Outtakes

 

We took family pictures a few weeks ago in an apple orchard. It was fun, but it sure is hard getting 7 little, energetic bodies to hold still, smile, and not move for several minutes. Here are just a few of the outtakes of our adventure.

 

Look at cute little Nathan in the middle with his mean guy scowl.  Watch out, he's about to punch you out!

 

And then the next one is a tad too smiley. He is such a ham!

 

 

 
Preston kept eating apples the entire time we were there. So 99% of the pictures he has an apple in his hand and a mouthful as well.

 

I asked Will to smile and he gave me this sleezy pose.

 

 
Nathan is totally done with posing, Preston is still chomping away and Brig's is getting into it. What's up?

 More apple tasting.

I have no idea what Jackson is doing, but he sure is a cutie!!

 

 

 

I will be posting the real pictures later!! Stay tuned!



Meeting the Prophet

A couple weeks ago, I met the prophet of our church, Thomas S. Monson. It was such an incredible experience, so tender and dear to me. I knew I was going to see him and a few other apostles at the Century of Honor Celebration to commemorate 100 years of scouting in the LDS Church, but I didn't know I would actually shake his hand and talk with him.

We arrived 2 hours early to snatch up some good seats. We were the first ones to be there in our section, section 2. We were on the 6th row, rows 1-5 were being reserved. I was thrilled! After a few short moments, the security guard and ushers said they were opening up rows 2-5 and we had first dibs. We quickly changed our seats to the second row. How exciting!

About 10 minutes before the show was to start, 9 of the 12 apostles started to walk in. We were sitting in Section 2, second row, the seats are in the front and close to the door that the apostles and prophet walk through. We were so close to them. The front row was reserved for ushers and security, so really there wasn't anyone in our way of seeing anyone walking in.

All of the security guards stood up and faced the audience, that was a sure sign that the prophet would be walking in soon. And there he was!  Just watching him walk in was so moving. It was touching to see his bodyguard helping him walk down the aisle. There were thousands and thousands of people in attendance, but you could hear a penny drop to the floor because of how quiet it was. It was that reverent.

He started walking in front of the audience and was waving to people. The prophet noticed Tyler standing next to me, looked him in the eye and said "Now there's a future missionary." He was in the middle of continuing to step forward when he changed his position and walked directly towards us. The prophet then said, "watch this!" He wiggled both of his ears and all the people around us laughed. The prophet held out his hand and shook Tyler's with authority and love. They spoke for just a few more short moments about scouting, and he was on his way. He continued to wave to people and sat down.

What an amazing experience that Tyler and I shared. He will (hopefully) remember it always. I can imagine Tyler on his mission talking with the youth telling them that he met the prophet Thomas S. Monson and the prophet told him he'd be a missionary. Such a tender and simple act of kindness the prophet showed to us that evening.  

At the end of the celebration, Thomas S. Monson received an award and was asked to come to the pulpit and say a few words. Again, his bodyguard gently helped him. The prophet looked frail. He looked old. He looked just like someone's cute grandpa. Then he spoke. Each word was strong and precise. He spoke with love and firmness. It was powerful to witness. He even cracked a couple of jokes. He has always been such a kidder. 

After the hour long scouting program (which, by the way, was absolutely amazing!) the Apostles started walking out and we were all able to shake their hands. It was amazing. It was reassuring. I was truly humbled by their compassion and love.

As Thomas S. Monson started walking towards his exit, he continued to wave and shake everyone's hand in the 2nd row. As he walked closer to us he said, "There's my missionary", pointing to Tyler.  I told him I have 7 boys. 7 future scouts. 7 future missionaries. He looked back at me with astonishment and said something on the lines of "Wow, no girls?" I placed my hand on his shoulder and asked him, "I don't know, you tell me. Are there any girls waiting to come down to my family?" Everyone around us laughed, and he threw his arms in the air and said, "I do not know that information!" Again, we were laughing.  The prophet continued to walk down our aisle shaking hands with Tyler, my mom, Bill and our cousin Trey.

That evening will always be remembered deep in my heart. I am truly thankful for the opportunity to live so close to events that the Prophet and his Apostles will attend. It was such a memorable and wonderful experience!!!

100 years of Scouting in the LDS Church

Will and Scott auditioned months ago to be part of an Eagle Scout Choir to celebrate the 100 year Anniversary of the LDS partnership with the Boy Scouting program.

They were both thrilled that they made it. They spent weeks preparing with over 365 other Eagle Scouts. I was able to attend the dress rehearsal on the Saturday before the broadcast, where we were able to video and take pictures. It was such a spectacular event! I thought there would just be a couple of talks and the choir might be singing a few Scouting songs... Boy was I wrong!

The show started with dim lights on the stage and a fog machine in full force.  Then several Scouts started playing trumpets from on top of these wooden towers on the stage.  They were then answered by a bunch of other Scouts who were playing back from the balcony behind the audience. It was strong and powerful.

Scouts then repelled in with the American and Scout Emblem flags. Everyone rose and together stated the Pledge of Allegiance. This was followed by hundreds of Cub Scouts who ran out onstage and sang the National Anthem.

The performance was about how the Scouting program came to America and how the LDS church became involved with it.
An American named W. D. Boyce was visiting England and got lost.  He was randomly helped by a young boy that refused to be paid for his "one good turn daily". He made such a huge impact on him, that he went straight to the Scouting headquarters in England to find out more information.

 

The show had kayakers in the air, more rappelling by other scouts, pinewood derby, and even a Boy Scout on a zipline.  It was very exciting!!!

 

I know that Scott and Will had a great time participating, but it was so informative and helpful for me to attend as well.  It had given me a greater resolve to make sure that my boys maximize the experience that they get out of the program.  It truly is a program that makes Boys into Men!!!

