Back Online!

Well, we made it!  Tim, Jack and Timmy came down here in time to close on the house and get the pool fence installed before I got here with the rest of the kids.  We managed to get out of our house in Camp Lejeune in a fairly timely manner (for me), without too many headaches or hassles with the packers, movers and housing.  I was very blessed to have a friend from church bring not one, but two loads of miscellaneous stuff in his trailer up to our house here before we got out of Lejeune.  The trampoline was one of the items, and it would surely have brought us over our weight allowance with TMO had we sent it with our main shipment.  The rest was either stuff they forgot to pack or wouldn't pack (cleaning supplies, paint, etc).  Thank God for Joe - one of those rare people who offers to help and means it!  He drove up and back two days in a row with all this junk. 

I have begun the school registration process.  Mike will be evaluated by a team of special ed providers to see which school he will attend.  I have a feeling he won't be going to the same school with Colleen, Shane and Megan, and I am not too happy about that, but I do want him to be in the environment that can best support his needs.  We joined Saint William of York parish and have been attending mass there.  Katie and Molly attended that school from 1996-1998.  The school is great, but the tuition for 3 of them would be almost $8000 for the year, and they don't have services for Mick or Timmy there.  The church is nice, but Megan is disappointed that they don't allow girls to serve on the altar.  This wouldn't be a big deal to me, except that it is something she really enjoyed and was so proud when she was promoted to "cross bearer" at our last parish.  The pews are small, and we barely fit (which isn't too different than in most parishes!)  The parish is solid, and strongly pro-life, pro-family.

Tim and I went to visit the director of admissions at John Paul the Great High school.  We are very impressed with all that we've read about the school and its curriculum and we would love for Jack to be able to go there.  We have applied to the school as well as for tuition assistance, since the yearly tuition is $8700, plus an additional $2000 for bus transportation. One of the Arlington bishops is quoted as saying "No student will be denied admission to John Paul the Great due to lack of ability to pay".  I hope that is true!  We do not have a clear idea yet of what our monthly expenses will be, but we already know that $10,000. per year is beyond our reach.  It is a leap of faith to say that if he is admitted, we will find a way to pay for his education.  I am clinging to this hope, because I truly in my heart feel that this is the place he should go. 

The pool has been nice to have, once Tim figured out the proper mix of chemicals, and was able to change the water from a lovely shade of green (algae) to clear!  The fence keeps Mick out, but he can clear the five foot height with his incredible pitching arm, so we are frequently finding items at the bottom of the pool.  Most notably, his talking Spongebob, who apparently fares better under the sea than in the pool.  He no longer has a voice..........

Our next door neighbors are from 2 towns away from Tim's parents.  They have lived in their house for 19 years, but talking to her is just like talking to my sister-in-law.  They have a 14 year old girl and 10 year old boy/girl twins, who come over nearly every day to swim.  Nice people.  I also spoke with Mrs Santa Claus on the phone, who welcomed us to the neighborhood and offered some information about local resources for Mike.  She also does drop-in daycare, which is good to know.

Shane's favorite discovery since moving in was the Harry Potter room under the stairs. He slept in there the first two nights, claiming it as his own.  Alas, as the boxes were unpacked, the closet filled up, and it is no longer a suitable place for sleeping.  It does remain a favorite hiding place for games of  hide and seek, though.

I like our house and our neighborhood.  I realized the other night that the main floor of this house is very similar to the house I grew up in.  I wonder if that is what attracted it to me in the first place!  I have projects in mind that I'd like to do.  There is wallpaper I plan to remove and I definitely want to paint.  I do have to figure out what to do about the wallpaper that is painted over in our bedroom.  But, I am sure that our bedroom will be last on the list of projects.  Molly has already painted her room in her own unique style.  It's the one thing that has made her smile since we moved in.  This has definitely not been an easy move for her.  Or Katie, who spends most days sleeping.  They have both put applications in at several local stores/restaurants and I hope they both get jobs soon!  I think meeting other kids their ages will help a lot.  I did learn that St William of York's CYO program is on hold because they are looking for a youth minister to run it next year.  The program has a good reputation, and I am not about to jump in and offer to run it, as I don't think I have the time or the ability to do it justice.  But, I am praying fervently that a person better qualified than I am will step forward, since I would really like Molly and Jack to be able to participate.  I do realize how selfish this sounds on my part, and I should be more willing to help.  Maybe after we get settled a bit.....

Off to make lunch!