Out Of The Mouths.........

Yesterday Madden and I were in the kitchen ready to make him lunch before sending him off on the school bus. He told me I needed to guess what he wanted to eat. So began the list of usual lunchtime kiddie food; grilled cheese, hot dog, chicken noodle soup, chicken nuggets, etc. After a few guesses I asked for a small hint.
"It starts with a W," he said.
.........crickets......more crickets.........
"Madden, I can't think of one thing that starts with a W. Help me out, K?"
"Mom, think about it! Wha,wha, wha.......it starts with the sound of "W". Wha...wha...wha....(these sounds are accompanied by a dramatic eye roll, because seriously, how dumb is his Mom right now?!)
"FINE!" he said, "I'll just tell you! Wha, wha, wha.......Whaman Noodles!"

Gotcha buddy. Sorry to be so slow.
I did follow this conversation up with another about how it really starts with an R. We practiced a few times but it's going to be a while before the W's get replaced with the R's. Maybe once his missing teeth grow back in.

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Last week I took the kids out to buy odds and ends to finish up their Halloween costumes. After a stop at Toys R Us, Hobby Lobby and Walmart I told Mason that we were going to go to Savers and DI. He asked what Savers was and I told him it's kind of like DI where they sell things that people have donated because they don't need them any longer. His reply?
"So it's EXACTLY like DI. They take crap people don't want anymore, slap a price on it, sell it and call it charity."

A little harsh but yep, that about sums it up.

It's Great To Be 8!

Today you're 8 and I'm reminded again how fast time goes by. I remember the day you were born like it was yesterday. We were so excited to have a little girl join the ranks. You had a perfect round face & a perfect round head (compliments of a c-section) and the most beautiful pair of lips I've ever seen.
You were the smallest of our babies but quickly grew beyond that. You were a very happy baby as long as we kept you fed, changed and generally gave you everything you wanted.
Now you're becoming such a beautiful girl. You're eager to please your teachers. You love babies. You always describe a past event by explaining exactly what you or others were wearing or how your hair was done. You really pay attention to those details. You're excited to be 8 and happy to be in 2nd grade. We love you Mia Anne! Happy Birthday!

*Photo's compliments of Ruth Done Photography :)

Will Be Missed

Matt's brother Darin passed away Wednesday morning. I can't imagine losing any of my brothers so to think this is the second brother he's lost in just a few years seems a little overwhelming. Darin's life was hard. He struggled often. We'll miss him a lot!

Darin Roger Thompson, 40, beloved father, son, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin and friend, passed away on Wednesday September 14, 2011, choosing to leave this life to a better place, free from pain and struggle.
Darin was born January 17th, 1971 in Ogden Utah to Merlene Woodland and Roger Douglas Thompson. Darin was reared and spent most of his life in Garland Utah. He was a natural athlete in his youth where things seemed to come too easy for him. He made friends easily and had a big heart. From adolescence to adulthood Darin unfortunately was led to a life of addiction and incarceration that became too overwhelming to overcome, a life that even the best efforts of family and friends couldn’t persuade. It will be the times of goodness that we as a family will remember most, times when he was fighting to be on the Lord’s side, loving and giving to all around him.
Darin is a member of the LDS Church and gained a testimony of the Gospel late in life, specifically of the Prophet Joseph and the Restoration. Darin was a talented Poet, having written many great works that we will cherish.
Darin is survived by his son Dale, parents Merlene Woodland and Roger (Cindy) Thompson, siblings Matt (April) Thompson, Holly M. Stone, Scott (Tiffany) Stone, Tamaria Bradley, Nick Thompson , Dyllan Thompson as well as his nieces and nephews and countless loving family and friends. He was preceded in death by a brother, Justin Stone.Funeral Services will be held Monday September 19, 2011 at 11:00 am at the Garland Third Ward LDS Church, 175 South Main, Garland with Bishop Jim Hall officiating. Family and friends may call from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Sunday, September 18, 2011 at Rudd’s Funeral Home, 1234 South Main Garland and from 9:30-10:30 Monday at the church. Interment will be at the Garland cemetery following the funeral.

Matt wrote the obituary & I think it's PERFECT!

We love you Darin.

Like, Totally Fun!!

