An update on everyone

The summer has been busy with projects, preparing and some fun of course. My brain and emotions have been pulled in many different directions, but I can't complain- at least I won't.

Baby girl and I are doing well and hit 24 weeks this week. She is growing and very active and taking a lot of energy out of me. She is getting a lot stronger, and her kicks are packing a bigger punch. Today we were all watching a movie, and she started to really move. I put Pauly's arm on my belly; he not only felt her kick, but Elizabeth saw his arm bounce up from it. Elizabeth was the first to catch one of her kicks; Paul is notoriously unlucky at catching our babies' kick. The lack of energy can be a bit frustrating that I can't do everything I would like in a timely fashion, but bit by bit I am getting the "to do list" done and learning some lessons in humility and limitations. I love having babies, but my body is not in agreement with me. I go in next Monday for a follow up ultrasound and am hoping for a better picture that I can post. We'll see if she cooperates.

Paul is doing well. Summers are always extra busy for him at work, but in typical Paul fashion- he doesn't complain. I've kept him busy with projects especially things that are hard for me to do myself. He still really enjoys a good buy, and this cabbage was not only a good buy, but it was rather amusing as well. It was enormous and made for delicious galumkis (aka cabbage rolls). Pretty geeky I know, but I love him.

Elizabeth and Olivia are keeping very busy this summer doing a lot of playing and some traveling. They went to Itasca State Park with my parents and got to explore the Headwaters of the Mississippi. They are pretty adventurous and thought he Indian grave sites were pretty cool. We've heard a lot of stories and factoids from them since they returned.

School will start Sept. 8th. Elizabeth will be in 5th grade and Olivia in 4th-yikes. The two of them will be trying something new this year- dance. I found a wonderful teacher with a studio called Dancing for Jesus. A couple of their girl friends also go there, so they are super excited. I'm excited because the teacher is Christian, so all the dances are choreographed to Christian songs, the costumes and dance moves are modest and appropriate, and she prays with the girls and teaches them scripture and other Bible lessons during their time together. They will be in a group of all homeschooler which will be neat for them to know they're not alone in this lifestyle. We've got their shoes ordered and just bought their dancing outfits, now we just need it to be here. They will continue with piano lessons again this year but with a new teacher who is also a homeschooling mother. I think she will be a great mentor and motivator for them. They are counting down the days for both the dance and piano, not so much the school starting, but I think they're ready to get back to more of a routine and the structure.

Pauly will be in first grade this year. It was a tough decision, but we have decided to put him in school half days, so he can get special ed. services and more social interaction, but he will continue to home school with me on the core subjects. He is very excited and is counting down the days for school to start; he likes the structure and routine.

There has been a lot to do and think about since his diagnosis of Autism; it's been a lesson in patience and trust for sure. We applied for and were approved for a special form of medical assistance that is disability based. This will not only provide us with financial assistance and will make any therapy and option for Pauly, but it also gives him a status with the state that will last him for life, meaning if down the road he would need employment assistance or job training, etc. he will already have the qualifications for what he needs. We also applied for a county case manager and were approved, so we know have a wonderful social worker who helps us sift through options and fill out paperwork, resources, and provides us with a lot of support practically and emotionally; she is an answer to prayer for sure. One of the resources she has already connected us with is an in home behavior therapist- something that was not an option for us without the medical assistance. We met with her last week to give her a summary of life with Pauly and come up with some goals for him and the family as a whole. She will work with Pauly and us weekly and may even see him in office for a social skills group. I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to the help, and there is so much peace in my heart. Behavior therapy was a recommendation of the psychiatrist I took Pauly to. In her opinion she agreed with the diagnosis given by the psychologist and thought he had a lot of strengths and will greatly benefit from behavior therapy and more social and independent living skills training. He was also reevaluated by his occupational therapist and should hopefully be resuming sessions with her. We're looking forward to what lies ahead for him and all of us.

Taking "5" after all their hard work planing trees.

Gabriella is doing well enjoying being 3 which of course includes having an intense desire for independence and her way in other words she's having some tantrums, but thank goodness she fills us with her cuteness the rest of the time. I think her love language is words of affirmation. She is always saying things like, "I'm so proud of you" or "Thank you so much." Paul's personal favorite is "Keep your chin up Dad." Not sure where she got that from, but it's pretty darn funny coming from a 3 year old.

She joined the big girls the other day for a trip to the dentist. This was her first time seeing the dentist. She did awesome; the best of all the kids so far. Even the dentist commented that she was the least "quirky" so far. With Olivia he had to come in on his rolling chair because she was afraid of how tall he was; Elizabeth was rigid, and well, Pauly was Pauly. I laughed through most of her cleaning. She was all eyes watching. She did great. After, I took the girls out for lunch and some shopping; good girl time.

And finally, there's George. What can I say about George that can't be summed up in a word- CUTE. He is such a little clown and full of antics. He is always making us laugh, and I think he is our biggest cuddlers. He provides great comic relief. One of his new favorite things to play is cooking. He goes to the cupboard to get some pans, points for a spoon, pushes the chair in front of the stove and plays chef. One day I caught him on top of the stove because he wanted the salt and pepper shaker. Tell me I don't always need to be on my guard.Hope you enjoyed the update. Jesus, we trust in You.