We had such a great week...

Utah State Capitol Building
The beautiful Salt Lake Valley.

Ensign Peak

The waterfall shower in our hotel room

Do you love our tree house bed?

Complimentary breakfast in bed

The Swiss Family Robinson room

At the anniversary Inn

Waterfall shower

Zach getting baptized

EIGHT IS GREAT!!!

Can you believe how big he is?

Peter Brienholt

John and I speaking at the Heart2Home

Fundraiser at the Joseph Smith Memorial

Building in Salt Lake City

Nice company, wonderful food, beautiful view

A Night Out without kids

It was another whirlwind week with John and I getting the opportunity to speak at the Heart2Home Fundraiser. I always have a hard time speaking in public but I did survive it. We followed that up with Zachary's baptism. Hard to believe taht boy is 8! He is doing great the ADHD medicine is working just like it should be and he does so well.

After asll of that, John and I decided to get away for one night. We went to two different temples. Got massages and pedicures from the Brickhouse Day Spa then, it was on to the Anniversary Inn Swiss family Robinson room. We had a great time but truly missed our kids so much. We still have the baby, Taedin. We should be hearing soon about what DCFS' plans are for him. We know what our plans would be if we had the choice. He sure is a cute baby. And so happy! Well, I have committed myself to getting this blog update today so here it is. We hope you are all doing well and love keeping up on your blogs.

What a weekend looks like for the Thill's...

Zach and Nathan doing the flag ceremony at the blue and gold banquet
Happy 7th Birthday to Lydia

Thank you Grandma for the cool tinkerbell toy

Decorating Valentine's cookies

The Hill Family Makeover that we went to help on

Katie and Kodey taping off for the painters

John being interviewed for Fox 13 News

The kids covering the furniture with plastic to protect

it from the painters

Loading up boxes for Heart2Home

fpr the Hill Family Makeover

Josh and Jacob working on packing things away

on the first day of the 3 day makeover

SO, we have had a busy month. I have been really sick. We still have the baby and sadly John's uncle passed away. John and I are speaking tonight at the Heart2Home fundraiser at the Joseph Smith Memorial building in Salt Lake tonight. That should be fun I just hope everyone does well tonight at home. Tomorrow is SEP's for the elementary school kids (parent teacher conferences for those that don't know what SEP's are). Taedin has a visit tomorrow and John and I are doing the teacher dinner for SEP's. This is just a couple days in the life of the Thill's. I am one of the scout den leaders now and today would be my first activity with them but I am doing the SLC thing. Crazy times sometime. Well, I gotta make dinner before we leave and get ready to go. Thank you all for the comments you make. It makes me feel good knowing that people actually read my efforts.

Preference Night

The real reason Daddy went to Culinary School...
Kodey and John during the photo op

Kodey and Bryce

Kodey getting her corsage from Bryce

Trying to pin on the boutinerre. It took 4 of us

numerous tries to finally get it right.

Kodey on her way to the Preference Dance

All in all a very successful night. Kodey and her group are safely off until Midnight. John and I are home with the Wii. Everything is right in the world.

Getting caught up...

We now have 5 cub scouts with Mom as one of their den leaders.
How would you like to see this at the airport? It says,"welcome home dad" We have enough kids for them to each hold a letter.

Zach turned 8 on Feb 6. Grandma sent him a coveted Iron Man costume.

Thanks Grandma

The line to talk to Dad while he was in Michigan

I just thought it was so cute.

Sisters with new barettes

Zach becoming a scout and getting his neckerchief

Jonathan doing a chore in the morning before school.

Nathan playing computer in the homework station

Katie wanting to be like Dad

Josh's first wrestling meet. He won on points. The next week he got his first pin!

IT has been crazy here over the last few weeks. First, I have been subbing all but 2 days in January. Then, we had Josh's wrestling. Following some of that, or in the midst of all of that, we got a new baby boy. He is 6mths old and his name is Taedin. Then, we have have had a nice coughing illness going around, some of us are into our 2nd week of it. John's Uncle Bob passed away this past week so John was in Michigan for three days. While he was gone I found out I am allergic to my antibiotic and it will take some time for it to get out of my system. I am experiencing dizziness and numbness in some areas. Weird, I know. It seems like we are always busy and running around. Tonight, we are hosting Kodey's group for "Preference" ,a girl's choice school formal, for dinner. John is making fettucine alfredo with sliced chicken breast, garlic bread, salad, and sparkling cider for a drink. Kodey is getting her hair done right now. Hopefully by tomorrow I will post those pictures. Anyway, Zach turned 8 on Feb 6. He will be baptized the first Saturday in March. We are celebrating on Sunday with a few family friends that he invited. I got a new calling at church on Sunday. I am now a cub scout den leader. I still have my old callings as well. Well, I gotta get things cleaned up for tonight.

Just a quick catch up...

There isn't much happening here. We are back in school. I have been subbing for 3rd grade all week and will continue with that class for the next week. Then I am gonna take some time off. John is working hard, at work and filling in for my abscenses. What a great dad and husband he is. The kids are doing great. Zach's medicine is working like a charm until about 6pm. That is so good for him and us. He had a friend ask him over to play. That is great! Josh will have a wrestling meet this Wed. we are so excited and proud of him. He has been working hard. The rest of the kids are doing their kid things. Kodey is doing well driving although, she is starting to not like it so much. The other kids are doing well in school, therapy and all the other areas. What a great family I have.

So this is Christmas....

Utah Foster Care Foundation Christmas Party and a BYU football player. The kids were in 7th heaven with the center for BYU

The season started off with a bang and Kloey's birthday party!

Happy 7th Birthday pretty girl


Joseph and Ben being wisemen at our church Christmas party

Okay, Here comes Santa Claus does he look familiar?

and Zach

...Gallie

...Joseph

...Jacob

...Ben

...Katie

...Kloey

...Andrew

...Jonathan
...Lydia

...Nathan This is the Daulwalder family

We have not met them before but they were gracious enough to call us on Christmas Eve to tell us they had found some backpacks and Sharon was kind of enough to embroider all of the kids' names on them. (It turns out John, interviewed them to become foster parents.)Then, They delivered them at 8:30pm with a card and $1.00 for each of the kids. The kids have put all of their toys in the backpacks. What a humbling experience to be a part of. We thank them for their generosity.

Here is another story of generosity. Someone secretly delivered these pajamas to some very happy children. The kids didn't even mind that they weren't blue ;). Merry Christmas!

We decided that this year we would go lighter on the gifts and so everyone got 4 presents and 2 from grandparents.

Waiting for Dad to hand out the gifts...Hurry Up Dad!

A little bit into unwrapping. Not all of the kids are pictured here because there wasn't enough room.

Here is a small panorama shot of some of the aftermath.

Well, It has been a wonderful day. We are getting ready to sit down to a ham dinner with cheesy potatoes and a vegetable. Yum! It has been a relaxing day one that I have really appreciated. The living room is slightly cleaner than before but that isn't important right now. We are so appreciative of all that we ahve blessed with. Including our Plug and play Pac-Man, Dig dug, Pole Postion and more. Does it get any better than Pacman? Not really! We wish we could see more of you for the holiday season but since we can't know how much you are all always in our thoughts and prayers. What great friends we have. Thank you for all of the love and support you show to our family.