Monday, August 27, 2012
Cheering for Lehi
We are three games into the football season, and Stefanie is having a blast. Middle school football is not something we have had much experience with at our house, Braden has always been so consumed by soccer and cross country, so this...football and cheer...is new for all of us. We like it! And Stefanie is really, really good.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Back to School
We are all excited to be back in school! And of course, the first day would not be complete without a photo. Here is my mighty Senior son, and my darling 8th grade daughter. So proud of them both! It is going to be a great school year!
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Dear Elder & Sister Kindred,
A few days ago I sent this lengthy letter to my missionary parents. It is a good summary of life in the Smith household these days, so I thought I would include it here.
********************************************************************
August, 2012
Dear Elder and Sister Kindred,
I sure enjoyed reading your latest letter, hearing about your work, and your upcoming changes, I'm sure you have made a difference in Wadena and will be missed when you move away. Excited to hear all about your upcoming adventures in Brooklyn Park!
We are doing good and enjoying the last few days of summer. I have teacher meetings beginning tomorrow, Kent and the kids will go back next week, and we will take Rachel back to Cedar City on the 25th. Can't believe the summer has come to an end, it just seemed to fly by. This will be a fun year with Rachel in college, Braden and Kent in High School, Stefanie in middle school, and me in elementary. Between the five of us we have all institutions of education covered!
Kent has been busy with Bingham Basketball this summer, he went to two team camps, and several tournaments this summer, as well as open gyms and shoot arounds. When his team went to St. George for a team camp, Copper Hills was also there, and Kent coached against them twice. I was glad Bingham crushed CHHS in both games. He got a few baffled comments and questions about why he was wearing a Bingham shirt. There were many confused players and refs whom he had associated with through the years, but most of the other coaches had already heard the news. Another awkward moment this summer was at a golf tournament for all the coaches and administrators in the area. There was Kent playing with Bingham against all his coworkers and assistant principles from Copper Hills. I think this year might be filled with strange encounters like that, especially when basketball season begins, but Kent is a trooper, and not afraid to face it head on.
Braden is excited for his Senior year of high school! He has put in lots of hours training for the upcoming cross country season, as well as playing on his club soccer team, he loves them both. Last month he worked out for the BYU Hawaii soccer coaches. They came to Utah trying to find players to recruit for their team, and held a camp for prospective players. Braden's club coach was there watching, and afterwards was talking to one of the BYU-Hawaii coaches who said, "I really like that Braden Smith.". So I guess it is a possibility that Braden might go to Hawaii for college! Hmmm. Not sure if I like that idea. We shall see.
We have been so proud of Rachel this summer, she has done nothing but work, work, work. She has put in 40+ hours each week, and even though she complains, she has done it willingly. She put in her two-weeks notice a few days ago and is glad the summer is almost over. She just made her tuition payment for Fall Semester, and has saved enough funds to get her through another year. We have also been impressed with her discipline in saving her money all summer and not spending it on frivolous things. She has become very responsible and disciplined with her earnings, what a blessing. When she has not been at work, she has been with George, and we have gotten to know him a lot better this summer. They have a funny schedule, because she works days, and he works nights at a grocery store, so they only have a few hours in the evening to spend together. And now I will share a secret, but you must not tell anyone...they are taking about getting married next summer. Shhh!
As for Stefanie, she has become our little cheerleader. She practices at a gym in Pleasant Grove with her squad two mornings a week, and we also got her a "personal trainer" to work with her every Monday morning. Her name is Heidi, and she was a cheerleader at Copper Hills a few years ago, and was also one of Kent's favorite cross country runners. Stefanie was having a hard time with tumbling passes and back flips, so Kent contacted Heidi and asked if she could work with Stefanie on those things. He unlocked the gym for them at the high school one morning while he taught driver's ed, and when he came back to pick her up, she was doing perfect back flips! All she needed was a little confidence and encouragement! Stefanie and Heidi both had a great time, and wanted to continue meeting together one morning each week all summer. Heidi wants to be a high school cheer coach someday, so it was good experience for her too.
Earlier in the summer when she first started tumbling, she started complaining about pain in her left arm. Remember two years ago when she broke both bones--ulna and radius--of her forearm? It was a pretty severe break and didn't heal quickly, she was in a big cast from her shoulder to her fingertips for weeks. (Just look at family pictures from Tami's wedding if you don't remember!) That arm has never been quite the same, and we can still feel a bump in her radius where the edges didn't come together perfectly. So we did some research about treatments, and learned that when a break does not heal well, one option is to have the doctor re-break it and set it correctly. Ugh! We would prefer to avoid that! A few weeks ago we had a Smith family reunion at Park City, one night Kent gathered the entire group together--over 30 people--and asked three of his brothers and three nephews to help give her a priesthood blessing. It was a beautiful blessing of healing and strength, and since then her arm has improved. It is a bit tender after a gymnastics class or cheer practice, but doesn't constantly ache like it did a few weeks ago. We have not taken her to a doctor...we were right on the verge of that before her priesthood blessing, but it is so much better since then. A tender mercy for sure!
