To this:
And while we tried the blue dye twice, it just wouldn't take. (Don't you hate it when your hair is too healthy to dye?) So we settled for red gel. And got this:
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Crazy Hair Day
Benjamin announced that for crazy hair day he wanted to cut off his hair and dye what was left of it blue. My response was, "Um, okay." So we went from this:
To this:
And while we tried the blue dye twice, it just wouldn't take. (Don't you hate it when your hair is too healthy to dye?) So we settled for red gel. And got this:
To this:
And while we tried the blue dye twice, it just wouldn't take. (Don't you hate it when your hair is too healthy to dye?) So we settled for red gel. And got this:
Friday, April 4, 2008
This Is Just To Say....
About 6 years ago, Todd was riding the subway to work and saw this poem on the wall. He wrote it down, and brought it home to me. I loved it and this led to checking out other poems by William Carlos Williams through trips to the North Plainfield library. It was just a few weeks after our "discovery" of this poem and its author that we listened to A Prairie Home Companion on WNYC one Saturday evening. (Check out our nightlife!) It turned out to be my most favorite show ever because my favorite poet Billy Collins was the guest star! He read quite a few poems in his wonderful understated way and then he performed that night's episode of Guy Noir, Private Eye. The entire episode took this poem by William Carlos Williams and turned it on it's ear. If you have a few minutes, you should listen. It's very funny.
This Is Just To Say
I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox
and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast.
Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold.
-- William Carlos Williams
This Is Just To Say
I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox
and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast.
Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold.
-- William Carlos Williams
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Poem du jour
"flock"
It has been calculated that
each copy of the Gutenburg Bible
required the skins of 300 sheep.
I can see them
squeezed into the holding pen
behind the stone building
where the printing press is housed.
All of them squirming around
to find a little room
and looking so much alike
it would be nearly impossible to count them.
And there is no telling which one of them
will carry the news
that the Lord is a Shepherd,
one of the few things
they already know.
- billy collins
Billy Collins was U.S. Poet Laureate from 2001 through 2003.
He's been the New York State Poet Laureate since January 2004.
(And one of my very favorites!! You will see lots of Billy Collins this month because his poems make me smile.)
It has been calculated that
each copy of the Gutenburg Bible
required the skins of 300 sheep.
I can see them
squeezed into the holding pen
behind the stone building
where the printing press is housed.
All of them squirming around
to find a little room
and looking so much alike
it would be nearly impossible to count them.
And there is no telling which one of them
will carry the news
that the Lord is a Shepherd,
one of the few things
they already know.
- billy collins
Billy Collins was U.S. Poet Laureate from 2001 through 2003.
He's been the New York State Poet Laureate since January 2004.
(And one of my very favorites!! You will see lots of Billy Collins this month because his poems make me smile.)
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Jelly Donuts
WHY? James Stevenson
Why is it...
While other people
Are thinking about all kinds of
Important things...
I am thinking about
What it would be like
To jump barefoot
Into an open box
Of jelly doughnuts?
We actually decided to put this to the test last year after reading the poem. I bought a big box of day old Jelly donuts for us to jump into. Good times at Family Home Evening. I look awful in the video (remember that post about being un-photogenic?) but other than that it's fun!
Why is it...
While other people
Are thinking about all kinds of
Important things...
I am thinking about
What it would be like
To jump barefoot
Into an open box
Of jelly doughnuts?
We actually decided to put this to the test last year after reading the poem. I bought a big box of day old Jelly donuts for us to jump into. Good times at Family Home Evening. I look awful in the video (remember that post about being un-photogenic?) but other than that it's fun!
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
I'm Pregnant! (otherwise known as the Smith family April Fool's Day letter)
April 2008
It has been an eventful year in the Smith household. Todd discovered the perfect balance among work/home/personal/church life. Emilia realized that she doesn't have to volunteer on every committee she's invited to join. Benjamin realized that he LOVES doing homework. Nathaniel and Caleb sadly discovered that they just hate preschool. They can't stand it and refuse to go!
