2+2+2=Thomas

Kaden and his dinosaurs

2011-02-11T19:33:00.000-08:00

Kaden LOVES dinosaurs. And, he knows a lot of them, and a lot about them! He is consantly drawing them, reading about them, playing with them, or quizzing us about them. He'll stay up long after Ky has fallen asleep with his "Dinosaur Encyclopedia", learning more things about them. Or, he'll yell out from his bed, "Mom! What's a dinosaur that starts with 'E' and ends with 'S'?" If I don't know it, I'll make a few guesses then he'll yell, "Give up???" Then he'll tell me the answer. In this picture, he made a T-Rex from his new lego game.

Surprise, Anna!!!!

2011-02-11T17:17:00.000-08:00

A few days after Christmas, we decided to make a surprise visit to see Anna in Cedar City. All my sisters, plus my Mom and Dad all made the three and a half hour trek in my mini van. We made a few caffeine and potty stops, and when we got there, we started singing "We Wish You A Merry Christmas". Anna came to the door bawling, and we all gathered around her with hugs and more tears. We had a few rooms reserved at a hotel, and we did some swimming, chatting, laughing, eating, and playing games.

Twins' Birthday!!

2011-02-11T16:59:00.000-08:00

How did my babies get to be this old?? Am I that old? Hmmm.... Anyway, the boys' birthday was on a Sunday, so we took them on Saturday to the Living Planet Aquarium after meeting Grammy and Grampy Hofheins and Aunt Ali for lunch at Burger King (their choice...) On Sunday, we went to Grandma and Grandpa Thomas' for their birthday dinner.

Christmas

2011-01-31T20:10:00.000-08:00

My mom used to say that her happiness on Christmas morning came from watching us girls enjoy opening gifts and seeing our excitement and joy. I, in my childlike mind, thought "yeah, right!" But, now, as a mom, I TOTALLY GET IT! I love to see the exuberance, the eagerness, the total and utter glee as they rip through the paper and discover what it hides. I love every second of it, and I need no more than that to bring me happiness on Christmas morning...

Christmas Eve, at home

2011-01-25T21:34:00.000-08:00

After spending the day at the Hofheins', we got our traditional Christmas Eve Chinese takeout (this year-Panda Express!!), and then opened the presents the kids got for each other and for Ty and me. The highlight was Jerrica giving Bailey her present which she was so excited about and spent her own money on. Among other things, she got her a memory foam pad for her bed, which was so thoughtful.

Christmas Eve-2010

2011-01-25T21:27:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve P.J.'s

The Nativity, with the cousins

Grandpa, reading from Luke 2

Showing Grandpa how to "skype" with Anna

Alicia made me this apron out of Grandma Lemon's clothes. I love it!

Grammy's Baking Day

2011-01-09T18:48:00.000-08:00

Each year, my Mom has us and all our kids over to bake a few days before Christmas. This year, she made each of the kids their own Gingerbread cake. They all had so much fun frosting and decorating and eating candy and icing!!

Jer's birthday

2011-01-09T18:39:00.000-08:00

Dinner with Grandma and Grandpa Hofheins, Thomas, Uncle Troy and the fam.

Her very own "Michi" bag

Birthday Party with friends

I really cannot believe that I have a teenager! The years flew by way too quickly.

I am so blessed, though. She is an amazingly talented, kind, energetic, beautiful, smart, friendly, helpful teenager. She is very strong-willed, she knows who she is and what she believes in. She has a very mature testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and she makes very good choices. Ty and I feel so grateful to have her as our oldest.

Christmas Sing-Along at the ESA

2011-01-07T05:55:00.000-08:00

I have always wanted to go to this-every year since it started. But, we've just never been able to make it. This year, Ty took the day off work so we could go. We went early and did some sight-seeing at Temple Square. We showed them where Ty proposed to me, and took a picture re-creating that moment (ok, maybe we dramatized it just a little!!) The boys were so excited when we got to go to the top of the Church Office Building-they love sky-scrapers! The sing-along was every bit as fun as I thought it would be, and I'm so glad we went. I think it will become a new tradition for us!

A brand new year!!!

2011-01-07T05:46:00.000-08:00

So, it's been a year and a half since I've blogged! So, instead of trying to hurry and catch up, I'll just start again, now, and maybe throw in some stuff from the last 18 months here and there, as I go! The last few years have definitely had their challenges, their hardships-and we've definitely shed a few tears. But, we've also been extremely blessed, we've grown together more as a family, and had some fun times together.

Pony Express Days 5K

2009-07-23T14:12:00.000-07:00

Ty, Anna and I ran in the Pony Express Days 5K. I'm happy to say I beat my time of my first 5K eight months ago! And, I beat SPIDERMAN!! The little boy that we were running for, loves Spiderman, so 'he' ran. And---I beat him!!

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-07-23T14:07:00.000-07:00

Pre School Graduation

2009-07-06T10:47:00.000-07:00

The twins have had an amazing experience at pre school this year! Their teacher is fabulous and both of my boys are reading-thanks to her and her hard work. They put on a very cute program with songs and jokes-I admit, I cried. I can't believe that pre school is over and now they're moving on to kindergarten!

Boys Will Be Boys

2009-07-06T10:42:00.000-07:00

Our awesome neighbors accross the street got a big pile of dirt delivered to their house to go in their flower beds around their yard. They let the boys play in it and they had so much fun and got so dirty!!

