Sad News

Chris's grandfather, Clint, passed away this afternoon at 1:05. He will be greatly missed. Please send your thoughts and prayers to his lovely wife, Katie, and their amazing family. We will be heading to Redwood Falls, MN in a few days to join them for a memorial service.

A Moment of Prayer

Chris's grandfather, who has been a major fixture in his life as well as the Daniel/Weltsch family, has taken a turn for the worse with his Parkinson's Disease. Please take a moment to send all your positive energy and prayers to Clint, Katie and the Daniel/Weltsch clan as we go through this difficult time. Thanks!

Happy Anniversary, Honey!

Today is our 4th wedding anniversary. :) We are lucky to have Kristen and Walker here this week, so K has graciously offered to babysit so that Chris and I can go out for a special dinner.

There are a million and one reasons why I love Chris. But I think that one of my favorite reasons is his sense of humor. Let me tell you a little story...

Shortly after we got married, Chris and I were spending some time together one Saturday afternoon. We weren't doing anything special...mostly running errands, cleaning the house and taking care of lose ends from the week. Throughout the day I was getting increasingly irritated with my honey because he kept pushing my buttons on purpose to be funny. Finally, by dinnertime I lost it. "NO MORE!" I told him. I turned away to try and ignore him. Just then, I felt a whisper in my ear..."Lifetime commitment. Lifetime commitment." I burst out laughing and of course forgave him for being such a dork during the day.

Yes, a lifetime commitment we have made and one that I will forever be glad of. :)

The Divine Miss S

Sofia seems to be growing by the minute. She is definitely finding her voice and has been chattering non-stop. Each day she pops out a new word. It is amazing! Here is her list so far:
mama
daddy
dog
woof woof
meow
yak (that's jack in Sofia language)
whew whew (thank you)
all done
uh oh
NO!
yeah
whoa
more
shoe


I have also put a selection of photos of her lately below in a fun little slide show (Thanks Andrea!). On a side note, there should be lots of photos coming soon as my sister and brother (Kristen and Walker) are coming in on Wednesday for a week! I'm so excited! What's that pool? Do I hear you calling??

Stats

I took Sofia to the doctor on Thursday for her latest check-up. Here are her latest stats:

Height: 33 1/2 inches (82nd percentile)
Weight: 24 lbs 11 oz (42nd percentile)
Head Circumference: 18 inches (20th percentile)

Her pediatrician said she was medically perfect. :) Hehe. We think so too! She's already ahead of the game when it comes to wearing stylish shoes. See the post below...

Oh Happy Day

Yesterday morning I was struck with the overwhelming realization that I am truly happy. Here is how it all unfolded...

Chris, as usual, woke up before I did. It was 6 a.m. A cry came from the nursery, so Chris jumped out of bed to comfort her and bring her to our room to snuggle. I heard the rustle, but knowing that "Daddy the Pro" had it handled, rolled over in my sleepy haze. Laying Sofia down between us, Chris tried to get her to go back to sleep by "fake sleeping". (Note: For new parents out there, this is a time-tested technique in our house that proves to be exceedingly effective on most occasions.) After a few minutes of faking, he realized that his acting skills weren't working and he quietly escorted Sofia out of our room and into the living room.

I tossed and turned for about 30 minutes but couldn't get back into a deep sleep. Staring at the ceiling fan, deciding if I wanted to keep trying, I heard giggles.

I stealthily got out of bed, opened the bedroom door and peered around the corner into the living room. Chris and Sofia were sitting on the floor playing - both weary-eyed from the early hour, but smiling, giggling and devouring each other's attention. Now, I have always known that my husband is a fantastic father, but as I secretly watched them, my heart melted. In that instant, I fell in love with Chris all over again. I felt butterflies in my stomach. Was it possible to still have such feelings after nearly 10 & 1/2 years from our first date?

Yup. It was.

After a minute or two, my little crew noticed me peeking around the corner and I was invited to join in on the fun. No one cared that it was 6:30 a.m. We were a family - loving, laughing, smiling and cherishing one another. Though simple, I'm not sure that I will ever forget that moment. My husband, my friend, my love was truly in his element as a father and family man.

I was happy.

-----

On the night that Chris proposed, he read to me the lyrics of Billy Joel's, She's Got a Way. He told me that this was his heart speaking. He had never found a way that better expressed how he felt about me and our life together.

Well, my dear Chris, I am all of these things because of you. Happy Father's Day, my love. You are my best friend, partner and love forever.

