Left You Hanging

Hi Everyone!!

I just got on my blog for the first time in ... well... um...a while, and realized that not only has a TON happened since I last posted, but I totally left you hanging on the doctor decision. This will have to be fairly short because I have a bunch of unpacking and cleaning to do, but I thought I would give you a quick update.

Yes, we found a pediatrician. We are not convinced we will be sticking with the one we have chosen (I am not in love with their office procedures), but for now, it's the one we feel we are supposed to be with. He is very smart and he always calls me personally to discuss things, which I really like.

Clara is doing great. We have found her a physical therapist here that is super-sweet. She has been warned not to be too sweet with our sweet Clara, because Clara, if given the opportunity, will conquer and rule. She's a bit of a Napolean. :-) We visited with the geneticist while we were home for Christmas, and while we still don't have all the answers we want, we are on our way. I can't remember how much I have posted about this, but there is a possibility that Clara has either been incorrectly or not completely diagnosed. We are trying to get to the bottom of that. We have been referred to the University of Michigan to visit with a metabolic bone disease specialist there to determine what else is going on with her. Sorry to be vague, but I would rather not post a whole lot until we know for sure what we are dealing with. I'll keep you posted. :-) We are about to start the process (again) to get Clara the adaptive stroller she needs. The last time we started the process, there was the obstacle of time because we moved and the process is long, and money, because we were not sure what insurance would cover. We have been able to get by, until now, by carrying her or using an umbrella stroller, but that has gotten too hard. She has outgrown the stroller and she is WAY too heavy to carry. Please pray this process will go smoothly and insurance will cover well.

Thanksgiving was wonderful! We spent it with sweet friends here in Michigan.



We have been sledding for the first time ever! Even the little ones got in on the fun in "I'll-do-it-all-by-myself" toddler fashion. :-)





Christmas was wild, crazy and wonderful. We were in Georgia for three weeks. We went a little earlier than planned because we closed on our house on the 13th!! Yippee!! I will admit that it was bitter-sweet, but it needed to happen. It is weird to think of other people living in my house now. :-) However, I do not want to lose sight of the fact that God has been so faithful to take care of our every need since we've been here. The rest of the time was spent trying to see everyone we wanted to see. We did not succeed, but I think we did our very best. We both have large and very divorced-and-remarried families, so it makes it crazy. Not to mention, we have so desperately missed our church family and wanted to spend time with those friends, as well. There are still friends we did not get to see, and I am sad about that. We did not get to spend AS MUCH time as we wanted with anyone, but overall, it was a good visit. We were just very exhausted when we arrived back in Michigan and are trying to get caught up on sleep, as well as unpack and reorganize. We looked a little bit like the Beverly Hillbillies on the way home. We were already very packed in the van when we left, especially considering we left a day earlier than planned because of a storm that was coming...no strategic packing. We just threw it all in! But after 6 Christmases, it almost took a U-Haul to get us back to Michigan. All we needed was granny on top of the van in a rocking chair. :-)

This is what the road looked lie for the vast majority of our 17 1/2 hour drive to Georgia.

We did manage to squeeze in some fun. We went rock climbing for the first time EVER with some dear friends. All the girls did great, but these little ones blew us away! Megan went sraight to the top. It took Clara all night, but she kept trying, going a little farther up every time she tried. The little girls got to feed the ducks with Ms. Jill...one of their favorite things EVER. As part of our Christmas gift from my parents, we went to Snow Mountain with my side of the family. We really enjoyed the sledding, shows, train, and 4-D theater, but most of all, it was so great being with my parents, brothers, sister, nieces and nephews.. Boy, I have missed them. We also spent a morning at Pump-It-Up with our homeschool co-op friends. There were two families back in town for the break (us and one other), so they scheduled a get-together so we could all see each other. Wasn't that sweet? We got to house-sit for a few days at the home of a GIGANTIC and very gentle lab named Rascal. The girls loved that. Megan kept trying to ride him. :-)

Feeding the ducks with Ms. Jill.

Emilie and Megan scaling the wall.

My parents, siblings, significant other, and us at Stone Mountain. I took some of all the kids, too, but they came out blurry. I get in too big of a hurry with the camera and sometimes forget it has to have time to focus. :-)

Christmas dresses.

Alyssa on Christmas being her preteen, goofy little self. :-)


Emilie on Christmas morning.


The little girls on Christmas morning sporting their new rain boots.

We celebrated a huge milestone in our family while in Georgia. Jeff turned 40!!! We had a wonderful time celebrating that milestone with (almost) our entire immediate families and some friends. Good times. :-)

Jeff is settling into his new job here, and really loving his work. He will be traveling soon to attend a pre-summit, and is very excited about seeing what happens there from a ministry perspective. Please pray there is not a blizzard in Michigan while he is gone. :-)


I know this is very general, but I wanted to get you all of that cliff where I left you hanging. :-) I will continue to try to do a better job keeping up with our blog.

Happy New Year!!
Jeannie