More Happenings Before 2010

Tonight, this morning... I'm not sure what to call it...

I wanted to post a picture of our "UN" traditional Christmas Dinner! After our "UN" traditional Thanksgiving Dinner (steaks) we decided to keep with the "UN" tradition. For Christmas we had Baby Back Ribs... and they were tasty and so so easy.

When the kids woke up on Christmas morning, I put 3 racks of ribs into the crock-pot... poured on some BBQ sauce and by the time the PARTY was winding down... the ribs were ready to eat! (This is DEFINITELY the WAY TO GO!)

Each of the boys received a NERF Raiders-CS35 gun. This gun holds 35 bullets (in a round) and they shoot quite well. What I didn't realize when I purchased them, that they each came with an additional 100 bullets! That's 400+ bullets flying through our home! Fun, Fun, Fun! You can only imagine... a few years back we bought each of the boys a set of marbles. (Each container had 200 marbles... WHAT WERE WE THINKING!) We just haven't learned... but you know, it sure has been fun!



Here's a few additional photos from Christmas 2009:

Happenings the Month of December

Benjamin celebrated his 12th birthday this month. I can't believe little 'ole Ben is 12. He requested an Angel Food Cake with chocolate syrup. He continues to be a great example in our family - patient, kind, always looking for a way to solve a problem INSTEAD of arguing... he's the BEST!

He received this crazy book from his grandparents... I'm afraid to leave him alone at home (i.e. babysitting)!

Totally Irresponsible Science Experiments

Nicholas had a Christmas Banquet with the Eagle Gymnastics Team. During this yearly banquet they hand out awards. Last year Nick received the Soldier Award... and was also nominated for the Beast Award. The Soldier Award is given to the gymnast who obeys nearly everything the coaches say; the Beast Award is given to the gymnast who improves their strength through the year.


This year he was nominated for the Beast Award and the Rock Award. The Rock Award is given to the gymnast who is fearless. He did not receive either of the awards this year. But, he did receive the Golden Eagle Leadership Award. This award is given to the gymnast who is setting a good example and to whom the boys look to as a leader.

Zach has been playing basketball the past few weeks. He is on the Outlaws team. Last game, he scored the last point of the game! Though the team lost, they seem to be improving each game.

Christmas 2009

Yesterday, the 23rd of December, it was a blazing 75 degrees in Dallas Texas! Today, the 24th of December, it's 28 degrees (with a windchill of about 20 degrees)! The snow is falling and the kids are happy! Glenn and Cindy are digging for snow pants, boots and gloves! Merry Christmas!

We went to bed last night with visions of a SNOWSTORM... when we awoke the snow was JUST starting to come down (around 6:45am)... it did not start EARLY enough... DARN!

But, after we got the boys off to school, Emma and I made a little friend. After a few rides around the yard on the surfboard, we came in for some chocolate, nice and HOT!

Thanksgiving 2009

Christopher was at the orthodontist a few weeks back (and what does that have to do with Thanksgiving you may ask) and he noticed that his tonsils were INCREDIBLY HUGE. We have known this for some time now, but they have never caused him problems. They were however causing his jaw and teeth to form a bit oddly on the bottom. So, for Thanksgiving this year, Christopher had his tonsils and adnoids pulled. All went well, but he is still on the road to recovery. Hence, we did not travel anywhere this year for the Holiday.

Instead of the traditional bird (AKA turkey) we decided to grill steaks! Ah. It was wonderful! Though I did miss the stuffing. Glenn missed the yams. Zach DID NOT MISS the gravy, for he claims it soaks everything! But Zach did miss the cranberry sauce. Nick was happy with steamed beans and rolls. Emma loved the steak and the rolls. She also helped me with the sugar cookies.



In the late afternoon we had friends over for dessert. We still had the traditional pumpkin pie. We also had cherry pie and apple cobbler. There were sugar cookies to decorate too.

Though we missed family and the Turkey Trot... we are very Thankful to be healthy and together. Happy Thanksgiving to you.

Halloween 2009

As Heather and The Boys boarded the plane back to Colorado, we loaded up the van and headed for Houston.

