Long overdue catch up post.

I can not believe my last post was from November, 2010. I have had a lot more time this past month since I am on medical leave and still am unable to bend over, lift more than 5 pounds, etc. So I decided to get back to blogging. Family update- Nathan is very busy working, he makes Artisan Sausage and his company is called Columbia Cochon. He still lives in Hood River. Ashley is 21 and she and Cody have been married for a year and a half. She is an assistant manager for a clothing store in the mall an Cody works for FedEx. They are living in Fort Worth. She comes to see us at least once a week. I am so proud of them both. Katy is 18 and is a sophomore in college and is attending UNT in Denton. She moved up there this semester, I miss her but so happy she is only 45 minutes away. She texted me today and was excited about all of her classes she had today. She is finally at the point where you can take some of the fun classes that are geared toward your degree and not just the basics. Sarah just turned 16 last month. She is a Sophomore in high school. Her favorite classes at school are dance and pre-drill. She attends early morning seminary and loves it. She loves anything related to church and church activities. Noah is in 8th grade and he continues to make great progress in his life-skills class. He has come such a long way since we adopted him 8 years ago. I do have to say it has been interesting having a son who has developmental delays and is going through puberty. I get to save his mustache and remind him to us his acne soap. lol He does not talk much due to his autism but when he does his voice is deep and booming. Oh the joys of being a Mommy! Jacob is 13 he had a rough year in 2013. He was hospitalized in the spring for several days and then in August he went from acting like nothing was wrong in the morning and then fussing at 1pm and by 10pm he was having emergency surgery to fix a bowel obstruction. He is so brave and I am so thankful for the power of Priesthood blessings. I am so very thankful for the Holy Ghost as there have been countless times when I truly felt so helpless and I felt his comfort just like a shield around me. Hannah is 8 and will be turning nine in February. She is my calm in the storm called life. She always has a smile and a hug. I call her my baby cause she is but she is still so small due to her growth disorder. She is 23 pounds and 32 inches tall and wears size 18or 24 months. She is also all girl!!!! She loves her purses, makeup brushes, necklaces and anything that is pink. She is starting to walk more still cruising furniture or holding fingers but can go farther. The doctors told us that if she was not walking by age seven she would not learn to walk and as usual she has proved yet another doctor wrong. Most of her specialist shake their head and lift there arms in the air and say it is nothing but a miracle she is doing so well. As a nurse when I look at her MRI's and knowing all medical problems I am amazed as well. Mike retired in April so that someone could be home with the children so he is busier than he was when he worked full time. He is such an amazing Dad and Husband!!! There is a lot of hard work that goes on in this house and we make a great team getting it all done. He had been wanting a Coon Hound for quite awhile. We found our Mr. Cooper and brought him home when he was 8 weeks old and now at six months old he is HUGE. He is such a smart well behaved dog. Don't get me wrong he has his moments due to being a pup still. I love seeing them play together. I am working in my dream job on a post partum unit where we do couplet care meaning we are the nurse caring for the mom and infant. Then some nights I get to work in the nursery. Some of the babies come in for parents to get some rest but I get to care for infants who need observation, close monitoring or IV medications. I really love the people I work with and the work I do. I have been out on medical leave due to the fact I got a cerebral spinal fluid leak that settled in my brain and then due to the pressure created it caused a subdural hematoma. I am so blessed that I had excellent care while in the hospital. I had the prayers, visits, calls, gifts and service of many friends and family. I am so grateful for all the people in my life they are amazing!! I still have restrictions like not being able to bend over, or lift anything over 5 pounds and so Mike has had to help me and I will be forever thankful for his loving care of me during all of this. Including sleeping in a chair so he could be there to care for me in the hospital.