Shums

thanksgiving

2011-12-22T11:40:00.004-05:00

It is so nice to have great friends out here to celebrate the holidays with. We had Thanksgiving dinner with the Shepards and the Gilbreths. The food was AMAZING! I aspire to one day be able to create fantastic feasts, as they do.

I made some of my mom's rolls and a million pies. I always appreciate a great holiday spread!

When we got home, we put up the tree and decorated it.

We also found out Crew is not a fan of Santa's hat...

this shut him up real quick

We also started The Elf on the Shelf this year. Landon was skeptical at first and insisted it was fake because, "he's not real". But after some convincing on our part he is SO excited. I don't know how much of it he buys, but he loves searching for "Elfie" every morning.

28

2011-12-10T11:24:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday to Me! I was spoiled rotten by my boys, and family this year. My birthday fell on a Sunday and it just happened to be the primary program. Landon did a great job, memorized all his parts and made me so proud!

This is what I told Sam to make for my bday cake

This is what I got instead... not a bad swap!

Amidst all the stress, and our never ending car problems, this year I have come to realize I actually enjoy Connecticut! It's weird for me, because AZ is my home and I always just imagined that's where I would be happiest. With only 8 months until Sam graduates, it seems too short! I find myself feeling sad to have to leave. I plan to enjoy the next year and take advantage of our experiences here. A bunch of my friends out here have birthdays in the Fall, so we had a girls lunch at Cheesecake Factory sans kids to celebrate. Thanks everyone for making my birthday special!

who you gonna call?!

2011-11-27T18:56:00.006-05:00

Landon became obsessed with the Ghostbusters movie earlier this year. So when we started thinking about Halloween costumes his choice was easy! Coincidentally the youth in Sam's church class have called Crew, "Stay Puft", since we brought him to church for the first time. We got plenty of use out of our costumes at various parties through out the week.Ward Trunk-or-Treat.The Shelley's Halloween party Goody bags and treats I made for Landon's class party
Since this happened...the Governor tried to tell everybody that Halloween would be cancelled this year, and that nobody was to go trick-or-treating. We rebelled and Landon came home with a nice haul! To end things on a brighter note, this will be our last snowy Halloween!

sleepy hollow

2011-11-16T11:05:00.007-05:00

After hearing about last year's adventure, Sam was so happy he could join us this year for the Jack-o-Lantern Blaze. Fall is so pretty here and the drive gave us a chance to see all the beautiful leaves. We got there early this time so we could explore the little town of Sleepy Hollow.

The Sleepy Hollow Cemetery is HUGE, and actually very beautiful. There are many famous people buried here, including Washington Irving, who wrote The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

Downtown

The Blaze
I only had my phone camera so these pics don't do it justice

disney world

2011-11-06T17:25:00.023-05:00

Richard and Erica were kind enough to let us glom onto their trip to Disney World last month. They rented a super nice condo, and took great care of us at all the parks! We didn't have to even think about where to go or what to do next. They even took care of all the Fast Passes, and it seems like we never waited in line for more than 20min all week! Landon had so much fun playing with his cousins and riding on all the "big kid" rides!

Hollywood StudiosMom's Birthday Celebration
The kids got these from the balloon man at the restaurant. Landon cherished his for weeks and finally threw it away a couple days ago.
Epcot

Magic Kingdom
Animal KingdomAfter being forced to pose for pics all week this is what I had to choose fromThe kids were SO GOOD! Landon was in heaven the whole time. He still talks about all the rides we got to go on. Sam was so sad he had to miss out. He is in his 5th clinical rotation and absences are not allowed. Hopefully we get to do this again soon!

apple harvest

2011-10-25T18:05:00.009-04:00

Every year Southington, the town our ward buiding is in, has an Apple Harvest Festival. After hearing about their famous apple fritters (Sam's favorite treat) we decided not to miss it this year. Someone was raving about them to Sam at work, and told him "just to jump into the longest line we could see". We did, and sure enough it led to the most delicious treat I've had in a while. Fresh, warm, sugary apple fritters!

(This is us in line wrapped around the tent.) After our appetizers we walked around the many food tents and decided on huge cheesesteaks for lunch while we watched the parade.Landon thought the tiny Mason cars were so funny! He still laughs everytime we ask him about the parade.
We also got some pumpkins, and more importantly, pumpkin whoopee pies! Let's just say, I hope we're in town for next year's Apple Harvest!

1st day of school

2011-10-25T18:01:00.002-04:00

Landon started his 2nd year of preschool. He goes 3 times a week and loves every second of it!

RIP

2011-10-25T17:52:00.003-04:00

A while back the Jeep died. We knew this day would come , we just hoped it would last us more than 6 months. Landon was pretty sad to see the "new" car go, but having Mater haul it away was a definite plus! Bring on the next beater...

We snatched up another car (which has already been to the shop twice) and don't worry, this was only the 2nd day I had to deal with the invalids working here at the DMV. Car troubles are the WORST!!!

irene

2011-10-01T18:57:00.007-04:00

Last month we were warned that the entire East Coast was going to be hit by a hurricane. I had no idea what to expect, this being my first hurricane and all, so I obeyed the news folk and tried to load up on batteries and water. However, upon arriving at various stores this is what I found...They told us it would be a level 3 hurricane by the time it hit CT. We had a pretty good supply of things in our minuscule "food storage" but everyone was FREAKING out so I felt like I needed to be overly prepared. Seeing the stores and all the frantic people was the scariest part of the whole thing. I understand the importance of having a food storage, and being prepared now that I've lived through this tiny drama. The storm came and went. Sam and Landon took advantage of church being cancelled and even sat on the stoop and watched the storm for a bit when our power was knocked out. A lot of people had a lot of damage, and no power for a long time. We are SO lucky to have been "hit" so mildly. Our power was back on within 24 hours. I am so grateful for our safety and the safety of our close friends and family in this situation. Another bonus to living in the southwest... NO HURRICANES!

road trip!

2011-09-04T15:16:00.014-04:00

My brother Richard, and his wife went on a cruise last month. They flew my mom out to watch their kids for the week they were gone. Somehow she made a pit stop in CT and let us tag along. Before we headed down the coast mom got to see some of the sites around here.
Our first stop was Boston. We walked the Freedom Trail, ate some great sea food, and of course stopped at Mike's Pastry for a cannoli.The U.S.S Constitution Museum on the Freedom Trail. Our first dessert, Godiva Chocolate Truffle Milkshakes. The next day we took a nice walk around Wallingford, enjoyed some of Wentworth's homemade icecream and had fun looking at some REALLY old graves.This cemetery is right in the middle of the town we live inSome of these graves are from the 1500's! Next on the agenda was a day in NYC! We got stuck in a tunnel in Manhattan for an hour on our way to the Staten Island Ferry, but once we boarded it was awesome!After seeing Lady Liberty we ate some fabulous Greek food and saw the City sites.Times SquareWe saw the Naked Cowgirl (who is about 100yrs old btw) but mom wouldn't get a pic with her because the line was too long...

... and speaking of things that are long,

After a week of fun here, we started our loooooooooong journey down the east coast. An hour out we hit heavy traffic in New York crossing the George Washington Bridge and it didn't stop for 700 miles until we got to Landon's favorite new place, "Dick's beach house". Crew and Landon were SO good through our miserable trek, but why didn't anybody tell us there would be constant traffic traveling through 8 states and every major city on the east coast??? Once we arrived we realized it was well worth it! Emerald Isle is beautiful and we had a blast all week.

This is what happens when you drag a 4yr old through NYC traffic. Thank goodness Landon is a boy.Almost there!Once we got there, Richard grabbed some fresh seafood and whipped up a divine feast! We walked to the beach almost every day. The water was warm and the kids were so good! The first thing Landon did everytime was write his name in the sand, then he was good to go!Ella and Landon would have stayed in the water through the night if we let them.Dinner with cousins after a great beach day!After dinner one night we sat on the deck and watched the sunset.

One day we loaded up the troops and ventured to the aquarium. Here is what an SUV stuffed with 5 car seats looks like.

After an awesome week with cousins we headed home. Traffic was significantly reduced traveling north. Here I adapted Landon's car seat so that he could sleep more comfortably. I'm so happy my mom included me in this adventure and that Richard and Erica decided to live on the beach. We had SO much fun, and Landon asks daily when we're going back to Dick's beach house.

happy 4th, birthday that is!

