Our Gazette: christmas

As we welcome the season of Christmas we wanted to share some of our latest news:

Ross (4th grade) and Lydia (2nd grade) tell us they are enjoying these classes at our local public school: recess and lunch. Russell (3) has begun his long educational journey. He attends preschool 3 mornings per week. He and I both love that time!

I continue to speak about my book and counsel clients (on Wednesdays) while my fearless sister keeps our kids. Her girls are now in 11th and 8th grades at Caldwell Academy, where their Dad is the business administrator. Last year, they hosted Fre, an Ethiopian student and she has now been adopted into all of our hearts (see attached beach photo)!

We continue to be quite involved at our church. J.T. helps out on the finance team and we serve together (along with my sister and her husband) on the marriage team there. We are looking forward to our upcoming marriage conference, called Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage.

J.T. is happy and busy in his investment and financial planning work. He has completed several marathons this year. His dear parents are doing well. They remain in his hometown, Blacksburg, VA when not traveling the world for fishing, canoeing, garden tours and other adventures. This year, we welcomed our first niece on the Thomas side of the family. She was born to J.T.'s sister Anne Elise and her husband Phil Louer, who live in Bedford, Virginia. In July, our annual Thomas family reunion in central Alabama was extra-special. We joined with 140 cousins in celebrating the 100th Thomas family reunion (I've attached a photo of our branch of the family).

My parents retired a year ago and they are wondering where their free time went. They have been very kind to come and keep our kids while we have traveled to a conference or two (our first trip to the San Francisco area). They've also been busy helping out my brother and his wife who welcomed their second child and first daughter in March. They and my parents live in my hometown: Charleston, WV.

Photo of our first trip to the new Pie Works on New Garden Road.

Back by popular demand, here are some quotes from our kids:

Overheard snippet: Russell to Daddy "No I don't want to. YOU can go to bed." and later "No I don't want to. YOU can go potty... I went potty last weekend!"

Lydia (7) was bargaining with me about a crucial girly party she might miss due to a trip: "Mom, I'd want you to make it up to me like you did that time you took us out for ice cream. The trip (itself) won't work. Shoes would work."

Russell was the victim of a misunderstanding...
Russell said: I don't like this TV show.
Lydia said: Me neither.
Russell retorted: I not a 'mean-ie'! You a 'mean-ie'!

Russell refused to apply hand sanitizing gel. When I asked, "Why?" (thinking it might have hurt a previous cut) he corrected me, offering the real reason for his objection: "Because it makes my thumb taste bad!"

Russell (age 3) was thrilled with his first full-sized basketball (from the Bishops). He used it as his chair, moving it and plopping down wherever he wanted to sit. When Ross wanted to share the ball, Russell momentarily left the living room. He returned with a tennis ball which he handed to Ross, proclaiming, "That my ball. You use 'dis ball!"

One night while J.T. was away, I kept trying to herd all of the kids to bed. In the midst of the chaos, Russell kept insisting, "I want do a-thing else!!!" What did he mean??? Finally, I realized that I had told the kids to clean up because we weren't doing 'anything else' but going to bed!

Russell keeps pulling the mini drawers out of my desk but he can't fit them back in. In frustration, he left the room and headed downstairs. Since he rarely travels there alone, I asked what he was doing. This was Russell's reply: "I getting a screwdriver so I can fix that drawer." ......OK, then.

Russell: I just don't know what to get him for his birthday...
Jen: Who?
Russell: Jesus!

Love,
The Thomases