Updates (Apr 2013–May 2013): iPhone photos

Another round of updates for April 2013 – May 2013, except Cooper’s bday. 

We took a walk to Starbucks and the kids wanted to wear their babies.  I had to pick my jaw up off the floor that Charlotte actually touched a doll, let alone wore one! 4/6/13

Selfies!4/6/13

I once wore my workout pants inside out for my entire workout at the gym.  Everyone knew because there was a tagless tag printed on my butt. 4/8/13

The kids went up to Mines with me to a flag football fundraiser event for my sorority.  It was mostly boring for them, but they liked playing their own version of the game during half time and taking a break to roll down the hills. 4/13/13

Apparently Boston Terriers are not walking dogs. 4/27/13

The kids had a friend’s birthday party at Monkey Business.  They were very silly. 4/28/13

We went to Mommapalooza at a nearby mall and a free caricature drawing done.  So cute. 5/11/13

I got a pretty new car!  Audi Q5.  I LOVE it. 5/21/13

Chris and I went on a date to White Chocolate Grill…one of our favorites. 5/24/13

The pool has been a big hit this summer. 5/27/13

Both kids are taking karate now and are doing well.  Cooper is excelling fairly quickly because he has a strong interest.  Charlotte thinks it’s fun but doesn’t focus as well, plus she is also learning gymnastics.  Her progress is only slightly slower. 5/29/13

Updates (Oct 2012-Mar 2013): iPhone photos

Obviously I have nearly abandoned the blog…I’m finding less joy in writing about our life instead of just living our life.  It feels a bit narcissistic to always write about what we do, but then I remember this blog has served as a great way to keep up with all of our friends and family who don’t live close (and I’m sure some strangers out there too), as well as a journal for me to look back on when some of the daily things become a little fuzzy.  So as a way to catch up, I’m attempting to blog a little more often, starting with some updates based on photos I found in my iPhone from Oct 2012 through Mar 2013 (except Halloween, Charlotte’s bday, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day):

10/12/12:  Our kids are still best friends with Maile, Mikael and Che’s daughter.  I think that is so cool, especially since Mikael and Chris grew up together and Mikael and I went to high school together. T his is from a sleepover…Cooper and Maile are very close although not sure their dads love them being so close.  It’s innocent now, but I wonder how it will turn out in the future.  12/27/12

The kids learned to write their names this year, although Cooper didn’t really want to choose a dominant hand.  He would switch between left and right.  If he wrote with his right hand then he would write in mirror image.  Although he tends to favor his right a little more than his left, he still appears to be ambidextrous. 

11/10/12

I ride the train to work and I enjoy seeing the sunsets for a good part of the year.  Sometimes the skies are just breath taking.

11/14/12

Our children have loved dressing up as super heroes.  They get very creative in doing so.  This is from making paper rings to go on the Christmas tree…they had me cut holes for eyes and use yarn to attach around their head.  They thought their hats finished the outfit.

12/23/13

And this is a more creative super hero costume, from Pinterest.  Take an old t-shirt and cut off the sleeves at the seam.  Save the sleeves for a belt and a mask (cut eye holes out on one of the sleeves).  Then cut along the seam and remove the front of the shirt, but leaving the neck hole in tact.  This makes a cape.  The kids LOVED this!  1/8/13

The kids had a Tiny Tots concert again this year for a preschool field trip.  They loved the music and this time they recognized the ‘cartoons’ piece because they now watch Tom & Jerry and Loony Toons on a regular basis. 2/6/13 (Last year’s photo here.)

We did get to go sledding a few times this year.  We didn’t get much snow very often.  This was one of the first big enough snowfalls to sled and they LOVED it.  Well they loved the going down the hill part and the hot chocolate after, not so much the climbing back up or walking home parts. 2/24/13 (Last year’s photo here.)

