Well, its been a while since I updated the West Coast Erickson blog. So I thought I'd write while the kids are having their afternoon quiet time. Lydia is dead asleep in our room right now, and Isaiah is quietly watching Atlantis (alright, not so quietly, during the exciting bits he tends to talk to the screen just like his Momma!) So, where to start? Garren has passed the 1 year mark of being a stay-at-home dad. It's been a steep learning curve for all of us, but I think we're all stronger for it. Garren and I each have a much deeper appreciation for the role's the other played when we first got married. I had no idea the pressure that goes with being the sole provider for a family, and I can't say its a role I relish; he had no idea how exhausting it is to keep up with two children AND a household and I think he is looking forward to when he can go back to work. While he has enjoyed the time he got to build a strong relationship with the kids, he is definitely is excited to go back to the role where he is more comfortable. Let's face it, men aren't created to stay home all day, they have an inate drive to go out and work, and I've seen that drive grow stronger and stronger in the last year. On that note, Garren got his Permanent Residence on the 16th of April! So he CAN work! We're waiting for his PR card to come in the mail and then he can apply for a Social Insurance Number, he can work without a SIN in the meantime, but its difficult to find an employer who realizes that. A lot of people don't realize that Garren is the one who is responsible for declaring his taxes at the end of the year, and the employer is responsible for theirs.. but no matter, we've gone a year, I suppose we can go another six weeks. So now comes the decisions... do I keep working, do I go down to part time, do I stay home full time... all viable options, all dependant on what our goals are. After a year of living on my income we've fallen a little behind, so we have a lot of bills to pay once Garren starts working, so I am definitely going to be working to pay things off... and w've also been looking into what steps we would need to take in order to finally buy a house. This isn't the cheapest city to live in, and real estate is no exception, but if we both set our sights on the end goal of buying a house, and we are really smart with our budgeting we can have our debts paid off and a down payment saved up by the time the kid's are in elementary school. Life is full of unexpected things, so I don't have a date, but we finally have goals. With everything being up in the air for the last year everything has just been day to day and we haven't been able to make plans. It is quite a relief to be able to make goals again.
Speaking of goals, Isaiah is going to be registered for Pre-school this week. He'll start in September. I'd been seriously going back and forth between what pre-school I wanted him to go to and I just couldn't get peace about anything. I was considering sending him to a preschool by my house that is geared towards working with children who might be behind in any of their milestones, and Isaiah is quite behind verbally. He has the verbal capabilities of an 18 month old, and he wasn't showing any signs of moving forward, but it didn't matter how close I came to making a decision, I just didn't have peace. I kept praying about it and really didn't know what to do. There are a lot of preschools, but how DO you find the perfect school for your child? I didn't want to make the wrong decision... but I didn't know what the right decision was. Then I was at my sister's church last week, and I was in the hallway because Lydia wasn't behaving, so I was reading the poster for their preschool. It had a recap about what they were learning this month which was the average, seasons, etc. But then there was a summary and they were talking about how God made seasons, etc. and I realized how strongly I wanted my son to be enrolled in a Christian Pre-school. I want the lessons we teach at home about God to be reinforced at school. Kids have SO many things they have to put up with and learn to take in stride without having to constantly defend their beliefs as well. Its not that I think public school is bad, I don't, but if I can afford to give him a Christian education for his primary years, that is where my heart is. I began praying about it, and for the first time since I began looking into preschools, I had peace. But I didn't know that I wanted to send him to THAT preschool, it is difficult because its at least a 15 minute drive, 3 days a week, for 2 hours... that makes working difficult. Then last week I was driving home from work and I saw another church, not two minutes from my house, advertising their preschool. I've been to that church before, and I liked it, so I decided I would email them and ask them more questions. Afterall, Isaiah is gone for two weeks out of every month and that might pose a problem... the email I got back was so friendly and helpful and the girl I talked to on the phone the next day was very enthusiastic and helpful and assured me that there are plenty of children in their preschool program who have unique situations, and while their situations might not be ideal, they work with the parents to try to accomodate their individual needs. Also when she found out about my concerns regarding Isaiah's slow verbal development she was quick to find out if I'd discussed speech therapy with anyone ... just having someone out of the blue looking to help me was .. foreign, but welcome. So I go in on Tuesday to meet with her and register Isaiah. I think he'll LOVE preschool.
And since Garren and I had been looking for a church for the last few months, we decided we would check out that church as well. I hadn't been to it since I was about 20 and I liked it then, but didn't have an opinion because it'd been so long. So we went this morning and we LOVED it. I'm trying to reserve my opinions yet, because you can't tell everything about a church from one Sunday.. afterall, I was at my last one for seven years before I decided it was time to move on. We couldn't get out of there without one hug and a minimum of 3 hellos and one full on chat.. that's more than I 've had in seven years at my old church.
It was interesting though, when I got there I really didn't know what to make of them. The lights were dimmed for the worship service, the computerized screens had interesting backgrounds and I immediately felt my guard go up. I have been to too many churches where Worship is just a show... and I found myself asking God where the line is, when do we cross the line over into entertainment and out of Worship. I was surprised when he asnwered me. I wasn't really looking for answers consciously... But I clearly heard Him in my Spirit... "When the attitude is wrong" .... It's hard to go to church sometimes, because so much changes as time goes on.. Worship songs change, messages change, technology changes... but when is it too much? Then I realized... it's not about that.. its about WHY we do it. If we have special lighting, WHY do we have special lighting. Is it because we want to be better than other churches, or is it because someone in the church has a gift in that area and wants to use what talents God gave him for God? If we have a fantastic band, is it because we want to have the best music, or is it because the talented individuals up there want to use their gifts for God? When God gives us talents, he wants us to use them, not bury them. So if there is an area where we can serve .... its not a bad thing. As soon as I got my (slightly judgmental) attitude adjusted I thoroughly enjoyed the service. The worship was God-focused, the sermon was Biblically sound, relevant and challenging.. and the people were friendly.
So, that's a brief update. There is always more I could say, but I can't use ALL the quiet time on the computer, I have to get other things done as well. We've all been sick, so the house needs to be cleaned. Poor Isaiah's cold developed into an ear infection, but he's got anti-biotics and seems to be doing better... but other than that we are all well.
I will write again when I have time.
