Blog Tag...

So I am learning that blogging is a lot more than just an update of what is going on in your life. I originally started my blog in June as a way of keeping in touch with my family. Before the blog, I would send weekly emails to grandparents, aunts and uncles, and friends with pictures and updates of what was going on in the Thornton household. I had pretty much been doing that since Bayley was born. I have since found out that blogging is also a great way to keep up with friends near and far, journal, and as I am learning it can be a way for individuals to reflect on the past, present and future. Today I was tagged by my friend Vanessa in a sort of "blog game". The game goes like this...once you are tagged you are supposed to list 7 random facts about yourself. After doing so, you are supposed to tag fellow bloggers who might read what you wrote. Those people are then supposed to do the same thing over again. Kind of like some of those tag emails that you all have seen before. I very rarely participate in the email version of this game, however, for some reason I feel a little more obligated this time around...could be because my name has been posted on somebody elses blog as being tagged (yes, Vanessa I am calling you out)! No really, Vanessa has turned into my blog "hero". She does an awesome job on her blog. She has a slide show, cool music, great posts which she regularly updates, as well as some really cool backgrounds. If you are ever blog hopping, her blog is a great one to check out! Anyway I had better get back to the game before the kids wake up from their naps.

7 Random Facts about Alisha:

1. I was painfully shy growing up. My mom will readily attest to this fact. I was so shy, that when we went for Kindergarten orientation, I refused to speak to my teacher and would only respond to questions by whispering the answers to my mother...I have come a long way since then, but I still am pretty introverted.

2. I have won an Internet sweepstakes. After reading an article about a woman who makes her living entering sweepstakes, I decided to give it a try. For about 1 week I would check out sweepstakes websites and enter about 20 sweepstakes per day. About 2 months later I received a package in the mail with random stuff in it that I knew I hadn't ordered...so after calling the number on the packing slip I found out I was the winner of an Internet sweepstakes and was now that proud owner of a poker set, book bag, highlighters, playing cards, t-shirt, and pens! Since then I will occasionally enter sweepstakes when I think about, but my luck hasn't struck twice!

3. Since Jeff and I have been married we have moved 7 times (in 7 years). That stat does include the 3 times that we moved during one year when Jeff was in the war with Iraq. But even if you don't count those moves, we have lived in 4 different states including Texas, Georgia, Kentucky and now Alabama.

4. Some of the famous people I have met include Michael Jordan (I rode an elevator with him in the Las Vegas Hilton), Dean Cain, David Beckham (even though I didn't know who he was when I met him...I just noticed the paparazzi and figured it must be someone famous so I asked for a picture and his autograph...I was very surprised to find out just how famous he was after returning home) and Steve Young....I could list more people but these men are the MOST famous people I have met.

5. I love a good deal! It is almost like a game/obsession for me...finding the best deal on ANY item.

6. I would love to travel to New York someday. I consider myself a pretty well-travelled person, but I still have not made a trip to the Northeast. Hopefully someday soon, my husband will win a great trip there!

7. I enjoy accounting, but as of right now I am considering going back to school to get my nursing degree (that is after my kids are all in school). Since that is a couple of years away and I know that a lot can change between now and then, it is only a thought at this moment. Keep reading the blog to see how this story plays out!

All right, I've completed my 7 random facts. I am now going to tag Corrie, Heidi, and Leigh! Good luck girls and I look forward to some great blog reading!

Why I love living in Alabama...

So this week has reminded me why I like living in the South. Short winters! This week we have had some cold weather, which has made getting out and about kind of miserable. I enjoy being able to take the kids out without having to pile on coats, without freezing in the car for the first 5 minutes of a ride, and without running from the car into stores because it is so cold outside. Yesterday we got a sprinkling of snow, which the girls were excited about. They really wanted to go outside and play in the snow, but by the time they got back from the movie with their Dad, the snow had all melted. I didn't feel too bad, since they have already seen snow this year when we went to Indiana for Christmas. As far as I am concerned a once a year sighting of snow is all we need! I enjoy the Southern winters, where you only need to wear a coat a couple of times a year. I enjoy being able to still play outside with the kids during the winter and I especially enjoy the mild winters when it comes time for me to go for my morning runs. It is hard to get all of your muscles to loosen up properly when it is below 32 degrees and you are trying to run. Nice weather...a great reason to live in Alabama!

