Thornebrooke Elementary!

I was so worried.  Someone told me that unless you had proof that you owned your home, you could not enroll your child at a school.  Closing fall through all the time.  We close on August 29.  School starts August 15.  There are two weeks in between.  My biggest fear is that Will would have to go to Palm Lake for 2 weeks, get comfortable there, make friends and then have to transfer to Thornebrooke, where he would be the new kid.  I was sure this was happening.  We were doing this to our child and we were terrible parents.

Researching on the OCPS website, I found out there is something called a Pending Move Transfer and we meet all of the requirements.

On Monday, I went to Thornebrooke to see what they would say.  Tiffany, the registrar, was more that kind and compassionate.  She reassured me that there is no way Will would have to go through all of that and she handled everything for me.  I did have to go to OCPS downtown to get the transfer approved, but that is fine.

On Wednesday, I went downtown and it was approved.  I then went to Palm Lake and withdrew him and then back to Thornebrooke, where he was enrolled.  It all worked out perfectly!

I can already tell that Thornebrooke is going to be an excellent school.  Everyone was so helpful and kind.  And....the kindergarten teachers set up home visits with their students before the school year begins, to help the kids ease in.

Well, Will's teacher emailed me, Ms. Shields.  She is coming over next Thursday.  And...Jaxson is in Will's class, so he will already have a friend there.

I am over the moon.  I cannot believe this is all really happening.

House Update

It's getting real.  Really real.

We found a house.  I knew it was the one.  We had narrowed it down to 3, but the other two just could not compare.  This is our home.  We will be closing at our new home at 9524 Hempel Cove Blvd in Windermere on August 29.  I cannot believe it.

Now, we work to get our house ready to sell.  I have been working around the clock.  Nick walked through our house and recommended we do a few things, some minor, some major.  Major: we need to resurface our pool, new carpet, new shower door.  Minor: plant some new plants out front, declutter, put lava rocks and a fence in the little nook area outside.

I am pretty proud of the decluttering.  As luck (or God, I really think) would have it, Larry and Neva will be gone for exactly the same time we need to be showing the house before the closing.  So, the thought is, we will temporarily move into their house so that our house can remain show-ready.  We are working on it.

Ethan's room, decluttered

Allison's room, decluttered

Decluttering the kitchen, in progress

After

After

My pantry has never looked so good!

Pool resurfacing: draining

Pool resurfacing: acid wash

Pool resurfacing: I don't even know what this is

Pool resurfacing: application (Will loved watching the blowtorch)

Pool resurfacing: Refilling

New carpet being installed

Looks like we are moving

It is getting real!  I just hope that our house sells quickly.  Several houses in the neighborhood have just been sitting for weeks, months at a time.  I am worried.  God's got it, though.  I know He does!

Sleepover

Matt and Karen's 10th Anniversary was this weekend.  We wanted to do something special for them, so we sent them for a night at the Grand Floridian.  We offered to watch the kids overnight so they could focus on just the two of them.  And voila!  A sleepover!

Rohan could not have been an easier baby.  He slept a lot, with a couple hours in the evening where he woke up and played.  I had so much fun making silly faces at him and seeing him react.  He woke up one time in the middle of the night, sucked down his bottle and went right back to bed.  Easy peasy.

No sleepover is complete without a big breakfast in the morning.  The kids were so excited to have a sleepover together.  Reynelle and Olivia slept well in Olivia's bed.  We did have to have them facing opposite ends because they kept playing, but that was to be expected.

We had a great night.  We feel so blessed to have friends who are like family.  I feel honored that they trusted us to watch their most precious gifts.

VBS Round 2

Will particpated in VBS at our church this week.  He was a little nervous about it, but the awesome news was, I got to be his counselor.  And....Emily and Zoe were in my group too.

We had a great week!  We were in Group 66 and we had 9 kids.  They were all very sweet.  One did not speak the whole week.  One did not speak English, but he still managed to have fun and play right along with the other kids.

Our day was broken into 4 sessions: Theatrical Arts, Edible Arts, Art and Outdoor Recreation.  The day began and ended with Praise and Worship.  Will LOVED a song they did called "Freedom"

Overall, it was a great week.  Myself and Miss Peggy were in charge of our group.  We basically ushered them to each of their sessions and made sure they did not get lost.  There were also many, many bathroom breaks.  At the end of the day, I hope that all of the children learned a little bit more about God and His infinite love for us...and had fun in the process.

A Big Change

I am at a bit of a loss.

I think....we might be moving.

We have casually been looking for a little while.  I watch the Realtor.com app and have several houses that I like.  We have gone to about a dozen open houses, just to look.  We know that our house has flaws: it needs a family room, a bigger kitchen, a yard the kids can play in.  But a straw broke a camel's back yesterday.

Remember my past post about Palm Lake?  I was underwhelmed, not impressed with the school.  I have been feeling anxious about Will going there.  The Orlando Sentinel posted the school grades yesterday.  Palm Lake dropped from an A school to a B school.  Yes, they changed the way the do the grades, but none of the other schools dropped.  Their percentage points are also about 20% less than the other schools.  Was my intuition correct?

Steve says there are 2 solutions: we move or we send Will to TFA.  The cost is really about the same, so he thinks we should move.

I know I have been looking, but am I really ready?  Steve called Nick today.  Nick is going to meet us tomorrow to show us some houses.  It just got real.

Praying we find a home and a good solution.  I just want what is best for our family.

Farm Day

I did something crazy today.  I took the kids to the farm in 100 degree heat.

It wasn't too bad actually because the farm is so well-shaded.  Still, it was hot!!!

July 4th

I thought about it.  We had a great July 4th party last year.  Tons of people.  Tons of food.  Tons of fun.  But....I am partied out.  After the Christmas party, the surprise Easter party and 3 baby showers, I just did not have the heart to throw another party.

So....we attended a party and what a party it was.  It was at Nick and Toy's house. No one throws a party like the Cottons.  Boy, they went all out.  Will and Olivia DESTROYED the bounce house water slide.  They went down that thing about 100 times each.

But, in the end, we did want to be home for the evening portion, so we invited the Floods over for some bbq and fireworks.  However, Karen hit a wall at about 8pm and they left.  Our neighbors did not do the huge fireworks that they normally do, so glad we didn't have dozens of people over with that promise anyway.