Moving

Well, thankfully it is only the blog that will be moving, not us, just yet.  Other than paying a fee each month to increase the amount of photo space, the only solution I could find was to start a whole new blog.  This blog will remain open and accessible, but I will only add new content to our new blog.  You can find it at www.moredenalisix.blogspot.com (the link is below). 

We had a great Thanksgiving, very quiet, and restful.  The kids have 3 more full weeks before Christmas break.  This year they just have one Christmas concert, at school.  Justin will be off this week and next, but Lord-willing the job will be ready to start December 10th or so.  I haven't started on Christmas decor yet, I think this year will be less than our last celebration!

www.moredenalisix.blogspot.com 

Just a day to give thanks

Well I have some great photos that I have been waiting to share, but apparently I have used all my photo space on this blog, so until I figure out a way around that no great pictures :(.  But, what  I really wanted to share is our thanks.  One of my favorite books is One Thousand Gifts, it opened my eyes to the art of constant thankfulness, for even the littlest of things.  I am far from always being thankful, but the book has changed my attitude/perspective on the importance of being thankful.  A church sign near our house says, "Thankfulness is the answer to being discontent".  It is so true, and yet how many people will flood the stores, even on Thanksgiving, searching for the next material possession they can't live without.  And again, I certainly include myself as a person who uses purses, clothes, shoes, and decor to fill that empty space that lingers in all of us.  There is that pleasant feeling after purchasing something new, but that feeling doesn't last long, and we are on the hunt again.  Instead I should be thankful for all the possessions I already have, that are overflowing in our house.  I should be thankful for our house (I am, but at the same time I often complain about how small it is).  We never seem quite happy enough, or fulfilled enough, and that attitude goes well beyond material things.  One day out of 365 doesn't seem like nearly enough, and really is our thankfulness always REAL?
God has blessed us, all of us, regardless of finances, family situations, health, etc.  He has blessed us far beyond what we even begin to deserve.  How good is He!  How generous, how loving!  Giving thanks is the least we can do, it is just the start of what we can give back.  I think that more thanksgiving might bring us to a closer relationship with God, we might realize how much He has done for us.  A devotional for November says it this way, "The more we focus on His power, wisdom, love, compassion, mercy, strength, glory, abundance, favor and any other of His many attributes, the larger He becomes in our eyes.  Gratitude and praise change the way we see...Focus on His goodness and see what it does to your heart-then how your heart affects your outer world.  In every situation there is something to be grateful for.  When we find it and express it, our faith and gratitude increase.  This attitude seems to have a positive snowball effect in our hearts."  This year I say that we are truly thankful for His many gifts and praise Him for His goodness.

• We are thankful, so thankful, for Justin's elevator job, that God has sustained work for him.  And we are thankful for the side work He has provided for Justin during this quiet month.
• We are tremendously thankful for a healthy year, especially for Emily, but for all of us.  There were no major injuries, no horrible illnesses, and good test results all around.  We continue to praise God for medicine that is working to keep Emily healthy (and we are still praying about the Progeria Research Foundation, we should have heard from them by now, I am hoping after the holiday weekend).
• We are thankful for a great school, for teachers who really care about our kids.  I am so grateful that my aunt can be with the kids at school too, she is a wonderful advocate for them.  And we are thankful for a Christian preschool, where Emily can have a positive beginning to school (and I am thankful we have the funds to pay for her school).
• And our family, we are so thankful for all of you, you always give, and help us above and beyond what we have asked for.  We so appreciate your prayers on our behalf.
• We are thankful for our church, both Justin and I are grateful for the mentors we interact with on a weekly basis.  We are so thankful for the kids' ministries, for their part in our kids' spiritual growth.
• And as I said, we are thankful for our rental house, God answered each of our prayers, so that we could afford this house, so that we could keep Denali, so that the kids could stay in the same school.
• I really wanted to share these wonderful pictures, because in them are the people whom I am most thankful for.  Our great kids, who love unconditionally, who are growing into beautiful people (they were beautiful babies too, but they are becoming amazing individuals, boy does that sound cheesy).  And I am grateful for Justin, for his companionship and his willingness to provide for our family.  I am thankful for what an awesome father he is. 

