Back To School Already ?!

I cannot beleive time has flown by so quickly and it's already back to school time! Since moving into a new home in a new school district; we have enrolled all the children in the local school(s) and so far, so good!! The kids are liking their new classes and riding the bus is an added bonus as long as they behave themselves!
A new change in our home is an exchange student has joined our family for this school year! Her name is Geyla and she is from southern Russia; she is an only child living with her grandparents in the middle of town. To come here to the country with a big family, a huge school, a school bus and limited communications, I would say she's done lovely with the adjusting to America bit!! She helps with horse riding therapy and loves spending time with the kids; going on Skype to talk with family back home, picking her courses for high school, making new friends!!
Briana started eighth grade this year and although she feels a bit behind after homeschooling for a year, she is keeping up nicely with others her age. She's made a few friends so she has lunch buddies, people in class she knows and takes the bus to/from school with Geyla each day. She loves helping at horse riding therapy as well and wants to learn some new instruments to take band in high school next year. She sings in the women's choir at church and is growing into a lovely young lady !
Taylor is loving her new school, her new class, her new friends!!! Fifth grade is great, she is challenged and doing above grade level' she's the teachers lil' pet and for now, that's a good thing. She keeps track of her siblings on the bus and is known as "mama duck" at school!! She has friends in class, understands the work and loves the teacher so she is happy!
Alexis is doing well academically but still struggles with social/emotional issues both at school and at home. She has been diagnosed with a seizure disorder which means more therapy, tests, medcial appts, etc.....but she loves her new school and her new class. Joshua and Anthony have their good and bad days; they are doing well academically but still tend to be loud and disruptive in class sometimes.....having three in one class is still challenging but the teachers seem to be okay with the setup for now.
Julian and Jiliana are in another 1st grade class and while they dont' interact with each other they are having a hard time adjusting to a new class, new teacher, new bus, kids, etc.....Julian has a hard time with impulse conrol and Jiliana cannot be quite to save her life so we shall see how the next few weeks / months move along for them. Academically they are at or above grade level so this is a relief to me !!
As for me; well, my life is NEVER busy enough, so I am going back to school now - yeah - I know, in my spare time - hee hee hee -- I am starting nursing program just this week then move onto the two yr RN program after completing this one (CNA) ....I love to help people and nursing pays anywhere you go in a variety of situations (hosptials, residential homes, home visits, etc) so I am excited about this new chapter in my life; the schedule is crazy, the tests are crazier, but if I can gracefully survive "state approved" testing and clinicals, I can survive anything !!

HAPPY SEPTEMBER RICK -- THIS POST IS FOR YOU MY DEAR !!!

HAPPY SUMMER!

....PRAISE THE LORD ! We are done with school; done with driving into town 2-4 times per day (12 miles each way!!) ....DONE DONE DONE!!!! Woot Woot! Though Steven did not get into the Biggest Loser 10 final cut; we know God has better plans then those at this point in our lives. The kids have just finished kindergarten, fourth grade & seventh grade. We have decided to enroll the older girls in school again for a variety of resons, but the main one being they want to go back, to see friends each day, to have teachers other then me, etc. After praying and weighing options, I have decided that this is best for now...though homeschooling isn't entirly out of the question in the future, for now all the kids will be in school. Our new home is located in a new school district which I have found to be more understanding of our family dynamics, therapy schedules, etc....so I am excited for the fresh start the kids get.
They will take the bus each day--it will come right up the street for middle/high school and in front of the house for elem. school. The teachers are eager to have the kids; the house is mostly unpacked and settled....we are finally comfortable for the first time in a long time! We got a new dog, Franky--to add to the growing family-he is a beagle hound mix, twice the size of Sammy, our first dog and the kids AND Sammy all love him!
We are looking forward to a summer trip this year to TN to see my dad & step-mom. Then up to KY to see my husband's aunt who will give Anthony two turtles all his own! We are doing summer horse riding therapy, soccer session in a local club out here, VBS at two different churches in the forest near our home & my MIL is coming to visit in late July for a few weeks. A trip with my mom to Vegas for a family reunion of sorts & an overnight with my hubby to celebrate (late) our anniversary will make our summer complete! Cannot wait for our trampoline & possibly if the Lord sees fit; a trailer or pop up to camp in on weekends but also to save on hotel costs when traveling to visit family.
Loving the warm weather; loveing the sprinklers, could do with out the snakes, but hey, we love it out here in the country!!!!

