Update

Sorry, I've been "off the wagon" with this blog and I apologize to everyone. I thought that I would take a few minutes to update all of you on the Schrock family.

Micheala: I figured I would start with the potential "bad" news. Micheala is starting to have her episodes again. I guess Heather and I thought we were in the clear, but there is a possibility that we are not. We have noticed that Micheala hasn't been sleeping well lately, so Heather had her sleep with us one night and hooked her up to her monitor. Sure enough, our worst fears were confirmed and she had alarms throughout the night. What does this mean? This means that we have an appointment at the U of I hospitals on February 18th and we'll know more then. To say that Heather and I are struggling emotionally with this is an understatement. Heather is specifically taking it hard and I'm trying to be the rock. we talk about it until we're blue in the face, hoping that our simple discussions will make it go away. All we can do is hope and pray. It is very disappointing to know that there is a high possibility of our daughter going under the knife again. I wish it was me. As always, we will keep all of you updated. Otherwise, she is doing well. She loves going to school, her and Dylanne are starting to become good friends and playmates, and she loves to dance.

Dylanne: We hit up most of you to buy Girl Scout cookies, as Dylanne is trying out Girl Scouts this year. So far, she likes scouts. She did an awesome job of selling cookies. Her goal was to sell 150 boxes of cookies, she ended up selling 222 boxes, which makes her one of the top sellers in her troop. Thank you to all that helped her cause. Dylanne's attitude has been a bit of a challenge for Heather and I. She is so sweet at times and just a terror other times. Heather and I searched for answers and we think that we unintentionally placed Dylanne on the back burner while going through Micheala's medical situation; resulting in Dylanne thinking that we don't care about her as much. So to try and reverse her thinking, we have been doing a lot of one-on-one things with her and trying to really reward the positive behavior. We are happy to report that we have seen results, but I am fearful of falling back into that rut with Dylanne if Micheala's medical situation resurfaces. It's been a real challenge relay to Dylanne that Mommy and Daddy love her very much and that Micheala just needs so extra attention right now. I think she gets it a little bit, but I understand her anger.

Heather: She just celebrated her 7 year anniversary working for Linn County! She is hard at work and has a schedule that has been full of travel. She's spent time in Washington DC, Minneapolis and soon will be in Michigan. Her focus has been a bit foggy lately, as she can't get Micheala off her mind and has been without a lot of sleep lately. I know that I am the sounding board for her, therefore get a lot of her frustrations directed at me. She's trying to get back into grad school, but will not be able to until we find out Micheala's results. She really has relied on her great friends to help take her mind off of things, as she worries a lot. I have been trying to encourage her to be more optimistic about things in life and try to laugh a little more, a job that is easier said than done. She is tough and will grab the bull by the horns when she needs to.

Mike: What's to write about me. I have been ice fishing, because it is my therapy. I can sit out in the freezing weather all day, not catch a thing and still be having a good time. I have been addicted to facebook lately because I have been talking to people that I have not talked to in a long time. I try to enjoy life as much as I can. I love to laugh, but would much rather make other people laugh. I like hanging out with friends, but also like nights at home with my family. I am excited to be an uncle and my sister is getting close (April). I currently have a very busy schedule so I sometimes feel as if I don't have enough time for everything that I would like to do.

That's us in a nutshell. I wish that I could have just wrote, "Everything is great", but life doesn't always deal us the best poker hand. So we will play the cards we've been dealt and hope for the best.