of my feelings.

This year January 9 and 10 2009 marks the tenth anniversary of our beautiful Madisen Lethie Smithson's life on earth. She only lived a few hours, but the time she spent will forever be embedded into our life. She not only touched our lives but many others as well. She was 9 lbs 15 oz. She has dark brown hair and brown eyes. Her left ear curled forward and was just so cute. She was so warm and smelled so good when we held her. She spent her life in the ICU at St. Josephs Medical center in Phoenix Az. She was however with many family and friends during that time. There were 19 family members that were able to be there in the ICU as she was given a name and a blessing by her father. It was an awesome experience. We were truly blessed because the hospital usually doesn’t let more that two family members in at a time. Many people were there as we held her in our arms while she slipped quietly away back to her Heavenly Father. It was a remarkable experience to hold her and know that the veil was so thin. It was almost as if we just handed her back to her Heavenly Father. I know that she was received into loving arms. She was only ours for a time and that time just happened to be very short. I will never forget the special feelings that came to us as we shared that time with her. I know that our children were very young at the time, but they will always feel that spirit that she brought to them. The time following her death was so hard and so wonderful. Everything fell into place as if angels were helping us and carrying us through. Every fear was dissolved as the spirit fell upon us and we were able to take part in the few things that we as her parents could do for her in this mortal state. It was all a great blessing and as I think back on the times that we shared with her, the things that we were able to do for her, I am so grateful to our Heavenly Father for giving us those memories. During the hard times that is what carries me through, that is what helps me to remember where she is and that we as mortals are the only ones that suffer and in time we too will be able to feel her joy and know her as Heavenly Father knows her. I am grateful for the plan of Salvation and the knowledge that I will know her again someday and I will have the chance to raise her and be her mother on a higher level. I know that if we as parents are worthy we will be with her again someday.

There are so many things that are in my mind to say and yet I have a very difficult time expressing them. This year has been particularly tough on me, I guess because it is number 10 I’m not sure, but I really do miss her very much. As a family we have the great opportunity to talk of her and remember her many times through the years, but on her birthday we celebrate her. We actually have a birthday party of sorts and it is so awesome. Friday was her birthday and we had a family day. We went to lunch and to the movies. We also went to Michaels to have one of her pictures repaired. My goal at one point was to have her scrapbook done by year 10 but I failed to complete that. My heart if full of love and admiration for her life and how even though she is not here she is one of our family. She is talked about, we visit her at the cemetery, we have her picture on the wall and we are able to continually have her in our life. She is only gone for a time. I am so grateful to be her mother and to have shared with her the special 9 months that we had. It wasn’t long enough, but I know she is in a better place. I remember when we named her. It was one night after we had received news that she may have downs syndrome. Troy and I agreed that her name would be Madisen and for the next 4 and a half months that is what we called her. We (mostly I) talked to her often and I am truly grateful that I did. I know that this has been one of my greatest trials and I have been blessed by it. It will always be hard, but it has made us all stronger and made me a better person. I am truly grateful for her life and what she has given me and for the part she plays in our family.

Happy Birthday Madisen, We love you!

This is the beginning of a brand new year and I am hoping to make this blog thing work. I am really excited about the chance to share things about our family and what we do in everyday life. Our new year started out with a bang. For the last couple of years we have had bubble wrap at the house on New Years Eve and when Troy and I decide it is time to celebrate with the little ones we break out the bubble wrap and yell happy New Year and everyone jumps on the bubbles and pops them. It is so fun and the kids think it is their thing to do now. We had a great New Years Eve. We watched movies, did bubble wrap, ate treats and the big kids went to the dance. Good times!







Let’s back up though and tell a little about what we did for Christmas. The best part of our Christmas was sharing it with Great Grandma Harris. We got to go down to her home in Long Beach and take her a Christmas tree. The kids and I strung cranberries and the kids all picked out their favorite ornament from our tree to share with her. Her tree was really cute. She really liked it. We went to lunch with her to Hometown Buffet (her third time that week, she didn't tell us that.) and then we went shopping at Wal-Mart. We took her home, took some pictures and bid her goodbye. It was an awesome experience and time with her. We also did another fun thing. We took stockings to the missionaries in our ward and the ones that live behind us. We went to the dollar store and found lots of toys and candy for them it was so fun.

The kids got some fun stringed instruments for Christmas and a karaoke machine. They have been having so much fun playing all the neat instruments. We got a Dulcimer, a Bass Guitar, A mini Acustic Guitar, a Banjo, an Electric Guitar, and a Mandolin. They are so fun. It was a wonderful Christmas. On Friday after Christmas we went to Mesa to visit family and it was busy but very fun for all. It was nice to spend time with all our cousins again. It was also good to see Dena and the kids again, even if only for a few minutes. We love them so much.







Well back to today. This is the day that we set our goals for the New Year. It is our tradition to write them down and put them in our stocking till next year when we see how we did. One of my goals is to keep up this blog so that we can have a history for our family.

This holiday season has been very special to me. Having my family together and being at home has been absolutely wonderful. I love my family so much and am so blessed by my savior. I am grateful to have had the chance to reflect on his life and what it means to me. I love my savior and am so grateful for the sacrifices that he made for me. I am grateful for his love and forgiving nature. I am blessed to have a wonderful family and children that are so special to me. I couldn't have asked for more awesome children. They bless my life everyday. We love our extended family and are so grateful to them for their support and love. Thank you all and have a great New Year.