Year in review through iphone pics

Hope turned 1 on January 8th!

Headed to Grammy's.

Morning before Bryan took off with the moving truck to Portland!

Grace and her crazy cat picture

Welcome to Oregon!

Downtown Portland!

She is very intelectual.

Lounging in our new place.

Grace's picture of her and her husband.

Park across from our house.

Nike Town

Sisters

First day of Preschool!

Miss Hollywood

Surprise, we're having a 3rd baby.

ANOTHER GIRL!

Dressing up is so much fun!

Shopping at Trader Joe's.

Double rainbows

Ice skating with Daddy

Happy Thanksgiving

Macy's Christmas parade in downtown Portland.

Headed to Grammy and Papa's in MO.

Quality time with Tinkerbell.

She was pretty exhausted.

Merry Christmas!

My life.

Setting up Hope's train for Christmas morning.

Seeing a movie in the theaters!

Decorating girls rooms are my favorite! Grace, Hope, & Noel!

Can't wait to see what 2010 holds for the people who sleep in my house. Hope will turn 2 next week. Noel will be born soon. Bryan and I will be married for 8 years. I turn 30. Grace turns 5. Life will be exciting at our house, that for sure!

Happy New Year!

My Moment

This morning the realization of being almost 30 weeks pregnant and the fact that Noel will be here in less than 10 weeks has really got my mind going 90mph . I have a list long enough to be in competition with Santa's naughty list. To add to the list of to-do's is just how uncomfortable I am. Being as this is my 3rd child, I can tell you that the 3rd pregnancy is the worst about the effect it has on your body. I was in pretty good shape when this all started. Now, I feel like I am a mushy, flabby, punching bag that can't bend over. It's nothing new to those moms who have gone through this a couple of times. If this is your first pregnancy, enjoy it.

Some of the things I am thankful for are that there are no NEW stretch marks. The map of winding roads that already exist on my lower abdomen will hopefully only stay with HALF of the United States by the time this is all over with. Okay, so that is only one thing I can think of. Oh, and Noel is healthy, strong, and active! That's a big one, I know.

Several things that don't make my days so happy are that my feet feel like they are on fire almost constantly. They hurt and burn. I would like to just soak them in water all day long, but that just isn't the life of a stay at home mom with 2 very active children. My hips feel like I am approaching 80 and need a hip replacement. Oh and let's not talk about my boobs. Yeah, those are quite lovely with veins heading every which way as they get larger and larger. I'm just hoping that by 35 weeks I'm not leaking!

I'm holding out for that moment. You know the moment I'm talking about. All of those that enter into labor, work for hours on end, push with all their might for that one glorious moment where the entire world stops. Time literally stands still. The moment the baby is out and you feel instant relief as if you've been constipated for 9 months! The rush of relief overcomes you because first of all you feel free and secondly you hear that baby begin to wail. Tears of all consuming joy pour down your cheeks as the Dr. flops your newborn baby up on your belly. You count fingers and toes and then lay back with sweat beading around your face and your bangs painted onto your forehead and then you begin....to.....breathe. Yeah, that's the moment I live for right now. And that moment I shall have.......in 8-9 weeks!

Home

Webster's Dictionary defines the word Home as 1 a : one's place of residence.

You can never go home again, but the truth is you can never leave home, so it's all right. ~Maya Angelou


Home is not where you live but where they understand you. ~Christian Morgenstern


Home is a place not only of strong affections, but of entire unreserve; it is life's undress rehearsal, its backroom, its dressing room. ~Harriet Beecher Stowe

We like to talk about home a lot. "Let's go home!" "Oh, I left it at home." "I'm so ready to just be home!" "Are you coming home for Christmas?" I think everybody associates home as a place. A building with a roof, pretty windows, and a kitchen table inside. Home for most of us is that place that we sleep. We bathe. We watch our favorite tv shows. Cook good meals. Do laundry.

