Little update

Its so hard to believe I just finished my 3rd week at the new job. The days just fly by and little by little its getting better - still don't have time to screw around during the day though. No more internet for me. Boo hoo!

Anyway, here's a little recap from the last couple of weeks.

4th of July was awesome. It was so nice to see family...

And friends...

And go swimming...

And go on a mule ride...

And do sparklers...

And go on a pontoon boat ride...

And go kayaking...

And after the end of another not so great week at work, to get flowers from my family... :)

Other than that not a whole lot to report. Still going to t-ball games, and running, and basically just trying to get through each day without losing my marbles.

Thank God its the weekend!!!

Pictures from last week

Looks like I'll be relying on the old adage a picture is worth a 1000 words from now on. The new job does not allow the blogging freedom that my old job did, so I'll probably only be posting pics once a week. And, speaking of the new job and adages - I have the perfect comparison: liquor before beer, in the clear; beer before liquor, never sicker.

uni$y$=beer and mile$tone=liquor, and let me tell you, I have a hangover from h-ll!

Some weekend pics

T-ball

Brady started t-ball for 4-5 year olds this week, where the only motto is:

If you've had fun... you've won!

His team is called the blue-jays. I love love love watching all of the kids in their too big for them uniforms. It is so cute and utterly chaotic. It is definitely times like these when I am super appreciative of my life. Watching Brady play t-ball makes my heart ache - in a very good way.

Happy Father's Day

Here are some pictures from the weekend.

Aw sad day

We said good bye to Jeff this morning. He's moving back to MI to work for 3-6 months at a Menard$ there. Of course, Jayda was being a stinker and wouldn't cooperate for pictures. We are really going to miss him. It was nice to have him around adding his little commentary. Even Brian said he was going to miss Jeff's humor. And it was nice having him around in the mornings so I could run, and it was nice having him around in the evenings to feed and let the dogs out if I was running late, or to pick up the kids if I was stuck in traffic. It really did end up being a bonus to have him there. Hopefully he'll be able to come back in 3-6 months when they transfer him again.

Its good to be a preschooler

Can you imagine having this as your schedule? And of all of the days, the day that my kids look forward to the most is Wednesday. Show-n-tell day baby. ;)

Here they are with this Wednesday's show-n-tell objects:

It really is the little things in life...

Pics from the weekend

Saturday we went to Livy's bday party at J@m Hops. What a fun place! After the kids got over their initial cry baby cling stage they ended up having tons of fun. And now, thanks to Livy's Hann@h Montan@ themed party, guess what Jayda's new favorite thing is? Yep. Figures. Thanks a lot April. ;)

I did it

I never thought I would, but I handed in my 2 weeks notice to Uni$y$ today. I feel equal parts happy and sad.

Sad because

• Its the first real job I had out of college - its all I've ever known for the last 8 years, and despite the yearly or bi-yearly layoffs, it was still my security blanket.
• I genuinely liked the people that I worked with and I know I was liked in return.
• I almost genuinely liked all of the projects that I worked on.
• I developed a lot of usefull, marketable skills while I was there.
• And when I let my manager know I was leaving, she teared up. And she asked if there was anything she could do to change my mind. And after an extrememly lengthy discussion, she told me she was happy for me and proud of me and wished me nothing but the best. And then she said if the new place doesn't work out, to give her a call; even though we both know, once you leave, there's no going back.
• And last but not least, I'm venturing into the unknown, and I'm worried my family life might suffer while I'm trying to prove myself at the new company.

But enough about sad...

Here's the happy list

• Better opportunity all around because its a growing, successful company.
• The people are all very nice and are excited to have me join their team.
• They have laptops and docking stations (finally I can have a mobile work environment).
• I will be learning new skills and taking on more responsibility (they are putting me on their fast track - weeeee).
• Its the same benefits and commute as what I had before.
• And last but not least its more $$.

So that's it. That's my scoop. And for those of you who are dying to know where I'm going, you can click here.

Another Sunny Sunday

(We won't mention the other overcast rainy days of the week.) I love Sundays for the following reasons:

• It is the day my friend Jen and I run our long run (we're training for the twin cities marathon*), so I'm usually sore from running, but I also feel like super star for being able to have run so long (we're up to 15 miles)
• Its also the day Brian makes pancakes for breakfast
• And the day the paper comes chalk full of ads
• Its a day spent playing with the kids and animals
• And we always have a nice family dinner that provides us with leftovers to use during the upcoming week

The only thing that would make our Sunday's even more perfect is if we went to church - we really need to work on that one.

* My mom is going to run it too - only she's training all by herself. :( I'm super proud of her! Running by yourself sucks. In fact, running period sucks. I wouldn't be able to run such long distances if I didn't have a friend to do it with me.

Here are pictures from our last sunny Sunday:

Jayda's little cheeks made me laugh!

Worn out!

New Orleans etc

Brian and I went on our first vacation sans kids since before Brady was born. We left last Thursday for New Orleans and just got back today. We had a lot of fun, but even without kids, we didn't really relax. We were so busy sight seeing and trying to fit it all in, that when it was time to come back home, we were still utterly exhausted. Guess that's typical for most people... ;)

We started our little adventure by touring the French Quarter, Jackson Square, Riverwalk, Bourbon St., and the Garden District.

Then the next day we went on a swamp tour. We saw tons of alligators, but felt like we were cheaters since they were kind of tame.

Here Brian is holding "Junior" - he was actually cute. If only they could stay little forever...

And then we went to a wedding reception "crawfish boil." I did not partake of any crawfish. Below is a picture of us with the happy couple.

And on our last day we toured a plantation (very pretty) and then drove to Mississippi to see the bridge Brian's company rebuilt (after katrina) and visit Jamie's family.

And last but not least, our last night of vacation.

For the complete show, you can click here.