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| Cleo on June 8th, 2010 |
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| My boys on June 8th, 2010 |
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| Me and my hubby on top of the world! (Okay, maybe not the world, but a mountain!) |
~Rachelle
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Preschool Pilgrimage!
Well, Cleo is officially a preschooler now! I got a phone call last week saying that Cleo was accepted into a preschool class through the local school district out here! I was shocked, because I was told she would be put on a waiting list. And when you're on a preschool waiting list, you should consider yourself screwed! But she got the last spot in this particular class. We went in today and met 2 of her teachers (there will be 3 lady teachers working with 16 children). They were SUPER nice and the classroom is HUGE and Cleo was in heaven!! She didn't want to leave! No one else was there when we arrived, so we didn't get to meet any other kids/parents, but there's an Open House on Thursday. Hopefully we'll get a chance to meet some of her future friends! She asked today, "When are my friends coming??" I told her that school doesn't start until next week, so her friends will come then! :) She can be so cute sometimes! We are all really excited for Cleo to go to school. She gets to go from 11:45 to 2:30, Monday thru Thursdays. It will be so good for her!
I submitted all the paperwork for the boys to start Connections Academy! And, it's being finalized! The boys have been accepted and now we just have to wait to get all their books and supplies in the mail!! I am so excited for them to start school. Technically, today is the first day of school for Colorado Connections Academy students, but they won't be too far behind. It will definitely keep all of us busy! Between bringing Cleo to Preschool 4 days a week and helping the boys with school work.......yeah, I think we'll be plenty busy! It's good, though, because I am actually starting to get bored! I'm sure there are tons of things I should be doing, but meh. Not today. That's what I say. (God, I'm a procrastinator!!!) At least we have schooling figured out for the kiddos!
Now I just have to wait to hear from the University of Colorado to see if I can start school soon. I might not be able to get in this semester, but I definitely want to get in NEXT semester! I miss school! (I know, I'm such a geek!) And Jeff is still 'in the field,' but he might be able to come home tomorrow night for a couple days?!? I'm not sure, yet. Of course, we're talking about the Army, so you never know until the last minute!! I will keep my fingers crossed!
The only other thing that's really on my mind right now is the uncertainty of going to Minnesota soon. My little sister is finally getting married and I would love to be able to go. I'm hoping I'll be able to buy a plane ticket home for a weekend, but I don't know if we'll be able to afford it?? I've gotta sit down with the hubs and look at our bills and see if we can swing it. I would love for ALL of us to be able to go back for the wedding, but there's NO WAY we could afford that right now. But perhaps I can go alone. We shall see. Otherwise, things are going all right. School is falling into place, we are getting comfortable in our new little home, and we are all excited to be keeping busy soon! Other than that, I don't have much to talk/type about, so I'll quit now! I'll post more soon! Hugs and Kisses to all my friends and family! XOXO
~Rachelle
~Rachelle
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
School, Army, Life......Colorado
So, yesterday Jeff left 'for the field' until August 28th. It sucks, but at least I know that he's only 15 miles away.......even if I can't see him. :) Gotta stay positive, right?! And, as much as I have to do while he's gone, I also don't have much to do. Does that make sense?! I have a doctor appointment tomorrow, so I can get my prescriptions re-written. It will be the first time I go onto post without Jeff. So, I have to navigate my way around that mini-city and find the hospital.........and make it to my appointment on time!! Eeeek! (For those of you who know me well, you know I'm not the 'timeliest' person out there!)
