Lion of Judah

Today was our 20 week doctor's appointment, and yes, that included an ultrasound. I met our delivery doctor for the first time, Dr. Butler, and he was friendly, informative, and down to earth. Poor Sonya waited with Brandon and myself for quite a while in the office while we sorted out some discrepancies as to whether or not we had been scheduled for the ultrasound, but we were finally in the room with 2 tv monitors, ready to see who was in there. The ultrasound was so much more in depth than with Sonya's four years ago. We saw everything from the spine, heart, kidneys, bladder, hands, mouth, cerebellum, and eyes. Dr. Butler proudly announced that we were having a boy, and there is no doubt in any of our minds as to what we saw on the monitor! This one is not gonna be shy! I was elated, since, I'm not gonna lie, I really wanted a boy this time around. We will miss Sonya running around the house yelling,"Omi, Omi, Omi," since the girl's name we had picked out was Naomi, but Sonya was assured that she had guessed right for the 3rd time and is excited that she will have a baby brother to help care for. Now, the nesting instinct is kicking in. Since our little kicker will be named Judah Gabriel, we are going all lions in the nursery, and Sonya helped me pick out the first one. Of course, it was the biggest one at Target, but we want to encourage her to participate with us in our joy and celebration of the new one to come. Hopefully that will help ease her out of the centrifugal rotation an only child commands and into the watchful, patient position of an older sister. Hope springs eternal.

Some, Me, Like It Hot!

Ok, I admit, it has been a while. No, it hasn't gone unnoticed or uneventful for that matter. Other things tend to take over, and there you go.

Lots has gone on. I guess the main reason for the online absence is the trauma of a first trimester. Currently, we are in the 20th week of our pregnancy, and wishing that human's gestational period was a only few days. Some animals have all the luck! All in all, it hasn't been horrible, just uncomfortable, since pregnancy and me never got along. I get that whole "alien taking over my body, get your own" mentality. Sonya is very excited about our upcoming addition, and for a while was convinced that I could only have a girl. Toddler interpretation of life never ceases to make me chuckle, since if I could only have girls, I think she may have thought that Daddy would be having any boys in our future! Wouldn't that be a sight! Now, she is very happy with the thought of a younger brother or sister. We find out in a few next week who's keeping me awake at night, using my bladder like a stress ball!

Sonya had her 3 year birthday party, and sadly this horrible parent has no pictures to show for it! My Dad and Robyn took pics and posted them on their blogs, so here are the addresses.

Robynitra.blogspot.com
gramdmathompson.blogspot.com

I was busy refereeing a fishing game, hide and seek with Bruce the shark, and cutting cookie cake for our Nemo party. Dad drew several characters that were put up for a more authentic movie feel. Sonya loved it. Can't believe she's 3, and changing so much everyday. Such a sponge she is. Currently, she is very into going to the library and getting books on whatever it is we have been talking about, such as Pocahontas, fish, and caterpillars. The burning question of the week was whether or not daddy kangaroos had pouches. And...no they don't.


Other occurrences these past few months started with a trip back to the Burg for a visit with the rents during our Spring Break. It included some snuggle time with Grammy and Grandpa,


story and play time with Tori and Jacob,


and a tea party with Meme and Grammy. I visited my old stomping grounds at Falmouth Elementary to see some ex colleagues and students. Some of my special ed kids recognized me, and I nearly shed a tear or two. The trip was a week and very relaxing for me, but it felt short.


Back at the home front, Sonya, Robyn, and I discovered the closest thing to our Maymont Park back in VA.


The UK Arboretum is one of the most beautiful settings in the city. They have flowers and trees there that will have in some sort of bloom for every season.


There are several types of gardens, including Italian, herb, tulip, and rose.


They also have a small coy pond.

There are so many little nooks and crannies, it was amusing to see the retirement community set up their lawn chairs in shady spots, enjoying leisure activities such as read, paint, or just gab to their friends.


We became so enamored with it that we visited it again the very next week with Grammy in tow.


Sonya discovered a little puppy that we could have stuck in our pocket and taken home, it was so small!



We hid her inside a weeping cherry tree,


stopped for a cookie snack,


and smacked some kisses with Robyn.


Robyn was a live-in aunt for 6 weeks, and we loved every minute of it. Sonya misses her lots now that she is hard at work in Florida, but we know she can't stay away from the Sonya sweetness for much longer!


The rest of our time is quickly being divided between play dates, swim class, gymnastics class, and anything else we can think to do.

