Almost Spring!

I can feel it!  I am ready for it!  Spring!

The weather is warming daily.  The frogs are peeping in the pond and turtles are out sunning themselves.  I have seen a lot of geese flying North.  The daffodils are up so cheerful and the forsythia bushes are blooming as well.  I see swollen buds on trees and bushes everywhere.  The ponies are all happy that the grass is finally growing.  The ground is covered with hen bit and chick weed.  Those are the first things that start to grow here in Georgia when the weather warms.  It carpets everything.  God is so good.

I got my spring rush of energy a few weeks ago and have been busily working inside sorting and deep cleaning.  I am itching to get some things done outside but we have had so much rain, its to wet to really do any of the projects on my list. We might attack cleaning and organizing the barn one day next week as we can do that rain or shine.

All of the baby goats have gone to new homes except the little doe I am retaining.  I kept a little buckling to keep her company till she is big enough to blend into the herd.  Bottle feeding two baby goats is not to much work and the children enjoy watching them grow.

I have no lofty gardening plans this year.  I am still very busy with our three young foster children and their many intense needs.  So I don't want to get in over my head, in things that need attention from me daily, when these children need me so much right now.  I might put in a few tomato and pepper plants and call it good for the year.

The children are all doing well.

Stephen is busy with his life in a town north of us. 

He comes to visit frequently.  He has owned one cat for many years but got a new kitten recently, so we have been receiving cute photos, as it has grown, over the last few months.

Antonio was having a lot of trouble with his joints locking up and muscles being very tight.

He started getting Botox shots a few months ago and taking Baclifin.  It has helped tremendously in our ability to get his shirts and hand splints on him.  He is still tight but we can move his joints a little easier.  Here is a picture of his Gecko Franklin.  He loves that little guy.  I was giving him a warm water soak.

   
William has been going over to our local college twice a week to participate in their GED program.   He has, for the most part, been able to drive himself.  He is still struggling with his health but is doing good over all.  His new dog has been such a blessing for him.  He spends a lot of time with her and I can tell it keeps his stress levels down.

Carolyn  is about to undergo testing by our local school system.  She is a little nervous about it all.  We need to see exactly where she is at and how her psychological looks in order to get full understanding of how to help her plan for her future.  She will be 15 very soon and we need to start to think about, what is available to her, with her special needs in life, to be successful and as independent as possible. 

She has been practicing ballet in her spare time as her recital is in May and she wants to do her best.

Zeke has gone thru a huge growth spurt and his voice has gotten very deep.  I often have to think who is speaking in the next room and realize it is him in his grown mans voice.  He is spending a lot of time working on his animation and videos he makes. 

He tries to have a movie made for Tim and I to watch each Friday Night Movie Night.  The children take pictures of each other all the time and doctor them with funny things.  Here is Zeke in a mustache sent to me from William!

Zeke said for me to post it.  My very serious young man.  He only smiles if asked  to or if something strikes him as very funny.

Elizabeth has also gone thru a huge growth spurt. 

Carolyn throwing a snowball at Elizabeth throwing a snowball at Zeke, two weeks ago in the big snow!

She is taller than I am now and has gotten a bit thin.  I have had to up her calories to try to get her weight to catch up with her height.  She loves to eat so she is enjoying it.  We usually have to watch her weight the other way so she is enjoying the larger portions and treats.  She is also practicing a lot for her ballet recital.  Last year she had a broken ankle and could not participate properly, so she is working extra hard and ready to dance this year for everyone.

Reading in bed.

"B" is still having a lot of behavioral issues but I can see him maturing lately and trying harder to please us.  He has come so far but has a long way to go. 

"B" out in the snow with Yellow two weeks ago!

We recently had him tested and they feel he has a syndrome.  Most likely Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.  He is very impulsive and full of energy.  I mean really full of energy.  I can not easily even take him out in public his behavior is often so bad but... He understands so much lately I am able to talk to him about it and the repercussions he will have once home (loss of privileges or time out) and can now steer him into being good sometimes, which is nice.  He is a very smart little boy and loves to learn.  We enjoy reading books together and surfing the internet to see things he is interested in learning.  He still struggles with his eating.  It takes him over and hour to eat each meal.  Chewing is very hard for him.  We took him to the dentist and he has about 10 cavities from his previous life.  He will have to be put under to have them all fixed at a local hospital.  He needs 5 crowns.  Hopefully that will help his eating improve as well once that is all fixed. On a very positive  note "B" is totally potty trained day and night now!  Praise God!

