Claire snorkeled for the first time in Hawaii. It was so special to hold her hand while snorkeling as two giant turtles swam right underneath us! Claire LOVED to eat the fresh pinneapple we had at almost every meal and was so incredibly diligent at writing in her journal every day about the day's adventures.

Ella bought her own snorkel gear with her birthday money before we left for Hawaii. The first time she snorkeld, she was much younger so got freaked out right away. This time, she did super and loved every minute of it. It's hard to see in this photo, but she and Tom were snorkling quite close to whales this day. She thought it was amazing to get to hear the whales underwater and Tom was amazed with her strength as she swam a LONG ways! Ella got to see her first turtles while snorkling so that was another Hawaii highlight for her. Ella also learned that God has planted her in Alaska for a reason during our trip. She has sensitive skin and had nasty reactions to the sun and sunscreen while we were there. Thank goodness for benedryl, swimshirts & sunhats!

First Smith Six vacation

We took our first full "family of six" vacation in February. We went to Maui and had such a sweet, sweet time. We lived in our swimsuits and soaked up as much sun as our white Alaskan bodies could handle. Tom and I believe in RELAXING when we vacation so we didn't have a big agenda or list of things to do or see. One day we would pack a lunch and head to a beach to explore and play, and the next day we would simply hang by the pool and play with the kids. Here are some pool pics...

Sarah, you are a friend like no other. You push me, encourage me, challenge me, & inspire me. Thanks for skiing next to me in our first "Ski for Women" race!

bball girl

Ella completed her first year of basketball. She participated in an afterschool program at school in the fall and loved it so much that we signed her up for Valley Youth bball. It was so fun to watch her grow in her confidence & abilities on the court. Her coach was awesome and their team did really well. They only lost one game all season. Go girl!!

Healed little guy

It's been over a month, so you may be wondering what the Smith's have been up to. Here's a peak...

Not the best picture, but this is Thomas all smiles at Chuck E. Cheese in February. We learned that he is a 100% healthy little 3 year old so we had to celebrate! In December, he had a colonoscopy & biopsies done to try & see why he develops abscesses. The doctor really thought he may have Crohn's disease, but everything came back clear. Then, the biopsies were sent to lab and they came back clear as well. The final step, was to do thorough allergy testing. That all came back clear as well! Those tests also revealed that he is no longer allergic to dairy products. The medical community can't explain it, but we are confidant that God healed this little guy's body...Thank you Jesus!

double digits

Last month, my first born entered the world of double digits. Ella is 10! Wow. What a beautiful young girl she's growing up to be. We spent her birthday morning at AIC as she had strep throat, so that wasn't the most fun she's ever had on a birthday. She had planned on "delaying her birthday" this year anyway and celebrating this summer, so at least we didn't have to postpone a party...I made her bday requested dinner of Grandma's noodles, chicken & potatoes & we took turns telling her what we loved about her. She's a keeper, for sure!