More CATS!

* update: they all found good homes( I hope) via the humane society of utah. with no takers I took them last night. :( the little things were so adorable following me around the house and purring constantly when I held them...but alas the time had come. they needed a chance at getting perm. homes.

goodness it hasnt ended yet! george-hobo-bobo has officially been given a home-as our outside cat! he decided everytime that he was allowed out of the bathroom to spray some part of the house soo- we of course put a collar on him, got him a little doggie house, and put him outside. I fully expected him to run away, but hes been sitting around the house crying to be let back in. Hes a totally reformed lovey cat- a few pounds heavier and I couldnt be happier with the arrangement. :)
NOW how did we end up with 5 kittens you may ask? GRRR well another feral cat - that I noticed a month or so ago being pregnant decided to have her kittens in our neighbors backyard under the deck. I had to check them out - and because our neighbor didnt want to deal with them we offered to take them and try and find homes for them. SO we decided to keep one ( oh my goodness another cat!
(WHEN DO I GET MY DOG? Lol)
We need to find homes for the other 4. They are seriously the cutest things ever and about 5 weeks at the most. unfortunately didnt catch the mom although we will still keep trying. If not she will likely get prego and we will be dealing with this again in another 6 months. Help me I hope not!
So anyone want one? haha!!

What we have been up to

What have we been up to? Too much and too little in my book. Jonathan started his job- and things are rapidly proving themselves to be correct. Full days, and lots of opportunities. He is traveling a bit( actually he will be gone all next week ) implementing ideas, spending some time on the golf course ( choke ) in all - hes looking forward to his days rather than dreading them. As you can see from the swag- tshirt below...the culture is a bit different....but he loves it.

A few weeks ago this cat- George, Hobo, Bobo- we cant decide made an appearance on our back deck. He and Bob would be found just sitting near eachother starring at one another...I initially thought AWWW - BOB made a friend! Isnt she cute! Well several days later, and we noticed that it didnt have a collar, and wasnt neutered ( its a boy!) and that in all reality it was a stray. Not uncommon in are area as we are back to a deserted mountain range, however we didnt know what to do. Not really interested in adding another cat to the family, but cant let the poor thing keep wandering the neighborhood without being neutered either. So over the course of a week we got friendly with it, he let us touch him and he would venture close to the house when we left food out. Finally we caught him and we decided to do the responsible thing...take him in to the vet to be checked out. ( That was an adventure- boxing him up and taking him on THAT trip) Anyway we got him all his shots, found out he was 12 months old and in good shape albeit slightly skinny. With the harsh winters - I didnt feel good about letting it out again - so Jonathan and I decided we might try to adopt it. Its been a mix of two steps forward and 1 step back. Wild cats are unpredictable, and this one sprays. We have been told that they can still mark territory regardless of being neutered now and thus we are at an impasse. Hes currently holding up in one of our bathrooms and getting used to human interaction, but Im not ready for him to have free reign of the house ( and maybe never) So we are still trying to figure out a long term solution for George-hobo-bobo.

Khory has been out of town for almost two weeks. TWO whole weeks where Ive gotten our son all to myself! Ive absolutely loved it. I miss that kid when hes away from me...

Next weekend we are headed out to see Noel! Super excited- not for the drive( the last time we attempted such a drive, Tristan had cried almost the entire 12 hour trip except for the brief 2 hour nap he took...that trip ended all plans for vacations for our family for the next 18 months. SERIOUSLY)- but to see Brook and the family! And hopefully we will get out of this horrible, raining, snowy, windy, WINTER weather!

Elijiah has been invited to participate on a competitive soccer team for next year! We are so excited for him and this opportunity. He has struggled for the last couple of seasons to find a home if you will. Tried several leagues, and we werent happy for a variety of reasons. Elijiah started to show some real talent and passion for the game that wasnt being developed on the rec leagues- and we thought this was the year for him to try out for the next level. However he was just asked to join a team due to his abilities and we are stoked!