"T" is doing very well. 

One of his favorite pass times!

He is very immature for his age and has his own set of developmental issues but is a delight as most of his issues are not behavioral.  He has a lot of sensory issues and a has a few melt downs daily over those but all in all he is a lot of fun and a pretty easy child.  I was worried about his development and had him tested as well when I had "B" tested.  They feel "T" is on the autism spectrum.  I will take him to the school system to have him tested, when he is older, to get a definitive diagnosis.  But the testing we had done so far helps me tremendously in understanding what is bothering him, why and how to help him have better days.  Even though he is no where near ready to understanding potty training, we started some "mommy training" with him.  Just putting him on the potty after meals to catch his bowel moments.  I did this as he has constant very loose yeasty potty and it tears up his very fair skin in his diaper area.  We have been working with him a few weeks now and his bottom looks wonderful and he knows to push if  he has to go when he is on the potty now.  So this is wonderful considering his cognitive ability right now.

Baby "K" is looking much less like a baby now and more like a toddler. She is 10 months old.  She is far behind according to the developmental charts.  Those things are so over rated anyways.  :)  But is progressing nicely.  God really is doing an amazing miracle in her.  When she came she could not see and did not even blink to protect her eyes.  She now will  smile at me, if I smile at her, from even up to 10 feet away!  She has optic nerve hypoplasia and is considered legally blind but is using the vision she has wonderfully!  When she came she was a very floppy little baby and did not move her body  much at all.  She seemed to not know she had arms and legs and when she did move them, she acted like they were to heavy to move.  She can now roll over both ways.  She can pivot around while on her tummy, in a circle and she just learned to sit!

So she is doing really great.  I can see her trying to figure out crawling.  But she is missing part of the the nerve bundle that connects the two halves of her brain (Hypoplasia of the Corpus Callosum) so coordinating moving both halves of her body is very difficult.  She also has low tone CP so things like crawling or walking is really going to be hard for her to learn.  I can see her determination and with much prayer and us helping her practice, I can see she will crawl one day soon.  Maybe in a few months.  All in Gods timing! She is such a treasure and blessing to our home.  A very happy, sweet good girl!

God is so good and even though we have hard days at times, we feel so very blessed in life.  May the Lord God in heaven be with you in all you do.  Leading and guiding you to preform the works He has for you to do for others in life.

Hebrews 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Blessings,
susan  
 

Deep South Snow!!

This winter has been very enjoyable so far.  We have had lots of rain but the temperatures have not been terrible.  The month of February has been pretty cold and we have  had several times they predicted ice or snow but we didn't get much from it. 

Yesterday, they had predicted that we were going to get snow by the afternoon and that we were going to get as much as eight inches.  Very rare for here.  This time they got it right.  It did indeed start to snow in the afternoon and it came down fast and hard.  It was breathtaking. 

By bed time we had a good four inches and by this morning we had at least six or so. 

Williams car and truck are covered with snow.
The ponies all had snow all over them.

Carolyn and her pony Millie!

Buck-a-roo the pony we have for the toddlers and baby K.

Yellow in the new dog house my dad built for him this past summer.  He loves it.  It is very warm in there and large enough for him to stand and sprawl out.  It is pack full of straw.

I let the children go out to play in it before breakfast, as the temperatures were already rising and going above freezing and I know by this evening most of it, if not all of it, will be gone. 

Carolyn is very good with the toddlers.  She helped "B"  have a good time out in it.

William helped "B" make this little snow man.  The snow was not packy enough to roll.  Carolyn is by it.

Zeke and Carolyn out doing barn chores in the snow.

Snow ball fight.

"B" with his little snowman!

Of course, hot cocoa for everyone afterwards.

Of course my goats decided to deliver during all of this.  If you have not read it yet or wish to read about all the farming type details,  you can go here to our farm blog.  But for this blog, I will just share a few pictures of them.

At least I don't have any more goats that will deliver so I can relax.

Psalm 51:6-7

Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts,
And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

May the Lord God in heaven be with you in all you do.  May He lead and guide you all the days of your life.

Blessings,

susan

Its Not Always Easy

Our life is a mix of sorts.  I think if you ask any family, that has a special needs child or is doing foster care,  they will tell you that there are good days and harder days.  Days of struggling and days that are easier.  Days of sadness and days of joy.  Days of wondering what in the world was I thinking, of doubting.... and days that you are so over come with joy, that you are bursting at the seams and could not imagine life without these children in it. 

