The desire of our hearts is to be exactly where God wants us to be. Where ever that may lead us, what ever he wants us to do, we're there!! Whether it is comfortable or not, this is our ultimate desire. Our lives over the past 12 years have taken us over mountain tops, under tunnels, over bumpy trails, and perfectly straight wide open spaces. It's a journey we're on, and we're just trying to hold on tight!! :-) As we begin to wrap up the year of 2011, we look ahead to 2012. It is shaping up to be a very interesting year. Scott feels a very clear calling to run for State Senate District 5. Having run for State Representative District 9 in 2010, and lost, we have a better idea what to expect and how we can change things up this time around. As it turns out, after Scott filed to run for office, his previous opponent and current co speaker of the House, has decided to jump ship and square off against Scott once again and also run for State Senate. So, we are gearing up for Roberts vs. Roblan - take 2!!
We are excited to see where this journey leads us - win or lose, we know we are doing what God wants us to do - and there's no better place to be!! :-) It's going to be a long year, a lot of evenings and days when daddy isn't home, and mommy's working over time, and kids are...well... being kids! :-) Prayers for our family - especially in the summer and fall would be greatly appreciated! :-)

A Great picture of David and Brendon at my sister Julie's wedding this summer! Beautiful wedding, and a chance to get some photos of our family getting all dressed up! :-)

My sister Julie on her wedding day with her 2 neices, Aspen and our Makenna! :-)

The four sisters this summer - Jenny (due in just over a month with her first child!), myself, Christina, and Julie.

Brendon with his baseball Allstar team's trophy after a great tournament this summer. He had SO much fun!! :-)


It's been 5 months since I last posted here. Life tends to get in the way, but it doesn't mean that it's been boring around the Roberts household!!! :-) Soon after our appt. at Seattle Children's - Kahlia and Scott met with a very good cleft palate specialist up in Portland to get a second opinion about what to do next about Kahlia's failed cleft palate surgery. Again, we did not get the news we wanted to hear. He said that yes, her surgeon did not do the correct surgery, and because of a lot of different reasons, she cannot have a second repair done until she is 5 years old. We still have another 2 years before she can be completely repaired, and she literally has no speech. We don't know if it is entirely because of the small hole still left in her palate, or if there are other factors contributing to it as well (minor hearing loss, developmental delays, low muscle tone, etc.). In any case, it is very discouraging to see Kahlia developing so well in so many areas, and yet unable to communicate to us with her words. She continues to learn and develop her sign language, though none of us are fluent. What we learn, we teach her, and she often remembers the signs better then I do! :-) It is actually quite amazing how much a personality comes out even with out talking! She is quite the character. She is fun, mischieveous, entertaining, loud, happy, absolutely full of, but what a joy to have her around!! :-) In all other areas of her development she is improving by leaps and bounds. As of her ENT appointment today, she is now 24.6 pounds. Still quite small, but she's definitely growing taller! Now wearing a size 2T makes me very happy. :-)

As of this summer, she has gone potty on the big toilet probably a total of 5 or 6 times. That tells me she knows the "how", now we have to work on the "want". That's ok, definitely not pushing it at this point!

Kahlia has hearing aids that she seldom wears, but we try to bring them to her ESD preschool twice a week, and to her private speech therapy appts. twice a week as well. She keeps us busy with those 4 things each week, plus her physical therapist comes to our house twice a month and a hearing impaired specialist comes here twice a month as well. I wish I could sign her up for a gymnastics class or something, but w/ all these places and people to see, she doesn't give me a lot of extra time!