Our kitties wait patiently at the door to enjoy the sunshine, although our Doodle mournfully cries after us since she is still house bound. The backyard has been transformed into a wonderland of toys, between her new playground, trampoline, sand table, and pool. Field Day is over, school is out, and it is finally hot. Now I can feel alive again.

In the Bleak of Winter

So I haven't blogged in a while. I am classic case of winter blues. I hate the cold. It seems to take over your very personality until everything you think about is just that: cold. This winter has been one of lock down. Schools have been out A LOT, for anything from flue epidemic, snow, ice, and the fact that Georgetown has no snowplows willing to enter subdivisions. Very odd. That did not stop Sonya from getting out there in her Christmas Story snowsuit. Mommy watched from the window. As of this morning, we had several inches dumped on us (and when I say several, I mean more than usual for us Southerners, like 3-4ish). Daddy and Sonya escaped into the drifts for the making of snow angels, romping with Finn,


and rides on a makeshift sled that Daddy crafted from a trash can top and rope (such a Macgyver he is!).


Tasha and I were content to remain indoors, but poor Snickerdoodle was longingly gazing out the window at the freedom she may never really taste.


The confinement has afforded us an opportunity though, an opportunity to truly potty train. Ah yes, the bane of my existence. I think when it is time for the next one, we will request a built-in knowledge of that all too essential talent. Hope that feature isn't too expensive. Sonya has finally taken to it, with a combination of positive and negative consequences. Thank God for PEZ and Disney princess underpants! She is a champ, and I feel like she will truly be fully there close to her birthday.

As hinted to earlier in this blog, you may notice that there has been a new addition to the household. With the loss of Doc and my own Finn exiled (mostly, I'm such a softy!) to the great outdoors for thinking that the house was a giant litter box, there was a hole that needed to be filled. So, the week after we arrived home from Disney, we started searching. Sonya and I found our adorable little orange tabby at the local shelter, and it was all over. I was searching for a name for our little gal, like Rasha or Nala, since we were still on the Disney kick. Nope, Sonya announced that the kitten needed a "cookie name." The first one out of my mouth was Snickerdoodle,


and that was what she was dubbed. Good thing I didn't say oatmeal raisin. She has been the sweetest thing, playing side by side with Sonya, snuggling with her, and stealing all her ponytail holders! She has made our older cats young again, and has slid in seamlessly into the natural make-up of our family dynamic.


I think we may just be a cat family, but we will leave that to further speculation.

The only large project that we have endeavored to achieve this winter has been the eradication of THE YELLOW. If any of you have ever visited our house, YOU KNOW what we are talking about. For those of you who haven't, check out our first blog in January 07 and you will see it. We lived in a sandbox for a year, with the walls being, as I fondly coined it, "baby poop yellow." The WHOLE HOUSE.


We took it upon ourselves to paint everything you could see from the living room, including the upstairs hallway. After staring at paint swatches for an hour, B and I decided on a cool palette of white, super light blue, chocolate brown, and a pool blue.


Robyn calls it "baby boy blue", but we love it. There is also a hint of a soft yellow on the insets of the windows. Subtle detail.

Sonya was able to help paint, and her creative process was amusing to watch.





The chocolate brown was so real to her that she asked Daddy if she could taste it! We gave her a space to paint and a cup of paint, and she went to town. Of course, there was paint everywhere, but she kept it off the floor! She turned to me while painting one day and said,"Mommy, I'm not painting a glove." Ok, I think, it's your prerogative, do what you wanna do. But then I realized. I had been telling her to spread out her paint and not paint in a "glob" on the wall.

Toddler's interpretation was "glove." Funny!

Breaker Chic Bash in San An

I had the fortunate opportunity to chill with my home girls from high school, circa 1990-1994, in San Antonio, Texas, the weekend following our Disney trip. Leaving Sonya safely in my hubby's hands (he's the real maternal one in the relationship!), I flew to the great state of six flags to be greeted by a car full of screaming girls.


You wouldn't naturally think that would be my style, being the tomboy and all, but as I stepped past the baggage claim of the airport, I passed through this strange vortex that morphed me into my closet high school self. This girl that jumped up and down, hugging the others, is apparently the girl I wished I could have been back in the day, and it was amazing to be that silly ex-cheerleader (Oh yes, Soul Beat, Baby) among friends who get it.


