What's up!?!

I love hearing about how everyone is doing, and reading their blogs about random things. So I thought I'd post a little update myself.

I am really enjoying being back at work. It has many advantages for many areas of my life. The biggest thing is that it keeps my days moving and keeps me from getting bored. Being a homeschooling parent can sometimes drag on. My kids and I spend a lot of time together and most of the time I'm stuck at home so they can have time for their creative play, which doesn't involve me and so I can get a little bored. I love getting out of the house each night and having things move a little quicker.
It also helps my marriage that I'm not so bored. Vic and I tend to be homebodies and spend a lot of time together, which can get old. Nowadays we don't see each other for much more than dinner, and it helps us appreciate each other a bit more. We catch up at the end of the night and it's nice to have that focused talk time, since we don't know everything that we're doing anymore.
Working also helps me feel productive and that I'm contributing in a tangable way. It's nice to have some extra money these months to take the pressure off, and it's nice to know I'm building something that I can use later as the kids grow.
My office is in downtown Auburn, which is not a very affluent area. Most of the people I work with are divorced, and make between 3,000 and 20,000 a year and are trying to support their kids on that. It's really humbling to me to see these people who work so hard and have so little. Sometimes they are desparate just to get their power turned back on. It's heartbreaking, but also makes me grateful each day that I live so comfortably.

The weather here has been wonderful. We have had so many days above 50 degrees. I love going outside in the crisp air, it just makes me feel so good again.

I've told some of you, but Taryn gets to go to Disneyland with our neighbors in April. It is so generous of them to take her. Taryn is looking forward to it, not just because it will be fun, but because she will get to be away from us and on her own for 7 days. She thinks of it like summer camp. I'm excited for her independence and hope she handles it well.

Erik has been his usual challenging, joyful, and entertaining self. He is creating so many star wars worlds around the house. He is learning to read well and has really opened up the world for him. It's exciting to see.

Vic's company is being bought out and the deal will finalize the 1st of March. So we may have some changes, we just don't know what yet. We're crossing our fingers for something good.

Thats us these days!

Afternoon walk

We went on a walk the other day, to the creek behind our house. Someone has built this really cool fort structure out of logs. The kids loved it, it's like their own little hideout.