Adulting: not as fun as it looks

It's been a bit of a nutty summer around here. While we are glad we bought a house, it came with a fair share of issues, which have caused me a fair share of stress, creating a whole new set of issues.

1). Stress + Christine = physical ailments/trips to the doctor! Maybe I'll get into the details in a later post. Apparently I'm fine, but do have some anxiety.

2). Shortly after we moved in to the new place we discovered that the fridge had been leaking water. It permeated the wall and the floor behind the fridge, resulting in moldy carpet and a potentially moldy wall. We worked quickly to remove the carpet and install new flooring, thanks to the in-laws. Only after most of the work was done did someone ask us about home insurance...being first-timers with a house and home insurance, it never crossed our mind. That whole situation was extremely stressful to me, and grew to an even more intense situation when we discovered a few weeks later that the cupboard next to the fridge was filled with mold and rotting away. $

That's all fixed now. I don't want to talk about it anymore. $

3). The week between mold discovery and mold removal/wall replacement the AC quit working in the middle of the night. It gets hot around here, so it was an issue. $

4). The day of the boys' birthday party, the doorknob came off in Justin's hand. It just came right off. $

5). For about a week we thought Justin might be diabetic, based on results from blood work done at his annual check up. However, after repeat blood work, we were informed he is no where near being diabetic; that he must have simply had an outstandingly sweet breakfast the morning before his first draw. Sheesh!

6). It's monsoon season in Arizona. You may have seen some pictures on various weather media showing the dust storms, also called haboobs, roll through. They're usually accompanied by thunder, lightning and rain -- intense rain -- and, of course, wind -- strong, gusty wind. There are usually flash-flood warnings because ground is so hard and so dry the rain has no where to go. You may remember the floods that devastated Mesa and other areas last year.

We've been hit by a monsoon almost every night for a week. It was so windy Saturday, the large Mesquite tree in our front yard was uprooted and fell directly on top of BOTH our cars. Yep, both. I rarely leave my car outside, but had moved it out to gain more space for painting the hutch. $

Justin's car is a work car, but we are still responsible for the deductible. $

Friendly neighborhood folk came by throughout the night to alert us to the downed tree. Another neighbor brought over his chainsaw in the morning to help free our rides, and a friend came later in the morning to help move the wood away, finish freeing the cars and clear off the driveway.

We're grateful no one was outside and we're very thankful the tree didn't hit our house. I'm even more grateful the cars are drivable and the repairs aren't enough to total our car (read: I don't want a new car payment right now).

7). To top it all off, though, my hairdryer started smoking Monday morning. $

Adulting isn't all it's cracked up to be. I guess Billy Madison was right when he said to a little third-grade boy who was eager to grow up and go to high school that he should, "Stay here. Stay as long as you can. For the love of God, cherish it. You have to cherish it."

On a more serious and important note, however, I was reminded in all this by a dear friend that we are to "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work in you so you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." -- James 1:2-4.

Man, oh man, did I need to be reminded of that in the midst of all these trials!

I was (ok, I am) having trouble considering all these things pure joy, but I am so grateful I serve a God who knows every hair on my head, who graciously offers a peace that passes understanding, who upholds me with his righteous right hand and who says, "fear not, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God, I will strengthen you and help you!" -- Isaiah 41:10.

I need all a lot of strength and peace these days, that's for sure.

With that said, we should highlight some good news:

1). As of yesterday, we are officially out of our lease in our last rental. Whew! 2). The boys are healthy, Justin and I are healthy and 3). we are blessed with amazing friends and neighbors. 4). We're thankful for family who call to check in on us, pray for us and 5). even offer to fly down and help out the day the tree fell on our car (my bro Joe is pretty neat).

In other good news, 6). Emmett's enlarged kidney has officially decreased in size to a normal range so he has officially graduated from regularly scheduled urologist appointments. Yay! 7). He also seems to have outgrown his cow's milk protein, corn, soy and who-knows-what allergies. No more bloody poop! He's eating all regular food now and we aren't avoiding anything.

8). We've been blessed with the opportunity to buy our own house and make it a home!

I suppose the good does outweigh the bad! If you think of us, please pray for us!

PS -- All things happening at once has reminded us of September 2010 when both our cars were in accidents the same week, followed by Justin getting rear-ended five days later in the rental car he was driving while his car was being repaired! Hopefully that's all for now, for later and for a long time!

Update on Life

Boo!

Did I scare you with a new post?

I know it's been a while, but we BOUGHT A HOUSE so things have been a little busy.

I wrote the following family update in April to send along as a substitute for our absence at the Gin-Loo, a family gathering named after my grandma (Nanny) Virginia (shortened to Gin), and her twin sister Looie (real name Lois). A little more name trivia...their baby sister, my Great Aunt Pat, was actually named Florence, but having been born on St. Patrick's Day, she was always called Pat.

And now you know.

I thought I'd share the update here as it more or less encompasses everything I've simply not posted here. I've left out some details, such as names of businesses, but if you know us, then you can fill in the details for yourself.

Enjoy!

