Alotta Snow!!!!

We were dumped on with a huge snowfall a few days ago so the kids and I took advantage of it and went out to shovel. The first thing Kennedy did was lay down in the snow and make snow angels, pictured here. It was cold, but we had fun! I am hoping we get more snow as it is so pretty when it is lightly falling (or falling heavily for that matter!)

Top Five Holiday Events for Christmas '07

1. The joy of the kids' faces when they open up their packages. I realize that it's not all about me anymore when it comes to Christmas. In fact, I could care less as to what I get. I'm so involved as to what the kids get and want to make sure that they enjoy every last moment, it's really rewarding seeing the joy on their faces.

2. Gift Wrapping! As much as that sounds strange, I truly enjoy to wrap gifts, and when it's Christmas time I wrap so many that it is so much fun to do! I also volunteer to wrap at the Hospice booth. My mom and I have been doing that since they helped my Grandpa Goose when he had terminal cancer... so it's been about 10 years now. This year, I even scheduled 2 nights for my co-workers to wrap, and they had so much fun, I'll schedule up a couple nights again next year and make it a tradition for McDonald School to do each year!

3. Our Annual Thompson Tree Hunt. Oh yes, we go out into the woods to find just the "perfect" tree. It's a hoot to get out there, bundle up, and try to find just the right one. Some years we are lucky, others we aren't. But, we are being environmentally friendly by recycling our tree each year after we are through with it and it's a great tradition to have with our family.

4. Spending time with family and friends. Need I say more?

5. Vacation. Again, more needed to be said here?

Grandpa Dave's Gift.....

A couple of weeks ago, my dad, (AKA - Grandpa Dave) sent an ENORMOUS package to our doorstep. Well, lo and behold, the reason it was so large was because there was a fairly good sized gift in there to Hayden. He waited patiently to open it, asking politely here and there if he can open it (days before Christmas I might add!) Then the moment arrived finally this morning when he could open it - it was the first one he grabbed after all of his Santa stuff was done! A remote control car was a big hit with him... he and Daddy put it together this morning with the batteries getting "juiced" up as we speak. Merry Christmas, everyone.

Disney On Ice

Wow, how could I forget to blog the ever-lovin', Disney on Ice weekend? Mom, the kids and I trekked up to Spokane to stay with one of my best friends, Jamie, and her two kids (her hubby was out of town). Anyway, the 7 of us went to Disney on Ice "Princess Wishes." It was so great! All of the kids enjoyed it, as well as the three of us adults. I think Hayden and Anders' favorite part was the dragon from Sleeping Beauty! Hayden sat back finally in his seat when it came out and was breathing real fire! Anyway, one of these days, we'll have to head to the real Disneyland, but for now, seeing Mickey and Minnie on ice was just as good for a 2 and 5 year old.

"Oh Christmas Tree..."

On Sunday we made our trek into the woods to find our beautiful (hopefully not a Charlie Brown) Christmas tree. The weather was wonderful and held off snowing until we were driving home. With all of the new regulations that the Potlatch Corp. put on going onto their land, we had to find a new spot to find just the right tree. Unfortunately, it was straight up a steep hill! I felt as though I was mountain climbing! LOL! Anyway, after trudging up the road, only to have to go back to get the chainsaw, I finally came back and started my climb. I made it all the way to the top where Hayden had found the PERFECT tree - Charlie Brown style. Oh boy, what does a mother do??? I mean, I do have my limits as far as the tree goes. So, Bryan and I started talking to him about finding a tree for his own room. That didn't cut it. (No pun intended). Not sure how it worked, but I had actually found a tree on my way up the hill... now I just needed to find it. Not sure if it was the exact one, but we cut it anyway. After all three trees were cut, we headed back down, built a campfire and roasted hot dogs. It was yet another successful Thompson Tree Hunt!

"We're off to find a Christmas Tree...."

and let's just hope we find one! Yep, that's right, the annual Thompson Tree hunt will be taking place this weekend. My parents and I had started this tradition with the Barnes' family, who are like my second family, and Bryan and I restarted the tradition years ago. I always expect to find one like you find in a tree farm, so I get a little picky... but we truly do find a beautiful tree and it's so fun to tromp around in the woods trying to find just the right one!

