A Visit from Family

We enjoyed almost three weeks of vacation with Nicole's sister, Cari, and her two little boys. Cari's husband Jess was also able to sneak away from his training program and join us on the weekends. During their time here we had a great time, and developed a new theory for family vacations: they must be longer than one week.

Our first week was fun, but very stressful as the kids got used to each other, got sick, got each other sick, woke up several times a night, woke the others up several times a night, and through it all made enough noise to throw the lower-level neighbor into fits of barely-controled rage.

But, thankfully, Cari and her family stayed and we all enjoyed a fabulous vacation together. We developed a great system for site-seeing that worked well for the kids. We'd go visit a museum or park in the morning, get home in time for lunch and naps in the afternoon, and then hang out or do some low-stress activity in the afternoon. We all had a great time and were sorry to see them leave. We definitely need to keep this tradition alive!

Jax Comes to Join Us

Seven years of marriage! Where did the time go? Somehow we've managed to fly through seven years, celebrate Michael's second birthday, and...

Welcome Jacqueline into our lives! Jax was born on April 13 and weighed in at 7 pounds, 9 ounces. Our lovely little girl is named after Nicole's grandmother, and she has been an absolute joy. Michael adores her and, when he notices that mom isn't carrying his sister, asks with concern, "Jax?!"

Our family has been very blessed with such wonderful spirits and lots of love.

Our First Year with Michael

Our sixth year together went by so quickly! Jonathan finished his two-year call-up duty with the Reserves and was able to (at last!) begin preparations for his Masters program. Michael celebrated his first birthday and was introduced to all sorts of yummy milk-based foods. And Nicole played with Michael while continuing her work as a consultant for a few hours each week.

Life Changes

2005 brought many changes. First, Nicole started consulting. Jonathan joined her at one work location in New Orleans for a mini-trip. Our vacation in Louisiana was well timed as Hurricane Katrina devastated the area soon after. In this picture Nicole tries to smile although every feminist tendency she has ever harbored was offended by the no-apologies testosterone of Bourbon Street (Jonathan doesn't appear too bothered...)

Other big news of 2005: Nicole graduated with honors as a Master of Human Performance Systems, with a certificate in Organizational Development. She received her diploma on May 8, 2005, and avoided the stifling heat of the day, which the other graduates had to endure for an hour as they waited outside for the graduation ceremony to begin, through her use of a wheelchair and disability seating. Although otherwise healthy, this was a requirement for Nicole because (drumroll please)...

Michael was on his way! Michael was due on Nicole's graduation day but, very consciensciously, waited until the next week to arrive at a healthy 8 pounds, 6 ounces. We stayed at the hospital for the full three days a c-section allows, and then brough home the cutest little baby we'd ever seen. We had several health scares with him. Heart problems - which weren't really a problem; strange masses in his chest scans - which weren't really a problem (or even real, for that matter); and Galactosemia - which was real, but Michael (thankfully) has the Duarte variant, a much more manageable metabolic issue.

Throughout the rest of this year we just enjoyed our new little family, spending time together and with relatives.

Invasion of the DC Cicadas

Little did we know that our carefree days would be invaded by millions of disgusting creatures: DC cicadas. They arrived en masse in 2004, and soon the air was filled with their bumbling bodies and constant screams. Jonathan joked that people should bring tennis rackets outside to swipe at the huge bugs as they flew by or stopped to land. Though Nicole never brought the racket, for several days she wore workboots rather than heals to work as she maneuvered over mounds of dead bugs that covered the ground. Ugh!

Three Years of Marriage

During our third year, Jonathan decided to switch careers and started a whole new batch of pre-requisites. His decision to pursue the field of Industrial Organizational Psychology was natural (he had, after all, introduced Nicole to the field back in 1999).

We took a few trips this year. Jonathan went to India for a few weeks (and, unfortunately, missed the best snow storm the DC region had seen in years), and we both spent time at Great Falls, Shenandoah National Park, and Assateague Island (the land of in-bred horses).

Off to Washington, DC

We left Missouri with high expectations for fabulous Washington, DC - despite Jonathan's first uttered words upon entering the Metro area, "I forgot how much I hate it here." We planned to complete our Masters degrees in DC and then settle somewhere out West. Nicole started her program in Human Performance Systems, sampled two different federal agencies before settling on a quasi-government workplace, and taught ballroom dance at a local studio. Jonathan started work as an accountant and began pre-requisites for an MBA program.