THE THOMPSON TIMES

It's Been a Year Already!!!

2010-11-06T14:30:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we had Preschool Day in the Country and the kiddos had so much fun. It was this time last year that we made the trip out to the country and made it official that we had joined Grand Parkway Baptist Church!! I am so glad that I choose to go to a bible study last fall there and started getting to know some gals there. Fast forward to a year later we are in an awesome community group, we started MOPS and I am on the steering team and I am just loving our church and have made some real genuine friends!!! I am excited to see what the future will hold at this church!!!!

Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T20:10:00.002-05:00

Gosh I am really bad about updating my blog. Guess Facebook is where everything is but still want my blog as a record of my writings!!! So here are a few pics from Halloween.

Three Weeks Baby till our Vacation!!!

2010-07-22T14:08:00.005-05:00

Going to my most favorite place Camp Forest Springs!! I can pretty much guarantee that their will be no oil problems on James Lake!!! Can't wait to pull onto Forest Drive and right when you turn on camp drive you crest the hill and there is James Lake. I still feel like I did when I was a kid pulling into camp so excited and one year I even started crying I am sure it was one of the two years I was there and pregnant. Dang hormones!! Looking forward to all the activities and not having to cook any meals for a whole week. Now that makes this momma happy!!!!!

My Mommy Style!!

2010-06-10T16:19:00.003-05:00

I have had this blog in my head for a few days so I thought I would set it out there. Sometimes I feel like I am out in right field a lot of times as a mother and let me tell you why...

I use disposable diapers and have no desire to use cloth to me that was so 1970!!
I feed my kids non organic processed cheese and other foods etc and I don't have the $ to do otherwise!!
I don't wear my babies!!! I carry them around in their car seats attached to their stroller and it works out just fine for me!!!
I spray my kids with sunscreen that is on a bad list!!!
I don't believe in the cry it out method. And my kids sleep just fine in the night.
I love to breastfeed and would still do it if my kids hadn't cut me off.
I want more kids even though my pregnancies are horrible. I love my kids!!! People look at me like I am crazy when I say I want 4
I am not going to put my kids in school like probably ever!! Public school and me do not mix. And have you seen the rates for even just 2 days of moms day out or preschool. No thanks. I will keep them with me!!!
We have cable television and my kids watch tv!!! On Demand is my fav feature and we watch shows a lot!!
My house is lived in. There is dog hair and food on the floor most of the time and laundry seems to never be folded but I snuggle and play with my kids in lieu of doing these things

For the longest time I felt like I was alone in my mothering because of these things. But I have found people that I connect with and a church that I love now and that has helped a lot. I realize that I can be that different mommy and it doesn't bother me a bit. Well at least most of the time!!!! Okay now I feel better. Thanks for listening!!!

Easter Weekend

2010-04-06T20:12:00.002-05:00

Okay so I am bad about posting on my blog. I just never have anything interesting to write or to much in my head that I would never share in a public forum!!! So here are some pictures from Easter Weekend!!

Pictures of my Babies!!

2010-01-25T21:03:00.003-06:00

Happy First Birthday Catherine Laura!!

2010-01-06T09:41:00.002-06:00

Today is my sweet baby girls first birthday!! I cannot believe how fast the year has flown by. Sissy is almost walking she takes a few steps kinda of in a fast little wobble and then falls down. So cute!! We are having a party for her on the 16th when my parents are down for a visit!! I am already thinking about having another baby but am going to wait just a bit but I know for sure I want more!!!

Happy New Year!!

2010-01-05T13:55:00.002-06:00

I don't update my blog much but am hoping to make it to 100 posts this year!!! When I do I might have a little give away but then again who knows my blog doesn't get much traffic!! So here are a few pictures of New Years Eve. We let Cortie stay up this year and he had a blast all though he was very tired by midnight and the pictures show it. So HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!!!

A Snowy Day in Houston!!

2009-12-03T21:53:00.003-06:00

Friday was a fun day around these parts. We got an official dose of snow!! Now that does not happen here hardly ever so people were going nuts. It did snow like it did once before since we have been here, which was on Christmas Eve 2004. Being from the north I just had to laugh at how people reacted to the snow but I of course was a good Texas parent and bundled my kids up and let them experience the snow. Cortlyn had a blast playing with his best bud Alyssa from next door and they even built a little snowman. We also cracked up because Chester's work sent the whole company home early due to inclement weather. I mean there was barely an inch on the ground but like I said they rarely if ever get snow down here so when they do it is a BIG!! deal!!! So that was our fun Friday!!!

A New Church Home and a Day in the Country!!

2009-11-09T21:20:00.002-06:00

It's official!! We have a new church home. Yes after 5 years at our previous church it was just time to end our time there. Long story short I never felt connected there and constantly was battling feeling sad and depressed because of it. I kept trying to get plugged in in various ways there but they only seemed to want to pigeon hole me into childcare and don't get me wrong I love the kiddos but wasn't wanting to be force fed working in the kids ministry. The last straw was when I had wanted to help start back up a mom ministry that they had going for a while and was basically shut down with hardly a thank you for thinking of it. I still am a little bitter over it but am trying to close that chapter in my life and here we are in a new chapter. We are going to be members of Grand Parkway Baptist Church. I totally feel like it is the lord's leading and am so glad that I braved meeting strangers and went to a ladies bible study to check it out and it's been a total blessing to me. I feel more connected in just 2 short months then I did in all the five years I attended our last church. I have even been asked to help on the Steering team of MOPS that the church is starting up next fall. Can you say that I was excited and glad to finally be acknowledged for my passion for other moms in the preschool stage!!! We are also connected in a community group and are meeting and becoming friends with a lot of nice people. Our church has so much going on that I just love, couples game nights, ladies night out, mens night out, kids programs, ladies bible studies, mens bible studies. It is just awesome to be in a place that has so much going on and so many places to be involved. I am so glad that the Lord lead us there!! And the pictures at the beginning where from preschool day in the country. Church members have an awesome big house on a ton of land and they invite the little ones out for a fun day of playing in the country. Cortlyn had so much fun swinging, fishing, taking mutiple hayrides, eating peanut butter and jelly and just being able to run around. And there were lots of older ladies who were more than willing to hold and squeeze my sweet baby girl Catherine!! It was a fun day and Cortie was sad to leave. Well that is all from our neck of the woods. Glad to be a member of Grand Parkway Baptist Church!!!

Not Me Monday

2009-10-19T14:15:00.003-05:00

Still don't have a lot of Not Me Monday's but at least I try!! And I can totally relate to Mckmama about the oven fiasco! When I was in college I was over at my grandparents with my roommate and we decided to make a pizza and I turned on my grandparents brand new oven to preheat it but unbeknownst to me my grandma keep her plastic plug in skillet in there. Who does that!!!! So anyways we went on our merry way waiting for the oven to heat up when all the sudden there is black smoke coming from the oven and my aunts husband they lived right next door in a duplex came flying in with a fire extinguisher and rambo style put the fire out. That was a pretty scary moment and I felt terrible for ruining their brand new oven but again who leaves plastic stuff in an oven. Well apparently my Grandma!!!

As for Not Me's this week here goes
I did not remind my husband that we had money in our account and that I like flowers and white cake just so he wouldn't forget to get stuff for me on my birthday. He did last year and was in big trouble but he totally redeemed himself this year so all is well!!

I also did not get upset when our plans fell thru on Saturday night and our neighbors couldn't babysit I mean their kid got really sick that would be yucky and selfish of me to wish they could have watched my kids!!

My husband and I did not drive around after having dinner on Saturday night trying to find something to do and we did not go home after only 2 hours out so we didn't have to waste more $ on a babysitter I mean we are hip and wanted to stay out all night!!!

I also did not pretty much go straight to bed when we got home because I just wanted to !!

I did not put my kids in fuzzy pjs because it was cold my northern friends would just laugh and laugh!!

Okay that is all I can think of for this week. Happy Monday!!

A Great Birthday!!!

2009-10-16T16:53:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was my birthday and I had a great day. It was very low key but that is ok with me. I was woken up by my sweet boy and his little voice saying Happy Birthday Mommy!! I just love love love that boy!! Then later in the morning we went to Sam's Club cause hey you still have to be a wife and mommy even on your birthday and we were out of chicken so had to go get the big bag at Sam's Club. Well of course we can't go to Sam's Club without getting our standard hot dog combo or pizza combo. So we got our lunch there and my hubby came on over since his work is very close by and we enjoyed a birthday pizza hot dog lunch as penned by the boy!!! Then later in the day I had to go pick up our neighbors daughter at her daycare since her brother became pretty sick and had to go to the ER. So she ended up being at our house for the evening which of course made Cortlyn super happy. He loves Alyssa and always says she is his girlfriend. How cute!! So anyways Cortie, Catherine and Daddy had gone to the store to pick up some bday supplies. And when they got home they had a super secret cake baking mission in the kitchen. It was so cute watching them make the cake although I wasn't supposed to know what was going on!! They made me a beautiful cake with pink icing and blue sprinkles. Very delish and so special!!! So we celebrated my birthday, added another kid in the mix for the evening and all around had a nice night. Chester and I are going to go out tomorrow night sans the kids to celebrate both our anniversary and my birthday so that will be nice.

Not Me Monday!!

