Celebration of Independence

This morning, as with many mornings recently, I casually opened Kaitlyn's door as I went downstairs to let the dogs outside. I heard her happy chatter as she came downstairs and cabe back to the stairs to greet her. What I saw was beyond description. The pajama pants she went to bed with were not in sight. Okay. Not a new phenomenon, we can roll with it. Oh, hey look! Kaitlyn put her shoes on. Awesome, they are even on the right feet! Then my eyes moved up to see that she was wearing her Dora the Explorer bathing suit. Not only was she wearing it, but she put it on the right way. I know grown women who can't even put on their bathing suit and I personally struggle with which side is the front and which side is the back. Kaitlyn's ingenuity is just beyond comprehension....especially at 7:30 in the morning! Seriously, if I could bottle her energy and sell it, I'd be a rich woman!

There are some big changes coming up in the Shoup House. Momma Shoup starts a new job in Arlington next week. I'm looking forward to the new opportunity, but sad about the people I'm leaving behind. I've met and worked with some amazing people who have pushed me to acheive more than I had ever imagined. But ultimately, the title I hold doesn't fit as well as it once did and I'm ready to move my career in a different direction. My greatest hurdle is the three hour round trip commute. I'm definitely not looking forward to that. I'll just take it one day at a time and appreciate the opportunity I'm being given.

The next big change is Toddler in Chief is moving from an in home day care to a day care center. It's a really nice center not far from home. It was not an easy decision to make. She loves Lida, Lida loves her and she's comfortable where she is right now. But the goal was always to transition her to a center and I think it will be really good for her to experience new people, new things and endless learning opportunities. And hopefully, there will be minimal tears shed by me the day she starts her new school.

Finally, Brent is officially done with military duty. He's got a couple of days here and there that he will be doing, but he turned in all his gear last weekend. I know he's happy to be done with it and we're happy with the flexibility of not having to plan around drill weekends. It will be interesting to see how long he lets his hair get. Maybe I'll take a picture each week so we can see the progression. In other big acheivement news for Brent, he completed the Capon Valley 50K a couple of weekends ago. It was a brutal race, but he's got another state done. The next race is currently in the works, so stay tuned for details.

That's all folks...until next time!