Happy New Year! January 2010
The past year has been filled with memorable experiences, and we look forward to new adventures in 2010. We have been residents of North Las Vegas for nearly six years now – longer than anywhere else during our nearly 12 years of marriage. Our four children continue to keep us very busy, and we made several trips to California and Utah this year, particularly enjoying visits to Legoland, the Santa Barbara Zoo, the beach, and St. George. We also went camping at Mt. Charleston in July, hiking at the Valley of Fire in October, and tubing at Brian Head in December. Closer to home, we enjoyed frequent visits to the Las Vegas Springs Preserve, the Bellagio fountains, and the recently opened CityCenter resort.
Harrison (age 8) is a third grader at Gilbert Elementary, a magnet school for communication and the performing arts. He loves reading, music, soccer, watching movies, riding his bicycle, and playing a schoolyard game called “four-square.” He also loves swimming and participated in several competitions in his age group this summer. Harrison recently played the role of “Marvelous Mike” in the winter matinee at his school, and he was cast as the “Mayor of Munchkin City” in a community production of The Wizard of Oz at the Summerlin Theater earlier this year. He is very confident and comfortable on stage and can’t wait for his next opportunity. Harrison continues playing the violin and just completed Suzuki Book 2. In December, he performed in several Christmas concerts with a local children’s orchestra called The Deseret Strings, including an appearance at the historic St. George Tabernacle. He greatly enjoyed learning to play the glockenspiel for the “Sleigh Ride” piece. Last summer, Harrison began taking piano lessons and quickly discovered that playing the piano is much easier than the violin. Harrison was baptized in October and received his own set of “grown-up” scriptures.
Whitney (age 6) loves going to kindergarten at Watson Elementary near our home. She attends school only in the morning but wishes she could go all day. We are amazed by the large amount of homework she gets for kindergarten. Her favorite subject is math, and she is learning to read very well. She has been a good writer and a budding artist for some time now. Whitney played soccer in the fall and also enjoyed a season of dance classes and a gymnastics class during the summer. Whitney loves dressing up, having her fingernails painted, and playing with dolls. She has a great sense of humor as LOVES being silly. Whitney also has no qualms about being on stage and appeared in The Wizard of Oz as a member of the “Lullaby League” and a “Snow Fairy.” She plays the violin and is just polishing her last few notes of “Minuet 1” from Suzuki Book 1. She also performed with The Deseret Strings in St. George and Las Vegas during December.
Bretton (age 4 ½) is a strong but tender boy. He wants to run, jump, slide, and throw balls all day long. He loves playing at the park, and chasing birds (especially seagulls at the beach). He is shy around strangers and dislikes large crowds and noisy environments (unless of his own making, of course). He attends a neighborhood pre-school group on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and looks forward to going to a “real school” in the fall. Bretton loves baseball and soccer, and he participated in a gymnastics and tumbling class with Whitney during the summer. He performed with the Spunk ‘n Spice musical group in December. He is fascinated with the sky and can name all of the planets. He begs Mom to take him to see a real spaceship.
Julianna (age 3) is extremely vocal and determined to get what she wants no matter the consequences. She insists on taking her pink blankie everwhere and refuses to stop sucking her thumb. Also, with Mom trying to haggle a way to help her, Julianna potty-trained herself in record time, and was soon looking for other ways to keep up with her older siblings. She loves music, dancing, and reading books. Julianna attended a neighborhood preschool group this fall, and will continue with another group of three-year-olds in January. She loves her school days, and the added independence is a blessing for both mother and daughter.
Cherlynn continues to be the chief taxi driver, scheduler, cook, lion tamer, and circus organizer. In addition to serving as PTA secretary at Gilbert Elementary, she volunteers a few hours each week in both Harrison’s and Whitney’s classes. Over the past several months, Cherlynn has also taught math and reading once a week to nine first-grade girls through a local homeschool group called Freedom Academy. This has been a challenging yet rewarding opportunity. For her own development, Cherlynn completed two comprehensive Herbology classes during the past year and has become quite proficient in the use of herb formulas and essential oils for better health. She has become a huge advocate of herbal remedies and has even taught others how to make some of the herb formulas that she uses. (Somewhere out there, Grandma Blatter is smiling down on all of this). This summer, Cherlynn launched into research for a book that she plans to write about the use of herbs by pioneers. At Church, Cherlynn was released from her calling as Gospel Doctrine teacher in 2008 and subsequently served in the nursery for more than year. With all of our children out of the nursery, she is now grateful for her new calling to teach the Temple Preparation class with Ned.
