Update!

We decided to make our blog private.  Mainly, we wanted added security for our family.  As Adam and I continue our education, things are getting increasingly busy.  We wanted the opportunity to post personal information about our goals and whereabouts without added concern for privacy.  There may have been a few people we left out of our list.  Please let us know if someone is hoping to view our blog!

Many thanks to you all!

Now, here's a few things that we've been endeavoring.  Adam still works for G.B. and loves his work as an electrician.  His going back to school will be exciting and scary.  We hope to maintain balance while BOTH of us are in school.

I look forward to transferring to ASU's pre-med program.  I have not decided on a medical program yet.  I am, however, very interested in a Naturopathic school here in the valley.  It is one of the top Naturopathy schools in the country and people travel from around the world to study there.  It is a four year doctoral degree with internship and residency opportunities.  When I started school I thought I would LOVE teaching.  And I still do.  I just realized the politics and limitations within school systems were really overwhelming.  I will continue with a minor in early childhood education, but I have thoroughly enjoyed my research in autism, neuroscience, and nutrition.  Working with children is still my goal...just on a different level.  There are also some OT and PT programs I have been looking at. 

John continues to receive services as outlined in his IEP.  He's growing so fast, but it's been a difficult few months.  The ups and downs of life I guess.  John is looking for more independence and it's hard to know what's appropriate for him.  The high functioning autistic symptoms come and go and we never know what John will be like when he wakes up in the morning!  I thought he might enjoy the OM (Odyssey of the Mind) program, sponsored by NASA.  Here, children are able to experience a variety of problems and use creative thinking skills to solve them.  For example, some teams are supposed to build a robot that can open a lid without human contact, etc.  We'll see what we can find!

John and Ella are waiting for acceptance at a nearby Charter school.  It's been 6 months, so we hope their turn comes soon!  Either way, we're pleased with their current status and we'd love to offer them extracurricular activities that engage their minds.

Ella is still at her Montessori preschool.  She loves it there!  She is learning to read and she will be turning 5 in April.  She continues to take dance classes (ballet and tap).  She's an amazingly patient sister and is very understanding.

There's still SO much more to our lives right now, but I'm running out of blog time.  Adam and I are always on the fence about having more children.  We are incredibly torn about what having another child will require.  Some people might think we are being selfish if we don't have any more kids, other people might think we're crazy to have another baby.  We pray, read church talks, scriptures, fast, and we still haven't felt impressed to have more kids.  It's a bit frustrating too.  My health has been up and down, and John needs SO MUCH attention.  Not to mention, we have a beautiful daughter who needs constant support while she endures the trials of sisterhood.  We ask for your prayers and personal stories.  This is a HUGE test of our agency and we want to do what is BEST.  It's not easy to see friends and family with their growing families, and knowing that might not happen for us.  Still, I'm so glad for two beautiful children...a miracle blessing.  In the meantime I'll keep going to school to learn how to help children...whether they're mine or not.

Much love to you all!

Going Private

Our blog will be going private, meaning you will have to sign in with an email and password.  This will begin January 18th.  Sorry to all for the inconvenience.  I will do my best to invite all friends and family.  If we do not have your info, you can leave a comment with your email address (I will not post it to the blog site).  We will do our best to welcome any friends who love visiting our site!

Bringing in the New Year 2010

We went up to the Heber cabin for the New Year. It was very eventful. The weather was beautiful and it was nice to escape the valley. John somehow managed to get another concussion (this time sledding right into a ditch). It gave us quite a scare. Luckily, Grandma Chris (Alli's mom) was there to help. He played video games the rest of the trip and played Legos. I think this was his 5th or 6th concussion, and each one puts us in a panic. We ate Mexican food every night and went down the zipline. Treslee caught a stomach bug and had to hide in her room for a day. We had a family evening and shared testimonies and love on the last night. The cabin trips always bring out a bit of family drama and our "true colors" aren't always radiant, but we somehow keep going back and have belly laughs that are out of this world. Our nephew Bastian enjoying a snack.

Adam's brother Brian and niece Andi.



Cousins and the snowman.

A wonderful walk on a snowy dirt road.

The kids just wanted a walk in the snow.

Adam's brother Devin likes to get friendly with brother-in-law Ryan.

Adam chopping our firewood.

Anya chopping too.

Adam in front of the fireplace.

When we got to the cabin John was THRILLED to finally see snow.

New Year's eve cousins Elle and Ella (born a day apart and dear friends).

Here's to a fabulous 2010!