My other full-time job

You read correctly. My title implies that I have 2 full-time jobs. As a matter of fact, I'd say my jobs (sometimes intermittently) carry through the majority of my 24-hour days, 7 days a week.

My first full-time job is my joy. I am a wife, a mother, a homemaker. I adore my "title" and consider it a blessing to be able to be all three of these things at once. We have a happy home, filled with love and laughter, and it is an honor to be a piece of such a perfect puzzle.

My other full-time job is what pays the bills. I started working as a professional childcare provider (okay, okay - some might call this a "nanny"), about 5 weeks ago. I work 40 hours a week (8-4), at a home in South Pasadena, for a family with a 4 month old baby boy. The situation is actually more than ideal, as I am able to bring Maddie to work with me everyday. This gives Brant the ability to focus on his studies each day, without the interruptions of a 1 year-old begging for his attention. It also allows us to continue raising Maddie under our care, and not have to pay for someone else to watch her while I am away at some job elsewhere. The family takes excellent care of us, providing so many wonderful toys, baby supplies, space for play, etc. The job also provides me with paid vacation, holidays and sick time. What a deal, huh? It is an absolute phenomenal scenario for our life right now.

However...(you knew this was coming, didn't you?), a job like this can also take its toll. I mean, doesn't every job? I have had people tell me, "You're kidding me! You get paid to hang out with Maddie all day long? Its just like what you do at home, that's awesome!" Yes, it is awesome, but it is nothing like doing "what I do at home" all day. As a stay-at-home mom, I can take care of household chores, Maddie has free range over our house and I don't have to worry about her as much, I can do little hobbies (like scrapbooking or blogging), I can bake, or I can even lay down and close my eyes for a bit.

I think the hardest part for me right now is dealing with two, very young children at the same time. Their baby is a fairly mild-mannered little boy, which is great, but he can also be a baby: i.e. he will go from 0-60 in no time flat; he does cry; he can be irritated by various things; he is teething; he gets frustrated for no obvious reason, etc. Add that to a toddler with her own personality, and it can be quite the day! Maybe I'm complaining too much. I think I'm still adjusting to this new lifestyle.

I find myself in awe over the amazing job I have, and 30 seconds later, I can be thinking, "I wonder how long I will actually be here..day, after day, after day...will I really last indefinitely?" I cannot go back to teaching at this point in our life, and that is okay with me; I'll get there again. But I can become inwardly frustrated that I have this degree and I'm not using it right now. I'm a licensed special education teacher, and what do I do currently? I nanny. Hmm. Doesn't quite have the same prideful ring to it as my career job does. I admit it: I am prideful. I think it is okay to be proud of the degree I worked hard for. And I think my current job situation is an excellent opportunity for me to work on humility. It is an extremely low to zero stress job. I don't bring work home with me (well, with the exception of Maddie Mae! :) ), I don't have paperwork, deadlines, meetings. I just report at 8 and go home at 4, end of story. I think another big difference for me is the concept of starting and finishing a job. As a teacher, I started at the beginning of the school year and I had a goal; a finish line to cross in June. With this job, I signed on, and now I'm just going. Like any job, yes, but this isn't my career, so it is difficult for me to relax into the position without knowing what my end point is, you know?

Sigh. So I guess the lesson learned from writing this post today is to work on patience and humility. I think I just signed up for a third full-time job!

With a heavy heart, I am grateful...

I sit here this morning with a reflective spirit.

My life is so rich and full. I have more than everything I could possibly need. My husband loves and cherishes me and my baby girl adores me. I serve a mighty God who is faithful and loving, taking care of our every need daily. My kitchen always has food, my electricity always runs, my car has gas in it and I have clothes to wear. I am in good health and I have a steady job in a rough economy. My family and friends support me, love me and take care of me. I am more than grateful. I am beyond blessed.

So why the heavy heart? I am undeserving of such an abundance of the beautiful gifts listed above. Again I say, my life is so rich and full. This morning, I read an email that informed me of the health status of a former student of mine. I have been following this student for several years, watching him battle through the unthinkable; beating the odds right and left, although with great trauma and difficulty. This boy passed his life expectancy over 6 years ago, and has continued to fight hard. The email was written by his mother, and more than any other message I have read of hers, this one tugged at my heart strings. She is a mother crying out for her son to be cured of his terminal illness, to have her happy boy back in her arms feeling full of life again. I cannot portray the depths of what this family has gone through with their son. He was a victim of fetal alcohol syndrome, and this family adopted him and raised him as one of their own. You might even know him as "Electron Boy" from Seattle - if you don't, you should google it and read more about him; it is truly a heartwarming story.