Ned continues working as a Principal Planner for the City of Henderson. He chairs the City’s Sustainability Committee and coordinates all of the City’s green initiatives, many of which have received various awards. Over the past year, he has attended green conferences in Los Angeles, Portland, and Palm Springs, and he was part of a regional group that established “Green Chips,” a new public-private partnership that supports sustainability initiatives in southern Nevada. In February 2009, with the support of many friends and neighbors, Ned launched a campaign for Mayor of the City of North Las Vegas. The primary election was held in early April, and we regret that the poll results were not more favorable to our cause. However, we are thankful for the 1,500+ voters who did support us and the many new friends we made during the course of the campaign. The experience definitely made us better people and increased our awareness of issues in our community. Highlights from the campaign include appearances on local TV and radio programs and a benefit concert held at the Aliante clubhouse featuring several professional musician friends from New York and Las Vegas.
Thanks again to all who contributed.
Best Wishes to you for a Happy New Year,
Ned and Cherlynn Thomas
Harrison, Whitney, Bretton, and Julianna
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Playing at the Beach Labor Day Weekend
We had a fabulous time playing at Pt. Mugu over Labor Day weekend. We celebrated Harrison's birthday by visiting Whitney's birthtown, Ventura, CA. We lived there for such a short time, but we were happy to visit our friends!
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Christmas Letter
According to the Chinese calendar, 2007 was the “Year of the Pig,” but for us, 2007 will be remembered as the “Year of the House.” We sold our home on White Jade Street and moved to a rental house for six months to await the completion of our new home in the Sierra Ranch neighborhood of North Las Vegas. We wish we could say that building a new home was a pleasant experience, but given our many difficulties with the homebuilder, KB Home, we would rather sleep with rattlesnakes than build another house. We finally moved into our house in late October, and it was such a great relief to have no more meetings, phone calls, or email exchanges with KB’s construction managers, sales associates, and customer service group. In one word – Whew! Despite all of our frustrations, however, we love our new home with its large upstairs playroom, spacious bedrooms, ample storage space, and guest room. Our new address is 112 Junction Peak Avenue, North Las Vegas, NV 89031.
Speaking of sleeping with snakes…one of the most memorable moments of our year was camping overnight in a real Native American teepee just outside Zion National Park in July. We hadn’t really anticipated sleeping on a dirt floor with no heat, a roll-up flap for a door, and canvas walls that stopped several inches above the ground. Thankfully, no critters tried to join us during the night – but we were awake just in case they tried! The kids loved every minute of it, but Ned has vowed to never make online reservations again without asking if the accommodations include a floor and a bathroom. We definitely gained a new appreciation for our pioneer ancestors. The following day, our family enjoyed hiking along the Lower Emerald Pool Trail in Zion Canyon, and it sort of helped us forget the rest of the trip.
Other family adventures during the year included traveling to Malad for Memorial Day and attending Susie Thomas’ wedding and a Thomas reunion in Salt Lake City over the same weekend. In mid-April, Ned attended the national APA Conference in Philadelphia, and at the conclusion of the conference, Cherlynn and Julianna joined him in New York to visit friends and familiar places in and around Manhattan. We also rented a car and drove to Boston to attend Alumni Weekend at the Harvard GSD. We stayed in Natick, MA with Sherlyn and Dennis Jenkins, and when we were preparing to leave, we inadvertently locked Julianna in the car with the keys in the ignition. She was rescued by the local Fire Department. We were thrilled to visit the LDS Temples together in both Boston and New York. During our travels, the older kids stayed at Grandma Silver’s house in Syracuse, UT and played with their cousins.
