Just Call Her Toothless...

She wanted me to pull it at church Sunday (after class) so I was working on it and her dentist walked by. I called him in and he happily (and easily) yanked the sucker out. She cried for about 1 minute and it was all over. Aunt Lindsay and Nate were in the room and watched (Nate will never want to lose a tooth after this...the look on that poor kid's face) and Nate was worried about Abbie. He talked his mom into baking cookies for her and they dropped them off that evening...what a guy. The tooth fairy left her $2 and she decided to give one to her sister...what a girl.

A New Year

It's a new year...and our family has been thrown a new situation a new set of heartaches and struggles but also the realization after living through the past three that we have to grab this life and wake up each day and live it. My graceful Grandma Florence and cute cousin Angie both recently passed (updates on both to come) and although both were sad, they also sustained my initiative to not let a single day of 2012 go by, good or bad, without living it to the fullest, being truly grateful for it and especially the people in it.

I stole this quote from the absolutely darling blog lilblueboo. You should check it out sometime...talk about living each day to the fullest. I love her "Choose Joy" mantra and plan to to spread it around this year...so watch out!

Christmas Day

Christmas was pretty quiet this year. Tripp and I decided we were too beat to go anywhere so we hunkered down here and really didn't do even 75% of the usually holiday "stuff" we normally fit in. But we had a nice time all the same. Tripp took the week before and after Christmas off work and that was present enough for everyone.

Christmas Eve we enjoyed dinner with my family at Grandma & Grandpa Marz's house. I had been feeling sick for days so I was soooo thankful everyone else pulled off such a lovely dinner and I was only in charge of dessert. It was yummy and lucky for the kids, Grandma and Grandma still seem to know Santa because he showed up after dinner with gifts for each child and a couple of songs to share. Grandma even gave each kid a new pair of pjs to wear that night.
The next morning Abbie woke up EARLY. Then she climbed in bed with Daisy and woke her up and waited until they heard me take Kramer out (which again is EARLY) before they ran into our room to see if we could go downstairs. Tripp tried to talk them into waiting until at least 7 a.m. but it was no use, so we went downstairs to see if Santa came (I was a little skeptical this year....)

Daddy takes one photo before the girls charge down

Faces full of excitement when they see the gifts.

There was a minute of anger when Daisy saw her American Girl doll and not a kitty cat but she quickly got over it and decided to love Ivy instead (she had been asking for Ivy for months and the kitty for maybe 10 days). But for about 3 minutes, she was one mad Doodle.

I don't remember anyone taking this photo but the girls love to use the camera so one of them must have asked to take a photo of us that morning.
After opening Santa gifts and tree gifts the girls settled down to coloring in their Santa coloring books while we went up for a short nap before church. It was still really early at this point. We attended church and it is always especially lovely on Christmas Day...not to mention going home after Sacrament Meeting! That evening we were invited to eat lasagna and italian sausage (a Thompson tradition) with Paul, Laura and the Rowels at their house. The kids love playing with Isabelle, Seth, Cooper and Preston and of course, we had a show to watch (well, multiple shows). The cousins can't get together without putting together a show.
The next day, Aunt Sam had a day off and we got to open our presents as a big family. We try to watch everyone open every gift like we did when we were little but it's getting harder and harder with so many people and turning into Christmas chaos!


Not to mention Nate and Daisy getting bored during all this unwrapping and deciding to tie up Aunt Sam. Luckily, since it doesn't involve IVs or bodily fluids, she is a pretty good sport on her day off.
After presents we all went bowling and Kyle met us there. All the kids love bowling so it was fun watching them. Every single one of us bowled...bad backs (a.k.a. Grandma & Grandpa) and all. A great way to end a wonderful holiday!

PS - for those of you who have not heard, Kyle is back in town and living with his mom. We wish him the best of luck at his new home and new school and love having the time to see him several times a month for family time. He is truly the best big brother two girls could ask for and we think the world of him.

Santa Train

Lindsay organized a really fun trip last Saturday on the Santa Train in Boulder City for us and a ton of our friends. She opened the invitation to anyone and offered to pick up the tickets for us as well (they sell out quickly). She's a good seed that little sister of mine. We had at least 40 people on the train that morning...so much fun. Even the Fairbanks Family drove in (literally jumped on the train right as it was pulling out) from Kingman to go with us. Such a great tradition Lindsay started. I hope we all do it again next year!

All the friends (well most of them...some were camera shy, some I just couldn't get before we pulled out of the station)...

Santa and the kids...



The Thompson, Fairbanks and Schenker kiddos after the trip. One last pose. Several of us went to pizza together in Boulder City and then to a fun candy shop after the train ride. After all that fun, our family (Daddy, Mom & Kramer) took a long winters nap.

