New Job!

For a while now Jonathan has been trying to move into a "official" technical role at eBay. He has been doing one for the last 2 years on his team without the title while he was in school, and it was increasingly frustrating not to get recognized for his capabilities. He realized sadly that he was going to have to leave the company that he loved and worked for for the last 8 years to get the opportunities he rightfully deserved. So for the last few months he began a very stressful and selective job hunt.

He knew to leave eBay, and the wonderful culture and amazing benefits, he wouldnt be willing to jump ship for just any opportunity. Likewise we were in a tough economic situation and it might take a while to find something. However he was finishing his undergrad and he was running out of time, and internal opportunities were not presenting themsevles so he had to make a move eventually. Luckily for us the PERFECT thing came along.......

Today marks Jonathans last day at eBay. He, with lots of excitement, is moving on to a wonderful company ( L3) that offers him everything he could hope for. Great pay, job within his field, and benefits that rival eBay. He is also considering Grad school now because of the company (L3) willingness to pay a huge chunk of it, and it will make it affordable for us --for him to go(YEA!). So while Jonathan is sad to be leaving eBay-he is also very excited about the journey ahead. So with that...Monday starts a brand new adventure. Im so proud of you Jonathan. You will do awesome!

Phoenix

What a road trip! We have decided to cancel our Canada trip for the summer due to a child that screams literally non-stop during the car and while that initially seems like perhaps a "tall tale" after 12 hours of such craziness let me tell you- its not. Once we arrived in Phoenix we were so happy to see everybody and catch up. It had been almost a full year since we had seen eachother that it was quite a reunion. I cant believe how big the girls were and of course how much my Noellie has grown! We had a lot of fun hanging out and chit chatting the days away and the picts below were of our day at the park! Cant wait till July when Noel will come out for a week!

Jonathan, Noel, Chloe, Me- Lots of posed pictures!

Bugs had a great ol time!
Noel was such a good sport with her brothers

Such a sweet moment- I had to capture it on film.
Tristan and Elijiah playing in the water!
Noel and Elijiah - its so hard to get Elijiah to smile....
The Mortensens...Noels parents( Brook-one of my best friends and her hubby John and older sis- Chloe)
We decided that Jonathan could easily stand in as Noels B-father!
TOO CUTE!
My kidlets!
My darling darling Noel. Too beautiful for her own good.

Kindergarten Graduation!

It was no small feat getting through this last year. From deciding which school to attend, dealing with the tears of the first few weeks of school and dealing with second thoughts on the school itself. However I realized several months into Kindergarten how lucky I was that Elijiah was at Lady of the Lourdes. He was surrounded by people who loved him to a fault. Where he could be safe before school and after school( which is a huge blessing to working parents), a community of parents and teachers who look after eachother and eachothers kids, and a place where God is ever present. Im happy with the quality of education and the amount that Elijiah has learned in such a short time. Im so thrilled he is growing into such a remarkable young kid and cant believe the year has gone by so fast! I couldnt capture all the happenings - but here are a few shots of the 20 minute "graduation ceremony" LOL.

Happy Birthday Dad!

(a day late!)

Due to a road trip on this memorial day - after a long 12 hour journey home with screaming child( no joke) I wanted to hop on this here computer and send a shout out to my father. His birthday was yesterday and I hope he had a wonderful weekend. I understand that he and Nancy spent a few fun nights up in Park City, and had a nice relaxing time.

So dad----

Happy Birthday!!!! We love you!!

We have a bird in the house!

Something has taken over our Bugs...we now have a bird on our hands yes we do!

It started a week or so ago when he found something oh sooo delicious to eat- I thought I would literally die laughing and didnt know his facial expressions were to stay...

We made up a fruit smoothie to drink and this child thought hed gone to heaven and back just to get a taste yes he did......just look at him begging for some....

His mouth drops open and not just a little- his whole face opens wide- the eyes droop, the nose falls down, the upper lip disappears over the teeth.....

His jaw would unhinge if it were possible if he could just open just a little more to get some of this goodness in.....

More mommy more!!!!!

" Im not done" he cries until every last drop is finished...and yes in between every swallow this same expression resurfaces on his face.....

Yes that is my hand holding our little birdie back....
Yummy!!!!

Im in a work funk

I know what it is...its the crazy outside work activities that are calling out to me all week...kindergarten stuff, end of the year stuff, the warm weather stuff, and most of all our weekend plans stuff.

