Summer Days in Georgia: A day out at the Zoo! & Fun at the Pool!

We took a trip out to the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, SC this last week with some friends. We had lots of fun! This was the first day that I missed the cooler Utah weather. 103 degrees in modest attire can be an uncomfortable combination! but nonetheless our trip was worth it: )

p.s. Sorry about the poor picture quality on some of these photos. Our camera has been having technical difficulties.


Ellie with friends Landon and Talon







Ellie and Landon admiring the Gorillas toes.


This one was just her size.






Well hello there.




My. . . what BIG teeth you have.


zonked out after a long day.





A few weeks ago our apartment complex had a big pool party with lots of food and prizes. Kyle won a free tanning pass! woohoo! Maybe his cute farmer tan will be little lighter when we hit the beaches in Charleston next week!


Ellie digging her leigh.


Ellie swimming in her big girl floaties. She swims in the deep end too!


This is the life!

Happy Fathers Day: Why I love my Daddy, My Baby's Daddy and my other Baby's Daddy!

Dad
I have so many good memories of my Dad from my childhood. He has so much love for his children and we always knew that he loved us. He's the type of person that would do anything for you anytime, no questions asked. I remember him staying up with me countless nights helping me with school projects or any project I was particularly interested in at the time. He is extremely creative and instilled a love for creativity and the arts within each of his children. He is such a sweet grandaddy and always has time to play with his grandkids who absolutely adore him. He has always worked so hard to support his family and we always had everything we ever needed and more. He never yelled at us or forced us to do anything but rather led by example. He was diligent in teaching us about our Savior Jesus Christ and the importance of serving others. I always knew I could go to him with any concern that I had and would leave with good advice. I cherished the one on one time that I had with him. Some of my favorite memories are of Daddy daughter dates, our birthday breakfast out with Dad each year and climbing in to bed with my parents after highschool dances just to talk. I love you Dad! Thanks for all you do!




Kyle
Kyle is an amazing Father and loves his little girl so much. He would rather spend a day with his little Ellie than do anything else. He can have her giggling in a second and she is absolutely in love with him too. Kyle is so charismatic and freindly that all around him instantly fall in love with him the moment they meet him. He is always looking out for his girls. Not only do I get lots of help from him with Ellie but he also babies me too. Just last week I fell asleep on the coach and I woke up to Kyle scooping me up like a baby, carrying me into bed and tucking me in burrito style. He understands the importance of work and I know he will always work as hard as he possibly can to support his family. Kyle is such an example to me and has always been so good. He would much rather spend his evenings and spare time studying his scriptures or words of the prophets than watch the latest tv series or play the latest video game. Ellie and I are very blessed to have him at the head of our household. We couldn't have asked for a better guy!



Dennis
My Father in law is by far one of the happiest men I have ever met. This characteristic is easily identified by his fabulous grin that rarely leaves his face. He has a way of making everyone around him feel comfortable and is genuinely interested in the lives of those around him. He makes me smile and I always leave in a better mood than I came when we visit their house. He loves his children and isn't afraid to let them know how he feels. He has always made me feel welcomed and loved and I always look forward to our trips up to Ashton to visit the Fransens. He is one of Kyles best friends. I don't think two days ever go by that Kyle doesn't hear from him. He is definitely one of the hardest workers I have ever met and has passed his work ethic on to all of his boys. We love you Dennis and can't wait to come visit after the summer!

Sour Cream Pancakes!

Our good friend had us over for some amazingly delicious pancakes the other day and I thought I would share the recipe for you all to enjoy. They were so yummy that we had them for dinner and then breakfast again the next day! Go ahead try them. They won't disappoint: )

1 C. Buttermilk
1 C. Sour Cream
1 Egg

1 C. Flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tbs. Baking Powder
1 tbs. Sugar
1/2 tsp. Salt

Mix wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls. Combine both mixtures. Mix slowly and leave batter slightly lumpy. (I know it seems wrong, but fight the urge to mix until smooth. They turn out much better. Promise.) Slap those babies on the griddle and enjoy!

Special thanks to the Childs Family : )

Too young for makeup? She doesn't think so!

I was getting ready the other day with Ellie by my side. We went through our usual routine. Ellie sat closely watching me apply my makeup, stopping occasionally to rummage through my makeup bag to see what new treasures she could find. She soon found a new tube of mascara and pulled it out. I didn't think there was any harm in letting her play with it knowing she hadn't yet mastered the skill of unscrewing the tube. Well I was wrong. A few minutes later I found her in the next room covered in mascara! I guess us Smart's are just naturals at being girls: ) I should've known this would be her next big thing since she has also been into wearing my lipgloss, high heels and carrying around anything that could possibly pass for a purse lately.

Just a Sunday Walk on the Beach : )



We drove out to Hilton Head Island this last Sunday for a walk on the beach and it was definitely worth the drive!

Augusta, GA

Goodbye Utah. . . Hello Sun!

We've been here in Augusta, GA for a little over a week now and are really liking it! Our apartments are brand new and super nice! The trees are absolutely amazing out here and everything is so green. Ellie and I have been spending most of our days at the pool (the weather has been amazing! 80's everyday!), and also exploring our surrounding area. I forgot how much I love moving around it's so fun to discover the uniqueness of each new area. We're headed to Charleston, S.C. Next, which is supposed to be a fabulous place. . . lots of history, plantations, shopping, the beach, a free place to stay. Come out and visit! You know you want to!

Getting here. . .

Kyle suffered through the 30+ hour drive alone and flew us girls out a few days later. (What a guy!) I think the long lonely drive messed with his head a bit as he resorted to homeless behavior along the way (sleeping in his car etc.. ). Ellie was quite the trooper for our 7 hour flight! She was quite the social butterfly and successfully made friends with all those within a few rows of our seat by means of blowing kisses, waving hi and bye-bye, telling stories of gibberish to all those that would listen and sharing slobbery plane snacks. Despite much worry all went very smoothly. . . minus the time I turned my head for that split second and found Ellie half way down the plane. Yikes! Luckily the incline was to my advantage. That girl definitely keeps me on my toes!

Work, Work, Work. . .

Kyle is at it once again!

He goes in for daily correlation at noon everyday and we don't see him again until after dark. He had a bit of a rough start due to a horrible sinus infection, but some antibiotics, a few pain killers and a steroid shot in the butt have fixed him right up. He is so amazing! I feel so blessed to have a husband that is willing to work so hard to support his family. Of course it has its perks for him too. It will only be a matter of time before we're home again and he'll be enjoying his weekly snowmobile trips to Logan (he's spoiled rotten). Oh and by the way girls, I'm looking to organize a regular girls night when I get back to get in my fair share of playtime too! Let's make it happen ladies!

Now >>> Later

A Very Merry Half-Birthday!

Ellie is 18 months!

Can you believe it? I can't believe how fast the time has gone by. We feel so lucky to have this little girl in our lives. She makes me laugh everyday. I don't think ten minutes ever goes by without her flashing a “Grammy Do-Do” smile or giggling. Her latest hobbies include unrolling toilet paper, “re-organizing” my underwear drawer, trying on my jewelery (and I mean all of my jewelry) and chucking her diapers off of our balcony onto our neighbors Lexus parked below. In celebration of her half-birthday I combined two of her very favorite things “coe-kies” and “melmo”. What could be better? She was thrilled.