Christmas! (almost two months late)

We actually celebrated sometime during the first full week of January. While it wasn't a up to full Christmas standard - it was after all the first time we celebrated with just our own little family and it was right after a move - it was great for a first go.

A few days before we celebrated (and about three days after we moved in and were mostly settled) we set up the tree. I put hooks on the ornaments while the kids were free to put them anywhere on the tree. I think next year we will have a talk about balance and distribution...

As you can see there are a few clusters of ornaments. In fact, once when tell Dallas to put one on the tree I specifically said to not put it on a branch with another and to spread the ornaments out, so he put it on the branch right next to it instead

Ok, I admit it! I put some of the ornaments on the tree...

We had a nice Christmas Eve dinner of meatballs, mashed potatoes, asparagus, and corn with strawberries and grapes to finish it off and sparkling apple, peach, pear, and grape to drink. (Chey likes to call it "sparkly juice")

I have found my kids love asparagus and I am extremely happy about it.

Also note the festive tablecloth (that is still on our table to this day). I am growing leaps and bounds in homemaking/interior decorating

This is about where the story ends however. Neither Cam nor I remembered to pull out the camera Christmas morning... I told you we are still learning!

Something Dallas got for Christmas/his birthday was a bike and he enjoys new challenge (he has never ridden a two-wheeled bike before... don't get too excited, it has training wheels).

The first time it was ever ridden was to the park. I realized after we started that the way to the park is on a slight incline the entire way. Dallas had to climb that learning curve fast! Then on the way home he was given the chance to work on braking. While at the park he got some practice on the mostly flat pathway.

On the trail in the park. Chey was walking faster than he was riding.

On the sidewalk heading home, he starting picking up speed. He is still wary of going much faster than a run but he sure loves it!

You may notice the weather in those pictures looks not very wintery. We had a week or two of fairly warm, dry weather in beginning/mid January. Since then the snow, rain, cold, and wind have all shown their face and it is no longer very good bike riding weather.

"Steady Days"

We moved again and are in Logan, Utah now. Logan is an amazing city. Before we moved we heard comments like, "Logan? I used to live there, you will love it!" No one explained why we would love it, just we would. After a month we do love it, and I can't seem to explain why either. It is a lot of little things. Everything is so close. We can walk to the store, the library, the church, the transit center where we can hop on and ride somewhere further for free. Running errands takes 15 minutes total instead of 15 minutes just in travel time. I am sure there are other reasons I love Logan, but this cozy feeling is one attribute I just can't get over!

Cam's started school (the actual Computer Science coursework, yahoo!) and we are settling in at home. We started going to the library since the cold and wet weather of January made going out to play difficult most weeks. By chance I looked up some parenting books and stumbled on "Steady Days" by Jamie C. Martin. It is a small, thin book so I figured I had a fighting chance of actually finishing and applying the book.

The subtitle is "A Journey Towards Intentional, Professional Motherhood." Intentional and professional mothering is something I have struggled with since having Dallas.

Up until Dallas was born I was constantly in school or working, usually a combination of the two. I had something other than myself telling me where I needed to be, what I needed to do and my sense of hard work and responsibility (I felt guilty if I didn't do assignments to the best of my ability, I couldn't even fathom intentionally skipping class or sloughing off assignments) took care of the rest. After he was born I was suddenly at home ALL THE TIME and no one telling my what to do. I had no idea what to do with myself. I had intentions of setting specific days to clean, of always having dinner of the table when Cam got home and other "homemaker" duties. Unfortunately, I didn't. There were times it got very bad (we won't go into details, but I never left the house so I wouldn't shower until Cam told me I smelled... yeah I guess that was too much detail, huh?). However my work ethic was still there making me feel incredibly guilty, but I didn't know what exactly what I was feeling guilty for.

I only felt accomplished when I was working outside the home so I found a job and kept working. I felt I needed that something telling me what to do! After working part-time in the tutoring, para-educating, and substitute teaching realm; I finally landed a full-time teaching job! If that wasn't going to make me feel accomplished I didn't know what would! However, even while teaching full-time and being told how much I was benefiting the 150 students in my classes; I felt guilt for what my children (and, to a lesser degree, the house) weren't getting.

