News from the Thompson's

I just thought I would post to our family that you should all set aside a day in July Nick and I will be getting sealed in the temple. We are shooting for July 2nd we will be having a dinner that night maybe at our home, not sure yet but I will keep you posted We would appreciate if you could all come and support us and spend sometime together.

Thank you and We hope to see you all soon Love you all Love Nick and Sarah.

I don't know what happened!

Hello family!
Keep smiling for it does make people wonder what you are up to. We love you all, Love Nana & Papa

Surprize! It's me

Hello family,
Seems like the good warm days are turning to the good cool days, and will soon be the good white days of winter. We have had a very busy year, and it seems like time is flying by so fast.
I haven't felt the best since our family campout, and hope that everyone else is doing better than me. The cold, allergy, cough that I had up camping got worse, and my right ear has been plugged since the 8th of september. I think it might be getting a tad better, after two different antibiodics. Then last wednesday, I was just at work hanging signs and when I bent over, my lower back compained about that move, and I have wondered if they would care if I brought a walker to work! I don't like this getting old stuff.
Brian and Kevin came up last friday and helped dad build his shed. It isn't done but it is looking so good. Brian and Melissa came up on Saturday, and Mel cut hair and Brian worked on the shed again with dad. I hope it wont tip over again!
Shelby Jo came up on friday and spent the weekend with us, and some of her friends. Her phone didn't get good service up here and there was a time that I thought the world had come to an end! but she survived. We sure do love her and are grateful that she would come spend some time with us. Ron took her home on Sunday, and I stayed home and let my back rest. Sometimes traveling in our car can really take a toll on my back.
We were very suprised to see Amber,Shane & Sesha up here today. Their little blue car is like a timex watch, for it keeps on ticking even after taking a licking! Sesha said she spent the weekend making mud pies. She is a jewel.
It is that time of the year to plan Christmas sleep under the tree party. It will be held, here in preston, the saturday after thanksgiving, November 28th. For our service we will be doing coats for tots. They can be any size, remembering that the teen agers would really rather have hoodies, than a parka. You can buy boots and gloves and hats as well. Lets give generously, for we are all blessed beyond measure! I will post more later about the party.
Well I hope this post finds everyone happy and healthy. love to you all. Nana

update

It is Papa Ron's birthday soon!! i hope you are all ready! please let me know if you will not be comming.also chester was put down he will be missed. we will be doing a craft for the children so if you want to bring an extra t shirt that is ok if gets stained or ruined. i will have a couple on hand and if you need a map let me know i can get one to you. love you all and hope to see you at the campout.

DAD'S BIRTHDAY

hey you ronald and lucy's children i sent out text but did not get answers from everyone. so ya SEPTEMBER 5 6 7!!!!! be at the party that is 106 days notice!! GET IT OFF WORK!!!! PUT IT ON CALENDARS MAKE IT A PRIORITY!!!!! please. we will be camping again minutes away from bearlake it will be free and cars will make it mine will i know yours will and if you dont want to take it up. there is a parking lot at the bottom. i will come get you in my truck. trailers are welcome. the meal plan is (to make it fair) friday BYO saturday breakfast BYO saturday lunch Amber and Kevin saturday dinner Brian and julie, sunday breakfast Emily and myself nick and i will do lunch sunday and sunday night mom and dad will cook dinner and we will have cake
!!!! monday will be laborday leftover day! nick and i will supply drinks, if you have any questions e mail me thompson_sarah_d@yahoo.com or call/ text what ever you can. mom and i talked and thought it would be nice and FUN to take turns starting with the youngest or what ever each year we take a turn picking a spot and planing and all that. it is dad's birthday lets make it a fun, relaxing, happy time and do this k please. i will send out e mails and letters closer to the date just know that i know you will all know now so BE THERE. love you all love your baby sis sarah!!!!

Emily thought I should tell you about the yarn all over the place.

