Male Bonding: Winter!

I hope there are many more days like this one. All 3 loving it. Ski on!

Santa 2009

For Family Night, we took the kids to their long awaited trip to have a talk with Santa. I was so impressed with Luke running up to him and eager to have a chat. Sophia and Wesley closely followed behind and this cute Santa gave them a window of time that was just their own with no respect to the line behind us. He was very endearing. Thanks Santa! See you in a few days....we hope! ;-)

Merry Christmas 2009!

Welcome to our virtual Christmas Card:

(This isn't our 2009 Christmas Card, it's the runner up but I love it the same!)

2009 is on its way out! It was an eventful year and here are some of the highlights:

Evan worked hard toward achieving a goal of competing in his first sprint triathlon:

Wesley lost his first tooth:

and started Kindergarten

(with his bffs Henry & Tyler)

Sophia traveled to Texas for the first time to visit her best friend Halle Kate



and got to do another solo trip to Utah and California to be with cousins

and then when she turned 8 she was baptized!

She continues to have supermodel aspirations and poses anytime there is a camera in her direction.

Luke has finally learned to say a few sentences, started school, taught himself how to somersault and knows how to work the microwave, car remote, camera and most iPhone apps with Jelly Car and Lightsaber being his favorites.

Oh and one more thing on Luke. He renamed everyone in our family:

Saw, Essie and Ook...priceless!

Liz travelled extensively through the espousal/goodness of her flight attendant cousin and enjoyed spending time with helping her mom a lot out in Utah, throwing her a 70th birthday party, and visiting other friends scattered across the US. We love JetBlue!

Liz also turned herself into a vintage lunch lady in September and taught herself the fine art of cafeteria food--gourmet style! (click on the link for some amazing recipes including homemade hostess cupcakes and smokey mac & cheese with bacon!)

(power to the lunch lady!)

Liz & Evan got to slip away a few times this year:

Once to the Dominican Republic

then Southern California

and Montreal, Quebec

by themselves. Lots of kissing.

What a treat!

Evan, Sophia & Wesley became frequent skiers in the Berkshires in Massachusetts.

(Liz even snuck in a run once when Wesley begged so Evan relinquished his skis, boots and coat and off we went!)

Evan continued with his aspirations to become a Rock Star and joined the basement band OnSeven and had their first gig and look forward to many more in the coming year!

The Smiths took a fun roadtrip to Niagara Falls and the Palmyra temple pageant in July

Pictured here with the Buckners who were lucky enough to be in the pageant!

and Who can resist a voyage on Maid of the Mist?!

and one of the most memorable events of 2009...

We managed to kill 21 flats of annuals with acidic mulch. Who knew?! Live and LEARN!

xxxx

2009 has been a year of many ups and downs! We're so grateful we have each other and this Christmas season to reflect on the meaningful things and people (YOU) in our lives!

xoxo

The Smiths

Our house is warmer when we have visitors so please come and play soon!

(The real card)

Sophia is 8 TODAY!

Eight is one of those milestones. I vividly remember this day, eight years ago today! It was a balmy NYC day. Fall hadn't yet touched the city and the night before, I went to bed not feeling any different than the previous 9 months, which is not encouraging being almost 2 weeks overdue. I woke up an hour after I had retired to bed to a warm puddle of water! Yay, that moment you dream about had arrived!!! The first sign of labor! Evan and I were so anxious for our long awaited bundle of joy to come after so many heartaches and emotional rollercoaster rides with trying to maintain a pregnancy. As you can imagine, we were delighted to receive a beautiful perfect baby girl just 12 hours later who immediately had it all together! She got with the program of our lifestyle and brought us so much joy and excitement to our days. She was a people person right off the bat and she ruined it for the next siblings with her impeccable sleeping habits.

We love you Sophia and the talent and love your bring into our family. Your are an amazing nurturer and have many promising skills with the Arts! Today marks the day that you start another journey of learning a new instrument--the violin! I love how you tackle new things with vigor and enthusiasm and maintain your other talents. May you always cultivate a love for learning new things, expanding your horizons and loving your family as much as you do-- although it is hard sometimes ;-)!!!

8 is GREAT!

Sophia--15 minutes old, September 30, 2001, NYC

The Sticker Car AGAIN...

Here is a little project I was asked to do this week and wanted to share on my blog. Literally, Drew, the owner of TrashTalkMedia, asked me if I wouldn't mind being interviewed for a story FOX5NY was doing on his company and I agreed thinking it would be a quick little blurb soundbite. When I saw the result today that was broadcasted, I was surprised that the story was focused mostly on me and my experience with a little bit of Drew and his company.

