Back Again

So for the last few weeks we have been out of town on some adventures. And now it's back in the desert to try and get into our normal routine.

Jill and the kids had a trip planned to Cincinnati to visit her parents. Since they were headed out of town and since I don't have a regular job right now I decided to go back to Chicago to be slave labor to my parents for some things that they needed to get done. So as usual, Jill and the kids played while I worked, just a different kind of work.

The kids had a great time in Cincinnati. They were able to swim all the time and play with loads of toys in Jan's basement (one of the perks of being a toy maker). I'm sure Jan and Martha had fun with the kids but guarantee that they were worn out to some degree. The best part of the trip for Parker was he decided on the second day of the trip that he wanted to start using the toilet instead of a diaper so we had some success. The one drawback for me was a joked with Jill saying that if she got him potty trained before they got back that I would get her a new video camera. I thought there was no possible way but as a result I guess I have some shopping to do.

My vacation as I stated was filled with work. I spent most of my time building a paver patio for my parent's house or other little projects that needed to be done. It was hard work but in the end it looked good and the parents were satisfied so it all worked out. At this point I had to remind my dad that if I come to do any projects that I am in charge since I'm the one that knows what's going on. Since this is my 6th paver patio I feel I'm getting the hang of it.

As part of the stint in the midwest, Jill was able to come up to Chicago for a few days to spend some time with my family and friends. It's amazing how much of a mess the kids can create regardless of their surroundings. During their visit we were able to sneak up to Michigan and visit with our good friends the Bindrups. David and Katie are in Law School so it was a good chance to catch up even it was just for a short time.The break from job hunting was nice but short lived. Chicago is a good place to visit but it got below 50 degrees while I was there and that quickly reminded me why we moved to Phoenix. Jill on the other hand thought that moving to Cincinnati would be fun, I beg to differ. We missed our desert life. It was a comfort to get off the plane and step into 90+ degrees.

Graduation Day

So Abby had the big excitement this last week with her graduation from preschool. This is her second year and had a really good time. We are having her tested for early enrollment in kindergarten for the fall since she misses the deadline by 6 weeks. She's already such a big girl for her age, we are hoping they will see the development in her and let her start early. Abby had a wonderful teacher that helped her with her "ABC's" and "123's". We think she's bright, but of course we are bias. I think Jill will miss preschool the most this summer since it means more time to fill with activity for Abby. I'm sure Abby will find something to keep her busy.

Parker's Sweet Tooth

So the other day Jill called me to let me know what "my" son had done. You know it's not good when your spouse doesn't accept the child as their own. Jill went out to the garage and found the deep freezer door open. She looked around and didn't see Parker, but then she caught a glimpse of him hiding underneath my utility sink in the garage. Realize that this sink is tucked back in a corner of the garage and is in a pretty tight space. Well there was Parker with a box of popsicles, just going to town on them, he was an absolute mess.

Parker has this uncanny ability to find treats and eat them when no one is around. There have been many mornings when we first come down stairs and find him eating a bag of chips, candies, or cookies. Typically he is hiding behind a chair when he does this. We try to keep them out of reach on the top shelf but the kid is a monkey and finds a way to get to the top. What can you do? I guess he just has a sweet tooth. I think that comes from Jill's side of the family.

Fun at the Museum

So the public libraries for the city of Phoenix have set up a new program that allows you to "check out" passes to the local museums or other sites of interest in the area at no charge. We decided to take advantage of the opportunity and we went and spent the morning at the Phoenix Children's Museum. Abby did not want to go at first but then when we got her there it was hard to get her to leave. Jill's sister Brooke was in town so she came down and enjoyed the adventure with us. It was a lot of fun to play with the kids and for them to go to a place where they can use their imagination a little.

Grandpa Jan

Jill's dad was able to come out and spend some time with us. He was here to take care of a project for his dad and was able to spend the rest of the time playing with his grandkids. It's always nice to have family come to town since we are so far from everyone. It's seems like Arizona gets a lot of winter visitors, but for some reasons the visits drop off in the summer?

Time with the Fam

So since I have a little more time, I have found that playing with my kids is something that I did not get to do enough. We are enjoying the time together under the circumstances. Abby and Parker keeping growing so fast. I guess we don't notice the changes as much until someone comes to town and comments on their development. To say the least we are having a good time. Yesterday we met up with Anja, a friend from the "Thrill," at a local splash pad. It's always good to see friendly faces. Here's a few pictures of our recent activities as well as some new photos of Mia... We're excited that Mia is now giving us some smiles. I realize that she doesn't control that right now but it's still a pleasant site.

Ups & Downs

So with times as unstable as they are at times we have seen it first hand in our family. Over the last couple months we have experienced the joys of Mia being a part of our family and the fun we have with Abby and Parker. Jill and I feel really blessed for the many good experiences we have. Unfortunately with the economic times we have being given some new trials and opportunities. At this time my company has had to do significant cut backs. We used to say that they had already cut employees down to the marrow so we thought we were safe but now they are chopping off some limbs. Unfortunately I happen to be one of the limbs. With the construction field being very unstable we're weighing out all of our options to find the best course to pursue. I can't say that it's been fun to lose my job, this is the first time I've ever experienced something like this in my life. However, we are finding that where one door closes another is sure to open. We're not sure what that door is right now but we'll figure it out. Even at this time we are very thankful that I had a good job as long as I did. We are grateful this is not as big of a trial as what others might face. It's an experience for sure, we'll just see where life takes us.

Getting some Kicks

This year we wanted to get Abby involved in some activities. When she was confronted with the choice between soccer and ballet, I am proud to say that we are spending our Saturday mornings on the soccer field. So far she is just learning to run around with her team, but occasionally she kicks the ball and heads in the right direction. Originally she was the only girl on a team of 11 but then another little girl joined so she's not alone, although she is the only one that wears pink shorts. It's fun to see her have so much enthusiasm about an activity. For my sake, I hope soccer sticks so we can stay out of the ballet studio.