We have this Family Tradition - decorate a bit for Halloween, cut out some jack-o-lanterns, then take off for a mini-vacation during the Halloween night. Ben and Zach are severely allergic to peanut, and since the day we found this out, Halloween and all the gathering of the candy has not been that much fun.

So, we have visited the Grand Canyon by train ('07), splashed at the Great Wolf Lodge ('08), day at Legoland ('06), etc. etc... fancy hotel, jump on the beds, eat icecream and stay up late watching movies... not bad at all!

This year we headed to NASA:

There were flight simulators, 5-story play structuce, movies, moon rocks, spaceships/capsules, a full size Saturn V rocket from one of the Apollo Missions, IMAX movies and so much more to see. The 2-hour tram tour was probably the most favorite though. We visited facilities on the campus where the astronauts train. We saw Mission Control! (It was empty this day, but will be full next week with the upcoming shuttle launch.) We got to ask "classified" questions! :) We saw rockets. It was just a fun day.










After the day at NASA, we headed for Hurricane Ike territory, namely Galveston... Galveston o Galveston... we walked the beach and tried to imagine what a wall-of-water would be like. It's so hard to imagine. It was a fun visit!

Visitors From Colorado

Heather and The Boys came out to visit this past week... what a FUN time we all had! We didn't have much planned - with soccer, gymnastics, Scouts, preschool, and other day-to-day activities... Heather, Thomas and Emerson were TROOPERS! They just slipped into our schedule or just stayed back and waited for us to come home after the day's end!

We did find time to carve our Jack-O-Lanterns! Thomas insisted that he was NOT ALLOWED to even touch the knives. Good Job Thomas!



We lit the fire pit one night. Of course with that came ooey-gooey s'mores! Heather treated us to a more healthy snack of baked pumpkin seeds from the jack-o-lanterns we carved earlier that afternoon.



Family Home Evening was just as crazy as ever!


And between all the rain and cloudy days, we did find a few days to enjoy the swings.



Thanks Heather for just rollin' along with us! We hope Mike has additional exams to take in the future and if not, you can still come! Mike too!

Groundbreaking

The Frisco Texas Stake was dedicated in May 2008. Since the dedication, we have been using our new building as a Stake Center. We had the opportunity a few weeks back to participate in the groundbreaking of our new Stake Center. It was a nice experience and adds further testimony to the growth of the church in this area.

The location is 5 miles from our home. (It is a nice Saturday morning run.) So, the following week after the dedication, a few of us ran out there and we are happy to report that the earthmoving equipment has started pushing dirt and the stakes are in the ground. I'm excited to run back there again to see the progress!

Dive Class

Zachary has been playing baseball for the last few years. He's pretty good at it too... but he just doesn't enjoy doing it. I have been trying to convince him that he should join swim team. He is a great swimmer... but he just doesn't enjoy doing it either. So, he convinced himself to take a diving class this past summer! :0

At the end of the class I asked him the question, "Do you think you want to continue?" He responded, "I just don't enjoy doing this. I'll do it, but I don't like it."




I was very proud of him. On the last day of class he did a dive off the high platform! Nice Job Zach! (I don't blame you for not wanting to pursue this either.)

The Luggage Sale

This afternoon after school the boys, Emma and I were sitting at the counter having a snack. Out of the blue, Christopher comments:

Christopher: Do you think I could have a luggage sale?

Cindy: ?? Um ?? What are you wanting to sell? Did you say luggage?

Zachary: Chris, you mean rummage sale!?!?

Christopher: Oh yeah, rummage... Ah... Yeah... a rummage sale! YEAH!

Cindy: Well, what are you going to sell?

Christopher: This is one of those things where you give the stuff that you don't want away and you get money, right!?!?

Zachary: Chris, the stuff can't be broke.

Christopher: But you get money, right?

Cindy: Christopher, how about this - you just go through all YOUR STUFF in your room and put it in front of your door and we'll go from there. Ok?

Christopher: But aren't we going to have the sale today?

