Well, Mark's job is supposed to start on Monday, so we are moving this Saturday to Ogden. We found an apartment complex that we really like- with fun amenities like a work-out facility, a pool and hot tub, playgrounds, charcoal BBQs and picnic benches, and really nice lawns. We considered a little house that we found, but after thinking about the cost of utilities and the fact that it's a pretty old home that we'd have to take care of, even though it was remodeled and repainted, we figured it could possibly be more expensive than the apartment and not nearly as comfortable. There's more closet space in the apartment and an extra bedroom that the house didn't have. So, we did all we could to get the apartment, and now we're just waiting on their final approval. (Apparently they haven't gotten a hold of our last landlord yet to confirm that we're good tenants. I talked to her today and she said they haven't called, but she would give us great reviews because we were "excellent" for them. They really appreciated all the yard work we did after the tornado hit our neighborhood.) So, I'm not worried about not being approved...I'm just wondering why they haven't finished the process yet.
Mark and I are getting excited about the move. Yesterday we spent quite a chunk of money purchasing a new sofa and loveseat, new washer and dryer, and a new dining room table w/ 6 chairs. We weren't originally going to buy the dining set, but we spent way less than we anticipated on the sofa/loveseat, and Mark had been wanting a round dining table for ages. Plus, the way the dining area is set-up in the apartment, it just works so much better with a round table, so we went ahead and bought it. I'm actually really excited about the purchase, and about the new apartment. Do you know what it's like for a girl like me to live somewhere and not feel like I'm free to decorate the way I want to? The only thing I got to do to decorate was one thing that I set on the back of our toilet. It was fun to play around with it and make it looks cute for the different seasons, but it wasn't much compared to having my own place to do up the way I like. This new apartment has 3 bedrooms and, as far as I can tell, plenty of closet space. Mark is a little more worried than I am about being able to fit everything into our new place, but I think we can manage alright.
One thing I was concerned about was having to find a new OB/GYN while I was already 32 weeks along. It turns out that once I found out which kind of insurance we're getting, I was able to find a doctor who can see me the same day that I was supposed to have my next appointment here in Sandy. So, that's exciting for me. I just hope that this doctor and I will see eye to eye and I won't have to switch for a 3rd time this pregnancy. I think everything will be just fine though. It will be better than driving for an hour while I'm in labor.
Now everybody, just cross your fingers and hope the official approval is finalized sooner rather than later! It will probably be a while before I get to posting again since we don't have our internet situation figured out just yet. Wish us luck!
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Some Fun Videos to Share
Just a few that I thought you might like to see....
A couple videos of Canon and Cameron dancing on Easter Sunday. This was a toy top that Mark's mom got for Cameron for Easter. Both of them really liked to dance to its music. Cameron just had surgery on both his knees, so he's trying really hard to not bend them, yet still get into the dancing. Canon gets upset when the music stopped even though the top is still spinning. :)
A couple videos of Canon and Cameron dancing on Easter Sunday. This was a toy top that Mark's mom got for Cameron for Easter. Both of them really liked to dance to its music. Cameron just had surgery on both his knees, so he's trying really hard to not bend them, yet still get into the dancing. Canon gets upset when the music stopped even though the top is still spinning. :)
This video is of Canon at the park in Pocatello when Mark interviewed at the courthouse. I might be the only one, but this slide made me laugh...just watch.
And this video is Canon's first taste of fresh grapefruit. I don't like it very much, so I didn't expect him to like it either. I was just hoping for a bigger reaction...this one is not quite America's Funniest Home Videos worthy.
Easter 2012
Some fun festivities to remember about Easter this year.
