Thomas Times

3 Years Old!

2010-07-04T14:02:00.000-07:00

It seems like just yesterday they were born! Aren't they the cutest little twins?

Where has the last three years gone? Oh yeah, I remember...about a million diapers (thankfully, no longer!), a zillion feedings, and a few sleepless nights! But, we all survived, and look how darling our little family is!

We had a little dinner/party that included this little masterpiece:

And these two cutie-pie's:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BELLA & CARSON!

Home Repairs

2010-06-25T12:57:00.001-07:00

Mark replaced the seal on the dishwasher...

The conversation afterwards went something like this:

"So, did you fix my dishwasher, or did you break it?"
"Yep........you're welcome"

In order to keep the door closed on the dishwasher now, it involves a washcloth, a vacuum, a step stool, and a bottle of vinegar. He assures me that once I run it a few times through on hot, the door will stay closed on its own. Keep your fingers crossed for me, 'cause I sure don't want to rig that up every time I do a load of dishes! I love my husband! He's so handy!

Like Father, Like Son

2010-04-28T16:14:00.001-07:00

Mark spent the morning working in the yard...along with his trustee little helper. He had to have the hat, sunglasses, 'work socks', shorts, and short-sleeve shirt...just like Dad! Our neighbors have a little toy lawnmower that looks quite a bit like our real lawnmower.
Carson spent the entire morning outside with Mark following him around the lawn, pushing and pulling his little mower!

I guess we all want to be like our parents when we grow up!

It's Official...I've Lost My Mind!

2010-02-09T20:48:00.000-08:00

We surprised Mark for his birthday and got him this cute little thing! I was debating on this or a 3-month massage package at Massage Envy. I clearly made the wrong decision! We got the doggie (and by the way, he is still referred to as 'doggie' because we can't come up with a name for him. Please add your comment and make a suggestion on what you think it should be called.) on Thursday of last week and had to keep it a secret until Sunday, when Mark got home. The dog was at the neighbors on Sunday, until our 'party' on Sunday night. So I talked to the kids about keeping it a secret, and surprising Dad....the very first thing out of Carson's mouth when he saw Mark was, "We got a dog Dad!". I just brushed it off and said he was referring to the stuffed dog. Anyway, he was totally surprised and even started getting choked up when the dog ran in and straight to Mark. Here's a couple pictures of our new addition.

So far in the 'name-running' is "Dash"...what do you all think?

Snowmen & Naps?

2010-01-14T22:06:00.000-08:00

The week of Christmas we got a great snowfall--perfect for building snowmen and ensuring a white Christmas. In the afternoon, while Mark went out to snowblow our neighborhood, and while the two little ones were 'napping', Sophie went out to build a snowman. After some time, she came in and asked me to come out and see her masterpiece. I grabbed my camera, and headed outside. I took this shot:

And then this shot before realizing what was in the background of my picture:

Let's get a closer look:

And silly me....I thought he was sleeping!

Accessories!

2009-10-30T14:01:00.000-07:00

Last night at dinner, I look over and see Bella with a darling 'french bread bracelet'. It's the new thing. A while later I hear Carson say, "Bella has a headband." Sure enough....the bracelet has been converted into a 'french bread headband'! A girls just gotta have her accessories! Who ever knew that a piece of french bread can double as a bracelet and a headband? I love that Bella-girl!!

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-13T21:22:00.000-07:00

Sophie had a field trip to the pumpkin patch, so we all enjoyed the morning walking through corn stalks, pumpkin fields, and picking out our own pumpkin!

2009 St. George Marathon

2009-10-13T21:16:00.001-07:00

Before:

After:

We had to post a picture with our 'finisher's medal's' on to prove that we actually did finish the marathon. The 26.2 miles weren't pretty, and we have both vowed to never run one again, but there is something to say about completing a marathon!

1st Day of Preschool

2009-09-02T14:22:00.000-07:00

Today was Sophie's first day of Preschool! She was pretty excited, and at the last minute, a little nervous. Here are a couple of pictures of our big girl (and her siblings)!

Go Lightening!

2009-08-22T20:38:00.000-07:00

Sophie started a city soccer league and her team name is 'Lightening'. We've had to 'practice' putting our hands in the circle and yelling, "GO LIGHTENING" as we raise them up (I think that's one of her favorite parts of soccer)! She had her first game today and it was so fun to watch them! Considering they've only practiced twice, they did a great job! During the first soccer practice, the coach kept using the word 'goal', and finally one of the kids on the team asked, 'what's a goal?'. And when the coach asked the kids what the best part of soccer was, one kid said, "getting drinks"! Kids are awesome!! Here are a couple of pictures from today's VERY HOT game. Enjoy!

The Cabin

2009-07-09T08:18:00.000-07:00

We just loved having Mark, Cori, Sophie, Carson and Bella back in town for a few days. Our favorite place to meet up with them is at the cabin...food...games...movies...swimming...giggles...laundry...yummy burgers in Cle Elum...all the good stuff! Here are a few pictures of our adventures there.

Re-cap of the last month..

2009-06-17T21:36:00.000-07:00

We've had a doosey of a month! In fact, I'm not sure what the highlight was...Sophie dislocating Bella's elbow because Bella had her toothbrush (sorry, no picture, I was too busy beating Sophie and taking Bella to the dr.), making 'white-trash' smores, our first 'home-haircutting' night, or the best birthcake a mother could ask for. Here's a few pictures to re-cap...

Mark and Sophie made me this AWESOME birthday cake and decorated it themselves!

