It sure has been a while since I have posted - Maria has really been the champ making it happen. Anyway, things are going well with us. Lots of stuff going on and I am not sure even where to begin. So I will attempt to do this in a very high level fashion.
1) Jake turned 9 months last week! I can't even believe it. He is crawling around and scooting ALL over the place. We haven't even child proofed the house which makes it even more difficult because we have to keep a watchful eye on him. He started with the army crawl and over the past week and a half has got his little chubby legs into it which makes him even more fast. He can crawl the near length of the house now. We have also graduated him from the little baby bathtub into the big boy bathtub. He loves bath time with his daddy! His hair is getting super curly on the sides - getting cuter every day! He sure is a chip off the old block!
2) Well we have our house up for sale - if you know someone that wants to buy here in Seattle, let us know. Yah, this is pretty sudden, but let me tell you there is a really good story behind this.
3) Which leads me into this next story. So the in-laws are moving to Seattle - now most would think this is dreadful, but I have to say I am really looking forward to it. We decided to purchase a property in Kirkland Washington, just on the other side of the lake from where we currently live. The property has a beautiful view of Lake Washington and faces west so we will get the really pretty sunsets and sun setting behind the Olympic Mountains. Can't wait. Now the house itself is octagon shaped - yah I said octagon. The owners that built it are in their later golden years and are looking to downsize. They are pretty eclectic and had a vision of a mountain home in the city. It is 2600 sq. feet and will be the new home for all of us - Poppi, Gigi, Maggie, Emma, Eric, Maria, and Jake, and oh yah, Katie will be living near by as she is going to school out here for her Masters degree. There is also a new one on the way with Maggie - a bit of a family surprise! We all like to think of it as European Living. No seriously, we always wanted family to be out here and we didn't expect it to be in this fashion, but we are super excited to have family so close as in the room on the other side of the house. The idea is we will build a new house on the property - we will be sub-dividing the lot up into 2 lots. Rick (aka Poppi) is excited to get a fresh start out here in a market that is still thriving. I am excited to learn about this industry and someday take part more full time in the business - so the new business name is Jake Richards Customer Homes - business license is filed and website is up: http://www.jakerichards.com
Rick decided to use his first grandson's name and his to come up with it - I like it, it has a good strong ring to it and sounds like a reputable builder name. We are hoping to close on April 30th at which time we can move in. Still lots to do on this one, but the plan is starting to come together (Yes I was a fan of the t.v. show - The A Team). So more to come and I will be putting some more journal entries in to keep everyone posted. All of this happened in about 3 weeks. I can't wait for the fun to begin!
4) So my company got sold to Best Buy - yah Best Buy, you know the people that wear the blue shirts and try to up sell you on the latest technology gadgets. They have a unit called Best Buy for Business and we will be a cornerstone part of that business with a communications offering. With that said, I will be taking on another role and moving into Sales as a Director. I can't wait - should be a fun challenge. I will be helping out with the transition of their sales force and integration into our company and services offering.
So, needless to say, things have been very busy for me and the family here. So my apologies for not being more diligent on this blog. On another note, Scott Goddard - Jake's Godfather and cousin also now has a blog entry set up. I added his URL to the side in the section called Family Blogs - look to your right. In case your brand new to this stuff, you can go to http://web.mac.com/sgoddardsemail/iWeb/NWMichiganders/Welcome.html.
I know Maria's cousin Michelle also has a blog to stay in touch with the family more. We need to add that to the list. Looks like we are trendsetters here on this blog thing, but I have to say, it really is a brilliant idea and great way to stay connected. I hope you enjoy the update and pictures of Jake - this boy is so damn cute!
Talk to you later and love you all lots!
These pictures are within the last week - and in no order from bath time, going out for his first hike with daddy, enjoying the sunset in Seattle on a warm 74 degree day, and Easter Morning.
