So this is the first real blog post in over a month. I hope to get back on my weekly schedule eventually, but life has been BUSY! What do I mean by busy? Well...
1) Matt applied for a job opening at CSU. He's been trying to find a way into the University for years. But the openings never quite fit his skill set. But then right before Christmas I happened to stumble across the perfect position for him - in risk management. CSU is a huge organization, doing so much in the areas of education, research, and community service. They rely on a small team of people to protect all the physical, financial, and intellectual assets of the campus. Definitely related to his background in commercial insurance, but also taking his career in a very new direction. We put a lot of effort into his application. And he was offered a phone interview! Then a campus interview.... And by golly, today is his first day on the job!
2) Kindergarten registration and school of choice deadlines came in early February for Fort Collins. We haven't been very impressed with our neighborhood school, so just for fun and to test the system, I submitted Sage's name into the lottery for some well-known good schools. I'd heard that it was generally very tough to secure a seat outside your neighborhood school. So I doubted we'd hear back. But to our amazement, Sage was offered a seat at 2 of his 5 choices. So after a whirlwind of tours, classroom observations, and reaching out to my social network for personal feedback and references, we signed him up to start at Riffenburgh this Fall.
3) With a third kid on the way and the desperate need for a new kitchen on the very near horizon, Matt and I decided to set up a HELOC to help us cover the impending costs. We reached out to some local banks and credit unions to explore rates and fees. Lots of research and document-collecting on our part. But the loan is finally in place and ready for when we need it.
4) We got the whole family passports. The boys' are good for 5 years. The adults' are good for 10. With so much change and uncertainty in the world right now, I wanted "global traveler" status for all of us. Plus a little road trip to Canada some upcoming summer sounds fun. I took the passport photos myself in the living room (saving us quite a bit of money). The kid's applications were done in person down at City Hall. The adult applications were submitted by mail. Quite a bit of work. But we now all have the privilege of crossing borders if we want to.
5) I also had to pick a company to do my baby's genetic testing. It's always a scary decision. Different tests cover different disorders. And then there's the cost factor. Quotes I received ranged anywhere from $800 to $140. You gotta have a little bit of trust in the system... which is tough to do in the field of healthcare. But I pushed onward, had the blood drawn, and received my bill of $140 just this week. Phew! Done deal. And baby is 100% healthy. No genetic issues detected! They also now know the sex, but Matt and I aren't ready to learn it ourselves. For now we are waiting.
All that combined with pregnancy illness meant the "luxuries" of normal life had to go. Blogging was one of those.
But now it's time to play catch up. Below are the events and memorable moments from Valentine's Day all the way through Saint Patrick's Day.
Sage and I made a V-day banner together. A no-glue kit I bought from Target. Then we completed the decor with some construction paper hearts.
Here are the boys devouring a gift of candy and cards from the grandparents.
Both sets of grandparents sent generous packages for the boys.
Which made the night quite exciting - almost Christmas-like.
Sheryl made this card by hand. It could NOT be any cuter!
And of course Matt and I had to give gifts as well....
I think we all might be setting the V-day bar a bit too high....
We trimmed some trees in the backyard, in preparation for gardening season.
More sunlight = more plants.
And Kale got dressed up for the occasion.... Love the fedora paired with the ninja turtle slippers. And of course - no pants.
Kale and I watched Matt climb high up on a ladder with a 14 foot pole, slowly sawing away at branches. We were the EMTs, on site only if needed.
We got the uke strung up with new strings.
And we invented the blanket cape. A breakfast ritual now.
We had a couple weekends of very nice weather.
Kale experienced a rare field trip to the grocery store with me. And he was practically a celebrity... Chatting it up with everyone in every aisle.
Then on March 7th, Grandma and Uncle Jack arrived in town for a week-long visit. She missed her boys. (As she would say.) Last time she saw Kale was September, and he was still one! Now he's two and a half and so much has changed.
Her first order of business was to take Sage to Chuck E Cheese. Just the two of them. A special 1:1 bonding trip.
He loved it! He is the perfect age group. And he is a pro at ski ball! Of course, that's totally genetic. I gave him that....
Winning tickets was thrilling!
On Friday we had a "drinks and cards" night with the whole crew.
We taught Sage how to play Chase the Ace, and he was awesome at it! Uncle Sam had to help him in the beginning, but then he totally figured out which cards were low, and which were high. He did very well. Beat out only by his father.
When you lost all your chips, you had to put a pull-up on your head. These gals were the first out.
Then Sam joined them.
Then me.
Family photo!
Pinterest perfection, yea?
Saturday was the St. Patrick's Day parade.
An annual tradition for us.
Blast from the past:
2016
2015
Ok...back to 2017.
After the parade, we stopped at Coopersmith's for a quick lunch.
Then way later that evening, Grandma watched the kiddos so Matt and I could have a well-deserved date night. We tried a new place in town - Locality - and loved it!
Check out our food! Even the vegetarian option (far right) was just incredible!!!!
Meanwhile, back at the homestead....
On Sunday, it was Kale's turn for a Chuck E Cheese adventure....
And with all his tickets, he got himself a rainbow lollipop. The exact same prize big bro had picked out for himself just a couple day earlier. Funny.
Then Grandma and Uncle Jack flew back home. And life resumed like normal. (As normal as it can be with 2 wild kids, daylight savings, the start of a new job, and a pregnant mama.)
