Walk With Me Through 2022...

2022 was our settling year.

We have continued to learn Virginia and settle in to life here. I feel like we have found a good rhythm on day-to-day life, but it was still a year of change and transition, as we have been able to dive more into ministry and church life {with Covid somewhat calming and my health improving}. 2022 brought the transition to Kindergarten and homeschooling, changes in my job responsibilities, as well as our new home. While I am feeling SO much better than I was this time last year, it has still been a hard year battling varying health issues. 

Since we JUST moved in, we still have to unpack and get settled here, but we will be starting 2023 fresh, ready to finally be settled in one place long{er?} term :)

Past reviews: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021

January started off with a bang with our first snow of the year! My kids are officially snow-lovers and have asked ALL. YEAR. LONG. when we will get more snow haha. I was starting to see slow improvement in my Crohn's symptoms, but was still dealing with a lot of fatigue and headaches. We celebrated National Winnie the Pooh day, special for our Pooh-loving boy, and the rest of the cold days were filled with dress up, science projects, reading books, and building forts.

We tried to make the cold and dreary days in February a little more exciting by counting down to Valentine's Day and doing tons of love day activities. We were full steam ahead into potty training Aiden, so that meant he got to transition from his crib into his big boy bed! We still got to enjoy some remnants of snow, but we did get to enjoy some warmer days outside. We also started going back to church in person on a more regular basis, and we were SO thankful for that.

Grandma came to visit in March! We got to go to the National Zoo and Udvar-Hazy, and we even got to share some snow with Grandma while she was here :)  I celebrated 10 years at the bank, and Eli and Maddie had their first visit to the dentist. We also made the trip into D.C. to see the cherry blossoms in bloom, which was so fun! With the weather staring to warm up {a little}, we were able to ride bikes and go on walks. We were starting to see the first signs of spring {though winter wasn't quite done yet}, and we were definitely ready!

In April, we celebrated Easter with an ABC countdown, resurrection rolls, and easter baskets. I had another colonoscopy, which showed improvement from my last one! I wasn't in remission yet, and was starting to really struggle with headaches, but we finally figured out that I was iron deficient, so I started supplements to help with that. We got to have dinner with sweet friends, enjoy our church's spring festival, take Flat Stanley on a D.C. tour for our niece, and I was in full planning mode for homeschooling! But after 2 years, Covid finally hit our house. Mike got Covid and we quarantined him in one room, so I was running solo with the kiddos, taking care of him for 2 full weeks. It was crazy and hard, but I am thankful that the rest of us never got it!

Granny and Grumpz came to visit in May! We loved having them here, and showing them our life in Virginia. We visited Manassas National Battlefield, Cox Farms, and of course, read all the books and played all the games. Maddie was finally able to graduate from eye patching {yay!}, and Eli continued making good progress in strengthening his eye. We were loving all the new, warm weather, so we spent a lot of time playing outside.

In May/June, we headed to Tennessee for a fun family vacation in the Smoky Mountains. It was a week filled with all kinds of fun and adventure, and we loved spending time with family. I was finally starting to see improvement in my energy levels, since starting iron supplements. My GI had wanted me to increase my Stelara dosing to every 4 weeks, and he had been battling with insurance to approve it for almost 2 months. I was finally able to start that new dosing in June. We were soaking up as much summer time fun as we could, to fully enjoy our summer before Kindergarten! We went strawberry picking, celebrated Father's Day, went on hikes with friends, and June is also when we started praying {specifically} about our new house.

