Department Move

August 21, Thursday

When Ryan was hired by Goodman, he wasn't quite sure what to expect. It evolved to be more computer-based with an emphasis on customer support/coordination, rather than more traditional engineering like he would've hoped for. The solutions analyst position was still a solid way to get a foot in the door, with the potential to then at some point transfer to an area of the company that fit his degree and interests a little better. 

Ryan wasn't expecting to be able to make this kind of change 'til maybe about Christmas time this year. He had prepared himself to be patient until then, but he wanted the department managers to know what he was hoping for in case there were delays finding someone to takeover his responsibilities. So he had some conversations with his boss and a manager in the ME department. It turns out his efforts were a success. This summer the transfer was completed and Ryan is very happy to now be working in the Manufacturing Engineering Department, much more related to what he'd chosen to study in school. Ryan celebrated by bringing home some fun treats for all of us to share. I'm so happy for him!! :-)

The final transfer of  his active responsibilities happened this past Monday. Of course he is still around in case anyone from this former group needs his advice or input, but now his focus can center on working with the production and design teams to make products and the components within them better.

Karl: 9 Months

September 5, Tuesday

Weight: 22 lb 5 oz

Length: 29"

At nine months old, Karl has a great desire to be more independent as far as getting around. He'll see something he wants and just can't get to. It's a little frustrating for him, so he'll cry for help sometimes.

This is him playing in the living room with all his toys nice and close, and a pillow behind him because sometimes he'll fall backwards.

This is him after I decided to let him hold his spoon for one bite of his lunch. He's really good at putting things in his mouth, but he still managed to get it all over his face. It was pretty cute.

One day, I decided to help motivate Karl to try crawling. I set out one of his favorite snacks, in a line. He ate the first one pretty quick, then he had to reach to get the second. He reached to get the third and couldn't, so I was really hoping he'd work his way forward somehow. But, instead, the little squirt just pulled on the blanket so the third piece of snack would come to him. Smart baby. :-)

This is Jared pushing Karl in the laundry basket, and Daddy tickling Karl making him laugh like crazy! Karl's favorite thing to play with in the whole world is people; probably his favorite people to play with is his family. We have a great time with him making him laugh and smile and he does the same for us!

Second Trip to Flynn

August 29-30, Friday-Saturday

After our first trip to Flynn was so great, we didn't wait too long before going again. On Friday, we made it to Flynn with only enough time to set up camp and have dinner. Then we got to bed.

 The next morning, we boiled some water and had oatmeal, something we all love in our family. Ryan was really looking forward to walking around and seeing if there was any chance of him seeing any hogs, and maybe even shooting one. So, he was gone when we woke up, but came back in time for breakfast.

 Mid-morning, Ryan took Jared out on the boat to fish. We had gotten a paddle for it now, so Ryan didn't have to use the shovel. They were having a good time and had already caught quite a few fish. From the shore, Karl and I could see a lot of foot prints in the mud from the different animals that came to the pond for a drink. It was kind of cool.

 Ryan and Jared came over to pick Karl and up, and we all fished for a bit longer. Ryan had found a really good spot, so I caught a fish on my first cast. It was awesome! Ryan caught easily 15 fish or so while we were out there, but we only kept three.

 Back at our camp site, Ryan cleaned the fish and wrapped them. He then left to do some mowing with the tractor, leaving me to start the camp fire. Apparently starting a fire isn't as easy as I thought it was. I was glad when Ryan was back to help get it going.

 Ryan cooked our fish in the coals and they were so good!! Ryan removed the fish from the bones and we ate some of it plain or with lemon pepper, and we also had some on my homemade rolls we had brought. It was really good.

About the time we were enjoying our fish, Brenda and Kerry came. Jared was excited to see them again. Kerry showed Jared again how to whistle with a bullet shell. Jared tried and figured out his own way of doing it by just saying, "Oooo-oooo!" instead of whistling. Karl got to cuddle with Brenda for a while, while they were there. We had a fun visit! :-)