We made a family decision this summer to homeschool the 3 older kids this fall. It was "inspired" by the fact that we would be taking a 2 week vacation this fall, and if we homeschooled, they wouldn't have to take homework on the trip. The kids were all about that! I told them that they could go back to school second term, or stay homeschooled if they wanted. As of now, I think all 3 kids plan to stay home for the rest of the year. It's a tough job - but very rewarding. Yes, I get frustrated, and my patience gets a little thin sometimes, but over all, I have really enjoyed having the kids home this year. Brendon and Makenna are almost completely independent in their school work. I have to occassionally help with math here and there, I correct their writing, and I quiz them on their AWANA verses and the occasional vocab words, but other then that, they are on their own! Brendon reads for 2 hours every day as part of his school day, and at night he reads more - only then he can read what ever he wants! Makenna reads for an hour and 40 minutes during the school day, and does her very best not to read an extra word, minute, or second after that! :-) We are working on the "joy" of reading, but we're not there yet! That's ok, I'm sure it will come, she is only 8! David is not so independent. We are hammering out hard the phonics and being able to read independently. We are not there yet, but we're working hard at that - so by the end of the school year, he CAN read independently. It's going a little slower then the other kids, but I know one of these days everything is just going to "click", and all will be good. He's doing well in math, and is doing a GREAT job memorizing lots of AWANA verses. Though it does make it not so relaxing during the day, I absolutely LOVE not packing lunches in the morning, and having NO homework in the evening - so much more relaxing after an evening of sports, boy scouts, AWANA, what ever the night might bring! But, they all say they want to go back to school next year - we'll see how it goes. God has given me at least this one year to hold my children close to my heart and hands, and I want to take full advantage of this time. We only have a few short years with our kids before they are grown and gone, and I want my kids to be exactly where God wants them to be - whether that be in school or at home. I plan to be more diligent with my posts from now on. I've gotten out of the habit, and would like to stay updated on our lives and home. :-)

Well, today was the big day for Kahlia. Scott drove her to Seattle yesterday, and they had their appointment early this morning with an Infectious Disease Physician at Seattle Children's Hospital. We got news that I was hoping to not get - there is nothing they are going to do for her at this time. She said that as long as she is not vomiting, having major diahrrea, or a bloated stomach, then she will just live with Giardia - forever. We have a doctor's "release" saying she can swim in a pool - unless she is experiencing diahrrea. She said that the medication needed to kill the parasite is potentially toxic to her system, and unless it is absolutely necessary, they would rather not try to treat it. She measured her growth, and though she is still very small for her age, she has grown at a steady pace where she is not worried about the parasite keeping her from being able to thrive. So, Scott turned around today, and drove all the way home! Kahlia didn't appreciate the drive to Seattle and back in 36 hours, but when Scott told her they were going home, she signed all of us in the family - she knew she was coming home to see us! :-) So fun to see her flourish and thrive!!!

Happy Kindergarten graduation David - I love you!!! :-)

David w/ Mom and Dad! :-)

David showing us his "funny" face!

Kahlia's physical therapist - "Mr. Scott" - she's a very happy girl when he comes over to work with her!!!

Today was a bitter sweet day. It began by David's last day of Kindergarten and an all morning class picnic and play time at his friend Jacob's house. Fun times, but my baby boy is growing up!

In the afternoon, Kahlia's physical therapist - "Mr. Scott" - came out to work with Kahlia for the very last time. He is moving back to the East coast, and we will miss him lots. Kahlia loved "Mr. Scott", and would run to the door every time I told her he was coming. She doesn't realize that he won't be coming back, but I'm sad for her anyway.

Tonight, we celebrated David's kindergarten graduation. It was an adorable program complete with cuteness all around. I love seeing all those cute kids dressed up in their cap and gowns!! :-) By time Kahlia graduates from Kindergarten, Brendon will be celebrating his 8th graduation - pretty crazy!!!

Kahlia put on Brendon's hat and gave me the biggest smile inside our tent trailer - SO CUTE!

Kahlia loves to slide all by herself! :-)
Kahlia and Makenna at the water park in Redding, CA over Memorial Day Weekend!

The kids outside one of the museums enjoying some of the things from "back then" as our kids say!

It's official, after her 6th and "last try" treatment to rid Kahlia of her giardia, we learned last Thursday that - YES - she still has giardia. Scott leaves a week from tomorrow to drive her up to Seattle for her appointment at Seattle Children's Hospital on Friday, June 10. I am really hoping and praying that they will have the expertise needed to rid her of this parasite...