I'm also in the process of getting Owen and Julian signed up for Connections Academy. (It's a bunch of paperwork). I know I went back and forth trying to decide what to do about school for the boys. I don't like the one they are supposed to go to, so that's not even an option for them. I DID fill out some paperwork at a school nearby, Howbert Elementary. It has great ratings, but it's an itty bitty school!! (Not that that's a big deal). And then there was always the option of Connections Academy Online. I have been researching and Jeff and I decided that we would try the online route. I hate to say it, but one of the biggest 'pros' of C.A. is the fact that we don't have to wake up at the buttcrack of dawn and drive to and from school everyday! I am also NOT a morning person.......I never have been. And the idea of waking up everyday before 7am, getting the kids breakfast, getting the kids dressed, lugging them down 40 steps (no matter the weather), so I can drive 3 miles and drop them off at school........is NOT my idea of a fun time! I probably sound selfish now, but I talked to Owen and Julian about our options. I asked them if they would rather GO to a school or do school online at home and they said they would be fine with either one. I know Jeff wasn't totally convinced until I showed him Connections Academy's website. The curriculum is awesome! They can work at their own pace and spend lots of time on the subjects that challenge them and whiz through the subjects that are easy for them. They can also take electives!! What?!? Yes, my Kindergardener can take Spanish!! And Owen can take French, Spanish, or Sign Language!! I think it's awesome!! They also coordinate field trips and they send all the supplies you need to your front door!! If you need a computer and printer, they will send those, too! AND.....they will pay ME money to go towards my internet bill!! But, another big 'pro' is the flexibility that it will offer. If we want to take a vacation, we can. When Owen needs a surgery, it will be so much easier than pulling him out of school (and Julian, too) every time. And, I will know everything that my kids are learning. I will know what they are good at and what they need help with. Honestly, there were days Owen came home from school last year and I'd ask him what he did that day and he would say, "I don't know?".......Really?! That's your answer?
And, yes, I'm sure you're thinking about the 'cons'........The biggest 'con' is the fact that they won't be getting out of the house and physically going somewhere and interacting with other kids. To me, socializing my children is very important. I don't want them to have complexes when they get older, because they are so anti-social!! My plan of attack for that one is to sign the boys up in some extra-curricular activities. Right now, I'm thinking I'll get them in a karate class. And, because they will be doing school from home, I can bring them whenever I want. I don't just have to look for evening classes! And I believe they can use karate towards their phy. ed. requirements for school! There is a chess club through C.A., as well. I think I'll sign Owen up for that, because he really loves chess. So, I'm really excited about all the possibilities we have before us!
Now, what about Cleo?? I have filled out the Preschool packet for her to attend the preschool through the district. Of course, I'm sure she'll be on a waiting list. But if they have an opening for her, I will sign her up! She would love to go to school! If I can't get her in a class, I plan to sign her up in a dance class. And because I'm still waiting to here back from the University of Colorado, I'm not sure what I'll do with that. I plan on attending school myself, if I can. I know they have a childcare center on campus and I might be able to bring the kids there so I can attend classes and so they can play with other kids! I think they would love it, because they've never been in a daycare before.
And.....Westin......well, he'll just be himself and go along with whatever works! He's usually pretty laid back, so he should be fine! Let me tell ya, the boy is just about 19 months old and he will NOT walk!!! Are you kidding me?! Are you gonna wait until you're two!?! He finally stands up on his own in the middle of the room. He doesn't stand for long, but at least he's trying! He also only has 4 teeth. But it's more than Cleo had at this age!! What's up with my kids waiting until the last minute to do things?!? Sheesh!
Other than school stuff and Army stuff, I must say I really do love Colorado! It is so beautiful here and it never gets old waking up, opening the blinds, and seeing those big mountains every morning! I actually LIKE opening my blinds now! I have something to look at! And the weather is cool, too! Usually around 4 or 5 pm, it rains a little. And when it storms here, it's awesome! The thunder is crazy loud and the lightening is insane! But, I LOVE storms!! And, it can be 80 degrees and then it will rain and cool to about 60 degrees! It's not as humid as Minnesota, either. There's definitely a lot of variety here.........and I love that!
As of now, Jeff still plans on being done with the Army after his 3 year contract is up, but we need to just take it one day at a time. Perhaps he will stay in the Army?? I don't know. Or maybe he won't, but we might stay here and buy a house?? Or we will be done and go back to Minnesota?? I have no idea what our future holds, but I think it looks bright! Hopefully I can get through the next 18 days without going insane!! At least I get to talk to Jeff everyday, though, so that's nice.
