Jordan's 5th Birthday Party

Solar System theme

Sun Cake made my my mom 

Astronaut Jordan 

This is what happens when you try to get 5 boys to smile in the middle of eating

Thank you for coming to the party Astronaut Jonathan! I put together the Lego police car & take it everywhere!

Thank you for coming to the party Astronaut Ben! I love the Lego set!

Astronaut Jordan, birthday boy

Thank you for coming to the party Astronaut Levi! I love the hot wheel ramp! 

Astronaut Lucas

Red Light Green Light

This is just awesome

Duck Duck Goose (an attempt at it anyways)

Lucas decided to just run circles around everyone

Someone's being silly!

Setting up the bottle rocket 

Waiting 

You might need to expand the pictures, but you can see the stream of water from the bottle rocket. In Levi's picture, in the far right corner I actually managed to get a picture of the rocket. 

I realized after I took the pictures of the piñata that I should have moved to the other side. Oh well. 

Jordan had so much fun with his buddies at his party! Thank you for coming!

2013: A Year In Review

This year I decided to do a Christmas letter in our blog in lieu of sending out an actual Christmas letter. (Honestly, who keeps them? Do you?) 

Jordan: 

  This year was an bit of a roller coaster ride with our 4 year old.  A few weeks after Jordan turned 4 in March, we went to WA for David's grandfather's funeral. The same day we arrived, Jordan fell out of our hotel window 2 stories up. Praise be to God who protected our sweet boy.  He had a grade 3 liver laceration, but no broken bones and no lasting injuries.  In September, Jordan started Pre-K and more prayers were answered.  He has a wonderful teacher who understands that along with his high energy, there is a sweet and caring heart.  Jordan has been loving school this year. He can write his name (and Lucas's), and asks me to work on his school project with him. (A weekly packet that gets sent home). Jordan has started karate and is loving it. What a great outlet for his energy. Another change that happened over the past few months was taking Red Dye #40 out of Jordan's diet. Yes I was quite skeptical when I read about it, but I figured it would be a relatively easy thing to do and why not give it a shot. While Jordan is still your typically active 4 year old, he has calmed down a lot. The over the top tantrums and aggressiveness have dramatically reduced (and now only happens when he is overtired or ingests Red Dye unknowingly).  This simple change has made life so much easier for all of us, especially Jordan who says "Red Dye makes me mad. I can't have it". Hey, whatever works! He has been a champ since day one in understanding why he is unable to have certain foods, drinks or candy.  I look forward to seeing how my handsome boy continues to mature and grow in the next year! 

Lucas:

    This year was a big change for Lucas as he adjusted to Jordan going back to school.  He was 16 months old when Jordan fell, so he was too young to remember Jordan being in school prior to his accident.  When Jordan started school in the fall, Lucas was beside himself. Remember this picture from September? 

Thankfully, after a month, Lucas transitioned and started realizing that Mommy was not so bad to hang out with after all :) This little guy has been keeping up with his brother and gets his fair share of bruises and bumps.  He so badly wants to do everything his big brother does, and becomes extremely frustrated when faced with his limitations. When Lucas turned 2, he decided that he had to throw a tantrum every day, say 'no' and cross his arms while walking away. I still maintain that someone told him how a 2 year is supposed to act.  Approximately two weeks after Lucas turned 2, he decided that it was time to sleep in the bottom bunk. That was it - one night he asked to sleep on the bottom bunk and never went back to the crib.  I admit it has made bedtime more challenging as the boys play more now and Lucas is not great at staying in his bed until he has every toy and book his little arms can hold, including a green bucket.  I can tell that we are in for a different kind of ride with this boy as he enters the toddler/preschool years!

David & Stacy:
   David is keeping busy with working at Flextech, teaching music lessons once a week, and doing Crossfit three times a week. Stacy is always trying to stay one step ahead of the boys (not an easy task) and has discovered that she enjoys baking, especially when she is able to pass off the baked goods to others.

Lucas Turns Two!

"Lucas, you are two today!" ... "No, I four".  My little one who wants so badly to be a big boy like your brother - you are almost there! Oftentimes your daddy & I forgot that you were younger than 2 because you act older.  Your vocabulary, your motor skills, your social skills. You are growing up quicker than your years & I am simply trying to keep up!

I had to laugh this morning as I tried so hard to get the perfect shot - a candle in your pancake and you smiling. You had a meltdown. In the midst of it, I turned to your daddy and said "welcome to the 2's!".

