Come One, Come All, to the Smith Family Circus!

No, no trapeze artists here, but there are a few who know how to bounce off the walls pretty well...

Down by the nearest grocery store, I discovered a little library tucked behind the pizza parlor, so on Monday we spent family night picking out books and CD's. It's only open two days a week, but Monday just happens to be one of them, so it looks like this will become a tradition for us. Maybe next time we will incorporate the pizza parlor into our plans...

Tuesday was a hectic day, I went to pilates in the morning, registered and voted -- knowing my third party candidate didn't stand a chance against the big guys, but wanting to make my vote count anyways -- and then that night we had the missionaries over for dinner. If you ever need a good source of entertainment for your kids, I would highly recommend missionaries. Our kids were impressed with all their magic tricks and were as excited as a clan of monkeys greeting a banana salesman...

Ella still likes to play "Ally's house", so I snapped a photo for the memory box (Ally's house is the pantry). "Make believe" is her latest passion.

Non-imaginary friends are becoming less scarce around here, Sierra had a girl from church (Marissa) over to play on Wednesday and they went to see Madagascar 2 on Saturday. Pilates and playgroup at church have been a great opportunity for me to get to know some of the ladies, and we have had some good chats on the phone too. Around the neighborhood, I have become the official cookie delivery lady... it's just the best way to get to know everyone. Last night I took some cookies to a couple who have their own ministry in their home and we got into a very good discussion about religion and life. There was a good spirit about them and I'm sure we could learn a lot from each other. He is an ER physician and had some wonderful stories about prayer healing his patients, he was a remarkable man.

Why does fall always get me in the baking mood? Maybe it's the cold weather outside drawing me to the warmth of the oven, or the instinct to stock up on calories for hibernation... whatever it is, I have been making way too many treats lately. It's a good thing Sister Carillo is teaching us pilates...

Are they done yet, mom?

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I love our ward here, people are very friendly and down-to-earth. I feel like the Lord wants us here so hopefully we can find lots of opportunities to serve and help others. It has been very humbling to visit with those who don't have some of the basic things that we normally take for granted -- I announced in Relief Society that I had a free washer and dryer and was surprised at how many people needed them. One of my new friends who is older than me has never had a dishwasher... I've realized that I really am so blessed -- more than I deserve.

The kids had their primary program in sacrament today... I was a little nervous for Taron...When he doesn't know a word, he often substitutes it with one he does know, which can lead to some amusing results. In their first rehearsal he was supposed to say "atonement", but it came out as "a toilet"... Fortunately, that got straightened out before the big day!

It has been great having Chris home at night again, the kids seem to get along better when he is around, and he makes life fun... I love that guy. :).