2011-08-22T11:58:00.008-04:00

Landon turned 4 on July 20th. We wanted to have a big party since he's (and we've) met so many great friends out here. We had a BBQ at the park by our house. It was perfect, the kids played hard all night. Landon is such a sweet kid, we love him so much and he continues to bless our lives daily.

week of july 4th

2011-08-10T21:46:00.008-04:00

Summer has flown by this year! Here are some of the things we've been up to.

We went to a BBQ at the Shepard's on the 4th, ate yummy food, and did fireworks. Landon cried like 6 different times, I don't remember why but I think it has something to do with his bloody knees.We went to the beach and played volley ball with some classmates. Landon is getting really good at baseball and hits everything pitched to him.Sam and Landon go to the Sea Doo shop and dream about boats.Crew is getting big.
We went mini golfing and had fun, but Landon preferred the 4 wheeler games in the arcade.Sam's good friend Nate came to visit and took Sam to a Red Sox game. I guess Fenway Park turned out to be "pretty cool" even though Sam is an avid Yankees fan. I'm glad he was able to get away and spend some time with a good friend.

Before Nate left we took him to Yale. Landon rode his bike around the campus and we explored some of the cool old buildings. I loved the Sterling Library, it is AMAZING! We had fun searching for Skulls and other secret society marks.

boston

2011-07-17T15:23:00.009-04:00

After living on the East Coast for over a year, we decided it was finally time to visit Boston. Neither of us had ever been (I did go with the ward to the Boston Temple, but that doesn't count since the temple is actually in Belmont). Sam was especially excited about this trip because he had tickets for he and Landon to ride Codzilla! I guess he saw it on some show a while back and has been dying to go ever since. Boston is close to 2 hours away, so we waited for Saturday and we were off! (We actually went 4th of July weekend, not on purpose, and it was PACKED!)

We saw a couple sights on the Freedom Trail, but didn't walk the whole thing.

Old State House

(Within these walls John Adams, John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and other patriots debated the future of American self government and set in motion the American Revolution.)

Across from the Old State House we saw this.

Samuel Adams monument

Inside Quincy Market aka HEAVEN! Every kind food vendor known to man. I must go back and try some more!

We opted to eat at Cheers, where everybody knows your name.

Long Warf CODZILLA!!! Landon loved every second of it, and asks frequently when we will ride Codzilla again.
After Codzilla we walked a couple blocks down to Little Italy to find Mike's Pastry. It wasn't too hard to find, considering the HUGE line out their door. I was very impressed with how quickly it went, we only waited about 5 min. Once inside you better know what you want because you get about 3 seconds to yell your order before they throw you and your cannoli out the door! We walked across the street to a park and enjoyed the best connoli in the world.

The chocolate covered was delicious, but this is my favorite cannolo!

There was even a little splash pad fountain for kids (and some unique adults) to play in.

We had such a great time and can't wait to go back next week with my mom!

father's day blessing

2011-07-10T19:00:00.007-04:00

We decided to bless Crew on Father's day. Mostly because his blessing outfit (the same one Landon used) was quickly becoming too small. We missed not having grandpas and uncles in the blessing circle. However, we love our ward here so much they have truly become our 2nd family and we couldn't be happier or feel more loved. Sam did bless Crew that he would "love and get along with his brothers and sisters". Was it nerves, or divine inspiration???? At the moment I'm thinking the former. It was such a special day and I feel so blessed to have such great boys and fathers in my life!

Landon singing to dad with the primary. He did so well, no silly outburst this time around.Crew and Landon displaying their true personalities on their blessing days. I can't believe it's been 4 yrs!

buff's wedding

2011-07-03T14:11:00.006-04:00

In May we took a trip to AZ for my sister Bethany's wedding. We debated being able to go with Crew just 5 weeks old. I seemed to be fully healed from the surgery by then so we loaded up and flew out. The flight there was awful. There is just too much crap to haul when you travel with kids! Plus there isn't a non stop flight out of Hartford, so travel time gets WAY too long. We stayed with my brother in their very large house which made things comfortable, however, both my son and husband are now addicted to video games. We had an awesome girl's night making Buff lingerie and eating treats. I got to see some great friends and definitely got my fill of great food. Living so far away I miss my family and am so grateful we were ALL able to get together for the event!

school's out!

2011-06-24T16:57:00.005-04:00

School's out! Well, technically Sam is still in school even though he is finally done with all things "schooly". Now he just has 14 months of clinical work and a test every 6 weeks, which should be cake considering the hell he went through last year. Landon however, is officially on summer break! I signed him up for another round of swim lessons and can only hope this session goes better than last... He does great when he's swimming, he just doesn't shut up long enough to let his coach get 2 words in. In fact ever since the arrival of Crew, my sweet Landon has gained quite the personality... or should I say attitude! Here are some pictures I found in his cubby on the last day of school. I suppose they gave up after this shot. This should be a fun summer...

twins

2011-06-20T21:31:00.003-04:00

One of the first things I noticed when Crew was born, is that he looks JUST like Landon. I think Landon is pretty cute, so that's just fine with me!

father & son campout

2011-06-06T22:35:00.008-04:00

After the worst week of Sam's life, which consisted of 6 tests in 5 days and a total of 3hrs of sleep, he got to take Landon to the ward camp outing. Immediately after finishing his last final Sam rushed home and loaded up the jeep. Landon was so excited to see his daddy after not seeing him for days. I'm so grateful for a husband that loves to spend time with his boys!Unfortunately at only 2 weeks old, Crew had to miss the camping trip this year. BUT we did enjoy a nice evening at home with Ben & Jerry.

mother's day

2011-06-06T21:59:00.009-04:00

I feel so blessed to have such wonderful boys. Tyra Banks once told me that a stay at home mom would earn roughly $130 thousand a year if she was paid for all the work that comes with being a mom. Sam still makes fun of me for arguing this fact... probably because Tyra Banks is an idiot. Even though it feels like the hardest job in the world at times, I wouldn't give it up for anything. Thanks to my awesome kids, who fill my life with love.And a special thanks to the mothers in my family for their example and selfless love.

easter

2011-05-10T19:37:00.004-04:00

I tried to have Easter all ready to go before having Crew since afterwards I wouldn't be able to do much. I sewed up some baskets for the boys, and took Landon to an egg hunt with a thousand other kids at the park by our house. The city hides millions of filled plastic eggs all around the play-scape then lets the "kids" run free and gather them up. I say "kids" because that is who the egg hunt is for. However, I had to fight many adults who's grocery sack "baskets" were FULL, just to scrape up a couple eggs for Landon. Afterward he wondered why his basket wasn't full like all the moms around. It made me pretty sad, if I hadn't been 9 months pregnant I might have been a little more aggressive or even caused some ruckus. Landon did get to meet the Easter bunny so at least he left happy.
Landon was spoiled all week by Grandma Terry, and then again by the Easter bunny Sunday morning. I myself found a nice surprise in my basket, and I'm not just talking about all the Lindor chocolate. Sam gave me rubies for Landon's birth and diamonds this year for Crew, I love my birthstone rings!

Crew Taylor Shumway

2011-05-06T19:29:00.010-04:00

Choosing a name is always the hardest thing for Sam and I to agree on. After discussing prospective names for months we both immediately liked the name Crew. After that we didn't ever discuss it, so Crew it is! Taylor is Sam's brother's name and also my mom's maiden name, so double family points for his middle name. (I'm going to forget that Crew and Taylor are both main characters in Sam's favorite childhood movie, Rad, and tell myself that had no influence on Sam's decision in naming our son.)From the beginning I was apprehensive about having a repeat C-section. I really preferred to have a VBAC, but was not given that option. In fact, (in my opinion) a lot of things are lacking when it comes to east coast heath care. I don't have the energy to rant about all that now, but let's just say I won't be having any more babies out here.I can't complain about the actual delivery, it was the 9 months prior to the delivery that were so frustrating. I was scheduled for an 8am C-section on Monday April 18th. We arrived at 6am to start the pre-op paper work, IV, etc. At exactly 8am I was wheeled into the OR and given a spinal block. This went WAY better than my epidural with Landon. By 8:10 I was numb and sliced open and Sam was allowed in the room. The Dr was assisted by his PA which was cool to see what might be in store for Sam in the next few months, he also walked Sam through the whole procedure because he knew Sam was a student. I tried to block everything out and just relax, at one point the nurse said, "Maybe she doesn't want to hear about all that." I didn't really mind, I think it's all pretty interesting. By 8:23 the baby was out and crying loudly. I hardly felt any pressure or tugging during the delivery, as I did with Landon. As soon as I saw Crew, I said, "He's tiny!". The dr informed me that at a week early, he was NOT tiny at 8lbs 13oz. Crew also looks just like Landon... just less chubby. Over all I was VERY pleased with how quick and comfortable the delivery went!The next 4 days were not as comfortable. Sam was there for the delivery, then had to run to school for a 4 hour lab. Terry and Landon came to visit, and my good friend Katie. After the first day I had no visitors... and was quite happy about it! I was able to sleep and hold my baby. With the exception of severe pain every time I moved and a couple crazy nurses the whole birth experience was quite pleasant.

visit from granny shumway

2011-05-06T18:32:00.005-04:00

Sam's angel mom faced her worst fear and flew out to see us, and help with the new baby. She came out a couple days before baby was born so we were able to have some fun. I'm in the young women's presidency and this year the youth were in charge of the ward's annual dessert auction. We worked really hard getting everything together and I'm glad we got to share the evening with Grandma Terry.