A little over a week ago Celeste turned the big 40!! What a great excuse to party, right? Shaun did a great job putting an 80's themed party together and we all had a blast dressing up and doing our hair BIG to get ready for the festivities! Here's Celeste & Shaun. Celeste said her hair got caught in her sunroof on the way over....did I say BIG hair?! The party was a blast. We had Cafe Rio pork salads, or as they say, a little bit of heaven :) Shaun had his Atari set up on the big screen, 80's music videos playing on one wall, we had Rubix Cube competitions (which I humbly sat out...didn't want to make anyone feel stupid by smokin the compitition. Did I mention I hate Rubix Cubes? Well I do, they make me feel super dumb and the only way I ever got all the colors on each side was by a.) taking off the stickers and reapplying them correctly or b.) just taking the DANG thing apart and put it back together. Hate those things!) Whew, ok back to the party. There was a photographer there so we could get our "dance"pictures taken just like in High School. We played a fun game to get things rolling after dinner and then we settled in doing some karaoke until the wee hours of the morning. Did I say it was a blast? Cause it was!!!

Tip: in case you were wondering, Savers & DI work great for for finding 80's digs.

Tip: Aqua Net still works the best to get your bangs to the sky! Yes, they still sell it. I found it at my neighborhood Walmart and we all know that EVERY neighborhood has a Walmart!

Tip: If you ever had big hair and you try to go back to your big hair ways, your hair will remember and gladly comply.

Here's the group of men. Handsome aren't they?

Amber, Jayme and Celeste doing the infamous drill team fist-under-chin pose that was in all the 80's yearbooks. At least Davis High yearbooks.

Brad & Jayme. Brad had a nasty curly red mullet coming out of the back of his hat. NASTY!! Jayme was dressed and had her hair done just like someone my family all remembers well (I'm not naming names to protect feelings as well as save Jayme from hearing it one more time. Spot on Jayme, intentional or not!).

Ashton & Ruth..you go girls. Ashton reminds me of Stephanie Tanner from Full House. It was really fun to have Celeste's kids and their friends at the party. However, I think we may have scarred them for life with our karaoke.

The awards ceremony was a bust, mostly because I didn't win anything ;)

Actually it was really fun to vote for our favorites. Ruth & Matt both won for best karaoke performance. I think Matt has secretly waited his entire life to karaoke Ice Ice Baby! Joe got up to do it and after just a few seconds Matt couldn't take it any longer and jumped up to join in. Really he took over, showing off his skills as a white rapper and his lack of constructive things to do as a youth with his memorized lyrics.....I couldn't be more proud!

They gave out awards for highest hair and best 80's costume.

We took a minute as sisters to recreate this picture. We had one taken just like this when we were much younger but our hair was probably just as big. Thanks to Jody from Limelight Photography for hanging out and capturing the night for us. Can't wait to see how the pictures turn out.

The party was a blast! We love you Celeste! Thanks to all the family & friends who took the time to celebrate Celeste's big day with us!

PS: watch for your performances on a You Tube channel near you!

Happy Birthday Big Guy!

Happiest of birthday's Madd-dawg! Where to begin? Wow, you're a stud! I don't know what your Dad and I did to derserve having you in our family but it must have been HUGE! There are so many things that I love about you, I honestly don't know where to start.

You have always been pretty mellow, happy and easy-going. You're pretty quick to give in without much arguement when Dad and I ask you to do something and you love to be around Mason and Mia.

You keep me on my toes asking me simple math questions all day long. For example,"Mom, what's 15 +15 + 6?"

You love to ask how old people are. In fact I think you asked me at least 4 times today how old my mom and dad are. (You already know the answer so I like to give you the wrong one just to hear you correct me).

You sing along to the radio constantly and know pretty much all the lyrics better than me. I think my favorite song to hear you sing is "Who Says" by Salina Gomez. You can seriously rock that beat!!

You love your back scratched at any moment, any place. I secretly totally enjoy it too because it's one of the rare moments in the day where you lay still and just talk to me.

You're a little picky with your food choices but you seem to be coming around a bit to trying new things.

You're new favorite thing is playing Ghost in the Graveyard with the bigger kids late at night.

You've mastered the art of raising one eyebrow and I love when you combine it with saying "How you doin?"

I have utterly and completely enjoyed having you around by yourself this past school year. I will miss you to pieces when you head off to kindergarten this Fall. I'm so glad they let me down easy by only having you away for 1/2 a day. Don't tell anyone but I might get a little misty-eyed when you leave me to fend for myself those first few days.

Madden, I find myself at a loss for words when I try to tell you how much I love you. You're the perfect addition to our family and we all love you so so much!

Happy Birthday, Big Guy! I just wanna eat you up!

Kids Say The Darndest Things

Last Saturday we were stopped at an intersection waiting for the light to change. On one corner there was an older man with a scraggly beard and a smoke hanging out of the corner of his mouth. He was half-heartedly twirling a Little Caesar's Pizza sign trying to drum up some business for the pizza shop. From the back of the car Mason says, "Hey Mia, see that old guy on the corner with the sign? Let him be a lesson to you that you should go to college."

