"Ry, I have a feeling I'm about to get pulled over..."

....turns out I was right. Twenty seconds later, the siren and lights went on. I slowly pulled over and into a K-Mart parking lot. Down went my window and here goes:


Officer: "Good Evening. Do you know why I pulled you over?"

Stormy: "No sir, not really."

Officer: "Well you swerved back there into the bike lane, and well, it's the holidays, I want to make sure that you're not driving under the influence or talking on your cell phone."

Stormy: "No officer, it was neither, I sneezed." (I refrained from mentioning that I was holding my legs together to avoid pee-ing my pants. Considering I had to pee like a Russian race horse and the baby feels like it's literally sitting on my bladder!)

Officer: "Oh, okay. That makes perfect sense. How about you give me your driver's license, registration, and insurance information."

Stormy: "Sure, no problem. Sweetheart can you help me find the insurance card and registration?"

Officer: "I'll be back and you can keep looking."

(about 5 minutes later)

Officer: "Were you able to find that information?"

Stormy: "Well, we found an expired insurance card and registration from Utah, we're still working on it."

Officer: "Okay, then. I can check to see if your insurance was renewed. Be right back."

(another 5 minutes later)

Stormy: "We found the Oregon registration!"

Officer: "Thank you ma'm. Well everything checks out just fine. I'm not going to give you a warning or ticket, I simply wanted to make sure you weren't driving under the influence."

Stormy: "Officer, rest assured we weren't driving under the influence, in fact, my husband and I have never drank an ounce of alcohol in our lives."

Officer: "WHAT?!??!?!?!"

Stormy: "Nope."

Officer: "Wow. That's amazing."

Stormy: "You know what else, officer? This past July marked the 10th anniversary since I received a traffic ticket...AND I was only 5 months from my 10th anniversary of not being pulled over!"

Officer: "Well, that's wonderful. I'm glad you're driving safely. All I have to suggest is that you go home and prepare a "traffic stop packet" in the chance you get pulled over, this way, you'll be more prepared."

Stormy: "Absolutely, Officer, will do!"

(about 4 minutes later)

We finally finished cleaning off the dash which was covered with the glove compartment contents.

Field Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

Back in October, Sofia's school had a field trip to the Pumpkin Patch! (So sorry for the delay in posting these.) Ryan took the day off and we accompanied Sofia and the other students. It was so much FUN—complete with a train ride, feeding the animals, a pyramid hay maze, and of course, loads of pumpkins.

We went to the Flower Farmer Pumpkin Patch in Canby, Oregon. Canby is SE of Portland. It was a beautiful morning and it didn't rain—even though we were fully prepared as Oregonians are—it was nice to enjoy it without the rain!

Mami and Sofia about to depart on the train ride...

Papi, the Rock Star, ready for the train ride as well!

First a visit to feed the animals, las chivas y los burros (goats and donkeys)

Next a stop at the gigantic hay pyramid. This was a fun one—Sofia couldn't stop running through with her flashlight. The crazy thing was that Papi is allergic to hay so he couldn't go in there and I'm claustrophobic so it was quite the experience. We had a blast and Sofia pretended to be one of the Backyardigans "on a secret mission."

Alas, I found my pumpkin! Sofia had to pick a pumpkin, which she could carry for 10 steps all by herself. She was so proud of this little pumpkin as you can see in the picture. Good times!

Papi and Sofi, so precious. This picture makes me melt!

Coming up for air....

Perhaps that sounds a wee bit dramatic for some of you but nevertheless and notwithstanding that's basically what I'm doing here. I've been relatively MIA online for a few weeks. The month of November proved to be extremely painful as you all know and today I felt somewhat coherent enough to type a post.

So, yes, I'm as sick as I was with Sofia. And, yes, I'm on the "vomiting-my-guts-out-weight-loss plan." For those of you who recall my 30-by-30 goal--I put it on hold until the end of the pregnancy. That said, I've still actually managed to achieve 56.7% of that goal. Yes, I've lost 17 pounds in the last month averaging 4.5 pounds per week. My b-day is six days away, so we'll see what the number actually is on December 9th.

Ryan is unceasingly supportive (thanks a million, sweetheart). He's picked up where I haven't been able to and we're getting through this. Last week on one particular day my body was so dehydrated and wasted that I literally slept 16 hours. When I finally woke up and vomited some more I managed to get some fruit in me. Later that evening Ryan and Sofia were headed to the gym and encouraged me to go with them. This way I could get my mind and blood pumping so I agreed. I took it really easy but it definitely helped. I was able to do that two other days last week and it proved to be as good for my mind as well as for my body. We're going to go again tonight. :)

Clearly, this is one of my life battles, but I know why we decided have another baby, and I know this part won't last forever. I'm feeling more and more connected to the little one inside of me and continue to do everything I can to "keep my eye on the prize" --sorry for the cheesy-ness there. It's up and down for me; I try to keep in mind how happy our family will be to welcome the new little one into our lives.

