Did you say 14 weeks or FORTY weeks???

Bunches of people have been asking if I am "showing" yet. As I have told many of you, I was showing quite visibly at 7 weeks. Many expressed doubt. Here's the picture to prove it. I was quite dismayed when I read in one of my pregnancy books that "my regular clothes may be starting to feel a bit snug". Regular clothes??? My body hasn't seen regular clothes since mid-July!!

But, on a serious note, I am feeling really good these days. Nausea is just about gone. I am working a 40+ work week and still have energy to be a good mom, make dinner for everyone, etc.... I do look forward to the weekends, however, as work is really tiring. So far I am enjoying the school, but it is very demanding. Although school doesn't begin until 8:30, students can begin arriving as early as 8. We have recess in our own classroom and we have to eat lunch with the students,walk them to the neighborhood park and supervise lunch recess. It is kids, kids, kids all day long. They are excused at 3:15, then it is on to meetings several days a week until 5:00. Now I clearly understand why we have 1.5-2 hours of prep per day! I really miss Sycamore's lunch hour- where everyone gathered to unwind and goof off for 45 minutes before rejoining the kids for the afternoon.

Next week I have to take my kids on an overnight to Lucky Peak Bird Observatory. There they will work with scientists to capture and tag hawks, owls, and other migratory birds. Apparantly they work through the night, so I am not expecting to get a lot of sleep. In addition, it has been getting down to 35 degrees at night- and that is at 2,400 feet, not 5,000! It is TRUE camping- in fact I am trying to recruit parents to loan us tents, cook stoves, etc.... Considering I have a phobia of birds, I am not really looking forward to the trip! Should be an adventure, for sure.

We had a great weekend. Today we went to the pancake breakfast fundraiser at the local school, then tonight went to a benefit for "No on HJR2- the proposed constitutional ammendment that would narrowly define marriage and prohibit domestic partnerships. It was held in our community and had a local band playing, good food, and a family atmosphere. It felt good to be a part of something bigger than ourselves and to expose the boys to some political activism. It was also great to see so many like minded people in our community come out to support a good cause.

The boys are doing great! Tanner is getting two upper teeth, but seems to be handling it like a champ. He is so laid back and just hangs out and plays and crawls all over the place. He is always full of smiles and cuddles. Jake continues to crack us up with the things that come out of his mouth. This afternoon a football game was on that happened to be sponsered by Red Lobster. It cut to a commercial He pointed to the TV when the Red Lobster logo came on and said excitedly, "Awesome, Dad.... the Crabs are playing tonight!". Everything is "so cool" and when he gets really excited about something he says, "YEAH, BABY!!!"

The boys and I will be coming for a visit to the bay area from December 29-Jan 5th. I hope to catch up with as many of you as possible. I can't wait to see everyone. As much as we are loving Boise, I miss my friends and can't wait to see you all again.

One last summer fling....

We had a really nice long labor day weekend. The boys both had some issues, there were some MAJOR bouts of exhaustion throughout the weekend. Both boys are upstairs now, awake, crying and making both of us pull our hair out while we try to figure out how we are planning to do this with three kids.

The photos above are of Jake, Quincy and Jessa at the pool and the fountain at the Boise Farmers Market during their visit here last week/weekend. We had a really good time and hopefully will make the trek up to Washington to see them before the snow starts coming down.

We went out to dinner last night with one of Marisa's students. They also live in Hidden Springs and when they found out we lived here as well invited us over for a BBQ. We had a very nice time. We were a little afraid as Jake was very out of sorts all day, both of us were a little scared to take him out in public especially in this sensitive of a situation for Marisa. He could not have done better. He was well behaved, very polite, and just the charmer that he can be when he wants to. He did insist on wearing a pirate scarf around his head, which we thought a little odd, but to each his own. He enjoyed it and his fashion sense was the hit of the party.

Back to work tomorrow for both of us, and into a routine for awhile. It has been a long, great transition summer. We'll probably never have another one like it. I, for one, had such a great time and made so many great memories of the move and our new town, I will never forget the summer of our grand adventure.

P.S. ...the other picture above is from today...man if you thought slip-n-slides were fun when you were 12, you should try one at 37!!!!!!!!!

Hello from Portland.....

Hi there - It's the middle of the week and I'm in the middle for Farmers training in Portland. It's raining today (go figure) but has been nice the rest of the time. This is basic training, especially for me since I have done this job before, but some things have changed, and I have been away long enough that a refresher is helpful.

