Thompson Family Blog

8 months

2012-01-10T16:33:00.000-08:00

When I envisioned these cute little month stickers to put on Owen's onesies, I was picturing this darling little photo session with my sweet little sunshine calmly posing next to his stuffed animal to mark his growth in size.

With each passing month, I think this photo session turns more into a comedy routine...

"Mom, look at my shoe!"

"Grrrrrrrrrr!" -Owen growling and biting giraffe

I wonder if this thing tastes any good?

Peek-a-boo!

Zerberts for the giraffe

Mom, why do you keep making those funny noises and waving your arms around?


You are one silly Mommy!

... and good enough! :-)

When I think back on the last month, it is a bit of a whirlwind. Mostly because Owen is ON THE MOVE! You really can't take your eyes off him for more than 30 seconds because he's into everything he can possibly reach. Think I'm exaggerating? Check this out...

Other exciting news is that Owen got his very first tooth! It's on the bottom (his right side). It bothers him occasionally, but nothing too horrible.

Owen continues to be thriving with the family he stays with when Mom works 3 days a week (We are so thankful for Jen and her amazing kiddos!). I can hardly get out the door to work because I love watching them all interact with Owen. I leave every day knowing he is going to have an awesome day... what an incredible feeling.

Along with starting to figure out the sippy cup, he's starting to venture a bit more into finger foods lately. Some scrambled eggs, banana, string cheese, etc. Lloyd, in particular, has been waiting for this for 8 long months!

Owen's smiles, screeches, pats, brief snuggles, belly laughs, and even tears... make every day better. He blesses all of our lives with his tornado of love!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T14:53:00.000-08:00

Our kiss at midnight!

The Magic of Christmas

2011-12-26T13:30:00.000-08:00

It was magical watching Owen's fascination with the Christmas tree's lights and ornaments.

Emma's Christmas Program at school

Special Nutcracker Ballet tradition with Nana, Mommy, and Emma

A fun surprise Christmas present for Papa Roger... MAX!

A very special Christmas tradition... a homemade stocking for Owen! Thank you Nana!

Putting out food for the reindeer on Christmas Eve with Coach Rory

Santa magically made his visit and filled all the stockings... he even left his footprints!

Owen got an awesome train from Aunt Jana, Uncle Matt, and Leah

Santa brought Emma a new Speedo fast skin and rainbow goggles... just what she had asked for!

Owen was very excited about all the toys Santa left for him!

Christmas is so very precious through the eyes of a child

This Christmas we had the blessing of special time with Titi and cousins. Owen loves Sihin!

Sihin, Jenna, Titi, and Jacob

Some cousin love celebrating the birth of Jesus together!

Snowshoeing with Owen

2011-12-22T13:53:00.000-08:00

We went for several long hikes up at Schweitzer and thanks to our Ergo baby carrier and Daddy's strong back, we were able to take Owen with us. He actually slept through most of it, but it was wonderful to be able to share the beauty of the mountain, snow, and sunshine together!

Picnic Point

Daddy and Owen

A little hot cocoa and muffins in the lodge after our 2 1/2 hour hike!

Santa Pictures

2011-12-19T12:11:00.000-08:00

One day Owen will absolutely kill me for putting him in this reindeer outfit, but man is he cute! Proud big sis!

Owen and his best buddy, Aiden.

Another Santa at Ritter's. Owen's not to sure what to think.

No screaming in Santa's lap... this year. :-)

Emma loved the real reindeer. This female was actually the same age as Owen, 7 months.

Here was an older male, reindeer. Emma loved getting to pet his antlers.

7 months

2011-12-09T09:15:00.000-08:00


Owen is very adventurous at 7 months, so this picture fits him really well!

Bath time is one of Owen's favorites. He loves the water!

Now that Owen is crawling, he is getting into everything!

All of the Christmas decorations make great toys! He's especially fascinated by the tree.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

It's crazy to think how fast time is flying by - the holiday season is already here. The biggest milestone is Owen's crawling in the last month. He's flying now and into everything. He's also standing holding on to furniture and even starting to pull himself up on things, especially legs.

He weighs almost 20 pounds and loves to eat. Mommy's still making organic homemade baby food and enjoying her baby food club, so there are lots of delicious things to eat. Owen likes sweet potatoes, butternut squash, avocado, peas, and any kind of fruit. He's also been loving these rice rusk crackers called Mum Mums. Since he still doesn't have any teeth, he just gums these until they dissolve. He's also started trying out a sippy cup for the first time (although it's still a bit of a mystery).

Owen with his Mum Mums... Lloyd has now found a new interest in Owen :-)

He loves toys... which don't have to be official "toys" by any stretch of the word. He loves playing with anything in the kitchen, anything with flashing lights and music, and also loves being read to. He's also enjoying making noise himself, by clanking things together and on the floor. He is also just discovering how awesome it is to have a dog... all kinds of entertainment there!

Guys, did you see this? I HAVE A DOG! YES! This is so awesome!

Owen is completely in LOVE with his big sister who feels the same. The love she has for her little brother is heart-warming. She looks after him, plays with him, distracts him, and can ALWAYS make him smile and laugh. It's incredibly special just to watch the two of them together.

Emma loves helping with bath time... sometimes she even gets in with him!

The holidays are always wonderful, but they will be extra special this year with Owen this year. He blesses our lives each and every day!

Thanksgiving

2011-11-30T08:57:00.000-08:00

Our day started off with the 5k Turkey Trot in Manito Park. Emma ran the whole way and Daddy pushed Owen in the stroller!

Papa Roger carves the turkey

Emma and Madison play Monopoly. Emma can't get enough of this dreaded game!

Daddy and Emma

Papa and Emma

Emma and Mommy

Papa calls out the colors and body parts for Twister

Madison and Emma

Mommy joins in...

Daddy plays too... he adds an extra heavy "lean" to some of his plays!

Thanksgiving is a time of gratitude, family, games, food, and memories... we were definitely successful in all of these categories! Thanks to Gramma Leen and Papa Roger for hosting. What a wonderful evening together. We have so much to be thankful for!

Thompson Family Photo Shoot

2011-11-30T08:49:00.000-08:00

Junior Olympic District Championships

2011-11-26T08:42:00.000-08:00

After a great season with the SYSA Cross Country program, Emma decided to join the more competitive Mercury Cross Country Team. They practice 3 nights a week (she only does 2 to mesh with her swimming schedule) down at Riverfront Park. We have been incredibly impressed with the coaches and the program itself. Emma has really enjoyed the push and feedback she's received. I'm not sure how they do it, but they keep her wanting to come back for more after cold, dark (and sometimes even drizzly) practices that are over an hour and a half long.

The team participates in the Junior Olympic District Championships to qualify for Regionals in Seattle. The 2k race was on Mead High School's XC course, which was familiar and close to home - yeah!

Warm ups with Coach Kelly and her Sub Bantam teammates

Emma was out there going for it!


Emma got to borrow some cross country spikes which were a big help with the snow and muck on the course.

Coming down the finish shoot. She almost caught Lizzy... but not quite (.6 of a second shy). She finished 4th for the girls with a 9:16 and qualified for District Champs in Seattle.

Emma with two of her biggest supporters, Gregor and Matalie

Emma's cheer squad (not pictured, Byrd family)

Emma had her family and friends ALL over the course. We spread out specifically to give her lots of encouragement at different times along the way. Huge thanks to Gramma Leen, Nana, Uncle Mark, Gregor, Natalie, Tiffany, Eric, and Meghan for coming out to shower her with love and support. It meant the world to her... and us! And let me just say that these fans are hard core... it was f-f-f-freezing out there. Windy, mucky, and even a skiff of snow.