My heart is heavy because of the trials this family is being put through, along with so, so many other families all over the world. I want this family to feel the joy of their son being well. Meanwhile, I continue to pray for a divine miracle to happen for him. I am blessed to have a happy, healthy beautiful 1-year-old running around, full of energy and zest. I am grateful and count my blessings with the start of each new day. Life is too precious not to.

Grandma Kris comes for a visit!

It is a beautiful thing that we live on the west coast for many, many reasons. One of the best reasons is the close proximity in which we live to family. Granted, we are not in the same state, and we are roughly 17+ hours away. However, the opportunity for affordable airfare and short flight time is abundant, and we already have received phone calls from people looking for the next best time to pay us a visit!

My mom decided to fly down and play with us here, in sunny California, over the long holiday weekend. We had more than a fabulous time! She arrived on Saturday and we immediately hit the ground running with our itinerary for fun!
We spent a couple of hours at Redondo Beach on Saturday afternoon, basking in the sunshine, playing in the surf, and sharing life together on the sand. It was beautiful! Mom was beside herself with glee and giddiness, and we thoroughly enjoyed watching her reunite with Maddie. We enjoyed a nice dinner at home, followed by a yummy dessert and special viewing of "Mamma Mia," one of our favorites, and one my mom had never seen.

On Sunday, we woke up and got ready for church. About 10 minutes prior to leaving, we heard a loud, odd sound coming from the kitchen. Brant turned the corner into the kitchen to find our pretty little girl, in her pretty little dress, covered in pears and pear juice! Ack! We worked as a team to clean up the kitchen, throw her into the bathtub, get her into a new dress, blow-dry her hair and managed to make it to church on time. Lesson learned from this experience? Maddie knows how to open the refrigerator. Oh, the joys. :)

We had a lazy Sunday afternoon, which was a wonderful thing for everyone. After Maddie's nap, we drove over to Griffith Park, intending to go up to the observatory and see the Hollywood sign. Unfortunately, there was no parking available anywhere near the observatory, and due to time, we thought it would be best to bag it this time around. Mom, we owe you this next time! We still managed to find something fun to do. We found the historic Merry-go-Round. I don't know much about it, but it was definitely old! We arrived right as it was finishing its last run for the day. Maddie was delighted to sit on a stationary horse right outside the gate.That evening, we pulled out "Just Dance" for the Wii and practiced our dance moves - it was a lot of fun! We didn't stay up too late, because we wanted to be well rested for our next day's event. Can you guess where we went?
We spent all of Monday at Disneyland!! 13 1/2 hours, to be exact. The most important fact to share about this trip was that it was the first time my mom has been to Disneyland in 20 years! It was really, really special to be able to share this with her. She had a fantastic time and fell into the magic immediately. I'm pretty sure we hit just about every major ride in the park. Mom and Maddie both got "ears" and wore them proudly. Seriously, how cute are they?!Brant and I do own some ourselves, but they are in storage down in Portland at the moment. We are still trying to find them, and when we do, we will wear them loud and proud!
Maddie didn't try too hard to pull the sword out of the stone. She thought her Daddy was too cute!..The most memorable part of the day for me was riding on the big roller coasters with my mom and hearing her scream. I mean, SCREAM. She was not quiet, and it was almost as though she wasn't even stopping to take a breath! It was hilarious! We went on the Matterhorn, and she decided she'd turn right back around and go on it with Brant (there wasn't even 3 minutes between rides for her!). She was a trooper all day and knew how to play! :)My mom had to leave on Wednesday. She spent Tuesday with Brant and Maddie, while I went to work. Our entire time together was spectacular, truly. We had such a great time! The weather was perfect, the company awesome, and the memories will be cherished forever. Thank you, again, Mom! We can't wait to have you come back!!

Maddie's new trick!

This entry is a bit delayed in being posted...

