Checkers, anyone???

Jonah learned a new game... checkers. While Mommy & Papa were away for the weekend, Uncle Zach decided to teach Jonah how to play checkers. Checkers is actually for ages 7 and up, but not if you're Jonah! He's actually pretty good. He thinks out his moves and makes comments like... "I'm coming after you Ricky Bobby" (from Talledega Nights) when he's on the move after being 'kinged' and reaching the end of the board.

So next time you're at the house, be prepared to be beaten by an almost 5 year old at Checkers! And if you get sick of playing Checkers, he's really good at Uno, too!

Have you seen it???

Yes, I'm talking about the trailer to the new Transformers movie. A live-action movie... none of this animated crap! Michael Bay (Armageddon) & Steven Spielberg have teamed up together to make what looks like an amazing movie. It's funny... I didn't think I'd be as excited as Jonah is, but this is my generation. Thanks to my brother James, I remember the old school Transformers. In fact, Jonah reminds me alot of James. He knows EVERY single Transformers name and whether or not they are an Autobot or Decepticon. In fact, if there was a Transformers trivia contest he'd win at the young ripe age of 4! His sound effects are amazing, too. I sometimes think there is a Transformer transforming in my own living room... until I see Jonah moving around.

If you're interested, go to www.transformersmovie.com and click on the trailers.

See you in the theaters on July 4th 2007!!!

He's outta control!!!

Okay, not really... but kinda.

Jonah has been going to Snowbird every Thursday for the past two Thursdays. Last Thursday was his first day on the mountain. He started on Chickadee (the bunny/learning hill) in the morning and then the instructor decided he was ready for the 'big' hill in the afternoon. First off, I'll start with the conditions. This was the last big storm Salt Lake received... cloudy, foggy and snowing all day. Some would call us crazy, but he's got to understand that skiing isn't going to be easy. There will be days like this... miserable, cold and wet. I know, sounds harsh but we have to learn this some time, right? Okay, to be honest we just wanted him to be up there. And it just happened to work out that he could get into a lesson that day. Thursdays seem to be the day that he can go without disrupting Mountain School. And I say it like that because he does the lessons free of charge (yes, we tip the instructor... we're not THAT cheap!) when there's room in the ski school classes.

Anyhow, he loved it. Okay, maybe not LOVED it, but he said he had fun. He expressed to me that there was some 'deep powder' that was really fun falling into. See... I knew there was a plus to the snowy and miserable conditions! And he also told me the 'big mountain' chairlifts are fun as well.

Last year he was running the slalom course on the bunny hill and practically beating me! No more edgie-wedgie for him either. So look out people... there's another crazy Smith on the slopes!!!

Interesting news for women...

So I was working out on the treadmill at the gym and came across a story on the TV (because we need entertainment while we're working out, right?). Anyway, it was a piece on heart disease and heart attacks for women.

Although we think it's a "man's" disease or something we worried about with our parents, younger people are becoming susceptible to heart disease or heart attacks... namely, women. And it went on to say that regardless of how healthy we seem to be, there is still a major cause for this... no 'ME' time. And as new-agey as it sounded, it's true. You can run daily, eat healthy, whatever... but if there's no 'ME' time, than what's the point? The point is that stress is a major factor in heart disease/attacks. And the simplicity of lowering your stress is underestimated.

So ladies, be selfish. Take time for yourselves... you deserve it!

He totally cracks me up...

precocious [pri-koh-shuh s] adjective

1. usually advanced or mature in development, esp. mental development: a precocious child

2. prematurely developed, as the mind, faculties, etc.

3. of or pertaining to premature development

... for some reason, I think that when I am looking up this word, there should be a picture of Jonah in the definition. For those of you that know him well, you will agree with me that he is a brilliant child. He amazes me every day.

I was trying to put socks on Naomi the other day and the minute I would get them on, she would instantly kick them off. This was a bit frustrating as we were trying to get out the door. In doing this, I had made the comment, "Wow, Jonah your sister isn't cooperating." With that, he asked, "What does 'cooperate' mean?" I replied, "She's not making it easy to put her socks on." And his response was, "You mean she's being difficult?" I laughed and agreed. And then realized, did my 4 year old just use the word 'difficult'???

New Year's 2007

Just like Christmas, New Year's came and went in a flash...

Our evening was spent the way the Smith's like to do it... low-key and mellow. Jonah spent most of the evening playing with his Leapster or UNO with us. He was the first 'party pooper' and was in bed by 9PM. At first, we thought Naomi wanted to ring in the New Year with her parents, but decided she'd fall asleep at 10:30PM. And somehow Ethan and I managed to stay up until 12:30AM... probably a first for us for New Year's since 2004. Our neighbors thought they should ring in the New Year shooting fireworks for the first half hour of 2007... that was about as much noise that was coming from our side of the street.

I told Ethan we must be getting old. As we were watching the ball drop and witnessing all the crazies on TV, we decided either those people are not parents... or their children are already old and have partying "build-up"! Regardless of how lame or boring we must have been, the important part is that we didn't care and enjoy being lame with our family. I guess the family that is lame together stays together!