Updates

Andy: Work seems to be going well. He is definitely busy with it that's for sure:) We were told that there would be no raises this year at all so Andy has decided he may need to look for a 2nd job. We are fine day to day but we really feel burdened to get our debt paid off. We would like to snowball it Dave Ramsey style:) Plus we would like to buy a house and of course we would need a down payment for that when the time comes. I have a feeling we will be renting for a few more years. Andy may have found an online tutoring job that he can do from home!! That would be perfect for us. Also he has put his resume back out there again.

Me: My circle of acquaintances is growing. I have met a lady from Dover that moved here the exact same time that we did. I hope that we can build a friendship and support system for each other. We will see. I became friends with a lady named MaryBeth through Isaac's ball games. The situation is kinda weird. She is the fiance of one of our teammates dad's. The dad and mom share custody of the kids. Half the week they live with their mom which is right around the corner from us and the rest of the week they are with their dad and MaryBeth who live in Worthington. We had Rick, MaryBeth and the kids over for Sunday dinner a couple of weeks ago! It was fun and relaxed and so super easy. They are very laid back and we had a great time. In fact they were here for 4 hours but it seriously felt like they were only here an hour before they had to leave! Our church has crop nights but so far I have been too chicken to make myself go:( There is another one coming up in several weeks...maybe i'll muster up the courage to attend. There are lots of church activities that we should be taking advantage of but aren't yet. I still miss the familiarity of FBC and knowing everyone. That part of the move is still very hard for me. We have also been attending a lot of scout functions so we are meeting our kids friends parents...which is always a good thing. I am just taking things day by day. For the most part things are good but I still really miss home! I will say that this house is starting to feel more homey to me and that is a good thing. All last year it felt like I was on an extended vacation in someone elses house:)

Isaac: Is doing great in school. He hasn't gotten in trouble even one time. He is on the news team. I had a conference with his teacher 2 weeks ago and she had lots of positive things to say. She is kinda hard nosed though and snooty. She told the class she was from the Cleveland area and when I asked her about that she informed me she was from Hudson. That right there told me all I needed to know:) She did complain that Isaac drank too much water and asked too many questions. What kind of complaints are those? He asks too many questions? I thought her job was to answer those questions. Apparently he asks for clarification on assignments and this irritates her? I don't know...I totally stuck up for Isaac! She said he only asks once and then he has it and I think that's reasonable. It's not like he's up at her desk every five minutes. He has joined the cub scouts and is now an official Webelo!! So if anybody is looking for popcorn we would be happy to sell you a tin!! In just 2 weeks we have been at Lowes selling popcorn, gone to the pumpkin patch and then had an all day Saturday event!! This is one busy troop. On Saturday we dropped Isaac off at 4. The boys went on a hike and then they cooked a spaghetti dinner. By themselves!! Then we went back out and did the hike at night...which was totally awesome. The parents were stationed at various posts along the way for safety's sake but the boy's did it themselves. The first time around they went 2 at a time and had flashlights to guide their way. The 2nd time they went one at a time with no flashlight. It was pitch black!! They did fantastic and even Maia did it. We didn't get home until after 11pm. I think I am about the youngest mom in the troop. The other mother's are also yellers. Which has made Isaac appreciate me a whole bunch more than he did before:) He does not like yellers. He is still totally into the military and guns and Lego's.

Maia: Her teacher adores her!! When I walked into conferences the first thing she said was that Maia was perfect. I told her I wasn't quite so sure she was perfect and she assured me that yes indeed she was. Apparently Maia reminds her teacher of herself at that age. She said it's like looking in a mirror at herself when she was a 2nd grader. Maia got the highest marks she could possibly get and she was invited to participate in an accelerated class on Friday afternoons. Her principal was quick to point out that that doesn't mean she's gifted though. Her principal is so weird. The funniest part is that Andy and I always thought Maia should've been a blond! It's not that we don't think she's super smart. She just has a tendency to be a bit.....dingy sometimes:) Anyways she has lots of friends and seems to be navigating her way well. She loves Brownie's and will be starting piano lessons on Tuesday!! She is very excited about piano. She has been very diligent in her practicing for the last 2 months. She loves loves loves her American Girl doll and her littlest pet shop and she adores reading and music:) She is also the best helper I have ever seen!!

Asher: This kid loves his school!! Loves it!! His teachers love him too. I was a bit worried how he would transition but according to his teachers he is doing fantastic. He asks and answers questions and is excited about everything they do. Right now he only goes one day a week but we are on a waiting list for a 2nd day. It's a 3&1/2 hour program. He gets to eat lunch there and everything. Each Friday he has circle time, Bible time, language arts, music, art, play time and science!! When we add the 2nd day they will add in a foreign language. It's a very well rounded program. On the days he is not at school I am schooling him at home. I'm doing a mix of preschool and kindergarten work both. We have been having lots of fun learning together !! He still loves firefighters and lego's and puzzles and space and astronauts and construction workers and cones. Yep I said cones...orange cones. They make him happier than happy!! The only thing that can make him happier than orange cones would be fire extinguishers. He is still as sweet as can be. The other day he told me that he didn't want to see any scoopy houses...took me a few minutes to realize he meant spooky!! He is still having some trouble with his speech articulation so I am looking into speech therapy.

That's us in a nutshell right now!!
Love, Lori