I am missing my family though. I talk to Jake everyday to say goodnight and try to get him to tell me something about his day. I think that I miss Tanner most of all, he can't talk on the phone obviously, so all of your interaction with him has to be in person. Since I'm not with him, it's like he's out of my life totally. I am really looking forward to getting home this weekend.

I drove home over the last weekend to see Marisa and the boys (about 7 hours each way). I also got to see Lisa and John and the girls for a day. I had a very nice visit with everyone. Jake is in love with both of his cousins. He followed Quincy around like a little puppy while I was there. He did everything that she did and did a great job playing with both her and Jessa. Jake skipped school yesterday and Aunt Lisa and Uncle John took him to the Boise Zoo with his cousins. He had a great time and was apparently very sad that they all had to leave today.

Cori leaves Friday morning. It has been a godsend having her to help Marisa through all of the past two weeks. Marisa is feeling better, is sick less and seems to have more energy, but she has also started working full time, so what little energy she has gained back from the pregnancy has been expended in trying to get set up for the kids to come and the school year to start. I think Cori has enjoyed her time in Boise, and we are looking forward to having her come back during the holidays and next March when the baby gets here. Next up on the schedule, my mom and Auntie Sue are visiting over our anniversary weekend on the 22nd of September.

Lastly, Marisa had her first ultrasound appointment yesterday. Everything is ship shape so far and looks good. There is only one baby in there, which is a relief. Both Marisa and Cori specifically made the ultrasound tech look for more, so I feel that we are in pretty good shape planning on just one more baby. Both Marisa and Cori enjoyed the ultrasound process. I wish I could have been there, but this surprise caught us all off guard and I couldn't get out of this training. Once this week is done, I am home for the long weekend and then things should settle into a rhythm.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho...

Brian started work on Tuesday- he flew to Pocatello and picked up a company car for his drive to Portland on Monday (he will be there for two weeks for training)- and I started on Friday with a new teacher orientation. Brian is reserving judgement on his job just yet. He's not really a "big company" guy, but he's willing to give it a go, especially with the good benefits. My first meeting went well. I met all the new teachers and learned more about the school philosophy and community. It sounds like there are some difficult parents to deal with- something I expected at a private school. It makes me a little nervous, but I have had my share of difficult families over the years at Sycamore so I feel well prepared! We have a three day retreat next week, then two days of meetings, five days of classroom prep time, and school begins on the 5th. Foothills is definitely a funky place. Very liberal. Dress is extremely casual (tank tops and shorts are the norm, I am told) and people lean very far to the left politically. I should fit right in :) I will have 13 students and 1.5-2 hours of prep DAILY. Hard to get my mind around that!!!

On the home front... Jake started preschool and seems to be thriving. His teacher is no nonsense, but also very loving. Her name is Miss Pam and is from the south with a strong southern accent to prove it! Although I worry it is a bit too academic, he is obviously learning a lot. At dinner after the first day he looked at his carrot and said, "Mommy, this is an octogon shape". Hmmm. I know I never taught him that. He is having a lot of fun with counting and adding small numbers on his fingers. He has made some friends and seems happy- which is our first concern, of course! To anyone wondering, we are on night #20 of sleeping in his own bed. I guess we are over that hurdle for now!

Tanner still does his army crawl. I don't know if he will ever crawl in the traditional sense. He is much happier on his feet and will most likely walk early. He is getting over some sort of infection- he has had a fever for four days and has been really puny. Poor guy. He loves to play peek-a-boo and imitates facial expressions and hand motions. He starts at daycare on Monday. That's going to be a tough one as he is in the stage of stranger fright and cries if the checker at the store even looks at him. Handing him over to a virtual stranger and walking away for 8 hours is going to tear my heart out.

The pregnancy is moving along. I am anxious for my ultrasound on the 28th. We are all really hoping that there is only one baby in there. Wouldn't that be a shocker???? I always said growing up that my dream was to have twins. I hope that the "powers that be" realize that I revised that wish after having my first two!!! I am 10 weeks along and hoping to feel more energized and less sick very soon. I still can't quite get my mind around the fact that we are going to have THREE children age four and under. I will be that mom that I always look at in Costco and wonder. "What the hell she was thinking??". That's gonna be me. Yikes.

My mom has been staying with us for the last week and helping to take care of the boys and take care of me. I was really sick for the last week- throwing up multiple times a day and sleeping non stop, so she has been a life saver. She has really enjoyed Boise and our new home.
In our on going effort to convert friends and family to move to Boise, we are showing her condos, houses, and cute living areas all the time!