MADDIE STARTED WALKING!!! She woke up from her nap on Friday afternoon and decided, "Today is the day!" She is an absolute pro. Like I've been saying for months now, she really has been walking this whole time, but she has depended heavily on her walker, even though she hasn't really needed it for that long. Sunday, we made another trip to Disneyland! We decided to purchase one of those cute little backpacks that have an adorable strap that hangs out the backside...okay, okay...some people call it a "leash", but I refuse to refer to it that way. The backpack was the perfect thing for Maddie. She no longer wants to hold our hands when walking and really, really wants to explore her independence with this new found skill of hers. The best part about the backpack is that it is a little Minnie Mouse! :) Enjoy this video clip we took using our cell phone.

Exploring California

A week and a half ago, we had the opportunity to travel about 6 hours north of Pasadena to visit friends in Boulder Creek (outside of Santa Cruz) and in Monterey. Brant had just finished his Latin class and had time off, and I had one week left until I started my new job. What better time to go on another adventure in California!?

We went to visit our friends, Lori and Andrew, who live at Camp Hammer in Boulder Creek. They have been living here for a couple of years and we've always been curious as to where they live and what it is like to live "at camp" year round. It was great to finally be able to visit them. We had a fantastic time exploring their home turf, riding the zip-line, swimming in the pool, playing Monopoly and hanging out. They are excellent hosts - thank you, again, Lori and Andrew!! We can't wait to see you again soon!

We've been friends for 10 years, now! Each time we're together, we are able to pick up right where we left off - love this.Maddie enjoyed exploring camp, too. :)Daddy's shoulders offer such a better view!Ready to jump off and fly!This is a close-up just after I was flying back to the stopping point. I'm waving to Maddie and trying to console her. She was NOT happy with the whooping and hollering sounds that were coming out of my mouth as I flew past her the first time. After a few tears, she was all better. All better, that is, until it was Daddy's turn and we had to console her all over again. :) Our fabulous hosts!I feel like Maddie is saying, "Oh, Mommy. Another picture?!" Future basketball player? She's got the height! Only time will tell.Lori and I gave in and decided to play a rousing game of Monopoly. Funny thing is, she and I were doing exceptionally well most the game, and she pulled out and won. Guess we can play this again next time. :)We love hanging out with such great friends!We left Camp Hammer and headed about an hour away to Monterey. Our friends, Kevin, Meredith and Faith (all from Princeton), just moved there this summer. What a wonderful thing to both have moved across the country, only to be 6 hours apart! Aside from hanging out in their beautiful home and catching up, we explored the famous Monterey Aquarium. It was a beautiful place and fun to watch Maddie's expressions as she took it all in. She wasn't always aware of what she was looking at, as she is still a little young for this, but she still had a good time. On Saturday, before making the trek back to Pasadena, we all drove into Carmel-by-the-Sea and explored this beautiful town, full of art galleries and expensive, but desirable, shops. It was a great trip, and once more, we were spoiled to be able to spend time with such good friends.

Maddie was greeted by an otter puppet when we entered the aquarium. She loved it!There was a little port-hole underneath a large wave crashing simulator that fit Maddie's stroller perfectly. The waves crashed over and around her. She thought it was pretty cool.One of the best parts of the trip, truly, was the fact that we were able to wear jeans and long sleeves again! The clouds were beautiful, too! (It always cleared up on our trip, but the temperatures were super comfortable, unlike Pasadena's never-ending heat wave!).Talking about the pretty fish swimming around in the tank.It was really neat to see Maddie and Faith reunited again. Maddie loved to climb up onto Faith's wheelchair, without hesitation and without asking, of course. :) Maddie, enjoying her blueberry pancakes. In fact, she was cracking up during most of her meal.
Visiting the shops of Carmel-by-the-Sea.We ate lunch at the "Hog's Breath Inn", which is a restaurant owned by Clint Eastwood. It was delicious!We drove home on HWY 1, through Big Sur. The views were spectacular!
We had a great vacation and such a good time exploring a new part of California that neither of us had ever been.

Celebration!

Brant finished his first class at Fuller on Thursday. He learned Latin in 8 weeks. Whew! And what did we do to celebrate? Why, go to Disneyland, of course!! :) Hmm...what sort of magical things should we do today?
A girl after my own heart. Maddie really liked Pluto. She was smiling the whole time and had no problem giving him high fives or squeezing his big nose.The beautiful life-like scenery...everything Disney does is so perfect!Dumbo fun!Brant wanted to be sure he made it in a picture for the blog, so this is what he asked me to take a picture of. Definitely not the best of Maddie - she was in the middle of eating a banana, so she was a bit preoccupied. "In Everything You Do, CELEBRATE YOU!" And boy, did we ever!