Our First Christmas Week

    So Christmas was very busy this year.  All the festivities started on Saturday.  On Saturday we visited my family to see my brother, sister-in-law and niece.  We played games and played the new Wii game of Cabela's Big Game Hunter.  Kyle (I'm giving up on the W & K stuff)had fun taking down the bear with just a pistol in that game.  Then Sunday was watching Kyle's Grandma in the morning, church, and dropping off goody bags to our friends.  

    Monday was all day with the Hansens.  Audrey (Kyle's sister) was getting home from her mission.  She went to the cold north country of Utica, New York area.  We watched grandma again in the morning...along with swapping out beds in two rooms and picking up the house.  At one we went to the airport for Sis. Hansen to come down the escalators.  We waited at the wrong escalators for about 15 minutes and rushed over to hers. Thankfully we got to see her come down.  There were many screams, hugs and tears...mainly Mama Hansen and Audrey.  Here's some pictures:

The Crew waiting

 Coming down the escalators

Giving her big brother a hug

 Everyone who went to see her

    Then Tuesday was spent with my family.  We played some Beatle's rockband, games, and just were all together for a little while.  Wednesday we went over to the Hansens.  Audrey was watching Grandma...but I was there to help her.  Here we got to play more Wii games of the New Super Mario Brothers game and Beatles Rockband again.  It was a very windy day in Vegas, and so the plans to go shooting fell through, but we still hung out with my family.  

     Now...for Christmas Eve.  Thursday we spent the morning getting some last minute things done, then went to my family's and then again at the Hansens.  With the Hansens we did a little Christmas Caroling and sounded really good on a few songs.  We spent Christmas Eve at our own apartment.  

     That morning I woke up to a surprise.  Santa had picked up the living and dining room and put all the candy and gifts out.  From Santa we got socks, nose trimmer, hair straightener, ping pong paddle items, Chia herb garden, stackable baking racks and LOTS of candy.  I gave Kyle a little kit I made.  He loves thinking of card, board and video games that he wants to create...but never has some tools he wants.  So in the kit he got cardstock, a paper slicer, corner rounder and lots of coloring utensils.  Kyle gave me: a CUTE apron, the Lady GaGa cd, and Truffles.  Then we hurried over to my family's house.  

     They get up early to open presents quickly...and they were patiently waiting for us.  We got over there to open presents.  We got iTunes gift card and wooden cooking utensils.  My parents had already given us a really early present.  It was fun there cause all of us were together, and it was Jane's first Christmas.  She was so cute the entire week.  My brother's family had to fly out that day...so then we went over to the Hansens.  

     There we listened to Tyler in Argentina talk.  He's getting really good at Spanish.  We all opened gifts.  They take a LOT longer than my family.  Than we headed over to Kyle's cousin's house.  There we had dinner, played badminton and I helped put together a puzzle.

   It was a CrAzY week and so Saturday we didn't do much.  Just stayed home and cleaned a bit and watched movies.  It was a great way to end the week.

    I'm sure many Christmases will be this crazy trying to visit families and just life.  It was a great week though.  Sorry if I seemed to ramble.  Also, I don't have any pictures yet...but will try to get some.

K's Graduation

Okay, so it's more K stuff...and with lots of pictures. Tonight was his graduation ceremony. This is how it all went down. K Hansen graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science - Computer Science and Bachelor of Science in Engineering - Computer Engineering, with a minor in mathematics, University and Department Honors Summa Cum Laude. It was a long ceremony, a bit over 3 hours. It helped me decide that when I graduate in May I do not want to walk. Here's some pictures that I took. The first collage is of some basic ones I wanted. The second set it the actual ceremony.

I also never included Thanksgiving pictures, and so I am posting some now.

The Thompson Family (Jess,Jane,Nate,Min,K,W, Grandma Thompson, Mom, Dad)

My family

The family of cuteness

Me playing with Jane. She actually doesn't like this cause it's on her stomach, but she let her Aunt W do it anyways

Great Grandma Thompson, with the newest Thompson

My dad trying to dress up the kid in camo already.

Congrats K

So the past two semesters have been stressful for K.  They were his last ones before he graduates, and so he had some huge projects due this past week. The first one is what's called his Senior Design Project.  Over two semesters, him and a partner had to design and build some product.  They started off with really big hopes and plans, but time and issues popped up, so they simplified it.  Many hours of programming and working with stuff, he finally got it done.  This last week was the Senior Design Competition.  All the graduating seniors in mechanical, electrical and computer engineering have to do the project and then compete at the end of the semester.  There were some interesting projects.  K's was a camera that would compress and send pictures/video wirelessly to a computer.  Other ones were: A bike pedal that if unlocked would bend in half so it couldn't be used.  A crockpot meant specifically for cooking various kinds of chocolate.  A computer program to track the sun.  Lots of things if you get the picture.  Well out of all of these, K and his partner got GRAND PRIZE! They sweeped everyone!  I am so excited for him cause he put so much time and effort into it.


Second thing...along with this project K has been working on a Thesis for his Honor's degree.  This project was him programming a program that could somewhat design an airfoil.  I just know it was very hard, many math equations, and lots of stuff I don't know.  He finished it though, but now had to defend it in front of a committee.  He was very nervous to present, and if he would pass.  Thankfully, he did.  So now his semester is basically over.  He says all the papers and tests he has next week seem like nothing.


I just want to say great job K!

Thanksgiving had so much good food and company

Thanksgiving this year was busy.  We shared it between my family in the morning and his family in the afternoons.  It was great fun spending time with both families.  At my family's house we had Grandma come over, and also my brother, sister-in-law and my niece.  I will admit I spent tons of time with the cute little one, but I don't see her too often so I have to.  We played games as a family...lots of Bang!  After getting stuffed on delicious food cooked by Dad (or Grandpa to the little one) we went over to the K's side.  

Dinner here was at his cousin's place and they had lots of people there.  His Aunt, Uncle and cousin from California.  Cousins who go to BYU came down with their wives.  Then Trevor's fiance and her brother also traveled here from BYU.  It was very fun.  We all played badminton, ate more food, and watched the new Star Trek. 


The day after Thanksgiving.  No, I did not go shopping.  Instead we spent the morning again with my family, and then in the afternoon went golfing with his.  I did amazing...58!  However, on a 9 hole golf course this means I came in way last place.  This was better than last year by 6 points I believe.  


Well I'm going to leave it here.  This week is busy cause Finals are next week and there are many projects and homework assignments due today and tomorrow.  No pictures this week either sorry.