Twins Fieldtrip to the Firestation

2009-07-06T10:34:00.000-07:00

I love going on field trips with my kids. We went with the twins preschool to the Eagle Mountain Fire Station. The Firefighters were so nice to let the kids take a tour of the fire trucks and squirt the big fire hose. They were a bit dissappointed when they asked the kids what they wanted to be when they grew up and my boys both said paleontologists! (Although, one of the other little boys said he wanted to be "Edward" -the vampire from the Twilight books!!!)

More Easter

2009-07-06T10:22:00.000-07:00

My sweet Grandpa Hofheins. What an amazing man.

My beautiful girls

Grandpa and all the grandkids. He's not looking at the camera
because he is crying. It was the first Easter without Grandma.

Easter

2009-07-06T10:06:00.000-07:00

The Suessical

2009-06-15T18:16:00.000-07:00

In April, Jerrica played "Mayzie" in her school's production of "The Suessical". Words cannot express the joy and amazement I felt when she walked out onto the stage. She was incredible and is so talented. It was all I could do not to jump up on the stage and hug and kiss her as she performed. I was so proud of her-and all of the rest of the cast. It was a great show. I got to help with make-up before the shows. It was so fun and reminded me how excited I got before the plays I was in when I was younger.

Baby Halle

2009-06-15T18:09:00.000-07:00

This is my new little neice, Halle, who was born in April. She is such a beautiful baby and I try and hold her every chance I get!

Bad Haircuts

2009-06-15T18:04:00.000-07:00

While I was away for the weekend, Tyler decided to give the boys a haircut. When I came through the door, and saw them, I screamed! They looked horrible-and Ty had taken them to church like that!! I made him shave them bald the next day. They had "crazy" day at pre-school that week, and I put their clothes on backwards and painted a face on the back of their little bald heads.

Girls' Trip!

2009-06-15T17:58:00.000-07:00

In March, three of my good friends, Melissa, Sonia, Gail, and I went away for the weedend to a nice resort just outside of Vegas. We spent a lot of time lounging by the pool and deciding where to eat! We spent an evening on the strip (I'd never been and frankly I could go my whole life without going again!) and since we drove had a lot of chatting time! On the way there, Gail announced she was expecting!! We were all screaming and clapping and were SO excited for her! That made two pregnant women-since Melissa was seven months along. We had so much fun and I felt so rejuvinated when I got home!

My Funny Dad

2009-06-15T17:53:00.000-07:00

For my sister's and my neice's birthdays, in March, we had a girls' night-which we always invite my Dad to, since with six daughters, he's one of the girls! He had a little too much fun with the cake!

Draper Temple Open House

2009-06-15T17:39:00.000-07:00

In February we went to the Draper Temple open house. We parked at a stake center a few miles away, then they bussed us to the temple. It was stunning. I'm glad we got to go as a family, that the kids got to experience it. I asked them on the car ride home how they felt in the temple. The girls had a lot of profound things, like, they felt the spirit, and it was beautiful and peaceful. The boys both said they felt happy because there were cookies there.

Valentine's Day

2009-06-15T17:34:00.000-07:00

On V day, I did my girls hair in hearts and served everyone breakfast in bed (heart-shaped waffles) which I guess has turned into a tradition. Ty and I went with our friends, Rob and Traci, to a Valentine's Day Dance where we wore matching shirts-our REAL jerseys.

New Beginnings

2009-06-15T17:31:00.000-07:00

At our New Beginnings, they had the girls who would be turning 12 that year come and the Mom's introduced them. I went as a YW leader-and as a Mom! It was so surreal knowing that in the year to come I would have a 12 year old!

Twilight

2009-06-15T17:28:00.000-07:00

I went and saw Twilight with my Mom, my Grandma and my Aunt Ann. I met them for lunch and then we went to the movie, and my cute Grandma insisted on paying for both.

CVS

2009-06-15T15:27:00.000-07:00

Kaden has something called Cyclic Vomitting Syndrome. Which means, he gets sick and throws up randomly. As he is getting older, he is actually getting better, and it doesn't happen as often. But, this picture is how we've seen him a bit in the last five years-with his little throw up cup.

We love our cousins!!!

2009-06-15T15:23:00.000-07:00

We went out to Alicia's to let the kids-and the mommy's-play. This is some of the cousins. (The older ones are in school, and Anna couldn't come).

Tyler turns 34!

2009-06-15T14:59:00.001-07:00

For Ty's birthday, we had a few friends over and played guitar hero-his favorite video game. (Our friend, Gail, made his cute birthday hat).

Disneyland - Day 4 (Last Day)

2009-04-16T19:40:00.000-07:00

Our last day we tried to hit all the things we missed and all of our favorite rides. Bai and I stood in line to see the Princesses while everyone else hit some other rides. What a sweet time that was to hang out with my little Bai. This day was the perfect ending to a perfect trip. We headed out at about 9:00 am the next morning. For some reason, when we got in the van, Kade thought that we were heading back to Disneyland. When we told him that we were driving home, he started wailing, which made the rest of us laugh, which made him cry even harder!

I am so grateful that I got to take this incredible trip with my little family. The memories we made will last forever.

Disneyland - Day 3

2009-04-16T19:19:00.000-07:00

We decided to take a break from Disneyland and do a little site-seeing. The kids had never been to the ocean, and since I have a great love for the ocean, I really wanted them to experience it. They were completely enthralled. We didn't care that it was only about 61 degrees outside, we played in the ocean and sand with absolute delight!