We celebrated the 4th of July with some friends from church and our neighbors. We also soaked up some fun pool time and danced with Mickey Mouse at a friend's birthday party. Maddie lost her first tooth, which was a day filled with excitement! Mike and I were able to enjoy a fun anniversary date to get sushi and ice cream, and we were able to reflect on 11 years of marriage. I officially submitted our Notice of Intent to homeschool {so we were committing! haha}; while I was busy prepping curriculum, the kids were busy doing all the summer things before school started :)

We wrapped up the summer with another visit with Grandma and Papa in August. We enjoyed several parks, celebrated Papa's birthday, and played mini golf. We also did 2 weeks of swim lessons! It was definitely late in the season, and we are still not swimming {sigh}, but I'm glad we were able to get some practice in anyway. We celebrated Aiden's 4th birthday with a fun Blippi-themed day. And then we started our homeschooling journey with Eli and Maddie starting Kindergarten and Aiden starting Pre-K. Mike got to spend a week in the mountains with pastor friends, and we tried to soak up the warm weather as we settled in to a good school routine.

In September, we were finding our groove with school, but still trying to spend as much time playing outside. We visited the Maryland Renaissance Festival with neighbors, which was a unique experience. I got to start the women's Bible study at church, Maddie transitioned into a booster seat, and we got to spend some time with Pastor Milt and Mrs. Val. Behind the scenes, we were finalizing details for buying our Virginia house!

October was really busy! We were able to go to an apple orchard with friends, which made for a sweet memory! I was deep in the battle with my headaches/migraines. They were becoming more intense and more frequent, and I was really struggling. But the Lord was still gracious to sustain me. I was able to slip away to West Virginia for a weekend getaway, which was so refreshing and needed. I got to attend our church's annual women's retreat, helping with the hospitality team. Granny came for a visit; unfortunately, she got a really bad case of vertigo, but we were still thankful for the time we had with her. We had our annual fall festival, Aiden became our 3rd kid to get glasses, and we got to start visiting our new house! Fall was in full swing and the kids got their first taste of raking leaves. I convinced the kids to do another family costume, and we got to go trick or treating as Cinderella, Jaq and Gus Gus, Prince Charming, and the Fairy Godmother.

Eli and Maddie turned 6 {!} in November. We celebrated with monster trucks and princesses :) We were able to return to Cox Farms this year, which was such a fun treat. We were in full remodel mode at the new house, so we were back and forth a lot to watch the progress, do some painting...but mostly to attempt to manage ALL THE LEAVES. We wrapped up our first semester of school and started packing. We got to spend Thanksgiving with some sweet friends from church, and we were so thankful for all that the Lord has provided for us this year. We got to celebrate Mike's birthday with a yummy lunch at Uncle Julio's!

December was full of packing, finishing up some of the remodel, and finally moving! It was a busy month, for sure. I fought with insurance to get my Stelara approved again, but thankfully was able to get that done before our move. I also got labs back that showed my inflammation markers in a normal range for the first time in 3 years! We moved into the new house the week of Christmas, so we were able to spend Christmas there. We still have boxes everywhere, but we're working to get unpacked and settled as we look ahead to 2023!

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Each year when I sit down to write this post, I am always in awe of all that has happened in a year. As I look back over the previous 365 days, I am surprised to remember some things that seemed to have happened so long ago, and I smile at the memories that we are able to create throughout the year. I am in awe of how the Lord has provided for us this year; He has always been faithful to provide. But this year was more than we could have imagined. Finding a house and being able to make it our home is the last piece of the puzzle of our move to Virginia. And yet, the Lord had every detail orchestrated and waiting for us in His perfect and good timing. We have so much to be thankful for, and we are looking forward to all He has for us in 2023!

{iPhone Rewind} :: December

Had our first bike injury...look at his little tear!

Geese. Are. EVERY.where.

They're so silly

Celebrating a sweet friend's birthday!

Maddie drew a picture of our contractor working on our house, while she and her brothers ride their bikes. A pretty accurate portrayal of our life the past few weeks :)

Our women's ministry had an evening of music, prayer, Scripture reading, and quiet reflection. It was such a blessing to pause in the midst of the craziness to simply be still and behold our glorious King.

December was filled with packing and cleaning and boxes and stuff everywhere...

Dancing together!

