Family Photos

We had our pictures taken at Sear's yesterday. Annabeth was all smiles for the camera - although she couldn't seem to keep her tongue in her mouth. Anyone who is interested should check out the new Sears coupon. It's only $4.99 for 35 pictures (although you only get one pose). We ended up choosing the last picture although we love the middle pic of Annabeth by herself.

Giggles over green beans

Lots has happened since our last post. Annabeth had her sixth-month check-up with her new doctor in Wylie. Dr. Richardson said that she is growing fine in length and is meeting all her developmental benchmarks. The only concern is her weight. She weighed in at only the fifth percentile. The doc said to start her on baby foods and bring her back in a couple of weeks for a weigh in. Annabeth LOVES to to eat her vegetables. We've tried nearly every kind, and she hasn't disliked any of them. She must get that from Brent since I am such a picky eater.

She hasn't started crawling yet, but I can tell she is so close. She actually does manage to get around but I wouln't call it "crawling." Maybe more like squirming. She has also begun to notice Pedro and thinks he is hilarious. (We use him as an incentive to try to get her to crawl). She loves to tug at his ears and tries to catch his tail when it wags.

Tonight, she showed us her latest trick - laughing hysterically when someone sneezes. We discovered it by accident, but it was so funny we had to recreate it for the camera. See video above.

We miss Shreveport but are adjusting really well here. We can't wait until Christmas when we will get to go home and see both of our families.

Mommy, she bite me!

Well, it's official. Annabeth has two teeny tiny but ever so present bottom teeth. Last week as Shelley and I were painting (and Erin was babysitting) Erin shouted, "Mommy, Annabeth bite me! She bite me with her teeth!" We assured her that Annabeth didn't have any teeth yet so she couldn't be biting her. We forgot all about it until a couple hours later when Shelley took a break to feed the baby for me. She noticed that she was biting down on the spoon and making a clicking sound. Sure enough, Erin was right. I promise to no longer discredit the words of a two year old. When we told mom, all she could say was "Why were Erin's hands in Annabeth's mouth?" Good question.

Bath Time

Updates From Our New Home in Texas!

Well, we finally made it to our new home in Sachse, Tx. Many thanks to all those who helped us with the move. Also-we can't thank mom and dad enough for letting us crash their place for a few months while we figured things out. We really miss them, and can't wait for a visit. So far, we've just been trying to get used to our surroundings. In my case, that usually entails getting lost - even WITH the GPS. Fortunately, our town is super small - in fact, we have to go to Wylie or Garland if we want entertainment. But we love it and are so excited to finally have a home again! It has been so nice having Shelley and Ryan only 20 minutes away. This weekend, Brent's family came to visit, and we went to the temple together. We couldn't ask for better families. We know that we are truly blessed. Annabeth has grown so much since the last post. Here are just a few pics from the last few weeks.

Thompson Family Photos

We were finally able to get the pictures off our camera, so here are a few from the past few weeks.Annabeth with her pouty face on.

Yes, she actually has this much hair! And it's growing! It seems we can't go anywhere without someone commenting on her locks.

Eden, Erin, and Emma sitting on the tailgate eating popsicles on a hot, summer day. Aren't they cute?

Julie and Annabeth finally get to meet. We miss you, Julie!

Grandma Rosie and Annabeth

Mandy, Shelley, Julie, and me. I love all of my sisters. Seems I can't go a day without talking to one of them on the phone. They help me maintain my sanity. They really are my best friends.

Emma wanted to play Racheal Ray and concocted some sort of green mush. Yummm!

I made cupcakes to celebrate Brent's completion of his degree. He will walk across the stage in December!

Ryan Christopher, Annabeth, and Fox

Eden, Annabeth, and Erin. In this pic, Eden is playing with her hair. Both of the girls can't seem to keep their hands off of her head and find her hair to be fascinating. They are so sweet. What great cousins!

Houdini Weenie!

Our little weenie dog never ceases to entertain us. This morning, as we were leaving for church, we couldn't find Pedro. We looked everywhere inside and out, but there was no sign of him. I got into the car and strapped Annabeth in figuring that we would find him when we got home. Out of the corner of my eye, something caught my attention. It was Pedro - sitting in the driver's seat of my parent's suburban. I was confused because no one had even opened the doors to the suburban this morning. We let him out and he immediately ran to relieve himself on the grass. Apparently, he jumped in the car LAST NIGHT while my dad was hauling stuff in and out. Little guy must have jumped in when no one was looking. I can't believe he spent all night out there all by himself.

The funny part is all the thoughts that went through my mind when I saw him sitting there in the drivers seat. How did he do that? Surely, he couldn't have opened the door. Maybe he crawled underneeath the car somehow. For a second there, he had us all fooled. Our little houdini weenie-dog!