We don't plan on going to Regionals in Seattle because of the conflict with the Turkey Trot swim meet (time to get some swimming in!), but it was an incredible experience and xc season for Emma this year!

A favorite little memory from the race: We had Emma bundled up in her warm-ups, but it turned out that it wasn't enough to keep her warm before her race. Like any mom would do, I gave her my coat to wear. Emma, being the love she is, was worried that I would get cold. I told her that mamas aren't ever warm when their babies are cold, so she would actually make me warmer by wearing my jacket. She looked up at me with a perplexed look on her face. I told her that one day, when she is a mommy, this would make perfect sense to her. She gave me three squeezes on my hand (that means I love you) and told me she was soooooo glad I was her mom. Just putting this one in the bank until she's a teenager. ;)

6 months

2011-11-19T21:36:00.000-08:00

Owen's new look! He loves to suck in his lips - adorable!


This is the contagious smile that has captured our hearts!

Owen spends much of his days chasing big Sis around to all her different activities.

Fun in the tub with buddy, Aiden

SO CUTE!

Owen laughing with favorite babysitter, Courtney

Owen is growing soooo fast - he's already busting out of his 6 month clothes. His contagious smile and enthusiastic spirit continually keep our home JOYFUL!

Owen is experimenting more with solid foods. He really seems to like rice cereal and butternut squash. He loves sucking on banana and other foods with his teether net too! This continues to be a very messy process, but we love watching all of his facial expressions when he's trying something new. Pretty funny!

We had a change this last month with Owen's daycare. Even though the change was hard, we feel so very blessed that Owen is now spending M-W (while Mom's at work) with Jen Hoglund and her kiddos. This family is nothing short of lovely and we feel certain that this change was all part of God's plan for our family, and especially, Owen. It is wonderful to be able to leave him with such loving people. We love seeing how excited Molly, Matthew, and Emily are to see Owen arrive each morning. They are looking out the window when we arrive and begging to hold him the minute we walk through the door. The other day, Matthew was singing Owen a song he made up and playing the piano for him... too cute.

Owen continues to be SMITTEN with his big sister. Holy cow! I can't believe what a strong bond there is between them. Emma takes such good care of her little brother, and Owen rewards her with huge smiles and belly laughs.

Owen's finding his voice this month and surprising us with all kinds of noises - we call him the "Screech Owl"! He's still sleeping pretty well most nights, although mom's getting anxious for the day when we can all sleep a solid 8 hours straight again. :-)

Owen has really taken an interest in "reading" books these days. Not too surprising, but one of his favorites was Emma's too. It's called Beautiful Babies and has all these pictures of babies in it... and a mirror at the end! He also likes Big Red Barn, Goodnight Moon, Five Little Ladybugs (especially if Emma does the puppet), and Little Blue Truck.

Hard to believe he's already half a year old... gulp! We love Owen so very much!

Halloween

2011-11-17T22:28:00.000-08:00

Emma has a great idea for a swimmer pumpkin

Daddy helps with the carving

Perfect!

Emma had a blast trick or treating with her buddy Brynn and favorite babysitter, Courtney (and her friend, Molly)

A cutie little dragon with his buddy, the monkey!

Emma and Brynn with their HAULS! They both only kept 5 pieces and made trades with the Great Pumpkin. Emma got a new track suit!

A beautiful Greek Goddess at the school parade!

Greenbluff

2011-11-17T22:24:00.000-08:00

Mamas and their boys!

It looks like Aiden is whispering a secret to Owen - the first of many! ;)

Cute boys!

Tri Fusion clan

Silly picture

Emma and Julia

Emma picks her pumpkin

Beautiful display of pumpkins at Half Moon Blooms

More Cross Country

2011-11-17T22:12:00.000-08:00

All City XC Meet, Comstock Park

Emma placed 10th for the 3rd grade girls at the All City Meet. What an accomplishment!

SYSA Comstock Meet

Emma's Cheer Squad at the SYSA Comstock Meet

Boppa and Nana came to cheer on their favorite little runner!

Papa Tim and Gramma Kris share some love and celebration with Emma!

Emma and her buddy, Trish

Emma and Mommy

Emma and Owen

This sweet pea has her Daddy wrapped around her little finger...

Emma saved her own money to buy these new running shoes!

Owen and cousin, Madison

Papa Roger, Gramma Leen, Uncle Mark and Madison came to cheer Emma on!

Emma's #1 Fans!

Uncle Mark and his special girl!

What a season! We absolutely loved watching Emma fall in love with running this year. She's incredibly determined and has really enjoyed the challenge of learning a new sport. We love you, Emma, and are so proud of you for being so brave to go out there, try something new, and ROCK IT, girl!

5 months

2011-11-17T21:52:00.000-08:00

Owen continues to light up our lives and hearts with his contagious smile and energy! He's always on the go... wiggling non-stop. Some of Owen's 5 month adventures include trying some solid foods, sitting up a bit, showing interest in Lloyd, and the jumper. He continues to LOVE the hot tub and water of any sort. One of his biggest loves is for his big sister. He lights up with almost anything she says or does. It's not uncommon to see Owen in his saucer watching big sis singing, dancing, or putting on some kind of entertainment show for her little brother. He's a captive audience!

Go Black Fury!

2011-10-08T10:55:00.000-07:00

This has been an incredible start to the xc season for Emma! She is on a fabulous SYSA team which is named "Black Fury" (yes, that was Emma's idea). It's been so wonderful to see Emma really fall in love with running this year. Her coaches are amazing and extremely encouraging and genuine - true advocates for the sport.

A first rate cheer squad for a first place run! How blessed we all are by this tremendous support!

Nana and Emma. Love this picture of them, what beautiful ladies!

Anna, Gramma Kris, and Owen at Audubon Park

Emma at Audubon Park for her second race there. Dropped time and ran a 7:32 for first place in her race.

Tyler and Kevin Lightbody came to cheer at Audubon

Emma made herself some "natural" pom-poms. Very fitting!

Emma after her Manito race. Her time was 7:09 on that course.

Emma and cheerleader, Gramma Kris

Grandparent love at Manito race

We are so very proud of Emma for being brave enough to go out there and try a new sport this year!

Papa Tim is very proud of Emma too!


Three generations of Thompson "men"!

Emma's Black Fury team (the 3rd and 4th graders)

Emma on the Plantes Ferry course, she ran 8:28

Emma's best friend, Brynn, came out to cheer her on at the Manito Park race

Papa Tim sharing some proud words with his granddaughter

Trish, Gramma Leen, Natalie, and Greg came out to cheer at her Holmberg Park race (7:15)

So proud of our Emma!

We are so incredibly proud of Emma and the work she has put into her practices and meets. She is hoping to qualify for the All City Cross Country Championships on October 19th. We are extremely thankful for the love and support of family and friends who have showed up to her races and cheered their guts out! This means the world to Emma... and our whole family... GO EMMA!

4 months

2011-09-29T14:13:00.000-07:00

How can it be that 4 months have gone by already?

The only reasonable explanation is that we're having too much fun! We are crazy in love with our little Owen and enjoying every. single. minute! Owen is a very happy kiddo who lights up our lives and hearts with his beaming smile and adorable antics. He sleeps about 11-12 hours at night and normally gets up 2x to eat. Pretty do-able.

He's started going to Grandma Nancy's for daycare on the three days a week when I work. I know he's loved seeing all the kids and watching them play. It's been hard on me to leave him, but I am very grateful that daycare is so close to work. I get to visit him at lunch time for a little snack and play time. It makes the day go by much more quickly!