We are getting in our new( but old ) mini van and heading down to the great state of AZ to see my darling little( but not so little) girl. She and her sister had big events this week...and while we couldnt take the week off to be there....we could most definitely take the long weekend and do some post celebrating with them. Chloe is graduating from high school, and my first born is graduating the 8th grade. Im beyond excited to see them both....I wish I was there right now dang it!! But just a few more days.....


Its hard to imagine that this was them a long time ago....



And this is them now....they are as tight as two sisters can be, and I am so proud of them both.
Noel will be coming out in July to hang with us, chill with her younger brothers and spend some quality time with her family in Utah. As usual I will be thrilled with the time that Ill have with her. But this weekend it will be about them, her family and their milestones! Congratulations girls!

Chain Link?

Who would have thought that Chain Link would have been such a great back drop? I was looking at a few photos in my mothers office and saw this one of me. I got a good chuckle. About a year older than Tristan in the photo. Gotta love 70's clothes eh?

Tristan 2009( 13 Mo)

Me 1978 ( 2 years )

Gymnastics- my first love

So a few years ago I put Elijiah in gymnastics as some of you remember the story...well as you recall that didnt work out all that well after just a few laps around the mat to warm up he ran to me with tears in his eyes and told me that it was too hard. Needless to say I was disappointed and we havent set foot in a gym since.

One of his friends from school a few weeks back had a party at one of the local gymnastics clubs. I was super stoked to see if Elijiah would have a change of heart. I have to say it was one of the best kid parties Ive ever been to. It was well organized for the amount of kids( 20 ) and they were entertained, exhausted by the end, and had a ball the entire time. At the end, I said to Elijiah:

" So how did you like Gymnastics Elijiah?"
Elijiah- " That wasnt gymnastics".
Me-" Sure was kiddo. Fun huh? You should trust your Mom sometimes...I do know a few things from time to time...." haha!!!

Anyway while Elijiah was busy with all his stuff I got to throw Tristan around in the pit and jump on the tramp with him...he had a ball.

Horoscopes anyone?

While bored on my lunch hour yesterday I was doing a little web searching and came across a link for your childs horoscope. I plugged in the kids birthdays and I got the following:

I was actually amazed at how close they were to each personality--- especially Tristan- quite remarkable really.

Young Aries- TRISTAN

Aries children have energy in abundance, are usually strong, active, and enthusiastic. You better be physically in great shape to keep up with the little Ram. They seem to never get tired and after a day full of physical activity, the Aries child keeps going while you might gasp for air. Being curious and adventurous, little Arians want to know everything, explore, and investigate. Without fear they venture into new territory all the time, be it a high tree, a playground, or a year abroad. They love challenges, so offering them opportunities to compete either in sports or at play or in school keeps them from being bored too quickly. Aries children need a lot of watching, especially when they are very young, as they can also be quite stubborn and won't accept a "No" easily. Resisting control, they need to know who is in charge, as they are very determined to do everything their very own way. Although young Arians can be quite sweet and affectionate one minute, they can be challenging and angry the next. They need a lot of reassurance, attention, and need to know they are loved. Being ruled by Mars, it is no wonder that they can display a hot temper but they can forget it as quickly as it came. As natural born leaders, Aries children will take the lead in their group, be it at school, or college, or in their circle of friends. However, it can be difficult for them to lose and as difficult to learn how to share and that they cannot win every game. Young Arians are a delight to be around, and they will certainly never bore you! Your favorite moments will be when you can jump into their fantasyland with them and get swept away by their courageous lead into the unknown. They have an untamed spirit that is always ready for adventure!

Young Scorpio- ELIJIAH

The Scorpio child is full of mystery and beauty. This child will demonstrate remarkable sensitivity to others, beginning with infancy. You will be amazed by the attachment you feel to this child! More than any other sign, Scorpio is capable of feeling and expressing need, the proverbial still water that runs deep. The passionate nature of Scorpio is known the world over and this sign is well adapted to expressing intense emotion. Artists and writers are very often Scorpios, as are actors and musicians. The inner depth of this sign is unfathomable, and if you help Scorpio children sort through their powerful emotions you will find yourself in the presence of striking and compelling personalities who give much more than they receive. The younger years are calm given Scorpio's reputation. In fact, Scorpio loves to be a child. This is because there is so much to absorb and learn about the world, and so much love to soak in from parents and family. Scorpio's need for love cannot be overestimated, and you would be wise to show your love through taking the young Scorpio to museums, plays, bookstores, parks, and anything else that will capture their interest. To give a Scorpio something to explore is to give them a lifetime of satisfaction.

