Update

I got a phone call this morning from the assistant principal at school that some kid kicked Jack in class, Jack is OK, but they wanted me to be aware that they handled it at school so that when Jack comes home to tell me about it, I will know it was addressed.  I am so tired of this..............  On Monday, I did speak to the mom of the boy who put Jack's name on that slide show.  She said he not only got suspended from school for three days, but that he's being punished at home as well, since he pulled that site up at home, she saw it, told him never to access it again, and locked their home computer.  She said that she was as horrified as I was at the pictures, but that her son told her he didn't mean to make Jack feel threatened.  Threatening or not, it's just an ugly example of man's inhumanity to man.  His mom said he's been targeted by bullies, too, and that is why they moved into base housing - to get out of his old school where kids were picking on him.   She said that she told him she expects him to apologize to Jack when he gets back to school.  A few minutes later, she told me that her son has Oppositional Defiance Disorder, which she explained means that repercussions don't always keep him from repeating the same behavior.  Maybe he's the kid who kicked Jack at school today?!  If any good has come from all of this, that site is no longer accessible.  I wrote an email to the owner of Aninote.com, telling him that his "creative genius" was being used for kids to bully each other, and that it was sick for anyone to find humor in photos of helpless people and animals being tortured or harmed.  He never responded, but the site isn't working currently.  Sigh.............

Sometimes I think I should just pull Jack out of school and home school him.  Lots of my friends have a ton of kids and home school all of their children.  Surely I could handle just one?  But, social maturity and appropriateness are things I feel he will only learn if he is in a setting with other kids his age.  He has to learn to get along.  He has behaviors that others find annoying (amusing side note:  Katie and Molly are always telling him how he should act, and what he's doing wrong, but they both wrote emails to the principal of his school when they saw the slide show, expressing their indignation and demanding retribution for their brother).  And, if I pulled him out from school, Timmy would be demanding to follow behind him.  Timmy was home yesterday with an ear infection and I took him to the Dr.  The Dr said it actually looks like it is clearing itself up, but this morning, Timmy had a "headache, stomachache, his feet hurt, etc.....)  He isn't so fond of school, although he hasn't had any problems with any of the other kids.  He struggles with some of his subjects, but he is actually doing a whole lot better than I had expected when school started this year.  His team teachers seem to be implementing the accomodations he has on his IEP, and I think that's helping him.  Jack, on the other hand, actually enjoys learning, and gets decent grades.  It's a shame that his school experience is marred by a few bad apples.

My husband still isn't sure if he wants to stay in and try for Col, or retire after his next tour.  We both know we won't be ready by June, when he gives up command, so he's resolved to do at least 2 more years in the Marine Corps.  I have been researching some of the other areas he could be stationed.  I told my husband that I either want to stay here and keep everything the same for the kids (although all these recent events make me think it would be good for Jack to get a fresh start in High School in a different state), or I want to go somewhere we've never been. I am feeling drawn towards Colorado Springs.  I have been in touch with a realtor out there, and there appears to be a good selection of nice houses in our price range ($225-$250K, vs $500K in Northern VA).  Northcom and the Department of Homeland Security are both in Colorado Springs.  If we like it there, maybe he could retire and slide into a DHS job.  It would be a much easier decision to make if we didn't have so many moving parts!  Katie graduates this year, and has applied to Americorps.  If she isn't selected to serve, she says she wants to stay here.  But, she can't support herself, and all her friends will be going to college, so if we move, she kind of has to move with us.  She says she does NOT want to do that, and I can't say I blame her, but she would have the option to go to college at our next duty station where she could meet people her own age.  Molly wants to stay here and continue in the ROTC program, since she is progressing well, and doesn't want to lose her rank/status if she enters another school's program.  Or she wants to go to Pensacola (2 friends are moving there this summer).  Not an option for us.  Jack seems happy that we'll be getting away from the coast - and it would be nice for him to start fresh in a High School where his past problems won't follow him.  Timmy's been watching "Haunting" after school everyday, and he says he doesn't want us to buy a house because if might be haunted!  Plus, after almost 5 years, he finally has not one but two friends in the neighborhood.  It isn't easy for him to make friends, and he doesn't need a lot, but it certainly makes him a happier kid!  Megan is ambivalent about moving - she makes friends easily, and one of her best friends is moving this summer anyhow.  Colleen says she's OK with moving as long as we move somewhere else that has 7 year old girls to play with.  Shane hasn't expressed much of an opinion, except that he'd like to live near a zoo.  And gorillas.  Mick is in his second year of preK with the same teacher, who I love.  He is enjoying therapeutic horseback riding.  I have contacted the DS support group of Colorado Springs to get info about the local schools and to find out which have better services for kids with special needs.  Kiley is a baby.  She'll go where we go and never know the difference.  She's the easy one.........

So, we are either looking at nothing changing, or everything changing.  It could stay the same,  or Tim could come home tomorrow and say there is an opening somewhere that we never imagined living.  Or, he could end up deploying to Iraq or Afghanistan for 7 months or a year.  We'd stay here if that happened.  But, we can't stay here forever, and I am ready to do something different.  I have faith that we'll be able to figure out what is supposed to come next.  But it would be nice to know that NOW!!!!!!!