Kahlia is now walking quite well, and almost running...never stopping....never, ever stopping...it is quite amazing the amount of energy that her little 2 year old body can muster up - it amazes me daily to watch her. I marvel at how far she has come. She has quite the spunky personality. It has been so fun to literally watch her blossom before our eyes. She has come from a stoic, quiet, immobile little girl to a vibrant, energetic, and not so quiet little girl. She pushes me away so she can slide down slides by herself. She is never afraid to try something new. There are still so many physical barriers she still needs to cross, but she sure doesn't let the fact that she can't do them keep her from trying! Stairs is a perfect example. She does not have the strength, nor the coordination to actually walk up stairs with out losing her balance and falling. But that sure doesn't stop her from attempting EVERY set of stairs we come across. She tries and tries - determined that little girl is!! Having that kind of spunk and determination will help her so far as she continues with the challenges that lay ahead for her. I am SO excited to see and watch her grow.

This past weekend - our family went to Redding, CA to enjoy a long weekend. Kahlia "camped" for the first time. I say "camped" because it was a very last minute decision to drive down there, so we didn't have time to research camping spots. We ended up staying at an RV park that didn't even have a fire pit! At first we were disappointed, then realized, it could have been God's way of sparing us the stress of having our wobbly walking Kahlia near a fire!!! It was a great weekend of fun as we enjoyed going to museums, toured the Shasta Dam, swam, and enjoyed a water park on a nice sunny day. Great memories with the family - I feel very blessed. :-)

It's hard to believe it's been one year since we held our little Kahlia for the first time in Pune, India. We have had quite a year - completely exhausting, but I wouldn't trade one single day - Kahlia has been such a blessing to me and our family - I am thankful that God has brought her into our lives forever. She has made such huge changes this first year - it's hard to imagine what she will be doing in another year - hopefully talking!!! :-)
This last weekend, Mother's Day weekend, my parents watched Kahlia while I took Makenna to a Mother/daughter retreat at Tilikum Retreat Center. It was the first time we had left her by herself - with out even her siblings. My parents said she did great - she has a special bond with her grandpa Brown!!
A week in a half ago, we thought Kahlia may have broken her right ankle - she wouldn't put pressure on it, and wouldn't even try to walk. After having it xrayed and nothing came up, we just waited and after a week in a half, she seems to be back walking normally - I guess she just had a little sprain! I would not have enjoyed the idea of a cast on her foot/leg for 6-8 weeks - yuck! As for her walking, she is doing fabulous. She is getting better at walking on uneven surfaces, inclines, grass, etc. She still is very cautious and walks a little like a wet noodle, but she is a very determined little girl, and does not give up easily. She keeps trying and trying until she gets it - now if she would just try that with her speech!! :-)
We have scheduled for Scott to take Kahlia to Seattle Childrens Hospital next month. She will be seeing a doctor in the infectious disease clinic. I want to get this giardia taken care of once and for all! Though slowly, she is still growing. She is now wearing 18 month clothes, and size 3 shoes. She's finally outgrowing the clothes that she wore when we first brought her home last May. It has been fun to finally have her wear new clothes this spring!!! We are hoping to schedule soon for her to have a consult with the doctor that Scott wants to have do Kahlia's next cleft palate surgery. We do not plan on using the same surgeon we used last time. I really want to get the surgery done soon so we can start some intense speech therapy! She still attempts very little speech. She won't even try. She says momma - and a few other vowel matching words - like "o" for hot, and "i" for hi, and "ni ni" for night night, but that's about it. Her signing vocabulary continues to grow, which is great - except when she goes places where people do not know any sign!!
Baseball season has begun, and between David and Brendon's 2 games a week each plus all 3 still on the swim team, it is making a very, very busy spring for us! Kahlia is a little trooper being dragged around all over town, but someday, it will be her turn! :-)
As I reflect on how God has watched over us this past year, I am truly amazed at his faithfulness to each member of our family. He has taught us all so many lessons - lessons of patience, selflessness, and His never ending love. Kahlia has touched so many lives this past year - she has given everyone around her indescribable joy. Her endless and beautiful smiles, adorable laughs, and fun personality has been such a blessing to all of us. Yes, she can be absolutely full of it sometimes, she still brings such energy and life to everyone around her - I feel so blessed to call her my daughter!!
Though this blog focuses on Kahlia, I have 3 other amazing children that I love VERY VERY much!! They along with Kahlia bring me more joy then a mother should be allowed to have. Each child brings something different and special to the family. Spending this past weekend with just Makenna at Tilikum really meant a lot to me. She helps out the most with Kahlia, sacrifices a lot, she deserved a very special one on one with me this weeke end!!
Pictures to be posted soon - I left me camera at my parents, and I won't get it back until Tuesday night!