It is amazing what 5 little ones can do with a skein of yarn. This started in our home in Riverdale and we would let the little ones take some yarn, and they would string it over and around any thing they could hook it to. Then they would take a blanket and throw over the top to make a tent.

One skein of yarn makes hours of fun. Clean up isn't bad, but in this case it took me weeks, not because it was a big mess, but it was a great memory.

Hello to All!
Now don't faint or pass out our anything, it is really me writing on my blog again. We have had a busy couple of months just like everyone else, but sometimes when you do the same thing over and over you wonder if you want anyone else to know just how boring you really are. Ron went in for a little knee scope surgery on the 4th of December. It went very well and after a couple of weeks on crutches, and a few more days he did go back to work. He had so much fun doing his left knee that on January 15th he went back and had them do a little knee scope surgery on his right knee. It has been two weeks and Ron is back to work. What a trouper!
We had our sleep under the tree party on December 13th and 14th, and it was fun.

I do miss the jammie pants I used to make, and some of the kids are requesting them again. We will have to see, but I do know we haven't taken a family photo for a couple of years, so we need to get back to the jammies. Christmas came and went and we did get to see most of the kids. The weather didn't always cooperate with travel!

January came and went so fast, and the groundhog has all ready seen his shadow, so we know we have 6 more weeks of winter. Hopefully February will be filled with much Joy!

hey all wow no one has posted for a while this is sarah and we are just getting ready to move TOMORROW!!!!!!!! YAY cant wait. also dad had surgery yesterday. poor man we love papa well i will have pictures later of the house and all the moving and that it will be so much fun if you need my address e mail me at thompson_sarah_d@yahoo.com and i will give it to you. but we are excited and i talked to grandma seamons the other day and she is doing good she has a great story of getting ready to do aunt Betty's temple work, made my eyes tear up it was awesome she is such a cute little woman. love her and mom i love her too. i am excited to be a little closer to her and we joke about shopping at stokes again nick and i will now shop there. well i must go love you all!!!

Hello Everyone,
This is the day before the day before Thanksgiving, and we have so much to be thankful for! We have a good family and everyone seems healthy and happy! That is good. We all are blessed with good jobs, and we are able to meet our obligations, and that is good. We all enjoy the convenience of phones so we can talk to each other, and that is good. We all have a roof over our heads, and cars to drive, and that is good too!
We have had a good month and warm weather! Ron and Kevin were able to put up some frame work on our shed, and it is looking so good, hopefully on Friday they may even be able to put up some trusses for the roof. We need to get some ply wood but not sure when. They want to go cut Christmas trees this weekend too. That is always a fun!
Emily has had the canning bug this year, and we have canned chicken and jam, and our latest adventure was potatoes. We had 100 pounds of potatoes that Emily got, and so Emily, Amy, Sarah and I spent all day Saturday putting potatoes in jars. Kevin and dad helped too, before they went out to build on the shed. 150 bottles later we were done. I know if you go on Amy's blog she tells the world that I stole her potato peeler, but honestly she lost her and was trying to put claim to mine. I know that they were here last summer and I didn't watch her good enough I guess for now mine is gone. So Saturday we went to the sale of the pans at the grade school and we bought some new peelers. I came home and marked mine right away so we know which one is mine! Good luck stealing this one!
Ron has started making the pies for the feast! He is such a good cook and I am so thankful for him. We have the turkey thawing and will be making rolls for all those left overs! Some of the kids will be here tomorrow night, and I can hardly wait.
Dad remembers going over to Denver one year for Thanksgiving to see his Aunt Joyce. He remembers a real bad snow storm, and that it was very ugly. They had to look out the side windows to see the lines on the road to make sure they were still driving where they should be. There were 10 children in Ron's family, and he was number 5. I think Ron must have helped do the cooking at home, and that is why he is such a good cook.
I remember the bread dough my mom would make in a big Tupperware, and how she would knead that dough and then we would watch for the lid to raise up, and then we would roll the dough out on the table and cut it with an empty tuna can. Then we would use a butter knife and make a small cut in the center of the circle, then take melted butter and with a brush put that butter on the dough circle and then fold the circle in half. Then put that roll in a pan that was greased with butter, and then when the pan was full, we would put more butter on top! Oh they were so good. We do that now and my family just loves them, especially my Emily's Matt. He has taken a lot of ribbing but he is such a good sport, and still comes for those special dinners. Sometimes we make a pan of rolls just for Matt. Love you Matt! I think their little Dylan will be a lot like his dad!
I also remember saving all the ends of bread and old rolls for a week or two before thanks giving so my mom could make dressing to stuff the turkey. I remember grinding that bread and celery and my mom dicing the onions for the dressing, but I don't make my own dressing, we just use stove top. Oh for the smells of Thanksgiving!
Well this is forever long, but I must mention the movie Twilight that a few of us girls went to.
It was a fun night and a good movie. Edward at first was very ugly, but his vampire ways make you fall in love with him at the end. I still think that Jacob is my favorite of the two!
May we all be a little more grateful for the many blessing we enjoy!