Well, I will stop here for now. Hopefully I will have a little more figured out by the next time I write something!
~Rachelle
I'm also in the process of getting Owen and Julian signed up for Connections Academy. (It's a bunch of paperwork). I know I went back and forth trying to decide what to do about school for the boys. I don't like the one they are supposed to go to, so that's not even an option for them. I DID fill out some paperwork at a school nearby, Howbert Elementary. It has great ratings, but it's an itty bitty school!! (Not that that's a big deal). And then there was always the option of Connections Academy Online. I have been researching and Jeff and I decided that we would try the online route. I hate to say it, but one of the biggest 'pros' of C.A. is the fact that we don't have to wake up at the buttcrack of dawn and drive to and from school everyday! I am also NOT a morning person.......I never have been. And the idea of waking up everyday before 7am, getting the kids breakfast, getting the kids dressed, lugging them down 40 steps (no matter the weather), so I can drive 3 miles and drop them off at school........is NOT my idea of a fun time! I probably sound selfish now, but I talked to Owen and Julian about our options. I asked them if they would rather GO to a school or do school online at home and they said they would be fine with either one. I know Jeff wasn't totally convinced until I showed him Connections Academy's website. The curriculum is awesome! They can work at their own pace and spend lots of time on the subjects that challenge them and whiz through the subjects that are easy for them. They can also take electives!! What?!? Yes, my Kindergardener can take Spanish!! And Owen can take French, Spanish, or Sign Language!! I think it's awesome!! They also coordinate field trips and they send all the supplies you need to your front door!! If you need a computer and printer, they will send those, too! AND.....they will pay ME money to go towards my internet bill!! But, another big 'pro' is the flexibility that it will offer. If we want to take a vacation, we can. When Owen needs a surgery, it will be so much easier than pulling him out of school (and Julian, too) every time. And, I will know everything that my kids are learning. I will know what they are good at and what they need help with. Honestly, there were days Owen came home from school last year and I'd ask him what he did that day and he would say, "I don't know?".......Really?! That's your answer?
And, yes, I'm sure you're thinking about the 'cons'........The biggest 'con' is the fact that they won't be getting out of the house and physically going somewhere and interacting with other kids. To me, socializing my children is very important. I don't want them to have complexes when they get older, because they are so anti-social!! My plan of attack for that one is to sign the boys up in some extra-curricular activities. Right now, I'm thinking I'll get them in a karate class. And, because they will be doing school from home, I can bring them whenever I want. I don't just have to look for evening classes! And I believe they can use karate towards their phy. ed. requirements for school! There is a chess club through C.A., as well. I think I'll sign Owen up for that, because he really loves chess. So, I'm really excited about all the possibilities we have before us!
Now, what about Cleo?? I have filled out the Preschool packet for her to attend the preschool through the district. Of course, I'm sure she'll be on a waiting list. But if they have an opening for her, I will sign her up! She would love to go to school! If I can't get her in a class, I plan to sign her up in a dance class. And because I'm still waiting to here back from the University of Colorado, I'm not sure what I'll do with that. I plan on attending school myself, if I can. I know they have a childcare center on campus and I might be able to bring the kids there so I can attend classes and so they can play with other kids! I think they would love it, because they've never been in a daycare before.
And.....Westin......well, he'll just be himself and go along with whatever works! He's usually pretty laid back, so he should be fine! Let me tell ya, the boy is just about 19 months old and he will NOT walk!!! Are you kidding me?! Are you gonna wait until you're two!?! He finally stands up on his own in the middle of the room. He doesn't stand for long, but at least he's trying! He also only has 4 teeth. But it's more than Cleo had at this age!! What's up with my kids waiting until the last minute to do things?!? Sheesh!
Other than school stuff and Army stuff, I must say I really do love Colorado! It is so beautiful here and it never gets old waking up, opening the blinds, and seeing those big mountains every morning! I actually LIKE opening my blinds now! I have something to look at! And the weather is cool, too! Usually around 4 or 5 pm, it rains a little. And when it storms here, it's awesome! The thunder is crazy loud and the lightening is insane! But, I LOVE storms!! And, it can be 80 degrees and then it will rain and cool to about 60 degrees! It's not as humid as Minnesota, either. There's definitely a lot of variety here.........and I love that!
