Clearinghouse of Fun

Lots of fun things have happened in the past weeks that I've been wanting to blog about, but have somehow let pile up instead. So, I present to you the random events of Casa Thomsen! (Beware, long post ahead.)

First up - Bryce and Danielle take the baby out shootin'. I've never shot a gun before (hard to believe, right?), and Kelly & Jeremy agreed to take us. We drove out past Tooele and had our way with a couple of 22s. Who knew it could be so fun...and therapeutic?
Bryce completely enjoyed the off-roading experience. He had a gigantic smile the whole time he drove.
Cowboy up! Oops, forgot the cowboy hat. This construction hat will have to do.
This is got to be the funniest, but most horrible, photo of the bunch. I promise, the gun was not loaded.Cole enjoying his snowsuit. He had a great time, and didn't cry once. I admit it, something in me found this kinda hot. :)Surprisingly enough, I wasn't too bad of a shot. I even got a bulls eye. Thanks to Kelly & Jeremy - we had a great time!

Our book club was also able to meet this month, which was awesome. Tom & Stacey have a new little boy named Grey who is completely adorable. He's had a challenging start to life - he and Cole were born the same day (10/9), despite the fact Grey wasn't due until December 18th! I can tell they will be great friends. Watch out ladies!
Cole learned how to roll over...and take a ride on Mommy's shoulders!

I tried my hand at cake decorating. "Tried" being the operative word.

It's been a good month. Spring is just around the corner, and we can't wait. PS - if anybody has any advice on introducing solids, please let me know. I am in way over my head! :)

Cole's Big Adventure

You may have seen the ridiculous coverage of the gas leak at the University (must be a slow news day), but it provided quite the adventure for Cole. At about 12:30, they made the entire day care up at the U evacuate. Usually, they would go to the Field House across the street, but that was part of the evacuation too. So, they bundled all the babies up, loaded them into cribs, and rolled them down to East High School, which is about a mile away.

Cole slept the whole time.

It took them a little while to notify us, and so it was about 4:00 by the time we got there to pick him up. He got to sit in a dirty diaper and drink a cold bottle. What an adventure! Unfortunately, they had to get out of the day care so quickly, they weren't able to bring anything - even car seats. The area was still closed, so we were horrible, horrible parents and held Cole all the way home. Luckily, we made it home just fine, despite the evil looks other motorists were shooting me. I don't blame them. Britney Spears comes to mind...

Anyway, we're just happy everyone made it home okay. Plus, I got to leave work a whole hour early. Can't beat that!

Happy Birthday to You!

Happy Birthday to a fantastic husband, father, friend, and son! Bryce is turning the big 29 today, and I just wanted him to know how much I love him. Thanks for being my best friend and a wonderful father to Cole. Thank you also for being so forgiving when I do stupid things - like make plans on your birthday. (Yep, that's right. Worst wife of the year award right here.) To top it off, at our "birthday celebration" last night, I served a delicious dinner of muffins and eggs:

"Wrapped" your present in a Christmas bag. (And yes, those are paper towels, not tissue paper.)

And endeavored to get Cole's attention during the gift giving. (Nearly impossible when he's in his bouncy chair.)
On the other hand, I hope you enjoyed your "Dangerous Book for Boys" (trouble, I know), and signed Ute football.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRYCE - WE LOVE YOU!!!

Good Read

I'm reading this book right now called "You're a Good Mom (and your kids aren't so bad either)." Even though I'm not very far into it, it's been a good, light-hearted read, and I would recommend it. I find myself laughing and totally agreeing with some things in it. Here are some of my favorites:

"The number one thing you won't discover until it's too late - if he gets really low like a Marine on a training course, your baby can completely fit under the couch."

"I often grew impatient when my husband didn't whip up a bottle of formula or calm a crying kid down as fast or as well as I could. And by "grow impatient," I mean, of course, that I'd roll my eyes and emit a pained sigh like a thirteen-year-old who has to show Mom yet again how to log onto the Internet."

"And so I wonder: Do we focus too much on our kids because we're made to feel useless if we don't? We certainly agonize over missed milestones and even signs of genius in a way that never concerned our mothers. After all, there was no kindergarten readiness testing thirty years ago. Back then, it went like this:

"Are you five?"

"Yes."

"Then you're ready for kindergarten."

It never fails to amaze me at how children can be so different, but the experience in raising them is universal. At least we can laugh, right?

Twins?

Random thought: Bryce and I noticed an eerie similarity in our appearances over the weekend...

Not good.

It May Not Be The NY Times...

...but I'm still excited! I started a fitness program at work, and was interviewed about it by a reporter for the Chronicle (the U's Student paper). Here's the article - I'm just impressed the guy got my last name spelled correctly!