It's been a while since we last posted a blog. A lot has changed around here, but I'm going to try to keep the news brief and post a lot of pictures and videos instead. So let's get the news out of the way first. In the beginning of May, my job cut hours once again, bringing me down to 25 a week. They encouraged me to stick it out until they could offer 40 hour shifts again, but I told them that this was completely unacceptable and asked that they give me paid time off to find another job. That same day, I received an offer from Qwest and put in my 2 week notice at Center Partners.
I began my 10 week training at Qwest in mid May. My official title is Qwest Center Service and Sales Agent - Western Region, Idaho Falls. Yup, quite a mouth full. The pay is better, the employees are treated better, the benefits are incredible, and I enjoy the job more. The only problem is that there are quotas. On Tuesday, I begin the evaluation period of my training. I need to meet certain revenue goals in the next 4 weeks in order to remain employed at Qwest. I'm more than a little nervous. I've had several high revenue days, but I've also had several low ones. I'm hoping it all evens out during the next 4 weeks.
Mike has been extremely busy this summer. He decided to take summer classes in order to catch up in his new major so he can finish sooner. He also accepted a summer internship. I think it was a bit more work than he was expecting, but he's enjoying it. He loves his calculus class, and his boss at work has started training him to be a reactor operator.
The big downside to us being so busy is that the kids are at daycare for 8-9 hours a day. Luckily, they love it. The daycare is run by some members of our ward, and they are great! The adults interact with the kids rather than just sitting back and watching, and they encourage learning and imaginative play. They know each of the kids individually and are as proud of them as we are. Despite the adult/kid ratio being somewhat poor on certain days of the week, all the kids in the daycare are well mannered and friendly. They're doing an awesome job! My kids actually look forward to going to daycare to see their friends and learn new things.
Even with as busy as we've been, we've still found time for fun. Memorial Day weekend was great! Even though we had to stay close to home, we still took the kids to the park and flew kites in the baseball diamond in our back yard. Yes, we have a baseball diamond in our back yard. The kids' new favorite song is "Let's Go Fly a Kite!" We actually had to tell the kids not to sing it at daycare anymore because we were afraid the staff was getting tired of it. Mother's Day and Father's Day were great too. Mike and I also celebrated our 9 year anniversary on May 12th.
Last night, we went to a company party at Tautphaus Park. Qwest provided food, a live band, discounted ride tickets to Fun Land, and free tickets to the zoo. We had a great time! After eating, we headed over to the rides. Hyrum was anxious to try the ferris wheel, but Emily was afraid. However, when she saw me and Hyrum get on, she suddenly became braver and asked Mike to take her. Hyrum loved every second of it. Emily, on the other hand, started out scared. When their car got to the top, he pointed out all the things she could see from up so high, and she decided it wasn't so bad. She happily told Mike, "Oh! Ferris wheel isn't scary! I like the ferris wheel!" Here's a picture of Mike and Emily during the ride.
After that, we hit the merry go round. Again, Emily was afraid, so I stood beside her. It didn't take long before she decided that it was fun and even became brave enough to take her hands off the pole to wave at Mike as we went past. Hyrum was a pro. He must have remembered going on the merry go round when he was younger. He didn't even want help getting on to the horse because he was determined to do it himself. After the merry go round, the kids went on a train ride. They both loved it! Hyrum said it was his favorite, but later he couldn't decide if he had liked the merry go round or ferris wheel better.
After the rides, we went to the zoo. It was probably about 7:00 in the evening, and some of the animals were already asleep for the night. Hyrum was disappointed that his usual favorite, the otters, weren't swimming. Emily still got to see her favorite, the zebra. She has loved zebras from the very first time she ever saw one. By the time we got to that exhibit, she was sleepy and resting on Mike's shoulder. When she saw the zebra, she suddenly perked up and got more and more excited. "Zebra! It's my zebra!" They also had a petting zoo with animals such as a donkey and goats.
After the zoo, the kids wanted to play on the playground. The video needs a bit of an intro. Emily is afraid of crossing bridges thanks to Dora the Explorer and the Grumpy Old Troll Who Lives Under the Bridge. All in all, we had a great night!
We're looking forward to taking the kids to see the fireworks show next weekend. After how much Hyrum loved the fireworks at Jen's house last year, we think he's going to love it! We'll just have to make sure Emily gets a good nap that afternoon.
