The Thompson Family

The 45 Lessons

2011-01-10T14:23:00.000-08:00

...Thanks Margey ;)

By Regina Brett, The Plain Dealer

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.

It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolls over to 50 this week, so here's an update:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.

17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.

18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

36. Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.

38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

45. The best is yet to come.

46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

48. If you don't ask, you don't get.

49. Yield.

50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

Listen to chadoodles Playlist

2010-11-17T16:28:00.001-08:00

Catching up is hard to do......

2010-11-17T16:18:00.000-08:00

Apparently I haven't been that on top of my family blogging. I keep telling myself that I should post that picture, or remember to save that thought in my memory vault, but I guess all of the above slipped my mind. Our sweet little Myles is now an ever moving target, when the last time I posted he was just barely walking. It's incredible how fast time goes by now. You always hear people say that, but it's so true. I'm finding as I get older (not that I'm old) that so many of those "old wives tales" that you've heard of all your life actually have a lot more than a ring of truth to them. A minute ago Dave and I were meeting and a second ago we were having a baby. It's been a roller coaster of events to say the least. And it has all gone by, in true theme park fashion, in the blink of an eye. I guess I just have to pony up because it's not going to slow down and I have no plan on getting off. So here we go blogoshpere...I'm catching up!

Sunset in heaven....

2010-11-17T16:16:00.000-08:00

First Birthday in Maui!!

2010-11-17T16:12:00.000-08:00

Maui, June 2010

2010-11-17T16:04:00.001-08:00

2010

2010-11-17T16:01:00.001-08:00

Myles really loves nature
Fun in Mimi's tub!
Quintessential Myles
Best Friends!!!

2010

2010-11-17T15:56:00.000-08:00

Morning Jam session
simply delicious!

No one told me he was that good............

December 2009

2010-11-17T15:44:00.000-08:00

April and May

2010-05-15T22:42:00.000-07:00

First Swing!!
3 teeth
little drummer boy
perfection
Grandpa Thompsons awesome toy

Making up for time lost

2010-05-15T22:28:00.000-07:00

First Snow at Mimi and Grandpa Duffs
Our first Christmas
Ridin' the Bull

Christmas Morning 2009

So it's definitely been awhile since I've visited our little blog. Something about our sweet Myles being mobile has stopped any sort of "free time" I might of had during the days for activities such as blogging. Needless to say, we are having a blast with our mobile little man. He is so much fun and just gets cuter every day. His personality is really starting to come out. He's incredibly quick to laugh and finds the silliest things hilarious. He loves Misha!! He follows her everywhere. I can't say that she appreciates this, but I think someday she will. She loves him, just not when he's trying to take over her bed or ride her like a pony.

Myles has added mom, dad, bye, up and no to his vocabulary. He loves music and has the greatest time at our Kindermusik classes each week. We've also been attending a Sing and Sign class where Myles is learning sign language. He's actually starting to do some of it which is amazing. Such a little sponge!

We're busy but so incredibly happy! Myles is the light of our lives! I can't imagine life without him......it's just too perfect with him around, sleepless nights and all :)

Halloween!

2009-11-11T17:56:00.001-08:00

So adorable!
Check out Misha covertly sniffing around the monkey bum....silly dog.

First Horseback ride

2009-10-22T17:30:00.001-07:00

Cousins....

2009-10-22T17:28:00.001-07:00

Utah Trip

2009-10-22T17:23:00.000-07:00

Last week we were able to go to Utah for our Thompson reunion. We had a great time and luckily were able to see my family as well. I think Myles had a blast with his little cousins, and came home with a little reminder of them........in the form of a cold. haha. The week went by too fast for sure. It never seems to be long enough when you're visiting your fun fam. It was great to see everyone though, and we can't wait for Christmas when we get to visit again.

5 years and going strong!

2009-09-06T13:42:00.001-07:00

Dave and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary yesterday, with an 8 mile hike to Snow Lake. It was so gorgeous! I carried Myles and David carried the rest of our house in his back pack. The weather was great and we had so much fun! Myles only had two meltdowns, one which came at picnic time. We were being attacked by flies so I can't say that I blame him for being fussy :) He slept most of the way though, even when it started raining on our hike back to the base. It was great. Such a wonderful day and wonderful way to celebrate 8 years together and 5 years of wedded bliss!

