I am so NOT good at the whole "keeping up with the blog" thing. Considering my profile said I had 3 kids...it has been a while! So here's a quick update on our little family.
Jonah is now 12 years old and in the 6th grade! He has the joy of having Mom as his teacher for 3 out of 8 classes. I love that I get to see him in this environment of school. He is at that age where keeping an eye on him as he navigates the treacherous waters of middle school isn't a bad thing! He loves school. He is SO social. This year he tried soccer for the first time and he LOVED it! I preferred the schedule to that of last year's football schedule! Now he his gearing up for basketball. He does well in school and is loving that he can now go to youth group at church.
Liam is 10 years old. He and Jonah are pretty much opposites! He doesn't really enjoy school or sports. He is very much into games he can play on the Wii or with us as a family. He has finally found a love for reading and is enjoying Harry Potter! He has a kind heart and is quite good at math (totally didn't get that from his mom)! He loves being around people but has been finding it hard to connect and make friends at school. We are praying that the Lord helps him in this area. He has grown so much this year! He is going to be taller than me pretty soon!
Keira is 7 years old and in the 2nd grade. She LOVES school and all things social. She is a lot like Jonah in this area. She has also found the love for books, but she'll take playing over reading still. He is also very quick in math and loves to do crafts and play games. She is one tough little cookie with 4 brothers surrounding her. At her parent teacher conference her teacher mentioned she is a bit bossy and chatty... I had to admit she comes by that honestly ;) She is such a blessing to us!
Silas is in kindergarten and he turned 6 in September. He is NOT a morning person and does NOT like getting up for school. He is pretty bright, but has the attitude of "I know that I know this stuff. I know that YOU know that I know this stuff. Let's just call it good and not bother with the whole paper and pencil thing." LOL! Nice try, Kid! School isn't his favorite place to be but he has come a long way since last year. He is so sweet. He will still let me give him a kiss and a short snuggle at night (not TOO long, Mom) but he is growing up fast. He lost his first tooth this month!
Finley is our baby and is 4 years old! Wow. Time flies! Finn is my most affectionate child by leaps and bounds. He still crawls into bed with us a few nights a week. In the wee hours of the morning I will feel his little person squash my legs as he crawls over me. He grabs my face, kisses me, tells me he loves me, and falls right back to sleep! I know these days will end far too soon. He is also one of my more social kids. He enjoys school but loves being home too. He and Silas are best buds and worst enemies all rolled into one. Those two can get themselves into quite a lot of trouble if they aren't watched!
Jonathan has recently gone back to school. He is pursuing an Associates Degree in Applied Science with a CAD certification. He is really good at this stuff! I think he's found his niche! Now to survive the coursework so he can settle into a career that will, we believe, be very fulfilling for him. He will be doing all sorts of things within the computer aided design world. Most often people in this field will work with architects. There are other divisions that use this too (lots of state and city work). We are excited to see what the future holds with this program.
I am still teaching. I now work at Salem Academy. I left CCS after Finley was born in 2013. I took 2 years at home and homeschooled Liam and Jonah. We did one year in Spokane as Jonathan accepted a job, but ultimately we ended up back in Salem again. I then joined SA teaching 5th grade. I moved to 6th grade last year and am now teaching 6th grade Language Arts, Science, and Geography. This has been a really fun year of teaching so far!
I am also working with a company called VIPKID. It is a Chinese online program that teaches English to Chinese students. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! God brought it to me at just the right time. I started at the end of July and have taught 706 classes so far. These kids are adorable! The program is well-designed and easy to teach. It is all the fun of teaching and none of the prep work or grading/conferencing/meetings/paperwork... I find it a bit humorous because all through college I REALLY wasn't interested in ESL education. Now I find it really enjoyable. I am also teaching a TOEFL prep class for our international students here at SA (once a week). Feel free to message me if you are interested in hearing more about VIPKID. It is legit. It is fun. It pays well and I am so glad the Lord dropped it into our lives.
That is the short version of where we are and what we are up to. we are just taking things one year (or even 6 months sometimes) at a time and trying to listen for what the Lord has for us. With Jonathan in school and a new career field opening for him, we don't know what changes that might bring our way. Looking back over the last 16 years I can honestly say, I may not like the whole uncertainty of the future at times, but God hasn't let us drown yet! I do find myself going back to my favorite verse Psalm 27:14...Wait on the Lord. Be strong. Take heart. And wait on the Lord. I have learned that the process of waiting is anything but inactive. I have to continue to live while in the midst of the "wait." That isn't always an easy task, but God is faithful!