As of now, Jeff still plans on being done with the Army after his 3 year contract is up, but we need to just take it one day at a time. Perhaps he will stay in the Army?? I don't know. Or maybe he won't, but we might stay here and buy a house?? Or we will be done and go back to Minnesota?? I have no idea what our future holds, but I think it looks bright! Hopefully I can get through the next 18 days without going insane!! At least I get to talk to Jeff everyday, though, so that's nice.
Well, I will stop here for now. Hopefully I will have a little more figured out by the next time I write something!
~Rachelle
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Colorado Springs and the journey getting here!
WOW! I haven't blogged in over a month now! SOOOO much has happened since my last blog!
First of all, Jeff arrived in Minnesota on June 25th. Of course, we weren't lucky enough for that to go smoothly! His plane was late, due to storms, and I was sitting in the airport with the kiddos until 10pm! The kids were excited and exhausted all at the same time. And, I am terrible, I did NOT even take any pictures of Jeff's arrival and the hugging and whatnot. We were so stressed and tired that we tried to get out of there quickly! It was so nice to have him come home after 4 long months!
After he got home, we planned on driving out to Colorado together on July 5th. Did things happen this way? Absolutely not! (Does anything ever happen normally in my life???) I called the moving company and told them I would like to have movers come within the week. She pretty much laughed at me and said that there was no way it could happen that quickly. I was so disheartened by yet another obstacle. The soonest they could get packers and movers to my house was July 15th and July 16th. And Jeff HAD to be to Fort Carson by July 8th..........So, he had to drive out there alone. He left on July 6th and made it to Colorado in time. Although things didn't go as we had planned, it gave Jeff the opportunity to look at places for us to live. He looked at lots of different houses and apartments and we decided that it would be best to get into an apartment. Yes, we have a large, crazy family, but the deposits are so much cheaper and we were strapped for cash. I found the apartment online and he went to look at it. It's called Camelback Pointe and it's kind of on a hill and the views of the mountains are AWESOME! He looked at it, called me, and put in an application. The next morning we were told it was ours! This was finally some good news for us. We would have a place to live once we arrived in Colorado Springs!!
During all the craziness, I did take Owen to see his ENT and they said he needed another surgery. They left it up to us on whether or not to do it before we left for Colorado. I decided to have it done before we left Minnesota. So, on July 9th, Owen went in for his 2nd throat surgery. He did great and he wasn't nervous or scared at all!! My dad was there the whole time with us, so that was a relief. Since Jeff couldn't be there, it was nice to have someone else with us. The doctor took some pics while he was in Owen's throat, so we could see the 'before' and 'after' and I was, again, disheartened. His papillomas were the same size as the first time he had the surgery done. So, in just a little less than 5 months, they were back with a vengeance. I can't imagine having to do this more than once a year! But, we can't leave it be, or he could stop breathing one day. So, we will find an awesome ENT in Colorado and keep a close eye on his throat. He recovered just fine and by that evening, he was laughing and jumping around and having fun. He bounced back and was a little louder that same day!
There was another issue........how would I get myself, 4 kids, 2 cats, and a dog out to Colorado by myself?? I figured out how to situate my minivan and I was pumped! I knew I could do it! My mom, being the wonderful mom she is, said, "You are NOT driving to Colorado by yourself! I am going with you!" So, my mom planned it out, so she wouldn't miss work and we planned on where we were going to stay at the 'halfway' point. We had it all worked out! So, my packers came on July 15th and packed my house. The movers came on July 16th and loaded my house into a semi-truck. We stayed with my dad for two nights, then we stayed with my mom for two nights, and we left bright and early on July 20th! We drove from Maple Grove, Minnesota to Grand Island, Nebraska. It was an all day event, but the kids did awesome, and so did the animals! I was amazed at how well the cats did! They didn't even meow or cry! And, they were free to roam the minivan while we drove. I think they liked that!
