Thornton News Report

Well, I have put off updating the blog long enough. It's not like we haven't had any news as of late, but for one reason or another I have not been as motivated as I should be to update the blog. I will do better.

I will start with Trey, our walking man. He is officially a walker. He is so cute! The first couple of weeks he would walk with his hand in the air to help with his balance, but as of this week he can now walk with his hands to his side. He loves the mobility that walking gives him. We have even put shoes on him a couple of time and he has done very well. Since I have rarely put socks or shoes on him this summer, he kind of looks at me funny when I put them on. Usually his big sister Kendal will help him out when we are at home and quickly takes of his shoes and socks for him...if you know Kendal you will really appreciate this because she never leaves her shoes on in the house or the car. His vocabulary continues to expand..he can now say Mama (his favorite word), Dada, ball, and night-night. It won't be long before we have another little chatter box running around.

Kendal has mastered her colors! We are so proud of her. This week we are beginning her letters. It should be an adventure. She has started her dance classes and loves it! She asks just about everyday if it is Thursday, the day of her dance class. Bayley has her dance classes on Tuesday and the first time that Bayley had her class, Kendal was sure that the teacher would let her in to dance to. She snuck away and came out all dressed up in her dance outfit ready to go. It was so cute, but pretty darn sad for her when she realized she really wasn't going to be able to dance on Tuesdays. Since that first class, she now appreciates that they each have their own classes a little more. She continues to be a big helper around the house and a toddler full of surprises. She is definitely our little fireball.

Bayley has enjoyed her first month of school. Her teacher lets her help out in the room, which Bayley really enjoys. It is hard for her to make friends at school because she is such a well-behaved child she rarely will talk unless asked to. She has made a couple of friends and I sure that number will grow as the school year progresses. She is enjoying her dance class and is looking forward to performing with her little sister in our upcoming Ward Talent Show, this upcoming September 22nd. The girls are going to do Bayley's dance team routine from last year, that Kendal pretty much had down pat after watching Bayley practice. It should be a lot of fun to see them on stage together.

Jeff is doing well at work. He tries to fit in golf every chance he gets. He does a wonderful job of including his kids in his love for golf. He will take the girls out with him to play a couple of holes. They love it! This last Saturday he and Bayley put together a lemonade stand out on the golf course to raise money for the American Heart Association. On one of the websites I frequent, there was a post with a link to the SunKist website where they were giving kids a lemonade stand if they would use it to raise money for a good cause. Jeff and Bayley decided to choose the American Heart Association as the cause and ended up collecting $87 in just under 2 hours. The girls had a great time and it will be fun sending in a check to a great cause.

As for me I continue to train for the half-marathon. I think I am doing pretty well, but you never know until you have run one if you have prepared enough. In the last 2 weeks I have received two new callings at church. I am now the Faith In God Girls activity leader and the Second Counselor in the Relief Society. I am once again in charge of Home, Family and Personal Enrichment, a calling I held in the Martin Ward for over 2 years. It will be a challenge, but both callings can be a lot of fun as well. Oh well, I enjoyed my 2 months as fourth Sunday Relief Society teacher.

Finally, I am excited to announce the arrival of two new Griffeth cousins, Nate and Olivia. We are so excited they are here and that both the babies and the mommies are doing great!