We moved out of the city last September. I thought I would miss being so close to everything but I really haven't. We're close enough to Target, grocery stores, and restaurants that we can get there in less than 10 min but still far enough away to feel like we're in the country so it's a nice spot to be in. We're still renting but we're in a house! We love it. We've had fun, and have been busy, making it our own. I painted the bedrooms and living room before we moved in. I added a chalkboard wall in the dining room. David recently hung the tv on the wall and stashed the dvd player and apple tv in the closet; something he's wanted to do for years. It looks nice up on the wall and I like having one less piece of furniture to dust.
We have a fenced in back yard and a deck with a screened in porch. I'm so anxious for Spring so we can open the doors to the porch on warm days and air the house out. This winter has been a long one for me. Claire got us a fire pit for Christmas and we're looking foward to using it!
We have awesome neighbors. They've been a huge blessing to us. From letting Josh hang out while I painted the house (Josh was SO bored while I painted!), to GIVING us a deep freezer and dining table & chairs, to letting us borrow shovels and rakes and anything we need. They're awesome and Josh has really enjoyed playing with their kiddos. They have 4 kids and their youngest is only a week or so younger than Josh. Pretty cool.
We got a puppy in October! Josh named him Tank and apparently he is appropriately named. He will be 6 months old on March 6th and weighs 52 pounds. He gained 2 pounds just this week!!! He is a walker hound/lab mix and I doubt he'll be 100 pounds but he will be tall. He's all legs and reminds me of Marmaduke. Josh and Tanker are good buddies. They snuggle a lot and wrestle a lot. Tank will even wrap his paw around Josh's leg and trip him so they can wrestle. I need to get it on video. Josh has handled the responsibility of having a pet really well. He loves to take care of Tank. He feeds him, plays with him, and enjoys giving him baths. I've really enjoyed watching them bond over the last few months.
David has been busy at work and has been rewarded by his efforts with a few raises. He likes what he's doing and is working for some good people. He's also doing awesome in school and will finish in August!!! Major partying will occur! He's got a crazy high GPA and made the Dean's List last semester. Bless him, he doesn't get a break from work, family, or school (no summer breaks) and he's balanced it all amazingly well. I couldn't be prouder of him. He takes such good care of our little family and I'd be lost without him.
Joshua is turning 5 (😳) in May!!! This means Kindergarten is in his not too distant future. And since the elementary school here in town has a year-round schedule, it starts sooner rather than later! I'm talkin' July, people! He is stoked to start "real" school. I had a freak out moment and thought that he would be behind since he was a little shaky on identifying letters, numbers, etc. so we started homeschool preschool with a letter of the week curriculum. It's an awesome program. I highly reccommend it and think it's worth the money (super cheap, btw). We're finishing up week 5 today and Josh is rocking this school stuff! He has already learned how to spell "Dad" and "Top" from memory and at this rate will be reading before school starts. Now I'm worried he'll be bored at school! I need to just chill out. 😉 We're close enough to walk to school and that will be fun. Josh's friend across the street will also start school this year and they're excited about starting together.
We have a busy March ahead of us. Next week will be a crazy one. David will attend his first UNC game AT UNC (a check off his bucket list) thanks to a customer at his office. 😝👎 Josh and I are heading to Matt & Megan's to hang out with Jackson for a day. Josh has to have some dental work done Wednesday. Josh's first soccer season also starts next week. He has practice Thursday evening and his first game is Saturday morning. Then we're off to VA for the rest of the weekend to celebrate Brenden & Alex's wedding! Phew, I'm exhausted just thinking about it. We'll survive and take it easy the next week.
Speaking of Josh's dental work: Josh has been complaining of one of his molars hurting when he brushes his teeth and occasionally when he eats. I could see that it had a cavity so I took him in. The dentist says his teeth aren't textbook "soft", but the enamel didn't calcify completely on some of his teeth, causing soft spots and making his teeth more prone to cavities. Ugh. I hate that for him. Anyway, the tooth with the cavity isn't septic, thank God, but is very close to the nerve and therefore must be cleaned out really well and have a crown put on. Ugh, again. He'll basically have a root canal, which the dentist says isn't quite as painful for kids as for adults. I'm not sure the reason, but I'm choosing to believe her. I'm concerned about a few things for next week, so if you've got the gumption to pray specific prayers for us, I'd appreciate keeping the following in mind: first of all, please pray for a calmness of spirit for Josh. I'm nervous for him. It's a lot to handle at 4 years old and even though I've explained it to him, I doubt he understands how major it is. The dentist doesn't do in-house sedations but will give him laughing gas to help calm him a bit. They say they explain everything before and during and they certainly did during his check-up this week. Josh seemed very comfortable and I felt all was fine, too. I won't be able to be in the room with him so I'm already anxious about that. He has asked if I'll be there with him. I explained that I'd have to watch through the window so the Doctor can have Josh's full attention when working (I understand the reasoning but it still freaks me out!) and told him that if he needed me, I'd be able to come in. Seeing as how he acts much older than 4, I think he'll handle it like a pro. I tend to not give him enough credit when big stuff happens. Also pray for pain management during and after. I have no idea what to expect and have promised an afternoon full of movies and snuggles on the couch. I think we'll both need it! Another stressor for me is the cost. We don't have dental insurance, so we have a bill of at least $500 looming over us for next week. 😖 I really do hate that the world runs on money.
So, pray for calmness of spirit, no pain, and that our money tree blooms before Wednesday. 😉
Joshua and I are heading up to see the Greats today and Saturday. They're all doing really well after several long months of health issues and it will be good to help them get a few things done around the house and visit.
I'd love to write more often but I really don't think we're fascinating enough. Ha!
