Today my husband received a job offer for a position that would mean a $40K pay increase above what he is currently making. It sounds like a good company with good people, in a good position of growth, with lots of potential.

He turned it down.

And I’m glad.

Because I love having him work from home. I’ve become a total weenie when it comes to being here by myself all day. I love that Button can run in to give him hugs at any point during the day (except when he’s on conference calls). I love that he can take 2 minutes in the middle of the day to help me bring in the groceries. I love that he’s happy with his job and the people he works with. I love that he doesn’t waste 2 hours of every day sitting in the car on the way to and from an office.

And the fact that I can have all these things and that he actually has a CHOICE to turn down a higher paying job because we’re not in dire need of the money* … well, that just makes me realize how truly blessed we are.

*I mean, don’t get me wrong, more money would always be nice and it’s not like we’re eating on silver spoons around here. But we’re comfortable and his current job contributes to a lot of that comfort.

Last night we held a going away party for our friends who are about to jump into the mission field in Paris, France (yeah I know, poor them). We discovered that hosting a party is so much easier when other people bring most of the food.

It was a very enjoyable evening, and we had a good turnout. We visited with a lot of people we hadn’t seen in a while, and I’m fairly certain I gave myself diabetes from all the cake and sweets.

Totally worth it.

LB had a blast as well. She made a new friend at the party - a couple we know brought their son, Lucas, who is 3 ¹/₂. Button was a little shy and standoffish at first (after all, J has been telling her that boys are bad until she’s 30), but she soon warmed up to Lucas and they spent several ours playing together. They had a blast running around, sliding, watching TV, eating cake, and chatting. The current state of our playroom is proof that good times were had by all. By the end of the night, Lucas was calling J “Daddo” and Button was (repeatedly) asking Lucas if she could hug him.

At one point, they even closed themselves inside the pantry and conspired together. Soon, Lucas emerged to ask me if he could have a breakfast bar - which was no doubt Button’s idea, as she asks for them several times per day. I walked into the pantry to find Button holding the box of breakfast bars.

It was so nice to see her really playing and interacting with another child. I have been somewhat concerned about her tendency to be a little aloof around other children, blaming myself for not socializing her enough. While it’s probably accurate that I’ve been a little lazy in getting her used to other kids, it occurred to me last night that most of the kids in our peer group are younger than she is.

Button is very advanced for her age in language skills - which when said by a parent may come across as bragging, but really it’s just a fact, and one we take very little credit for. A fact that has been stated by our pediatrician and just about every adult who comes in contact with her. Actually, we learned last night that apparently our friends who have kids sit around and talk to each other about how brilliant Button is.

So needless to say, the kids she usually “plays” with, who are mostly several months younger than she is, don’t have the same language skills and therefore can’t fully engage in her favorite form of entertainment: endless conversation.

Last night between Button and Lucas, there was a constant stream of chatter emerging from the playroom. When they eventually came down to join us, they continued to make observations to each other, ask and answer questions (in complete sentences). It was really quite adorable to watch them interact.

And by the end of the evening, Button finally had to admit defeat and concede that she had met someone with more energy than she has (gasp). She was completely worn out and started insisting that she was “ready for her nap right now” before all the guests had left.

When J put her to bed, she wiggled under her covers and sighed as though she did not know it was possible to be THAT comfortable. Then she said, “Daddo, I had a great day.”

Indeed.

Yes, I’m behind.  I have guilt.  But WordPress has suddenly become very temperamental about the whole “uploading pictures” thing.

We only went trick-or-treating at 2 houses for Halloween, on account of spending the evening at the church Fall Festival. But LB caught on immediately. Stand and the door in your Tigger costume and say “tickertreat” when it opens, and someone will offer you CANDY? And even let you EAT IT? Su-weet!

On the way to the Fall Festival, she snacked on her costume in anticipation of all the candy we told her she would accumulate at the fair … I swear we feed her.

Once we made it to the festival, however, she claimed a death grip on a very sticky lollipop and didn’t put it down for the rest of the evening. She even did a barrel race one-handed, because using both hands would require lending the CANDY! I WANT CANDY! to Mama for 5 seconds, and that … that would be a fate worse than death.

Button was a very busy girl that evening. She fed the animals (fortunately, pre-lollipop):

…rode some rides, played some games, acquired a nice collection of candy, and even developed a huge crush on the Chik-Fil-A cow:

It was love at first sight. She spent several minutes staring at him in wonder from afar before working up the courage to introduce herself. When he bent down to give her a hug, she ran into his arms and exclaimed “I love you!”

As it turns out, the church could have saved a bunch of money on this whole carnival-esque shindig, because (aside from the cow) her most favorite part was not the train ride, the many bounce houses, nor the games. It was the small bales of hay stacked everywhere for decoration.

She climbed on every single one we passed, and could have continued to do so for several hours if left to her own devices.

Despite overstimulation and a sugar high, we made it through the evening enjoyably, and I think Halloween will officially enter LB’s list of Cool Holidays to be Repeated with More Orange Lollipops Next Time Please Mama Thank You.  At the end of the night she was exhausted, but left in high spirits, dragging her backpack behind her.

Wow, could it be that WordPress is finally allowing me to post pictures? I dare not speak of it, lest it turn into a dream and disappear.

ANYWAY, a few weeks ago, we sent LB to Seattle to spend a whole 10 days with her grandparents. She had a blast. And we enjoyed the break.

I took up a project that I am rendered completely incapable of doing when there are little fingers poking and patting every object within 3 feet of the floor: painting. I bought some pots and benches, and ended up with these:

The project was fun, and I think I’ve satisfied my crafting impulse for a few months.

While attempting to purchase my supplies however, it was confirmed to me (again) how I seem to attract the most unhelpful service employees.

While in Large Mega Craft Store, I approached an employee to find out where I could obtain a glue gun. I received the response “Crafts,” along with the non-verbal indication that she was finished with her interaction with me and our conversation was over.

Crafts??? It’s a CRAFT STORE.

With the possible exception of “Nyahhhh,” I cannot think of an answer that would be LESS. HELPFUL.

J has the same problem. While in Large Mega Hardware Store a few days earlier, he asked where to find a flashlight. The employee pointed over his shoulder to an area which encompassed … the entire store … and spouted “HARDWARE” before continuing on his way in the opposite direction.

I can see why these people don’t work in an industry where they have to depend on tips.

I love it when things work out exactly the way I hoped they would. Even though it was a major pain, the last minute problem with the appraisal turned out to be in our favor because the relocation company (in record-breaking decision-making time) just decided to drop the price on the house. So now we’re getting the same great house for less money and hopefully we’ll still be able to close on time. We won’t know until the last minute, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed.

And in other news, I was sitting at my computer when I started hearing these strangely suspicious popping noises coming from the living room…

It has now been confirmed that the innate obsession with popping bubble wrap has nothing to do with learned behavior and can only be instinctual.

Caught!