HAPPY SUMMER!!!!

.....the wait is over.......

..........well after weeks of waiting -we found out two weeks ago that Steven did NOT make it into TBL10. I was so bummed for a few days but then realized that perhaps God had a better plan for him then to be gone all summer long.
The kids are almost finished with school; the quints kindergarten year has gone well & the older girls are glad to be done with homeschooling in the next few weeks. Although I thought homeschooling would be the only way to go; I am finding that perhaps I should try new things with schooling.......the older girls are going back to public school but in a new school district where our new house is located. I pray this will be a better fit for them and for me as well!
There have been other changes to our family life as well--we are in transition with church and attempting to find a new one right now due to several reasons but the change could be good in that there are several churches within two miles of our home out here in the country so to be closer to one would be nice!! We are looking for some thing more family oriented and parent directed so I am hoping God leads us to a good fit for our "unique" family!!
I am looking forward to going back to school this summer to get my CNA license so I can start working part time while the kids are in school. I love helping others & hope that a CNA will allow for me to do home visits for people & show Christ's love on a more personal one on one basis.....not sure about school though--the thought of going back after 12 years of being out is daunting......whew.........we shall see where the summer takes us ! I look forward to the many changes coming for our family !! Have a blessed day !!

STILL WAITING

We are still waiting, waiting, waiting for the email that could change the course of our year & our family. It all started back in February when I was snooping around online and found out that The Biggest Loser was having an open casting time where people could apply for the next season of the show. As I watched the next snow storm roll over the mountains, I pondered printing up the application; quite lengthy at 15 plus pages. I had tried to get Steven to apply for the show the previous year to lose weight, but he wasn't remotely interested.
What have I got to lose I thought? I could just ask him what he thinks? So quick print and a bunch of noise later, I had an application in my hand for "THE BIGGEST LOSER SEASON 10". Pray over it I thought; that's what I will do....so I prayed over it and left it on the desk to look over another time. The next day Steven called me from work and asked me if I had printed up the application for the show. I told him yes, I thought it would be good to at least apply for it; but there are so many people that apply every season-who knows what could happen? Over the course of the next three weeks we filled out the application page by page, question by question....he spoke, I wrote. What is your relationship with food? I don't even realize I am eating half the time or what I am eating. Are you a stress eater? Is anyone else in your family overweight? What was your childhood like? So many questions; coming up with so many issues we don't normally discuss on a regular day. In March we made a DVD of Steven, introducing the production staff of TBL10 to himself, his family, his life. We burned a copy, attached the application and I took it to the post office. As I sat there waiting for my turn, I realized that this application, this video, this show could be an awnser to so many prayers....prayers for my husband to lead a healthy life, life longer, be a better husband and father, feel better about himself.
So many negative things in our lives were caused by this root problem of the weight gain & the health problems. Dear God, Please let this application lead my husband closer to you, lead others to you, set an example and become a better Steven. Please put a change in his heart so he can look at hmself the way that I look at him, the way that you look at him. Amen

It's now March and we are packing up the house to move into another home. This time it's different though--for the first time in eight years we are becoming homeowners again and we are extatic ! We have found a home that provides for all our needs, most of our wants and some much needed stability for our children. We pack a little more each day, getting closer to closing on the house and getting settled in our own home.....it's hectic, it's loud, it's stressful but it's so worth it! We have found a five bedroom home on acreage; another awnser to prayer. We have bought a truck & sold our old car; another awnser to prayer. We have been given some bedroom furnature that is needed for our middle child all for free; another awnser to prayer. We are so blesed each day it's hard to beleive things could get any better.

APRIL --We are living in our new home full time