Haircuts, Dance Recitals and Christmas!

Which one of these children does not want to have their picture taken?

I'm sure that all of you can relate with me when I say that I love the Christmas Season and everything that goes with it, but it sure does get EXTRA busy during this time of year. We have had a busy couple of weeks, hence the lack of blog time. Knock on wood, but we have finally got our kids back to being healthy. Since Thanksgiving it has been one thing or another. First it was the coughs that took over 2 weeks to disappear. Then it was sore throats and fevers. Needless to say I have bumped up the number of times that we use hand sanitizer.

A couple of weeks ago we decided it was time for Trey to get his first haircut! As he is my first boy, this was definitely a new experience having to cut hair this early in life. I don't think Bayley had her first haircut until she was 3 and Kendal was almost 3 when she had her first haircut. Let me just say, that it is much more difficult getting a 16 month old to understand what is going on during a haircut. I decided he might cooperate more fully if he had a tootsie pop...bad idea. As soon as the hair started falling, it was all over the tootsie pop and all in Trey's mouth. And I really don't think it help much at all, because he screamed the entire time anyway. He looks so grown up with his haircut. At 16 months, he is extremely busy and into everything. He has figured out the art of climbing and will scale anything he can. He has surpised me a couple of times when I have found him stuck on top of the kitchen table, at the top of the coffee table, or on top of the bathroom stool!

Last weekend Bayley was able to be in her first parade. She had just commented to me the week before that she loved watching parades, but when would she be able to be in a parade. Well, that night at swim practice her coach announced that the swim team would be in the local Christmas parade the next week. Bayley was so excited and so cute sitting on the small swim team float. After it was all said and done though, I think she likes watching a parade more than being in a parade.

Kendal's first dance recital was last night. Spencer and Leigh as well as Grandma and Grandpa "G" came in from Georgia to watch the girls in their Christmas Dance Recital. Kendal was absolutely adorable performing to "Rockin' Christmas". There was a lot of jumping around, swinging arms and a little dancing. Bayley performed to "White Christmas". She has come a long way in 3 years. She didn't miss a step. She looked so grown up and was so good. I am so proud of them both!

This week is Bayley's last week of school. We have a couple of more Christmas parties, Christmas cards to get out, and treats to make for the neighbors, so it should be another fun-filled week!

Memphis Marathon

This weekend was the culmination of 16 weeks of training and dedication to running. After running 5 days a week for the last 4 months, most of the running done at 5 a.m. in the morning, I ran my first 1/2 marathon on Saturday. I can now check that off my list of "Things I would like to try". I am not a natural long distance runner, so this was a bit of a challenge for me. However, I have grown a new appreciation for running longer distances and the fun you can have doing it. I probably would have never have run a 1/2 marathon if it hadn't been for Jan, one of my old basketball teammates at Morehead State. She invited myself and 2 other ex-teammates, Shawne and Crystal, to train with her for this run. We all met up on Friday night before the race and enjoyed catching up and talking about how "crazy" we were to run. The race itself was exciting. There were approximately 12,000 runners, some serious and some not so serious. The course took us through downtown Memphis which is filled with history and is actually very beautiful. I set my goal time to finish the race in under 2 hours and 20 minutes, but I would have loved to have finished in under 2 hours and 10 minutes. Ultimately, I finished in 2 hours and 11 minutes after pooping out the last 3 miles. I'm not going to lie...running the last 3 miles of the race was one of the hardest things I have ever done physically. It was tough and every part of my body hurt towards the end. At the finish line, I vowed to never run a 1/2 marathon again, but my friend Jan said just wait, tomorrow you will start planning for your next one. I have to say she was right...I am already contemplating training for another race this spring. I love being in shape and when you are running this much you can eat just about whatever you want...and I LOVE to eat! Jeff and the kids accompanied me to Memphis and spent most of the time at the hotel. Unfortunately the kids are still a little under the weather, so we weren't able to do as much as we would have liked in Memphis. However, after our visit we definitely will visit Memphis again and hopefully get to do a few more things!

