Smithers

Lanie's Baptism Video

2011-10-15T13:46:00.000-07:00

Lanie's Baptism Video

It's A Boy!!!

2010-04-30T13:54:00.001-07:00

Wyatt James Smith was born April 22 at 4:30.
We couldn't be more excited!

2010-01-20T18:26:00.000-08:00

Can I call myself a blogger if I only do it semi annually?

Here is a quick update of what we have been up to since last summer...

Bergstrom family trip to Lake Powell

In August I ran the Hobblecreek half marathon...two days later we found out we're preggers with #4...I thought I was feeling a little funny! 'Baby' due in April (we aren't finding out if it's a boy or girl).

Dean took the girls backpacking and camping and they encountered quite a bit of rain and hail...luckily they are young enough not to mind wearing garbage bags for rain covers!

Wheeler Farm

Carson's favorite game of hiding- he just closes his eyes

Playing in the leaves

Disney's Princesses on Ice with Erica, Cousin Taylor, and Aunt Ashley

snow ball fights!

Lanie was able to join the 'One Voice Children's Choir'...it has been so fun to go to their performances!

Lanie's first solo

Autumn was 'Suzy Snowflake' at her preschool performance

cuddling with Grandpa at Christmas time

Aunts Diane and Ashley with Lanie and Autumn at Christmas in Vegas

Disneyland last week

Moving and Other Stuff

2009-07-08T12:11:00.000-07:00

Well, I decided it is definately time for a new post...I am going to have to put Dean in charge of keeping up on this blogging business, because I am not very good at it! But, here's to another effort from me.
Our family has had a lot of changes over the last few months. Most importantly, we want to congratulate Carson on his new walking skills...just in time for nursery! Way to go champ. To his credit, he was a very fast crawler!

I guess the next biggest new thing for us is our move to Utah. In the beginning of February, Dean's company unexpectedly closed their Phoenix office. Dean started looking for another job, and had some prospects, but then he got an offer he couldn't refuse! Dean's parents bought an online sporting goods business (robbinssports.com) in May, and they asked Dean to come work with them. Yes, it is completely different from what Dean has been doing before, and there is going to be a big learning curve for all of us, but we are really excited about this opportunity. We are especially grateful for the feelings of peace and comfort that we have been blessed with along the way. The last few months we have been very grateful for prayer and the direction we can recieve through it.

So, here we are in Utah. The move was hard because we really loved Arizona and the friends we had there. I am so glad we were able to live in Gilbert for a few years and be around so many good people! I especially miss my sister Diane, there are almost 10 years between us and so I was off at college while she was still young. But we became really close while we both lived there, and I was thankful to her for being an amazing aunt to my kids- they adore and miss her!Initially, we moved into Dean's parents home while we looked for a home. A few weeks into moving there, we found out there was a couple in the stake who were leaving to be mission president in Brazil in just two weeks. They were planning on having their son live in their home while they were away, but at the last minute he was unable to transfer his job to Utah, so they were looking for someone to rent and take care of their home. It all worked out and we just moved into their home last week. We are excited to be in an area that we love. Lanie will go to kindergarten at the same elementary school Dean went to. Once again, we are grateful to feel like we have been looked after. Dean loves the job and working with his parents.

As for our summer, we had a really fun 4th of July. My Dad and brother, Steven, came to town for a wedding and stayed with us. We stayed up late playing pool (and for the record, I beat Steven) and visiting. Dean's sister, Brittany, came up with her family. We all have fun going to the parade and playing outside. Autumn got pink eye so I got to spend the evening at the quick care with her.

