The Spirit of Christmas

Ever have those moments when you look at your child and actually SEE how much they've grown and it just takes your breath away?

This was one of those moments.

McKenna started taking ballet in September and has loved every minute of it! It's been so much fun to watch her develop this talent. She has become so graceful and fluid. So when she came upstairs for her first performance in full makeup I was astounded to see my 14 year old daughter looking so grown up. Yes, it's a bit heavy, but it's stage makeup. My favorite part were the lashes! They made her eyes pop!

The performance went well. Kenna was in 2 dances and was beautiful. I wish I had pics of it! The highlight of the evening was when a guest instructor recommended that she take extra classes. I was floored but a little concerned about the money. But Ballet Nevada gave her a scholarship to attend as many classes as she could at a certain level. I was, of course, in tears and Kenna was surprised. We feel so blessed to be a part of a dance company that has been so generous to Kenna. It was by far my favorite gift this year.

Cameron's 6th birthday!!

Wow. 6 years ago, I got the BEST Christmas present ever! I can't believe that my babybigboy is already 6. He is getting so big and grown up. He is changing so much so quickly. Cameron is a sweet, sensitive boy that is also able to wrestle with his brothers and hold his own. He loves to read and be read to. Cameron has ALWAYS been a snuggler. He was carried for most of his first year and still likes to sit RIGHT NEXT to you on the couch. He does a great impression of a Lounge Lizard on weekends and holidays watching movie after movie and reading. I am so grateful for him and what he adds to our family. Love you.

*note- the red slinky was bought for him by Max with Max's own money. He was too excited to wait for Christmas so he gave it to Cameron for his birthday. I guess those are the moments we wade through 'life' for.

Bear Bread

One of my favorite memories growing up was every year in school, my mom would help us make bear bread for our teacher gifts. I'm sure it wasn't HER favorite activity, but I remember getting so excited as they came together-and I'm sure she did more of the work than I did. But she'd always let us poke the bellybutton and put the raisins in place. We've done a lot of different things for the teachers over the years, but this seems to have been a real hit! And come on. Is there really anything better than fresh bread? I think not. So this is going to become a new tradition for our family! Pass it on...

Cameron loses his first tooth!

I think it's a right of passage- especially for Kindergarteners. At some point in Kindergarten my kids start asking me when they're going to start losing their teeth. Cameron was no different. So he was super excited to let me know that he'd lost his first tooth at school! His second tooth was soon to follow (you can probably see it sitting crookedly next to the empty spot). Unfortunately, our Tooth Fairy is pretty delinquent and it took a few days for her to visit. But in the end, Cameron was happy with the 50 cents she left for his tooth!

Pictures with Santa 2009

Another Christmas.... (yes, I realize that I'm actually typing this in July) I really love taking the kids to see Santa Claus. But this year was different. Kenna and Chris decided they didn't want to go. It made me a little sad, but they are old enough to make the decision. Max and Cam were still excited to see him. Max asked for a remote control car and Cameron asked for a new folder for school. Stay tuned for a later post to see if their wishes were granted.....

Max is too cool to smile for the picture!

And Cameron is SUPER excited!

Kenna's 14 birthday

Ok. I admit it. I am a horrible mom. I don't actually have any pictures of Kenna's birthday. *gasp* I know, I know. But we did things a little differently for her birthday this year. As many of you probably know, McKenna and I are serious Twilight freaks. So when we found out that New Moon was opening on her birthday, all she wanted was to go to the midnight showing of it. I am not a big fan of midnight shows, and waiting in line just bugs me. But, it was ALL she wanted. So I did what any die-hard Twi-Mom would do. I said, "OK!" So we headed off to Rue 21 and bought her a New Moon shirt. (I was so proud when she told me she didn't want a shirt with anyones face on it! She got one with the wolf pack tattoo and it says 'Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?' on the back.) So the day came and it began at 6 that evening with a service project with the Young Men/Young Women at the cannery. We were worried about getting a decent place in line but wanted to do the service project anyway. So we raced over to the theater right after and called some friends that were already there. They were running a special that for 5 dollars we could watch Twilight first and get in early to get our seats. So, OF COURSE I sprung for the movie. We got in there and got pretty good seats and it was a ton of fun heckling Twilight on the big screen! Everyone in the theater laughed at the same spots (the ones that weren't MEANT to be funny!) and it was nice to come together as book purists and laugh about the stupid changes they made! Anyhoo... New Moon finally began and it was.... A-MAY-ZING! We even went the next night to see it again. I wish I had gotten pics of us, it was kind of nice for it to be just she and I. (At least I enjoyed it!) So while I wish I had pics of the night(s), the memories are sweet in my mind. She is such an amazing kid. I am so blessed to be her mom. Twilight opened a whole new way for us to bond. Sounds weird, but it's true. We are constantly recommending books to one another and she has learned to appreciate my special brand of weird! (at least in private) She was also able to attend her first Stake dance a day or 2 after her birthday. It was a rocky start to the whole dance thing, but she is enjoying them now. I love her so much. She is a really great kid. Maybe having a 14 year old girl in the house won't be as bad as I've heard! (heehee!)

