Yay!!!

Self-portrait

Names!

So some more cool progress... JT has learned our names, and can answer the question, "What is your mommy's name?" and "What is your daddy's name?" completely appropriately and with zero problems. He also answers "What is your sister's name?" because he thinks it's awesome to say Audrey's name, followed by - "that's sissy".

Way cool, because if anything ever happened and he got lost in a store or something, he would be able to tell someone our names and find us.

Another crazy milestone celebration - how freaking cool!

Moo & Baby Moo

The first toys JT has named :)

He saw Moo at Build A Bear and was set on bringing him home. He did
all the lady asked him to with the heart and stuffing (I was super
impressed, it sounds just like a vacuum, but aside from a little
reassurance from me that it was okay, you would never have guessed he
has sound/sensory issues!). Then he saw Baby Moo, and insisted that
Moo needed it.

He's sleeping with them (next post will be another pic!). So cute!

Welcome to the family, Moo and Baby Moo!

JT, Moo & Baby Moo

Cheese!

In the pool at The Hubs's hotel.

We came to pick him up, figured we'd swim :)

Still here!

We're doing great, just missing our daddy. One of my awesome friends kept the babies so I could work and The Hubs wouldn't have to be home last weekend, which made us miss him even more.

Thursday around noon we're heading to Charlotte to pick him up, he's spending the weekend here - YAY!

My job is awesome - it's really hard, but I work with some awesome people and enjoy it even with all the learning I'm doing.

Still hanging in there!

(shameless pic of JT kissing his sister included - he is on a lovey spree lately, we are loving it!)

HUGE accomplishment (to us, anyway!)

Saturday night, we were eating cheese dip (it's Velveeta, chili and rotel melted together).

As usual, JT wanted to eat the chips.

As usual, The Hubs said, "JT wanna dip the chip?"

NOT as usual, JT stopped, looked, walked back and DIPPED THE CHIP AND ATE IT!

He proceeded to eat TONS of chips and cheese dip!

I'm sure anyone who has dealt with eating issues is jumping up and down with me right now - this is HUGE!

Missing daddy.

The title says it all.

It's been a week, and we are missing daddy.

He comes home on Saturday night around 8pm, and stays until Sunday night at 5pm. This allows me to work... which also means that I don't see him most of the day Sunday.

We are doing well during the week, it's when he comes home and has to leave again that everyone gets really sad.

I can't wait for us to be together as a family again - this whole thing definitely makes me realize how much I took him for granted before!

Worker Fairy

He made a costume from a pink sequined hat, fairy wings and some Uggs.

Too cute!

School pic

School pic

That stinker looks angry, haha.

You can clearly see his 2 teeth missing on the bottom!

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

JT sleeping with his favorite book.

He knows the entire thing by heart!

Other recent awesomeness:
-Grahsm is doing awesome in afterschool.
-Yesterday JT counted from 100 to 0 backwards, then said the
alphabet backwards. I was impressed!
-JT now independently gets his lunchbox, opens it, gets his
desired food out and opens that, too. Miss Tina and Miss Olive have
been working hard to get him more independent at lunch, and he's doing
great!

Onward and Upward.

A week ago today, The Hubs got a surprise. A BIG surprise.

He was promoted.

The Hubs is now the store manager at Northlake Mall in Charlotte.

He had been in Charlotte to talk to the DM on Monday, and LOVED it. The store, the mall, the area...

I was not so excited. Excited for him, but not so excited for me.

I have a job. That I LOVE. Just got it... after waiting years to go for it. AWESOME people, great manager... seriously, the perfect job.

And Starbucks policy is you can transfer... only after you've been there for 6 months.

So, I'm staying here in Raleigh with the kiddos until my 6 month (March 13), and The Hubs is moving to Charlotte.

The Hubs will be back every Saturday night and all day Sunday to take care of the kids since my work availability includes 'all day Sunday'.

The Hubs's first day was Tuesday. He is really excited about this new store and his new job. He's going to do awesome things there, I know.

We already miss him, but have a countdown to his next day home (yay Saturday nights!) and have a 'party' planned with all his favorite foods and things.

I'm balancing a job and kids - now I know how single moms feel. I am very, very thankful for my job dealing with my reduced availability, and we're getting all caught up on flu shots because we certainly can't afford to be sick this winter!

There are so many positives in this situation... I am deciding to look to those rather than the downfalls (because God knows you'd rather have your husband around than not!). In the long run, this is so good for our family.

This is the beginning of an all new journey for our family - wish us luck!

Let the games begin...

The sickness games.

Thursday I took miss Audrey to the doctor. I had originally called to get her established before winter, but she had a sore throat last weekend for two days that I also wanted them to check out. I had looked in her throat, and her tonsils looked huge to me.

Sure enough, her tonsils were 'giant', and the doctor ordered a strep test... that came back positive.

We're watching JT, so far nothing to indicate strep. Then again, Audrey had no fever and only a few days of sore throat...

With the introduction of this strep is the kickoff of the sick season. Fingers crossed the kids don't get sick very often this winter... I have to work!!!