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The bigger boys and I went to see "Earth" this afternoon while Samuel was napping (Derek was working from home).  The videography is spectacular – I loved the sights and sounds and the beautiful animals…wow!  The kids had seen most of the footage because we have "Planet Earth" permanently locked on our DVR and they watch it on Saturday mornings instead of cartoons.  So for them it was nothing new, with the exception of the big screen, the popcorn and the Icee, which I think they enjoyed.

What I did not like was the political agenda and hidden innuendos.  It is surprising to me how much of our media is driven by extremes.  Although this is not altogether bad or completely unavoidable…after all, we are all just human and insert our own experience and point of view into everything that we do.  But I found myself pondering during the movie the extremes with which we were bombarded – the polar bears were "starving" and "desperate".  The lions were "famished".  The elephants were "exhausted".  The whales were "going to perish" if they did not arrive soon.  And I wondered – didn't those animals know exactly what was ahead of them…it was the same or similar journey that they had experienced the year before!?  We project so much of our own feelings and complexities onto these simple and perfectly capable creatures.

But don't get me wrong – I know that there are extremes in nature, many of which are probably brought on by humans and our ignorance and neglect.  And we have largely overindulged in the world's resources.  BUT…I believe that our Creator did not skimp when he created the earth.  In fact in our Doctrine & Covenants (104), we are told…"For the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare…" (v.17)

Enough.  And to spare.

But even with the abundance that we are given, we have to be wise…

"For it is expedient that I, the Lord, should make every man accountable, as a steward over earthly blessings, which I have made and prepared for my creatures." (v.13)

See, I believe that we have to apply the same principles to the use of our earth that we do to our very salvation.  Faith + Works and then add Grace.

We have faith in a God in Heaven who is all-knowing and all-wise and has created an earth that is in His command.  We know that we have to do our part in every way to ensure that it is used properly and wisely.  And then we rely on grace, knowing that even after all we can do, we will need His help and His favor.

And that my friends is my very deep review of a simple afternoon at a Disney movie… 🙂

Physically t.i.r.e.d.

My eyes are puffy and red from allergies (an ongoing battle for me despite 2 daily prescriptions), and I've been fighting a headache since Wednesday.  Wednesday!!

We had a WONDERFUL weekend with family though.  I can't wait to share the pictures.  It made me happy.

But right now I am going to go to my bed and read. 

I'm hoping that an early bedtime tonight will help me recuperate and get me going for another busy, but exciting week.

good.night.

This week marks the 10-year anniversary of the passing of my dear friend, Jason Hoyt.  He was killed in a car accident at BYU at the age of 23. 

The friendship that we had was one that is hard to describe.  I will be the first to admit that part of our relationship was based on a girlhood crush.  I remember when he and I were crowned Mr and Miss CHS at the end of our Senior Year, I secretly hoped that this was a sign! :)  But, of course, this was not to be.

But more than that, he was like a brother to me.  I believe that our friendship was of an eternal nature – that I had known him before and that our crossing paths was not coincidence.

He introduced me to the Mormon religion and to the faith that I now hold.  But I also think he saw in me something that I had not yet seen in myself.

This young man is difficult to describe – any one who knew him was awed.  He was extra-ordinary in every way.  His death left a hole for his family and friends that can never be filled.

But at the same time, it almost feels natural in a way, because it always seemed that he was too "big" for this earth.

I miss his sense of humor.  I miss his zest for life.  I miss his spiritual insights.  I miss being able to share the joys of my life with him. 

And I look forward to seeing him again someday.  To introducing him to my kids.  To celebrating with him.

  

Jason and his sister Heather with me and Derek on our wedding day, 1998

A little bit of this…

 

With a little bit of that…

 

Plus, a little bit of this thrown in…

 

Equals a pan of yumminess…

 

This blog post is courtesy of…

 

And for the record, I'm convinced that eating a pan of these in less than 24 hours is the sure cure for keeping swine flu at bay.

Swine flu.  That's all I'm gonna say about that.  Why does it sound like the punchline of a good joke?  And yet, let's pray we all don't get it, and that it won't be as bad as they're saying.

Took a family bike ride on Friday night.

