So now that we're up to six kids, I'm thinking to myself "am I crazy or what?" I mean, I'm voluntarily putting myself thru endless nose/butt wiping, laundry like crazy, tattling, tantrums and a mess in the house that I seem to constantly be chasing.
Alli has mastered walking and is now trying to walk really fast/run. She will turn around in circles and thinks it's sooo funny. She counts to three and says quite a few words. I often say that if we did not know better, I'd surely think she's biologically mine because her personality is so much like me. Sweet and fun until she doesn't get her way and then WATCH OUT!
Luci ~ or Lulu as we've been calling her ~ is getting more comfortable with each day. The first night she slept in with D and I, but since then we've had her in the boys room in her own bed and she's done great for naps and at night. She's happy and loving for the most part but then she does get upset for unknown reasons, but rightfully so. She's going thru a lot right now and we just keep trying to assure her that it's okay. She likes Dennis a lot.
Moose is smart as a whip. He's mastered his shapes: circle, oval, square, rectangle, triangle, diamond, star & octagon. He's known his colors for a while now and his counting continues to get better and better. That boy is just too cute. He's going to do well in life - brains and a cute face.
Zeke is enjoying school. He's doing some time in a regular kindergarten classroom each day and has been adjusting fairly well. He cannot do the work they are doing but he has a buddy they pair him up with in class and gets help that way. Both his special needs teacher and the kindergarten teacher are great.
Jared is going to be starting basketball. Don't know all the details yet but he's looking forward to playing a sport. He could be doing better in school, but he's doing alright. Since being diagnosed with ADHD and having medication for it, his concentration is slightly improved but the boy is still a ball of endless energy.
Jessa just finished up her school volleyball season. Now she will be starting club volleyball. She's enjoying her 8th grade year and looks forward to going to school, which we know is purely for the social factor, but at least she's not faking sick to stay home! :)
Dennis is his same old ornery self. His turkey hunt did not go well at the beginning of October (did not see even one!) but the camping was fun. Last weekend we went near Flagstaff for his deer hunt and no luck again, but more good times while camping. He and Steve are leaving tomorrow morning to try again, so they'll be gone all weekend.
As for Mommy Senft, I admit to being pretty wrung out by the end of the day. Last night I was up until 12:30am (never happens with me!) but I got my house cleaned and went grocery shopping while the rest of the house slept. Of course my house is a mess again today, but it was nice while it lasted.
So I've decided I definitely am crazy because the moments that I'm ready to pull my hair out are far exceeded by fun, silly, joyful times. And even though they are each a handful in their own way, I know I've got a great family.
This afternoon we got a call asking if we'd take a 3 year old little girl. Ironically, she's only five days younger than Moose! We don't have a whole lot of information but she's definitely got some delays. Cute as a button but she does not speak well and is still in diapers. I laid her down to change her poopy diaper and she said "SHIT". I said "ca-ca?" She shook her head no and said "SHIT". I said "poop?" and she said again, "NO SHIT". Hopefully being around our active household will help her catch up. 
We've been seeing some doctors and doing some tests trying to see if we can get some answers regarding Zeke and what it is that makes him...him! Basically, we're trying to get a diagnosis so we can get services set up for him - speech therapy, a behavior coach, etc.
Over his Fall Break we saw a child neurologist and he thought Zeke was likely born the way he is, meaning his bio-mother's substance use while pregnant, neglect or abuse were not to blame. Unfortunately the genetic testing we did showed he was not born this way.
We are now going to have an MRI of his brain done (under sedation) on November 19th to see if that points us towards previous seizures or brain damage of any kind - things the doctors have not thought were the case up to now.
The hardest part for me in all of this is knowing God didn't create him different. He could have and should have been a "normal" child without having the issues and delays he suffers from. That's extremely hard to stomach, but is apparently the reality.
I will update with more once the MRI results are in.
I took Alli to the doctor for her one year check up on Tuesday and I have to say, I cry every time they give her shots! It sucks for her AND me!!
Zonked out after getting three shots! 10/20
Our baby girl is quite chatty considering most babies her age only say an average of two words (according to doctor) but she easily says a half dozen or more: Mama, Daddy, Jessa, Daisy, BoBo, hi, ut-oh and sometimes I can get her to say stuff like "good girl" "thank you" or "love you" but she doesn't do it all the time yet.
Playing out front 10/19
She is now 29" long and a whopping 22lbs 12ozs. But like I've always said, there's nothing wrong with a little junk in the trunk. HA!
Sharing icecream with Janel 10/21
She's walking all over the house now and it's so damn cute! She will still crawl, but every day her confidence grows about toddling around. And we make a big deal about it, cheering and clapping for her, so she's super proud of herself.
The walking birthday girl 10/11
She already has 6 teeth and 4 more are coming thru now. I'd like to say that is why she's such a little pistol, but I'd be lying. She's a drama queen and a bit of a stinker but we chalk that up to the fact that everyone around here caters to her hand and foot.
She loves her zebra 10/21
Shot some pics of the kids today. Alli wasn't super cooperative, but we got a couple. 
Jessa's photography :) 
lovin the sucker that Zeke didn't want
Our little volleyball stud is doing great in school too. YEAH JESS!
Moose is such a trooper. I made Alli a tutu for her Halloween costume and I had him model it for me so I could make adjustments. He'll kill me some day for these pictures. :) 
I mentioned recently that the prayers and well wishes must be helping because our journey with Alli won't be ending as soon as we thought. Initially we were told she was going to be given to her bio-parents the first week of November (after being with us since birth). Now, due to some changes in the situation, we're told we'll have her for a while more. Our next court date is in early January and the case worker says she will be here thru that point, maybe longer. YIPPEE! We are so excited to know she's going to be with us another holiday season. Her age and personality is so fun right now, I cannot wait to have Christmas with her. The plan is still to return her to bio-parents in the future, but if we stay optimistic, that just may change too. The Lord works in mysterious ways and I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. This has been a roller coaster ride from the very start and it's been touch and go for the last year, not knowing if we'll have her from one point to another, but I'm grateful that I've stayed positive and not given up because she's worth the hardship and heartache. 
The kids have been on Fall Break this week and I've been running like crazy! We had Janel overnight last night and snapped some pics this morning. 
Please keep the prayers and well wishes coming our way. There have been some changes in the situation with Alli which has given us a bit of hope. We don't know what's to come in the future, but we have to stay optimistic and positive.
