Christmas Day!

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Oh, how I love Christmas!  It is always my goal to slow the day down as much as possible and just relish in the Spirit it brings.  The past few years our parents have come to visit us in the morning.  We start the day with Lindsey checking to see what Santa has delivered for her.

This year she was very sleepy.

We finally woke her up around 8 a.m. to start the festivities.

After we check out what Santa delivered we all have a nice breakfast.  After breakfast comes the unwrapping of the rest of the gifts, where we take turns opening them one at a time.  I know....crazy...but it really does help us slow things down and enjoy being together.

 Her gifts this year were focused mostly on her

 doll house and her baby doll, Sally.

 Papaw was entrusted with the very important job of holding

Paige (left) and Sally (right) so they could watch Lindsey open her gifts.

Lindsey with Grandma and Grandpa.

The afternoon was spent with Jeremy's family at Josh & Amanda's (somehow I have zero pictures).  Then back home to just enjoy being together.  It was a very nice enjoyable day.  Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Christmas Eve Memories

Friday, December 24, 2010

We started a new tradition this year (I got the idea from The Friend).  I found a box and placed in it various items of things that would remind us of Jesus Christ (a poem, an angel, a lamb, a picture of Christ, a star), then wrapped it nicely.  We opened it tonight and talked about each of the items and what they meant to us.  It was a wonderful way to kick off the celebrations and get us thinking about Christ.

Next came the tradition of having Lindsey open one gift (that I stratigically identify) on Chirstmas Eve.  Her new pajamas.

The next event of the night is my most favorite memory.  We always read through the Christmas story.  Well, this year we had Lindsey display her Little People Nativity as Daddy read through the story.  (That worked really well as it gave her little hands something to do while she listened.)  Then it happened.  She wanted to tell us what she knew about the story...so she proceeded to recite the Christmas Story.  The Spirit was so strong in our home it brought tears to my eyes.  It is a very tender memory for me.

Next we all get dressed in our pjs and drive around to look at the pretty lights and decorations.  The past two years has resulted in Lindsey falling asleep in route...which has worked nicely for us in getting her to bed at a decent hour.  :)

Our family homespun tree.  It is our memory tree.  Adorned with ornaments that we have acquired through the years.  Decorating the tree is one of my favorite things to do as I am reminded of all the wonderful people in our lives and all the experiences we have had through the year.  We are so blessed!

Beauty Among the Snow Brushed Trees

Monday, December 20, 2010

Today I woke to a light misty fog upon the ground.

It was beautiful among the snow brushed trees.

Storytime with Paige and Oliver & Amanda Pig

Sunday, December 19, 2010

After the birthday celebrations were over I found Lindsey in the Den reading a Nursery Rhyme book to her baby, Paige.

Lindsey loves to play with her baby dolls.  She took the time to spread out her favorite purple blanket and read Paige some stories.  You may also notice her ballerina outfit...Dressing up is another one of her favorite things to do...particularly as a ballerina.

Today was a busy day.  The days events ended with Lindsey changing her clothes again....this time supporting the Indianapolis Colts in her cheerleading outfit...and...

Daddy reading her one of our favorite book series.

(Oliver and Amanda Pig by Jean Van Leeuwen)

It was a busy day  Poor thing...she didn't make it through the book.

I'm so grateful for the simple things in life...like seeing my love read a book to my little sweetheart.  Precious!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Today Jeremy turned 37.  It was a quiet celebration at home.  One of those days that he could have just let pass by, but when you have a 4 year old who knows you have a birthday, it can no longer go unrecognized.  So.....


Lindsey helped me make a cake with candles. 

There aren't quite 37, but we didn't want to start a house fire. 
(Haha.  Just kidding Dear.) 

After the song came...

 Blowing out the candles. 

Then after the smoke cleared...

Came the gifts.

Daddy received a reversible belt and new hiking boots.

It was a nice day to spend going to church as a family and then hanging out at home with our parents.  My Dear, I can't believe you are 37.  My how the years are flying by.  I am so grateful to spend each day with you.  Thanks for being a wonderful husband and Dad.  We love you!!!

A Glimpse of God's Creations

Monday, December 13, 2010

Occassionally we are blessed with a beautiful view of Heavenly Father's creations.  Today it was a group of turkeys walking across our fields.  They were a sight to behold.

White Christmas

Friday, December 10, 2010

Anyone who knows me at all knows that I LOVE Christmas!  Not only that, but that my all-time most favorite Christmas movie is White Christmas with Bing Crosby!  So it was only natural that I wanted to attend the Columbus North High School production of White Christmas.  So....we bought tickets and tonight, Jeremy, Mitch, Mom (Dad was sick), Lindsey and I went out to dinner and then to the play.

