a long over due update on us..........

I had to go look, it's been so long since I last posted... APRIL! Wow, I've never gone that long without saying hello.

All I can say is in that time, we've had computer crashes, a high school graduation, adoption proceedings, issues with my FIL's health, working Farmer's Market, a full blown canning season, homeschooling preschool, 2 Kindergarteners and a HS Senior, while helping my Grad prepare for his next steps.

First the adoption news... We have an adoption hearing Oct. 10th!!! If all goes as expected, the adoption will be final 40 days after the hearing (Nov. 19th) just in time for Thanksgiving!! At that point I will finally feel I can breath a HUGE sigh of relief over this leg of the adventure. It's been a long, sometimes not so easy road but we are almost there. The children are excited, can't wait for the whole thing to be finally official, and excited to be planning an "adoption party". I know that part of them is holding their breath too... waiting for that moment when they know that no one can come snatch them away. It will be a HUGE relief for everyone.

FIL's health... over the last year his glucose levels have been severely out of control at times. He's had instances of passing out, throwing up with blood, and just generally becoming weaker and somewhat incoherent at times. He's been in and out of various hospitals, until finally a regularly scheduled Doctor's apt found something. He was found to have a hemoglobin level of 6, normally transfusions happen at 9. We took him to the nearest ER which was Sullivan MoBap. He was scoped the next day and found to have a donut shaped mass on his ascending colon. He was transferred to MoBap in St. Louis where it was removed and found to be cancerous. This is where we currently are with him. He is still in the hospital and we've yet to hear from the Doctor as to what the course of action will be taken concerning the cancer. In the meantime he has developed a bacterial gut infection that requires staff and visitors to completely gown up. He's been having overnight heart palpitations and has been incoherent at times. 14 days later we are still waiting on answers...

Homeschooling.... has been wonderful! The littles LOVE the curriculum I chose, and beg to do school every day. Chloe insists she gets "school" too and is quite content to sit and color of play with some of the manipulatives while her brothers do school. It is going very smoothly. We've order more curriculum, and will throw in some more subjects when it arrives. Keegan only needs a schedule and he's off to do his subjects... I'm only occasionally needed for clarification purposes, lol.

The Farmer's Market... has been a blessing, adding extra funds to a tight budget. I just pray we can grow the customer base and attract new vendors to keep it viable for everyone. I'm not crazy about driving all the way to St. Clair Mo. every Sat. AM, but it's worked out that a friend from that area can do it with me and I truly enjoy her company every Sat. morning :) The preparation and canning for Market, as well as our family... have pretty much sucked all my "free time" up this summer and not left a lot of room for much else. It's just now starting to slow down a bit as the garden wanes down. My teens have been invaluable helps to me through this whole adventure.

Update on hubby... He's working steady, MoDOT is consistent if nothing else. He was even given a promotion and pay raise recently which is always a blessing. Like with any job, MoDOT has it's good and it's bad, however we are very thankful for the steady work and paycheck that comes with it. Outside of work, I've kept hubby busy with building projects around the homestead... a new brooder pen, roofing and cage tables for the rabbitry, and just being a good sport about all my "wonderful ideas" that keep him busy. That wish list of mine tends to get long.

Me... I feel like I live life thru my kitchen sometimes, lol. Outside of cooking for 8, canning has taken over my life this summer. We've been so blessed with produce overflowing every week. We've made wonderful friends at Market who actually "farm" and bless us over and over with their surplus bounty and good deals... it's kept me busy, busy in my kitchen!! I'm tickled the children LOVE the school choices I've made for them, and wake up excited to do school every morning :) I've got some pretty big projects to see thru before winter (more building for the menfolk) like winterizing the rabbitry, building a new dog house and repairing some hutches, all of which are waiting on funds to complete them. I'm looking forward to a slow down, praying there is one... lazy mornings spent with my little one in my lap, and something yummy baking in the oven.... things I haven't had nearly enough time for.

Well the days chores are calling, much to be done... off to town for feed and hay, then back home to hound Doctors whose bills arrive before the answers to questions...

Above all we give Glory to God, He is in control of all... whether we understand our circumstances or not. I have great peace in that knowledge.

Blessings from our family to yours,
Charles, Sherri, Nathaniel, Keegan, Micah, Noah & Chloe