The Smart Happenings

We have been pretty busy the past week so I thought I would just summarize what we have been up to.

We were able to get together with Tom and Alana (Ryan's HS friends), they were down for a vacay and were nice enough to let us intrude for one day. It was so great having lunch at Canes where we spotted tons or dolphins, walked along Misson Beach, had delicious frozen yogurt and great conversation around the firepit and in the hot tub.

I did a little home improvement project.

Before:

Or should I say...before:

After this project I spilled nail polish remover all over our coffee table.

After:

So with a little sanding and $3 can of spray paint this is what we got. Not bad.

Then Brittany came up to visit one day. We were able to have some great talks while the kiddies were napping, go on a walk and play at the park.

Cam's first time playing at the park. Too bad everyone was hogging the swing so she didn't get to try it out.

No, it is not 3 Smarts and 2 Dogs, but Ryan came home from work with this dog. Now I am not a fan of Chihuahuas but this dog...I called her Dusty and Ryan called her Chicken (yes chicken and nugget) was so nice! We thought Nugget was a good dog until we had this one spend the night. Too bad we can't have another dog otherwise I would have been ok with keeping it.

After dropping her pacifer over and over in the streets of Spain I decided I needed to come up with a solution. This is what I came up with.

They ended up being more fun than I thought they'd be so I just kept making 'em. I think they'll make cute gifts.

Then Saturday we watched Conference and then went down to San Diego and had lunch with Brittany and Derek and Mia and Nate. Nate and Ryan went to Priesthood while Mia and I chatted. Then the Watson's came in town!

Camryn with her adorable cousins Dylan, Carter and Jake. It was so cute to see the boys interact with her. Too bad it was a quick visit since they were off to Hawaii. But it was still fun to see them and watch conference with them.

Growing up too FAST!!!

Every since Spain our little one has grown up so much! It is crazy how much they change in such a short time. She is now even more fun and we are loving this stage. This is a picture at the big girl table in Spain. She loves being able to grab everything and pound on the table.

Her first time feeding herself on our drive up to Park City...I could get used to that!

This video was few weeks before Spain but I never got the chance to post about. It is entertainment for the whole family!



I did this not knowing she would laugh but once she did I had to grab the camera! Nugget is starting to provide a lot of entertainment.

The day we got back she started sitting up! She can't roll over for the life of her but she will sit like this all day long! I guess they do things on their own timeline.

Loving her Exer-Saucer (She looks just like Ryan as a baby in this picture)

First time getting a pedicure! Let me just say its a good thing they turned out cute otherwise I probably wouldn't do it again because it was SO hard. Baby's feet and toes never stop moving!

She is happy immediately when she gets in the water. She loves Grandpa and Grandma Smart's hot tub before it gets all the way hot.

Who would have thought you could post almost everyday about your children? It may be annoying for everyone else but for us It is so much fun watching her grow!

Where in the World is Camryn San Diego?

From southern California to northern California, most of Utah and Vegas and now Spain this baby has seen more in 5 months than many do in a lifetime! Yet she won't remember a single minute of it, such a shame!

This is Camryn enjoying her very own seat on the airplane. We were lucky enough to have an open middle seat on all of our flights...what a difference that makes! She did so awesome we were pleasantly surprised you hardly heard a peep from her. On the way home we even got to go into the VIP lounge in London, (got to have all you can eat breakfast and enjoy comfy leather couches - couldn't take pics though otherwise we would look like we really didn't belong there) bulk head seats with more leg room and our very own tv screens so we could watch as many movies and shows as desired! (Thanks to Ryan's dad for that!) But we aren't talking about the trip home yet...so much to tell!

We got in on a Thursday afternoon and Kirby had pretty much our whole trip planned. She was such an awesome tour guide because she had seen almost everything so she could tell us the things we really needed to see and do. I will try to give a brief summary of everything but I am telling you we packed a lot of fun in 10 days so I apologize if I bore you because I might bore myself.

Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, it is really large art museum we later went in and saw a bunch of art from the different time periods. It is like the Louv of Barcelona with tons of Picasso's stuff.

This is the view from Montjuic Castle up on a hill over looking a smoggy Barcelona

After we went through the museum of art we watched all the fountains and waterfalls turn on and saw the Magic Fountain water show.

After our hike to church on Sunday we went to the Labyrinth Park. There we did the maze and had a picnic. Don't worry that I thought Labyrinth wasn't English and I didn't know it meant maze. I'm blond I know! For those of you who didn't know either I'm glad we all have learned something new.

The Fish and Smart Family in front of this cool fountain

Gaudi's Parc Guell - at this point are favorite of the trip. Such a huge park and amazing architecture

Anyone recognize this tunnel from ANTM with Caridee?

We almost got in trouble for this shot. It was all blocked off, but Scott was quick enough to snap it before security came over.

This was Gaudi's house for 20 years here at the Parc Guell. Too bad it's dark because I love this picture.

La Sagrada Familia - Gaudi's most famous work. They started building this in 1882 and it is still not done. I guess the inside is supposed to be completed in 2010 but the exterior not until 2020!!! This was our next favorite thing.

Stairwell in the Sargrada. I was scared.

Barcelona's Arc de Triomf

This was our sleeping arrangement. Scott and Kirby have the two twin beds pushed together and we slept on the futon about a foot away and Camryn in her pack and play right next to that. It actually was not bad at all. We had considered getting a hotel at least one night but we opted not to since we were pleasantly surprised how well we were sleeping. Besides the nights that Scott and Ryan snored, Kirby and Scott yelled things in their sleep and Camryn fusing it was very cozy and comfortable.