As young adults we leave home and make a new home but then we go "home" for Christmas or for visits. Home is this term we use for places but I've thought about this word home a lot lately. I've moved around a lot. I've never owned a house. I don't have a town that I grew up in my entire life. There is no place that I consider to just be "home" as Dorthy fondly refers to in The Wizard of Oz, "There's no place like home." Some people say that your home is where your parents live. Well, my parents have lived overseas and now live in Missouri. I love to go for visits, but it's not home. Some say that home is where your heart is. I like this one. I think it is more accurate.

My home wakes up every morning to get up with our children. He makes them pancakes on certain days. My home makes the coffee and pours me a cup the moment I get out of bed. My home goes to work daily for his family and provides shelter, food, and plenty of love. My home loves to spend his time playing his guitar, writing books, or just being with me. He could move to Antarctica and I would follow him all the way there. He is my home. Home isn't a house. Home is certainly not a place. Home is my best friend and husband.

We ate.

Our Thanksgiving was great. We ate. We had a pretty quiet day. We ate. We laughed. We ate. We watched Christmas movies. We ate. We put the kids to bed. We ate

.

"Be still, and know that I am God"

Reading through news articles this morning and I came across one that breaks my heart into a million pieces. A blog found on Momlogic talks about how down syndrome is disappearing. Not because with all the modern technology we've found a cure but because when a mother finds herself faced with a lifetime of mothering a child with down syndrome "as many as 92 percent decide to abort." In this article the woman they speak of aborted her baby boy some time after 18 weeks. I don't get it. Are we so consumed with taking the easy way out in life and being conveinent that we've lost all faith and hope in something that is greater than ourselves. She aborted her baby because of an inconvience. Yes, down syndrome babies have more health issues. They have heart defects a lot of the time. There are many other things that could happen. Those things in no way give any mother the right to snuff out breath of a baby because they are scared of the unknown.

My sister is 27 years old. We grew up sharing a room a lot of the time. We played barbies in the closet, dressed up in funny outfits, and laughed at all the Disney movies. In no way was my sister, who is affect by down syndrome, not a huge part of my life and the compassion that I have for others. I have been faced with the doctors warning me and telling me to test for ds with all my children because I have a sister with it. I always smiled and declined. Whether any of my children had down syndrome or not, the choice would never had changed. My love and concern for that child would have even grown simply because of me knowing how much a child with such a handicap would bring to my family.

As a society we think that we can take our life into our own hands. We think that our decisions are just about us. We do whatever feels right or seems right at the time without thinking of the effects of anyone else. I'm not condemning this women in the blog for aborting her baby. I am sure that her and her husband did not come to that decision lightly as she states in the blog. I do think that the lack of faith and hope that people have is a bigger problem than anyone with any kind of birth defect. Without Christ, you have nothing. I would not want to make any decision in my life without the peace of the Holy Spirit alive in my soul. To go through the devastations that life can bring in a matter of seconds, can only be handled with the grace and mercy of Christ. To love without reserve, is something that only God gives.

The numbers have long been dwindling. Between 1989 and 2005, there was a 15 percent drop in births of babies with Down syndrome. Researchers estimate that there should have been a 34 percent increase during that time because women are having babies later in life, which increases the likelihood of having a child with the disorder. Some wonder if Down syndrome, which is the most common chromosomal condition in the United States and affects 400,000 Americans, will vanish entirely.

They use the word "vanish" as if it makes it feel better that thousands of women are aborting their "abnormal" babies. That's okay. Go ahead and let them. It won't change. Simply because I am heartbroken and write this blog, nothing will change. Somewhere there will be a women today abort her baby simply because he/she has down syndrome. The only way I can get through the rest of my day with this thought is believing and knowing that these babies wake up in the arms of someone who is greater than down syndrome. That baby boy who was killed for not being normal, woke up in a place that will be all he'll ever know. He's a "Glory baby" now.

