Happy Birthday!

My dear sweet Jacob,

You're 3 today! I can't believe it's been three years since you came into our lives. You are such a funny and sweet little boy and I can't imagine our lives without you.

These days you are going to preschool, in Ms. Karen's class with your friends Henry, Ian, Matthew and Levi. You are potty trained (yaaay!), and recently picked up riding your 3-wheel scooter. You still love to sleep in bed with mommy and daddy, although we're working on it! Your very favorite things include monster trucks and matchbox cars, which you have a gazillion of.

I love you so much and I am so very proud of you.

Happy Birthday baby!

Love,
Mama

Farewell, 2009...

Once again it's been a long time since I've updated here. Since last time I posted, I have finished my first semester of school (A and B+!), and will be starting my second in a few weeks. It seemed like the longest semester ever, but of course now that it's over that seems silly.

For Thanksgiving, Collin went to Colorado with Brandy and the girls to visit some of her family, and we went to Brian's dad's house with my mom and Neil. We always have a nice time over there, and this year was no exception. Christmas followed soon after, about which the best I can say is I'm glad it's over! The holidays are stressful, and that brought out some unpleasantries, but hopefully everyone is past it.

Jacob will be starting at a preschool/day care soon, which has been emotional for me and will hopefully be a good thing for him. I pray he will not have trouble adjusting those first few days. I am grateful he got to spend his baby days with his Nana and I didn't have to worry about putting him in daycare then.

Here's hoping 2009 is a better year for some of the people I care about, and that me and my family continue to be blessed in 2010. Happy New Year!

It's been a while

I guess life has been pretty busy, because I was surprised to check in here and see it's been like 6 weeks since I've said anything. So what's happened...let's see...

Well, school (actually just Statistics) is harder than I expected. The semester is over in 5 weeks, which is good because I am anxious to be done with my Stats class. I think I can pull off a B, which is what I need for it to count toward graduation. I don't study anywhere near as much as I should - it's hard to get into the habit after not being a student for so long!


Jacob is 2 years 7 months old now, and still not potty trained. My goal is still by Christmas, but it's clear this kid will do it when he's good and ready, and no sooner. He also will not stop climbing in our bed in the middle of every night, which leaves me exhausted every morning, because it is like sleeping with an octopus. No matter how many times I scoot him over, he always comes right back up next to me. Which I guess I should see as the sweet thing it is. I sure do love the little guy.


Halloween just passed and was fun for all. It was a busy day with Audrey's soccer game and three dance performances, but we made it through. Collin, Brandy, Madison, Brooke, Rich and his family went trick-or-treating with us. Us parents got off easy, it only took an hour to get them their fill of candy.


Most importantly ;), Friday is my last twenty-something birthday. For whatever reason, the thought makes me feel old. I think I will be one of those women who have a hard time turning 30. I am so fortunate and blessed, I have had opportunities to accomplish many things so far in life, and I am truly grateful. But I am still sad to be at the end of my 20's!

Happy Birthday Audrey!

Wow, another year gone by! Saying that 7 years has flown by is an understatement. You are still the same beautiful, smart, sweet girl that you were a year ago, and I am still so proud of you. At 7, you are still in ballet and will be starting soccer this fall. Although you are not in the same 1st grade class as your good friend Abbie, you still play at recess and talk on the phone. And you still love all things that include dolls and snacking :)
I love you so much and hope you have a wonderful day! Tonight we will go spend your birthday money on that Nintendo DS you want, and go to the State Fair.
Here are some photos to remind you of your birthday party at ABQ Jump:

Felt like the first day of school

The last time I had a real first day of school was the Fall of 1999 when I began my bachelor's degree program. Terese was two months old. It's hard for me to remember what life was like back then, really. So much has changed.

This first day comes two more kids and ten years later. But some things remain the same - for instance, I still have to park and ride the stupid shuttle bus because there is still nowhere to park on campus. I still walk the same path to class, the lecture halls still look the same. Textbooks still cost a fortune. At 28, am I among the oldest students in class, because apparently all the BBA grads just decided to stay in school this year instead of looking for a job. The MBA program at UNM admitted 23% more students this fall than last year.

As for my classes, which are all Mgt ___, I am taking Interpersonal and Team Dynamics and Statistcs for Management. The first class I think I am going to really like. The syllabus looks like a piece of cake for starters, and the professor is very laid-back and funny. My very favorite part was when he said we would have no out-of -class group work, score!! I used to hate that. As for Statistics, let's just say I need to remember caffeine. It's from 7-9:30pm, and the professor still has a lingering European accent from when he moved here 50-something years ago so he sounds like the priest from The Princess Bride on occasion.

And so it begins!

OH! I almost forgot, the girs started school too :) Terese is in 5th grade, her last year of Elementary school, I can't believe that. And Audrey is in 1st grade this year. They are both happy with their teachers and so far liking their classes. Here they are on their first day, 8/20.

So, I can quit complaining now

I am officially a UNM student again!! I've registered for my two classes this semester, gotten my ID and parking pass, all I need is my books! Now check back in a few weeks to see if I'm still so excited :)

Old Friends

This past weekend, Audrey and I flew to Kentucky to visit our friends Stacy and Kylee. Stacy and I worked together in the past, and our girls are close in age and became friends too. They moved away (and made me cry!) right after Jacob was born, and we've missed them! I kinda invited myself over for a visit, and Stacy graciously put us up for the weekend. We had a good time and it was so great to see them and catch up.

For whatever reason, I didn't get a whole lot of pics, and not one of Stacy and I. But here are a few:

Kylee's birthday was on 8/1, in this pic are (from left) Kaden (Kylee's brother), Audrey, Kylee and then a few kids from the neighborhood.

The kids just kept comin'!

Playing on the swingset after swimming

On another note, I STILL have not been admitted to UNM, even though classes start on the 24th. I have a feeling I will be registering at the last minute.

Brian and I are off to Washington state over Labor Day weekend to see DMB play at the Gorge, which is about two hours east of Seattle. We have to feed our addiction! Compared to all the traveling we've done in past years, one long weekend of concerts is pretty tame :) We can't wait, but I sure am gonna miss the kids! Being away from them this past weekend, especially Jacob, was hard. I'm hoping their grandparents can keep them busy and distracted!