A Christmas Letter

Christmas 2009
Dear Family and Friends,

It’s hard to believe that another eventful year has passed us by. This year has once again been filled with many challenges and changes for our family. Through it all we have been extremely blessed and we feel extremely grateful as another Holiday Season approaches.

Jeff had a busy and eventful year with Pfizer. He survived a round of job layoffs, celebrated a great 2008 with a trip to St. Martin, and was promoted in August and now calls on specialists at the University of Alabama Birmingham. As a result of his promotion and imminent move, he was released from his calling as Branch President in October. He enjoyed a couple of weeks without a calling, but was just called as the Young Men’s President in our new ward and is very excited about working with the youth.

Alisha continues to follow Jeff wherever his jobs take him. However, she now readily admits that it gets harder and harder to move the more kids and stuff that we accumulate. Although she misses Oxford, she is looking forward to settling down in Birmingham. Between church callings (currently Relief Society Teacher), being a mom, and working out she stays happily busy!

Bayley had a very big year this year. By turning 8 she had the opportunity to be baptized and confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She was thrilled that her Grandma Nancy and Grandma and Grandpa Griffeth could be there for her special day. She continues to do well in school and has developed a true passion for reading. She enjoys cooking, especially sweets, and is a big help in the kitchen.

Kendal started kindergarten this year. She loves school and all of her friends at school. She does an excellent job writing and illustrating stories and brings a new one home just about everyday. This year she played T-ball, soccer and is now cheerleading. She is quite the competitor and definitely has a feisty side to her…I wonder where she gets it? She loves being a big sister and has a very tender heart.

Trey is an active 3 year old boy. He is slowly but surely becoming more aware of the differences between what’s boy and what’s girl…meaning less playtime with Barbie and more time playing with trucks and trains. He spent a lot of time in the water this summer and he is developing into a great swimmer. He LOVES his baby sister Adison and is actually really good with her.

Adison is the latest addition to the Thornton family. She was born September 25th, on her Grandpa “G”’s birthday, and was 7lbs. 3oz. and 20 inches long. She is a WONDERFUL baby. She is now 2 ½ months old and can brighten all of our days with her smile and sweet demeanor. We feel so blessed to have her here.

We hope that this holiday season is filled with joy and happiness for you and your family. For updates throughout the year check our blog at www.alishathornton.blogspot.com.

Love,

Jeff, Alisha, Bayley, Kendal, Trey, and Adison

Blogging Blues

So I have been a total slacker when it comes to updating the blog. We've had a lot happen in the last month, so I will quickly try to remember all that we've been up to. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with the Griffeth's in Marietta, Georgia. Everyone was able to make it this year, which always makes things fun and exciting. Having 8 kids under 8 in one house, makes for lots of noise and lots of action.

Bayley and Kendal have been busy at school. Bayley just finished her toothpick bridge building activity for her Enrichment program at school and the parents were invited to come and watch the bridges be tested as to how much weight they could hold before they broke. I believe that Bayley's bridge held over 6 pounds...pretty good for toothpicks. She loved the activity and was thrilled that her bridge pretty much stayed intact so that she could bring home her hard work. Kendal has started cheerleading. She has begged and begged for the opportunity to give it a try, so we thought we would let her get that ambition out of the way early in life. She will cheer her first game in January, so it will be interesting to see how she really likes just sitting on the sidelines and yelling, rather than being in the middle of the action.

Trey has also been busy. He loves his new story times at the library and finished up a round of swimming lessons in November.

Adison is growing up way too fast. She is such a sweet girl. We all love her so much and are so glad that she is here.

Jeff and I have so excited to have finished up our basement. It has been crazy moving in and then trying to finish the basement, but now that it is done we are thrilled with the way that it has turned out. The kids love their playroom and Jeff LOVES his new office and bathroom. We still have the storage room and garage to finish up, but once those two projects are complete I think we will really feel moved in.

I can't believe it is already Christmas week. Where has the month gone? Maybe tomorrow I will post our Xmas letter...no promises though. Just in case I don't get around to it...the Thornton's Wish You a Merry Christmas!

"Just a minute"

My life these days feels like a bunch of "just a minutes". So much so that I think that is all I say to my kiddos these days. A couple of weeks ago I was struggling getting Trey to do things when I asked him. In fact, I caught him saying "just a minute" mom whenever I asked him to do anything. It was shortly thereafter that I figured out where he got his new favorite phrase from...ME! It always seems like he asks for something right when I am either feeding or changing Adison. In which case my response is always "just a minute". More and more though it seems like I am saying "just a minute" whenever my kids ask for anything. I am always doing something and have many more somethings to do when they ask for things right now. Needless to say we are all working on our patience and on prioritizing what really is important in the moment.

