John, Melissa & The Twins

Where has summer gone?

2011-09-27T14:55:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

We know, we know, it has been a really long time since we have let you know what we have been up to. We have been having a super fun, super busy summer. Mom keeps saying things are going to slow down a bit, but so far we are still going strong. Well we finally decided it was time to start walking so once we turned 19 months we decided to give it a try. Taylee was the first to walk, but I wasn't far behind. I could only let her have 5 minutes in the spotlight before I decided to do it as well. Mom and Dad were so excited, but I am not sure what the big deal is.

We have been doing a lot of traveling this summer. Sometimes on a big plan, sometimes on Dad's plane, and other times in the car. We have been to Disney World, to the beach, to Mesquite, and any free weekends up in Driggs. We have gone to lots of concerts at Red Butte Gardens where we like to shake our "booey"!

Some of our favorite things to do is go to the park to swing and climb on the slides. We have spent as much time in the pool that mom and dad will let us. We love going to the zoo to see the "be be phant phant". We love to sing, some of our favorite songs are "ABC", twinkle twinkle little star, itsy bitsy spider, and count to ten. We love to color pictures and watch "choo choo" (Chuggington).

We hope everyone is doing well!

We will update you much sooner next time.

Love,

Elle & Taylee

Summer Update!

2011-07-07T13:04:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! Wow it has been a long time! We have been having so much fun this summer that we haven't had much time to update you on what has been going on. We have had so much fun going on trips to Florida to see Mickey Mouse and then again to the beach to see all of our family a month later. Taylee and I love the water so much. We loved building sand castles at the beach and swimming in our pool. We usually give mom and dad a big protest when they say it is time to get out.

Mama Jean & Papa with all the grandkids and great grandkids

We can't seem to get enough of this sand!

Moon Puddles and Waves (Our Favorite)!

We have started talking a lot lately. I mean Taylee and I could always communicate with each other, but we finally decided that it might be easier to get what we want if we actually started telling mom and dad what we want. Now Taylee has become quite a little show off and has been singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" for the past few weeks. I sure wished she would learn a new song because it is getting a little old! We have been getting around pretty good with our "bum scooch" and crawling, but Taylee being the big show off that she is decided to take her first steps on the 4th of July. It looks pretty fun, maybe I will give it a try soon.

We also celebrated our 1 1/2 birthday on July 3. We had a lot of our friends over for a pool party. It was so much fun and the best part was getting to eat our chocolate cup cakes.

The party crowd

Swimming in the pool

It just tastes better when it is all over your face.

Taylee 18 months

Elle 18 months

The other great news we got this summer is that we have a new cousin on the way and his or her birthday is almost going to be the same as ours! We love you Aunt Krystle and Uncle Raleigh!

Our New Cousin!!!

Well time to go play! We will try to be better at posting more often again.

Love,

Elle

Happy Easter

2011-04-29T09:33:00.000-07:00

We hope everyone had a great Easter. We had so much fun. We got to go on two Easter Egg Hunts and even had a visit with the Easter Bunny. I really liked seeing him, but my sister Elle was not so sure. Mom even let these ladies turn us into little bunnies. Elle went first and when I saw how ridiculous she looked, I did my best not to let them paint my face, but as you can see they won. Just wait until I get a little bigger and then I will show them who is boss!!!

Love,

Taylee

Easter Egg Hunt

2011-04-22T15:02:00.000-07:00

Hi Guys,

We just got back from an Easter Egg Hunt with our friends Dylan and Ty. We had a lot of fun and love our Elmo baskets. In fact my sister Elle likes her so much that she decided to pitch a fit when mom put us down for our afternoon nap until she let her take it to bed. No wonder she had the nickname "DQ" a.k.a. "Drama Queen". The best part for my was being able to play on the playground after the hunt was over. I just love to swing. I think I could stay there all day if my mom would let me. Well we have another hunt on for tomorrow as long as it isn't raining again.

Love to all,

Taylee

Swimming Lessons

2011-04-08T10:47:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys! Guess what? We started swimming lessons last week. It was so much fun. We learned to blow bubbles in the water (actually mostly just watched mom and the teacher do this) and how to float on our backs. Dad wasn't able to get in the water because he had some surgery on his knee so he got to take the pictures. We can't wait for next week so that he can come swimming with us. We have some trips to the beach coming up so we thought we should get practicing. Dad keeps telling us that our swimming pool is getting opened up in a few weeks. We think he must be crazy because it just keeps snowing here. I mean this is what we saw when we woke up this morning. We sure hope it warms up soon because we are not fans of cold water!!!

Love,

Elle & Taylee

New Place

2011-03-25T09:27:00.000-07:00

Hi Guys! Wow it has been a while since we gave you our latest update. I just have to tell you all about this "new" place where we are living. I mean our bedroom is still the same, but we have this whole other area where we get to play. Let me tell you, the floor in this place is the best. I am the champion of scooting on my bum and I am fast...I mean just as fast as my sister Elle crawling. I don't know why anyone would really want to crawl because then you can't hold anything in your hands. I really think that bum schooching is the superior method. We did try something over the weekend that was pretty fun. Our mom and dad decided to turn our little car and dinosaur that we have been riding on into a walker. It was pretty cool to be able to walk on our own, I mean with a little assistance from the walker!

I am sure you know by now that Elle is the messier of the two of us. I will just say things just got a whole lot messier. One morning last week mom was feeding us our breakfast when Elle just refused to eat and decided she needed to have the bowl and spoon to herself. Now she thinks she is big stuff because she thinks she can do it herself.

Well, I guess it is time to take a nap. Time to get our snuggies and head to bed.

Love to all,

Taylee

STINKY POOPS!!!!!!

2011-02-19T15:26:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone,

Its Taylee here. As you know, Elle and I share a room, and I like a nice, uninterrupted sleep every now and then. Mom and Dad left us to stay the night with Grandma and Grandpa so they could have some dinner with friends visiting from out of town. Next thing you know, it starts smelling REALLY bad, like something died or something! I look at the clock and it's freaking 2 AM. I am suspecting its my sister and then there is a lot of commotion and new jammies, etc. Next, she starts to hurl like its nothing else. Grandma took great care of her through the night but I was totally grossed out. Just when I think its almost over, it's blowout city! I think she personally filled up the land fill in two hours! When Mom and Dad got there, she was looking mighty pale and refusing to drink.

Next thing you know, Elle gets her first trip to the ER. I'm thinking, thank goodness I didn't get what she has.....

Hi, its Elle. Guess I now know what both ends are capable of. I went to the hospital and got poked and prodded by lots of people I didnt know. Then, they stuck a tube in my foot and gave me a drink through that.

It sure made me feel better FAST! Then I got lots of stuff like popcycles and drinks. Home we came for a long nap. And guess what? Little miss "glad I didn't get it", got it. Lots more fun for tonight.

Love Elle and Taylee

On the move!

2011-02-15T14:38:00.000-08:00

Hi Guys,

Well I guess I thought my parents life was getting a little bit too easy, so... I learned to crawl today. Wow if I only knew it was this easy to get anywhere I want to, I probably would have started sooner. I am guessing that my little sister Taylee will want to be just like her big sister if you know what I mean. Anyone want to place bets on how long it takes her to copy me? Guess it was a good thing mom bought a baby gate today.

