I have been a very bad blog writer, but I find with a newborn in the house writing a blog has become much more difficult. This is just a season and all too soon he will not require as much care and I will be back to writing more often. Man they grow up so fast! I didn’t really realize that with my first couple of kids but by the time you get to number 6 you just want time to stop so you can enjoy them being little for a while.

I wanted to give a little update on how our family is doing. We had a great Christmas. It’s always nice to have two weeks off with the whole family at home, even Glenn. It’s one of the perks of working at a school. It makes up for August and September when I feel like I don’t see him at all. We got a lot of stuff done around our house and just hung out together. I will confess by the end of the two weeks we were all ready for the routine of school again and to get a break from all of us being together all the time. 🙂

Kaki did really well over the break. We were a little concerned because previously breaks from school, even on weekends, have been really hard for her. She would get very upset and throw tantrums. We had considered finding a day camp for her to go to during the break but couldn’t find anything. So, we had resigned ourselves to a difficult time, but it really wasn’t. We started her on a new medication in October and have really seen great results from it. She is eating again and has gained all the weight she lost over the summer and grown one inch. She also has become much more compliant and hasn’t thrown a tantrum in a long time. A couple of notable things happened recently. One was just before the break Glenn was working late one night so that left me with all the kids and it was shower night. (In a big family you have to schedule showers) So,  I knew she needed a shower and I would have to do it. This would have previously been a huge issue. There would have been screaming and tantrums. However, I told her we needed to shower and she resisted initially but once I started getting to it she complied and allowed me to get the whole thing done with minimal issues. She also allowed me to give her her medication, which never would have happened four months ago. During the break I was sitting on the sofa cutting the boys nails and she gestured to me that she wanted her nails cut. So, I invited her to come sit next to me and she did, and she allowed me to cut all her nails. Huge deal! Previously it took two people to get that done. So, we have seen some really positive change with her. We are still having some issues every now and then, but nothing compared to where we have been. We are also seeing more normal teenage girl stuff. For example, when she asked me for dessert the other day and I said “No”, she cried. Normal teenage girl stuff, crying over dessert. That’s a big deal though because she didn’t cry for the first 9 months at home. Not once! She is opening up emotionally, just a little bit. It’s a good thing. So, we are thankful for all your prayers and support. We really could not have made it through this year without them.

The boys are doing well. Sam and Jordan are doing well with homeschooling and really enjoy it. Elijah enjoys having them home with him all the time. He is such a social little guy. It’s nice to see them have such a good relationship. Joshua is doing well in school. However he continues to be a challenge at home and I can honestly say now that he is more trouble than Kaki is. He has ADHD and developmental delays and is always into something or throwing a tantrum if things don’t go his way. Our pediatrician says that four years old is the hardest age developmentally and I don’t disagree. We are ready for him to turn five. lol I think he is acting out a bit more since his baby brother arrived in November.

Luke is doing very well. He is a really easy baby and rarely cries. He sleeps 8-10 hours at night without waking up and we are thankful! He is growing fast and is already in 3-6 month clothes at 8 weeks. He is going to be big like his brothers. We are blessed.

It’s a big crazy household, but it’s fun. I never imagined I would have 6 kids and especially not 5 boys! But God has blessed us and we wouldn’t change it for anything. Okay, maybe some days I would trade them to the circus but most days they are great.