It's good to see all our lectures on the importance of education haven't fallen on deaf ears. :)

We have a house in our neighborhood that we pass several times a day. They always have their yard and windows decorated for the appropriate season/holiday. It's cute to see. One day we drove past and Mia says, "Mom, when are you going to start decorating our house cute like theirs?" Before I could respond, Mason answered for me. "Mia, they're old AND they have more money then we do."

SWEET!! I'm off the hook until I get older and as long as I can keep our kids believing we live in a state of poverty.

What We've Been Up To

We gave our cabinet the face lift that it has needed for so very, very long.Before

After.

Matt and I did this together one weekend and we both love the final result!

Now the next project, well, it took longer than a weekend. Matt worked his buttocks off doing the kitchen. So many late, late nights mixed with a little blood, lots of sweat and just a few tears ;)

Before.

After.

We still have little odds and ends to finish up but it's come a long way! We were so anxious to get rid of the blue Formica. WOW the people who built this house LOVED blue. We've redone every surface in this house now except for the laundry room floor. That's coming up pretty quick towards the top of the Honey-Do list.

Thanks Mattie, it looks GREAT!

Happy Birthday Mason!!!

Hey Mase,

Eleven. Seriously? I wish there was a way to slow time down a bit or at least rewind and pause here and there. I don’t know how you’re 11 but 11 you are and I’m trying to face the fact. You’re at such a great age. I love how you told me the other day that all the boys in your class except you and one other have girlfriends and I asked if you were feeling the pressure to snag one up for yourself. You said no but there are a couple of gals you have your eye on. Just remember to treat them nicely and always act like a gentleman. Take it from this old lady, girls love to feel taken care of.
I love how you’re not afraid to tell me the things you hear and see other’s do around you. It gives me a chance to help you filter what’s ok and what’s completely inappropriate (sadly there’s more of the later). It makes me feel like you trust me enough to share and I love that!
You’re great at so many things and perfect in all the right ways. You’re such a great reader and it makes me happy to see you enjoy a good book. You’re creative and smart. Oh so smart!! Wise beyond you’re years really. Sometimes I think you’re poor little body has to house that huge soul and it’s busting at the seams to get out. It’s fun to see it emerge into the great person you are becoming.
I love you so much! You make me laugh on a regular basis and put a smile on so many people’s faces! I feel so fortunate to be part of your life.

Happy Birthday, Buddy. I LOVE YOU!

ps: I added your playlist to our blog for your big day! Enjoy!

After All These Years

15 years ago today found me marrying my best friend. Since then we've moved 6 times, earned 2 college degrees, added 3 amazing kids, moved jobs a few times and gained a few wrinkles and gray hairs along the way (shhh don't tell). If I had to do it again I'd do it all EXACTLY the same. All the ups, all the downs. They put us where we are today and I wouldn't change it for the world.

I love you Matt. Thank you for making me laugh regularly and not take myself too seriously. I married the perfect man for me.

Happy Anniversary!

20 Year Reunion

Matt was in charge of his 20 year Bear Rive High reunion this past August. It took weeks, who am I kidding, MONTHS to plan. He did such a great job organizing and making sure he found as many people from his class as he could. It was held at Maddox Ranch House in Perry. The food was great and so was the company. It was fun for me to meet some of the people he grew up with that I haven't had a chance to meet yet. And of course it's always great to see those you haven't seen in a while.
As you can tell, it didn't take long for everyone to feel comfortable and get back to where they were 20 years ago.

Tiffany Summers was so great to step up and help Matt where she could. What a lifesaver! Thanks Tiffany for all your help, Matt was so appreciative!

It was so much fun for Matt (and myself) to see Ryan and Andrew again. These best friends haven't been together in the same room in 14 years (I think it was our wedding to tell you the truth). We've seen them both in the meantime but never together. It was so fun!!

Here we are with our "significant others". As long as Andrew doesn't skip the country again we hope to see these guys again soon!

Great job on the reunion Mattie. It was such a huge success. Your hard work REALLY paid off!

Mia's Surgery

At the end of October Mia had eye surgery to keep her eyes from crossing. She was extremely nervous on the drive up to Primary's and in the waiting room. She cried a bit and who can blame her? Going under the knife is never a fun experience. But she was brave! She was still a little apprehensive in the exam room before we took her to pre-op. But once they gave her that sweet nectar that makes you feel good..she was a happy camper!
They strapped her in the wheelchair to get her to the waiting room since she soon lost all ability to stand or even talk. But she could still smile and she did a lot of that. She must have been feeling GROOVY.

