Thank you for Stalking

Just a bit of an update for all of you blog stalkers (you know who you are – leave a comment so we can know who you are as well!).

I am back at Vanguard as Maria mentioned in her blog a while ago. I am in the third of four weeks of training now. I hope that this year the job last longer and that it ends more positively – we will just have to wait and see.

Maria is now on short term leave at her doctor’s recommendation so that she can be well rested and relaxed for when our little girl comes. She is enjoying her “nesting time” and loves being home with Davis. She is so ready for this baby to come but is still about two weeks out from her due date. We were going to have a baby shower but planning fell through and it never came to fruition. We are now too close to the birth day and notice would be too short to throw one together now. Maybe we can have people over again for dinner like we did for Davis last year and you can all bring us gifts then!

Davis is teething and still as crazy as ever. I am so glad I had the opportunity to be home with him for as long as I was but at the same time I am so glad to be out of the house and in the work force again. Our little girl is almost here and we still have not decided on a name!

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and it makes me think back to last year's feast (at Panda Express) and all the work that went into our basement this time last year. This year our house is in much better shape and able to accommodate a lot of family which will be fun.

Some of you might not know that I am a lover of all things Christmas. Our lights and tree are up and Christmas music is streaming via Pandora and the radio. Maria has a pinch of Grinch in her but I am winning her over. She was not excited about the lights going up the first week on November and the tree the second week but last night she admitted that the tree has a calming effect and that she enjoys having it up.

As a kid we would get an enormous live tree and I remember the many hours it would take to decorate it all. I had fun going with my dad to the plant to get a ladder tall enough to place the angel at the top. We would string lights, garland, and put a big wreath on the door. I loved it all. I remember one year as a child our family did not do much in preparation for Christmas and I took matters into my own hands. I found myself outside in the snow on Christmas Eve stringing lights by my self and decorating a house plant as a tree.

Now as an adult homeowner I want to go overboard. I would like a tree for our front room, family room, media room, and master bedroom. I want to animate our house lights and blow our circuits each time I plug them all in. I want bells, wreaths, garland, nut crackers, bells, sleighs, candles, snow – the whole works! The only things holding me back now are finances, time, and energy. I will collect a little here a little there and will build up my Christmas Empire one year at a time.

This started out as an update but morphed into a message from Christmas past, present and future. We are doing well and will try to blog a bit more regularly.

Birthday Party

We celebrated Davis' 1st birthday and Mia's 2nd birthday a few weeks ago. We all headed over to turtle park in our neighborhood and ate beans/fritos and hotdogs. Lots of friends and family were there to join in the fun of the park and food. Davis made out like a bandit with all of the wonderful gifts. Most every toy either sings or talks! I can't wait till the batteries go dead. :) Davis loves them! Thank you Karen for the yummy chile beans, to Karen Esther for the charcoal, and to John and Kelly for the drinks. Thoughtless me forgot the camera so Karen sent over a few of Davis eating his little cake. As you can see Davis is not to sure in the beginning till Jake was able to get some frosting in his mouth and then the cake didn't stand a chance.  

My College Graduate!

As of October 18, 2009 Jake finished his last class for the Bachelors of Science in Business Administration at Walden University. We won't be attending commencement in Dallas, TX in January but this does not negate the fact of how excited we are that Jake has finished. Jake has accomplished a heavy and crazy load of classes since starting in January. He took about 24 semester credit hours every two months. He was able to get through over 2 years of curriculum in a little less than 10 months by taking more than double the recommended classes per quarter. I can witness this took many hours of study and devotion on his part. There were many days that I would come home from work, Jake would hand off Davis, and then go straight to the office and study till late into the night. I am amazed that he was able to do this while being a wonderful full time Dad, husband, cook, and house keeper. Eventually when I am a stay at home Mom I will have big shoes to fill. Talking about the role reversal Jake mentioned that we have had the unique opportunity to understand one another's frustrations, struggles, and accomplishments when it does come time to switch it up. What a blessing this will be to us as a couple.


Today Jake actually started back at Vanguard for a temporary position during tax season. It will be nice because the position will allow him resources to actively look for a job while he is there. It is our hope that he will be able to find something that will allow him to gain experience and eventually the opportunity for me to stay home with the kiddies. I am so grateful for the sacrifices that Jake has made to earn his degree. It has been a hectic and very expensive venture and he will more than likely start the Masters degree shortly to defer loans. :) I know this investment in his future will pay off in the long run especially when there upturn in the economy.

There have been so many people that have been an integral part of Jake's success. Thank you Karen and Mike for always supporting Jake's decision to do the bachelors degree and for the financial support with tuition. Thank you Karen, Mom, Kelly, Lara, Katie, Karen, and Kirsten for all of the help and especially with watching Davis during these past few months as well... we could not have gotten through this without you.

Jake, I am so proud of you and all your efforts! Thank you for being the man of my dreams!