Christmas Decor 2009 (4 photos), by cara thompson

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Christmas Time in Florida...so who wants to go to the beach?

So we've made it back from the Great Up North and we survived Thanksgiving with all of our family and friends. It was a good time to be back in Holland and with friends and family. We struggled the first week with being sick. The kids were completely depended on me and sleep, so needless to say, we didn't get out much those first few days.

I am happy to say that I believe I've "past the first test" of homesickness. I was able to go back "home", enjoy it, and return to our new home and love it. I thought for sure that I would be a mess the day we left, but I was surprisingly ready to be back here in Florida. I am learning in whatever state I am, to be content. :)

And now it is time for Christmas. Our first Christmas away from our families, and without the cold and snow! It doesn't feel right, honestly. And I am talking about the lack of coldness/snow. In the windows of our local Target are these snow flake things, and it looks completely out of place with bright sunny skies and people in shorts. So to attack new traditions head on, and not allow our family to miss out on the Holiday Cheer, I decided to go out and buy some Christmas decorations (thanks to a generous gift) and "do Christmas" anyway! It's not a Michigan Christmas here, but it's a Thompson Christmas and it's ours! I am loving it. :)

Tonight we enjoyed lots of time in the kitchen. JoeAnna and I made pizza for dinner (Friday night, homemade pizza night! (yes we are copying the Kampers!)) It was so much fun. JoeAnna is seriously good in the kitchen. She gets distracted, but that's it! She was able to do almost everything expect chop the chicken and put the pan in the oven. Then we made Christmas cookies as a family! Well, Graham didn't really help, but I let him taste one at least. :) The pictures from snapfish show how much work I should be doing in the kitchen to clean up...

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Cookies and Cheer (6 photos), by cara thompson

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.
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trip to Mi in Nov (55 photos), by cara thompson

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.
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first session with jodi (26 photos), by cara thompson

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.
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second session with Jodi (23 photos), by cara thompson

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.
Click here to view photos

Blog - oh why do I avoid thee?

So I am sitting here at the computer, quickly checking facebook to see if I have any new news on plans for family time in Michigan, and I am realizing I NEVER write updates on the blog. I must confess that I thought I would be better at this than I have been.

Let's update then shall we? Okay, where to begin...

TIME CHANGE I LOATHE THEE!!! So my kids can't seem to adjust. We are living on a "pre-fall back" schedule in a post-fall back world. Not fun. I miss having my second cup of coffee and quiet in the morning before the starting my day as a mom.

It's still in the 80's and sunny most days (and it's getting cooler in the morning and evenings, perfect for walks).

JoeAnna is still wearing size 12-18/28-24mo clothes. I can't seem to make her grow. :)

Graham is totally out of his 9mo clothes - way to long, and he will soon be bigger than JoeAnna. He can sit up, roll over, copy sounds, laugh and smile (and very well I might add). And he's eating great! He can almost feed himself puffs. He doesn't have a real interest in moving (a lot like Joe at his age) but he does turn himself in a circle. He loves rattles (his Mickey rattle is his absolute favorite, he shakes when he sees it)! He still loves to swing; he'll swing for a collective 2-3 hours a day! (And more if I'd let him).

JoeAnna loves to go to the pond in our subdivision and feed the ducks. She's made friends with all kids of animals around here: lizards, ducks, dogs, and bunnies. We say hello to them most mornings on our walks. Today, I let her walk too and she had a blast. She made it around the whole pond once! (It's a pretty nice size.)

We were recently able to visit with Rob's grandparents, Don and Patricia Pitt. They are wonderful great-grandparents. They are traveling evangelists and so being able to see them throughout the year is sometimes tough, so we are proud to say we were able to have 3 meals with them while they were on a break in Haines City (just south west of us).

Before they were in town, Jonathan and Heidi Grooms and their boys were in town for a Missions Conference here at BBC. We had a great time reconnecting with them and seeing each others' children for the first time. Elijah and JoeAnna were great friends. Joe has really become a "tom-boy" and loves to run around with her buddies, she is much less shy with other kids than she was.

I am still adjusting to life here in Florida. I still love the area, and our home. I am learning to accept the challenges I am faced with daily, and I am so thankful that God chose to use this opportunity to mature and prune me. I am seeking Him daily and desperately. I never want to loose this kind of passion for knowing Him. It's awesome to be more disciplined though, I was truly missing out before! The Proverbs are right, the lazy man is a fool!
I have been reading a lot more too - I have some great books I've been using to teach JoeAnna about God and they are exciting!

Well, lest I waste this time (while both kids are sleeping), I must be done for now. Here's hoping I will write again soon! :)