A little editorial

I want to spend just a couple of minutes to talk about a truly historical moment in our household. On 11/29/08  the Georgia Institute of Technology broker a seven year streak of misery by finally beating the University of Georgia in varsity football.

To say this was a gratifying day for me would be like saying Mt. Everest is a big rock. I am sure most Dawgs reading this are probably looking for a long, drawn out post about how Tech is so good and UGA is so bad. But to be honest, I was more relieved than anything. Now I don't have to hear Dawg fans at work, church, and even in my own house. 

Perhaps the most surprising thing for me as that afternoon transgressed was the final score. Never in a million years would I have imagined that we would have put 45 in Sanford Stadium in the pouring down rain. But give credit where its due.....and it goes to the players and Paul Johnson. Its pretty much a given that I have a man crush on Paul Johnson right now. The man is like a breath of fresh air for this program. To end the season with impressive wins against Miami and UGA will really energize this fan base.

Now the Jackets look forward to hosting the LSU Bayou Bengal Tigers on New Year's Eve. I am truly looking forward to the game and look even more forward to being 3 and 0 against the much vaunted SEC.

Hollis's Baptism

The big event around the Thompson house was Hollis getting baptized this past Sunday. The event was a success with Hollis doing great for the ceremony and the pictures beforehand (which is actually the most important part so I am told). We would like to thank all of the Mullens and Thompsons who made the trip to Peachtree Presbyterian for the service. Also big ups go our friends who were cool enough to make it.

After the service, Audra cooked a BBQ lunch for everybody that made the trip. Nothing like celebrating the holy sacrament of baptism by stuffing your face full of pork and red velvet cake.
Hollis and mommy on her big morning

Team Thompson in their Sunday best. Papa Thompson is looking especially chubby in his suit. Looks like he needs to hit the treadmill pretty soon.

A few more things going on

This post isn't the most exciting news, but I had a bunch of miscellaneous pictures on our camera and I thought I would post them below. Hollis has definitely changed over the past few weeks. She is laughing and smiling....in particular when Dad attempts to sing to her.  She is almost rolling over when placed on her back and can even hold her head up.

The non parents who read this blog will probably find this totally uninteresting, but it is pretty neat considering she was less than seven pounds when we brought her home.

A special thanks needs to go out to Hollis's paternal grandmother (who she calls Mama J). We received one of her first books in the mail and it was The Little Engine that Could. Audra has already read the book to her twice complete with emphatic emotion and sound effects.

Click the title post to view the other pictures.

Atlanta Sports Weekend

Once again I am tardy on updating my blog. One update that I did want to pass along was the fun weekend Hollis, Audra, and I had a few weeks back when we went to the FSU/Georgia Tech game on Saturday and the Panthers/Thrashers game on Sunday. 

We had our usual tailgate for the Seminoles game. But we were treated to BBQ from Price Dunaway (father or Wes Dunaway) so it was a little bit better than the normal festivities.

Hollis was a good sport and spent most of the afternoon partying with her parents. However, she was not up for going inside the stadium so her Grandy and Grand Pam were kind enough to take her home with them. 

Hollis also got to sport her brand new Tech cheerleading uniform. I am pretty confident that mom was the most excited person to see her in it. Everyone had a great time especially Dad since the Yellow Jackets finally got the FSU monkey off their back with  their first victory over Chief Osceola's tribe since 1975.

Sunday was an afternoon Thrashers game with our Sunday School class at Peachtree Pres.  Although Hollis didn't know much about the Canadian pastime, she was very amused by the sounds and lights associated with the game. Once again the Thompson brought good look to the home team as the Thrashers won 5 to 4.

Click the post title to see more pics of our weekend

Cotton Candy Sweet and Low Let me see that Tootsie Roll

Well Halloween has come and gone and I finally have pictures from the big day. Hollis was a real trooper because she had to change into this hot costumer three times. Once for the faculty and students of Holy Innocents, once for the cube dwellers at my work, and finally for the Mullen family photo.

Our weekend wasn't over, but I will have more pictures of what we did later.

In the Interest of Equal Time.....

I was out of town a few weeks back and it was brought to my attention that I overlooked a very important afternoon in Hollis's life. She spent her first afternoon with the girls watching the Ole Miss football game. Although the Rebels lost to Bama 24 to 20, a good time was had by all (or at least that I was told).

