Trip to Atlanta

Last weekend we took a trip to the Atlanta area to visit my Uncle George and my cousin Jennifer and her family. We stayed at Jennifer's house, which was a dream for the boys because they got to spend time with Jennifer's 4 kids: John Michael, Matthew, Kristen and Benji. Nathan was so excited to see that they had all the same Disney cars that we have at home (and more!) and Tyler had so much fun with the big kids who showed him how to play different games on the Wii. Tim enjoyed having John Michael school him in a game of football on the PS3. I loved spending time with Jennifer, who I hadn't seen since my brother's wedding in 2001. We have so much in common and she showed me some of her tips for keeping a busy household in order. Her husband, John, was working in Kansas, which is where the rest of the family will be moving in just a couple months, so we missed seeing him.

We arrived on Friday evening after traveling for 8 hours. The boys did really well in the car because they got to watch movies on our new dual screen portable DVD player. The last hour of our drive we hit some thunderstorms that eventually tore through NC and developed into devastating tornadoes. Thankfully, we made it to Jennifer's house before the weather got really bad.

On Saturday we met up with Uncle George and headed to the Georgia Aquarium in downtown Atlanta. It was definitely the most impressive aquarium we've visited. The exhibits were enormous and had so many different kinds of sea life. Tyler's favorites were the whale sharks (the largest type fish in the world), the dolphins, and the beluga whales. Nathan's favorites were the "shark fishes" and the beluga whales.

After the aquarium we ate a picnic lunch at Centennial Olympic Park, which was built for the 1996 Olympic Games, and let the kids run around in the big center field. We even got to see the 2 bricks that Uncle George had engraved for the construction of the park.

While Matthew, Kristen and Benji kept Nathan occupied, Tyler was running all over the center field almost non-stop. He still loves to run!

Jennifer had to head back home to pick up John Michael, who was returning from a church youth group trip, so Uncle George gave Tim a quick driving tour of Atlanta. Since it was my 4th visit to Atlanta, I had seen most of the areas before, but it had been about 6 years since my last visit, so it was fun for me to see the city again.

After our tour we headed back to Uncle George's house for a delicious dinner that he made for us. We enjoyed the chance to just sit and relax with him for a while. Uncle George is a talented artist and I loved seeing all his pottery. He even gave Nathan and Tyler each a horse that he made. Uncle George has given us several pieces that we have on display at our house, so the boys were very excited to have their own pottery pieces from him.

After church on Sunday morning and a short visit to the mall, we spent the rest of the day hanging out at Jennifer's house. The boys played with the kids (including Tim, who got pounded in a game of Madden against John Michael), while Jennifer and I just talked and made dinner. I even got to help her make a modified (i.e., simplified) version of lumpia. Tim was pretty impressed that I made a Chamorro dish and has already asked when I'm going to make it again.


I'm so glad we had the opportunity to spend time with both Uncle George and Jennifer's family. We've been wanting to visit Uncle George and Jennifer's family for quite some time, and we knew a road trip like this one would be really difficult with a baby, so we went ahead and did it now. I'm so glad we did! It was a great weekend--I wish we could have stayed longer!

Outside

Sometimes I can just tell that the boys need to get some fresh air. Today was one of those days. They weren't getting along with each other very well inside the house, so I sent them outside this afternoon and, sure enough, they were all smiles. They love to play pirates with baseball bats as their swords and they even have a little hideout spot by one of the trees in our backyard. Sometimes they'll pull out their little lawn chairs and just sit in the driveway (behind the house where it's safe) like two old men. Sometimes they just make me giggle.

April

I kind of have a love-hate relationship with April.

I love all the signs of new life that pop up everywhere I look: budding trees, tulips, daffodils, flowering bushes, green grass. I love hearing the birds chirping in the tree right outside our bedroom window each morning. I even like watching the squirrels running around our backyard and along our deck with the boys. (At our house, all squirrels are referred to as "Jumpy" because that's the name of Curious George's little squirrel friend who lives in the country). And, most of the time, spring temperatures are so pleasant--not too hot, not too cold, not too humid.

So why do I not love everything about April? One look at Tyler's face and it becomes evident. I do not like pollen, and here in NC, it is everywhere! My white SUV, which is parked in the garage most of the time, wears a layer of yellowish green powder. At least this year it has been raining every few days to wash away the pollen that collects on every outdoor surface. Even so, poor Tyler has and will continue to have swollen eyes for the remainder of the month, or until the trees finish pollinating all over everything.


This year, to combat his seasonal allergies, we're trying prescription nasal spray and eye drops. These prescriptions were not cheap, but they do seem to be helping more than the Zyrtec we tried the previous 2 Aprils. The thing that helps the most is to keep Tyler inside, but that's just not a plausible solution. Tyler loves to be outside. He craves fresh air and space to run around and play. So, we go outside every afternoon, unless it's raining, and when we come back inside the boys head straight to the shower. I can't take the chance that any pollen they have on their clothes, skin, and hair will get distributed throughout the house and then rubbed into Tyler's eyes. I've had to rearrange our schedule a bit because we usually do baths at bedtime, but thankfully April is almost half over and then we should be able to return to our normal routine.


