Sunday, September 11, 2016

Game Day

Charlie is 8 months old as of yesterday. This in itself is exciting but what makes it even more exciting is that he now fits in some of his Packer gear (exciting for Brandon).  This is Charlie's second game. He was 7 days old for his first game. Who knows if he will like football in the future but for now he is a good sport about it all. The house is happy because the Packer's are winning at the half. Happy Sunday!






XOXO,

Katie, Brandon, and Charlie

Thursday, September 8, 2016

It's been one year!

We have been here in Santa Cruz for one year already!  In many ways it feels like our home now. There have been moments when life is challenging that I want to move back to Minnesota because it is difficult to be away from friends and our parents and there are many comforts in MN. However, when I slow down and really think about our life I feel very content here.

The logistics of this place make it very challenging to have “date nights” and so we just haven’t. My mom is coming for 5 weeks in December and Brandon and I are really looking forward to having some dates while Charlie and his Grandmother hang out.

Charlie is crawling all over the place and has 2 teeth. He pulls himself up on everything and is able to stand independently for a few seconds before falling down. This kid desperately wants to walk. He is almost 8 months old. We are constantly baby proofing as best we can but accidents and injuries are in full affect.  He loves all solid foods. There isn’t one thing thus far that he will not eat.




My brother Charlie and sister in-law Colleen visited for 2 weeks at the beginning of August. It was amazing to get to spend the much needed quality time with them.  They are so easy to be with and were very helpful with Charlie. I joked that 4 adults to 1 baby feels like the perfect scenario.











One week after Charlie and Colleen left Brandon went to MN for a week to turn over one of our rental houses to new tenants and to talk with an old boss about some remote work opportunities. The weeks typically breeze by but the week Brandon was gone was so long. I know I have explained this in the past, but we live in a remote area where the only access to shopping/restaurant is by boat and my nearest friend is a 30-minute hike away.

The solo time with Charlie was a lot of work and also very successful. It made me very grateful for Brandon and all that he does and it also helped me to relax a bit. I was only one person and so Charlie was going to have to sit in his crib longer than I would have liked as I ran to the laundry room or went to the bathroom or took a breathe alone. Needless to say, we were very happy when Brandon returned…with a job!  That’s right! Brandon has a job.

I have been pumping like crazy trying to build up a supply so that I can take a few nights away. I had been thinking that I would take a trip to the states and meet up with some friends but have since decided that this would require 2 full days of travel and I don’t want to spend my time away in an airport. So instead I am going to spend 2 nights in a swanky hotel in Antigua.

I continue my Spanish lessons 4 hours a week and continue to wish that I knew more.  I have a great deal of respect for mothers that attend school. I find it very difficult to study and be a mother…I’m exhausted by bedtime and want nothing to do with studying.  

It is the rainy season/winter now so we do not spend much time outside. It is “cold” and the grass is usually wet from the rain the night before. When the sun is out we try to get in some much needed outside time.




Our next adventure is coming up sometime in October. We will be flying to Florida to visit Brandon’s parents. Flying with mobile Charlie is going to be different. The last time we flew he was 5 months old and not moving…


XOXO,


Katie, Brandon, and Charlie

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Computer has been at the doctor

Hello.
So I spilled a glass of wine on my computer and that resulted in it being out of commission for about a month. It came home yesterday. Lots has happened since my last post but I need some time to compose my thoughts to make it all coherent. I will do this soon I promise.





XOXO,
Katie, Brandon, and Charlie