Best Kid Connection yet!

We had such a fun Kid Connection last night! Makes me think we should just scrap the curriculum & do our own thing every night…don’t know if I have the time or energy thoughL After our regular welcome & such, I talked a little about Africa & showed a couple of video clips. That was exciting in itself for me…you see all our Africa video has been trapped on the video tapes for over 10 years now…my parents video camera died & we had no other way to watch it. Just in the last couple of weeks Lane Elliott has started putting it all onto DVD for us. It was very hard to skip through it all to find a couple of clips to show the kids!! Brings back a lot of memories to see those tapes again!

Anyways, after checking out where all these countries were on the map, Lane & the kids (mostly the kidsJ) taught a Spanish song. Right away I was amazed at how quiet the kids all were & trying to do the actions with Alexis, Jemma, & Noah…they never cooperate that well when I try to teach a song! J Then I realized I shouldn’t be surprised…we’d planned it that way…and God knew what He was doing when He laid these ideas on our hearts! Kids learn better from kids! Then we split the kids up…the big kids colored a Paraguayan flag & the little kids went to look at pictures…again, nearly every one of them stood around the computer while Noah talked about the pictures…unheard of! Then the kids switched & Alexis & Jemma told the older kids about the pictures…they were enthralled!

Then came the funnest part in my opinion…Sheri gave each of the kids a Paraguayan coin & they got to go over to Noah’s fruit stand to “buy” their snack…Paraguayan (& African) style! The kids loved it! As they ate their snack they had a chance to ask Alexis, Jemma, & Noah questions…and again were listening! It was so fun to see them gobbling up the informationJ Thanks Lord for allowing us the privilege of showing these kids just a little piece of You! Please help us to listen closely to Your voice as You guide us in preparing & leading Kid Connection…work through us Jesus!

Kid Connection

Some of you know about the kid’s program I started this fall…others don’t. One of these days I really want to write about how it all came about, but I don’t have time today.

Today I’m just excitedJ We use a Sunday School curriculum for Kid Connection, but tonight & next week we’re putting aside the curriculum to focus on missions. We have had the privilege of having Sheri Elliott teaching while they’ve been home. Other than to go there themselves, there’s no better way for kids to learn about missions than to hear it from people who have been there…and kids who have been there! I’m going to tell a little about Africa, but mostly it’ll be the Elliott family leading songs, activities…helping kids to understand why they’re going & what it’s like. I’m super excited. I think it’ll be a lot of fun & something different from the regular curriculum. I’ll let you know how it goesJ

ND...a very special program for a very special girl

So I just spent an hour writing a letter to someone I’ve never met, but that I was connected with because we have something in common…we both have a child with a speech delay. Those of you who have gotten my updates since we got married have heard all about Amanda’s adventuresJ…but if you haven’t, I thought it would be worth copy & pasting this so that you know a little of what we’re doing with her. If you know of someone who can benefit from this please feel free to pass it on…and send any questions my wayJ

I think the easiest thing is for me to just tell you a little bit of what happened with Amanda…

We started noticing a delay when Amanda was around 18 months old…but weren’t overly concerned. We had an assessment done by the speech therapist & she suggested that I take a class that taught the parents ways to encourage speech (instead of doing therapy with the child). She was 2 before this class ran, but I got some great tips…Manda’s words went from one word to about 5… but her delay continued. Between the time that she was just over 2 till she was about 3 ½ she had a hearing test done to rule that out (hearing fine, but more about that in a minute). She also had an assessment done for gross & fine motor skills….I highly doubted either of these was an issue, but we wanted to rule out something more “involved”. Also during this time she did a couple of rounds of speech therapy.

I found speech very overwhelming pretty much from the beginning. The therapist worked with her once a week & I was supposed to take “homework” to do with her…plus constantly “correcting” her (when she would attempt to say something I was supposed to put it into words so she could hear what it should be). With 3 kids 5 & under at this point I was maxed. I hated feeling like I always had to correct her. I didn’t fully realize till later what I was feeling…but I feel like I didn’t get to enjoy her in that year because I was always “getting after” her.

