When Life gives you Lemons!!

They say when it rains it pours; that seems so true. Michael say’s every time we seem to get ahead or see a light at the end of the tunnel something else happens. It is almost like being tossed about in the ocean, one wave knocking you down right after the next. After recovering from one wave, you barely catch your breath and footing and then bam you get hit again and underwater you go.

Last week was one of those weeks. We got word Monday that my Grandma had passed away and knew we needed to be there for the funeral services. Financially we weren’t prepared to make a trip like that but not going wasn’t an option. We also had our 3rd contract on the St. Louis house fall through. If that wasn’t enough we got home from work Wednesday night to find that our sump-pump had stopped working and our basement had flooded. We had to dig a big hole in or perennial beds to get to the pump but finally got it to kick on. We got all the carpets cleaned and were ready to turn into bed, when our basement flooded again! Sam and Michael went back outside, re-dug the hole, and started to lift the iron access door off when it fell into the hole and busted all the pipes!! Given it was after 10pm home depot and all other plumping stores were closed. It is one week later and the sump-pump is still broken, but I am hopeful we will get it fixed tomorrow.

Michael often says to me “I can’t wait til we are past all of this.” On the other hand I love this time in our lives, because we are building a life together. We are experiencing these struggles with eachother and working together on solutions. What better way to build a foundation for the rest of our lives and eternity. We are learning and growing together. Not to mention all the laughs we get in retrospect!

These times also keep us humble and helps remind us how very dependent we are on our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I love the following scripture in Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. I do find a great deal of peace and comfort in turning to the Lord and I am grateful to have the gospel in my life.

So, when life gives me lemons I try to take it one day at a time, keep an eternal perspective, and have sense of humor about it.

In loving Memory of Lillian Russell –
November 12, 1916 – September 22, 2008



Last Monday, September 22, 2008, My Grandmother Lillian Beatrice Roach Russell, passed away. We attended the funeral services this weekend in San Diego. What struck me the most during the services is that I never really knew her. What I do know is that she was very thoughtful. She always remembered birthdays and always sent cards. She was extremely shy but loved to spend time with her family, especially the grand kids. She was tenacious and strong willed – I like to think I get that from her. She would have been 92 this November - given her lifestyle it was really amazing that she lived as long as she did, it is almost as if she was saying take that!

I had a hard time connecting with her the way I would have liked; I am shy and never really knew what to say. I imagine her last years were lonely after the passing of her boyfriend, Ray. I wish I would have forced myself out of my comfort zone and called her more often, just to say hello and that I was thinking of her. I am grateful I was able to spend last Thanksgiving with her and that she was able to meet Aiden before she passed. I will miss her but am happy she is in a better place and has been reunited with loved ones.

I’m back!

No matter how often I do it, how short or long the trip, being away is difficult. The short of it is I miss time with my Wife and Aiden or our 5 children that live in Missouri every month and it’s one of the hardest things I have to deal with. This past week, as Wendy outlined, I traveled a lot. At the end of the work week I was able to spend the weekend with Samantha, Dawson, Matthew and Danny. Rebecca had a Marching Band competition so she was unable to visit this week.



We had intended on going to Six Flags, but with weather threatening I couldn’t see investing in tickets we may not have a use for. All in all we had a great time, played tether ball, basket ball, (Dawson beat me twice at Horse) watched movies and generally had a good time.



I took Samantha and Dawson out to dinner Saturday night and told them they could order anything they wanted, well….Dawson ordered steak and Shrimp with 2, yes 2, orders of Broccoli, he ate every single bite of the broccoli, all the shrimp and 1 bite of his 9 oz steak, Sam did much better but she basically got appetizers.



Danny was a lot of fun this weekend, we had a blast watching him light up when someone gave him a basketball or soccer ball, and he is starting to take his first steps. He is pointing at things he is interested in and is becoming very curious.




(video of Danny walking, hit play to see video)

Matthew wants to tell you everything; and wants to be in the middle of everything, unfortunately I still cannot understand 80% of what he is saying…..He had so much fun playing outside and was excited to find the rain water in the sink of the play house.





At the end of the weekend I took all the kids home and headed to the airport, as much as I loved my time with the kids I was looking forward to being reunited with the love of my life, my Wendy whom I had not seen since the Monday Prior, almost 7 days! Honey, I am home

Top Ten reasons I love being a mom!!

