Thompson Typhoon

30

2012-01-24T20:28:00.001-05:00

I turned 30 last week. I was more worried about it 6 months ago. The sad part- when I drastically cut my hair one of my biggest worries was turning 30 with such a horrible hair do! Let's just say I got over that one. In one sense I was excited to turn 30. Totting around four kids, being twenty and some change made heads turn. 30 sounds so much more mature and worthy of four kids. I am also hoping my "older" friends will not feel such a big age gap between us anymore - wink, wink!

Luckily, MLK landed the day before giving Connor a big fat day off of work to celebrate ME. Breakfast in bed with cinnamon rolls and all (Ashlyn and I practically ate the entire pan.) Jane, one of my idols, had us over for dinner. What I didn't know was that it was a decoy. Connor planned a surprise party with some of our favorite families. He also had worked long and hard creating a movie about me. A slideshow of pictures from birth to the present as well as interviews with all the kids about how they felt about me. I can say that he did a great job- there were only a few pictures that I cringed at as we all watched the video.

Success? I say so! Corbin had cake for dinner, my house was filled with people I love and Connor didn't have seminary the next day (meaning, I got to actually hang out with him after the kids went to bed.)

But the celebration doesn't end there...dinner made by my bestie with a bunch of other super amazing gals!

Thanks for making my 30th super amazing everyone!

Photo mania

2012-01-11T16:43:00.002-05:00

I have some budding photographers at my house...
carpet...

Kamryn who goes everywhere with her sunglasses...

corbin took a picture of his own black eye...

I am pretty cute...

Connor drooling over his parent's neighbor's yard..

We have an awesome diaper bag, don't you think...

These are a select few. I deleted hundreds last night. As you can see most of them are from the backseat of the car.

I am sure you are all enjoying Connor's postings. I am sorry I have been a little lazy/busy lately, so it was good to have him bridge my gap. The kids and I have been having so much fun lately since they have been tracked out. More to come.

Utah wins the Sun Bowl!

2012-01-02T09:41:00.002-05:00

Utah won the 2012 Sun Bowl vs. Georgia Tech in dramatic fashion. Down 14 points in the 4th quarter, they came from behind, forced overtime and won the game. Check out the video! GO UTES! 8-5 is a pretty decent year, especially considering all of their injuries and first year in the Pac-12.

4x4 party in NC

2011-12-31T22:23:00.002-05:00

It's Tacoma vs. Jeep vs. Tracker. Actually, just a few dads and their kids having a fun Saturday afternoon in the dirt and mud. Check out the pictures and videos. These are some short trails in Raleigh with some mud holes. John Patrey got a Jeep Unlimited (4 door) and left his sun roof off and ended up getting a ton of dirt in the interior. Fun New Year's Eve party. Hopefully many more to come this year. Great to have Robert back from Afghanistan so we can resume our 4 wheeling adventures!

Dylan brought along his friend Alex who enjoyed his first time 4 wheeling! He wanted to keep going so bad!

Check out this videos of us getting dirty!

Happy New Year everyone!

Hair Update

2011-12-21T09:10:00.002-05:00

I wanted to make sure I posted an update on my hair- since the journey has been surprising. I went in for a trim a couple weeks ago. Christy, my hair dresser, made a comment to the hair dresser next to her about me growing out my hair- since that was the original plan. The statement made me feel like it was official- I was growing it out. At that moment I realized I wasn't quite ready, I think I am actually having fun with this new mop I have. I don't know when it happened, but I have really come to love my hair now. I have tailored my new cut to just the way I like it, longer here, and short there. I have figured out how I like to style it so that I still feel cute and girly, but then hip and edgy too. I have noticed that I have changed the way I dress, they way I do my makeup and I never leave the house without a pair of earrings. These originally were all my desperate acts to look more feminine with my "devestating cut." To be honest, I feel much more fashionable. I can't say if I have just built up more confidence or if my ability to pull off more trendy styles has increased.

I recently had my first modeling gig. A friend of mine makes these awesome pendants.

Ugly Sweater Party

2011-12-17T09:13:00.000-05:00

You know you have great friends when the highlight of your holiday season is an Ugly Sweater Party. Especially when your friends feel at ease enough to come dressed like this...

Ben borrowed some of his wife's fake pony tail to create his own creepy do. The scary part was that he pulled if off too well...

Ali as...

Amazing that they found these just the other day at Steinmart...

The awards begin...

"An Innocent Toy Had to Die For Your Sweater" Award went to Jake (this is a very poor picture of Jake, but the best of his sweater- you can see the end of his reindeer on the back of his sweater) ...

The "Dickie-rific and Creepiest" award goes to Ben and Annie (she made her own Dickie since they are hard to come by now-a-days)...

The "Best Couple Sweater Combos" award goes to Andrew and Michelle (she will be shipping them off to her Mother-in-law who thinks they are cute, if you want a pair of your own you can find them at k-mart)...The "Knowing The Owner Of Your Sweater" award went to Kim and Kevin (they snuck them out of his parents house)...The "You Need a Tie With That" goes to the one and only Connor (I have to keep watch around the clock to keep him from burning it)...The "Best 80's" award goes to Dan and Janet...The "Ticky-Tacky" award goes to ME...

The "Grand Prize" winner goes to Ben and Megan. They get the coveted gnome that will be the grand prize for next year's Ugly Sweater Party...

And the people who made it all possible, our lovely hosts, Julie and Patrick (Patrick got his very chic mug on amazon)...

I hope your holidays have been just as cheery!!

Time to Dance

2011-12-12T09:09:00.000-05:00

I have been tempted to put Ashlyn into dance classes recently. However, I can't seem to get past the fact that my parents spent thousands on many, many years of dance classes for me. "Why can't I put that money to good use and pass my talents on?" I asked myself. I decided to teach her beginning ballet. However, the most fun part of dance class is the environment- lots of little dancing friends. So we invited some of Ashlyn's friends to participate with us...

It has been a fun but also challenging experience. There are days where Ashlyn definitely treats me like MOM instead of TEACHER. GRRR! Some days we have 6-7 girls, other days just two or three. After a few weeks in I realized I needed to change gears and see the class in a different way. At this age it isn't about doing it right, it's about learning to love dance, to enjoy it, to be creative with their bodies and fun. So that is what our class has focused on. It's been really FUN!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-07T22:00:00.001-05:00

I had the most wonderful Thanksgiving this year. It was relaxing, and that was a huge gift in itself.

It started out with a 5k at 8 am at the near by high school for a no drunk and driving cause. Then hurried over to the ward Turkey bowl. This was by far Dylan and Connor's highlight of possibly the entire year. We had enough people to play two big games and even a little kid game. When the little kids were done they came and played with the big guns. I even got to play- what a treat thanks to Hannah. I did however, come home with war wounds. I was covering bishop and he was off with the ball toward the end zone. I was running right on his tail but couldn't quite catch him. I knew I had to dive for it, but I got him! Dylan and Connor have many of their own success stories as they were on the winning team of the winners game. I of course realized that I hadn't taken any pictures until everyone was walking to their cars...

We had two families that also don't have family around over for dinner. Lucky for me, Patrick brought the turkey, it's always good when he makes it. Shelley brought the most amazing appetizers. The company was great and of course football got turned on near the end. All-in-all, it was a success!

I was also very happy with the center piece. I kept it there until yesterday when Christmas took over...

FYI- For all of those who wish you lived in Raleigh...Today is December 7th and this morning at 7 AM it was 65 degrees already. We sure have been having pleasant weather this last MONTH!!

Tis the Season for Flag Football

2011-11-15T11:25:00.004-05:00

I hate to brag, but I'm gunna. So if you don't want to hear it don't read this post.
Football is always 10 times better with one of your best friends (Ben).

For those of you who KNOW Dylan you know he is quite an athlete. We could see it in him even at age 1. Had he not been our first child we would have realized how extraordinary he really was. I also assumed he might grow out of being ahead of others his age, but he hasn't. This kid can do ANYTHING. Right now he is really enjoying flag football. I ALMOST feel bad, but he has scored 95% of his teams points this season. There was only one game he didn't score. Most of his points are running down the entire field. He also does a great job in defense- he can catch just about anyone. His teammates beg that he not be put on the sideline.
I have to say it- I am pretty darn proud to be his mamma on the sideline! I also would like to think that I taught him all he knows or that his athleticism is from my side of the family. But I can't really. He's all natural!He's really enjoying watching football with Connor, he begs us to stay up late to watch and also turns down the neighbor boys when a good game is on. Connor is in heaven! They even have their own touchdown "cheer." It goes a little like this... Utes score, Connor turns to Dylan and puts his hands on Dylan's chest and gives him a bunch of little shakes while they booth hoot.
When we realized how athletic Dylan was I also assumed he would be more average on the intellectual side. However, he proved me wrong there too.
This kid is unbelievably smart. He was excelling at school last year so we put him in a private school this year for second grade. He is doing all third grade work and it still comes easily to him. He has straight A's in all his classes (yes, he changes classes for each subject.)

Can you tell I'm proud of his hard work? I love you buddy!

Visitors

2011-11-07T21:24:00.001-05:00

Almost a month ago we were lucky enough to get not just one visitor but many. Connor's parents came to see us after they saw Connor's sister in Ohio. My brother, Nate, and his family of 6 also came. We had so much fun throwing our regular routine out the window and playing!

We really enjoyed have Nini and Poger all to ourselves (instead of sharing them with 45 other people.) Poger read to all the kids (Ashlyn didn't make it out awake)...Nini and Kamryn played dolls...
Corbin enjoyed sitting and listening to Nini play the piano (for a really long time!)...
We played a round of miniature golf. We had the course to ourselves. Corbin thought it was a race track...We took both of our guests on our new trail. On this particular day we caught all sorts of bugs ( I don't know if any of them made it out alive)...
We went to the Science museum in Durham (one of our favorite places)...
We saw all the bugs, all the dinosaurs, steered the remote control sailboats...
Dug for any sort of treasure at all (which I found later in my dryer)...
We watched all the snakes get fed mice (or gold fish- not the cracker kind!) We then pet a baby alligator...
We had to take them to experience "the farm." They especially loved the corn pit...

And the slide...The hayride wasfun too...

Thanks to Nate's engineering we no longer have any balls in our entry way chandelier (it was quite the exciting moment)! Hurray! I thought they were going to melt there before they would be rescued.

Thank you for taking the time to come see us!

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T21:24:00.005-04:00

I strongly dislike carving pumpkins.

I am sure you have all now labeled me as a Halloween scrooge.

I have finally figured out that it isn't so much the carving that I hate, but it is when the pumpkins start to become a host to more living things than I want to imagine that throws me over the edge. They get soggy and turn black. No thanks. So I have resorted to finding other fun things to do with pumpkins. Last year we painted faces on them, used Mr. Potato head pieces and clipped facial features from magazines and glued them on.