We will celebrate Julianna’s first birthday on December 27, and it’s hard to believe that she is already one year old. Julianna has had a busy year adapting to various new environments and trying to keep up with her older brothers and sister. She is a very pleasant child, always smiling and laughing and very eager to roll over, sit up crawl, and feed herself (she has never liked baby food). Now she is standing on her own, learning to walk, and trying very hard to make it to the top of the stairs on her own when Mom isn’t watching. She has four front teeth – in the very same location as the four teeth that Harrison lost this year.
Bretton (age 2.5) loves everything outdoors including clouds, rain, sunsets, the moon, the park, tricycles, scooters, and kicking balls. He loves to doodle with crayons, especially on walls and toys. (Yes, our new house has washable semi-gloss paint!) Bretton is somewhat stubborn and wants to do everything by himself. He enjoyed his first “Mommy and Me” gymnastics this fall, and he was so pleased to have his very own activity with Mom. He is now attending a music class every Wednesday with five other children from our neighborhood. (Cherlynn is the teacher.)
Whitney (age 4) attends preschool twice a week at the Silver Mesa community center. She took swimming lessons in the summer and is currently taking gymnastics. Whitney’s favorite color is pink, and her favorite character is Ariel, the Little Mermaid. She is happy to have her own bedroom, complete with a new bedroom set and walk-in closet. Whenever we cannot find her, she’s usually playing with her dolls and Barbies in her closet, which she considers her own personal playroom. This summer, Whitney attended a weeklong Suzuki Music Camp with Harrison, and she began private violin lessons in September. She can now play all of the Twinkle variations in the Suzuki program, and her first recital will be in January.
Harrison (age 6) is now a first grader at Gilbert Magnet School, a public elementary school in North Las Vegas that focuses on art, communication, drama, and music. He has a wonderful teacher, Mrs. Payer, who keeps the kids very busy with projects in addition to their regular school work. Harrison’s most recent project entailed writing a poem entitled “Two Fat Turkeys,” painting a watercolor picture of a turkey in a vegetable garden, and creating an exhibit of “Two Fat Turkeys” for display. He approached this project with his usual mix of enthusiasm and imagination, and we were very proud of his hard work and the excellent grade that he received.
Harrison continues to enjoy reading and now surprises us by reading road signs as we drive down the freeway. He is also a very good speller. He continues taking violin lessons and will play “The Happy Farmer” in his third recital in January. Harrison participated in youth soccer for a second season; however, he seems to prefer singing and swinging his arms around the field rather than scrambling for the ball with the crowd of soccer players. At Harrison’s request, the kids and Dad enjoyed a visit to The Secret Garden at The Mirage in July to greet Sgt. Pepper, the resort’s newborn baby dolphin.
Ned continued working for Wood Rodgers throughout the year and kept mildly busy despite the recent downturn in residential development in Las Vegas. However, with additional layoffs within the company, he decided to seek a more secure job within the planning field in Las Vegas, and we were greatly blessed to have a suitable position open up at the City of Henderson. Ned will begin working there as a Principal Planner in the Community Development Department in January. He will also continue serving as a member of the North Las Vegas Planning Commission.
Ned traveled to Japan in September to attend the funeral of our dear friend, Yoko Wada. His luggage got lost somewhere between Los Angeles, Seoul, and Fukuoka, so he spoke at the funeral in a borrowed suit and later attended the Buddhist cremation ceremony with Yoko’s family. Despite the somber circumstances, it was wonderful for Ned to reconnect with our many friends in Fukuoka, and he managed to take an overnight trip to Kumamoto to visit the Ogata family in Nishihara-mura. They treated him with a visit to the local “onsen” (hot springs), karaoke, a driving tour around the village and Mt. Aso, and noodles by the Shiraito waterfall. Ned continues serving as the ward clerk at church, and he was ordained a High Priest in August by Joseph Free, one of our friends who served as a senior missionary in Fukuoka when we lived there.
