Happy Christmas, 2010!

Hi everyone,


We made a little progress towards a Christmas letter this year, but not enough. We also know that the quotes are the most anticipated portion each year, so we'll skip right to the fun stuff.


We arrived safe in Wenatchee today, for Christmas week, and we wish each of you a happy and peaceful Christmas.

Love,
the Smiths

2010 Kid Quotes

December 26th, 2009
Emma, while learning to ride her new motorbike:
“Second gear is WAY better than first gear!” ... “This thing’s gnarly!”


December 27th, 2009
Jessie: “I said, ‘Emma, I’m breakable,’ but she breaked my knee anyway.” Not sure what happened, but she had a small pink spot on her knee.


December 31st, 2009
Ryan, putting on his motorcycle armor-vest: “Here to answer the questions of the world: I’m Answer-Man!” When he was four, he would strip down to his boxers and declare himself Body Man. Thank goodness he’s matured a bit...Answer Man is more mature, right?


Long ago...
This next quote was not from this year, but there are times your very young children say something and you don’t realize until years later that the statement was truly indicative of their personality. The following occurred probably five years ago, when the boys were about seven and five, but it serves as a good illustration of their personalities. I discovered this day, years ago, that both my boys had already planned what they would name their children: Jake intended to have a boy and a girl: Sammy and Mary. Ryan, two boys whom he would name Caesar and Zeus.


January 17, 2010
Jessie, standing in the kitchen holding a tennis racket like a baseball bat: You better look out ‘cause I’m golfing!


February 1, 2010
Jessie puts on ear protectors (which look like giant headphones) and yells, “I DON’T WANT ANYBODY TO HEAR ME!”


March 9, 2010
Jessie, to Toby: Dad, are you getting old?
Toby: Why?
Jessie: because you have so many numbers...are you gonna die or something?


March 23, 2010
Jake: When does that happen, when you get the weird square hats?
Toby: Graduation?
Jake: Yeah, I can’t wait.


April 5, 2010
Jessie, who already has a baby named “Pink Baby,” said: I’ll call this baby “White Baby” since she has white clothes.
Carol, trying to encourage a little variety and creativity, said: You could give that baby a real name, like Julie.
Jessie, surpassing Carol’s creativity said: or SkyLove.


June 5, 2010
Jessie, to Toby: “Mom put this lotion [sunscreen] on me so I wouldn’t get a sun-bruise or something.”


June 7, 2010
Carol was reading a book aloud to the kids about the energy crisis. The book said, “Cars, trucks, and airplanes all run on fossil fuels. Electric plants mostly run on fossil fuels.” Ryan interrupted, “Electric plants??? What is that? ‘I’ve got a gasoline-powered daffodil, here!’” Carol: “No, Ryan…plants, like factories.” Ryan: “oh, right…of course.”


June 11, 2010
Carol brought home a book from 1927 she just bought at a second-hand store and shared the old-book smell with the kids, saying, “that’s one of the best smells there is.” Jake, without hardly a thought added, “except Sharpies, Windex, and gasoline!” Sigh…I’ve got my work cut out for me.


September 7, 2010
Jessie, holding up her piece of chicken, said, in an announcing sort of voice, “Mom, we like to eat dead animals.” Carol: “Oh?” Jessie: “yes, if it’s cooked.” Carol: “Yes, I guess that’s right.”


October 14, 2010
Ryan: I found your purse, Mom! It was on the floor of the garage, tossed down like it was Emma’s stuff.
Carol: Oh yeah, last night when I was coming in from the car, I dropped it there so I could run out into the trees to scare you on your way back from taking the garbage out to the road.
Ryan: Yeah, that’s real mature, Mom.


October 21, 2010
Watching the credits roll at the end of a documentary about Henry Ford…
Jake: Make-up? They made some of this stuff up?


December 5, 2010
Jake: These are words I like to say: smock, Satsuma, pathetic.


December 9, 2010
Reading from a card: Would you rather eat Doritos’ for breakfast every day or Oreos for dinner every day.
Emma: Oreo’s for dinner? Would I still get dessert?



December 10, 2010
Jessie, in a scared voice: Dad, did you know we have skeletons in our bodies?


December 20th, 2010
Jake, while doing Yoga with Dad: Dad, when would we ever use this in real life?


December 21st, 2010
Jessie, confusing classic rock, with beverages: Dad, I’m thirsty, can I have a Juice Box Hero?

Jake's Berries

Jake wanted me to post the other berry photos here. He thinks one or two of these are better than the one I chose. Berries seem to be his favorite thing to photograph right now.

Jake's Photos

Jake's been dabbling in nature photography lately. He was especially pleased with this first one...and the one of the berry.

