This Week at Our House # 50

1. My kids prefer this format as I always say something specific about them. They said, when I do it in paragraphs, I always just refer to them as "the kids" and that is 10 people and they shouldn't be lumped as one. So for "the kids" I am doing the numbered format. On Wednesday, John got the rejection we were basically expecting from the company he had interviewed at. This is what we received,
   
   
   "My team and I reviewed the notes from the phone screens and from the online exam. Your core skills certainly appear sufficient. When comparing to other candidates, however, I don’t believe you have compiled enough relevant experience applying those skills. Historically speaking, we feel this could lead to some difficulty for you on the team. This is not an “entry-level” position which means that prior experience/ application of C++ skills in areas germane to the projects we undertake are very important. Therefore, we’ll stop the interview process at this point.
   
   I do appreciate your time on the phone and in taking the online exam. I invite you to monitor our job postings as we’ll likely have additional positions later in 2016. No matter what, I wish you the best of luck as you search for your ideal career."
   
   We were not happy. Everything seemed to be going so well with the interview process. But it was nice to receive an explanation that made sense, even if we didn't agree with it. So the job search continues. January is always a better month for jobs in IT since the holidays are over and people are all back from their vacations. We feel hopeful and we will be meeting with my friend's good friends who are LDS employment missionaries in Raleigh.  We also have had other people getting in touch with us for some temporary job help while we continue trying to get a full time position.
2. I went to meet with a midwife this week nearer to Raleigh. It was just a meet, so I have not heard the baby's heart beat. I feel a little nervous about the pregnancy because I think I am smaller than I should be for how far along I am, but maybe not. My uterus is up to my navel, and it is possible that is it set further in my back than I am used to. Still, I look forward to hearing that heart beat and getting an ultrasound just for my peace of mind.
   
   When I came back from the midwife appointment and checking on our storage unit, I noticed a new comment on my blog. It was from Marcie Holladay, a mother of 9, whose husband just got a job in Ut after 2.5 years of unemployment and under employment. They are offering to rent their house to us. We have gladly accepted the offer. We prayed about it and we all felt really peaceful and good. It's the first time, we have felt good about a housing option since we moved here. We will meet them to work out more details on Christmas Eve, and will move our stuff in on Jan 2nd. We are very, very grateful. The house is small, but I think if they can manage homeschooling 9 children there, we can too. And really, anything will do. We had looked at buying a plot of land and a broken down trailer for cash, but we would have had to get a loan to move it, dig a septic tank, and get it hooked up to electric and water, and in the end we just did not feel good about the option and had given up on it, right around the same time Marcie contacted me. This really is the miracle we have been praying so hard for.
3. Ruth is a bit nervous about more school transition, though she is desperate for us to get into our own place. We have contemplated having her stay the two weeks in January to finish the semester, but I think we will be able to make another transition work out ok. The young women's president in the new ward is a high school math teacher there and has been very helpful in other ways already even though we have never talked to her. The big news for Ruth this week, however, is that she got her acceptance notice to BYU-I-- the only school she applied to. She's passively happy about it. Though, we knew she would get in. Her grades are good, her ACT was above what is normal for BYU-I and maybe a little below for BYU, but still quite good. She is now waiting to hear what trimester she will be placed in. She is desperately hoping for fall. I hope she gets fall too. Life will definitely be changing for us in 2016, as we begin down the road of parenting adult children.
4. Kate is happy beyond to have a home for us to move into. She's not too worried about grades or the transition. She is even contemplating just homeschooling to the end of High school. Her friend, Elizabeth, is quite sad to lose Kate. She moved here less than a year ago and Kate is her first good friend. They will be spending the next 3 days together before we leave early on Christmas Eve. They're both planning on attending BYU and might try and be roommates. 
5. Johnny had a lot of exams this week. He still studies very little but gets good grades. John is trying to get him to study things more in depth. He is excited to be getting all of his legos back and to start sleeping in a bed again.
6. I have felt for some time that the thing Adam needs the most is to home school. The public schools for the most part are not boy oriented. Adam needs more time to move around and to be out doors. He does so much better with learning and studying when he can stop and get out and run.
7. Rachel is happy to be getting a home. It's only 3 bedroom so she will be sharing with Ruth and Kate, and I know she will like that. 
8. I brought Anya's bike here from storage. She was very happy about that. She has spent her free time this week coloring. It's so cute to see her at the table with her crayons and coloring book.
9. Joseph is still just a cute happy kid. Nothing much really bothers him including sleeping on the floor. 
10. Joshua has been telling me that he wants to go back to our house. He said, when we get back to our house, he will see Evelyn. Evelyn is his favorite cousin in Ut. 
11. Arwen has another cold or allergies or something. Her nose is really runny again, and she is coughing. Part of me hopes it is a cold because colds go away and allergies do not.
12. Suzy is still just our little cutie and the apple of everyone's eye. We are so blessed to have her.