Other than that- we finally got around to planting our garden during one weekend when it didnt rain, we are busy busy with everyday life, and the continued juggling of our lives. All is good. :)

Catch up- Easter 2011

Easter was cold and rainy. Not the best hunting weather but we made a quick dash for the eggs scattered about grandma's and grandpa's. Had everyone over as it was going to be the last time we saw Cory for a few months- hes currently working in Hawaii for the Summer. So in all a bit of yummy food, an outside egg hunt-good times!

Moving On

Today is Jonathans last day at L3. He moves on to another adventure Monday! He already has spent some time at his new job and he believes its going to be great. To make a long story long- being married to me: yes I know its hard :) Ive got his ear almost daily as to what companies are hiring, salaries etc. For me, the move to my new job at the beginning of the year was the best thing Ive ever done. I cant tell you how much I love my job.....true dream. Knowing all the things I do about the market and whats going on, I was telling Jonathan I think it was time after a few years at L3 to look for something different. Well he wasnt sold. Merit increases, promotions were right around the corner and he knew his boss was hoping to do something for him/ however was open to looking at something incase it didnt work out. WELL she came through- TWO promotions! But very little pay increase....Jonathan was so disappointed. He was already paid below market, and hoped that with the TWO promotions he recieved he would be brought up to industry standard. However it wasnt to be. Through some networking and a rockin' interview with an awesome company, he was offered a new position. Jonathan is beyond excited to be back in an internet company with all the perks, culture and innovation he had while at eBay. There are tremendous opportunities for Jonathan where he will be going and the future is VERY bright indeed. We are eternally grateful for the support of our families, friends- to be able make the change...and we are looking forward to all the adventures ahead!

Little boys dream

Cardboard Mansion-a dream come true for Tristan. Grandmas house is now officially much cooler than ours!

Reflections on motherhood

There are days that I cant do it all, but just as those days inevitably come, there are the days when I feel capable and confident in where I am. I cant believe that I am as old as I am-in my mid 30s’s and still sometimes wish I could move back home and live with my mother. Those are the days when I am overwhelmed by it all and usually end up calling her on the phone and pouring out all my crazy thoughts. Thankfully the later happens more frequently. I do feel pretty good about our family choices, where we are headed, what our plans are. I know that for the most part I am competent in the housecleaning, laundry( some days more than others) dinners…..But what really has me feeling good lately is Tristan. I believe in large part Jonathans mom has made most of the difference, her consistency, love and correction – but I also know over the last 3 years that kid has thrown everything he could at us and we are still standing. I have more confidence as a parent and how my mother told me something that has resonated with me.

Difficult children are sent to those that can handle them. Just like trials, we are given what we are able to handle to help refine, develop ourselves. Children are the same. We can learn, grow, and become better just by being a parent. Easy kids? How will you grow as a parent?( I think this was somewhat tongue and cheek as she considered me very difficult, and now I have one of my own:)) But none the less, Tristan came and with his challenges, it required that Jonathan and I work as a team, rely on eachother, grow in compassion, patience and endure. Oh how we have endured.

Elijiah is out of town with Khory for a week, and it was just Jonathan, me and Tristan the other night. Jonathan remarked on how much better Tristan is of late. And he is. Tristan has entered an entirely different phase and we are enjoying this parenting ride much more than ever before. It makes me realize that yes I can do it, I am capable and it’s a wonderful feeling.