Cindy: Christopher, it's Thursday and we're still doing homework and it will be time for dinner soon, then off to bed.

Christopher: Oh man. Maybe we can do it on Saturday when we have nothing going on.

Cindy: Sounds good! (I couldn't tell him we had 2 soccer games, 2 birthday parties and open-gym at gymnastics.)

So, there you have it. He is definitely drumming something up here. Apparently he needs some money? Wait and see!

Oh What Do You Do In The Summertime

I can not believe that in one week... SUMMER '09 will be over... :(

There are a few earlier posts of what we did this summer, but as I look through the pictures, here are a few more things!

Oh what do you do in the summertime when all the world is green...

1. Nicholas and Christopher joined the Four-Eyes Club:


2. Help Mom make delicious treats:


3. Bust up the mailbox:


4. Go to VISA Championships (see Jonathan Horton):


5. Visit 6 Flags Over Texas:


6. And just lay around and listen to Books On Tape:

Emma On Bike

Remember this... Emma Lee at 2 Years

Well... take a look at THIS!

The Tiger Bike (as it is known) was purchased for Benjamin in 1999. It was a $99 "top-of-the-line" Schwinn bike! (He was our 1st child and the 1st child ALWAYS gets the BEST! wink wink) It was purchased with training wheels.

When Ben was able to ride it, another bike was purchased for Ben. The Tiger Bike was passed down to Zach... passed down to Nick... passed down to Chris... passed down to Emma! (that's a lot of "Passing Downs!")

With all these "passing downs" you can only imagine the state of the training wheels - NO TREAD nearly by the time Emma got to it! Last week we went for a ride and they were falling apart and I kicked them back into place. (I kept thinking to myself "quit being so tight and go get another pair for your ONLY daughter" but since she's the last one, WHY?)

We got back to the house and we tried to take them off but we couldn't get them off. When Glenn came home, he took them off. I kept contemplating "buy" or "don't buy." "Buy" or "don't buy!" The next morning we went back outside and looked over the situation. I asked her to try it without training wheels... she did and Wa La!

Now, take a look at THIS picture...




She is BIG TIME and I think she knows it! Watch Out - here comes Emma Lee (with big brothers on each side)!

Snow Cone Lady

After we dropped Nick off at gymnastics, the rest of us headed to the Library. We collected some good books and went over to visit the Snow Cone Lady!

Once again, Christopher snowed us all and ordered a mint, pink lemonade snow cone. I gave him "the look" and he quickly changed his order to rootbeer and green apple. I gave him another look and he was dumb-founded!

"What do you want me to get?" he kindly asked.

"Something that will not make you barf!" I was quick to reply.

He ordered a redhot with cream... like cinnamon. He loved it! I know, I know I should just let the kid get what he orders! But those just sounded way too gross!

The Drive-In

A few months back I read an article in a Frisco Flyer magazine that comes monthly (free in the mail). It spoke of the drive-in theatres of long ago. It was a very fun article with nostalgic items of the past.

At the end of the article it highlighted The Galaxy Drive-In Theatre in Ennis Texas. I checked out the show and show times and up was Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs (one we have not seen) and Night At The Museum: Battle At The Smithsonian (one we HAVE seen and loved). What could we want more - A DOUBLE FEATURE with TWO GREAT MOVIES.

The only problem: showtime is at dusk (after 9) and Ennis Texas is 21 miles South of Dallas. We are about 20 miles NORTH of Dallas. Then we have to travel THRU Dallas - another 20 miles (it seemed, but probably not THAT long).

Long story short - we arrived home at 2:30am. I don't think the boys ever stayed up that late before. Emma and I slept through the 2nd feature in the back of the truck. (We brought a blow-up air mattress.) But Those Thomas Boys have TRUE Thomas Genes: they will stay awake through any movie and not even get a bit tired and fall asleep. Oh No Way!

Thomas Reunion 2009

Glenn has 1 older brother (Eldon) and 1 younger brother (Brent). He also has 4 sisters that are younger than him. All the siblings are married and most of them have kids. So, it's a lot of fun to get together. And when we do ALL get together, it's a FULL HOUSE!

