New Year's Eve bowling

Fun times at the bowling alley.

Isaac and his buddy Matthew

Either people don't like to bowl on New Year's Eve,  or .......we beat the crowd.

We had the place to ourselves!

                       Michael bowling, but hating the camera........ one day you will be glad I did this!

                                          Zion

                                          (*Mike is doing a Zion imitation)

For Isaac's video check out the birthday blog here.


Happy New Year everyone!!!

more birthday prep.........

preparing for the birthday boy

On Thursday night, Mike took Michael and Zion to swimming and I stayed home with Isaac.  He is having a couple of friends over on Friday night to help him celebrate his birthday.

He has a hard time deciding what he wants to do, always.

And an even harder time getting it done.

But my crazy friend, Heather Hendrick, (who also has only boys) posted a blog at least a year ago about a book called, "The Dangerous Book for Boys"

And then, my mother in law bought it for my children.

So Isaac has decided that after they wake up and have breakfast on Saturday,
when he is the ripe old age of 11........
they will do some experiments.

I hope Heather and my MIL will enjoy seeing us on the news next week. 
We will be floating in Mike's sailboat with Guam burning in the background.  


This is the list of SUPPLIES I found
along with the Dangerous Book for Boys on the counter


safty goggles   (that's a red flag already isn't it?!)

gasoline

oil (any kind)

vinager

oil lotion  (I think this means baby oil for some reason)

flash paper

string

aluminum

any meatle avalible

steel wool

aluminum dust / sand

wax and baking soda

sulfer, charcoal and potassium nitrate

mentos and soda and dry ice

(how can my child spell potassium nitrate and not metal?)

ANYWAY.........stay tuned! 

Christmas Day

Mia Marie with her Christmas Candy Cane rawhide

Christmas Day was the day that I felt the most sick.

I got up and took these photos and stayed in the bed the rest of the day.

Thankfully, Sam and I had done loads of cooking the day before (well, okay, she did, I only cooked the "bird")   So the boys managed to stay alive on Christmas candy and cold ham. 

 

 

All the Christmas happenings!!

I have tried to keep the blog up since our move to Guam, but boy - I am seriously behind the power curve since the boys got out of school for Christmas.  The truth is, we haven't been super busy, but just super lazy.
That's okay right??

Of course, I do have the December Daily album on a different blog, called, "I Love Christmas!"

Here are a few posts to catch you up on the pre-Christmas activities.

Rota Walk photos here

more cookie photos here

A TON OF Christmas Eve photos here

Christmas photos coming tomorrow!

I promise!

COOKIES!!

The saying goes,

"A picture is worth 1000 words"

I hate that saying.

These pictures don't mean that much to you.

Christmas cookies.

Yeah........they are everywhere.

but for me, the memories that flood my mind are priceless.

You see, my mom gave me these cookie cutters., (well, the yellowish ones)

My mom and my Granny used to make TONS of Christmas cookies.

I am serious.........you can't imagine it.

I wish I had photos.

When I think back and try to remember the details, I guess I don't know them all.

But my guess is that my grandmother started in the early morning making sugar cookie dough to chill while my mom got us ready for school and out the door on the bus.  And I suppose that by the time we got off the bus at my Granny's house in the afternoon, that they had been NON-STOP rolling and cutting and baking for about seven hours. 

My grandparents had a long table that I think my grandfather built. 

They had five children, so it was a big table.........I think it sat at least 12.

The table would be FULL of cookies.  I think my Granny did most of the rolling and baking and my mom did the decorating.  She had all those special tips and such. 

There would be wreaths with green leaves and red cinnamon drops for the berries.

The horse above would have silver candy bells on his harness.

The Santa had a red hat, a white beard, and blue eyes.

I was telling Zion about all the cookies as we looked at the cutters.

He was all excited about the story and said he wish he could have been there.

So do I.

The one thing I would change about Navy life is the lack of time my children get with their grandparents.
I miss the big family gatherings and the multi-generational wisdom that comes from daily life with those who have already walked that road ahead of us.  I wish my kids best friends were their cousins, like mine were.


And I wish my mom was here to help with these cookies!

(mine need her special touch for SURE!)

Hard Rock Cafe'

Sometimes,

here in Guam

you want to feel like you are in America




So...........you drive to the village of Tumon

where the tourist go.



The difference is............

the tourist are Japanese.

But nonetheless, they have a lot of "American" things there.

Like Hard Rock Cafe'

We don't do this often........because the prices are for TOURIST too.

Family Night - ROBOTS

On family night last week, Mike declared it, "ROBOT NIGHT"

It was very entertaining.  (Michael hid in his room, and I have enough trouble walking around in general)

Christmas Blog

The Christmas Blog aka December Daily was inspired by Ali Edwards.......

a famous scrapbooker.  (well, she is famous to those who scrapbook anyway)

Sam said I needed to post the link to it........

So, here it is

It's really, NOT super exciting.

More of a journal for our family to go back and remember this Christmas,
in years to come.........even the little things that happen.

But hey,  if you are back in the states and snowed in somewhere with nothing better to do......

GO FOR IT!

As for us,  we are off to the pool! 

Merry Christmas!

BIG changes

I think I have mentioned that I take a while to process things from time to time.

It's tricky for me - cause I have things churning around in my head that I think about,
but I have this crazy idea that I need to figure it all out before I talk about it.