*** (one of my fav's of me and T)

Happy Birthday Tristan

Dear Tristan, As tradition- the annual birthday letter is to follow: This year has brought much change and I cant believe how big you are! We had your second birthday in our new house in Lehi-----You were thriving at the YWCA hanging out with all your friends but specifically Sean was one friend you spoke of all the time. Every day we heard about Sean, you talked about him on the weekends and seemed to be your buddy at “school”. You were and continued to be on the taller side, so lots of people thought you were so much older. You have incredible vocabulary. You hear a word that is unfamiliar and you repeat it over and over, often times your dad and I wonder where in the world you hear what you do.... Unfortunately we may have cursed ourselves with your bedtime routine- having the TV in there where you can watch movies and wind down, but honestly anyone that knows you- wouldn’t challenge us too much. You had a tough year…it seems that the transition of Elijiah coming and going, and just hitting the terrible 2’s brought with it difficulties that sometimes your dad and I were overwhelmed with. Thankfully in the last couple of months you seem to have become a completely new child. While there are minor issues, they are rapidly improving... There are lots of memories of your last year that make me smile- several in particular would be any time you are near water. You LOVE it. In Canada in the summer every morning no matter how warm or cold the day was, you would want to get into your swim suit and life jacket and head off in the water. No matter if anyone was around- you would just walk in, keep on walking till you couldn’t anymore and paddle yourself around for hours. It scared me to death the first couple of times….and made me a little annoyed that at 8am and the water was still a bit chilly I would have to join you …..but you proved yourself to be a capable little swimmer and water bug. I can still see your smile as you were paddling around... You developed a love for all things toystory. Your dad and I bought you little figures and eventually like others they became your constant companions…other figures that have not left your hands for long are the barn animals( piggy, horse, and cow) you would have to have any one, or all three with you wherever we went. You love dinosaurs and can play for hours by your self. Your imagination is vivid and you talk to yourself coming up with all sorts of scenarios with your toys. There are days that indeed I am missing you more and more. This phase is so fleeting and I am not there to share those adventures with you. I often catch you on weekends and I realize how fast time is going by. Bugs- I miss you soo soo much. I do hope that you know how much your dad and I love you. We do our best to make our time with you count and hope that you feel the love that we have for you.... The transition to fall brought some traditions that you finally caught on with- Pumpkin carving, Halloween..... Goodness when you figured out that you could get candy…I think next year you might be willing to brave the cold weather and get it. Christmas came and you were so thrilled to know that Santa brought you presents. You still talk about it. While the true meaning is a bit lost on you at this stage, the innocence of believing in Santa is quite magical for us to see.... We tried to potty train you around Christmas time but you didn’t want anything to do with it. I wasn’t worried. I knew it would happen in good time. A few weeks ago( a good month now?) we tried again and bam! You took to it with no problem. You still wear pull ups at night…but are completely potty trained in the day. You are so proud of yourself!!!( And rightly so!) In January I accepted a new job that required a bunch of changes. No more day care. You get to spend your days with grandma which has been an incredible blessing for all…. The first thing we noticed is that you didn’t get nearly as sick. With that --your sleeping became more consistent. Your behavior also improved. I have to believe this is all related. Sometimes its hard to know that Grandma is taking care of you while I am working, but its really great. You go on field trips and do so many fun things! Dad is off on Fridays so you have special time with just the two of you. Those Fridays have made a big difference for you guys as well. You have slowly transitioned from a mamas boy to a daddys boy. You have your rituals, and Friday activities along with your “working in the basement” projects which is just the two of you. I am always happy to come home from work and hear you yell my name and come running into my arms. You are such a lovey boy. Constantly giving hugs and kisses and telling everyone how much you love them. You got a big boy bed(actually a bunk bed) and you and Elijiah are sleeping in the same room. You still adore Elijiah but have finally gotten big enough to wrestle and give him a run for his money. You are a rough and tumble little boy and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I am amazed by how grown up you have become in the last year. I hope you know that everything your dad and I do is because we love you. I hope this next year is filled with wonderful things, that you remain happy and healthy. Happy 3rd birthday bugs. Love, Mom.

(this was written while in the midst of Tristan trying to play with all his toys- talk about hard to formulate thoughts!....AND just to mention for Jonathan and I- how the cake became such a joke...:) *Thank you to all the family that came to celebrate with us. We love you!*