Hello to all Gin-Looers! We're sorry to miss the gathering, but Justin and I have recently decided to try Adulting. It's true; we've put on our big-boy pants and are buying a house. No, that doesn't necessarily mean we'll be in Arizona for a long time, it simply means we've decided it's time we had a place of our own.

Justin is still working for the same large retailer, covering all the stores in the state of Arizona. He still occasionally oversees his old district, extending from eastern Washington over northern Idaho and all of Montana. It keeps him busy, to say the least! Justin received, in March, a regional recognition at a conference, an award for which he wasn't present to receive as he was off earning his daddy of the year award -- an honor bestowed upon him for his coming to my rescue when the boys and I were all struck with a terrible stomach bug (a bug which Justin himself suffered the previous week/inflicted upon the family in the first place). 

I, Christine, am thankful for Justin's hard work, which allows me to stay at home with the boys. I do still work a few hours a week for the specialty foods and produce grocer for which I did marketing in California. The market has allowed me to stay on as recipe developer and (amateur) food photographer since 2012, seeing me through two sessions of maternity leave, as well as our moves to Washington and Arizona.

Rolin, who has been dubbed Relentless Rolin, is a full-blown 2-year-old with a passion for popsicles, the library, playing with the neighbor kids, the outdoors, "Big Hero 6," rocks, "Uptown Funk," bicycles and popsicles. Did I mention popsicles? If I didn't, he will. And then he will again. Someone give that kid a popsicle already! Wait, he already had one today? Yes. Well, he'll ask again for one within the hour anyway, and he won't care what you have to say about it. Either way, the rule is one popsicles a day, OK? 

Rolin can act bashful at times, but won't hold back once he's warmed up. He has a happy personality and is usually game for going with the flow. He talks a mile a minute and constantly surprises us with new words and phrases. This zealous boy is chomping at the bit to play with brother Emmett, while Emmett seems perfectly happy to sit and smile whilst Rolin screams, "Baby Emmett!!" in his face and pokes at his eyes. Emmett nearly outweighs Rolin, however, so I'm sure Emmett will have his payback one of these days.

Sweet 9-month-old Emmett is now pushing four teeth all at once, but is taking it like a champ. He already has two bottom teeth; the newcomers are all on the top. He's nearly crawling, and there is money on the table saying he'll be completely mobile by the time of the Gin-Loo. Emmett, too, has a cheerful, go-with-the-flow disposition (thank you, God!), and is usually happy to share a big gummy grin with anyone who offers him a grin first. Though he's had his fair share of ailments, from a slightly enlarged kidney to a cow's milk and soy protein allergy, and from the dreaded RSV to a terrible stomach bug, he is overall in good health and we couldn't be more grateful. He has, however, given my mama heart a good workout! 

If you want more updates, check out our family blog: theteamthompson.blogspot.com. This blog, unfortunately, has been neglected as of late, but not without good reason. Yes, some of you have more than two children, and, yes, I'm sure that makes you feel more crazy and busy than people with only two children, but two is still enough to make me feel like I'm living in crazy town/slowly turning into the Wicked Witch of the West. As a result, my bloginess isn't as blogful these days. Hey, if someone asked you for a popsicle at least 27 times a day, you might feel the same. I'm sure my updates will become more frequent soon. Well, maybe as soon as I'm done reading the "Outlander" series. 

Please feel free to come visit us anytime! 

Our love to you all,

Christine, Justin, Rolin & Emmett

Thompson visit -- April 2015

Lee and Karen came down to visit during their spring break!

They arrived the day before Easter, so it was nice to have family around for the celebration. We went to church in the morning and then to a friend's house for brunch, complete with a bit of swimming. It is Arizona, you know!

The Thompson men!

Cute!

Grammy, Rolin, Justin, Lee and Emmett. Only Rolin and Emmett's outfits were planned, the rest just happen to match beautifully!

Thanks to cousin Maggie, the boys had cute matching Easter shirts this year :)

Emmett and me after church. Love those teeth!

Please get your sunglasses ready for this next picture....my skin...it reflects light. 

I was the designated swimming adult...that's about all the further Rolin and I got in the water...it was chilly in the pool! 

Daddy and his boys. And a garbage can. 

Back at home, grammy and Rolin played egg hunt over and over and over. 

Rolly, me and Emmett. And a garbage can. 

We generally go on a little adventure when parents are in town; this time we returned to the Tonto Natural Bridge, about a two-hour drive north of us. Justin, Rolin, Emmett and I had been in October...Rolin may only be two, but he has an impressive memory and talks about the "cave" all the time, so we knew we had to go back. We also knew it was a place the Thompsons would like to explore!

Looking through the hole, you can see light on the other side -- it's not a cave, but a bridge. You can walk right over the top of the arch/hole, and we did!

It's a long, tricky hike to the bottom, but we all made it. Lee was a champ/hero and carried Emmett in the hiker pack all the way down and up, then down and up again on the other side. I worked with Rolin, who was also a champ, even though his little legs turned into cooked spaghetti noodles near the bottom.

Hiking down side 1.

Down near the water at the bottom. 

Rolin and I were hiking partners. 

Karen and I helping Rolin down a large boulder. 

Taking a breather at the bottom.