Love,

Elle

Will you be my Valentine?

2011-02-14T12:41:00.000-08:00

We hope everyone has a Happy Valentines Day!

Love,

Taylee & Elle

A week of firsts. Some good & some bad...

2011-02-06T13:55:00.000-08:00

Hi guys. We have had quite the week. First of all I got my 1st tooth, YAY!!!! My sister Taylee has 6 so I figured it was about time that I get one as well. She has quite an advantage when it comes to eating so I thought I better start catching up. The other new thing I did this week was pull myself up to stand. Mom and Dad were so proud of me. Maybe with all this excitement I will finally start to crawl. We are really just trying to give our parents a break because as soon as we take off their life is going to be a whole lot crazier.

On the bad note, I have had my first case of the stomach flu and it has not been fun. I guess the only good part is that my dad shares his G2 with me and it sure is good.

Hopefully I will get better soon and hope that my sister Taylee doesn't get it next.

Love,

Elle

Splish Splash We Were Taking a Bath...

2011-01-31T11:31:00.000-08:00

Hi Guys! Can you believe that we are 13 months old? We sure do grow up fast. We have been having a lot of fun lately. No, we still aren't walking or crawling for that matter. I mean who really needs to do that when you have your best friend sitting right next to you. We also have parents who help us out whenever we say "uhhh!!!" So we certainly aren't going without. My sister Taylee now has 6 teeth, 4 on the top and 2 on the bottom. I am really jealous as she has a much easier time eating than I do since I still don't have any teeth.

Last week we got to go to the zoo to see the animals. It was a little cold, but we got all bundled up for the event. We thought it was pretty funny that all the animals were eating Christmas Trees. The giraffes are my favorite! Well thats all for now.

Love,

Elle

Supermodels!

2011-01-10T14:57:00.000-08:00

Hi Guys,

Well my mom got a new camera for Christmas, so needless to say she has been taking lots of pictures of me and my sister. We thought we would share some of the pictures from our most recent photo shoot. The best part was getting to play with mommy's jewelry.

Love,

Elle

Happy Birthday

2011-01-01T14:24:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone,

It is me Elle here. Can you believe that Taylee and I turn 1? My mom and dad are having a hard time believing that 1 year ago we were hanging out at the hospital anxiously awaiting our arrival. Boy have we changed a lot since then. We decided that we are going to share our big birthday bash with our daddy on his birthday during the summer. We certainly didn't need any more presents after Christmas, although our grandma's couldn't resist. Mom and dad thought that it would be fun to have a little party for us so that we could have our first taste of birthday cake. The only problem was the weather didn't cooperate and no one could make it to our house except for our Aunt Krystle. We still had lots of fun eating our yummy frog cup cakes.

Love to all,

Elle

Christmas 2010

2011-01-01T14:17:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas! Last night when we went to sleep little did we know that we would wake up to presents under this tree that has been in our house. It started on December 24th when we got to spend the afternoon with Grandma and Grandpa watching Christmas Eve on Sesame Street while my mom, dad, and Uncle Kyle went indoor skydiving and surfing. I sure can't wait until I am big enough to give it a try. Once they got back, we had fun eating dinner and playing with the wii. We got pretty tired from all the excitement and headed home. I guess we must have been excited for Santa to come because we didn't let our mom and dad get much sleep. What did we ask Santa for this year? Well my sister Elle only wanted her 2 front teeth (I already have 5). Well, she didn't get that. We had so much fun tearing all the paper off the presents and playing with all our new toys. We also had a lot of fun letting Mama Jean and PawPaw watch us open the presents they sent us by Skype. We had so much fun!

Love to all,

Taylee

It's Christmas Time!!!

2010-12-14T08:44:00.000-08:00

Hi Guys,

Wow it has been a while and we have been up to so much! We don't even know where to begin. Last month we got to go to Tampa for Thanksgiving to visit with all of our family and friends that we don't get to see too often. Mom and dad bundled us up when we left for the airport since we left during a "Blizzard". When we got off the plane we had to start shedding the layers since it was a nice warm 85 degrees! Quite a change from all the snow we left behind. We had so much fun trying new foods and visiting with all our friends.

We have been trying lots of new things lately. We had a play date at discovery gateway where we got to try out all sorts of new toys. Mom says that we need to grow a little taller so that our legs actually touch the ground when we try all the "ride on" toys. We can hardly wait until we get to go back again.

The last "new" thing that we got to do was visit with Santa. We got to sit on his lap and tell him how good we have been this year. We wonder what he will bring us on Christmas morning.

Family Pictures

2010-11-18T06:00:00.001-08:00

Construction

2010-11-13T08:48:00.001-08:00

Hey Everybody, We thought we would update you on what's been going on. As most of you know we moved into a new house, although we haven't been able to explore most of it since it is under construction. We got to have a sleepover at our grandma and grandpas house and even took a bath in their kitchen sink. We have visited a lot of new stores that we haven't ever been to before looking at things like sinks, toilets, wood, granite etc. Taylee and I found something that we thought we would really like. What do you think?

It's not too early to start potty training is it?

We think this would be a nice set up for our bathroom.

Love to all,

Elle & Taylee

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T14:13:00.000-07:00

Hi Guys! Boy have we had a busy weekend. This Halloween business is pretty fun. We got to see all sorts of people dressed in funny clothes. Our grandma was even dressed up as a skeleton. We got to wear our little lady bug costumes and go visit daddy at work and even went to go to grandma's work to see all of her friends. All of that candy sure looked good. Last night we went and visited some of mom and dad's friends, but it was cold and raining so we didn't stay out too late. Well got to run!

Love,

Elle & Taylee

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-14T15:01:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! Taylee here. Just wanted to update you on what we have been up to. Today we went with some of friends to Wheeler Farm to the "Pumpkin Patch". We had so much fun picking out our pumpkins and going for a hayride. We especially liked kicking our legs in the dirt while our mom was taking our pictures.

We also went to see Dr. Charlie for our 9 month check up yesterday. Dr. Charlie said that we are growing really good. I am a little bit bigger than my sister Elle. I am 27" long and Elle is 26 3/4" long. I weighed in at 16 lbs and 12 oz and Elle was 16 lbs 1 oz. We all know that Elle is the "drama queen" but she sure made that known after she had her flu shot. I was trying to figure out what her deal was since I didn't cry at all. I guess I am just the tougher of the two of us. Well I guess I am off to a nap.

Love,

Taylee

Welcome Fall

2010-10-11T05:33:00.000-07:00

New House

2010-10-04T15:39:00.001-07:00

Hey everybody. Sorry it has been so long since we have updated you all on what is going on. We moved to a new house. We are really excited to be in our new place. Dad tells us staying in our new house is kind of like camping since we can only stay in the basement. We have had lots of people "tearing apart" the upstairs. I sure am glad we can still nap through all that noise. The construction guys say that it is easy to tear it apart, it is the putting it back together that takes all the time. We are hoping that it will be done by Christmas.

