Exercise Bike Hits 4th Generation

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All my focus is on weight loss. If your name isn’t KaDee Thompson or Jillian Michaels, you don’t have my attention right now.

When a boy becomes a man…Bruce’s comment to me yesterday: “Dad, it’s strange but I used to only like to watch soccer highlights. But now I like watching the whole games.”

Oceanside was 89 degrees yesterday. It was amazing! Today might be hotter! Summer is finally here!

If I’m not earning my pay, do I quit my job to be honest to my fellow man? Or give back a portion to the federal treasury? I don’t know, but it sure would be nice to go to the temple again.

KaDee and I will finally have furniture for our master bedroom in October. The good news – we still won’t have furniture for the front two rooms which means I get to keep my indoor soccer field!

It's about good teachers, students and parents, not the school. I agree with the rebuttal to Obama's comment over the weekend that his daughter's school is better than DC public schools..."Sidwell has fine teachers and high standards, but like all private and public schools it also had some mediocre teachers and some blind spots -- such as its reluctance to challenge some students because it would be wrong, as a teacher there once told me, to make them 'uncomfortable'."

A Few Random Thoughts

There was a fire scare at WalMart today when my mom and I were there. We had to leave our carts and exit the building for a few min. Suzanne was at the house and told Jane, "There was a fire alarm while your mom and grandma were at the store." Jane's immediate, calm response, "Oh, and they died?" 

Tired of my hair being not short and not long. Grow hair, grow! I may be growing out my bangs. Time for a change.

I've had my fun and lots of great food. August is back to healthy eating and more excerise.

Jane and Bruce have August birthdays. At this point we're thinking we'll do a joint birthday party for them on Aug. 14th for anyone that is around and can make it.

Saw Inception tonight with our free tickets. I really loved it. Loved the ending. Great show.

Summer is going by too fast. Bruce and Linda start on Aug. 26th. I have high hopes for their new school.

I find myself really missing DC and our life there. We made great friends and the kids were very settled. But more and more I see the reasons we were supposed to come back. Daily we look at eachother and think, how in the world did we make it back to Oside? We really do love it here. You never know where life will take you. Glad it brought us back to the beach and family.

Oceanside Tweets

We found out yesterday that our good friends here in Oceanside, their 9 year old son Max did not survive a boating accident this weekend. It is very sad, KaDee has taught him in primary. I imagine it will be somber meetings in church today, including testimony meeting. We'll be attending the funeral on Wednesday, which may be difficult to find a babysitter.

I have a new job at work which is a little more exciting than what I've been doing. I will be going through all our loan files and deciding which cases we want to foreclose on. I'll have to analyze our equity position, the local markets, etc. The goal being to sale the properties and recover tax payer dollars, while trying to avoid REO (Real Estate Owned). The Center hasn't foreclosed on a loan in years, but I'm happy to earn my pay.

KaDee's sister is in the process of transforming our home into a Reception Venue for her wedding. It's interesting. We now have a lightpost in our backyard with some other fire sticks. I'm sure there will be more to come. KaDee's sister is also having Famous Dave's cater the event so we had to test the food yesterday, the bright spot in the Wedding planning!

Argentina lost yesterday and that was a disappointment. I have some players that I'm not happy with but Germany played them well. I guess I'll cheer for Uruguay in the Simis. I suppose Zane is cheering for the dutch.

Claire is 90% potty trained. She may have an accident every couple days but she is sleeping without a diaper and doing very well going on her own.

Bruce is signed up for his second season of soccer. He wanted to do it again. I think he will do well, especially since he may be repeating the same division as last year. I will not be coaching!

As I try to get in Dad's suit for the wedding, I'm down another three pounds. Though I've written off this weekend, I'll be back again on Tuesday. (I am eating less than the Bride and Groom I've noticed)

I tried my hand at Squash Casserole yesterday. Didn't turn out that great because I made it low carb substituting the bread crumbs with porkrines. With all the sqash coming out of dad's garden, maybe someone can share their best recipe. I really want to do a soup next.

