Smithfield Scoop - From Kentucky

 While Dad has been home shoveling snow and doing his best to stay warm and fed, I have been so enjoying the lovely weather (rain one day, 50 degrees the next) and holding new baby Stetson. I have tried to be helpful, but most of the ladies in the family will understand my consternation at trying to cook in someone else's kitchen, in a different climate and altitude, on a different kind of stove, with different recipes. It seems that everything I attempted to cook for the first week failed! But the Hydes are patient and we didn't starve.

It has been wonderful to be here with Emma and Cameron as they welcomed new baby Stetson Dee to their family. They are very devoted, capable parents and are well prepared to give their sweet baby what he needs to grow up "unto the Lord." Cameron named and blessed Stetson at their home last Sunday. It was a beautiful blessing. Dad was here, along with Cam's family. Very personal and intimate, with no exposure to all the germs that seem to be floating around everywhere right now.

Stetson is growing well. He is not only very beautiful, but is remarkably calm and pleasant. His gaze, like most all newborns, is penetrating and it seems that he very much wants to talk - we think he wants  to tell us everything he knows! What a blessing he will be to our extended family, as well. I'm so happy that all of the cousins seem very excited to welcome him to our family circle. The circle just keeps growing - and there is room for as many more as the Lord will send us!

It has been an absolutely heavenly time here. Tomorrow will be one of those very hard days when I must return home. I am being stoic and refuse to break down, but I have every confidence that the tears will flow when I get to the airport, where no one knows or cares about me. It will be a lonely flight home, for sure. Oh, I will be very happy to see Dad, but it's hard to leave knowing it will be a long while before I see this precious family again.

Here are some of my favorite photos of Stetson...

Emma loves Stetson's toes - they remind us of Dad's!!

His first bath - and he loved it!

One of his first pictures after coming home - 

he always has one or both hands by his face.

This boy is so pleasant and smiles - A LOT!

He also has a penetrating gaze and looks very wise.

It's definitely a love affair!

Hart Happenings

Greetings from the north!  We are experiencing a lovely cold front which hides behind a deceptively sunny day.  It makes me so grateful for a cozy house and a garage!

I tried a new thing yesterday and did some winter sowing.  It is where you plant seeds in milk jugs and stick them outside to fend for themselves.  I planted poppies and stocks.  We'll see what happens!  Apparently there quite a number of things you can plant this way and it was fun to pull out all of my planting accoutrements!  Jack helped cut up the jugs and when I brought the potting soil out he took a big sniff and pronounced that he loves that stuff.  Insert emoji with heart eyes.  

It was a pretty normal week for us.  Peter has found a couple of book series that he loves and has been devouring those and then demanding trips to the library to restock.  It is fun to see him so invested in books!  He is getting really good at his flips and other acrobatic stunts.  I can't figure out how he makes his body move like that.

Jack and Peter and Alex have all been practicing Spikeball a lot to get ready for Nationals which is right around the corner!  Jack is also busy with soccer practice, gearing up for the St. George tournament in February.  He is a lot of fun to be around and is always making us laugh.  He was a huge help to Alex after the last snow storm.  The snow shoveling was a monumental task and Jack and Peter lent their muscle to the job and came of conquerors.

Ian would have helped as well but he was busy shoveling snow at his workplace.  He spent a lot of time working this week and still managed to see friends, go to voice lessons, and start back up with his acting class.  He also attended the homeschool prom last weekend with friends and had a glorious time!  He was asked to the Sweetheart Ball this coming weekend so we have had fun sourcing his outfit and getting a corsage - the whole nine yards.

We all attended the play put on by a local homeschool co-op.  The kids had friends who performed in it and it was very funny and very well done.

I taught a 2 hour class on garden planning this past week for the Idaho Fall Community Garden Association.  It caused me much stress but went off without a hitch.  There were about 60 people in attendance and we had a really great time.  Alex came as tech support and the boys were there as well to offer moral support, which I really appreciated.

Here's a story for you:

    Last weekend we drove up to Driggs to see the snow sculpture contest they host there annually.  The sculptures were amazing and we had so much fun looking at them.  On the way back we drove past this place that had an ice skating rink and Peter wanted to get a closer look so Alex drove over there.  He spotted a lane at the back of the rink that looked like it led out of this resort type place the ice skating rink was in.  It didn't take us long to realize that the lane was actually a groomed cross country ski track that when we drove out onto promptly sank up to the axles of our van.  We tried for a good 45 minutes to get out by tamping down the snow, sticking pine boughs under the tires, and relying on the sheer muscle power of Jack and Alex.  All to no avail.  So Alex called all three local towing companies, but since it was a weekend and after hours there was no answer.  We decided to say a prayer.  Right in the middle of it, Alex's phone rang.  It was Tyler from one of the towing places.  He came right over and rescued us.  It was such a relief!  We were so grateful for him being such a prompt answer to our prayer!

Sure love everyone!  Hope you are cozy and happy wherever you are!

The only pictures that are showing up on my computer right now are from Ian's phone so there are a preponderance of Ian's face and activities.  

Ian and Peter (the selfie kings)

Getting ready for the prom!

