NEW DAY, NEW BLOG,

http://ourgoodideas.blogspot.com/

I need to update the blog.

Odd?

I guess my boys could like stranger things...
(I think Baysil is going to love this too).

Sick Day

Our little Hank is sick today. He's got a stuffy nose, a small fever, and I'm guessing a bad sore throat from the way his cough sounds. He woke up, drank some apple juice and was back to sleep. I hate it when my boys are sick. However, at the same time, I love the excuse to stay home all day! I'm going to bake bread and clean out my fridge. I'm NOT looking forward to cleaning the fridge. I DO enjoy grinding wheat and baking bread.

Happy Valentine's Day

From us to you, Happy St. Valentine's Day! We're certainly feeling the love here. Yesterday Tyler brought home 15 white and red tulips from Pike's, along with a SUBSTANTIAL gift card to these restaurants. He 'won' the gift card at work, but really he earned it. This morning I made all the men in my life heart shaped pancakes. Hank loved it. Mack requested, "No. No pictures please." Sorry, I didn't take a picture of Tyler. He was looking TOO good and I just didn't want to share him (plus he was sportin' bed head and PJ's?).

We've got a lovely day ahead of us: Meeting up with Nathan and Amy at the Pacific Science Center to watch an IMAX. Dinner will be heart shaped meatloaf at home and then Tyler and I are going to the Orchestra. Followed by some kind of fancy restaurant dessert. Love is in the air!
(I would like to defend this cheesy post by pointing out that it is Valentine's Day, and therefore mushy, cliche posting is perfectly acceptable.)

Who's In?

I just saw this project over at Apartment Therapy. I really want to try it. Anyone else want to give it a shot with me sometime in the near future? I have NO idea where I'd put the darn thing...

For the last two nights in a row, it has snowed at our house. It is snowing a little bit right now, and I LOVE it! We woke up Mack last night to play in it, and he was an absolute pill to put back to sleep. Maybe we'll try again in a few years so he's hopefully old enough to remember "that one time when my awesome parents woke me up to play in the snow".

Henry's ONE!

Henry on his birthday morning, stealing his brother's toys.

I know we've got our share of updating to cover, but I thought I'd start with the most important. Henry celebrated his 1st birthday back in December. What you didn't get an invitation? Don't worry. We've decided to throw Henry a party on his half birthday. Two days after Christmas is too crazy (plus we were out of town). I figure we'll keep celebrating his half birthday until he's old enough to decide for himself. Besides, what kid wouldn't want two birthdays?
Since we were at my parents house, we celebrated Henry's 1st birthday the same way as Mack's, by going to LEGOLAND! We all had a blast, especially the birthday boy and his brother.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
1. Mack and Hank on their first ride of the day 2. Mack and Aunt Karly 3. The birthday boy and his proud Mommy 4. Mack helping Henry on their favorite part, the Duplo toys 5. Tyler crammed in the duplo train with the boys 6. Henry's working on that hands and knees crawling thing 7. Tyler tries to fit on the airplane, there is no 'max height' 8. Mack as a pilot, living the dream 9. Mack almost loved waiting in line, as much as the rides themselves 10. The birthday boy again 11. Mack loved miniland and wanted to see EVERYTHING!

After a long day of fun, we came home to cake and presents. Henry has a slightly unorthodox crawl, so I made him a snail cake and Granny did us the honor of writing on it. After opening all of his gifts I gave Hank the entire head of the snail, for him to "go at it" and make a mess of himself. He had other ideas, and decided to EAT the entire thing.

1. 2. 3. 4.
1. Henry decided to see what would happen if he threw his cup 2. I don't know what to say about this... 3. Hank with his snail cake 4. Notice how there is NO cake left on his tray

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Fern whipped up these costumes for the holiday season. She's amazing! Mack loves to run around saying "Run, run as fast as you can, you can't catch me I'm the Ginger Bread" He leaves off "man." We promise to update the blog after the holidays.

Almost Like Daddy

Mack's new trick is to go potty standing up.....just like daddy. To do this, he stands on his tip toes and leans over. Usually 80% of the potty makes it into the bowl. Not bad huh? Well yesterday, I came downstairs only to find Mack in the kitchen completely naked going potty in the red bucket that had been used to mop the floor only 15 minutes earlier. He exclaimed "I go potty, just like daddy!" I tried to think if I had accidentally gone potty in a bucket recently...thinking....thinking.....thinking......nope. We're still working on potty etiquette.

