Toddlers, Vacations, and Personal Growth

We have made it to October, which means that I missed the 1 year post for E and the 2 year post for AJ. I have no excuses, but life goes on and here we are; so let's get started.

E turned 1 year old last month and I am coming to grips with the 2 toddler thing. She is walking and jabbering and climbing and squealing! She is simply a happy kiddo whose only complaint is teething and exhaustion. I am so grateful for the way that she shows love and cuddles with me when she is sleepy. E also learns quickly and AJ is teaching her how to climb. Right now it's on my yoga block, strewn about boxes and their picnic table.

AJ is 2! I am floored by how quickly these stages are going. She tells me when she needs to poop (yeah, that's a big deal), she's in a twin bed now (which is going great at bed time - not so much with the afternoon nap), and she prefers cakes to cookies ;) She also likes pizza. AJ has such an independent spirit and loves to help PJ and I get things done. It is so humbling to see how much she knows and understands and exciting to grow as a mom teaching her how to serve others.

This weekend my mom is throwing them a Little Mermaid themed birthday party and I'm excited to take photos of the frosting all over their faces! The girls love all of their grandparents and it melts my heart to see their smiles and hear their squeals whenever they see any of them walk through the door. We all joke about how it's because, "toddlers know they can get away with a lot more when they have grands around," but I know that it is so much more than that. My girls have a beautiful bond with their grandparents and I see it in their eyes even when our parents are not around. AJ asks for them and they yearn to spend time together. It truly is precious.

As far as life goes, things have been going really well. I am at the gym 4-5 times a week. Team Training is 2-3 times and I like to swim laps on the weekends. It has been so awesome to feel the progress and see the numbers climb for personal bests. I feel more energetic and see how God is using my fitness goals to grow me in self-control, diligence, discipline and endurance. You can read more on my fitness blog, I won't take up too much space here on the family page.

PJ is doing great at work. I am so proud of his team, and I know he is too. In the past, vacation has been a headache to come back from because things have backed up and the technicians were overwhelmed without him there. Last week we were on official vacation, but he actually left work early on Friday and was gone from his store a total of 9 days. He went back to a great setup and there were no crises while he was out. I do not even remember him receiving a call but once while he was off.

God has been so faithful to soften my own heart and help me put things into perspective this week. I typically dread the end of vacation because that means I am back at home without help throughout the day and I do not get to have as much time to myself. I feel selfish for wanting so much time to myself, but that's where I'm at. The Lord has given me an extra measure of His patience and grace as AJ is bed training and having a difficult time harnessing the freedom during her only nap of the day. E has developed preferences for food and has not been eating as well as she was before; also, she is still using the bottle as a pacifier and takes 2 per day.

As much as I feel like she could probably go down to 1, I'm having trouble letting it go because the 1st is in the afternoon and I think it helps her sleep even though AJ delays that nap. Also, I am putting off potty training because I simply don't want to deal with it. I am being real, here. I know it has to happen, but I will likely wait until after Thanksgiving so PJ can help for her first week.

All that to say, I am so grateful for the Lord's constant provision and faithfulness to help us through every milestone. Thank you all who have been praying for us, I know that has been a HUGE impact for us. We are so grateful for the church family and our families He has surrounded us with.

This Year at Work

I wanted to take the time to share (brag about) my husband's success. I am so proud of PJ for all the work he has accomplished at the pharmacy this past year. He has completely turned his store around from having an "underperforming" status to being among the top in his district and his "area," which includes, I believe, all or most of Southern California.

A few months ago, his supervisor asked him to share his success on a monitored panel for other District Managers in the area so they may take away from his experience in improving customer service and other numbers for their own stores. When that went well, he was invited to speak at a national conference in Boston. My husband was recognized by his company on a national level! I did share about that already, but to update, he made it out there and back and it went wonderfully well!

He had made his first hire last summer, but after her training, she has only been at his store for 3 months now. Unfortunately, it has been a difficult adjustment. I am praying for a turn around, but it has been stressful for his whole store, with staff being effected in their motivation and performance.

Please be in prayer for PJ as the Lord guides him through this time at work and in approaching the situation among his colleagues. Praise God, I have been able to not only encourage hubby in his work, but also help him through a few stressful situations this past week. We are so grateful for the Lord's faithfulness as I have been growing and being gracious in late evenings and making the most of my time at home instead of sulking in waiting for PJ to get home.

An Update on Hubby

I have spent so much time on here giving baby updates and sharing my own struggles with weight and other issues. I realize, though, that I have failed to share marital updates and how my hubby is. 

PJ has been a little stressed at work, lately. It has been a bit of a whirlwind these last couple of months with his performance review, an offer to move stores and the potential loss of one of his strongest technicians. His review went well, and I was so proud to hear that his store is progressing so well as one of the leading stores in the High Desert.

His boss offered him a different store in the same area which is also underperforming (worse than where his current store was). He hoped PJ would take over to help improve it and follow a similar career path as his manager. That is, clean up store after store until they are ready to bring him up to a corporate level. He politely declined the position, honestly sharing that he did not have the desire to follow the same career path. It was difficult, as it would have come with a pay raise, but it was just as far if not a little farther away from home and was open later hours. We like the store he is at now because his other staff member likes the closing shift and PJ has days 99% of the time. There would be no scheduling guarantees at the other store. Along with the relief of keeping his daytime work schedule, PJ is excited to remain with his current team and see more growth where he is.

One of the most dependable technicians was considering leaving PJ's store. It would have been a big loss, since he was one of the few who could work multiple stations proficiently. With another job lined up and a plan to leave soon, hubby set to work on finding a replacement, along with another part timer to cover call outs and vacations. With the process in motion, the district manager reached out to the tech and convinced him to stay. In addition, he is still allowing PJ to hire another part timer and request backup from neighboring stores so the area has a floater tech. Hubby has enjoyed conducting his first interviews and it has been a good experience for growth. 

In other news, hubby shared that it has been difficult to find sufficient fellowship outside of Sunday mornings due to work. I have no doubt many of my own friends' husbands feel this way. I am extremely blessed to have my weekly women's study, times to meet up with my friends during the week, and the opportunity to catch up on Sunday mornings. It is hard for us to do weekends with friends, as PJ is in a retail pharmacy, and his days off are Sunday and Thursday. 

It is fortunate, though, that there a few close friends of his from church who also have odd hours. Hubby was able to join them in an early morning study on Thursdays. Please be praying for a rich time of fellowship and encouragement. I am so excited for him to have this time to spend in God's Word with godly men. 

Thank you for your prayers and love for our family! 

Love, Jessy.