This year should be interesting as I'm not thinking there will be any snow on the ground due to the rain we had earlier this week. I'm hoping to have the tree up and decorated all by Wednesday of next week. The house is looking pretty with all of the decorations. I've got to admit I'm fairly impressed with my talents in decorating the outside. Bry's old sled is leaning up against our entryway... that thing has got to be at least 30 years old! Anyway, I'll post a picture of our adventure and let everyone know how we did.

Thanksgiving Feast

Thanksgiving came and went all too quickly. Luckily, I managed to not burn the turkey and all of my fixings came together nicely. Ok, with a couple exceptions.... I forgot to cook the asparagus and my gravy turned out to be like pudding....Oh well! What can ya do? Just smile and eat...

It was a relaxing day by all. Cards were played, movies were watched as well as football. The next day I ventured out into the craziness of the shopping frenzy. I could not believe the line at Walmart when I got there at 5. These people are insane. I must be one of them since I went there to shop as well, but I wasn't standing outside in the freezing cold for at least an hour... so that's gotta say something. I found some good deals and took care of business. Now I need to figure out what I have left to buy!

Fall Favorites

It's this time of year that it's so nice to start cuddling up in cozy, oversized sweaters and your favorite pair of jeans. The weather here in Moscow this year has been quite pleasant. I haven't had to whip out the winter jacket just yet. I think it's coming though! I thought I'd list a few of my "Fall Favorites."

1. Vanilla Chai lattes with a shot of espresso - yummy!
2. Did I mention oversized sweaters?
3. Cuddling up with your kids with a blanket, hot chocolate, and a good book!
4. Fall colors
5. It's getting closer to the shortest day of the year - which means they'll start getting longer! YEAH!
6. I finally find time to do those midnight scraps!
7. Holidays
8. Bry's home from his hunting weekends!
9. Have I mentioned sweaters?
10. I can't leave out slippers and sweats... I sometimes don't get out of them all weekend long!

Power Rangers to the Rescue!

Halloween this year in Moscow was fantastic! It was a clear night, there was no wind and it was actually decent weather. After taking Hayden and Kennedy trick-or-treating to Hayden's KPlus teacher's house and our day care lady's house, we headed home to take on the neighborhood!

The kids were gung ho to go house to house. Kennedy said every time we were finished with one house, "I want to still go trick-or-treating!" I also saw signs of me in her from my college days. She saw a group of people and started chanting, "We're going to a party! Party! Party!" Great. She better know that she can't get away with those, her father and I know all of the "white lies!"

Hayden was great as well. He was so into his costume, and was so cute helping his sister. Daddy adn I had to carry little blue around for a while, but for the most part, the Thompson's hit the neighborhood and carried back a sack full of candy for both kids! The best part of all, there seemed to be more children out in the neighborhood this year. It was friendly and fun... we even went to a neighborhood haunted house - it was perfect!

Oh Boy!

Ok, seriously. One would think that after 7 weeks of surgery, we'd be over the hump. I go downstairs yesterday morning to go let Chloe out for her morning "duty." I find that she was favoring her leg more than ever, not even putting any weight on it. Crap. I panic, go about and feed her, let her out and then directly call the vet. Let me just say this, she had never favored it before the surgery or after the surgery like she was doing yesterday. It was terrible. After finally being squeezed in down at PAWS, the vet took some fluid out of her knee (easily, I might add) and thinks it could be one of three things: An infection is in there, she's allergic to the steel posts they put in her knee during the surgery, or the whole thing has gone bad. Great....

Options one and two are great, I guess, but I'd rather not option three. Even option two isn't the greatest. I'm getting tired of having this "third child" in all honesty. Plus, I feel so bad that she and her brother are still separated when they were born together and the only time they've been apart is when we have to take either one to the vet... which is like an hour, not seven weeks~ More to come when I find out more.

A Chloe Update

Well... it's been 5.5 weeks now since Chloe had her surgery. That means 5.5 weeks of keeping she and Bubba separated, 5.5 weeks of keeping her downstairs with the baby gates up and 5.5 weeks of keeping her as mellow as possible. (That's hard work if you know how labs are!) Anyway, Chloe is doing quite well, and the healing is going slowly but surely. I'm sure that in a few weeks, we'll be able to reintroduce she and Bubba. Yet, with Chloe's shaved hind end, we'll probably have to keep them inside since it's going to be too cold for her bare behind! If she doesn't stop licking at one of her wounds, she'll be seeing one of those giant lampshades in the near future!