1. I absolutely love teaching Aiden about things – It is so amazing to see someone learn or experience something for the first time, especially your child. I just taught Aiden what a Rainbow is when we saw one outside our backyard; it was absolutely amazing to see his reaction and the wonderment in his eyes….

2. I love hugs and kisses from Aiden and I love to hear him tell me he loves me!

3. I love to tell bed time stories and watch Aiden become actively engaged in the plot

4. I love to watch Aiden’s imagination at work - I love how me makes me apart of whatever he make believes! I love to hear him make sound effects.

5. I love that Aiden loves mommy above all else and no matter what!

6. I love how protective my 3 year old is of his mommy!

7. I love to be called mommy!

8. I love that I taught him to pray and who Jesus is!

9. I love to surprise him with things… so much so that I get too excited and can’t wait until the appropriate time to give it to him. For example, I bought him a Spiderman Halloween costume and gave it to him already because I couldn’t handle the anticipation!!

10. I love to play with him, to walk with him, to swing with him, I love to teach him songs and hear him sing!

G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S….

When Michael is on the road he travels in true celebrity style. He flies first class and stays in luxury suites. He is always greeted at the hotel with a welcome gift and treated with the up most importance. Ok, Ok, Ok, maybe I slightly embellished… but Michael does get some great perks while traveling. Since he is a Delta gold member – a status achieved after flying 30k miles in a single calendar year- Michael is automatically upgraded to first class any time there is availability. Michael is also a Marriott Platinum member – a status achieved after staying 75 nights in a single calendar year- so he is always upgraded to the best available room. Additionally they give him a welcome gift of his choice – he usually just opts for additional Marriott points.


This is the suite Michael was upgraded to last night in Austin!

Anyone who travels should take advantage of the “point systems”. We stayed a week at a 5 star resort on St. Thomas this summer for FREE!!!! as a result of taking advantage of the point systems. I used to travel more than Michael and I earned free flights which we used to get to the beautiful Virgin Islands! We are saving our Marriott points now for a week stay in Veil or Hawaii to celebrate our one year anniversary.

Personality Quirks - a peculiarity of action, behavior, or personality; mannerism: He is full of strange quirks.

His

If we pull up to a drive through window to order food and we don’t know what we want, Michael will pull away and wait until we know what we want before pulling back up even if there is no one behind us!

Michael chews on his tongue when he is thinking or anxious about something.

Michael is very particular about how he dresses, he has to make sure his shirt buttons, belt and pants line up – they call this the gig line in the military.

Michael has to cut the lawn on a 45 degree angle or it drives him nuts!

If Michael gets an email he has to answer it – it feels like a time bomb to him from the time it arrives in his inbox – so he has to respond!!

Mine

I have an irrational fear of Salmonella and E-coli… after preparing meat I have to wipe down all the kitchen surfaces with a Clorox wipe, scrub the sinks with soft scrub bleach, and wipe down the stove with 409... Michael assures me that even if we did have Salmonella on a piece of chicken it’s not going to jump across the room to the other counter.

I make up songs and sing about everything to and about Aiden.

I am extremely process oriented – I have a process for everything, including cleaning the house! I start with the kitchen sink, then the stove, then the counter tops, etc….

I can’t stand to backtrack!! I get severe anxiety when I think we have backtracked.

I don’t like to wear shoes. I take them off as soon as we get home, I kick them off in the car, at my desk, I walk around our yard without shoes. When we pick Aiden up from my mom’s I am bare foot.

Road Warrior

This week my honey is on the road again – he will be traveling to Austin Texas, Chicago Illinois, and St. Louis Missouri. He will take 8 flights, travel 5,412 miles, and fly for 15.5 hours – thus making him a road warrior!

Michael’s travel schedule is one of the hardest things we have to live with. It is difficult to have to be apart from each other for a portion of every single month. In addition to traveling back and forth between St. Louis and Salt Lake City to be with the kids, Michael also has to travel for his job in order to provide for his family.

It has been a huge sacrifice for Michael to be away from his children. It is already hard enough not to be a part of their every day lives – they change so much, especially the little ones. We look forward to the time when we will be back in Missouri and can take a more active role in their lives.

I am so grateful for Michael, for the wonderful provider he is, and for being an amazing husband and father. He is truly one of a kind and I thank the lord for bringing him into my life. I am so blessed to have a man that has taken my son in as his own – he has been a fabulous father figure and role model to Aiden.

