WHAT ARE WE UP TO?

Well, that's a loaded question. 

We are still homeschooling. 

We have recently added a tutor to our mix.

Our oldest and I were a little skeptical,

but we knew we needed help.
We are so grateful for this addition! 

We still have 5 children who are in the Special Needs category. 

4 that are globally delayed and handicapped. 

With them come a herd of therapists. 

Occupational, Speech, and Physical therapists keep our calendar clipping along, and that makes our special little people who CRAVE predictability very happy!

David is still working from home.

We have finally ironed out the chores,

(See what I did there?)

 we are stepping on each other's toes less, 

and laughing together more. 

The project that has me up late at night, 

binge watching TED talks,

reading all the books,

taking notes on the little app in my phone,

and obsessing over the different, "there, their, and they're's",

is a book. 

And not just any book, but OUR book. 

Our book is a first hand accounting of how things get so bad
that one of our families chooses 

Department of Social Services for their own children.

A behind the scenes look at what on earth brought us to a place

 where we said to the Lord.

"Here is our home.
Here is our family.
Here are the plans that we had.

Use us."

This has been several years in the making.
Years of my husband saying,
"You can do this, I believe in you."

Last year,  after a particularly stressful situation, my daddy texted me
 something really impactful.
"Tell your story, or someone else will."

The stories and the "Storys"
inside are ours to share.
That said, we have done A LOT of background work to make sure that
everyone involved feels loved, protected and respected throughout the process.

During the writing of this, I have had ALL THE FEELINGS.

Every single thing in the book is 100% as we remember it, 100% our true feelings.

This is freeing, but also terrifying.

More than once I've said to my sweet husband,
"What if no-one likes it?"
 "What if it bombs?"
He reminds me time and again,
"You didn't write it to be a best seller.
You wrote it to encourage, uplift,
and inspire."

THIS IS WHERE WE ARE AT IN THE PROCESS

The book had been written.
It's being edited.

After that, big un-knowns.
We will be praying for the right agent.
Then maybe someone will want to publish.
Then illustration.
Then printing.
And probably a million steps in between that I haven't even thought of yet.

But it's a journey, and we'd love your company.