To talk briefly about apraxia because I know you mentioned it…the speech therapist gave me a bunch of “symptoms” to try & figure out it that’s what Manda had, but really no one knew. For a while she thought Manda did…and for a bit it was actually a relief to me because I felt like if something’s causing it then we can figure out how to attack it & fix it. Then it sunk in how long apraxia could affect her & I didn’t want to believe it. (In the end the ND said she doesn’t have apraxia…however they still could have helped her if she had.)

Allow me to switch stories for a moment…a few years before all of this my mom had started doing a neurodevelopmental program with my brother (11ish at the time) for some learning issues. He was behind socially & having a horrible time learning to read. I knew when my mom started this but I pretty my scoffed it (I’m ashamed to say)…because it didn’t make any sense. My brother did (among other things) these exercises on the floor…I’m sitting there wondering how on earth this is supposed to help him learn to read. As time passed my mom explained a bit more here & there of how it worked. I came to accept it for my brother…but when Amanda’s issues came up & my mom would say she wished she could do it with Amanda…I brushed it off. Then a day came when something hit me. For all of my brother’s life he had been my little brother…I the second mom (I’m 12 years older than him)…then one day I realized…I feel like now he’s my brother & we can be friends! It didn’t happen that suddenly, I know it happened over time, but I also know that he grew up about 3 years within a year or so & it did hit me that suddenly that wow, we can be friends! It was at that point I fully believed in what the program can do. I still however, didn’t see how it could help Amanda.

A while later (I can’t remember the time line of all this) I hit bottom with speech therapy. I was discouraged, hated not being able to enjoy my only daughter, hated making her feel like she did it all wrong, hated feeling like I was supposed to be doing this “24/7”…never doing it that much, but always having it hanging over my head…etc, etc. It was on this day that God brought to mind my brother & all my mom’s comments through the years…and suddenly it clicked. I realized (ie: God revealed) that this whole time with speech therapy we’d been dealing with the “symptoms”…just trying to teach her the sounds so she could communicate. But really we weren’t touching the cause of it all…no one really talked about that (other than mentioning apraxia at the beginning). I realized that the ND (neurodevelopement therapy) focused on the cause (more in a minute)…it went to the root of the problem & let it fix itself instead of trying to just patch the symptoms.

So what’s the cause? Here it is the way my simplistic brain can understand it…J All of our brains have many connections (no idea on the number…probably thousands…for sure hundreds)…from one area of the brain to the next, here to there, etc. Sometimes, for whatever reason, we don’t have all the right connections & it causes different issues…in Amanda’s case…speech delay. So what ND does is work at creating the missing brain connections. Don’t ask me how they know what to do to create the right connections…I just know they’ve studied it & it worksJ I called my mom, talked to her…talked to Ben…we decided to spend the money to help her…called the lady that my mom dealt with (Sylvia). At this point I had pretty much prepared myself to have to drive to Washington with Amanda to have her assessed. There are only a couple of these people in Canada (the one my mom dealt with is in Okotoks, but she’s not yet qualified to do the little kids). I called Sylvia…and she tells me that they’ve just finished arranging for Cyndi (one who’s qualified) to start coming to Okotoks twice a year to evaluate the little kids & I could book right away! Talk about God’s timingJ

We cancelled speech therapy & met with Cyndi for the first time in May 07 (Manda was 3 ½). I had questions, uncertainties, frustrations…but there were a couple of things that thrilled me the most. I was looking at having to work with Amanda ½ hour-45 min Mon-Fri (spread out throughout the day) and that was it! There wasn’t any of this 24/7 nonsense. To make that even better…in the list of things to do with her, there wasn’t even one thing that had anything to do with practicing talking! (Her program now has one thing where we practice “L” words, but that’s it) To make it even better things that I knew were there, but never dreamed I could fix, they recognized & are now almost non-issues! (Sever nail biting, super sensitive skin, super sensitive to hair brushing to list a few)

I said I’d write more about the hearing test. I found out from Cyndi, that an audiologist can say a child’s hearing is fine, but they can still have issues. Amanda can hear…but she can’t hear certain tones (she can’t necessarily tell how close someone is, that kind of thing) which affects speech. They test this with a special hearing test called a tympanogram.