A friend at work once told me if her husband was 1/10 the man Michael was she would be happy. I know how lucky I am to have him in my life and hope I can live to be worthy of being the wife to such a man.

Road Trip!!

This weekend we decided to hit the road and take a trip to Colorado!! Michael’s sister, Jodi, lives there and his folks were there visiting so we decided to crash the party and spend the weekend hanging out with the fam. It was cheaper to drive than fly so we rented a car and headed out early Friday afternoon. Unlike the drive to San Diego, the drive to Colorado was really breath taking. It is really something to see the landscape between Utah and Colorado change so dramatically, especially through the Rocky Mountains. I can now fully appreciate what John Denver meant by Colorado Rocky Mountain High!

The most startling thing about driving through the Rocky Mountains was all the dead pine trees that fell pray to the Mountain Pine Beetles. According to Newsweek, the beetles love the Lodgepole Pine which makes up 8% of the 22 million acre forest. The beetles are said to have already eaten through 70% of the states lodgepole pines. Over the next few years they predict the entire population will be completely wiped out.

We arrived in Colorado late Friday evening so we went to the hotel to crash for the night -we enjoyed the Friends and Family rate at the local Residence Inn. The hotel was just 5 miles down the street from Jodi’s but it took us an hour and a half to get there the next morning! It gave as an opportunity to see the area and gave us a good laugh at the end of the trip! Michael kept telling me that it wouldn’t have happened if he had his new iPhone with us!

I had a great time getting to know Jodi and her 3 gorgeous kids. Aiden is absolutely enamored with his new aunt, any time she left the room Aiden said “where’s Aunt Jodi!!??” He also had a great time playing with his new baby cousin, Ben. (Dan we are sorry we missed you but are glad to hear you are doing well!!)

While we were there we also celebrated Sharon and Roger’s 44th wedding anniversary!! Congratulations Mom and Dad!! As always, Aiden had a blast playing with Grandma and Grandpa Thomas.

Sunday morning we headed out a little early (10amish) hoping to get home at a decent hour. We couldn’t help stopping in Silverthorne and hitting the outlet stores!!! Michael and I both bought new fall/winter wardrobes at half the price that I spent on my summer wardrobe so it was well worth the stop!! 1,110 miles and 16 hours later we were back home. We had a great time - just wish we could have stayed a little longer.

My Turn!!

Well, I am feeling a little left out, Wendy has taken charge and has done an incredible job at updating our family blog. It’s my turn, she has such wonderful ideas and has said so many nice things that I thought I should share with everyone my thoughts as well.

As Wendy has mentioned we have spent a lot of time on our home, the yard has been the biggest task thus far, but I expect the detail work throughout the home will be just as daunting. It isn’t that there are large things to fix, but a lot of little things that need completed, touched up or changed. It will be nice to work on these things together once the weather turns cold.

We hope to complete the backyard before winter hits. We still have a fence to put in, some topsoil to spread out and some sod to put down. We had thought of putting some flowers in the back but Aiden, bless his heart, doesn’t understand the impact of little feet on the foliage or the consequences of grabbing them and pulling them up as of yet. It will be nice though once we’re done, Aiden’s swing set sits in an open yard right now which even though he loves it, he tends to wander rather quickly onto something else, so the fence will be a godsend.

Now for married life, Wendy is an incredible woman, tender hearted, caring and one of the most intelligent people I have ever known. She is nothing less than perfect in my eyes. One of the things I have noticed is in spite of countless compliments, she is always trying to improve, doesn’t really matter what it is, work, home, etc. she is always looking for ways to make things better. Our life together so far has been wonderful; she inspires me daily to be a better person, although I am not always successful at being so. She is the light of my life and the woman I know I was always meant to be with.

We have accomplished so very much, have a lot of things ahead of us and a lot of exciting changes we are looking forward to, if I could say one thing about my life with my Wendy it would be that I have loved every second so far and am looking forward to every second of our future together.

Remembering 9/11

Today marks the seventh year anniversary of 9/11 and I can’t help but reflect on the events of that dreadful day. I remember I woke up and turned on the radio as I was getting ready. The DJ said they would be interviewing someone from D.C. who had witnessed the attacks. I instantly thought of Orson Wells broadcast of War of the Worlds. I thought it was a joke and I was sickened to think someone would find that amusing or entertaining. The idea that it had actually happened was beyond my comprehension. I went down stairs to grab a bite before heading to the office and I turned on CNN like I usually did and to my shock the terrible events described were reality.

