13 years and Jimmy

Saturday Jimmy and I celebrated 13 years of marriage. Jimmy has been working a turn around at work and had to work the next day so we just went to dinner. I have not seen or had much time with him the last two months so it was very nice. We talked about how far we have come and how we got here. lol We both look back and think, "what were we doing?" I think the song we chose at our wedding can sum it up. It's Your Love by Tim Mcgraw and Faith Hill. We were in love. By all accounts we should never have made it this far. But we knew we wanted to be together and made a promise to always stick by each other.

I can say Jimmy is the love of my life. I remember when I was first getting to know him he did not seem to care about much. I NEVER thought I would date him. Then one night he came over as a friend. I remember my grandmother was in the hospital and when I said I was going to visit her he told me he would go with me. Hmm, I thought. There is more to this guy then I thought. And as time went on I learned there was a lot more to Jimmy Thompson then I thought then. Not many people get to see the side of him I do. Everyday we are growing and changing together. He is there for me in a way that I can't describe. Just having him around makes me feel better.

I could go on and on about how much I love him. Yes, he makes me crazy and I drive him crazy too. But at the end of the day there is no one I would rather share my life with.

Happy Anniversary Jimmy T!

5 Hour Energy

I am in BIG trouble! My sister introduced me to those 5 hour energy shots. I am not a coffee drinker and lately I have had so much going on my mind is spinning and I am so tired all the time. Well, I took one today and I can tell you they work! I know they can't be good for you so I promised myself I would not make it a habit. But that will be a hard promise to keep. I have gotten so much done today and I still have energy to spare. Let's see if I can get to sleep tonight. ;)

Paige Michelle

I remember telling Jimmy I was pregnant with Paige like it was yesterday. Caden was about 17 months old and after being in denial myself for a few days I finally took a test and sure enough I was pregnant. Let's just say she was not planned. Jimmy wanted to wait a few years before having another one. I remember sitting in Caden's play room when Jimmy came in. I was just a little hormonal and a little nervous about telling him. I just burst into tears and told him I was pregnant. He said, "Why are you crying?" lol He was shocked to but put my fears at ease and we moved ahead planning for our next baby. I could not believe it when I found out she was a girl. I was so happy to get to experience having a son and a daughter.

Mrs. Paige has been a surprise since the very first day we knew she was coming and has continued to surprise us ever since. Labor was easy with her but she gave us a scare. I remember Jimmy had gone down stairs to meet up with his dad and Tami walked in a few minutes after I had gotten my epidural. I remember telling Tami that Paige just did a very frantic movement and now she was very still. No sooner did I say those words and nurses ran in and started doing all kinds of things to me. They had seen on the monitor that we had lost her heartbeat! What seemed like an eternity later they were able to get her heartbeat up again. Very soon after she was born healthy.

She loves her brother and can be a little bit of a tomboy. She is shy, but feisty. I guess having an older brother you have to be. She is girly in her own way. She does not like bows, and loves to wear jeans. But she loves dolls and pink and purple. She was attached to my hip for the first 2 years of her life literally. lol She is still very attached to me but I don't mind. Our relationship is special in its own way and I am in no hurry for her to grow up.

I learn something new about her everyday. Just when I think I have her figured out she surpises me again. That is my Paigy Paige for ya! It is true with children you do not have to divied your love it multiplies. I love my 2 babies so much it hurts!

My Family

Since I am just starting out with my blog I thought I would write a few things about the people I love. Today I will start with Caden. I would have started with Jimmy but since Saturday is our anniversary I think I will save him until then.

He was born on August 28, 2005. We waited almost seven years before we finally decided to have children. And God blessed us with a son in his perfect timing. A lot was going on during the time I was pregnant with Caden. We had moved back in with my parents while we were looking for our first house to keep from signing another lease on our apartment. Soon after I became pregnant. We were so excited and had no idea how much things would change in the next few months. I started a new job when I was almost 4 months pregnant with Caden. We had just found the house we wanted to buy and were in the middle of finalizing things with that too. The very same week I started my job and we were closing we got the devastating news that Jimmy's brother was killed in a car accident. The next few months tested our marriage and our faith. Some of the happiest and saddest moments of my life were during that time. Thru joy and sorrow we welcomed Caden Scott Thompson into our family. Named after his Uncle Scott I will never forget the hope and light he brought to not only us but Jimmy's family during such a dark time.

Caden is so much like his father. I have never seen a happier child. He loves to laugh and is always looking for the next thing to do. He is very affectionate and loves to give hugs and kisses. (especially to me!) He is very bright and loves to ask questions and learn new things.

I remember when I found out he was going to be a boy I was nervous. I only had one sister and I wondered how I would bond with a boy. When I voiced this to my dad he told me not to worry. He told me no one loves their mom like her son. Man, was he right! I love being a mom to a little boy. I could not imagine never having a boy. It has taught me so many things. Patience for one. LOL And, not to take life too seriously. Boys will be boys right? I love every dirty kiss, I treasure every rock I have been given as a present and I have even learned to love playing Power Rangers.

Caden made me a mom and I love him more then life itself!

Did she really just say that?

Well, we are far from the teenage years but this morning Paige looked me square in the face and said "you are not the boss of me". For a moment I could not believe my ears. After a firm scolding and a long talk about yes, I am the boss of you she gave me a very forced I am sorry. Where has she even heard that? I am sure at school. But for a moment I saw my future when hormones hit and attitude is at an all time high. I am so not ready for that!

It's tough being green.

