Limbo Lost, Direction Found

For nearly a year and a half, our family had been stuck in limbo. My husband's stable job was lost in January of '08 and since then our future had been completely up in the air. Making future plans was impossible. A feeling of dread and helplessness couldn't help but seep into our lives. Job interviews would pop up and tease us with their possibilities only to then not come through. It was a roller coaster of ups and downs as we attempted to the best of our abilities to remain positive and optimistic that we would get over this long period of unemployment. Well, I am very happy to report that our limbo is finally alleviated. My husband has a job offer. In less than a month, our family is headed for our new life in Nashville Tennessee! C. will be teaching high school math which is something he has always been interested in doing. We have a direction at last!
I am sure it will be a change going from life in Southern California to life in Nashville. I have never lived in the South before but I am excited about all the great things I hear about Nashville. We have been craving an easier life and also a slower paced life. While living in Southern California certainly has it's merits, it also has it's costs. Mortgages are through the roof, job competition is fierce, and neighbors don't necessarily help each other out or even know each other's names. I am looking forward to finding new trails to explore, new festivals to experience, and new churches to attend, but first we have to say goodbye to all that we love here in our present home. Goodbye to living close to my mom and dad, and brother's family. Goodbye to oranges and guavas growing in my backyard. Goodbye to an awesome playgroup, MOPS, preschool, and all our close friends. Goodbye to our beautiful house which we previously thought we would grow old in. Goodbyes are hard, but honestly, limbo was a lot harder. Instead of bobbing aimlessly in an ocean, it is as if we are now swimming toward an island. Please stay tuned for what we discover there.

The Girls these Days

Natalie's Common Phrases:
1. (After being scolded) But I was just.. (substitute lame excuse here)
2. I said..(current demand at that minute)!!
3. Momma/Dada, I have a question..
4. Be quiet Noelle!
5. Today? (Questioning about a fun activity discussed for future)

Noelle's Common Phrases:
1. I help you!
2. It's old. (in reference to her milk once it is empty)
3. I touch it? (in reference to EVERYTHING)
4. Milk peas!
5. I do!

Some Funny Recent Antics:
1. Natalie said "I'm an anteater. I eat ants!" Since I am used to Natalie saying she is all kinds of animals I said "Yes, you are an anteater." As her grin broadened I noticed something between her two front teeth.. a dead ant!

2. Noelle was in the car with me while Natalie was in preschool. As I looked in the rear view mirror, I saw Noelle pinch her own belly and then yell "Momma, Nah-ee pinch me!" Ah, already a master of the blame-sister game!

3. As Natalie was picking up plastic Easter eggs that she was playing with she said "Momma, me and Noelle are egg officers!"

4. Noelle spotted a toll booth style building and exclaimed "Look Momma, a baby house!" Then she saw some sort of factory with large cylinder shaped structures and said "Look Momma, big drums!"

5. Natalie in the car randomly said "Momma, I am not a fan of wipes..I am a fan of candy!"

Likes and Dislikes for Natalie:
Likes pink, cats, dogs, The Nutcracker, baths, and the spinning poles at parks
Dislikes eggs, not being the center of attention, automatic flush toilets

Likes and Dislikes for Noelle:
Likes monkeys, bubbles, balls, trucks and tractors, and doing things herself
Dislikes bread, sharing, time out, wearing shoes, and staying in the stroller

The Best Thing about Natalie Right Now: Her creativity and sense of humor
The Best Thing about Noelle Right Now: Her affection and curiosity about the world

We love having our faces painted!!

Natalie and Noelle in Nashville

This last week our family flew to Nashville. Chris had an interview and we visited friends and family there as well. We had a blast.

Here I present to you:
Things I love about Nashville
1. extremely nice people
2. Cracker Barrel
3. Cost of living = super cheap
4. Fun wooden playgrounds
5. Insanely low property taxes
6. Land around your house
7. Excellent rec centers and YMCAS
8. Lots of quality universities and educational institutions
9. Sense of history and style
10. Slower pace of life and laid back attitude

And I bet you thought I was going to mention the music..

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Interview with Natalie

I thought these questions were so cute on facebook that I had to add them to my blog. This gives us all some insight to how Natalie sees the world..

Answered by my 3 year old.

1. What is something mom always says to you?
Not again.

2. What makes mom happy?
If I cooperate.

3. What makes mom sad?
Making messes.

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
Making silly faces.

5. What was your mom like as a child?
A lollipop with arms.

6. How old is your mom?
4

7. How tall is your mom?
(Natalie silently puts her arms over her head)

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Opening her listening ears.

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
Make dinner.

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
the moon

11. What is your mom really good at?
Making breakfast.

12. What is your mom not very good at?
Sleeping.

13. What does your mom do for her job?
To open up her listening ears.

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
Apples.

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
When the moon's made out of plastic.

