zucchini boats

Saturday the Messerlys (minus Jenny) came over for some October fun. It was too early in the month to carve pumpkins, so we made zucchini boats out of our huge zucchinis. The pond was completed about three weeks ago, and we let the kids float their boats in it. There were pirate boats flying the Jolley Roger, the Timmy Roger, a submarine, and other fantastic zucchini boats. The kids loved it, and didn't want to stop playing to eat. The big boys (Mark and Shayne) decided that they would add even more excitement by adding bottle rockets to one of the boats for added propulsion. The activity was a hit with all the kids. Then we grilled dogs, made a campfire for smores, and played a game of deer with some of the neighbor kids. It was a great night!

what we did over summer vacation

It is now officially fall, so this needs to be done. I doubt anyone even checks here anymore, but just in case here is the run-down of the summer. It was fantastic!

We started out the summer with the Nestle 5k in June. As we pulled into the parking lot Timmy lost his cookies (or banana, juice box, and granola bar) so I cleaned him and the van up and sat this race out. I am so proud of our two older boys. Noah ran and walked the whole thing. Benjamin got a few rides, but did the majority of the race-- great for someone just out of Kindergarten. Here they are entering the track for the last part, and at the finish line. Timmy won a stand mixer, even though he wasn’t in racing form. Here he is during the drawing.





Mark and his brother Brent took the boys to the air show at Hill AFB the next day. I stayed home with Timmy to make sure he was feeling better. Ben and Noah thought it was great. They got to sit in a plane cockpit, see all the planes do cool tricks, and got little model airplanes to play with. They weather was rainy and cold so that helped keep some of the crowds away.



We built (or shall I say assembled) a shed to get some of the stuff off the bottom patio. The kids helped with the assembly. Not one minute after we finished it started pouring. Good timing!



Mid June we hiked up waterfall canyon. Ben and Noah did great, despite Ben’s poor choice in shoes. Apparently he didn’t hear Mark or me any of the many times we told him to get his shoes, so he arrived in sandals. It was a good hike, and they were troopers the whole way. Timmy was good too. It’s always good when Dad gives you a ride.



I finally got a haircut.



Founders Day was great here in PV. The kids attended the parade with Grandma S. and Dad. Then that night we had the friends and family over for fireworks. For those who haven’t been here for Founders Day or the 4th of July, they shoot the fireworks off from the high school, just on the other side of 500 W. We have a fantastic view. Here are our kids and the Messerly kids doing sparklers before the big show.



We went to the Stuart’s cabin over the night before the 4th (I guess that would be the third, wouldn’t it). The boys had fun shooting our nephews bow and arrows. We also rode the 4-wheeler and hiked to the old bus. The boys thought it was great.
We returned on the 4th of July just in time to host for fireworks. We had root beer floats while we watched the show with friends and family.







We took a staycation in Logan for our trip this year. We got a room at the Crystal Inn and used it as our home base for lots of fun. The first day we had lunch at the Coppermill, and then headed over to Willow Park Zoo. The water was out in the hotel, so we took the kids on a walking tour of USU’s campus. Look at our cute junior Aggies! That night the water was on, but there was no warm water. The boys were tougher than me as they showered in the polar shower. The next morning we headed up to Bear Lake for the day. We stopped at the overlook and my favorite quote from the whole trip came from Noah. As we were staring at the HUGE, aqua lake before us he says, “I don’t see no stinkin’ lake.” I laughed so hard I almost fell down. He felt silly when he shifted his vision up and saw the “stinkin’ lake.” Here they are after Noah’s enlightenment. We toured Minnetonka cave before lunch, and can say that we don’t need to ever do that again. They tend to drag the thing out--the 45 minutes to walk in was crazy, considering it only took us 10 minutes to walk out. After that we had some lunch and hit the beach. Swimming was fun, and we could have had more of that. The next day it was time to head home, but on the way we decided to go to Porcupine Reservoir. We can see it from Scare Canyon (where the Stuart’s cabin is) but we’ve never been there. It was fun. We found a little beach, had some lunch and blew up the boat. We paddled around, the kids splashed and played, and then headed home around naptime. Overall it was fun, and even though it wasn’t far away, it was new to our kids.








For July 24th we went to Ogden for the parade. Then we headed home for some brauts and gift opening--Brent and Gary joined us. That evening we went to the Layton to see the Riders in the Sky at the ampletheater with Grandma and Grandpa Thomson. Noah got to sing with them on stage. Not many kids can say they shared the stage with some crazy cowboy singers on their birthday. I can’t believe he’s eight, but I should. He is exactly one foot shorter than me. Before long I’ll be looking up to him.