The only other thing that I really wanted to mention about Easter was that Church was really good that day. I enjoyed the talks, and the choir sang a number that went really smoothly. I also sang His Hands like I've done in the past, while signing it. I was pretty nervous about doing it this time though because when we rehearsed it in the chapel I couldn't get through the number once without choking up or actually crying. I knew I must be in trouble if I couldn't make it through practice. As it turned out, I did end up crying at the end of the number, but I was still able to get every single word out...even if I couldn't hold it out as long as I wanted to. I was told that the fact that I was tearing up actually added to the emotion in the number, that it made it even more powerful. The Spirit was so strong, and every single person in the congregation was glued to me...even the kids. Everyone says, "There wasn't a dry eye in the whole room...including mine!" I was a little disappointed in the fact that I couldn't do it without crying, but at least nobody thought that I ruined the number by doing so. It turned out to still be a great number, and I even received a few emails and a thank you card in the mail from people in the ward telling me how much they appreciated that rendition. That made me feel pretty good. At least now I don't have to be nervous about it anymore, and I seemed to do my job just right...I brought the Spirit into the meeting with music while baring my testimony of the Savior at the same time. :-D
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| Egg hunt at Uncle Brad and Aunt Laura's house. We had a great lunch and played kickball after the hunt. I took videos of the egg hunt, but there's nothing terribly exciting and worth putting on the blog, but if you're interested, I could still upload them to YouTube for you to watch. |
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| Canon found the basket left by "the Easter Bunny" in the living room. He seemed pretty excited to look through it. |
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| trying to hold up the basket to pose for the picture |
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| Grandma helping Canon spot the different kinds of candy stored in there |
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| My Easter Bunny Cake that I brought to the family dinner and Mark's grandparents' house |
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| the kids gathering around to open the Easter gifts from Grandma (Mark's mom) |
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| Canon trying to decide where to start ripping the paper |
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| Tiff, some of these are for you... Megan opening her how-to-draw book. |
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| Lily just chillaxin'...enjoying chewing on her gift instead of opening it |
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| more chewing going on here |
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| Canon finally seeing the cool train figurines at the back of the Thomas the Train book...opening the cover to get them out! |
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| Extra cute picture of an adorable little Lily! |
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| the little kids out for the egg hunt in the back yard |
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| Cameron and Canon worked together and gathered quite a haul. |
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| My new Easter dress, in case you didn't see it on my other blog. :) |
Waiting Game Over
So Mark and I have been living with his parents since July while Mark looked for a job here in Utah. He's basically been searching for a job since his second year of law school (2008), but he couldn't find anything permanent. We've been able to squeak by with temporary positions- a clerkship in Springfield, starting his own firm in Draper, temporary discovery work for a firm downtown- but none of these offered health benefits and seemed like it would be stable enough for us to really rely on as a real income. We've been praying for months, trying to attend the temple about it too, and I got the feeling that the Lord was telling me "just a little bit longer!" The last time I went to the temple, He told me not so much in a voice but the words were clear in my mind, "Remember when I told you 'just a little bit longer?' Well, it's really not much longer!" I almost felt like He was referring to only about 2 weeks...not much longer...although it had been more than 2 weeks, I was not really nervous about it or getting stressed. It's hard to tell when you know you have to go by the Lord's timetable, and you have no idea just how long "a little bit longer" really is. I just knew that however long it was going to be, we could handle it and we'd be just fine.
And now the waiting game is OVER!!! Mark was offered the clerking position in Ogden today. We're pretty excited about this. This technically is not a long-term permanent position, but it does offer health benefits and he can renew it from year to year as he searches for a job. We're thinking about finding a place between Ogden and Salt Lake to move to so that he can still look for jobs at firms downtown and not have to move when he's done clerking in Ogden. He's supposed to start May 1st, and I really hope that his benefits start right away...with the baby coming in June, and only a few more doctor's appointments before she comes, I don't want to be cut-off from Medicaid at this point because he got a job and be stuck without insurance until July 1st or something because we had a waiting period. That would be really frustrating!!
Way to go, Mark!! I'm so proud of you, and I love you so much!!
And now the waiting game is OVER!!! Mark was offered the clerking position in Ogden today. We're pretty excited about this. This technically is not a long-term permanent position, but it does offer health benefits and he can renew it from year to year as he searches for a job. We're thinking about finding a place between Ogden and Salt Lake to move to so that he can still look for jobs at firms downtown and not have to move when he's done clerking in Ogden. He's supposed to start May 1st, and I really hope that his benefits start right away...with the baby coming in June, and only a few more doctor's appointments before she comes, I don't want to be cut-off from Medicaid at this point because he got a job and be stuck without insurance until July 1st or something because we had a waiting period. That would be really frustrating!!
Way to go, Mark!! I'm so proud of you, and I love you so much!!
