September 2013

Is it the end of September already? This month certainly flew by for us. There was so much packed into this month but I will try to narrow it down to the Reader's Digest Condensed Version!

I think I will start with the big news first. It is official...we are finally foster parents! Our final inspection went great, we opened on September 5th and accepted our first child on September 12. Valeria is a spunky little two year old with big brown eyes and a mass of curls that can get unruly at times. She has fit in well with our family and we enjoy making her laugh. Our lives will never be the same.

Eli had allergy testing the beginning of the month. Following the doctor's recommendations, we are continuing on a gluten free diet and he is on another medication to help heal the burns in his esophagus. It is tough at times for him to not eat gluten, especially when we are around others who are enjoying it but it has helped tremendously to eliminate this from our diet.

Eli participated in his 2nd Triathlon this month. We are so proud of him for his awesome effort! He decided to do the swim this year without his life jacket. He then jumped on his bike and took off. He ended the event by running across the finish line. The boys then headed to their first Razorback football game while Mommy and Valeria went clothes shopping. Fun was had by all!

This month we kicked off several activities. On Monday afternoons, Eli started ASK (After School Kids) which is a Bible Study geared towards kindergarten through 6th graders. As part of the program he has bible homework that he does several nights a week.On Wednesday mornings, we head to Bible Study Fellowship where we are studying the book of Matthew. We also started our Co-op classes through our home-school group on Thursday afternoons. Both boys are taking a class on Dr. Seuss, then Eli heads to Mike the Knight where they are learning about the armor of God and Thad goes to Community Helpers where he is learning about dentists, firemen, policemen, etc. Valeria and I are in the nursery helping care for all the babies during the class time.  And finally, Everyday Heroes began on Sunday evenings. This is a program that is very similar to AWANA. Thad is so excited to be able to participate this year. He was even more excited when he found out Mommy was going to teach his class. (I can't seem to escape toddlers/preschoolers these days!). We continue to meet with our Wednesday night small group and our Friday night friends group. Eli also started fall soccer and he plays games on Tuesday nights and Saturday mornings.

In the middle of all this busyness, we also experienced sickness. Valeria was very sick when she came to us and went through a round of antibiotics for ear infections, sinus infection and borderline pneumonia. We also had to get her shots updated which made for a very unpleasant afternoon after she bravely endured 6 shots. Thad ended up with a fever virus that knocked him off his feet for a solid week. Unfortunately, he shared it with his brother and now Eli is down.

Our prayers are for restored health and that any children who enter our door would experience the love of Jesus through our family. Please join us in this prayer!

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