I was glued to the TV and watched the events replay over and over. I eventually had to turn it off and make my way into the office. I couldn’t focus all day, didn’t even know why I was there, it was as though the whole world had stopped. I listened to the radio all day and read updates on the Internet. For weeks after I read and re-read personal accounts of the attacks– I was obsessed with trying to understand and comprehend the sheer magnitude of the events. Still to this day I cannot….

In 1997 I visited the Pearl Harbor memorial – before viewing the memorial they played a short video describing the events of that day and the casualties. It struck me to my core and I was overwhelmed with emotion. There were 2,117 deaths as a result of the attack; there were ~2,974 deaths from the 9/11 attacks- the number vary depending on the source.

I was scheduled to be in Boston on 9/13 for business. All flights were grounded on 9/11 and 9/12. I had to reschedule my flight 5 times as a result of the cancellations. Eventually I was able to get a flight for 9/13 -I remember looking around on the plane and noticed other people looking around and I sensed their apprehension. I observed others praying before we took off. When I arrived at Logan Int’l airport I remember the eerie feeling that swept over me as I stepped into the airport. It was practically empty. The thought kept coming to me… just two days earlier the terrorist were here………

This past May Michael and I went to New York City. I have wanted to visit ground zero ever since the attacks. Michael and I took the subway and were expecting to see a memorial when we arrived. Instead what we saw was a tall fence around what looked to be 5 city blocks. It is now a construction site for the new freedom towers. Walking around the site, I still could not comprehend the buildings collapsing or how anyone had a chance to get away – this is something I will never understand.

God bless the families and victims of 9/11.

Home Improvement!!

One of our main goals this year was to get the Utah house ready for the market. This has been no small task. I bought the house new two years ago and spent the first year finishing the basement and neglected the landscaping. The basement was finished by the end of the last summer and I started a little bit of work in the yard. In preparation for a sprinkler system I had Sam remove 4 inches of dirt.

In spring I tried to convince Michael that we could trench by hand and save a few bucks putting in our sprinkler system. Unfortunately we were plagued with Utah potatoes! Anyone familiar with the area understands what I mean by that. The ground is full of rock and the more you dig the more rocks you find and the bigger they get. After a couple hours of fruitless effort Michael convinced me to splurge and pay for a trencher. This made the process a lot less painful!

Michael, being the genius that he is, put in our sprinkler system without any prior experience or know how. Then it was time for top soil and sod! We had two truckloads of top soil delivered and spent the better part of the weekend getting ready for our new lawn. We put sod down in the heat of summer however Michael treated the soil with starter fertilizer and our lawn has been the greenest on the block, which is very important when you live in an upscale stuffy neighborhood!!

We put in annual and perennial beds as well as an herb and vegetable garden and a rose garden. The annuals took off and look gorgeous. I put in Purple and Red Salvia, Alyssum, Zinnias, and Petunias.

Our perennial beds don’t look quite as glamorous. They say the first year you put in perennials they sleep, the second year they creep, the third year they leap. So, we won’t be here to see them in their full glory however they will look a lot better next spring. We planted Shasta Daisies, blue Delphinium, Lavender, Columbines, Black-eyed susans, Echinacea, and pink Meadow Sage.

Michael has a great eye and suggested we save the rock from our yard to landscape rose beds and other bushes. It turned out perfect! I wish I had taken pictures of our roses earlier this year so that you can see the gorgeous colors against the stone.

We also put in square foot gardens this year, and even though we didn’t plant them until the second week of July they have flourished. We have been enjoying tomatoes, squash, beats, and peppers. I also planted pumpkins that seem to be doing really well. I also put in an herb garden which has been fabulous for cooking!

This weekend my darling husband will be putting up plantation style shutters to give the house a little extra curb appeal. The house seems naked without them and this is a fairly inexpensive way to dress up the house – it makes a huge difference.

Just for the Ladies!

This weekend I had an acrylic manicure – not tips- just acrylic overlay. The objective was to one make my nails stronger, two to maintain a natural look and feel, and three to make the polish stay truer longer. I am happy to say that all three objectives were met.

