The Tales of Topham

Christmas '08

2009-01-24T13:03:00.020-05:00

"Presents neath the tree"
I (Sarah) have had a fun little game this Christmas season where I threw lines from Christmas songs into everyday conversation as much a possible. It was more of just a fun challenge for myself, but it was always fun when others picked up on what I was doing. I am sure you are all reflecting on conversations that you had with me and trying to recall any lines I got in.....

Digging into stockings!! Yeah! Ronan had a blast discovering what treasures were hidden inside that stocking! Up till Christmas morning, they we just decorations to him. I don't think he will ever look at a stocking the same again! Of course Regan & Rhys are seasoned professionals by now, and knew just what to expect.

All hail the Bowheads!

In honor of Bryan's love for Hot Coco the boys got him Cocoa Latte. A neat little hot coco maker. You throw everything into this thing and it mixes & heats up some yummy frothy hot coco! We have enjoyed it many times and I'm sure we will continue to use it regularly!

Regan!

This year will forever be remembered as the year of Star Wars!! The boys have been fascinated with Star Wars ever since the release of the Clone Wars animated film. They anxiously wait for Sat. morning when they can watch the newest episode of the Clone Wars series and even Ronan will sit glued to the full movies. Bryan is very proud! So needless to say they asked for quite a bit of star wars stuff for Christmas this year. They are now respectably outfitted with lightsabers, Trooper helmets, starfighters, tanks, legos, and much much more.

We got Regan a Plug n play SpongeBob game and he has really loved it!! It is perfect for his age and he has fun challenging himself and us to beat top scores! It is also fun for Sarah, who never could master even the original Mario Bro. on Nintendo.

Rhys!

He was so excited about his Storm Trooper helmet that he could hardly contain himself as I took forever putting it together for him. I have to say it looks rather humorous to watch a 3yr. old walk around with this giant helmet on his head...can you say top heavy? I am still waiting for him to topple over in it.

Checking out his new Ben 10 Alien watch.

His new Starfighter! I am excited that this has become one of his favorite toys and he plays with it more than any other now.

Ronan!

Last year Ronan was too young to have any idea what was going on at Christmas so this was his 1st Christmas to be able to really rip into his presents. He wasn't quite sure with the first few if he really was supposed to be ripping and tearing this paper that was off limits for so long, but after some encouragement he was enjoying the unwrapping as much a seeing what was inside!

Ronan loves "doggies" so we got him this remote controlled Pluto that can walk, bark & wag his tail. He couldn't wait to get it out of the box. It was so much fun watching him play!

Regan & Rhys opening a present together.

Here is Bryan helping Regan figure out his new Star Wars Legos game for the X box. Alas, now Regan is as addicted to x-box as his dad. Rhys tries his best to play as well, but he is just a bit young still. Ronan will sit and watch them play forever. First thing in the morning Regan is asking when he is going to be able to play Star Wars on the x-box. He begs to play any chance he can get. What have we done!! Atleast he knows school & homework come first.

Thanksgiving '08

2009-01-24T12:40:00.006-05:00

After dinner the kids played on the stairs. Yes, that is Ronan in the midst of the battle. Safe, I know. They mainly all ganged up on Connor who took his beating with great dignity!

The kids table on Turkey Day!

Bryan, Ronan & Connor filling their plates with yummy food on Turkey Day.

Here is Ronan playing with one of the many cats running around. He would not go near the dogs, the cats were more his size. Rhys was loving the cats too. He couldn't leave them alone so inevitably he walked away with a few scratches. And no, he didn't learn his lesson. Surprised?

2009-01-13T12:32:00.002-05:00

Since our last post was Halloween we are having, once again, to play catch up. We have had an amazing holiday season. We spent a lovely Thanksgiving with Chris & Melissa's family in Tennessee. Then the holiday whirlwind began. With only 3 weekends between Thanksgiving & Christmas-this year was crazy!! It didn't help that I didn't do ANY early shopping this year and had more to buy than ever before. : ) It was stressful, but fun. We had a cozy little Christmas here at home with our little family. It was so nice. I felt more content than I think I ever have in my life. Thank you to all for the great gifts! Now, here are some pictures we want to share with everyone. Hope you all had a great Holiday Season!

