Long time, no see...

It has been just about a year since I've even viewed my blog, let alone write anything. We've had a pretty tough go of it since October, 2009. Our family is still in tact, we have our home, and we are all generally happy and healthy... we are very blessed.

My husband got a job, left it, and got another job... LOL He loves the company he's working for now. He is the CFO (I think that's his title... he's not much into titles) for Clean Crawls in Marysville. I'm happy to see him in a job where he's so appreciated.

Kendra met Kevin, and now they are married. I believe they were married on June 3, 2010 in the Grand Caymans. They moved to Sacramento, CA and they both are figuring out what they want to do for careers. Kendra is very happy living in California. We did have a visit with them recently, when we finally gave them their Christmas gifts from last year!

Andrew joined the Army and is stationed in Hawaii. He is happier than I've ever seen him since I've known him. Andy is currently stationed in Iraq where he is taking beautiful pictures and sharing them on Facebook. He calls to check in periodically.

Hannah graduated in 2009 from high school and is now attending Pacific Lutheran University. She's in their pre-med program and loves it there! She spent her entire summer working to save money for school. She is still dating John from Canada... I think they're going on about 1 1/2 years now.

Joshua is still living in Grand Cayman with his mother. We had an awesome visit with him this last summer. I can't believe how fast he's growing, and how smart he is. Josh has a dog, hamster, and now maybe a cat. Unfortunately, he's bored and lonely there.

Madelyn is your typical 3 year old, driving her mom crazy. She is in dance class for tap & ballet... she loves the tap best because of the "noisy" shoes. I'm hoping to get her into preschool January 2011.

I'm closing my daycare this month to focus on the family again. Maddi needs to be able to attend classes and preschool. Dale is tired of additional cleaning when he gets home from work. We both want our house and yard back. My intention is to get back to writing my blog again, studying (although I don't know what, since I'm not sure Early Childhood Education is right for me anymore), and meeting more people.

Happy Birthday to my Wonderful Husband!

Today is my hubby's 45th Birthday... and we're just hanging out in our jammies. We'll be doing his Birthday celebration next weekend. My In-Laws will be over today with KFC for a small family party. The hardest part is keeping him on his chair and not DOING anything!

I am so tired of the rain and gray weather already, and it's only just begun. It's so chilly, I just want to stay inside in my jammies all day, every day.

Yesterday, we went to our local clinic to get Maddi her H1N1 vaccine. It was so busy, they were directing traffic... I couldn't imagine having Maddi wait in that line, so we bagged it. I'm hoping we can get it from her doctor instead of waiting in line like that. So far, I've heard about a quite of few of my friend's kids getting it, but they're all 6 - 12 years old. My fingers are crossed that I get it for her in time, before she is exposed.

Luckily, we have only experienced colds in our household... SO FAR! I'd like to keep it that way! With the daycare in our home, it may be tough... lots of disinfecting to do!

I'm Baaaaaaaack!

This has been one of the craziest / weirdest summers for our family!

Starting with my hubby losing his job at the end of May... it's now beginning of September and he's just started working yesterday! Then helping Hannah out of her situation in Cayman. And of course, last but not least, Josh visiting for the summer (not nearly long enough).

So, things are calming down for us a bit... 

Hannah starts school on Thursday. She's torn about starting school again, but I think she'll get right back into the swing of things. It's her senior year! I can't believe it! When I first met her, she was 12 years old, and very timid. What a beautiful young woman she's turning into!

I am starting an in-home daycare, Little Frogs and Pollywogs! Unfortunately, I can't pursue it too quickly because in our State, daycare's need to be licensed. And there is this orientation that I'm required to attend... but it's always full! I'm on waiting lists for October, but I'll definitely be able to do it in January. Unbelievable!

My little Maddi is growing up so fast! She's going to be two next week! Right now, she's sporting a fat lip from splitting it open last week. I hate looking at it... I can actually feel pain when I do! She's saying more words and phrases... sometimes it shocks me when she says something like "No, not at all" when asked if she likes something... um, do you hear the sarcasm at age two?