This year we enjoyed hammering golf tees to make polk-a-dot pumpkins and painted a few to mimic candy corn. Since Nate and Leslie had to leave their pumpkins here from their visit (another future post), we had enough to make a snowman pumpkin! No melting!

Every year, Genworth has trick-or-treating at the office- LOVE IT! It is warm, not dark and the kids can't run too far ahead. This is my kind of trick-or-treating. (Someday, when the kids are older, my true halloween spirit will come out! You'll see!) They then serve ice cream. Kinda weird. Don't you think that is a little overkill on the sugar? Who's complaining?

Dylan was Jay Ninjago...
Depending on the night Ashlyn was either a princess or a fairy...
Corbin wanted to be a fairy too. I didn't have to do too much persuading after I slipped in the Incredibles movie. He was the perfect Dash...
Kamryn played an especially cute octopus...
Seeing her walk was the cutest!

K'nex Mario Kart & Lincoln Logs

2011-10-28T14:59:00.007-04:00

We were lucky enough to receive more products from K'nex to kid test and review. We enjoyed our last bunch of toys. This time we got a piece of a Mario Kart track and Lincoln Logs. The kids were so excited they practically ripped open the box and pieces were everywhere. Corbin loves to play with Mario and his car. He would be happy with that piece alone. It runs on a few batteries- which we have already gone through a few sets. However, since we only have one piece of the track it is hard to tell if we would enjoy the whole track. It does look like fun from the picture on the box.

We enjoyed the Lincoln Logs for awhile. Since there are a limited number of logs that come in the box, we had a similar problem. We enjoyed them, but only till we couldn't build anything more. If we had more logs I am hopeful that our playing and creative time would be multiplied.

Photo Hall

2011-10-23T19:56:00.000-04:00

I try to tackle just one space at a time to decorate. Decorating my own home has been a long process. Sometimes I see something I like and try to recreate it. And other times I get these almost strange ideas in my head of how I want something to look without knowing how in the world I will make it happen. This was one of those...I printed these stretched canvasses of the kids during a mega sale. I printed them in black and white to create some unison. However, our walls are grey leaving a very low "wow" effect when hung on the wall. So I found some cheap vinyl molding, let Connor cut them for me. There was a lot of deliberating on how to attach the molding together to frame each canvass. I should have talked to my dad earlier because he offered the quickest and easiest solution- hot glue! Let's just say I am in love!

One Last Time

2011-10-17T21:09:00.003-04:00

We couldn't resist going to the beach last week while the kids were tracked out. It is now "off season" so we had a lot of space to ourselves. It was a perfect day- can't you tell...Kamryn loved getting in and out of her little lawn chair...
and playing in the sand for hours...
we made Karolina and Ashlyn into Mermaids...
Dylan and JR are now buddies...
we even had our own swimming pool...
I enjoyed getting to know Kelly better...
Peer pressure or gentle guidance?
I bet your jealous now...
Will it make you come visit?
See you next year beach!

Reclaimed Space

2011-10-09T21:38:00.001-04:00

Connor and I used our Labor Day weekend (yes, i do know that was like forever ago) to finish a few projects:

Connor no longer teaches seminary at home, instead he teaches at the stake center. We cleaned out the room and painted it last weekend. I took his printer table and put it in the entry:

I should taken before and after pictures like my professional repurposer cousin Melissa does. But I was too excited to start to take a before picture. It also has a new silver, oval knob. I am loving it!

I also painted a tray my friend gave me:
She also helped me revitalize my mantel. The TV makes it hard to decorate.
I finally found the towels I was dreaming about for the guest bath, bright, I know.
My friend also gave me some amazing fabric leftovers. It is probably good that there was only a little of this raspberry giraffe print- I might have gone over board. I AM IN LOVE! Hopefully some more cheerful accent pillows to come.
We also refinished a free dinning room table top, and white bookshelves (for our new "quiet room").

D.C. Ragnar 2011

2011-10-02T15:39:00.001-04:00

The reason this post is so delayed is because I am in denial that it is really over.

It wasn't hard to decide to do the D.C. Ragnar again this year since we had so much fun last year. A Ragnar race is a relay race- 12 of us ran 198 miles without stopping (meaning even through the night). A teammate created a blog for our team so that we could post as we ran. It was fun to get fan mail along our way from our readers. To get an hour by hour feed of our Ragnar and A LOT of entertainment go here. Here are a few pictures that didn't make the Fashionable Ladies Club Ragnar blog...

Some lucky few could catch up on their sleep anywhere...

Most of us don't have tattoos so we enjoyed them for a weekend...
We showered and relaxed at a local high school...
Team FLC (except one, of course, who was running) at exchange 18...
Enjoying the BBQ at 12am...
The tractor tire that was bigger than Megan and I...
At the finish line showing off my FLC style...
Ben created our logo and our shirts...
Van 1 (shhh... the best van!!!)....

Because I ran leg 3, the "you've got to be kidding me" leg, I am now a proud owner of...
And I wore it proudly to church the next day. I know you are all jealous, and No, it is not for sale.

Till next year!

Utah 54 - BYU 10

2011-09-18T18:49:00.001-04:00

I don't post on our family blog much, mainly because Michal is so great at it. Last night we had a great Utah vs. BYU party with fans from both sides getting together for the annual Rivalry Game. After some great hamburgers, hotdogs, and brats, with other more healthy fruit and salad, we were ready for the game. The first half was like many other rivalry games, low scoring, turnovers on both sides, and mainly defense. It was Utah 14 - BYU 10. Then came the second half. WOW! Who would have thought Utah would go on to score 40 unanswered points! What a game! I never thought the Utes would win in that fashion, but boy am I happy they did. Everything looked great, especially in the second half. For a family divided (mainly boys Utah and girls BYU) it was a welcome win with bragging rights for another year. For those who are interested, below is a youtube video with highlights from the game. GO UTES!!!

Corbin 101

2011-09-10T11:02:00.002-04:00

What I have learned from Corbin:

You can "color" your stainless steel appliances with string cheese.
Everything that is red is referred to as "lightening McQueen" and blue as "doc"
Armpit hair is fascinating
Being grumpy is a part of the routine
Tackling little sisters is irresistible
Locking the door and hiding under a bed is a thrill
Making your own "lunch" with a bagel, cheese and meat then leaving it uneaten is a fun pastime
You may need your baby sister to help you get up the hill in your jeep.

Blast from the past

2011-09-02T15:44:00.000-04:00

Another great picture from the past, Me and my two brothers...Corbin and Kamryn reliving the hawaiian blue matching outfits...I have a picture with Dylan and Ashlyn in them too. Can't find it of course. If you missed the last matching outfit post click here

Changing My look

2011-08-28T22:08:00.004-04:00

I write this post with much caution. I didn't even want to post it, but since this blog is about my life and my family's life I wanted to share what has effected me/us deeply this week. I am also hoping this will be therapeutic. I do not pride myself on the way I have handled the following situation:

Earlier this week I made a HUGE change to my hair. More drastic than I have ever done. It has been very painful. Actually, it has affected me in ways I never thought a haircut could. I have felt less self-confident, anxious and a little depressed. I have come to realize that I am not as sad about the actual hair cut as I am about how I have reacted over something so meaningless in the big scheme of things. I wish it didn't, I wish I could just enjoy it instead of wishing it away. I often have to tell myself to snap out of it and remember that it is just hair, it grows, and it won't be like this forever. But this week has felt like FOREVER. I have done my research about how to make hair grow faster. I have had a hard time sleeping because of regret. I wake up in the middle of the night all of a sudden, feeling a little relieved, thinking it was just a nightmare. But then I move, I touch my hair and realized it wasn't a dream at all, this is reality. During the day, I will be busy enough to forget (a nice break), but as I walk past a mirror or a car or store window, I am reminded of my choice. When I go out, I don't look at faces or clothes anymore, I look at hair. I stare in envy. I also noticed that I now have shorter hair than 90% of the male, teenage population! When I see someone with a similar cut, I realize they don't looks so bad, so why do I?

My biggest concern and anxiety has came from wondering what my biggest critics would say about it- Ashlyn was one of them. You can tell when a child is lying- they take a minute to think about it. She didn't, she was nice to me, she told me she loved it right away and went on to draw me a picture to make me feel better. Dylan was honest too, he doesn't really like it, but I also know he doesn't care.

The truth is, I asked for this cut, I didn't just get a bad hair cut on accident. I told her to do it. She did a great job actually. I was feeling very excited about a change. Feeling daring and confident that I could pull off any hair cut my whim would blow me. For a long time I have wondered and desired a hair cut like this. I just had never tried it, never had the guts. This time my guts made an appearance. Guts I wished had stayed hidden. I miss feeling my hair move, I miss making it curl, I miss feeling more like a woman. I miss looking in the mirror and loving my hair.

The good part- I don't have to wonder anymore. I can say "did that, been there." I will save the short hair for my senior years. I also have better bed head.

I just needed to get that out. I know all of you are going to gush to me about how much you love it, whether you are being honest or not, I will never know. The people who don't like it have been kind enough not to mention it at all. Those who maybe do like it or who are just nice, have said a lot of nice things. Things I really appreciate them saying. However, the nice things will have to keep coming for a few more months while this mop grows.

I also have learned a few things about myself, or about how other's view me...

My friend was surprised when I told her my reaction to my hair. She told me she was relieved to know that I had an insecurity. It was nice for me to find out that people might view me as a confident person. On the inside I am more insecure than I would like to divulge.
I was grateful for the one word I heard twice- VOGUE
A running colleague said one of his favorite cuts his wife has had is a pixie similar to mine.
Finding out a few friends have had it worse and live to tell their tale
A teenage boy said it made me look younger- that can only be good

The unveiling...

I know, not too terrible from the front, it is the back that gives me the heart attack. It is VERY short.

In case you are wondering how you can make me feel better, go straight to your salon and get a cut just like it. We can grow it out together! I already asked Ashlyn to do me that favor- she turned me down.

The dreaded seminary starts tomorrow, I better get to bed.

This Week

2011-08-28T17:10:00.000-04:00

We survived an earthquake, tornado and hurricane. Could it get anymore exciting?

Moving to Utah

2011-08-23T00:54:00.004-04:00

Dylan sure wishes we were moving to Utah. He spent a weeks worth of early mornings on the boat doing this...He boasted about being so good at kneeboarding that Chad helped him learn how to do this...
Wow, I am way impressed little man!

I had to break it to him that if we did move to Utah that he would not be boating every day all year long. What a bummer!

We took a trip to Utah at the last minute because Connor's parents came home from their mission to Spain. We sang a song from "This is Kirtland" at their homecoming. We sure had a ton of fun!

