It's been a Brooklyn Birthday Week!

Our Mansfield Thiots

It's hard to believe that 14 years ago, on January 27, 2007 our Brooklyn Ann Thiot was born.  She is Ricky and Becky's first child and Dick and my first Grandchild.  She made us Grandparents on that day and what a happy day that was. We loved getting to celebrate with her and her family on Wednesday night.  She had it all planned out, dinner at the Olive Garden which she knows everyone loves.   

Her book that Dick and I had published for her arrived on Monday just as they said it would.  I alerted Becky who hid it away and even gift wrapped it for us to give to her on her birthday.  

I loved how happy she was to see her story in print.  It turned out to be sixty pages. Now that is amazing on it's own, but what it really amazing to me is that she typed the whole thing on her cell phone.  That is not easy or fast.  Go Brooklyn Go! Pierce suggested that we take one of the copies of the book and package it up and have it travel around the family.  I hope we can figure out how to make that work.  What fun that would be.  I love you Brooklyn!

Brooklyn also planned that for her 14th Birthday celebration she and her parents and sisters would take an over night stay at the Great Wolf Lodge.  Ricky said they had such a good time.

It was not very crowded on a Thursday evening and Friday and they had a blast.  They have always loved the great wolf lodge and haven't stopped howling since they got home!  FUN!!!

 Our Medford Granges

What a sweet face to see first thing in the morning.  Good Morning Mister Simon!

Tatia sent this photo on Thursday and said that Gracie had learned to climb.  Here are she and Simon in the Pantry.  Here are a couple of winning memes for the picture.  "Don't get the peas Gracie",  "The Colored fish are mine!, "if you had put the cheese-itz away where I told you to, they'd still be here1  They didn't just get up and walk away!"  Oh how we all enjoy these darling babies even from across the miles. 

Sister Green celebrated her birthday on her mission the the Granges hosted her for dinner.  It's okay to eat with the missionaries if you are outside, so they turned their garage into an outside dining room.  Everyone loves the sister Missionaries and the chinese sundae dinner was delish! 

Max has discovered the world of The Dragon Masters.  His first book report for the semester, he chose to make a poster about this book.  He has read seven of the series and would recommend them to any of us who are seeking a bit of adventure during this restricted COVID season of our lives.  I've got one on hold at the library.  I can't wait to read it.  

Miss Penny is continuing her search for a kitten.  This is her pick of the week.  A darling little Calico kitten named Misha.  I'll keep my fingers crossed that it works our for you Miss Penny! 

I love how Grace was all cozied up in her blankey auntie tootie made for her.  Such a sweet little angel! 

Our Folsom Thiots

Have you ever just had a wish to see and kick some snow?

That's what the Folsom Thiots were feeling on Saturday.  So what do you do when that happens? 

It's quite simple, you talk your parents into taking a road trip up to the mountains and see how far you have to go before you can find some. They had a fun time freezing their fanny's off!

To celebrate Brooklyn's birthday on Wednesday, Keelie baked the most delicious chocolatey, moist cupcakes she's every made.  What fun to celebrate your cousins birthday even across the country.  Cousins do make the very best friends! 

Our Orem Thiots

With 18 inches of new fresh snow at the ski resorts this week, Adelaide and Pierce had a great day on the sloops 

Adelaide had a snow board lesson to start off with and did great, then she couldn't as little bit of ski time too.  What a great, cold day they enjoyed together.  

Our Incredible Jackson opted to stay home and cozy instead of freezing up on the slopes. 

Good Night Jackson Boy! 

We Plano Thiots

Dick and Jake Taylor had a fun boys night out on Friday night.  Jake misses his dad so  much and he and his dad were fishermen together.  They loved to go to the Fish Shack in Plano and eat as much as they could fit into their stomachs.  So Friday night, Dick picked up Jake and they spent a couple of hours eating fish and telling fish stories to each other. Dick loved it and I hope Jake did too. 

I got to face time with Miss Elie a couple of days this week.  Sometimes she pretends to be a kitty and other days she is a puppy.  It was so fun to see her and we are so hoping that tomorrow she will be back on her schedule and be here with us during the day.  Skyler has had a lot of time to catch up on work projects and is surely looking forward to having Elinor this week.  

I love when Laurie sent me this picture from the cemetery.  She has already decorated Mom and Dad's grave for Valentines day.  Oh how we love and miss these two.  