The problem I have with tips is that they look fake and they have always struck me as unsanitary – do you have any idea what kind of crap could get stuck between the nail and tip? My natural nails have always been a little flimsy couple that with my obsessive need to wash my hands and moisturize and you have a disaster. The polish takes over an hour to dry and I can’t hold still long enough to avoid dents (after all I do have a two year old). The nails that do end up surviving the wet polish end up chipping and flaking within a day. I am on day three and my nails still look fabulous!

The down side to acrylic is that it is very expensive to pay someone to do them for you. I suggest going to your nearest beauty store and purchasing the products yourself. The initial expense is steep but it will save you $$$ in the long run.

Here’s what you will need in addition to the usual stuff: primer (this is critical as your nails have natural oils that the acrylic won’t stick to), monomer, polymer, a brush (this is the most expensive thing you will buy), a lint free cloth, and dish for both the monomer and polymer. I’d also suggest a fast drying top coat and cuticle oil. This link provides great info for anyone who is interested in doing this themselves: http://www.hooked-on-nails.com/acrylic.html


(In case you were wondering, that is a full carat!)

Do not disturb!

This weekend my sweetheart whisked me off to Park City for a romantic getaway. He arranged for a babysitter and made all the arrangements to boot. He spoiled me with an acrylic nail manicure, a pedicure, a full body massage and sexy lingerie. We were upgraded to a suite because of Michael's Platinum status (the only perk we enjoy as a result of all Michael's traveling). The hotel delivered a bottle of sparkling cider, since we don’t drink champagne, to welcome us to the hotel. We had a fabulous time even though we didn’t see any of Park City. It was lovely sleeping through the night without being woken up by a screaming toddler and even more amazing was sleeping in until 9am!

Fall is in the air!

It is September now and it is suddenly starting to feel like fall. While I hate to see the summer come to an end, I love all the things that come with this season. The temperature, as if by overnight, has dropped 20 degrees. There is a cool, crisp, feeling in the air and the leaves are slowly starting to turn.

When I think of fall, I think of homemade chili and donuts, wassail, and jack-o-lanterns. I look forward to taking Aiden to the pumpkin patch and trick-or-treating with Michael.


I look forward to all the fall soups we will make, to harvesting our garden, and to driving up the Alpine loop together during general conference to see the leaves change. I look forward to the fall rain and watching our beautiful mountain turn purple and blue.



I love to see the beautiful, white, steeples against the fall colors and mountains. I can’t wait to make apple crisp, pumpkin pie with whip cream, and Thanksgiving turkey. I am looking forward to watching Ichabod Crane and reading Jonny Apple seed with Michael and Aiden. Finally, I am looking forward to walks up the canyon with my sweetheart while we sip on hot peppermint tea.


One of our favorite fall soups to make is a Spanish soup called Rancho Canario which comes from the Canary Islands. If you like soup this is a must try!!

Ingredients:
1 cup garbanzos (should be soaked overnight)
4 potatoes cubed
½ zucchini squash cubed
1 onion
1 bell pepper diced
1 clove garlic minced
2 tomatoes diced
4 oz salt pork
Mexican Saffron (tip: pulverize for best flavor)

In deep skillet cook salt pork until done, add diced tomatoes, onions, garlic, bell pepper to skillet until tomatoes are cooked through. Pour contains into large crock pot. Add potatoes, squash, and garbanzos then fill with water and add 1 tablespoon Mexican saffron (or to taste). Let stew for 4 hours. Best served with potato rolls and butter.

Thomas Family Bio

Michael Glenn Thomas



Michael works for a company called iBAHN as Sr. Manager of Technical Field Resources (aka Director). Michael manages two field managers and 26 field technicians. He also manages a 3rd party vendor supporting over 300 properties. Michael travels all over the United States for his job, he’s been to over 30 states and has been to Mexico and Canada. Michael also spent time in the Navy working on an electronics degree. Michael is the number four of five kids; he has two sisters and two brothers. Michael has 5 kids, together we have 6! Michael’s hobbies include Internet shopping (he calls it internet browsing), car restoration, motorcycles, and me! Michael used to play the Saxophone and would love to learn how to play the piano. He also played the Trumpet in the NAVY where he picked it and several other instruments up and was able to play them and teach other sailors how to play. Michael’s favorite band is Cake and his favorite movie genre is action (unless he’s watching a movie with me then it is Romance!) His favorite TV show is American Chopper or boring car restoration shows (he insists he doesn’t like pimp my ride though).