Ryan and I decided to take a day trip outside Barcelona to Montserrat. We took a train there and then rode in a yellow cable car to get to the Monastery.

In front of the Monastrey

The Black Virgin Mary that was found in these Mountains. She was craved from wood and has gotten darker over time. You are supposed to touch her orb for her blessings but she is now covered by glass.

On a hike to see the Sacred Cove where the Black Virgin was found. So amazing how high up this was and to think how people got up there and built all this.

Enjoying the sunshine on our second to last day. Unfortunately we had to see a lot of very unattractive women with their tops off! Sick. Needless to say we didn't stay too long. But a very cool view of the coast line which is not far from the Fish's apt. Speaking of fish that gold fish in background is pretty cool it is just a little area leading to the beach.

Kirby and I in front of another cool part of the city. I loved all these sailboats and the buildings in the background. This is where a monument of Columbus is pointing which way to America. Too bad it was the wrong way and they had to come back to Spain.

This was Ryan's favorite thing to do on the trip with Camryn. It was her naughty spot. Anytime she was fussy he would put her on this high shelf and she would would think it was so funny.

Enjoying a waffle for dessert after eating Sushi one night (yes, the sushi was very good). This was one of the highlights of the trip that we had to go back the next night to have another. You have never tasted something this good. It doesn't even taste like a waffle. It is heaven. Kirby lived in Belgium when she was little and said that these were like the waffles from there. You can eat them plain and still amazing, but ours had chocolate and whipped cream.

Our last day we took a day trip with the Fish's to Tossa de Mar. It was such a beautiful day and we are so glad we chose to come here because Kirby and Scott hadn't been here before but had heard good things about it. It was worth the 1 1/2 hour bus ride.

This is a old castle the Moor's built way back when and there are a bunch of other quant cottages and houses back in there. So pretty. The water was so blue and this area was our last favorite it reminded me of what the streets in Italy/England would be like. We walked through the houses, ate amazing chocolate croissants the way the French make them, had pizza for lunch and went on a short hike to see more gorgeous views.

Don't you just love how Camryn is smiling with her whole body in this picture. She was obsessed with the Bjorn. She was quite the trooper; she was in that thing for at least 8 hours a day. Luckily we were able to switch off and Scott even wore her a few times (They have a really cute picture. once I get it I will post it). There a bagillion more pictures of more stuff and things we did, so go to Facebook to see all of them there and we are waiting on some from Scott and Kirby. However, for now let's just say we had an amazing trip! I would have never thought Spain would be so cool. It was definitely not on my top 10 but after being there it far exceeded my expectations. A HUGE thanks to Scott and Kirby and the Mumford's (their roommates) for putting up with us. We ate some great food, saw great stuff and made great memories!

Adios Mis Amigos!

We are off to Spain tomorrow to visit Kirby and Scott Fish! We are so excited and can't wait to get over there. It will be a long, boring and uncomfortable flight but I know once we get there it will all be worth it. We will be gone for 10 days in Barcelona and hope to be able to do a few day trips and maybe even visit France. Wish us luck with Camryn and her schedule! I will do a lot of blog catch up when we get back, but for now...Adios!!!

So Frustrating

Dear iPhotos,

This has been a long time coming and I am fed up! I hate that you can't download my pictures so I can post about all of the many things that we have going on. It is extremely inconvenient to have Ryan bring home his work computer just so that I can blog. I find it so annoying that I have all day to post and I can't just because you decided one day to stop working. And of course the day he decides to work from home he forgets his computer. So now I have all weekend to post about so many fun things and I can't. I understand we uploaded a lot of pictures on you but I promise if you start working again I'll clean you up. Just please, please, please work!!!

Nor-Cal...Don't you hate when people call it that!

For Christmas my parents got Ryan and I gift cards to Southwest Airlines. So after a couple months of of not seeing them I decided to take a trip up north. I love going home. There is just something about how well your parents take care of you that just can't be duplicated. When my dad picked me up he arrived with Boudin's Sourdough bread! My favorite (although I discovered it gave me a stomach ache each time I had it...so sad, but still worth it)! My mom played hookie from school and we were able to have fun girl time doing pilates, shopping and of course playing with Camryn. My parents, Camryn and I went down to San Franisco on Saturday. We went to the opposite side of the city near the Golden Gate Bridge and discovered the coolest area.

Such amazing views from up there. That is the city on the right and Alcatraz on the left.

Mom and Me overlooking the other side of the bay. We had never seen this side before and it has the cutest lighthouse and black beaches.

After we ate a delicious lunch on the water in Saucilito (a cool little city on the other side of the bay) we ventured on the other side of the bridge and checked out China Beach and some other trails. It was supposed to rain that day but the weather turned out great! This is us again at China Beach. Isn't my mom cute?

This was Camryn's position pretty much the whole day. She was such a good sport!

Gotta love when the tulips and daffodils are in bloom!

We then went over to Fisherman's wharf and walked around, saw the sea lions, had waffle cones and of course more Boudin's! I love that my parent's our so close to SF!

Also while we were there, Camryn had her first big girl bath. As you can tell she loves it! I am excited because now she can take a bath anywhere.

Camryn with cousin's Sean and Ryan

It is so nice going up to see them for many reasons but especially nice that my brother and his family live so close by so I am able to visit with them as well! These boys are the cutest and so good with Camryn! (My dad has the picture with Kyle) It was great seeing these guys, going to the park and getting to catch up with my bro Scott and SIL Carrie. I had such a great visit, it was so fun to have a change of scenery and most of all getting to spend time with my family.