First Days of Independence

Zak's first workday as a full-time web designer found us visiting family. He brought his work laptop, and worked hard, taking little breaks while V and I played upstairs with my parents, siblings, and cousin. One of the most adorable moments was my cousin's daughter asking to hold the baby.  Zak has loved working from home, doing his best to create high-end websites. He now has his going at codebeagle.com. There've been some adjustments with both of us at home, but fortunately, he's a very organized, helpful person. V and I love going into the office/baby storage room, and hearing what Daddy is working on that day.

Daddy enjoying time spent with his new boss.

Strawberry Valentine

Zak put in his notice two weeks ago, so Valentine's Day was his last day as an employee before venturing out on his own as a full-time web designer. V and I ate lunch with him yesterday, and today we surprised him with some strawberry "roses" surrounded by a host of valentine cards. We got some beautiful homemade cards from Aunt Niki, and V got "My First Valentine" pajamas from Grandma and Grandpa.

This will be a fresh start, and Zak has prepared so much for this opportunity. We're so proud of him.

To Ikea

In preparation to do full-time freelance web design, Zak found a desk online at Ikea. I figured we could also replace the cardboard boxes we've been using as drawers for V with an actual dresser. As there are zero Ikea stores in Idaho, and only one in Utah, we decided to made a trip of it. It worked out perfectly so were were able to visit with the Porters, experience the store, and go to the wedding reception of one of Zak's friends.

Grandma has been preparing for grandchildren for a while, saving all sorts of mini kitchen items to use for play, and getting a bucket for the supported-sitter phase. Needless to say, V loved it. I kept laughing at how similar Zak is to the rest of his family. Without planning, they coordinated nicely in their gray t-shirts and dark basketball shorts.

Uncle Cohen came with us to the store, where we sampled some tasty swedish meatballs and furniture, and then he and Zak utilized their spatial reasoning skills to fit the long boxes, three passengers, and a carseat into our 4runner. I can see how that store would be extra fun for kids, albeit adding a little stress to parents lives. I'm pretty sure V had a great time with Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt Niki while we were gone.

The newlyweds and family did a great job putting together a compilation video of the couple, and we realized that V was dressed to match the wedding colors. I'm definitely a homebody, but I look forward so much to these trips, and they don't disappoint.

During a visit in December