In seminary this week, we had a guest presenter that Zoomed in with us.  His name is Craig Dalley and he lives in the Plano 5th Ward.  I often have thought that he is really a time traveler.  He is a history buff extraordinaire and loves to talk about Church History and the Prophet Joseph Smith.  Last Sunday I felt inspired to invite him to come to Seminary and teach us about the four different versions of the 1st Vision.  It was so great and if you'd like a copy of his lesson, I know an old Seminary teacher who would love to share it with you.  Let me know.  

Laurie was scanning a box of old photos mom had given her and came across this one that makes me smile. These are my dad's parents, Minnie Maude Whipple and Orval Edwin Birks.  Two of the greatest people I ever met.  I love  looking at this picture and in case you are wondering why I am not smiling it may be because it took my dad a very long time to take a picture.  He had a light meter and he wanted to be in just the perfect place so that photos would turn out just right.  It was nothing like today when you snap snap snap and then choose the perfect one.  He only took one usually and so it had to be the perfect one.  Often by the time he snapped, we had all had it from smiling so long.  I'm glad some members of my family are my cheery than me.  Lani looks like a fashion model and Jeffrey was about to run, Laurie was holding on tight to him.  I love that Lani is giving Grandpa Birks a hug on his shoulder.  Ric was looking very handsome too. What fun it is to see old photos.  I hope you've had a great week and are ready for a lovely Sabbath Day.  SLY Robynn

Our Thiot Times

 

Our Mansfield Thiots

There was no school on Monday in celebration of Martin Luther King Day.  They decided to take a family trip to Waco.  They went to Magnolia Farms and then to Baylor University, it's never to soon to start those college visits and then to the Dr Pepper plant.  They had a really good time and the girls especially enjoyed the dinosaur museum and the tornado lab where you could make your own tornado.  Pretty great all the way around.  It was fun to visit the one room school house and play school in there.  Harper loved running the bases at the ballpark and it was a great day to be together for the day.  Thank you Dr. King for letting us celebrate your birthday that way.  

Our Medford Granges

Tuesday was Oscars first face to face day in Kindergarten.  He gets to go two days a week for two hours each day.  He has sure been excited and the 2 hours did not disappoint.  He told Tatia when he got home that it was a really great day and that he didn't even miss his Mom.  Now I know that is just exactly what we all want for our kids, to be well adjusted and happy at school, but maybe he could have missed his mom just a tiny tiny bit.   Charlie has been in the mood for a guitar.  He's been asking his mom to make him a green guitar and as soon as it was finished, he was thrilled.  He turned right into a rock n roll star.  Oscar was way impressed and needed his mom to make him a blue guitar and now they are rock n roll brothers.  I loved it.  

Our Folsom Thiots

The Folsom Thiots had a nice fire in their back yard this weekend.  It was a fun way to have their Come Follow Me studies by the fire.  It's been a busy week there and Charlie and Ewan and Callum have enjoyed some story time in one of the Lucky books.  Charlie loved these books when he was their age and he's teaching them to love them too.  

Our Orem Thiots

This week was Adelaide's very first Activity Day Adventure.  The fun thing is that her mama is one of the Activity day leaders.  Their first activity was a Zoom activity where they each had a game they had downloaded and they got to play it together.  What fun that was to get to be with many of the girls her age.  She can hardly wait for the next activity.  Jackson has been enjoying preschool and is doing great.  Pierce and Stacy are busy and doing well.  They were looking forward to the big snow storm that they were predicting for the weekend.  So far all the snow was in the mountains and not much in their yard.  Utah is needing snow for the water supply.  Pray for Snow! 

Our Upstairs Thiot

It's been a lonesome week as Kara has been sick and kept Elinor home with her.  Skyler has been able to finish up a few projects with his extra time but we've sure missed that bubblie little girl here. Hope you girls feel better soon.  

We Plano Thiots

Dick and I had a fun evening on Thursday.  Brooklyn's Birthday is coming up this week and she has been writing a couple of chapter books.  She sent us a copy of her books in an e-mail and I got the fun idea of having it published into a book for her.  We tried so hard to be sneaky but when I asked her for a picture of the characters I think she figured me out.  One of the gals in my Life Story writers classes has written and self published a couple of books in the last few months.  I called and she gave me some tips on how to go about it.  We had fun formatting her book into the right size and Dick was most helpful in this process.  Then we found that Office Depot could publish it into a booklet.  They will mail it right to her home in time for her birthday we are hoping.  She's already called me telling me she as made a few changes, but this will be her first edition.  I hope it's something she will treasure and I'm sure it won't be her first.  She's got some great ideas in her mind.  Go Brookie Cookie! 

What a Week!