Disneyland - Day 2

2009-04-16T17:16:00.000-07:00

On our second day, we spent most of the day at California Adventures. OH MY GOSH-what a fun place! We started at the Bug's Life 4-D "movie". It was incredible!!! We talked everyone into going on the Tower of Terror, and even talked them into it a second time later-which made Bailey and Kyler cry. Jer and I went back for a third time, though!

Disneyland - Day 1

2009-04-16T16:57:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to Disneyland the first week in January. They had never been and it was such a perfect trip! We stayed the night in St. George on Saturday, then drove to California the next day. On our trip we were able to see four temples, three in one day! On our first day, we stayed in the Disneyland Park. It brought back a lot of memories when I went last at age 12. We all had so much fun!

The Twinners turn FIVE!!!

2009-04-06T20:45:00.000-07:00

On January 2, Kaden and Kyler turned five years old. I can't believe how fast these last five years have gone. Where did my babies go?? On their birthday, we went to the dinosaur museum, then had a party with family and friends that night. A few years ago, I asked my Dad's cousin's 19 year old twins what I could do as a Mom of twins to make them feel special. One of their suggestions was to give them their own birthday cakes on their birthday. So, the boys picked out their own cake and we sand "Happy Birthday" to them seperately.

The Grandmas

The boys' friend, Paige (and hopefully one of their future wife!)

Kaden first, since he's six minutes older

Ky makes a wish

Everyone knew how much the boys love dinos, and they got a LOT of them!

Thomas Grown-Ups Bowling Night

2009-04-03T14:38:00.000-07:00

Part of Paul and Caren's Christmas gift to us all was to take us all bowling and to dinner-with NO children!! It was great to all be together and we laughed so hard all night. I was consistently the worst bowler-not really a skill I ever acquired!

(Another gutter ball!!!)

Christmas Night at the Hofheins'

2009-04-03T14:11:00.000-07:00

We went to Mom and Dad's in the evening. They fed us and gave us even more presents to open. It was snowing really bad when we got on the road to go home. We drove about 10 minutes then decided to turn around and spend the night there. The kids were so excited about our unexpected Christmas Night Slumber Party!

Food Storage

New Clothes

A Sparkly Princess Puzzle

Matchy Dino Jammies

Christmas Morning at the Thomas'

2009-04-03T13:39:00.000-07:00

After we opened our presents from Santa we went to the Thomas' for more presents and brunch. We stayed and played games for awhile and had so much fun.

All of the daughters-in-law and grandaughters got matching aprons and cookbooks

The boys loved all the dinosaur toys their aunts and uncles and grandma and grandpa gave them

A nice sweatshirt from Doug

Alina, Kyler, and Kaden-waiting for their turn

What did Santa bring us??

2009-02-06T17:17:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve Evening

2009-01-30T17:28:00.000-08:00

We started a new (hopefully) tradition for our Christmas Eve dinner. We ordered Chinese take-out! It was so good. We opened Christmas Eve jammies, then let the kids open the presents that they bought for each other. We took them to the dollar store a few weeks before and let them pick out a present for each other and Ty and me. It was cute to watch how excited they were about what they were giving. This year Jerrica had some money saved up to buy giftls. She bought Ty a new frying pan and couldn't contain her excitement as he opened it. She knew that he wanted one and I loved watching how happy she was to give her Dad something that she had spent her own money on and knew he would love. We read some scriptures, had family prayer and they were all asleep pretty early! It was a great night!

Christmas Eve Morning

2009-01-30T17:11:00.000-08:00

Every year, we spend Christmas Eve with Mom and Dad Hofheins and the whole family. This year we thought that we'd start in the morning so we could be home earlier to have our own traditions with our own little families. We had a big breakfast, did a program-including the nativity, and then opened presents. We had so much fun!

The night after Jerrica was born, was Christmas Eve. Ty, Jer, and I stayed the night at my Mom and Dad's, who even gave up their bed that night so that we'd be more comfortable. Jerrica was so fussy, and hardly slept that night. I was exhausted, so my Mom took a turn holding and rocking her. She said that she sat next to the tree and Jerrica just stared at the lights. So, every year on Christmas Eve, Grammy and Jerrica rock in front of the Christmas Tree. It is a sweet tradition, and even though Jer is getting almost too big for her lap, it is so sweet to watch them both.

Making Christmas Cookies at Grammy's

2009-01-30T15:48:00.000-08:00

After Jerrica's birthday party, we went to my Mom's and made cookies, which is a fun tradition we've been doing for several years. Jer thought that it was a fun addition to her birthday, and I don't know if the kids had more fun making or eating their creations!

Brooklyn, Taylor, and my Bai

Carson and Ash-eating the frosting right out of the bowl!

Jerrica-the birthday girl

Logan

Kaden

Kyler

Lincoln

Grandma "Lu-Lu"

The creations

Jerrica's birthday party

2009-01-30T15:38:00.000-08:00

Where did my first born tiny baby go? How did I get to have an 11-year-old? Time has flown by! Jer celebrated her birthday on December 23rd. It's a crazy time to have a birthday, but she really does love it. She had some of her friends over for a breakfast, games, and presents. She is such an amazing girl. She is talented, vivacious, friendly, outgoing, smart, and beautiful. I love hanging out with her and hearing her laugh. I am so proud of her and what she is becoming.

Disneyland Surprise!