Does that just melt your heart, or what? The best part was, in Primary the kids asked me how old I was turning and I told them 25 (that's a lie, I'm a bad example), and my sweet daughter in the front row says loud enough for everyone to hear, "WOW, THAT'S OLD!"

We were planning on going up the canyon, but the weather took a turn for the worst. Sophie and I already had our heart set on s'mores, so we decided to do a 'white-trash' version. BTW, if you haven't tried Keebler's striped cookies instead of the chocolate and graham, it's a must. Very delicious...even roasted over a gas burner with a mallow stuck to the end of the fork!

Grandma Peggy thought it a little rediculous that I would take my 1 year old to get his haircut. I've never cut hair before, but she informed me that is why you start when they are little...to practice. For my birthday I got a haircutting/clipper set. Since I opened the present, Sophie has been wanting me to cut Carson's hair. I finally got brave. It was pretty much a repeat of what we did a couple of months ago, minus the $10 and waiting for the chair. Carson cried the whole time, and it actually turned out pretty cute. After I finished I asked Mark if he wanted me to cut his. He said I should practice a few more times on Carson! Sophie was my best client of the evening. Happy and excited, and thankful too!

And a few more random pictures of the kids...swimming (if that's what you can call it when it's 4 inches of water), and hat's & glasses! I love my kids!!

Sophie's Dance Recital

2009-06-17T21:31:00.000-07:00

Sophie had a dance recital about a month ago, and I'm just now getting on the ball to post these pictures. She had two dances that she performed, one was a 'village child' (the headband and wrap-around skirt), and the other was a bird costume (rainbow colored feather boa). She was SO cute!

Easter!

2009-04-12T18:26:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning we fought the crowds and attended the city Easter egg hunt. I'm not quite sure why we go to those. I guess it's to teach our children about real-life: fight like a dog for what you want, don't let anyone step on you, and cry when you don't get what you want. The actual hunt lasted about 2 minutes, and Sophie cried for the first minute and a half because she didn't want to do it alone. She ended up with a few stepped-on eggs full of cheap candy and bubble gum. So, all in all, a total success! We ran into Sophie's little friend, Elyssa and they got their picture taken with the Easter bunny. "Not the real one, just a boy dressed like him--he had tennis shoes on."

We then dyed eggs...

and then made the easiest and cutest Easter bunny cake...

Sunday morning we woke up and found that 'tricky' Easter bunny had hidden candy in our house...everywhere! Sophie cleaned the place out in a matter of minutes. Carson could have cared less about an actual Easter basket, he just ate them as he found them. His mouth was so full he couldn't talk, but still manage to continue to shove them in. Bella did great...she was walking around finding things, eating as she went, but also filling her basket too.

We then got ready for church! I couldn't get the kids all in the same picture with their cute Easter clothes on, so I took individual shots!

All in all, a fun Easter!

Carson's 1st Haircut

2009-04-11T12:56:00.000-07:00

In public, people started asking us if we had twin girls. So, we figured it was time for Carson to get a haircut. Here's a before (otherwise known as a mullet, baby mullet no less, which means the parents are to blame!):

Here's after:

And here's the in-between:

He loved every minute of it!

2009-02-20T18:07:00.000-08:00

Grandpa's first calf, born 2/20 about 6:15 AM

Baby Calf

2009-02-20T18:01:00.000-08:00

Quilt

2009-02-19T17:10:00.000-08:00

I have finished this quilt after about 6 months, that I have set aside for Courtney. Each grandchild has a quilt made for them, it takes me about a year apiece. They will get these when they marry( a good incentive to chose someone Grandma likes!) This is a basket pattern with satin baskets, and satin scalloped edges. It is set with different pattern white on white materials. I love quilts and I love the grandchildren.

1/2 Marathon....and 5K

2009-02-04T21:41:00.000-08:00

For some it was a half marathon, for others it was just a 5K.

Mark successfully completed his very first race ever--a half marathon no less! We're so proud of him!! He ran the St. George Painter's Half Marathon on January 17th and did a great job. He ran the whole way except through the water stops, when he walked.

I got a pretty bad cold that lasted about two weeks toward the end of my training, which kind of put me out of the running (ha, get it?) for the 1/2. I ended up running the 5K that day, and then went and met up with Mark and ran the last mile and half with him. It was fun! Some other friends of ours ran the 1/2 that day too, but since I ran the shortest distance, I didn't feel worthy to be in the group photo, so I took it!

Christmas Day

2009-02-04T21:26:00.001-08:00

On Christmas this year we got about a foot of new snow, so it was beautiful! I just wanted to share a couple of cute pictures from this year. Sophie was so excited for Christmas this year. We were quizzed on lots of Santa questions, which was pretty entertaining to see how her mind was working to put it all together.

Carson was thrilled to finally get some 'boy toys'! He spent all day playing with his new race track and cars.

I think girls just come with that nurturing thing...these pictures of Bella just melt my heart they're so sweet!

I made tutu's for the girls, and I can honestly say this is the only time I've seen them wearing them! I thought they were cute....

And this last picture of my sweet husband, totally shocked and excited at the gift that his In-laws gave him--Garmin Forerunner!

Now I see the wisdom in my parents making us shower and get ready for the day before we came down for Christmas morning.

Christmas Eve Nativity

2009-02-04T21:00:00.001-08:00

We always get together with the Harris side of the family on Christmas Eve and have dinner at our place and a program of some sort. This year we decided to do the Nativity (which hasn't been done since I've been part of the family). It was cute to see our kids dressed up--Sophie and Bella were angels (of course), and Carson was a little lamb. He was a huge ham that night in front of the camera, it was hilarious!