2009-10-12T14:23:00.003-05:00

When things are happening I keep thinking I should write them down so I can put them on Not Me Monday but I always forget so I will try to come up with a few

I did not cry when my boy slept in his big boy bed for the first time on Friday night and I did not pick him up and rock him while he slept just to hold him and kiss his head. No thats not me I am an emotional rock!!

I did not go to the grocery store to get stuff to make for our church game night only to be to lazy and just brought chips. Of course not me!!

I did not laugh when my boy informed me that he and daddy had penises and baby girl and I did not I mean we explain body parts very seriously in this house.

I also did not laugh when my boy was getting in trouble for something and told me Not to make the Hulk angry which he of course got from his daddy when they were playing one day.

I also did not have to keep it together in the kitchen a few weeks back when my boy stripped off his diaper and peed on the chaise lounge like he was marking his territory I mean peeing on furniture is a no no which of course it is but it was so funny as it was playing out cause you can't stop the pee once its coming out in a little boy!!

I am not relieved not to have to buy diapers for my son anymore since he is potty trained because I absolutely love buying diapers and spending money on them. NOT!!!

Cortlyn is a Big Boy Now!!

2009-10-06T13:42:00.003-05:00

It seems like just yesterday that my boy was a baby!! I waited so long for him to arrive that when he got here, I was so excited and just loved being able to be with him all the time. He was a momma's boy and we did everything together. But now he is getting to be such a big boy and I am having a hard time letting go of my sweet baby boy!! But alas the time has come and this past week he has really stepped up the big boy and is now going on the potty and wearing big boy underpants almost all the time and keeping them dry!!! Last week a light just went on in his head and he went #2 on the potty which is what we had been trying to get him to do with no avail and he just went in said I have to go poopy and away we went!! He was so excited and we danced around and celebrated!! So now we are on to the next big boy adventure which is putting up his big boy bed. I don't know why I am having such a hard time with this I want him to get bigger but he won't be my sweet little baby anymore tucked in sweetly in his crib. I wonder if it a struggle with all moms with their first born. With Catherine I am much more ok with her milestones as was able to leave her way earlier than I ever did her brother. I mean I did not leave him for an overnight till he was near 2 years old and I cried and cried at the airport when I left him with daddy for a weekend. But I have since left him since then and have been fine. So I have a big boy in my house now. And although I miss my little baby I am looking forward to him growing up to be a godly man, warrior and friend. That is what he prays with daddy every night. I love you Cortlyn George Thompson!!!!

Our 2 week excursion up North!!

2009-09-13T18:57:00.008-05:00

Man I always have good intentions to write on my blog but never seem to get around to it and not sure anybody really reads it anyways and I am not much of a journal person. I love the concept of Facebook updating about your life in just little sentences. Plus I am a very private person and I have all kinds of ideas for blogs to write about but feel like it would put to much of me out there that I am not comfortable with!! Well in August we took a 2 week vacation up North to the great state of Wisconsin. We made several and I mean several stops along the way to see family because hey when you come from Texas it takes a long time!!! I so want to move back up North and am regretting that we ever moved here but hey that is for another post!! Well we left on August 11th and planned to get to Memphis within a reasonable time we were thinking dinner man we were way off. 2 small kids one of them being a baby who is still nursing and 14 hours later we arrived very tired and very hungry to Uncle Walt(Chester's uncle) house. Next year we will for sure stop in a hotel the first night and give Uncle Walt a proper visit. Then the next day we drove to St Louis to see Uncle Steve and Aunt Carol(again Chester's side) we had a short visit with them to we really underestimated how long it would take each day especially with Catherine who would want to eat or have diaper issues very soon after we had stopped. Then the next day we drove to Plainfield, Il to visit Chester's Grandma Betty with a stop to have lunch with my Grandma who suffers from Alzheimer's . She was glad to see us and in the moment she enjoyed our visit and seeing the kids!! We then stayed in Chicago land for a couple of days visiting family and then we made our way up to Northern Wisconsin to Camp Forest Springs for a week of family camp which was awesome. I have been going there since I was born and it is a wonderful place full of memories and learning from God's word. After that week we made a stop in Minneapolis for the evening and spent some time with some good friends. The next morning we got up and drove to Kansas City and spent the evening with my cousin Staci who I hadn't seen in a couple of years and then we stopped to see my Great Aunt Shirley and had a really nice visit with her. We then made a 10 hour drive home all in one day and made it home 2 weeks to the day we left. It was an awesome trip and the kids were really good most of the time. Cortlyn was really good and watched his DVD and read his library books and was a gem in the car. Catherine had her moments but we had to remember that she was just a baby and really for a baby she really did good!! We train em young to sit in the car for long distances because we have no other choice!! And now we are home and I had a few days of feeling really sad about being home but now bible studies and MOPS have started up again and it is nice to have something to do and we will be making a trip to Florida for Thanksgiving to visit Chester's mom so that will be something to look forward too!! Okay so there that is my update and I know it was long but hey I don't post to often.

2009-08-10T09:18:00.002-05:00

I keep trying to remember things to put in Not me Monday but always seem to forget when the day actually comes. Oh well here are a few I could drag up.

I did not think it was funny that my son announced to anybody in the bathroom at the library that mommy was going poppy. I mean I am very private about bathroom occurrences.

I also did not think it was funny that my son repeated what his daddy and I said at the table about somebody needing to grow a set. I meant that would be totally inappropriate!!

And I don't immediately say You want a bucket!! When it is pretty clear that my boy is saying a naughty word that he heard mommy say in the car one day when somebody cut her off. I mean I am the perfect mommy who never lets a cuss word fall from my lips!!

I didn't have most of our things packed for our vacation days before we leave I mean who organizes things like that. Certainly not me!!

And who goes on a trip hoping that $$ will materialize out of the sky. Not me of course we have money to go on this trip loads of money!!!

Okay that is all I can think of for now. Go over to MckMamma's website to check out other peoples not me mondays!!

A Night Away Finally!!

2009-07-24T22:01:00.007-05:00

Last weekend my hubby and I had the pleasure of spending a whole overnight away from the kiddos. Thanks to my Mom and Dad we were able to get away which has not happened at all since we had kiddos. You see we don't have Grandma, Grandpa, aunties, uncles, cousins, first cousins once removed well you get the point we don't have any family in the area which is a hard concept for most of the people we know. If we get a date night it is very rare indeed and even then if it's we can afford a babysitter for the evenings which lets face it don't come cheap anymore but I digress... Back in May I scored tickets to this show

for Chester's Birthday and my Mom made plans to come down for a week. I also pricelined a night away and we got the Hotel Derek for $80 for the night. It was a super nice place very swanky and very modern. So last Saturday we packed up our stuff kissed our kiddies and headed off to the hotel for the night. I have to admit I was a bit of a baby for a few minutes because it was the first time I left my baby girl which was way sooner than I ever left my son see here http://lynnieped.blogspot.com/2008/10/girls-weekend-in-nj.html I mean he was nearly two when I did that but I bucked up and was fine after a couple of tears. We got to our hotel and we checked in we laughed at the prices of the mini bar and ended up getting snacks across the street at CVS. We tried to swim in the pool but it was on the main floor and not in a very good location it was pretty much kept from the sun by the buildings so it was cold which is rare in Houston in the summer and there was no hot tub so we just decided to chill in our room until it was time to get ready for the show. We then went downtown and had dinner at a nice Italian restaurant that we had been to when Chester's uncle and aunt and cousin Abby were in town last year. It was super crowded so we ended up eating at the bar and even then we were nearly late to the show thanks also to a major downpour. Houston hasn't seen a lot of rain in awhile so people were acting like moroons driving in the rain. But we made it to the show with a few minutes to spare. The show was awesome!!! I had seen it back in 1998 but it was Chester's first time. I have the soundtrack from the original Broadway production so I know the story in and out. I love the theatre and have fanatasies of being the lead in the production. The closest I have come is singing Wishing You were Somehow here again as a vocal minor in college. I get goosebumps when they lift the chandelier and I had tears in my eyes in several spots. I just love The Phantom. I hope to get to see it on Broadway one day!!! After the show we made it back to our hotel and we slept in till 10:30 am the next morning!! We obviously were really tired and a break from the kids was much needed. We then got back mid afternoon and my parents came home from taking the kids to church and I was so happy to see my sweet boy and girl. I am glad that we got to get away and am looking forward to when we can do it again!! And I of course would love to see Phantom again while it is still in town but that probably will not happen. Oh well till it comes back to town again!!

Us being dorks during intermission we didn't have time to get pics before hand

This is the only picture of us together. Wish we would have gotten a good one but after the show people flock out like a herd of cattle so picture taking wasn't in the plans.

2009-07-06T09:25:00.003-05:00

I like Mckmama's blog a lot and like I put by the link to her blog I did go to the same college as she did up in the Twin Cities. I did not know her personally but since we have the same alma matter I think it is pretty cool. So I like to read Not me Monday so I thought I would try it out this week.

1. I most did certainly not take my children outdoors in the scorching heat to play so that my husband and I could rubber neck seeing as there were tons of cop cars and a crime scene unit across the street at the neighbors house.

2. And I most certainly did not go back outdoors just in time to see the body being brought out on a stretcher. Nope not me!!

