Making Lemonade

That's what we did with those lemons!

It's been busy since the last posting. Scott was offered a couple of jobs and had a couple of jobs in the wings (which if he had waited longer may or may not have materialized) and finally made the decision to be a performance engineer for a start-up ALMS team. ALMS= American LeMans

There are so many parts to this that are definitely 'lemonade-y'. First, the position is a promotion from his last job and he will be much more free to explore many aspects of engineering racecars. Second, he got a significant-er raise (I say "significant-er" since he already got a significant raise with his last job). Third, the ALMS series runs a schedule that contains about half of the races that the IRL runs, so Scott will be home more with me and Liam! And he can continue training for triathlons! And we can go on vacations together! And we can have some weekends in the summer to do summery-type things!

Lemonade has never tasted so good! :)

Anyway, I put up some new pics on phanfare (click here), so pop on over and check it out.

I leave you with this picture of Scott and Liam and I out and about today, enjoying the 16 degree weather, since Scott had today off.
And since Scott was all ours today, he joined me and Liam for storytime at the library! Liam was proud to have brought his daddy to show his friends!

Well, it's bathtime and bedtime for Liam. Have a great rest of the week and weekend!

love,

Becky

That's Racing...

Hi all,

I wanted to make sure I posted on Leap Day! Happy Leap Day! :)

So, the latest news is that Scott's race team is shutting down. It has been a busy past two weeks in racing with Champ Car and the Indy Racing League merging, leaving only one open-wheel series in North America. With the merger, the owner of the team decided he "didn't want to play anymore, so he's packing up his toys and going home". This development leaves a lot of good people out of work, Scott included, and looking for jobs.

It really sounds worse than it is. Seriously. Scott's got great contacts and I have complete faith in his skills and abilities--he will find something very quickly. It may be here in Indianapolis, or it may be elsewhere, but regardless our little family will be fine. If all else fails, here's our backup plan:


:)

Anyway, we'll keep you posted on the goings-on. We're hoping to stay in Indy...it's great here! Liam and I have met a lot of friends--both for mommy and for Liam. Scott has been hanging out with other racing-types and is getting involved in the triathlon/marathon world here as well, so we're doing well here!

Anyway, I'll leave you with these quotes from driver Paul Tracy--ever the outspoken one--regarding the closing down of his team and the loss of his ride:

“I’m in shock and I’m very, very disappointed,” Tracy told SPEEDTV. “Right now, I need to quickly regroup, regain my composure and then start looking for another ride – and I mean in IndyCar. The team may be done, but I’m ready to go racing.” “I got a call from Neil (Micklewright, president of Forsythe Racing) this morning and he said, ‘I’ve got some bad news for you,’” related Tracy from his home in Las Vegas.
“Neil said he’d been trying to get a hold of my manager but he was having a colonoscopy today. That’s ironic ‘cause that’s what I feel like I got.”

I guess a lot of people felt that yesterday. Oh, Paul...you should be a poet. You're wasting your talents.

Love,

b

So many things to say...

Here we are at the beginning of February, Liam is 5 and a half months old, and is already starting to talk up a storm. I met with some other moms here for a playgroup and one mom (of 4 children) said to enjoy these first moments of chatter since they are so sweet..in the beginning. :) So, Liam and I had our first little chat of many:

Also, please visit my other site for photos and more videos:

http://albums.phanfare.com/beckyraymond

And here are some pics from January. We moved, got a new bed, a new haircut, learned some new tricks, went on the swing for the first time, played a lot and explored our new neighbourhood.

Hope you enjoy it! I'm off to change a stink-a-bum!

Love,

Becky

The Tortoise and the Hair

Hi everyone! Sorry for the lack in postings--it's been a tad hectic with the move and then getting used to our new home (and a brief visit back to our old one to check on things). Plus, I have an energetic 5 month old who just LOVES to play! And, hey, I would rather play with him than be on the computer. BUT he is in his new jumper toy and is having a blast with that, so that gives me some 'free' time to post.

What a contraption, eh? I swear it's safe. :)

So, besides being entertained in his new toy, Liam has been practicing crawling! Okay, okay, maybe not so much *crawling* as...well, I'm not sure what to call it! Watch and see for yourself:

Yes, it's a loooooong video. And a bit painful to watch at times, but sometimes you have to go backwards in order to go forwards! :) Our little tortoise will soon be a hare!

Speaking of "hair", you may notice Liam sporting a new 'do'. Momma got out the scissors and cut off all of the beautiful curly locks (boohoo!). Alright, so they weren't so curly (unless they were wet) and they were more "wisps" than "locks". But, who would have guessed that under all of that dark hair was a tow-headed boy genius?! (well, we knew about the boy genius part) So our little blonde-haired, blue eyed boy is ever the more stunning due to the trip to the barber.

And on to other news:

So, Scott is enjoying his job--it's keeping him busy, but he gets home at a decent time and gets to see us and play! and hang out! It's awesome. We are in the throes of house hunting. Although we are trying not to be since we don't want to find our dream house just yet! We need to sell the other one first.

Well, as with any toy, it can only entertain a child for so long...so Liam and I are off to get the mail!

Hope all is well!

love,

b

Happy 5-monthiversary Liam!

Happy 5-monthiversary little guy! Hope you have a wonderful day! (maybe we'll go buy a toy! yay, toys!!)

Quick update: we're settling into our temporary apartment in Carmel, north of Indianapolis, Indiana. Our house in Buffalo Grove is up for sale (no bites, yet) and Scott is enjoying his new job with Forsythe Racing (Paul Tracy's team) in the Champ Car Series. Yesterday we bought a new car--a silver Mazda Speed3, fully loaded (nice!) and today our new bed is being delivered (king sized mattress--super nice!). Yes, things are good!

Today Liam and I are going out shopping for some new sheets for the bed and a little 5-monthiversary present.

Hope all is well with everyone! I'll write more later when I have more time!

love,

b

4 months of wonder and joy!

Happy 4 monthiversary little boo! We love you!

This is Liam wearing his new outfit from Great Aunt Marie! Thanks Aunt Marie! Get well soon--we are thinking about you!

love,

b, s, l

For Sale: House in Buffalo Grove!