Psalm 46:10 (New International Version)

10 "Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."

Worn out Mama

Stress-free life is something that simply does not exist. We all have stresses no matter how old you are, what you do for a living, or what kind of mobile device you have. We seem to buy into products with words like, "soothing", "tranquil", "all-in-one", and "convenience". I don't think there is anything wrong with this. I all for comfort and convenience. I think that life tends to hand us all way too many stresses but with those stresses come a mind set that only we are in control of.

Today I reevaluated my stress level in my own life. I am a stay home mom with 2 children under the age of 5. I am 6 months pregnant. I recently moved to a completely new place across the country from where I consider to be home. The wear and tear of life has made me exhausted and I needed to look around me and eliminate some things. And add a few.

1. Switching back to disposable diapers during the holidays full of traveling, Christmas parties, many outings, and lots of fun! I don't need the stress of washing tons of diapers every other night. For me, this is a stress that I don't need right now.

2. 30 minutes of exercise at least 3 days a week. This helps me focus and gives my stress an outlet.

3. Stop taking myself so seriously.

4. Spending more time in conversation with God. This is the most important. Spending more time listening to his still, small voice.

5. Stopping! The dishes can wait. The laundry will still be there in 30 minutes. Spending time having a tea party with my girls, reading books, and having tickling matches are at the utmost important. The hugs, kisses, and smiles is what I live for.

This is my 5 step program for a more tranquil, peaceful, and soothing life. On Sunday our pastor spoke on 4 survival stratigies for living. I feel that they are strategies for not only survival but for living life to the fullest.

1. Worry about nothing

2. Pray about everything

3. Thankful to God in all things

4. Thinking on good things

All of these are important and go hand in hand. What goes in, always comes out. This hormonal, stressful wife and mother has purpose in living a life full of good things.

Family Holiday Traditions

Another family tradition. It is a Norweign recipe that was passed down. I don't remember any Christmas holiday growing up without it and my children will experience the same. These are awesome warmed up with a little butter or just plain. Great for freezing as well.


Kringla

1 1/2 C. Sugar
1 1/2 bars of margarine or butter
2 eggs
Mix first three ingredients
1 1/4 C. Buttermilk
1/2 tsp. Butter flavoring
4 3/4 C. Flour
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Soda
1 tsp. baking powder

Mix and chill overnight. Roll out in pencil shape as big as your finger and make a figure 8 or pretzel shape.
This will take practice. Bake in 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes only until light brown on bottom.
Store in tight container.

Just my take on it...

I'm a follower of Christ and proud to say it!!!Let's see how many people on FB are not afraid to show their love for god!!! Repost this as your status... Each time you see this on someone's status say a quick prayer for that person!! let's get God back in this country like He should be!!! If you agree respond!!! Just copy and paste... God Bless!!!

This is the statement I've seen showing up on my Facebook over the last week or so. You know how it goes. You get the e-mail and it says that if you don't send it to 5 people then you don't love Jesus. WHAT? How in the world are these things in any way helpful to the Christ centered religion of Christianity? I feel the same about the entire Christian appareal, bumper stickers, and wrist band industry. Do I need to wear a t-shirt confessing my faith because that's just the only way people would know that I am a Christ-follower? What about paying for the groceries of the person behind you? What about carrying the elderly ladies bags to her car? What about speaking to the Starbucks barista about how you hope he has a great day and are genuinely interested in his life?

Is posting statements of sentiment faith on your Facebook wall the way to really be a witness? How about befriending those who are less lovely, less friendly, and less worthy than what you would consider yourself to be in this thing we call life. Share your faith, but don't post it on Facebook expecting someone to have a life changing moment by reading it on your wall. Being a Christ follower isn't an advertisement. It's a relationship.

