Dance Festival

Last Friday night we were able to attend a multi-stake youth dance festival that was done by our church. We went to the University of Redlands Football stadium to watch almost 3,000 youth perform 2 hours worth of dances that they had spent months rehearsing. The costumes were right in sync with the music they performed to. It was so fun and inspiring to see so many youth gathered together. The priests and laurels (the oldest boys and girls) had the best performances as they danced as partners to "Beauty and the Beast" and "The colors of the wind" the Deacons, with basketballs in hand, had a great choreographed number to "Get Your Head in the Game." There was some great Beach Boys music too. The entire production had a live band and chorus.

One thing I can say for living in Southern California, there are definitely a lot of youth in the church!!! They have great activities and events to attend every year.

Sorry, the only pictures I have are on my cell phone. When I get a chance I'll try to get it posted.

Heads Up

Finally, Jenna has gained the strength to support her head while lying on her stomach and has even rolled over onto her back. Such a simple thing, but I always get excited when my babies finally do this! You can see her looking at one of her books, something she's started enjoying recently.

Baby Smiles

Jenna is adorable, don't you think? I have to say she is by far my easiest baby. She sleeps from 8:30 pm to 7:30 am every night. She sucks her thumb and puts herself right to sleep. She loves to "talk" for the longest time. When you make sounds to her she tries to copy them back. The girls just love her. Here are some pictures from the past couple months. The one's on the bottom are from our trip to the Oregon Coast. (Hence, the warm clothes! Here she wears sunsuits every day!)

Summer Vacation

The girls have been off of school for several weeks and are headed back in just two more weeks. We have been busy with a vacation in Oregon, swimming lessons back at home, and the beginning of soccer season. We've also squeezed in a visit to sea world, the beach, and many trips to the park. We also started a new hobby of geocaching. The kids think it's a hoot and it's a great excuse to get out and do some hiking.

Pierced Ears!

Well, Brianna (and mom and dad) took the plunge and got her ears pierced! We told her she had to be 8 years old and had to fit it in between basketball and soccer season. So, the afternoon after her last basketball game, after some mother's day shoe shopping, we stopped off at the jewelry store to get poked! She looked rather terrified before it happened, but was determined to have it done. She squeezed Chris' hand quite tight ( I think it rivaled my grip in the delivery room) and at the count of 3 had them both done at the same time. When asked a few minutes later if she would do it again, knowing how it felt, she said she wasn't sure. But, a few hours later she was happy she had done it. It was cute to watch her constantly heading to the bathroom to look in the mirror.

A Special Weekend!

On May 3rd Brianna got baptized and the next day we blessed Jenna! What a great weekend! The girls sang, "I Am a Child of God" at the baptism and they were adorable! The baptism went wonderfully and we got lucky enough that she was the only one getting baptized--quite unusual for our large ward. However, Jenna was one of 3 babies blessed on Sunday. Not unexpected considering the very large baby boom we have seen--there have been a couple babies born every month for the past year and many, many more are still coming!

Brianna is wearing a dress that I made the week before Jenna was born. My mother-in-law held my hand through the whole thing, but I put in every stitch myself! Jenna's dress was a gift from our neighbor, but the hand knit sweater, hat, and booties were made by my great-grandmother (Jenna's great-great-grandma) for my mom when she was a baby!

Our Cat's New Cut

Has anyone ever heard of the "Lion Cut?" Well, our cat's matted hair had gotten out of control, so I broke down and paid for a visit to the groomers at PetSmart. The groomer suggested the "Lion Cut" and we decided to go for it--knowing the kids would get a kick out of it. Well, the cat actually doesn't seem to mind it and we're looking forward to a summer without cat hair! Unfortunately, Shadow would have no part of having his tail shaved, so we didn't get the complete look. Normally the tail gets left with a bit of hair on the last few inches to make a true lion tail!!! Isn't he a hoot?

Introducing Jenna Lynn Thomas

Jenna Lynn Thomas was born at 9:32 pm on Tuesday, April 22nd. She weighed in at 8 lbs 5 oz and was 20 inches long! My biggest baby of all. I'm glad I had her a few days early! She hardly cried at all in the hospital (though my roommate's baby screamed all night!) and has been amazingly good so far at home. We hope she keeps it up!

