Christmas Celebration

Abby was the baby Jesus in our Family Christmas Nativity. I took a video of it, but somehow it doesn't show up on my camera anymore. But this is right after - that's why Abby is only in her diaper. Here she is playing with the ribbon after opening her first-ever Christmas present. Bailey was Mary, and she rode in on the donkey - Brian. Trent was scheduled to be Joseph (he backed out last minute so Mike took over - although George said he really should have done it since Joseph was a Jewish man!), Corbin was a wise man who came in with a camel - Garret. All the remaining girls wore tinsel halos and played the angels that they really are!

Fishing Grandsons

Trent and Garret love to fish — they obviously have some of their Grandpa Kirk's genes!

Fun at Snow Canyon

It was a beautiful day in Snow Canyon - but really cold! It was great running in the sand dunes and climbing on rocks with Mike, Trent, Garret, Kenny and Corbin. The girls and Grandpa Kirk stayed shivering in the cars!

Wonderful Christmas Gift!

We had a wonderful Christmas celebration when Mike and Bri's family stayed with us for 10 days. We celebrated Christmas a little early while everyone was around. We hiked, fished, watched movies, went 4-wheeling, had a girls day out, saw the lights, did a family nativity, opened presents and just enjoyed being together. Some of the family even went to the un-developed edge of the Grand Canyon. I didn't go and I forbid them from taking any of my grandchildren! The photos are gorgeous though (Brian email me some to post). But the best part of Christmas was finding out that Kirk and I are expecting triplet grandchildren! Shellie, Bri and Christan are all pregnant and due within 2 weeks of each other around the end of July! Should be a rollicking summer for all!

Grumpy Shepherds

Bailey and Corbin came over to help set up my Christmas decorations. After we put up the tree, hung the ornaments and baked Christmas cookies, we read their favorite Christmas book, "The Grumpy Shepherd." What a blessing to have these two live so close!

Grandpa Snuggling Abby

Brian and Emily

Brian's girlfriend, Emily Lott, came to Thanksgiving dinner with the whole family . . . and she still is willing to hang out with Brian! Here they are at the Jazz game. Emily and Brian have been dating for about 8 months (long distance) but now Brian has moved up to Salt Lake. Emily is finishing up her Master's degree at the University of Utah. She's beautiful, smart and talented (she's an artist), so we're not sure how long she'll hang out with our kind!

Cousins & More

Julie's kids, Sierra (is this the right spelling?) and Jacob, were so cute with Abby.
Aubree Limb with David's wife, Taylor. . . . while Taylor was giving Aubree the pep talk on why it would be great to come to Dixie State College next year.

Thanksgiving Fun

We had a great time at Thanksgiving in Kaysville with the Barrett side of the family. There were 12 missing from the whole crew of 63 . . . and most of those were mine! Mike, Bri, Trent and Garret stayed in Hawaii, and Kenny, Christan, Bailey and Corbin stayed in Ivins (Christan and the kids were exposed to chicken pox and didn't want to put the whole Barrett family at risk!). So the other 51 of us had a great time eating, playing basketball, talking, eating, playing games, hugging babies, discussing genealogy and of course . . . eating. George treated the Smith gang + Great Grandpa & Grandma to dinner on Friday night and everyone went to the Jazz vs. Hornets game. It was great to have time to catch up with family - meet new family members (Brooke's new baby, Brandon's new wife), and listen to my Dad's war stories. I even heard a new story - all about how he survived a typhoon on an aircraft carrier in the South Pacific during World War II. It was a great trip. Shellie has some fun Thanksgiving photos on her blog page. Check it out: http://www.abittan.blogspot.com/

I've Been Tagged!

Tag - you're it!
Rules- Each player lists 7 habits/facts about them, then when they are done they tag 6 of their friends.

1. I grew up surrounded by sports-crazy brothers, so I've always loved playing and watching sports. In fact I started dating Kirk at BYU because he could get me front row tickets at all BYU basketball and football games (well, there was more to it than that!). The neighborhood kids in Kearns called me "Too Tall Joan" when I would play football with them on the front lawn. There was a popular player then called "Too Tall Jones"

2. I love to hike, especially in my gorgeous southern Utah surroundings. Mike is my best hiking buddy, he's always willing . . . wish he lived closer.

3. I live with 3 snakes (Pauline will you still come to visit me?)

4. I love music—playing, singing, dancing and listening to a variety of good stuff. I loved teaching songs to my kids when they were little (Shellie first sang a solo in church when she was barely 2). I used to sell children's music, and I made my kids come with me to perform.

5. I'm very interested in people. I love to get to know them. Shellie, Bri and Christan say that if you give me 30 seconds with a stranger in an elevator, I would know their entire life story! (Not true - its the one place I'm not chatty!) Although I love to talk to someone in person, I really hate talking on the phone.

6. Our Honeymoon was primarily a fishing trip. I was sick and FREEZING at the Wild Rose lodge at Henry's Lake (how did I let you talk me into that Kirk?).

7. I never used to swear — maybe 10 times in my whole life — until I met my friend Susan Taysom a few years ago. Actually, I still never swear - I just quote Susan now and then.

O.K. I tag Christan, Bri, Susan, Kenny, Mike and George.

HAPPY 6TH BIRTHDAY TRENT!

I can't believe my grandson Trent is 6 years old now! There's something special about your first grandchild! I remember the first time I held him, he was so tiny. And those beautiful blue eyes — he's gonna make the girls crazy when he's a teenager (probably already does). Trent loves to play outside, catch all kinds of critters and hold all kinds of critters—like this snake! He also loves to fish, either with a pole, or with a net. He is really quick—when he and I had a frog catching expedition at the cabin, I couldn't believe how he could grab those frogs mid-jump! Love you so much Trent!

