A New Job, Adventures In Parenthood & Trapezing

The past few weeks have been incredibly stressful and I have fallen off the blogging bandwagon. I have been so overwhelmed with the tasks that have laid before me that the thought of writing just seemed daunting and I couldn't bring myself to do it. Before I knew if another week had passed and now I think it has been nearly a month. I'm not really sure where to start, I guess the best thing to do in this case is to just start writing.

Back in November we learned that Andy's workplace was more or less going to be shutting down their location in Oregon. We both knew that this would likely happen someday and we began preparing for it. When the news came though, we weren't quite where we needed to be to make some dreams and goals come true. We had faith and we knew that things would work out the way the Lord intended them to.

In December we received an offer to relocate back to Utah, we tentatively accepted the offer as we contemplated what we were really going to do. We both had incredibly mixed feelings about going to Utah. The cost of housing has gone up significantly in Utah and we would not be able to afford to live off of Andy's income alone. We both miss the mountains, we miss our friends, we miss living so close to the temple and we miss all of the family friendly activities that seem so prevalent in Utah. And we miss being close to most of our family members. Yes, I said most. There is one family member that just can't seem to be nice to us and the idea of going back to having to deal with this person on a regular basis was terrifying for both us. After a less than friendly conversation with this person in December we began to feel that Utah wasn't where we should be.

I wrestled with the decision a lot, at times it seemed to consume me. I asked of lot of what if questions. We were blessed to be able to spend some time in the temple to contemplate this big decision-- much thanks goes to those who watched Bubba for us.

I was constantly on my knees in prayer, reading my scriptures and the Church magazines. I knew that we needed God's help and that these were the activities that could bring peace to my mind and soul.

One day while we were discussing our options I told Andy that we could either accept that our fate was Utah or we could make every effort possible to find a job in Oregon. If we didn't find a job in Oregon then we would know for sure that God wanted us in Utah.

For those not familiar with Oregon, Eugene is a college town and there are not very many good paying jobs. We knew that the task before us would not be easy.

We completely revamped Andy's resume, we created an Linked in profile, we drafted a cover letter, we started networking, applying for jobs and following up on those applications.

Before too long Andy started landing interviews. Many nights were spent going over interview questions and planning out what he would wear to said interviews.

Each time he didn't land a job, I would reassure him that there was something better out there for us and that we needed to be patient. Our patience and persistence paid off. After four interviews with one company, Andy landed an amazing job.

It has been stressful trying to complete his exit packet at work-- figuring out how to roll over his 401K, determining what to do for insurance for our family since our insurance with the new employer will not kick in for a few months, etc.

He started his new job this past week and for the first time in a very long time he came home happy from work. He was not stressed or burned out. And for the first time in our married life he will be the sole breadwinner and that is something that he has longed for for years.

We feel so incredibly blessed! We know that the Lord is in the details of our lives and that he is looking out for us.

Celebrating Andy's last day at Symantec.

Bubba has had a series of adventures of his own. He has started saying "yes" and I think he actually understands what it means. He has also figured out how to climb and spin in a circle. He enjoys climbing up the slide at the park and climbing into the dryer.

He loves sticking his tongue out right now.

Amiss the chaos, Bubba developed an eat infection. We took him in to urgent care and they put him on amoxicillin for ten days. On day nine (a Sunday) he developed a rash that looked like chicken pox. He has been vaccinated for chicken pox and I couldn't figure out how he had gotten them.

We put him to bed and I called the doctor the next morning, the soonest I could get him in was in the afternoon. During this time the chicken pox became bigger (the size of a nickel or a quarter) and they began to swell. This was not chicken pox, Bubba had a severe allergic reaction to amoxicillin. The doctor gave me some instructions on how to help him, told me he may get worse and told me what to watch for and sent me on my way.

Warning: These photos are graphic, I didn't post the worst ones.

The next day the swelling was way worse, I felt so bad for Bubba. His eyes, hands and feet were so swollen. And itchy hives covered his entire body. We gave him baths full of baking soda and we lathered his entire body in calamine lotion (including his hair). We were up in the middle of the night checking to make sure he was still breathing and to give him some more allergy medicine.

I took him in to see another doctor as he had previously taken amoxicillin before for an ear infection and had been just fine. This doctor confirmed what the first doctor had said, it was an allergic reaction to amoxicillin. He prescribed a steroid to help with Bubba's swelling.

Today the swelling is mostly gone as are most of the hives. You can still faintly see the hives on Bubba's belly. If that weren't enough, Bubba has begun cutting his molars and he is incredibly grouchy and uncomfortable. We have been up a lot the last few nights. I have a feeling we are going to need to re-sleep train this little boy.

I have spent much of the last six years of my life working with the youth at church. A week ago, I was released from my calling and issued a new calling. This news was both happy and sad for me, I really love working with the youth, they are amazing! I'm going to miss seeing them so often. I hope they know how much I love them.

I have been serving on my neighborhood's H.O.A. Board of Directors. We recently changed management companies and held our annual meeting. I had to re-run for my position on the board, it was a close election but I was re-elected along with those I had previously served with. I am excited for the positive changes we plan to bring to the neighborhood.
 
