Jayden's Birthday

Watch out world!! This 16 year old now has her drivers liscence!! I can't believe I have a 16 year old...where does the time go? Some things I love about my 16 year old Jayden:
1. Her love for her family. As some of you may know Jayden recently connected with her birth dad and his wife and two boys. The love she shows for her sisters and brother and now her new brothers is incredible.
2. Her values. Jayden has thought through many of the trials that face young people today and has already made up her mind on what she will do and won't do. This has made it easier for her to leave a situation when she doesn't feel comfortable. Several times she has called me to tell me to pick her up when the people she is with are doing things she doesn't approve of.
3. I also love the relationship we have and that we can talk somewhat openly about the troubles facing her. I hope she knows that I am here to love her unconditionally and that I will always be her biggest supporter.
4, Her testimony. Jayden has had a rough year with her health but this has helped her to see what is truly important in life. This year has made her rely upon the Lord for so much. It has been amazing to watch her blossom.
5. Her heartfelt prayers. I love listening to her pray about both the small and big things in her life.


While I am talking about Jayden I'll update on her health. We still have no answers and very few leads. Everything we have talked about with the doctor seems to end in a dead end. This is very frustrating for Jayden and actually all of us. We were "treating the symptoms" for awhile and we were ok with that "answer" until treating the symptoms stopped working. Her headaches have gotten worse and her vision continues to go blurry at least weekly. She wakes up every morning with her hands and face numb. She randomly gets sharp nerve pain in different areas of her body at random times of the day. Sometimes these sharp pains last only seconds, sometimes they last for a few hours or a few days or a few weeks. These last few weeks have been especially hard for her and we have changed medications again to see if that will help. So far there has been no relief but we are gradually increasing her dosage. She has been on a similar drug called gabapentin that didn't work very well for her but we are hoping that this drug will be better tolerated. As of now there are no tests to run that haven't already been run, there are no doctors to see that we have not already seen. I am hopeful that one day we will have an answer and that hopefully we don't need to wait too long for those answers!

Coleman

So this fine fellow is the winner of the 2012 Spelling Bee for Rosecrest Elementary!

The best Christmas present EVER

Last year our dog, Maisy died a few days after Christmas. I swore I would never have another dog again. This year every one of the kids had written a dog on their Christmas list. I didn't think much of it at first but I started thinking that given what the kids were going through right now, a puppy that unconditionally loves them might be a good idea. I researched out a few breeds and ended up with this darling Yorkie Poo. She is seriously the sweetest puppy ever. So cuddley and fun!! I fell in love with her the minute I saw her and so did the kids!!

Thanksgiving

I wish I had taken the time to take pictures but I didn't. This Thanksgiving we had dinner at Mark and Holli's. The best part of this Thanksgiving is that Mike and his kids came! It has been about a year since we had seen them so it was so fun to spend a few days with them! We had a big cousin sleepover the night before and I went with Mike and his kids to see a movie on Thanksgiving afternoon. It has been so neat to watch Mike change and be such an awesome uncle and dad. I haven't had a chance to get to really talk with Mike for a few years so it was so wonderful to be able to spend a few days with him!

Halloween 2011

This Halloween the girls both wanted to be Little Red Riding Hood and I'm not sure what we called Coleman....chicken man?

Wow...I'm such a loser at this blogging stuff. I have wonderful ideas and just not enough time to actually get it done! Ill start with what I can remember and work my way back to the present. I hope my kids will understand one day why I didn't document everything the way I wanted too!!
First I'll start with what has been happening in our lives. In October, after much turmoil, Trent and I seperated. It has been an adjustment for everyone but a much needed seperation for everyone. I want to make sure that whatever decision is made (divorce or reuniting) that we know it is the right thing for our family. I don't want to be an "intact" family for the sake of being together. I don't want a "broken" family because I feel like there is something better out there. I want to be able to say at the end of the road that I did what needed to be done and I feel good about my decision. The kids have been going to counseling for a few months to be able to talk about their feelings without hurting my feelings or Trent's feelings. Trent and I have been going to marriage counseling too and what I can say definitively that no matter what our family is the top priority.