Here is a picture of what our upstairs is looking like.

Can you believe that we are already 9 months old! Time flies when you are having a good time. We go and see Dr. Charlie in a few weeks so we will let you know how we are doing.

Thanks Aunt Sharon for our cute Gator outfits!

Love,

Elle & Taylee

New Tooth!

2010-09-16T12:19:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! It's me Taylee. I wanted to let you know that I got my first tooth this week. Since I am the "little sister" I always like to point out what I do before my "older sister" Elle.

As you all know, we are very computer savvy and have been able to type for some time, but we also started saying our first words. Elle likes to say Ma Ma which makes my mom really happy, but really she just means that she wants food! That girl loves to eat! I decided I didn't want my dad to feel bad so my first word is Da Da. Well thats all for now. We are busy packing to move to our new house. We will update you on our new "crib" soon!

Love,

Taylee

Summer Update!

2010-08-19T08:08:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

Boy have we been busy! I guess it is time to let you know what we have been up to over the last month. Mom and dad thought that it was time that we started getting into shape, so we put on these cool pink running shoes and went out for a jog.

We had so much fun that we decided to run our first 10k on Pioneer Day (July 24). It was fun to go so fast! We got to run with our grandpa, mom, dad, and our cousin Alex.

We especially liked eating the bagels at the end of the race.

Next we decided to take up golf, so we headed to Mesquite to have a fun weekend of pool time, golfing, and bowling. We really liked swimming on the kick boards.

Don't worry, we didn't really ride in the basket!

We also got to spend a few weekends with Mama Jean and papa at the cabin in Alta, WY. We have had lots of rides in daddy's airplane. Good thing we are such good passengers!

Taylee Jean with Mama Jean!

Well we will try to do better keeping you updated on what we have been up to.

Love,

Elle & Taylee

Carrots

2010-07-27T08:31:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess my mom didn't get it that I don't like carrots. I mean, the first time they seemed ok, and the next time I gagged...twice! So here she is trying to give me some nasty carrots again. I hope she finally gets it.

6 months old

2010-07-15T09:58:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone! Elle here. Can you believe the my sister and I are half a year old. Things sure have changed a lot since we were born and we sure enjoy exploring our surroundings.

Look at how much bigger we are compared to when we were first born.

Mom and Dad took Taylee and I to see Dr. Charlie last night. We really like him. He lets us play with his stethoscope and tongue depressors and even gave us a book to take home with us. He said we are doing really good and are growing just like we should be. My sister Taylee is a little bit bigger than me. She is 25 inches long and 14 lbs 10 oz. I am a little shorter and lighter (24 3/4 inches 14 lbs 5 oz) but not by much.

We really like trying new foods. Some of our favorites are sweet potatoes and bananas. We also really like to chew on baguettes.

Taylee finally taught me how to roll over and once I figured it out I rolled both ways in the same day. I finally convinced Taylee how much fun it is to stand up. We really feel like big girls when we are standing. We are also gettting really close to sitting up all by ourself. We can make it about 1 minute before we topple over.

Well we are off to take a nap so that we can have fun playing this afternoon.

Love,

Elle

Happy 4th of July

2010-07-06T07:51:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone, We hope you all had a good 4th of July. Elle and I got to fly up to Driggs to visit Mama Jean and Papa at the cabin. We had a good time, although we fell asleep before the fireworks. Maybe we will be able to stay awake next year. We had so much fun!

I'm not so sure how I feel about this grass touching my leg!

Thanks for letting us come and visit!

Love,

Taylee

Our Big Adventure

2010-06-29T08:26:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

Taylee and I just got back from our latest big adventure. Daddy decided that it would be fun to fly our airplane all the way from Salt Lake City to Florida. Our mommy wasn't so sure how that was going to be. We are talking 10 hours each way in the plane.

You know that Taylee and I are always up for some fun so we thought we would give it a try. We had to do a lot to get ready for the flight. We got our own set of headphones so that the noise didn't hurt our ears. Our dad had to figure out how to make our car seats work so that we could sit looking forward and we even took a test flight around town to make sure we were going to do all right. So after all our "flight training" we were off to see some of our family at the beach in Florida. It took us 2 days to get there and we did great. Our mommy sure was glad to be on the ground when we landed in Gainesville. We are not sure what the big deal was because we slept through the whole deal, but we got soaked getting out of the plane. The picture of the weather on the radar screen sure looks pretty.

We got to spend the day with Mama Jean and Pa Pa before we drove to the beach. Once we got there, we got to meet up some of our aunts and uncles and lots of cousins. We had so much fun.

We can hardly wait until next year!

Love,

Elle

New Stuff!

2010-06-08T08:01:00.000-07:00

Hi Guys!

This has been a big week for us. We have had fun trying a lot of new stuff. First we got to try eating some cereal this week and even some watermelon. It sure was good. I even decided that it would be fun to try to feed myself.

We went to our first outdoor concert on Sunday night. We were so excited when our dad told us that we were going that we decided not to take a nap all day long. We fell asleep on the way to the concert but woke up as soon as we got there and stayed awake the whole time. We really love to listen to music, especially when our dad plays his guitar for us.

My sister Taylee learned to roll over for the first time last week. I really didn't want to show off, so I haven't rolled yet. I would much rather stand all day long than to roll around on the floor.

Lots of love,

Elle

Disneyworld!

2010-06-01T11:16:00.001-07:00

Hi Guys,

Taylee and I just got back from Disneyworld. We had so much fun. We got to spend a whole week with grandma and grandpa, aunt Krystle and uncle Raleigh. Our dad didn't get to come because he had a busy week at work. We sure missed him. We even got our first swimming lesson while we were there. Check out the video of my sister Taylee learning to swim.

Love,

Elle

Flight Training

2010-05-19T17:05:00.000-07:00

Elle and I went for a test flight with our mom and dad on Sunday to get us ready for our big journey next month to Florida. We got to wear these super cool head phones so that our ears didn't hurt. Dad flew us from the hanger over our current house and then showed us our new house. We can't wait to try out the pool. We liked flying so much that we fell asleep. I keep telling my dad that I am ready to be the co-pilot.

Lots of love,

Taylee

Fun in the sun

2010-05-10T19:27:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Elle and I are all nice and relaxed after our trip to Hawaii. Even us babies need a vacation every now and then, so our parents decided to take us to Hawaii. We really liked the warm weather, but weren't so sure about the pool and ocean. It sure was a lot colder than our bath water. Our dad said that we needed to get use to it since we are going to the beach in Florida next month. We got to see our aunt Krystle who we haven't seen since we were less than 1 day old. We sure liked to play with her and are glad that they are coming to Utah soon. She even gave us a pedicure. I mean a girl's got to look good right?

Love,

Taylee

4 months

2010-04-29T19:16:00.000-07:00

We can't believe how time fly. We can't believe that our baby girls are already 4 months old. We love the way you smile at us and the way they talk to us. We ask ourself every day how we are so lucky to have 2 beautiful girls. Love you all they way!