It's impossible to get all three kids smiling and looking at the camera at the same time.

Gingerbread Tradition

2009-02-04T20:27:00.000-08:00

I realize this is a little late, but it was still blog-worthy, so here you go...

When you're a kid you don't realize all the time and energy that goes into some of the famiy traditions. Sophie LOVES to help me cook, so I thought she would be old enough to start one of my favorite family traditions--gingerbread houses! I had NO idea what I was getting into, and I still can't believe that my mom would make enough gingerbread dough for each one of us to make our own gingerbread house. WOW! It ended up being a two night activity, and despite the mess and time it took, it was by-far the best Christmas activity that we did together this year. It will be repeated next year, and the next, and the next. Definately worth it!

We spent the first night mixing up the dough, rolling it out and cutting all our shapes.

You'll see me using a ruler to get my house perfect.....HA! What a waste of time that was! By the time I moved it to the cookie sheet and baked it, I was more than an inch and half off on my wall heighths, my roof didn't fit, etc. So after it was all cooked I took a serrated knife to it and did some remodeling. Next year I think I'll just cook up sheets of gingerbread and then do the cutting.

Sophie had a great time rolling out dough and cutting shapes too.

Night number two consisted of decorating and constructing!

Mark helped Sophie decorate too and we all had a great time! They made a Mom, Dad, Sophie, Bella, and Carson gingerbread for the front yard, along with trees, snowman, etc. Mark mastermind a 'dog house' that ended up looking like a coffin for the front yard as well! (He said it was because I tried to 'fix' it!) Here's a picture of some of the best!

And the finished product was just too cute!

Our Ballerina

2009-02-04T16:06:00.001-08:00

Sophie has been taking a little dance class in our neighborhood the last couple of months and had her first recital in January. (These pictures were taken in December, just so you don't think I still have my tree up!! ) I know this will come as a shock, but she was the cutest one there! She wasn't nervous and did a great job on stage! It was fun to see her perform!

Good ol' Time at Cornbelly's

2008-10-15T20:34:00.000-07:00

Last week we had our cousins come into town to stay with us and we had a GREAT time! One of the things we did was go to Cornbelly's Corn Maze at Thanksgiving Point. The actual adult corn maze is 13 acres (if I remember right) and takes 45 minutes to 2 hours to get through. The 'kiddie corn maze' was about .003 of an acre and took approximately 5 minutes to get through....that was more our style. It had rained the previous weekend and so the mud was pretty nasty. Pushing the double stroller through the maze would have been impossible, so we opted for Mark to stay with the babies, while I ventured the small corn maze with the kids.

They also had other things there, as you'll see by the pictures. It gave us 'city-folk' a little taste of 'farm country'. In fact, the kids mentioned that Grandpa could have done all this at his house. So, Grandpa Larry, if you're looking for your next business venture, I think we've found it. You'd just have to start planting corn in that 30 acres!

There was some pretty tough competition on the race track that day!

And nothing like a good sucker to finish the day off right!

Doggie Ears - Ooohh the little joys in life!

2008-10-15T20:06:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday's Sophie attends a class at the public library. A librarian reads them books and they sing songs and make a craft of somekind. Sophie really has a great time. Today they sang that song, 'Do your ears hang low, do they whobble too and frow,...etc' and made 'doggie ears' to take home. Right after dinner, Sophie decided that she wanted to make doggie ears for Carson and Bella and asked for my help. They had such a good time and all looked so cute, that I had to take a few pictures. We then had to make doggie ears for Dad too. They are ready and waiting for him too! I'm sure he'll be excited to wear them!

Crazy Sleeper

2008-10-12T21:11:00.000-07:00

At the end of each night, Mark and I go and check on the kids just to make sure they are snug as a bug and safely tucked into bed. Occasionally we find Sophie upside down with her feet on her pillow, or other random sleeping positions. Tonight we found this....head hanging off the side, sound asleep. So, of course we had to get our camera and take a picture.

Two Wheeler!! (with training wheels!)

2008-09-23T19:36:00.000-07:00

Sophie just got her first two wheeler this weekend for her fourth birthday and she's pretty excited about it.

Mark was putting shoes on to go outside to help her learn to ride it the first time and by the time he got out there, Sophie had already opened the garage door and taken it for a spin. Who needs Dad??

She's crashed several times, but just laughs and get's back on. She's always been pretty athletic and coordinated and it's just fun to watch her ride around and around on that bike. She sings while she rides too, which is pretty entertaining. Today she was singing about a 'princess biker' and yesterday it was, 'go faster, princess bike'. Every lap around was a new line. And periodically, she would stop and say, "Mom, Dad, thank you for the bike". Day two, and she's already doing the 'no hands' trick! And, of course, today she had to wear her new red sparkle shoes that Grandma Peggy gave her for her birthday while riding. She told me that she would be really darling cute if she rode her bike while wearing the sparkle shoes. And she was!! These are the 'pay-day' moments in parenting that make it all worth it!

TOU Marathon...We Conquered!

2008-09-20T19:26:00.000-07:00

Everyone says that once you run one marathon, you'll be addicted and want to run more and more. Maybe we'll change our minds at a later date, but Coty and I are pretty content with just running this one.

Coty's bus got in at 5:30 on Friday night, and Grandpa and Grandma picked him up and came to Logan to meet us. Our friends, Ryan and Nikki Ostler (who were also running the marathon), drove the course with us so that we would know what we could expect. We then picked up our packets which included our shirts, bib numbers, timing chips, etc. And then headed out for a late pasta dinner.

