February 2013

Good morning everyone!

Things are pretty hectic up here - not terribly, but enough that we're noticing it.  We're in the process of getting the crib for Matthew at the moment, so the majority of the nursery developments are on hold until we acquire that rather important piece of furniture.  We did manage to find the decals that we're going to be putting up around the room, but until we get the centerpiece of the room and decide where that is going to be placed, the actual deployment of those are pending.  Anna's noticing more and more movement (for those of you who aren't followers of her weekly updates on her Facebook page) and is getting more excited and nervous as the time continues to count down towards the arrival of our VIB (yes, that means Very Important Baby - sue me).

Work is...calming down?  Not really, actually.  We're through the brunt of the first round of system testing for the new systems that we're implementing into the company and have found a ton of errors (surprise, it's system testing!) that we're needing to address before proceeding.  Needless to say, there have been a number of days that I've been here around 10-12 hours; most of them spent in front of a computer with headphones in to help with the concentration.  Thank God for Google chat (otherwise I think that Anna would have thought that I had run away or been kidnapped sometimes).  That all said, I'm getting really excited to see this little beastie come out from the lair and rear it's head on the go-live date.  It's certainly going to be an impressive setup...and hopefully it'll cooperate and work for everyone else as it does for us here in the planning stages.

Anna is getting through the preliminary stages of the dreaded Tax Season - and from the sounds of it, it's going pretty well for everyone.  I know that she's having to go in more and more (which isn't a huge surprise, given that, well, it's Tax Season) but overall she seems much happier and more comfortable with her position.  She's also (as far as I can tell) enjoying having the semester off from taking classes - even though, deep down, I think she sorta misses it (because she's crazy like that).

As usual, if you're in the area, please do not hesitate to give us a call or shoot us a text - we'd love to show you around our home and catch up with you.  We might even have you over for dinner, if we really like you. Possibly.  (Yes - that was sarcasm.  We'd probably let you stay with us, even if we didn't like you.)

But in all seriousness - if you're in our neck of the woods, give us a call so that we can schedule a meal and time to catch up with you (hopefully I'll be able to make it out of the office in time to see you too - but if nothing else, Anna would love to have someone other than Kyara to hang out with).

January 2013

Whew.

So we're finally done with the two weeks of running from one place to the next - and after counting the many, many blessings, it is with dead certainty that I say this:  It. Was. Awesome.

There were times that we both were so worn out from running from one thing to another and from one city to the next - but throughout it all, I think that Anna and I both felt that it was truly the most enjoyable manner in which to spend our vacation time.  From the awesome baby shower that my family threw for us when we visited Waco for Christmas this year to the sheer enjoyment that we all had over the New Year Eve, the one thing I remember is the sense of feeling that this was where we both belonged.  It is truly a blessing to know that your child, even before he is born, has such a loved and valued place in the world.

Needless to say, we're super busy with work and life in general (something about a new baby always makes things kick it up a notch).  We have started to arrange the new nursery for Matthew's arrival and are hoping that we'll have it mostly completed by the end of the month.  Anna has taken the semester off from school in order to give herself more time to focus on her work (remember it's tax season people!!) and baby Matthew's health.

Work has also started gearing up on my side - the upcoming system testing for our new programs start in the next few weeks and, as part of that, the preparations are beginning in earnest.  Hopefully I'll still manage to have some time for work around the house and to spend with Anna.

As usual, if anyone is ever in the area, please do not hesitate to give us a call so that we can try to have some time to catch up with you!

December 2012

So, as usual, this month is gearing up to be somewhat of a full schedule.  Anna's finals are next week (if I'm remembering her school schedule correctly), so she's getting ready for all that 'excitement.'  We're also scheduled for our next ultrasound this Friday to finally learn what gender the baby is (!!) and will be promptly going from that appointment to register for the baby shower gifts - which means that this weekend is going to be really tight in regards to scheduling.

I've managed to get everything (mostly) down to the new office and Sheila (Anna's mom, for those of you who don't know) came over this weekend and helped Anna paint the 'new' guest room in order to prepare our moving all the furniture over there to make room for the new nursery.  Hopefully we'll be able to get all that done before we leave for Christmas in Texas, which will mean that we can get that room painted and the 'construction' (as Anna calls housework) started.  We also managed to get all the Christmas decorations up for the house - so here's hoping that the joy of the season makes Anna's hectic schedule a bit more manageable and bearable.

Other than that, work's been....well, work.  Deadlines for me have been moved back (yay for companies not cooperating) and Anna's office is getting prepped for the upcoming tax season.  Needless to say, we spend quite a bit of time working and then, when we do get home during the week, we've got the majestic programs of Netflix and Blockbuster to help us unwind!

I'm also going to try to get some photos put up either here or on Facebook of the new office/guest room and we're going to definitely be putting some up of the nursery (duh), so hopefully we'll be able to share with everyone what we've been doing over the past 4-6 months with the house.

