Just a quick entry to say how insanely ecstatic I am that MNA and the hospitals have reached a tentative agreement to settle our contract, so no strike!!! The strike was supposed to start this upcoming Tuesday, and I was dreading it. I did not like the contract the hospital was offering, so I (along with most of my coworkers) was ready to walk and I couldn’t believe the hospital was just going to let us!

I was at work when we received word the strike had been averted! It was such an amazing moment. No one could believe it was actually true and we were doing happy dances, high fiving, and hugging each other! It still didn’t seem real, even when we saw it on the news. Apparently there were some secret negotiations going on that no one knew about.

It has been a couple days since the announcement and I am still giddy! We all still have to vote on Tuesday whether or not to approve the contract. But hopefully, people will realize this is the best we’re going to get right now and to just approve it so we can all get on with our lives!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday weekend! We’re in the middle of it, so I’m sure I will post an update later on to tell about all our activities.

So I’m not the best at posting blogs the SAME DAY that things happen. I’ll work on it.

Anyway, we had a wonderful Father’s Day!! I helped Adam ‘sign’ his name to Brian’s card. Then he proudly carried in the gifts we got for Brian. One of them is a large wall calendar that has a photo collage of Brian and Adam. It turned out pretty cute! We got showered and hit the road for the Pancake House! It was a beautiful morning, so we sat outside to eat. After our yummy (as always!) breakfast, we ran a bunch of errands….grocery store, target, gas/car wash, and of course a ‘bou stop!

We got home and the boys mowed the lawn while I worked on some chores inside the house. Adam went down for his nap after lunch, then Brian drove over by Farmington to pick out a couple of large trees to have transplanted to our yard! It will be SO great to have a couple larger trees back there to provide a little shade and a little privacy.

As soon as Adam woke up, we were off to the lake! We packed some sandwiches to eat on the boat and were so excited to get on the water on such a gorgeous day! We got the boat in the water and I heard Brian start the engine as I drove the truck out of the water and into a parking spot. When I got to the shore I was expecting to see Brian there waiting for me, but he looked stranded and was shaking his head. Crap. “I can’t steer it!” The motor would not turn via the steering wheel or manpower. One of Brian’s fishing buddies was also on the lake with his family. Brian called him and he cruised over to see if he could help fix it. Nope. So we loaded the boat back onto the trailer and I was completely bummed. Brian’s friend offered to take us on their boat for a while, so we were able to cruise around. Brian took Adam on the tube behind the boat. It didn’t work out too well, because the tube was tilted back so far.

Here they are when they’re done tubing: (My pic of them actually ON the tube didn’t load correctly)

We decided to head to the park in Chaska to have our picnic. We had also packed Adam’s fishing pole with the intent of letting him fish off the boat. So we ate in the park, then went fishing for sunnies. I think there were more there than the last time! We were feeding them Cheetos and it was amazing to watch a zillion fish swarm around one little Cheeto! I’ll post some pics:

Here are 3 groups around 3 Cheetos. They’re nuts!

After the park it was bath and bed for Adam and hanging out time for Mom and Dad. It really was a great day!!

I’d like to wish a Happy Father’s Day again to Brian and to my Dad! You guys are both so amazing and so loved!

On a completely different note and should probably be in its own entry…Yesterday the nurses authorized an open-ended strike. This doesn’t mean that a strike is going to happen right away, however I’m not all that optimistic that negotiations will go well on Thursday and that a strike will be the direction we will be headed. The two sides are not seeing eye to eye, so who knows how long this will all drag out! Lucky for me, I have a massage scheduled with Ben (he’s AWESOME!) tomorrow evening, so that will be fabulous!

Stay Tuned!

We (the nurses) received word tonight that we will be voting on the 21st on whether or not to authorize an open ended strike. I’m not excited. I’ve decided to deal with this stress tonight by curling up with some Bud Light Lime and the Bachelorette on the DVR!

On a cute note….Adam and I went to Target today to get a few things and we picked out a new back pack for him. It has Buzz and Woody from the Toy Story movies on it and Adam loves it! He wore it through the store and all evening at home.  Man I love that kid!

Here he is playing on the deck and wearing his back pack

It’s Saturday night and Adam is tucked into bed. Brian is doing a little work and I’m watching my favorite summer show: So You Think You Can Dance!!