Sam has become great friends with the Elders in our ward, he invites them over for dinner often. It was so nice to have them over to help Sam give me a pre delivery blessing!With Sam back at school and me in the hospital, Terry and Landon were able to spend a LOT of time together over the next week. We are so grateful and lucky to have such wonderful family!

cow chip bingo

2011-04-16T21:27:00.003-04:00

Every year the Quinnipiac PA students host Cow Chip Bingo for their annual fund raiser. They each sell "plots" on a field set up on campus. If the cow "throws her chips" or in other words POOPS in your plot, you win! It was a big event that Sam was invited to stay all day for, so we joined him. They had a 5K run, food, and a race for the kids. Landon came in 3rd... out of the 3 kids that showed up and won some books. Sam was sure to bring his toys- bocce, frisbee, and wiffle ball. It was a beautiful day and we had a blast spending the day with dad!

carnival

2011-04-16T21:10:00.004-04:00

Since this happened...We decided to pass on season passes to Six Flags this year and have our car door replaced (which sadly, was the equivalent of about 32 season passes to Six Flags). On our way to Joann's the other day Landon noticed through his tears (he now cries at the sight of a Joann's store) this Carnival set up in the parking lot. We decided to take him that weekend for a night on the town. Landon got to choose 3 rides to go on, while I watched in fear for his life. He loved every second of it- misspelled rides, blaring hip hop music, scantily clad teens, and all! Not quite the Six Flags adventures we had last summer, but he still talks about "The Carnival" all the time.

recycle rant

2011-04-16T09:08:00.004-04:00

Here in Connecticut every time you buy a plastic bottle, they charge you 5 EXTRA cents. This doesn't sound like a lot, but I rarely buy just one water bottle, it's usually by the case. They are also not required to list this "deposit" in the sale price, so your total is often a couple dollars more than you plan to pay. Still, not a huge deal. Most stores have a little "bottle room" (many of which are inhabited by homeless since they are accessible 24hrs and not inside the actual store) where you can recycle your bottles and get the "deposit" as a credit back to that store. This sounds great! However, you can only recycle bottles at the store the bottle was purchased. I shop at many stores, so this is a pain! Also, 98% of the time, the machine is "full" so you can't even put your bottles in. Usually by this time I'm so sick of hauling huge bags of bottles around I just leave them in the room for someone else to claim.

In the beginning I used to recycle all bottles. But this little process got old real quick because I rarely received my "deposit" back. I quit recycling and ignored the phone calls from the apartment complex about throwing recyclables in the dumpster.

During one of my nesting stints I decided it was time to empty the completely overflowing bin of bottles. Since Walmart machines take just about every brand of bottle I decided we'd try to recycle there again. IMMEDIATELY upon entering the bottle room I remembered why I don't put up with this crap. Besides the overwhelming stench of urine, every machine except one was full. AND in front of the machine stood this...

I finally snapped this pic about 30 minutes into her sorting. She kept looking at me and saying in a surprised voice "Oh, are you waiting for this machine?" I told her 3 times, "Yes, it is the only one that isn't full.". I don't know what possessed me to wait my turn and get my credit, but it WILL NOT happen again. I'm all for a better environment and all, but don't appreciate being FORCED to recyle or pay the consequences... literally.

killing time

2011-04-03T18:19:00.007-04:00

Living in such a crappy climate has forced me to become creative with activities for Landon. That lasted about 2 days. We got sick of rotting away in our apartment so we signed Landon up for as many classes as we could afford. Here's what he and I have been up to. While I craft Landon does puzzles, etc. He's gotten so good at the states puzzle he no longer puts the pieces into the frame, he dumps them out and arranges them on the floor. This probably proves that I craft too much.

I made binding out of the yellow stripe fabric (not pictured) and actually finished the last piece of crib bedding, here's the quilt.

Landon goes to preschool twice a week. They do tons of art projects... am I supposed to keep them all??? Sports class at the YMCA. Soccer, basketball, and baseball with 3 year olds... CHAOS!Sam takes Landon to the free kids building day once a month at Home Depot.Swimming lessons- we should have started this a LONG time ago. Landon has been begging to wear shorts for 2 months now. One sunny day we went for a walk. I forget sunny doesn't always mean warm, notice the snow jacket. I snuck away one Saturday and joined the ward for a trip to the Boston Temple. It was SO nice.We jump for joy when the weather hits 50 degrees, as that has become "warm" enough for us to play outside- that is IF there is no wind. It is April, no more snow... PLEASE!

luck o' the irish

2011-03-21T12:58:00.005-04:00

They do a really big St Patrick's celebration/parade in New Haven so after church we decided to head down. We were all dressed in our green, and ready to sit in the sun for the parade. Landon was SO EXCITED to see a real parade since watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade on tv. Since we decided to stay for all of church then head down, we got there after the parade started. We searched for parking for about a half hour in down town New Haven on old streets the size of sidewalks. Perhaps we were a little too excited when we finally found a spot, and while quickly switching lanes this happened.Since we weren't ticketed, and the other driver was promptly arrested for using a suspended license we will (hopefully) only be responsible for our damage. Everyone was unharmed, except for some adult egos and maybe Landon's spirits... all of which were fixed with a stop at McDonald's on the way home.

go bobcats!

2011-02-27T11:26:00.003-05:00

We showed some school spirit at the Quinnipiac hockey game last weekend. I made Landon's shirt for under $2 plus Sam gets free tickets so we took advantage and had a fun night out. I'm not a huge hockey fan, but it's always good to get out and spend time with the family. Plus, Landon loved it! The best part of hockey, they sell cheap snacks and HOT CHOCOLATE!
We even got to meet Boomer the Bobcat, but Landon was way more interested in watching the game to let me get a picture. I believe they were playing against Brown. It was tied 2-2 in the 3rd period but since we left with 6 minutes left, I have no clue who won the game... however, Landon did win this sweet Bobcat hockey shirt!

my heart "beeps" for you

2011-02-22T19:28:00.005-05:00

For some reason Landon is totally into robots. Instead of calling him a nerd, I'm trying to embrace it. Luckily Target was full of robot valentines. We all had a great day full of treats, the best perhaps was my lunch date with Landon at Captain Seas (where I got Greek food)!We made these valentines for Landon's class, they go on top of treat bags.

29

2011-02-19T22:38:00.003-05:00

We celebrated Sam's 29th birthday earlier this month. This was kind of a selfish gift but I can't wait for Sam to start grilling me some good food!

icy

2011-02-19T22:22:00.004-05:00

The other night Mother Nature thought it would be funny to play this little joke on us. Personally this is my idea of hell. It took Sam a good hour to chip our car out of that mess. On the bright side, it did freeze the 4ft of snow in our back yard so Landon was able to ride his bike for the 1st time in months.

new year's fun

2011-01-30T19:37:00.010-05:00

After Christmas we flew to St. George to spend a couple weeks with Sam's family. It was so good to see friends, spend time with family, and do plenty of relaxing!

China Town Las VegasVisiting Molly and Wayne...and their new baby Samuel. Landon was so sweet with him and didn't want to put him down. Let's hope he feels the same way when his little brother arrives!The men attempted to go hunting and got stuck for hours instead.Another man outing, ice fishing! Jumping Jack's with cousins Another snow day!Hot chocolate to warm us up after sledding. Landon's first time shootingJack Shumway is a pro with his BB gun, let's hope Sam doesn't think 4 is a good age for a first gun.Jack Lambert and Landon waiting for their turn to shoot the BB gun.