Giardia, giardia, please go away, please don't come back another day!!! Kahlia was tested postive for giardia AGAIN after her 5th treatment to kill the parasite. She is now needing to go beyond what our pediatrician here can do and even OHSU in Portland. Her pediatrician told me tonight that she is being referred to Seattle Children's Hospital to meet with an Immunologist and have some testing done up there - convenient... :-( We wait for the referral papers to be processed, and we will make the appointment for sometime in the near future. Not sure what this means - time will tell. On the developmental front - she is almost exclusively walking - PRAISE THE LORD!!! She does such a good job! Her base is still wide - her feet are slightly out to help with her balance, but I guess we would too if we had feet just barely bigger then a newborn! She understands most of what we say, and has even begun following simple instructions with out any cues to "help" her. I am so pleased with her progress, and amazed at how far she has come. Exactly 11 months ago today, we saw our little Kahlia for the first time. Even after all this time, the kids continue to amaze me at their special love and bond with her. They never seem to tire of her, and go out of their way to include her any way they can. She is becoming "that pesky 2 year old" when they try to play a game or want to get away from her, but those times are few and far between. Their patience with her is far better then I would have ever expected from a 6,7, and 10 year old. Just yesterday, they took her out and played with her on the swings and play structure for close to an hour. My kids are awesome, and I love them so, so much!! :-) Last weekend, Scott and I got to get away for a much needed couple's retreat in Eugene. It was the first time we had gone away since we have gotten Kahlia, and it was so nice to spend some alone time and actually focus on each other and not all of our kids and the demands they have on us! Wish we could get away more often, but I'll take the times we do have together and cherish them always. Life is good, and I am so grateful for each person in my family!

Exhausting...no other way to put it...Kahlia is busier then both Brendon and Makenna combined when they were her age, and though David gave her a run for her money, she is officially the mischief QUEEN of the family. She literally goes from one thing to the next. Yesterday alone, she climbed onto the table at least 6 times. She gets into food, throws it all over the floor (I especially enjoy the chicken noodle soup and yogurt splattered from one end of the room to the other), scribbles on the kids' homework that they left on the table, swished her hands in the toilet, on and on and on... I know - it's just a season - but I'm ready for this season to pass!!! Because she is unable to talk, her new default is to scream....all the time....over and over... sigh... On a positive note...She is walking SO SO well these days!! She can walk all the way through the living room into Makenna's bedroom with out falling. Yes, she still looks a bit like a wet noodle, but we'll take it. She's doing great. To think that just 9 months ago, she couldn't even pull herself into a sitting position. I need to focus on the positives right now - her cuteness and sweetness is definitely getting her by these days...whew!!! Did I say exhausting???!!!

We're now on kid #2 with fevers this week! Brendon had a fever for 3 days, missed most of his swim meet, and now David woke up with a fever this morning. So far, Kahlia has not gotten the fever. She has an immune deficiency, so we are really watching her closely, but so far so good!! :-) Next Tuesday we can turn in another lab sample to see if she still has Giardia. That is spring break, so who knows where or what we will be doing - depending on what we do, we may not be able to get the sample in until the following week. Looking forward to the break - what I really need to do is repaint - permanent black marker on our walls isn't exactly the "reminders" of Kahlia I would like to keep...she is fast and furious with a pen!
Her walking is getting better and better by the day. She attempts to walk a lot more, and go farther then she has been able to go. My hopes are still alive for her walking by summer! :-) We will see...