Obama-Shmobama

Like a lot of people, we watched the debate Wednesday night. I guess a couple of things they said had Mack contemplating politics the next morning, because he had Obama on the brain. He was goofing around playing with duplos as I was dressing Henry, when he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, looked over and stated, "Henry Obama!"
"Henry who?" I asked.
"No. Henry O-BABY!" declared Mack, with that devilish little half grin on his face (the same one Tyler gets when he thinks he's being really clever). He was pretty proud of his little pun. But who wouldn't be? I expect great things from this kid.

Email Out Blog

Behind me right now, the boys are having snack. It's a little late because Henry took a while to fall asleep for his morning nap today. They're both eating puffed wheat and cheese. I am SO GLAD that Henry is starting to eat more of the same foods as Mack because it means I can use half as much of my brain thinking about what to feed the boys and devote that part of my brain to thinking about other things, like how dirty my stairs are...
We're looking forward to conference weekend around here. Saturday the YW are coming over to watch the morning session in their PJ's and eat cinnamon rolls. I'll count the activity a success if more than two girls come.
Blogging lately is really tough because it requires energy I simply don't possess. Lately, Mack has been a ball of energy. It could be worse. He isn't destructive or dangerous, but he is loud and in constant motion. He spent yesterday morning running from the kitchen to the living room whispering under his breath, "I'm race car, I'm a race car". Right now, he has just finished his snack and is using Henry's high chair as a jungle gym, while tickling Hank's feet with his nose. Henry is trying to kick him in the face. Also Mack has discovered the joys of going to the bathroom standing up! It has come in handy when we're downtown and he uses the public restroom, but at home there are a few issues.
At 9 months old, Henry is finally mobile! I guess you'd call it an army crawl, but really it looks more like swimming. He reaches out in front of him as far as he can (which isn't very far) and then uses his head as leverage. It's all very confusing, but it gets him where he needs to go. The swimming he reserves for short distances or "detail" work, while rolling is still his main mode of transportation. Kinda like a Hybrid. He's also becoming more chatterbox like ( he's still no chatty kathy), and is starting to push Mack away when he's doing something he does not like, such as put stickers behind his ear.
The craziest thing is how much the boys look alike! They make the same faces, have the same pudgy fat cheeks and both LIGHT UP the instant Tyler walks through the door after work. It really is hard to tell them apart in pictures and it's even freakier now that Henry is moving up a size in clothes. He has always worn Mack's hand-me-downs, but it seems like just yesterday I was storing some of these things away! Henry and Mack really are best friends and I just LOVE seeing them play together ( or watching Mack attack Henry. Depending on how you look at it).

Thompson 101

I was just emailed these pictures of Henry from when we participated in his latest 'round of research'. This was a different type of ERP for a speech study. One with the Binky and one without. There's a good reason the hand in his mouth: He's currently working on THREE teeth at once. Oy vey! He's got one tooth on the bottom, with the other one just cutting through and the two on the top are neck in neck. My poor boy is quite cranky lately and if you try to massage his gums he screams bloody murder.
Henry is rolling around everywhere and loves playing with all of Mack's toys. Mack doesn't mind sharing, but he still takes every thing away from Hank because he doesn't think it's safe for him to play with his toys. I usually end up having to put out a little mat we call "Henry's Area". Mack (for the most part) knows he isn't allowed on it and which translates to him being unable to torture his little brother too much. Mack started swimming lessons two weeks ago and is doing pretty well. His class is twice a week in the evening, so Ty and I get to rotate who takes him. I think he has more fun with his Daddy, but Tyler swears I'm the better teacher. Mack has learned to go 'under the water' no sweat, but needs a little encouragement in the 'blowing bubbles area'. He pretends to swim around the living room by reaching with his arms, but his favorite part of swim class is kicking the water and splashing the other kids and parents.
If you want to know some of what Ty and I have been up to, it might be best to read my friend Amy's blog. I swear she posts better about what we've been doing (see SHREK and JET CITY). Amy and I are also taking an Egyptian Belly Dancing class on Monday nights, which is a BLAST! Our teacher, Rishi, is great and we had a lot of fun at Pikes buying our hip scarves for class. Ty is doing well at work and was recently "promoted". The boys and I love going downtown to meet up with him durring the day once a week or so. Mack sincerly loves Seattle! He can name all of the major landmarks of the area and Tyler is working on teaching him more geography (he can--usually--point out WA and CA on a map, along with San Diego and Seattle). Yesterday he taught him the capital of WA. He's also quite the little politico and can point out both Barry Obama and John McCain in a crowd.
It's raining here today, and I have to admit, I'm quite excited about it. I can't wait for Halloween and the start of the Holiday Season. Mack changes his mind daily about what he wants to be for Halloween. This morning he wants to be Tarzan (which is what I call his little duplo man that came with his duplo dinosaur set). A couple days ago he wanted to be a 'couch man' that 'flies on the ceiling'. You can't make this stuff up. Henry is going to use the pumpkin costume I made for Mack's first Halloween when we lived in Monterrey.
Today, we're hoping to pick apples, or at the very least eat some pie. Wish us luck!