Halloween Party!

2008-11-16T17:22:00.015-05:00

We had our Pumpkin Carving/Costume Party last month and had such a blast!! Here are some pictures of all the fun. We had good food, great costumes & fabuloso pumpkins.
I don't know how the Hadley's got away with not getting a family picture...they looked so good, I am bummed we don't have a group shot of them. I thought I would be creative and come up with some Halloween games we could play. Lets just say, I will be leaving the whole game creation thing up to the professionals from now on. They were a bit LAME! : ) Although...I must say it was entertaining to watch Mark & Wendy belly dance with pumpkins on their waist!

The Forsythe's

We are going to start calling Blair "Earl"

She just can't keep her eyes open in a picture

The Meredith Ladies

The Meredith's

Service with a smile...

Ahhh the entertainment.....

Where would Louis be without her Clark?

Too sweet.

Too Hot!

The Hadley's cleaning out the guts.

Blair's man servant slaving away.

Blair was so proud of her Cat!

Carving Away

That is FOCUS!

Tyler & Nina

The Princess gloating about her escape from the Dragon!

And the winnier is...

The Bat Cave

Teenie Halloweenies!!

Lilli, Nina, Kate, Tyler, Regan & Rhys

The Ladies

Scarecrow Wendy, Louis Lane Stephanie, Mile High Blair & Pirate Sarah

The Guys

Captain Mark, Pirate Billy, Clark Kent Justin & Super Clark Bryan

Tunk or Treat

2008-11-16T17:17:00.003-05:00

Here we are on our way to "Trunk or Treat" at the church. Can you guess who Bryan is? Ronan was the cutest little penguin!! You should have seen him waddle around in that costume. Regan was Optimus Prime & Rhys was Bumble Bee (Transformers) and they loved it!! Any excuse to fight each other and get away with it! : )

FUZZY SHOT

2008-10-17T13:34:00.002-04:00

Hey, we do have some pics that we upload from Bryan's iPhone from time to time that you can see, since we are so bad at updating this, you can at least see some of the things we are up to here. Go to www.fuzzyshot.com/rugbybryan There are some shots of his recent drive to North Carolina, some crafts I am working on, and our mini vaca to Helen, GA. I promise I will update this soon!!

8-4-08 Chubby's 1st Day of School...

2008-08-14T09:24:00.002-04:00

Our baby boy is going up. He's off to his first day of kindergarten.

Misc...

2008-08-14T09:21:00.004-04:00

Here are some pictures I really liked fromt he last month. Enjoy...

7-7-08 Chubby's Birthday Party...

2008-08-14T09:15:00.003-04:00

I'll admit it, I'm a slacker....as if you didn't already know. It's been a month and a half until our last post. Any way, here are pictures from Regan's Birthday party.

Regan's 1st Day of Kindergarten...

2008-08-04T20:12:00.002-04:00

Today was Regan's 1st day of kindergarten at his new elementary school. He was very excited and has made new friends. I'll admit I was a little more anxious about him going to a new bigger school than he was used to at pre-k. He came home and did a great job. He behaved wonderfully and had fun. We're excited for him.

Bryan

PS-I'll post some pics later. I'm a slacker.

Tagged...

2008-06-22T22:38:00.003-04:00

Here's a little about me, thanks to a tag from Sarah Hillgrove (I think). She didn't include last names, so I am assuming I'm the only Bryan with a "y" that she knows. She tagged me 2 weeks ago, I'm just been too lazy to reply.

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?
I was serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to the people of San Antonio, TX (English speaking). Probably sweating to death on a bike wearing slacks in 100 degree weather. (I haven't owned or ridden a bike since returning home.)

2. What was I doing 5 years ago?
We were living in Cookeville, TN and I was anxously awaiting the birth of our first son, Regan Carter Topham. I was also probably trying to rehab my right shoulder from surgery as a result of a rugby injury.

3. What was I doing 5 months ago?
I was more than likely spending every waking minute of the day waiting hand and foot on my beautiful wife. When you're done laughing, I was probably just spending time with the family, working, church callings, and refereeing rugby.