Things I am Thankful For:

I definitely have a lot to be thankful for each and everyday, but I would like to highlight a few things that I am especially thankful for this Thanksgiving.

Family
This Thanksgiving we were able to spend most of the week with the Griffeth's. Wes, Lindsay and Nate flew in from Las Vegas and spent the night with us on Saturday. We all travelled to Marietta for church on Sunday and then we headed back here so that Bayley could complete two more days of school. Tuesday the Griffeth boys congregated here in Oxford, Alabama to play golf. It was an absolutely gorgeous day for golf and I think they all had a good time. Wednesday we headed to Marietta to spend the remainder of the week there. We took family pictures...which I am anxiously awaiting to see the results of so that I know if I have a Christmas Card picture or not. Thursday morning Jeff, my mom and I got up early and headed to the Gobble Jog in downtown Marietta. When we left the house it was pouring rain and pretty cold, which is the reason that the rest of the Griffeth clan did not join us for the race, but by the time the race began the weather cleared and we ran without rain. Jeff and I ran the 10K, a first for the both of us. It was a pretty hilly course and I didn't finish as well as I had hoped...I do not train on hills at all, however we all felt good about the run and enjoyed the race. I think I may make that an annual event. Friday was Black Friday, which is one of my favorite shopping days of the year. As you know there are tons of bargains and as most of you know I cannot resist a good deal. So my mom and I woke up at 4:30 a.m. and hit the stores with our list in hand. We did well and were home by 10 a.m.. Saturday we left Marietta early and headed back home. It is nice to have a couple of days to recuperate from a vacation. We had a great time and are so thankful for all of our family. Both Jeff and I have been blessed with great extended families as well as 3 awesome kids!

What Trey's Hair Looks Like after getting a blowpop stuck in it

Bayley reading a story with Aunt Lindsay

The Girls with cousin Nate

Bayley's Pilgrim Costume for School

The Griffeth Boys Golf Outing 2007

Health
I am so thankful for my health and the health of my family. The kids came down with colds last Wednesday and are still fighting the effects today. As I listened to Trey and Kendal repeatedly cough during their naps this afternoon, I thought about how thankful I am that every nap is not that way. I have to say that I am always thankful for our health, but I am especially thankful when one of us is sick.
The Gospel
I am so thankful that I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I am so thankful that I have the gospel in my life. I know that I am as happy as I am with my life because I continually try to live the teachings of the gospel. Despite my faults, I know that my Heavenly Father loves me. I am thankful for a latter day Prophet who leads and guides us today. I am thankful for the priesthood. I am thankful that I have a worthy priesthood holder in my home. I am thankful for the Relief Society and for the opportunity I have to serve in my calling.
Friends
As most of you know, Jeff and I have moved around quite a bit since we have been married. Each and every place we have lived, I have been blessed to find wonderful friends. It is always hard to move onto a new place and leave old friends behind, but it is also exciting to forge new relationships everywhere we go.
Computers
Finally, I am thankful for my computer and the internet. It has made my life so much easier in so many ways. I love the access to information, the ability to keep in touch with friends, and e-mail. What would we do without them? Wait, what did we do without them?? It is hard to believe that I wrote my first email in 1995 when I first went to college...I think I got onto the internet the first time that year as well. It is amazing how much has changed in the way of electronics and computers since then...I can only imagine what things will be like in another 12 years! WOW!

Growing Up!