Her sisters adore her. The first thing they do in the morning and when they come home from school is check on Jenna. Unfortunately, Courtney has come down with the flu. We really hope she doesn't pass it on to the baby! We don't want to tell her to stay away from her new sister, but we try to keep some distance between them.

Jenna appears to be a carbon copy of Brianna--the same mass of dark hair, dark eyes, and a dark complexion. It will be fun to see how she changes as she grows.

Off-Track Fun

The kids have had the month of March off from school. It hasn't been a busy month, just very relaxing. The first week the girls dusted off their rollerblades and decided to give it another shot. They have always just pretty much walked around in them and hadn't gotten the hang of gliding yet. Chris had the idea of having them roll across the downhill driveway. It was perfect! The girls learned how to balance and got a feel for rolling in the skates. They just crashed in the grass on the other side. They then added stopping and pushing off. Chris even got out his rollerblades (we both purchased some when we got out of college and hadn't used them since I got pregnant with Brianna a short time later.). He and the girls spent several afternoons practicing at the park.

The next week we joined Chris in Tucson, Arizona for one of his trips for work. Thanks to a Platinum Marriott Membership (due to a lot of travel) we got a complimentary upgrade to a 2 bedroom suite with a full kitchen and living room. We decided that as our family has grown this was the perfect option. The kids and I swam in the pool several times a day and played on the basketball court. We enjoyed the full hot breakfast buffet, cooked a simple lunch in our room, relaxed while Courtney napped, and enjoyed dinner at a restaurant in the evening with Chris. We even took the chance to see "Spiderwick Chronicles" at a nearby theater. By the end, the girls really liked it. But during the movie we heard a lot of requests to go back to the hotel! It was rather scary for the little ones. Overall, it was a very relaxing week!!!

Otherwise, we've just been enjoying hanging out at home. I've gotten some spring cleaning and gardening done, the girls have read a lot of books, and I've been able to teach Brianna and McKayla how to do laundry! Last weekend we were visited by Chris' brother's family (Mike and Kristen). The girls really enjoyed seeing their cousins.

Annual School Father-Daughter Dance

Chris got the opportunity to escort two of our girls to the school dance this year. McKayla had watched Brianna go the last two years and was so excited to get a chance to go this year. Chris wasn't sure how it would go with only one of him and two of them, but they had a great time. They got formal pictures taken, enjoyed the chocolate fountain and great assortment of punch and treats, and participated in the activities (hokey-pokey or limbo anyone?). Courtney and I enjoyed some private mother-daughter time and the troops came home with sore feet and big smiles!

Last Day at Disneyland

So the kids got to play hookey from school and we had one last day of fun at the "Happiest Place on Earth." We took the opportunity to snap some photos we hadn't bothered with during any previous visits. The park was remarkably empty (well, it was mid-week in January) and we were able to go on all the rides we wanted. The lines for the character photo shoots were short too. (Yes, you usually have to wait in a long line to see a Disney character. They don't wander around the park anymore because it is too crowded and they get bombarded by people.) The only disappointment was that we were going to actually sit and watch the fireworks show and halfway through it was cancelled due to wind in high elevations. I was sad because it was our second attempt to watch the show from a good vantage point and the last time (Christmas) it was cancelled due to wind too. All the other times the kids wanted to go on rides instead. Oh well, the stuff we saw was great and overall our time at Disneyland was great!

Sea World

Our Disneyland time is just about up and we have begun to explore the adventure that Sea World has to offer. I will say, we were quite disappointed with the quality of their exhibits, but the shows are fantastic!

After quite some time without McKayla's usual cute quotes, I finally got another one during the first Shamu show. About 10 minutes into the show she turns to me and says, "Those animals aren't real, right?" I tell that they are real trained whales. She turns back to the show and says, "I CAN'T BELIEVE MY EYES!" Seeing her amazement made the day completely worthwhile!

A word of warning to anyone thinking of visiting Sea World: When they say "splash zone" they really mean it! We got lucky, but some poor people got absolutely drenched at some of the shows (one show they literally had a fountain of water pouring on the people) and it was only about 55 degrees outside (quite chilly for San Diego.) I felt sorry for them!