She's got a way about her

I don't know what it is

But I know that I can't live without her

She's got a way of pleasin'

I don't know what it is

But there doesn't have to be a reason

anyway

She's got a smile that heals me

I don't know why it is

But I have to laugh when she reveals me

She's got a way of talkin'

I don't know why it is

But it lifts me up when we are walkin'

anywhere

She comes to me when I'm feelin' down

Inspires me without a sound

She touches me and I get turned around

She's got a way of showin'

How I make her feel

And I find the strength to keep on goin'

She's got a light around her

And ev'rywhere she goes

A million dreams of love surround her

ev'rywhere

She comes to me when I'm feelin' down

Inspires me without a sound

She touches me and I get turned around

She's got a smile that heals me

I don't know why it is

But I have to laugh when she reveals me

She's got a way about her

I don't know what it is,

But I know that I can't live without her

anyway

Poop Deck

Now, I'm not sure how most of you are planning on spending your summer vacation. But, I have begun mine on the poop deck...and I'm not talking of the nautical sort.

This morning, I popped Sofia in the bathtub to get cleaned up and ready for the day. We played, splashed and sang the clean-up song when it was time to put the toys away and get out of the tub. I wrapped her up in a big towel, tustled her hair and turned around to shut the shower curtain. I heard a little squeak and spun around to see that Sofia had "dropped a deuce", if you will, right on the bathroom floor! Ew! She had this complete look of confusion on her face about what had just happened. I comforted her, cleaned her back up and then went to work on cleaning up the floor.

Once she was done, we got dressed and headed out of the bedroom to gather our things and head out the door. We both stopped dead in our tracks. Over in the corner by the stairs, Layla had left several "presents". I couldn't believe it! First of all, she hasn't done something like that in years and secondly...A SECOND POOP I HAD TO CLEAN UP!

So, down the stairs I went to get the carpet cleaner...and...brace yourselves...there's more...the dog had puked at the bottom of the stairs! I was in utter disbelief and by this point, I was pretty grossed out -- and that is HARD to do. Luckily, all my cleaning adventures were pretty easy to take care of. Let's just say I will be taking a break from cleaning duties for a while.

...Now, off to imagine a day on a real boat!

Left Turn for Opportunity

As the spring was coming to a close, I was feeling pretty settled in my role as an 8th grade science teacher. I drove to work one morning thinking about how much I have gathered in my scientific arsenal of labs and lessons over 3 years. At the same time, I was also feeling a little need for something new. Then, in mid-April, my principal called me into his office to ask if I would be interested in teaching 6th grade science next year. I thought to myself, "change is good!" and accepted right away. And so, I geared myself up for the drastic age change in students and began to wind up my last year with 8th graders.

So, last Wednesday, I decided it was time to tell my students about my job next year. In each one of my classes, I told them where they could find me next year and that I was excited to try something new. They took it well, asked tons of questions and promised to visit me in my new classroom.

And then 4:30 p.m. came.

Just as I was getting ready to leave, my principal came to talk with me. He had another opportunity for me to think about and this time it was big. Our technology coordinator had been given a promotion to a district level position thus leaving his position in our school open. There was a short list of who should fill in Ned's position and the job was mine if I wanted it. Whoa. I talked with my principal for quite some time about the job and what it entailed and then told him I would let him know in the morning. I was honored, to say the least and completely scared out of my mind.

I had some serious decisions to make. The tech coordinator position at Sky Vista is a huge, I mean HUGE job. First, it would mean NO MORE TEACHING SCIENCE! Crazy! Second, this job involves a ton of hardware and software knowledge. Third, I would be doing a tremendous amount of staff development. Lastly, I would be responsible for establishing, implementing and maintaining a technological vision to continue to keep our school one step ahead and provide our students with one-of-a-kind technological opportunities. In short, everything that is or is related to technology, I would be in charge of. I even would have an assistant! Again, whoa.

After a long night of discussions with Chris, my parents and some friends, I drove to school on Thursday with my mind made up. I decided to accept the job! There are several reasons behind the decision and I feel really good about them all. Luckily, I have an AMAZING husband who is willing to support me during the next few months of what will be an insane learning curve. One of the best parts of this new job is the flexibility it will provide with family life. I can bring Sofia to work with my any time I want to! If she is sick, I can work from home! I don't quite feel grown-up enough to have such a big job and have had to pinch myself a few times as a reminder that this is really happening. I have a SECOND NEW JOB in less than 6 weeks!

Summer will be short this year, but that's okay. I get a really kick-butt computer and an office that goes with it! :)