14 months later...

I won't apologize for not blogging because life has just happened and that's how it is. But I am back and I miss blogging as an outlet and as a place to share my life...even if no one is reading it. :) I have many posts planned that will go more in depth to the following general update, but that will be in the weeks to come. I have updated our info pages with a bunch of new stuff so you can feel free to read there (links in the bar above) to get an idea of where things stand with my family and then stay tuned to read more updates about the boys, homeschooling, my health, and even my pets!

So, from the top down (saving myself for last, though), here goes... Hubs is doing great. Better than great, amazing! He is still working his same job as before but at a higher position which suits him very well. He is happier than he's ever been in his life and he, too, is losing weight and getting fit and healthy. He's down 38 lbs. as of today and I couldn't be more proud of how hard he's worked. He loves going to the gym and has made huge progress on his exercises. He and I recently went on a Marriage Encounter weekend (if you haven't ever been, GO!) and I cannot tell you how much it has changed our marriage. We are stronger together and more in love than ever before and the impact it has made on us both is both profound and permanent. We could and would never go back to the way things were before we went and we are so happy now. God has restored our marriage and therefore our lives and family; He is so good.

Goober is finishing up 5th grade, his first full year doing school at home. About a month ago I did an assessment on him and discovered he's reading at a high school level, and in every other subjects he scored in mid-to-high sixth grade level. He is a smart boy! He began homeschooling the end of 4th grade and it is a decision neither of us has regretted. Homeschooling has been so good for him! He is a stronger, more confident kid because of it and he is so happy...happier than ever before. He still enjoys playing soccer and has a new passion for swimming as well. He loves reading and he does it for many hours a day, his favorites being youth fantasy books or Christian fiction novels for young adults. He has a very strong relationship with God that rivals many adult's relationship's with Him and I am constantly in awe of his wisdom and faith. He is truly a great kid who loves God, adores his family, and he's strong, confident, funny, smart and much, much more. He is going to be a great man of God who will do big things with his life and be an amazing husband and father someday.

Bub's progress is pretty remarkable too. He is almost finished with first grade, though in most subjects he's scoring in at least the second grade range, so he's also a brilliant little boy. He loves reading (same genre's of books as Goober but he also loves historical books and non-fictions about just about anything) but his real passion is art. He loves to sit for hours and be creative with whatever materials he can get his hands on. But, Bub's real progress is not academic. We have been working hard-core on teaching him to overcome some of his bigger Aspie difficulties and we (namely he) has been successful in that. Many of his little quirks and idiosyncrasies have been eliminated or at least managed and he is doing so great in almost every way. He is still very socially awkward, but we are working on that too. All in time. I have truly learned so many things about overcoming obstacles and difficulties from him because he handles so many things with maturity beyond his years and makes it look easy when I know that it is, in fact, very hard for him. He is an amazing kid and I am so very lucky to be his mama.

And finally there is me. I am so happy that I didn't know it was possible to be so at peace and absolutely joyous in my life. I didn't know I could love someone like I love Hubs nor did I know I could be loved so completely by someone. We see one another's faults and don't just love each other in spite of them but because of them. We strengthen and balance each other. I had no idea I could be so happy and fulfilled staying home with my kids and homeschooling them. I had no idea God could be so faithful and answer my prayers like He has and I didn't know He cared about me as much as I know now that He does. I didn't know life could be this good. I'm not saying it's all roses and sunshine because it's not. We have hard days: days I want to give up and run away but through it all we have each other and God's love and faithfulness.

I am also happily losing weight and getting in shape. I probably haven't been this "fit" in my life! Even when I was thin (pre-kids), I wasn't in shape and I hated exercise. I started losing weight about 7 months ago as a fluke and it's just gotten better and better since. It started just with managing my stress and trying not to binge eat and later it moved to portion control. Then, several months ago, I started exercising at the gym by doing either water aerobics or walking. Now, I love exercising! I love doing pilates or yoga in addition to the other stuff and as a result I have muscles, stamina, strength, and I've lost more than 45 lbs. to boot! Plus, my health problems have greatly diminished as a result of my weight loss and that is an answer to prayer in and of itself! I feel like a new person who enjoys things I never have before and it is amazing!!

I have also been letting God discover some things about myself I have needed to work on for a while, so I feel like a new person inside and out. It's not about me not being "good enough", it's about continuing to grow and mature and become the person I was destined to be...who He wants me to be. Sometimes His lessons are difficult, but His refinement is essential and lovely and I am doing my best to praise Him for his faith and love for me.