Thursday was the one day strike for the nurses. It was interesting to say the least. I felt lucky because it was my scheduled day off. It helped to lessen the guilt….a little. It was still really strange to be at the hospital with so many of my coworkers outside knowing that inside were strangers taking care of the patients we are so protective of. We were hoping everything was going ok for them and they were being well cared for.

Outside, I spent about 3 1/2 hours on the picket line. I had very mixed emotions throughout my time there. I wanted something to actually be accomplished and for the hospitals to take notice that the nurses are serious.  I was annoyed at some of the games being played by some of the strikers. I wanted to cry because I couldn’t believe this day had actually come. I wondered what was going to happen next and how much more stress this would bring into my life.

As of tonight, we have no more answers. No more scheduled negotiations and it sounds like our patients weren’t cared for how they deserve to be and normally are on our unit. I am frustrated and just want this all figured out.

I worked 12 hour night shifts on Friday and Saturday. I got to hang out with my boys this afternoon and evening, so I’m thrilled about that! We played in the backyard, went out for supper, and then to the park. I gave Adam a bath and we all watched one of his favorite shows, The Letter Factory, before we tucked him in.

Tomorrow starts another week of work and life! Have a great night!!

It’s Sunday evening. Brian is home with me! He fished the last 2 nights, so he’s pretty exhausted.

We had a pretty low key weekend. We mostly just hung out and did chores around the house and ran some errands.

We’ve started to work on potty training a little more. Adam is showing more interest and actually wants to sit on the potty. He has yet to go though! He went a few times about a year ago, then completely shunned the idea. We’ll see how this goes. Obviously, we have never potty trained a child before so we’re hoping it works. We’ll keep you updated.

In other news, my nurses’ union has authorized a one day strike that will occur this coming Thursday. There were a couple days of negotiations last week in an effort to avoid the strike but nothing was accomplished. I have very mixed emotions about the whole process but don’t want to share in such a public forum. I’m just hoping everything works out….and SOON! I’m so sick of the stress and dealing with all this.

On a happier note, Adam has mastered his puzzles! We can now spread out all 24 pieces of one of his puzzles and he will put it all together all by himself! He’s so proud and we’re so impressed! I think we need to buy him some more for a new challenge!

I can’t end without posting a picture, so here is Adam talking on the phone to Brian the other night. Brian was on his way home from Iowa and knew he wouldn’t make it home to tuck Adam in with me, so he called to say good night. They had the cutest conversation!

Well, it’s time to fold the laundry! Have a great week!

Now it’s Tuesday night and we’ve had a nice couple days!

Yesterday was a gorgeous morning, so we went to the park in Chaska and caught some sun fish. Adam got quite a few and had a blast. I snapped some great photos of my boys:

We put Adam down for his nap, then Brian and I tried to paint the deck. Of course, on a day when we were hoping he would actually take a long nap (sometimes he sleeps for 3 hours, but always at least 2), he woke up after about an hour and 45 minutes. No, we weren’t done with the deck, but Adam was happy to play in the yard and “help” us out! We got that project done and it looks so much better! We got cleaned up and grabbed some supper and Brian went out on another fishing excursion. He didn’t have any luck last night, but had fun hanging out with his buddies.

Today, Brian had the day off (I didn’t realize that when I made the daycare schedule, so Adam was scheduled to go since I was also scheduled to work day shift!). The hospital called this morning and asked if I wanted the day off, so I took them up on that offer! Since Adam was at daycare, Brian and I decided to head to ValleyFair! We had a blast…until the rain came. The weather guys had said this morning that the rain wouldn’t move in until after 4 which would be perfect since we had to pick up Adam by 5. They shut the rides down about 1:15! We sat in our car for a while hoping the rain would pass and they would let us back on the rides, but no such luck. Oh well. We ran a couple errands, then picked up the little man.

Tonight I watched in amazement as Adam worked on puzzles. He has three 24piece puzzles that he loves. He has become more and more independent with them and is almost able to put them all together without any help! He is so patient with them and just keeps trying until they work. He’s so cool.

So tomorrow it’s back to work for both of us. Brian is getting up early and driving to Iowa for the day. It will be a long day for him!

It’s Saturday night and Brian is out cat fishing. Adam is fast asleep and I am refusing to fold the 4 loads of laundry staring at me from the baskets. We have had a pretty nice weekend so far!