Here is a little picture I took of Mom and her friend Joy and Joy's family. They sure do laugh a lot! Love you Mom!

Saturday Mom and Dad came over and took some of our leaves... thank you... but after this weekends storm you can't even tell we did any work :[ We did have lots of fun!

we loaded a bunch of leaves in Dad's truck so they could work them into their garden.. I think when they got home they had WAY more than they bargained for!

We hope you all had a great Halloween and we are looking forward to all the hollidays and get togethers!

Breakfast Casserole

Breakfast Casserole
Prep Time:20 min
Total Time:1 hr 10 min
Makes:4 servings
What You Need

1 cup chopped green pepper
1 cup chopped red pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cups cholesterol-free egg product
1 cup fat-free milk
3/4 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Cheddar Cheese
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. black pepper
4 slices whole wheat bread, torn
Make It

SPRAY medium nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Add peppers and onion; cook on medium-high heat 4 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Place in large bowl. Add egg product, milk, cheese and seasonings; mix with wire whisk until well blended.
SPRAY 2-quart casserole with cooking spray. Place bread in prepared casserole. Cover evenly with egg product mixture, making sure all bread is coated.
BAKE at 350°F for 45 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean.


Breakfast Casserole
Morning Sausage and Veggie Strata
Prep Time:5 min
Total Time:40 min
Makes:6 servings
What You Need

6 slices wheat bread
1 pkg. (8 oz.) frozen BOCA Meatless Breakfast Patties
1-1/2 cups chopped fresh vegetables, such as zucchini, mushroom, broccoli, onion and/or bell pepper
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 cups (16 oz.) cholesterol-free egg product
1 cup fat-free milk
1 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese
Make It

PLACE bread slices in single layer in 13x9-inch baking pan sprayed with cooking spray. Top each bread slice with 1 breakfast patty; sprinkle with vegetables and Italian seasoning.
MIX egg product and milk with wire whisk until well blended; pour evenly over vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with cheese.
BAKE at 400°F for 30 to 35 minutes or until puffed and lightly browned.
Kraft Kitchens Tips

Substitute
Substitute 8 eggs, beaten, for the cholesterol-free egg product.
Quick & Easy Egg Casserole
Prep Time:10 min
Total Time:55 min
Makes:8 servings
What You Need

6 slices white bread, coarsely torn
1 lb. bulk sausage, cooked, drained
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
6 medium eggs
2 cups milk
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Make It

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 13x9-inch baking pan or oven-proof casserole. Place bread into bottom of pan; sprinkle with sausage and cheese.
BEAT eggs, milk, salt and pepper in medium bowl with wire whisk. Pour over bread mixture in pan.
BAKE 40 to 45 min. or until mixture is set in center and lightly browned.
Kraft Kitchens Tips