3. I most certainly did not give my son a dose of tylenol to get him to take a nap so momma could have some naptime herself. Nope not me!!

4. I most certainly did not put my kids to bed and not see any fireworks because I could care less about that. I mean I am patriotic and care about the 4th of July!

5. I most certainly did not take out hamburger to have tacos the other night only to go to TGI Fridays when we couldn't afford it. Nope not me!!

6. I most certainly did not justify having fast food for lunch when I had perfectly good food at home. Nope not me!!

7. I most certainly did not put strawberries in pancakes to try to trick my boy into eating fruit. I mean he loves fresh fruit don't you know. Nope not me!

8. I most certainly did not borrow my neighbors Dyson vacuum while we were watching their dogs because it is so nice. That would be coveting. And I don't do that. Nope not me!!

9. And finally I most certainly did not purposely not put a breast milk bottle together for my baby so I could actually sit in church and listen to the sermon. I mean I love sitting still in church I really do

Baby Girl Tries out Food

2009-06-26T22:51:00.003-05:00

Pardon the boob shot but baby girl likes to be held at dinnertime and she tries to get a hold of things on my plate. That night we had peas so I figured what the heck and smooshed them up and feed her a few bites. She seemed to like it but she of course liked to chew on the spoon more!! Oh and the last pic is of my sweet girl in the hamper I had to get something in the other laundry basket and I was holding her so I put her in the other basket and she thought that was funny!! My baby girl is such a darn cutie pie!!!

Fun in the Park

2009-06-26T22:28:00.004-05:00

The other day we went to the park and had a picnic lunch and played for awhile. It was super super hot outside but this is Cortie's favorite park and it has some shade so it wasn't horrible. My boy is definitely all boy and would dig in the sand and rocks all day if I would let him but Good lord it was hot and it took all about 2 minutes for me to be all sweaty!! Catherine had fun swinging in the baby swing. She loves being outside and watching what her brother is doing. Soon enough she will be chasing after him in the park.

Just Some Fun in the Sun and Random Shots

2009-06-20T23:02:00.005-05:00

Baby girl lounging in the sun
Baby girl with Daddy her first time in the pool
Cortie enjoyng a snack outside
Baby girls purple car! She's stylin!!
My little fish!!
Cortie likes to revert back to babyhood sometimes with sister
There's my little angel!!
Hey you talkin to me!!
My sweet boy with his surfer dude bear!!

This is a great video of Cortie singing along to Hey Mickey!! Awesome!!

The summer heat has hit Texas and we have been enjoying spending time outside at splash parks and in our pool at home. I also got Cortie a little plastic pool to wade in for when I am not in the mood to get in the big pool. It has his little slide in it so he has a great time sliding into his little pool. He also loves to swim in the big pool and will swim all by himself with Daddy right near by don't worry Grandmas!! We had hoped to get him some swimming lessons this summer but probably won't have the extra funds to do it. Hopefully next year!! Baby girl is getting so big. I can't believe she is almost 6 months. It feels like just yesterday she was a tiny baby. She has been fussy the last couple of days. We think she might be teething but nothing is showing up in her mouth. Her brother acted the same way and he didn't get teeth until he was almost a year. We have also been going to story time at the library and Cortlyn loves it!! We tried last summer but he was still to little and didn't care one bit about it but this summer he is having a blast and he loves craft time!! After wards we usually go to Chick fil a or chick a la as Cortie says it and he loves playing in the playground. We usually try to find something to do most everyday and we also just like to chill at home. We are looking forward to my Mom coming in July and Chester and I will actually get a night away from the kiddos. We are so excited about that, we rarely ever get a date night so this is a special treat. Well that is about all from our neck of the woods right now. Enjoy the pics and video!!

A Visit with Auntie Laurie

2009-06-06T08:52:00.006-05:00

This past weekend my sister Laurie came for a visit from New Jersey she had not met Catherine yet so she was excited to get to meet baby girl. We packed a lot into the weekend. She flew in on Thursday night and on Friday we took Cortie to Build a Bear where he had the greatest time making his very own bear. We named it Surfer Dude Bear and we of course forgot to take a picture of the final product but nonetheless he loves it. Then we went to a local splash pad that Cortie loves and we had a great afternoon. To top off the day we went to one of our favorite restaurants Gringo's and had a fabulous supper. Saturday we woke up bright and early with the intention of getting down to Galveston before lunch but we didn't quite make it. We ended up getting there around 1pm. We went to Moody Gardens to Palm Beach which is man made lagoon that was perfect for little kids. We had a great day and we were so tired from being in the sun all day that we just chilled at home and went to bed early. Sunday we just relaxed since my sister was leaving that day. Her and Cortie had a great time going in our pool and then she had to leave. It was a great visit!! On a side note my sister got bit by a tick a couple of weeks ago and was pretty tired while here and sore but she had been to the dr and they thought she was ok. But once she got home it progressed into a much worse state and she was diagnosed with Lymes Disease it was caught early but she has been really sick this whole past week with it. So please keep her in your prayers. As for us we have had an interesting week as well. Right before my sister left I got my heel cut with a rusty shovel that we used to pick up poop and had to get a tetnus shot and then Monday morning I woke up with pink eye. So gross!! But we are finally on the mend here and summer is here and we are going to have fun!!

The Month of May a Recap

2009-05-25T21:39:00.013-05:00

First we celebrated Chester's Birthday!! Cortie was very excited to go to the BEB (HEB) but that's how he pronounces it. It's so cute and we got Daddy a cake and Daddy blew out the candles!! Then we went to the Olive Garden and had a nice dinner and afterwards we met up with a friend of ours Matt from Minnesota who was in for the evening. We went to his hotel and Cortie had great fun going up and down the elevator and the evening was topped off by a very sad two year old who had to leave and all he could say very sad like you know Bye Matt!! Very dramatic but again so darn cute we hold to turn around to giggle because it was so pathetic!!!

Then we put up our pool again for the summer and Cortie being the big boy he is now got on his swim vest and had the greatest time paddling around the bottom of the pool while it was being filled up. Remember this time last year My how my little boy has grown!!

Then we have had some fun times at the splash pad near our house. Last year the boy wasn't to sure about them but this year he loves it and I love it that I am not pregnant and feeling sick all the time and can enjoy spending time with my boy!!

And of course we can't leave out baby girl she was having fun as well

And just for fun Cortie has been talking more and more lately and this is what we caught on the way to eat one night. Very cute!!

Later in the month Cortie got a package in the mail Daddy had ordered him a bow and arrow. It was the cutest thing because he knew exactly what it was and was so excited to open and kept going around the house saying my bow my bow. He loves to shoot just like Daddy

And as for baby girl she is getting so big. She is almost 5 months old I cannot believe it. This time last year I was worried that she wasn't even going to make it inside me but she did and she is the sweetest little thing!! Here is a recent video clip of her in her exersaucer. Cortlyn loves to show her all the toys and she loves playing with her older brother. I think they are going to be close!!

And this weekend the final weekend of May my sister Laurie is coming to visit. She hasn't met Catherine yet so that will be a nice time together. Whoo this post got long but I don't blog all that often so putting a post together takes forever. So hope everyone enjoys the videos. I sure do!!!

My Two Fabulous Babies!!!

2009-05-03T09:15:00.008-05:00

Here are some recent pics of the kids. I love how they turned out!! I of course think they are the cutest kids. But hey I am biased. Cortlyn is 2 years old and Catherine is almost 4 mos in these pictures. We have been going to the same lady since Cortlyn was 5 mos old and she does an awesome job. She can get Cortlyn to do all kinds of poses and he is so darn photogenic!! Catherine wasn't quite sure about pictures but Marva is awesome, Baby girl was full on screaming and we had forgotten her paci so I was convinced that picture time was not to be since neither me holding her or breastfeeding was helping. But Marva got my sweet girl to calm down and even smile in some of the pictures. I mean incredible!! And another glitch was that Cortlyn ripped his brand new pants on the mirror in the changing room and it was right on the knee. But again Marva worked her magic and most of the pictures Cortlyn's hand is covering the rip. Little side note I was able to get the same pants on the deep clearance rack at Children's Place for $5 bucks. I was so pleased since I wanted to have a pair of dress pants for other occasions. Okay thats all for now. Enjoy folks!!

Look How Big Baby Girl is Getting!!

2009-04-07T08:52:00.011-05:00

Baby Girl turned 3 months yesterday. She is getting big so fast. Slow down baby girl!! I love this little girl to pieces and I just love dressing her up every Sunday for church. I am hoping she turns into a real girlie girl like her mommy because I will let her wear her foofy dresses when she wants!! She has a little personality now, she smiles and coos and the other day she giggled a little when I was wiping under her chin. I just enjoy when my kids are babies. I am already thinking about my third baby and when we should have one. Happy 3 mos my sweet baby girl Catherine!!

A Few Videos of the Kids!!

2009-04-01T08:44:00.003-05:00

These are a few videos I have taken the last couple of days of the kids. We got a new camera back in February and it has a video setting. So I figured out how to use it and it's been fun!! My mom and dad and sisters love being able to see them in person and not just pictures. I don't know who reads this blog anymore. But enjoy!!

Catherine's Princess Room!!

2009-04-01T08:43:00.003-05:00

Cortie Eating Peas!!