April Fools Day!!!!!
That's right, boys and girls, it's April 1st and you may have noticed that there is no Smith Family April Fool's Day letter in your mailbox this year. Thanks to ever increasing postage, we have gone mostly digital. (Yes, we are cheap!)
Okay, so nothing in that first bit is true. Well, except maybe Todd getting the balance almost right. He's discovered a passion for arranging shape note music and early American hymns for our church choir (which he conducts), small ensembles and solos. Emilia stares in wonder and pride and amazement at his long-hidden abilities. Todd is also serving as secretary in the Stake Young Men Presidency, so he's back at Stake youth dances once again. Apparently, there are some things that you can't get away from.
Emilia is in her second and final year of teaching early morning seminary. She is less tired than last year and has thoroughly enjoyed the chance to really dig in to the study of the Old Testament. And while next year she will miss seeing her students daily, she will NOT miss waking up before the sun. When not too groggy to function, Emilia spends her time reading or training for a half marathon coming up in two weeks. She is also very excited to attend her 10 year college reunion in May. She has enjoyed the relative freedom of having older boys, and managed to sneak in a trip by herself to NJ to play with college friends, a trip to San Francisco to play with some high school friends (where Todd also joined her), as well as numerous road trips with the boys in tow. The boys enjoyed their first experience at Yellowstone this past summer and have requested that this year we go to Mt. Rushmore and Devil's Tower.
Our three boys decided to grow their hair long this year. They had a haircut last June right before their Aunt Jenny's wedding. Nathaniel made it until March and then couldn't take it anymore. Caleb's hair was long enough at that time to donate it to Locks for Love and he wouldn't let his parents brush it anymore, so his was chopped off then, too. His hair was thick and blond, so he got lots of "What a cute little girl!" comments. The most heard phrase out of his mouth for awhile was "I NOT a grurl!!" Benjamin's hair is still going strong. He hates to brush it, but loves having it long.
Benjamin turned 8 a few weeks ago and was baptized. Both sets of Grandparents joined us for the event. Benjamin still takes tap dancing lessons and has discovered a love of both art and writing. At a recent conference with his teacher, Emilia learned that Benjamin soaks up every writing lesson they have and can't wait to try out a new technique in his next story. Speaking of stories, Benjamin is an avid reader and many nights his parents must hide whatever book he's currently reading or they will find him at 11pm still with his nose in a book. He also has enjoyed participating in Cub Scouts this year. Benjamin's current favorite hobbies are reading Calvin and Hobbes comics, his Webkinz snake, and playing with Legos.
Nathaniel will begin kindergarten in August and is very excited. He will sorely miss SYC (a.k.a., "the hippie-commie preschool"). Nathaniel and his fellow preschoolers spend a lot of time running around in superhero costumes saving the world. Who wouldn't miss that? Nathaniel is our resident philosopher/comedian. He has the ability to communicate huge ideas with very simple words. Whatever comes out of his mouth is sure to have us either pondering or laughing. Sometimes both.
Caleb LOVES preschool, and in fact on the first day while all the other children were clinging to their parents, Caleb stood in the middle of circle time to play monster, which scared all the other children and let his teachers know what they were up against. After the monster incident, he let Emilia know that she could leave. And he hasn't needed her since. The most exciting news: Caleb is potty trained!!!! He let Todd and Emilia know that they could do all they wanted but no amount of bribery was going to convince him to go potty until he was good and ready. (After 9 solid years of changing diapers, Todd and Emilia were offering him plenty of bribes.) But as of a few weeks ago, it became official! No more diapers!! Caleb continues to act in the role of "Mother's curse" upon Emilia. He is like her in nearly every way.
