2nd Lady Bug

I do think Lady Bugs are a sign of good things to come because I just had the most wonderful last day of work on the 29th of July. I have to admit, I thought I had been forgotten, but everyone at work planned a surprise barbecue luncheon for me. They even got me a cake that said, "Kristine, don't leave." I also have had several past clients call because they felt prompted to do so. It is always nice to get a call from someone who is still clean and sober and living to their highest potential.

I feel so much gratitude in my heart for everyone from work and am so grateful for the work experience I got to have while in Cheyenne. I NEVER in a million years thought I would work in the addictions field. My last couple of hours at work I ran a group called Aftercare and I got really emotional as I expressed to all of them how much they had taught me. People suffering from addiction are often very creative, intelligent, down to earth and non judgmental (well except of the police) and just regular people who happen wear their weaknesses on their sleeves. I often feel bad that I can hide away my character flaws and present my best self to most people, when their greatest weakness in life is so visible to all around them. I will miss all my clients for the most part and wish them nothing but the best.

I don't know what the future will hold regarding what type of population I will work with, but I will always be grateful I was able to help people suffering from addiction.

Paul was thoughtful and brought me flowers on my last day of work! And for those astute observers, you are right, that is not dirt, it is chocolate covered almonds! Paul knows me too well and also brought them by himself because he knew I would be upset at the $12 delivery fee.

Lady Bugs

Are Lady Bugs good luck???? I have always been told they were and I am hoping this is true. I have seriously had about 4 lady bugs land on me so hopefully lots of good things to come. Maybe Paul's new job was one of the lady bugs. Tomorrow is my last day of work and it is really bitter-sweet. I don't know what to make of it now. Part of me is so excited to be home with Hayden everyday and have more time to get all those weekly tasks done: grocery shopping, vacuuming, mopping, etc. But the other part of me is sad and I feel like I am losing a part of myself for awhile. I definitely won't be working while we are in Indiana for 6 months, but I guess we'll see where I am at when we get to Atlanta. Saying goodbye to great clients has made me think I want to keep working a bit, so we'll see.

Clapping

Here is a short video of Hayden clapping. She just figured it out yesterday on Pioneer Day. She is getting so brave and standing up on her own for longer and longer periods of time. She loves holding our hands and walking all over.

Atlanta, Georgia Here We Come!

Paul and I are getting out of the Air Force and the past couple months have been a bit crazy as we have been preparing to exit the Air Force. Paul went to a huge hiring conference in Chicago, IL with companies from all over the country. He interviewed with 9 companies and from these interviews he got 8 yes's and 1 maybe to go to a site interview. We narrowed it down to 4 companies that Paul was really interested in and has gone to Owensboro, KY (where they have a famous bbq restaurant, but that's about it), Denver, CO, Grand Rapids, MI and finally Indianapolis IN. This schedule has been really busy because for awhile there he was either on alert or at an interview. From these site visits he got 3 offers and we chose the company named Bastian Material Handling where he will be working as a Sales Engineer. The headquarters are in Indiana, but we will be taking the job in Atlanta, Georgia. I NEVER thought I would live in the south, but I guess it will be a fun adventure. Of course, it's not going to be quite that simple...First we will go to Indiana for 6 months in order for Paul to receive the proper training. The main benefit of this is we get to live rent free for 6 months and we will really be able to save away for a home and actually have 6 more months to find one!

There are many positives about Georgia: 1) we will be closer to some of Paul's brothers 2) my Marriage and Family Therapy license should transfer over easily 3) great deals on homes there 4) great friends from grad school live there 5) there is a temple!!! and strong church community 6) lots of fun things to do (Paul says, "the Atlanta Braves) 7) our friends the Sanders are from Atlanta so we will see them when they come home to visit 8) and finally we both feel like this is the right company for Paul to work for and that good things will come from it.

We are very sad to leave our friends and move further from most of our family, but are excited for this new opportunity. We will be moving August 26th in order for Paul to start his first day of work in Indiana on the 30th. It's only a 16 hour drive so it shouldn't be too bad!

10 Months

Today Hayden turned 10 months old. She continues to change so much and here are some of the things she is up to. Every time we give her a bath we put some toys in. She has letters and numbers and right when she gets in the bath tub she goes straight for the letter "L." There are other letters this color, so it must be the shape she likes!

This is a pretty good picture of her first little bruise. She has become quite the headbanger. She will growl and rock out all the time and happened to hit her head on our friends coffee table. I was reading that lots of kids go through the headbanging phase but more commonly boys. The author said to be neutral about it and it will go away. But seriously? I can't help but laugh...

She is also starting to make messes. This is what I found this morning. She was laughing hysterically while I was dusting in our bedroom so I decided I better see what was so funny. I got so used to her being so immobile, but not anymore! She is real fascinated with the toilet lately. She likes to watch when I flush it and sadly stuck her hand in it. I better keep the lids down.

