Category: Family (Page 3 of 13)

Puppy Love

05/09/2009 / Blake

So there’s a new addition to the Thompson household. Yesterday my wife went to the gym for a quick workout. She called me before she got inside to tell me there is a lady giving away cute puppies in the parking lot and can we get one? She asked an impulsive question, and I responded with an impulsive “Yes!”

So she comes home w/ a puppy in a box. We were going to surprise the girls. They were sitting at the end of the driveway. So I walk out there with the box and ask them if the garbage man was coming today. They said no. I sigh and say I guess I’ll have to leave this box out by the road until the trash collector comes on Tuesday. Of course the wanted to look in the box. And they found this:

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So we’ll see if this little cocker spaniel survives two very “hands on” little girls. He whined and cried off and on last night. For some reason my wife brought the dog home, but I was the one who took him out the most.

So I Really Screwed Up

03/26/2009 / Blake

Last time my daughter had a soccer game we all got ready as a family to go to the game. She got her uniform on and we all loaded up in the van. We get there and park close to the field, so I tell Addie to run on over to the field while I get her baby brother out of the car seat and everything. So she runs on over while I follow behind. And her mom and sister are bringing up the rear. I get there and notice they’re already playing. Huh?

They must have started early, because it was only 6:08. The game started at 6:15, right? Addie gets in the game but soon the last whistle blows and it turns out that the game started at 5:30. OUCH! How did I make such a mistake? So after appologizing profusely we go to a local park and play a bit before coming home. Man, she was disappointed, and I felt likc crap.

So after a week off with Spring Break we had another game last night. I double checked the time. Yes, it’s at 6:15. Addie asked me if I was sure. “Yes, I’m sure, honey” was what I told her. And I was.

So we get to the fields again and I tell her to run on over. She asked if they’d started already. I told her that it was just the game before finishing up. We’re a little early. But we get over to the sideline…and they’re eating their post game snacks. WHAT!?! Again? Holy moly! How do I screw things up like this? I even double checked the schedule this time.

So you can imagine how low I felt. To know your seven year old was disappointed last time because she didn’t get to play soccer after getting all into her uniform and driving out to the soccer complex. To be ready to have fun and have her parents watch her. And then to realize it was all for nothing. And it was ME that realized I’d caused this disappointment in my daughter. Again.

That really sucked.

The New Baby

02/04/2009 / Blake

Sunday night while I was at a Super Bowl party with some folks from church, Sarah was getting ready to have her daughter over in Tupelo. And before we knew it, Sawyer Belle Ward was born. A huge congratulations to Pat and Sarah. I think they’re actually returning home right now after a couple of nights in the hospital.

But my daughters were staying with my mom for a few days. And they were asking lots of questions about the baby and if she’d be born yet. My mom was looking on Pat’s blog to see if there was any update there. Alas, he’d not updated there yet eschewing for the other technologies of Twitter and Facebook. But my mom did find this picture on Pat’s TwitPic page. My mom called the girls over and said, “Look, this must be Pat & Sarah’s new baby…”

sawyer

Ella, my four year old, stared at it for about two minutes. Looking hard at the picture. Then she said, “It doesn’t look much like Sarah, but it’s a cute baby I guess.”

Addie Got A Camera

01/13/2009 / Blake

Last Monday we ordered Addie’s camera from Amazon.com. She checked the mail a few times a day every day (even on Sunday). She was so anxious. Especially after the package tracker said that it was supposed to be picked up from Memphis on Tuesday. That is only about 70 miles away.

But it never looked like it was going to come. So I come home from work yesterday and a shrieking seven year old is squealing, “Daddy! Daddy! My camera came! It came in today!” We go inside and see that yes indeed it came, but no one had figured out how to put the batteries in or anything else. It feels good to be needed in this family.

So she has gone nuts with it. She has taken TONS of pics but deleted tons too. She does some self cataloging it seems. But we’ve gotta make sure of what she’s taking pictures of too. Some things don’t need to be put out there: dirty underwear in the floor, her baby brother getting his diaper changed, her mom while she’s sleeping!

But soon she’ll be wanting to show friends and family what she’s creating. So we’re trying to figure out the best way right now. Any suggestions, let me know.

