The boys and I have been in Minnesota for a little over two weeks! In that time, we have a good layout of the area, have been on several adventures, and got back on a normal schedule and routine despite now being back on central time!
Dean started back to work on Thursday of last week! It was so nice to spend some time with him before the craziness of a new project sets in, and so I guess I can't complain too much, since we did get almost two weeks together with him keeping his daily pay! In the last few projects, we have only come to visit Dean after the initial project starts, so it will be a test of my patience to see how forgiving I am when I don't get to see much of Dean in the weeks to come. We are very thankful that we are under the same roof at night though, and will look forward to the days he does get off to spend together as a family! Today is actually one of those days. Dean went into work early this morning, only to be sent home due to the wind speeds and the lack of actual work to do when the winds are so high. Unfortunately, that means he'll be working through the night, so it's my job today to keep the boys quiet while he gets some much needed sleep in!!
Last week I also found a school to enroll not only Jax, but Liam and myself in!!! It's pretty much a pre-school, however it's not based solely on the child's age, but the class you want them in. So Jax will be in a 3-5 year old class called Discovery Place, and will attend for 2 hours each Tuesday and Thursday. On Wednesday's Liam and I will have a class together, while Jax gets free play time with other students/older siblings! I think this is something that sets this school aside from others, is that it is a requirement for the parents to be involved, and that's where Liam's class comes in. In that class, Liam will have the child to child interaction with children his age, but I will also learn special things to do with him based on HIS development and our home lifestyle. I will also be provided with very much needed Mommy time to met other mothers in the area, and hopefully make some new MN friends!
Aside from THAT awesome find, we have settled into a routine, and are quite comfortable in our new home away from home. We finally got a couch that we can all snuggle on, and just in time for football season!!! Liam learned to signal TOUCHDOWN and is absolutely adorable holding his little arms up cheering with Mommy and Daddy! (Seahawks side of this post that is, as the Titans are starting off, eh... not in the best way!)
The weather has been a roller coaster, and all four of us have been up and down with coughing and sneezing and all around sickness! I thought it was suppose to be cooler here, when in fact, it's been MUCH warmer here up North, than it has in the South. Again, I say this now, but I am so over summer and just want sweatshirt, jean and hot chocolate weather. That should be standard on the first day of football!
Last week I also had my first doctor's appointment to establish care at the Mayo Clinic Rochester! I met with an internalist who specializes in hypertension, but based on how long I have had it, and the "controlled" readings I still get, he has already put my name on a first available list to the Hypertension Clinic in Rochester. I am REALLY excited that I may finally have a team try to figure me out!! I know there are good doctors everywhere, but if you know anything about the Mayo Clinic systems, they tend to get the "freak" cases and have so many studies going on that, I'm hopeful SOMEONE can figure me out!
Nash has been enjoying his time indoors and has gotten a little too comfortable as the only dog, and an inside dog. He is only outside long enough to go potty, and after last weekend, when he decided to run off at midnight keeping Dean and I awake until 3am, with no return in sight... he REALLY only gets to be outside supervised. (I am still getting calls from the Albert Lea area with information on a black wandering dog. Yes, I ended up getting a letter written out of pure desperation printed in the Albert Lea Tribune). Thankfully he had a guilty nose pressed up against the back door early the next morning! (my letter wasn't published until four days later, and I wasn't sure it would even reach anyone!) I didn't think he would come back actually, and so it was a bit scary!
I can't believe it's almost been a month since we said goodbye to Argo. :( Jax still asks about him pretty frequently, but they are getting further apart, so hopefully the pain for him missing his pup is subsiding.
Other than that, we are very happy to have met our neighbors, and get to be a part of neighborhood play dates with all the children. It's been so long since I've ever paid attention to how many kids can be in one neighborhood, but this is pretty impressive. Almost every house has a child!!! We're definitely looking forward to an easy Halloween this year!
I have also entertained the thought of joining a gym while Jax is in school, but I think I nixed that idea a few hours after starving myself of anything remotely tasty on my quest to begin a diet. I may still get a gym membership, but probably will waste the use of it! Haha.
While in Minnesota, I am really looking forward to the possibility of meeting my Dad's biological side of the family. Dad has met most of his family since my health scare in 2004, and they ALL live in MN!!! It would be really nice to put some faces with the names I've heard of over the years, and although the chance is slim, being able to meet my paternal grandmother would be amazing. Dad's biological mom knows that he wants to meet her, but up to this point she has declined. If I could just get in to see her, and somehow press the idea of them meeting, it would be life changing for my dad!
Well, as I type... the kids one by one are waking from their naps implying that my alone time to catch up are over. Now the task of keeping them entertained quietly while Daddy sleeps will begin!!
Love and miss you all and hope everyone is doing well!!!
Shylah
