So as I look back on the last year, my family has continued to go through all kinds of changes. Back in June, we moved from our home county, and a town we had lived in since our first year of marriage, to live closer to where my wife and I both work (a neighboring county). With that, we were able to save a little on some of our utilities, a little on gas as well as wear & tear on our vehicles. Doing so allowed us to pay off some debt and get in a better financial situation. However, we have come to realize that all of the things we care about most (family, friends, church, etc.) are back in our home town. So shortly after we moved, we also realized we missed our home.
My son started school! He DID NOT LIKE IT. At least at first. My son, much like myself, tends to like to do his own thing. He enjoys playing with others and being around others to an extent but it does not take him long to begin to want to do his own playing. We struggled the first month or so of school. Cyrus would be dropped off, which was dreadful. He would kick and scream and cry. We struggled to get him to complete his homework. He knew what to do, but just did not want to do it, taking every amount of time at home to complete simple stuff and then he would be upset because by the time we were able to push him through it, it would be dinner time or bed time. Cyrus would ride the bus to my wife's school and she would get him off the bus and bring him home with her as they would most of the time be done before I was off work. This continued for a while. We realized that most of my son's problems were stemming from anxiety he has. My son gets anxious about random things on a regular basis. Due to my background in psychology as well as my wife's experience dealing with anxious individuals, we were able to make it somewhat better, helping him to cope and engineering what we could to prevent these things. God saw fit to bless us at this point. I am thankful for the YMCA of Pulaski's after-school enrichment program. We let Cyrus start staying for this, and he became a whole new child. In this program, for a small fee, they have supervision after school until 6pm. They first get help with their homework, pairing older children as mentors to younger children as well as having adult staff to help. Once they complete their homework, they are then allowed to play games and enjoy themselves with others. This has been perfect for Cyrus. His attitude and behavior has improved dramatically with this. One day I went to pick him up a little early due to having gotten off work early. He asked me to come back and get him because he was having fun. We now have to pick him up between 5:30 and 6 because he enjoys it so much. That has given Sarah and I time to get stuff done (grocery store, gym, chores, etc.) that is difficult when we have him. He is happy getting to play with other children as well. He now likes going to school and enjoys it. So, now in March of his Kindergarten year of school, he is happy.
With the help of my in-laws, we were able to take Cyrus to the most "Magical Place on Earth" back in September. That's right, we took him to Disney for a week. He did not know where we were going until we drove toward Magic Kingdom. He saw a Mickey on a sign and pointed it out. So we then proceeded to tell him that the adventure we were taking him on was to go to Disney World. Here we are in March of the following year, and I am not sure who enjoyed it more between my son and my wife. They are already thinking about what they want to do when we go back, and I hoping to be able to go again next year (2020).
We have already scheduled our vacation for 2019. We are going to Myrtle Beach, our typical fallback vacation spot, and stay in the house of my wife's great aunt. There is a water park next door to it we get to go to for free so Cyrus has a good time.
But the most exciting bit of news that is happening is that Sarah and I are in the process of purchasing our first home. We found a place we could afford back in our old home town. It is an older house but it seems to be just what we are looking for in terms of necessities and neighborhood. We are very excited about it and should be closing on it in the next two weeks. Wish us luck as we start the new adventure as homeowners.
