Some big milestones

Sorry I've not been good about updating on our family. I confess that I love reading other families blogs and seeing updates and pictures...and can be impatient when there aren't any for a while :) so I want to work on updating my own more often and remembering what a challenge it can be amidst daily life to remember and find time to blog!

Part of my lack of motivation has been the absence of a camera with a working computer cord so I can include updated photos. I pray I can locate that soon as I feel like I'm missing so much.

I wanted to mention that we've had a few big milestones here...
our Lily May turned 4 in September! hard to believe! It is a very special and sobering event because we're reminded that she would have likely been transferred to the mental institution on her 4th birthday. We are so glad that she is here with us...sometimes we are sitting around the living room as a family, and I just marvel about the fact that these 3 then orphans are just sitting here with us, a part of our family, as we well remember all it took to bring them home. God is good!

Lily is doing pretty well. She is starting to fill out--she actually has some chunk to her arms and legs now, though her torso is still pretty tiny. She is tiny for 4 years old but full of energy. She still has some big challenges with certain things-- like not wanting to drink much, being persistant or stubborn when given correction (she doesn't like the word no :), hitting/pinching/biting/pulling glasses though these are getting much better. She smiles so much more now--and her smile lights up the room for sure! She loves music and will cry/fuss when it is turned off, and she just loves to run after our chickens!

Lily's hemoglobin level was high so she is in need of some testing to see what is causing it...either by a sleep study or seeing an ENT doctor, so please keep her in your prayers. Her other bloodwork was negative (ie. for Leukemia) for which we are thankful.

Another big event was that we passed the one year mark of our adoption....a year ago we had just gotten home and had moved across the country with our expanded family of 11. This year has flown by for us.

Joshua is doing well though we hope to get him in for some needed tests to see whats going on with his brain condition (as well as Lily's heart and eyes). We've been hit with many medical bills so we are praying we can get those things done soon. Joshua continues to show improvements in his alertness. He has so much interest in his environment and he gets so excited and joyful when he sees his parents or his siblings...it is so neat to see! I've noticed that he is using his right hand/arm more and seems to be intentionally moving it. He continues to make bowel movements on his own and hasn't needed the suppositories he had used at the orphanage. We moved him to his own room recently because he can be quite noisy at night--sometimes just squeeling with excitement and other times crying-- amazingly, his 2 older brothers slept right through it but Aidan our baby kept waking up! Joshua seems to be sleeping better on his own where there is less stimulation so that has been nice.

Please pray for our family as we continue to pray about whether God would have us remain here in this house and/or in this area, as we need to decide what to do very soon. We've been making some health improvements in our diet to see if that will significantly reduce the asthma for John and the kids who suffer from allergies. We really like where we are in many ways, and we've enjoyed our animals alot, despite it being alot of work! On a different note-- funny in a way but not in others, we came home the other day from an outing for our baby Aidan's 2nd birthday to find our goats all out of their pens...the girls and the boys, and this is mating season! Ahh! It was so strange but there they were and what could we do? Nothing, but wait to see if they go into heat again. So, despite all our plans, they may have bred with the wrong buck, and one of our does who was not supposed to breed again, may have done just that--we're praying she wasn't able to as she would have major health issues with delivery.

Hopefully I can access and load some pictures very soon here.
Hope you all are well, and if you are able, please keep these special families in your prayers...

my friend Lisa, who recently lost her dear mother suddenly from a heart attack

the Rogers family, who are in the middle of seeking to adopt 2 little ones with Down Syndrome for the first time in that orphanage/region (and are still needing funds--see our older posts) www.arainbowfamily.blogspot.com
and

the Malone family (www.themalonefamily.us) who is preparing to move their family of 9 children (5 I think with Down syndrome) by faith in God's calling to the Ukraine to minister to the people there!

Thanks and God bless,
Traci