LOVE YOU

Life threw us another curve ball a couple of weeks ago when we received the phone call that Matt's sister Holly had passed away.  Her life had been tough for a long time and she grew tired of dealing with it.  This is the 3^rd time in a few short years that one of these calls have come about his siblings.   Three tough lives, three funerals to follow.  It’s extremely hard to wrap our minds around.   Growing up in that family was tough for everyone;  failed marriages, abuse, mental illness, absent fathers, welfare, drugs, unpaid child support, police, jail, prison…I could go on.

 We’ve learned well how to put together a funeral, make the decisions that need to be made and get through the drama of parents who were never really parents and never partners.  Matt dove in with both feet as he always does.  I watched as he was the adult in the situation where no one else would be.  I watched as in his mind he revisited the way things were growing up and why his family has ended up where they are.  I’ve watched him get angry with the dysfunction that seeps from every pore of his family.    Most importantly, I’ve watched him take it all in and chose firmly to live a better existence!

He spoke at her funeral and said exactly what needed to be said.  He comforted and taught but didn’t mix words.  It’s moments like this when I’m proudest of him.  He understands what was missing in his family and does everything in his power to give our family what he didn’t have.  I see him struggle with the choices his parents made and are making.  I see him take the weight of situations that should never fall on a child’s shoulders.  I see the shadow of that weight cross his eyes and it makes me hurt.  He’s alone.  He’s got supportive, great people all around him but yet , he’s alone.  That’s hard to watch.

He’s a rock star at setting and enforcing boundaries with his family and sometimes they’re pretty nasty to him because of that.  But he’s always made sure that me & the kids know we are his first and greatest priority.  That’s saying a lot!

He’s been dealing with a lot before, and especially since, Holly passed away and I want him to know how proud I am of him.

Our 17^th anniversary was last month and I had intentions of writing something that might let others know how lucky I am to have you Matt.  I allowed things to get in the way and never  sat down to do it. 
  I'm lucky to have you.  The kids are lucky to have you.    I love you Mattie!  Happy 17 Years ….and a zillion more.

Happy Ninth Birthday!

Maybe I should change the title of this blog to Thompson Birthday Blog.  That's pretty much all I've posted this year are birthday posts.  Keeping in tradition, here's another one :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIA!

Nine.  It slipped right in without me even noticing.  Eight was just a few minutes ago.

I was thinking last night about the morning you were born.  You were beautiful and still are!   In my mind I've always been excited to develop that mother-daughter relationship.  Shoes, hair, make up, clothes.  Staying up late talking about the day's events, and when the time comes, staying up late to talk about boys.  All those awesome girly things! 

What I didn't figure in was how I'm exhausted by the time you go to bed and a heartfelt conversation seems impossible some nights.  So I send you to bed with a hug and a kiss and a missed opportunity to make a deeper connection.

  Or how my heart would ache when you learn about the hard parts of  friendship or feel left out.  

How I would feel frustration in those moments of teaching you how to treat others.  

What it would feel like to take you shopping and have you pick out things that my sense of style doesn't really connect with.

Yes, things are a bit different then they were planned in my head the day you were born.

I also didn't figure in how happy I would be the first time you said my name.

How proud I am when you stick up for someone who's being treated unfairly.

How much I love how organized your brain is & how you play with your toys EXACTLY how I would.

How much I love that you love Heavenly Father & Jesus.

How happy you make me just by walking in the door after school because I miss having you around.

I didn't realize how much I would love the person you are more than the person I thought I wanted to mold you into. 

I'm very lucky to have the chance to be your Mom.  I love you and can't wait to see what you have to teach me in the years to come.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEAUTIFUL GIRL!

Happy 40th Birthday Mattie

40 Words for 40 Years:

We've known each other for almost half our lives.   It's been the best half no doubt.  You inspire me and countless others.  You strive for the best.  You always put your family first.  You're my hero.  I'll love you FOREVER.

SIX

I read a story once of a young couple telling her parents that they were expecting their first child.  The parents were extremely excited and the soon-to-be Grandma gave her daughter a hug.  

"I'm so excited for you." She said.  "But a little sad at the same time."

"Why?" asked the daughter.