The summer of 2003 found us ALL packing our bags and going to Aspen Grove Family Camp in Utah. It was a lot of fun! In 2006 we returned back and had even more fun. But, we found out that even though it was so convenient (meals are ready, clean-up is done, housing/bedding is provided, etc.) we really didn't find our families much together. We all kind of did our own thing and there wasn't too much interaction between all of us.

So, for 2009, we decided to have our own Thomas Family Family Camp in the mountains of Arizona. Hats off to a wonderful SIL who planned most of the adventure, we ate GREAT, we had fun doing dinner duty (only twice in the week), we had fun activities and we had fun being together - All 35 or so, of us! It was Fun!

We had a creek about a 1/4 mile from the cabin. Most of the older kids could be found in the stream hunting for crawdads. (They brought them home, boiled them and ate them.) About 2 miles up the stream there was a swimming hole. Near the cabin was a 3-story tree house. Each day found us doing water balloons. There was ping-pong, foosball, pool... One afternoon we shot guns. We drove the Rhino all around the property and beyond. There was crafts (t-shirts and bracelets). We also had a talent show. Card games and board games galore! We did rockets and water balloon launchers. There was a scavenger hunt, pinatas, hair braiding and all sorts of other stuff. We also did bike rides and lots of hiking/walking. There was the diligent (5am) morning exercise crowd doing runs, walks and biking.

Here's a few pictures:

Mo Tab

A few months ago, in church, it was announced that the Mormon Tabernacle Choir would be doing a Central States Tour this Summer. Included would be the cities of Omaha, St. Louis, Denver, Norman and a few others. Glenn and I glanced at each other. We ALL just love listening to the choir! Yes, we all gather to watch Music And The Spoken Word.

So, yesterday afternoon, we went! Oh, I wish they would come visit each Summer!! We would be there. The boys were just amazed at the size and sound of this group of people (360+). We all enjoyed the versatility of the music they presented (songs of the land, hymns, theatre, etc.) There were piccolo, bagpipe, flute and organ solos. There were BYU Favorites (Betelehemu and Cindy-my favorite). The handbell choir did a few numbers too (Come, Thou Fount Of Every Blessing).

It was held at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman OK - home to the Oklahoma Sooners (as in Boomer Sooners). Norman is straight North from our home, under 3 hours. Since the concert was at 7:30 and lasted till 10, we stayed at a fancy hotel and jumped on the beds and ate ice cream! We were able to visit one of the Norman Wards this morning and came home this afternoon. All Is Well! All Is Well!

Awards, awards and more awards

Emma and I have had a busy week. It all started last week when Emma graduated from preschool. Next year she will be doing preschool over again, but we are going to call it pre-K. That just sounds much more important. She had a GREAT time with her friends. We started out with six children, but one moved to UT and another boy was quite a bit older and went off to "other opportunities" at Christmastime.


At the end of last week, Zachary had his Awards for 4th Grade. He received 3 of the 4 medals that are given for the TAKS testing (Texas Academic... something or other). He missed the 4th medal by 1 point. He also received the Math Magician Award.



This week started out with an Awards ceremony for Christopher on Monday. Christopher also brought home the Math Magician Award. I think he also brought home the BIGGEST smile too in his Kindergarten Class.



Nicholas did not surprise anyone... he came home with the Awesome Athlete Award in 2nd grade!

And Benjamin closed the doors on his Elementary Days at Pink Elementary. Off to Griffin Middle School in the Fall. He's very excited! He is registered for two advanced classes (one in Math and the other in Language). He was able to receive all 4 of the TAKS (Texas Assessment... or something like that) Awards (reading, math, science, writing).

Just a side note regarding Ben: He received the Ravenous Reader Award for his love of books. He really read lots of books, so many that he didn't do his homework for a week and his book priviledge was taken away. Someday he'll tell us the complete story!

All the brothers received Honor Awards (As) for their performance during the year. Glenn and I sure have a lot to be thankful for. We have hard-working, fun-loving, handsome-looking sons! And they sure are NICE too! Great job Boys!

