My Son's Namesake

Memorial Day.

A day that used to mean a day off from school, a long weekend, barbecues with family and friends, and a hint of the summer to come. How much more this day means than most people realize. Today I am reflecting on my son's namesake, Lance M. Thompson. Lance was killed on November 15th, 2004 in the same accident that wounded my husband. He was 21 years old. He was a patriot, a wonderful friend, and most of all, he loved the Lord.

In a letter Lance wrote to his father a few months before he was killed he wrote this..."Freedom is not free. It requires sacrifice." And he truly believed that. What a wonderful legacy to leave my son. And though I say his name daily, true reflection on his name and the man my Lance was named after always makes my heart ache, as a wife, as a mother, and as someone who loves this country.

I know Lance believed in what he was there for. But I wonder what he would think of this "transformation" that is supposed to happening to our country. Can things in this country be improved? Of course. There's always room for improvement. But does our country need to be transformed? No, that would imply that it's not the greatest nation on earth, that it is wrong in it's entirety. And I don't believe that. I believe that there's always room to IMPROVE, yes, but transform, no. I believe Lance fought and died in Iraq to continue our freedom, our liberty, and to give those people even a glimpse of the freedom and blessings we all enjoy here. I don't want to see this nation transformed, that's not what he fought for, that's not what he died for.

This Memorial Day, instead of gathering for fun and giving no thought to the true meaning of this important day, I will hold my family close. I will look my husband in the eyes and thank him for his sacrifices. And I will look at my son, and remember a man. A man who gave his life for what he believed in, and gave my son his name.

Her Spirit

I love this child.


















A LOT.

As time moves on her unique and beautiful spirit is beginning to peek through all the three year old behavior that is...less than thrilling. She truly is a joy to be around and has such a sensitive and caring personality.


















Wait.


















But even through all her sass, there's still that smile.

She will still drop everything to kiss my boo boo for me if I hurt myself. And likewise when she hurts herself a kiss from me makes the whole world right again. When her brother cries she tries anything and everything to help calm him. She'll climb into his crib to keep him company, (which he loves) shake toys at him while jumping up and down, and even share her beloved blanket with him. (Which as we all know is THE true testament of love)




















She did this cute little pose all on her own.

With so many things being all about the baby the last few months it is sometimes easy to become distracted and forget how big my fist baby is getting! She has become so helpful and self sufficient that I forget to marvel at how much is accomplished in the first 3 years of life and how amazing it truly is. I love you sweet girl.

Please stop talking about getting married and having babies in your belly all the time.

Please?

Five Months Old

Catching Up

Things have been a bit crazy in the blogging (and regular) world for me here. I have started my own food blog and so I have been working on that. Mostly it started as a way for me to look at recipes I have done in the past when I am out of ideas for dinners for the week. But part of my passion for food is sharing it with others and swapping recipes and ideas. So here it is to share with anyone who is here. :)

In addition to that Lance celebrated his first Easter. Of course he had no idea what was going on but every baby's first holiday is a milestone for every mother. :) And we took the kids to Disneyland as well. Kaitlyn had a wonderful time, despite the 100 degree weather. We went for one day and it's amazing how little we were able to do in a whole day! I am sure there will be many more in her future though, this was just a taste! So here's some pictures from Easter. We went to church and then spent the day with Ben's family...




























































And our trip...

Baby Steals

This is one of my favorite websites that I am on daily. Each day at 8am they post a new "steal." When I find something I wish I had but don't need, I buy it here and save it for the next baby shower I attend. Their items are unique and great quality any mother would appreciate. Check them out here...

A Three Year Old and a Three Month Old

Being a mother of two is still relatively new territory to me and I am still amazed I have two children. Each day that passes has it's joys (like being closer to sleeping a whole night through!) and sorrows (my babies are getting so big!) and this last month I have been thinking about having a three year old and a three month old. So here's a picture of my "three milestone" duo. They are quite fond of each other and even at this young age, I can tell they are going to have that special sibling bond. You know the one, where one minute they're best friends and the next minute they're hurting one another. Oh the joy of what I have to look forward to! :)

I Love My Husband

He went to San Diego overnight on Sun, which being sleep deprived I was a little jealous of, and when he came home yesterday he brought me these...




















My favorite kind of flowers...

#1 Random for no special reason
#2 Already cut (as opposed to potted) so when they die I know it's not my fault!

They are so beautiful and the house smells so good. Thank you for still loving me almost 6 years later. I love you Honey!