After a sleep-less night (mine was anyway...I think Coty was able to get some sleep), we awoke at 4:00am in order to catch our bus. We ended up at the start line around 6:00 where we hung out in the warming tents stretching and relaxing for approx. an hour before the race started. We lined up in our supposed finish times and Coty was a bit modest when we chose to stand in the 3:30-4:00 area. He ended up spending a little time trying to pass everyone.

Coty will have to tell his next 26.2 miles of tales...he had aches and pains (including some hamstring issues), but needless to say he did AMAZING! He placed 1st in his division, which was 15-19 yr old males, and 39th overall. He ended up with a time of 3:08 (which is an average pace of 7:14 minute miles for 26.2 miles)...absolutely incredible! And his time was so good, he qualified to run the Boston Marathon. WAY TO GO COTY! He walked away with a great trophy and a $50. check. I think they left off a zero...it should have been $500!

As for my 26.2 miles...all-in-all it was good. Relatively speaking I felt pretty good. The first 17 miles are in a canyon that has slight rolling hills. To be honest, I thought that was going to be easy, but I guess there are no free handouts in running 26.2 miles! The canyon was beautiful and was full of changing leaves, so that made the time go by a little faster. I was already hurting by mile 17 when Mark and fan club met up with me. Mark ran and chatted with me for a couple of minutes and gave me the update on Coty, Ryan, and Nikki. Seeing them gave me an extra boost. About mile 19 I got this overwhelming feeling of exhaustion. It was all I could do to keep moving. I didn't dare look down at my watch to see my pace because I didn't want to be discouraged. I just kept telling myself to stay running. I took a Roctane GU which gave me a huge pick-me-up. A little past mile 21, Mark, Mom, Dad, and kids surprised me which was awesome. The first thing I saw was Sophie running toward me to give me a 'five'! Just the faces I wanted to see, and just what I needed to gather myself physically and mentally to finish out the race. Ryan and Nikki met me around 25.8 miles and ran with me until the final turn, when you see the finish line in your sights. As soon as I saw that, I just took the last amount of anything I had left and pushed as hard as I could for the finish. What an amazing feeling of accomplishment! I finished in 4:42, which was a 10:35 pace. I ran, sometimes very slowly, the entire way (with the exception of water stops).

I feel great about accomplishing a marathon, and pushing through when times were tough. It's an interesting test of your will. It's as much mental as physical, and I guess you have to be mental to want to run 26.2 miles in the first place!

They did it!!!!

2008-09-20T12:40:00.001-07:00

Good Job Cori and Coty! For those of you who are on the edge of your waiting to hear how Cori and Coty did at the marathon....

They did it! They both completed the 26 mile run that was located in Logan Utah. I can't even imagine running that far, but I know they both put a lot of work and training in preparation for this big day. We are very proud of you both!

I am sure there will be pictures coming shortly as Cori's husband, Mark, and her kids along with Grandma and Grandpa Thomas were there to document it. So check back.

Top of Utah Marathon - dedicated to Cori and Coty

2008-09-15T22:15:00.000-07:00

I found this on youtube. It is a home video of some friends who ran the Top of Utah marathon last year. I thought this would hopefully motivate and give them an idea of what they are in for. We will be rooting for you two. RUN LIKE THE WIND BULLSEYE!

Zoo Times!

2008-09-12T20:31:00.000-07:00

We went to Hogle Zoo on Monday with our friends, the Bichler's, and had a great time! They have two cute girls, Addie and Ella, that Sophie (and the rest of us) absolutely adore! We learned some pretty interesting facts: 1.) Mark correctly guessed the rip-off price of the carosel ($2/ea.), 2.) giraffe's walk using both left legs at the same time, then both right legs, 3.) that thier knees bend backwards just like a flamingo, and the most interesting fact: #4.) Aimee informed us that they can kick the head of a lion/tiger and kill them. Those are some pretty powerful flamingo legs!! Oh wait...she meant the giraffe!

Tisdall cont.

2008-08-04T16:07:00.001-07:00

Just a few more pictures to add...

Tisdale or Bust!

2008-08-02T10:36:00.000-07:00

The annual trip to Tisdale in Canada was once again a wild success. Participants included Cori and daughter Sophie, Mark and Daughter Sidney, Kyle and sons Jack and Cole with Grandpa coming along to hold the fort down. The weather was decent but the mosquitos were abundant. The kids all came home looking like they had chicken pox, even with thick applications of repellant. Everyone caught fish and some of us lucky enough, even had some brought home. How great is that? I sent Mark with the camera but he isn't quit as click happy as me, so hopefully Cori or Kyle will have some pictures to add.

Fishing on Lake Tisdale. It is a bit of a drive, but a beautiful place to commune with wildlife.

Whose the lucky dad taking these kids fishing? No tangled lines I bet.

Puttering around on the lake. Is there such a thing as speed fishing?

Nothing like a hot meal cooked over the campfire (or in the motorhome) after a long hard day of fishing.

It is good to see that even when moms aren't watching, the father's know that safety comes first. What great dads to take this group fishing! And the mothers enjoyed their 3 days of rest and relaxation (if that is what you call it :)

Happy Birthday Jack

2008-07-05T19:30:00.000-07:00

Jack had his 6th birthday!

This is his cheezy grin!
Jack also does math, 2 hands of 3 fingers! He is having summer fun between Kindergarten and first grade, as is Sidney and Nathan.

