Kozmo & Zoey in the snow tunnel

Kozmo & Zoey in the snow tunnel
Originally uploaded by jason_m_thomas.

This picture was taken Dec 21 after we received 24 inches of snow. Our back yard drifted a little so the snow was even deeper there. I dug a tunnel out to the backyard so Kozmo and Zoey could go to the bathroom. They managed to jump forward step by step because the snow was deeper than their legs. Our driveway and front steps had a huge 3.5 ft drift which I had to shovel by hand since we don't even own a snow blower. Usually in CO, the snow melts away by the second or third day so snow blowers are a little overkill. This year it would have been nice to have one.

We were supposed to fly to Minnesota at 4pm on Wednesday the 20th but the airport was already closed by the time we woke up. We tried calling Frontier all day but couldn't even get through because the circuits were busy. Finally at 5 we got on hold for an hour and reached someone. She said the first flight out was Monday, Christmas Day at 4pm so we took it. Unfortunately we missed the Thomas Christmas that Saturday and most of Brian and Katie's time. We drove down to Iowa Christmas night and had a nice Christmas dinner of gas station foot in the parking lot of a Kwik Trip somewhere south of Minneapolis. We made it to Independence at 12:15am so it was a long day. We had a nice Christmas on the 26th and took Brian and Katie back to the airport on Wednesday the 27th so they could fly back to Alaska. Thursday we drove to Saint James and found out that Colorado was getting yet another blizzard and another foot of snow. Luckily the weather in the midwest was so warm it was just raining ... that is until New Year's eve when we flew out. It changed over to snow that morning and we drove to Minneapolis in a Winter Storm warning blizzard in our Toyota Corolla rental car. Amazingly our plane took off an hour late at 8:45pm and we made it back to our house just before midnight to ring in the new year.

This week we again got about 8 inches of snow Friday, Jan 5th so that's 3 weeks straight with major snow storms. In fact as I write this there has been a major avalanche near Berthoud Pass on the way to Winter Park where I have my ski passes. I was actually thinking about going today because of the great snow but decided to stay home. They've already rescued some people and I just hope no one was killed. The closure of the road is going to add 100 miles and countless hours to trip home for anyone skiing there today.

Ok, this was my longest entry yet so I'll sign off.

Sydney the Care Bear and Bryce the Lion

Sydney the Carebare and Bryce the Lion, originally uploaded by jason_m_thomas.

Now that the holidays are over it's time to update the blog. I just must post things chronologically so I guess it's time for Halloween. Thus this batch of photos from before and after Halloween. Sydney was a real piece of work this Halloween about her costume. We had her all set in a pink princess outfit when she had a fit and decided she wanted to wear the yellow princess outfit (we borrowed three costumes from the neighbors). So I took off the pink one and put on the yellow one. Then another fit was thrown and Melissa stepped in and decided to give a Love and Logic choice: "Ok, which princess outfit do you want, pink or yellow?" Sydney picked the pink one again but when it was back on she once again threw a fit. That was it for Melissa and Sydney almost got left behind on Halloween. I decided to go try one more time with the third costume, the pink Care Bear. She agreed to this one and even though we warned her it would be hot, she stuck with it. Gotta love 3 year olds!

Fall Trip to Steamboat

Thomas family near Fish Creek Falls, originally uploaded by jason_m_thomas.

This picture was taken near Fish Creek Falls in Steamboat, CO. We went to Steamboat this year on our annual fall trip. The aspen colors were amazing and the weather was perfect. We stayed at Rabbit Ears Motel which is a Steamboat landmark and visited the hot springs. We also went up to Steamboat Lake state park and Pearl Lake state park. What an amazing place to see the Colorado fall colors.

Bryce's Baptism

Bryce in his baptismal gown, originally uploaded by jason_m_thomas.