Last Saturday we were able to go to the Birmingham Zoo with Jeff's work. The weather was perfect and we all had a great time. Here are a couple of pictures:
The Tiger was really sad that the glass kept him from "playing" with the kidsKendal's look will tell you exactly how she felt about feeding the birdsBayley also does not hide her feelings
Yesterday we spent the day at the Lake with Grandma "G". It was another absolutely gorgeous day, so we went down to the clubhouse at Chimney Cove and enjoyed the Wedowee Hospital Health Fair. We weren't sure what to expect, but the kids had a great time collecting free goodies and enjoying the free jump slide. The highlight for Bayley had to be winning 2 out of the 3 raffles that were held during the event. She won a small briefcase bag and a first aid kit. She was stoked and Kendal was dejected (life just isn't fair). Anyway, it was a fun day spent with Grandma G and a great get-away while Daddy was gone to New York.

Speaking of Jeff being in New York...a week and a half away is too long after you have had essentially 6 weeks of having him home all of the time. Needless to say we will be excited to get him home!

An Adison update:
She is now smiling all of the time! She has also really started to fill out. I can't believe she is already 7 weeks! Here are a few more pictures of our ever-changing little one!

Grandma Nancy's Visit and Halloween 2009

Wednesday afternoon Jeff's mom Nancy flew in to spend a couple of days with our family. We didn't tell the kids that she was coming so that they would be surprised when she got here. They were definitely suprised and very excited when they saw her standing at the bus stop when they got home from school. As always, Nancy was a real trooper. She let us drag her around to different activities and when she was home she played, played and played some more with the kids. The LOVED it!

Nancy with Trey who is sporting his storytime monster mask!

The last couple of days have been spent participating in various Halloween activites. We had Trunk-or-treat at church, a neighborhood halloween party, a play group party, the creepy carnival at the library and of course the actual Trick-or Treating. After Christmas and birthdays, Bayley said that Halloween is one of her favorite days of the year. She loves dressing up and she loves candy. Jeff weighed our candy from last night and we are now the owners of 9lbs of candy...WOW! Good thing there are dentists in the family, right?


Adison as a pumpkin

The kids dressed up as cats this year...the girls were black cats and Trey was a lion. Adison sported a flower costume to Trunk-or-treat, but hated her hat...it fell down over her eyes. Here are some pictures from the last couple of days:


Trey taking a nap on Halloween...you gotta love pumpkin earsAdison as a flower

Adison Turns 1 Month

Today is Adison's one month birthday. Hard to believe that it has already been a month. She is already changing way TOO fast. As of last Wednesday she weighed 8lbs. 7 oz. and was 21 1/2 inches long. She still loves to eat about every 3 hours and gets up either once or twice a night. She LOVES her pacifier and loves to cuddle up on your shoulder when she is comfortable. Her sisters and brother still love to help out with her any way that they can. She is a very loved little girl.

Today was our first day in our new ward. It is a HUGE ward with lots of kids! Our girls, who are not shy at all, loved their new classes and look forward to getting to know everyone. It was nice to have Jeff sit with us during church for the first time in 1 1/2 years. Here are a few pictures of the kids before church today...a tradition I hope to resume now that Jeff is around to help in the morning!

Pictures for our Peeps...Grandmas!

Here are some pictures of Adison, the kids decorating pumpkins and the view from our front porch Monday morning! Pictures keep Grandma's who live far away happy!

What a 3 weeks!

I can't believe that is has already been 3 weeks since Adison was born. Just a few things have happened since then....bought a house, packed a house, cleaned out a house, moved into a new house, unpacked a new house, and now continue to settle in. Fortunately, for the most part things have gone pretty smoothly. The absolute lifesaver in all of this, is that Jeff is off of work on paternity leave so he has been able to help every step of the way. The previous moves he hasn't been able to take off as much time, so I have definitely been spoiled this time around. Here is a quick update on what each member of our family has been up to:

Jeff: Off work for 5 weeks on paid paternity leave, helping his wife immensely, studying and preparing for his new job, serving as branch president until this Sunday, and starting work on our unfinished basement.

Alisha: Mother of 4, missing her old house and friends, excited about her new house and friends, and still adjusting!

Bayley: Loving her new school, sad to leave good friends in Oxford, loving having her own room in the new house, and definitely loves living in a BIG city!

Kendal: Loves her new school and the boys in her class, was sad to miss the last couple of soccer games in Oxford, excited about having her own room (not as much as Bayley), still loves helping with Adison any chance she gets.

Trey: Our neglected 3 year old, has spent way TOO MUCH time watching tv in the last 3 weeks, is ready to get out of the house and start doing normal things, and loves his little sister!

Adison: Is a great baby (thank goodness), is probably the most alert baby I have had, is very loved by her entire family, was blessed last Sunday, gaining weight and eating good, and her mom will do a better job of taking pictures now that things are settling down!

Welcome to The World Baby Girl!

Adison Thornton

September 25, 2009

8:10 a.m.

