Thursday, January 23, 2014

Another game of catch up...

Life is crazy crazy crazy right now!  I am going to try to get up to speed, but I am exhausted so this post will be ALL over the place!

Two weekends ago, Jack started getting sick.  I took him to the doctor Monday, and poor Jackie boy was diagnosed with pneumonia.


A week and a half later, after 10 days of antibiotics and 3 doctors visits, we are finally finished with it!  Jack was a trooper.  He had a couple of rough nights, but he took his medicine like a champ.

Gosh, I love this kid.

But, since he got sick at the start of our last week at home together, we spent most of the week cuddled up on the couch or playing legos and trains at home.  Fun, yes, but not what I had in mind for my last week home--I was imagining the library every day, a couple of "chicky christy" (Chick-fil-a) visits, etc.

This past Monday, I started my job!

Sidenote, I'm not sure how much I am allowed to say about my job.  I was pretty vague about my teaching job last year as well.  Last fall I interviewed for a position at Penn State.  They liked me, but I wasn't as qualified as HR was requiring for the hire.  I got a call in December about doing an interim job for them.  So I will be working for a little over 3 months, filling in for a girl who had the chance to be part of a program abroad.  

Since it is interim, the pay is not amazing, but I am glad to be doing something!  Already, I think I am going to really enjoy this job.  I have some past experience, and I am excited about different opportunities within the job.

But, I am also excited that it is for 3 months.  I have enjoyed my time at home with Jack so much.  And, while staying at home is no piece of cake, being a working mom, at least for me personally, is more demanding.  By the end of April, when the full time staff person returns, I will be ready to return to being home with Jackie boy!

Even though I am enjoying my job, this has been a rough week so far!  It is FREEZING here in State College.  Literally, I don't think we are going to have a day above freezing for at least two weeks.  I am dying.

And then, on top of that, our pipes froze Tuesday night.  I managed to scrape together a (gross) bun for work that day, then came home, exhausted and cold, but expecting a nice, warm shower.  The maintenance men had come that morning and fixed the pipes.  But it was so cold during the day that they refroze again.

One of the maintenance men came out again and, bless his heart, spent two hours working on it.  He managed to unfreeze the downstairs pipes (so the kitchen sink and the half bath worked), but he needed to come back the next day to fix the upstairs.  Which meant I washed my hair in the kitchen sink.

I know kitchen sink baths are super cute when you are a baby.  They are NOT cute when you are 28.

Oh yeah, and add to this week that Bech has a show next week, so he has been at the studio until at least 9:30 every night. 

So tonight, Jack and I got home, ate cereal (and not organic...just the generic Wegman's nastiness, #momoftheyear) for dinner, and both took hot baths/shower.  He's asleep and I am about to be, and 9:15.  

To say I am excited is an understatement.

Sometimes you just need cereal for dinner and a geriatric bedtime.

Plus I just filled my rubber water bottle up to take to bed with me.

Just call me Grandma!


Wednesday, January 8, 2014

...I'm Back!

I'm back!

I know, I took a 5 or 6 week break from blogging.  The week after my last post, I hopped in the car with Jack and drove the 17 hour trip home to Jackson, Mississippi, by MYSELF.  Because I'm crazy.

Actually, Jack was a complete champ, and I had Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on CD.  So win-win.

Jack and I spent almost two weeks being loved and spoiled by family, and Bech spent two weeks finishing up the semester and feeling the freedom to stay at the studio as late as he could.  Yet another win-win (although, I'm pretty sure I got the better part of that deal).

Bech then spent a full day of travel (car, train, SEPTA, plane, and car again!) to get to NOLA, where we picked him up.  We spent 10 days going back and forth between each others family then headed home again just before the new year, stopping in Memphis to see Courtney and her new husband and Nashville to spend the night with some sweet friends there.

We have been back for a little over a week now, and I feel like I am almost all caught up to life here.  We had so much fun at home, but I was also ready to get back to our life here!  We have some sweet friends here who I missed, plus a couple of babies were born in our absence!

Here are a few instagram pictures of our time home.  Because I am an awful mom, and I didn't pull out the real camera ONCE while I was home!


Jack was more than happy to cuddle up with Bubby and watch "soccers balls."  He likes anything Bubby likes.


He may have watched "Petey Hat" (Peter Pan) a couple of times while we were home!


My sweet little elf!


In Madison, Baptist Hospital has set up an ice skating rink and ice slide.   We tried to get Jack to skate, but he wasn't having it.  He did, however, go down the ice slide twice.

Also, this may be my favorite picture ever.

Also, there is a super cute smocked outfit under that Saints jersey, but Jack wanted the jersey on.  I fear my smocked days are getting shorter!


Jack and I drove down to Hammond, LA, to meet two of his daycare teachers from last year.  We have been so blessed with amazing daycare experiences, and these two, Coco and Liz, are no exceptions.  We ate some "Chicky Christy" (Chick-fil-A, or as I call it, Christian Chicken) then headed to the Children's Museum there.  Jack enjoyed the dress up stage area!


We were able to see Bess and Julian on Christmas Eve Day!  Bess and Julian are our favorite friends from Baton Rouge.  We absolutely love them, and Jack adores Bess!  In this picture, Bess is due in less than a month...doesn't she look great?


Yet another Christmas outfit.  And peppermint ice cream.  A winning combination!


Jack and Bubby, playing with Jack's new Buzz.


Last Christmas was definitely a Thomas Christmas.  This Christmas had some Thomas but was dominated by Legos and Pixar (Sully and Mike, Lightning Mcqueen and Mater, and a new Buzz).  This was also the first Christmas that Jack has opened presents by himself.  Last year he could, but he didn't really care about it.  This year, Jack opened 3 or 4 presents before Christmas (and when he wasn't supposed to!)...next year we may have to hide the presents!


Alright, I think I'm all caught up.  I hope everyone had a wonderful December!