Big Changes

February marked a huge event in my (also Drew and the boys') lives. I changed jobs.  

I was approached in December by a friend and his father-in-law who is a longtime business man in Cabool about taking over their accounting position. After much debate, and several conversations, it felt like it the right time and place to go for it. 

Since the end of the year is a very busy time for accounting jobs, I had told them that I couldn't just leave Howell-Oregon immediately. They agreed to a start date of February 1st and the deal was done. 

I didn't know how emotional and exhausting it would be to leave a long-time job one day, then start a new one the next. It made sense for financial and insurance purposes, but it was really hard. 

Surprise cake and goodbyes

I enjoyed my time in West Plains, but I just needed to get closer to home and have flexibility. 

I had forgotten how much it stinks to start out somewhere, not knowing a thing, feeling pretty worthless. 

I'm only a month into my new normal, but I could instantly tell the perks outweighed any "negatives". I take Griffin to school almost every morning.....I ride my bike at lunch around the lake/town.....I walk to the Post Office to get the mail....and I really enjoy seeing people throughout the day that I haven't gotten a chance to talk to in years. 

Most importantly, I'm 2 minutes from school and won't have to miss a minute of the kids' activities. I am thankful. 

January Monthly Update

Welcome to 2017!

Griffin saw Dr. Sponenberg in January and we were able to record some official stats:

Weight - 45lbs (63%)
Height - 3' 8.5" tall (57%)

School continues to go well and it's obvious that he is thinking more about words/letters/sounds all the time. One thing he is REALLY into lately is rhyming. It's hard to keep a straight face though, because he magically finds a rhyming word for anything by just adding a "sm-" on the front. Gorilla, smorilla. Basketball, smasketball. He adds a huge smile and you can't help but laugh. He does do a good job with easier words. Hop, pop, mop, top, etc. 

Griffin was also able to enjoy the BB gun he got for Christmas. He had to earn it by good behavior, and we finally got a weekend of nice weather to take to the farm and have a picnic. 

I also got this gem of an interview one evening before bed. 

Cooper continues to be a little more mellow than his older brother. He definitely is figuring out his own likes/dislikes lately. His favorite color is orange. He still loves gum. He likes mints and gum of all flavors. He does not like to brush his teeth but we are constantly working at that. Molars are still working their way in!

Another major event currently taking place in his life is potty training! Being at daycare with other kids his age really helps, since the entire group will go on regular potty breaks to the bathroom. I think he's going to have this figured out pretty quick. 

More of January..............

Finishing out bow season

We've had 1 minor little snow, and the boys were very lucky to go to the Gettys house that day. 

 This was an attempt at molar pictures. 

Our usual pre-bedtime pillow fight. 

Good example of how quickly emotions can change. 

I found them sound asleep like this one morning. 

I took this video (in the dark, so no picture) while they were going to sleep one night. 

One Saturday morning turned into a bathtub photo shoot. You can tell where the cell phone camera was replaced with the real camera. 

Shed hunting/BB gun shooting/picnic afternoon

Another nice evening after work, we squeezed in a few minutes of play at the park before dark. Griffin is getting really good at the monkey bars. 

Magic Trax vehicles should never be driven through a messy ponytail. Screwdriver will be required. 

the tablet allowed for a long enough sit to go #2