It's A....... Drumroll Please!

BOY! I wish I had some pictures to post, but my scanner is out of commission for the time being. Yesterday August 26, 2009 Mike and I took the kids to Womb With A View to meet our little one on the way. Right away we were told it was a boy. Brenden jumped up and did a little "victory dance." Sophia joined in with the cabbage patch singing : "go mommy, go mommy!" It was a fun experience. The woman doing the ultrasound told us: "This baby has really big lips!" We just laughed. (Yeah, that runs in this family) It's hard to say for sure, but from what I saw, this little fella looks a lot like his older brother; and you know, I'm okay with that...

Back to School!

August 20, 2009 It's time for the Thompson kids to head back to school. This year Paris is a 3rd grader, Brenden is a 2nd grader, and little Sophie is a Kinder! They woke up early, scarfed down breakfast and headed for the door as fast as they could. They were in anxious anticipation to see their friends and classrooms that they'd been missing all summer long. Sophia has been hanging around Knights Ferry with her big brother and sister since she was two years old; so her first day was not intimidating to say the least. She already has tons of friends that she knows and was ready to play with. She was even selected to take the lunch count to the office since she was such a "pro" at knowing the layout of the school!

Sophie the Big Girl

August 19, 2009: Sophia Jade officially turns 5 years old! As is tradition on fifth birthdays in our little family, she received her very own "big kid" bike. Her favorite color is purple, so she was very happy to have a pink and purple bike that is all her own. I baked her a cake exactly as she directed. She requested triple chocolate chunk with homemade chocolate frosting in the shape of a donut. She asked for "pan-a-tates" for dinner, so we went to Denny's and shared a grand slam. After dinner we went to the local theater to watch G-force. The kids loved it. Can't believe my baby isn't a baby anymore.

The Twin Cousins Turn 5!

August 15th, 2009: Layla and Sophia celebrate their 5th birthdays. The theme was unique and the girls came up with it all on their own. Layla wanted a mermaid party and Sophia has been asking for months for a Hawaiian Luau party. So, Brookie and I combined the themes and the outcome was beautiful! Brookie and Layla worked together to make adorable mermaid napkin holders, and Sophia and I made Hawaiian themed gift bags. We served "beachy" treats from sand toys and decorated the table with palm trees, glitter, and shells. Brooke (as always) came up with some cute cupcake ideas. There were mermaid cupcakes, shark cupcakes, and sand cupcakes. As if all of that was not enough, Brookie and Rachel made "kool aid" margaritas for the kids too! (kool aid and crushed ice in cute little cups with straws and umbrellas.) The kids took turns splashing in the pool and jumping on the trampoline. There was plenty of fun to be had. We went home tired from a day full of fun, sun, and sugar!

Thompson Family Reunion 2009

This year's reunion kicked off with a BBQ and swim party at Kori and Eddie's house. It was a bit cold and breezy, but that didn't stop the kids from jumping in the water! Eddie worked his magic on the BBQ and we all went home with full happy bellies. Thanks guys, it was a lot of fun!

Friday night we all gathered at Noah and Heather's house. We pitched our tents on their lawn and settled in for a weekend of fun. We set up an outside theater with a projector and screen. Rachel brought an old fashioned movie theater popcorn popper and we served fresh popcorn and licorice while watching a movie under the stars.

Saturday was a day of sun and water. Some of us went to the lake and played on jet skis, and some of us floated down the Merced river. At the end of the day we gathered again at Noah and Heather's house for dinner. After dinner we performed skits and then settled in for another movie under the stars. This time we watched old home movies from when we were little. It was a great evening.

Sunday marked the last day of our reunion. We ate breakfast together, cleaned up our messes, and headed over to the lake for the day. It was a hot day so the water was a welcomed relief. All weekend long the cousins played together and enjoyed each other's company.

Sweet, Simple, Summer...

This has been the simplest of summers. The kids and I have spent most days at home, cleaning, playing, working. Today, I wanted to do things a little differently. I set up paint and paper outside and told them to be creative. The paint kept them busy for a couple of hours, and by the end, they had painted each other's faces. Then, following lunch I took them down to the community pool for a dip. The weather has been pretty nice lately, so they got cold pretty quick. Since the pool had lost it's luster, we walked over to the adjacent park and played awhile. Yes, it was a simple day, but sometimes, those are the best.

A Camping We Will Go...

Well, it seems to be the summer of campouts, and I'm not complaining. We headed up to Pinecrest again, but this time we took our friends the Astles with us. The campground was full so we kept going until we finally found something available, and that seemed to be a blessing. The campground we went to was beautiful. We went on an early morning hike and enjoyed the scenery. Afterward, we packed up and headed over to the lake. We enjoyed a day of heat and water, then stayed to watch the "Movie Under the Stars." Our friends had car trouble, and we wound up having them towed at 1:ooam on the way home, but even with that, it was a great weekend and I'm glad that we got to share it with friends.

Happy Birthday Billy!

It's hard to believe... but Billy is 6 years old already. He celebrated by having a Transformers swim party. The kids enjoyed the pool and then dug into a big helping of chocolate cake and ice cream! Happy Birthday Billy!

4th of July Weekend

I am the ward activities chairman at present, and so this year I got to plan and prepare a "Breakfast in the Park" on 4th of July morning. After the breakfast we played a few games. The kids participated in gunny sack races, tug-of-war, and a water balloon toss. Later that afternoon, Mike and I took the kids to the Don Pedro lagoon. After that we had a BBQ at Noah's house and then returned to the lake for the fireworks show. I was playing around with shutter speeds on my camera, so I posted a couple of those shots.

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.