We not only have many special needs children but are doing foster care again as well.  On days when I am feeling physically well, we stay in our routine and all the children are being what is normal for them, I feel very content and happy.  Praise the Lord that is a better portion of our days.  But there are days, weeks even, when I am not feeling my best, a child or several children are acting badly, or I am dealing with the other hard things that come along in life...and I feel very defeated and exhausted.

I am not going to lie.  I have had a hard past few weeks.  The doctors are having troubles balancing my thyroid.    Several of the children are acting up.  My uncle passed away and I was processing a lot from that and this is the day my daughter passed away on many years ago.  Sometimes the days coming up to this day are very hard but the day is always hard.  Everyone is celebrating a day of love and lovers and me thinking on one of the worst days in my entire life.  Very few people, that knew us back then, acknowledge or remember what happened on this day for us and that is ok...

Needless to say, I am sad today and down.  So I am staying close to God and His Word.  I am praying a lot and I am taking extra good care to eat right, rest more, spend close time with Tim and do special fun things with the children.  I know from the past, tomorrow I will feel much better.  So, because I really have no words to say and am not feeling my best...I will leave you with a poem (a song really) that I wrote on a day when I was feeling particularly down and needed to put my feeling down and get them out in a constructive way.  I have never shared it with anyone in all these years but I hope it blesses someone.

No more tears to Cry

I have no more tears to cry, no more tears to cry

We were never made to feel such hurt,  with pain we can’t describe

When I’m numb inside my heart and mind, a desert deep inside

I just reach toward heaven crying out, There’s just no more tears to cry

I have no more tears to cry, no more tears to cry

When I reach deep down inside myself, asking why oh why?

When we run and search our whole life thru, asking where does peace reside

I just reach toward heaven crying out, there’s just no more tears to cry

I have no more tears to cry, no more tears to cry

 I’ve been crushed by life and those I love,  Only God is by my side

He just reaches down and lifts me up, in His peace I abide

I just reach toward heaven crying out, There’s just no more tears to cry

Life just strolls along, peace seems always there

Out of nowhere life comes crashing down, full of deep despair

Reading through Gods Word, His promise to never leave

I start to take some tiny steps and finally start to breathe

His hand is always true, my life He does renew

I’ve grown closer to my God and King, with all I have been thru

 I have no more tears to cry, no more tears to cry

Walking daily with my Lord and King,  I know I’ll always be fine

I have learned this world is not my home,  To heaven I will strive

I just reach toward heaven crying out with no more tears to cry.

There be no more tears to cry, No more tears to cry

When in heaven up with God above, there’ll be joy we can’t describe!

With the saints of old, on streets of gold, in a mansions we’ll reside!

I’ll just reach toward Jesus, hold His hand, with no more tears to cry

With loved ones by our side, with Jesus we’ll abide! No more tears to cry!

 


I pray if anyone out there is going thru a hard time in their life, a season of pain, hurt or sorrow, that you know God loves you and is there.  It is so much easier to go thru things with Him carrying you.  Joy does come in the  morning.  With God in our life, life is good.

May the Lord God in heaven heal the hurts in your life.  May He be your high tower and rock that never will be moved.

Revelation 21:4  And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Blessings,
susan

2014 Was A Very Busy Year!

Every year, at this time of year, my husband and I sit down with the previous years calendar and add up the mileage to doctors appointments, therapy appointments and such.  Most years we can deduct this on our taxes.  So it pays to sit down and do it.  As we sat adding them up, I kept a separate sheet just for fun, to see how many single appointments we had last year at various places.  I am not surprised at the numbers, as before going back into foster care, we had a lot of weekly appointments already.  I felt the strain last year of adding three children suddenly to our home and meeting their needs.  Getting them the evaluations, therapy and doctors appointments that they needed to have done was exhausting.  When a child comes into care, there is always a lot of appointments revolving around them for the first many months, till all their needs are met.  This, is where we are at, with our three foster children right now.  The bulk of the running and work has been done in that area and now it is just maintenance of therapy and an occasional specialist appointment.  I must say, I can smile for now, as our calendar is  much lighter so far this year.

I can not even think what it would be like, to have any of our children in sports that eat up calendar days, like soccer, football or baseball.  The things we have chosen to have our children involved in, are things that will help them some how, like ballet for Carolyn and Elizabeth to help with their balance and strength issues.  Or something that we feel strongly they should be in because it is important to them.  I did not even add up things like trips to take William to drivers ed classes or his archery meetings with 4-H.  Carolyn's occasional riding lessons, free gymnastics she participated in for a while or ballet tutoring she receives in our home.

