It has been a long, long time since any of us have blogged about anything. Part of the reason is due to the fact that I (Jeremy) was banning the blog site until someone else posted a few times. Most of the reason is because we have been so busy that blogging has been the furthest thing from our minds. This post hopefully will get everyone caught up on our lives.
First, we will post some things that have been going on in the family and then some things for each individual but have certainly have had effects on the family.
The biggest family-wide news is that we are currently in hot pursuit of buying a house. As you know, we moved to another town last June and have been renting a house since then due to the fact that we were unsure of what was going to happen. It seems that all is working out for us to stay here so we decided to look into investing in our own property. A college teacher of Shawna's sells real estate and has been looking for a house for us. If all goes well, we will be closing the first part of next month. There is still a lot of paperwork and "red tape" through which to go but we are prayerful all will work out. Here is a picture of the house on which we are bidding.
I (Jeremy) have been working on my dissertation a lot lately. I am currently working on the proposal which is half the battle, they say. I hope to have the approval by the middle of April. We shall wait and we shall see. Also, I have had a "bump" in my mouth for the last couple of years or more. It generally does not hurt, unless I bite it and does not bother me much. However, this past Thursday, I had a nurse at work look at it and he said I need to get it checked out. I went to my primary care provider (also a nurse practitioner) who let a doctor in the same office look at it. They referred me to a dentist who may refer me to an oral surgeon. They say it needs to come out and a biopsy needs to be done to make sure it is not cancer and does not turn to cancer. They are fairly certain it is not cancer but want to be sure. Please pray for us.
Shawna is in the middle of her dissertation as well. She has completed the proposal and the rough draft of chapter one. We are so proud of her. She continues to teach kindergarten in the same school she has been with for seven years now. The big news with her at the moment is that she is rapidly approaching middle age. She had to get glasses. Here is a picture of her in her new specs.
J.T.’s big news is that he is moving to the school district in which we live instead of attending school with Shawna. This will happen tomorrow. There was a lot that went into this decision but we all feel it is for the best. He is active in the youth group at church and went to a youth conference across the state last weekend from Friday to Sunday. He really enjoyed it. Shawna and I are not so sure that he needs to be growing up so fast but he is growing into a fine young man. Of course, we are biased about it!
As you may know, Kaylee was scheduled for surgery in late December but that did not work out due to a doctor being unavailable that day. It actually worked out as a blessing. Kaylee will be in the hospital for about a week and then recovering at home for about two months. Our goal is to have her back on her feet in time for her to start fifth grade in style! This will be a rather intensive surgery doing some reconstructive work on her bladder and bowels. The good part of this is that she will be able to cath herself and tend to herself in the bathroom if all goes well. Please pray for her and us in this matter. I (Kaylee) want to tell you the only good thing about this surgery. My aunt Chelle is going to totally redecorate my room for me like a teenager room while I am in the hospital. I (Jeremy) need to make this clear at this point: She is not a teenager yet, but sure thinks she is!! Also, Kaylee had a check-up on her shunt this past week and all looks great! PRAISE THE LORD!!
Hopefully, this will get you caught up on all that is happening. Kaylee and I will try to keep this blog post updated better.
-J&K