Remember when Kermit the Frog would sing that? Well that is the theme song today at our house. Last night we went to Tami's house for dinner. We were busy planning Chris' wedding shower so Jimmy left earlier then me to take the kids home to get ready for bed. Well, when I came in there were a lot of unhappy campers at my house. Apparently while Jimmy was outside Paige took a green marker and wrote all over the floor and herself. Well, Caden thought this was so funny and just watched and laughed as she did it. (When do they outgrow stuff like that?) Caden then went to get Jimmy laughing all the way to tell him "Daddy wait till you see what Paige did!" Not telling on her just letting daddy in on the joke. Well Jimmy did not think it was funny. Two spankings later I return to find him bathing the kids. Needless to say the green is not coming off Paige's face. Thankfully it did come off the floor. So, Paige will be green for a few days. If you see us, yes I do wash my children. And one day when I figure out how to post pictures I will come back and post the picture I took of her. It is tough being green!

A Day in the Life of me!

I have seen this on other blogs and I thought it would be fun to look back one day and remember what I did on a day to day basis. Right now my two sweeties are 6 and 4. Caden started kindergarten this year and Paige started going to pre-k 3 days a week. I work full-time from home as the bookkeeper for a small credit union. What used to be an 8-5 job 5 days a week in an office I now try to squeeze in at home. It has not been easy. I am so blessed to have been able to make this move. In my heart of hearts I long to be a stay at home mom. But finances do not allow it. So 3years ago I changed jobs to work in Houston at this small credit union with the hope that it would lead to more flexible hours. What a ride it was. I went into the job knowing it would be a challenge but once I got in there I quickly learned they had major problems and their accounting was behind almost 3 years! It took me over a year to clean everything up. And then slowing I began to prepare to be able to work from home. This envolved a move to a branch office closer to home about a year ago. I was ready to get out of that place. After we were robbed at gunpoint and broken into after hours I was ready to get away from that bad part of town. Sometimes you can actually look back and see God's hand in what happens and I can say without a doubt he has been moving in my life as far as my job was concerned for the past 4 years. And now I am here. I work from home! It is hard to find balance but I am working on it. Here is an average week for me!

Monday- Wake up at 5:30 and get dressed. Kids get up about 6. Fix breakfast, fix lunches and get everyone dressed. I also post my morning work during this time. Out the door at 7:25. Take Caden to school, then Paige and I head to the gym from 8-8:45. Then take Paige to school. 9-1:30 I work, check e-mails, clean house some. 1:45 leave to pick up Paige, then Caden from school. 3-5 is snack time, homework time, rest time for the kids and I do my afternoon work. 5-7 is dinner and family time. 7-8 is bath, story, and devotion time and then kids go to bed at 8. If I have any energy left I clean or do laundry. I try to spend time with Jimmy during this time if he is not working.

Tuesday-Same as Monday but Paige is at home with me which makes working difficult. But I manage. And we have family dinners on Tuesdays from 5-7.

Wednesday-Same as Monday with Church from 6:30-7:30

Thursday-Same as Tuesday but it is my deep cleaning day. Floors get mopped, tubs and toilets get cleaned that sort of thing.

Friday- Same as Monday! Right now we have soccer practice @ 6. And I usually grocery shop on Fridays.

Saturday- Soccer games @ 8. Then the rest of the day is family time!

Sunday- Church, church and more church. I try to have everything done so I do not have to do any kind of "work" on Sundays. We eat out after church and just relax until evening church.

Well, that is my week right now. I am tired just looking at it!

That Dog!

Most of the time that is what I call our dog Squeaky. That Dog! The kids love him and he is great with them. They can lay on him, pull his ears, take his food and he has never shown any aggression towards them. I think he knows that being nice to the kids is one of the only things that keeps him around. LOL Just today he got out of the fence AGAIN! I can't figure out where he is getting out from. I roamed the neighborhood for a while and sure enough I see him run out from under someones fence down the street. I know our neighbors must hate us. He barks none stop and will eat anything in sight. I might start Squeaky Saturday and start document everything he eats. Just to name a few, a staple (the one almost ended in death), sticks, dolls, stuffed animals, acorns, spoons, plastic toys and the list goes on and on. Well, at least the kids will be happy I found him. For a second I almost did not go look for him but I could not bring myself to tell the kids their Squeaky was gone. So, that dog lives another day!

Family Dinners

I love my crazy family. All of them. And we are starting a new tradition that will hopefully stay for a long time. Once school and sports start life gets so busy. So last month we started haviing family dinners on Tuesdays. I love it! We alternate having dinner at each others houses. It is so nice. Nothing fancy. We eat early and finish early so everyone can get to bed for school the next day. But it has been such a blessing. I love seeing my extended family outside of church and other activities. It gives us a chance to connect and not to mention unless it is your night to host no cooking on Tuesdays! And I will mention that because I am so close to my family I love the fact that I don't have to worry about the house being perfect, we eat off paper plates and it is come as you are no makeup neccessary!

Bribery

Yes, I have resorted to bribing my kids. Caden had a rough start to Kindergarten and after trying everything we struck a deal. If he would not cry and stayed on green all week on Fridays he could purchase and icecream at school. Worked like a charm. And then Paige. She started her first year of pre-k. After being with Mrs. Patricia since she was 6 weeks old she has had such a hard time. She enjoys class, likes her teacher, and comes home excited about what she has done that day. But, everyday she will tell me she cries. And I found out she does. Several times a day. So, I made the same deal with her. No tears = a treat on Friday. And so far it is working! I have never been much on rewards. I have always had a saying when someone wants a reward for something that you should be doing anyways..."want a cookie with your name on it?" My kids know what this means. LOL But, I needed something to get them over being scared of all the changed. Trying to turn something negative into something positive. And the rule stands. If you cry or get off green, no icecream. Hope it keeps working!