Dean, his Dad (also Dean), and Carson watching the parade

Me with my Dad and the kiddos

Lanie and Autumn with their cousins Ellie and Hannah Sparklers....Lanie was very careful to hold them far away from herself
A cute patriot
A few weeks ago I did the Jordanelle Sprint Triathlon. It was my first open water swim so I was pretty scared. I did a practice swim a few days before up there, and I had a hard time concentrating on swimming instead of how deep and dark the water was, but on the day of the tri I really tried to control my thoughts and it helped a lot. I had a great time and am excited to do another one sometime! The course was so beautiful, I guess everything up by Park City is. My sunglasses broke right when I was getting ready, so Dean let me wear his- thanks hon!
Getting ready for the swim
Bike transition
My support group (minus Dean)

Almost at the finish lineDone!
In June our family also went to the Thunderbirds airshow. We had never been to one before, and we loved it!

Carson's First Birthday

2009-01-18T12:09:00.000-08:00

Carson turned one this week. We just adore every bit of this boy, especially those kissin cheeks!

For dinner, Carson's favorite: spaghetti

Carson didn't know what was going on, but he knew there was something worth clapping about!

Yes, I made his cake, and no, that is not what I had in mind. Luckily Carson didn't care.

Favorite gift: crawling winne the pooh. Since Carson is still doing the 'Army Crawl' we are hoping Pooh Bear will show him how much fun crawling on all fours or maybe even walking can be!

Lanie and Autumn decorated the cupcakes for the party

Our girls would have never gotten this messy with their cakes- I think we had to smear it on Lanies face for her so we could get a picture. But Carson took full advantage of the situation!
We love you Baby C!

Christmas

2009-01-03T19:45:00.000-08:00

I loved the holiday season this year! Usually for Christmas Dean takes off a few days, but this year he was able to take the whole week off and we spent time with both of our families. I guess that's what happens when work slows down- bad for job security, but good for vacation time!
Anyways, we had a really fun time seeing everyone and just relaxing. Santa brought bikes for the girls, and we have been on bike rides everyday since. It is so fun to see them on those- such a sense of freedom! As wonderful as it was to get away, we were so glad to come back home. I know I will be complaining of the heat in the summer, but I realized that I am just not used to the cold anymore. This past week we have been enjoying picnics at the park in shorts and t-shirts!

Decorating Christmas cookies

Baby 'C'

Visit to Santa

Princess Parties

Cousins Christmas Program

Snow in Vegas! The girls loved playing in the snow with Grandpa!

Carson the Reindeer

Christmas Eve Pajamas made by Mimi

Dean and my Dad went to the shooting range

Erica met us in St. George for lunch...wish it could've been longer!

Back home

Thanksgiving 08

2008-12-04T11:38:00.000-08:00

This year we were planning to stay home for Thanksgiving, but last minute we decided to go to Vegas to see my family. Partly because we knew we would miss being with our family for the holiday, but I think it was mostly because we all knew that if I had to cook the whole dinner by myself it would be a pretty big let down!
Anyways, we are so glad we went because it was a really fun trip. The weather was great and the company was better. Dean's parents drove down from St. George on Friday to spend the day with us, and we were happy to be able to see them.
The girls stayed busy cooking, playing and painting. On the way home we drove through Lake Havasu City where they have the London Bridge and of course the lake. The kids were all excited to stop and play in the sand a little...except for Carson, he wasn't a big fan of the cold sand. The best part was that the kids were awesome in the car! Thanks to Grandpa and the rest of our family for making it such a fun time, we are so grateful for family and especially for the love they give to our kids.

Autumn on the London Bridge stairs

Lanie painting her jewelry box

Pumpkin pie

Sadly, we burned half the chocolate, but Lanie didn't seem to mind

The London Bridge

with Baby C

Carson protesting the mud

First Lost tooth

2008-11-17T19:17:00.001-08:00

Tonight we experienced two 'firsts'- Lanie lost her first tooth, and then she asked if she could "please go to bed" for the first time.

Lanie tripped about six months ago (and every other day since she has learned to walk) and hit her two front teeth on the side of our couch. One of them went crooked but then got firm, and the other just stayed really loose and finally tonight with a little help from Dad it came out. Lanie has been anxiously awaiting this day and is so excited to see what the tooth fairy will bring. What does the tooth fairy bring these days?