2009-04-01T08:42:00.003-05:00

Fourth Picture in my Fourth Picture Folder

2009-03-18T22:29:00.003-05:00

I was reading my friend Melissa's blog and she had her fourth picture up and asked people to do the same so I was game. This is a picture of my sweet little boy Cortlyn at his 2 year old pictures taken back in November. He absolutely loves choo choo trains and had to have a train in his pictures. This is of course Grandpa's favorite!!! So there is my fourth pic play if you want!!

A Post Dedicated to my Wonderful Hubby Chester!!

2009-03-14T14:33:00.009-05:00

I have never really done a blog dedicated solely to my husband. So I figured I would start today. I truly do love my man of mine and am glad that the Lord placed in him my life almost 8 years ago this coming September. We met on a blind date in September 2001 and were engaged October 6th 2002 and married on October 11th, 2003. We had a whirlwind courtship and we have had a whirlwind marriage so far. Our very first year we moved 1200 miles from Minnesota all the way down to Texas. We had to go thru some rough times but we have endured. God has blessed us with two wonderful children. Cortlyn George born on December 22, 2006 and Catherine Laura born on January 6th, 2009. Babe I love you so much I love how you are such a great daddy and are willing to help out in all aspects of childcare. I love that you let me sleep in when I am really tired and how you change even the poopiest diapers!! I love that our boy loves his daddy so much and can't wait for you to get home from work. And I love how that even after a long day at work you come home willing to let me have a break from the kids or to just let me get dinner on the table without a two year old under my feet. I love that you sometime clean up the kitchen without being asked or that sometimes when I ask you to go to HEB to pick up something for dinner you will bring me home flowers just because. You truly are a good man. And I love how you always look out for me. You help me out when I have to go to the doctor and can't afford a babysitter by coming home early from work and you took good care of me after both my c sections and recent staph infection surgery. Babe I don't know what I would do without you. You are my world. And I respect you more than you know and more than I tell you. I know sometimes I am hard to live with but you still love me no matter what. Thank you for being my wonderful husband for the past almost 6 years and my friend for 2 before that. And this is my sign off to you YOU COMPLETE ME!!!! I LOVE YOU CHUCKY!!
P.S. Thanks for making awesome chili! You are the best!!

The First Month

2009-02-21T13:45:00.020-06:00

So I never seem to come on to blogger much anymore. I am addicted to facebook and put all my pics and status up on there. But I figured I have neglected my blog for long enough. So I thought I would share some pics of Catherine and Cortlyn. Catherine is a little over 1 month old and she is such a sweet baby. Cortlyn loves on her all the time and he is constantly trying to pick her up and give her a paci. She just takes it all in stride and I am sure as she gets older she will love the attention from her big brother. My sister and her boyfriend were down for a visit last weekend from New Jersey so I will include some photos of that. I wish my family lived closer especially for babysitting. It gets hard to never be able to have a date night because we have no fam nearby and even the cheapest babysitter is expensive. Oh well I guess we shall survive. Okay well that is all for now.
The fam at Swinging Door BBQ baby girl was asleep in the car

Catherine in the onesie Auntie Leanne brought with her
Me and Leanne
Leanne, her boyfriend Bill and Cortlyn. Cortie loved playing with Bill
Mommy and Cortie by the bears at the zoo!
Daddy and Cortie by the elephants!
Auntie Leanne and Cortlyn riding on the train in Herman Park. He loved the train ride!
Big Brother and Little Sister. She isn't quite sure what to do with her older brother!
He loves kissing on her!!
My cute kids!!
Sweet baby and her Valentine outfit
So sweet. All girls need to wear purple!!
He's telling me how much he loves me. This much!!!
Resting on the chaise with Daddy and sister. He is playing peek a boo with me!!

Introducing Catherine Laura

2009-01-16T21:33:00.027-06:00

Introducing Catherine Laura Thompson
Born January 6, 2009
8:00 am
7lbs, 15ozs, 19 inches long

Baby girl is doing good. We came home on Thursday the 8th and Cortlyn loves having his baby sister at home. He is always trying to kiss and hug on her so we sometimes have to put her behind the gate on the stairs because he keeps wanting to take her out of her chair. She pretty much sleeps all day right now and is up half the night but its ok we will get on a schedule eventually. I am glad to have my Mom here for a couple more days then I am on my own with two kiddos. Hopefully we will get into a routine pretty quickly. I am so glad to not be pregnant anymore!!!!

Late Night Ramblings!

2008-12-14T00:36:00.003-06:00

Okay so I haven't posted in a while. Just been busy. Only 24 more days to go before baby Catherine is here. I am so ready to be done with this pregnancy!!! Women who say pregnancy is wonderful are crazy!!! I hate being pregnant!!!!! I will be glad when I can eat again without worrying about my blood sugar and not feeling like I have had a nasty hangover for 9 months!! Baby girl is taking up so much room in my belly it's hard to eat anything because I feel like I could explode. It is nice to be pregnant during the holidays because it makes it go super fast because you are running around trying to get everything done. I have my sons birthday on the 22nd, then the festivities of Christmas Eve and Christmas day then New Years and then my sons birthday party and then January 6th baby girl will make her entrance into the world. I can't wait to hold her in my arms and see who she looks like.

Girls Weekend in NJ!!

2008-10-29T13:57:00.011-05:00

This past weekend I went to NJ to visit my sisters and my best friend from high school Kelly. It was the first time leaving Cortie and I had a great time. I left on Friday morning and had a few tears in the security line after saying goodbye to my son but after that I was fine. I made it NJ and went to my sisters apt and we had dinner and then my other sister came over and we watched Sex and the City and just chilled out. Saturday we went to a Teahouse for a nice lunch and had a great time. Then after my sisters and I went and got manis and pedis. It was raining cats and dogs so we ended up staying in again and watching another movie. Sunday was a gorgeous day and my friend Kelly and I and her sister Alicia headed into NYC for the day. It was so nice we walked a little thru Central Park had a disastrous lunch(long story) walked thru a street fair and we took the subway(my first time) down to the WTC. Of course my feet hurt like crazy and being seven months preggers made me tired much more frequently but we had an awesome day. Then later that night I went down to my old town where I graduated high school and met my sister and her boyfriend Bill at his place and just chilled and watched tv. It was nice to meet Bill who I hadn't met yet. Monday I was on my way home after a quick lunch with Kelly and I got home Monday night good thing cause NJ and PA got an early snowstorm on Tuesday so I made it out just in time!! It was an awesome weekend!!

Leanne, Alicia, and Kelly at the Teahive Kelly and Me My sister Laurie and I Leanne thinking hard!! 3 Sisters together Kelly and I in front of Jekyl and Hyde seriously do not eat there it is bad!!!

Kelly and her sister Alicia in Times Square

A Baby Catherine on the way and Cortie tries out his toddler bed

2008-10-18T21:23:00.005-05:00

Well Thursday I had my second ultrasound finally!!! And if the name in the title didn't give it away yes we are having a GIRL!!!!! I was so suprised I seriously thought it was a boy and I kept asking her are you sure there isn't boy parts down there and she insisited that no it was a girl or a very poor boy LOL!!! So now I can get all the pink outfits. I was in Target yesterday and couldn't help picking up all the cute pink and purple outfits. I mean I love dressing my boy but for some reason there are a whole lot more choices with girl outfits then with boys. And of course she will have foofy dresses and bows for her mother is a girlie girl for sure. I did however tell Chester he could get her the appropriate camo with the white ruffle on the butt!! And of course during this week my son decided that he wanted to climb out of his crib. We knew it was coming cause he was climbing out of his pack and play when I would take a shower and he likes to get into everything!!! So we thought we would try taking off the railing on his crib and see how he did. We went to Target and found Thomas bedding on clearance SCORE and he was so excited. But of course that lasted for a short time and then he didn't like not having his railing so we ended up putting it back on. So far no climbing out and I am glad cause I still like having him in his crib and hope that he will stay in it till after baby Catherine is born and then we can transisition him completely into his Thomas the Tank Engine bed that we will put in his big boy room. We plan on leaving his room now the nursery and put Catherine in there when she is about three months which is what we did with Cortie. So that was our exciting week. We of course took some pics of Cortie trying out his toddler bed.

I have a Doctor FINALLY!!