In summary, I am so happy with my life that I sometimes feel like I am glowing. It is an awesome and wonderful feeling to have. :) Blessings to all who read this and I look forward to expanding on some of the above topics later.

*Pardon any errors, I didn't proofread before I sent.*

Week in Review: February 6-12

There is really nothing to review for this week. Our intention was to read a book of poetry and talk about winter activities and weather. Sadly, Bub was feeling pretty crummy post surgery, so we didn't accomplish a lot at all. Plus, I am now babysitting my niece, Little Miss (8 weeks old ), and she was having a hard time adjusting to being away from her mama. It was good to have an adjustment week to get on a schedule with the baby one around, so we took advantage. We did a lot of reading (Beverly Cleary books, mostly) and finally made a trip to the library Saturday because Bub was finally feeling somewhat better that day and wanted to get out. Our trip the library was fun; he picked out five comic books and played a round of checkers (with my help) with Goober. We finished up by getting some cookies in the coffee shop and chatting just us three. It was pretty great.

We had a pretty low-key, uneventful week with lots of movies, books and lying around cuddling. Except for Bub being in pain and taking meds around the clock, it was a pretty good week. He was so sweet and lovey and just wanted me to rock him for hours on end. Since I don't get to do that much, I was happy to oblige. Goober was even home most of the week fighting a nasty cough and cold. He gets over that stuff pretty easily though, he's not nearly as sickly as his brother, so he just needed rest and some TLC from mama. Sometimes life just calls for laziness.

The good news is that Bub is doing markedly better now! He's only taken two doses of pain meds the past two days, which is a vast improvement over 5-7 doses per day. He is sleeping really well and isn't complaining of his throat hurting at all. Praise God, he's finally healing! I look forward to a 2012 with no strep throat or ear infections. And no antibiotics would be nice as well.

Tubes In, Tonsils Out

Well, it's done. Today 5-year old Bub had tubes put in his ears and his tonsils removed. The surgery itself went well, my only complaint is that I was very specific in my instructions that he was not, under any circumstance, to be awake without me being with him. He has Asperger's and much anxiety comes with that, and I did not want him to be more anxious than he already was. I was very clear about that. I was able to stay with him while he was put under (which really frightened him and broke my heart) and then I left the operating room. Of course, I cried simply because 1) he was having surgery, 2) he looked so scared, and 3) seeing him go limp looked like he had died. It was unnerving. 

Then we waited. Finally they let us know he was okay and shortly thereafter, we got to see him. Even though I was clear with my instructions, he was awake and sitting up when we got back there. And he looked so sad. SO sad. I was ticked, needless to say. I ran to him and comforted him and let the nurse know I was upset. She tried to make light of the situation, but there was nothing about it that I found to be okay. If he had been a non-verbal autistic, they wouldn't have thought twice about making sure we were there when he woke up. But, because he looks "normal", has a great vocabulary, and seems logical and capable of being reasoned with, they made their own judgment. And that's not okay. He was so rattled and upset that he just cried and cried. His anxiety was so high he couldn't even make eye contact. Then, he out and out refused to speak. To us, but especially to them, which was actually really funny in a way. They'd ask him something, and he'd look away. He hated them for not getting me there faster, as did I. 




All the anxiety-inducing stuff aside, we've had some really funny moments in all this. First one was a few days before his surgery, he asked me, "When they take out my tonsils, will they put in new ones?". Then today, before the surgery, Bub decided he was a bunny, because bunnies don't have to get their tonsils out. Then was the moment he's been waiting for. We've been talking about this one for a week or so, and he finally got his chance in the car on the way home. Both boys were in the back seat and Bub looks at his brother and says, "Hey, where are your tonsils?" Goober answers, "In my mouth." To which Bub replies, "Oh yeah, well mine are in a trash can!" 
The funniest one came when we got home. I told Bub he could get up and play in spurts, but he needed to rest a lot. I said, "Just make sure you're listening to what your body is telling you. If you're tired, lay down. Make sure and drink lots and lots too." So, he sat on the floor to play, then told me that his body was telling him to rest. He laid down on the couch for a few minutes, then got up to get a coloring book. I said, "Whatcha doin?" to which he replied, "I'm listening to my body and right now it's bored." I almost peed my pants because I laughed so hard.Currently he's cracking us up because he's on codeine (aw, baby's first narcotics ) and he's being so silly. He's barely talking because his throat hurts and he's thinking of the most random things to say. Nothing is funny enough to dictate here, but funny simply because he's not being his usual self.  
So, here's hoping this is worth it. He took 30 antibiotics last year for strep and ear infections (yes, you read that right...THIRTY), so this had better help. Otherwise, it isn't worth it.