So what gives? I realized "doing" work didn't fulfill that guilt for sloughing off my responsibility to my children. I was a good professional educator, why couldn't I figure out how to be a good professional mother? That is why this book really caught my eye: "Intentional, Professional Motherhood."

The book has been an eye-opener. It isn't full of ground-breaking thoughts or techniques, but has given me clear ideas and methods to make being at home with my children productive and meaningful. Along with creating a "Steady Routine" the book suggests finding one thing to improve upon at a time. It is so easy to tackle things one at a time.

If I sound like you, or you sound like me, I would recommend giving this book a gander. You'll take some, you'll leave some, but I believe it will be a good experience :)

The Apartment * The Job * The Kids * The Hubby

The Apartment: is great. The best self-funded place we have ever lived in since tying the knot. It isn't perfect, but I am ridiculously happy with it, especially after hearing about a teenage "shooter" a block away from a townhouse we had been looking at and wanting(and almost got except the leasing guy went out of town and we couldn't get a hold of him and didn't want to wait). The area down here in South Ogden is much safer, prettier, and out-of-the-way without being way out. Dallas and Chelane are sharing a room (and a bed... it is a full), the Ward has many old people and young couples (I really love having "old people" wards, they have so much more experience and a much better perspective on life), and there are many kids in the apartment complex. I am sure pictures will come shortly.

The Job: is great. I really enjoy teaching but I get WAY stressed out over all the things I need to do. It isn't helping that about a quarter of my Algebra students do not have books (we discovered this a few days before the school year started, the wrong books had been ordered over the summer; we fixed it but the correct books are on back-order) so I am making worksheets for everything lately. Also, it is Parent-Teacher Conference this week so grades need to be in and I get to stay at the school until 8pm on Thursday (yay, me!).

I am still not very organized either. I feel like I am mostly treading water and only making little progress at a time, but it still is progress. I have to keep myself from thinking too long term (of all the things I need to do) or I REALLY freak out. Poor Cam has to deal with it all; I think my moods may have been worse than when I was pregnant. Dallas tells me to "calm down" and asks me if I am OK quite a bit. I have been having a little depression, but I think it is just tied to the new-working-Mom thing. I believe this would be all easier it I knew the kids weren't at home waiting for me to come home. Also, since I do teach math, there are always students who want to stay after because they do not understand something (especially if they missed class), which isn't conducive to the getting-things-done-quickly-at-school-in-order-to-get-home-early desires I have.

However, I did find that the school has a grant for teachers with Math and/or Science licenses: $30/hr for after contracted time spent with tutor students. I already have over seven hours since the beginning of the school-year. It is like having another part-time job.

I do love teaching and I do love math.

The Kids: are great!
Dallas: Dallas' speech is getting better. He talked to his "Nana" on the phone a few weeks ago and she could understand what he was saying without a translator. He is getting better at correcting himself and mimicking correct speech. He is also a puzzle whiz. He doesn't sit still for many things but puzzles, movies, and learning new things he does. The kid is a sponge!

He likes to help in the kitchen: measuring, baking, cleaning. His favorite is to crack eggs and he does so masterfully. You will see a video soon.

We also have a pretty awesome Children's Museum here (I bought a family membership the first week we were here) and we frequent it often (every Friday at least). Aside from there very cool exhibits that keep Dallas and Chelane busy, they have a "step on stage" program and hold a "partici-play" a few times everyday. At these "partici-plays" the kids get to act out parts while a museum employee narrates a story. Dallas loves them; Chelane has a hard time sitting through them. We have some pictures of these as well.

Chelane has started saying three word phrases like: "sit on you" and "stop it, Dallas" all very clearly. She is among the youngest in nursery at church (nursery ages are 15-36+ months and she is only 23 months) but she is almost the tallest (the only child that beats her is over 3 years old). She asked to use the potty the other night and actually went... we are thinking maybe trying to potty train her during my break in October. We haven't decided yet. She is more attached to her binky than ever. She has taken to hiding under the kitchen sink and running away from you when you call. What can I say? She is two.