No Running

I finally made a No-Running-In-The-House Rule...yes, it took me twelve years to figure out that would be a good idea. Now, Ryan and Emma are skipping quickly through the house, chasing each other. This, I guess, is why there are so many tiny, seemingly silly law on the books.

By the way, I finished my paper this afternoon, which was the last thing I had to do for my fall quarter class, so you might actually see a post or two by me in the next month.

Ryan's Haiku

My son, who love fireworks, shoots guns, and draws skulls-and-crossbones, wrote this haiku this morning:

Kittens are playing,
Playing in the lovely sun,
Kittens having fun.

...and then he went out and tore up the yard on his motorcycle.

Emma's turn!

Little Honda

Here's a movie-clip Ryan, Jake, and their friend Ian made this afternoon.

Farm Vacation, 2009

Father's Day 2009

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

Hide and Seek, at the Farm

Can you spot the kids, before they appear?

Mother's Day 2009

Happy Mother's Day Mimi!

Lego Designers

First, the inspiration: http://powerminers.lego.com/en-us/Movies/function-movies/functions-thunder-driller.aspx

Next, watch the interpretations:
first Jake -



Then Emma -

Then Jessie (get that girl a kleenex!) -

Jessie's Driveway Walk

Jessie Cathleen, taking a walk up my parents driveway, in Friday Harbor. A fun glimpse into the mind of a three-year-old.

Friday Harbor Firewood

Dad, Ryan, and I - cutting down a dead tree for firewood.

Jake's Cabin

Jake has been begging me to build him a "shack" for about a year now. He became interested after watching the ferry workers in ticket booths, thought their space looked just about right for his needs as a 9 year old introvert.

It continued from the ferry booths, to latte stands, sheds outside Home Depot, etc. He'd say - "Dad, if that building was about half the size, it would be perfect for my shack!".

He very specifically wanted a small footprint; enough space for a small desk, chair, some shelves, and that's it. Originally he was hoping to have his shack near the road, with a window to sell candy to passerby's. That got vetoed by Mom and Dad, sorry Jake.

Then, I got the idea to use logs, since we were clearing the back yard out a bit anyway (always extra downed trees around our place, Lord knows...). So we started last Friday, with the revised Log Cabin project:

A couple logs, nestled outside the back door under a cedar tree..

Most of the work was done last Saturday and Sunday, but I have to tell you, Jake is a slave driver. He was frustrated that I wouldn't work past dark (midnight, to use his term), and every day of the week, after work, he'd ask what the plan was for the cabin.

To be fair, it's an exciting project for me too, but I have been surprised at Jake's dedication. We finished the electricity yesterday, after a day of troubleshooting tripped GFI outlets (I wired the light switch backwards)... Here's Jake at his desk, sometime before "midnight".



We just need to finish the back window, and fill the cracks a bit, and then we're done! Although, Jake REALLY wants me to add a stone fireplace out the back of the cabin. Or if not, can he take the electric space heater out there? Please Dad!?!...

Ryan's Life

Ryan has decided to do some online journaling - his blog is http://www.ryan-and-jake.blogspot.com/

He'd love your comments!

the Day After

Bye, Bye, Christmas tree...

December Snow

Happy Birthday, Ryan!

Ryan's 11th birthday was Thursday (I am a bit slow with the blogging, but you already know that). Toby took the day off and we had planned a day at the Science Center at Ryan's request. He woke up with the flu, though. Jake and Emma were urging Ryan to come downstairs to open his presents first thing in the morning, but Ryan just sat in a chair in our room and stared. Now that's sick! We didn't end up going to the Science Center. He built his new lego set and then spent a good portion of his birthday like this:

He was asked several times during the day if he wanted to have cake now, but he kept saying, "not yet." We finally told him after dinner that it was cake time becuase we were running out of time. Look at the enthusiasm on his face:

Here are the cakes I made for him. The birthday cake has become, for our children, a big decision as it normally represents the child's most significant interest at the time. This was Ryan's choice, after much deliberation. As a budding numismatist (coin collector), he decided the Franklin half-dollar was what he wanted for his birthday cake.

And here's a video of the cake "ceremony." He was a good sport.

Happy Birthday, Ryan. We love you.

Garage Band, the early days

Ryan and Jake, soon to be famous rock stars. It all started here in a messy Redmond garage.

Sweet Jessie, part II

She's sweet, but don't mess with her!

Sweet Jessie

Just a few pictures of Jessie that I really love:

Mr. Peterson

I’m feeling sentimental today, I guess. I feel the need to write a tribute. Usually I just think these sorts of things in my head and don’t ever say them aloud, or write them and save them on my computer, but it occurred to me that other people post this sort of thing on their blog sometimes, so I thought I would go out on a limb and share this one with you all.

