Missing

Ever since we had to stop our internet service I feel like a little piece of me is missing...you.  So cheesey, but true.  I know that only a few people read this, but I really enjoy reading about what you guys are up to.  So much happens in a week and you don't realize it until you don't have the chance to download the latest pictures or check what's going on.  There may be good news on the horizon-we found a different house to rent...one that is cheaper rent each month and has cable accessibility.  The house that we rent right now is too far outside of town and they don't have cable that runs out that far.  So we'll be moving into the new house toward the end of next month and we may get our internet back.  I know it's not a necessity, but it will be so nice to update things, read the news, check the weather, etc.

In case you were wondering

My sister had a baby a few weeks ago and I went to visit her in Massachusetts.  My niece is adorable.  I'll have to write about that when I have time.  Anyway, we had to get rid of our internet while I was there because of a big, unexpected internet bill, so I have to go to Tony's office to use the computer.  So I have a lot to write about when I have more time...

Don't blink

People always say that kids grow up so fast.  I've heard people say, "Don't blink or you'll miss it."  There have been several times when I've thought that myself.  On Saturday, Tony's aunt and uncle had a BBQ at their house with all the aunts, uncles, and cousins.  The boys spent the night at Tony's dad's the night before, so we met them there.  After we said "hi" to everybody, we see Caleb with a huge grin on his face...riding up to us on a bike!  That might not seem like a big deal, but he didn't know how to ride a bike by himself the day before.  Caleb is a very cautious kid and was too nervous to ride a bike by himself when we've tried in the past.  His training wheels broke this past summer so we bought a balancing handle that the parent can walk behind the bike and hold for support.  Tony's been helping him bike around the driveway for a few weeks, but Caleb still liked having someone there in case he lost his balance.  So when we saw him ride up on his own at the BBQ, it was a big deal for us.  Plus, the grin on his face-you could tell he was proud-was priceless.  

Family Pic

We clean up pretty good 

I'm an aunt!

My sister and her husband had their first baby this morning at 2am.  Her name is Karis Marie.  She has brown hair.  She weighed 7 lbs. 2 ozs. and was 18 ins. long.  She's so precious.  

And they're off

I had a little more time to mentally/emotionally prepare for the boys' first bus ride this morning than I had for Joshua going to kindergarten (see previous post), so I did pretty good this morning.  Both of the boys have wanted to ride the bus, so they were very excited and climbed right in.   While the boys did run out of the door before they brushed their teeth, we were ready on time.  

Both of my babies are at school...

This one I was prepared for...

This one I was not...

Since Tony got a new job, we moved about 25 minutes from where we used to live.  Caleb was nervous to start at a new school, but he's doing much better now.  He's getting to know the other kids' names and getting familiar with the teachers and facility.  The Thursday school started, we took Joshua to the preschool screening at the school.  They told us that there were 5 more spots available for this coming school year, so they would let us know on Friday whether he would start after Labor Day or not.  The next day the teacher found me and said that since the preschool is state funded, Joshua didn't qualify because he could technically go to kindergarten. (His birthday is Aug. 15th, and he just turned 5, so we decided that we would wait until next year to send him to kindergarten.)  Since I work in the afternoons, I could stay home with Joshua in the mornings and Tony could come home and be with him in the afternoons, but he would not have any of the interaction with other kids like he's used to and needs.  We also found out on Sunday night that kindergarten goes for the full day.  On the school website it said that kindergarten got out at 1:30 (they had not updated it yet)...which would not have worked well with our schedules...but once we found out it got out at the same time as the rest of the school, it gave us something to think about.  We decided that since Joshua's preschool screening went well and since he loves playing with kids and needs that interaction, we would register him for kindergarten.  So on Monday we got him registered and ran around town getting his physical, immunizations, and vision check-up.  On Tuesday, he started kindergarten.

It was a little weird seeing both of the boys standing, waiting to go into the school...

Tony asked if I was okay when we got home because I had been so quiet.  I said "yes" and then came to get a big hug from him and started crying.  "Both of my babies are at school,"  I said.  I was prepared for Caleb to go to school, but everything with Joshua happened so fast that I didn't have a lot of time to prepare myself for that.  They've both been at school for a few days now and it's working great.  Since I'm at the school working in the afternoon, I get done when the boys do.   I pick them up from their class when the "walkers" are released.  When I went to get Joshua from his class all the kids said "Bye Josh, bye Josh, etc."  It was so cute.  Everyone, including mom, is making the adjustment quite well.  Now I just have to prepare myself for when they start riding the bus after Labor Day...  

