FAVORITES

We have a few favorite things in our house right now....

1. Momma's belly. Baby girl is a mover and a shaker and we all have been totally entertained. Chris asks her questions like, "Kick once if you love me more than your mom" and  of course she kicks right on que. The boys like to sit with me while we are reading scriptures to feel her squirming around and then try to figure out what she is trying to "tell" them. The other day in the car they were all rockin out to Ozzy and baby girl was going crazy.... she is obviously a Smith....! Nick hugs her good-bye in the mornings before school and Ben gave her a big kiss today while we were in the freezer section of the grocery store....

Baby belly, 38 weeks

2. These blocks have brought hours and hours of creative playtime in the last couple of months. Every kid needs them, I am sure of it. Very few things can capture the attention of all three kids like these blocks do on a regular basis! Thanks to Nick, we have pictures of some of their cute creations!

3. Stephen R. Covey's Book "The Seven Habits of Happy Kids." A friend suggested it and we are in love. Every Sunday we read a cute little story that illustrates an important life skill or principle. The website has coloring pages to accompany each story so the kids color them and then we stick them on the fridge as reminders for the week. So far we've learned about "First things First" (Work before play), "Make A Plan" (How to save/spend wisely), and "You're in Charge (Making good choices for yourself.) The kids beg to read more than one story a week and Chris and I love the talks that we are able to have with them! 

4. Sub sandwiches. I know, not some new invention by any means. But the kids had been asking and asking to have subs for dinner so one night we finally did. Prep time was about 3.5 minutes and I could not believe how well it went over! One would have thought they hadn't eaten in days. I think it's the big, puffy *white* french bread that they really love. Or maybe the fact that I just lay out all kinds of stuff and they create their own sandwich masterpiece. Since that first dinner, "Sub night" has almost become a weekly tradition. And friends are starting to come around on Sub night, too. Maybe we are onto something.....

Nick with his "double decker" and a tiny pickle