Size-Wise
Need an idea for brunch? This easy, savory casserole serves 8 people.
Substitute
Substitute 1 lb. of diced cooked ham for the cooked sausage.
Purchasing and Storing Eggs
Buy only refrigerated eggs with clean unbroken shells. Open carton and gently move each egg to make sure it is not stuck to the carton because of an unseen crack. Check the Sell-By Date on the carton. Store eggs in their original carton on an inside shelf of the refrigerator as soon as possible after purchasing. Avoid placing near foods with strong odors that can easily be absorbed. For
Bacon Breakfast Casserole
Prep Time:20 min
Total Time:2 hr 30 min
Makes:6 servings
What You Need

8 slices white bread, crusts trimmed, divided
8 slices OSCAR MAYER Bacon, crisply cooked, crumbled
1 can (4 oz.) sliced mushrooms, drained
2 green onions, sliced
1-1/2 cups KRAFT Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese
4 eggs
2 cups milk
Make It

PLACE 4 of the bread slices on bottom of greased 8-inch square baking dish; top with bacon, mushrooms, onions and cheese. Cover with remaining 4 bread slices.
BEAT eggs and milk with wire whisk until well blended; pour over bread; cover. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.
BAKE, uncovered, in preheated 350°F-oven for 1 hour or until center is set. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting to serve.
Kraft Kitchens Tips

Substitute
Prepare as directed, using KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese and fat-free milk.
Crowd-Pleasing Creamy Casserole
Prep Time:15 min
Total Time:2 hr
Makes:8 servings, about 1 cup each
What You Need

2 cups cubed ham
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed, drained
2 cups KRAFT Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 pkg. (6 oz.) seasoned croutons
4 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 cup MIRACLE WHIP Dressing
2 Tbsp. flour
2 tsp. dry mustard
2 tsp. dried basil leaves
Make It

MIX ham, broccoli, cheese and croutons; place in 13x9-inch baking dish.
BEAT eggs and milk in medium bowl with wire whisk until well blended. Add dressing, flour and seasonings; mix well. Pour over ham mixture; cover. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.
PREHEAT oven to 375°F. Bake, uncovered, 45 minutes or until center is set.
Kraft Kitchens Tips

Great Substitute
Prepare as directed, using MIRACLE WHIP Light Dressing.
Safe Food Handling
Refrigerate cooked, perishable foods as soon as possible within 2 hours after cooking. Discard food which has been left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

This is a picture of my dads barn from across the mighty Bear River. One of these days we will go to moms and the barnyard will be gone. We went down and got some old junky stuff from the barnyard before it goes away, and next year I hope to ad some of it to my yard. Some days I really miss my dad. His birthday was Sept 29, and there are alot of good memories from the old farm. Dad taught us all to work and work hard. He was a very honest man and he built the farm up with alot of hard work. He was a gentle man, spoke soft, but at the same time you really did not want to make him angry! He loved animals and he had a couple of dogs I remember. Tag and Skeeter. I remember him cutting hay with a tractor and a cutter bar. Back then we didn't have a swather. Tag was out in the field with him running around waiting for any birds to fly up out of the hay, but Tag got to close once and got his foot caught with the cutter bar. Dad took him to the vet and had his leg bandaged up. A few days went by and the foot started to smell bad, and Dad felt the bandage was on too tight so he decided to take the bandage off. I remember that as he did so, it hurt Tags leg and Tag put his mouth on dads arm, as if to bite him, but Tag never did clamp down on dads arm. I think Tag knew that dad was only doing what was best for him. Tags foot had started to rot, and after that he mostly ran on three legs, because his other leg was deformed. I had a really good dad.
Thanks Emily for showing me how to blog, and thanks Amber for getting this going and thanks to Julie, and Amy, and Sarah for adding your touches too!
We did have fun this weekend and it was good to see so many of you and to see the little ones again. How they have all grown! Amber drove up the other weekend for a couple of hours, and it was good to see her, we did miss seeing little Sesha though. It was good too on Wednesday night and Thursday to see Julie. Both Shane and Cody are just working, working, working!
Brian and Melissa came up and they have set a date for April. We are excited to have her join our family, and it was good to see Kevin, Amy and the girls. We got a bed for the spare bedroom, but Maddy and Brookie love to kick Papa Ron out of his bed. He is a good sport about it, and slept on the couch, because Kev and Amy had one bed and Sarah was in the other. Nick was suposed to come up Sat night but had truck trouble. Luckily it was just the fuel filter and not the fuel pump. We had home made chicken noodle soup, and rolls and cinnamon rolls for our lunch on sunday. I think everyone had a good time. I know we did. Thanks to you all again. Dad and I love you all so very much.

