This is my life.: April 2012

Oh goodness, I am always so embarrassed when I realize that it has been months since I last updated my blog. I truly enjoy blogging because it allows me to keep a record of events, as well as my thoughts and emotions associated with them. It's kind of fun to look back on things and remember them as they were. I also like being able to put it all in one place so that my friends and family (the ones I speak to and see often, as well as the ones that are close to my heart despite us not speaking often or spending time together) can see it all in one place. So I am going to do my best to pick up where I left off last time!

So I just checked, and it has been since NOVEMBER 2011 that I last wrote anything. Time sure does fly fast! Our lives have been busy as usual, so I will try to create a summary of our lives to date.

Mike
Still working at BNSF. His schedule has been far from predictable, up until the last 6-8 weeks. He finally has enough seniority that he is able to hold a "weekend," meaning a scheduled two days off. Currently it is on Wednesdays and Thursdays that he is off work, and then works various jobs throughout the other 5 days. A few weeks ago, he was holding his scheduled days off and was able to hold night shifts. This was not so much fun for us- he was having a difficult time getting enough sleep during the day, so when we did see him he was a little zombie-ish. Also, I missed having a warm body to snuggle at night time. Recently they made some changes that opened up a bunch of daytime slots, so for the last 1.5 weeks he has been able to hold day shifts- woo hoo!! This is so much better for all of us- he gets to see Sean and I every morning and night, and he gets some normal time to himself on his days off (rather than spending it trying to get back on a normal person's sleep schedule, only to have to quickly go back to a graveyard sleep schedule again).

He's also been enjoying the PNW spring weather as much as he can. It's been just warm enough and just dry enough that he has been able to ride his motorcycle to work a few times as week, as well as out and about on occasion. Other than that, life's been pretty simple. We are still (after 9 months of living in WA) trying to get a feel for a real social life. We were used to a pretty lax way of hanging out with people in LA, so it's still not natural for us to have friends who live more than 10 minutes away, and with work schedules, and their own plans aside from spontaneous Sunday BBQ's ; ) We have a lot of friends and family here that we are so thankful for, and we have been as social as we can be- but on occasion we remember how easy it was to call up 5 people at the last minute, and they would all be at our door within the hour without any obligations to stop partying at a specific time.

Jenn
Still working at being a nanny for Gage, who is now 4 years old. I have also taken on watching his 2 year old cousin Michelle on occasion, I probably care for her 1-2 times a week. I have been so thankful for this job opportunity since I have been able to avoid putting Sean into daycare and instead spend time with him, and keep working on potty training and everything else developmental for him. He loves Gage and Michelle so it's been a great social opportunity for all 3 of them. It's also been a nice transitional job from being a SAHM for so long. In August I will officially be starting back at Lakeside Montessori- the same preschool I worked at from 2001-2006 before we packed up and moved across the country to Louisiana. I am really looking forward to being in the classroom again, and also I think Sean is going to thrive in a Montessori preschool environment. I am definitely going to miss seeing Gage and Michelle everyday, as well as Gage's mom Danielle who has become a good friend of mine. But they are still only 15 minutes away so hopefully after August we will still get together with them often : )

I have also somehow recently gotten myself into politics- what the heck was I thinking?!?! LOL Yep, I am officially a King County 11th district Republican delegate for Ron Paul at the Washington State GOP convention that will be held in Tacoma the first weekend in June. I have NEVER been a political person before, let alone involved in the Republican party, but I guess it was my time! I have a lot to say on the issue, but I am thinking I might try and write a second blog posting where I can focus on that, instead of turing this "summary" post into a 12 page essay ; )

Sean
Oh where do I start with this amazing kiddo of mine? Sean turned two in January, and let me tell you- two has turned out to be the most wonderful and also the most frustrating age that we have experienced yet. One minute he is absolutely mesmerizing- talking and thinking and just being incredible. I look at him and think, "Geez kid when do you get so big and so awesome?" And then the next minute he is an absolute terror and I think, "When did you turn into such a nightmare?!?" But overall being a mom has been such a blessing and I honestly can't wait until we have another one : D

Sean's favorite things right now: Disney characters such as Mickey Mouse, Lightning McQueen, Buzz Lightyear and Woody. He also still loves books, trains and Sesame Street, and over the last few weeks has taken an amazing interest in puzzles. It really surprises me actually, because he is now bored with peg puzzles- he wants to do 24-30 piece puzzles that are usually labeled for ages 3 and up. And after getting some help for the first few times, he can usually start to do them all by himself. I usually only have to remind him to turn all of the pieces right side up and spread them out, and then he takes over. We try to get outside everyday, even when it is raining, and he loves to run and climb and jump and everything else a normal 2 year old boy loves to do. He still only weighs about 28 lbs. (I think he weighed about 25 lbs. this time one year ago) but he has gotten to be pretty tall and lean.

Sean now sleeps in a toddler bed every night, he successfully stopped using a pacifier about 3 months ago, and he is what I consider to be daytime potty trained. We have been working on night time potty training, but it has proved itself to be a whole other realm of potty training. I am thinking he is not ready to even think about holding it all night- he is a pretty deep sleeper and has finally (thank the Lord) gone back to sleeping through the night, so it's not likely he will wake up on his own to go potty in the middle of the night either. He really doesn't get out of his toddler bed on his own at all anyways, but I am sure that time is just around the corner. I have been putting him into thick training pants at bedtime, and trying to go in around 10:30 or 11 to take him potty while he is half asleep- that way at least he is keeping his sheets and pajamas dry, and getting a feel for peeing in the middle of the night since I know he still needs to. As he gets a little older we will go back down to light training pants, and work on him either holding it all night or getting up independently, but for now I think this is the best we can get without compromising his sleep and his confidence with daytime potty training.

That's about all I have for now. Stay tuned for my post on getting involved in politics- I am hoping to get some of my thoughts down into my blog so I can organize my own brain a little better : ) Here are a few pics!!