Mud Wrestling Anyone?

You've heard of mud wrestling... but what about "manure wrestling?" On Saturday we spent the day preparing our garden. Our neighbor let us use some of his horse manure as fertilizer. The kids thought that it was amazing stuff. It was hot and steaming in the cold air... they couldn't resist the urge to climb on top of it and begin a wrestling match! They came away covered in the stuff and smelling less than stellar!

I Believe in Leprechauns!

The kids and I woke up sick on Monday morning. They all stayed home from school and we spent the day on the couch reading books and watching movies. On Tuesday when they returned to school we had completely forgotten that it was St. Patrick's Day. When I picked them up later that day there were sad because they had missed out on building leprechaun traps and wearing green. They looked all over the house for any evidence that the leprechauns had visited, but found nothing. I told them that maybe the leprechauns were afraid of getting sick, and so did not visit this year. Paris was determined that the leprechauns were coming, so before we left for our dance classes she made a big sign and hung it on our door that read: I BELIEVE IN LEPRECHAUNS! When we returned home that night it was dark so we just went to bed. But the next day as I was doing laundry I went out the back door and found green foot prints and a pile of gold candy! They had come! I called the kids out to see what I had found. They were very excited. We realized that the candy must have been there the whole time! He must have left our candy on the back porch because that is the only place where there was enough shade to keep the chocolate from melting! Tricky leprechauns!

Down on the Farm...

Now that we are back in our house we have a lot of work to do. We have been working on cutting down weeds and leveling out dirt. We have also recently acquired chickens. We have one rooster that we have lovingly dubbed "Rudy" and five hens. They are young chickens and just began laying their first eggs last week. It's been fun working together as a family on our "fixer-upper."

It Takes a Village...

A bunch of us gathered at Noah and Heather's house to see the new baby. As you can see; there were plenty of volunteers to help with little Jacob. We also celebrated March birthdays. Happy Birthday Mary Ann, Brooke, Tayler, and Brenden!

Sweet Sophie

Her sweet face casts a spell over me. Her beautiful eyes and dainty features make it almost impossible to turn my gaze away.

It's the Simple Stuff...

Paris, Brenden, and Sophia spent the night with Nana and Papa so that Mike and I could attend the temple. The following Saturday when I returned to pick them up I was surprised to find Eric and Laurie there too! I followed the kids around and took pictures. Royce was practicing riding his bike, Brenden was climbing trees, and Paris and Tayler were taking turns pushing Evyn in the stroller. Just spending a few minutes out at the ranch brightened my day. I love this place, and I love my family.

Brenden's First Lost Tooth!

Sunday March 1st, 2009 marked a significant day in Thompson history! Brenden lost his first tooth! This tooth had been loose for close to a year! Daddy aided in the process with some "forced" wiggling and a firm tug. Brenden was a bit of a drama king at first but before too long he was grinning in the mirror and looking forward to the tooth fairy!

The Blossoms Have Popped!

Every year I try to get pictures of the kids in the blooming orchard. This year was a little trickier than most due to all of the rain; so I wound up doing the photo shoot at 7:45am on Saturday. The kids were real troopers since they were freezing and the ground was wet.

I just loved this picture of Brenden and Paris together!

This was the last shot of the morning. They were NOT thrilled because the ground was cold and wet and had just recently been mowed. However, they fake it well and took a great picture for me!

What I LOVE About My House...

I recently mentioned a few of my favorite things about our house. One of the things I mentioned was this great rainbow we get every Spring... well that rainbow appeared just this week so I wanted to post a picture of it! I'd also like to list a few more things that I LOVE about our house. I love the rolling hills all around us. I love the walks along the upper ridge that turn into hikes. I love the sound of the frogs every evening. I love the way I feel right now. I am blessed to be a mother and a wife. I'm blessed to have an eternal family. I know that I have a Father in Heaven that loves me and is watching after me. I'm grateful for my life. I am a lucky, lucky girl!

A Baby Blessing

On Sunday March 1, 2009 little Jacob was blessed by his father Jared Wetenkamp. It was a sweet blessing. Afterward the Thompson and Wetenkamp families gathered for lunch in celebration. It was nice to see everyone. We haven't all been together since Christmas. Upper left is Billy and Brenden, upper right is little Jacob, lower left is Evyn, lower right is Brenden, Paris, and Sophia cradling baby Jacob.