The Hubby: Cam didn't start school this semester. We didn't realize that tuition was due so soon (which I should have remembered from going to college) and we didn't have all the necessary things to apply for residency yet. While we probably would have been refunded the extra tuition cost, we didn't have the money to front it all right then and were still trying to adjust. So Cam decided to take the time off. He was initially looking for a job, perhaps back at his old work, but we decided against it. The hours wouldn't work well for school and it is a solid 40 minutes away (in good traffic).

He is still looking into other part-time-in-the-evening possibilities, but he is being the stay-at-home daddy for now. During the first week he commented, "Chasing after the kids all day is tiring." Really? I mentioned that if you try to get a schedule going it works better than just trying to keep them out of mischief all day. They are usually car-less during the day so that makes doing things outside the home tough. Right now he and Dallas are doing a 100 piece astronaut puzzle.


An older gentleman sat next to me and the kids in the pew at church(Cam went home a little early with backpain). Chelane sat on his lap from time to time. He said it took him back to 50 years ago when his kids were that little. I know I will cherish these days. Working makes me miss being home. I would change places with Cam in a heartbeat.

Trepidation

I am getting a little antsy about the move and the up-coming teaching job. A few justification for this feeling:

We still have no housing nailed down. We did submit an application today (we got to fax 18 pages to Utah, so fun), so barring something the apartment complex doesn't like (such as the lack of money in the bank or the our inconsistent employment for the last 18 months), early next week, we will have an apartment reserved for us .

We haven't finished packing yet. I feel what is left can't be packed until the last minute, it being clothes, some toys, and toiletries. And I am sure that will come back to bite me.

On the job front, I still have no idea what subject I will be teaching. Well, duh, it will be math, but there are many subcategories there, and Algebra is very different from basic math or geometry or... you get the picture.

I will not be able to be at the school (to prep my room, meet any teachers, etc.) until the start of the teacher preparation week. And I just got the schedule for previously mentioned week, and it is a doozy. On top of all that, it appears I will be working a few evenings that week; student orientation and all that.

Don't let me fool you, I am still very tickled that: I HAVE a job (doing something I love to boot), we will have money, Cam will be able to go to school, and we don't have to put the kids in child-care to do any of it.

I need to find a way to keep this positive attitude going because I KNOW sooner or later (and my bet is "sooner") the stress will get the best of me...



Oh, the apartment is not 3 blocks from a Costa Vida... can I tell you how happy this makes me? Too late, I already told you :)

No Children in Student Housing?

Cam received an email assigning us to out campus housing on Thursday. Also in the email was a "reminder" that children were not allowed in married housing... say wha?!

I badgered Cam into making an irate phone call (he wasn't really irate but I was) to the housing office. There was nothing on the school website with that stipulation, but apparently there was something in the contract Cam signed, but didn't read. I can't be mad at him, I never read it either...

The campus housing person said that no children in married campus housing is a Utah law (say wha, again?! we had a kid not four years ago when we lived in BYU married housing... however they are a private university, maybe they got out of it, so I let it slide). We did the only thing we could do, pulled out of our contract. Luckily we hadn't paid any deposit, just an application fee.

We have been looking at renting websites all weekend and found a few places, and hopefully will be starting on the paperwork for one today. There is an upside, campus housing didn't have W/D hookups, and I am not fond of community laundry.

On a side note: I think that law was made up. A web search turned up the exact opposite: "Any rules which limit the rights of families with children violate the Fair Housing Act and are not enforceable."

Maybe schools have special circumventing rights, but it is by no means "a state-wide law" considering Utah State University allows children in their housing.

Moving to Utah

Well I got a job offer and just signed the paperwork to accept it today. The job is at a middle charter school in Ogden, Utah just a couple miles from Weber State University, the school Cam will be attending in the fall.

I am very excited about the job (and it is very needed to keep my teaching license valid as it would expire next June). It also gives Cam residency and therefore in-state tuition (yipee!). However, this school starts earlier than most (teacher prep days start August 9th, the actual school year August 16th) and Cam doesn't finish his classes next semester until August 12th... We will have to figure something out with that, but we have a few months to get it nailed down.

