Christmas Newsletter

Our Christmas Newsletter didn't quite fit on our blog. Check it out at the link.
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Merry Christmas!

Full Steam Ahead!

Parenting, the great adventure... when you're up in the middle of the night with a crying baby it seems like it's going pretty slow, but then suddenly it's like being aboard a steam train headed.... well, somewhere... FAST, and you just gotta hang on and make the best of it trusting that in the end, you'll get where you need to be...well, part of this adventure has been a long one, and hard, very hard.

My son Luke is very intelligent, he has a phenomenal memory and is sweet, kind and thoughtful.  He is detail oriented and loves to learn, spending most of his days creating amazing car designs and maps, and reading the rest of the time.  He is a great snuggler and loves to wrestle.  Yet there was an outward shell of distraction, frustration, and intense feelings, and it just felt like something wasn't right.  I wanted so much for my child to reach his potential and have meaningful relationships with others, and be happy, after all, that's what the adventure is all about right?  I just didn't anticipate all this... 

He started with speech therapy at 3 1/2 then had social skills classes, then occupational therapy, then trips to several psychologists, then visits to an ENT, a Functional vision exam, a hearing test, and many trips to Seattle for iLS therapy.  Then more trips to psychologists, and then the Amen Clinic where he was finally diagnosed with ADHD Ring of Fire (that's the latest guess).  Then we went to a Sleep clinic for a sleep study, then a naturopath for food allergy testing now we're about to start Neurofeedback to see if we can't alleviate remaining symptoms and perhaps get rid of some of the supplements he takes several times a day.  The great news is that I just found an amazing pediatrician who seems like a Godsend.

When you've been to that many doctors, filled out that much paperwork and spent way too many hours researching different disorders, therapies, and tests, you begin to appreciate the complexity of the human body (especially the brain) and how far we are from knowing how everything works and fits together.  I feel like I have a little more compassion for the mother of that kid who's misbehaving or throwing a fit because sometimes they're doing everything they can and there's more going on there than the rest of us can see (sometimes the kid needs some discipline but it's not the cure all I thought it once was!). 

He has come so far, and I am amazed with how patient he has been with all of this.  He has endured, and boy, I have endured.  I wish I had been more patient because I probably spent a little too much time crying, and not enough time on my knees, although sometimes I multitasked those two...  When you're in the middle of a trial it's sometimes hard to know how long it will be until you reach the end of the tunnel of darkness and reach the light (I think that's where the faith and patience comes in).  I know that I needed this experience in my life to learn and grow because my learning curve has pretty much been vertical.  And above all I know that God has been aware of my struggle and heartache because all along this difficult road, there have been Sunday School teachers, Preschool teachers, friends, neighbors, all seemingly placed directly in my path so that although I was facing the biggest trial to date in my life, I wasn't facing it alone.  My husband gets super props because he has absorbed most of those tears, and he has been my lifeline countless times when I needed major support. 

I truly believe that as a mother I have been privileged to not only have these sweet children in my home to teach and love, but that when I need help with knowing how to do that, I get it.  There have been many times when I have followed the direction of the Spirit in parenting, and then later, a therapist or teacher recommended that I do just that.  I now credit more of my "great ideas" to divine intervention because they were so right on, and heck, I've never done this before!

My son got dressed without a fuss this morning, was happy about going to Church, participated, even created an activity for the children's singing time for me to use (that's my job :) and played with his sister this afternoon.... there was no sign of the opposition, distraction, frustration that there was before.  I know there will be hard days ahead, there are for every parent and every kid, but I feel like I'm coming out the end of the tunnel, and the sky is blue.  And that blue, is the most beautiful color I've ever seen.

Family Christmas Newsletter

Please ignore the fact that indeed this was the only post this year…I was shocked to find that the post before it was the Christmas Newsletter from last year!  But at least this one is getting published in December and not January eh?  And I have my work cut out for me when it comes to New Year’s Resolutions

Luke learned how to use a number line and do long addition, write his own books and reads like a regular third grader! He recently discovered Lego City Police and so our home is filled with the sounds of sirens and bad guys getting taken “back where you belong!” In Emily’s best interests he will not be getting handcuffs this Christmas! He completed an intense session of Intergative Listening and has enjoyed finally being out of doctor’s offices! He loves to build things out of boxes, tape, paper, and couch cushions. I have learned that he has a very sweet spot in his heart for his little baby sister…

Emily learned to write her name, sleep through the night in a big girl bunk bed, ride a balance bike, and talk, and talk. She has an immense vocabulary and makes sure everyone knows what she is thinking, why, and what they should be thinking too. She has really enjoyed going to preschool this year, and adores having Amber around.  She loves to dress up, be a ballerina, and make up aliases for herself. Right now she is “Butterfly Girl…with super powers!! Unfortunately as of this morning she can no longer touch the sky…I reassured her that it is probably temporary. I have learned that I may never be prepared for the emotion, charisma, and humor of this little girl.

Amber has learned what it’s like having a body, a family, and all the time in the world to eat, sleep, and speak gibberish. With her full head of rich black hair and large blue eyes, she stops people everywhere I go to ooh and aaah over her sweetness. Her siblings are quite smitten with her too, and she finds daddy’s programming talk hilarious (couldn’t stop her laughing!!) I cannot count the miracles that accompanied her arrival. She is such a precious blessing. For now, she is the easiest and best part of my job, but I’m sure she’ll have many lessons to teach me too!

Andrew learned to juggle his time between bouncing on the trampoline with two kids, a pregnant wife on bed rest, several side projects, oh and a busy full time job. Two of Andrew’s hobby projects are being shipped as part of Microsoft products J. He also created his own secure messaging app which is now available in the Window’s 8 Store under the name “Cryptochat.” In his spare time (Ha!) he has taken up reading and is on #5 of the Harry Potter series. He is an amazing dad who gets up at night with the two older kids so I can get more sleep (See Proverbs 25:24). I have learned that there is no end to his willingness to help me, and his talents (he made a Thanksgiving pie from scratch!!)

I learned that being Young Women President (girl’s youth pastor) is hard and busy, that I have room in my heart for another sweet baby, and that homeschooling can be really fun. It was fun to plan our first family vacation down to Southern California and to find time to read (since I started my pregnancy in bed and finished it that way too). There’ve also been seasons of painting and sewing which have been nice. I’ve learned that I can text one of my teen girls, remind Emily to wipe her bum, and be planning dinner, all while reading a book with Luke, and nursing Amber…and remembering to breathe… It’s apparent that even I have super powers ;)

We hope that you can look back on this year with happiness and that you can rejoice in this Season of Peace and Joy, as we celebrate the birth of that Wondrous Child. Thank you for your friendship and love to us, we look forward to visiting with some of you in the coming year.