Updates (Hope, Quimby, etc)

Lots going on in the Driesenga household lately!

Hope: We had our Early On evaluation this morning at 10. A very nice young woman, Janine came over & sat on the floor to play with Hope and talk with me as she observed. She had Hope do a few simple tasks, like take blocks out of a tub and put them into a cup, color, stack a few blocks, point out animals in a book, throw a ball and a few others. We talked about where she's at with her motor skills, emotions, speech, understanding/comprehension.

It was quick - only took 30 minutes. The end result? A referral to the school district for weekly home visits rather than monthly home visits from Early On. That means a few more weeks of waiting while all the paper work goes from them to Ken-O-Sha, then another evaluation and we'll find out that day if she qualifies. When I asked Janine about her chances of qualifying, she said she wouldn't refer her if she didn't think she would. She's quite confident.

Hope is currently about 1.5 months behind in motor skills, which isn't too much of a concern especially because some of those skills have been developing in the last few weeks (using a fork/spoon, take a few steps backwards, etc). Her comprehension and emotional expression are right where they should be. Her speech - well - that's a different story. Hope is 19.5 months old. She is communicating at the level of an 8.5 month old. Almost a year behind. Janine really wants Hope to get started as soon as possible so that gap doesn't increase.

So a little more waiting and then hopefully starting up with some home visits with a speech therapist!

Quimby: We were supposed to close on Thursday at 4pm. This is after over a 2 month delay because of some paperwork the buyer had to resubmit. Then, it got changed to 'probably Friday'. Now, it's 'hopefully Monday'. If it doesn't happen on Monday, it's a dead deal. Monday is our deadline. Our short sale approval has been extended 2 times already (again, due to buyer delays) and this is the 'drop dead deadline' where they will not approve another extension. So we'll see what happens on Monday.

I'm really at peace whatever happens. We have prayed and prayed and prayed. We have talked with family and others whom we trust to get opinions. We have evaluated all options (moving back into Quimby, renting it out again, torch the place...okay, maybe we haven't talked about that one, but I can't say I haven't prayed for it!) and we feel like following the short sale and possibly foreclosure path is the only options for us. It sucks. It's humbling and kind of embarrassing. But in the end, my identity is not wrapped up in our credit score or how much money we have or don't have to throw at the situation. My identity is in Christ, and we think and hope we are following what he has asked us to do, as backwards as it may seem. Trusting we are really tuned in and doing the right thing, but it's hard.

Parsonage: Three weeks from today Kerri will be moving into her apartment in Nashville, Tennessee. She's moved out before, but it's been about 5 minutes away. It's going to be very different to not have her around at all. We're sister -in - laws, but we're also dear friends. I truly enjoy living with her and will miss her tremendously. I know Isaac and Hope will too. Then, about 2-3 weeks after Kerri moves, Young will be heading home to Korea for the summer and then probably to New York next fall. He has lived with us for 2 1/2 years and is a part of our family, too. While I know both Kerri & Young will come back over holidays and vacations, it's going to be quite a transition for us to have them both gone within a few weeks of each other.

Preschool: Why is figuring out preschool such a hard decision? I do not feel a peace about either option we have for Isaac right now. I had to turn in the enrollment form today, and did it, but still don't feel good about it. In the back of my mind I wonder if my lack of peace is going to translate into a new option that we don't know exists yet - maybe we'll be moving for a job for Marc? Maybe he'll get a job closer to GR where we'll get free preschool? No idea. Maybe I'm just supposed to bite the bullet & make a choice and be content with it. I'm just so used to feeling a peace about decisions that when I don't, I can't help but obsess about it and wonder why.

Summer: I'm wrapping up my early Sunday mornings this week and have about 4 more Sunday evenings before my Sundays are completely free for about 3 months! I LOVE my ministry, but I also truly value having Sundays that are a bit more like a true sabbath. I'm looking forward to the Colorado Trip and SERVE and we're figuring out a week for our family to go camping this summer, too. Also searching for a summer job for Marc. Any suggestions for him?

So that's what's happening around here lately!