Ben is 9 years old - he is crazy responsible and I"ve even got him babysitting the other two for short periods of time. Truth be told however the kid is better at helping direct Maddy to the best next steps then I am. He is a master at getting Maddy to do things she doesn't want to do. This last year we were able to get at the very root of a lot of his stress and as a result he is a much calmer kid- I am so happy about that! Not just for our home but for him- he doesn't feel overwhelmed all the time anymore. The cutie patootie is in counseling currently to teach him to some basic social skills. He's smart and driven and unsure how to communicate with others around him so often he just doesn't. He's on the autism spectrum- and its been interesting to see him stepping into the role- dealing with the life he has been given. I expect great things from him and couldn't be prouder of the person he is.
James is my social butterfly - he pulls in friends by the dozens. He is a little on the shy side however and stays home- instead of go out and see who can play. I don't know if that means he is a homebody or just hesitant to be in new environments. Don't worry though his friends often come knocking and he loves it. James is responsible and is calm. He is also in constant motion. Here in the middle of winter because he can't jump on the trampoline he makes our front room his jumping ground. He is skinny as a rail because of all the motion and eats like a horse.
M\adison - so driven and dynamic. This year she continues to take her place among the siblings as the favorite. The boys protect her and love her hugs. She tells them daily how much she loves them. She also made up her own language - so she says. So far she only has one word developed - but apparently it can mean an infinite number of things "calaascious" - often it means I love you. She has also come far in the last year. We've done a lot to help to "regulate" her - energy work, occupational therapy and most recently ABA therapy. Its crazy to raise someone who is so gifted but so "lost" all in the same moment. She doesn't like anyone telling her what to do and transitions are a bear for her. I have hope though that she'll figure it out. Really we are all here to tame our own beasts and though some peoples mountains seem taller than others - I'm confident the Lord knew what he was doing when he gave her some of her "brain integration" challenges- aka autistic challenges. She will rise to the challenge and I think she'll be a force to be reckoned with some day.
As for Will and I- my brain is still dizzy- I fear that this concussion is here to stay. I have lived in concussion treatments for the past year-- weekly. And all the treatments I have tried haven't really seemed to put a dent in the issues. I still feel like I need Tylenol daily- even though I don't take it daily. Sleep is a little harder for me and work is sometimes fraught with trouble concentrating and multi tasking. I don't know what this means for my future other than I hope and believe my Father in Heaven will pave the way forward. Will is my knight in shinning armor. I am more in love with him now than ever. I'm lucky to be his wife. We believe some of the autistic tendencies came from his cute little gene pool as he is pretty logical and less likely to initiate coverstations and understand all the idiosyncrasies of human interaction. I'm less likely to graduate from medical school though so I think it all equals out in the end. Will was promoted this year and he is slowly creeping up in the pay scale. Every penny helps as our dr appointments have tripled as a family in the past year and aren't slowing down anytime soon. And my income is going down because I'm dizzy or achy or busy with the kids appointments and mine so much of the day.
I think that is all she wrote. We're a healthy and happy family- and feel so blessed to have one another. Our kiddies are so wonderful and we have bright hopes for the future.
Love,
Summer
ps We have also been working crazy to bring our cute new house into this century style wise. Will and his dad have put dozens of hours into installing new floor in our house....
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