FINALLY...

We finally have a diagnosis for our Mikayla! 
She has officially been diagnosed with mixed receptive-expressive language disorder.  Here is a link that explains somewhat about it (describes Mikayla's struggles quite nicely)...
http://www.minddisorders.com/Kau-Nu/Mixed-receptive-expressive-language-disorder.html

She will begin language based speech therapy.  With the therapy, along with the medication that she has been on for almost a month now (which we have seen no negative side effects, praise Jesus) to help with her focus problems, we should see a lot of progress in school this year!   We are so happy to FINALLY know what is going on and to have a solution.  We can finally get Mikayla the help she needs so that she can have a better outlook in school.  We can't wait to see how she does this year...we are believing that she will excel!

We know that it might be tricky at times and she might have to work harder than other kids, but she will do great.  Thanks for everyone's prayers and please keep them up because she/we still need them! 

Life...

Life is good and moving right along in the Collins' house.  

Everyone is fabulous!  We are getting further along in Mikayla's diagnoses and getting closer to determining the help she needs.  We've had evaluations and appointments that are leading to more evaluations and appointments, but we are getting there, slowly.  Our goal is still to have everything diagnosed and sorted for her before school starts in August.  She is such a trooper!  She had to undergo testing the other day for over 7 hours and came out in the end still smiling.  She is so patient and understanding.  We have started her on a non stimulant ADHD medication and so far she is doing really well with it.  

While we aren't going to dr. appointments we have been enjoying our summer (when it isn't raining) playing at the pool and spending time with my niece and nephew, who are staying with my parents for the summer.  The kids absolutely love having "Mimi and Papa" right up the road, especially now that Celeste and Caleb are there!  

Aslyn turned 4 last month!!  Where does the time go?!  It is almost difficult to remember her as a tiny baby because of how fast it has gone by...it's sad.  She is super excited to be starting kindergarten next year.  I am not excited.  My baby is getting big way too fast.  

Brayden will be 7 next month!  He will be starting 2nd grade.  It doesn't seem real.  

Parents, enjoy your time with your babies!!  Before you know it, they are starting school, doing homework, and learning all kinds of nasty things from the other kids at school.  

I miss the innocence and smell of a newborn, baby babble, and all the milestones that come in the first year of life.  But I admit, I do not miss the crying and middle of the night wake up calls for feedings and diaper changes.  I very much enjoy potty trained children.  It's bitter-sweet. 

We are loving Gainesville more than ever with my parents being here and us getting involved in our church and finding our own little niche with things. 

I was just offered an opportunity for a job at a local children's boutique literally less than a half a mile from our house!  

Ben and I JUST started talking about the possibility of me looking around for something since my parents live right here...they can help out with the kids.  We really want Ben to be able to look for something in the near future that is not so demanding on him.  So with me working it will allow him to be able to start pursuing other options.  We weren't sure how easy it would be for me to find a job that would be what we are looking for since I don't have any work experience in the last 6 years.  This job just kind of fell in our laps...God is always on top of things!  If everything continues to work out the way it is, then this will be a great opportunity for me to continue with my schooling and to contribute financially, for Ben to pursue other (more desirable and less stressful) career options, and for us to still be able to have plenty of family time together!  We are really excited! 

Everything just keeps falling into place, we are so blessed!  Please keep us in your prayers...for Mikayla and for all of our new changes that are about to take place!  Thanks everyone!

Mikayla update...

It has been a month since my last post...a lot has happened in a month! 

First off I want to start out by correcting a mistake I made in my last post.  I mentioned that Mikayla was put on an IEP back in January.  Well, I was wrong, it isn't an IEP, it's an RTI, (which I still am not sure what that one means). It is the precursor for an IEP.  We have an EPT (educational planning team) who we sit down with and discuss progress and interventions.  The IEP (individualized education plan) is what we're looking into getting Mikayla on next.  I will get into that a little later.

This month has been busy for us.  We started out with our initial interview at the Psychology clinic at Shand's.  The doctor wants to do a full evaluation on Mikayla...this will take about 4 hours.  She says she will focus on her intellectual and cognitive functioning, looking for specific learning disabilities, her attention levels, and her phonetic and reading levels.  We are awaiting the appointment date for that right now.