The cousins enjoyed lots of quality time together, even a little TV time (for adult sanity)...
We went to Air Borne and played dodge ball..
We had endless fun with the dogs, skeeter and rowdy...
We now hold the world record for the most children on a miniature carousel...
We went bowling... (I can't say Corbin bowled, he was off gaming)

We rode the motor bikes...
Danced in our new spanish dresses...
and of course we played in the pool all day every day...
We had a picnic with my grandpa...
Ashlyn learned how to jump off the diving board (only because Corbin did it first) and eventually without any life jacket...
And boating of course...
Best of all Corbin threw out the diapers and is a proud wearer of these...

Next best, we updated our family pictures. Last time we did this we were barely pregnant with Corbin. Little to say, there are more kids in this picture. This is the Thompson clan...

All the grandkids...I really loved the way they turned out...

I should have gotten a few more of these...
Oh, that's right. It was because all our kids looked like this...

I flew home with all four kids alone, a first! Of course we almost missed our connection and Dylan threw up from plane sickness. We are home now, but missing our cousins. Thank you for the good times!

Kiddy Pools

2011-08-14T10:40:00.001-04:00

This is what happens when I am too lazy to sunscreen four kids, myself and lug all the gear to the pool... The best parts- I can get something done while they are having fun, and I don't have to sunscreen them since it is in the shade- bonus!!!

As you can see I was even too tired to put Kamryn in her swimsuit. I think the real reason was that I can't get enough of her chubby roles. The bum gets me every time.

Kamryn has a fascination with goggles. She loves to wear them, which makes us roll on the floor, but she loves to toss them in the water even more.

This is a normal scene at the pool...

My friend taught me the marvelous trick of creating your own seat side kiddy pool! I now lug my cooler to the pool.

Drab to Fab

2011-08-09T10:41:00.000-04:00

I had a pair of just OK flip flops. I am trying to be more thrifty and spend less, so I had an idea. Why not turn those flops into something better?

Do my Drab...

To Fab...

I love they way they turned out. But taking a picture of your own foot without making it look alienish is harder than it looks!

Purple Finger

2011-08-04T22:41:00.000-04:00

I should have known better!

Corbin has had a similar experience in the past. He got a cut on a finger and it got infected. For some reason I thought this one would be different, but it wasn't...

The cut was on the other side of his finger, but the purple ring manifested mainly on the top side of his finger.

It didn't help that his sore finger was slammed in the door and it got a little worse looking...

I think I should make him carry a triple antibiotic cream in his pocket.

2nd Grade

2011-08-02T22:42:00.001-04:00

Our summer was quite a big shorter than most. We put Dylan in a new school where we hope he will be more challenged. I am just not getting around to showing you what a cute 2nd grader her his... just two weeks late.He was VERY excited, and still is about his new school...

Bloody

2011-08-01T07:41:00.000-04:00

Kamryn has been waking up a lot like this...It doesn't seem to phase her but I am getting a little tired of cleaning out her sheets. I thought we would have more issues with it going to Utah, a dryer climate. However, not one incident at all. The night we returned it started again?!?!

A Tribute to Michal

2011-07-19T22:37:00.004-04:00

Hey Everyone! Yes, I know, I never post on this blog. Sure this is technically our family blog, but lets be serious, Michal is the one who makes it happen and doesn't she do such an awesome job? Well, I just want to post something about her. She is so amazing! I love being married to her. She is such a beautiful woman on the inside and out. She does so many things that it boggles my mind! She nurtures 4 kids, is the Primary President, plays tennis, trains for races like the upcoming Ragnar, makes birthdays so special, shows more patience than me by a mile, reads her scriptures daily, and remembers her friends birthdays. The list goes on and on. But it's more than that, she is just good, naturally good, nurturing, strong, competitive, vibrant, and a joy to be around. She gives everything she does the best. The Lord has blessed me with an amazing woman and it's about time I said something on this blog. The real reason any birthday I have or will have is great is because of her and the wonderful kids she has given us. That is why my birthday was the best, because I have her and get her forever. Until I post again in 2 years...

Birthday and Smoothies

2011-07-18T22:42:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was Connor's birthday. I wish I could say I was so busy pampering him that I didn't have time to post anything.

Not only did Connor think that the day was great, but Dylan said it was "the best Sunday ever." This is coming from the kid who complains every Sunday about how boring they are because he can't play with his friends. Believe me, I have explained to him in a million different ways why that is but I guess I haven't struck the right cord yet. I know that all I need to do now is make yummy sticky buns for breakfast and invite a family over for desert and I've got one good recipe for an excellent Sunday. Connor was excited about his new toys (U of U hitch cover and a Roku player.) I must admit that I didn't see the need or use for one but it was nice to listen to nice pandora music as we got ready for church.

I sure am glad this man was born. He has brought so much joy to my life and he is my best friend. I stayed up late just talking to him, boy was it great (this doesn't happen much around here since he usually passes out when the kids do.) I am amazed by him daily!

Not only is he amazing but he also makes breathtaking fruit smoothies.

This is a common sighting in our house...

Kamryn LOVES fruit smoothies just like her dad. We fill up a cup and she is content for the next 5 minutes. The cup doesn't leave her mouth. I wonder how she gets away with no brain freeze.

Happy Birthday Connor!

Garden

2011-07-15T13:59:00.000-04:00

I have been working really hard on decreasing the number of plants I kill this summer.

I feel quite proud to say that we have our first garden. Corbin has taken a liking to the sweet peas. I find empty casings around the garden. Luckily the deer have not found my tomatoes.

We water regularly. Kamryn has figured us out. She steps right in front of the stream of water. Then tries to eat the dirt. Since she is soaking wet, if she falls (which she does regularly) the dirt sticks to her clothes. I tried my best to capture what this looks like. Again, pictures are not the same.

Heat

2011-07-12T21:58:00.004-04:00

The high today....104 Degrees

The heat index...110 Degrees

The LOW tonight...76 Degrees

Let's hope this doesn't stick around too long

Summer in Full Swing

2011-07-07T22:35:00.002-04:00

We have been playing so hard we are all in need of some catch up sleep- anywhere we can get it...

We have been at the pool, going to free movies, and playing with friends non-stop.

Around that I have been playing on a tennis team, running to train for Ragnar, trying to make my thumb greener and planning for primary. Whew

Father's Day 2011

2011-07-03T19:59:00.002-04:00

This is only two weeks late. Better late than never.

I had a few people tell me they were excited to see what Connor would be sporting for Father's day this year. No pressure.

The kids mainly enjoyed making him "You Rock" rocks. They painted rocks and put googly eyes on them. I don't have pictures since they have already found their place at the office. He also got a new family pictured mouse pad along with quite a few gifts made at school.

I am grateful to my Father who I now realize has taught me more than I thought. He did this mainly by example and quiet service. My kids also have quite an amazing dad I might add. I picked him out myself! I would be biased in saying that he is the best!

Matchy, Matchy

2011-06-30T13:59:00.000-04:00

Cudos to my mom for scanning in the photos from my childhood. Below you can see that there are many sets of kids wearing these matching outfits...

My older brother and I wore these cute outfits when we were kids. Either mom or grandma made them. It isn't so much the way they look that makes me feel warm and fuzzy, but the memories they are attached to.

Lucky enough Dylan and Ashlyn got to wear them too! Can't find a picture yet.

Nate and I with my mom...

Jameson and Carianne in them with the whole fam...

Teacher Appreciation

2011-06-25T16:00:00.001-04:00

Since we are on year round I have more time to put together teacher appreciation gifts. We had fun this year...

We made them custom notepads that say "from the desk of the awesome Ms...." and silly pencil toppers.

We appreciate all the hard work our teachers put into each student!

Free K'NEX

2011-06-24T14:31:00.000-04:00

FYPI (For your playing information)

From Monday, June 13, through Friday, July 15, 2011, K’NEX Mario Kart Wii fans can register online to receive a free Mario™ or Luigi™ K’NEX figure. 300 figures will be distributed for each day of the five week promotion. Of the 10,000 figures, five lucky grand prize winners will receive a Mario figure plus a Golden Ticket that entitles them to a special prize package including: a Wii™ console (a $150+ value), the entire K’NEX Mario Kart Wii product line (18 toys featuring Mario, Luigi, Yoshi™, and their favorite karts and bikes on two popular Mario Kart Wii tracks -- a $632 value) and a trip to tour K’NEX headquarters in Hatfield, PA. For more information, complete rules and to enter the sweepstakes visit www.knex.com/mariogoldenticket. No purchase necessary.

USEFUL LINKS

Ø K’NEX contest page - http://www.knex.com/mariogoldenticket/

Ø K’NEX Facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/buildknex

Ø Info on the NEW K’NEX Mario Kart Wii products - http://www.knex.com/mariokartwii/

If You Give A Mom A Mop

2011-06-20T20:37:00.003-04:00

You know those books... "if you give a mouse a cookie", "if you give a mouse a muffiin", "if you give a pig a party", "if you give a cat a cake", " if you take a mouse to the movies", "if you take a mouse to school"?

After many years I finally was able to relate how I feel when I am cleaning up my house- I get super distracted. I start doing one thing and before I have finished it I have started another thing. This continues until I have many half finished things going on at the same time. Maybe Laura used her experiences at home to help her write her books. I should do that!

Spain

2011-06-12T21:53:00.010-04:00

What you have all been waiting for...

Connor and I got back a week ago from Spain. I know, exotic. Also exhausting! We saw so many amazing things. Our reason for going was to see Connor's parents on a mission in Mallorca- and Island off of Spain. But while we were all the way out there we also had to see Madrid and Barcelona. This is the short version (in pictures), if you want more pictures contact me directly :)

After not sleeping for 30 straight hours we drug our luggage to what we thought was an English speaking branch in Madrid. Never was I so happy to see the name of our church, even in a different language...
Well, it wasn't exactly an English speaking branch but we did attend the English speaking Sunday School. In our very small ward we did meet someone who lived in our current ward before we did!! We had a tough time staying awake in sacrament meeting due to the warmth of the room and the inability to understand what the speakers were staying combined with the lack of sleep. I am sure we were quite the sight.

I loved the adorable buildings in Madrid...
All of the places we stayed had cards, or in this case, gigantic metal plates, that activated the electricity in the room. Without it nothing would work. And next to it is a classic light switch...In case you were wondering, yes, there is a Hard Rock Cafe in Barcelona and Madrid. Here are Michael Jackson's red shoes and Madonna's awesome outfit...
I made Connor take me to see some Flamenco dancing. Behind us is a big group of Japanese tourists. Connor loves doing the white guy surprise by talking to them in Japanese...
Maybe I should take up this form of dancing next...

We met up with Connor's sisters, Cami and Jenny, and Whit and Will (niece and nephew) and did baptisms for the dead in the Madrid Temple...

We immediately flew to the Island of Mallorca. It was wonderful to see Roger there to welcome us. In Palma they had a beautiful Cathedral...

We stayed at the most quaint little villa. I would stay there for every vacation if I could, it was dreamy...

