What's happening in our neck of the woods

Ugh... I'm frustrated with my new camera. For some reason the pictures aren't right side up, so when I upload them they are wrong, and of course since I am technically challenged, I can't figure out how to rotate them. There are so many great pictures that I can't post unless I want you all to stand on your heads to see them. Oh well, at least I have a few to share.

The kids have enjoyed several nice days out in the snow. 5 out of the 6 kids were outside playing. It was a precious sight to be seen, and the quiet house was nice too. I took so many pictures of them, but alas many of them were the wrong side up.

This past weekend Paul's brother Jim and his girls Fiona and Nora came over to play. I wish I had more pictures to share from the night, but I was too busy enjoying the moment. We had his other brothers and their wife/fiance over as well which was nice. One really neat sight I really wish I would have caught on camera was all 4 "boys" eating around their childhood table.

George is very affectionate and social, and Nora was his most recent victim, I mean recipient. Thankfully, she took it like a trooper. Her big sister Fiona was very protective and gave George several reminders to be careful and a few check ins with Nora if she was ok. Fiona and Gabriella are the same age, and they had oodles of fun. All the kids kept the aunties and uncles very busy.

So here's a little update...

Daddy Paul is doing well. There is talk at his work of pay cuts which is creating a little stress, but we're trusting that God will get us through if that happens. The lawyer representing the employees told one guy that they should be happy they have jobs- ah duh.

Me, well I'm trying to keep a level head about everything, aka I'm praying ALOT. Remember how I thought God was wanting me to learn how to maintain peace through the challenges, well He's giving me plenty of opportunities to work on it. I've had some trouble with postpartum anxiety, but I am feeling better and taking things minute by minute. We keep a pretty busy schedule around here, and Cecilia is not sleeping through the night, so I'm still running a little low on fuel. I'm also working at changing the way we school around here to accomodate the different styles of learers which is going to require me to come out of my comfort zone a little more. It feels like we're on one huge learning curve.

Elizabeth is doing well. We are very pleased with how healthy she has stayed this winter. She hasn't had any bad flare ups that require her to go to the dr or us her nebulizer. She continues to love playing the piano and almost always has her nose in a book, and of course if she's not reading she is dancing around the house.  Her new hobbies are journaling and knitting.

Olivia is having some difficulty with life lately. She seems to be having some residual effects from the stress of the past few years with Pauly's behaviors, and we have a growing concern that she may have ADHD. Schooling her pretty much results in tears every day, as does requiring her to do anything "not fun." I'm not talking whining, crying, I just don't want to do this attitude but full blown melt down tantrums and a lot of negativity. We are in the evaluation process to differentiate between whether it's ADHD, depression, or anxiety and should have some answers mid March. I think the apple didn't fall far from the tree in this area, so we just really want to help her learn some stategies to help her. She could really use your prayers.

Pauly is improving leaps and bounds. His aggressive behaviors are down, and he is having less meltdowns and is getting more social, but he still has trouble with his anger and dealing with his emotions. Thankfully most of the work is done as far as getting services set up for him, but there are still a lot of extra people and things to do in our life. He still goes to occupational therapy once a week and has finally gotten back to the level he was at when he was originally discharged. He had really lost a lot of attained skills, but he is making good progress. He's still enjoying his half days away at school, and he schools with me in the afternoon. Although he will tell you he doesn't know how to read and truly thinks he doesn't, he really does and is getting quite good. He is also a whiz at math. We now have our family therapist come twice a week to work with not only Pauly but the whole family. She is doing a lot of educating and working with the girls about how to understand his behaviors and challenges more. I can see the effects of life with Pauly on both of them, so I'm glad they have her to help them through it. She is really a great resource and asset to us, and she is really helping us attain our goals of family life.

Gabriella is a perfect 3 year old; fisty, obstinant, independent, funny, inquisitive- yes she's positively 3, and there's not much more to say about that. She loves to draw, and lately she is very intreged in learning to write her letters; she's a self teacher! It's refreshing and off putting to have such an eager learner; she even inlists the help of her big sister which I love to watch. She also has one of the best imaginations of all our kids. She and George are great playmates, and she is always praising and encouraging the other kids. Oh, she cut her hair again; this time with my shaver in the shower. She had no idea what it was and used in like a comb I guess and didn't know it had cut her hair. I was so thankful she didn't cut herself. Why I don't have any grey hair yet is beyond me.

George is sick right now, pitifully sick with a nasty chest cold. Other than that, he's great. We're working really hard on getting him to talk. The kids say that his official language is cave man. We're hoping he'll improve over the next few months, so we can avoid the dr recommending a speech eval. I'm not up for that. George is into everything lately and is a one man wrecking crew. It's a good think he's such a little cuddle bug; I can't get enough of his hugs.

Cecilia is just wonderful. She is a little chunky monkey, but she's perfect. She's smiling and cooing up a storm and is wonderful to have around; she's a real mood lightener. As I said earlier, she's not sleeping through the night yet, but I won't complain or wish time away. For now, I'm glad my sleep is increasing and am trying to just enjoy our night dates.

Please just keep us in your prayers as we continue this journey. We are thankful for all the prayers you have offerred for us and know they are what sustain us through the challenges of raising our family. We pray for you all often.

Jesus, I trust in You.