We stayed in a hotel in Nebraska and in the middle of the night, Cleo woke up and said she had a sore back?? I rubbed her back for awhile and then she started burping really weird. I knew what was coming........yep, she puked in the bed. I felt so bad for her. I gave her a bath at 5 am and changed her into fresh jammies and we covered the small puke spot in the bed and went back to sleep for a few more hours. We got up bright and early and got on the road again. Cleo was fine, so it was a one time deal (thank God!) We were all super excited to finally get to Colorado!
I gotta tell ya, once we got into the Denver area, we could see the mountains in the distance. It looked like a painting. I had to keep blinking, because I wasn't sure I was really seeing what I thought I was seeing! They were gorgeous! The kids were really excited to see the mountains, too! But, on the drive from Denver to Colorado Springs, I had NO IDEA that we would get that much closer to the mountains! I thought they were cool in Denver.........they are so much cooler in Colorado Springs! There are points when you are driving and it feels like the mountains are going to eat you up! It's amazing! We made it to Colorado Springs and the kids were really getting antsy!! They started chanting, "Colorado Springs! Colorado Springs!" I think Westin was the loudest!! He just wanted to yell! We made it to our apartment and Jeff was there waiting. It really is a cute apartment. It's on the third floor (top floor) on a corner. It has three bedrooms and two bathrooms, a fireplace, bay windows in the dining room, a covered deck, a patio area outside the front door, and my favorite thing.......CENTRAL AIR CONDITIONING!! Any of you who know about my previous residence know that I did NOT have a/c there! And I was livid about it! So, now I'm cozy in my little 1,244 sqare foot apartment with central air! You can't go wrong with that!
My mom stayed the night in our empty apartment and she flew home the next evening. Honestly, I don't know how I would have done the drive without my mom. I'm sure I could've if I had to, but it was so much easier with two adults! I cannot thank my mom enough for the help she gave me! She left on a Thursday and the movers said they would be coming with all our stuff on Saturday! We were so excited to get our stuff! I felt terrible for the movers, though, because there are NO ELEVATORS here, so they had to huff it up the stairs over and over again! (I guess there aren't elevators in a lot of apartments in Colorado Springs!) We got our stuff and when the movers left, we had boxes all over the place!! It was very overwhelming! We have A LOT of stuff......so to have to downsize was difficult! The next day, I think we unpacked just about every box. We threw a lot of crap away and we had three giant boxes that we donated to the Goodwill the next day!
We are settling into our new home nicely and the kids seem to really like it here, so far. I looked into the kids' elementary school nearby........then I was disheartened, yet again! The school they are 'supposed' to go to is called Jackson Elementary. It's more than a mile away and they are walkers!!! Are you kidding me?!? I am not letting my two boys walk more than a mile to school! They would get lost or get hit by a car or who knows?! (I guess Colorado Springs is not big into bussing kids to and from school). So, I figured I would be driving them everyday. That led me to another issue. Jackson Elementary is NOT my idea of a good school. I have done a lot of research on the schools in the area (http://www.schooldigger.com/ and http://www.greatschools.org/ ......awesome websites!!!) Jackson has 2 out of 5 stars on one site and a 5 out of 10 on another site. This, to me, is not good. If I am going to drive them anyway, I may as well find them a good school!! So, I just called some elementary schools yesterday (because the offices just opened) and I ended up 'attempting' to enroll them at Howbert Elementary. It's rated 20th out of 837 elementary schools in the state of Colorado. It's a very small school and it's old. We walked in yesterday and Julian said, "Ewww! What's that smell?!" I said, "Julian, that's the smell of an old school!" It was funny. But the ladies in the office were fantastic!! I filled out two papers and now we wait. Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of time to do this, because school starts on August 18th!! If they don't accept the boys, then I plan on doing online public school. My brother Dylan does it. Connections Academy. It's completely free and all online. It's not home school, it's actually public school. Although I wasn't planning on doing things online for them, I would rather have them do online school, than go to a school I don't feel is good enough for them. I might sound like a b***h, but when it comes to education, I want my kids to have an awesome experience and a well-rounded education. As a parent, it's my job to make sure that they are in good hands when I'm not there. If I am not comfortable with a certain school, then I will not settle and let them go there. So, now we wait and see what Howbert has to say.
