Love of Spring

Ah Spring... I know it isn't "technically" here yet but it feels like it now. While Fall is my favorite season...Spring is a close 2nd. For several reasons:

1. There's nothing like that first time you get to wear flip flops after its been cold and snowy.

2. March holds my birthday. Which in the past I got excited about but now have come to dread because I know it means I am getting older and closer to 30.

3. Flowers start to poke out of the ground and I get to see what color Lilies I will have for the Summer. I also get to plant new annual flowers.

4. I love having the windows open (until bad allergy season kicks in for Ryan's sake).

5. I can take Lily and Maverick on walks so I can enjoy my day and not feel trapped in the house all day.

6. The days seem longer as it stays lighter out and we can enjoy dinner outside on our deck.

7. Baseball season starts. I love going to Royals games and getting a free T-Shirt or $1 hot dog.

That's all I can think of for now off the top of my head. Now for some updates on us and what's to come this Spring and Summer.

Ryan- Is now working on the plaza at the St. Luke's Hospital there. He doesn't really have a set task their yet but is thankful to have work right now. This job is supposed to last from 3-6 months. So we'll see where he ends up after this. I know the guys at Lawrence would love to have him back there. I will be happy as long as it is in the KC area. We are trusting God with that one.

Joanna- Not much new with me other than I got a new iMac recently and love it! It has made both my business and my job at the church so much easier and more efficient. I thank God and the gov't (can't believe it) for providing the funds for it. I am preparing for 2 weddings in the family this summer. My sister's first which I am the Matron of Honor for. I have started preparing my speech for that as I want it to be as good if not better than the one she delivered for me at my wedding 4 years ago. Then my brother's will follow a month or so later. Both weddings are out of town so it will be like going on 2 mini vacations this summer. I pray that Lily is walking by then.

Lily- She is getting around pretty fast now. She pulls up to everything and has started walking around furniture and scaling walls. Lily recently learned to clap as well. Its pretty precious! She is trying more and more to repeat what we say when we tell her to say things. I am sure her first word will be any day now. Course she says the "mama" and "dada" and has for sometime but we aren't really counting that as words at this point. Lily also will wave goodbye to you if you are leaving and wave at her. Lily also interacts with other babies with a huge smile and laugh! She just lights up when she sees another baby and often giggles to herself. I am sure she will make a wonderful big sister someday!

Maverick- Can't believe it will be 3 years this summer since we got Mav. He will be 3 years old on May 10 this year. He has really mellowed out this past year and does super great around Lily. We couldn't ask for anything better!

New Computer..?

Well recently I realized that its time for me to get a new computer. My iMac is 3 1/2 years old and my hard drive is full. It runs photoshop pretty slow when working with large files. Plus for my job at the church I am in need of internet explorer which can only run on windows which can only run on the intel core based Mac's which I do not have. Its tough because I wasn't really ready to buy a new computer but we will be getting a decent tax return this year as well as a bonus from Ryan's job. We plan on saving most of the money for our next baby as we didn't plan well for what Lily was going to cost. We also are in need of a new dishwasher soon. Life comes at you fast I am afraid. We want to make the best decision regarding our finances especially in these hard times. We are blessed that Ryan still has a good job and part of me thinks we should just save it all for emergency if Ryan ever loses his job. But would that be living by faith? I know we should just pray about it but I am anxious to solve some of these issues.
Ultimately I knew I would need a new computer at some point soon. It would be nice to be able to do my jobs at one station instead of going back and forth from my iMac to my 6 year old pc laptop. My warranty Apple Pro Care plan ran out last August so if something were to happen to my computer I would be at a loss. So part of me wants to replace it while I can save everything on it before something happens. Then maybe I could donate or sell my old iMac assuming I can clear off the hard drive safely and securely. We'll see. I will wait til we know what we are getting on our taxes and Ryan's bonus before I make any rash decisions. We meet with our tax accountant this afternoon at 4:30pm so we shall know soon enough. Until then.

Lily had been really crawling and pulling up to stuff. She is getting into everything! I am constantly moving things out of her path. I think its precious. I love seeing her smiling face as she stands in her crib when I go in her room in the morning. I hope that never gets old.