The way their program works is that the child is reassessed every 4 months…at this point Cyndi only comes to Canada twice a year so that’s what it is for Amanda. She has had 2 re-assessments since that first one & both times they’ve noticed big improvements (behavioral & speech gains…despite not practicing speech!). Those are very important because although we usually notice a bit of change each time, most of it is so gradual that we don’t see it till we talk to Cyndi & she says, “What about this….is she still doing that?” And we realize…no she stopped (or vice versa)! Now I know you’re thinking that obviously a child is going to grow & change in 6 months….please believe me when I say that she progressed way more than is normal in a 6 month period!

Basically I would say that yes, it’s expensive. If there’s any way you can afford it…is it worth it? Absolutely! If you decide to go ahead & have questions (or don’t go ahead & have questionsJ) please feel free to email me!!! If I had not had my mom here who had done it before I don’t know if I would have continued…there were times when I was frustrated…but it makes all the difference to be able to talk to someone who’s been there!

One last thing to clarify…we’re not doing this with Amanda because she’s not good enough or we don’t love her the way she is!! On the contrary…we believe that God has great things in store for our Amanda Ruth & we’re going to do our part to make sure that she can live that out to the fullest!

Here’s the link to the website for the organization that we’re dealing with: http://www.icando.org (Very briefly about this organization…it’s a Christian organization…I went with it because my mom had researched extensively when she started with my brother (more on that later) & ended up saying there weren’t even any of the other Christian ones that she “liked”…she had very specific reasons, but I can’t remember what right now)

Friends...

I was thinking back to when Benjamin was 3 or 4…old enough to start making friends…and he did have a couple of them at that point, but we lived out of town & so did they (all in opposite directions), so we hardly ever saw each other (still hardly do). I remember hearing people talk about how so & so’s friend from down the road came over to play & thinking that it sure would be fun to live close to some really good friends. As we had more kids…Manda & then Kirby…the focus became more of wishing/praying we could find a family where all the kids connected & we were friends with the parents too. Living in a small town, it’s even harder to find a family that you click with like that!

I don’t remember what exactly I prayed for at that time…I remember praying for friends…but God knew the prayer of my heart & I am so thankful at how He has answered it! I started getting to know Sheri about 3 or 4 years ago I think. We basically just started talking after church on Sundays & I quickly realized she was someone I could share anything with…and our personalities just clicked. Her middle child & Benjamin are very close to the same age & so are their youngest & Amanda…so they have one a bit older & then we had Kirby…a bit younger. At the time though, the kids were all so young they didn’t really hang out.

Then in April 2006 Lane & Sheri & their kids went to live in Paraguay as missionaries. I don’t think I realized until they were gone how dear of a friend Sheri had become. I very quickly started missing our after church chats. In some ways I think I did a horrible job of keeping in touch…very sporadic…I’d send a long email & then nothing for months. Yet in other ways I think it gave us an opportunity to get even closer. I “talk” more clearly in writing, so I was able to tell her things I may not have if she had been here. I was thrilled (for my own sake…I knew it was hard for them) when I found out they were coming home early (unforeseen circumstances). They arrived back in Canada in May 2008…it was about a month (I think) after that before I got to see Sheri again. At that point they were still living with parents in Southern Alberta & looking for a place to live here in Sundre.

I remember the weekend they came up here to look for a house to rent…I pretty much knew what their options were & was just excited that they’d be in town. What I found out a couple days later was way more than I had ever hoped for…and was COMPLETELY a GOD THING…they were moving into a house just over a block from us (less than a block if we went out our back gate)!!!

For the first month or so while they waited for their phone to be hooked up we would stop in whenever on our way to the store…Ben told me not to wear out the excitement in the first monthJ…it was soooo special to have my dear friend soooo close! (And the excitement didn’t wear outJ) Better yet was how well our kids clicked! Between us our kids are 9 (Alexis), 7 (Jemma), 6 (Benjamin 7 in a couple weeks), 5 (Noah), 5 (Amanda), & 3 ½ (Kirby). They play so incredibly well together!!! Lane & Ben haven’t had quite as much time to get to know each otherJ…but the times that we’ve hung out as families are great…they get along just fine too! Maybe I sound completely wacko for making such a big deal of this, but it is that big to me…and I want to make sure it’s recorded that God did this for me!J

In the last 3 ½ months our kids have played together, we’ve done family things together, we’ve had heart to heart talks, we’ve prayed together…WOW God it’s been so good!!! Thank you Lord!!!