I also applied to the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. I'm not sure if I'll be able to start this semester or if I will have to wait until January, but either way, I'm going to go and get my Bachelor's Degree! I plan on getting a B.S. in Biology with an emphasis on Teaching. We'll see how that goes! It's nice, though, because the college is like 5 minutes up the road from my apartment! It would be so convenient! And it will keep me occupied when Jeff will be in the field and gone for training and deployed. That's another thing.......Jeff has to 'go to the field' on August 9th (yes, next Monday) and he won't be home until August 28th. It sucks, because I have to get the kids' school stuff figured out by myself and he will miss their first day of school (if they get accepted to Howbert). Jeff will be 'going to the field' again in October and November (for like 5 days each time) and then he will be gone in Louisiana the entire month of February! Ugh! And, as of now, he's scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan sometime next summer. But, I've learned quickly, that the Army is never a 'sure bet' until it actually happens. They might say one thing and do another, so I won't hold my breath on any of Jeff's field dates and deployment dates until they actually happen. Oh well. Only time will tell.
But, we really are having fun here and we are enjoying Colorado Springs very much! We even drove to the top of Pikes Peak the other day!! It was AMAZING!! .....and terrifying!!! It was an all day event, but very worth it! We saw a bunch of animals along the way and we saw some incredible views! I see why people come to Colorado Springs and never leave! It's so beautiful here! It really is. Of course, we miss our family and friends, but we can chat on the phone and Skype when we want to see each other. We will make it work! It was funny, the other day Cleo said, "I so happy to be in Colorado!" It was really cute. I'm sure we will all be getting homesick as the holidays near, but we will make it work out. Our crazy little family is very tough and we have a lot of love going around in this apartment. There's nothing we can't do, as long as we have each other! (Man, I sound like a Hallmark card!)
Anyway, I thought I would post a little (long) update on the past month. I know I didn't even cover all of it, but that's how we got to where we are now. I will say it again, thank you to all the family and friends who have supported us along the way. I know it hasn't been easy, but having your support makes it feel a little easier! We love you and miss you all!
Love (from Colorado)
Rachelle, Jeff, Owen, Julian, Cleo, and Westin
First of all, Jeff arrived in Minnesota on June 25th. Of course, we weren't lucky enough for that to go smoothly! His plane was late, due to storms, and I was sitting in the airport with the kiddos until 10pm! The kids were excited and exhausted all at the same time. And, I am terrible, I did NOT even take any pictures of Jeff's arrival and the hugging and whatnot. We were so stressed and tired that we tried to get out of there quickly! It was so nice to have him come home after 4 long months!
After he got home, we planned on driving out to Colorado together on July 5th. Did things happen this way? Absolutely not! (Does anything ever happen normally in my life???) I called the moving company and told them I would like to have movers come within the week. She pretty much laughed at me and said that there was no way it could happen that quickly. I was so disheartened by yet another obstacle. The soonest they could get packers and movers to my house was July 15th and July 16th. And Jeff HAD to be to Fort Carson by July 8th..........So, he had to drive out there alone. He left on July 6th and made it to Colorado in time. Although things didn't go as we had planned, it gave Jeff the opportunity to look at places for us to live. He looked at lots of different houses and apartments and we decided that it would be best to get into an apartment. Yes, we have a large, crazy family, but the deposits are so much cheaper and we were strapped for cash. I found the apartment online and he went to look at it. It's called Camelback Pointe and it's kind of on a hill and the views of the mountains are AWESOME! He looked at it, called me, and put in an application. The next morning we were told it was ours! This was finally some good news for us. We would have a place to live once we arrived in Colorado Springs!!
