Let's play catch-up

Let's see... What's new in Jeff and Sylvie's world? Well, first of all, we are officially empty nesters and we feel like we're rattling around in our house! It's nice to feel like newlyweds though. :) This is the first time in our married life when we have been alone! We get to see The kids including Kiff and Wesley for Thanksgiving though - they will be here along with some of my family (Mom, Grandmom, and the Granges). Dad will be in India, and the Schneiders opted to be alone this year. We will miss them! Especially because this is the one time of the year the Decker clan gets together! :(

Anyway, we also got a new dog!! This was a kind of whimsical thing we did. We had been talking about getting a dog, but we hadn't settled on what breed we'd get, etc. Then I happened to see one of my friends, Kamila, post on Facebook that she was looking for someone to adopt her Westie. She gave us a good deal... And he is adorable and white with curly hair - just what I had wanted - either white or black curly hair. So we thought about it for 2 or 3 days and said, "Okay, we'll take him!" We knew we were heading into the empty nest stage and thought it might be nice, for me especially, to have a dog to keep me company when I'm home alone. So here he is!

We decided to name him Rafa - this was my idea actually, because my favorite tennis player is Rafael Nadal (from Spain), but people call him Rafa. And I thought that would make a great dog's name! So our little dog is Rafa Case. :) He's 1 1/2 years old and really, really energetic sometimes; but he can also relax at our feet too. He doesn't always obey, but we're working on that!

 

And Gray loves him! :)

 

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A Couple Reasons to Celebrate

First of all, we welcomed baby Wesley Adam Case to our lives on Monday, August 27! Kiff had been having contractions for three days -- yes, three days -- and was soooooo ready for him to come! We actually went in to the hospital late Saturday night, but she wasn't dilated enough so they sent us home. :( Then at 3 a.m. on Sunday, she came knocking on our door... "It's time!"  So we all got up, quickly got ourselves together, and drove like mad to the birthing center! Her Aunt Alice was staying with us and was with Kiff the entire time. WHAT a blessing she was. I'm sure I'm not the only one who was extremely grateful to have her here. Having never had a baby myself, I didn't really know how to help or what to do... Alice just jumped in there and was beside Kiff the whole time! Kiff's friend Allison was there too. And Jeff and I were actually in the delivery room when Wesley came! I got a video of it (from a discrete angle) and pictures too, of course...

 Kiff's first real chance to cuddle with her 6 lb 9 oz perfect baby boy

 Congrats, Pop Pop!

Mommy and Wesley are soooooo tired...

Sasa and Wesley

Chilling on Pop Pop's lap

 Kiff with her little buddy

In other news, I am recently employed! I am the newest staff member at Blue Ridge Middle School (in Purcellville - 10 minutes from my house - amazing) as their Math Lab Teacher and I am THRILLED to have this opportunity!! It is an amazing opportunity for me because Purcellville schools are much desired by teachers and difficult to get into. This position opened up after the school year began, and I was still available! They would have preferred that I be high school certified, but I will acquire that certification during this year and will be ready to go next year for a regular full-time teaching position. This position is part-time; I will be there every other day to work with 6th and 7th grade students who are struggling in their regular math class. Math scores on their SOLs (standardized tests) was dismally low this past year (which was expected because of a new test format) and they need extra help getting their kids up to speed and ready for higher levels of math. Yesterday was my first day. The staff is terrific and the kids are too! I am beyond grateful to be there. Working every other day will be ideal too because it eases me into the teaching profession and gives me time to take care of things at home. I know God had this orchestrated from the beginning and I am so grateful to see His hand at work in my life!!

Oh Goodness Gracious

It has been two months since I've posted anything on here!! My apologies... I just kind of got out of the habit. Well, let me update you all on some things....