One of the reasons I wanted to make sure & write this down is because in another 3 months (more likely 2), they’ll be gone again. They’re leaving for Mexico sometime around Christmas or the New Year. It hurts so much when I think about that…I don’t want it to end. I want to keep seeing the smiles on my kids faces when they walk to their friends house. I want to be able to keep having those heart to hearts (phone somehow isn’t the same). I want to have that family to go & have family nights with. I know our friendships aren’t going to end…but I long for that closeness. The issue is, that these are all my wants…but I don’t know the whole picture…and God does…so I’m going to do my best to trust Him. I’m reminded again of the verse Jeremiah 29:11…I know this may seem redundant but it’s true! God has plans for the Elliotts & for us…plans to prosper us & not to harm us…plans to give us hope & a future. Even though it doesn’t feel very hopeful right now to have 2 of my dearest friends move away within a couple of months…I’m going to trust that GOD KNOWS BEST. I want to know what it is that God is trying to teach me through this…through the Elliotts coming home & leaving again. Why did God bring them so close only to take them away? Wouldn’t it have been easier if they had just stayed away? Maybe, but then my kids wouldn’t have the amazing friends they have now…and I wouldn’t have had a chance to reconnect with Sheri…and Ben wouldn’t have had a chance to get to know Lane. So I’m choosing to trust. I know it won’t always be easy & I’ll wish for this & that…but I know in my hear that God does know best!

Wow, I really didn’t plan to go this much into this today…I guess I don’t mind getting it out now so I feel better when the time comes for them to leaveJ I did start writing because I wanted to write a little about our day today!

I had the opportunity to keep the Elliott kids for a whole day today! What funJ Last time I had them we walked to the post office. On our way out, there was another lady walking in…she stopped just inside the door & counted the kids as we went by…in shock because they just kept coming…it was very funnyJ The kids had a blast today…playing store, doctor, house, dress up…and whatever other games kids make upJ…doing homeschool together…playing outside…going to the park…walking in town. After supper they all cuddled up on the couch & floor to watch a movie. We didn’t know what time Lane & Sheri were getting back (they didn’t either) so the kids all headed to bed…the boys in Benjamin & Kirby’s room…the girls in Amanda’s room. I could hardly believe I didn’t hear a peep out of them!

Right now I think that there’s not much else in life as important as my kids did today…making lifelong friends…stocking up on that time together. So what if we didn’t finish our school for today? We need to use the time we have…I think I should apply that to a few other things in life tooJ

On a lighter note...

We celebrated Amanda’s birthday on Sunday. For those of you who don’t know…she has become a bug “fanatic”J Last year for her birthday I did a butterfly party because she was really into that. Well within a few months it had just become all bugs. I’m thankful that we don’t live in a country where there are poisonous spiders, etc because she doesn’t careJ She will come running inside calling me to come quick. I go running thinking one of the boys is hurt & she frantically tells me there’s a moth & she needs me to reach it! When we did some U-Pick this summer there were butterflies…she completely zoned out & focused completely on the butterfly she was trying to catch. It was really cute…but I had to be super careful she didn’t wander away. She did the same thing with grasshoppers one day when she went to work with Ben. Spiders…moths…ladybugs (the favorite right now)…beetles…butterflies…Manda loves all bugs!

Anyways…all that was to tell you about her partyJ A few months after she got into bugs she also started really liking “pretty” things. Dress up…necklaces…clip on earrings… A few weeks later I found a dress at Value Village that was perfect! It’s yellow with puffy sleeves…lace on the sleeves & the hem…very girly…and it’s covered in bugs! She wore it for the first time on Sunday for her “girly bugs” partyJ I did a combination of just bugs & some really cute girly ladybug stuff I found. She loved it!

The kids did a bug hunt…did a relay carrying bugs with flyswatters…stuck the spot on the ladybug (open an oreo…lick it so it’s wet…stick it on). It was a lot of fun. My sister-in-law Brandy came over to help me with the cake…we made one big ladybug cake & then made a whole bunch of mini cupcakes into spiders & caterpillars. It was really cute & a lot of funJ I just can’t believe my baby girl is 5!! More on that later…J

After the party we came home, made a broccoli salad & headed to Ben’s parent’s place for Thanksgiving dinner. We had waited a week so that James & Cheri could be there. It was good to be all together again…especially knowing that it’ll probably be a long time before it happens again!

