Starting anew....

I really want to blog, I have attempted a few times but life seems to always get in the way. This time I am going to try and make it a priority. I love having a place to write about my children, garden, books I am reading, plays I have seen, and Temples my husband and I have visited, just to name a few. Writing down my sorrow and my joys helps me to appreciate my life so much more. So here goes...again.

The kids are getting so big! My oldest, Jesse, is almost 14, Deynna is 12, Shalee is almost 11, Soren is 9, Austin is 7, and Ashlee is 6! I can not believe my baby is six years old! The time has gone so quickly, it is a little scary. Jesse and Shalee are still struggling with their seizures. But they are both in school most of the time and happy. We have found a medication Jesse can tolerate finally, and he had another surgery to implant a new VNS device this June. The VNS has most definitely saved his live and we are so blessed to have found this ingenues use of modern medicine. On a sad note, Jesse and Shalee have both been diagnosed with a seizure disorder that does not have very positive long term outcomes. We are just taking it one day and a time, and praying for guidance.

Jesse loves life, he is an avid reader and reads almost as much as I do!! He reads far above his grade level and although the doctors told me he would always be very behind academically due to his seizures, he is at or above grade level in every subject, save math. He is already talking about getting his teaching degree online when he graduates High School so he can teach either in person, or online depending on his health.

Deynna is starting to become a teenager and it is so fun seeing her blossom. She is so responsible and has a great testimony. She loves the gospel and is always telling us new things she has learned through reading her scriptures. She loves everything sporty and is planning on joining the track team next month. She loves school and is finally starting to dress a little more like a girl!! Yea!!!

Shalee is sweet, loving, and kind. She has really struggled with the deterioration of her health this last year. She has seen what Jesse has gone through and is scared that she will be as limited as he is. We have no answers for her as no one knows what the future will hold for either of them. She loves to play with her little sister, and one of her favorite games is scrabble. She sees beauty in everything around her and loves to help me cook and garden.

Soren is doing amazing! He has been with us now for almost 2 years straight and has adjusted extremely well. He loves basketball, football, and soccer. He's favorite pro basketball team is the Jazz, much to my dismay, I am a blazer fan all the way, and his favorite football team is the packers. He is very excited about playing tackle football this summer with Austin. He loves to help me in the garden, harvesting is his favorite.

Austin loves anything to do with any sport. He is great at every sport he has tried but football is his favorite. He loves the Jazz as well, Ugh, and his favorite football team is the Dallas Cowboys, thanks to Jay. He is the height of the average 13 year old and the weight of the average 13 and a half year old. He outweighs all of the kids and is almost as tall as Jesse! He loves to watch football and help us cook.

Ashlee is the princess of the family, Well if you ask her, the entire world. She is very tiny for her age and loves to cuddle. We are having a hard time helping her to realize she is 6 and not a baby anymore! We will keep trying. She loves playing dress up, tea party, and my littlest petshop. She loves getting her nails painted, and going shopping. She is extremely advanced in school and although she has an attitude, she loves school when she is not bored.

Jay and I are both in school full time which I love! I wish you could get paid go to school! That would be my ideal job, ha ha. Jay is working in construction while he works on his degree and I am babysitting and rarely, transcribing from home. My passion is gardening and I am have just started an indoor green house in my kitchen. It is way too big thus far and it will only get bigger! I do not know where I am going to put it all until May! I started this early so I would be able to get some veggies indoors before we ever plant outside. Each year my garden gets bigger and bigger. Jay is in the process of building me beautiful 9 ft by 4 ft garden boxes that are 2 and a half feet off the ground to accomedate my back issues. When it is all said and done, I will have 9 of these amazing boxes, two 3 ft by 3 ft strawberry boxes, and many many pots to make up my garden. I can not wait until it is finished. In the winter I have to try and contain my gardening wants with indoor house plants and this year I finally decided to make a green house indoors. Next year we will turn the craft room into a craft room/ indoor garden. I will have a 10 by 8 space all for my green house so I will be able to grow things year round indoors.

Well the masses are up and ready for some breakfast so.....I will post again later.