4. 5 Things on my To-Do List:
1. Finish a family blog for my parents and siblings.
2. Pack for a family trip to Texas.
3. Buy Ronan's & Regan's birthday presents.
4. Clean the house.
5. Solve world hunger.

5. 5 Snacks I Enjoy:
1. A CAN of Mountain Dew (cans are best, but I will take a bottle)
2. Kit Kats
3. Twix
4. Snickers
5. "Daddy Snacks" Graham Crackers covered with Betty Crocker chocolate frosting (my boys love them)

6. 5 things I would do if I became a Billionaire:
1. QUIT MY JOB!!!!!
2. Pay off all my debt and that of my loved ones (stole that from Sarah)
3. Travel the world
4. Buy my favorite sports franchises (or start a professional rugby league in the USA/Canada)
5. Send my parents on a mission

7. 5 Bad Habits:
1. Road Rage
2. Potty mouth while driving with road rage
3. Sex, drugs, & women (just kidding) ---> Junk food
4. Video games
5. My entire life is one bad habit after another

8. 5 Places I have lived:
1. Canton, GA
2. Bountiful, UT
3. Rexburg, ID
4. Cookeville, TN
5. Olathe, KS

9. 5 Jobs I've Had:
1. MarketStar/Hewlett-Packard
2. Real Salt Lake
3. MultiPro Networking
Nothing else worth mentioning

10. 5 People I Tag:
1. Paul & Karin
2. Jared
3. Matt
4. Aaron (Sarah can't type it for him)
5. Anyone else reading this

6-17-08 Misc Pics...

2008-06-17T00:00:00.004-04:00

Here are a few pics I liked, enjoy...

6-12-08 Spaghetti...

2008-06-16T23:56:00.002-04:00

Ronan tried spaghetti for the first time and absolutely loved it!

He was trying to peek around the camera to see Sarah.

6-11-08 Mohawks...

2008-06-16T23:48:00.004-04:00

Regan and Rhys had asked for "rock star hair" for a long time. While Sarah took the Rhys & Ronan to the doctor, I cut Regan's hair. Sarah loved it and Rhys wanted it too.

6-3-08 Pool Time

2008-06-16T23:45:00.004-04:00

Sarah blew up the boys pool so they boys could cool down in the HOT-lanta summer.

5-31-08 Misc Pics...

2008-05-31T19:05:00.003-04:00

Here are just a few pictures from the last month that I really like. The video is of Ronan saying "tickle." Every time we tickle him we say "tickle, tickle, tickle" and he started copying us...

5-25-08 Pool Time...

2008-05-31T19:01:00.002-04:00

We took the kids the pool the other day. Here are a few photos...

5-19-08 Knee Surgery...

2008-05-31T18:55:00.002-04:00

On 5-19-08 I had surgery on my left knee. It was originally thought that I tore my meniscus, but it turned out to be a ligament tear, and knee cap and cartilage damage. I should be back to full health and fitness in 4-6 weeks. It's still sore, but I'm walking on it fine.

5-17-08 Swimming At The Lake...

2008-05-31T18:51:00.004-04:00

Regan had a classmate who had a birthday party at the local lake. Here are a few pics of the boys swimming...

5-16-08 Bowling...

2008-05-31T18:44:00.004-04:00

We made a deal with Regan to help him continue his good behavior at school. If he was good at school from Monday thru Friday, he would get a reward. For that weeks reward, we went bowling...

5-11-08 Mother's Day...

2008-05-31T18:36:00.002-04:00

We love our Mom so much. Here are a few pictures from Mother's Day. Sarah asked me to make cupcakes, so enjoy the photos.

5-6-08 We Got Sod...

2008-05-31T18:10:00.004-04:00

Roughly two weeks after we leveled out backyard we decided to complete the transformation and lay down sod. The pictures tell the story and so you can see we rented a tiller and loosened all the dirt. After tilling, we raked up all the weeds and rocks before laying the final product.

As most of you know, Georgia has been under water restrictions for over a year now. We are only allowed to water during specific times and on specific days of the week. They also permit a 30 day window for new grass to be watered every day. Luckily we have also received a lot of rain. It's looking pretty good and now the boys aren't tracking mud/dirt on the carpet.

Before Sod...

After The Sod Was Finished...Before The Garden...Sarah's Plants...