"Well, I'm excited because of this new little life you will bring into our family.  You'll experience more joy and happiness then you ever thought possible.  The love you will feel will be stronger then any other love you've ever imagined." 

"I'm a little sad at the same time because your heart will never again truly belong to you.  Your heart will be concerned and worried and happy and excited and constantly praying for the well being of your child.  Your heart will never again truly belong to you."

 This story rang true to me.  As a mom, we gladly give up our selfish hearts to be replaced forever with the concern and well being of our child.

It's been six years since you've joined our ranks and boy, it's been great.  I am madly and completely in love with you.  I have loved this last school year having you to myself one last time.  Walking you to the bus each day after lunch, playing Memory on the front room floor, taking you on my errands and having you for my daily lunch date.  

There was a small twinge of jealously when I would help in your class and the cute little girl that had a crush on you would run to get the seat next to you.  Part of me wanted to stick my tongue out at her and say "SO THERE!" when you'd run up to me and give me a big hug and tell her, "This is my Mom!"

"YEAH!  SO THERE!  AND HE WANTS TO MARRY ME SOME DAY TOO!"  I'd want to say.  But I didn't.

Sometimes when you walk in a room my breath catches in my chest.  I'm lucky to be your Mom.

I tear up when I think about the day I was walking you to the bus, holding your hand and you looked up at me and out of the blue you said,  "Mom, I'm gonna miss you a lot when I'm on my mission."   And I told you that I would miss you more but that we would always write to each other and keep in touch and I would think about you all the time. (but I don't think about it too much because my chest gets tight and I can't breathe.  I'm still not sure how you send your boys away to become men.)

You were sent to me to remind me to be soft.  To love things wholeheartedly because everything is fleeting.  I need daily reminders of these things and I'm grateful you're around to do just that.  

Thank you for six great years so far.  Thank you for who you are and the part you play in our family.  Thank you for wanting to marry me instead of the cute girl in your class.  And thank you for taking over that place in my heart when I gave it up to you.  If my heart doesn't belong to me anymore, I gladly turn it over to you, Mason and Mia.

 I love you. Dad loves you.  We all love you.   

Happy Birthday Mad-dawg! 

This Should Be Shared

I follow a blog titled CJANEKENDRICK, You should too. Seriously.

Earlier this month she wrote a post Body Talk that I feel strongly should be read from the rooftops. It's poignant and beautiful enough that her editor at the Deseret News published it in today's paper. C Jane writes some pretty amazing stuff. This however, is perfection. She received such a great response that she posted a bit of a Thank You to her readers. You can read that here and you should, not just because she noted my comment either(yay, me!). Take a moment to read Body Talk and see how you feel. Like I said, I think it's beautiful and worth sharing.

On Your 12th Birthday: 12 Things I Love About You

1. Those amazing eyelashes and gorgeous baby blues
2. Your voice that goes higher the happier you are
3. The way your gut laugh is contagious
4. The way your hair grew in so curly this year. CRAZY!
5. The fact that your teacher never misses a chance to tell me how much she loves having you in her class. She loves that you always gets her sense of humor and can come back with something on the spot
6. Your willingness to forgive our shortcomings as your parents
7. You love with everything you are
8. Your love of spicy foods
9. The fact that you're 12 but you still let your mom pinch your cute tushy every now and again
10. You set aside time to play with the little boys in the neighborhood who regularly ring our doorbell and want to "play with Mason"
11. The way you don't argue about doing work but dig in and get it done
And last but not least
12. The way you stole my heart 12 years ago today, set up camp, and have occupied a huge spot there ever since.
Happy Birthday Mason. I hope it's been great!
Love You!

Dad's and Donuts

Today was Dad's and Donuts What a fun excuse for Dad's to go early before school with their kids, read with them and of course, there's donuts involved. Sugar's always a great way to start the day but add your Dad reading a book or two with you and what could be better?!
I volunteer at the beginning of the day on Wednesdays and arrived just as the majority of Dads were leaving, heading back to the corporate world armed with the musings of Curious George, The Cat in the Hat or maybe Harry Potter. Whatever their fancy, it made me smile to see all these men who lovingly took time away from busy work loads to spend some quality time with their kids.
Dad's don't get enough credit in my book. The good ones anyway. They play such an important role in the family and it's great to see most of them take that very seriously. We've got a good one around these parts and I'm grateful for him more everyday.
Mattie, Thanks for spending the morning with the kids. They loved it!

