Team Smith

The pictures below are too funny! I debated adding captions, but really, it would be much more fun for you to come up with your own! Our Easter Bunny is a fashion maven, filling baskets with matching purple chucks and sunglasses this year! It is a family tradition with a twist. Growing up, my mom would sometimes buy me new shoes for Easter. Patent leather, black, mary-janes or the like to match whatever frilly concoction I was adorned in. Were they cute? Why, yes. Did they hurt? Why, yes! My family doesn't have many traditions, but I wanted to save this one.  I hunt for the sales (this year the lucky winner was Kohls with shoes that were 50% off!) and the girls get matching converse shoes, or chucks. They are comfortable, wearable, cleanable and functional.  They match the Easter ensemble just fine. And the girls love them. We don't add candy to the baskets as they will get candy at church. I did put in a small bag of cookies because the girls typically like to share...

When Matt and I worked in reslife, we used to take RHA folks up here to Camp Galilee. Now that the girls are older, we can start coming up here for fun! Our church, Trinity Episcopal, owns and runs Camp Galilee. It's a great revenue generator. All kinds of camps come through. And they also host camps. This year we will try to attend family camp over Labor Day Weekend. When Cass turns seven she'll get to come backpacking all on her own! Though really, she could probably handle it just fine now :-) Tonight, there was a potluck dinner up at camp. Folks from all the Episcopal churches in Northern Nevada came up. It was snowing and a bit cold, but beautiful as only Tahoe can be.

Our weather is confused. Monday it's snowing. Tuesday there is rain. Wednesday it is 70 degrees out and sunny. Thursday it drops to 23 degrees with strong wind advisories. Good grief! No wonder we keep getting sick. On the plus side, we have been able to get outside quite a bit! And we haven't gotten stuck in the snow this season- so really it's ok :-) On this hike we visited with a hawk or falcon. Not close enough to tell, but close enough to see how big it was! Thanks to the Vancour/Peeks for letting us borrow your backpack! We have a book that lists the top hikes in our area. We've done maybe 10 of the hikes listed. We're really looking forward to hittin' some trails this summer and going camping.  If you have favorite spots, please share! We were real hungry by the end! Can you spot the hawk? We did not hike to the N this trip. Just took the nature trail. Cassidy's response to this tree was classic! She could not g...

Cass just started her first dance class a month ago. Every Friday her energy levels skyrocket higher than usual, and that is saying a lot, as she slips on her ballet flats and leotard. When watching through the glass, I laugh as she jumps around and smile at her twirls. She looks back at me every 10 minutes or so to wave. It is a fun time.  My girl gets home, sheds her dancewear, and dons a serious face as she helps her daddy put up shelves and hooks in our new home. The same delight that bathed her face as she spun around to whimsical notes and melodies is alive again as she puts her finger on the trigger of the drill and drives a stud home.