I have to apologize for not posting any pictures... I made the huge mistake of allowing Grady to hold our camera for about 60 seconds and he managed to use his ample drool to destroy the camera in that one minute. So the fault is totally mine and now we need a new camera. :(
Winter is continuing on and we are pushing through! I feel like February in Alaska is the month where winter is still in full force and spring is at least another month or two away, and it feels like we'll never be through with the snow! Thankfully we do have the sun coming back over the ridge and visiting our house from about 11am to 3pm. Here's a few updates on our family since I have been very lax about posting regularly:
We are in the midst of allergy testing and diet change for Norah right now to see if it has an effect on her behavior and her eczema. The doctor we're seeing (whom I am not convinced that I like very much) suggested a yeast cleanse since being on many courses of antibiotics can allow yeast to build up and colonize in the gut, and Norah had 8 rounds of antibiotics in the last two years for ear infections and complains regularly of stomach pain. While trying to kill any possible yeast we have put her on antifungals and had to cut out all sugar and simple carbohydrates (white flour). This has proven to be difficult since my little grazers live on things like goldfish crackers! But it's been good for us too since we have eliminated lots of sugar from our diet as a whole. Norah had blood work done last Monday to check for food allergies and antibodies to yeast (she was so brave! they had to take blood from both her little arms and she was such a good girl!) so we should know more in the next week or so.
Evie is more than halfway through Kindergarten and is doing awesome in school. She (usually :) ) has a willing and attentive attitude when we sit down to our schoolwork. She is reading short little books and excelling in math and she loves that she gets to choose what she'd like to study for science. Right now we are learning all about orcas and other undersea mammals!
Grady is officially crawling and yesterday evening he started to attempt pulling up to stand. He is still working on his two teeth...they broke the surface of his gums 2 months ago and have stayed right there! I'm planning to start him on some cereals on his 6-month birthday next week.
Things in the Program department here at Victory are picking up for Justin and won't slow down now till after the summer. He will be working on recruiting and interviewing summer staff for the next couple of months, and also presenting Victory's summer camps at churches around the state to advertise for campers.
That is what's going on with our crew! Here are some ways you could be in prayer for us and Victory right now:
-Pray for patience and wisdom as we continue to look into Norah's possible allergy issues.
-Pray for Victory and its permanent staff as there are several staff changes taking place and it's always challenging to settle into new roles; also praise God that He has provided new staff that we love!
-Praise Him that the church we attend up here in the community, Glacierview Bible Church, has hired a new full-time pastor. We're excited to see how God is going to strengthen and grow the church through this!
-Pray for the summer staff that we are building right now. We currently only have one male counselor signed up for the summer and are definitely in need of more! Pray that the people God sends our way will have a heart for Him and for reaching out to kids this summer.
As always, we love and appreciate each one of you and we're thankful for your support through prayer and giving! We are so blessed!
