We are on Vacation! Woo-hoo!

Make sure to listen to the wonderful music we have selected for you to have while we are relaxing in Beautiful Mexico!! Please make sure to do the appropriate dances that go along with the songs.

This isn't our pool that we will be staying at, but you get the idea.

See you in a week.

Football and a New Truck

This past Saturday was the end of Joel's flag football season. He has been playing all spring and has been enjoying the exercise and fellowship. Due to several cold, windy and wet days, the rest of did not always attend (the games also typically conflicted with someone's nap) Last Saturday however, the weather was nice (Joel, Rebekah and I actually got sunburned) and it was the final playoff games, so we all made the trek to the field.

Here's a picture of all the boys.

And here are pictures of Rebekah and Naomi enjoying the afternoon.






It was the first time Rebekah had crawled around in grass and in the picture she is desperately trying to keep her feet out of the horrible stuff!

Wednesday was a super exciting day for us. We did register the boys for the options school program and on Wednesday I was able to go pick out curriculum to use for next school year. In total I chose $1500 dollars worth of curriculum that I get to borrow for the year. We had to buy a few workbooks, so our cost was $46. We feel so blessed to have found this amazing program.

Then in the evening we went to buy a truck. Joel has been working with Integrity Auto Specialists all week. So far it's just a lot of observation. He'll go to Virgina for 4 weeks starting June 9th where he will get his official training. We had to purchase a truck for his job and found a pretty good deal on a Ford F-150. I never thought I'd be married to someone who owned a truck. Joel has never really been a truck kind of guy and when we first started dating he was driving a Geo Metro. Granted it was a 4 door instead of a 2 door, but many people found it amusing to watch a 6' 5" guy climb out of a tiny Geo Metro!

I never really mentioned what happened with my job interviews. I felt that all went well and actually ended up completing 3 rounds of interviews, but in the end the position was given to someone else. It's a little hard for my self-esteem to take, but I'm trusting that God knows best and He will continue to provide for us. It seems every time I think I know best, He has different plans.

Finally here is one last cruise picture. It one we had taken on the boat on formal night. It's been nice to be home, but there have been moments I've thought that just a week ago I was lying on a beach in the Bahamas reading a book and then taking a nap. I could go back to that pretty easily! Of course next Saturday we leave for a family vacation to Cabo San Lucas Mexico, so I can't complain too much!

Back home again and it's a . . .

Life is always changing! It seems that more often than not the changes are for the good, but I do not always do the best with change. I like to know my place in life is secure and change disrupts that quite a bit. I feel kind of like Woody in Toy Story when he sings Strange Things

"Let me tell you about the strange things are happening to me
Strange things
Strange things are happening to me...
Ain't no doubt about it"

Friday May 2nd was a big day for decisions/changes in our life. In the morning Joel and I went to a meeting for a home school group that is part of the Aurora Public School system. Josiah and Joshua will be enrolled one day a week (probably Mondays from 8:30 to 3:30) and we get to order all of our curriculum (non faith based) through the school district for free using our tax dollars. They will get the experience of the classroom setting taking fun classes like art, music and PE or educational classes like science, math and Spanish or a combination of the two and we get to choose their classes, yet we are still considered a home school family and get to guide their education the other 4 days a week. All of this is very exciting, but it will be a CHANGE!

After that Joel and I met with his new boss! We were still deciding on Friday, but as of Monday the 5th we've decided we are officially leaving Brinks as Joel's employer and are now going to be working with Integrity Auto Specialists. This has been an option since February and I have been unsure about this change for the past 2 1/2 months, but it seems as though all the other doors we were waiting on have closed and despite a few hiccups in the small details, God seems to be leading us to Integrity. Just this morning the 16th Joel made it official and for the weekend he's unemployed. CHANGE!Other than that life is smooth sailing :) Joel and I got home from our cruise last night. We had a wonderful and relaxing time. The kids seemed to do well with us being gone. We went to two islands and went snorkeling, enjoyed laying on the beach and all the amenities of a cruise. We ate in the dining room watched the shows and had someone else make our bed and do the dishes. It was wonderful! We both still feel like we have our "sea legs" but hopefully that will pass within the next few days!

One final and exciting note . . . my ultrasound was today. The baby looked very good. Measuring exactly 22 weeks 6 days (which is exactly how far along I am) and it was very apparent that it's a BOY! No mistaking it. 4 boys and 2 girls, sounds like fun!