My son's a champ

Ryan is taking to this potty training thing like a champ.

He's had 3 or 4 accidents and none in the last two days, which today included his day that he spends in the playroom at Kate's preschool.

He got all of the ladies who run the playroom dancing the "Ryan's going peepee in the big boy potty" dance.

Watch out ladies, Ryan's got a way with women!

Multiples

Looks like Peg and Jack (Mallards as we learn more) are going to be parents of multiples.

We've read that 5-14 eggs are typically in a nest.

We have evidence of 3 tucked back behind one of our bushes along the back wall.

It's Time

It's finally time that Ryan learns to potty train.

We started yesterday and he's doing quite well. A few wet accidents, but other than that, a true star at this thing.

This morning he really wanted to earn his jelly bean (1 for peepee 2 for poops) and stood there for at least 20 minutes trying to get it out. He finally earned 2 jelly beans (see above)

He's not really into using the little potty. He's really into standing up and using the big white potty like daddy. So cute

Here's a photo that will be used as blackmail sometime in the future I think:

Gettin Jiggy Wit It

I think our ducks, Peg and Jack, have been spending some intimate time together.

We have a duck egg in our backyard behind a bush (hopefully picture to come)

Visitors

Last week, Rachelle's brother and his family were here for a very fun trip.

The cousins are very close in age and had a blast together going to train parks, duck parks, egg hunts and even one sleepover night.

Spending time with Rachelle's family always blesses me. It shows me how the love of Christ can and should be lived out in a family, and I never had the chance to experience that.

I thank God that he's given me Rachelle's family, so my children get to experience that.

Now if we can only get them out of Texas... :-)

Meet Peg and Jack

A few days ago we awoke to two of our neighbors in our pool! They ended up leaving, but they came back again this morning.

They wouldn't tell us their names, so the kids named them Peg and Jack (also happens to be the names of my grandparents)

Here they are:

Jack is quite the swimmer, looks like he's hardly trying and he moves pretty quickly.

On another note, Chad, Teralynn, Makaila and Cole come to visit through Easter today, which means some fun, sun, baseball and golf for me.

My apologies to the Cubs fans that read this for mentioning the spring training baseball that's here and the Cubs that are here for the entire month of March at games that you can go to for $6 and where said Cubs fan could stay for free.

Travels

Rachelle and I were reminiscing the other day about our trips and some of the friends that we've loved spending time with.

We remembered this really neat couple in some eastern coastal state that we would really love to spend some time with.

Hope they know that they are always invited, welcome and desired in our home.

Learning

I'm realizing something I think I already knew, but wasn't acutely aware of.

I need to be trusted.

As I've been in real estate, I've noticed that my honesty has cost me many deals. I've talked many people out of buying a house, as I thought it wasn't a good time for them to do it, or a good financial decision. For this and other reasons, I kinda trust myself that I can give unbiased opinions on real estate, knowing that I can set aside my monetary needs for those of my clients (what we as agents are REALLY called to do if you really believe the code of ethics we agree to)

Then there's these clients of mine that I've known for probably 8 years and have recently started working with them. I've spent a TREMENDOUS amount of time and energy with their two daughters, both of which I advised to WAIT when they could have bought, and I could have made a few grand each.

Now that I am working with them, they really treat me as if my work and efforts and investment in selling their home and helping them buy is them doing a favor to me somehow. During the negotiations of the contract, Mr. client actually wrote down a bottom line number that they were willing to take and slid it across the table to me like I was some crooked car salesman that was trying to make a fast buck off of them.

To make a deal work, I cut my commission and was treated like that was what I was supposed to be doing in this situation.

We've been looking at new homes and Mr. Client reminded me today that he's going out of his way to make sure that I go with them to the new home communities so I am eligible to make a commission off the sale, again like it's a favor from them to me.

I'd love to just work with people that trust me and don't look at me as some sleezy salesperson.

Lesson #2 from this is that I'm ready to move on from real estate. It's been good and has provided flexibility and finances during the last 5 years, but it's time for me to move on. Soon. I've been praying heartily for a way out for 2 years, I really hope we're getting close. Not sure how much more I can handle.