Cherlynn is very busy as a full-time mother, chauffer, chef, seamstress, etc. – among the many other hats she wears. She is truly the glue that holds our home and family together. She carpools to and from Harrison’s school and takes Whitney to and from preschool at the recreation center. She takes Bretton and Whitney to gymnastics, Harrison to soccer practice, and Whitney and Harrison to weekly violin lessons as well as a weekly group workshop. She takes Bretton and Julianna shopping in between everything else. Despite having such a busy schedule, Cherlynn started a weekly music and movement class for toddlers and preschoolers after we moved to our new house. Our new playroom is a perfect location for the class, which is based on a “Mommy and Me” music and movement series that Cherlynn attended with Harrison when we lived in Ventura, CA. The children use shakers, sand blocks, and rhythm sticks as instruments while learning the words to a variety of fun, age-appropriate songs. Whitney, Bretton, and Julianna participate in the class as well as five other children from our neighborhood. Cherlynn also helps at Harrison’s school through the PTA as well as in the classroom twice a month. Cherlynn’s last grandparent, Lorene Blatter, passed away this month. We recently attended her funeral services in Manti, UT. Cherlynn continues to teach the Gospel Doctrine class at church (going on three years) as well as organizing weekly playgroup activities for moms and kids.
We wish you the best in the coming year,
Ned and Cherlynn Thomas
Harrison, Whitney, Bretton, and Julianna
112 Junction Peak Avenue
North Las Vegas, NV 89031
702-399-7928
nptcbt@yahoo.com cbanjiff@yahoo.com
Speaking of sleeping with snakes…one of the most memorable moments of our year was camping overnight in a real Native American teepee just outside Zion National Park in July. We hadn’t really anticipated sleeping on a dirt floor with no heat, a roll-up flap for a door, and canvas walls that stopped several inches above the ground. Thankfully, no critters tried to join us during the night – but we were awake just in case they tried! The kids loved every minute of it, but Ned has vowed to never make online reservations again without asking if the accommodations include a floor and a bathroom. We definitely gained a new appreciation for our pioneer ancestors. The following day, our family enjoyed hiking along the Lower Emerald Pool Trail in Zion Canyon, and it sort of helped us forget the rest of the trip.
Other family adventures during the year included traveling to Malad for Memorial Day and attending Susie Thomas’ wedding and a Thomas reunion in Salt Lake City over the same weekend. In mid-April, Ned attended the national APA Conference in Philadelphia, and at the conclusion of the conference, Cherlynn and Julianna joined him in New York to visit friends and familiar places in and around Manhattan. We also rented a car and drove to Boston to attend Alumni Weekend at the Harvard GSD. We stayed in Natick, MA with Sherlyn and Dennis Jenkins, and when we were preparing to leave, we inadvertently locked Julianna in the car with the keys in the ignition. She was rescued by the local Fire Department. We were thrilled to visit the LDS Temples together in both Boston and New York. During our travels, the older kids stayed at Grandma Silver’s house in Syracuse, UT and played with their cousins.
We will celebrate Julianna’s first birthday on December 27, and it’s hard to believe that she is already one year old. Julianna has had a busy year adapting to various new environments and trying to keep up with her older brothers and sister. She is a very pleasant child, always smiling and laughing and very eager to roll over, sit up crawl, and feed herself (she has never liked baby food). Now she is standing on her own, learning to walk, and trying very hard to make it to the top of the stairs on her own when Mom isn’t watching. She has four front teeth – in the very same location as the four teeth that Harrison lost this year.
Bretton (age 2.5) loves everything outdoors including clouds, rain, sunsets, the moon, the park, tricycles, scooters, and kicking balls. He loves to doodle with crayons, especially on walls and toys. (Yes, our new house has washable semi-gloss paint!) Bretton is somewhat stubborn and wants to do everything by himself. He enjoyed his first “Mommy and Me” gymnastics this fall, and he was so pleased to have his very own activity with Mom. He is now attending a music class every Wednesday with five other children from our neighborhood. (Cherlynn is the teacher.)
Whitney (age 4) attends preschool twice a week at the Silver Mesa community center. She took swimming lessons in the summer and is currently taking gymnastics. Whitney’s favorite color is pink, and her favorite character is Ariel, the Little Mermaid. She is happy to have her own bedroom, complete with a new bedroom set and walk-in closet. Whenever we cannot find her, she’s usually playing with her dolls and Barbies in her closet, which she considers her own personal playroom. This summer, Whitney attended a weeklong Suzuki Music Camp with Harrison, and she began private violin lessons in September. She can now play all of the Twinkle variations in the Suzuki program, and her first recital will be in January.