...and that's how it all began.

June 1995. I was in Logan to play with Dana and visit some old roommates for the weekend. One of our gals had her boyfriend with her. A group of guys approached our table to chat since one of them knew her boyfriend. After chatting for a bit, they joined us and the small talk began. He asked me my name and I, rather shortly, told him it was April.
And your last name, he asked?
I don't have one.
You see I wasn't interested in this scene. Just wanted to be with my friends. Not interested that is, until he began talking to one of the other girls. Well you know, excuse me....attention back to me please!
As the conversation allowed I mentioned that my last name was Elggren. He looked at me rather strange, which you get use to when your last name is Elggren. For some reason it's hard for people to say at first and even harder for people to spell. UGH.
There was an Elggren on my mission he told me.
Where did you go on your mission?
Argentina.
My brother went to Argentina.
What?! That's crazy. Sure enough, this dashing young fellow knew my brother and had spent 2 years in a South American country the same time he had over a year and a half before this.
The conversation flowed and we talked into the morning hours that first night, forgetting about our friends. I really liked this guy. That was something I hadn't thought possible for a long time.
Tomorrow's Father's Day I told him, why don't you come down home with me for dinner. My brother will be there with his new wife. It would be fun to see his reaction.
He came to dinner the next day. Met my family and surprised my brother, who was so taken off guard that it took him a minute to place where he knew this stranger from. We dug up pictures from their mission. At the airport both leaving and coming home from Argentina. There's my family and standing next to us is his family. I'd been there both times when they left and when they came home. He'd been there both times, we'd never noticed each other. This is crazy and funny.
Must be fate, right?
So I married the guy.
16 Years ago today.
What else ya gonna do.

Happy Anniversary Mattie. I love you more today then I could have ever imagined.

How Did You Celebrate Your 100th?

Today was the 100th day of school for the kiddlings. Boy, the school goes nuts over this, all kinds of celebrations. I don't remember it being any sort of a deal while I was in school but BRING IT ON! Any reason to celebrate, right? Mia's class did some fun activities one of which was to draw what they might look like when they're 100. This picture makes me smile.

Hope your 100th was as steller!

Out Of The Mouths.........

Yesterday Madden and I were in the kitchen ready to make him lunch before sending him off on the school bus. He told me I needed to guess what he wanted to eat. So began the list of usual lunchtime kiddie food; grilled cheese, hot dog, chicken noodle soup, chicken nuggets, etc. After a few guesses I asked for a small hint.
"It starts with a W," he said.
.........crickets......more crickets.........
"Madden, I can't think of one thing that starts with a W. Help me out, K?"
"Mom, think about it! Wha,wha, wha.......it starts with the sound of "W". Wha...wha...wha....(these sounds are accompanied by a dramatic eye roll, because seriously, how dumb is his Mom right now?!)
"FINE!" he said, "I'll just tell you! Wha, wha, wha.......Whaman Noodles!"

Gotcha buddy. Sorry to be so slow.
I did follow this conversation up with another about how it really starts with an R. We practiced a few times but it's going to be a while before the W's get replaced with the R's. Maybe once his missing teeth grow back in.

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Last week I took the kids out to buy odds and ends to finish up their Halloween costumes. After a stop at Toys R Us, Hobby Lobby and Walmart I told Mason that we were going to go to Savers and DI. He asked what Savers was and I told him it's kind of like DI where they sell things that people have donated because they don't need them any longer. His reply?
"So it's EXACTLY like DI. They take crap people don't want anymore, slap a price on it, sell it and call it charity."

A little harsh but yep, that about sums it up.

It's Great To Be 8!

Today you're 8 and I'm reminded again how fast time goes by. I remember the day you were born like it was yesterday. We were so excited to have a little girl join the ranks. You had a perfect round face & a perfect round head (compliments of a c-section) and the most beautiful pair of lips I've ever seen.
You were the smallest of our babies but quickly grew beyond that. You were a very happy baby as long as we kept you fed, changed and generally gave you everything you wanted.
Now you're becoming such a beautiful girl. You're eager to please your teachers. You love babies. You always describe a past event by explaining exactly what you or others were wearing or how your hair was done. You really pay attention to those details. You're excited to be 8 and happy to be in 2nd grade. We love you Mia Anne! Happy Birthday!

