My Sweetheart

He is the best...for so many reasons...here are a couple...

1. He is always happy
2. He makes me laugh everyday
3. He is great with children (especially our nieces and nephews)
4.He has the biggest heart.
5. When he makes us peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, he makes mine with Chunky peanut butter (cause he knows I love it) and his with smooth peanut butter.
6. He is so dapper
7. He downloaded country music onto his ipod so when we drive in his car, we can listen to some of the music I like (Taylor Swift)
8. He is very complimentary. I feel like a princess!
9. He leaves me random love notes everywhere
10. He loves to quote movies just as much as I do (especially Emperor's New Groove)
11. He recently won free itunes money and after buying himself a couple of songs he turned to me and said, "Ok, what songs do you want?" Always so giving!
12.He is so willing to try new things. Like avocado. I put some on his sandwich one day and he loves it now!
13. He is BIG into holidays and BIG into family traditions. It makes special occasions even more fun!
14. He has such a strong testimony of the Gospel.
15. I LOVE TYSON!!!!!!!!!

Love,
B

Christmas Lights in the Desert

For Family Home Evening this week, Brianna and I decided to fill up our thermos mugs with Stephen's Hot Chocolate (mint flavored) and go cruising around Tempe in search of houses impressively decorated with Christmas lights and also for unique decorations.

What I have to present to you is the best of the best separated into three categories:

1) Inflatables (3-way tie)

SpongeBob SquarePants

A hippopotamus

Penguins

2) Santa's Different Modes of Transportation (Also a 3-way tie)

Polar Bear

Motorcycle

Helicopter

3) Best House (in Tempe, Arizona)

Even though I couldn't put this next one into a category, it deserved to make the post:

Mr. Christmas Duck

p.s. Santa was not harmed in the making of this blog:

The Fergusons

Skyler and Kaitlin Ferguson are in our new Family Ward. They came over for dinner on Sunday and afterwards we saw a performance of Handel's Messiah at a nearby Stake Center. We had a fun night with them! And they live sooo close to us! We love our new ward!

Matching PJ's for the Holidays!

We wanted to be cute and match for Christmas in California. We found these awesome Pj's -a sweet deal! (Tyson laughed after he took this picture- we match our sofa!)

His Goal

Tyson had a goal to learn how to cook/bake something this week. So I showed him how to cut tomatoes......
Peel and slice avocados (his new found favorite food)
cook ground beef, season it ,and how not to pour the fat down the kitchen sink.....
and BAM! He made perfect Taco Stars (a Scott Family favorite)
Tyson's wonderfully decorated Taco Star

Brianna's edible creation. Pure Yumness

I am proud of Tyson. He now knows how to make this awesome dinner. And it tasted sooo good!

My Goal

It's a Smith Family tradition. Every Christmas lots of flour....

powdered sugar....pecans......yeast......sugar....
eggs.....green sprinkles and cherries...

all mixed together makes this yummy Christmas Tree Bread.

After eating the "tester", Tyson said, "NOW you're a Smith girl. Not because you had your name legally changed at the Social Security office today, but because you can make Christmas Tree bread." I also was told that I scored about a galzzillbillion wife points by making this Christmas tradition for our home. SCORE! I loved learning from Janette how to make it this past week. Thanks Janette!

As part of the tradition, each bread made is given away to close friends and neighbors. We gave our first Christmas tree bread to Sandy Skouson and his wife Cortney. Sandy is celebrating his birthday today. And we thought Christmas Tree bread would be a perfect way to help celebrate!

A fresh start for Winter

The old do. It's lasted so long
so very very loooonnnnggg
So it had to go. The new do.