2009-01-13T06:15:00.000-08:00

After the kids had opened all of their presents, we handed them a big wrapped box. Inside was a Mickey Mouse ornament and a poem which read:
"Hang this ornament on your trees,
The ones that hold special memories.
So you can look back and
Remember your roadtrip to Disneyland!"
It took them a few minutes...but then they got it!!! I've waited a few months for this surprise, and it was so worth the wait!

"Christmas Sunday"

2008-12-29T10:38:00.000-08:00

I love the Sunday before Christmas. I love seeing all the cute little girls in their new festive dresses, I love the Christmas lessons, I love the music...This year, Ty, Jerrica, Bailey and I all sang in the ward choir. It was fun doing it together. Jerrica also sang a solo, "Oh, Holy Night". She's sung this several times, but each time it still gives me chills. She is amazing!

Thomas Family Christmas Party!

2008-12-29T10:27:00.000-08:00

Every year we have our annual Thomas Family Christmas Party the Saturday before Christmas. This is the first year Ty's Grandma wasn't there-she passed away in the summer. When we got there, we noticed that Uncle Troy and the twins were wearing the same jackets! We had fun playing games like "Mother, May I" with all the kids, eating breakfast, and watching the kids talk to Santa.

Grandpa's Funeral

2008-12-21T05:58:00.000-08:00

The Funeral Services for my sweet Grandpa Lemon took place on Thursday, December 18. It was such a nice funeral, with beautiful tributes from each of his seven children. It was nice to be with my parents, Grandma, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, great-aunts, great-uncles. Two of my good friends came to show their support to my family and me, and it meant more to me than they'll ever know. As we were getting ready to leave that morning, Kyler said, "I'm sure going to miss the coolest guy ever-Grandpa Lemon." I agree!

My sisters and my parents. (Not the best picture since all of our eyes are red and swollen from crying!!)

My little family

My sweet Aunt Ann cuddling with Jerrica before the grave dedication.

My amazing Mom and her amazing Mom. What a legacy!

Carson fell asleep at the viewing. Guess not enough excitement going on to keep him awake!

Snow Day

2008-12-21T05:49:00.000-08:00

Here are pictures from the first real "snow day". The boys waited all day for "the sisters" to get home from school so that they could bundle up and go play in the snow. We have a pretty cool hill in our back yard that they slide down on their tummies. Some of their friends came over later and brought sleds, which made it even more fun for them.

These hats are awesome!! Ty's brother brought them home from his mission a few years ago. He went to the Baltic states.

Happy Anniversary!

2008-12-20T05:31:00.000-08:00

On Dec 13th, Ty and I celebrated our 12th anniversary! Even though it makes Christmas-time a little more hectic (especially with three of our children's birthdays also very close to Christmas) I am so glad that we got married at this time of year. We were married in the Salt Lake Temple, with our family and friends gathered around us. As we were the first to get married, and I'm the oldest, and Ty's the 2nd oldest, most of our siblings waited for us outside.
I remember that the day we got married, the weather was beautiful and sunny, and actually kind of warm for December. The blizzard hit about halfway through our reception, but we didn't care! We were reminiscing about previous anniversaries where I've been pregnant. Our very first anniversary I was VERY pregnant with our oldest who was born 10 days later! And then, our 7th anniversary I again was VERY pregnant with the twins who were born about two and a half weeks later. Good times!!!

To celebrate, Ty and I went to a Jazz game! We both LOVE the Jazz, and since they were playing on our anniversary-it was perfect! We bought each other an anniversary present at the FANZZ store before the game. Ty got me a cute baby-blue Kyle Korver t-shirt, and I got him a Jazz sweatshirt. How nice of us! It was a great anniversary.

This is a picture before the game with Thurl Bailey. It's fuzzy, but you can still see how tall he is! My battery in my camera died, so we didn't get any more good pictures.

Grandpa Lemon

2008-12-15T14:21:00.000-08:00

On Friday, December 12th, I woke up and had this distinct impression that I needed to go out to my Grandma and Grandpa Lemon's house. My Grandpa has been doing really poorly for about a month, and for the last two days he had not woken up. I knew that my Mom would be there, and thought that maybe I was feeling like I should go so that I could be a support to her. My sister, Anna, and I drove out there as soon as I could get the twins off to preschool. When we got there, Mom and Grandma were back in the bedroom with Grandpa. His breathing looked shallow and labored. He quietly passed away about 15 minutes later while we were in the family room. I am so glad that I listened to that prompting which I know for a fact was the spirit directing me.

I love my Grandpa so much. He was such a great example of gentleness and kindness. Every time that I would see him, he would give me a big hug and tell me how much he loved me and how proud he was of me. I always felt special around my Grandpa. He also had a cute little sense of humor that my cousins and sisters and I were reminiscing about a little while after he died. We sat around his bed waiting for the mortuary to come and laughed about the funny things he used to say to us. I spent the day and evening with my parents, sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins. We laughed and cried a lot. I am grateful for the opportunity I had of being there when he went "home". I will miss him, and am sad at the loss, but am thankful he is no longer suffering and thankful for the atonement of Jesus Christ which makes it possible for us to see him again some day.

5th Grade Clear Creek Overnighter

2008-12-15T14:07:00.000-08:00

I got to be one of the parent volunteers for the 5th grade field trip. I'm so glad that I got to go with Jerrica. She is such a fun girl and it was nice to see her with all of her friends. I taught the girls camp songs that I learned working at the girls camp Oakcrest several years ago. It was super tiring, but a lot of fun! Jerrica also has an amazing teacher (pictured here) who is also a lot of fun to hang out with.