As usual, if you're ever in our neck of the woods, please don't hesitate to give us a shout so that we can at least get together over a cup of coffee to catch up!

Merry Christmas and God Bless!

Jay & Anna

November 2012

So there are a number of things that I want to talk about today...but as far as family blogs go, I feel that I really should try to keep those things out.  I'll allow myself to say that I (personally) was really hoping for a different outcome last night.  But, such is life.  We'll keep moving forward and upwards and get our revenge via our well lived lives and happiness.  There.  Done.  Onto the brighter and more enjoyable updates!

Needless to say, it's been a very, very, very busy schedule for both Anna and I.  Work has come to the point of my being here roughly 10-12 hrs/day on average for the design of our new workflow system - and it doesn't look like that is going to be slowing down anytime before the (current) go-live date of February 15, 2013.  Anna's been swamped by work, school, and the growing expectations of motherhood (we're at 15 weeks!!) as well.

In regards to the 'upgrades' to the house, I'm nearly done with the basement.  All I have left is to finish the flooring in the new guest room/office's closet, replace the baseboards, and then move all the furniture.  Granted...this might take a little while (since my partner in crime can no longer lift anything over 15 lbs.).  But I'll try to post some pictures either via here (with the next monthly update) or on Facebook as soon as we can get some produced (Anna does love to take pictures of progress).

October 2012

Man, make this the theme for Anna and I this month.  As usual, here's the late update for the latest events.  ::sigh::

We're nearly at the 12 week mark for the pregnancy (which is immensely exciting, by the way) and are really getting used to the fact that it seems every day something is changing.  For those of you who are friend with Anna on Facebook, I'm sure that you've seen the weekly updates on how the baby is developing - for those of you who aren't, here's roughly what we get get read each week:

"Our baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed.  His/her hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under his/her gums, and some of his/her bones are beginning to harden.  He/She's already busy kicking and stretching, and his/her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet.  These movements will become more frequent as his/her body grows and becomes more developed and functional.  [Anna] won't feel our baby's acrobatics for another month or two - nor will [she] notice the hiccuping that may be happening now that his/her diaphragm is forming."

Needless to say, it really puts it in perspective just how quickly a child grows when we get this email each week (I mean, the last email was showing how the baby was barely over an inch in length).  

Other than that, we're still working (sometimes it feels that we're always working - even on the days that we are supposedly 'off').  We did have a wonderful weekend with the Hornsby family this past weekend (which, of course was complimented by repeated trips to Midori's for sushi) and are really enjoying the changes that are finally starting to show in the house from all the updates that we've been working on.  Hopefully we'll be done with the remodeling of the basement here within the next month (if everything goes smoothly) and will start to get the nursery set up in preparation for our incoming arrival.

As usual, if there is anyone that is coming through our area, please don't hesitate to give us a shout (either via email or phone) so that we can meet up for a cup of coffee (or milk, in Anna's case).

September 2012

So yeah.  That's the reason this post is late.  ^_^

WE'RE PREGNANT!!

I was waiting for Anna's approval to go ahead and make the announcement (which she had officially posted over on Facebook - amid much emotional explosions of happiness) before I posted our monthly update here in order to make sure that we didn't jump the gun and accidentally forget to tell someone.

So now that the major part of our update has been completed - onto the more boring and mundane pieces...of which, I honestly can't remember at the moment.

So yeah... short post (mostly due to the excitement that we're going through today at the great news from the doctors) this month.  I'm sure I'll get around to posting something before our next scheduled meeting - but, as usual, no promises!

Oh - and there are more pictures on Anna's Facebook, in case anyone was wanting to get those. I believe that we're going to be updating the gallery over there ASAP whenever we can (in order to sate the hunger that so many people have expressed for instant updates on the status of everything).

August 2012

So here's another view from the new desk - this one was taken during the All Star Game a few weeks back.  It still is somewhat amazing the new freedoms that the position are granting me (hours and flexibility on how to operate within the times that I am here - not to mention the freedom afforded to me with the new laptop that they've given me).

In other news - the basement is coming along fairly well.  Painting is nearly complete and then all we'll really need to do is the new flooring and refitting of the floorboards/molding around the room...and then comes phase two of the process - moving the stuff back into the room.  Which I think Anna is going to love (because she'll finally have her laundry room back for use).  The backyard grill covering has been placed on hold for the time being to allow us more time to focus on getting the internal reformatting completed - though the new patio furniture that Anna's family got for us on my birthday does make it clear that we're going to need to step up the presentation level so that it doesn't look to much like a mix-matched setup.

Speaking of my better half, her semester ended with (surprise, surprise) good grades and a short period in which she was comatose (I believe mostly to catch up from the lack of sleep that her finals had caused).  I'm pretty sure that she's glad none-the-less to be finished with this particular bout of classes...even though, from what I could see, they were some of the more laid back professors (don't, however, take my word for it - email her to confirm this hypothesis).

As usual, be sure to drop us a line if you're going to be in our area of the country and need a place to stay and/or a warm meal with some friendly company!!