Baby steps to August 15th

We're closing in on 2 weeks until we have more information about the places where David will be offered work.  Two years of enjoying (and sometimes just plain enduring) this rotational program is coming to an end, and now we have big decisions and planning imminently ahead of us.  These past few weeks (and and the two still to come) are probably one of the most difficult and unsettling waiting periods I've ever experienced.  We've been fortunate so far to have good health in our family, so we've never had to wait for the results of serious medical tests, which I can only imagine is 1,000 times more nerve-wracking than waiting to hear about a job.  Still, this is the most stress we've really ever experienced.  We don't know what part of the country we'll be in, what size house or apartment we'll be able to afford if we don't return to CA, when we're moving out, etc. etc. 

I know that whatever happens and wherever we end up, our little family will be together and we'll be fine.  We'll get settled, find a local Catholic church, make friends, and make a happy home wherever we are.  But we still have a maze of factors to negotiate -- geography, salary, job position, cost of living, our house in CA, etc.  David has worked so hard in this program and he really has done well, and I know his job offers will reflect that, but we ask for your continued prayers as we try to discern the best path for our family! 

In the mean time, we've been keeping busy and have been enjoying our summer.  I've been finding it helpful just to focus on what chores and adventures we have lined up for each day, and to not even think about the "what ifs" and possible planning we have ahead of us.  We had such a wonderful vacation at the beach last month.  It was so great to spend time with Mom and Dad -- I only wish we could have teleported more of our family to come out and be there with us.  We got to go on a boat ride in Maryland this past weekend, courtesy of one of David's co-workers, and that was a blast.  The boys had the wind and sun in their faces and they loved speeding along the river.  Today, I took the boys to an indoor bounce house.  It was very hot and humid again today, and I felt like a change of pace from hanging around the house or visiting the pool.  The boys had a blast!  Jack said "Now we don't have to jump on the beds!".  I do think they got all of the bounces out of their systems pretty well, and it was nicely air-conditioned, which was a bonus!

On August 16th (I'm giving the boys the Feast of the Assumption off!), we'll start in on our next school year.  Thomas is so excited about starting his Kindergarten work!  Jack is also excited about 2nd grade, and Peter says he's ready for pre-school :).  It feels like our summer break was short (and it was, intentionally, so that we can take off some time when the baby is born in a couple of months), but I think it was just about right.  It will be nice to get back into a more regular routine.

Other than that, we're all doing well.  My pregnancy continues to go smoothly.  Baby David is moving a lot, hiccuping a lot, and doing everything he's supposed to be doing.  I'm a little over 31 weeks now!!  It does seem like the weeks are going by more quickly now.  I'm dealing with the heat and humidity OK (mostly just hiding from it inside or going to the pool), so if I can get through August and the first part of September, I think I'll have gotten through the worst of it. 

We won't have any job updates until after the 15th, but I'll see if I can post some of our vacation pictures later this week!