I know this is kind of a boring post (way less entertaining than my husband's usual style!), but it has been a long time since I had shared family news and there has been a lot going on. I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the last days of summer vacation. Keep us updated with emails when you get a chance. I love to hear what everyone is up to.

Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday to my lovely wife; correction, to my constantly puking, endlessly tired, oft times napping, "nothing sounds good to eat, but let's get some Vietnamese food", cranky, emotional, crying (but not too much this time so far), ball of fun, lovely wife.

I kid because I love. Also, because I know that there is no way that I could put my body through what her's is going through without being reduced to a quivering mass of jello (trust me, I'm not fun to be around when I have a cold...). This was far from a glamorous birthday, starting with Milo (fresh onto his "senior dog food - easy to digest") pooping a MASSIVE amount of poop in three rooms overnight because we don't have the doggy doors in (because we don't have a fence yet...long story, really pissed off) to a trip to the DMV, to a $100.00 shopping spree at the Maternity Store in the mall, because I did not have time to get out and get her anything (see...she's napping all the time and somebody still has to clean up, take care of the boys etc., I'm trying my best man I really am......). But she was a trooper the whole way, and we had a really good day in spite of all the above.

But about my wife......she is handling this with so much grace and strength, and is so beautiful through all of it that I just so desparately want her to feel better so she can enjoy her days more. She is getting ready to start back to work and is half way through the hard part. That takes more nerve than I could ever muster. I love you honey, Happy Bithday...just think by your next birthday...three kids!

All my love, always,
Brian

P.S. Quick Updates
.......Jake started pre-school today....swing-set got delivered and set-up.....Cori comes tomorrow for three weeks...I am off to two weeks of Farmers training in Oregon (that's why Cori is staying for three weeks, thanks Cori)...fence is supposed to start either end of next week or tomorrow, we don't know which....Rockstar:Supernova totally rules.....Nikko and Shannon just left, we had a great time and miss them already.....I have killed almost all of the 9 million wasps that were living in our eaves....Nextel let us out of the contract without paying the $400.00....Marisa is trying to waffle on the girl baby names, but I have it in writing, (you are all witnesses).....Giants suck (and will for the next several years)....I love my family and especially my wife, Happy Birthday.

Day on the town.....

We went out to explore downtown Boise (now hipply nicknamed BoDo...don't know if that will catch on), for Grandma Mary's last day here. We went to Julia Davis park, a very large park that also houses the Boise Zoo. We could not go to the zoo today as that is a current bribe in play for Jake to sleep in his own bed. Once he makes it for five nights in a row, we can hit the zoo. If he sleeps in his own bed tonight, that will make......one night in a row (yes, the sarcasm is intended, we're having issues...).

We ventured into this pizza place, more due to location and pending nausea than a desire for cool pizza, but were very pleased with the results. Very good pizza, made right in front of you, in a very neat little restaurant. It is right across the street from the Qwest Arena, where the minor league hockey and basketball teams play, so I imagine that we will hit this place quite a few times. Jake liked both the chef and the pizza. He leaned over the table after a few bites and said, " Mommy, I have to tell you something. This pizza is DAMN good!". This of course prompted spitting of beverages and much laughter, as well as a cursory warning for yours truly to watch their damn language around the k-i-d-s. But the comment was taken in the spirit that it was intended.

It will be sad to see Mom leave tomorrow morning. She has been a lifesaver for the last month. Without her here, it is not hard to imagine the house still full of boxes, pictures not hung, kitchen not stocked and one or both children having been duct taped up and locked in a closet for at least an afternoon. She has allowed us to get through this move (oh yeah, and the pregnancy thing...) with our sanity intact, and even allowed us to enjoy the journey as well. Mom - you are and will always be the greatest, thanks for everything you did (and do). I love you and we'll see you AND AUNTIE SUE in September. - BRIAN

There's nothing like having a mother in law that is also a friend. I hope Mary has had as much fun being here as we have had having her here.- MARISA

Hot Days and Sleepless Nights

Full blown nausea and 24/7 exhaustion has kicked in. Oh, the joys of pregnancy. Thank god Mary is here. She has been such a huge help and a lot of fun to have around as we get used to our new town and explore. Brian and I told Jake about the new baby and his face lit up. He looked down at my tummy and asked if he was in there. When I said yes, he put his hand down on my tummy and rubbed gently. He was very clear that he wants another brother, not a sister. He has been a sweetheart while I am sick. He comes upstairs and asks me if I want him to rub my back, if I need some saltines or some water, etc...