Bayley wiggling her loose tooth
Bayley coming home from school and showing off her new toothless grin
Kendal showing off her face paint
Trey
Trey posing...yeah right, I just caught him as he was getting ready to jump up and run


Everyday I am reminded of how quickly time goes by. I really can't believe that Bayley is 6 years old, losing teeth, reading, old enough to hold real conversations with sometimes, and just altogether growing up way too fast. Yes, since our last report Bayley has lost another tooth...that makes 3 in total. She pulled out the second and third teeth on her own...a brave feat for any 6 year old. She looks so cute...I am hoping the other top tooth will exit before Christmas so that she has the "all I want for Christmas is my 2 front teeth" gap. Bayley has been keeping busy with swim and dance. I question her every couple of weeks to make sure that she is still enjoying both...and she is. We are trying our best to let her do the things that she want to do, but at the same time limit her on her activities so that she doesn't get too burned out at a young age. Somedays you just need to be able to come home and play and we do have a couple of those days built into our week. Both Kendal and Bayley participated in our Church Primary program last Sunday. Both had speaking parts and Bayley sang in a duet with another little girl. Grandma and Grandpa "G" as well as Grant, Alyssa and Olivia drove over so they could watch the girls in action. Both the girls did a superb job. Both memorized their parts and amazed me with how well they were able to perform. Just ask my mom, they don't get their stage presence from their mom...I was painfully shy as a child! It was so much fun to watch the girls sing their little hearts out, the songs that they have learned this last year in primary. I am so proud of them! Kendal is still our little firecracker. She is either really happy and loving or the opposite. Fortunately she is usually more of the good and less of the bad, but when she is bad you had better brace yourself. Trey is into everything. He is getting way to fast. As soon as he sees any type of opening to trouble, he will quickly take advantage. He loves to turn on any water faucet he can reach, read books, and pull out things from the kitchen cabinets. It is so fun watching him run around and explore the world! Jeff and I feel trully blessed to have three wonderful children! The kids as well as Jeff and I are excited about the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. It is going to be fun to spend the week with the Griffeth family in it's entirety. I'm sure I will have lots of pictures as well as activities to report in the coming week...stay tuned!

Halloween 2007

We had another fun Halloween. The kids loved dressing up and we had a great trick-or-treating experience this year. Our neighbor friend, Ginger, invited us to accompany her family and some of her friend's families trick-or-treating at one of the nicer neighborhoods in this area. We decided to take her up on it, because if you have seen where we live, our neighborhood is not the ideal trick-or-treating location. The houses are spread far apart and there really aren't any kids around. The neighborhood that we went to, was ideal for trick-or-treating. The houses were relatively close together, the neighborhood was shut down to car traffic, the houses were well-decorated, and oh yeah, the candy was great. We spent 2 hours trick-or-treating and the kids loved every minute of it. I was actually surprised how well that they did. We did prepare well...we made sure that they all had comfortable shoes and that Trey was locked down in a stroller. Halloween was definitely the highlight of our week, other than that it was business as usual. Kendal already started the dialog for what she wanted to be for Halloween next year and all of the funs things that we would get to do again. Here are a couple of pictures from Halloween Night!

Ghostwriter Contest Winner

We would like to proudly announce that Bayley recently came in second place in the elementary school division in our local newspaper's annual Ghostwriter Contest. And yes, there were real prizes...she won a $25 gift card to the mall! She is an aspiring writer with quite the imagination! We are so proud of her! Here is the story for your reading enjoyment!

SECOND PLACE, ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
A Ghost Goes to School
By Bayley Thornton
DeArmanville Elementary School, First Grade