Post 100

Sorry in advance about another lame, short, post, that's not even a real update. Especially for number 100. I just can't seem to muster up the motivation to write anything longer. Rest assured we're very busy and having a wonderful Summer.
Yesterday morning Tyler walked into the living room to find Mack sitting ON Henry's lap (not in front of it), trying to make Hank read him a book. Ty says they we're both lovin' it. Our lazy little Hank has started to get around a bit. He's not quick, but he gets where he wants to go through a series of rolls, mingled with a bit of twisting and turning. He's not a huge talker most of the time, but seemed to think yesterday during Church would be a good time to exercise those vocal chords. We thought it was cute, and didn't mind since he dosen't do it that often, so we just took turns taking him out. Gotta love that baby gabber.

Tyler went and got donuts this morning for breakfast. Mack stuck his finger in the chocolate bar Ty got for me and then put his chocolaty fat finger in my face and told me to "Eat it, Mommy." Twice.

Brainiac

Henry has a brain, and we have PROOF (not that I ever really doubted it, but not many people have proof positive they have a brain). I recently enrolled him in an autism study at UW. He is part of the control group, which means he has an older sibling who does not have autism and no family history of the disorder. It has been really interesting. There was a lot of over the phone screening, asking about our family's medical history. The first day at UW they put some toys in front of Henry and watched him play with them and took notes about how he picked things up and specifics concerning his development. Then he played on the floor, and they took notes on that and how he sat up, etc. Henry is not the LEAST bit interested in being mobile (Mack is entertainment enough for him) so they took some notes about how he was a little blob and rolled over in SLOW motion. Then he was shown some images on a TV. There would be a picture of a sun in the middle of the screen, and then a balloon would show up on the side and they'd see how long it took him to notice the image to the side. I was told this was checking his peripheral vision. They recorded everything and Henry was very patient throughout the entire ordeal. The next day Henry had his ERP visit. This one I didn't completely understand, but I do know that they put this funny little net on his head with a bunch of little sensors on it. I think it measured the the activity of his brain. I do know that it only works in one direction so it is completely safe for his little noggin. I also know he looked darn cute because the chin strap wouldn't go under his chubby little cheeks! Mack came too and had a fun time playing with some undergrads while Henry worked hard. Needless to say they both took some great naps after everything was done.

On Friday night we had the main event: Henry's MRI at Children's. It was during his regular sleep time, so there was not sedation or anything like that, he just went to "bed" in the machine. The man running the study explained to us that they believe and have some evidence to prove that children with autism have synapses (I believe that's the word) in their brain that develop slightly differently between ages 6 and 12 months, he also mentioned something about the size of their brain. I don't want to get too into it because I know it can be a really heated discussion (and those are best had in person). I will say however, that this guy knows his stuff, he's SMART. Henry only woke up a couple of times during the scan and in the end they were able to get the two different kind they needed. It was really interesting to sit in on an MRI with a healthy baby, which not many parents are able to experience, so we felt really lucky. Meanwhile, Mack was hanging out with our friends, Amy and Nathan, who were introducing him to the ice cream. We'd tried giving it too Mack a few times before, but the darn stuff was always too cold for his liking. Not this time. To say he loved it would be a gross understatement. It's really turned out great though, because I've managed to transfer that affection to yogurt (which he refused to eat before). Now, Mack loves eating "ice cream" for breakfast.

The next week we had an appointment for our "Parent Observation". Henry and I were placed in an empty room with a small blanket on the floor, a few toys, and surrounded by cameras--then I was told to play with him naturally like I would at home. I did my best. Our next visit was a repeat of the images on the TV screen. He wasn't as interested this time around, seems eating my hair was much more riveting. After that was had the grand finale! One of the researchers, went over all of Henry's "Test Results" with me. He passed! No, I don't think there is a pass or fail, but he is perfectly normal. The best part is as she is seriously discussing his social skills, and cognitive skills, and different abilities and developmental milestones, etc...Henry was sitting on my lap determined to eat his own feet. As if his very existence depended on it, he had to get those feet into his mouth or die trying! What a baby! Henry will have another ERP in few weeks. In the meantime I'm planning on printing the images from his MRI onto a T-shirt.