2009-07-04T23:20:00.000-07:00

This picture is from Myles's first professional photo shoot...very photogenic, I must say. We'll put up more of these pics as we get them.

Myles

2009-07-03T18:25:00.001-07:00

cousins and their little boys

first day at the beach

mana and her man....so excited

so cute!

first picnic at the park

HE'S HERE!!!!!

2009-07-03T18:01:00.001-07:00

Little Myles David Thompson has finally arrived! He was born at the Puget Sound Midwives and Birth Center at 9:28 am on June 19th. He weighed 7 lbs. 10.5 oz and was 21 inches long. He is gorgeous and such a perfect addition to our little family. His birth was such an incredible experience. Dave, my mom (Mana) and Aunt Charee were all there to help, they were the perfect team (we wanted Aunt Kate there but she flew in 8 hours after he arrived, just missed it). We got to the Birth Center at 6 am and by 9:28 he was here. Only an hour and a half of pushing. I won't say giving birth naturally was easy, but it was definitely worth it and I'll do it every time. Our midwives were wonderful and the setting couldn't of been more relaxing and welcoming. It was exactly how we'd wanted it to be.

On our way to the Birth Center, as I was contracting on all fours in the back seat, Dave said something to me that I'll always remember. We had been having a drought, 25 days actually without rain, and that morning it finally rained. Dave said that the rain meant new life, and that's why little Myles decided to come that day. He probably thought nothing of it, but as I was breathing through my next contraction and glanced out the window at the rain, I knew that I'd be O.K. and that I'd get through this, because new life was coming that day, our new life :)

Beach Day!

2009-06-10T12:30:00.000-07:00

Little donkey that our dear friend Mekki gave us. He was having a beach day too.

Two little buddies

Dave and I have been really trying to soak up the sun and each other these last few weeks of my pregnancy. It's been a lot of fun to say the least :) Alki beach is one of our favorite places to go. Especially during the week when everyone is working and the beach is empty :)

35 weeks and still running!

2009-05-18T19:58:00.001-07:00

I might be slow, but I'm still going. I'm trying my hardest to run right up until it's time for baby. I think that would be a great way to kick off labor, a nice jog :)

Baby! Baby! Baby!

2009-05-18T19:50:00.000-07:00

Our Little man at 30 weeks

We have 5 weeks to go and I actually think we're ready (knock on wood). We finish our birth class tomorrow and will start having weekly prenatal visits from here on out. We still haven't decided on a name yet. We have two that we really like though. I think we need to meet him and see his little face before we make any decisions. We've finished the nursery though, and his wardrobe is ever expanding. Little clothes are just too much fun!

Snow Day!

2009-03-08T15:33:00.001-07:00

It snowed last week for, hopefully, the last time. It was a great excuse to have a snow day and just hang around the house though. It snowed pretty hard, by Seattle standards, and even stuck around for most of the day. Good stuff, but hopefully sunshine is in our future!

Doe Bay

2009-02-25T14:12:00.001-08:00

Valentines at Orcas Island

2009-02-25T13:52:00.000-08:00

Doe Bay

Eastsound

Doe Baby

This year for Valentines weekend Dave took me to Orcas Island, our favorite place. It's only an hour drive and an hour ferry ride from our house, though when you get there you feel like your worlds away. We stayed at Doe Bay, which is in Olga. It's about a 30 minute drive from the ferry landing and is tucked away far into the island, away from everything but scenery. You can either camp, stay in the hostile or yurt, or rent a cabin when you stay there. This time Dave got us a little cabin called "Doe Baby". It was fantastic!! There are wonderful outdoor hot springs that you can sit in and tons of places just to explore around Doe Bay. Dave and I spent the weekend seeing some of our favorite Orcas spots and just sticking around the Bay. We rented movies from the gas station and watched them all night on Valentines on the lap top Dave had brought for work purposes (glad to say no work was done). :) We had the best weekend and can't wait to go back in the Spring when the flowers are in bloom.