Best cousins!!!

Food from the Chinese New Year celebration

The prom!

The Sweethearts Ball request.....

Hart Happenings

The highlight of the week was the text we got Friday morning from the Hydes announcing Stetson's arrival.  There was much celebration and rejoicing in the Hart house.  Congratulations to mom and dad Hyde and welcome to the family little Stetson!  We want to call him Dee.  What do you think?

It has been snowing ALL day.  I hope Alex can come and go from Rexburg safely!

Our stake presidency was released today at Stake Conference and a new one sustained.  It was a truly glorious meeting.  The visiting authorities shared wonderful messages that seemed especially pertinent for me.  And the choir would have totally lived up to Dad's expectations.  So lovely!

Ian didn't have to work much this week and it was really nice to have him around more than usual!  He spent a lot of time working on his math and is cruising along through it.  It is fun for Alex and I to have to brush up on our skills or relearn them altogether.  

Jack was especially pleased to be able to spend time with just the older brothers this week.  They spent time with friends downtown having adventures.  He went to a game night with friends and came back with tales of how one of the girls there "wrecked" him at a slingshot game, much to his chagrin.  Jack ate pizza three days in a row, which is pretty much his dream life. 

Peter spent time with friends ice skating, trading Pokemon cards, and playing at the local ARTitorium.  He is also experimenting with selling some of his Pokemon cards online.  It blows my mind what people are willing to pay for cards of cartoon characters!

Alex is deep in problem solving mode with his Spikeball tournament coming up in February.  It is quite amazing to see him in action.  His mind is so adept at looking at things from different angles, encouraging people, and finding truly out-of-the-box solutions to the obstacles that he encounters.  

I spent the week finalizing my seed orders which is such a fun thing for me to do.  I really tried to approach it realistically and practically but then I realized that I really needed more honeyberry plants in my life and needed to sample some particularly gorgeous looking beans, and there was the cabbage, and then the tomatoes and watermelon.....and then the DAHLIAS! Oh my soul!  And just like that the battle was lost.  Alas!  

I was really blessed to have a dear friend reach out and ask if I wanted to go get drinks one afternoon and then another friend come into town and organize a get together with a group of women that I adore.  It was delightful to catch up with them and spend time with women who make me laugh so hard and also inspire and strengthen me.

The class series that the Community Garden Association offers to the community started this week.  We had an overflowing attendance for the first meeting.  It was great to see that many people excited to get out in their gardens.  I will be presenting in two weeks and am kind of nervous.

Ian had a rough week when the venue for his play fell through without time to find a replacement and with conflicting schedules from the actors that were taking a toll on the quality of rehearsals and the overall performance.  After some long conversations with his production team and Alex and me, they decided to cancel the performances and shoot for doing the show in a summer workshop format in August.  There were lots of tears and lots of talking (all the words, oh my!) and it left us all pretty exhausted.  But it has been a valuable learning experience.

Life goes on at the Hart house and it is a blessed one!

Ian and Dane getting reacquainted after Ruth's extended illness and absence from our house.

The cast from the now cancelled show.

Cannon, Ian, and Jack looking their very best.

Daisy, Ian, and Jack.  (I love that my big kids still like to dress up (sunglasses instead of capes) and that Jack and Ian get a kick out of wearing matching clothes)

The Pokemon card that Peter sold for $60 for on Ebay.  He was giddy!

Flake Fun

 We ended 2022 on a really good note with a week of fun, snow and family in Smithfield. Then we came back to Snowflake and Scott and his dad did a beef so our freezer is nearly over flowing which is a blessing.

Robin and Rand started a tumbling class and they are loving it. The couch cushions are now constantly on the floor so that they can practice. 

We are looking forward to the adventures that await us in 2023.

Making rubber balls

Robin is really into letters and writing right now.

The first day of sun in a while

He couldn't stop giggling.  So happy to be outside

Dobber the snowman

Proof that it shows in Snowflake - Clyde the snowman

Smithfield Scoop

A definite New Year's Resolution - Be on the family blog more regularly this year!! When I searched to see the last time I wrote, it was waaaaay too long ago - Clear back in May 2022. I'm not even sure how that happened, but it's time for repentance, change, refocusing my efforts! So, here we go... 

It was so fun to see everyone today on Family Matters! It's delightful to see all of you supporting each other and encouraging one another. It's especially sweet to see the cousins connecting with each other and happy to see one another. Thank you all for making the effort to be there. 

We sure enjoyed seeing nearly everyone over the holidays. It was fun to have the Flake family here for a whole week at Christmas time! We had fun going to Hardware Ranch to ride a sleigh out to see the elk - as well as a stray sheep who wandered in, build a snowman, see the Christmas lights and sled down the hill that Grandpa made in the back yard! Harts and Joe's family came between Christmas and New Year's to play games and sing and reconnect. Everyone loved reading the Manning book that Lauren and Nick gave us. It was great! We also had fun taking care of the Manning boys when Lauren and the little men came to get some help while she's been so sick with morning sickness. 

Even though it happens every year, right on time, the Christmas Cactus 
always surprises and amazes me. It is a beautiful thing!