My Wonderful Wife

Did anyone out there how great Fern is? I'm sure most of you do but I thought that I'd take a few moments and tell you.

What I like most about Fern...that she is MY wife and no one else's. When I come home from work she is there to for me. Usually she tells me how great I am (which isn't usually true) and handsome I am....again not entirely true. She is hot, sexy and beautiful. I still want to see her dressed up for some sort of ball (dancing ball not the sport kind)....I guess I need to arrange that. Also, she is smart, quick and wity....all hard things to have an argument against...i still think she should go to law school.. Fern is a great mom...(i.e. Mack and Henry are awesome). She has so much patience for her boys...me included. I love her because she can laugh, smile and just chill all with me. Her smile is great and when she says also...it is really "aso"...no "l". But its cute. She has quirks like we all do...but hers are cute. She blows her nose until its raw, she loves to garden even if there is not room for a garden, she insists on using a small spoon with certain things....i always question it, but secretly I love it. She lets me watch sports...lots of sports and she doesn't make fun of me when I like to watch Project Runway and that dancing show on Fox (8pm....9p Central on Wednesdays). She helps me no matter what and I love her more each day.....I Love you.

I'm sitting down to the computer about to work on my lesson for YW on Sunday. Tyler has just gotten home and changed Mack's poppy diaper from nap time.
Mack walks up to me with the diaper in his hand and holds it up to my face, "My poop in there mommy! My poop in there!"

Getting Ready

Mack has picked up a couple of funny phrases lately. I thought I'd share them before we left for our camping trip, because I know by the time we get back he'll be on to bigger and better things.
So for example:

• When I tell him it is time to go to the toilet he says, "No potty today mommy. Maybe later."
• The other day I asked him he he wanted a snack and he answered, "Not right now mommy, I too busy. Maybe later."
• Just right now he's eating breakfast outside on the deck (a little late) and he called inside to me "More bagel peas! And Peanut butter on it." He loves Peanut Butter and asks for it on EVERYTHING (even green beans), and he still eats it like he did right here, by licking the Peanut Butter off first.
• He's been trying to take care of me, by getting right up in my face and lovingly offering me things like "You want a water?" or when offering a granola bar "You wanna eat it?"
• Last night as I was packing he came up to me and requested a round of skina-marink-a-dink-a-dink by putting his little pudgy hand on his elbow and asking, "Skidinka mommy?" Kinda hard to translate into type, but it had both Tyler and me laughing pretty hard.
• He thinks I do everything "Really good". Last night as he was eating dinner he looks up at me and says, "It's REALLY good mommy. REALLY GOOD." Earlier in the day while I was making him and Henry slippers for our camping trip he told me, "You make it good mommy. Make it really good."
• Last one: Last weekend we went to the drive in and took the kids in their PJ's. Mack had an awesome time and now when it's time for bed he asks us, "Jamies in the car?"

Okay he just did one more...He had an accident of a certain kind and and is calling it "Football Poop". How fun for me!

Un-Post

We Thompson's try to keep a low profile, here in the fabulous Northwest, but our adoring public just won't leave us alone...

I could go back and give a recap of what a busy summer we've had so far. I could tell you all about our awesome trip down to San Diego, the great time we had at Legoland, Disneyland, and Balboa Park. Or Maybe some pictures of Mack and Henry out on the boat in the Bay. I could tell you about how Henry cried on the plane the entire flight down and slept the whole way back. Then I would probably mention how "nervous" (his word, not mine) Mack was and how he insisted the we keep the window closed the entire flight. I could even tell you how much Mack and Hank L.O.V.E.D. having their Granny all to themselves for a day at Legoland, and all the fun they had ridding the boat, plane, truck and train rides. I might even tell you how enamored Mack was with his Grandpa Kim and how he still talks about his truck, and other various modes of transportation, every single day and asks me every morning "Where's Grandpa Kim?"
But if I told you about all of that, then I'd need to go even further back and write about Mack's neat-O birthday at the Seattle Center. About how it rained and we had to move the party inside to the Center House, but nobody seemed to mind, especially not Mack when he got his new "Big Bike" (which is actually a tricycle). Then I'd be obligated to mention a little about Tyler's trips to Pittsburgh (where he saw my brother, Elder Porterfield) and Philadelphia (where he ate a lot of cheese steaks). And there is NO WAY I could give an update without mentioning my the end of my Tap Dance class I've been taking with my bud Amy and the AMAZING recital we had at the end. Then, last of all, I'd say something about Mother's Day and Father's Day and what a wonderful time Tyler and I each had watching the other one do all the work and change all the diapers for an entire day (of course I'm kidding). But I won't (Didn't see that one coming did you?).