Wendy Lee Robbins Thomas




I also work for iBAHN and recently took on a new position as a Product Manager, managing our PC products. I have a Bachelors Degree in Business Management from Utah Valley University and hope to one day get a JDMBA. I am the third oldest of eight; 4 sisters and 3 brothers. I love being a mom and I love to travel! I’ve been to 12 states including Saint Thomas and Hawaii. I’ve been to eight Countries: Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Ireland, France, Italy, and Holland. My hobbies include gardening, reading, and spending time with the family. I love to read murder mysteries although since I had Aiden I seldom have time to read anything let alone murder mysteries (I’m currently reading lovely bones which I started last year!!!). I also love romantic comedies and Jazz music. My favorite artists are Michael Buble, Frank Sinatra, Diana Krall, and Norah Jones. My favorite TV shows are Sex and the City (only if it is on TBS though, I’m too conservative for HBO!) and Law and Order.

Rebecca Elizabeth Thomas



Rebecca is our oldest – 14 going on 18. She is a smart, independent girl with a very active social life. She likes Music, reading, art, singing, shopping, computers, Anime, reading fan fiction, instant messaging with her friends, computer games, woodworking and cooking. She likes to shop at Hot Topic!, Kohls, Target, Clairs, and Fashion Bug. Becca has two cats Snuggels Aristotle Whitener and Suki[love] Matsudai[forever] Thomas. According to Becca the cats are polar opposites in terms of their personalities. Her favorite TV shows are Naruto, Death Note, Americas most haunted, and Gilmore Girls. Her favorite Ice cream is the “Gob” father. Some of her lifelong ambitions are to go to Japan and Scotland. Rebecca is in the marching band this year and gets to march in the half time show and in competitions at the highschools.

Samantha Riley Thomas



Samantha is our second oldest – she is 12, turning 13 this October, watch out Michael! She likes to go shopping, go horseback riding, have girls days, stay up late and watch movies, listen to music, knitting sometimes, drawing, singing, was in violin, doing things outdoors, playing soccer and basketball. She is also doing cross country this year and currently plays Volley Ball (number 11). Sam loves shopping at Kohls, Target, American Eagle, Aeropostale, and Hollister. Her favorite chocolate is milk and her favorite ice cream is fudge brownie and vanilla. Sam has been playing her violin for about almost 2 months and she has learned one song. She likes to listen some of the same music Becca likes but she mostly likes Fergie, pop and R&B. And is always on Honor Roll in school.

Dawson Dutch Thomas



Dawson is our oldest son; he just turned 9 this year. He likes playing the Play station 3, computer games, his Nintendo DS, soccer, baseball, running, and playing with his dad... He got a BB gun last year for his birthday and has become quite the shot!! He loves the outdoors, playing with friends and cousins, and he loves to fish with Grandpa Thomas.

Aiden Joseph Robbins Salinas


Aiden is number 4 of 6 and is 2 (almost 3) going on 18. He is fiercely independent and opinionated (I wonder where he got that from!) He is extremely bright and observant with an extensive vocabulary. He loves school and friends. He loves Spiderman, Batman, and the Incredible Hulk! He loves to sing with his mom and he loves bed time stories. He loves to play sports, “guys” and shooting games. He loves motorcycles (specifically Harley-Davidson’s) and often pretends he is Michael when he is playing “guys”.

Mathew Glenwood Thomas



Mathew is 2 and a half and darling as can be. He marches to the beat of his own drum so to speak and very delightful to have around. He loves Scooby doo, Elmo, and monsters. He loves playing with friends and his baby brother. He loves his older siblings and has a very close bond with Samantha. He loves to be outside and in the water. He is growing like a weed!

Daniel William Thomas



Danny is the baby and just turned one this year. He has 2 teeth and is starting to walk. He too loves his siblings and he especially loves his cousin Abby whom he prefers to anyone else. Danny is a very healthy eater and will put whatever he can into his mouth. He likes to be held and loves to play with his daddy!

Dream House!

This is our dream house, it’s located about 2 blocks from us now. We drive by it several times a week and finally decided to simply take pictures as we thought the home owners were going to think we were staking the place out and call the cops on us. There are subtle things we will probably change, as we would like to build this home when we move to Missouri, but we love the detail in the brick work and trim. The stain glass window is something we will definitely keep as well. We have been looking at a 4 acre lot near House Springs, we will have much better landscaping, an orchard, a garden, a willow tree and a pool! Sigh…………..