Tomorrow is a big day: we venture out on our very first, official family vacation! As sad as this might sound, especially after nearly six years of marriage, we are all pretty excited (although not for the fourteen hour drive it will take for us to get there). Usually when we have time off these days, living up in the isolated North we take the opportunity to go visit friends and family*. Also, during past summers Jason has worked slavish hours in landscaping, so that any vacations were usually taken by just me and the kids.
The fact that we all get to go on a vacation together is thrilling. I think that Ben and Brigham are starting to grasp the idea; yesterday they played "Going on Vacation" several times. After meticulously packing my old recorder case full of essentials (aka toys) they would embark for such exotic locales as San Francisco, or even to a different library!
Our trip to B.C should be an adventure. Stayed tuned.

*Please note that you are all welcome to make the trip in the opposite direction and pay us a visit as well.

Belated Tribute to Dads

To all the Dads in my life, you rock!

Stumped

The intent of this blog is to actually pick your brains. You are all such creative people, I am sure you can help me come up with some interesting results should you tickle a dragon who has a bad case of the flu.
Let me explain: the story I'm currently working on, my fairy Abby runs a bakery with her pet dragon. When he gets sick and he can't blow fire anymore all these specialists come up with ways to ignite it again. One way I thought of was to tickle him, but I just can't seem to think of a really good disasterous result of such an action. I'd like to hear your ideas on this one.
So...what could happen when you tickle a sick dragon?

Hunting for that Perfect Summer Job

In my continuing quest to gain those 600 hours of employment to qualify for EI benefits come September I have had to search farther afield. With the school year quickly coming to a close, and still over a hundred hours short, my subbing will not-as I'd originally hoped-meet the mark. Thus I began the depressing ordeal of hunting for a summer job. I hated doing this when I was in school, but it was doubly daunting this time around.
When you live in a small town you know jobs will be scarce, nor will employers be in a rush to hire a six month pregnant woman. I just tried to remind myself it didn't matter what the job was as long as it got me to my goal-although it was hard to summon up any enthusiasm for something that might include flipping burgers.
Hurrah for the library! After going there every week for two years, they know me pretty well by now, and I was upfront saying I just needed the work for the hours, not the money. I was pretty thrilled when they said yes, they would hire me. I am now faced with the wonderful prospect of working there four days a week! My first day was Thursday, and so far I love it. Advantages of the job include:
-getting to sit down lots as I'm at the circulation desk a great deal of the time
-not worrying about a babysitter as I work evenings and Saturdays, so the boys stay home with Jason
-librarians are some of the nicest, and coolest people on the planet
-I walk to work
-I can talk books obsessively and no one thinks I'm weird
-air conditioning
-being surrounded, everywhere you look, by BOOKS!

This just might be my best summer job ever.

And the Baby is....

Introducing the newest addition to the Thompson clan! After two hours of my tummy being prodded by two tech students (all the while with a full bladder) we were finally granted the first peek at our new baby. Not wanting to be decisive, they told us that they believe our little jellybean to be a boy, but they showed us his legs where we spied what looks like an appendage, so we're pretty sure about it. Apparantly another reason that it took so long was that he was so busy turning cartwheels and dancing the tarantella that they had a hard time spying things. A boy does seem to follow the current trend we've been having in the family now doesn't it?
We're all really excited about our little guy, although on arriving at the ultrasound Ben and Brigham did have their hopes that the doctors were going to help the baby come out instead of just giving us a peek. His name is Liam James Thompson.
Looks like we'll be raising three little amigos around here. We'd better start saving money now for the grocery bills when they all reach adolescents.

The List of Awesome

So reading my friend Jacky's blog (Our Little Life), she had written up a list of things that she found awesome in her life right now, and since then I've felt the urge to write my own. Here we go, my own list of awesomeness...
1.Sunflowers
2.Playdates at the park
3.Seeing Jason wrestling with the boys
4.The colour green
5.Lemon cupcakes
6.Strawberries
7.Feeling the baby kick
8.Unexected phone calls from family or friends
9.Ben belting out "Follow the Prophet"
10.Brigham's maniacial giggle
11.Blossoms on the crabapple tree
12.Discovering a fabulous new book
13.Knitting intarsia without the yarn tangling
14.Going away for the long weekend
15.Thai food for supper
16.Hearing people say that I'm doing a good job as Primary president
17.Kisses
18.My latest story
19.Pineapple scented candles
20.Jason's corny jokes

A Highly Anticipated Event

In the field behind our house is the field to the school where Jason teaches. About this time last year, Ben was very intrigued by large groups of kids around his age showing up there twice a week to kick a ball around. He'd often plead to go play with them, and we would have to then explain-yet again-that he could not as he was neither signed up for the activity nor old enough to do so (sign up I mean).
Great was his excitement last night then, when we took him to the field itself to participate in his very first soccer game! I'm not sure what he loved more; running around, playing with the other kids, or his bright blue uniform. Already this morning he has pleaded several time to be allowed to wear his uniform, and announced his intention to go play soccer out in the yard (thankfully, we do have a ball of our own).
Anyways, here's a few pictures of the great even that he's been looking forward to for over a year.