Diane's Wedding

2008-11-17T13:32:00.000-08:00

So obviously we have some catch up to do, but that is going to have to wait. I wanted to post some pics of my sister, Diane's wedding. She got married in Mesa last weekend and they are now on their way to Mexico! Diane was beautiful, of course, and the wedding was so wonderful. We loved having our family all here and miss them already!

Lanie carrying a bouquet

Erica and Autumn

Me and Carson

Kisses from the girls!

Ashley and Lanie

Our family

Dad and Diane

Baby 'C'

Diane and David

Diane and I

My boys

Bergstrom siblings

Lanie danced the night away when she wasn't at the Chocolate fountain begging for more...she was happy for the opportunity to show off her talent. Those of you who have seen Barbie's 12 Dancing Princesses movie may recognize a few of her moves! (does anyone know how to turn the movies right side up?)

Happy Birthday Lanie

2008-09-20T15:11:00.000-07:00

This week was Lanie's 5th birthday. Crazy.

My Mom was in town for two days and it was fun to celebrate it with her. Saturday we had a little birthday party for her at our house with a few friends. She had a lot of fun. We are glad there are so many good kids here for our girls to play with.

Making her wish
Can't forget Baby C!

"It doesn't hurt to try athlon"

2008-09-20T14:12:00.000-07:00

That is what was written on the girl's shirt who was running in front of me...I don't know if I was in total agreement though! A few weeks ago I did the Anthem Sprint Triathlon with some friends from our ward. It was a reverse order triathlon, so we started with the run, bike, then swim. We had a lot of fun, despite the 105 degree temps. Dean was there with the kids and they were all such troopers- and great cheerleaders! Our bike ride was 3 loops of a 4 mile course, and it was fun to see them with their sign yelling and cheering everytime I went by. The swim was in a pool which was kind of hard because it got so crowded- not like swimming all by my lonesome at the gym pool... nothing like getting kicked in the face a few times at the end of a race. Thanks to my ipod and camelback for getting me through the rough spots!

Meadowview ward girls: ready to run!

My cute cheerleaders!

Finished!

Painting the kitchen

2008-09-06T08:56:00.001-07:00

Last Monday we painted our kitchen. We picked out a color that we thought was a light sage green...wrong. More like pea green. Actually I don't hate the color, but it doesn't go great with our cabinets and counters, so I was kind of bummed. Too bad, because there is no way we are repainting it for quite awhile. Dean and I both dread painting, which is why we will have been here almost a year and still have more than half the house to finish. Hopefully it grows on us, but until then...

Sedona

2008-09-05T21:03:00.000-07:00

We can't take the Heat! I have tried to be strong this summer, but I needed a break from the Phoenix temperatures. So Labor Day weekend we headed up to Sedona to remind ourselves what 70 degrees feels like...wonderful!

We had a lot of fun camping with the kids and some friends from our ward, the Jones and the Jennings. Besides the cool weather, the next best thing was the s'mores...okay, maybe they were tied. I love s'mores, and apparently my kids love them just as much. Saturday we did a beautiful hike in Oak Creek canyon the followed a little river. The kids loved every time we had to cross it, even when they did fall in (which was often). One thing I love about camping is that I am always excited to get out and do it, and at the end I am always just as excited to get back home to a hot shower and warm bed!

A New Bergstrom Record

2008-09-04T13:40:00.000-07:00

Last month we met my family up at Lake Powell for a few days. We are always excited for our summer trip there, and the kids love playing together on the beach. Steven is in Iraq right now, but Cami flew out with their kids for the week. Dean had to work, but Diane and I went up with the kids. Thanks Dad for such a fun time!

One of the highlights of the trip was getting the kids up on skiis! Steven has held the record for the last 25 years as the youngest one in the family to double ski (5 years old), but Autumn broke that record. She was the first and youngest of the grandkids to get up (3 yrs. old)! I couldn't believe she was brave enough to do it, but she got up on her first try. The other kids were nervous, but after seeing Autumn they were all anxious for their turns...what a dare devil!

