Update

Well it's been a while!  Life has been more than a little hectic since I last posted, mainly due to the fact that I have now been gainfully employed for almost 5 months now.  That has been a steep learning curve and a big adjustment, as I try to figure out an unpredictable schedule and work that around the ever-changing needs of a 1st and 6th grader. 

And the 6th grader....oh my!  Middle school has been an adjustment for all of us.  Emily played volleyball this fall and that was, well, an adventure.  I'm pretty sure the experience spoiled volleyball for her for good.  She is still trying to find her "thing", which is harder for some people than others.  I tend to think she will excel in drama/theater, and she really seems to enjoy that, but only time will tell.  In the meantime, I think we're all treating this year as a transition year that we just have to survive.  Hopefully next year will be better.

Ethan, on the other hand, loves school (most days!)  He is reading at a late second grade level already and doing really well.  He's the kind of kid that gets along with everyone and when he walks into a room, the response he gets can best be compared to that of Norm from Cheers.  Everybody knows and enjoys Ethan.  He has a quick wit and is downright funny...which occasionally gets him in trouble here at home (even if it is still funny!) I'm just waiting for the day when it finally slips out at school at the wrong time, which it inevitably will once he gets past the last little bit of shyness that he has.  His super-power is comedy, but as we all know, with great power, comes great responsibility to use it wisely.

Andrew is closing in on 5 years of work at the bank.  He has been promoted several times and is now a senior vice president and senior trust counsel (or something along those lines!) and is being his usual over-achieving amazing self.  He works so hard at everything he does and I am so proud of him.  He is also teaching Sunday school classes at least half the year, which has created quite a bit of extra work for him, but he does a great job.

As for me...I am plugging away at work.  I sit at my desk in front of the window and code outpatient lab and radiology reports and a few other things here and there.  The job sounds so simple in theory, but it is anything but.  There is a TON to learn and all sorts of guidelines and exceptions and special instructions...and those can change from job to job or the type of coding that I do.  I like the flexibility of working from home in my comfy clothes, but it's also hard to be brand-spanking new and not have a co-worker readily available to answer questions.  However, I spend my days in my very comfy space-agey looking ergonomic desk chair with my radio on, a cat (or two or three) on the corner of my desk that they now "own", able to look out my window at the changing seasons, the birds at the birdfeeder and the squirrels and chipmunks that have become my daily visitors.  All in all, it beats a cubicle deep in a hospital basement any day!

So that's our update for now.  Obviously, there's much more that happens here and maybe someday I'll come back and share some of those stories too, but for now, this will have to do!