Memorial Day and Movies

We spent our Memorial Day weekend having easy fun! That really sounds good because it seems that Glenn and I have been tired these last few months (could it be non-stop baseball and soccer?)!

It was a beautiful weekend. There were brief rain showers here-and-there.

One evening the missionaries came over and we had a back-yard BBQ complete with burgers, vegi-burgers too, carrots, peas, beans and topped off with root beer floats! We also had the Tilton's children over while their Mom and Dad went to the temple. With their four young children, plus our young 5 children - I felt like The Brady Bunch! WE ALL HAD A WONDERFUL TIME! All the kids played great together and had fun! The evening temps were wonderful and we swung and swung!



On Saturday we finished off the garden boxes. We are now ready to get some things growing. We even hit Night At The Museum II. Very fun! (Of course I slept thru some of it, but that's normal!!) We then went over to Chipotle. Yes, they know all of us by name already.

On Sunday we did church and learned of our new Bishop, Bishop Jensen! We were all so excited! The Jensen's have three boys and a little girl. (Our oldest sons are a day apart.) Everyone else just falls into place!

On Monday, Debbie, Becky and I headed at 5am for White Rock, Dallas TX (Memorial Day Run). I convinced Debbie and Becky to do a 20K with me. It went well. The temps were a bit warm, but it was shaded nearly the entire run! The race began at 7 and we were home by 11. It was a wonderful morning. I placed 4th in my age division with a 1:50. Overall I placed 25th out of 115. Becky placed 10th and Debbie placed 40th overall. (Becky and her family moved into our area a few months back. It's hard to find runners but she loves running!)

We got home and the boys were ready for another movie - this time Monsters vs. Aliens. Another good flick! (Yes, I dozed thru some of it. Don't ask me how.) Glenn kept offering me apple slices to keep me awake! After the show we went to the neighborhood pool for an hour and I just sat in the sun since the water still feels like cold water out of the tap! (Give it a few more weeks.)

Christopher and The Snow Cone Lady

We have this wonderful lady who works out of a small brick building just North of the Library here in Frisco Texas. This lady is probably in her late 50s and serves the BEST SNOW CONES anywhere! They are made with the Hawaiian shaved ice and are a nice large size (even tho she considers it small) for a mere $1.25. She has over 50 flavors and each time we visit, it's such a TREAT!

The other day I took Ben and Chris out to "The Lady." Benjamin is always mixing flavors - he usually gets a banana split (banana, strawberry, chocolate and vanilla) with additional cherry. Zach usually gets something with red hot cinnamon. Nick likes the fruity orange and berry flavors. Emma likes cotton candy and bubble gum. I like orange and vanilla (dreamsicle). Glenn enjoys guava and tropical flavors.

And Christopher...

"Mom, I'm going to mix root beer and sour green apple!" That will be soooooo good!

I'm so glad Ben and I were able to talk him out of that combination! :)

Sand

Since Glenn is out of town for the first part of this week, I decided that the boys, Emma and I should go out for dinner tonight. I DO NOT like fast food. It just doesn't fill anybody up. And ever since Glenn and Zach discovered Chipotle, we are all hooked! So, off we go to Chipotle. As we are driving over we decide that we will "give up" our dessert for a pop with the meal. Ben wanted a fountain drink. Zach, Nick, Chris and Emma wanted Coke (caffeine-free) so we took 4 cans along.

It seems to be inevitable, but someone, someone always ends up in an argument in the van. Tonight it was Chris and Emma and Zach. I had asked them to quiet down a bit. They were clubbing each other and pinching and poking... Zach had listened but Chris and Emma continued, and continued and continued.

I finally took away the pop from Chris and Emma. They would now have to SHARE a pop. (I'm a softy, I couldn't take it entirely away.) So, after this announcement, I wish you could have seen the DEVISTATION on Christopher's face. Here is the conversation:

Chris: I feel like sand.
Mom: What? Why?
Chris: Oh, just because. I just feel like one piece of sand.
Mom: Really?

Ben: Well in all actuality, we are all as sand in contrast to the universe.