This walrus was in a swimming pattern that took him right by the window where Courtney was standing. When we visited right before Christmas we saw that one of his Tusks had broken in half.

Sea World has a Christmas Shamu show that we were able to see. The show featured music from a choir and had several instrumental soloists. I was pleasantly suprised to find that the music and quotes used all centered on the birth of Christ. These days it seems that public venues all avoid the religous part of the holiday and I quite enjoyed hearing the carols sung and scriptures read in a public setting like Sea World.

Relaxing and Fun Holidays

This is called lazy sledding! The girls had a great ride down a very long hill and then an equally thrilling ride back up to the top while being pulled by their grandpa's 4-wheeler! After they decided they were too cold to continue (you do get cold quicker without all that work of pulling the sled back up the hill) we headed home for hot chocolate and a dip in the indoor hot tub! What a life!

This year we decided to stay home for Christmas, although we did leave for Utah the day after! Chris was able to take most of the last two weeks of December off from work and actually stayed close to home for the first part of the month as well. It was SO nice to have him around. We both felt much more relaxed and were able to just enjoy the season together with the girls. We are now back to the grind--work and school and activities.

Christmas included the usual school concerts (where you will undoubtedly sit on the wrong side of the room so that your kid is completely blocked from view!), sledding in Utah, video gaming, jumping on the NEW TRAMPOLINE (who thought kids could actually spend 4-5 hours a day jumping up and down!), Christmas Caroling, baking treats, etc. The kids actually all slept in until the usual 7:00 Christmas morning! We were quite happy. New Years Eve was equally relaxed. The girls had no problem celebrating with the people in Times Square. So, at promptly 9:00 we were blowing our horns and popping our string poppers and yelling "Happy New Year!" The girls then headed up to bed. Having already "celebrated," Chris and I felt no need to stay up until midnight. We headed to bed early and woke up the next morning pleasantly suprised that there were no neighborhood fireworks to wake us up at midnight. (There is usually quite a ruckus!)

On the way home from Utah we took a slight detour to visit Hoover Dam. It was an interesting stop, but we decided that we won't bother to go again until the new bridge bypassing the dam is finished. There are security checks along the road which currently goes across it and it took us almost an hour to travel the last 4 miles to the parking lot!

Gender Revealed!

Well, it seems our fate has been sealed. We had the 20 week ultrasound on Friday and found out that we are having....wait for it.....another girl! Yikes. I don't know how we are going to survive the madness! Chris is taking this opportunity to continue his campaign for more children and perhaps even adopt a boy. (Yes, this is the man who once said he was good with 2 kids)Hmmm....we'll see how it goes with four. I'm afraid I just might go crazy with the uncontrollable emotions that will continue to explode in our home having so many girls around. However, I must say that I am beginning to learn that frequent crying about things such as socks, pants that just don't match perfectly, and bangs that won't stay straight is a perfectly normal thing for a girl. McKayla, having fully immersed herself in the 5th year of her life is embracing the daily hour long crying episode over some seemingly minor thing. I guess over the next 20 years I'll just have to learn to grin and bear it! Any tips for living with the insanity of sisters????

We're Expanding!

So, after years of wondering if we were going to have "another one." We finally decided the answer was "yes." We are now expecting baby #4 on April 27th! The girls are very excited and are eagerly hoping that they might finally have someone to play the "prince" when they play prince and princesses! I'm sure another sister will be just as welcome, however! We won't know that information for at least another month, but we'll definitely pass the word when we do know! Courtney is very happy that she will finally get to be a "big sister."

Southern California Fires

So, for all of you that have been wondering, "Are those fires close to the Thomas family?" The answer is, not really. The closest one is at least 20 miles away, and it would have to burn through a couple towns before it would reach us. Thankfully, we have been safe and sound here at home. We certainly live very close to vulnerable areas and I was a bit concerned Sunday night when the winds were so strong and the fires were beginning. So far, however, the only problem we have had is very poor air quality. The kids have had to play inside at school all week. Since the Santa Ana Winds stopped, the smoke has been spreading to our area and we have actually had it hanging in the sky above us for the first time. It is quite disgusting! We even had ash in the air last night. Still, I will take that over evacuation or loss any day! My heart goes out to all those who are suffering. Our ward is already collecting supplies to help out at shelters and is planning to go in and help out with clean up and such as soon as we are allowed to. Members from San Diego County have lost homes and been evacuated. Immediately word was sent out to the Stake Presidents nearby and everyone has rallied together to help them. It is amazing!