On July 25th we were excited to join Matt and Michelle Eberle at the Ogden temple where they were sealed together and to sweet little Daxton. What a fantastic day!

August 1st was a great day as well--Noah was baptized. I am so proud of him for taking such a big step. Here he is with Mark in their white duds. After the baptism he changed and came out in his new suit and tie. It took my breath away, he looked so handsome and grown up. Mark and all the priesthood holders confirmed him and gave him the gift of the Holy Ghost. We had a party afterward at the house. About 50 friends and family came over for dinner, croquet and good company.




This year we had our first good crop of corn. Here’s Mark cheesing with the first sampling. Yum!



At the end of August we took the boys camping in the Uintahs before school started. I haven’t been there in a long time. But being there made me feel like I was home. I felt as if a part of me that has been missing for a long time was found. That sounds cheesy, but I love the Uintahs. I decided if I didn’t already have a plot to bury my old body in (Christmas gift last year. No really, I’m not kidding.), I would want my ashes spread there. We camped at Moose-horn Lake, and had a great campsite, with a fabulous view of the lake and Mt. Baldy. The boys were so helpful and well-behaved; it made me wish we had gone camping more this summer. But at the very least, I will not hesitate to go next year. It was rather cold the first night, as a cold front had come in, but we were prepared and the boys stayed warm all night. The next morning we set off to conquer Mt. Baldy. It wasn’t easy, but those little troopers of ours made it all the way to the top. Ben wanted to quit part way up but he kept going and learned the benefit of not giving up even when it’s hard. The view was incredible, and we even got to see a goat on the way down. Not to mention Ben’s favorite find: a stick shaped just like a gun. What more could a boy want? At night the boys, especially Noah, loved looking at all the stars. That, plus the smores made the evenings about perfect.







Our nephew David married Shalee in August. Another fantastic day! Another nephew, Blake stopped in for a week between S. Korea, and his new assignment in California. We got to spend some time with him and meet his new bride, Ikbihn.

All in all it was a wonderful summer. But really, why does it have to go so quickly? My boys are already wishing for Christmas. I keep telling them to enjoy fall.

'till we meet again

Our dear mother, grandmother, aunt and friend, Corinne Adeline Keasling Thomson, passed away Sunday, September 13, 2009, after a valiant fight with cancer.

Corinne was born January 1, 1927, in Salt Lake City, Utah, the oldest child of Jacob Keasling and Rachel Carey. She had one sister, Elaine. Her family moved to Missouri, and at the age of six, her mother passed away. Her father, a traveling salesman, had no one to care for the girls while he was on the road. The girls were taken to St. Ann’s Orphanage, on 21st South in Salt Lake City, for a short time until he could get settled and be home to care for them. He married again, and Corinne and her sister were raised by their father and stepmother, Grandma Montague.

While working at a drug-store soda fountain in Missouri, Corinne met the love of her life, Kenneth Brown Thomson. He was a missionary for the L.D.S. church, and would eat lunch every day at the drug store just to be near Corinne. His missionary journal said that he was like a love struck school boy around her. When her father asked what Ken’s intentions were for his daughter, Ken said he would like to marry her. So when his family came to pick him up following his mission, she returned home with them. They were married on June 5, 1944 in the Salt Lake Temple.

Together they had seven children, Chris, Bob, Michael, Charlotte, Catherine, Peggy, and David. They made their home in the South Salt Lake-Kearns area. Kenneth died in February 1961, leaving Corinne alone, at the age of 34, to care for the children. With no higher education or skills to support such a large family, she went to nursing school and began a career in nursing.

After all her children were grown, she moved many times to be near them and her grandchildren. She lived in Salt Lake City, Brigham City, Ogden, St. George, Fresno, California, and finally Temple, Pennsylvania.

Grandma was a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. For many years she served as an ordinance worker in the Ogden temple, as well as serving in various callings in the wards she
lived in. Grandma loved family history, and sharing what she learned about her ancestors with her family. She enjoyed crocheting and painting ceramics. Grandma was known to tell a good story. Often her stories were of Grandpa Thomson, perhaps to make sure that he was not forgotten or so those of us who never knew him would feel a connection to him. Very compassionate and caring, Grandma would give the shirt off her back if she knew it would help someone. Many of her children and grandchildren were recipients of her care and concern.