Cowgirl

2008-07-05T19:27:00.000-07:00

Cowgirl

2008-07-05T19:19:00.000-07:00

We had a ward family over to horse ride and BBQ, as our part of raising money for the Scouts. Mark and family came to help. One minute Sidney is riding, having a great time and then Popcorn got a bit caught crocked in his mouth and hoped sideways and would have decked any horse rider. Sidney held on and got a wild ride around the ring. Grandpa and Dad were calling "Hang on Sidney!" and boy she did, she earned her cowboy hat this night and we know now that Sidney is one tough (but pretty) cowgirl. This was shot just minutes before, and right after she told us she wanted back on to ride again. This tells us alot of her character!

Work Party Addition

2008-07-05T19:10:00.000-07:00

I had a picture from work party, showing how fun some people who attend have

June Family Work Party

2008-07-05T11:16:00.000-07:00

For those who are unaware of what a "Family Work Party" is, I will give you a little history. Several years ago someone came up with the idea that if we worked together we could get a lot more accomplished as a group than trying to do it indivudually. It was then decided that each family would take a turn and host the family work party at their house and we would rotate doing that once a month. Whoever's house it was at would decide ahead of time what they needed done, request tools or supplies that needed to be brought by others and would also provide lunch for everyone that day. It was kind of like raising barns in the old days.

Through this process we have painted a whole house in a day, put up and painted fences, installed patios, cut up trees into firewood that had fallen in a storm, poured tons of concrete pads, built barns and corrals, planted landscaping and did tons of other general maintenance. It has really helped getting those big projects done around your house not to mention the bonding that comes with working beside family. I know that my boys have enjoyed working with their uncles and this is also where they have developed many of the skills they have today. If this idea kind of tickles your fancy, I highly recommend it. You could also do this with friends as well as family.

Okay now on to the recap of June's work party. This month it was at Grandma and Grandpa's. This is usually a great place to have a work party because Grandma is a good cook and serves great lunches (think steak sandwiches).

The project was to install some fencing, move the corral and prep the area for a squeeze shoot to be installed (it needs a cement pad poured under it). The whole idea is to run the cows up the field into a smaller corral and then into a squeeze shoot which holds a cow while he/she gets doctored. Doctoring involves many things which I won't go into for the squeamish of heart, but know that it is for their own good. Much like us taking our vitamins. Here are the boys working on the fence.

This project also involved some tractor work. We teach them young at the TSR (ask Grandpa what that stands for :)

Here the guys are doing something really important and clever (I am not sure what but I know when they get that serious look it is important). I have also noticed that when I start taking pictures I get some scowly looks. I even heard mentioned by one character on the workteam that if he would have known there would be pictures, he would have worn a better shirt. Someone needs to inform them that even though they are all married, women like a working man. In fact, it is proven that when the pioneer woman puts cowboys from their ranch on her website wearing chaps, hits to her blog go up 100 percent. So if someone would volunteer to wear chaps next time it would help improve readership to our blog.

I love this picture. Here is Jack helping Grandpa move a section of the corral. This reminds me of my boys helping out and how they feel they were an important part of the "man team". Jack is a good worker!

Sidney was also a big help in the short time her attention span would allow her to scrape fences. She loves being outside with her dad, and of course when there are cousins to play with it just adds to the fun.

Well those are the highlights from this month. Check in next month as I believe we are tackling the cabin at the annual cabin cleanup.

Missionary Set-Apart

2008-07-01T09:19:00.000-07:00

It was just yesterday. Blain's Set-Apart

Eagle Scouts

2008-07-01T09:07:00.000-07:00

Another try at posting, retrain every try! We're proud of our Eagle Scouts!

April Flowers

2008-06-22T07:15:00.000-07:00

Old things I have needed to add to our memories is the day the girls and I went to the tulip fields. The girls were so kind to each other, it was a real treat to be with them. Girl Power! I did learn they would bargain they'd go to the quilt shop as long as we'd go to the pet store after. Priorities?

Rough Night!

2008-06-17T12:49:00.000-07:00

Sophie, on occasion, will fall out of bed at night. Last Friday night, she fell out of bed and I tucked her back in, loved her, and she fell right back to sleep. The next morning she came down stairs with a fairly good-sized shiner! The only thing we can think of is that she hit her eye on the nightstand on the way down.

June FHE

2008-06-04T21:56:00.000-07:00

June FHE was once again a success. We did notice the absence of Blain, but know he is doing great on his mission. Grandma Thomas made enchiladas and taco fixings. I don't know if we are just really hungry, being it fast Sunday, but the food is always great and something we look forward to.

Lance and Kelly were in charge of the lesson where we talked about the creation. We first divided into groups of 2 or 3, after which we were handed a blank piece of paper that had a scripture from the book of Genesis. We were to look the scripture up and decide which day of the creation our scripture talked about and what was created. We then used pens and crayons to draw something that depicted that day. The highlight was when we took turns going around sharing our drawing. So here is the summary of what we learned.

Cole's Group had Day 1
This is where Heaven and Earth was divided
as well as light and dark.
We thought Cole's red moon was ominous and
perhaps he had been reading to much in the
Book of Isaiah. Good job Group 1.

Day 2 was done by Ashley and Courtney.
After figuring out what a firmament was.
They showed their interpretation of what
happened on Day 3 of the creation.

Kelly displayed the
artwork for Day 3.
Grass and Seed was the highlight of
this day. We loved the color and depth
of this drawing. Thanks Kelli.

