Charlotte = 2 months!

Time for an update!
So, Charlotte is 2 months old, Viola is in Kindergarten, Gideon is doing preschool with Kristen, Kristen joined Mary Kay, and I'm teaching new classes this year. We also have a new roommate (Tab) in a still newish house. The baby is SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT. Not that I ever had a right to complain. Kristen has been a CHAMP at getting up with the baby. She knows I've got a lot going on at school so she's shouldered most of that responsibility.

We had a court hearing for the termination of Charlotte's biological parents' rights. All went well with that and we'll be able to adopt her officially in January!

Viola has started Kindergarten and she seems to like it a lot. She does however have a rough time with the transition after school. She can be quite rude with Kristen and seems to have a hard time following instructions (maybe its because she does that all day?)

Gideon might be having the hardest time with the transition. He's Mr. Sensitive and it shows. He acts out when he wants some attention and throws some temper tantrums he didn't used to throw. That being said, he's gradually gotten better. Kristen has done a good job at finding things for him to do or places to go during the day.

Kristen and I are doing well. Recently, we've readjusted some of the roles of who does what around the house - and we're still figuring it out. I think we've made a lot of progress at handling logistics of the new phase of life. Now, if we could just figure out some of the other stuff like having time to spend together!

Life is busy, but all in all, I think things are going really well. Fall is my favorite season. I love the brisk weather and I'm anxious for changing leaves and morning fog.

Personally:
Those closest to me know that I'm almost always a little discontent. While this has its obvious downside, its sort of a blessing for my family as well. I'm always searching for more. I have conversations and do a lot of research about life and alternate ways to live it. Even with Charlotte and my teaching gig (all new classes which I mostly enjoy), I always have this nagging feeling that I'm missing the mark just a little - so, I keep digging.

The more I wallow in this place, the weirder I feel and the weirder I feel that more people don't have these same thoughts of semi-discontentment. People have unlimited potential and awesomely unique personalities. These days, I find myself gravitating toward anything/anyone that feels unique. This is probably because if it feels unique, I assume it/he/she is closer to some truth of life than those all doing the same things. The things that many seem to hold near and dear don't seem like things I want to hold near and dear. But, like any other Joe Schmo, I am cyclicly re-addicted to the same meaningless things (Netflix, Facebook, Instagram, etc..). Luckily, I've managed to avoid Iowa Football outcomes as a barometer of my mood for the entire weekend.

Lately, the life enriching experiences I want to pursue are:

Family:
   * Gideon and Viola have transitions involving Charlotte, daycare, and Kindergarten.
   * Charlotte needs a competent father figure. Its a work in progress!
   * Figure out how to spend quality time with Kristen (not just watching Netflix).
   * I'm sure Leon is permanently depressed.

Me:
   * I want to catch more sunrises in scenic places.
   * Continue to leverage our budget to pay down debt.
   * Find time to hang with people in my my age/stage of life.