Here are the 4 month stats: 26 1/2 inches long (91%) and 16 lb. 7.5 oz (76%)

Owen is going for everything these days. He doesn't have super functional hand control yet, so he just lunges at everything with his chest and mouth. Where there's a will... there's a way!

This picture sums up Owen perfectly. He's such a happy boy and is generally smiling all the time with his whole body.

Owen's focused look. Very common to see that little tongue poking out.

Owen has discovered his feet and is very excited about touching them and putting them in his mouth!

He loves to suck on things... fingers, toys, fingers, blankets, fingers.

More fingers. And his favorite toy to suck on, Sophie, the giraffe.

Owen is loving the independence of the saucer.

Owen loves tasting new foods in this slick little contraption.


Owen is definitely a fan of the hot tub. We spend a lot of quality family time soaking in our big bath tub (99 degrees :) and Owen couldn't be more excited about it.

WE LOVE YOU, OWEN!

The BIG 4-0, Never Better!

2011-09-14T22:34:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe that Roger turned 40 this last weekend! Seems like just yesterday I was gawking at our 6 year age difference which seemed so big when I was just 17 years young! I have been incredibly blessed to spend almost half of those years with Roger. He's a very hard-working, dedicated father, husband, teacher, athlete, son, and friend. He's never been a better person than he is now... I hope I can say the same at 40.

For Roger's birthday, he decided to do something different and head with a group of friends to Moses Lake for Chico's Pizza. Chico's isn't well known for their classy ambiance, but man do they make some good pizza and use a TON of toppings. Also a pleasant surprise is how the relatively thin crust holds all those toppings. Delicious and a fun adventure!

A sheet of canadian bacon... look at the pizza on the right. Three-four inches of toppings!

Yummy pizza!

Tiffany and Aiden

Rog knew this would be right up Eric's alley...

Leisha and Uncle Mark

Johnny and Trish

Turtle and Emma

Happy family!

Tiffany, Aiden and Eric

Gregor and Matalie

If crazy pizza wasn't enough, we added cake and ice cream to the mix

We also enjoyed having some family over for a spaghetti dinner and a celebration of Roger. Many thanks to Papa Tim, Grandma Kris, Anna, Gramma Leen, Papa Roger, Madison, Aunt Kellie, Uncle Ryan, Jenna, and Nana for coming to celebrate with us!

Uncle Ryan and Jenna

Roger's favorite Costco cake out on the patio

Jenna and Emma

Happy birthday to a man who inspires me GREATLY! 40 has never looked so good!

Cross Country

2011-09-14T21:54:00.000-07:00

Instead of soccer this year, Emma has chosen to try cross country. This may be a good fit for Emma. She loves running and seems to be happier doing sports that have a team feel but where results are individual. She'd only had practice twice before running in this meet at Audubon Park. The black T-shirts are girls from her Mead team, "Black Fury", but the meet was for kids all over the city.

Emma at the start line

Getting a shoulder rub and love from Papa before the race started

She's a beautiful runner!

Emma ended up coming in 2nd in her grade level for her first time ever racing the mile distance. She ran a 7:57 min. mile!

Many, many thanks to her cheerleading squad! She and our family are so blessed by the love and support!

Starting 3rd Grade

2011-09-14T21:10:00.000-07:00

Emma is in THIRD grade. I can hardly believe it. She has Mrs. Kannberg for her teacher this year which is very wonderful, although there was a little heart ache when her teacher that she was supposed to loop with (Mrs. Wilkes) had to return to her previous school. Emma is most excited about math this year and looking forward to making new friends.

We all have mixed feelings about the start of school, and as Emma will tell you, we never want summer to end. It's such a close family time for us where we're incredibly blessed to get to spend so much time together... definitely hard to get back in the school routine. We all miss each other very much. As we dropped little Owen off to daycare on the first day of school, Roger commented how we were back to a family of 3 for the day. Emma's immediate comment was, "I don't like being a family of 3 anymore, we're a family of 4 now." Hard not to have the littlest Thompson with all of us at Brentwood. Even though it's bitter sweet, it's a time of getting back into routines which has it's advantages. Here's to a new year!

Summer Fun

2011-09-14T19:41:00.000-07:00

3 months old

2011-08-18T23:42:00.000-07:00

While pregnant, it was a very real fear for me that I wasn't sure I could ever love another baby. I just loved Emma SO MUCH, that it just seemed impossible that there could be more love in my completely full, bursting mommy-heart. My mom assured me that the minute our baby was born, everything would feel complete and there would be a perfect connection and plenty of love to go around. Emma was a little anxious too. Although she really, really wanted her brother to come, I think she was nervous that any love for him would take away from our love for her. Days before Owen was born, I vividly remember a conversation I had with Emma where just the right answer came at just the right time (thank you, God).

Emma: When you say you love me with ALL of your heart, what will happen when my brother is born?

Me: God will give me another heart to love your brother with, and I will love him with ALL of my heart too.

...which is exactly what happened.

Owen continues to steal our hearts with his BIG smiles. We think he smiles with his whole body! He definitely recognizes faces and lights up when he sees familiar ones. Almost no one makes Owen smile more than his big sis who adores him completely - lucky little boy.

He's sleeping really well overall. His first big sleep is usually 5-7 hours long and then another sleep for 2-3 hours. It's actually really do-able and I feel sane (most of the time :). He's great at going down and soothing himself until he falls asleep. He still loves his car seat which is great because he's in it for car rides and also in the stroller jogs/runs almost daily.

He's definitely excited about his hands and regularly tries to shove them into his mouth. Also a big favorite for going into his mouth are his blankets and burp rags.

Owen's definitely a "talker". He gets interested in the camera when I pull it out to get video which makes it challenging to record, but I've been able to snag a few little clips. We all love chatting with him and hearing his adorable noises.

Speaking of noises, the boy can GRUNT when he's doing his business. He often stops us mid-conversation and makes us all laugh. Hard to miss what's happening - and he wouldn't be a Seppa boy if we couldn't enjoy the potty humor in it all!

He's a blessed child. Surrounded by love and attention all the time... just perfect in every way!

August Developmental Swim Meet at Witter Pool

2011-08-18T23:16:00.000-07:00

Emma and best buddy, Brynn

Gramma Kris and Anna

Papa Tim rallied to come and support Emma (and love on Owen during our wait time :)

Highlights of this meet were personal best times in the 50m free (finally went sub 40 seconds!) and the 50m back! Big thanks to Gramma Leen, Gramma Kris, Anna, and Papa Tim for going to the effort to come and support Emma. It means so much to her (and us) to have your cheers and hugs there!

Long Course Championships 2011 - Pasco, WA

2011-08-18T22:48:00.000-07:00

Our butterfly

She set a personal best and a team record in the 50m fly

Deep breath... she gets pretty nervous before each event. This picture captures it well.

Emma and buddies at our "camp" killing time between events.

Backstroke start

Brother was such a trooper. 90 degree temps and total insanity - slept through it!

Emma celebrating a new team record in the 50 fly!

Team cheer before the day of racing begins. Emma loves this part... you can always find her right up front.

This was a great meet for Emma. She had personal best times in all but one event and set 3 new team records for the 8 and under girls in the 50 fly, 100 back, and 200 IM. We loved being there as a family supporting her and having the quality time together. We never tire of watching Emma be passionate about her passion!

