New Website

I have a new website up.. It's easier to navigate around and for me to publish things as well :)



Here's the link

The Birth

 I haven't blogged in a while. Not that anyone really cares, who reads this anyway? Haha - We don't have a computer so it makes it challenging. Uriah is here! Our sweet baby boy, who at this very moment is waking up from a nap and I can hear him in the monitor.. So about the birth. I was in labor for about 26 hours, 12 of those hours I was at my midwife's house. Apparently I had "back labor," and that's supposed to be the worst, but I wouldn't really know because I've only had one baby... I wonder if it really matters anyway, I'm sure the other is just as excruciating as this was.. (By the way, in case you were wondering if Uriah woke up from his nap and I am just leaving him there, your heart can stop worrying because he was just squirming). So after many hours, Uriah John Thompson arrived into the world.. Wow what an amazing experience... Did this little, well, actually quite big, human being just come out of me?! Haha.. Was HE the one that punched, kicked and wiggled his way around in my belly for 39 weeks? Was this the sweet boy that was squished in there for what seemed like forever!? Now he's actually here. I can smell him, kiss him, touch his toes, rub his head, squish his cheeks... Okay I guess I'll put a picture up just to show you how perfect he is.

I know right? Pretty beautiful if I do say so myself... So now, we're learning how to take care of this amazing child from God. I find myself wanting to do everything right, I don't want to make a mistake with him, but I will... That's why we have the Father right? I just have to keep reminding myself of that. I'm going to make mistakes, I'm not going to be a "perfect mother." There's no such thing.. I love spending every day with Uriah, he is such a joy. And when I feel like, "wow I could use a little break to myself" he does something, smiles, toots, snorts, and I fall in love with him again and forget that I "wanted time to myself."

Well, I'll be back someday to post something else. Hopefully this time it won't be months and months later. I'm hoping to share some things I've been cooking up in the kitchen next time :)

What to say?

Well, what is there to say... A few new updates since my last post. I am starting school in less than a week.... Yes, I am going back to school, scary thought. Although, I think this time, I'm going to enjoy it unlike my high school years. I am going to school to be an esthetician. For those of you who don't know what that is (people have thought the weirdest things when I say esthetician).. I will be performing waxing (eyebrows, legs, arms, etc), facials (mmm facials), microdermabrasion, and make-up. I've always wanted to do something like this, ever since I started getting my eyebrows waxed in, I don't know, 6th grade! I had (have) bushy eyebrows what can I say? I just remember the atmosphere of going to this spa and salon and loved looking at all the natural products. I still love going to places and just looking at different moisturizers, lotions, make-up, etc.. Eventually I would love to either do it out of my home or open up my own spa and salon. Gabriel could run the design, marketing, business side, and I'll do all the fun stuff :P - It would be so fun to have our own business...
I would also at some point like to go to school for cosmetology so I can do hair as well....But that may be a bit down the road since I'll have a baby to take care of soon. The school in 3 1/2 months long which means I will be about 36 weeks along when I graduate..

 

18 weeks

This saturday is my birthday, big 22... Each year they seem less and less exciting or real.. Last year was the best birthday I've had, obviously due to getting engaged on the same day! Now this year, I'm pregnant.. Wow, a lot happened in a year! I got engaged, got married, AND got pregnant. Apparently I like to move things right along. Haha

Then... The NEXT sunday is Gabriel's birthday, the big 21.. We're going to Ed and Rosa's for both of our birthday's, at least we are for mine. We're having a fondu sort of party for mine, and well since it's Gabriel's 21st they're going to make him a bunch of little mixed drinks to try since they're so expensive at restaurants and stuff. Guess I'll be the designated driver for that one! Haha...

On monday the 8th, we'll be finding out what the baby is, FINALLY! Maybe we'll be able to decide on a name.. The only ones that we're considering is if it's a boy: Uriah John Thompson. Gabriel really likes this name but I guess I'm not sure if I can picture myself having a boy named that, but it's slowly starting to grow on me. Now if it's a girl, well this is where it gets complicated. There were SO many I liked in the beginning, now I don't like any of those and like 2 names that Gabriel doesn't really like, GREAT. For some reason I keep picking boy names for girls, I just think they're cute I don't know why! So I like Peyton (no middle name yet) Thompson or Rylee/Rylie (no middle name yet) Thompson. Some middle names we're considering are (Halo, Loraine, Eliza, Zoe, Eden). The name Gabriel likes for a girl is Seraiah, I like it too, I just like the other two better..

Now that I'm looking at them, I guess we have a good list, for a girl at least. Hmm Peyton Loraine Thompson..... Rylee Loraine Thompson... Rylee Eden Thompson, Peyton Halo Thompson...Seraiah Eden Thompson.. Oh dear. 

I'll stop before this gets even longer! Hopefully knowing if it's a boy or girl will help us decide on something.