Lanie skiing:

Starting Kindergarten...sort of

2008-08-13T10:26:00.000-07:00

Today was Lanie's first day at R. Elementary. She doesn't turn 5 until September so she misses the cut off for kindergarten. But R. Elem is a school for home schooled kids where they go 1-2 days per week to get all the extra curricular stuff like computers, music, P.E., as well as some reading and math. Their cut off isn't until December, so Lanie was able to start that. One of her friends, Becca, is in her class. Becca's Mom does homeschool her kids and raves about R. Elem, so we thought we'd give it a try. Lanie was so excited. Next year she will do kindergarten again through our elementary school. No way I could homeschool my kids- I'm sure I would totally mess them up! :)

I feel dumb because I know she will still be home with me most days, but it was still so hard to leave her there! She of course had no problem, she was so excited to be with her friend and her new teacher, and especially to have her own lunch box full of wonderful food! We spent a lot of time discussing and deciding what would go in that lunch box.

I can't wait until 3:30!

Visitors!

2008-08-09T20:51:00.000-07:00

Last week my good friends from Albuquerque, Kathy and Maria, came to visit. I was so excited, it was so fun to see them, I've missed you guys so! We did a lot of swimming, and a trip to IKEA and of course the Cheesecake Factory. Kathy's family is moving to Washington, D.C. next month, so our next reunion will have to be there.
Lanie and Autumn had a blast with Rachel, Kate, Josh, Jake, and Sam. They were in playgroups together when we were in Albuquerque, so it was a great reunion for them, and they were so sad to have their friends leave.

Dean's Fishing Trip

2008-08-08T14:04:00.000-07:00

Dean just got back from a 5 day fishing trip in the San Juan islands. He was invited to go with his boss and 3 other guys from work. They had a great time. We were pretty lonesome without him, but I am glad he had such a good trip...and he promised to paint our kitchen for me this month in return! Not a bad deal.

Crab for dinner... Dean brought an ice chest full of frozen fish home
to enjoy!

Dean sat up front with the pilot as they flew out to the island where the boat was.

While Dean was gone, I painted the girl's playroom. I can't wait to decorate it...even though I admit I am lacking in creativity skills, I think their room is going to be really fun to do and turn out pretty cute. How can you go wrong when you have IKEA?

Diane Loves David!!

2008-08-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

We are so excited Diane and David got engaged!

I can't believe our little Diane is old enough to get married! We love David and are happy to have him as part of our family.

We are planning on November in the Mesa temple.

Happy Birthday Nancy!

2008-08-01T20:57:00.000-07:00

My wonderful Mother in Law had a birthday while we were in Utah. We planned a little suprise party that was so fun! The whole family was able to make it- we told Nancy we wouldn't be coming until Sunday, but we drove up to Salt Lake on Saturday with Brittany's family (who are in St. George). Pete and Tiff met us at Gecko's restaurant, and Dean showed up with Nancy a few minutes later. She was so surprised! We all got a good laugh afterwards rewatching the video as she came around the corner and then jumped back into the tree behind her. Of course it wouldn't be complete without a few tears too. It was fun to spend the weekend together with everyone.
Family hike up Little Cottonwood...or was it Big Cottonwood?

Trip to Utah

2008-08-01T20:21:00.000-07:00

Our family just got back from spending two weeks in Salt Lake. Dean was able to work out of the Utah based office for that time...it worked out so great, we can't wait to go again next summer! I was so happy to have a break from the Phoenix heat, and the girls loved being able to play outside and at the park for a change! Thanks to Dean and Nancy for letting us stay with you!

Family pictures

Autumn loved Nancy's flowers...

Nancy made the girls 'tutus' to wear while they practiced their ballet!

Carson with Papa and cousin Gavin