Jan & Feb 2017

January & February 2017 Update

Would you look at that? I MADE IT! ^_^

Hope you all don't mind just a quick update - we've been busy, but there's not a whole ton of new 'developments' necessarily (mostly just the average, daily grind for everyone at the moment). 

Update for Matthew

Our little guy is growing up fast - he's more and more independent every day (something that he is always happy to demonstrate). He's absolutely in love with talking with as many people as he can - and his ability to remember and retell stories (albeit with some occasional embellishments) is actually rather unnerving. Prepare for the stage of being hyper-aware of what you say around this little intellectual sponge! 

Update for Anna

Tax season is in full swing for my better half - and that means that there are a lot of times that we don't see mom until late at night. We're all looking forward to getting to the end of these next few months - Matthew probably more so, because that means that he'll get one of his best friends back to play LEGOs and tell stories with. 

Update for Jay

Work is starting to ramp up for me as well, though not at the speed that Anna is facing - ours tends to be a slow build to insanity throughout the year. The first quarter is always a planning stage, it seems - not that there aren't a billion things going on behind the scenes for us (especially now). This year hopefully will be a bit more sedate than the last few, but given the track record...let's just say I'm not holding my breath. 

The podcasting is still a huge source of enjoyment for me, personally - and I know that Anna loves the community that has sprung up around the chat room that we have. Even Matthew has gotten a few moments in the lime-light when we have a daytime stream or recording session (he loves getting to say hello to everyone, even if it's just for a brief moment). 

2016 in Review: Christmas Update!

Christmas 2016

Well, it's been a while since we've gotten a chance to talk! It's been a busy, busy year for us here - apologies for letting the blog slide back in priorities. Going to try to get at least a post in every other month starting in 2017 (might be one of my resolutions) for everyone to keep up with what is going on up here in the Midwest. 

After talking to Anna, we decided that instead of sending out a picture to everyone, it might be more in the spirit of the season to send out a digital update for everything that's going on with our family currently. No worries - nothing terrible is happening or has happened. We just want to try to get a bit better at staying in touch with everyone and this has honestly proven to be a pretty good approach in the past!

Update for Matthew

Our little guy is growing up fast! He's enjoying just about everything (including the school work that he's being exposed to a bit at his daycare) and always is excited about what tomorrow has in store. Which he reminds me of constantly at bed time - which thankfully has taken a huge turn for the better this past year. 

He's gotten into Pokemon recently - and has taken to 'capturing' and 'training' them throughout the house and backyard...much to the consternation of Cayde and Kyara. His enjoyment of trains has stayed consistent as well - which is no surprise, for any of y'all who have been around him in person. The kid has the ability to find a train ride just about anywhere we go (I'm still waiting to see if he's going to make one magically appear at the grocery store at this point). 

Independence has skyrocketed as well - something that is both awesome and frustrating. He's as likely now to just disappear suddenly to take care of something (it literally can be anything) himself as he is to ask for our help - which has led to some interesting situations and conversations about how we don't play with certain items around the house (I'm looking at all you sharp knives...I don't care if he used two chairs to get to you, still not cool).

Update for Anna

Anna has finished the major testing portions of the CPA certification process finally and is now on the next steps of finishing that up - and then she'll be done! She's done a truly masterful job at balancing work, studying, and taking care of Matthew and I - and I know that she's looking forward to getting one of the major things that she's been working on for the past few years finally completed and off her plate. 

She's also working on several personal projects that she's hoping to get finished with this next year - I'm really excited to see how they turn out, and from the looks of what I've seen so far, they're going to be amazing!

Update for Jay

This year has been a crazy ride (as probably you can imagine, from the lack of activity on here) - between work and starting up a podcast (more on that in a bit) I'm finding it tough to find time to get sleep. Thankfully, we have coffee. 

Back at the end of last year, a group of guys that I gamed with started really talking seriously about putting together a group that would promote a place where people from across gaming communities could come to chat about the stories in the games and other media that we all love so much. This took off pretty decently and soon transformed into an opportunity to start up a podcast. Last year was a year that was amazingly insane for me on a personal level - I was able to travel to LA for E3 and then later to Tampa to be a part of the Destiny Community Convention 2016 with Anna. On top of those amazing experiences, I've been blessed to be able to get to know and now call friends many people within the gaming community that I would have never known otherwise - something that I would seriously not trade for anything. We have had an amazing time growing the community and the podcast (link to website) this past year and can't wait to see where it takes us in 2017!

June 2015

Annnnd there's another missed month. Not going to lie about it - I'm still not sure where May went.

Update for Matthew

So the update for this guy can be summed up with the words 'amazing' and 'super-smart'. He's learning new things every time I turn around and is more than happy to discuss them with anyone or anything that gives him more than 5 seconds attention. This evening we got to play with a cicada who had not yet shed its shell and taken flight and he was 100% focused on what was going on - and it was amazing. It's events like that which make me aware of just the large amount of amazing things that are in the world around us.