As for our weekly update, it was a pretty typical week. The girls had dance, Bayley had swimming, Jeff had Scouts, and I had Relief Society activities. Friday night we did have a family activity night. Our local mall has Scooby Doo nights on Fridays during January, so we headed over there after Bayley's swim practice. We ate at our favorite restaurant, Chick-fil-a, and then the girls got to meet Scooby Doo and to jump in one of the blow-up bounce things! We had a good time! Saturday, the girls went with Jeff to clean the church building and then he took them to a matinee at the movies. The love spending time with their Dad! Who can blame them when he does such fun things with them?

Here are a few pictures from this week! Bayley had to decorate a snowman for a school project, so that is what she is holding in the first picture. She was so excited about how it turned out!

Bayley and Crafts

I think most of you that read this blog know just how crafty Bayley is. Well, this Christmas she received many gifts that allow her to use her creative abilities. One of her favorite gifts was a pottery wheel that her Grandma Nancy picked out for her. On her last day of Christmas vacation, which was this last Monday, I promised her that she would be able to give the pottery wheel a try. We decided to go outside to do this activity, because the wheel was pretty loud and Kendal and Trey were napping. I helped her set up the wheel and then I let her go after it. Bayley spent over 2 hours outside molding a small cup and a candle holder and she loved every minute of it! Sometimes I feel bad for Bayley that she doesn't have a more crafty mom. I will do crafts, but I am definitely not a natural. However, I have done my best to provide her lots of opportunities to explore her creativity. And fortunately for her she has Grandmas and aunts that are crafty and do a good job of keeping her busy and entertained whenever we visit.

We survived Bayley's first week back to school this year. It felt nice to be back into our routine. Saturday the kids and I headed to Marietta to see Grandma and Grandpa "G". It is so nice to be this close that we can just run over there for the day. The kids were excited to spend time with the grandparents and had a great time. Grandma "G" kept the girls busy baking cookies and doing crafts, and Grandpa tried to keep Trey out of trouble! We appreciate them giving up their Saturday so that we could spend time with them. We left Jeff at home because he had a young men's activity that took up the majority of the day on Saturday. I have a feeling that most of his Saturdays will now be devoted to the young men's program and scouts. He is enjoying it though...we will see how he feels about giving up his Saturdays when golf season rolls around. Anyway, he is doing a great job with the boys and I know he will have a great impact on their lives.

Hope you all have a great week! We are looking forward to another exciting one!

You've Got To Love Early Church

With the start of the new year, we have a new meeting time for our Branch. Church now starts at 9:00 a.m. rather than 12:30 p.m. As we are morning people who love our naps, this schedule is perfect for our family. Church went very well today and everyone, but Bayley who refuses to takes naps, took a nap. After naps, we played games, sang karaoke (one of our favorite Xmas gifts this year), and ate dinner. Kendal enjoyed her first day as a Sunbeam. We have talked about this day for the last month so that she would be excited to leave nursery and be in the big Primary. Bayley reported that she behaved well in Sharing Time and as far as we know she did well in her class. Trey is 17 months old today...don't think we aren't counting down the weeks until he can go to nursery. He does not do well sitting through 3 hours of meetings with adults, despite the constant snacks and a full bag of toys. He loves being in the middle of everything...you should try playing a game, singing karaoke, cooking, cleaning, or just about anything with him around...he thinks he should be able to participate and be right in the mix. Bayley has one more day off of school, then Tuesday we hit the ground running. We have a full schedule this week! Vacation was/is fun, but it will be nice to be back on schedule. Have a great week everyone!

Christmas Vacation and New Years!

The smile says it all!

Kendal dancing with Dixie!