Ky asleep under his bed

2008-12-15T14:01:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of Kyler asleep under his bed. Ty or I always check on the twins before going to bed, and this is where we found him a few weeks ago! What a goof ball!

The Day After Thanksgiving...

2008-12-15T13:23:00.000-08:00

All of the Thomas' met together at our good friends, Tom and Karen's, house for family pictures. Grandma and Grandpa gave the kids part of their Christmas present early-a new outfit to wear for pictures! They all looked so cute! While the photographer was snapping shots, Bryan announced that he and Cathy are expecting! After we did several different poses (all the family, all the grandkids, all the sisters-in-law, all the brothers, ect) the kids all got to ride Tom's shetland ponies. Jerrica and Bailey even got to ride by themselves. Bailey is a natural! She looked like she'd been doing it for years! Ky was excited to try as he waited his turn, but Kade said he was too scared. He finally said that he'd do it if I helped him. So, I led him around and tried not to show my fear of animals so he wouldn't be scared! We both did great!!

Hofheins' Thanksgiving 08

2008-12-15T11:09:00.000-08:00

What a fun Thanksgiving we had! We started out the day running our very own 1st annual Hofheins' Thanksgiving 5K. Dad, Mom, Amy, Alicia, Audrey, Anna, Jerrica and I participated, and Jer was so excited that she beat Grampy! (Barely, I might add!) Ty played soccer with his brothers and some friends, so we both burned a few early morning calories before gorging ourselves on turkey, mashed potatoes, rolls, corn, salads, pies, and other stuff. I brought bingo and a bunch of prizes and we had a lot of fun playing that and other games together. I love being with my family, and it's fun to watch all of the kids play so well together.

Husband Tag

2008-11-30T16:36:00.000-08:00

my cute sister-in-law, brenna, sent me this tag. it was so fun to reminisce, and really contemplate all the things that i love about tyler. i added a few pics of us from various vacations we've taken over the last few years.

1) Where did you meet? We grew up in the same stake and went to the same jr high, but didn't really know each other. i knew he was from the family with all of the boys, and he knew i was from the family with all of the girls. we "met" at a sorority date night where my room mate asked him and i had asked another guy. but, we didn't start dating till about six months later. my sister and his brother were dating and they kind of set us up. ty says that at youth conference that we both went to where i would have been about 14, and he about 16, that he heard me bear my testimony and leaned over to his mom and said, "that's the girl i want to marry." i still don't know if i believe him!
2) How long till you got married? we dated for a whole 5 1/2 weeks before ty proposed, then we were married about four months after that
3) How long have you been married? it will be 12 years on dec 13th
4) Your favorite feature of his? his beautiful green eyes with those long eyelashes
5) Your favorite quality of his? the fact that he genuinely wants to hang out with and be with his kids. and his no-stress attitude, which is SO opposite of me, and i wish i could be more like
6) Does he have a nickname for you? no, but i like to call him ty-ty, which he hates!
7) His favorite food? ty will eat just about anything! he loves meat-any kind of meat. and he likes ice-cream
8) What is his favorite sport to watch? soccer. but he also likes to watch basketball and football
9) When was your first kiss? our first real date. he dropped me off at my grandparents where i was living at the time. it was very sweet and romantic and still gives me butterflies to this day to think about.
10) Whats your favorite thing to do as a couple? we are very different and have such different hobbies and interests, so finding things that we both love to do can be a challeng. but, we do love to go to dinner together, we love getting in the car and just running errands (with no kids, preferably!), right now we are watching the show 24 together and it's fun to see how fast we can get the kids settled so we can go watch that together. we like teasing the kids together, as well
11) Do you have kids? Four wonderful, beautiful, talented kids-who all look like their dad!
12) Does he have a hidden talent? he knows all of the stock symbols of all companies that are publically traded. pretty cool.
13) How old is he? 33. we're just about 2 1/2 years apart
14) Who said I love you first? he did. it's a very sweet memory. we were in the backseat of our friends car coming home from a double date. he brought a tape of louis miguel, a singer who's songs are all in spanish that he learned about on his mission. he was kind of singing along to the chorus and looked me right in the eyes when he said "te amo" with the song, which means "i love you". it was very sweet.
15) What do you admire most about him? his ability to make other people feel comfortable and included. i love how complimentary he is. he's very fun to be around and positive. i love when i'm sad about something, he'll just build me up and make me feel so good about myself. i love how i always feel beautiful around him.
16) What is his favorite type of music? heavy metal. hair bands. yuck!
17) Do you think he will read this? yes, i hope so. i want him to know how much i love and appreciate him. i love that he likes to check my blog!
18) I tag: Alicia, Audrey, Anna, and Traci

All of our Family Pictures

2008-11-16T20:23:00.000-08:00

My First TAG

2008-11-13T17:48:00.000-08:00

Yeah! I'm so excited! I've never done a tag before, but it looks like fun! (thanks, alicia!) Here it goes:
I'm supposed to pick my 6th picture out of my 6th folder.

This is a picture of my sweet little Bailey when she was about 6 months old. It was taken on Easter in the Thomas' yard. I LOVE this picture of Bai. She looks so adorable in her little dress and bonnet. She has always had such a peaceful and tender spirit about her, as a baby, and even now as a mature nine year old. I love her so much and am so grateful for all the joy and love she brings to our family.