Update for Anna

Anna has started her last few classes in preparation for sitting for her CPA exam - and I get the feeling that these cannot go by fast enough for her. Thankfully we got through tax season, so she just has to deal with the insanity that is Matthew and I while balancing work and school (which is more than I could handle, to be honest).

Update for Jay

As you can imagine, my update is pretty much restricted to...projects! Seriously though, it's pretty much what my days are filled with these days. Then there's Matthew and, when I can fit it in, some downtime to game or catch up on TV with Anna. And then....when I can, I get to catch some sleep. But when you complete the project, sometimes the lack of sleep is worth it.


As is usual - if you're in our area or plan on passing through, let us know so that we can try to get together and catch up on all that has happened!

April 2015

I swear that it feels at times that I just put these up yesterday and it's already time for another one. Needless to say, it's be super busy for us - not that it's a necessarily bad thing...just makes you appreciate the down time more!

Update for Matthew

Our recent acquisition for someone's upcoming birthday was a miniature trampoline (complete with the ability to make animal sounds when certain areas are jumped on) - and it has been an absolute hit. He is absolutely in love with being able to go outside again - most of the time it's all we can do to stop him from barreling through the back door when we get home from daycare every evening. He's also become more and more independent - as he likes to show us by going down the 'big people' stairs without an accompanying adult (something we're not a huge fan of, to say the least). 

We're still obsessed with trains and have recently really started getting into the Thomas & Friends show. Most 'choo-choos' are named "Thomas" in our house now. Unless they're green. Then they're "Percy" or "Green-Thomas".

Update for Anna

Tax season is nearly over...so it's getting crazier and crazier. I know that the full days of daycare for Matthew have really made a difference for her schedule - but am still constantly impressed by how much she gets done. And she manages to do it all while keeping an impressive level of calm, which is pretty amazing in my book.

Update for Jay

The projects march on. And the days always seem shorter than they need to be to get what needs to be done, completed. But each day ends with everyone one step closer to the completion of the project. As insane as it is, there is something to be taken away from the chaos of these schedules that I look at each morning - something that, while sometimes it eludes me, keeps me coming back in search of. I love the challenge of staring at a puzzle and trying to figure out what rules are bendable enough to get the desired result, even if sometimes that requires rework and some long hours. The success at the end is just that much more enjoyable when you manage to create something that many didn't think was going to be able to be done. 

Not to say that it isn't stressful - it is. But it's also something that is needed to be done, so we do our best to make as many people as we can happy with what we can provide them.

As is usual - if you're in our area or plan on passing through, let us know so that we can try to get together and catch up on all that has happened!

March 2015

So not sure if I should play this off as being extremely late or early...because completely missed getting a post up for last month. Apologies about that!

Update for Matthew

This little guy. We're definitely starting to get into the age of "my way or else" - although he usually is pretty...reasonable about what he throws a fit over. Like when we take his shoes off before he was ready. Or make him food that he asked for, but it took to long (or wasn't what he really wanted).

In light of that, he's still a great little guy. He grows by leaps and bounds every time I turn around - learning new words and phrases every day it seems. He's loving the full-time daycare situation and can't wait most mornings to go over to see his friends and spend time with them. We have also started to really get into trains (as we call them here, "choo-choos") and are having a blast on the weekend visiting the local malls that have shops and restaurants which are exclusively train themed. And having the train station downtown is just a bundle of fun when we get a chance to go down there - he's in constant awe at the huge machines that he gets to look at and (in some cases) play with.

Update for Anna

Tax season. It's back and it's just as busy as I remember it for us. Anna is, when she's not sleeping or dealing with Matthew and I, working almost non-stop.

I know that she's stressed, but she still does a wonderful job of keeping everything together both at the house and in our lives. I am constantly impressed by her ability to keep Matthew at the top priority, even when everything around us seems like a whirlwind of chaos. I think the new schedule of full-time daycare has made it a bit easier for her to have a set schedule at the office though, which I'm sure is appreciated (I know that I like having a set plan of the week).

Update for Jay

While Anna has tax season, I get to experience implementation projects. Plural. Both of our schedules are crazy busy - something that sometimes makes it tough to get together enough calmness of mind to put together these posts (hence the missing of last month's update). These days are pretty much the same exact schedule for me - wake up and get Matthew over to daycare, get to the office, get as much work as done as possible before the end of the day, come home and try to get something to eat and catch a few hours of relaxation before heading to bed to start the cycle back up again. I'm enjoying the challenge that the projects are giving us - although the time crunch that we have been assigned is rigorous, especially when considering the number of different systems that we're looking to reconfigure and reintegrate with one another. But it'll get done.