I will not be running for the Miracosta School Board. I just don't think I can match the time commitment as the other Board members. They seem to have made it a full-time job.

Potty Talk

Guess who is potty trained?! I thought summer would be the perfect opportunity for me to work on potty training with Claire. I was stressed about it and didn't have too much faith. I stuck her in undies to see what would happen. The first week was rough and we went through a lot of undies but I tried hard to remain positive with her. So, this week it clicked! We've only had two #1 accidents for the entire week. She wears pull-ups to bed and when we go out. She has woken up with a dry pull-up everyday this week and hasn't had any problems when we're out. #2 has been the problem but this afternoon we had SUCCESS! I'm sure we'll have our beginner accidents but this is very exciting for Robert and I. We have been changing diapers for 7yrs. and now it's drawing to an end. We're proud of our big girl. She is right on track with the other kids for being potty trained by her 2nd birthday.

Us

Robert - Someone at work offered their overtime hours to him. So, he's been working 9hr. days, getting home at 4:30pm with every other Friday off. Now instead of taking the Fridays off that time will go toward overtime and so will the extra hour he works each day. We feel like this is a blessing directly from paying tithing. This will really help us out.

KaDee - Sick Sick Sick. Spent Monday and Tuesday of last week kneeling at the porcelain throne. Finally recovered from that to wake up Sunday morning with  a terrible sore throat that is progressively getting worse. Temps been averaging around 101.6. Went to Urgent Care and they said it's not strep. They gave me a viral antibiotic. So far, still feeling awful pain and fever.

Bruce & Linda - Excited for summer to start next week. Linda goes on a field trip tomorrow taking the Sprinter to the library and has 2 more cheerleading practices left. Bruce is doing great at school and is just an all around good boy. I'm so happy I was able to have one boy. He's my buddy.

Jane & Claire - My friends at home during this school year. They've really gotten in to Mary Poppins and Claire's favorite show is Calliou. Hard to believe Claire will be 2 next month. Jane still battles arthritis pain. The Dr. said 50% of the kids with her type of arthritis outgrow it. Cross your fingers. Claire's favorite phrase, "Don't want to mama!"

Crazy Hair Day!

Don't attempt to adjust your color. :)

Oceanside Tweets

Thanks to Scott for letting Bruce and I crash his Father/Son campout. We showed up to Dixon Lake to find out that our ward hadn’t scheduled. Didn’t find out until Saturday that they moved the Father/Son to the first weekend in June. Do I want to go camping again??? Not sure.

If anybody is asking – yes, you do want to go camping with Scott and the boys. They had a long table set out when we got there full of wonderful junk food – oreos, gummy worms, jiffy popcorn, cheetoos, Twinkies, cupcakes…just to name a few.

I am currently applying for a Supervisory Loan Specialist position here in the Santa Ana Center. It wouldn’t be a promotion but does get me supervisory experience. Not a great position because of the things one has to deal with, but since the Director of the Program asked me to apply, I guess I better.

I am thinking about applying to other Federal positions in the area since I think my resume is pretty good and just to see what offers I could get, if any.

I am moving forward still with the playgrounds. I have attended meetings and met new people in the industry. With so much to do and so little time, this may take awhile. Hopefully I can get some bids this summer.

KaDee has been busy with her sister’s wedding.
KaDee and I started Low Carb and it’s going good. My favorite items are the Farmer John Salami, Ralphs Low Carb Yogurt, Julian Bakery Raisin bread, candy bars and toffee.

Bruce rode his bike to the beach and back home. Quite the ride. I ran/walked with Claire in the stroller. It’s about 6 miles roundtrip. I was completely worn out and Bruce was ready to go again.