   

In the mean time, we were asked to come in and discuss some things with Mikayla's teacher last week.  They still haven't received the FCAT scores in, but I was told that regardless of her scoring, they want to hold Mikayla back to repeat the 3rd grade.  This is really hard for us because we want to do what's best for Mikayla and that includes what's best for her academically and emotionally.  Academically, this might be good for her.  But emotionally, we aren't so sure.  She is very sensitive and emotional and she has already been upset about the possibility of being held back.  The doctor has said that it wouldn't do any good to hold her back because it would just be a repeat of this year.  But then we think, how can she be successful in the 4th grade if she hasn't grasped what she needs to in the 3rd grade?  I think it will all come down to what her FCAT scoring is.  

So we are really carefully thinking about this.  We will have a big meeting once the FCAT scores are in and discuss this further with the principle and guidance counselor. 

We had our appointment for the neurodevelopmental specialist scheduled for June 7th, but they called us on Tuesday and said that they had a cancellation and asked if we could come in the next day, so of course we jumped all over that!  The doctor went over with us the scoring that they do to determine certain conditions and learning disabilities and showed us Mikayla's scores.  Mikayla's scores are through the roof on attention and focus compared to an average child.  So the doctor proceeds to tell us that she has ADHD.  Which I immediately started asking questions and being skeptical because Mikayla is not at all hyperactive and she has absolutely no behavior issues.  Well he explained that there are different categories in ADHD and she is  the "inattentive type" meaning she basically has ADD.  They just don't use that terminology anymore, it's all ADHD with a certain "type" now.  So he wants to put her on medication to help her focus.  He also said that she has a learning disability, possibly dyslexia, and she needs to be tested to see how extensive and what types.  He is putting in a referral for the testing but he doesn't believe that our insurance will cover it because it is for academics and they feel that the school should be responsible for the testing.  So he gave us a bunch of literature to read over about ADHD and the medication options.  He gave us a note for the school so that hopefully they will start the process of testing her and getting her on the 504 and IEP plans.  

Now, we were initially very upset because we have always been almost nonbelievers of ADHD.  We don't believe in medicating children plain and simple.  

We have always felt like it is overly diagnosed and abused by parents and doctors. It has been used as an excuse for bad parenting and a way for doctors to have a pay day.

But we see how much our child is struggling and we see her scoring on the chart, it's obvious that she has a problem with keeping focused and on task.  She isn't hyperactive and she has no behavioral problems, so it isn't the same situations that you see time and time again with these kids and their "helpless" parents.  

The doctor told us about non-stimulant medications that are non habit forming and have less side effects.  It is really such a hard decision for us to make!  We can't continue this way.  We can't keep going the way we have been.  We just want our little girl to succeed.  So we are seriously and carefully considering the medication and our options.  

I went up to her school yesterday after the appointment to speak with the guidance counselor about getting her tested.  Of course, she was busy and I had to leave a message.  This was upsetting because we have not had it easy so far with dealing with the school and Mikayla's progress.  We just knew that it was going to be a fight to get her tested and put on these plans!  

Well, this morning I got an email from her teacher who said that she was just thinking about Mikayla's diagnosis and situation last night and is going to speak with the guidance counselor about getting Mikayla on a 504 plan before the end of this school year so that next year when she starts the new school (they are rezoned for a new school just being built for next year), she will already have it in place.  This was amazing to us!  A big answer to prayer! 

So later, the guidance counselor calls me and agreed that we need to have a meeting and put her on a 504 plan and also get her tested for an IEP plan.  We won't be able to get the testing done until the beginning of next school year because there just isn't enough time, but we are going to get it all set up so that it can be done right at the beginning of the school year!  This is wonderful because now Mikayla will have extra help and accommodations for tests and school work.  She will have access to certain services that will cater to whatever her disabilities may be.  Our meeting is next Wednesday morning. 

 I have been sick over this whole thing and when I saw that email from her teacher this morning, I felt like a huge weight was lifted!  God is good and He knows what He's doing! 

If the doctor's office didn't have that cancellation and hadn't have called us in, then we wouldn't have gotten her diagnosis and we wouldn't have been able to get all of this stuff rolling with the school.  It can be quite a process and there is no telling how long it would have taken if we would have had to wait until the fall. 

We are still having to make some tough decisions concerning medication and whether to hold her back to repeat the 3rd grade or not, but we are praying and trusting that God has it under control.  It will work out according to His plan!  