Okay, so the first is that Kiff's baby is due in a week and a half - on Labor Day of all days. :) She is doing just fine. She's a little small (she really does not look 9 months pregnant) and hasn't gained as much weight as might be normal, I guess, but the doctors say there is nothing to worry about. Wesley will just be on the small side. So that's his name - Wesley Adam Case. Wesley is just cause she likes the name, and Adam is after her mom whose maiden name was Adams. She has had two baby showers (one here and one in NJ) and has nearly everything that she will need. She really has been blessed by so many generous people in her life. And I must say, watching her during this time has been really neat because I'm seeing her become so much more mature. She's making great decisions and is getting her little nest ready and is more responsible around the house... She's going to be a great mom. A month or so after Wesley makes his appearance is when they will move to NJ to live with Kiff's Aunt Alice (who is her mom's sister). She is also going to be Jeff's parents' caretakers. They just need someone to help transport Jeff's mom (who can't walk) and to cook and clean for them. This will be a source of income for Kiff (Jeff and I are paying her a stipend for this service) and a wonderful answer to prayer since Jeff's parents are at the point where they really need daily help. Plus they live within walking distance of Alice's house, so all in all it's a perfect fit. We are so grateful for God's leading in this and for his provision.

That leads me to a prayer request!! I had thought that I would be working as a full-time middle school math teacher this fall, from which Kiff's stipend would come. Things have not gone as planned, however...

Over the summer, after I had distributed my teaching portfolio and applied for all posted middle school math jobs, I found out why I wasn't getting any calls for interviews. Apparently, middle schools in Loudoun County prefer that their middle school math teachers have an additional Algebra endorsement - which I do not have. Algebra is being taught more and more in grades 7-8, and a regular old Middle School Math 6-8 endorsement just isn't enough in their eyes. The problem is that to gain this additional endorsement, I would need to take the Praxis test for math grades 6-12... which includes trigonometry, calculus, probability and statistics, linear algebra... all that higher end math that I either haven't ever studied or would need to study for a long time before I could pass that Praxis test. It simply wasn't going to happen by the beginning of this school year.

I finally was able to interview for a 6th grade position but did not get the job.

So. Basically, even though this program I've been in all but promised that I would get a math teaching job, I am stuck with a certification that is almost useless in this area of Virginia. It has been a lesson in the wonderfully efficient and sensible world of the public school system.

I have decided to become certified in English for grades 6-12 as well, which they say is a also critical need area. I am taking that Praxis test three weeks from today. I've already taken the practice test and passed it with flying colors, so I'm feeling confident about it. Unfortunately, however, the first day of school is on Monday, and all English teaching jobs have been filled. And although they say that jobs can open up even on into October, I would think the chances of that are pretty slim.

The bottom line right now is that I kind of need to find a job; it would just really help with our financial obligations right now. I did apply for a study hall monitor position at a middle school in Ashburn. That would get my foot in the door and provide an opportunity to familiarize myself with the school system without actually being a contracted teacher; but I honestly don't know what my chances are of getting even that. I'm discouraged but trying to keep my chin up. (And yes, I realize that I just ended a sentence with a preposition. Don't worry... I won't do that on the exam.) :)

I know God will provide.

Oh, one more thing: our house. We had put it on the market in late May, and although we've had a lot of traffic, we haven't received any offers. Lately traffic has really dropped off. (Oops... another preposition at the end of a sentence.) We are probably going to take it a month at a time; then, come November, if it's not sold we'll likely take it off the market and maybe try again in the spring.

Three Years!

Three years ago yesterday I married a pretty spectacular man... We celebrated with a concert at Wolf Trap on Friday (Rain - A Tribute to the Beatles... fun show), got there early to enjoy a picnic Panera Bread lunch, and almost got caught in a thunderstorm but thankfully had seats reserved under the pavilion for the show. Now we're in California for the week! Jeff is here on business and I have tagged along. Love those frequent flier miles! We're in Newport Beach and I'm stuck poolside surrounded by palm trees and the gorgeous California sunshine. It's rough. :) Here's the view from our hotel window:

Jeff is working this afternoon and all day Tuesday through Thursday, but Friday we are spending the day together (bike riding along the coast is in the plan) and then flying home on Saturday.

Great Falls

So a few weeks ago, Jeff and I went to Great Falls, VA, which I didn't know actually has some pretty great falls! It was a hot day but he views were spectacular. 

 

Gray Turns One!

Look at this adorable one year old!! LOVE HIM.

 Learning from Grandpa Grange how to hit a pinata...

Visit to a Vineyard

Breaux Vineyards in Purcellville, VA... a few weeks ago