The News From Here

OK, so I have been slacking. Actually, to be more accurate, I have been very, very busy. So, here are the highlights.

-End of October, we spent 10 fantastic days at Disney World with the kids and my parents. Love. Nate was totally surprised and both boys had a lot of fun...as did the adults :) It was wonderful to spend quality time with my parents and catch up. And did I mention I am addicted to all things Disney?

-Christmas, the standard blur of activity. It was the first xmas in our Minnesota memory that there was NOT snow on the ground. Very strange. It has overall been a very warm winter here, part of me believes this is because this is the first year that I have purchased snow tires for the car.

-January, we spent a week in sunny California, a welcome reprieve from the cold tundra. We spent time with Alex's sister and her family and then a few days in Anaheim at Disneyland. I told you I was addicted ;) My sister, 2 sisters-in-law and I ran the inaugural Tinkerbell Half Marathon which was AWESOME...I would have never in a million years thought that I would run a half marathon. It was made all the more exciting because we thought it would be a relay. Fortunately, we discovered our error about six weeks before the race so we could increase our training. I never would have signed up for a half marathon but am glad that I went through with it. I have been slacking off on my running since, but just signed up for a 10K in April so will be strapping on those running shoes again.

-February. After years of talking about getting a dog, we finally started looking on a local rescue animal website that a friend of mine had success with. We debated between a lot of different breeds and features (puppy vs. older, large vs medium sized, etc). We finally decided to do a meet and greet with a dog and promised ourselves that we would not take him home that night. Famous last words. Tater is a 6 month old german shepard mix who is just a sweetheart. He has some nipping (totally normal for a dog his age) and can get a little excited about stuff, but does very well with the boys. He is fully potty trained which is a bonus and is pretty good on the leash. He starts puppy obedience boot camp on Monday and I am guessing he will do very well. He is very smart and eager to please...a delight to have. Now if only the cats will forgive us.

Nate continues to have toileting issues, we are now going to the urologist and gastroenterologist in a couple of weeks. I keep telling myself that this will not go on forever... At some point, Ben will also want to start training so I'm hoping to have Nate resolved before that point. Ah, the sexy life of being a parent. Nate is very active in swimming, gymnastics and snowboarding right now. He did six weeks of ski school and really excelled, he thinks he still likes the skis over snowboarding. We also signed him up for twice weekly swim lessons and it finally clicked for him. He has jumped up two class levels in a short period of time and is able to zoom the length of the pool very quickly. He is working on rhythmic breathing and may soon be able to join the swim team. His biggest accomplishment though is being able to go on the waterslide since he is able to keep himself afloat. A big day for everybody :)

Ben has been growing in leaps and bounds. He now insists on putting his boots on by himself, which is fine because he is able to do it by himself (unless he decides he doesn't want to). He has gotten much better at communicating and his words are pretty articulate. He is doing gymnastics and, as the only boy in the class, gets a lot of attention from the girls. He continues to do well at the Montessori school and is pretty easy going there. He is somewhat stubborn at home, though I am told he is his parents' child.

Work and moonlighting have kept me busy, though we were finally able to hire an afternoon nanny to be home when Nate gets off of the bus in the afternoon. It has been pretty much the best decision ever. She is able to get him going on homework or a craft, cook dinner and do some housework before we get home. I am no longer needing to rush out of work to pick up two kids and then try to make dinner while exhausted...now I just have to get one kid by six, come home to dinner almost done and am able to play with both boys then talk about their days while we eat as a family. Laundry still piles up somewhat but she is able to keep the dishes done and prevent the laundry from becoming overwhelming. And the kids love her...it has improved our lives immeasurably. Alex is doing well at work and now is able to come home to a less-stressed family ;) Why didn't we think of this sooner?