Click here to see the piece. (I can't embed it properly for now.)

If you're interested in doing this to your car, you can register here at FreeCarMedia.

This blog has flatlined.....

...is there any hope of breathing new life into it? There is so much great content, but the creator is spent. HELP!

Here's a preview...

...of our shoot with Blue Lily Photography last month.

More to follow...

Check out bluelily's website HERE.

Sophia's Piano Recital 2009

How lucky are we to have this little girl in our family?!

We were so thrilled to see the nagging, the endless hours of practicing and the hefty resources pay off as we watched Sophia's third piano recital.  She has been really committed to perfecting her talents lately and we're really so proud of her accomplishments!

Keep up the good work, Sophia!  

Luke is 2!

Our cute boy is TWO today!

Some highlights from his Birthday Party over the weekend...

Here, Luke is sampling the last car cupcake before it's ready:

(notice tongue on car...)

He kept taking tongue swipes at it when I'd turn my back...

Then he got more brave and took a bite:

"Oops! I've been caught!"

He just took little nibbles and licks when he didn't think we were watching.  When he got caught, he hid his face, but then carried on again a few moments later.

"Hey, it's my birthday, so I'm entitled!" Could you punish a cute mug like this anyway?!

He was excited about all the fun loot he got!

He loves the show Yo Gabba Gabba and so he got the get up from DJ Lance

This talking Scooby Doo card was a HIT

!

He hasn't been able to get enough of it!

Bee Me is a cool edgy 3D moving picture book!  Check it out!

Fun sand toys for our weekly beach excursions.

A new froggy beach towel.  I'm sure he'll grow to love it. ;-)

Here's to a great year!  I sure hope you shape up soon and stop your fetish for spray cleaners and Sharpies (as I was writing this, I had to interrupt my sentence to call poison control as he was eating the Benadryl Itch Stopping Gel) and fall into line.  Otherwise, you may not make it to 3!  xoxo

13 Years...

Can it be this was us 13 years ago?

I remember this day of meeting Evan's family for the first time.  Driving to Malibu to have our engagement shots taken by Trevor. Loving the green hills of Spring in Southern California.  Frolicking on the beach.  Excited for merging our lives and living happily ever after...

3 kids

7 mailing addresses

many trips

many heartaches

many happinesses

lots of trials

and lots of fun later...

Still happy.

Blue Lily is COMING! Anyone want a session?!

Blue Lily is an awesome viral Photographer!  I say viral because her business has become so well known and exploded all over the blogger world.  I don't have to say much because her work screams for itself.  She is simply amazing and creative and humble and fun and she loves me, so of course I think she ROCKS!

Anyway, to my point--- she is on her way to NY right this minute for a traveling photo session promotion for 5 days. She is doing urban shots in TriBeCa and nature shots in Central Park. 

I just talked to her and while her schedule is mostly full, she has a few openings left, so if you're interested in a last minute photo shoot, shoot me a comment and I'll hook you up. (or contact her through her site & say you want the "Liz Special!")  She's willing to cut her rate significantly on these last few openings just to fill up, so better hurry!  

For a gallery of her work, go here.

For her blog and more information about her traveling sessions, go here.

For one of my top 5 favorite Blue Lily shoots, go here!

Be prepared to be blown away!

Happy Mother's Day to my MOMMY by Sophia

Happy Mother's Day! My mom is the best mom this year, because she got the award to be the Mother Of The Year! Well not really, that's just a joke. Someone sent a video to my mom.(I don't know why?) Anyway, my name is Sophia  Smith, I am 7, turning 8 in September. I know my mom is one of the best moms in the whole entire world. My mom is pretty and nice. She is tall and has three kids.(I'm one of them.) My mom's name is Liz Smith. Her husband's name,(My dad's name) is Evan Smith. That's my part of my mom's blog.

Happy Birthday to ME!

A picture says a thousand words and I think this one pretty much sums me up right now!

Glamorous in my heart

Fun-loving

Trying to keep it together

Enjoying life's ups and downs

A little out of focus

And ready to take off!

Thanks for the birthday wishes, friends!

Getting Into Gear

(post by Evan)

I bought a MINI Cooper for commuting purposes a little over a year ago. It’s a fun little car and when last year’s gas crunch hit I was feeling pretty smug when I was pulling off 45 miles per gallon per tank of gas. While it has its quirks, which I’m told are due to the fact that it’s British, I like my car a lot. One quirk, though, nearly got the best of me.

