Hi guys!  It's been a while since I posted!  I just wanted to pop in and give a quick update.

Guess what?!  Background: Our perps moved to a different country after the police case was originally closed.  After years of the perps visiting the local church for Halloween (where abuse had happened by them, to my kids) and eating at local restaurants where I would run into them, last November, I was able to have one of our therapists call CPS & get the police to do a "well check" at the location where they stay when they visit.  THIS year, NO PERPS!!!  Nobody saw them at the church!  I haven't run into them!  I feel like they're finally getting the message that THIS is OUR territory so STAY OUT!

Also, I have done a LOT of confronting of my mom/siblings for past abuse.  Processed & talked a LOT our with my therapist.  I am actually now at 1x a month sessions and MOSTLY because of my family jazz, which was triggered because my "best friend" was one of the abusers & she betrayed my trust, like my family has all my life but I never truly saw.  Anyways, my complex PTSD has mostly resolved...I have only about 1-2 anxiety triggers a week where as I used to have multiple ones per day!  Being a homeschool mom, it is SO different to teach without anxiety!

And the kids!  Let me tell you...THEY have mostly had their anxiety resolved!  Not as well as mine but to the point where we have normal days of school as our NORMAL and the exception is a bad day of anxiety, instead of the other way around!  My younger one is studying Latin & working towards another win at the spelling bee.  My older, special needs is making huge strides at becoming an independent adult...learning to use the bus system, fill out job applications, taking Literature & physical science and getting A's even with his struggles!  My daughter is becoming a beautiful artist and able to finally write well enough (spelling & neatness) that I can read the amazing stories that she conjurs up!  And they ALL do full lessons of math EVERY day!  YAY!  The older 2 barely take melatonin anymore & sleep well, and my younger one is down to 1 mg of melatonin most nights.  But we just invested in a weighted blanket and he slept like a baby last night!  The kids all auditioned for a play today and they had the NORMAL butterflies, not the crazy triggers of yesteryear's auditions where they would freeze up, or stare off into space or break down and cry.  My daughter even was asked to come down and take a picture and her response was "sure!" with NO hesitation!  (If you know her story, you'll remember this is a huge leap forward!)  My older son has paused therapy for about a year now, until he really needs it.  My daughter has recently paused therapy (about 2 months now) saying she no longer needs it.  My younger son is going about 1x every 2 months.  This compared to yesteryear of 1x a week for everyone!

My oldest son, cancer patient who had inappropriate contact with his sister for a short stent when he was in a panic of thinking he was dying, has been living at home for 3 years.  No issues, no inapproriate anything.  Pure healing and normal sibling interaction.  My baby is developing as well as can be after living in a home with constant PTSD.  We have taught him to slap anyone who ever tries to touch his privates and that games are never ok.  And to tell mom and dad right away if it does happen.  So every time we change his pants, takes a bath, puts on a pull-up, he says "don't touch my penis or I'll slap you" and sometimes he DOES slap me!  LOL  But at least I know HE knows how to react if it happens!  He's 5 now.

There is hope, guys.  I'm even a mentor to a young lady who was sexually abused in foster care as a young girl as well as when she was a teen, trafficked by her boyfriend to Mexico, raped, impregnated & rescued at 16.  She's currently going through placing her child for adoption (who's 2 & going to close church friends) & she's been able to gain soul custody over the child, have her ex admit in court to some abuse, get surgery to fix some physical deformities because of the abuse & just over all take strides in healing.  It's been awesome to help her and see her grow.

If you remember our church situation...that pedophile pastor is in prison for 24 years and our association that was once almost 90 is down to 28 churches, including our old church, but mostly men who refuse to admit the truth to others and themselves.  We have been at our new church for a year and it has been a great year!

NO health concerns this year!  No cancer or near death experiences!  No visits from CPS.  No police.  This has been our first "normal" year where we gave back to the world because we were healed enough to do so.  There is hope...push through, persevere...you'll get there, one baby step at a time.

It's been 4 1/2 years since disclosures.  So much pain.  So much learned.  So much healing.  Romans 8:28  :)