We Are Go For Launch!

We just returned from two days exploring the Kennedy Space Center - what a blast! hee hee. As it is a 2.5 hour drive from St. Pete's on the Gulf Coast to Cape Canaveral on the east, we decided to spend the night so we wouldn't have to rush (by the way, if you ever need an excellent hotel on a budget, consult with my sister...she is an expert of internet searching!)

Yesterday we spent time exploring the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center which is an amazing complex of IMAX movie theatres, a Rocket Garden (filled with replics of all the Nasa rockets and space modules)...

fun play centres for the kids...

a memorial to astronauts, one of the out of service space shuttles (wow)

and a cool cool cool space shuttle simulator which replicated an actual shuttle launch--yours truly and Bryanna went on that while Kim and the little girls watched from an observation area (as they were too small to go inside). We then ended the day with a visit to the Astronaut Hall of Fame. Kim and I were fascinated to read the history of all the astronaut teams - all the tragedies and the triumphs. What a phenomenal history there is in NASA's space saga.

The girls were more interested in all the interactive exhibits...

Of course, my daredevil Bryanna had to try out the 4 G-Force Simulator. I was terrified for her but she was determined to go and she, well...see the following for the whole story!

Waiting for the simulator to start...

See the Simulator in motion!

The astronaut emerges...

But today is the day that Kim and I were waiting for. We returned to the Visitor Centre and caught the bus to take us out to the launch area observation tower. We passed the Vehicle Assembly Building - where they attach the shuttle to the rockets (the building is the third largest in the world....see the red stripes in the flag on the building? The longest stripes are 20 stories high.)



I loved viewing the launch pads from the observation towers...

And Kim LOVED the Apollo Saturn 5 rocket...

I loved watching movies here too of the entire history of race to reach the moon. I was amazed at how much I didn't know!

That's it for today...check Kim's blog soon for more.

Bye!

Surf's Up!

Today was the annual Mississauga picnic held in Fort Desoto National Park...an amazing place with great beaches and picnic areas and no touristy stuff! We had a full day there picnicking and playing games, looking for sand dollars (no luck) and surfing the waves...well, the youngest Thompsons anyway.

Unfortunately, little Sophie was recovering from either a dish of bad shrimp or a 12 hour bug and wasn't quite up to the excursion ("But I was REALLY looking forward to that picnic!") Promises of another picnic on Wednesday cheered her up and she rested at home with her mom.



We're happy that she feels much better now...

Enjoy some of the pics of today...






And from our balcony this evening, we actually saw the space shuttle launch into the sky from Cape Canaveral on the opposite coast!



A great end to the day as tomorrow we head to the Kennedy Space Center to introduce the three girls to the wonders of space - we can't wait! (Sorry, no laptop while we are away for this short road trip so back on the blog on Tuesday evening.)

Love to all our friends and family! (S, I am working on the tan as fast as possible! AM, loved the pics of our girls on your blog.)

Beach Day

With Bryanna feeling much better (just a little worn out) we headed to beach for more beautiful weather and fun in the sand. A few shots of our day follow. FOr more photos and a different perspective on our holiday, see Kim's blog at Mosey Along.

Thompsons Senior observing the goings on...

And my favourite picture of the day...a little worn out after a busy day...Cassidy takes care of her big sister.

P.S. Poor Sophie has now picked up stomach bug...poor little one! We'll update everyone tonight.

aaahhhh....

Okay, okay, all of you impatient friends...here is the first of your Florida blogs!

The girls and I had a smooth direct flight to Tampa on Wednesday, arriving mid-afternoon to find Nanny and Papa waiting for us in the terminal - the girls raced to them in absolute joy. On my part, it felt like I had been running a race for weeks and weeks and as we stepped out of the terminal and I felt the first warmth of the Florida sun, I took a deep breath.

An hour later, we arrived at the lovely condo my parents are renting in St. Petersburg...directly overlooking the inland waterway and a minute from the amazing beaches of St. Pete's.

After some quick unpacking, my mom, the girls and I headed down to the pool while my dad headed back to the airport to pick up my sister and niece.

As the girls excitedly leapt into the pool, I settled onto a lounge chair. I heard the waves lapping behind us from the bay, a flamingo flew overhead, and the 82 degree warmth soaked into my winter white limbs.

It was an aaahhhh moment.

Kim and Sophie arrived a couple of hours later and we headed down to the beach as the sun was setting...another absolutely lovely moment.

