It's been a long time... Many changes.

It's been a long time since I last wrote. There have been changes to our household, but ultimately all good. Strange but good.

The biggest news I have to share is that my stepdaughter J is back living with us again. She returned almost a year to the day that she left the first time.She just turned 17 and is a junior in high school.  The difference now is that she is on anti-anxiety/depression meds. It's like she's a totally different person. Complete 180 turn around. It still throws me for a loop most of the time.

We really haven't had a fight in the 2+ months she's been home. A couple minor disagreements, but that's completely normal. She's being a much better big sister to E and helping out around the house with minimal/no complaint. Absolutely amazing. If we had known that being medicated would make such a difference, we would have done it years ago and maybe we wouldn't have had any of these issues. I'm sure some of it is just her growing up and seeing her situation for what it really is, how things aren't always greener on the other side. She still needs to speak with a counselor and work through some of her issues and hopefully one day she will be able to be off the meds and able to cope without them. It just really is a different experience this time around. So hard to believe.

The second news I have is that my "baby" E is 5 years old on Monday! Where has the time gone?! She's in preschool and really maturing into a school age kid vs. a toddler. Absolutely amazing how she's growing. Her mind is just coming up with new things all the time.

She recently was introduced to scissors and glue in preschool and suddenly she wants to cut and glue every. single. day! Oh the joy! *Sarcasm* I am going to have to limit some of her art that daycare lets her do. We are bringing home too much stuff that ultimately will be going in the garbage. Page after page covered in stickers and what not. Sticker stripes that are looped around and back all over on the paper, not flat at all. Right now we are so sick of paper all over the house.

I decided tomorrow is the day that E and I are going to sort her room and go through her toys. She has so much stuff and it is nowhere near organized at this time. When she picks up her toys, they just get thrown/stuffed where ever she feels like putting them. Ultimately things are so mixed together that she can't find anything to actually play with. There are several things that just need to disappear, hopefully half her stuffed animals will be able to go. Some of the more babyish toys and books/puzzles and items she just doesn't play with at all. She suddenly is more into Barbies/Princesses and dolls than she ever has been before.

So ultimately those are the biggest changes to the household these last few months. I'm still working at losing weight. I have found a love for yoga, and there is a great studio that I attend in town. Love the studio and the instructor. She knows just how to challenge us and push us to do a bit more than we think we can do. She really teaches it in a way that you can progress so much farther than ever before. I wish I had the chance to attend everyday. I love it that much. It's been a long slow summer and fall, but the weight is still coming down, slow but sure. Officially 38# today 11 months into this journey.