Mom: (in a low voice) Ben, cut it out! Come on!

Chris: I'm just a sand.
Mom: Is it because I took away 1/2 of your pop?

Chris: Yeah Mom
Mom: Well, can you learn anything from this?

VERY LONG PAUSE

Chris: Can we stop for dessert instead?
Mom: Chris! Cut-it out.

I sometimes wonder if my kids are ever even GRATEFUL for 1/2 a pop! Oh well.

I just spoke with Glenn, he's in Vegas, and since his team won 1st place in the Marketing-Video Creation competition, two of the guys (one being him) get to stay in The Mansions at the MGM (the same place that Jimmy Buffet and all The Stars stay when in Vegas). I guess there's a grand piano in the suite, plus plus plus...

I'm still deciding where I'll take the kids for dinner tomorrow night... Three Forks Steakhouse!

Mother's Day 2009

Mother's Day was a Beautiful Day! I received 1 ton of black dirt! :) This is a good thing - we have been wanting to get some gardening going in our new garden boxes that Glenn constructed about a month ago. The boxes have been in place now, but there has never been a free Saturday to do "jobs around the house."

With all the recent rain, last Saturday's games were post-poned (again) and I received dirt! (I also received breakfast in bed and all sorts of cool presents!)

I have wonderful children and a GREAT husband!

(Chris-6, Zach-10, Emma-4, Ben-12, Nick-8)

The Past Two Months...

feel like a blurrr... Nicholas finished up with gymnastics and now continues to practice till next season. He will be practicing with the Level 5 boys and will also train PT with the Level 6 boys. Where does this all lead? We do not know. All we know is that Nicholas is one dedicated boy when it comes to gymnastics! He loves it with a passion!

Since gymnastics, Nick celebrated his 8th birthday! The 8th birthday in our home is a very special event. 8 means you are ready to be baptized into The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day Saints. Nick interviewed with our good Bishop (now President) and took the steps necessary to be baptized on May 2, 2009. Grandma and Grandpa Thomas came over from Mesa to enjoy the weekend with us.

He now joins "the ranks" of white shirt and tie each Sunday for the REST OF HIS LIFE! Good thing they all look so good in their shirts and ties!



Zachary finished his Basketball Season in February! This was the first time anyone in our family tried basketball! We love basketball - why? I love the fact that it's indoors and can not be rained out. The temperature is always constant! Zachary enjoyed himself and plans to give up baseball for basketball next season. Wait and see on that one. He is currently doing baseball and enjoys playing shortstop and any infield position. He is quick to know what to do when handling the ball.




Benjamin's soccer team (he's been on the same team now for over a year), the Chargers, ended the Spring Season placing 4th overall. He has really gotten to know all the other boys. None of them are in our Elementary School which makes it kinda' hard. We are hoping that he will meet up with some of them in Middle School next year or even High School in a few years. (It's always good to have friends around.)




Emma - Emma is participating in a weekly gymnastics class. Twice a year they have a competition and she did marvelous!





She is also doing preschool twice a week. Her class grew green beans and her teacher did a GREAT job of having them plant the seeds in a large, deep cup. (The boys have done this in the little Dixie cups and we always end up throwing them out because we never have the time or place to replant it.) The three plants grew and each plant had about 3 to 4 beans. She picked them and ate them for lunch! It was a GREAT experience.

Otherwise, she and I are getting excited for the Father & Sons Campout this weekend! Two days, one night of just Mom & Daughter. She wants to go to Double Dip - the icecream shop! Sold!

And Chris - well, Christopher is doing coach-pitch baseball right now. It is his 2nd year. This is where the coach pitches three balls to you. If you do not hit it, they get the tee out (from our t-ball days). Christopher hits it from the coach which is so exciting!

He is not as serious with baseball (as the coach would like to see) but continues to have a smile a mile-wide as he tries to be "baseball ready" just in case the coach is watching.

He does enjoy baseball for he's on a team (the start of his 2nd year) with boys from our neighborhood and school. He enjoys soccer more - more action-packed... so we'll see.