The kids and me

I (Nancy) decided since I love to journal, I should just do some of it on this blog and that way I wouldn't have to repeat myself to everyone- I could just direct them to this.

I am going to start small today. I am still in a quandry about starting this Master's degree in counseling. It seems that I must complete the entire degree and 4,000 hrs of practicum or internship, if you will, within 7 yrs. I must also decide if I want to be a Licensed Professional Counselor (48credit hours and more individual counseling) or a Marriage and Family Therapist (60 credit hours and more couples and families including children/teens which scare me). I am leaning toward the LPC license and am going to try to complete the degree in 3 yrs so I have 4 years to do all those hours. This scares me too. I am married, have a home, 4 children and a job. Who am I kidding yet I feel like I want to do this and that God has prompted me. I think I will just start with the first class on April 30th and see. It lasts for 8 weeks. One at a time. Meanwhile my first child goes to college in 4 yrs so I want to be able to keep working as a nurse and hopefully be done paying for my college courses just in time to start paying for his!

Speaking of David II, we went to his High School orientation last week! My first "baby" is going to high school next year! He is applying for governor's school also. It is a good experience for him even if he doesn't get in. He wants to be in the concert and marching bands. He also wants to keep playing soccer-hopefully for the school team if he makes it. He is a busy man. He gets bigger every day-eats a lot and keeps going up sizes in clothes and shoes (almost size 11men's in them!).Elizabeth thought his shoes were her dad's the other day.

Elizabeth, now her brain and creativity I cannot keep up with. She goes to middle school next year but when we were at high school orientation , she wanted to skip middle school and go right to high school! She probably could too if everyone would let her! But alas she needs the middle school experience. She still in the gifted program and still getting straight A's. She is currently doing Odyssey of the Mind-an extra curricula program using intelligence and creativity. She still does gymnastics and Dave was impressed with her balance beam routine last night. We are glad she does gymnastics b/c she normally doesn't like to go outside, but rather read, scrapbook, draw,etc-not like Jonny.

Now, Jonny, he is still an extremely active kid. So full of energy and noise. So much noise that his voice is shot already-has nodules on his vocal chords. We take him to speech but I still hear him yelling outside , not breathing right, not drinking water,etc. But he is 9-he doesn't care. He is enjoying basketball and plays football in the neighborhood. His hair was quite long for a while but we cut a bunch off last week. He looks better, he was just too small for all that hair.

Another active kid is Arianna. She is also a performer and the "baby" and she knows it. She is "cute" and knows that too. I keep cringing every time anyone says she is cute b/c then it just reinforces it. She still is very girly and does ballet. She's at the top of her class in kindergarten and reads remarkably well. She is the one most like me, God help her! Very stressed and emotional so I have been trying to calm down and be a better example for her. We try to pray when we get freaked out.

Me-This fall was a lot-that is the only way to describe it for me. Aside from the falls usual madness-school starts up, all the birthdays in our family and Dave's family, holidays, and activities start up, other items happened to add to the craziness:
In October I had to move my mom to another assisted living as the one she was in was about to abruptly close. This was no easy task b/c my mom was not independent and had uncontrolled diabetes (not for lack of trying) so 1 assisted living actually rejected her! This was so upsetting to me but finally we got her in one that was able to care for her within a good price range but farther away. So we moved October 25th-Arianna's birthday. And we made the trek to visit her each week-1/2hr away.
In November I did a lot with my church's woman's retreat. Lots of meetings previously both for organizing it and for music. I spoke and sang but was sick so didn't sing very well. I enjoyed speaking-hadn't done so with women in a long time. But then we were criticized by 2 women so that was upsetting.
I went on my first mission trip to Guanaja, Honduras November 23rd-Dec 3. It was definetely 3rd world. While a great experience, it was stressful and 1/2 of us (including me of course) got sick.
On New Year's weekend I went downhill skiing for the first time at age 40! ( Oh yeah I turned 40 Jan 10th right after that-also an annoying event). This was very stressful for me but with the help of Dave I actually did it and would go again. I was proud of myself but also exhausted after that (We went with the youth so I stayed with 3 teen girls so not much sleep either).
On Jan 4th I got a call at 0615 that my mother had died. I was a bit shocked as a week or so before she had been fine. So getting through that -funeral/burial Jan 6-7, bills, money, death certificates,etc-was really a lot for me. So I got my stress illnesses as I call them-insomnia, headaches, stomach pain, anxiety and depression. My health coach after telling her my fall-winter told me to go to couseling! So I am trying but not easy to get a couselor. But that will be good for me if I ever become one! It is also sad though that we are so sad and messed up that we need so many couselors and medicines. But I am one of them so I understand but America is very sad. We have lost our focus somehow. I for one aim to not lose it! And help others find theirs.
So much for me starting small. But I will try to do this more often so I don't write so much and take so much time!