The Cooper is actually classified as a sports car. It has a low center of gravity and corners extremely well. Being such a light (in weight) car, it doesn’t take much engine to propel it at a good clip. What completes the “sport” part is the inclusion of a manual transmission. I think it really connects the driver to the vehicle. I also think it a shame to see a nice sports car without one.

While generally a conservative driver, there are times where I like to take advantage the sportiness and channel my inner Speed Racer. There’s a portion of my evening commute in the Bronx where the two-lane road is narrow, has lots of hills, and includes lots of twisting turns. This provides plenty of opportunity to exercise the clutch and gear shift. The speed limit on the Henry Hudson Parkway is only 50 MPH, but feels fast due to the tightness of the road. Quick upshifts and downshifts and frequent lane changes are employed in an attempt to maintain velocity.

There is one point where the Henry Hudson Parkway has an exit for the Mosholu Parkway and simultaneously becomes the Saw Mill River Parkway where you leave the Bronx and enter Westchester county. The topography includes some nice hills at this point as well. Coupled with a nice curve in the road this all makes for a potential bottleneck for through traffic.

As I came down the hill in the right lane, the exit ramp to the Mosholu was backing up. I wanted to change lanes to avoid the slowdown, but was blocked by a car. I braked a little and allowed it to pass. By the time I got into the left lane, the uphill had started and since I had lost some speed, I did a quick downshift from 5th to 4th gear. Imagine my surprise when the gearshift seemed to pop out of its socket and rise up into my hand!

For a brief second I was at a complete loss for what to do. My mind quickly fast-forwarded to me being the one car that was forced to stop in the lane (since there is no shoulder at that point) and become the source of the evening’s traffic jam. I could picture all the angry drivers shaking their fists at me as they were forced to merge and go around. Then it was to the part where the tow truck had to come bail me out. Then it was thinking about the outrageous towing bill I was going to get slapped with. (It’s really amazing how much thought your brain is capable is just a short span of time!) Reality came back when I realized I had actually made it into 4th gear and was motoring just fine up the ramp.

My exit strategy became my next topic of thought. There were no exits until the Cross County Parkway. As long as I didn’t have to slow down (about a 50% probability based on previous traffic experience), I could make it easily to that ramp. There was still nowhere to really get off there either. It was mostly just exits to other parkways and highways. I realized that as long as traffic was good, I could make it to my normal exit which puts me in a slightly more quiet residential area. My hopes were raised slightly at this prospect.

As I cruised the highway I next contemplated what to do with the shifter in my hand. It was then I realized the true nature of my problem. The gearshift was actually still connected to the transmission. It was only the shifter knob that had come off into my hand. Since the base of the knob and actual lever are convered by a leather boot, it wasn’t entirely obvious to me at the moment. My worries fled as I managed to shove the knob back onto the lever. My cortisol levels returned to normal as I finished my commute.

I don’t know if a detachable gearshift knob truly counts as a quirk. It continued to pop off every so often during aggressive shifting. But the MINI dealership in Manhattan (a finely run organization, by the way) saw it as a defect. They happily replaced it as a warranty item during its first scheduled maintenance.

With my new shifter in place I continue to act out my Speed Racer fantasy every now and then.

I turn my back for one MINUTE...

...and this is what happens!

I made dinner for a friend who had surgery this week and while I was on the phone coordinating the delivery, I see Luke skyrocket past me with a chunky handful of the cake I made to complete the dinner.  I ended the conversation and returned to the kitchen to see the damage.  It was bad.  

Quick thinking led me to this presentation instead...

One more point for Team MOM!

So if you're ever delivered a bundt cake this way, this is probably what happened!  haha

Good to be flexible and forgiving because remember THIS  that happened earlier this week?  This kid is KILLIN' me!!!  And he BITES.  When will it end?!

But he's so darn cute and very lovable, so we'll keep him!  But please grow out of this stage SOON!!! xoxo

Little Things...

...Sometimes, it's the little things that mean so much.

This week, I took the car to get washed and they guys took an extra long time paying attention to little details. They even washed the sludge that's been accumulating in the center console cup holders and along the inside side rails where the kids step in with muddy feet.  They thoroughly vacuumed inside pulling out the car seats and the back seats and hand dried the whole thing and even motioned to me to stop so they could re-dry my window where they saw they missed a little.  I was impressed with their eye for detail during these "tough economic times" where everyone's morale seems to be down and companies are downsizing their service.  LMC Car Wash on North Avenue--you've won a customer for life!

