Fall 2

Well here it is November already. That happened fast. The last month has been busy and fun filled for us. It started with Kaitlyn getting a HUGE black eye. She and another girl ran into each other at a Parent's Night Out. She refused to let us put ice on it, and she still has a little spot on her cheek 4 weeks later. She was really good about it though. She just didn't think it was very pretty.

The kids were Buzz Lightyear, Jessie and Woody for Halloween this year. We attended the fall festival at Bryndan's school, a trunk or treat at a nearby church and went trick or treating in Nanna's neighborhood. They had a lot of fun, and we got WAY TOO MUCH candy. Especially since Bryndan only eats Reese's peanut butter cups.

Braxtyn is toddling all over the place and I have to make sure things are really picked up and put away. He even looks in the trash for things so I have to be careful that the lid is securely shut. He also puts things INTO the clothes hamper so I have to sort them out before they get in the wash. :)

I like this time of year because I like the cooler weather. It has been nice not to need the AC. Very nice on our budget. :)

Fall

Wow school and PDO have started, and it is finally cooling off. Things here at the Thomas house have been busy, busy, busy.

Bryndan is loving kindergarten. Everyday has been a "super" day. He likes his teachers, has made new friends and seems to be having an overall good time. I meet with his teacher and helpers for his ARD on the 13th and I am looking forward to hearing about his schedule, goals and plans for the next year. He seems so big now, and it just amazes me how far he has come in the last year or two.

Kaitlyn is a busy little bee and is also doing well. She likes to help with the shopping and enjoys playing outside in her kitchen. She is learning her letters and small words. We are dealing with the typical 3 year old obstinance, but other than that we are doing well with her. She has finally allowed me to start putting her hair up in a ponytail. It is getting so long now and it gets into everything. She most definitely does NOT want it cut.

Braxtyn is still not walking, but I think it is just because he doesn't want to, not because he can't. He started PDO on Thursdays and seems to be adjusting well to some time away from Mommy. He is generally a very happy and easygoing little guy.

I am still recovering from my back surgery. I am doing much better really, but still get quite tired and sore at times. I have started back in to the pool on Thursdays and hopefully will get to add more soon.

Shane is no longer with Coke, and right now is looking for a new job. This has been quite a stressful time for him and us. He had been with them since before we were married, and it is strange not to have the security we thought we had. Hopefully, he will find something quickly that fits our financial and family needs. We and others have been praying and we just have to believe that something will come to us soon.

It is crazy that it is almost October. The kids are looking forward to Halloween and fall festivals. I am looking forward to the cooler weather.

Braxtyn is ONE

My sweet baby boy BRAXTYN JOEL THOMAS turned one year old on the 4th. It all seems to have gone by so quickly. He is getting so big and is nearly walking. I keep thinking he will any day now. He has 4 teeth, and is eating mostly table food. He really doesn't like to be spoon fed anymore, but will condescend if it is applesauce or yogurt. We had cake and ice cream at my brother's house on the 3rd so that my Mom could be there. She fell off of our porch on the 31st of July and broke one ankle and sprained the other. She had surgery and they put in two plates and 9 screws to fix it. She will be staying at my sister's in Amarillo for a while and then will come back here for her follow-up appointment. The cake was made by my niece Pari, and she did a fabulous job!!! So cute. I told her we were going to have a Noah's ark theme, and she came up with the design for the cake all by herself. So proud of her and her talent!! Then on Braxtyn's actual birthday we had dinner with Shane's mom and then went to her house for cake and ice cream. We used the same cake, but we still didn't even get through half of it. My sister Carin and her husband John joined us for dessert and watched Braxtyn open his gifts. He got a Tigger movie, two new pairs of jammies, a gift card and a big boy carseat. Fun was had by all. Now we are just getting ready for school to start. 16 days and counting. :)

Summer Fun - Catching up

So after telling a few people we had a family blog, I remembered I hadn't really posted anything in a really LONG time. So much has been happening with our family, I have gotten behind in many projects.

Here we go...

