Christmas Vacation

Here are some of the fun things we have done while in Utah for Christmas break. We have had so much fun!


The three cousins, Zina, Ellie, and Kate making gingerbread houses at Marilyn's.


Jade, Josie, Zina, and Jake delivering Grandma's yummy Christmas bread to the neighbors. Lucky for us some of them weren't home. It was sooo yummy.


Wilson getting to know Uncle Luis.


The three little girls, Zina, Kate & Ellie on Christmas Eve in their new matching pajamas from Grandma.


The four (soon to be five with Wells and Emily's little guy in April) little boys in their matching pajamas from Grandma. From left to right Bo, Wade, & Lincoln with Wilson up top.

Same Age

Zina and Wilson at the same age - 4mths.

Graduation Time!

Mark and I graduated on Friday. It was a lot of fun. Mark was coveting the hoods that the faculty were wearing from obtaining Masters or Doctorates...so I guess that is the next goal. Either way we are finished with Rexburg. Who knows what will come next. So far Mark has three interviews with hopefully some more to come. Most of them are in February so we will keep everyone posted.

Surprise Surprise

So yesterday was a particularly trying day. I'm pretty sure Wilson heard me tell Lauri over the phone that he sleeps all the time and decided to prove me wrong. Either that or he really is teething - probably both. He wouldn't sleep longer than 20 minutes and when he was awake he was incredibly needy. Poor Zina got a little neglected. My neighbor called at 5:00 and invited us to dinner. Blessed day!! So when Mark came home at 6 I told him we were going to Suzannas at 6:30. He decided to run to the store for egg nog to take with us.... or so I thought. I told him he had better be back by 6:30 or else! He said we better not leave with out him or else! So at 7:00 I was getting really angry. He had taken a WHOLE hour to go to the store to get eggnog. We had been over to Suzannas for a while (she had seen us out on the frigid sidewalk wondering where our dad was) and she had suggested we go wait at our house so that he wouldn't be angry with us for not waiting for him. While we were at Susanna's I did wonder why it didn't smell like she had made any dinner but I was much to polite to ask. When Mark showed up Susanna laughed and said, "It's about time." Mark apologized and pulled out some take out food for Zee...what the??
He then blindfolded me, drove around in circles in the parking lot and guided me up and down stairs until I heard branches whispering in the breeze (or fans I should say) and waterfalls and smelled moist soil. He had somehow with all of his looming finals found time to smuggle a candle light dinner into the school greenhouses. It was really sweet. All the lights were off and there right between the banana tree and the waterfall was a little wrought iron table and 2 chairs with candles and dinner and a single red rose. Ahh, he can be romantic! It was a fabulous end to a rather hectic day. I don't think the school would have appreciated the real candles or the toque in the doors that were supposed to be locked, but I sure did. Thanks Mark for a great night out. I love you.


So sweet!

Just proving there really was a real banana tree growing real bananas.

Messy Play

Grandma gives us all kinds of fun ideas and Zina loves them all. Talk about a sensory experience!! The first one is shaving cream and as you can tell it usually gets a little out of hand. The second one is mixing colors. Zina likes to dump all of the water into one cup creating a lovely booger green color and then she stacks all the cups. We need to find something else to mix colors in because last time we did this the stack of cups tipped over and one of them broke. Oops.

Christmas Tree

We went on our traditional christmas tree getting expedition last week. We love our tree and had so much fun!!

To go or not to go?

Lots of things have been happening here lately. We are constantly working on Mark's secondary applications for medical school which consists of about 20 essays to write. We actually only have about 4 more schools to finish up (eight essays). Some big news for me is that I have decided to not go back to school in January. It was a huge decision. I took all the steps to go back: registered, petitioned for a special placement to do my student teaching - twice, received a department scholarship. Everything was really going perfect. Except that I felt horrible about everything. We did a little bit of searching and asking and I guess that the Lord knows my life better than me. I was a little sad to let go of that teaching degree, but at the same time I am excited to stay at home with my kids and know that they need me to nurture and love them right now. So all of this means that both Mark and I will be graduating on the 14th of December. How exciting!! He will graduate in Biology with a minor in Chemistry and I will graduate in University Studies with a minor in Elementary Education. Then what?? Well, we have few options. Utah, Rexburg, Alaska or Canada. Mark did say that maybe this would be a good time to make some Canadian money...(everyone in Canada cross your fingers). Let's hope that dollar stays good. :) And yes, we really did discuss going back to Alaska (I know I can hardly believe it either). We probably won't make any decisions until after Christmas, but we are excited to see where we are headed in the next eight months and then for the next 4 years!!