Good Bye, Liz

Central Park, Sept 2001

I guess there's a lot of buzz from a certain 86 year old being laid off.

So far, I've gotten calls from Reuters, the NY Observer and my father looking for a statement today.

Will the calls, letters and publicity packets cease to come now that she's throwing in the towel?

I'll miss you, my friend.  2am calls from freaks who just finished your book and need to get answers will never be the same now.  And the call from a certain old boyfriend from 50 years ago was a touching story, but alas I still couldn't help him either. It was fun getting calls from Kevin Spacey's office and invitations to galas in Florida.  Most callers were amazed that someone could actually have the same name as you and tried to assure themselves that I wasn't "Liz Smith the columnist."  Yes, I'm sure.   

But I AM Liz Smtih the blogger.  Read ON!

I don't believe it!

I have a new friend...

This guy took sour apple green permanent marker off of my white marble counters and light yellow cabinets when a regular sponge did nothing....

I don't know how you do it, Mr. Clean, but I am blown away.  Thanks for saving the life of a certain 21 month old!!!!  I can't be mad now, but I have to say, my blood was boiling when I first discovered the damage a few minutes ago.  I love art, but his designs need a different surface.

LOVE Day!

Evan scored lots of points for sending me gorgeous long-stemmed roses to enjoy during the week!

Our Valentine's Day this year was packed with festivities.

The kids came up with an idea to have a party!  Well, Wesley talks about having a party all the time, but when the idea for a Valentine's party was put on the table, Evan and I went with it and helped the kids create a low key breakfast party.





 They were each allowed to invite 3 friends.

This is Alessia who Wesley talks about a lot...

 We came up with a menu:  Heart shaped pancakes, bacon (very heart healthy!) and strawberry smoothies.



We decorated,





they made puzzle crafts,

"Wesrey"

they played games and decorated cupcakes.  

Afterall, it is the holiday of SUGAR!!!

 It was fun having a party that was combined with the two age groups.



 The older ones entertained the younger ones and the dynamic was fun!  I think having a Valentine's party is a great idea.  Spread the LOVE!

Then....

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

...Evan and I had been planning an adult party of sorts.  Last year, we went to ICE for a 

Romantic Couples Cooking Class which was very entertaining and lots of fun.  We had the great idea to do it ourselves this year with 4 couples and Evan was the chef.  Everyone participated in preparing a wonderfully delicious menu that Evan came up with.  It was really fun to cook as couples and enjoy the evening together.

The menu:

Hearts of Palm Salad with Beets

Truffle Leek Lasagnette

Filet Mignon with Merlot reduction & frizzled mushrooms

Steamed Aspargus

Truffle Filled Flourless Chocolate Cakes

Lovely ladies: Liz, Jane, Anne, Annalee

Hardworking men: Bill, Evan, Kai

Cris prepping the herbs & shallots

Evan finishing off the Merlot reduction

The delicacy filled table awaiting us!  Jane, bedding sylist extraordinaire delighted us with a beautiful table setting!

The guys pulled off making the chocolate cakes that each couple shared!  I have to say Cris has some wicked cake decorating skills!!!  Good job, men!

My Valentine:

Be MINE! xoxo

*** if anyone is interested in the recipes, leave a comment and I'll email the doc to you!

Scatophobe's Nightmare

(Post by Evan)


(My dad once told that there are really only two kinds of people in the world, those who find farts funny and those who don’t. If you don’t fall into the former category, please discontinue reading now.)

I have been a scatophobe for a long time. Perhaps it was all those years being forced to pick up the dog crap in the back yard, but whatever the reasons, I had one of the scariest encounters of my life on a recent flight to Salt Lake City.

Delta Airlines had put us in a bad mood with some extremely poor customer service at the onset of our flight. Liz and I ended up traveling separately, with me taking the two older kids on one flight while she took Luke (plus all the baggage) on another. We were separately angry and annoyed at the situation and were already on edge. Please join me now as I’m about 2 hours into the flight:

Wesley is tired and falls asleep on my lap. The captain turns on the fasten seat belt light for turbulence. I check the security of his seatbelt and continue reading my magazine. About 20 minutes later he wakes up moaning, in a daze. I immediately recognize his cry as "I have to pee, but I'm not awake enough to do anything about it." The turbulence had subsided and the crew is up front serving drinks, so I decide it is safe to make a run to the lavatory.