Back in Connecticut, here's the welcome home we received...actually, thanks to awesome friends out here, our car was cleaned off and apartment warmed up by the time we got home.

Smithmas '10

2011-01-16T17:21:00.007-05:00

For Christmas this year Landon and I flew to AZ a couple weeks early. The 70+ degree weather was a wonderful treat! Sam joined us right before the holiday and we had a blast at the many celebrations.

Regan's Ugly Sweater Christmas party. I'm not sure why but we all look incredibly 80's.The "Elves" made these special bowling pants for Christmas Eve- Landon wore them once and now refuses to touch them. Maybe this mama elf needs to brush up on her sewing... Smith family talent showLandon singing Jingle BellsChristmas morning!Sisters quilt for my mom. We each contributed squares and came up with this little number.

We are so lucky to have such a great family. It's always fun to celebrate the holidays together, even if it means hauling Christmas for 3 people across the country!

cinco

2011-01-12T18:05:00.002-05:00

Sam and I were separated by roughly 2500 miles on our actual anniversary. So when Sam finally finished his finals and met me in AZ we celebrated by stuffing our faces with delicious food. 5 years down... 5 billion to go!

traditions

2011-01-05T17:56:00.004-05:00

If you recognize the woman in the above picture, you hold a special place in my heart. If you too were sweet talked into buying her magical potion, you top my list. My family has many Christmas traditions and for as long as I can remember our family has ventured to the Mesa Swap Meet in search of Christmas treasures. If you dig through the mountains of turquoise, dream catchers, and other southwestern paraphernalia you can actually find some neat stuff. As an added bonus there is a snack bar with live entertainment! If you've never been, I encourage you to visit.

announ... announce... ANNOUNCEMENT!

2011-01-01T13:35:00.004-05:00

It's been a secret for long enough! We decided to wait till we visited our parents this Christmas to spill the beans. In case they couldn't tell by my protruding belly, I made this shirt for Landon to clarify the news.

shumway family christmas tree

2010-12-09T10:36:00.006-05:00

A classmate of Sam's grew up on a Christmas tree farm in the Berkshires in Massachusetts. After Thanksgiving she invited a few families from class up to the farm to pick out and cut down a tree. Sam has been dreaming of doing this for as long as I can remember. Since we've never lived anywhere near a real tree farm I pushed it to the back of my mind and to Sam's dismay purchased a pre-lit gem on clearance one year. It was SO COLD, and even though I honestly think my eyes froze we had a great time. Our hosts were beyond gracious and not only let Landon drive the tractor pulling us and all our trees, they also fed us lunch, cookies, and hot cocoa! We are amazed at how blessed we have been here to meet and make such great friends.

When we got home that evening I realized I was outnumbered and gave up trying to have a beautiful tree. Sam and Landon took over the decorating- colored lights and all! Landon's favorite new activity is to turn off all the house lights, roll under the Christmas tree, and stare at the colorful lights.

thanksgiving

2010-12-02T13:31:00.005-05:00

A few of the young families around here got together this year to celebrate Thanksgiving since our extended families all live in other states. This was especially nice because we had a fantastic meal and none of us had to do ALL the cooking. I broke-in my new Kitchen Aid mixer (best bday gift ever!) and whipped up a couple batches of my mom's rolls, and a chocolate chip cheesecake. I was also in charge of the mashed potatoes. About 20 people were at the dinner so I was eternally grateful when Sam volunteered to peel all the potatoes. Since our hostess' oven quit working Thanksgiving morning I also had the turkey in my oven all day. Our house smelled like heaven with all that food cooking. We loaded up the car and headed to the Shepard's for the feast. I'm so thankful for the great friends we've made here, they certainly made our holiday more full. And what's Thanksgiving without Black Friday?!Don't worry mom, I braved Joann's at the break of dawn to load up on our year's supply of flannel.

the city

2010-11-26T19:58:00.010-05:00

Last weekend we decided to spend the day in New York City. Sam had never been so we took advantage of his day off. We went a few days before Thanksgiving and the whole city was set up for the parade. We stayed near the south end of Central Park and were able to see so many cool things.

Central ParkWollman Ice RinkSerendipity

After downing our famous frozen hot chocolates we decided we needed a little sugar...

Dylan's Candy BarThe steps were filled with candy

Rockefeller Tree (being decorated) Times Square

Landon loved it, although he did ask Sam to carry him quite often. We came home and crashed, we were so tired. I tried to map everywhere we went and it totalled about 5 miles of walking. We can't wait to go back and see more of the sights.

um...

2010-11-22T17:45:00.004-05:00

We started giving Landon the toy catalogs that have been bombarding our mailbox . I gave him a pen and told him to circle what he wants for Christmas so we can tell Santa. He of course found the most expensive thing in the whole catalog, a Buzz Lightyear power wheels, and now refuses to look at any other catalogs-- OR any other pages of this catalog. In fact I catch him staring at the picture all the time. The other day I was sewing while making sure Landon got his daily dose of TV. When I finally decided to look up from my craft I saw this:

I know he has a naughty list, but how does Santa feel about nerds?

"happy" birthday

2010-11-14T14:25:00.007-05:00

All I wanted was to feel cute on my birthday so I decided to spoil myself and get my hair done. I last had it done in April. I made an appointment at Ulta and was excited when the Salon Manager said she had a spot for me. I thought since I'm getting the BEST stylist at the place I was willing to pay the extra bucks that only the top stylist is allowed to charge. My heart sank when the 95yr old lady walked out and said she was my stylist. After being denied the hair I went in for and enduring the WORST weave of my life I exited the Salon well over $100 (don't tell Sam) poorer and looking like this:The cut makes me gag every time I look in the mirror. Good thing my hair was super long to start, she hacked about 4inches off the length and I'm almost sure she used a bread knife. At least she didn't burn her hands (thanks to the oven mitts she wore) while singeing my hair with the flat iron. I wrote a hateful note, and plan to call cooperate on Monday. Thank goodness for foodstamps and their ability to buy Ghiradelli chocolate turtle cheesecake, the only part of my day worth remembering!

"this is halloween, this is halloween..."

2010-11-04T18:31:00.016-04:00

This year Landon discovered The Nightmare Before Christmas and watched it constantly all month. The songs are amazing yes, but impossible to get out of your head. After some debate this year Landon was Syndrome from The Incredibles.

I finished his shiny black unitard early in the month and decided to make myself a costume. The pattern size is NEVER right, so my Alice in Wonderland dress ended up 12 sizes too large. I tried to take it in but it ended up just looking like crap so I only wore it once. Sam's costume never came to fruition, maybe another year. We went to a couple costume parties, here is our ward Trunk-or-Treat. Landon played all the games and I got some inspiration for next year's costume for Sam...
Our friends, the Shelleys also had a costume party so I pulled out one of last years oldies and found myself dying yellow tights for the 2nd year in a row. The night before Landon's school party he insisted on being a robot. Soooooo a cereal box, a jug of milk and a little tin foil later we have this treasure... If he were any older and he would have been beaten up for sure. Sam took Landon trick-or-treating Sunday night in the frigid weather, and he came back with the best loot ever!

jack-o-lantern blaze

2010-10-30T12:44:00.008-04:00

Remember that creepy old Disney cartoon about the Headless Horseman? Well I recently found out we live about an hour away from Sleepy Hollow, NY where that story takes place! Every Halloween they have a huge jack-o-lantern blaze on the grounds of one of the many estates there. So Katie and I packed up the kids and headed off (get it) to the blaze. Since it was Katie's birthday we stopped for some Mexican food AND it was actually decent!! While waiting for it to get dark we ventured around the town to see some of the creepy sights, and to treat ourselves to some pumpkin pie ice cream. The blaze was AMAZING! There were so many pumpkins, each carved with incredible detail. I wish the pictures did our experience justice. I would urge each of you to join me next year- just fly out, no biggie! Landon loved our adventure and occasionally talks about Ichabod Crane like they're old friends.