Now many of you may be wondering,"Uhh, Missy was homeschooled. How does that work?" True, so true, 3rd-12th (thank you Mom and Dad!). Fortunately for my girls and I, we had parents not only dedicated to shaping a Christian world view that would last the test of temptation and time, they also saw the need for socialization opportunities, athletics to participate in, and being a kid around other kids doing kid stuff.


That is how I met Sara P., Sarah Nattergirl, and Robyn S. We all cheered together, went to prom together, sang in the choir together, talked about boys together, had each other's backs together, and the beat goes on.

Sara P. was our rock, and for some still is. Life revolved around her house for so many events, she was the planner, coordinator, listener, even keel with an encouraging word and a shoulder to cry on. Good thing too, since now she plans events at a swanky hotel in downtown San An.


Sarah Nattergirl was the beach girl, into the music scene, every guy's dream, and she so didn't know it and didn't show it. She was that girl that everybody wanted to be friends and everybody could. High energy, in a good way, always had fun with. Robyn was the new girl that caught all of us at the perfect time. As an upcoming sophomore playing on the boy's soccer team, I was starting to get a bit bored with being the only tomboy/sporty girl, and here comes Robyn. Finally, a kindred athletic spirit, driven and loyal, feistier than me!

Makes me wonder what they might describe me as. Sporty, sure, tomboy, sure, but what else? I felt like a wallflower during high school, at least around the girls, so I hung with the guys alot. Hmmm... me in high school through my friend's eyes...


The weekend was a swirl of current stories of our lives since the Breaker Babe era: marriage, kids for some of us, sad stories of divorce of selves or parents for others, or the perpetual world of career and wading through the single life for that magic that you know is of God (it is out there, Sara, don't lose hope!). Then the memories just flooded back. We ended up doing cheers into the night, aided by a few glasses of wine, and playing ,"Ok, how many of us really kissed Michael Gard??!"


Between movies and meals, a tour of downtown San Antonio






(amazing architecture, the Riverwalk was a portion of the San Antonio River diverted and kept immaculately clean, so picturesque, a Spanish Riviera if you will),

the Alamo,





stuffing ourselves in a photo booth as we hit the height of our regained impulsiveness, it was if we were better friends than I ever remembered.


High school is such a bubble, and wading through trials of maturity and hormones can drive any teenager to the edge. How thankful we all felt to have had that haven of friendship to be real, even if it wasn't completely until now. A lot of my misconceptions of people were shattered after that weekend, and I only hope we are able to stay as close as we felt those 2 days. It all ended so quickly, and on such a strong note. We were able to attend church together, at Max Lucado's church! Yeah, the service was great, but for me, it was the rapture of voices that swept me away into a face to face worship with a God that crutched me with strong Christian friends, willingly carrying me through a very gray time. I know who I am now, and I can stand beside these girls with pride of my attachment to them, and gratitude for their Maker who placed them there, refining me into who I sam now.

The Wonderful World of...

Well, here I am, finally blogging about our amazing trip to Disney. The Thomas family took of from chilly Cincinnati on December 30 and landed in Orlando, ready for balmy, humid weather and memories to keep forever. Mom and Dad had a timeshare in Kissimee, roomy enough for each of us (including me and Brandon, Sonya, Mom and Dad, Robyn, Treva, and Treva's boyfriend Josh) to have our own room. It was quite comfortable, and as soon as we were all in the same room, the planning and scheming to see every inch began. Of course I already had several possible itineraries, contingent upon crowds, weather, and the general mood of little Sonya. Overplanned to be sure!


We spent our first day (Monday, December 31) at Animal Kingdom, since it was New Year's Eve, and we would be fighting crowds everywhere. It was a smart choice, no crowds for the entirety of the morning, leaving us ample time to enjoy the Festival of the Lion King show, in which we were had to be lions in the show, take our first ride ever, on the Triceratops Spin (very similar to Dumbo), play in the Boneyard, and meet and greet with Mickey! Sonya wasn't real keen on talking to the characters, but seeing them from afar was topic for much chatter in the following hours. Unfortunately, no pics of us and Mickey, one of my few complaints about Disney, their photographers are not very good. Since Sonya was still in sensory overload and sleepy from the travel the day before,


most of the day was spent strolling around observing the different animals in their enclosed habitats. The otters were so cute and playful, and the tigers were breathtaking. Sonya did enjoy climbing on what she declared a parysauralophus, and seeing Aladar, one of her favorite Disney characters from Dinosaur.