Loiving the Backyard

Since moving in to this house the kids tv watching has been cut by 90%. They LOVE to be outside. Yesterday they spent the whole afternoon riding bikes and spraying each other with the hose. I thought these pics of Linda giving Claire a pump were cute. I took this picture of Claire and it looks like she has a grass goatee.

Robert's New Toys

Robert got a good old fashioned lawn mower yesterday. It's the old push lawn mower with no engine. It gave him a good workout. He also tried out our new trimmer. The front and back yard look great.

A couple pics

My sleeping babies




Claire being sneaky as usual. I found her in the pantry with chocolate pudding.

Oside Tweets

My credit card information was stolen and used. Though I am without a card for a couple days, I think Wachovia is going to cover the fraud. I knew when I looked at my account that there was no way KaDee or I gave to Help4Haiti three times.

My train vouchers were stolen out of my office here at work. There is no lock on my office door. Department of Transportation will not replace the stolen checks so I don't know what I'll do in the next few weeks.

Add a Big Black Mean Dog to the list of animals on my path to work. This dog started chasing me and tried to bite me. I hate dogs.

KaDee found out last night that the School District might close down Garrison Elementary starting in 2011. We're trying to figure out what we should do about the situation. Fight or Flee? I'm not sure if the school is worth fighting for.

Linda is doing very well with her reading. I think she is progressing well though her teacher consistently reminds us that she is behind.

Jane is taking her medicine faithfully and is doing better with her knees. She has a physical next week and eye exam. She'll be back with the specialist in April.

Bruce is on level 4 of Super Mario and loving it.

Claire's sounds are starting to sound more like words every day.

It is supposed to rain on Saturday AGAIN! I know the rain is good but why is it always on my day off? Oh, maybe so I don't have to ride my bike in it during the week. A Sunday rain would be nice.

SBA is looking at raising the grade levels here in my office. This could potentially help me in the future. Not sure how they have the money since they just compromised on a $11 Million dollar loan for $100K.

I've signed all the papers for Creative Recreational. They asked if I could go to a big convention next Wednesday in Palm Springs. I told them that it's not a good day for me. Already off to a bad start!

I had to turn American Idol in the middle of the show. The singing was hurting my ears.

I watched Star Trek and GI Joe over the weekend. I thought both were equally good, nothing spectacular. I need another Bourne Identity. Neither KaDee or I have any desire for Avatar.

New Part-Time Job

I was verbally given a position yesterday with Creative Recreational Systems. It would be a part-time, commission only, sales position. We’re trying to get some extra money to pay off debt, take care of some family needs and possibly get a second car.

The owner’s comment to me yesterday – “I think you’ll love selling playgrounds so much, you’ll want to quit SBA”.

Oceanside Tweets

All moved in and ready to go.

Robert says…DARN NOCTERNAL ANIMALS!

Robert is looking for a sales position on the side and has applied to a company in San Diego that sells recreational equipment. He’s more actively thinking than actively looking at this point. If he gets the interview, it will be on Friday.

We learned that the Primary President in our ward is moving out. We’re looking for places for KaDee to hide. Our ward’s primary is chaos right now.

Robert was asked to teach Gospel Doctrine this Sunday. He’ll be spending the week looking for a good center piece and maybe a couple minutes before church going through the lesson.

Bruce and Linda both have about five friends at school, at last count. Jane has zero friends.

KaDee struggles to find a dress for the wedding. Her sister bought her a dress that didn’t fit right and was taken back to Macy’s.

At the last minute we tried to visit Danny and Michelle in La Mesa. They weren’t free but we had a birthday meal for KaDee at Claim Jumper at the Grossmont Center. Robert got killed by the Widow Maker. KaDee wasn’t happy with her meatloaf sandwich. The kids loved the mini-apples. Claire was her typical monster-self.

Robert’s favorite Oceanside eats so far – Gandolfo’s Pastrami Sandwich, Harbor Fish n’ Chips. Robert’s favorite Santa Ana eats so far – Tommy Pastrami, Chimi Churri.