Thursday was spent almost completely by the pool as the Thompson sisters and children made the transition from Winter weather (Ontario or California as the case may be) and busy schedules.

Today, mom and dad went to see the Blue Jay game with friends while Kim and I took the girls shopping so we could find some bathing suits for ourselves. We found some, but unfortunately while we were out, Bryanna started feeling quite ill and it appears has come down with some bug and is running a fever.

So we stuck close to the condo while Bryanna rested and the younger two played together happily all day.

We hope Bryanna will feel better tomorrow and then we'll head to the beach.

Stay tuned...I'll post as regularly as fun stuff occurs!

Lianne

Forever Family, Part 2!

In our family, all dates related to the dynamic duo are close together...referral dates, China travel dates, birthday celebrations, and Forever Family days. Bryanna's FFD was 6 days ago and tomorrow (March the 5th) is the day we left for China to bring home Cassidy. Cassidy's FFD is next week on March 10th. I like the timing actually - one more link tying my beautiful little girls together.

So it was six years ago (really? how on EARTH did that happen?) that the gerber baby, soon to be known as Cassidy Tian Ci Thompson came to us. Little did we know that the hours of sleeping peacefully by our side as the chaos of adoption paperwork swirled around her was the biggest head-fake known to the world.

Soon that peaceful interlude would be replaced by a little one who tossed and turned and cried and screamed through every night for the next 18 months. (Yeah, that's when I started drinking coffee.)

During that period, I truly believe Cassidy was fighting to find her place in this life... struggling to find peace in a life that up till then could only have seemed disruptive and loud and frightening to a little baby...searching desperately through all those dark hours for some light that she could grasp onto. And when she finally understood that her mom and sister and grandparents and aunt and uncle and the multitude of friends surrounding her were never going to let her go, then and only then could she finally rest. And blossom into the crazy, funny, energetic, sunshine of all our lives.

Sleep well, little one. You are forever home.

Forever family...

Nine years ago today, with my parents and sister by my side, my wonderful Bryanna was placed in my arms. The time has flown by, and yet as I remember back to that hot and crowded hotel room in Hefei it almost seems like yesterday.

Today it is all about celebrating our life together...and what an amazing thing my life has become because of a red thread that was waiting to draw Bryanna and I and our family together on February 28, 2000.

Not allowing her mother to be overly sentimental, my practical daughter has chosen for us to visit Chapters this afternoon to spend a gift card and then to celebrate our Forever Family day at Red Lobster, her favourite restaurant. (Maybe I can squeeze in some cuddle time on the couch later to watch video of that pink-cheeked little baby wrapping us all around her little finger!)

I have to end this post with the words and music from Martina McBride (click to listen) - they capture everything I feel (and completely do me in!) whenever I think about the joy that Brya has brought to our lives.

This miracle God gave to me

Gives me strength when I am weak

I find reason to believe

In my daughter's eyes

And when she wraps her hand around my finger

It puts a smile in my heart

Everything becomes a little clearer

I realize what life is all about

It's hangin' on when your heart has had enough

It's giving more when you feel like giving up

I've seen the light...It's in my daughter's eyes

The Closet Purge

It has been building for some time...closet hysteria.

The three major culprits: my master walk-in closet, Cassidy's closet (oh my, words cannot describe) and the pantry closet in the hall outside the kitchen. It seems that I could never find the time or motivation needed to tackle one of them, let alone all three.

So I finally called in reinforcements...my parents arrived at noon today and after lunch and a bit of quiet time, we all plunged in. Bryanna helped me sort some of the many non-clothes items that had ended up in my closet, my dad bravely tackled the pantry and the fridge, and my patient, patient mother spent over three hours with Cassidy in her room...trying on clothes, sorting clothes into various piles and motivating my 6 year old to deal with the piles of toys and costumes that were piled 3 feet deep on the closet floor.

The results? 5 bags of garbage and recycling, 1 huge suitcase packed with kid clothes going to friends, and 3 bags (so far) going to Goodwill. We all collapsed before dinner with a glass of wine (okay, not the kids...they had cranberry juice), had a huge steak dinner and I was just overjoyed. Still a bit more to do in my closet, but it is so much better that those last couple of shelves don't phase me in the least.

Here's the project in pictures...

The Pantry




In progress...








...and the results...

Cassidy's Closet


In progress (all over her room)...








...and ta-dah, the end product...

Lianne's Closet
(oh my gosh...)

Thanks, Mom and Dad - really, I couldn't have done it without you!