HALLOWEEN!! OOOOOOO!!

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. This year was special because of Max's baptism, but also because we had cousins out from Utah to trick-or-treat with us! So after the baptism, Chris ran to play in part of his game and the rest of us went home to eat and get ready to go trick-or-treating. I thought I had pics of everyone, but I guess not. Chris went as a football player- not sure if it was out of laziness (on both our parts) or what, Max was a bandit, Cam was tigger, and Kenna went as Jane Austen. Kenna came up with her costume and wanted to make it herself, but with time constraints, it became my project. It was fun to work on together. Her original idea was much grander, but making costumes is not much cheaper than purchasing one anymore.

But it turned out well and she looked great! Max came up with his costume all on his own. Love it! And Cam loves going through our old costumes and FINALLY fit perfectly in the Tigger costume he's been dying to wear! So all were

happy. Hayley looked so cute dressed up as Cookie

Monster and Conner was Elmo. We also had our good

friends Anna and Gracie with us dressed up as black cats!

Kenna, Chris and Kenna's friend Maddee went out on their

own. *sigh* That's the first time I've let them do that, and

it was only with the stipulation that they call every 15

minutes. Yes, you read that right. I am perfectly ok with

them growing up and making (some) of their own decisions.

But 3 really cute kids, out alone, without adult supervision,

without me made me nervous. I guess it had to happen

sometime. It was a really great year and we had

grandparents here to help hand out candy and share in the

fun.

Can't wait til next year!

Max's baptism

Max turned 8 this year and was interviewed by the bishop and found ready to be baptized. We were so excited for this, Max especially. He had been talking about this for a long time asking 'how many more days til I'm baptized?' This year the stake baptism day fell on Halloween. At first we were concerned about how this would work out, but it all went really well and I think was a very memorable day for him. We were lucky that Aunt Brittany, Hayley, and Conner, Grannie and Grandpa Greco, and Grandma and Grandpa Thompson came out to see it. We also had his Primary teacher, Primary president, and some really good friends came. It began with all the kids in the stake together in the chapel for a talk about baptism. then we separated into wards for the baptism. Max was the only one from our ward and we got to go first. It was really nice and witnessed by both grandpas. Coming out of the water, Max yelled, 'Holy crap!' which was just Max! Then we had a talk by Grandpa Thompson on the Holy Ghost followed by Max's confirmation to receive the Holy Ghost. Max is such a sweet kid. He makes me happy every day. There are days that I wonder how I got so lucky to have him. I am so proud he made the decision to be baptized. We love you Max! (and could a family pic be more accurate?)

Happy Birthday Max!

Max turned 8 years old in October. He was so excited to have a birthday party with his friends

He invited lots of people and we played games and had some yummy cake. He got lots of presents and got almost everything he wanted. (and YES, he asked for a tie! =)

So here are a few things I love about Max:

1- He loves to read. I know I say that about all of my kids, but he REALLY loves to read. He has really excelled at it this year as his confidence as grown.

2- He is competitive. When he plays sports, he throws himself into it like his life depends on it.

When he plays, he plays hard- to win. There is no half-way for him.

3- The boy is GOOD at the Wii! Granted, EVERYONE is good compared to me, but he is really good. He also has the patience to work at a game over and over until he passes a level.

4- Max can dance and sing. He plays a mean air guitar too! One of my favorite things is to see him walking around with his ipod on singing and dancing to the music. He even signs up for our ward's Talent Night to dance. He's a crowd favorite!

5- Max likes to write and illustrate stories. His teacher has started letting him type a story on the computer and prints it for him to draw a picture to go along with it.