So we will be moving to Ogden, Utah in August for a few years. Feels like everything is working out for us!

We're Back

We are back! In the Seattle area, that is. I should have posted this a few days ago. We drove through the night,leaving at about 7:45PM on the 30th to arrive about 6:30AM the 31st. Cam and I had never driven through the night before and while Cam survived gallantly I lost it about 4:30 right after we crossed the border leaving Cam to, so I have heard, brave a torrential downpour with blinding rain. Apparently he was fearing for all our lives.

Cam let me sleep until about 10:30AM after we arrived at my parents' house at which time he slept until about 1PM; then we went for another car ride to see my brother, Jeremy, and his family to go trick or treating. Dallas was Buzz Lightyear, I will have to post some pictures of that soon.

Driving through the night really got Cam and I in the Halloween mood, we were both zombies for the rest of the day! (Bad joke, sorry!)

Still Alive

Not much has happened. The "season" for temporary work has gone so Cam hasn't worked for two weeks. The mill(s) have gone through two waves of hiring and he hasn't gotten a call yet. Cam is thinking about school again.

We are doing a bit of reflecting and thinking/praying trying to decide what we want in life and what is important. Hopefully a plan will solidify soon. If nothing else, this has been a good vacation and has given us some perspective.

We Are Moving

So just to let everyone know that won't hear about it right away: Cam, the kids, and I are moving up to Vanderhoof tomorrow. We will be back later to get all our stuff from Mom and Dad's and we will be back for Christmas. There are job opportunities up there that would put it in a better situation (and I would like to live in the smaller-town sorta area anyway).

Well try to think/pray good thoughts for us rather than "man I hope they don't find anything so they have to come back to Washington with absolutely no employment"... I am sure no one is thinking the "... with absolutely no employment" part but that would be the reality of it since I resigned my post in the Auburn district.

Anyway, we aren't gone forever. I don't know if I will be able to post much up there since we will be staying with Cam's parents to start off with (which should only be for a few weeks, yes I know that is what I said about staying with my parents back in December) and his parents don't have great internet. I did do two other post before this (the 30th of August and the 1st of September) about the kids and things (before we knew we were going to move, yes it all really was that sudden) so please check those out.

Oh and Cam and I pulled all the little bushes around Mom and Dad's driveway on Thursday using a shovel and that heavy iron pole Dad has. I have nice blisters to prove it (because I was stupid and didn't use gloves, Cam used gloves and his hands are still as soft as a baby's bottom...) Dallas and Jadon were playing catch while the bushes were meeting their end (Dallas fished Cam's two old baseball gloves out of the garage and held one open with both hands in front of his chest and Jay tossed the ball into it... I am not sure how long that one lasted though). After the bushes were out Cam proceeded to play baseball with Jadon.

Today we went to a park and then to the children's museum in factoria (it is free from 5-8pm every Friday) which I HIGHLY reccommend, we will definitely take the time to go back there when we are in the area. Dallas and Chelane have had a good last few days playing with Jadon and the grandparents.

We Lived!

The trip wasn't bad at all. The worst part was driving through Salt Lake City on the freeway going about 40 mph at about 2pm Friday afternoon through falling snow and bad visiblility. The Oregon blues and even Snoqualmie Pass barely required us to reduce speed and there was no falling snow anywhere else along the way until we entered Kent and little flurries started falling. We arrived at my parent's house just as the snow picked up. Thank you all for the prayers for the weather. Cam arrived in the moving truck an hour or so after us, he still had a fine drive until he got down from the pass and into the valley where the snow was falling. It took him a little longer the tranverse the road after he got off the freeway, but he too arrived without incident. I am sure I will post more later, but I am pretty tired and my bum hurts (tmi? I took the whole trip in the back seat between the two car seats).

Anyway, thanks again and we did all arrive safe.

The Big Move

So I really should be finishing up packing right now. We have to pick up the moving truck RIGHT when Cam gets home today, then he has to go off to the airport (and I will be doing any last minute packing at that time) to pick up his brother and *maybe* my dad (depending on the weather). Once they get home it is packing time while I take Dallas and Chelane to Provo to get Karma's luggage, drop some things off at DI, do last minute Christmas shopping, get chains for the car and a prescription filled... such a fun night ahead of us.