Bruce, Linda and Jane’s favorite Oceanside eats so far – Yum Yum Donuts, Hometown Buffet

EXTRA POSTS FROM 2010...

New Years Eve!

Bruce set the timer on his camera and got a picture of us waiting for midnight.

Bruce was determined to make it to midnight and Jane is always determined to do whatever Bruce does. Linda said she'd try her best.At 8:15 we saw our first yawns. We broke out the treats and Bruce started implementing his plans to keep himself awake.

They all went outside in the cold to wake themselves up...

An hour or so later plan two started....ice. Snow cones and ice down the shirt. :)

We read some books...

Despite their best efforts, Claire put herself to bed at 10pm and Linda fell asleep on the couch at 10:35pm.

I woke Linda up at 11:50 so she wouldn't miss New Years but Jane and Bruce were the only ones wide awake besides Robert and I. They screamed and danced and went crazy.

As we ended the year, we are excited and looking forward to a great 2011.

My Sick Girl

If you guys would say a little prayer for Jane we'd really appreciate it. We just can't seem to keep her healthy. She has been on antibiotics 3 times since Thanksgiving. It all started with her getting what the Dr. thought was a staph infection in VA. She had red dots on her face and body, high fever, and her knee hurt so terribly she couldn't walk. He said sometimes the infection will settle in your joints. So she took the meds, everything got better and a week later she had the horrible knee pain again, fever, cough, but no red spots. I took her to Urgent Care in the desert and they thought the infection had never fully gotten out of her system so he gave her more antibiotic. He said if there was ever swelling in her knee that it could be that the infection brought about rheumatory arthritis and they would need to do testing. In Fallbrook she got off the meds and then again the knee pain and things. So, we got another antibiotic. TODAY she wakes up with a green mucusy nose, high fever, vomiting and could hardly walk because of knee pain. Problem is, the Dr. I took her to won't listen to me that something is wrong with her and that this is not all coincidence. He took a strep test and will get back with us tomorrow. Also, he looked at her knee and said that there WAS swelling and he wouldn't even consider that it might be related to her illness. Urghh! Needless to say, this is very frustrating for us and we want her to feel better. Any prayers her way would be appreciated.

Funniest Lines of the Year

I ask my 5yr. old daughter why she was in the bathroom so long. She says, "I just sat there for a long time. It's really relaxing and your mommy doesn't boss you around." -well put Linda

I was driving home tonight with the kids, using the navigation system. It was telling me directions. From the back of the car I hear, "Mommy, is that Jesus talking to you up there?" -Linda

Flashback - Thanksgiving

I did a Thanksgiving post a while back but didn't post any pictures. I got these off of my mom's camera when she was here. Trying to get the year wrapped up for when I make my yearly blog book.

Bruce told me he wanted the turkey leg.(thinking that it would be just like the chicken legs that he likes)

When I slapped this huge leg in front of him you should've seen his face! He was horrified that I was going to make him eat this crazy looking turkey leg. This picture was taken after I told him he didn't have to. Relief. :)

We put up Grandma Linda's Christmas tree while we were there. The kids were so excited. When we set up our own tree at home it had to be just like Grandma's. Robert and I wanted a star on top but the kids insisted we have an angel because that's what Grandma had. They really love their Grandma.

Proof that we did in fact go swimming on Thanksgiving Day. The pool was heated but it was outside and it was COLD when it was time to get out!

Christmas Day 2010!

This was the first Christmas morning we've spent at home in the last three years. It was so nice to start creating some Christmas memories at home. The kids all had a pact that the first one of them up was supposed to wake everyone else up. Bruce was up at 7am and made the rounds getting everyone up to come downstairs to see if Santa Claus had come. We loved having Grandma Linda, Aunt Suzanne and Uncle Andy here to share Christmas day with. The kids were happy with their presents and Bruce declared that this was, "the best Christmas EVER!"  :)

The kids each took turns opening one present at a time. Santa was sooo nice to have all of the stuff wrapped and the big stuff assembled. What a great guy. :)

THE KIDS OPENING PRESENTS...

