Spring Has Sprung

I am way behind on my updates. Spring is creaping up all around us now. The flowers are starting to bloom, the birds are singing and all the kids are out running around the neighborhood again.
God has truly blessed us the past several months. Troy is going to school full time working on getting his Associates of Science Transfer degree in Business administration. It has proved very challenging, but beneficial. I am still volunteering with the Oregon Army National Guard Family Program, but have changed directions a bit. I am now the Oregon Delegate for the Army Family Action Plan. We take the issues and concerns of the soldiers and their families and work to improve the support and services offered to our families. I am excited to be able to attend the National AFAP Convention in June in Wisconsin. I'm excited to have the opportunity to help our soldiers and their families on a grander scale. AFAP has already made some great changes in the way we do things, so it is exciting to be a part of it all. Tabitha is in 4th grade. She is excited about the opportunity she gets as she will be going to outdoor school this year in June. This will be her first "Camp" experience without mom or dad. She is growing up so fast. Hard to believe she is almost 11. Kathryn is doing very well now in third grade as well. After much frustration and battles the school conceeded and agreed to test her. She has been struggling in school since she started in kindergarten, but they refused to test her. She has fallen farther and farther behind. Now she is on an IEP and is getting the extra help she needs to succeed in school. We are all much happier, including Kathryn. Kathryn is looking forward to celebrating her 10th birthday in July. Jordan is loving second grade. She has the same teacher that Tabitha had, and we just adore her. She is really breaking out of her shell these days and seeking her own path vs. just following her sisters lead. She has built some great friendships that I think will carry on for a very long time. Jordan just turned 8 in January. And Miss Samantha is doing fabulous as well. She just turned 5 and excited about going to Kindergarten next year with her sisters. She has been in pre-school this year and she loves it! Although she is still one of the smallest kids in her class, she makes up for her size with spunk! :0) She is growing up so fast!
As a family we are working on our fellowship with other believers and growing to know more about Christ. We have taken on a small family project to help raise money for the Salem Pregnancy Center. We each have a baby bottle that we are filling with change. Our goal is to fill all six bottles before Father's day. The SPC is a free non-profit organization that gives pregnant women an alternative to planned parenthood. They were a blessing in my life, as that is where I went when I found out I was pregnant with Tabitha. It is ran by some amazing Christian women, and it is truly and honor to be able to help them as they reach out and help so many woman that otherwise would be lost. It has been a great lesson for the girls as well. They are learning early on, about the importance of volunteering in your community, and giving back! It's been amazing to watch them grow!

I hope that this quick update finds you well. I will try to stay on top of this and do updates more frequently.