Then after giving a blessing to Stefanie, the men in the family gave a blessing to my mother-in-law who is going through her third round of chemotherapy. She came to the reunion just after a treatment, so she was very tired, and has lost all her hair. They blessed her with courage to endure to the end. Brings tears to my eyes to remember that. Then they blessed my sister-in-law Nancy who is struggling with many hardships in her life. She later told us how much that meant to her. Then we all had a family prayer. It was the highlight of the reunion for me, and I will never forget the powerful spirit we all felt. We are so blessed to have the priesthood on the earth! I am grateful.
And on that spiritual note, I will close this letter. We are grateful for your example and pray for both of you often. Good luck and blessings to you as you transfer and adjust to your new area.
Love, Janeal
I sure enjoyed reading your latest letter, hearing about your work, and your upcoming changes, I'm sure you have made a difference in Wadena and will be missed when you move away. Excited to hear all about your upcoming adventures in Brooklyn Park!
We are doing good and enjoying the last few days of summer. I have teacher meetings beginning tomorrow, Kent and the kids will go back next week, and we will take Rachel back to Cedar City on the 25th. Can't believe the summer has come to an end, it just seemed to fly by. This will be a fun year with Rachel in college, Braden and Kent in High School, Stefanie in middle school, and me in elementary. Between the five of us we have all institutions of education covered!
Kent has been busy with Bingham Basketball this summer, he went to two team camps, and several tournaments this summer, as well as open gyms and shoot arounds. When his team went to St. George for a team camp, Copper Hills was also there, and Kent coached against them twice. I was glad Bingham crushed CHHS in both games. He got a few baffled comments and questions about why he was wearing a Bingham shirt. There were many confused players and refs whom he had associated with through the years, but most of the other coaches had already heard the news. Another awkward moment this summer was at a golf tournament for all the coaches and administrators in the area. There was Kent playing with Bingham against all his coworkers and assistant principles from Copper Hills. I think this year might be filled with strange encounters like that, especially when basketball season begins, but Kent is a trooper, and not afraid to face it head on.
Braden is excited for his Senior year of high school! He has put in lots of hours training for the upcoming cross country season, as well as playing on his club soccer team, he loves them both. Last month he worked out for the BYU Hawaii soccer coaches. They came to Utah trying to find players to recruit for their team, and held a camp for prospective players. Braden's club coach was there watching, and afterwards was talking to one of the BYU-Hawaii coaches who said, "I really like that Braden Smith.". So I guess it is a possibility that Braden might go to Hawaii for college! Hmmm. Not sure if I like that idea. We shall see.
We have been so proud of Rachel this summer, she has done nothing but work, work, work. She has put in 40+ hours each week, and even though she complains, she has done it willingly. She put in her two-weeks notice a few days ago and is glad the summer is almost over. She just made her tuition payment for Fall Semester, and has saved enough funds to get her through another year. We have also been impressed with her discipline in saving her money all summer and not spending it on frivolous things. She has become very responsible and disciplined with her earnings, what a blessing. When she has not been at work, she has been with George, and we have gotten to know him a lot better this summer. They have a funny schedule, because she works days, and he works nights at a grocery store, so they only have a few hours in the evening to spend together. And now I will share a secret, but you must not tell anyone...they are taking about getting married next summer. Shhh!
As for Stefanie, she has become our little cheerleader. She practices at a gym in Pleasant Grove with her squad two mornings a week, and we also got her a "personal trainer" to work with her every Monday morning. Her name is Heidi, and she was a cheerleader at Copper Hills a few years ago, and was also one of Kent's favorite cross country runners. Stefanie was having a hard time with tumbling passes and back flips, so Kent contacted Heidi and asked if she could work with Stefanie on those things. He unlocked the gym for them at the high school one morning while he taught driver's ed, and when he came back to pick her up, she was doing perfect back flips! All she needed was a little confidence and encouragement! Stefanie and Heidi both had a great time, and wanted to continue meeting together one morning each week all summer. Heidi wants to be a high school cheer coach someday, so it was good experience for her too.
