Just Life

I haven't done a lot of updates because life has been pretty routine. But now we're on the countdown to the wedding and things are coming together. Ceremony details are coming together, things are being bought, people are making travel plans and we all know  what we're wearing.

I'll try to give a general update about everyone here, but don't have many new pictures of the older kids.

Tyler (who I sometimes call Ty David)

This is Ty back at Job Corps after summer break. They were in for quite a surprise when he returned as a blond! He will be arriving here two days before the wedding. My mom and sister are picking him up on the way down. They will only be staying a few days.

Job Corps has been good for Ty David not just in learning the computer stuff, but in other ways. In school he fit in with his own group of kids who had similar interests, but struggled socially. Social skills are difficult for him as is coping with stress. He cannot read people's expressions or body language, so he can't play all the little games we all play. He doesn't know if someone is accepting him well or is totally fed up. So he's often been the one left out of things or who doesn't quite fit in.

But at Job Corps he is a leader both in the dorm and in the rec program. He was the gym manager but is now the rec president. He is not totally thrilled about that because it takes up so much of his free time, but I think it's good because it keeps him interacting with people during his free time. He would gladly spend his free time playing on his 3DS or playing magic or yugio card games.

They plan special outings for the kids, but sometimes things don't work out, and they are canceled and that is very disappointing for him. Or they will plan to go to a movie he really wants to see, but when they get there they change what movie they are going to see to something not as appropriate and the type Ty doesn't like. He gets his hopes up and forms an idea of how things will happen. So went they don't, there is a lot of let down.  I don't know if this is an asperger's trait or not.

He should be finishing up at Job Corps soon, but I wish he could stay there and do something more because it's been good for him.

Jessica

This is one of Jessica's recent dive days. This is one of many springs in FL. They have a constant temperature of (I think) 68F. She is certifying cave diving this semester and has one other class. Next semester she has one class plus she needs to do an internship or a research paper. Then she's done. She's looking at doing police academy too. She'd love to work for FBI or NCIS but you have to be 28 and have experience. So she needs to get into a job to get that experience.

This was the last fitting for her dress, so that's one more thing out of the way. It has to be a bit shorter because of walking across the sand instead of down an aisle.

Jeff

I don't have any new pictures of Jeff so took this one from his facebook page! He spent a lot of the summer at Fort Knox in KY and wasn't that thrilled with it. He wasn't that far from Ty, but unfortunately they didn't meet up. I don't think he's going to be able to come to the wedding because he has training in CA about that time. Wish he could be here while all the others will be here.

Adam

I see Adam at soccer on Thursdays. I've missed a couple of games due to other activities the kids are involved in.

(There should be a video above, Adam in orange cleats, but sometimes it shows and sometimes it doesn't) Adam goes to Marine reserves one weekend a month, is a freshman at a local college and is still working full time. I'm not sure if this is the case everywhere, but colleges here do not have classes on Fridays. That would have been nice if that had been the case when I was attending college!

Adam will of course be at the wedding and is bringing Deja as his date.

Jasmine

We are in the midst of doing this year's science fair. It's followed closely by history fair. 

Building a race track and adding different grades of sand paper.

Timing how long it takes the car to go down the different grades of sand paper.

Jasmine has country Christian youth choir on Monday nights. They sing, then have dinner and a Bible study. She really enjoys it. Our youth choir hasn't started back up at church. She has hip hop class on Wednesdays and marching band after school on Thursdays.

Yesterday I filled out Jasmine's high school application for the charter school. They have a lottery drawing for slots in January. I also filled out the application for Kaleb to go to the school where Jasmine and Kayla are now. As long as they stay in the same school, you don't have to reapply each year from K5-8th. But you do have to reapply for high school. It's also at the north campus, and Jasmine and Kayla are at the original campus.

Kaleb

Kaleb is in gymnastics and may be going out for basketball soon. We have to be careful of his right eye. He needs to not get hit in the head near it, but that could happen as easily in PE or at recess as at basketball. He will not be able to go out for football.

The schools have gone to core curriculum, and that has been a struggle. It's pretty hard stuff, especially the math. It's more abstract than I think it needs to be for this age. 

We'd planned for him to go to TMI on a five week preteen team next summer but found out he's too young for the two teams that ride small mini bikes. That leaves Trinidad, Ireland and Australia and those range from $3,000-5,000, and I doubt we could raise that much money. So we are thinking of sending the twins to a regular Christian camp for a week next summer, Camp of the Pines in Pensacola. It will be different for them because it's a traditional camp with games, swimming, canoeing etc, not a mission work project camp like TMI. The structure at TMI worked well for them. The schedule and rules were absolute and behaviors were dealt with immediately. I'm not sure who they'll do with them more relaxed rules and routine of a traditional camp. Those of you with adopted children know exactly what I'm talking about.

Kayla

Kayla is also in gymnastics and possibly going out for basketball. Her homework load at the charter school is much heavier than Kaleb's is at the public school. But she is handling it okay. I'm not a big believer in homework, but it's part of life. 

She is struggling with issues on how to treat others right now and it is frustrating. She can be very kind and helpful when she chooses to be. I'm not sure why we're dealing with all the junk behaviors again. The bullying, manipulating and coercing. It's not getting her anywhere, and she gets positive feedback for the right behaviors. Hopeful this will turn around again soon. She has so much potential, and I'm not seeing any of the more serious issues some adopted kids work with. Overall, they've done well. It's just the junky, annoying stuff. Even birth children can go through that. I'm not seeing any attachment issues.



Rick's last day of work was September 30, and the contract job that  he's had 13 years ended, so he is job hunting. So are the others who worked there. Most are in the 50s, 60s, and even 70s so not a good time to be looking for a new job. Some of them went ahead and retired.

There is no school Friday or Monday, but we don't have anything planned because we need to watch our money carefully right now. We'll probably try to go to one of the beaches on Saturday. Jessica and I have dead body seminar on Monday so Rick might take the kids to one of the parks for a while.

 We've been doing some cleaning around the house. Without moving every few years like we used to, clutter piles up. We've taken everything out of the small utility room and swept it out and reorganized. Last weekend we took things out of the kitchen cupboards, got rid of some things and wiped all the shelves. We have a couple more cupboards to do, and the kitchen will be done. We've worked on decluttering the kid's bathroom, and it is getting repainted (pretty much the same color). 

Once Jessica is married, Jasmine will move into her room. All three girls used to be in the same room, but when Adam left for boot camp, we moved Kaleb in with Tyler and the two younger girls into Adam and Kaleb's former room. In a couple of weeks all three of the youngest will have his/her own room until Ty comes home.

So that's what we're doing. What's ahead for you?