Inside our haven...

Our view was amazing, open farm land all around us...

We finally (after trying for the last 10 years) won a doubles match against Connor's parents. I won't mention their age, that makes me look bad. We played on Rafa Nadal's courts while he was away winning the French open...

The view from the top of Formentor, the mountains drop into the sea...The adorable, little town of Soller...
We flew to Barcelona for one las stop.

The famous Sagrada Familia. Gaudi's master piece that is still being constructed after 40 years...My favorite place we went was Park Guell, also by Gaudi. It was a magical park...

Behind me is the view Barcelona out to the ocean...
Our tiny little washer in Barcelona almost ate our clothes (it wouldn't give them back). Funny enough it also dries the clothes. It would be hard to have a big family living on one of these...

As amazing as it was, I appreicate my family more and I am so grateful for the blessings of living in this great country. Thank you to Kamrah who watched our 4 kids for 9 days with the addition of her busy toddler and 8 month pregnant belly! YOU ROCK GIRL!

Strawberry Picking

2011-05-21T15:12:00.000-04:00

We went strawberry picking with Ashlyn's preschool a few weeks back. It really wasn't the experience I was dreaming of. Ashlyn was excited to go, but 5 min in her bucket was "too heavy." She was more interested in what her friends were doing.
Corbin was more interested in the mud.

Kamryn usually hates been strapped in her stroller. However, strawberries happen to be her very favorite fruit. Luckily at Hunt's you can eat as much as you want. That is exactly what she did. Of course the pictures doesn't quite show ALL the places I founds strawberries. She could have stayed all day.

We took them home and made freezer jam, strawberry ice cream, yogurt parfaits and smoothies. Divine!

Cinco De Mayo

2011-05-17T22:11:00.000-04:00

This post is long overdue- due to computer issues, on my end or computer end- I still haven't figured it out.

We had our second annual Cinco De Mayo gathering. It was splendid. We shared a great festive meal and went out back for the most entertaining part of the evening- the Pinata!!!

Corbin...
Dylan...
Ashlyn...
There were many other kids, but this post would be three pages long if I posted them all. Sadly, the pinata was pathetically filled with candy. I was happy, but the kids weren't.

However, the best part was still yet to come. A family we invited and who RSVPed never showed up. Then on Saturday they pulled up as we were outside playing in the front yard. They were dressed nice and brought their authentic mexican food (taco bell). I panicked. What do I say? Luckily, they stayed and we were able to enjoy each other and laugh about it. So we celebrated Ocho De mayo! Maybe next year we will celebrate ocho de mayo in their remembrance.

Skillz

2011-05-05T15:33:00.004-04:00

Ashlyn went to a friend's house for a play date yesterday. She came home doing this...

I did not lift a single finger in Ashlyn's quest to training wheel freedom. She rides like she has been at it for a long time. Amazing! She literally woke up this morning and asked to go out on her "two-wheeler." I will be sending Corbin over there next week in hopes he will come home potty trained.

Do you think my hopes are too high?

Painting

2011-05-01T11:03:00.000-04:00

My latest creation...for the playroom

Night Easter Egg Hunt

2011-04-26T15:45:00.000-04:00

Saturday we enjoyed my friend's annual Easter egg hunt. This is unlike any other...

1,000 egg
50 kids
5 prize eggs
use flashlights to find the eggs because it is at night

This is a P.A.R.T.Y!!
Ashlyn was one of the lucky 5 to find a prize winning egg...
After she eats the whole bunny we will see if she still considers herself lucky.

We got some fairly good Easter pictures...

Are they good even if no one is looking?

Famous

2011-04-23T16:52:00.003-04:00

Ashlyn was on one the latest coupon clipper adds...

You can to see the entire Woodplay playsets catalog here. Corbin, Dylan and Ashlyn can be seen throughout the catalog. You should have seen Ashlyn at the photo shoot, she loved the camera just as much as they loved her.

Tornados

2011-04-19T13:30:00.003-04:00

Some of you have heard that we had quite the tornado storm here in Raleigh on Saturday. Thankfully we were not in their path. However, there were many that were hit on the South and East sides of Raleigh.

Connor and Dylan had a wonderful opportunity to help with clean up on Sunday evening. Many of the YM in our ward left church early to help in these efforts as well. Sadly, I am without pictures of this first time experience for Dylan, even with a firm reminder. I am sure you can imagine how excited Dylan was and it really made him grateful that we were not hit. Ashlyn, on the other hand was quite upset that she was not allowed to go. She was in her jeans and old t-shirt before I could say hippopotamus. It took a lot of bribing to get her to agree to stay.

Please keep the families of those who lost their homes and family members in your prayers.

One and counting

2011-04-17T20:52:00.006-04:00

On Friday Kamryn had her first birthday! How fast this year has gone. It has been packed with so many blessings. We have enjoyed our first year with her- to say the least. Sadly, the 4th child gets jipped on a lot of the frills in life. This was our pathetic attempt at a party... When we sang to her she acted interested but confused as to why everyone was looking at her. Because she is my best eater, I assumed she would devour the cake unlike all my other kids. Surprisingly, she didn't. How sad. However, I can't say that it was the best cake I have made. She didn't mind getting her hands messy... She was great at sharing... She likes both chocolate and vanilla... Most of all she liked her bath... She didn't seem to have any interest in unwrapping her birthday presents, I couldn't keep Corbin, Ashlyn and Dylan to stop unwrapping for her... She was content just playing with the toys that were already around... I truly have mixed feelings about this birthday. I have loved every minute of this munchkin. She has an extremely happy temperament. I have always felt like she was so mature for her size- like I could connect and talk to her as if she understood. I am excited to see each new step of her life because she continues to become even more entertaining every day. However, I am so sad that one year has already passed only because it means that it will continue fly by at the same rate and I have enjoyed it too much for it to move so quickly. I have come to realize that my experience with motherhood has been a little backwards. When Dylan and Ashlyn were little I wished away the years and wanted my babyhood days to quickly expire. Now, as I am on my fourth baby I am finally coming to realize how much fun this is and how much I really love it- only to realize it is winding down. It could be due to the dynamics we are in right now, but I wish I had known then what I know now. I have learned to treasure each new day.

Hey Carianne what's your game now?

2011-04-15T09:01:00.007-04:00

My baby sister came to visit before she starts back into nursing school. The kids never got tired of jumping with her...

Or riding her legs...

We took her to the beach for her first Atlantic beach experience. As you can see were were all pretty excited to be there...

I still am blown away how these kids don't get tired of being covered head to foot in sand...

Kamryn loved it too. Last time she was at the beach she was a wee little one...

She loved the feel of the sand and water...

All three kids begged to be buried...

Corbin was a "strong man"...

Ashlyn was a mermaid...

And I got burned out after that, poor Dylan.

Carianne also played with the kids here and there while I bound this extra piece of carpet for a runner (a longer project than I had first anticipated)...

She also played with our kids while we went to the temple TOGETHER, while I was at the chiropractor multiple times, and while I made dinner (my hardest time of day.)

Ashlyn said it best when she said more than once... "I am so sad that Carrie had to leave."

We love you Carrie, Thanks for the visit!

April Fools

2011-04-07T23:33:00.000-04:00

This is a very belated post, but I felt like I should let Ashlyn's birthday post take precedence.

April 1st is one of my VERY FAVORITE holidays of the year. I dream about it for days in advance. I get giddy like a child who wakes up on Christmas morning. I know, silly.

A list of the tricks I enjoyed playing this year...

Left a note on Connor's Car from a stranger apologizing for the dent
turned Dylan's backpack inside out
smeared lipstick on Connor's face on his way out the door
recorded a tricky phone message
ate a flyswatted "fly"
hung "wet paint use back door" and "wet paint use front door" signs

Sadly, my very pregnant friend was the only one to fall prey to my door signs. I had forgotten about them after Dylan did not even notice they were there (what would I do if they were real?) So I made a pregnant lady walk all the way around my house!

Til next year...

5 Going on 6

2011-04-03T21:55:00.008-04:00

Ashlyn turned 5 on Wednesday. I know I say this every year for every child, and I will say it again just like Quincy does on Little Einstein's...

I CAN NOT BELIEVE IT!!

She is still so petite. But petite is cute!

She picked her favorite dinner, chicken rollups, and we watched Tangled for the first time.

The big party was on Saturday...

(Because her party was on a separate day from her real birthday, she somehow assumed she was turning 5 on Wed and 6 on Saturday!?!?! I don't think I can let her get away with growing up that fast!)

Some of the Gang...

A few festive decorations...

A hat for every cowboy and cowgirl...

And of course pin the tail on the horse...

Horse shoe painting...

Tasty horse...

Whew. And then we watched conference

What WE do in Colorado

2011-03-13T23:38:00.013-04:00

While most of the travelers at the airport were checking skis, we were checking bags full marshmallow guns and diapers. While all of those travelers were on the slopes we were...

Bowling...

Off roading...

Eating...

(LOTS of yummy eating. And yes, this was a common scene- the kids were stuck to Jameson like glue.)

Horse riding...

(If Ashlyn had her way she would be on them twice a day.)

"Adventuring" with the famous tracker, Uncle Nathan...

Sleeping like deer...

Finding a buck in the backyard...

Listening to Tutu read stories...

Visiting the frog exhibit at the Wildlife Experience Museum...

Swinging like a monkey for hours...

Rock climbing in the basement...

Learning belaying rules from Papa Steve...

Watching 9 great-grandchildren fall in love with their Gigi...

Confining our children to jail when the were ornery...

Okay, so it was really for joy and entertainment in a swing...

Building human towers...

By gender...

Finding lots of these two cuddling...

Let's not forget...

Christmas morning (Since it is Carianne's favorite Holiday)

And the photo shoot with 18 people (9 of those 7 and under)
Running
Late night adult game time

And a night at the temple while two teenage babysitters watching all 9 kids (whom they had never met.) We felt very guilty upon hearing that all three babies cried the entire time we were gone. However, being in the temple all together was worth it.

And this is how we felt after doing all of these things in one short week...

(Ashlyn fell asleep while waiting for me to come out of the bathroom.)

Christmas In Colorado

2011-03-08T20:06:00.004-05:00

We just got back from a week in Colorado with my family. We postponed Christmas till my baby sister, Carianne, returned home from her mission in Honduras.

First, you have to check out more of these cute photos we had taken of ALL of us here. Piper did an amazing job and picked a great spot!

A post of all the fun we had to follow.

New and Improved

2011-02-17T16:17:00.000-05:00

I have promised a video for a long time. Here it finally is. Still, I am not quite done with all that I have envisioned for this house. We have been doing a lot of painting, but we are reaping the rewards. I didn't realize I would enjoy color so much! Enjoy!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

If you want to refresh your memory of what it looked like before we redecorated click HERE.

