This week...

I'll be honest. Sometimes I struggle with how honest I should be when blogging. I don't want anyone to worry about us. I don't want to sound like I'm complaining. I don't want to make anyone angry. Sometimes I feel that I'm just reporting the events of our lives, with little commentary; sometimes that's because I am (or we are) struggling.  Sometimes I just tell you want you want to hear. Fake it 'til you make it, right?

Sometimes, I'll actually get a response from one of you. An email or a text message. And sometimes, I feel I've been too dramatic. I was too emotional at the time of writing. Someone actually felt a need to respond. But, I think that's good. I enjoy those notes. Other times, there is backlash. Someone finds out something that they didn't know before. That they thought they should have been told face to face. Or I manage to get myself into trouble in some other way. But, I suppose that is the reality of blogging. If you put yourself out there, there's bound to be a response sometime.

Tonight, I'm going to try being a little more honest. You can let me know how it goes.

This week has been tough. Eric and I went back to school--no classes, but a lot of meetings and a lot of new staff to work with. I am the only person returning to my department, so there is a lot of pressure on me to have all of the answers for the new staff. And I don't have them. If someone asks for something, I feel an obligation to provide it. Even if it means creating it.

Then, of course, there are all the minor irritations that come up: new policies, procedures, and equipment. More responsibilities and obligations. No more time or compensation for them. (That's the real world. I know.)

Because we were back in school, but Kennedy wasn't, I had to organize childcare for her. It isn't hard with all of the high school students we have living nearby, but it's another headache for me. It was also stressful because this freshman was responsible for getting Cade onto the school bus. So, I spent an hour wondering whether or not they made it in time every day. Then, this afternoon, wondering if she picked him up.

And, of course, Cade started preschool. He did really well the first few days, but the last two have been pretty dismal. This morning, he refused to get dressed. He wouldn't walk out of the house, and he ran from the school bus. Obviously, Eric and I are pretty stressed about continuing to send him to a place that he hates. To be honest, we're not sure what next week is going to look like. Which is really scary when I also have classes to teach.

The good news is that he always has a great attitude when he gets home from school. We talked to a couple of people at school about it. One of the Korean staff called and talked to someone for us. I wrote a note to his teacher about my concerns, and she called me this afternoon to discuss them. She says he's great at school and very happy. He's not very vocal about what happens at school when we ask, but he does periodically tell me about what's he done. He always sounds happy then. Just not when I ask.

We did get some good news this week, thankfully. The water and mold have been cleaned out of our house in Stanwood. And it was done for less than the amount of the bid (as it should have been since we asked him not to do a couple of things). It's finally ready for the construction phase to begin, which is a step in the right direction. Our awesome property manager is still fighting with our insurance company to get some money for us, too, which we are so grateful for.

Kennedy found out who her first grade teacher is, and she is very excited to start school on Monday. In fact, I think we're all ready to get back to a more consistent routine and to see how this year plays out. We would appreciate your prayers for Cade and how to deal with yet another transition for us. I think we're finally on the upswing with these colds, but it would be great if they would be gone by Monday!

**These pictures were taken at my Dad's house the second week of July. The kids rode a horse for the first time with their cousins. Gretchen took the kids to the cabin for a few days after that, so that Eric and I could get some things figured out with the house. We had to go clean out our storage space and deal with some logistics once the insurance company had officially denied our claim. We were grateful for the time, but we missed our kids after a day or two!**