6- He loves school. Ask him about it and he'll give you the usual 'I don't like school' answer, but he really does. He is doing really well too. He's one of the best readers in his class, and he finishes his work before most of his class. His teacher loves him too.

7- Max is a good brother. Yes, he fights with his brothers/sister more often than not, and he drives them crazy. But Max truly loves them. He probably wouldn't admit it, but he has been spotted doing random acts of kindness for them- not intentionally. He just does it.

8- He is (almost) always willing to give a talk in Primary. He is often asked to fill in for people who aren't going to be there or if a class doesn't have enough kids to fill the spots. He loves it even more now that he can read and doesn't need me whispering in his ear. He's a great example with his willingness to help.

9- He's a snappy dresser. Every single pair of pants that he owns has a ragged, ripped edge in the back. One day after folding the laundry and seeing this I snapped at him, 'Why don't you just fold your pants up to keep this from happening?' He looked at me and rolled his eyes and replied, 'Moooom. Rolling your pants up JUST ISN'T COOL. I don't want to look like a dork.'

I couldn't argue with logic like that.

10- His laugh is infectious. I can't help but smile when he really lets loose with his deep belly laugh, or his snicker that sounds a bit like Ernie from Sesame Street. It's just too much!

Max is a great boy who makes me happy every day- even if he makes me crazy! I am so blessed to be his mom and I look forward to watch him grow into the great young man I know he'll be.

Happy birthday, Max. I love you.

Cast off!

FINALLY!

The day finally came to get Chris' cast off. We were all ready to not have to wrap his arm up for his daily shower, or cushion and wrap it up for every football practice or game. Chris was tired of not being able to play the violin and only plucking the strings in class. We were also tired of trying to pull his white shirt over it every sunday with the seams threatening to bust at any time.

After the dr.'s assistant cut the cast, she asked if we wanted to save it. Um.... no. Thanks? Do people REALLY save the casts? Well, I am just not that devoted a mother. (Ok, so my bishop's mom still has his cast from when he was a kid. She can HAVE the trophy for best mom. If that's what's required to get it, count me out! Yuck!)

Now, I was told that it would smell.... really bad. But I was not prepared for how bad it was. Thinking about it though, I realized that it was never really cleaned after it was broken before the cast was put on. Add that to the fact that Chris was at football practice 3 days a week and played (hard) in a game every weekend and you have one smelly cast. So I made Chris scrub.... and scrub..... and scrub. Until....

The poor kid had a nice raw spot on his wrist. Oh well. The Dr. saw that it had healed a little bent. He said it wouldn't matter and would eventually fix itself, or not, but it would be fine either way. But if we were concerned about it we could 'fix' it. I left that up to Chris. He decided to take his chances with a slightly irregular bone. Good answer!

Pumpkin Time!

I love fall. I love pumpkins. I love buying pumpkins to decorate the porch. It makes me happy. Every year we end up buying pumpkins with the best of intentions to carve them into great jack-o-lanterns. This year we decided to go to a local pumpkin patch to 'pick' our own pumpkins and try out the corn maze. It was sunny and warm and windy. A perfect fall day to get you in the mood to search for the perfect gourd and roam around a maze looking for the exit! Everyone was so excited. It took a while but we eventually found our way out (after Scott and a couple of the kids came to find me!).

After the maze we roamed the piles of pumpkins so everyone could find their own perfect one. The only rule is that if they can't carry, they can't get it. We ended up with a great variety!

Max and Cam went traditional with orange pumpkins, Chris found a really large grey pumpkin which he couldn't resist, while Kenna and myself went with white pumpkis. I wish I could tell you that we had a great time emptying and carving our finds, but we were so busy that week, it didn't happen. Oh well. Luckily Halloween comes around every year without fail!

First day of school!

The best time of the year.... the first day of school! Ok, maybe not the best time for kids. But this isn't my kids' blog!

This year we had a couple of firsts in our family. Chris joined Kenna in Middle School and Cam started Kindergarten! I can't believe that ALL of my kids are in school, and the best part is that Cam was able to get into an all-day kindergarten class. (happy dance!) I have to admit that it was a little sad to cross this parental threshold. I didn't cry (like some people thought I would).

Kenna was excited to rule the school as a brand new 8th grader, Chris was ready for a challenge in 7th grade, Max was excited to start 'real' school in 2nd grade, and Cam was just ready to be out of the house like the rest of them! I was amazed to see how happy my kids were about this year.

