The 4th of July, we put Josh in the bike parade that Montclair holds every year. He got to enjoy it with two of his cousins and his best friend Ella. After that, we went over to the firestation because they were having an open house. Josh got to get in the big firetruck and put on the heavy helmet that they wear. He got to bring a souvenir one home. He loves it! Then we went over to the pool to relax and cool off and then went to my mom's house for some food. We finished the day off with fireworks on the golf course and then we went home and set some of our own off. Josh is enjoying more and more things and it is fun to see his reaction to all the traditions I grew up with.
Some pictures of the bike parade.
Here are some pictures of Josh playing at the firestation-
Patric is still a kid too!
This helmet probably weighed more than Josh did!
I love this picture. Perfect sky, perfect little boy!
So, other than the 4th of July...this month has been plagued with me studying and losing my mind on several occasions. 2009 has not been an easy one for Sasha Andersson. Having two miscarriages kinda threw me for a loop...and then add on top of that no raise for Patric this year, the economy sucking hard for some of my clients which in turn makes it difficult for me, my townhouse going up for rent in August with nobody interested in renting it yet and the desire to have another baby on top of studying for the final exam for my EA license has made my head feel like it is going to explode. I feel like I am bullied sometimes by Heavenly Father...but it just pushes me to see how much I can take.
This past Thursday I think was my breaking point though. I was a freakin mess! And in the midst of my break down, I had to switch gears when my phone rang and a number showed up that I did not recognize. I went from crying and screaming to, "Hello this is Sasha" in my best professional voice. Luckily I picked up the phone because the person on the other line had an offer I couldn't refuse!
I met with this company on Friday and will start cleaning up some books on Tuesday for a client on theirs. I am a contract bookkeeper for a financial consulting firm. This is a HUGE break for us that will bring in good income and hopefully more prospective clients. After Patric's news of not getting a raise and the crappy insurance that he has through his company (we had to pay over 1,000 for the ectopic pregnancy while paying over 500.00 a month for the crappy insurance) my head started pumping ideas...and this idea feels so inspired that my hair crawls when I talk about it.
I didn't know how to handle a business and two kids (one day)...and then it occured to me...get busy enough and make enough money so that Patric can work with me and quit his job. Then, we can have more flexibility to still be with our kids but make money. Soon after this decision I browsed through craigslist and have been contacting people who need bookkeepers. This is the second contact that I have heard back from and the first that I will actually work with. I am hoping that the other contact I have will email me back soon. The goal is to have Patric quit by the next July (when I hope to be having a second baby)...but secretly I would love it if he could quit by January. Though...it would be good to get ahead a bit instead of just surviving.
So that is where we are at. I start doing sub work for my client on Tuesday. It is bittersweet because I have been home with Josh uninterrupted for 2.5 years almost...and now he will be farmed out to family at this point. When the summer is over, I will probably have to find someone who will take him on an hourly basis because it will not always be the same hours each week.
Life is good. It isn't easy...but I feel very blessed with the contact I have gotten. It is such a GREAT opportunity and a way to get my name out there even more.