Both Bryndan and Kaitlyn celebrated another birthday. I now have a big 5 year old boy, and a very vivacious 3 year old girl. They have been so much fun this year, learning new things, playing together better and big helpers with the baby. Braxtyn is growing like a weed, has a total of 4 teeth, and is almost walking. It is all going by so fast. Bryndan finished Pre-K in May, and is looking forward to kindergarten in the fall. We have already met his teacher, and believe this is going to be a great school year. Kaitlyn and Braxtyn will both be going to PDO on Thursdays this time and I am looking forward to a small amount of time each week for myself. Both Bryndan and Kaitlyn took swimming lessons for the 1st time in June.

In February I hurt my back, and after months of therapy, spinal shots for pain and such, I lost the feeling and mobility in my left foot. So on the 1st of June I had back surgery. I have had to really rely on the love and care of my family these last few months. To not be able to lift your own baby causes a lot a problems for a stay at home mom. My sister and her 5 daughters have been taking "shifts" with me and I am so very thankful for them and their work. I have now regained the feeling and movement in my foot, but the healing process for the nerve is a very long and painful road. My back itself is still somewhat painful, but it is funny how at this point my foot hurts worse.

We were very blessed to just attend New Life Ranch family camp in Oklahoma . It was wonderful to spend the time with each other and with other families in a fun, safe and christian environment. Shane and I learned SO MUCH, and since we had been praying for help in this area of our lives, it was amazing to say the least. The speaker was great and we will be working on "Winning, coaching and releasing the hearts of our children into a world that stands in need of their leadership." We want to raise our little ones into men of blessing and a woman of honor. I am so thankful to Shane for the father he is and the father he wants to become. I am truly blessed. The kids had a blast canoeing, swimming, riding ponies, playing games and watching fireworks. I have promised myself that next year I will tackle the zip line and archery. We had a counselor assigned to our family named Carole and she was a blessing to us as she helped us with whatever we needed. Since I had a rough time even walking around so much, she was especially a help to me and the baby as she took him to the nursery and back several times a day.

One the way home, we were able to eat and visit with some friends of mine from back in Utah days. It was so neat to see Steve and Shannon and their precious little Wrigley.

Now that we are home again, we are just resting up and trying to keep cool for the rest of the summer. Shane is back to work in full swing, and I am doing all of the camp laundry bit by bit. Should be done by next year.... ;)

Post Thanksgiving - Pre Christmas

Ok, so I have made my traditional template change for the holidays.

Thanksgiving was good this year. We went to Shane's Mom's and waited for him to get there after work. We ate really good food. The Cowboys and the Jazz won. The kids played and played and played.

We are going to my sister's (Diane in Amarillo) for Christmas, and all of my family is scheduled to be there. It will be one full house. I am looking forward to showing off the baby and seeing how much all of my nieces and nephews have grown. I am not going to panic about Christmas this year, but I am trying to do something memorable for the kids, since they are getting old enough to know what is going on. If anyone has any fun ideas, please comment and let me know.

Thanks!!! :)

Trunk or Treat

Our kids are now old enough to attend Kid's Club on Sunday nights at our church. This is a time for them to make friends and fellowship with kids their own age in a safe and fun place. This last Sunday they held a Trunk or Treat in the parking lot. They had to say their memory verse to get candy. They had so much fun, even though it got really cold all of a sudden. What a fun and happy time!!

2 months = Really Fast

Today I took Braxtyn to his 2 month checkup. It went really well and he checked out a-ok. He is now 12 lbs 2 oz and 22 inches long. So I am not imagining it, he really is growing like a weed. A really cute weed. Two months have really gone by too quickly. I have already had to "retire" 3 outfits and that part did make me tear up. He is such a good and easy going baby. He really puts up with being smothered by his siblings and hardly complains about anything at all. The last four nights, he slept for a block longer than 6 hours. That is a really wonderful thing. He has brought us all so much happiness and fun. I am so blessed to have a wonderful family who gets along and loves each other so much.

Not to make Bryndan and Kaitlyn feel left out, I will say that they are doing well right now too. Bryndan is excelling in school and has made many new friends. You can hardly tell he was delayed at all. Kaitlyn is also thriving and has made new friends at PDO and with some kids from the Mom's Group I meet with. She is becoming quite the social butterfly, and still maintains her own sense of girl style.