Out Takes

Christmas Picture came in. I sat looking at them and how perfect of a family we look. The fact is, you can't tell that it was raining in the picture that we printed. But it was. I love out takes of pictures and Christmas pictures are no exception to its bit of funny parts. You have to have humor when raising kids. To see that even when it rains, the rainbow is soon to come. With that God's promises are remembered.

Forgiving Moment by Bryan & Kristin Thompson

Kristin's words

At 10:00 a.m. I told Grace that we would be watching "UP" tonight as a family. I told her that she would not be watching tv of any kind the entire day until her room was cleaned up. I had spent so much time on Monday cleaning up her room myself and it was completely a disaster within 24 hours. After telling her this she then informs me that she was too tired to clean so I told her that she could lay down and take a nap and THEN clean up her room. I took this opportunity for her to take a nap since Hope was also laying down. Both kids laying down at the same time, I couldn't pass that up!

After naptime, Grace was told again about no tv unless her room got cleaned up. She played in her room instead. I kept reminding her all afternoon and she kept making more of a mess than cleaning up. I knew what was coming that evening but tried to think positively. After dinner and baths, I then told Grace that in 20 minutes we were going to sit down and watch "UP" as a family and that she would not be watching it unless her room was cleaned up. She kept saying that she wanted to watch it really, really bad. I then explained to her, "You have the choice. You can clean up your room and watch, "UP" or you can choose to mess around and not clean up and not watch the movie. It is up to you." 10 minutes went by and not much progress. 15 minutes went by. 20 minutes. Then almost 30 minutes, as I was trying to give her a chance to make a good choice, and still the room was not cleaned up and it was also accompanied by an attitude which got her a trip straight to bed. It was 6:00p.m. and not only was her room totally not even close to being clean but her attitude was really aweful. After the tantrum of realizing that she would not be watching the movie with Mommy, Daddy, and Hope, I spoke to her in a calm voice about her choices yet again.

Consequences are so hard on all of us and they are even harder to learn. But, teaching my kids consequences is my job. I would much rather teach them that their are consequences to their action than them have to learn this lesson the hard way out on their own in the real world.

Bryan's words:

She had been in bed for fifteen minutes and her mom and I discussed how disappointed we were that she had made the decision she had. We talked about forgiveness, but we also discussed the need for consistency. We do get what we deserve, after all. Or do we?

After a few minutes of tossing the idea around, we decided it may be the perfect opportunity to teach Grace all about...well...grace.

I walked into her room. She immediately quivered and her tears were wetting her pillow. I sat down.

"Grace," I said, "I want to tell you a story."

She curled up next to me, her four-year-old body still shaking.

"In the beginning of time, God created every person and everything we can imagine. And God created us to love. God wanted to show love to us, and God wanted us to show love to each other. We were made to be kind to each other, to give to each other. But we didn't do what God created us to do. We found ways to hurt people and to do terrible things to each other. And we broke God's heart. And the Bible tells us that God is good and cannot be around bad. People had made bad decisions, and we didn't deserve the love of God.

"But even though we didn't deserve God's love, God chose to do something amazing. God sent Jesus to earth to show us what real love is. Real love is doing everything you can for someone even though they don't deserve it. And because doing bad has to be punished, Jesus chose to take our punishment so we wouldn't have to. So Jesus allowed others to hurt and to kill him. God showed us GRACE. Grace means giving something GOOD to someone when they don't deserve it."

I held her and said, "Grace, did you deserve to watch the movie?"

She shook her head.

"That's right," I said. "You didn't deserve it. Just like we didn't deserve God. But just like God showed us grace, your mom and I are going to show you grace. We're going to give to you even though you don't deserve it."

Grace was now in tears as she hugged me. "I'm so sorry," she said. And I knew she was.

Holiday Memories #1

The holiday season is full of many, many wonderful memories for me. I always think about my grandma who made Christmas extra special, my mom and all the things she would bake, my dad and his sneaking around hiding gifts, my brother and sister and all the things that we experienced together during this time of the year.

