Bed Time Prayers

Gabe's bedtime prayer went as follows:

Heavendy fader, thank you for mommy and daddy, thank you for da puzzles a class.
Thank you for gamma and gandpa, and my oder family
thank you for my makayla.
heavendy fader, keep the bad dreams away and keep me safe
so i can wake up happy, and gamma and gandpa move to pine bally, so i can wake up to the deers.
AMEN

Gotta love his sweet innocence.

So one of our favorite places to visit is the Southern California Coast. This particular picture was taken at my personal favorite place which is Morro Bay. As a little girl my family used to take the two hour drive from our home and go feed the seals at Morro Bay.

This last summer I had the chance to take Bud and Gabe to see this place and Bud fell in love. Ultimately we want to have our dream home here over looking the waters of this beautiful place but for now we hold it dear to our hearts and visit often.

 Leaving Southern California to build our life together outside of the military was a difficult but very rewarding decision. We were able to come "home" and build a life together with our friends and family close by. However I cant wait to be able to call this amazing place home. Someday!!

Lately my very smart, very mouthy little boy has said and done some pretty funny things that I feel compelled to share with all of you.

*while saying our prayers before bed on Sunday night Gabe prayed for "Jesus to love the penguins", I am not sure if he is talking about actual penguins of which his has yet to see, or the cartoon penguins of Madagascar. Either way I couldn't help but chuckle at his love of wild life.
* At the Temple  Nativity  I told him a short, toddler version of the true Christmas Story, which he quickly followed with " Does baby Jesus and the fake cow live in that castle?"
*  At Chili's on Saturday he peered over the booth wall to the floor below yelling "Mommy, there's a humpedbacked whale" I chuckled and asked were did you hear about Humpback Whales, to which he replied in CAL--IF--ORNIA.
* Everyday he reminds  Bud and I that he either needs "another Sisher" or he needs his "SISHER MTayla"
* Bud and I were talking about the condo in Oceanside and Gabe said " I wanna see the Condor" I said Gabe its the Condo, the place we live at when we go to the beach, is that what you mean, He quickly answered. "No mom, the Condor, CAWW-Caww duhhhhhhhhh."
*The other day he was playing with his toy riffle he got for Christmas and accidetally cut himself on some glass, he said " Mom, I shot me, I shot me in my foot"
*oh and apparently I am Gabes daughter and his dad is his Husbin. Bud and I are not Married because Uncle Darren's wife is Mary and his sisher Mtayla is not daddy kid, she's Gabe's. He not quite grasping the concept of how the family fits, but at least he know we all fit somehow.

You never know what this kid's gonna say, you just have to be ready to explain to people it's it way off the wall. Like lately people are "creepy", how do explain that to the old man in Walmart that wants to say hi to Gabe.

Ok so it's official, I am the worst blogger, facebooker, and myspacer on the planet. I never update status or post new pics and after looking at alot of friends pages I have decided that I Ashley Jo Smitherman will do better this year, this I swear. Now that I have have taken the oath of the new age mommy/wife it's time to get down to business and update all of who have, I am sure, been anxiously awaiting my update.

The first thing I feel compelled to share, for those of you who don't already know. On November 13th 2009, the dearest sweetest man I ever knew quietly passed away in his home after a long and difficult battle with lung cancer. John C. Dewey, was in so many ways my friend, father figure and mentor. He was always so full of life even in the very end. Weeks before his passing he would crack jokes and dance his little dance in the kitchen, barely able to walk he would still try to stop, shake his little bum and make me laugh. I was raised by my grandparents and owe so much of who I am to them. I have to thank my sweet husband for being so understanding when I would spend most of free time with my grandparents after Papa's diagnosis in June of 2009. He stood by my side through the hardest thing I have ever had to go through. It's because of my family, my husband, my little boy, my amazing friends and last but not least my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that I was able to brave the roughest storm. I love you guys!!

While going through this very difficult time I felt compelled to reestablish a relationship with Christ. However I wasnt sure how to go about this. After many family prayers around papa, most of which were led my Uncle John, I felt compelled to talk to him about helping me find a church for me, Bud and Gabe. My Uncle John and his sweet wife my Aunt Taryn took Bud and me around town to find a Christian Fellowship that would "fit". Bud has such amazing instincts, he picked the Calvary Chapel of Saint George to visit first and after meeting the pastors there we knew that it was the place for us to call our spiritual home. We have been attending this church for several months now and it has been such an amazing experience for us to share. Already we have had such blessings in our life, and I know that many more blessing are in store my family. Thank you Uncle Johney and Aunt Taryn for being such examples to us and helping us to find this amazing church. I love you guys so much and owe each of you the world.