As for tears, catch me next fall when Kenna starts HIGH SCHOOL!! THAT may just get me crying!

Chris breaks his arm.

So I missed the first game of Chris' football season because I had a Girl's Night planned (don't judge me... nothing interferes with Girl's Night!). So imagine my surprise when Scott calls me and tells me to meet them at the ER- Chris broke his arm. Well, luckily I was sitting with a friend that is a nurse at a local ER and she told us to make sure that there was an orthopedic specialist on call so we don't get sent to another ER and double charged on co-pay. So they were redirected to another ER and I met them there. We got in and seen very quickly (thanks to a call from said nurse to her friends at the hospital). Chris was very calm. Scott was calm, but I could tell he was upset. I was ok. (Turns out, Scott had received an impression to have Chris come out of the game after Chris got hit pretty hard but Chris said he was ok. Next play... broken arm.) The only time Chris got upset was when the Dr. set the bone. They gave him painkillers, and he had a flash of fear/pain and then he was fine. 2 weeks in the splint to let the swelling go down and then we could take him for a cast. He was so brave. He missed 2 games- which he minded, and about 10 practices- which he didn't.

Mom and Dad's 50th Anniversary

We were lucky enough to be able to come out to celebrate my parents' 50th wedding anniversary in August. I love my parents very much, and I feel so blessed to have them as such good examples of what marriage can be. I am sure it hasn't always lived up to what they expected, but I can see how much they love each other through their dedication to each other and our family. I love you Mom and Dad. Happy Anniversary!

Mani/Pedi for Brittany and Me!

So it came up that Brittany and I were able to escape for a few hours to go get pedicures and Brittany got nails and I got a manicure. I have loved pedis for a loooong time, but it sure is fun to go get them with a good friend. And who better to grab than one of my favorite people! It was a lot of fun. We'll have to do it again!

Visiting Utah

So in August, we came out for to Utah. We were lucky to be able to stay with family and spend some fun time with cousins we don't get to see often enough. Here are some pics of our fun times! We went to the dinosaur museum and Thanksgiving Point and to a splash pad where we got to spend the morning with Brittany and her kids, and Kristi and her kids. Kenna and Chris got to go to the Tabernacle with their grandpa and some cousins and hear the bell choir and get a behind the scenes tour, then spent the night at grandma and grandpa's, and Max got to spend the night with his VERY missed favorite cousing, Ethan. He looks forward to doing that again this next summer! (if that's ok with you Lindsay! =) It was over too quickly, but soooo worth it! We miss you guys and hope to see you this next summer!

Conner is sooo cute!

Lending Conner a helping hand!

Chris' 12th Birthday!!!

So my eldest boy turned 12 last June. Wow. He is such a neat boy. I am truly amazed by him and his tender heart. He probably won't appreciate me saying that, but it's true. Here are some of my favorite things that you may or may not know about Chris:

1- He L-O-V-E-S football. I think his love of the game rivals even Scott. And he's good at it. He's always been athletic, but he has a drive and intensity when he's playing that is inspiring to watch.

2- He is a natural born leader. He doesn't know it, and he doesn't consciously use it. But people trust and respect him and will follow him and his example. Now we just have to wait and see if he uses his powers for good or evil.... =)

3- He has huge feet. He wears the same size shoes as Scott. And he's still growing. I'm a little afraid.

4- Parent/Teacher Conferences are never dull. Chris' teachers love him. However, he tends to be a little chatty. He gets bored really quickly and likes to talk. So while his grades are never a source of worry, his citizenship is. Every year, the teacher looks at me with a smile and says, "Chris is a great student and a joy to have in class. And his sense of humor is.... well, hilarious and surprisingly mature. It's just not always appropriately timed." Hmmmmm.... wry humor that's not always appropriately timed? Welcome to the Thompson's Chris!

5- Chris is funny. Not just a little funny. A LOT. He is so quick-witted that sometimes I think he lies awake at night coming up with zingers for any possible conversation he may find himself in. And while body noise humor is still funny to him, his sense of humor is smart enough that he could write for Pixar films.

6- Chris loves to read. He's impossible to buy books for because he goes through them so quickly. So he is relearning how to use the public library. He'll read almost anything. He asked for The Odyssey for Christmas. I was surprised. I love to read too, but I'll settle for seeing that movie!