SWIMMING LESSONS!

I don't have any pictures for this one, but the biggest news of the Summer is that McKayla learned to swim. She is a darn good swimmer too! She swims about ten feet, takes a breath, and keeps going. She jumps in, dives, etc. It is so fun to watch. She can't touch anywhere, so it is a bit scarey for mom. Still, she is quite good. She went from being afraid to go under water to swimming like a fish. She finally decided not to be afraid and she did it. She'd been swimming with a float suit, so she pretty much already knew what to do. Courtney learned to swim with a float suit this year. That was a big deal because now she can go all over the pool, wherever she wants to go, and I don't have to hold on to her. Swim lessons were a success! Brianna improved her strokes and learned the backstroke too.

First Day of School!

Tuesday was Brianna and McKayla's first day at school. Brianna started 2nd grade and McKayla started first. I got to start a daily ritual that includes 4 trips to the school! Kindergarten and 1-5 grades do not start or end at the same time! Poor Courtney, I think she will soon tire of the constant in and out of the car she has to do! We have to walk McKayla to class and pick her up at her classroom, so that is even extra walking for Courtney!

Oh well. All in all, it was a great 1st day and the girls seem to have some great kids in their classes and great teachers. McKayla was so excited about starting school that she couldn't stop smiling. Today she had homework and couldn't wait to get started. I've been told that McKayla's teacher is the best Kindergarten teacher in the world by just about everyone in town. So far, on day 2, she hasn't let me down. Brianna is in a class with all new kids because we changed tracks this year. This time she has 12 girls in her class instead of just 5! I've heard that these girls are really nice, so I'm excited for her to make some great new friends.

Backyard Update

Well, we continue to add plants to our yard. This spring I planted 80 trees and shrubs. However, the big project was the cedar patio cover we built. We stained the wood to match the trim of our house. It turned out great! It is amazing how much we enjoy sitting outside now. We get afternoon shade anyway, but the extra bit of privacy you feel when sitting there is wonderful!

Summer Vacation

In July we headed up to Oregon for a 2 week family vacation. We stopped off in San Francisco for two days so that Chris could do some business before we headed further north. We stayed at a Courtyard Marriot near Fisherman's Wharf. The girls had a great time swimming almost all day long. We were on the 17th floor of the hotel and Courtney kept going over to the window at night to look at the lights. She loved "Cisco." The next day before hitting the road we went on a tour of Alcatraz!

For some reason, McKayla has had this fascination with "going to the dungeon." She even voiced her plan if Mom was to ever have to go to the "dungeon." She says, "Grandma and Grandpa can come and take care of us. Then we can go and visit you through the little window!" I assured her that I would never do anything that would make me go to jail. She replied, "Well, maybe someone else would do something bad and say you did it!" ......

So, McKayla particularly liked this trip. The audio tour is amazing. The sound effects and narration by former prisoners and guards were very well done. The tour took 3 hours, but not once were the kids bored.

Next we enjoyed some time at my parent's home. Chris and I went golfing. We also got to enjoy a real rainstorm and a classic Eugene Emeralds Baseball game.

At my parent's cabin we met up with all of Chris' family for a reunion. We hadn't seen Greg and his family for 3 years, so it was great to see how big all the kids had gotten. The cousins all had a wonderful time playing together and the weather was wonderful, not a bit of wind! For the Oregon Coast, that is a huge deal!

After the Thomas gang left, my parents and Brent and his family came out for the 4th of July. Chris and I went to dinner for our Anniversary and noticed that there was a pie eating contest taking place in Old Town on the 4th. We convinced my dad to sign up, and even got Chris and Brent to join in as well. They were a huge hit. The crowd all sided with "Grandpa" and even were cheering, "Go Grandpa Go!" I think he ate like 6 pieces of pie in 2 minutes! However, Chris and Brent gave him quite a run for his money. Unfortunately, everyone was so focused on Grandpa that Chris ended up losing some time as he had to wait to get more pie!