Such good moving helpers!

Yes, that is a large number of geese crossing the road. They were undeterred by the line of cars waiting haha.

Yummy hot chocolate treat!

We spent a few days having our meals on the floor again!

Turns out, it's kind of fun to spread out all your toys in an empty house :)

Watching Daddy back in the moving truck!

Happy National Twins Day to my favorite pair!

We got to zoom for Christmas with the McCullough side of the family! The cousins got to open up the gifts they had bought for each other.

My Minnie Maddie girl

First night in our new house!

We babysat for a friend's boy/girl twins, and the kids had so much fun! It was like a regular daycare haha!

Putting the appliance boxes to good use

The hazard of brothers...

COLD Christmas Eve!

My two builders ;)

The weather warmed up quite a bit so we have been able to explore our neighborhood trails and parks!

And we have done a ton of rolling down hills haha

"Look! We're reindeer!"

Goodbye, Laidlow! You were a gift to us as we eased into Virginia life. Lots of playing and dancing and reading and schooling happened here.

Embryo Adoption :: Our Journey {2022}

I didn't blog at all about Embryo Adoption in 2022! But that's not because it hasn't been on my mind...

I have actually thought a lot about it this year. Our story, how grateful I am for my sweet snowflake babies, how the Lord provided in ways we never could have imagined. Five years ago this month, we had our last frozen embryo transfer, and it's hard to believe that it has been that long since we were wrapping up our journey to building our family. Five years ago this month, we "met" our precious Aiden for the first time through a microscope, and we were praying that we would get to hold him in our arms.

But as the kids get older and start asking more questions and having a deeper understanding of their origins, my mind has started to shift to what their response and feelings will be toward it all. I have spent a lot of time reading the stories of donor-conceived persons, and while I have gleaned some valuable information, it has also been a little disheartening. Most of the hardship comes from the unethical nature of the entire fertility industry and the secrecy surrounding so many people's origins {something I also take issue with}. Thankfully, we have no plans to keep information from our kids, and we can use these stories to have better conversations with them. But there is a large contingency of donor-conceived people who find embryo adoption abhorrent, the worst of the industry. And while I am trying to learn and understand their perspectives, it's a hard place to be as someone who became a Mama because of, what I view as the gift of, embryo adoption. 

I am thankful that I don't have to process my children's stories solely through the lens of a {legitimately} broken and hurting group of donor conceived people. I can lean on the power and redemption of the gospel and how that {more importantly} shapes my children's identities. I can recognize the sovereign hand of God in our family's story and rest in the fact that He alone will direct their paths, however they view their origins. But gosh, I really don't want to get this wrong...

Eli and Maddie have just now started asking about where babies come from, asking questions about how they were in Mommy's tummy, and how {exactly} they came out haha. As I even look ahead to 1st grade history and science and all the topics we will cover, I know more of these conversations will start to come up. And I just want to be ready for them. So I am learning to lean on Jesus and dig into His word for wisdom. Because I know He will be faithful to give it.

Christmas 2022

We spent Christmas in our new house this year! We had boxes everywhere, and we're still waiting on some lights...but we made it work :)

We were able to go to the candlelight service at church Christmas Eve. Since Mike was preaching, the kids and I went to the first service, then headed home for dinner and bedtime. That evening, my throat started bothering me. It's still my only symptom {besides being tired} today, so I'm not really sure what the deal is. At 2am Christmas morning, Aiden burst into our room and said, "Mommy, I can't sleep anymore because my tummy hurts." And then he proceeded to heave. So I slept with him on the couch. Thankfully, he was fine when it was time to wake up, so again, not sure what that was.

This year's Christmas gifts followed the same pattern: something to wear, something to read, and something to play/create with. We had given the kids their Christmas pajamas earlier in December {family photo coming later!}, and they each got a fun new book to read. Their fun gifts this year were a parking garage and dollhouse! Eli also got some new marble run pieces.