"bowlink"

2010-10-25T10:38:00.000-04:00

Landon asks for a story every night when we put him to bed. Since this is the only time Sam gets to see him I assume this is where Landon learned about bowling. One Saturday we finally took him, and now he's hooked! He asks to go "bowlink" ALL the time, and sometimes just sits and stares at one of the flyers we picked up from a nearby bowling alley. By the end of one game he's usually pretty worn out and just drops the ball at the line. Why are bowling alleys always gross? Oh well, I guess it's a pretty good indoor activity for when the weather gets nasty here.

fall

2010-10-15T20:02:00.000-04:00

It rained all night which knocked many of the newly oranged leaves to the ground. Since our complex is surrounded by huge trees, the minute Sam got done with his final test of the week, this is where I found him... and Landon.

preschool

2010-10-05T16:26:00.000-04:00

Landon started preschool a couple of weeks ago. I was really impressed with the structure of this program and think it will be great for him! So far he LOVES it. Since the other kids were crying and clinging to their parents I asked Landon if I should stay, but he insisted "No mom, you leave." It's weird to run errands without my buddy, but I'm grateful for him to get to do some fun things with other kids... and the 3 hour break is pretty nice!

nate is great

2010-09-26T19:17:00.001-04:00

My good friend here, Katie, wrangled up some tickets to a taping of the new Nate Berkus show. I had only seen him a couple of times, on Oprah, but liked his decorating style. Plus his show is filmed in New York City, so I was extra excited to go! It was my first time venturing into the City, and was very surprised at how quick and easy it is to get there. Katie even found a great parking garage right next to the Manhattan Temple that is super cheap considering the options available. First we grabbed a quick (and delicious) bite before jumping into line outside the studio. We assumed that your spot in line would determine your seating inside the studio... WRONG! We were one of the first in line, but that is not why we were put in the front row. They forced us to sign our lives away, making us promise not to "blog" about selection details for the audience. Let's just say we got lucky and they must have really liked our outfits! The taping was really fun and we got really good at pretending to be overjoyed at the sight of Nate, and ignoring the huge cameras. I'm so grateful for the experience and can't wait to attend more tapings! So many great shows are filmed there. Hey, I hear they film Jerry Springer here in CT... perhaps next time the boys get a break from school.

camp out

2010-09-12T22:48:00.000-04:00

During Sam's recent 2 week break we broke out the tent and went camping with our friends. I actually "roughed it", meaning I slept in a sleeping bag on the ground- no air mattress! Based on the half hour of sleep I got all night, next time there will indeed be an air mattress involved. We roasted weenies, s'mores and stayed up talking with good friends until all our fire wood burned out. There was only minor trauma when something fell out of a tree while we chatted around the fire. It was pitch black and it scared the crap out of me for the rest of the night. I swear it was a bear cub. Maybe camping just isn't for me, UNLESS it's at a beach or somewhere without wild carnivores. In the morning Katie made us a delicious breakfast, if you don't count the poisoned bacon. She is actually an excellent cook, and we're so glad they braved the wilderness with us.

super saturday

2010-08-31T12:16:00.000-04:00

Back in July we went with a group of friends on quite the adventure! We headed to Massachusetts and started the day off at Cracker Barrel for breakfast.

Then we headed up the road to Magic Wings butterfly conservatory.

We made a quick stop for the best ice cream and chocolate in the world.

Before heading home we went to the Yankee Candle Co. Headquarters. This store was amazing! They had an entire Christmas village set up. Landon made us sit through the entire creepy animatronic show... twice. We even got to dip our own candles!

We have already done so many fun things in the short time we've been here. We are so lucky to have great new friends and can't wait to do more exploring with them!

it's great to be 3... or is it?

2010-08-17T20:28:00.000-04:00

Landon turned 3! I say this every time he has a birthday, but I can't believe how big my baby is getting. Landon keeps us on our toes, and is sure to make us laugh throughout the day. He is truly a light in our lives. On Sunday we had a small party with some of our new friends. Then on his real birthday we headed to Six Flags for some rides, and fried Oreos.
Landon eventually got over this traumatic experience and enjoyed the rest of his birthday!

input

2010-08-06T15:59:00.000-04:00

I am well aware that this post is premature, but with Sam's next semester looming (and looking busier than ever) it looks like I will have some extra free time on my hands. In short- it's time to craft.

I've made our Halloween costumes the last 2 years and plan to continue as long as Landon will cooperate. I am drawing a blank this year and need some inspiration. Here is what I have so far:

David the Gnome- I found a great pattern for this. Syndrome from Incredibles- This is Landon's exact body, and with his hair grown out I think we can achieve this look.
The Mad Hatter- not sure which version (I would be Alice... yes, I still dress up)Which idea do you like best?? OR do you have a better one?!

just coloring

2010-08-02T10:40:00.001-04:00

After yelling upstairs to Landon, "What are you doing?", I should have jumped at his answer, "just coloring". He's always been really good about following the rules, so I didn't think twice about giving my 3yr old a pack of markers for his dry erase board.

Fast-forward 10min, I hear Landon asking me for some clothes. I figured he just wanted some shorts on. He must have been tired of waiting and decided it would be better to just color some on instead. Lately he's been all about drawing cars, after cleaning off his body I found this little treat in his bed.

company

2010-07-27T21:41:00.000-04:00

We had our first visitors! Richard's family stayed with us for a couple nights on their journey down to North Carolina. Ruby and Ella crack me up, it's always good to see them. Landon loves his cousins and although Sam was M I A the entire week (due to 5 tests in 5 days) we had a great time.

Richard braved this bad boy on one of our many food outings.

Six Flags was fun, we got soaked and didn't even have to touch the water. Ok, the girls did play in the water, but the humidity almost killed us! Sweaty boy

july 4th

2010-07-12T18:04:00.000-04:00

With Independence day falling on Sunday this year we kept our celebrating to a minimum. Our friends, the Shepards had us over for some fireworks. I guess most kids grew up lighting fireworks in their driveways on the 4th of July, weird... but FUN! Landon enjoyed the entire plate of cookies I brought (mom's recipe, which i have PERFECTED btw) and watching from a distance and refused to join the other kids in lighting them.

"i'm bakin' like a toasted cheeser"

2010-07-03T22:10:00.000-04:00

We got our Wallingford community pool passes! Sam loves The Sandlot and this pool is just like the scene out of that movie, minus Wendy Peffercorn of course.Landon needs to learn how to swim.

toy story 3

2010-07-03T22:03:00.000-04:00

Sam took a 2 hour break the other day and joined us for a movie. It only took them the first 15min of the movie to realize the 3D effect was off and fixed it.
I loved it, and so did Landon! Or maybe it was the ENTIRE bucket of popcorn that he loved. Either way, he cracks up every time we quote the movie.

Sleeping Giant

2010-07-03T21:51:00.000-04:00

Last weekend we went for a "hike" at Sleeping Giant state park. It was actually more like a stroll, which is just fine by me. One of these days we'll get a sitter and attempt a grown up hike. We packed a picnic lunch and enjoyed the lovely scenery... as well as the wildlife.

failure

2010-06-17T20:16:00.000-04:00

I tried to be domestic, and failed miserably. Our ward had a dessert auction to raise money for the YM/YW camps. I thought triple chocolate pretzels with caramel sounded easy enough. WRONG. I restrained my inner fat-girl and didn't even taste test. The downside to this was by the time I got to this stage I realized I had cooked the caramel too long, and ended up with hundreds of crunchy sticks. They were beautiful, but hard as rocks. I couldn't offer them for public consumption, let alone sell them to some helpless member of our new ward. I even made cute tags to cut out and tie around each batch. After throwing out hours of work and pounds of chocolate and caramel, I defaulted to brownies. Live and learn.

raspberry picking

2010-06-17T20:08:00.000-04:00

Today we picked fresh raspberries with friends at Lyman Orchards in Middlefield.

six flags

2010-06-13T14:58:00.000-04:00

Sam's friend from class got season passes for his family to Six Flags, so naturally we followed suit. At only 40min away this will make a great option for Landon and I to kill some time since Sam studies... constantly. We went up last Tuesday and had such a blast. I was surprised/thrilled at how many rides they have for small kids. Landon goes on all the big rides that he can with us, and loves it! I will admit I was nervous our raft was going to flip and crush Landon, but we came out just fine... SOAKED, but fine. We didn't even venture into the water park, but I am sure we will be spending the majority of our summer there.

Our first trip to Six Flags was a total success! I wish I could say the same about our second...