As is usual - if you're in our area or plan on passing through, let us know so that we can try to get together and catch up on all that has happened!

January 2015

Happy New Year, everyone! Hope you all have had a great holiday season and that everyone got what they were hoping for this Christmas - I know Matthew had more toys than he knew what to do with after our trip to Texas.

Update for Matthew

Our little man is having a blast with all the new toys that he got over Christmas - and the trip home to Texas only made him enjoy the holiday even more. He loved being in a house that you could open the door and see peacocks, horses, donkeys, cats, and dogs - pretty sure he's still searching for most of them now that we're back home with just our dog. And he's always willing to let anyone know what sounds any of those animals make while discussing in his own way the adventures he had while we were with my family.

Starting next week, we're also transitioning into a full-time schedule at daycare for him, to help free up Anna's days during the upcoming tax season - which has been a somewhat bittersweet realization on our part. We're glad that he's having a great time and to get a bit more free time to allow Anna focus on keeping up with the increasing demands of work, but at the same time...it's somewhat a punch in the stomach to realize just how much he has grown in such a short time. It's truly amazing to watch everyday as he assimilates more and more knowledge from the world around him - and even more awesome when he turns around after we're sure that he's forgotten something shown to him and utilizes it to overcome something that he's faced with (recent example from just tonight was the ability to get into a 'big person' chair that was higher than him - he just attacked the challenge, and then when he figured it out...he got back down, turned around and did it again, almost as a reinforcement to himself that it was still possible).

Update for Anna

We're done with the Master's degree! Just in time to celebrate with a new tax season!!

Anna has done a great job - between dealing with me, Matthew, work, and the pressures of school - I still am impressed that she is still sane. And now, she gets a bit of freedom from one of those pressures (at least for a while). As I mentioned above, we're also starting Matthew at daycare full-time, which means that her daily schedule should be more open to getting things sorted at the office than before (although I'm sure that Grandma and Grandpa are still going to find ways to sneak Matthew back in there from time to time, from what I'm hearing).

Update for Jay

Anyone who's been talking to me recently is aware of the recent flaring up of one of my addictions - video games. While during the day, I'm working and trying to keep up with Anna and Matthew, I'm pretty sure that I've lost more sleep than I should to the recent releases. And this past week, I managed to start playing in a Beta for the new Halo game (sorry people, I'm holding back as much as possible - but the geeking out is getting tough to not show here) and have been absolutely loving it. I also have secured a few placements in a couple of preview programs that have really been a cool experience to see just how the beta testing process for programs (both on consoles and mobile apps) works.

Work has been somewhat docile these past two weeks because of the holidays - but starting Monday, I'm expecting a gearing up again of full-speed ahead on the current project that we're rolling out (hopefully we'll be done about half-way through 2015) and an accumulation of side-projects that require our input/monitoring throughout the year and most likely into 2016.


As is usual - if you're in our area or plan on passing through, let us know so that we can try to get together and catch up on all that has happened!

December 2014

Annnd missed last month's update. Not sure where the time's going, but it's going there fast. As I'm sure that all of you are experiencing, our family is staring down a pretty well loaded schedule for the upcoming weeks - so going to try to touch on all that's happened!

Update for Matthew

This little guy is growing up fast. He's starting to really develop a sense of identity and beginning to show preferences - which is fascinating to watch. He did amazing with Anna in their trip down to Texas for Thanksgiving (I had to stay home due to some schedule conflicts with work) and had a blast with her family. He also learned how to say "cheeseburger" - which has become somewhat of an adorable past time (he doesn't say it much...but when he does, everyone celebrates).

He's also starting to really enjoy all those toys people have been trying to get him to play with for the past 19 months - I think it's starting to click that these things are awesome. His latest fascination has been trains and over the past couple of weekends, we've visited downtown where there's a burger place that is FILLED with trains (and yes, he's in absolute heaven the entire time). I'm looking forward to getting him down there again soon now that we're able to say "cheeseburger" and "choo choo".

Update for Anna

Three more classes! Getting pretty excited for the upcoming completion of the Master's!! Anna's going through everything and doing a great job - she handles the combined pressure of taking care of Matthew and I in addition to her schoolwork and day job with a patience that I'm pretty sure I'll never come close to accomplishing. It's truly amazing and I'm thankful more and more that I get to share this amazing experience with her.

Update for Jay

Work has officially hit the "hold on" phase - which for the past week or so has translated into an average of 10 hours at the office and trying to fit everything else in when I get home. Thankfully, we had a good vacation for Thanksgiving to prepare for the insanity that we're going to be experiencing these next few weeks until the start of January - hopefully it'll be enough!


As is usual, if you're going to be around, give us a shout so that we can get together and catch up!