Time for a blog update

I see it's been about 2 years since I updated my blog. Whether anyone ever reads it or not, it's really nice for me to be able to go back and see where we've been, what we've done.

A year ago, William had his right index finger repositioned to be where his right thumb should be. We've had months of therapy, and he is doing pretty good with it. :-) It will never be as strong or bendable as his other one, but all-in-all, I thinks it is good. We've also seen a holistic doc for him and found out he has a gluten sensitivity.

He is having a wonderful kindergarten year! I love Big Bend Elementary!! Liberty is in 4th grade there too. She is doing excellent and is one of the smartest kids. She loves helping her teacher, Mrs. Johnson, and has made some great friends.

Our really big news this year is we'll be moving to TEXAS! After school gets out in June is when we'll head down. My 3 big kids adult children, will not be coming so that will be very very very hard on us. Meg will also keep Eli up here. We will miss miss our families too. We had talked about this a little bit a year ago or so, and I am sooo thankful that we did not, as I would have missed the last moments of my dad's life. Thank you Jesus.

So, Brian got offered a position with his company's new plant in Mexico and it seems they want him to start as soon as possible. Him and I get to go down on Thursday of this week to look around and check it out before we give them our answer, which, God willing, will be yes.

But I am SO thankful for this crazy, wonderful adventure that is upon us and we are able to experience it!!

In other news:
-I turned 50 last November
- We are taking our first Disney trip next November for a Disney 1/2 marathon! Woohoo! Better get training!
-we finally found a small bible study group that we absolutely love - only to have to leave it. :*) (that sad and happy, bittersweet, you get the picture)
-I got a seasonal job at Kohls last November and was able to keep it and I LOVED it! It is/was so me. I haven't quit yet but soon.
-Joe graduated from MSOE last spring and has a very good job now. Megan is seeing a wonderful young man, Tom, whom she really really likes, and Josh is finishing up his 3rd year at Trinity International University - on the dean's list!!

Recent pics

William's got 2 favorite Christmas Carols, Silent Night and Away in the Manger. At our Christmas Eve service, we had a candle light service - yes, Brian did let Will hold a candle!- and a family who had a new baby dressed up as Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus and walked to the front as we sang those carols. A couple nights ago, he put a cloth napkin on his head, and said he was "Away in the manger daddy" and Gus was baby Jesus. LOL, He is so precious! What a joy to this old momma!

Here is our little craft project for preschool he did this morning. We are homeschooling preschool and just going through some speech therapy, colors, letter and number recognition. I got some pre-phonics booklets but we are needing to learn things before we can start them, like same/different, and small motor skills.

At church last weekend, Will was so cute. After church, he runs to all the teenage girls to get hugs. Everyone just loves him so much!

A message from a child once an orphan

http://www.youtube.com/user/ouradoption#p/a/u/0/SXSGhpVRiUY

http://www.youtube.com/user/ouradoption#p/a/u/0/SXSGhpVRiUY


Not sure if these will work. They are the same youtube video, just trying to get it posted.

Uh Oh!

how could I not get my kids a puppy???????

It's a wonderful life...

We started our very own Black Friday tradition. The kids got to go sit on Santa's lap at the mall. :-) Will did great. He told Santa what he would like, then waited with his hand outstreached for his present!
I was so happy with how the picture turned out, I ordered one of the most expensive packages. That's always been an unspoken rule with myself that I order one pic, for the last 24 years that I've been a mom. Oops. How could I help myself tho! He's got his shoes that match his big brothers, black Converse. Yikes, I am letting all my tried-and-true parenting ideals fly right out the window!

Then last night we went on our first "pajama ride" in like, 16 years! We've always done this with our older kids, and that is, we'd put them to bed, wait about 15 minutes- the get settled down, but not fall asleep yet- and go in their room making noise and call "pajama ride!" Then we go somewhere, whether it's to a movie, out for an ice cream, or last night we went to see the Christmas lights at Candy Cane Lane.

It was sooo much fun!

Awesome Boy!

Look at what William did with one hand tied behind his back. Ok, well with one in a cast anyway. :-)
Thats his new 48 piece puzzle.

surgery day- friday oct.28

William had his surgery on his "club" arm on Friday. It went pretty well. The orthopedic surgeon had hoped to get the wrist centralized and the forefinger placed in the thumb position, all in this surgery, but it wouold have taken too long. There was alot he needed to get done and it turns out the finger one will be 4 hrs in itself. So that will be revisited in spring of next year. My teacher at Cricket Academy had asked a good question of me yesterday: Will he actually be able to use it after surgery as good as he can now? Right now he is good at using his first 2 fingers and kind of holding things between them and it he will not have that good use of them after than I wouldn't do it.

Anyway, right now William is in alot of pain. He is on 2 different pain meds and still in pain. The doctor said that doing surgery on a bone is extremely painful. He had his ulna worked on and it was shaved(?) a bit because it was bowed. There was also some extra bone at the wrist that was removed and for the next 2 months, he has a long pin from wrist to elbow keeping his arm/wrist straight.

He had a huge cast on and he absolutely hates it! He was throwing temper-tantrums in the hospital (I could hear him in the recovery room!) he was so mad to have that thing on. Periodically now, 2 days later, he pounds on it and tries to rip it off. You gotta figure that all he knows is that he went in to the hospital w/o it and now he's got it on. He doesn't realize that the doctor had to cut his arm! :-( Poor kid!