My big issue right now is Dallas deciding that digging through boxes is fun. Evey time we move I have a bad habit of taping up the boxes early then needing to cut the tape open to add/remove something from the box. So this year I haven't taped much up yet and Dallas is loving it. I am not loving it as much since I am the one that has to go and repack every box about seven times...

I really should get back to packing. I need to have most things done so when the laundry and dishwasher are finished I can focus on packing up those... I don't know when the next post will be, probably after the Christmas holiday since I have no idea what sort of internet access I will have before then. Please pray for good weather in Oregon and Washington while we drive through. I love you all and Merry Christmas!

The Plan

I guess just so everyone knows, Cam has decided that is the Seattle job falls through we are going up to Seattle for school anyway (he is going to go to GRCC and finish his associates and then see where he wants to go from there). He isn't even 100% sure he will take the Seattle job, or wait for it if they aren't hiring right away, anymore either.

We already applied him to GRCC and he was accepted. He is tentatively thinking about physical therapy or sports medicine stuff. It look like either way we are planning on being up in Seattle area by the end of March at the latest. THere are still a lot of details to iron out but we have started the process for applying for grants and student loans, now we still need to find a place to live and get Cam (and possibly me too) are part time job. Please keep your eyes open for good part time jobs and/or cheap 2 room apartments if you could (Jen, how much was rent at the complex you and Dane were at that is right down the street from GRCC?)

Another Short One

Portland is a no-go. Cam got the news this morning, so he is applying for the Seattle position. If that doesn't go well either we are still planning on moving up for him to go to school, probably after Christmas sometime.

Also I finished the "Twilight" series last night, I stayed up a little late to do it... I didn't get to bed until almost 1am, but luckily Chelane is deciding to do her long stretches today. She didn't get me up the first time until about 5am and hasn't gotten up again yet (it is almost 11am - I am going to wake her soon if she doesn't rouse). I liked the books, the last one made me cry (all the parts where she is preparing to send off Renesmee and thinking they will all die, it tugs at a mother's heart strings).

Well I should get back to my amazingly perfect children, Dallas is eating Honey Bunches of Oats in milk downstairs with a spoon (still, hopefully) and I need to see how much damage has been done to the kitchen :/

I feel like I should write something...

but I can't quite decide what. With a new baby around there should be tons of stuff to write about, I guess I am just feeling overwhelmed at it all.

Dallas is taking to his new baby sister very well... sometimes too well. He figured out how to climb up on Cam and mine's bed (which is quite a feat, the bed is only an inch or two shorter than he is and to accomplish this he balances on the bed frame and gathers fists full of our blankets to hoist himself up) which isn't bad except sometimes I put Chelane on the bed and leave. I can be gone for only a few moments and Dallas will almost always have scurried up on the bed. He really just wants to hold her and play with her but he doesn't know his own strength nor the special care she requires.

Today Mom and I (I am very lucky to have Mom here to help with everything around the house and keep my company, I know I will be lonely when she leaves) were showing Dallas how to play catch with his ball. It is one of those $3 plastic balls from the big bins in a Wal*mart. You know, the really thin plastic ones that are about 9" in diameter and even if you chucked them with all your might it still wouldn't hurt whoever you were aiming at. Well he really loved it. Later that day I brought Chelane downstairs and put her in her swing while I made some dinner (Chelane decided to be awake from about 2:30 to 5). Dallas was running around, once and a while pushing the swing alittle or caressing Chelane's head or hand. I then turn to see him running across the room with his ball that he drops onto her lap. Luckily the game ended there, he removed the ball and had no interest in trying to play catch with her any longer.

Dallas has also developed a dislike for loud noises. I notice I tend to raise my voice often and for really no reason. When I do this Dallas will "shush" me. He also will "shush" if Chelane is crying (which only seems to happen if I have let her get hungry or she is in the middle of diaper change).