Actually the rain cleared out the park, and then cleared up so we were free to ride Landon's new favorite as many times as humanly possible. And we did.

memorial day

2010-06-10T13:07:00.000-04:00

Our ward (which is the best, btw) had a picnic for Memorial Day. It was at the most beautiful park. We ate delicious BBQ, played at the playground, and watched Sam play softball. When we got home we did Sparklers and made S'mores on the stove. Since Sam had the day off we got to spend the whole day together and had a blast!

out and about

2010-05-23T15:19:00.000-04:00

We took a couple days while everyone was still in town to do some sightseeing/exploring. Of course we looked up some good food places first. Yes, our priorities are still in line. Lucky for us this place is LOADED with fabulous food. Just down the road is Ted's featured on Man vs. Food. It was of course, delicious! Since then, we have also experienced some fantastic seafood, and cheesestakes. Oh! And a horribly wicked sundae covered in hot peanut butter and fudge. (you're such a bad influence, mom!) Last Sunday we ventured out to the beach. It was, like everything else, beautiful. We relaxed for a bit and came home.I am more and more optimistic about this place, and even excited to do a little more exploring!

settling in

2010-05-23T15:00:00.000-04:00

We made it! Sam left AZ Sunday morning. My mom, Landon, and I left Buffalo Wednesday morning and by 1pm we met Sam in Connecticut. Toll roads are retarded, other than that it was a lovely drive. We got through half of To Kill a Mocking Bird which I quite enjoyed! I don't know where I was when everyone in high school was reading it, but I had never heard it before and plan to finish it soon. Sam's brother, Taylor and my mom deserve awards for both helping with the move, and putting up with my initial shock. Let's just say that this apartment is not as luxurious as our previous home. With the help of a paid handy man and some feminine touches (thanks again for whipping up some curtains, mom) we have ourselves a lovely little place to call home for the next 27 months.
(This was not taken at our apartment... but it is the campus where Sam will be spending the majority of his time over the next 2 yrs)

my move

2010-05-19T21:45:00.000-04:00

Since I married a saint, I was able to fly across the country instead of follow a moving truck for 3000 miles with a 2yr old in my backseat. Needless to say, Sam and I have very different stories about our move. Here is mine.

I decided to fly to Buffalo, NY with my mom since my brother would be graduating Dental school the same time we were headed east anyway. Richard and Erica were great hosts and let me use a space heater while sleeping in the attic. The stay was actually very lovely, and it only snowed once. They showed us the sites and put up with us for a few days. For Landon it was quite the dynamic coming from little boys the weekend before, to a house full of little girls. He enjoyed playing with his girl cousins for a change, and didn't yell at the baby once! We had a great time, and hope to be able to see more of our east coast family.

it's not "goodbye", it's just "see ya later"

2010-05-19T21:30:00.000-04:00

A couple months before we were set to move, I was able to spend a lot of time with my friends. We became pretty dedicated workout buddies, with the occasional trip to Pita Jungle. I am so sad to be leaving them, but truly happy to have such great friends!

farewell

2010-05-19T21:13:00.000-04:00

Sam's brother, John, was called to serve a mission in Leeds England. Luckily Sam was able to tear himself away from his studies the weekend before we moved and fly to St. George for the farewell. In order to save money and finish packing, Landon and I were scheduled to stay home. For some reason I just couldn't bear the thought of the whole family together for the last time (for 2 years) without us. I made a spur of the moment decision, threw Landon in the car and headed to St. George. I didn't even tell Sam I was coming up, I just climbed into bed next to him once we got there, around 3am. The next morning John gave an awesome talk in church. Sam was excited to see us, and I was so happy we had the chance to see everyone before the move.

the Diz

2010-05-02T15:46:00.000-04:00

We decided to redeem our free Disney vouchers a few weeks ago. We prepped Landon be telling him we were going to Mickey's house. After the drive, he loved every minute of our short trip! The highlight was meeting the "real" Buzz Lightyear. We went with my parents and brother's family. A couple of Sam's friends met up with us at the park, for a great time!

^^ Why was I deprived of this in my youth??

easter

2010-04-13T12:39:00.000-04:00

I picked the wrong week to start dieting this year. My mom and I started the F Factor diet the week before Easter. It's basically a high fiber low carb diet. The first two weeks are pretty strict but well worth the 9lb loss! Needless to say my Easter basket was more of a fruit basket this year. Landon was spoiled rotten as usual and had a blast searching for eggs with his cousins.

nascar

2010-04-13T12:16:00.000-04:00

The boys took my dad to NASCAR this year for his birthday. Why anyone wants to watch a bunch of cars drive in a circle for 500 miles is beyond me. It must be one of those "guy" things, along with every other sport. Sam said it was amazing and insists that I go next time. I'm glad they had such a great time, but does NASCAR even come to Connecticut? Oh darn!
On a slightly different note, we took Landon to race some cars of our own. The Indy cars at Golfland are his new favorite activity. The operator had no problem believing Landon was 3 yrs old. He loves to go as fast as possible, so he rides with dad. I still like to brake around corners (and other cars).

dear hot wheels...

2010-04-13T11:43:00.000-04:00

Why must you make over 2 billion different tiny cars? Furthermore, I was wondering why you price them just low enough for me to justify buying one for Landon EVERY time we go to the store. Since they are sold everywhere I pray every time we walk into a store that Landon won't remember to ask/whine for one. He loves these cars more than anything and lights up whenever he gets a chance to play with them, even if it means taking one to bed. As of now we have over 50 and every single one has a name. (Even as I type this, Landon is insisting on "racing" Beetle and Hummer as close to the keyboard as he can get.) I am thrilled that such an inexpensive toy can keep my boy entertained for hours. However, my days of being suckered are over! Hot Wheels have a new purpose, they happen to make the perfect bribe for Landon to use the potty. Simply post a car on the wall near the toilet and suddenly he wants to poop on the potty. He has earned 3 cars this way, and hopefully many many more!

SUCCESS!

green

2010-04-06T02:01:00.000-04:00

I consider St. Patrick's Day one of those fake holidays. This year however, we decided to go green. Don't worry, I am no more Eco friendly than before, I am speaking literally. My friend Sara, and I flew out of the desert and across the country to much greener pastures. We went to visit our good friend Posey, who lives in Savannah Georgia. It was beautiful, everywhere you look is green. There are so many trees you can barely see the sky. We were able to attend the St. Patty's parade, and some other fun festivities going on that week. It was so good to get a break and spend time with great friends. I got to try fried alligator (chewy) and my new favorite, fried green tomatoes!
There was also a lovely beach nearby.

This was my first ferry ride, on our way to the parade.

Our Hero

2010-03-28T19:28:00.000-04:00

Last weekend we celebrated the life of a true hero, my cousin Jake.

Sergeant First Class Glen Jacob Whetten was killed in Afghanistan while defending MY liberty. The overwhelming respect present throughout the services was beautiful. I feel so honored to have known this great man. My Aunt Amy, (Jake's mother) wrote this poem and gave it at Jake's funeral, it was perfect.

To Jake
It seems like just the other day
When every time we knelt to pray
Someone would be sure to say,
“Please send us Jake”

Of course, we didn’t know your name,
But Heavenly Father knew our aim:
The son and brother we would claim.
He sent us Jake.

You had a loving, gentle touch,
And never fought or squabbled much
–(Except with G I Joes and such.)
Our Peaceful Jake

You always had a clever knack
Of asking us when we’d be back
(Which hints secrets I still lack!)
Our Plotting Jake

A quiet kid; I rarely knew
If schoolwork ever bothered you
–Till homework came up “overdue.”
Our Silent Jake

We seldom saw your feisty side
Unless it had to do with pride,
Like breaking your hand on a bicycle ride!
Our Fearless Jake

To your growing years came many a friend
With SOONS as the favorite place to spend
And backyard games that had no end.
Our Southside Jake

There was no “calling” we could see,
But you just joined R.O.T.C.
We had no inkling WHAT you’d be:
Our Soldier Jake

Then to Hawaii, and married a while
To Lacy, with her pretty smile.
Ariana was born – your precious child.
Her Daddy Jake

There were brothers found around the world;
Total devotion to our flag unfurled
And to Megan Hughes, a beautiful girl.
Our Loving Jake

We’ll never know all you have seen,
The awful danger where you’ve been,
And hell, beyond imagining.
Our Valiant Jake

Our hearts hurt every time you’d go–
A Ranger; a Leader for others to know;
--Concern/Love/Pride all in a row--
Our Hero Jake

Please know you’ll never go too far
For prayers to follow where you are,
And LOVE, sure as the Northern Star,
For You, Our Jake

-Amy Whetten

gave a day... got a day!