Road Trip and Job Interviews
(Sorry, this will be a long post with no pictures.) Last week Mark had 3 job interviews. 2 on Tuesday, 1 in Pocatello, ID and another in Ogden, UT for clerkship positions (practically the exact same job he had in Springfield, MA). Then he had one in Provo, UT for the Utah County's Civil Litigation Department.
Monday night we took a family road trip up to Pocatello and stayed at a hotel overnight. We decided to take Canon swimming in the pool because it had been such a long time since we last swam...and we thought he'd really have fun...he seemed really excited about it too. Well, Canon dipped his feet into the water and said it was too cold. So I grabbed him to pull him all the way into the water so he can get used to it faster. After about 10 seconds, Mark was trying to get him to play and splash, but he really wasn't liking the cool water. Canon cried and begged to get out. So I took him out, but he wanted to watch Mark swim..."um...ok, I guess you can watch Daddy swim around." Then he told me to get in the pool, so Mark came out while I got in. Canon seemed to really like watching us, even if he didn't want to get in the water. (Especially me: "Look, a whale!" he said while pointing at me in the water.)
The next morning Mark was supposed to interview at 11:00AM. We found a park that was just down the block from the courthouse, so Canon and I were playing there while Mark left to interview. He came back minutes later saying that the judge left a note on his door asking if Mark would be able to come back at 1:00PM since there was a trial/hearing scheduled at another location, and he wouldn't be back by 11. Thank goodness Mark's interview down in Ogden wasn't until after 5:30PM. So we hung out in Pocatello. We went to a real estate office to check out what the housing market was like, and to see what rent looked like in the area. That was kind of fun for me, but Canon wanted to go back to the park. We got a quick lunch fro Taco Bell and then Canon and I continued to play at the park while Mark went back for the interview.
Mark said the interview went well and he liked the judge, but he still wasn't positive that he would really want to move our family all the way up there for a position that wasn't really long-term...making it hard to find a position after the clerkship that wasn't in Pocatello. Mark felt that he was probably the most qualified out of everyone else that was interviewed, but his downfall was that the judge might think that Mark wouldn't be around long enough to make it worth hiring Mark.
We did make it down to Ogden in plenty of time to make his next interview. Wouldn't you know it, there was a park across the street from this courthouse too...so Canon and I were just hanging out at that park (and outdoor theater and flower garden that were close by). Mark said that interview went really well too, and that one of the judges made it a point to say that he found Mark's writing sample to be really good!! So that was a good sign. The Ogden position pays a lot better too, even though there's a higher living cost. Since Mark has experience already, and they have 3 pay grades, we weren't sure if they would want to hire Mark because they could pay someone else less money who was perfectly qualified to do the same job.
After his Ogden interview, we headed straight home. It was fun to see what the areas were like with Mark, to be there as a family...but then on the way home Canon started freaking out about bees. He thought he had a bee in his face once earlier that day...I think it was just a gnat. Then at the flower garden he thought he had a bee in his eye...it was just an eyelash. In the car on the way home he said he had a bee in his nose (twice)...which turned out to be mucus he just needed to blow out. He seemed so terrified about it that I couldn't be mad at him...but it was really nothing and we were only 15 minutes away from home. Couldn't he wait to freak out until after we were out of the car? Of course not, he's a 2-year-old. *sighs*
Then Mark had an interview on Thursday morning in Provo. He said it felt like it was going fine until they asked him what he knew about some legal doctrine he had never heard of before...let alone the fact that they didn't talk about it in his law school. So, he just replied that he would be able to look it up and learn about it more, but that he wasn't aware of the doctrine at the time. So, he felt like that was probably a dis-qualifier for him for that job.
So, as for the rest of the week we played the waiting game...Ogden said they'd let everyone know by the beginning of this week. Pocatello I think said within 2 weeks or so. And I'm not really sure what Provo said, but the last time he interviewed with them there was a second round of interviews which he didn't make, and he felt more qualified for that previous one than this one. So he's not terribly optimistic about hearing from them any time soon.