Check out my new skills...

I am rather proud of my son!! I might be obsessed, but all the same He is so cute!! We are doing well! Thank you Julie for taking some great pictures! It was so good to see you. As for the rest of you minus Amber it was great seeing you this past weekend! We SO need to get together more! All of us! Amber we missed you greatly!

Mom and I are going to juice some tomatoes!! YAY! We have turned into quite the caners this fall! I am rather proud of that accomplishment! I have never been very domestic, but I am SO grateful for Mom and Dad and their help. I also am feeling a small amount better about our food storage! I still know there is NO way it would feed a family for 2 years.. Not even one person for 2 months... but we are working on it! I really think we should all do 72 hour kits for Christmas. We NEED to get prepared!! Love you all, The Shumways!

Hello everyone! I must have A.D.D. because I can't get myself to stay on task at work so I thought I would post real quick and tell everyone that things are going great for Matt and I. Dylan is growing and getting SO big!! Mom and I have been canning chicken and making jam. I have to say I am rather proud of my new learnings and the chicken is great to have on hand! Thanks Mom and Dad for your help!

Hello all from West Valley.

Hope all is going well for everyone. Not much to report here. I have been doing some yard work but I have so much more to do. I want to get some bulbs in the ground before winter sets in. Can you believe that it is almost October.... I am getting excited for Halloween. I am going to start decorating my house on October 1st. This will be the first time since I have lived in West Valley that I will really be able to decorate since my landlord doesn't really care what kind of decorations that I put outside. I am excited about that.
Sesha is excited for Halloween too. She wants to go trick or treating as a princess. She isn't sure which one just a princess. So we have been looking at costumes for her but haven't decided on one yet.
Work is going good. We are almost to 4th quarter and that means lots of OT. That will really help with Christmas this year. Santa is starting to really cost allot and I am not sure that I like the idea of paying him so much money.... Well I guess that is what happens when ya have 5 kids and 3 of them TEENAGERS.... UGGGH.
Amy, congrats on your last purchase. I was watching them and they sold out at Walmart and Kmart down here in less than 4 hours. I can't believe that item is so in demand.
Well, as far as Christmas goes this year, I am not sure what everyone has planned. I know that I am going to be working every Sunday from Nov 15 until Feb 1. I would like to do a family to family gift exchange this year. This works best for us. I think we should have like a $50.00 limit and exchange the gifts at a family get together. If we want I can see if I can secure a condo up Park City or Snowbird to have a family get together. If this sounds like something that would work for everyone just let me know and if ya have an idea of a date that would work. Our Family is getting so big that it is hard to get everyone in one of our houses for a sleepover.
Well that is my two cents on the whole Christmas thing. I would like to get the whole family together on a Saturday or Sunday night to go up to Temple Square to see the lights this year. Let me know if this sounds like something everyone is up to.

