True Feminism

"When the frailties and imperfections of mortality are left behind, in the glorified state of the blessed hereafter, husband and wife will administer in their respective stations, seeing and understanding alike, and co-operating to the full in the government of their family kingdom. Then shall woman be recompensed in rich measure for all the injustice that womanhood has endured in mortality. Then shall woman reign by Divine right, a queen in the resplendent realm of her glorified state, even as exalted man shall stand, priest and king unto the Most High God. Mortal eye cannot see nor mind comprehend the beauty, glory, and majesty of a righteous woman made perfect in the celestial kingdom of God." ~James E. Talmage (as found in The Words of Joseph Smith)

From the Inside Out

"The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of people, and then they take themselves out of the slums. The world would mold men by changing their environment. Christ changes men, who then change their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature." ~Ezra Taft Benson (Ensign July 1989)

Dance Recital Photoshoot

We are so excited for the big recital in a couple of months!
The kids and I have been practicing hard and memorizing our routines. It's going to be quite a show!

Hodges Gardens

The girls were invited to play their violins at Hodges Gardens State Park. It was a day of free admission for the community. Various art vendors exhibited their work while musicians from the Vernon Parish Community Orchestra played in small groups, scattered around the beautiful park.

72 Hour Kits

With natural disasters going on in the world, we thought it was about time we put together our 72 hour kits. Getting out the door to go anywhere with four kids is a challenge; we needed to have things packed smart and light to grab and go in case of evacuation. The kids were a big help and now are so excited for an emergency to happen. (Umm, I told them we need to rotate the food every couple years, so let's not wish for a disaster).

I read a few websites and came up with a meal plan and essential items that work for us.
3 days of meals:
breakfast - juice box & 2 granola bars
lunch - juice box, tuna and crackers & raisins
dinner - vienna sausages & applesauce / kippered snacks & pb crackers
9 water bottles, nuts, mints


toothbrush, toothpaste, sunblock, chap stick, body wash, lotion, deodorant, wet wipes, tissue (for tp), emergency blanket, whistle, compass, poncho, antibiotic ointment bandaids, head flashlight, permanent marker (for labeling kids with name and contact info - I know it sounds morbid). Diapers for Fiona. I carry a nylon cord and water purification tablets; Ben carries a tarp. We need to pack a change of clothes and emergency contact info, and then we're set!


If we are able to evacuate by car, I'll prepare a shelf in the garage with our tent, wind up radio, cases of water, and maybe a case of canned soup, camping stove, etc. Still brainstorming here... Suggestions on what works for your family?

The Smith Days of Christmas

Here is a link to our latest creation, "The Smith Days of Christmas" photo book. Hope you enjoy seeing a slice of our year.

http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=6c90ff06c588a6e7&sid=0IYs27Fq4cMXWw

Merry Christmas!

Love, The Smith Family

Steph, Fiona, Ben
Chase, Abby, Isa

Halloween Festivities

We hosted a neighborhood Halloween Party on Friday the 30th, aka: Halloween Eve. The kids and I had so much fun decorating and creating games for the kids. I wanted to socialize with adults, so my kids ran the games and crafts. Amazingly everyone was happy and relatively calm considering the sugar intake. I made chili, apple cider and pumpkin cheesecake and neighbors and friends brought an appetizer or dessert so we had more goodies than we could possibly eat. Visiting and feasting for all!

A trail of tea lights in jars lead the way up our driveway to our door.

Donut on a string was a hit. Especially for Fiona!

We made a bowl of "brains" and the kids got to dig for spider rings.

They also played fishing for candy and throw the ball in the cup with the prize to win it. A couple crafts kept them busy too. Making lollipop ghosts, and coloring faces on baby pumpkins. When they had their fill of games, they played Wii and then watched "Nightmare Before Christmas."

On Halloween night we went to our church party. Games and activities for the kids, a scrumptious soup and sandwich potluck dinner, and the very popular trunk-or-treating. We went home with way too much candy. They got to eat all they wanted in the car on the way home, and I will be doling it out slowly over the next months for good behavior and help around the house.



Abigail was Professor McGonagall from Hogwarts

Isabelle was Harry Potter's "Ginny"
(she's now reading the seventh Harry Potter book)



Chase is our Spidey

Fiona, our little Minnie Mouse






Steph with her Halloween Hunk!

Independence Day

Fiona and I went to a TEA party (taxed enough already!) at the courthouse. This is the most important thing I could do today to celebrate our independence. We heard excellent speeches about the principles our Founding Fathers stood for, and stirring stories of their sacrifices. I am so grateful for America. In God we trust!



Ben and the older kids went to a get together with some of his patients. Fiona and I joined them there after.

We continued celebrating on the Army base at the Fourth of July Festival. There were all sorts of games and fun.

That evening was an outdoor Clint Black concert. Pretty sweet family outing (and all for free! A nice perk of military life).

Fiona and Ben enjoying a spectacular firework show.

Baby Birds

I think we must be suckers for helpless animals. Here's another story... our version of "Are You My Mother?"

We noticed a bird's nest in one of the gourds on our fence with four baby birds in it. One evening we saw our cat, Ven, with one of the birds held gently in his mouth. Abby carefully pried it out and returned it to the nest. We then noticed another baby bird that had fallen out below the gourd. The next day we checked on the baby birds and the mother must have abandoned them. Sadly, only two of the four birds were still alive. We had a little burial for the two that had died, and rescued the two remaining.

We fed the baby birds water from a tiny bottle, and a mixture of jam and milled flax seeds from a tiny syringe. (Didn't really feel like smashing up worms). They loved it.



I wish I could say that these birds grew and eventually flew away to find their mother, but I'm sorry to say they didn't make it through the first night.



We had them in a box, with plastic mesh clothes pinned on top, placed high on the top of our barbecue. I knew our cats couldn't get to them, but didn't consider other nocturnal wildlife. I should have brought them into the garage or put them back into the gourd. Either a raccoon or an opossum got to them. What is it with our life and death experiences? Our children are getting a big dose of the circle of life.

Blueberry Picking

We went blueberry picking in Rosepine with friends early in the morning (before the Louisiana heat kicked in). The kids are big enough to really do a super job filling their buckets. Even Fiona picked a few from the low branches. It's the best feeling to have a freezer full of ziplocked berries. I'd like to think it will last through winter, but I don't think we can resist finishing them off this summer.