Daisy's Birthday

Daisy turned four earlier this month and wanted a Build A Bear party. We told her just school friends (and besties) and we'd go for it. Cutest party ever. The store handled the whole thing beautifully and the kids had so much fun. What a breeze for me. With Tripp out of town so much and he and I obligated the first two weekends of the month, we needed a hands off party. This able crew delivered.

The cute party guests met us at the store but not everyone was feeling up to a photo. Once the party got started, all the kids lost their shyness for the camera.
We couldn't have a party without Abbie's besty Rubes. Sometimes she's Daisy's too. She is pretty much just a sixth member of our family.
This is one of my favorite photos. Daisy's dear friend Jonah came all the way from Kingman to join the party. He calls her "His Girl" and she just adores him. After they finish grad school and missions, they both have my permission to marry. I dig that kid.
Daisy had a lot to say to our party maker "Clayton". She chatted his ear off while stuffing her bear, and pretty much any other time she got a chance. There was a lot to say that day. He was a champ and took it all in stride with a smile.
Daisy and her school friend Paige. Two of her school friends, Paige and Scarlett both had baby brothers born days before the party so grandma's were nice enough to bring them for the fun. Yippee! for Grandmas.
Another favorite...all the kids making wishes on their hearts before it gets stuffed in their bear. Look at Jonah's cute eye.
We couldn't let Aunt Sam leave the party without a Snoopy so she picked one out and got it stuffed just like the other members of the party. It pays to be the single Auntie at the party that is adored by her nieces and their mom.
They played a lot of games. Games with bears over the heads, games with bears in circles, lots and lots of fun games.
Daisy and her fully fashioned bear Snowflake.
Tripp and the girl squad. Love this photo too. Just more proof that Ruby could fit right into our family if hers didn't love her so much.

The party was fun. Daisy is four. Just as sassy as ever. She is much sassier than Abbie was at that age. She loves Chocolate Milk, coloring/crafts, animals (wants a kitten for Christmas), is picky about food but then will eat something out of the blue.Very particular about her clothes (Abbie wasn't at 4) and is more courageous than her sis. She loves to cut and glue and make things. She will come up with people blowing trumpets that she made out of paper, glue and a button. Nuts. We love her.

The Nutcracker

We took the girls to Salt Lake last weekend to see Ballet West's Nutcracker. It's a special one for me and Tripp agreed that it would be a magical first ballet for the kids to experience. We had some delays Friday getting out of town and didn't actually make it all the way to Salt Lake until Saturday but we made it in time for the matinee and had a wonderful time.

Daisy actually did come with us but was being a stinker right before the picture was taken and decided to hide behind me. After the ballet, we went on stage and the girls had their photo taken with a few of the dancers (the Sugar Plum Fairy even!), watched a magician, were each given a small nutcracker and got to see some of the lovely props...one from the original Nutcracker (the grandfather clock that they still use!). Abbie has been dancing around the house (both ours and Leslie's) ever since.

It snowed on the way down and back but not enough in SLC to stick. Abbie and Daisy were crushed...they wanted to make a snowman (and Daisy a snow bear). There was plenty in Cedar but we had to quickly move out of it Saturday morning to make it to the show in time and through it Sunday to get home. A huge disappointment. They LOVE snow. See the sad Daisy face.

And as always, staying with my Aunt Leslie was fantastic. The girls adore her and her two little doggies, Sophie and Maggie. Leslie's house is like a magic Christmas wonderland with all of her fun decorations and Abbie in particular loved walking around and chatting with me about them all. The Barbie computer is pretty great as well. They are already asking me when we get to visit her again....

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving this year was wonderful. Tripp was scheduled to be out of the country and thankfully (no pun intended) his trip was postponed at the first of the month so we got to have him home for the holiday. That being said, he didn't want to go anywhere or do anything (quite literally). Linds & Sam decided to stay in town as well and that's all it took to hatch our plans for the do-nothing Thanksgiving.

We called our food "Traditional" with green been casserole and sweet potatoes with marshmallows but really it was just fun to try some new things. We did the usuals, JAWS at Abbie's school (wow, Bartlett is actually Abbie's school now!) in the morning then some sort of Turkey decorating (cookies this year - see photo below of cookies Sam baked and helped kiddos decorate) then eating around dinner time. The kids played inside and outside. Tripp took a nap and hung out on the couch. Wes made rolls. Lindsay, Sam & I chatted endlessly and planned our Black Friday route. Ryan ran around like a nut and Kramer, well Kramer napped and cuddled in Aunt Sam's lap.

I am sooooo incredibly thankful for this group. The very best little sisters in the entire world. Super daughters and nephews. A cool brother in law. And the handsomest, best husband for me in the entire world. Thankful indeed.