Earlier in the summer when she first started tumbling, she started complaining about pain in her left arm. Remember two years ago when she broke both bones--ulna and radius--of her forearm? It was a pretty severe break and didn't heal quickly, she was in a big cast from her shoulder to her fingertips for weeks. (Just look at family pictures from Tami's wedding if you don't remember!) That arm has never been quite the same, and we can still feel a bump in her radius where the edges didn't come together perfectly. So we did some research about treatments, and learned that when a break does not heal well, one option is to have the doctor re-break it and set it correctly. Ugh! We would prefer to avoid that! A few weeks ago we had a Smith family reunion at Park City, one night Kent gathered the entire group together--over 30 people--and asked three of his brothers and three nephews to help give her a priesthood blessing. It was a beautiful blessing of healing and strength, and since then her arm has improved. It is a bit tender after a gymnastics class or cheer practice, but doesn't constantly ache like it did a few weeks ago. We have not taken her to a doctor...we were right on the verge of that before her priesthood blessing, but it is so much better since then. A tender mercy for sure!
Then after giving a blessing to Stefanie, the men in the family gave a blessing to my mother-in-law who is going through her third round of chemotherapy. She came to the reunion just after a treatment, so she was very tired, and has lost all her hair. They blessed her with courage to endure to the end. Brings tears to my eyes to remember that. Then they blessed my sister-in-law Nancy who is struggling with many hardships in her life. She later told us how much that meant to her. Then we all had a family prayer. It was the highlight of the reunion for me, and I will never forget the powerful spirit we all felt. We are so blessed to have the priesthood on the earth! I am grateful.
And on that spiritual note, I will close this letter. We are grateful for your example and pray for both of you often. Good luck and blessings to you as you transfer and adjust to your new area.
Love, Janeal
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Bluebird Concert Series
One of the highlights of our summer was going to the Bluebird Concert Series up at Sundance. Successful singer/songwriters from Nashville performed their songs at a mountain outdoor amphitheater for three nights. Oh my goodness, we were blown away by the incredible talent. They were all amazing, but probably my favorite performer was Tia Sellers who wrote "I Hope You Dance" made famous by LeeAnn Womak. LOVE that song! On opening night they announced that there would be a drawing, and on the last night of the series they would be giving away a beautiful, new guitar autographed by all the Bluebird performers. It was propped up onstage for all to see at each concert. That night Braden informed us on the way up that HE WAS GOING TO WIN THAT GUITAR. We laughed it off because there were hundreds of names in the drawing. Not great odds. He kept insisting, and we kept laughing right up until the moment when they drew a name from the box and announced: "And the winner is...BRADEN SMITH!!" WHAT?? He jumped up from his seat, pumped his fist in the air a few times, and ran down to the stage to accept his prize while the audience cheered. So cool! Awesome night.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Cheer Pix
Here is the Willow Creek 8th Grade Cheer Squad. Cheer has been such a wonderful challenge and blessing for Stefanie this summer. She has worked hard and made lots of new friends. When she first announced last spring that she wanted to try out, Kent and I wondered if it would be a good fit for her. We were a bit hesitant about it all, but we have seen her confidence grow by leaps and bounds, and we know it has been a good thing. The football season starts this week, looking forward to seeing her cheer at the games this fall. So proud of my Stefie!
Friday, August 10, 2012
Utah Invitational Champions
Last week was an exciting week at our house, it was the Utah Invitational 2012 soccer tournament. It was Braden's first big tournament of the summer with his Arsenal team, and he was ready. Arsenal played four games leading up to the championship game and won them all. At the final game, they played a club team from Murray and at the end of regulation time the score was tied, 0-0. So then came two 10-minute overtime sessions. Still tied. Rules say it must be decided in a shoot out. Ugh! Hate shootouts! Braden's team had not had a shoot out since they were 11-years-old! I KNEW Braden would be one of the kickers. Murray went first, our goalie made a spectacular save. Then us...in! They missed again, then we made one more. They missed again, and then Braden took his place on the field. Oh, my heart. Such anxiety. And he sailed it right into the goal for the win! Utah Invitational Champions! Hooray! It was a great moment I will not forget.
One of the dads videotaped the entire shootout and posted it on Youtube. It is a bit shaky, and doesn't quite capture the drama or excitement of the whole thing, but it can be viewed HERE.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Smith Reunion
Our cabin at Park City.
The best thing about reunions...COUSINS!!!
Braden, Haley, Bailey, Carter, Hunter, Maggie
Hunter, Braden & Carter
Arm wrestle competition!
Foosball, ping pong, pool.
Card games.
Cup game.
Swimming and Sunbathing at Jordanelle.
Stories by Grandma
The Smith grandkids with Grandma.
Wonderful memories!
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