Happy New Year!

Jeffy looking cute.


All the cousins...Kadee Joy, Jeffy, Isaac, Ephraim, Andrew and Finnie

My cute kids.

Chris, me, Kadee, Matt, Aaron, and Dina

Me, Aaron, and Kadee

Mom taking a funny picture of Kadee and I with each other's spouse

Me, Mom, Aaron, and Kadee
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2010 was a good year. There have been a few years during the last decade that were very hard and I was glad they were over, but this year was a good one.

Last night was officially our last night of Love INC. We graduated out of the program having paid off approximately $10,000 in unsecured debt...Holy Cow! It was very sad to say goodbye to our financial counselor, Rod. He was such a source of encouragement to us, and we will miss the hour a week we were blessed by him. Kadee Joy was quite distraught that last night was her last "Ruby Group." The boys didn't really know that anything different was going on, but gave hugs when asked. A family from the community adopted our family (through Love INC) and gave us a plethora of great Christmas presents. Opening them was overwhelming, exciting, and very, very humbling. We hope to be able to bless another family in a similar way in the very near future.

Last week (and the first part of this week) we were able to make the trip over to Tillamook. My mom rented a beach house for all of us kids (and our kids) to stay in. It was a fantastic beach house that had three stories, two kitchens, 5+ bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. It also had (of course) a fantastic view of the beach, which was good since it poured so much that we were only able to actually go on the beach one time for about five minutes. We all took turns making meals, and out of it came some pretty delectable cuisine. I got called "a Wirick girl" a couple of times at church, which always makes me feel good. :) It was wonderful to be with my immediate family for such a long period of time. We were also able to see some of my dad's side of the family, which has been rarer since he died. It was also the first time we had all been together for Christmas in Tillamook since Dad died, and was indeed a very special time.

Jeffrey recently discovered how to play the computer and is almost constantly asking for "letters" which is Jeffy for starfall.com, which he loves dearly. It's funny to watch him navigate his way through the program with Andrew shouting directions at him. They have such a funny sibling relationship. There are some things that are certainly different about having children with autism...but the huge lack of arguing amongst my children is something that I very much appreciate.

Chris and I have been doing well. Chris has been having some pretty major back pain recently, which we have been able to praise God for since he was uninsured for many years and didn't start having the pain until after he got insurance through his teaching job. We're hoping that the treatment he is receiving helps to improve his pain soon.

Since my thyroid surgery, I have noticed that my energy has been much, much better, as has my appetite. I am grateful for the excellent care I received.

Kadee Joy is reading very, very well. She's in the highest reading group at school. I've started to notice the upsides and downsides of this new skill...great that she is improving so much and can read to her siblings and to me, but not so great that she can now read what programs are coming on the TV that she wants to watch before I can switch the guide.

Autism is proving to be a very difficult beast to wrestle. I kind of laugh when I read older blog posts where I seem to know everything about autism. As I watch both of my boys grow, and as we gain more and more students with the same disorder, I realize how little I know of it, its' causes, and just what the future holds. We have been able to go out to eat on a couple of occasions thanks to some very generous church members who showed appreciation for Chris during pastor appreciation month, and we have found that going out is not nearly the challenge it used to be, although certainly there are still places (i.e. the Tillamook Cheese Factory) where the large number of people, sounds, sights, and smells prove to be too much for Andrew, who will begin throwing, running, screaming, or quoting to try and alleviate some of his sensory overload issues. Jeffrey does not seem to be quite as affected by it, or at least tries to cope by snuggling more, which I'm always up for. :)

My battle with depression has been going much better over the past few months. I am on a very light dose of anti-depressant, and have been able to feel above the clouds rather than right in them or under them.

I find myself very thankful at this particular time in my life. I have three beautiful kids, a husband who loves me very much, an unexpectedly perfect pet who has been such a wonderful addition to our family, a warm and comfortable house, a job that I love, a church family who is family, and friends and family who have been loyal and true through a variety of obstacles. I am excited to see what opportunities God brings into our very blessed lives.