2008-10-03T19:20:00.003-05:00

Okay so the last couple of weeks have been stressful for me. My hubbie got a new job over at Schlumberger which was a super good move for our family. A. It's closer B. He is getting paid significantly more C. no more being bent over paying for gas for his truck! but in the process of the new job we of course got new insurance which is fine cause we still had %100 coverage but my dr who I really liked and trusted doesn't take the insurance. I was not a happy camper. So I started mulling over the idea of a VBAC again. Well let me tell you it is not easy to find or even be accepted for a VBAC and if you want to try for it you have to be almost nazi about it like you have to be really focused on what you want and go gung ho to get it and not back down and most of the drs practice out of the med center. NO THANK YOU! I may be the only person who doens't like going to the med center but it is a major pain in the ass and I always get mixed up down there and have to pay for parking. YUCK! So I started mulling over the thought of homebirth and had an appt with a midwife. She was really nice but again you have to be really focused on that to it is a lifestyle and you have to be commited to no drugs and the thought of birthing at home seemed cool but I don't think I have the stamina and she wanted me to be on an even stricter diet with my diabetes which I was like are you kidding this one is hard enough. My mom said you would have to be really focused on what you want and at this point I just don't have the energy. I say just cut me open be done with it. That way I can schedule it and my mom can schedule her plane ticket to come down and we all win! But let me tell you trying to find just a Dr became a major headache. I had referrals from several friends from church for a Dr in sugar land and I had my records sent over and left 2 messages and never got a call back. I mean how rude I am 24 wks preggers here people not just out to get my hoo hoo checked out. So after 2 preggers melt down I mean full on hyperventilating and crying on the phone with my mom I decided that is it I am finding a Dr and they will speak to me!!! So yesterday I found a dr that works out of the hospital I want and get this his nurse actually spoke to me and was so nice and helpful and I just knew that this would be a good place to go. She actually called me several times to ask me questions and took time today to help me fill out paperwork. So I have an appt on Monday and I am so happy. This has really been a stress on me and with my diabetes it isn't good to be all stressed out because my sugars get all sporadic. And this Dr specializes in diabetes in pregnancy so that is a good thing. Well I feel like I rambled on and on but I am just so happy to be seen by a Dr.

Easy Recipe

2008-09-26T21:29:00.005-05:00

I realized I have never put a recipe up on my blog so I figured why not. Today I made loose beef for our supper and it's so super easy. My mom made it when we were growing up especially for potlucks and such at church. Gosh remember potlucks they were great. Growing up I always knew the Baptists like to eat. LOL! Anyway the recipe is super easy and super good for a nice quick supper.
Loose Beef
2-3 lb Chuck Roast
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 package french onion soup
1/2 soup can of milk
Mix soups and milk together and pour over roast in roaster pan. Bake @250 for about four hours. I usually check it around 3 hours. Serve hot on buns!!

Super yummy just add a salad and waalah you have dinner.

Thoughts on Pregnancy Today

2008-09-26T16:17:00.004-05:00

I can rarely come up with stuff to write on my blog so figured today I would just jumble a bunch of stuff together. First off lets talk about pregnancy and childbirth. As many of you know I had to have an emergency c section with my son because he didn't like potacin and his heart rate skyrocketed. My first mistake was being induced in the first place oh my gosh labor was awful I had no breaks from my contractions I had had no classes on how to work thru contractions because we had no $ at the time so basically I was stuck in a bed with a horrible nurse who was not supportive and felt like I had no control over the entire situation. Fast forward now to 2 years later and guess what I again feel like I have no control over my body and how to birth a baby. For some reason in the Houston area no dr within any radius will take on a patient who is trying for a VBAC and I also have gestational diabetes so double whammy. So my only option is to try for a homebirth with a midwife. I wasn't against having a c section in fact I had gone back to my dr that I really liked had a c section scheduled for Jan 7th and then hubby got a new job and my dr no longer took my insurance. I know bummer. So I was so frustrated and felt the need to look up VBAC's in Houston again. Well the only thing I could find was a midwife who does homebirths for VBAC's and we have an appt to talk with her on Tuesday to find out what its all about. So we shall see what she has to say. And one more thing during this pregnancy especially lately the one thing I crave is Burger King double cheeseburgers with no pickels and this digusting craving hits around 9 or 10 pm and let me tell you they taste so good. Did anybody else have a digusting craving that was not good for you. Okay thats all my thoughts for today.

Hurricane Ike!

2008-09-18T20:19:00.003-05:00

Well we survived our first real hurricane down here in Texas. It was crazy!!! Last Thursday my neighbor and I went to Target and got some supplies and prepared to hunker down as they say down here. Chester was off work early on Thursday and was home on Friday as well. We just hung out went out to eat and did normal things. Well the winds were starting to pick up a little but nothing major. So we go to bed on Friday night and I was so keyed up I couldn't sleep and then the winds came and our power went off and it was freaky!!! I tried not to be scared and kept thinking about a hymn I knew growing up "A Shelter in the Time of Storm" and that comforted me. I am always comforted during scary times by hymns I grew up with. I think it's how I most relate to God. My son bless his little heart slept the whole night wouldn't you know a toddler wouldn't care that a storm is blowing all around him!! But our dog Brownie was a different story. She was up most of the night whining and barking and she peed all over the laundry room where she sleeps. Poor thing she was really scared!! So finally the storm let up sometime on Saturday morning and we didn't have any damage just a few tree branches, we are blessed to be in a new neighborhood with baby trees. Our power was out till about 3pm and then it was on for a couple of hours then went off again. So Saturday night was not pleasant it was so damn hot and being pregnant and diabetic just wasn't working for me and I was exhausted. Sunday morning after very little sleep I insisted that we head up to Dallas to our friends Jake and Stephs house for some much needed rest. So we headed up to Dallas and had a bit of a scare on the way up I- 45. There was no gas to be found for over 100 miles. SCARY!! We finally did find some gas up in Centerville. I was so afraid we would be out of gas and stranded with a toddler and dog in tow. Thank God he was with us!! We made it to Dallas and I got some much needed rest. We kept in touch with our neighbors and our power came back on on Sunday afternoon and stayed on. So we trekked back down to Houston late on Monday night and got home around 1:30am. We were glad to be home. So for the rest of the week we have been attempting to get back to normal. I know we are blessed because some people are still without power. I was just glad to be able to go grocery shopping and get much needed food. So now I am waiting for the tv to be back to normal. I know its a bit selfish but the news is getting old day after day all day long. I like to watch Oprah people!! Okay well that is our hurricane story hope everyone is doing ok.

To Find Out or Not to Find Out That is the Question!

2008-09-02T10:17:00.004-05:00

Okay if you read my last post then you know that we have a stubborn baby who refused to let us see whether or not it was a he or she. So now the debate in our house is waiting till birth day to find out or finding out at my next ultrasound. My hubbie has been pretty set since the day of the ultrasound that we should wait until the baby is born to find out. I have gone back and forth it would be kinda of neat to wait and see what we are having but then again I really would like to know if we are having a girl. And my neighbor is planning on throwing me a baby shower and it would be helpful to know what we are having so we can get gifts accordingly. So here is the question I pose to my blog readers to find out or not to find out. Drop me a comment and tell me and give me your reasons for pro finding out or con finding out. Can't wait to see the answers!!

One Stubborn Baby!!!

2008-08-27T21:24:00.002-05:00

Yep its true we have a stubborn baby growing inside me. Today was our ultrasound and I was psyched to find out what we are having but baby was not cooperating. He or she had their legs crossed tight so there was no way to see what sex it was. My dr does another ultrasound at 28 weeks or I can ask at my appt next month if he can slide me in for a quick ultrasound. And now Chester is like we should just wait until baby comes to see what it is, but I don't think I can wait that long. I need to know if I need to go get pink outfits for a little girl. And part of me thinks that it could be a girl now since my neighbor said to me that boys don't cross their legs!! And it would be like a girl to be stubborn and refuse to let you see!! So until 28 weeks or maybe sooner it will still be baby boy or girl.

Six Random Things About Me

2008-08-21T20:49:00.007-05:00

I was tagged to list 6 random things about myself
Here are the tagging rules:
1. Post the rules on your blog
2. Write 6 random things about yourself
3. Tag 6 people at the end of your post
4. If you're tagged, DO IT and pass on the tag

1. I have moved a total of four times in my life not to mention moving from dorms, apts in college. I was born in Illinois and moved to West Virginia when I was 9 then onto New Jersey when I was 15, then to Minnesota at 19 and on to Texas at 27. I have never lived close to family except for my aunt and grandparents in Minnesota so I really don't know what it is like to have extended family to visit. Christmas and family functions is usually just me, Chester, Cortlyn, my mom and dad and my sisters Laurie and Leanne. I am not afraid to pack up and move to new places if the oppurtunity presented itself.
2. I am a nut for bargain shopping, I never buy anything unless it is sale or nearly clearanced out. I pride myself on shirts I have gotten for under $5. Kohls has my favorite clearance racks. I also am a guilty shopper even on clearance I will debate and hem and haw and most of the time I put things back because I really don't need them. Or I end up taking them back because we just don't have the money.
3. I still hold and rock my son to sleep every once in a while. He is only little once and I cherish the times I can hold him and he sleeps in my arms. I don't hold stock in the cry it out method and have never really let Cortlyn cry it out maybe for five minutes but if he is full on screaming I go to him and comfort him.
4. I love old movies especially Disney ones, my grandma used to tape them for me and send me tapes full of old movies and whenever we went to her house we were always allowed to watch as many movies as we wanted and we always got ice cream thanks to my grandpa sometimes even before dinner!!
5. I didn't have a pleasant experience with my pregnancy or the birth of my son I was told the hospital I went to was wonderful but for me it was not, I had a hard labor, mean nurse, broken ac in my room and it was december so it was freaking cold, no coaching on breast feeding, I was ready to be out of there and am going to a different hospital for the birth of our baby in January. I know of one other person who had a nightmare experience there so that makes me feel a little better.
6. It took almost 2 years for Chester and I to conceive Cortlyn but with this baby the one time we were not on the ball with bc bam I got pregnant. I guess when the factory gets going it knows how to produce!

now, to pass this on. I tag the following people:
Melanie: You need to blog again girl
Melissa: I enjoy your posts on Gregory
Bonnie: new mommy friend
Kelly: I know you read my blog sometimes
Chester: you know you want to
I know its not six people but most of the people I know have already done their six random thoughts.