During all the craziness, I did take Owen to see his ENT and they said he needed another surgery. They left it up to us on whether or not to do it before we left for Colorado. I decided to have it done before we left Minnesota. So, on July 9th, Owen went in for his 2nd throat surgery. He did great and he wasn't nervous or scared at all!! My dad was there the whole time with us, so that was a relief. Since Jeff couldn't be there, it was nice to have someone else with us. The doctor took some pics while he was in Owen's throat, so we could see the 'before' and 'after' and I was, again, disheartened. His papillomas were the same size as the first time he had the surgery done. So, in just a little less than 5 months, they were back with a vengeance. I can't imagine having to do this more than once a year! But, we can't leave it be, or he could stop breathing one day. So, we will find an awesome ENT in Colorado and keep a close eye on his throat. He recovered just fine and by that evening, he was laughing and jumping around and having fun. He bounced back and was a little louder that same day!
There was another issue........how would I get myself, 4 kids, 2 cats, and a dog out to Colorado by myself?? I figured out how to situate my minivan and I was pumped! I knew I could do it! My mom, being the wonderful mom she is, said, "You are NOT driving to Colorado by yourself! I am going with you!" So, my mom planned it out, so she wouldn't miss work and we planned on where we were going to stay at the 'halfway' point. We had it all worked out! So, my packers came on July 15th and packed my house. The movers came on July 16th and loaded my house into a semi-truck. We stayed with my dad for two nights, then we stayed with my mom for two nights, and we left bright and early on July 20th! We drove from Maple Grove, Minnesota to Grand Island, Nebraska. It was an all day event, but the kids did awesome, and so did the animals! I was amazed at how well the cats did! They didn't even meow or cry! And, they were free to roam the minivan while we drove. I think they liked that!
We stayed in a hotel in Nebraska and in the middle of the night, Cleo woke up and said she had a sore back?? I rubbed her back for awhile and then she started burping really weird. I knew what was coming........yep, she puked in the bed. I felt so bad for her. I gave her a bath at 5 am and changed her into fresh jammies and we covered the small puke spot in the bed and went back to sleep for a few more hours. We got up bright and early and got on the road again. Cleo was fine, so it was a one time deal (thank God!) We were all super excited to finally get to Colorado!
I gotta tell ya, once we got into the Denver area, we could see the mountains in the distance. It looked like a painting. I had to keep blinking, because I wasn't sure I was really seeing what I thought I was seeing! They were gorgeous! The kids were really excited to see the mountains, too! But, on the drive from Denver to Colorado Springs, I had NO IDEA that we would get that much closer to the mountains! I thought they were cool in Denver.........they are so much cooler in Colorado Springs! There are points when you are driving and it feels like the mountains are going to eat you up! It's amazing! We made it to Colorado Springs and the kids were really getting antsy!! They started chanting, "Colorado Springs! Colorado Springs!" I think Westin was the loudest!! He just wanted to yell! We made it to our apartment and Jeff was there waiting. It really is a cute apartment. It's on the third floor (top floor) on a corner. It has three bedrooms and two bathrooms, a fireplace, bay windows in the dining room, a covered deck, a patio area outside the front door, and my favorite thing.......CENTRAL AIR CONDITIONING!! Any of you who know about my previous residence know that I did NOT have a/c there! And I was livid about it! So, now I'm cozy in my little 1,244 sqare foot apartment with central air! You can't go wrong with that!
My mom stayed the night in our empty apartment and she flew home the next evening. Honestly, I don't know how I would have done the drive without my mom. I'm sure I could've if I had to, but it was so much easier with two adults! I cannot thank my mom enough for the help she gave me! She left on a Thursday and the movers said they would be coming with all our stuff on Saturday! We were so excited to get our stuff! I felt terrible for the movers, though, because there are NO ELEVATORS here, so they had to huff it up the stairs over and over again! (I guess there aren't elevators in a lot of apartments in Colorado Springs!) We got our stuff and when the movers left, we had boxes all over the place!! It was very overwhelming! We have A LOT of stuff......so to have to downsize was difficult! The next day, I think we unpacked just about every box. We threw a lot of crap away and we had three giant boxes that we donated to the Goodwill the next day!