So here are the approximate numbers, to the best of my figuring, for 2014:

Appointments with CASA, Case workers, and Panel for foster care: 22
Visitations for foster care : 9
Foster Meetings:  10
Dental Appointments: 16
Antonio's meetings with his school teacher: 35
Therapeutic Massage Therapy for Antonio: 44
Orthodontist: 11
Doctors, Specialist and Hospital Appointments: 51
Physical, Occupational, Speech and Feeding Therapy Appointments: 145

Kind of amazing really.  I will explain the way I try to stream line my schedule with such a big family and so many appointments. 

Years ago, when we started doing foster care and the number of children and appointments started to climb, I became over whelmed.  I had to pray fervently about it all, as stress was taking a toll.  I was trying to get to all of these various appointments, keep a home up and running, home school and still have time to have meaningful family time together.  Also, every time we left the house for an appointment, it chopped up the day, so when we got home, we had no time to home school or the children were to unfocused to do it.  Something had to change. 

What I learned is that I don't have to go to every appointment.  The appointments that would come to the house, had to.  And I stacked all those type appointments on one day. We have Antonio's home bound teacher come to the  house in the morning to work with him.  Then his Therapeutic massage therapist.  Any CASA or case worker that needs to come to the house, I try to get them scheduled on that day too.  That way, the children not involved in that days appointments, can work at their schooling with out interruption.

Then we attacked the PT. OT and various therapy appointments.   About 10 years ago, I called the therapy place and had them start working all of the therapy appointments, for all of my children, onto one morning or day a week.  I would rather give up one morning than many.  So it took a while but as people dropped off or were willing to change days, we got all of the kids on the same day.  For many years we got to the therapy place at 8:00 a.m. and didn't leave till 3:00 p.m.  As the children have grown and been discharged from a few therapies here or there, we now get to our therapy place at 8:00 am and leave by 12:00 noon.  Not to bad really, considering we get in 8 therapy sessions.

I always keep one other day of the week totally for doctors and specialist appointments.  

So on my schedule, three full days at the beginning of the week are fully scheduled days and we home school those days as well.  Sometimes creatively by bringing stuff with us or schooling late but it gets done.  Thursdays and Fridays I try to keep open for home schooling and so I can get the house cleaned up before the weekend.  Also, if an out of the blue appointment does need to be made in a pinch, I know I never have anything on Thursdays and Fridays and don't need to check my schedule to make the appointment.  This also leaves me Thursday-Sunday as more relaxed type days so we can gear up for the three harder ones that are back to back.  This is what works well for us and our family.

William is now driving so if he is feeling well he drives himself to GED classes and many of his doctors appointments!  Yippee!

Most years are not as bad as 2014 was but I  have had much worse with many more appointments, surgeries and hospital stays than we had last year.   So, I will take it in stride and as a blessing.  God is so good.  I am praying for a slower more relaxed type year.  A year for us all to spend more time in the Lord and His Word.  A year for making happy family memories, helping to guide a few of the children out of bad behaviors and time for teaching them skills they will need and can help with, in our home and out on the farm.

I pray the Lords blessings on your 2015.  That it will be the best of years for us all.

Isaiah 43:19  See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.

Blessings,

susan 

    

Deep Thoughts Today

My Uncle passed away a few nights ago...It has of course made me sad.  He had been sick for a long while and we knew this time was coming.  I was close to my uncle when I was a child, when I lived in Up State New York.  When I moved to Georgia,  I only saw him when I would travel back up there.  I wrote him letters regularly and called him occasionally on holidays but looking back wish I had done more. 

I have thought a lot about life since his passing.  This happens to many of us when we suffer loss of a loved one.  It makes you put into perspective all things.  When our daughter passed away many years ago, I was deep in grief and could not wrap my mind around how fragile life is...how could she be just gone?  After that day, It was branded in my heart, we never know how long people will be with us.  When someone dies, it reminds us that things are not what is important in life. 

When my mom passed away at 58 years old...as they wheeled her empty body out of the hospital room...I thought to myself...she is gone and could take nothing with her.  She came into this world with nothing and left the hospital not even wearing her own clothing.  She had on a hospital gown. 

As I have gotten older, I have a hard time grasping how fast time is going by.  I have watched my grandparents generation slowly leave this world.  Over the past many years, I have seen many from my father and mothers generation go.  I have experienced childhood, teen years, young adult hood and are in the more mature years now.   Standing on top of the hill, you might say.  I have raised children from infants to adult hood.  We have suffered many happy, joyous, days but also many losses.