We are calling this baby "Casey". If it is a boy he will be Casey Jameson Alan and if it's a girl she will be Kimberly Cate Alan (after my sister, of course) and we will call her KC (or Katie, as some have suggested). Although I had to shake on it, there is still wiggle room of course. (Brian says, "NO there's not!" as I type this!)

The above pictures were taken this morning at the tennis court down the street. Jake definitely has a talent for the game and he is so excited to play with Papa- the tennis pro- when he comes to visit next month. He and Brian hit balls back and forth and he gets them a lot of the time. A round of tennis is usually followed by a trip to the pool on the way home. (Do you think this lifestyle would get old after awhile?)

Speaking of visits, we had a great one with Kim, Bill, and the kids last weekend. Besides Mary, they are the first people to come see our new place. I think, despite the record breaking temperatures, that they could easily see why we decided to move here. We spent a lot of time at the pool and lake, trying to keep cool. It was great for the boys to spend time with their cousins. We miss them already.

Tanner is doing great . He is still working toward crawling. He is quite adept at scooting and can get places very quickly with his little army crawl. He also loves to hold onto Grandma's fingers and walk from one side of the room to the other. Food is his greatest pleasure, though, and he will happily stuff various types of fruits, vegetables, and crackers into his mouth for long stretches.

We have three weeks of vacation left together. It is going quickly, but we are definitely making the most of it. I have to admit that the pregnancy is slowing us down somewhat, as I tend to nap whenever I get a spare second, but we still have lots of adventures planned before this phase of our move is over. Next up is a much anticipated visit from Nikko and Shannon- which will hopefully include a day trip to the REAL Redfish Lake :)

Good News, a Funny Story, and a Warning...

The good news first: Brian is officially employed! Starting August 15th he will be a supervisor at Farmers Insurance in Meridian. We got the call this morning and even though we were both fairly certain he would be offered the position, it was definitely a load off our minds. Now we know that we won't be trying to support THREE kids on a (private school) teacher's salary :)

Now for the bad news (this is where the warning comes in): Our phone numbers have changed once again. For those of you keeping track, that will make three new numbers in the same number of weeks. Let's just say that nextel stinks. After trying to make our phones work consistently for the last three weeks and spending countless hours on the phone with Nextel, the last straw occurred yesterday. With my phone still not accepting local calls- which we realized only after having potential employers, my new employer, and prospective daycares try to get ahold of us unsuccessfully- I made one last attempt to work with the tech guys at Nextel. I was given the run around. Finally I got a hold of someone that told me (and I quote) "Nextel cannot help you. You should find new cell phone service". He told me he would switch me to the cancellation department. The incredibly rude man there refused to stop service without charging us a 400 dollar "early termination fee" and when I asked to speak to a supervisor, I was told, "My supervisor WILL NOT come to the phone to speak with you." Period. Brian called back and was told the same thing. After going around in circles with the company for the better part of two hours, they told us the only recourse we had was to write a letter. So we did. And cc'd the FTC, FCC, and "our lawyer" (OK, so it was really just a made up name of a pretend lawyer in Berkeley, but still...). Anyway, to make a long and incredibly frustrating story short, we got new phone service, hence the new numbers which we will be sending out in an email shortly. WARNING: DO NOT USE NEXTEL FOR PHONE SERVICE UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE SCREWED OVER LIKE ALL THE PEOPLE ON THIS WEBSITE!

Ready for the funny story? As you know, we've been trying to explore Idaho while we try to settle in and unpack. So last Sunday we decided to take a drive to Redfish Lake- a lake resort I had heard great things about that was about an hour and a half away. We packed a big picnic, loaded the boys up, slathered on the sunscreen, and hit the road at about 8:30AM, preparing for
a fun day in the sun. We programmed the resort (Redfish Lake Lodge) into Brian's GPS and set off. We drove for about an hour and a half, thinking as we got closer and closer that it really didn't look anything like we expected it to and wasn't it strange that we were right on the freeway and the navigation system said we were going to arrive in 2 miles. Hmmmm. As we exited the freeway and approached our destination, we began to realize there may have been some mistake. We found ourselves in the middle of nowhere- in the middle of Jerome Idaho, to be exact, with no lake and no resort in sight. As the GPS announced "You have now arrived at your destination on the left" we had a sinking feeling that perhaps there were TWO Redfish Lake Resorts in Idaho. We looked out our car windows and instead of a pristine lake we saw rundown buildings, old gas stations, and steaming hot pavement. This was definitely not the right place. We pulled into the closest service station and got a map. Yep. We'd gone the wrong way. In fact, we had gone 100 miles south, when the real Redfish Lake was 90 miles Northeast. Trying to make lemonade out of lemons we asked the service attendant where we could hang out for the day and have a picnic and she pointed us toward Shoshone Falls (see the above picture). Luckily we were all in good spirits and laughed at the fact that this is the second time in a week that we have found ourselves somewhere we never intended to be, but enjoying it nonetheless.

