90 Days

Steve got his 90 Day notice yesterday. That means that his work will officially end on May 2, and then he has one month to try to find a job, etc. in which he is still an Intel employee. On June 2 his Intel employment will end unless he decides to forgo the separation package in order to try to find a job within Intel.

So, we are looking into jobs, and COBRAing insurance, and where we might move and stuff like that. All in all, I think Steve and I are both ready to do this just so our lives won’t be so up in the air, like they have been for the past 2 years. Unfortunately, the job market isn’t so good right now.

Evening things out.

We are expecting another girl. Her due date is May 24, 2009.

Last week, we went around the table and had all the kids guess whether they thought it would be a boy or a girl and they all thought it was a girl...so...apparently we all win. I love boys, but at this point I felt like a girl would fit into the family well.

We are probably done. (I told this to a lady in my ward and she said "Yea, right!" Thanks, lady.)

Pics

Steve and Levi and Cecelia plotting Pine Wood Derby car designs. Cecelia wants one too this year.

It's hard to get pics of Israel because he hide or makes faces. I have recently discovered that I can get pictures of him when he's reading, or in the middle of a Wii contest with someone.

Francesca just might end up being neat and tidy like Grandma Morgan. After she would get a piece of paper off of a present she would walk the paper into the kitchen and throw it in the garbage. It was cute, but took a long time, so we finally moved the garbage next to her in the living room.

All my kiddos. I do like them.

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas. We did...except for the crying.

Growing like a weed

So, Charity asked for a picture to see how big Elijah's getting. Unfortunately he's getting big. He wanted to measure again just the other day, obviously feeling the tightness of the race between us. So, here's the picture. I am standing on some Sandra Boyton books because he had boots on and I didn't want to give him an unfair advantage.

So, in other news, we have been attending concerts, and programs, and concerts, and programs...and pack meetings and ward parties. Luckily I think most of that stuff is done for the year. Now we just have Christmas to survive. A few days ago Cecelia said something about getting tons of presents, so I said to her. "You know, you're not getting tons of presents this year. You're getting some presents, but not tons." She immediately burst into tears.

So much for all those Christmas lessons on the real meaning of Christmas, and giving, and all that. So far it hasn't seemed to sink in.

Good News, Bad News

Good news: Steve and I are expecting a baby

Bad news: I am pregnant

There is a lot of moaning and groaning around our house. I think most of it is coming from me as I sit around the house trying to live through the horrible yucky part of pregnancy. Occasionally, I think I hear some coming from the kids or Steve as they forage for food and clean laundry. I think the only reason that we are surviving reasonably well is that Marisa has been our angel who comes over once a week and cooks and cleans. I personally would guarantee her a place in Kingdom if it was mine to give. (Too bad it's not.)

Summer is crazy

Yes, I know it's been a while.

So, here's a little update. I have now read all the Emily and Charlotte Bronte novels. This includes Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre, as well as 3 others. Wuthering Heights gets a 2 thumbs down, I Hate you. And Jane Eyre gets a 2 thumbs up. Sorry Emily, but that's how it goes. Too bad you didn't write any more novels, maybe a good one could have quelled the fierce Hate.

We just got back from a 2 week vacation to Utah. Saw all the Bentleys except Zack, and Grandma and Grandpa Morgan. All in all a good time. Thanks to everyone who made it so fun.

Steve's job is STILL in limbo. The latest it that they might tell us something on September 2nd. At this point, I never believe them. At some point they'll tell us something, but not believing that they ever will has made me right a LOT of times so far.

Kids start school in 2 1/2 weeks. I'm not ready. I am loving the calm of summer, even though the house is a mess and seems impossible to keep clean. Cecelia starts kindergarten though, so my days are suddenly going to be very, very quiet. I'm sure this is Francesca's moment to shine and make sure it's not too quiet.







Apparently, Elijah loves the bunny, and the bunny loves the...scriptures. (Not my doing, he took those pics.)

Classic Books

Now that the kids are almost out of school, I was thinking I might like to read some classic books during the summer. So...I'm looking for suggestions. Now, I want ones that are enjoyable to read, not the horrible ones you remember hating in high school english. To give you an idea of what I'm looking for, I'm listing a few things that I'm already considering reading, and a few of the things I wouldn't consider.

Things I'm considering:
One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest
To Kill a Mockingbird
Sense and Sensibility
The Great Gatsby


Things I never want to read again:
The Grapes of Wrath
The Good Earth
Native Son

So, please comment with suggested reading material for me.