April 1, 2011
This year has been a little crazy for the Columbus Smiths. You may recall we had some trouble last year. The robot council had us banished to an asteroid. That hasn't undermined our holiday cheer. And we know it's almost springtime by the marks we make on the wall. That's our favorite time of year.
April Fools’ Day!
Okay, so that didn’t really happen to us. We stole the lyrics from Jonathan Coulton. The boys thought it would be funny to use this as our holiday greetings. Here’s a link to a video of the song.
But it has been quite a year for us.
Lilyanna turned 1 in January. At about 9 months she discovered she could walk. She’s hasn’t stopped running since. She loves shoes and playing dress-up with the laundry Emilia has just folded. It seems the Smiths have been blessed with a girl. Lilyanna also loves all music, especially VeggieTales and spends her waking hours trying to get her parents to play every VeggieTales album all day long.
Caleb turns 7 next month. He loves first grade, especially art and science. He took a couple of sculpting classes this winter and really enjoyed exploring that medium. He has decided to channel his daredevil streak and wants to join the summer diving team. Emilia is already practicing watching him do dives through her fingers that she slaps over her face every time he does some crazy backward twist into the pool.
Nathaniel, 8 years old, started second grade this year, but he was bored. So after winter break, Nathaniel moved up to the third grade. Nathaniel also decided to join his brother in dancing and is now a student of the Boys Hip Hop class at our studio. Nathaniel was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints this summer while we were in Wyoming. Nathaniel is doing a very good job at being an 8 year old by telling everyone all the jokes from Boys’ Life as often as possible. “What has 6 wheels and flies?”
Benjamin is 11. His parents are in denial about his age. Benjamin just finished the fifth grade play, Rats: The Pied Piper of Hamlin. He played the Head Rat. This year Benjamin joined his dance studio’s junior hip hop company and loves it. He’s also still doing tap and this year started taking ballet. (It’s one of the requirements of being in company, so he HAD to, but has discovered he’s great at it. Emilia and Todd are very confused as to where he inherited gracefulness from...) Benjamin also crossed over from Cub Scouts into Boy Scouts and earned his Arrow of Light Award in scouting.
Warren, 18 this past fall, is a senior this year. Warren played Harry Brock in the high school production of Born Yesterday and then Alfred P. Doolittle in the musical, My Fair Lady. Now Warren is excited to be living the Thespian dream, working at a restaurant, while he finishes high school. He currently plans to attend Columbus Community State College next year sometime. This past summer Warren was sealed to our family in the Mt. Timp Temple where Todd’s Grandpa Clay is a sealer. He also got to go horseback riding for the first time in his life when we were in Wyoming.
Emilia was recently released from being chief oompah of the church ladies. (That’s Relief Society President, in case you’re unfamiliar with our more colloquial titles.) This allows her to be more full-time soccer mom, not that any of our kids play sports. (Really she’s a dance mom and at the studio 4 days a week, but someone please slap her if she becomes the stereotypical dance mom. In the summer time she becomes a swim/dive team mom just to mix things up a little. No slapping required, as it’s seasonal.) Emilia is also still enjoying teaching piano lessons to neighborhood children.
Todd still works in the marketing department at Chase bank. (And Emilia still has no idea what he does, though it’s amusing to listen to her try to explain. As mentioned in last year’s letter Todd switched responsibilities last year. His new job has something to do with Strategy, whatever that means.) In the church Todd is still the secretary in the Young Men organization. Any free time Todd likes spending with the rest of his family.
Send us an email, drop us a line, stop by and visit if you're ever in or around Columbus!
Love,
The Smiths
4 comments:
Oh, friend, I am so glad you posted it! My favorite part of April Fool's is your letter. What a lovely picture of your family. Emilia, you look positively radiant and gorgeous. You have one busy life....keeping up with all those boys and one cutie girl. Best wishes with everything.
Eli played harry brock when he was thomas too! One of his favorite roles. :) sounds like u guys are having fun...but what else whould we expect from the smith's? :)
Thanks, Anne Marie! One of these days you and I need to be in the same time zone to catch up!! I think you should come here. Dena A. and I both live here already. ;) Time for a weekend of pampering for you, right??
Abby, I can totally see Eli in that role! I bet he was great! I should note that in our first ever April Fool's Day letter sent out 10 years ago, the joke was that I was pregnant with triplets. How are you feeling doing that in real life?
That sounds divine, Emilia. Once I learn how to lengthen my apron strings a bit (or in my case a lot), I would love to make a trip out there and catch up. Our Anne of Green Gables sleepover days seem like so long ago....I am just glad you ended up as Mrs. Smith after all:)
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