Race the River Kids Duathlon

2011-08-18T22:36:00.000-07:00

First run - she paced it beautifully

She came in off the bike in second place overall, first girl

She headed out on run #2 in the lead which she was able to hold!

Mama and Owen cheering big sister on

Emma's support crew and cheer squad ... GO EMMA!

Already a podium girl

The two bald boys with their khaki hats on :)

We just love this race! We've done it every year since it started and have had such a great experience each time. This year, Emma ended up winning her age group overall (for boys and girls) with great runs and a ride (although she wrecked AGAIN at the turn-around, 3rd year in a row :). This girl never wants to slow down! Many loves, squeezes and thanks to Gramma Leen, Papa Roger, Gregor and Matalie who all made special efforts to come out and cheer her on!

Pool Time and Play Dates

2011-08-18T22:26:00.000-07:00

Owen's first dip in the pool

Lots of loves from mommy

and Daddy

Joey was all about the s'mores

Brynn

Emma

Katie - love all that chocolate!

Ethan

Aiden and Tiffany

Emma and Owen

Emma with Aiden and Owen

Cousin Jenna

When buying our home, we were dead set on having a pool. We wanted it to be a place where people could gather, relax, play, and enjoy each other. Our backyard has been filled all summer with giggles, splashes, "MARCO...", otter pop wrappers, fires in the firepit, and lots of love between family and friends... dream come true.

Half Moon Blooms U-Pick Flowers

2011-07-24T22:44:00.000-07:00

We have adventured up to Half Moon Blooms a couple of times already this summer to pick some gorgeous flowers! They sell buckets of flowers that you pick yourself for just $5. We have fun arranging them right there on the spot and even relaxing in the shade on a beautiful summer day. Emma is a big fan of the hammock!

We loved it so much, we even brought Nana out on a surprise visit. She really enjoyed it too - and I loved hearing her teach Emma about cutting flowers (on the diagonal) and arranging them.

Cat Tales

2011-07-24T22:33:00.000-07:00

The highlight of this summer adventure to Cat Tales was getting to feed Ceylon the tiger. Fun family day!

Wenatchee Swim Meet

2011-07-24T22:26:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful girl... sigh.

One of the surprises of the meet was Emma qualifying for long course champs in the 100 breast. She's improved so much in this stroke!

A little lovin' from mom before the race. Note my make-shift baby bjorn. :-)

Love this pic. Emma is waiting with crossed fingers to hear the results of the 50 fly.

She won!!! Look at that face!

Backstroke start

Emma behind the blocks

Now THAT is some beautiful streamline!

Couldn't love these kids any more!

Emma and her swimming buddy, Caroline.

Emma swam a great meet dropping time all over the place and qualifying in nearly every event for long course championships. She also got really close to breaking some team records. We had a great homestay with Erin Stitt and family - they were so very generous to have our family for the weekend. We are continually proud of Emma and how hard she works towards her swimming goals. Now, on to champs!

Whitworth Criterium

2011-07-24T14:32:00.000-07:00

Like father, like daughter. Roger competed in the Whitworth Criterium and Emma was thrilled that she could too! And just to follow suit, she won the kids race (boys and girls) just like Daddy! So proud of how brave you are Emma - she's really been out riding her bike a lot this summer!

Witter Developmental Meet

2011-07-24T14:24:00.000-07:00

This was Emma's first long course meet of 2011. She dropped time all over the place and had a big smile the whole time. Love watching this girl go for it! Thanks to Gramma Leen, Papa Tim, Gregor and Natalie for coming to support her!

IronFan Coeur d' Alene 2011

2011-07-24T14:19:00.000-07:00

By far, the best memory of this year's IronFan adventures is watching Emma as the cheerleader on the mic. She inspired so many athletes and was encouraging ALL day long. The girl was on it for almost 12 hours straight.

Keve came home and spent the day IronFanning it with us. Emma was in heaven to have him home. He was also the mastermind behind the designs for the kids' shirts. Awesome!

Aiden and Owen were first time IronFans!

Love Owen's obvious cheerleading arms in this pose...lol.

The mamas had an Ironman of our own trying to manage newborns out on the course.


Aiden, Eric, Gregor, Nat, and Emma... chillin' in the shade taking a cheer break.

2 months old!

2011-07-11T14:58:00.000-07:00

Emma and I were on a walk the other day and I asked her what kinds of things we should say about her brother in his two month blog post. She recommended we mention he is "talking", smiling, rolling over, putting his hands in his mouth, getting to be a chunky monkey, and liking watching her at swim meets. Pretty good synopsis if you ask us! We'd like to include that Owen is a mellow kiddo, and we are constantly sending prayers of thanks because this, more than anything, has made the transition from child to children such a joyous one!

We had a completely spontaneous "photo shoot" at the swim meet this last weekend. I love the pics. every. single. one. I included so many of them - not so much for sharing, but selfishly for me. I want to remember every roll, wrinkle, dimple, expression... it is all so precious and changes so fast.

At two months, Owen weighs 13 lb. 4 oz and is 24 inches long!

Father's Day

2011-06-26T12:11:00.000-07:00

Father's Day started off with some morning snuggles in mom and dad's bed with some extra kisses for Daddy! Emma (with a little help from mom) made this beautiful card for Daddy. The message inside is so very sweet!

Front of card

Inside of card

Daddy and Emma on a Father's Day run!

Later that day, we went up to Papa Tim and Gramma Kris' house for a Father's Day BBQ! We also decided we should get the camera out since it's not too often that we're all together.

The whole crew... only took 20 takes to get this picture :)

Much easier to get this picture!

Dad and his three daughters

The three fathers being celebrated

The cousins and Aunt Anna

Again... one take :)

Gramma Kris, Papa Tim and Anna

Titi gives some extra lovin to Owen

We are so very blessed to have such amazing fathers in our lives to celebrate!

S'more Birthday Fun!

2011-06-26T11:43:00.000-07:00

Emma also had a party for family and some taller friends to celebrate turning 8! This party has also become known as the annual event for the "first s'more of the year"! Emma loved getting sports themed presents, gift cards (to Justice -her favorite clothes store, movies, iTunes, Starbucks, FroYo) new shoes, and even some cash! But even more than the presents, she loved sharing the evening with some of her most favorite people:

Trish and Aiden

Mommy and Emma, the beautiful birthday girl!

Carla and Emma

Gramma Kris, Emma, and Titi

Matalie, Emma, and Gregor

Gramma Leen, Emma, and Madison

Emma, Jenna, and Jacob

Emma and Tiff

Nate, Emma, and Merissa

Aiden and Tiffany

The Byrd Family

Jon, Emma, and Trish

Papa Roger and Emma

Emma is so very, very blessed to have such wonderful family and friends to celebrate with!

Sky High

2011-06-26T11:22:00.000-07:00

Emma and 15 of her friends from school, soccer, and swimming all got together for a birthday at Sky High (a trampoline activity warehouse). They jumped till they were hot and sweaty, ate pizza and birthday cake, and opened some fabulous presents! Although mom and dad were most excited about a party centered around fun physical activity, the absence of set-up and clean-up were not missed!

Look at that smile! LOVE IT!!!

Owen's First Month

2011-06-09T11:53:00.000-07:00

What on earth is that, Mom?

It's hard to believe that a month has already gone by and I am in awe at how many changes he is making since we brought him home. The first couple weeks were mostly: sleep, eat, poop... repeat. :-) Although not a whole lot has changed, he is doing a little bit more (and has more awake time) each day!