We have heard a LOT of different opinions in the last 2 days regarding ADHD and medications and we really appreciate all of the input.  Having said that, I didn't write this blog post to ask for everyone's opinions regarding this topic.  Like I said before, we were always firm nay-Sayers when it came to ADHD and medicating kids, but until it is YOUR child and YOUR struggle with your child, then you really have no idea.  We have learned this the hard way.  

We still are not 100% decided on what we're going to do, but we would appreciate your prayers and encouragement.  Just not so much your opinions on this particular topic (unless they are positive and encouraging).   Thank you so much!  We have really felt all the love!  

Please continue to pray for us and Mikayla...we still have a long road ahead with testings/evaluations, getting her learning disability diagnosed, everything that comes along with that, and getting everything in the right order for her at school.

Getting somehwere...

It has been a while since I've blogged.  We've been so busy and I just haven't had much to ramble about lately.  ;)  It would seem that I now have something to talk about, unfortunately it's not the happiest of subjects.

I talked a bit in a previous blog post about Mikayla and the trouble she has been having in school.  In January we had a meeting at her school with her teacher, Guidance Counselor, Principal, school Psychologist, and some other important people that I can't remember at this time.  They had performed some screenings and evaluations with Mikayla and wanted to discuss starting an IEP (Individualized Education Program) plan for her.  Which basically would allow Mikayla to get more individualized and targeted help with what she is struggling with in school. 
We discussed Mikayla and the results of her evaluations.  The speech/language therapist found that she had a hard time with some basic things during that evaluation. After discussing everything further with her teacher and with us, the school psychologist mentioned that Mikayla might have a short term memory problem.  It's weird how hearing things from her teacher and the other people that have been around Mikayla can really put things in perspective and make things click.  Like some things that we, her parents don't even pick up on until they are pointed out to us.  I remember leaving the meeting thinking, "I never thought of it like that before...yes that makes perfect sense."  So we now had a new light shed on some things that we see in Mikayla's every day life at home as well as at school.  The meeting ended on a positive note and with a plan in place. 
Of course,  you know me, I went home and started researching online about short term memory problems and I was surprised to find a lot of children born prematurely have problems with short term memory. 

After about a month and a half I emailed Mikayla's teacher about her progress and her teacher replied saying that she's concerned with Mikayla's progress (or lack there of) and had already sent in a request to revise her IEP plan.  I felt like replying, "Well thanks for letting us know" but of course I didn't. 
At this time we decided to take Mikayla to the pediatrician to just make sure we aren't missing something and to bring up this possible short term memory issue.  Plus it just seems like we weren't getting anywhere with the school and if we were, it was just taking too long.  After a few months of retrieving records and waiting on appointments, her pediatrician said, "yes, there's no doubt that she has a learning disability" and we were referred to some specialists.

Mikayla now has appointments with a Dr. who specializes in pediatric neurodevelopmental disabilities and a psychologist for full evaluations and further testing. 
I had to fill out a huge packet of information yesterday and send part of it for her teacher to fill out.  I received her teacher's portion back today and I just became a bit overwhelmed.  Looking through her teacher's evaluation (her ratings on Mikayla's habits and weaknesses) was harder than I thought it would be.  I agree with everything her teacher put on the form, it was just kind of hard to take coming from someone else.  I put the same things on our portion of the paper work, but I didn't rank them as high as her teacher did.  I know her teacher sees Mikayla in a different environment than we do, I'm not saying anything negative about her answers...it just kind of caught me off guard I guess.
I realized that this is just the beginning of this process and I have no clue what is going to happen through all of this!  I got pretty emotional and had to talk it through with a few friends, but I am still really scared of all of this.  I think my biggest fear is that we will go through all of this and in the end nothing good will come of it.  We really just want to make sure we have covered all of our bases with Mikayla and get her all the help that she needs in order to be successful in school and in everything else she does.

It's really frustrating to know that we still have another few months before all of her evaluations are completed and by then this school year will be over.  I'm praying and believing that in the end something positive and productive will come from all of this.  And hopefully we can go into the next school year knowing more of how to help Mikayla and it will be a much better experience for us all!! 

I debated on posting this or not because it is really personal and it is a sensitive subject.  But Ben encouraged me to because we really would like the support and prayers of our family and friends. 
Please pray with us as we go through this whole process...that we will have peace of mind, that God's will be done, that we make all the right decisions for Mikayla, and that she gets all the help that she needs.   Thank you!

Catching up with the kids...