Pondering these losses has once again driven home in my heart, that the most important things in our lives are relationships.  I know it is nice to have nice things.  I know it is nice to enjoy having hobbies, going on trips and being entertained but these things are so fleeting and don't last for eternity.  People do.  Souls do.  Relationships do. 

I know this is an "out of the norm" post, that it might even make you feel down a bit.  I know we all know these things but right now this is all raw and real again in my mind.   So I just wanted to share my heart and thoughts.  Nothing, is more important than having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  Nothing, is more important that serving God.  Nothing in this life, is more important than the people in it.  Nothing more precious, fragile, long lasting or worth nurturing, than a human soul.  To let them know you care, you love them, think of them and are praying for them.  Nothing is more important than reaching out to hurting people who need to be encouraged.  They are all around us every day.

If God puts someone on your heart as you read this today...  make that phone call, write that email, give that hug, tell someone how much you care.  It can never be done or said enough.

My friend is praying very hard for two special little boys in Bulgaria to find their forever homes.  God led her and her husband to adopt many times from this country, so Bulgaria and its people hold a special place in their heart.  She and her husband have an amazing calling from God.  A gift to love and raise special children for Him.  If you could please hop over to her blog and pray for these two boys to find their forever family.  Every child deserves a mom and dad.   It would make a difference forever in their lives.  Please feel free to share on any social media to bring attention to them.

May the God in heaven help us daily to reach out to others and hold nothing back.  May we be full of Gods love and compassion as we view others around us.  May He help us to have servants hearts and be Christ's hands and feet in all we do.

Mark 10:45  For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

 

Blessings,

susan

A New Friend

As many of you know, William lost his dog and good friend Will a few months ago.  They were very bonded together and inseparable when at home.  She was a good therapy dog for William.  He needed her in his life as much as she needed and loved to be with him.

William wears a back brace most of the time because his back bothers him from helping me lift Antonio so much.  Bless his heart.

William has many health issues.  Autism and the learning disabilities that come with autism, are the hardest to cope with daily.  Part of him having autism, is that he has very high anxiety.  Anxiety that most of us would not understand having to live with.  Often, when someone has autism, they have certain things that bother them tremendously all day long.  Irritation they have to learn to live with.  For example...nails on a chalk board irritate and hit a nerve in certain people?  It would be like living with that sound, going on all day long around you.  Certain sounds, clothing textures, change in his routine and also trying new things are some things that bother William.  Plus, he is a worrier.  He worries about everything.  Things like, how he will pay for a repair on his truck if it were to happen and such.
 

We try to keep Williams (and Zekes, who also has autism) life as low key as possible.  We try to stick to routine as much as we can.  But yet gently encourage them to get involved and do new things.

This anxiety and worrying plays into the health issues he has been struggling with for several years.  When he works to hard, goes out into the heat, gets stressed or does anything that gives him a heavy anxiety load, it causes his cortisol levels to plummet and his blood sugar to fall.  It plays into his chronic hypoglycemia.  When this happens, he has trouble thinking, talking, walking, he gets exhausted and can not drive or function.  He calls these episodes crashes.  We have not found out all that is wrong with him but the anxiety plays heavily into it all.

Tim and I have seen a lot more anxiety and health crisis, while his dog was sick and since she passed away.  We have been waiting for him to go thru the process of grieving but he has not seemed to be able to get through it.  He has been very low all the time, has had daily "crashes" and I have had to drive William every where he has needed to go for the last several months.  I think he has taken the trash to the dump for me four times and that is all the driving he has done.  

I decided that it was time to try him with another dog (friend) and see if that helped him.  I have been searching for a month for the perfect match for him.  I have been searching for a small, young, indoor dog that is calm and would make a good therapy/lap dog.  I checked our local animal shelter daily as well as  many other rescue sites.

Last week, I heard of a situation where a couple had rescued two young dogs from a bad situation.   They had heard whining coming from a small outdoor kennel in their neighbors yard a few months ago.  They went to see what was happening and two, small, puppies had been put out there. A female miniature long hair dash hound and a small male chihuahua.  They had no food or water so the couple fed and watered them.  They regularly heard whining out there and went out to check on the dogs.  They regularly had no water and food that was often covered with ants or wet from the weather.  There were two small pieces of ply board put up like a t-pee for shelter for them by the owners.  The couple started to daily feed and water the dogs.  When the temperatures started to fall for winter, they asked the owners if they could have the dogs.  The owners said yes.  The couple took them to the vet and found out that the young female was pregnant.  So they worked on house breaking and socializing the two dogs until the female had her puppies.  I learned of the situation when they were trying to find homes for them all when the puppies were weaned.  The dogs are both only about eight months old now.  The dashound had five puppies.  The couple told me what a wonderful personality the dashound has.  Very laid back, gentle and sweet.  They said we could bring her home with us for a visit and see if she was a good match for William.  William and I went to pick her up at the beginning of the week.
 

