So here are a couple of requested pictures.

1. The chandelier in the dining room.

2. The pilot. (Her name is Zoe.)

3. The double stroller. Liz, it needs a really good cleaning and it's missing some covering for the front bar. The paddings there but the material is gone. I'll email you the rest of the pics.

4. Ryleigh's big girl bed. (The foot board and head board.) An antique french twin bed. We got it from an antique dealer in Dallas. What color do you think it should be? The bottom 5 feet of her room is a deep chocolate brown and the top 3 feet is 18" diamonds in a medium rose and lighter rose. The ceiling is the palest pink.

As you can see, I'm in the middle of painting the hall way. Notice how judiciously I painted around the head board! : ) The kitchen looks the same.

The Mama's and The Papa's

So we attended a Gladys Knight concert on Saturday. WOW!!! She was fantastic, funny, inspirational, ... Her husband was there and spoke at one point, what a crack up!!! It was such a wonderful experience! She has a choir that goes from venue to venue called Saints Unified Voices. They are non-profit and boy do they have voices! They have a CD out called "One Voice" (I think that's the name). Anyway, I'm going to look for it. We had a wonderful dinner at Texas Roadhouse after. Amazing that after nearly 13 years, we still have things to talk about. We ate way too much and brought home yummy leftovers.

So here is what I'm doing right now... I am keeping a log of my eating and calories because I am not losing weight even though I work out at the gym three days a week (SERIOUS workout) and walk six days a week. My trainer says the only other reason I wouldn't be losing this weight is because of diet. By the way, even my trainer says that the weight I'm able to work with is impressive and I could definitely kick some serious @#$^%!!. So here's the rub ... I like food! On a cold, overcast day, there is nothing more comforting in the world as eating toast drizzled with honey in front of the fire. I like grilled cheese sandwiches and pickle spears for lunch. I LOVE Ceasar salads (which I have discovered are the worst salad to like because Ceasar dressing is the most calorie laden dressing around). There's nothing better than knowing your going to have a red face because you have a piled high plate of spaghetti in front of you, and you know what, I'll take the red face anytime rather than avoid spaghetti. I love the warmth of Mexican food resting in my gullet as it makes its leisurely way through my intestines. I love a honey glazed ham with a GIANT glob of applesauce and I wouldn't be a Flint (maiden name) if I didn't adore mashed potatoes (minus the gravy). I wouldn't be a Thompson if I didn't love Hawaiian Sweet Rolls.

When we have guests over, I look forward to planning the menus. I spend tons of time and enjoy every minute of it figuring out what to make and which recipes to try. Holiday meals are a splendid treat for me to organize. Although, with all our extended family out of state, the last several have been pretty standard and BORING!!!

So after seeing what I CAN eat and how long it takes to prepare, I'm inclined to think that being overweight isn't so bad after all. Don't freak out and get up on your high horse just yet, I'm not giving up ... I will try to contain my caloric intake to 1500 a day, but dang it ... This SUCKS! There is no joy in eating this way.

The Soon To Be Separted

It is official. The boys are splitting up! What can I say, two years is a long run at living together and they've had it. The judge and jury have set the date and this Saturday will be the first time at sleeping in their own abode. It's true, it's sad, it's tragic when something like this happens ... sniff, sniff ... NOT. Colbey was nearly panting when we told him Landon was moving into his own room. Landon asks 12 times each day when he gets to sleep in his own room. He doesn't quite understand that Saturday is still two days away. The computer is being moved into the piano niche, the piano is being moved to where the couch is and the couch will be dealt with after all the moving is done and over with. As for guests coming and visiting, we still have the top bunk in Colbey's room, the trundle under Landon's bed, a couch and two arm chairs. Shoot, bring on the whole extended family! We even have a ten man tent we can set up in the back yard!!!

