First day on the job

Okay so I might as well make things official by posting on the blog that I started a new job today, even though I accepted the offer almost a month ago now! I just couldn't bring myself to tell anyone out loud I guess. Some of you diligent blog readers may remember a random post about a month ago when I had interviewed for a job with the Violence and Injury Prevention Program and was totally stressing about my current work situation. By the way, for all of you diligent blog readers thank you for posting comments, even small ones! Comments are the driving force behind my posts and I wish everyone would say something, anything. Anyway that was totally random...

Well, I had another interview and to my surprise was given the job offer. Today was my first "official" day as the Media and Education Coordinator but I'm actually working the whole week in the Genomics Program to finish up our grant. Then on Saturday I'm off to Baltimore for a week long training to learn all about VIPP stuff. Little nervous to be leaving again but luckily I know Jeff and Pearl will have a great time together - let's just cross our fingers and toes she doesn't get sick this time. I'm pretty excited to start something new. Plus this job is part-time with higher pay and benefits so I can stay home with Pearl a little more, hopefully finish up school faster, and become the domestic goddess that I know is lurking somewhere deep, deep down inside (yeah right, keep on dreaming Jeff)! Who can complain with more money and less work? I am really sad to be leaving Genomics though and everyone I've worked with over the past 5 years. Everyone has sent me such nice messages and some of them have even brought me to tears. I really feel like I'm abandoning family and giving up on the race at the last few yards because I've loved all the work we've done and hope it continues on without me. I know that sounds selfish and maybe it is but when you've been the entire Genomics Program, it's hard to leave and think things will be okay. But I needed a change for some reason and I think it's because I need to be home more right now. Pearl is just growing up so fast (Wednesday is the big day) and I don't want to miss anymore of her. I've felt a huge weight off my shoulder since I accepted the offer and while it's been and will probably be hard to leave something I've loved, maybe someone else needs to experience what I've done. Maybe a new person will take Genomics to places I could only dream about. I've learned so much and grown up a lot with Genomics and am so grateful for that experience. You know, it's funny how impatient I get with the Lord but in April I turned down a really nice job because it just didn't feel right. There wasn't any logical reason for doing so but now I can see why things turned out the way they did. I guess I should learn that things always have a way of working out and I just need to hang in there when times get tough. Life is so much more fun when you enjoy it! And I can't wait to start this new chapter in my life.

Battle of Fort Johnson

After a long and rainy Saturday spent indoors, Pearl was getting really bored. Jeff and I were hoping to convince her that taking a nap after church was cool but it didn't seem to be working. So rather than fight her on it, Jeff decide to build our very first family fort. It's every kid's favorite pastime right? I know when I was a kid, I loved building forts with my grandma's quilting frames and blankets. Jeff has some pretty good fort-making skills himself and as you'll see in our videos, the fort pretty much took up our whole living room.

Pearl absolutely loved it! She crawled around the couches giggling and squealing with delight as she chased us back and forth. I think she just liked being able to get behind the couch finally. And at one point she figured out there was a big enough gap in the blankets to stick her head out and destroy the fort. She laughed and laughed and thought it was the coolest thing ever. Jeff and I even got in the action, taking the "back door" route and scaring Pearl and each other. He even brought a flashlight in so we could film the fun and tease Pearl with it. Everyone was having a great time until we had to do an emergency evacuation because of toxic fumes coming from Pearl's diaper. Need I explain more? Prying her out of the fort sort of took the excitement out of things.

Who knew that 15 minutes of fun could make for such great family memories? Let's just hope we are always this much fun as parents. But at least we have proof that at one time, Pearl thought we were the coolest parents ever!

Look out world, here I come!

On Wednesday we finally got Pearl to take her first steps and a lot of them! She's been walking around holding onto our fingers for months now and everyone at daycare has had bets on when she would walk. Deep down I really wanted her to walk before she turned one or at least before everyone else. Her reputation as the first to do everything was under attack, as Miles and Ben (her friends at daycare) who are just a week or two older than her, were trying their hardest to walk around too. But Pearl beat them to it!!! Yeah!!!

I guess we finally convinced her that this walking thing was really fun because she seemed to quite enjoy herself running back and forth to us and then clapping every chance she got. It must be the clapping that motivates babies to do new things. Or in the case of her learning to crawl, having her crazy parents crawl around the house barking like dogs. It's sort of ironic that the first time Pearl rolled over my parents and siblings were over for a quick visit and they were here on Wednesday when she walked for the first time. I guess the secret to Pearl learning new tricks is to have grandma and grandpa drop by. Pearl really enjoyed a crowd cheering her on and as you can see in the video took quite a few steps for her first night of walking. But now she doesn't find this walking game fun anymore. We tried and tried to get her to walk yesterday but she wouldn't stand up straight. She must have thought it amusing to topple over because she would look up at us and start clapping again. Tonight we finally got her to give it a try and she had a big grin on her face. It must still be a game to her and if she isn't in the mood to walk, well she crawls. She's kind of stubborn that way. Crawling is a lot faster than walking at this point anyway so I don't blame her. But look out world when it finally clicks that walking is the new way of getting around. I just have this sneaking suspicion that in the next day or two she is going to take off and never crawl again!