After The Garden Was Finished....

4-30-08 Bath Time...

2008-05-31T18:03:00.002-04:00

Here are just a few cute pics we took when they boys were taking a batch.

4-28-08 Rhys Discovers Fire Ants...

2008-05-31T17:54:00.003-04:00

Rhys is a curious boy, as most are, but his curiousity is the same that killed the cat. Back on April 28th he discovered a fire ant hill and desided to step on the massive mound. It was a good thing he was wearing jeans and shoes because he was covered in seconds with well over one hundred ants biting his pants. When he tried to wipe them off with his hands he was bit. He had roughly 20+ bites on his arms alone. I had to pull his pants, shoes, and socks off him in the yard. In that short time I was bit 10-15 times. He has now learned his leason and keeps his distance, but he still wants to see each ant hill.

4-22-08 Zoo Trip

2008-05-31T17:29:00.005-04:00

Sorry this has been soooo long in the making. To be honest, I've been lazy. Here are several updates to bring you up to speed....mainly just pics with a few explanations.

Back on April 22nd we took the boys to the zoo on a day Regan had off from school. These are a few pictures we took.

Playing in the dirt...

2008-04-15T23:01:00.012-04:00

We’ve been in our house for over a year now and we finally decided to do something about our backyard. We had a ditch washed out by rain running right through our backyard. The kids had fun riding their bikes down in it, but it was not visually appealing and we couldn’t do much else. After dealing with it for too long, Sarah made some phone calls and found a joint that sold dump trucks full of dirt for $50. So she finally had enough and made me take two vacation days to work. (It wasn’t a fair swap. 2 days off for 2 days of hard manual labor.) They brought the dirt on Tuesday evening and work began Wednesday morning.

Let me start off by mentioning that the dump truck had no way of dumping in the backyard and we were forced to have it delivered to the driveway. I had to take each wheelbarrow load around to the back one by one (roughly 50+ loads). The dirt was so full of rocks we could not even get through one square foot without being forced to pause and pull out 3+ stones. (My fist size and larger. And I’ve got big hands.)

We decided to put the stones to some use and first lined the bottom of the ditch with the rocks. The plan was for the stones to take up the lower spaces with rocks and then cover them with the dirt and pack it down. It took us over all day Wednesday, all day and late into the night Thursday, and early, early Friday morning. We were under a time crunch because I had to work Friday and we were expecting severe thunder showers Friday by noon.

So after an aching back, four popped blisters on my hands, and a little elbow-grease, we got the job done. The boys can now run flat, kick a ball back and forth, and we can finally play some croquet on some flat, somewhat level ground. The next step is to get some sod put in….more fun.

~Bryan

No More Snoring...

2008-04-15T22:19:00.004-04:00

Regan did very well with his tonsil/adenoids surgery. He didn't even know he had anything done when he came out of recovery. When he woke up he asked the nurses, “Can we take my tonsilles out please?”

We were a little nervous going into the surgery. Only because we heard story after story about friends or their kids struggling with the recovery. Not being able to swallow without pain, being nauseous from the medicine, or struggling to get their kids to even take the medicine. All of the nerves were for not. Regan took it like a champ. He came home begging to eat food right away. He even stole a piece of Sarah’s chicken from her chicken salad without us looking. He already popped it into his mouth before were could do anything. We just warned him to chew it up really good and braced ourselves for the aftermath, but there was nothing. He never had any trouble eating and constantly asked to eat things like chips, crunchy cereals, etc. We had to keep telling him no and suggesting softer, more gentle foods.

We heard about kids wanting to stay in bed and sleep the whole week of surgery; not Regan. He was up running around chasing his brothers and having fun the second he got home. We would force him to lay/sit down and relax. He would just pout until he could get up and play again.

After the procedure, the doctor told us Regan’s adenoids were blocking 50% and his tonsilles were also blocking 50%. For weeks/months the poor boys was struggling to breathe at night. He was peeling the paint off the walls with his snoring and he was constantly coughing, trying to clear his airway. We could hear his snoring from nearly any part of the house (he must have inherited that from his Grandpa Topham). Now he is so quiet I have to check if he is even breathing at all. He sleeps so peacefully now. We are lucky to have a great kid with an amazing ability to recover. He is our little Superman. Nothing keeps him down.