Corinne was preceded in death by her parents, her sister Elaine Moore, her husband Kenneth, and her eldest son Chris. She is survived by her children: Bob and Francene Thomson, Michael Thomson, Charlotte and Jesse James, Cathy and Eugene Kochen, Peggy Garrison, and David and Denise Thomson, as well as 22 grandchildren and 31 great-grandchildren.

The family offers a heart-felt thank you to Cathy and Gene who took such tender care of Grandma in her last years. May God bless you for your kindness and sacrifice.

Graveside services were held Friday, September 18, 2009, at Valley View Memorial Park in Taylorsville, Utah.

memories from memorial day

Summer is too full to spend a lot of time here on the computer, but I wanted to spend a couple of posts on what we've been doing for the last month and a half, the first being Memorial Day.

I met Mark's family for the first time 14 years ago on Memorial Day Sunday. His family meets every year the Sunday before Memorial Day and visits the Wellsville and Hyrum City cemetaries to put flowers on their relatives graves. We have joined them every year except when Ben was born, as I didn't want to go into labor so far from home. The last two years we have met at our niece's son, Daxton's grave, then headed up to Cache Valley. First we visit the Wellsville Cemetary, where Marks paternal grandparents and great grandparents are buried. Helen and Roy, Mark's parents, raid their yard every year for anything blooming, and the others bring what they can as well, and miscellanious disposable containers are lovingly filled with flowers and left by the headstones. The family in attendance poses for a photo by their grandparents graves and then we head across the valley to Helen's hometown, Hyrum, for more of the same.


In Hyrum the family graves are by a huge tree, where in years past my nephews would climb and throw pine cones, but now another generation takes their place. My kids and the nieces and nephews kids are hoisted up into the tree for a good view and a few photos. My great grandparents are also buried in Hyrum, and my mother-in-law and I usually walk together down to their graves and I leave flowers for them and my great-uncle Garr who was killed in WWII.


After we finish we drive to Hyrum city park for a picnic and usually a volleyball game. We were short on people this year, so we played badminton, track-ball and frisbee, while the kids played on the playground.

This year I asked my parents if they would like to go to my grandparents graves on Memorial Day. My mom's parents are buried in Kaysville, so it's not far. But my dad's father is buried out in Kearns. I remember going there once as a little girl, but I haven't been there since.

We made our first stop in Kaysville to my Grandma and Grandpa Roundy's grave. A few weeks before I had been in Clearfield to pick up a shed, and the store wasn't open. So I decided to go drive by my grandpa's home. I haven't been there for a long time, and I was surprised how much I missed him. I believe he passed away in '97. I didn't have a really close relationship with him, but he was always a kind, cute man. I don't know much about my grandmother except she died of heart problems and she had a very clean house. I asked my mom to tell my kids something about her mother and she told us that my grandmother made good cinnemon rolls.

Then we headed to Kearns. The cemetary was crowded, and we were greeted with bagpiper playing "Amazing Grace." My dad has been going out there every year for the past several years, and usually has to clean off the grave. But this year it was already done. The kids posed for a photo and I had my dad tell a little about his father. The thing I found shocking was how young my grandpa was when he died. He was only 36, one year older than Mark, and my grandma was 33, one year older than me. So my grandma was left a widow with seven kids, and no job or education. It made me so sad to think of all the kids and how this event must have affected them all.



Since we were in Salt Lake we decided to stop in the cemetary in Highland to see my dad's grandparents graves. Again, there was a bagpiper, and Mark told the kids if any of them wanted to learn how to play one, he'd buy it for them. The mortuary that runs the cemetary had hot dogs and drinks, so we all had some lunch at the cemetary. That was a first.




Overall, it was a good weekend. I enjoyed renewing my links with the past and being with our family.

april's amost over

Since it's finally warmed up, I've been alternating between outside on good days, and catching up inside on everything I've put off to enjoy the good weather. So the blog has been neglected.

We spent one fun Saturday at the Aerospace museum with the Rotolos, and then an evening with Messerlys playing in the yard. We also spent part of a rainy Saturday pruning trees (well, Mark and Shayne pruned trees), then had dinner and colored eggs with the Messerly family. Timmy was in some of the photos but wouldn't stop flipping the camera the bird (innocently, but still. . .), so he has been omitted.
The boys looked so dapper in their Easter clothes. We had a fun Easter egg hunt at Grandma and Grandpa Stuart's house. The kids brought home a crazy amount of candy, but had a wonderful time anyway.


