Update

Hi everyone, it has been awhile since I gave an update so I thought I would take this time to fill you in.

The weather up here has been very mild this year. Only a few days below zero, the rest have mostly been right at freezing. What a change from last winter where we had several days in the negative temperatures. There has also been much less snow this year than normal. This is actually a bad thing for the sturgeon spearers. The lake is not as frozen as normal so they can only go a few miles out to cut their holes in the ice. They also cannot drive trucks and have to drive four-wheelers or snow mobiles. Jake might have to sit this year out as we have neither yet.

I did receive the results of the broker's exam teat that I took in October. I missed the pass rate of 75% by one question. Bear in mind that the nation wide average is that only 5% of people who take it pass on the first try. I am taking the advantage of the appeal process to protest the answer that was given for two questions. I think I have a pretty strong argument. I only need them to accept it for one question to pass. Keep the prayers coming!

Work is going great. There have been many chances to grow and it shows. It is nice to be almost making the same salary Jake and I made together back home. It allows Jake to be a stay-at-home Dad and it is very important to us that one of us stay home. I am glad he gets his chance. He suppported me so much while I worked on getting my Master's degree and I am glad to get to use it to help our family.

I also got brave enough to apply at a local university. I applied to teach a night class for returning adults. This would be a great fit as I attended night classes to finish my degrees. I know what it is like to have a full time job, a family, and still be working hard to better yourself. I remember all of the fun I missed out on because of papers and homework. I meet all of the requirements to teach so we are keeping our fingers crossed. We are planning on using the extra income to pay off my student loans. That would be awesome.

Mina and Noah are doing well. They are almost completely potty trainied except for a few nights. They can count to 10, know all of their colors, shapes, all normal animals, and some of the ABCs. They can tell a lot of the letters and numbers by sight. They also know quite a bit of sign language. At their last appointment with the pediatrician, she was amazed at their development. They are advanced in a lot of things. As far as mental development goes, she stated that you cannot even tell that they are preemies. They are both in the 90th percantile for height and weight as well! This is amazing to me. If you remember, they came home from the hospital under five pounds. Their first 4 months, their weight was not even on the percentile charts. The doctors would draw a line under the chart to show me where they were. There first month was spent at the doctor's office everyday for weight and breathing checks. I just cannot believe how much they are thriving. The only area of concern is Noah's lungs have still not caught up. He has asthma that will flare at every little cold or sniffle. He also gets pnuemonia very easily.

A few weeks ago we kind of had a scare. Noah has been having severe leg pain for several months. When we took him to his check up, the doctor wanted to do blood work. Noah is so fair that bruises show up really easily. His shins are always covered in bruises. Add that to the leg pain and the doctor wanted to check for leukemia. I usually do not freak out until I know there is something to freak out about, but I was a mess. I prayed so hard and pleaded with God to keep him safe. I think our loss affects us that way. The tests all came back fine though. If it keeps up, they are going to do leg X-rays to see what is going on.

If you remember, Linda was diagnosed with Childhood Bipolar, and Reactive Attachment Disorder. She has since started taking a medication to help with the bipolar. We were so hesitant to put her on medication, but wow, what a difference. She is doing great. We had the first positive parent/teacher conference we have ever had with her. She is still really behind her peers, but for the first time her behaviors have leveled out and the teachers feel that they are making progress. She now has a psychiatrist to manage the medication, a psychologist for counseling, and a social worker to manage everything including her Special Education. Her moods are so much more manageable than ever before. I feel like I am seeing my daughter for the first time.

James has had a rough time lately. He has gotten into a rough crowd at school I think. He has had a major attitude problem and has even used foul language. We are not sure what is going on. Prayers for us as we figure out a way to reach him would be appreciated.

Jake is doing good. He is bummed because his metal detecting is on hold because the ground is too frozen to dig. He is on a trap shooting league though, so he gets to get out with the guys every week. He keeps busy with little projects around the house as well.

Well, that is all for now. My fingers hurt from all of this typing. Much love for all of you from us up here in the frozen North.