Writing a New Chapter

And so a new chapter is being written for The Estes Family! When I wrote about leaving Women of Faith, we didn't know what the future held but we were prayerful about the future. These past 6 months have been wonderful being with Mallory but we knew when I left WoF, I would be looking for something part-time or if it worked well, full-time. In all honesty, if I didn't have to travel and if the office for Women of Faith was closer, I probably would still be there but that's not the case and here we are. I interviewed for a couple of jobs but they were a no-go. It's hard to get back into the interviewing world when you haven't done it in 6 years! Brian and I decided that I would sub at a local school district during the school year so I could make some money but still be able to pick and choose when I wanted to work. Not too long after that was decided, I got a call and was offered an Aide position. We prayed about it and decided that this would be a good position for me to take. I'll be starting August 13 at my new job!

It will be hard to leave Mallory after being with her at home for 6 months but I am excited about this new adventure. I was home from when she was 8 months - 14 months. She learned so much during this time: crawling, walking, talking, etc... It was really the best time and I'm so grateful for the time with her. We got to go to many playdates and spend great time with friends. We also moved into our new house so I was able to get our house made into a home and I'm thankful for that time.

I know it will be harder on me than Mallory because she loves going everywhere! We are so blessed that our families have offered to help keep her. She will stay with my Dad two days a week, Brian's Aunt Pam one day and will go to the at-home daycare she was at when I worked at WoF for two days. She will get her alone time with Papa and Aunt Pam and get to spend time with friends. I'm really excited for her!

I'm grateful to already have friends at where I'm going to work so it won't be walking into a place unknown. God has definitely blessed us with this as I prayed for a job that would help me contribute to our family as well as still spend as much time with Mallory as I can. I am able to leave work at 4pm instead of getting home around 6pm like I used to at my other job. I am able to have the school holidays as well as Summer's off. Who knows if I will try and get my teacher's certification? It's something that's been in the back of my head for a while so I guess we will see how this year goes.

So, there's your update on our life :) Many of you have prayed with me as we figured out the next step for our family and we are thankful for your prayers! I want God to be glorified in all I do and I hope I can be used to the best of my ability! I'm enjoying this last full week with Mallory and have been getting everything ready for me to go back to full-time work. I'll have to figure out how to set my alarm clock again - ha! 

 Now that Mallory is a toddler, we have to get lots of new things for her to stay at daycare. My friend, Kati, recommended these box lunches so I ordered them last week.

Mallory also got some new shoes and a new backpack

Goodbye diaper bag - you were very good to us!

Here we go! Thanks for journeying with us!