It was a busy weekend…planning everything Saturday & then running Sunday, but it was fun! Now we’ll see how long I last this week before I fall over tiredJ

Pondering...

I’ve been pondering a lot in the last few days & have been wanting to write…we’ll see how much time the kids give me nowJ

James & Cheri leave tonight for Norway…I have so many mixed emotions… What an adventure!...To be able to go & live in Europe…in a country that has family history for us no less! To be able to bring up Max in another culture…and introduce him to another world. For James to be able to do the job he loves! A great excuse for us to finally go to Europe! Who wouldn’t be thankful for all that!?

Yet the other half of me is saying…Norway??...when will we get to see them again? Max almost certainly won’t recognize us when he sees us next. Yes, we have ways to stay in touch thanks to technology, for which I’m thankful…but what about the heart to heart talks…will we be able to stay as close? How will Cheri cope having no family to help out (I mean that only in the best way…having family close by is a lifesaver to a new mom…I know by experienceJ)? Why, Lord? Why does my dear friend & sister have to move away?

Then I think…really Heidi…what business is it of yours?? If God has called James & Cher to Norway, who are you to do anything but encourage them?! God has a plan for them & I have no business interfering! Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you & not to harm you, plans to give you hope & a future.” Wow Lord! You know what’s coming for James & Cheri in Norway…and for us here at home….and you want us to prosper! You will give us hope when we’re feeling lonely! What a future we will have if we allow you to carry out your plans in us!

Will I still miss my dear friend & sister? Absolutely! Will there be days when I just want to be able to give her a hug? Many of them I’m sure! But I know that James & Cheri will not be alone…God will be with them every step of the way…the hard steps & the easy steps. I know that He has a purpose for them way beyond what I can understand…and that He will be glorified in that…and that’s what matters!

So I will strive…with God’s help…to stand firmly in that…knowing that He has a plan for James, Cheri, & Max in Norway…and that He still has a plan for each of us on this end too!

Lord please help me to know in all of this, that You are in charge…that You know the “big picture” & have a plan for all of us! Help me to be able to be an encouragement for Cheri. Be with James, Cheri, Max, Mom, & Dad today Lord as they say goodbye at the airport. Give them all the peace that only You can give. Wrap Your arms around them…comfort them. Protect James, Cheri, & Max as they travel…put Your hedge of protection around them. As they move into their new home Lord…be with them. Send people to encourage them Lord…friends to hang out with…an adopted aunty or grandma for Max…someone for Cheri to confide in. Not that we want to be replaced Lord…by all means, we don’t…but we know how important it is to have those people in our lives. So in this time when we can’t be as close as we’d like to James, Cheri, & Max…bring them people to fill that void. Lord I know that James, Cheri, & Max never were mine to give to You, but in my head I know I need to not worry about them or stress about the distance…so Lord I give them to You. I love them with all my heart, but they belong to You Lord…always have & always will. Thank You Jesus that I can trust You with all of this. In Your name I pray…Amen!

So glad Jesus is holding my hand...praying for James & Cheri...

One of these days when I have the time to sit I’d like to write about my experiences with starting Kid Connection…the ups & downs…the spiritual battles…for now I’m just soooo thankful that Jesus is walking with me holding my hand. The last couple weeks of Kid Connection have been great. I’ve been way more relaxed, it’s gone more smoothly, etc…but I don’t want to get comfortable in that & allow the devil to gain a foothold. I know that he doesn’t like what’s going on & I need to stay on guard & giving it all to God. Anyway, I’m just saying thank you Jesus…please help me to keep leaning on you & not let go!

I can’t believe it’s less than a week till James & Cheri move to Oslo, Norway! I’m so torn. I’m so happy for them…the new adventure…the great job for James that he loves…of all places having it be in Norway (family heritage)… Yet at the same time I’m going to miss them so much. I guess that’s what happens when you have such a wonderful family of “in-laws” that are more like just family than “laws”J There is so much in my heart that I can’t put into words, so I will just say…thank you Lord for giving me such wonderful sister & friend in Cheri…thank you for all the memories that we have together…all the heart to heart talks…please protect James, Cheri, & Max as they travel & settle in to their new home…please comfort them on days when they’re lonely…please put a hedge of protection around them as they seek to do what You are leading them to…guide them as they raise Max to know & love you…give them wisdom…help them to make friends Lord…people to help them feel more at home & loved by You…thank you Jesus that I can leave James & Cheri & Max in your hands. Amen.

