Good News!

James prepared himself mentally for the foot surgery and finally gave his approval. He underwent the procedure yesterday afternoon. It was not what we expected, but it was also much better than it could have been. He's proud of himself and pain-free today!

Alex has begun submitting college applications! He's interested in Film Production and Child Psychology as majors, preferably at a school in Canada. There are several universities in Canada that are FAFSA-eligible, which means we can use our 529 savings account there. That's a relief. Alex has started seeing the whole college thing a little differently now that we're talking actual places, costs, and programs. His number one college that he's been talking about for years is less attractive now that he'd have to pay tuition completely out-of-pocket (e.g. no 529 help) and they don't have a child psychology major. There are a few in Toronto and Vancouver that he's applying to.

I think I'm more excited about all this than he is.

Transitioning to a new school and new school culture has been pretty hard for James. He was upset about leaving his friends from 5th grade. He said that if he had gone to Urbana Middle School, he'd have friends, and that he wished he hadn't moved schools. He asked if we could invite those friends to an indoor trampoline park as part of his 12th Bday celebrations. James isn't one to ask for parties or play dates or ANYTHING like that, so I totally said yes. On the car ride to the park, the kids swapped stories about their middle school experiences...how many fights in the halls they've seen, how many kids have been expelled, how many teachers have gone to the hospital for stopping fights, how many bathrooms still have stall doors and functional sinks, what they're learning in their classes. It was eye-opening. James let me know later that he was feeling better about being in private school. I was too. I wish things were better for everyone.

Matthew excitedly told me this morning that he now has one official friend at school. 

I did some math and came to the conclusion that if Bobby's condition somehow worsens and he's no longer able to work full-time (We have NO evidence that this is the case. I'm just planning for several different scenarios.), there are several part-time job opportunities nearby that I could take that pay enough to cover our current food, fuel, and utility costs every month. That was a big relief. I could always work full-time to cover more of our expenses, but the part-time numbers were delightfully reassuring. Calm-inducing.

Bobby gave his apprehensive approval for our family to get a dog. James and Matthew (with some help from me) had put together a slideshow presentation about how a dog would benefit our family and what we would need to do to care for it. Bobby asked a few follow up questions about healthcare, allergy-issues, and sharing the work of caring for a dog, which the boys developed plans for. And Bobby said ok! We've started our search for the right fit. James and I differ significantly on what makes a dog perfect for our family, but I hold out hope for a compromise :)