Wesley drops his pants to begin his business, and immediately the turbulence comes back with a vengeance. Part of me feels bad for the boy. Another part finds it mildly comical to see someone in a dazed state trying to maintain balance with an unstable floor beneath him. I snap back to reality with his desperate cry of frustration, since he is unable to find relief. I watch him strain to perform the task and then look down with disbelief as a huge log emerges from his backside. I can only stare with a sense of revulsion as I watch it fall end over end, first colliding with the waistband of his pants, then falling squarely between my feet.

When I finally realize what has happened, Wesley is now awake enough to be full-on crying. Still stunned, I attempt to pick him up and sit him on the toilet. The only problem is now the turbulence is so strong that it makes it nearly impossible set him down. And to complicate matters the turd on the floor is now on the move, and I am doing a macabre dance trying to avoid contact with my shoes.

With a bawling Wesley situated on the commode, I realize I have the task of poop disposal. My whole body shudders. Due to the cramped quarters of the lavatory, I am unable to bend over to perform the necessary service. So I am forced to open the door, back out into the aisle, and get down on my hands and knees to wrangle the offensive deposit. I reach up for some toilet paper and find myself at the end of the roll with just a couple of squares, enough to take care of the task at hand, but not enough to finish up the whole ordeal.

I have one of those surreal feelings, almost like I am on a hidden camera show, as I’m down on all fours being buffeted by the bouncing plane trying to pin down a rolling bundle of fecal matter that is leaving “skid marks” all over the lavatory floor every time it skitters from one side to the other. I ultimately corner my quarry and grab it oh-so-carefully. My stomach does a couple of 360s while delivering it to the toilet.

Wesley is holding on for dear life as the plane shakes. I grab the last of the paper towels to clean the residue from the floor. It’s all I can do to keep from decorating the floor with the contents of my own stomach. After completing that task and being compelled to do a maintenance hand wash, I attend to my half-asleep frightened, confused son. But where to start?

I survey the situation and it’s worse than I thought. Wesley’s underwear is caked with poop. Wesley needs to be wiped. There is no toilet paper, no Kleenex, and no paper towels left. There is now a flight attendant banging on the door asking me to return to our seats. I spy the toilet seat liners and begin to use them clean the underwear. It’s hopeless, though. I figure removal is the only option. Luckily the pants themselves are poop free so at least I won’t have to haul him out naked through the aisle.

I realize Wesley has no shoes on. Standing on the floor won’t be an option. After cleaning his bum with a couple more seat liners I pick him up with one arm and try to remove his pants with the other. Remember the plane is still shaking violently, so this is not an easy task, especially in the confines of an airplane lavatory. I finally manage to get the pants off and have him stand on the sink with his arm around my neck for stability. After extricating the unusable underwear I wrap them in a few more seat liners and then pull his pants back on.

A sense of relief hits me and I prepare to go back. A thorough cleansing of my hands is definitely in order. When I look down at my hands, a huge feeling of dread and fresh wave of nausea hits me as I discover that my hands and sleeve have a good coating of poop. I know it’s just poop, but remember I have an irrational fear of it! With Wesley still hanging on to my neck I exhaust the bottle of liquid soap and do my best impression of a pre-surgical scrub. Shaking off the water and rolling up my sleeve, I grab a fresh seat liner and make a sling for the previously-wrapped underwear. I take that package with my right hand and pick up Wesley in my left arm begin the journey back to my seat. I only have to go about 5 rows forward, but it’s a very delicate dance carrying a 40-lb child and dangling a toxic waste package with my free hand while navigating a narrow aisle that’s in the throes of pitching, yawing and rolling.

When I arrive at my row I temporarily stash the package in the seatback pocket and get Wesley situated. I wipe away his tears and buckle him in. He puts head in my lap and I stroke his head until he falls asleep. I finally take a relaxed breath. I try to purge the recent events from my mind. The shuddering feeling dissipates. I fall asleep, exhausted.

As we’re landing I stop and recount the incident to myself. With the trauma behind me I actually realize that this could have been a scene straight out of a slapstick comedy movie. I muster a smile thinking about how funny it would have looked from the outside. As we’re walking on the jetway into the airport I realize that I left a certain “surprise” in the seatback pocket. I feel bad for the employee who will find it, but remembering how Delta had treated us earlier, the feeling quickly goes away.