Big 3

2011-02-13T21:31:00.001-05:00

And when it's Dylan's birthday we know it is also this cutties birthday as well...

My sweet little guy turned 3 on Sunday the 6th. He is talking more, and with that it seems he has also getting more frustrated (aka throwing tantrums.) But he is still that warm, cuddly man I have always loved. He continues to surprise me with his generosity and kindness towards other. Love you big man!

We got him these new cars called Automoblox, they were a big hit! He also picked out his own dump truck thanks to Gigi! And he of course loves his new remote control car (thank you Tutu) which Kamryn is also intrigued with. So to say the least, we have a lot of new toys that are keeping my little people a little more occupied that normal. That is a gift to me!

Big SEVEN

2011-02-08T15:26:00.005-05:00

Friday this handsome fella turned 7

Instead of worrying about how old he is I am more worried about how old he makes me and how I only have a year left to prepare him for baptism!

We "kicked off" his 7th year right with a football themed party.

Dylan was very adament that this party be a Utah vs. BYU party. So everything was blue and red.

When our guests arrived they autographed a football of choice.

They then headed upstairs for Coach Connor's Football training Camp.

There was a lot of hiking, punting, throwing, jump n' jacking, and push upping.

Then they raced through a obstacle course...

Running down the line

Crawling through a tunnel with ball in hand...

Around the cones, high jump over your "opponent" and into the end zone.

Finish it off with Football game foods with a football cake and ice cream!

I am so proud of Dylan. He is brimming with enthusiasm for life. If I bragged about all of Dylan's talents we might be here too long.

Whey Are You Wearing Pajamas?

2011-02-03T15:17:00.004-05:00

This is what Ashlyn chose to wear today...

Her pajama top, a skirt and some leggings. Better, but I did have to give her my regular reminder... "Now Ashlyn, you know that we don't wear pajamas to school. You can wear them at home but not when we leave home." Am I a mean mom? I mean who wouldn't want to live life in their pajamas, I sure do! But I do have to set some boundaries!

Without missing a beat she said "these aren't pajamas, this is a warm up suit." Props for that girl! I just laughed, she earned her right to wear her pajama top today!

For all of you who are still clueless... YOU MUST watch Despicable Me. As you can see we love it. I am hoping this memory will help me add a smile and a laugh when handling Ashlyn and her clothes.

Kamryn

2011-01-23T22:22:00.000-05:00

I can't believe how fast time has flown with little Kamryn. She is now 9 months old and still a pure bag of sugar!

Here is a video from a few months back. She loved her bouncer, but we would often find her bouncer in a different place when we returned.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

She is now crawling and loves to practice her pikes...

Or just hang out on her side...

She also loves to be swung upside down, attention from anyone and to be tickled. She is like a magnet, everyone is drawn to her. I had her in primary today and the got swarmed when primary finished. In sacrament today Dylan didn't want to do anything else but play with her, which ended only in uncontrollable giggles. He always wants to hold her and be right next to her.

Christmas Crafts

2011-01-13T23:07:00.000-05:00

I am sure you all know I couldn't go too long with out crafting. Isn't that such a silly word?

I was very behind on a few Christmas item and I finally finished them last week...

I have never found the right topper for our tree. I finally found an idea that I liked, but put it off. It was Dylan's comment this year about how we didn't have anything on the top of our tree that compelled me...

And in case you were wondering, it is not origami- thanks Ben!

I also made Kamryn's stocking, still deciding if I love it or not...
Growing up, my mom always made Christmas pillowcases for us. Such a simple tradition that I wanted to continue. These two are for Corbin and Kamryn.

My long to do list just got a little shorter with these off my mind!

2011-01-10T07:54:00.000-05:00

The votes are in and the real count is...

On top: 7

On bottom: 5

I know, she would look ten pounds lighter if she shed some layers!

Count the Layers

2011-01-06T23:07:00.000-05:00

I am STILL anxiously awaiting the moment Ashlyn grows out of her "issues" with clothes. We are still plagued!!!!

This is a picture of Ashlyn in most normal attire:

Her newest trend is to wear LOTS of layers. It must be cold here!

Here is the game: 1. To guess how many layers she has on top, and 2. how many layers she has on the bottom. Cast your vote in your comment! I will reveal the answer in a few days.
I had to bribe her to wear real clothes, she actually looks adorable, even with a pajama shirt.
The bride was a photo shoot. Maybe I should sign up for toddlers and tiaras!

Kamryn's Social Calendar

2011-01-04T23:07:00.009-05:00

As you can see Kamryn has two, very adorable boyfriends. And yes, she doesn't mind that they both come to visit on the same evening, she did a great job of showing equal attention to both of these little dappers!

It was just so fun to watch these little people interact and enjoy each other!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-29T15:34:00.011-05:00

We had a wonderful Christmas AT HOME for the first year of our married lives! It was nice not to pack all our gifts and change time zones. But we did miss our family dearly!

We got a big Christmas surprise...

Yes, snow! In North Carolina, and a lot of it. I don't think NC has had a white Christmas since 1947 and not this much in at least the last 10 years! Of course this meant no church and a few extra days at home! What a great gift! We used it to watch Joy to the World, The Testaments, and Finding Faith in Christ.

Of course we immediately went out to play in it...
Dad got his exercise...
Dylan spent every moment he could in it...
We (the mom's and dad's) built two snow forts for a big cul-de-sac snow ball fight. Boy was it fun, but my arm is sore!
But it was worth it.

I was reminded (by my welts) of how accurate and hard Dylan throws. Too bad he wasn't on my team!

We enjoyed making our own Thompson Traditions:

celebrated Joseph Smith's Birthday on the 23rd
shopped for our family gift exchange
bought an ornament that symbolized the year
bake and deliver goodies as we caroled
read the Christmas story
enjoyed watching movies and playing games as a family Christmas Eve
We made reindeer milk and food to leave out Christmas Eve
Our elf, Ferby, was with us all of December to make sure we were nice. He went home with Santa
We enjoyed doing a service ring and run 12 days of Christmas for someone (can't say who)
Big Breakfast Christmas Dinner, German pancakes and all- just thinking about it makes me salivate!

Fun Memories:

Ashlyn loved Caroling, she practically begged us to go before it was even close to Christmas. She could have gone all night long if we hadn't said "enough." Dylan disliked caroling to the same degree as Ashlyn loved it.
Dylan picked Ashlyn's name for the family gift exchange. That was the last person in the world he WANTED to give to, but it was good for him!
Ashlyn almost didn't make the "nice" list
Corbin, Ashlyn and I did so many puzzles- we love dollar store puzzles of our favorite characters
Ashlyn was desperate to see the reindeer, she wanted to pet them. She didn't so much care about seeing Santa.

The most argued over gifts in our house:

bakugons
key car
back pack

Yes, this was Corbin's gift, and he loves it! Ashlyn tries to sneak it away from him. We are also using the cold winter weather as a reason to stay in and potty train. Good luck to all of us!

We hope you had a wonderful Christmas filled with the Spirit of our Savior and the love of his sacrifice. We hope that this will continue throughout the coming year. Happy New Year!

We love our driveway

2010-12-16T15:49:00.001-05:00

I know, such a silly thing to be grateful for.
But if you had only seen our last driveway you would understand. It was a deathtrap. We never enjoyed riding our bikes so much!
Now the kids spend hours riding their bikes down the slow incline into the garage.
I think it might be wise for us to pad the back wall of the garage!
Corbin learned to pedal, he also learned to have no fear. He gives me a small heart attack when he rides down too fast. After seeing him smile about that we quickly got him a helmet! Luckily, they had a Disney Cars helmet. Never have I been so grateful for characters plastered on things for my kids to wear (pet peeve.)
As you can tell, these pictures were taken weeks ago.

Winter Is Here

2010-12-10T15:24:00.005-05:00

Our first snowfall came...
... a week ago. I know winter came to y'all a while back, but it just came to Raleigh. We had a long and amazing fall. Then all of a sudden it snowed. I know this is no big deal to all my Northeastern and Western friends, but it NEVER snows this early here. So it was pretty exciting, AND, it stuck! We couldn't resist and had a snowball fight and made a snowman. Sadly, it has only gotten colder since the snowfall. I don't know if my blood has thinned or if this warm weather has made me tender, but it sure has been darn cold!!! I find myself wearing multiple layers and dusting off my thermals.

Connor happened to be putting up our Christmas lights up just as the snow started to fall.

I went on a few runs this week, the whole time the advantages to a gym membership where looking quite enticing- something I rarely consider. But dang, it has been cold. Bundling up the kids took a good 1/2 hour and then it took another 1/2 hour for me to defrost my bottom and my bottom lip! I will try to remember this feeling when the humidity returns in the summer!

State Fair

2010-12-06T22:10:00.001-05:00

This post is long past due. Connor and I have been making a priority to go on dates with our children. It was my turn to go out with Dylan. The State Fair was up and running. So we decided to go.

I would have to admit that the only reason I wanted to go was because EVERYONE in the city of Raleigh goes EVERY year and they count down the days till it comes again. On the other hand, it has NO appeal for me whatsoever. However, I have a deep ingrained desire to never be left out of anything fun, so I talked myself into taking Dylan for just an hour or two.

Dylan on the kiddy roller coaster...

The giant trampoline...

This kid loves Cotton Candy...

I DO NOT!!!

Memorable Moments:

1. I tried to lighten my load by only brining my credit card, which they DO NOT TAKE!!! Only out of prayer were we able to find some friends to borrow money from.

2. Feeling my heart speed race at just the sight of how many people there were- the line to park, the line to buy a ticket, the line to get on a ride, so many people you can barely walk straight. I do not like crowds, nope not at all. I am not a patient person. All of you who know my recent accidents know that they all stem from this weakness!

3. The smells- sweet and greasy foods everywhere!

But I was honored to be on a date with this cute man, who made the unbearable, bearable!

This doesn't mean you will be seeing me there next year though!

Thanksgiving

2010-12-02T00:04:00.007-05:00

I know most of you are way past Thanksgiving. Sadly, I am just getting around to documenting mine.

We had a great Holiday. This is the first time we have never traveled and we loved it! We enjoyed getting many home projects done- which I hope to post about soon.

The week started out with planning and executing Ashlyn's preschool Thanksgiving party...
We made crayon turkeys (ours seems to have a permanent role in daily coloring activities) and "thankful for/fours"...
Ashlyn's friend Ella had her dad come in and helped us sing some very adorable kids thanksgiving songs. He was amazing...

I hosted a baby celebration party for my friend Rachel- who should be having her baby any second! Sadly, no pictures.

I got to run a 5k turkey trot Thanksgiving morning. I took women's 3rd place and got a hefty gift card to a local triathlon store. I am excited to go shopping!