I'm just going to come out say that I do not like the fact that every year my children become a year older.  One year is not very long.  I used to think that a year took forever to pass!  Ugh, it isn't long enough!
And this is exactly one of the reasons why we chose to have my tubes tied...I would be wanting to have a new baby every few years!  It just hurts my heart to see my little cute, cuddly, sweet smelling, soft, babies getting so grown and independent...and mouthy.

Mikayla will be 9 next month!  I only have one more year until she hits the "double digits".  I tease her all the time and tell her that once she hits 9, her next birthday she will be 8..."we start counting backwards after 9".  She's not buying it.  She's getting so big and mature, but I am so thankful that she is still our sweet, tender hearted baby girl.  Why do little girls seem to be so much older than their age these days?  It's crazy to me that these 9 year old little girls are going crazy over Justin Bieber and even have little boyfriends already.  Thank the Lord Mikayla still loves Disney Princess, baby dolls, and Barbies.  She could care less about Justin Bieber or any other boy.  Thank God!  I know that will change eventually, but I am just so glad that my little girl is still a LITTLE girl right now.
She played softball last year and really liked it, but for some reason she doesn't want to play this year.  She really wants to do cheerleading, so later in the year we will look into that for her.  She's still my movie buff.  She will sit with me and watch movies all day, if I'd let her.  I love it when there's a sad or even a happy part in a movie and I look over to see her eyes full of tears, just like mine!
She's doing good in school...better than she started out this year, thanks to her teacher taking extra time out for her.  Mikayla has always struggled in school, even in kindergarten.  It has always been an exhausting uphill climb for us every school year.  So this year when we saw how difficult it was for her, how it was taking her 3 hours to finish one homework assignment, and how she still struggled even after we would basically give her the answers, I decided to start researching on how to better help her.  When I was looking online I started reading about learning disabilities and how it is very common for kids that were born prematurely to have learning disabilities.  When I read about that and read some of the signs of learning disabilities I suddenly remember how when Mikayla was a baby and in the NICU, we asked one of her doctors if she would have any long term effects.  The Dr told us that mostly she would just need time to catch up, but really we wouldn't know until she was older and in school.  Basically, we will cross that bridge when we get to it.  Yea, I forgot about that.  But she has always been perfectly fine and healthy.  Right at the same time I started looking into these things, her teacher emailed me about wanting a conference with us.  So we went in for the conference and her teacher told us that she pulled all of Mikayla's records from her old school and wanted to do an Early Intervention meeting for Mikayla.  They will do some tests, evaluate her and schedule a meeting with us, her teacher, the Guidance Counselor, School Psychologist, Curriculum Resource Teacher, and the Principle to form a plan that best fits Mikayla's needs to try and get her on the level that she needs to be on.  So they will do this and if need be, adjust the plan 3 different times.  If she still isn't improving like she should after the third plan, then a possibility of a learning disability will be discussed.  So we were really relieved by all of this!  At last, we will get somewhere with Mikayla's schooling.  I feel like this is another answered prayer.  It took us coming to a different county and school for someone to take notice and action for Mikayla.  Her old school put her in a program that gave her 3 different teachers and had her changing classes several times a day.  We specifically asked them not to put her in that program because we knew what she needed, but they told us they couldn't change her classes.  Whenever I asked her teachers what we could do for her, if there was tutoring or anything, they just told me no and to keep working with her at home.  I'm not trying to say anything bad about her old school, we loved it there!  But God knows our needs and this is obviously what Mikayla has needed.

 Brayden will be 7 this summer!  Oh my goodness that little boy is such a mess!  He is his father through and through.  He wants to play football so bad, he can barely stand it.  But he also wants to play baseball, basketball, and do karate.  What am I going to do with him?  He wants to be just like his Daddy in every way.  He wants to dress like him, talk like him, fix his hair like him.  His Daddy is his hero and he will be the first tell you that.
He is so stubborn and anal about the most ridiculous things, like if he thinks his pants are too long.  I tell him that they aren't and to leave them alone.  We will be walking out the door and I notice that his pants are rolled up into high waters.  He gets so mad when I roll them back down.  But he brings so much joy into our lives.  He is always making us laugh.  I think he could be a comedian one day.
I don't know why but he is absolutely fascinated with "tooting" and burping.  I'm hoping that it's just his age and he'll grow out of it, but then I look at his Daddy and my hopes diminish.  Boys are gross.
He is super smart, not just books smart but common sense smart.  Sometimes Ben and I will ask each other, "is he really only 6?"  He makes excellent grades in school and has been trying really hard this year to listen to his teacher and not get into trouble.  He has done really well.  We are blessed to have a teacher that understands little boys and so she gets that it's very difficult for him to sit still for a long period of time.  I swear sometimes it seems like he has ants in his pants!  

