The decision has been made ....

Okay, so I KNOW it has been a long time since I have blogged. Here's the Boucher (mostly Jen) update:

Jace is STINKIN' cute! He smiles all of the time. He loves to climb up the stairs and play in his room by himself. He loves to open and close his favorite books and gets irritated when you take him away from him. He is approaching his 1st birthday (gasp ... do all of the years go this fast??) and we couldn't be more happy to have him in our home. We LOVE that boy!!

Joe is busy and working hard. He has so many personal goals that he wants to accomplish and is so busy at work it was getting to the point that we didn't see each other much. He has decided to get up super early (4:45) and work on his personal goals. He runs, exercises, and does his personal growth in the morning. I have seen a huge uplift in his spirit because he has found a time to take care of him. I am so glad!

Jen is crazy busy!! Since the beginning of the year I have worked very hard at promoting my stampin' up business. Things are going beautifully -- each month just getting better and better than the last. In February, I have had 2 workshops and have 1 more planned for this Saturday. I have 3 more booked for March. I had 1 hugely successful class over President's day and another camp scheduled in March. Because of this -- basically I am working 1 1/2 jobs. Since we were pregnant in the fall, Joe and I have really felt strongly that it is time for me to stay home with my baby. We have worked hard this year trying to get our house and finances ready for this to happen. Early January we looked at our budget and thought that there was NO WAY we could stay home. I mean how do people do it? I don't know. We don't have an extravagent house full of super nice things! We don't have top of the line cars ... how do people stay home and still have money for the "extras?" I don't know. But we finally made a decision that we feel good about and it scares me a little. I don't know how the numbers are going to play out or how we will ... afford to eat, or fix our house, or our yard, or ever get anything that we ever feel like we "need" ... I don't know how it's going to work, but it will. I get to stay home with my family. With my boy. I get to spend my time worrying about what to fix for dinner, or what stores have the best sales on olives ... not about if my job will be cut or how many kids I'll have in the class next year (don't get me started on the DEVISTATING AFFECTS of the district split/economy on the Jordan School District!!) I get to make quilts (if I can afford the fabric) plan stamping classes and workshops, preserve my memories by scrapbooking, stay caught up on laundry ... run in the evening to get out of the house ....

I don't exactly know what my future holds. I have a couple of business opportunities that I'm looking into but all I know is that I feel like I'm making the right choice for me. I feel like this is my choice and not someon elses that has been thrust upon me. I'm not doing what a "utah mom" should do simply because I'm a utah mom. This decision is difficult and scary and I'm sure that I'll be missed at SOJO. I would like to think that SOJO will be missing a piece of something without me, but it is time.

and I'm happy!