Saw a 2 and 1/2 foot snake.  Thankfully, it was dead.  Then we saw a hawk swoop down in a field and attack something.  Beautiful bird.  But at that point I had had just about enough of nature.  The rest of my family loved it.  I prefer trees and flowers to the food chain myself.

 

 

Jacob took part in a piano competition on Saturday morning, right along side his friend Megan.  I was so proud of him because he has worked hard on this piece (Arabesque) and played it just like he had been taught…lots of dynamics.  Unfortunately the judge didn't score him very high, but it was a good experience for him anyway.  Megan got Honorable Mention.  It was like pulling teeth to get these two to stand together for a picture.  Pretty cute…

 

My favorite part of this experience though was shortly before we left for the competition.  Jacob was practicing and Samuel decided to join him.  This little guy LOVES to play the piano and he always does it gently and seriously (not banging like you would expect).  I love this series of pictures…

 

 

We got a babysitter and enjoyed socializing with the High Priests in our ward on Saturday night…it's a great bunch of people.  And on Sunday we sustained a new Stake Presidency which included our old friend, Bryan Tolbert, who was instrumental in Derek and I meeting.  We're happy for these men and look forward to supporting them in these roles.

Now it's thunderstorming, and I just got back from Boot Camp after not much sleep last night.  I would really like to be reunited with my bed, but this week holds many things to do, so I better get to it.

Lots of just plain ol' livin' this week.  Good stuff.  Busy.  Always on the go. 

1.  Celebrated Caleb's 6 and 3/4 b'day with his class.  He has a summer b'day, so it's fun to celebrate these "off" birthdays with his class every year.  Krispy Kreme doughnuts were a hit.  And it's always fun to be in the Kinder classroom and visit with his sweet teacher.

2.  Jacob's working hard on a piano piece for a Trophy Competition tomorrow.  I'm proud of the work he's done on it. 

3.  Samuel loves coloring and crafting right now.  Kristin (the speech therapist) brought a box of paper, stickers, feathers, and glue sticks to our session this week…he was in heaven.  And it's great for language development.  He's been able to say "no" for a while now (it's "MO" actually) but just this week he's decided it is a fitting response to every question asked of him.   And he's thrown two BIG colossal fit/tantrums this week – so unlike him, and yet so TWO!

4.  My friend/neighbor Donna has been in the hospital with an intestinal infection.  So sad to look across the street and know that she's not there.  Got to visit with her at the hospital yesterday, and her good husband calls now and gives me updates once or twice a day (I think he got tired of my incessant calls).  Can't wait for her to come home.

5.  Made dinner for us, and two other families, last night.  Ran to taekwondo, dropped one meal off and then left my family with a very MESSY kitchen and went to the hospital to see Donna.  Found my husband finishing up the last of a LOT of dishes last night when I got home (and that's after he got all 3 kids in bed).  Good guy!

6.  Looking forward to seeing family and watching our "riders" battle the MS 150 next weekend.

7.  Still working hard at Boot Camp twice a week.  It's hard – the workout and the getting up at 5:20 in the morning.  But it feels good too.  I'm feeling stronger and better about myself.  Trying to work-out on my off days and trying to eat about 1800 calories a day (staying away from sodas and sweets – lots of protein).

8.  Caleb's on a Kindergarten field trip to the zoo today – his first time on a school bus.  He was so excited.  But why do I always get nervous about my kids being away from me (distances)?  This zoo is a good hour and a half away and I don't like him being that far without me.  Strange?  Or normal mother instinct?  I just know I'll be happy when he's back home.

9.  Derek rode his bike to work yesterday – 20 miles each way.  It was his "Earth Day" contribution.  It makes me nervous too.  Mostly the concern over other drivers.

10.  Had lunch with my brother's fiance, Anne, yesterday and have decided that my brother's couldn't have chosen better girls to spend their lives with.  I really lucked out in that department.

11.  Planning a trip to Colorado this summer.  I love planning vacations.  I love vacations.  I love the anticipation of a vacation.  Can't wait.

12.  And now my house reflects the busy-ness of our week, so I will spend a quiet Friday trying to get it back in shape before another busy weekend.

Derek works from home a lot.  We share office space, because well, I work from home too.  He's on a desk over by the window with a laptop, a big monitor, ear buds and a Cisco phone (fitting since he works for Cisco).  I am on the other side…laptop, monitor, no ear buds and a Vtech phone (fitting since I don't work for Cisco). 

