Aaron is always telling me that school work and sports get in the way of his free time and I always wonder what exactly it is he would rather be doing during that time instead. Sure, I thought, he plays with his friends now and again but it's not like that takes up his entire day. Well, I was tidying up Aaron's bed and now I have my answer. Poetry and comic books. Yes, my friends, my son is a literary genius. :) Aaron will probably be a little embarrassed that I posted these, but I think he may forgive me. So, here for your reading pleasure are "All Bad" and "All Good" by Aaron Smith. Maybe I will scan in one of his comics later as they are also quite hilarious.

All Bad
What up, my home dogs? How's it goin'?
Check out my jacket, it's totally flowin'.
I think I'm all bad, I cuss and fight,
so do not watch me, it's not a pretty sight
I think I'm all bad, yes I think I'm all bad,
flipping people off is totally rad.
Oh yeah, I think I'm all bad,
It's the end of the poem and I'm not one bit sad.

All Good
Hello! How are you doing?
I don't believe in fighting, cussing or sueing,
I think we're going to like each other,
You'll be just like my brother.
I think I'm all good, I'm the teacher's pet,
I'm the best person in the world, I bet.
I like school work.
I'm not a jerk.
I share all the time,
but I must make an end of this rhyme.

Well, you all may remember the great time the Smith family had on their midwest vacation this summer. I neglected to mention the downside of the trip however. The whole time we were gone, we stayed in lovely hotels and at my sister-in-law's practically brand-spanking-new home. How is this a downside, you ask? Well, I got used to the perfect, smudge-free, finger-print free, crayon-free walls and consequently when I got home, I could not help thinking to myself, "What a dump!" Have we really only lived in this house for six years? Was it really only two years ago that I repainted almost all of the common areas? Do my children ever wash their hands? And would it make a difference if I tried to spruce up the walls or would it merely be an exercise in futility and frustration? I stewed and stewed over the matter for the last three weeks of summer vacation and finally came to the conclusion that I had to do something. I couldn't face the entire house because the idea gave me an all-out panic attack. Instead, I figured that once school started, I could at least brave painting the walls of my bedroom. These had never been painted before (since we'd lived here anyway) and I thought there might be a fairly decent chance of this chore actually staying done since little fingers are not on these walls as often as, say, the family room or the upstairs hallway. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, have I mentioned how truly lazy I am when it comes to home improvement? For the first week of school, each morning my children would leave for school, and each morning I would think about starting the project and then feel tired and do a logic puzzle instead. Finally one Saturday, I began the project. I painted for an hour, got through most of one wall, felt exhausted, saw what a mess I had to clean up once I was done, realized that the wall didn't look all that much different, and decided to quit. Luckily, my fabulous visiting teachers came the next week and listened patiently to my painting woes. Kim, being the inspired VT that she is, suggested painting the walls a different color just to change things up a bit. I usually don't paint my walls any color but white because that's what Sam likes and because I have a sage green carpet that I have to coordinate with. But Kim suggested a light brown and I decided to give it a go. Let me tell you, it was amazing the difference a little bit of color made in my enthusiasm for the project. It still took me an entire month of very slow progress, but this weekend I finally finished. I love it. Sam loves it. I never want to leave my room again because then I have to look at the walls in the rest of the house. Now the girls want me to paint their room pink and I am thinking that there is quite a bit of touch up work to be done in other areas of the house. Maybe if you give me a month, I'll be ready to do it - or not. Anyway, I don't know if you can see the color very well in these pictures. But here's a look at the finished project from a few angles. Come on over if you want to see the color in more detail.

Happy Birthday to this big, handsome 12 year old boy. We are so glad to have this funny kid in our family. He is the best walking companion, snuggling companion and Waltons Watching companion that you could ever ask for. He is sassy and smart and makes us all laugh with his silly, sarcastic comments. Yes, my friends - Aaron Smith is a lot of fun to have around. As a matter of fact, our Primary President (who has also been his primary teacher) got a little choked up saying goodbye to Aaron on Sunday when she presented him with his primary graduation certificate. I think later, however, she felt a little less reluctant about letting him go when we sang his birthday song and he answered the birthday question (If you could do anything with your family, what would it be?) with the answer, "Go to the Moon." The deacons' quorum is about to get a lot of new personality. That is for sure! Check out Aaron's slideshow. There was never a more photogenic child, if I do say so myself. :)

Happy 14th birthday to the smartest, handsomest, most talented 14 year old boy I know. He's an athlete, he's a musician, he's a comedian and he's a pretty darned good kid. Not only that, but he reminds me so much of my dad in both looks and personality that it's like having a little piece of Poppy with me all the time. Even their birthdays are one day apart. Here are some pictures. You be the judge.
Chad, 11 yrs old
Poppy, 11 yrs old

Poppy 13 1/2 years old.

I love both of these awesome guys and am so grateful to have them in my life. Don't forget to look at Chad's slideshow.