*Photo's compliments of Ruth Done Photography :)

Will Be Missed

Matt's brother Darin passed away Wednesday morning. I can't imagine losing any of my brothers so to think this is the second brother he's lost in just a few years seems a little overwhelming. Darin's life was hard. He struggled often. We'll miss him a lot!

Darin Roger Thompson, 40, beloved father, son, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin and friend, passed away on Wednesday September 14, 2011, choosing to leave this life to a better place, free from pain and struggle.
Darin was born January 17th, 1971 in Ogden Utah to Merlene Woodland and Roger Douglas Thompson. Darin was reared and spent most of his life in Garland Utah. He was a natural athlete in his youth where things seemed to come too easy for him. He made friends easily and had a big heart. From adolescence to adulthood Darin unfortunately was led to a life of addiction and incarceration that became too overwhelming to overcome, a life that even the best efforts of family and friends couldn’t persuade. It will be the times of goodness that we as a family will remember most, times when he was fighting to be on the Lord’s side, loving and giving to all around him.
Darin is a member of the LDS Church and gained a testimony of the Gospel late in life, specifically of the Prophet Joseph and the Restoration. Darin was a talented Poet, having written many great works that we will cherish.
Darin is survived by his son Dale, parents Merlene Woodland and Roger (Cindy) Thompson, siblings Matt (April) Thompson, Holly M. Stone, Scott (Tiffany) Stone, Tamaria Bradley, Nick Thompson , Dyllan Thompson as well as his nieces and nephews and countless loving family and friends. He was preceded in death by a brother, Justin Stone.Funeral Services will be held Monday September 19, 2011 at 11:00 am at the Garland Third Ward LDS Church, 175 South Main, Garland with Bishop Jim Hall officiating. Family and friends may call from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Sunday, September 18, 2011 at Rudd’s Funeral Home, 1234 South Main Garland and from 9:30-10:30 Monday at the church. Interment will be at the Garland cemetery following the funeral.

Matt wrote the obituary & I think it's PERFECT!

We love you Darin.

Like, Totally Fun!!

A little over a week ago Celeste turned the big 40!! What a great excuse to party, right? Shaun did a great job putting an 80's themed party together and we all had a blast dressing up and doing our hair BIG to get ready for the festivities! Here's Celeste & Shaun. Celeste said her hair got caught in her sunroof on the way over....did I say BIG hair?! The party was a blast. We had Cafe Rio pork salads, or as they say, a little bit of heaven :) Shaun had his Atari set up on the big screen, 80's music videos playing on one wall, we had Rubix Cube competitions (which I humbly sat out...didn't want to make anyone feel stupid by smokin the compitition. Did I mention I hate Rubix Cubes? Well I do, they make me feel super dumb and the only way I ever got all the colors on each side was by a.) taking off the stickers and reapplying them correctly or b.) just taking the DANG thing apart and put it back together. Hate those things!) Whew, ok back to the party. There was a photographer there so we could get our "dance"pictures taken just like in High School. We played a fun game to get things rolling after dinner and then we settled in doing some karaoke until the wee hours of the morning. Did I say it was a blast? Cause it was!!!

Tip: in case you were wondering, Savers & DI work great for for finding 80's digs.

Tip: Aqua Net still works the best to get your bangs to the sky! Yes, they still sell it. I found it at my neighborhood Walmart and we all know that EVERY neighborhood has a Walmart!

Tip: If you ever had big hair and you try to go back to your big hair ways, your hair will remember and gladly comply.

Here's the group of men. Handsome aren't they?

Amber, Jayme and Celeste doing the infamous drill team fist-under-chin pose that was in all the 80's yearbooks. At least Davis High yearbooks.

Brad & Jayme. Brad had a nasty curly red mullet coming out of the back of his hat. NASTY!! Jayme was dressed and had her hair done just like someone my family all remembers well (I'm not naming names to protect feelings as well as save Jayme from hearing it one more time. Spot on Jayme, intentional or not!).

