A Fun Night

Tonight was family night. We had a great time. When I came home from work Dan had the picnic table all ready for dinner. He bought these cute dishes.

Tristyn was too pooped to party. She spent the day at her best friends house and it did her in.

Special Friends

We have amazing friends that live in Germany. We have been friends for at least 15 years, if not more. Our friendship goes way beyond the "friend" category and into family. We see them about once a year and have walked alot of roads in our lives, together. We got married together (21 days apart), had babies together, grew up in our marriages together (Reese & I were both 17), and I am thankful that our friendship has turned into something amazing.

We get to see them about once a year (but stay in constant contact due to wonderful email) and when they are home, our family feels complete again. Here are some pictures from their recent "surprise" visit. They showed up on our doorstep at 7:30 a.m. with a chai in hand. I was in heaven!

Ian & Kyleigh
Sean & Landon
Kyleigh & Ian again. I don't think this night could have gone any better.

Kyleigh & Landon were showered with loves and hugs all night.
Zach & Ian

Ian, Kyleigh, Tristyn & Kristine.

The Big Boys...Dan & Tim.

My main reason for this post is to tell you that Tim is in the Air Force and being deployed tomorrow. Please pray for safety for him and wisdom and patience for Reese as she will be home with all the kids for 5 months. We love you guys! You guys are such a blessing and our thoughts are with you always!

A Moment of Peace

Landon and Tristyn love to fight!!! There are moments where I can barely stand it. Saturday was one of "those days". I really believed there would not be a moment of peace. And then..this. The simple act of blowing bubbles together put their moods in different perspectives and allowed them to be friends for the rest of the day.

I am really enjoying playing with the different modes on my camera.

A Birthday At The Zoo

Saturday was Landon's 9th birthday and we had an awesome day! For his birthday he picked for me to take him and his best friend, Trey, to the zoo. They are great little buddies..really, more like brothers, and we had a great day.

Here are some highlights:



At the fish tanks









Eating elephant ears







Exploring a waterfall







And the day would not be complete without boys being boys!

Did I mention it was POURING! I don't think we can get a break. That's three times to the zoo in thirty days and each time we got a drenching. Oh well..what is more fun then a day at the zoo with two little boys who have a blast in the rain.

We had such an a great day. Besides getting lost in Portland..and, needing Uncle Bob's help to find my way, it was a perfect day. I don't get a lot of chances to hang out with Landon alone and I enjoyed every second. He's turning into such the little man..I can't believe he's 9!!!!

I love you Landon!

Spring Break

Dan & I decided to take the kids to the zoo for Spring Break. On Tuesday we all loaded into the van and headed to Portland with hopes of a great day...nope, it rained. A little rain we can handle, but an absolute downpour is a little tough. Inspite of it, we had fun. I decided since Tuesday didn't turn out that my mom & I would take the kids down on Saturday. Well, it rained more Saturday then it did on Tuesday. Here is Landon's essay about spring break (typos and all!).

My spering break started at the zoo, twice! But dont think it was that fun because when we left, our shoes had puddles of water inside of it! It was raining and raining, I couldn't hear myself think the rain was making so much noise.

After we went to the zoo we ate dinner at Sharries resterate it was good.

These pictures just about sums up our two attempts at the zoo.










On a side note...Landon's birthday is Saturday! He will be nine! I'm going to try and get a post going this weekend in honor of him.

Madi

I have been having a lot of fun with my new camera. I especially enjoy taking pictures of little Madi Faith. She's so much fun! I loved this expression and changed it to several different styles.

Isn't that face just adorable???

Waterfalls

I have been wanting to post about all the happenings we have had the last few weeks but I find myself being so overwhelmed with how far behind I am that I don't post at all. So, I've decided to not post much about spring break...because our two trips to the zoo ended up in total downpours. So, I will post my highlight of spring break.

Those that know me, know that I love to hike...and, love to hike waterfalls. I feel so very blessed to live where we live. I do not believe there is anything more beautiful then a waterfall in the woods. My family would disagree, but I dragged them here on one of our trips home from the zoo. Well, they didn't have much choice...I was driving!

Despite some random guy's behind...and, the chocolate stain on Landon's shirt.

I love this photo. My kids, and a waterfall, how great is that! :)



I just liked this bridge. It's the trail leading up to the falls. My kids were not willing to hike,
so I enjoyed the look from below. Next time, I'll grab a few friends and hike it. There are so many amazing places to go when you travel up our old highway. I hope to have a lot more pictures this summer of this area!

Another Sorry

I'm really sorry. I was going to do quite a bit of posting tonight but for some reason every time I upload my pictures the computer freezes. I am frustrated and tired so I will come back this weekend and try again. Thanks for checking in on us. I have a lot to update and will do that as soon as I can!

Kyleigh Got a Cell Phone!