Megan and her group headed up Day 4. This is where
the Light and the Day were created. The greater light
ruled the day. The lesser night ruled the night.
Great pictures!

Coty and Mark took the first half of Day 5.
This is where the creatures of the sea were
made as well as the fowl in the air. And they
were told to multiply and God saw that it
was good. That must be why Coty is so
enthusiastic.

Sidney and Lorri took the second half
of Day 5. We enjoyed drawing a cow
and creeping things. Some of us had
more fun with the whole creeping thing
than others of our group. But it was also good.

A couple of our younger artists,
Nathan and Jack showed us what happened
on the 6th Day God created man and woman.
Love the pictures!

Now Grandma and Grandpa took Day 7. I guess
there was a difference in opinion on what happened
so we showed each person's interpretation.

As you can see, Grandpa showed that after
the earth, animals and people were created,
God was tired and took a nap (at the bottom
of the page). So this is our day of rest.

Grandma on the other hand, believed that God
rested and had more of a Ahhh feeling than
a ZZZZZZZ feeling. So you read Genesis and let
us know what you think.

Grandma and Grandpa had refreshments and
treated us to chocolate bunt cake (if you
know the Thomas' you always need at least
a little something chocolate) and what Grandma
called Pig Lickin cake. Which was kind of a
pineapply concoction which was tasty.

So another successful FHE done for June!

Family Work Party May

2008-06-04T21:50:00.000-07:00

Yes, there was a work party in May, but again, no one took pictures. So I will give you a quick recap and perhaps someone from the Lance and Kelli family (that means you Ashley) could at least take pictures of the work that was done and post them?

The work party was at Lance's house. The word on the street is that they worked on some stuff on the back side of the house. Namely a pizza oven which Lance purchased and needed some brickwork done (correct me if I am wrong). I believe last FHE Lance said it was almost complete and even said something about baking bread in it. Sounds pretty nifty and if the world and there is no electricity, we all know where we can get our bread baked (although it would be a heck of a walk).

It is always amazing how much we get done when everyone pitches in. We have been on the receiving end several times of the family work party. When the day is over you can look back on the projects that were completed (and usually hanging over you for awhile) and feel appreciation for the talents that everyone willingly contributes. So again, a big thank you to everyone for making the sacrifice to participate.

Holding Hands!

2008-06-04T20:10:00.001-07:00

When I came inside from taking the pictures of Sophie, I found this....the twins holding hands while in their highchairs! Pretty cute!

Swinging & Singing

2008-06-04T20:01:00.000-07:00

Cute little Sophie loves to swing!! And she loves to be in her swimming suit too! I secretly took these pictures last Saturday! She was just out there swinging and singing...she's sooooo cute!! I love that cute little girl!

Checking Blain into the mission home

2008-05-24T18:06:00.000-07:00

It was an exciting but emotionally loaded day when we took Blain to the mission home. I just wanted to post a picture of him here, but if you want to see more photos and information you can see them here on our blog markandlorr.blogspot.com.

This is Blain and his dad in the entry of the MTC. After you left this area, there were no more pictures. I will be making a group email list to forward his emails to. I will also be giving out his address in case you want to mail him a letter. I don't want to post it here in case stranger gets it. Remember "stranger danger"

Last but not least, may I express my impressed state of being over my brother in law Mark Harris. He not only fixed the fridge wiring not to long ago, he was actually working on the leaky kitchen faucet. He was talking wrench sizes and the likes with my husband Mark. I definitely think he deserves a pat on the back and an AMEN for his new ability to fix things Good Work!

Visiting the Harris bunch

2008-05-24T17:57:00.000-07:00

Much appreciation to Cori and Mark for letting us stay at their house while we dropped Blain off. In the old days we would just stay at the old family house in Draper where my Grandma and Grandpa Smith lived, but it is nice to know we still have family that will take us in. I got a kick out of seeing the nieces and nephew. Sophie is a great big sister, always hanging around her brother and sister in case they need anything. And if they don't she just entertains them with her cute personality. Here are a few pictures I took of them.

Sophie doing the PJ thing while my Mark talks his sisters ear off as she tries to feed her children breakfast.

Bella was doing this really funny scrunched face thing. It was hilarious. Cori said she has just started doing it. You can see she is going to have quit the personality as she gets older. It will be fun to see.

Of course here is Carson. He is such an easy going baby who has figured out how to get around. He always seems so happy. It was fun to see all the kids together. You can tell they are very much loved and know it.

Swinging in Cedar Hills

2008-05-14T21:07:00.000-07:00

Wednesday after Larry and Cori hiked to Mt Timpanogos Caves we had supper and went out for an evening swing and airplane flying session (By now the airplanes are way folded).

Grandpa's birthday and FHE for April

2008-05-03T17:29:00.000-07:00

We had a great time celebrating Grandpa and Mark's birthday for Family Home Evening. I cheated and bought a lovely chocolate cake from Costco. We also had strawberries, cake and whip cream. We sang happy birthday to Grandpa and Mark, afterwhich they opened their presents. Grandma and Grandpa gave Mark a very nice, heavy duty coat. Grandpa received a cool leather coat that had fringe on it, which Jack modeled.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

During FHE portion of our evening, Lance and Kelly were in charge and had given everyone assignments of a latter day prophet they were suppose to research. But knowing our family like they do, they came prepared with information for each of us. We each took turns sharing a few facts about our prophet while the rest of us tried to guess who it was (we had a sheet with all possible choices on it). So not only did we have fun, but we also learned some interesting things about our prophets. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for always hosting this. It really gives us a chance to be together and the cousins love playing with each other (note them crawling in the large box).

