WILL HE EVER STOP??

Man, I'm gonna miss this backyard!

Well as some of you know we are moving this month. I hate moving but I always seem to do it. This time it was not really by choice but rather for necessity. The high gas prices and higher costs of food have had an impact on our family. We have decided to cut back on our expenses and hopefully be able to save some money to buy a house again in the next few years. It just seems like with the cost of buying a house in this day and age how does one come up with the unbelievable amount of capital needed to buy a house? We hope by cutting back our expenses we'll be able to make that dream a reality BEFORE the housing market comes back to life.When we sold our house in Lake Elsinore we were lucky to walk away free and clear. We were luckier than most as we sold our house just in time for the housing market to tank... and it has especially in that area. Our house which we bought for $436K is now going for the lower $300K's. We still get the shivers when we think about how we most likely would have been one of the poor souls boarding up our doors and walking away from a dream.Anyway, since we rented this house a year ago in May we have fallen in love with it. There are a few things that we don't like. For instance, the family room is a bit dark and could use a bigger window and the kitchen is a little small for my liking. But, the best part of this house is the backyard. It's beautiful! It's so kid friendly and has a park like appeal to it. The kids love it and Michael and his friends spend a lot of time out there searching for bugs and playing hide and seek. Our new house which is less than a mile away is a bit smaller and although the back yard is nicely landscaped and pretty it doesn't hold a candle to the one we have here. There is at least a small patch of grass where we will put the climber for Hayden and hopefully we'll find a good spot for the kiddie pool... but we will definitely miss spending our summer in this house. So, we have one more weekend to enjoy our yard and then it's time to say good bye. I hope we have as good of a time on our new journey... it might only be a mile away but it will seem a bit farther away to us.

Mike's New Gig

I don't know if I mentioned or not but Mike left his job at Ultra Clean Technology in early May. I can't go into the gory details and God knows I would LOVE TO, because he had to sign an agreement saying he wouldn't divulge the reason for his leaving. All I will say is it was not our loss but rather theirs. One of the best qualities about my husband is his work ethic. He is a work horse and a true company man. He will give and give and give his all to help a company succeed. UCT didn't deserve him and fortunately another company, Vesta, saw the worth and snatched him right up! He is now a Program Manager overseeing the IT Department and doing a fantastic job! We are all happy that he has a lot more time at home now and our family is reaping the benefits of his presence. He is now able to be there to help get the kids bathed and ready for bed as well as give a lot of kisses and tuck the boys in. This new job will also be great when baby girl gets here because he does have more time at home and I have a feeling I will really need him then.

Vesta is a software company. They specialize in fraud detection. So, you can all rest easy knowing Mike is out there protecting your identity. So far they are treating him right and he is happy with the move.

WANTED: Kitchen Tent

It's A......

GIRL!!!!!!!
I burst into tears when the ultrasound tech told us the news. I love my boys and I love being a mom to boys but every time I walk through a childrens clothing department I always wish I had a little girl to buy cute clothes for and a little girl who wants to play dress up princess style. I want a mother daughter relationship... someone I'll be able to teach girl stuff to.
Barbie shoes mixed with Lego's sounds like a good mix to me!

Big Week for the Big One!

Michael had a very eventful week this past week. On Thursday he finished his first swimming session with flying colors! He got invited back to take the next course which starts in just over a week. We are really proud because not all the kids in his class passed and not all got invited back. He really loves swimming which makes me really happy... he takes after me!

He also lost his second tooth. This time instead of waiting weeks for it to fall out on it's own Michael decided he would tough it out and pull it out himself. When I picked him up from school on Friday he proudly showed me the trophy. When I asked him if it hurt he said "Yes, it hurt quite a bit." I had to laugh at his response. He said he was tired of it wiggling around in his mouth and just wanted it out. So, last night the Tooth Fairy paid him a visit once again. This time however, she had change handy so a dollar bill was left for him under his pillow.

He's growing so big so fast. I remember being pregnant with him, giving birth and holding that helpless little infant in my arms for the first time... I can't believe how quickly time goes by and how precious these moments are. Before I know it he'll be graduating from College, getting married and having babies of his own. What a joy kids are. They certainly make you see how the simple things in life are really what make the world go round.