Thanks for letting me vent. I know I really have nothing to complain about, God is great and has provided more than enough for my family meeting all of our spiritual and physical needs. Please pray that I can keep that as my focus. Also, that I would have the correct focus on where I am without looking too much at where I'm going.

For the positive spin, I am LOVING the work I get to do with advancing YL in the Surprise area. I've met so many neat people that share excitement and vision for the lost kids of Surprise. I look forward to the next week or so when we have our first committee meeting and begin a fundraising plan.

The "unofficial" plan is to have committee meeting #1 (YL committee is like the board of directors for an area and piece #2 of the puzzle [prayer is #1] to get YL going in an area) be a fundraising strategy meeting and then meeting #2 would be a staff decision meeting. I will seek prayer during that meeting as I hope to be confirmed as the Area Director at that meeting.

I might be in trouble for this one

Maybe even sleeping on the couch, but I don't care, it's funny.

Rachelle's obviously been inspired by the kids.

Not to be outdone

Ryan gets into the action as well.

Check out the voice control.

American Idol

I think we might have a TV worthy one here:

Then she kills a bug.

Excitment for today

Today is another exciting day for me because of what God appears to be doing in Surprise with Young Life.

I have two meetings today, one with the regional director (my potential boss-man) and then another informational meeting with a group of interested folks out in Surprise. This meeting includes a couple who the husband just retired from working for the city as the city manager, so he's very well connected within the city and wants to see YL out in his area.

Surprise is a neat 'town' of over 100,000 now and the school district has grown from about 6,000 students in 2000 to over 21,500 students today, and has grown from 1 high school to 3 with a fourth planned to open in 2009.

The sense is that there is a great need for a ministry such as YL out there, and we are praying that we can be a part of that.

Our Trip

This last week we took our quadrennial trip to L.A. to visit my family.

The main reason for this trip was to visit my new neice, Kayla Marie Baker, who was the first baby born this year at her hospital (4am or so on 1.1.08) and missed saving mom and dad on their taxes by about 5 hours! lol

It was a trip not unlike many of my long distance workouts, long drives with short bursts of seeing people. We started on Thursday by driving from home to L.A. (with a stop at the Cabazon outlet mall) and spent the afternoon and evening with my grandma, mom and a few aunts, uncles and cousins. It was nice to catch up with people there and spend time taking pictures of 3 of the great grandkids.

On Friday morning we made the short drive to visit my dad in Santa Monica and spent an hour or so at the beach (too chilly for real beach weather) and then had lunch before heading down the coast to San Diego (with a stop in San Celemente at the Rainbow store).

The time in SD was a blast, we always love visiting the Gennaros and they are so much like us in their views and challenge us in the way they live out loud in their love for Christ. The reason for our trip to SD was to visit the Gennaros who new little boys that just got home from Uganda. They have been in process of getting them adopted from Uganda for over two years and they brought them home a few months ago. They are both ADORABLE.

Julia (the oldest who's a freshman now-was a toddler when we were at PLNU) was on the crew for the Beauty and the Beast performance at the high school, so we packed up the two vans and headed to the show that night, which all kids enjoyed.

The next day we spent time just hanging out in the morning and continuing to catch up with our friends with the kids making new ones. We took a couple of shots before heading off back home on Saturday. All-in-all a good trip. Julia had a party in the morning, so she was missing from the pics.

Sad Day

Yesterday was a sad day.

THREE and a half years ago I received one of my most used gifts of all time, a pair of palmetto flip flops as a gift for being a groomsman.

Toward the end of last summer, the palmettos stared sadly at me as they realized that the end was near. I'd nearly worn through the bottom on both toes and there was cut marks all over the bottom from digging out thorns.

As the weather has heated up, I tried to ignore the fact that these sandals were no longer comfortable, as I had an attachment to them emotionally.

Alas, on Saturday we were in San Clemente, CA where they make these 'guaranteed for life' flip-flops called Rainbow Sandals that many of my friends have raved about and sell them at deep discounts. I was forced...ok not forced...but I bought a pair (actually 2).

Last night the palmettos found their way (after a small service) into the garbage can.

Sad day, sad day indeed.

Thanks for the ride palmettos, thanks for the ride.