Hayden also recently discovered how neat her tongue is and loves curling it around and making funny shapes out of it. She also let go and stood by herself today. And lastly, instead of being excited about the vacuum she is now terrified of it. Literally one day I turned it on and she was screaming, my book says that is normal too. I was always motivated to vacuum because I knew she loved it, so now I'll have to find a new motivation. Hayden is also quite the cuddler. She will put her head against my chest when she meets someone new and is being shy or when she is getting tired. It's one of the best parts of my day.

Procrastination

It's true what they say, it is NEVER good to procrastinate. My personality is such that I usually don't do that, but this month Paul has been gone so much that we barely looked over our purchases and bills for the month of June today. We keep all of our receipts in a little file folder and so after I pulled out the last receipt I noticed something shiny. I thought, "what in the world is that" and pulled out Paul's missing wedding ring! He lost it before we went home to Utah in May and if we had just done or finances earlier we would have found it. Maybe this is a sign of good things to come. Paul lost his first wedding ring when we went kayaking with his parents about 2 years ago and I bought him a replacement. So I was really upset when he lost this one too. He has been wearing his Air Force Academy ring as his wedding ring the past couple of months so I'm glad he's married to me again and not the AF.

Happy Day

The last few years and noticed I was "sick" all the time. I counted 11 sinus infections in 2008! I finally figured out that I wasn't getting sick, I have terrible allergies which lead to the development of a lot of sinus infections. So I went to the allergy doctor in February 2009 and got pocked in the back 72 times I believe. From this I found out I was highly allergic to trees, grass, weeds, mold, corn pollen, and cats! Because I was pregnant I couldn't start any allergy injections, so I waited until November 2009 when I began the injections. They start out by giving you small doses of what you are allergic to in order to help make you immune. Anyway, I started out going twice weekly and got 1 shot in each arm (that's 4 shots a week!). This lasted for about 3-4 months, then I went to 1 shot in each arm once weekly which was great! Well I have finally worked up to the therapeutic dose today and now only go in twice monthly!!!! So it's been a good day. It has been a long road, but I feel so much better and have not gotten those pesky sinus infections. Hayden loves all the nurses at the clinic as they have loved watching her grow up the past year. I'm sure they will both miss not seeing each other!

4th of July

Paul and I headed out to Colorado Springs to spend the 4th with my sister Michelle and her husband Jared. We actually celebrated on the 3rd since we had to drive back on the 4th so Paul could go on alert on Monday. To start the morning off we went to the farmer's market and the swimming in the afternoon. Hayden loved holding onto the side of the pool and jumping up and down. You will also notice that she finally has enough hair to spike up a bit!

After swimming and while Paul and Jared golfed at the Air Force Academy, Michelle and I began preparing dinner. We chopped for hours, but had lots of yummy food. We even tried kabobs for the first time and they turned out great.

The family in Michelle and Jared's beautiful home

Hayden in her adorable 4th of July outfit that I got on a great deal last summer. It really brought our her blue eyes and everyone that saw her commented on how stunning they were. Isn't she looking so grown up! Her bib has three snaps on the back and we usually had to put it on the biggest one to get it around her neck (or lack there of) but now we button it on the smallest one. She has really changed in the past couple of weeks. She is so much more mobile. She also started eating some foods with texture. Paul is very concerned because he talked to a guy at work who knew a baby that ate baby food until she was 1 1/2 years old. Hayden really loves baby food and it has been hard to get her to eat ANYTHING else. But we got her to eat a piece of cantaloupe as well as some cherries. She also said, "ma, ma" for the first time on the 3rd. She was actually chocking on a cracker and after Paul got it out, she reached for me and said, "ma, ma" what an neat coincidence! She is kind of going through a mom stage right now where she really wants me and if I'm not available another female. It has started to make Paul feel sad. She also likes to say, "up" with a strong "p" on the end.

All in all, it was a great weekend and we are so happy to see Michelle and Jared more often.

Crawling

Paul and I are finally feeling a little relieved now that Hayden has started to crawl on July 2nd! It is definitely not the prettiest crawl we have ever seen, but it will do. When she is on a rug or carpet she will crawl with both legs back, but on the hard wood floors this is what she does. It's pretty entertaining to watch. She still prefers to stand and walk around on the furniture, but at least she now has another option. Also, when she gets to what she wants, instead of just crawling one more time, she will reach as far as she can to see if she can get it that way. Too funny!

Also, because Hayden is crawling more and starting to like her stomach she has started sleeping on her tummy. This is the funny position I found her in at my sister's house. Her head was smashed on the side of the pack and play. That is also the blanket that she has started to form an attachment too. It has strips cut on 2 sides and she loves holding them when she is falling asleep.

Bye-bye or Hi

I thought I would show you all Hayden's skills! Here is a video of her waving about a week ago. It's so fun being able to teach her new things.