Red Barn Farms

Sunday was a beautiful fall day here on the Palouse. A local farm was having an "Octoberfest" celebration. I packed up the kids and headed out to Colton, WA. We had a fabulous time, picking pumpkins, getting faces painted and jumping in the air castle! It was a perfect outing. Hayden and Kennedy enjoyed the castle the most while I tried to get them to pose for a few pictures here and there. Luckily, they posed for a few shots among the pumpkins and against this beautiful little barn. Fall here on the Palouse is gorgeous. It is definitely a time where the kids know that Halloween is right around the corner!

Kinderbear.....

Hayden was so excited as he was walking through the doors at McDonald Elementary where he attends KPlus after his morning at Lena Whitmore. Why? He got to take home KINDERBEAR! This bear travels from house to house and spend time with each child. Today we are taking Kinderbear to the Vandal game and hope to take a pic of him with Joe Vandal. We'll see. I'll post that picture as soon as it's taken. Anyhow, Hayden's been taking care of Kinderbear and we are excited to report of his adventures with the Thompson's. Kinderbear and Hayden have been playing all morning. I'm about to pull out the "GAK" that they made in KPlus, but Kinderbear will have to watch from a distance as I can't afford for any to get on him! How devastating would that be?! Kinderbear and the kids are definitely having a good time this weekend!

I-D-A-H-O

Fall is in the air and you definitely know it by heading to the football games on the weekend! Yesterday mom and I took the kids to a tailgate party (is that appropriate to do?) for about 1/2 an hour before the game started. It felt good to walk through the crowd, see all of the Vandal Fans and wonder... how can they do this for every football game? But, I guess back in my college days, I'd be doing it weekend after weekend with my friends to cheer on those Vandals. Anyway, we were all dressed in our Vandal gear and cheered on the Vandals, unfortunately they lost. We also took in the volleyball game. Kennedy is terribly frightened of Joe Vandal! She'd cower into either mom or I and cover her eyes if he came near!!! It was pretty funny. We also had to coax Hayden so that we could get a pic of he and Joe. My kids are now thinking that they are pretty funny by saying, "I-D-A-H-O, Idaho, Idaho, Go! Go! Go (insert word!) Usually the word is chocolate, hair, rocks, whatever. Knowing that mom is cringing that they are defacing the fight song!!! It is pretty funny, to say the least. I think I've heard them say this at least 50 times and they are still gut rolling at themselves. Looking forward to Homecoming where friends seem to always gather together and cheer on the UI with whatever spirit they have. I'll have to make sure the kids know the song a bit better by then rather than cheering on chocolate or rocks!

UI Football Games....

There is just something about going into the Dome, wearing your black and gold. It's nice to have the community come together to yell your hearts out for the Vandals. Mom and I took the kids to the first home football game of the season today. We were all sporting our UI gear, and mom bought little megaphones for the kids to use that were even Vandal memorabilia. Kennedy was getting into the fight song, throwing her fist into the air and yelling each time the band played. Hayden was done by about half time, wanting to go home and play. We made it through to the end of the game, to see that first victory of the season. It felt good to win. BSU lost today, so here's hoping we'll start seeing more W's, and they'll start seeing more L's. GO VANDALS!

Returning "Home"

Finding a good daycare is a big deal to me. Finding one for most parents, is I guess. I received a call yesterday from our previous daycare lady who told me that she and her family are not going to move (the reason why we had to change). My heart sank. What do I do? We'd only been at the new daycare for a week, only to pull up this morning and Kennedy breaking into tears. Was it a sign? I tend to think so. Needless to say, after many tears, a knot in my stomach, and possible money gone that I cannot get back, we are returning "home." The three families who left our old daycare for the reason that she was moving are coming back. It was such a huge joy to bring my kids back into the familiar place, hear the laughter of the kids, and see their bodies relax. I followed my heart, brought over the pull-ups and headed straight to Deb's after I pulled my kids from the "new" one. Tears of joy filled my eyes as we walked back in, greeted by everyone and I just knew I had done the right thing. Now I can breathe a sigh of relief. We're home.

First day of school....