Ashton & Ruth..you go girls. Ashton reminds me of Stephanie Tanner from Full House. It was really fun to have Celeste's kids and their friends at the party. However, I think we may have scarred them for life with our karaoke.

The awards ceremony was a bust, mostly because I didn't win anything ;)

Actually it was really fun to vote for our favorites. Ruth & Matt both won for best karaoke performance. I think Matt has secretly waited his entire life to karaoke Ice Ice Baby! Joe got up to do it and after just a few seconds Matt couldn't take it any longer and jumped up to join in. Really he took over, showing off his skills as a white rapper and his lack of constructive things to do as a youth with his memorized lyrics.....I couldn't be more proud!

They gave out awards for highest hair and best 80's costume.

We took a minute as sisters to recreate this picture. We had one taken just like this when we were much younger but our hair was probably just as big. Thanks to Jody from Limelight Photography for hanging out and capturing the night for us. Can't wait to see how the pictures turn out.

The party was a blast! We love you Celeste! Thanks to all the family & friends who took the time to celebrate Celeste's big day with us!

PS: watch for your performances on a You Tube channel near you!

Happy Birthday Big Guy!

Happiest of birthday's Madd-dawg! Where to begin? Wow, you're a stud! I don't know what your Dad and I did to derserve having you in our family but it must have been HUGE! There are so many things that I love about you, I honestly don't know where to start.

You have always been pretty mellow, happy and easy-going. You're pretty quick to give in without much arguement when Dad and I ask you to do something and you love to be around Mason and Mia.

You keep me on my toes asking me simple math questions all day long. For example,"Mom, what's 15 +15 + 6?"

You love to ask how old people are. In fact I think you asked me at least 4 times today how old my mom and dad are. (You already know the answer so I like to give you the wrong one just to hear you correct me).

You sing along to the radio constantly and know pretty much all the lyrics better than me. I think my favorite song to hear you sing is "Who Says" by Salina Gomez. You can seriously rock that beat!!

You love your back scratched at any moment, any place. I secretly totally enjoy it too because it's one of the rare moments in the day where you lay still and just talk to me.

You're a little picky with your food choices but you seem to be coming around a bit to trying new things.

You're new favorite thing is playing Ghost in the Graveyard with the bigger kids late at night.

You've mastered the art of raising one eyebrow and I love when you combine it with saying "How you doin?"

I have utterly and completely enjoyed having you around by yourself this past school year. I will miss you to pieces when you head off to kindergarten this Fall. I'm so glad they let me down easy by only having you away for 1/2 a day. Don't tell anyone but I might get a little misty-eyed when you leave me to fend for myself those first few days.

Madden, I find myself at a loss for words when I try to tell you how much I love you. You're the perfect addition to our family and we all love you so so much!

Happy Birthday, Big Guy! I just wanna eat you up!

Kids Say The Darndest Things

Last Saturday we were stopped at an intersection waiting for the light to change. On one corner there was an older man with a scraggly beard and a smoke hanging out of the corner of his mouth. He was half-heartedly twirling a Little Caesar's Pizza sign trying to drum up some business for the pizza shop. From the back of the car Mason says, "Hey Mia, see that old guy on the corner with the sign? Let him be a lesson to you that you should go to college."

It's good to see all our lectures on the importance of education haven't fallen on deaf ears. :)

We have a house in our neighborhood that we pass several times a day. They always have their yard and windows decorated for the appropriate season/holiday. It's cute to see. One day we drove past and Mia says, "Mom, when are you going to start decorating our house cute like theirs?" Before I could respond, Mason answered for me. "Mia, they're old AND they have more money then we do."

SWEET!! I'm off the hook until I get older and as long as I can keep our kids believing we live in a state of poverty.

What We've Been Up To

We gave our cabinet the face lift that it has needed for so very, very long.Before

After.

Matt and I did this together one weekend and we both love the final result!

Now the next project, well, it took longer than a weekend. Matt worked his buttocks off doing the kitchen. So many late, late nights mixed with a little blood, lots of sweat and just a few tears ;)

Before.

After.

We still have little odds and ends to finish up but it's come a long way! We were so anxious to get rid of the blue Formica. WOW the people who built this house LOVED blue. We've redone every surface in this house now except for the laundry room floor. That's coming up pretty quick towards the top of the Honey-Do list.

