A Mothers Love

The love that I have for Everett is so big, so great, and so vast that I literally can not explain it.  I love him more than I have ever loved anyone or anything.  I love him so much it hurts sometimes!  It is amazing to me to know that is how my mother loves me and until I was blessed with my own child, I would never have known that in a million years.  I would never have been able to guess just how much a mothers love could be or how deep it could be.   This love continues to grow and will continue to get stronger as we get older. It will help us through his childhood, his teen years, and his adulthood.  I know times will be hard and I know that there will be times where I think "are you really doing that/saying that/acting this way?" but we will make it through. To me, Everett is perfect in every way.  He can do no wrong, and when he does something "bad" or "wrong" I love him through it because he is mine and the love I have for him is able to overlook any negative. 

So where am I going with all of this? Well, today I went to a women's Christmas brunch at my church and had a fabulous time. All of the tables looked lovely, the food was delicious, the fellowship was great, and the message was fantastic.  Susan Wanderer, our minister to children spoke and delivered a message about Mary's surrender to God's plan for her.  She spoke about how Elizabeth comforted her and urged her to believe in God's plan for her.  While Susan was speaking about Mary she was talking about how great God's love was for her and how much He believed in her that He would chose her to carry and birth the Messiah. When Susan said that, my first thought was to Everett. God loves me so much that He chose me to be Everett's mom and to take it one step further, God loves me the way MORE than I could ever love Everett. He loves me more than I can even fathom.  Wow. That is amazing.  Thank you Susan for helping to remind me of this, it is such a blessing to have a Heavenly Father who loves me for me! 

Nifty Thrifty Friday: Salt Dough Santa Ornaments

Nifty Thrifty Friday features items that I have either found a thrift stores or items I already owned and have given new life or upcycled.  These items may be as small as a shoe box or as large as a sofa! I hope you will join me on some of my thrifting adventures!
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While this isn't a thrifting adventure, it is something that you can make with items that you most likely already have in your home.  Last year my friend Gina and I made salt dough ornaments of our kiddos hand prints and we wanted to continue the tradition again this year.  Tiphany and Micah came over too and we got to work on this years ornaments. I was excited to compare E's hand print this year to his last year! 

Here's what you'll need: 

• 2 cups of all purpose bleached flour
• 1 cup of salt
• 3/4 cups of water  

Here's what you'll do: 

• Mix all the ingredients together and knead it until it's a nice play dough consistency.  
• Use cookie cutters to make whatever shape ornaments you want. (I used a straw to poke a hole in the top so that I could tie string through it.)  
• Update: My friend Jess pointed out that I didn't tell you how I made E's hand prints! Duh! Okay, so I rolled out the dough and put it on E's highchair and then held his hand and gently pushed down each finger.  I saved his thumb for last because he likes to dig into the dough with it! After I got his hand print I took the tray and cut out around each little hand print.  
• Set your oven at 200 degrees and start baking.  I checked them about every 30 minutes or so, and it probably ended up taking 2+ hours until they were fully hardened.
• Once they have "baked" let them cool and then you can decorate them however you like!

Now to the fun part.. decorating!  Last year we cut circles out around the hand prints but this year I wanted to mix it up a bit.  I saw this idea on pinterest and knew that's what I was going to do this year!  So here's some step by step pictures of how to paint your own Santa hand! 

Here's what you'll do: 

• Gather up your paint.  I painted probably 8 hand prints and and this was actually too much paint.  Also, I didn't have a peach colored paint so I made due with what I had. 

• First, you are going to paint your Santa's face.  

• Next, add his beard, poof of the hat, and border.  You don't have to paint the white as the border- personal preference. 

• Now add your red paint for your Santa's hat. Make sure to outline the little poof at the end! 

• Finally, add some eyes and a nose! 

So that's how I did it! I am pretty impressed with them! :)  What crafts are you up to this holiday season?

Thompson Number Two: Week 16

Weight gained to date: I am back at my starting weight, so technically I haven't gained anything over that... yet.  

Estimated size of baby: Avocado (4- 5 inches long, 3 to 5 ounces)

Foods I am craving: I have been pretty much eating everything but the past few days I have been craving Wawa hoagies! 

Foods I am staying away from:  Nothing really this week. 

How I am feeling:  Now that I am safely in the second trimester, my doctor gave me a prescription for some headache medicine.  I  have only taken it one time so far however it seemed to provide a little bit of relief, not completely gone but better than nothing. 

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To see more baby updates click here! 

Week Eight- Week Nine- Week Eleven- Week Twelve- 

Week Thirteen- Week Fourteen- Week Fifteen

Month of Thanks: Week Four

Thursday, November 22: I am thankful for my mother in law Teresa and her husband Tony.  Teresa is one of my closest friends and Tyler likes to joke that she likes me more than she likes him!  I am really thankful that I have a great relationship with them, especially because I know many people struggle with getting along with their in-laws.  Everett loves them and especially loves with PawPaw plays the guitar! 