Working Mama

Being a working mother has its advantages for sure. I get a huge say in where our money goes. I have had money at my disposal for lots of guilty pleasures and that has been nice. While going through my terrible divorce I never worried how I was going to support myself like so many family members and friends. But I have often wondered how I ended up being a working mom. It was clear from my young women’s days in Church--- that all I ever wanted to be was a MOM. (Well I did also want to be a nurse, but that was lagging far behind the MOM title.) So how did I end up being a working mom not a SAHM? Well my other working moms and I have discussed this. Being college educated has played a big factor here. For the most part those of us that have finished college had loans to pay off. We also had husbands finishing school and so we chose to support those husbands while they finished school themselves. Some of us, while working to support our husbands, climbed the corporate ladder and while doing so, out earned our husbands while they finished school. So when they were done with school it wasn’t an automatic thing to suddenly stop working. Then came time to having kids. Again some husbands eventually caught up and others didn’t. Mine at the time started his own business and we didn’t have medical insurance and so I continued to work as the cost of insurance was close to 700.00 a month and that seemed outrageous at the time…plus we were struggling with the business. So it seemed too big a gamble to risk everything on one income. Then came the crisis in the marriage and I knew that for me to quit my job would be irresponsible for many reasons, but the biggest thing was if it didn’t work out how was I going to support myself? So while I hated working…life never seemed to present a good opportunity for me to just let my career go and stay home with my baby.

I was so grateful that I hadn’t ever left the work force entirely( I did have a stay at home stint for 6 months when Elijiah was a year old but it was too stressful on Khory when the business was just starting…)because when I did finally become divorced I realized how hard it was to be completely responsible for myself and my child. I no longer had a man to help with the day to day issues ….such as the rent or mortgage, all and any household bills, savings, retirement, home repairs, car repairs, groceries, day care, clothes( yes some of those child related things were split) Things that I took for granted all those years when you are married and discuss with a spouse…were now completely up to me to plan for, budget for and make happen. I was more than ever grateful for my job and happy to have a career in which was able to support Elijiah and I so well. See when I left my marriage I literally started over. I had my clothes…half of Elijiahs stuff, and a bean bag. That’s it.

Now why am I writing about this you may wonder? Because. I hate the fact that I work. I complain about it almost daily. Why is it that I , me , who has ALWAYS wanted to stay home with her babies, not done so? Has it been a choice? Perhaps…I guess I will never really know. However what I do know is that I received a blessing a long time ago that indicated that I would be blessed in my schooling, I would be blessed temporally when it mattered….and perhaps it is the fruition of that blessing in my ability to provide for my family and children when it has mattered. Im not always happy to work. Not happy to leave my children each day, I cry more times than I would like to admit, but I am grateful for my job. Grateful for when I have needed a job --I have one, been able to provide for myself, my family and at times for others. Jonathan and I have often talked about the day when I could quit my job will I do that???? I would like to say that I would go part time. But in reality for me to leave the work force all together is very scary. What if something happens to him- he gets injured? Laid off? Dies? We are in a building mode of retirement, savings, mission funds, paying off college loans etc. It almost seems irresponsible to put that burden on him alone when I can help. I don’t know….all I do know is again…I have much to be grateful for…and instead of complaining about my having to go to work everyday. I should be grateful I have a job to go to everyday.

Twitter? Not for us...

Twitter no thanks...but I do sometimes wonder what people do all day...thus the purpose of twitter right?

Well heres a glance into our very boring day.

6:30 am- WAKE UP - so late...but my goodness we are VERY tired...Tristan had us awake at 12am and 4 am SCREAMING again. Just because. As soon as I made an apprearance in the bedroom and laid him down he went back to sleep. But I was awake for a while thinking about work. I hate that. So yes.....So very late getting going this morning.

6:45 am- Kids up and fed-making everyones lunches- Tristan watching sesame street...not screaming for the moment. In the bathroom getting ready.

6:55 am- In the Car - making the commute from Ogden to SLC- SO VERRRRY LLLAAATTE!

7:50 am- Dropped off Elijiah at school- Im especially sad- its Khorys long weekend again. I wont see my love until Saturdays soccer game. And then again until next Monday after school. It will be a long week without him :(

7:58 am- Dropped off Tristan at Daycare- he didnt cry this morning...yea! Dang it Im 30 minutes late for work. Thats what happens when you wake up 40 minutes late!!! GRRrrrr

8:05 am- Ride up the elevator to work and begin my day.