The Girls Are Back in Town!

Grandma and Grandpa Barrett came into town with my sister Nancy and her family last weekend. We had a great time crashing in on everyone at Nancy & Bryan's condo. Then when the guys went to Priesthood meeting, the girls partied and played games (Apples to Apples gets pretty hilarious when you're playing with kids!). Here's a photo of Shellie, Abby, Great Grandma and cousin Jamie.

Signs You're In a Bad Hospital

*All the diplomas on the wall are signed by Sally Struthers.

*You recognize your doctor as kid who was mopping the lobby when you checked in.

*In the operating room, you see a surgeon holding a sign that says, "WILL DO SURGERY FOR FOOD!"

*Every couple of minutes, you hear a bugle playing Taps.

*You and your roommate have to take turns on the I.V.

*Through fog of anesthesia, you hear the surgeon shouting, "Bring the darn Scotch tape! And plenty of it!"

*Instead of "patient," they use the term "plaintiff."

Its a Heck of a Way to Lose Weight!

Kirk has lost about 13 pounds in the last 10 days. I don't think I want to adopt his method though. He spent four days at Dixie Regional Medical Center and had a foot of his colon removed. Ouch! That, combined with his diet of no food (not even water) for two days, and then only liquid for the next two, really did the trick! His surgery was done laproscopically (spelling?), so he is recovering faster than expected. He's been home for a couple of days now, and is getting stronger every day. He is a little bored but is trying to be a good boy and follow the doctor's orders. He's on his way to a full recovery. Love you Kirk!

Warren Jeffs Found Guilty

Those of you who participated in our blog poll (6) were right — Warren Jeffs was found guilty! That just proves that our friends and family are perfect predictors of the future! Kirk and Kenny are pretty relieved to have most of the media circus over - at least until the end of November when the sentencing will take place and then Jeffs will be sent to Arizona to face charges there. Kirk tried to stay out of sight of the media, but Kenny had to be at the courthouse everyday and had to stay there even while the Jury was deliberating, so Christan is happy to see her husband a little more often.

Homecoming at BYU

Kirk and I went with our friends to BYU's Homecoming Game where we got soaked in the rain, but watched BYU beat Air Force 31-6. We sang "Rise and Shout" and did the Darth Vader defense chant, and motioned for "another BYU FIRST DOWN" a bunch of times. It was great - we felt like we were students again. In fact, it took us right back to Kirk's days at BYU as Cosmo. What a great time that was for us. Although, I guess I wasn't such a savvy wife to let Kirk hang out with a bunch of cheerleaders! Here's Kirk as Cosmo shooting his patented half-court shot.

Cabin Views

Here's our cabin and some of the views that you see on the drive up (through Zion National Park). The photos were taken by my sister-in-law, Ree, who said it was some of the most beautiful scenery she had ever seen!

Labor Day at the Cabin

Shellie, George and Abby came to spend Labor Day Weekend with us at our cabin on Kolob. They brought some of George's family (his mother Flory and his brother Alan), their good friends, Derek and Nikki, and three dogs! So we had a cabin full. We all had a great time eating, riding 4-wheelers, swinging in the hammocks on the porch, and watching Alan and George do their handy-man magic around the cabin. Abby and I called dibs on the hammocks and spent lots of quality time rocking, singing and napping together. It was grandma heaven for me!

A Hacker on my Blog Page

The "Brian Towers Over Kenny" title was Brian's edit to my blog page. Who said when the Smith brothers grew up they'd lose their competitiveness?

Brian Towers Over Kenny

The Smith Men (Kirk, Mike, Kenny and Brian) all went together for a week of fishing and adventure in Alaska. Kirk seems to be in heaven there - and all his stress melts away. They had a great time catching salmon, exploring ice caves, hiking on glaciers, seeing bears, and just being together.

"I'm Five, I'm Five!" Happy Birthday Bailey

Happy 5th Birthday Bailey! I can't believe you've grown up so fast.
Here are all the words to the song we've been singing about being five years old:

I'm five, I'm five
I am a big girl now, I'm five
I can dress myself, I don't need Mom
To help me anymore
And when I sit in Daddy's chair
My feet can reach the floor
See that - I'm five!

I'm five, I'm five
I am a big girl now, I'm five
My mother doesn't spank me just
For going without a hat
She knows darn well I'd run away
'Cause I'm too old for that
What does she think I'm three?
Not me
What does she think I'm four?
I'm more than four
I'm even more than four and a half...
I'm five!
On July 26!

Our Hawaiian Grandsons

Here are pictures of Trent and Garret, ages 5 and 3, who live on Oahu in Hawaii. They love the ocean and the palm trees and the fact that they can play outside everyday.. They have been in Hawaii for 2 1/2 years and will leave in December for Washington, D.C. for 18 months. Then its off to Beijing, China for 3 years. The Army life has been a real adventure for Mike and Bri and their boys.

Here's our Abby

What a little sweetheart we have. Abby is two months old in this picture. Now she's 3 1/2 months and is smiling and cooing all the time.

We're Bloggers Now!

Shellie begged us to get a blog page - so here we go! This photo is of the whole family together to celebrate the birth of our new grandbaby - Abby. This is right before church when Abby got blessed. Abigail Rose Abittan was born on April 14 (my brother Brent's birthday), and we are so thrilled to have her here! Kirk and I were in grandparent heaven with all 5 of our grandchildren with us for a few days.