Cortie's Second Haircut!

2008-08-07T13:13:00.005-05:00

Cortie's hair was getting a bit long so I thought why not go get it cut before our vacation. He did so well today didn't cry one bit. He was a bit weirderd out by the electric clipper thing but he was a trooper. He got to watch CARS which he loved and he even got to hold his own comb. And of course he is looking super handsome. Watch out ladies!!

Cortie Loves to Splash!

2008-08-01T13:24:00.003-05:00

This is Cortie's new pool. He loves being able to sit in it and splash around. You may wonder what happened to our big pool, well it is still in the backyard but soon after we put it up I found out I was pregnant and I have been sick most everyday and lets just say the pool got put on the back burner and anybody who has had a pool knows you have to maintain it or it gets really gross. Well due to a vacumm that didn't work well and a slow filter our nice clean pool got really nasty and we decided to drain it and try again next summer when I am NOT Pregnant and can take the time to maintain it. So the other day I headed over to Dollar General and picked up this little splash pool for $5. I mean who can go wrong with $5. So this is Cortie's new pasttime and momma can sit in a lawn chair and just watch from the sidelines and stick my feet in. Ahh summer!

14 Weeks and Hearbeat Strong!

2008-07-24T13:15:00.003-05:00

Okay its been a while since I have posted but I don't know who reads my blog much anyways but here is whats been going on in my life. I am currently 14 weeks and 3 days pregnant. I had my third dr appt today and heard the heartbeat which eased my mind a bit. For some reason this pregnancy I have been more worried than with Cortlyn or maybe its the same but it just seems more intense this time like I hurt the baby or god forbid it died inside me. But the hearbeat was strong and the little guy or gal was moving around a lot so she kept having to move the wand around to find it. Next month will be the sex ultrasound which will be great. I keep thinking it is a little boy. I of course would love a little girl to dress in riduculous amounts of pink but the idea of another little boy is exciting to. So one more month and then we will know. Okay well that is all for now.

I Miss my Grandpa!

2008-06-28T09:59:00.004-05:00

I have been struggling today missing my grandpa a whole lot. I really want to be able to tell him about the new baby coming and know that I can't. He would have been so excited for us. He loved meeting Cortlyn and getting to hold him and play with him. Now I know my Grandpa is in heaven with Jesus and he feels no sorrow or pain but down here I miss him and wish I could give him one more hug and smell his scent of old spice. I dreamed about him last night and this hymn came to my mind in my dream and I was singing it in church and my grandpa was there. The last stanza is what my grandpa is experiencing now. Its called All that Thrills my Soul is Jesus and its one of my old time favorites. Here are the lyrics

Who can cheer the heart like Jesus,By His presence all divine?True and tender, pure and precious,O how blest to call Him mine!

Refrain:All that thrills my soul is Jesus;He is more than life to me;And the fairest of ten thousand In my blessed Lord I see.

Love of Christ so freely given,Grace of God beyond degree,Mercy higher than the heaven,Deeper than the deepest sea!What a wonderful redemption!Never can a mortal know

How my sin, tho' red like crimson,Can be whiter than the snow.Ev'ry need His hand supplying,Ev'ry good in Him I see;On His strength divine relying,He is all in all to me.

By the crystal flowing riverWith the ransomed I will sing,And forever and foreverPraise and glorify the King.

I miss you Grandpa!

Help my Pants are getting Tight!!!

2008-06-27T16:31:00.003-05:00

Yes it is happening I went to put on my pants today and they felt a bit snug. I am only 11 weeks so it seems so early. But my mom said she popped out with my sister much sooner then with me and by the third she pretty much wore her maternity clothes from the start. Man when I was pregnant with Cortlyn it was my first so I was so excited to get into maternity clothes but this time around I am like NO! After Cortlyn's birth I lost a whole lot of weight and was so happy and now its back on. Right before I got pregnant I bought a couple of pairs of super cute capris and I want to wear them more. And I lent most of my maternity clothes to my neighbor who is smaller than me and wearing them now. So I guess I will have to go out and get some maternity jean shorts. Other mommas out there did you have to break out your maternity wear sooner with your second baby?? Advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

In Loving Memory of my Gran!

2008-06-15T08:09:00.002-05:00

I thought since it is Fathers Day today I would honor the memory of my Grandpa we called him Gran. Yesterday marked the ten year anniversary since his passing away. He was a great man of God and loved his family a whole lot. When he passed away we were all on a family trip to Williamsburg, Va which he planned and payed for the whole family. He was so excited about that trip and while there he suffered a major heart attack and passed away very suddenly. It was a great shock to our family but it was a blessing that we were all there as a family at that time and he was the happiest around his family. Now my Grandpa wasn't a huggy type Grandpa but he was very loving. My fondest memory is of their house in Ohio. It was a huge house with a great big yard with a pond, tree swing, sandbox and even a golf tee. My grandpa had an awesome garden and you could always find him there. Every single one of his grandchildren can remember taking rides on his tractor and helping him in the garden. It is a very special memory for me. I miss you Gran and know I will see you again in heaven!!

Pregnancy is the PITS!!!

2008-06-05T13:13:00.003-05:00

This my dear friends has been how I have felt for the last several days. I was doing pretty good last week wasn't to sick but Sunday hit and after church BAM fixed lunch, ate lunch, gave up lunch 2 minutes later!! Now the porcelin goddess is my friend at all times of the day. It STINKS!!! But today is a little better and all I seem to want to eat is Chick f la greasy chicken sandwiches and waffle fries everything else pretty much looks and sounds nasty. Man pregnancy really takes it out of me!!! I need a NAP!!

The Thompson's are Expecting # 2

2008-05-28T09:58:00.003-05:00

Yes it is official the Thompson family is expecting baby # 2!!! After a scary visit to a new ob gyn last week where they didn't see a heartbeat during my first scan and completely freaked me out I was able to be fit in to my previous ob gyn yesterday morning and had another scan and lo and behold there was the heartbeat. I was so relieved because I had been so worried for almost 6 days, and I did not have a good experience with the new dr and the only reason I wanted to try a new doc was because they were supposed to do vbacs but it turns out they only do them on a very limited basis so I said forget that and went back to dr I trust, so another c section is what I will have to have but at this point after all this worry and fear I am happy to be cut open again. So due date is January 19th and I am 6 weeks along. Don't let anyone tell you that pregnancy is great for me it SUCKS!! I have already been throwing up and can barely tolerate any food my dr gave me a script for nausea med but he doesn't want me to take it for two more weeks until I am 8 weeks. BAA!!!! But I know there is a little life growing inside of me that was placed there by God so I am excited even though pregnancy is rough. We shall see how I feel for the next nine months. Thanks to all my friends and family who prayed over the last couple of days during my mega worry crisis!! Love ya!!

2008-05-17T13:53:00.004-05:00

What can I say my son loves Barney!! He was so happy when we saw a Barney doll in Walmart. So now he likes to have him close by. You can't help but think how cute!!

The Thompson's New Family Funtime!!

2008-05-02T21:21:00.007-05:00

So we went and did it. We bought a pool!! Ok granted its not a huge pool its one of those Intex take up take down pools but it was in our price range and what more could you ask for in the hot summer days in Houston then a place to cool down!!! I have always wanted a pool since I was a little girl and of course my caviar dreams wants a complete in the ground package with lush landscaping and waterfalls and all that jazz but lets be realistic we are on a shoestring budget therefore the pretty funky looking blue pool works just fine in our backyard. I bought Cortie a cute little car raft to float in and the boy wouldn't even go near it, in fact when I was blowing it up he was freaking out and crying and he wouldn't even get in the pool today when it was in there. So mommy will have to get the evil thing back to the store and just have him swim in my arms. He likes it that way anyways so he can splash all around and especially splash mommy and daddy!! And let me tell you pools take a lot of chemicals its crazy!!! I will have to get used to making sure my pool stays nice and clean!!

Cortie's First Haircut

2008-04-19T14:44:00.008-05:00

This is from a few weeks ago but it is to cute. I kept having people ask me what my little girls name was I mean come on people most of the time he was in full on blue. It must have been the cute little baby curls that confused people. Well anyhoo I took him for his first haircut and the pictures say it all. The progression of his face and his mood during the haircut are hilarious. I took him to Cool Cuts 4 Kids in Sugar Land and it was a good place. He was able to watch a Barney video which he loved and his haircut turned out really good and his hair even still curls up in the back which I love. He is my handsome little man!!