It's been snowy, cold and quiet here since everyone left after the holidays. We've been sad about Chet's accident and surgery on his broken arm and Lauren's incapacitating sickness. We are praying that both of them will feel better and be back to their normal happy, active selves before too long. We have been praying for the Nilssons, and particularly Ruth, to get better. Hopefully, the antibiotic will help you feel better very soon, Ruthie!

Of course we are excited for Emma and Cameron to welcome Baby Hyde to their home soon! Someone will win the prize for guessing the right date, time and weight of baby boy!

Gold Medal - for correct due date! 

Silver Medal - for correct time! 

Bronze Medal - for correct weight!

Harts:

Alex - 1/13,  6:35pm, 8#6oz

Elise - 1/11, 7#2oz

Ian - 1/10, 3:25pm, 10#8oz

Jack - 1/17, 3:00am, 7#8oz

Peter - 1/9, 5:10pm, 6#

Thomas: 1/12, 6#8oz, Name: Seekin' (CKN)

Joe's Family: 1/15, 5#9oz

Flakes:

Scott - 1/21, 3:01pm, 8#13oz

Jenn - 1/12, 1:35am, 6#9oz, 22"

Rosie - little girl born 1/2 hour after baby boy

Nilssons:

Garrett - 1/12, 6#12oz, 

Ruth - 1/11, 8:30pm, 6#10oz

Addy - this week!

Dad - 1/11, in the night or most inconvenient time, 6#1oz

Mom - 1/14, 5:15am, 6#12oz, 20"

Cam - 1/12, 3:40am, 7#4oz

Emma- 1/10, 7#6oz

 

Hart Happenings

 Nothing like a new year to inspire you to do the things you've wanted to or meant to be doing all along!  Hence this blog post.

  We had the most beautiful wrapping up of 2022 with a visit to Jenn and Scott down at mom and dad's house.  Joe joined us with most of the kids but Lori and Hope stayed home due to a nasty cough.  It was a delightful visit, full of playing games, laughing at the Manning's yearbook, super yummy food, and lots of chatting.  Joe followed us home and the kids had a blast playing games, working on the snow fort, eating snow cones, playing at the church, and sleeping under the galaxy projector.  Dad came up to play as well and watch a World War 2 movie with the brave souls.  The rest of us stayed in the basement and watched Flora and Ulysses.  It was the very best of times.

  We started 2023 off with a bang when Alex injured himself playing at the gym early in the morning with some buddies (a resolution of his).  He has been to the chiropractor every day this week in search of relief.  We are all relieved to report that he is feeling better and even managed to gets some hits in at a Spikeball practice yesterday.  We are not used to seeing him down and out for an extended amount of time so it was a week of confusion and sadness for the rest of us.

  Or it would have been if there wasn't so much other stuff going on!  We got to hang out with the Nilsson kids a couple of times, sans Ruth and Dane, sadly, who are still trying to kick a terrible cold that has swept through the whole family but decided to linger with Ruth and Garrett.  It's nice that Addy can drive them over all by herself!

  The boys are back at soccer practice (Jack), rehearsal (Ian), and parkour (Peter).  It makes for busy evenings. We are also slowly moving back into our study time in the mornings.  It is the mom's very favorite time of day.  So many neat things to learn and great books to read!

  There have been lots of football and basketball games to watch and that has helped Alex pass the time while he is lying on his back.  His brother comes over to keep him company and watch the games and that give the boys some fun cousin time.

  I don't know about where everyone else lives, but here, in Idaho Falls, winter signifies the spawn of bottomless potholes everywhere.  If you're lucky you can dodge them in the daylight but at night it becomes quite a bit trickier.  On his way home the other night, Ian hit one that was deep enough that he basically disappeared into it and emerged with a blown tire and dented rim.  He had quite the experience the next day talking with mechanic shops ($840 for a new rim) and then searching the salvage yards for the right part ($63 for a rim).  He learned a lot and saved a LOT of money with a little extra effort.  Alex was pleased because the tires that he had just put on the van were under warranty and so we got everything repaired and replaced at the tire shop for only $20.  A good example of a scenario that could have been so much worse but that we walked out of with very little stress and expense compared to what might have been.

  The community gardens are gearing up for their lecture series so meetings and tasks for that have taken up Elise's time, along with registration for our homeschool co-op's Spring semester which is an all hands on deck scenario for us board members.  It went really smoothly this time around which was a boon.

  Our house is currently littered with seed catalogs and garden plans.  I am trying to reign myself in this year, but it is so hard!!!  The pictures and the mouthwatering descriptions always suck me in.  I will be strong!!!  It reminds me of the Frog and Toad cookie story.  "What we need is will power!"

  Things are moving along much the same as they always have at the Hart house.  We are looking forward to what this new year holds and hope that lots of time with family is in the cards!

  We sure love you all!  And are hoping that Chet is healing well and rapidly!

A hike to a local hot springs that Ian went to with some friends.  We are all jealous of the pictures he took so we want to go now too.

The tire and rim after the run-in with the pot hole.  Drive safely everyone!