I try not to bother the new parents too much so they can spend quality time together when Ben's off work, but here are some cute snapshots I got when we hung out. Please note that we're matching and it wasn't even planned :)
I stayed in Austin to spend Easter with my mom (and Jackson, of course) and Nelson went to Houston to be with his mom (both his sister and dad were out of town). My mom and I went to Lindsay and Ben's church so that we could see Jackson in his adorable Easter outfit that I bought.
Unfortunately, when we got back to my mom's for Easter dinner, Jackson had a pretty bad blow-out. To make matters worse, Lindsay forgot to pack an extra outfit. Luckily Aunt Holly had another Easter present for her favorite nephew that fit pretty well (even though it was 4 months bigger). Aunt Holly saves the day!
Beth and I signed up for another BYOB painting class in March. We had so much fun talking, painting, and drinking leftover wine from the wedding :) We painted an Austin backdrop and both think this turned out better than the poppies.
Something news worthy that happened at the Chang's is... I got a new job! After working a little more than two years at Accruent, I felt it was time to take my knowledge and experience some place where I could grow professionally. I cleaned out my desk at Accruent on April 12 and started my new career as a Marketing Specialist at 21CT on April 17! It's still a software company, but they specialize in "security analytics and visualization" software. In other words, cyber security. Most of the customers are government agencies, but they're learning this software can be applied in a number of other industries. As a brand new department this year (they've been established for around ten years), it's an exciting time to join their team!
You might notice I had a couple days between the two jobs. I didn't want to switch mid-week, so I took some days to hang out with this little guy:
After seeing Jackson's poor closet pretty empty (because he's grown so fast!), I convinced Nelson it was our duty as Aunt and Uncle to buy him another outfit. I also let Nelson pick it out. So this is what he got:
I think it's safe to say Jackson loves his new work-out clothes!
Since Nelson and I bought the house, we've done quite a bit of yard work. The back yard is still in progress, but I'm happy to announce that we have finished the front yard (thus far)! I didn't take any before pictures, but I did a nice print screen from Google Street View with some editing :)
Front of House Before:
Front of House After:
We ripped out all of the over-grown bushes, planted new ones, and added some flowers. We're also trying to save the dying grass in the bottom corner. Here's a close up (for those of you who care):
We also worked with our neighbors and replaced the shared bed. They agreed it was too over-grown and we couldn't see when backing out of the drive-way. We both picked out plants we wanted (that were drought-resistant and liked sun), split the costs, and got together one morning to plant everything. Again, I didn't have a before, so worked my skillz so you could compare.
Shared Bed Before:
Shared Bed After:
During my two days of "fun-employment", my mom, Lindsay, and I decided to go see G's new headstone. None of us have been to the cemetery since her funeral, so we thought it would be good to have each other's support while out there. And it definitely helped taking Jackson with us, too. We know that G loves him so much and is his designated guardian angel (by choice), and she would be so happy knowing we took him to see her. We even took a picture, which could be viewed as strange, but we know that G would love it :)
Lastly, Nelson and I went to a wedding (one of many that we have this year) in Kyle. The couple was from our Nearly/Newly-Wed class. It was fun hanging out with everyone from our small group and dancing. Congratulations, Megan and Travis!
I hope you've been having a wonderful Spring and are getting ready for the heat of Summer!