Friday, November 23:  Today I am thankful for my father in law Mark and his wife Sara. I am so thankful that we live so close to them and that they are able to be a part of Everett's life.  I love being able to hang out with Mark and Sara and that Tyler is able to be close with his dad. 

Saturday, November 24: I am thankful for all of the things in life that have lead me to where I am now.  Looking back it's hard to not think about the things that I would have done differently but I know that if things didn't line up the way they did I wouldn't be where I am now. 

Sunday, November 25: Today I am thankful for my church family and all of the wonderful people who work so hard all week long to prepare for the services.  Tyler and I are so blessed to be part of a church that truly cares about its members and the community that it serves. 

Monday, November 26: I am thankful to be able to stay home with my baby big boy.  I am grateful for the families that trust me to watch their children and allow me to be able to do what I love.  The kiddos are so great and I truly enjoy being able to see them learn and grow every day. 

Tuesday, November 27: Today I was reminded at 4am when my husband's alarm went off that I am so blessed to have him.  He wakes up and goes to work every day in order to provide the bulk of our income for our family.  He is really great at what he does and I am so thankful for his dedication. 

Wednesday, November 28: I am thankful today for all of the possibilities in life that are still to come.  I had a wonderful lunch meeting today with two very lovely ladies from church who are really inspiring.  It helped me to see that it is time to get out of my comfort zone/hiding place and start taking on more responsibilities. 

Thursday, November 29:  Today I am thankful for Everett's inquisitive nature. He is so interested in everything and he is constantly learning and figuring out how everything works.  I love watching him as he plays and seeing how his little brain is working.

Friday, November 30:  While trying on maternity clothes today, I was reminded of how blessed I am to be pregnant.  Not only are we welcoming a new baby into our family but we are giving Everett a sibling! I am so excited for this new adventure. 

Mouth Watering Wednesday: Crock Pot Mexican Chicken

Welcome to Mouth Watering Wednesday! Spice up your life and try a new recipe! This week I am sharing one of my favorite recipes that my mother in law, Teresa makes.  It is not a paleo recipe, but it is really good and is done in a crock pot which makes it easy too! 

Here's what you'll need: 

• 4 chicken breasts 
• 1 can of Rotel
• 1 can of black beans (rinsed and drained)
• 1 can of corn (rinsed)
• 1 block of cream cheese
• 1 block of Velveeta (optional)

Here's what you'll do: 

• Place all ingredients (except Velveeta) in a crock pot on low for eight hours or on high for four hours.  Stir occasionally.
• Cube and add the Velveeta 30 minutes to an hour before you want to serve. 

Enjoy over chips or alone! 

Thompson Number Two: Week 15

Weight gained to date: I don't know this for a fact yet because my scale is not as accurate but I think that I am back to my starting weight.  I go in for my monthly checkup this week so I will have a more accurate number next week.

Estimated size of baby: Navel Orange (4.5 inches long, 2 to 3 ounces)

Foods I am craving: I am still craving Mexican food; I was lucky this past week and got to eat it twice.  My dad took Everett and I out for lunch to one of my FAVE places, El Gran Charro (thanks dad) And last night my mom made tacos (thanks mom)!

Foods I am staying away from:  Nothing really this week. When I was pregnant with Everett I had trouble remembering to eat a lot of the time, but this time around Everett is always reminding me that he is hungry.. "eat, eat!"

How I am feeling: Still having some trouble with headaches but I am usually able to make them more manageable by taking some tylenol.

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To see more baby updates click here!

Week Eight- Week Nine- Week Eleven- Week Twelve- Week Thirteen- Week Fourteen

Letters to Everett: 11/22/12

Dear Everett,

You are a year and half old today!  I can't believe how fast time is going by and how big you are getting.  You are doing more and more every day and you have started to imitate daddy and I.  You are such a good boy (most of the time) and like to play, play, play. 

You are in LOVE with your Pig-Paw and every time you see him, nothing else matters.  I am glad that you two have a strong bond, it warms my heart and makes me very happy.  Today is Thanksgiving so you will be excited to see him in a few hours.  

This month you have started being extra cuddly when we are snuggling in bed. I think that you know that we are starting to have you sleep in your crib more and more so maybe you are soaking up the snuggle time.  Whatever the reason, I am enjoying every minute of it.  When we are laying in bed, you take my hand and pull my arm around your tummy to hold you close.  You are so sweet and I love you so much boy! 

You are starting to sleep in your "big boy bed" (aka crib) and you don't really like it too much.  I think you enjoy cuddling with momma and daddy!  We are hoping that you will be sleeping all the way through the night in your crib by the time your new little brother or sister gets here.   

You are starting to develop more of a "tude" when you don't get what you want.  We are working on that and hoping that we can learn more about how to share and listen to momma and daddy.  You don't like to have to wait for things- I think you got that from your daddy (haha.)   We love you and all of your personality traits! 