2010-03-12T16:48:00.000-05:00

Sam and I, along with my in-laws and parents, participated in the "Give a day, Get a day" promotion sponsored by Disney. There were many service opportunities to choose from, we chose to make quilts and donate them to a charity who will send them to Haiti. I can't believe how huge the response has been! 1 million people have already signed up and done a service and it's only been going on for 3 months. It always feels good to serve but to be rewarded with a free ticket to Disneyland makes it that much better! Thank you Disney for reminding us that a little help can go a long way.

Here are our group's quiltsHere are just some of the hundreds of quilts that were donated for this promotion.

growing up

2010-03-09T12:35:00.000-05:00

Landon can ride bike with training wheels. However, lately he refuses to touch this bike and has become partial to the plasma car. Mario Kart may have something to do with this. I no longer have to help Landon eat or clean up his ice cream. He gets so much practice with these (thank you jason's deli) he is now a pro.

Perhaps the most important milestone as of late: Landon loves Pete's! No corn dogs or chicken fingers in our order, just fish and chips!

big boy bed.

2010-03-09T11:00:00.000-05:00

We are staying with my parents (yes, again) for a couple of months until we make the big move east. I thought that instead of setting up the crib, Landon could just use the "big boy" bed that is already set up. We were a little nervous since I've heard horror stories about this particular transition. Landon has always been great at going to bed and I didn't want to jeopardize a good habit. However, he is a very large 2 year old and I don't know if our old crib can handle much more weight... or jumping for that matter. We made sure to tell him the crib was "all gone" and that he would be sleeping in Landon's big boy bed, then we omitted his afternoon nap. That night with Bronco in hand we laid him down and hoped for the best. He probably laid there for an hour talking/playing but slept through the night and didn't budge the next morning. He just continued his conversation (with his car) where he left off the night before. He actually stays in bed until we come and get him in the mornings, I am thrilled with such a smooth transition! Now, if we can only get him potty trained.

love

2010-02-21T18:54:00.000-05:00

I was "tagged", I think... right Mckell? If not i figured in light of Valentines Day I would post some oldies of me and my better half.

4th of July- Sugar House Park 2005

Zion National Park August 2005

Engagement pics October 2005

Our Wedding Day- Mesa, AZ December 2005

Honey Moon in Orlando December 2005

New Years Eve 2005
Where it all began, Applebees- SLC (pic from April 2006)

Mexico May 2006
Work Christmas Party- SLC December 2006
Phoenix Zoo December 2006
Gecko Grill- AZ December 2006

Easter- St. George April 2007

Liberty Park Ward Primary class May 2007
Father's Day BBQ- Sugarhouse Park June 2007
Landon's birth- SLC July 2007

Disneyland October 2007

Chrisma-Palooza- SCL December 2007

Christmas Pics-AZ 2008

Sadly we only got one camera phone pic of this years Valentines Day 2010

If you feel the urge, spread the love!

blessed.

2010-02-18T10:24:00.000-05:00

The last few days have been pretty full around the Shumway home. Our perfect emotional high started at Christmas, and things just kept getting better! In addition to all the other great news we were getting, our house sold within hours of listing it, and for more than our asking price. The only explanation is that we are blessed. Now, we are 2 days from moving and the house sits untouched, unpacked. Recent loss has caused a slight delay in our family's progression, in more ways than one. At a time when stress, and heartache should be paralyzing I feel more at peace than ever. I am surrounded by blessings everywhere I turn. It's a funny thing, "trials", and how they really do make you stronger. I hope to always keep the gratitude I feel today fresh in my mind. Take a look around, the blessings that fill your life are quite empowering!

28

2010-02-11T11:28:00.000-05:00

Since Sam is pretty special he gets one more post, then I'm done gloating! Happy Birthday Sam! Thank you for all that you do, especially for having a birthday... which means a visit to Farmhouse Grill!

connecticut... bump bump bum

2010-02-11T10:58:00.000-05:00

I admit, my blogging has been sparse these last few months. However, I do have pretty good excuses. We have been EXTREMELY busy! For the whole month of November Sam was gone almost every weekend interviewing all over the country. Sam has always wanted to have a career in the medical field. After much thought, research, and prayer, early last fall Sam decided that a career as a Physician Assistant would be a perfect fit for him. He sent applications to over 20 schools, and then we waited. About 2 months went by before we started getting letters inviting Sam to interview. At first he went to every one, which all happened to be within weeks of each other, and on opposite sides of the country. His 3rd interview was at the number 14 school in the country, Quinnipiac University. Right from the beginning he felt really good about the interview, location, and the program. At the end of the interview the head of the program told him she'd "never said this to anyone", then asked "what do we need to do to get you to come here?". By the time Sam got home there was an email, with a special "early acceptance" letter. Since this was the best school he applied to, he didn't bother going to any other interviews. Two of the 3 schools he interviewed with accepted him. He started out applying to every school he qualified for, just hoping for one interview. Now he was actually able to research and pick from the very best PA programs available, what a blessing! I am a little scared to be moving so far from home, but mostly grateful, and excited for our new adventure!

christmas

2010-01-17T13:01:00.001-05:00

We were able to spend 2 weeks with Sam's family in St. George this year. We had such a good time getting caught up friends and visiting with everyone.

Gingerbread housesLandon was thrilled to participate in his 1st live Nativity.

Christmas ElvesSanta spoiled everyone!(More on this later...)

The boys rode bikes and cars in the unfinished basement for hours everyday. This resulted in about 6 pairs of ruined socks.

Landon travels so well. This is one ways he entertained himself during the ride home.

smithmas

2010-01-17T12:54:00.000-05:00

It was our turn to head to St. George for Christmas this year. Before we left we celebrated at the annual Smith Christmas Party. Food, white elephant, games, and a talent show to boot!

(Brynlee with my mother's white elephant win.)

four

2010-01-17T12:45:00.000-05:00

On our 4 year anniversary we had the scouts over for our weekly den meeting, and after that we went to another scout meeting. Needless to say, we celebrated the next day. We ate at delicious Cheesecake Factory, then met up with the family for Temple lights. This year was full of firsts, and the realization we have many new adventures coming our way!

the goose is getting fat

2009-12-13T18:52:00.001-05:00

In the above title I am not referring to myself, though it could be argued. It is in fact a line from a jolly Christmas tune, if you've never heard it- look it up. All of this is just my clever way of saying Christmas is coming! It has been so fun to have our own house to decorate this year! We loaded up on Christmas lights and decorations last year at the after Christmas sales. Our front room has 100ft ceilings. OK, not really but it felt that tall when we were painting. Anyway, we wanted to put a huge 14ft tree in it this year. No such luck. Instead we got to send Sam all over the country for interviews (more on that later). Luckily I found this skinny little pre-lit mess for 30 bucks at JoAnn's black Friday sale. Behold, the Shumway family Christmas tree:
Sam and Landon also killed some time decorating the front yard. I was obviously at work while Sam sent the 2 year old up a 6ft ladder... alone.

black friday

2009-12-13T18:06:00.000-05:00

I've never been a hardcore black Friday enthusiast. I have braved the early crowds occasionally, but more as company for those much more excited about it. This year however, I wear the label. It started Thanksgiving evening after sifting through mountains of store ads. A rumor was floating around the house that malls were handing out $50 gift cards. This sounded too good to be true, but upon further research we found it totally legit. We headed out. Our plan was to first hit Toys R Us and grab one thing for Landon, then head to the mall which shares a parking lot with Toys. They both opened at midnight and we showed up maybe 15 min early. BIG mistake. The line to get into Toys was wrapped around the entire building, twice. FREAKS! We ditched that idea and jumped into a not so long line at one of the many mall entrances. There was only one rule. Spend a combined total of $100 at any stores in the mall, and you get a $50 Westcore gift card. Sam dashed to Footlocker while I ran (literally) to the redemption line. Just my luck, in line I was surrounded by Chatty Kathy on one side, and Gothopotamus on the other. Sam joined me minutes later, and there we sat in my equivalent to hell for 2 HOURS! The worst part of the whole thing was the horrible dj they had set up in the center of the line that kept reminding us that quantities were limited and we were not guaranteed the gift card. Finally the last 15 minutes they started handing out tickets the the 1st 400 people in line. Wahoo! We got our gift card, then I went to meet up with my mom for some more shopping! I still don't consider myself die hard, but I'm always up for a good bargain!

thanksgiving

2009-12-13T17:49:00.000-05:00

I made 2 french silk pies. Oh, and a large portion of green bean casserole. Thanksgiving was delicious! Thanks mainly to my wonderful mother who prepared most of the feast. Small thanks also go out to family members for making my life full, green schlauff (not to be confused with shlom), and of course Dolly Parton for Hard Candy Christmas.

i turned...