Bear Lake

We all headed to Bear Lake a few weekends ago over UEA Weekend. I am so glad we were able to get away, even if it was for a just a few days. If was so beautiful up there. The fall colors were all around us.

We went on a few hikes together near Bear Lake. They were all easy enough that all the boys could walk them. It was much colder on the tops of those mountains though!

Can you see Will? Look very closely! He's right in the middle of this huge rock cliff!

Right in front of our timeshare all the trees are bright reds, oranges and yellows. My most favorite time of year!

We went to a couple of museums. We went to a park. We played tennis every day and we also fished. On the first day, everyone caught a fish. Brig's caught the largest one and was thrilled about it!

I also brought up my sewing machine with a couple of sewing projects, and my scrapbooking supplies. While the kids were swimming, watching a movie, playing outside or whatever, I was able to work on some crafts.

We also did lots and lots of swimming in their indoor heated pool, kids pool and Jacuzzi area.

I took this shot at the tennis court right after playing a game against the boys. Breathtakingly beautiful. 
And, of course, we had raspberry shakes every night for a yummy treat!!

It was a fun relaxing vacation with the fam.

Tyler is in the double digits!!

Tyler turned 10!!! He's now in the double digits and loving it!! We threw a pool party for him a couple of weeks ago, right after his football game. (which they won by the way!! Tyler scored 4 touchdowns!!) Our good friends let us have it at their home. They have a huge yard with a zip line and tramp.





The boys played a little football while waiting for the rest of their friends to arrive.



It was about 55-60 degrees that day. But, the pool was heated to 90 degrees! The boys had a ton of fun jumping and playing in the warm water.



We served hot dogs , cheeseburgers, drinks, chips and other delicious, non-healthy food.








Even this little guy ate a cheese burger!

Pops was in town! He helped manning the grill.



All the boys ended up in the Jacuzzi. Like I said, it was super cold!



Tyler had 12 friends and also his brothers there to share in this extra special day. Tyler is such a great kid. He is super athletic, smart and will try anything. He is also a tender hearted kid and loves to snuggle with me.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TYLER!!!!!!!!!!

We are MOVING!!!

We're just not sure exactly where or when! Our goal is to be moved into our new home by summer time. We're staying here in Utah, Salt Lake is our home and we will never leave. There are a few neighborhoods we love. We want to stay in Olympus High School district too. We've been looking around, but nothing has caught our total attention yet. We want to move in a nearby neighborhood with very little to no crime. So, if there is a house for sale around you, please let us know!! We would like either a small grandma home on a larger lot that we could tear down and build a new larger home on; or a home that is already built, and a little newer. The home HAS to have an in-law suite with two bedrooms.

We've been thinking about this for quite some time now. My main reason for moving is, unfortunately, the crime rate is slowly moving up around here and it's beginning to scare me too much to handle. Also, we need a larger home. I was telling some of my friends at church yesterday that we were moving, and they were totally shocked! After they asked why and I explained the number one reason, they thought I was kidding. At that same moment a couple of older men walked into the room and said, "crime?" with a chuckle. They said they haven't heard about anything like that happening around here. Sad. Sad that they didn't know about it. I wish people would stop telling me about it (That's not directed to you Jen!!)

We're in the very beginning stages of figuring this all out. We're still not totally sure if we want to buy or build. I have started an idea book that is focused on our wishlists if we decide to build. Floor plans, sizing, rooms...It's been very beneficial. It's also been fun to gather the boys ideas and adding them to Scott's and my own. We've also knocked on a few doors, in some of the neighborhoods that we like, to ask them about it. We've been able to gather a lot of great information. Another HUGE selling point is the ward we'd be attending. The Primary and Young Men's program needs to be large in participation numbers. The Thompson Clan does not want to be the largest contributing factor in either one.

Please don't feel bad if I haven't told you yet that we're moving. We just recently decided to start talking to people. Our biggest reason for telling people so soon....Because YOU may know of a home we'd be interested in!!

Seriously, this is my day...

Even though I have a huge calendar hanging in my kitchen, one in my purse and one at my desk in the office, I have to sit down every Sunday night and write out plans for the upcoming week. It's super busy today. It's super busy (almost) everyday. Most nights around 9-10pm I sit there and think, wow the day flew by. I can't believe how fast it went. It's all a blur.

Here is my schedule for TODAY. Today only! I need a second driver.

8:00-8:30 Sub crossing at William Penn Elementary
8:35-9:05 cross at Upland Terrance
10-11 Evergreen Jr. to work on Reflections (make hundreds of copies and deliver to certain teachers)
11:10 pick up Brig's from kindergarten
11:30 take Papa to drop off car and take him home
12 lunch
12:30 put Preston to sleep
1-2 PTA meeting at Rosecrest
245-315 welcome kids home, snacks, start homework
3:30-4 cross guard at Upland Terrance
4:15 take Will to Football practice
515 take Tyler to Football practice
5:30 Take and watch Gavin's flag football game
6:15 pick up Will early, take to Evergreen for performance
7 back to evergreen to watch Will's performance
8 dinner, bedtime for kids

Extra that must get done today:
take back and pick up library books
write this post
get a ride home for Tyler
make produce list to order for my produce co-op I run
book my mom's and Bill's airplane ticket
fill up with gas

Furniture for SALE!!!!

I am trying to sell a bunch of furniture and open up space in my garage so Scott can park his car there again!  If you're interested in anything, please let me know asap. I have already sold some on KSL and then thought I would share with friends before selling it to strangers! If you have any questions about any of these items, let me know by texting or calling me! I'll be posting them on KSL this weekend!!