Playing in the "gym" which was a special gift from Natalie and Greg

Napping or just being mellow in the swing (thanks for loaning this to us Taylors)

Taking baths


Being read to by Emma


Snuggling on the couch

Loving any time spent on Daddy's chest

Playing with best buddy, Aiden

It's funny that with the second kiddo, there's just not as much down time, so we've also been out and about really from our first day home.

Owen, Aiden, and Charley out for a walk


Stroller Brigade - Katey, Tiffany, Natalie, and Jessi


Teddy (Pontarolo/Kovarik) and Owen at the Park Bench in Manito Park - they were born only 5 days apart


Soccer practice in the front yard

Papa Roger's 81st birthday party

Wednesday Night Mountain Bike Races

Daddy's Time Trial in Spangle

Big sister's soccer tournament

Things we love about Owen's first month:

He is so cute we can hardly take our eyes off of him.
He's a very content baby, although he lets you know when he's hungry.
He poops ALL the time, we get to spend a lot of quality time changing diapers.
He sleeps about 2-3 hours at a time through the night, but goes right back to sleep.
He makes adorable grunts, whimpers, and snorts anytime he's even semi-awake.
He already loves the water and bath time.
He loves being in the stroller (it usually puts him right to sleep) which is great because he spends almost 90 minutes a day in it!
Emma is completely in love with her little brother. She is an incredible helper and very attentive to his every need.
Sooooo many wonderful visits from family and friends who have loved us tangibly with meals, treats for Owen, snuggle time, and even some laundry folding! The support has been out of this world and has made all the difference in our stress levels.

We feel completely blessed to welcome Owen into our world. Owen has brought tremendous LOVE and JOY into our hearts. We love you, Owen!

Emma Turns 8!

2011-06-09T11:48:00.000-07:00

Our birthday tradition is to fill her room with balloons before she wakes up on her birthday every year! She's sporting her new hoodie that Steve sent up from California for her to open this morning.

It's hard to believe Emma is growing up so fast. We wanted to take a snapshot of some of her favorites as she's turning 8:

Favorite color: Turquoise

Favorite thing to eat: Cheese and pineapple pizza

Favorite restaurant: "The sushi place by Zip Trip"

Favorite dessert: mom's chocolate cake

Favorite store: Justice

Favorite movie: Tangled or Narnia

Favorite subject in school: Reading

Favorite book: Captain Underpants

Favorite sport: "Swimming, no doubt about it!"

Favorite animal: dog

Other interesting things about Emma (from Mom): Emma is 8 going on 18! She is currently into sports of all kinds (she asked for a new soccer ball, superball ball/bat, and basketball for her her birthday this year), opening up her own rock store in our basement, having a new big girl room (thanks Nana for the decorating help!) in the basement with her own bathroom, playing with friends (her best friend is still Brynn), and being a GREAT big sister. She also enjoys going out to eat, special shopping trips, and playing with her dog, Lloyd.

A big part of Emma's life is being on the swim team. It has been an amazing last year to watch her blossom. It's not uncommon for parents to come up to us at the pool and mention how much they enjoy watching Emma swim because she's so graceful.

Just a month ago, we had a big family transition adding a little brother to the mix. Emma has welcomed Owen with open arms and is ALWAYS asking to hold him, help him, dress him, soothe him... you name it. She's also a huge help to mom and dad who have hands fuller than normal.

Emma fell asleep "with" Owen on a car ride home one night. So adorable!

Emma has really blossomed in school this year. She has LOVED having Mrs. Wilkes as her second grade teacher and is excited to loop up with her and have her again for 3rd grade. She is thriving in reading (808 lexile) and math (already doing three digit by one digit multiplication and division with remainders) - taking on each new challenge with gusto! I love working on the paragraph writing in the homework packets with Emma because she always has creative ideas and word choice! Her favorite "big word" to add into writing is bodacious. This year she did an awesome report - all by herself - all by hand - for Queen Alexandra's Birdwing Butterfly.

Emma was so proud of this project!

Socially, we always continue to work on manners. We've been practicing writing meaningful thank you notes, picking up after ourselves around the house, and how to respond to a request in a way that makes someone feel like you want to help them. We always appreciate how Emma is willing to help out with house projects and yardwork.

Emma's sense of humor continues to evolve and mature. She definitely keeps us laughing with her antics. She is understanding sarcasm better and better and is able to dish it back pretty darn well too. Emma and her Daddy definitely like to get each other going... Mom just tries to stay OUT of the way!

Nerf guns at Easter

There isn't a day that goes by... a good day or a not-so-good day... that we don't feel like the most blessed family in the world to get to share each day with our precious Emma. She is the SUN and shines sweet love and energy wherever she goes. This world is a much better place because of Emma!

Soccer Tournament

2011-06-09T06:35:00.000-07:00

Coach Matt gives some encouragement before game 1

Go Emma!

Gramma Kris and Anna show Owen a little lovin'

Mama givin' a little encouragement

Gramma Leen does double duty: cheering and holding

Emma has a solid, strong kick

Emma plays hard and is definitely willing to get in the mix of things

The victory smile after win #2 coming through the parent tunnel

Loves for Owen from Matalie

The support crew for the semi-final game: Matalie, Aiden, Tiffany, Gramma Leen, Nana, Gregor, Papa Tim, and Owen

The tournament could not have hit better weather in Spokane for this time of year. It was wonderful to be outside in the sunshine cheering on our favorite BLACK STRIKERS and especially our favorite player, #3, Emma! Her team won three games (Emma scoring 7 goals) which qualified them to play in the semi-finals on Sunday. Although they played with heart, it was a tough game and the tournament ended there. Many, many thanks to the special friends and family who came out to cheer: Gramma Leen, Papa Roger, Gramma Kris, Papa Tim, Anna, Nana, Jon, Sarah, Natalie, Greg, Tiffany, Aiden, Lynda, and Tim.

Highest Point Award

2011-05-30T17:45:00.000-07:00

At the end of the year Spokane Waves Aquatic Team banquet, Emma received a special award for being the 10th highest point-earner for the entire team! As you can see from the first picture (Emma is the farthest to the right), this is mostly done by older swimmers. This awards honors her participation and success in swim meets which go towards individual honors as well as team honors. If any of you have ever been a part of the swimming community, you know this is an amazing achievement, especially for someone this age who mostly races 25 and 50yd events with an occasional 100 thrown in there.

We are incredibly proud of Emma and how hard she continues to work at swimming. She is incredibly motivated and dedicated. Also, a very special thanks to her main coach, Rory Buck, who has invested in this girl day after day. He pushes her, holds her accountable, authentically praises her, and always challenges her to be her best.

Holding Owen

2011-05-27T09:26:00.000-07:00

Papa Roger, Gramma Leen, and Titi

Papa Roger, Gramma Leen, Titi, and Nana

Papa Roger

Gramma Leen and Daddy

Owen's biggest fan, Big Sister, Emma

Emma often calls Owen, "Brother" or "Honey"

Natalie

Nana and Boppa

Uncle Mark can't believe we let him hold you! :-)

Papa Tim and Emma

Madison

Tiffany

Aiden, Emma, and Tiffany

Titi and Jenna

Papa Roger

Mama holdin' Emma

Daddy gives Owen his first bottle

Emma, Carla, Ali and Lincoln

Big Sister ALWAYS wants to hold Brother... ALWAYS.

Matalie and Gregor

... and these are just the folks we have pictures of! When we think of the extended "family" that has already taken Owen in with open arms, we are overwhelmed with gratitude. You can NEVER have enough people to love and cherish you.

Owen is LOVED

2011-05-26T15:22:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Owen Seppa Thompson!