One year ago today

01/03/2009 / Blake

A year ago today I started my work at The Orchard in Oxford. It was a pretty large change for the life of my family. We’d spent just over three years in Clinton working in the youth ministry of FUMC. We liked it there. Wasn’t looking for any reason at all to move. But when Pat spoke to me one day about possibly coming to help plant the church in Oxford…it just seemed right.

Yes, even Oxford felt right. Not the red and blue aspects of it. But what I would be doing and who I would be doing it with. And at the time I didn’t realize that I’d be living in my dad’s basement for five months or that gas prices would get so crazy. Nor did I anticipate the chore of finding a house in Oxford. But after looking back on that first day here in Oxford lots has happened.�

As I said in the last post, I’m going to put together a few thoughts from the last year into upcoming blog posts.

I think I’ve learned quite a bit the last 12 months. But I realize how much more I need to learn, study, and apply myself. I see where God has worked, but I see lots of opportunities to partner even more deeply with God in serving Oxford and Lafayette County.

Happy New Year!

01/01/2009 / Blake

Well, it’s another year. I woke up and didn’t really feel any different. I still wondered if Jack Bauer was going to find Habib in time (watching season 4 right now). I didn’t feel any older or wiser. I was still as inflexible as I was yesterday. But I decided to do a little something about my inactivity over the past year.

While living in Clinton I went to the YMCA at least now and then. But I was no stranger to the place. And I ran some now and then around the neighborhood too. Even ran a few races here and then. But since moving to Oxford in late May I’ve been a sloth. And I’ve noticed a difference the past few days. So I’m not one into resolutions and all, but I realize something needed to change. So I decided I’d wait til January 1 to start running again. And I did.

I didn’t run very far. But I took Addison with me so I wouldn’t have to make an excuse for going short and slow. But she impressed me. She looked like she was going to get tired, so i told her if she ran alllllllll the way to the next stop sign w/o stopping she would earn $2. I didn’t think she’s make it, but she made the corner. There was no stop sign there, but I assured her she’d get the two bucks. But as we were walking the rest of the way home catching our breath (she seemed to be racing me to the corner) she all of a sudden said “I’ll beat you home!” and took off. Wow!

I caught her and ran with her all the while encouraging her. I want her to see some things that she can enjoy and be good at. I don’t know if she likes running or just beating me at something, but I let her do both. Funny thing is she almost didn’t go running at all because we made her wear her sweat suit in the cold wind. She thought her clothes looked silly and thought people would be watching out of their windows at her running in “silly clothes”. But I convinced her to drop that concern and just RUN!

So as 2009 starts I realize that I need to just go forward with some things/ideas of my own and not worry about if anyone is watching or if they think I’m silly or goofy … but if there’s something I want to do or feel called to do … then GO FOR IT. I know that there are so many cliches I could give to try to spur me on, but safe to say …I know I should.

So, there are a few specific things I might reveal soon that I want to get better at in the coming days. Also a few “best of ’08” posts as well. But safe to say that blogging more regularly is something I want to get better at as well.

Peace.

Christmas Morning

12/26/2008 / Blake

Here’s a quick video made w/ Gawker. Make sure you watch the dog.

A Quick Christmas Look from Blake Thompson on Vimeo.

Is Santa coming to your house?

12/24/2008 / Blake

This past week or so I’ve had a few conversations and read a few blogs (1 & 2)about whether I/we should tell our kids that Santa Clause is real or not. Early on, before our first kid was old enough to even talk I’d heard the idea that telling kids that Santa is real, that he’s always watching, that he has super natural powers, and will bring good gifts to us if we are nice instead of naughty can be damaging. Damaging if you line it up next to telling children that Jesus is real, always watching, loves us, and gives His grace and mercy even though we’re undeserving.

But what happens to a kid’s mind when they grow older and realize that the whole Santa thing has been a ruse and that their parents had been pulling their leg about this guy? Will they start to question the validity of the Jesus guy as well if the Santa guy reality is blown out of the water? On one hand it makes sense, but then again, I know plenty of people who love and believe in Jesus, but thought Santa was real earlier too. So I don’t know.

