Well, I don't know about hours, but E did seem to enjoy himself. It took a good 10-15 minutes to blow up the pool with our battery-powered air pump, so E ate his lunch and watched in awe as we got the pool ready to go. We filled it up with water and let it warm up a little in the sun so there wasn't quite a shock when he got in! At first E was a little hesitant to sit down in the cool water, but it wasn't long before he was splashing around and especially loving the sprinkler part. It was nice to be outside to enjoy the heat instead of trying to stay cool inside and avoid it. I've got the extra freckles to prove it!
Of course, it's a little late in the day by the time we get home on the weekdays, so we'll have to wait until this weekend before we have more "hours of fun" with the Happy Frog Pool!
With gas prices continuing to go up and up and up it's starting to be less and less and less economical for Sean to drive to and from Salem 5 days a week. We've done the math and the cost of living is basically the same. Rent was more expensive, but usually included water and trash - we currently pay ALL utilities - so everything balanced out. We also figured we could almost live solely on one income, but it would be very tight - tighter than we're willing to go. We don't survive well on top ramen and PB & J - we get very grouchy! Anyway... I think we'll have to look into just a part-time job for me because ideally I'd like to be a stay-at-home mom. Actually we're really hoping to get a job managing apartments, because yes, unfortunately I think we'll have to switch to apartment living (something we'd hoped to avoid) for the time-being. Managing apartments would work really well for us... from what I know, usually you get free rent and often a small salary as well. This would be perfect. We could get the extra income we need, but without me having to go to work. We're working on getting our resume together and hoping by starting to look a year (or so) in advance will help us find what we're looking for... and ideally includes a pool, playground and fitness center! Hey, if we have to do apartment living, I want some of the amenities. :)
The plan has been for me to go to nursing school - hopefully starting the fall of 2009 so that I can be a RN by 2011 and just after my 29th birthday! I wouldn't be working, but we'd still have to find someone to watch Ethan while I'm at school. That's definitely one of the downsides to moving - we'll lose out on our extremely affordable (free!) and top-quality daycare: my mom. But I think it's going to have to be the price we pay.
It was, of course, a beautiful, warm summer day and with a small gathering of our family and closest friends. 
We had my parents and sisters; 
Sean's parents, sisters, brothers and their wives; 
my dad's parents (Chuck & Sandy Toftdahl); 
Sean's grandma and aunt Shari; 
one of my best friends, Jenny;
Sean's uncle Lemont and aunt Marilyn and their kids; 
our friend, Matt; some close friends of Sean's parents
and... the mystery couple! I didn't recognize them, so I assumed they were on Sean's side. Sean didn't recognize them and assumed they were with my family! Turns out, Sean was right. It was my 'cousin' Mitch and his wife who live in Southern California, so the Toftdahls had another couple to represent! [Actually, this is the same cousin that got us into CA Adventure for free this past January and then met up with us and had a pair of Mickey ears and a Capt. Hook's hat both with Ethan's name embroidered on them. It's good to know people who have an 'in' with Disney!]
***Warning: This is a journal entry post, so it is very long and there are LOTS of pictures!***
Our CA reception was outside, which meant we could have lit candles in hurricane glasses 
and we were surrounded by palm trees - absolutely gorgeous! Lynnie and her friend and their helpers did a fantastic job of decorating Bob and Diana's backyard - thanks again to all who helped!
This year, after a frantic search for the tickets I misplaced - I was sure I had pinned them to our bulletin board along with all of our other tickets (movie passes and Phantom tix) - we were just a little late. It was still the top of the 1st inning, but we missed the National Anthem and opening pitch - bummer! Ethan actually did really well this year - watching the game and especially all of the people!! Of course, it helped to have one set of grandparents, two aunties, Christine's boyfriend and a family friend there in addition to Sean and I - lots of helpers willing to go on walks with him when necessary. 
The Em's lost - 5 to 2 I think - but the fireworks show afterwards made up for it. A solid 25-30 minute show with a fantastic finale! We were a little worried that this might be a screamer year for Ethan - the booms echo off the stadium walls pretty loudly, but there were no complaints from our brave little guy. He watched the show in awe. He even pushed Sean out of the way so he could have a better view! It was a long, but fun evening and Ethan was fast asleep by the time we pulled into the driveway - after 11pm. What a trooper! No meltdowns, no major fits, just a happy little boy with a big grin on his face as we enjoyed the loud, bright fireworks display.