P.S. can anyone tell me why there is so much space between my table and the title. Even when I moved it below my text it still put a lot of space between the text and my table of pictures. Thanks.

April Work Party at Granpa's

2008-05-03T17:17:00.000-07:00

So the April work party was at Grandpa's this month. It ended up being a shorter day due to the fact we had the pleasure of doing a youth temple trip that morning. A few things that were accomplished were...
Pour new concrete for septic (last one was cracked when someone inadvertantly ran over it)
Poured concrete in the spaces that had to be chipped out so they could run Grandpa's new sprinkler system (BTW = don't drive on the lawn)
Electrical wire that ran out to the free standing light posts was fixed (they had shorts in them)

Grandma fixed heavenly steak sandwiches. She marinated the meat, grilled it, then sliced it thin and put it on rolls. This is what drew Blain and Coty up to the house to help out. I told them this is where lunch was if they were hungry. Blain had just arrived early that morning, so we were very excited to see him. Ashley also came out with her dad, so Courtney and her had a chance to hang out. The weather was pretty nice, so all in all there were no complaints and a lot was once again accomplished. Thanks to all who pitched in (and to those of us who just came up and took pictures and ate lunch). Next month is Lance's house.

Salt Lake City 5K

2008-04-19T11:30:00.000-07:00

My friend Aimee asked me a couple of months ago if I wanted to run a 5K with her, and I agreed. Mid-life crisis, I guess?? So, this morning we did it! My time would be embarrassing to Coty, but I was happy with it. I actually beat my best time (on a treadmill) by about 4 minutes! I know the picture looks like I ran it in the middle of the night, but it was actually taken in the underground parking garage afterwards (just to document the event)! We had so much fun that we're thinking about maybe doing a 10K. Anyone want to join me?

Arches National Park

2008-04-13T21:46:00.000-07:00

We went down to Arches National Park and Dead Horse Point for a couple of days this last week and had a great time. This is a must see sometime in your life!! The pictures don't do it justice...you'll have to see these in person sometime. Sophie was a TOTAL trouper! She hiked about 1.5 miles the 1st day, almost 4 miles the second day, and over 5 miles the last day! Mark and I both had kids on our backs, so it was impossible to carry her too! The babies did great!! Especially considering Bella had the flu! We are ready to go again, so if anyone wants to go, just let us know the date!

Fridge Fix

2008-04-13T21:13:00.000-07:00

My husband isn't a particularly handy guy, unless it involves a computer of some kind. So, when I mentioned to him that the water and ice no longer work on the front of our fridge, he immediately said, "call the repair guy". I asked him if he could look up on the internet and see if there was any information on 'common problems' or 'easy fixes' to this sort of thing. Sure enough, turns out there is a bundle of wires that run up the bottom of the door to the ice and water that can, over time, get shorts in them. Long story short, Mark actually spliced the wires and fixed the short. Mark was so proud of himself for fixing it, that he informed me that this was 'blog-worthy'. So, here you go! We are so proud of Mark!

Easter at Grandma and Grandpa's

2008-04-11T12:45:00.002-07:00

Well, a little late I realize, but we still had a great time. Grandma fixed Easter dinner, after which, we had our traditional Easter hunt. Grandma and Grandpa made baskets for each of the grandkids. After they scoured the house (yes it was indoors because it was a nasty rainy day.. surprise, surprise) and each grandchild found his/her basket, they then went on a hunt for candy and other fun things. Then of course the real fun began. Each adult brought 3 eggs with prizes. The prizes were to be under $5 or a combined total of no more than $15 dollars. We let the grandkids hide the eggs with the understanding they would "remember" where they put them. Then the adults were let loose. Funny thing is that it took a little bit of time to find the last couple of eggs. But after opening the eggs it was determined that Kelly had actually found a plastic egg from last year and I think a piece of candy also. This is not saying anything about Grandma Thomas' cleaning skills as everyone knows she always has an immaculate house, but it is saying something about how clever our little hiders are. We all had some great laughs and enjoyed each others company. Blain was missed, as he was at college but will be returning home soon to prepare for his mission.

Courtney is 13! Happy Birthday

2008-03-31T12:50:00.000-07:00

Courtney's Birthday was March 29th. So this is a little late but hopefully well worth it. We sure love you!

Work Party at Lance's House - March 22nd

2008-03-31T12:42:00.000-07:00

The Work party was at Lances. It had to be moved several times due to conflict of schedules but finally got done! Yeah! Lance needed the bucket put in his new, shiny, green John Deere tractor, which unfortunately took most of the day. Ashley filled in for her mom and made lunch consisting of soup and panini sandwiches. No one took pictures so I used my photoshop and tried to reinact the event for all of us that were not there. I don't really think Lance gave Grandpa, Mark and Kyle a ride in the bucket when he was done, but I didn't have full body shots of anyone so this is an interpretive picture. Again, thanks to all the wives for letting their husbands participate in this family tradition!

We Three Kids...

2008-03-28T21:25:00.000-07:00

After the Easter post I thought I better show proof that we actually have three children (since there wasn't one picture of the twins at Easter). This was taken on the 14th of March. Carson and Bella are both sitting up and playing, and Sophie is always right in the middle of the mix!

The Harris Family Easter

2008-03-28T21:03:00.000-07:00

Our Easter started a few days before when Sophie received a package from Grandma and Grandpa. It had several fun things in it, but the most important thing was the gum! The nice thing was that it only took 1 1/2 days to chew it all!