Little did I know how much of an impact the first day of school would have on me. As I anxiously awaited this day to greet my own new set of 23 students,

it dawned on me that Hayden was going to be venturing into his own "new territory." Kindergarten. We packed his Spiderman lunch box, put his school supplies in his backpack, filled out all the paperwork to send back to school today and we were ready! He was so excited, that yesterday he says to Kennedy, "Guess what, Kennedy, I get to go to Kindergarten tomorrow!!!" It was the cutest thing. Knowing Hayden was going to be riding the bus over to McDonald, where I teach, I sat in the teacher's lounge, barely able to eat my own lunch waiting for him to arrive on the bus. Which, by the way was one of the highlights of his day! The moment I saw him pull up, I lost it! My coworkers saw the tears in my eyes, and heard my choked up voice and they started tearing up as well, remembering those days when their children were just as small. Hayden greets me with a huge wave and smile as I walk out to meet him from the bus along with our principal, "Auntie Laurie." His territory was treaded upon, with courage and wonder. Anxious to go back tomorrow to play with his new friends!

Arizona pics!

I just finally received a CD from one of my best friends, Char. She got married in April in Arizona and I flew down there to help her celebrate for 5 days. It was such a good time. This pic is one of my favorites. We are hanging out the morning of her wedding, talking about Char's mom, memories, etc. Not to mention, we were drinking champagne. It was such a beautiful day and a wonderful time was had by all. The three in the picture with me are all from Arizona, with Char (the bride) being on the front left. The wedding, reception, and everything surrounding the wedding was just perfect!

Doggie Troubles....

For those of you who don't know, we have two adorable yellow labs, Bubba and Chloe. They are brother and sister, from the same litter and were given to me by my husband, Bryan as a surprise for Christmas one year.

Inching towards the 8 year mark, they are still as youthful as they were when they were puppies. Well, about a month ago, Hayden and I were throwing the ball back and forth while Chloe was chasing it. She started to limp after a while. She didn't whimper, whine, or anything. I thought maybe it was a hurt paw, no big deal. After about a month of on and off limping, Bryan and I finally decided we should do something. Long story short, she may have blown her miniscus (sp?) and it will require surgery to fix it. We've decided to go for it. After calling around for quotes, we have decided to take her to PAWS, a surgical center here for animals. They take payments - that was key for us right now - and we have her initial appointment tomorrow! Keep your fingers crossed all goes well and this is fixable!

The Kindergarten Chaos

Well, all summer long, we've been patiently waiting to see if Hayden will be "allowed" to go to school with me for Kindergarten. Being a teacher, it'd be so convenient to just drive to work and have him stay with me in my classroom before he heads to his own class. Unfortunately, he didn't make it "in." I always tell myself that things truly do happen for a reason. He was admitted to go to Lena Whitmore Elementary (my former school! :-) ) And then in the afternoon he'd ride the bus over to my school and do the K Plus program there.

Of course, I was shocked and disappointed, but when I found out that he will be at my old stomping ground, I realized that this may be a good thing. He wouldn't be known as the "teacher's kid." And he could see his cousins on a daily basis who attend Lena. Lena and McDonald are both great schools, so we are fortunate that he gets to be in both places this year. We'll see how it goes. I'm hoping I keep myself composed on the first day of school since I will have to go teach my own set of kids that day! More to come....

Kennedy's First Haircut!!

Well, we did it! Kennedy had her first official haircut and it looks fantastic! Big brother Hayden went first, to show Kennedy how to sit in the chair. So, when it was her turn, she sat there like a champ and the hair cut was a success! Of course, we saved a few snippets of her baby locks to put in her scrapbook and I took a ton of pictures. For some reason, she had her lower lip stuck out for a big chunk of the haircut. Not like a pouty look, but just because. She definitely looks like a big girl now! She had about 3.5 inches taken off. That's a lot of hair for a two year old! Now, on to getting her big girl room done!!!

The end of an era...

Little Tykes t-ball officially ended for Hayden. He'll move on next summer (if he wants to) to the official t-ball. I'll be sitting on the sidelines hoping that all goes well with our little athlete! The season was a success, with only one line drive to an opponent's eye. Luckily, it wasn't Hayden who hit the ball! Who knows? Kennedy may play it next year for it's for 3-5 year olds... you never know.

The kernel mishap...

Well, this weekend the kids and I drove up to CDA to watch Bryan play in a state softball tournament. On Friday, we got ready, packed up the car and headed out so we could spend some time with some close friends who we were staying with for the weekend. I thought I'd be a smart mom and pop some popcorn for the kids to take up to munch on along the way. Around Worley, Kennedy said something about her nose. I turned around to see what was going on, and she kept picking at one side. At that moment, the lightbulb went on. A kernel was in there. I abruptly pulled over, turned off the car and hurried to her side of the car. Sure enough, a kernel, left nostril. Thoughts were going through my head of an ER visit in CDA when we get into town to get this sucker dislodged. Luckily for me, I only tried to pick it out once, only to realize I was pushing it up a bit more. Hayden and I were trying to get her to blow out of that nostril... well, a two year old can't blow out of their noses yet, at least ours can't. So, she blew out of her mouth until she got red in the face. Finally, I managed to squeeze it out like a puzzle piece and immediately checked for more kernels around the carseat that she could get her hands onto. I only found a couple of kernel casings coming out of her nostrils that evening... all is well with the nose now.