Monday night we took a family road trip up to Pocatello and stayed at a hotel overnight. We decided to take Canon swimming in the pool because it had been such a long time since we last swam...and we thought he'd really have fun...he seemed really excited about it too. Well, Canon dipped his feet into the water and said it was too cold. So I grabbed him to pull him all the way into the water so he can get used to it faster. After about 10 seconds, Mark was trying to get him to play and splash, but he really wasn't liking the cool water. Canon cried and begged to get out. So I took him out, but he wanted to watch Mark swim..."um...ok, I guess you can watch Daddy swim around." Then he told me to get in the pool, so Mark came out while I got in. Canon seemed to really like watching us, even if he didn't want to get in the water. (Especially me: "Look, a whale!" he said while pointing at me in the water.)
The next morning Mark was supposed to interview at 11:00AM. We found a park that was just down the block from the courthouse, so Canon and I were playing there while Mark left to interview. He came back minutes later saying that the judge left a note on his door asking if Mark would be able to come back at 1:00PM since there was a trial/hearing scheduled at another location, and he wouldn't be back by 11. Thank goodness Mark's interview down in Ogden wasn't until after 5:30PM. So we hung out in Pocatello. We went to a real estate office to check out what the housing market was like, and to see what rent looked like in the area. That was kind of fun for me, but Canon wanted to go back to the park. We got a quick lunch fro Taco Bell and then Canon and I continued to play at the park while Mark went back for the interview.
Mark said the interview went well and he liked the judge, but he still wasn't positive that he would really want to move our family all the way up there for a position that wasn't really long-term...making it hard to find a position after the clerkship that wasn't in Pocatello. Mark felt that he was probably the most qualified out of everyone else that was interviewed, but his downfall was that the judge might think that Mark wouldn't be around long enough to make it worth hiring Mark.
We did make it down to Ogden in plenty of time to make his next interview. Wouldn't you know it, there was a park across the street from this courthouse too...so Canon and I were just hanging out at that park (and outdoor theater and flower garden that were close by). Mark said that interview went really well too, and that one of the judges made it a point to say that he found Mark's writing sample to be really good!! So that was a good sign. The Ogden position pays a lot better too, even though there's a higher living cost. Since Mark has experience already, and they have 3 pay grades, we weren't sure if they would want to hire Mark because they could pay someone else less money who was perfectly qualified to do the same job.
After his Ogden interview, we headed straight home. It was fun to see what the areas were like with Mark, to be there as a family...but then on the way home Canon started freaking out about bees. He thought he had a bee in his face once earlier that day...I think it was just a gnat. Then at the flower garden he thought he had a bee in his eye...it was just an eyelash. In the car on the way home he said he had a bee in his nose (twice)...which turned out to be mucus he just needed to blow out. He seemed so terrified about it that I couldn't be mad at him...but it was really nothing and we were only 15 minutes away from home. Couldn't he wait to freak out until after we were out of the car? Of course not, he's a 2-year-old. *sighs*
Then Mark had an interview on Thursday morning in Provo. He said it felt like it was going fine until they asked him what he knew about some legal doctrine he had never heard of before...let alone the fact that they didn't talk about it in his law school. So, he just replied that he would be able to look it up and learn about it more, but that he wasn't aware of the doctrine at the time. So, he felt like that was probably a dis-qualifier for him for that job.
So, as for the rest of the week we played the waiting game...Ogden said they'd let everyone know by the beginning of this week. Pocatello I think said within 2 weeks or so. And I'm not really sure what Provo said, but the last time he interviewed with them there was a second round of interviews which he didn't make, and he felt more qualified for that previous one than this one. So he's not terribly optimistic about hearing from them any time soon.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Potty-Time??
We borrowed a training potty from my sister-in-law and had it sitting in our bathroom for quite a while now. I figure that when it's time, Canon will let us know. I'm not pushing it or anything, and I know you don't want to worry about potty-training when there are too many other things going on. (Getting rid of the binky is my first habit-altering priority for him right now!) However, I let him know on several occasions that he can sit on it whenever he wants to.
The last week or two I've noticed that he's becoming more aware of his body. Once he peed when I was changing his diaper because he thought it would be funny...he did it on purpose!! He did it recently in his bath tub too when he was getting ready to get out. Which means that he is getting better at recognizing and controlling it. Well, last night after his bath he was standing naked in the hallway. He looked like he was trying to pee all over the carpet....
