The Doehne Family: November 2012

I am ashamed that my last post was talking about summer and here we are about to welcome the holiday season. A lot has happened since August so I will have to give it to you in a nutshell. I went back to work...then quit 3 months later. Many factors influenced this HUGE life decision. First and foremost, family is my/our priority. I had struggled with the decision on whether or not to work since Greyson was born. I was grateful to stay home his first year, and when I returned to work this past spring, I knew it was all wrong but kept on thinking things would get better. Summer came and went and I fought all glaring signs that it was time to be home with the boys. I can't explain it exactly but it wasn't until Greyson got very sick that I surrendered to what God had been trying to tell me all along. Greyson came down with just your ordinary ear infection...only his 3rd since he was born, so I have to think that isn't terrible. However, he was given a series of antibiotics all of which he reacted to, SEVERELY. The poor child was sick for over 21 days. No penicillin or cephalosporin drugs were going to be an option for him moving forward...long story short, the doctor warned us of the rough go we were about to face come cold and flu season. Considering there were not many options to treat Greyson, we were in for a bumpy ride. That was the straw the broke this camel's back. With our second house vacant, we determined we would make it work on one income. So I gave my resignation to a career that I had gotten a master's degree in and been doing for almost 10 years. It was DIFFICULT but the RIGHT thing to do at this point in our lives. My last day was November 2, and it still doesn't feel real...just like I am on vacation.

Connor is now at our church's preschool program 3 mornings a week. It was an easy transition, however, he misses his best friend, Lucas, from Goddard whom he has known and been in class with since he was 16 months old. Greyson is home with me full time. We are going to join a fun class after the holidays so that he has something fun to do with other children too.
The boys had a fun Fall. We did so many autumn activities...pumpkin patches, harvest festivals, Halloweeen trick or treating, and even football (Connor attended his first Florida Gator football game in Gainesville).

Here are some pictures of Fall here with C&G:

This was the reaction every time I tried to take a picture of them at the pumpkin patch. Clearly Greyson is offended that he is not getting any cotton candy!