It was a nice day of

Twister and playing games...

Christmas Day naps & having fun.

That night we went to Uncle Gregg's house and we all had dinner. It was truly a Merry Christmas.

Christmas Eve 2010 - Part 1

Our Christmas Eve was so nice. We were able to spend time with both of our families. We went to Fallbrook and celebrated with Robert's family first. I will post about that later. When we returned home from Fallbrook my mom, sister and brother-in-law arrived at our house and we had a good time together. As is tradition, each of the kids got to open one present. The kids opened their present from Grandma Linda. She gives the kids pajamas each year.

Jane was so funny when she opened her present. She said, "Ahh, just clothes." Her face was priceless. It was the (dirty) face of disappointment. :)

The rest of the kids LOVED them. Bruce loved his Lakers jammies, Linda always loves new clothes, and Claire couldn't get her clothes off fast enough to put her new jammies on.

Brown(Robert) + Green(KaDee) = Everything

I still don't understand the genetics that go in to deciding eye color. I've read about and been told about it but I still see no rhyme or reason that eyes turn out the colors they do. I thought for sure we'd have all brown eyed kids. Our kids each have a different shade of eyes.
                                                                      Dark Blue

(sometimes I think they're grey)

Dark Brown

                                                                          Hazel

                                                                         Light Blue

Kid Stuff

Claire -The girl always has a "tummy ache" and is always eating. I think the two may have a lot to do with each other. Claire is brave in so many ways but absolutely petrified of animals, bugs, and monsters. She is my first kid that really gets scared at night. When she gets scared she literally shakes.
Jane - Finally back to looking normal after a wicked fall at the park. Robert had the kids at the park at the time. She bled a lot. She had a big fat lip that was scabbed and she bruised her gums above one of her front teeth. One of her front teeth may be a little loose now. She seems to get injured a lot. Not sure if it's because of her knees or what. Recovering from strep.

Linda - Got strep this week and missed 3days of school. High fever, sore throat and really tired. She's been on an antibiotic. Was able to go to school yesterday and today just in time for her school holiday parties. Really doing great with reading.

Bruce - Finally drinking milk again. It's been years. I give him like 1/4cup a day and tell him that it's like his vitamin. Getting much better about eating things. Trying to get his 4 loose teeth out. On his own for the last month or so he's been coming up with ideas on how he can stay up until midnight on New Years Eve. His list includes: 1. Eating a spicy chicken sandwich with NO WATER. 2. putting ice down his back 3.no pillow and no blanket that might get him tired. 4. Go to sleep at his normal time and then have me wake him up at 11:30. He is always thinking! :)

Bye Bye Baby Hair!

Claire has had her hair trimmed quite a few times before, but today was her first big girl hair cut at a salon. I had the lady cut off all of her wispy baby hair. I couldn't believe how thick her hair is now that the baby hair is gone. She looks adorable with her little a-line cut. She was awesome in the chair. She sat very quietly and did exactly what was asked of her. After her haircut she kept touching her hair saying, "Pretty!"
                                                                       THE CUT

THE BLOW DRY

ALMOST DONE!

THE BACK & THE FRONT



I had parent/teacher conferences with Bruce and Linda's teachers last Friday. It was nice to sit down and have a real conversation with them about the kids. I don't get to help in the classroom because I still have the two little girls home in the days.

BRUCE - Bruce's teacher is great. She is very organized and efficient. Bruce seems to really respond to her and she seems to do a good job at teaching as well as getting to know each child's personality, weaknesses and strengths.
Some of his teachers comments:

Bruce is a delightful young man and a pleasure to have in class. He is very cooperative and always participates in classroom discussions. His oral reading and comprehension have continually been improving this trimester...A strength of Bruce's is mathematics. He has a great number sense and problem solving skills...Bruce is willing to take part in all classroom activities. He adds great insight in to our class discussions and is always willing to be a volunteer. I am looking forward to working with Bruce this school year.

