Life Update

It has been awhile since we posted anything besides pictures. So for anyone who still reads our blog this is a life update.

I could not start a life update without starting off with our precious new son. He tipped the scale today at 16 pounds. Lately he has been developing and doing new things each week, the biggest being rolling over. The rest of them have been stuff like grabbing things better or putting his big toe in his mouth. Monumental I know! Lots of smiles! We call him our little heater because no matter how cold you are if you hold him you warm right up. One funny thing about our kid is that he has sweaty and stinky feet. We don't know what side that comes from?

We are loving this stage in life for all the good and not so easy parts. Some days we feel like we have this new parent gig down and then there are the days like last Thursday. I had to stand up all day to keep from falling asleep, especially at the staff meeting. I have no real complaints. The hardest part is that Shelley has to be away from Landon all day. We try to get him at 3PM every day but between naps and his bedtime at 8 the time seems very short. We are very thankful that next year he is going to be staying with his current day care where he will get one on one attention. He will also get a day with his GoGo grandmother who he is really loving.

Shell is very busy. She is very go go go at work so that she can get out of there asap to be with Landon. I used to think she would make a very warm and caring mother. I was right, our kids will be so very blessed. We are both trying really hard to save money so that she can stay home for a year after we have another child. No she is not pregnant, we are just trying to plan into the future a little.

For me I have quite the routine down. Get home at 5 to cook dinner. Clean and sterilize all the bottles and breast pump stuff. Do the dishes. Play as much as possible with Landon. Go on a walk while we push the sleeping boy in the stroller. (I love this time with my wife, great talks, good connecting time each day, + we are both losing our pregnancy weight still) After the walk we do bath and then it is bed time. Lights out by 9!

Job wise it is the same drill as the last 5-6 years. Pink slips and doom and gloom. We manage to hang on every year. Last year was the closest and this would have been the real deal if the district had not offered early retirement. Thankfully 70+ elementary teachers retired and I am pretty confident we will have jobs even though the district keeps telling us we won't. There is a strong chance that I will get moved to a different school. Change might be a good thing, though it would be the first time in 10 years I did not work with Shell. The hardest part about all the budget cuts is that we will be taking another salary cut of 8%, getting 5 more furlough days, and possibly more out of pocket health care costs. Still though, I am so thankful to have a job and count it a blessing every year I get hired back.

Looking to the future we have 11.5 weeks left until summer time. We are looking forward to being with our boy 24/7 and taking a break from our crazy routine. It will also be nice to catch up with our dearly missed friends. Thankfully they are very understanding and busy themselves.