It's a BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-02-05T14:58:00.001-08:00

Almost 21 weeks!

little toes...

WOOOAAHH!

Our little man

Tiger Mountain

2009-01-26T19:22:00.000-08:00

Dave and I hiked Tiger Mountain 2 days ago and we're still feeling it! It's a beautiful hike but it's a continuous incline for 3 miles! A six mile round trip that hurt going up and down. I like to think I didn't complain much, considering I am 5 months pregnant, but Dave might say other words. :) He was a trooper though and so was I. Misha showed off running up the switchbacks but we let get away with it, being a dog and all. Anyways, it was a great hike and one we'll do again, when I am less prego.

Christmas Va-ca

2009-01-26T19:10:00.000-08:00

Christmas vacation was really fun this year. We went to Punta Mita Mexico with Daves parents and then spent Christmas in St. George with my family. We were able to spend New Years with Daves family, where we managed to stay up 'til 12:01. Wooo! It was a wonderful 3 weeks and we were stoked to see everyone.

Toys for Tots

2008-12-13T13:59:00.001-08:00

Dave and I try to do something charitable every Christmas. It's become our tradition and it's actually a lot of fun. This year we bought presents for "Toys for Tots". It was really fun buying kids toys, so much easier than buying gifts for adults :) We picked 3 boys and 3 girls at random and then donated the gifts to the Salvation Army. I wish there was a way to buy presents for all of the kids, but unfortunately student loans only go so far. We had a great time though and now have some practice for future (kids) Christmas shopping.

Heartbeat!!!!

2008-12-13T13:53:00.000-08:00

On Thursday Dave and I got to hear our baby's heartbeat for the first time. It was by far one of the coolest things that has ever happened to us. It took a minute for the midwife to find it, but once she did the heartbeat was loud and clear. I cried, of course. I can't tell you how long I've waited to hear "our" baby's heartbeat. Seeing is one thing but hearing was a totally different experience. While we were listening our little bean kicked twice. I couldn't feel anything but we definitely heard it. It sounded like someone thumping on a door, it was really amazing. The next time we go visit isn't until January 8th and then the first of February we get to find out whether we have a little boy or little girl in there. I am trying to enjoy every stage of pregnancy, but I really can't wait until we can find out (and hopefully by this time I'll have a bump!).

Christmas at the Market

2008-12-05T19:08:00.001-08:00

Dave and I went to the market tonight and were able to see one of the most beautiful sunsets of the winter. The market is fantastic during the holidays and is completely decorated in greenery. Sometimes the smell of pine even muffles the strong stench of fish. Lovely.

10 weeks!

2008-11-26T10:14:00.001-08:00

This may not look like a lot to anyone else, but seeing this image was one of the best things that has ever happened to me. Dave and I both got a little emotional :) The top round area is the head, then at the bottom is the little rump. To the far right, where the faint small lines are is where the fingers are. This was such an exciting day! Next time we get to see this little dude will be at 20 weeks when we'll find out if we're having a boy or a girl.

Early Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T10:09:00.000-08:00

Dave and I decided to have a few of our friends over for an early Thanksgiving dinner last weekend. Besides Zach and Vanessa jinxing our kitchen to blow up every time they come over, we had a great time and dinner was really good :)

I loved these orange place mats so they needed to be seen, as well as everyones smiling faces.

It's a BABY!

2008-11-06T15:56:00.001-08:00

Dave and I had our first ultra sound today. I am officially 7 weeks and 2 days pregnant. We thought we were having two, but were happy to see at least one heartbeat. This was our last appointment with Seattle Reproductive. They have been wonderful and we love our doctor, but it's been like a part time job going there every week for the last year. We're really excited to see a doctor a little closer to us and to have the hard stuff (like getting pregnant) over with.

Fall

2008-11-01T19:36:00.000-07:00

There is absolutely nothing better than fall in the northwest! All of the leaves are changing colors (except the die-hards that will forever stay green) and it makes for one incredible place to live.

Halloween

2008-11-01T19:06:00.000-07:00

Misha loves this hot-dog costume. Ahh, she does look rad.

Nothing like the Grateful Dead and carving pumpkins to get Dave excited.