Aslyn will be 4 in a few months.  This makes me sad.  My last baby and she is growing way too fast.  She is such a sweet heart.  When I get Mikayla up for school in the mornings I always make sure Aslyn isn't laying all funky in her bed and then tuck her back in.  She always says, "thank you" and it makes my day.   She is a good mixture of Mikayla and Brayden.  She loves all the girly things like Mikayla, especially dress up.  But she also loves the boy things too, like Brayden.  She loves playing and hanging out with Brayden but they are so much alike, usually they just end up fighting.  Unfortunately she has Brayden's stubbornness and attitude, but when she looks at you with those big blue eyes and smiles that beautiful smile, you can't help but to just melt.  She has us all wrapped around her little fingers.  She is still obsessed with Minnie and Mickey Mouse.  We are trying to plan a trip to Disney very soon since it has been a few years...she will really get a kick out of all the Minnies and Mickeys now.  Can't wait for that.
We've been talking about whether or not to start her in pre-k this fall.  If you know me, then you know that I'm not a huge fan of pre-k.  If you have to, you have to.  But I think kids are in school for long enough, why add an extra year when it's not necessary?  I am a big fan of keeping my babies babies for as long as possible.  But we've been throwing the idea around since I'm in school now.  Thinking maybe it would make things a little easier on me.  I don't know who I'm trying to fool...I know that it won't happen.  I didn't do it with my first two and Aslyn is my baby.  She will be home with me until kindergarten.  Which is next year!  I don't even want to think about that. 

So I think that about catches everyone up.  They are all doing great!
It blows my mind how quickly time flies by.  I can't believe that in just a few years I will have a "tween"...let's not think about that one.

Ben and I were talking last night about our "3 kids" and I said something like, "actually 4 kids".  We agreed that it was weird to think about having 4 kids, but we do and it's hard not to acknowledge that every once in a while.  I think about that a lot.  When someone asks me how many kids I have, I sometimes feel guilty for saying 3.  But who wants to explain "4 kids" especially to a person that I'm just meeting.  Honestly, I wish someone could please tell me what it will be like when we get to Heaven and we meet our 4th child!  Will he/she still be a baby?  Will he/she know us?  There are too many questions that will drive me nuts if I think about it too long!!  So I really have to try and keep my mind from going there and just be patient.  Besides, that topic is probably best saved for a different blog post altogether.  ;)

First week of school...

A lot of people have been asking how my first week of school went.  I can say it went good, but not as great as I thought it would go.  I was very sick the week before school started and still hadn't gotten over it when the first day came along.
I don't know what this sickness was, but it took everything out of me!  I had no energy, I just wanted to curl up and sleep.  At times I felt like I literally couldn't keep my eyes open.  It was very hard to focus on anything.  So when I logged onto my online courses for the first time and saw all the info to take it, I got a bit overwhelmed.  I couldn't process it all.  It made me very anxious.  I went to my first on campus class that night and it went smoothly.  Ben had dinner ready when I got home, which made everything better. 
After a few days, I started feeling much better and was able to actually comprehend what I was reading and get organized with all of my courses.  I felt much better about everything! 
So all in all my first week was good. 

I really think I'm going to enjoy school.  I have evening classes at the campus two nights a week, which is nice for me to get out of the house and have a break from the computer at home.  In one of my classes I have a test every week (my first test is actually tonight) so that should be interesting.  But I feel confident about it and am really looking forward to everything. 
It's going to take some getting used to, not only for me but for Ben and the kids as well.  It has been 10 years since I was in school and I wasn't a wife and Mommy then.  I know I can do it and with my supportive husband here encouraging me, it will make things much easier!