Jordan, Bayley and Kendal showing off their Poptarts

The Thornton's sledding
Bayley showing off her missing tooth!
Trey enjoying tubing!
Grandma Nancy and Papaw Rick enjoying the kids!
Trey and Grandma Nancy 2007

As much as we enjoy travelling to see our families during the holidays, with 3 young kids it sometimes is exhausting. We had a great trip to Indiana this year for Christmas, however I think this year may be our last Christmas away from home. In the future I think we will either go the week before Christmas or the week after Christmas to see our families, but we will enjoy spending Christmas morning at our own home. We left December 21st to start our travels northward. We made a stop in Georgia to see the dentist (Uncle Spencer) and then spent the night with Spencer, Buddy, and Leigh. I am happy to report that we had no cavities (which is somewhat debateable, depending upon who you ask) and that everyone cooperated pretty well. The kids love spending time with Spencer and Leigh and we were treated to a great food and fun! We definitely look forward to our bi-annual cleanings and check-ups.





Saturday morning we continued our journey to Indiana. The kids travelled well and we got to Daryl's (Jeff's dad) house at about 5:30 p.m. After opening gifts and visiting for a couple of hourse, we headed to Nancy and Rick's (Jeff's mom and step-dad) house to spend the night. We decided to stay at one location for the entire vacation to minimize the packing and unpacking of the car. As a side note, being the thrifty family that we are we took Jeff's company car on this trip as opposed to our nice big van in order to save money on gas as well as to save our van from all the extra miles. Although we saved a lot of money, it did create some issues. We were very limited on room and were packed to the hilt. Knowing that this would be the case, both coming and going we wrote a note to Santa asking him to leave the majority of the kids presents here in Alabama. The kids were fine with this and actually looked forward to returning home to see what Santa had left them. Sunday we attended church in Indiana and then spent the rest of the day with Thornton's (Grandma and Grandpa Thornton, Daryl, Terri, Erin, Barry, Cheryl, and Kelly). We had a very enjoyable time and the kids loved their gifts! Christmas Eve we spent with the Scott's. We played games and had a nice relaxing day. Christmas morning the kids woke up early and found that Santa had managed to drop a couple of gifts in Indiana. That afternoon Nancy had the rest of the extended family over for soup and snacks. It was fun getting to see everyone again and enjoy their company. As if the kids hadn't opened enough presents, Christmas night Nancy and Rick gave the grandkids their presents. Once again the kids got some great gifts! Christmas night we played more games and Bayley pulled her Christmas tooth! Wednesday Rick and Nancy took us tubing. Their is a ski slope about 30 minutes from their house where they have manufactured snow for skiing, snowboarding and tubing. We did the tubing and it was a lot of fun. This was the first time I have been tubing where they had a moving carpet that your were able to ride to the top of the hill and lanes that you went down in on your tube. The kids loved it and for a minute we actually missed not having snow here in Alabama. Wednesday night we played a last round of Five Crowns, which everyone really enjoyed. Thursday morning we headed out early to make our trip home. Trey started running a fever on Wednesday, so we knew he wasn't feeling well. It didn't take long for us to realize how sick he felt....he threw-up in Louisville (about 1 hour into our trip). You should have seen the girls faces and heard them dry heaving at the sight of their brother throwing up. It was actually kind of funny. We quickly exited and did our best to clean the car seat and air our the car, before jumping back in for the remainder of our trip. By the end of the ride, Kendal had started running a fever as well, so needless to say we were glad to be home. The kids arrived home to see that Santa and dropped off a houseful of presents, which perked them up just enough before it was time for bed. By Friday night all of the kids were feeling sick and on Saturday morning I took Trey into the doctor where he tested positive for strep throat. The doctor kindly prescribed anitbiotics for all of the kids and we are on the road to recovery. Sunday we sent Jeff to church by himself again...we have missed more church this year because of being sick then we have in the last 3 years. I am hoping that the next 3 months of winter will be a bit more kind to us as far as the sick bugs go. We love being healthy!!





New Year's Eve the kids felt well enough for Grandma and Grandpa "G" to come and visit. The girls did crafts with Grandma, including building a fun gingerbread house. We played games and had a great time. We love having them so close. The headed home around 8 p.m., the kids headed to bed around then, and Jeff and I weren't too far behind. Sleep is much more important to Jeff and I, than ringing in the New Year.





As you can tell from this book of an entry we have had an exciting couple of weeks. Bayley still has another week off of school, so if the kids are feeling well enough we may try to do a couple of fun activities while she is out of school.