Now, I tag AUDREY!!!

Dinos

2008-11-13T17:34:00.001-08:00

The twins are soooo into dinosaurs right now. I love it! I have really learned so much in helping them learn as well. My favorite dino is the Utahraptor! I didn't even know it existed until the twins and I started checking out books, looking online, and going to the Dinosaur Museum. Kade set up a bunch of his dinosaurs on the window sill and told me he wanted me to take a picture of all of them! He knows his mom will never turn down a fun picture oppotunity!

YW in Excellence

2008-11-13T17:24:00.000-08:00

I am the Laurel advisor in our ward right now. I absolutely love being in the Young Women's. These are pictures from our fancy YW in Excellence. Our theme was a Night at the Oscar's. I was so excited to get to dress up!! I wore the dress that I wore in Bryan and Cathy's reception line. It was made for me 'pre-twins', and so didn't fit quite like I remember it fitting eight years ago;) I work with some amazing women who are also great friends and a lot of fun to be around.

Relaxing by the fireplace on Sunday morning

2008-11-13T17:21:00.000-08:00

Before church, Jerrica and Bailey got out the "Friend" magazines and read by the fire for a bit. It was so sweet, I had to take a picture! I love that they love to read! Just like their mama!!!

Hofheins' Girls Christmas Shopping and Spa Night Extravaganza

2008-11-13T17:16:00.000-08:00

A few months ago, we girls were hanging out together and decided we needed a girls night. And, we wanted to get some Christmas shopping done, too. So-we combined it and made it a girls weekend! We got a lot of Christmas shopping done, and then did some pampering at Anna's house. It was so much fun. I am so grateful for all of my sisters and my mom. I'm glad that we are still so close even though we don't see each other as often as we used to. I just love hanging out with them!

The 5th Grade Wax Museum

2008-11-13T17:10:00.000-08:00

For Jerrica's book report this month, she had to read a biography of someone from history. She read the biography of Harriet Tubman. She wasn't too excited at first, but when she read all the amazing things this woman did, she really got into it. She had to dress like the character and have a list of facts to tell the people who pushed the "button" on her poster. I had to go to a big Young Men/Young Women thing downtown, so I couldn't go. But, Ty and the kids went and Bailey was my little photographer.

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-10T14:25:00.000-08:00

Family Pictures

2008-11-06T16:45:00.000-08:00

We got our family pictures done the day before Halloween. Our friend, and now family photographer-Stephanie, took them. She is awesome! We had a lot of fun doing it. We haven't had family pictures in about three years, because it is so stressful for me! But, I looked at Stephanie's blogspot, and I fell in love with her work. We decided it was time. A few of our pictures are posted on Stephanie's blogspot (under the Nov 5, 2008 post). Check them out! We are so excited to get the rest! Thanks again, Stephanie!

http://www.stephaniemcbridephotography.blogspot.com/

Family Night at Thomas'

2008-11-05T06:19:00.000-08:00

We went to Grandma and Grandpa Thomas' for Sunday Dinner and then Family Night. Brynelle got costumes and props for everyone, and then narrated the Ammon story as everyone acted it out. What a fun family memory!!

The guard (Troy) takes Ammon (Alina) to King Lamoni and the Queen (Grandma and Grandpa). Ammon tells the king he wants to be his servant.

Ammon and the other servants(Peggy, Brenna, and Jerrica) tend King Lamoni's sheep (Bailey, Kaden, Kyler, and Kyjah).

Some wicked men (Kirk, Kurt, and Chris) come to try and scatter the sheep.

The servants try and gather the sheep back up.

Ammon finds the wicked men and confronts them

Ammon cuts off their arms

King Lamoni's servants tell the King all that happened

Ammon is brought before the King who wants to know more about God

Carving Pumpkins

2008-10-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

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My good friend, Gwen, invited us over for family night to carve pumpkins. We were both 'widows' with Ty out of town, and her husband working late. Our family hasn't carved pumpkins for years-in fact the twins probably never have! They had so much fun, and they all turned out great!

Gardner Village

2008-10-30T06:55:00.000-07:00

We went to see the witches at Gardner Village with some of our friends. It was great weather and it was fun to be outside enjoying the sunshine!

Last REAL Home Game

2008-10-21T17:10:00.000-07:00

We took all of the kids to the last home game of REAL Salt Lake at the new Rio Tinto Stadim. They won 3-1, and three of the goals were scored at our end of the field. It was fun to watch, and it was fun to have the kids there.

Hofheins' Halloween Hoe-Down

2008-10-21T16:52:00.000-07:00

Our family used to get together every Halloween, but we are too spread out, and now there are several of our kids in school, that it just doesn't work anymore. So, Mom and Dad rushed to get their basement finished, and invited all of us over for a big Halloween Party. Everyone came in costume and there were a lot of fun things for everyone to do, like eating doughnuts off of a string, pinning the nose on the witch, and making a spider craft. After the children were sufficiently hopped up on sugar, we laid them down in front of a "scary" movie. The grown ups played a mean game of Mofia, where even though Mom was dressed as an angel, everyone "killed" her off every round! It was fun to hang out together, and to have Dan and his kids there for their first big Hofheins party!

...a perfect 10!!!!

