Don Pedro Baby!

What's a Thompson summer without at least a couple of trips to the Don Pedro Swimming Lagoon? Rachel headed up from Fresno to play for the day and convinced Meredith and I to join her with our kids at the lake. It was a HOT day so spending it in the water was the perfect cure. The cousins splashed and played for hours taking the occasional break for a cookie.

A Trip to Pinecrest

Every summer I do my best to talk Mike into taking us to Pinecrest at least once. I love camping in Pinecrest. It's just not summer without their soft serve ice cream cones, a day at the lake, and a movie under the stars. We arrived early Friday afternoon and were able to squeeze in a few hours of lake time. I hung out on the beach with the kids while Mike took turns giving them rides on the kiak. We returned to camp to make "tin-foil dinners." The kids had fun mixing their own ingredients and watching them cook on the coals of the fire. After dinner we gathered around the fire to make s'mores. Sophia beat us all out by having 3! After that we headed over to the ampitheater and watched "Startrek". The next morning after breakfast we packed up camp and headed over to the lake to mark a place out for ourselves. It turned out to be a pretty cold day with lots of wind, so we decided on a hike instead. We set out not really knowing how far we'd make it before we'd have to turn around. But... the kids were troopers and made it all the way around the lake! It was a fun little adventure. It all worked out really well because they happened to be having a fishing derby that Saturday and were giving out free hot dogs and drinks. So we filled up our tummies before our hike, and afterward, cashed in on our free ice creams that we had won earlier at the derby. It was a great trip, just the thing to kick off the summer!

60 Years of Wedded Bliss!

June 13, 2009 we gathered to celebrate a momentous occasion: Grandmother and Grandpa's 60th Wedding Anniversary! So many hands worked together to bring this grand event to life. Brooke and Rachel created amazing decorations and party favors, Meredith served her famous strawberry and spinach salad, Noah ran the BBQ and kept us coming back for seconds, Laurie did an amazing job with the flowers, Jared W. was the D.J. for the evening, and of course Mom and Dad worked their magic behind the scenes! Many friends and family came to celebrate with us. The food was delicious, the weather was perfect, and the spirit of the evening was magical. We watched Grandmother and Grandpa look fondly at each other all evening as if it were their first year, and not the sixtieth. At the close of the evening as people were leaving, family videos from the 50's played on a large screen. One by one people gathered to watch all of those sweet moments come to life... again. Thank you Grandmother and Grandpa for taking the first step and creating a legacy of love and longevity for our family.

Early in the afternoon as busy hands worked to create a beautiful party, Grandmother tended to her garden with little Morgan by her side.

Their wedding cake...60 years in the making.

Happy 3rd Birthday Dominick!

May 31, 2009 - We gathered to celebrate Dominick's birthday. He loves the character "Diego" right now, so his party had a "Diego" theme. Auntie Brookie made hot dog roll-ups that looked like little maps, and even worked her cake magic to create Diego's face. When we sang to Dominick he was smiling from ear to ear. He was excited about every present that he opened up. After dinner the kids lined up to take their turn hitting the pinata. It was a great evening with perfect weather and lots of family. We love you Dominick, you're a special little guy and you bring a great light into our family!

Here is Brooke's awesome "Diego" cake. I can't believe the things that she can create with those hands of hers!

Memorial Day BBQ!

Uncle Brad and Aunt Elizabeth invited a few of us locals over for a BBQ on Memorial Day. It was such a fun evening. Dinner was delicious and afterward Uncle Brad lead the kids in some fun relay races. Dad taught the kids a lesson for family home evening, and we finished the night off with some ice cream cones. Thank you Uncle Brad and Aunt Elizabeth for a great time!

I couldn't leave this one out... Dominick waiting for his turn to "go fishing."

This one is precious too, little Jacob in the arms of his Great Grandmother.

Dance! Dance! Dance!

Paris, Sophia, Kori, Courtney, and myself were in a dance recital this last weekend. Paris did a hip hop routine as did Kori and I. Kori and I danced in the "mom's" hip-hop class to the song "It's Tricky." As always, Courtney was in tons of dances so I was never able to grab her for a picture. Sophia did a ballet dance and was dripping in pink fluff. Lots of friends and family came out to support us. My dad and his wife Allison met us for lunch with Grandmother and Grandpa after one of the recitals, and my good friend Rickie brought her daughter Afton to watch one of the shows as well. Thanks guys for all of the love.

Dinner at G & G's!

Grandmother and Grandpa invited a bunch of us over for dinner "just because" and so we went! Grandmother treated us to one of her fabulous home-cooked meals and then we all ventured outside for some ice cream. The cousins couldn't resist strolling through Grandmother's lovely gardens, and of course, I couldn't resist taking pictures of the cousins!

My Son Could be a Werewolf!

I've been saying it for a year now, Brenden looks like Jacob Black from the Twilight series. Well, here's the proof! My son is so darn cute! (Especially when he's grumpy!)

A chickie named "Cutie-pie"

In Paris' 2nd grade class they did a chick-hatching project. Out of 12 eggs only 4 hatched. They drew names out of a hat to see who would be able to take one home. Paris was one of the lucky 4 kids. She named our little chick "Cutie-pie." She's a sweet little chicken. I am calling her a "she" because I refuse to believe that I may have another rooster! (Please, oh please, not another CRAZY rooster!)

Ouch!

What do you get when you cross a wasp and a face? Well in Mike's case you get three days of restricted vision! A wasp stung him right between the eyes and caused his entire face to swell up for three days! Sophia called him "china-man daddy" until the swelling went down. Poor Mikey!

Family Pictures

I wanted some Spring photos, so I loaded up the camera, the tri-pod, and the family and headed down to Knights Ferry. (Where else?) These are just a few of my favorites. Isn't my family beautiful?

Happy Easter and Happy Birthday Evyn!

We gathered at the ranch for an Easter ham dinner. After the meal Papa took the grandkids for a ride on the John Deere and while he was gone the Easter Bunny came and hid eggs all over the yard! The kids went crazy climbing trees and searching bushes on a mission to collect eggs! After that Uncle Eric and Aunt Laurie brought out the parachute and the missionaries joined in on the fun with the kids. We also sang to little Evyn who just turned one! It is so hard to believe that a year has already passed! Easter was wonderful and I want to thank all of the hands that put it together! You know who you are, and you know that I love you!

Here's all of the grandkids lined up from oldest to youngest (missing Camille and Dominick):
Lucas, (holding baby Jacob, the youngest) Garrett, Maryn, Paris, Tayler, Brenden, Billy, Sophia, Layla, Royce, Morgan, Evyn. If you are wondering what all of the silly faces and arms are; they were acting like monkeys. Auntie Brooke was making her famous animal sounds in hopes of keeping their attention.