So much has happened in the last year and a half! I laughed at my last post, because none of it happened! After Jay got back from Arizona, I decided I should try to find a full time job. God laid it on my heart one Monday morning. I woke up, and just felt like it was what I needed to do! I typed up a resume, emailed it out to a dozen different people before the kids were even awake! By ten, I received my first call for an interview the following day. Wednesday we had a huge blizzard On Thursday the lady had called to offer me the job, and I started the following day! I am still so very grateful to my manager for giving me the chance. I had no recent office experience, and certainly no experience working at a car dealership.
Offering me that job saved our family. At first there was a bit of jealousy on Jay's part. He was happy for me, but he had been looking for something full time for years and couldn't find anything! Here, I barely started looking, and I had a job! Having one of us working made things seem possible. It was possible to get out of the hopeless situation we were in. It was possible for our lives to start to creep forward. It helped Jay realize I was willing to step up and help the family when needed!
I started working in February. By June they had offered me a promotion! I hesitantly accepted (more like didn't say no!). The position seemed stressful and overwhelming. I was afraid I couldn't handle it, but in the end I loved it! However, it was quite obvious we were not going to be homeschooling anymore. It was breaking my heart.
In August, we enrolled the kids in the local public school. It was very difficult for me. The kids were excited, and nervous. We met their teachers and it got a little better :) Mrs. Bell was the perfect teacher for Alyssa. Seriously this woman is amazing! The patience she has is awe inspiring! She is always so happy and excited to see Alyssa. She prides herself on being "The Queen" so she was very excited to meet a fellow queen in Alyssa!
Casten's teacher, Mrs. Meehan was equally as wonderful. Casten really enjoyed her class. She was always so pleased with how smart Casten was, and how incredibly well behaved and cooperative he was (yes, our Casten!)
In September, Jay graduated from College. It was very exciting for our family. We were all very proud of him! It took about a month afterwards, but he did get a job offer, and has been working for a company repairing printers/copiers since. In February the position went full time. And it has been wonderful!
The kids did pretty great in school. Alyssa definitely was a social butterfly, which effected her school work some. She struggled to focus on her school work and do her best work. Some if her anxieties got the best of her, and she continues to be a horrible test taker. She had some disappointing standardized test scores, but her teacher reassured us that the scores did not reflect what she saw in the classroom. Casten, on the other hand, excelled in class! He was ahead of the class and continued to learn and stay ahead! He placed in the 96th and 93rd percentiles on his testing. He is able to read at a mid 2nd grade level. He just amazes us. We knew he was smart, but his behavior in class and how much he learned was stunning!
Casten continued to do hockey throughout the year, he moves up to Pre-mites this summer. He loves it and isn't too bad :)
Alyssa participated in Girl Scouts this year. She loved it. It was such a great program for her! She made friends and had a blast! She was also the top cookie seller in her troop! She was honored at a district program for her cookie sales! She sold over 300 boxes! Double her original goal!
I haven't mentioned anything about Maizie! She is still cute as can be! Usually a happy little girl that can wrap just about anyone around her little finger! She is a very determined child though! She must do things her way! She is getting so smart everyday! In general, she is growing up too fast!!!
In April we received some very exciting news!!!
We are expecting Queen baby #4! Jay and I are a little nervous. Four kids is a lot of kids! The kids are very excited. It is so neat to see the difference this time. When I had Maizie, Alyssa was only 4 and Casten 2. When this little one arrives, around Christmas, the kids will be 9, 7, and almost 5.
Now that school is out, and summer has begun, I was able to cut my hors back to part time. It has been wonderful! I love spending the time with the kids. We have such big plans this summer! Lots of places to visit, lots of projects to do at home. We will be moving in August.
We are also considering going back to homeschooling! The kids and I are very excited! The kids did great thus year in school, but it was far from ideal. Casten is very far ahead of his class and we would love for him to work at his own pace. He can be doing second grade work this year, but is only in first.
Alyssa (I should let everyone know, she likes the name Alyssa, but would prefer everyone call her Aly!) kind of fell through the cracks this year. She did well enough. Not poorly enough to justify extra help, but not up to regular standards. She is very behind in math. She is good at reading, but rushed through so much she missed actually learning, and does not work neatly!
We will see what the summer brings us. We are so excited about all of the growth and potential we have come across over the last year or so. The idea of moving forward with our family is exciting! I hope I remember to bring you along!!!!
Posts
