Summer starts

I glanced over at my little archive box and noticed that the number of blog posts each year is dwindling away.  2009 was the highest number, and of course, that was because little Jett-pack was on his way.  I used to blog nearly every event in our lives.  Now?  not so much. 
It makes me sad, because I love reading old posts and remembering the little things that I otherwise would have completely forgotten. 
So, lately, our family has just kind of been chugging along.  Busier than we've ever been, but not nearly as busy as we'll be in a few years, I'm sure.
Laney had a program at school - one of those things that she stayed after school to be a part of...heritage singers is what they called it.  A glee club, of sorts?  Anyway, they sang parts of songs from the 60's 70's and 80's (and they had to dress the part) and it was awesome!!!!  My favorite song they sang was The Rhythm of the Night. 
♪ ♫To the beat of the rhythm of the night, dance until the morning light.  Forget about the worries on your mind, you can leave them all behind. ♫ ♪
I know, I'm a nerd.
 

All ready!

The kids are out of school now, so we've been trying to think of things to do to keep us busy.  Today, we met some friends at a nature center. We ate lunch, played in the indoor part of the center and then went for a walk through the woods.  It was hot, but it was fun!  Tomorrow, we're planning on getting out the slip 'n slide. :)  Now that Jett is no longer a nursing baby, it's way more fun to go places with all the kids, and to plan fun play dates!  Nursing is precious, but holy moly, am I happy it's over!  Wow, I honestly never thought I'd think that!  =)


Remember the "super moon" we had a few weeks ago?  It was really clear where we live, so we could see it really well!

 

We've had some amazing sunsets here lately!  Sometimes, I just lock myself in my bedroom and stare out the window at them.  It's heavenly.  The peace and quiet and the view.  equally.  they're equally heavenly. :)

Big Changes

So, after much thought and prayer, a huge decision has been made.  Mike is going back to college to earn a degree in electrical engineering.  We just sent the application off today, and we're hoping that he can start in the Fall.  It's something we've been discussing and praying about for a while, and we really believe it's for our family's best interest.  This is for sure going to be a long and tough 4 years ahead of us, no doubt (obviously, mostly for Mike, he'll be working full time and going to school full time).  But we've been through something similar before, when he was attending night classes twice a week for 4 years, while he was earning his journeyman license.  This time around, he'll be doing only online classes, so while it sounds a whole lot better than actually going to class, the reality is that we'll have to keep 5 kids quiet and away from him while he's taking classes and studying.  Have you any idea how hard that's gonna be in a 1200 sq. foot house?  We're hoping that, if he takes classes all through the Summer, as well, he'll be able to finish in less than 4 years.  ...but 4  years is what we're shooting for.

Another huge decision that we've been praying about is moving our family from the cold Midwest to sunny Florida.  That will obviously be after Mike is done with college.  He'll start looking for jobs there (really, anywhere in Florida would be fine with us) and we'll move whenever he lands something. We realize that this is going to be a huge adjustment, not only for our immediate family, but for our extended family, as well.  I've lived near my mom and my sisters my entire life.  I see them at least once a week, and not seeing them is gonna be heartbreaking.  We've asked my mom to move with us - which is clearly a lot to ask, I get it - especially with 2 other daughters that live 10 miles from her - but I really hope she does.  I need my mom near me.  In 4 years, both of my sisters' children will be out of the house, except for 1, and she'll be 16.  So who knows any of them will still be living around the Midwest at all, being at college and all that fun stuff.  One of my nieces is actually going to be getting married to a guy in the Army, so we have no idea where they'll be stationed.  All that to say, I don't know if she'll agree...she hasn't really said...but if she comes with us, it would be so, so amazing!  As far as Mike's parents and sisters, well, we're kind of hoping his parents will move with us too.  Is that selfish and greedy? Maybe, but I really want both of my moms and the man that has been more of a dad to me than my own dad - my amazing father in law - around.  Mike's sisters (and mine, too, I just say Mike's sisters to distinguish from my sisters...they're all loved the same. :) both live in Arizona, so while it sucks that we'll be even farther from them, we don't really get many chances to see them anyway.  And if Mike gets a nice, steady job, hopefully we'll be able to afford to see them more.  

So I know what you're thinking...wow, this crazy girl is waaaayyy too obsessed with Disney World...now she wants to move near it!!  That's not it, REALLY!!!  I swear!  I've always wanted to live near the ocean, and we've been looking at the housing market down there (which can obviously change in 4 years, I know) and as of right now, it's our plan.  I should say, we for sure will be doing this, barring any unforeseen major family drama.  

And we haven't forgotten our plan of adopting a child with Down Syndrome.  We still plan on doing that, as well.  It's honestly one of the reasons that Mike is going back to school.  Adoption is expensive!  We want to be able to provide a child with special needs the right kind of care that they will require, and while I know that we need to trust God with everything, He also gives us minds and reasoning abilities to help ourselves.  

So, if you think about it, please pray for us as we wade through these next 4 years.  I don't want to do any of this if it's not God's will for us.  Like I said, we've been praying about this for a long time and we've asked God to shut doors if it's not what He wants for us.  The doors are all open right now, and more are opening all the time.  So as far as we can see, this is right for us.  Here we go!

One little monkey jumping on the bed

He fell off and bumped his head.

Mommy called the doctor and the doctor said

"bring the monkey in so we can staple his head!"

True story.

(ouch)

(after the staple)

(clearly, he was distraught over the whole situation...)

He was jumping on the bed and fell back and smacked his head on the foot board.  He came to Mike (I was at gymnastics with Chloe), no crying, no screaming...nothing...just very nonchalantlyand said "Dad, I hit my head and it feels funny."   Mike started feeling around on his head, and felt the back of his hair wet with blood.  He called me and I came home and we took him in.  The only time he cried was when he overheard Mike and I talking about him probably needing stitches or a staple.
The funny thing is, when I was about his age, I did the same EXACT thing, from the staple, right down to not crying, but just telling my mom that it felt funny.
I suppose he is like me in some ways, after all.  Take that, Mike!