Jobs are the BEST!

Vain got a job!  After about 2 months of looking and a little vacationing he landed a Systems Administrator position at Signicast in Hartford.  It's definitely a step up from what he was doing before and I'm so proud of him! Signicast is a big and still growing company so who knows where this may lead in the years to come.  Right now we're just super excited about that and of course I immediately started house hunting.  I've never done this before and it's going to be really fun!  It's kind of like wedding dress shopping.  I got lucky and found my dress on the first and only day and it was the first dress I tried on.  Maybe that will happen with the house too!

Ryter is talking a lot.  Apple, ball, up, down, avocado, and daddy are his words, and milk, more, eat, banana, bunny, dog, and cat are his signs.  It's really interesting how he just repeats things now.  I've been teaching him sign language since he was 8 months, but he never really caught on completely.  He would laugh when I would sign something and so I always assumed that was his version of "yes", but now when I do a sign, he just repeats it back to me.  It's really awesome! 

He's also really into his "Ryter's Family" book that I made for him so that he could see all the faces of the people who live far away.  I need to make another one now for all of our family and friends that used to be close, but are now so very far.  It's become a ritual at nap and night time now and he's very serious about reading it!  Along with that is the magic fleece blanket that he will absolutely not go to sleep without.  It already has a hole in it so I can tell that it will be a very well loved blanket.

This past weekend we went to Three Lakes to spend some time fishing and boating with friends.  I spent most of the time trying to convince Ryter that the pack-n-play was a super comfortable place to sleep.  He caught on by the second day.  Seriously though, we had a really great time.  I drank coffee on the deck overlooking the lake in the cool air and fog, hung out by the bonfire eating Doritos, and enjoyed my most favorite drink, the creamsicle, bringing back memories of college with my good friend Kelly.

Ryter took his first boat ride and I think he really enjoyed it.  He did not like the life jacket, but once we got it on him, which was a two-man job,  he was fine.