William and Dixie have hit it off wonderfully. 

I can tell he is much more relaxed and Dixie is so bonded to him that when he is not home, she finds his shoes and sleeps on them till he gets back. 

She is very sweet and loving and has the softest red fur. (Very snugly and lovely to pet.)  Her eyes are a deep chocolate brown and soulful. 

Tim and I saw a difference in William right away.  He has been focusing on her and her comfort and happiness. 

Friday night, movie night.

He seems happier and less stressed.  William was able to drive to town, to the GED program he is enrolled in, alone and do some errands all by himself with no issues by the end of the week.  God is so good!

We are going to give Dixie a month to settle in and then take her in to have her fixed.  She is a very sweet girl and I am grateful to God that William has made a new friend in her.  William is such an obedient, kind and helpful young man.  He loves the Lord and serves Him in all he does.  He still misses his old dog Will but it is good to see him happy again.

Jeremiah 29:11-13  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.  Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.  And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

blessings,

susan


    

A Two Week Repose

Happy New Year to everyone!  May 2015 be a blessed and great year for all.
 

William and baby "K" playing.

I can honestly say for the first time in 11 months I feel rested.  I thought I was tired before we started back into foster care!  Every since the toddlers came and then baby "K", I have been running on E and often at borderline exhaustion.  Tim always asks me if I slept well and I don't even remember.  I am just "out" as soon as my head hits the pillow and then morning or a bottle feeding seems to come so quickly.

Antonio wanted me to take a picture of a new shirt he got.

Whenever I usually give the children a day off from home schooling, we do some sort of work that day.  Like raking leaves, stacking wood, cleaning in the barn or deep cleaning in the house.  There is always so much to do around here.  I rarely have ever just given them a day off to do as they wish, except for Sabbath each weekend. 

"B" improving his hand strength with the good old light bright.

We had a very hard respiratory virus go thru starting the beginning of December.  It lasted for a few weeks with each person and slowly went thru us all.  I was beat from not feeling well, trying to keep the house disinfected and the children were struggling to recover.  Also, my schedule cleared for the last two weeks of the month of December.  Ballet was closed.  For the first time ever, our therapy place closed for the holidays.  I had only three appointments in two weeks and two of those were for Antonio's therapeutic massage therapist, who comes to our home once a week.  So we called a... stay at home, watch movies, work as little as possible, vacation, recovery, get some rest, time.  Two weeks of... do what you want even if that meant sleep all day.  Which some of the children did snooze on the couch some. 

William and "T" taking an afternoon snooze.

I truly got some rest as well.  I still had to tend to the sick ones and the well ones.  I still had to do meals and keep the house running.  I still had to make sure the barn chores were done.  But I left the house to go to town very little and spent a good deal of time planted on the couch with small children either climbing all over me or nestled up beside me resting.

Don't think it was easy peazy though.  To keep it all real...Of course there is always Elizabeth...sadly she spent most of her two week rest and vacation doing school work, as it is the only punishment that means anything to her.   Zeke also spent one day of his two weeks doing school work as a punishment.

I always feel so badly for Elizabeth.  She always has to ruin a good time by her own bad behavior, mean spiritedness or tantrums.  She even lost the privileged of staying up and celebrating New Years Eve with the other children.  I often just give her grace and let her participate...and always give her a chance to earn things taken away back.  She absolutely refused this time.  :(   I keep praying one day she will mature enough to be able to control herself and do what is expected of her with out lashing out at others.  On the good side, God has been working on her every day and every year that passes she improves a small amount.  I believe with all my heart, some day she will be saved and have natural love and self control.  She can go long spells now behaving and then has a week or so of just regressing terribly.  The past  month was one of those times. 

I am so grateful these three get along so well together.  They are good friends.

I feel good.  I feel rested and am resolved to keep my schedule lighter in 2015 and try to keep life as simple as I can for a season.  God is so good.

Lamentations 3:22-23  It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.  They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Blessings,
susan