Tanner Maxwell Thompson

We are so excited to welcome this new little grandson, Tanner Maxwell Thompson, into our family. He came into the world on July 6, 2010, weighing 8 lbs. and 5 oz., and measuring 21 inches long. Mother and son are both doing well and are home from the hospital as of today. Nathan was able to be there for the delivery, and Tanner's siblings are all happy to be able to hold him. Congratulations, Nathan and Sarah!

YEA!!!

The big news for the week is that Nathan made it safely back home to Germany and his family! We are so excited to know that he is back with Sarah and the kids! CONGRATULATIONS, NATHAN AND SARAH on a successful deployment and safe return! We are so happy for all of you! YEA!!!

What a Week!

Father's Day! It was a good day, but I, of course, forgot to take pictures. Trust me, it was a good day and Don was happy.

And then there was the rest of the week. Part of it was fun. We had friends over for a big night of sushi...yummy! Good food, good company, good night.





Morris kids with kool-aid mustaches eyeing the water melon.



And then there was this...a bad day for Jenn. Were just glad no one was badly hurt.


I've had the Saturn since it was new in 1993...sigh. Good-bye, little car!

What a week...

Scout Camp

Don had a great week with his scouts up near Flagstaff at Lake Mary. It was quite a bit cooler there, and Don enjoyed that, too.

He and his buddy, Rick, set up a big ol' tent. There was room for a couple of cots and a queen size mattress plus all of their ice chests and other things. Don also took our solar panel and battery so that he had lights and a couple of other luxuries; they were not exactly "roughing it".



All of the scouts from the stake were there, so some of the campfires were rather large...


...and some were small when it was only Don & Rick and their scouts.


Flag ceremonies happened every morning and evening, with various activities during the day.

This were several team-building games and problem-solving activities...

...with some creative solutions.

They had rifle shooting contests, log cutting contests...

and hatchet throwing contests.

They did a lot of rappelling and climbing, and canoe-ing and kayak-ing. But the most difficult activity was the day they hiked to the top of Mt. Humphries, the highest peak in Arizona. The air was thin and the wind was blowing 70-80 miles per hour.

It was quite an accomplishment. This was one of their views:

The boys had a great time! I'm glad to have a husband who is willing to give up his vacation time to go serve the boys and be an example to them of honorable manhood.

On The Mend

Sorry I haven't blogged for a while, but I haven't done anything worth talking about. Last week I sprained my ankle and have spent the last many days with my foot elevated, lots of ice, and an air cast. I started walking on it yesterday as the swelling is nearly gone. YEA!

Don is spending this week at camp with his boys scouts and having a great time. He'll be home soon. Before he left he bought food for me so that I wouldn't have to do anything this week other that lay on the couch with my foot up...such a sweetheart!

When life gets back to normal, I'll post some pictures. Hope you all are well.

Busy Two Weeks

We decided to get away for a week and go up to the land. We love it there because it allows us to slow down and regroup. We get plenty of rest, and the solitude is so peaceful. In terms of altitude, we are about 6000 feet above sea level. Even in the spring, the nights are a bit chilly; the days are warm, though. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and came home rested.

The land doesn't look like much during the day, but the sunsets are spectacular, and the stars are incredible! We took a small telescope and enjoyed gazing at the enormous sky. The creations of God are a wondrous thing and bring peace to the soul and perspective to life.

On the way home we shared ice cream cones with our very happy (and tired and dirty) dogs.

We've been gone every night since we got back. We enjoyed a neighborhood barbecue and a celebration of Austin Thies's graduation from law school. Here he is playing guitar and singing for everyone. (Actually there were about 30 people there, although it doesn't look like it from this picture.) Austin and Kayte are singing together in this picture.

I smile to remember that I taught Austin and Kayte to play guitar when they were in their early teens. I'm glad they still play and sing as adults. How quickly time goes by!

That's Not Santa In The Chimney!

This week we got a phone call from a family that thought there was something stuck in their chimney. When we climbed on their roof and looked down, this is what we saw:



Then we zoomed in on it, and this is what we saw:



When Don tried to coax the raccoon to get up, he noticed a litter of new-borns that the mama was keeping warm. They were just little fuzz balls that still had their eyes closed. Don estimated their age at less than a week old.

The owners of the house brought all of their children onto the roof to look at their visitors. Don explained that the little ones would die if we removed the mama, so the family decided to let them all stay until the babies get big enough to follow their mama out into the night to get food (about 3 months from now). We are SO glad they made that decision!

We'll go back some night in August when they are all out hunting and seal off the chimney with wire mesh. They'll have to find a new home then, but at least they will be big enough to do so. Until then, we are happy that they all get a chance to live.