Ava Update!

Okay, people keep asking so here it is;)!  FINALLY an update on Ava.  But bear with me because I've been such a bad blogger that I don't remember what I've shared and what I haven't, so I may repeat some things:)!

Last school year, we attempted to send Ava to Kindergarten...she had to be on the bus at 6:30 am, school started at 7:30...red flag number one.

She had a wonderful teacher who POURED into her, and she worked with a speech therapist(who I think was 12;)), but she didn't qualify for occupational therapy, and they refused to do an IEP for her.  I spoke with the school psychologist at the first PT conference. and even after I explained that she was FAILING in every area in progress reports...he blew me off.:( 

All of her initial language assessments put her at about 3.5 year old level, and she failed the auditory listening test.....hm.  AND she was still held to the same grading "scale" and expectations as the other children...meaning she would basically fail...

She was so exhausted I would have to make her take a nap after school, then put her to bed at 7:30...then she began having accidents in the middle of the night...sigh.  She was in trouble daily for talking and not listening.  She couldn't remember how to find her room at school when she went to the bathroom(supposedly....knowing Ava, she was probably trying to find someone to chat with,LOL!:))  She cried all the time at school to get the teacher's attention(which didn't work..), she wanted to be carried everywhere by the teacher(that didn't work either;)...), she PRETENDED not to know how to do things to get attention...

So...in December we took her out and I homeschooled her the rest of the year.  I went back to the basics and used All About Reading to teach letters and three-letter words(VERY few at a time).  I used Abeka's K Math with her, but she only made it halfway through the book before it just became too much...and we just had to review and practice what she already knew the rest of the year. 

She's 6 years old now and has been home 3 years, and I KNOW she has an auditory problem...following simple 3 step directions are almost impossible for her.  She also can't put her thoughts into words well....so she'll start to say something and when she can't come up with a way to say it...she changes what she was going to say originally...making up  something, etc....

I'm beyond exhausted trying to help her.  I've contacted our local center for disabilities, and they just referred me to Nationwide Children's Hosptial in Columbus, OH, so I'm checking into that...sigh

I wrestle DAILY with whether or not I should continue to homeschool or try another local public school, so she can REPEAT Kindergarten there and hopefully get better support than the last school, plus(MUCH smaller school...my son is going to high school there...), they only do half-day Kindergarten...so I know she could handle that...she just needs help.  I feel like I've gone as far with her as I can without some outside help to meet those challenges she has...whatever they are...could someone PLEASE tell me what they are!!!  If you have any advice that would be appreciated.:)

OTHERWISE, she HAS put on weight finally...I started giving her half-n-half in her whole milk each day, feeding her whole fat yogurt, and lots of sour cream...she finally put on 4 pounds in about 3 months! YAY!

She's a super-sweet little girl who loves playing with her brothers and sisters, but even they become frustrated because she can't seem to carry on a conversation that makes sense, and she acts like a 3-4 year old most of the time...

It's just been a REALLY long 3 years trying to figure Ava out...and we still haven't...  Please continue to pray for us as we seek out some help...somewhere...anywhere to help us advocate for and educate Ava and help her to grow to her greatest potential.......sigh

Lifesong! Blogging for Orphans!

Thankfulness. We honored to stand beside so many of you in your faithful service to God and His call to love and care for the orphan. Join us in praising God for the work that He continues to do through the Church!

Listen in on HIS provision in Honduras and the opportunity to join the work through sponsorship...

Centro Vida Construction Complete // HONDURAS

Please enjoy this video featuring Honduras' brand new multi-purpose building, Centro Vida, which includes assembly space as well as a large kitchen. This building is just part of the incredible work going on in Honduras to equip over 575 vulnerable children & young adults with not only the Gospel, but hope for a future!
It's exciting to see Centro Vida's completion on Plan Escalon's 25th anniversary of serving orphans and vulnerable children.

Want to see more updates at Plan Escalon? Check out the kitchen renovation video thanks to the amazing help from our partners at Retail Orphan Initiative.