On a side note...
I took the kids to school this morning, as usual, and on the way back home I started thinking about how much our lives have changed in the last few months. 
6 months ago it never would have crossed our minds that we would be living in Gainesville.  I know Ben never thought he could or would be happy attending a "big church", let alone being able to serve on the Worship Team.  I never thought about going back to college before moving here.  I know our kids didn't think they could or would be happy anywhere but in Bushnell. 
6 months ago our lives were kind of upside down and we didn't know where God was leading us.  We just knew that He was in control and that was all that mattered. 
So when I was driving home this morning thinking about all of this, I just became so overwhelmed by God's love and faithfulness.  For the first time, Ben and I completely gave up EVERYTHING to Him.  We wanted nothing more than His will.  We put our lives in His capable hands and this is where He led us. 
Here, where every single person in this family is the happiest that I have ever seen!  I have seen a change and growth in this family in the last few months...there are no words to explain my joy.
Whenever I hear someone ask Ben, "How are you liking Gainesville?"  and he answers, "I love it!  It feels like home. It is home",  I can't help but smile, because that is exactly how I feel, and I know that is only because we listened to God and this is His plan for us. 

I know I might talk about it a lot, but after everything we've gone through and everything we've seen God do...I can't help but be excited and share how good He is!!

I am so overwhelmed by God's love and faithfulness!  My heart is so unbelievably full!

Looking forward...

I can't believe this year is just about over!  It has definitely been a year full of trials and blessings...trials that turned into blessings.  I recently came across a 'Note' that I wrote on my facebook after Ben was let go from his job last year.  It was dated 12/29/10 (which was 2 days after he was fired)...

"My faith has grown so much over the past couple of years.  I used to be a worrier.  I used to stress and get emotional over every little thing that went wrong.  And that's just it, it went wrong...if it wasn't what WE had planned, then it was wrong and scary.  I always knew that God is in control and deep down I knew that it would all be okay.  But still for some reason I always doubted and I always thought of the worst possible scenarios.  But as time has passed and I have grown in my walk with God, I have found myself knowing that things always work out for God's plan. That He has never failed me and promises never to. 

So now I can say without any hesitation that after Ben was unexpectedly "let go" from his job on Monday that we are going to be okay.  More than okay, we are counting this as a huge blessing! 

A few years ago if this would've happened, I know I would be a wreck right now.  Not knowing what the future holds, not knowing how our family is going to be provided for.  Just not knowing. 

Here's a little back story to how life has been for us since Ben started work at RAC...
    If you don't already know, Ben worked for RAC for over 8 years...he got hired a month before we got married.  They have always required their employees be scheduled a minimum of 50 hours a week.  He moved up to management level pretty quickly, which was just more demanding of his time.  Which was more time away from his family.  He has always worked from 8 or 9am until at least 8 or 9pm, five days a week (which included every Saturday).  We have always eaten dinner as a family when Ben got home from work at around 9 or 10 pm.  So of course our kids have always stayed up at night until around 11pm (even on school nights) so that they could have at least an hour with their Daddy every night before bed. 
When Brayden started t-ball last year for the first time, Ben had to sneak out from work early every game night so that he could catch the last 10-15 minutes of his games. 
Not to mention how stressful, mentally and physically demanding it was.  Poor Ben, that's all I can say.
I used to beg him to search for other jobs so that we had him home more and so that our kids could have more of a normal schedule.  But when he's been with this job for so long and it pays the bills so well, it is scary to leave and not know if anything different will work out or not. And of course, when would he ever have the time.

I have prayed almost every night for years now that God would do something with Ben's job.  That he would open doors and that something would change so that we could be happier as a family.  I believe that God wants to give us the desires of our hearts, and Lord knows that we both have desired this change for some time now! 
That's why we are believing that this is a huge blessing for our family!  We know that God will provide for us and that he has something so much better in store for our family.  This has to be the answer to my prayers, finally!  We don't know what the future holds, but we know that it will all work out according to His perfect plan.

Psalm 37:3-5

Ben told me today that he hasn't felt this good in a very long time...how many people can say that after just being fired from their job.  ;)

Thank you everyone who have offered their prayers and kind words, it means a lot.  And if anyone knows of any great jobs out there...we are all ears!"

It's amazing to me how we had no clue what was next for us.  But we had faith and God provided so much more than we could have imagined!  

After much prayer and moving around, God opened a door and we came to Gainesville.  We have gotten so much confirmation that we are where God wants us!  We are so unbelievably happy and blessed.  I can honestly say that this has been the best thing that has happened to this family.  

We have grown so much already and are continuing to grow together as a family and together in God.  

This wife and mommy can't imagine being more happier than I am right now!

I just can't wait to see what 2012 holds for us!!  I have a feeling that it is going to be a GREAT year!!

 Happy New Year everyone and God bless!!!