School Shopping...

Our first official trip to go school shopping. It's a start and it'll be a tradition we hope to continue year after year. The family and I are heading up to Spokane to do some school shopping for Hayden before he starts the big kindergarten! (Of course, Kennedy will land some clothes as well!) Anyhow, we're planning on taking it easy, going down to Riverfront Park and feeding the geese. We can't miss out on the Merry-Go-Round that is there, of course! Spending the night at a hotel with swimming in order. It's going to be fun to go and gather some new things for the school year and spend time together as a family. Pictures will soon follow...

Going by fast...

It was been completely wonderful having dad, aka - Grandpa Dave here with us this week. The time has gone fast, but it's nice to not have to rush all conversations, trying to pack everything in. We've relaxed, finished up the swim lessons, hit 2 of Hayden's t-ball games, visited with old friends and we'll of course be going to the Farmer's Market in the morning. He has taken a load of pictures of the kids - I just need to get him to download them to me now! I believe the next time I see dad will be next April for the Kellogg family reunion in sunny Arizona although I wish it would be sooner. But the reunion - what an adventure that should be! 4 plane tickets, renting a car...oh boy, watch out!

Grandpa Dave is here!

Grandpa Dave came into town yesterday afternoon. The kids were excited as he rolled into town. In fact, Kennedy was so excited she couldn't go down for her nap until she got to see him! We've been busy playing, dad's been taking pictures and I'm sure that dad will need a vacation after his vacation in Idaho! Grandpa Dave is loving his visit and the kids have loved having him! Anyhow, more to come...

Daxter the fish...

Well, Daxter the fish made his way home today. I took the kids on some errands after our daily swim lessons. One stop was at the local pet store here in Moscow. I wasn't planning on bringing home a new pet, but that is exactly what we did! After asking the store clerk hundreds of questions, I decided to "take the plunge" so to speak. Beta fish are fairly easy (or at least that is what the clerk said!) and don't take a lot of care. I was thinking, "Whew!" for this is my first fish EVER! I had visions of the kids taking it out of it's bowl to pet it, showing it to their friends and so on. I also knew that this was the beginning of many toilet bowl funerals.

Hayden got the honor of picking out the fish. He wanted a red one, just like Lightning McQueen. So, the clerk picked out 5-6 healthy red ones for Hayden to choose from and Daxter was immediately named (I believe after a little one year old at daycare) and we brought him home with love and care. So far, he's enjoying his new surroundings and even greets us when we say hello!

Summer Heat Wave...

Ok, seriously, Moscow is never this hot for this long. This week it's going to be in the hundreds and we haven't even hit August yet, our usual hot month! Kids started swim lessons yesterday. I was a little skeptical having them be at the same time. One, because I would be in the water with Kennedy and two, because Hayden has never had swim lessons with out either Bry or I in the water with him. They are loving it! We'll be back next year, I'm sure. I'm just thankful the weather has been cooperating with us.

The Farmer's Market

Every Saturday from early May to mid-October the Moscow Farmer's Market goes on downtown. The kids and I enjoy venturing down there. Me, mainly to get my cheap and beautiful arrangement of fresh flowers. The kids, they await their fresh cinnamon rolls and to play on the play structure. This morning is no exception. Kennedy and I will go down and take on the crowds. We're hitting a few yardsales on our way to see if we can catch a couple of nice white pieces of furniture for her new "big girl" bedroom. Hayden is fishing today with daddy and Papa Rod on the St. Joe River, a beautiful place if you haven't been there. I'm off to get my fresh bouquet....

Just the beginning...

Well, this is a start, to say the least. Maybe something that will continue, and then again, maybe it won't. I wanted to begin this so that our out of town friends and family can read about the zany adventures of our life here in Idaho. Needless to say, it's peaceful, yet crazy all at the same time. I'm looking forward to this blog thing...and hoping that you and yours will enjoy my posts about my wonderful family!