LINDA - Linda's teacher seems to be good at what she does. I think that she probably has a pretty tough job with 26 1st graders who have full day for the first time. Linda really enjoys her class and whatever her teacher is doing, it's working. Linda has totally exceeded my expectations with her school work. She is keeping right up with all the other kids in the class and the half year of kindergarten she missed doesn't seem to be holding her back.
Some of her teachers comments:
(there weren't many, mostly it was ideas of things I could do with her at home)

Linda is very shy in class and mostly observes the activities. She is more vocal when we are in small groups. I believe in time Linda will become more comfortable and actively participate. Linda has a strong reading vocabulary of high frequency words and is blending sounds...

Thompson Christmas Letter 2010

Merry Christmas!

After spending two years in Fairfax, VA we made the move back to California. We started off 2010 in our home here in Oceanside, CA. We're just 2 1/2 miles from the beach which has been so nice. We love the weather and both Robert and I are able to live close to the majority of both of our families now. We do miss DC though. It was a wonderful experience living there. We miss the endless things to see and places to go and the opportunities is allowed our family to have. We also miss the friends we made there.

Robert works in Santa Ana, CA(about a 50min. commute) for the Federal Small Business Administration. They actually created a position for him out here and that's how we were able to tranfer back. His deals with disaster loan liquidation. So, whenever you see a hurricane or flood on the news, you'll know that that means job security for Robert. Robert serves in the Stake Sunday School presicency at church and that is one easy calling. :) He works so hard to provide for our family and is a good dad and husband.

KaDee stays home with the kids full time. With two kids in full day school this and only two kids home, life seems to be getting a little easier in the days...most of the time. I was recently called to serve as the Young Womens 2nd Counselor in our ward. Should be interesting. I've been contimplating going back to school next year. We'll see how the year goes.

Bruce turned 7 in August. He is a great kid. He's very athletic and has really enjoyed playing soccer this year. He is in 2nd grade. He does really well in school and excells in math. Bruce loves playing board games, building things, learning, and playing with friends.

Linda just turned 6. She is in 1st grade. She enjoys school and loves to socialize. Linda loves to draw and create things. She likes books and loves to play with Barbies. She is my little woman and is very capable. We're hoping to get Linda in to ballet this year. She is a good girl and she has a lot of love to give.

Jane is 4. What a sweetie she is. She is really excited about starting school next year. In February of this year, Jane was diagnosed with Juvenile Arthritis. She has arthritis in both of her knees. She is on medication and sees a great Doctor. She is doing well. Jane is somewhat of a tomboy. She is really interested in sports and loves playing with Bruce and her daddy. She is a happy soul. She loves rollercoasters and playgrounds and being busy.

Claire is 2 years old. She keeps me on my toes. She loves to eat and prefers to eat the good stuff that mommy and daddy are eating. She is always on the go...ALWAYS. She has been fully potty trained for a long time now which means that there can not be a single diaper or wet wipe found in this house. It's been about 7years of diapers changing for Robert and I and that stage is now at an end! Hooray! :) We call Claire our Virgnina baby as she was born out there and is the only one of the kids born outside of California. She keeps us laughing and we love her.

Most of this year was spent getting settled in to new schools, a new ward, a new neighborhood, new home, and making new friends. It finally feels like we've gotten settled and we are greatful for our lives here in CA. We're so greatful for the many blessing that have come from our Heavenly Father as we have moved forward with life.

Oh Christmas Tree!

Our Christmas tree has been up for a couple of weeks now. The kids were so excited to have a Christmas tree in our house. For the last two years we have spent Christmas away from home so we didn't bother to put a tree up in our house. It will be nice to spend Christmas at home this year.

The stockings are hung and ready for Santa to fill!