A Brief Get to Know You Piece

2008-04-10T16:33:00.005-05:00

Several people have this on their blog and its fun to fill out. So enjoy

What I was doing 10 years ago: I was in my third year of college, 2nd full year at Northwestern College in St Paul, Minnesota, I was studying hard and working part time at ACR Homes 2 days a week
On my to do list today: go to Kohls and return a picture frame, watch Oprah that I DVRd, attempt to finish cleaning the bathrooms (I hate cleaning bathrooms!!!)
Snacks I enjoy: semi sweet chocolate chips, mozzarela sticks from Sonic, Orange Cream Slushie from Sonic, any kind of cheese!!
Things I would do if I was a billionaire: hire maids to clean my house from top to bottom every other day, pay off our house, cars ,student loans, Corties birth, give buca $$ to my favorite place Camp Forest Springs, give to God and charities, have Chester quit his job and run a ranch with lots and lots of land so he can hunt all the time and be really happy, have more babies and hire nannies!
Three bad habits: swearing when angry, not finishing things, not cleaning bathrooms!
Five places I've lived: Peru, Illinois, Parkersburg, West Virginia, Great Meadows, New Jersey, St Paul, Minnesota and Richmond, Texas
Five jobs I've had: Shift manager at Taco Bell, ARC of NJ group home, ACR Homes of Minnesota, Nanny, Amidon Graphics daycare

Now you give it a whirl!!

California,Minnesota, Michigan,Ohio OH MY!!

2008-03-30T23:23:00.013-05:00

Wow what a whirlwind month!! In my previous post I told about our trip to California which was February 24th for a week. We had a good time but our time out there was saddened a bit when we heard the news that my Grandpa was rushed to the hospital with pnuemonia and wasn't expected to live. He in fact did pass away on my way home from California on February 29th. It was and still is very hard thing for me. I was very close to my Grandpa and miss him a whole lot. But I know that he is at home with his savior now so I mourn only for his presence here on earth but know that I will see him again! So after being in California for a week Chester and I literally had one day to do laundry and some household chores and then we headed up to Minnesota for my Grandpa's funeral and memorial service. It was a very long drive but we made it thanks to a constant playing of Barney. For some reason my son adores the big purple dinosaur. The songs are ingrated in my head now but hey it kept him happy!! We were up in Minnesota for a week and we saw many family members I hadn't seen in years. It was nice to catch up with them but we all exclaimed that family only gets together for two things weddings and funerals. But thats the way life goes. My Grandpa's memorial service was very beautiful and a testimony to how he lived his life for Christ. I was able to get up and say a few things about my grandpa I made it almost all the way thru without crying but remembering how my Grandpa always got us McDonalds gift cards for Christmas really made the tears come. We enjoyed spending some time with our friends Anne and Taylor and their boys and we got to meet our friends Joey and Jareds new baby boy Aiden. So happy times among the sad. We then left Minnesota and made the long trek back home. But we wouldn't be home for long. One week after getting back from Minnesota we headed up to Michigan to my parents house and then on to Ohio for my cousin Kelli's wedding on March 22nd It was a really nice wedding and the reception was kickin!! I had fun seeing my cousins and my sisters. My sisters of course loved playing with Cortlyn and Auntie Laurie even took him swimming in the hotel pool!! We enjoyed Easter sunday with my grandma and my aunt and uncle and cousin and then we headed back to Detroit for a few more days with my parents. Then finally we made it home and we are home for a long time now!!! Cortie was so happy to be home in his own bed and all his toys. And me I have been a mad woman cleaning my house from top to bottom and rehauling my closets!! For some reason organizing has been my fortey the last week. It helps keep me calm and not dwell on things to much. But that is a whole new blog to discuss. So that was my whirlwind month of traveling, funerals, weddings, Disneyland, snow, cold temps, you name it. All I can say is THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME!!

Out There Having Fun in the Warm California Sun!!

2008-03-14T20:25:00.013-05:00

A couple of weeks ago Cortlyn and I had the pleasure of going out to Southern California to visit Chester who was on a business trip. I was able to priceline tickets for super cheap and you can't beat hotel and rental car on the business tab!! Chester gets put up in a super nice Hilton hotel and its all covered!! The hotel had an indoor swimming pool that Cortlyn loved to swim in. And Disneyland was just a few miles away. I ended up getting one day tickets on Ebay and we went on Thursday the week we were there. I absolutely loved it since I have been to DisneyWorld but wanted to see the original place. Cortlyn had fun although it will be funner for him when he is older and can remember but we have pictures to show him. The funniest thing was he totally fell asleep in the Haunted Mansion he wasn't even scared!! He also liked the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and the new animated Johnny Depp characters are HOT!!! He also loved the parade and it was so cute cause he watched the whole thing mezmorized and after it had all gone by he started waving like crazy so that is where he learned how to wave bye bye!! It was also nice to get to see Chesters cousin Jeff and his wife Rose and their new son Oliver. They lived just a few miles away from where Chester was working and staying so that was nice to get to spend time with them. Chester of course doesn't like being away from us when on business but if he gets sent back again I will totally bid on Priceline for a super sweet deal!!!

My Most Favorite Place

2008-02-18T16:44:00.031-06:00

Well last night I was on my favorite places website and since it is their 50th anniversary this year I figured I would write about some of my memories from my all time favorite place Camp Forest Springs!! Geez where to begin. My family has been going to this camp for a long time. My dad and his sisters and brother went there beginning in 1964 to youth camps. My grandpa(now in heaven) would take them all there and stay on and help out around camp. He helped build the boathouse which they just recently tore down(sad but needed to be done). My grandma also would go along and help out in the kitchen(you know 1960's and all) Soon they grew up and my dad meet my mom and started bringing her along to CFS. The 1970's brought along little ole me and my sister and we started going to CFS for Family Camps. My earliest memory is going to the mini farm with my Dad and loving the animals!! The 1980's my youngest sister came along and CFS was her heritage too. In 1985 I went to my first youth camp I still remember to this day my counselors Pam and Heidi. Now this was back old school when they had old cabins with cement floors and the bathrooms were outhouses and the shower was all the way down in the Neale Lodge. Very primitive but geez I miss those days!! All the kiddos would have to go on a overnight campout in the woods and it poured rain the whole way there and then the thunder started, now as a kid I was terrified of thunder and I got piggy backed all the way back to our cabin by my counselor Pam because I was crying so hard!! And then I got hot cocoa in bed!! I loved youth camps and went all the way up to senior year and have wonderful memories of that time. Being a teen girl at camp was awesome there were always boys to chase, the end of the week banquet were if you had a date you were cool, overnight campouts were you yelled across the lake to the boys. So many memories. Johnny angel the hottest lifeguard in Wisconsin I had such a crush on him, Main Street cafe, the game room, archery, mini farm, mini farm haymaze going in with a boy was very romantic! I made awesome friends thru the years and still keep in touch with one of them Now our family also did Family Camps. First it would be a week of youth camp in June and July and then in August every year we would pack up our station wagon then mini van and head on up to Wisconsin! I wish I had pics of my earliest years there cause they are great but I only have junior high and up. We loved Family Camp and would always look to see who was there and meet new friends especially boys!! I had several boys have crushes on me thru the years but I was a heartbreaker!

In 1998 I started going back to CFS with my parents since I lived in Minnesota and it wasn't far to get there. And in 2002 I introduced Chester to CFS and he loved it. It was one of the moments I knew I loved him when he went to the place I had grown up in and was excited to hear all my memories.

Now we share those memories with our son. Last summer was his first time at camp post mommies tummy he was there in my tummy the year before :>) It was also the first summer my sister Leanne had been back in a long time and my grandma was there. That meant four generations of campers were there at the same time. Pretty awesome if you ask me. I just love how the Lord has kept our family at this camp all this time. The staff is awesome and I grew up with their kids and they of course have kids now. Its just awesome how God moves at the camp every summer and all year long. James Lake is my all time fav place to just be in God's nature. If I am ever feeling down I go right to that lake and the woods all around and just remember how Great our God really is!! So if you are ever up in Northern Wisconsin look up Camp Forest Springs and you won't regret it.

Finally a Date Night!!!

2008-02-17T21:12:00.003-06:00

My hubby and I finally got our date night!!! We were able to go out to Carrabas and see 27 dresses(my choice obviously) last night. Thanks to Sonya and her fam especially her girls for looking after Cortlyn for us. It was such a blessing since we have no family in town and babysitters are costly especially if you do dinner and a movie add the babysitter on top of that and it can be a pretty expensive night out on the town. So we had a much needed alone time and it was nice. And of course I thought the movie was super cute and my husband is gracious and said it was better than a poke in the eye! Ha Ha! I guess he will have to watch a movie now with lots of blood and guts. He left on a business trip this evening for a week and I know he took Lord of the Rings with him so that should appease his manliness!! So now I am looking forward to our next date night.

Second Baby Making Thoughts

2008-02-10T23:14:00.002-06:00

Okay so I go back and forth on wanting to have another baby. I mean I see little babies and I am like Ahhh and I remember when Cortie was a small baby and how much I loved it but then I remember the sleepless times and breastfeeding all the time and wonder how in the world you do that with a toddler running around. I also want to have a Christmas baby again, theres just something almost magical about having a baby at the holidays, I guess because we are celebrating Jesus birthday as well,but that would mean me and hubby have to get "busy" this month and next and we didn't get pregnant easy with Cortlyn. So I go back and forth one day I am thinking I really want another baby and then as Ashley put it "business time" comes and I am like no way no baby happening in there right now!! Am I crazy to hemm and haw like this isn't it pretty normal for families to have second babies around 2 years apart or at least that is what lots of folks I know have done. And of course the other thing that keeps me from just going for it is knowing that I would have to be pregnant again and let me tell you being pregnant for me SUCKED!! I was sick the whole time, had gestational diabetes, major migranes you name it I felt it. It was like a college party hangover for nine months straight and then the labor don't even get me started on the labor end result C-section that was not wanted! But out of the whole deal came my sweet boy Cortie. Any advice?