"No, no, no...I need to get a diaper on you first!" I said. Then Mark chimed in, "OR you can just sit on your potty!" After only a little bit of coaxing, Canon actually agreed to sit on his potty. Wouldn't you know it, he tried sooo hard to go potty. It looked like he was trying to push for #2. I told him he didn't have to, no pressure...but in the end, he did go pee in his potty. He stood up and was so proud of himself. Mark and I were both there congratulating him too. It was pretty cool to be there for that moment.
Way to go, Canon!!
Of course, it will probably be a long time before Canon will be willing to go in the potty again, but for now...I'd like to celebrate that my little boy is growing up. I'm not rushing for him to be potty-trained, but if he sees that using the toilet and acting like a big kid as cool then I'll be glad for it. It would be nice to have him out of diapers by the time the baby's born in June, but I'm not holding my breath!
The last week or two I've noticed that he's becoming more aware of his body. Once he peed when I was changing his diaper because he thought it would be funny...he did it on purpose!! He did it recently in his bath tub too when he was getting ready to get out. Which means that he is getting better at recognizing and controlling it. Well, last night after his bath he was standing naked in the hallway. He looked like he was trying to pee all over the carpet....
"No, no, no...I need to get a diaper on you first!" I said. Then Mark chimed in, "OR you can just sit on your potty!" After only a little bit of coaxing, Canon actually agreed to sit on his potty. Wouldn't you know it, he tried sooo hard to go potty. It looked like he was trying to push for #2. I told him he didn't have to, no pressure...but in the end, he did go pee in his potty. He stood up and was so proud of himself. Mark and I were both there congratulating him too. It was pretty cool to be there for that moment.
Way to go, Canon!!
Of course, it will probably be a long time before Canon will be willing to go in the potty again, but for now...I'd like to celebrate that my little boy is growing up. I'm not rushing for him to be potty-trained, but if he sees that using the toilet and acting like a big kid as cool then I'll be glad for it. It would be nice to have him out of diapers by the time the baby's born in June, but I'm not holding my breath!
Release of the Binkies
So this afternoon I did it. I really did it. I've been telling Canon for about 4 days now that after the weekend, he was not going to have the binkies anymore. I told him he wasn't going to have them for nap time or for bed time, and he told me he understood. So...I stuck to my word, and I got rid of them. I tried to make it more fun and kind of ceremonial for him...but it didn't quite work out like I expected.
I expected that he would suffer a little withdrawal; I'm not that naive! Sure enough, when it was time to go down he cried for about 10 solid minutes...maybe longer. After I left his room I went outside to see if I could retrieve some of the balloons or even his least favorite binky. (Maybe if he learned that the only binky he was allowed to have was the one he didn't like, he would just give them up altogether on his own?) When I got out there, they were gone. Oh well, that was the plan anyway! Once he stopped crying, and I'm assuming he fell asleep, his nap was about half as long as usual. He woke up in an alright mood, so I was ok with it.
So, he will probably be crying for it for the next couple days, but I will be happy to be rid of that binky for good. He's going to have a baby sister soon, and I really don't want him to resent her for being allowed to have a binky when he's not. I'd much prefer that he's totally over it by the time she comes into the picture. *crossing my fingers** :-)
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| We got the balloons... |
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| we got ALL the binkies... |
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| attached them to the balloons... |
Then we took them outside to release them into the air.
Once it was time to release them, Canon would not let go. I let him keep one balloon for himself as a reward for actually saying good-bye to his binkies, but maybe I should have thought of a different treat. I think the binkies could've used that extra lift to get them up. You'll notice at the end of the video that two of the 5 balloons popped, so they didn't even make it over the fence. I just threw them over myself afterwards.
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| He seemed perfectly fine after the fact...even happy to take a picture! |
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| Isn't he just so cute?!?! I think the binky was starting to have an effect on the shape and position of his pearly whites, so that was a major motivator to break the habit quickly. |
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| But it was getting time for a nap. |
So, he will probably be crying for it for the next couple days, but I will be happy to be rid of that binky for good. He's going to have a baby sister soon, and I really don't want him to resent her for being allowed to have a binky when he's not. I'd much prefer that he's totally over it by the time she comes into the picture. *crossing my fingers** :-)
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