Hollis was very fashionable with a "I'm a little rebel" T shirt. She was very impressed with how Ole Miss came back from an deep first half deficit. She remarked that Houston Nutt was a master motivator and definitely had overreached this year's expectations. She also noted that Ole Miss had the athletes and a potential star at quarterback, but would need a couple of years in order to compete with the elite class of the Southeastern Conference.

Hard to believe she is only 15 weeks.

Pumpkin Carving Contest

Pumpkin A

Pumpkin B

To celebrate our first Halloween as a nuclear family, Audra and I decided to buy two pumpkins instead of our usual one. The idea was that I would carve one and Audra would carve the other. And since I don't have a creative bone in my body we pretty much thought my pumpkin would end in disaster.

Long story.....short. We decided to have a pumpkin carving contest. The winner would be decided by the viewers of our blog. I have the pictures above and you guys can vote on the winner in the poll to your right.

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

So I was pretty excited when I first started this blog. I really thought this would be a hip, yet fun way to show all of my friends and family what is going on with the Thompson family and current events in general.

What I did not expect was the amount of peer pressure that comes with keeping this blog up to date. Here are a few examples (note that I have kept the names anonymous to protect their identity):

1.)One of the worst examples has occurred with the wife of one of my best friends. Let's call her Kate Songwire for arguments sake. She has a slight addiction to blogs and is very perturbed that I don't update mine every two days. I have tried to explain to her that our internet has been down most of the week, but she doesn't seem convinced

2.)My immediate family members are also very guilty. A close member, Alice Cresswell let's say, makes sure to let me know that I need to be taking pictures of Hollis every day because I will never have these weeks back. When I explain that I work five days a week and have a very vigorous TV schedule it is met with skepticism and incredulity.

3.)Even one of Hollis's grandparents is also giving me a hard time. We'll call her Julie Thomas for anonymity purposes. She doesn't come right out and say it, but she will definitely leave hints when I am on the phone with her.

To all of the ladies I hope you enjoy the new post below and the new posts to come this weekend.

Our first Tech Tailgate

Last Saturday marked the first time Audra, Hollis, and I went to a Tech tailgate. We didn't go into the game because we didn't think we could carry and entertain her for the duration (plus the sun is pretty tough on her as well), but we did manage to hit the Tech bookstore and the tailgate later that afternoon.

After the tailgate we went to Jocks n Jills to watch the Tech and UGA game. And although the results weren't as we had hoped.....a good time was had by all.

Click on the Post Title to see pictures of our afternoon.

Thompson Update---10/16/08

Hello Readers, 

Peer pressure is a heckuva thing. You would think now that I have turned 30 that I would be immune to this....but you would be wrong. I have gotten a little heat for not updating the Thompson blog so I thought I would throw a bone. That, and the fact that my baby is asleep and my wife is drinking with her buddies at El Azteca.

Big Jon's Wedding

For those that don't know, I have a very good buddy named Jonathan Hill that got married October 4th. He was a fraternity buddy of mine at Tech and is we have been good friends every since. So naturally I was honored to be a groomsmen at his wedding in Macon. To be honest, I really don't have a picture of Biggie with me right now. But I do have a couple of pics attached below.

One noteworthy event that I'd like to pass on to my readers. The rehearsal dinner, ceremony, and reception were all awesome. However, the men below were not expecting a steady walk of 40 flights of stairs in tuxedo shoes. There is really nothing quite as refreshing as working a steady lather of sweat in a tuxedo in the middle of the afternoon. It was by far the most exhausting workout that I have had while being an usher/groomsmen.

The gentlemen on the left is Mr. Wes Dunaway. He is another one of my fraternity brothers and whatever he lacks in height he makes up for in his general appearance in a tuxedo. The gentlemen on the right who looks like someone shot his dog is Mr. Ben Longmire. Maybe he is mad because he is 6 foot 3 and he got a vest made for a boy 5 foot 5.

These are the better halves of the groomsmen. Becky "don't call me Rebecca" Dunaway, Katherine Burkett Longmire, and the lovely Audra.

Hollis goes to the nursery at church

Hollis had one noteworthy event that occurred last weekend. She spent her first morning at the nursery at Peachtree Presbyterian Church. It was a big occasion for her....and even a bigger deal for her mother. Mom went to great lengths to make sure that Hollis looked perfect which is kind of weird since we didn't really see anybody that we knew that day.

Her ensemble included a pink dress with a big white collar; white bloomers with her initials in case you didn't know who she was; and a white bow to not confuse her with the boy infants.

