Coaching Allison

One of Brendan's passions is coaching football. He's been coaching our boys since they could hold a little soft nerf ball at the age of 1. He was officially their team coach with Jordan for 3 years and with Jake for 2. Well I never thought I'd see the day when Brendan would coach Allison during a football game, but it happened. Not in the traditional sense, but it was still funny for me to stand back and watch.

Brendan was asked to run the clock at Jake's game Wednesday night (probably because he's the one that is always yelling at the ref's about the mis-management of the clock). Anyway, Allison and I got there a little late after her dance class. We figured, why sit on the bleachers by ourselves? We invited ourselves to join Brendan up in the booth. He was having fun running the clock and scoreboard but couldn't keep track of everything by himself. He asked Allison if she could help him by keeping track of where the ball was and entering the information for the scoreboard. She had to look around for a good stool to sit on and got right down to business.

They sat together discussing the game and the rules. How many 12 year old girls know that in high school the ball is always set on the 3 yard line for an extra point kick? Oh that reminds me, Pleasant Grove had a girl kicker! Ok, now back to the story. Allison also learned that you always mark the ball on the 20 during kickoff. She didn't miss a beat. Once, during a timeout, I was trying to help her with a step she was having trouble with at dance and she said, "Later Mom, I have to watch the game!" I'm sure those words sent Brendan to heaven and back. It was just funny to see her get so technical and interested. I sat back and marveled as I watched the two of them. Can you just picture her saying, "Oh my gosh Dad, that was totally a false start on them!" I couldn't believe it. Oh, the bonding of a father and his little girl. Never thought it would happen up high in a booth at a football game.

P.S. Regarding Jordan's game last Friday against Lone Peak...let's just say that I can't write anything about it because we've all done our best to block it from our memory :(

Just trying to be obey the rules

Jake is such a sweetheart (most of the time) and rarely asks for much. So when he makes a request, I feel obligated to honor it. Within reason, of course. Well, he set down the ground rules for me about football games. Absolutely no photos before the game and then only after the games IF they win. Well, I have been getting a little sad because it hasn't looked like I would get any photos this whole season.

Last night was no exception. In fact, it was turning out to be a blowout. So how did I end up being able to take photos? Jake got to go in as receiver and made a great catch and ran the ball about 5 yards! We all know he got a 1st down, but the refs called it short by inches. He was so excited and proud of himself that he was all for taking a picture or two.

Jake and his sideline buddy, Lucas Draney.

These are two of my favorite boys in the whole world.

After sitting on the sidelines ALL season, he was thrilled to not only actually play in a game, but to have a great catch. It's not that he's not good, it's just that his team consists of a lot boys that are the size of Jordan and it's hard for a little guy like him to get noticed sometimes. He was happy to overhear one of the assistants ask the Head coach, "Why haven't we played him yet?" Hopefully he'll get more opportunites in the future because he will sacrifice whatever he can to make a catch or get up field. What he lacks in height he makes up for in heart and desire. He gives it his all in practice every single day. Brendan coached Jake's teams for 7th and 8th grade and says that Jake is a better quarterback than Jordan, but because he can't see over the line (yet), he doesn't get to play that position. (I'm so sorry Jake...it's all my fault. Not much height to contribute from my gene pool.) When one of his teammates makes a good tackle, or pass, or catch, or run...Jake is the first one on the sidelines to be there to give them a pat on the helmet and say "good job." Every team needs someone like Jake. We're so proud of him for sticking through a tough season and pray for a little growth spurt this winter.