The Big Girl Bed

I've been trying to figure out if it's time to put Maddi into her big girl bed for the last couple of months. We've had the twin size bed in her room since day one... made it easier to lay down with her without waking up the other spouse in the middle of the night. Lately, she's been waking up several times a night and extra early, making for rough days.

It seems as though, you're either for the big girl bed as soon as possible or you're for keeping her in the crib as long as possible. A quick poll on Facebook showed a pretty even split.

So, during this past weekend, I rearranged Maddi's room. (The big girl bed was right next to the window and I didn't like that much). I put her crib right outside her bedroom, just in case. After I was done, I had her come up stairs to check it out. Here's her reaction...

"Wow!" "Wow!" "Wow!", in an almost whisper voice, with her arms out and her hands open.

Once I finished laughing at her response... she climbed into her big girl bed. But the real test had not happened yet...

She took her nap there on Sunday... I was not home, so it was all dad. I happened to call him during her nap... he says "I'm laying down with Maddi to get her to sleep". To which I yelled... yes, I yelled, "Don't you dare do that! Do you have any idea what kind of monster you'll create?" Yes, I know, a little over dramatic, but I'm the one usually at home with her and I WILL NOT lay down with her every time she goes down! So, anyway... he had to put her back in her bed 12 times... LOL!

That night, I put her down, thinking that it would be Round 1 of 10 or so. Nope, she snuggled right in and went to sleep! And she slept all night until 7:30am! Ah, success!

Today, she snuggled right in for nap again! Dale just put her down about 10 minutes ago... cross your fingers!

So far, mommy is LOVING the big girl bed! The sad part is that she's not so much a baby anymore.

Who moved my... EVERYTHING?

Why is change so hard?

Even good change... I am having a very hard time adjusting to Hannah and Dale being here during the day. Today is really only the 2nd day of this... how sad is that? Two days of having more people around and I want to just get back to the way it was.

Don't get me wrong... I love Hannah and I'm VERY happy to have her here, and I love my hubby and I looked forward to him coming home each afternoon!

I just have routines with Maddi that are disappearing rapidly. I'm used to having things "my" way during the day... I don't have to worry about anyone else, just me and Maddi. Yes, I am somewhat of a control freak. I didn't even consider this adjustment period. I don't like it. I don't like it at all.

I'm sure Hannah is going through her own adjustment period too... she just went through a very tough time, and I know she was scared. Now, she's separated from her boyfriend... and I truly feel for her, I do. I hate seeing her just sitting on the couch with the laptop, hoping to chat with her boyfriend online. She's always there like a lump on a log... sometimes sleeping. I don't know how to help her... I REALLY hate that.

Since Dale was laid off, he doesn't have much choice. His job search really started yesterday... we just didn't have any additional energy to get that going while trying to take care of Hannah, who was thousands of miles away. The good news is that he's getting good response to his resume... and he's been told by 2 recruiters that they've seen an upswing in job opportunities this month. Whew! Timing IS everything!

My hope is that we'll find counselors to help us all through this difficult transition... at least it's a transition we all wanted! Otherwise, it could be so much harder on all of us.

Today, I'm just plain grumpy... I want to just hide in my room and not talk to anyone. It's not any one's fault. Everything seems off... nothing is where it's supposed to be... and my sense of time is completely a-wall... Blah!

Timing is Everything

The day before leaving for our Las Vegas vacation, my hubby was laid off from his job. This is the same job I spoke of earlier that wanted to change his status to part time... the same people who told him after that, if they had to downsize, he would be one of the last to go.

He has expressed his being bored with this job anyway... he set up so many automated processes and works towards lean processes, employment, manufacturing, he kind of worked himself out of a job.

This isn't necessarily bad timing... I think because we're on vacation while looking for a job for him, we aren't as stressed about it. And he is so marketable, I think he'll find something... hopefully, sooner rather than later.