Go Boise Hawks!!!!!!!

We took Jake to the Boise Hawks game the other night. The Hawks are the Cubs (not Angels like I thought) A- Ball franchise here in Boise. For those of you not familiar with the way the minors in baseball works, A-Ball is the lowest level of minor league ball, really just above high school, and in some way worse than some of the major college programs. For example; one of the Hawks players hit a single, stopped at first, realized that nobody was paying attention to him and just ran to second, while the ball was still in the infield . That makes the game much more fun to watch.

You don't have a rooting interest for any specfic player, and the teams try all sorts of bizarrre promotions to keep attendance up. One of the billboards in center field has a fishing net as part of the billboard, if a home run goes into the net, someone wins a trip. They have dizzy bat races, hot dog eating contests, bean bag tosses, etc. It's just a fun environment, and a lot different from a major league game.

We had a really good time. Jake was waaayyy into the game. We were sure he was going to annoy everybody in our section with his, "GO BOISE HAWKS" cheer. He has a little bit of actual baseball knowledge, and it is important that he show everybody what he knows. He knows, for example, that the batter who is next up is known as being "on deck". EVERY batter that came up to bat; he would find the on deck circle and announce, "Daddy, that man is on-deck, he is up next".

I am pretty sure that we did not help the situation by keeping him up way past his bedtime (the game didn't start until 7:30) and hyping him up with the Idaho State dessert, the Hawaiian Icee. Which is ice and sugar, combined with artificial colors and flavors.

We had a very good time, and a very tired boy when we left in the fifth inning. We bought $75.00 worth of souveniers and the Hawks have some very dedicated new fans.

GO BOISE HAWKS!!!!!!

Umm....okay...right, now...umm.....wow....okay.....

So, at this point I firmly believe that the powers that be in the universe (he/she/they/it....but after today I am leaning towards she...) LIKE it when our lives are out-of-control-crazy. I mean really, just as we get the last few boxes unpacked, get some pictures up on the wall, and start to see some light at the end of the tunnel....WHAM...... Express Train!

So if you can't tell from the out of focus picture (best I could do while suffering a nervous breakdown, sorry), or the above analogy, we are pregnant again. So at this point Jake and Tanner will be sharing a room and we should get a little bit more serious about figuring out our health care picture for down the road....WOW! Marisa puts this event firmly under the "Man plans, God laughs"
category.

Those of you that haven't made plans to visit to see the new house, now will need to visit to see the new baby sometime next March (and the new house, which is one bedroom too small again!)

On a serious note, both Marisa and I are thrilled (and terrified!) by this unexpected news. We are so happy and....I guess entertained is the right word-everyday by Jake and Tanner, that one more should just add to the fun. Everybody should hope and pray that this one is a girl though for Marisa's sake, otherwise she may just move out once the boy army gets organized! Jake and I already gang up on her, once Tanner and the new boy (if it is a boy!) get in on the action, she won't stand a chance.

All Work and No Play...

(This picture was taken on a morning hike outside our house last Friday)

Well, I can't say that we've been entirely dedicated to getting this house unpacked. We spent Saturday morning at the Boise Farmers Market. There was lots of produce (of course) and an array of prepared foods for sale, too. In addition, they had a craft and art section and free children's lessons in art. Jake participated in a watercolor lesson. I love outdoor markets and this one was a lot of fun. It was a beautiful morning and we found a little coffee house downtown for breakfast that makes their own pastries, oatmeal, granola, etc... Even Brian, a non coffee drinking heathen- had to admit it was a pretty great place. We will definitely be back! Downtown Boise is filled with restaurants, parks, museums, and shopping and since it is only a 15-20 minute drive I figure we will utilize it often.