Tuesday, Kahlia and I drove to Eugene for her Cardiology appointment with Dr. Carlson - her Cardiologist. From a Cardiology stand point - she couldn't be better. She had 99% oxygen, and she continues to grow - slowly but surely. She is now just over 21 lbs. She's gained almost 5 lbs. in 10 months. Hopefully after we get rid of her Giardia parasite - we will see a more dramatic weight gain...we finished her 5th treatment on Tuesday, but we have to wait 2 weeks before we retest her. I am no longer optimistic...we'll see I guess.

The honeymoon period is officially over. Though Kahlia is as lovable as ever, she is officially exhausting!!! She is into absolutely everything - most recently, she has an infatuation with markers - she writes on her arms, legs, clothes, walls, chairs, couches, and cabinets - you name it, she's probably marked on it. Exhausting beyond words....Scott learned today on the internet that toothpaste can take permanent marker off of wood - good to know - will definitely come in handy in our household! So - washable and permanent markers alike are no longer allowed ANYWHERE that Kahlia can reach - because if she can reach them, she WILL find them. Toys are now boring - CD's, DVD's, kitchen drawers, and the kid's "stuff" is much more exciting then her "boring" toys that we have all over our living room for her!! Looking forward to this stage passing right on by!!

Her hearing aids aren't going so well. I barely put them in her ears because they don't fit well, and fall out constantly. I will only let her wear them when she's at home, and since most of our days are either spent out at her appointments, the other kids' activities, or home taking her nap, she doesn't get the chance to wear them all that much!

Life seems hard right now, I'm hanging on in survival mode - but I am very grateful to be right where I am going through exactly what I am. God is my anchor, and I will continue to keep on keeping on, because that's what I'm called to do!! :-)

I admit, it's been a while since I've posted. Hard to keep up!! Kahlia was tested positive for Giardia for the fourth time. GRRRR... we will begin her 5th treatment tomorrow...we are doing the same medication we tried last time, but doubling the time. I have less and less optimism with each lab test. It's discouraging that she can't get rid of this parasite she has probably had her entire life!! So, she will take this medication for a week, then we have to wait another 2 weeks after that to test her again - so we're looking at another 3 weeks before we will know anything...

Kahlia got her hearing aids today - they are actually really cute! She has HUGE holes in her eardrums caused from her chronic ear infections, and the doctors cannot surgically close them until she is older or they would burst open again with her very next ear infection. Those huge holes have a huge impact on what she can hear. Though she doesn't seem to have a problem hearing, it's the small sounds and frequencies that she doesn't hear. She has mild to moderate hearing loss that can likely be corrected after surgery. We are hoping that now that she has hearing aids, she will be able to hear and start recognizing consonant sounds, so she can start making those sounds herself! The only consonants we have ever heard her say is "m" and "n". She either vowel matches words, uses no words, or uses sign language. She is getting really good with her signing. I only wish I knew more! Makenna went to the library today with her class, and she came home with a signing book, and she read 80 pages tonight!!! She now meets with a signing lady from ESD a few times a month, as well as speech and physical therapy. She started a small group session with other 2 year olds last week which she really liked. They do fine motor skills projects, story time, gym and obstacle course time, snack time, art time, and free reading time. It was really good for Kahlia to be around kids her own age with the supervision of 2 speech therapists. My life is getting SO busy with all these appointments, waiting for life to settle down a little this summer!! :-)

Kahlia's walking is improving - ever so slowly...she can sometimes take 6-8 steps at a time before falling down. She wants to walk so bad, she just can't seem to balance herself at all. I think there is an equilibrium problem with her ears - I am truly concerned, but no one else seems to be too concerned since she is slowly improving. It's just hard being patient - I really wanted her walking by this summer so we can spend time outside with out her getting every set of clothes filthy diry from crawling everywhere instead of walking!!

That's the update - I will try to be better as we have "updates"! Thanks for your support and prayers - we are truly blessed...

