Wow, has it really been nearly three months since we last posted?!? A new full-time job, daycare, the holidays and a surprise guest kept us pretty busy. We've also been cherishing our weekend time together. This winter has been quite mild, so we've been able to spend time outside doing the things we love — like play croquet!
A quick holiday recap: My mom, LaLa, surprised Nigel with a visit before the holidays. He was over the moon to have her here. Nigel's been enjoying all of his presents, and he continues to text Santa (on his pretend phone) in preparation of next year.
Tim: Work is going very well for Tim. He's had several things published recently, including
this Market at a Glance of Des Moines, Iowa. He's traveling to Kansas in late February. Before that trip, he is running his very first 10k with me! So very proud of him.
Sarah: I'm plugging away at my new gig. The firm has recently take on oil and gas titling work in Ohio. I've had the opportunity to review documents signed by Thomas Jefferson, which is pretty cool. What I enjoy the most about my job is that I get off at 4:30 and don't think about work until the next morning when I clock in. It's been a while since I've had that luxury!
Nigel: Daycare and the new routine was a bit of a rough start for everyone, including Nigel. He's doing much better now, though. We've signed him up for extra activities during the day — dance class and gymnastics — so he can get his wiggles out. His gymnastics teacher says he's the only kid strong enough to pull himself up onto the bars and hang upside down! Nigel's also really progressing well with writing letters and words and is showing a real interest in learning how to read and spell. For now, we're working on perfecting our letters and not writing so largely.
In addition to all of the normal things that go on in our house — Buddhist temple on Sundays, game nights with friends, book club, trips to the zoo — we have lots to look forward to this spring, including visits from BOTH uncles and a dear friend from NYC, Nigel's FOURTH birthday party and lots of festivals. Thanks for checking in on us!
Nigel and I have been going to the meditation center in Arlington for about a year now. It's such a wonderful place. If you'd like to learn more, you can visit their website here. It's funny that I came to the Bible Belt and finally began my Buddhist practice in earnest. (The temple is literally a block from Cowboys' stadium, which always makes me laugh when I see it looming over top.)
While the adults engage in meditation and listen to Buddhist teachings, the kiddos have a class of their own. Nigel's usually the youngest kid in the bunch, but he takes away the general theme each week. Today they talked about pure potential, one's true self without delusions. They made a craft that was too cute not to share.
