Long Update

Please excuse the LONG post, I don't ever see people!  It seems somewhat strange that I am writing this post in Utah right now.  Brian had been feeling quite unsatisfied with his PhD program in California.  He came home one day and said that he didn't want to be a professor anymore.  For as long as we'd been married, that was his goal, but it did not take me by surprise.  Over the summer, he went to a conference to present a paper he had been working on publishing, but his real intent of going was to research jobs outside of academia.  After that conference, he was pretty sure he would search for other types of jobs, but we still planned on finishing the PhD.  We put that thought on the back burner for a month or two, and then mid-October, Brian's friend Jason told him about a job opening at the Mormon Church.  We hadn't really considered what would happen if he didn't finish the PhD.  I guess we just assumed that the more education the better.  Despite our lack of research on the matter, he applied anyway just to see.  Over the next week, we read and researched the difference, and found that 2 years work experience with his masters was about the same as getting a PhD.  Our options at this point were to stay in school for at least 4 more years, racking up debt and having to fit more babies into our tiny apartment, or work for a few years, save up, and be at about the same pay scale as we would just out of the PhD.  We decided that if the job came through, we would take it.  We didn't have an immediate plan if it didn't work out.  

The whole process was very quick.  He applied right before Halloween, had a phone interview a week later, and then he flew to Utah for the final interview just after Thanksgiving.  He got the job offer on Dec. 7th, they flew us to Utah soon after to look for housing, we moved days after Christmas, and he started January 7th.  It's so strange that just 2 1/2 months ago, we had no clue we would be here now! Brian loves his job.  He works for the research department of the church.  He said that he sits down to eat lunch and realizes it's already time to pack up and go home.  That is a sign that he enjoys what he is doing!  This is MUCH different than when he was in grad school.  Most days he would call home to tell me that he just wanted to come home, drop out, etc. before noon even hit.  

The kids and I are having a tough transition, but with time, we will feel much more confident and less Isolated.  I am experiencing some major cabin fever right now, but mostly I just feel very isolated because I know nobody!  Because it's been so cold (hopefully that's why), we don't see any of our neighbors, and it's been tough getting to know people at church.  I knew I would miss being in a ward (mormon congregation) that had a lot of young student families.  Everyone is poor, and basically, my things, time, children, etc., are yours kind of attitude.  We try to get out once a day.  Most of the time, it's just to go on a walk to the train station to pick up daddy.  It's a nice way for the kids to get out of the house, and for me to get some of that pent up energy out.  I've really been enjoying the exercise.  Walking has never been such great exercise as it is now.  Nobody shovels their sidewalks here, so I've been pushing the stroller through a good 6 or so inches of snow.  I am sure people feel sorry for me when they drive by thinking I don't have a car. I get some strange looks when the stroller gets stuck in the snow.  :)  We make frequent trips to the library, the mall, and other random places.  The kids like playing in the children's area at the mall.  I've been trying to read, learn, and take care of myself more lately.  I forgot how enjoyable it is to lose myself in a good book, work on a sewing project, etc.  Thanks to my mom coming to visit, my desire to sew has come back!

I feel like Calvin has gotten so much older in the last month.  All he wants to do every waking moment is play candy land and chutes and ladders.  He feels so dejected when I tell him that I can't play because Rebecca needs me, I'm busy with other things, it's time to eat, sleep and go somewhere.  He is so funny it cracks me up!  He has to be the center of attention.  When I try to take videos of Rebecca, he jumps right in front of the camera.  

Rebecca is growing in leaps and bounds.  Her hair just keeps getting longer and longer.  

She's taller, chubbier, and more coordinated.  She still won't try to walk without holding on, although I know she can do it.  She's been talking a ton lately.  So far she can say tickle, cracker, hug, mama, dadda, hi, monkey and ya ya (Calvin).  Tonight she kept saying egg.  I don't know if she was going for thank you or egg.  It's so much fun to watch her grow and learn.  She is a little social butterfly.  She will say hi to every person that makes eye contact with her.  She blows lots of kisses, and has been experimenting with dancing lately.

I thought Rebecca and Calvin would enjoy playing in spaghetti.  They sure did!  Calvin enjoyed throwing it all over her body, and Rebecca just snacked on it the whole time.