Andrew

Andrew is having a hard time.

Change is hard, and everyone reacts to it differently.

Kadee Joy has her ups and her downs, especially as related to friends. She is still in need of some playmates, and is really feeling the differences between her and her brothers. But she does fine once she's at church, and loves being with her cousins. I think that once school gets started she'll really start to thrive.

Jeffrey is doing remarkably well. He actually seems to be doing better here than he was in Idaho, and I really have no idea why. But then again, he is the happiest in his own little world and has no need for friends (or at least shows no need). He has Andrew, and he seems content with that.

Lukie is doing well. We've moved him into the boys' room, which is especially helpful at night, but poses a bit of a problem during the day when Andrew gets so lonely that he goes in and wakes Luke up.

And then there's Andrew.

He has about 3 major meltdowns a day. He had a HUGE one yesterday at church. It started as soon as we got there when he was supposed to go in his new, age appropriate class. He wanted to go the class that he's been going to...the toddler class. I was grateful that the children's director saw that he needed to be with his peers. The toddler class is basically just for playing and watching Veggie Tales, which I know Andrew would be happier doing. But I want so badly for him to learn how to interact with his peers, and to learn what they are learning. So when we took him to his new class, he refused to go in. He crossed his arms and stood facing the wall next to the door. It took a good ten minutes to get him to go in without dragging him. My fear is that he is starting to realize just how different he is from his peers, and just doesn't know how to interact with them and gets scared.

My poor boy. I want so much for him, and am constantly trying to find the line between making necessary adjustments and necessarily introducing him to activites he isn't comfortable with.

I sent in the application for him to attend the private school God called us down here because I felt led to do it, but I still have NO idea how we are going to pay for it. As of right now, Chris has no job. The private school teaching job fell through, and he is once again praying and trying to discern what he should do next. I see no EARTHLY way of getting Andrew into the school that I know he so desperately needs. Lord provide, please! A way, the funds, a person...I know He has a plan, but I'm feeling a little short of faith today.

With that being said, we had a wonderfully spontaneous trip down to Corpus Christi and Padre Island, right on the Gulf of Mexico. We played on the beach, and got in the water, and Jeffrey especially LOVED playing in the waves. At one point I was able to go out quite a ways by myself. The sun was warm, as was the water (which is always a pleasant surprise to this Oregon-coast bred girl), and I felt very thankful in the knowledge that I was EXACTLY where God had called me to come, and that He had mercifully brought our family here.

I will call upon that memory to remind me now that God called us here for a specific purpose, and that this purpose is backed up with His plan, and He WILL provide for our needs, especially this one that is so dear to my heart.

Lord, thank you for bringing us here. I trust You. Amen.

Ignorance

No, this isn't a post about how someone insulted my family based on being uneducated about autism, northerners, etc. :)

Tomorrow I sign my contract for the Alamo Heights school district. I'm pretty excited about it. The first question I get asked upon meeting new people is "Where are y'all from?" My answer of course is Idaho, which immediately brings about shocked looks, considering the distance. "What brought y'all down here, then?" I tell them about our boys, about the school, which they seem to understand immediately. Then the next question is, "So, do y'all have jobs yet?" When I answer that I got a music teaching job in the Alamo Heights district, the reactions are pretty interesting. Apparently it is one of the preeminent school districts, not only in San Antonio, but also in the state of Texas. People are shocked that I, an Idahoan, got it when so many teachers in the area have been trying to teach in the district for years. "You must be pretty good!" Doubtful, I say...God is just pretty big. :)

I don't really know too much about my job yet. I do know that I am replacing a music teacher who has been there for FORTY YEARS. Talk about filling big shoes. This school of about 800 kids has two full time music teachers. The other one is also brand new to the position this year, so in a way that helps because I know we're both starting on equal footing. This district is unique. My school will have two full time music teachers, two full time art teachers, two full time PE teachers (the state of Texas requires an hour of PE EVERY DAY), and two full time PE assistants. Specialists are considered essential parts of academics...not enhancements, additions, etc. It is thrilling to be part of district that feels that way. Rumor has it that the school has an indoor swimming pool for PE and I KNOW that it has an auditorium for performances.

But again, I don't really know that much about my job. And I won't know for a while. My principal is on vacation until the end of July, my school is under major construction until who knows when, so in the meantime I have no way to prepare for the upcoming job...which will be the first time in many years that I don't have to think about my job during the summer.

The days so far have been spent unpacking, cleaning, cleaning more (four kids can make an awfully big mess during a very short time), and eating an inordinant amount of wonderful food. And most of the time I'm enjoying it. Every once in a while, like last night, the pangs of knowing few people will hit, and I will greatly miss our life in Idaho. Facebook is a great way to stay connected, but also a reminder of the friends that I miss so much.

Church has been very helpful. We are attending a Nazarene church in our town, and really like it. They are trying to meet the challenges that our boys represent in Sunday School...I'm hoping that a more comprehensive meeting will be able to happen once we've been there awhile so that the boys don't end up relegated to the preschool room the whole time. But the church has been extremely welcoming.

If you think of it, and would like to pray specifically for our family, here are some current requests:

1) Financial provision for our boys to be able to attend the school God called us down here for.

2) FRIENDS. Kadee Joy especially is feeling the lack of friends around here. She's becoming pretty persistent with a neighbor girl she met next door, to the point where I think they might be pretending not to be home. :) She's just like her daddy in the need for social interaction. Chris and I would also like some good friends to hang out with, but Kadee Joy is first on the list right now.

3) The sale of our house and car. It is INCREDIBLE to me that we have an offer on our house, and so far it is going smoothly. I thank God for this possibility of sold house, and continue to pray that it will be a blessing to the people buying it. We also have a car still up in Nampa trying to be sold by our friend Jeff. It hasn't been a problem to have one vehicle so far, but once the school year starts up, we'll definitely need two.

4) A job/direction for Chris. He has been praying so much for God's leading in knowing what to do. He applied and interviewed a month ago at a private Christian school here in town, but still has yet to hear back about whether or not he got the job. It's wonderful to see his trusting in God, and praying so often for discernment and direction.

We have so many things to be thankful for.

WE ARE HERE. We started the process in January, and I had NO idea how we would get here. It seemed impossible. I didn't know how we would get jobs, afford to get down here, how we would get our house ready to sell, etc. God has orchestrated everything. Praise be to Him, and Him alone. There is NOTHING God will call us to that He will not aid us in.