So, if you're reading this and you hear of a CFO/Controller type position, please email me. We are currently in the Seattle area, but are willing to relocate for the right job.

Meanwhile, we're drinking plenty! <- Maybe this is why we're not so stressed! Maddi is loving the lazy river... more to come on that!

A Blessing in Disguise?

Economy strikes... tough days ahead... my hubby just found out today that his employer can only afford to employ him part time. I'm trying very hard to see the silver lining. Especially with our never-ending attorney's fees (thanks to my hubby's lovely ex).

Dale is bored with his job anyway and would really like to start his own consulting business. It's not something we would have chosen to do right now... and really, it's never a good time to take that kind of risk. Maybe it's time, whether we like it or not?

Positive thoughts, positive thoughts, positive thoughts...

We have always made it through in the past, so I know we'll be okay. I just worry so much about how we'll do it. Dale is so marketable as a Controller/CFO, he'll find something. He'd like to do consulting work along those lines... I think there are a lot of companies that can't afford to have one on staff, so this could work... right?

Send more positive thoughts my way... PLEASE!

Post Mother's Day Blues

Okay, so before I start, I want to preface, by saying that by hubby is a VERY hard worker, great husband, and terrific dad. I know he does a lot for us and I appreciate and love him every day!

So, for Mother's Day, I got "a day off"... Dale took care of Maddi, made meals, and he got a lot done. Sounds great, right? Accept, today I'm left with a disaster for a kitchen, a living room that is disheveled, and laundry that needs to be done. So, I ask, what is the point of taking a day off if I have to do it all the next day anyway? This issue isn't that my hubby doesn't do anything, it's that his priorities are different from mine... AND he doesn't notice the same things I do either. For instance, the animals water dish is bone dry, both the garbage and recycle containers are full <- Dude, if your beer bottle doesn't fit into the container (it was left on the counter), the recycle is full!

This morning, instead of taking Maddi to gymnastics, I'm at home trying to get caught up on what I didn't do yesterday. I have to have it done because my In-Laws (I love them dearly) will be over tomorrow afternoon.

Yes, I would like some cheese with my whine!

Happy Mother's Day to Me!

I truly have the very best husband in the world! I haven't done a thing today, except eat & drink what ever my hubs has made. First thing this morning, Maddi brought me my Mother's Day gift... a very sweet mother's ring! It needs to be sized still... it only fits my pinky!

Dale made me the fluffiest pancakes ever for breakfast. I took a nap and woke up to the smell of brownies... mmm, mmm, good! Then he took Maddi with him to Lowes <- their favorite store, and brought me back a Starbucks... I'm in heaven.

We're going to do a little Mother's Day thing for Grandma Gjerness, while she's here on Tuesday. And we'll see Grandma Rush over the weekend. I bought Mother's Day cards for Mom's, Grandma's, Oma's, Great-Grandma's, and God-Mother's... and promptly forgot to mail them all! I will send them out tomorrow, however, so that no one thinks I forgot them... maybe?

Sunny Days Are Here Again

Another beautiful day in the Northwest… when the sun does shine here, it is MOST gorgeous! My wonderful & loving hubby made me take a long hot bath while he took Maddi to garage sales. He bought a playhouse and some chairs to go outside. Apparently, Maddi picked out the chairs herself and Dad is just a sucker… according to him, anyway. I really do have the very best husband in the entire world. How did I get so lucky? Ah, he makes me so happy.

So, I have only gotten the office cleaned up and organized… and it’s, oh, 1pm. Sheesh, it’s a good day! So, while my hubby is outside working in the yard, I’m inside blogging, tweeting and facebooking. The kitchen is calling my name… could use some clean up. We also have a lot of work to do in the bonus room… lots of painting and rearranging furniture.

I got a call from my old boss at a daycare/preschool, and she may have a position for me! It would be a very part-time position, which is perfect for me! I’m so excited because I miss the kids and co-workers a bunch!