Connor, Dylan and I played in the ward Turkey Bowl this year. It has been a long time since we were able to take part in this tradition. There was also a little soccer on the side...
The kids played nicely on the sidelines...
Connor was a great QB! (As you can see we are in our shorts and t-shirts.)The kids Thanksgiving table. Dylan ate almost the whole platter of 7 layer jell-o himself!
Our amazing hosts, Julie (sorry Julie, only picture I had, you still look great) and Patrick. Patrick made a MEAN turkey! We truly are grateful for such wonderful friends.
We were lucky enough to have the Sisters eat with us, what great company!
I am truly Thankful for so many things, but here are my top three...

1. My Family, I have been blessed with the most amazing husband, parents, siblings and children.

2. The Full and Everlasting gospel that brings joy and meaning into my life. I have felt this much more strongly as Connor and I devote all our spare time to our callings. It has opened my eyes to a greater cause.

3. The health of my family and I. Working at the hospital makes me more aware of this blessing.

May our days be brimming with Thanksgiving through the holiday season and throughout 2011!

Tutu and Papa Steve Come to Visit

2010-11-12T19:50:00.007-05:00

We were smothered in love from Tutu and Papa Steve this last weekend.

(Tutu and I getting in a run at Shelly Lake)

I guess I whined enough about missing my parents that they felt sorry and came out! What a blast we had! Of course we just about worked them to death doing home improvement projects and playing tag at the many parks we went to.

Dylan played his guitar for them...

Ashlyn has been waiting FOREVER for this to be hung in her room...

It is always sad to see them go. Corbin said it best- "Tutu and papa Steve stay here!"

Love you!!!

Halloween Night

2010-10-31T20:22:00.006-04:00

We had a marvelous Halloween! Even though it wasn't quite as warm as last year (70 degrees while trick or treating!)

Dylan as Obi-wan-kanobi...
Kamryn was a big hit as a mermaid...

Kamryn loved kicking her legs and watching her "fin" move up and down

Ashlyn as a unicorn...
And Corbin, well... he was Corbin. I told myself I was not going to invest any time or money on a kid who is not interested in dressing up. However, at the end of today he asked to put on the "mermaid." So maybe next year???
We had a great time trick-or-treating at Dad's work and then again at the ward trunk-or-treat. Connor and I dressed up at John and Kate plus eight. Sorry, no pictures. It didn't quite turn out as great had I had dreamed. I think I also lost a baby or two throughout the night!

Tonight we had a cul-de-sac party. We ate dinner together and then sat around the fire pit as the trick-or-treaters made a one stop shop.
Here is what we ate...

Slimy Snake...

Boogers on a stick & kitty litter...

Deviled mice & penacillin pizza...

Pumpkin Picking

2010-10-25T21:12:00.000-04:00

We had so much fun Going to Hill Ridge Farm with the Edgins. Kamryn enjoyed her first time in the Corn pit. He first time sitting up by herself too. The kids completely buried Preston
We can never get enough of the tunnel slide
I went down with three kids on my lap!
Jumping on the hay, or rather a hay fight
All the kids on the hay ride (I love Dylan's face, boya!)
I know it's fuzzy, but Corbin was thrilled with the Hay ride
Hay spider at the pumpkin patch
The well loved maze. It took Corbin a few minutes to figure out what he was supposed to do
Ashlyn with her beloved preschool teacher
We had a great time on a beautiful day and came home with some great pumpkins to show for it.

6 Months

2010-10-20T13:51:00.007-04:00

Look who it is...

Kamryn has definitley exceeded our expectations! Not only is she dang cute, and a great baby but she is our chubbiest too!!!

Stats:

Weight: 18.10 (92%)

Height: 26" (60%)

HC: 44cm (85%)

She also has plenty of boyfriends ranging up to the 10 year of age. Everyone I know can barely keep their hands off her, let alone try not to eat her up! Literally, she is irresistible. Okay, so she is my baby and I am only A LITTLE biased!

She is such a joy to have in our home. She of course laughs at just about anything the kids do, especially Corbin. She is rolling, not sitting. The doctor let me know that "heavier" babies tend to sit up a little later. She is enjoying all kinds of baby foods and still her mama's cream.

D.C. Ragnar Relay

2010-09-30T23:21:00.012-04:00

12 Friends...

201 miles later...

Run, Drive, Eat - Repeat!

Facts:

12 runners on a team, 6 per van
247 teams
201 miles from the countryside of MD to the National Harbor in DC
33 1/2 hours of straight running, day and night
Runner one hands off baton to runner two, two to three and on until the 12th runner hands it back to runner one. Each runner completes three legs of the race.

Highlights:

"Sightseeing" from Cumberland, MD to Washington D.C.
Lack of sleep!!!!!!
Finding a spot to rest between the rows of sleeping bodies
Showering in a high school locker room with 40 other women
Running at night with a head lamp, butt lamp and reflective vest
Watching 3 members of our team FINISH their first running race EVER!!!
Teammates handing me a shampoo sample packet instead of a Gu energy packet
Mountains as tall as Everest and heat like the Sahara
Pumping and dumping every few hours, and of course missing my baby at home.
Van 2 being rudely awaken by a girls soccer team (guess they double booked that field
Pitch dark porta potties
The "Do not resuscitate" and "We've got the Runs" teams
The train that felt like it was going to run right over us
The nonstop texting chimes from multiple different phones, to alert us when we would be on duty or the over van checking in on us.
11 new wonderful friends!

Nothing brings twelve people closer together than being stuck in a rented, small, stripped down, stinky, minivan running on no sleep for over 33 hours!!!

Adding To The List

2010-09-27T17:16:00.000-04:00

As if a New...

Job

Baby

House

Car

Seminary calling for Connor

wasn't enough!

I have never had a calling for more than a year (usually due to a move) this time is not an exception. I have retired my primary chorister days (for now) and am venturing into the world of...

Primary President

I am absolutely overwhelmed and humbled. Many recent experiences have noted that this is a call from our Father in Heaven. I know that this is for my learning and refining. I am glad to say that I have some wonderful women to work with and who I will be DELEGATING to!!

This is not in a means to gloat but to open my doors for all your advice!

It is also a warning- Never think that because your husband has a time consuming calling does that mean that you are off the hook!! There are no "get out of jail cards" in the gospel!

Squirt

2010-09-21T20:38:00.000-04:00

I have found a new favorite baby invention. The Boon Spoon! I love it! Of course my sister-in-law, Michele, gave it to me (she seems to find all the nifty stuff.) I stashed it away wondering if I would ever use it because my first three kids did not want to have anything to do with baby food or baby cereal. We recently pulled it out of it's wrapping and gave it a try. LOVE IT! I am going to have to go get a second one!

Every mommy needs one. It is almost like a baby food bottle! Every mom's dream come true! So here is my raving review:

cuts down on the mess and spills
allows one hand to be free- which makes it possible for me to get a meal in also!
It has a lid, making it portable!!!!!!
The bottom is clear so you can see how much is left.
Feeding time is cut in half!

Trampoline is back

2010-09-15T15:37:00.005-04:00

Quiet Trouble

2010-09-15T14:47:00.006-04:00

Mornings are always a hectic time of day, from making lunches to making sure everyone is clothed, diapered and fed. I always seem to think I can fit more into my mornings than is really possible. If it were my choice, I would always leave the house spick and span. But spick and span have no meaning at this hour.

Today was a usual morning (besides the fact that Connor is out of town and I was up for in time for Seminary because the substitute was late.) Often Corbin and Ashlyn wander off and do their imaginary play thing, which is great! I noticed it was awfully quiet. Something that is so unusual that it strikes an uncomfortable cord deep inside (all you busy mothers know what I am talking about.) I, of course, decided to enjoy it for a minute longer as I finished spoon feeding Kamryn. Ashlyn came trotting down the stairs just moments later. I instinctively asked her if Corbin was with her. He wasn't.

That was the moment that struck fear into my heart. Corbin is my lovey, dovey child, but he is also my child that does "those things." You know, "those things" that engrave memories for story telling. The stories you tell when you sit with other couples playing the "who can top that story" game.

I ran upstairs to find him, trying not to show my anxiety. I found him in my bathroom quietly, and of course happily, playing in my nail polish. I screamed (a thing I completely regret, and something I shouldn't do before evaluation the scene.) I think I scared him more than anything.

As I was quickly cleaning up his left leg (remember it is pre-school time) I realized I might need to take a picture so that I could laugh about this later. So this picture excludes the addition of an entirely pink left leg. It took longer than I had imagined to clean it all up. Luckily, he got only the tile and not a single dot of nail polish on my bathroom rugs! At least he is a neat-messy maker!

He also found my little paint brush I use when painting french manicures. That was of course part of the mess. But can I blame him? He just wanted his nails painted. Is that too much to ask? Maybe it is when you still don't talk very well, you found the nail polish and you learned how to open the bottle yourself!!!!!

To be honest my older two have not gotten into much and I have not been a hard core baby proofer. I am learning my lesson this time around! This boy is hard to be mad at, he is truly my most gentle and kindhearted child!

Here are Corbin's other reckless moments:

pen deeply engraved on the wall just prior to moving
Vaseline slathered all over his arms and legs (again luckily he did not get it on any furniture)
marker (let me clarify, this is a dry erase marker) on the couch, rug and plush rocking horse
opening candy at the store without permission (this really drives me crazy since I am very occupied at the register, I mean whoever thought of putting every kind of candy known to man at check out did not have children of their own!!!!)
running away from me in the stores and playing hide and seek in the clothes racks
sticking plastic lizard tails in light sockets

Tag, your it, tell me your worst stories!!!

End of summer

2010-09-07T21:27:00.001-04:00

This summer was so long and tiring, yet I somehow can't believe it is over. The air here has given us it's indication that fall is on it's way (the humidity has let up, what a great relief.) I have found myself desperately holding on to each day. A month ago I prayed that the summer would quickly expire, only so that the stress would be over. This summer has brought so many wonderful blessings. We have enjoyed getting to know and love our new little Kamryn even more as well as our new home. I am just glad that we were able to choose a house, close and move in to it, all in less than a month!

The kids are LOVING school. I was a little worried that Dylan was going to YET another new school. But he said it was his "best first day ever!" What a relief! We are enjoying our ability to walk and ride bikes to school. I can't believe my first baby is a 1st grader!
And this face will tell you all about it...
This girl...

Started preschool today. I thought she was literally going to burst from excitement. She has waited so patiently. She has watched Dylan go to school for the last 6 weeks.

These cutties have become wonderful friends and cuddle buddies...
I mean, it would take a ball and a chain to restrain you from trying to cuddle with the chunky girl!

We have definitely enjoyed our share of the pool. We have been "pool hoppers" for two years now. We are stoked that we finally have a pool to take our generous friends too. And here, that is literally all you can do during the hot summer weeks! There are a few weeks the end of July and early August where the pool water actually gets too hot and it is no longer refreshing! One of many pool trains with your's truly as the engine...