Love,

Mom & Dad

Sleepover

2010-04-22T10:34:00.000-07:00

Hi Everybody,

We just wanted to update you on what we have been up to. We got to have our first sleepover with our grandparents while our mom and dad went to Atlanta to celebrate Mama Jean's 85th birthday. We were so good while our mom and dad were gone that grandma and grandpa said we could come and stay any time. We hope Mama Jean liked our present!

We are really liking this warm weather that we have been having. It is kind of nice to have bare arms and legs. Our mom even gave us our first pedicure.

Love to all!

Taylee & Elle

Check out our shades

2010-04-10T18:39:00.000-07:00

Elle

Taylee

Hi Everybody,

My sister and I wanted to let you all know that we are really liking this new warm weather. Our mom is really excited to start letting us play outside a little bit more. We are starting to get ready for our trip to the beach in Hawaii in a few weeks, so we decided to try out our shades. They are a little bit big, but we think we look pretty cool in them. What do you think?

Going for a ride in our jogging stroller

Love,

Elle & Taylee

Happy Easter

2010-04-05T12:33:00.001-07:00

Love,

Elle & Taylee

aka the Easter Bunnies

2010-03-28T17:23:00.000-07:00

Hi Everybody,

Sorry for the big delay in updating our blog! My Dad has been so busy that he won't let me get on the computer....Well, we have alot of exciting stuff to tell you about. Last month we went to our first wedding. We got to meet our new cousin, Cory Bell. We also got to dress up for a party at our Mama Jean and Papa's house. It was so much fun to meet new people.

We also got to see what a gator was. My daddy keeps telling us that we are gator fans, not BYU fans, but my grandpa tells us otherwise. We got all of the garb ready for the game!

My Dad got us prepared for the Gator-BYU game and did alot of trash talkin'.....so Grandpa and Grandma got even....

Those outfits didn't make it home, as you might guess!!!!

Keeping our parents in line is an everyday challenge. However, we learned this new trick called "smiling". Works like a charm, and keeps them eating out of the palm of our hand. We also learned that "fussing" gets us to the 'well' pretty quick too. It is great to learn new ways to control your parents.

Dad decided that he is going to take us to the beach in Florida in June in his plane!!!!!Mom got us some hearing protection just in case he wasn't kidding.

Best news of all is that we got to meet our big sister Kristy, who was home from school in Mass. She is doing really well in school and about to start playing water polo. Don't really know what that is but she seemed really excited about it. We want her to come to the beach with us this summer. We hope we can meet our sister Shelby soon.

Dad bought Mom a new stroller for us named 'Bob'. Its made especially so we can go fast while Mom runs. It is a cadillac, according to Dad. We think so as well, except that we have this problem with staying awake while we are out and about.

Sorry that we haven't been able to update you lately. "Talk to the management...." We are getting bigger by the day and having a great time with new adventures all the time. Can't wait to see all of the cousins at the Beach in June.

Love to all,

Elle and Taylee

Happy Valentines Day

2010-02-14T15:14:00.000-08:00

Love,

Elle & Taylee

MTV Cribs

2010-02-11T06:44:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone, I know it has been a while since we last wrote, but as you can see from the post below, we have been pretty busy.

Taylee

Elle

So...since my sister and I seem to be on the pathway to fame and fortune, MTV contacted my parents because they wanted to feature us on an episode of "Cribs". Taylee and I are not exactly sure what that show is since our parents say that we are a little too young to be watching MTV, but they agreed to let us be part of the show. We decided to move into our own "Crib" last week because my dad snores too much!

The "Cribs"

The "Ride"

We also like to point out to all of our visitors our new artwork that finally arrived 2 weeks ago. It helps make our place complete. Taylee and I decided to write our names on them to mark which one belongs to each of us. People tell us we are pretty advanced since we already know how to write our names.

Don't worry mom and dad, we still like to come around for a little cuddle time.

Well, we are off...we need to get packed for our first airplane ride to visit our fans in Florida!

See you soon!

Love,

Elle & Taylee

Little T meets Big T !!!

2010-01-30T11:28:00.000-08:00

Hi Everybody,

Well, Elle and I were hanging out with the parents on Friday night getting ready to watch the Jazz pre-game show on TV when my Daddy realized that he had tickets to the game. Mom said...."why not take the girls to the game?". So off we go to our first Jazz game. As you know, we have been getting alot of publicity lately so its hard to go out into public without people noticing that you are twins and all. So, we are walking by the TV announcers in the arena and we get a shout out from Pace Mannion! "Yo! Girls! Can I hold you???" Some of you may not know who Pace is, but he is a famous Utah basketball player turned announcer on TV. His career record of 1.2 points per game is pretty memorable, so much so that Uncle Jared even has his old Jazz jersey! Anyway, we reluctantly agreed to do a picture with him.....

He's kind of a geek, but a pretty nice guy nonetheless...

Next thing you know, 'Big T.' (also known as Thurl Bailey) wants a picture with us too! We agreed again, but didn't give him an autograph or anything. That man is one tall dude! He is also an announcer for the Jazz and played for them alot more than Pace did.....

Then, we hit the stands and start watching the game. Pretty exciting stuff. During half time, they retired Hot Rod Hundley's microphone (Jazz announcer for 35 years or something!) and raised a banner next to Karl and Stockton and the rest of them. The crowd was so excited with all the celebrity in the arena that they chanted for me to stand up and take a bow, which I did reluctantly. The attention was getting so overwhelming that Elle and I decided to go home after the third quarter to avoid all of the attention we would get at the end of the game.

Need less to say, all of this excitement required us to eat every two hours the rest of the night! Elle's gonna have to watch her figure because she is gaining weight and is starting to bust out of the premie diapers!

We are working on a better strategy to ditch the paparazzi but letting them have a picture every now and then is just part of the territory. Love to everyone.

Taylee Jean (a.k.a. T-Bug or 'Little T'....)

Lets Party!

2010-01-21T10:14:00.000-08:00

Late Night Party!

Date: January 21, 2010

Time: 2:00 a.m. - 5:00 a.m.

Place: Elle & Taylee's Crib

BYOB (Bring your own Bottle)

No Sleeping allowed!

Why does my family need so much sleep?

2010-01-17T11:22:00.000-08:00

Hi Everybody,

Just wanted to let you know that Taylee and I are doing just fine! We had our first doctor visit this week and Dr Charlie sez that we are checking out just like we are supposed to be. We have gained weight since coming home, and are doing all the right stuff that babies are supposed to do. What did that get us?.....another stick in the heel...OUCH!

We have been steppin' out on more and more field trips and getting around a bit. That means that we have to looking good as well. I thought I would try a new hat just to change things up. Pretty stylin', huh? Mom likes to sneak us in to head bows...Dad says that they are cute and at least they aren't the 'glue on' kind!

The part that we cant figure out is why our parents seem so tired? We sleep...they sleep as far as we know; we eat, they eat....as far as we know. But you can see here that even Grandpa needs some extra snoozing when he is around us. Dad loves to have us on his chest and we like it too.

Anyway, life is pretty darn good. We get lots of love and care from everyone around us. We are doing our best to fill up the landfill, according to my dad...but what can we do about that?

