Been getting a lot of sweet emails from people wondering how Maliyah is doing. She is doing great, but she will have more blood work done tomorrow or Saturday.

The kids have school out next week until next year. Weird to think we have just gotten through another year. For the most part this year was great. We got to do a lot of fun things as a family. But most importantly we are still going strong as a family! We are very blessed to have Maliyah's kidney still working well.

This school year started out great for the kids. Kendra and Maliyah love school, Courtney is on the fence about if she likes it or not. She's had a lot of big changes this year. Austin is finally catching on and working really hard. Justin was having a very hard year, especially when Kendra or Maliyah are in the hospital. I have some pretty great kids. Regardless of the fighting and arguing I know that they love each other a lot!! Love this quote, "Having one child makes you a parent, but having two makes you a referee".. It's so true! Wonder what 5 make?!?!

The more time in the hospital we spend, the more I realize how grateful I am for modern medicine. Little things like IV fluid is a life saver. I'm getting a lot more careful about the medicine the doctors are allowed to give my children. Unless it's a must have. And the girls are feeling the same way. Every drug has a side effect that aren't very fun. Maliyah learned this again. She was put on a drug to help with her c-diff, and the medicine was causing extreme itching, just because we changed from the liquid to a pill form. Basically she scream for 3ish hours because it hurt so bad, she was even bleeding from where she was itching.

When we were struggling with Justin for so long, we learned that he has a hard time express how he is feeling so it would make him act out. Now we are handling that better. We just need to get him to eat more. He was playing at his friend Joe's house yesterday, he told Joe's mom that, "if you play to many video games you can get fat and die". He's so clever!! It's been really good for us to have him as one of the challenges. But we can really tell that he is growing up and slowing moving to another faze of his life.

Austin is one of the easiest children we have. He is also so sweet! This last weekend him and Courtney were sick with the stomach bug. Austin would setup throw up and tell us and go right back to sleep. He missed the bucket once and he profusely apologized. Broke my heart! That's just how he is.

Courtney is defiantly a tween with how sassy she can be, but she still loves to be with her family.

OH MY!! Kendra is just Kendra. We were driving to get the boys from their friends house, she was telling me how to drive. I just laughed. She is a self motivator and gets stuff done when she needs too. A great quality to have.

The worse part about being a parent is the discipline. Maliyah didn't do her book report, so she wasn't able to go to her best friends birthday party. Not sure who it was harder for, Jake and I or Maliyah. My bet would be us. When I was little my parents use to say the same thing to me, but I never understood it completely until this happened with Maliyah.

Jake and I had such a great year together. We go out on a date once a week. We both look forward to it. And it's not something big each time either. Maybe ice cream or a drive. Just being together. It's so great to have a great relationship with Jake. And to be a great example for our children. Eternity isn't long enough to be with him!!

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas and if I don't post before New Years. Have a Great New Year's as well.

Love,
The Herrin's