The Neti Pot Experience!

2008-02-07T16:12:00.000-06:00

Okay so I don't usually hold stock to much of what Oprah has on her show like The Secret PLEASE!!! But I do watch when she has Dr Oz on because they are pretty informative about health and wellness.And one day they showed a Neti pot on there and how to use it. Well I went out today and bought a Neti pot which is the contraption in the picture and what you do is shove it up your nose and pour water up in your nose and it comes out the other nostril. Very weird but I swear it works!! Now it may all be in my head right now but I feel as if my sinuses feel better and let me tell you I have struggled with dang sinus and migraine headaches ever since moving down to Houston and I had a lovely dr(NOT) tell me that is was because we lived in a swamp land. Yippie thanks doc!! Anyways I do feel better in the nose area. Time will tell if it does work. I plan on doing the procedure to myself every day now. I should post of pic of that its probably funny looking!

Learning to Forgive

2008-02-06T22:49:00.000-06:00

My son newest thing right now is to ride in his little tyke car that was given to him by the family I nannied for when I was pregnant with him. They have since moved to Colorado and man I miss them. Shelley(the mom) and I became very good friends and I miss being able to talk with her everyday. And I of course miss Lexi and Andrew they are my all time fav kids next to my Cortie boo!! Well to get to the point of this blog. We are taking a walk with Cortie in his little car and I am pushing it and we stop in front of the house of a person who hurt me very badly it's a long and difficult story but in short it hurt me to the very core and stomped on my faith in God for a long time. But anyways I am making baby steps to help heal from the emotional wounds. I stopped right there in front of her house and prayed for God to help me forgive. I must have prayed it five or six times but I really need to do this and God is showing me how. I have also started praying to God more and trying to look at him as a father, friend confident instead of judge pointing out all my faults. I heard a excellent pastor speak on this at my sisters church in New Jersey and folks my sisters' were far from God and they are coming back to faith. How cool is that. If I could up and go to Jersey every Sunday I totally would. Okay well now its getting late and I had hoped to go to bed early. Yeah right!!

Date Night Please!!

2008-02-01T17:19:00.000-06:00

Okay seriously I am in need of a date night bad!! My hubby and I have not been on a date night for many many months. I can't even give you the last time we went on a actual date sans the kid. I mean I know people say date night is important but we don't have any family around like most of the people we know. So there is no grandma or auntie or anyone to come over and watch little Cortie boy. And babysitters good grief they can be expensive. So I guess we will go out to eat again with our little man and just be done with it.

New Kids on the Block are BACK!!!

2008-01-31T10:51:00.000-06:00

I totally loved loved loved the New Kids on the Block in 7th and 8th grade. My all time fav New Kid was of course Joey Mcintyre!! I had a whole wall devoted to just him alone in my bedroom. I had Teen Bop, Tiger Beat and all the teenie mag tear outs of the New Kids all over my bedroom. I loved when Joey would sing Please Don't Go Girl. Ahh to be back in junior high slow dancing to that song. Memories!!

Update on my Grandpa

2008-01-28T10:22:00.000-06:00

Thank you all for your prayers for my grandpa. He is still in intensive care but he is slowly making progress. My mom talked to the nurse today and he is communicating although it is tough for him and he is thinking clearly, he is still unable to swallow due to the surgery and that the clot that caused the stroke was in his throat. My mom isn't going up there until next week, my Uncle Chuck called her right before she walked out the door to leave yesterday and asked if he could take the first shift to help care for my grandma. This is a big relief on my mom since she was stressed about traveling and just stressed in general about her dad. So that was God totally looking out for my mom. So my uncle is on the way up there now and I may or may not go up myself when my mom is there. Right now its to soon to tell what actually will need to be done and such. So please pray for my mom and her brothers and sisters since they have to start making some heavy decisions about the care of my grandma and probably care for my grandpa as well since he probably won't ever recover 100% again. Thank you again

Please Pray for my Grandpa

2008-01-26T13:33:00.000-06:00

Hey all if you have a moment please pray for my grandpa. He suffered a stroke this morning and is in the hospital. They got to him fast so it wasn't as bad as it could be but a stroke is not something that you want to have. Its also hard because he is the one who takes care of my grandma who has dementia although praise god she was coherent enough this morning to be able to get my aunt who lives next door for help which is what the doctor said was the best thing the quickness of response time. My mom will be driving up there tomorrow from Michigan and I may go at some point to help out. So please pray for my family and my moms safe travels tomorrow. This isn't going to be an easy time with trying to figure out care for both grandpa and grandma now. Thank you all for your prayers.

Squeaky Clean Baby!!

2008-01-24T20:47:00.000-06:00

I just love my baby after he gets out of the bath. He is squeaky clean and his hair sticks straight up. He loves to knock all things off his changing table and has a great time standing up being buck naked!!

A New Name

2008-01-24T14:13:00.000-06:00

Okay so I finally went and did it I am officially now a Thompson!!! You may ask what haven't you been married for four years and the answer is yes but I never bothered to have my last name changed for the mere fact that I was lazy and didn't want to go thru the hassle and at the time most everything was in my name and again didn't want to go thru the trouble of changing all my ids. But now after having a kid it really should be done. Since of course when he was born he was baby boy Pedlar not Thompson. Of course his birth cert and all that stuff has Thompson but on those little cards on the bassinets in the hospital he was baby boy Pedlar much to my hubbies chargin!!! So for next baby it will definitely be baby Thompson. And let me tell you I will only go to the SS office one time, that place is a zoo!! It felt like detention cause you had to be quiet and no cell phones and if it did ring the security guard was on you right away. It took forever to snake thru the line and try that with a 13 mo old. Oh well Cortie was good as usual but glad that is done!!!

Happy with One Baby for now!

2008-01-21T17:49:00.000-06:00

Man let me say kuddos to all you mommies out there with more than one small child. I was helping my neighbor out today by watching her 21 month old and boy was it a busy day with two little ones to chase after. For most of the morning I was playing referee since my son didn't understand the concept of sharing and every toy that his friend picked he decided he wanted and then she would proceed to get upset and say NOOOOO and he has just picked up the word no so he was saying it back and then tears would proceed. I knew I couldn't stay in the house all morning with that going on so we packed up not that easy with more than one and went to Target. Target was fun they loved riding in the double cart and were easily distracted by toys from the $1 bin. Do I love the $1 bin at Target heck yeah, I think we buy something from there every time and who can go wrong with 1$. Then it was off to Chick f la in the rain, so I have two kids one in each arm and in we go. We had a good lunch and then it was off to play in the playland. They both loved it. They have a cool toddler section!! Then it was home again and naps were to be had by all. My son was so tired he slept for 3 hours!!! So his friend went home and Cortie and mommy are content to be just the two of us again of course until daddy comes home from work. Ta Ta for now!

Dilema's Dilema's

2008-01-19T12:49:00.000-06:00

Okay so its Saturday one more day till Sunday. I keep going back and forth and whether or not to try a new church tomorrow morning. I seem to be pretty frustrated with my church of late and its not the first time I have felt like this. Does this make me a bad Christian?? I really don't know. I am not much of the church hopper type but after four years at this church I still feel like I really don't belong. Now I feel like I have given it a good try but then I think maybe I have not tried hard enough. I have been thru three small groups, a couple of ladies bible studies and a few lady retreats but I still don't feel connected. I feel as if I am the one in the group who is way out in left field with different viewpoints. Now not to say we haven't made surface friendships with people cause we have. After my son was born people helped us out so much. I mean we had meals for a month maybe more. So that was great. But since he is getting older I feel more alone just alone not stressed out or anything cause I love mothering but just I feel like I am alone in the first time mommies club since I never had that moment of oh my gosh I am a mother now and panicked. I feel into it so naturally that other moms where like how do you do it. The answer is I don't know I have just always had a natural way with small kids. So do I start all over in a new place and see if I connect more or just wait until this season has passed and keep going to original church. I keep praying about it but feel no closer to God or have answers from him then before. So I guess that is all for today. And yeah Cortlyn is napping again in the afternoon which is good since I do need some down time.

First Blog Entry

2008-01-17T10:14:00.000-06:00

Okay so here it is my venture into the world of blogging!! Took me a few trys to figure it out but here goes. Today my son fought me on his morning nap. I don't know what is up with him since yesterday he fought afternoon nap and I am talking full on screaming in his crib. But he is finally asleep, he must be getting a tooth since he is normally pretty good about naps and bedtime and he is fighting a cold which everybody knows you feel pretty much like crap. Today I feel isolated like I have no friends, I hear of people I know getting together all the time and keep wondering why am I not included and why after almost four years at a church I feel like nothing has changed at all in my life. Well except for my son and he makes me the most happy I have been in a long time even when he is having a tough day and I am ready to scream I still love being with him all the time. I sometimes feel as if I only have my husband and my mom to talk to about things and lets face it my husband is a man and sometimes just doesn't understand although he does try. I wish I had a close friend to talk to who isn't way up North in Minnesota. I will try to keep praying for such a friend. I miss my family and especially my two close friends up in Minnesota. I wish I had more money so I could visit them or wish we could just move up closer to family in the midwest. But for now I will try to be content in Texas.