Lindsey was very excited to go because as you would have guessed, I have passed down my love of this movie to her.  She will sit and watch it with me from beginning to end.  A little something we share snuggled up by the fire on these chilly winter days.  It was a fun time to build on our memories with family.

Lindsey Turns 4!!!

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Today is the actual day...Lindsey's 4th birthday.  We invited Lindsey's friends Kenzie and Brooklyn to come and play....and of course eat some cake.

Blowing out the candles is always fun for kids.  I had to include this photo because I love how Kenzie and Brooklyn are watching so intensely.  You can tell they just want to help her so badly!  So cute!

These girls crack me up when they are together.  They love each other so much!  They can't wait to see each other on Sundays, and that is often not enough so we usually see them at least once during the week and sometimes more.  (I wonder where these girls are looking?  They are obviously not looking at me.  Too funny.)

Lindsey had a fun couple of days celebrating her birthday.  Today is yet another year that I am in awe of the fact that four years ago today we had no idea what amazing miracle was about to come into our lives.  I think and pray for her birthmother often, but even more-so today.  Oh how I wonder what she is doing right now.  How I wish I could express my grateful heart (although I have NO idea how I would do that).  I trust that Heavenly Father is blessing her for selfless sacrifice, and for now....that has to be enough.

Happy Birthday Lindsey!

Monday, December 6, 2010

You may be thinking....wait a minute...tooday isn't Lindsey's birthday...and you would be right.  Tomorrow is, but Daddy has to be at church tomorrow evening, so we are celebrating Lindsey's birthday today.  We invited Grandma, Grandpa and Papaw over for a dinner.  It was Lindsey's choice...spaghetti, green beans and garlic bread (without the crust, of course).  It was a very low key party with dinner and opening gifts.

I took the easy way out this year and bought her cake at Sam's Club, then added a little Rapunzel doll (remember, we just went and saw Tangled, starring Rapunzel, last week).  It was cute and pleased Lindsey, which was my goal.  (Note her cute haircut.  I actually cut it myself.  My first time.  It is a little shorter than I planned, but I think it turned out pretty cute.)

She was blessed with many fun gifts, including a few for her doll Sally

(because it was her birthday too you know....she turned 2). 

A big hit!!! the Unicorn pillowpet, which is very popular this Christmas season.  Thankfully we purchased this a few months ago.  (I can't help but think about the Cabbage Patch Kids craze from when I was a kid.  I don't think the pillowpets made it to quite that level though.)

Grandma and Grandpa.

(Somehow I didn't get Papaw in a picture.  Sorry Papaw.)

It's hard to believe our little one is 4.  She is growing up so fast.  She is such a blessing and we express our gratitude daily to Heavenly Father for sending us such a wonderful miracle.  Lindsey, we love your spunky personality and the love you have for others.  You want to make good choices and you love to learn.  We love your hugs and kisses and feel blessed to be your parents.  We love you sweetheart!!!

Once There Was a Snoman (small, small, small)

Saturday, December 4, 2010

It was early December and we had snow!!!  We were all so excited so we had to go out and play.  It wasn't really a good snowman building snow, but Lindsey was determined.  She set to work and made this cute little snowman.

Sorry it's not the best photo, but it's all we've got.  Lindsey was very excited to have made her own little snowgirl.  She even stayed around for a couple of days.  Snow.  Snow.  Snow.  Snow.  (Even now I can hear Bing Crosby and the folks from White Christmas singing these words in my ears.  Crazy, I know.)



Take Me to the Movies!

Friday, December 3, 2010

Lindsey and I were home alone tonight because Jeremy was gone to a Scout campout.  We thought it would be fun to go and do something so....we thought of going to the movies.  Disney Tangled had just come out and the previews looked really cute.

 The movies have to include popcorn...especially when it's your first time.  She was so excited!!!

We had a great time together and Lindsey did a great job sitting and watching the movie.  We both loved it!

I'm Still Here

Hello.  I just thought I'd let you know I am still alive!  We have been pretty busy and are doing a lot of fun things, however, my personality will not allow me to tell about any of that until I am caught up sequentially, so......I have set a goal to get caught up and stay current.  So stand by....many posts are coming over the next few weeks.

In Loving Memory

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Today is a very sad day for our family...our dear Rex passed away.  We have had him for a little more than 10 years and he has been a great companion for us.  He was a beast of a dog (in size) weighing in around 110 pounds, although it was all muscle.  He was a Lab/Mastiff mixture.  Although he was large and scary looking to those who didn't know him, he was as gentle as a butterfly.  He was completely stubborn, but had a very sweet personality.  Oh, how we miss him.

Deck the Halls!