Well, that list sure isn't everything and probably sounds a lot like last year and the year before, but I think we generally are always thankful for the same things, we just need the reminder.  I think we should be reminded of what to be thankful for more than once a year, but that may not work real well for our consumer economy :).  I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving, spending time with family and eating some fabulous food.

Growing up

This 5 year old is missing 2 teeth already!

That tongue has a big gap to go in

Yes, our "baby" has lost her first two teeth!  She has had three very wiggly ones, and she and Luke were in a race to see who could lose them first.  Luke won, by several weeks, mainly because he eats harder foods that make the teeth wiggle all the more.  Emily's first one actually came out at 10:30 at night when she bumped her hand against her mouth in bed.  And in typical Emily fashion, it was a meltdown.  I think she was both tired and it hurt, but she cried sadly," I knew this was going to happen", and "I miss my baby tooth".  She certainly perked up after the tooth fairy paid her a visit, and after showing off the gap to her school friends.  So that was Thursday night, and by Friday morning the tooth next to it was so loose and all alone, and it easily twisted free, and voila, another tooth fairy visit.  The last wiggly tooth is very quickly being pushed forward but the incoming adult tooth, so I expect her to lose that one within a week or two (which would be good, she kinda has a Nanny McPhee look going right now).  I did ask NIH about their other patient's teeth issues, as we are worried about the crowding.  NIH wasn't much help in the matter, just that dentists have been able to work "magic", without major reconstruction.  I was hoping the adult teeth would take their time coming in, so that Emily's jaw could grow a little, but I can already see the white poking thru the gum.  And Emily has been asked by several classmates to "be friends", so she is just thrilled (apparently you have to ask or be asked, it is not just assumed at this age :) ).

Well I will post again later this week, our annual Thanksgiving praises.

Fun days

Anna's "crazy" hair for Awanas

There is a LOT of gel in that hair!

Emily likes to be silly and do bug eyes

Heidi's pick-up-stick hairdo

Luke was chosen to represent his class for the flag processional at the Veteran's Day assembly

Anna was chosen to read her letter to Veterans in front of the whole school (only 6 kids out of the entire 4th grade).

We have had a few busy days here, and we are looking forward to our full week off next week.  Let me back up a little and tell you about our parent-teacher conferences.  As always I enjoy meeting with the kids' teachers.  Luke has the same teacher Heidi and Anna had for second grade, and she is very pleased with how Luke is doing.  He is very respectful and helpful (and he never minds being paired up with girls), and is excelling in math and spelling.  She said Luke is coming out of his shell pretty quickly, volunteering answers very often, and he had two playdates with his buddies this past weekend.  Anna's teacher just loves her (we had already received an extensive phone call from her teacher about what a great student Anna is).   Anna is doing really well in most areas and just struggles with math a little (she graded herself lower in this area).  She is such a hard worker, and is finally comfortable enough to ask the teacher if she needs help (yes, my kids are that shy).  And Heidi's teacher told us how helpful Heidi is, and how she doesn't complain when paired up with more "difficult" students (which she is fairly often).  She also does well in spelling.  And Justin and I are learning all new methods for multiplication and division, in order to help with the math (Heidi's teacher is piloting a new math series and there seems to be some disconnect between what is taught and what is in the homework, so Justin has spent a few hours teaching Heidi the "old" techniques).  I was very happy with the compliments about how our kids have great manners, are kind and helpful friends, and are respectful to others and of others things.  I feel like those qualities get you farther in life (and have more value) than half the stuff they learn in class will. 

We are enjoying having Justin home several days a week.  He is helpful in driving the kids back and forth to school for me, and I just enjoy the company.  He spoke with the boss last week in hopes of working this week, but there just isn't enough work.  The bad news is there may be little to no work for the rest of November, but the good news is that Justin is slated for the next job, which should start at the beginning of December and run for a year. 

Everything else is pretty routine here, Emily loves school, Awanas, girl scouts and chorus keep us running back and forth, and everyone has thankfully been healthy. 