We are settling into our new home nicely and the kids seem to really like it here, so far. I looked into the kids' elementary school nearby........then I was disheartened, yet again! The school they are 'supposed' to go to is called Jackson Elementary. It's more than a mile away and they are walkers!!! Are you kidding me?!? I am not letting my two boys walk more than a mile to school! They would get lost or get hit by a car or who knows?! (I guess Colorado Springs is not big into bussing kids to and from school). So, I figured I would be driving them everyday. That led me to another issue. Jackson Elementary is NOT my idea of a good school. I have done a lot of research on the schools in the area (http://www.schooldigger.com/ and http://www.greatschools.org/ ......awesome websites!!!) Jackson has 2 out of 5 stars on one site and a 5 out of 10 on another site. This, to me, is not good. If I am going to drive them anyway, I may as well find them a good school!! So, I just called some elementary schools yesterday (because the offices just opened) and I ended up 'attempting' to enroll them at Howbert Elementary. It's rated 20th out of 837 elementary schools in the state of Colorado. It's a very small school and it's old. We walked in yesterday and Julian said, "Ewww! What's that smell?!" I said, "Julian, that's the smell of an old school!" It was funny. But the ladies in the office were fantastic!! I filled out two papers and now we wait. Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of time to do this, because school starts on August 18th!! If they don't accept the boys, then I plan on doing online public school. My brother Dylan does it. Connections Academy. It's completely free and all online. It's not home school, it's actually public school. Although I wasn't planning on doing things online for them, I would rather have them do online school, than go to a school I don't feel is good enough for them. I might sound like a b***h, but when it comes to education, I want my kids to have an awesome experience and a well-rounded education. As a parent, it's my job to make sure that they are in good hands when I'm not there. If I am not comfortable with a certain school, then I will not settle and let them go there. So, now we wait and see what Howbert has to say.
I also applied to the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. I'm not sure if I'll be able to start this semester or if I will have to wait until January, but either way, I'm going to go and get my Bachelor's Degree! I plan on getting a B.S. in Biology with an emphasis on Teaching. We'll see how that goes! It's nice, though, because the college is like 5 minutes up the road from my apartment! It would be so convenient! And it will keep me occupied when Jeff will be in the field and gone for training and deployed. That's another thing.......Jeff has to 'go to the field' on August 9th (yes, next Monday) and he won't be home until August 28th. It sucks, because I have to get the kids' school stuff figured out by myself and he will miss their first day of school (if they get accepted to Howbert). Jeff will be 'going to the field' again in October and November (for like 5 days each time) and then he will be gone in Louisiana the entire month of February! Ugh! And, as of now, he's scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan sometime next summer. But, I've learned quickly, that the Army is never a 'sure bet' until it actually happens. They might say one thing and do another, so I won't hold my breath on any of Jeff's field dates and deployment dates until they actually happen. Oh well. Only time will tell.
But, we really are having fun here and we are enjoying Colorado Springs very much! We even drove to the top of Pikes Peak the other day!! It was AMAZING!! .....and terrifying!!! It was an all day event, but very worth it! We saw a bunch of animals along the way and we saw some incredible views! I see why people come to Colorado Springs and never leave! It's so beautiful here! It really is. Of course, we miss our family and friends, but we can chat on the phone and Skype when we want to see each other. We will make it work! It was funny, the other day Cleo said, "I so happy to be in Colorado!" It was really cute. I'm sure we will all be getting homesick as the holidays near, but we will make it work out. Our crazy little family is very tough and we have a lot of love going around in this apartment. There's nothing we can't do, as long as we have each other! (Man, I sound like a Hallmark card!)
Anyway, I thought I would post a little (long) update on the past month. I know I didn't even cover all of it, but that's how we got to where we are now. I will say it again, thank you to all the family and friends who have supported us along the way. I know it hasn't been easy, but having your support makes it feel a little easier! We love you and miss you all!
Love (from Colorado)
Rachelle, Jeff, Owen, Julian, Cleo, and Westin
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