11:35 am- STARVING only had a yogurt for breakfast and been super busy all morning. Im famished! Eat my Amys frozen meal...not too bad- but not great either-back to work

12:30 pm- chat with Jonathan about potential landscaping ideas for the house, talk with mother- in - law about great news for Jonathan, talk with Jonathan again about House colors for when we paint, get annoyed with conversation over the whole house stuff....back to work

1:50 pm- meet new employee that I hired. Always love that.

What its only 2:12pm??? My day is really boring huh???

So whats on the schedule for the rest of the afternoon? Pick up child from daycare drive the hour 15 minutes back home. Wait for Jonathan to get home, leave Tristan with him so I can get my hair done today, work out? Maybe, dinner( perhaps another yogurt, or perhaps nothing I dont know...), kiss a sleeping Tristan goodnight as he will be asleep before Im home, finish up some work at home before I head to bed. Maybe get some reading him before I hit the sheets. Laundry, Grocery Shopping? Will get done this weekend. Dinner? Not tonight. Cleaning? Later....all my chores can wait another day......

Now.....is your day as exciting as that? Thats why I dont twitter...who cares about my boring old life? But I am curious about yours... SHARE! What does your day look like? How do you get it all done? When does the laundry get done, errands etc? Do you save it all for one day during the week or spread out the chores each day? I guess its the ever burning question I have for mothers everywhere....how do you do it all???

Just another day at the soccer field

I hope everyone had a great weekend...the weather was warm - we spent a good chunk of it outside. Saturday was Elijiahs soccer game so we wanted to go as he only has one week left before the season is done. However this child didnt want to sit still. As you can see-I couldnt keep track of the little bugger. I was constantly snapping shots of this one, then the other...but I didnt mind...it was a lot of fun.
See there was this HUGE horse just on the other side of the fence and once he saw it- well there just wasnt getting him away.
Oh he just cracks me up. Hes trying to be so cute...but what can I say...he is!
Now when Im not keeping my eye on my crazy one year old, I am actually watching the game and trying to focus on getting some good shots of Elijiah--- but unfortunately for me...I seem to catch him from the side a lot. I got lucky here.
And here.
Oh bugs again...sorry. hehe
Again he was just too adorable this day. Dont ask about Sunday tho. His bedtime is normally 6 pm. We thought we were being pretty good parents and he actually went down for TWO naps that day. Well that messed EVERYTHING up. Tristan decided that he didnt want to go to sleep until 9 pm Sunday night. And that was with us holding him down and practically forcing him to sleep...yea we decided he doesnt get an afternoon nap anymore.
I seriously cant believe how tall Elijiah is...he is just a growing weed.
Okay here we go...the ball is coming and I of course missed that shot.
Tristan sitting still for a few seconds. WOW!
As you can tell from my post- Tristan - Elijiah-back and forth.... Now that is exactly how my day went taking pictures, I would shoot one then go to the other...I couldnt focus- so much was going on all around me and I got so many great shots of them both! Elijiah won this game...actually they have won every game. My uncle Peter and Elijiahs Dad are coaching again and they have done a wonderful job. The kids are just fabulous and learning so much stuff. Elijiah loves soccer and I really contribute it to Peter.
Next rambling topic.... Not soccer related---Now Tristan has developed this incredible scream. Now its not a scream that if you heard you would wonder if he was hurt. Its like this ear piercing scream that is to get your attention. It started a few days ago and now has gotten him anything he wants as its so painful to hear you immediately turn to him and try and get whatever it is he wants to make him stop. Well as you can imagine he has figured out that this will get attention. So I, We, have to outsmart him, its now a battle of wills and today in the car, while driving home, the battle began. For a FULL 45 minutes the scream, cry, SCREAM happened. I tried to ignore him because negative attention is still attention in my book...I could tell you something...Im ready for a bath and a book the moment I got home today. Child anyone? Im ready to sell him....anyone anyone??
But really, he is a darn incredible kid( Tristan ). Lucky for me Elijiah found some bubbles those last two minutes and he was able to get him to stop screaming. What would I do without my helper? Elijiah is not only a great soccer player and the defender in the world!!!!( yes he is folks ) but a great older brother who loves Tristan and endures the daily commute along with me. Thanks Elijiah!!