We had some additional members of our household this year. Elysa (Emilia's sister) came to live with us for a few months and when she left, Andrew (Todd's brother) came to live with us. We really enjoyed having them in our home and were sad when they returned back to their own respective lives. The boys especially loved having an Aunt and Uncle around to spoil and tease them. The room is now open for anyone who is looking for a place to live... or just a place to stay when you visit. For those of you in NJ who never leave, Ohio is just on the other side of Pennsylvania. For everyone else, we're right off I-70 and would love to have you visit when passing by.
We hope this email finds you all happy and healthy and doing well. We always love to hear from you and are really grateful for all of the wonderful ways to stay in touch. Todd and Emilia even broke down last year and got cell phones. The general population was horrified that Emilia would consider driving with 3 kids across the country and not have a cell phone. So, she chatted her way across middle America and now would not trade her cell phone for all the Jell-o in Utah county.
We love and miss you!
The Smith Family
Todd, Emilia, Benjamin, Nathaniel, Caleb
It has been an eventful year in the Smith household. Todd discovered the perfect balance among work/home/personal/church life. Emilia realized that she doesn't have to volunteer on every committee she's invited to join. Benjamin realized that he LOVES doing homework. Nathaniel and Caleb sadly discovered that they just hate preschool. They can't stand it and refuse to go!
April Fools Day!!!!!
That's right, boys and girls, it's April 1st and you may have noticed that there is no Smith Family April Fool's Day letter in your mailbox this year. Thanks to ever increasing postage, we have gone mostly digital. (Yes, we are cheap!)
Okay, so nothing in that first bit is true. Well, except maybe Todd getting the balance almost right. He's discovered a passion for arranging shape note music and early American hymns for our church choir (which he conducts), small ensembles and solos. Emilia stares in wonder and pride and amazement at his long-hidden abilities. Todd is also serving as secretary in the Stake Young Men Presidency, so he's back at Stake youth dances once again. Apparently, there are some things that you can't get away from.
Emilia is in her second and final year of teaching early morning seminary. She is less tired than last year and has thoroughly enjoyed the chance to really dig in to the study of the Old Testament. And while next year she will miss seeing her students daily, she will NOT miss waking up before the sun. When not too groggy to function, Emilia spends her time reading or training for a half marathon coming up in two weeks. She is also very excited to attend her 10 year college reunion in May. She has enjoyed the relative freedom of having older boys, and managed to sneak in a trip by herself to NJ to play with college friends, a trip to San Francisco to play with some high school friends (where Todd also joined her), as well as numerous road trips with the boys in tow. The boys enjoyed their first experience at Yellowstone this past summer and have requested that this year we go to Mt. Rushmore and Devil's Tower.
Our three boys decided to grow their hair long this year. They had a haircut last June right before their Aunt Jenny's wedding. Nathaniel made it until March and then couldn't take it anymore. Caleb's hair was long enough at that time to donate it to Locks for Love and he wouldn't let his parents brush it anymore, so his was chopped off then, too. His hair was thick and blond, so he got lots of "What a cute little girl!" comments. The most heard phrase out of his mouth for awhile was "I NOT a grurl!!" Benjamin's hair is still going strong. He hates to brush it, but loves having it long.
Benjamin turned 8 a few weeks ago and was baptized. Both sets of Grandparents joined us for the event. Benjamin still takes tap dancing lessons and has discovered a love of both art and writing. At a recent conference with his teacher, Emilia learned that Benjamin soaks up every writing lesson they have and can't wait to try out a new technique in his next story. Speaking of stories, Benjamin is an avid reader and many nights his parents must hide whatever book he's currently reading or they will find him at 11pm still with his nose in a book. He also has enjoyed participating in Cub Scouts this year. Benjamin's current favorite hobbies are reading Calvin and Hobbes comics, his Webkinz snake, and playing with Legos.
Nathaniel will begin kindergarten in August and is very excited. He will sorely miss SYC (a.k.a., "the hippie-commie preschool"). Nathaniel and his fellow preschoolers spend a lot of time running around in superhero costumes saving the world. Who wouldn't miss that? Nathaniel is our resident philosopher/comedian. He has the ability to communicate huge ideas with very simple words. Whatever comes out of his mouth is sure to have us either pondering or laughing. Sometimes both.