2008-10-17T09:41:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the surprise slumber party that Grandma and Grandpa Thomas planned for Bailey-and Jerrica-Bailey's birthday went from 9 and 3/4, to a perfect 10!!! Bailey read the card that said Grandma and Grandpa would be taking them back to their house to sleep over, and the pictures show how excited the girls were!

My Princess turns NINE!

2008-10-17T09:25:00.001-07:00

I can't believe Bailey is nine! Time goes so fast! Bailey is such a sweetheart. She brings so much joy into my life. She is kind and smart and beautiful. She is a fabulous artist, a great dancer, and fun to watch on the soccer field. She has been such a blessing to our family and I love her so much

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Since the kids were out of school for Fall Break, we started to celebrate early! We let Bai open one gift right when she woke up-her new chocolate fountain. Perfect timing for the birthday tea party! She had several of her friends and cousins and aunts over to dip fruit and cake and marshmallows and cookies in chocolate. Everyone got pretty chocolatey, but it was a lot of fun! Afterwards, we went out to lunch with our friends the Grahms, and then later we met Grandma and Grandpa Thomas and Uncle Troy for dinner. On our way there, I asked Bai on a scale of 1 to 10, how this birthday ranked. She thought for a minute and said, 9 and 3/4! Yeah! Success!

REAL at Rio Tinto

2008-10-14T07:46:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, Jerrica, Bailey, and I went with some friends to the 1st REAL game at the new stadium. It was amazing! Tyler was so excited he could barely sleep the night before and could hardly function throughout the day. We have season tickets and sit by his Dad and brothers. The only thing that would have made the night better would have been a win for REAL. But, we'll take a tie-I guess.

My Dad

2008-10-14T07:39:00.000-07:00

This is my Dad. I just love him so much. He is such a great expample to me of so many things. He is fun to talk to. He is smart. He seems to know in one glance if I'm having a hard day. He's the best pancake-maker ever. He knows more about girls than most men out there-due to the fact he raised six of them. He's sensitive, caring, compassionate, funny, and such a loving husband to my wonderful Mom. I'm so glad he's my Dad.

Doughnut Night at the Thomas'

2008-10-11T14:36:00.000-07:00

Every year, while the Daddies are at the Priesthood Session, the Mommies and kids stay at Grandma's and help make homemade doughnuts. Grandma gets the dough ready, then the kids help roll it out and punch out the doughnuts. Grandma and Aunt Francine fry them up, then we dip them in a variety of toppings! And, then, we gorge ourselves on them! It is great fun!

School Pictures-2008

2008-10-08T21:27:00.000-07:00

I think that 2008 will go down in the Thomas family history as the best school pictures EVER!! (I'm sure that I say that every year!) So, here they are:

Jerrica Jean
Grade: 5th
Likes: soccer, singing, reading, math, REAL Salt Lake, food
Dislikes: cleaning her room, mom embarassing her

Bailey Caren
Grade: 3rd
Likes: dancing, soccer, smiling, fruit, hugs, anything pink and girly
Dislikes: teasing, mom listening to glenn beck, anyone being sad

Kaden Paul
Grade: pre-school
Likes: dinosaurs, cereal, going to school, playing with friends
Dillikes: pears, doing chores, getting owies

Kyler Timothy
Grade: pre-school
Likes: dinosaurs, playing on the computer, snacks, race tracks
Dislikes: going to bed, sisters bossing him around or not letting him play w/ them

I LOVE this picture!!! Every time that I see it, I smile. This depicts perfectly what good little buddies they are. They do everything together and get along so well-most of the time. I hope that they are always close and the best of friends.

Kyler's first soccer goal!!!!

2008-10-06T07:59:00.000-07:00

Jerrica and I were at the twins' soccer game last Saurday while Ty went to coach Bailey's. I thought that I'd get out my camera and get some footage. Seconds after I started to record, Ky took it down and scored!!! The voice yelling, "Go, Kyler!" is Jer's, and you can hear the disbelief and then excitement in my voice when I realized what was happening. Go, Tigers!!!!

Lake Powell videos

2008-10-06T06:40:00.000-07:00

Lake Powell Fun

2008-10-04T15:35:00.000-07:00

Ty and i had the fabulous chance to go to Lake Powell (minus the children) a few weeks ago. We went with Ty's brothers, Bryan and Chris, their wives, Cathy and Brenna, and our new friends Shana and Brandon and Shanon's Dad. What an amazing trip! Ty and I both learned to wake board-which was such a rush! We slept on top of a housboat underneath a blanket of the most gorgeous stars I've ever seen. We ate a lot, napped a lot, and played a lot! My favorite thing was the Water Weanie Wars. Two water weanies were tied to the back of the ski boat, and the goal was to stay on while others were jumping from one to another and trying to push you off. I think that I fell off the most, but I've never had so much fun!

My first 5K race!!!!!!

2008-09-21T08:11:00.000-07:00

On Sept 20, I ran my first 5k race! My Dad, Mom, and sisters Amy and Anna also ran it. It was Anna's first also. We did the Race for Drug and Alcohol Abuse Recovery which started at the Gallivan Center, went up through Memory Grove and then back down. (It was so fun to run through Memory Grove, because that's where Ty and I had our engagement pictures done 12 years ago. It brought back a lot of memories which helped me up that back-breaking incline!) It was absolutely exhilerating!!!! I did it mostly just to go support a good cause that has special meaning to my family, to run with my family, and to work towards the goal of completing a 5K. I actually did a lot better than I thought that I would! I came in at 28:03 minutes, which was 12th overall. Not bad for my first! All of us did better than we thought we would. My whole family shattered their expectations! I was so proud of them! They all did so awesome, and it was such a fun experience to share with them!