I was playing a song on the piano yesterday that I hardly ever play. It was “The Entertainer”, which I learned for a recital in third or fourth grade. I was young, but it is not so simplistic a song that it is no longer fun to play...it is, actually, quite enjoyable. The reason I don’t play it anymore is that I played it so much when I was a kid that my parents and siblings would probably be happy to never hear the song again for the rest of their lives and, feeling a bit bad for making them crazy with it, I gave up the song long ago. I realized yesterday, though, that my husband and kids weren’t there then so they probably wouldn’t mind my playing it...just once or twice...

Here is an amazing thing about the human mind: after hardly even looking at the song for years, my fingers still know it. The song calls for the use of the pedal, which smooths the notes, but I didn’t learn it with the pedal...I think because I couldn’t reach the pedals back then. As I was playing, I thought about Mr. Peterson, who was my piano teacher when I learned this song and how he always stressed the need to play “legato”, smooth and flowing, without breaks between the notes (unless, of course, the music called for “staccato” or it was the end of a phrase). Seeing as how I loved this man, I tried very hard to play legato as he wished. I don’t do this very well now, but I noticed that I was playing legato rather well in this song without even trying...it was part of what my fingers remembered. He told me so many times that if I was going to play the same note twice in a row, to not lift the key all the way up before depressing it again...I am sure I never do this now, because it is not easy, but I was doing it while playing the song I learned under his instruction.

So, I’ve been thinking about Burt Peterson today. I had to stop taking lessons from him after fourth grade when we moved to a different town and I had another piano teacher whom I still love. When Helen Ellingson left for Peru, though, I thought I was ready to be done with piano, but I continued to take lessons for a few more years because of Mr. Peterson. Whenever I thought about quitting, I thought of him and pressed on because I didn’t want to disappoint him. He was an elderly man when I knew him long ago so I imagine he is no longer with us. He probably wouldn’t even remember me if he were, but I will always remember him...and so will my fingers, I guess.

Video by Jake

Here's a good video Jake created that you should email to your friends - you have to listen closely to what he is saying, and pay close attention:

Online Relationships

Why people go through all the effort to put together a ceremony to “renew” their vows, I do not know. It can be so easily done these days with Facebook. Toby just sat me down and told me to respond to his official request to join that I received in email several days ago...and I did. While filling out my profile, he told me he would do something on the website so we’d be listed as married to each other. I was then informed online that Toby Smith would like to add me as “spouse”. I was asked, “Would you like to confirm this relationship?” I had two buttons from which I could choose: “Confirm” or “Ignore”. I thought about it for a minute...and then went ahead and confirmed.

“You are now in a relationship with Toby Smith”, I was told. Simple as that. Could have saved my parents a lot of money on that wedding if there had been Facebook twelve years ago.

Now I’m really laughing. I went back to finish my “profile” and it now says I’m married to Toby Smith and under that it has a place I can click that says “Cancel Relationship”.

I thought about adding my sister, Gail, as my first friend, but it told me she would have to confirm the friendship and I decided the possible rejection was too much for me to bear so I decided to wait.

Each time I am faced with a new technological possibility, I progress through five stages (you saw this happen with the blog):
1. Ignorance
2. Refusal (because these things always seem cheesy to me at first or because "I don't have time.")
3. Reluctant concession (usually for my husband)
4. Enthusiasm
5. Abdication

I’m at stage three so you can probably expect to eventually see more of me on Facebook...and then don’t be surprised when I disappear again.

Happy 9th Birthday, Jake!

Today, Jake turned 9. We were on the last day of our four day vacation, so we did a few things to make it extra special for "DD" (how Jessie pronounces "Jakey"). On the night of the 27th, we ordered pizza in our hotel room, and watched a movie. Jake had special cereal (Pop's) waiting for him when he woke up. He played with new legos for a while, then took a swim, and then we spent the day in Port Townsend, exploring the bunkers of Fort Worden. We had Terriyaki chicken and rice for dinner (his favorite), and there were 5 new license plates waiting for Jake at home.


Happy Birthday, Jake!

Father & Son, part II

Ryan and I had a fun trip to the shooting range this afternoon, with the Hartje's. We shot the .30 carbine, 9mm Pistol, 9mm folding rifle, cowboy .22 six shooter, and wrapped up with a shotgun skeet shooting competition - great way to spend the afternoon (followed by greasy bacon-cheese-burgers of course). How's that for an advertisement of Fall City, Washington :-)

M1 Carbine;

Sig 9mm, 226 (look at that finger discipline, good boy! It's called "indexing").

Single Six revolver;
Kel-Tec 9mm semi-auto