Being off work for 2 months was awesome. It was a big adjustment at first learning to parent together and balancing needing time away from each other. Going back to work was really hard, especially for the kids. I missed them tremendously the first week until I realized I have an awesome job!
Work: My new job is really really awesome. I get unlimited free snacks and drinks (which is testing my self control to prevent any weight gain!) and they regularly do fun things for the employees. We just got wear shorts to work and have a 2 hour break while the brought us Pinkberry! I enjoy what I do and I really like all the people I work with, including my boss. I love the company and I am more balanced in work/life than I have been in a long time. I am actually really enjoying taking a step back from management.
My workouts: I am still running, but now I have added in weight training, biking, and time on the elliptical. I love that I can run 2-3 miles with no problem, but I am enjoying mixing it up. I can tell my body, especially my legs, are more firm, but I haven’t lost any weight and my dress size hasn’t changed. I’m not really aiming for either, but it’s tough not to see progress in that way.
Chris: He is down to his last term in school. He will graduate in November with a business degree. I am very excited and very proud! He has been working extra hard on the house and I am so impressed with every project he completes. He too has been running (C25K) and has successfully dropped about 20 lbs.
The house: We’ve been busy! Guest bedroom got painted and decorated, including a dresser being refinished. Charlotte’s room was painted and a high chair rail was installed. The playhouse was painted and reconfigured to move the slide and the climbing wall plus add a sandbox. The exterior of the house was painted and new shutters, garage door, and porch rail were added. The master bath and closet were gutted and it is near completion with a new roman tub, beautiful tile work and heated floors, plus custom cabinetry. The basement was gutted and we found out it was not permitted by the previous owner. We are delayed in the remodeling due to getting the proper permits but it will be a game/movie room/bar/entertainment/workout space. We (aka Chris) built a shed. I’ll do a separate post with pictures on each project.
All the work on the house has also been challenging since doors are often left open and unlocked. Scout took a walk-a-bout the neighborhood and almost got hit by a car. Thank goodness a wonderful neighbor several blocks away brought her home to us. Cooper locked himself in Chris’ trunk (It was dawk! he kept saying) and attempted to steal our contractor’s truck.
The kids: They started preschool a couple weeks ago! I’ll do a separate post on that with pictures. Cooper is potty trained and prefers to stand, but he will sit. He loves peeing outside. It took lots of naked time, then boxers and hershey kisses for rewards.
We are amazed at Cooper’s math skills. He seems to know addition and subtraction very easily. We regularly quiz him on it: There are 8 juice boxes and you each get one, how many are left? (he gives the right answer as 6, unless Maile comes over then he accurately says 5). I need 4 plates but I only have 1, how many more do I need (3! he says). There are 2 birds and 2 more come play, how many birds are there (4!). There are 3 birds and 1 flies away, how many are left (2!). We first realized it when we were potty training and told him he got 1 chocolate for peeing and 2 for pooping. Then he went pee and poop and he told us he gets 3 chocolates. It reminds me very much of myself in that I just ‘see’ math rather than memorize it.
He doesn’t memorize numbers/letters as easily as Charlotte. He can count to 10 but he is definitely more interested in the meaning of the number and the sounds of the letters. He easily identifies numbers and letters too, but can’t say his ABC’s yet. He is a pro at the game Memory and rarely misses any matches. He loves reading books and is especially fond of the Eric Carle books. He memorizes them all and several other stories. He is still very independent and prefers to buckle himself in the carseat and tuck himself into bed (he still likes to sit and rock with me for 2-5 min before he climbs in to bed…love that).
Cooper loves dragons, fire trucks, dogs, and fish. He is thoughtful and always brings enough for everyone (if he gets himself an apple, everyone gets an apple). He likes playing with the kitchen and with baby dolls. He plays pretend a lot with all of his action figures. He still gets into everything, but he is getting better at listening. He loves swords and guns and especially loves to wrestle. His favorite color is green.
Charlotte is night time potty trained! She just decided she didn’t want to wear a pull-up anymore and hasn’t had an issue at all. She knows her ABCs, can count to 20 (she REALLY likes 17 and 18 and repeats them a few times), knows her colors (thank you Brown Bear, Brown Bear!), and sings along with songs or just sings to herself songs that she knows. Her favorites include: You are my sunshine, Baa Baa Black Sheep, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. She loves listening to Bruno Mars, Kings of Leon, Selena Gomez (dat you mommy!, she exclaims) and Bob Marley. Her favorite song is Hey Soul Sister by Train, which she can sing along to almost all of the words. Charlotte loves reading books and will sit for an hour or more reading book after book. She is now trying to write letters and numbers and will ask us to help her write her name.
She loves dancing and still adores Handy Manny, Cars, and Thomas the Train (well any train will work). Although she also likes Tangled and Tinker Bell thanks to Maile’s girly influence. Charlotte loves blue and purple. She is very affectionate with hugs and kisses, and she is very social. She makes friends easily and especially loves older girls around 8-11. She doesn’t like to wrestle, but loves playing any sport with a ball (she has an amazing arm and nearly perfect aim, plus she can catch with her hands nearly every time). She doesn’t like being dirty or having her hair brushed.
Okay, I think that’s it! Unless anyone is wondering anything specific that I haven’t posted about.