Sophie and I made Easter Bunny cupcakes when we got home from church, and we had a great time decorating them. Chuck, Mary Ann, and Tessa came for dinner and festivities, which was a lot of fun! After dinner, Mark, Chuck, Tessa, and Sophie went out front to race remote control cars, and that sneaky Easter Bunny came while Sophie was out front racing cars, and she didn't even see him! She had a great time looking for the candy...and of course, eating it too.

Monday night (after the fact) we dyed eggs with Parker Griffes from next door. She kept asking when we were going to drink the pretty drinks. Sophie made all her's pink and could hardly wait to eat one the next day. So, first thing, we got out one of her pink eggs, cracked it, and she started eating it. The next few sentences out of her mouth went something like this: "This doesn't taste very good" "What is this yellow stuff?" "Do you think you could throw that part away Mom" "My stomach hurts" "I don't feel good" "Mom, I don't like Easter eggs" "Let's not eat these again"

Good times! Good memories in the making!

I will go where You want me to go....

2008-03-09T23:30:00.000-07:00

Patiently waiting for family
- notice the unopened envelope under his elbow.

Blain trying to contact Mark and I on speakerphone
- notice the envelope, still unopened.

Still waiting-
I am trying to conference in Grandma and Grandpa Thomas, Blain is still waiting
- boy does he have patience! (:

Cousin Tanner getting Grandma and Grandpa Butler on the phone.

Finally...
The envelope is being opened!

The excitement is building...
Everyone was on the edge of their seats.

Blain is reading his call...

TUCSON, ARIZONA!

No one won the $1,000 that Grandpa Butler put up if you guessed the right place (he still doesn't know that he offered it though). But I thought I heard, I could be wrong, that Grandpa Thomas also offered $1,000 (not to be out done) if someone guessed the right state. And wouldn't you know, I guessed Phoenix, Arizona. You can make that check out to L O R R I T H O M A S (or slip it in my easter basket).

Blain was thrilled to be learning "SPANISH", notice the cell phone on the couch and in his hand, everyone heard the announcement at the same time.

Blain is reading the information from his booklet that he received with his call. He will check into the MTC on May 21st. We are very proud of him!

"The Call"

Elder Blain C Thomas

Thank you to Wendi for taking pictures and helping us be apart of this great day in Blain's life!

March Family Home Evening

2008-03-08T07:12:00.000-08:00

It was once again, a great Family Home Evening for March. We started out with a yummy chicken dinner. The chicken was coated in panko crumbs then cooked and served with a sauce. Thanks Grandma! Right after dinner Grandpa took the grandkids out on the train where Megan also got into the action and snuggled in with Sidney. There was just enough time fora little DDR before the lesson - go Ashley and Courtney. Lance's family conducted and made the dessert while Kyle's family did the lesson. We learned about our new prophet, President Monson, and then played bingo about those facts. It was very interesting and helped us get to know him better. Dessert was monkey bread (delicious no matter what you call it), banana bread (rumor has it that Ashley made it YUM!), and chocolate brownies - thanks Kelli! Lance and Kelli then decided to raise the bar by doing a little preliminary work for next month's family home evening. We were each secretly assigned a prophet that we need to learn about, then come and share those facts to see if anyone can guess who we are. So don't forget to do your homework and see you at Easter!
******Each adult is to bring 3 eggs for the grownup Easter egg hunt. Approximately $5.00 per egg******

Cabin Snow

2008-03-04T21:16:00.001-08:00

An unbelievable amount of snow fell at the cabin this year. When we were up visiting in February, we spent the night at the cabin and (as always) had a great time. I thought I'd post a few pictures so that you could all see. The Utahns didn't bring any snow gear, so you'll notice Sophie's sporty 'make-shift' snow outfit, complete with socks on her hands, and a Costco stocking cap (according to Sophie, you can buy EVERYTHING at Costco...evidently stocking caps too). And as you can see, work before play. We cleared the deck off and then took a few runs down the hill before Sophie was too cold and Grandpa was too tired of pulling her back up.

Handsome Carson

2008-02-29T23:21:00.000-08:00

This picture of Carson was so cute...I just had to share it!

Work Party February 9, 2008

2008-02-09T19:08:00.001-08:00

So we had the family work party at Mark and Lorri's house (thanks to all the wives who gave up their husbands for the day!) Kyle and Mark worked on the septic to see if we could get it to code in hopes that "ONE DAY" we could get a permit to build a garage. Grandpa Larry fixed the handrail going up the stairs and down to the cellar. I guess the handrail has to be small enough to grab it in case you fall. And Lance was kind enough to setup and scale the scaffolding to fix the sheetrock where the water had leaked for 3 years. It took us that long to find the source (after many tries). We broke at 12:30 for lunch (chicken tortilla soup and sandwiches). Ashley came with her dad and in between helping out had a great time with Courtney. Most of the pictures are here because of them. I didn't add the 12 pictures that took of characters on the Wii game :) Thanks girls for helping to get this family blog started. And of course a big thanks to all the guys for using their time and talents in getting us back in order! Enjoy the slide show...

Didn't know we had so much talent in the family!

2008-02-09T14:06:00.000-08:00

The grandson's showed some extremely interestling talent last FHE. Just thought we would share the video footage. (CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW)

http://www.jibjab.com/sendables/preview/2gEB02GXMa60WgMJJRhxCKTL

Welcome!

2008-02-04T10:40:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Thomas Family Blog. Who knew that we could be so tech. I hope that everyone will use this to keep in touch, share pictures and of course stories (mostly funny embarrasing ones).