You love your brother and often ask for him.  "Brother! where you?" Your imaginary play is molded after Jordan's - the two of you run around with swords, imaginary guns, wrestling and fighting bad guys.  I am never quite sure how much of the game you are understanding, but you go in there full force & keep up with Jordan. We are truly blessed that the two of you love playing together. I am learning not to rush in and interfere when I hear you cry because you will laugh one second, cry the next and then back to laughing.  The two of you are learning your boundaries with each other, a lesson that will prove valuable in the years to come.

I love how much you love being around others.  You love play dates, the park, the grocery store and you will wave and say hi/bye to every person you pass.  When we leave somewhere, you make sure that you say goodbye to every person & you keep saying goodbye until they respond to you. You often still say goodbye after they have responded to you!

As you turn two, you are starting to test the boundaries.  Tantrums, running from me when I call you, refusing to stay seated, and more.  Bedtime is becoming challenging because you are learning that just because you are in the crib it does not automatically mean it's time to sleep (to which I say - Yes! yes it is!).   Thankfully I have been through the "terrible twos" before and will not be caught off guard (hopefully).  You are my sneaky one - when I do not hear you, I know that you are doing mischief! You know it too as you quickly try to leave the scene when you are caught.  I am learning with you - you do things your brother never did (coloring on the wall, the chair, the floor).  You do your part in making sure life in the Thompson household is never dull!

You are starting to sing along to Jesus Loves Me and you love to dance.  I think you sing songs in your head because you will just start dancing for no apparent reason! Your smile is infectious and every person smiles back at you.  You possess a joy for life and truly are excited about the little things.  Washing your hands? "I did it!".  Zipping up your pajamas? "I did it!".  Put your bowl in the sink? "I did it!". Scribbled on paper? "I did it!" Try to pee in the toilet? "I did it!" You pump your fists & jump in the air - victory! triumph! "I did it!".

I pray you keep that zeal for life & even more that you use it for Christ.  I love you my little one :)

Sept/Oct Pictures

2013-2014: Pre-K

Halloween 2013: Elmo & Iron Man 

Jordan started karate this year and is loving it! (The only way I could get a picture of him in his uniform was to sit & wait to snap a pic as Jordan & Lucas ran around the house with buckets on their heads)

What a difference a year makes! (although Lucas's feelings about Jordan trying to hold him have remained the same)

I Need You Jesus ... And A Glass of Wine

It's a day where I find myself praying "I need you Jesus ... and a glass of wine".  Have you ever had those days? It does not have to mean a day where every little thing is going wrong {that may call for two glasses of wine!}, but a day where you are fully aware that you cannot do it on your own.

Jordan is going through his "homebody" stage which means he does not want to go anywhere and puts up a fight whenever I try to get him dressed & out of the house.  As we left the house this morning {"It's your turn to bring snack to school today! Let's go so the other children can eat!" ... hey, whatever it takes} I notice crushed cereal all over the floor and under the table. Sigh. Okay, we'll address that later, we need to go.  Successful drop off and errands are run. Head to the library & attempt to pick out just ONE book while also chasing down a 23 month old who insists on pulling out books and leaving them on the ground. 

We arrive home after picking Jordan up from school.  Immediately the cries start "I'm hungry! I'm starving! I want to eat!".  I decided that the mess on the floor {crushed cereal} must be cleaned up before I would let them have lunch.  I'm doing dishes in the kitchen and I see this: 

Not what I meant when I said "Clean up the mess you made" but I was thankful for the laugh.  As I instruct Jordan finish vacuuming, I go back to the dishes. Two minutes later I hear a clatter - Lucas tried taking down yet another bowl of cereal from the counter & it spilled all over. Deep breath. Okay, let's clean this up again. 

Cereal is all cleaned, boys have eaten, I walk out of the room.  I find spilled water somewhere (probably Lucas because he never tells me when he spills).  Cleaned that up. As I walk back into the kitchen to throw away the towel, there's Lucas, on the floor, next to the spice rack.  {I should let you know that twice yesterday, Lucas got into the spices & dumped them all over the floor.  This was a few days after he spilled apple cider vinegar all over the floor}.  Sure enough, Lucas had opened a container and dumped out what was in it.  Another long deep sigh.  Together we cleaned up the mess.  Is it nap time yet? Why yes, I declare it is. They cannot tell time yet ;) 

Jordan is currently sitting next to me in time out because he is not napping.  You may lay in your bed or you may sit on the floor in a time out. You know how I mentioned earlier he's been a homebody? This means he's also very attached to me and just wants to be with me. "Mom, my quiet time is over. It's over Mom, my quiet time is over".  

I need you Jesus ... and a glass of wine.