Now that I've totally dissed the month of April, let me end on a more positive note. This year Easter falls in April and so this month I'm reminded of my Savior's death on a cross for my sins and His resurrection. We've been reading Easter books at bedtime with the boys, and I'm not talking about the kind that are all about the Easter Bunny and hunting for eggs. These are simple board books that share the true meaning of Easter in a fun way that the boys can understand. Obviously at this age, there isn't a whole lot of focus on the violent death that Jesus suffered. We primarily focus on the new life that God has made available to us through his Son and that's really the most important message we can teach them.

And one more reason to love the month of April--Nathan's birthday! I can't believe his 3rd birthday is coming up at the end of the month! He's getting entirely too big.

A Big Brother's Prerogative

I sometimes feel sorry for Nathan because I know firsthand that every big brother feels it is his prerogative to tease, harass, and frustrate his younger sibling. The other night both brothers wanted to play with PJ. Tyler was first at the scene, so Nathan waited (not very patiently) for his turn at throwing PJ's reindeer chew toy. Tyler had other plans...

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If Tyler and Nathan's wrestling seems a little rough, you must have never raised 2 boys under the same roof. This is an every day activity for our boys, although it's usually just for fun when they need a break from books, puzzles, drawing, coloring, and other quiet activities. Seriously, they have SO MUCH ENERGY!!!

I'm the Winner

About a year ago I decided to take a second stab at the CPA exam. I had previously passed 3 out of the 4 sections when I was working in public accounting, but I never got around to passing the last section. It was difficult for me to find adequate study time when I was already working 60+ hours each week and/or traveling. I'm not sure why I thought finding time to study for such a monster exam would be any easier with 2 little ones running around, but I made a commitment to at least try.

I started studying in May of last year and I took my 4th and final section in mid-January. It was 8 months of no free time, lots of late nights, and balancing my responsibilities to my family with the time demands of this exam. This was a major reason why I didn't resume blogging during 2010. I spent my days caring for my boys, and my evenings (and the boys' occasional naps) trying to squeeze in a few hours of study time.

Due to a new format of the exam, which was effective at the beginning of the year, results were released even more slowly than usual. I waited 2.5 months for the results of my last section and I finally received them yesterday. I can't really describe how I felt when I saw the bright red "Congratulations!" stamped on the envelope. I ran up the driveway from the mailbox and up the stairs (despite being 6-months pregnant) to where my boys were playing pirates in their bedroom. I had to share my excitement with someone, and since Tim was out running, I had to tell Tyler and Nathan.

Me: Guess what, guys!

Tyler & Nathan: What?

Me: Mommy passed her test!

Nathan: Yay! (coming over to give me a hug)

Tyler: Oh. (from the top bunk, clearly hoping for something more exciting)

Me: You guys might not remember because it was so long ago, but remember how I was always studying and had to take a test?

Tyler: Yeah.

Me: Well, I passed it! I don't have to take any more tests!

Nathan: Yay! (another hug and some jumping)

Tyler: So...are you the winner?

Me: Yes! I'm the winner! (giggling at his choice of words)

Tyler: Yay! (arms in the air to cheer for me)

Nathan: Yay! (claps his hands)

After receiving more hugs from Nate, I immediately called my mom, a veteran CPA and the one person in my family who could truly understand the relief and excitement of passing this exam. She also happens to be older than 4 years old, and although I garnered a happy reaction from my boys, I felt the need to share my news with an adult. Besides, I couldn't and wouldn't have pursued my license without my parents. Other than Tim, who was incredibly supportive throughout the entire grueling process and did so much to help with our boys (even more than usual), my parents were my most ardent source of encouragement. It was actually during a conversation with them that I decided to pursue this thing that I'd all but written off in the past few years.

While it's just a piece of paper, that congratulatory letter from the state board meant so much. I absolutely have to give God the glory for giving me the energy and focus to get through it. The weeks leading up to my last section included 1st trimester pregnancy exhaustion and indigestion, Christmas, the flu (Tyler and I were hit the hardest), more exhaustion, and a birthday that I didn't have time to celebrate. I remember telling Tim that it would be nothing short of a miracle if I passed with all of that going on. God is definitely good!

So, now I just have to take an 8-hour ethics course and gather some moral character references and an experience affidavit to receive my actual license. Lots of people have been asking what I plan to do when I get my CPA. The honest answer is: I don't know. With Baby Surface on the way, I'm not making any concrete commitments right now. I do know that it's great to be able to check this off my list of things I've always wanted to do and someday God will reveal His plan for me and our family when it's time for us to know. For now, Tim and I feel strongly that His plan includes me being at home full-time with our boys. With a fantastic family like mine and the confidence that we are in God's hands, it doesn't take a congratulatory letter to know that I am indeed a winner!