I am going to close now since Sesha thinks that I need to count with her.
~Love, Amber

Hello to all from Idaho,
Dad is doing much better now and has gone back to work. He gets tired by the end of his work day and usually comes home and has a nap! We are just grateful that everything went so well and that he is back to work.
I am doing good too, and I get tired at the end of my work day too, but I don't have any reason! I sometimes take a nap too!
It was fun to go and watch Ty play soccor the other day, and then to hear that Brooklyn is riding a bike all by herself! wow! how time does fly.
With all the excitement we have not even thought about christmas, and we dont have any plans. I know that dad is looking into having his knees operated on and is just waiting for a return call from the Dr. Hopefully tomorrow. So I will put some thought into it, and if anyone else has any other suggestions then post them on the blog. Maybe with all of our heads together we can come up with a super duper party!
We went to my moms last saturday night for a cookout. The weather was very nice but the flies were so o o o o o bad, and then the smell from the pig farms was so o o o o o overwhelming that it was difficult to enjoy the food. So we went into the house and had a good laugh, if you can imagine me and Evelyn and Ann having a good laugh, and a good visit. They say to tell everyone hello. Julie, Evelyn got her letter about the races and you should see her talk about it. She is so veryexcited.
Best close for now. Our Love to you All. Love Nana and Papa

CHRISTMAS

Hey I know you all don't want to think about Christmas but I was wondering what we are planning for on the gift exchange this year. I would like to do families instead of individuals.

If we have decided let me know and if not maybe we better think about it as Christmas is getting close. :)

~Amber

The Beckstead Family

Hello all, I just wanted to say hello. It has been a while since I posted to the family blog. Things are going good here in West Valley. Shane is still busy at work. He is learning new things to help him do his job better. Austin is still working with him. Shelby and Jake are doing great in Northern Idaho. They are getting excited for Christmas. (Me too sortof). Sesha is growing big and she is really getting ready for Christmas. She still wants to put up the Christmas Tree. I am starting to run out of things to get her distracted. I am working nights now until after Christmas. It is okay. Allot less stress and Shane is finding out who's the real boss around here. It isn't him :).
Well there isn't much else going on so I am going to close for now.
~Amber

Happy Brithday Papa Ron!!

Hey everyone!! I just thought I would post the picture I took of Dad last night before he went in for his surgery! What a way to spend your birthday!!! Poor guy! It was good to spend time with him for a few moments! I was there when they brought him back!! I guess Dad was a "wild one" the nurses told Mom and me that he was on all 4's trying to get away!! LOL sorry for sharing that Dad!! But I HAD TO!!!! I talked to Dad this morning he is going stir crazy! He just wants to go home! I can't imagine Dad sitting still for very long! I hope he will relax enough to heal! He has been walking the halls. He told me he has been walking as far as his leash will let him! OH DAD!!! I love you so much!

Amber.. sorry about your luck! You will have to post the story!! We want all the juicy details! Now that Mom can relax I think she could maybe laugh at it too. Last night I think she was too uptight with Dad to be able to be okay with what was going on with you!!! I think it is hilarious!!!!! ... However if it was me I would have been VERY upset!!

Dylan is grumpy! He acted just fine getting his first tooth.. well we thought! He has not slept good the last couple nights! I'm guessing it is just his teeth! Poor little guy! He has started giving kisses! Well what we can call giving kisses! He just opens his mouth and presses it to our cheeks.. arms.. every where!! It is absolutely adorable! He has also been in love with JUMPING! He will not sit STILL he is always having to be jumping!! It will be a good thing I guess when his legs are so strong that he can dunk the basketball by the time he is 7! LOL

Matt has lost 2 straight games in Football.. but considers last night a win.. even if the score didn't. They played Pocatello. THEY ARE GOOOOOOD! Matt was super nervous, but said he could not have been prouder of the boys! They played right along with them, and played real well!! Good luck to the Varsity tonight! It should be a GREAT game.

One more thing on Dylan!! He is loving his new sitter. She is great! She has a little boy that is home all day and Dylan LOVES him! As soon as we get there Dylan is squealing and kicking and so excited!! I love it! I know she takes good care of him and I do appreciate it! I HATE leaving him.. so having someone good to leave him with makes it a little better!!

Love the Shumway Family!

hey guys that sux about grandpa ron i hope that he is ok. well jake and i r now in bonners ferry. we started school the second. i am having a good time at school i have been hanging out with Aspen and his older brother Jacob. well i miss you all and i love you
love shelby jo