PIZZALCHIK!

If you haven't tried it yet...well, you should!
http://www.pizzalchik.com/

We go every Wednesday for "Wandering Wednesdays"...all you can eat gourmet pizza for $10.95...and they bring it to you!

Ethan goes a little wacky after his 5th piece....took some photos to blackmail him with later in life!

-Anna and Ethan

Life is busy but GOOD!

Ethan and I have been perfecting the art of fort building. Our latest fort was without question the best yet. Please see photographic evidence.

My friend Donna and I took Ethan and her son Elias to How to Train Your Dragon IMAX 3D. It was such a cute movie and the 3D was outstanding! The little guys loved it and it was definetely worth seeing in the theater! The ride home was interesting. Elias was a dragon, Ethan was using the good ol' light saber.

Also, Mario the Guinea Pig is getting more and more adventurous! He likes to scamper around on the hard wood exploring. But watch out, he'll eat house plants!

We are getting our professional pictures done soon, so those will be posted when I get them! Here's to spring and sunny weather!

~Anna and Ethan

Just some new pictures....!

A new post will be us soon, but here are a couple newer pictures of Ethan..forgive the quality, they're mobile shots. :o)

Easter Weekend here we come!

It's Good Friday and Easter is almost here! Ethan gets home today from a week long trip with his dad to the coast. I can't wait to hear what funny little stories he has for me!

This weekend we're planning on brunch and Clash of the Titans 3D (and of course the egg dying and easter egg hunt). It will be good to have some family time after Ethan's time away. It's crazy how much I missed him.

http://clash-of-the-titans.warnerbros.com/

Life's GOOD!

~Anna

Legotime...

Ethan wanted to post his latest little lego creation...keep in mind he puts these together all on his own! We have a lego city that is taking over the living room!

Finished product!

Home sick....at least I can hang out with Ethan!

Been home sick the last two days...it wouldn't be a normal year if I didn't get bronchitus (spell check?). Anyways, we are tucked in and relaxing, me trying to get over my illness and Ethan trying to get to the next level in Super Mario Bros. Wii. We also need to start planning our next family trip...where to go...? Ethan wants to go to Disneyland again but I reminded him that he hates rides. We're also considering San Diego and Legoland, or maybe even Washington DC.

Hopefully tomorrow I can get in the office and tackle the enourmous pile of work that awaits me...not looking forward to that!

~Anna

What is important...?

Dreams are funny things. For me, my dreams for this life have never died, or gone away… but merely evolved as my life has grown and unfolded. When I was just starting out my in my career I used to dream of financial success. Now I dream about spending more time helping Ethan with his homework and playing with him. I used to dream about being able to travel and shop and explore the world. Now I dream about being home more, and exploring the backyard and building forts out of a blanket and a bunk bed.

I always saw myself being focused and driven, moving up the ladder and achieving success. Now as I move up that ladder I see that to move in one direction towards one thing means to move away from something else. No matter what you’re doing in life, you’re giving up something else. It’s scientific. If I’m volunteering at my son’s school, then I’m not working. If I am traveling for a meeting, well then I’m not home making dinner. The idea that you can have it all is flawed. You can’t have it all, but you can have a lot if you’re mindful and balanced. But that’s easier said than done.

Age helps us realize that we are not given an infinite amount of time to do everything we desire. We must always choose where and how to spend it. This is a choice we make everyday. Do you set aside the cell phone and spend that 15 minutes talking to your children instead of texting and reading emails? Do you wake up an hour early to give yourself some extra time to talk to you spouse before work? Small decisions add up quickly with the amount of distractions that exist in our lives.

Being a single parent is all too common now, it’s prevalent and it isn’t an easy thing to do. Imagine the struggle married couples have to balance children, work, social engagements, church, etc. Even between two adults these responsibilities weigh heavy and require constant attention and prioritization. Now cut out one of the adults, and put all of those things onto one person. Imagine the feeling of knowing that to support your child and build a life you have to be away from them most of the time. It’s an irreconcilable circumstance that many face everyday. So you make the choices you can make, and you try your best to make them with love. And you never stop dreaming.