Then, instead of making up for lost time on Sunday and getting something done, we decided to head to McCall for the day. It was a beautiful two hour drive along the Payette River. The town itself was a "beach town" in a way. It was quaint, on the shores of Payette Lake where there were lots of waterskiers and other boating types. We had lunch at the marina out on the deck and swam/waded in the lake, played baseball on the shore, and just generally "wasted the day away". We all had such a nice day- it didn't matter at all that our walls were still just as blank when we got home as when we left or that each room still had a minimum of one unpacked box in it and at least one hefty bag full of garbage or goodwill stuff :) Both weekend trips had the same effect: they made us realize once again what a great choice this move was for our family.

The boys are doing well. TJ is trying so hard to crawl and is sitting on his own with much more regularity now. He continues to grace us with many smiles and giggles, especially when given free reign with a smooshed banana, yogurt, or diced mac and cheese. Jake is excited about starting preschool, loving the pool, and has been starting each day with the question, "So, what's the plan for today, guys?" Wonder where he got that from, huh?

Hope all is well with you- so many of you are on your own adventures right now- Thailand, the Pacific Northwest, Hawaii, Connecticut, etc.. We think about you often. Please respond and let us know how you are.

Happy 4th of July!

Here are some photos that show what we were looking for when we decided to move here. This is the 4th of July parade in Hidden Springs. Led by the Hidden Springs Fire Department and the Ada County Sherriffs; the parade then becomes a mass of kids on scooters, bikes, wagons, motorized cars, strollers, home made floats, and parents trying to keep up and direct traffic. It was so great to see all of the kids in the neighborhood spending the morning decorating their bikes etc. for the parade.

The parade starts and finishes at the park just outside our front door, so Grandma Mary had a front row seat for all the festivities. Jake had a great time " making new friends " (AKA running around screaming and attempting neck-breaking headstands with about 20 other kids). Tanner napped in his room, but was great guns for the picnic afterwards. There was a really great band in the park, games, the FD cookout; it was really a great set-up. The band had played about 5 songs, which had all of the smaller kids running around and jumping in-front of the stage, when, yep, you guessed it, ...the rain came down; followed by wind, lightning and thunder and everybody high-tailing it for home. Our 4th BBQ of hot dogs and hamburgers followed by fire works has become; frozen pizza and pasta and "Toy Story 2" with popcorn.....oh well, what can you do. All you can do (and this is the major life lesson that we have learned during this whole move with two young boys)...is adjust!

Recent Pictures

Well, here it is: photographic proof of our new state of residence! I finally got the new pictures downloaded.I threw in a few new ones of my Hawaiian boys hanging out on the shores of Tahoe Donner, too, just for good measure.

IMPORTANT UPDATE:
None of our phones are currently working. To get a hold of us, please use our email addresses that were listed on our cards. We will email everyone with new contact info once we get the phone fiasco figured out. Hopefully that time will be very soon.

Everything here continues to go well- minus a few mishaps with the phone company and a malfunctioning BBQ. We are swimming a lot, frequenting the parks in walking distance, and gearing up for the big 4th of July party here. The boys will be part of the local parade- Jake on his scooter sporting his red, white, and blue cowboy hat and TJ in the stroller, holding onto (or sucking on more likely) a plastic flag. A band will play out on the village green and we will attend the neighborhood picnic in the evening. For fireworks we plan on driving to McCall (1.5 hours away) to watch two barges of explosives to be set off on the lake. We are not entirely sure if this idea is a really good one or a really stupid one. Time will tell.... and we will keep you posted!

So Far So Good

I love it here! The house is beautiful and the neighborhood is gorgeous. There are kids everywhere and is definitely the kind of place where Jake and TJ will be able to run around, ride bikes, walk to the pool, etc... with their friends when they get older. We have met some nice people at the pool and are heading to the farmers market at the barn later this morning. We have walked on some of the trails and done some exploring around our house and are excited to get downtown one of these days. The weather is cooling off a bit, which is nice.

Mary arrived yesterday and Jake is in HEAVEN- a playmate that doesn't have the pressure of hundreds of boxes to unpack, break down, and throw away! He is going to wear her out for sure.
I signed him up for an art camp held at the community barn. I am hoping he will meet some friends. He seems a little homesick- he keeps mentioning his friends Cody and Ian and saying how he will never see them again. When I put him to sleep the first night in his bed (the first time he had been in it for 40 days!) he put his arms around me and said, "Everythings getting back to normal now, Mommy." Bless his heart. All of these changes must be confusing for him, but he is a champ and I am so proud of him. Milo is also finally getting settled. He wouldn't eat for the first four days and had a difficult time convincing himself that the stairs were safe. He would stand at the bottom and whine instead of coming up to join the family. Tanner is oblivious, I think, to the changes and slept for 12 hours last night without waking- a first for him. He is so close to crawling and is happiest when he is sitting in his high chair with a big pile of cheerios in front of him! That boy can eat :)

Please email us and keep us posted on your summer. I miss my friends and would love to get some updates. I will post pictures just as soon as I can find the camera connector :)

Home at Last!