She said,"Mommy, this music is Aladar!," as the we approached the prehistoric lizard to its own soundtrack. Such keen ears! We ate at this great new restaurant in Asia called the Yak and Yeti, completely amused at Sonya's attempt at chopsticks! Our waiter was kind enough to give us a faspass (the only was to ride at Disney) to Mount Everest,


the coaster around the corner haunted by the Yeti, and with Dad's spy skills, he palmed the pass and we rode twice in 10 minutes!! Awesome first day.

Second day (Tuesday, January 1) we spent at Sea World. We saw many incredible animals, but among Sonya's favorites were the manatees,


puffins, and beluga whales (so serene and peaceful, almost ghostly to watch, we stayed at the exhibit for nearly 30 minutes). The puffins were very active, diving and zooming through the water, or staring at you through the glass for no particular reason, such personality. B and Sonya had some quality time going through the shark tunnel, and our lunch was in place on the other side of the glass, face to face with some toothy neighbors. We saw a couple shows, including the hilarious sea lions, and the larger than life orcas. B and I were a little disappointed with Shamu, but it left a big enough impression on Sonya that she chose a mother and baby orca to take home with her, compliments of her Aunt Treva. Even with all the animals to marvel at, Sonya's favorite time was at the climbing apparatus in the kid's section, climbing nets until her feet fell through the holes and then riding on Daddy's back like an arabian princess on her royal camel. So cute. Another successful yet exhausting day.

The third day (Wednesday, January 2) was the first day that went awry. The plan was to spend half a day at Epcot and the head to Magic Kingdom. Temperatures dropped so low that we stayed in Epcot for the duration, since most of attractions were inside. Record lows caused B to purchase a hat to take the chill off, but it gave is a chance to ride Nemo and Figment thrice, memories that Sonya will not soon forget.


Nemo was definitely one of Sonya's all time favorite things to do, and it was followed with something I will treasure forever, Turtle Talk with Crush! It was an interactive chat with the animated surfer dude from Nemo, and he actually talked to the kids! Strangely enough we spent a good portion of our time in Mouse Gear, a large store with all sorts of things kids of all sizes can get into. We had a fashion show of hats,




made Potato Heads, played with toys, and generally forgot that we were the adults in the group! While in England waiting for our table at the Rose and Crown, we ran into little Alice in Wonderland in a nearby toy store, and she was cordial enough to indulge Sonya in a concerned conversation about the location of Alice's cat. Sonya always seems more concerned about the absence of a sidekick than the presence of the lead character! We also saw Mary Poppins, Pooh, Tigger, and Eeyore. Good hotspot for characters. We ended the day back at the Kodak area beyond the Figment ride, getting pictures of the family swimming with the cast of Finding Nemo, as a token of appreciation to Mom and Dad for their generosity and an image of the favorite caption on Disney thus far.

For the first time since the trip began, the young adults started to get the hang of the schedule, and rebounded with enough energy in the evening to venture out after putting baby cakes to bed. Under the watchful eye of the grandparents, Sonya slumbered while Robyn, B, and I took a short trip to peruse Downtown Disney. Much to my dismay, we did not see the Cirque du Soleil that is in residence there, La Nouba. We had a riot in the Lego Imaginarium, marveling at the creations outside the store from people with way to much time on the hands. We also poised coyly alongside some of our favorite characters including Buzz and some princesses.


Brandon and I had been on a mission the entirety of the vacation to find the most obscure stuffed character we could find. Brandon's attempts included Jiminy Cricket, a woozle from Winnie the Pooh, and a hairy looking creature that wasn't immediately recognizable. Then... it came to me. It was a baby Chewbacca!!! I had to have, and it is now comfortably perched at my bedside.

On the fourth day (Thursday, January 3) of Disney, the Thomas family finally landed in the Magic Kingdom! Today was us and the rents, poor Robyn was sick, and Treva and Josh hit Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM). Another cold day forced us into a store for gloves, a blanket, and a windbreaker. Strangely enough, our first ride was It's a Small World! Yes, Pap was with us, it was a historic moment for him, as we only rode it one time in total, as opposed to the zillions of times he rode it with his elementary age daughters circa 1980something! The Pooh ride was next, another favorite if Sonya's, the Pooh playground followed. We hosted a tea party inside, with crumpets and honey, of course!


Peter Pan was next, and one of my personal favorites, simply because me and Pete, we go waaaaay back! While on Cinderella's Carousel, Brandon spotted memory of his own in the making: the sword from Sword in the Stone! No, he didn't win the inheritance of the throne of England, but the grin on his face as he gripped the hilt of the weapon was worth all that and more!