A lot of things have happened in the last couple of weeks that we have been without the internet. Here is one of the highlights...Kyleigh got her own cell phone. We finally caved in. I swore we wouldn't do it but....we did! And, actually it was a good choice. We got rid of our home phone and we each have our own cells. Kyleigh is thrilled..can you tell? Hmmm..I wonder who is on the other end of this call?? Madi? Shayley? Cheyanne? Whoever it is, she is enjoying this!

Oops!

Sorry! I didn't make a post last night. We've been without the computer for a couple of weeks so the kids were little computer piggies! I am going to make a real effort to get a post done after I get everyone to bed tonight!

Finally!

We are finally up and running. I will do a post tonight! We have lots of pics to share.

Another Glitch

So, our computer is up and running..but, we have decided to cancel our home phone service and we are strictly using our cell phones. Well, they have already disconnected everything, which includes our internet. I am going to be frantically searching for a new internet provider, but until I find one, our blog will remain quiet. I hope to be back on soon. We went to the zoo on Tuesday and took some good pics with our new camera. I'll try and share them soon! Thanks for checking in.

A Few Days

Hey guys, it may be a few days before I am able to post. We are having issues with our computer at home. Hopefully they will be resolved shortly and I can get back to posting once in awhile. Thanks so much for stopping in, and please check back!

I'm So Excited

Dan & I decided that the one splurge with our income taxes would be a new digital camera. The one I have (and am very thankful for as it was given to me by a good friend) is just too old. I miss every shot due to the delay from when I push my finger down to when it actually takes the picture. It drives me crazy! Well, my new camera will be here today. Our pastors have a version of this camera and they love it...so, we went with the same type they have. Here's my new baby, I can't wait to use it today. Hopefully, you will see more, and better, pictures of the Thomson activities :)

Not Quite Ready

Tristyn loves to be one of the big girls. Every time Kyleigh has her friends over, Tristyn is thrilled. She adores each and every one of Kyleigh's friends and just wants to be one of them. Most of the time they are tolerant of her. The other night she played and played with them, and then it was time to watch a movie. Poor Tristyn...she didn't make it. I don't even think the movie had started when I looked over and this is what I saw:

She's just not quite ready to be a big girl yet.

Blogging Frustrations!

Okay, I am a little frustrated. When I did my last post I made sure the pictures were in the right spot, the text looked good next to the pictures and then I publish it and it looks horrid! Sorry it looks like I don't care. I hate it when it does that to me!

A Play Day

This past Sunday was actually a beautiful day in our area and our family took advantage of it. We had an awesome day. Because of Dan's schedule it's not often that we just get to play. Here are some pics.

We decided to go up to the kids' elementary school and play around so we played some basketball....

Played some baseball....Of course, we had Kyleigh's twin Madi with us. It wouldn't be a great family day without her!

Rode our scooters.

Here are some more random shots.

The school we went to also happened to be my elementary school. Here Landon & Tristyn are sitting on my favorite monkey bars. I remember vividly playing on this for our entire recess. It's funny how small it seems now when I stand next to it.

Here's Tristyn with Dan's best friend Ken. We are lucky to be surrounded by great friends who adore our kids. Uncle Ken is Tristyn's punching bag whenever he's with us. She's lucky he puts up with so much.

We don't call Tristyn our drama princess for nothing. She's upset about something and refuses to look at the camera. Kyleigh's doing her best to make her feel better but she was pretty upset.

You can't tell but Dan is riding Landon's scooter down the hill. As we were leaving he just couldn't resist one good ride. Hey, who says you have to grow up...looks like fun to me!

It's Allie's Birthday!

Allie's First Picture!!!

Our little St. Patrick's Day baby! What a total blessing she was...and what

an amazing little girl she is turning out to be! Allie came into our lives in the midst

of total sadness and boy did she lift our spirits immediately, and still does.

A total bundle of joy and energy.

This is how you see her now. There are no real great pictures of Allie because she refuses to sit still long enough to get her picture taken. She is on the move and constantly curious about everything around her.

Not to mention, she has everybody wrapped around her little finger. How can you say no to this adorable face????

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALLISON GRACE JAYMES!

Heather

I did this over at Just a Thought and thought it would be fun to add it over here.

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Writing Contest

We are members of the Australia Zoo online club which includes a quarterly magazine from Australia Zoo. It came in the mail today and there was an advertisement that if you send them a letter in 25 words or less you could win a trip there. The kids immediately dropped what they were doing and wrote three letters. After they wrote the letters I noticed that the contest is only open to Australians..which, obviously we aren't. Although, the kids did ask why we can't move there so we could win. Here is what they each said:

Landon:

I want to have a trip to Australia Zoo because

I think zoos are awesome. I want to see what Steve's life was like

Trisytn:

I love Steve Irwin. I want to go to Australia Zoo and

see the animals. I want to see kangaroos. I want to meet Bindi.