Happy Thanksgiving 2007!

We decided to go out to eat for Thanksgiving dinner this year as a family, it was truly a treat, and everyone had a wonderful time. Click on the picture to see some fun moments during the dinner. Honestly, the pie was my favorite part — I had three pieces!

Mommy, Let's See If There's A Box!

Ever since Sofía was really little, — all right, let's be honest, she's not exactly "big" by any stretch of the imagination, but you get the idea — Nana and Grandpa Staley have started this little tradition of sending "boxes," or as we in the adult world often refer to as packages. These packages vary in shape and size, and are sure to be full of surprises and expressions of love. At one point or another, everyone enjoys receiving boxes filled with goodies, especially if those goodies include something edible like "dulces," right Sofía?

Up to this point, the postal worker has placed Sofía's packages on the front doorstep. Whenever you open the door, if a package has been delivered, you practically step on it — we don't have a tough time noticing when boxes have arrived. Sofía anxiously awaits her "boxes" so much so that it has become part of her daily routine to open the front and see whether Nana and Grandpa have sent her a box. Earlier this week, Sofía was so excited to receive a box with a book, candy, and a Christmas CD. Nana and Grandpa even included a few special things for Mamá y Papá.

Thank you, Nana and Grandpa, for loving us so much to send us boxes filled with little surprises to brighten our day. We love the goodies! Sofía can't wait to go open the front door to see if there's a box, so until next time...

Not Your Ordinary Morning Sickness...

As most of you know, during the first trimester most women experience the ever so common morning sickness, which consists of nausea and vomiting. Most pregnant women feel as though they’re going to vomit everything they ingest, or feel as though most odors nauseate them to the point of vomiting. Yet, there is a small percentage of pregnant women (about 0.3% to 2%) who become afflicted with a condition called “Hyperemesis Gravidarum,” which differs from ordinary morning sickness in that those afflicted become extremely dehydrated and continue to loose weight. Three symptoms confirm extensive vomiting: ketosis, weight loss, and dehydration. “Hyperemesis gravidarum is uncontrollable vomiting during pregnancy that results in dehydration and ketosis.”

A women must receive IV infusion of water, glucose, and electrolytes to correct the dehydration. As far as the nausea and vomiting go, well, medication is the best bet. Stormy’s drug of choice is “ ondansetron (Zofran).” The major downside to this medication is the cost — I’ll spare you the price as some of you may feel sick to your stomach, and since this post is about vomiting and all, we don’t want any of that, now do we. Zofran is often administered to cancer patients for similar symptoms of nausea and vomiting.

Stormy’s mom, Carolyn, has always said that Stormy was “special.” Given that only 0.3% to 2% of pregnant women develop this extreme condition, I’d say that’s pretty special —although the experience in of itself isn’t special by any means. Still, it’s a fifty-fifty chance that a pregnant women will develop this condition if she developed during a previous pregnancy. As many of you know, Stormy experienced what some would call a horrific pregnancy the first go around. All the same, and as special as she is, hyperemesis gravidarum is back. Still, Stormy and I were discussing on the way home from the infusion clinic yesterday about the differences in this pregnancy to that of Sofía’s, and Stormy made the comment that the one major difference is that, even though she’s vomiting and dehydrated, she can look at Sofía and smile and feel a little bit better. Sofía has adopted a practice that is quite endearing; she sings “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” whenever mommy isn’t feeling well.

It's Been One Year...

Since we moved to The Great Northwest, well, officially, it was on November 11, 2006, that we left Salt Lake City, Utah, to arrive in Ontario, Oregon, where we stayed the night. It wasn't until late afternoon on November 12, 2006, that we arrived at our home in Beaverton, Oregon (thank you to all those who helped us unload the largest truck Pensky had to offer).

When we arrived we quickly assimilated into the environmentally-friendly culture practices, such as recycling, re-using, and remembering to take our own green bags to the grocery store. The "People's Republic of Portland," as it if often referred to here, offers activities for families as well as for adults, which was one of the main reasons we decided to make the move. To add to that, Portland is one of the most livable cities in the United States — my guess is the accessibility (one of the nations greatest public transportation systems (www.trimet.org) and the environmental practices, but, again, only guesses.