2011-05-26T15:02:00.000-07:00

Labor and Delivery

We checked into Sacred Heart at 11:30pm on Mother's Day, May 8th for an induction at 39 weeks. I had been having contractions since 33 1/2 weeks and Dr. Sayres decided it was time to have this baby (I could not have agreed more!). They started me on Pitocin at about midnight and by 2:30am I was having really strong contractions. At 4:30am, my water broke on its own, and shortly after I got an epidural to help with the pain. Dr. Sayres came in and saw me about 7am and predicted I'd probably start pushing about noon or so. It was obvious after just a short bit, that things were moving faster than that. So not long after 10am, they called Dr. Sayres to come in.

Gramma Leen, Tiffany, and Mark there to support us and so excited to meet the newest member of the Thompson clan!

An empty little bed... everyone was soooo excited to meet the little man who would be laying in it in just a few short moments!

Talking to the resident and watching the contractions on the monitors. I was wearing an oxygen mask to give a little O2 boost for the baby.

Nana and Gramma Leen are standing by!

Dr. Sayres came in and decided it was definitely time to PUSH!

Roger was such a tremendous support. He always knows just what to say... or sometimes when not to say anything and just hold my hand.

After just a few pushes, Owen Seppa Thompson was born! Roger cut the cord and they immediately put him on my chest. I honestly couldn't stop crying... what an incredible moment. There really aren't words to describe this feeling.

Born at 10:46am, 7 pounds 9 ounces, 20.5 inches long... perfection!

This is my amazing sister, Amy ("Titi"). She took lots of pictures of the event and was so thrilled to meet her nephew!

Nana is already in love!

Owen had the whole feeding thing figured out from the get go... atta boy!

Behind the scenes, there was also some very special time and attention being given to big sister, Emma, to make all of this possible. Gramma Leen spent the night at our house on Sunday while Greg and Natalie picked her up from school on Monday and brought her to the hospital (and then stayed with her on Monday night). Tiffany helped get Emma ready on Tuesday morning and brought her to the hospital. Nana also surprised Emma with a special shopping trip on the way home from the hospital. Also a special thanks to Emma's teacher who let her be in communication with us throughout the day in a very supportive and enthusiastic way. All of this support meant the WORLD to us, as I was honestly more worried about how Emma would be doing than almost anything else.

Although when I look back on this pictures it was kind of blur... no sleep for 36+ hours... it was also completely miraculous. I still get teary thinking about the miracle of LOVE that Owen is and how we feel so entirely blessed to get to welcome him into our family!

The Final Countdown

2011-05-03T13:47:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that our baby boy will be here before we know it! We have worked so hard to keep this little guy happy, healthy and not arriving too early, so it seems AMAZING that we have reached a full term pregnancy, and are now comfortably sitting at 38+ weeks and ready for him to come at any time with smiles on our faces and much less concern in our hearts! We've prayed endlessly and all of our family and friends have put some powerful prayer requests in too... we are so grateful.

These were some of the medicines I took to prevent contractions. I got to stop taking them (and get off bed rest) when we were 37 weeks which is technically considered full term.

Our final preparations are also as complete as they can be. Roger spent a ton of time getting both of the kids' rooms done, the nursery is all set-up, baby clothes are washed, car seat is installed, jogger is assembled, and hospital bags are packed! Now we just need our sweet little muffin to love on!

Nana found this frame for the nursery. The saying could not be more perfect. For now, we put his last ultrasound picture in it taken at 37 weeks. Look at those lips!

And yes, for all of you wondering... we did decide on a name... and we are keeping it a secret until he's born! As much as we "hate" them, good surprises are the BEST!

Easter

2011-04-25T01:24:00.000-07:00

We started off the morning with some very exciting Easter baskets. Emma got a new swim bag, some books she wanted, and of course some fun trinkets and candy.

The Easter bunny also brought Nerf guns for Emma and Daddy. Not sure who was more excited, but just thinking about the two of them makes me smile! Daddy's delicious pancake breakfast turned into a bit of a war zone. It was completely awesome. Nerf ammo, giggles, deep belly laughs and shrieks filled the air. Wouldn't have it any other way...

Later in the afternoon, we headed up to Gramma Leen and Papa Roger's for Easter dinner... and the battles continued. This time with balloons! Madison and Emma went at it and of course Uncle Roger couldn't help get sucked in.

Dinner was delicious! Mom T. did an amazing job with the ham, potatoes, rolls and dessert. Kellie and Tom did the veggies and we contributed the sparkling cider (apparently bed rest got me on light duty this year - thanks Mom T.! :)

It was a wonderful evening together. We are so blessed.

Triple Pentathlon Swim Meet

2011-04-25T00:57:00.000-07:00

This swim meet is set up a little differently. Although they still have the individual meet events that kids can participate in, there is a larger competition at the end of each day where the kids combine their swim times from 5 specific events and are then ranked for an overall award. Emma placed 2nd both days to her Tri-Cities swim buddy, Caroline, who was the winner of their age group at Junior Champs.

Overall, it was a good meet for Emma. She swam well, dropped some time (set new PRs), swam on her first co-ed relay team, and had a few other highlights.

One BIG highlight of the meet for Emma was that dropped .15 seconds in the 25 fly. This is beyond awesome (especially for starting off the bulkhead and not a diving block), but the most exciting part was that she did the whole race with NO BREATHS. Are you kidding me?!?! Her coach said she could do it, and well... apparently she believed him. I, however, nearly had a heart attack just watching. (Emma is in lane 3 on the right of this screen)

Another highlight of the meet was her 25 backstroke. Again, she dropped time and set a new PR. I loved her enthusiasm at the end of this race! (Emma is in lane 4, on the left half of this screen)

The last event of the meet was also the highlight of the highlights. The 100 yard free. Yes, she dropped time which was amazing, but the race within the race had to do with her own confidence. She started off the day convinced that she couldn't beat Caroline in this event (as she hasn't yet). We did some major pep talks, but I could tell that this event was bugging her in a big way. She had her race plan mapped out with her coaches (fast arms for the first 50 and bring in the fast legs on the second 50) but still didn't believe that she could do it. Roger and I could already tell she had settled to lose to Caroline before the race even started. Although Roger and I are big believers in racing your own race and not judging your own success based on how you measure up to others... this was different somehow. She didn't believe she could do it - and that didn't sit well with either of us.

Before Emma got up on the blocks, Roger looked at her right in the eyes and with 100% calm confidence told Emma that she was capable of her best race today if she wanted it bad enough. It would mean making it hurt, but she already knew how to do that. He told her though, she had to decide to go for it before ever stepping up on the blocks. I could hardly watch this race. I wanted it for her so badly - not a time, not a place, but gaining the confidence in herself. (Emma is in lane 4 and Caroline is in the green cap to her right).

I have never. ever. seen Emma so excited after a race. I'm surprised she didn't actually float away. It was one of those moments that makes every dollar spent on coaching, every minute sitting on bleachers during practice, every penny spent on equipment, every weekend spent at swim meets... ABSOLUTELY WORTH IT.

Recorder Club Concert

2011-04-25T00:18:00.000-07:00

Emma participated in Recorder Club this year! She goes to the music room each Tuesday during her lunch to practice and learn the songs with the rest of the group. We really enjoyed her end of the year performance, complete with a duet. Special thanks to her music teacher and Recorder Club leader, Mrs. Krehbiel.

