The Unexpected - June 2-8

We stayed in Raleigh after Alden's birthday weekend for Matt to interview with a property management company in Cary. Kind of a whim, especially since we were thinking that the deal in Charlotte was a pretty sure thing. Matt enjoyed his conversation with the president (don't be too wowed, there are only 10-15 people in the company), and said it was "interesting." Basically, the guy was honest with Matt and told him that he didn't really offer any useful skills at all, and asked Matt to submit a writing sample. We drove back to Charlotte not really knowing what to think, but Matt went ahead and emailed Miles some of his papers from seminary.

Then, Tuesday, they called and wanted Matt back for a second interview on Wednesday. We went back and forth about it and eventually decided that he might as well go. They called that night and unanimously offered him the job. They were impressed with his papers, and maturity and think that this could be a great career for him.

What a curve ball!! We were still waiting to hear from the Budd group at this point, and trying to figure out what we should do. Initially, we had thought moving to Raleigh was what we wanted, but the past few weeks, had surrendered that idea, and felt good about staying in Charlotte. Maybe that is the point we had to come to. Anyways, we were hoping to know something from the Budd Group by Friday...and then they pushed that back to Monday. We spent a lot of time over the weekend praying, and trying to discern what is best for our family.

In the midst of all the job stuff that week, we were very thankful to have the library start again at Rea Rd. Alden is now in the 2s class, which was substantially more rowdy than the Young and the Restless. They sang some of the same songs, and still got stamps at the end, but no bubbles. I think she was a little disappointed.

Alden and I celebrated her friend Connor's ("Ka-ka's") birthday on Wednesday with our playgroup. The girls had a great time playing in Connor's little pool in the backyard, and were willing to take a break only for cupcakes. Alden rioted when she finished her cupcake and realized the pool was put away. I think she could live in the water.

Friday was Alden's 2 year check-up. She is doing well, and still holding fast in the petite 25-50% for height and weight. Dr. Taylor was really surprised at how well Alden did, and how cooperative she was. I think Alden was excited to be doing the same things at the doctor as in her Elmo Goes to the Doctor book. The doctor was asking about how much Alden was saying and we were telling her how she seems to be talking more, and we aren't super-concerned about her tongue/frenulum thing...then Alden, who was looking at a book, busts out with the word "elk." Dr. Taylor was pretty surprised that she knew that, but I tried to tell her not to be too impressed...we only know elk because she has an elk magnet at home, plus it ends in a "kk" sound, which is Alden's specialty.

Since we made it out of the doctor without any shots, we decided to head to the mall to look for some grown-up work clothes for Matt, assuming that either job would necessitate more than polos and khakis. We ate in the food court, and one of the ladies we were sitting beside commented on how nice Alden was, and how refreshing to see a well-behaved child. What a day for pulling the fleece over people's eyes, because she sure had the doctor and this lady fooled. They definitely caught her on a good day...or good window of a few hours.

Despite the decisions hanging over our heads, we had a wonderful weekend. We took Alden to the pool on Saturday morning, and she did the slide! That night, we had a get together with our friends John and Katie, and their family to celebrate Connor's birthday, part 2. It was a bittersweet time, to look around and realize what great friends we have here and to think that we could be leaving. John and Katie can definitely do a 2 year old party right, and had pizza, tons of snacks, a yum cake, and plenty of adult beverages. After all, isn't it really a celebration for the parents for surviving 2 years??

Sunday, we headed to church, and went to our friend Bradd's mom's house to enjoy their pool. Alden had a blast, of course, and we got to see Bradd and Corinne's little girl, Dylann for the first time since the hospital. It is hard to believe she is 2 months old!