Caleb LOVES preschool, and in fact on the first day while all the other children were clinging to their parents, Caleb stood in the middle of circle time to play monster, which scared all the other children and let his teachers know what they were up against. After the monster incident, he let Emilia know that she could leave. And he hasn't needed her since. The most exciting news: Caleb is potty trained!!!! He let Todd and Emilia know that they could do all they wanted but no amount of bribery was going to convince him to go potty until he was good and ready. (After 9 solid years of changing diapers, Todd and Emilia were offering him plenty of bribes.) But as of a few weeks ago, it became official! No more diapers!! Caleb continues to act in the role of "Mother's curse" upon Emilia. He is like her in nearly every way.
We had some additional members of our household this year. Elysa (Emilia's sister) came to live with us for a few months and when she left, Andrew (Todd's brother) came to live with us. We really enjoyed having them in our home and were sad when they returned back to their own respective lives. The boys especially loved having an Aunt and Uncle around to spoil and tease them. The room is now open for anyone who is looking for a place to live... or just a place to stay when you visit. For those of you in NJ who never leave, Ohio is just on the other side of Pennsylvania. For everyone else, we're right off I-70 and would love to have you visit when passing by.
We hope this email finds you all happy and healthy and doing well. We always love to hear from you and are really grateful for all of the wonderful ways to stay in touch. Todd and Emilia even broke down last year and got cell phones. The general population was horrified that Emilia would consider driving with 3 kids across the country and not have a cell phone. So, she chatted her way across middle America and now would not trade her cell phone for all the Jell-o in Utah county.
We love and miss you!
The Smith Family
Todd, Emilia, Benjamin, Nathaniel, Caleb
Edible dogs
The weather was warm and almost sunny yesterday, so last night while Todd and Benjamin attended a cub scout meeting, the younger boys and I played on the playground.
While Caleb and I were on the see-saw type thing, a man walked by with a dog. I told Caleb that the dog was called a chocolate lab because of its brown coat. We talked a little more about the dog and then went back to playing.
A few minutes later a woman walked by with a little white dog. "Look, Mom!" he said. "There's a lady with a Cream Cheese dog!"
Cuteness.
While Caleb and I were on the see-saw type thing, a man walked by with a dog. I told Caleb that the dog was called a chocolate lab because of its brown coat. We talked a little more about the dog and then went back to playing.
A few minutes later a woman walked by with a little white dog. "Look, Mom!" he said. "There's a lady with a Cream Cheese dog!"
Cuteness.
Dust if You Must
Dust If You Must
Dust if you must, but wouldn't it be better
To paint a picture, or write a letter,
Bake a cake, or plant a seed;
Ponder the difference between want and need?
Dust if you must, but there's not much time,
With rivers to swim, and mountains to climb;
Music to hear, and books to read;
Friends to cherish, and life to lead.
Dust if you must, but the world's out there
With the sun in your eyes, and the wind in your hair;
A flutter of snow, a shower of rain,
This day will not come around again.
Dust if you must, but bear in mind,
Old age will come and it's not kind.
And when you go (and go you must)
You, yourself, will make more dust.
-Anon.
Dust if you must, but wouldn't it be better
To paint a picture, or write a letter,
Bake a cake, or plant a seed;
Ponder the difference between want and need?
Dust if you must, but there's not much time,
With rivers to swim, and mountains to climb;
Music to hear, and books to read;
Friends to cherish, and life to lead.
Dust if you must, but the world's out there
With the sun in your eyes, and the wind in your hair;
A flutter of snow, a shower of rain,
This day will not come around again.
Dust if you must, but bear in mind,
Old age will come and it's not kind.
And when you go (and go you must)
You, yourself, will make more dust.
-Anon.
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