Thanksgiving Friday

I had to work Thanksgiving in order to get out working Christmas or New Years when Emma was home.

That morning we went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast and then the boys went on a hike up the Sandias while I worked.  

The next day we enjoyed our Thanksgiving lunch!

 I made apple, pumpkin cream cheese and a mixed berry pies.  They were all delicious!

King Robert

King Robert got a little bit older this year.  We love him with all our hearts!

At some point getting older stops being fun and starts sucking.  I'm not sure what that age is, but Rob has passed it.  He is dealing with it well though.  He still works out, but he has changed the way he does it so he doesn't keep getting hurt.  He has bought about 4 pairs of reading glasses and now remembers to bring them with him wherever he goes.  He uses creams and lotions and sunscreen at all times.  He works out his mind constantly- continuing his German studies and his physics studies.  He is currently teaching Sunday school for the adults so he is also studying the scriptures intensely.  One of the fun games his friends play at church is "where will Rob go with this lesson?"  I can't even guess half the time! 

 It's a pretty sweet deal living with this guy!  I sure love him!

The rest of Fall

Ok, so it might be all about the sports, but we did do a few other things this fall!

 We went to the state fair!  Always good fun, greasy food and hot at the State Fair!

 Mom and Dad sent a postcard from their travels and Max colored it.

 We watched conference and built structures

 We went to see the Balloon festival again.  This time with Grandma.  Grandpa was sick!

 I decided to learn once in for all that I am indeed allergic to Penicillin.  Somehow I got it in me while working and became a patient as I got huge hives and then started sweating profusely and then almost fainted.  We tried oral Benadryl first, but when the hives continued to spread I had to check in.  

 We made a Pyramid including chambers and artifacts and camels and alligators!

 I worked on Halloween.  The only one to go out was Max.  Sad I missed most likely his last time!

 Angus took up weight lifting.  He mostly does it with his mouth.  He has a very strong neck!

 I broke my toe!  Ok, I have no idea if it was actually broke.  I never went in.  It sure looked it and felt it though!

It's all about the sports in 'Murica

Max's football team he signed up for dissolved- not enough players.  I thought there were plenty of players!  He would have gotten to participate constantly!  Instead he was placed on a team that had played together for years and practiced about 25 minutes away.  When you have almost every day practices this really stinks!  Also they did a lot of Friday night lights and tailgating parties and other things to simulate high school football, but since we had a senior playing high school football we ignored all of those things.  I was either at Sam's game or working so I only got to see 2 of his games.  Poor Max.  He understood, he said.  He played a guard this year.

Joseph ran cross country after much harassing and arguments from us. 

Our cross country team is 1st or 2nd in the state depending on the year, so he was never going to make varsity.  Even the people on the JV team were running 18 minute 5K's, so he was on the C-team.  A lot of people are on C-team.  This is the land of the runner!

Samuel did his senior year on Football.  

 The team mom's made these for all the seniors.  There was a hook on the back for hanging balloons on game day!

He started out on kick off and kick off return team

He ran this ball back for almost 60 yards!

and as an alternate receiver, but since his coach never ever ever changes players, he didn't play receiver very often.  The coach kept trying him in various positions in practice.  He told him that he was too athletic to be sitting on the side lines.  He finally decided to put him in as a nose guard.  Yep all  5'8 140 pounds of him pushing against 250 pounders.  

They had specific plays they used him in.  He was supposed to do specific things, which he usually accomplished despite the huge guy in his way, but usually got crushed in the end.  

We eventually learned to sit away from the main crowd who were loud and rude and yelled a lot.  Our team isn't the greatest.  We have an amazing assortment of skill players!  They always review us well, because of this.  We also get 2 or 3 signed to college every year.  Unfortunately, we have very few big guys for our line (hence using Sam.) So in the end, our season isn't very long.  If we make play-off's we are out the first round.  We didn't even make play-offs this year.  We still got people signed to colleges, however.  When we moved we found out where the main players families sit- like the quarterback's family.  I always wondered if the mom could hear all those negative comments!   Nope!  She doesn't sit by the bench people and the B team families!  

I got slightly more involved this year- only slightly.   These women are a little over the top for me.  But I did help with Homecoming.  They did a great job!

This is Sam going to homecoming... by himself! 

It took almost the rest of the year for me to forgive his friends who caused the rift with the girls that ended with no one going except Sam on his own.  He did find friends there that he hung out for a little while.  

So much for Fall sports.  

Sam and I at the end of year banquet

Onward and upward!

The Big one!

We saw it, 

if only for a split second during our cloudy weather!  

ECLIPSE!

Visiting

While up in Utah, we stopped in at a cousin's wedding reception and also attended the wedding of Emma's roommate and friend, Sierra.  We knew them in Ohio and Germany.  

Emma is going to have a lot of bridesmaid's dressed before she leaves college!

Fun day seeing old friends.

Robert and the boys also went up camping with Grandma and Grandpa Thomson while I went with Emma back to her dorm and checked out her new digs.  Very nice place.  I became known as the exercise mom pretty quickly.  I had nothing else to do while Emma worked!  

And then before we left we got PEACHES! 

 Oh how I have missed good peaches!  There is nothing like them!

Happy Birthday, Christmas, Easter, 4th of July Mom and Dad

We had a family reunion!  I know, right?  We have only had one of those that I can remember, other than this one.  It's hard when you drop your kids off all over the country and when 2 of them marry military men themselves and some just need an attitude adjustment!  But hey, we did it and plenty of people came!

Finishing the binding on the quilt on the trip up to Mom and Dad's!

Mom came up with the theme of celebrating all the holiday's that they miss celebrating with all their kids and grandkids because everyone is so spread out.

We had 4th of July with sparklers and pool and slip and slide time,

We had Christmas presents- white elephant gifts,

We had birthday celebration complete with mini cakes to frost and decorate,

The book has pictures of all the kids and grandkids.  The quilt was a representation of each family.  They chose the main color.  I chose the square that would represent the family.  We have green and a hunters star since Rob is Army and we move a lot and we own a lot of guns.  Karl's is red- I assume for Arizona State and his is Wheel of fortune, because he is in the finance game.  Mike's is maroon, I assume for Texas A&M and his is Sister's choice, since they have a lot of girls in their family.  Cindy's is robins egg blue (not sure why.  Probably because she likes that color) and is a windmill- they live in Washington state and were Air Force, so it seemed to fit.  Dan's is.... I can't remember!  It was birds in flight though.  Was it blue???  Anyway, him and his wife both work for the airlines, so that's why the pattern.  Lise's was purple, because that fits her and the pattern was bento box, because she loves anime.  Tim's was a pattern that just looked digital to me, because he is into everything digital and it was grey, because he likes things plain.

We had Easter with the only two littles left that would participate in an egg hunt. 

We went on a treasure hunt of places that Mom knew growing up.

I can't tell you now what any of these places are, but we went there and checked them off our list!

We went to the temple and did baptisms for our dead ancestors.  

We visited with Great Grandma Keck

We played games and we chatted

What a great fun family reunion Mom and Dad planned!  It was so good to see everyone that came.  I haven't seen my sister in years and I had never met the two littles.  Gretchen and Dan were a blast.  I love people who aren't afraid to get into the fun even if it means getting soaking wet! 

 Until next time family!  Love you all!