As if this much excitement wasn't enough, we ventured back over to Norway (inside the World Showcase of Epcot) to attend royal princess luncheon. Yes, they let me and Brandon in, as well as our nap deprived little one, to a decadent meal of munchies and crunchies. As we were dining, daddy's girl, Little Mermaid Ariel, came by to wish us well. Sonya was a bit shy, to be expected, but Ariel was kind enough to entertain us with conversation concerning the whereabouts of her best friend Flounder and her hunkie Prince Eric. We were also visited by Sonya's favorite Princess, Aurora (aka Sleeping Beauty),


Cinderella, and Jasmine. Sonya played shy with all of them, but once they were out of earshot, she entertained us with her versions of the encounters. We caught a glimpse of Belle from Beauty and the Beast as we were escorted from our table as well. Thanks Grandma for another memory we will not soon forget!

Friday (January 4) was a split day. The weather was gradually improving from the reported two coldest days in Disneyworld history! Robyn accompanied us to Hollywood Studios. Originally we were going to skill this park all together, but after Treva had scoped it out the day before, we thought we would check it out. So glad we did, since we saw Little Mermaid singing in a live show. Wandering around, we ran into several characters, and even though Sonya was excited to see them, I think her mommy was a bit red in the face when we met Buzz Lightyear!!! We also saw McQueen from Cars and the classic Disney characters. Our most fun time was climbing around on the set of Honey I Shrunk the Kids. It was larger than life, with enormous ants, blades of grass, a dog's nose the size of a car, and a can of Play-Doh! So glad we didn't skip that park, for even though there wasn't alot for kids Sonya's age, what was there was priceless.

Having a short morning gave us our first chance to return to the park in the afternoon for what proved to be in Sonya's top 3 list: the parade! Magic Kingdom's parade was exciting, nearly every major character you could think of, even the villains! Dopey came right up to Sonya, since we had front row seats, but she was so busy guzzling her chocolate milk that she didn't notice!! Having a second trip to Magic Kingdom gave us a chance to reride Pooh's ride (also in the top 3), spin in teacups with Roby,


and finally ride the much anticipated and much overrated Dumbo. Sonya and Robyn did have a grand time during our minute and a half flight that had followed an hour wait (longest line in the park, followed by Pooh at 25 minutes). We also stayed long enough to see Cinderella's castle light up the night sky


and be dazzled by the evening parade, with each float lit up like only Disney can.

Our final day of Disney was spent where it all began: Animal Kingdom. Love the symmetry of things. We revisited some favorite things such as the animal exhibits and Dinoland, but the first thing on the agenda was the one thing we hadn't done yet: the Kilimanjaro Safari. We had heard tales of Robyn being accosted by an ostrich, as it starred her down from the middle of the road on their voyage Monday morning. Sonya was on the lookout for such a beast, and we were met with so much more. From crocodiles, okapi (look it up, elegant relative of the giraffe), hippos, and cheetahs to the mainstays of African savannah life, elephants, giraffes, lions, and impalas.


We rode it twice in 30 minutes with nearly no wait! Gotta love faspass. Even though our favorite experiences out of all the parks had been the Nemo ride, we were reluctantly skipping Nemo the Musical, until our Pap scored us an amazing spot in the mile long line to enter the theater. We were 3 rows from the stage, and ended up merely feet from the actors and characters themselves. The theatrical ability to draw children into live theater makes you realize why Disney does what they do so well. The main actors carried large hand puppets of their characters that acted alongside their human counterparts. Mr. Ray was an actor on a bicycle, with the ray strewn overtop by stilts, flapping his wings as the person pedaled in. Crush was a huge turtle with the singer surfing his back, and Squirt was hanging and flipping from the ceiling! Needless to say, I was as entranced as Sonya, and after the show we immediately found the music to take home. Sonya already performs many numbers from the production, and will be putting out a solo album in the fall. Our last memorable moment was our lunch at Rainforest Cafe, in which we dined next to the gorillas, and somehow acquired a cheetah to accompany us home to remember the experience. He is fondly called...Mr. Cheetah.

Moment after moment, memory after memory, exhaustion and cramped legs


(yes, Dad, even I got tired, mostly from having to loop back around to corral everyone!) isn't even the beginning or the end of the time of our lives that we had at a truly magical place. It was so great to be with the whole family and spend some much needed Thompson time,


a rare a precious commodity. Anyone planning a trip, I have loads of advice, and no we do not plan to return until our kids are 52" and scare proof, sitting safely next to Mom and Dad on ALL the coasters!!!