Two Big Weekends

An overdue post means we have some catching up to do! First, let’s start with the fun stuff…the past two weekends. 

The weekend of May 15th
Tony hit the road for his annual guys’ fishing trip, and I was blessed by the arrival of my Mom (a.k.a. Nana). She hasn’t been up since August, more has she had the opportunity to spend much time with just Oliver (and I), so it was a special time. Her flight landed early Friday, so we took advantage of being so far south and headed straight for the Minnesota Zoo. The rest of the weekend was a little lower key, giving us all a chance to catch up and connect. Here are a few photos from the weekend:

He managed to eat the whole thing! And this was the kiddie scoop.
You should have seen our "single" scoop cones!

Evidence of a good time. Thanks for the treat, Nana!

Nana and Oliver's story time

We were sad to see her leave on Sunday, and Oliver was pretty mad that we weren’t getting on a plan with her to head to St. Louis. Hopefully we will soon!

Memorial Day Weekend
As usual, Oliver and I began the weekend on Friday — and what a beautiful day it was! We had an early morning appointment at the University of Minnesota. Oliver did such a great job that I gave in and let him visit the animals at the opposite ends of the super long hallway. He always wants to see them, but usually we are rushing off to a second appointment. This time we stopped to visit. He gave me lots of goofy poses while holding Baby Otter, who tagged along for the meeting. I am so proud of how far Oliver has come since we first began regular appointments last August, and am very pleased to say we will not be returning any time soon. 

Oh...look at me and Mr. Elephant!

Oh...I'm riding a dinosaur! Mom never lets me do that...

We also enjoyed a picnic lunch in between errands, then squeezed in more time outside before dinner. I’m glad we did as much of the holiday weekend was a wash out.

Wishing Daddy was with us

On Saturday the three of us spent some quality family time at the beautiful Minnehaha Falls, followed by a bike ride to Nokomis Lake. We had a lot of fun — Tony snapped these while we were at the park:

Goofy

Waiting for lunch (and post elbow-scraping plastic chair falling incident)

Sunday was super rainy and involved a lot of movie watching, with an episode of playing in the rain / mud / puddles thrown in. Monday was another rainy morning, so we headed to the local indoor playground. It was sunny later on, so Oliver and Daddy had a chance to hit some golf balls.

Long holiday weekends like this one really drive home how nice it would be to either have kids around more regularly or for Oliver to have a sibling. He desperately wants the chance to play with other kids and just wants friends, and it's not always easy for us to provide these chances. Poor little guy. On the other hand, I got lots of cuddle time!

Now, the not so fun stuff.
Last week I learned that I will have the opportunity to enjoy some (or perhaps all) of the summer with Oliver as a stay-at-home mom. That’s the positive spin, at least! 

As I’ve stated in previous posts, I’ve been struggling across many facets of my life: my purpose, making the right choices, developing healthy habits and relationships, and more. One area that has been especially challenging has been work. While I was blessed with this job opportunity last May at a time when I (and our family) needed it, I have known for some time that it wasn’t the right fit. In addition, I successfully completed the primary objective of my employment and have been ready to move on since the beginning of 2015. Due to some budget issues (I'm working at a non-profit), and given that I've accomplished my primary mission, it is now time to begin a new chapter. While I may not be exiting on the terms I’d choose (having another job lined up), I believe it is God’s way of pushing me on. Plus, I’m able to leave on good terms with the full support of those I work with, and I get a chance to have some extra time with Oliver. 

Being unemployed is a bit scary. I’m trying to trust in God to provide, but will admit that it’s not a strong area of my faith. I suppose that is how God works, though. Growth comes through trials and tribulations more often than comfort and ease.