Underneath one side of the bridge at the bottom. The water is very clear!

Heading up side 2.

The rest of the week was filled with house hunting (yes, we're looking to buy a house!!!) and playing outside in the warm weather (before it gets too hot).

We also toured the Thompsons around Sun City in the hopes of encouraging them to buy a retirement home in sunny AZ with the rest of the snowbirds. To help with the luring, we stopped at my parents' new place for lunch and a tour of their rec center.

Hanging out at the Casa de Emerson II in Sun City. 

A special thanks to Grammy and Grandpa for watching the kiddos when Justin and I went out to visit houses. We also had a date night! We hope you can make it back down again soon. 

More Vacation Fun

A few more shots from our family vacation on the Oregon Coast: 

"Makin' a cake!" with daddy.

Sandy boys.

Beach bum. 

Never a dull moment with this kid!

Proposal Rock

Rolin wasn't much up for standing in the giant shark mouth. Can't say I blame him!

Breakfast at The Cafe on Hawk Creek. 

Sea stars at the aquarium. 

Magnet fishing at the aquarium.

Hurricane simulator at the aquarium. Rolin was...well...confused:

We had packed a picnic lunch, but, in true Oregon-Coast style, it was pouring rain during lunch time. We made the best of it in the car!

On our way back to Washington at the end of the week, we stopped at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Ore. It's a HUGE complex, made up of several buildings. The Spruce Goose is there, along with quite a bit of air and space exploration paraphernalia. It took us about three hours to get through what we could before they were closing up shop, but it would be easy to spend an entire day or two there, if you're really in to aviation and space (like any wife and mom of two boys should be, I (now) understand). 

Rolin got to ride solo -- meaning by himself and as the only one on the ride -- in this neat airplane ride. They had the area roped off as there was a field trip happening, but upon seeing little Rolly, the older gentleman in charge of guarding the area offered to let Rolin in for a little fun. He was all smiles the whole time!

We ended our week at Justin's grandma's house for an early Mother's Day celebration. It was fun to finally see everyone all in one place!

Out of Africa Adventures

When Justin's parents visited in April, we headed north to the Grand Canyon (you can read about that here). On the way home, we stopped at a wildlife park called Out of Africa. It is not similar to a zoo at all, except for the fact there are wild animals for your viewing enjoyment.

It's much more spread out and all animals are in an open space. Here are a few pics from our trip:

Rolin got to feed a giraffe!

Then the giraffe came on our bus!

"Yo, what's up?"

Rolin wanted to see this rhino up close, so I took him over there and lifted him swiftly up to pose for a pic on the rhino's nose (bridge?). That's when Rolin flipped out...it hadn't occurred to me he might think this statue was a real rhino. Oops! I felt like such a schmuck after I figured out why he was so upset. After some reassuring, he was ok with the rhino. Whew!

A highlight of the park is the tiger play area. Park workers get inside a huge cage with two live tigers to, you know, just play around with them as if they were house cats. 

Tug-of-war with TIGERS.

Tigers in the pool:

A pretty white tiger enjoying some sun. 

Grandpa was again a champ for carting Rolin around all day. 

Washington trip

I forgot to mention previously we met up with some buddies the first day we landed in Spokane. We grabbed some lunch and ice cream at one of our favorite old haunts on the South Hill, The Scoop, then hit up Cannon Hill Park to let the boys run around a bit before we strapped Rolin in the car for the trip to Grandview. Baby Jack and baby Rolin used to spend a lot of time at Cannon Hill Park, but they were never able to walk on their own, for they were just babes at the time. Jill and I did quite a few walks around that park, so it was especially fun to see Rolin and Jack running around, chasing each other and looking for ducks in the pond. 

The boys talking about good ol' days at the park.

Jack, Jill, Rolin and me looking for ducks near the pond.

Jack and Rolin at the park:

We spent a few days in Grandview before and after our beach trip. Rolin loved running free at Grandpa and Gigi's the week we stayed with them in Washington. I think his favorite part was he could get someone to take him outside any time he made the request. It wasn't too hot to go outside and there was always a grandparent willing to open the door and follow him outside. I can't believe it's almost been two months since we were there!

We got to see quite a few relatives while in town. He relished all the attention from grandparents, aunt, uncles and cousins (second cousins, but cousins all the same). 

Playing catch with the ladies.

Posing for a pic with Aunt Brianna and Uncle Joe (after a rousing game of wrestling on the couch pillows with Uncle Joe). 

Riding the rocking horse that we used to ride as kids! He kept saying, "Cowboy! Yeeeeeeeha!"

Helping Gigi at the flower nursery.

If you hang around long enough at Gigi and Grandpa's, you'll want to join in on the yard work. 

Checking out Grandpa's tractor.

"Cowboy!"

Rolin has been pretending a lot more these days. The following video was one of the first few times he did some pretending with one his stuffed friends. Here are Rolin and tiger, sharing a little peanut butter toast with berries:

Rolin pretends to feed his tiger:

Grandpa and Rolin also had several pool noodle fights. We have some noodles at our house now too, so if you hear his war cry coming from behind you, be sure to prepare to defend yourself!

Rolin vs. Grandpa, Round I