Once upon a time, there was a little ghost named Todd. He was about to go to school, but he was a little afraid. So he asked his Dad for help.
He told his dad he was a little afraid of school and what it would be like. So his Dad told him what it was like.
"You will have a teacher, when you are good you will have a green light. When you have a red light you have to go to the principal who may call your mom or dad.
And so, school is a place you will do work for your teacher and us. You will bring it home in your book bag and we will see how well you have learned.
The third part of school is the behavior. To behave is something that your teacher expects from you. If you are kind to your friends than you have been very good."
So that is what school is like, his Dad said.
"But Dad, are there going to be any friends in my class?"
"I don't know," said his dad.
The first day of school Todd met his teacher, Mrs. Gallahar the ghost. She said today we are going to be learning about animals.
"I am going to give you an animal page to color on. Follow the directions on the top."
Todd quickly finished his work, and then Mrs. Gallahar said it was time to go to the rug. Then Todd went to Station One and his partners name was Kaleb. And they started on their work. The first thing that they had to do was get out their scissors and cut and cut. Then they had to glue the paper onto the correct places on the paper. Then they shared their stories with one another.
Todd's story was about a little mouse that went down a street to go to the bakery and then he got a cake and he brought it back to his wife who was having a baby. Kaleb's story went like this: One upon a time there was a boy named Jeopardy who went to the store to get some soup for a sick boy at home.
And they went to recess, and it was about 10 minutes. And then it was snack time…it was ice cream day. These were the choices fudge, drumsticks, dippin-dots, plain ice cream with a spoon, popsicles, and banana and strawberry ice cream.
Then they went back to class and watched the movie "Home on the Range."
Then it was time to go home. Todd told his father his first day of school was very good.

Halloween Warm-up

So, Halloween isn't really here yet, but as you all know there are many activities that lead up to the actual event. Bayley and Kendal love Halloween...they love ALL holidays, but they start talking about next year's Halloween in November and then the talk does not stop. Bayley decided she was going to be a Mermaidia Fairy, from the Barbie Fairytopia book and DVD. We got her costume last year and after trying in on throughout the year she was pleased with this costume. Well, after wearing it to the fall festival I assumed that would be her costume for Halloween. Then came the church Fall Festival celebration last night. The primary announced that there would be prizes for the best costumes, so Friday night Bayley decided that she didn't like the Fairy costume anymore and that she wanted to be a mummy. Well, after explaining to her that we did not have what she needed to be a mummy I helped her go through our dress-up stuff and we found a clown costume that looked pretty cute on her. She will tell you I forced her to wear it, but I did give her a choice...the fairy costume or the clown costume. Tell me you don't think she looked cute????

Kendal was a cute giraffe...she chose that costume over a pumpkin and bumble bee costume and Trey was a puppy dog. Even Jeff dressed up...the girls talked him into wearing the Frankenstien bolts over his cap. We had a great time at the festival where the kids played games like Donut on a string, the cake walk, and did a mummy craft.

Monday night for Family night the girls helped Jeff carve the pumpkin. They had a great time and I think the results were pretty good. In fact, we ended up winning the prize at the fall festival for the funniest pumpkin...the girls were excited.

An update on the week would not be complete without a running update. I ran 11 miles yesterday...I have reached the intense training weeks leading up to the 1/2 marathon in December. After mile 8 I was in pain...my hip flexors, knees and shins are not quite conditioned for that much running yet. Hopefully it will get better because it really wasn't that much fun. Only 5 more weeks until the big race though...I can see the end in sight!!!

A Weekly Wrap-Up

Bayley's serious pose
Kendal imitating Bayley's serious pose
Bayley loves to do a silly pose at the end

Last week was one of those weeks that at the end of it you had a great time but you sure are glad that it is over. We had some sort of activity every evening last week and sometimes two or three activities in an evening. Jeff and I are both very busy with our calling at church. He pretty much is single-handedly trying to run the scout program and young mens program at our church. He is doing a great job, but it takes a lot of planning and time to run those two organizations. I had a faith in god girl's activity on Wednesday night and my quarterly Home, Family and Personal Enrichment Night on Thursday night. Add in the girls regular activities of swimming and dancing as well as Bayley's fall festival at school and you have got one busy week. Fortunately everything went well and we had a great time getting everything done.