My friend, Heather Hendrick is great at putting her feelings right on out there..........
for the world to see
all raw and sometimes ugly
I think she's cool for doing it
I'm still too worried that someone will think I have lost my mind
(which is crazy, cause some people think that anyway)

SO...........usually, I have one good friend that I bounce things around with.
crazy thoughts
insane ideas
fits of rage
ugly, mean things
and then acceptance into the path that I am moving in

In San Diego, that person was my sista from another mista Angel Stoner

Angel would:
give advice if needed
tell me I was right, if needed
tell me I was wrong, if needed
or just listen

Since moving to Guam - poor Sam has got the ear-full
no transition time..........just WHAM!
this is where I am at
and it has NOT been pretty

The big change has been coming since the earthquake in Haiti on January 12th, 2010

I felt like I wasn't doing what I had been called to do

I have always had a passion and a heart for adoption

for children

I always thought that "one day" Mike and I might end up in Haiti with a big house full of extra kids

It made me furious to have to move to Guam -
because I was getting farther away from Haiti, where I was supposed to be.

Then I started this bible study (click to watch)

What if..........

my plan is not God's plan?

What if.........

he called me to do something,
and I didn't do it
because it wasn't in the right place according to my ideas?

What if.........

God wants Mike and I to care for children HERE
in Guam?

If you feel like you know what God wants you to do
but the details aren't working out
If you can't understand why it is taking so long
for everything to come together
I encourage you to order this Bible Study

Ask someone to do it with you
to hold you accountable
to ask you the hard questions
and then spend time in prayer

Mike and I are starting the paperwork to become foster parents here on Guam.
We ask for your prayers
Doing what God wants us to do
is not always easy
But it's always right

Please pray that we can show God's love,
in a real and practical way,
to a child (or children)
that need to feel his love so desperately

to children that have never been loved
in the way that God intended

Mia update

Here is Mia's nice dog bed

Here is Mia while Michael is at school

Smack talk is not taken lightly

Some of you may remember my post after the Padres season ended. 
Basically, I am a tomboy I guess.

I really, really, love sports.

Especially my Padres, and also, Auburn football.

I have found over the years as a Navy wife, that most women DO NOT share my love of sports.**
And that most men don't know what to do with it. 

Maybe they find it odd talking sports with a chick........I don't know.

But it somehow makes me a target for teasing.

I have such a love for my teams, that I don't take smack talk lightly.

It really annoys me - honestly, a lot.......and somehow, this makes the target bigger.

But I have satisfaction in Auburn's 13-0 record.........

and.........


these...........


photos..............

(authors note:  if you live in Guam and you recgonize this office - these photos can not be used against me.

and consider yourself warned if you want to SMACK TALK any DUCK mess.......I can get you)

WAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRR  EAGLE!!!!!!!!

footnote:

**There are exceptions to this rule of course.  A higher percentage of women from the south understand the love of college football.  And I had a good group of Padres loyals that were women in San Diego.

Swimmer update

We are so proud of Zion and his progress with swimming.
He is continuing to improve in a lot of ways.
His endurance is certainly greater.

He is swimming for 1 1/2 hours each Tuesday and Thursday.
When he started, he was so tired after swimming that he would be half asleep in the van before we got home.
Now he is swimming strong throughout the entire practice.

He is also improving on his kick and stroke / form.  

Michael is swimming also, (for exercise purposes between soccer seasons)

He doesn't love swimming, but he is pretty good at it.

Since most of the islanders are not very tall,

they look at Michael with wide-eyes and get excited about those long arms and legs.

It's funny to me, because Michael is so very "Eyeore" about the whole thing!

December Daily

Some of you may have read my Thanksgiving post last week here

and wondered about The December Daily
So, just click those words and it'll take you to the "get started" place.

For the Thornton's December Daily - visit by clicking here
Yeah, I know, it's not as SCRAPPY as Ali Edwards

It's a blog

But..........I hope to transfer the ideas and photos to a scrapbook,
(before I die)

I know the Christmas season is busy, so check in when you can.
and don't forget to jot down your own treasures this Christmas season.

Merry Christmas!!!

Just Shameless Bragging..........

Yesterday I posted two photos of my Christmas trees and gave a shout-out to my cousin who sent me photo tips for that Christmas glow. 

So.........I have to add, 
I have super, cool relatives!!

I mean, seriously........

Check out some of these photos
by my cousin Wes Craft, the photographer (*mentioned above)

And click this link
for my cousin, Amanda Duke Brown, the artist

and did I mention that another cousin, Scott Garrison
published a book recently?
Check it out here


Although I don't see my extended family often,
I love them all and I am so very proud of their accomplishments!

Last but not least.........we are all such a very good-looking bunch!  :)

Scott, the author

left - my mom's brother, Uncle Rod
Aunt Becky in pink
Amanda (artist)  and her hubby Chris
smack middle, Lydia
(this is an old picture, Lydia is married now with a new baby!)

left to right
Ben and Rachel
Reni and Ellis
(Rachel and Ellis are siblings and NEW parents)
This photo was taken last Christmas



My mom, (right) and her siblings
Aunt Ramona
Uncle Rod



more Christmas........

In San Diego, we had a two story house.

So.........I had a Christmas tree upstairs and one downstairs.

This year, they are side by side in the living room.

Am I crazy?

Some would say yes.

But.........the "white" tree is "MY" tree with matching ornaments and such.

And the tree with colored lights is the "BOY" tree with all their hand-made ornaments from their younger days. 

Both are very important, so I couldn't choice one over the other.  We decorated the boys tree last Monday.  Here are a few snapshots. 

The white tree

the boys' tree

(*special thanks to my photographer cousin, Wes Craft for the tips on capturing the GLOW of the Christmas tree!)