Halloween fun

Emily's costume parade, last week

ready for two trunk-or-treats, at our church and Awanas, silly faces here

Awanas is at the same church where Emily goes to school

more silly faces, everyone is by their pumpkin

this year Justin used his buck knife instead of the saw zall

Luke's school parade

Anna walked right by before we saw her

Heidi and one of her friends were both cowgirls, Heidi's was way better (they were pretending to be movie stars the whole way)!

this cute little puppy took over the driving

I just made the wings and hat for Luke's costume

Anna's cape was sewn from a women's poncho/wrap type thing that I found for $6 at a resale shop, and the black top was a tank top, just altered

I only had to make Heidi's vest, Justin made the lasso

Emily wanted to be a butterfly and I was planning on using the wings from her birthday party, but I found this awesome costume at Goodwill, and blue is still her favorite color!

It was chilly, everyone has 3-4 layers on!

I do enjoy Halloween, only for the fun of being creative.  I think the kids were really happy with how their costumes came together and all the candy we now have sitting around the house.

Pumpkin time

So far the glasses are good

quick, easy picks

silly monkeys

muscles!

Just some fun pictures to share, nothing too exciting.  We have had some beautiful weather here, but that will end tomorrow.  We have a busy weekend ahead and the kids will be getting plenty of use out of their costumes.  And then October is over already!

A little old and a little new

Yes, we are back to the glasses again.  The eye doctor really wants Emily to wear her glasses and her prescription changed enough to warrant buying a new pair.  These are pink and so far Emily loves them.  She stopped wearing her old pairs because they hurt her ears.  There were a pair of very light and flexible glasses that she loved, but of course our insurance didn't cover them, so as least I know another route if she ends up complaining.

In other news: school continues to go well all around.  The end of the quarter is coming up, along with report cards and teacher conferences.  Luke was very upset about going to school one morning this past week because he hadn't finished a timed math test, but I think he is doing really well, he just puts a lot of pressure on himself.  He is definitely an anxious kid, about many things, not just school (and he does have trouble sleeping sometimes).  All the kids had a field trip today, to my old college and Luke has another one tomorrow to the high school.  They are all looking forward to Halloween and the parades (and candy :) ).  Otherwise nothing too exciting there.

In the job news: Justin's hours were cut, starting next week.  It is actually good news, we think.  He could have just been laid off, but instead he and another assistant mechanic are splitting the hours each week until the next job starts.  Things can always change, but we will keep praying that he stays employed and that the next job will start on time (it was already moved from September to middle of December).  And the same day he was told to cut back hours I received a call from my boss at the painting company I work for.  He gave my name to another gentleman who runs a language institute in France.  They needed an office coordinator in our town.  So now I spend a few hours a week picking up their mail, sorting it, and making bank deposits.  Eventually there will be more tasks and errands, but it is another good opportunity to make some money with flexible hours and just an overall laid-back atmosphere (there is no one in the states to check in with).      

I am still waiting to hear from the Progeria Research Foundation about Emily's eligibility.  They are mostly interested in her genetics test, and since hers doesn't match anything just right, I am not sure what they will say.  I am thinking that since her bones are aging faster that she should be a candidate for the medicine (we haven't even begun to share all her medical records from the different doctors, just her genetics).  The trial is out of Boston and has been going on for 2 years.  The actual research has only been going on for about 10 years.  One of the doctors that helped create it is now in charge of the National Institutes of Health (the mother of a child with progeria also helped make the drug and formed the foundation, can you imagine finding something that will help save your child!).  They are actually in the process of forming a new trial that combines three different medicines to see if the results are even more successful.  I am by no means someone who wants to medicate my kids, but if there is anything out there that might help extend Emily's life and keep her organs healthy, than I am all for it.  So, as much as I don't want another trip to the east or another regime of drugs, I am praying that Emily would be accepted into this new trial (or that they will at least be interested in her case).

And of interest to no one but ourselves, Justin asked me to be his girlfriend 15 years ago yesterday.  It is hard to believe we have spent almost half of our lives together already!

Have a good weekend, we are hoping to go get pumpkins, a little late this year!

Here are some old photos that came back from my grandma's apartment that I thought would be fun to share.

I think I am about 3 here

Here I am 5

I think this must be about 4th grade

I think I must be 10 and Joel is 7.  My mom used to hang a blue blanket on a wall in our family room and take our pictures.  She did a pretty good job.  This is one of the last she would have done, because I know I wore that dress for her funeral.  I cut my hair and had glasses before she died though, so that is why I am thinking 4th grade or so.  That is a lesson to myself, date my pictures!