The Portland-metro area is one of the most attractive locations to live: music, local pubs, arts, learning, creativity, architecture, history, neighborhoods, fishing, hiking, and the outdoors. As you can tell, there's a little something for everyone.

We're so glad that we made the move to the Portland-metro area. It's been one of the best things for our family, and Sofía loves all the activities for kids her age as well. She and her papi went to Powell's Books ( http://www.powellsbooks.com/) last night, which is local to Portland, and, of course, she loved it.

So if any of you ever want to make a trip to The Great Northwest, you'll have a place to stay. For some brief information about the Portland-metro area, check out this Website: http://wikitravel.org/en/Portland_%28Oregon%29

Sofia is going to be a Big Sis!

On or around June 24, 2008! I'm 8 weeks pregnant! I'm so sorry to say that I don't have any ultrasound pics to post. We had our first ultrasound yesterday where the three of us got to see the precious little peanut. Unfortunately, the printer connected to the ultrasound was not working so we came home without any proof but the "two" positive pregnancy tests--OH--and my infamous nausea and vomiting.

Sofia couldn't wait to tell her Papi that Mami had a baby in her tummy. 4 weeks ago--we rehearsed it all the way to Papi's work. We planned to tell him over lunch but the minute Papi got in the car that day, Sofia told him she had a secret. It was a precious moment, one I'll never forget. We're so excited to give Sofia a little brother or sister and bring another precious baby into this world.

While the nausea and vomiting are back with a vengeance, there is something different about this pregnancy. I have physical evidence of the perfect little one that awaits at the end. Sofia is a daily reminder of what all the sacrifice will bring in the end. Each time I vomit or simply feel sick to my stomach, Sofia immediately starts singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." She's positive it's the cure to feeling crummy--and quite honestly, it's up there next to the killer nausea medication (most often prescribed to chemo patients). :D

As soon as we get an ultrasound picture, we'll post it. We're so excited for our family to grow!

Blogging Hiatus is now over!

hi·a·tus /haɪˈeɪtəs/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[hahy-ey-tuhs] noun, plural -tus·es, -tus.

1.	a break or interruption in the continuity of a work, series, action, etc.

Sorry you guys....stay tuned in the days to come for more!

I'm inspired to go crazy with Halloween decorations....

thanks to the fine example of our stellar neighbors, the Olson Family. Their house screams Halloween and literally makes me want to go trick or treating tonight! It's so much fun and Kim tells me people will literally stop and take pictures next to Halloween Scooby while trick or treating. The beauty of Halloween Scooby is that Kim bought him after Halloween a few years ago for $10 bucks...what a deal! Thanks, Olson's, for letting me blog about your decor. I hope to beef up our halloween decor during the clearance sales this year! For now, we just enjoy the spooky Halloween Wreath on our door. :D

Halloween Scooby in all his glory...

Don't you just love the killer hanging spider from the top, the scary hands on the doors, OH, and and the cob webs!

Like I said, here's our one decoration...a spooky wreath.

Happy Halloween!

Because I'm the MoM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For all you mama's and mama's-to-be out there--we officially have a theme song, baby!

Regina Spektor, my new favorite artist

Regina Spektor is a russian-born singer-songwriter, pianist. She is awesome. Her music has this funky-folkish sound and I can't stop listening to her. She's eclectic and tells short stories with her music. Admittedly, I haven't always understood the stories at first but that's what I love about her music is figuring out the story she is trying to tell or the message she is trying to convey. She's been compared to Tori Amos and Fiona Apple.


Being that I have the best husband in the whole wide world, he walked to a record store one day last week in Downtown Portland to buy me her album: "Begin to Hope." It's freakin' sweet and I highly recommend you try it out. My fav songs on this album are Samson, Edit, and Fidelity.

Willow--if you're reading this, I think she may just be your new favorite too...her music reminds me of your style of music. Perhaps it's the whole Tori Amos thing?

Continuing on with the "Is Sofia going to be a Rockstar?" theme....

Back when we made the trip to Utah, Sofia put on her own mini-La, La, La, concert complete with vibrato. It was pretty funny and so crazy that she naturally sings like this!

Long John Silver's...Can I get an AmEn?!?!