Learn more about Lifesong Honduras >>

You Matter to Me // CHILD SPONSORSHIP

When choosing a sponsor child, Vicki noticed that Lesly was an older student, but in a younger grade. Vicki intentionally chose to sponsor Lesly, understanding that something had happened in her life to cause her to fall behind. She wanted Lesly to know she cared and believed in her.
Listen in as Vicki, member of Retail Orphan Initiative, meets the students she sponsors at Plan Escalon and the impact that it is making not only in her heart, but in the heart of her sponsored children...

Become part of the IMPACT...Sponsor a child like Lesly today >>

Read more about Child Sponsorship...

What Child Sponsorship is All About -- Beautiful story of a sponsor child moved to tears and prayer when he heard that his sponsor was in a car accident. Read more

Be a Light Through Sponsorship -- Read a post from Lifesong's summer blog series featuring Sponsorship. Read more

Dear _____, I love you. -- JB, student at Lifesong Liberia, wrote to a sponsor he did not yet have. Fill in the blank for JB! Read more

"I will not stop serving the Lord" -- Watch the testimony of the life of Haggai, student of Lifesong Zambia. Watch Video

Breaking the Cycle in Ukraine -- Natasha's life and future was changed by the mentorship she found through Lifesong Ukraine. Watch Video to hear her story.

Blog Number 2

Hey Everyone,

Come check out my new blog!  This one tracks my 30 day journey with the Isagenix Cleansing and Fat-Burning System, and being a member of the Adoptagenix Team!!  Soooo, if you're a tired Momma who wants to FEEL better, think more clearly, and be healthier than ever before, check it out!:)  Oh, and you might lose some weight along the way;)!  And WHO wouldn't LOVE that!?

Here's the link:

http://changingmechangingyou.blogspot.com/

And I'm already on Day 6, so you might want to read the past few days to catch up!  See ya there!:)

M.I.A.

I know, I know!!!!! I've been M.I.A. for a while now...but life gets busy, seven kiddos need attention...and well...I'm tired;)! But just to update you. Naomi is doing FABULOUSLY well! She's topping the scale at 32lbs!! Holy MOLY!! Guess I should back off the whole milk, huh?;) She is trying to say so many words, is running rampant, and is an absolute JOY!! I get blamed for her stubborn streak...what's that about?!!! She sleeps through the night, takes great naps, and loves Shrek! Heaven help us, we go through ALL FOUR videos daily...or all we hear is "Rek", "Konkey", "Pua"(Puss...in case you didn't catch that one;)). We celebrated her birthday in June with Ava's(although it was in April...although that's incorrect, it's probably more like February...who knows!) and fun was had by all!:)

I cannot express the love I have for this child...it's IMMENSE! I MOURN the fact that I didn't get to carry her in my tummy....and then I mourn for the mommy who did:(...I wonder where she is, and wish she could see what a beautiful daughter she has. I mourn the fact that MORE babies in Adama, Ethiopia will be abandoned today and more mommies will grieve.... I want to do more..... I want to adopt more.... I want to GIVE BACK more... Laying it all at the Lord's feet and asking for guidance, because this journey surely isn't finished:)! I'm looking into partnering/advocating through Lifesong for Orphans...and looking into some other options a well... Wish I could just MOVE there!LOL! No...seriously...I want to move there. But then I would have to fly 9 people there and that would take a bazillion dollars....God has a bazillion dollars, right?;)

Anywho......Summer is almost over here and I'm ramping up for another busy school year! Kinda bummed actually... Summer is ending too soon and we really didn't DO much.. A couple of kids had church camp, which they LOVED...a few had day camp... We went to the zoo once... The park beach once... Now we wait for the county fair....HUGE in our town! Okay...maybe THEY did stuff;)! This year, our oldest is entering high school at a small local public school, that we've heard GREAT things about...how can I have a high schooler???? I'm only 25 for heaven's sake...that's my story and I'm sticking to it;)! He's nervously excited...and so am I. Also, I'm "working" from home this year a little as well. Doing some web testing, etc...whatever I can get my hands on, because we are on a journey to become financially FREE! TOTALLY FREE!! And well, that takes money!! I'm also beginning a new business/weightloss/health journey with Isagenix, which I'm VERY excited about!!! So, I'll let you know how that goes...:) On to the pics!! Happy August everyone!:)