Every year since I've been the wife and mom, I make the holidays special for my family. I will be sharing some of our family traditions every Friday. Today I'm sharing a great recipe for Spiced Tea. This is a dry mixture that I always have around from the beginning of November until after the New Year. It is something my husband starts asking for in October and absolutely loves it. My kids now drink it and we will have many evenings of family time sitting around with our holiday mugs filled with the orangey spice that fills us all with warmth in knowing that we have each other and that's all that matters.

Spiced Tea

1 1/4 C. Sugar (or splenda for the non-sugar version)
1/2 C. Instant Tea
1 pkg. Country Time Lemonade (or any presweetened lemonade mixture)
1 7oz. Tang
1 tsp. Cloves
1 tsp. Cinnamon

Mix all together, add about 2 spoonfuls to a mug, add some hot water and enjoy a holiday treat!

Good vs. Evil

If parents have any sort of opinion on any holiday it is always going to be Halloween and Christmas. I understand the depth of each holiday. I understand where the non-Santa Claus parents are coming from. They are just trying to teach their children the reason we celebrate Christmas in the first place. And I understand those parents who convince their children that a simple pumpkin is something that is horrible and that is you dress up and participate in anything on the 31st then you are participating in the devil's holiday. I get it. It is an evil thing to celebrate if you truly celebrate what Halloween is.

I'm proud of the kind of parent I am when it comes to such things. I came from a home where we would always dress up as some sort of Bible character, I was always either an Angel or Mary, and on the evening of the 31st we would meet up at the church with all the rest of the church families. We would walk from Sunday School room to Sunday School room playing games like "Pin the Tail on the Donkey", "Balloon darts", "Go Fish!", and "Bobbing for Apples". We would always get a ton of candy, which for most kids is the entire "meaning" behind Halloween. We would then go home feeling exhausted but would have made some wonderful memories as a family and a church family. I still have fond memories of those days.

Now that I am the parent, I find myself deciding on what outlook I would like my girls to have when it comes to Halloween. I believe in educating children to set them up to, eventually, decide for their life what they will believe and what they won't believe. I was thinking about this this morning as I was cleaning the horse that Grace is going to wear this coming Saturday at our annual church Harvest Party. I thought of the scripture in Genesis 50:20

"Don't you see, you planned evil against me but God used those same plans for my good......"

I do not think that allowing my kids to dress up in a cute costume, gain loads of candy (in which they must "tithe" to mom and dad) and be apart of a safe and healthy environment either at church, a shopping center, or a safe neighborhood is condoning anything evil. We do not celebrate Halloween, we celebrate the gift and blessings of the harvest of the year. It has been an ancient tradition to celebrate the harvest and give thanks for that. The actual Harvest falls some time at the end of September. Which is why most churches use Halloween as this time of Harvest or Fall festivities.

I will dress up my children and head to Life Church on Halloween evening with a smile on my face in knowing that I am making a stand to the evil that lives among us, that I will not participate but to be apart of something bigger, something whole. I will choose to enjoy my children, play games, have great conversation with others, and show the love, mercy, and grace that Jesus shows to me every minute of every day. I choose to turn something that was meant for EVIL into something that is GOOD!

That's just how Kristin "c's" it. (holding up a C with my hand right now)

The Gift of Giving

Four months ago Bryan and I made a decision to give up disposable diapers and go all cloth for the cause of giving more to others. We've done this very successfully, even though there have been those days when I would rather just throw a diaper in the trash instead of washing it. We've kept our focus and feel as though God has seen us in this.

This last weekend was one of those memorable experiences that I'll always remember. We were given a really nice infant car seat, twin bed & mattresses, sit n' stand stroller, video baby monitor, and tons of clothes in both maternity and toddler. It was overwhelming that several people just began to give, give, give to us out of nowhere! I hadn't been overly worried about having a 3rd baby and what all that would entail, okay that's a lie. I was a little worried. I knew that we needed another twin bed for Hope and that an infant car seat and stroller were not going to be cheap, even used. My mind would start spinning when I would think of it all. I knew that God saw us and that we would be just fine.