On the same day Papi and Sofia put on a rock concert, we paraded as a family down to Long John Silver's. Ah...just the sound of that name to a Thompson Family member's ears is true bliss. Nothin' like deep-fried halibut, chicken planks, HuSH PuPPies, fries, corn on the cob--it's the closest you can come to eatin' a truly southern dinner in the Northwest without actually flyin' 3000 miles to get it. We ate in style with our Pirate Hats, laughed, cut-up (southern term for joke, talked, laughed), chowed-down, and had a darn good time. Of course, the dinner conversation centered around the "crunch-ees..." ...that would be Dad's favorite part--you know the crispy little pieces of batter left over after the deep fryin' is done! Dad used to specifically request those and couldn't believe it when the people up here in the Northwest looked back at him with a blank stare! They had no idea what he was talkin' about but now they do! You get a nice helping of them on your plate without even askin' for 'em! :D MMM-Goo-oo-d!

Top 2 Long John Silver's Fans this side of the Mississippi!

These are "them crunch-ees" I mentioned earlier...!

While these two only go for the chicken planks (anti-fish), they're still part of the club! (I happen to fall in the same category as they do!!!!)

Bub and the girls, so precious. :D

Is Sofia going to be a Rockstar?

...She will if her Papi has anything to do with it! One Saturday while waiting for cousin Allison to finish her scrapbooking class, Papi and Sofia decided to ROCK OUT to some heavy metal in the car. That's right, Motley Crue's, "Dr. Feel Good" song was blaring from the Vue while these two put on their own rock concert. It was truly awesome (and that's coming from the most NON-Heavy Metal person you'll ever meet--too much Kenny G for me as a kid, I guess)...

...and based on the photo below...she just looks like a star. (Don't get me wrong...I'm not one of these parents looking to make their kid famous and live vicariously through them...ha ha ha)...the picture just speaks for itself!

Baking Season Has Begun

I've been aching to bake but we've been so dang busy and then I got really sick (first time since I quit working!)...and finally had a little energy today. While Ryan was at his LSAT class tonight, Sofia and I made some delicious Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread. (Recipe compliments of Lindy's mom, Risa Udall, -THANK YOU FOR SHARING!) It made the house smell like Fall and it turned out so yummy. It actually reminds me of the same bread from the Great Harvest Bread Company. I used mostly 100% whole wheat flour, added the chocolate chips, and a couple of dashes of pumpkin spice to the recipe and voilà! Here is the finished product....recipe to follow....

Risa’s Pumpkin Bread

1/2 cup oil

1/3 cup water

2 eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin

Mix together the above ingredients. In another bowl, mix together:

1 2/3 cups flour

1 teaspoon soda

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup nuts (optional)

Add the dry mixture to the pumpkin mixture. Pour evenly into greased and floured pans (1 large or 2 medium). Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

--I'm thinking of trying to use creamed honey (instead of white sugar) to sweeten it the next time I make this. I'm not sure; however, what that will do to the texture...but that's what baking is all about--experimenting!

We knew it would happen someday...

....I just didn't think it would be today or tomorrow or this year! No, the picture below is not of a lock of hair from Sofia's first haircut, it's a lock of her hair from the haircut she gave herself TONIGHT!!!

I was cleaning up the kitchen when I turned around as Sofia had just kindly placed her lock 'o hair in the garbage (thank you, Sofia for not leaving it on the floor--good girl!). I literally screeched. Not screamed, screeched...more like the sound one makes when hearing nails go down a chalkboard. Upon hearing my screech, Sofia ran down the hall...I asked her what she had done and she said, "Mami, I cut my hair, isn't it pretty?!?!?" I replied, "yes, it looks pretty..." "....but, sweet pea you can't cut your own hair." The poor thing had tears in her eyes, I reassured her it would be fine, combed out her hair trying to find where she had cut it and fortunately, it was underneath on one side....a nice inconspicuous place. (confirming there was no need to rush to the salon to get her hair fixed) So I quickly put her hair in pony tails, made it look pretty, and we both felt much better. :D YAY!!

In the end, I have to admit that I think she got the idea from me. This morning I trimmed her bangs before she went to school....I've done that before, but I guess the idea to do it herself hadn't occurred to her until today. Silly Sofia. I love these moments...they make me happy to be a MoM.

Last Minute Trip to Utah and Wyoming

So some of you may know that Sofia and I made a last minute trip in August to Utah and Wyoming just before the start of school. We traveled with some friends and since we were practically car-less the whole time we didn't get to venture too far. In other words, for all of our great friends in Utah, I'm really sorry we didn't get to visit you! We are; however, going to be visiting the first week of November and plan to see you then! We enjoyed some great time with our friends, the Funaki's, the Benetti's, and our family in Wyoming. Here's a fun slide show of the trip highlights. Enjoy!

p.s. I'm sorry about the My Chemical Romance song attached to the slide show...I couldn't figure out how to get it off! It's a cool song, though....just doesn't really go with the slide show.

