i love a rainy day

It's not very often that we get a rainy day here in Reno, so when we do I figure we should take full advantage of it.


Avery was a little bummed that I didn't have any boots for her to wear, but that certainly didn't stop her from getting in on the action.


Good times!

farewell

I am deeply saddened to say that we lost my brother Alvis last week to a short battle with liver failure. His hospitalization came somewhat unexpectedly, and he only survived a short month after being admitted and diagnosed. Although he was not completely lucid, I firmly believe he felt the love of his friends and family surrounding him during his last days, and was able to leave his life peacefully.

Alvis definitely faced many struggles throughout his life, but one thing never faltered...his love for his family. I firmly believe his happiest days were those when we were all together, hanging out as a family. We all loved him dearly as well, and have many touching, as well as funny, memories of our time with him. We are looking forward to getting together this summer to share these memories with one another as a celebration of his life....just the way he would have wanted it, I'm sure!

I love you Al, and will miss you dearly!

Alvis Overton Thomas III
June 19th, 1967 - January 13th, 2009

PLAY-doh

As stated in our previous post, one of our new year's resolutions is to just spend more time playing with the girls. Since we are just past Christmas this has meant discovering and playing with all the new toys. Although the girls have loved playing with ALL their toys, Mommy and Daddy have definitely found a favorite...Play-Doh (thanks Grandma and PaPa)! How quickly we had forgotten what fun it is to mold colored clay into random shapes and animals.


And you know it's time to relax on the commitment to your resolution when the girls are whining, stating they're done, and Mommy and Daddy are begging to mold just one more giraffe!

goodbye 2008, hello 2009

Hope everyone had a Happy New Year! We hosted a quiet New Year's Eve party with our dear friends the Cranmers, and Barclays. The kids had a blast running around, playing and watching movies in their PJ's.


Just what we'd imagined (and dreamed) it would be like when we took this picture on New Year's Eve 2005.


Wow....how time flies!

The kids weren't the only ones having fun, however. Bill and Melissa brought a new game for us to play called Curses. It gave us all a serious ab workout, as it had us laughing uncontrollably most of the night.


And although we didn't make it to midnight as a group (yeah, go ahead, call us party poopers), we had an amazing time ringing in the new year with our closest friends.

As for the new year, Bran and I are sharing the proverbial resolutions to lose weight and get fit. We've even been getting up early together to do a little yoga...can you say "downward facing dog"! And no, there aren't any pictures of this, you'll just have to take our word for it! We also are resolving to be more patient parents, spend more time just playing with the girls, and be better organized with our time.

So what about all of you? Do you make resolutions? Have you been able to stick to them in the past? Do you have any big plans for the new year? We'd love to hear about what you're up to, so leave a comment, send us an e-mail, or just pick up the phone and say hello. Sounds to me like another resolution in the making...try to keep in better contact with our friends and family!