Love to everyone!

Elle and Taylee

Outdoor Adventure

2010-01-15T14:43:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone. Sorry that we haven't written lately, but we have been too busy keeping our mom and dad awake all night long. We decided that we have finally taken in all there is inside of our house and thought we should see what it was like outside. Our mom got us dressed up in our "bear" suits and we went for our first walk around the block. We loved it. Maybe we will get big enough to acutally fill out our "bear" outfits before it is too warm to wear them anymore.

Love,

Taylee & Elle

2010 Swimsuit Issue

2010-01-06T18:25:00.000-08:00

Hi Everybody! Elle here. Let me say from the outset that my Dad is a geek! We all know that every man out there subscribes to Sports Illustrated every year just so that he can get the "Swim Suit Issue"...Taylee and I have been photographed so much in our short one week of life that we feel like supermodels! We seem to have a built in agent in our dad. However, we are still waiting for the call to come from SI, but it should be any day now given these photos. Our agent continues to campaign on our behalf.....But, I mean, do you really think that the Delta Reservation Agent really cares that we are extremly cute when he was making reservations for us to come to Ryan and Missy's wedding???

So convinced that we are nothing short of spectacular, our friend and photographer Katie came over for a photo shoot.

Katie has a gift, and a great eye for color, lighting and composure. The result you can see here. Look how beautiful we are with our Mom...the best Mom ever! Once again, we are so lucky to have the friends that we do. We donned our dress up diapers and hats for the photos. We don't have a beach here in Utah so a fuzzy blanket had to make do. I think that we look pretty good!

People always wonder, "what it would be like to be a supermodel"? The fame, benefits, perks, attention, meals, and the clothes...Taylee and I are just waiting for the sports car...Sleep is limited given all the attention. Our parents say that we should let all the attention slip by and sleep more. Well,.... we'll see...

Love to you all,

Elle and Taylee

The Magic Continues...

2010-01-04T16:55:00.000-08:00

Hi Everybody. Taylee here again. Just want to give everyone an update on how my sister and I are doing. I know that everyone thinks that I am the "runt of the litter" because I lost a bit of weight but I am coming on strong. To really understand this, you have to look at a bit of history.

Here is my sister and I on day three of our lives. She is the one on the left looking a little grainy, if I say so myself. Our pediatrician says that there is always a risk of comparing one twin to another. For example, "she has dimples and the other one doesn't"...."her hair is curly and hers is not" etc. We were told to resist this temptation, of course. But, I would like to point out that my cells are looking a lot better, more refined, and less grainy than my sisters. (even if I ended up a little smaller...)

The miracle is how we have evolved from there. All of Elle's imperfections, (if I say so myself) are almost indistinguishable now that we have arrived. We even got to dress up as twins today!

Since my parents love sports, we decided to have a bit of a relay last night where Elle and I kept tagging each other to "go in" for a feed. Worked like a charm! Persistence wore the home team out and we ended up with full stomachs and got to sleep most of the day. The parents look a bit droopy, however.

Well, need to sign off now. My dad keeps talking to me about potty training....I think its a bit early since I am only 6 days old. Also, given his track record when he was my age (and a lot older)..I will take my time.

Love to you all,

Taylee

My sister needs some work on personal hygiene...

2010-01-03T15:12:00.000-08:00

Hi Everybody! Taylee Jean here. I know that you have been hearing from my sister all the time so I thought it would be time to give my side of the story. OK, so maybe I was the one who was acting up in the hospital, but Elle got to have the first distinction when she got home.

Well, it was time to go home so my Mom got us dressed up in some really cute outfits (I'm the adorable one on the right if you couldn't tell...) and we loaded up in the car for our first car ride home. Once we got home and had the first feed in our new house, Elle had what I would say was nothing short of a 'Nuclear Explosion' and pretty much trashed that cute outfit from top to bottom!

As much as I love my new sister, she had a bit of what you might call "an aroma" this morning after the events of yesterday, so that got us both our first bath. Me, I didn't cry at all. Elle, well....you can see for yourself. But, now we smell really sweet and can get back to running the family full time.

Yeah, thats me looking happy in the bathing lounger and Elle up above! What can I say?

We have been really blessed to have friends and family help us out, send beautiful flowers, and make us some great dinners. Sure wish I could eat it but I am on a restricted ' Boob' diet and don't have any teeth yet. Anyway, thats about it from my half of the story. I love my sister and think she is pretty cute too!

Love,

Taylee

Genetic Gator Fans

2010-01-02T07:31:00.000-08:00

So.....my Dad tells me that there was no way we were gonna miss Tebow's last game! So, we donned our Gator regalia and watched the game from our room. My Dad had to explain what it meant to "get out a big ole can of 'Whup it' "really meant, but we had alot of fun!

While we were celebrating after the game, I decided to pull a prank on security and take off my monitor just to see what would happen. That got us a quick visit from security! I have already learned how fun it is to play tricks on adults! Wonder who I got that from???

Taylee told me that she felt like she needed a trip to the tanning spa and nursery this morning. Luckily, she is trying to eat better but, you know, a girl likes a trip to the spa every now and then. So, what does she do? She somehow manages to drop her temperature and it works like a charm. After about two hours 'in the sun', her temperature comes up (and her blood sugar) and she is feeling great. She is a little unhappy that if she can't pull that off again...she won't get another trip to the spa and will have to go home this afternoon.

Well, that's it from here. I don't know why my parents look so tired because we are feeling pretty great! We can't meet the rest of our family and our second cousin (?) Cori Belle in February. We still haven't been able to meet our big sisters Shelby and Kristy but really want to! Love to you all.

Elle

BFF's

2010-01-01T08:54:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! My sister and I were up having a big party into the wee hours of the morning last night. We are having to work pretty hard to get our parents into "baby shape". We decided to play a trick on them last night. Taylee decided to stop breathing for a minute and I thought it would be fun to drop my blood sugar below 30 for a while. This got us a field trip to the Nursery and lots of attention. Luckily, Taylee started breathing right away and I got some kind of tube jammed down my nose (yuck!), but the good news was we both got some really good food from a bottle!!! I talked to Taylee about the "anorexic" thing and that she really does not need to lose anymore weight to look good in a diaper....We are now doing great and can't wait to go see our new home tomorrow. Not sure why my parents are so tired but we will continue to work on them to get them to buck up and stay with the program. Our New Years Resolution: Gain some weight and sleep more! We love all of you and can't wait to meet you!

Love, Elle Taylor Smith a.k.a. "Baby 'A'"

Welcome to our most precious Elle Taylor and Taylee Jean Smith!

2009-12-30T11:10:00.000-08:00

After 36 and 1/2 weeks, millions of injections, ultrasounds, exams, and lots of anticipation, and a bout with Cholestasis in the final 24 hours, our beautiful daughters Elle and Taylee entered this world at 10:22 PM on 12/29/09 by C-section. They each weighed 5lbs 7 oz and had APGAR's of 9/9 and 9/8. Melissa did great and was an instant Mom! The babies are perfect, healthy, but pretty sleepy so far and trying to learn how to chow down. The outcome is better than we could have ever hoped for. As you can see, they are pretty dang cute!