7 Lbs. 3 oz.

19 inches

Great delivery and so far so good on the recovery end. We are so excited to have her here healthy and beautiful!

No Explanation Needed

House Hunting is Fun?

So everytime that we have moved, I always go into the move looking forward to finding a new house. Should be easy, right? Especially in a large city like Birmingham? We have spent the last 4 or so weeks searching for the right house for our family. Birmingham is a great city with lots of great attributes and just like any other city there are places that you should and should not live based upon the needs of your family. For us the most important things were the schools, the house, and then the commute. We found some houses that would have worked, but they were either in the wrong schools or were a horrible commute. Finally last week we narrowed down our search to 2 areas of Birmingham that met the school and commute criteria, we just had to find the house. And WE DID! Finally after viewing what feels like a million houses we found one we really like and that meets all of our needs. Yeah! We hope to close by the 30th of this month and move by the second week of October.
By the way, 5 more days until I meet my little one! Can't wait!

Why Not??

As if life wasn't busy or crazy enough we have decided to really make things exciting around here for the next couple of months. Last month Jeff received a promotion with his company and as a result we are moving to Birmingham. I approach this move with mixed feelings because we have really enjoyed living in Oxford, our current location in Alabama. We have great friends, a great house, good schools, great branch, we are close to family, etc.....However, Jeff and I are very excited about his new job and the opportunities that will come with it. We have moved quite a few times in our 9 years of marriage and fortunately Birmingham is close enough that I feel that we won't such a dramatic move. So the last 2 weeks we have been SEARCHING the Birmingham area for homes. What sounded really exciting at first has become quite exhausting, however we do have a few good prospects. We are just having a hard time pulling the trigger. Hopefully by the end of the week....

Why the rush on finding a house? Because in only 17 days we will be adding another little one to our household. I am very excited and definitely READY physically to have her here. I still have a bit to do to have things in order here at home, but I need something to keep my busy over the next 2 1/2 weeks, right? If she is not here by the 25th of September, I have a scheduled induction that day, so I do know that the end is in sight! After she arrives, we plan on moving in the ensuing couple of weeks so that we can get Bayley and Kendal to their new schools as soon as possible. The kids are excited, but a bit nervous about the move. Bayley especially is now old enough to understand what starting over in a new place will entail.

So if my blogging is a bit sporadic over the next couple of months you now know why...

It's Great To Be 8!

A Bayley party would not be complete without a pinata

I can't believe my oldest turned 8 last week. Things have been a bit crazy around here as of late, however, we did have a great time celebrating her special day. She has been looking forward to turning 8 for a couple of years now. Not only did she get to choose to get baptized and confirmed a member of our church, but she also got to choose to have her ears pierced. In OUR family, the rule has been that our girls can choose to get their ears pierced when they reach the age of accountability, which for us is 8. Bayley and Kendal both have questioned us numerous times about why we have this rule and how unfair it is that they have had to wait. Despite their pleading and attempts at getting us to give in, we have held firm to the "wait til your 8 rule" and have now survived one daughter having her ears pierced.

The finished product

Bayley began her birthday with, what has come to be a tradition in our house, Lamar's donuts. Grandma Nancy surprised her by driving down from Indiana to be here for Bayley's birthday and baptism. So at Bayley's request, Grandma Nancy, Trey and I took one of Bayley's favorite treats, pumpkin chocolate cookies to share with her class. The cookies were a hit and after the snack we checked the girls out and headed to get Bayley's ears pierced. Bayley was worried about the pain that she might feel getting her ears pierced, but was willing to make that sacrifice.

Bracing for the worst

Fortunately for all of us, she barely felt it and didn't shed even one tear. That evening Bayley had a small birthday party, which was just fine with her mom, but a bit longer in length of time. She invited 3 girls from school and they had a great time, decorating cupcakes, swimming, opening presents, playing games, and eating. I think she had a great time.

The day after her birthday, Saturday August 22nd, was the day of her baptism. Grandma and Grandpa "G" joined us and we spent most of the afternoon relaxing and enjoying the pool. That evening was the actual baptism and afterwards we went to our favorite family restaurant, Chick-fil-A for dinner. It was a great day.

Proud Dad and Bayley

Sunday Bayley was confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and was able to have Grandma Nancy, Grandma G and Grandpa G there to support her. Bayley is such a special girl who more than most 8 year olds, truly appreciates the fact that she is now a confirmed member of the church.

I am so proud of my beautiful 8 year old and the decisions that she is making at this time in her life. Any one who knows Bayley knows just how sweet, smart and mature she is. She makes a great big sister, not only by what a great example she is, but also by how she is most of the time very willing to include her younger brother and sister in what she is doing. She loves school, riding her bike, dancing, swimming, reading, anything crafty, and cooking. Once again, I can't believe how quickly 8 years has passed and I can only imagine how another 8 will fly by....