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Today we decorated our home for Christmas.  We started with the smaller trees then moved to the bigger one.  We bought our beautiful Frasier Fur at Lowes this year.  It's photo debut will appear in the pictures a little closer to Christmas.  Our tree is a memory tree.  It adorned with ornaments we have acquired during our many years of marriage.  Many have come from my dear friend, Terry.  It takes me forever to decorate the tree because I'm such a sentimental person.  I stop to think about each ornament and where it came from.  It's one of my most favorite holiday traditions.

Each year we buy Lindsey an ornament that represents her interest during the year.  In the past I've picked them out, but this year she got to pick it out.  She selected a Barbie ballerina.  It is perfect for her...since this year she had developed a love for Barbie and her love of ballerinas continue.  If you look closely you can see Barbie's legs...she is actually hanging her new ornament.



Deck Mom & Dad's Halls!

Monday, November 29, 2010

Today we decorated Mom & Dad's house for the Christmas holiday.  It is a fun tradition we have.  I love decorating for Christmas and love doing it twice (our home and theirs).

Lindsey and Dad are concentrating as they decorate the mantel.

The Nativity...a favorite for all kids.

No matter how many times Grandma arranges the figures the way she thinks they should be, Lindsey comes along behind her and changes them to the way she thinks they should be.  Grandpa gets a kick out of them  doing this.

Ah, the tree.  Their tree is filled with memory items.

Many were handcrafted by my Grandma (Dad's mom).

This is Lindsey's friend, and Grandma and Grandpa's next door neighbor, Fred.  She loves to visit with him.

Give Thanks!

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Thanksgiving was a day filled with family and good times.  I just realized I didn't take ANY pictures...that's just sad.  We had Jeremy's family over to our home, which was really nice.  I love cooking and love having everyone over.  It wasn't a huge production, just a nice time of being together.  We were planning to have our Annual Thompson Family Turkey Shoot...but we got rained out.  Bummer!

My family went out to eat at Sadie's, a restaurant in town.  After they ate some of them met back at Mom and Dad's.  That's when we were able to join in.  We hung out with everyone and enjoyed being together.  I love getting together with our family...I'm not sure why we don't do it more often.  Oh well....I guess life just gets in the way sometimes.

Thanksgiving Day was a very hard day for me.  We had just gone through a VERY emotional trial regarding our adoption process.  A few months earlier we were contacted by a birthmother who lives three hours away.  We drove to meet her and she said she wanted to give us her baby...who was due the day after Thanksgiving.  To make a long story short...she went into labor early and the baby was born October 8th.  She couldn't make a decision right away, which we were very understanding of.  We can only imagine how hard it is for a birthmother to place her baby for adoption...and it is probably even harder than we can imagine.  In early November she told us she just couldn't do it.  We were crushed.  We had been through a very emotional roller coaster.  I am not sharing all the details because it would just take too long.  So now we are back in the process.  I gave thanks today for my family and the wonderful miracle we were given in Lindsey.  I couldn't help but think about the little boy who was almost ours...he was in my heart all day.  It was (and still is) very hard to wait and wonder when will the time come for our family to grow.

A Busy Day

Friday, November 13, 2010

Today was a busy day.  The morning started with Mom, Lindsey and I going to see Jaimee in a cheerleading competition.  It started off with individuals, and this was Jaimee's first time.  She did an amazing job...in spite of not having a voice. 

She received one of the All State Awards! It was very exciting.

It was great to see her in her element and see her succeed.

Yay, Jaimee!

Aunt Joyce and Jaimee.  We always have fun when we are with them.  

Look at those beautiful girls. 

Lindsey had a great time too...in case you can't tell.  After the competition was over we were chatting with Jaimee on the floor and Lindsey decided she needed to try out some her own moves.  She had a blast!

After the competition Linsey got to go play wtih cousin Madi while Mom and I went to Stake Conference.

They had a great time playing together. 

Jeremy and Dad drove to Michigan today to buy us a new van from my brother, JD.  I just realized I don't have any pictures of it, but I'll take one and insert it soon.

Business Trip with Daddy

November 2 -5, 2010

Jeremy had a business trip to Atlanta, GA, so Lindsey and I tagged along.  It was a long drive in a little car, but Lindsey was a trooper.  She was just excited to go on a vacation.

Once we arrived we started looking for somewhere to eat.  We found a Hard Rock Cafe around the corner with a wonderful waitress.  It was a nice evening, so after dinner we went for a walk.  Downtown Atlanta has a group of security guards/tourist helpers (I'm sure they have a much more dignified job title than that, but I can't remember what they are called).  A man with an English accent saw us and told us about the Olympic Park about five blocks away.  We went to check it out and found a water show set to lights and music (pictured behind Lindsey).  It was pretty cool to watch.  Then walked to the other end of the park (it is huge!) to find three traditional play grounds.  They were amazing and very well lit...which was helpful since it was dark by now.