"You can never out give God", my mom might say. I say that once you take giving as a core value in your life that the doors of blessings are open wide to you. This is the time of year that we all tend to think more about giving. This year we may feel like we don't have the extra to give. But, that is the entire point. Giving isn't giving unless it is accompanied with a slight fear or sacrifice. It is through that outstretched hand that you become more in tune with others, faith, and the spirit in which Jesus is talking about in Matthew.

Matthew 34-36"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why:

I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.'

37-40"Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.

When I started washing those diapers every other day and learning how to cloth diaper, I didn't think about what I was going to get in return. I never once thought about all that God was going to bless me with. I was just so excited to be able to give more and do more because of this sacrifice that I was making. With the holidays coming up, I'm thinking we can do more. There is always more.

Fashion Show

Today I was in a Target store dressing room trying on a pair of maternity jeans, which were so comfy that I had to buy them, when I heard some giggles in the dressing room next to me. Then I heard a conversation that made me smile. It went something like this,

"Do you like this tank top or this one?" says girl #1, "Ummm, that one" girl #2 expressed. "Well, I don't know. These pants are cute too. I could wear them with those shoes you have. You know the ones with the purple hearts on them." Girl #2 excitedly agrees. Then I hear a knock on the door next to me and a women's voice says, "Hey girls, its me, I found this too?" the door opens and I hear some shuffling going on while I am wondering how 3 people are fitting into the very small dressing rooms. Girl #1 says, "Mom, don't you just love that shirt on her!" Then I hear more talk of the same and am smiling in wonder at the conversation I'm hearing between, what I figured out, was a mother and her 2 daughters. The excitement, happiness, love, encouragement, and bond that these 3 females possessed made me nothing but excited.

I left my own dressing room with the 3 other girls still talking about scarves, boots, and color schemes in the room next to me. I clutched my items as I felt a slight nudge in my lower abdomen. Noel was giving me a "love pat". I smiled and hummed a little as I walked to the checkout line. I had just caught a glimpse of my future as the mother of 3 girls.

You see, I have this special bond with my mother. When I was younger we would both cram ourselves into a dressing room and ooh and ahh over each others fashionable outfit. Shoot, we still do this from time to time. There were two things that excited me about that "fashion show". First, the relationship between the mother and her daughters. Secondly, was the bond between the sisters. I somewhat understand this as I do have a sister. My relationship with my sister is very important to me but because of my sweet Jenni's learning disabilities I was always Jenni's caregiver. I have always taken this role very seriously. Jenni taught me a lot about being a sister. She taught me how to love. She taught me how to never judge a book by its cover. She taught me that no matter what, family is the most important in life. Jenni taught me how to be a mother in ways that only being her sister could. But, Jenni and I were robbed of the common bond of discussing outfits in the dressing room, sharing stories of school, experiencing marriage together and maybe even babies, because of a chromosome.

I hummed all the way out the door and got in my car. Looked back at the car seats in the back seat and prayed. I prayed that one day my girls would experience the love and special bond that only sisters can have. The God would even now bind them together with love and that even when they don't agree, they will learn to smile and accept the other no matter what. What a great gift my girls have as sisters and they don't even know it yet.

Noel Marie

It's funny how your whole life can change in a matter of minutes. Yesterday my life was forever changed when I found out that the baby that I'm carrying is a girl. ANOTHER girl! I laid on that bed watching the screen filled with the little baby that is my unexpected joy. After I heard the words, "Yep, it's another girl", I had to come to grips with that. Not because I was hoping for a boy, but because the little girl that I was watching her move her arms back and forth in swishing movements, gave me a profound longing to hold her. Kiss her. Care for her. Love her. I feel in love yesterday in a way is unexplainable. A tear escaped my eye when I saw her yawn and stretch as if she was just waking from a nap. Then one quick move I saw and felt her foot kick me. Now, after many months of coming to the realization that we are going to have 3 kids, I couldn't imagine my life any other way.