2009-12-13T17:44:00.001-05:00

For some reason this is the only photo from my birthday festivus. That is me enjoying a free sundae, and yes, that is Brad Pitt peering over my right shoulder. What more could a girl ask for. I got to do a lot of fun things, many of them involved eating food. Yay for getting old!

oops! we did it again.

2009-12-03T00:17:00.000-05:00

We went to the midnight showing of New Moon. Besides waiting in line for far too long and being surrounded by the dumbest people in the world (not my friends of course), I liked it.

i did it!

2009-11-15T11:03:00.000-05:00

My mother in law, Terry is in better shape than I ever was/will be. When I heard she and my sis in law Jocelyn, AKA Bean had signed up for the Disneyland Half Marathon I followed suit, since in shape is something I aspire to be someday. Keep in mind I did this 7 months before the actual race, thinking I would have plenty of time to train. At first my training went pretty well, I would ride my bike to the gym every day and run. We then bought a house which for some reason contributed to my getting "too busy" to do anything, especially run. Fast Forward to 3 weeks before the race, and suddenly it hits me that if I try to run 13.5 miles I will die. It was really important that I accomplish this goal, so I started my accelerated "training" program. I knew that my original plan of running the whole thing was never going to happen, so I would run and speed walk everyday before the big race accumulating 28+ miles a week. Keep in mind this was in August in AZ. Pure Hell. Unfortunately the key is speed since the pace car would pick you up and dump you in the Pinocchio lot if you were going too slow. Fortunately, that pace car was only moving at 15 minute miles. We all started out together at 4am and before the 1st mile marker Terry had left Bean and I in the dust. We stayed together for a while until Bean had to take a pit stop. At that point my goal was to speed up and try to catch Terry. I ended up running most of the race, only walking when my knees were on fire. I loved it! It really was fun, and I felt so good... until about mile 11. At this point I was sure my feet were bleeding, and that the cartilage in my knees had disintegrated. Needless to say, this is when I did most of my walking (but not too slowly, we were all scared of ending up with Pinocchio). The streets were scattered with people encouraging you the whole way, but for the last mile they were completely lined with crowds. With people shouting your name and cheering you on it's hard to just mosey on through, so I jogged (which probably looked more like a horse trotting) the last mile through the finish line. I never did catch up with Terry because she stopped to get her picture taken with Alice and I passed her without noticing. Will I ever run a full marathon? NO. However, now that it's been 2 months since the race I would definitely consider another half! Congratulations, if you've read this entire post you've completed your own marathon of sorts.

Before

After! Yes, my shirt is drenched in sweat.

"Dead Last Finish is greater than Did Not Finish, which trumps Did Not Start."
-Anonymous

cotton headed ninny muggins

2009-11-01T22:56:00.000-05:00

Why don't you just say it?
I'm the worst toy-maker in the world!!

Landon (or should I say we) made out big time this year as far as candy goes. My only complaint is that he insisted on passing up candy bars for suckers and pixie sticks every time! I really did have fun making our family costumes again this year. I figure costumes are great practice for learning to sew and we got plenty of use out of them at the many parties and events we got to go to.

spirit week?

2009-11-01T22:37:00.000-05:00

Back in Student Council during my Gilbert High School days we would come up with themes the week of a big event and students would dress up each day to show their school spirit. I think during homecoming week we once even had a "Great Depression Day". Seriously. Does anyone else remember that?? Somehow 7 years later this has creeped up on me again. I coach tumbling a couple nights a week and our boss decided it would be fun for us to dress up the week of Halloween. Although she kept it on a lighter note than my previous spirit week experiences, the trick was finding a costume that went with the theme and that I could safely work in.

pumpkin festivus

2009-10-27T12:44:00.000-04:00

pure imagination

2009-10-16T22:18:00.000-04:00

If you want to view paradise, simply look around and view it. We celebrated my lovely mother's birthday last week in true Smith fashion. Buff sent out a random txt inspiring the idea, then I brought it to life with a little help from my good friend CS4. There were treats of all kinds, enough to last for months! Of course, in this particular household they didn't last until 9pm. We spent the gluttonous evening watching the kids dance the night away to my mom's new hip-hop CD.
Mother must have been in heaven. This was the look on her face all night!

Told you.

I have the best mom in the world, btw.

blessings of liberty

2009-10-15T23:54:00.000-04:00

We went to Gilbert's Constitution Week celebration this year. After a series of unfortunate comedians, magicians and adolescent boys singing and dancing around the stage, Francis Scott Key showed up and sang the National Anthem. He may or may not have forgotten some of the words, he did mumble through a few lines in the later verses. The fireworks were fantastic!

fifty nifty

2009-09-28T14:32:00.001-04:00

Landon's obsession with numbers and letters has calmed down to just the letter sounds. However he has found a new interest, for now anyway. I got him this book a few days ago and he has us "read" it to him all the time. He knows all of the states on a few pages, he's not quite up to all 50. The hardest part isn't teaching Landon the states, it's getting a good video of it. Why don't kids ever cooperate when you're trying to show off their tricks?? Here's a little taste:
(please excuse my man voice)

I think we'll give it a little more practice before we attempt the east coast!

Labor Day

2009-09-22T17:15:00.000-04:00

We met Sam's family in California for Labor Day weekend. More importantly for the big race, or what I like to call Doom's Day, but more on that later. We stayed in a hotel right by the beach and were able to do a bunch of fun things, like visit the Aquarium of the Pacific.

We then hopped onto a shuttle and toured the Queen Mary, which is one of my favorite hotels. It's haunted and we got to tour some of the scary places in the ship. Sam's Grandmother actually sailed to the United States from Scotland on this very ship, with all the war brides long ago. She has the best accent!

Beach days. I left Landon's hat in the hotel so I tried to smear gallons of sunscreen on his head. When that didn't work, a memory from my childhood slipped into my mind. I remember seeing my dad tie a hankie around his head (not the cool pirate way) to form a hat while he did yard work. I did my best to replicate the "hat", but it ended up looking like a pirate anyway.

Nut's Wedding

2009-09-22T16:50:00.000-04:00

I say Nut's not only because that is my baby sister's name, but because 7yrs old is WAY too young to get married! OK, so she's really 19 (barely). Natalli married Jacob (who is a gem, btw) last month. Congrats to the newlyweds, and congrats to my mother for making it through 2 weddings in 3 months.

2009-09-14T16:45:00.000-04:00

drive me crazy

2009-08-25T14:15:00.000-04:00

We took a trip to Utah because another one of Sam's friends decided to get married. A while ago I vowed never to drive to SLC again, because I hate long car trips. Then Landon turned 2, and it seems our real life budget doesn't give a crap about how much I loathe sitting in one spot for 10 hours. For some reason we decided to chop this trip into about 50 mini trips. I guess I thought it would lessen the blow. I was very wrong. When I got off work Tuesday evening we left to stay in Flagstaff for the night. After a quick continental breakfast we were back on the road for our first pit stop in St. George. We stayed two nights, then it was time to hit the road. We stayed with David and Ali in their beautiful home across the street from the new Draper Temple. While in the Salt Lake valley we drove back and forth between Draper, Provo, Salt Lake, down to Lindon for the reception, and then back up to Draper again for our last night. In the morning we drove back the St. George for one more night before the hideous descent back to Phoenix. Despite all the driving we actually had a great time! It was so good to see everyone, and the best part is that we get to do it all again in two weeks! Except this time we will be driving to California... and my funeral.

nat's shower

2009-08-10T00:19:00.001-04:00

Since Natalli is getting married in a week she got to open a lot of presents. We got to eat good food, and take a lot of pictures...

*Buff is not wearing the Hollywood Bumpit... I wish!

2

2009-07-27T12:38:00.000-04:00

Landon is finally 2 years old! Sometimes we forget that he is so young, since he's been the size of a 6 year old for a long time. We had a few people over for pizza and cake to celebrate Landon's big day. Unfortunately I forgot to charge my camera, so most of these are from my crappy phone. I also forgot to buy candles. I guess I'm out of the running for this year's Mom of the Year Award.