7- He plays the violin. And apparently he's pretty good at it. He's first chair in the middle school orchestra. I like to think that it's because he's THAT good. He says it's because everyone else is THAT bad. And you can't necessarily tell which one of us is right by listening to them play.

8- He looks forward to Ultimate Frisbee every week. His 6th grade teacher plays Ultimate every Friday with select kids from current and past classes, and he keeps inviting Chris back. He's pretty good at it too.

9- He has found a great mentor in his 6th grade teacher. I was so pleased when I found out who he got for his final elementary year. Mr. Sanderson is a great, tough teacher who expects a lot from the kids- which is JUST what Chris needed. They play games online and still communicate through email and his teacher invites kids to play strategy games and Ultimate Frisbee at the school. He has expected much from Chris and never hesitates to let Chris know if he's disappointed with him. Sounds harsh, but it's just what Chris needs.

10- He's a great big brother. It feels like hunting snipes at our house to catch these elusive moments, but in those brief glimpses I get, I can see what a great young man and brother he's turning into.

I was blessed to be there when Chris received the Priesthood and it is a continuous blessing to see him worthily pass the Sacrament each week. I love you Chris. Happy (super late) birthday!

End of School...

No pic for this post, but I just wanted to OFFICIALLY tell my kids how proud I am of the year they had last year. Kenna, Chris, and Max each had great years! I couldn't believe that I had 2 kids out of elementary, and my youngest was going to be starting Kindergarten (ALL DAY!) the next August. It's crazy how fast it all happens. I know it's trite to say that, but I am truly amazed at how quickly my kids are growing, and learning. What a blessing to be able to watch these 4 wonderful people grow and mature.

Baseball

BASEBALL(Max)

Luckily, our experience with Max was MUCH better than Cam's! Max LOVED baseball. In fact, he excelled at it. His coaches were surprised at the first practice that Max could throw from first to past third base and he steadily improved at batting. He even became the catcher. They kept trying him at other positions, but he was one of the only kids on the team that would take off the catcher's mask to try to catch the foul balls.

Watching him at his games was a lot of fun. Listening to him cheer on a teammate and staying positive when the game wasn't going their way was really nice. It's so fun to catch little glimpses of what you hope they are learning and seeing acts of kindness when they don't know you are watching!

While he can't wait until we allow him to sign up for football, I think baseball is what he really loves. He's playing again this year. And I broke my rule and told him (and Cam) that he could play soccer this year also. Hopefully we have another great season!

T-ball

T-BALL (Cameron):

So Cameron wanted to play T-ball this last year, so we signed him up with his friend Anna. He was super excited to get baseball pants and a mitt. He enjoyed going to practices a few times a week and enjoyed the games.... right up until about the second game. He grew very bored with how slow the games went and how the ball rarely went anywhere near anyone other that the pitcher. So there really wasn't much for him to do. Games became a frustrating part of the week for me and him. I'd often find him sitting on the grass flipping his mitt over and over, or straddling second base covering it with dirt. But we made it through the season- barely. So what did I learn from this? Apparently not much. He starts practice for this season in the coming weeks.

Catching up... again!

So, part of the reason I didn't post for so long, is because as I was trying to import pics from my camera (pics of Chris' birthday, Max playing baseball, T-ball for Cam, and other-what I deem important- photos) they were deleted! I would get very upset whenever I thought about it and thinking about posting just added salt to the wounds. I love pictures. I love taking pictures. I'm not very good at it, but I love it anyway. I love the pics that don't turn out quite right the best. My fave pics of the kids are the laughing shots! We laugh a lot. And if I never have a perfect family picture again, I am ok with that, as long as we get a good goofy shot- which, frankly, is a better representation of my family anyway! So here's what you missed:

It's official.... I am a TOTAL slacker!

We have had a very loooong, busy year. It doesn't feel like it until suddenly you're facing another new year, not quite sure where the last one went. We had a lot of ups and a few more downs this past year. But we've rebounded and now I'm trying to catch up on this blog. One of my resolutions for this year was to be more consistent with posting. I know, you're thinking, "It's March. You can call that a failure." But I was also considering abandoning this all together. But as I started to browse others blogs, I just decided that it isn't a failure until I give up. So, here's my mid-month resolution. I am going to be more consistent with my blogging. So here are some highlights of what I missed last year!