~Bryan

Sick of the Sickness...

2008-04-04T11:26:00.004-04:00

My poor wife. Regan, Rhys, and Ronan have been passing around a flu, fever, and stomach bug for what seems like months. We've taken them to the doctor repeatedly and put them on countless medications. Sarah has had to deal with their constant runny noses, spikes in temperature, mood swings (mine too), and coughing. On top of all that, she has gotten sick in there too.

Throughout all this, Ronan has become very spoiled. He feels he needs to be held ALL day long. He won't let us put him down without screaming and crying. He just follows us crying "Dad, Dad, Dad!" or "Mom, Mom, Mom!" It was cute at first, but we've created a monster. The picture above is a time he chased me into the shower crying to be picked up.

We thought something was wrong with Regan because he constantly coughing and had trouble breathing. Regan was struggling to breath and snored enough to peal the paint off the walls. Sarah decided to look in his mouth and saw enormous tonsils. She took him to the doctor and she was told his tonsils weren't large, but monstrous. As a result, Regan is schedule to have his tonsils removed on Monday, April 7th. At the same doctor's visit, the Dr. also looked at Rhys and told us they were huge as well. He will have to wait until he is older to have his removed though. That lead us look at Ronan as well...you guessed it, enlarged as well. So I we will have fun in the years to come.

~Bryan

A Chat With The Prophet

2008-04-02T14:59:00.000-04:00

As most of you know, and if you don't, we are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (a.k.a. Mormons). In fact, I was raised a member of the church my whole life.

Last week I was in Salt Lake City, Utah for a training conference with work. We were staying and attending daily training session at the Downtown Marriott. After the second day of training we concluded and filed out into the hotel lobby. As I rounded the corner I saw a pleasant surprise, President Thomas S. Monson. He was relaxing while having his shoes shined.

Roughly 90% of my co-workers are LDS and most stood around to simply watch the man. Either they were aw-struck, or out of reverence, they left him allow. I, on the other hand, was too thickheaded to follow my co-workers example and I approached him.

President Monson is known for his fantastic memory and his ability to retain the smallest of details from past events. In my youth our paths crossed and out of curiosity I asked Pres. Monson if he remember the following story (as best as I can remember):

"Pres. Monson and Pres. Packer were speaking at an area conference in Mesa, AZ when I was eight or nine. My father was asked to help out with security at the event and was in charge of the back door where they brethren entered. My family and I sat with my father back behind the stage and arrived hours before.

On that day I was wearing a shirt and tie with slacks and suspenders. My brother had been snapping my suspenders all morning and it was driving me crazy. I had enough and on the way back to my seat they were snapped again. I was so angry I turned around with my fist cocked back to punch him and to my surprise it was Pres. Monson. Luckily I stopped myself before I swung and he just laughed. He opened up his suit coat and thumbed his suspenders, ‘Great minds think alike.” We smiled at each other and we both proceeded to our seats.

After the conference concluded my parents could not find me. They searched all over the arena and nearly called the police. After searching for what seemed like an eternity, they saw a door open and caught a glimpse of me. My best friend’s mother had been asked to feed the Brethren. After everyone filed out, I snuck in behind Pres. Monson and sat down next to the 'funny man who snapped my suspenders.' He shared half his sandwich and juice with me. My parents wanted to be mad at me, but couldn’t because I just want to spend time with the Apostles. I also remember my brother going home complaining because he was hungry and I was fine.”

I told the Prophet it stayed with me because I remember how nice he was. I remember the time took to make a young boy angry with his brother smile, laugh, and because reverent instead.

After I finished relaying the story, Pres. Monson chuckled and told me he was glad I did not throw my punch. He told me to be truthfully honest he did not remember the story, but was glad he had made a positive impression on me.

I am not surprised he did not remember me. I would have been more impressed if he had. He has met millions of children the world over and has probably left equally as many memories with them.

~Bryan

And So It Begins...

2008-04-02T13:44:00.000-04:00

Here is our first attempt at a blog. We have had family and friends bombard us with requests for constant updates on the family and I finally surcomb to the pressure. We will TRY to keep this somewhat updated.

~Bryan