like old times..

today was a fun day because Jacki stoddard is getting married in a few weeks and the ward had a bridal shower for her today. It was fun to see Jacki, Hayley, Chelsey, Amanda, Kayla all sitting around visiting together. It wonderful to see good things happening to all the smith and Stoddard children and grandchildren.

new project... here we go..

bathroom remodel number #2 ...looking good so far we're good at tearing things out. (: its the putting back together we run into the difficulty--but we have high hopes.

rode up chair lift with a gal who performs on broadway

broadway star =carey anderson look her up on youtube

had a great time skiing and met a girl on the chair lift who is a singer on broadway-- and has been for the last 10 years her name was carey anderson==she was nice.

gathering around smokey

gathering around mario kart

gathering around Bryan

gathering around the new little valentine tree

Ta DA.......yes the bathroom is remodeled

out with the 'old' in with the new--what do ya all think? of the bathroom floor now?

mayley and hunter helping put the new rug in the bathroom for the finishing touch

mom standing in the new 'improved bathroom" admiring the brightness of the new floor


dad is hard at work wiping down the last of the grout film before the toilet and sink go back in

loving the before and after of the bathroom downstairs--its is clean and nice and I love dad for all the hard work that he put in on completing it. (I ask myself --why we waited so long to make this improvement--like cleaning out a closet, I say to myself --hum should have done this long ago")

The more we get to "GATHER"

gathering around the computer

gathering around the table

gathering around the cakes
including brad's


gathering around the kids table
My dream is to always have our home as a "GATHERING PLACE" at the last funeral I went to so much was mentioned about Jo Kirby's ability to make her home a great place to gather.
So..then.. "GATHERING"--for family dinner As always was something we enjoy very much
*watching the little kids gather around the ping pong table to draw--
*watching the family gather around the pot luck dinner, the women gather around the table to visit after the dinner.
*gathering around the computer to get ideas for the Kirk's floor plan.
*Gathering around the TV for the superbowl.
*Gathering around the phone to sing HAPPY BIRHTDAY to Brad and talk to Kaci. (especially fun when I did finally dial up the right number and we really are singing to brad and not to my newphew John T. Lund that's another funny story)
*gathering around a book to read to a grandchild or to have them read to me.
*Gathering around the TV (up stairs )to play mario Kart with the kids and hear them giggling.
*gathering around the piano to hear someone play a song
It can get loud crazy but except for the risk of waking up the sleeping babies (kyle and Hogan) we it wouldn't have it any other way.

fresh air fresh snow

after we finished our housework and remodeling work on Sat. then we went up in the mountains and went walking on the packed trails. We had tried hard to find some snow claws that just fit onto your snow boots. We got them at Christmas time and just used them for the first time yesterday as life had been so busy. it was a beautiful day--blue ski --fresh air--fresh snow--good exercise