Hello there. I know most of my posts are rants and complaints, I’m sorry. I do not post enough updates on the family or provide pictures so I have decided to make a concerted effort to add more “slice of life” pieces here on my silly little blog.
Ok, so here goes with a meaningless update that will be of interest to about 4 people, one of which will be my wife Patti.
Me and Patti
Things are good for both of us. I have some interesting news but have not brought myself to share it yet, so you’ll have to wait. Around January of this year I decided to get back into shape and started lifting weights and running. Patti did as well but has since tapered off for a very valid reason. I have kicked it up a bit over the past couple of months and am now running (jogging, not sure what the difference is) 5 to 6 days a week. I have been in NY City for the past three months so I run the outer loop at Central Park (6.1 miles) or when I am home I have scouted out two routes, one at 6.4 miles and the other at 7.4. I pretty much do the 7 mile run because I want to be able to do a half marathon in the fall. Who knows? During the entire thing I have lost about 25 pounds.
Patti is doing very well. She is working...
Patti is doing very well. She is working as a stay at home mom and teaches a couple of yoga classes, one on Monday night and the other on Saturday mornings. She has temporarily stopped the Saturday morning but will hopefully continue after the summer. She is having a nice, albeit challenging, time running the house with a one year old and a 3 and a ½ year old. But she belongs to the pool and Emily has gone to a couple of different camps so she got a break.
I have been traveling a lot this summer for work, mostly to NY City, but can’t complain because I had a stretch of a couple of months with very little travel. Otherwise work is fine. I show up, they pay me in nickels and sacks of potatoes. I bill a lot of hours.
The Kids
I’ll start with the first born, Emily. She turned 3 in May but is the size of most 5 year olds. She is tall but, at least in my eyes, a beautiful and engaging little kid. She has her moments when she is a terror, a lot of moments now that I think about it, an ungodly amount of moments that little brat, but is sweet and fun. It’s funny, having her is more fulfilling than I ever thought. It’s almost like I was born to be her father. It’s hard to explain if you are not a parent, but it just feels…right. She is a very sweet and bright child and I (mostly) love being with her. But then again, I don’t have her from morning to night like Patti. She is going to pre-school in the fall three full days a week and is healthy, happy and bratty.
Ethan is a true terror. But as almost everyone has told me, he is just being a boy. He is mischievous and strong willed, has a bit of a temper, constantly on the go, rough and tumble, and competitive. If Emily has something, he needs to be involved. If she builds a block house, he needs to tear it down. He is into everything and apparently has no fear of climbing up onto anything. He turned one year this past week on August 5 and we had a small party for him the Sunday after. I know I am suppose to do this, but he is behind Emily is almost every category of development. No big deal really because he is right in line normal child development. While Emily is tall and lean, he is more solid. He is a tall kid for his age but is not lean at all. He has bright blond hair, which I had as well when I was his age, so hopefully it will turn darker as he gets older. I kind of want a little version of me. He is a good baby when it comes to being out in public and doesn’t cry much other than when he is hungry/tired/etc.
No big vacations planned this summer. We were going to have a family reunion at our house this past June but my mother couldn’t make it so we decided to do it in September. My sisters and their families will be coming in for a few days. Can’t wait, we always have fun.
We went to NY this past weekend for a friend’s party and got to stay with and spend time with Patti’s parents and her brother. It was a nice time and Jim, Patti’s father, is making significant progress on the remodeling of his house. Pat, Patti’s mother, has a beautiful new kitchen with appliances that are top of the line. She is a great cook.
Not sure if I ever mentioned this but my mother has been battling breast cancer. Terrible disease, cancer in general, and unfortunately the treatment is no picnic either. She had stage 3 cancer and is just finishing up her second chemo treatment. She had the usual side efforts like losing her hair, but my father has been taking care of her and it helps that he went through his own battle with cancer a few years ago and they are using some of the same doctors. I am doing the Susan Komen run for breast cancer in September so let me know if you want to join. It’s a huge event in Boston and raises a ton of money for research.
My parents came up for a visit in June and it was their first trip since my mother started treatment in the spring. It was a fun visit and we had great weather so spent the day outside just hanging out. The kids were happy to see them.
My sister Dora came up for a visit last month as well. She came up for a 4 day weekend and played the role of spoiling aunt. While I worked and was on the road she spent time with Patti doing the usual stuff like going to the pool and parks and stuff. Both of my sisters are doing well.
Well, that is about it for now. The house is fine. I am doing my usual projects. We are having a busy summer with parties and barbeques and the usual social events. I wish I had more time to spend with the family and to do more stuff around the house, but I do what I can.
Talk to you soon.
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