Super Soccer Saturday!!!

2008-09-18T07:17:00.002-07:00

I am such a soccer mom! This was our schedule last Saterday:

10:00am: Kaden and Kyler's game
11:30am: Jerrica's game
1:00pm: Bailey's game
3:30pm: Tyler's game

It was fun to be able to go to all of their games today, but we were all exhausted by the time we got home!

Special Needs Mutual

2008-09-18T07:17:00.001-07:00

Jerrica was asked to sing at the Special Needs Mutual that my sister Allison goes to. She did a beautiful job, and her spirit just shone through. When they announced the closing song, they asked for people to come help with sign language. I turned to my sister, Amy, and said that she should go up and help. Jer said that she'd go up with her, even though she doesn't know sign language, so they both went up to the front and began signing "I am a Child of God". This sweet lady came up and tried to copy what they were doing. It was so touching to watch.

Brand New Babies

2008-09-18T07:17:00.000-07:00

The kids and I went out to Alicia and Jon's new house to celebrate Lincoln's birthday. Mom and Al came, and Audrey and her kids. We spent a lot of the afternoon holding the brand new babies. Lawson and Dyson were added to our growing family just recently, and it was the first time my girls got to meet them.

First Day of Preschool!!

2008-09-14T15:47:00.000-07:00

The boys started preschool the first week in September. They love going-and I love having them go!!!

Vacationing in Victor

2008-09-14T09:38:00.000-07:00

For Labor Day weekend, we drove up to Victor, ID to visit Ty's brother, Bryan and his wife Cathy, and their kids Abby, Max, and Isaac. We had so much fun and their house is amazing!

2008-09-08T06:10:00.000-07:00

Bailey's Dance Recital

2008-09-07T20:23:00.000-07:00

Bailey has been taking dance from her Aunt Anna. She loves to dance, and is a natural. Kaden and I went to her recital and she did beautifully!

Boys Soccer Pics

2008-09-03T17:26:00.000-07:00

So, maybe they're not the best players-yet, but they sure look cute in their soccer duds!!!

Baby Dyson

2008-09-03T17:21:00.000-07:00

On Friday, August 22, I got to witness my little nephew enter this world. What an amazing experience!

First Day of Scool

2008-09-03T17:17:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that I have a fifth grader and a third grader!!! Oh, my heck, where did the time go??!! I drove the girls to school on their first day. Jer was pretty embarassed that I was taking pitures of her like she is way too cool for that. Bailey was a little sad when I left her in her class. Ok, in all honesty, I don't know who cried more, me or her! They both have fabulous teachers, and had a great first day.

2008-09-03T17:15:00.000-07:00

Boys First Soccer Game

2008-09-03T17:04:00.000-07:00

The Boys played in their first soccer game. They come from such a "soccer family", we assumed that they'd be naturals. Well...Kyler came off of the field several times because he was hungry, they stood in front of the goal AFTER the other team scored a goal, and the best was that Kaden crawled on his hands and knees pretending to be a 'tiger' because their team name is the tigers and his coach kept yelling, "Go, Tigers!" Ty's got his work cut out for him getting these boys to follow in his footsteps!!!

Thomas Cousins

2008-09-03T16:54:00.000-07:00

These are all of the Thomas cousins. It was taken at Savannah's baptism. It was hard to get them all together in the picture, we didn't worry too much if they were looking at the camera or smiling!

Great-Grandma's Funeral

2008-09-03T16:46:00.000-07:00

Tyler's Grandma passed away on August 3rd. He was there when she died, which was such a sweet experience for him. The funeral was the following Saturday. Jerrica sang "My Heavenly Father Loves Me", which was a request right from Grandma. She did an amazing job. During the service, Bailey noticed that Grandma Thomas needed a hug, so she went and sat next to her. She is so sweet. A few days later, Kaden looked at me and said, "I just can't believe my Grandma is dead."

Pioneer Day in Eagle Mountain with the Hofheins' Family

2008-08-29T17:16:00.000-07:00

New Car

2008-08-28T20:00:00.000-07:00

We decided to trade in the family van that we've had for about seven years. We wanted the kids to be involved, so we took them all car shopping! On the way there, I got out a note pad and made a list of all the things that we all wanted in a new vehicle. (Mine was simple: I wanted all of the doors to open, since our current van did not!) The twins wanted "dinosaur seats" ?? So, after test driving several, we all fell in love with our new ocean blue Toyota Sienna! We were so excited to take it home! But, when Bailey realized that we were leaving our MPV there, she burst into tears and cried all the way home!!

We Are Fam-ily!

2008-08-28T19:54:00.000-07:00

We all got together for dinner for Mom and Dad's 32nd wedding anniversary! We had so much fun!

SWIMMING!!

2008-08-28T19:49:00.000-07:00

This summer, we get to use the swimming pool in the next neighborhood over. We go there a lot!! The boys got new dinosaur swim trunks and goggles and tried them out at the pool!

Bear Lake Fun

2008-07-23T06:21:00.000-07:00

We went to Bear Lake July 7-11 with our friends the Days and the Robinsons. We stayed at Ideal Beach Resort and had so much fun!

2008-07-23T06:14:00.000-07:00