Out of Retirement

I've been getting some requests for a new blog post, so here I am. I've been out of the blogging scene lately because I've been going through a training period to be an online professor for Ashford University. There was a three week interview period that ends today. Any spare time on the computer has been spent on this work.

It's been fun doing this training, but I also realized that I don't love being busy and I certainly made the right decision to stay home. I will enjoy teaching again, no doubt, and I will get used to needing to manage my time to be able to do well, but I know I do not like being busy. I like having options for what I do with my time while Ethan naps, but these past couple of weeks my only option has been to work on the computer. I'll get used to it, I'm sure, but it made me realize, once again, how lucky I am.

Other than the training, Ethan and I have simply been trying to survive the awful winter. I've definitely hit a point where I'm just longing for spring. The past few days have been a fabulous reprieve, but I know they won't last. I'll take it, though, and am looking forward to a trip to the zoo tomorrow. It's suppossed to go above 60 degrees!

We had a fantastic weekend being able to get out of the house for longer than 20 minutes at a time. Saturday morning, we went for a run, all three of us, and then were outside later. I actually drank my coffee out on the back patio with nothing but a fleece jacket and pants on. It was fabulous. Sunday we had a birthday party at the gymnastics gym, which was a blast. Will finally got to see him run around in there. And they had a giant blow up obstacle course jumpy thing. We got video of the two of us taking Ethan through. It's hilarious. I think Will had more fun than Ethan.

Ethan continues to make Will and I laugh with his goofy antics. He's talking more and more and is starting to get better at communicating what he wants. I encourage him often to use his words. He also uses the signs he knows, like the sign for more, all done, please and thank you. His thank you sign is my favorite. He says "GaGa" as he pulls his hand out from his mouth (almost like blowing a kiss). I'm not sure he knows what it means because he usually says it to me after I have said thank you to him. I'll take it. He's also taken to carrying around a picture of my sisters and I, saying "Ammo," which means Aunt Moe, what we call my sister Malia. He's a bit obsessed lately. Ammo is the new Pop Pop, I guess. Oh, and he also pretends to sleep now. If we tell him to come lay down with us, he plops down by us and goes, "Ahhhsoooo" like he's snoring. So cute.

Ethan loves to try on all of stuff. Looks a little gansta, doesn't he?

Pointing to an animal in his fantastic Ikea Atlas. It's his favorite book, by far. He has learned many new words from it.

Ethan now says Puma (papu), sloth (ssssloch!), llama (yaya), pipe (pipe), oil (oye), spaceship (shayshay) and many other random words.
Trying on mama's shoes. See video below.

Last Monday I got ambitious and made over two pounds of homemade linguine noodles. They were good, but we were eating them for 3+ days!

And here's my double batch of gravy, too.

Who needs warm weather to go outside?