Happy Times

Things with Cathy and I are going great. Having the 2 little kids around keeps us on our toes and moving at all times.

The job front has been going very well for both of us this year. In September, I took a COO position with one of my customers (RiverStar Software)and it's been keeping me very busy. So far, it's working out very well. I am really enjoying my work with RiverStar and the people and the upside is great.

Cathy went back to work about a month ago and it's good to see her working again. The work/kid balance is good fer her and she needs to feel that she is giving back to the workforce. Her job is also going very well, only having to travel on occasion which makes things pretty tough all around.

We also decided to build a new home. Yes, we just moved a few years ago, but this time it will be for good. We have been toying around with buying land and have been keeping our eyes open for that right situation as it comes past us. Well, about 4 months ago, we were driving home from my sister Sue's house and ran into a new development on the far west edge of Elgin. After looking into the development and the amenities it offers, we decided to take the leap. We took the opportunity of living in a great community over having land because we wanted the kids to have a childhood that they will thrive within. This community has a grade school within 2 blocks of where we will be building and a sports complex that we will be members of. The community is quite large and gives us everything we have been looking for except a 1+ acre lot. There are just too many things here for us that outweigh the extra land. Other pluses include being closer to Sue and in a much better school district. The house will be our design and we are very excited about what we have been designing with our builder.

Outside of our kids taking up almost all of our free time, we have been trying to fit in some exercise and some tome for ourselves. It's been very hectic, but life is good. We keep talking about a vacation and hope that maybe we could get away in the next year or so. Cathy and I have some catching up to do as husband and wife.

No recent pictures, so I decided to add one of my favorites of Cathy and me when we were in Costa Rica in 2001. We miss the traveling...

Kevin turns 40

Well, I am now 40. I don't feel any different, other than I am now in the years that precede 50. Maybe when I have more time, I'll expand on my thoughts about this whole age thing. In the meantime, I feel a little younger with all of these kids around...

Reminiscing

Well it has been a very busy couple of years. We have been busy creating our family, with the addition of Carsen last June and his sister Kendall just this past July. We've been focused almost exclusively on being full time parents, and many of our previous interests have taken a back seat to the family. It's been a wonderful time, with our priorities shifting almost exclusively to our son and daughter. We've been blessed with a wonderful family, but still try to find time for ourselves when we can. I was looking through some old photos and thinking back to how different things were just a few years ago, before children entered the picture! Here are a few shots from our recent past.

2006 for the O'Brien's

As 2006 is winding to an end, I've been able to look back at the year and reminisce about the great things that happened in our life this year. As always, adding a new addition to our family is the highlight, with many others following on the list. Cathy's job has been going great as her company was extremely supportive of her time off to bring Carsen into the world. My job has been treating me well and my clients have been very supportive of my family life requirements.

One of the best parts of this year has been the result of coping with the challenges of day care and the struggles around dropping Carsen off at a place other than his home. After deciding that it was just not working at the current day care provider, we opted to keep him home with us, sharing the time required to take care of him during the day. For the past 30 days or so, we've had the pleasure of keeping him around the house every day and seeing him change before our eyes. Both Cathy and I have been able to manage our workloads, including conference calls, phone calls and an occasional webinar. In fact, I have decided to schedule my activities around days other than Monday so that Carsen and I can hang out and make it a weekly boys day. Either way, he's been able to stay at home and take advantage of frequent 'pajama days'!

If it continues to pan out, we will be able to keep our careers in tact and raise him with the absence of day care.

Cathy's Family History

Recently, Cathy's grandmother (Ann) has fallen ill. Cathy calculated that her grandmother (from her father's side) is going to be 90 years old in 2007. Ann has had the fortune of living a long life and hopefully she will pass this stage of illness and live on to see 100.

This picture is something that I felt compelled to post. My family history is not as deep as Cathy's and to my knowledge, we don't have pictures like this one. I find these old photographs facsinating, as they make me think about the times that these people lived in and how different life was during these unique periods. This photo is dated between 1919 and 1920. Cathy's grandmother, who is turning 90 next year is the youngest of the group and is sitting on her Mother's lap. My guess is that she is about 2 years old at the shooting of this picture. Her 11 brothers and sisters are also pictured in this photo, a clear display of the unique family sizes that existed during this period.

There is so much to think about when looking at a photo such as this one. I can look at these pictures for hours and felt that it was something worth sharing.

Angel Falls, Venezuela- October 2005

Visiting VE was a great experience. Cathy and I had lots of fun and were able to see South America for the first time. Here, we enjoy the icy cold pool at the bottom of Angel Falls. This area resembled a prehistoric landscape, virtually untouched by humans for billions of years.