Ryleigh's Shoes

Ryleigh has just found her newest favorite thing in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD! Our friend and neighbor, Jennifer, owns and operates Two Sisters And A Cat. Her inventory covers all sorts of yummy things for kids, and one of these fabulous offerings are shoes called Mooshu. Ryleigh just got a pair of hot pink high tops with leopard print on the toes and heels. The delightful thing about these shoes are the squeak pads in the heels. She has been dancing, running, jumping and anything else she can think of to revel in the gloriousness of the squeak! She even slept in them last night. I know most of you are wondering if I have gone crazy with the squeakies, but after the first hour of mental torment, I kind of stopped hearing them. What kind of mom would I be if I took away her most favorite thing just for some quiet? Anyway, she loves them!!!!

Combined Sunday Lesson

The essence of the lesson was on building the kind of relationship with your children that will make an environment of trust and comfort. We want them coming to us with their questions and concerns regarding the law of chastity. If we are not the ones informing them, someone else will be and the first introduction they get to sex is the one that sticks.

We need to build our children's self esteem. The better their self esteem, the less likely they will be to try titillating or thrill seeking activities.

The thing children want most is love and attention. If they don't receive that love and attention at home, they will get it somewhere else.

Ways of protecting our children:

1. PRAYER - ask for protection, for blindness from Satan's visual attacks, for deafness against his verbal attacks. Our children are being exposed earlier and earlier to moral issues at school and their innocence is being taken without them even being in a bad situation. They hear this talk in the hallways, in the locker rooms, and even in the classrooms.

2. Attend the temple. As we attend the temple, our families are blessed with added protection.

3. Reading scriptures. Our first counselor told us that unless he has read the scriptures that day, he has the rule that he cannot turn on the television or computer. I liked this rule so much, that we've incorporated it into our family. It makes sure that we get in our morning family reading. President Benson said, "Drink from the divine fountain [the scriptures and words of the prophets] and fill your lives with positive sources of power." ("The Law of Chastity," in Brigham Young University 1987-88 Devotional and Fireside Speeches, 53-54)

4. Regular family home evening. Take the opportunity to talk with your children about the situations that may present themselves to them when you are not around to protect them. If they already have a course of actions for protection, they will be less likely to fall victim and commit a sin.

5. Family dinner. Studies have shown that a family who eats dinner together nightly have children that do better in school and stay safer from worldly temptations such as drugs and sex.

6. Talk with your children. Review "For The Strength Of Youth" with your children even before they reach the age of 12. Each child's needs will be different, but it has become increasingly apparent that the need for the "Birds and Bees" conversation be conducted at a much younger age. Talk openly about it. Use correct verbage and don't put silly names to the bodies organs and operations. If you are not embarrassed by the conversation, your children won't be embarrassed by it. Talk to them about pornography and explain how damaging to their spirit it is. The more open you are about the subjects that come up in their lives, the more open they will be with you as they face each of them.

7. Be extremely mindful of what your children and even you are watching on television. You no longer need to wait until late night for excessively violent and sex oriented programs are shown. Guard your home against them by turning these programs off.

8. Move the computer into an open area where anyone can see what is being done on it.

9. Do not allow TVs, computers or stereos inside bedrooms. This equipment is best kept where all can view and hear the content. Be aware of the games they are playing on game systems and on computers. Also, limit the cell phone use. With today's technology, Satan's message is being sent to our children from all directions. Cell phones should be for emergency use, not as a tool for one child to send notes and pictures to another. There is no reason for this.

10. Be aware of what your children are reading. The availability of violent and sexual material is in our school libraries even as young as 5th and 6th grade. The written material can be just as permanent an imprint on them as visual material.

11. Get to know the friends of your children. Talk with your children about the importance of surrounding themselves with good influences. Involve their friends in your family activities so they become aware of the standards your hold and expect. Make your home the one that their friends gravitate to. If your home isn't filled with the spirit of love, your children and their friends will gravitate towards another home and you will have little chance to protect their actions.

12. Avoid sleepovers. There are no good things that happen after dark. Shortly after Scott and I were married, our Stake President was talking during Sacrament Meeting and he said, "If you knew what I know, you wouldn't ever let your kids spend the night at anyone's home. Even members."

We need to provide the firm foundation for our children as they enter this increasingly wicked world. Build the kind of relationship with each of your children where they will feel comfortable coming and talking to you about the issues in their lives. And don't forget that what you do as their parent is what they will see and think is right. Be the kind of example that Christ would want. Set rules for the house that you follow also.