And it looks like even though summer is ending THIS battle rages on...

Yes, these are Kamryn's 3 mo clothes...argggggggg!!!! I guess the 80's would have suite her well.

Singing In The Rain

2010-08-30T21:26:00.000-04:00

This was just one of those moments I never want to forget- therefore it is getting blogged. Lately when it rains here, it pours. Luckily, it stays pretty warm when it rains and so we enjoy getting out and playing in it. Here we are on a umbrella walk...

Three kids, three umbrellas! But it just isn't complete without getting completely wet!!!

I just loved these pictures, they were having so much fun running through the gutter and then ending up in the backyard for a water gun fight against DAD!!!

Home sweet Home

2010-08-22T20:47:00.004-04:00

Here is a video tour. I know it is kinda fast and shaky but I only have 1 1/2 minutes on my camera at a time. Speed tour! I was tentative to post it because there is lots of painting and decorating to be done! So no judging! No need to rush right?

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Now doesn't that make you want to come visit???

4 months

2010-08-18T21:36:00.000-04:00

Kamryn turned 4 months on Sunday. How fast it has gone! Having so many friends with REAL newborns has only made me realize how big she is.

Here are her stats:

weight: 15 lbs 15 oz (93 %)

length: 24.5 in (55%)

Head: 42.75 in (90%)

I wish I could take all the credit for these numbers, but it comes pretty easy. She literally has roll after roll! It makes me laugh every time I change her diaper!

Her she is Miss America...
Close up...
Oh, the toothless smile makes me melt...
Luckily, this is the worst of her dirty looks...

She loves to grab her feet, she is super ticklish and she smiles at her siblings (and just about anybody.) Today she had her first taste of baby cereal. To my utter surprise she enjoyed it. None my other kids wanted anything to do with it and she has been super stubborn with the bottle so this was a great gift! I am LOVIN her so much I could eat her!

Sisters

2010-08-17T16:34:00.003-04:00

Aunt Michele sent Kamryn a beautiful baby bracelet (I love these). To our surprise it had a matching mommy bracelet. The first thing Ashlyn said when she saw it...

I bet you can guess...

"A bracelet for me!" From that moment there was NO WAY I could possibly pull off wearing my new mommy bracelet. Yesterday we got out our jewelry tools and shortened it so it would fit just right. So now they are "sister bracelets."

Compliments abound and I am always asked where I get them. Disappointed grunts follow my inability to answer!

Hair Affair

2010-08-02T10:24:00.000-04:00

I have two children that constantly play with their hair, but for different reasons.

Corbin plays with his hair when he gets tired. He kinda pulls on it, and lets his fingers glide through the strands. He does have great hair! He will even do it when he is not fully awake. Ashlyn twists, tugs and plays with her hair all day long. She does it without thinking, the SAME EXACT WAY my baby sister, Carianne does. They even have the same exact kind of hair- same color, same texture! It is terribly cute, but makes me miss my sister.

While playing at the park and while at a primary activity!

I guess we all have our little, silly habits!

Try This On For Size

2010-07-28T10:42:00.001-04:00

Ashlyn came downstairs looking like this...
The picture isn't the best, but you get the picture. Ashlyn + Clothes= trouble. Lately, she steals everyone else's clothes. Today, she got out a stool and rummaged through Kamryn's drawer to find a polka dot onesie from Kadi and a polka dot skirt with attached panties from Cami all in 3mo size! She REFUSED to take them off, she was quite comfortable! I could barely keep a straight face when looking at her. She reminded me of a cheerleader with a tiny outfit- no offense to those who are/were cheerleaders. Sadly, I can't find either piece at the moment. However, not due to the move.
Needless to say, we will be starting a daily clothes therapy session where we will be learning:

to pick ONE outfit and stay in it the remainder of the day
not sneak and steal other's cloths
appreciate having so many clothes to choose from and from so many great people
appreciate clothing advice when given after it was requested
articulate what is it about the clothes that makes them desirable

If you would like to be a guest speaker, please leave your information and availability in the comment section.

Don't Eat Pete

2010-07-25T20:36:00.000-04:00

I have so many wonderful childhood memories of playing this game during Family Home Evening. It had occur ed to me a few months ago that I never got a copy from my mom to play with my kids. So our dear friend Ali came to the rescue, she read my mind! She gave us a super cute copy when Kamryn was born. It has swiftly become a family favorite. We have started using cheerios since most of us (not Corbin) were getting worn out on the skittles and M&M's. It is quite strange, however, that no matter what figure we pick to be Pete, Corbin will always clear the board. No, we don't let him cheat, we play fair. He never fails to amaze us!

So if you don't have a copy of this game, google it immediately for a fun, fast, easy FHE activity!

Called to Serve

2010-07-15T10:25:00.000-04:00

Whenever we have moved we have always received new callings (due to relocation.) This move is no exception. I of course was starting to feels the pressures from Connor's calling in YM. We had not seen him much due to mutual activities, meetings, fundraising activities, and scout camp. I assumed a call from a stake leader meant he was being called to stake YM and I was pretty happy about that. However, instead he has been called to... Yes, we will be having early morning seminary in our new home starting in September. I sat in front of our stake leader shocked and if it hadn't been too odd, Connor would have done a back flip for joy. The fun part is that we can dedicate a room in our new house just for this cause. So now we need to start practicing early retiring each night!

Red, White and Blue

2010-07-11T23:28:00.002-04:00

We had such a wonderful 4th of July. Saturday we had a few families in our ward over for a relaxing pot luck. It was so fun to get to know them all better and I truly enjoyed their company. I wish I had taken more pictures, but by the time I remembered to get the camera out half of them had left. We ate a lot of good food and then lit a few fireworks on the drive way. The kids of course loved the show.

We had a variety of reactions:

Dylan- Enjoyed every minute

Ashlyn- still a little leery of the big, loud ones (Last year she cried the whole way through them).

Corbin- Loved throwing the little poppers on the ground

Kamryn- thought they were way too loud.

In our attempts to find everyone a patriotic outfit we noticed that Kamryn had a plethora of such. So my little Ashlyn "borrowed" a few to make her own gear. She also happens to be very photogenic:(It might make you laugh to click on the collage to get a better look)

Let me explain: Ashlyn is a clothes hog! She will sneak in a snatch an article of clothing from someone else if she deems it awesome enough. Recently I caught her wearing Corbin's pajamas and tried to cover up her snatch with her own clothes over them!?!?! So needless to say, she was pretty thrilled that I gave her permission to wear these ridiculously small clothes. However, she has now confiscated them and labeled them as "hers."

Danny gave all the kids his one-of-a-kind "tattoos." He can melt a child's shyness with one of those! He also took some really "good" pictures of us. One of me and Kamryn during our driveway fireworks:

And one of his amazing wife Amanda:Sunday we went to see fireworks with what ended up being a huge group of friends. It wasn't a hard to request to have Ben, Ashlyn and Dylan hold hands until we arrived at our stake out. We found a great spot on a hill where it was not crowded and the kids had space to run. Unfortunately, someone made Dylan think he could run with a sparkler. That scared me to death. It was dark, and combined with uneven ground and Dylan's speed, I feared the worst. Our dear friends Danny (who is a Special Forces Soldier) and Amanda who are hopefully having their little baby Hazel as I type:

We really enjoyed teaching our children the history behind this special day and how this great event was a precursor to the restoration of the church. We are grateful for this wonderful nation and for many men and women to risk everything for us. I continue to pray that as a nation we will not forget that God has truly had a hand in the birth of The United States of America.

Last Move?

2010-07-08T00:20:00.002-04:00

It has taken me a couple weeks to realize this is for real... Our first home!!! Wow, what a crazy few weeks. We are super excited though. We just have to actually get into it, that is the hard part. I dread moving! I even had to look up my old posts to get my own moving advice. It has been a long two years since we have moved (our longest stay.) We know this will be such a fun step in our lives and we have many wonderful hopes and dreams for this house. It also has a lot more room, room for more visitors. So if you come you actually get your own room and possibly your own bathroom!

Two Front Teeth

2010-07-03T22:26:00.002-04:00

Last week we had our first visit from the one and only...This guy lost two teeth in one week...As a parent, why is it so exciting when our children have loose teeth? Are we more excited than they are since we know the tooth fairy personally? And is it an instinct to try to "help" them get those danglers out?

Connor has vivid memories of his Dad playing the "masterful tooth puller." So he of course was determined that he inherited this from his father. Let's just say it didn't go over too well when he tried it out.

From Dylan's perspective I am sure it is quite frustrating to have a tooth literally hanging out of your mouth, yet your pain tolerance is like ZERO!

Connor and I each took turns nudging the first tooth out between screams and crying. Dylan had asked us to pull it but then became quite angry when he felt the pain and saw the blood. Later in the evening I got lucky with my fast twitch finger and freed that little tooth! So two days later when the first tooth's next door neighbor was also very loose I decided to try my lucky finger twitch again. I realized that tooth must not have been so loose! Let's just say Dylan was not too in love with his mother right at that moment. Low and behold a little wrestling allowed that little tooth to join his neighbor in the tooth fairy's pouch, where they are superbly happy!

And here is to many more!

Doggy Tales

2010-06-29T09:31:00.000-04:00

This is Ginger...
Ashlyn's new favorite thing to do/play with.

It all started out as a favor to a neighbor who just had a baby. But I think it has turned into a favor for Ashlyn.
She can't get enough of this puppy and it is constantly on her mind. I know she would take great care of one- that is IF we ever own one.

Spring Sports

2010-06-25T19:59:00.000-04:00

Dylan played baseball for the first time this spring. It was a love/hate relationship. The games were LONG and SLOW- as you can imagine at 6 years of age. But Dylan loved it anyways. He still loves to go out and play catch with just about anyone.

Let me remind you, he is our super athlete. He never had a problem hitting the ball and getting to first base. His coaches loved it when he played third base because he could actually get the ball to first base in one throw. However, that doesn't mean that the first basemen caught it! It was a very interesting season to watch. I had to continually remind Dylan not to fight over the grounders with his teammates. It didn't seam to sink in!
During his last game he played first base and got two outs during the same inning. Obtaining any outs during your teams field play is rare, but very exciting. They have a 5 run maximum for each inning in the league due to this fact. So Dylan was pretty excited as you can imagine.

There was also another funny moment when Dylan was on the bench waiting to hit and he was crying. I asked him what was wrong and he said there weren't anymore helmets (he was far enough down the lineup that there were no helmets left to wear.) I just laughed.

Here is Dylan in catchers garb, most of the kids had a hard time just walking around in it...

Dylan and one of his best buddies were on the same soccer team again. We loved it and they loved it (I think because it was only one hour a week.) He is wearing a Honduran soccer outfit my sister, Carianne, sent him for his birthday.
What will this kid do next?

Father's Day

2010-06-21T22:31:00.005-04:00

I love Father's day - besides trying to find the right gift for the men in my life (why are they always the hardest?)