He just turned to me and said, "so you've stopped blogging now that you're on Facebook, huh."  I would add a question mark, but it was more of a statement than a question.

Blasphemous.

I have not stopped blogging just because I am finding people to chat with from my past.  I simply don't have anything to blog ABOUT because I am busy finding people to chat with from my past!  Penny Brady and Amanda Whitis – I haven't heard the likes of those names since 1989, but oh how we shared some great times and it is so fun to see what they're doing.

But – blog I must.  So here goes.  The interesting news of our lives.

1.  It rained on Friday.

 

It doesn't sound that exciting, I realize.  BUT it was a beautiful thing in my world.  We were supposed to go camping on Fri night.  So I was singing "rain, rain, stay a day" and it worked and camping for us was cancelled (sorry Misty, but I was).  So I went to a PTA Banquet and came home to find my little munchkins snuggled up in sleeping bags in the living room, watching movies with popcorn and having s'mores out of the toaster.  The big boys had the option of sleeping downstairs, but both ended up in their beds before 10 pm.  Ahh – my kind of camping!

 

2.  Caleb and his Kindergarten class performed a "frog song" on Friday.  Have I mentioned that he has the cutest Kinder teacher EVER?  She takes pictures on her IPhone some days and e-mails them to the parents with notes like "aren't they cute?", or "look how much they're learning"….I love her!  So she wrote the cutest little frog program and at the end they flipped around their hats and turned in to princes/princesses.  I don't want Kindergarten to end for him!

 

3.  On Saturday I went to town on our study/office.  Oh my.  I found receipts from 2006.  Not important receipts either…receipts from Sonic or gas or Target.  Ridiculous.  I shredded 3 bags worth of paper, receipts, bills, etc.  It felt SO good and now maybe I can actually get things done in here.  My inbox is only 1/3 of what it used to be – a lovely thing.

 

And that, my friends, is all she wrote.

Speaking of "wrote", I was a big fan of "Murder She Wrote".  I wonder if Angela Lansbury is on Facebook…I'm off to look. 🙂

Have I mentioned lately that I love having a toddler?

I love having someone little enough to sit in the grocery cart – eye to eye with me as we shop.

I love being able to have a "buddy" all day long.

I love naptime, bedtime stories, and rocking in the rocking chair.

I love that I still use a stroller at the mall. 

I love his little feet and the way he toddles/runs through the house.

I love listening to him call for me through the monitor.

I love hearing his cute voice and kissing his sweet cheeks.

I love that we can go to the park whenever we want.

Now – don't get me wrong…I love big boys too.  But I am realizing this year how fast these sweet stages fly by and how easy it is to have a toddler.  So I'm appreciating each tiring, but precious, day of being a toddler mom. 

Because I know for sure that someday I'm really gonna miss this.

  

Pictures taken January 2009

Be afraid, be very afraid.

Meredith Robinson Smith is now on Facebook.

And if I am not your 'friend' please do not take it personally.  But then again what if no one wants to be my 'friend' and they hit "ignore" on my request.  Tragic.  This whole 'friend' thing weirds me out a little.

But I do secretly want more friends than my friends. :)  Facebook is already tainting my world.

Not sure I even understand the point yet.  The power of persuasion has led me to this dark place in cyber space (Facebook is already causing me to wax poetic.)

So my friend Dana was facing a dilemma last fall…leave her 5-year old, September b'day, precocious, smart, and final of four children in expensive preschool every day against her will, or let her stay home and play and stay in her pajamas?!  Hmmm…"that's a tough one" I said, all the while secretly hoping that she would indeed yank her from that preschool prison 🙂 and let her come play at my house every once in a while.

And she did!

And she does (let her come play at my house, that is)!

And when she comes she talks me in to buying her things at the store that I would NEVER buy for my kids.  And I let her eat candy and we go on walks and I let her do my hair.  Because it's just so fun to have a little girl around here!  And a red-head to boot!  How fun!

And she mothers Samuel and he tells her "Mo!" which is just too funny.

And then I send her home…sugared up…and let her capable mother and father deal with the almost certain pre-adolescent hormones that accompany all little girls…so I'm told. 

I feel like she should call me "Aunt Meredith". 

Maybe I'll work on that.