Goodness! Can you tell we've been busy with school. When I went to sign in I couldn't even remember the password, and I noticed I haven't posted since Christmas break - sorry for the lack of updates! This week we are on spring break. I had good intentions of catching up on all the news and pictures on here, but between spring cleaning (and I mean CLEANING - fans and all!), running errands that never seem to get done during the normal work week and then the kids coming down with the stomach bug (aka TONS of laundry :)) I've been swamped for the "break". But there are some pretty big updates in our family news....
New baby! We are expecting baby #5 sometime in September. Someone just asked the other day what my actual due date was and I couldn't even remember, I guess since I've never made it to the actual due date I don't take much stock in those. We are excited to welcome this new precious child of God - what a blessing! (and surprise!)
Mark - is working full time at First Choice Hospice as a hospice chaplain. He has quite a number of responsibilities and enjoys the challenges and ministry. He has does pulpit supply for other pastors which keeps him active in his preaching and teaching skills which he also enjoys. We are thrilled to say that his most recent doctor appointment and MRI went PERFECT and all is well with his head. We are so proud of how hard he has worked to make a full recovery.
Allison - has been super busy teaching 4th grade at school, and all the exra activities that come with working at a school. It's hard to believe that we are winding up 3rd quarter and are almost done with the school year! The first trimester has made me pretty sick so I am thankful that as we are coming to the end I'm slowly starting to feel better.
Eliya - is busy with 3rd grade. She is almost finished reading The Hobbit and is excited to watch the movie (since mean mom and dad said no movie without reading the book :)) She is also doing fantastic in school. We are proud of how hard she has been working. She had to jump a grade level in math with coming to this school and was struggling for awhile, but her hard work has paid off and she currently has an A in math!
Gabie - saw her doctor in February. She was also told that she was doing fantastic. They were very impressed with how much better her grafts and scars looked. And she FINALLY healed over on her leg (almost 6 months to the day after the accident). She is now in custom made compression garments. These are super tight and is like a body suit. It goes down to her knees and elbows. The main goal of these garments is to reduce scarring and decrease loss of mobility. She's not a big fan of them but is getting used to them. They must be hand washed daily and take about 2 days to dry. We have 3 pairs so mom and dad have to stay on top of things! She LOVES school and does fantastic. Although she, like her sister, Elie, is not doing so great with spelling. Guess it runs in the family....(I'm a terrible speller!)
Rachel - my favorite Rachel story comes from when we told the girls about the new baby. She burst into tears and told us she wanted to be an only child. Oh Rachel! :) She is doing great in Kindergarten and has learned to read. She also knows quite a few math facts already and does some pretty cute songs with them. She's still in her glasses, which is a challenge, but we hope as she grows this will become less so for her.
Micaiah - loves staying at home with Nana who is "my best friend" in her words. So sweet. She has quite an imagination and is always making us laugh with her crazy antics and conversations. She is so excited to be a big sister and will tell everyone she sees.
So that is a brief update on us. If I get a chance I may add some pictures later. Thanks for checking on us and for all the prayers, love and support.