We also had a snow day which was really exciting! We got four inches of fluffy, white, beautiful snow. Andy took the day off from work and built a six foot tall snowman named Harold. It doesn't snow very often in Oregon, when it does it's always fun!

We were also able to take a few days to make a quick trip to Washington. We went to Bradley Lake Park, Bubba loved playing on the slide and riding in the toy car.

We went to the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium with Auntie Megan and cousin Hazel. Bubba loved feeding the goats and squealed with delight each time he would offer them a handful of food. Hazel's favorite thing was the monkeys. Bubba liked to imitate my monkey call-- it was cute!

We also went to Wildwood Park to go walking. Luck wasn't on my side and I stepped in dog poop with my new shoes. It was a tragedy and I nearly cried. Somehow I manage to break in nearly all of my shoes by stepping in poop. We found lots of painted rocks while we were walking though, so that made up for it.

Aside from seeing my family, the highlight of the trip for me was date night. For years now, I have wanted to go trapezing.  There are lots of circus training places in Oregon, but none of them offer trapezing lessons. When I found out there was a place to go in Washington I was super excited!

We started the two hour session off with learning how to acrobatics on the floor and then we learned how to fly through the air on the trapeze. I have a fear of falling and try to face it every chance I get. When I looked up at the trapeze my jaw just started to quiver. Standing on the platform, I was super nervous. Before I knew it, I was back on the ground and ready to go again. It was so much fun! Aside from being parents, this was probably the funnest adventure we have gone on. I can't wait to do it again sometime.

Bubba At 16 Months

Time is a funny thing. The days seem long, yet the weeks seem to fly by. Being parents brings a lot of joy into our lives. We definitely have days here and there that are more trying and challenging than others, but mostly we have good days. I relish the time that I am able to spend with Bubba. Each day he learns and grows, before I know it though he will be all grown up. I wish that there was a way to push pause or slow down in life-- for me, life is passing by far too quickly.

Bubba is very much a "Mama's boy." He is my sidekick, it is a rare thing if he chooses to play in a room that I am not in.  He loves to cuddle and be held. He is very much an explorer, he has explored every inch of our home that he can. He loves to help with "chores." When I grab a broom to sweep, he grabs a smaller broom and follows me around the house. He likes to help unload the dishwasher, he grabs the plates one at a time and hands them to me to put in the cupboard. He also enjoys putting the clothes in the dryer. I purposely drop socks on the floor so he can pick them up and put them in the dryer. He loves to help and be involved.

Each day he runs to the sliding glass door with his egg basket in anticipation of feeding the chickens our scraps and collecting eggs. He is so much fun to see the excitement on his face in anticipation of going outside.

We going walking and stop and to play at the park nearly every day. This is something we both very much enjoy. Bubba loves going down the slide and he hates the swings.

Bubba typically sleeps 12-13 hours straight each night and takes one 2-3 hour nap each morning.

He is a really good eater and he lets you know if he isn't in the mood for something.

At sixteen months he can say a handful of words, the phrase we hear most often though is E-I-E-I-AHHH. He sings it and it is the cutest thing! Other words he says include: yes, Dad, Mom, og (a.k.a. dog).

We sure love our little Bubba and we are so glad that he is part of our family!

Heaven Is Here

I recently finished re-reading Heaven Is Here by Stephanie Nielson. The first time I read this book was four years ago, before I had Bubba. I loved the book then, but I feel like I loved reading this book even more now that I am a parent. If you are looking for a heart wrenching and touching read, I highly recommend this one. It is a very powerful story.

Nursey Redo Before & After

We purchased our first home about a year and a half ago and we have done a ton of work to it. I was adamant that we not unpack our boxes until we finished painting the entire house. When I first came home from the hospital with Bubba, most of our things was still in boxes-- it was a bit stressful at the time. I thought it would be fun to show what Bubba's nursery looked like before and what it looks like now.

 *Note: The before photos where from when the house was for sale, I downloaded them and cannot take credit for them. And, Bubba's name is not Wyatt.

BEFORE

 
We pulled the trim board that goes around the middle off the wall down. The former homeowners not only nailed it to the wall, but glued it as well. When we pulled the trim board down it really damaged the sheet rock. Andy did A LOT of work to fix it and then he painted the walls and the ceiling. We also ripped out the unfunctional shelving in the closet and built our own shelving-- it's so much better now! We also had the carpets replaced just before we moved in.

AFTER

We bought this book case used for $10. We sanded it down, repainted it and anchored it to the wall.

We picked up the toy block used.

The rocking chair and octopus came from Target. The blanket was gifted to us.

The mirror is old, it is from Ikea.

The clouds came from Target.

I love the deep shelves.

We bought the crib and mobile at a garage sale for $15. The mattress was gifted to us. The bedding came from Target.

The giraffe came from Hobby Lobby.

We bought the dresser used for $30. We sanded it down, repainted it and replaced the rails.

This print came from Hobby Lobby.

The sign was gifted to us. The elephant came from Hobby Lobby.

The sound machine is from Amazon. The bird is old, it was a gift. The lotion is our favorite it comes from Melaleuca.