New Job!

Well, it looks like I have finally gotten a new job! The details are going to be ironed out this week, and I think it will be a great fit for me. The company is a small group that does remodeling and new construction, primarily in Evanston. For you non-Chicagoans Evanston is directly north of Chicago along the lake, where Northwestern University is located. I will have the opportunity to work closely with the owner on all aspects of the project from start to end, including starting up the architecture business! It is a wonderful opportunity to offer architectural design services in an already established business and clientele network, as well as work on other aspects of the design and build process that I enjoy. I am very excited about the opportunity.

Jason and I are working hard on preparing the condo for market. This is including paring down our clutter (lots of extras went up to Wisconsin for storage) and cleaning. Of course, there are a few odds and ends of old construction projects and touch-ups to do, but it is very manageable. If you know anyone looking to buy a beautifully renovated 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom condo send them out way!

This week has been a busy one, and I also took some time out yesterday for myself. It is my birthday this week, after all! Friday night I had a dinner out with Rachel and some close friends at a wonderful Italian restaurant. We got to sit outside and take advantage of the amazing June weather. Jason spent time with Layla on Saturday while I got a pedicure, haircut and eye exam. Well, the last one is not that glamorous, but necessary and impossible to do with a squirmy little girl in tow.

Jason is at baseball this afternoon and Layla and I watched a little World Cup and now we are off on our walk and to the park!

Eleven Months Old!

with Daddy and Morgan

In just one month our little Layla will be one year old. How quickly the time has gone. She is such a joy and we have been so lucky to have her in our lives! Next week, Layla moves up to the next classroom at school. Again, she will be the youngest and learning all kinds of new tricks with her old pals. Table food and walking are the norm and she will have all kinds of new toys and activities in her new room, including art projects!

with Daddy and Grandpa
Happy Father's Day

Cousins upon Cousins

This past week Jason's Great-Grandfather Nick passed away. While Nick had been in declining health for the last few years, his passing seemed to occur swiftly. We are grateful that he did not suffer and was surrounded by family in his last days. We were able to attend the funeral, held in Green Bay, this past Saturday.

To say that this man had a large family would be an understatement: Nick and Anna had 6 children, who in turn gave him 32 grandchildren and then, 61 great-grandchildren, and finally, 13 great-great-grandchildren. He could never be far from a family member in the Green Bay area and the family dinner following his funeral mass was attended by hundreds!

Layla was lucky to meet him this past Thanksgiving and we are all blessed to have known him. He was a tough and determined character, always with a smile and story to share. We rest easy knowing he is reunited with his great love, Anna, and that many generations are carrying on his legacy of hard work and perseverance.

Itty Bitty

Exciting News: Layla took her first steps in the bath tonight! First, she shuffled sideways a couple of steps and then forward a couple of steps. We caught one itty bitty step on video, but there were definitely some bigger ones. Sorry it's sideways, but I hope you like it anyway!

A Few of My Favorite Things

Someone asked me the other day how old Layla was and I answered, "ten and a half months." A few minutes later I gasped: in 6 weeks my baby will be 1! Can this be right?

Here are a few things our almost-one-year-old loves to do.

Push around her walker.

Push around any other thing that moves.
Especially the trash can.

Eat table food. Yum!
Mommy is such a good cook.

Play at the dishwasher.
Bang Spoons, Slide Drawers, All-Around Fun.

Swing Swing Swing.
Do not go home, even if it's dinner time.

End Game

The end of May brought us up to Minnesota to visit with friends and family. Unfortunately, Layla had picked up a case of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFM). It causes a high fever and rash in aforementioned places. Each case manifests uniquely and Layla got a rash on her lower legs. It seems that she probably also had some sores or soreness in her mouth and throat as she barely ate anything for 3 days.

We missed our fun Layla and getting to show her off to the family. We felt especially bad for Grandma, Grandpa and Allie who all got to take turns trying to console our miserable gal. Monday morning before we left she showed signs of her old self, for which we were all relieved. It is exhausting, emotionally and physically, caring for a sick child. She was up to her usual tricks on Tuesday and back at school we learned that several other kids in her class had the same thing over the weekend. Boo!

Aunt Allie showed Layla how to climb
the stair and she was off in a flash!

We were able to make time for some fun too: Jason and I got to visit with Kate and Scott and see their precious baby girls. We drove around their cute Minneapolis neighborhood (not far from our Pierce St. house) and I tried to talk Jason into moving. No dice.

Saturday afternoon we saw some family at Allie's for a BBQ. It was great seeing everyone although I was very distracted with Layla. Our cousins are growing up so fast! Christian showed off his reading skills and we are all so proud of him and the wonderful progress he has made this year! On to second grade!

Allie and Sammie

Everyone loves Boppa!

Sunday morning we got to see Jen and Jeff's new house which was 99% done. It is going to be a wonderful place for the kids to grow up and they already made new friends in their neighborhood!

Sunday night we headed to the new Target Field with Danielle to celebrate her Birthday. The stadium is absolutely awesome and we had a wonderful time, despite a little rain. Those are the risks you take with an outdoor stadium. Totally worth it, in my humble opinion. We tried to talk Jason into moving. No dice.

Hmmmmm. He is a stubborn one.