It rained all day the next day, so I was really glad we found the park the night before.  Lindsey and I spent time in our hotel room most of the morning.  Later we found a "mall" attached to our hotel.  I say "mall" because it was mostly a huge food court with a few boutiques.  We didn't mind.  It gave us somewhere to walk around and was dry.  I've neglected to mention that we stayed in a Hyatt Regency.  It was very nice, but I didn't see another child the entire time we were there.  Thankfully Lindsey was well behaved and we were free of temper tantrums.  :)

Jeremy got done around noon on Wednesday and so we visited the Coca-Cola Museum.  It was fun to see how the company has changed through the years.  They had these hugs soda bottles that were painted beautifully for some special occassions.  My favorite had brightly colored flowers all over it.  Lindsey was drawn to the butterflies.

We met the Coca-Cola bear.  He was very cute and it was fun to watch Lindsey interact with him.  She would not get any closer than what you see here.  I eventually went in with her and we sat down in front of him for a picture.  It was very cute, but it wasn't worth the money they wanted us to pay for it.  After we walked away and could see the concern on Lindsey's face we figured out that she thought the bear was a REAL polar bear.  After we explained there was a person in there she was much more friendly and wanted to go back for another visit.  It was funny to be reminded how literal kids can be with things.

One of our favorite things to do at the Coca-Cola Museum was to try the sodas from many different countries.  Our favorite was from Asia.  It was a Lemon flavored soda.

Before we left town we stopped to see the Atlanta Temple for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  It was under construction, but still very beautiful on the outside.

From Atlanta we drove to Ashville, NC...just for the fun of it.  Jeremy and I had never been there, and it wasn't too far of a drive.  We found us a room at the Holiday Inn, which was much more comfortable to us than the Hyatt.

This is where Lindsey had the best time of the WHOLE trip.  We had an indoor pool and spent the majority of our time there.  After swimming we indulged in room service for dinner.  It was great!

Upon leaving Lindsey decided she was big enough to pull her own suitcase.  She thought she was big stuff!

We drove home through Tennessee and the Smoky Mountains...one of my favorite places to be.  It was another rainy day, but the mountains were beautiful.  They had a light smoke around them and the leaves on the trees were just beautiful.  We had originally planned to stay overnight in Gatlinburg, but decided to just stop off all the HUGE Bass Pro Shop in Sevierville, TN.  We were there for a couple of hours and then headed for home.  The rain finally stopped and we saw beautiful cloud formations.  Among them was this beautiful cloud with a silver lining.

This has become one of my most favorite pictures I have ever taken.  You can't really see it right now, nor could I see it when I took the picture, but that dark speck just left of the center of the picture is a beautiful oak leaf.

We made it home safely and enjoyed being together.  It's nice that Lindsey and I can go on these kinds of trips with Jeremy and make fun family memories.



Family Day at the Children's Museum

Friday, October 29, 2010

Daddy took a vacation day today, so we went to the Children's Museum together.  Lindsey had a great time showing Daddy all her favorite things to do there.  Daddy introduced her to some new things too.

She loves the "pretend" area (I don't know what they officially call it) near the Carousel.  I also love that I caught her saying "hoo" in this picture.  She was in the process of throwing the owl out of the tree...making him fly.

This has become a new favorite.  She and Daddy built towers.

This was a new experience too....in the Science area.  (She loves doing things relating to science, so it will be fun to see if that interest stays with her as she goes into school.)  Prior to this picture, she and Daddy made a boat and put it in the water.  The current is created by small boards that are stratigically placed to create water pressure.  She tried this one multiple times.  It was hard because some older boys viewed it as their territory and weren't very welcoming to little girls.  She didn't seem to mind though. 

We loved sharing the Children's Museum with Daddy and can't wait until he can go with us again.



Trunk or Treat!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Tonight was the traditional "Trunk or Treat" at church.  Lindsey has a blast and I love the safe way of Trick-or-Treating.  We actually haven't gone on Halloween day yet.  I'm sure she'll catch on to us one of these days.  We're enjoying it until then.  :)

Lindsey chose to be a ballerina again this year (a repeat from 2 years ago).  She put the outfit together completely on her own this year.  She is blessed with a LOT of dress up clothes, so I told her she could pick out anything she wanted.  Earlier in the day she was planning to be Snow White (a repeat from last year), but she changed her mind.  I wasn't surprised, because she is a ballerina usually at least 5 days each week.

Lindsey and Kenzie in the maze that was made in the Primary Room.  It took them forever to find their way through it.  It was designed to be crawled through.  I watched them and would see their little heads pop up every so often to see where they were in regards to the doors.  It was cute to see them work together to figure out how to get out.