Holy moly…I knew I was behind in blogging but not 4 months behind. Sheesh! Guess I need to get on the ball more. :/ In all fairness though, Joe hogs the computer all the time for school so it's rare that I even get the opportunity to see the computer, let alone use it. So how about a quick update on the family…sadly, no pictures since our computer won't let me download anymore…annoying but it is what it is.
Since October, our children have been growing like weeds! Peyton is almost 5 months old. She's rolling everywhere, smiling, giggling, jabbering. She still loves her swing, found a new love in her jumperoo, wears 3-6 month and 6-9 month clothes, and still adores her pink blanky. Claire is still our girly-girl! She loves anything princess or pink. She's obsessed with the movie Frozen and insists we listen to the sound track every morning (she even knows most the words and will sing a long. It's so cute!). And my little girl is now closer to being 3 than 2 (Where did the time go?!). And she is completely potty trained which is so nice.
I have been busy with the kids, keeping our little apartment clean, encouraging Joe through school, and helping my mom shower twice a week. I also joined a challenge group online for weight loss and have found a new passion for cooking new, healthy recipes. And I am addicted to working out (most days!). Seriously though, with all the snow we have been getting this year and being trapped in our little apartment with two kids all day, every day, I need a way to relieve my stress. Working out is really the only way to do that. My mom is still trying to recover from her first surgery back in July. It's been a rough time, full of multiple surgeries and complications. Hopefully with her new doctor things will start to progress and move forward like they should.
And Joe is in his LAST SEMESTER of school right now! It's been five years in the making and we are both so ready to move on to the next phase of life. For a few months now we have both been feeling a bit claustrophobic, not just in our apartment but in this town. I have never been one to complain about living in good old Rexburg because from the first day I moved here, it has been a new start, a new home for me and I will always adore this place for giving me my first big push into adulthood. But we are ready to move on to bigger and better things!
Speaking of moving on…we might be moving to Mesa, Arizona in April! Ahhhh! It's a big step but we are so excited! Joe had his student teaching interviews yesterday and it's looking good for us, though we won't get the official word until Monday. Fingers crossed! :)
It's been a while in the making, since a week before Christmas to be exact. Joe has always been concerned that with graduating in April we would have to do student teaching in September which would bump us back a whole year more until we got his official teaching job because teachers typically get hired in the beginning of the school year. But….Joe talked to the head of the student teaching committee on campus and he let Joe in on a little secret. Apparently, there are programs that let you student teach during the spring semester so that you can get hired on in September. One was in Driggs, Idaho and the second in Mesa, Arizona (he interviewed for both). From the moment Joe told me about Mesa, I was sold and knew that was where we were meant to be. So far a lot of things have fallen into place (like funds, a masters program, teaching opportunities, Joe has family that lives there) but we have also hit a few snags along the way. If we are officially accepted for the program on Monday then the only thing Joe has to do is pass his classes and his Praxis exam (it's a test that certifies him to teach. Without a passing grade, he CANNOT student teach.) that he has yet to pass. His next test date is on April 7th and graduation is April 12th. We have to leave on April 13th. See the problem? If he doesn't pass the exam we can't go and if he does we have ONE WEEK to pack and get ready to go.
So needless to say, we have a lot of decision making to do. Do we stay? Do we go? Do we take a leap of faith and move forward with the move to Arizona without knowing if he will pass or not? We don't know but we sure hope that Heavenly Father will clue us in on the plan sooner rather than later. :) We're headed to the temple this weekend so pray for us! Haha but really we know everything will work out the way it's supposed to. We just need a little guidance to know what's right for our little family.
