June 8- June 14, Happy Father's Day!

Hey everybody! Here is a quick Thomson update!


On Sunday Mike was called to be the Young Men's Secetary and Assistant Scout Master. They have a great group of youth here and Mike is looking forward to working with them. :)


I, Angela, still do not have a calling, but I am keeping myself busy... mostly with Caleb. I'm hosting a book club in July, we are reading House on Mango Street, one of my favorites!

Mike and I also got the car registered and recieved our MASSACHUSETTS driver's license! In MA you don't have to take a test or anything- you fill out a form, give some identification, and you need proof of residence - then TA-DAH! You get your license. The sad part is- they don't let you keep our old license. :(

Caleb discovered something very important this week... his TOES!

He spends some time each morning watching intently as they wiggle ("How do they do that?") and becomes very sad as he attempts to grab them with his hand, falling short each reach. The first time he reached for his toes he got ithem but became frustrated when he couldn't put them in his mouth. :) Silly boy.

Lastly, here are some more recipes....
Crockpot Meatloaf:
1 lb hamburger
1 egg
crushed crackers
1 pkg of onion soup mix
4 cups of Potatoes O'Brian (peppers and onions)
1 can cream of mushroom
1 can cheese soup

Mix first four ingredents together in a bowl, form into loaf. Spray crockpot with cooking spray, place potatoes in bottom of crockpot, put the meat loaf on top of that. Combine soup in a mixing bowl and pour over crockpot contents.
Cook for 4-5 hours on LOW or whatever amount of time your crockpot needs to get the job done.

Washington Jello:
1 6 oz pkg of cherry jello
1 can of cherry pie filling
1 can crushed pineapple

Dissolve jello in 2 cups of boiling water, add in filling and pineapple, blend well, chill until set.
Top off with whipcream if desired.

June 1- June 7, It's raining, it's pouring!

It has been raining in the mornings. Wet. Wet. Wet.


Caleb and I have been staying inside keeping ourselves busy...

• watching Grandma on the webcam (finally got the sound fixed)


• playing with the blue moose plush toy


• singing songs


• I started reading a new book this week (Don't You Marry those Mormon Boys)


• cooking (go figure.) I left a recipe at the end of the post if you are interested in an easy slow-cook dinner.


• taking naps


• scrapbooking

Angela News:

I went to a ward book club on Wednesday. I used the GPS to get to the house it would be hosted at... unfortunatly Mike had the GPS set to avoid highways... I got to my distination eventually. I got to see a lot of the back roads though. It amazes me how thick the woods are here and how flat everything is. I enjoyed the book club and look forward to the next one. Although I have the tendency to appear "stand-offish," "shy" or "snobby" when I first meet people, I really did enjoy the company at the meeting. Any of my dear friends can testify that once I feel comfortable around you, I'll open up and start talking... and never stop. :)

Mike News:

Mike started work this week and seems to be enjoying himself. He has been using some backroads to get to work. We made up some pictures and put them in frames for his cubicle. He got the computer up and running for the most part. He has been such a great help to me with Caleb. We are so lucky to have such a great daddy! This Sunday is Mike's first Father's Day! Exciting! I'm going to make meatloaf and potatoes and jell-o for dessert.

Caleb News:

We have been trying to develop a nightly routine with Kabob. Around 7:00 pm he takes a bath... whether he likes it or not... sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn't, after the bath he eats, if he is still awake we walk from room to room saying "Goodnight, (whatever room)"... then if he still isn't asleep he nurses some more. He usually drifts off to sleep by 9:00.

Caleb is experiencing another growth spurt on top of his teething... so.... he is miserable for the most part and wants to cuddle a lot.

He has been doing well with playtime spending 15-40 mintues at a time content by himself. He likes to lay in his play yard and watch the mobile or lay on the floor and raise his butt up in the air or suck on his hands. He gets so mad if you put him on his belly now... he is so close to crawling... his arms won't let him move though... he doesn't have the coordination yet and he gets frustrated.

Here's another picture scrap of Kabob.

Easy Slow-Cook Pasta Recipe:
You will need:

1 red bell pepper, 1 yellow bell pepper, both cut into strips
1 cup frozen broccoli
1 jar of alferdo or parmesan cheese sauce
optional: 1 or 2 browned chicken breasts seasoned with garlic salt, oregano and pepper.
egg noodles

Place everything but the noodles in a slow cooker on low for 3 hours (or more depending on your cooker). When chicken is done cut up and return it back to the cooker. Prepare pasta al dente and toss it into the cooker for the last 30 mintues.

Until next week... keep your ears clean!

May 25- May 31, Are you a good witch or a bad witch?

One of the neatest opportunities of living in Massachusetts is all the scenery you get to indulge in... IT IS SO GREEN AND BEAUTIFUL. I'm sure this will change come winter when things will become WHITE AND BEAUTIFUL.

There is also a lot of old stuff to go see...

before my mom left we visited Plymouth and Salem together.

Okay, time to freshin' up on your history and Aurthur Miller screenplays. In Salem we went to the "Witch House" which was the residence of Judge Corwin and his family. Have you ever been in a 300-something year old home? We have. The Witch House was built in 1675!
We also visited the Witch Trial Memorial. Each victim of the Salem Witch hysteria was represented by a suspended stone bench. The memorial is right next to the Salem burial grounds. The tombstones there are laced with symbols and scriptures, very neat!
The second picture in the collage is of the Plimouth Plantation 17th century village. I recommend this to anyone visiting Massachusetts, well worth the money spent. This place is made up of three main points of interests in my opinion: the craft center, the 1627 village and the Wampanoag homestead. In the craft center you get to see the various crafts produced in the 17th century way. At the village actors pretend to be stuck back in 1627. You can ask them about their lives and go into their homes. Be careful though! You have to be careful how you word your questions! You can't say "What did children in your day do for fun?" you have to say, "What do your children do to entertain themselves around here?" The actors act like May 29 (or whatever day you visit), 1627 is the present day there is no tomorrow yet. The homestead is populated by Native American guides who are dressed in traditional clothing and doing traditional things, but they are not stuck in the past like the village. They can answer questions about the past and present.
The other picture in the collage is the shore off Plymouth Rock. The ship in the background is the Mayflower II.

Caleb News:
We are pretty sure Caleb is teething. :( With the increase in drool, crankiness, gnawing on his hands, and two little white bumps in front on his bottom gums, what else could it be?

Here's a another picture scrap of Caleb.

(It's funny because it's true!)