My labor of love for the boys! I bought the MDF wood pieces from Etsy, then painted and assembled it myself.

The kids have played non-stop the last couple of days, and I am so glad they are enjoying their new fun toys. We'll continue working to get unpacked and settled through the new year, but we are thankful to be in our new home!

Merry Christmas from the McCulloughs!

Crohn's Chronicles :: Normal Again

I recently blogged about all of my insurance woes. I am happy to report that the Lord has provided, and the insurance approved my medication! My GI did have to submit additional paperwork, but thankfully insurance approved it without having to go into a full blown review. So I was able to get and take my next dose in time, so I can stay on track {at least for another 6 months until we do it again haha}. Praise God for His care and provision!

I am so thankful for a GI who sees my individual case and takes the time to step in to make things happen. He knew it was insurance's problem, but that I, as his patient, was in need. I have struggled with his office staff, but I am really thankful for him.

I did some more routine lab work to see where my numbers were. And the Lord has continued to provide...all of my numbers are back in normal range! C-Reactive protein, calprotectin {both inflammation markers}, iron and vitamins. Normal. I cried when I got the news. All of my numbers are normal for the first time in 3 years!!

For reference:

May 2020 {6 months active symptoms, first lab confirmation of active Crohn's}: over 3000

Dec 2020 {6 months on Entyvio, active symptoms}: 1072

May 2021 {12 months on Entyvio, active symptoms}: 322

Dec 2021 {6 months on Stelara at 8-week dose, improving but still active symptoms}: 166

Dec 2022 {6 months on Stelara at 4-week dose}: 63

Only a colonoscopy can confirm remission, and my GI won't do that until the spring {since I am feeling better}. But this is the closest I have felt in 3 years, and normal lab work is definitely a positive sign! It's possible that some of my remaining symptoms have to do with the iron supplements I was taking; thankfully I can stop taking those, so hopefully I'll see improvement there. If not, I might try some probiotics. In some ways, my GI tract has to "relearn" how to function normally. Now that inflammation has healed, it can finally start to do that. 

And I still have to figure out my migraines. My GI suggested I go see a neurologist, so that's on my list for 2023. He is in full agreement that I should really try to avoid another medication, but also knows that I need more than just Tylenol for relief. So we'll see if we can get that resolved soon too. 

So now it's a matter of maintaining my Stelara doses, letting my GI tract relearn how to function normally, addressing the migraines, managing some of the lingering effects of long term inflammation {gums}, and monitoring risks associated with Stelara {skin issues}. We. Are. Getting. There.

Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow.

A Few Christmas Activities

Since we have been in the middle of packing and moving, our usual Christmas festivities have been minimal. We have been doing our Advent countdown, but otherwise, we skipped the tree and decorations. I have tried to do a few Christmas activities here and there, to try to keep some normalcy {and try to offer some distractions in the midst of the chaos}.

I had found these snowman crafts at an after-Christmas-sale last year, so it was the perfect time to pull them out.  A little glue and cotton balls, and voila! Snowmen :)

I also found these ugly Christmas sweater crafts again at Target {we did these last year}. The kids really liked these, so it was fun to do them again.

Our cookie cutters were packed, so we kept it simple with Christmas cookies. I bought some of the sugar cookie dough from Pillsbury, and we decorated them with sprinkles. Super easy and quick, and the kids were happy.

Aiden didn't get to help because he was struggling with life. But don't worry, he got to eat one later ;)

I came across these cardboard gingerbread houses during a Black Friday sale, so I decided to go this {less messy} route this year. Best. Decision. Ever. The kids spent over an hour working on these, and they even came with little battery-operated tea lights to put inside. Highly recommend them {just be forewarned that the stickers can be a little tough for little hands, so these might not be great for anyone younger than 4...unless you personally want to take apart all the stickers yourself}.

With all the moving craziness, I was thankful to squeeze in a few of these fun activities!