My heart is forever family!

I love it that I can take claim to this group!  Life is good and I am thankful!  There's just one thing that makes these photos imperfect.  And that would be the absence of Kelly, Aubryn, Beckham, Ambreigh,(Juli's hubby and kids) Heather, Gemma, and baby Vance! (Vance's wife and kids)

Just some hanging out photos.  But they are a treasure to me!

Christmas & New Year Randomness 2011/2012

Christmas and New Years is always such a happy time. Busy for sure, with birthdays, 7 to be exact, shopping, baking, wrapping up school for a time and just all around good times! Here are just a few of the random times we enjoyed together this holiday season.

Our two married children couldn't come for Christmas but the other 12 of us sure had a happy time together!

Our numbers are only growing. What a blessing it was to have our future son-in-law Luke join us for the holidays! I hope he's excited about all the sisters he is going to inherit soon!

There's just something about birthdays around here. For some reason the birthday child always falls asleep right before or shortly after celebrating!

A very surprised and happy Mary opening her most asked for birthday present!

Sweet little girls!

Mary and Aaron hanging out together!

Singing Christmas songs while Robyn plays the piano

These fun Christmas presents were a hit when it came to fighting off the indoor winter blues!!

To learn more about Mashoonga Warrior Set go to Timberdoodle and watch a video!

Kimmy and Mary enjoying a holiday nap together

Listening to daddy read the story of the birth of Christ in Luke

Happy sisters! And this despite the fact that all 8 sisters shared the same bedroom for time that Luke was here! The older girls gave up their room for Luke and he was too funny when he offered to set up a tent in the backyard so the girls could have their room back! What a guy!

Is this party for girls only?

Celebrating Robyn's birthday

Robyn and Mary's favorite game. Pretty, Pretty Princess

Colorado, family photos, and tons of fun!!!!

We had great fun in Colorado over the last couple of weeks. Life was busy and moved fast the whole time we were there. As you can see from the photo just below there are many people in our family and that's what makes it all fun. We enjoyed each other's company tremendously. We played games, visited, ran and walked a "Smith 5k," ate, laughed, hugged, attended church together and had an overall fabulous time with everyone. Our amazing daughter/photographer Juli took the family photos and did an amazing job organizing the families and keeping all the little ones happy!! To see individual family photos you can go HERE to view her gallery.

When I joined 'the family' it looked pretty much like this. (Below) Except for the fact that a couple were still in diapers and there was a toddler or two.

And now it looks like this! (below)

"Young" great grandma and grandpa Smith are seated in the front row in the above photo of their amazingly large (and still growing family.) This photo shows their 11 children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. This doesn't include everyone either. One grandson is is serving the Lord out of the country, one daughter-in-law and her little one weren't there because she is expecting her baby soon. Grandchildren 51 and 52 are on their way!

My own family above and below are beginning to swell in numbers and it brings only joy to my heart to see it happening!

Juli's family.

Vance Jr. family.

Eight is NEVER enough!

But I'll take it anyway!! (Of course I would prefer all 12 kids were available but that wasn't possible) Getting everyone together all at the same time is so difficult. Why does it have to be that way? Still, the ten of us had a good time at the kids' piano recital today.