We finally got Bryce baptised at Jason's home church in Independence, IA on Sept 24, 2006. He was pretty squirmly throughout the service but managed to stay calm during the actual event. The reason we waited until September was so we could do the baptism with Bryce's sponsors, Brian and Katie. They flew in from Alaska to do a presentation to the church about their time in Kenya. You can still see their blog about their trip here. This presentation drew a lot of extended family who we also haven't seen it a while. It was an added blessing to have them there for Bryce's baptism as well as the Kenya presentation. We enjoyed seeing Brian and Katie again and can't wait until Christmas when we'll all be together again. Sydney has been talking about Grandma Jayne's Barbies (Melissa's old toys) and Oma's dolls and cars since we left. Every time we talk on the phone she reminds them that she's coming out for Christmas to play with their toys. I think they could wrap up a few things she's already seen and she'd have a great Christmas!

Sydney and the Penguin

Sydney and the Penguin, originally uploaded by jason_m_thomas.

I'm still trying to catch up with our iPhoto library by uploading to Flickr. This photo belongs to a set I just uploaded from when Melissa, Sydney, Bryce, and Jayne went to the Omaha zoo on their way from CO to Saint James. I've also uploaded some from when we went to 6 Flags Elitch Gardens in Denver. Each fall Ball rents out 6 Flags for the evening for all the employees. We usually hang out in the kids area the whole time but this year, since Jayne was in town, Melissa and I were able to ride the wooden roller coaster. 6 Flags in Denver is a decent park but because it is really land locked there isn't much more they can do with it. Oh well, they still have an awesome wooden roller coaster. Just ask Melissa!

Sydney at soccer camp

Sydney at soccer camp, originally uploaded by jason_m_thomas.

Sydney participated in the English soccer camp in Broomfield this year. By English I mean all the teachers were from the UK. Notice the kids t-shirts with the flags. The kids met each day for an hour at 4pm at the beginning of August. Needless to say, it was often very hot and that seemed to wear on the kids. Sydney had a mixed experience. One day she was out there running around and the next she didn't want to do anything. Obviously the 3 year olds didn't really learn any technique or soccer skills. It was more about learning to be away from the parents and listen to a coach. Mission accomplished??? Well, maybe a start.

Family at Lily Lake, RMNP

Family at Lily Lake, RMNP, originally uploaded by jason_m_thomas.

This photo was taken at Lily Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park when Mark, Pat, Arlyn and Carolyn came out to visit. They staying in a motel in Estes Park and we decided to spend a night camping in RMNP. It just so happened that we purchased our new Honda Odyssey on Friday and then drove up to RMNP that very night with the dogs, kids and all the supplies. What a way to break in a new vehicle! We had a great time camping (Bryce's first experience) and even managed to sleep a little with two dogs, a 6 month old, and a 3 year old in the tent.

Family at Coors Field

Family at Coors Field, originally uploaded by jason_m_thomas.

We went to Coors Field on July 31 as part of our church group. It also happened to be Dog Day at Coors which means people could bring their dogs and sit in a special section. Sydney had fun petting all the dogs on our way to our seats in the upper deck. The Rockies played the Brewers and won 4-2.

The Thomas family at the Embassy Suites

The Thomas family at the Embassy Suites, originally uploaded by jason_m_thomas.

This photo was taken at the end of our stay at the Embassy Suites in Minneapolis next to the Mall of America. We flew out with the kids to welcome back Brian and Katie from the missionary trip in Kenya. They told us it was quite the culture shock to go from the Kenyan countryside to the Embassy Suites and the Mall of America but they took it in stride. We were really happy to introduce them to their new nephew Bryce whom they met for the first time. Sydney had a great time playing and showing them how much more personality she had developed in the year they were gone. It was a great trip and we're so glad to have them back close again. Ok, Alaska isn't really close but it's a lot better than half a world away!

Sydney on her decorated trike for the 4th of July

Sydney on her decorated trike for the 4th of July, originally uploaded by jason_m_thomas.

Where have we been? You know, just around doing stuff. But it's never to late to post some photos so here is some from the 4th of July as well as some from the park. I'll be putting up photos from our trip to Minneapolis to welcome back Brian and Katie soon. Like in less than 2 months!