Nesting...or trying not to go stir crazy!

2009-12-09T15:45:00.000-08:00

I though I would share with you my new found hobby...crocheting. My aunt Bonnie came over a week ago to show me some of the basic stitches. I started with a washcloth, which did not turn out very well I must admit. I decided to move on to a hat to see if I had made any progress. I am happy with the way they have turned out, now I am just hoping that they will fit.

33 weeks

2009-12-03T10:23:00.000-08:00

Well I can't believe that tomorrow we will be at 33 weeks. I can't believe that I have been at this whole bed rest deal for 2 weeks now. I promised some of you that I would give you the update after my last appt (Tues). It turns out that I don't have much to report. The doctor decided not to check me based on the fact that it could start me into having contractions again. The non-stress test showed that I am still contracting, but not nearly as much as I was when I was admitted to the hospital. So, I am just continuing with the same medication and have a follow up appt. on Tuesday.

32 1/2 weeks down

2009-11-30T10:34:00.000-08:00

Well it has now been 1 week since I have been home from the hospital. It is much nicer being in my own home vs. the hospital. This weekend was great as we got permission to go to Thanksgiving dinner at my parents house. It is the one year that I did not have to participate in any of the cooking or clean up (I do feel a little guilty). John made his yummy garlic mashed potatoes which were better than ever. Over the weekend, John has managed to put up all of our Christmas decorations between taking great care of me. I couldn't ask for a better husband. Thanks to my aunt Bonnie who came over yesterday to teach me how to crochet. I think I might finally be starting to get the hang of it. Well John is back to work this week, so hopefully it remains an uneventful week. I have a doctors appointment and another non-stress test tomorrow. We are hoping for no new surprises.

Yeah!

2009-11-24T14:42:00.000-08:00

Good News, I get to go home this afternoon. We had another non-stress test and an ultrasound today. I am still having some small contractions which will probably continue to happen until the babies are delivered. The babies looked great on the ultrasound, both weighing in at 3 lbs 11 oz each. We of course would still like to see them get bigger before they are here, but we are excited that they are getting close to 4 lbs.

Hospital Food

2009-11-24T04:20:00.000-08:00

Why is it that hospital food has to be so bad. They talk about nutrition being such a big part of patients being able to heal and recover quicker, so why do they make the food so bad. Saturday I had a menu dropped off to my room for the entire week. I just have a hard time thinking that Pork Tenderloin with apple creme and lemon cous cous could be any good coming from a hospital cafeteria. Fortunately John has been able to keep me from becoming too hungry. I thought I would share a picture of what was suppose to be a chicken wrap for lunch. John was helping me get everything all set up for lunch and pulled off the lid only to find a little chicken breast. We had a good laugh.

Well now for the update of the day. I was hooked up to the non-stress test twice yesterday and the last time didn't really show any contractions at all. I have also been stable as far as not dilating anymore. They were going to send me home last night but realized that I was due for a regular ultrasound and non-stress test today and figured that it would be easiest just to keep me here overnight, get the testing done and then send me home. Keep your fingers crossed for an uneventful morning. I am sure Thanksgiving dinner isn't any better here.

Update

2009-11-23T05:59:00.000-08:00

Well, we have made it through the weekend without having to deliver the babies. Isn't it crazy how exciting it can be just to make it through another day. Sunday was a bit more eventful than what we had planned on, especially since we thought we were going home on Saturday evening. I started contracting again yesterday morning and was quickly sent down to Labor and Delivery for further monitoring. Fortunately they were able to stop the contractions and I was able to return to my regular room. The only problem with going down to labor and delivery is that they stop all food and drinking as well, so I didn't get to eat all until 4:00 p.m. yesterday. I swear they are trying to starve all of the pregnant ladies here. Fortunately, the girls are still doing well. They don't seem to be stressed at all even with the contractions. They are getting pretty tricky and like to wiggle out from under the ultrasound probes during the non-stress tests. We are so excited to get to see them, but would rather have them get a bit bigger before we do. Thanks to all of you who have been inquiring about how we are doing and for all the prayers.

Bed Rest

2009-11-21T03:25:00.000-08:00

Well I guess we all knew there was a good chance that I would land myself on bed rest at some point in time during this pregnancy, I was just hoping it was not this soon. Yesterday I went in for my routine appt and found that I was 80% effaced, dilated to 1 1/2 and was contracting every 2-3 minutes. That quickly landed me a bed in the hospital. Fortunately they have been able to stop the contractions at this point and I have already had 1 dose of steroids to help mature the babies lungs. I am not exactly sure how long they are planning to keep me here, but figure my routine at home isn't going to be much more exciting. I guess on the flip side, I will be able to keep the blog updated more often to try to ward off my boredom. We are just praying our little girls have a few more weeks to mature before making their big debut.

Baby Showers

2009-11-15T14:31:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all who threw us some amazing baby showers over the past 2 weeks. Our little girls are already spoiled and they aren't even here yet (and we are hoping that they don't come too soon). It is so fun to see the nursery coming together. I guess it makes everything seem a lot more real. I have uploaded some of the pictures of the bedding. Thanks to my mom, Bonnie, cousin Morgan, and cousin McKenzie for the amazing quilts and bed skirts.

New York

2009-11-01T14:22:00.001-08:00

Chelsea Piers...Interesting driving range

Chocolate by the Bald Guy....Best chocolate croissant ever!

New York Stock Exchange

John and I spent last week in New York. We figured that we needed a vacation before the babies get here. We had a great time being tourists. We were able to see Ground zero, Statue of Liberty, Battery park, Central park, 5th avenue, and Canal Street. The best part of all was being able to visit with Krystle and Raleigh. Thanks for showing us a good time!

Celebrating Fall

2009-10-17T06:14:00.000-07:00

Big Belly at 26 weeks!

John and I took a walk up City Creek Canyon yesterday. It was so pretty to be able to take in all of the beautiful fall colors. I drive past City Creek Canyon almost every day on my way home from work, but we have never actually taken the time to walk up the canyon this time of the year. It was spectacular.

Time to Vote

2009-09-18T15:17:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, John and I are expecting twin baby girls on January 22, 1010. We have entered a contest with the radio station 97.1 ZHT (www.971zht.com) called the baby bump contest. There will be 3 winners in all. The grand prize will be a “dream nursery” from Babinski’s Baby and the 2 runners up will get a $200 gift certificate to Babinski’s Baby. The winner will be based on who gets the most votes overall. So we need your vote! Please go to this website: http://www.971zht.com/pages/babywatch09/ Click the button next to ENTRY #68, enter you email address and click on the Vote Now button. I have attached a copy of the picture that we submitted in case you don’t want to scroll through all of the other entries. Thanks for your support and feel free to pass this on to your friends, family, and co-workers. We will take all the votes that we can get. Voting ends on September 30 at 12:00 p.m.

Thanks a bunch!