To Canada & Back

My quilt for Zina is finally done!! I took it to Canada and everyone helped to finish it. It has turned into quit a keepsake for Zina with Grandma, Aunty Attena, Charlotte, Great Grandma Williams, Keeler, & ZoBell all putting in time on it. Even Grandpa & Uncle Johnny stitched a few rows!! Oh ya, and I did too. :)



I had a to post a picture of Raven because pretty much the whole time Charlotte quilted she was THIS happy!!




Zina having a tea party with Grandma and Mom. Aunty Attena fixed her all up real pretty like.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Gobble gobble...

Coo Coo

Yesterday we were watching Mark's football game from the car. I had both kids up in the front with me playing and reading books. Mark's team fumbled the ball and I said, "Shoot." Zina promptly copied what I had said so then I said,"Boogaboogabooga...gobledygobledy." She looked at me, raised her eyebrows and said, "coo coo Mama."
What a little smarty pants!!!

HALLOWEEN

My little fairy princess! Zina loved her costume (minus the wings) and wore it ALL day long.

Wilson in his halloween duds. The Carlsons were here for a visit and so we checked out a cute little pumkin patch in Idaho Falls. It was our first pumpkin patch ever and we loved it.

Look at all those pumpkins!!!

Heidi and Wilson at the Carlsons halloween party. Yummy food, lots of friends, and FUN!

I think that Zina was sooo full of candy by this point that she opted to play with the bucket instead.

For Bere - Happy Halloween Everyone!!

Pumpkin Squares
1 2/3 c sugar
1 c oil
4 eggs (beaten lightly)
16 ounce can (2 c) pumpkin filling
2 t cinammon
1 t salt
1 t soda
2 c flour
Pour into greased cookie sheet
Cook 25-30 minutes @ 350 degrees
Let Cool. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Peanut Butter Blossoms
3/4 c butter softened
1/2 c peanut butter
1 c sugar
1/2 c packed br. sugar
1 tsp baking pwd
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 c flour
2 c rolled oats
1 pkg toffee bits
chocolate chips (optional)
Bake @ 375 degrees 8-10 minutes

I've been tagged - gag

Thanks a lot Heidi!! It has taken me a while to get around to this but now is my window of opportunity. Zina is asleep and Wilson is trying desperately (without success) to grab the glue stick that I stuck right in front of him. OK. Here it goes - 5 facts about Becca Thomas....

1. I grew up mucking out cow manure and rotten silage at the family farm. I even had the opportunity to skin a raccoon. Unfortunately my mom threw out the skin after I left it sitting in her deep freeze for 2 years. And yes - I miss the farm and shoveling cow poop - but not enough to move back.
2. My husband and I are cousins... IT'S TRUE! We named our first child after our common ancestor - Zina Diantha Huntington Young. Ok - before you freak out it's about 4 generations back and Mark comes through her first marriage to Henry Bailey Jacobs (I think) and I come through her second marriage to Brigham Young. Distant enough...right?
3. I AM CANADIAN. Yup, and proud of it. I refuse to put my hand on my heart during the American National anthem until I actually swear allegiance to the country. It drives Mark crazy. If you want to know how I feel just listen to the song by Paul Brandt "Alberta Bound."
4. I love to bake yummy things. Some of my favorites include: Sour cream blackberry pie, Sour cream brownies, pumpkin squares with cream cheese icing, spice cake with panuchi icing, Peanut butter blossoms with toffee bits - oops Zina's awake. better hurry...
5. I have two beatufiul children, Zina and Wilson whom I adore and a wonderful husband who I think is the sexiest man on earth...

Primary Presentation

We had our primary presentation yesterday. Except our primary consists of about 10 nursery age children
and maybe 1 or 2 in the class just older - sunbeams? Anyways, it was still pretty cute. Zina had a little
part and got up to the mike and said "My faith in Jesus Christ grows when I listen to the Holy Ghost." She
had the nursery leader promting her and she did SUCH a good job. She had a huge grin on her face after
and ran back to us to see if we were as proud of her as she was..which of course we were - I admit I
could have cried if I'd let myself. Ahh, the things our children do to us - because about 15 minutes
previous I was about ready to sell her to the Indians when she had a screaming fit during the sacrament
and dumped my water bottle out all over the floor. Memories memories.