Steve's new job

March is quickly coming to a close and for our family it has been a crazy month.  Here is a quick recap.  The beginning of the month Steve was approached with a new job opportunity,  A guy he knows called him one night out of the blue.  The next day he interviewed for the job.  The day after that he accepted it and gave his 2 weeks notice at EC.  This has been a very quick change of direction for our family especially since Steve wasn't looking for a new job and was really pretty happy where he was.  But it is always good to stretch yourself and learn new things and the job seemed too good to pass up.  So Steve is the new sales rep/service manager selling Toro products for Turf Equipment.  He's been there about a week and although he is still figuring things out, he and I are both happy with the decision.

 On a down note, it was a sad day for both Steve and Jack when Steve had to return his EC Power company truck.  There's something about men (or at least my man) that thrive on having a truck.  I personally would be happy driving a fiat, but guys seem to like driving something that has horsepower worth discussing.  But before you feel too bad for him, know that he has found a new love in his Volvo.  We were a one car family with the work truck on the side, so the new job also brought a new vehicle purchase.  Steve is not one to buy on a whim and did quite a bit of shopping around.  It certainly paid off as he is very pleased with his purchase.  We've discussed a lot of things he likes about the car, but once again engine stats aren't my forte, so I'll tell you what I do know.  It's a five cylinder and it's white!  So here's to hoping that April comes without a huge wave of change.  I am, after all, a girl who loves routine.  But that being said we're so happy for this new opportunity and recognize that we truly are blessed!

On a completely unrelated note, I just had to post this picture since I think it's adorable.  Jack got these new jumbo jungle animals that he absolutely loves.  He's been pretending with them constantly and even using them in practical ways.  He carries the giraffe around the house to help him reach light switches.  But I had to stop and snap a picture the other night while I was making dinner.  Ella was laying on a blanket kicking her legs and I turned around to see her surrounded by these ferocious beasts.  Jack had set them all around his little sis and then moved on to some other venture.  Ella didn't know what to think about her spectators, but did just what she always does, took it in stride.  So fun to see them "playing" together.    

7 years already?

March 18th was our 7th anniversary.  I can't believe it's been that long, but on the other hand I can hardly remember being single.  It's been a great 7 years and I'm glad everyday we both went country dancing the night we met, and that he picked me to dance with him to the oh so romantic tune of "whiskey lullaby".  Funny memories!  To celebrate we left both kids at home, thanks to Grandpa and Grandma, and went out alone for the first time since Ella arrived.  We decided to do something that's impossible to do with kids in tow, so we caught a movie.  I'm not sure anyone appreciates a good movie on the big screen more then Steve, so I just couldn't waste his theater experience on a predictable chick flick, thus we decided to see John Carter in 3D.  I have to say I didn't hate it, and I'm glad we supported it since it was filmed in Utah.  We topped off the evening with a quick shop at Kohls and then went home to get the kiddos in bed.  It's funny how much we've evolved as a couple in 7 years and I'm looking forward to many, many more with my absolute best friend!

A Taste of Spring

March brought us a wonderful week of 60 degree weather.  It was just warm enough to motivate me to get Jack's tricycle out of the crawl space, which is where he's been riding it all winter.  As soon as his Dad got home from work Jack talked him into digging his bike out of the shed so they could make a lap around the block.  A bike ride with Dad is definitely near the top of Jack's list of favorite things to do.

Jack prefers being out in front setting the pace

St. George

We spent my birthday weekend down in St. George.  We went down to get together with some of Steve's friends that we don't see very often.  It was 70 and sunny all weekend which feels so good at the end of a long winter.  We had a great time catching up with old friends, hiking, and even swimming.  The only incident (aside from our car trouble on the way home) was Jack's minor hot tub scare. He decided to jump from the step he was playing on into the middle of the hot tub.  It appears that those mom and tot swimming lessons didn't teach him a lot of real world swimming survival skills.  Oh well!

Here's the little stud in his new "thomas the train" sunglasses he picked out himself.

Apparently we watch too much Dora.  He was scared to go over the "wobbly bridge" because he was pretty sure there was a "grumpy troll" under it.

 

Blessing Day

March 4th was Ella's big debut.  She looked so beautiful in her blessing dress which was the same one that I wore 3 decades ago.  We were lucky to have so many family members come to support us.  We had a breakfast at our home afterward and really enjoyed Ella's special day.  She is so sweet, content, and of course cute.  She is at the fun stage where she smiles and coos if you just glance her way.  And I'm very happy to report that she even sleeps through the night most nights.  She is literally the kind of baby that makes you want to have a lot of kids.  But before you worry about Steve and I becoming the next Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, rest assured that I remember Jack as an infant and I know that all babies are not so simple. 

Leap Day

Leap day only comes every 4 years, and we decided to celebrate by braving the weather at "free zoo day".  It was cold, but not unbearable, and Jack absolutely loved it.  He's always liked the zoo but this time around with the combination of him being a little bit older and some quality cousin, aunt, and grandma time, it was a hit.  The animals were quite active and put on a good show.  Especially the baby elephant and the tigers.  I'm glad the likelihood of me encountering a tiger in the wild is extremely low because they quite honestly scare me.  The only fall out from zoo day is that last night Jack woke up screaming from a bad dream that I'm pretty sure was about the "hairy spider" (tarantula) he won't stop talking about.

Jace and Jack in the giraffe barn (which doesn't smell as bad when it provides a much needed chance to warm up).

Jack, Dallas, and Jace on the elephant's trunk.  Jace has always has the funniest facial expressions.

Ella didn't make a peep the whole time!  Or maybe she did and I just didn't hear her under the 10 blankets!

2 month well check

Can you believe my baby's already 2 months old!  Well technically she's a couple of weeks older than that, but I drug my feet making a doctors appointment so we were a little late going.  Here are her stats:  10lb 3oz (25th percentile) 22 1/2 inches (50th percentile) and her tiny little head was 14 3/4 cm (10th percentile).

This was before we blind-sighted her with 3 shots!