Well, my first day of part-time employment has come and gone. And I loved it. I had a great afternoon with the boys and even managed to get CJ to a haircut appointment. I will definitely have to post a picture of him with his new cut -- he looks like a different kid, but still absolutely adorable. I would love to cut Hunterman's curls but Ed is set against that. He's not the one that has to use a detangler and mousse on Hunterman's head before we can leave the house!!

I was able to work during the quiet times (Hunterman's nap) during the day and of course I got a lot accomplished after the boys went down for the night (8:30 pm). Since Ed and I work for the same company, he didn't mind sharing the couch with me, my report binder and a couple of highlighters! We actually had an adult conversation that did not involve the boys activities or antics!

In other news, we had a short outing with another Mom and her two sons last week. We went to a huge soccer field and let the boys fly a kite. CJ and her oldest one were more interested in playing hide and seek and tag, but the younger boys really enjoyed it. She's the first Mom that has actually followed thru on a planned playdate and we both enjoyed ourselves. It would be nice to have someone to hang out with time to time.

We have begun preparations for CJ's fifth birthday party. We are approx. 2 weeks away from the big day. Of course an hour doesn't go by that he doesn't remind me of this fact. I have made and decorated every birthday cake CJ (and Hunterman) has ever had, but I'm considering going to a professional bakery for this one. I'm not sure I can do his request justice (or win his approval). He wants a "Knight" themed birthday with a big, red, fierce dragon on the center of his cake. I think I can manage a big, red, silly dragon ... fierce, not likely. His wish list has remained fairly consistent for the past 3 months, therefore presents should be the easiest aspect of the whole event!

Also, my parents will be celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary next week. They had no idea they had reached a milestone. I considered doing a big shin-dig to mark the occasion but my parents really want it low-key. It looks like I'll be making reservations at a very nice restaurant and sending money along with my Dad to pay for it. They get a little intimidated when they go somewhere they've never been before -- but hopefully they can manage a small dinner by themselves!! (Again, these are relatively young people we are talking about here -- 50 and 56. Sometimes I wonder where my sense of adventure came from!!)

Okay, enough rambling for now. There is housework to be done, playtime to be enjoyed, grocery shopping to be dreaded, and work to be done somewhere in between!