Cheesecake Factory

We all went to The Cheesecake Factory in honor of Jordan's birthday last week. Jordan had to have his two sidekicks and best friends in the whole world, Jordan Dew and Nicole Foster, come along.Jordan Dew said he thought we were going to a REAL cheesecake factory and he was all ready to try all the samples during the "tour." Oh, Dew.....glad, he wasn't too disappointed.
Jordan and I planned a little surprise for Nicole. He asked her out to Homecoming that night. I had excused myself from the table right before dessert and slipped a little sign to our waitress with the request to have her put it on Nicole's piece of cheesecake. Jordan and I got nervous when Nicole and I happened to order the same kind (Raspberry/lemon cream --YUM!) Then a different waitress brought out half of our order and served Nicole first (the unmarked piece). Jordan and I just nervously looked at each other and said, "Now what?" to each other without speaking any words. I was totally rude and said, "Hey, that's supposed to be my piece." Nicole got all embarrassed and said, "Oh, I'm sorry. Here you can have it." I can only imagine what the poor girl was thinking...I felt like the biggest loser. I thought it was a simple request. Our waitress obviously was too busy to make it go smoothly. It was all good a few minutes later when HER piece came. The note said, "Nicole I would love to have the honor to 'CAKE' you to Homecoming. Love, Jordan." Totally copied the idea from a friend in our ward. Thanks Julie!Nicole was beaming for the rest of the night. I think she forgave me.

19 reasons for 19 years

19 years ago today, I married my very best friend after he was home 3 months from his mission. I was only 20, never lived away from home, just barely graduated with my Associates degree, didn't know how to cook (not even good cookies), making $4 an hour at a travel agency, but we were done waiting and I was ready to be his wife! It hasn't always been easy, but worth every minute of it!

Here are 19 things that I love about being married to Brendan.

1. That he makes me feel safe.
2. That his number one hobby is his family.
3. That he is a great listener and that after all these years we can still talk for hours at a time.
4. That he cleans up the kitchen for me after dinner.
5. How he can seriously laugh at the oddest things on TV which in turn makes me laugh or at least crack a smile.
6. The fact that he can fix ANYTHING!!!!!
7. He is able to finish something before moving on to something else and is very thorough about it.
8. Is not afraid of getting dirty.
9. Loves a good challenge, both mentally or physically.
10. Supports me even when he doesn't agree with me.
11. Honors his priesthood.
12. Loves Disneyland as much as I do.
13. Is neat and organized.
14. Is an "on-time" type of person. I guess that's called punctual.
15. Is a really hard worker at everything that he does.
16. Will watch and discuss Oprah with me (only certain ones though, even Brendan has a limit)
17. Calls me EVERYDAY at lunch and on his way home.
18. Is willing to sit by me at football games even though I get mad at him for yelling at the refs and coaches and have asked him, "What's a block in the back?" at least 100 times. I still can't remember.
19. And the number one reason I love Brendan is that he understands me and makes me feel important,loved and cherished every single day!

Happy Anniversary my Sweets!
Love, Me

Oh why did you have to grow up?

Jordan turned 18 today and it's been a really emotional day for me. Because you see he was my little boy just yesterday and today he's all grown up. I've been counting down the years, but I never really thought this day would come.

I remember the overwhelming feeling that came over me the minute the doctor placed him in my arms...all I could think of was, "Oh my gosh! What have I gotten myself into?" I was so scared and so young and so unprepared. But he is here today because I could not disobey one of the strongest promptings I have ever felt in my life. He was to be born at that time for a specific purpose known only to our Heavenly Father. I just pray that I've done my part in preparing him to choose the right and to fulfill his mission on this earth. I don't know. How can any mother ever feel like she's done her job?

I have to reminisce for just a minute...

Jordan was so wild and crazy as a baby that it was impossible to change his diaper alone. I needed someone to hold him down and someone else to distract him while I tried to change him at an Olympic record pace. I remember my mom promised me that once he turned 2 and started to communicate, he would get a little more easy to handle. Well 2 came and went. She then told me, "Just wait until he's 5. He'll be better once he starts school." Really? Then came, "For sure by the time he turns 8 and is baptized." Well, to make a long story short, my mom's latest advice is, "He'll be great once he goes on his mission!" He's not really all that naughty...well, maybe he is, but I've just learned how to deal with him through the years. He just has a very strong personality. The type that sometimes only a mother can love.

His favorite movie since the age of one has been Home Alone. I guess watching Kevin get into so much mischief influenced him just a little.

We used to tell him that he needed to hold our hand when he crossed the street. He would just start walking across the street cupping his hands together and say, "I hold my own hand!"

Jordan's favorite past times as a little kid, besides playing with any type of ball, were playing with his Batman guys and drawing. When he was about 3 years old, my brother Carlos noticed a bunch of scribbles on his Senior Art project that he had been working on for weeks. Jordan denied the whole thing of course, but the problem was that the scribbles spelled J-O-R-D-A-N! Oops! He insisted that it was the "Other Jordan." We have had a family joke for years now about "The other Jordan."

When he was about 4, he was bugging someone or something and we told him to mind his own business. He immediately stopped and declared, "I don't have a business. I don't even have a job!"

As he got a little older he turned more into Will Smith's character on the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Ever watch that show? That's Jordan exactly. Funny and wild, always pushing someone's buttons, but not always knowing when to stop.

I wouldn't change a thing if I could, though. It's who he is and he makes life a lot more fun and interesting. Next year we are going to miss him so much. He doesn't hang around much anymore anyways, but there's never a dull moment when he's around.

Hard to imagine, but I know next year we'll be saying how much we miss him announcing at the top of his lungs in an opera voice, "I HAVE TO GO PEE!" or turning on Jake's bedroom light and jumping on top of him after he's asleep, or fighting over the radio station or volume in the car, or making my mom cringe everytime he gets near her because she doesn't know if he's going to scare her or pick her up and spin her around, or having to stay clear of him until after 12 noon because he's as far from a morning person as they come.

He's been one of my greatest challenges, but also one of my greatest joys. What a blessing it has been to raise him and have him be a part of our family. I'm so thankful that he has been a good leader amongst his friends and also for their examples to him. I'm thankful that he is such a hard worker when he needs to be, but is also able to chill and relax and have fun. I'm thankful for the laughter that he brings into our family. I'm thankful that he honors his priesthood and is preparing himself to go on a mission and gets up at 6:30 on Sundays to go to his Missionary Prep. class. I'm thankful that he has always been able to excel in school and in sports. I'm thankful for the experiences he's had on the football field that have taught him the payoff of hard work and also how to lose and pick yourself up again. I'm just so thankful that we've made it this far and I can't wait to see what great things our Heavenly Father has planned for his future. I may not be the center of his life anymore like when he was little and loved his mommy so much, but I'll always adore him and be his number one cheerleader. I'll always stand tall and proud to say that he's my son!

Happy 18th Birthday Jordan!

I love you from here to space to the North Pole!

I can see!

Allison's been telling me for a few weeks that she sits in the back of most of her classes and can't see the board very well. I've been putting off the eye doctor appointment because I've been in denial that my little girl needs glasses. But yesterday we took the plunge and took her in. I realized that she has never had an eye exam, other than the little chart thing they do in elementary school each year. She thought the whole thing was quite bizarre. The doctor's assistant asked her if she was having any problems in school. Allison got a puzzled look on her face, hesitated, and then replied, "Oh, you mean like in seeing things?" I'm sure she was thinking why does this lady care how my grades are or how my jr. high social life is going? Problems in school? It was funny at the time, but it's one of those things you had to be there for. Her eyes aren't too bad...just slightly nearsighted and her perscription is only -.75. Nothing compared to Jordan's of -4.25! Poor guy, he's blind! It took her only about 10-15 minutes and about 10 tries to get her contacts in. We picked out some cute glasses too, just in case. The picture above is not one of the actual frames that she chose. She tried on so many that I stopped taking pictures. She walked around the store in awe of what she could read and see. She was thrilled to be able to read signs in the parking lot that she hadn't been able to see before. We talked about the blessings and miracles of modern technology and medicine and how lucky we are that we have them. This morning was a bit rough. She couldn't get her contacts in and ended up missing the bus. But she'll get the hang of it soon enough. That leaves me as the sole survivor in our family without contacts. I'm sure my day will come...especially as I'm quickly approaching old age, but I'm not sure I'll be able to do the whole contacts thing. You have to stretch your eyelids so much which can't be good for the whole wrinkles around the eyes situation. I think my mom is probably the only one who gets what I mean and is nodding her head as she reads this.

1st down, 6 to go...

You were all thinking this was another football post with 1st down and 6 YARDS to go, right? Did I fool anybody?

Allison has been working hard on finishing all of her value experiences and her project for Knowledge in her Personal Progress. She only just got serious about it the last few months but there's no stopping her now. Six values left to go. For her 10 hour Knowledge value project she decided that she would learn how to make bread. She got up early on Sunday and got the dough ready for four loaves of sourdough bread. Since it's made with a homemade starter, and not store bought yeast, it takes a long time to rise so we couldn't wait until the afternoon. I walked her through it and gave her some tips, but she was so proud of herself because she did it all by herself. She told her Dad, "Mom didn't even touch the dough!" I think Jake snuck a piece of the braided loaf before I could take a picture of it. Later this week we will finish it up completely after she makes some wheat bread and also some rolls and breadsticks for dinner. Before you know it, I'll be sitting around reading a good book, while my kids make dinner. Ok, well I can dream, can't I?

Check out these great photos!

I finally got the pictures that I ordered from the team photographer. I'm so glad that we have these as we would never be able to take these from the stands.

LEHI VS. SPRINGVILLE

LEHI VS. PROVO

That last photo is my all time favorite! It was Jordan's reaction right after Josh Miller caught the winning touchdown pass with 1.4 seconds left in the game!

Go Nicole!
She's the ball girl, but at just 5'2" it's scary to go out amongst the big guys in between plays!

The photographer caught Jake and his friends in the stands doing the "Peanut Butter/Jelly" dance!

So close...

Team Captains' pre-game meeting.
The Kearns team were all the size of our #73 (Bear)

Well, I guess you can't have a miracle game everytime....darn it! We lost to Kearns last Friday 8 to 12. We got the ball with about 2 minutes left and Jordan threw two really long passes with incredible catches by Jordan Dew. We got all the way down to the 5 yard line, but a penalty put us back to the 20. We wish the play calling would have been a little different, but 4 consecutive pass plays into the endzone were called. With 23 seconds to go and 4th down...it was all on Jordan's shoulder (literally). He threw a 25 yard pass into the endzone to Jordan Dew but it was about 1 yard too far. It wasn't meant to be. The boys came off the field understandably devastated. I knew I didn't want to live at my house this weekend. But after a good talk from the coach and applause/cheers as they walked out of the locker room they seemed much better. The Kearns team is rated as one of the top teams in the state and can I say that they were "Beasts!" They were actually really nice and great sports, but they averaged about 6'2" or more and about 250 lbs. Our defense was OUTSTANDING and played really tough. Jordan ended up throwing 51 passes and his shoulder had quite the workout. He could hardly pick up his cup when he got home that night. He didn't have the best game ever with several interceptions and a fumble, but our team made us proud. They played an extremely respectable game against a very tough team. The Kearns coach came up to Jordan afterward and commented on how impressed he was with him and his composure throughout the game and with his quarterback skills. Better luck next time guys! Good Job!

Allison showing some Lehi Pride!

A little bit from the newspaper article this week:
"Lehi quarterback Jordan Smith threw the ball 51 times and completed 31 of those. He ended up with 233 yards passing, but the Pioneers only managed nine yards rushing.
Things looked good for the Pioneers as they opened up the scoring in the first quarter as Smith connected with CJ Fredrickson for an 11-yard touchdown.
Trailing by four with 2:23 left on the clock Lehi got the ball back on their own 12-yard line. Smith drove his team down the field completing two big-yardage plays to Jordan Dew. The Pioneers found themselves on the Kearns 12-yard line with 35 seconds on the clock. But, four straight incomplete passes ended Lehi's hopes of a come-from-behind victory."

Jake in a nutshell

The following is what Jake wrote the other day for an assignment in English describing himself:

ME

Athletic, Nice, Funny

Son of Brendan Smith

Who loves football, history, and food

Who cares about BYU football, family, and friends

Who gives service, support, and joy

Who fears school tests, losing, and getting kidnapped

Who would like to see New Zealand, Will Smith, Steve Young

Resident of Utah

Jake Smith

I think he summed himself up well except I guess he doesn't remember that he's also my son :). If I could add anything it would be Spiritual Giant, Quiet Leader, and adores little kids! His current career choices for his future include: Dentist, Coach, History teacher, Police Officer...he'll be great at any of those.

Jordan to Josh for the win!

I know it's a new week and we should stop the party at our house, but watch Jordan's touchdown pass to Josh Miller for the win and maybe you'll catch a little bit of the game intensity and understand why we are still celebrating.

Pass with 10 seconds left...

WARNING: EXTRA LONG POST AHEAD.
It's 4th quarter. 10 seconds left in the game. Lehi Pioneers down 13-10 against Provo. 2nd down. We have the ball on the 15. Jordan gets the snap. He looks for an open receiver...

Wait, let's rewind for just a second.

Jordan led the offense the first and second quarters of the game like clockwork. He again completed 7 for 7 at the beginning and made great decisions. He had a couple of great runs which made the news again and two possible touchdown passes that hit the receiver in the hands, but were dropped. He ran it downfield to set it up for a field goal by Brennan Stringham and then he had a 5 yard pass to CJ who ran it up the sideline for 30 yards for a touchdown. Halftime score was 10 to 0.

Then the nightmare happened. Provo took possession of the ball and had it the whole entire 3rd quarter except for 10 seconds! The flags were burning holes in the refs' pockets and were thrown down on call after call after call on Lehi. It really got ridiculous when after one of the calls was waved off, they gave Provo 5 downs! They basically handed a touchdown to Provo on a silver platter. Then we finally got the ball back, but by this time Jordan hadn't touched the ball in almost an hour and was so cold that he ended up throwing a floater over our receiver's head and it was intercepted for a touchdown. 13 to 10 for Provo!

With about 1 and a half minutes left in the game, Jordan got the snap and made an attempt to run up the middle, but only made it 3 yards before he got smashed by 4 guys! He laid on the ground for a minute, got up way too slow for my heart to handle, doubled over and hobbled to the sideline. He ripped off his helmet and started spitting something. Oh my gosh! The sophomore QB went in and took two snaps and handed the ball off twice for about a 5 yard gain each time. He did well. By this time, we all realized that Jordan had just got the wind knocked out of him and was putting his helmet back on. He went back in and made an 8 yard pass to give them first down on the 9 yard line. Next snap comes, he rolls back and gets sacked for a 5 yard loss! Now back to the story I started at the beginning....

2nd down, 10 seconds left, Jordan gets the ball, looks for an open guy...he spots Josh Miller in the left side of the endzone...perfect 15 yard pass...through the defenders...Josh jumps up and its caught!!!!!!....But wait, there's a flag (of course).....we all go silent until we see Jordan jumping up and down....Defensive pass interference....penalty declined...touchdown is good. Lehi goes up 16 to 13 with 1.4 seconds left. We kick it off, stop Provo immediately and THE PARTY IS ON!!!!!!!