Harrison (age 6) is now a first grader at Gilbert Magnet School, a public elementary school in North Las Vegas that focuses on art, communication, drama, and music. He has a wonderful teacher, Mrs. Payer, who keeps the kids very busy with projects in addition to their regular school work. Harrison’s most recent project entailed writing a poem entitled “Two Fat Turkeys,” painting a watercolor picture of a turkey in a vegetable garden, and creating an exhibit of “Two Fat Turkeys” for display. He approached this project with his usual mix of enthusiasm and imagination, and we were very proud of his hard work and the excellent grade that he received.
Harrison continues to enjoy reading and now surprises us by reading road signs as we drive down the freeway. He is also a very good speller. He continues taking violin lessons and will play “The Happy Farmer” in his third recital in January. Harrison participated in youth soccer for a second season; however, he seems to prefer singing and swinging his arms around the field rather than scrambling for the ball with the crowd of soccer players. At Harrison’s request, the kids and Dad enjoyed a visit to The Secret Garden at The Mirage in July to greet Sgt. Pepper, the resort’s newborn baby dolphin.
Ned continued working for Wood Rodgers throughout the year and kept mildly busy despite the recent downturn in residential development in Las Vegas. However, with additional layoffs within the company, he decided to seek a more secure job within the planning field in Las Vegas, and we were greatly blessed to have a suitable position open up at the City of Henderson. Ned will begin working there as a Principal Planner in the Community Development Department in January. He will also continue serving as a member of the North Las Vegas Planning Commission.
Ned traveled to Japan in September to attend the funeral of our dear friend, Yoko Wada. His luggage got lost somewhere between Los Angeles, Seoul, and Fukuoka, so he spoke at the funeral in a borrowed suit and later attended the Buddhist cremation ceremony with Yoko’s family. Despite the somber circumstances, it was wonderful for Ned to reconnect with our many friends in Fukuoka, and he managed to take an overnight trip to Kumamoto to visit the Ogata family in Nishihara-mura. They treated him with a visit to the local “onsen” (hot springs), karaoke, a driving tour around the village and Mt. Aso, and noodles by the Shiraito waterfall. Ned continues serving as the ward clerk at church, and he was ordained a High Priest in August by Joseph Free, one of our friends who served as a senior missionary in Fukuoka when we lived there.
Cherlynn is very busy as a full-time mother, chauffer, chef, seamstress, etc. – among the many other hats she wears. She is truly the glue that holds our home and family together. She carpools to and from Harrison’s school and takes Whitney to and from preschool at the recreation center. She takes Bretton and Whitney to gymnastics, Harrison to soccer practice, and Whitney and Harrison to weekly violin lessons as well as a weekly group workshop. She takes Bretton and Julianna shopping in between everything else. Despite having such a busy schedule, Cherlynn started a weekly music and movement class for toddlers and preschoolers after we moved to our new house. Our new playroom is a perfect location for the class, which is based on a “Mommy and Me” music and movement series that Cherlynn attended with Harrison when we lived in Ventura, CA. The children use shakers, sand blocks, and rhythm sticks as instruments while learning the words to a variety of fun, age-appropriate songs. Whitney, Bretton, and Julianna participate in the class as well as five other children from our neighborhood. Cherlynn also helps at Harrison’s school through the PTA as well as in the classroom twice a month. Cherlynn’s last grandparent, Lorene Blatter, passed away this month. We recently attended her funeral services in Manti, UT. Cherlynn continues to teach the Gospel Doctrine class at church (going on three years) as well as organizing weekly playgroup activities for moms and kids.
We wish you the best in the coming year,
Ned and Cherlynn Thomas
Harrison, Whitney, Bretton, and Julianna
112 Junction Peak Avenue
North Las Vegas, NV 89031
702-399-7928
nptcbt@yahoo.com cbanjiff@yahoo.com
Thomas Family Photo
Here we are sitting still and smiling all at once! Ned, Cherlynn, Harrison (6), Whitney (4), Bretton (2), and Julianna (1). We're a busy, happy bunch!
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Harrison Whitney and Bretton
Harrison, Whitney, and Bretton love playing outside. (Photo from March 27, 2006)
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