God really does love to take care of His kids

So we have been living at Gabriel's parents since the 18th of January.. We've made it somewhat homey in their basement, I like it. The only I am a little concerned about is where the baby will fit haha... But who knows, maybe things will change and we will have our own place by then, if not we'll just have to move things around and get a little cozier. But the good news I wanted to share was about our apartment. We moved our by breaking our lease which means we were financially still responsible for paying the rent of each month until they found someone to move in.. Risky, I know but we figured if anything we could save by not having to pay utilities and for food, save on gas, by moving into his parents until it got rented. BUT the other day Gabriel got a call and they rented it out already! The new tenant/s move in on the 29th of January. That ALSO means that we'll be getting some money back for this month since we paid the rent at the beginning of the month for all of January!! God really loves to take care of His kids.. I mean, when we first decided to break our lease, my thinking was "gosh, there's so many what ifs. what if we were supposed to just do the 6 month lease and not the year lease, what if I was supposed to just get a job at mcdonalds or something and not wait for something that felt really right, why would God bless us like that if maybe we didn't make the right decision with the apartment?".....Trust me, my mind went on a lot longer but I'll save you the details because it doesn't really matter does it? I mean, it just shows that my thinking, my thought process is no where near the mind of God. He's so much more gracious and loving than we realize a lot of the time... Probably ALL the time. I prayed every time I thought about the apartment, "God I ask for your favor over our apartment and that you would rent it out right away" - And guess what? He did! I was thinking, oh maybe February or March, but someone is moving into our apartment 10 days after we moved out!!!

Gabriel and I in Africa..Before we were married, before we dated, before we even knew we liked each other... I just love these pictures and wanted to share a couple of them. We'll be back someday,

I'm sure of it.

Moving Day, Well, Weekend - January 16, 2009

We're moving this weekend.. Back to Gabriel's parents house in Lake Stevens... I'm really happy to be getting out of our apartment. For that past few months, well since we've moved in, there's been this musty, just stinky smell that we thought was just a "empty apartment smell," but have realized, it's not. That's not really the main reason we're moving, but that's one of my reasons for being happy about leaving.. We're mainly moving because we can't afford to live there right now with just Gabriel working. We've been able to pay rent and everything but it's those other things like buying shampoo, getting gas, or feeding ourselves that really gets us, or gets the credit card. So today we're going to paint a wall in our new bedroom and move some more things around to make space for our stuff... It's going to be interesting going back to his parents, I know it will be fun and good, but it will take some re-adjusting I think. Gabriel lived there for 20 years of his life, and I lived there for a year when I first moved up to Washington... We're blessed to have people and family who care about us enough to let us stay there for free until we're not financially responsible for our apartment though. At least we won't be going into more debt!
I wanted this blog to be more "writings" of mine (Lauren) because I really want to start writing again, but for right now I think I'll just stick with this and maybe it will turn into something more eloquent and fun to read, or maybe not. Who knows..
I'm 12 weeks pregnant, will be 13 on tuesday.. I'm not really showing, although something else is, my love handles... Is the baby pushing all my fat to the sides of my hips or what? It took me a long time to get rid of those things, I mean really. Dang it. I just keep telling myself that it's extra skin that I'll be thankful for when I do start getting a big belly. Hmmm.. Well anyway, I'm really excited to know if it's a boy or girl, and honestly I am excited to start getting a belly, I think it will seem more real.

One - October 31, 2009

Faces. Billions of different faces across the world are telling a story. Some sad, some joyful, some lacking, and others full. So many hearts longing to know what it means to live and what it means to die. There’s an answer to both, and some people never experience either. They sit in complacency, on the fence, too afraid to make a choice, too afraid to live. Fear captures too many hearts, too many souls in this world and there is only One who can free the captives. .
He looks into their eyes and burns straight into their hearts seeing something no one else can. He sees the aching and desires that even they cannot see themselves. And all He longs to do is reveal that little girl, that little boy who once had so many dreams but now, years later, has been shut down by a world of numbness and disappointment. There’s hope for them. A hope so strong, it can move mountains and cause stormy seas to peace. But where can we find this hope? Where can we go to get it, or who can we go to for it? One. Why can’t we see the One who brings all the things we need, we want, we care about? He has it all, but we’re too afraid of the Love that comes from Him and run away. Let’s stop running away world, let’s run into the arms of Hope, the arms of the One who sees all the faces running around in this world.

The Beginning - October 30, 2009

A journey to withhold is sitting at my fingertips. Do I have the strength to fight? Do I have the heart to run the race? If I fight for the things I love, if I run after the things of God, how can I fail? How can I lose? That’s it. I can’t.
So today embarks a journey of faith, a journey of discovery, a journey of life and love. Life that comes from the lips of God and a Love that is the only thing keeping my heart beating every moment. I am challenged by lies and things I don’t agree with. I want to step away from the things I’ve known, the past, the shame and disappointment that feels like home to me. I want to walk into a dream fulfilled, into moments where I know God is with me, into battles and know I carry the strength to not walk, but run into the victory.

So here we go, ready…set…
Let’s start building the endurance it takes to finish the race.