John & Melissa

Wasatch 100

2009-09-13T17:18:00.000-07:00

This weekend John and Mike ran the Wasatch 100 Endurance Run. I think you have to be somewhat crazy to even consider taking on such a task. The race started at 5:00 a.m. on Friday and they allot 36 hours to complete the race. The race consists of running up and down several mountains to take you from Kaysville to Midway. Karen and I were in charge of crewing our guys! We had a lot of fun doing it. John unfortunately had to pull out of the race at mile 53 due to dehydration (down 10 lbs) and big blisters on his feet. Congrats to Mike who finished the race with 21 minutes to spare. I am so proud of John for making it 53 miles. Most people wouldn't be able to run back to back marathons, especially one that goes up and down mountains. Good job guys!

Baby Nursery Contest

2009-09-06T14:46:00.000-07:00

So...we decided it would be fun to enter a baby bump contest to win a your dream nursery from Babinski's Baby or $200 gift card for 2 runners up. We thought we would get creative to see if we could persuade your vote. Voting begins on September 18 and ends on September 30. You will be able to vote online at www.971zht.com. I will keep you posted when I know what number I will be listed on the web site. We just thought that it would be funny to share with you the "final project". John did a great job being my makeshift tattoo artist. Maybe he has a new career in his future.

Meet the twins

2009-09-03T05:24:00.000-07:00

Meet the babies. John and I had out 20 week ultrasound yesterday and it looks like girls!!! I guess Riley's streak had to come to an end at some point. We are so excited. Now for the hard part...picking names.

Mesquite

2009-08-30T13:48:00.000-07:00

So...I know we have been big blogger slackers lately, but I guess we have been pretty busy. Last week, we went on the annual Smart Family Golf trip to Mesquite, NV. We had a great time. John got to golf to his hearts content and I was the big BINGO winner $250!!! Here are a few pictures from the trip. We will try our best to keep the blog updated from here on out.

Tales from Costa Rica

2009-01-25T15:51:00.000-08:00

In the mist of cooking up some yet to be determined offspring....John took off to Costa Rica for a week of surf lessons (a.k.a. "surf camp") with his brothers Tom and Joe. Sadly, my skills only improved marginally, but progress was made. The waves were great...small at first and slowly building during the week. The experience is drastically different than our usual day to day grind at the hospital.

So, while Melissa was home enduring lots of what we fondly call "pokies" (shots), John was surfing and fishing. All of this leads me to a new Costa Rican "tale", a superstition if you like. It turns out that if you or your spouse is pregnant...you wont catch a Marlin..a fact that I only found out after the fact when my brothers and I spent a day fishing. Sure...we caught some small stuff, but when we actually saw a large sailfish right next to the boat and maneuvered to get it interested in our bait...it just headed the other direction! That is when the guide let me know this little known fact of Costa Rican lore! My brother Joe reminded me that it is why they call it "fishing" rather than "catching... Regardless, we had a great time.

My only cell service was if I went to a particular spot on the beach in the evening and stood very still so I could talk to Melissa every evening. I would send her these pictures of the sunset and wished that she was sharing it with me. I am ever hopeful that the costa rican superstition holds true..and we will know in a few days if that is the case.

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-12-09T16:33:00.000-08:00

This year we were able to join the Smart family on a cruise to Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozamel. We had a great time and it was certainly a good time for a break.

Before...and after!

2008-11-16T07:47:00.000-08:00

John and I decided that we needed to do something to make our front garden area a little bit more manageable. We spent countless weekends trying to debride the garden without much success. We decided that we needed professional help. We first hired a hillbilly (I really wished I had a picture of him to share with you) to rearrange the randomly placed rocks into a retaining wall. After he took out almost every sprinkler head that we had, as well as a few of our neighbors, we decided we were done with him. We are really happy with the end result. Hopefully it makes the house a bit more appealing and we can get a few bites in the real estate market! Hopefully you will be able to tell which photos are the "before" and which ones are the "after".

Run, Bike, Swim

2008-11-10T16:35:00.000-08:00

I just did my first triathalon and it was great. It was all because my sister did one about one month ago in Texas. She got me all fired up to give it a try. So...after 3 weeks of training I did it and I survived to tell about it. It was a 3 mile run, 10 mile bike, 300 m swim. I am not a big swimmer, so that was the hard part. Hopefully I will have a little more time to train before my next one. Thanks Krystle for lighting the fire!

Davey Jones...or is that my mom?

2008-10-31T15:07:00.000-07:00

So...I thought you all might like to see what my mom looks like on Halloween. Ever since we were little kids, my mom has had a great love for Halloween. I think this is partially due to the fact that it is also Krystle's birthday. My mom loves dressing up and usually starts planning her costume a year in advance. I wonder what she will be next year!

Alley Cat!!!

2008-10-26T16:18:00.000-07:00

So..."Q" has officially turned into an alley cat. I am not a big animal person, but John loves cats. I never actually thought that I would be a cat owner, until the day John told me he saw a mouse in the garage. Maybe this was John's clever way to make me give in to getting a cat. We went straight to the Humane Society to adopt our little kitty. I was starting to get a little worried that "Q" was not going to be tough enough to be a killer. When we first got him, he was scared of us and wouldn't venture any further than the main floor of our house. Little did he know that right outside the door was "cat paradise". I am happy to say that "Q" is finally starting to earn his keep around here. His killing tally includes 1 tarantula and 2 mice. He makes us so proud!!!

Nicaragua House Update

2008-09-06T15:40:00.000-07:00

Here are a few updated pics of the house in Nicaragua. It is going to be awesome. It was really fun to see it in person. You can't appreciate the amazing views and the magnitude of the house in the pictures. Anyone want to come on vacation?

Nicaragua

2008-09-02T08:03:00.001-07:00

So as most of you know John and I along with a few other people are in the process of building a beach house in Nicaragua. It is suppose to be finished either late spring or early summer 2009. So we decided to make the trip out here to see what it is all about. We arrived in Managua on Saturday, spent the night there and had a driver take us to Rancho Santna where we rented a house just down the street from where we are building. We are certainly happy that we had a driver, as the trip was quite the adventure, especially the last 30K that was on a dirt road. I think we ended up driving through 6 rivers and tried to avoid some of the biggest pot holes that I have ever seen. John and the rest of the crew went surfing yesterday. We arrived at one of several surf beaches to find we had it all to ourselves with the exception of all the crabs. It was beautiful. Apparently the surf has not been that great according to those who have been here before. Hopefully we will have some pictures of the house on the next post.

Mesquite

2008-08-24T15:15:00.000-07:00

Last weekend John and I made the "long" journey to Mesquite, NV for what we like to refer to as our family reunion. I was surprised that I was able to talk John into going since his plane was still in the shop...so our only alternative was to make the drive. This was John's first time going since last year we were on our honeymoon. John was in heaven as he was able to play two rounds of golf per day. The 2nd day they didn't quite make it through all 36 holes as it turned into quite the downpour. John also learned how to play Paigow Poker. Luckily we had some family members who were able to help us out. We even left there "big" winners, mostly because we didn't lose anything. It was super hot down there topping out at 111 degrees.