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Mrs. Pasti (made up name)

17. What do you and your mom do together?
Eat lunch

18. How are you and your mom alike?
(holds arms out wide) This much!

19. How are you and your mom different?
We don't stand the same.

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
Because the moon and back! (loosely quoting from the book: Guess How Much I Love You)

Noelle's First Haircut

Yes it has finally happened. Noelle got her first haircut. Oh I know it seems a little late since she is one and a half but both my girls have just basically been baldies for the first year of their lives. We thought that evening things out may help stimulate hair growth. We took her to Chloe's Carousel which is a great children's hair salon complete with a play area and barber seats that look like carousel horses although you can't really tell in the pictures. Noelle opted for "Uh-Boots" when asked what she wanted to watch since each child gets a movie put on while they get their hair cut. For those of you that don't speak Noelle-ese, "Uh-Boots" = Boots the monkey from Dora the Explorer. Noelle then sat glued to her favorite Dora show for the whole 5 minutes that it took to even all of her 15 hairs (give or take a few..) She also was given a sweet little fabric covered clip which she promptly flung out of her hair upon arriving at home for dinner. All in all, it was a great success and I think the haircut looks great. She actually seems to have more hair now that it is even! I also now have a snip of her hair and a groovy certificate for her baby book.

My Fashion Divas

Before you see it on the runways of London.. Here is Noelle, starter of the newest chic fashion trend. We will just call them "panty hats" but I am sure you will know them by another name entirely when you are paying top dollar to complete your own ensemble in a few years! Her sister Natalie immediately embraced the trend as well.

Our Road Trip to Portland Oregon

A few weeks ago, our family decided to take a road trip to the Pacific Northwest. We have been looking at cities nationwide in order to try to make sense of our options with jobs, finances, and childcare. Portland has become one of our many focuses. It is attractive not only due to it's low cost of living, but also because of the recreational lifestyle, environmental focus, and down to Earth people. Our mission was to explore the area and decide whether or not it was deemed "liveable" by our standards.
Early on a Friday morning, we threw our tots into the car armed with plenty of well loved dvds, and then we drove off into the unknown. We spent the first night in a Motel 6 near Sacramento (we are trying to save money these days). The next five nights were spent in a Portland hostel where we had a private room for our whole family. It was a fun opportunity to meet people from all over the nation as well as beyond. Extra perks were free pizza and bakery goodies that were donated daily by nearby businesses to the hostel. We explored the Portland Zoo (very nice) as well as the Forestry Center where Mama was excited to discover a chocolate festival in full swing! Other adventures included many playgrounds, a cupcake cafe, the best lattes at World Coffee that I have ever sipped in my life, and expeditions into Portland suburbs. After we could see that we loved the city, we wanted to check out neighborhoods. Our two particular places of interest included Camas, WA and Sherwood, OR. Although Camas was very picturesque on the website, they failed to mention the gigantic stinky paper mill in the center of town. We were not particularly charmed by Camas. Sherwood was another story entirely. It is a quaint little town recently booming with new community interest. There is an old town covered in craftsman bungalows, a new library with pizza shop, and other stores and businesses. The rest of the area is newer construction and very nice. One of the highlights is an amazing YMCA center complete with indoor heated pool with waterslides, a very eleborate and free teen program, and attractive daycare option for working out parents. House prices generally are around $350,000 for brand new and fairly large places. We were very impressed. The community has great schools and is predominantly young families which explains the many recreational programs and parks all over. They are currently working on a plan to build community tennis courts on top of their town water tower! I spoke to about 5 different women with their kids at various playgrounds and they all had nothing except amazing things to say about Sherwood. Incidently, they all also immediately offered up their phone numbers and email addresses to me in case I had any other questions about the area! Three of the five woman originally moved from Southern California. We were all set to move there until a trip to Salem to look further into teaching requirements put a damper on our plans. The Oregon department of education requires that I need to have taught in the last three years OR I have to substitute teach for a year or take 6 semester credits of college classes in education before applying. This is a fairly major setback since three years is basically the exact time I have taken off with the girls. Eventhough we are unsure whether we can move there soon, we are hopeful that perhaps in a few years if the opportunity shows itself, we may consider Sherwood at that time. On another day, we took a side trip to Astoria, Oregon. I have always wanted to visit Astoria since it is the site of many famous films including Goonies and Kindergarten Cop. We got some great pictures at a historic column on a hill above the town. The weather was very cooperative.. in fact, it didn't rain until we were leaving Oregon on the final day of our trip! On the way home, we stopped in Redding at the Turtle Bay Discovery Center where the girls viewed a Gecko exhibit in addition to many other interesting educational activities. We walked across the funky Sun Dial Bridge they had there as well. The next day, we went to Sacramento to visit Fairy Tale Town and the Sacramento Zoo since it was "Free Museum Day." It was very crowded but fun anyway. The last day of the trip was spent with family near Los Angeles. It was good to see "Mimi and Poppa," Aunt Renee and Uncle Gordon, and the girls' cousins, Addie and Gavin. We also explored options regarding living in the LA area with regard to teaching opportunities and living expenses. All in all, it was a great trip. We didn't really have any problems with the girls acting up in the car and we really benefitted from the change of scenery and new information. While we still weren't able to come to any decisions regarding where we will be in a few months, we are better educated on some of the options and will continue our path to find out where we should go from here.

We Love the Nutcracker Ballet!