We left Tahoe at 9:00 this morning and arrived in Boise 8 hours later. It was an easy drive and both boys behaved far better than we could have hoped for or ever imagined. We were a bit worried when we had only been in the car for 20 minutes and Jake asked plaintively, "Are we there yet, Mommy?" But, luckily, it was not a sign of things to come. In fact, the only fussing or complaining that we had to contend with was when Tanner fell apart 10 miles from our house. I think he had just had it with his carseat and I had used every trick in my bag to keep him happy. Jake watched movie after movie while Brian and I listened to XM Channel 16 the whole way. Lots of great country music :) and, as usual, we sang along loudly and enjoyed the drive.
Brian did get pulled over just outside of Winnemuca for speeding. The cop did not give him a ticket- which was very generous and much appreciated. I think it helped that right after the cop arrived at our car Jake said, "Mommy, that policeman is a very nice man!" (No coaching from us, but we did give him more candy when we pulled away!!)

Jake was very excited to arrive at our new house. He was hyped out of his mind due to lack of sleep and too much sugar (He's still working on that giant lollypop we got for him at Marine World!) and didn't go to sleep until 11:00. It stays light here very late. In fact, we were out on a neighborhood walk and didn't realize it was close to ten already! I can't wait to explore more tomorrow. I am especially excited to take the boys to the pool. It is only 5 blocks away and is way bigger than I had anticipated. We'll need it, as it was close to 100 today.

This house is great! It is nicer than I had remembered it and I keep walking around it thinking, "Is this really ours???" I am so anxious to get our stuff moved in tomorrow. It is sure to be another long day. The movers arrive at 8:30AM.

I guess we should try to get to sleep. Just wanted those of you that are checking up on us to know that we arrived, are in good spirits, and are ready to continue this adventure.

One thing that moving on does for you: It sure shows you who your friends are and how much you are loved. The things we take for granted daily come into focus so clearly. We have been so lucky to spend time with those closest to us over the last month in preparation for our move. Friends and family have spoiled us and spoiled our boys with their love and affection- and more than a few toys for the little ones! Although we may be moving on, part of our hearts are definitely staying here in California with friends, countless "aunties" and family.
We are truly blessed.

Happy Fathers Day!

Happy Fathers Day to all...This photo is from the Giants game a week or so ago. We had a great time. It was very cold though and the Giants lost, so not all positive. On the good side, my Fathers Day gift from Marisa and the boys was tickets for the Boise Hawks minor league team (an Angels affiliate), so we have that to look forward to once we get settled. My real Fathers Day gifts are in the picture to the right--------------------------->>
These two boys have changed everything about my life for the better. Very few things make me happier than seeing my boys first thing in the morning. I am really looking forward to the next six weeks or so that we will have off together so I can help them (and their mother) adjust to life in Idaho and we can spend some time just enjoying time together. Both Tanner and Jake are so good natured and adjust so well to whatever circumstances we are in at the time, I have no doubt that they will adjust just fine. Jake especially has been such a trooper with all of this chaos, I have been so proud of him. He has his own map to Idaho that he drew with his new house, new school and friends on it. He is planning on navigating with HIS map so we don't get lost on the way to Boise....

We spent yesterday with Bill, Kim, Cori, Kiri and all the kids. We had a great time, with a good BBQ dinner to finish things off. All in all a very nice Fathers Day.

I wanted to write a Fathers Day post like my Mothers Day one, but those kind of words just don't come as easily when talking about men. I don't know if that is sexist or chauvinistic, but I just can't muster the emotion....

Dad: I love you and can't wait to see you next month. I can't wait for you to meet Tanner and see what a little man Jake is growing into. Thanks for your great emails and words of encouragement and support over the course of this process, they've meant more to me than you know. I'll see you soon.

Love,

Your son,
Brian

Goodbye Sycamore

Today was a tough goodbye. I have worked at Sycamore for ten years, have made countless friends, and have learned so much along the way. What a great place to have called home. Walking through those gates for the last time was hard. Still, despite a few tears (OK... so at one point I needed a friend to bring me a box of kleenex and was actually babbling) I am excited to be done with school for now and am ready to get this adventure started! We are down to 6 days in the hotel and can't wait to be on our way to Tahoe, then Boise. Brian appears to have a job on the horizon but won't start until after the first week of August. Six weeks of vacation together as a family does not happen very often and we are really looking forward to it!