Here's what you've been up to this month: 

10/28/12: You started signing and saying "eat"

11/01/12: Said "wa-wa" for water

11/05/12: Said "bat" for bath
11/11/12: Said "pass-ey" for paci

11/14/12: Started "spitting" into the sink when we brush your teeth

Words you Say: 

Daa-da (Daddy), Dog, Mommmma, Kaa (Becca), Tyler, Rara (Laura), Hi, This, Yay, Go, Mine, No, Pa pa (Pig Paw and Paw Paw), Dumb, Got it, Did it, Mowg (Mowgli), Uh oh!, Eat, Wa-wa (Water), Bat (Bath), Pass-ey (Paci), Poop, Woo-woo

Signs you Sign: 

All done, Arms up, Dog, Fan, More, Please, Thank you, Nurse, Eat, Hi/Bye

Momma and daddy love you to the moon and all the way back! 

xoxoxox,

Momma

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For more Letters to Everett, click here! 

Month of Thanks: Week Three

Saturday, November 17:  Today I am thankful for keeping in touch with old friends.  Tyler, Everett, and I celebrated "Friendsgiving" with our close friends from college and it was great to get to get to spend some time catching up with everyone.

Sunday, November 18: After purchasing our house back in September, Tyler and I decided to have an Open House to celebrate and invite family and friends over.   We hosted our Open House today and I was reminded again how thankful I am to be surrounded by such great family and friends. 

Monday, November 19: Today we went out to dinner to celebrate my Grandma Dallas' birthday.  She flew in to be with us for Thanksgiving and I am so thankful that she is here!  She is a great lady and I always enjoy spending time with her. 

Tuesday, November 20: I am thankful for modern conveniences like cell phones and televisions.  Sometimes they are a burden but other times I am greatly appreciate how much they make my life easier. 

Wednesday, November 21: I am thankful for all of my sister-in-laws! I was blessed with one sister by birth but now I have five more wonderful sisters.  Marley, Tyler's youngest sister spent the day over here with Everett and I and we had a blast.  Love you Nikki, Jordan, Kelsey, Riley, and Marley! 

Thompson Number Two: Week 14

Weight gained to date: I have gained 1 lb since last week but I am still -1 lb from my starting weight! 

Estimated size of baby: Lemon (3 inches long, 1.5 ounces)

Foods I am craving: I am really excited about Thanksgiving and all of the delicious food that  comes along with the feast!  I am particularly looking forward to cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, and turkey! 

Foods I am staying away from:  I was reminded this week about my "rule of two" from my last pregnancy.   Basically, if I eat more than two of something sweet (e.g. two Starburst, two peanut butter balls, etc.) then I start feeling sick.  So I am sticking with my rule and only eating two (or less) of everything! 

How I am feeling: Feeing good! Happy to be out of the first trimester and on to the second trimester.  This is rumored to be the "easiest" of the three trimesters (as if being pregnant is easy.)

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To see more baby updates click here! 

Month of Thanks: Week Two

Thursday, November 8: I am thankful for the beautiful Virginia scenery.  Today while driving down the interstate and the crappiness that comes with 95 I was reminded of the beauty that God has given us with the changing of the seasons.  

Friday, November 9: Today I am thankful for the gift of friendship.  I was able to have lunch with a good friend of mine today, Vivid and I am was reminded of how important it is to spend time with other moms and to know that you're not alone in this whole motherhood journey.

Saturday, November 10: I am thankful today for the relationship that Tyler and Everett have. It is so reassuring to know that we are on the same page when it comes to raising him and that we are equal partners in our marriage. 

Sunday, November 11: Today I was able to serve in the nursery at church, which is something that I really enjoy.  I was reminded about how much work goes into organizing all of the volunteers, curriculum, and details of the preschool program at our church.  I am so thankful for Robin, the preschool director and all of the time and love she puts into making the program great for the kids. 

Monday, November 12: I am thankful for my little sister... even when we get on each others nerves.  Everyone always says "your sister will become your best friend" and I don't think that either of us really ever believed that.  Now that we are older we really are best friends and I am glad that we live close enough to see each other frequently.

Tuesday, November 13: I am thankful for my brother and all of his many talents.  He is currently playing the role of Rolf (You are 16 going on 17..) in The Sound of Music at The Riverside Dinner Theater.  He is so talented and I hope that everyone has an opportunity to go and see the show! 

 

Wednesday, November 14: Today I am thankful for good true friends.  Friends who know what you are talking about and can finish your sentences.  Friends who you can pick up from where you left off, even if you haven't seen or talked to them in a while.  Friends who just understand you and tell you the advice you need, not the advice you want to hear. 

Thursday, November 15: I am thankful for the support that I have from my local La Leche League group.  With the new baby coming I was struggling to decide if Everett and I were ready to give up breastfeeding and they have really helped me to be confident in the decision to continue nursing.  

Friday, November 16: Today I am thankful for baby Flubber! This whole pregnancy thing did get off to quite a rocky start but I am so excited to be bringing a new bundle of joy into this world.  Everett and I were able to hear the baby's heartbeat again today and I was reminded of how blessed I am.