We Got A House!

Brent and I were very excited last week to learn that we will soon be home-owners again! At the end of this month, we will be relocating to Sachse, TX (pronounced like Saxy, or if your prefer, Sexy with an "a"- I know it doesn't look like like how it's spelled so I'm sure we can look forward to correcting all of you in the future. It is three bedroom, two bath - just the right size for our little family. I am so excited to get my things out of our storage unit. It will be so nice to settle down again into a home of our own. My first job will be to paint Annabeth a nursury! Brent is very excited to start work as an accountant for Ernst & Young, and I have accepted a position to teach private voice lessons part-time. We sure will miss Shreveport, but we know we will be home often.

Our new address: 7515 Vista Ridge - Sachse, Tx

Never Let A Dog Lick You

Those of you who know our dachsund know that he is a pretty rambunctious little guy. He has lots of energy and is always finding new ways to get into trouble. Since my parents live outside the city, Pedro has found all sorts of critters to chase around, including their cat. A couple of days ago, he surprised us all with his latest adventure. Brace yourself for this one:

I have to say that it was the single most disgusting experience I've had in a long time. The little monster killed a squirrel, ate the squirrel, and regurgitated its guts all over my mom's rug! How's that for disgusting? It was hands down the MOST revolting mess I have ever had to clean up-and Pedro makes a lot of messes! Needless to say, I haven't let Pedro lick me since then, and I don't know if I will ever be able to get those images out of my mind. I have had nightmares for the past two nights. Oh well-he's our Pedro and we still love him-squirrell guts and all.

Vacation With The Barrow Family

This past week, we were able to go to Gulf Shores in Alabama with the Barrow Clan. We had loads of fun playing on the beach, relaxing at the pool, playing putt putt, and just hangin out together. For those of you who are unfamiliar with my in-laws, let me just say that they are one lively bunch of people. That is definitely an understatement! When we are with them, it seems there is never a dull moment. Sure they are a little crazy at times, but we wouldn't have it any other way! Here are a few pics of our week.

Hangin out at the pool.

Fun at the beach. Brooke wore herself out and fell asleep in Amy's arms.

Annabeth spent lots of time in her carseat and did amazingly well.

Playing putt-putt together. Brent beat everyone twice!

Annabeth and Big Daddy at the pool.

All the girls on the beach.

Daddy entertaining Annabeth in the car.

Amy, me, and Mel

Annabeth wearing her cute hat. It was the smallest size I could find and was still too big for her head!

Update

Ok, so every time I get on to check my blog, I hear some new, strange Spanish pop music, and I think to myself "Now I know I didn't put THAT on my playlist." It turns out that Brent has been slowly adding his favorite songs when he's at work. I thought about taking them all off, but I guess it's good that he has taken an interest in our family's blog (even if it is only to listen to his weird music.)
Anyway-this weekend, Brent and I made the trip to Dallas to check out houses. We are looking in a small subarb called Rowlett. We saw a lot of houses we really liked, but after a while they all started to look the same. Buying a house is such a big decision so we are both a little nervous. If anyone has advice on what to look for, please post it! On Sunday, we visited the Rowlett first ward and really liked it. The people seem super nice, and we really felt welcome. I think we are really going to like it there.
Brent is especially excited because he only has three weeks of classes left. He will graduate Maga Cum Laude so I am very proud of him. We love Shreveport but are ready for him to start this new job in a new city. Both of us have always lived in Shreveport so we are jumping in feet first with our eyes closed! Dallas, here we come!

Indiana or Bust!

This past week, I was able to go to Indiana with Mom, Dad, and Annabeth to see Mandy and Andrew's new little addition. That morning, I had taken Annabeth to get her shots, and I think I cried almost as much as she did. She finally tired herself out and crashed. I felt so terrible for her but snapped this pic. She slept most of the way there.

Pics of Annabeth with her new cousin, Fox. He looks a lot like Mandy and Dad. This baby also likes to eat A LOT so I felt sorry for Mandy because she is literally an all night snack bar for the little guy. He sure is a cutie. Mom and I think he looks just like a little man.

Eden has the cutest, curly hair. It's a little wild but matches her little personality!

Me, Mandy & Fox, Mom, Dad & Annabeth, Eden & Andrew

Mandy, Eden, & Fox. (Eden loved to take care of the babies and always wanted to hold them.)

Ok, I know she's mine so I have to say this, but isn't she Gerber baby material?

Annabeth's Special Day

Just snapped this pic today. She is always happy when she wakes up in the morning.

Brent blessed Annabeth on Father's Day. It was a special day for both baby and daddy. She looked so pretty in her white dress.

We had a very busy day with both of our families in town. She slept through the whole thing.