Thanks Mattie, it looks GREAT!

Happy Birthday Mason!!!

Hey Mase,

Eleven. Seriously? I wish there was a way to slow time down a bit or at least rewind and pause here and there. I don’t know how you’re 11 but 11 you are and I’m trying to face the fact. You’re at such a great age. I love how you told me the other day that all the boys in your class except you and one other have girlfriends and I asked if you were feeling the pressure to snag one up for yourself. You said no but there are a couple of gals you have your eye on. Just remember to treat them nicely and always act like a gentleman. Take it from this old lady, girls love to feel taken care of.
I love how you’re not afraid to tell me the things you hear and see other’s do around you. It gives me a chance to help you filter what’s ok and what’s completely inappropriate (sadly there’s more of the later). It makes me feel like you trust me enough to share and I love that!
You’re great at so many things and perfect in all the right ways. You’re such a great reader and it makes me happy to see you enjoy a good book. You’re creative and smart. Oh so smart!! Wise beyond you’re years really. Sometimes I think you’re poor little body has to house that huge soul and it’s busting at the seams to get out. It’s fun to see it emerge into the great person you are becoming.
I love you so much! You make me laugh on a regular basis and put a smile on so many people’s faces! I feel so fortunate to be part of your life.

Happy Birthday, Buddy. I LOVE YOU!

ps: I added your playlist to our blog for your big day! Enjoy!

After All These Years

15 years ago today found me marrying my best friend. Since then we've moved 6 times, earned 2 college degrees, added 3 amazing kids, moved jobs a few times and gained a few wrinkles and gray hairs along the way (shhh don't tell). If I had to do it again I'd do it all EXACTLY the same. All the ups, all the downs. They put us where we are today and I wouldn't change it for the world.

I love you Matt. Thank you for making me laugh regularly and not take myself too seriously. I married the perfect man for me.

Happy Anniversary!

20 Year Reunion

Matt was in charge of his 20 year Bear Rive High reunion this past August. It took weeks, who am I kidding, MONTHS to plan. He did such a great job organizing and making sure he found as many people from his class as he could. It was held at Maddox Ranch House in Perry. The food was great and so was the company. It was fun for me to meet some of the people he grew up with that I haven't had a chance to meet yet. And of course it's always great to see those you haven't seen in a while.
As you can tell, it didn't take long for everyone to feel comfortable and get back to where they were 20 years ago.

Tiffany Summers was so great to step up and help Matt where she could. What a lifesaver! Thanks Tiffany for all your help, Matt was so appreciative!

It was so much fun for Matt (and myself) to see Ryan and Andrew again. These best friends haven't been together in the same room in 14 years (I think it was our wedding to tell you the truth). We've seen them both in the meantime but never together. It was so fun!!

Here we are with our "significant others". As long as Andrew doesn't skip the country again we hope to see these guys again soon!

Great job on the reunion Mattie. It was such a huge success. Your hard work REALLY paid off!

Mia's Surgery

At the end of October Mia had eye surgery to keep her eyes from crossing. She was extremely nervous on the drive up to Primary's and in the waiting room. She cried a bit and who can blame her? Going under the knife is never a fun experience. But she was brave! She was still a little apprehensive in the exam room before we took her to pre-op. But once they gave her that sweet nectar that makes you feel good..she was a happy camper!
They strapped her in the wheelchair to get her to the waiting room since she soon lost all ability to stand or even talk. But she could still smile and she did a lot of that. She must have been feeling GROOVY.

Here's Daddy and Mia waiting to head down to the operating room. By now her nerves were completely gone and she was happy (and a bit drowsy).

The surgery was a huge success and Matt and I raced back as soon as we could to see her. They warned us that she would be a little irritable and she definitely fit that bill. That's one of the worst feelings to me, being under anesthesia and having to come to. You feel so tired and all you want is to keep sleeping. BUT NOOOO, every one's talking to you and asking you to wake up, and don't touch the part of your body that is killing you!

We went home after a couple of hours in recovery.

We've had a few check ups since then with her eye doctor and he is very pleased with the results. We are starting to lower her prescription on her glasses and hope to have her out of them sometime soon. Yay!!!