Happy 5th birthday Joshua

(His birthday was on Friday)

Excited

I don't know if excited can adequately express how I feel, but it's a start.  In the post before this one I wrote about God's perfect timing in Tony getting a new position and us finding somewhere to live.  Since we are moving, I had to figure out what I was going to do to help out financially.  Tony preferred that I did not continue to do day care (it would be a last resort option), so I started looking around to see what I could find.  Since there are only a few small towns around the area, there are not a lot of jobs.  Plus, I really wanted to find something were I could still spend time with Joshua each day and be available to watch the Caleb on days he has off school.  There was a posting on the school's website for one full-time and one part-time teacher's aide.  That was something that I had thought about doing once the boys were in school, so I sent in my application in July.  I didn't hear anything back so I called the school and found out that the principal is off during the month of July.  So I waited until last week to call again.  I asked if the positions had been filled and the secretary put me on hold...then came back and said that the positions had been filled.  I was bummed.  I love working with kids.  All the other jobs I applied for didn't involve kids, but I figured that God would put me in whatever working situation he could use me in (whether it was my first choice or not).  I had also put in an application at the local bank for a part-time teller position the week before.  I called there to see if that position was still available.  The person in charge of hiring had been on vacation (that's the reason nobody had called me back).  They said to leave a message and the manager would be in later that morning.  An hour or so later the phone rang.  I glanced at the number and since the first 3 digits were the same that I had just called, I figured it was the bank calling back.  I was totally taken by surprise when it was the principal from the grade school.  He said they were doing "pre-screening" phone interviews with people that had sent resumes in for the teacher's aide positions.  I about started jumping up and down.  I was totally unprepared.  I tried to keep myself composed while answering the questions.  I was so excited that this was still a possibility.  After the phone call I said, "I guess those job positions haven't been filled...maybe the secretary just meant they weren't taking any more applications...oh my goodness, this might still be a possibility...this is so exciting..."  A little while later the principal called back and said that they would like me to come in for the actual interview with himself and a few other staff.  I get so nervous in situations like this so I asked the small group that we were a part of last year to pray that I would stay calm and not be so nervous.  While I was driving out for the interview I had a peace and calm about the situation.  I thank God for that.  I felt that the interview went pretty well.  There was a full-time and part-time teacher's aide position available.  I told them that I would prefer the full-time position (to help more financially), but that I would also like to be considered for the part-time position. The principal said that they would call by Friday with their final decision.  About 5 minutes after I got home the principal called and said thanks for coming in for the interview and that they had a lot of good applicants-it sounded like he was going to say "thanks, but no thanks" type of thing-and we would like to recommend you to the Board of Education for the part-time teacher's aide position.  (The Board will finalize all new positions with a vote next Wednesday)  He said that they had several applicants with teaching degrees and several applicants that had previous teacher's aide experience, but they felt that after talking to me in the interview and with my personality they felt that I would be a good fit for the school.  "Thank you God for making me just like you did" was what I was thinking.   I was so excited that I could hardly contain myself on the phone.  When I got done talking to him on the phone I jumped up and gave Tony a big hug and started crying (happy tears).  This transition time has been a little overwhelming at times, and this job will give me the chance to spend time with Joshua and also be home when Caleb is off of school.  Once again, God's perfect timing and plan are unfolding before my eyes.  I cannot tell you how joyful and thankful my heart is that God has once again worked in a wonderful way.

Timing

God's timing is perfect.  Sure, I know that, but watching a plan unfold before your eyes is always amazing and encouraging.  Around January Tony felt that God said it was okay for him to look for another job...that everything would be okay.  We prayed that God would "open the door" for where we were suppose to be and "shut the doors" where we were not suppose to be.  Soon after we learned that one of the two churches that supported the ministry Tony worked for could no longer financially support the ministry...the other church couldn't support it by itself.  While there was a lot !!!! of waiting and prayer, Tony was finished with his old job on July 31st and began his new position on Aug. 1st.  Perfect timing.  Now, if you were to ask us if this is the place where we thought we would be-in a rural, farm community at a somewhat conservative body of believers- we would have to say no.  But, once again, God knows best and I'm sure this is where we're supposed to be.  

Right now we live in the parsonage for one of the churches that supported the ministry Tony used to work for.  Part of taking a new job meant that we would have to find somewhere else to live.  They told us that we could live at this house for 2 months while we looked for a new place...that was nice of them not to kick us out to the streets :-)  We preferred to rent something, but since the communities in the new area are so small, there is not a lot to rent.  So we got pre-approved for a home loan, but it wasn't very much, so we couldn't find anything that we liked and could afford.  We knew that God guided Tony to this position, so he would also guide us to a place to live.  So we had to wait... While Tony joined the "church" mens' softball team for one of their last games of the season, I talked to one of the wife's.  Her husband got a new job an hour away and they were going to be moving.  They rented a farm house 1.5 miles away from the church where Tony just got a position at.  She had just told the landlord about their move, so the landlord had not put out an ad looking for renters yet.  She gave the landlord our name and number.  We talked to the landlord the next day and after a few conversations, they said we could move in by the end of the month.  Again, perfect timing.  Now, if you were to ask me if I thought we would be renting a house that has well water and uses propane for heating, I would have said no.  But, once again, God knows best.  The other great thing about the timing of the situation is that God provided a place for us to live two weeks before Caleb starts school (we really wanted him to be able to start school on time and start at the school he would attend all year).   I feel so blessed by God right now.  I hope that we can continue to listen to his voice and follow after him each day.