 Our Mansfield Thiots

I do believe that Mansfield received the most snow of all of us Texas Thiots.  Ricky had a grand time making snow angels in his swim suit and the girls loved having a bit of snow to play in.  It was all gone way to fast and no snow day was given for a day out of school.  That's ok, it was still loads of fun while it lasted.  Brooklyn has been working on her second book for the past few months.  She sent me a copy and we printed it out and read it this morning, Graypa and I.  We loved it.  It's quite a complicated plot and we do have a few questions that need some explaining but we are so proud of her for her great imagination and creative writing skills.  You are amazing Brooklyn.  Her birthday is just 10 days away.  It's hard to believe she will be 14 years old.  Way to go Brooklyn! 

Our Medford Granges

Thursday was the day the four big kidos went to the dentist to have their teeth cleaned and have the dentist check their smiles.  I'm very happy to report everyone did great.  Not one cavity among the whole tribe.  That's some mighty good brushing and flossing kidos.  Way to go!  The babies get to go  next time they go for their check ups.  Tatia said she will NOT take all SIX the same day.  Good idea.  School went well this week but they are all looking forward to Monday's holiday.  I have a dream Dr. King said, and having a school holiday for his birthday I just bet was one of his best dreams ever. 

Our Folsom Thiots

Grammy Grace's funeral couldn't have been nicer.  I loved that we were able to watch it from Plano Texas.  I felt like I really knew her after watching the funeral and listening to Jen and her Mother and her Aunt talk about all the great accomplishments in her life.  I'm so glad Charlie and Jen and all the kids could be there to celebrate her wonderful life.  What a great time they had at the beach together too.  They returned home late Monday night and then on Wednesday had an early birthday celebration for Callum's 10th Birthday.  It's hard to believe he has been in our family for 10 years.  We've loved every single day of having our very first grandson.  We love you Callum Jay!

Our Orem Thiots

It's been a very good week in Orem.  They've had a few trips up the canyon to grab some ski time and even got to see the sun going down on friday.  Adelaide is loving her new skills on the snowboard and Jackson keeps getting better and better at skiing.  Pierce and the kids have been working on his Lego room this week and oh my goodness, it's amazing.  He's got the trains set up and it's wow!!  As soon as I get photos, I will add them on.  hint hint.  

Our Upstairs Thiots

Cousin Pamela and her guys gave Skyler and Elinor a couple of passes to the Crayola exhibit at the mall this last week.  What a great time they had.  You could make and name your very own color crayon.  As you may have guessed, Elinor made a purple crayon and named it Elinor Purple.  She was so happy about it and they both had a great time there last Monday.  They were almost the only people there which is also a very good thing.  Like the Mansfield girls, Elie loved the Sunday snow storm too and loved catching snow flakes on her tongue just like Skyler.  We got some cool hooks and made spaces for her jackets and back packs to hang up.  It's so fun that she can reach the hooks.  One of Elie's most favorite things is to arrange the chairs by the stairs and put on shows.  She had a show for all of our dogs this week and of course the dogs loved watching her sing and dance.  We all loved it. 

We Plano Thiots

As we were driving on our cross country trip in November, we stopped at the mill to purchase some of the world famous Anasazi beans.  Let me tell you, they did not disappoint.  We made a crock pot full this week and oh my goodness our house smelled soooooo goood.  My sweet friend Gemie made us the most beautiful loaf of Sour Dough bread I have ever tasted.  It was delicious!  On January 18, 1827, our prophet Joseph Smith married Emma Hales.  Tomorrow marks the 194th wedding anniversary.  Since we are talking about it in seminary this week, I couldn't resist passing out a photo and some wedding cookies to my class.  I only made some doctrinal mastery cards for them to practice learning the doctrinal mastery scriptures.  Lots of printing, lots of cutting and punching holes.  Sky made the nifty covers for me. Thanks Sky!  I'm sure the kids will love them.  I loved making them! Saturday afternoon was the baptism for our dear friend Sarah Elisabeth.  She and Penny were born just a few weeks apart and were very good friends when they were little girls.  I loved getting to make a little baptism doll like my mom made for her little great granddaughters and now Tatia makes for them.  I tried to be brave a make one and Cousin Pammy cut the vinyl out for the little box to put her in.  It was fun to do and I think it turned out ok.  We were blessed to take a meal to Hopes Door last Tuesday night to feed the ladies and children who are staying there.  What a fun committee I had to serve with.  We called ourselves the Hope's Door Dinner Club and had a great time taking fried Chicken and Potato salad and rolls and lots of yummy fruit and Sister Faubert's famous brownies.  It was a hit!   I hope you've had a great week and that you are well and happy.  Sure love ya'll, Robynn