Going Green

2008-08-10T17:55:00.000-07:00

So John and I decided to "Go Green" this summer by riding scooters rather than driving our cars. Of course there are times when a scooter just doesn't cut it such as going to the golf course and making the weekly trip to Costco. John gave me my scooter for my birthday, and then I guess we just figured that my buddy needed a buddy. I will let you decide who has the pink one and who has the red one!

Done at last!

2008-07-31T18:38:00.000-07:00

So...I am officially a pediatric nurse practitioner. I graduated in May from the University of Utah and took my boards today and passed. Hip Hip Hooray! It feels really good to finally be done. Now I am on to bigger and better things.

1 year and going strong

2008-07-28T11:21:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that we have completed our first year of marriage. We have been through a lot together during our first year, but it has only made us stronger. I am so lucky to be married to my best friend!

Bonjour!!!

2008-07-27T15:31:00.000-07:00

The view from the Arc De Triumph

John and I just got home from a week in Europe. We spent the first few days of our trip in a small town in Germany called Karlsrule. John did some surgery while we were there and we were also able to see a few small towns along the way. We drove on the Autobahn, something I have always wanted to do, it was good that I wasn't doing the driving. I think our top speed was 200 kilometers/hour. The second half of our trip was spent in Paris where we got to be tourists. We had a great time seeing all of the sites and grabbing a bite to eat on a sidewalk cafe. The people watching was great. After climbing all 680 stairs to get to the second floor of the Eiffel tower we ran into a group of American teenage girls who suggested the above pose for our picture in front of the tower.

This picture was taken on a quick visit to Heidelberg, Germany. It was super cold while we were there. I definitely wasn't prepared for the cold weather, but I did end up getting a cute new sweater out of the deal.

New Arrival!!!!!

2008-07-13T15:05:00.000-07:00

Let us introduce you to our new arrival....the baby "Q" the cat. We picked him up from the Humane Society yesterday. He is a 10 week old tabby male (well.....formally male...) He is making the adjustment to his new home. We are hoping that he will become a killer....as we seem to have lots of critters around the house and recently, a mouse sighting in the garage. However, so far, he is afraid to go outside at all!

4th of July

2008-07-06T16:14:00.000-07:00

John and I just got back from spending the 4th of July weekend in Alta, Wyoming with Dick and Jean. We had a great time. We golfed all three days that we were there. We spend the 4th of July at a party hosted by the Dunns. They clearly know how to throw a great party. The party consisted of good food, great company, and a spectacular firework show. It was great to be able to escape the heat of the city and enjoy a little country life.

Segway

2008-07-05T12:49:00.000-07:00

So...John and I just got back from playing golf. We played at a new course in Driggs, ID called Teton Reserve. It was a beautiful course and we actually played pretty well for once. We found something that every golf enthusiast needs! John came right home to see how he could get one. For a mere $5K, you can take one home today. Check out the picture. It actually is a really great invention.

Resident Graduation Dinner

2008-07-02T18:30:00.000-07:00

Every , year, for the last 17 in a row, we have a celebration of the graduation of our Residents at the Country Club. Even before that, in 1986, I celebrated my own graduation from the University of Utah Orthopedic Residency Program. This is the night that culminates many years of study and challenges and gives you an admission ticket to the "real world" .

This year, the setting was especially special because it was the same setting where Melissa and I got married. Another beautiful evening with all of the ambience and warmth that Utah has to offer. The soft air of a setting sun with our spectacular mountains in the background. Jacques D'Astous took the picture as a near one year anniversary of that event. While much has happened during the last year (and most of you know about it....) I think that we make a pretty special couple!!!

Following our trip to the christening of the Stockdale in Maine, I have read some of the philosphical books of the Adrimal, a true American Philosopher and Hero and have developed an appreciation of his complete understanding of the Classics, and his study of the ancient (79 AD) philosopher Epictetus. He states, " no one can harm you without your permission". This philosophy carried him through a personal hell of torture and imprisonment in the Vietnam war and beyond. I think it applies to all aspects of our lives, past and present.

John and Mel

2008-06-18T18:47:00.000-07:00

So, many of you may know that we are involved in building a house in Nicaguara. It is like Costa Rica about 20 years ago, where land prices are still reasonable and building costs work. These are some pictures of the house in progress and the views from the lot. There are three great surfing breaks inside the community (gated) alone, and many more to be discovered. This house will be our secret getaway. Four other guys are involved and we are looking for a 5th partner. Adios!!!

Snake Alert!

2008-06-18T17:11:00.000-07:00

So...I am convinced that I have snake vision. I have a severe phobia of snakes, so needless to say, I don't think we live in the best location. I always make John go in front of me while mountain biking or trail running. He obviously doesn't have snake vision because he never seems to see them. This is a picture of what we found in the road right in front of our house. I guess it could have been worse and I could have come face to face with it while gardening.

Fathers day in Driggs

2008-06-15T19:51:00.000-07:00

With the assistance of modern aviation technology, Melissa and I were able to fly up to our favorite airport (KDIJ) and spend an evening with MamaJean and Dick for fathers day. It was a beautiful day and the sites from the airplane were spectacular, like this view of Bear Lake. The view of the Grand Teton was amazing! We made a perfect landing in windy conditions.

The cabin is an incredibly peaceful place. It is quiet, with spectacular views, and a profound sense of quiet. Every sunset is amazing. We had a wonderful dinner of steaks, potatoes, and some special Kistler wines. Melissa and Jean worked on yet another puzzle! Sunday morning we has the special RTS omlet (reproduced nowhere else in the known culinary world!) and then proceeded to play 9 holes of local golf. Then, after a great lunch at the warbirds cafe, we hopped in the plane and made it back for the Smart family fathers day celebration.

It was a great to spend fathers day with both of our fathers (and mothers)...We are all blessed that we have these opportunities.

What do you do on your weekend?

2008-06-07T18:35:00.000-07:00

John and I have been super busy battling the weeds. I think we are finally starting to take control. We should have taken some before pictures so that you could truly appreciate all of the hard work that we have put in to have a nice yard. But at the end of the day...you still need to put up your feet and enjoy the view!

USS Stockdale

2008-05-24T15:47:00.000-07:00

Welcome to John and Melissa's blog. This is a first for us, but we thought it would be a good way to share pictures from events in our life.

We recently made a trip to Bath, Maine for the christening of the DDG 106 Stockdale. This is an Ageis class destroyer named after Admiral James B. Stockdale, a personal friend and Congressional Medal of Honor reciepient for his undaunted courage during the Vietnam War. The Admiral was an inspiration to everyone who knew him and all of those who served under him. He was one of the longest POW's in the Vietnam War. He was also a modern day philosopher who published several books regarding the philosphical principle of stocisim. He was Ross Perot's running mate for the vice presidency of the United States.

The event was of course, a Colorado College Reunion....somewhat like the "Big Chill" without the sex or death....lots of fun had by all. Here are a few pictures from the event:

Melissa got to meet some more of my college friends and despite that, she still loves me! A great time was had by all attending the after party at the home of Betsy Hunt. Although the methods of consumption have changed over the years, they were still plentiful! One picture is a mild re-enactment of the famous "Moonrise over Baja"....updated for mature audiences.... Thanks to Betsy for a great party!