Tanner miraculously recovered from whatever was causing him to scream endlessly for four days as soon as Brian returned from Boise. Coincidence? Brian thinks not. He is back to being his smiley self. He is very close to crawling and we have to be VERY careful when he is on our bed as he rolls and rolls and rolls. Just a few minutes ago I heard Brian yell from the bedroom. I ran in and found that he was holding- just barely- onto Tanner's foot- Tanner dangling off the side of the bed. He loves his food and is starting to feed himself cheerios and anything else he can get his hands on. Jake is a swimming fool these days. Tonight he learned how to jump off the side (with floaties) without someone "catching" him- a giant leap for water confidence, I think. This morning on the way to school he saw a cow all alone in a field. He commented that he was a "sad cow" and that he must be "lonely". He continued on, saying that the daddy cow was probably jumping over the moon. I tell ya, that kid keeps us entertained. Tired, but entertained.

In Idaho (temporarily...)

Hello All. This post is actually coming from the office in the new house. I went out and bought a desk chair yesterday and it's the only furniture here right now, so while I was sitting down I thought I would catch up on the updates. The drive up was beautiful and quick. Once you get outside of Reno, it's two lanes, desert and no cell phone service almost all the way there. The drive took me 10.5 hours from Livermore to here, pretty much non-stop. If you are looking for a more scenic route (albeit slower), you can take 1 up (down?) the coast to Portland and over, which, if you are not a fan of scrubrush, I would recommend.

I am here this week to try and get some things set-up. I have been pretty successful so far; we have a lawn mower (and a mowed lawn), a fridge, freezer and washer/dryer, cable service and internet, a pool access code and mailbox service (almost). I also got in two job interviews here, dropped off Jakes pre-school registration, and signed him up for swim lessons at the community pool, so all in all a very productive trip.

I still very much like the area, so no buyers remorse here. It is a little bit more like the mid-west weather wise (hail the size of golfballs yesterday for about 15 minutes, followed by thunderstorms etc.) It's raining today but is nice otherwise.

Unfortunately, as Murphy would have it, Marisa is having a tough time with the boys. Tanner is teething or sick or just pissed off and has been inconsolable since I left (could be he misses Daddy...). He has been such an easy baby so far that this is kind of out of the blue. Plus she's there with both boys and Milo in the hotel room and trying to finish the school year with no sleep......honey I feel so bad I am not there to help, I will be home soon. We've both been doing the single parent thing lately and are both amazed that people who are acutally single parents survive the process. I don't know how I would make it with out Marisa's help with the boys on a regular basis. To the single parents out there...I am in awe, you are much stronger than me.

Marisa and I are both kind of ready for this transition phase to be over. It is great to be able to visit with our friends and stay in touch with the area, but our lives have been on hold for six weeks now and we are ready to get going again. We leave for a week or so (we don't know when the furniture is coming just yet) in Truckee on Thursday the 22, so one week left.....

Talk to you soon - Brian

Great Day!

We moved!!!! Ok... so we only moved across the pool. But, still, we MOVED. What a great day! After dealing with water damage in our studio hotel room for the last two weeks, complaining nicely, having blowers in our room, workmen trying to fix the problem etc... we finally said "enough is enough" and were rewarded with an upgrade to a room twice the size of our studio. It is like a castle in here! We no longer have to move TJ's crib in order to access the kitchen and there is actually some room to sit down to watch TV or play with toys or read somewhere other than the bed. I tell ya... it is like heaven.

Also, Brian was contacted by a ServePro in Boise that he had randomly sent his resume to last month. Turns out the owner wants to "retire"- or cut way way back on day to day operations- and is looking for a replacement. It is the same business as Brian is in now. So he is meeting with the guy next week in Boise. His phone interview with Farmers Insurance went great and he is being flown out for an interview soon. I guess his talk about karma is true. He has been so kind and overly accomodating to many during this transition and good stuff is happening. I think it is great that he may get to choose which job he wants instead of just having to take whatever comes along.

I returned from Outdoor Ed camp on Friday afternoon. It was a fun time, but it was good to get home to my guys. I talked to Jake each night and on the last night he told me that he was "eating ceral with marshmallows for dinner in the bed".... I figured it was time for me to come home! Seriously, though. Brian was a champ dad and the boys had a great time.
Let's hope I can do as well when Brian leaves for five days next week!