Cute Jake was next to me and just started bawling! It was so intense and we all wanted this win so bad. Lehi's Varsity team has not had a winning record since 2004. That's only because "our boys" hadn't climbed the ladder up to Varsity yet. It's going to be different now. We are officially 2-1 so far. We ALL ran down to the field this time. Jake wanted to be the first one to get to Jordan. He sprinted down the bleachers and found his big brother. Jordan saw him coming and spread his arms out, picked him up, and grabbed him for the biggest hug ever (good job leaving the camera home Mom). Next was his Dad. I don't know who picked up who. Allison and I finally fought through the crowd, but lost Jordan in the meantime. I hugged a few of "my boys" that I have loved since 6th grade football and was immediately glistening with residual sweat....eeeewwwww! We finally found Jordan and Allison commented, "Jordan actually gave me a huge hug! I don't remember the last time he hugged me." Ya, he must have really been happy.

He ended up getting interviewed by the newspaper and the following is an excerpt from one of the articles.

"The final play showed just how much tenacity Lehi quarterback Jordan Smith has, as he'd just been nailed hard on a sack the play before, landing him 15 yards away from the win. But he calmed himself, counted on his own confidence and the confidence the team had in him and threw the ball to Josh Miller, who made a great grab in the end zone with only 1.4 seconds left on the clock, sealing the victory for a Lehi team that had won one game in the past two years. " Jaclyn Olsen, Deseret News, "Late Score Propels Pioneers to Victory" Sept. 6, 2008

Then this was from the article in the Daily Herald:
"If you happened to be driving along I-15 at about 9:30 p.m. Friday night, it may have seemed as though the residents of Lehi were throwing a party on the middle of the Lehi High School football field. That's because they were. The Pioneers have become the toast of the town through the first three games of its season. After Provo rallied from a 10-0 halftime deficit to take a 13-10 lead in the third quarter and then managed to hold the lead with Lehi pinned deep in their own territory and just over 4:00 left in the game, it seemed as though Lehi could be headed towards a sub .500 record again. Until Senior quarterback Jordan Smith took control. Smith and the Lehi offense began their game-winning drive on their own 20-yard line and started pounding the ball on the ground. C.J. Fredrickson carried the ball for three of the first six plays of the drive, picking up 28 of his 30 total rushing yards along the way. Lehi Head Coack Derrick Peyton added,"It took a little bit for us to get back in rhythm, but we knew and had confidence that he (Smith) could do it. We're comfortable with him, he makes good decisions." Smith was given a couple options for a game-winning play and after surveying the Provo defense; he chose correctly and found Miller in the corner for score. "We were told two plays in the huddle." Smith said. "Their corner walked up close on our fastest receiver, I threw it up in the corner and he went up and got it."
Miller's diving catch put the Pioneers up for good, with only 1.4 seconds remaining in the contest. Smith, who finished with 129 yards on 22-of-31 passing, maintained his composure in the final minutes despite Provo's offense being on the field for nearly 20:00 of the second half, including 11:50 of the third quarter While it may be easy for the Pioneers and their fans to get excited over a winning record, Smith and his team have bigger plans for the season. The Pioneer football players aren't satisfied with just a winning record, they want more. "Playoffs." Smith said. "Playoffs baby!"

The photos posted were in the newspaper articles. The really good ones from the team photographer will be coming this week. Deseret News listed Jordan’s stats at 22 of 32 for 160yds and 2 touchdowns.

Need some fresh air?

May I just put in my two cents worth about these little wonders? They have been put through the toughest tests at our house and they always seem to do the trick. I don't know what it is about teenage boys...but boy, can they smell! I make sure that they put all dirty clothes in our laundry chute on a daily basis, I venture in there to vacuum once in a while, I'll open up the windows when the Lehi winds subside below the tornado category 2 level, and they really do shower every single night, but the aroma just doesn't get much better. I guess the dust collecting on their blinds maybe collects odors too. My only sure cure is popping in a new Glade Scented Plug-In (Clean Linen "flavor" is my favorite). Ahhhhhhhh! Makes my day!