Family Baby Shower

2011-04-25T00:00:00.000-07:00

These are photos from our family baby shower, so graciously hosted by my mom and sister. Those two know how to throw a party! It was an absolutely amazing brunch with delicious food, gorgeous decorations, and extremely thoughtful and generous gifts. We were most delighted by the relaxed time and good vibes between our extended and blended family. It was a blessing to be able to spend this celebration time together. Special thanks to Dad for taking all the pics... they really tell the story perfectly!

Missing Keve

2011-04-21T20:53:00.000-07:00

Emma told me the other day that she is really missing Steve. I understand, because we all are. It's hard to believe he's not just up the road and ready for a last minute dinner call, spare of the moment project, quicky workout, or spontaneous s'more roast. Sigh... it's a big loss for our whole family.

Now Steve (Keve) hasn't disappeared by any means, we stay in touch quite a bit via Facebook, phone calls, texts, etc. but let's be real, it's just not the same.

And definitely not the same for Emma. Steve is her special buddy. They have all kinds of adventures together and he has been a big part of her support system for the last few years. He's really been genuinely "present" and available... always interested in her and what she's up to. They play, tease, wrestle, snuggle, chat - you name it. And it's not just one-sided. Emma cheers for Steve at a race with her heart and soul, decorates his house before Ironman, calls on her own accord to check in, and spends her own money on his presents. She adores him.

The day after Emma's precious ipod got stolen, who showed up at school to eat lunch with an oreo McFlurry in hand? Steve. Wow.

Not having him around is a pretty BIG hole.

From Emma: "Steve, you are a very nice friend. I have had so many good times with you like when we went to Red Robin together. I had a really fun time. I really like how we go to ice cream and the movies together. And I really like it when you come to my swim meets and soccer games. And I really like it when you go to have lunch with me. You will always be one of my best friends in the whole entire world. Thank you for all your love. Love, Emma"

Sniff, sniff... we miss Keve. And although we are excited about his new adventure in California, we hope it's just a temporary move and he'll be home soon.

Triple Pentathlon Swim Meet Schedule

2011-04-14T15:47:00.000-07:00

Saturday 4/16:

1:45pm - 100 IM
2:37pm - 25 fly
3:06pm - 25 back
3:50pm - 25 breast
4:25pm - 25 free
4:59pm - 200 medley relay

Sunday 4/17:

9:00am - 50 free
10:49am - 50 back
12:19pm - 200 free relay
12:55pm - 50 breast
2:07pm - 50 fly
3:18pm - 100 free

Emma's Soccer Schedule

2011-04-08T00:07:00.000-07:00

Change of Plans

2011-04-04T10:19:00.000-07:00

Well... things in our lives have pretty much done close to a 180 in the last few days...

Here's the quick run down:

Thursday, Emma and I kissed Roger goodbye that morning and he headed down to San Diego to race Oceanside. By noon that day, I was feeling unusually sick with some stronger braxton hicks contractions and some back pain. By about 3:30 that afternoon, I had called my mom to come and help out with Emma because I knew I needed to go to bed. After about two hours of laying in bed feeling more/stronger contractions, I called the doctor and was sent straight to Sacred Heart. I was admitted that night.

This is me in the triage room before getting admitted.

To spare you the ridiculous amount of medical details (I can't keep the names of the meds/shots/steroids/pills straight anyway), I will summarize by telling you that although I am relatively stable at this point, and I am receiving quite a bit of meds to keep the contractions from coming. Then I am taking meds to help me sleep through night and counteract the side effects of the no-contractions meds. The GREAT news is that the contractions are not technically putting me into labor (which is defined by dilation of the cervix)... so our miracle baby boy is still safe and sound in my belly.

Love all the lovin' in this picture.

There have been some really hard moments in the last few days, a few scary ones, some that brought relief and also some great ones too. I have had some great connecting time with my parents, sis, in-laws, chat time with Tiffany (and snuggle time with Aiden ;), and many very thoughtful calls and texts to make sure that I'm ok. My poor hubby was having a coronary being separated during this time and we spent nearly every hour connected. My family has stepped up in every way to help out with Emma and make sure we were all taken care of. Tiffany and Eric jumped into help and take care of the Lloyd pooch. We're extremely blessed with the amazing support system we have, and feel very loved.

During my stay, our friend, Tyler Stitt, put in an egress window in our basement so that Emma can move downstairs and her old room can become the baby's nursery. I'm showing mom a picture he sent me of the finished product - amazing!!!

What's next? I will hopefully be going home tomorrow (Sunday) or shortly thereafter. I will be on bed rest for a couple weeks... so I won't be able to go back to work before the baby comes. If you know me well, you know that this will be really challenging for me as I don't do well with laying around... or taking medicine... or being patient...or letting others take care of me... or... well, lots of things. This will be a great time of growth for me and thank goodness I'm doing this for someone besides myself. That makes it soooo much easier.

Here I am getting to see our son in an ultrasound. An added bonus of being in the hospital... an inside belly camera. I was really teary during this ultrasound. It was a great visual reminder of the miracle we are working so hard to take care of.

Thanks for your concern, love, support and prayers. In the big picture of things, this is a minor bump in the road. And although it will surely be challenging for our family at times, we are incredibly grateful that our little boy is healthy!

Swimming Update

2011-03-31T08:12:00.000-07:00

Here are some updates on Emma's last 3 swim meets. They came so close together, I'm not sure we had time to recover from one before the next one hit. So, I've tried to include a partial summary of each meet along with some of the highlights.

IES Junior Championships: This is basically the championship for the short course (25 yard pool) for kids age 14 and under. We traveled down to Lewiston, ID for this event and enjoyed the swim event as well as the relaxed time together at the hotel each night. There are meets that seem to go better than others for a myriad of reasons, and we were all pretty excited (especially Emma), that all the stars aligned for the Championship meet.

Highlights included:

Waking up the morning we left to find out that the ninjas had come to decorate her hallway and bathroom wishing her luck at her meet. She was on cloud "a million" and didn't take the decorations down for over a month (per mom's request :-)

Another major highlight was the success of her relay team. These four girls ("Rory's Angels") have done a lot of relays together and over time have become quite the little speedsters. They set two new meet records and even more impressive were setting new team records in the 100 free relay and the 100 medley relay.

Emma's other individual events overall went very well and she was definitely smiling and feeling 'on a roll'. It's a really amazing feeling (no matter if it's a sports event or not) to work hard at something and then feel/see the rewards for the hard work... even a better feeling to see it happen to your kiddo. Here are the results of her events:

100 free - 1:24.78 (2nd place)
100 IM - 1:39.35 (2nd place, dropped 6 seconds)
50 fly - 41.95 (1st place, dropped 2 seconds, new meet record, senior champs qualifying time)
25 free - 16.00 (1st place, dropped 1+ seconds, new meet record)
50 back - 43.30 (1st place, dropped .5 seconds, new meet record, senior champs qualifying time)
25 back - 20.78 (4th place, dropped .5 seconds)
50 free - 38.62 (2nd place)
25 fly - 17.87 (1st place, dropped .2 seconds, new meet record, ONE breath)

At this meet Emma was the second highest point earner for the whole meet and earned the most points for her Spokane Waves Swim Team! She was pretty much on fire for the whole meet! Atta way, baby!

This is the first swim meet that we saw her really be invested in prior to the meet itself... all on her own. She was putting herself to bed early, asking me NOT to put desserts in her lunch the week before (WHAAAAT?!?!), taking a water bottle to school each day, washing her hands A LOT, not missing any practices the weeks leading up to it. Although these are things she has seen modeled in preparation for big races - it was amazing to see her choose it on her own and then reap the rewards for all that hard work!

