Reading with Andrea

Andrea is so fun. Jason loves when Andrea watches him...

Running with the big dogs

My new job is at a software company that does services and software for Customer Relationship Management (CRM) applications. It is leading technology in a very solid application area. It includes search technology, a knowledgebase application on a Java web platform. It puts me back into mainstream software development. It is a great opportunity. The company is called Stone Cobra. It has a family atmosphere (The CEO and CTO are a husband wife team) and is a very smart and competent, down to earth and probably the nicest group of people I have worked with. They like bringing dogs and kids to work. In their contract they explicitly say that they do not work after hours or on weekends unless previously agreed to and scheduled. I think that is right up my ally. For me it can feel like a challenge to work 40 hours a week. But the push is always to work more. Right now I get to flex between 20 and 40 hours a week.


So far it is very interesting.

The resume looks like this: Javascript, HTML, CSS, XML, knowledge of source control systems and how to use them. JQuery, Apex/Visualforce, Flex, PHP, Java, JSP are pluses. I am not quite sure how I got the job really, since non of that is on my resume, well 1 out of 11. I think its my 'soft skills'! Actually in the interview they asked me what I would like to do, and when I said I wanted to do customer support, they all perked up. They also value experience and pay well, quite a switch from the last place I worked.

Here is part of the job posting:
Stone Cobra is an enterprise software startup specializing in enterprise software for the service and support industry. Our high performance team of designers and engineers average 12+ years of applicable experience, resulting in an unparalleled experience to work with some of the industry leaders.

If you are a superstar who wants to “run with the big dogs” in a small team environment...

I hope I can keep up.

Getting Started

Until now I have not given in to bloging. But this week Jason drew me a picture that made me change my mind. I started back to work two weeks ago and so I am much much busier. Tuesday morning this week Jason was busy doing something while I was getting ready for work. When it was time to eat breakfast he brought me this picture and it just melted my heart. I love it. I took it to work and hung it by my computer screen. Normally I put these things in a pile that I would someday put in a scrap book. And since I am a year behind on the scrapbooking and two years on his baby book, I was thinking there was no way I was going to capture this moment anywhere...hence the blog.

Now that I am working he wants to remind me he loves being home with me.

This picture is our house and our two smiley faces. Jason loves to draw rainbows, this is his rainbow he has been drawing for the last couple years. The heart at the bottom has an arrow and it says mom. At first I dont even know where he learned to draw a heart with an arrow, but I think it must be something Kiera showed him.

I love this boy. He is such a blessing in my life in so many ways. I had no idea what a joy and treasure a child can be. How much fun, how much love, and how much growth and challenge it all is. Sometimes I look at him and I just see the most beautiful child ever. Other times I see myself and I appreciate a bit more who I am and what I need to work on. And mostly I see Jason and I am fascinated with who he is, and what he will do next. I am very curious to discover what he thinks and how he works and what makes him laugh. These moments of wonder always surprise me and bring me joy. The chance to be an example to him makes me want to be a better person. The chance that I might be able to teach him something makes me want to use my words very carefully. It is just such an amazing adventure with him.

And since I know I will never really capture this moment this week, I decided I need a blog. And then I can make a blog book (!!!) and have a memory from our busy life. I hope you enjoy my blog!

A fast trip to Santa Cruz

We love our weekends in Santa Cruz. This time we had a special dinner out to celebrate Souix, a good friend of Zips and ours. And we went to the park and hung out with Eli and his little sister Eva and Cindy and Maya. Good relaxing fun.





MaryAnn's Icecream is the best...we love a treat.

David's Birthday

David is 5! I just love this picture. It really shows the affection that these two boys have. They are very different when it comes to hugs, but Jason just loves to grab his friends and squeeze them. And generally I think they know how much he loves them. He certainly loves David. No-one can catch bugs and train grasshoppers and know just about everything like David! I call him the little executive. He is an in charge kind of guy.

Jason and David have been planning a trip around the world. Jason was digging his heals in a bit about learning to read and I told him he would need to read to go around the world. Which he agreed with, and after thinking about it Jason put together a phone number list of the numbers they would need. So he called David. And he told him that he wanted me to come a long. You could hear the phone go silent and then a WHY from David, like why in the world would you want to bring your mom. It was a funny moment.

Yoda Houdini Hamster

For Christmas we got a hamster. I had kept the hamster in the closet for almost a week before Christmas. Jason had been asking for a squirrel for Christmas. He was pretty sure he was getting a squirrel, even though I kept telling him you really cant keep a squirrel. Well we got a hamster. It was a great delight for Jason on Christmas morning to see the hamster under the tree.




We quickly learned that we had an escape artist on our hands. We woke up several mornings to find Yoda out of his cage. He would be under one of the couches. One morning he had found abc gum somewhere (probably Jasons room). One day we found him trying to stuff a long strand of purple beads in his cheeks. One morning I woke up with him scratching around my bed. So we have had to secure all the parts of the cage that open as he has learned to push them open. Yoda is very determined. He can work for several hours to get something open.



Most mornings we get Yoda out of his cage. We hold him and let him run around in a hamster ball. Then we put him back in for the day to sleep and rest. He is nocturnal like mice. Jason has gotten more and more brave about picking him up and putting him in the ball himself, or holding him on the coach. He likes to wrap him in a blanket, which I dont think is such a great idea.


Right now Yoda is the perfect pet. I know right where he is, he doesnt get anything all over the house, and he is very easy to feed and maintain. Every month we rebuild his cage and that is fun as well.