This year we gave Connor some yummy treats because he was the "Top Pop" of the year- well every year really! Every year we repurposed an old tie for Connor. I mean don't you think this looks WAY better than it possibly could have before...(Sorry for the bad photo, my bathroom does not lend itself for a good backdrop late at night.)

Every man wants a tie with D.A.D., fringe, jewels, and Googly eyes ...
I wish I could shrink down to the size of a pin and take a ride on Connor's shoulder so that I could take in all the comments he gets from wearing such a marvelous creation!

Yes, we love our daddy! From what I gathered from my kid's answers to questions for Father's day, they all love to wrestle with him and Dylan also loves to have Wii time with him. I know Kamryn is instantly soothed by just the sound of his voice, there really is nothing sweeter than a dad with his infant in his arms! Connor never fails to get down and play hard with his kids. He is an amazing teacher and friend to them. He is always willing to play even the most tiring games with them. They all fight over sitting by him at dinner (sometimes I wonder if they realize I am in the room.) I am excited to see him in action in the future and also very comforted because I know he will be amazing!

I also have a wonderful Dad of my own. Sadly, it took me about 18 years to finally realize what an amazing man he was. I feel like I wasted so many moments and opportunities with him. He is very intelligent. We often tease him because he knows words that none of us have even heard. But he was the best one to go to proof read our papers. I am grateful for the example he has set for me. I can not even count the many times he has been up for all hours of the night out helping someone in need, without a single complaint. I know he has done this for me as well. He provided a wonderful, spiritual and safe home for me to be raised in. I never doubted his love for me!

Thank you, I love you both!

Hair does

2010-06-19T23:36:00.001-04:00

Dylan

Ashlyn

Summer Wreaths

2010-06-19T09:58:00.000-04:00

I have suddenly become in love with wreaths, I don't know why. But these are a few of my recent favs:

My summer seaside wreath:

And my patriotic wreath:

Tip I learned: remember to actually READ the directions before attempting to try to follow them.

2 Months Already!

2010-06-17T08:19:00.000-04:00

Kamryn turned two months on Tuesday. I can't believe how fast it has gone. But yet I can't remember what it was like without her here. She has complimented our family in so many ways. Corbin has come to love her to DEATH. He will literally smother her with his love. He likes to try to take care of her. Ashlyn thinks she is mom #2 and Dylan plays a very good big brother part. Everyone loves her, I mean EVERYONE! At Church functions she is the most popular person in the room, especially with the kids! Being in primary makes all the kids unafraid to approach me, which I love. We have noticed a trend however, it is usually the babies of the families that are the most "hungry" to hold her.

She has started to smile and coo at us- an amazing glimpse into her personality. I still am waiting to see what color her eyes are going to be (this will determine if she is a King baby or a Thompson baby. I have three Thompson babies and so i won't get my hopes up!) I think she has me wrapped cause i really think she is the cuttest baby I have EVER seen, including my own. She really is such a great baby, I have put in a lot of time to deserve one like this. She normally only wakes up twice at night and it has been less here and there. She will sit in bouncer for longer than I should let her. She is most always very content!

We love our baby Kamryn!

Wee Wee Wee All The Way Home

2010-06-13T21:31:00.001-04:00

I never would have thought that this... would =

A week ago I was in my normal post bedtime zone- cleaning and picking up after a long day. I walked briskly past the baby bouncer- I guess a little too closely! I caught the frame between my 4th and 5th toes and of course tripped. Luckily there was no baby in it because I snagged it hard. Honestly, I take pain pretty well, but this hurt more than just a normal stub. Connor heard my howl and found me laying face down. The only reason I was still sprawled on the floor at this point was the need for a few extra minutes to shake it off. Connor started laughing, assuming I was trying to play some sort of joke (I guess I play too many on him.)
I have never broken a single bone in my body until I became a mother- how ironic! I never knew that motherhood could be so dangerous! The x-ray showed a very obvious pinky toe fracture.

The sad part is that I was just getting back into my running after my 6 week postpartum green light. This puts quite a damper on my race training and tennis team playing! So for the next four weeks I have to find time/ways to cross train (not going so hot)!

Cotton Hammer

2010-06-10T13:59:00.000-04:00

This great guy came to visit... Connor's Cousin/best friend, Scott Hammer, came. He was in town for a wedding but we got a few days to enjoy him first. For some reason Ashlyn started calling him "Cotton Hammer" and it stuck. So to celebrate the occasion of our visitor we decided to take a trip to the beach.

This sums up how we all felt about it...
Camp site...
Kamryn did so well at the beach- maybe she didn't care for the wind... Professional sandcastle maker and cutie...
There were a few moments that we suddenly realized Dylan had vanished and as we looked around we saw this...
The kid would just have a sudden urge to run, the need for speed!

There was a lot of this...

Dylan was glued to Hammer. Actually all the kids were. They could barely let him shower alone. They were fighting over who got to sit by him and who got to play with him.

Future Mormon bay watch girl...

My favorite pic because it sums up how relaxing it was... The water was too enjoyable, we couldn't get enough...
I mean this kid is too cute... We never got tired of jumping over the waves and running from them...

I was surprised that Dylan enjoyed body surfing so much, salt and all...

Pretending to be fish...

By the end of the day we were toast (literally.)

Thanks Hammer for coming to visit and putting up with us and our crazy kids!

8 Years

2010-06-07T14:18:00.007-04:00

8 years ago I never imagined a day like today...

*woken abruptly by child 3 screaming bloody murder
*poop leaked on your clothes at a baseball game
*child 3 drops apple into dirt after repeated warnings (might I add that you are VERY hungry)
*stubbed your broken toe
*child 2 scrapes knee and there is D.R.A.M.A.
*as you load the car you realize that child 3 has pooped in his swim diaper (and it is that flaky stuff that doesn't come off) and your friend with the pool key just left.
*child 4 is often crying but has to be put off until children 1-3 are satisfied
*child 2 won't stop asking you to walk the neighbor's dog with her
*child 3 rammed heads with his best buddy and now is crying and has a big bump
*child 1 cries because there are no more baseball helmets
*child 2 thinks she runs the house and can tell everyone what to do
*child 3 complains that his tummy hurts (your first thought is throw up)
*child 1 decides he needs a reward for picking up his own trash
*child 4 is tired but having a hard time falling and STAYING asleep.
*child 1 says he can't find his baseball shirt even though he is practically looking at it
*child 3 plays in the mud
*child 2 cries because the shoes she chose are hurting her feet, she demands that you go get her different ones (you are not at home, nor are you even close)
*child 3 throws his sandwich at you
*child 1 asks you to carry his bat and water bottle- like you aren't already hauling enough
*child 3's nose is running, all you can find is his shirt.

And this is a typical day. But yet it doesn't seem so bad because I married this man...
Who makes me feel loved, which is the most wonderful feeling in the whole world. Loved inside and out, despite many weaknesses and eccentricities. My best friend and one who makes me smile and laugh even when the world seems to be crashing around us. I am grateful that I chose to marry this man and that I get to walk side by side with him forever- a marvelous gift that started 8 years ago today!

K'nex

2010-06-05T09:26:00.001-04:00

We were lucky enough to get a great big package of these...

As long as we give a review of the products on this here blog, they are ours to keep!

It was like Christmas at our house as you can imagine! Corbin and Ashlyn went straight for the Sesame Street sets. They loved putting them together, and they love the containers they came in too. I also enjoyed that the instructions gave a lot of ideas to use when playing with your kids. Not only can you put them together in very fun and silly ways but you can use them to teach colors and numbers. As a child development major and MOM I was grateful for yet another fun tool to help my children learn as they play.
Dylan has loved the Collect & Build Construction Crew Series and the Micro-Bots set. He has really loved that some are motorized. He can enjoy building them and then playing with them afterward. Corbin loves to watch "hopper." Obviously, we have rebuilt him many times!However, Dylan seems frustrated when they come apart and sometimes he gets stuck on the directions. But overall he has been able to build most of them on his own. I also have enjoyed the Fire Rescue 10 set because it gives directions to build not just the truck but also 3 or 4 other vehicles. As a mom of a child who mostly only builds straight from the directions and not out of creativity, I am thankful for multiple ways he can use this one set.

I would like to think I am a pretty good builder myself, but Dylan would much rather have dad or a friend build with him. No fair, I like these too!

nursing covers

2010-06-02T13:44:00.000-04:00

I can finally show off my latest creations because it won't ruin any surprises. Our ward has had a HUGE boom of babies- 9 babies!!! Half of them are first time mommies, which is terribly exciting.

So I decided to make those new mommies one of these...A cute nursing cover (some people would like to call them hooter hiders, you can choose)...

I think they turned out quite adorable if I say so myself. And while I was at it, I made myself a new one, mine was pretty ragged looking...

visitors

2010-05-29T10:26:00.000-04:00

Afraid to say it but this post is long overdue. This spring we had two sets of very exciting visitors. Can I say WE LOVE VISITORS!

First our friends, the Christophers, from Boston came to see us. We practically lived at each other's apartments when we lived in Boston. I found one AMAZING friend in Brianne! I am so grateful we have been able to keep in touch and glad that they would stop by on their way to the Beach.

Right before Kamryn came Connor's sister, Cami, and her family came. We were really hoping that Kamryn would come while they were here. We did however have a lot of fun showing them all the things we like to do. We took them to the very awesome Durham Science Museum!

Ashlyn and Sophie

We anticipate more visitors- that means YOU! (seriously, come to the beach with us, it is awesome!)

More babies on the Way

2010-05-26T15:37:00.001-04:00

Don't worry, it is not me having more babies. We are due to have some hatch soon from our little hanging pot of flowers. Look closely...

I scare the mom away every time I open the front door- which makes me feel bad. But we are terribly excited!

1 month

2010-05-20T22:22:00.006-04:00

Look at this beautiful girl...

Kamryn is one month old. The wise women always tell me how much faster it goes with consecutive children. And it really does, but only because I am enjoying it so much. Kamryn has been an amazing addition to our family. She is hard not to love! My favorite moments are watching Dylan lay with her before bedtime, Ashlyn mothering her by desperately wanting to put her on her "shoulder" and Corbin asking to hold "baby" and smiles at her. I LOVE when she first wakes up with all those cute noises and gruts while she stretches. She really is patient with all that happens around this house! She is very alert and happy most of the time.

My friend Becky made this adorable onesie for her. A "K" on the front and ruffles in the back. What baby bum doesn't look good in ruffles! And the adorable blanket by Aunt Kadi! This girl is OUTFITTED!

She tipped the scales at 10lbs 6 oz (90%)! She takes after the Thompson clan with her chub. She is 75% on her head cir. and 50% on her height- not soo shabby!

She is so precious that it makes me want to have another one- well until I hear the rest of the kids arguing and fighting!