Fall Festival Hayride

One short experience I have got to share...last Monday we decided to go and get our flu shots. Bayley looks forward to shots so I don't worry about her. Kendal on the other hand threw a fit last time she had to get a shot, so we have been talking about her getting her flu shot for a couple of weeks now. We talked about how it hurts a little, that it feels like a pinch, but it is quick and is over really fast. In fact, I pinched her a couple of times telling her that that is how a shot will feel. So, after much talk she announced on Monday she was ready to get her shot. Not wanting to miss the opportunity we made our way to the doctor's office. As we walked in to get our shots you could tell that the nurse was dreading giving the shots to 3 small children. Trey and I decided to go first, while Bayley and Kendal sat in the hall with their dad. Trey sat on my lap and screamed when he was poked, but stopped as soon as the needle was out and didn't cry anymore after that. Bayley went next and took the shot like a pro and then finally it was Kendal's turn. You could see the terror on her face as she sat down, but you could also tell she was trying her hardest to be tough. So I started counting with her as a distraction and before we knew it the shot was over...she only winced when the needle went in but then she was fine. Not a tear! The nurses were extremely impressed by the show of toughness from the Thornton clan in getting their flu shots. I can only hope that everytime will be this easy.



Finally, I think Saturday was the last day of swimming for the season. The girls and Trey swam for about 30 minutes in the chilly water, but had a great time. This week we are supposed to have a cold front come through, so I think we are going to cover the pool sometime this week. Spring will not be here fast enough for the Thornton family!

Fall Break Fun!

When you have a child in school, life revolves around their school schedule. Our lives are definitely more routine when Bayley is in school, however, we love it when she has a break. This last week Bayley had fall break. I know that growing up we never had a whole week off for a break during the fall, but I actually think that it is pretty nice. The weather is still very nice and the kids can still enjoy a lot of outdoor activities. Bayley had big plans for this week and I have to say that we had a good time checking things off her list. Monday we decided to go to the park for a picnic, then after the park we went to the Anniston Museum of Science and Natural History...a local museum. The park was great...a little hot for October, and the museum was much better than I had anticipated. In fact, I would probably will go back. Currently they have a special exhibit, a T-Rex named Sue, so it was fun for the girls to see a dinosaur skeleton. On Tuesday, we headed to the local library to check out some books and Bayley was able to get her very own library card now that she is 6 years old. She was so excited and it was fun to listen to her give the librarian her information for her card. She is getting so grown up. Wednesday was our big outing for the week. We headed to Atlanta to see the World of Coke Museum and to go to the new Georgia Aquarium. The Coke Museum was nice, but the girls wanted to race through it. We had a nice lunch on the lawn of Centennial Park, then we met Alyssa, Erin, and Olivia to go to the Aquarium. The aquarium was very nice and the girls had a good time. Surprisingly, Kendal was our adventurous one wanting to touch all of the fish and sea animals, while Bayley was our chicken who would only touch the water. Usually it is the other way around. Thursday was my recovery day, so we stayed home most of the day and the girls played together and relaxed. Friday the girls had a fun day with the Dad. Jeff took them golfing in the morning and they went fishing in the afternoon. Everyday Kendal would ask if Bayley had to go to school that day and seemed very excited when I told her the Bayley could stay home that day. Kendal loves having her big sister around as much as the rest of us do. However, Bayley does love school and I do enjoy having a structured schedule. Last week was fun, but I wouldn't get very much done around the house if we did that every week.


Saturday was big day for us around here. Bayley had her first ever swim meet. We weren't sure what to expect as this was a first for all of us, but we knew that Bayley would do well. Grandpa G made the trip from Marietta to see Bayley compete. Bayley swam in the 25M Freestyle, 25M Backstroke and the 50M Freestyle. She competed well and finished 4th, 2nd, and 3rd in her races. For only starting serious practice 6 weeks ago she did great. She has realized that there is some room for improvement. There was one little 6 year old girl that was a monster in the water...she was fast. Hopefully we can keep Bayley motivated because she does have a great future in swimming if she wants.

Our Crazy Swimmer

Our Serious Swimmer

Bayley is in the far lane

Saturday was also a day of "firsts" for me. For the first time in my life I ran 9 miles. I think before that the longest I had ever ran was 7 miles at one time, so this was quite the accomplishment. After running on Saturday I feel like cardiovascularly I could finish a 1/2 marathon...physically I am still not there. My body wanted to quit on me at about mile 7....good thing I still have 1 1/2 months left to train. As the race gets closer I am getting excited...part of the excitement will come from not having to train, but that is how it is with any sport...the competitions are a lot more enjoyable than the practices.

