Everything about this image is perfect.

We have lots of big changes on the horizon.  First, I am starting a new job at the end of August.  I had completely given up on looking for work, and had instead committed myself to spending the next year home with Holden.  A job sort of materialized out of nowhere, and I was informed about it by a senior colleague at the institution I am leaving.  The job is at another local school, which is smaller and focused on preparing students for the job market.  I contacted the Dean, who was charged with filling the position.  We had lunch and she offered me the position on the spot, with the possibility of having this one-year contractual position become something more permanent down the road.  Of the 2 remaining faculty, they are both retiring, and I would be assuming the program director role (equivalent to department chair).  Um, how did this just fall in my lap ??   Was the past 2 years of job searching a karmic downpayment for this enormous leap in responsibility, pay, and status?  I get to oversee adjuncts, create the course schedule for the psychology department, advise students, do committee work, and teach.  I will also be getting paid more during my 9-month appointment than I made the entire 4 years at my last job.  I am still a little shocked that after all the effort of looking for work, that it literally came down to giving up.  When I gave up on continuing the job search, I wasn’t thinking that anything would fall in my lap.  I was just thinking that I would be with Holden for the year and re-assess things next summer.  And although I am incredibly excited about this enormous opportunity, I am also disappointed that I won’t have the next year with H.  I had been looking forward to the time with him, but that’s OK—we have the whole summer instead!

Here’s the other big thing that is going on.  I finished a 4-week course of antibiotics at the beginning of May for my continued eardrum ruptures.  I had a 2nd CAT scan after I finished the course of antibiotics.  The scan showed MORE remaining INFECTION.  I was given a referral for testing by an allergist (which is not scheduled until the end of June), and within 48 hours of going off antibiotics, I was sick again and losing my hearing.  I decided I had to start experimenting to see if I could get better before seeing the allergist.  So I eliminated dairy and gluten from my diet.  Within 2 weeks I was better!  I no longer wake up with a headache.  I have more energy.  I can hear again.  I can taste again.  I can smell again.  We can start doing things socially again.  It’s wonderful.  Although I miss cheese and ice cream, I don’t miss them enough to risk getting sick again.  I’m eating a lot of fruits and veggies, fish, and meat.  It’s good stuff.

The real reason I have hopped on here this beautiful Friday afternoon is to detail the funny things that Holden is saying.  In no particular order:

1.  “Kitty—NO!  Timeout!”

2.  “Poop jokes”

3.  “My bookcase will hurt you.”

4.  “My penis is hot.”

5.  “There’s a traffic jam going to the library.”  (Yeah, right.)

6.  When passing the local park on our way home, Holden usually screams at me:  “Turn around!!!!!!!!”

There are other funny things that I am blanking on right now, but I wanted to get them all down before I forgot about them!  He is changing so rapidly, I need to just take as much of him in at once as I can.  I love him so much.

Total cuteness at Big Truck Day.  He was *pleased* to see so many big trucks:

We are busy with Holden.  Busy with work (in my case, I am busy with quitting work!)  Busy with interviews for unappealing new work.  Busy with house projects.  Busy managing chronic sinusitis, ear infections, and repeated tympanic membrane ruptures.  Busy with oscillating between snowstorms and summer fun all in the same 4-day span.  Busy with packing away Holden’s outgrown winter clothes.  Busy with thinking about how life is just whizzing past us.

I’m not going to talk about most of this stuff here (mostly because much of it is highly unpleasant).  However, I will provide the abbreviated update (in pictures) of what has been going on with Holden.

We had a wonderful trip to Myrtle Beach during spring break in March.  Rob and I were sick that week, but it was still wonderful to relax away from work and spend some time with family.  While in South Carolina, we visited a zoo, the aquarium, and of course, the beach!  Holden got to experience the ocean for the first time, and also got to meet his great grandma for the first time!

Here’s Holden with his great grandma and 4 generations of Friesel men:

Holden at the beach:

Holden on his very first ride at an amusement park:

Holden also developed a fondness for otters while on vacation.  Ever since meeting these gregarious creatures for the first time, he will occasionally pretend to be an otter by “swimming” around the floor on his belly.

Here he is, meeting otters for the first time:

Upon our return to the great frozen north, we got to do fun stuff like attend the Shelburne Farms Maple Sugaring Open House.  We enjoyed a pancake breakfast fundraiser, chased chickens around the farm, and pretended to drive tractors:

Over Easter weekend, we dyed a few eggs:

And had a mini-Easter egg hunt in our yard:

And of course, no Easter is complete without chocolate (and a snooping kitty cat):

****Funny aside about this picture–we had already gotten H dressed for the day when he insisted that we put his pajamas back on OVERTOP of his clothes.  So we obliged.  What the heck.

We also have been taking MANY, MANY trips to the local parks.  Here was an especially beautiful day, where we grabbed lunch at the Beansie’s Bus and let H run wild in the park following an ice cream treat:

In April, we had some special visitors come up from Maryland.  A good friend of my dad from his childhood has two adult children, both of whom are now in their 30s.  I keep in regular contact with the daughter, who has two kids of her own.  Her girls, who are 6 and 4, had a lovely time with Holden.  It was their first time in VT, and they had a blast!  Holden loves being surrounded by beautiful girls:

We have been painting with chocolate pudding:

And most recently, we have hiked Snake Mountain (elevation 1300 feet) with Grandpa.  Unbelievably, Holden was able to hike about 2/3 of the way up totally on his own, before I was forced to haul him up on my back the rest of the way.  He is such a strong little hiker already!

Here we are at the top:

Today, Rob took Holden out to meet the Storm Troopers while I stayed behind and re-finished our countertops.  When Holden met the Storm Troopers, he asked if they were Snoopy.  Yes, H—Storm Troopers totally have that black and white thing going on, but they are decidedly NOT Snoopy.  So cute.

And the best surprise from today was unexpectedly running into Holden’s best buddy Mallory (with whom he used to share a nanny):

These two seemed to remember one another—they have always gotten along so tremendously.  I hope they can always be friends.