So I like to post pictures usually because I always have them to go along with what is going on. This, however, is going to be a pictureless post. Why? because I simply don't have any to go along with what I'm thinking. I have been subjected to the harsh reality that my two year old now requires a lot more attention from me than I previously thought. What happens when her three entertainers head off to school, mom must step in. I was so caught up in the fact that the older three would be gone all day and what would I do with all my time. I now know. I had already planned to start the potty training adventure and hope to have that completed in a week or so(she is soooo ready).
It has also come to light in the last week that I have absolutely no life of my own. Now I know that that is what happens when you are a mom but I was looking at my previous posts and realized they are ALL about my kids in one way or another:) And how sad that even when I try I can't come up with anything real interesting to post. I know that I like to see pictures and read about other peoples kids, but I must apologize to those who don't. My goal now is to come up with something interesting to do (with Cass of course). Any ideas?

"It's the most wonderful time of the year"

So how many of you saw the commercial that Staples used to have? The one with the parents dancing through Staples to the old Christmas song "It's the most wonderful time of the year", while their kids pout along behind them. HYSTERICAL! I love it, and as much as I love my kids I feel like dancing. It does make me feel a little less guilty that they were all up at 7:00 dressed with their backpacks on, so they were just as excited as I was. So here are the little darlings heading out to the bus:)

Cheese

I think these pictures are some of the cutest kid pictures, it's to bad it had to be such a traumatic experience for Halle. She is taking a page out of cousin Whitney's book and she ate it hard on her bike today. The teeth had been kind of loose but when she hit the ground face first they were sticking straight out so we decided just to yank them out. If it weren't for all the blood it wouldn't have been so bad but she was pretty freaked out at first. She was in much better spirits later when we discussed the fact that she would now get twice as much from the tooth fairy. See sometimes money can make things all better:)PS obviously the date is wrong on my camera we'll have to see what we can do about that.

"Are you taking the piss?" (Brittish for "Are you kidding me?"

I used that title because that was what my husband said when he saw these pictures.


I have never been one to cut my hair short, I just prefer longer hair on me and my girls (I think that stems from the fact that my mom ALWAYS cut my hair really short and I hated having to play the boy and be Peter Pan for Halloween anyway). So when Brooklyn told me she wanted to donate her hair to locks for love, my feelings were really mixed because I knew it was going to be short because she barley had the 10 inches required. I told Jason there was no way I was going to tell her no if this was what she wanted to do. So I took her down and aunt Kara chopped it off. Of course it looks adorable and she loves it. Dad finally had to admit that even though he prefers the longer hair, especially on his little girls, he thinks she looks so cute.

Summer Fun part 2

First let me say that this post is going to be short ans sweet cuz I'm working hard on my new book "Breaking Dawn" as I'm sure most of you are as well. So last Friday two of my friends and I took our oldest girls, who are all the same age, to Park City to so some school shopping. It was so much fun! Brooklyn has never been much of a shopper but I think as she gets older she is developing the interest especially when it involves spending the day with her friends. It was really cute to watch them together talking and laughing. It does scare me a little to think of what the future will be like when they are teens, but for now it was a lot of fun just to spend some time with her and my friends too.
Our next event would be the Tooele county fair. The girls had been dying to go to a rodeo, so we went down Friday night to the rodeo and to see Wyatt do some mutton bustin. Grandma, Grandpa, and Megan were down there too. So we stayed to watch the bulls and then the fireworks after. Then on Saturday Mandy and I took Charlee and my girls down to the fair. There was so much to do and we all had so much fun. The girls actually rode a mechanical bull (I was so surprised the twins got up there). They got their faces painted, balloon animals, jumped in and on all the bounce house things they had set up, and of course we ate. I have had so much fun with the girls this summer and I get excited to think about all the things we are going to get to do as they get older!

summer fun?

Well aunt Sher is catching her plane to head home tomorrow, and we hope we didn't completely poop her out. We wanted to cram as much in as we could while she was here. So first we took her to the zoo (on the hottest day of the year), and had a blast we did get to see alot of the animals and ride the carousel and the train. Then we took her to the dinosaur museum at thanksgiving point. None of us had been there before and we had so much fun. Grandma Carson went with us and the kids had so much fun with her too. We saw the sea monsters 3-d movie and really liked it. So thanks aunt Sher for hanging with us, we miss you when you go home and love ya alot!

family pics

Always an adventure is the family picture hullabaloo. It has been 6 years, 4 kids, and a divorce since we have had our family picture (on my side) taken. For some reason Jen Lewis agreed to do it for us. It was so fun to see her and Tom and one of their girls, and she did an amazing job especially considering there were 10 kids and my brother Randy who was almost as much work as the kids. So thank you again Jen!!
Here are some of the pics that she took. As a little side note Halle and Shelby do not like to have their pictures taken as I think you can tell.

12 years!!!

What! I know you are all thinking "she is way to young to have been married for 12 years":), it is however the truth. It is so bizarre to think that for the last 12 years I have been living as Mrs. Shannon Smart and for the most part have been a responsible adult(kind of). I feel unbelievably blessed to be married to this amazing man for so long and hope to have many more years together. I know it's cliche' to say that I remember my wedding day like it was yesterday but it is so true. When I look at where we are and how much we have done together it amazes me. Jason is the best husband anyone could ask for and an even more amazing dad. So Happy Anniversary" to the love of my life! Here's to at least 12 more:)

Swimming Lessons

At last. Next to the annual Lake Powell trip, I think my kids look forward to swimming lessons more than anything else during the summer. Brooklyn is rockin the level 5. She is the youngest and smallest in her class but she has been working so hard to pass it. Halle and Shelby are in level 2 and doing really good considering there is like 20 kids in their class, the teachers do the best they can but they spend alot of time holding on to the side. Cass is still to young to do the pre-school class so she hangs out with me until the classes are over then Brooklyn takes her out to play. The lessons are over on Thursday, I'm kind of sad cuz to me it's like it's almost the end of summer:(

The best holiday ever!

I say the best holiday because I LOVE the fourth of July! I remember we used to have a BBQ at our house every year when we lived in Lehi and it was the best! My dad would light our fireworks and then we would watch the ones at the ball park which we could see so well from our house. Everyone would come and we had the best time. Sadly we have different traditions now, and even though they pale in comparison, I still pick the 4th of July as my favorite. So this year we did the parade thing again in the morning. This time I ran in the 5k so Jason was solo with the kids until I finished and made my way back up to Main St. So then off to the park for the festivities, not as fun as it has been, but still ok. We had to come home for a nap and lunch then back to town. BBQ and fireworks at grandmas and more fireworks at the deseret peak complex. All and all a success.

We took some time on Saturday to go to the pool for a quick escape from the heat. Mandy and Charlee went with us and we had a blast. The girls played until they were completely exhausted and then home for another nap:)