Anchorage, Alaska, April 2010~

Hello from the land of icebergs, polar bears, Inuit, and the northern lights!  It is your friend, Anna Arnette King, writing; think an update on our family is way past overdue, so here goes.

Bob (my husband) is still working for Exxon; he works anywhere from five to six (sometimes seven) days a week.  I am at home, homeschooling and raising our burgeoning brood of 13 children.

When I last wrote (six years ago!  :/ ), we had 11 children.  We have since gained two more.  Our children are all growing like weeds, and Victoria (Tori), our youngest, is no longer a little baby.  She will be seven years old this year!  We have since adopted two children younger than Tori:  two brothers, ages 5 and 2, named Nicholas and Avery.  They are the cutest little boys!  (They came to us from Haiti; we got them late last year, around Thanksgiving time.)

Our other children are faring quite well.  Leena, Adam, Sikik, and Aqsuk all work at the sheltered workshop five days a week; they still remain here with us.  The others are in school, where they enjoy sports and competing in Special Olympics every spring (May); it's coming up quick!  Leena did have back surgery because her spine tried to twist again; it was causing severe problems with her posture, which, in turn, impeded with her breathing, so we had no choice but to have her undergo it, so she could get some needed relief.  She is about ready to come out of her cast; she cannot wait!  She's been wearing it since the last week of December.

Piper, our 11 year old with arthritis, had her knees, hips, and hands done (she has JRA), and Tyorek SKye (9) has since graduated from crutches to a wheelchair; his muscular dystrophy has gotten worse, but he remains one of the happiest little boys around!  He's got the best attitude of any kid I've ever seen; he is absolutely incredible!

So between sports/games, surgeries/hospitalizations, bake sales or other school doings, our lives remain in a constant state of disarray and/or confusion.  Still, I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world; our kids mean the world to Bob and myself!

Church is another thing that keeps us grounded.  We are hard-core non-denominational (we go to an Assembly of God church here in Anchorage; we go every Sunday and Wednesday, plus on Thursdays and Fridays, the kids go to Bible Study [Thursday] and choir practice [Friday]).  On Sunday is Easter, so the kids will be participating in the annual Easter pageant, as will Bob; as for me, I work with the nursery school kids, so I don't get to attend the services very often.  I will this Sunday though; my co-worker, Sheryl, has offered to work for me, so I can see the kids (and Bob) perform in the pageant.  I know I will enjoy it! :)

I still keep in touch with some of the families I met at the AASK adoption picnic several years back:  Rachel and Tim Ellsworth of Kansas, Kendra Kent of Tennessee, Louisiana and Bill Sandusky of Tennessee, Wilma and Fred Gardner of Oklahoma, and Phoebe and Mike Pearson of Texas, among others.  They are all growing so much (some in more ways than one!  LOL); I can't hardly keep up with all their doin's!  LOL  We are a family, a community of adoptive parents, and we love to hear about each other's lives!

Well, I know this isn't much, but tomorrow Bob is having some tests done at the doctor (nothing too worrieome, but he has been having some issues with double vision and dizzy spells), and I want to make sure he (and I) get plenty of rest: feel like we might be at the hospital about all day.  Say a prayer for Bob, and for me; we'd greatly appreciate it!  Pray it's nothing serious, and if it is, pray it can be treated!  Take care and God bless; happy Easter!

~Love, your friend in Anchorage, Alaska, Anna Arnette.  :)