IES Senior Championships: This is the championship short course race for the big kids :-). Although Emma's age group is 8 and under (she is 7), the youngest age group at Senior Champs is 10 and under. So that basically means she is racing against kids quite a bit older and bigger than she is. She was the youngest swimmer there, and the only 7 year old. The highlight of that meet for her was swimming a 42.71 in the 50 back which was a new personal best for her (11th place). It was a real honor for her just to qualify to go and a neat experience to race with all the big kids at the championship meet of the short course season.

Shamrock Shake Up: This was an invitational meet at our home pool at Whitworth. The highlights were new best times in the 25 and 50 breast (26.35 and 42.71), 25 back (20.20), 50 free (37.30), and 50 fly (41.42)!

We have no idea how long swimming will be Emma's "thing", but we're so grateful for all she's learning about sportsmanship, winning, losing, setting goals, working hard to achieve them, the value of support, taking risks, as well as general confidence in life. We are incredibly grateful to her coaches for their support, encouragement, push, and belief in her. We would also love to thank our family and friends that go waaaaay out of their way to support her - it means so very much to all of us!

Luck o' the Irish!

2011-03-17T08:51:00.000-07:00

Last night while we were at the Tri Fusion meeting, Emma made this leprechaun trap with her babysitter, Baylee. Even though she didn't catch the little bugger, she was pretty "spoked" to see the evidence that he had been there!

Showered with Love

2011-03-15T21:55:00.000-07:00

The first set of pictures is from a very special joint baby shower that our school staff threw to celebrate Tiffany and me. We were so honored to share the afternoon with such thoughtful, generous people. So, so spoiled! Many thanks to Kendra, Cathy, Beth, Deanna, and Tricia for all their hard work in putting this together for us!

We were also very spoiled by a very special shower put on by the Byrds to welcome the newest little Thompson into the fold. They put a ton of time and energy into this special night, complete with homemade spaghetti dinner, delicious homemade cake-pop dessert, and the most amazing "diaper" cake (which had waaaay more than just diapers) you've ever seen in your life. WOW! I know this was a major labor of love and our tanks were so filled! We were so honored by the people who took time out of their busy schedules to come and celebrate with us and were so spoiled by the generous and thoughtful gifts!

I was also really spoiled with a surprise shower from my class at school and the ladies in my book club. Unfortunately I don't have pictures of either one of those.

We are so very, very fortunate to have so many people who love us and are excited to celebrate this miracle with us! Starting over with a new baby 8 years later is a tad overwhelming. It's been so very touching to have so much help in getting ready for our new little boy. We are so incredibly blessed!

Letter from Emma

2011-02-15T20:37:00.000-08:00

Dear Baby Brother,

I want to hold you so badly, but you're still in my mom's stomach. I wish two months could only be a week. I can't wait to see your beautiful face and kiss you and love you and see you every minute of my life.

We're already getting my room set-up. Mommy, Daddy and me already have some stuff for you set- up too. I can't wait for you to see your new room. Mommy and Daddy will be professional at taking care of you. I think I will too, but I'm not exactly sure.

When I am in class and wherever I go, I think about you. I think about what your beautiful face will look like. I have so many pictures in my head.

Some nights I feel you move, but some nights I don't. Sometimes you kick so hard, I think you're going to be in karate lessons. But I do hope you are in swimming class... hopefully.

I like one very special name, but I can't give it away because it is a secret. Mom and Dad like two other names too, but I like the one special one to me.

We have a dog. His name is Lloyd. He is playful and joyful. I know he will treat you the same way he treated me. I love and care for him. I can teach you how to take care of him. There's a lot of stuff to do, but it will be a piece of cake!

I love you. See you later, Baby Brother!

Love love love love love,
Your sister Emma

Letter from Mommy

2011-02-09T09:47:00.000-08:00

To My Sweetest Baby Boy,

Although you are getting soooo big inside my belly (about 15 inches long and weighing over 2 pounds) and able to hear so much with those developing ears, I just wanted to take a minute to write down some thoughts to share with you so that when you are a much bigger boy, you will look back and know how much you were loved before you were even born!

I am getting close to 7 months pregnant and my belly is definitely starting to stick out! You move around all day (and night) and remind me of what a miracle you are with your little nudges. Your Daddy and sister love to feel you move - your Daddy falls asleep most nights with his hand on my belly. Your sister often "talks" to you and tells you how much she loves you. She hugs my tummy often, wishing it was you that she could hold in person. Soon!

My pregnancy hasn't exactly been an easy one. There are lots of days that I get pretty tired or don't feel great (sometimes I get sick). I'm so lucky that Daddy takes such good care of me (and you). He's always looking out for us to make sure we're okay. I want you to know, with 100% certainty that even though I don't always feel perfect, there isn't one moment of one day where I don't chose YOU! I think about you all day long when I make choices to exercise, eat healthy, and get extra sleep (when you'll let me!).

Our friends and family are also so excited to meet you! We are feeling very spoiled to get to go to special parties just to celebrate YOUR birth. Everyone is bringing gifts to celebrate your arrival and help us get ready - they can't wait to meet you either!

We are starting to get ready to prepare your nursery which makes everything feel very real. Your big sister is moving her room downstairs so that you can have her room which is closest to Mommy and Daddy. We're going to be doing some painting and prepping of your room in the next month. Our goal is to be ready for you a whole month early... just in case.

Daddy, Sissy and I almost have your name picked out too! We're down to 3 of our favorites, but we've decided to keep them a secret, just like we did with your sister's name. Surprises are so much fun - although it's killing Nana and Titi!

This last summer, I remember walking up the switchback trails near our house with tears rolling down my cheeks, because although you were in our hearts, you were not yet in my tummy. Daddy and I wanted to have YOU soooo much - I was having a hard time being patient. I remember praying with all my heart that you would come. I told God I would take all the sickness, swollen body, and exhaustion with a grateful heart - which I do. Every time I don't feel well, I still thank God for the reminder that you are growing healthy and strong inside of me. It's such a small sacrifice to get to share this life with YOU!

Although I am glad you are snuggling inside of me growing big, strong, and healthy, I am counting down the days where I can hold you in my arms and kiss your sweet face.

Love you forever,
Mommy

Special Cousin Love

2011-01-30T21:38:00.000-08:00

My beautiful niece, Madison, had an English assignment to write an "Ode To..." poem. It was a poem that they could write about anyone they wanted to. Her teacher told the class that it would help if they had many memories with the person that they decided to write about. So Madison chose to write about Emma. I was completely taken aback with her amazing poem as well as her thoughtfulness to send it to me. I asked for her permission to share it on the blog, which she humbly gave me. She also sent some pictures they took together on Madison's cell phone. Case. in. point!

Ode to Emma

by Madison Thompson

My cousin, Emma is 7 years old,

Who has locks of gold that shine like the sun.

A girl who every second I spend with,

Memories are made.

She is my friend

And I am hers.

For her, life is a dance,

And she is the soloist.

My cousin is a girl

Who is a walking color wheel;

Wearing many different colors,

All at once.

She is a little girl,

Who has eyes that are as blue as the sky on a sunny day in the middle of July.

When we are together, smiles and giggles fill the room.

She is the only person who brings out my real inner child,

Who has an imagination that you couldn't believe!

I remember dancing in the rain last summer,

Watching as the stars danced playfully in the moonlit sky,

As small droplets of water fell upon our cheeks.

She is the girl,

Who I have spent so much time with,

That we are practically sisters.

She is the girl,

Who I can act completely crazy, and childish around!

And she won't mind.

She loves me for me,

And I love her for her.

And nothing will ever change that.