Here's Daddy and Mia waiting to head down to the operating room. By now her nerves were completely gone and she was happy (and a bit drowsy).

The surgery was a huge success and Matt and I raced back as soon as we could to see her. They warned us that she would be a little irritable and she definitely fit that bill. That's one of the worst feelings to me, being under anesthesia and having to come to. You feel so tired and all you want is to keep sleeping. BUT NOOOO, every one's talking to you and asking you to wake up, and don't touch the part of your body that is killing you!

We went home after a couple of hours in recovery.

We've had a few check ups since then with her eye doctor and he is very pleased with the results. We are starting to lower her prescription on her glasses and hope to have her out of them sometime soon. Yay!!!

Projects

Mason has a mind that stays in constant motion. He's always thinking at a very quick pace and sometimes it leaves me a little in the dust. I've randomly taken pictures lately of some of his little projects he's done to fill his time.These are his Mario creations from his Lego's. Some of them fell apart before I thought to get a picture but you get the point.

These are his Mario creations he did out of Fun Fusion (you know those little plastic beads that you iron to melt them together). He also made a bunch of Club Penguin stuff and Pokemon with these too but I don't have a picture.

These are from his stint with yarn projects. Last winter his teacher taught them how to make scarfs which they worked on at home and at school. He made these with the leftover yarn.

Then my Mom taught him how to crochet and he went crazy making necklaces, bracelets and rings for all the women in his life. He even made a set for his new little cousin Isla who lives in NH.

He draws like crazy too. Someday soon I will scan in some of his pictures. Right now he's into drawing Diary of a Wimpy Kid characters and I have to admit, he's pretty dang good. He also took to writing the first chapter of what he thinks should happen next in that series. Take it from me, IT'S PRETTY IMPRESSIVE!!

Kiddie Kollege Indians

These were just too cute not to share (better late than never, right?). Madden and Eliza made these Indian digs at Kiddie Kollege. Most of the girls made Pilgrim girl hats and collars but in true Liza fashion, she chose the Indian boy. Oh I love this tom-girl and her raspy smokers voice!While Eliza was very proud of hers and was happy to participate in the photo op, Madden wanted nothing to do with it. I finally got him to put his stuff back on so I could get a picture. You'd never know he wasn't completely into it.
I hope these two stay the best of friends their whole lives! They're so fun to watch when they're together.

Thanksgiving (I'm a bit behind)

Thanksgiving 2010 was at the West Point City building again because it worked out so well last year. Most of my family was able to be there which is always a good time! The was pretty great as well. After we ate my Mom told the kids about the first Thanksgiving and shared a lot of little facts that I had never heard before. She always knows all the little things that make a story interesting.
Matt's Mom and his sister Holly came along with us. It was fun to have them there and give our kids a chance to spend some time with them.
We went home with full stomachs and good memories, so I'd say it was a big success!

Go Mia!!

This past Fall, Mia took 1st place in her grade for reflections. She was so excited about the trophy. It doesn't hurt that it's purple and sparkly. The theme was "Together We Can" and she drew a great picture of the earth with kids sitting all around it. In January we got to go to a special awards night for all the kids that went on to district. Mia was super excited but got really nervous when they called her name.
We are so proud of her and how well she did. She loves to participate in everything she can at school and winning an award for something was even better!

Way to go Mia! We are SO proud of you!!!!!!

Gracie's Tree

Last Christmas at the Festival of Trees my family decided to do a tree this year (2010) in honor of Grace. It was a large undertaking but after an amazing amount of kindness and donations from so many people and a TON of work, it turned out to be a very sweet labor of love. We decorated it with little girl shoes in black, pink, white and silver. Grace loved shoes so it seemed very fitting to include her personality into the tree. We had so many people who donated shoes and money. It wouldn't have been possible without them.

The morning of November 29th we headed down to the South Town Expo Center to set up and decorate the tree. It was such a great experience to be there with my parents and my sisters. It was a fun atmosphere and really touching to be among other people and hear the stories of what inspired each of their trees.

We never would have made it through without my Dad there to help us get the tree up so we could decorate it. The whole thing took the better part of the day.

We had Kelly Sansom take these pictures so we could make up Thank You cards to send to the MANY people who made this possible! What a great experience! Now that I've had a couple of months to recuperate, I can say I think I would actually do this again :) !!

M.I.A.

Around these parts MIA is a name but to most of the population it's an acronym for Missing In Action. Which is exactly what I've been to this sad little blog. After being informed NUMEROUS times by my little family that our blog needed a bit more attention, I'm finally consenting and getting caught up. Hang on tight cause here comes a whirlwind of updates :)

I know, it's about time!