The newest family member seems to be fitting right in.  Cooper loves to tuck Smiley in to bed with him.  3/12/13

Somewhere along the way I got muscles.  3/13/13

And the kids helped with gardening.  They even chose their own outfits.  3/31/13

Cooperisms

Honestly this kid cracks me up. He says the funniest stuff. 

At dinner the other night...

Charlotte: I have to go potty!

Cooper: I will take her for you. 

Chris: No Cooper, mommy needs to. 

Me: Cooper you do realize that you are the same age as Charlotte right?

Cooper:  No I'm not, I'm taller. So I can take her. 

Driving home from dinner that same night:

Cooper: I want a big brother. 

Me: Why do you want a big brother?

Cooper: So he can do stuff with me. Like swim lessons and karate. 

Me:  Where are we going to get a big brother?

Cooper: We can steal one!

Me: Steal one from where?

Cooper: From a house. 

Me: How old is this big brother?

Cooper:  9 years old

Me:  How do you know which house has a 9 year old boy to steal?

Cooper: We will have to look in all of them. ::whispers:: We will sneak in all of them and then steal a big brother. 

Me:  Cooper don't you think his family would miss him very much if we stole him?

Cooper:  We can give him back after about 10 years. 

Me:  Did you know that we can just adopt instead of steal someone right?  Kidnapping is illegal honey. 

Cooper:  Then can we adopt a big brother?

Me: Probably not. But Maybe we can find a program online to borrow a big brother. 

Corporate America to Main Street America

Some exciting news – I quit my job in Corporate America to go work in Mainstreet America! Throughout my career I have always worked for large, publically traded companies. I have had the opportunity to live outside of Colorado and travel to various oil and gas fields. I’ve also done a lot of varied things in my career: reservoir engineer, production surveillance engineer, drilling engineer, planning engineer, and manager.

I’ve seen nearly the entire cross-section of my industry and somewhere along the way I stopped having fun. I stopped being excited about what I do and I started having a growing frustration with the processes involved and how decisions are made that don’t seem to align with the very thing that makes money in my industry – getting oil and gas out of the ground. Combine that with the level of uncertainty with my company in terms of strategy and decision making and I just felt the need to begin looking for the next opportunity.

I considered many positions at large, publically traded companies, with small start-up companies, and even with equity backed companies that have a build and flip model with significant upside financial opportunity. I found the big companies to be ‘more of the same’ and small start-up companies lacking in certainty of being around in a year’s time. Although completely different than my experience to date, the equity backed companies were more of a work really hard (i.e. long hours) for 5 years for a possible payoff.

I’ve had the luxury of being very picky because all in all, I have a pretty secure job with great pay and great benefits. The next job had to be better, not just different. So when I found a company that needed all of my skillsets to be used in one role, with owners who are talented business men with strong technical skills, that didn’t ask me to give up my work/life balance, my pay, or my benefits (and in fact are sweetening the deal), it was a very obvious decision.

So I quit my job in Corporate America. I’m going to work for a small privately owned company. No shareholders, no board of directors, no executive team, no reserves/compensation/portfolio management committees. Just a focus on getting more oil out of the ground to make more money. And working from the outdoor deck in the summer if I choose isn’t so bad. Oh and the glass of wine after work right out of the owner’s wine cabinet in his office is something I could definitely get used to. I am so very excited for this next adventure.

Progress in karate

Charlotte decided she wanted to take karate instead of doing a second session of gymnastics. About 2 weeks ago I was talking to her about it and come to find out she thought that she won gymnastics because they gave her a medal. I explained that she has to move up to the next class and get another medal. She was oh, so excited about it!

So in a couple weeks she will take gymnastics on Mondays and karate in Wednesdays. Cooper wants to stay in karate until he gets a black belt he says. 

Cooper got his yellow belt and Charlotte has her white belt. The black stripe on Charlotte's belt means she has an understanding but has not mastered the skills.  The white stripe on Cooper's means he still has some things to learn before being solid yellow. Cooper has told Chris that he needs a display case for all his belts.