Time Flies When You Are Having Fun!

The last couple of weeks have flown by. In the last couple of weeks we have been busy, but in a good way. Last weekend, we spent our Saturday supporting Jeff in his scout calling. The scouts were going canoeing at a nearby lake Saturday morning so Jeff invited us to come along. The girls were excited for the adventure. It was a beautiful day on Lake Wedowee, but canoeing was not what my girls had expected. First, Kendal who is the cautious one in our family, quickly realized how small and unstable a canoe is on a lake and after the launch you could here her screaming loud and clear. Jeff tried to see if she would calm down and realize it wasn't as bad as it seemed, but she was having none of it. After a quick trip, she quickly jumped out of the boat when they reached shore. Bayley really wanted to paddle herself, but as it was an extremely windy day and there where only two paddles in the boat this was not possible. So she was a little disappointed in the whole trip. She did enjoy jumping into the lake and swimming around for a bit, but that was the highlight for her. Maybe we will try canoeing again when they are a little bit older! Jeff had another activity with the young men that night, so that was pretty much our day. We did have visitors later in that evening, when Daryl, Jeff's Dad, and Terri dropped by on their way to Destin. It was nice to have them around for Sunday morning before they continued their trip. The kids LOVE visitors!

Bayley continues to love swim team and dance. Her first swim meet is this next Saturday, so she will be practicing a couple of extra days this week to gear up for the meet. She is very excited and I think will do very well! This week is her fall break from school, so we have a couple of fun activites planned. We plan on hitting a couple of museums, having a picnic in the park and maybe taking a day trip to Atlanta, but we will see. I think she will enjoy sleeping in and having very little schedule just as much as any of the activities.

Kendal is still Kendal. What can I say? She loves her dance, her babies, and most of the time loves to help around the house. She is definitely my big helper at this point. She loves to fold laundry, put away clothes, hang up clothes, help her daddy take out the garbages, and help take care of her little brother Trey. When she is good she is very very good, but when she is naughty she is very very naughty. There is very little middle ground. Fortunately she leans more towards the good rather than naughty.

Trey is feeling much better this week. He is completely over his cold and in to everything. It is so funny to watch this little guy march around the house. He is developing more personality every day. He definitely knows what he does and doesn't want and knows usually how to get it. Lately he has been a very picky eater. Suprisingly to me he likes baby food better than table food at this point. He will eat fruit and drink milk all day long, but put macaroni, a sandwich, crackers, or just about any other table food and he won't have much to do with it. He is a funny boy!

My big news is that I ran a 5K this weekend with Jeff. Originally I was planning to run it alone, but Jeff decided in the last week that he would join me, even though he hasn't run in about 3 months. We found a 5K located close to my parents house in Marietta, and Saturday morning ran together. The race was not very well attended (there were probably only 40 runners), but Jeff and I had a good time. We stayed close most the of the race, but I ended up pulling away in the end. My time was 26:30, which was well below my goal of 28 minutes (the time in the picture is not our actual times). I was very excited! Plus, I finished 5th overall and Jeff finished 6th overall. It was funny...we received trophies for winning our age groups! Not too bad for our first race??? Anyway, I am beginning to see how running could become addictive. We spent our weekend in Marietta with Grandma and Grandpa "G" and Grant, Alyssa, Olivia, and Alyssa's sister Erin. Spencer and Leigh joined us this afternoon for dinner. The girls had been dying to see Olivia and for a visit to Marietta, so we had a great time. I can't believe another couple of weeks have flown by. I have to say my blogging has been negatively affected by my current reading obsession...The Twilight Series. I am on the second book New Moon and hope to finish the 3rd book by the end of the week, so I quit neglecting some of my other hobbies.