But the perceived dilemma was solved for us when our oldest was deathly afraid of Santa early on. Now she knows he’s not real. And she doesn’t try to tell other kids that he’s not real. I’m not sure where our 2nd one is on Santa. She’s never asked either way. But we’ve decided not to “lie” to our kids by telling them that Santa is real. A lot of people will probably think we’re scrooges for that. Especially family.

But I was surprised by a few conversations where I found similar thinking. And then I saw a series of blog posts called “Giftless Christmas” by Shaun Groves. Really eye opening. Counter culture. And cool at the same time. I know that Christmas Eve might not be the time to sit down and read through four posts, but I encourage you to read it at some point if you have children.

Shaun Grove: Slaying Santa Clause Shaun Grove: Going Giftless Pt. 1
Shaun Grove: Going Giftless Pt. 2
Shaun Grove: Going Giftless Pt. 3
Shaun Grove: Going Giftless Pt. 4

So.. What happens at your house? Do your (or will your) kids believe in the whole Santa Clause thing?

Christmas is coming. The goose is getting fat…

12/19/2008 / Blake

Hard to believe that Christmas is almost here. Only 6 more days. I think most of the pre-Christmas errands are done. Only one or two quick trips to make to tie up a few loose ends. This year The Wife and I bought each other a dining room table for Christmas. I like it a lot, but I don’t think it will play any XBox 360 games or double as a HDTV. But we’ll see.

We haven’t really gotten Rowan anything. He’ll only be 9 months at Christmas. He’s a baby; what does he care? Some people think that’s a horrible way to think. But we never really got any of the kids anything for their first Christmas. Actually Addison was only 6 months old and Ella was barely a month old. And of course the grandparents took up any slack. But before your first birthday you are much more interested in the wrapping paper than what is actually inside the box.

But along those same lines, I think it’s much easier to buy a gift for a 7 year old than a 4 year old. Personality and preferences have developed much more by then, so my seven year old can tell me more of what she wants. I’ll ask my four year old and she’ll offer up one or two suggestions, and then start telling what she wants for other people to have. In some ways I see that frustrating grandparents because they want to “get her something” that she’ll like. But I think it is sort of refreshing that she doesn’t have this huge list of things that she wants. She’s just happy to play with what she’s got. In fact, whatever her big sister wants is what she wants. Because she really would like to be like her big sister. And Christmas shouldn’t be about what we get anyhow, right?

Christmas this year will be different. We live a lot closer to all the family. So instead of driving 3+ hours from Clinton to make a North Mississippi Tour, we’re only 35 min away at the closest and 75 at the furthest. So that means I’ll be able to sleep in my own bed each night. But even when we drove longer distances I always made it a point to have my family in our beds on Christmas Eve. Some disagreed with me, but I felt it was important.

A tradition we’ve had the past few years might get tested. In years past since we were in Clinton on Christmas Eve because of attending church services, we’d always get some Pizza Hut carryout for our Christmas Eve supper. Not sure what will happen this time though. Might be back to LASAGNA at my grandmothers.

But a new year. A new routine. But hopefully not a loss of what Christmas is all about.
picture-2

Hmmm. Here we go again

12/12/2008 / Blake

During my absence I’ve been quite busy.

Yes, life has kept me on my toes with a few Christmas parties and family duties. But the main thing that has seemed to be on my mind was the coaching search at MSU. And after the “resigning” of Coach Croom the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the whole Bulldog Nation has been astir. But two days ago it seems we finally put the rumors and speculation to rest in the hire of Dan Mullen.

So maybe now my life can go back to semi-normal. I won’t have to be checking the message board and blogs and twitter feeds quite as religiously. It seemed I was a hawk for information, and a purveyor of it as well. I’d have people telling and asking info a lot. Now I guess we just figure out who the rest of the coaching staff and signees will be!

But that was partly to blame for the absence. The other parts were just staying busy with a family of five in the midst of holidays. Fun stuff. But I’m really looking forward to it. The tree is up, gifts are under the tree, some more gifts need to be bought, and weight is being put on I think.

But I’m back to blogging again. My wife checks here often and tells me “When are you going to post something new!?!, so I expect to flex the blogging muscles as we plow through the holidays and into a new year.