Yesterday we hit the Pancake House for breakfast. This has pretty much become a weekly ritual for us. After breakfast, Brian went to help some friends move into their new house so Adam and I ran some errands. Brian got home after Adam’s nap, so we grabbed the boat and were off to the river! We needed to fill the boat up with gas on the way.

While at the gas station, I went inside the store to use the restroom and when I came out, I saw Brian trying to open the doors of the truck and shaking his head. I knew instantly what had happened….Adam and Jack were locked inside the truck! Luckily the truck was running, so they wouldn’t roast. Also lucky was the fact that we were at the gas station just down the road from our house, so Brian was able to ask someone for a ride up to our house to grab the spare set of keys and I hung out with truck and made faces at Adam. It wasn’t long before Brian was back and we were off again to the river! (This situation could have been SO MUCH worse!)

We put the boat on the river in Carver and started cruising. We went all the way to the airport!! We saw lots of things on the way but mostly we just enjoyed the beautiful day. We anchored the boat in the shade by the airport and ate the supper we packed. Planes were flying by pretty low, so that kept us entertained. Then it was time to head back, so off we went. Adam was getting tired so he cuddled up in my lap. He realized he was starting to fall asleep, so he sat straight up and started looking around again. Silly guy! We made it home, got cleaned up and tucked Adam in.

This morning, Brian figured he needed to stock his live bait tank so we went on a bullhead hunt. He knows of a great spot where he can just scoop up the bullheads with his net and put ’em in the bucket. A few scoops and we were done! Adam thought it was pretty fun to help Daddy get the bullheads out of the net and into the bucket. He also got to help move the bullheads from the bucket into the bait tank. I always find it disgusting to have live bullheads swimming around in my house (Yes, they’re in the basement in a separate room with the door shut, but still!) but Brian and Adam find it quite entertaining. Ah, boys!

Brian is off trying to catch some huge, nasty cat fish and I’m wondering why I’m not in bed. I’ll put up a couple pics, then call it day!

Here is Adam sitting like a big boy in his own seat on the boat. We didn’t let him do this for long because we kept hitting waves from other boats:

And here are the boys getting the bullheads out of the net:

And into the tank:

This is just a cute one of Adam and Baby. Adam is showing Baby some stuff on the computer! So sweet!

That’s it for now! Have a good night!

Today is May, 27th. Exactly 10 years ago, we were married! It seems like so long ago, but also seems like it was just yesterday. During our 10 years we have both graduated college with 4 year degrees;  Brian earned his Master’s;  we’ve both got wonderful jobs we love; we have a home;  and, of course, Mr. Adam!! We have done some traveling together and experienced the joys and frustrations of home buying/selling. We have welcomed new lives into our families and said good-bye to others.

I remember on our wedding day it rained all day and it was cold! Today was a gorgeous day! We both had to work, but then we all went out for supper and ate a place we hadn’t tried before. We were able to sit outside on the patio and enjoy the beautiful evening. We had a delicious meal and Brian even brought me flowers!

We have built a great life together and we are very proud of that. We’re looking forward to many more years together!

Check us out on our wedding day!

I’m sure you’re thinking I’m talking about the HOT day we had today, but actually I’m talking about Adam!!

He was such a sweetie today. We had been hanging out and he helped me put together a delicious supper. Brian got home and we ate and were all hanging out. Adam came over by me and said, “Mom, I’m so sad!” I tried to get out of him what was making him sad, but he wouldn’t tell me. Instead, he just climbed up into my lap and gave me a big hug and some snuggles. These moments are few and far between with a busy 2 1/2 year old, so I cuddled with my boy and took full advantage of his affections. I love when he gets like this! It lasted only a couple minutes, then he was off and running again.

We are FINALLY enjoying some beautiful weather!! I was so sick of the rain and cold, so this is a very welcome change! We found a wonderful playset on Craigslist for Adam yesterday! So Brian rounded up a trailer and a couple buddies and they went to pick it up, bring it home, and set it up. Adam loooves it! We spent the afternoon outside swinging and he went on the slide more times than I can count!

Thanks again to Steve and Darren for taking time out of their day to help make our son’s day! He still talks about how you guys helped bring him his swing set!

Here are a couple photos of him playing: