Update

Finally, the long awaited update on the "Changes" post!

I know it has taken me awhile to write this post, but I wanted to make sure we had all of the information and everything was confirmed before posting an update.
So here's what's happening in our ever-changing world...

Sean IS in fact being deployed to Iraq for a year. He reports to Kansas for 1-3 months of training at the end of October, after which he will get a short 1-2 week break to spend with us before shipping off to the desert. I am moving to his follow-on assignment in Arizona on September 7th, the tickets are purchased and the date is set! Sean will be leaving on September 15th and drive out to join us. The military will arrange to pack our belongings and ship them to us in Arizona.

Since we will be in Arizona for at least 4 years (one year of his deployment + 3 years stationed at Ft. Huachuca,) we have decided to purchase a house. This will be both of our first home purchase and we are very excited!! We have done a lot of house hunting and research online, talked to realtors, and my family has been unbelievably wonderful in helping with the process. They spent yesterday looking at our favorite properties and helped us narrow it down to just two. We are putting in an offer on one of the houses today and hope to be in the process of purchasing it by Friday! I'll post pics and details as soon as it is official.

Also, I already have a job when I arrive in Arizona! I will be teaching kindergarten at my old school with my old friends and the families that I've missed so much. When we knew for sure that we would be returning to Arizona, I contacted the principal and a few teachers there to let them know. I told them I'd be interested in returning to teach there if any positions became available later in the year. Well, they still needed a kindergarten teacher and offered me the position! There is a long-term substitute filling in for me until I can begin on September 15. I am very excited, but a little nervous. My teaching experience is with upper elementary, so kindergarten will be a whole new world for me!

The girls will go to the same daycare that Aidan attended when he was a baby! It is a wonderful facility, the best in town, with awesome teachers and I am very comfortable leaving them in their care. In fact, Aidan's teacher is still there and is now the assistant director! Also, the daycare is a part of the same company as my school, so we get employee preference and discounted rates.

I have also decided to homeschool Aidan for the next month until we arrive in Arizona and enroll him in school there. I would hate for him to start here and form attachments to friends and teachers, just to have to move in a few weeks. I AM a teacher so I feel perfectly comfortable instructing him here until we move. It is actually quite nice to be able to create lessons for just one student and truly individualize instruction! When we get to Arizona his teacher will be one of my very good friends, so I am hoping she can keep me up-to-date with anything he is missing between now and then.

Everything is happening incredibly fast and it is very overwhelming, but thankfully things seem to be falling into place nicely. I am excited about most of the changes, and eager to be back home close to my family, but there is still the dark shadow looming over that Sean will be gone for a year. He will miss so much and the girls will be two when he returns! He does get a mid-tour leave and should be able to come home for a visit after about 6 months, so that will make it a little more bearable, but I will miss him terribly.

So, that's what's been new around here! Lots and lots of news and I am a very, very busy mommy, so forgive the infrequent posting!