Everyone agreed on two things: She was cute as a button and that she resembles her dear ole dad. The irony is that cute and her dad have rarely been associated with each other, but it works for Hollis Marie.

Have a great week

Team Thompson

She's a Ramblin Gamblin Helluva Enginner

The season of fall technically starts on September 21st. But for any red blooded male (or cool female) fall begins when college and pro football start. True.....we aren't blessed with seventy degree days with no humidity yet (as evidenced by my shirt after ten minutes of being outside), but we know that the dog days are over.

Audra and I were blessed to attend our first Georgia Tech A.H. -----after Hollis. Big thanks to Grand Pam and Grandy for watching her while we hit the Flats for the Thursday night festivities against Jacksonville State.

But the highlight of the weekend was on Saturday morning where we cruised down I-75 to check out Buzz with Hollis, Mom, and I. It was a perfect day for Hollis to meet the mascot of my alma mater. She was by far the youngest fan of Buzz and will never ever remember it, but we are glad we made the trip if for only the picture.

I don't want to go on any rants here....but I catch a lot of hidden laughs when talking about having the Yellow Jackets as a mascot. Apparently its not as cool as UGA VII or maybe not as intimidating as Mike The Tiger or a War Eagle. But tell me.....have you ever been around a swarm of Yellow Jackets? You probably don't need to be told to get the hell out of Dodge. So I am not saying Tech has the coolest team nickname, but it certainly does command respect (plus you won't get barked at during our home football games.)


Audra and I can't wait until we can take this princess down to campus and show her how we party it up during Saturdays in the fall.

Splish Splash I was taking a bath!

Tuesday August 19th marked a very special occasion for the Thompson family. Inspired by the exploits of Michael Phelps in Beijing, Hollis experienced her first few moments in the bathtub. Big prop go out to Mama J for the mini bathtub purchase and to Johnson and Johnson for making no tears soap.

One very obvious detail that Audra and I noticed is that Hollis definitely likes the water. It should come as no surprise since I have been known to swim in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, Gulf of Mexico, and the Mediterranean Sea. And Audra has gained worldwide fame for laying out near water and occasionally dipping her feet in the pool/lake/ocean.

We hope this is the beginning of many adventures in the water.

Members of the Hollis Thompson Fan Club

Day 1, 2, and 3 of the Hollis Experience

Hollis's first few days were a whirlwind. Not only was she trying to get used to life outside of the womb, but she also got to meet a bunch of friends and family. We appreciate everyone who was able to stop by and meet this pretty girl. She got to meet the following

Grand Pam

Grandy

Mama J

Chief

Some Tech Engineers

Some Holy Innocents Golden Bears

Some in-laws

Some outlaws

Madisonians

Ole Miss Rebels

A Z Man

A Claire Bear

and many others

Below is an attached web album with some of the highlights of Hollis's visit to Northside Hospital.

Hollis with Family and Friends at the Hospital

Hollis is Here!

At precisely 2:36PM on July 25th, 2008 Hollis Marie Thompson entered the world. Mom and Dad Thompson were very excited to see here (especially after some unplanned details during the labor and delivery). Hollis weighed in at 7 lbs. 13 oz and measured 21 inches long. 

Below you will find some pictures of the newly expanded Thompson family.

Team Thompson Introduction

The Thompsons have recently expanded and as a result we saw to it to record our adventures on the ever expanding blogosphere. The cast of characters are below

Harry Thompson--husband and father. A man who's patriarchal idols include George H. Bush, Vito Corleone, and Peter Griffin.

Hobbies and interests: History, Politics, and making fun of others

Vises: Talking loud, fantasy football, and being cheap

Audra Thompson--beautiful wife and mother. Truly one of the nicest people you will ever meet (unless you cross her).

Hobbies and Interests: Tennis, Being with friends, and www.facebook.com

Vises: Lifetime movies, talking on the phone, and www.facebook.com

Hollis Thompson--the newest addition to the Thompson clan. Born on July 25th, 2008 we don't know a lot about her, but we do know that she's the best thing that has happened to us.


Hobbies and Interests: Opening her eyes, stretching, drinking milk

Vises: Loaded diapers

Dixie Thompson--the foundation of the Thompson family. She joined this crew in May of 2006 and has been nothing short of man's best friend. Gentle in nature, but is definitely not afraid to bark if you are on Lamplighter Lane.


Hobbies and Interests:Peanut Butter, Cheese, and Sleeping (can also be found on Harry's hobby list)

Vises: Not having diapers