Benjamin scored his first goal in soccer this month. We were so proud of him. We've planted two more trees, moved a third, and planted plenty of shrubs, trying to get going in the yard. The tulips are amazing, and I will be sad when they're gone. And yesterday we had our third anniversary of moving to our home. I found this photo of how our home looked when we moved in. We've made a little progress in the yard. I wish you could see the front corner garden better in the photo. The tulips are blooming, and that plus all the other plants in there make me smile every time I see them.

clowning around

I've had a fun project to work on the last little while. Our neighbor called and asked if I would make a clown for the beanbag-toss at a carnival this Friday. I groaned at first, knowing how much time it would take, and thinking a high school art student would love to do something like this. But I changed my attitude, and had so much fun working on it. I'm actually sad to see it go. It made me think I should do more fun stuff like this on my own, without someone else initiating the project. Then I would get to keep it in the end. Noah told me that if I practised a lot maybe I could get a job doing art. Hmmmm... My boys thought it looked like a fun photo-op and are seen here as the juggling balls and an adorable flower. As a plug for the carnival, it's this Friday night at 6pm at Weber High. All proceeds go to fund the Boys and Girls Clubs in Weber and Davis Counties. Tickets are $5 per person or $25 for a family up to seven. There will be inflatables for the kids, a talent show, a stomp for the older kids, food(not included in the entry price), and of course high quality games, like the beanbag- toss and a fishing pond. Our kids really want to go, although their parents are fuddy-duddies who would rather not, so we'll most likely end up there on Friday.

can you say cheese?

I love two year olds. They have their moments, but overall this age is pure joy. Timmy's sweet personality has blossomed. He loves cheese, oranges, leggos, Elmo, tractors, trains, any toy that Ben is playing with, and the movie Toy Story. He will come and grab one of your fingers and pull you around the house until you help him with what he needs. And really, how can you resist. He has the most adorable laugh, it's sure to put a smile on your face. Always trying to be like his big brothers, he tries to do and be a big kid. He is just tall enough to turn on the lights, and he usually succeeds in turning them all on. This is him Sunday, "cheesing" with his cheese. He couldn't be happier. What a cute kid.

a bloomin' good sign

About a week ago now, I found my first FLOWER blooming in the front yard. I know, you're thinking a crocus, or a pansy that wintered over, but you're wrong. One of my English Daisys is blooming. I was so happy to see this first, and very unexpected, sign of spring. There are two blossoms on this little plant, and yes, that white stuff at the top of the frame is snow.



At my house we have taken advantage of the warm days this week. Wednesday and Thursday after picking Ben up from school the kids have played in the play area in the back yard while I got to pick weeds. Yes, I said got to. Working in my yard, in the dirt, is therapy for me, and for those who read my last post, you can tell I'm in need of a little therapy. I filled three five-gallon buckets by the time I stopped Thursday. If you know my yard, that's only a drop in the proverbial bucket compared with what's left, but it felt so good. And I take pride in knowing that one area of that flower bed, the one that looked all green and lush with weeds, is now bare and ready for some more little weeds to sprout. God made weeds to bless and curse me.

Today Ben and I picked out some fun seeds to try this summer. Last year I planted some birdhouse gourds on the back fence. They grew well, and all summer it looked green and beautiful, with sparsely scattered fresh white flowers blooming in the early morning. I have yet to see if any of them will have dried properly, as I tried two different drying methods. But Ben and I found some new crazy looking gourd seeds today. They're called "dipper gourds" and they look like nature's version of a ladle(or later, after returning home, I realized they might also be seen as huge falic symbol--but keep your mind out of the gutter--they're ladles). We got a few other annual vines to try back on the fence. We'll see if we get any of them to grow. Our other fun purchase was Ben's choice: white pumpkins. I saw them last year and was tempted to get them, so it wasn't too hard for Ben to convince me they would be cool. He's excited to make a "ghost jack o'lantern" next fall.



I know, winter is still here. But all I can do is hope that Sunset City's groundhog was right predicting the weather on the 2nd. According to "Sam," we'll have spring in two more days. I'm ready. I have a few more buckets to fill.

here's to 2009

We spent a fun filled evening New Years Eve at the Messerly's. Their friends Kim and Cameron and their kids were there as well. We were surprised with a visit from the Domans who drove down from Oregon. We got to meet their baby, Lilly for the first time. She's a darling baby. The night was filled with Sushi, games, and a two year old that wouldn't stop eating or go to sleep. That's right Timmy kept up with his biggest brother, Noah, and made it all the way to midnight. Ben dropped off about 9pm.