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.