I couldn't decide which video to post, so you're getting two of them. The one with Kimmy and me in it is when Pearl took her first steps. Then I thought I would post one of her walking even longer distances to grandma.

Is it just me or is it totally amazing how fast babies grow up and learn things? I can't believe my tiny 6 lbs. 7 oz. baby girl with jet black hair and chicken legs has turned into a nearly one year old (11 days and counting) blonde, hazel eyed, chubby legged, adorable girl! I remember the first time she laughed, rolled over, crawled and now walked. I wish I could capture every moment with her. Especially those quiet moments holding her for the first time or seeing her stand up in bed for the first time or when she clicks her tongue, giggles, and gives me a big wet kiss. Pearl simply is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Well I guess technically Jeff is since without him (and as he reminds me his superior genetic makeup) I wouldn't have the funniest and most adorable daughter in the whole world!

Green thumb

Pearl gets funnier everyday! I just love this little girl and am constantly amazed at her new tricks and how much she makes me laugh. Here's the full story... I decided this is the year that I WILL get flowers to grow in some pots on the porch. We try desperately every year but alas, they always die. I just don't get it - we buy the right soil, the right flowers, water them diligently, and yet they still die. Everyone else has huge pots of beautiful flowers spilling over their stairs and they don't even pay attention to them. Jeff can grow anything in the ground but pots, well that's another story. So I figured I couldn't kill petunias, right? I mean, petunias grow no matter what, that is if you can get them planted. Pearl decided to help me plant the flowers and after chasing her all over the yard (and into the road, up the front stairs, on the porch, into the garage, and at the neighbors), she finally got the idea to stay put and help. Little did I know what helping would mean for a nearly 1 year old. Planting flowers for Pearl means throwing the dirt all over the place. She was grabbing handfuls of it, throwing it as high as she could, and then laughing out loud at herself.

Pearl was a mess and had dirt in every crack and crevice you could imagine. I try really hard to just let her get dirty and not be one of those moms who yells at their kids when they get a speck of dirt on their clothes. I just hope I always stop to think about what fun she must be having, even if I can't get the stains out every time.

We finally did get all the flowers planted. Okay, so Jeff planted them after I took Pearl in for her bath and bed. Don't they look great? At least they aren't dead yet!

Oh and I thought I ought to post a picture of Jeff's latest yard project. He moved our bench from the front porch to our backyard and made this beautiful little sitting area. He truly has the green thumb in our family! Our yard looks just awesome thanks to all of his hard work.

Happy Mother's Day!

We had a great Mother's Day weekend, well I did since this year I am actually a mom! We went to the Bees baseball game on Friday, thanks to free tickets from Jeff's work. We hadn't been to a Bees game in FOREVER. I'm not too sure what Pearl thought of it, other than she was glad to be outside. She tried to snag a beer from the guy sitting behind us before freaking out because it was way past her bedtime.

Saturday we went to Logan to visit the family. We went to dinner at Mandarin Gardens (there isn't any good Chinese place in Bountiful so we seem to end up eating at Mandarin a lot when we go to Logan) and then stayed up way past Pearl's bedtime playing with cousin Ruby and the pets at Grandma and Grandpa Jewkes' house. Uncle Kurtis tried to teach Pearl and Ruby how to juggle but Pearl seemed to just want to eat the balls. Ruby kept throwing them down the stairs. And who knew that Pearl could climb up the stairs? We don't have any stairs so I have no idea where she learned to crawl up them so fast. Pearl and Ruby also had a bath together, although neither one of them has quite figured out how to play together yet. Each seems to be in their own world, wondering why the other one has moved in on their tubtime. Then we spent the night at Grandma and Grandpa Spring's house.

Am I cute or what?

Uncle Jesse and cousin Ruby

Pearl gave me a great Mother's Day present, sleeping in till 10 am on Sunday! We were shocked when we looked at the clock. Too bad this isn't a regular Saturday occurrence. Pearl also gave me a new jogging stroller. I guess this means I have to start working out again and lose all this flab. Really, though I was super excited and Pearl loves it. It was delivered to the house with a cute note that said "Happy Mother's Day. Take me for a walk PLEASE!!! Love Pearl"

Out for our first test run. Well, sort of. It's hard to run with a jogging stroller in slippers! But hey, Pearl didn't care.