Website updated

It’s getting easier to do updates…both with this blog & my website. As I get the kinks worked out & a system going it’s pretty simple. I like simpleJ Maybe someday it’ll be simple to put pictures on here & Facebook too… Not today…just excited to have wedding pictures on my website tonight…and now I’m going to bed!

Wedding #1 Complete!!!

I am so thrilled that I’m DONE wedding #1!!! I’ve hardly homeschooled or done Manda’s program the last 2 days because I’ve been so focused on getting through all the pictures. There were right around 1400 pictures in total…now there are just under 700. Not sure what that says about my picture taking ability…but she was very happy with them so that’s what countsJ I need to get working on the school pictures & the second wedding now…but not till after the weekend!

Pictures, pictures, pictures!

It’s been a busy couple of weeks as far as pictures go! In the last 2 ½ weeks I’ve taken pictures for 2 weddings & this morning did school pictures for a little Christian school between Sundre & Olds. The first wedding was pretty stressful because I didn’t know the people well at all & it was just very different than I’m used to. The second wedding was for Ben’s cousin just this past Saturday. I had a blast with them! They were so relaxed & easy going, it made it very easy for me to be creative & have fun! Knowing the bride before hand definitely helps tooJ I got a little bit worried this morning when I first got to the school because there weren’t many options as far as where to take the pictures. I like to take a couple of different poses so that parents have a choice. It turned out all right though. I couldn’t do as many pictures as I wanted, but they turned out well & that’s what mattersJ One of these days before it gets too cold I need to get out & take pictures of my own kids! I’ll keep you postedJ

Rest...and now on to a new week

We had a wonderfully relaxing day yesterday. Sundays we’ve always tried not to plan too much…we need that day to regroup, relax, & prepare for the week. We’ve had a number of busy Sundays lately though so it was especially nice to just stick around home yesterday.

Ben played his first hockey of the season last night. It’s always a bit of a tough time for me. Hockey gives Ben somewhere to vent frustration & whatnot, so he’s usually more relaxed once hockey starts. At the same time though, he’s more tired because hockey is so late…and I have to get used to no husband a few evenings a week. Once we get into the swing of it I really don’t mind that much because I get a few hours to myself to catch up on things….it’s just those busy weeks when something’s up nearly every night that it’s hard. Anyways…all that babble to say I’m in that adjusting stage againJ

Today is the first day we’re doing our full school schedule. I had left science & social until I got into the swing of things with school, Kid Connection, etc. It’s gone pretty good so far. Just a little bit left to do. Amanda’s program has been a bit of a struggle lately. She has to be in a good mood or it’s just torture. I’m hoping it’ll get better now if I can be more consistent so she knows what to expect. Kirby has had some attitude today, but I’ve been working at adjusting how I deal with it & it seems to be helping! Thanks Lord for giving me wisdom!

Well, I think that’s all I have for right now…seems pretty boring…sorry, you’ll have to bear with me as I get this all figured outJ

Entering the blogging world

Well, I have entered the blogging world. I have to admit when so many people started blogging, I didn't get what the big deal was. I admired many people for sharing their hearts to so many people, but thought I could never do that. Then there were times I considered it...but no, I don't have the time. Well, here I am.

Since our kids were babies I've had journals where I like to write funny things they say, memorable quotes, special things we do together, firsts, etc. Benjamin's book has a lot written in it...Amanda's has a bit anyways...and Kirby's...well...it's pretty bare. I just don't have the time to sit & write in their books individually...but it really bugs me that those memories are going left unrecorded. So here I am.

I'll be up front now & say don't expect a lot of pictures...at least not right now. With the number of pictures I take (many of you know:)) it's a big job just to go through & pick just a couple to post (the fact that I'm very indecisive doesn't help). Maybe someday I'll catch up enough to be able to do that...for now I'm going to focus on just writing down some of our memories...because I want to have that for our kids when they're older. If you'd like to walk along with us, feel free:)