Sofia's 1st Day of School

Sofia Staley, 1st Day of School, September 5, 2007

Here she is, so dang pretty n' pink on her first day of school!!! (Pink is her FAVORITE color) The first week of school was a little shaky-- at least at drop off time. Sofia was scared and nervous; however, she did calm down and relax, eventually. She was excited to go to school but we think the change freaked her out just a little. By this past Wednesday (her 3rd official day) she was saying "Okay mom, I want to say good-bye to you outside!" We knew it wouldn't take long at all for her to adjust and now she asks almost everyday if she gets to go to school.

Sofia insisted on taking a picture while doing this pose--she is hilarious!

I've arrived a little early to pick her up each day because I love watching the closing circle time. They sing a song called, "Adios, adios" and make little hand motions outlining the parts of the body. It's SO CUTE!!! Sofia naturally picks right up on the hand motions as she has done so much of that in Music Together classes.

Sofia next to her assigned "cubby"


Maestra Claudia


Maestra América

Sofia's teachers are Claudia and America. They are really sweet and have a strong educational background in early childhood education. Sofia loves saying good-bye to them and giving them "besos." We're so excited that Sofia can attend this wonderful school! Next month, she'll get to go on a field trip to the pumpkin patch and attend the Halloween party at school. Fun, fun stuff.

Sofia starts school on Wednesday...

...and we have our first "parent" meeting tonight. So, I'm a little nervous but so dang excited. Sofia is going to LOVE school and I can't wait to see how excited she gets when she realizes "la escuela" will be a regular thing and she'll get to play with the "niños."

Tonight, as we were putting Sofia to bed I thought perhaps I should take her to get her hair cut tomorrow before her first day. I totally remember getting my hair cut AND PERMED right before the first day of school. Yeah, I was quite the looker back then. Maybe I'll find a killer picture of me with my hair all permed and my favorite bugs bunny shirt to post on the blog...SIKE! Oh, the memories of back to school time! Can we say, "Nerd-o?!?!"

Aunt Patty, my twin, comes to town!

From left to right: Darci, Mom, Aunt Patty, Me

And there you go. Can you see the resemblance between my Aunt Patty and me? I pretty much, I look more like my Aunt than my own mother! And the beauty of it all, Aunt Patty and I act exactly alike! We laugh about the same things, we talk incessantly, and when we find a cute article of clothing that actually looks good on us we buy one of every color--even if that means 10 of the same thing!!!

Aunt Patty came to visit us the first week of August all the way from China. En route to Texas to spend a few weeks with her daughter's, Tara and Meredith, and their families, she made a pitstop in Oregon/Washington. It was a lot of fun to spend time with her. When it was all said in done, I was left scratching my head, thinking, there really is something to genetics! After all, I've not seen my Aunt Patty very much in my life--due to distance--yet we talk, look, and and alike. Ryan even said, well, Storm, now I know what you'll look like at age 61! And, he is right.

My mom loved having her middle sis for a visit and I loved seeing my mom SO happy. It made me feel so good and it was fun to watch her relate with her sister. We spent a day in Tillamook Oregon (home of the ever-so-famous Tillamook Cheese Factory) We spent time playing on the beach and enjoyed some killer Tillamook IceCream. Lots of laughs, gabbing, sampling cheese, and enjoying each other filled the entire day. Here are some of the highlights:

"Presenting the Tillamook Cheese Factory"

Hard at work makin' the cheese...yum-o

Sofia loved watching the people make cheese...and quite frankly so did the rest of us. We couldn't wait to test taste ALL the different kinds!

Two sissy's, Aunt Patty and Mom

Sofia and her Great Aunt Patty

It blows me away that they produce millions of blocks of cheese all out of this factory!

I think this tree growing on a rock in the water was one of Aunt Patty's favorite sites, pretty cool, huh???

We missed you, Papi, we were thinking of you!

Josh--he thinks he's so cool! Can't imagine where he got that from...hmmm lemme-think--Grandpa??? Ding ding ding!!!!

The three amigos, on the ride home--Josh, Careese, Allison

Sofia about to throw a rock in the water and then runaway as the waves crashed the shore...her favorite part. :)

Missy moo couldn't stop hugging the cows and saying, MOOOOOOO

Me and my Aunt Patty

Two very happy sissy's

Thanks again, Aunt Patty for an awesome visit. We had a blast! Can't wait to see you again!