Noel Marie Thompson, you have completed my heart.

My Miracles

With each of my children, I would find a scripture to just mull over and over in my head the entire time I was pregnant with them. I learned to do this after I lost Seth and the meditating on good things seemed to me the only thing to get me through the first few months of each of my pregnancies.

With Grace I had my scripture before she was ever even conceived. I knew that when I did get pregnant, that the baby would be a girl and she would have lots of brown hair. I also knew that her name would be Grace. I never doubted for a moment that the baby growing inside me was a girl. In fact when the ultrasound tech came in to let us know which it would be, I told him, "It's a girl." He smiled and confirmed that yes, indeed the baby was a girl. I just had no doubts. To this day, when I look at Grace with her long brown hair and her sweet dimpled smile I think of "her" scripture. One day I will share it with her and share the significance of it with her.

Luke 17:6 He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.

Hope was just as much of a miracle as Grace. We had been trying to get pregnant with another baby for well over a year. I had had a really bad miscarriage that took a lot out of my physically. During that time, Bryan also lost his job. It was a time of real faith. We knew that God would open the right doors. It was about 5 months after that miscarriage when I found out I was pregnant with Miss Hope. My pregnancy with her started off rough and ended rough. I was put on bed rest almost my entire pregnancy and was never more emotional and joyful to see her little face on January 8, 2008. The emotion overcame me and I bawled my eyes out with relief that she was finally safe in my arms and that my pregnancy was ALL OVER!

Psalm 130:5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I put my hope.

This baby may have started out a surprise but is no less important to my soul. We are just 5 days from finding out if this last baby to join the Thompson family will be a boy or girl but I already have a scripture that became real to me when I found out that I conceived this baby with only one working ovary. WOW! I have 3 miracle babies.

Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart;

I am very excited about this...

What does that make me?

My family and I took a trip to the Oregon Heritage Farms today for some good old fashion apple picking. We drove out of city limits and into the countryside of rolling mountainous hills, grassy plains, and lots of gorgeous farm lands. We saw everything from Christmas tree farms, peach orchards, vineyards, hazelnut trees, walnut trees, apple trees, strawberry bushes, tomato vines, and even wild blackberries growing on the side of the road. I have never lived in such a beautiful place as I do right now. Portland, Oregon area has the most magnificent nature that God created. Because of this beauty, I've learned a lot about nature and have become fascinated with simply being in it and apart of it. I know, I know, I'm sounding rather "green" and "earthy", right now. It isn't about any of that. It's about something so much bigger.

If you've ever been in a heavily forested area and you see beauty all around you. It is more than that though. Sit and listen. Close your eyes and concentrate, not on the trees, but on the spiritual nature around you. It's as if those trees, bushes, flowers, and shades of grass have one purpose. Worship. We are all here to worship. I felt this so strongly today when I gazed out of my passenger side window out to the vastness of God's earth. I watched the very tops of the trees and how they swayed from here to there and could almost see the admiration to their creator. It's almost as if the wild blueberry produce in simple thankfulness to the One who made them. The absolute wonder of creation is extremely spiritual. Not the creation itself but the nature in which it worships.

David Crowder sings a song called, "Everything Glorious". In this song he sings,

You make everything glorious
And I am Yours
What does that make me?

Friday Foto

I haven't done a Friday Foto in a long time. I guess with school starting, I need to get back to a routine too. So here we are!




This photo was taken at the Portland Rose Garden which is very famous for the thousands of different roses. It is a beautiful place to visit if you are ever in Portland. The many roses makes you look slowly and reflect many things. For me, when I walk through there I am always hit with how much God loves color.