Kyleigh:

I would want to go because it would be fun and I think

it would be a good, fun experience.

I thought the kids deserved some recognition somewhere! They are bummed they can't enter the contest, but I am proud of them for trying.

Family Camping Trip '05

Landon was checking out our blog and noticed that I have been lazy about posting lately. We are having some great time just the two of us and he said he'd like to do a post. So, we looked through our pictures and he wanted to share our camping trip.

We have not camped since the summer of '05. Last year I was too lazy and wanted a restful weekend in a hotel. Overall it was fun, but nothing compared to our camping trips. So, for '07, it's camping here we come :)

Landon's favorite things about camping are: hiking, the wildlife, sitting around the campfire and roasting marshmallows.

Our favorite place to go is called Eagle Creek. It's only about 45 minutes from home and up in the mountains. It's also our favorite hiking spot. When we first started hiking there (before children) it seemed to be a spot that not many people knew about..now, it seems the whole world goes there. It is incredibly beautiful with a lot of waterfalls to look at and many trails to explore.
Last time we went, on our way up the windy road leading to the camp a baby bear jumped in front of our car. It was a beautiful bear but also a little frightening because I would assume that mama bear was not far behind. We did hear that mama and baby were also roaming around in the vicinity of the campground but we didn't see them again.

Pacific Northwest

This is too good..and, oh so true! I bolded my favorites!

You know you're from the Pacific Northwest When... (According To Jeff Foxworthy):

1. You know the state flower (Mildew).
2. You feel guilty throwing aluminum cans or paper in the trash.
3. Use the statement "sun break" and know what it means
4. You know more than 10 ways to order coffee.
5. You know more people who own boats rather than air conditioners.
6. You feel overdressed wearing a suit to a nice restaurant.
7. You stand on a deserted corner in the rain waiting for the "Walk" Signal.
8. You consider that if it has no snow or has not recently erupted, it is not a real mountain.
9. You can taste the difference between Starbucks, Seattle's Best, and Veneto's.
10. You know the difference between Chinook, Coho and Sockeye salmon.
11. You know how to pronounce Sequim, Puyallup, Issaquah, Oregon, Yakima and Willamette.
12. You consider swimming an indoor sport
13. You can tell the difference between Japanese, Chinese and Thai food.
14. In winter, you go to work in the dark and come home in the dark- while only working eight-hour days.
15. You never go camping without waterproof matches and a poncho.
16. You are not fazed by "Today's forecast: showers followed by rain," and "Tomorrow's forecast: rain followed by showers."
17. You have no concept of humidity without precipitation.
18. You know that Boring is a town in Oregon and not just a state of mind.
19. You can point to at least two volcanoes, even if you cannot see through the cloud cover.
20. You notice, "The mountain is out" when it is a pretty day and you can actually see it.
21. You put on your shorts when the temperature gets above 50, but still wear your hiking boots and parka
22. You switch to your sandals when it gets about 60, but keep the socks on.
23. You have actually used your mountain bike on a mountain.
24. You think people who use umbrellas are either wimps or tourists.
25. You buy new sunglasses every year, because you cannot find the old ones after such a long time.
26. You measure distance in hours.
27. You often switch from "heat" to "a/c" in the same day.
28. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit under a raincoat.
29. You know all the important seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Raining (Spring), Road Construction (Summer), Deer &Elk season (Fall).

Heaven's Newest Inhabitant

This is how I see her now. Holding James. It's how I cope, how I handle this deep sadness that seems to be taking over at times.


This is my great-grandma. Her name is Loleta Amanda Zumwalt. Kyleigh is named after her..Kyleigh Amanda. She is the amazing matriarch of our family, she was a mom, grandma, great-grandma, great-great grandma, aunt, sister and dear friend, but to me, she is Mammalee. My precious grandma. She was an amazing soul.


I had not allowed myself to even deal with her death until yesterday and at the funeral it hit, and it hit hard. And then I went to her home, and she wasn't there.


The day was too much to take in, but at the same time, so beautiful. So many people were there to honor her. She had such a servant heart and was willing to help out in any way she could. I believe she served her church by playing the piano every week for about 48 years. Can you believe that...48 years (or maybe it's 43). So many times I find myself not wanting to help once. Maybe I'm tired, maybe I've had a hard week..who knows what the reasoning is, but I'll think of some logical excuse, but she served faithfully for 48 years. She just quit about a year or so ago.


I am thankful for the family that I have, the amazing support we were all able to give each other and the stories that were told.


Mammalee, thank you for the letters, the endless hours at the piano, the stories, the hugs, knowing that when I walked into the room I was deeply wanted and deeply loved, the life lessons and the many, many memories. You will be missed, more than you could ever imagine.