Thirsty?

Friends

I've mentioned before that we go and hang out with our friends once a month when the mom, Sarah, has a Friday night off.  When we went over this past Friday, Emery was tired, so when Tony held him he just put his head down on Tony's shoulder and relaxed.  It was too cute not to take a picture.

Once again Sarah made a yummy supper...which is so much fun for me to eat because she actually likes the challenge of making something I can eat, even with all my food sensitivities.  It's great!  They also treated us to a local family friendly comedy club for Tony's last day at his job. We really appreciated that.  It was nice to go out with them and have a good laugh.   Spending time with them is definitely a blessing.

Change

I've been trying to figure out what to write here, and can't decide, so I will link you to Tony's new blog spot for now (Tony's blog).

A few more pics

These are just a few more pictures from last week.

Our "make a face" picture

The boys helping blow up balloons for my sisters surprise baby shower.

My sister's husband playing with the boys...I'm suddenly not needed when "Big Josh" is around.

The boys playing with my cousin's son in their pool.

My cousin was so excited that we stopped to see them.  It was a fun visit.

Where to begin??

We went to a croquet tournament that my sister's husband's side of the family has every summer.  (Tony was on a missions trip to Canada this same week)

I spent a lot of time with my hand on my sister's belly...she's 7 1/2 months pregnant and this is the first time I've seen her since Christmas.

We stopped by my cousins house on the way home.  Her son is a year older than Caleb.

We returned home to this.  There was a huge storm in the area where we live.  (The main/busy street in front of our house was blocked off from Monday until Thursday while they fixed the electric poles).  We're very thankful that we're all safe and that there wasn't very much damage. It's hard to imagine what people go through who lose everything.

Since we didn't have electricity, we stayed at my parents' house for a few days.  It gave me and the boys extra time to spend with my sister and her husband.  

My mom and I had a baby shower for my sister before she headed out of town.

That's all the fun we've been having since last Saturday.  There are a lot of fun pictures to share, so I'll start posting them  this week.

Happy 30th Birthday Tony!

Tony's in Canada on a missions trip on his 30th birthday (Wednesday). Roaming charges are horrible, so I might not have the chance to talk to him...so I figured I could write it on here in case he checks it. Happy Birthday!!!

We're staying at my parents' house (with a dial-up connection) for a few days because of a big storm and no electricity at our house, so I'll have some fun pictures to post pretty soon.

And fun on the 4th

The boys and I went down for two days (one night) to visit Tony and the youth that he took to a huge music festival for the week.  The boys' favorite thing to do was to hang out with the older "kids" and throw rocks into this little water overflow pond.  They spent hours doing this.

Playing in the kids' tent

Caleb got a snake painted on his face

Sportin' their new t-shirts

They had so much fun getting to hang out with dad.

Getting tired from all the sun.

Caleb helped Tony and some of the people from the group we went down with hand out packets for Compassion Intl.  They all had glow necklaces and bracelets so people in the crowd could tell who was handing out the packets.  Caleb put them all together when they got done.

Joshua got too tired and was out before Tony and Caleb made it back to the camp site.

Caleb tried staying up for the fireworks, but he fell asleep in a chair around 11:20, about 10 minutes before the fireworks started.  (They did see fireworks the night before, so they didn't totally miss them this year)  In the morning both of the boys said that they really liked camping.  They want to go again soon.

Fun on the 3rd

On the 3rd of July the boys and I went downtown with my parents for their 4th of July celebration.  (Tony was at Cornerstone-I'll have a few pictures of that later)

Joshua getting a tatoo

The bouncy slide they went down again and again and...

Lookin' good

We ran into Caleb's friend from his kindergarten class.  They drew with sidewalk chalk together.

We also watched fireworks afterwards which the boys really liked.  They were definitely tired by the end of the night. 

Seen in the Light

"You look hot!"  That's what Tony said to me as my parent's were riding in our van with us.  "You can't say that with my parent's in the car" I said as my face turned red.  "But with the light shining in the window, you look hot."  So even though I wasn't expecting it and even though I got a little embarrassed, it still made me feel special and loved to hear him say that (normally he says stuff like that privately).  The next day I was thinking about what Tony said and God put a thought in my head.  God is light.  In Him there is no darkness.  Like Tony saw the light shining on me through the window, God sees us through his light.  God knows we have flaws, yet we are beautiful in his sight...in his light.  Just as I felt special and loved by Tony, God wants us to know that we are special and loved by him.    

Summer fun

The boys with Noah that I take care of.

Caleb's new pet, wormy.

Joshua chillin'