Yesterday, Kahlia got fitted for her hearing aids with the audiologist at ESD. Her ear is still infected - amazing - no fever and no fussiness - how am I supposed to know when she has an ear infection if she doesn't let me know - silly girl!! While there she leaned up against me, facing out...she took 2-3 steps to a chair just beyond her reach - all by herself!! Literally her first few steps - all by herself! :-)

On Thursday, I took Kahlia to the doctor because she had a cold, and we saw her tugging on her right ear on Wednesday. Though she had no fever, and wasn't even fussy, we knew she had an ear infection, at least in her right ear. I was at the ESD office bright and early Thurs. morning ready to get Kahlia fitted for hearing aids. But, because she had an infection, he was not able to do the fitting. Pretty much, every time she gets a cold, she gets an ear infection. I'm just grateful she doesn't spike a fever, and doesn't even get fussy. The poor thing is probably so used to chronic pain, an ear infection hardly even bothers her!! Anyway, while at her appt., we had her weighed - she is now 20.1 lbs!!! :-) She is no longer in the teens for weight - yea!! :-) She was 16.1 lbs when we got her, so she has gained exactly 4 lbs - 20% of her weight!!! :-) I was SO surprised since her appetite has been almost nothing the past couple of weeks - she has been practically living on Pediasure drinks - so glad she likes those!!! That is an answer to prayer that somehow, even in the midst of not eating, she is gaining weight - as slight as it is - it is still a gain!! :-) We finished her Giardia medication yesterday - 14 days of antibiotics - we will wait 1 week, then retest her - I sure hope it's gone, or they will have to resort to some really heavy duty medication - which I don't want to have to do MORE antibiotics!!!!

The other big news of the family is Makenna getting her ears pierced yesterday - she was SO excited!! :-) We've gone 3 other times over the past 2 years, and she has chickened out every time. This time she conquered her fear and "just did it"!!! :-) I've always been of the thinking that I don't care when my girls get their ears pierced, as long as it is THEIR decision - that's why I never pierced their ears as babies - I just want it to be something that they want themselves - and she finally decided to face the fear and get it over with - immediately after it was done before I even paid, she whispered to me, "I wish I would have done that a long time ago!"...silly girl - fun times...

HUGE news in the Roberts house! Ok - not really big news - but pretty exciting stuff for all of us! Kahlia was in the middle of the kitchen floor - and managed to stand herself up with out holding onto anything!!! :-) She only stood for a couple of seconds before falling back down - but she totally got up all by herself!!! I could not believe it when I saw it. She's SO close to being able to walk -the stength is there in her legs - just not the balance. Very exciting stuff!! :-)

We are 8 days into our 14 days of antibiotics for Kahlia's Giardia. She has A LOT of diahrrea these days, and she seems to sleep a lot and not eat very much. We are looking forward to her being parasite free - for the first time in her life. I can't even imagine the havoc her little body has endured these past couple of years. Even so, she's doing great - can't really complain - she loves life and is genuinely happy - can't really ask for anything more!! :-)

We enjoyed Brendon's second basketball game tonight. He's really fun to watch - he's quite the little athlete!! He's quick on his feet, hustles great, dribbles the ball down the court awesome - now if we can just get those consistent baskets! His team won by 2 points tonight - made for a great game.

After wondering for weeks if Kahlia was truly parasite free, we finally retested her yesterday - after first testing positive last June for giardia - she tood strong medication for 7 days, but were told we could not retest for 6 months. Today, before hearing from her doctor, I got a call from the Coos County health department about a case of giardia in our home. So here we go - round 2 of medication - we are doubling the dose - going for 14 days instead of 7 - then retesting 1 week later. In some ways - it was good to hear that she had it - because it explains possibly why she has not been growing and gaining weight like I thought she should be. We need to get this parasite taken care of once and for all - so she can have EVERY chance to thrive!!!

Kahlia started swimming lessons on Monday - her first time ever in a pool - she LOVED it! :-) Makenna had already taught her to blow bubbles in the bathtub, but she had fun showing everyone her new skill! She wasn't at all afraid of the water, and enjoyed her time. She didn't use her legs as much as I would have liked her to, so we're working on that, hoping that will help with her core strength for walking!!