Chelane has started to do some long stretches at night. Last night she ate alittle after 10pm, so i was expecting her to wake me up around 1 or 2am to eat again. When she started to cry it was past 4am. I am trying to wake her up every 3 hours during the day (she does it herself anyways, I just encourage) to make sure she is getting enough to eat to justify longer stretches at night (I like those longer stretches). She is also producing enough diapers that I am not too worried about her not getting enough. I will admit I am scared to have a Dallas repeat (failure to thrive at the 2 week appointment) although she doesn't fall asleep nursing after 5 minutes the way Dallas did, so I am hoping we have this nursing thing figured out.

It is very nice to be able to be at home and relax. I was out and about a lot after Dallas was born (Cam's family was in town and my family was in town... not to mention moving when Dallas was 5 days old...) and I think that contributed to my failure to figure out nursing with him. This is a nice contrast.

Oh I kept debating on if I should say anything about this, I am getting sick of the uncertainty to be honest... So Cam didn't get rejected for the Portland job. He hadn't had any email or any contact from the Portland manager so he sent him a company IM on Monday. Apparently they have filled 2 of the 4 positions with locals (non E*Trade people I am guessing) and the manager in Portland is fighting with Human Resources about something (he couldn't say what) before he fills the other two positions (I am guessing with E*Trade people). So hopefully we are still in the running and Portland can happen. Ah, if I only had patience...

Well that is most of the exciting stuff around here. I should carry the camera around the house with me and shoot some pictures to post... posts without pictures just seem to be no fun.

Still Waiting

Well since I said to expect a post in a week regarding the job opportunity in Portland I figure I need to update. Cam hadn't heard anything from the Portland office all last week. On Friday about an hour before his shift ended (which would be 2 PST) he sent a message to the manager inquiring about the position. The dude in Portland told him that they hadn't figured it out yet. Cam let them know that he was expecting a baby still (he had mentioned it at the original interview as well) and that he may not be in work next week depending on what happens. The Portland guys say they will give him a call on his cell phone, if he isn't at work, to let him know about the job.

I guess this shouldn't come as a HUGE shock to anyone that has been following the stock market the last few weeks; there have been tons of banks going under and huge plummets and rises, so things have been pretty busy. Anyway, the training for the position starts a week from Monday (October 6th) so E*Trade technically has all of next week to mull over the decision of who they are hiring as well, I just hope they let us know sooner rather than later. Hopefully the delay also means that they are trying to get funding to help with moves (since they are having to import employees).

In other news I am still waiting on Chelane to decide to make her entrance into this world as well. I was due last Monday (the 22nd) and there is no "change" that I can see to make me predict when she is coming. I am hoping it will be sooner rather than later as well since there will be a lot to do if we have to move and I would like to be pretty recovered from child birth when I have to make a 12 hour drive to Oregon. *Sigh* I hate everything being to up in the air.

For something completly different Dallas broke our DVD player this week. He tried to put both Baby Signing Times in at the same time... Cam had to take a screw driver to the player to get them out and once he put it back together it wouldn't read the DVD's. It is OK though, the player was old, the remote only worked half the time, and we got a new player for about $30.

Portland

So Cam had his interview for the RM position in Portland yesterday. Cam has applied to almost anything that has opened up in the Sandy center over the past few months (about 3 different positions); after all those interviews, however, he said he didn't feel good about the interview... he didn't think some of his answers were good or he felt ill-prepared, etc. When he came home yesterday he said he felt good about the interview. I take that to be a good sign.

If he gets the position he would have a week of training in Seattle, a week in GA and then start on Oct 20th in Portland. We will know if he got the position by the end of next week so (for those of you not doing the math) that will leave basically 3 weeks for 2 weeks of out-of-town training and moving. That also means (for those of you not following too closely along) that I will be packing up the house pretty much by myself with a newborn and a toddler running around. At least I won't be bored! Hopefully Karma can help out...

As you can tell (well maybe you can't) I am getting my hopes up, which I know I shouldn't be. I am just VERY ready to be out of the desert and I know Cam is ready to be off his estate and retirement team. Anyway, we will find out by the end of next week, so watch out for a post along those lines in a week!