Weekly Rant

Notice the red dot on this map( bottom one)? We live a quarter mile to the east of that dot. That dot indicates the top of Utah's flight park...why am I pointing this out. Well
if you have been reading the last couple of posts you will have known about the feral cat issue we face. People dumping cats in the mountains behind our home, and or NOT spaying/neutering their cats and increasing our neighborhood feral cat problem. Dont expect Animal Control to help out either. They now expect you to catch and bring in the animals, pay for the euthanizing ( if needed). Gotta love our beloved animal control! But no, really why I pointed that out is that we get FIERCE winds in our area. Hence the reason the STATES flight park is our backyard. Last night the winds were so strong that it lifted our deck umbrella that was anchored by a weighted base --out of the
the table in over the backyard fence. It was then, that the neighbors dog started barking. And it didnt stop for 2 hours. 2 hours people. In the middle of the night. WHY didnt the people bring their dumb dog inside instead of keeping me, and how many other neighbors up? GRR. Im on the hunt for a new house. FYI.

On a super bright note- we are headed to this part of the country...hopefully escaping the cold and rain that has plagued us. Did you know that snowbird( ski resort) is planning on staying open through July 4th? - you heard right. You can ski during the summer because we have had so much snow and rain that its a record base up there! Needless to say, when I heard that this morning, I was more grateful for our upcoming trip. 100 degree weather and pool? Yes please.

The boys are so excited to be going and seeing Noel. Both are giddy and keep asking " is today the day we leave?" Soon- soon!

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)