I am a mother to three children. Ashley is my oldest daughter. Hailey was born 18 months later. Then 22 months later came our son, Joshua. Ashley is nine years old and has severe autism. She is completely nonverbal, but uses a talker from PRC to communicate. Hailey is eight years old and in third grade. She has ADHD and a lot of allergies. Josh is six years old and in first grade. He has been diagnosed with OCD, ADHD, symptoms of Bipolar Disorder, and he may have some Asperger's symptoms as well. We are a Christian family. Currently, we are choosing to home school. For some reason I don't quite understand, we are the family that weird and rare things happen to. I have countless stories of strange medical issues, allergic reactions, or unbelievable things my children have done. I remember a time that seems so long ago, but really it has only been a few years, when I was struggling to care for three children all three and under, all in diapers, nobody could really talk, nobody slept well, and there were lots of "issues". At that point we did not have a good understanding of what was going on with our children and we were fighting so hard to save them from autism, etc. I felt like I was drowning. I literally had to pray before I got out of bed because I was so tired and I had no idea what I was going to have to face that day. My husband worked long hours, seven days a week. He got one day off a month. We literally were just trying to make it through the day, every day. We were trying all sorts of treatments and just trying to get a handle on our life. Today, we still have lots of "issues", but life seems so much easier. Everybody has a way to communicate and is potty trained! We understand what is going on with each child and our coping with the "issues". My husband works far less hours and is home so much more. The sleep is somewhat better, depending on the day and the child. We are truly very happy and feel very blessed. I still pray my way through each day because it is an excellent habit that has gotten me through the worst of times. I finally have some time and energy and have started a website business. The goal of our website is to help educate people about disabilities and help people who are just starting down the path we have spent years navigating. We also sell Christian products for people with disabilities and anyone else. The website is www.createdinhisimage.net. This blog is meant to go along with our website and provide additional information about the day to day life of our family and the choices we have made to get through our life thus far.